The number of Mexican wolves living in Arizona and New Mexico has reached its highest level since efforts to reintroduce the endangered animals into the wild began in 1998.

The latest count found there are at least 113 Mexican wolves in the wild, up from 97 counted in 2015.

A higher survival rate of wild-born pups is the main factor in this years higher numbers, said John Bradley, spokesman with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The count found that 50 wild-born pups had survived through the end of 2016, compared to 23 the year before.

Wildlife officials called the most recent numbers encouraging after 2015, when counts found 13 fewer wolves than the year before. Before that, counts showed five years of positive population growth.

But wolf managers still have more work to do, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle said in a statement. The agencys goal is to achieve an average annual growth rate of 10 percent in the Mexican wolf population.

Friday's wolf count comes on the heels of a proposal from the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team to release additional captive wolf packs and wolf pups into the wild this year. The infusion of new blood is needed to increase genetic diversity among the animals, which currently are as related to one another as full siblings.

The plan calls for introducing two wolf packs now in captivity into wilderness areas in western New Mexico. That part won't move forward without a court ruling though. Wolf releases in the state are on hold while a federal appeals court decides a case filed by New Mexico and 18 other states challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services implementation of the Endangered Species Act within their borders.

In Arizona, the plan for this year doesnt include any proposed adult wolf releases, but does call for the cross foster of up to six wolf pups.

The procedure, first attempted by wildlife managers in 2014, involves transferring pups born in captivity into the den of a wild wolf pack less than two weeks after they are born. The hope is that the wild mother will raise the pups as their own.

The procedure has been considered a risky endeavor, though wolf recovery managers have been encouraged by signs of success in recent cross foster efforts.

This years count found that at least three of six wolf pups cross-fostered in 2016 are still alive. The Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team also found that both pups involved in a 2014 cross-foster are still alive. The male has dispersed from his pack and is traveling with a female wolf while the female is now part of a breeding pair.

That marks the first time that a cross foster has contributed genetically to Mexican wolf recovery, which is a significant milestone, said Jim deVos, assistant director of Wildlife Management for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

In the midst of a highly polarized debate about releases of captive adult wolves into the wild, cross fostering has emerged as an option that is more socially palatable, deVos said.

After analysis of recent population and genetic data, his agency is convinced that it can meet necessary population and genetic management goals through cross fostering alone, deVos said.

Adult releases aren't entirely off the table but it seems like were capable of genetic rescue with the use of fostered pups, he said.

It was that outlook that helped shape the recommendations included in the draft plan for Mexican wolf releases this year, deVos said.

But those proposals drew skepticism from Michael Robinson with the Center for Biological Diversity.

The New Mexico releases, while a good idea, are idealistic due to current legal gridlock, Robinson said.

As for the cross-fostering, Robinson is one of those who describes it as still a risky procedure.

There is no reason pups should be taken from their parents and released in Arizona, he said. They and their parents should be released in Arizona.

He lauded the animals for surviving through genetic struggles, illegal killings, management setbacks and more.

"These animals are tough. They are up against politicized management and a genetic crisis that stems from it and they are still increasing in numbers, he said.

In addition to its yearly wolf release plans, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is under court order to release a draft Mexican wolf recovery plan later this year that is expected to provide a better roadmap for creating a self-sustaining population. The current recovery plan dates back to 1982.
US President Donald Trump took the unveiling of a new Boeing aircraft as an occasion to restate a "promise" that, under his government, workers will "win" big in this country while companies that outsource production will be hit with "substantial penalties". In his first speech outside Washington since he took office in January, in the staunchly Republican state of South Carolina, Trump on Friday delivered the economic message of his campaign that largely led to his victory in the November 8 elections, Efe news reported. "When there is a level playing field, and I've been saying this for a long time, American workers will always, always, always win. But we don't have a level playing field. Very shortly, you will have a level playing field again," Trump said from Charleston, South Carolina. The President attended the unveiling of the new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, a new commercial aircraft designed to carry over 300 passengers and manufactured at the US company's plant in South Carolina. Boeing aims to put it into service next year. "This plane, as you know, was built right here in the great state of South Carolina. Our goal as a nation must be to rely less on imports and more on products made right here in the USA," Trump said. The President promised his government will "massively reduce job-crushing regulations...that send our jobs to those other countries. We are going to lower taxes on American business so it's cheaper and easier to produce product and beautiful things like airplanes right here in America." "There will be a very substantial penalty to be paid when they fire their people and move to another country, make the product, and think that they're going to sell it back over what will soon be a very, very strong border. Going to be a lot different," he said. Trump acknowledged that his promise to return jobs to America that were lost to the outsourcing practiced by many companies "is one of the primary reasons I'm standing here today as your president, and I will never, ever disappoint you." The President also vowed to "very strongly enforce our trade rules and stop foreign cheating," though he has not yet taken steps to label countries he decried during the campaign -- such as China -- as currency manipulators, which he could do by executive action, CNN reported. Trump has also floated imposing a tariff on imports from countries where he believes the US is at a trade disadvantage, though he did not specifically address those plans on Friday. --IANS ksk ( 434 Words) 2017-02-18-08:14:07 (IANS)
Although it crossed $1 billion in revenue in 2016 within the first two years of its operations in India, Xiaomi -- once touted as the "Apple" of China -- has slipped to fourth spot back home as the demand for its smartphones declined 22 per cent annually -- eventually taking it to seventh spot in the global smartphone ranking with a 16 per cent drop in sales. The decline came even as Hugo Barra, Xiaomi's high-profile head of international operations, left the company in January and joined Facebook to lead its virtual reality (VR) project. According to the experts, the key reason for this decline is Xiaomi's rivals racing ahead with key features, better innovations, bigger marketing budgets and wider online and offline distribution channels. "Until 2016, Xiaomi relied only on online channels for smartphone sales which contributes approximately 30 per cent of the total smartphones sales in China, leaving a huge chunk of the market untapped. Its competitors invested heavily in building strong offline channels, expanding their reach to tier-2 and tier-3 cities and moving ahead of Xiaomi," Shobhit Srivastava, Research Analyst, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems at market research firm Counterpoint Research, told IANS. Another reason for Xiaomi's slipping growth is the rising average selling price (ASP) of the maturing China smartphone market, experts noted. "Bulk of the sales in China is coming from upgrades where Huawei, OPPO and Vivo are gaining market share while Xiaomi remains in the below-$150 category. Xiaomi also lacks in research and development unlike its Chinese counterparts which are vertically integrated," Srivastava added. An email sent to the company for its reaction to the decline in global smartphone sales didn't elicit any response. Xiaomi's main markets have been China and India which combined get more than 95 per cent shipment share. While performance in India improved in 2016, the company lost market share in China resulting in the decline of overall global smartphone ranking. Huawei, Oppo and Vivo have emerged as clear winners with Oppo and Vivo registering significant growth in China. Shipping 44.9 million iPhones to China, even Apple has beaten Xiaomi that shipped 41.5 million smartphones in 2016, market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) revealed earlier this month. According to IDC's "Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker" report, Apple dropped from 58.4 million iPhones in 2015 and Xiaomi from 64 million Mi phones -- drops of 23 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively. Amid the global gloom, it is the Indian smartphone market that has helped Xiaomi gain profits. "They (Xiaomi) have already established their presence in India with a revenue of more than $1 billion in 2016 in the country. They will keep going as they have a strong management team," Jaideep Mehta, Managing Director, IDC South Asia, told IANS. "On Barra, I would say that a senior executive has just moved on. Of Course, he will be missed, but the company is bigger than one individual," he added. Coincidently, Xiaomi is not going to showcase any product at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's largest event, in Barcelona, Spain, later this month. There are reports that Xiaomi doesn't have new devices to showcase during the MWC show. This indicates there is something wrong somewhere and the company needs to plug the problem fast before its global presence plunges further. "To recover and sustain growth, Xiaomi will have to focus on building strong offline channels as it will open up a significant market for the company. It needs to concentrate more on its R&D and come up with a device in the higher-mid end segment for the increasing Chinese middle-class population with higher disposable incomes," Srivastava emphasised. (Anuj Sharma can be contacted at anuj.s@ians.in) --IANS anuj/na/vm ( 628 Words) 2017-02-18-12:42:06 (IANS)
"We in South Asia have not only a shared history, a contiguous geography, but also a shared destiny," Mahajan said in her inaugural speech of the South Asian Speakers' Summit from February 18-20.

"We must work in tandem to achieve the goals for peace and prosperity of our people," she said.

She stressed that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have set global priorities for the progress of humanity.

"The SDGs emphasise on achieving a balance between the three pillars of economic growth, social development and environmental protection," Mahajan said.

"I personally feel that this approach somehow was very much required in our contemporary growth and development strategy."

"In my view immediate relevance of the goals to the local priorities at the national and sub-national levels actually holds the key," she said.

"I strongly feel that development at the cost of our culture is not sustainable," the Lok Sabha Speaker pointed out.

Mahajan said the past tells us how civilisational strengths may steer us through the contemporary challenges.

Emphasising on the development of the people, she said: "I must also mention here that first and foremost is the citizen. No development is possible and sustainable unless it has a human face."

--IANS bns/aks/py/vm

( 242 Words)

2017-02-18-15:44:11 (IANS)
The team visited sites of the Northern Railway Rehabilitation Project, including Kankesanthurai Railway Line, Omanthai-Pallai railway line, etc., apart from evaluating the signalling and telecommunication systems installed under the LoC, Colombo Gazette cited a statement by the Indian High Commission here.

The Line of Credit (LOC) is a financing mechanism through which India's Exim (Export-Import) Bank extends support for export of goods and services from India. Between 2008-15 Exim Bank has disbursed $11,678 million as LOCs for various development related and capacity building projects across continents.

India has provided concessionary credit facilities amounting to about $800 million to Sri Lanka to undertake the Northern Railway Rehabilitation Project. Engineering and construction company IRCON International implemented the project, including track upgradation and setting up of signalling and communication infrastructure.

The Exim Bank team also called on Sri Lanka Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva and senior officials in several Sri Lankan ministries of such as Railways, Department of External Resources, Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, etc.

The Indian High Commission said it remains committed to strengthening its bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka through closer economic ties, enhancing connectivity and continued development partnership.

--IANS vgu/rn

( 243 Words)

2017-02-18-15:56:07 (IANS)
Pakistani actress Saba Qamar, who is in the news for an old video footage in which she branded Bollywood star Salman Khan a "chhichhora" (indecent), says she loves the Indian film industry and finds the "Dabangg" star humble. In a two minute-plus long video from an old episode of Pakistani show "Good Morning Zindagi", Saba comments on Hrithik Roshan, Emraan Hashmi, Ranbir Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh and Salman, when the host asks Saba to say 'no' to them under hypothetical situations -- and explain why. The reasons she gave -- including one where she claimed she wouldn't like to work with actor Emraan Haashmi for the fear of mouth cancer -- got newfound attention on social media earlier this week. Clarifying her stance, Saba said in a statement on Saturday: "'Good Morning Zindagi' is a fun show where they ask you fun questions about Bollywood stars. Whatever I said about each of the actors was said just for fun at that moment. I love and respect the Indian film industry specially Salman Khan is such a huge star and so humble." The actress is making her debut in Bollywood with the upcoming Irrfan Khan starrer "Hindi Medium". On Friday, IANS had contacted Saba, and she had said over phone that "it was a fun show". "'Koffee With Karan' mein kya kuchch nahi hota (What all does not happen on 'Koffee With Karan')," Saba asked. In the video, when the host asks Saba if Hrithik asked her to marry him, how would she say no, Saba said: "Don't want a father of two... He is not my cup of tea." Next was Bollywood's 'serial kisser' Emraan Hashmi, whom she rejected because she didn't want "mouth cancer". This comment hasn't gone down too well with his fans as Emraan's son has fought cancer and the actor has been doing his bit for cancer awareness. Saba rejected Riteish because since she is an "A-grade actress" in Pakistan, she would want to work only with other A-grade actors, even in India. The host then showed a photograph of Ranbir, whom she could not reject. "'Of course darling, I am ready for you'," Saba said looking at the actor's photograph. But on insistence by the host, she finally turned him down because he "had a 'chakkar' (affair) with Indian actress Deepika Padukone." Finally, the photograph of Salman was shown, and Saba turned him down for being 'chhichhora' (indecent), and for not knowing how to dance. Saba's video appeared during ongoing tension between India and Pakistan after the Uri army camp attack in September last year, and at a time when Pakistani artistes are not being entertained in India due to a ban imposed by certain right-wing outfits. Saba, who made her acting debut with the PTV Home drama "Main Aurat Hoon" in 2004, is popular in Pakistan for essaying leading roles in hit dramas "Dhoop Mein Andhera Hai", "Jinnah Ke Naam" and "Uraan". --IANS rb/vm ( 499 Words) 2017-02-18-16:24:08 (IANS)
Organised by Event Capital (A Laqshya Media Group Company) and TM Talent Management, the event -- presented by Bhutani Group, will be held here March 25-26, read a statement.

At the Mumbai edition of the fest, participating artistes included Arijit Singh, Hariharan, Papon, Rekha Bhardwaj, Sachin-Jigar, Sajid-Wajid, Sonakshi Sinha and Vishal-Shekhar.

For the Delhi crowd, organisers are planning to get Bollywood icons perform live in a multi-genre, multi-stage format.

The line-up will comprise over 50 artistes, supported by over 200 musicians on three stages: The Experimental Stage, The Alternative Stage and The Emerging Artistes Stage. Venue and artist line-up for the Delhi edition will be announced soon.

Organisers are hoping to attract a huge crowd.

Swaroop Banerjee, CEO, Event Capital, said: "Like Mumbai, where we managed to engage over 30 Million Bollywood music fans through the television, digital and on-ground; we aim to give all music lovers in Delhi-NCR a great musical experience through the festival."

According to Tarsame Mittal, Founder of TM Talent Management, the idea is to give music lovers of the most popular genre in the country a great experience.

A nationwide voice hunt, band hunt and DJ hunt will also be rolled out soon, where aspirants can submit online video entries and get a chance to open for headlining acts at the music festival. The online submission will be followed by an on-ground audition in Delhi NCR, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Mumbai.

--IANS rb/vm

( 269 Words)

2017-02-18-18:28:12 (IANS)
"Proud day for the father in me. Vedaant swam 4 km swimathon at Khan's gym in under 57 minutes. Something I can never imagine doing," Madhavan tweeted.

Madhavan is married to Sarita for 18 years and Vedaant, their son, is 12 years old.

On the career front, the "Tanu Weds Manu" actor is busy shooting for Tamil thriller "Vikram Vedha".

In Bollywood, he has "Chanda Mama Door Ke" in his kitty.

--IANS hp/rb/vm

( 102 Words)

2017-02-18-19:28:09 (IANS)
Palaniswami, who was sworn in on Thursday as Chief Minister, won by 122 voice votes on Saturday.

He belongs to the AIADMK faction led by party General Secretary V.K. Sasikala, who is currently serving a four-year jail term in Bengaluru in disproportionate assets case.

Commenting on the concept of confidence votes, "Roja" actor Arvind Swami tweeted: "None will accept a vote of confidence if the MLAs don't represent the people's views. For that they have to meet people, not party in a resort."

Swami also demanded re-election.

"In my opinion, the only solution that is acceptable under the circumstances is a re-election. This is not the people's mandate," he wrote.

Siddharth, without mincing his words, reacted very strongly.

"Give Sasikala a laptop in jail. Save transport cost (our money) for Edappadi K. Palaniswami and his gang for four years. Time to put more salt in our food," he tweeted.

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan slyly described the current political climate as a mockery of democracy.

"There you go. Seems like we have another CM. Jai de-mockcrazy," Haasan wrote.

Actor Suriya, in a tweet shared in Tamil, said people are the real fools now.

Actress Radikaa Sarath Kumar tweeted: "Disgrace. Governor should act."

--IANS hp/rb/vm

( 247 Words)

2017-02-18-19:58:07 (IANS)
According to a release issued by Yogakshema, Ansari spoke about immense relevance of yoga to all individuals. He described yoga as "the science of controlling the fluctuations of the mind".

"Unless these fluctuations are not controlled, our body cannot function properly," he said.

BJP MP Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi described late Yoga Guru B.K.S Iyengar's interpretation of Patanjali's yoga sutra as "the best treatise of modern times".

He said Yoga is a wonderful gift to mankind by ancient Indian sages.

In run-up to the foundation day, Shricharan Faeq Biria, one of the senior-most disciples of B.K.S Iyengar, conducted a week-long intensive workshop, which was attended by over 100 Iyengar yoga students including foreign nationals.

Speaking on the occasion, Biria spoke about his 65-year association with yoga and his journey with B.K.S Iyengar.

Referring to Nivedita Joshi, a disciple of Guruji, he said she was virtually bed-ridden in her teens due to slip disc-cervical spondylosis but was able to walk unaided after about a year of stay at yoga institute run by B.K.S Iyengar in Pune.

"Yoga gave back her life - and her life became yoga," he said.

The release said that B.K.S Iyengar, while inaugurating the centre, had termed Yogakshema as a long cherished dream.

--IANS spk/ps/vgu/vm

( 240 Words)

2017-02-18-21:54:08 (IANS)
Clean drinking water for everyone is one major health goal for decades, in one a shocking revelation, a study warns that while it reduces chances of catching many deadly diseases, but it can increase the risk of childhood asthma. Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada suggested that there could be a link between the risk of asthma and the cleanliness of the environment. The findings indicated that while gut bacteria plays a role in preventing asthma, but it was the presence of a microscopic fungus or yeast known as Pichia that was more strongly linked to asthma. Instead of helping to prevent asthma, however, the presence of Pichia in those early days puts children at risk. "Children with this type of yeast called Pichia were much more at risk of asthma," said Brett Finlay. "That was a surprise because we tend to think that clean is good, but we realise that we actually need some dirt in the world to help protect you," Finlay added. The new research furthers our understanding of the role microscopic organisms play in our overall health. In previous research, Finlay and his colleagues identified four gut bacteria in children and if present in the first 100 days of life, seem to prevent asthma. In a follow-up to this study, they repeated the experiment using fecal samples and health information from 100 children in a rural village in Ecuador. As part of the study, the researchers noted whether children had access to clean water. They found a yeast in the gut of new babies in Ecuador that appears to be a strong predictor that they will develop asthma in childhood. They also found the presence of four types of bacteria in the gut of babies less than 100 days old seemed to prevent them from developing asthma in later life. "Those that had access to good, clean water had much higher asthma rates and we think it is because they were deprived of the beneficial microbes," Finlay stated. (ANI)
PHOENIX  Something is giving headaches to House Democrats and their staff.

But for a change, it's not the Republicans.

The Department of Administration which has purview over all state buildings sent a certified industrial hygienist to the nearly 60-year-old building earlier this month after basement staffers complained about headaches and light-headedness during their work day.

On Friday, agency lobbyist Elizabeth Bartholomew reported that tests were run on everything from carbon monoxide and volatile organic chemicals to temperature and humidity. The results, she told members of the House Administration Committee, were all within the normal range.

But committee members said the inspection fell short. And it left at least one of them angry and demanding more answers than Bartholomew could provide.

Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, said all the things checked in the report have nothing to do with mold.

Did they do any air testing or surface testing for mold or mold spores? she asked.

They checked the room, they checked the bathroom, they checked behind the ice machine, Bartholomew responded.

That visual examination left Townsend unsatisfied. She wants the air tested by professional, qualified mold-abatement people. And Townsend said there needs to be extensive testing of surfaces for toxins, not just in the basement but throughout the building including the heating and air conditioning system.

What's been done so far, she said, is insufficient.

It does not give any confidence that there's not mold in the building, Townsend said.

Rep. Charlene Fernandez, D-Yuma, said the danger should not be underestimated.

We really have to act quickly, she said.

Our precious staff down there, we're worried about them, Fernandez continued. We go down there. So we're worried for ourselves.

The problems that may exist in the building are not confined to the basement  or to staffers. Rep. Isela Blanc, D-Tempe, said she gets a headache every morning.

They go away on weekends, Blanc said, quipping, I'd like to blame my colleagues on the other end of the aisle.

She said the building clearly needs a more thorough inspection, not just looking at what is evident on the surface, and this time by someone who is a certified expert in the field of toxic mold. And that, said Blanc, needs to include an actual test of the air for mold and toxins.

Fernandez said her own experience as a member of the Yuma Union High School District governing board dealing with a school that did have mold convinces her that the risks are serious and that the problem needs real attention.

Kids were getting sick, they could smell something in the air, she said, noting that House staffers made similar observations.

We immediately had to close the school and bring in experts, Fernandez related.

It wasn't an hour-long thing, she continued. It was days and days that they had to test the whole area and come out with a report that there was mold.

And once the problem was found, she said the board had to keep the school closed until the remediation was done.
With Priyanka Gandhi Vadra going straight for the kill by attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi in her much-awaited debut in the Uttar Pradesh polls campaign, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday took a jibe at her stating that it's best to ignore a "part time politician" who makes statements while being unaware of the nation's political developments. Priyanka joined her brother and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday in attacking Prime Minister Modi over demonetisation, saying it has only caused pain to the poor. "The part time politicians and campaigners of Congress do not try to understand the real impact of demonetisation by making irresponsible statements. Demonetisation has only affected those who have amassed black money. Priyanka Gandhi comes once in a while during election periods and makes statements without even studying what really happened in the past. She is making comments unaware of the political developments, which I think is best to ignore," BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI here. The Congress star campaigner finally hit the campaign trail for Uttar Pradesh Assembly election addressing a rally at her mother Sonia Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency Raebareli along with her brother Rahul. "UP doesn't need a leader from outside. All youth of the state can lead UP, build a new UP." Priyanka said. Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promises to women of the state, she added, "I am a woman.Who has committed the most number of atrocities against women, poor. Wasn't making you stand in queues atrocities against women?" Priyanka also asserted that U.P. did not require an "outsider" to develop it, and conveyed to the Prime Minister that relationships were not built by just talk but they need fulfilling of promises as well. Priyanka attended the rally two-day days after BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani claimed the Congress leader was not campaigning as she had no answers to people's question in Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)
The Fort St George, the seat of power, was convertedinto a veritable security fortress, as Tamil Nadu was facing its first floor test in 30 years, even as Ministers and MLAs, started arriving to attend the Assemblyproceedings. After non-stop political drama over the last ten days, since rebel leader O Panneerselvam's Marina revolt, all eyes were glued to the State Assembly where Edappadi K Palaniswami, made Chief Minister by the AIADMK leaderV K Sasikala's camp, was seeking a trust vote. An unprecedented and multi-tier security arrangements have been put in place, with the deployment of more than 1,500 police personnel in and around the State Secretariat, which has be taken over by the police. Chennai City Police Commissioner S George and other top officials reviewed the security arrangements around the State Legislative Assembly. The stretch on the Kamarajar Salai from War Memorial to the RBI subway hasbeen sealed. Only vehicles of Ministers and MLAs, besides that of accredited media, were allowed entry after thorough checks. The Chief Minister was among the firsts to reach the Secretariat, followed by his Cabinet colleagues. . MORE UNI GV CS 1111 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1155344.Xml
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, along with dignitaries of South Asian countries except Myanmar and Pakistan, were welcomed by traditional dance amid beating of drums on their arrival. The Parliament of India and Inter Parliamentary Union are jointly organising the first meeting. The presiding officers of Parliament from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka are attending the programme.

The Summit will discuss issues relevant to South Asian region during the two-day deliberations like-- identifying resources for SDGs implementation in the region, gender equality as a critical factor for sustainable development, dealing effectively with the challenge of climate change, it said.

Earlier, in January 2016, Speakers of Parliament from South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka) had met for the first time in Dhaka and discussed ways and concrete action on the SDGs. The Dhaka declaration highlighted the importance of strong Parliamentary actions on the SDGs and established the South Asian Speakers Forum on achieving it. It was also decided that the Forum will meet once in a year to discuss the progress and implementation of the SDGs.

The Summit is being held at Indore following this Declaration taken in Dhaka.

However, Myanmar and Pakistan which is also the member countries had turned down the invitation.UNI DS PY SB 1105

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1155327.Xml
India may not be having a direct physical threat from ISIS itself, but if the extremist outfit's foothold gets stronger in Afghanistan, neighbouring Pakistan's ISI may well act behind their cover. ''It is the ISI which would be taking advantage of the spread of ISIS tentacles towards South Asia,'' highly- placed sources told UNI. So far, only a miniscule number of India's minority youth had been influenced by the Islamic state propaganda and it was very unlikely that the extremist West Asian organisation could get a direct foothold in India. ''But our main concern is the ISI striking in India in the name of ISIS,'' the sources said. Attempts by these extremist groups have by and large failed to wean away the Indian Muslim youth to any radical ideologies. According to intelligence sources, so far, there was no presence of ISIS in India on the ground. However, in view of the increasing threat of these forces in West Asia and in the more immediate neighbourhood, the Government has turned its attention to promoting a more moderate version of Islam as represented by Sufism. It was as part of this project that India last year hosted the World Sufi conference, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The conference was conceptualised and organised by very senior members of the team that works at a very high level to devise counter-terror strategies. The team has been assigned the task of liaising with West Asian countries in counter-terror cooperation. Thursday's blast in Karachi at the Dargah of sufi saint Shahbaz Qalandar has once again highlighted the ISIS threat to a version of Islam as propounded by sufis. Indian Muslims are being eyed by these forces, as the country has roughly 180 million Muslims, who are 11 per cent of the global Muslim population, which is the biggest population of the community in the world except Indonesia and Pakistan. ''ISIS many not be having any active ground presence as of now but some incidents like that which happened a few years ago in Kerala in which a Professor's hands were chopped by extremists should sound an alarm bell for us. Both state and civil society abdicated,'' Director, Society For Policy Studies, Commodore C Uday Bhasklar C Uday said. ''The extremists are against the moderate and tolerant interpretation and practice of Islam as represented by sufis, and that is why they have targeted the dargah of Shabaz Qalandar.'' ''The fact that this is perhaps the only Dargah in Pakistan where women can also participateand some of them join the dhamalis a red rag for ideology which is deeply misogynistic,'' Mr Bhaskar said. Muslim scholars think that the best way to arrest any drift of the Muslim youth to any extremist distortion of Islam was to bring them in the main stream by increasing their participation in education, jobs, decision-making by ensuring them justice. ''If anyone is indulging in anti-national or anti-national activity, there should be an exemplary punishment for such people, but along with it, no innocent youth should be harassed or punished,'' says eminent Muslim intellectual Dr Zafar Mehmood, who has been Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Sachar committee that had been constituted to report on state of Muslims. ''If you want to counter terror, you should plan for the next 50 years, and also study the world happenings in the past 50 years to know what forces were in play that had led to the situation,'' he said. UNI NAZ SV SB 1239 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1155391.Xml
Amid pandemonium and ruckus by the Opposition DMK members, Speaker P Dhanapal today ordered their en masse eviction and again adjourned the Tamil Nadu Assembly till 1500 hrs , after Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami moved the trust vote. This was for the second time the House was adjourned after it resumedat 1300 hrs.MORE UNI GV CS 1345 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1155571.Xml
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (North) today urged the administration to take immediate steps to pass a bill in the territorial assembly seeking to exempt Puducherry from National Entrance and Eligibility Test (NEET) and get the nod of the President for the same. In a resolution adopted at the executive committee meeting of the party here, it observed that Puducherry students, particularly those from rural areas, could not pursue medical education if admissions were held on the basis of the NEET. DMK working president M K Stalin had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the issue pertaining to Tamilnadu and the DMK members would meet the concerned minister in this regard. The Puducherry CM should also take speedy steps in this regard and continue with the old Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) system, the meeting observed. The meeting which condoled the death of former DMK leader Durai Ariraman also resolved to celebrate the birthday of Mr Stalin in a fitting manner. Former CM R V Janakiraman, former Parliamentarian C P Thirunavukkarasu and a host of functionaries participated in the meeting presided over by DMK (North) convener S P Sivakumar.UNI PAB PY 1317 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1155490.Xml
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah targeted the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday, charging him with corruption in the Lucknow Metro project. Addressing a party rally in Gorakhpur, Shah said, "The Samajwadi Party (SP), which opposed the Congress throughout their existence, is now forming an alliance with the Congress to win the elections. It is an unholy alliance of two corrupt parties," BJP president Amit Shah said, while addressing a rally in Gorakhpur.Congress-SP alliance is an impure alliance." He said that the incumbent UP Government has indulged in corruption, whether it is road making or metro corruption. "Everyone who has wanted to take their family to travel in the metro, had to return empty-handed since the metro has not started," claimed Shah. Citing the various acts of injustice being heaped on the people of Uttar Pradesh, Shah promised that the BJP wil waive off loans for farmers and provide free education to women if elected to run the next government. "To cure mental illness, Yogi Adiyanath and the central government talked to all researchers across the country. The AIIMS at Gorakhpur will have an entire wing for mental illness," he added. "We are sure the poeple of Uttar Pradesh will rise above caste and religion to vote. It will change the face of the stat," he added. The campaigning for the third phase of the assembly elections came to an end in 69 constituencies spread over in 12 districts yesterday. The 12 districts in the third phase include Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Kannauj, Mainpuri, Etawah, Kanpur, Dehat, Auraiya, Lucknow, Unnao, Sitapur and Barabanki. The third phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections will vote on February 19 and the results will be declared on March 11. (ANI)
Pandemonium reigned in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Saturday as Speaker P. Dhanapal was heckled by the opposition DMK members, after Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami proposed a confidence motion. The Speaker adjourned the House till 3 p.m. The Speaker sent out legislators belonging to DMK for creating ruckus, before adjourning the House. Earlier, chaos reigned when the House resumed after a brief adjournment following ruckus in the assembly with opposition parties demanding secret ballot to decide the fate of Palaniswami, who was sworn in on Thursday. In the morning, soon after the assembly began, Palaniswami moved the confidence motion, which was followed by heated arguments started by DMK supremo and Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin urging Speaker Dhanapal to allow secret ballot. The Speaker, who belongs to the faction of AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala, stood his ground and said that legislators could not interfere with his powers. He also questioned the need for urgency in seeking a confidence vote when Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao had given 15 days time to Palaniswami. As the AIADMK lawmakers supporting Chief Minister Palaniswami remained silent, the DMK legislators surrounded Dhanapal shouting slogans. They tore the assembly agenda papers and some flung the mikes and chairs. When the marshals tried to escort Dhanapal out, DMK members pulled him back to his chair. One DMK MLA sat on the Speaker's chair in protest. Dhanapal first adjourned the House till 1 p.m. and later till 3 p.m. Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam also demanded secret ballot. In the morning, Palaniswami's AIADMK faction suffered a second blow when Arun Kumar, a legislator from Coimbatore North, jumped ship. Speaking to IANS over the phone from Coimbatore, Arun Kumar said: "I left the beach resort... I was not held back." He said party cadres and the people were not happy with the current leadership. On Friday, AIADMK legislator representing Mylapore constituency and former Director General of Police (DGP) R. Nataraj said he would vote against Palaniswami. The AIADMK led by General Secretary Sasikala commands the support of 123 legislators, including the Speaker, while the breakaway group led by Panneerselvam has 11 legislators. The opposition includes the DMK with 89 members, Congress (eight) and Indian Union Muslim League (one), while one seat is vacant. The DMK, Congress and IUMl have said they will vote against the Palaniswami government. The tally against Palaniswami stands at 108. DMK President M. Karunanidhi is unwell. If there is some cross-voting of 8-10 legislators from Sasikala's camp then it could be curtains for Palaniswami. The assembly has a total strength of 234, with one seat vacant. --IANS vj/rn ( 446 Words) 2017-02-18-14:06:08 (IANS)
Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh has asserted that peace is a prerequisite for any kind of development. The minister said he shared the concern expressed by the Naga students about the situation in Nagaland and noted that youth were the most affected section of society due to any disturbance and the ''biggest stake for peace is for the youth''. He was responding to a group of students from Nagaland which called on him here yesterday and appealed for peace in the state which is under curfew for the past few days. The students, studying at School of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development (SASARD), Medziphema, Nagaland, are on a national integration tour to Delhi and Jaipur which is being organised by 41 Assam Rifles. They are carrying a message of peace. Dr Jitendra Singh also conveyed good wishes to the students in their future endeavours. He said the students should see the diverse Indian culture during their visit to Delhi and Jaipur and share their experiences when they go back to their state. The purpose of organising the national integration tour is to give exposure to the students from the North East and give them insight into the culture and tradition of the rest of India. The students have visited Akshardham Temple, Qutub Minar, Hauz Khas Village and Dilli Haat. They will also visit India Gate, Red Fort and some other places in Delhi before going to Jaipur, an official release here said. UNI SD SHK 1448 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0005-1155644.Xml
A leader of pro-CPI (M) Students Federation of India (SFI) and organizing committee member of the on going Kannur University Art Festival was killed and two others were injured seriously when the car in which they were travelling collided with a truck at Panalath in this district today. Police said Ahamed Afzal (23), SFI district Secretariat member, was killed near Nayanmarmoola. The injured--Vinod (23) and Nazer (23) were admitted to a hospital at Mangluru, police added. The art festival has been postponed to Monday following the accident.UNI PCH CS 1410 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0328-1155602.Xml
Scientists officially have a date where theyll be taking to the streets.

The March for Science has been scheduled for Saturday, April 22 in Washington, D.C. A growing constellation of marches are also scheduled for that day in cities across the U.S.

What began as a Reddit conversation has grown into a movement of scientists and science lovers standing up for evidenced-based policy making and inclusivity in the science community.

The date of the march isnt just an average Saturday. April 22 is Earth Day, first celebrated in 1970.

The original Earth Day is seen by many as a turning point in the environmental movement. The year itself also marks a major turning point for the U.S. government and environmental policy. In 1970, Richard Nixon signed the Environmental Protection Agency into existence and it began operating that December.

The circumstances from the March for Science are a bit different in 2017. For one, it isnt focused solely on environmental science but all disciplines from astronomy to zoology. Theres also not a swell of support for science in the federal government. In fact, the march was inspired by a Congress and president that appear hostile to science, particularly in regards to climate change.

The march comes amid a flurry of other unrelated efforts by researchers to rally around science. That includes a pledge signed by more than 14,000 women scientists, a letter sent to President Trump by 151 scientific institutions arguing that he should rescind the immigration ban, and efforts by researchers around the world to guard federal climate data.
Palaniswami, who was sworn in on Thursday as Chief Minister, won by 122 voice votes.

He belongs to the AIADMK faction led by party General Secretary V.K. Sasikala.

--IANS vj-rn/in

( 58 Words)

2017-02-18-15:30:08 (IANS)
Expressing absolute resentment over the victory of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy in the floor test, former Tamil Nadu chief minister O. Panneerselvam said the people of the state have been betrayed by the MLAs, adding that at the end Amma's rule will be established. "Once we go back to our constituencies we will get to know the truth. The voters have been betrayed by MLAs," said Panneerselvam, while addressing the media here. Panneerselvam assured that late J. Jayalalithaa's rule will be established to save democracy. "Family thrown out from the party by Amma again came into picture with Sasikala's intervention. It won't last. Amma's rule will be established," he said. "For three hours, DMK MLAs on repeating their request to save democracy. Now in absence of all of us, vote was passed. We doubt its validity," he added. Stating the decision to be wrong, Panneerselvam said if needed, they will apprise the Governor of the same. "We have time to prove this. At the end only dharma will win. If need be, we will meet the Governor," he said. "We had kept two demands before speaker, one was to send MLAs to their constituencies, but the speaker didn't agree to them," he added. Panneerselvam's loyalist Pandiarajan, while showing strong negation, said things would have been different if the assembly had resorted to secret ballot. "There were constant threats, abusive language was used. Things would have been different if secret ballot was done," he said. Amid the uproar in the Tami Nadu Assembly during Saturday's much-anticipated floor test, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy won the vote of confidence with 122 MLAs supporting him. The floor test took place in Block Two of the Tamil Nadu assembly. Earlier, the Congress staged a walk out from the assembly, while Speaker P. Dhanapal ordered the assembly police to evict the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLAs from the house as soon as the assembly resumed functioning after getting adjourned following an uproar over the secret ballot process. "You tore my shirt and insulted me. I am doing my work abiding by the law," Speaker Dhanapal was quoted, as saying to the MLAs. However, DMK working president M.K. Stalin alleged that his shirt was torn off when the assembly police forcefully evicted his party MLAs and the Speaker tore of his shirt himself and blamed the MLAs of the DMK for it. "We were told that assembly will reconvene at 3 p.m., but at 2 p.m. police came and tried to forcefully evict us. My shirt was also torn," Stalin said. The assembly was adjourned twice on Saturday, once at 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m. Papers were torn and chairs thrown during the ruckus in the house. The assembly was facing its first floor test in 30 years, and there was a debate over the ballot, with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League expressing mixed views about the confidence vote. DMK's M.K. Stalin questioned the haste with which the ballot process was being done. He also emphasised upon the importance of democratic means in the state. "Democracy will be fullfilled, only when the secret ballot voting is done. Floor test should be done on another day. Why the hurry when the governor has given 15 days time?" Stalin said. Ahead of the crucial 'floor test', Panneerselvam appealed to AIADMK MLAs to vote against Palanisamy. "MLAs should be given time to hear the views of their constituency people. Time should be given till then," he said, during the assembly session. Palanisamy took oath as Tamil Nadu's 13th Chief Minister on Thursday. A total of 31 other All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs were also sworn in. (ANI)
Expressing disappointment over the mayhem in the Tamil Nadu state assembly, the Congress Party on Saturday said democratic traditions were violated. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal told ANI that as far as the demands of the political parties are concerned, the speaker is the arbiter of these demands and whatever the speaker decides will be accepted by the state assembly. "In an environment of peace and tranquility, the voting should take place, and, it is unfortunate that we have incidents like this. It is not good for democratic traditions. As far as the demands of the political parties are concerned, the speaker is the arbiter of these demands and whatever the speaker decides, will be accepted by the assembly and the voting should take place according to that," he added. Toeing similar sentiments, another Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi told ANI that the law is what the speaker decides within the house which is final and binding on all and have no second guessing. "On all matters of procedure and on all matter of internal management, on matters of running the house that is the way it is. Whether you like it or not. So, there is no question of judicial review of a speaker's decision for matters within the house. There is no question of second guessing or double guessing," he added. Violence by DMK MLAs marred the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, which met on Saturday morning to take up a motion of vote of confidence moved by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami forcing Speaker P. Dhanapal. The O. Panneerselvam camp and Congress protested in the House demanding secret ballot in the floor test. The assembly was adjourned twice during the day before Palaniswamy secured the vote of confidence with the support of 122 MLAs. (ANI)
DMK's Working President Stalin, along with party MLAs, sat on protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Marina beach.

Police later took the DMK MLAs into custody. DMK supporters blocked the police vehicles at the venue.

A couple of hundred metres away at the Marina beach, there were scenes of jubilation by the AIADMK faction led by V.K. Sasikala on Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami winning the vote of confidence.

Palaniswami, his ministers and other AIADMK party men arrived at the beach to pay their homage to late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa at her memorial in Marina.

Earlier, Stalin met Tamil Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao and lodged a complaint against the happenings in the assembly.

Speaking to reporters after he and his party legislators were evicted from the assembly, Stalin said the party had demanded secret ballot to decide on the motion of confidence moved by Chief Minister Palaniswami.

He said the party demanded adjournment of the House for a week so that legislators can go back to their constituencies and seek the people's views before they come back to vote on the confidence motion.

The DMK leader said he sat in protest inside the assembly to press his demand.

Stalin alleged he was forcibly evicted by the marshals and suffered injuries while his shirt was damaged.

He also alleged that the party legislators were assaulted by the marshals while evicting them.

--IANS vj/rn

( 282 Words)

2017-02-18-17:06:06 (IANS)
BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday said that all-round development will be ushered in Uttar Pradesh after March 11, as his party will form the government with a full majority. Addressing a press conference here, Shah said people in the state have "made up their mind to vote for a BJP government" and claimed that opposition parties -- the BSP and the SP-Congress alliance will bite the dust. "Under the SP government their is utter chaos in UP for the past five years and with their newly forged alliance with the Congress they are on their way out of power," the BJP leader said. He also took on the BSP chief Mayawati for doing nothing but lip service for Dalits. Claiming huge support in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the first and the second phase of polling in the state, Shah further stated that the indication was clear that a BJP government was "on its way in UP". In the rounds to come, he added, be it Poorvanchal, Bundelkhand or central UP, the BJP will make huge gains. --IANS md/in/vm ( 193 Words) 2017-02-18-17:20:09 (IANS)
Sri Krishna Devaraya Mahotsavam was organised in a grand manner at Andhra Maha Vishnu temple premises at Srikakulam village in Krishna district today. Inaugurating the programme, Deputy Chief Minister Nimmakayala Chinarajappa said Andhra Pradesh government headed by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was giving priority for the promotion of Telugu language and culture. He said the government is encouraging artistes and stressed the need for protecting Telugu language. Stating that awareness on culture and traditions was growing among younger generations, he said majority of the parents are willing to join their children in traditional Kuchipudi dance classes. Presiding over the programme Dy.Speaker of Legislative Assembly Mandali Budha Prasad explained the historical importance of Andhra Mahavishnu temple, where Sri Krishna Devaraya began writing Amukta Malyada. Stating that Mr Chandrababu Naidu is giving top priority to promote temple tourism, he said the programme should emerge as a platform to protect Telugu language. The Dy.Speaker said that the programme was named after Kavita Brahmotsavalu. As part of it, more than hundred poets were felicitated. Poetry recitation was conducted on the occasion. Press Academy Chairman V V Deekshitulu, Jonnavittula Ramalingeswara Rao, Director of Language and Cultural affairs D Vijayabhaskar and others were present.UNI DP CS 1848 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1156133.Xml
Terming 'unfortunate' Pakistan's skipping of the two-day South Asian Speakers Summit here, Afghanistan Speaker of National Assembly Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi today said he would have been happier if they participated.Talking to the reporters here, Mr Ibrahimi said,"Unfortunately, Pakistan is not attending this summit. We don't know the reason, perhaps they can say it better. Being a neighbouring country we would have been happier if Pakistan attended the meeting."He also said it is up to the people of Pakistan to improve the regional co operation on sustainable development goals. Adding, it would had benefited people of Islamabad if they participated.On being asked about expectations from the host country, the Speaker said India has been brotherly friend to Afghanistan and in the last 15 years billion aide extended to the country."What we want from India is that this relation be further improved and developed.We also want improvement in security. Hope relation will continue in a similar manner in coming times," he asserted.On terrorism, he said the issue remains a big threat to the South Asian countries, including Pakistan, but unfortunately rulers of Pakistan have supported terrorism, this policy of Islamabad is not in the interest of the region.In future it will be a big threat to Pakistan itself. Earlier, Inter Parliamentary Union President Saber Hossain Chowdhury said when the Governments don't talk, the parliamentarians should engage in dialogue.Addressing the opening session of the Summit, Mr Chowdhury said, "It is disappointing that Pakistan is not with us today. "When the Governments don't talk or stop talking, the parliamentarians should continue with dialogue with each other."Citing an example, the IPU President said, "Their is Sanction regime and countries sanction each other. Sanction regime shouldn't apply to parliamentarians. Pakistan is not here but we hope they will be joining this platform in near future.''UNI DS AE SNU 1832 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1155937.Xml
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China will suspend all imports of coal from North Korea starting Feb 19, the country's commerce ministry said in a notice posted on its website on Saturday, as part of its efforts to implement United Nations sanctions against the country.The Ministry of Commerce said in a short statement that the ban would be effective until Dec. 31.The ministry did not say why all shipments would be suspended, but South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported last week that a shipment of North Korean coal worth around $1 million was rejected at Wenzhou port on China's eastern coast.The rejection came a day after Pyongyang's test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile, its first direct challenge to the international community since U.S. President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20.China announced in April last year that it would ban North Korean coal imports in order to comply with sanctions imposed by the United Nations and aimed at starving the country of funds for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.But it made exceptions for deliveries intended for "the people's wellbeing" and not connected to the nuclear or missile programmes.Despite the restrictions, North Korea remained China's fourth biggest supplier of coal last year, with non-lignite imports reaching 22.48 million tonnes, up 14.5 percent compared to 2015. REUTERS PS AN1810 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1156005.Xml
Altogether, 17 per cent of candidates have criminal cases against them, who are contesting the fourth phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh, to be held on February 23. Similarly, 28 per cent of candidates in the fourth phase are crorepatis. The disclosure was made here today by Uttar Pradesh Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) after analysing the self-sworn affidavits of all 680 candidates from 98 political parties, including six national parties, five state parties, 87 unrecognised parties and 200 independent candidates, who are contesting in the fourth phase at 53 Assembly seats. According to this report, out of 680 candidates analysed, 116 or 17 per cent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves. A total 95 or 14 per cent candidates have declared serious criminal cases, including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and crimes against women. Candidates with cases related to murder are seven, related to attempt to murder are 18, nominees with cases related to crimes against women are six, while 10 candidates have declared cases related to kidnapping for ransom. Of the total criminal background, 19 or 40 per cent candidates out of 48 from BJP, 12 or 23 per cent out of 53 candidates from BSP, nine or 23 per cent out of 39 candidates from RLD, 13 or 39 per cent out of 33 nominees from SP, eight or 32 per cent out of 25 candidates from INC, and 24 or 12 per cent out of 200 Independent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits. There are 21 constituencies in the fourth phase of elections, having three or more candidates with declared criminal cases. MORE UNI MB RJ SNU 1839 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1156071.Xml
Refuting the charges of rape filed against him, Prajapati on Friday claimed it is a conspiracy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against him in order to distract people's attention from the Assembly polls.

"It is a conspiracy against me. I don't even know who the lady is. Since the government has ordered such probe, I would accept it gladly," Prajapati told ANI.

The Supreme Court earlier on Friday ordered registration of an FIR against Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Gayatri Prajapati in connection with a gang-rape and sexual harassment case.

The apex court also directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to file a status report in the case within a period of eight weeks.

A 35-year-old woman had accused Prajapati of raping her when she met him three years ago.

He also took some obscene photos of the victim and then threatened the woman to make the photos public and raped her for the past two years, according to the complaint. (ANI)
Afghanistan and Bangladesh expressed disappointment over Pakistan's absence in the two-day South Asian Speakers' Summit, which began here today and hoped that it would had been better for Islamabad and its people, if they had attended it.Terming Pakistan's skipping the summit as 'unfortunate', Afghanistan President Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi said that he would have been happier, if Pakistan had participated.Addressing reporters here, Mr Ibrahimi said, "Unfortunately, Pakistan is not attending this summit. We don't know the reason, perhaps they can say it better. Being a neighbouring country, we would have been happier, if Pakistan had attended the meeting."He also said that is up to the people of Pakistan to improve the regional co-operation on sustainable development goals, adding that it would had benefited the people of Islamabad, if they had participated in the summit.On being asked about expectations from the host country, Mr Ibrahimi said India has been a brotherly friend to Afghanistan and in the last 15 years, two billion dollar aid was extended to the country."What we want from India is this relation to be further improved and developed. We also want improvement in security. Hope relations will continue in a similar manner in the coming times", he asserted.On terrorism, he said ''the issue remains a big threat to the South Asian countries, including Pakistan but unfortunately, rulers of Pakistan have supported terrorism, this policy of Islamabad is not in the interest of the region.''In future, it will be a big threat to Pakistan itself, he added.Talking to reporters, Inter Parliamentary Union President and Bangladesh MP Saber Hossain Chowdhury said when the government does not talk, the Parliamentarians should continue with engaging in dialogue.He also stressed that despite difference of opinion among the neighbouring nations, the Parliamentarians should engage in dialogue.Mr Chowdhury said, "It is an disappointment that Pakistan is not with us today. When the government does not talk or stop talking, the Parliamentarians should continue with engaging dialogue with each other."''If you talk of south Asia as a region, Pakistan is an important part of it after India. But we hope that they will be attending the future events. Because it is a loss not only to Pakistan, but also to South Asia. I hope the sooner Pakistan realises it, the better it is going to be. ''The other point, of course, is there might be differences of opinion in governments but as Parliamentarians, we should continue to talk. Dialogue is the way for all cases, even if we have acute differences,'' he asserted.Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said, ''We have invited Pakistan as they are also part of South Asian countries, but they didn't come. Every country should go together to achieve development but if someone lacks behind then it wouldn't be good, if they would had come, it would have been better.''UNI DS RSA RJ 2041 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0104-1156334.Xml
Over 300 supporters of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, including former AIADMK legislator Om Sakthi Sekhar, who was expelled from the AIADMK were arrested, when they resorted to a demonstration and road blockade here, in support of Mr Panneerselvam and against Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamay. The AIADMK volunteers supporting Mr Panneerselvam and the J Deepa Peravai volunteers gathered at the Rajiv Gandhi Square and held a demonstration.They later put up a road blockade, affecting traffic, which invited police intervention.UNI PAB PS RJ 1958 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1156245.Xml
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making wild allegations against the government in Uttar Pradesh. PM Modi was ignorant about the social fabric and the ground realities of Uttar Pradesh, he added.Commenting on the 'laptop' allegation, the SP President said "the charge by the leaders from Gujarat that free laptops were distributed only to the youth belonging to Yadav community, is baseless."He said the laptops were distributed to the needy, irrespective of caste or creed.Mr Yadav addressed several rallies in Hamirpur, Banda and Chitrakoot districts of Bundelkhand region, which will go to polls on February 23 in the fourth phase of Assembly elections.The Chief Minister sought to take the winds out of the sail of BJP election manifesto, where the party had promised to waive the outstanding loans of small and marginal farmers and give interest-free loan to them. "SP had also promised to waive the loans and it waived Rs 1,600 crore loan of UP Land Development Banks. The Prime Minister, by demonetisation, has already mopped up the entire liquidity in the country and banks are flush with funds. ''BJP, by promising loan waiver, is again trying to ditch the people. SP wants to come to power on the basis of its manifesto, while BJP is trying to capture power through deceit,'' alleged Mr Yadav.Questioning the claim of Mr Modi that he has been adopted by UP, Mr Yadav said ''Earlier, when he contested the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi, he claimed that he had been called to UP by the mother Ganges, now he is saying that he has been adopted by the people of UP. If he is the adopted son of the state, then what the youth leaders of the state will do?.''Accusing the BJP leaders of spreading confusion by presenting misleading data about the crime situation in UP, Mr Yadav claimed the law and order in the state was much than many other states and it was worst in all BJP-ruled states.Claiming that Samajwadi Party government has performed and delivered to the people, he said ''SP wants to work for the people, while BJP is interested only in disputes."BJP is unsettled by the popularity of the SP-Congress alliance and they are clueless about the issues to criticise the SP. The Prime Minister is so unnerved that he has started talking of the politics of police stations in UP,'' the Chief Minister quipped. Reiterating that BJP was making baseless allegations, Mr Yadav said ''Let the BJP tell the people of the state what their government at the Centre has done for them during their nearly three years in power. People of UP believed on their false promises and returned 73 MPs of the party and there are also a number of Union Ministers from UP, but what they have delivered so far to the people of the state?"BJP is doing only 'man ki baat' for the last three years, which the people of UP do not understand. Now it's time to deliver and the party should do 'Kaam Ki Baat','' he added.UNI MB RJ 2024 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1156305.Xml
Continuing his attack on BJP leaders through social media, Mr Kumar tweeted, "Dekhiye, Bhajpa ke mukhya mantri kaise haathi uda rahan hain. Ha ha ha-pakdo re bhai, padkro kahi ye haathi ud ke seema par na chala jaye. Mukhya mantra ko prateek chinha ka matlab nahin pata, logo bana diya (See, how BJP Chief Minister is flying elephant. Catch it, as the flying elephant can cross the border. CM does not know the meaning of memento, he has prepared a logo)."

As it is, a large number of people had also tweeted wondering how an elephant can fly.

The 'red flying elephant' has green wings and also Sohrai art on the body.

A representative of Mumbai based public relation and advertising company had come in defence of selecting flying elephant as mascot by contending that the elephant was chosen as it was the state animal and also an unusual choice for a mascot.UNI DH AD2114

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1156401.Xml
According to a statement by the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (North), the 36 Assam Rifles apprehended an NSCN (K) cadre from general area Lilen Kuki Village under Peren district of Nagaland today.

It said that a Search operation was launched along with a police representative based on specific information regarding the presence of an armed cadre.

During the operation the troops of 36 Assam Rifles apprehended one individual along with one 7.65 mm Pistol, three live rounds of 7.65 mm, two Gelatin sticks, one Detonator, two unidentified explosives, one battery and one mobile phone.

The apprehended individual was identified as a 29-year old resident of Lilen Kuki village under Peren district.

It was revealed that, individual belongs to NSCN (K) and holds the rank of SS Sergeant in the faction.

The apprehended individual along with the recovered arms and items was handed over to Athibung Police Station in Peren district for further investigation, it stated. UNI AS AD2130

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1156412.Xml
This is the 12th arrest in the case.

Singh is the close aide of mastermind Balram Singh who, along with Manish, Mohit and Dhruv, was sent to police remand till February 18.

However, accused Manoj and Sandeep have been sent to jail.

Earlier on February 9, ATS busted an international call racket that allegedly helped ISI agents to spy on India's military operations.

ATS chief Sanjeev Shami said that the accused were arrested in November 2016 in Jammu for collecting and using information of strategic interests for espionage.

"They were being funded by a person in Satna. Five persons from Gwalior, three from Bhopal, two from Jabalpur and one from Satna arrested," he said.

Shami further said the accused converted internet calls to cellular network and acted as medium for overseas handlers to contact people in India.

"The arrested men are accused of supplying information regarding army and Air Force in Madhya Pradesh. Complicity of some employees of telecom companies also surfaced," he said.

In January, the Uttar Pradesh ATS had arrested 11 people who were running a similar exchange. (ANI)
The chief executive of Peugeot manufacturer PSA Group will meet British Prime Minister Theresa May to discuss his firm's planned acquisition of General Motors' Opel and Vauxhall operations, a government spokesman said on Saturday.Both Britain and Germany fear PSA will cut jobs if the takeover goes ahead, and British politicians are particularly concerned that the country's looming departure from the European Union does not damage its resurgent auto industry.Earlier on Saturday the Financial Times reported that British business minister Greg Clark had offered PSA similar guarantees on EU access and supply chains to those he gave to Japan's Nissan last year.But PSA subsequently said it now wanted to hold talks at the highest level of British government, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that she would do all she could to keep jobs in Germany."(PSA Group CEO) Carlos Tavares has asked to meet Theresa May," the spokesman told Reuters. "It's the same approach that we've taken with the German authorities."A spokesman for May later confirmed that a meeting would go ahead, and the business ministry said it was likely to take place next week, with Clark attending as well.PSA, Europe's second-biggest carmaker and owner of the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands, also plans to have direct talks with union representatives in Germany and Britain on the deal, the group's spokesman said.Talks on a sale of GM's European arm to PSA were confirmed by both companies on Tuesday. Germany accounts for half of GM Europe's 38,000 staff, while there are 4,500 in Britain where the company operates under the Vauxhall brand.Two sources close to PSA said on Thursday that job and plant cuts were part of the tie-up talks, with the two Vauxhall sites in Britain in the front line.Clark went to Paris on Thursday evening to meet PSA, who he said had "stressed that they valued highly the enduring strength of the Vauxhall brand, underpinned by its committed workforce.""While discussions are still on-going, they made clear to me that in any deal these were strengths they would wish to build on," he added in a short statement on Friday.The FT reported on Saturday, citing a person with knowledge of the meeting, that Clark had also made commitments similar to those he gave Nissan last year before it announced it would build two new models in Britain.Clark promised Nissan that he would ensure more car part suppliers were based in Britain, support training and research into electric and low-emission vehicles, and push for "free and unencumbered" access to European Union markets for carmakers after Britain leaves the EU.Britain's business ministry declined to comment on whether Clark had made similar commitments to PSA.REUTERS RJ BL2233 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1156442.Xml
Everywhere I went this winter some person, club, or association was in the midst of planning a trip to El Fayoum, Suddenly El Fayoum had become the in place, the winter destination of many. Tempted to see for myself what's behind this newfound zeal, I, along with friends, children, and grandchildren, headed out to El Fayoum on a balmy, 22-degree, February day.

As we got closer to Fayoum, a serene and tranquil aura engulfed us: Lake Qarun on our right and agricultural land endowed with lush greenery, palm trees, and subliminal peacefulness on our left. In two hours time, we arrived at our hotel, left the young ones around the heated pool and headed our way to Wadi El Rayan, a protected ecological site designated as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. And we were definitely not disappointed.

We drove for a good hour or so before we entered the World Heritage site of Wadi El Rayan. It cost us five Egyptian pounds per person, aka approximately 25 cents, which must be upped immediately since the excursion is worth by far more, and if the area is to maintain its preserved nature and status.The rugged and uneven terrain is the only drawback, but the end result was worth every bump and jolt.

Wadi el Hitan Museum, the Whale Valley Museum, a paleontological wonder, sits amidst this ecologically rich area. The museum opened its doors only last year and is the prime source for the current infatuation with Fayoum. Designed in such a way so as to simulate the sand dunes of the area, the dome-like structure is as breathtaking as the surrounding dunes it replicates.

Inside a mind-blowing story unfolds depicting a history that spans over literally millions of years. Archaeological changes to the area are explained with photographs, graphs, illustrations, and, more striking, fossils. The oceans that existed and disappeared over millions of years, the evolution of inhabiting creatures from ones with claws and limbs to swimming dolphin-like ones, and the history behind all this is exemplified in the museum.

The museums centre piece is a dome-like chamber that houses the fossils of two entire huge whales that lie side by side, one of a doridun, the other of a basilosaurus isis, a massive limbed whale.

No other place in the world reveals how whales evolved over time from a land-based animal into an ocean mammal or is favoured with the number and quality of fossils as Wadi el Haitan.

The museum also boasts a 25-seat auditorium that runs a documentary on the evolutionary process as far as creatures and land is concerned. The plaque at the entrance pays homage to not only designers and archaeologists but every worker who contributed effort and time. The glass doors into the museum have perforated drawings that speak of the same creatures. All additional buildings such as the cafeteria and washrooms enjoy the same structure, the dome-like one, as the main building of the museum. All in all the museum borders on the superb, and it deserves the International Council of Museums Best Practice for 2016 that it won.

That is for the interior; once outside, the mapped area pinpoints several fossil formations of whales and other sea creatures. The notion that we are viewing the fossils of the inhabitants of this area, which are extinct today, but roamed the vicinity millions of years back, leaves one in awe.

Content and gratified, we moved on.

The driver of the four-wheel drive careened us through a landscape of unbelievable beauty, down hilly surfaces and up steep terrain amidst a sweeping expanse where erosion and time rendered impeccable formations across a vista that takes ones breath away.

There is more to Fayoum: waterfalls that spring in the midst of nowhere and a flourishing pottery village, Tunis, that boasts pottery schools and scores of artistic outlets where you can try your hand in making your own pottery. That is besides other activities such as birdwatching, hiking, trekking, sand-boarding, parasailing, and fishing.

The whole area has a serene ambience to it that is unmatched anywhere in Egypt, or elsewhere around the world. I can see why El Fayoum has suddenly gained the interest of many. El Fayoumyou should go.
Telanagna Women, Child and Disabled Welfare Department Secretary M Jagadeeshwar today said that the Central and State Government officials must be sensitised about the advantages of newly approved Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act ,2016.The act was passed by Parliament in December last year. Speaking after inaugurating a State- level awareness workshop on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPWD), organised by Press Information Bureau, Hyderabad in coordination with All India Disabled Persons' Rights Forum here, Mr Jagadeeshwar said the community of Divyangs also will be well versed with the salient features of the Act so that they can reap its real benefits. The Government and people must work in tandem for the rights of persons with disabilities, he added. PIB-Hyderabad Additional Director General Dr P J Sudhakar suggested that the government must arrange for research regarding the rehabilitation of Divyangs. The Government would do well if it initiates for skill development courses and also training for the teachers of the divyang students. These two steps would give much fillip to the community, he added. Kolli Nageshwar Rao, National President, All India Disabled Persons Rights Forum said the government must provide a Sub-Plan for the welfare of the community. Mr Rao appealed to the Centre and State governments organise similar awareness workshops for divyangs throughout the nation, so that they know the provisions of the new Act which has been brought for their uplift. Professor Rajasekhar, English And Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Mr N Lakshminarayana, Mentor, Geo Rehabilitation Center, Mr P Umar Khan, Chairman, Helen Keller Institute, Mr D. Papa Rao, Advisor, All India Disabled Persons United Forum and scores of students from various colleges attended the day-long workshop.UNI VV RSA 2217 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0104-1156441.Xml
The dying words of Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, were "very painful, very painful, I was sprayed liquid", the media reported. Poisoned and left to die, the playboy half-brother of North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un staggered through the fourth floor of a Malaysian airport, looking for anyone to help him, the New York Post reported on Friday. He desperately ambled about 50 feet and found a receptionist at the airport service counter. Clinging to life, Kim Jong Nam managed just a few words that would turn out to be his last: "Very painful, very painful, I was sprayed liquid," according to reports citing the China Press, a Chinese-language paper in Malaysia. The staffer flagged down an auxiliary policeman, who helped take the portly Jong Nam to a clinic on the airport's third floor. But he quickly slipped into unconsciousness. A doctor there knew things were dire, and rushed the 45-year-old to Putrajaya Hospital near Kuala Lumpur Airport, but it was too late. It was craps for the casino-loving jet-setter - he was pronounced dead on arrival. His mysterious murder - occurring Monday morning in the crowded departure terminal of the airport - has triggered a massive police manhunt that has led to the arrests of the two women who authorities say doused Jong Nam's face with a toxic spray. Family and friends of one female suspect, Siti Aisyah, 25, were stunned by news of her arrest, collectively describing her as a "nice girl." The other woman, Doan Thi Hoang, 28, has been dubbed the "LOL assassin" because she was caught on video surveillance wearing a white shirt emblazoned with the acronym for "laughing out loud." Her father-in-law, Tjia Liong Kiong, said Aisyah was a "very kind, polite and respectful person." "I was shocked to hear that she was arrested for murdering someone," he said. "I don't believe that she will do such a crime or what the media says, an intelligence agent, although I don't know what she had in her mind." Police have also detained Aisyah's boyfriend, but he was only assisting investigators in their probe. Four other men were being sought in connection with the slaying, suggesting that it was an organised plot to kill the playboy gambler. South Korean officials have theorized that Jong Nam's dictator half-brother was responsible for the attack. Jong Un had been at war with Jong Nam ever since Jong Nam dissed his leadership of North Korea in the press. Before Monday, Jong Nam had reportedly dodged several attempts on his life - and Jong Un was believed to be behind the botched hits. --IANS pgh/ ( 447 Words) 2017-02-18-04:20:07 (IANS)
The Senate confirmed Pruitt's name after lawmakers voted 52-46 in his favour.

He got the support of Democratic senators Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Manchin as both voted in his favour.

The two Democrats represent energy producing states of North Dakota and West Virginia respectively.

Moderate Republican Susan Collins of Maine voted against Pruitt.

"He's exceptionally qualified. He's dedicated to environmental protection. And, as someone with state government experience, he understands the real-world consequences of EPA actions and knows that balance is the key to making policies that are sustainable over the long-term," CNN quoted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as saying.

Senator Tom Udall expressed his concerns over the approval Pruitt's name saying that the latter has has extreme environmental policy views and has zero experience in running an environmental protection agency.

Pruitt is an American lawyer and Republican politician from the state of Oklahoma.

He was elected Attorney General of Oklahoma in 2010 and in this role, he supported religious freedom laws, fought against abortion rights, gay marriage, the Affordable Care Act, and environmental regulations. (ANI)
General Bajwa, in a telephone call to U.S. General John Nicholson, Resolute Support Mission (RSM) Commander in Afghanistan, said that most of the incidents in Pakistan are claimed by terrorist organisations with leadership hiding in Afghanistan.

He said that such terrorist activities and inaction against them are testing their current policy of cross border restraint.

The Army Chief urged General Nicholson to play his role in disconnecting this planning, direction, coordination and financial support.

General Bajwa also informed him about list of terrorists handed over to Afghan authorities for action against them who are hiding inside Afghanistan since long.

General Nicholson expressed his condolences on loss of precious lives in recent terrorist incidents and assured him full assistance in response to his concerns, Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.

The U.S. General also shared his plans to undertake special coordination at appropriate level between RSM, Afghan Security Forces and Pakistan. (ANI)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the important role Germany has played at a number of multilateral institutions including the European Union and the United Nations, saying that the country and Chancellor Angela Merkel had been a symbol of "tolerance" and "hospitality" for people displaced from their homes and who are in need of protection. "Germany has been extremely active in all aspects in which the international community needs to come together to face the dramatic challenges that are threatening our daily lives," said Guterres at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The UN chief said that he would like to see this in other parts of the world in order to be able to respond to the dramatic suffering that is being witnessed because of the terrible conflicts that have spread around the globe. "So, in this moment, I would like to say that I am sure that the cooperation that, as Secretary-General, I will have with Germany and its Government will be as solid, as positive, as deep and as successful as the cooperation we had when, as High Commissioner for Refugees, I could be fully in support of the German policy for the protection of refugees," he said. Guterres also underlined the need for global responses to global challenges such as complex and interlinked conflicts, rising terrorism, impact of climate change and enormous movements of people and migration. He stressed on the importance of multilateralism and for countries to come together and to use multilateral institutions, in a spirit of solidarity, to overcome the obstacles of today's world. (ANI)
Syria has accused Turkey of bringing in equipment to build a separation wall in northern Syria. The Syrian Foreign Ministry in a letter of condemnation to the UN on Friday said the Turkish government's aggression on Syrian soil was incessant, Xinhua news agency reported. The Turkish forces and border control guards on January 11 brought in heavy machines and trucks in northern Syria, particularly in Hasakah province, began making a dirt road and digging a trench while installing cement pillars to build a separation wall. Three days later, the Turkish forces entered the Syrian territory at a depth of 250 metres in the town of Arab Tuma in Aleppo province, and began making a two km road to build a separation barrier in that area. According to the ministry, Turkish trucks yanked 2,500 olive trees in the Sheikh Hadid town in Aleppo countryside and captured areas to build a cement wall, while moving the fence at the Turkish Syrian borders 100 metres deep inside Syrian territories with a length of 600 metres. The forces also repeated the move in the province of Idlib, which also has borders with Turkey. The Turkish forces captured six acres of lands in the Harem area in Idlib countryside that belong to Syria with the aim to build the wall. The ministry said the Turkish authorities had set up a military base in the village of Jitar in Aleppo, containing arm depots and barracks for its officers and soldiers. The Foreign Ministry condemned Ankara's "incursion", adding it was a continuation of the Turkish violations that include providing various forms of military, material and logistic support to the rebels, bringing foreign "terrorists", facilitating their entry into Syria and setting up training camps for them on Turkish soil and providing arms and fire cover to the terrorist groups fighting inside Syria. It urged the UN to pressure Turkey into halting its "violations against Syria and to implement UN Security Council resolutions pertaining countering terrorism". Turkey has for long spoken of its intentions to create safe zones in northern Syria, and the recent revelation by the Syrian government regarding the Turkish wall building nurture the conviction that Ankara is moving on with its plans. Syrian government officials recently said any unilateral international actions without the consent of Damascus will be dealt with as violations to the country's sovereignty. President Bashar al-Assad said setting up safe zones in northern Syria was "unrealistic". --IANS py/vm ( 415 Words) 2017-02-18-14:00:09 (IANS)
The Chinese ship did not respond to orders to halt and was seized and held along with its three crew members who were transferred to be investigated, according to the statement.

Taiwan has launched an operation to protect the fishing resources around the islands of Matsu and Kinmen, located 19 km from the Chinese mainland, Efe news reported.

In recent weeks, Chinese military ships and airplanes have stepped up patrols in international waters near Taiwan.

--IANS ksk/vm

( 107 Words)

2017-02-18-14:00:11 (IANS)
Celebrated on the first full-moon night of the Lunar Year, the Lantern Festival is regarded as one of Taiwan's biggest festivals. Much like the biggest Hindu festival of lights -- Diwali -- people from all religions in Taiwan illuminate their homes using different types of lanterns and colourful bulbs to observe the biggest show of lights and fireworks on the island. The origin of the Lantern Festival in this part of the world goes back thousands of years. It is believed to have been started by an emperor of the mighty Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.). The emperor, an ardent follower of Lord Buddha, had asked people to exhibit lights on the 15th night of the first month of every Lunar year to pay their respects to the Lord. This wonderful festival was almost forgotten in the late 1980s. Later, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau resumed it in a new way and from there on, it started gaining huge popularity. The first modern Lantern Festival was held in Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in 1990. For over a decade, it continued it's charm at Taipei and in 2001, was shifted to the southern port city of Kaohsiung. "The main lantern festival is held in different counties and this year, Yunlin county, which is located in the central part of Taiwan", said Noel Saxena, Country Head, Taiwan Tourism, Representative Office in India. The Lantern Festival was inaugurated on February 11 and will continue till February 19. Since this year's theme is "Friendly Earth, Diverse Cultures", the focus is on an eco-friendly approach and the varied traditions, cultures, and beliefs of Taiwan. "This year's festival showcased the cultures of new immigrants as well as traditional Taiwanese glove puppetry which originated in this southern Taiwan county," Esther Chen of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau told IANS. President Tsai Ing-wen, Premier Lin Chuan and Yunlin Magistrate Lee Chin-yung lit the central theme lantern, a 23-meter high phoenix, symbolising the ushering in of a new era. Tsai said she was happy to see that despite the recent cold spell, people were eager to attend the festival. She was glad that people from all across the world were there to witness the charm of this festive gala. The main festival took place at the 50-hectare lantern area in Huwei township. "With more than 3,000 lanterns in a combined area of 50 hectares, it is the largest lantern festival in Yunlin's history and the largest in Taiwan for many years. The Tourism Bureau began in 1990 in Taipei and has rotated through counties since 2001. And it's gaining popularity worldwide very fast'', said Saxena. While Yunlin featured light-themes and decorated areas, Yanshui grabbed everyone's attention with its cacophony of fireworks, which lasted almost five hours. The Lantern Festival in Yanshui is called the "Beehive Fireworks Festival. It is part of the main Lantern Festival, but is completely out of the world thing for those who witness it for first time. It is more of tradition rather than celebration. Traditionally, the idea of being hit by fireworks is referred to as an act that brings one good luck for the new year. For those who follow religious rituals, it is an activity that helps them endure the pain to exhibit their spiritual determination. "If you wish to be part of it, you have to cover yourself with a fire-proof jacket and helmet to face rockets and crackers on your body coming towards you from all directions. It's a completely different experience for the first timer's but it is a ritual for the locals. This adds to the charm of the Lantern Festival,'' Chen explained. (Jayant Singh was in Yunlin at the invitation of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau. He can be contated at jayant.s@ians.in) --IANS jayant/vm ( 639 Words) 2017-02-18-16:04:07 (IANS)
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James Jones, a former Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, today said on Saturday he is not under consideration to be US President Donald Trump's new national security adviser."My policy is that I never turn down a job that hasn't been offered," Jones, who was attending the Munich Security Conference, told Reuters.Jones, a former US Marine Corps general and President Barack Obama's first national security adviser, was thought to be one of four people under consideration by Trump to replace Michael Flynn, who resigned over telephone calls he had with Russia's ambassador to the United States before Trump was sworn in to office. REUTERS PS AN1633 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1155830.Xml
The US will be unwavering in its support for NATO, said Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday, before reiterating Washington's insistence that alliance members ramp up their defence contributions. Pence reaffirmed his country's support on behalf of President Donald Trump during a speech at the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Germany, Efe news reported. "The US strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to this trans-Atlantic alliance," Pence told the audience of world leaders and diplomats. He continued: "This is President Trump's promise: we will stand with Europe today and everyday; we are bound together by the same noble ideals - freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law." Pence added that it was time for NATO members start contributing more. Since the inauguration of the Trump administration, the US has repeatedly called for NATO countries to invest the target two per cent of their GDP into defence. According to the Washington and NATO, only four European countries - Estonia, Greece, Poland and Britain - have achieved this level of defence spending. Pence went on to say the US would ensure that Iran would never be able to obtain a nuclear weapon that would threaten American allies, especially Israel. The US Vice President described Iran as a leader in global terrorism, adding that its actions were destabilizing the Middle East. German Chancellor Angela Merkel used her speech at the conference to call on Islamic leaders around the world to make clear the distinction between peaceful Islam and terrorist acts carried out in the name of the religion. She said although Europe's ties with Russia remained challenging, cooperation with Moscow was important in the fight against Islamist terrorism. --IANS soni/vm ( 291 Words) 2017-02-18-18:42:16 (IANS)
He also assured the people that the White House is functioning 'very well' as he claimed earlier.

"Don't believe the main stream (fake news) media. The White House is running VERY WELL. I inherited a MESS and am in the process of fixing it," he tweeted.

On Thursday, Trump said that his administration is running like a "fine-tuned machine", despite not being able to get approval for his cabinets.

"I turn on the TV, open the newspapers and I see stories of chaos, chaos. Yet it is the exact opposite. This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine, despite the fact that I can't get my cabinet approved," The Guardian quoted Trump as saying during a press conference.

Trump's Tweet came after he attacked five main stream media houses and labeled them as the 'enemy of the American people'.

"The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!," he said in a tweet.

Trump aslo lashed out at the media, citing conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, and quoted that his press conference was one of the most effective presser ever.

"One of the most effective press conferences I've ever seen!" says Rush Limbaugh. Many agree. Yet FAKE MEDIA calls it differently! Dishonest," Trump said in a tweet. (ANI)
US Vice President Mike Pence on today brought a message of support for Europe from Donald Trump but failed to wholly reassure allies worried about the new president's stance on Russia and the European Union.In Pence's first major foreign policy address for the Trump administration, the vice president told European leaders that he spoke for Trump when he promised "unwavering" commitment to the NATO military alliance."Today, on behalf of President Trump, I bring you this assurance: the United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to this transatlantic alliance," Pence told the Munich Security Conference, offering "greetings" from the president.While Poland's defence minister praised Pence, many others, including France's foreign minister and US lawmakers in Munich, remained sceptical that he had convinced allies that Trump, a former reality TV star, would stand by Europe.Trump's contradictory remarks on the value of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, scepticism of the 2015 deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and an apparent disregard for the future of the European Union have left Europe fearful for the seven-decade-old US guardianship of the West.After Pence spoke, the former deputy secretary to the alliance Alexander Vershbow summed up the mood in Munich, telling Reuters: "Many in this hall are still asking if this is the real policy."Pence, who held a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also marked out a divide on Iran, which the European Union sees as a business opportunity following the nuclear deal.Pence called Tehran "the leading state sponsor of terrorism", language never used by European officials. Pence's strident vow to consign Islamist militants "to the ash-heap of history" also raised eyebrows, European officials said.TWO US GOVERNMENTS?French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Twitter expressed his disappointment that Pence's speech contained "Not a word on the European Union", although the vice president will take his message to EU headquarters in Brussels tomorrow.US Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the opposition Democrats, said he welcomed Pence's address but saw two rival governments emerging from the Trump administration.Pence, Trump's Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his foreign minister Rex Tillerson all delivered messages of reassurance on their debut trip to Europe.But events in Washington, including a news conference in which Trump branded accredited White House reporters "dishonest people", sowed more confusion."I like a lot of what I heard from Vice President Pence," Murphy told Reuters. "It's just hard to square that speech with everything Donald Trump is doing and saying," citing an assault on the free press.The resignation of Trump's security adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russia on the eve of the US charm offensive in Europe also tarnished the message Pence, Mattis and Tillerson were seeking to send, officials told Reuters.US Republican Senator John McCain, a Trump critic, told the conference yesterday that the new president's team was "in disarray".The United States is Europe's biggest trading partner, the biggest foreign investor in the continent and the European Union's partner in almost all foreign policy, as well as the main promoter of European unity for more than sixty years.Pence, citing a trip to Cold War-era West Berlin in his youth, said the new US government would uphold the post-World War Two order."This is President Trump's promise: we will stand with Europe today and every day, because we are bound together by the same noble ideals freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law," Pence said.TEPID APPLAUSEPence received little applause beyond the warm reception he got when he declared his support for NATO. His warning that the "time has come to do more" on military spending was met with an awkward silence.Murphy said the speech won "tepid applause".Ayrault, in a speech defending Franco-German leadership in Europe, lauded the virtues of multilateralism at a time of rising nationalism. Trump has promise 'America First.'"In these difficult conditions, many are attempting to look inward, but this isolationism makes us more vulnerable. We need the opposite," Ayrault said.Pence warned allies they must pay their fair share to support NATO, noting many lack "a clear or credible path" to do so. He employed a tougher tone than Mattis, who delivered a similar but more nuanced message to NATO allies in Brussels this week, diplomats said.The United States provides around 70 per cent of the NATO alliance's funds. European governments sharply cut defence spending after the fall of the Soviet Union but Russia's resurgence as a military power and its seizure of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula has started to change that.Baltic states and Poland fear Russia might try a repeat of Crimea elsewhere. Europe believes Moscow is seeking to destabilize governments and influence elections with cyber attacks and fake news, an accusation denied at the conference by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.Pence's tough line on Russia, calling on Moscow to honour the international peace accords that seek to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, were welcomed by Poland."Know this: the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz said Pence's speech "highlighted on behalf of President Trump that the US supports NATO, Ukraine and Europe."They want to show the US military potential," he said. REUTERS RJ BL2137 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1156410.Xml
Omar Abdel-Rahman, the extremist Muslim cleric known as "the blind sheikh" convicted of conspiracy in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and of planning more attacks as part of a "war of urban terrorism" in the United States, has died in a US prison, his son Ammar told Reuters today.Ammar said his family had received a phone call from a US representative saying his father had died. He was 78.The Egyptian-born Abdel-Rahman remained a spiritual leader for radical Muslims even after decades of incarceration.With his long gray beard, sunglasses and red and white clerical cap, the charismatic Abdel-Rahman was the face of radical Islam in the 1980s and 1990s. He preached a fiery brand of Islam that called for the death of people and governments he disapproved of and the installation of an Islamic government in Egypt. His following was tied to fundamentalist killings and bomb attacks around the world.Abdel-Rahman, who was born in a village along the Nile on May 3, 1938, lost his eyesight due to childhood diabetes and grew up studying a Braille version of the Koran.As an adult he became associated with the fundamentalist Islamic Group and was imprisoned and accused of issuing a fatwa leading to the 1986 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, against whom he had railed for years. The sheikh said he was hung upside-down from the ceiling, beaten with sticks and given electric shocks while held but he was eventually acquitted and went into self-imposed exile in 1990.He managed to get to New York after the US Embassy in Sudan granted him a tourist visa in 1990 - despite the fact that he was on the State Department's list of people with ties to terror groups.US authorities blamed a computer error for the visa, but the mistake was compounded in 1991 when Abdel-Rahman was given a green card and permanent US resident status. The New York Times reported the CIA had approved the visa application for Abdel-Rahman, who had supported the anti-Soviet mujahedin in Afghanistan during the 1980s.Abdel-Rahman preached his radical message and lived in the New York City borough of Brooklyn and nearby Jersey City, New Jersey, building a strong following among fundamentalist Muslims. Even in exile, he remained a force in the Middle East, where followers listened to cassette tapes and radio broadcasts of his sermons decrying the Egyptian government and Israel.While in the United States Abdel-Rahman and his disciples would be linked to the 1990 slaying in New York of militant Rabbi Meir Kahane, the 1992 killing of an anti-fundamentalist writer in Egypt and attacks on foreign tourists in Egypt.US authorities took action in 1992 by revoking Abdel-Rahman's green card on the grounds that he had lied about a bad check charge in Egypt and about having two wives when he entered the country. He was facing the possibility of deportation when a truck bomb went off in the basement parking garage of the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 in an attack that made Americans realize that they were not immune to international terrorism.Four months later Abdel-Rahman was arrested and went on trial with several followers in 1995, accused of plotting a day of terror for the United States - assassinations and synchronized bombings of the UN headquarters, a major federal government facility in Manhattan and tunnels and a bridge linking New York City and New Jersey.The indictment said Abdel-Rahman and his followers planned to "levy a war of urban terrorism against the United States" as part of a jihad - or holy war - to stop US support for Israel and change its overall Middle East policy.The defendants were not directly charged with the 1993 World Trade Center attack but were convicted of conspiring with those who did carry out the bombing.Abdel-Rahman's convictions also included plotting to kill Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a visit to the United States in 1993, a Jewish New York state legislator and a Jewish New York State Supreme Court justice.Much of the case against Abdel-Rahman and his followers was based on video and audio recordings made with the help of a bodyguard for the sheikh who became an FBI informant. A video also showed four defendants mixing fertilizer and diesel fuel for bombs.After a nine-month trial, the sheikh and nine followers were found guilty in October 1995 on 48 of 50 charges.He did not testify at his trial but at a sentencing hearing Abdel-Rahman gave a passionate speech of more than 90 minutes through a translator, proclaiming his innocence and denouncing the United States as an enemy of his faith."I have not committed any crime except telling people about Islam," he said.Abdel-Rahman was still an important figure in radical Islam even after years in prison. A year before his al Qaeda followers pulled off the most destructive assault on US soil, the September 11, 2001, attacks, Osama bin Laden had pledged a jihad to free Abdel-Rahman from prison. When Mohammed Mursi, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, began his short-lived presidency of Egypt in 2012, he said winning the sheikh's freedom would be a priority and the jihadists who attacked an Algerian oilfield and took hostages in 2013 also demanded his release.In 2006 one of Abdel-Rahman's lawyers, Lynne F Stewart, was sentenced to 28 months in prison for helping smuggle messages from the cleric to his followers in Egypt.REUTERS RJ BL2252 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1156453.Xml
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said today that any Israeli attempt to violate Lebanon's sovereignty would be met with the "appropriate response", in a statement released by his office."Any attempt to hurt Lebanese sovereignty or expose the Lebanese to danger will find the appropriate response," the statement said, without elaborating.REUTERS RJ RAI2312 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1156465.Xml
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made his debut on the world stage this week, traveling to Bonn, Germany, for the Group of 20 summit where he met with his counterparts from more than a dozen countries.

It was the first opportunity for the former Exxon Mobil CEO to show off the vaunted management skills and global experience that marked his time at the oil company and made him a marquee name for President Trumps cabinet. But what the public saw was Americas top diplomat appearing hamstrung by a peremptory White House and hesitant to speak up.

Tillersons role as secretary of state has been scaled back.

The secretary of state is normally the spokesperson for American foreign policy. But Tillerson's State Department has been sidelined in many of the Trump administrations key decisions. There was limited consultation with the State Department on the president's travel ban; most of States senior staff positions have been left vacant during his brief tenure; and there were reports that the department was caught off guard by the White Houses new stance on the prospect of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The G20 is where Tillerson would take his first steps. Hell be primarily in listening mode, said a senior State Department official. He wants to use this initial engagement to get a sense of where the parties stand in the Syria conflict, for example.

When asked questions about key policy matters at the summit, the secretary was quiet. I dont have any comment, he said when asked about the Syrian peace process in Kazakhstan. The response was one of only two answers he gave reporters during the whole trip.

There was also confusion over the current U.S. position on the Iran deal, which Trump has blasted as a terrible deal but Tillerson has said he wants to review. After meeting Tillerson, the French foreign minister told Reuters the two countries had a clear difference of opinion over the deal because the U.S. wanted to review the deal from scratch. But when Tillerson was asked about his French counterparts comments, he said, I didnt leave any such impression. The French foreign minister also called U.S. policy on Israel and Palestine confused and worrying.

Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP Photo more +

Earlier this week before the summit, Tillerson also seemed out of the loop, missing meetings in Washington, D.C., with the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his team. A State Department official told ABC News, The secretary was on previously scheduled private travel. And although he had dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, he skipped meetings Wednesday with the Israeli delegation, choosing instead to fly to Germany that day and get a night of sleep before Thursdays meetings.

Tillerson is hesitant to talk to the press.

The two-day G20 summit is the first were hearing of Tillerson since he arrived at State. But the secretary spoke very little, especially to reporters, instead posing for pictures and only twice answering shouted questions.

The one time he did address the media was for brief prepared remarks. He left without taking questions.

Compared to his predecessors, he took a significantly reduced group of press with him on this trip, and the State Department hasnt held a press briefing since he was sworn in.

Its not just that he was tight-lipped, but at times he seemed to not want reporters there at all. When the press were ushered in for a photo op with the Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, they were quickly sent back out. Even Lavrov asked why the rush. And as the press pool was escorted from a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Tillerson quipped, They never give up.

The world is looking to American leadership, but nervous about what theyll find.

After a tumultuous start to the Trump administration, part of Tillersons job in Bonn was to reassure allies as well as to flex some American muscle. He reaffirmed American support for NATO, issued a joint statement with Japan and South Korea to condemn North Koreas recent missile test, and pressured China to use all available tools to moderate North Koreas destabilizing behavior.

On Russia, he reiterated Trumps line that America will consider working with Russia when we can find areas of practical cooperation. But he took a firmer stance than the president has on Russian aggression, especially in Ukraine.

Where we do not see eye to eye, the United States will stand up for the interests and values of America and her allies, he said. We expect Russia to honor its commitment to the Minsk agreements and work to de-escalate the violence in Ukraine."

He participated in big meetings on Yemen and Syria, and foreign counterparts were eager to meet him and get to work. He met with more than a dozen of them.

Met a lot of people, made a lot of new friends. Full schedule, he said Friday as he prepared to leave the summit with what he said were many messages for the president.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said today that he was "not at all" happy with the result of talks with Germany, France and Russia in Munich aimed at putting an end to fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists."We need a kind of powerful result, not just a couple of statements," he told Reuters.German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the participants at the four-way meeting agreed to use their influence to implement a ceasefire starting on February 20 and that further meetings were planned over the coming weeks. REUTERS RJ BL2319 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1156467.Xml
GENEVA, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The UN Office of the Special Envoy for Syria said Friday that the final planning is underway to prepare the ground ahead of intra-Syria talks which was expected to kick off on Feb.23.

"The special envoy is putting the finishing touches on the participation of the Syrian parties in the initial round of intra-Syrian negotiations," the special envoy's spokesperson Yara Sharif told reporters.

"As you know, he issued invitations earlier this week. We can confirm that those invitations have been positively responded to. We can also confirm that consultations are continuing," she added.

Participants are expected to convene with the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, in Geneva's UN headquarters on Feb.23, 10 months after the last round of negotiations were put on hold amid a humanitarian meltdown and ongoing violence.

Sharif confirmed that delegations are expected to arrive in the Swiss city as early as the beginning of next week.

UN-mediated talks are seeking to broker a political end to a conflict which has killed as many as 400,000 people and displaced millions of others since it started in March 2011.

According to Sharif, upcoming negotiations "will be entirely guided by the UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which talks specifically about governance, a new constitution and elections in Syria."
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Boeing South Carolina facility in North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S., February 17, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- During a visit to a Boeing plant on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump once again touted his "America first" agenda, vowing to bring jobs home and level the playing field for American workers by stopping "foreign cheating."

"You have heard me say it before and I will say it again. From now on, it's going to be America first," Trump told a cheering crowd of workers at the unveiling ceremony of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner at the Boeing facility in Charleston, South Carolina.

The U.S. must rely less on imports and more on products made in the U.S., Trump said in the speech.

He said, as president, he will do everything he can "to unleash the power of the American spirit and to put our great people back to work."

"This is our mantra, 'buy American and hire American.' We want products made in America, made by American hands," he added, citing his request for the pipes to be used in the Keystone pipeline be manufactured in the United States.

Trump said his focus is all about creating jobs, and he will do everything possible to bring jobs back into America.

He said he will make it harder for American businesses to outsource jobs overseas, by imposing a "substantial penalty" on U.S. companies which make products abroad and sell them back in the U.S. market.

"I don't want companies leaving our country. Making their product, selling it back, no tax, no nothing, firing everybody in our country. We're not letting that happen anymore, folks," the billionaire-turned president said.

To achieve his goal, Trump promised to "massively reduce job crushing regulations" and enforce strong trade rules to stop "foreign cheating" so to level the playing field for American workers.

"When there is a level playing field -- and I've been saying this for a long time -- American workers will always, always, always win. But we don't have a level playing field. Very shortly, you will have a level playing field again," he said, without going into details.

The election victory of Trump, who based his presidential campaign on anti-globalization and protectionist trade promises, has stoked fears about rising trade frictions with its major trade partners.

At the same time, Trump vowed to "fully rebuild" the U.S. military so that none will dare to challenge it, by ensuring it will acquire "the latest, the most cutting edge systems in their arsenal."

He added his administration is "looking seriously" at a big order for procuring the F-18 Super Hornet fighters from Boeing, which also produces other advanced military aircraft such as the F-15 Strike Eagle and Apache helicopter.
MEXICO CITY, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- A series of clashes between the Mexican army and armed gangs in the border city of Reynosa left 14 alleged gang members dead and one soldier injured on Friday, according to local press reports.

The daily "El Manana de Reynosa" reported that army troops engaged in two shoot-outs in the neighborhoods of Fuentes Seccion Lomas and Villa Esmeralda, across the U.S. border from McAllen, Texas.

The newspaper claimed federal forces killed 12 people in the first clash, with neighbors reporting four bodies on a street, six in a vehicle and two more in a house.

The same media reported two gang members were gunned down in a street of Villa Esmeralda.

The governor of Tamaulipas, Francisco Cabeza de Vaca, confirmed on Twitter that federal forces had carried out operations in Reynosa, the state's largest city, to "restore peace and the rule of law." He did not confirm any casualties.

Until now, no official confirmation has been given by the army or the Ministry of Defense. However, an army official spoke to Xinhua, on condition of anonymity, to confirm that the operation sought to arrest a leader of the Gulf cartel, known as "Comandante Toro."

Furthermore, the source said that one soldier was injured in the clashes.
ZAGREB, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said Friday that Russia should not be seen as an enemy while relations with Russia should follow principles, local media reported.

Kitarovic made the remarks as she attended the Munich Security Conference (MSC), which which officially opened Friday afternoon in Germany, according to Croatia's news agency HINA.

According to the report, she said developing relations with Russia should follow two tracks.

One is defense of the principles of international law and the other is cooperation, including in the fields of fighting against terrorism, the Syrian issue, and in the stabilization of Southeast Europe, she said.

"We should not make Russia to be an enemy, but we must be very clear in the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity. And every country has the right to decide their future," she was quoted as saying.
U.S. President Donald Trump (C) gestures to media before boarding Marine One departing for Andrews Air Force Base en route to West Palm Beach, Florida, at White House in Washington D.C.,the United States, Feb. 3, 2017. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday slammed the country's five mainstream media organizations as "the enemy of the American people".

"The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!" he tweeted shortly after arriving at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida Friday afternoon.

He had posted and then quickly deleted a slightly different version of the tweet just a few minutes earlier, which omitted ABC and CBS. He also included the word "SICK!" at the end of the original post.

"Mr. Trump's tweet was a striking escalation in his attacks on the news media," a New York Times report commented.

Hours earlier, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said at a press conference on Friday that "I've been pretty candid with him and all of you that I'm not a fan of the daily tweets."

Trump's latest tweet came one day after Trump's first solo press conference in White House, in which he criticized the U.S. media as "very fake news" and "out of control", while denying news reports about chaos in his White House and alleged possible contacts of his team with Russia.

After the lengthy press conference, Trump's team sent out an email survey asking people to respond with how they feel about the media.

"Instead, you -- the American people -- are our last line of defense against the media's hit jobs," one line in the email read.

Steve Bannon, Chief White House Strategist, called media people the "opposition party" in an interview with the New York Times last month, asserting that "the media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while."

"They don't understand this country," Bannon said in the interview, "They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States."

Echoing Bannon's remarks at the time, Trump said in a TV interview that "the media is the opposition party in many ways."

Since the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Trump has frequently exchanged fires with many U.S. mainstream media groups especially the New York Times and CNN.

Many local analysts regards the anti-media rhetoric as a key part of his anti-elite and anti establishment strategy.

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds earlier last month that 48 percent of all Likely U.S. Voters believe most reporters are biased against Trump, Only 12 percent think they are biased for Trump, while 31 percent feel most reporters try to be fair and balanced.
by Xinhua Writer Shi Xiaomeng

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Pollution has reached a level which is unbearable to humanity, and one of the important solutions to current emergency is to invest in renewable energy, said UN Environment Program Deputy Executive Director Ibrahim Thiaw.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Thiaw said pollution is a multi-dimensional issue which has impact on public health and also affects economy.

Thiaw cited earlier World Health Organization statistics as saying that seven million premature death annually linked to air pollution, adding that trillions of dollars are also being lost every year due to pollution.

Moreover, he noted that pollution may cause trans-boundary issues because pollutants generated in one country may affect another country or region far away through rivers and lakes, forest fires or air.

The most effective solution to curb pollution, according to Thiaw, is to find out the sources and reduce them, which is a complex process and in need of joint efforts from all walks of life -- governments, the private sector and the civil society.

Among the efforts, Thiaw said investing in renewable energy is a feasible approach to tackle, for instance, air pollution and this industry have proven to be profitable. "The price is going down and the technology is accessible."

Thiaw said the UN environment agency believes that by using new technology and renewable energy, a country can provide energy to its communities without further polluting the environment. "A good example is China where hundreds of billions of dollars are being invested every year on the renewable energy," he noted.

To reduce the air pollution in China, Thiaw said the Chinese government is investing quite massively to reduce the number of coal-fired energy systems and also is promoting clean transport systems with electric vehicles and motorbikes.

He said though the measures need to be further enhanced, "the right policies are already being put in place," and "we are very confident that the leadership in China is fully aware of the situation and will be addressing it in the future."

Noting that the air pollution, known as smog, has also been observed in other parts of the world like in France and in India, Thiaw said it is critical to establish mechanisms for countries to share experiences on how to reduce pollution through effective measures.

He mentioned that the UN Environment Program is organizing the UN Environment Assembly which is going to be held in December this year in Nairobi with theme of "Pollution."

He said the conference itself is a wonderful opportunity for dialogues and he expects representatives from the governments as well as the private sector to join the discussion to help the world adopt a new way of life so as to reduce pollution.

As for current international cooperation, Thiaw noted the Paris Agreement, the deal reached by the international community to combat climate change.

While stressing the linkages between climate change and pollution are evident, he said with the Paris Agreement, governments will make decisions to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and that will contribute to reducing the air pollution nowadays.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with his Spanish counterpart Alfonso Dastis on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Feb. 17, 2017.(Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

MUNICH, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- China and Spain agreed to expand cooperation and enhance communication as the foreign ministers of the two nations met on Friday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Spanish counterpart Alfonso Dastis on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference, which opened on Friday afternoon.

Wang told Dastis that Spain, as an EU member, is a good friend and an important partner to China. China is an important trade and investment destination to Spain, and vice versa,

Bilateral economic and trade cooperation is continuously deepening and promising, Wang said.

China is ready to work with Spain to jointly implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both sides, maintain high-level exchanges, expand pragmatic cooperation, strengthen cultural exchanges and thereby to elevate their comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level, Wang said.

Dastis responded by saying Spain would like to strengthen high-level exchanges with China and deepen bilateral trade and investment cooperation.

Meanwhile, against the backdrop of international uncertainties, Spain is ready to enhance strategic communication with China, jointly push forward the globalization process and oppose protectionism.
LISBON, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Twice a month, on Sundays, a group of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Eritrea take over a kitchen in Lisbon's Alfama district to give locals a taste of middle-eastern food.

They are part of a program at Lisbon's Cozinha Popular da Mouraria (Popular Kitchen of Mouraria), an association set up by former journalist Adriana Freire around four years ago.

Under the motto "Make Food Not War," the program is aimed at bridging cultural divides and helping them feel more at home.

"I like everything about this project," says Nizar Almadani, from Damascus, Syria, as he cooks a Syrian chicken dish and bakes flatbread."I have good friends here."

Almadani, who was a chef in Damascus and also owned a travel agency, arrived to Portugal eight months ago, after travelling to Turkey and then Greece.

While he likes Portugal and being part of this project, Almadani says he needs to find full-time work and is still waiting to get documents from the authorities. He hasn't seen his wife and two sons, in Lebanon, for two years, and would also like to see her resettled here.

His journey has not been easy, but this could be a good opportunity for him to start from scratch.

The man behind the idea of the project, "Make Food Not War," Alexandre Mascarenhas, explains that it is a way for the refugees to integrate in the community and make connections.

"Our aim is to get people integrated and to experience Portuguese hospitality. I found the phrase (Make Food Not War) on the internet and I thought it had so much to do with this project, with what is happening in countries like Syria," Mascarenhas says.

"The revenue of these events goes to them, but it is important they eventually get a full-time job, and as they get new jobs we get more new people (refugees), and that way the cycle doesn't stop," he adds, as he kneads bread in the kitchen.

"Before the project I didn't know many people," says Awet Mauratu, 35, from Eritrea, who is also kneading bread. He arrived in Lisbon 11 months ago and used to work in the mining industry. "Now I know many people and we are like a family."

Portugal has showed an open attitude towards refugees, with the country offering to resettle up to 10,000 people.

However the number of refugees arriving here has been quite low. Portugal has until today received around 957 refugees under the EU relocation plan, according to recent figures released by the European Commission.

While refugees here face problems in terms of excessive bureaucracy to get residency documents, the Portuguese authorities including the President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, have insisted that Portugal is welcoming refugees with open arms.

Last week Rebelo de Sousa visited the Cozinha Popular da Mouraria to see the Make Food Not War project with his own eyes, and had lunch there and complimented the chefs.

"He was very nice. I liked him," says Almadani. "He is a very good guy, a good president."
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday made a telephone call to U.S. General John Nicholson, Resolute Support Mission (RSM) Commander in Afghanistan and expressed his concerns over continued acts of terrorism in Pakistan.

"Most of the incidents in Pakistan are claimed by terrorist organisations with leadership hiding in Afghanistan," General Bajwa told the American general, an army statement said.

He said that such terrorist activities and inaction against them are testing the current policy of cross border restraint.

The army chief asked Commander RSM to play his role in disconnecting this planning, direction, coordination and financial support.

He also informed him about a list of terrorists handed over to Afghan authorities for action against them who are "hiding inside Afghanistan since long."

The U.S. General expressed his condolences on loss of precious lives in recent terrorist incidents and assured him full assistance in response to his concerns, the army statement said.

General Nicholson also shared his plans to undertake special coordination at appropriate level between RSM, Afghan Security Forces and Pakistan.
TIRANA, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The trade unions in Albania requested Friday the Albanian government and namely the Ministry of Finance to consider their request and raise the minimum wage.

For this, Albania's National Council of Labor held a meeting with groups of interests to discuss the Labor Unions proposal and the arguments of the business community.

Currently, the minimum wage in Albania stands at the level of 22,000 leks (172 U.S. dollars).

The union has requested the authorities to increase it by 4,000 leks, taking the minim wage to 26,000 leks.

But, such proposal is not welcomed by the businesses who considered it too high and detrimental to their business activity.

In this regard, the business representatives told reporters after the meeting that the increase could not be more than 1,000-2,000 leks.

On the other hand, government representatives presented the option of a 5-percent increase, which amounted to 1,100 leks.

The businesses operating in the clothes and manufacturing industry are the ones that have strongly objected an immediate and high growth of minimum wage.

They claim that such growth would artificially increase prices and bring a negative impact on the country's economy.
by Zheng Jianghua

BRUSSELS, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The European Union(EU) shoud not expect too much on its deal with Libya to stem the inflow of migrants from North Africa, a senior UN official in charge of refugees affairs in Europe told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview.

Since the summer of 2015, an unprecedented refugee crisis has been an tough nut to crack for the EU. Thanks to an "aid for return" deal with Turkey in March 2016, the EU boxed in the inflow of refugees via the eastern Mediterranean route.

However, it still bears the brunt of migratory pressure, particularly from the central Mediterranean route, which links Libya to Italy.

At an informal summit held in Malta earlier this Month, the EU adopted a plan to aid Libya, aiming to bolster Libyan national coast guard's capacity to control its territorial water and support the development of local communities. The EU also intended to torpedo the human traffick network in the route.

But Vincent Cochetel, Director of Bureau for Europe of United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees( UNHCR), pointed out that the EU should not expect the deal would work as the one with Turkey.

"Turkey is a state with administration, with laws. Libya is a country at war. It is totally divided. The UN-recognized government only controls a very small percentage of the territory of Libya," said Cochetel.

"Libya has not signed any convention related to the protection of refugees. The conditions are totally different. We believe it's more important for everybody to look at the root causes of those movements in parts of west Africa, not only through migration management, but also through economic development," the veteran aid official continued.

"At this stage, the EU is dreaming another Libya. It's not the Libya we know now," he lamented, stressing that the security situation in that country is so problematic that "to do more activities in Libya is quite difficult for us or for other humanitarian organizations".

"We have some small presence there but the security is very problematic for our colleagues there," said the veteran humanitarian worker, who was held hostage by armed captors demanding ransom in January 1998 while working for UNHCR in Chechnya.

During those sore days, he was handcuffed in the dark and only had a meal (just a piece of bread) per day, sometimes only a soup per day. He was rescued by Russian forces after an 11-month suffering.

"I spent time in hospital for two to three months, but to be able to talk about it, it took five to six years," he said.

"Quite often humanitarian workers are becoming a target. Before some time, we were attacked by accident. Now we are becoming a bit of target, because people making money or ransom try to put pressure on humanitarian organizations," he said.

"One thing I have learned is that it's always important to tell people that why we insist on doing this job, (and) why we take those risks." he said.

"What I experienced was to be in detention, to be badly treated. But I didn't lose my hope; I didn't lose my country."

With such an experience, Cochetel understands well what refugees have suffered.

"Sometimes they don't want to talk about what happened to them, because it's painful," he said. "They lost self-esteem and self-confidence. So you need to encourage them to talk."

According to Cochtel, one of UNHCR's work is to help European countries put in place proper screening and registration procedures to figure out who is a refugee and who is not.

In this process, letting migrants talk is a key factor to figure out their nationality and thus identify whether they are refugees or not, given that many migrants don't move with any identity documents.

He explained that there are migrants moving to Europe "purely for economic reasons", and refugees fleeing wars.

"So we ask the person what is the currency of your country and can you give me a synonym of microphone in your language," he said, taking a simple example.

Regarding to economic migrant, Cochetel said: "They are not experiencing persecution in their country. They are not coming from countries at war. The solutions for those people is return."

Asked about the rise of anti-refugee sentiment across Europe, he said that it's very easy to make refugees the scapegoat for the current social problems in Europe.

"If we are some politicians, (we would argue that )the problem is because of migration, because of refugees, because of Brussels. You know sort of scapegoats," he said.

"We should remind European citizens the refugees are people fleeing for their life. They are themselves victims of war," he noted, stressing that Europeans also fled their home during wars.

He also frowned on a controversial U.S. travel ban that indefinitely halts refugees from Syria, and temporarily freezes citizen of seven Muslim-majority countries to enter the United states.

"It is important for the U.S. to remain a resettlement country including for people coming from Muslim background. Because if the U.S. cannot resettle those people, it sets a very bad precedent," he said.

However, he conceded that it's not easy for citizens of those countries to get visas of EU countries.

When it comes to EU's performance in dealing with refugees already arriving in the bloc, Cochetel underlined that it's not fair to leave all the responsibilities to only some EU member states, like Greece, Italy and Germany.

"That's why we need relocation, why we need a distribution system," he said, adding that the EU is trying to put in place comprehensive solutions with countries of origin and countries of transit.

He said that China has the capacity to give a hand to the EU to address the root causes of migrant flows.

Cochedel underscored it's important for China to become a leader in humanitarian field, and carry on such engagements not only bilaterally but also multilaterally.

"Investment in looking at the root causes is where China can really make a difference," he said.

Cochetel also hailed China's "considerable experience in disaster management", recalling that when Haiti was hit by an earthquake several years ago, China, like other countries, got involved in relief effort "with lots of knowledge, lots of technical capacity".

He noted that China's know-how in this field should be used multilateral in those countries affected by conflicts and wars. "That would help humanitarian community tremendously," he said.

Regarding how to enhance the cooperation between China and UNHCR, Cochetel underscored that UNHCR's mandate, which is "non-political with focus purely on humanitarian activities", is consistent with China's approach regarding conflict situations.
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he leaves the podium after anews conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 16, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday slammed the country's five mainstream media organizations as "the enemy of the American people".

"The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!" he tweeted shortly after arriving at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida Friday afternoon.

He had posted and then quickly deleted a slightly different version of the tweet just a few minutes earlier, which omitted ABC and CBS. He also included the word "SICK!" at the end of the original post.

"Mr. Trump's tweet was a striking escalation in his attacks on the news media," a New York Times report commented.

Hours earlier, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said at a press conference on Friday that "I've been pretty candid with him and all of you that I'm not a fan of the daily tweets."

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a news conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 16, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

Trump's latest tweet came one day after Trump's first solo press conference in White House, in which he criticized the U.S. media as "very fake news" and "out of control", while denying news reports about chaos in his White House and alleged possible contacts of his team with Russia.

After the lengthy press conference, Trump's team sent out an email survey asking people to respond with how they feel about the media.

"Instead, you -- the American people -- are our last line of defense against the media's hit jobs," one line in the email read.

Steve Bannon, Chief White House Strategist, called media people the "opposition party" in an interview with the New York Times last month, asserting that "the media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while."

"They don't understand this country," Bannon said in the interview, "They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States."

Echoing Bannon's remarks at the time, Trump said in a TV interview that "the media is the opposition party in many ways."

Since the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Trump has frequently exchanged fires with many U.S. mainstream media groups especially the New York Times and CNN.

Many local analysts regards the anti-media rhetoric as a key part of his anti-elite and anti establishment strategy.

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds earlier last month that 48 percent of all Likely U.S. Voters believe most reporters are biased against Trump, Only 12 percent think they are biased for Trump, while 31 percent feel most reporters try to be fair and balanced.
LISBON, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Prime Minister said on Friday the government would map out a strategy to raise people's incomes as a way to fight poverty.

"We have to go ahead with a strategy to improve incomes, improving pensions, social support and overall salaries," Costa said at a local school in Pacos de Ferreira, around 340 km north of Lisbon, during a ceremony to present a program to rehabilitate social housing.

The program presented by Costa on Friday involves interventions in around 8,500 homes, with investment reaching 115 million euros.

Socialist leader Costa came into power in November last year, and is backed by the Left Bloc and Communist Party.

The government has pledged reverse austerity imposed by the previous administration -- namely raising the national minimum wage and restoring salaries and pensions.

The Portuguese suffered several years of harsh austerity after the country signed a 78-billion-euro bailout program with international lenders in 2011 when it was on the verge of bankruptcy.

The monthly minimum wage was raised from 530 euros to 557 euros in 2017 and the authorities have pledged to raise it to 600 euros by 2019.
MUNICH, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- One common feature seen especially among the middle class in Western society is that people feel like they have lost control of their own destiny, a senior EU official said Friday.

Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of European Commission, made the remarks in a panel discussion over "The Future of the European Union" at the Munich Security Conference.

The wining slogan in the Brexit campaign was to "regain control", which reflected the phenomenon of lost control not only in Britain, but in the entire Western world including the U.S. and EU member states, he said.

"That is the consequence of many crises we've seen in the last ten years," he said, adding that the economic crisis in particular, had swept away self-confidence of middle class in Western world.

Despite Brexit, Timmermans called on restoring self-confidence among citizens and their capacity to shape a common future within the European Union.

"Our destiny is based on our values, not on the common market or our currency," he added.
A man walks past smoke emitted from a dump in the city of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on February 14, 2017. (Xinhua/AFP PHOTO)

by Xinhua Writer Shi Xiaomeng

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Pollution has reached a level which is unbearable to humanity, and one of the important solutions to current emergency is to invest in renewable energy, said UN Environment Program Deputy Executive Director Ibrahim Thiaw.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Thiaw said pollution is a multi-dimensional issue which has impact on public health and also affects economy.

Thiaw cited earlier World Health Organization statistics as saying that seven million premature death annually linked to air pollution, adding that trillions of dollars are also being lost every year due to pollution.

Moreover, he noted that pollution may cause trans-boundary issues because pollutants generated in one country may affect another country or region far away through rivers and lakes, forest fires or air.

The most effective solution to curb pollution, according to Thiaw, is to find out the sources and reduce them, which is a complex process and in need of joint efforts from all walks of life -- governments, the private sector and the civil society.

UN Environment Program Deputy Executive Director Ibrahim Thiaw speaks in an interview with Xinhua News Agency in New York on Feb. 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong)

Among the efforts, Thiaw said investing in renewable energy is a feasible approach to tackle, for instance, air pollution and this industry have proven to be profitable. "The price is going down and the technology is accessible."

Thiaw said the UN environment agency believes that by using new technology and renewable energy, a country can provide energy to its communities without further polluting the environment.

"A good example is China where hundreds of billions of dollars are being invested every year on the renewable energy," he noted.

To reduce the air pollution in China, Thiaw said the Chinese government is investing quite massively to reduce the number of coal-fired energy systems and also is promoting clean transport systems with electric vehicles and motorbikes.

He said though the measures need to be further enhanced, "the right policies are already being put in place," and "we are very confident that the leadership in China is fully aware of the situation and will be addressing it in the future."

This file photo taken on November 3, 2016 shows Indian women walking as smog envelops the Jama Masjid mosque in the old quarters of New Delhi. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Noting that the air pollution, known as smog, has also been observed in other parts of the world like in France and in India, Thiaw said it is critical to establish mechanisms for countries to share experiences on how to reduce pollution through effective measures.

He mentioned that the UN Environment Program is organizing the UN Environment Assembly which is going to be held in December this year in Nairobi with theme of "Pollution."

He said the conference itself is a wonderful opportunity for dialogues and he expects representatives from the governments as well as the private sector to join the discussion to help the world adopt a new way of life so as to reduce pollution.

As for current international cooperation, Thiaw noted the Paris Agreement, the deal reached by the international community to combat climate change.

While stressing the linkages between climate change and pollution are evident, he said with the Paris Agreement, governments will make decisions to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and that will contribute to reducing the air pollution nowadays.
BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China will continue to see "handsome growth" this year despite a plunge in January sales, an official said Friday.

"Car makers are increasing research and development with more investment, and an array of new products will hit the market this year," Miao Wei, minister of industry and information technology, said at a press conference.

China sold 507,000 NEVs last year, the most in the world for a second year and up 53 percent from 2015, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

However, sales plunged 74.4 percent in January, as the government tightened subsidy policies after discovering that some companies were cheating on subsidies.

Earlier this month, the ministry suspended the rights of seven NEV manufacturers to recommend models for subsidies, punishing them for cheating.

The government plans to cut subsidies on NEVs by 20 percent in 2017-2018 from the 2016 level before phasing them out by 2020.

"Development of China's NEV market is keeping up with global development," according to Miao, adding that subsidies granted in the initial stage have been invaluable.

The ministry will continue to adjust subsidy policies with the finance ministry, raise the threshold for corporate and product entry, and enhance online supervision over NEV sales and use, Miao said.
CHANGSHA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The death toll has climbed to 10 in Tuesday's gas explosion at a coal mine in central China's Hunan Province after investigators unveiled a cover-up.

The explosion happened early on Tuesday at Zubao Coal Mine in Lianyuan, a county-level city in Loudi.

Mine authorities reported on Tuesday that of the 29 people who were working in the pit, 16 escaped the shaft, nine died and four were rescued.

On Thursday, investigators from the city government of Loudi found one more miner had been killed in the blast, but was listed as "injured", the press office of the Loudi government said in a statement Saturday.

It said police had detained a manager of the mine surnamed Liu who was suspected of covering up the miner's death.

Three officials are under investigation, including two deputy mayors of Lianyuan and the local production safety chief.

Hunan Province has launched a two-week safety overhaul and suspended all small coal mines with annual production capacity of less than 300,000 tonnes.

Zubao Coal Mine is a small mine with an annual capacity of 90,000 tonnes.
Policemen stand guard outside a mosque in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar on Feb. 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Umar Qayyum)

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani army said on Friday that nearly 100 terrorists have been killed since a suicide bomber killed nearly 90 people the previous day.

"The Intelligence Based Operation and combining operations are in progress across the country including Punjab. Over 100 terrorists have been killed since last night and sizeable apprehensions also made. Details will be shared," the army spokesman said.

He said ordered by the chief of the army staff last night, response to the recent terrorist incidents is in progress across the country.

He said the intelligence agencies are making progress to unearth networks behind recent terrorist incidents and the outcome will be shared.

He said there are linkages of support for these incidents from across the border, adding that the border with Afghanistan has been closed since last night due to security reasons.

"No cross border and unauthorized entry will be allowed to Pakistan from Afghanistan," the spokesman said.

He said the security forces have been given special orders in this regard to have strict watch all along the border.

The spokesman said Afghan authorities have been given a list of 76 terrorists who are hiding across border since long and planning, directing, supporting terrorist activities in Pakistan.

"Afghan government has been asked to target them and hand them over to Pakistan," he said, adding that terrorists' hideouts on Pakistan-Afghanistan border have been effectively targeted.
KATHMANDU, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Nepali officials on Friday highly praised development in China's Tibet Autonomous Region and stressed the need to replicate those development models in this Himalayan country.

Attending a special function to mark the Chinese Tibetan Losar organized by the Chinese embassy, Nepali ministers and government officials appreciated the steps taken by China's Tibet Autonomous Region in infrastructures and economic development.

Talking exclusively to Xinhua, Ramesh Lekhak, Nepali Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, said that Nepal needs to learn a lot from China, with special attention to infrastructure development of Tibet Autonomous Region.

"Nepal and Tibet share friendship from ancient times. We have mutual cooperation on so many sectors and we should shake hands for mutual prosperity", the minister said.

His remarks were echoed by another Nepali minister who shared that Nepal still has a long way to reach the development height of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, which is also very rich in culture and tradition.

"We have good ties especially in trading through various border points, either in normal situation or during the crisis period. There is a need of stregthening this bonding", Shankar Bhandari, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation shared with Xinhua.

Reiterating the commitment to the one-China policy, both ministers were of view that Nepal has not been able to develop as compared to border-sharing China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

In the event attended by Nepali Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong paid tribute to all the Tibetan compatriots living in Nepal for their care and support for the development of China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

She said that China's Tibet enjoyed economic development, social stability and ethnic solidarity in 2016, with the gross production in the Tibet Autonomous Region reaching 114.8 billion yuan.

She added that Tibet is enjoying double digit growth rate for the 24th year in a row.

Since the infrastructure achieved a major breakthrough in China's Tibet Autonomous Region in the recent times, Nepali government officials argued that replicating those models in Nepal can be highly beneficial.

Govinda Prasad Pokharel, CEO at National Reconstruction Authority, the authoritative body to carry out post-quake tasks, told Xinhua, "The efficiency and quality of infrastructures that they have achieved in Tibet, its very successful. Their base and speed of development is very strong, which we can adopt here."

Stating that the rapid progress in China's Tibet Autonomous Region is a very good example for Nepal.

Pashupati Murarka, President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) told Xinhua, "We cannot compare but in regard to infrastructures and tourism development, the difference is vast.

Currently, we are only importing products from China via Tibet. But in future, we are hopeful we will be able to extend the direct bussiness."
OFFUT AIR FORCE BASE  Prosecutors say a journal allegedly written by an Omaha man last year detailed how he killed an Air Force service member.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that a recounting of the slaying was presented Thursday in an Offutt Air Force Base courtroom.

Prosecutors say 20-year-old Airman 1st Class Rhianda Dillard was killed late July. She was found unresponsive on her bed Aug. 1. Prosecutors add that the handwriting in the journal matches that of suspect Airman 1st Class Timothy Wilsey, who went missing after Dillard's death.

An Air Force Office of Special Investigations special agent testified that the journal was found when then-20-year-old Wilsey was picked up by military and local law enforcement in Virginia nearly two weeks after Dillard's death.

Wilsey has been charged with premeditated murder and desertion under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi addresses the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich,Germany, Feb. 17, 2017.(Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

MUNICH, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday called on countries worldwide to adhere to cooperation and make right decisions.

Wang made the remarks in a keynote speech at a plenary session of the 53rd Munich Security Conference, which officially opened Friday afternoon.

An array of global security issues ranging from the future of the transatlantic alliance to the West-Russia relations are in the spotlight.

Wang said that in two major speeches delivered in Switzerland last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for building a community of shared future for all and achieving shared and win-win development.

Peace and development are still the main themes of today's world, Wang said.

"We need to remain committed to multilateralism, which is the effective pathway to peace, development and the settlement of global issues," he said.

Multilateralism is not out of date, but should be carried forward, Wang said. And cooperation among big countries needs to be strengthened.

"Big countries have more resources and more capabilities. They have the responsibility and the obligation to play a greater role in maintaining international peace and security and make more contributions to human development and progress," he said.

Wang said that global governance should be improved so as to solve the imbalances in world development and realize sustainable growth of the world economy.

"China is actively participating in global governance," he told an audience of over 300 people.

Wang added that the world needs to firmly advance all types of regional cooperation as this has proved effective for promoting global development.

Founded in 1963, the annual MSC has become a forum dedicated to promoting peaceful conflict resolution and international cooperation and dialogue. China first attended conference in 1999.
PRETORIA, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- South African President Jacob Zuma officially opened a refugee reception center in Pretoria on Friday in honor of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

The Department of Home Affairs' refuge center, previously known as Marabastad offices, is expected to work professionally with humanity inspired by iconic Tutu, a South African social rights activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid.

Last year, the Home Affairs offices at the center was inundated with complaints mostly from non-South Africans who accused the officials of being unprofessional.

The center, which deals with refugees and asylum issues, had been in dispute for a long time. Many non-South Africans had complained about corruption and criminal syndicates at the center.

"The center was also marred by allegations of corruption, long queues, overcrowding and the presence of criminal syndicates. Today is a happy occasion as we have come to open the revamped center, we welcome improvements that have been made on this center," Zuma said.

The president encouraged local people to tolerate non-South Africans, saying: "Not all foreign nationals are in the country illegally which is sometimes the view of some frustrated South Africans."

"Many foreign nationals are most welcomed in the country. They add to the cosmopolitan nature of our country, they bring many needed skills that contribute to our economy," Zuma said.

Zuma said foreigners must put their papers in order before coming into the country, or risk being deported for lack of proper documents.

The new center, which got a facelift, has been digitized with new machines that are expected to eradicate the long lines witnessed at the center.

The opening of the center was a follow-up of Zuma's State of the Nation Address in parliament last week.

The president followed through with his promise and has since upgraded the center.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with his Mexican counterpart Luis Videgaray in Bonn, Germany, Feb. 17, 2017.(Xinhua/Peng Dawei)

BONN, Germany, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday met his Mexican counterpart Luis Videgaray Caso to discuss further cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meeting in Germany's western city of Bonn.

Wang said that Mexico is an emerging market country with world influence and that the relationship between China and Mexico has entered a fast lane and achieved new results through cooperation.

China-Mexico cooperation has great potential, Wang said, adding that China is willing to implement the consensuses achieved by the leaders of the two countries and to expand cooperation in investment, trade and direct flights with Mexico.

Both sides should strengthen communication on international affairs, safeguard the common interests of both countries and developing countries and lift South-South cooperation to a new level, Wang said.

Videgaray said that his country cherishes the friendship between Mexico and China and that Mexico is happy to see China's growing investment in Mexico and the continuous growth of bilateral trade.

"The two countries have same or similar positions on many international affairs," Videgaray said.

He also stressed that Mexico is fully confident about the prospect of cooperation between the two countries and is looking forward to more fruitful results.
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian police on Saturday dismissed allegation by ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea(DPRK) that Malaysia had purposely delayed the release of the body of its citizen.

Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told state news agency Bernama that the investigation could not be completed as long as the DNA sample from the family had not been obtained.

"We have rules in Malaysia. While in Malaysia, everyone has to obey and follow our rules and regulations," Khalid was quoted as saying.

DPRK's ambassador Kang Chol told media late Friday that the Malaysian side had forced the post mortem without their permission and witnessing, and his country would categorically reject the result of the "unilaterally conducted" post mortem.

The victim, whom the Malaysian authorities claimed as Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of DPRK's top leader, died in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
NANJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Four people were confirmed dead after three cargo boats caught fire on the Yangtze River, China's longest waterway, late Friday night, authorities said Saturday.

Flames engulfed three boats near the Jiangxinzhou Islet off Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, at around 11:20 p.m., sources with the city's fire prevention bureau said.

The flames were extinguished by 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

All the 12 crew members on board the boats fell into the water. Four died and the other eight were rescued, a spokesman with the city's maritime bureau said.

He said the cause of the fire was under investigation and there was no report of water pollution yet.
WUHAN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- A woman in central China's Hubei Province was detained for spreading rumors of a deadly bird flu outbreak, police said Saturday.

A post went viral on China's biggest social network, WeChat, Thursday saying an outbreak of H7N9 human infection had attacked eight medical workers and some family members after a villager in the suburbs of Xiantao City came down with the epidemic.

The post caused widespread panic and police launched an investigation, only to find it was sheer fabrication.

A woman surnamed Chen surrendered herself to police Thursday night, saying she had fabricated the rumor and spread it on WeChat.

She was put in detention for five days starting Friday.

China has stepped up prevention of human H7N9 avian flu which has led to 87 deaths at least nationwide since January. In addition, 269 H7N9 human infections have been reported in China this year.

The latest case was reported in southwest China's Guizhou Province on Friday. The patient, 45, was from Danzhai County in the Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture of Qiandongnan.

All close contacts were under clinical observation and no signs of infection had been detected so far, the provincial health and family planning commission said Saturday.
BRUSSELS, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Defense ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ended their two-day talks in Brussels on Thursday whose agenda was dominated by discussions about increasing defense spending.

The issue became more consequential as U.S. President Donald Trump called for fair burden-sharing.

Ahead of the talks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg briefed the press Tuesday on the agenda, stating that burden-sharing would be a priority point of discussion and that the organization's "continuous adaptation requires responsibilities to be shared fairly among allies."

During a 2014 summit in Wales, NATO members made a commitment to gradually increase defense spending to reach a target of 2 percent of GDP expenditure on defense in a decade.

In 2016, the defense spending increased by 3.8 percent, or roughly 10 billion U.S. dollars, among European NATO allies and Canada, which was "significantly higher than what we had originally foreseen," said Stotlenberg at the press briefing.

"This makes a difference but it is absolutely vital that we keep up the momentum," he added.

Currently, only five out of the 28-member organization have reached the 2-percent target, namely, Estonia, Greece, Poland, Britain and the United States. In total, 22 members saw an increase in defense budget in 2016.

These defense spending shortfalls have been a source of criticism for Trump's administration, with Trump himself telling a German newspaper last month that he felt that NATO was "obsolete," not dealing effectively with terrorism, notably because "countries are not paying what they should."

The change of stance towards NATO by an American president alarmed many members who agree that NATO is facing the greatest challenge to its security since the end of the Cold War.

Increased and more varied security threats have led some to wish for an even stronger commitment from the United States, but recently appointed U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis made it clear that without more equal burden-sharing, Americans might withdraw some of their support from NATO.

"America will meet its responsibilities, but if your nations do not want to see America moderate its commitment to this alliance, each of your capitals needs to show support for our common defense," said Mattis on Wednesday in Brussels.

For the retired U.S. general and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, it was no longer acceptable for U.S. taxpayers to carry a "disproportionate share of the defense of Western values."

"Americans cannot care more for your children's future security than you do," Mattis said. "Disregard for military readiness demonstrates a lack of respect for ourselves, for the alliance, and for the freedoms we inherited, which are now clearly threatened."

The United States' ultimatum arrives at a difficult time, not only because of the diverse security threats NATO potentially face, but also due to the long-term budgetary difficulties under which many members have been struggling since the global financial crisis.

Several countries were under pressure to increase their defense spending at a faster pace than reaching the 2-percent target by 2024.

According to analysts, this would risk bringing countries into conflict with the European Union (EU)'s fiscal rules that require them to continue reducing budget deficits.

With the probability of the U.S. role in European security diminishing, debate has been resumed on the continent about the creation of a European Defence Union to complement both NATO and their national defense forces.

Leading the call for a European Defence Union and the establishment of a headquarters for defense research and operations has been European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who has rejected Trump's political pressure on the EU.

"It has been the American message for many, many years. I am very much against letting ourselves be pushed into this," said Juncker on Thursday at a security conference in Munich.

"Europeans must bundle their defense spending better and spend the money more efficiently," he continued.

The efficient use of funds for an EU defense force, however, is far from reaching consensus, with many worrying that it would double and conflict with NATO. Others argued that an EU military, rather than a coalition force of national militaries, would turn the union toward even greater integration.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Rio de Janeiro is expected to receive over 1 million tourists in the upcoming Carnival holiday, local authorities said on Friday.

According to Rio's tourism agency Riotur, 1.1 million people are expected to visit Rio in the Carnival week, and those tourists are expected to inject 3 billion reals (about 960 million U.S. dollars) in the local economy.

The party has already started, with over 100 small parades expected to take place during this weekend.

During the actual Carnival holiday, hundreds of so-called Carnival blocks will party from day to night, and the traditional samba schools will also parade in the Sambadrome and other locations.

Along with the New Year holiday, Carnival is the most crowded and expensive season for tourism in Rio. The city's tourism infrastructure was expanded last year, with the construction of new hotels for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Over 70 percent of Rio's hotels have already been reserved for the holiday. Last year, 85 percent of hotel rooms in the city were occupied during Carnival.
SHENZHEN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Deng Zhibiao has always regretted letting his son leave Shenzhen.

"I should have stopped my second son from going to Hong Kong 40 years ago," said Deng, 75, at his home in Shenzhen, a business city in southern China's Guangdong Province.

The city has served Deng's eldest and youngest sons well. Both have more than one apartment in the city, as well as large incomes of several hundred thousand yuan.

"My second son has come back to work in Shenzhen, but has to rent an apartment," Deng said.

Deng was once head of Yumin Village, a hamlet of fishermen, in Shenzhen. In many ways, Deng's family life has run hand-in-hand with the life of Shenzhen, which has developed so much over the last few decades.

As one of China's first special economic zones, Shenzhen has evolved from a tiny fishing village into a vast metropolis. The city has a population of nearly 12 million, and its GDP ranks the fourth after the cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

There is another Deng whose relationship with Shenzhen is more well known.

Deng Xiaoping was known as the chief architect of China's economic reform, opening up and modernization, and it was his landmark speeches during his famous southern China tour in 1992 that further inspired the fast developing city to keep on its way.

The city became free to reform and pursue wealth. Deng Zhibiao certainly venerates his namesake: "Without his policies, such development would be unimaginable."

CHANGE OF POLICIES

Deng Zhibiao often recalls the poverty in the 1970s and being offered bread and soda water that had come from neighboring Hong Kong.

"I dared not eat them!" he said. "They were products of capitalism."

Shenzhen's poverty made many of the villagers to attempt to sneak into Hong Kong.

"We fished in the Shenzhen River. Many fishermen didn't come back," said Deng Zhibiao. "Among more than 70 households, about 30 left."

Deng Xiaoping visited Guangdong in 1977. Three years later, Shenzhen became a special economic zone, an area where special business policies were experimented with.

Deng Zhibiao started buying second-hand cars in Hong Kong to sell in Shenzhen.

"Before the reform I couldn't do that. It was called capitalism."

By 1980, many people in Yumin Village had televisions, fridges, stereos and electric cookers -- all luxuries at that time. While other Chinese citizens earned less than 100 yuan (about 14.6 U.S. dollars) a month, the average annual household income in the village exceeded 10,000 yuan.

By 1985, the villagers had started factories making clothes, watches and jewelry. Businesses in Hong Kong were soon investing in Shenzhen.

HEATED DEBATE

Huaqiangbei, a sub-district in the city center of Shenzhen, used to be a congregation of manufacturers.

"At first they made electronic devices. Shenzhen Electronics Group (SEG) came into being in 1986 when they needed a market to buy components," said Hu Jianping, vice general manager of SEG.

Following SEG, more companies were founded and Shenzhen started to take shape as a manufacturing hub. "The then Ministry of Electronics Industry provided experts; the city government of Shenzhen gave us land and exempted our taxes," Hu said.

However, the development was not all plain sailing.

"From a planned economy to a market economy, the model for SEG invited dispute," he said.

Chen Xitian, 76, former vice editor-in-chief with the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, said that reform and opening up were stagnating at the beginning of the 1990s when the world saw serious setbacks in socialist movement in the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe.

"In China, there were heated discussions about socialism or capitalism," Chen said.

Deng's 1992 southern tour brought the debates to an end.

"A planned economy is not just socialism as there is also planning under capitalism; a market economy is not just capitalism as there are also markets under socialism," he said.

After that, Deng Zhibiao's village was converted into a joint stock company.

Hu Jianping, then 30, quit his job as a teacher in northwest China's Shaanxi Province and went to Shenzhen.

SEG started manufacturing mobile phones.

"At the height of its prosperity, about 70 percent of the world's mobile phones were made in China, while 80 percent of China's mobile phones were from Huaqiangbei," Hu said.

HIGH-TECH HUB

Years later, Shenzhen faced a new set of challenges.

To protect intellectual property, Shenzhen began cracking down on copycat phones in 2011. E-commerce and the construction of a pedestrian street also affected SEG's popularity. The city had to change again.

"At the worst time, the rent of a booth in SEG mall was cut by half, and 40 percent of booths were empty," Hu said.

Things changed from 2012 when Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, took an inspection tour to Guangdong.

Xi said that China's reform had came to a juncture where it would be more complicated to tackle difficult issues, and the CPC had to use political courage and deepen reform in important areas.

SEG began cooperating with Internet and technology giants, including Tencent, Huawei and Alibaba, shifting its focus to "Chuangke" -- hands-on technology enthusiasts who use 3D printers, robotics and other advanced tools to create products. The innovation revolution has been under way.

In Huaqiangbei, San Francisco-headquartered HAX, a hardware accelerator, has attracted teams from the United States and Europe, as a platform helping developers.

At a roadshow outside the HAX office, Bitome from the United States presented its health monitoring products.

Herbert Ryan, a co-founder and CEO of Bitome in Shenzhen, admitted that R&D costs in the city were lower than in the United States. A printed circuit board costs around 700 yuan in the United States, but only 200 in Shenzhen.

Ryan learned about the HAX Shenzhen office in an American magazine. He said the HAX staff had provided lots of help for them to choose materials and seek manufacturers.

Jack Ge, a graduate from Imperial College London, worked with five team members to develop a lamp capable of improving sleep.

Ge, 23, did not know much about Shenzhen, but his friends recommended Huaqiangbei to him, claiming that all the best hardware talent was in Shenzhen.

Ge said that it takes one month to make a prototype in Britain, but it takes half the time and one-third of the cost in Shenzhen.

"Even people behind the booths at Huaqiangbei have a good knowledge of hardware," Ge said.

Ge's team intend to register a company in Shenzhen.

The move to a more innovative economy has not just been with HAX and in Huaqiangbei but throughout Shenzhen. Cutting-edge technology is now a cornerstone of the city.

Shenzhen's transformation has been nothing short of miracles.

Chen Xitian remembers Deng Xiaoping standing by the side of the Shenzhen River in 1992 in the cold wind, gazing upon Hong Kong on the other side.

Deng Xiaoping died on Feb. 19, 1997, about four months before Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

On Jan. 3 this year, a memorandum was signed between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The land Deng looked at 25 years ago will soon become a technology park.

It was a long and winding road, and few people knew exactly where the constant changes in Shenzhen would lead. However, there are solid and certain things. A huge portrait of Deng Xiaoping in the city is emblazoned with large red Chinese characters featuring: "Stick to the Party's basic line unwaveringly for 100 years."
NEW YORK  Municipalities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis and Skokie, Illinois, urged a federal judge on Friday to continue blocking aspects of Republican President Donald Trump's travel ban.

New York City's chief lawyer, Zachary Carter, filed papers in federal court on behalf of nearly three dozen cities. The arguments were submitted days before a judge will decide whether to extend an order that was issued the day after Trump signed the Jan. 27 executive order.

Carter and senior counsel Susan Greenberg said in the filing that the ban against people from seven predominantly Muslim countries damages the economies and cultures of the cities and harms efforts to keep cities safe, including against terrorists.

"It stranded students, separated families, disrupted travel and commerce, spread fear among our residents and visitors, and projected a message of intolerance and distrust toward members of our communities," they wrote of the little more than a day that the ban was in effect.

They said "xenophobia and religious discrimination" are particularly harmful to cities that rely on tolerance and inclusiveness, such as New York City, where a population of more than 8 million exceeds that of 40 states, with 3 million residents born abroad. The city has an estimated 27,000 people born in the seven countries identified in the executive order, the papers said.

Other municipalities joining the arguments were Buffalo, Oakland, Philadelphia, Seattle and San Francisco. In New York state, Albany, Ithaca, Rochester, Schenectady, Syracuse and Yonkers joined, while New Jersey included Jersey City, Paterson, Plainfield, Trenton, Haledon and Princeton. Others included Gary, Indiana; Austin, Texas; Madison, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; New Haven, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; Santa Monica, California; Somerville, Massachusetts; South Bend, Indiana; West Hollywood, California, and Carrboro, North Carolina.

The White House has said Trump's order is necessary to protect against terrorism and the New York case should be dismissed because the two people on whose behalf it was brought have been allowed into the United States.

The papers were submitted before a Tuesday hearing. A federal appeals court in Seattle has upheld a stay of the ban in a case brought by Washington state and Minnesota.
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian police said on Saturday they have detained a Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) citizen suspected to be involved in the death of a DPRK man identified by Malaysian authorities as Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un.

The male suspect was identified as "Ri Jong Chol," who was born on May 6, 1970, in the DPRK, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said in a statement, citing information on the ID card in the suspect's possession, known in Malaysia as "i-Kad," used by foreign workers living in the country.

Abdul Samah Mat, police chief of Selangor state who leads a criminal investigation in the case, told Xinhua that the suspect was caught Friday after police forces raided a condominium in Selangor.

He declined to reveal the links between the DPRK man and two female suspects detained previously, one with Vietnamese travel document and the other an Indonesian. A local Malaysian male has also been detained to assist investigation.

The 46-year-old Kim Jong Nam was found dead on Monday at the Kuala Lumpur airport.

Though police has completed postmortem on the deceased, Abdul said the police still need the body in their investigation and will not transfer the body to the DPRK embassy before they receive DNA samples from the next-of-kin.

Meanwhile, DPRK Ambassador Kang Chol said on Friday that they will "categorically reject" the results of the postmortem conducted by Malaysia and demanded an immediate transfer of the body.

The DPRK embassy in Malaysia has not confirmed the identity of the suspect.
JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Some 34 militants of Islamic State (IS) were killed after Afghan army struck their positions in the country's eastern province of Nangarhar, said provincial government spokesman on Saturday.

"Over the past 24 hours, Afghan army personnel backed by local tribesmen fighters and Afghan air force pounded several Daesh (Arabic acronym for IS) hideouts in Haska Mina district, killing 34 militants," Attahullah Khogyani told Xinhua.

About 16 IS militants were wounded and seven arrests were made following the raids, the spokesman added.

On Thursday night, dozens of IS militants attacked an army checkpoint in the restive district, killing 17 army soldiers.

Khogyani said the raid was launched in response to the recent IS attack against the army post in the district south of provincial capital Jalalabad city, 120 km east of national capital of Kabul.

The mountainous province has been the scene of clashes between security forces and IS militants since the emergence of IS there in early 2015.

The militant group has yet to make comments.
HANOI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The 44th meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group (IPEG 44) opened Saturday in Vietnam's south central coastal Khanh Hoa province's Nha Trang City, among the first activities to kick off APEC 2017 first Senior Officials' Meeting and related meetings (SOM 1).

The IPEG 44 was hosted by the National Organization of Intellectual Property of Vietnam, drawing participation of over 100 representatives from 21 APEC member economies, reported Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA.

During the two-day meeting, participants will focus on enhancing dialogue on intellectual property policies, discussions on measures to boost effectiveness of intellectual property protection system, implementation of an Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) under the World Trade Organization (WTO), implementation of Collective Action Plan on Intellectual Property, boosting propaganda activities to improve public awareness on intellectual property among others.

Seven other meetings and conferences on emergency response capabilities, illegal logging, policy cooperation in science-technology, promoting social commitment in the fight against corruption among others were held in Nha Trang City, some 1,040 km south of capital Hanoi.

This is the agenda of the first day in the framework of APEC SOM 1 which will last till March 3 under the theme "creating new dynamism, fostering a shared future."
BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said Saturday that it has sent air quality inspection teams to 18 cities to investigate air pollution.

The teams went to cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and neighboring areas, including Shanxi, Shandong and Henan provinces, according to the MEP.

By Thursday, the teams had found 33 problems after visiting 137 local government departments and companies.

At the county level in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei Province, the environmental bureau played the major role in implementing emergency responses to heavy air pollution, but other departments were not actively involved, the statement said.

Small companies producing medical intermediates in Shijiazhuang were highly polluting, it added.

Several companies in Cangzhou city, Hebei, failed to meet requirements for cutting pollutants and power use.

Shanxi Longhui Coal Gasification Company did not shut down its coke oven as required after environmental checks.

In Henan's Hebi city, two construction sites failed to stop working during top-level alerts for air pollution. A company in Hebi poorly managed its pollution-control facility, while another failed to take effective measures to prevent dust.

The teams have forwarded the problems to local authorities for further investigation and correction.

"China will push to revamp industrial and energy structures in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas, home to some 50 percent of China's coal consumption and steel production capacity," said MEP deputy head Zhao Yingmin.

"China will also reduce pollutants by acting on highly polluting companies, promoting clean use of coal and eliminating vehicles with excessive emissions," Zhao said.
SANTIAGO, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chilean Ambassador to China Jorge Heine praised multilateral free-trade efforts in the Asia-Pacific region and stressed China's role in this issue in an article published Friday.

"China will be a crucial piece in the jigsaw puzzle of designing an architecture that will give new impetus to trade across the Pacific," Heine wrote in the article carried by the La Tercera daily.

The Chilean diplomat said Chinese President Xi Jinping has "shown the advantages of multilateralism in a world where various countries are now showing they prefer unilateral solutions to global problems."

Heine also wrote to highlight the importance of a high-level international dialogue to be held in Chile on March 14-15.

Chile has invited Australia and other Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) signatories in Latin America and Asia, other members of the Pacific Alliance -- Colombia, Peru and Mexico, as well as China and South Korea to the dialogue.

Chile is a member of the TPP and of the Pacific Alliance. The United States initiated the TPP trade deal but has recently withdrawn from it.

Heine said "the rejection of the TPP by the United States has" raised a question of "how to continue driving commercial openness in the world's most dynamic area."

In his eyes, possible answers include opening to others the 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) under negotiation.

The RCEP now includes 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, as well as China, India, Japan and South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Heine also mentioned the Free-Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). A collective strategic study on it was discussed during the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Lima in November.

He said Chile's progress "is due to an international trade policy that maximizes the benefits of globalization and focuses on Asia, the destination of 50 percent of our exports."

As for the high-level dialogue to be held in March in Chile, Heine said the Pacific Alliance "is well-positioned to lead this dialogue," and that "Chile, a pioneer in the region's closeness with Asia, has the credentials for such an ambitious initiative."
HAVANA, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- A total of 979 illegal migrants have been sent back to Cuba from neighboring countries this year, including 680 who were returned after a new U.S. immigration policy took effect in mid-January, said media reports on Friday.

So far, 115 Cubans have been returned directly from the United States and 246 were deported from Mexico since Jan. 12, when Washington ended the "wet-foot/dry-foot" policy for Cuban immigrants, said media reports citing an official release from the Cuban government.

There were also Cubans who were deported from the Bahamas and other countries in the Central American region.

On Jan. 12, then U.S. President Barack Obama ended a long-standing policy that granted residency to Cubans who arrived in the United States without visas.

Known as the "wet-foot/dry-foot" policy, the special U.S. immigration treatment for Cuba has been in place for around 22 years.

After the new policy came into effect, thousands of Cubans have been stranded in the countries in Central America and the Caribbean in their attempt to reach U.S. soil.

U.S. President Donald Trump has not made any statement regarding the new policy, only saying that his administration is reviewing the thawing ties with Cuba.

The United States has pledged to grant at least 20,000 visas for Cubans every year to come to the country legally.
BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- A committee for the protection of the rights and interests of judges, under the China's Judges Association, has called for the protection of judges' safety, while condemning acts that hurt judges.

The committee made the remarks in a statement Saturday following the case of a judge in eastern China's Jiangsu Province being hit by a car and stabbed multiple times by the driver on Friday.

The suspect, currently held by police, was believed to be disgruntled with a court ruling in a debt dispute.

Initially the judge experienced hemorrhagic shock, but is now out of life-threatening danger, according to the statement.

The committee extended its concern to the judge and his family, expressing condemnation and anger over acts that hurt judges.

It urged the country's courts to set up committees to protect judges, evaluate risks faced by judges and their families, and provide assistance and relief for them.

The committee also called on society to ensure judges are able to exert their judicial duties in accordance to law and uphold judiciary authority.
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- A task force report released recently in Washington has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to reexamine his policy toward China and promote U.S.-China ties.

Conducted by the Asia Society Center on U.S.-China Relations and the University of California San Diego 21st Century China Center, the report gathered opinions of around 20 bipartisan experts, including former government officials, scholars and think tank researchers.

It said that the overall trend of the bilateral relations between the United States and China, which established ties in 1979, has been "reasonably positive and encouraging."

Susan Shirk, co-chair of the task force, said during a conference on Monday in San Diego that China has become a more influential country with many sources of leverage since the global financial crisis in 2008.

The report tries to give suggestions on how the United States could move forward "in a way that would preserve the positive benefit of a stable U.S.-China relation," and "better preserve U.S. interest in some areas, where we feel that things are not working as well as they once did," said Shirk.

But it remains to be seen if this report will affect the new administration's policy.

"President Trump is not known for reading a lot of papers. So I have no illusion he's going to read our report," Shirk said. "But I do think that other people in his administration will read the report or have already read the report."

The report specifies six issues that the new administration should address immediately, which include working with China to halt the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear and missile programs, sustaining and broadening U.S.-China collaboration on climate change and reaffirming U.S. commitments to Asia.

Regarding the fact that U.S. President Trump signed to withdraw his country from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Shirk said: "I think it's a huge mistake."

She explained that the task force originally intended to recommend the administration work collaboratively with China and develop a way for China to join the TPP. "Now we don't have that destination. It's hard to find a substitute of the TPP," she said.

Other key topics discussed in the report include trade and investment relations, maritime disputes and cyber security.

Cyber security has been a hidden threat to many countries including China, which has pledged to cooperate with the United States to fight cybercrime.

"As far as I know that's actually been going pretty well," Shirk said. "I think that's a great example of how the United States and China through frank negotiation can address a very difficult topic, make progress, and move forward."

The task force's concern about this crucial relationship also comes from President Trump's performance since his inauguration in January.

Orville Schell, the other co-chair of the task force, said he thinks the first four weeks of the new administration have been "pretty chaotic."

"We've seen a lot of statements that had to be countermanded, and it's very hard to know exactly what his coherent point of view is," Schell said.

Earlier this month, Trump agreed to honor the one-China policy, the political basis of China-U.S. relations in the past decades. The decision was applauded by the report.

"No national interest is furthered by abandoning or conditioning the one-China policy," and "the new administration should be mindful of lessons from the past," said the report.

The task force also stressed in the report that "a rising power need not become an adversary of the established power," and that the two countries should collaborate and share responsibility.

"Now the real problem is those issues which divide us. We have to start working on some of those," Schell said.
BANGKOK, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Thai police have seized a total of 7.4 million speed pills and 20 kilograms of crystalline methamphetamine (ice) in the northern province of Lambang in the last two days.

On Friday night, police found 3.4 million speed pills and 20 kilograms of ice in a pickup truck which sped past a local checkpoint, prompting police to chase it and shoot its tyres.

One of the three men in the truck was arrested while the other two fled into a forest on foot.

Chairot Iang-payung, chef of a local police station in Lambang's Thoen district, said the drugs found in the case were the province's largest haul in 20 years, Bangkok Post reported.

A police investigation found that these drugs had been smuggled from Chiang Rai province and were destined to capital Bangkok.

On Saturday, police found another 4 million speed pills some 3 km away from the first spot.

These drugs, in more than 20 fertilizer sacks, were left along the road when police found them.

Officials believed the drugs seized on Saturday were of the same lot as those seized on the previous day and they speculated those suspects might have dumped them before fleeing.
KABUL, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Saturday called for safe release of its two local staff abducted in Afghanistan's northern province of Jawzjan earlier this month.

"We call on the abductors' sense of humanity and request the immediate, safe and unconditional release of our colleagues," Monica Zanarelli, head of the ICRC delegation in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

On Feb. 8, six ICRC local staff were shot and killed and two others kidnapped after gunmen ambushed their vehicles in Qushtapa district of the province, 390 km north of Kabul.

"We also ask that any action that could endanger their lives is avoided. We do not want the agony and heartache of this tragedy to deepen," Zanarelli said.

The aid agency also urged Afghan authorities and armed groups operating in the area to do their utmost to secure the safe release of the abductees, and to avoid taking any action that could endanger their lives.

"The ICRC has been active in Afghanistan for three decades, impartially assisting victims of the conflict with medical care, food assistance, family contacts and the dignified handling of human remains. It is a neutral, impartial and independent organization whose sole mission is strictly humanitarian," the statement reads.

The ICRC has suspended its operations in the militancy-hit country following the deadly incident.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (C front) cuts the ribbon during the opening ceremony of the Two Rivers Investment in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 17, 2017. The Two Rivers Investment Project, which consists of five star hotels, office blocks, residential homes and shops occupied by major retail enterprises, was launched here on Friday at a ceremony attended by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa and investors. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

NAIROBI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese investors have taken key shareholding in a major regional shopping and urban development project launched in Nairobi Friday, aiming to tap into Nairobi's growing international status as an aviation hub and a center for commercial enterprise.

The Two Rivers Investment Project, which consists of five star hotels, office blocks, residential homes and shops occupied by major retail enterprises, was launched at a ceremony attended by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa and investors.

"The construction of this shopping mall is a sign of Kenyan companies steadily spending despite the sluggish economic growth around the globe. The joint effort of the Kenyan and Chinese investors saw us reach this tangible achievement within a short time," Liu said at the launch.

Customers walk inside the Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 17, 2017. The Two Rivers Investment Project, which consists of five star hotels, office blocks, residential homes and shops occupied by major retail enterprises, was launched here on Friday at a ceremony attended by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa and investors. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

"I am proud of the Chinese side for their contribution to this project. It is a sign of the remarkable cooperation between China and Kenya in the various fields, including financial services, people-to-people exchanges, media and education and the development of think-tanks," Liu said.

President Kenyatta termed the new shopping complex an "iconic development" which showcases the potential that exists between local and international investors.

"It is a wonderful development we have here," Kenyatta remarked.

The Two Rivers Investment is undertaken by listed Kenyan company, Centum Group; China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation and Jiangxi Water and Hydropower Construction Co. ltd (JWHC) have jointly invested 38.89 percent stake.

Upon completion, the investment would cost 800 million U.S. dollars, covering 400,000 square metres of land, covered with retail shops and with a capacity of 50,000 shoppers.

A customer takes selfies at the Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 17, 2017. The Two Rivers Investment Project, which consists of five star hotels, office blocks, residential homes and shops occupied by major retail enterprises, was launched here on Friday at a ceremony attended by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa and investors. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

"For the first time, Chinese investors are investing directly. This is the biggest investment project for Chinese companies in Kenya's commercial and urban development," Liu said.

Meanwhile, Nairobi County Governor Evans Kidero said the launch of Two Rivers Mall, a combined urban development project, was part of the city's master-plan to establish urban satellite cities.

"It is one of the largest shopping complexes out of the 27 malls we have in this city. Nairobi has become the international mall destination," Kidero said.
Actress Lupita Nyong'o celebrates winning Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role award for "12 Years a Slave" during the Oscars at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, the United States, on March 2, 2014. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)

NAIROBI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's film industry generated 72 million U.S. dollars in 2016, creating direct and indirect employment to more than 100,000 people.

Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) CEO Dr Ezekiel Mutua told a media briefing in Nairobi that with the new advancements in technology such as the emergence of Over the Top Service providers and Digital Television broadcasting, the industry promises to generate even more income in 2017.

"There is no doubt that the film industry will make a great contribution to the country's economy, enhancing Kenya's Gross Domestic Product drastically," Mutua said during a ceremony to sponsor the Riverwood Academy Awards 2017.

The KFCB has embarked on a series of reforms aimed at facilitating growth in the industry.

Kenya's Oscar Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o (L) talks to her grandmother during her visit to her ancestral home of Ratta village in Kisumu county, Kenya, July 1, 2015. Lupita Nyong'o was the chief guest at a school mentorship programme that was attended by more than 150 students from various schools within Kisumu county. (Xinhua/Simbi Kusimba)

The film regulator has also initiated the process of reviewing the Film and Stage Plays Act to spur growth in the creative industry and to protect children from being exposed to harmful film and broadcast content.

The CEO added that the board is implementing initiatives to support local artistes and producers.

"Our main goal is to nurture talent and create opportunities for training for players in the industry, and more employment opportunities through entrepreneurial ventures in the creative sector," he added.

Mutua said that the expansion of the sector will be achieved through training and exposing local producers to new technologies in film production.

The film regulator is also in the process of establishing a cutting-edge Creative Arts Center of Excellence.

Actor perform during the closing and award ceremony of the 2013 Slum Film Festival in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Sept. 9, 2013. Founded in 2011 in Nairobi, the Slum Film Festival is a community-based annual film event featuring stories from, by, and about people living in urban slums. (Xinhua/Meng Chenguang)

The CEO said that the facility will provide training opportunities in various creative arts, including film and music, and will provide production equipment to aspiring producers at subsidized rates.

The centre will be a one-stop hub for nurturing creative talent among the youth.

Mutua said that Kenya has some of the best filming locations in the world and so there is need to work together with all stakeholders to turn these advantages into money-making ventures for our artistes.

"This will in turn increase the volume of content produced locally so that the country can attain the 40 percent local content threshold that is expected of broadcasters in order to promote local creators of content and reclaim Kenyan culture, national values and aspirations," Mutua added.
MUNICH, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday that his country will "strongly support NATO" as European members of the military alliance are worried about security uncertainties arising from possible change in U.S. policy.

Pence told European leaders that he brought a message from U.S. President Donald Trump that the United States will be "unwavering" in its commitment to trans-Atlantic institutions like NATO.

He made the remarks at the ongoing Munich Security Conference (MSC), a major global security forum which originally focused only on transatlantic relations.

Pence's remarks came one day after U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis reassured European leaders that the transatlantic bond is "the strongest bulwark against instability and violence" at MSC, stressing that his country's security is tied to Europe.

While seeking to reassure European leaders, Pence also urged NATO members to shoulder their fair share. "NATO requires your commitment as much as ours," he said.

This year's MSC, the 53rd of its kind, opened Friday afternoon. Over 500 high-ranking officials from around the world and representatives of international organizations and businesses took part in the three-day event.

First held in 1963, the annual MSC, once dubbed a "transatlantic family gathering," has evolved into an independent forum dedicated to promoting peaceful solutions of conflicts and international cooperation.

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BRUSSELS, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- NATO defense ministers on Thursday decided to take further measures to strengthen its deterrence and defense, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel called here on Saturday during her speech at the 53rd Munich Security Conference (MSC) for cooperative efforts to face challenges of a world without fixed order.

"The challenges of the world today can not be mastered by one state alone, it needs cooperative efforts," Merkel said, adding that multilateral institutions like UN, NATO and the EU must be strengthened.

Meanwhile, Merkel said that the international structures of the EU, for example, are not efficient enough. The structures must be made stronger and more resistant to crises.

Merkel also said that the EU can not take up the fight against global terrorism alone, the cooperation with the United States is "very important".

At the same time, Merkel called on Islamic religious authorities to speak "clear words on the demarcation of peaceful Islam and terrorism in the name of Islam."

Since its first gathering in 1963, the annual MSC, once dubbed a "transatlantic family gathering," has become an independent forum dedicated to promoting peaceful conflict resolution and international cooperation and dialogue.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also delivered a speech late Friday, articulating Chinese solutions to world challenges in front of over 300 participants.
MUNICH, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday that his country will "strongly support NATO" as European members of the military alliance are worried about security uncertainties arising from possible change in U.S. policy.

Pence told European leaders that he brought a message from U.S. President Donald Trump that the United States will be "unwavering" in its commitment to trans-Atlantic institutions like NATO.

He made the remarks at the ongoing Munich Security Conference (MSC), a major global security forum which originally focused only on transatlantic relations.

"The U.S. is and will always be your greatest ally," he told the audience in the first major foreign policy address for the Trump administration.

Pence's remarks came one day after U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis reassured European leaders that the transatlantic bond is "the strongest bulwark against instability and violence" at MSC, stressing that his country's security is tied to Europe.

While seeking to reassure European leaders, Pence also urged NATO members to shoulder their fair share. "NATO requires your commitment as much as ours," he said.

Pence said many NATO allies lack a clear and credible path to increased defense spending and the time to get one is now. The vice president told his audience that President Trump expects the U.S. allies to keep their word on defense spending.

He also vowed that the U.S. would be dominant in the digital world as the country is in the physical world.

Regarding the Ukrainian issue, Pence pledged that the U.S. will "continue hold Russia accountable," even as President Trump is searching for new common ground with Moscow.

This year's MSC, the 53rd of its kind, opened Friday afternoon. Over 500 high-ranking officials from around the world and representatives of international organizations and businesses took part in the three-day event.

First held in 1963, the annual MSC, once dubbed a "transatlantic family gathering," has evolved into an independent forum dedicated to promoting peaceful solutions of conflicts and international cooperation.

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Spotlight: Tough U.S. demands for burden-sharing dominate NATO talks

BRUSSELS, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Defense ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ended their two-day talks in Brussels on Thursday whose agenda was dominated by discussions about increasing defense spending.

The issue became more consequential as U.S. President Donald Trump called for fair burden-sharing. Full story

NATO strengthens deterrence, defense

BRUSSELS, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- NATO defense ministers on Thursday decided to take further measures to strengthen its deterrence and defense, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel called here on Saturday during her speech at the 53rd Munich Security Conference (MSC) for cooperative efforts to face challenges of a world without fixed order.

"The challenges of the world today can not be mastered by one state alone, it needs cooperative efforts," Merkel said, adding that multilateral institutions like UN, NATO and the EU must be strengthened.

Meanwhile, Merkel said that the international structures of the EU, for example, are not efficient enough. The structures must be made stronger and more resistant to crises.

Merkel also said that the EU can not take up the fight against global terrorism alone, the cooperation with the United States is "very important".

At the same time, Merkel called on Islamic religious authorities to speak "clear words on the demarcation of peaceful Islam and terrorism in the name of Islam."

Mentioning relationship with Russia, Merkel called for a good relationship with Moscow despite different opinions on many issues between the West and Russia. She believed both sides have "exactly the same interests" in the fight against terrorism, for example.

Referring to European defense capacity, Merkel said it must not be seen as an alternative to NATO, but must be integrated into NATO.

Merkel, meanwhile, announced that Germany is committed to the goal of achieving the 2 percent of GDP expenditure on defense within 10 years.

Merkel told the audience that it has already been proven that a global crisis can only be solved multilaterally. However, the problem is that multilateral structures are not consolidated.

"That is why there are tendencies to protectionism and nationalism, which could not be a solution," she said.

Since its first gathering in 1963, the annual MSC, once dubbed a "transatlantic family gathering," has become an independent forum dedicated to promoting peaceful conflict resolution and international cooperation and dialogue.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also delivered a speech late Friday, articulating Chinese solutions to world challenges in front of over 300 participants.
MADRID, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The city of Malaga in the south of Spain is the venue for the XXV bilateral summit between Spain and France scheduled on Monday, according to a press release issued by the Spanish Prime Minister's Office on Saturday.

Malaga was chosen for the venue of the meeting between Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the President of the French Republic Francios Hollande, said the release.

The meeting takes on a new significance given that Rajoy was finally returned to power at the end of October 2016, while France will see its general elections in April and May.

Besides the meeting between Rajoy and Holland, there will also be meetings between the ministers and secretaries of state of various departments, including Foreign Ministries, Justice, Interior, Public works, Culture and Sport, Economy and Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda.

The two leaders will also give a joint press conference in the Malaga Pompidou Center after their meeting, according to the release.

Issues of Europe, such as the problems posed by the Brexit, will be high on the agenda, said the release.
HELSINKI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Since they were first domesticated at least 150 centuries ago, the dog has been human's best friend. Now, they have another job -- to help diagnose cancer.

After a long-standing research of odors, a Finnish professor has claimed that certain types of cancer are able to be detected by their smell, making it possible to train cancer-sniffing dogs to differentiate between healthy and sick tissue to help diagnose the disease, the Russian news agency Sputnik has reported.

The professor, Jouko Vepsalainen from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, has focused on nitrogen compounds, which increase dramatically when cancer cells grow in an uncontrollable way, allowing them to be detected, the Finnish newspaper Karjalainen reported.C

According to Vepsalainen, ongoing research may help develop industrially manufactured and clinically applicable diagnostic tests, which could drastically speed up the identification of cancer or precancerous lesions.

That's where the dog, man's best friend, may step in with their keen sense of smell.

"We know with 99-percent certainty that we are on the right track. A dog's sense of smell is incredibly sensitive, up to 100,000 times more accurate than human's. There is a huge dimension of molecules a dog could smell," Vepsalainen was quoted as saying by Sputnik.

According to the news agency, researchers in Finland have managed to train dogs to distinguish mammary carcinoma in dog urine. It takes a dog between weeks and months to get the hang of distinguishing between sick and healthy urine.

But the method has yet to be applied to human samples as ethical permissions are needed, said Sputnik.

"Anyone who knows how difficult early cancer detection is understands what an opportunity this is," associate professor Anna Hielm-Bjorkman of the University of Helsinki, told the Finnish daily Hufvudstadsbladet.
KIGALI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is offering cash packages to any Rwandan refugee who returns home before end of 2017, according to UNHCR official.

Saber Azam, UNHCR Rwanda country representative told reporters on Saturday that the commission is giving 250 U.S dollars to each adult Rwandan refugee and 150 U.S dollars to any of their minors who returns home before Cessation Clause expires.

UNHCR approved Rwandan Cessation Clause in December 2011 but extended its application to June 30, 2013, and now to December 31, 2017.

The Cessation Clause provides for three options: voluntary repatriation, invocation of refugee status and local integration, as well as individual application for refugee status with convincing reasons.

"We have decided to provide financial resettlement packages in terms of cash to Rwandans returning home ahead of cessation clause expiry. The money will be a one-time assistance that will help the returnees to solve their problems as they settle," said Azam.

He added that on top of the money, the returnees are offered free medical insurance for a year, a free mobile phone and free transportation to any destination within the country.

The new cash incentive assistance replaces the distribution of essential household items that refugees used to be given upon return, tempting some of them to sell part or all of what was provided.

About 3.4 million refugees have been repatriated since 1994, majority of them from Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Rwanda ministry for disaster management and refugee affairs.

However, Seraphine Mukantabana, Rwandan minister for disaster management and refugee affairs said that the offer is likely to drive massive return of Rwandans fearing to lose refugee status in host countries.

"This is a good initiative and it will help them to resettle. Rwanda is safe and secure and ready to accommodate all Rwandan returnees. Both the travel facilitation and the resettlement cash package won't be available for those who will miss the December 31, 2017, deadline," she noted.

Mukantabana warned Rwandan refugees in different countries across the world that they won't be considered as refugees any more after December 31, 2017.

The ministry for disaster management and refugee affairs says that an average returning rate of Rwandans still living in exile has been around 2,000 a year.

According to UNCHR, a refugee can choose to settle in the host country through legal channels and or only if the person applies again for special refugee status.

Millions of Rwandans have fled to exile from 1959 through to 1994.

UNHCR is expecting at least 20,000 refugees from DR Congo, Zambia, Cameroon and other countries.

Presently, there are 1,000 Rwandan refugees waiting to return from the DR Congo.
CHANGSHA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- When social media posts of pangolin being eaten at banquets triggered public fury in China last week, a wildlife protection specialist saw a ray of hope.

"I hope the scandal will become a turning point in our search and rescue for the critically-endangered animal," said Zhou Canying, head of the wildlife protection association in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province.

Zhou and her pangolin protection team have trekked the mountains of Hunan for more than a year but not spotted a single pangolin.

Earlier in February, a screenshot of a microblog post went viral allegedly showing officials in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region inviting investors from Hong Kong to eat pangolin at a banquet. Guangxi authorities immediately launched an investigation amid public outcry.

"The public rarely pays so much attention to pangolins, and I hope the crisis will lead to new breakthroughs in its protection," Zhou said Saturday, the sixth annual World Pangolin Day.

The ancient species, which has evolved over 80 million years, was once abundant in tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, including Hunan Province.

In Pingjiang County, many people told Zhou that until the 1990s could see pangolins feeding on termites on pine trees .

But things changed drastically in the last two decades: people used excessive pesticides; pines were replaced with firs that produced more expensive lumber; and the remaining pangolins were caught and sold to illegal dealers. Their meat is believed to be a delicacy, and their scaly skin an ingredient in traditional medicine.

"The villagers told me they have never seen a single pangolin since," Zhou said.

A survey by the provincial forestry department in 2001 confirmed the wild pangolin population in the province was zero.

Pangolin is the most illegally traded mammal worldwide, with about 1 million being sold over the past decade.

In China, the animal's skin is believed to ease swelling and promote lactation. A kilo of the best quality can sell for 8,000 yuan (1,165 U.S. dollars).

"A female pangolin breeds only one cub a year. But its ultimate predators, humans, kill it in order to produce milk for their own babies," said Zhou, a mother of two children.

Professor Wu Shibao, a wildlife conservation specialist with South China Normal University, said that about 300,000 pangolins were consumed in China each year.

"As a result the Chinese pangolin, one of the world's eight major pangolin species, is almost extinct," Wu said.

But environmentalists have not stopped their search and rescue of the endangered species.

Last year, a villager in Pingjiang County reported he had found a new cave in the mountain close to his home, and believed it was a pangolin dwelling.

Zhou Canying and her colleagues visited the site. They found 13 similar caves, but no pangolin.

"Either they had been poached, or they had sensed danger and fled. I prayed desperately it was the latter," Zhou said

Zhou's endeavors are widely publicized in Hunan, and sometimes people call her with information.

"One day when I was lobbying for pangolin protection in a village, someone told me a family in the neighboring village had just caught a pangolin and were ready to cook it. We rushed there, but the pangolin was nowhere to be found," Zhou said.

She has seen only one living pangolin, outside a lab.

"It was at the end of 2015. Someone had saved the animal from illegal dealers and left it at a temple in Changsha. It was dying and had bloodstains on its mouth."

Despite Zhou's efforts to save it, the mammal died in less than two weeks. When researchers dissected it, they found gypsum in its stomach, used by dealers to make it heavier, to sell for more money.

"It was pregnant, too," Zhou said.

Zhou said she often dreamed of the dead pangolin and its cub.

"I hope more people will join us to protect their peers from such a miserable fate."
North Carolina Teacher Pay and the Real $50,000 Question

You may have heard that the average annual teacher salary in North Carolina fell $163 short of $50,000. Never mind that the average is $1,896 higher than last year. Republican legislators and former governor Pat McCrory promised $50,000 and even one-dollar short of that mark would have inspired their political opponents to accuse them of serial dishonesty.Average teacher pay calculations, and teacher salary rates generally, depend on three factors - experience, credentials, and school district. Statewide salary schedules, which are included the biennial state budget, mandates that all school districts pay teachers a salary based on the number of years they have taught and the attainment of supplementary credentials, such as National Board for Professional Teacher Standards certification. Most school boards supplement the state-mandated salary using local funds. The average local supplement for teachers was $3,870 last year.In general, local salary and credential supplements remain relatively predictable from year to year. The experience level of the teacher workforce is somewhat less so. According to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction data , we do know that teachers who have between 0 and 3 years of experience have become a greater share of the workforce over the last five years. In 2012, around 15 percent of teachers were in their first three years in the profession. Last year, 23 percent of teachers were in that category. During the same period, the share of classroom teachers with 4 to 10 years of experience has dropped by 7 percentage points.These trends, as well as turnover and retirement rates, have practical implications for the state average salary. Because of the structure of the state salary schedules, inexperienced teachers receive lower pay than more experienced ones, and this has a diluting effect on the overall average. Simply put, as inexperienced teachers become a larger share of the workforce, it becomes more difficult to use conventional increases in pay, such as the 4.7 percent average increase approved by the state legislature last year, to raise the overall average.The difficulty of predicting the trajectory of the statewide average teacher salary does not absolve Republicans of what I believe to be a risky political calculation - the choice to make the $50,000 (and now $55,000) threshold a core issue in their campaigns and legislative work. I argue that teacher pay is not, and will never be, a winning issue for Republicans, even if their intentions are sincere and efforts are objectively praiseworthy.Unions and public school interest groups, which are traditionally aligned with the Democratic Party, will "move the goalposts" whenever Republicans make meaningful advancements in teacher pay. If Republican legislative leadership spearheads an effort to reach an average pay level, their political opponents simply label them failures for not attaining a higher one.And their opponents always aspire to reach a higher salary level, regardless of how arbitrary and detached from indicators of performance it is, and they trust that the mainstream media will disseminate corresponding stories, opinion pieces , " fact checks ," polling , and documentaries to rally a largely sympathetic public to their cause.So, the $50,000 question is why Republicans insist on pouring hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to raise the average when the figure largely reflects the experience of the workforce and their efforts are widely dismissed and, thus, the political and electoral returns from doing so are questionable, at best.Yes, voters care about teacher pay and welcome efforts to raise it. That is why Republicans should instead focus on making strategic, performance-based investments in our teacher workforce with the goal of retaining our very best teachers and improving the overall quality of teaching in North Carolina.
MUNICH, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday that his country wants pragmatic and mutually respectful relations with the United States, calling for a "post-West" order at the ongoing Munich Security Conference (MSC).

His remarks came hours after the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told MSC that his country will "continue to hold Russia accountable" for the Ukrainian issue, even as the U.S. President Donald Trump is searching for new common ground with Moscow.

Lavrov said that Russia is not looking for conflicts with anyone but will protect its interests. He said Russia wants the Russian-U.S. relations to be based on "pragmatism, mutual respect and an understanding of special responsibility for global security."

The Russian top diplomat called for a "post-West order," saying "post Western values" include post-democracy, justice, tolerance, liberty, civil rights, human rights, freedom, open society and peace.

He said that predictability and well-wishing towards the country's neighbors has always been a goal of Russian policy.

Lavrov insisted that the expansion of NATO, a cold-war institution, has led to an unprecedented level of tension over the last decades in Europe.

"Judging by some statements at the Munich Security Conference, the Cold War has not ended yet," the minister said.

Responding to a question on alleged election interference in the U.S. and France, Sergey Lavrov said: "give us some facts."
BONN, Feb. 17, 2017 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Bonn, Germany, Feb. 17.

Hi, here's what you need to know about China.

BONN -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his U.S. counterpart Rex Tillerson agreed here Friday that the two countries should work together for greater development of bilateral relations during the term of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Wang and Tillerson met on the sidelines of the foreign ministers meeting of the Group of Twenty to exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of mutual concerns. The meeting is the first of its kind since Tillerson assumed office.

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BEIJING -- China plans to launch Shijian-13, its first high-throughput communications satellite, in April, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) said Friday.

The 4.6-tonne satellite, with a message capacity of more than 20 GB, will be carried into orbit by a Long March-3B carrier rocket, according to the CAST.

An increase in satellite throughput will provide better access to the Internet on planes and high-speed trains, said Wang Min, deputy head of the CAST's Institute of Telecommunication Satellite.

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BEIJING -- China and India will hold a new round of strategic dialogue in Beijing next week, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui and Indian Foreign Secretary Subramanyam Jaishankar will co-chair the dialogue next Wednesday, spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing.

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BEIJING -- Mongolian Foreign Minister Tsend Munkh-Orgil is to pay an official visit to China from Feb. 19 to 21, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday that Munkh-Orgil would hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on cementing mutual trust, deepening cooperation and expanding people-to-people exchanges.

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HOHHOT -- More than 100 plant seeds dating back 2,000 years have been unearthed from an ancient tomb in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, archaeologists said.

According to the regional institute of archaeology, the discovery was made during the excavation of a civilian tomb, dating between the middle and late Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 25 A.D.) and early Eastern Han Dynasty (25 A.D. - 220 A.D.), in Dengkou County, western Inner Mongolia.
by Christine Lagat

MAKUENI, Kenya, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Joyce Matheka's one acre farm located in Makueni County in lower-eastern Kenya was a spectacle to behold on Friday thanks to a lush green foliage that announced a bumper harvest in the near future.

The middle-aged mother of eight defied cynical voices to experiment with a new and improved maize variety that has not only withstood climatic stresses in her locality but also promise higher yields.

Like millions of smallholder farmers in lower eastern parts of Kenya, Matheka has for many years endured the agony of total crop failure occasioned by recurrent droughts.

Her passion for farming never diminished in spite of many false starts linked to climatic vagaries, inability to access quality seeds and limited grasp of proper agronomic practices.

As an early adopter of improved maize varieties developed by international and local research bodies, Matheka was convinced they would herald an end to food insecurity and financial stress that stalked her household for many years.

"The indigenous maize variety that I always planted in this farm could not withstand harsh weather and worsened hunger in my family," Matheka told Xinhua during a field visit at her farm.

"When I started planting the improved varieties after prodding by county agriculture extension officers, the yields improved irrespective of the weather condition," she added.

Matheka is a native of a semi arid county that has historically been associated with famines and abject poverty.

Nevertheless, local and international scientists have devoted immense resources to research on drought resilient crop varieties that could end chronic food insecurity in Makueni and other dry counties.

Matheka's one acre farm is the embodiment of the transformation that improved maize varieties can unleash at the smallholder level where climatic stresses are felt most.

She revealed that she is guaranteed of harvesting six bags of maize in the one acre farm after planting the improved seeds as compared to indigenous ones which only produce less than one bag.

"Since adopting the new and improved seed varieties that are readily available, it has been possible to harvest enough maize to feed my family and sell the surplus to local millers," Matheka told Xinhua.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and Kenya Agriculture Research and Livestock Organization (KARLO) are behind introduction of new and drought resilient maize varieties in lower eastern Kenyan counties.

Dr Stephen Mugo, the Principal Scientist at CIMMYT said that introduction of improved and drought resilient maize varieties are an imperative in order to cushion Kenyan smallholders from hunger and malnutrition.

"Climate change is here with us hence the need to shift from farming practices that cannot withstand this phenomenon. We require improved seeds that can survive in low moisture environment and produce higher yields at the same time," said Mugo.

The East African nation is among 13 African countries that have been selected for the rollout of an improved seeds project spearheaded by CIMMY to enhance yield in the light of climatic shocks, lethal pests and diseases.

Mugo said that international research bodies have intensified breeding of new maize varieties suited for harsh agro-ecologies in Africa.

"Development of stress tolerant varieties is an ongoing process. Research organizations have partnered with seed companies to make sure that farmers have access to improved varieties," Mugo remarked.

As drought wreak havoc in 23 arid and semi arid Kenyan counties, a growing number of smallholder farmers in Makueni County have been spared the agony thanks to adoption of improved seeds.

Joseph Muli, a 39 year old father of six proved skeptics wrong when he planted the new and drought tolerant maize variety in his half an acre farm.

His farm is currently glowing in lush green foliage of the flowering maize and pigeon peas. Muli planted the drought resilient maize variety in November last year and is assured of a bumper harvest before April.

His surgical application of knowledge acquired from extension workers has transformed a modestly sized farm that is currently synonymous with bumper harvest of key staples.

"Am proud to host delegations of farmers who often troop here to learn how adoption of improved seed varieties is not an option in dry regions," said Muli.

He revealed it has been possible to feed and educate his young offspring without hassles thanks to adoption of maize varieties that have been improved to resist climatic stresses.
MOMBASA, Kenya, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan anti-terrorism police on Saturday morning arrested two IS suspects in the coastal city of Mombasa during a major operation to nab youth who had joined foreign radical groups.

Police sources said the male and female suspected IS fighters aged 20 and 26 years respectively had earlier been deported by Turkish authorities when they sneaked into the country after training in Syria.

Mombasa County Commander, Peter Maelo said the two IS suspects are being interrogated to shed light on the activities of the terror network in Kenya.

He revealed the suspects have been on intelligence radar since November when Turkish authorities informed Kenyan security personnel about their connection to IS.

Maelo told reporters that police and intelligence officers have intensified surveillance in Mombasa and other coastal towns to prevent terrorist attack

"Although terrorist attacks have reduced drastically, we are on high alert and have made a fresh appeal to members of the public to report suspicious elements in their midst," said Maelo.

Kenyan authorities have warned on several occasions that IS has been on recruitment frenzy in the East African Nation.

The terrorist group has been targeting youth in colleges for recruitment and indoctrination.

Two medical interns were last year arrested in the coastal town of Malindi after intelligence agencies unearthed their links to IS.
File photo shows Kenyan security officers inspecting the scene where a hand grenade was found at church compound in Mombasa in 2014. (Xinhua/Mbuyu Cazeiya)

MOMBASA, Kenya, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan anti-terrorism police on Saturday morning arrested two IS suspects in the coastal city of Mombasa during a major operation to nab youth who had joined foreign radical groups.

Police sources said the male and female suspected IS fighters aged 20 and 26 years respectively had earlier been deported by Turkish authorities when they sneaked into the country after training in Syria.

Mombasa County Commander, Peter Maelo said the two IS suspects are being interrogated to shed light on the activities of the terror network in Kenya.

He revealed the suspects have been on intelligence radar since November when Turkish authorities informed Kenyan security personnel about their connection to IS.

Maelo told reporters that police and intelligence officers have intensified surveillance in Mombasa and other coastal towns to prevent terrorist attack

"Although terrorist attacks have reduced drastically, we are on high alert and have made a fresh appeal to members of the public to report suspicious elements in their midst," said Maelo.

Kenyan authorities have warned on several occasions that IS has been on recruitment frenzy in the East African Nation.

The terrorist group has been targeting youth in colleges for recruitment and indoctrination.

Two medical interns were last year arrested in the coastal town of Malindi after intelligence agencies unearthed their links to IS.
BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China will suspend coal imports from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for the rest of 2017, the Ministry of Commerce said Saturday.

The ministry said in a statement on its website that the suspension, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2321, will be effective from Feb. 19 to Dec. 31 this year.

The UN Security Council adopted the resolution on Nov. 30 that tightened sanctions on the DPRK in response to its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9 last year.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with his South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany on Feb. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

MUNICH, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday voiced its opposition to the U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), a high-end U.S. missile defense system, in the Republic of Korea (ROK), urging respect from the ROK.

The move came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his ROK counterpart Yun Byung-se on the sidelines of the ongoing Munich Security Conference.

Wang stressed that the security of a nation should not be achieved at the expense of others' security, urging both countries to "remove obstacles" to ensure the healthy development of their bilateral relations.

Regarding the Korean Peninsula issue, Wang said although the situation on the peninsula is getting complicated and severe, efforts to seek peace should not be abandoned.

All related sides, while strictly carrying out the UN resolutions, should also actively explore the resumption of negotiation, he said. "We should end the negative self-reinforcing cycle of the nuclear issue on the peninsula."
BAGHDAD, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The UN aid agencies on Saturday warned that tens of thousands of civilians in Iraq's Mosul are at "extreme risk" with battles to drive out the Islamic State (IS) militants from the western side of the city could break out soon.

"Recent surveys with key informants confirm that food and fuel supplies are dwindling, markets and shops have closed, running water is scarce and electricity in many neighborhoods is either intermittent or cut off," the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement posted on its website.

"The situation is distressing. People, right now, are in trouble. We are hearing reports of parents struggling to feed their children and to heat their homes," said the statement by OCHA's humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, Lise Grande. "The battle hasn't started but already there is a humanitarian crisis."

The statement said that few commercial supplies have reached to the besieged part of the city during the past three months after the main road to Syria was cut-off, threatening the lives of between 750,000 and 800,000 civilians living in Mosul's western bank of the Tigris River.

"Informants report that nearly half of all food shops have closed. Bakeries throughout the area have run out of fuel and many can no longer afford to purchase costly flour. Prices of kerosene and cooking gas have skyrocketed and many of the most destitute families are burning wood, furniture, plastic or garbage for cooking and heating," Grande said.

"Children and their families are starting to face critical shortages of safe drinking water," the statement quoted Peter Hawkins, UN Children's Fund representative in Iraq as saying. "Three out of five people now depend on untreated water from wells for cooking and drinking as water systems and treatment plants have been damaged by fighting or run out of chlorine."

Sally Haydock, Representative of the World Food Program in Iraq, said that "food prices in western Mosul are almost double than in eastern Mosul," according to the statement.

"We are extremely concerned that many families do not have enough to eat in western Mosul," he said.

The humanitarian aid agencies are rushing to construct emergency sites in south of Mosul and "stocks of life-saving supplies are being pre-positioned for the 250,000-400,000 civilians who may flee," the statement said.

"We don't know what will happen during the military campaign but we have to be ready for all scenarios. Tens of thousands of people may flee or be forced to leave the city. Hundreds of thousands of civilians might be trapped, maybe for weeks, maybe for months," Grande said.

Iraqi security forces are preparing for the next phase of a major offensive to free Mosul from their last major stronghold in Iraq. During the past few months the troops managed to free the eastern bank of Tigris River which bisects the city after fierce clashes with IS militants.

The Iraqi security forces took their positions in the eastern side of the city and on the northern and southern edges of the city, while the Hashd Shaabi units advanced to surround the town of Tal Afar, and seized the vast areas in west of Mosul, cutting off the IS supply route between Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa, the capital of IS' self-declared caliphate.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under the IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
A displaced Iraqi boy, who fled the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul, sits in a wheelbarrow at Khazer camp, Iraq February 15, 2017. (REUTERS Photo)

BAGHDAD, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The UN aid agencies on Saturday warned that tens of thousands of civilians in Iraq's Mosul are at "extreme risk" with battles to drive out the Islamic State (IS) militants from the western side of the city could break out soon.

"Recent surveys with key informants confirm that food and fuel supplies are dwindling, markets and shops have closed, running water is scarce and electricity in many neighborhoods is either intermittent or cut off," the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement posted on its website.

"The situation is distressing. People, right now, are in trouble. We are hearing reports of parents struggling to feed their children and to heat their homes," said the statement by OCHA's humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, Lise Grande. "The battle hasn't started but already there is a humanitarian crisis."

The statement said that few commercial supplies have reached to the besieged part of the city during the past three months after the main road to Syria was cut-off, threatening the lives of between 750,000 and 800,000 civilians living in Mosul's western bank of the Tigris River.

"Informants report that nearly half of all food shops have closed. Bakeries throughout the area have run out of fuel and many can no longer afford to purchase costly flour. Prices of kerosene and cooking gas have skyrocketed and many of the most destitute families are burning wood, furniture, plastic or garbage for cooking and heating," Grande said.

"Children and their families are starting to face critical shortages of safe drinking water," the statement quoted Peter Hawkins, UN Children's Fund representative in Iraq as saying. "Three out of five people now depend on untreated water from wells for cooking and drinking as water systems and treatment plants have been damaged by fighting or run out of chlorine."

Sally Haydock, Representative of the World Food Program in Iraq, said that "food prices in western Mosul are almost double than in eastern Mosul," according to the statement.

"We are extremely concerned that many families do not have enough to eat in western Mosul," he said.

The humanitarian aid agencies are rushing to construct emergency sites in south of Mosul and "stocks of life-saving supplies are being pre-positioned for the 250,000-400,000 civilians who may flee," the statement said.

"We don't know what will happen during the military campaign but we have to be ready for all scenarios. Tens of thousands of people may flee or be forced to leave the city. Hundreds of thousands of civilians might be trapped, maybe for weeks, maybe for months," Grande said.

Iraqi security forces are preparing for the next phase of a major offensive to free Mosul from their last major stronghold in Iraq. During the past few months the troops managed to free the eastern bank of Tigris River which bisects the city after fierce clashes with IS militants.

The Iraqi security forces took their positions in the eastern side of the city and on the northern and southern edges of the city, while the Hashd Shaabi units advanced to surround the town of Tal Afar, and seized the vast areas in west of Mosul, cutting off the IS supply route between Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa, the capital of IS' self-declared caliphate.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under the IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
TIRANA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Albanian opposition parties launched on Saturday a massive protest in front of the Prime Minister's office.

Protesters said they are asking for a guarantee for a free and fair election on June 18.

The organizers and some protesters set up several tents, saying they will stay day and night for an indefinite time.

The Democratic Party (DP), which staged the protest, said it's time to put an end to "a public evil," which according to the Democrats, includes bad economic situation, the spread of narcotics cultivation, the increase of criminal offenses, corruption, poverty and other suppressive measures taken by the government.

DP leader Lulzim Basha highlighted during his speech addressed to protesters that the protest the most direct expression of the will of the people to give an end to the evil, to take the biggest decision for fair and free elections.

For some protesters, their demands are down-to-earth.

I am here to protest for better salaries, better health and education services, better public security, better jobs, better life and better future for my children, a protester told Xinhua.

Apart from the opposition supporters and ordinary citizens, there are also businessmen who responded to the DP's call to rise up their voice and join the protest.

Several road axes in the capital have been blocked while around 1,500 state police officers have been deployed to guarantee order and protect the important buildings.

As the general elections are only four months away, many see the protest as a test for the DP leader Basha.
Restoring item to agenda after public left meeting and apparent failure to provide notice of meetings could violate state laws governing openness



Brig. Gen. Bud Martin, at left, chairman of the N.C. Military Affairs Commission, asked a Carolina Journal reporter not to write about a presentation that was on the agenda at the Feb. 7 meeting of the commission. When the reporter refused, the presentation was removed from the agenda and then restored to it after the reporter and other members of the public left the room. (CJ photo by Dan Way)

Media law experts believe the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission violated the spirit - if not the letter - of state laws requiring the conduct of public meetings in a transparent manner.Raleigh-based media attorney Amanda Martin said of Commission Chairman Brig. Gen. Mabry "Bud" Martin's decision to pull a controversial item from the Feb. 7 meeting agenda for rescheduling to a later date because a Carolina Journal reporter and two members of the public showed up for the presentation.The item was placed back on the agenda and presented to the committee once outside members of the public left, raising concerns by public watchdogs. Questions also arose about whether the Military Affairs Commission is posting legally required notices of its public meetings. (See update below.*)Amanda Martin said.Jonathan Jones, director of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition, and an instructor at the Elon University School of Communications, would not characterize Bud Martin's action "absolutely a violation of the law," but saidBud Martin and Larry Hall, Gov. Roy Cooper's nominee as secretary of veterans and military affairs, expressed unease about media presence at the commission's Executive Steering Group meeting to hear a presentation urging the committee to make a series of recommendations to the General Assembly to address security concerns about placing large wind farms near military installations. The Amazon Wind Farm near Elizabeth City has fueled a debate over whether the wind turbines interfere with a nearby radar facility that is responsible for tracking ships and aircraft that may be transporting illegal drugs and other contraband to the United States.that the wind farm issue is of urgent public interest, said Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown, R-Onslow, a member of the Military Affairs Commission who was unable to attend Tuesday's meeting.Brown was among legislative leaders who signed a letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly raising concerns about the Amazon Wind Farm's potential negative effects on the radar installation's effectiveness.Because he was not at the meeting, Brown was reluctant to judge the actions of Bud Martin and Hall.However, Brown said,At Tuesday's meeting Bud Martin said he would allow the presentation to be made in open session if the Carolina Journal reporter agreed not to write about it. When the reporter refused, Martin pulled the item from the agenda, and said he would reschedule it at a future date that he did not specify.After the reporter and interested members of the public left, Martin returned the item to the agenda, and the presentation went forward.Jones said.A public body can set a meeting schedule whenever it wants, and can conduct any business that is under its authority at a regularly scheduled meeting, Amanda Martin said. There is no requirement for a public body to provide specific notice of the topics that will appear on the agenda.Martin said."That is what, I think, is at a minimum in violation of the spirit of the law," she said.The commission also did not post a public notice of the meeting, another violation of state public meeting laws. (*UPDATED, Monday, 12:15 p.m. A commission spokeswoman told CJ the meeting was not posted, attributing the failure in part to a change in administrations. She said the commission would be more attentive to notice requirements from now on.)Martin said.State law reads:A check of the calendar of public meeting notices on the Secretary of State's website showed no entry for the Feb. 7 Military Affairs Commission meeting. A spokeswoman in that section said it had been a year or more since the office had received a public notice from the commission.A check of the Military Affairs Commission website turned up no notice of the meeting, either.The last meeting notice on the commission's web site was for a Nov. 15, 2016, full commission meeting. There was another notice for an Aug. 16, 2016, full commission meeting. The only other meeting posted on the website was for the executive steering group on May 3, 2016.By not providing a legally required annual schedule of meetings, and not posting a meeting schedule on its own website, the commission is not complying with the law, Jones said.Any meetings that were conductedJones said.That means any action taken at an improperly called meeting could be overturned by a court,Jones said. It's also possible for both of those sanctions to be imposed.Jones said the public's right to know is under assault across the state. A much more common variation of what happened at the Military Affairs Commission occurs when a public body legally goes into closed session at the end of a meeting, and waits until the public leaves to reconvene publicly to discuss and vote on a matter, Jones said.Amanda Martin said she has received serious complaints in the past week about potential public meeting violations at other agencies.
BUJUMBURA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Over 90 percent of inmates detained in Burundian prisons and who benefited from the presidential pardon at the beginning of this year have already been released, a senior Burundian justice ministry official said Saturday.

"2,264 pardoned inmates have already been released and have joined their families. A list of the 2,500 beneficiaries of the presidential pardon has been forwarded to the Home Affairs Ministry so that the local administration authorities closely follow up the security situation of those pardoned inmates," Lea Pascasie Nzigamasabo, chairlady of the permanent commission in charge of monitoring detainees' cases said.

According to her, the newly created commission that she chairs will also closely follow up inmates' detention conditions so that their situation can improve.

On January 23, Burundian Justice Minister Aimee Laurentine Kanyana launched the operation to release 2,500 inmates, including political prisoners, following a presidential pardon announced by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza in his 2017 New Year message to the nation.

The launch of the operation took place at Mpimba prison in the East African country's capital Bujumbura where some 600 inmates enjoyed the presidential pardon.

Kanyana indicated that 58 people from the opposition Movement for Solidarity and Democracy have been pardoned, adding that the pardon also targets insurgents who participated in the protests against the candidature of Nkurunziza in April 2015.

The presidential pardon targets inmates whose jail sentences were less than five years or who had already spent three fourths of their jail terms or have behaved well behind bars.
KATHMANDU, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Nepal on Saturday marked 67th National Democracy Day by organizing various programs across the country.

A special function was organized at the Army Pavilion ground in Tudikhel in the capital to commemorate the advent of democracy in the country.

The day is celebrated annually in Nepal on Nepali date Falgun 7.

Addressing the function, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that after more than six decades of advent of democracy, Nepal has drafted the most progressive constitution which has institutionalized all the major achievements.

Expressing his tributes to the fighters who had sacrificed their lives for democracy, the prime minister appealed to all the people in the country for contribution to the national unity and prosperity.

The Nepali president, vice president, high-ranking officials and diplomats also attended the ceremony.

On the occasion, the Nepal Army held a special parade while Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, various clubs and institutions performed skills and cultural processions.
by Eric J. Lyman

ROME, Feb.18 (Xinhua) -- Although Italy's geopolitical role, combined with an expertise in confronting extremist groups, has so kept it safe from terror attacks, the country would never be immune from the threat of an attack, a leading international security expert told Xinhua.

Italy remains the only major country in Western Europe to avoid a major terror attack since 2000. But while there are solid reasons why Italy has avoided an attack up until now, Sabrina Magris, an anti-terrorism expert and president of the International University School of Rome and Florence, the only European institution that prepares negotiators for hostage and terror threats, said it may just be a matter of time.

"Reducing risks to zero is impossible," Magris said in an exclusive interview. "There is no reason to be complacent."

Magris noted that recent terror attacks in Paris and Nice of France, Brussels of Belgium, and in Berlin of Germany are examples of the type of attacks that could also hit Italy.

"With so many travelers in Italy, there are plenty of big, international crowds that could be victims of an attack," Magris said.

She said Italy's role as a "useful transit" point for the movement of people between Africa and the Middle East to Europe is a factor that helps keep the country safe, noting that the attackers in Paris and Nice both came through Italy.

The country's long-standing political and economic ties with those parts of the world are also relevant factors, she added.

Moreover, law enforcement's experience in confronting the Red Brigade extremists in the 1970s and 1980s, and the Mafia and other organized crime groups in southern Italy going back generations have helped hone skills useful in confronting international terror groups like al-Qaida and ISIS.

That experience is also at play as Italy has beefed up security and surveillance at popular tourist spots and monuments.

The fact that Italy never had an extensive colonial empire has also kept Italy at arm's length from many of the world's problem spots.

Magris said the willingness of Italians to give up some personal privacy in return for better security is also a factor.

"None of these things by itself is a reason by itself, but combined they have so far been enough to keep Italians safe," she said. "But as we have seen there is still no way to prevent an attack from a group intent on causing damage and making people fearful, or of a lone wolf attacker working alone."
KHARTOUM, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Foreign Ministry on Saturday welcomed a statement by the Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States) in which expressed support for peace efforts in Sudan.

The Troika on Friday issued a joint statement expressing its continued support for the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) peace process, noting that it was encouraged by the Government of Sudan's decision to accept the United States' proposal to support humanitarian assistance to South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

"The ministry would like to express its welcome of the joint statement by the Troika States Friday regarding the peace efforts in Sudan," said Sudan's Foreign Ministry in a statement Saturday.

The ministry reiterated Sudan's commitment to continuing its great efforts to press ahead on the path of peace as its strategic option.

It further expressed appreciation of the Troika's continued efforts and support for the roadmap which tends to reaching sustainable security and peace in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur regions.

The ministry reiterated Sudan's full commitment to its declared cease-fire, calling on the opposition and armed movements to urgently and seriously respond to the calls of dialogue and peace to consolidate security, stability, national consensus and comprehensive development.

The Sudanese government has been fighting the rebel of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector at South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011, while it has been fighting the armed rebel groups in Darfur region since 2003.
BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's environment minister has urged strict monitoring and crack-down on automobiles with excessive exhaust emissions to improve air quality.

Emissions from mobile sources, such as heavy diesel trucks and old cars, make up a large part of air pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, said Chen Jining, minister of environmental protection, while inspecting an auto emission management center in Beijing Friday.

The Chinese capital is working to build a city-level environmental monitoring system over automobiles to comprehensively control emissions from mobile sources.

Chen called for accelerating the establishment of a national regulation platform for automobile emissions with a technical support system, as well as a network that monitors high-emission vehicles all the time and from all angles.

He said drivers or owners of vehicles with excessive exhaust emissions should be severely punished in accordance with the law and relevant punishment details will be made public.

Automobile emissions contribute 31.1 percent of Beijing's average PM2.5 density. With a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, the particulate matter has been a primary factor behind hazardous smog.
RIYADH, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Saudi resident was injured in a projectile attack from Yemen on the border city of Najran on Saturday, local news channel Al Akhbariya reported.

The news report didn't tell the severity of the resident's injury.

Figures show dozens of civilians have lost lives in such attacks since 2015 when a Saudi-led war broke out in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Najran authorities warned the public against mines that could drift from Yemen because of the floods caused by recent heavy rains, Ajel online local news reported.

The warning came after Saudi border guards foiled an attempt by Houthi rebels to plant 300 mines in the flooding streams throughout the border between the two countries, Ajel said.
A portrait of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin is seen in a flea market in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 25, 2016. (Xinhua/SIPA Photo)

MOSCOW, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Russia will pay off all the USSR foreign debts by the end of this year, with the last tranche to be paid to Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the Russian Finance Ministry on Friday.

"The agreement is technically ready for a long time, the two countries have already initialed it. The document needs to be only signed ... There are no difficulties in the payment, the issue will be closed by the summer," reported the Russian newspaper Izvestia citing the Finance Ministry.

Last week, the ministry announced the settlement of the 60.6 million U.S. dollars' Soviet debt to Macedonia, and said the only outstanding debt left from the Soviet era was to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both countries were established after the breakup of Yugoslavia and received the right to reclaim part of the debt of the USSR, the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The ministry press-service confirmed that the payment will be made from part of the 2017 budget, which is aimed to settle the debt with the sum of 512.3 billion rubles (8.9 billion U.S. dollars).
ARUSHA, Tanzania, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania is next week expected to host the annual Regional Nile Day celebrations as a commemoration of the establishment of the 18-year-old Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), organizers said Saturday.

Sylvester Matemu, Assistant Director of water resources (Transboundary) in the Tanzania's Ministry of Water and Irrigation said that the day marked a major milestone in the history of Nile Cooperation.

NBI is an intergovernmental partnership of ten Nile Basin countries, namely Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Sudan.

"This is an important opportunity for NBI to enhance awareness and understanding among participants and Nile Basin citizens about the inter-relatedness as well as the importance of sustainable basin-wide Nile cooperation in ensuring energy, food and water security in the region," the official said in a statement.

He revealed that the historic event will be held in Tanzania's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

"This is in addition to exposing participants to the rich and varied cultures, which exist within the Nile Basin," Matemu said, adding that the day will involve a number of activities such as public speeches and a brass band procession.

The event is expected to attract various NBI stakeholders including ministers in charge of water affairs in each member State, government officials, members of parliament, researchers and academia.

"Celebrated at both regional and national level since 2007, Nile Day provides an opportunity for Nile Basin citizens to come together to exchange on topical issues concerning how to best take care of and use the shared Nile Basin water and related resources for the benefit of current and future generations," Innocent Ntabana, NBI executive director said.

He said that the day also serves as an opportunity to enhance awareness about the benefits of basin-wide Nile cooperation, the challenges as well as consequences of non-cooperation while searching ways and means to further the cooperation.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (1st L) meets with his Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland (1st R) on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

MUNICH, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China and Canada saw eye-on-eye about global trade liberalization as foreign ministers of the two nations met on Saturday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference, which opened on Friday afternoon.

Wang reminded the successful exchange of visits in a short time period between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last year, during which both sides had reached important consensus on deepening bilateral cooperation.

The China-Canada relations, Wang said, maintain a momentum of sound development, with both sides showing mutual respect and understanding on issues related with each other's core interests.

Wang said China is ready to work with Canada to expand cooperation in all fields and elevate the China-Canada strategic partnership to a new level.

China and Canada, Wang said, can jointly push forward the process of trade liberalization and advance globalization in the direction of more inclusiveness and shared benefits.

Freeland responded by saying that on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win outcome, Canada is willing to continue deepening economic and trade cooperation with China.

Canada would also step up the feasibility study over a Free Trade Agreement with China, and thereby set a new benchmark in bilateral ties, as well as send a positive message of jointly safeguarding global trade liberalization to the international community, Freeland said.

Canada, she said, attaches importance to China's role in the international affairs and is willing to push forward multilateralism together with China.
This file photo taken on March 31, 2016 shows the Roman Theatre in the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria. (AFP PHOTO)

DAMASCUS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian forces have become 24 kilometers from the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria, as part of an operation to retake the city that was captured for the second time by the Islamic State (IS) group last December, a monitor group reported on Saturday.

Intense battles are raging between the Syrian army and IS militants in the deserts of Palmyra in the eastern countryside of the central province of Homs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based monitor group said the battles, backed by intense airstrikes on the IS positions, a fresh advance of the Syrian army and allied fighters in the deserts of the ancient oasis city.

It said the Syrian army had captured large swathes of the Bayarat area near Palmyra, adding that large casualties were reported for both sides.

The IS recaptured Palmyra last December after bringing in reinforcements. It also retook the gas and oil fields around.

The Syrian forces have so far succeeded in capturing the key Hayan gas field, the largest gas production facility in Syria. They are advancing toward the Jazel oil field, reaching the outskirts of it.

In its second attempt to invade the city, the IS blew up the facade of the historical amphitheater as well as other relics and monuments in Palmyra, in addition to other key temples destroyed in their first invasion.

Syrian Culture Minister Muhammad Ahmad recently said the bombing of the historical heritage in the ancient oasis city of Palmyra by the IS group is a "war crime."

"These monuments are not only the property of Syria, but the whole world," Ahmad said, urging the international community to shoulder its responsibility in protecting Syria's world heritages.
"We're allowing family members to come here, not be loaded up with fees and requirements, get to work ... and go through a one-year process to get licensed."

RALEIGH - Military members who have earned an occupational license from another state shouldn't have to wait around as North Carolina bureaucrats decide about granting a license here, some legislators say. Senate Bill 8 would solve that problem.The legislation, approved unanimously Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, would allow qualified military members moving from another state to practice a trade under a temporary, one-year license while working to meet application requirements for North Carolina licensure.Provisions in the bill also ease licensure rules for military spouses who are licensed in another state and move to North Carolina.Military members and their spouses, the bill says, must be practicing the profession in which they are applying for a license and prove they are up-to-date on continuing education or other certification requirements.Boards such as the North Carolina Real Estate Commission say they're worried the legislation will allow unqualified applicants to slip into the system.That isn't a concern, Sen. Andy Wells, R-Alexander , told the committee.Licensing boards report directly to the legislature, he said, which allows agencies flexibility to enact and enforce their rules.Wells said,Lawmakers just want to cut away some red tape for veterans and their families, he said.S.B. 8 will go to the Senate Finance Committee for further consideration.
A tank from the Ukrainian Forces is stationed outside a building in the flashpoint eastern town of Avdiivka that sits just north of insurgent-controlled Donetsk on Febraury 2, 2017.(AFP Photo)

MOSCOW, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Residents in eastern Ukraine with valid identification documents are allowed to enter Russia without visa starting Saturday, the Kremlin announced.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed an executive order on temporarily recognizing identification documents issued by eastern Ukrainian authorities to permanent residents, according to a Kremlin statement.

As a result, Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons permanently living in certain parts of eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Lugansk regions can enter the Russian Federation without applying for visas, it read.

Putin's order was "guided by universally recognized principles and standards of the international humanitarian law and in order to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals."

The decree will stay in force until the Minsk deal on Ukrainian settlement has been implemented.

The Kremlin said the government will "take necessary measures" to enforce the executive order, which came as conflicts between Kiev and independence-seeking insurgents in eastern Ukraine have flared up in recent weeks.

Putin's decree is a "violation of international law," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was quoted by RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

But the order was well received in self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in Beijing, capital of China, April 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

MUNICH, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday voiced its opposition to the U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), a high-end U.S. missile defense system, in the Republic of Korea (ROK), urging respect from the ROK.

The move came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his ROK counterpart Yun Byung-se on the sidelines of the ongoing Munich Security Conference.

Wang stressed that the security of a nation should not be achieved at the expense of others' security, urging both countries to "remove obstacles" to ensure the healthy development of their bilateral relations.

Regarding the Korean Peninsula issue, Wang said although the situation on the peninsula is getting complicated and severe, efforts to seek peace should not be abandoned.

All related sides, while strictly carrying out the UN resolutions, should also actively explore the resumption of negotiation, he said. "We should end the negative self-reinforcing cycle of the nuclear issue on the peninsula."
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany on Feb. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China and Afghanistan vowed to deepen cooperation on Saturday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Both Wang and Ghani valued the development of the relations between the two Asian neighbors, saying bilateral ties have a solid foundation and grow in right direction.

China, Wang said, appreciated the firm attitude adopted by the Afghan government in its fight against the extreme terrorist group of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

China supported Afghanistan's reconciliation process and was willing to deepen cooperation with Afghanistan, Wang said.

Ghani thanked China for supporting Afghanistan's reconstruction and for helping Afghanistan facilitate the reconciliation process.

Ghani stressed that the Afghan government firmly opposes terrorism and will fight the ETIM terrorist force resolutely.

The Afghan President also expressed his willingness to deepen cooperation with China in the areas like connectivity under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends his annual press conference in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

MUNICH, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday that his country wants pragmatic and mutually respectful relations with the United States, calling for a "post-West" order at the ongoing Munich Security Conference (MSC).

His remarks came hours after the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told MSC that his country will "continue to hold Russia accountable" for the Ukrainian issue, even as the U.S. President Donald Trump is searching for new common ground with Moscow.

Lavrov said that Russia is not looking for conflicts with anyone but will protect its interests. He said Russia wants the Russian-U.S. relations to be based on "pragmatism, mutual respect and an understanding of special responsibility for global security."

The Russian top diplomat called for a "post-West order," saying "post Western values" include post-democracy, justice, tolerance, liberty, civil rights, human rights, freedom, open society and peace.

He said that predictability and well-wishing towards the country's neighbors has always been a goal of Russian policy.

Lavrov insisted that the expansion of NATO, a cold-war institution, has led to an unprecedented level of tension over the last decades in Europe.

"Judging by some statements at the Munich Security Conference, the Cold War has not ended yet," the minister said.

Responding to a question on alleged election interference in the U.S. and France, Sergey Lavrov said: "give us some facts."
NAIROBI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United States clarified on Saturday that it has not signed any agreement with Kenya toward the purchase of 418 million-U.S. dollar weapons to be used in bolstering the war against Al-Shabaab.

U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec said engagements between Washington and Nairobi on the weapons deal are still being discussed, citing America's commitment to supporting the fight against terrorism.

"To be clear, contrary to some allegations in the media, the government of Kenya has not signed any agreement to purchase aircraft from the U.S. and the process underway is transparent, open, and proper," Godec said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

"This potential military sale would be carried out wholly in keeping with appropriate laws and regulations," he added.

The envoy said the public discussion around the potential purchase of AT802-L "Air Tractor" aircraft underscores the transparency and accountability of the U.S. government's "Foreign Military Sales" program.

"If concluded, the Kenyan government would purchase not just aircraft, but training, spare parts, ammunition, and weapons systems," said Godec.

The U.S. envoy's statement comes after a U.S. congressman tabled a motion in the congress on Tuesday seeking to halt Kenya's spending of 418 million dollars on weapons purchase from a US contractor.

"My office has received credible allegations of faulty contracting practices, fraud and unfair treatment surrounding this sale," Republican Congressman Ted Budd said on Tuesday.

Budd said IOMAX, a company based in the congressman's own district, can deliver to Kenya a more appropriate and proven type of aircraft for 283 million dollars less than L-3's price.

In urging his colleagues to block and investigate the deal, the North Carolina Republican said a company in his home state would sell Kenya planes better suited for their envisioned purpose at less than half the quoted price.

Congressman Budd is charging that the contract was awarded without competitive bidding to L-3 Communications, which, he said, "has no experience or track record producing this kind of aircraft."

Kenya plans to purchase 12 converted agricultural aircraft that are intended to bolster the Kenya Defence Forces' campaign against Al-Shabaab.

The U.S. military sales process requires notification of the U.S. Congress and allows oversight committees and commercial competitors the opportunity to review the entire package before it is offered to a potential buyer.

Godec said this gives the Ministry of Defence the opportunity to 'review the offer line by line and make a final determination on the Air Tractor aircraft package'.

He said the Foreign Military Sales program is one way the U.S. Government works closely with the Kenyan Government to assist the military.

"As one measure of our support, the U.S. has provided over 150 million dollars in equipment and assistance to the Kenyan military in the past year alone," Godec said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany on Feb. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China has been consistently supporting the European integration and is willing to work with the European side for the world's peace and development, top Chinese diplomat said Saturday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks in meeting with his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference.

Wang began the talk by expressing his appreciation over Ayrault's support to the one-China principle, saying the Sino-French ties have maintained a good momentum of development.

Wang said the upcoming official visit of French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to China, the first high-level exchange between the two sides this year, testifies to close relations between the two nations.

Cazeneuve's visit, Wang said, will help send a positive signal to the international community about enhanced strategic communication and coordination between the two countries, and between China and Europe, against the backdrop of the current international situation.

For his part, Ayrault said maintaining high-level visits between the two sides and strengthening the strategic dialogue have practical significance.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council, France and China should jointly safeguard multilateralism, Ayrault said.

Ayrault also hailed positive results achieved during the G20 Hangzhou Summit last year and expected both sides to enhance cooperation within the framework of the G20.

The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on issues of common concerns, such as the situation in Europe.
Displaced Iraqi people who fled the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul gather at Khazer camp, Iraq, February 6, 2017. (REUTERS Photo)

MOSUL, Iraq, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of militants of Islamic State (IS) group were killed on Saturday in artillery shelling and airstrikes by U.S.-led coalition on IS positions in the western side of the city of Mosul, while paramilitary units of Hashd Shaabi repelled IS attack in west of the city, a security source and a statement said.

The international artillery and aircraft bombarded IS positions and headquarters in Shifaa neighborhood and the city's health department in the western bank of Tigris River, which bisects Mosul, leaving at least 24 IS militants killed and wounding dozens others, Mohammed Ibrahim al-Baiyati, head of provincial security committee told Xinhua.

The bombings on the IS-held western Mosul destroyed all the positions of the extremist militants and their headquarters, Baiyati said.

Also in the day, the Hashd Shaabi units backed by army helicopter gunships repelled an attack by dozens of IS militants at a village near the IS-held town of Tal Afar, some 70 km west of Mosul, the statement by the paramilitary units said.

The IS militants, apparently, were trying to break the siege of Hashd Shaabi units in west of Mosul, which cut off the supply routes between Mosul and neighboring Syria, the statement said.

The clashes resulted in the killing of 20 IS militants and the destruction of three armored vehicles and a bulldozer, according to the statement.

The attack in west of Mosul came five days after another failed attack by IS militants who used tanks for the first time in the battles with the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units in west of Mosul

Mosul, 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
The Tribute in Light above the New York skyline and One World Trade Center(L) is seen from Jersy City, New Jersey, the United States of America, Sept. 11, 2015. It was the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on Friday. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Omar Abdel-Rahman, an Egyptian-born radical cleric serving a life sentence for plotting the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center and other terror attacks in New York, died at age 78 in a U.S. prison Saturday morning, said the authorities.

Abdel-Rahman died from natural causes in the federal correctional complex in Butner, North Carolina, said Greg Norton, the prison's spokesman.

He had battled diabetes and coronary heart disease for years, Norton was quoted by local media reports.

He was regarded as one of the most influential and fearsome theologians of the Islamist fundamentalism that swept the Middle East in recent decades.

Known as "the Blind Sheikh," Abdel-Rahman lost his eyesight when he was 10 months old. By the time he was 11 years old, he had memorized the Braille version of the Qur'an and was sent to an Islamic boarding school.

He went on to study at Cairo University's School of Theology and later earned a doctorate in from Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Abdel-Rahman went on to become one of the country's most prominent and outspoken Muslim clerics to denounce Egypt's secularism.

In the mid-1980s, Abdel-Rahman made his way to Afghanistan, where he built a strong rapport with former Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The cleric came to the United States in 1990 and began teaching in a New Jersey mosque.

The February 1993 attack, in which a bomb exploded in a parking garage under 2 World Trade Center, killed six and injured more than 1000 people. Some suspects were found to have frequented the New Jersey mosque where he preached.

He was indicted in August 1993 for involvement in a broader terrorist plot that included the World Trade Center bombing and other attempted attacks in New York.

In October 1995, he was found guilty of guiding a conspiracy to wage "a war of urban terrorism" and sentenced to life in prison.

Bin Laden once credited Abdel-Rahman as the inspiration and justification for the September 11, 2001 attacks which destroyed the Manhattan landmark, said a Fox News report.
ANKARA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Saturday that no member of Turkish Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) is a spy and their duty is not to spy on people, local media reported.

"Searching the houses of these people who are doing religious services which is also for the benefit of German society and taking steps against them by calling them 'criminals' will make Germany ashamed in the end," Kurtulmus said at the Economic Research Foundation's conference in Istanbul.

"This will not contribute to the development of Turkish-German relations. This will not contribute to the elections in Germany either," Kurtulmus was quoted as saying by state-run Anadolu Agency.

On Wednesday, German police raided the apartments of four Turkish religious officials as part of an investigation by the German Federal Prosecutor's Office.

The religious officials, who are members of the DITIB association of mosques in Germany, were suspected of the involvement in intelligence-gathering activities against the alleged followers of the so-called Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), accused by Ankara of an attempted coup in July 2016.

The raids have the potential to deteriorate the already tense relations between Turkey and Germany caused by the crisis surrounding the EU-Turkey migration deal.
BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- At least 19 people were killed and 21 injured in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday when a bus heading to neighboring Chile overturned in central Argentina's Mendoza province.

The bus, belonging to Chilean company Turbus, crashed on national highway 7, as it was going round a curve at high speed, according to a survivor.

"It was going very fast, the driver had no experience and he didn't know the route," passenger Leandro Torres said, according to the national news agency Telam.

Torres said he was riding in the middle of the bus, which was carrying 40 passengers, and had fallen asleep.

"I woke up when the bus was already airborne, and I felt the blow," Torres added.

In a statement, the bus company defended the driver and his assistant, which have been detained by authorities, saying "they rest well before each departure and know the route very well."

The passenger list included 32 Argentinians, four Chileans, a Haitian and a Colombian, as well as the drivers.

"We don't have enough information to determine the cause of this event, which ended up with the bus turning over," the company said.

The injured were taken to area hospitals.
Nearly two-thirds of voters say they're more likely to support candidates who back expansion of craft breweries in state

"Removing the production cap is not an issue about alcohol or beer - it is an issue about fairness and free-market principles. It is an issue overwhelming supported by Republicans, Democrats, and unaffiliated voters."

"Equal to the fairness issue is the issue of foreign owned versus home-grown microbreweries. Lawmakers who support the production cap are taking a pro-foreign big beer stand over local homegrown business owners."

North Carolinians have an insatiable taste for craft beers, and they have little tolerance for lawmakers who want to tamper with how they get their stouts and IPAs.A survey of North Carolina voters bears that out.Brewers around the state, some 180 of them, simply want what's fair.One goal of craftfreedom.org - a campaign by brewers to even the proverbial playing field with wholesalers - is, at least for now, eliminating a state law requiring brewers to procure a distributor once their beer output reaches 25,000 barrels.The survey of 800 likely voters, prepared for Craft Freedom by Strategic Partners Solutions and overseen by Republican political consultant Paul Shumaker, finds the more voters learn about the impact of the production cap on North Carolina breweries, support for the production cap nearly completely vanishes. (See summary of results here .)That goes for people who voted for President Trump or his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.says the survey,- two Republicans, three unaffiliated voters and eight Democrats from the 800 voters surveyed.Voters want the General Assembly to enact regulatory changes to help the microbrewery industry grow in North Carolina, the survey says.Brewers - like other business owners - want to keep control of their businesses. To watch them grow and thrive, without interference from lawmakers, regulators, or distributors who want to maintain their own brand of control.Distributors, though important in providing services for many producers, represent multiple brands and serve many masters, Ryan Self, director of sales for Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte, said at a December John Locke Foundation presentation. As a consequence, customer choice - the number of bars, taprooms, shelf space - becomes limited.the survey says.Last week, state Rep. Michael Speciale , R-Craven, filed a bill that would increase the amount of beer smaller craft breweries could brew and sell without having to contract with a wholesale distributor.House Bill 67 would increase the cap from 25,000 barrels per year to 100,000 barrels per year. A barrel of beer is 31 gallons.At least three North Carolina craft breweries - Red Oak in Whitsett, and Olde Meck and NoDa in Charlotte - are approaching the 25,000-barrel threshold. The brewers, Carolina Journal reported , want to continue control over their distribution and plan to halt growth if the law isn't changed.says an August 2015 report on the website of the Center for Public Integrity, one of the country's oldest and largest nonpartisan investigative news organizations.The powerful N.C. Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association will continue to push back. The wholesalers say the current arrangement works well, and removing the cap would provide a competitive advantage to a small group of North Carolina breweries to the disadvantage of everyone else, including other small breweries that appreciate the convenience of having a larger company handle direct sales and marketing.Though the fight undoubtedly will continue, the latest Craft Freedom survey speaks to the will of the voters - nearly two-thirds of whom (64.6 percent) said they would be more likely to support lawmakers or candidates who back policies that encourage the growth of North Carolina's microbrewery industry. Support crosses party lines, with 63.8 percent of Republicans, 64.1 percent of Democrats, and 67 percent of unaffiliateds standing with craft breweries.The responses offer compelling evidence to "lift the cap."Todd Ford of NoDa Brewing Co. in Charlotte says in an email.The survey was conducted Feb. 8 and 9 and has an accuracy of plus or minus 3.46 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.the survey says.
BRUSSELS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- In a burst of diplomacy, the United States has spent the past week trying to reassure allies on its commitment to European and global security, while also admonishing their partners on burden-sharing.

It began Wednesday with U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis making a much-anticipated speech at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) council of defence ministers in Brussels, warning his counterparts that the Americans would revise their relationship with the security alliance if other partners didn't pay their fair share.

Many NATO members had been anxious for the official U.S. stance since January, when then-President-elect Donald Trump called NATO "obsolete" for having been "designed many, many years ago," for not adequately adapting to the threat of terrorism, and for countries not paying "what they should."

Retired General and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Mattis appeared to give a chastising, if slightly more reasonable, version of Trump's off-the-cuff position. It was no longer acceptable, Mattis declared, for American taxpayers to carry a "disproportionate share of the defence of Western values."

He spoke in reference to a defence spending shortfall, with only five members of the alliance -- Estonia, Greece, Poland, Britain and the United States -- reaching an agreed target of 2 percent of GDP level.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg tried to contextualize the situation in a Wednesday press conference, arguing that 22 alliance members had increased their defence spending budgets in 2016, for an increase of approximately 10 billion U.S. dollars, before reminding listeners all alliance members had committed at the 2014 NATO Wales Summit to reaching the 2 percent target by 2024.

The Americans' "tough talk," however, dominated the news cycle, with collective worries printed across Europe that the United States would pull out of NATO if other members didn't hurry up and reduce the defence spending shortfalls.

In what could then seem like a response, Defence Secretary Mattis and United States Vice President Mike Pence both separately made statements of reassurance during this year's Munich Security Conference, telling allies that the United States wasn't going to turn its back on them.

"American security is permanently tied to the security of Europe," Mattis said on Friday in Munich.

For his part, Pence went further on Saturday, telling allies in Munich, "Today, on behalf of President Trump, I bring you this assurance. The United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to our transatlantic alliance."

"The fates of the United States and Europe are intertwined," continued the U.S. vice president on his first trip abroad since taking office. "Your struggles are our struggles. Your success is our success. And ultimately, we walk into the future together."

But Mike Pence still echoed earlier warnings, saying: "The promise to share the burden of our defence has gone unfulfilled for too many for too long."

While some European countries, notably Poland, have responded well to the American position, not all leaders have been particularly impressed.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker dismissed the U.S. stance in a Thursday speech in Munich, saying, "It has been the American message for many, many years. I am very much against letting ourselves be pushed into this."

"Europeans must bundle their defense spending better and spend the money more efficiently," he continued, making reference to his support for the creation of a European Defence Union, a reminder that pooled European defence resources may be an alternative to relying on an unpredictable American government.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked on Saturday, "Will we be able to continue working well together, or will we all fall back into our individual roles?"

She went on to praise multilateral cooperation and to admit that U.S. military force was necessary in the fight against the Islamic State, but calls for the inclusion of partners from Islamic-majority countries were a reminder to her audience that she was not willing to accept American policies she disagreed with for the sake of security.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, meanwhile, deplored in a Saturday tweet that Pence had not mentioned one word about the European Union (EU) in his speech, even though the American vice president is set to meet with EU leaders on Sunday in Brussels.

The fact that Donald Trump's messengers show little patience for European budgetary problems, a difficulty partially caused by the American subprime mortgage crisis, will not endear the American president to European leaders committed to reviving the EU economy.

In any relationship, mixing threats with messages of reassurance has a name: manipulation. For many Europeans, it will be clear that the United States is trying to manipulate the security relationship it has with the continent, threatening to pull back from alliances, then reassuring allies of its "unwavering" commitment.

Pushed too far, European allies might come to agree with Donald Trump on NATO's obsolescence, opting instead for a European Defence Union, with pooled resources that are less dependent on the whims of an unconventional American leader and more clearly aligned with the interests of the EU itself.

What is certain is that a European continent that has dealt with a series of simultaneous and unprecedented threats -- economic crises, the refugee crisis, Brexit and the ongoing threat of terrorism on a previously unknown level -- will have limited patience for being scolded.

Related:

Spotlight: Tough U.S. demands for burden-sharing dominate NATO talks

BRUSSELS, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Defense ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ended their two-day talks in Brussels on Thursday whose agenda was dominated by discussions about increasing defense spending. Full story

Libya requests NATO assistance for military training, supports
BARCELONA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of people from the platform "Casa Nostra, Casa Vostra" (Our home, Your home) marched through the streets of Barcelona on Saturday, demanding that the Spanish government welcomes refugees into the country.

Around 160,000 people participated in the march according to the Barcelona City Hall and while organizers put the figure as high as 300,000.

"Casa Nosta, Casa Vostra", an organization made up of individuals, organizations, charities and social organizations, was born from the experiences of its founders working in refugee camps in Greece.

Its coordinator, Ruben Wagensberg, said the march was to "ask the Spanish government to open the doors so the thousands of people who are waiting at the doors of Europe, can come here."

"Most countries are debating whether they should accept or not refugees and here there is no debate; here everyone believes we should accept them," he added.

Saturday's march took a symbolic route, from Plaza Urquinaona in the center of Barcelona, down to the shores of the Mediterranean, which has claimed the lives of many refugees in recent years.
Hungarian female director Ildiko Enyedi of the film "Testrol es lelekrol" (On Body and Soul) addresses the press conference after receiving Golden Bear for the Best Film of the 67th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, capital of Germany, on Feb. 18, 2017. Hungarian film "Testrol es lelekrol" (On Body and Soul) won the Golden Bear for Best Film award at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

BERLIN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian film "Testrol es lelekrol" (On Body and Soul) won the Golden Bear for Best Film award at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday.

The film directed by the Hungarian female director Ildiko Enyedi tells a love story of two colleagues in a slaughterhouse in Budapest.

The jury find the film connects the two roles "in quite an amazing way," and more importantly, reminds people of "a word often used easily": compassion.

Enyedi said the film can be understood only by those with "a generous heart."

Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki has won the Silver Bear award for best director for his "The Other Side of Hope". And the Silver Bear awards for best actor and actress have gone to Georg Friedrich from Austria and Kim Minhee from South Korea.

Silver Bear Awards for Best Screenplay, Grand Jury Prize, Alfred Bauer Prize for film innovation, and Outstanding Artistic Contribution (this year for editing) have also been presented.

A total of 24 films worldwide were selected into this year's competition section, among which 18 competed for the coveted Golden Bear and Silver Bear. A seven-member jury led by Dutch film director Paul Verhoeven had the final say on the winners.

This year's film festival was held from Feb. 9 to 19.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd R, front) talks with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the Group of Twenty (G20) foreign ministerial meeting in Bonn, Germany, on Feb. 16, 2017. Foreign ministers of the G20 convened here on Thursday for a two-day meeting to discuss international issues on sustainability, conflict prevention and cooperation with Africa. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)
Christopher James Trivett

Chief Deputy Charlie Rose

Beaufort County Sheriff's Office

On February 1, 2017 at approximately 12:15 am, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office responded to a suspicious vehicle travelling back and forth down Herring Run Rd. The caller saw the vehicle pull off the road and watched two males walking around a neighbor's house and under his car port. Deputies located the suspicious vehicle parked in a vacant, overgrown lot with a female in the back seat and the engine running. Deputies also located a male in the area dressed in black. Interviews with both the man and woman yielded conflicting stories, but at the time Deputies were unable to locate any criminal activity. Deputies identified the two individuals as Jervoni Brown, and Nikara Miller both from Maryland and staying on Victory Lane in Chocowinity. After concluding their inquiry Brown and Miller were released.Approximately 8 hours later, Deputies responded to several vehicle break-ins in the same area and found several unsecured vehicles had been entered and personal property of the owners taken. Members of the Criminal Investigations Division were called out to assist patrol in processing the numerous crime scenes. After reviewing the evidence collected and the execution of a search warrant Investigator Jason Hill charged Jervoni Brown, age 23 with six counts of Breaking and Entering of a Motor Vehicle, one count of Attempted Breaking and Entering of a Motor Vehicle, one count of First Degree Burglary, one count of Felony Larceny, one count of Misdemeanor Larceny, and one count of Damage to Property. Nikara Miller, age 18 was charged with six counts of Breaking and Entering of a Motor Vehicle, one count of Attempted Breaking and Entering of a Motor Vehicle, one count of First Degree Burglary, one count of Felony Larceny, one Count of Misdemeanor Larceny, one count of Damage to Property, and one count of Felony Accessory.Jervoni Brown was arrested and is currently being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center under a $50,000.00 secured bond. Nikara Miller was arrested and is currently being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center under a $55,000.00 secured bond.After further investigation into this case a third suspect has been identified and arrested. Beaufort County Sheriff's Investigators have charged Christopher James Trivett, age 23 of Chocowinity with 1 count of First Degree Burglary, 6 counts of Breaking & Entering a Motor Vehicle, 2 counts of Attempted B & E of a Motor Vehicle, 1 count of Felony Larceny and three other misdemeanor charges related to this incident. Trivett who was on probation at the time, was arrested and is being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center on a $55,500.00 secured bond.
"As Chair of the Committee on Criminal Law of the Judicial Conference of the United States, which oversees the federal probation system, I am writing to express our support for the Probation Officer Protection Act, which would give probation officers the authority to temporarily direct, and if necessary to arrest, a person who is obstructing the officer while performing their official duties. This limited authority would allow probation officers to do their job safely and effectively. We greatly appreciate your leadership and support for this modest but much-needed reform."

"Without the appropriate tools to confront and address hostile and aggressive third parties, U.S. Probation Officers are left with little choice but to abandon searches - potentially allowing evidence/contraband to remain in the community. FPPOA strongly urges Congress to act on tis bill as a necessary policy reform that will have a significant impact on officer safety."

"I am writing on behalf of the more than 27,000 members of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association to advise you of our strong support for legislation you intend to reintroduce entitled the "Probation Officer Protection Act." Thank you for your continued leadership on this important officer safety issue."

"As the volume of approved searches they must conduct has markedly increased over the past year, the absence of any authority to restrain or direct the movements of third parties places Probation Officers at a greater and unnecessary risk of physical harm. That is why the 'Probation Officer Protection Act' is so important."

Contact: Daniel Keylin

Daniel Keylin daniel_keylin@tillis.senate.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. Earlier this week, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced the Probation Officer Protection Act of 2017-a bill that will protect probation officers and enhance their ability to do their job by giving them authority to arrest a third party who forcibly interferes with an officer's performance of his or her official duties.said Senator Tillis.Senator Hatch said.Senator Feinstein said.said Senator Manchin.Honorable Ricardo S. Martinez, Chair, Committee on Criminal Law, Judicial Conference of the United States:Craig F. Penet, President, Federal Probation and Pretrial Officers Association:Nathan Catura, National President, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association:Under current law, a federal probation officer may arrest a probationer or individual on supervised release if the officer has probable cause to believe that the offender has violated a condition of his or her probation or release. See 18 U.S.C.  3606. The officer may make the arrest with or without a warrant.In practice, formal arrests by probation officers are rare. Rather, probation officers use this authority to lawfully engage in less restrictive uses of force, such as ordering an offender to stand aside during a search; instructing an offender not to interfere with the officer's movements; or, in rare cases, temporarily restraining an offender who poses a physical danger.Current law does not, however, address a probation officer's arrest authority in situations where a third party attempts to physically obstruct the officer or cause the officer physical harm. Although obstructing a probation officer in the performance of his or her official duties is illegal, when a probation officer encounters an uncooperative or violent third party, the officer may be forced to retreat because he or she lacks authority to restrain the third party. This lack of authority and resulting need to retreat exposes probation officers to greater risk of harm and allows the third party-along with any evidence or individual the third party is attempting to shield-to elude capture. As a result, evidence that an offender has violated a condition of his or her probation or supervised release, or evidence of other criminal activity, may be lost.In some circumstances, a probation officer may be able to enlist the assistance of local police in responding to a hostile third party. But this is not, in and of itself, an adequate solution. First, unless the probation officer knows in advance that he or she is likely to encounter a hostile third party and can find an available police officer to accompany him or her, the probation officer must wait for police backup to arrive. This is often not a viable option. Second, even if a local police officer is available to accompany the probation officer, because the probation officer lacks arrest authority, he or she cannot lawfully assist the police officer if the police officer is accosted. Third, requiring federal probation officers to rely on local law enforcement in responding to uncooperative or violent third parties burdens local police departments and diverts police resources from other uses.
Tom Campbell

The recurring HB2 nightmare will celebrate a birthday next month with no end in sight. Both sides of the political spectrum find themselves in a box, albeit a cardboard box they are treating as if it had walls of steel.Governor Cooper fired the latest salvo in this running battle this week. Cooper proposed repealing HB2, increasing penalties for committing a crime in a public bathroom or locker room and requiring any cities and counties seeking to create nondiscrimination ordinances to provide 30 days' notice to the legislature. The governor's proposed solution was met with immediate disdain from those on both sides but syndicated columnist and NC SPIN panelist John Hood says perhaps both were too fast with the criticism and should have reflected more before drawing swords.Hood says that there may be a compromise here. Cooper's suggestion on the 30-day notification might open the door to negotiations. The legislature had originally proposed a 6-month moratorium before local governments could pass nondiscrimination ordinances; suppose both sides would agree to an outright repeal of HB2, split the difference and agree on a 90-day notification period?This compromise agreement would accomplish several important goals. If enacted before the end of this month both sides of the issue could claim victory, even if neither got all they wanted. This compromise would essentially return us to the status quo before Charlotte passed its ordinance and the legislature countered with HB2, a point where most acknowledge there weren't widespread evidences of discrimination or related crimes. Such a compromise could forestall another round of ACC and NCAA boycotts for holding tournaments and events in our state, remove the barriers for businesses seeking to relocate here and staunch the damage to our reputation. Without question our state would enjoy economic benefits. Further, a 90-day notification would allow the legislature ample time to review proposed local nondiscrimination ordinances, discuss them with local government officials and respond, hopefully with more consideration and deliberation than we saw in the passage of HB2, if they deem action is desired.If a local government disagreed with legislative action it could pursue remedies in the courts, understanding that these court battles would be costly, lengthy and likely without much success, since local governments are the creation of and ultimately governed by the legislature. But that situation is unchanged from where they are currently. Cases of individual or even class action discrimination claims could be entered in state courts, also currently allowed.Curiously, there is one point upon which most agree: North Carolina must end this nightmarish HB2 debacle. What we have seen to date is a war of press releases, mutual distrust, grandstanding and tribal polarization. We don't need a champion girded for battle riding a stallion. What we do need is leaders who will talk with and listen to each other (something there is little evidence that is occurring now), who are willing to find compromise solutions and who are less concerned with who gets credit for resolving the crisis than they are in getting it resolved.Now is the time to escape the HB2 box and move forward. Failure to do so immediately will only bring more needless economic and political distress.
3 on rape, buggery charges

Cousins Sharaz Mohammed, 23, and Sadiq Mohammed, 24, and Brandon Basdeo, 24, stood before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John who read four charges. The cousins are from Pluck Road in San Francique while Basdeo who is a PH driver, is from Sahadeo Avenue, Gopie Trace in Penal. One charge read that the three abducted the woman at Cipero Street in San Fernando last Saturday. Another charge was that the men raped her, while a third was that they buggered the woman and the final charge was one of robbery.

Cpl Roger Nanan of San Fernando CID laid the charges against the three who were not called upon to plead. Attorney Martin Jadoonanan, who represented Basdeo, asked for bail to be granted while attorney Ainsley Lucky who appeared for Sharaz, also made a similar plea. Sadiq was unrepresented. Court prosecutor Cleyon Seedan told Magistrate Forde-John that the police need to conduct a tracing on the cousins in order to verify if they have a criminal record as police believe they have charges pending.

Your Worship, I am objecting under the Bail Act 6 (2) (f), which states that a person who commits an offence whilst on bail relating to another offence, should be refused bail. Magistrate Forde- John said that she was refusing bail to Sharaz and Sadiq, pending a determination of their criminal record. When the magistrate made the order, Sadiq told her that if he must be remanded into custody, he wanted to be sent to the Maximum Security Prison.

He said he is fearful for his life because his twin brother who is in jail, had an altercation with a prison officer. Sadiq also told the magistrate that he came out from jail five months ago. As for accused Basdeo, Seedan objected to bail being granted on the ground that the charges are serious and the offences were prevalent in society, adding that a gun was allegedly used in the commission of the crime.

The magistrate granted Basdeo $175,000 bail to cover the four charges. As a condition to the bail, he is report to the Penal CID three times a week. She remanded Sharaz and Sadiq into custody.

Basdeo and Sadiq are to return to court on March 17 while Sharaz is to return next Wednesday.
Eddoes vendor fined $9,000

Brandon Dalzell, 24, of Belmont was slapped with the fines by Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John in the San Fernando Magistrates court after he pleaded guilty to the offences.

He appeared along with another man, Ricky Ayers, 59, who is a PH driver of St Marys Village, Moruga, following their arrest on Wednesday by San Fernando CID officers.

Ayers pleaded not guilty and was granted $85,000 bail. Court prosecutor Cleyon Seedan told Magistrate Forde-John that at about 11.45 pm on Wednesday, police were on mobile patrol duty in a marked vehicle on Lower High Street where they observed a Nissan B15 car parked near Scotia Bank. The party of officers included Cpl Roger Nanan, WPC Praveen Rajkumar, PCs Thompson and Roodal of the San Fernando CID.

Dalzell was in the front passenger seat and another man in the drivers seat, Seedan said, when the officers approached the vehicle. A search was conducted of the men but nothing illegal was found, however, the prosecutor said that when the officers searched the center console area which is under the dashboard, they discovered a gun and magazine containing 17 rounds of ammunition. They both were arrested and charged.

Asked why he had the gun, Dalzell told magistrate Forde- John that he was not a trouble- maker, and, he had one bad case for trespassing. You will never, ever see my face again in court, the accused said. I sell eddoes and ground provisions.

I saw a bag and thought it had marijuana in it. He went on to tell the magistrate that had been marijuana, he would have sold the illegal narcotic to buy more eddoes. Magistrate Forde-John fined him $7,000 for possession of the gun and $2,000 for the ammunition.

He was ordered to pay the fines in the next 30 days or serve two years for the gun possession and nine months for the ammunition.
Search continues

According to police, the men who are not related, were out at sea when their the vessel capsized in rough waters.

Reports are that boat captain Arnold and Ricky boarded the vessel shortly after 11 am on Tuesday. The men left their homes to retrieve their drift nets in the sea off Icacos.

Families of both fishermen have since hosted prayer services at their homes and are hopeful that the men would be found alive.

Arnold is a father of four and has been fishing for the last 33 years.

His wife Sharda Beharry said that the family would not give up the search for the fishermen.

I have not been able to sleep for the past nights.

My husband is out there and not with his family, his children are crying every minute, they miss their father.

I am really hoping and praying that there is some miracle and he is alive and just waiting to be rescued, she told Newsday. Sharda said that she last saw her husband when he left home Tuesday morning. He told me goodbye, but I did not know I would be really saying goodbye to him, but my faith is still strong. The only thing that is keeping me together is the hope that he is some how alive somewhere and will be reunited with his family, the emotional woman said.

e said Arnold is a hard working man. He worked from morning to night to provide for his family and he was always careful in the sea waters, I cant believe this is happening to us, the mother of four said.

She said that Arnold and Stephen would always go together to fish in the sea.

They were good friends and looked out for each other. My husband was like a son to Stephen, she said. Also speaking to Newsday, Stephens father, Ricky Beharry said that he was also hopeful that his son was alive. This is the hope I have and believe and I wish it is true and I can see my son alive again and hug him, he said.
PoS police lock down Enterprise

According to police, officers of the Port-of-Spain division, Port-of-Spain CID, the K9 division, Special Branch and the Criminal Gang and Intelligence Unit locked down the Enterprise area, between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm. The exercise was co-ordinated by Senior Superintendent Radcliffe Boxhill, led by ASP Ajith Persad and included Sgts Austin and Lopez, PC Lewis and WPC Fraser.

During the exercise, police found four complete military camouflage kits, a bullet-proof vest, and a magazine for a 9mm pistol, while searching an abandoned lot in the Enterprise area. Police officers also had cause to arrest a 32-yearold woman who was in possession of over 100,000 in TT currency. The woman was said to be standing near a mosque in Enterprise.

Another woman, aged 30, was arrested while her Enterprise home was being searched. Police sources revealed that the woman was found in possession of a quantity of marijuana and a tool used to grind marijuana.

All persons who were arrested were taken to the Portof- Spain CID, to be further questioned and charged. The Financial Intelligence Unit was also called in to assist in investigations into the discovery of $100,000.
Hole in highway causes miles of traffic

Contacted on the issue, Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan said crews would work into last night, if need be, to have the hole filled and the damaged section repaired to road-worthy conditions. A WASA (Water and Sewage Authority) line that runs underground...an eight-inch line, sprang a leak and caused the undermining of the roadway, Minister Sinanan said.

Speaking with Newsday at 3.30 pm, Sinanan confirmed that WASA had turned of water to the area to allow for repairs which were due to start at nine pm and hopefully should be completed by 5 am today. This was also stated in a WASA press release. Sinanan added that his ministry would begin repair work to the highway once WASA completes repairs to the leaking main.

As a result, the Priority Bus Route (PBR) was opened for use by the regular motoring public until six oclock this morning when standard rules regarding the use of the PBR will resume. Traffic backed up along the west bound lane of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway from as far east as the Valsayn intersection and along the north bound lane of the Uriah Butler Highway from as far central as the Caroni Bird Sanctuary for several hours.

Motorists who turned on to the Eastern Main Road in an attempt to get to Port-of-Spain also caused major traffic although it was not stand-still. We asked WASA to stop the work during the day, but they will resume tonight, Sinanan said yesterday.
No evidence of price fixing

He made this observation during a public inquiry held by this JSC at Tower D of the Portof- Spain International Waterfront Centre. Responding to a question from Government Senator W Michael Coppin, Hilaire said, We dont have evidence of this directly but we could consider in a small country, in a situation like the financial sector you could have, price leaders. He explained this phenomenon could involve an institution setting a particular benchmark and others following it. Hilaire said he did not view the profits being made by financial institutions in TT as supranormal in any way. In response to another question from Coppin, Hilaire said he could not single out any commercial bank which was more dominant as compared to other banks in TT.

The Governor explained that the secrecy provisions in the Central Bank Act and good business practice prevent him from doing so. However, Hillaire said,  I could say there are certain banks that would have more dominance than the others. He stated this was because not all banks have the same clientele or offer the same services. Hillaire said this would result in difference in the type and reach of commercial banks in TT.

With eight commercial banks already operating in this country, Hilaire said the view has been expressed that,  we already have too many banks in the system. The Governor said while the banks must be profitable, they also understand that they offer a public service to their customers and have contracts with the Central Bank to that effect. Stating the Central Bank treats the issue of licences to financial institutions very seriously, Hilaire declared, We dont give licences just like that unless we think this institution would be solid and would be responsible. That puts a cap on the number of banks that can come in. Hilaire said the Central Bank has a special Information Technology (IT) team which communicates regularly with commercial banks on how to strengthen security breaches that are IT related. He added that discussions on other areas of security with the banks also take place. Acknowledging concerns raised by Housing Minister Randall Mitchell and St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar that banks do not appear helpful to more vulnerable persons in society, Hilaire said the Central Bank also speaks with banks on these issues.

He explained that while the Central Bank cannot police commercial banks, members of the public can raise concerns with the Bank and it will see what could be done. Hilaire added that this was a balancing act and a situation where the cost of financial services is too high, is something which must never happen.

He said in such a scenario, people will go outside of the traditional banking system and this could have certain risks for them.
Dont hold your breath

The conference came after ministry officials earlier this week told a Joint Select Committee that there are over 300 school children with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Visibly upset on being asked the question on if there is a possibility of condoms being distributed in schools, Garcia chided the reporter: That is not necessary in our school system! If we distribute them, we will encourage sexual activity. Proper condom use is to be taught to adults, not children! And we will provide the tools for them (children) to resist that temptation. Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan supported Garcia saying condom distribution to students is not the way to handle the issue of STDs among school children. Seecharan said it is in fact illegal to distribute condoms to primary school students, given that sex below a certain age is illegal.

On revelations that five primary school students have been infected with HIV, he said all were infected from birth, will remain in the school system and will not be discriminated against.

He said proper measures were already in place to deal with the situation to avoid transmission to other students. Seecharan confirmed this. He added that sex education is taught at primary school level as appropriate and abstinence is taught at secondary school level. President of the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) Lynsley Doodhai however, could not confirm this.

As an educator, as a teacher, as a principal, we know there are certain things you must do if a child gets injured in school or on the school compound. But in terms of clear-cut, established protocols from the Ministry of Education...Im not aware of it (sex-ed and abstinence being taught).
BISMARCK, N.D.  The Rev. John Floberg was on his way home from a national meeting of the Episcopal Church when he saw live video of protesters squaring off with police at a northern "front line" camp on North Dakota Highway 1806.

The conflict was escalating  fast. Disappointed by the violence he saw on both sides, Floberg wanted to slow things down and return to the more traditional civil disobedience seen months earlier. When the Standing Rock-based priest returned to North Dakota, he drafted a callout to clergy around the country.

The gathering drew more than 500 clergy members of different faiths to the Oceti Sakowin Camp. The group walked to the barricade on the Backwater Bridge before turning back, creating a moment many said evoked the march in Selma. No one was arrested, though a few, whose bravado Floberg critiqued, traveled to Bismarck and protested at the Capitol, where they were detained.

Though support and endorsements have flooded in from religious institutions around the world, few Christian leaders on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and in North Dakota took an active role. In fact, Floberg was nearly unique in his activism.

Floberg has been an Episcopal priest on the reservation for the past 25 years with churches in Cannon Ball, Fort Yates and Selfridge. He sees the pipeline fight as the reason for his years there.

"This is why I've been here 25 years," said Floberg, explaining that with fewer years' experience, "I would have had no way to understand how to stand ground."

Watching the anger demonstrated some nights on the bridge, he saw those same feelings devolve into depression among the youth in his ministry. In the relations with the government, he saw hundreds of years of unfulfilled promises and leaders who did not listen.

"I realized the church had to get there so that the people who were in that camp could hear and understand that somebody else cared and would stand by them," Floberg said.

The camps were filled with prayer, much of it traditional, and many described the monthslong movement as an extended ceremony. A sacred fire was central to the main Oceti Sakowin camp, and prayers in Lakota were frequently performed.

"Our vision is for the peoples of all continents, regardless of their beliefs in the Creator, to come together as one at their Sacred Sites to pray and meditate and commune with one another, thus promoting an energy shift to heal our Mother Earth and achieve a universal consciousness toward attaining peace," Chief Arvol Looking Horse, a Sioux spiritual leader, wrote in an August column for Indian Country Media Network on indigenous environmental movements.

Seeing the prayer at camp, Floberg decided not to hold services there, worried it may cause breakage and division amid the unity he saw. With the endorsement of the national Episcopal Church, Floberg provided supplies to campers, hosted people in his church and has undertaken efforts to smooth relations between people on and off the reservation.

Recently, he started handing out gift cards to his Native American congregants for them to eat with non-native friends in Bismarck-Mandan.

Others in the Standing Rock Christian leadership took on a more spiritual, less active role.

The Rev. George Maufort, of St. Peter's Catholic Church, saw his role in prayer and support for his congregants. He traveled to the camps occasionally and listened as congregants grieved over the fear of water contamination.

"Anything that was prayer-oriented, I participated in," Maufort said. "Through prayer, you can move mountains if God wills it."

Maufort, who is knowledgeable of the Native American traditional prayers and ceremonies practiced at the camp, said he believed all the prayer was valid.

"Prayer is prayer," he said.

He participated in the clergy walk as an individual  the Catholic Church did not take a position on the pipeline  because he was assured it would be peaceful, prayerful, respectful and lawful. When protests grew violent, he could not support them.

"The government has more power than the native people," Maufort said. "It would be a futile struggle."

Another local Christian leader chose to avoid involvement in the protest, though his church is located in Cannon Ball. He was concerned that such entanglement might affect his ability to help locally. Now, he's troubled to see the deepened divisions between natives and non-natives in North Dakota.

The Rev. Boots Marsh and his wife, Jackie, have a youth ministry for young children. He has interacted with the protesters and, most recently, accepted a few donations as they helped clean the camp.

"I took a line for the future of the children, and it didn't include getting on the front lines," said Marsh, of the Tipi Wakan Baptist Church. "Nothing could be gained except to hurt the kids."

More broadly in North Dakota, the only churches to take on an active role have been the Unitarian Universalists in Bismarck and the Presentation Sisters in Fargo, according to Karen von Fassen, of the UU church. Some did partake individually by coming to rallies or participating in interfaith prayer events.

"Many of faith and conviction have been in very solid solidarity as their own conscience speaks to them," she said.
Share



As I wrote earlier this week, some forecasts suggest that cellular network operators could potentially capture an additional $85 billion in revenue between now and the end of 2021 from non-core services related to big data analytics and Internet of Things enablement. Also this week we presented an array of stories about how Nokia (News - Alert) is delivering solutions to help them move on those opportunities.





For example, contributing writer Frank Griffin talked about a new Nokia solution called worldwide IoT network grid, or WING, that provides multi-country federation of IoT connectivity services. Using WING, enterprises and service providers can have a unified view of IoT devices, billing, customer care, and subscriptions.

IoT connectivity as a managed service is an answer for enterprises to the current IoT deployments that are hampered by the patchwork of business agreements to connect devices around the world, said Igor Leprince, head of global services at Nokia. Nokia WING will provide one global IoT grid. We cannot do this alone, and we are reaching out to communication service providers across the globe to collaborate with us so that we can extend the benefits of the connected world to more industries.

Contributing writer Michael Guta this week wrote about how Nokia has outfitted service provider Three UK with a cloud native core network. The supplier says this is the first network of its kind.

This network leverages the Nokia AirFrame data center solution, Nokia 7750 service routers, the Nokia Network Services Platform, the Nokia NetAct Cloud network management system on OpenStack, the Nokia CloudBand network functions virtualization management and orchestration portfolio, Nokia session border controllers, a Nokia virtualized evolved packet core, and much more. This network will allow the service provider to scale, better support IoT applications, and be ready for 5G.

Speaking of 5G, Nokia has also been working on 5GTF. Thats a pre-standard version of 5G that Verizon came up with, and on which the carrier is working with Cisco, Ericsson, Intel (News - Alert), Nokia, Qualcomm, and Samsumg  all of which are part of the Verizon 5G Technology Forum.

While were all waiting for 5G to arrive, 4G continues to move forward. And as contributing writer Steve Anderson explained on Monday, Nokia recently announced its plans on the 4.9G front.

Of course, as cellular networks get faster, theyre going to require faster backbone and backhaul technologies to help carry the load. And, as Anderson also wrote this week, Nokia is working on that as well via what he calls a new breed of fiber technology.

Well be hearing more about all this, he added, at the upcoming Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona.
Moroccan authorities recovered a stolen 17th century Baroque Italian painting worth up to six million euros and informed Italian authorities.



Italian paper Gazzetta di Modena reported that the painting by Giovanni Francesco, known as Guercino, had been stolen from a church in the northern Italian city of Modena in 2014.

It could have been recovered after Italian authorities alerted Moroccan counterparts the

painting could possibly be in Morocco. It was found thanks to a wealthy Moroccan businessman and art collector, who was offered it for some 940,000 euros by three dealers

in Casablanca, according to the local Gazzetta di Modena.

The collector immediately recognized the piece and reported the incident to the Moroccan

police who informed the Interpol and Italian counterparts.

The painting depicts Madonna with Saints John Evangelist and Gregory the Miracle Worker.

It was painted in 1639 and is valued by art experts at between five and six million euros.

In a statement, Italys carabinieri police art squad said contacts were already underway

with Moroccan authorities to bring the artwork home.

Barbieri (1591-1666), who was cross-eyed and went by the name Guercino (The Squinter), is

known for his naturalist, Caravaggesque style.
Morocco and Ghana opened a new chapter in their bilateral ties with the signing of 25 cooperation agreements during a ceremony chaired by King Mohammed VI who is currently paying an official visit to Ghana and Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Five of the agreements were signed between the two governments to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of agriculture, industry, investments, double taxation avoidance

and normalization.

The rest of the agreements were signed by the private sector actors in the two countries providing for cooperation in the fields of investments, environment, trade, enterprises

promotion, banking, technical cooperation, insurance, small-scale agriculture, renewable energies, scientific and technical cooperation, tourism, infrastructure and finance.

As was the case with previous African tours prior to joining the African Union, Morocco opted for the share and transfer of know-how and contributed to efforts to build a safe and solidarity-based future for the continent.

In Accra, King Mohammed VI held talks with the Ghanaian president on the means to further bolster the political and economic partnership between their two countries.

The West African state was among the group of 28 AU member countries of African Union (AU) to have signed a motion in support of Moroccos territorial integrity.

The Kings visit to Accra was preceded by a Moroccan-Ghanaian business forum during which businessmen from the two countries discussed investment opportunities.

Political ties between the two countries have been following the rising trend of their bilateral trade exchanges. Between 2006 and 2010, trade between Morocco and Ghana grew by

an average 33% to stand at 76 million dollars of which Morocco exported 70 million dollars.

Prospects for further boosting economic partnerships between the two countries abound.

Ghana, the largest economy in the ECOWAS after Nigeria, is among the three largest economic partners of Morocco in the African sub-region.

Ghana is the second country the king visits after Moroccos triumphal return to the African Union on January 30. Before Ghana, the Sovereign visited South Sudan.

This new Royal tour in Africa is expected to take the Sovereign to Zambia, Kenya, Guinea- Conakry, Cote dIvoire and Mali.
COLLECTIVE MADNESS



Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."
A bill allowing big game hunters to choose between fluorescent orange or pink is about more than just fashion, a Thompson Falls legislator testified on Thursday.

Sen. Jennifer Fielder sponsored Senate Bill 237, a committee bill introduced by the Senate Fish and Game Committee and heard under that same body Thursday. The bill would allow big game hunters to wear the now required orange, or opt for pink.

This bill is not about fashion, despite what the media reports may have honed in on, she said. Blaze pink is an attractive color to many women and maybe some men. But it is a color with high visibility.

Fielder referenced a University of Wisconsin study conducted as that state considered allowing hunter pink. She pointed to some findings that pink could actually be more visible than orange, particularly during fall when orange becomes a prominent color in the natural landscape.

In addition to safety, Fielder noted that hunter pink clothing would likely be geared towards female hunters, and thus would be tailored to women, making movement easier in the field. Womens hunting clothing brands have gained traction in recent years, and the senator expected that trend to continue.

This is a bill catching up with the interest out there in the public, Fielder said.

No one spoke for or against SB237.

Bob Gilbert spoke as an informational witness, and noted that tow truck drivers switched to pink for road signs due to better visibility.

Wayde Cooperider, who leads Montanas hunter safety program and also serves with the International Hunter Education Association, also testified informationally. The association reviewed the Wisconsin study, he said, and decided to maintain its official position that absent any nationally accepted scientific evidence, it still considers hunter orange as the most effective safety color.

Sen. Chas Vincent, R-Libby, has been the most outspoken opponent through committee, and continued his opposition Thursday. He said he had a hard time understanding the lack of availability for womens hunting clothing, pointing to his own wifes collection. He asked Fielder to provide a list and costs of brands offering hunter pink.

I guess Id just like the record to show there is a lot of womens gear out there that is available for those that choose to hunt and I do not believe making the color different will bring more of them in, he said. I think its a little bit insulting for those that assume that.

Fielder closed on the bill saying that hunter pink has been proven safe, while also considering it attractive and appealing, and more manufacturers would mean a drop in prices for hunters.

If it proves to be just as safe, why not open that option? she asked.

The committee did not take immediate action on SB237.
The father of a one-month-old child was charged with abuse Friday after doctors found the baby had multiple leg fractures.

Alex Tyler Halseth, 21, appeared before Yellowstone County Justice of the Peace David Carter on two counts of felony assault on a minor.

Carter ordered Halseth held in place of a $50,000 bond.

Halseth's public defender said Halseth is a veteran and 20-year resident of Billings.

On Thursday, the one-month-old was taken to St. Vincent Healthcare by a babysitter who noticed bruises on the boy's face and a cut in his mouth, according to court documents. Doctors later found the baby had at least four leg fractures, including fractures to the baby's femur bones, according to court documents.

Billings police interviewed both Halseth and the baby's mother and determined Halseth may have caused the injuries several days earlier. Halseth told police it was not his intent to hurt the baby, according to court documents.
When chainsaw artist Chad Buscher is plying his trade, nothing else matters, he said Friday standing beside his latest work, a life-size river otter he carved for a friend whose husband died recently. Everything else can be going wrong, and if Im doing this, it doesnt matter.

Buscher, 41, an eight-year Marine Corps veteran, participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, where he suffered a traumatic brain injury and post-concussion syndrome. Hes endured 23 operations on his left arm and one brain surgery.

Its tough for me. Ive lost a lot of ability to communicate, he said during a 30-minute interview during which he communicated effectively and passionately about his work and his love of nature. When I do this, I dont need a drawing. I saw that otter in the wood. Its the best therapy Ive found, hands down.

Buscher employs six chainsaws of varying sizes in his work, as well as other tools. The otter is perched on a large rock, and it holds a smaller heart-shaped rock from the homeowners collection.

(Sea) otters pick up a rock and use it as a tool for life, he said. She and her husband would float the Yellowstone or the Stillwater River and look for heart rocks, and for river otters.

Buscher glued in African porcupine quills as whiskers, wood-burning and sealing the pine work to give it a long life. Once he took down the tree and stripped off the bark, Buscher estimates he put 25 hours of labor into his creation.

She was happy with it, he said of his friend, the homeowner. I would have kept working until she was pleased. Part of a brain injury makes you impulsive.

Her comment to Buscher: I have my own otter now!

While Buscher isnt disclosing the otters location to protect the homeowners privacy, he did note that word of mouth has apparently traveled fast.

Already Ive had three emails, he said with a grin. Im a disabled veteran and Im not doing this to make money. But its a craft that does have expenses  gas, tools and maintenance.

Before he returned to Billings, Buscher lived several years in the Chicago area, where he was receiving medical care through the Veterans Administration. Hed purchased an RV and was going to travel the country with his two dogs, but decided hed better visit Billings first. After a few months in town, he now has housing lined up, with no plans to embark on that road trip.

Im just going to stay here and do this, he said.

Buscher said hes been hiking the Boulder Mountains between Helena and Butte since he was a child. During his hikes he looks down at least as often as he looks up.

I can bring people a log from there, unless a potential customer has a tree or log of their own theyd rather use, he said. I still go there a lot, and Im always on the lookout.

To arrange for a commission or to discuss his work, Buscher may be reached at buscherc@yahoo.com.

I usually dont sign my work, he said. But if people want me to, I will.
John McCain was hustling down the hallway in the Russell Senate Office Building with the purpose of an Aaron Sorkin character. It was not yet two weeks into Donald Trumps presidency, and McCain had already become the fiercest Republican critic of the new administration. While party leaders like Paul Ryan were contorting themselves to defend even Trumps most ill-conceived executive orders, McCain had been, for a member of the presidents party, on fire: He had criticized Trump for banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, for his failed first mission in Yemen, for his suggestion that he might lift sanctions against Russia; he even took diplomacy into his own hands, reaching out to Australia to assure the country of our continued friendship after Trump had bizarrely confronted its prime minister in their introductory phone call. By many measures, there is no one better positioned to challenge Trump from within his own party. The so-called maverick was just reelected to the Senate by a 13-point margin; at 80 years old, he has both significant stature and nothing to lose. Still, for McCain, opposing Trump is not a simple matter. For one thing, its tricky to challenge a vengeful president who has taken to Twitter to accuse McCain of emboldening the enemy and trying to start WWIII. For another, McCain is not a Republican in Name Only; he is a true believer, an elder of the tribe. He does not exactly relish being deemed the loyal opposition.

What? What! McCain barked as he ran into a throng of reporters.

Some people are saying youre Trumps No. 1 nemesis, a reporter said. Is that the role youre trying to stake out?

McCain shook his head. Its very convenient for the media to say that, he grumbled. If interpreters who worked for us in Iraq are not allowed into the United States, then Im going to speak up. If that makes me a nemesis of the president of the United States, then you can label me as such.

They want a scenario of, quote, confrontation,  McCain told me as we stepped into the elevator. McCain was on his way to lunch in the Senate Dining Room with his friend Lindsey Graham, the other Republican Trump critic in the Senate whom many Democrats look to with hope. He found Graham at a corner table in the back.

A group of em stopped me and said, Are you Trumps nemesis?  McCain recounted. I said, Thats such a convenient thing. 

Its actually boring, Graham said. There are a lot of sins in life, but the one thats intolerable is being boring. I hate boring.

McCain shook his head at the notion that just because he had the temerity to criticize the president, congressional Democrats thought they could recruit him to their cause. These are the same Democrats that shredded me in 2008, he said. I get along with the Democrats, but please, Im not their hero. Theyre trying to use us. We will work with them, but have no doubt, their agenda is not our agenda.

Yes, lest anyone forget, McCain and Graham, like many of their Republican brethren, came into this administration almost giddy with the possibility of what could be enacted with both chambers of Congress and the White House under GOP control. McCain said he was enthusiastic about Trumps plans to slash regulations and increase military spending, and he is a fan of Defense Secretary James Mattis, with whom he said hed spoken nearly a dozen times that week. He is also gleeful about Trumps conservative Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, who stopped by the table with Kelly Ayotte, the former Republican senator (and Trump critic) from New Hampshire, who is helping Gorsuch through his confirmation process.

Judge! How are ya? McCain said, bolting up to shake Gorsuchs hand.

Graham called across the table: Anybody who wants to poison the water and adulterate the food is a good man for me!

Gorsuch and Ayotte gave Graham panicked looks.

Didnt you hear what Nancy Pelosi said? Graham asked, referring to the House minority leaders comment that Gorsuch should be considered a lousy pick by anyone who breathes air or drinks water. She said if you eat it or drink it, hes bad!

Gorsuch forced a relieved smile, getting the joke.

The Democrats are just off the reservation. Theyre crazy the way theyre behaving, McCain said to Gorsuch. As for hearings, Ive never seen anything like this. Just keep your flak jacket on. Steady as she goes.

No one knew it at the time, but this congenial lunch was perhaps John McCains last sanguine moment about the Trump administration. In the two weeks since, he has watched as allegations about Russian involvement in the election  and possibly in American foreign policy  picked up steam, and as Michael Flynn was forced to resign as national-security adviser after revelations that he improperly discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador (and then lied to the vice-president about it). To McCain, these are red-line issues. No matter how much he likes the prospect of deregulation, the compromising of Americas sovereignty was pushing him closer to the barricades.

The severity of this issue, the gravity of it, is so consequential because if you succeed in corrupting an election, then youve destroyed the foundation of democracy, he told me later. So I view it with the utmost seriousness. I view it more seriously than a physical attack. I view it more seriously than Orlando, or San Bernardino. As tragic as that was, the far-reaching consequences of an election hack are certainly far in excess of a single terrorist attack.

Now McCain is renewing his calls for a bipartisan select committee to look into Trumps ties to Russia, which could ultimately put pressure on the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor  a probe that could get perilous for the president. While he is meeting with resistance from party leaders so far, McCain plans to use his role as chair of the Armed Services Committee and ex officio member of the Intelligence Committee to push for answers. The Trump administrations viability rests on the support of a Republican Congress, and what John McCain is doing, carefully but with growing fervor, could shake its foundations.

Photo: Nigel Parry

The story of McCains captivity in Vietnam has been told so many times it can now be rendered in shorthand: 1967, a bombing raid over Hanoi, his plane shot down, both arms and a knee broken, capture, torture, the prospect of early release refused on principle, an ordeal that lasts for more than five years, much of it spent in solitary confinement, during a war that most of the country had already given up on. Its the story that made McCains political career, thats been trotted out in six Senate campaigns and two presidential bids. But it also undeniably shaped McCains view of the world and Americas place in it. I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone elses, he said during his nomination acceptance speech at the 2008 Republican convention. I loved it for its decency, for its faith in the wisdom, justice, and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again; I wasnt my own man anymore; I was my countrys.

McCain believes in the idea of American exceptionalism, that the United States has a responsibility to be a force for good in the world and to confront repressive regimes. The Trump doctrine  to the extent that one exists  is quite different: American foreign policy should be dictated by nationalist self-interest at almost any cost. During the 2016 campaign, Trump advocated for reintroducing torture as a means of extracting information, killing terrorists families, and seizing Iraqs oil. He derided international institutions such as NATO and the U.N. and cheered when Britain voted to pull out of the European Union. He praised brutal strongmen from Saddam Hussein to Vladimir Putin, whom hes called a more impressive leader than Barack Obama.

McCain has been arguing for years that Putins Russia is a global menace that must be confronted. Russias leaders, rich with oil wealth and corrupt with power, have rejected democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible power, McCain said during his 2008 RNC speech. They invaded a small, democratic neighbor to gain more control over the worlds oil supply, intimidate other neighbors, and further their ambitions of reassembling the Russian empire. He sees Russia as a bully with designs on rolling back the spread of democracy in Eastern Europe and controlling the Middle East with Iran, fundamentally threatening Americas place in the world. Putin wont stop until the cost of going forward is too high, McCain told me.

The senator has challenged presidents of both parties when their foreign-policy directives ran counter to his own. In his first term in Congress, he criticized Ronald Reagans decision to station peacekeeping Marines in Beirut with minimal defenses, which resulted in the deaths of 241 service personnel when a suicide bomber drove straight into the barracks. His battles with George W. Bush over tax cuts, torture, and U.S. strategy in Iraq became the stuff of Washington lore. And during the Obama years, McCain was one of the presidents fiercest foreign-policy critics, finding fault with his decision to pull troops from Iraq and his refusal to enforce his red line on Syria after Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his people.

And yet it would be grossly inaccurate to characterize McCain as a man of pure principle. Hes too complicated for that. What makes him inspiring  and infuriating  to people on both sides of the aisle is that, more than most politicians, his political acts span a particularly wide distance between courage and expediency. He is capable of true heroism and conspicuous political cowardice. Over the years, hes flip-flopped on some of his signature issues, from unfunded tax cuts to immigration reform to upholding Roe v. Wade. Hes often on the phone, dialing up friends and advisers to gauge their opinions and weigh the risks and rewards of various courses of action.

I get along with the Democrats, but please, Im not their hero. Theyre trying to use us. We will work with them, but have no doubt, their agenda is not our agenda.

This is how it came to be that the same McCain who cares so deeply about Americas standing in the world also cynically named as his 08 running mate Sarah Palin, thus arguably ushering in the era of Trumpism that he now finds so troubling. He still defends the choice. The media went after her like Ive never seen, he told me. They said she said, Oh, I can see Russia from here. Well, Russia is not that far from Alaska! They destroyed her in a way I will never forgive them. In private, he has been more candid. I regret running a small campaign, he told a friend.

Still, according to his advisers, McCains reaction to Trump is mostly from the point of view of his better angels. To an extent far greater than McCain himself will say, they describe McCain as finding Trump to be a true threat to the republic. McCain speechwriter Mark Salter said the Trump administration presents a challenge to the senators core values. McCain has always had empathy and compassion for oppressed people. It affects his views on torture and the way we should conduct ourselves in the world. Its anathema to the Trump-Bannon-Sessions worldview. Thats not really Realpolitik  its fanatical. Its bleak. Take their oil? Kill their families? Its like a cartoon villain and is against everything John McCain stands for.

The antipathy between the two started during the campaign when McCain criticized Trump for calling Mexicans rapists, attacking an Indiana-born judge of Mexican descent, and denigrating the Muslim parents of a slain Iraq War soldier. Trump said McCain wasnt a war hero because hed been captured by the North Vietnamese and so couldnt fight (I like people that werent captured, said Trump). Trump adviser Steve Bannons media arm, Breitbart, has gone after McCain repeatedly, even claiming he created isis. Bannon, who I dont know, was clearly doing the stories, McCain told me. On top of that, Trumps financial backers, Robert and Rebekah Mercer, donated heavily to a PAC backing McCains pro-Trump primary challenger.

Though many expected McCain to take a firm stand against Trump the candidate, he refused to join the Never Trump movement led by Mitt Romney. Romney was pissing on Trump in a way that almost made you feel bad for Trump, one McCain adviser told me. Some McCain associates said he was worried about reelection; others that it was party loyalty that kept him from publicly opposing Trump. Whatever the case, it wasnt until the Access Hollywood tape leaked in October that McCain announced he wasnt voting for Trump. Like most of the political Establishment, he thought Hillary Clinton was going to win. We had several discussions prior to the election about his hope he would be able to work well with Hillary Clinton, said McCains friend Grant Woods, an Arizona lawyer.

When Trump won instead, McCain decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Its hard to imagine, but McCain saw something of himself in the new outsider president, according to Woods. McCain had been reviled by the partys base much as Trump had been rejected by the GOP Establishment. Only eight years ago, John was the nominee of the GOP and wasnt the first choice of a lot of the party diehards, said Woods. He and his allies made the point that he won the nomination fair and square. Thats a complicating factor in his mind.

McCain wanted to work with Trump. During the transition, Trump called McCain and asked for recommendations for Defense secretary. McCain suggested David Petraeus, Mattis, and Ayotte. (She didnt support me! Trump told McCain.) McCain has supported all of Trumps Cabinet picks  Rex Tillerson, Jeff Sessions, Betsy DeVos, Tom Price, and Scott Pruitt  save one, budget director Mick Mulvaney, whom he views as anti-military. Ive always given presidents the benefit of the doubt on their nominees, McCain told me. With Obama, there were a number of nominees I had concerns about that I voted for. I think elections have consequences.

Beyond that, McCain recognizes the sway Trump has over a significant swath of the Republican electorate. There is frustration out there that to me is understandable. Theres a lot of friends of mine who are older white males that contact me all the time and say, Stick with Trump! Whats the matter with you, John? I said, Well, we have some disagreement about trade, and they say, You dont care about America! I try to be nice, but theyre fired up.

McCain thinks an increasingly divided nation is a bigger worry than the possibility of the Trump administrations turning into an authoritarian regime. I just dont think its possible in our society. Theres too many checks and balances. The danger is not Trump perverting our Constitution or taking too much power; the danger is the polarization of America.

Of course, the two dangers are not unconnected: The countrys polarization leads senators and congressmen to fear being primaried by more Trumpian candidates, and that in turn leads them to forget all about checks and balances. So far, Republicans in both houses have rallied around the new presidents appointments and policies. Even those who criticized Trump during the campaign, like Ted Cruz and Jeff Flake, are mostly falling into line. When I saw Cruz in the days after Flynns resignation, he stuck with the party line, saying how happy he was with Trumps conservative Cabinet picks. And Flake, though he issued a statement against the travel ban, has been generally supportive as well: In terms of regulations, repeal two for every one? Im excited about a lot, Flake told me.

For his part, McCain has wrestled with when and how to respond to Trumps statements and policies. Recently, he told his former presidential-campaign strategist John Weaver: I cant be the car alarm that always goes off. If I am, Im not effective. Still, McCain is sounding the alarm more and more frequently. The senator issued a statement blasting Trumps decision to abandon the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal. I just think we made a terrible mistake, he told me. Weve consigned 60 percent of the worlds economy to China. And of course there was his critical statement about the Trump-authorized Navy seal raid in Yemen that resulted in a seals death, some 30 Yemeni casualties including women and children, the destruction of a $75 million aircraft, and the end of U.S. ground operations there. These are challenging times, and I have to go my own way, McCain said. Its not disloyalty to the party.

Those acts of open criticism have put McCain in Trumps crosshairs. When McCain spoke out about the botched raid, Trump fired off a series of tweets: Sen. McCain should not be talking about the success or failure of a mission to the media. Only emboldens the enemy! Hes been losing so long he doesnt know how to win anymore. Although McCain has 2 million Twitter followers, he rarely uses the medium to respond to Trump directly. Instead, he relies on his social-media army of campaign volunteers, which he calls Troll Team Six. They attacked and responded to every attack, McCain said. To a large degree it neutered the campaigns against me.

Even for someone who is always keenly aware of the political calculus, navigating the Trump administration is challenging. For one thing, you never know where the president is going to come down on anything. I dont know what hes going to do, said McCain. Look at his stance on torture. Or everything. Hes been on all sides. He said intelligence groups are like Nazis, but then he said theyre the greatest in the world. So I have to judge him on what he does.

In the meantime, McCain is feeling pressure from all sides. He took heat from friends for defending Flynn in the weeks before he resigned because of revelations that he had lied about his conversations with the Russian ambassador about U.S. sanctions. What am I supposed to say? I cant be bad-mouthing everyone over there, McCain told an adviser. But when McCain does openly criticize Trump, he often finds himself on his own. Hes complained to friends that fellow Republicans arent backing him up. I keep looking behind me, and theres no one there, he recently told an adviser. When Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell nixed McCains initial request for a select committee on Russia, McCain groused to a friend that fucking Mitch aint gonna do it! (McCain denied saying this.)

If McCain is a lone dissenter, his opposition could get less and less traction. His power rests in his ability to persuade his fellow Republicans, but remaining relevant is also personal for him. He has seen it happen before  life leaving soon after power did. The commanding wooden desk in McCains office belonged to his predecessor, Barry Goldwater, who barely won reelection during his final campaign. When he left Washington, he never came back, McCain said. Next to the desk, McCain displays a photograph of his grandfather on the deck of the USS Missouri when the Japanese surrendered during WWII. The day after returning home from the Pacific in 1945, he died.

McCain is constantly weighing his legacy, torn between doing what it takes to stay effective inside his party and choosing the right moments to go his own way. He is a deeply ambivalent maverick. Still, McCains friends and advisers say this fight is the one he was made for. Whether McCain likes it or not, history has prepared him for this moment, Weaver told me. I talked to him just after Christmas. I said, I know, John, youve been through a lot in your life, but the countrys never needed you more than it does now. We live in dark times. And he said, Boy, you dont know how dark it is. 

Senator Lindsey Graham. Photo: Nigel Parry

Given the slumping poll numbers that accompanied Trumps erratic first weeks in office, some Republicans say its only a matter of time until skeptics like McCain can break with Trump without political consequences and even pull other members of the party with them. Based on my private conversations with Republicans, at first the feeling was, We want to make this work. But after the first week it was, Yikes, this isnt going to work,  said Weekly Standard editor-at-large Bill Kristol. The calculus is: We dont want to be accused of doing him in, but we dont want to go down with the ship either. 

Trumps bizarre appearance at CIA headquarters the day after assuming office seemed to be a major inflection point. The inauguration speech was bad. People were rattled, Kristol said. But on Saturday morning, people were sort of saying, Well, maybe that was the last gasp of the campaign. Hes going to the CIA this afternoon, and hes going to make up with the intelligence community. But then he goes and spends 15 minutes screaming about crowd size and attacking reporters. For insiders in Washington, that CIA speech was very big. Not incidentally, that speech may have further alienated the intelligence community, which now seems to have little reluctance to leak information to the press.

When I saw McCain two days after the CIA episode, it was one of the first things he brought up: I mean, most observers, whether theyre supporters or opponents, believe he should have gone and praised the CIA. Instead, he wandered off into areas that are just not appropriate.

Like Kristol, McCain thinks it will be easier to oppose Trump as his poll numbers go down. One thing politicians look at are ratings, and his ratings are going to continue to decline, he said. That means members of Congress will be more likely to resist things they do not agree with rather than roll over.

Already, a handful of other Republican senators  Graham, Roy Blunt, Bob Corker  are calling for Flynn to testify in Senate investigations on administration communications with Russia. (House Republicans remain much more circumspect.) Whether they persist in their pursuit of the truth, whatever it may be, and whether they can bring enough pressure to bear on congressional leadership to impanel an independent investigation, is undoubtedly the biggest test of the congressional check on executive power.

Proving that a foreign government helped install Trump as president would be a history-making feat  not to mention possibly lead to impeachment proceedings. So it is by no means McCains stated goal. Were clearly not there yet, he told me.

McCain is a savvy political operator, a former adviser said. He sees a critical mass building demanding investigations. He weighs in at the decisive moment to turn it to calls for a select committee, and ultimately hell be the person that tips it to calls for an independent-counsel investigation. If that happens, who knows what will be found? Suspicions are both dire and plausible. It was, after all, an independent counsel looking into Whitewater that led to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. If its found that there was collusion between senior officials in the Trump campaign and the Russian Federation, is that a criminal act? It puts us in uncharted waters, said the adviser.

McCain has been tracking the Russia issue since shortly before Thanksgiving, when he ran into Sir Andrew Wood, a former British ambassador to Moscow, at the Halifax Security Forum, a foreign-policy conference. Wood tipped McCain off about the now-infamous dossier that claimed Putin had compiled embarrassing information on Trump that could be used for blackmail, as well as allegations that the Trump campaign coordinated with Kremlin officials. I didnt know what to make of it, said McCain, but everyone knows the Russians do use women and sex when people go to Russia. Its an old KGB honeypot.

When McCain returned to Washington, he received a copy of the dossier. The next day, he delivered the documents to FBI director James Comey. I said, Its very important. Youre the person I want to give this to,  McCain recalled. Comey gave McCain the impression hed already been looking into it.

Since then, the drumbeat of news on the subject has gotten faster. On January 5, McCain held a widely attended hearing on Russian cyberoperations in which the then-director of national intelligence, James Clapper, testified that Russias pro-Trump strategy included hacking  classical propaganda, disinformation, fake news. On February 8, McCain attached his name to a bipartisan bill that would require Trump to get Congresss approval to lift Russian sanctions. On February 10, CNN reported that U.S. intelligence agencies had confirmed several pieces of information in the dossier. More damning, U.S. intelligence also found  and leaked  that Flynn had discussed sanctions with Russias ambassador and later lied about it to Pence. The cover-up led many to suspect Flynn had undermined the Obama administration by communicating to Russia that the soon-to-be-installed Trump administration would come to a more favorable decision on the sanctions.

I liked Flynn, said McCain. But obviously this is an example of the dysfunction. Now, he said, there are questions that need to be answered: When did Flynn know about anything to do with Russian interference? Why was there a gap of X number of days between the president being told and no action taken? What is the extent of the relationship between Flynn and the Russians?

I asked McCain why most of his fellow Republicans arent speaking up about Russias election interference and Trumps potential Russian ties. I frankly dont know, he said. Its not a chapter of Profiles in Courage.

McCains call for an independent commission will only get louder. While there are numerous Senate investigations in motion or being called for, the only way to coordinate efforts and see the big picture is to impanel a select committee. McConnell fears a select committee would derail the GOP agenda. But McCain continues to push. After 9/11, Joe Lieberman and I proposed a select commission. It took more than a year before they finally appointed it, so Im not giving up, McCain said. Were going on offense on Russia, agreed Graham, who, as a member of the Judiciary Committee, is calling for oversight of the FBIs investigation into Trumps ties to Russia.

In the meantime, the world keeps spinning, and McCain worries about Americas place in it. The national-security aspect isnt functioning, he said. Nobody knows whos making the decisions. The Iranians are testing. The Russians are testing. Theyre testing this administration. Who is making the decisions when we dont have a national-security adviser? On February 16, McCain traveled to Germany to shore up our European alliances that have been strained by Trumps close relationship with Putin. McCain compares Trump-Putin to Stalins nonaggression pact with Hitler, in which the two dictators tried to divvy up Europe between them  which worked until Hitler decided to launch an attack on Soviet positions anyway. Some have likened it to the Molotov-Ribbentrop spheres of influence, which said you have Eastern Europe and we have this. That doesnt work with dictators, said McCain. Putin is a KGB colonel who is bent on restoring the Russian empire.

McCain takes Putins global bullying personally. He points at a picture of a Russian opposition politician he keeps next to his desk. This here is Boris Nemtsov, he said. The physicist turned liberal politician was one of Putins fiercest critics and had become McCains friend. They last saw each other two years ago. He sat on that seat there, and I said, Boris, I dont think you should go back because theyll try and kill you. And he said, I have to go back. I love my country.  Upon his return, Nemtsov was shot four times from behind while crossing a bridge near Red Square. He was murdered in the shadow of the Kremlin, McCain said.

Two days after Flynn resigned, I visited McCain again at his office. He said Flynns ouster had caused the momentum to shift somewhat in his direction, but he was still grouchy that more Republicans werent onboard. An hour before we met, McConnell had once again told McCain that he wouldnt approve a select committee. Since Congress remains reluctant to hold Trump accountable, McCain said its going to be journalists responsibility to investigate and put pressure on Congress. What will move the needle, he thinks, is whats in the press, McCain said. Theres just too many people out there who have this information. How did this Flynn thing happen?

Of course, relying on the press also means relying on those who leak information to the press  a position that puts McCain once again at odds with the president, who has vowed to seek out and punish lowlife leakers. McCain acknowledged that leaks have the potential to do damage to national security. But he made a surprisingly impassioned case for them in an era when truth is hard to come by. In democracies, information should be provided to the American people, McCain said. How else are the American people going to be informed?

*This article appears in the February 20, 2017, issue of New York Magazine.
We can make fun of any name that sounds weird.



Who gives a shit.

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no but my aunt actually has the same name so this def pissed me off



fuck ellen and fuck this judge

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i mean a sign is public property once its put out there...you cant really sue cause a passerby saw it and laughed at it



I'm curious as to why the second part didnt stand...her phone number was published, it affected her business...

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I really hate that meme that makes fun of people's name thats been around on facebook for a while. especially because they're all people of colour

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what about that awful meme that was going around facebook thats like "tag mike and tell him to meet me behind this tree" using random pictures of people in the most obvious cyber-bullying ever.

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oh i hate that so much, its awful

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You mean the one where it plays part of a song, and then it shows the fb profile of a person whose name sounds like the last word of that song segment? Ugh so not funny at all

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I think making fun of ethnic (?) names is really shitty to be honest, but I didn't think something like this would get anywhere, anyway.





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There's no way people in other countries will pronounce every name the same way. My name is Irish yet pronounced wrong all the time, people just make their best guess. It's spelled Titi, and I don't think it's any sort of stretch to believe it would be pronounced the way Ellen said it nor do I even know what the correct pronunciation is.

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There's a difference between pronouncing something wrong because a language doesn't have the phonological inventory to produce an accurate pronunciation of a foreign name, and therefore have to approximate with what they have, and purposefully making fun of an ethnic name because it looks funny. We have the internet at our fingertips and it takes less than ten seconds to Google a name to check its pronunciation, and even if it were pronounced /'tti/, that wouldn't make it a punch line.



Ellen can't even claim the mispronunciation due to phonology, anyway. Sure, there are lots of languages that lack tense vowels, so /'titi/ might be difficulty for some speakers of L1s to approximate, but Ellen's joke hinges on the possibility that the first syllable's vowel is lax and the second one is tense, so there's really no excuse.



I am sorry your name gets mispronounced. People should Google harder.



Edited at 2017-02-18 04:23 am (UTC)

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/'tti/ is meaningless to me. I would have to hear it actually said out loud by someone, that's the only way I can learn pronunciation.



Edited at 2017-02-18 05:39 am (UTC)

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<3 your comment with your icon and username. ty.

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LIVING UP TO YOUR NAMESAKE SO PROUD.

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i moved to ireland and i'm trying to learn the language (well...sorta. i don't need to speak it but i'm just trying to absorb what i can...) since i am meeting/befriending so many people and their names sound nothing like the spelling. sometimes they ask me to spell things just to see how far off i am from reality. it's funny but frustrating!

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Idk if my name would be made fun of but I've definitely had wayyyyy too many white Americans ask me if I have an English name because my name is "too hard" for them to remember.

The icing on the cake is that I have one of the simplest names in my language and when my parents were choosing an English spelling for it, they purposely chose the one that would make it easier for English speakers to pronounce. Like, come on now.

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Are they over 60? I feel that ignoring a name for an English approximation is an old person thing.

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Nah, I've had people in their 30's ask for an English name but I have noticed that it is more of an old person thing in general. Unfortunately, a lot of people I know have just adopted English names because they get tired of having their name mispronounced and it makes me sad :(

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God people are so rude and disrespectful, I'm sorry. It's really not hard to pronounce a name if you just ask the person to repeat it for you.

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ignorant native english speakers have and will continue to mispronounce names , its just how it is and in order for them to be taken seriously in court you'd have to somehow change the ignorance and stupidity of billions of people...highly unlikely

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Lol who is that?

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carey price

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my name is sabrina, but when i tell a certain type of people my name they always ask me how i spell, as if they're looking for some ghetto fabulous spelling

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Heyyy my name's Sabrina too :D

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reading the first part of the sentence I thought the question might have been a play on Sabrina Spellman but then that took a turn

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??? how else could your name be spelt??

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Yes I do but it's my last name! I would fight Ellen tbh

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no, but i have a generic first name and an english last name and that + my speaking voice has made me notice the way people who've scheduled interviews with me in the past aren't expecting someone black to show up

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I find Ellen to be rather mean-spirited and often condescending with her guests. I don't like her style of humor at all.



BUT she's a gay icon and I am so glad she exists and does what she does

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fuck Ellen!

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That picture of her is really obnoxious

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Besides the mini comebacks she has during Christmas, which others does she refer to?

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Doesn't every artist make a comeback after being gone for a while? It might not be explicitly labelled as such unless they're not as good as they would like you to think and need the extra boost but it's a comeback nonetheless. The issue is that Mariah's comebacks are flops and keep getting worse the more she tries to keep up with the young girls instead of sticking to her strengths.

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She and Madonna have the same problem.



They used to set the trend, but now they are just trying to keep up with the latest pop girls and it affects the quality of the music they make.

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I do think Mariah and Britney get treated differently because they appears to have mental illnesses.



So if they have a mistake, it's a huge ordeal and then they have to "comeback".



If Justin Bieber or Drake had an issue, it wouldn't be an issue.

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she meant commercial comebacks, return to her former glory. holding someone up to unattainable standard set decades ago is understandably unfair. if her news albums/singles are not pushing millions, she's considered a flop, whereas current crops of acts like fifth harmony who probably sell even less are considered successful for the the most basic of efforts she mentioned in the interview.

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Hm I can see that but I think that's partly because she's undermining herself as well. She's legendary in her own right but she keeps acting like those struggle artists and frankly her "lol such a diva haha" shit is only cute for so long. If she dries herself out and starts acting like an adult I don't see why she can't clean up commercially. She's obviously never going to reach her glory days but Mariah herself is acting like she doesn't understand that either.

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I love you Mariah gurl but I ain't buying that earpiece excuse.



She just chose to give up and didn't even try. If the audience at Times Square can sing along to her songs, she sure as hell could have tried to sing karaoke style during Emotions and lipped We Belong Together like a pro. She could have at least tried but she let the whole snafu get the best of her.

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Also explain why your highnotes were prerecrorded. 



We'll wait.







Edited at 2017-02-18 04:38 am (UTC) Explain We Belong Together, MiMi.Also explain why your highnotes were prerecrorded. We'll wait.

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She doesn't need a comeback because she is cemented as a true legend (after Emancipation she got that status imo) and that can never be taken away from her.



These days she can do what she wants but it just sucks for the lambs (like myself) who just wish she was still slaying and not being inconsistent musically and embarrassing as a person.





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The people she has around her doesn't help either

Apparently Stella and her kids moved into Mariahs place? I don't know if it's true though but I wouldn't be surprised

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They basically do spend every moment together and Stella has obviously been making herself the person Mariah depends on and isolating her from other people.



I feel bad because it's clear she's always searching for a stable support person in her life, it just always has to be manipulators who steer her wrong. I wish she could just take the twins and retire in Aspen and pop up for a duets album every now and then.





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true facts

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Well she's not lying

And I kinda feel like she gets criticized a lot more than other artists tbh



Also I love when she just sings mid interview

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I mean maybe there were a few ott insults thrown her way after her performance but I don't how she doesn't see that giving up on even attempting to perform was okay to most people?



Idk I just have mixed feelings about what she's saying here because while people are quick to insult her for dumb things or bash for no reason I think her attempts at keeping her career a float haven't been good and her new years performance (if you can even call it that) was a disaster.



There may be "haters" or whatever but shit isn't working as it is.



Idk I guess the inability to self reflect is grating on me here but I guess I shouldn't expect much.

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Because she only had one comeback with "the emancipation of Mimi"

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I assume the comebacks are because you need coins. Otherwise why not just live a quiet life?

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a delayed musical moment lmao

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Its weird how she has cemented herself as iconic yet she still doesnt command the respect that whitney or celine have, she is the one everyonr makes fun of :/

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has celine or whitney ever acted as desperate or tryhard as mariah tho? respect is earned and i completely understand why ppl clown her the way that they do...if you act like a joke, you're gonna get treated like one.

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idk celine only commands respect bcoz she kinda stayed in her lane and let her mainstream career die while she's earning millions from vegas and france while whitney's death is why she's respected now. if she's still breathing she'll still be a crackwhore to ppl's eyes.



mariah (like madonna) still likes being relevant, which has it's pros and cons. the cons are overpowering the pros atm tho.

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Whitney got shit on a LOT during the Bobby Brown era and when she did her comeback tour.

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both whitney and celine get made fun of constantly too

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I mean...

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It's been two decades since Midnight Oil did a world tour and only a handful of gigs have peppered the time between now and 2002, when frontman Peter Garret decided to focus on his political career. They will play over fifty shows in six months with a full tour of Australia including many regional stops as well as shows in South America, the US, Canada and Europe.- In 1990 played an impromptu protest concert out the front of the Exxon headquarters in New York. The then CEO is now the Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson.was their biggest international hit. Back in 1988.- Known mostly for their protest music dealing with indigenous australian rights, environmental activism and native title.- Have had backlash for selling the aboriginal australian experience to white people.- Performed at the Sydney Olympics closing ceremony in black clothes with "sorry" printed in white. This was a direct response to then Prime Minister John Howard's refusal to apologise to the stolen generation while citingas his favourite Oils song.- Lead signer Peter Garrett is famous for his unashamedly dad dance moves.- Cite the current political climate as a reason for their return. Source and here
I just finished this book a little over a month ago and it was fascinating. Can't wait to watch this!

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This is one of most favorite books. The story is so interesting.

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Me too. Just did the same.

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the book is amazing and sad. go buy it today, you won't regret it.

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http://www.radiolab.org/story/91716-henriettas-tumor/ I'd never heard of this until Radiolab podcast did an episode on the story.

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That's how I found out about it and it inspired me to read the book.

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Love Courtney B Vance, Oprah, and Rose Byrne so I'm gonna watch this

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Great cast!



The book was so messed up.

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This story is so messed up. I have the book, but haven't read it yet.



I love a lot of this cast so I'm definitely gonna check this out.



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this cast though!!!



i'm really excited for this. the book was crazy and how little the family has when the cells gave the medical world so much

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I can't wait for this

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Her story is wild. It's so unfair that the pharmaceutical industry can make millions off her cells and her family gets nothing.

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i wish i had HBO

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download when it leaks sis

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This book was so popular in my local library when it first came out. I'm looking forward to this adaption!

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I seriously love this book so much. I can't wait to see this film.

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This book was frustrating for me. The story was fascinating (and maddening) but I also had a hard time understanding the perspective of the family, how it seemed they thought she was still alive and being tortured through her cells or something. It was very strange to me.

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haven't read the book but remember that part in one of the reviews and i thought it was really sad that they were so ignorant?

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To me it was frustrating at how ignorant the family was regarding science

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MTE the author misled them about several scientific aspects imo.

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I forgot they were adapting this book!

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I'm so disgusted with this travel ban bullshit I can't even articulate it properly



embarrassed and apologetic on behalf of America to the rest of y'all. I know we haven't ever really been shit but this is all a new low

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it's like we haven't learned from our mistakes in the past. trump has gone full Nixon in a month. spineless ryan and turtle mcconnell really dgaf bc trump is basically a decoy for all the heinous shit they're doing BTS.

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I feel like so many people really don't ever learn from past mistakes. Like, I've had people in my life who I feel like I have been watching burn themselves on a hot stove for YEARS, and they still haven't learned not to touch it, it's beyond frustrating to watch in both individuals and on a large scale.

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I still can't believe THAT is what you guys have in the White House. That THAT is allowed to behave the way it has and be corrupt and incompetent as it is and still have supporters.



I feel so bad for Americans rn, and I didn't even feel that when Bush 2 was in office. I mean, the leader of your nation is not only a danger, he's a fucking embarrassment to all of you.

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Speaking as a non-American, I legit feel awful you guys ended up w this in the POTUS seat. Your country may be an ass in the foreign policy area but your people don't deserve this.

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lol quite accurate about Trump voters not giving a shit about Foreign movies or even the Oscars themselves. Boycotting won't actually do much in this case.





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Yeah but that's his stand and given the circumstances I see why he wants to boycott



I mean, it's not as if my nobody brown ass taking tourist money to Mexico instead of the US makes any difference either, but shit feels personal so ppl react accordingly.

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I mean I disagree, Asghar Farhadi made international headlines when he announced he was boycotting and it helps put a face to what's happening.



Also it would mean a lot if white famous non-American celebs like Gosling or Andrew Garfield would boycott in solidarity but of course they won't.

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Yeah it puts a face for people who already disagree with it. People who agree with the ban do not care at all.Whether it's a famous director or a doctor who work in the US or a refugee. They care that he's Muslim, nothing more. They hate "Hollywood elites" anyways why would they care that a foreigner is boycotting one of Hollywood's self congradutory events?





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Sweden's nominee Hannes Holm thinks a boycott is pointless because Trump voters don't care about the Oscars.



oh, but they do. especially their Fuhrer.

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yeah, trumpers don't give a fuck if these directors come or not. i need the oscars to be one big "fuck trump" night tbh. every single one of these overpaid bozos needs to pull a meryl on stage. u kno mango mussolini will be hate tweeting that shit. i still haven't seen any of the foreign movies. boo @ me. toni erdmann looks so... exhausting tbh. and too long. man named ove looks cute tho.

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Does anyone have any updates on the travel ban? I know Trump's team is trying hard to put it into place, but is it possible/likely they will do it again soon? As a Canadian with a background from one of the 7 countries on it, I'm definitely worried about the future of traveling to the US (I know I wouldn't be directly impacted but lbr, they've been holding back anyone they choose from the countries). :/



Edited at 2017-02-18 06:39 pm (UTC)

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edited to add: if you have background on those 7 countries, don't even come to the US. UKers and Canadians have been turned away just by visiting one of those 7 countries. They're also requiring to go through your phone. They turned away a Canadian woman, who was born in Morocco, because she had a muslim prayer app. There is also a bill trying to get passed that required a review of your social media accounts for a visa.



Edited at 2017-02-18 06:53 pm (UTC) No one really knows when the new one will come. It could be next week, or the week after that. I suppose we'll see a leak of it soon. This came out just 3 minutes ago. http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/320243-mattis-new-travel-ban-will-be-phased-in-exempt-green-card-holders edited to add: if you have background on those 7 countries, don't even come to the US. UKers and Canadians have been turned away just by visiting one of those 7 countries. They're also requiring to go through your phone. They turned away a Canadian woman, who was born in Morocco, because she had a muslim prayer app. There is also a bill trying to get passed that required a review of your social media accounts for a visa.

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Thanks so much for all this! That's so horrifying. :/ I can't believe this is all still really happening.



To your second part I was afraid of that, esp. after the stories I've heated. I luckily have no immediate plans to go, but it sucks because I definitely wanted to visit this year.

As for the social media I've been cleaning i up because i heard of that. I can't even tweet stuff against him now, and yet his idiot followers always talk about 'free speech'.

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Yeah, like the other person said, don't even bother rn :( Some of my wholesome-looking xtian white female Canadian friends are practically getting strip searched at the Canadian border. No travel or family backgrounds related to ANYTHING Middle Eastern, let alone the 7 countries. The only reason they bothered crossing was because of a trip they had planned for months. One friend had her computer temporarily confiscated and she has no idea what they did to it before giving it back to her. They said none of them were asked to hand over their phones but that the atmosphere was very, very threatening. Again, these were white women with no flagged backgrounds or any ties to Islam or the Middle East :\ Just trying to get from their native Canada to a freakin' US airport.

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I don't want to sit out in the cold, but that's pretty cool.

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omggg that's so cool!!!

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that's awesome, and the movie is really good

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That's awesome! The theatre I work at happens to be showing The Salesman on the same day as the Oscars and I'd make it a political statement of some kind if I could, but unfortunately the theatre manager is a Trump supporter. :( I guess I should just be glad we're showing it at all.

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Did yall see that Comey met with top Senate folks in a closed door briefing for like three hours on Friday after Trump left DC? Apparently he showed up unannounced. Praying something juicy and super incriminating was discussed.

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Do you guys really think anything will be done?



Republicans aren't likely to investigate him even if that Comey asshole gives them anything, those fuckers.

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idk but I'm hoping something leaks to the press so that we can hype up public outrage to put more pressure on them. Marco Rubio did tweet something about believing that there will for sure be a bipartisan investigation a couple hours after the Comey meeting, but he's a spineless twat so who knows if that's true.

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It will happen because the leaks aren't going to stop until congress acts. they'll do shit nothing until the public knows. just like with flynn.

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A lot of Republicans are terrified of Cheeto Hitler. But Mcconnell and Ryan are assholes who don't give a fuck. The IC will continue to leak shit out so they can force Congress' hand in the matter. I'm sure theres damaging info on Chaffetz, Ryan, and mcconnell which is why they aren't pursuing any investigation.



Edited at 2017-02-18 08:10 pm (UTC)

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I was re-listening to the Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast on McCarthyism, and it honestly gave me some hope for the future??? It goes in-depth into how much the press coverage/public opinion eventually turned the tide against McCarthy/HUAC. The televised hearings + Edward R. Murrow's reporting changed a lot of people's minds and got them angry enough to get involved and put pressure on Congress.



These politicians only care about saving their own hides - the moment Trump becomes too toxic/politically disadvantageous for them, they will drop him like a sack of rocks. But we have to keep applying pressure until it gets to that breaking point.

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Sweden's nominee Hannes Holm thinks a boycott is pointless because Trump voters don't care about the Oscars.



It's the principle of it you overprivileged fuck



I hope you lose

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also funny it's the people who aren't personally affected by the ban who espouse complacency to a boycott like of course it's easy for you to not give a shit or see it as not a viable sign of protest without offering some alternative because at the end of the day it still won't affect you







Edited at 2017-02-18 08:04 pm (UTC)

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I mean, the gesture still means something. I was hoping more people would boycott it out of solidarity but the ones who go and the winners will make political speeches but I guess you can't hope for that urgency from everyone who isn't directly affected, I guess.

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He can direct me in the bedroom. I'll be his sub pussy faggot.

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first thought in my head once I read the title was "he can direct this pussy" hahaha

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I have NO idea what this Trump campaign rally is about, but Melania just walked on stage and said the Lord's Prayer in front of members of a known black doomsday cult and it's getting legit whack fast.

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i am watching this rn and i was rolling my eyes so hard at that and those self hating fools in the background.

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Looking at Air Force One @ MIA. Why is he campaigning instead of creating jobs & fixing Obamacare? Get back to work for the American people!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2016



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Yup :(

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I am watching and so so so angry already. What is with the signs. These people weren't allowed to bring their own signs and were given them on their way in. Conveniently 6 of the same "blacks for trump 2020" signs being held up right behind the podium.



Also, why is trump and all of his security not wearing ties?

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i can't watch this anymore. the gov't is such a fucked up mess right now and i cannot even with them claiming all the criticism is fake news and lying about every fucking thing. how long before we're involved in some bs war?

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i see these strategically placed POC's in the background

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ok who is this random mf on stage? what is he on?

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I can't watch but it's refreshing that Melania actually read something with attribution, instead of reading the Lord's Prayer and trying to pass it off as something she wrote herself. I think this is a first.



Srsly, a campaign rally for the 2020 election, less than 30 days after he took office? The man is insane, a threat to national security, and the GOP will pay for this one way or the other.

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my dream man

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I like Cary (and his face) but this isn't a project i would watch. It's just one of those events i hate seeing depicted on screen, no matter how tastefully.

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I don't have a problem with him, but this has already been done so many times before. Fat Man and Little Boy, Hiroshima, Enola Gay, Day One, Copenhagen, Above and Beyond, Infinity, The Manhattan Project and many more. I guess it's an endlessly fascinating subject.

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No idea who he is but I like his face. Come to mama.

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SIS



YOU. ARE. MISSING. OUT.



Hes super talented. And pretty. And now im crying

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Will I ever get his adaptation of The Black Count???? Will I???? I love him so I watch this if he doesn't quit it.

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My lord, that picture is doing things to me. The project sounds interesting.

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I guess this might be interesting.

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he is so hot omg

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uuuh this isnt really my cup of tea

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He's so good looking I'm kinda sad he isn't an actor.

Also always here for his projects. He's so talented.

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He's gonna be one of those men that age like fine wine. Unf!

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he is very hot but rather overrated as a director. except for jane eyre and that one ep of true detective (which was also racist) nothing he has done is worth praise



beasts of no nation was basic visually and it also ended up being racist.

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you should watch sin nombre

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I love that film. He needs to start writing original material again.

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my first thought exactly

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that film is so unappreciated t b h

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Two times last winter, Australians living in the country's eastern region paid more than twice as much for natural gas as did Japanese customers taking delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the same region. (Australia has three separate natural gas pipeline networks which create three domestic natural gas markets, Eastern, Northern and Western.)

The price spikes had eastern natural gas users, particularly business users, hopping mad about what they perceive as foolish energy policy. That policy, they say, gives away Australian energy resources at bargain prices to foreign countries while making domestic industries that are reliant on those resources less competitive because of high energy costs. In addition, the new volatility in gas prices makes planning difficult and expansion financially risky.

The dust-up in Australia has some people thinking that the same thing could happen in the United States, something I pointed out in 2013. In the United States the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved natural gas export terminals with a capacity of 17 billion cubic feet (bcf) per day. That represents 19 percent of current U.S. natural gas production. If all terminals for which applications are pending or expected are included, the number goes up to 42 bcf per day or about 47 percent of current production. Only one U.S. export facility is currently in operation in the lower 48 states. Another facility in Alaska has been exporting LNG to Asia since 1969.

It's worth noting that U.S. marketed natural gas production is down a little over 1 percent for the 12-month period ending November 2016. During the same 12-month period net imports were about 654 bcf or about 2.7 percent of total consumption. That's right. The United States remains a net importer of natural gas even as it contemplates a major expansion of LNG export capacity.

Back in Australia electricity blackouts in the state of South Australia are being blamed partly on the mothballing of a major new natural-gas-fired electric generating plant. The operator had contracted for large deliveries of natural gas at low prices to fuel the plant. But with the price of LNG exports from Australia soaring, it became so profitable to resell the gas for export that the plant was never opened. (That was before the domestic price spike. But by then the plant's gas was already committed.)

The rapid expansion of natural-gas-fired electricity generating plants in the United States leaves the country vulnerable to similar dynamics that also include higher electricity rates. Most utilities get to pass fuel price increases on to their customers. And, LNG exporters cannot withhold deliveries and sell their contracted gas back into the domestic market if prices spike. They are obliged by long-term contracts with their customers to deliver. In addition, LNG customers are typically bound by take-or-pay contracts which oblige them to take LNG deliveries or pay for them anyway. Which do you think they'll choose to do? Related: OPEC Ready To Cut Deeper

The U.S. natural gas industry argues that natural gas production is bound to rise and keep on rising for a long time. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is forecasting a continuous increase in annual U.S. production through 2050 when production is supposed to reach 40 trillion cubic feet (tcf), up from just 26.5 tcf in 2016. The EIA is basing its forecast on dramatic gains in so-called shale gas production since conventional gas production continues to decline.

But the reality is already much different. As geoscientist David Hughes tells us in Shale Gas Reality Check published in December 2016:

Shale gas production overall has declined by 4.7% since peaking in February 2016 (down 2.1 billion cubic feet per day...). All shale plays have peaked and older plays, like the Barnett and Haynesville, are down 38% and 52%, respectively.

Higher prices might turn the trend around. But higher prices will also make LNG exports less attractive to world markets. A deeper reading of Shale Gas Reality Check--which provides detailed analysis of all major shale gas plays based on actual production trends, not company press releases--suggests a declining U.S. natural gas industry rather than a growing one in the years ahead.

The industry promise of large and growing supplies at low prices was a fiction from the beginning designed to get regulators to approve export facilities that would bring U.S. natural gas prices closer to world levels--and thus make the natural gas industry more profitable.

There is actually a principled argument for the industry position. But it would be popular neither with voters nor with the legislators who represent them, and the industry understood this. Here is the argument: The natural gas industry should be allowed to sell its products to the highest bidder anywhere in the world just like every other industry in America. If we are now truly in a global economy, then natural gas should become a global commodity and Americans should pay the global price.

Some governments, however, perceive that the central role of energy in the economy warrants special rules that retain domestic energy sources for domestic uses. After all, nothing gets done without energy. Along these lines the Australian government is currently getting an earful from irate natural gas business and household customers.

In theory, environmentalists should be content to see fossil fuel prices including natural gas prices drift higher in the United States. That makes renewable energy more attractive to investors. But environmentalists fear that providing an outlet for America's shale gas via LNG to world markets will only make the environmental nightmare associated with fracking in shale gas fields that much worse. The industry would then be able to go after deposits that only higher world prices make viable. Related: How Long Can The Permian Craze Continue?

In all likelihood, many of the proposed LNG export projects in the United States will never be built. Glutted world LNG markets are giving investors pause. As it turns out, the U.S. natural gas industry wasn't the only one that saw opportunity in gaining access to the LNG export market.

Whether the United States will see more frequent natural gas price spikes or an overall long-term increase in domestic natural gas prices will depend partly on how investors and regulators perceive the availability of future U.S. natural gas supplies and the conditions of the LNG export market. On balance, the evidence suggests that they remain too optimistic about both.

By Kurt Cobb via Resource Insights

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Its difficult to ascertain what non-OPEC, and even some OPEC members, will do about future supply cuts. According to energy trader, Martin Tillier, 90 percent compliance is a good sign for OPEC, but Venezuela, UAE and Iraq arent following commitments. Contrary signals are also coming from Nigeria and Libya. Libya is a wildcard due to the Misrata militia, the Libyan National Guard, and Government of Nation Accord all struggling for power. New specters of doubt have also been raised about whether Nigeria will be able to deliver the vast amounts of new oil to the market that it had promised.

Although OPEC has reported a respectable compliance rate, prices are still struggling to reach the $60-70 range because of oversupply concerns. The market is having a tough time finding equilibrium, and U.S. shale producers are now ramping up production, causing prices to stay in the mid-50s. These are all interesting aspects of energy markets, but there are other factors to consider.

What investors should begin concerning themselves with, more than President Trumps energy policies, shale producers, and OPEC compliance, are the two dynamics that could make oil jump significantly in the future  the geopolitical rumblings coming from Iran and North Korea.

These geopolitical-investment risks are financial pieces not being mentioned enough for WTI and Brent. Both countries have shown belligerent signals in the last couple of weeks, and while this doesnt bode well for consumers, it could prove to be a financial windfall for the oil and gas industry.

Recently, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) reported the discovery of multiple new fields, holding up to 30 billion barrels of oil. Currently, Iran is already ramping up exports to Europe in spite of other OPEC members cutting back on exports. Iran is now nearing an oil production of around 4 million bpd.

Higher exports and increased oil production gives Iran billions in additional resources to fund its military and controversial ballistic missile program. However, the major uncertainties for energy markets are whether the Iranians continue flouting United Nations (UN) ballistic missiles sanctions. This geopolitical event, by a powerful nation and member of OPEC, reveals the underlying significance and implications of future energy developments.

For investors, the Iranians are not the pre-sanction weakling they once were, but instead, are a rising global energy powerhouse with the means and capability to develop any type of military weapon system they deem necessary for the regimes survival.

The western world and Iran began pursuing detente towards normalizing relations in 2015 with the nuclear weapon agreement between the P5 + 1. Markets welcomed those stabilizing signals, but that isnt the case anymore. Iran is now a Middle East hegemonic force that must be understood by oil and gas investors and firms.

Nicholas Hereas of the Center for a New American Security believes:

In order to confront Iran or push back more fiercely against it, you may find youre in a conflict far more far-reaching and more destructive to the global economy.

This plausible scenario could cause oil markets to return to the days when wars in Iraq, Sunni-Shiite tensions, and Hezbollah fighting Israel in Lebanon caused oil to rise above $100 a barrel. Only focusing on supply and E&P profitability, without considering geopolitical-investment risk, could either be a boon or a curse depending on your position. Hedge funds have taken long bets on oil rising, but wars and conflicts cause markets and governments to move in unforeseen ways.

This is why The Institute for the Study of War in a recent report said:

For the first time in its history, Iran has developed the capacity to project conventional military force for hundreds of miles beyond its borders. This capability, which very few states in the world have, will fundamentally alter the strategic calculus and balance of power within the Middle East. Related: OPEC Ready To Cut Deeper

The abovementioned developments could increase the geopolitical risk premium on oil for energy investors, and markets overall. Having an investment risk equation that doesnt account for how Iran acts in the Middle East, now that their influence stretches from Tehran to the Mediterranean, while simultaneously fighting conflicts in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen seems misguided. Unfortunately, political risk and production are now equal partners when it comes to Iran and oil prices.

North Korea is never mentioned in relation to oil prices, but could be the biggest reason oil prices skyrocket. Thae Yong-ho, one of the highest-ranking officials in the North Korean government to ever defect ardently, believes Kim Jong-un would attack the U.S. with nuclear weapons if his regime were on the brink of failure. Mr. Yong-ho elaborates:

His ability to wreak harm should not be underestimated if his very survival were threatened he would lash out and destroy whatever he could and once there was an effective nuclear arsenal the leader would be prepared to use it.

In early February, North Korea tested a ballistic missile which could be used to further its quest for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). A U.S. Pentagon spokesman, Navy Captain Jeff Davis stated:

North Korea openly states that its ballistic missiles are intended to deliver nuclear weapons to strike cities in the United States, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan.

For investors to not imagine, or have developments built into your investments where North Korea has the ability to strike major oil producers and consumers doesnt seem shrewd. The difficult part for oil and gas investors are how to measure into your portfolio the advancement of the North Korean missile program.

Additionally, China is now angered that North Korean and Iranian sanctions placed on those countries have affected Chinese firms. China has close economic and diplomatic ties with both countries, but particularly North Korea, with whom they share a border. North Korea needs China since they are its biggest trading partner, along with its main source of food, arms and energy. Despite all this, China has allowed North Korea to continue multiple nuclear tests, and doesnt appear likely to stop them anytime soon. Related: Is The Bakken A Bust?

Long-arching trends have been building up between North Korea and western-aligned nations for decades. At least Iran has OPEC and Russia to influence its political agenda, but North Korea only has China to keep it from having a negative enduring impact on the global economy. It is hard to imagine that China would allow North Korea to fire off an ICBM if it would have a lasting impact on the stability in the region, inflicting serious economic damage upon the Chinese economy. The South China Sea standoff is just one example of confrontational geopolitics and economic trade colliding  and the results could be disastrous  unless properly managed.

Relative oil and gas price stability has returned since prices have risen in the last few months, but 2017 could see energy upheaval along with too much supply. Geopolitical turmoil could cause everything within the energy value chain to wildly escalate; catching investors and energy firms flat-footed, the way the housing crisis in 2008 caught many banks off guard. The economics of oil and gas can manifest frustration in many ways, but what shouldnt be overlooked, is how Iran and North Korea are impacting the geopolitical risk premium for markets.

By Todd Royal for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
In a recent edition of his widely-followed newsletter (The Gartman Letter, 7 February 2017), commodities king Dennis Gartman observed that, As of mid-week last week, the hedge fund community was long nearly 1.0 billion barrels of crude while short only a bit more than 100 million barrels. This is the most decidedly one-sided position held by the funds since the late winter of 14.

Why is informed money so long and what are the fundamental grounds for all this institutional investor enthusiasm?

In an overview of the supply/demand dynamics of the crude oil market, Nick Cunningham highlighted not only the glut in WTI, but also the product glut. Oil and refined products inventories in the U.S. continue to climb at a worrying pace, raising some red flags for an oil market that was supposed to be on the mend. The factors being discussed here include:

 Crude oil inventories in the U.S. now exceed 500 million barrels, having risen every week of 2017, and are not far off their 80-year highs reached in 2016.

 Gasoline inventories are also rising significantly and now stand at over 260 million barrels.

 The rig count in the U.S. is at just under 600 and U.S. production is at just under 9 million bpd  both clearly on the rise.

 Demand in the U.S., Europe, India and China is far from robust based on anecdotal reports from a variety of sources, including shipping brokers and futures merchants.

 The OPEC freeze has come at a time of the normal refinery maintenance season in the Mideast. Even if OPEC has succeeded in reducing supply by one million or so barrels per day, thats still only a little over 1 percent of daily demand, and it can swing the other way the moment the Saudis or anyone else wishes it to. Related: How Long Can The Permian Craze Continue?

Nick concludes, The sudden and sharp increase in both crude oil and refined product stocks is a warning sign for oil traders that have by and large been betting on a tightening market and rising prices.

So Whats the Disconnect?

In a Reuters interview published in March 2011, Craig Donohue, then chief executive of the CME, parent of the NYMEX, commenting on the amount of machine-driven trading in the crude oil futures market said, As a rough guide 45 percent is proprietary electronic trading and a smaller percentage of that is true high frequency algorithmic trading, adding that automated volumes on equities were around 30 percent higher.

Today, six years on, estimates vary, but that number is considerably higher. On an asset-class by asset-class basis, machine-driven trading accounts for far and away the bulk of trading in major public markets today, from crude to equities.

In a recent publication from the members-only LinkedIn group, Algorithmic Traders Association, published November 28, 2016, Jonathan Kinlay, PhD, Head of Research & Trading at Systematic Strategies LLC JonathanAlgorithmic Trading, provided a plain-English explanation of machine-driven trading and in particular how computers can be taught to read the financial press just as we normal humans do. Ill abridge his comments: Text and sentiment analysis has become a very popular topic in quantitative research over the last decadeIn the early days, the supply of machine readable content was limited to mainstream providers of financial news such as Reuters or Bloomberg. Over time this has changed with the entry of new competitors in the provision of machine-readable news, including, for example, Ravenpack or more recent arrivals like Accern. Providers often seek to sell not only the raw newsfeed service, but also their own proprietary sentiment indicators that are claimed to provide additional insight into how individual stocks, market sectors or the overall market are likely to react to news. Related: Trump Burning Bridges In Iraq Over Take The Oil Comments

The key point is that financial journalistic verbiage is stripped down to key words or sentiment indicators, words or phrases like successful, market discipline, supply reduction, exceeding targets, etc. , and the so-called news-trading algorithm is based on the distribution curve of such sentiment. Orders to the futures pits follow. Doubtless this is a gross simplification, and Jonathans article bears reading for anyone not aware of the pervasiveness of machine-driven trading.

But the critical point is this: did anybody say anything about supply and demand here?

If machines really are the new market-makers in the crude oil futures market, then the prices they are spewing out may be as much a mirage as that found when travelling in the OPEC desert of misinformation and fake news.

By Brian Noble for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Its easy to take for granted what lies in our backyard, year after year. The Yellowstone River has been a part of my life for 25 years now. Ive fished it, swam in it, hunted and camped along the banks, and have been blessed to experience its beauty with friends and family.

Im the president and CEO of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association. Our members across the country depend on us to be the voice that keeps the fly-fishing industry growing sustainably. While we promote the purchase of fly-fishing gear and the work of our member retailers and guides, we know that without clean rivers for trout, salmon, and steelhead, our industry is dead in the water. We work closely with local groups  our neighbors  who protect, enhance and restore fishing waters. I represent the industry nationally, but I live here in Montana where our blue ribbon trout streams remind us of our good fortune.

Thats why I support the recent timeout on gold mining on public lands in the Paradise Valley. The Yellowstone River and its blue ribbon trout fishery cannot be jeopardized by ill-planned mining developments nearby. Last summers devastating whitefish die-off was a painful reminder that this river system is fragile. We must keep the Yellowstone River clean and healthy, producing bugs and trout for generations to come.

Protecting the Yellowstone also protects the backbone of a thriving fishing economy, both in Park County and in Montana as a whole. A whopping 40 percent of all people who came to Montana in 2016 to fish did so in Park County (page 62 in the latest issue of Mountain Outlaw magazine). Fishing in Park County generates $70 million each year. Outdoor recreation in Montana as a whole is a $5.8 billion industry. The whitefish die-off last year prompted Montana to close the Yellowstone for several weeks, costing Park County an estimated $524,000.

In the spirit of AFFTA supporting local groups that protect local waters, I also support the mining timeout because local business leaders asked for it. The Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition is made up of 300 regional business owners who oppose these risky developments. Fishing and angling companies account for 25 of those businesses, and those at Simms Fishing Products says its a no-brainer when it comes to protecting the Yellowstone River.

All 300 business owners are united with the same message: Protect our jobs from the devastation any mining accident or pollution could bring to the Paradise Valley and its thriving economy. This group isnt red or blue; its purple bipartisan. I dont have to tell you how rare this is today. Lefty enviros and staunch local Republicans are nodding in agreement on this issue, as are Rep. Ryan Zinke (R) and Sen. Jon Tester (D). With Rep. Zinke poised to become our next secretary of the Interior, locals in Paradise Valley feel confident their voices will continue to be heard in Washington, D.C..

Now we need to keep this momentum going. Heres what you can do: Go to dontmineyellowstone.com and with two clicks, send a comment to the Forest Service. They need to hear from you. They want to know that you support this, and they want to hear why. Tell them theyre doing the right thing.

Lets protect the Yellowstone River and the fly-fishing industry, as well as the 300 area businesses that want to protect jobs from this terrible idea to mine next to Yellowstone. Join me in speaking up for this mining pause supported by Montanans of all political stripes. Tell the Forest Service today: Yellowstone is more valuable than gold.
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...


"challenging fun"

- Entertainment Weekly

Dear Paul, I just dreamed of airships flying between raindrops. I just returned from 2042 CE, where I sold my hardcover copy offor seventy million Neo-Euros, because it had your response to this e-mail from way back in 2007 scotch-taped onto the inside of the cover. A Paul Levinson collector paid top Neo-Euro, because of the authentic archaic e-mail printout from you. It turns out that not many of your e-mails from before your tenure as CEO of HBO/Cinemax and terms as United Nations Secretary General will survive that far into the future. So, please respond to this e-mail, to help found my great-grandchildren's fortune. My Will will stipulate that they must share with your great grandchildren. Thanks! Tom
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Work on Laurels water intake project has continued, weather permitting, through the winter, but some officials are still pressing the state to fund a part of it.

A bill pending in the Montana Legislature would put $2.5 million from the state general fund toward the Laurel project, which could end up costing as much as $12 million. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Lenz, R-Billings, is the latest move in a dispute between the town and Gov. Steve Bullocks administration.

The state has declined to pay a 25-percent match to disaster funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Laurel officials believe the state should pay that portion for the intake project, which they say was needed after a 2011 flood shifted the riverbed.

We have the law behind us, and I can cite nothing that says otherwise, said Laurel City Councilman Tom Nelson. Its plain and simple. Theyre required to pay the 25-percent match.

FEMA approved more than $42 million in public assistance for Montana following disaster declarations by President Barack Obama and then-Gov. Brian Schweitzer. The intake project was among those approved by the federal agency.

The intake brings water to Laurel residents and the CHS refinery. After years of issues with the intake, Laurel officials moved to build a replacement. That project replaces the old intake with a new one, a few miles upstream, where FEMA determined problems to be less likely.

To receive relief funding, FEMA requires a 25-percent match of the total project cost, which normally comes from the state disaster fund. The Montana Disaster and Emergency Services department disburses that money.

The disaster fund paid on two other Laurel projects after the floods  bank stabilization along the Yellowstone River and boat ramp repairs in Laurel, Nelson said. But the governors office has declined to put money toward the intake project.

Andrew Huff, chief legal counsel to Bullock, wrote to Nelson on Dec. 2, saying that "the DES informed the city of Laurel long before it submitted its application to FEMA that the state would not fund the new water intake system from the disaster fund.

The governors office hasnt produced evidence of this notice, and those involved with the Laurel project say it didnt happen.

If you talk with people in Laurel  the city council members, the city manager  they're pretty much under the impression that they had a commitment from the state exactly opposite of that, that the state had committed the funds and later withdrew them," said state Rep. Kelly McCarthy, D-Billings.

In the letter, Huff also cited federal statutes that say it's the state's responsibility to reimburse the 25-percent match to FEMA, but that amount can be paid "both by the grantee (State) or the subgrantee (the City)."

In other words, theres no legal obligation for the state to cover that portion.

"In the present situation, however, the executive never determined that building an entirely new Laurel water intake system justified expenditures from the disaster fund," Huff wrote.

Nelson is relying partly on the Stafford Act, a federal disaster relief and assistance law that says the states commitment to funding should be significant.

He has also cited the Montana Disaster and Emergency Services departments public assistance administrative plan, which says the state is responsible for the total 25 percent state/local cost share.

In an email to The Gazette on Nov. 28, a Bullock spokesman said the governor has supported the intake project and has worked with city officials on alternative funding.

"As a result of those efforts, the project is proceeding with the state providing $1.7 million in low-interest loans structured not to negatively impact ratepayers," spokesman Tim Crowe said in an email.

Laurel officials have said they felt forced into accepting the loan because the water intake they had was failing. The town took the loan and $1 million of its own reserves to match FEMA funds.

Lenzs bill hasnt yet been introduced to the Legislature and remains a draft. Infrastructure in the 2017 session has been identified as a top priority for both parties, though the state also faces a tight budget.

Nelson remains firm. He doesnt want the intake project to be funded out of a general infrastructure bill. In his view, the project arose out of a disaster, so the money should come from the disaster fund.

"If somebody rolls this into an infrastructure bill, I'll do everything I can not to accept that money," he said.
HELENA - The tentacles of methamphetamine abuse reaching across Montana are choking everything from state agencies struggling to keep up with increased workloads to Indian reservations with even fewer services than the rest of the state.

But putting more money and resources into prevention, treatment and keeping the drug from reaching communities can alleviate some of the problem.

Thats what panelists told a group of legislators gathered at the Capitol on Saturday for what Sen. Eric Moore, R-Miles City, called the Montana Meth Summit. Moore, along with Sen. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, organized the summit to discuss the effects of the drug on the state.

Different state agencies struggle with the increasing strain on their programs caused by meth abuse:

Of all cases of child abuse and neglect investigated by the the Child and Family Services Division of the Department of Public Health and Human Services, by February 2017 42 percent involve meth abuse by parents or guardians, department deputy director Laura Smith told the panel. That number was 22 percent in 2008.

On the Fort Belknap Reservation, 98 percent of people relapse after exiting treatment because of a lack of sober living programs, Miranda Kirk, who runs the Aaniiih Nakoda Anti Drug Program there, said.

District courts have seen a 21 percent increase in caseload between 2009 and last year. That includes going from 7,755 criminal cases to 11,744, said Supreme Court administrator Beth McLaughlin.

Attorney General Tim Fox, whose Department of Justice has hired a consultant to research how meth abuse impacts agencies across the state, said an all-hands-on-deck approach is needed to make any sort of improvement and understand how agencies' work interplay.

He called efforts a "multi-legged stool," saying it would be cheaper and more effective to put money and resources into prevention like peer mentoring and drug courts, as well as into law enforcement who can stop large shipments of drugs from coming in.

Even if law enforcement had enough officers and resources to go after meth flooding into Montana, the resulting cases and prisoners would further overwhelm judicial and corrections systems already struggling to keep up.

If we squeeze the balloon on the bottom, its going to pop out somewhere else, said Col. Tom Butler, chief of the Montana Highway Patrol.

The economic burden associated with substance abuse misuse is "alarming," Zoe Barnard, administrator for the Addictive and Mental Disorders Division of the health department, told lawmakers.

Annually between 2010-2014 there was $143 million in hospital charges related to substance abuse disorders; $28 million charged to Medicaid.

The department is responsible for all the publicly funded mental health and substance abuse treatment in the state. Barnard cited high substance abuse and suicide rates, saying they are connected to untreated mental illness.

Smith told lawmakers that part of the problem is a lack of access to preventive and treatment programs.

Barnard said the passage of the HELP Act, which expanded Medicaid in Montana, has increased access to treatment, but the state still struggles to connect people with the care they need. Many Montanans dont seek out treatment because of stigma associated with it she said.

Kirk knows that struggles of accessing treatment first-hand.

Aftercare is non-existent on the reservation, Kirk said, adding that without sober living programs people who finish treatment are moving right back into the situations they were in when they started using drugs.

Kirk runs a peer-mentor program that has been successful; of 20 who have come in for treatment two have not relapsed after a year, two more have not after six months, another two have lowered their relapse rate and six more are still in the program.

One of the problems Kirk, as well as other providers across the state, face is a challenge to find ways to pay for services. Peer treatment is not billable under Medicaid, but Senate Bill 62, which passed the Senate and is on its way to the House floor would change that, Kirk said.

Right now were running off seed money from the tribe, Kirk said.
QUEENSBURY  As Queensbury Town Board member William VanNess prepares to leave elected office, his colleagues have begun the process of living without him.

VanNess will become the Warren County Republican elections commissioner at the end of the month.

The Town Board interviewed three candidates to replace him in a meeting Wednesday that went past 9:30 p.m. and included interviewing one candidate by video as she sat in a rental car in Tuscon, Arizona.

The board can either appoint someone to replace VanNess or leave the seat vacant until the November election. Board members will consider a vote next month, Supervisor John Strough said.

Three people applied to be appointed:

Jennifer Switzer, a Democrat who ran twice for the seat and lost by just four votes in 2013;

G. Travis Whitehead, a resident and retired engineer who attends many of the town meetings and does not plan to run for election to the position this fall; and

Tim Brewer, who was the longtime councilman for Ward 4 before being arrested for DWAI in 2012 while taking painkillers for a back injury, after which the Republicans did not endorse him for re-election.

Each of them was asked why they wanted to be appointed to the board.

Switzer, who was interviewed first, answered questions from a video screen after she flew into Arizona. She was on her way to her sons graduation from Army military intelligence training, but linked up with the board using her cellphone.

She noted that she was the towns budget officer from 2003 to 2006. She now is the director of finance at the Warren County Economic Development Corporation and CFO of the Warren County Local Development Corporation.

I have a really strong background in municipal finance. Also, I know what the needs are for small businesses, she said. My professional background and my running for office make me uniquely qualified to step into that position. I think it might be difficult for other people to get up to speed.

Whitehead, who was interviewed next, said he was best able to start work immediately because he attends most of the Town Board and workshop meetings.

Youre going to have me whether you want me or not, he added, referring to his plan to continue attending meetings.

Brewer said he would love to have his old seat back.

I do truly miss it. I enjoy helping people in the town, he said. I think Ive shown in the past I can solve problems. And I enjoy that, and I think I can do a good job.

He was the Ward 4 councilman for 14 years. He noted that meant he understood the towns codes, how the budget is developed and how things get done.

The candidates were also asked about their goals.

Switzer said she wants to market the new trampoline park and rock climbing arena to draw more of those types of businesses and customers.

We can be known as the little recreation area, she said.

Whitehead would offer his skills in analyzing projects the town is implementing or considering.

I decided perhaps I could use my engineering skills to help, he said. I think I would add some additional talents to the board. My focus would be more town-wide.

But in Ward 4, he said, hed like to find solutions to the bottleneck under the Northway overpass at Exit 18.

Brewer, who was also on the Planning Board for nine years, said he would take a close look at future development.

Id like to see more development toward the way the plan was written, he said.

Strough said afterward that the board is not committed to appointing anyone. He asked board members to think about the candidates until March, when they could hold a vote.

If you feel strongly about making an appointment, we will make one, he said.
A Bar Nunn man pleaded guilty to a single charge Friday for making a young girl perform oral sex on him.

Jarad Gearhart pleaded guilty to a single count of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, which has a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss another count of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and two counts of incest.

Gearhart briefly hesitated during his plea hearing in Natrona County District Court when a judge asked him to describe what happened between him and the girl. After a brief conversation with his attorney, Gearhart said that "it involved oral sex."

The girl, who is related to Gearhart, told investigators in September that he had forced her to perform oral sex on him at least two times in his home in the 2600 block of Sunset Boulevard, according to court documents.

When investigators contacted Gearhart, he voluntarily drove himself to the Natrona County Sheriff's Office and confirmed the girl's account, the documents state.

Gearhart said he purchased a cellphone for the girl, who was born in 2004, in exchange for oral sex in July, according to the documents. Two months later, he asked the girl to help him undress because he was too drunk to do so himself, he told investigators. Gearhart said the girl reluctantly helped him and then performed oral sex on him, according to the documents.

Deputies then arrested Gearhart and booked him into the Natrona County Detention Center, where he has remained since.

A judge will sentence Gearhart at a later date.
The Senate Intelligence Committee is asking more than a dozen agencies, organizations and individuals to preserve communications related to the panel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Contractors will begin installing a mitigation system at Midwest School in the coming weeks, and officials say the plan to reopen the building by next school year is still on schedule.

Midwest has been closed since May, when a gas leak from a nearby oil well forced the school's evacuation and subsequent closure. For the 2016-17 school year, Midwest students have been bused to Westwood Elementary and Pathways in Casper.

After the school was closed, a burst pipe caused by low temperatures flooded Midwest in December, causing about $250,000 in damage to the high school wing of the building. The incident will not delay the reopening, said Doug Tunison, project manager for the Natrona County School District. All but $25,000 of the flood damage will be covered by insurance, he said.

Representatives from the energy company discovered the flooding two days before Christmas, Tunison said.

FDL Energy, the company that operates the Salt Creek Oil Field surrounding Midwest, is paying for the mitigation system that will take air from beneath the school and pump it into the atmosphere over the building. Additional measures, like air monitoring stations, will be installed throughout the building, officials have said.

FDL has awarded the contract to install the system, and the installation process will begin Feb. 27. That work is scheduled to be finished in mid-April.

After the installation is complete, FDL will then test the air on three separate dates and send the samples to an independent lab, Tunison said. If testing shows clean air, the district's major maintenance contractor will begin work to repair the flood damage. The construction is set to be completed by July 31.

The building will be cleaned in the weeks after the repairs are done, before teachers arrive at the building on Aug. 21, Tunison said. The school is set to be opened on schedule on Sept. 5.

If the testing shows unsafe levels of carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds, then the opening of the school will be delayed, Tunison said. However, he voiced confidence that testing will give the district the all-clear to resume classes at Midwest.
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"I know that I am blessed to be where I am in my life because I am sober. I really believe I have a higher power who directed me down this path where I am now."

 First lady Kathryn Helgaas Burgum, on her plans to make addiction issues her focus during her husbands term as governor.

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"That's the key to change. There's a lot of poverty and dysfunction, and it's our responsibility to build out of that. We don't want multipliers, where families have five children and they have children and now we have 40 people in the same cycle. We want to reach out with opportunities that are good for our youth."

 Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Mark Fox, on efforts to break a cycle of poverty and dysfunction.

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"This is just dumb. Here's an easy $5 million the state wouldn't have to spend. No one wants this."

 Lance Powell, a member of a group of Alexander residents opposed to the relocation of a road. The Department of Transportation heard their complaints and plans to drop the project.

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"That area, by nature, is prone to flooding. The Cannonball River and the Cantapeta Creek, along with the Missouri River, all come together in the area of the protest camp, which is sitting down in the flood plain. We've historically seen ice jamming, which causes a backup of floodwater. If you're really trying to protect the river, it is imperative we get that stuff cleaned up before we see a flood."

 State engineer Garland Eberle with the State Water Commission, on the need to clean up the protest camps.

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"I realized the church had to get there so that the people who were in that camp could hear and understand that somebody else cared and would stand by them."

 The Rev. John Floberg, explaining his involvement with protest camps near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

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"We don't want to create a mini-EPA."

 House Majority Leader Al Carlson, R-Fargo, on a proposal to create a new environmental regulatory agency, splitting off those operations from the North Dakota Department of Health.

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"Nobody's asking North Dakota to be a guinea pig. This is an issue that has succeeded as a bipartisan idea."

 Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, on legislative efforts to reform the state's criminal justice system.

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"Everyone's just sort of on pins and needles."

 Jacklyne Carlson, an associate professor of chemistry and president of Bismarck State Colleges Faculty Senate, on budget cuts facing the school.

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"This has not been an easy time. What I've been telling my campus is we've been in tall cotton for a long time, and now we're down running through the briar bush. We're going to get scratches and pricks along the way as we try to get through this.

 BSC President Larry Skogen, on the budget cuts.

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"This bill disallows my school board from being nimble."

 Tamara Uselman, superintendent for Bismarck Public Schools, testifying against a bill that would require school bond elections to be held only during the general election every two years.

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"Many people feel that things are dead or dying in western North Dakota, but it couldn't be further from the truth."

 Rep. Denton Zubke, R-Watford City, during a debate on funding for oil-impacted areas.
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A review of recent developments in the relationship between the Trump administration and the Chinese is elucidating.

Trump rattled China early on in his administration after taking a phone call from Taiwan's president. It was never clear whether the phone call was a diplomatic blunder or a deliberate strategy.

However, just weeks later, Trump reassured Chinese President Xi Jinping that the United States would support the "One China" policy that sees Taiwan as part of China. Why the abrupt change of heart?

It's worth noting that a few days after that phone call, something else happened: China granted Trump's business a valuable 10-year trademark. The trademark was considered a surprise win for Trump.

Critics have said Trump's business interests create an impossible web of conflicts that could make him vulnerable to undue influence by foreign actors. The China story corroborates those concerns in spades. Consider this: In China, Trump "has 49 pending trademark applications and 77 marks already registered in his own name, most of which will come up for renewal during his term," according to The Associated Press.

"China's decision to award President Trump with a new trademark allowing him to profit from the use of his name is a clear conflict of interest and deeply troubling," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, in a statement. "If this isn't a violation of the emoluments clause, I don't know what is.

"The fact that this decision comes just days after a conversation between President Trump and President Xi Jinping where President Trump reaffirmed the US policy of 'One China' is even more disturbing as it gives the obvious impression of a quid pro quo," she added.

The issue initially fell through the cracks because of the uproar over the Trump team's suspicious links to Russia, which was found by US intelligence to have been involved in hacking the American elections.

During the presidential campaign, Trump took an extremely tough tone on China and Mexico, accusing the two US trading partners of stealing US jobs because of what he called "unfair" trade deals and, in China's case, deliberate currency undervaluation. He said he'd respond by hiking tariffs on Chinese goods to an exorbitant 45%, despite warnings of a possible trade war.

Never mind that China has been struggling to prevent its currency from falling too quickly in recent months.
As you know, the UK package to Ghana is around GBP130 million and we are determined to keep that going as part of its global vision, the UK top diplomat told Accra-based Joy FM recently when he visited Ghana.

READ MORE: Boris Johnson meets Nana Addo to discuss UK investment partnership

In 2016, the British government cut aid to Ghana owing to the country's new economic status as a middle-income country.

Mr Johnson affirmed British interest in the various sectors of the Ghanaian economy in a meeting with President Nana Akufo-Addo.
READ MORE: King of Morocco visits Ghana for 3 days

The agreements signed Friday at the Flagstaff House at a ceremony presided over by President Nana Akufo-Addo and King Mohammed VI also included public-private partnership agreements.

It includes the setting up of a Moroccan-Ghanaian business council, the global private sector's commitment to climate action, Members of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and financing the investment and cash needs of Ghanaian companies members of the Association of Ghana Industries.

Other details of the agreement include:

Provision of $10 million to develop technical capacity so as to improve the electrification in Ghana, technical cooperation agreement in the field of insurance and reinsurance.

Memorandums of understanding between Attijariwafa Bank of Morocco and GCB Bank Ltd.

The development of renewable energy projects, tourism, the exchange of expertise in the fields of exploitation, concession, technology, financial arrangements, training, development Agricultural insurance, SME financing and exchange of experience and expertise between the Casablanca Stock Exchange and the Ghana Stock Exchange.

--Government commended--

The President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce (GNCC), Nana Appiagyei Dankawoso, who represented the Ghanaian business community, hailed the government's attitude to business.

He recalled the success of a business forum held in Accra last month between Moroccan and Ghanaian businessmen.

He noted that the forum led to establishment partnership in the areas of agriculture, food industries, telecommunications technologies and the banking sector.

The President of the Moroccan General Confederation of Enterprises, Miriem Bensaleh Chaqroun, also hailed the new partnership between Morocco and Ghana.

She noted that in the era of globalization, Africa must the common challenges linked to the creation of jobs, the emergence of markets and the preservation of its identity.

The development of Africa will depend on "the ability of our politicians to take advantage of our abundant natural resources, the dynamism of our young people and our considerable human capital," she said.

READ MORE: Morocco govt says it will never recognise Western Sahara

--King Mohammed VI decorated--

King Mohammed VI was decorated with Ghanas highest honour of Order of the Companion of the Star of Ghana by President Nana Akufo-Addo.

In return, King Mohammed also decorated President Akufo-Addo with the highest honour of Morocco.
READ MORE: Dr Ben Asante is caretaker CEO of Ghana Gas

Prof. Nokoe is a well known New Patriotic Party sympathiser in the Western Region where Ghana's upstream production is located.

Our appeal against the processing, declaration and confirmation of the nominee Dr. Ben Asante, and the suggestion of Professor Sagary Nokoe, however, is informed by extensive social intelligence gathered, plus the weighing strengths of the latter based on his outstanding contributions to the development of the country both local, regional, national and international level," the Paramount chiefs in the seven traditional areas in Nzema area said at a press conference Saturday.

They added: The move to give the position of the CEO of the Ghana National Gas Company to Dr. Asante will imply that Nzemas described by international standard as mostly influenced by the oil and gas, will become worse in this appointment under your [Nana Addos] regime than expected."

The Chiefs noted that the appointment of Prof. Nokoe to be the CEO of Ghana Gas by President Nana Akufo-Addo "will become a referential landmark for the needed further support to your administration.

-Ellembelle youth against appointment--

Weeks ago, some youth in Ellembelle also in the Western Region kicked against Dr Ben K. D Asante's appointment as caretaker CEO of Ghana Gas.

They argued that Dr. Asante was part of what they described as some corrupt practices during the NDC era, when he served as a Deputy Director in charge of Technical services and also a consultant.

We dont want him because for every mess that has been created in the company, he is also part of it. If Ghana gas didnt go well, he is part of the problem since he was part of the top hierarchy of the company and as a consultant, he gave all the consultancy advice, the spokesperson for the Ellembelle youth group, Felix Dickson, said.

--Who is Dr Asante?

Dr Asante was the technical Director of Ghanas first Gas Infrastructure project and also developed the gas infrastructure master plan for Ghana in 2008.

READ MORE: Ellembelle youth to hit the streets against new Ghana Gas CEO

He has also served as a consultant to the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and provided engineering services, project management and technical support for various projects across the world including UAE, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, Russia, Thailand and USA.
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It follows concerns that the advisory body has outlived its usefulness after it granted a request by ex-president John Mahama to release the Montie three who had threatened to rape the Chief Justice.

President of policy think tank IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has described the Council of State "needless," and many Ghanaians hold the view that they pounder to whims and caprice of the president.

We all know currently what is happening with respect to the council of state. It lacks credibility because a lot of Ghanaians believe that it does not influence the central government in its operations," Deputy Executive Director of the advocacy group, Gladys Gillan Tetteh, told Citi FM.

She added: "People think that they have outlived their usefulness but we have a different opinion. They are still relevant. We only need to come up with certain laws to ensure that their operations are relevant to the current state. Parliament can come up with laws to allow them to have more powers in terms of their decision being binding on the president.

Ms Tetteh also called for the expansion of the electoral college in the election of the council of state members.
Mr Quartey, who was served as the secretary to Mr Mahama, won his bid to AU Deputy Chairmanship with over 80 percent of the vote at the 28th AU Summit.

The president made the remarks when Thomas Kwesi Quartey, now Deputy AU Commission Chairperson, and Ambassador Victor Gbeho called on the President to thank him for the support offered to the candidature of Kwesi Quartey by the government.

It was with a clean and sincere heart that I threw my support and I am happy that we were successful. I got all the credit for it by my fellow Heads of State, but I believe it was a good day for Ghana, he said.

The President urged the new Deputy AU Commission Chairperson to help effect the vision of continental integration, and ensure that the proposals adopted at the 28th AU Summit, which include the proposals on continental free trade, and finding sustainable ways of financing the AU, are fully implemented.
The visit by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission was to thank the president for attending the mission's 85th Annual National Convention held in Winneba last month. The visit was led by Maulvi Bin Salih.

Pray for me and for those who work with me, so we are inspired by the Almighty to do a good job for Ghana. Pray to God to give me wisdom, courage and make me a compassionate leader Mr Akufo-Addo said.

I want to be an honest leader, a good leader, and one who will be remembered as having contributed significantly to the progress and welfare of Ghana, he added.

President Akufo-Addo also recounted his relationship with Bin Salih's predecessor, saying he was a man of integrity and a principled person.

He said" Your predecessor, [the late Maulvi Wahab Adam] was one of my principal counsellors, a deeply religious person and a man of integrity.

"As Attorney General, I had the privilege of recommending him to President Kufuor for appointment as a member of the National Reconciliation Commission, which was set up to heal the wounds of the nation after decades of military rule.

"He excelled in the work of the Commission and was one of its driving forces, Akufo-Addo said.

On this part, Maulvi Bin Salih hailed the leadership qualities of the president.

He said the president showed determination and resilience to win the presidency after two failed attempts.
However, after detailed investigations, the cars were released to the former campaign coordinator of former president John Mahama because it did not belong to the state.

I am saying they did shoddy work and a lot will follow with what has happened," Boahen told Accra-based Citi FM.

"I am not treating it as an isolated case. All over the country, you hear people complaining about the lackadaisical attitude of policemen and policewomen.

The former Deputy Interior Minister under the John Agyekum Kufuor administration said he was worried about "the level of professional ineptitude" on the police.

"Common sense dictates that those boys who went for those vehicles ought to have been invited. Perhaps they may be in possession of some documents, he said.

At what point in time did they do the investigations and then they drew the conclusion and arrived at the final position that the vehicles be released to Kofi Adams without taking statements of those who went in for the vehicles, without giving them the opportunity to present their side of the case. What kind of shoddy work is that? he barked.
The panel he spoke at was ominously titled "

"They have no meaningful allies, so they seek to sow dissent among us and divide us from each other. They know that their power and influence are inferior to ours, so they seek to subvert us and erode our resolve to resist, and terrorize us into passivity," McCain said of non-Western, authoritarian powers like Russia and China.

"These are dangerous times, but you should not count America out," said McCain to applause.

"We cannot allow ourselves to question the rightness and goodness of the West," said McCain in a clear shot at Trump and Vice President Mike Pence's refusal to say the West is morally superior to Russia.

But McCain blurred the clear line he drew between his pro-Western orthodoxy and Trump's new populism when he said that Pence and Trump appointee John Kelly would back him up with similar, pro-NATO, pro-democracy, pro-liberal values, pro-Western messages to the conference.
A local chapter of the

Trump Winery is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and run by President Trump's son, Eric. The Trump Organization purchased the estate in 2011, for $6.2 million.

Currently, 10 Virginia Wegmans locations sell five different types of wine from the vineyard, the Washington Post reported. The grocery chain has sold the wine at local stores since before Trump purchased the vineyard.

A Wegmans spokesperson to the Washington Post that the grocery chain intended to offer customers choices.

"Individual shoppers who feel strongly about an issue can demonstrate their convictions by refusing to buy a product," Jo Natale, vice president of media relations for Wegmans, told the Post. "When enough people do the same, and sales of a product drop precipitously, we stop selling that product in favor of one thats in greater demand."

Wegmans is just the latest company to get caught up in calls to boycott retailers that do business with the Trump family.

Since October, the #GrabYourWallet campaign has encouraged people who disagree with Trump's actions and policies to boycott companies such as Amazon, Walmart, and Macy's that do business with the Trump family, from selling Trump Home lamps to Ivanka Trump shoes.
According to RightsAfrica (@ChairmanNHRC), he was arrested for alleged "incitement" over the false information about an attack on the College of Education in Gidan-Waya, Kaduna.

ALSO READ: Audu Maikori speaks on Southern Kaduna killings

Celebrities, led by rapper and chocolate city head, MI Abaga, have reacted by starting a campaign for his freedom with the hashtag #FreeAudu.

The hashtag is currently the number one trending topic on Twitter. Here is what the stars have said.

It is also trending on Instagram, wherecelebrities are also very vocal in the demand for Audu's immediate release and the fight for freedom of speech.

Actress, Omoni Oboli, said: "I woke up to these hashtags #FreeAuduMaikori #FreeAudu My people, I don't know what's going on for sure because I can't reach @audumaikori but I do hope he's really not being detained because he's been a voice for the people of Kaduna. Nigeria! Which way? She na like this we go dey dey? We won't keep quiet o! Make dem kuku arrest all of us na! I can't describe how upset I am right now!"

Fellow actress, Kate Henshaw, posted a picture with caption, "THIS IS A YOUNG MAN WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED MORE THAN HIS FAIR SHARE TO THIS NATION...

HIS WORK SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.... FATHER LORD PROTECT HIM AND LET NO HARM COME TO HIM!!

YOUR ARM IS NOT TOO SHORT THAT YOU CANNOT REACH HIM"

Popular author, Ofilispeaks, also wrote, "History will keep repeating itself until we learn from it ... Drafted on March 29,1984, Decree No. 4 was the most dreaded, most repressive press law enacted in Nigeria. It was promulgated during the military regime of Major General Buhari which did not take kindly to press criticisms.

The law was drafted to punish authors of false statements and reports that exposed the Buhari administration and or its officials to ridicule or contempt. (Gazette, 1984). #FreeAudu"

Another author, Arese Ugwu, simply stated: "We live in such repressive times...#freeaudu"

What do you think?
The label boss was reportedly arrested per the orders of a magistrate judge in Kaduna following the false information about an attack on the College of Education in Gidan-Waya, Kaduna, which was disseminated on social media by Maikori.

Following the arrest which reportedly took place on the morning of Friday, February 17, pleas for his release have begun to trend on social media.

ALSO READ: Police arrest Chocolate City boss over Kaduna killings misinformation

A long time friend and partner of Maikori's, Paul Okeugo, has taken it a step further by writing an open letter on Friday, where he vouches for Maikori and lends his voice in the plea for his friend's release.

He wrote:

"Dear Friends, My name is Paul Okeugo and I have been Audu Maikori's friend & Partner for years and know him to be a very honorable and passionate man.

"Audu genuinely cares about Nigeria and everyone in it. He is not one to spread false information or advocate violence.

"Together we have strived to create a better future for all young people in Nigeria.

"Audu exemplifies the kind of qualities we sorely need in this society.

"Today Audu has been picked up by law enforcement agents over his advocacy about the killings in #SouthernKaduna and he is presently being held in custody.

"I would like to reach out to fans and friends of Audu and our company that we all should please exercise patience and remain calm.

"We appreciate the massive love and support we have received and continue to count on that goodwill. There is no Chocolate City without all of you!

"We are working to secure his release and have reached out to friends who realize the importance of sustaining democratic ideals in a country as fractured as ours. God bless.

"Paul Okeugo

"#FreeAudu.

As earlier reported, The label boss had claimed that five students of the school were killed by Fulani herdsmen, including his drivers younger brother, and he tweeted supposed picture evidence to back the story which turned out to be fabricated information.
Bellanaija reports that the sad incident occurred on Tuesday at about 10 a.m at their home on Iguma Street, Off Medical Stores Road, Benin, Edo State after the deceased, Isreal Buhari had complained of thirst.

According to the reports, Mrs. Buhari mistook the liquid inside a plastic bottle which was brought to her shop by her older kids earlier in the day, for water and fed it to little Isreal.

Isreal reportedly spat out what was left of the kerosene in his mouth after the first gulp, and drew his mother's attention to what had happened.

Bellanaija reports that the toddler screamed while his eyes turned white, following the consumption of the kerosene.

Despite frantic attempts to save Isreal's life as neighbors rushed to their aid and fed him with palm oil, the young child reportedly died hours after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

The 36-year-old father of the deceased, Mr. Buhari Hassan, was reportedly called to the hospital where he was met with the corpse of his only son.
Funmilola told the court that her endurance over the respondents drinking habit had reached a climax that she could no longer tolerate.

I have exploited all means to persuade him against excessive alcohol intakes, but he did not change and I cannot continue living with a drunkard.

He prefers drinking alcohol to food and endangers his life through excessive drinking that has turned him to an irresponsible father and husband.

I shouldered the responsibility of our three children alone and often feed him as well because he always return home broke on daily basis, she told the court.

The husband was not present in the court to defend the allegation and the case was adjourned till March 4 for continuation of hearing.
According to a report by Daily Trust, the President's wife, who turned 46 on Friday, February 17, 2017, did not celebrate her birthday as a show of feelings for Nigerians who are suffering and the underprivileged.

In the words of Suleiman Haruna, the Director of Information in the Office of the Wife of the President: She did not celebrate her birthday. She only marked it with the distribution of gifts to patients in some hospitals in Abuja. Even at her residence, there was no party or any celebration. Why should she celebrate when so many people are suffering? There are many internally displaced persons in various IDP camps, he said.

Haruna also reportedly quoted the first lady as calling on the privileged Nigerians to do more in the lives of the less privileged with a view to increasing the feeling of humanity among citizens.

ALSO READ: First Lady takes selfie with Buhari in London
In his latest article published on Saturday, titled President Buhari and his London visitors, Momodu lamented how dignitaries are trooping to London to visit the President.

He said the patrons are very important personalities from Nigeria who have turned the supposed illness of President Buhari into a stage play.

At the rate these medical tourists are going, Nigeria may be empty of all its fat cats as they jostle to pay obeisance lest anyone accuses them of nonchalance and of plotting against the President or wishing him dead.

He wrote further: For Gods sake, it is not a crime to fall sick. We all do, in various degrees, from time to time. At over 70 years on the surface of this earth, no one would expect President Buhari to be in the most perfect state of health.

It is a miracle that he survived the harrowing vicissitudes of life after he was thrown into a dungeon in 1985 during the military coup that toppled his dictatorship. He also had to contest some bloody elections a record four times before fortune smiled at him. Naturally, all of these events would have combined to conspire against his health.

So why should he be ashamed of telling the world that his health is failing and that he would have to attend to it as frequently as possible? No one needs to consult a doctor or a prophet to know our President is not very well at this moment and that he deserves our understanding and prayers.

Even if we thought otherwise, his London visitors have virtually confirmed our worst fears. Aso Rock media gurus who have been regaling us with tales of how well and fit the President is should have worked harder on their powerful friends to stay in Nigeria and wait to flood the airport whenever it pleases God to bring him back in one piece to Nigeria.

Rushing to London to mark register is absolutely unnecessary and a total waste of scarce resources. The London visitors have wittingly or inadvertently attracted more attention to the Presidents frailty.

I have taken time to study some of the pictures that have emerged from the Presidents shrine in London and most of them did not do justice to whatever it is some people are trying to cover up by fire by force.

The pictures have shown clearly why the President cannot just yank himself off from London and return home pronto as his tedious job demands. It is very obvious that the President is no longer in London of his own free volition, even if he ever was at some point. Someone should please beg the Good Samaritans to allow the President receive his medical treatment in peace and hopefully recuperate handsomely and adequately.
He wrote: "Permit me to begin this contribution with an aside.It is only a weak, insecure, paranoid, wicked, heartless, ignorant, lawless and callous government that refuses to identify, apprehend, prosecute and hang the bloodthirsty, psychopathic and murdering Janjaweed Islamist Fulani militants and herdsmen and instead arrests an innocent and accomplished young man like Audu Maikori who simply had the courage to cry out to the world about the barbarous genocide that the people of Southern Kaduna and members of his ethnic group and religious faith are being subjected to all over the north.I am convinced that my old friend Governor Nasir El Rufai has lost it. He has literally been driven mad by the power that he now wields. If he wants peace in Kaduna state and in the entire country is this the way to achieve it?Does he really believe that locking up his critics and those that have expressed concern about the mass murder and crimes against humanity that are being perpetuated in his state by his Fulani friends and kinsmen who he publicly admitted that he sends public funds to is the way forward?Does he not know that the suppression of dissenting voices and intimidation will only lead to more anger, resistance, violence and dissent?Can he not build bridges rather than burn them? Can he not make friends rather than make enemies?Here is my message to him: the people of Southern Kaduna are NOT your slaves and neither are the northern minorities, the people of the south or the Christians of Nigeria.You can kill and lock up as many of us as you like: our faith will only continue to grow, we shall continue to go from strength to strength and we shall oppose and resist you till the bitter end.At the appointed time the Lord will strike back at you for your power show and sheer wickedness and He shall deliver His people.I will not beg you to free Audu Maikori but instead I will strongly advise you to do so.This brings me to the meat of this intervention.One of the qualities that a Prince must have is the ability to speak truth to power no matter the price, no matter the consequences and no matter whose ox is gored.Today I will share a truth which many may not like but which, as a leader and a Prince, I am constrained to share.Some have suggested that every Nigerian is compelled by God to pray for our ailing President. I disagree. I do not wish him ill or wish him dead but at the same time I do not subscribe to the view that I am compelled to pray for him.I would rather save my prayers for the thousands of Audu Maikori's of this world who are suffering persecution and who are languisjing in dingy cells all over our country for doing absolutely nothing wrong.I would rather save my prayers for the souls and families of those that have been cut short by the guns and bullets of government security forces, the bombs of radical Islamic terrorists and the matchetes and knives of the Fulani militias and herdsmen.When the Holy Bible says we must pray for our leaders the author was referring to God-fearing and Godly leaders and not usurpers and tyrants.The Bible says we must 'resist evil' and few would dispute the fact that with the economy in shambles, with the naira at its lowest value in its entire history, with the level of impunity and corruption in government and with the amount of brutal persecution, politically-motivated arrests and prosecutions and the massive shedding of innocent blood that goes on in our countrt today, Buhari and his Federal Government are pure evil.As a matter of fact they are a cursed government that have come to do nothing but spread death, disease, poverty, tears, hardship, suffering, division, hatred, persecution, injustice, destruction and wickedness.To those that insist that even evil tyrants are worthy of our goodwill and prayers I put the following questions.Would you have prayed for Herod, Pharaoh, Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar, Jezebel, Ahab, Athalia, Nimrod, Adolf Hitler or Idi Amin?Again would you have had night vigils or made passionate supplications for Emperor Bokassa, Josef Stalin, Pol Pot, Nero, Caligula, Sennacherub, King Leopold 11 of Belgium, Count Vlad the Impailer of Transylvania and Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia?Would you have conducted Holy Mass or rolled your rosary for Osama Bin Ladin of Al Qaeda, Muhammed Al Baghdadi of ISIL, Abubakar Shekau of Boko Haram or Usman Dan Fodio of the Fulani Caliphate?Again would you have fasted and prayed for Atilla the Hun, Genghis Khan, Kaiser Wilhelm 11 of Germany, the Inca and Aztec Kings of South America, the Borgias of Spain, King Darius of Persia and so many more of history's monsters and beasts to remain alive and to continue to torment and rule their people?Do you know that those listed above collectively killed or caused the deaths of over 500 million people between them?

ALSO READ: The law is taking its course - El-RufaiDo you really believe that they were God's choices and that it was wrong to pray them out or remove them from power?Did God make a mistake when He killed Pharaoh and slew Herod for their wickedness and evil against the children of Israel AFTER their victims rose up in prayer and cried to Him to deliver them?Did you read anywhere in your Bible that the holy Prophets and believers prayed for the wicked Kings and rulers to continue to rule?Did Elijah not oppose Jezebel and did David and Samuel not renounce and stand against Saul?Do you not know the difference between a righteous ruler whom God loves and whom He installed and a blood-sucking demon and vicious tyrant whom the devil is using?Do you know the number of people this government has killed whether they be Biafran and IPOB youths, Shiite Muslims or Christian refugees?Do you know the number of Christians that are being slaughtered in the north on a daily basis by Government-backed and protected Fulani militias and herdsmen?Do you know that Buhari shares some of the barbaric sentiments and evil goals and objectives of Boko Haram?Do you know that he once said that an attack on Boko Haram is an attack on the north? Do you know that he once said that he believes that sharia should be spread throughout the federation?Do you know thay he once said that Muslims should only vote for Muslims? Do you know that he once said that Christians should not be concerned about sharia because it is the limbs of Muslims that are being cut off and not theirs?Do you know that he once went to Oyo state and accused Governor Lam Adesina's "people" (meaning the Yoruba) of killing his own Fulani people?Do you know that the Minister of Information of his Government, a serial liar by the name of Lie Mohammed, once said that it was wrong and unconstitutional to proscribe and ban Boko Haram?Do you know that about one year ago the same Liar Mohammed said that Boko Haram had been "technically defeated" and that a few days ago he said that it was "a fallacy" to say that Muslims killed Christians in Nigeria?This was after 808 Christians were slaughtered in cold blood on Christmas eve and Christmas day a few weeks ago.Do you know that Buhari is the third Mahdi of Nigeria? The first was Usman Dan Fodio, the second was Sir Ahmadu Bello and Muhammadu Buhari is the third.Do you know that their vision and dream is for the Fulani to be the "first amongst equals" and to conquer, rule, dominate and subjugate the people and numerous ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria in perpetuity and "dip the Koran in the Atlantic ocean?"Do you know that they have gone very far in this quest and almost achieved their objectives? Do you know that restructuring the nation or, failing that, a complete break up of Nigeria into two or more pieces is the only thing that can save the people of the south and the Middle Belt from serfdom and slavery?Do you know that Herbert Macauly, Bode Thomas, Obafemi Awolowo, Kaduna Nzeogwu, Emmanuel Ifeajuna, Victor Banjo, Fajuyi, Emeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu, J.S. Tarka, Isaac Boro, Solomon Lar, Josiah Olawoyin, Paul Gindiri, J.D. Gomwalk, Silas Janfa, Zamani Lekwot, T.Y. Danjuma, Jolly Tanko Yusuf, Gideon Orkar, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Tony Nyiam, Saliba Mukoro, MKO Abiola, Bobo Nwosisi, Franklin Atake, Alfred Rewane, Abraham Adesanya, Ayo Adebanjo, Olaniyonu Ajayi, Bola Ige and so many others that saw this satanic agenda coming and unfolding many decades and years ago and resisted it with every fibre of their being have now been vindicated?Do you know that the principle of self-deterimination and the concept of Biafra and southern and Middle Belt liberation is more alive today than ever before?Do you know that there are millions of youths all over this country today that are prepared to sacrifice their lives for this principle and concept and resist ethnic and religious bigotry, subjugation, domination and tyranny with the last drop of their blood?Do you know that those that have been subjected to genocide by the usual suspects for the last 56 years of our existence as a nation are now saying "enough is enough?"Do you know what northern Christians have been and are still being subjected to over the years and particularly today?Do you know that Igbo youths and Shiite Muslims have been subjected to crimes against humanity by the Nigerian state in the last one year and seven months?Do you know that Nigeria under President Buhari is a failed state which lives on lies, thrives on deceit, breathes on persecution, feeds on supression, energises on intimidation and is fuelled and propelled by the most basic, crude and primitive form of Goebellian propaganda?Do you know anything at all? Do you know how many people are being locked up and persecuted in the name of a fake and selective anti-corruption war in this country?Do you know the level of wickedness and injustice that is being perpetuated by this government?Do you know how many families have suffered and been destroyed by them? Do you know about the abuse of power and the gross violation of human rights and civil liberties that is going on?Do you know how corrupt and deceitful thiis government is? Do you know how much blood they have on their hands?Then you say that we should pray and support such people? There is nowhere in the Bible that we are called to pray for liars, cheats, sadists, anti-Christs, cold-blooded murderers and pyschopaths as our leaders.Rather the Bible says we must resist evil and injustice and stand up for the weak, the persecuted, the hungry, the suffering, the vulnerable and the poor.There is no where in the Bible that we are enjoined to support and encourage genocidal maniacs, the killer of believers, the tormenters of the faithful, the persecutors of God's servants and the destroyers of the Church.Nigeria has no place for quislings and psychophants that are trying to curry favour with or impress those that are desperately trying to enslave our people and islamise our country.My position is simple and clear. I will never pray for those who I consider to be evil and I will never allow myself to be subjugated, silenced or turned into a second class citizen in my own country.Whatever the consequence is for my defiance, if the Lord wills it, let it come. Let us finish this thing once and for all. I would rather be a free soul in heaven than a quivering and gutless slave on earth.I speak for millions when I say that we will NEVER bow to those that believe that they were born to rule and that seek to impose their faith, their values and their way of life on us.Unlike others in these shores, those of us that are prepared to stand up and say "no more" are captains of our ship and masters of our soul.We either forge our own destinies, chart our own course and free our own people or we shall die trying. God wills it. And so it shall be.
He also said funds will be provided by the Buhari administration for the completion of Kolo, Okaki roads.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister stated this when he visited Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa, at Government House Yenagoa, on Friday.

He urged the contractors to go back to work, as the federal government is ready to pay them their outstanding balance, as soon as possible.

Fashola, assured the government and people of Bayelsa that the federal housing estate that was started by the past administration will be completed soon.

In his remark, Governor Dickson, said Bayelsa is a state of good people, from where the story of oil and gas started.

He told Fashola that if there is any minister I will like to take round Bayelsa, it is you, because you have the capacity to handle the ministries under your care.

The state government supported the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), Shell Petroleum Development Commission, (SPDC) with N3 billion in the Nembe Road which has been completed.

Bayelsa is ready to collaborate with the federal government in any form, because we have been left behind in terms of development, he said.
BLACK REPUBLICAN BLOG - The Republican Party is the party of civil rights and the four Fs: faith, family, freedom and fairness. The Democratic Party is the party of the four Ss: slavery, secession, segregation and socialism (Quote By Author Michael Scheuer).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the unscheduled visit was in a bid to avert fire incident like the one that happened Wednesday night in Onitsha, Anambra State where buildings, vehicles, tricycles, filling stations and other properties were lost.

Gov. Ugwuanyi, who was received and accompanied by the states Divisional Fire Officer, Mr Ambrose Okwor, carried out an assessment of the fire-fighting equipment and other facilities in the station.

The governor noted that the visit became imperative in view of the need to ensure that the service was well equipped for any kind of intervention whenever the need arises.

We are here to make sure that everything is perfectly in order in line with our responsibility to protect the lives and property of the citizenry, he said.

Ugwuanyi, however, made available some funds to the service to ensure that there is always sufficient water supply in all the trucks stationed at the premises.

Responding, Okwor, who expressed surprise along with other staff on duty, thanked the governor for always thinking ahead for the well-being of the people.

He thanked the governor for his contributions in support of the service; adding: We are assuring you that the service is always ready in case of any emergency.
The suspects are commercial vehicle drivers at Kasuwan Gwari Motor Park, in Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger.

Mrs Mariam Kolo, the Director-General, Child Right Protection Agency, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Minna, that the suspects were arrested by the NSCDC officials.

He said that they were brought to the agency when it was discovered that the girl was carrying a four-month pregnancy.

She said that the victim, a primary six pupil of a Minna-based school, was hawking pure water when she was raped.

The victim told NAN that she was lured by Abubakar into his car, and offered a bottle of water.

I was hawking pure water when Abubakar asked me to follow him to his car; he gave me a bottle of water to drink. I drank the water, and I slept off.

After I slept off, Abubakar then raped me; he woke me up and offered to take me back to the spot where me picked me; the other girls who hawk with me were there, he gave me N600.

After he dropped me, I went to urinate, that was when I saw some whitish stains on my thighs, she said.

The victim alleged that the second suspect, Umar, in connivance with Abubakar, also lured her the following day to a bush path, and raped her.

SP Bala Elkana, Niger State Police Command Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident.
Audu has falsely tweeted that some students were killed as a result of the Southern Kaduna crisis.

The tweet which generated so much controversy was later found to be false as the tertiary institution deny such occurence.

ALSO READ: Police arrest Audu Maikori boss over Kaduna killings misinformation

Though Maikori had apologised for misinforming the general public claiming he was misinformed by one of his staff, he was arrested by the police.

Maikori was reportedly released on Saturday, February 18, 2017 after top personalities that include Oby Ezekwesili and Femi Fani Kayode waded into the matter.
In her tweets, she said she tried prevailing on Gov El-Rufai to rescind on his decision and free Maikori but the governor refused saying that his policy of Consequences was important for stemming killings in Kaduna.

" this apology helps as an entry point to lessons of yesterday's event which I only caught up on very late&my call to today.

"I urged the to get out & he replied that his policy of Consequences was important for stemming killings in .

"The stated that the actions for which apologized inflamed the conflict more & so the law taking its course.

"I asked the to consider 's apology and his unfortunate arrest as a TEACHABLE MOMENT for both the Government & everyone.

"People already know how stridently I insist on EVIDENCE-BASED ADVOCACY. WE all must take a LESSON from this. .

There's no basis for a Govt clamp down on Citizens' FACT-BASED advocacy on ANY ISSUE. So admitted he was WRONG. Accept it

"I told that it was best to FREE & use this as the Govt's POLICY MOMENT to get its MESSAGE of CONSEQUENCES thru to Public.

"I pressed on the NECESSITY for to act to FREE and allow all sides to LEARN the RIGHT LESSON from this painful episode.

"At the end of our discussion, agreed to ACT and FREE quickly and end this unfortunate development. WILL WATCH OUT FOR IT.
Orji stated this on Friday in an interview with journalists in Umuahia at the unveiling and fund raising for Vicar Hope Foundation, a pet project of the Abia Governors wife, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu.

He appealed to governors to lend their support to the forum and assist the women in realising their noble objectives of empowering women and care for the girl-child.

The governors wives forum is a noble idea because it will help to give women a voice, he said, but urged the body to remain focused in the pursuit of its objectives.

He said that it would be out of place to presume that the forum might turn out to become too powerful to control, just as the governors forum.

Orji, the immediate-past governor of Abia, lauded Mrs Ikpeazu for her pet project aimed at providing succour to the underprivileged in the society.

Speaking in a separate interview, Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, representing Abia North Senatorial District, also hailed Ikpeazus initiative.

Ohuabunwa, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Primary Health Care, promised that his committee would partner with the foundation toward the realisation of its programme on health care.

He said the Senate had initiated steps to ensure that all primary healthcare centres (PHCs) across the federation were not only renovated, but made functional to serve the rural populace.

The Senator, however, expressed concern over inadequacies and poor state of the PHCs, which he said made people in the rural areas resorting to secondary and tertiary health institutions for healthcare services.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fund raising was part of the activities slated for the two-day meeting of the governors wives forum, slated for Thursday at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia.
It was gathered that the handing over was authorized by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami.

According to Daily Trust, the State government had since requested Zakzaky to be handed but the Federal government refused until now.

The Sheikh's release is said to enable the state government to charge the cleric to court for offences allegedly committed for close to three decades.

The development, however, is in contrast to a judgement of an Abuja Federal High Court.

ALSO READ: Shiites dismiss FGs reason for detaining their leader

The court had ordered the Federal Government to release the Sheikh and build a house in any town of the Northern town of his choice for him.
Akande, representing Ojo Constituency I at the Lagos State House of Assembly made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, following an Appeal Court verdict in favour of Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff.

He appealed to the Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the PDP to sheath their swords and rally round Ali Modu Sheriff.

The lawmaker, who was reacting to the Appeal Courts ruling on Friday that declared Ali Modu Sheriff as the authentic National Chairman of the PDP, said enough of litigations.

I think this judgement should put an end to all leadership crisis rocking our party.

We used to be one family before. This latest judgement should bring all of us together to reposition the party.

I wish all the aggrieved leaders would sheath their swords.

Makarfis faction should not proceed on any legal tussle again. What is needed now it unity before it will be too late for PDP.

The party has suffered so much through this division and infighting. The party is daily depleting as we have lost so many members to fracas in the party.

Just on Thursday, six out of eight of us in the Lagos Assembly including the Minority leader defected to APC. This development made me wept for the party.

Any further legal tussle will not help the party again. It will delay the chances of coming back to power in 2019, Akande, Chairman, House Committee on Central Business District said.

How I wish the Makarfi group would come and embrace peace and rally round Sheriff to move the party forward.

It is high time we forge ahead and forget things that set us backward, he said.

Akande, who urged the party stakeholders to shun selfish interest in the interest of the party, said he did not join his colleagues who defected to APC because of his faith in the party.

NAN reports that the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt on Friday upheld Ali Modu Sheriff, as the authentic National Chairman of the PDP.

The court in the ruling, nullified the PDP National Convention held in Port Harcourt in May, 2016.

It also nullified the National Caretaker Committee of the party constituted at the convention, and held that Ali Modu Sheriff remained the National Chairman of the party.
Lehmann, who disclosed this during a courtesy call on Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of the state, said he was in Enugu to explore business opportunities with the business community.

The envoy said that his short stay in the city had afforded him the opportunity to appreciate the alluring landscape and immense infrastructural development in the state.

He said that the business community in his country would be encouraged to explore commercial opportunities in the state.

Lehmann said that Nigeria and Australia had longstanding relationship which would be further strengthened through mutually beneficial economic cooperation.

The high commissioner said the prospect for the country and Australia to collaborate in the extractive sector was both enticing and huge.

Responding, Ugwuanyi said that the state was endowed with natural resources such as coal, oil and gas, and several other investment opportunities.

The governor said that his administration had taken steps to protect the interest of potential local and foreign investors in the state.

We have continued to invest in areas as security, infrastructural development, environmental improvement, expansion and regularisation of social services, intellectual development and skill acquisition.

All of these, we believe will help to sustain the enabling environment for business to flourish in the state, he said.

Ugwuanyi said that the location of a free trade zone in the state as well as the presence of an international airport and his administrations urbanisation initiative were investors delight.

The governor said that the state government had listed over 17 government-owned companies and enterprises for privatisation and commercialisation in order to boost the economy of the state.
Allies are deeply troubled after Trump's campaign rhetoric questioned long-established alliances, and they worry about a simmering scandal over possible ties between the White House and Moscow.

Mattis, a former four-star Marine general whom Trump coaxed from retirement to run the Pentagon, has repeatedly taken views diverging broadly from those of his boss.

While campaigning, Trump called NATO "obsolete" and spoke disdainfully of the mutual defence alliance, suggesting America is getting ripped off by member nations not paying their way. Since his inauguration, he has taken a more traditional tack on the key issues.

The financing of the 28-country group is a longstanding gripe, but what has rattled NATO and Western partners the most is the possible connections between Trump and the Kremlin.

Trump has praised President Vladimir Putin on several occasions, suggested Russia and the United States are morally equivalent and has pushed for closer military cooperation between the two powers.

Mattis, who on Thursday said the Pentagon is not yet ready for new military ties to Russia, told world leaders at the Munich Security Conference that the United States remains committed to the current international security system.

"The transatlantic bond remains our strongest bulwark against instability and violence," Mattis said.

"I am confident that we will strengthen our partnerships, confronting those who choose to attack innocent people or our democratic processes and freedoms."

'Pack of cigarettes and a beer'

Mattis has helped shape Trump's views on other issues too, including his boss's professed admiration for waterboarding and torture. Mattis opposes such techniques and has pushed back on the issue.

In an interview with the New York Times, Trump recounted how Mattis had said that winning a prisoner's trust is a far more effective way of obtaining information.

"'Give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I'll do better,'" Trump said Mattis had told him.

The former Marine is well known for his anecdotes and pithy sayings.

On the eve of the Iraq invasion, he told Marines to: "Engage your brain before you engage your weapon."

He also famously -- and controversially -- said in regard to fighting the Taliban that it's "a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

Mattis is one of several heavy hitters from the Trump adminstration in Europe this week.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited the G20 summit in Bonn, where he said Washington would conditionally consider working with Moscow in some areas, but he called on Russia to honour the Minsk peace agreement aimed at ending hostilities in Ukraine.

Vice President Mike Pence is due to address the Munich conference Saturday and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly is also attending.

'Massive uncertainty'

Ahead of Pence's visit, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen urged the United States not to take transatlantic ties for granted.

"Our American friends know well that your tone on Europe and NATO has a direct impact on the cohesion of our continent," she said.

Conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger, Germany's former ambassador to Britain, said the global political situation was unprecedented in modern times and described a "massive uncertainty" gripping Europe.

"European leaders and European governments are extremely impatient to find out what will really drive US foreign policy in this new period," he said, underscoring that many in Europe are clamouring to find out about the future of US-Russian relations.

The Baltic states are especially nervous, given their history under the Soviet Union and proximity to Russia.

"Russia is in our view the threat," Lithuanian Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis told reporters at NATO headquarters.

"After the annexation of Crimea and (Russia's) continuous aggression in the east of Ukraine. (Their) increased capabilities near our borders -- it's really created the risk" of conflict, he added.

The White House is still reeling from the forced resignation Monday of Trump's national security advisor Michael Flynn, after it was revealed that he held pre-inauguration phone calls with the Russian ambassador about US sanctions policy.

Trump on Thursday denied he or his staff had any pre-election contacts with Moscow.
Like all of Europe, Poland is suffering from a steep demographic crisis. Despite a relatively large (European) population and an expansive land mass that serves as a bridge between Europe and Asia, Poland has a fertility rate lower than that of China  a nation that only recently relaxed its One-Child Policy. (Beijing now enforces its two-child policy no less ruthlessly.)

Several European (and non-European) nations have tried to incentivize their citizens to have more children through various means: taxpayer subsidies for having one or more children, income support for families, generous paid parental leave, paid child care, and other pro-natalist measures. Marcin Rzegocki, a native of Poland, examines these policies and finds them wanting in a new commentary on Actons Religion & Liberty Transatlantic website.

He begins by surveying the extent of the problem:

Between low fertility rate and emigration, Polands population is set to decrease by an estimated 5.3 million people by 2050. So far, the efforts taken by successive Polish governments since 1990  which have focused on economic incentives to have more children  do not seem sufficient to arrest this trend. Most recently, the new Polish conservative government launched a welfare program called Family 500+  an income support program for parents raising children that has been criticized by the liberal Left as well as pro-free market organizations.

But is greater state intervention in the economy the right answer? Would the nation benefit from a less controlled economy that encourages entrepreneurship, business creation, and wealth accumulation? In other words, would a more prosperous Poland be a more populous Poland?

Some hints may be found in Singapores attempt to reverse its low total fertility rate (TFR). Despite giving parents an estimated $105,750 (U.S.) in state subsidies before the child reaches his teen years, its birth rate has declined to 1.29. As Joel Kotkin notes, the city-state projects a population increase of 20% by 2050 due to its liberal and vigorously debated immigration policies.

Aside from a low birthrate, Rzegocki writes that Poland suffers from a problem of mass emigration to other EU member states, especially the UK. The freer economic climate acts as a magnet for those willing to improve their fortunes by moving abroad. Poland ranks 40th freest economy in the world, according to the Fraser Institutes most recent report, covering the year 2014; the UK ranks tenth.

The greatest defect of the Polish welfare policy, though, is its insufficient understanding of human nature and human dignity. Rzegocki writes:

The Polish Family 500+ program seems to be another welfare remedy  [I]t ignores the non-quantitative, cultural and sociological factors that influence attitudes toward child-bearing  factors like religious faith, a cultivated sense of selfless love, altruism, optimism and a belief in the future. This is the time for European governments to embrace a more holistic model that would reflect the entire human person, not just his basic financial needs.

Read the whole commentary here.

(Photo credit: Bev Sykes. CC BY 2.0. This photo has been cropped.)
Milani was arrested after being questioned over the 1977 kidnappings of Pedro Adan Olivera and his son Ramon Alfredo Olivera, said Delfor Brizuela, the human rights ombudsman for the northwestern province of La Rioja, where the retired general was detained.

The Oliveras say they were abducted and tortured by Milani and his men for alleged involvement in a leftist militant organization -- part of the 1976-1983 regime's "dirty war" on its opponents and their alleged collaborators.

Some 30,000 people were killed or disappeared under military rule.

Milani, 62, has long been accused by human rights groups of involvement in dictatorship-era crimes.

His appointment as army chief by former president Cristina Kirchner in 2013 drew outcry from some activists.
Information Minister Michael Makuei confirmed to AFP that Lam as well as his deputy had "defected" and had left to Khartoum.

"It will not have any impact and it is just individual behaviour. Those who have gone away have their right to go," he said.

Lam's resignation comes just days after Lieutenant-General Thomas Cirillo Swaka, the country's deputy chief of general staff for logistics, quit.

Swaka accused President Salva Kiir and top members of his majority Dinka tribe of "ethnic cleansing" and of blocking efforts to implement a 2015 peace deal.

War broke out in oil-rich South Sudan in 2013, just two years after it achieved independence, after Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of plotting a coup.

An August 2015 peace deal, which led to the formation of a unity government, was left in tatters when fighting broke out in Juba in July last year.

The opposition split in two between those loyal to exiled Machar who were no longer represented in government, and those loyal to new vice-president Tabang Deng.

Lam chose to remain in the government.

'Catastrophic for civilians'

Violence, often along ethnic lines, has spread throughout the country with no prospects for peace in sight and the United Nations has warned of potential genocide and ethnic cleansing.

A confidential UN report obtained by AFP this week cites UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as saying the war had reached "catastrophic proportions for civilians".

After its outbreak in Juba, the war was largely restricted to the northern states of Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei but in the past six months it has expanded into the southern Equatoria region surrounding Juba.

Former Botswana president Festus Mogae, who leads an international ceasefire monitoring team, told journalists last week that new militia groups were emerging in the country.

The war has left tens of thousands dead and more than three million people displaced.

The humanitarian crisis has been exacerbated by a severe drought which has put thousands at risk of famine in the country.
Gilmour, after a four-day visit to the conflict-torn country, said those committing atrocities against innocent civilians in the country, must be held accountable, according to a statement issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday.

This is a war that has been waged against the men, women and children of South Sudan.

And the only way of ending this onslaught, will be when the perpetrators face consequences for what they are doing.

Although this is the fourth time Ive been in South Sudan since 2011, I wasnt prepared for the shocking devastation I witnessed in Malakal and even more by the clear pattern of systematic human rights violations and abuses suffered by the population.

It is utterly abhorrent that women in this area have to choose between getting raped or getting a livelihood.

But this seems the brutal reality of what South Sudan has become, the UN human rights official regretted.

Gilmour said he travelled to Malakal, where he received further information concerning the suffering of the civilian population in the area.

He regretted that women had been frequently subjected to rape, both by non-government militias and Government forces known as the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA), on their route to the market in Malakal town.

Rape and gang rape is present in the testimonies of numerous women in the area, though this was categorically denied by the SPLA Division Commander, Gilmour said.

In his meetings with the South Sudanese authorities in Juba, the UN envoy urged them to combat the worrying rise of hate speech and to do more to protect human rights defenders.

Gilmour expressed frustrations to the Chief of General Staff of the SPLA, Gen. Paul Malong, on the severe restrictions on access that the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) faced when trying to protect civilians, provide humanitarian assistance and monitor the human rights situation in the country.

He emphasized that elements of the SPLA had engaged in what could well amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

He, however, welcomed the recent start of UN human rights training for the SPLA and the appointment of SPLA focal points on conflict related sexual violence.

Gilmour urged the Director-General of the National Security Service to put an end to the practice of arbitrary and prolonged detention without charge, suggesting bring detainees before the courts, and allow them access to their lawyers and family.

Meanwhile, the three-member UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has called for the immediate launch of an independent mechanism to assist in investigating violations in the country, ahead of the establishment of the hybrid court.

As part of the 2015 Peace Agreement, the AU was mandated to establish a hybrid court for South Sudan, with the accord also providing for a truth commission and reparations authority.
Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
The Quad-Cities certainly has reason to be proud  at least five companies operating on Quad-City soil have been ranked among the World's Most Admired Companies in Fortune Magazine's annual list.

Among them is Deere & Co., with hometown headquarters, which has once again been ranked in the World's Top 50 Most Admired Companies. Deere Chairman and CEO Sam Allen said the ranking is ''evidence that John Deere's 60,000 employees around the world remain focused each day on service customers and living our core values of integrity, quality, commitment and innovation."

Also making the definitive report card on corporate reputations were Arconic/Alcoa Corp., with aluminum operations in Riverdale; Exelon, the parent company of the Quad-Cities Nuclear Generating Station; U.S. Bancorp, the Minneapolis parent of U.S. Bank, with Quad-City locations; and Archer Daniels Midland Co., or ADM, with operations in Clinton.

The ranking recognized the contributions of employees of both Alcoa and Arconic, which was spun off last year as a standalone company and includes Arconic Davenport Works. Alcoa Inc. has been on Fortune's Most Admired list since the ranking began more than 30 years ago.

Making the list is no easy feat. More than 1,500 companies are reviewed on their performance on nine criteria: innovation, people management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment value, quality of products and services, and global competitiveness.

Exelon, which made the list for an 11th consecutive year, was the only company in its sector listed on the Fortune 100. Chris Crane, Exelon's president and CEO, credited the company's "continued growth and investment to create a clean, affordable, next-generation energy grid."

U.S. Bancorp was ranked for a seventh consecutive year as the most admired superregional bank. It also ranked in the Top 10 companies across all industries in four key attributes or reputation. It ranked No. 1 among superregional banks in eight of the nine.

ADM, one of the world's largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, made the list for a ninth year in a row. It employs 32,000 people around the globe.

The winners are in good company as the Top 5 World's Most Admired are: Apple, Amazon, Starbucks, Berkshire Hathaway and Walt Disney.

Q-C Pizza Ranch owners expand to Sterling

Residents in Sterling, Illinois, have lassoed their own Pizza Ranch restaurant thanks to an expansion by the owners of the Pizza Ranch in Bettendorf.

The latest Pizza Ranch opened Monday in Sterling as the third franchise for Mike and Matt Middendorp and Ryan Wynn. The Middendorps own the sister store in Bettendorf.

Matt Middendorp said the restaurant is much more than delicious food. "We can't wait to get involved with the Sterling community, helping people host their events and fundraisers."

Founded in 1981, the Orange City, Iowa-based company owns, operates and franchises more than 195 locations in 13 states.

Cattlemen on hunt for best burger

The search is on for Iowa's Best Burger in Iowa and the Quad-Cities is sure to have some sizzling competition.

For the eighth year, the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen's Association are asking Iowans to nominate their favorite burger. Nominations must be 100 percent beef and served on a bun or bread product.

"The Best Burger contest uses checkoff dollars to showcase some of Iowa's best restaurants, and obviously, best burgers," said Steve Rehder, the beef council's chairman.

You can nominate your favorite restaurant's burger by mail, text or online. For details, rules and nomination forms, visit www.iabeef.org, or text BEEF to 313131. Nominations are due by March 13.

A winner will be selected from 10 finalists and announced May 1.
Like the area manufacturers it will serve, the Quad-Cities Manufacturing Innovation Hub aims to build a better product.

It is not an individual part, a metal, weaponry or a farm machine. But rather, the Hub  an initiative a few years in the making  is on a quest to build the Quad-Cities as a global manufacturing center for excellence.

Launched by the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce, the Hub is working to build a manufacturing culture here in which manufacturers can thrive and be ready for the future, including what hub leaders call "a tsunami of technology hitting the shop floor."

"The vision of the Quad-Cities Manufacturing Innovation Hub is to help manufacturers grow, diversify and stay competitive,'' said Scott Hutter, a manufacturing veteran recently hired by the chamber as the Hub's new executive director.

Although the Hub is not a physical place, it is true to its name as it creates a center, or hub, for area manufacturers to come together to cooperate, network and be educated on the technological and digital changes that will change the face of their industry.

Despite the wealth of Quad-City regional manufacturers  an estimated 350-400 companies in a 60-mile radius surrounding the metro Quad-Cities  Hutter said that as a group these employers have lacked an organization or forum "to plug into" to discuss workplace issues, common concerns or best practices.

The majority of area manufacturers are between 50 and 100 employees and while they could join the chamber as members, he said most choose not to because all their energies go into running their businesses.

Hutter brings both past experience in manufacturing and consulting. The past president and CEO of Martin Engineering in Neponset, Illinois, also still operates his Davenport firm Hutter Solutions.

As the Hub's small staff meets with area manufacturers, he said they are asking "What can we do right now to help? What can we do to get you ready for tomorrow? And how do you sustain this growth?"

For the first two years of the Hub, he said efforts have been focused on identifying the "state of the union" of those manufacturers. The Hub also recently completed a Technology Roadmap to identify the emerging technologies that will impact the area's manufacturing sector. It also now is working on a defense industry supply chain diversification study aimed at aiding the area's defense manufacturers.

"A lot of those manufacturers are struggling and many are dependent on what we call The Big 3: John Deere, Arconic (formerly Alcoa) and the Rock Island Arsenal," he added. "A lot of struggling to get by and yet we see all this technology coming into the manufacturing space."

According to Hutter, many of the region's manufacturers have ties to cyclical industries, such as agriculture and defense. But the global marketplace is changing the rules. "The solution isn't going to be (a mindset) that 'I've been through this before. Ag (economy) is down, ag has been down before and it will come back,'" he said. "Some companies are going to have to re-engineer themselves."

He said not only do Quad-City companies now face competition from manufacturers around the globe, but customers have changed their ways and now demand products that are customized and production schedules that are flexible and fast.

"We're trying to get in the heads of these owners and show there is a case for change," he said. "They are going to have to embrace this change, and technology is just one piece of it."

Technology onslaught

While the emerging technologies can help manufacturers diversify, grow and compete, there is a tremendous learning curve regarding the technologies, said Curt Burnett, the Hub's technology innovation director.

Burnett, now retired from Deere & Co., joined the Hub as a loaned executive, serving as its first executive director. Also the Hub's first employee, he now serves in a part-time capacity.

"There is so much technology coming at the shop floor," he said. "Even at John Deere, I had the advanced manufacturing group and it was hard for us to keep up."

But the challenge is even greater for small to mid-sized manufacturers. "It's really hard when you're that size to keep track of it, to understand it, and to figure out how to leverage an investment in it, because it all takes money," Burnett said.

Technology Roadmap

To assist area manufacturers, the chamber hired NewEdge to develop of a technology roadmap  a guide for regional manufacturers that identified the technologies with the potential to transform their industry. The roadmap was developed with more than 1,000 hours of input from academia, industry, and service providers.

Those technologies now are being showcased during new Technology User Groups in the areas of: additive manufacturing (3D printing); virtual and augmented reality; digital business to business marketing platforms; automation and robotics; integrated supply chain; cyber security; data analytics; and computer aided design and manufacturing.

"The idea is to work together to accelerate our understanding and leverage our investment and create a culture of collaboration and innovation,'' Burnett said. "If you are a small or mid-size manufacturer, we're going to all work together to reduce the learning curve."

The User Groups also are being tasked to produce a playbook  a guidebook for manufacturers to reference as they look to evaluate and implement the new technologies. Guidebooks are expected to be completed late this year.

"Some folks don't know there's a problem and won't know until the technology starts eating away at their business and the one who is more tech savvy starts taking away their business," Burnett said.

Hub support

The hub is funded by $5.5 million Department of Defense DIA program grant awarded to the University of Illinois in 2015 of which the chamber was a sub-awardee. The funding has helped to pay for the Hub's Technology Road Map, which was unveiled in December, and a defense industry supply chain diversification study, which is now in the works.

According to Hutter, the grant's focus is to help identify the defense sector's local supply chain and help it to diversify. But the lessons learned 'also are helping our non-defense industries," he said.

In addition to the User Groups, the Hub recently rolled out peer-to-peer networking gatherings known as Hub Huddles. The meetings, which have drawn larger than expected crowds, are a place for manufacturers to meet one another, Hutter said.

The Hub also will offer on-site support for companies with the deployment of its two project managers and the chamber's existing Critical Talent Network. The network, made up of retired area executives, can be sent in to address a specific need that a manufacturer might have.

The manufacturers also can benefit from a network of partnerships the Hub has been cultivating, including with CIRAS and IMED (Iowa and Illinois' manufacturing extension partnerships), and the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute in Chicago, of which the Hub is a satellite organization.

Burnett, who has been with the Hub since its infancy, said he is excited by its progress. "I think these User Groups and Huddles are getting people to work together and now we've got all the relationships set up."

According to Burnett, the Hub blends three separate plans into one strategy from its a diversification growth study, now underway, to its plan to show how technology will impact local industry and its creation of a network of relationships between the federal government, the states, local partners and academia.

The Hub also works to advance the chamber's Q2030 regional strategy, particularly its prosperous economy, Hutter said.

Calling the Hub's approach "sector-based economic development," he said the first focus is on manufacturing, but the same strategies and networking could aid other sectors in the future.
Even though its a little on the longish side, with Gore Verbinskis direction, this film is solid and stylish enough for those who appreciate atmosphere and general creepiness.

A Cure for Wellness starts with a scene of dread and death: A banker dies from an apparent heart attack while he works late in a high-rise office.

Meanwhile, a Wall Street CEO named Pembroke (Harry Groener, televisions How I Met Your Mother) takes off to a spa just before his firm merges with another one. He then sends the partners a weird note about wanting to stay in Switzerland.

But discrepancies have appeared in the paperwork, and his partners need Pembrokes signature. Thats when ambitious junior employee Lockhart (Dane DeHaan, Chronicle) is dispatched to the spa on a mission: To retrieve Pembroke and ensure he signs the documents so critical to the merger.

But Pembroke arrives after visiting hours. And he notices that all the spa patients are elderly, except for a teenage girl named Hannah (Mia Goth, Everest.) Eventually, Lockhart, who is involved in a serious car accident, becomes a patient himself, complete with a cast and a regimen of vitamins and water.

The facility/hospital/spa has a 1940s or 1950s feel. It could be something in a spread from Look or Life magazine, with clients clad all in white playing croquet or assembled in a sauna. No audience member will be surprised to learn that cell phones simply dont work in the area.

Pembroke thinks something odd is going on at the spa, especially after he hears a strange legend about two members of a noble family connected to it. He also thinks the spa director Volmer (Jason Isaacs, The Patriot) has an unusual focus.

Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean movies) provides us with unsettling environments, mostly from the perspective of Lockhart, who isnt sure whether hes hallucinating the terrifying visions he experiences or whether they are reality. And why does it seem that no one ever leaves the spa?

I love what Verbinski and his team do with cinematography and establishing an eerie atmosphere, from the location of the facility itself to a bar where neighbors seem to be throwbacks to centuries ago as well as modern Goths.

DeHaan capably carries the film, and is perfectly cast as the newcomer who doesnt look so well even when he arrives.

Its focus on atmosphere and environments reminded me of Crimson Peak, another recent blend of elements of horror and a thriller.
We might as well face it.

Some of us are facing it now.

For most, the day will come when we are called upon.

Someone is going to need us: Mom or Dad, husband or wife, brother or sister. Or we will need them.

In one out of four American households, someone is providing care to an aging parent, spouse or friend. In the next three years, the average is expected to be one in three households.

The increase is credited to aging baby boomers and people living longer and needing help staying in their homes.

When the need arises, the rain of caregiving demands can soak us in stress.

When we become parents to our parents, especially, the role reversal is difficult for both sides. There's guilt, isolation, exhaustion, sadness and fear.

But those who have gone through it, or are going through it now, say being a caregiver to our loved ones can be simultaneously overwhelming and profoundly rewarding.

Being a caregiver is life-changing, the experienced say.

Regardless whether we step up or stand down, aging and dying are facts of life.

The good news is: We can get better at being ready.

'I never looked at it as a choice'

In early 2010, Dan Deibert was working his dream job, doing a talk show at WGN, Chicago.

The phone call came in February: His dad, Wes Deibert, had been diagnosed with ALS. Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, the affliction attacks the nervous system, weakening muscles and, ultimately, destroying physical function. There is no cure.

From the moment Dan heard the news, he knew what he would do.

"I don't think it took a half-second to consider it," the 42-year-old said. "I just told my brother and sisters, 'I got it.'"

He and his wife, Jennie, packed up their belongings and headed home to Rock Island.

"I didn't say, 'I got it, no problem,'" Dan clarified. "It was, 'I got it, holy s---.' I was completely scared and clueless. Looking back, though, there was no other way to do it. I never looked at it as a choice."

The decision to walk away from his career and become a caregiver to his dying father was easy for several reasons. For starters, his siblings have children, and Dan and Jennie do not.

"Also, before he got sick, Dad and I talked on the phone for about an hour every day," he said. "We always had the kind of relationship where we talked about everything. I knew we'd be pretty good together."

And another reason: Dan's mother died in 2002.

"I wish I'd come back more to be with her," he said. "I think that helped with my decision with Dad."

The decision was the only easy part.

For the two years that ALS claimed more and more of Wes Deibert, his son was at his side. His stepmother worked during the day, a necessity, so Dan stayed at the house and took care of his dad.

"You have some amazing conversations with someone who knows he's going to die," Dan said. "We talked about it a lot  what was going to happen.

"I got to say everything I wanted to say."

A merciless disease, Wes Deibert's decline was rapid. In a matter of months, he lost the ability to feed himself. He needed help going to the bathroom. The strong, independent father that Dan knew his whole life now needed his help with everything.

"It's tough at first, sure, but what else are you going to do?" Dan asked. "He kept his sense of humor. That part of him didn't change when almost everything else did."

Wes died in May 2012. He was 64.

"Doing something like this, having a parent rely on you for everything, changes everything," Dan said. "So many things you think matter really don't.

"My wife and I go out West a lot, and we always flew. Now we drive. That's a direct result of all the stuff with Dad.

"I am a better person because of it. There's still some hard days, but they're fewer than they were a year after he died.

"I wouldn't give those days with him back. I don't think people know what they miss."

'Amazed at the courage I have'

Don Carson spent much of his life, including his career with Deere & Co., in the Quad-Cities.

When he learned in September that his cancer would take his life, he wanted to return to the Quad-Cities from his retirement home in Tennessee.

"It was Dad's dying wish, not wanting to die there," said his daughter, Andrea Spainhower. "He said he wanted to come home, and I had no idea how that was going to happen."

One thing was certain: Andrea would have to make the downstairs bathroom at her Rock Island home handicapped accessible. Although she had cared for an injured daughter and a dying friend, this was different. Andrea wisely decided to reach out early for help.

"When I could see it was coming, I started talking to people at work who have been through it," she said. "I had a pretty good starting place. I'm not saying Dad wasn't close with my (three) brothers, but when it comes to difficult conversations, we've always managed that well.

"I would say there's a level of trust there, and you have to have that."

At first, her dad needed constant attention. He couldn't walk, couldn't feed himself. For the first couple of months after Don moved back home, his daughter rarely left the house, except to take him to doctors' appointments. She was fortunate to be able to work from home.

"He's my miracle Dad," Andrea said. "He shouldn't be doing some of the things he's doing now, but that's the power of loving care.

"It's also tricky, though. I have to be really firm about the rule that he can't leave the house without me, because he's still a fall risk. I struggle with that, setting boundaries for my father.

"Also, he's trying so hard to not be a burden. The holidays helped, because he's very social, and we had a lot of people around."

But Don's chemotherapy treatment leaves his immune system vulnerable, so they have to be careful about visitors. Andrea still works from home a couple of days a week, and her dad needs help with many things, including his personal care.

"I'm amazed at the level of courage I have," Andrea said. "Some people put Mom or Dad in the best home, and that puts them at peace. I'm not judging that, but to me, this is what I'm supposed to do.

"Would Dad do well in an assisted-living facility, maybe get some of his independence back? We agreed to just let that sit in our brains for now."

The caregiver role has changed as Don's health has changed.

"Early on, while Dad was really sick, we could focus only on his immediate needs; the physical, financial and safe-keeping aspects," Andrea said. "Once he began to get his strength back, it was about the rest of his being, his mind, desires, heart and faith that needed care and attention."

Despite her admitted doubts, Andrea has stepped up. Way up.

"The caregiver in you comes out," she said. "I have a feeling, in the future, there will be reflective moments that will be worth the exhaustion, the guilt, the uncertainty and expense.

"I was fearful. I didn't know how I'd get through it. One thing I've learned is to take one day at a time. And one thing I'd tell someone going into this: Do not leave the hard stuff til the end, burial details and things like that.

"I don't want to be grieving and sorting things out at the same time. Early on, you better start managing your anxiety and guilt about short-changing other people and other responsibilities and doubting whether you're doing things right.

"You've got to calm down. You've got to ask for help. Otherwise, it will eat you up.

"I love the conversations we have and the time we have together. I'll never regret a moment of that."

What they did right

Dan Deibert had wholehearted support from his wife when he decided to move home to help his dad through the end of his life.

Andrea Spainhower went to co-workers with her questions before her dad came home to live with her.

For caregivers, one of the most important things in getting through the challenges, demands and emotions is to ask for help.

It cannot be overstated: Ask for help.

"It can be isolating," said Dr. Steven Kopp, a family therapist and clinical director at Genesis Psychology Associates. "Self-care is paramount when caregiving. As we increase stress, we need to increase self-care."

Depression and isolation are more likely in co-dependent relationships, Kopp said, which is why it's critical for those on both sides of the care equation to socialize outside that singular relationship.

The changes in the parent-child dynamic often are the hardest to navigate and accept.

"Our relationships become natural to us," Kopp said. "We spend a lifetime habituating to that. When those roles change ... it's set up to be difficult."

And that's another reason no one should try to go it alone. In caregiving cases such as Dan Deibert's and Andrea Spainhower's, being the only child to render full-time aid could lead to conflict with siblings.

"We all have different strengths, and it's important to go into caregiving being mindful of those things," Kopp said. "When you approach things in frustration, it can create defensiveness in others.

"Avoid accusatory language. 'I need you to (fill in the blank)' is better than 'You need to (fill in the blank).'

"Rather than being the so-called 'Super Sibling,' empower others to be involved. They may not like you now, but they'll appreciate you for it. Play to each others' strengths."

And remember to keep up your own strength, he said.

"Caregiving is Groundhog Day (referring to the movie). It's very healthy to change routine, and it's paramount that you eat, sleep and exercise. A balanced lifestyle is a huge buffer to the consequences of caregiving and aging."

And what about the parent who feels like a burden?

"Spin it: 'You gave to me, now I give to you,'" Kopp said. "It's the natural order of things, and people can accept that: 'You've been there for me, it's my turn.'

"Or, 'You'd do the same for me.'"

The other side of the coin

At 75, Sharon Batten doesn't need any help.

In fact, the Rock Island Arsenal retiree makes it her mission in life to be the helper and listed at least a dozen Quad-City organizations for which she volunteers.

"When I retired, I had to fill up the time," Batten said. "I went to sign up to volunteer at Genesis, and they asked how long I'd been retired. I said, 'A week.'"

Her health is good, and she requires no assistance in meeting the demands of the active life she has designed. But she suffers no delusions.

"When my dad got sick, he moved to a nursing home," she said. "My mother lived with me for a year and a half. I was still working. It was stressful. You feel so bad for somebody in that shape, because there's nothing you can do except feed them and take them to the doctor."

Batten knows she's fortunate to enjoy such good health, but she doesn't take it for granted. She had powers of attorney for her health and finances drafted upon her retirement, along with a living will. She since has paid off her funeral.

"Do you want to leave that on somebody else?" she asked. "I don't.

"The kids are lucky. They won't have a worry, except their emotional grief."

But Batten also knows that having her papers in order is no guarantee against the need one day for a caregiver.

"When I'm not OK ... I like to think I'll just need someone to pick up my prescriptions," she said. "Kids don't ever want you to be sick or die, so a lot of them don't want to talk about it."

Given her good health, Batten has addressed what she can for now, which is to get her affairs in order and make things a little easier for her kids. She attributes some of her emotional well-being to her active life, including a big investment in time at Davenport's CASI, the Center for Active Seniors Inc., where she volunteers.

"I wish the center didn't have to use the word 'senior,' because it can be so off-putting," she said. "It's an activity center where many things happen. If people my age and older would just check it out, they'd see that it's beautiful and wonderful.

"I don't know how to get it out of people's heads, but the most common comment about CASI is that it's the best-kept secret in town. I swear that's true. People think it's a bunch of 80-year-olds using walkers and playing bingo. There's line dancing, yoga, computers, luncheons, yet there's a barrier that keeps people from coming through the door.

"I think places like CASI, where there's a lot of socializing, can help people face things. Some people only want to deal with aging when they become an invalid or a family member dies.

"Hopefully, it'll be a while, but it will happen."

Kathy Horrell, director of senior services at CASI, is an advocate of healthy aging by profession. But she is an advocate for caregiving by experience.

"What we find out is those who provide care give 110 percent of themselves, and they get run down," she said. "It can be a 24/7 job that can go on for years ... so there's a high burnout level."

An important part of CASI's mission is offering support to caregivers, and Horrell learned to appreciate the offering even more when she temporarily left her job to take care of her mom.

"People don't realize they'll have to be a parent to their parent," she said. "Caregiver support is a big part of what we do. We've been here 45 years, and people still don't know the role we play in healthy aging, not infirmed people, sitting in wheelchairs."

With millions of baby boomers now into their 70s, the so-called Silver Tsunami is expected to deliver considerable demand on assisted-living facilities as well as organizations that offer caregiver respite and support.

"It's a one-two punch with baby boomers aging and the generation ahead of them living longer," said Karen Coats, family caregiver specialist for Scott and three other counties in the Milestones Area Agency on Aging. "Last year, caregivers represented, by far, the most callers into our agency.

"That's a good thing. It's very contrary to what it was a few years ago. I don't get so many crisis-level calls as I used to, which also is good news.

"It's important to talk now about what your parents want down the road. As soon as possible, get the lines of communications open with your parents.

"And keep in mind: Aging is something every one of us will face. If not today, it's just down the road."
Davenport recorded its second homicide in less than a week Friday when a man was shot to death outside a residence in the 600 block of East Locust Street.

David L. Levy Jr., 27, of 1523 W. 4th St., Apt. 1, Davenport, whose criminal history includes convictions for burglary, theft and drugs, is charged with one count of first-degree murder.

Under Iowa law, first-degree murder carries an automatic sentence of life in prison upon conviction.

Levy was being held Saturday in the Scott County Jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Davenport Police Detective Bill Thomas, about 9:49 p.m. Friday, Levy went to 625 E. Locust St. armed with a loaded handgun.

At the residence, Levy began arguing with Lasabian L. Walker and a woman in the front yard.

During the argument, Levy drew his handgun and shot Walker several times, according to the affidavit.

Neighbors reported hearing four shots.

Walker, 33, of Rock Island, was taken to Genesis Medical Center-East Rusholme Street, Davenport, where he was pronounced dead.

Walker had been on parole from Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, Illinois, since November where he had been serving a six-year prison sentence on drug and aggravated assault convictions out of Rock Island County.

According to the arrest affidavit, witnesses to the shooting positively identified Levy as the shooter. Levy's handgun also was recovered.

It is the second homicide in Davenport in five days.

At 12:45 a.m. Sunday, Marques Cotton, 29, of Peoria, was shot to death during an R&B concert at the Hotel Davenport and Conference Center, 5202 N. Brady St.

No one has been arrested in connection with that case.
A 73-year-old Davenport man is facing multiple sex abuse-related charges after police allege he abused a minor from about November 2014 through August 2016.

Jose Angel Rosas-Gutierrez, of 1815 W. 15th St., is charged with one count each of third-degree sexual abuse, enticing a minor under the age of 16, assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, and indecent contact with a child.

Third-degree sexual abuse is a Class C felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. Enticing a minor is a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of up to five years. The assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and indecent contact with a child charges each are aggravated misdemeanors that carry a prison sentence of up to two years.

According to the arrest affidavits filed by Davenport Police Detective Erin Pape, Rosas-Gutierrez began his abuse when the victim was 13 years old.

Rosas-Gutierrez was arrested Friday and booked into the Scott County Jail at 3:18 p.m. He was released from custody after posting 10 percent of a $22,000 bond through a bonding company.
Local law enforcement, hospitals, social service agencies and community groups are seeing some signs of human trafficking in the Quad-Cities.

Its a crime that is not officially reported very often, however, Scott County Sheriffs Maj. Bryce Schmidt said.

Its not as apparent as where it may be in some of the bigger cities, he said. Its hard to get cooperation from the victims because of the situation they are in.

For Cathy OKeefe, director of the nonprofit Braking Traffik, human trafficking is much larger than what the general community thinks.

What weve noticed is that as people in the community receive more training, such as law enforcement, medical personnel working in hospitals, teachers and school counselors, social workers and DHS (Department of Human Services) and people in the foster care system, weve seen an increase in identification, she said. It seems like the extent of human trafficking is getting worse, but I think really it was always just there. You just didnt see it.

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which victims are subjected by force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of commercial sex, debt bondage or forced labor. It is a felony in Illinois and Iowa.

O'Keefe said it can happen to anybody at any time, and only through awareness and education, communities locally and across the country can be better about identifying the problem and getting victims help.

OKeefe said there are two main forms of trafficking: sex and labor trafficking.

Runaways, immigrants, people with intellectual development disorders and people in the LGBTQ community are particularly vulnerable to trafficking, Kelly Saul, Braking Traffik outreach advocate, said during a training session this month at the Davenport Police Department.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2016 estimated that 1 in 6 endangered runaways reported to them were likely sex-trafficking victims. Saul said a person who identifies as LGBTQ is five times more likely to run away and wind up in sex trafficking to find a way to survive.

Illinois passed a human trafficking law in 2005, while Iowa passed its law in 2006.

Braking Traffik was started in 2008 by former Iowa Sen. Maggie Tinsman. OKeefe said Tinsman recognized that although the state had a law regarding human trafficking, many did not know it existed.

The group focused on education and legal advocacy and developed a human trafficking awareness program for middle school and high school students, staff and parents.

Braking Traffik also provides training for law enforcement and other agencies.

In April, the group merged with Family Resources Inc. and now is able to provide direct services for survivors of sex and labor trafficking. The services include medical and legal advocacy and help in finding housing and employment, OKeefe said.

Braking Traffik officially began serving clients in October, she said.

Since then, it has taken on 20 people as of late January who are either direct clients or people whom it did referrals for. The clients, most of whom are victims of sex trafficking, are male and female, teenagers and adults, OKeefe said.

Schmidt said victims of trafficking may have a dependency on their trafficker and what they provide to them, such as a roof over their head or drugs and alcohol.

In some cases, its a boyfriend who is financially taking care of them, he said.

Scott County Sheriffs Maj. Shawn Roth, a former sergeant with the Davenport Police Department, said it sometimes can be difficult to talk to suspected victims of sex trafficking.

I do believe that sometimes the victim doesnt want to talk to law enforcement, and we dont have any way to force somebody to speak to us, he said. If they dont want to speak to us, thats completely their right, and were going to respect that as well. But when they are ready to speak with us, were available for that, too.

Katie Kean, a sexual assault nurse coordinator for Genesis Health System who also has gone through training with Braking Traffik, said she has seen several trafficking victims under the age of 18.

They can sometimes present at the hospital with people that are older who dont really know much about the victims medical history, she said. It just seems off and not like a normal parent-child or relative relationship.

Kean said the victims may be hesitant to say anything and instead allow their older companion speak for them.

Roth said that although the crime tends to be under-reported in the Quad-Cities, there has been more public awareness and training in the past couple of years.

There are some great agencies and legislators making rules and things of that nature that are starting to make that awareness quite a bit better for law enforcement and the general public, he said.

Kean said there is a lot more that we need to learn when it comes to human trafficking.

I dont know how big (the problem) is, and I only see it through the hospital, she said. Once we do more training and the word gets out there that this is an issue, I believe we will see more cases.
If Wisconsin is any guide, Iowa's public-sector unions are facing a precipitous decline in membership, even as their leaders vow to survive the effects of the overhaul of Iowa's 43-year-old collective bargaining law, which Gov. Terry Branstad signed Friday.

In the five years after Act 10 was approved in Wisconsin, membership in two of the three councils of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union dropped by 70 percent, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The union representing teachers in Milwaukee lost 30 percent of its members.

Overall, union membership in the state is down nearly 40 percent since 2011, according to the latest federal data.

In the immediate aftermath of the Iowa Legislature's passage of the collective bargaining legislation, labor leaders said they are were determined to fight back.

Danny Homan, the president of AFSCME Council 61, said there would be a lawsuit challenging the legislation in court. And other labor leaders, including in the private sector, pointed to the outpouring of support from union members over the past week, as well as from allies in the state who think the legislation is simply not fair.

"Our people are jacked up right now," said Ken Sagar, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.

Still, House File 291 undoubtedly will make it tougher for public-sector unions. The bill strips the ability of unions that represent predominantly non-public safety workers to bargain on such important items as health insurance. It forbids unions from using payroll deduction to collect dues. It also requires regular certification elections, and it forces unions to get 50 percent of the vote of its members to be re-certified, not a majority of votes cast as it had been.

In that way, there are many similarities between Iowa's action and Wisconsin's Act 10.

Labor experts who studied the situation there say that restricting the ability to raise money and limiting the scope of bargaining had a serious impact on unions.

John Ahlquist, a former associate professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, pointed to the prohibition on deducting dues from a member's paycheck. This is no small change to a union's operations, he said.

"Local unions generally have limited budgets, and they don't have huge reserves of cash," he said.

Once the regularity of their cash flow is upset, that has a significant impact, especially on smaller locals in rural areas, said Ahlquist, who is now an associate professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego.

Iowa union officials say comparisons with Wisconsin don't necessarily apply to Iowa.

Iowa has historically been a "right to work" state, union officials say, meaning people don't have to make payments to a union if they're covered by a contract.

"Our members choose to be here," Tammy Wawro, president of the Iowa State Education Association, said last week after the House and Senate passed the legislation. "And right now, what has happened to them, we are feeling the love from our membership right now. Let me be pretty clear on that."

In Iowa, public-sector unions have been a bastion in the downward swirl of overall union membership in the state.

Even as Iowa's private-sector unions have shrunk, their brethren in the public sector have held their own.

The percentage of Iowa workers in a union declined from 15.2 percent in 1989 to 8.9 percent last year. But 29 percent of the state's public-sector workforce belonged to a union in 2016, roughly the same percentage as it was in the late 1980s, according to private researchers Barry Hirsch of Georgia State University and David Macpherson of Trinity University, who utilize government data to publish annual estimates of union membership in both the public and private sectors.

If public-sector union membership in Iowa follows the Wisconsin track, it will have an impact on more than just labor unions and their members. It also has the potential to reshape political campaigns in the state.

In fact, unions and their backers say the aim of the collective bargaining overhaul is a naked power grab by the Republicans, aimed at hobbling their rivals. Republicans have denied this, saying the legislation was aimed at leveling the playing field between management and labor.

Unions play a pivotal role in Democratic politics. Their members are grassroots volunteers, staffing phone banks and passing out literature. The unions also give money.

In the 2016 election cycle, AFSCME and ISEA gave $1 million to the Iowa Democratic Party, which raised $9.2 million overall, according to filings with the Iowa Campaign Finance and Disclosure Board.

Loss of membership has the potential to affect labor's role in politics.

Still, Iowa Democrats warned last week that a newly energized chunk of the electorate will not forgive or forget what happened last week.

"These folks have long memories, and they vote," Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, said on the House floor.

Norm Sterzenbach, a former executive director of the Iowa Democratic Party, said he feared a loss of union membership as a result of the new law, and he added that steep losses would force the party and labor to more strategically target whom it recruits for volunteers.

Still, he thinks the legislation won't have the political impact Republicans are expecting. Sterzenbach said the protests surrounding the early part of President Donald Trump's term and the steps the Republican-controlled Legislature is taking in Des Moines, are creating an energized electorate that he thinks has the potential to return union rank and file who sided with Trump in 2016.

"I think it's going to make it that much easier to bring them back to the Democratic Party," he said.

One Republican consultant, however, said he thinks the collective bargaining legislation will reap dividends for taxpayers and therefore for the lawmakers who voted for it.

Brian Dumas, a Davenport-based strategist who consulted with state Senate Republicans in the 2016 election cycle, said GOP candidates campaigned on more efficient, cost-effective government.

"They went out and did what they were supposed to do," he said. "And at the end of the day, it was good legislation for Iowa. And I think Iowa Republicans will be rewarded at the ballot box."

He also said he thinks the intensity surrounding the legislation's passage will die down.
Results of the Christmas Bird Count in the Quad-City region are in, and they once again show evidence of overall warmer weather in the area during December-January.

In years past, so-called semi-hardy birds such as robins, winter wrens and eastern bluebirds would not be common because they would have flown south, but this year they were counted in large numbers, said Kelly McKay, the Hampton, Illinois, field biologist, who tabulated seven counts in the region. He was helped by Steve Hager, biology professor at Augustana College, Rock Island.

"Their winter range is shifting north," he said. "Here is a piece of evidence that is very strongly connected to climate change."

The exception to the "generally warmer" scenario was the period of near zero temperatures the region experienced in mid-December. During that time, the Mississippi River froze over, leading to a lower-than-usual number of waterfowl and gulls in the count.

The Christmas census of bird populations has been conducted nationally for 117 years under the auspices of the National Audubon Society. On designated days in December and January, volunteers count birds at feeders and in the field, taking note of both numbers and species. Over time, the data reflect trends.

The seven counting areas compiled by McKay and Hager each encompass an expanse of about 117 square miles.

The total number of birds counted this year was 146,872, compared to 153,295 in 2015-16, 163,881 in 2014-15 and 159,644 in 2013-14.

McKay offered two reasons for the lower total, first being the frozen river on the days the counts were made in the Quad-Cities and Clinton, Iowa/Savanna, Illinois, two typically high water-bird spots.

Second, red-winged black birds that have traditionally roosted in the thousands in the wetlands near Barstow, Illinois, are no longer there because of habitat loss, McKay said.

Among the "best finds" in this year's count were a golden eagle in the Princeton/Camanche, Iowa, count and an osprey and two mountain bluebirds in the Clinton, Iowa/Savanna, Illinois count.

While semi-hardies were counted in good numbers, previously common winter birds was a mixed bag, McKay reported. Finches were in poor numbers across the region, but there were large numbers of American tree sparrows and dark-eyed juncos.
CANNON BALL, N.D. | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will move in with equipment contractors as soon as possible  perhaps this weekend  to assist in the cleanup of the main Dakota Access pipeline protest camp on Corps-owned land near the Cannonball River.

Corps spokesman Capt. Ryan Hignight said an assessment Thursday afternoon found good progress by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and people in the camp, but he added that significantly more manpower and resources must be brought to bear.

He said the contractor is working out the logistics after seeing the camp, where piles of debris and garbage, hundreds of dwellings and structures and vehicles and campers remain after three weeks of work.

The Corps has said the 300 or so people still at the camp should remove their belongings and anything of cultural significance and vacate by 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Hignight said the agency does not expect any hostility and that all groups are joined in the goal of cleaning up ahead of possible floodwater and contamination of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers.

However, the Morton County Sheriffs Department and the North Dakota Highway Patrol say they will prevent anyone from stopping or harassing dump truck and equipment operators.

If they interfere, they will be arrested, said spokesman Rob Keller, adding that federal help has been requested.

Keller said people in the camp prevented five Dakota Sanitation trucks from entering Thursday afternoon.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said an emergency evacuation order by Gov. Doug Burgum doesnt preclude lawful free speech but will be enforced if people refuse to leave.

In that case, law enforcement will do what is necessary to protect public health and safety. Its time for protesters to either go home or move to a legal site where they can peaceably continue their activities without risk of further harm to the environment, said Stenehjem, adding its a separate criminal offense to refuse to comply with an emergency evacuation order.

Hignight said people in the camp, or the public, can help with the cleanup now or after the deadline Wednesday, whichever they prefer.

Well work with anybody willing to work with us, he said.

Some people in the camp have said they will move to higher ground in the camp and defend the tribes treaty rights to the property. If so, they are subject to being cited with penalties of $5,000 and a six-month sentence, the Corps said.

In other developments, the Army published a notice Friday in the Federal Register that it was scrapping an environmental study of the pipeline's disputed crossing beneath Lake Oahe, a reservoir thats part of the Missouri River. The Corps launched the study Jan. 18 in light of concerns from the Standing Rock Sioux and other tribes that a pipeline leak beneath the lake would pollute drinking water.

But a week later, President Trump pushed to advance pipeline construction, and the Army gave Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners permission for the crossing on Feb. 8. Work quickly began on the final chunk of construction.
Seeking to assuage European fears about refreshed Washington-Moscow ties, Vice President Mike Pence told leaders here Saturday that the United States would hold Russia accountable for its actions even as it works to locate new areas for cooperation.

"Know this: the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common group, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," Pence said during remarks at the Munich Security Conference, the first major foreign policy address of the Trump administration.

Pence's speech, which was closely watched in foreign policy circles for its signals about U.S. strategy moving forward, sought to ease concerns on the continent about President Donald Trump, who has offered brash dismissals of long-established transatlantic institutions but few specifics about his intentions.

Pence did not offer any detailed policy proposals during his remarks, expressing in broad terms U.S. commitment to fighting radical Islamic terrorism.

"Today, on behalf of President Trump, I bring you this assurance," Pence said. "The United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to our transatlantic alliance."

He sought to underscore shared histories and conflicts, and said Trump would maintain deep ties between the U.S. and Europe.

"As you keep faith with us, under President Trump we will always keep faith with you," Pence said. "The fates of the United States and Europe are intertwined. Your struggles are our struggles. Your success is our success. And ultimately, we walk into the future together."

Pence's goal in his remarks was to reassure U.S. allies in Europe of the new administration's continued commitment to regional security, his aides said before the speech. Many Western leaders have eyed Trump with deep skepticism, given his campaign trail dismissals of NATO and the European Union.

Since taking office, that apprehension has not waned. U.S. and European officials who have met with members of the administration describe receiving mixed signals about American intentions moving forward, particularly on the future of U.S. sanctions on Moscow for its incursion into Ukraine and its cyber-meddling in last year's presidential election.

Pence did not offer a specific vow on sanctions Saturday, suggesting only that the U.S. would maintain pressure on Russia even as it seeks places to cooperate.

"This is President Trump's promise: We will stand with Europe, today and every day, because we are bound together by the same noble ideals -- freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law," Pence said.

In speaking at the Munich forum weeks after taking office, Pence mimicked his predecessor, Joe Biden, who addressed the conference in 2009. Then, like now, the Vice President offered a sweeping first glimpse of the new administration's foreign policy prescriptions. Biden called for a reset of ties with Russia and insisted that U.S. partnerships around the globe be improved when he spoke in 2009.

Pence is on his first trip abroad since taking office. He's also due in Brussels on Monday for talks with European leaders and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Trump has not ventured overseas since taking office, though he has committed to attending a NATO leaders meeting and a Group of 7 summit scheduled for May.
WASHINGTON | It's a Watergate-era cliche that the cover-up is always worse than the crime. In the Mike Flynn affair, we have the first recorded instance of a cover-up in the absence of a crime.

Being covered up were the Dec. 29 phone calls between Flynn and the Russian ambassador to Washington. The presumed violation was Flynn negotiating with a foreign adversary while the Obama administration was still in office and, even worse, discussing with Sergey Kislyak the sanctions then being imposed upon Russia (for meddling in the 2016 elections).

What's wrong with that? It is risible to invoke the Logan Act, passed during the John Adams administration, under which not a single American has been prosecuted in the intervening 218 years. It prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign powers. Flynn was hardly a private citizen. As Donald Trump's publicly designated incoming national security adviser, it was perfectly reasonable for him to be talking to foreign actors in preparation for assuming office within the month.

Worst case: He was telling Kislyak that the Trump administration might lift sanctions and therefore, comrade, no need for a spiral of retaliations. How different is this from Barack Obama telling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, on an inadvertently open mic, during his 2012 re-election campaign, "This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility."

Flynn would have been giving the Russians useful information that might well have contributed to Russia's decision not to retaliate. I'm no Russophile. But again: What's wrong with that? Turns out, the Trump administration has not lifted those sanctions. It's all a tempest in an empty teapot.

The accusations of misbehavior by Flynn carry a subliminal echo of a long-standing charge against Richard Nixon that he interfered in the Paris peace talks in October 1968 to prevent his Democratic opponent from claiming a major foreign policy success on the eve of the presidential election.

But that kind of alleged diplomatic freelancing would have prolonged a war in which Americans were dying daily. The Flynn conversation was nothing remotely of the sort. Where's the harm?

The harm was not the calls but Flynn's lying about them. And most especially lying to the vice president who then went out and told the world Flynn had never discussed sanctions. You can't leave your vice president undercut and exposed. Flynn had to go.

Up to this point, the story makes sense. Except for one thing: Why the cover-up if there is no crime? Why lie about talking about sanctions? It's inexplicable. Did Flynn want to head off lines of inquiry about other contacts with Russians that might not have been so innocent? Massive new leaks suggest numerous contacts during the campaign between Trump associates and Russian officials, some of whom were intelligence agents. Up till now, however, reports The New York Times, there is "no evidence" of any Trump campaign collusion or cooperation with Russian hacking and other interference in the U.S. election.

Thus far. Which is why there will be investigations. Speculation ranges from the wildly malevolent to the rather loopily innocent.

At one end of the spectrum is the scenario wherein these campaign officials  including perhaps Flynn, perhaps even Trump  are compromised because of tainted business or political activities known to the Russians, to whom they are now captive. A fevered conspiracy in my view, but there are non-certifiable people who consider it possible.

At the benign end of the spectrum is that the easily flattered Trump imagines himself the great dealmaker who overnight becomes a great statesman by charming Vladimir Putin into a Nixon-to-China grand bargain  we jointly call off the new Cold War, join forces to destroy the Islamic State and reach a new accommodation for Europe that relieves us of some of the burden of parasitic allies.

To me, the idea is nuts, a narcissistic fantasy grounded in neither strategy nor history. But that doesn't mean Trump might not imagine it  after all, he maintains that if we had only stayed in Iraq to steal its oil, we wouldn't have the Islamic State. And if this has indeed been his thinking about Russia, it would make sense to surround himself with advisers who had extensive dealings there.

I believe neither of these scenarios but I'm hard put to come up with alternatives. The puzzle remains. Why did Flynn lie? Until we answer that, the case of the cover-up in search of a crime remains unsolved.
Work has resumed on the Dakota Access Pipeline and cleanup of the protest camp continues. The conflict over the pipeline hasnt ended and no one knows when it will conclude despite the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granting the easement for the pipeline last week.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe plans to fight it in court and continue its efforts to sway public opinion in their direction. Its doubtful many people envisioned such a long battle when the first protest camp was established in April. As we approach the mid-mark of February there are still protesters who vow not to leave despite the tribes request they do so. Some hope to relocate their camp in an effort to continue their anti-pipeline activities. Some tribal members want to overturn a vote to close the protest camps.

Whether authorities allow protesters to move remains to be seen. If the decision is made to oust those who refuse to leave or try to establish a new camp, the question becomes who will be responsible for removing them. The Morton County Sheriffs Department with the help of the North Dakota Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies across the state and nation has been protecting Dakota Access interests and other private property.

The best scenario would be if the pipeline opponents rely on the courts to deliver the final verdict. National events like the March 10 march planned in Washington, D.C., give them a chance to peacefully demonstrate. It also provides them with a national platform to make their case against the pipeline and oil.

This has been a difficult time for everyone involved and can be resolved by the protesters leaving the camps. Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II initially asked pipeline opponents to come to North Dakota. He now wants them to leave while the tribe and opponents fight the case in court. The tribe supports his position.

The holdouts who dont want to leave appear dominated by out-of-state protesters. This refusal to leave achieves nothing other than to allow the situation to fester. It has been costly to the state, the tribe and the landowners in the surrounding area. Some opponents find fault with anything related to the pipeline situation.

Its time for the pipeline dispute to play out in the courts and North Dakota to get back to normal. The pipeline battle wont be won or lost in the protest camps, in fact, the camps can only hurt their cause.
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Prosecutor seeks 10 years in prison for alleged member of militant Islamist group

Context Moscow court to consider case of man who allegedly fought for terrorists in Syria

ST. PETERSBURG, February 16 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov)  Prosecutor has demanded 10 years in prison for Kyrgyzstan national Islamdzon Zakhidov charged with fighting in Syria on the side of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization banned in Russia, RAPSI reported Thursday from the Leningrad District Military Court.

A criminal case is being considered by the Moscow District Military Courts judges during a visiting session in St. Petersburg.

Prosecutors believe that in 2015 Zakhidov came to Syria where he joined Jabhat al-Nusra, received training and later participated in combat on the side of terrorists. In April 2016, he allegedly left Syria for Turkey. He was deported to Russia in May 2016 because of visa violation.

Investigation was carried out by investigative service of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Directorate for St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region. According to law enforcement authorities, a criminal case was also launched against Zakhidovs father and other Syrian-based members of the family.
BUTTE, Montana: A local team of investors has organized to build a 10,000 ton malting facility in Montana that will serve the craft brewing industry with diverse varieties of malt produced exclusively from Montana-grown barley. Montana has arguably the best growing environment in the world for barley -- a wealth of sophisticated growers, strong logistics infrastructure, and abundant quality water supply  its sort of nirvana, really. The coming together of all these things positions us very well to satisfy the diverse needs of the booming craft brewing industry, in Montana and beyond, said local businessman Ron Ueland, President of the venture Montana Craft Malt.The craft brewing industry has been growing at breakneck speed in the last 10 years, and the result is a need for high quality, specialized malts in order to deliver the sugars for fermentation in the brewing process, as well as provide additional flavor to make each beer variety a favorable craft product. Having access to multiple varieties of malt is key for brewers looking to differentiate their brews. The malt plant will be specifically designed to produce smaller batches of specialty malts for craft brewing customers. The plant will allow for batch flexibility and versatility, unlike the large batch, production-centered approach of the macro-maltsters. The malthouse can be expanded or replicated in the future, should the demand for craft malt continue to grow beyond the 10,000 tons per the specifications of the initial design.Per Dustin de Yong of the Montana Department of Commerce, Montanas craft brewers and distillers have been nationally recognized for their excellence. Likewise, Montana grains are known as some of the best on the continent. A feasibility study conducted by our office at the request of Department of Agriculture Director, Ron de Yong, was published in 2014 and played a major role in bringing this opportunity to fruition. Mr. Uelands knowledge and history of success in the agricultural industry will help to deliver a product unmatched and unavailable in the marketplace today. We are very excited to see this development realized and in the hands of a capable Montanan.The group leveraged the Department of Commerces market data and also surveyed a number of craft brewers to validate the opportunity. We understand craft brewers value a sense of place with their ingredients.They prefer not to buy from commodity markets where the true origin of those ingredients is unknown, and where ingredients are not widely differentiated. Theyre telling us they would prefer to buy locally, with the ability to buy diverse varieties that will allow them to differentiate their product without paying import taxes or high shipping costs, said Jennifer O'Brien, Montana Craft Malts marketing lead. For Montanas craft brewers, Montana Craft Malt will allow them to play with unique malts  even some heirloom and European varieties  from which they can achieve flavorful brews, while also enjoying the marketable properties of a truly local beer.As for craft brewers outside Montana, We are confident that our brand will be recognized across the industry for the quality within our diverse product portfolio, the proficiency of our malting process, and the origin of the malted grain itself. Furthermore, bringing out-of-state dollars into Montana will further bolster the economic impact of this value-added project,  says Ueland.Quality is a hallmark of the wheat and barley grown by our farmers, said Lola Raska, Executive Vice President of the Montana Grain Growers Association, and we are very pleased with news of this new malting facility. Specialized malts for the growing craft brewing industry, made from our members high quality barley, will be a fantastic addition to Montanas ag community.Collin Watters, Executive Vice President of The Montana Wheat and Barley Committee adds, We are excited about the opportunity this business represents for Montanas malting barley growers. Access to a diverse market is critical for growers long term profitability.Working with an alliance of select craft brewers, Montana Craft Malt plans to partner with Northern Seed and the Montana State University barley lab, under the direction of Dr. Jamie Sherman, to identify and test a diverse portfolio of base malt and specialty malts, allowing the brewers an opportunity to help shape the product offering from seed to bottle. These partnerships will also allow Montana Craft Malt to provide batch data to brewers, something that is necessary to manage consistency in brewing, but isnt always available to them today.This is an exciting time for our team  were looking forward to cracking into this under-served industry and offering a product portfolio that truly honors the art and science that is craft brewing. In an industry that was dominated by macro brews for so long, the malt supply chain was shaped by drinkability properties, and what were seeing with the emergence of craft brewing is a different set of values, where its more about heritage, flavor, and sourcing locally  were couldnt be more excited to serve this value system, OBrien said.Montana Craft Malt is currently in the site selection process, considering a few strategic locations in and around the Butte, Montana area. These locations are being considered due to their proximity to growers, transportation infrastructure, access to clean water supply, turnkey availability of utilities, and other business incentives. The group plans to make a decision on site selection in the coming month.Including land and equipment, the 10,000 ton facility is projected to be a $15 million capital expenditure, says the investor group. Dick Anderson Construction has been contracted for construction management and CMC Engineering and Management, LTD has been chosen for design engineering.At the end of the day, this is about Montana. Period. Our team shares a deep commitment to Montana growers and the local business community. The barley growers win because they have a locally owned buyer for their barley. Our craft brewer customers win because we intend on providing them malt that is crafted to their specifications and quality standards. And Montana wins, because this is a project that will bring construction and operations jobs, it will bring people to town when they do business with us, and we will be a buyer of local utilities and supplies, said Ueland. We dont want to continue to export our raw materials to other states for processing, were going to do it allhere, and produce a darn good product.An investor group has been formed and Montana Craft Malt expects to begin construction on its malthouse in 2017, with the first batches of malt available to brewers in 2018.
MISSOULA  At a hearing on potential endangered species status a year ago, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen was one of the few people in the packed courtroom whod actually seen a wolverine.

Thats created a legal conundrum: How do we prove an animal deserves federal protection if its too elusive to study? The Western States Wolverine Conservation Program has roped together a team of state, federal, tribal, academic and private researchers to answer that problem. And theyre benefiting from a tool thats revolutionizing conservation biology: The camera trap.

Thanks to a gizmo purchased for a few hundred dollars at a sporting goods store, you too can spy on not one, but two wolverines frolicking around the haunch of a dead deer. No wolverines were handled, drugged, collared, chased, annoyed with helicopters or otherwise harassed in the acquisition of this data.

Before we started doing this, no one had any idea how many wolverines we had across the landscape, said Luke Lamar, conservation director for Swan View Connections, the nonprofit organization that captured the wolverine video. And the video shows theyre a little more sociable than previously thought. We still dont know a lot about that. With the cameras, were not just collecting data on one species. We can get lynx, and wolverines and fisher, which we dont know a lot about either. Ive seen some lynx in person, but no one heres seen a wolverine yet.

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The largest members of the weasel family, wolverines weigh up to 40 pounds. But theyre willing to fight grizzly bears 10 times their size for a meal, and patrol huge swaths of territory year-round. They raise young in dens dug in deep snowbanks, making climate change a serious threat if the Rocky Mountains continues to lose its annual snowpack.

Wolverine advocates proposed giving the carnivore listing under the Endangered Species Act in 2014 based on predicted declines in high mountain snowpack from climate change and habitat fragmentation. In its decision not to list, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service noted that future impacts on wolverines from climate change were not certain. Judge Christensen ruled in April that it had to consider the species tiny estimated population  about 300 individuals in the continental United States  against the immense political pressure to avoid a federal listing.

Between 2012 and 2015, Swan View Connections has documented 22 individual wolverines in the Southwest Crown of the Continent  a landscape stretching from Swan Lake to the mouth of the Blackfoot River and from the Mission Mountains to Rogers Pass on the Rocky Mountain Front. Thats an area more than twice the size of Glacier National Park.

In the early days of wildlife biology, researchers did much of their work in places like the Serengeti Plains of Africa or Yellowstone National Park  because it was easy to observe animals there. Twin brothers Frank and John Craighead pushed the science to a new level with their pioneering work radio-collaring grizzly bears in Yellowstone.

Its not an exaggeration that camera traps have completely revolutionized wildlife research for hundreds of species, said Jedediah Brodie, the John Craighead Endowed Chair of Conservation professor at the University of Montana. Before cameras, we were restricted to either using unreliable proxies, or studying species that were really visible.

Brodie spent the past seven years studying the clouded leopard of Borneo  a predator hes only seen once with his own eyes. But thanks to camera traps, hes collected thousands of photos of the big cats in all types of habitats, in family or social groups, in certain times of day or season. He also catches images of every other critter that uses the same habitat, including tropical bears with fur markings so distinct, he can identify individuals without ever handling them.

Along with UM graduate student Robin Steenweg and biology professor Mark Hebblewhite, Brodie recently published a paper calling for a global network of remote cameras to transform the way we study and manage wildlife. Hebblewhite compared the idea to the process meteorologists used a century ago to link thousands of weather stations around the world and develop modern-day climate science.

With a radio collar, youre focused on that one animal, Hebblewhite said. Camera-trapping is different. We radio-collar space with a camera and see how the animals use that space. Land managers like the Forest Service and other state and federal agencies manage land  not just animals.

The Western States Wolverine Conservation Program has raised about $1 million to set up 180 bait stations in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington. The stations need nothing more than a tree big enough to dangle a hunk of roadkill meat defended by a line of wire bristle brushes. Any carnivore seeking a meal pays with a few body hairs. DNA analysis of those hairs reveals species, sex and sometimes family tree  all useful clues to display what animals use that bit of landscape.

Most of the stations also have camera traps on the watch. As techniques mature, those cameras might surpass the DNA work as a way of charting wildlife management.

Even with hair snares, you still need to send someone every couple days, Brodie said. You dont want the DNA material to degrade. With camera traps, you can wait for half a year without sending someone out. You get a sense of animal movements and behavior patterns. And its nice to not have humans out there every couple days.

Because humans and their equipment are expensive. Hebblewhite said the bill to radio-collar two wolves in a recent project came to $4,000 for the gear, helicopter time, tranquilizers and other supplies (but not the wages of the researchers). After the collar batteries expire or the collars fall off, the animal has to be recaptured to continue the project. A top-of-the-line camera trap costs $500 and only needs an occasional new memory card and batteries to keep recording for season after season.

Hebblewhite and Brodie acknowledged theres a creepy aspect to having thousands of cameras in the woods watching everything that moves. But they added that existing projects such as Snapshot Serengeti and Snapshot Wisconsin have found ways to minimize the personal privacy problems while encouraging lots of citizen science.

Conservation biology in general has been very bad about trying to measure our success, Brodie said. If we talk to a business person or government agency, they do that every day. If theyre not doing well, they change course. But how do you know how well youre doing in conservation? When we say we dont, their jaws drop. This is a way to show how well different conservation tactics work, how different management strategies work. It provides that baseline data, and its cost-effective.
Whether grizzly bear numbers in northwest Montana are stable, shrinking or growing, both sides of a lawsuit over their federal status agree there arent enough of them.

But lawyers for the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and the U.S. Government could not agree why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service switched its recommendation from warranted but precluded for more protection under the federal Endangered Species Act to a designation indicating the bear population was close to recovery. The two sides argued before U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen in Missoula on Thursday.

Rebecca Smith of the Public Interest Defense Center represented AWR, and argued the federal agency was breaking a 20-year position  that the Cabinet-Yaak bears deserved more protection  by suddenly announcing it was lowering the bears status.

On Dec. 5, 2014, FWS abruptly changed course and published a finding that the Cabinet-Yaak grizzly bear is not warranted for listing as an endangered species, Smith wrote in her brief to Christensen. The agencys conduct also indicates that the agency has no intention to recover or provide critical habitat for the Cabinet-Yaak grizzly bear, but instead intends to play administrative keep-away with the necessary protections for the Cabinet-Yaak grizzly bear for as long as possible, possibly until the population simply goes extinct.

The Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem is one of four grizzly bear recovery zones in and around Montana, and the smallest with an active bear population. The Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem each contain more than 800 grizzlies, while the Bitterroot Ecosystem has no known bears although its historically prime grizzly habitat.

Smith argued that between 2007 and 2014, grizzlies in the Cabinet-Yaak dropped from 47 bears to 41  a 13 percent decline. FWS minimum population necessary for recovery in the 2.4-million acre region is 100 bears.

Department of Justice attorney Ricky Turner represented the Department of Interior and its U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Turner agreed Cabinet-Yaak grizzlies havent reached recovery. But the population has moved from the brink of extinction to threatened status, and their numbers have been stable or growing in recent years.

Im not impressed with the numbers here, Christensen warned. Theres been slight improvement, but were still talking about 44 to 48 bears. Im not as enthusiastic about those numbers as you are. Maybe you can change my mind on that.

Smith and Turner interpreted the same trend in opposite ways. Smith insisted that with fewer than 50 bears, the loss of one or two females could turn a stable population into a falling one. Turner maintained that the Fish and Wildlife Service was the agency in charge of the science, and if it said the trend was good, Smith hadnt offered anything to prove it wasnt.

Christensen added that both sides seemed to be avoiding the elephant in the room  the chance that changing the grizzlys status might require a designation of critical habitat. Currently, the Cabinet-Yaak bears status doesnt require FWS to make such a designation, which would require any other land manager to consider the bears needs before making any changes such as a timber sale, road construction or mine expansion.

Smith replied the critical habitat requirement would occur  if FWS got the funding to move the grizzly from its warranted but precluded status to actual endangered status. She said the whole crux of the case was the agencys position for 20 years that the bear deserved more protection, before reversing course in 2014 and declaring it needed less.

Even if what they say is true, theyre using the exact same facts for either conclusion, Smith said. She called that the definition of arbitrary and capricious.

Turner countered that the grizzlys original threatened status was made before the agency adopted a new policy mandating critical habitat designations, so that should not be an issue. He also argued that Smith was calling for a new interpretation of the science, which was the agencys job.

Christensen did not rule on the matter after Thursdays hearing.
Over concerns that an ancient sport was getting too modern, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioners approved letting archers use lighted nocks on their arrows.

The lighted nock has always made a lot of sense to me, FWP Commissioner Matt Tourtlotte said during the boards Friday meeting. I would hate for it to be a gateway for this other technology to come tumbling into a sport that has its roots in a primitive core. But I advocated for it in the past, and I support it now.

The nock is the notch at the end of an arrow that slips over the bowstring. Current Montana rules dont allow any artificial light, luminous chemicals or electronics on archery bow sights or arrows during hunting seasons. Those additions are allowed for archers hunting during the general rifle hunting season. Fridays meeting changed the rule to allow lighted nocks during archery-only hunting seasons.

The archery hunting record service Pope and Young Club previously did not consider animals taken with lighted or electronic assistance. But the club changed its rules in 2015 to allow lighted nocks.

Its almost like having a tracer bullet being used, Commissioner Gary Wolfe said. If an animal jumps but doesnt run off, you adjust your shot and shoot again.

Wolfe added it could encourage hunters to take legal shots at the end of the day they might not take if they had to recover the animal in the dark. While there was nothing officially wrong with that, and it might mean fewer game animals went unrecovered, it also took away one of the sports inherent ethical challenges.

On the other hand, supporters noted that lighted nocks make it easier for archers to recover arrows that might otherwise be lost until they stab through a tractor tire or farmers foot.

Commission Chairman Dan Vermillion argued the board had done a thorough job listening to the hunting community on the values of lighted nocks, and was in a better position to monitor the change than the Legislature. A bill to allow lighted nocks is currently progressing through the state Capitol, and Vermillion said board approval might make that unnecessary.

A one-month public comment period between December and January drew 1,515 responses, with 1,400 in favor of allowing lighted nocks. Another 114 opposed the idea and one had no comment. Supporters included the Montana Bowhunters Association, while the Traditional Bowhunters of Montana opposed it.
LINCOLN  This years lone woman, Laurie Warren, pulled into Lincoln at 8:54 p.m. Monday night as the champion of the Montana Race to the Sky 300-mile sled dog race.

Fifteen-year-old Spencer Bruggeman of Great Falls, believed to be the youngest musher to finish the long course in a Race to the Sky, was 82 minutes behind, coming in at 10:16 p.m., 10 seconds before his father, Brett Bruggeman. The other three teams that started the race withdrew along the way.

Warren, 53, has trained pack mules for more than 25 years at her ranch near Council in the high desert of West Central Idaho. Her victory made it five in a row for women mushers after Alaska's Alea Robinson in 2013, Jenny Greger of Bozeman in 2014 and Iditarod veteran Jessie Royer the past two years. None of the three competed in Race to the Sky this year.

It was the first 300-miler for Warren, who competed in the Adult 100 the past three years.

She said the hardest part of the race for her team came Monday evening when they passed the Whitetail Ranch east of Ovando for the third time.

This time we went by and the dogs thought we were going to rest. They were really sad when we went past the checkpoint, Warren said as she unharnessed her team Monday night.

This year's course was rerouted due to avalanche danger between Seeley Lake and the traditional turnaround at Owl Creek, near Holland Lake. Teams traveled the almost 50 miles between Whitetail and Seeley Lake four times.

This takes a race-hardened team and driver ... back and forth on the same trail over and over.  It kinda messes with your head if you let it, Race to the Sky veteran Laura Daugereau wrote on the races Facebook page Monday.

Warren, 53, pulled out of the last checkpoint Monday at 9:27 a.m., with 70 backcountry miles ahead of her to the finish line in Lincoln.

The Bruggemans pulled out within 10 seconds of each other an hour after Warren left, following a mandatory six-hour layover in Seeley Lake. Warren never faltered, adding to her hour lead on the final stretch.

Rick Larson of Sand Coulee won the Adult 100 from Lincoln to Seeley Lake early Sunday.

From what Rick told me of the trail just coming off the 100 mile race. It is HARD! Like concrete hard. This takes a lot of team management, Daugereau wrote. Extra care to keep your team hydrated and protect feet and wrists  and because of the booties to protect feet, risk shoulder soreness from slipping on the Ice.

Mark Stamm of Riverside, Washington, seeking to become just the second three-time winner, withdrew from the race after reaching Seeley Lake in the early-morning hours Monday. Neal Bowlen of Park City, Utah, also withdrew at Seeley Lake. That cut in half the original starting field of six after Clayton Perry of Power was injured on Saturday night and hospitalized with a concussion.

Larson finished the Adult 100 at 7:16 a.m. Sunday, followed by Joe Carson of Wasilla, Alaska, at 7:40 a.m.

In third place was Roy Etnire of Seeley Lake at 8 a.m. Fourth went to Dave Bush of Bend, Oregon, at 9:10 a.m. Fifth place went to Steve Riggs of Olney at 9:15 a.m. and sixth was Steve Madsen of Cougar, Washington, at 9:18 a.m. Bino Fowler from Bend, Oregon, came in at 1:30 p.m. in seventh place followed by Adam Buch of Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada, at 2:32 p.m., earning him the Red Lantern Award as the last-place team.

Notes: Royer, who lives and works in Darby and Fairbanks, Alaska, raced in the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest for the first time. The leaders were approaching the finish line in Fairbanks at noon Tuesday. Royer was in eighth place, roughly 180 miles from the end. She's entered in her 15th Iditarod in Alaska, starting March 4. ... Meg Conklin of Boise, along with the Herbst family, received the Sportsmanship Award. Conklin, a 13-year-old junior musher, helped get Bozemans Maeva Waterman and her team into the next checkpoint after Waterman took a wrong turn early in the race. Kali Herbsts family helped bring in Perrys team after he was injured. ...The Best Cared for Team Award was presented by Dr. Kathy Topham to Carson for excellence and professionalism taking care of his team. ... An awards ceremony for the 300-mile race was set for 6 p.m. Tuesday in Helena at St. Paul's United Methodist Church.
MISSOULA  A legislator known for supporting motorized access to public lands has introduced a resolution asking Congress to un-designate Montanas wilderness study areas.

Rep. Kerry White, R-Bozeman, submitted House Joint Resolution 9 on Friday. It calls for dropping nearly 1 million acres from possible federal wilderness consideration. Wilderness study areas in Montana exist mainly on U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management public lands.

If enacted, the resolution would ask Congress to enact legislation to release all wilderness study areas identified and specified in the Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977.

It also asks Congress to manage those places according to the Forest Management Act of 1897 to improve and protect the forest  for the purpose of securing favorable conditions of water flows and to furnish a continuous supply of timber for the use and necessities of citizens of the United States.

In the resolutions justifications, White claimed in the resolution that Montanas economy was hurt by recent management policies, resulting in the closure of 22 sawmills since 1990 and causing the loss of over 2,100 primary industry jobs and over $50 million in wages. He added that Congress inaction was wasting forest assets, reducing forest road construction and severely (harming) agriculture, timber harvesting, and multiple-use interests.

White did not return phone messages requesting comment on his measure. A longtime leader of Montanans for Multiple Use, White recently represented the American Lands Council on a tour promoting the return of federal lands to state management or ownership.

Joint resolutions must be passed by both the state House of Representatives and Senate, but do not need the governors signature. They express an opinion of state government, but do not have any force of law.

Of the roughly 1 million acres designated as wilderness study areas, White specifically mentioned seven. They were 151,000 acres in the West Pioneers, 61,000 acres in Blue Joint, 94,000 acres in the Sapphire Mountains, 34,000 acres at Ten Lakes, 81,000 acres on the Middle Fork Judith River, 91,000 acres in the Big Snowy Mountains, and 151,000 acres of the Hyalite-Porcupine-Buffalo Horn.

The resolution drew harsh responses from groups favoring wilderness.

"Rep. White's resolution is more than a radical wish-list; it's an affront to all Montanans who have worked for years to find collaborative, place-based solutions to public land management issues across the state, Montana Wilderness Association conservation director John Todd wrote in an email. Montanans know the best way to resolve our treasured wilderness study areas is by working together, not by issuing top-down edicts out of Helena."

Outdoor gear sales representative Chris Ennis added the move would be bad for the states recreation industry. Recent studies show the states outdoor economy supports 64,000 jobs and $6 billion in economic activity.

Bills like this are a direct threat to that livelihood, said Ennis, a member of the industry group Montana Outdoor Alliance. I see two problems. First, its not the states business to do this  these are federal designations. And second, getting rid of all wilderness study areas is as stupid as saying we want all these areas to be wilderness. We need to complete the studies.

White in his justifications noted that the 1977 federal law creating the study areas called for those reviews to be completed within five years. That has led to lawsuits over what uses are appropriate, burdens on court systems and wide swings in executive branch philosophy regarding the administration of these lands  costing the public millions of dollars as forest assets burn and deteriorate and as investments in forest road construction and improvements are being deliberately destroyed.

The legislation has its first hearing on Monday.
State election administrators are seeking a one-time exception to conduct a federal election by mail ballot when it comes time to elect Rep. Ryan Zinkes replacement.

Plans call for submitting a bill to the Montana Legislature next week that would allow for that option.

Ravalli County Clerk and Recorder Regina Plettenberg said the uncertainty on when the election will be held is concerning to those in the state charged with administering elections.

We still dont have anything final on when that election will be held, Plettenberg said. The fact that were dealing with a moving target has election administrators worried.

The election date cant be set until Zinke is confirmed as secretary of Interior by the U.S. Senate, which is expected to happen in early March.

Once Zinke vacates his U.S. House seat, Gov. Steve Bullock will set a special election within 100 days.

Election administrators believe a mail ballot would not only provide for a better voter turnout for the unusual election, but it would also save money for already financially strapped counties, Plettenberg said.

A lot of folks think the costs for this election would be picked up by the state or federal government, but thats not the case, Plettenberg said. All of the money will come out of the counties budgets. The counties are begging the Legislature and governor to allow them to run a mail-in ballot election.

County governments felt the financial pinch for the historically high cost of the last general election, she said.

Normally a general election costs about $2 million to administer statewide. Last Novembers election cost $3 million due to an exceptionally high turnout and a requirement to reprint ballots when Libertarian candidate Mike Fellows died after the ballots had already been printed.

Reprinting the ballots cost Ravalli County $11,000 and Missoula County spent $40,000.

If the mail ballot proposal is approved, large counties, such as Missoula, Flathead and Gallatin, would see up to a 50 percent savings in election costs. Ravalli County expects to save upwards of $70,000, Plettenberg said.

About 50 percent of election costs are personnel-related.

Under normal circumstances, Plettenberg said election administrators have about two years to plan for a federal election and arrange for polling places and workers.

In this case, there would only be three months to pull it all together.

Some polling places and trained election judges might not be available. Plettenberg said there wouldnt be enough time to recruit and train new judges.

Beyond all of that, Plettenberg said off-year elections are notorious for low turn-out rates. If the mail ballot proposal was approved, every active registered voter in Montana would receive a ballot.

Mail ballot elections are very secure, she said. When ballots are returned, voter signatures are verified before the ballot is accepted and counted. If the signature does not match, the ballot is rejected.

Montanas election administrators have been running mail ballot elections for local and school elections for over three decades, Plettenberg said. They have the experience and ability to run this special election as a mail ballot.

This is a really big deal, she said. We do need some public support. We could use peoples support in contacting their legislators, the governor and county commissioners.


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Two students in Florence-Carlton Elementary School won the Montana art contest by Energy Share.

Taven Otteson was selected as the first place winner. His artwork will appear on a billboard in the Bitterroot Valley later this month and next year it will appear on thank you cards used by Energy Share throughout Montana. He was also was presented with $75.

Third place winner Kaylee Crawford, also from Florence-Carlton Elementary School, received $25. Their teacher, Rochelle Blomquist, received a $100 Walmart gift card to use for classroom needs.

Energy Share Board Member Jim Maunder, along with Deb Hayes from District 11 Human Resource Council in Missoula, gave the presentations, Feb. 9.

Fourth grade students across the state participated in the art contest. Maunder said this is the second year students in Blomquists class have won.

This year they got first and third and last year they got second and third, Maunder said. It is so encouraging that their teacher takes this seriously. She was thrilled but the kids were just ecstatic. One of Tavens friend said youre going to be famous.

Maunder represents the Montana Electric Cooperative on the Energy Share board.

Im in my fourth year and have given these awards for the past three years, he said. Twice to Florence.

Energy Share uses the art contest to educate Montanans about the energy needs of their neighbors. The goal is to increase donations from individuals and businesses so Energy Share can help Montanans in temporary financial difficulties facing emergency no-heat situations. Last heating season Energy Share helped over 400 families in Mineral, Missoula and Ravalli Counties. Statewide, Energy Share helped 2,310 families.

Utility companies and electric cooperatives also help support Energy Share including Missoula Electric Cooperative, NorthWestern Energy and Ravalli County Electric Cooperative. For more information call the Human Resource Council in Missoula 406-728-3710, the statewide Energy Share office at 1-888-779-7589 or 442-4900, or visit Energy Shares website at www.energysharemt.com.
HELENA  The tentacles of methamphetamine abuse reaching across Montana are choking everything from state agencies struggling to keep up with increased workloads to Indian reservations with even fewer services than the rest of the state.

But putting more money and resources into prevention, treatment and keeping the drug from reaching communities can alleviate some of the problem.

Thats what panelists told a group of legislators gathered at the Capitol on Saturday for what Sen. Eric Moore, R-Miles City, called the Montana Meth Summit. Moore, along with Sen. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, organized the summit to discuss the effects of the drug on the state.

Different state agencies struggle with the increasing strain on their programs caused by meth abuse:

Of all cases of child abuse and neglect investigated by the the Child and Family Services Division of the Department of Public Health and Human Services, by February 2017, 42 percent involve meth abuse by parents or guardians, department deputy director Laura Smith told the panel. That number was 22 percent in 2008.

On the Fort Belknap Reservation, 98 percent of people relapse after exiting treatment because of a lack of sober living programs, Miranda Kirk, who runs the Aaniiih Nakoda Anti Drug Program there, said.

District courts have seen a 21 percent increase in caseload between 2009 and last year. That includes going from 7,755 criminal cases to 11,744, said Supreme Court administrator Beth McLaughlin.

Attorney General Tim Fox, whose Department of Justice has hired a consultant to research how meth abuse impacts agencies across the state, said an all-hands-on-deck approach is needed to make any sort of improvement and understand how agencies' work interplay.

He called efforts a "multi-legged stool," saying it would be cheaper and more effective to put money and resources into prevention like peer mentoring and drug courts, as well as into law enforcement who can stop large shipments of drugs from coming in.

Even if law enforcement had enough officers and resources to go after meth flooding into Montana, the resulting cases and prisoners would further overwhelm judicial and corrections systems already struggling to keep up.

If we squeeze the balloon on the bottom, its going to pop out somewhere else, said Col. Tom Butler, chief of the Montana Highway Patrol.

The economic burden associated with substance abuse misuse is "alarming," Zoe Barnard, administrator for the Addictive and Mental Disorders Division of the health department, told lawmakers.

Between 2010 and 2014, there was $143 million in hospital charges annually related to substance abuse disorders; $28 million charged to Medicaid.

The department is responsible for all the publicly funded mental health and substance abuse treatment in the state. Barnard cited high substance abuse and suicide rates, saying they are connected to untreated mental illness.

Smith told lawmakers that part of the problem is a lack of access to preventive and treatment programs.

Barnard said the passage of the HELP Act, which expanded Medicaid in Montana, has increased access to treatment, but the state still struggles to connect people with the care they need. Many Montanans dont seek out treatment because of stigma associated with it she said.

Kirk knows that struggles of accessing treatment first-hand.

After-care is nonexistent on the reservation, Kirk said, adding that without sober living programs, people who finish treatment are moving right back into the situations they were in when they started using drugs.

Kirk runs a peer-mentor program that has been successful; of 20 who have come in for treatment, two have not relapsed after a year, two more have not after six months, another two have lowered their relapse rate and six more are still in the program.

One of the problems Kirk, as well as other providers across the state, face is a challenge to find ways to pay for services. Peer treatment is not billable under Medicaid, but Senate Bill 62, which passed the Senate and is on its way to the House floor would change that, Kirk said.

Right now were running off seed money from the tribe, Kirk said.
Guwahati : Civil rights, political activist Irom Chanu Sharmila only has Rs 2.6 lakh in her possession and without any land or house and it was revealed in the her affidavit which she filed to the Election Commission.

According to her affidavit, Sharmila stated that, she has only Rs 10,000 in cash at hand and Rs 2.5 lakh in bank account.

Irom further claimed that, she does not possesses any vehicle or gold ornament.

The iconic acitivst had filed her nomination papers for Thoubal assembly constituency in the upcoming assembly polls in Manipur to be held in two phases on March 4 and 8.

Irom filed her nominations on behalf of her newly formed People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) to challange Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.

Irom Sharmila led PRJA, which is making an electoral debut in the trouble torn Manipur.

Anti-AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) Crusader Irom Sharmila had announced her political debut by forming PRJA after ended her 16-year long hunger strike in August last.

Before filing the nomination papers, Irom Sharmila reached Thoubal on her bicycle, covering about 21 kms from Imphal, the capital city of the north eastern Indian state.

Political analyst said that, Irom will be the main opponent of Ibobi in Thoubal.

On the other hand, Manipur CM Ibobi Singh, who also filed his nomination papers on Thursday seeking fourth term after elected to the assembly in 2002, 2007 and 2012 respectively.

For the first phase polls, a total of 215 candidates had filed their nomination papers for 38 assembly constituencies.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati, February 18 : A Tamilnadu like political drama is being played in Nagaland following at least 40 rebel legislators of the ruling Nagaland People's Front (NPF) had spirited out the north eastern Indian state and met in a crucial meeting in a resort in Kaziranga National Park in Assam to select the next Chief Minister of the state.

A top source of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) collision founded by NPF said that, former Chief Minister and present Lok Sabha member Neiphiu Rio would likely to be the next CM of Nagaland instead of present CM T R Zeliang.

The rebel legislators met in the meeting at Borgoch resort in the World Heritage site.

The source said that, there has been patch up between Zeliang and Rio.

The camp of 40 MLAs including Independents in the 60-member house led by NPF president Shurhozelie Leizietsu were reached in Kaziranga on Friday night.

Meanwhile, Nagaland Governor PB Acharya is likely to return Kohima today evening after met President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi following the current political stalemate in the state on Friday.

Rio and Zeliang, both are camping in Delhi also likely to return to Kohima same day.

On February 15, 33 MLAs out of 42 from NPF had dramatically thrown their weight to Liezietsu as the new CM.

On next day Zeliang and Acharya had immediately rushed to Delhi.

But a new tweest added in Nagaland's political drama on Friday evening after the rebel legislators camp reached in Kaziranga.

Meanwhile, Acharya said that, there are not well in Nagaland.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Photo: PMas Secretariat

KATHMANDU, NEPAL: the leaders of the major government allies- Nepali Congress and the CPN Maoist Center hold a meeting with the leaders of the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) in a bid to find consensus to announce the date for the local level elections at Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahals official residence, Baluwatar on Saturday.

As the government is under pressure to announce the date for the lections except agitating Madhes based parties, Prime Minister Dahal had called the meeting with the Madhesi leaders.

During the meeting Prime Minister Dahal urged the Madhesi leaders to be supportive to hold the elections.
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Feb-17-2017 18:15 TweetFollow @OregonNews Salem Man Arrested in Major Drug Bust Suspect was booked on an extensive list of drug and weapons charges.

Casey Miser was booked into the Marion County Correctional Facility on an extensive list of drug and weapons charges.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Search warrants were served late last night in the 1300 block of Rafael Av N and the 3700 block of Portland Rd NE, resulting in one arrest and collection of a myriad of evidence. This bust was the culmination of an approximately month long investigation by the Salem Police Department's Street Crimes Unit, assisted by the Keizer Police Department, and a narcotics detection K-9 and handler from the Oregon State Police. Detectives seized approximately: 17 pounds of methamphetamine

5 pounds of cocaine

1/4 pound of heroin

10,000 oxycodone pills

40 pounds of marijuana

over $40,000 in cash

5 firearms

2 sets of body armor 36-year old Casey Miser, of Salem, was taken into custody and booked into the Marion County Correctional Facility on an extensive list of drug and weapons charges. Source: Salem Police Dept. _________________________________________

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I know I may have said this before but I used to think that a school was only as good as the three-legged stool that it is - parents, teachers/staff and principal. I soon learned that without a good principal, you might not ever want to sit on that stool. I have also often wondered if Seattle Schools had just bad luck/poor judgment about principals or if other districts have the same kind of churn. And principals aren't the same category as teachers. They don't have a union per se but in SPS, they have their own org, PASS (Principals Association of Seattle Schools). They oversee hundreds of students, not a single class. They have to juggle multiple balls of budget, discipline, curriculum and governance of a staff. That plus make parents and students feel good about the school. It was also an interesting fact for Seattle Schools that only until recently, they had three principals who had all graduated from the school that they now oversaw. That was Martin Floe at Ingraham High
When you think of luxury cruises, you probably picture old couples and families setting off into the sunset - a sort of world tour that never has to forego the comforts of home. Well, Tristan Ferland Milewski's Dream Boat isn't that at all. Moored in the 67th Berlinale's Panorama Dokumente selection, this stylish documentary welcomes you behind the scenes of an exclusively all-gay cruise.

Going at full speed ahead, this testosterone-fuelled movie boldly takes the boys out to sea, and what we see there gives the word "cruising" a whole new meaning. The movie has a real glitzy, Instagram-esque cinematography full of rich filters, and what its protagonists say or do has a real "yolo" joie de vivre to it. But initially Dream Boat all seems rather harmless or pensive. It even draws us in with the innocuous sound of soft xylophone music, while a ship's maid neatly lays out a row of condoms on a cabin bed.

Every scene seems bathed in a golden South American light and everything looks decidedly quaint and dated. But what we are seeing is very much the calm before the storm. Soon an entire cast of strapping sailors descends on the boat, and they all begin settling into their new lodgings. We hone in on five very different men, who each tell us about themselves and what they hope to get from the cruise.

First you have Marek, a Polish migrant to the UK who is searching for a less skin-deep relationship. Then you have innocents like Dipankar, a 32-year-old Indian singleton who has moved to Dubai to work in finance and has never been in a relationship. And there's Palestinian refugee Ramzi, who's happily settled with his new Belgian boyfriend, and a German man called Martin who has learned to live with being HIV positive. The group is completed by Phillipe from France, who has had to adjust to life in a wheelchair after an attack of meningitis.

Before long this motley crew launches into an armada of parties. The first of which happens to be a flag party - essentially where you wear anything that represents your country as a sort of ice-breaker. Dipankar even rather amusingly explains what being gay in India means to him based on the way his buttocks are displayed in bright, tight, white thong. In these party scenes, Dream Boat well and truly sails into its second mode: the gyrating music video.

Rows of coquettish bodies line up, and biceps and abs dance and flex in front of the camera to thumping music. For all the world, what we see can only be described as the simplest of male courting rituals. And the flotsam of used condoms which these drag and fancy dress parties leave behind definitely makes perfectly clear how free the sex culture that partly propels these cruises is.

But Dream Boat is rarely ever confrontational or full frontal. Instead, the documentary's static gaze unashamedly captures its subjects in a variety of states of arousal, from a very lusty full mast to a more emotionally fragile half mast. During the process, each man very much experiences his own form of cabin fever, but rarely are these purely caused by his sexual impulses.

It becomes clear very early on in this documentary that Milewski has honed in on five particularly well-natured men. Individuals who would definitely be good role models to others. However, the diversity within this group also allows the director to discuss a great number of issues that speak both to gay and universal problems.

They are five well-versed travellers who are all able to openly discuss very personal topics, like how they perceive their own bodies or how they court certain types of masculinity. Likewise they talk about how they strive to make the most of life in the moment or struggle to envision a future that has the security they see in the relationships they see around them. It's also incredibly striking to see how much each of these individuals has had to relocate or bravely carve out a space for themselves to celebrate their own choices.

But Dream Boat's philosophical discussions are always rather amusing, given that the men are almost always about to head into something rather antithetical, like a black leather bondage rave, for example. There's also a series of wonderfully amusing reveals whereby the ship's elevators open to reveal a crowd of rowdy men all closely huddled together in a collection of funny matching costumes.

Also on a purely visual level, another thing that sticks out is a sense of how frighteningly predominant a certain muscle-bound body type is. Almost all the men in the film conform to it or aspire to achieve it, and some even smuggle protein powders and creatin shakes below deck with them. Nevertheless, there is a real mix of ages, cultures and body types, so it does almost feel like the many different faces of the gay community are all represented in Dream Boat.

Another thing that's really nice about this documentary is the impression you get that all the men participating in it have had their lives enriched somehow by this opportunity to reflect on how they feel and how far they have come. For that reason in particular, Dream Boat is a really uplifting and thought-provoking film that restores your faith in cinema. Let us hope that these men can cruise with pride for many years to come.
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February 17, 2017

Hoping for the best from Prez Trump's creation of crime task force

As noted in this prior post, last week Prez Trump signed three crime-fighting executive orders. In my view, the EO with arguably the most enduring significance and substance was this one creating a Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety. Here is the heart of what the EO says about this Task Force:

The Attorney General shall determine the characteristics of the Task Force ... [and the] Task Force shall: (i) exchange information and ideas among its members that will be useful in developing strategies to reduce crime, including, in particular, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and violent crime; (ii) based on that exchange of information and ideas, develop strategies to reduce crime; (iii) identify deficiencies in existing laws that have made them less effective in reducing crime and propose new legislation that could be enacted to improve public safety and reduce crime; (iv) evaluate the availability and adequacy of crime-related data and identify measures that could improve data collection in a manner that will aid in the understanding of crime trends and in the reduction of crime; and (v) conduct any other studies and develop any other recommendations as directed by the Attorney General.... The Task Force shall submit at least one report to the President within 1 year from the date of this order, and a subsequent report at least once per year thereafter while the Task Force remains in existence. The structure of the report is left to the discretion of the Attorney General. In its first report to the President and in any subsequent reports, the Task Force shall summarize its findings and recommendations under subsections (c)(ii) through (c)(v) of this section.

I find interesting and valuable that this Task Force is tasked with, inter alia, seeking to "improve data collection" and to write a detailed report with a year. More generally, I think the Task Force is a really good idea and one that is, notably, not all that much of a variation on crime commissions recently urged by folks across the political spectrum. Specifically, back in 2009, then-Senator Jim Webb introduced legislation to create a National Criminal Justice Commission, and in May 2015 President Obamas Task Force on 21st Century Policing made this notable "overarching recommendation": "The President should support and provide funding for the creation of a National Crime and Justice Task Force to review and evaluate all components of the criminal justice system for the purpose of making recommendations to the country on comprehensive criminal justice reform."

Among the reasons I am eager and hopeful about the work of this Task Force is the fact that crime realities appear quite divergent in different parts of the county. While some big cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington DC seem to be experiencing worrisome increases in crime in recent years, other big cities like Philadelphia, New York and San Diego seem to be achieving record low crime rates. I sense there is a similar diversity of experiences in small cities and rural areas nationwide as well. Ideally, the AG's Task Force can and will advance and deepen our understanding of all the nationwide diverse and distinctive crime and punishment realities throughout the United States circa 2017-18.

February 17, 2017 at 04:42 PM | Permalink

Comments

Let's wait and see who the membership is before we get optimistic about the commission.

Posted by: Paul | Feb 17, 2017 6:05:17 PM

The phrase, Task Force, is Washington elite code for, we will do nothing whatsoever with your hard earned tax money, totally waste it, along with your time. It is a very swampy term, more like a quicksand term.

I have a suggestion. Stop your stupid identifying, your stupid sharing, your stupid evaluating. Those are all taken from Soviet 5 Year Plans. They are really grim news for crime victims.

Adopt a single word, instead. Duterte. And, end crime in a month. Give crime victims hope, and Make America Great Again.

I spoke briefly with a contractor for Trump. This guy's company and others did $20 million in work for Trump in New Jersey. Trump sent him a certified letter. It stated, I am paying you nothing. It took years, and much expense to finally collect $5 million.

This Task Force bullshit appeals to the lawyer because he knows it will achieve nothing.

Posted by: David Behar | Feb 17, 2017 6:23:54 PM

It's funny that every since Trump won how much the word "hope" has been bandied about in certain circles. Personally, I am drowning in so much hope its like Obama is running for office again (snark).

Posted by: Daniel | Feb 17, 2017 7:02:36 PM

"It shall be the policy of the executive branch to reduce crime in America."

And puppies. More puppies.

Posted by: Joe | Feb 17, 2017 7:53:15 PM

Trump is still shooting from the hip. After he gets his crew installed and they brief him that he dont get to make laws, congress does that and the rest of the program. Then we can talk about hope and what Trump may or could have for crime.

Right now Trump is so busy tweeting and concerned with public acceptance, bla bla

isnt it sickening. Nobody wanted Clinton, so he was lesser if evils. Boy.

I agree with draining the swamp.

Posted by: MidWestGuy | Feb 18, 2017 9:06:46 PM

Milo was on Real Time with Bill Maher. Milo claimed transgender people have a high rate of sexual offending. I looked it up. Milo is correct.

The lawyer needs to address that fact.

Posted by: David Behar | Feb 19, 2017 2:15:40 AM

"Nobody wanted Clinton"

The comment sounds snarky but just to toss it out there, she did receive more popular votes. Anyway, the executive department has significant discretion, so not making laws only takes us so far.

Posted by: Joe | Feb 26, 2017 12:29:30 AM

Post a comment
DES MOINES | A state board on Friday approved an additional $3.3 million in tax incentives for the Seaboard Triumph Foods pork plant in Sioux City to add a second shift and raise its total workforce to around 2,000.

The action raises to $16.5 million the total state tax credits and sales and use tax refunds awarded to the blockbuster project since it was announced in May 2015.

The 600,000 square-foot plant is nearing completion in the city's Bridgeport West Business Park, and is expected to start up with a single shift and 1,100 workers in late July.

Work on a new addition is expected to begin this spring with completion anticipated for the summer of 2018. At that point, the plant will employ around 200 salaried employees and 1,800 hourly production workers.

With a second shift, the plant will have the capacity to slaughter and process up to 20,000 to 24,000 hogs daily, or 6 million hogs per year, double the initial projections.

The timing of the expansion for a second shift is a result of growing demand for the Seaboard Triumph Foods line of quality pork products as well as ongoing growth in the industry," Mark Porter, Seaboard Triumph Foods chief operating officer, said in a statement Friday. "The support demonstrated thus far by our customers, community, city and state agencies simply gives us great confidence to grow right here in Northwest Iowa.

Mayor Bob Scott praised the company for the additional investment, saying it "shows the confidence that Seaboard Triumph Foods has in our community."

"As one of the largest projects in Sioux City, this expansion will create the demand for further housing growth to accommodate new employees in the region, Scott said in a statement.

The expansion will raise the cost of the pork plant project by $31.4 million, to just over $300 million. Under the revised plan approved by the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board Friday, the company will qualify for $3.76 million in refunds of the state sales and use tax on construction materials, an increase of $601,950 from the original amount, and $10 million from the Targeted Jobs Withholding Tax Credits Program, up $2.4 million from the initial total.

The Sioux City plant is a joint venture between Guymon, Oklahoma-based Seaboard Foods and St. Joseph, Missouri-based Triumph Foods. Seaboard currently markets and sells fresh pork processed by Triumph and Seaboard plants to domestic markets under the PrairieFresh Premium Pork brand and international markets under the Seaboard Farms and St. Joe Pork brands.

In other action Friday, the IEDA board approved a settlement for Hirschbach Trucking in Sioux City, which was unable to fulfill the promised number of jobs for a $225,000 award granted by the board in 2014. Under the settlement, the award will be reduced to $144,000, and the company instead pledges to create 16 jobs.

Hirschbach received the incentives as part of moving an office from South Sioux City across the Missouri River to a building it purchased at Third and Virginia streets in downtown Sioux City.
DES MOINES -- Anxious with how long the process is taking, Iowa's economic development board on Friday implored Sioux City officials to accelerate private fundraising if they still hope to land $14 million in state tax credits for a series of big-ticket downtown projects.

I think the groups that all want this to happen need to step up and realize that theres a short leash on this thing, otherwise its going away, David Bernstein, an Iowa Economic Development Authority Board member from Sioux City, told city economic development officials Friday at the boards regular meeting.

Sioux City in 2015 was selected as one of five projects to receive financial assistance through the states reinvestment district program. Sioux City is seeking $14 million to aid the $70 million project, which would include an upscale hotel convention center, an ag expo and learning center and the redevelopment of some buildings in the 100 block of Virginia Street into apartments and commercial space. The latter project, called Virginia Square and developed by Ho-Chunk Inc., is partially finished, with other segments nearing completion.

Reinvestment district organizers also are eyeing a second hotel within the designated district, either a new hotel adjacent to the proposed Bomgaars Ag Expo and Learning Center or a substantially renovated hotel nearby -- or a less likely scenario including both options.

City leaders confirmed Friday they have been in talks with the new owners of the Holiday Inn at 701 Gordon Drive. The venerable hotel is planning renovations to its guest rooms and lobby, and is replacing its former Charlie's restaurant with a Bar Louie, a national chain. Adding the Holiday Inn to the city's reinvestment application likely would require expanding the district's boundaries.

Ag center organizers have preferred an offsite hotel because they want more parking for patrons and exhibitors. Alternative ag center designs, however, offer the potential acquisition of nearby city-owned property that could free up additional space.

But, nearly two years after the IEDA's initial reinvestment selections, projects in Sioux City and Mason City have not yet been granted final funding awards as various pieces of the projects continue to be held up.

The Sioux City project still is without some development agreements, plus final design plans and more private fundraising for the ag center, which would be built at the site of the former John Morrell pork plant.

Those things are holding up final approval of the state funding, IEDA board members said Friday.

My advice would be, if you can get the agreement signed with the developer or the management group and kind of get some of these things moving, its going to show good progress to ... all of us that things are moving in the right direction, because right now theyve just been stagnant for a long time, board member Christian Murray told Sioux City officials.

Roughly $3.2 million of private funds have been raised toward the original goal of $4 million to $5 million, and the ag expo center design is completed to the schematic level, said Sioux City Economic Development department director Marty Dougherty.

Dougherty said ideally he would be back for next months regular board meeting to seek tentative approval, but he conceded the April meeting may be a more realistic target.

He said the city has selected a developer for the convention center hotel and have an agreement, but they have not yet made it public and the City Council must still approve it. He said the developer is ready to start building in the spring.

Bernstein, a Sioux City businessman, encouraged officials to move the process along, and encouraged businesses and organizations that stand to benefit from the project to get involved with fundraising.

I think if folks want an (ag center) in Sioux City, they need to step up and show that they want to support that, Bernstein said. And really, if you look at projects in Sioux City, which of course Im familiar with for obvious reasons, raising $5 million for a $15 million facility is on the low end of something that even would have happened 10 or 15 years ago. Theres many, many projects in Sioux City of that scope that happened over the last decade or two that have raised significantly more privately.

So figuring out a way to raise enough money privately and publicly to run this thing, which I think is part of the impediment, is key to getting it done.

After Davenport withdrew its application last year, projects in Coralville and Grinnell were granted final funding.

Bernstein said the board is anxious for the Sioux City and Mason City projects to proceed to a point where the board can award the set-aside funds.

Its lucky that you have this windfall from potential state and other funds. But its a golden opportunity for Sioux City, like any other community thats gotten these reinvestment districts. Theres a lot of money here. Its like Vision Iowa with the arena in Sioux City or the arena in Des Moines, he said. Its kind of a once-every-so-many-decades kind of opportunity to capitalize on, but you have to capitalize on it.

Journal staff writer Ian Richardson contributed to this story.
HAWARDEN, Iowa | A Hawarden couple was arrested Friday after allegations they have been physically abusing their child for "months if not years."

Hawarden Police Chief Mike DeBruin said Matthew and Nina Spaans were arrested Friday after the department received numerous allegations of the abuse of their young child.

The arrest was a joint operation with the Iowa Department of Human Services.

"It is our belief the abuse has gone on for several months if not years," DeBruin said. "We were able to put together the case and have enough for probable cause to arrest them both."

DeBruin said the abuse caused severe bruising on the child's body, especially in the head and neck area.

The two are being held in the Sioux County Jail on three counts of child endangerment. Matthew Spaans also has been charged with three counts of assault with intent to do injury.

"We could only document three times that it took place," DeBruin said, "but we believe it has gone on several more times."
SIOUX CITY | Charges have been dropped against one of three men arrested after a shooting in Sioux City last weekend.

District Judge Jeffrey Neary on Friday approved a prosecution motion to dismiss a charge of first-degree robbery that had been filed against Dontaiven Drappeaux, 18, of Sioux City.

Assistant Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis on Thursday filed for the dismissal, saying in his motion that there was insufficient evidence that Drappeaux had participated in the robbery, which occurred at about 11:25 p.m. on Feb. 10 near the 1600 block of Pierce Street.

Drappeaux was one of three men charged with approaching a group of people. One of the men brandished a handgun, and a cellphone and several food items were stolen from a juvenile male.

Darius Wright, 20, of Sioux City, is accused of then shooting the juvenile in the torso, bullets piercing the boy's liver and a lung. Wright has been charged with attempted murder and first-degree robbery.

Tykell Robinson, 20, of Sioux City, is charged with first-degree robbery.

Formal charges have yet to be filed against Wright and Robinson. Robinson is awaiting trial for an armed home invasion last year.

Police responded after the wounded juvenile went to the Kum & Go convenience store at 1373 Pierce St. to seek help. While police were at the store, more gunshots were reported from the area where the robbery had taken place.

The shooting victim's friends directed police to an apartment at 423 16th St., where a two-hour standoff ensued until two of the suspects exited the building and surrendered to SWAT members.
SIOUX CITY -- More than 200 Sioux City high school students interested in pursuing health professions took part in a series of contests and aptitude tests Friday to showcase their skills and win prizes.

Western Iowa Tech Community College hosted a skills day competition in the Rocklin Conference Center, with topics ranging from medical photography to pharmacology to nursing assisting.

Students tried out state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, participated in a speed career dating session, participated in panel with patients and had a chance to meet WITCC students and faculty.

Top prizes included three WITCC scholarships for first, second and third place of $1200, $600 and $300, respectively.
SIOUX CITY | An 11-year-old boy has been arrested on a felony charge after police said he made threats to blow up Storm Lake Middle School in Storm Lake, Iowa.

The Storm Lake Police Department in a Friday release reported responding to a Thursday afternoon call regarding a threat at the middle school. Police interviewed school staff who said the boy made threats "to blow the school up."

The boy, who was not named due to his age, was charged with threats of terrorism. He was released to a parent and will be tried later in juvenile court.

The release said police believed there was no imminent threat from the incident.
DES MOINES  Gov. Terry Branstad moved swiftly Friday, signing into law sweeping changes to Iowa's collective bargaining law that unions representing public employees vow to fight in court.

Branstad privately signed House File 291 into law less than a day after majority Republicans in the House and Senate used extraordinary measures to end a protracted, acrimonious floor debate and expedite action to pass the bill in both chambers and send it to the governors desk. Most provisions of the 68-page bill took effect with the governors signature.

The bill passed the Iowa House 53-47 with six Republicans joining 41 Democrats who opposed the measure before clearing the Iowa Senate, 29-21, with 20 Democrats and one independent voting no. One Democrat objected to the way the legislation was rushed together and rammed through the process in a way he predicted would poison the 2017 legislative session going forward.

Branstad saw it differently, however, on Friday.

Im very pleased to sign this bill into law, said Branstad, a six-time GOP governor who voted as a legislative against a collective bargaining law that has been in place since 1974.

These necessary reforms to our antiquated 43 year old public employee collective bargaining law bring fairness for Iowa taxpayers and flexibility to public employees, Branstad said in a statement. This bill also gives local governments, schools and state government greater freedom in managing their resources with the opportunity to reward good public employees.

Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds also applauded the changes as long overdue reforms.

Over high-pitched objections, legislative Republicans ended debate spanning more than three days by passing time certain cutoffs Thursday that expedited final votes on a 68-page measure that scales back the rights public-sector workers have had to negotiate over wages, benefits and working conditions.

House File 291 will limit most public-sector union contract negotiations to base wages, while eliminating such issues as health insurance and supplemental pay as mandatory items for bargaining. The law it replaces allowed about 184,000 public-sector workers for the state, counties, cities and school districts to bargain for wage, benefits, and other workplace issues with impasses resolved by binding arbitration in exchange for employees give up the right to strike.

Its really disappointing the Republicans did a bait-and-switch in support of a dark-money, out-of-state agenda rather than work with Iowans, said Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids. They rushed through a bill that really hurts our public servants and workers.

They didnt campaign on this issue and they told people they were going to do minor tweaks to collective bargaining and what they did was they gutted collective bargaining in order to serve their out-of-state, dark-money supporters who want to bust unions.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock, said the collective bargaining bill got a full, open debate following Senate rules and now gives more control and needed tools to managers in state government, county boards of supervisors, city councils, school boards to keep the best employees, keep the best teachers in the classroom and remove those more efficiently, more effectively that are not holding up to the standards of the team.

Republicans who won voter support in 2016 by margins of 59-41 in the House and 29-21 in the Senate are united in their strong, new vision for Iowa, he added, and Thursdays vote and Fridays gubernatorial seal of approval was another step to put taxpayers at the table and Iowa on a course for future growth.

Bottom line -- that puts taxpayers, that puts Iowa citizens in a better position to get better service at lower cost and opens the door for many other initiatives to attract new jobs and careers to our state, Dix said.

Overall, the bill covers employment matters involving public employees -- including collective bargaining, educator employment, personnel records and settlement agreements, city civil service requirements and health insurance matters while establishing applicable penalties and transition provisions.

After Thursdays rapid closure on the bill, the leader of the states largest public employees union said he expected his organization would file a lawsuit as early as Monday challenging the constitutionality of legislation significantly reducing its members bargaining rights.

This battle is not over. This war is not over, AFSCME Local 61 President Danny Homan said Thursday after the Iowa House and Senate approved changes in Iowa public employee collective bargaining law that pits employees within state government against each other by treating police and firefighters differently than other public employees.

Its extremely unconstitutional, he said about House File 291.

Hogg, a Cedar Rapids attorney, said he believed the unions had a good chance in seeking injunctive relief from the courts in challenging provisions of the bill that make unconstitutional distinctions between classes of public workers by treating some public safety employees differently.

The Cedar Rapids Democrats said he senses that the way the collective bargaining issue was handled by Republicans has awoken a sleeping giant of workers, teachers and average Iowans upset by the bill was rushed through the process that shut out Iowans and stepped on the rights of minority legislators.

This is the worst thing Ive seen in 15 years. They just rammed this thing through and the way they did it, I think theyve really poisoned the legislative process, Hogg said Friday.

If they had wanted an Iowa solution they would have worked with cities and school boards and counties to come up with some minor reforms of the collective bargaining system, which is what they promised they were doing, he added, but instead they went the dark money route and really gutted collective bargaining and I dont think Iowans are going to stand for that. It will lead to the revival of democracy of this state.
SIOUX CITY -- Tallgrass prairie is one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America.

Grasslands used to cover all of Nebraska, all of Kansas, all of Oklahoma, all of Iowa, southern Minnesota, South Dakota, said Dr. Jim Stroh, professor of biology at Morningside College. If 98 percent of those are gone, what about the organisms that live there? A lot of them have disappeared.

Stroh and student Logan Anderson spent the summer conducting a survey in the Loess Hills to see what small mammals and butterflies they could find in the tallgrass prairie.

Their project was part of the new Summer Undergraduate Research Program at Morningside College.

Professors worked one-on-one with students to conduct in-depth research projects, such as how and why brain cells die in Alzheimers disease, how to minimize the impact of the Zika virus, and how to produce plastic that could be used to repair cracks on a space station.

We have been doing undergraduate student research at Morningside for a long time and doing it very well, said Dr. William Deeds, provost. The one thing we didnt have was an intensive, in-depth summer program focused on research for undergraduates.

The program is unique because professors and students can focus solely on their research. They are even paid a stipend so they dont have to work.

I work full time throughout the school year, said student Cody Hankerson. Being able to have an entire semester to do something that youre actually really passionate about was huge for me.

Also during the summer, professors and students dont have to balance their research with classes and extracurricular activities.

Dr. Jessica Pleuss, assistant professor of psychology, has been conducting research with student Emily Stewart to see whether construction toys improve childrens visual-spatial abilities, perhaps leading to more success later in math and science.

They assess children, send them home with toys and then assess them again a few weeks later. During the pilot study, which was spread out over an entire school year, they got a grand total of 10 participants.

It was a good study and it was interesting, but it was really hard to get them to come in because we had to work around our schedules but also their schedules, she said.

Over the summer, they went to six child care centers. This time they got 39 participants.

It eases the burden on parents, Pleuss said. Pretty much all they have to do is fill out questionnaires and send them to child care, where they are already going anyway, and we can just go to the child care and assess the children there instead of them having to come into our lab.

Stewart said the project was a great experience for her, especially because she wants to be a childrens counselor.

It gives me more insight, just to know how to work with kids on a professional level, how to work with their parents, she said.

To participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, professors and students put together applications and submitted them to the Faculty Development Committee. Eleven proposals were submitted, and five were awarded funding for their research.

Participants met for an opening session, got together regularly for lunch and social activities, and then gave presentations at the end of the eight-week session. Now they are preparing to present their research at the Palmer Student Research Symposium or at regional or national conferences.

In fact, Stroh and Anderson just recently presented their research at the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Stroh had never met Anderson when the student stopped by last spring wanting to put together an application for the Summer Undergraduate Research Program. Even so, he agreed right away.

Thats how I started too, Stroh said. I starting working as a research assistant when I was an undergraduate, and Im still very good friends with the professor that I worked with. Even though hes long retired, we kept in contact afterwards. He wrote me letters of recommendation. I visited him in Texas. All that kind of stuff.

Stroh said the easiest way to teach students how to conduct a biological survey  and how to correctly identify different species -- is to work right alongside them. Anderson said he was surprised he was able to work so closely with a professor as an undergraduate.

Being able to draw from his experience and his knowledge, just kind of exposing me to the field of ecology and helping me try to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life -- it was good to have someone elses perspective and build that relationship, Anderson said.
ORANGE CITY, Iowa -- Northwestern College officials are moving forward with plans to build a new health and natural sciences facility. As of Feb. 1, $20.12 million had been raised toward the $24.5 million goal.

The 61,000-square-foot building will be constructed on the southwest corner of Northwesterns campus green and will house classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices for the departments of biology, chemistry and nursing. It will also include increased space for student and faculty research.

A $7 million lead gift highlights the fundraising progress, which includes several other gifts of at least $1 million apiece. Groundbreaking will begin when the $24.5 million goal has been reached.

More than 300 of Northwesterns 1,260 students are health or natural science majors pursuing degrees in biology, chemistry, nursing, biochemistry, ecological science, or genetics, molecular and cellular biology. Northwestern also offers pre-professional tracks in medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy and other fields.

Enrollment in Northwesterns science labs has grown by 58 percent in the last decade, while average class sizes in the sciences have increased by 41 percent. As a result, Northwesterns science facilities have been stretched to the limit.

Northwestern has enjoyed a strong reputation in the sciences since we became accredited as a four-year institution in the 1970s, said President Greg Christy.

Part of the reason for that strength  and a real distinctive of Northwestern, I believe  is the compelling way our professors integrate science and faith. They pursue both their scientific exploration and their desire to know God with bold curiosity and a deep trust that what they discover in the natural world reveals something about God.

Dr. Bryan Den Hartog, a 1981 graduate and a Des Moines orthopedic surgeon, said hes serving as chair of the fundraising campaigns leadership committee out of gratitude for his Northwestern education.

Northwestern helped me discover my passion for medicine and encouraged me to develop the skills and qualities I would need as a doctor: a solid science background and a heart to serve, he said.

Im grateful for the faithful education I received at Northwestern. Thats why Im giving back to it.

Northwestern is also hoping to raise $5.5 million for an endowment that will fund science student scholarships and research fellowships as well as maintain the new building.

More information about the building and its fundraising campaign can be found at nwciowa.edu/discover.
Surgeon's Hands Are 'Deadly Weapon' in Felony Conviction

Under normal circumstances, referring to a doctor's hands and surgical instruments as "deadly weapons" would sound like over-the-top hyperbole. But Christopher Duntsch is no normal surgeon. Nicknamed "Dr. Death," and referred to by colleagues as a "sociopath," the "worst surgeon I've ever seen," and "a clear and present danger to the citizens of Texas," Duntsch is responsible for a slew of botched surgeries resulting in serious injury, paralysis, and even death.

So when it came to Mary Efurd's spinal fusion surgery, saying what Duntsch "intentionally, knowingly and recklessly" harmed patients doesn't seem like exaggeration at all. Prosecutors said that, and more, at Duntsch's criminal trial and the doctor was found guilty of injury to an elderly person, for which he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

The Terrible Present

The Washington Post had the grisly details of what another surgeon found when he was brought in to clean up Duntsch's mess of Efurd's surgery:

Spinal fusion hardware was left in her soft tissue. One of her nerve roots -- the segment where a nerve attaches to the central nervous system -- had been severed. Another nerve root had a screw in it. He found multiple screw holes, meanwhile, on an area of Efurd's spine where they had no business being.

The jury needed just four hours to convict Duntsch, a rare occurrence in the claims of surgical mishaps. Generally, civil medical malpractice claims will address medical accidents, whereas obtaining a criminal conviction requires proof of intent to do harm. But a look at Duntsch's past, as jurors had, leaves little doubt as to his intentions.

The Even Worse Past

"I am ready to leave the love and kindness and goodness and patience that I mix with everything else that I am and become a cold blooded killer." Those are words Duntsch wrote in a 2011 email, before many of his worst surgical outcomes. Dallas Magazine listed just some of those last year:

There was Kellie Martin, who died from massive blood loss after a surgery at Baylor Plano. There was Floella Brown, whose sliced vertebral artery triggered the stroke that killed her at Dallas Medical Center. There was Duntsch's childhood friend, Jerry Summers, who woke up from a procedure unable to move his arms and legs. There was a dissection of one patient's esophagus, and screws that an indictment labeled "far too long" that caused significant blood loss in another patient. One surgeon described these as "never events." They shouldn't ever happen in someone's entire career. And yet they occurred in Duntsch's operating rooms over a period of just two years.

While it may seem that Duntsch might have just been untrained or unskilled, colleagues weren't so sure. "I couldn't believe a trained surgeon could do this," said Robert Henderson, another surgeon who worked with Duntsch at the Dallas Medical Center, where Duntsch performed several operations. "At every step of the way, you would have to know the right thing to do so you could do the wrong thing, because he did all the wrong things."

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The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



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







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
ANNAPOLIS (Feb. 18, 2017)Drivers who illegally pass school buses multiple times could face higher fines, and rental-car companies could be held responsible for offenders driving their vehicles under a pair of bills introduced by Delegate Al Carr, D-Montgomery.



One bill would double the fees for repeat offenders, Carr said. The current law states that the registered owner of a car that illegally passes a school bus, except rental cars and short-term leased cars, will get an automatic fine of $125, regardless of how many times the car has been recorded violating the law. Currently, if they take the ticket to court, they could receive up to a $250 fine.



Last spring, an annual statewide survey conducted by the Maryland Department of Education showed "a total of 4,326 violations of school bus stop arms were recorded on a single day," according to a Sept. 6 press release. This report shows an increase from 2015, when bus drivers in the state recorded over 2,795 violations.



"This bill raises a question," Carr told the University of Maryland's Capital News Service. "I'm curious why people are driving around school buses and why is it happening so often."



Carr said there has been a lot of outreach to raise the fee to teach all offenders a lesson, but he said he believes increasing the fee for repeat offenders is a good first step. He said raising fees solely for repeat offenders targets the issue at hand in a smarter way, separating those who go around buses by accident from those who do it willingly.



The highest recorded number of violations reported during the annual one-day survey was from 2011, when 7,011 violations were reported, according to the education department. The following year, "the Maryland General Assembly authorized the use of school bus monitoring cameras on Maryland roadways to help combat the illegal passing of school buses," according to Capt. Tom Didone, director of the Montgomery County Police Department Traffic Division.



Didone said four Maryland counties are using school bus safety cameras, including Montgomery, Frederick, Washington and Prince George's. The devices, which Carr compared to red light and speed cameras, are attached to the sides of school buses and record videos of the cars passing by.



According to Didone, within the first 72 days of Montgomery County's school bus safety camera program start on Oct. 13, the police department issued more than 4,100 citations with the help of 100 buses equipped with cameras.



"That is a rate of slightly over 52 violations per day in Montgomery County," Didone said in his Feb. 9 testimony to the House Environment and Transportation Committee. "It is important to note that we are only currently conducting enforcement on approximately 10 percent of the county's (buses)."



"We're appalled that we're getting this may citations so early and we need to do something to discourage it," Didone said.



Carr said these numbers are outrageous, unacceptable and puzzling.



Sheri Schully, PTA president of Waters Landing Elementary School in Germantown, Maryland, said she's witnessed cars pass school buses illegally, but the numbers reported were still a lot higher than she would've expected.



"It makes me extremely angry," she said. "Especially with elementary school kids. They're not necessarily aware of what's going on and the drivers need to be."



Didone said he supports the penalty increase for repeat offenders. "Although $125 is significant, we do not believe that it is proportionate to the severity of the offense, nor is it (enough money) to effectively deter (them) from occurring," he said.



The Montgomery County Board of Education, which supports both of Carr's bills, said in written testimony that $125 is not enough to discourage drivers from illegally passing a school bus, pointing to the number of citations.



Didone said even though they had not had any repeat offenders in the 72 days of the program's operation as of Feb. 9, the police department's goal is to discourage the bad behavior and prevent a close call, which they have not yet had.



Carr's second bill would hold rental companies responsible for drivers who illegally pass a school bus in rented vehicles.



In its testimony supporting the legislation to make rental cars pay the fee, the Montgomery County Board of Education said "student safety is of the (utmost) importance regardless of the owner of the vehicle."



Richard Hetherington, the automated traffic enforcement manager with the Montgomery County Police, expects about 10 percent of vehicles caught by the school bus cameras to be rejected because they are rented vehicles.



"So, in essence, (we're) allowing approximately six drivers a day and approximately 412 drivers this school year to avoid being penalized for passing a stopped school bus and potentially endangering school children and their parents or caregivers," Hetherington said.



Enterprise Holdings, an international rental car company, submitted written testimony opposing this legislation. The company said the bill would place consequences on the rental company rather than those who actually violated the law.



"This places rental companies in the position of having to first pay a citation and then recapture the fine money it paid by attempting to charge the customer a fee weeksif not monthsafter the vehicle has been returned," the company said.



The company reports that should the bill pass, it expects 30 percent of the fines they pay to not be reimbursed by those who violated the law.



According to Carr, seven out of the 12 other states with similar school bus programs do not exempt rental vehicles from paying the fees that come with the violations. The other four states, were either silent or deferred the payment to the registered owner of the car, which could be a rental company.



Carr said today's technology allows rental agencies to pass fees along to the drivers of the vehicles. "This is already happening in Maryland for toll violations," Carr said.



Carr said many rental-car company contracts state if there is a violation given to the vehicle while a person is in possession of the car, the company can pass the fee on to the driver with an additional administrative fee.



Enterprise counters the claim that because it pays fees for toll programs it should do the same for school bus cameras. The intended purpose of each program is different, the rental-company wrote: "One is intended to generate revenue and the other is intended to promote safety."



Didone said the money collected from the school bus-camera violations goes into the county's general fund, which is designated for public safety in Montgomery County, and would help cover the cameras' cost.



The cameras will be installed on Montgomery County buses over the course of three years, according to Didone. "A total of 500 buses will be outfitted by the end of 2017 and the remaining buses will be outfitted by June of 2019," he said.



"Under our current contract, our vendor, FXS, has agreed to install cameras on all 1,200 (buses) at no upfront costs to the county," Didone said.



The total investment for the cameras is expected to cost between $12 million and $13 million, according to Didone. The vendor will then receive the revenue from the citations until they recoup their costs, he said. "The Police Department approves all of the citations and ensures that only valid citations are issued so there is no incentive for the vendor," Didone said.



"As a PTA president of an elementary school I haven't heard any concerns from parents about the cameras," Schully said. "The safety of the students is at the forefront of my mind."
ANNAPOLIS (Feb. 18, 2017)In 2014, Alexa Fraser's 90-year-old father successfully ended his life with a gun to the head after two failed suicide attempts.



Her father, whom Fraser described as a "fiercely independent person," suffered from Parkinson's disease, a progressive movement disorder marked by involuntary tremors and slowed movement. His condition had worsened and he feared he would be kept alive beyond his will in a nursing home so he decided to take action, Fraser said.



Since his death, Fraser has been on the forefront of Maryland's legal aid-in-dying movement, which advocates to allow patients with a terminal diagnosis to receive a lethal prescription to painlessly end their life.



The Maryland legislature for the third year in a row is considering a joint House and Senate bill that would legalize aid-in-dying. Sponsors of previous bills have withdrawn them before a vote, citing lack of support.



"Mom has told the hospice nurseon numerous occasionsthat she just wants to go to sleep and not wake up," Kevin Gillogly from Silver Spring, Maryland, wrote in testimony for a Thursday hearing before a pair of House committees. His mother entered hospice care in December. "As a son, I want my mom to live out her lifeand deathwith dignity."



The language surrounding the issue has been contentious. Opponents resist the term legal aid-in-dying, deeming it instead as physician-assisted suicide.



"It is very important to be up front, clear and honest about what this is," Anita Cameron, director of minority outreach for Not Dead Yet, wrote in testimony submitted for the hearing. Cameron, who also had two degenerative disabilities, wrote that the bill is referring to physician-assisted suicide.



"Couching it in pretty language and hiding the truth is disingenuous, at best, and dangerous, at worst."



The bill would undermine the doctor-patient relationship, according to a Maryland physician.



"Instead of the doctor's role being one of caring for those at all stages, including at the end of life, the shift would be toward patient abandonment at a time when a patient is most vulnerable," Dr. Ellen McInerney, who practices internal medicine in Edgewater, Maryland, wrote in testimony to the committee.



Fraser, who was diagnosed with a rare form of uterine cancer in December, remains optimistic that the bills will garner enough support this year to pass. Although this legislation may eventually directly affect her own end-of-life choices, Fraser said, she continues her fight for her friends and family, not herself.



"I don't know when I'm going to die, but what I know is there are people who right now are dying in ways they don't want to," Fraser said. "That is what is urgent. My situation isn't urgent."



Fraser testified Thursday that her son has been recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a diagnosis that has not changed her support for death with dignity.



Delegate Shane Pendergrass, D-Howard, and Sen. Guy Guzzone, D-Howard, are sponsoring the bills in their respective chambers.



Pendergrass said her support for the bill stems from witnessing her grandfather's battle with Parkinson's. Her parents eventually no longer took her to see him in a nursing home because they didn't want her to remember him in a debilitated state.



His brain was "absolutely alert to the very end," Pendergrass said, but "he was locked in his body and his body was locked away from us."



"We're all one bad death away from supporting this bill," Pendergrass added. "Nobody wants to see their family suffer."



The climate surrounding the issue appears to have shifted in favor of the bill since 2014, the first year it was considered.



In 2016, the Maryland State Medical Society, composed of 8,000 licensed physicians, changed its position on aid-in-dying from opposition to neutral after 65 percent of its members advocated for either support or a neutral position on the legislation.



Delegate Clarence Lam, D-Baltimore and Howard, told the University of Maryland's Capital News Service that as a physician, he supports the bill because it enables the patients to have control over their own end-of-life decisions.



"It's a very difficult time for patients and I've seen folks face some very difficult, challenging decisions," Lam said. "For me it's really a patient empowerment bill."



Moreover, 69 percent of Americans say doctors should be able to end a patient's life by painless means, according to a 2016 Gallup poll.



"I don't see this as a partisan issue," Lam said. "The tide of public support  has really gone in the direction in favor of this type of legislation and we feel that if folks are able to set aside their partisan biases that people will act in accordance with what's best or their community and the other constituents (who) support this bill."



If the bill passes, Maryland would join six other statesOregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, California and Coloradothat allow legal aid-in-dying. Congress is also reviewing a Washington, D.C., Council bill that would authorize the end-of-life option.



The Maryland Catholic Conference and some disability rights groups remain opposed to legal aid-in-dying legislation.



Lori Scott, a director at disability rights organization The Arc Maryland, said it's not uncommon for someone with a disability to feel like a burden to family members, which could lead them to feel compelled to request a lethal prescription. She fears this could affect her own daughter, who is wheelchair-bound, she added.



"Disabled people are vulnerable because they like to have the assurance of people that they work with and they want to have their approval," Scott said. "They may undertake something that they really shouldn't be doing or don't want to do, but want to please a provider or please a family member."



However, Scott said, a doctor could incorrectly give a terminal diagnosis causing "someone to end their life prematurelyan irrevocable decision," adding that a six-month prognosis can often be "unreliable."



Pendergrass said the bill is "tightly crafted" to protect patients from this type of abuse.



Patients eligible for the lethal medication must have two doctors diagnose them with a terminal illness with only six months or less to live, the patient must be a mentally competent adult, they must issue one oral request followed by a written request, there must be two witnesses, including one who could not directly benefit from their death, and the patient must be able to self-administer the drug.



"There are a lot of concerns about how patients may be coerced or how physicians may  lean towards greater treatment or lean towards greater end-of-life options," Lam said. "The bill strikes a good balance between those competing concerns to make sure there are strong safeguards in place."



Dr. Samuel Kerstein, a philosophy professor at the University of Maryland, said legal aid-in-dying legislation may be garnering more support as this generationwho have had more control over their lives than previous generationswant to be able to control their end-of-life choices as well.



Many of the arguments for legal aid-in-dying legislationeasing suffering, respecting a person's choices and individual libertycould also be used to support arguments for legalizing aid-in-dying for non-terminal patients as well, such as a chronically depressed individual who wanted to end his or her suffering, Kerstein added.



But Donna Edwards, Compassion and Choices Maryland campaign manager, said legal aid-in-dying legislation is far from suicide.



"The definition of suicide is a mentally incompetent person, who otherwise is fairly healthy who wants to end their life," Edwards said. "The patients who take this, they are already terminal. They have done everything they can do to save their life. This is at the end of their lives when they decide how and the when, but the disease is killing them."



Scott said she thinks instead of legal aid-in-dying legislation, Maryland should allocate more resources toward palliative care, which focuses on providing relief from pain, hospice care and expanding education.



"This is an option that shouldn't even be on the table for people," Scott said.



Fraser said palliative care and aid-in-dying aren't mutually exclusive, adding that many people who request lethal medication don't end up taking it, but rather use it as a source of comfort. About one-third of patients who request the prescription don't use it, according to a 2013 report by the Oregon Public Health Division.



"This is a totally voluntary bill," Fraser said. "If you don't like it, don't use it. But it's a two-stage bill. The first stage is the legislature approves it, and then every person, with the help of their family, their doctors, their conscience and their ministers,  reaches their own conclusion."



If the bill passes through both chambers, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Catholic, could veto it. Although he hasn't made any public statements on the issue recently, in 2014 Hogan told a diocesan magazine, The Catholic Standard, that he would oppose the measure.



"I believe in the sanctity of human life, and I believe a physician's role is to save lives, not terminate them," Hogan said in that report.



A statement from the governor was unavailable at press time on Thursday afternoon.



However, Pendergrass said she doesn't assume Hogan would veto the bill because of his religious beliefs.



"The governor has been through cancer treatment," Pendergrass said. "I'm sure he's sufferednot that he had a terminal diagnosisbut I suspect he came across people who did. I don't think that they governor would want people to suffer."



Fraser, a Unitarian Universalist minister, said there is a misconception that anyone of faith has a common view on this issue, adding that many faith leaders who have seen their congregants suffer are becoming more bold in speaking out in favor of legal aid-in-dying.



"We in public office are entrusted to keep the church and the state separate," Pendergrass said. "We can have our personal beliefs, but we can know that our values may be different from some people and we can give them the ability to use this as one more tool."



Carrie Snurr contributed to this story.
As unexpected hit movies go, few can compare to Dirty Dancing(Lionsgate), newly reissued in a 30th (!) anniversary Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD edition. The films novel subject matter, cast of relative newcomers, vintage soundtrack, uplifting theme song and groundbreaking choreography, Patrick Swayzes body and Jennifer Greys original nose, all combined to make it a success.

Set in the summer of 1963, before Kennedy was assassinated and the Beatles arrived, Peace Corp-bound Frances aka Baby (Grey), her older sister Lisa (Jane Brucker), and their father Jake (Jerry Orbach) and mother Marjorie (Kelly Bishop) head to Kellermans Catskills resort for a vacation. Baby, who has always been a daddys girl is about to get her first taste of rebellion.

As Baby explores the grounds of the resort, she learns many new things. She overhears resort operator Max (Jack Weston) instruct the male staff to show the daughters a good time, even the dogs. She stumbles on the staff quarters and gets her first glimpse of dirty dancing because she helped a staff member carry watermelon into a dance party. It is there that she comes face to face with dance instructor and resident stud Johnny (Swayze).

Then the drama begins to unfold. Theres knocked up dancer Penny (Cynthia Rhodes) and her botched abortion. Also in the mix are the mingling of the classes, the end of innocence, antagonistic siblings and easily disappointed parents, selfless acts and learning to stand up for yourself.

The late gay director Emile Ardolino (Sister Act) knew exactly how to make his camera fall in love with Swayze, thereby leading the audience to do the same. Dirty Dancing is a cinematic descendant of American Graffiti and Flashdance, all set against the backdrop of an era coming to an end. The Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD contains more than six hours of extras.

The Watermelon Woman (First Run Features), by African-American lesbian filmmaker Cheryl Dunye, is also celebrating an anniversary, its 20th. The main character Cheryl (Dunye) is a Philadelphia-based lesbian wannabe-filmmaker who makes ends meets by operating a videography business with Tamara (Valarie Walker). Cheryl also works in a video store.

She wants to make a film about the untold stories of black women and has been watching movies from the `30s and `40s with black actresses, including Hattie McDaniel and Louise Beavers, in them. Obsessed with the character of Elsie in a movie called Plantation Memories identified only as The Watermelon Woman. Cheryl goes on a personal and creative mission to discover her true identity.

Many people are part of Cheryls quest. The aforementioned Tamara, who provides the comic relief, unsuccessfully tries fixing Cheryl up on dates. Additionally, theres new store employee Annie (Shelley Olivier), race films collector Lee (Brian Freeman), flirty video store customer Diana (Guinevere Turner) with whom Cheryl becomes romantically linked, and Cheryls mother Irene (Irene Dunye) also appears.

However, its Irenes stone butch friend Shirley (Ira Jeffries) who knows the most about Fae Richards, the true identity of The Watermelon Woman, including that Fae was a Sapphic sister. Watch for lesbian author Sarah Schulman as an archivist at C.L.I.T. (Center for Lesbian Info & Technology) and lesbian musician Toshi Reagon as a street busker. The DVD includes the bonus short film Black Is Blue. Both movies score a B-.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



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




Wed, 26.10.22 - 12:09

Another blast of heat at the end of the month is likely to break the record in Spain With only a few days left in...
Both meetings discussed the detention in December of 4 leading members of the Arakan Liberation Party/Army (ALP/ALA) and All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF); the planned Union Peace Conference 21st Century Panglong (UPC 21 CP) in February; and the continued fighting in Kachin and Shan North that has displaced more than 100,000 people. (Some of the responses by the two has been reported in my journal, To Hopeland and Back: The 26th trip, 30 January 2017)

Following the meetings, the EAO leaders met in the evening to review them. I still remember what two of them said:

It is quite clear the two leaders are both in a tug-of war as well as collusion

The feeling that arose in me while talking to them was that: We are dealing not with one government, but two governments

The second remark, I think, is one of the reasons for why the year 2016 has passed without any promising results: Prime examples:

In October, the Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/KIA) wrote an official request to Naypyitaw for an urgent meeting to discuss de-escalation of the war in the north. It took more than three months to get a response. And by the time it came, the situation in the north had become so deteriorated there is a question whether this long awaited meeting will take place at all.

It was the same situation with the 8 point (later 9 point) proposal of the 7 member alliance, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), which was presented to Naypyitaw in July. Nearly 7 months have slipped by, but an agreement of substance has yet to be reached.

In comparison, under the previous government, the longest deadlock, 7 months, followed the meeting between the EAOs Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) and the governments Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC) in August 2014. But the informal negotiations between the two sides had never stopped. Also, it was quite obvious the country at that time had one (or almost) single government. At least there was a friendly relation between the President and the Commander-in-Chief, as acknowledged by the latter himself.

Today things are different. However, the problem is not just about the relation between the two top leaders of the country, but also, I believe, how the EAO leaders are coping with it.

So far, the impression from the outside is that the EAOs are reacting differently to the two governments:

Some appear to be for joining forces with the SC and her NLD party against the military

Some others, meanwhile, seem to be advocating the other way round i.e. joining with the military against the SC and her party, the NLD

Yet there are others who see the two governments as birds of a feather and, being so, are against both

All three options, at least for the time being, are dangerous, as each is eying the EAOs suspiciously whether they would end up signing up with the other camp.

Which reminds me of a tale of a man with two wives which I had first heard some 30 plus years back.

A Thai friend who was visiting Gen Gawnzerng (1926-1991), leader of the Tai Revolutionary Council (TRC) asked him:

Friend: General, you have two wives, is that right?

Gawn: (smiles) Thats right. Why are you asking?

Friend: Do they live together under the same roof with you?

Gawn: No, of course not. They live in different houses in two different villages.

Friend: But, suppose they live in the same house, and share the same bed with you. Imagine you are lying between the two of them one evening. And, say, wife#2 is asking, Who do you love more, #1 or me? What will be your answer?

Gawn: (smiles widely) Thats easy. Ill say, I love you both equally.

Friend: But honestly do you think that answer will satisfy them? Remember, #1 is listening to you from the other side. Just imagine you are them. Will you buy that answer?

Gawn: Well, I give up. What in heaven then do I say to make both of them happy?

Friend: This is how. You are facing #2, right? You lift her chin with your one hand and the other hand, reaching out behind your back, hold #1s thigh, squeeze it, and say, I love you more, of course. Now, who isnt going to believe you?

Not surprisingly, a big hearty loud laughter followed.

No, I dont think the storys true. But suppose it is, then, it may very well be a classic example of how negotiators get out of tight spots.

The problem is that we in Burma/Myanmar are short of such skilled negotiators. Whats more, those few we have, we are not using them. Believe me, if we keep on going the same way we have been doing it the past ten months, 2020 will come and go, without any hope of peace in the country.

My message, therefore, to all leaders of the country, whether they be from the government, military, parties or EAOs, is that let us lose no time in finding/training qualified negotiators so there is peace in our land for our people, the sooner the better.
The essential component of totalitarian propaganda is artifice (het toepassen van kunstgrepen. svh) . The ruling elites, like celebritie...




Exclusive: Democrats, liberals and media pundits  in their rush to take down President Trump  are pushing a New McCarthyism aimed at Americans who have talked to Russians, risking a new witch hunt, reports Robert Parry.





In the anti-Russian frenzy sweeping American politics and media, Democrats, liberals and mainstream pundits are calling for an investigative body that could become a new kind of House Un-American Activities Committee to hunt down Americans who have communicated with Russians.

The proposed commission would have broad subpoena powers to investigate alleged connections between Trumps supporters and the Russian government with the apparent goal of asking if they now have or have ever talked to a Russian who might have some tie to the Kremlin or its intelligence agencies.

Such an admission apparently would be prima facie evidence of disloyalty, a guilt-by-association crime on par with Sen. Joe McCarthys Cold War pursuit of communists who supposedly had infiltrated the U.S. government, the film industry and other American institutions.

Operating parallel to McCarthys Red Scare hearings was the House Un-American Activities Committee (or HUAC), a standing congressional panel from 1945-1975 when it was best known for investigating alleged communist subversion and propaganda. One of its top achievements was the blacklisting of the Hollywood Ten whose careers in the movie industry were damaged or destroyed.

Although the Cold War has long been over  and Russia has often cooperated with the U.S. government, especially on national security issues such as supplying U.S. troops in Afghanistan  Democrats and liberals seem ready to force Americans to again prove their loyalty if they engaged in conversations with Russians.

Or perhaps these witnesses can be entrapped into perjury charges if their recollections of conversations with Russians dont match up with transcripts of their intercepted communications, a tactic similar to ones used by Sen. McCarthy and HUAC to trip up and imprison targets over such secondary charges.

Ousted National Security Advisor Michael Flynn has already encountered such a predicament because he couldnt recall all the details of a phone conversation with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak on Dec. 29, 2016, after Flynn took the call while vacationing in the Dominican Republic.

When Obama administration holdovers at the Justice Department decided to gin up a legal premise to go after Flynn, they cited the Logan Act, a law enacted in 1799 to prohibit private citizens from negotiating with foreign adversaries but never used to convict anyone. The law also is of dubious constitutionality and was surely never intended to apply to a president-elects advisers.

However, based on that flimsy pretext, FBI agents  with a transcript of the electronic intercept of the Kislyak-Flynn phone call in hand  tested Flynns memory of the conversation and found his recollections incomplete. Gotcha  lying to the FBI!

Under mounting media and political pressure , President Trump fired Flynn, apparently hoping that tossing Flynn overboard to the circling sharks would somehow calm the sharks down. Instead, blood in the water added to the frenzy.





Iran-Contra Comparison





Some prominent Democrats and liberals have compared Trump-connected contacts with Russians to President Richard Nixons Watergate scandal or President Reagans Iran-Contra Affair, an issue that I know a great deal about having helped expose it as a reporter for The Associated Press in the 1980s.

The key difference is that Iran-Contra was an unconstitutional effort by the Reagan administration to finance an illegal war against Nicaraguas Sandinista government in defiance of a congressional ban. The Trump-connected communications with Russians  to the degree they have occurred  appear to have been aimed at preventing a new and dangerous Cold War that could lead to a nuclear holocaust.

In other words, Iran-Contra was about enabling a paramilitary force to continue its brutal marauding inside a country that was no threat to the United States while the current scandal is about people trying to avoid hostilities between two nuclear superpowers, an existential threat that many mainstream and liberal pundits dont want to recognize.

Indeed, there is a troubling denial-ism about the risks of an accidental or intentional war with Russia as the U.S. media and much of Official Washingtons establishment have lots of fun demonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin and jabbing the Russians by shoving NATO troops up to their borders and deploying anti-ballistic missiles in Eastern Europe. For some crazy reason, the Russians feel threatened.





False Narratives





This Russia-bashing and Russia-baiting have been accompanied by false narratives presented in the major U.S. newspapers, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, to justify increased tensions.

For instance, the Posts senior foreign affairs writer Karen DeYoung on Friday described the civil war in Ukraine this way: That conflict began when Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014, then backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in what has become a grinding war, despite a deal to end it, called the Minsk agreement, negotiated with Putin by the leaders of France and Germany.

But DeYoungs synopsis is simply not true. The crisis began in the fall of 2013 when Ukraines elected President Viktor Yanukovych backed out of what he regarded as a costly and unacceptable association agreement with the European Union, a move which prompted protests by Ukrainians in Kievs Maidan square.

The Obama administrations State Department, U.S. neocon politicians such as Sen. John McCain, and various U.S.-backed non-governmental organizations then stoked those protests against Yanukovych, which grew violent as trained ultra-nationalist and neo-Nazi street fighters poured in from western Ukraine.

In early 2014, a coup to overthrow the democratically elected Yanukovych took shape under the guidance of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt who were caught in a phone call in late January or early February 2014 conspiring to impose new leadership inside Ukraine.

Nuland disparaged a less extreme strategy favored by European diplomats with the pithy remark: Fuck the E.U. and went on to declare Yats is the guy, favoring Arseniy Yatsenyuk as the new leader. Nuland then pondered how to glue this thing while Pyatt ruminated about how to midwife this thing.

On Feb. 20, 2014, a mysterious sniper apparently firing from a building controlled by the ultranationalist Right Sektor killed both police and protesters, setting off a day of violence that left about 70 people dead including more than a dozen police.

The next day, three European governments struck a deal with Yanukovych in which he agreed to early elections and accepted reduced powers. But that political settlement wasnt enough for the U.S.-backed militants who stormed government buildings on Feb. 22, forcing Yanukovych and his officials to flee for their lives.

Instead of standing by the Feb. 21 agreement, which the European nations had guaranteed, Nuland pushed for and got U.S. allies to accept the new post-coup regime as legitimate, with Yatsenyuk becoming prime minister and several top government posts given to the ultranationalists and neo-Nazis.





Spreading Violence





In the ensuing days, the right-wing violence spread beyond Kiev, prompting Crimeas legislature to propose secession from Ukraine and readmission to Russia, whose relationship to the peninsula dated back to Catherine the Great.

Crimea scheduled a referendum that was opposed by the new regime in Kiev. Russian troops did not invade Crimea because some 20,000 were already stationed there as part of a basing agreement at the Black Sea port of Sevastopol. The Russians did provide security for the referendum but there was no evidence of intimidation as the citizens of Crimea voted by 96 percent to leave Ukraine and rejoin Russia, a move that Putin and the Russian duma accepted.

Eastern Ukrainians tried to follow Crimeas lead with their own referendum, but Putin and Russia rejected their appeals to secede. However, when the Kiev regime launched an Anti-Terrorism Operation against the so-called Donbass region  spearheaded by ultra-nationalist and neo-Nazi militias  Russia provided military assistance so these ethnic Russians would not be annihilated.

Karen DeYoung also framed the Minsk agreement as if it were imposed on Putin when he was one of its principal proponents and architects, winning its approval in early 2015 at a time when the Ukrainian military was facing battlefield reversals.

But Assistant Secretary Nuland, working with Prime Minister Yatsenyuk and the Ukrainian parliament, sabotaged the agreement by requiring the Donbass rebels to first surrender which they were unwilling to do, having no faith in the sincerity of the Kiev regime to live up to its commitment to grant limited autonomy to the Donbass.

In other words, Kiev inserted a poison pill to prevent a peaceful resolution, but the Western media and governments always blame the Minsk failure on Putin.

If Karen DeYoung wanted to boil all this history down to one paragraph, it might go: The Ukraine conflict began when U.S. officials supported the violent overthrow of elected President Viktor Yanukovych, prompting Crimea to rejoin Russia and causing ethnic Russians in the east to rise up against the U.S.-backed coup regime in Kiev, which then sought to crush the rebellion. The Kiev regime later torpedoed a peace deal that had been hammered out by Russian, Ukrainian and European negotiators in Minsk.

But such a summary would not have the desired propaganda effect on the American people. It would not present the U.S.-backed side as the white hats and the pro-Russia side as the black hats.

The simple truth is that the story of Ukraine is far more complex and multi-sided than The Washington Post, The New York Times and most mainstream U.S. news outlets want to admit. They simply start the clock at the point of Crimeas rejection of the post-coup regime and distort those facts to present the situation simply as a Russian invasion.





A Whipped-Up Hysteria





The major medias distortion is so egregious that you could call it a lie, but it is a lie that has proved very useful in whipping up the current anti-Russian hysteria that is sweeping Official Washington and that has given birth to a New Cold War, now accompanied by a New McCarthyism that deems anyone who doesnt accept the groupthink a Russian apologist or a Moscow stooge.

Since last Novembers election, this New McCarthyism has merged with hatred toward Donald Trump, especially after the outgoing Obama administration lodged unproven accusations that Russia undercut Hillary Clintons campaign by hacking into the emails of the Democratic National Committee and those of her campaign chairman John Podesta  and slipped that information to WikiLeaks.

Those emails showed how the DNC undercut the rival campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders and revealed the contents of Clintons speeches to Wall Street banks as well as pay-to-play aspects of the Clinton Foundation, information that Clinton wanted to keep from the voters.

But no one thought the emails were a major factor in the Clinton-Trump race; indeed, Clinton blamed her stunning defeat on FBI Director James Comeys last-minute decision to reopen and then re-close his investigation into security concerns about her use of a private email server as Secretary of State.

. But the script on how Clinton lost was flipped during the Trump transition as President Obamas intelligence agencies floated the Russia-hacked-the-election scenario although presenting no public evidence to support the claims. WikiLeaks representatives also denied getting the material from Russia , suggesting instead that it was leaked by two different American insiders





A Ministry of Truth





Still, during the post-election period, the anti-Russian hysteria continued to build. In November, The Washington Post highlighted claims by an anonymous group called PropOrNot accusing some 200 Web sites, including Consortiumnews.com and other major independent media outlets, of disseminating Russian propaganda.

The New York Times joined in the frenzy by calling for leading technology companies to marginalize Web sites that are deemed to be publishing fake news, a vague term that was applied not just to intentionally false stories but to information that questioned official narratives, no matter how dubious those narratives were. The New McCarthyism was morphing into a New Orwellianism

The movement toward a Ministry of Truth gained further momentum in December when Congress passed and President Obama signed a military authorization bill that included a new $160 million bureaucracy to identify and counter alleged Russian propaganda.

The anger of Democrats and liberals toward President Trump in his first month has added more fuel to the Russia-bashing with some Democrats and liberals seeing it as a possible route toward neutralizing or impeaching Trump. Thus, the calls for a full-scale investigation with subpoena power to demand documents and compel testimony.

While the idea of getting to the full truth has a superficial appeal, it also carries dangers of launching a witch hunt that would drag American citizens before inquisitors asking about any contacts  no matter how innocuous  with Russians.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, HUAC also claimed that all it wanted was the truth about whether some Americans were allied with or sympathetic to Moscow. Sen. Joe McCarthy offered a similar rationale when he was trying to root out disloyal Americans with the question, are you now or have you ever been a communist?

That Democrats and liberals who hold the McCarthy era in understandable disdain would now seek to rekindle something similar reeks of rank opportunism and gross hypocrisy  doing whatever it takes to get Trump and build an activist movement that can revive the Democratic Partys flagging political hopes.

But this particular opportunism and hypocrisy also carries with it the prospect of blindly ramping up tensions with Russia, diverting more taxpayer money into the Military-Industrial Complex and conceivably sparking  whether planned or unplanned  a nuclear Armageddon that could eliminate life on the planet. Perhaps this anti-Trump strategy should be rethought.





Investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. You can buy his latest book, Americas Stolen Narrative, either in print here or as an e-book (from Amazon and barnesandnoble.com).
This blog is looking for wisdom, to have and to share. It is also looking for other rare character traits like good humor, courage, and honor. It is not an easy road, because all of us fall short. But God is love, forgiveness and grace. Those who believe in Him and repent of their sins have the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Way.
After seeing the initial successful launch of a womens philanthropy group, several local men have decided to start a Lower Columbia chapter of 100+ Men Who Care in Cowlitz County. They are also the first to start a mens chapter in the state of Washington.

Everybody around this area likes to help, but they dont know how, said Lonnie Knowles, one of five organizers. This is basically the easiest and quickest way for people to learn, be educated about whats going on, and to donate and make a serious impact in one short evening. Its an easy-peasy thing.

The group, modeled after the Lower Columbia chapter of the womens philanthropic organization 100+ Women Who Care, will meet four times a year with the goal of raising $10,000 at each meeting for a local nonprofit of the groups choosing. The mens group has 25 members and is looking to grow, according to the organizers.

The two local groups are part of an international organization with more than 400 chapters of men, women and children.

Each member commits to donating $100 or more at each meeting. The meetings include a one-hour social hour and one-hour business meeting. Organizers draw names of three random nonprofits out of a hat, and members who nominated those nonprofits give a 10-minute speech about why that nonprofit should receive the funds. The members vote for their favorite, which gets all the money raised at that meeting. The other two get thrown back into the hat for the next meeting.

The organizers are hoping to encourage other cities and counties in Washington to follow their lead.

Thats what I liked about it too  to be an opportunity for people to give money to a cause without all the frills and other things involved, said Jason Meunier, an organizer, Community Home Health & Hospice worker and ambassador for the Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce. A bunch of people of like minds get to speak their voice with their $100 pledge and then it all goes to one of a number of good causes locally.

Organizers also said it provides a way for community members to learn about different organizations and charities. Some of the organizers said they attended the womens groups first meeting with their significant others and learned about several new nonprofits in the area.

The Lower Columbia Chapter for 100+ Women Who Care raised almost $12,000 at its first meeting in early January for Janus Youths Cowlitz County Street Youth Outreach program to purchase an outreach vehicle.

The real why is the ladies went first ... It just created the opportunity, and we only compliment each other and the winner of all this is the direct, local community, said Jeff Wilson, an organizer and a Port of Longview commissioner.

Mike Wallin, a real estate broker and Longview City Council member, and Russ Meder, owner of a local advertising agency, are the other organizers of the group.

The men decided not to become a nonprofit like the womens group, and are strictly volunteer-based. It will only accepts checks and money orders for that reason.

The mens first meeting will be held from 6:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 15, at the Regent Chinese Restaurant at 3353 Washington Way in Longview. More information and membership is available at www.100mwcLowerColumbia.com or at www.facebook.com/100menwhocarelowercolumbia.

Youre not selling someone to go to an event to raise money for a particular charity. The fact that its open to all qualifying charities locally, that can just encompass so many people in this county that have a giving nature, Meunier said. Anybody that has a charitable inclination here can feel welcome.
Time to snag a cerveza and say salud! The Port of Longview is handling another major beer-related shipment this week, but this time its cargo is bound for Guatemala.

This week longshoremen and port staff loaded nearly 5,000 metric tons of Canadian malted barley from railcars to the ports berth 2 dry bulk facility. Its the first time in three years the port has exported malted barley, said Brooke Hendrickson, port spokeswoman. Malted barley is used in brewing, distilling and food industries.

The specialized grain must stay dry while its loaded, or else it would be spoiled for the brewing purposes, Hendrickson said.

Because barley is a delicate commodity, weve been doing it in between rainfall all week long, she added.

Berth 2 allows for cargo to be dumped from railcars onto a conveyor and directly loaded to cargo vessels without interruption or excess handling, according to the port.

The grain traveled more than 800 miles by rail from Canadian Malting Co. in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The vessel will take 20 days to arrive to Guatemala, where it will go to Ceveceria Centro Americana, also known as Central American Brewing. Its the first time the port has worked with either company.

Central American Brewing is known for its pale lager beer, sold under the name Gallo and Famosa, with a drawing of a rooster on the bottle. The brewers products are exported to other Central American countries, Mexico, the U.S. and Europe.

This is at least the second time the port has handled a beer-related project in recent months. In September, it unloaded six 23-ton brewing tanks from Belgium bound for the popular Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Ore.

This weeks beer shipments were made possible by the ports 1.5-mile industrial rail corridor. The tracks stretch along the perimeter of the port, allowing trains to move directly from the mainline into the port without waiting. The port says it plans to add more through tracks and siding to meet growing demand.

Theres $815,000 in the ports 2017 budget related to expanding the rail corridor. In 2017, the port will start assessments, surveys and other engineering work to prepare for an expansion of the corridor.

Our Industrial Rail Corridor is an invaluable asset in attracting bulk commodities, just as we anticipated, said Business Development Manager Laurie Nelson-Cooley. The expansion will accommodate existing users and allow significant growth in attracting additional bulk customers.
I came to the Grateful Dead late by some standards, and left its orbit early by most. My first album was the band's third, "Aoxomoxoa," which I purchased shortly after its release in 1969, and I didn't experience the Dead live until 1970. From then until 1973, I saw them a lot, mostly at Winterland in San Francisco, but by 1974, with a few memorable exceptions, I was pretty much done.

My blind spot then, is the bulk of the band's 30-year career, which also happens to be the years when the Grateful Dead was at its most famous and popular, becoming one of the highest-grossing arena and stadium acts of its day. That's probably why Alive With the Dead: A Fly on the Wall With a Camera, by photographer Susana Millman, seems like such a revelation to a fallen Dead Head like me. Oh sure, Millman gives us plenty of shots of the hoopla surrounding the 1987 release of "In the Dark," which went double platinum, but her photographs also offer intimate peeks inside a scene I'd always dismissed as being too big for its own good.

And in many ways, it certainly was, as Millman's photos of the tie-dye-clad crowds filling enormous venues like Soldier Field in Chicago might have argued in the hands of a different author and photographer. Soldier Field, of course, is where the Dead performed its last show on July 9, 1995  lead guitarist Jerry Garcia would die one month later. But instead of using the pages of her book to caution readers against simultaneous addictions to heroin, cigarettes, and Ben & Jerry's, Millman gives us a glorious double-printed, double-exposed photograph of the band on stage at its last gig, dwarfed by the adoration of its fans, stage lights, and fireworks.

Elsewhere, Millman shares a sweet recollection of Garcia on her wedding day, during which he confesses his nervousness at having to walk Millman down the aisle to give her away to Dennis McNally, the band's publicist and biographer at the time. This and other human anecdotes  some fleshed out with text, some left alone as photos  give Alive With the Dead the feeling of a well-thumbed family album rather than a precious tome about rock stars. It's good to know that from Millman's fly-on-the-wall perspective, the members of a band I once loved didn't let the fame I missed go entirely to their heads.

Alive With the Dead: A Fly on the Wall With a Camera



by Susana Millman



2016, 260 pages, 12.0 x 9.0 inches, Hardcover



$60 Buy a Copy

See sample pages from this book at Wink.
Recently, Apple Inc. announced that the company would set up a manufacturing unit of iPhones in Bengaluru, India. According to the latest updates, the Cupertino giant will start the manufacturing process in April this year with lower-priced iPhone SE variants.

With the new manufacturing unit, Apple seeks to capture a larger share of the fastest growing smartphone market in the world. The manufacturing unit will cut the transportation cost and import duties which will eventually make iPhones cheaper. iPhones at lower prices is a win-win deal as consumers will save their money while it will result in an increase in sales of iPhone.

As per the reports, the company is planning to assemble the iPhones initially, and it will start manufacturing process later. Initially, the reports suggest that Bengaluru plant will assemble around 3 lakh iPhone SE.

Apple INC although is the largest smartphone vendor in the world but it shares a small market in India which has the 2nd largest market for mobile phones with 300 million smartphone users, the number is more than that of U.S and a little less than of China.

This step will increase its growth in the country, manufacturing process here itself will bring the price down which will result in more sales as for now its high price restricts the population of middle-class users, which is in the majority, to afford it.

In 2016, the company ranked 10th position in India after shipping 2.5 million iPhones, it is known to be the best year for sales for Apple here, but it lagged other phone companies such as Samsung and Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Lenovo in terms of market share. In order to make a position, it had to take this step and asked for negotiations with the country. Till now, the import of done by local distributers.

Priyank Kharge, Minister of State for Information Technology and Biotechnology and Tourism said, Apples representatives led by Ms. Priya Balasubramaniam, VP iPhone operations, Mr. Ali Khanafer (Head, Government Affairs), Mr.Dheeraj Chugh (Director, iphone operations) and Mr. Priyesh Povanna (Country Counsel) met with Ministers and officials of Government of Karnataka and had positive discussions about the initiatives in manufacturing and possible collaborations with state Government in other areas.

India will be benefited in various ways by this step, not only the price of the phone will come down, but also, the profits will come in the country itself, and it will generate more jobs. Bangalores reputation will be enhanced too, and other foreign companies will look forward to investing in the state.

Apple CEO Tim Cook visited India in May 2016 for the same matter where he was interviewed; he said, I feel really good about how were doing [in India]. We are in discussions on a number of things, including retail stores, and fully intend to invest significantly in the country and believe its a great place to be.

Published on: Feb 18, 2017
As we come closer to the Samsungs Galaxy S8 launch event, picture of the device is getting clearer. Rumours have started flooding the internet about the design, price, colour variants and launch date of the upcoming flagship smartphone. According to latest updates, Samsung will not unveil Galaxy S8 at MWC 2017, rather the smartphone giant will select a specific date and send invites for the launch event on 26 February.

However, before its launch, the marketers and retail analysts have left no stones unturned to explore the features and specs of the yet-to-be-announced smartphone. Thanks to all those leaked reports and unofficial teasers that most of us are acquainted with the features of the upcoming handsets of Samsung.

As per the leaked reports, Samsung, like the previous model of its S flagship, will launch the S8 in two variants. The base variant will be called Samsung Galaxy S8, and it will cost around 800. On the other hand, the higher console of the flagship will be called Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus and will be tagged with the approximate price range of 900. However, following the previous patterns, we are quite assured that both models of Samsung wont find their ways to Indian market before the middle of April this year.

Design

If we go with the most reliable leaks and teasers, then it is quite guaranteed that both models of S8 will have a curved display edge, bezel-free display, and no home button. Yes, Samsung with its new devices is ditching the time-honored Home Button for facilitating its display some extra accommodation. Also, a high-end fingerprint scanner is expected to sit at the rear panel, beneath of the camera. Some leaked photos have already confirmed the S8 and S8 Plus to have a 3.5mm headphone jack port at the lower edge

Display

As per the leaks and rumors, the Base version is expected to flaunt an either a 5.7-inches or 5.8-inches display, while the S8 Plus will feature a 6.2 inch screen. Displays of both models will be protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 at both front and back panel. With curved Super AMOLED displays coupled with Quad HD or 4K resolution, both models will have more than 550ppi pixel density. Integrated with extra display features like 3D Touch, Always-on screen, and TouchWiz UI, Samsungs upcoming phones are estimated to be a game changer for the South Korean Multinational.

Features and Specifications

The Galaxy S8, of course, will be waterproof, like its predecessor devices. As the Galaxy S7 was an IP68-certified model and can stay 1.5m under water for 30 minutes, Samsung is likely to go a step further with its new devices. Under the hood, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will be powered by the most recent Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, which will deliver a seamless performance to the users. With the Octa-core chip clocked at the speed of up to 2.4Gz, both variants will provide 20% faster and flawless performance than the Snapdragon 820.

Storage

As per the reports, the Galaxy S8 phones will hit the market with two RAMs  4GB and 6GB. While the 4GB model will be exclusive to some selected European markets, 6GB variant will be available internationally. Similarly, on the storage front, the new Galaxy phones will pack no less than 64 GB of onboard storage. It manes, the phone will come up with two ROM variants like 6$ GB and 128GB with expandable storage option to 256 GB via micro SD card.

Software

On the software front, the Galaxy S8 phones will run on the latest Android Nougat 8 out of the box. With the new TouchWiz OS with Samsungs homespun AI-based virtual assistant Bixby, the new Galaxy gadgets are supposed to be a premium and iconic Samsung phone.

Camera

Well, this is the most enchanting segment of Samsung phones. The upcoming Galaxy S8 models of Samsung will have a dual-camera setup at the back panel and will host a dual 12-mp snapper. On the front part, the phone will accommodate an 8-mp shooter for selfies. Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, live 4K video, 9MP image recording, Auto HDR, and panorama are some additional features which will accompany the camera segment of Galaxy S8 models.

Battery

For superb power backup, Samsung will incorporate its approaching Galaxy phones with a non-removable 3500mAh, which is quite higher than its previous flagship  the S7. It will also have a USB Type C for faster charging.

Colour availability

In terms of Color availability, the upcoming phones of Samsung will be launched in three variants including Black, Gold, and Orchid Grey. It means buyers will get wide color options to pick the Galaxy S8 phones.

Expected price

Samsung hasnt yet maintained a tight lip regarding the price of its impending phones. But following the trend of pricing patterns of Samsung, we can expect the 6GB RAM+64GB model console of the Galaxy S8 to retail at $950 (roughly Rs. 63,800) and $1050 (roughly Rs. 70,500) for bigger sibling.
The Government of Jharkhand signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft India at the Momentum Jharkhand: Global Investors Summit & Trade Exhibition today to leverage cloud technologies to drive the states digital ambitions. Under this MoU, Microsoft will support the state government to explore cloud, machine learning and mobile based solutions to improve citizen services and provide better facilities in the fields of education and agriculture.

The Government of Jharkhand has been using an advanced IT infrastructure to provide citizen services and aggressively driving technology led programs such as Skill India and Digital India. Todays MoU with Microsoft will help the Government access the best of Microsofts technology and expertise for the improvement of digital services to citizens and drive digital inclusion in the state.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri. Umesh Prasad Sah, Director  IT, Department of IT and e-governance, Government of Jharkhand, said, Microsoft will work with the Government of Jharkhand to support the development of cloud and mobile-based solutions and support the use of machine learning and advanced visualization to help solve challenges in the fields of agriculture and education.

Commenting on this association, Sanjeev Gupta, Country General Manager  Public Sector, Microsoft India, said, Over the past year we have experimented with cloud, mobile and machine learning based solutions for better citizen connect as well as to help students and farmers in India. We are happy to bring the power of Microsoft cloud technologies, machine learning and data analytics to the State of Jharkhand. We look forward to supporting the Government of Jharkhand in its effort to enhance citizen services and drive digital inclusion.

@Technuter.com News Service
According to data released by leading analyst firms Strategy Analytics and Counterpoints Research, Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) became the third largest smartphone manufacturer by market share, commanding 10% of the total global market. Meanwhile total worldwide smartphone shipments grew by 2.3% year-on-year in 2016, totaling 1.47 billion units. The Chinese market contributed a large part of this total figure, with 467 million mobile phones shipped for the year. Of the top five vendors, Samsung, Apple, Huawei, OPPO, and vivo, the three Chinese brands together account for almost 20% of the global market share. Huawei ranked third overall, with nearly 10% market share, maintaining steady growth despite a weaker global market. In total, Huawei shipped 139.3 million units in 2016, up 30.2% on 2015.

Despite the softening of the global smartphone market, Huaweis annual growth in shipments shows strong momentum and continues to perform above the industry average. Shipments grew from 75 million in 2014 to 108 million in 2015 and approximately140 million in 2016. This industry-defying growth has consolidated its position as the number three global vendor.

@Technuter.com News Service
Dear EarthTalk: Is alternative energy still the next big thing for American venture capitalists? Jeffrey Moss, Fairfield, CT

A decade ago, in the wake of Al Gores An Inconvenient Truth and rising gas/oil prices, many of the same venture capitalists (VCs) who had made fortunes betting on software, hardware, Internet and biotech start-ups began shifting significant chunks of their investment dollars over to alternative renewable energy and related investments, putting the so-called cleantech sector in the spotlight as the new new thing. Given growing global concern about greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution, it made sense that our highest stakes investors would be attracted to placing big bets on little companies jockeying to be the next major players in the fast growing alternative energy sector.But a funny thing happened on the way to the next round of initial public offerings (IPOs): the cleantech bubble burst. According to a July 2016 report from the MIT Energy Initiative, some three dozen U.S. venture capital firms poured some $25 billion in cleantech start-ups between 2006 and 2011and lost over half their money: The results are starkcleantech offered a dismal risk/return profile, dragged down by companies developing new materials, chemistries or processes that never achieved manufacturing scale.The MIT researchers studied the performance of hundreds of cleantech investments and compared the results against medical and software technology investments over the same six-year period. Their conclusion? The VC model is broken for the cleantech sector, which suffers especially from a dearth of large corporations willing to invest in innovation.So where did cleantech go wrong? Unlucky timing may have had something to do with it, given the overall market collapse at the end of 2008. But the MIT researchers point out that cleantech start-ups have a longer timeframe of growth than, say, software venturesand VCs dont want to wait around for 15-20 years to cash in on their bets. Also, the cleantech sector suffers from underdeveloped supply chains and an immature acquisition space compared to more conventional tech startups.The result is that most of the 150 renewable energy start-ups launched in Silicon Valley since 2006 are long gone. The flame-out of high-flying solar tube manufacturer Solyndraafter securing $500 million in federal loan guaranteesundermined investor confidence in cleantech, while cheap natural gas and a glut of Chinese solar panel exports undercut the competitiveness of American start-ups in the sector.
Geologists in the well-known British Imperial possession of New Zealand have discovered that those humble islands are an outcrop of a large submerged mass which answers all the criteria for a continent, except for the minor one of being above water; and since many more land-masses are likely to become submerged in the near future, it hardly seems fair to quibble over that. The new Imperial territory has been named Zealandia, and governments worldwide are no doubt considering the possibilities of ambassadorships for their nations' more inconvenient luminaries. It is understood that our own Foreign and Colonial Office has already made appropriate diplomatic overtures, ordering the continent to sell its resources cheap and forbidding migration to the British mainland.
Mexicans form 'Human Wall' along US border to protest Trump

AFP, Mexico :

Thousands of Mexicans linked arms Friday to form a "human wall" on their country's border with the United States, protesting President Donald Trump's plan to build a massive barrier between the countries. The protest, organized by local authorities and Mexican advocacy groups, brought together people armed with flowers, including politicians, social leaders and crowds of students to the border town Ciudad Juarez-which already is separated by extensive fencing from its American neighbor city El Paso.

Protestors hurled slogans at Trump, whose plans to build the wall to keep undocumented immigrants out of the US-and make Mexico foot the bill-has enraged many people here.

"The wall is one of the worst ideas," said Carolina Solis, a 31-year-old student. "It won't stop anything-not drugs or migrants."

"It's just a symbol of Donald Trump's hatred, the president's racism."

Under the watchful eye of US Border Patrol officers, protestors-among them El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser-formed a human barrier of nearly 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles). Many people on both sides of the border cross it daily, calling one country home while going to work in the other.

"Ciudad Juarez and El Paso are one city-we will never be apart," said Leeser, who was born on the Mexican side of the border.

His Ciudad Juarez counterpart Mayor Armando Cabada vowed to help resettle migrants deported from the US.
41 jihadists `executed in Syria infighting`

Different jihadists factions have been involved in bitter infighting as they try to hold onto territory in Syria.

AFP, Beirut :

A jihadist group has executed 41 fighters from Al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate and allied factions in infighting between the extremists in Syria's Idlib province, a monitor said on Friday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Jund al-Aqsa group had captured the fighters and shot them to death in the town of Khan Sheikhun on Monday.

The deaths were only confirmed on Friday amid fierce fighting between the jihadist factions, said the Britain-based monitoring group.

Jund al-Aqsa has been locked in clashes with former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham since Monday, after tensions erupted between them over influence in the rebel-held province of Idlib.

Fateh al-Sham is fighting alongside several allied groups in a coalition dubbed Tahrir al-Sham, and the clashes have spread beyond Idlib to neighbouring Hama province.

The Observatory said the clashes had killed 125 fighters from both sides, including the 41 executed by Jund al-Aqsa.

Jund al-Aqsa is reviled by most rebels in the region, and is designed a "terrorist group" by Washington.

Despite that, in October Fateh al-Sham announced it had taken Jund al-Aqsa under its wing, although clashes between the two groups erupted shortly afterwards.

In January, Fateh al-Sham also battled other rebel groups in Idlib during 10 days of clashes that killed dozens of fighters.

The fighting reflects the increasingly strained relations between different factions in Idlib province that once fought alongside each other against President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

Idlib province is held almost entirely by opposition factions, and was captured by an alliance of fighters dubbed the Army of Conquest, led by Fateh al-Sham.

More than 310,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

The war has become a complex multi-front conflict, drawing in jihadist groups and international armies.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Islamic State group are leaving their Syrian stronghold of Raqa, fleeing in the face of the Arab-Kurd offensive backed by the international coalition, the US Defense Department said Friday.

"We are starting to see now that a lot of senior ISIS leaders, a lot of their bureaucrats... are beginning the process of leaving Raqa," said Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis, using an alternate acronym for the jihadist group.

"They have definitely taken note of the fact that the end is near in Raqa," he told reporters, describing a retreat that seems "very organized, orderly."

After a string of major losses in both Iraq and Syria, the jihadists' two main strongholds of Mosul and Raqa are both under attack from forces backed by a US-led coalition.

After a massive, four-month campaign, Iraqi forces are tightening the noose on Mosul, while in Syria, the Arab-Kurd alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces, has been advancing to cut off IS access in Raqa.
JHENAIDAH: SI Akram Hosain\'s sister Jannat Ara Parvin reading a written press release on Thursday how his brother was killed by SP Babul Akter.
Touhid Ebrahim :English is the most used international language and most commonly spoken language in the world. It is also the most widely learnt second or additional language and official language of the United Nations, European Union and many international and regional international organizations. It is considered to be the most important and essential language in the world. It has achieved the status of international language because of its suitability, clarity, flexibility, and popularity all over the world. In the field of education, research, communication, media, trade and commerce, the importance of English is so high. Currently, it is undoubtedly needed for any kinds of jobs, business, research activities and many other purposes. Nowadays, English is no more a unique possession of the British or the Americans; it is a language that belongs to all people of the world. Nowadays, being able to use English language is similar to having an international visa. It is so useful and helpful that, learning English really can change our life.It is a great happiness that our education system attaches importance to the learning of English. The curriculum has included English as a compulsory subject from class one to twelve. In order to learn English well, all language learners have to develop four basic language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing. Among these four skills reading is in the third position. To be efficient in English, reading is important like other three important language skills especially for the intellectual growth of the life-long learners. Reading is simply defined as a process whereby we look at and understand what is written and printed. It is a receptive skill. When we read, we use our eyes to decode written language and images. Simultaneously, we use our brain to convert the written symbols and information into words, sentences and paragraphs that communicate something to others.From time to time we are getting wonder why reading is important. It is important for variety of reasons. It exercises our brain and improves concentration; helps the readers to understand the meaning of different topics; teaches about the world around us; introduces with cultures of different nations; improves our thinking power; develops readers' vocabulary that increases the ability to write something well; makes the readers keen to learn; gives the readers pleasure; all these help the readers to get enlightened. For studying in a high-ranking university or in any university in an English speaking country, admission seekers have to score high in reading alongside other skills.Although reading is an important language skill, my experiences as a student of education show that English reading skill is taught poorly in the schools and colleges in Bangladesh. Although there are a lot of lessons in the English for Today books of every class, those are not taught in ways that can enable students to understand English text when they read them.Teachers in our schools and colleges generally teach reading skill to students using the age-old Grammar Translation Method. In this method, teachers read out and clarify the text in Bangla; and the learners listen to the teachers inactively. However, as reading is a skill, learners should be engaged in the practice of the reading skill because no skill is possible to acquire without ceaseless practices. Teachers should set some questions for students to answer after reading. Those questions could be short questions, gap-filling, true/false, matching, information transfer, etc. Students are supposed to read the text themselves, answer the questions, check answers in pairs, and get feedback from the teachers. Through the continuous practice of reading in the similar way, students become able to understand any text. Although some English teachers know how to develop students' reading skill, they cannot engage students in reading practice as other teachers and students create obstacles. There are some teachers who are not willing to spend much time in teaching reading. They consider reading as a knowledge-based subject, not a skill based subject. As a result, they try to provide students with knowledge, not with skill.In order to get rid of this situation, the education authority should take initiative to provide proper training to the English teachers so that they teach English reading skill properly. Teachers need training, no doubt, but there are great dearth motivated and sincere English teachers in our educational institutions. Thus in want of motivation and proper guidance, the students cannot understand the importance of reading and as a result, they cannot be good readers. On the other hand, in schools and colleges many of the students of our country are indifferent and lazy. Even though a small number of teachers try to help the students, they have to be disappointed to see the reluctance of the learners. They read English only for passing the public examinations or getting a good grade. Students get good grades but their grades, in most cases, is not reflected in their everyday use of English.Alongside teachers' teaching, learners can follow some more effective strategies like making a habit of reading, reading English books, newspapers and magazines daily, creating reasons why we read, finding a place where learners can concentrate, choosing and reading about things that interest us, trying to understand the overall meaning of the topic, writing a summary of the topic we have read, discussing the topic we have read to others, going to a library and picking up books, to get standard pronunciation and joining an English language club or readers' group. Teachers should create opportunities for the students in the classrooms to engage students in activities like read and answer; read and fill out; read and match, read and tell if true or false, read and draw etc. for teaching reading skill. Students' participation in reading should be preferred over teachers' dominance in solving the exercises. The Grammar Translation Method should be replaced with Participatory Approach where students will practice and acquire skills. Through the proper practice with concentration, students can develop their reading skill.Today we cannot think of the perfection of education without good reading habits. Francis Bacon, an English philosopher says, 'reading makes a full man'. Actually, we see without developing the reading skill, we cannot acquire knowledge and cannot be a full man. The development in the field of education is not immediately visible. It takes a long time to be tangible. Thus higher skill in reading comes from determination and regular practices. If reading teaching strategies are followed properly and practice is continued, I believe the students will develop their competency in English reading within a short period of time.(The writer is a 3rd year 'Bachelor of Education' honours student at Govt. Teachers' Training College, Dhaka. He can be reached at e-mail: [email protected]
Types of tutoring: What's best?

Cheri Lucas :

Maybe your child's teacher notices him struggling in a certain subject area, or perhaps you want to prep him for high school or college entrance exams. Whatever the reason, parents often turn to tutoring services to give their children the help they need outside of the classroom. From in-home to online sessions, various types of tutoring are available, whether your child needs an extra boost in English or wants to get ahead in geometry. Depending on the service, a tutor can be costly or absolutely free. Matching an individual with your child is an important process, since each student has a distinct learning style. So where to start when it comes to finding the right tutor for your child?

Before you search for someone to help your child, you should figure out specifically what you expect this person to help your child accomplish, and what your child's strengths and challenges are, suggests Linda Broatch, a writer at the research nonprofit WestEd. Your child may work best immediately after school, for instance, so if you hire an evening tutor, your child may have already "shut down" for the night. Or, perhaps your home environment is distracting due to siblings - or simply too familiar - and she may concentrate better at the library, which likely offers free drop-in tutoring, such as the services of Project READ in Northern California or the Homework Assistance Program at the Boston Public Library.

Research your choices before you commit to a tutoring service. The primary options to consider are the frequency, length, and type of session. Is your child mentally prepared for daily one-hour meetings after school, or would a single four-session each weekend be more effective? Generally, tutoring programs work with your child for a semester, with hour-long sessions two or three times a week. "Less than twice a week is often a waste of time because it's not enough assistance," writes Edward Gordon, an education consultant and author of Tutor Quest.

Each student, however, works differently, so test the waters and alter your child's schedule if necessary. Also determine: Would she prefer the same tutor each session, face to face, or would she work better online with a different person each time? Should you choose a private tutor, or would your child be more open and productive alongside a few classmates?

To jump start your search, here's a sampling of tutoring programs, and a summary of what type of student benefits from each:

Private in-home sessions

Working individually with a tutor may be fitting for a timid, less vocal student, or one who is easily distracted around other children. If you are hesitant to find an independent tutor on your own via Craigslist or a community bulletin board at your local coffee shop - but don't need the structure of a large tutoring organization like Sylvan Learning or Kaplan - try tutoring services such as Buddy System, WyzAnt, or Tutor Circle, which allow you to handpick a tutor whose personality and approach match your child's learning style. (When you meet or contact a tutor for the first time, don't be afraid to ask what his or her non-academic interests are, too - it's beneficial if you match your child with someone with like-minded hobbies, such as sports, animals, or music.)

At WyzAnt, for instance, you peruse profiles of tutors in specific subjects, from business to language, and at Tutor Circle, parents communicate freely with tutors to negotiate price, location, and even the size of the tutor group.

Free "drop-in" tutoring

Tutorpedia, a San Francisco Bay Area service that works with local school districts, is a service for low-income middle school students. Inquire at your neighborhood library or child's school to learn about after-school options, as more kids are eligible for government-sponsored programs as a result of NCLB. Libraries usually have tutors available for drop-in hours on weekdays between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. This option works for students who need a quiet location to concentrate, as well as parents who don't mind browsing a library while waiting for a session to end.

A nonprofit like 826 National, with writing centers on both coasts, Chicago, and Ann Arbor, also offers free afternoon and weekend tutoring. Generally, these drop-in options are fitting for students who need occasional help with homework or a particular essay, and don't require long-term tutoring assistance.

Paid sessions at established organizations

National programs like Sylvan Learning schedule one-hour sessions around your child's schedule. These organizations conduct an initial assessment test to determine your child's skill level and learning style - a step that's skipped if you hire an independent tutor on your own through a website such as Craigslist. Kaplan, another established tutoring service, offers sessions in both centers and at home - particularly for SAT and test preparation - as well as small group tutoring (up to five students) for those who thrive when learning with classmates. This is a fitting option for a student who may benefit from a supportive network that boosts confidence and improves communication and social skills, as well as a parent who seeks a more structured program or detailed progress assessments.

Intensive specialized sessions

With highly specific sessions focused on symbol imagery and reading comprehension, and for students with disabilities or unique learning styles, programs such as Lindamood Bell require more time and effort from you and your child. In lieu of school, most participants enroll in a daily program of four one-hour sessions for several months, which may be appropriate for your child if her reading or skill levels prevent her from contributing at school.

Online tutoring

If your child finds it difficult to work one-on-one with a tutor in your home or other location - or prefers to work independently - online chats may be effective, especially if she is comfortable communicating via computer. (It's also a surefire bet for an older teen, who may be reluctant to visit a tutoring center, or for you, who may not be able to drive to a tutoring location 15 minutes away.)

If your teen needs help with an algebra problem, but it's 10:00 at night, she can reach a live tutor 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with such services as TutorVista and Tutor.com. TutorVista offers unlimited tutoring per month for $99.99, so if your child anticipates a difficult month of biology homework, for instance, this option may be suitable.

At Tutor.com, the tutee pays by the minute - 60 minutes for $35, for example - so it's a quick way to seek help on a specific assignment without having to drive to a tutoring center. Online tutoring doesn't replace face-to-face tutoring, in the same way phones and email do not replace face-to-face contact, says George Cigale, CEO of Tutor.com. But for students doing their homework at night, he says, it may be the only way to get help when they need it. Online tutoring allows them to get quick help in productive 20-25 minute chunks, he says.
JP needs to go to power for country's welfare: Ershad



Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman HM Ershad said his party needs to go to power for the welfare of the country and the nation.

Jatiya Party can ensure peace and security in the country and the people started to view the party as the symbol of the hopes and exceptions, he said this on Saturday while speaking at a function at party's Banani office in the city.

The function was held marking the joining of Jatiya Party by more than 100 leaders and activists of different political parties from Rangpur, said a press release.

Presided over by JP Presidium Member SM Faiser Chishti, the function was also addressed, among others, by JP Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, MP, Presidium Member Solaiman Alam Sheth, Chairman's Adviser Didar Bakht, JP Vice-Chairmen Prof. Iqbal Hossain Raju and M Milton Khan.



Joint Secretary General Kazi Ashraf Siddiqui and central leaders Suman Ashraf, Helal Uddin and M Milton Molla, among others.

Ershad welcomed the newcomers and said the people of Rangpur are his near and dear ones.

"They remain beside me during my bad days and good days as well," he said.
Asia wants a stronger global role for Europe

Fraser Cameron.:

Asked in Washington bst week whether the EU was ready to take on a greater leadership role, Federica Mogerhini gave a clear answer. 'Yes, we are ready' said the EU's foreign policy chief.

Given the international criticism and uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump's entry into the White House could this indeed be an opportunity for the EU to come of age on the global stage?

At first sight the idea may sound far-fetched what with Brexit, the refugee crisis and the rise of populism throughout Europe. But the EU remains the largest market in the world, the largest provider of development assistance and the strongest supporter of the multilateral system. The European political system has been shaken up but to date there are no populist parties governing any major member state. It is this boring reliability that other powers, especially in Asia, are beginning to recognise as a strength, especially given the unpredictability surrounding the future of US foreign policy. In Asia, despite recent reassurances, they wonder if long-standing alliances will still hold and are perplexed as to why Washington is prepared to cede economic leadership to China by tearing up the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). In Beijing, they wonder if the bipartisan One China policy will really remain intact and whether Trump is planning a trade war with China.

In Europe the questions concern the implications of a potential US rapprochement with Russia - at what cost? Will Trump adhere to the Iran nuclear deal? Will he maintain America's commitment to the Paris climate change agreement? And will he turn his back on free trade and multilateral institutions?

Given all this uncertainty it is not surprising that many countries are beating a path to Brussels to shore up their relations with the EU. Japan has signalled that after years of desultory talks it now wants to conclude an FTA with the EU as soon as possible. Officials on both sides are targeting late spring to clinch a deal.

Even in the midst of the present domestic turmoil Korea is sending senior envoys to Brussels with the message that Seoul wants to work more closely with Brussels. Its parliament has just ratified an agreement to allow for closer political and security cooperation with the EU. It is likely to join the EU's Operation Atalanta in the Gulf of Aden in the coming weeks. And perhaps most surprisingly China now looks to the EU as a guarantor of the rules-based multilateral system. Who would have forecast even a year ago that Beijing and Brussels would be pressing Washington not to renege on its climate change commitments? In addition, China has hinted that it wishes to speed up the bilateral investment treaty negotiations with the EU as a result of the protectionist voices coming out of Washington.

Several countries in SE Asia including Indonesia and the Philippines are now keen to accelerate FTA negotiations with the EU while India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand are also ready to deepen ties with the EU.

All this activity shows that Asia still regards the EU as a serious player. But for this goodwill to be sustained the EU will have to continue to show up in the region and do a better job of speaking with one voice including on sensitive issues such as the South China Sea.

Mogherini understands the increasing importance of Asia for the EU and has scheduled a number of visits this year including India, China, Myanmar and possibly Australia and New Zealand.

She will be promoting inter alia the EU's Global Strategy, which with its emphasis on a comprehensive approach to security, provides a stark contrast to the nationalist-isolationist, transactional approach of the Trump foreign policy team.

The huge uncertainty surrounding the future of US foreign, security and trade policy thus opens new horizons for the EU. The EU now has to agree and promote its own interests in a more coherent manner. It must reaffirm its commitment to strengthening the multilateral system, supporting a normative agenda (and not just let Angela Merkel speak out for basic values) and demonstrate its understanding of Asian concerns and interests.

The reward could be a new mutually beneficial EU-Asia relationship that provides two solid pillars in a world facing so much uncertainty in America.

(Fraser Cameron is Director of the EU-Asia Centre and a Senior Advisor to Cambre Associates, a Brussels-based, integrated public relations and public affairs consultancy).


Top brands must explain their refusal rationally

A NUMBER of major European fashion brands are expected to shun the upcoming Dhaka Apparel Summit to be held on 25 February. The cause has been reported to be the repression of unions in Bangladesh. We, however fail to comprehend how can that be a rational cause for boycotting the apparel summit? Beginning with Tazreen Fashion carnage, Rana Plaza disaster to being least compliant - the Bangladesh RMG sector has faced a number of setbacks in the past few years but these however didn't stop the major brands from placing work orders in our factories. Moreover, in terms of fulfilling safety and compliance requirements and following labour laws our factories have improved significantly.



Nevertheless, the joint statement issued by IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union from Geneva on Thursday merits a detailed explanation with regard to the boycott. Though the statement clearly stated - so long as workers and trade unionists are being arrested and intimidated for speaking up for the rights of garment workers, there will be no "businesses as usual". That said, businesses with many factories and the brands are running smoothly as of yet.



Recently, the global labour rights groups urged all its affiliated trade unions across the world to participate in the campaign sending protest letter to Bangladeshi embassies or directly to the Bangladesh government demanding release of jailed Trade Union leaders. The government coupled with our factory owners must address the burning issue quickly.



Taking stock of the upsetting situation our government must also convincingly explain the reasons behind the arrest of some eleven Textile Trade Union leaders detained in the recent weeks. More to it, the government must also thoroughly investigate the reason behind the firing of more than 1600 workers beside some 600 cases launched against several workers and Trade Union leaders.



The arrests were understandably made in the wake of a joint demand to increase in wages last December, but instead of carrying out mass arrests and filing cases the government could have responded to the crisis by holding dialogues with factory owners and workers. It seems that the government's crisis management system is not functioning. Moreover, crushing mass dissent with the help of police force is also not a part of a democratic culture.



The bottom-line is, instead of refusing straightaway to participate in the apparel summit the brands should have given, both our owners and the government some more time to effectively deal with the crisis. The major retailers and fashion brands must realise that shunning an apparel summit - directly or indirectly affects the RMG industry on the whole. Such collective boycott can't solve problems, on the contrary it creates a bottleneck to the path of solution.






Australia\'s Jackson Bird successfully appeals for the dismissal of Ankit Bawne during a practice match against India A in Mumbai, India, Saturday.
'Islam is not the source of terrorism': Markel

Al Jazeera News :

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Islam is not the source of "terrorism" and that cooperating with predominantly Muslim states in the fight against it is vital.

Merkel, who has been critical of US President Donald Trump's attempt to impose a temporary travel ban on people from seven

Muslim-majority countries, was speaking on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, with US Vice President Mike Pence in the audience.

Merkel said Europe's ties with Russia remained challenging, but it was important to work with Russia in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, known as ISIS) and similar groups.

She stressed the need to preserve and strengthen multilateral structures such as the EU, NATO and the UN during an address that came as concern grew about the Trump administration's approach to international affairs and fears that it may have little interest in working in multilateral forums.

Trump's criticism of NATO as "obsolete", his praise for Britain's decision to leave the EU as well as his softer approach towards Russia have unnerved allies.

"Acting together strengthens everyone," said Merkel. "We must see that the multilateral structures are in many places not efficient enough.

"I am firmly convinced that it is worth fighting for our common international multilateral structures, but we must improve them in many places."

Pence, though, in his first overseas trip since being named vice president, said Trump would stand by NATO and no one should doubt his commitment after the sacrifices made to defend it.

"The president asked me to be here today to convey a message, a reassurance - the US strongly supports NATO and we will be unwavering in our commitment to this transatlantic alliance," Pence said. "Let no one doubt our commitment." Al Jazeera's Dominic Kane, reporting from the conference, said many people had wanted to hear Pence speak as speculation grew about Trump's approach to foreign policy.

"Delegates here will be discussing the future of NATO as well as the future of the West," Kane said. "With all these leaders speaking, it shows how important the conference has become in recent time.

"The fact that Merkel spoke about ISIL and Boko Haram and the need to consign these people to history shows leaders here are in earnest about how they deal with the problem.

"The question is though what policy will emerge from this. Is it likely this conference will arrive at a meaningful policy which will deal with these groups? That's a much more difficult question to answer."

Pence is also scheduled to sit down with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko - all countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion - along with Turkey's prime minister, Binali Yildirim.
Mayor Miru, 5 others sent to jail

UNB,. Sirajganj :

A court here on Saturday sent six people, including Shahjadpur municipality mayor Halimul Haque Miru, the prime accused in journalist Abdul Hakim Shimul murder case, to jail after expiry of their 5-day remand.

Shariful Islam, senior judicial magistrate of Sirajganj court passed the order.

Earlier on February 13, the court put them on a 5-day remand each.

On February 2, Abdul Hakim Shimul, Shahjadpur upazila correspondent of vernacular daily the Dainik Samakal, sustained bullet injuries during a clash between two associate bodies of Awami League.

Later, he died on the way to Dhaka on February 3.

Police arrested Miru on February 5 from the capital.
Thousands march against Duterte`s war on drugs

Al Jazeera News :

Thousands of Catholics have gathered in the Philippine capital in a "show of force" to protest extrajudicial killings being carried out under the banner of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

The rally, dubbed the "Walk for Life", was attended by 20,000 people, organisers said. Manila police estimated the crowd at 10,000.

At the biggest rally yet against the killings, members of one of the nation's oldest and most powerful institutions prayed and sang hymns as they marched before dawn on Saturday, to condemn a "spreading culture of violence".

More than 7,000 people have died since Duterte took office almost eight months ago and ordered an unprecedented crime war that has drawn global criticism for alleged human rights abuses.

The move, however, has been popular with many in the mainly Catholic nation.

"We have to stand up. Somehow this is already a show of force by the faithful that they don't like these extrajudicial killings," Manila bishop Broderick Pabillo told AFP news agency before addressing the crowd.

"I am alarmed and angry at what's happening because this is something that is regressive. It does not show our humanity."

The demonstrators also condemned legislation restoring the death penalty for drug-related crimes and other offences. Duterte, 71, has attacked the Church as being "full of sh*t" and "the most hypocritical institution" for speaking out against a campaign that he says would save generations of Filipinos from the drug menace.

The Church helped lead the revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and a 2001 uprising against then-president Joseph Estrada that saw him ousted over corruption charges. The Church had initially declined to voice opposition publicly to Duterte's drug war but, as the death toll of mostly-poor mounted, it started late last year to call for the killings to end. "It is obvious that there is a spreading culture of violence. It is saddening to see, sometimes it drives me to tears how violent words seem so natural and ordinary," said Manila Cardinal Luis Tagle, the country's highest-ranking Church official. "If the response to violence is also violence, then we are only doubling down on violence."

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines had called on the faithful to gather before dawn at the Quirino Grandstand, in the same venue where Duterte held a huge pre-election rally in 2016.

"Why dawn? It's because it is during these hours that we find bodies on the streets or near trash cans. Dawn, which is supposed to be the hour of a new start, is becoming an hour of tears and fears," Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the bishops' conference, told the crowd.

Among those who attended Saturday's event was Senator Leila de Lima, a former human rights commissioner who is one of Duterte's most vocal opponents.

The government on Friday filed charges against her for allegedly running a drug trafficking ring inside the country's largest prison when she was justice secretary in the previous administration.

De Lima, who has denied the charges, said she attended the event as a show of solidarity.
Red meat sales resumes today

Countrywide action if negotiations fail

Staff Reporter :

Bangladesh Meat Sellers' Association and Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Sellers' Association will begin selling red meat from today (Sunday).

Bangladesh Meat Sellers' Association and Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Sellers' last week called for an indefinite strike in the capital to press home their demands.

"We are going to sell red meat from Sunday," Rabiul Alam, secretary general of Bangladesh Meat Sellers' Association told The New Nation yesterday.

"However, we'll sit in separate meetings with Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed at his secretariat at 11 am and the DNCC officials at 2pm on Sunday to discuss our four-point demand. If the meetings end inconclusively, we'll go on an indefinite strike across the country to realise our demands," said Rabiul.

He said after the meeting they will announce whether they will continue their strike or not or announce the next course of action at 5:00pm today (Sunday) in a press briefing at Gabtoli office.

He also threatened of going on a countrywide indefinite strike if their demands are not met at Sunday's planned meetings with the Commerce Ministry and the DNCC.

Rabiul Alam said Kala Moiza and leaseholder of Gabtoli cattle market are taking preparation not to issue hasil (voucher) to the meat traders and also threatened to attack them.

"We are now in panic as Kala Moiza and leaseholder of Gabtoli cattle market issued threat to us that they will not give us hasil. We are requesting the authorities concerned to ensure our lives' security," he said.

He also claimed that they will be able to sell beef at Tk 300 per kg if their four-point demands are met.

"If our demands are met and the hassles in importing cows from India are removed, we'll be able to sell beef at Tk 300 per kg or even less," Rabiul Alam said.

The demands include stopping charging of extra money from traders by the Gabtoli Cattle Market lessee, money-laundering to India through Hundi, shifting of tannery industries from Hazaribagh to Savar and withdrawing of the DNCC chief executive officer and chief estate officer.

Rabiul alleged that Gabtoli Cattle Market lessee Lutfar Rahman has been taking extra money from the cattle traders.

"In connivance with the DNCC chief executive officer and chief estate officer, he charges Tk 200-5000 per head instead of government-fixed Tk 50,"" he said.

The BMTA secretary general also alleged that crore of taka are being smuggled to India through Hundi by a syndicate, led by Kala Moijya.

"We've to give Tk 6000-7000 as commission for each of cattle to the syndicate members," he said, adding that the government is losing revenue from it.

Besides, meat traders do not get fair prices for their rawhide of not shifting tannery industries from Hazaribagh, he added.
Zealandia: The 8th continent?

Mount Cook, the highest peak of New Zealand and Zealandia.

BBC Online :

You think you know your seven continents? Think again, as there's a new contender hoping to join that club.

Say hello to Zealandia, a huge landmass almost entirely submerged in the southwest Pacific.

It's not a complete stranger, you might have heard of its highest mountains, the only bits showing above water: New Zealand.

Scientists say it qualifies as a continent and have now made a renewed push for it to be recognised as such.

In a paper published in the Geological Society of America's Journal, researchers explain that Zealandia measures five million sq km (1.9m sq miles) which is about two thirds of neighbouring Australia.

Some 94% of that area is underwater with only a few islands and three major landmasses sticking out above the surface: New Zealand's North and South Islands and New Caledonia.

You might think being above water is crucial to making the cut as a continent, but the researchers looked at a different set of criteria, all of which are met by the new kid in town.

The main author of the article, New Zealand geologist Nick Mortimer, said scientists have been researching data to make the case for Zealandia for more than two decades.

"The scientific value of classifying Zealandia as a continent is much more than just an extra name on a list," the researchers explained.

"That a continent can be so submerged yet unfragmented" makes it useful for "exploring the cohesion and breakup of continental crust".

So how then to get Zealandia into the canon of continents? Should text books authors get nervous again? After all, just a few years ago, Pluto got kicked off the list of planets, changing what had been taught in schools for decades.

There is in fact no scientific body that formally recognises continents. So it could only change over time if future research accepts Zealandia on par with the rest so that eventually we might be learning about eight, not seven, continents.
Controversial Trump environ nominee sworn in

US President Donald Trump's nominee has been sworn in to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

Scott Pruitt, a fierce critic of the agency, was approved by the Republican-controlled Senate despite Democratic attempts to delay the confirmation.

A judge in Oklahoma on Thursday ordered him to release, by Tuesday, emails he exchanged with oil and gas executives. Democrats boycotted an earlier vote over his email refusal and claimed he was too close to energy companies.

They held the Senate floor through the night to put pressure on the chamber to delay the confirmation vote until the emails, which were exchanged while he was Oklahoma attorney general, were handed over.

But the Senate voted in favour of his confirmation by 52 to 46, and he was sworn in on Friday.

Mr Pruitt, 48, had refused to hand over the emails, at the request of a liberal watchdog, Mr Pruitt is perhaps the most controversial appointment in the history of the EPA - the Oklahoma attorney general has spent years fighting the role and reach of the organisation he now heads. Hundreds of former EPA staff members wrote an open letter against his appointment, some calling him an "unqualified extremist".

Environmental campaigners see him as an oil and gas industry stooge who is "lukewarm" on the threat posed by climate change - they fear that hard-won environmental regulations will be overturned.

Media captionMatt McGrath explains why we should care about climate change

Key among them is the 2009 ruling that greenhouse gas emissions endanger both the environment and public health. This underpinned many of the actions taken by President Obama to curb CO2.

With Mr Pruitt in place, it's likely that President Trump will rapidly push ahead with orders to overturn Obama's Clean Power Plan and his "Waters of the US" rule, something conservatives also see as an over-extension of federal power. Mr Pruitt will probably attempt to cut through the "regulatory rampage" that Republicans believe the EPA has embarked on over the past eight years - but he needs to be wary of over-reach.

President Reagan appointed Anne Gorsuch Burford to reform the EPA back in 1981 - but after failed attempts to downsize, she was out on her ear two years later. Republicans predicted Mr Pruitt would reset the agency's goals. "I have no doubt the Scott will return the EPA to its core objectives," said Oklahoma Sen James Inhofe, accusing the agency of "federal overreach, unlawful rule making and duplicative red tape".

"EPA has made life hard for families all across America," said Wyoming Sen John Barrasso, adding that Mr Pruitt would "bring much needed change". Media captionTrump's busy first month in 90 seconds

Environmental groups said they feared he would loosen regulations on energy companies.

During his confirmation hearing he had said he disagreed with Mr Trump saying climate change was a hoax but he previously cast doubt on the overwhelming evidence that changes in the earth's temperature were down to humans. "Scott Pruitt is the worst pick ever confirmed to lead the EPA," said Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "We'll use every tool in the kit to stop him from harming our air and water, endangering our communities and surrendering our kids to climate catastrophe." Mr Pruitt's confirmation means that President Trump has filled 14 of his 22 cabinet posts. He has blamed Democratic obstructionism for not filling more of his key jobs by now.


Trump declares media `enemy of people`

Al Jazeera News :

US President Donald Trump has ratcheted up his verbal assault on the media, describing it as "the enemy of the American people" in a tweet. Shortly after landing at his holiday home in Florida - where he is spending a third consecutive weekend - the president lashed out at several news organisations.

"The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!" he wrote on Friday.

Trump had posted an earlier tweet that took aim at the New York Times, CNN, NBC "and many more" media organisations - and ended it with the exclamation "SICK!"

But he swiftly deleted that before tweeting the final version, adding two more "enemies" to his list.

Many US presidents have criticised the press in the past, but political analysts say Trump's language has more closely echoed that of authoritarian leaders.

Trump, who regularly accuses the media of overstating his problems, has also accused journalists of failing to show sufficient respect for his accomplishments - including in their coverage of a long-winded press conference on Thursday in which he voiced a litany of grievances against the industry.

Many journalists were taken aback by the extraordinarily combative press conference, which was described by some as bizarre, but Trump later echoed words of praise he got from one right-wing commentator and insisted it had been a bravura performance. In four tumultuous weeks, Trump has seen his national security adviser ousted, a cabinet nominee withdraw, a centrepiece immigration policy fail in the courts and a tidal wave of damaging leaks. Trump tried to put that first month of difficulties behind him as he pitched himself as a champion of US jobs and industry during a visit to Boeing in South Carolina. He used the visit to publicly renew a campaign vow to champion jobs and industry. "As your president, I'm going to do everything I can to unleash the power of the American spirit and to put our great people back to work," he said. "This is our mantra, 'buy American and hire American.' We want products made in America, made by American hands," Trump added, pledging to wean the country off imports. Although the unemployment rate is at a low five percent and wages are rising steadily, a triple whammy of deindustrialisation, globalisation and automation have hit the US heartland hard.


Extradite Toledo

Peru requests US: $ 60m demand in reparation

AP, Lima :

Peru refiled its request for US authorities to detain and extradite fugitive ex-president Alejandro Toledo on Wednesday, as two other country's former leaders vowed to cooperate with a fast-growing graft inquiry.

The US declined to try to apprehend Toledo when authorities believed he was in California last week, asking Peru's judiciary for stronger proof that he took $ 20 million in bribes from Brazilian builder Odebrecht, which was sent on Wednesday, Peru's attorney general said.

Toledo, a former market-friendly, pro-democracy activist who led street protests that brought down rightist Alberto Fujimori in 2000, is accused of receiving some $20 million in bribes from the Brazilian mammoth in exchange for favouring the company in a contract to build a major highway from Brazil to Peru's Pacific coast.The former president has declined to give his whereabouts since a judge ordered his arrest last week, arguing that the judiciary is biased. Odebrecht has acknowledged distributing hundreds of millions in bribes across Latin America - spurring inquiries from Argentina to Panama in Latin America's biggest region-wide graft scandal.

The US Justice Department declined to comment, saying it generally does not discuss extradition-related matters publicly.

The government of Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said it believed Toledo was still in the Bay Area of California, and was pursuing a parallel path to bringing Toledo back. During a phone conversation on Sunday, Kuczynski has asked personally the US President Donald Trump to order Toledo's deportation under a provision in US migratory law that allows the White House to expel people to preserve diplomatic ties.

"Without a doubt that would be the shorter and faster path that I think is in the best interest of the country," Peru's Deputy Interior Minister Ruben Vargas said.

The White House confirmed the conversation between Trump and Kuczynski, but did not mention Peru's deportation request. It said they discussed the need for strong economic cooperation as well as the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Venezuela, instead.

Peruvian officials have said they believe Toledo - a former close ally to Kuczynksi - has been researching a book as a visiting scholar at nearby Stanford University. Local media reported he had intended to fly over the weekend to Israel, where his wife has citizenship, until Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government said he would be denied entry.

In a posting on his Twitter account earlier, Toledo denied that he is a fugitive, saying that "I have never run away." But he did not say where he was and did not say if he would return to Peru.

Authorities across Latin America and a wide range of the policital spectrum have been moving fast to charge officials accused of taking some US$800 million in bribes from Odebrecht. The company acknowledged the bribes when it signed a plea agreement in December with the US Justice Department. Used to win business in 12 countries, the bribes include some $29 million paid in Peru for projects built during the administrations of Toledo (2001-2006) and two of his successors: Alan Garcia and Ollanta Humala.

In a nationally televised address Sunday night, Kuczysnki called on Toledo to return immediately to Peru to clarify his legal situation. A 78-year-old former Wall Street banker, Kuczynksi has seen his approval ratings fall as a result of a number of ethical slips by members of his Cabinet, though none of those new cases are tied to Odebrecht.

Meanwhile, Peru is seeking 200 million soles ($60 million) from former government and company officials accused of involvement in bribes distributed by Brazilian builder Odebrecht to secure public works contracts in the country, authorities said on Friday.

The amount demanded in reparations for the graft scandal by special prosecutor Katherine Ampuero, who was recently named by the justice ministry to represent the state in the Odebrecht case, could change as the investigation continues, a statement from the office of the judiciary said.

Former President Alejandro Toledo and the former head of Odebrecht in Peru, Jorge Barata, are among eight people accused of being part of the company's kickback schemes in Peru. Toledo, whose whereabouts are unknown, is the target of an international arrest warrant. He has denied taking bribes from Odebrecht and said he was the victim of an unfair judicial process.

But Barata has told prosecutors as part of a plea bargain deal that he personally negotiated bribes for Toledo in exchange for help winning two highway contracts in 2005.

Family-owned engineering conglomerate Odebrecht has been at the center of the biggest region-wide corruption scandal in Latin America since admitting to giving out hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes to unnamed officials across the region, including $29 million to win contracts in Peru.

"The damage ... against the state, its image and the institutions of the country, is incalculable," Ampuero said in the judiciary's statement.

Odebrecht declined to comment but has previously said it would cooperate fully with local prosecutors and was committed to paying reparations for its crimes in Peru.

Toledo's attorney Heriberto Benitez said it was too early to announce a figure for reparations because he was still appealing a judge's order last week for Toledo to be preventively jailed while the inquiry continues.

Benitez said it could take months to fully exhaust the appeals process.
Rail track over Padma Bridge uncertain

Uncertainty looms large over the construction of rail track on both sides of the Padma Bridge due to lack of necessary funds.

The 225km rail routes-- Dhaka-Gendaria, Gendaria-Mawa, Mawa-Bhanga junction via Padma Bridge and Bhanga-Jessore Bridge - were supposed to be implemented with the technical and financial assistance of Chinese government.

"The government was set to start construction of the rail tracks by 2016 as per the contract signed with a Chinese company on August 08 last year. But we are yet to start construction of the rail tracks due to lack of Chinese fund," a senior Railway Ministry official told The New nation on Saturday.

He said the project is to be implemented with Chinese government's financing on Government to Government basis.

"Bangladesh Railway (BR) has sought 90 per cent funding of the entire project cost from the Chinese EXIM Bank in September last. But it is yet to assure providing of funds or signed any deal with the BR in this regard stalling the project," said the BR official, asking not to be named.

BR has sought Tk 24,749 crore loans from the Exim Bank out of Tk 35,000 crore total cost which has been estimated to implement the project by June 2022.

When asked, he said, "We have already completed all necessary procedures to get the Chinese funding. Even, the government high-ups are perusing the issue through the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka on signing of the loan agreement".

He also said that if we fail to get the Chinese financial assistance, running of trains over the Padma Bridge on its inaugural day will be impossible.

The Padma Bridge rail link project aims at establishing rail-based connectivity with nine districts and the capital through the country's longest 6.15 kilometre bridge.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) is now in China to negotiate with the Chinese Exim Bank over the funding of Padma Bridge Rail Project.

They left for China last week.

The much talked Padma Bridge is scheduled to inaugurate in December, 2018.
Policy needed to appoint SC judges: Experts

Gulam Rabbani :

There is no policy of appointing judges in the Supreme Court (SC) of the country. But the process of appointing some new judges is now almost in the final stage.

Experts say a full-fledged policy is needed to appoint skilled and competent judges in the country's apex court. Appointing judges without formulating a policy in the light of the Constitution creates controversy. Allegation raises always that Supreme Court judges are appointed on political considerations.

Law Minister Anisul Huq recently told journalists that the Supreme Court is getting 10/12 new judges soon.

"Ten to twelve judges will be appointed to the High Court soon," he said. But, he refused to disclose the names of the judges who will be appointed.

However, sources at the Law Ministry said that the process is now in the final stage.

Article 95(2)(c) of the Constitution says, 'A person shall not be qualified for appointment as a Judge unless he is a citizen of Bangladesh and has such qualifications as may be prescribed by law for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court.'

On June 6 in 2010, the High Court issued a rule to formulate a policy for the appoinment of judges. Hearing on the rule has been completed. Now the case is awaiting for the verdict.

Besides, the Law Commission also recommended the government to formulate a law to appoint judges. But no law has been formulated yet.

Dr M Shah Alam, a member of the Law Commission, told The New Nation that a report was sent to the Law Ministry describing the criterias for appointment of a SC judge in 2012 when he was the acting chairman of the Law Commission. But the government did not take any initiative to formulate a policy according to their suggestions.

On December 7 in 2016, the Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha said in a programme that they were thinking to draft a policy for appointing judges of the Supreme Court. But it would take time.

In response to a lawyers' leader he said, "If we stop appointing judges without formulating a policy then stalemate will be created in judicial proceedings. So, judges appointment will go on. But we are thinking to draft a policy for appointing judges."

"In the meantime, the Law Minister also told me about this. A policy will be formulated. But it will take time," the Chief Justice added.

Senior Advocate and Vice-Chairman of Bangladesh Bar Council Abdul Baset Majumder said, "This is a long desired demand of all of us. The Law Minister recently said that he would prepare a policy for it. We hope that he will do this soon and then the appointing process will be more transparent. We will accept this with joys."

Senior Advocate and former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association Khandker Mahbub Hossain said that a policy is needed to appoint skilled and competent judges in the SC. Appointing judges without formulating a policy creates controversy.
Deal unlikely during PM`s India visit

New Indian Express :

NEW DELHI: Long overdue visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to fructify in April this year, albeit without the Teesta water sharing accord as the Mamta Banerjee government has not come on board.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as part of his "Neighbourhood First' policy, had visited Bangladesh in 2015 and had settled the 41-year-old boundary dispute between the two countries. A similar historic Teesta Water sharing agreement was expected the long awaited visit of the Bangladesh Prime Minister. However, the Teesta water sharing agreement is stuck at the state government level.



"The Bangladesh Prime Minister's visit would be happening in April and would be happening without the Teesta Agreement," sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told the New Indian Express.



During Modi's visit to Bangladesh, West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee stood next to the Prime Minister and expressed confidence of a "fair solution: to the sharing of the water of Teesta and Feni river. But all that is past now as the Centre and the West Bengal State government have lost their bonhomie. "It is difficult to get the West Bengal government on board with rift between the centre and the state," the Government officials added.



Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will be a visiting to Dhaka between February 23rd and 24th. He will be meeting his Bangladeshi counterpart Md. Shahidul Haque. The two Foreign Secretaries are expected to work out details of Sheikh Hasina's visit besides reviewing other areas of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.



But the two countries are expected to ink over a dozen agreements during the visit, including that of using Chittagong port by India. "The Indian side has sent a long list of 41 agreements," a Bangladeshi diplomat in New Delhi said.



Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has proved herself to be an important ally of India by cracking down on extremists in the country where radicalisation has been on the rise. The two countries have been sharing intelligence to combat terrorism in the region.
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Lafayette General Foundation has named Chrissy Guilbeaux Thompson as development officer. Thompson brings 16 years of experience in marketing, public relations, management and business protocol in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors to the role. She most recently was employed as the sales and marketing director for Preferred Anatomic Pathology Services where she worked to acquire new accounts as well as maintain existing accounts. Thompson earned a BS in kinesiology and exercise science from UL Lafayette.

Broussard-based Aqueos Corporation has announced the appointment of David Grady to project manager for special projects. He has more than 10 years of project management experience in the oil and gas industry.

Cleco presented three scholarships of $1,500 each to students who attend South Louisiana Community Colleges T.H. Harris Campus in Opelousas. The recipients, Thomas Hargroder of Opelousas, Joseph Brignac of Mamou and Zackary Deville of Ville Platte, were selected by the SLCC scholarship committee, which is comprised of SLCC faculty and staff.

Acadiana Symphony Orchestra has announced the addition of attorney Rye Tuten to its board of directors. Tuten heads Tuten Title and Escrow, which was founded in Lafayette in 2011 and is located at 326 Settlers Trace Blvd.

KTC Telecom, a division of Kaplan Telephone Company Inc., and Advanced Telephone Concepts have announced an operational merger to provide advanced business telecom systems, unified communication solutions, broadband, mobile B2B cellular service, disaster recovery solutions, and security and alarm monitoring throughout Louisiana. The combined company retains the KTC Telecom brand.

Brandon Kelly has joined Home Bank as VP/Community Reinvestment Act officer. Kelly has community development, marketing and public relations experience, having most recently spent 10 years as business development officer for the Baton Rouge-based EFCU Financial Federal Credit Union. He will work in all Home Bank service areas in Louisiana and Mississippi to enhance community outreach efforts, manage the banks CRA program and promote banking services and lending to low-and moderate-income families and underserved communities. Kelly is also a graduate of the John W. Barton Sr. Community Leadership Development Fellowship.

In late January, the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association honored Charlie Goodson of Southern Hospitality Kitchens as Restaurateur of the Year and DoubleTree by Hilton Lafayette as Full Service Accommodation of the Year during its Annual Membership Meeting in Natchitoches. Southern Hospitality Kitchens owns Charley Gs, Social Southern Table & Bar, The Tap Room and Petes.

Dwight Andrus Insurance has partnered with Maxwell Health, an employee benefits technology platform and innovative marketplace solution that makes benefits and HR simple for small- and medium-size businesses and their employees. With Maxwell, companies working with Dwight Andrus Insurance get a customized benefits storefront where their employees can enroll in all their benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, short- and long-term disability, and financial benefits such as HRA/HSA/FSA.

Submit press releases for this section to Leslie Turk at [email protected]
ULs College of Business Administrations namesake, B.I. Moody III, was honored in connection with the 15th anniversary of the renaming of the college.

The event included the unveiling of three bronze plaques that will be displayed permanently in the Moody Hall lobby and a presentation in an adjacent auditorium about the impact of Moodys contributions to the university, which total more than $8.2 million, including a Moody Match program implemented in 2006.

Moody, 91, is chairman of The Moody Company and of Louisiana State Newspapers Inc.

Moodys college career was interrupted by service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war ended, he graduated from Southwestern Louisiana Institute in 1949 with a bachelors degree in accounting. He is a founding partner in the CPA firm of Moody, Broussard, Poche & Guidry and later became president and CEO of Chart House Inc. in Lafayette and chairman of the board for First National Bank of Lafayette.

Moody has served on the boards of directors of many other companies, including First Commerce of New Orleans, Riviana Foods Inc., Celeron Oil Company Inc. and Quantum Restaurants.

1. B.I. Moody III, John T. Landry and John Blohm

2. Gwen Fontenot serves birthday cake to the honoree

3. B.I. Moody III with some of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren

4. Joseph Savoie addresses attendees at the B.I. Moody III plaqueunveiling ceremony

5. Richard DAquin and B.I. Moody III

6. Kevin Moody

7. B.I. Moody III addresses the crowd
America Rising Squared and America Rising PAC have been reaching out to reporters in Louisiana on a regular basis since December to push alternative takes on stories involving Gov. John Bel Edwards.

Budget stories and the administrations approach to revenue have been the focus so far.

The conservative group, which largely plays in national politics, is no stranger to Louisianas federal races. But its interest in a statewide post is something new.

Jeremy Adler, a spokesman for America Rising Squared, says his organization likes to keep tabs on all Democrats running for or in office and seeks to highlight their vulnerabilities. But he adds that Edwards is near the top of its list in terms of governors around the country.

Obviously, John Bel Edwards is going to be a ripe target through 2019, so we definitely plan to keep tabs on him for now and make sure that people in Louisiana and across the country see that hes taking the state in the wrong direction, says Adler.

COOPER: BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER A TOP PRIORITY

Mark Cooper says his most important task as Gov. John Bel Edwards incoming chief of staff will be to unite people.

That theme applies politically to the volatile landscape of the Louisiana Legislature and more practically to a state still reeling from police-involved shootings and recent natural disasters.

Thats the top priority, Cooper says in early February from his office in Arkansas, where he works as the senior director of global emergency management at Walmart.

Cooper will become Edwards new chief of staff during the third week of March, but hes already studying the state budget and had a set of meetings scheduled in Baton Rouge in mid-February.

For now its all about policy and politics; he doesnt have any plans for staffing changes.

Thats not my intent, Cooper says. Cooper first connected with Edwards last year when both gave speeches to the National Governors Association. But he officially interviewed for the post being vacated by former state Sen. Ben Nevers around mid-January.

He says he was well past the point of being homesick at the time, and the opportunity to get involved again in crisis leadership appealed to him.

I want to be a part of that rebuilding process from last years floods. I felt the same way after Hurricane Katrina, he says. Louisiana is in my blood. I just want to help with some of these very real problems.

Cooper was the director of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness under former Gov. Bobby Jindal.

That Edwards campaigned against Jindal, and has blamed him for many of the states budget challenges, has not been missed by politicos.

Yet Cooper says his approach to public service has never been based on party  he also previously worked for late U.S. Sen. Russell Long and former Gov. Buddy Roemer.

Most people dont care what party youre in, he notes. They just want you to solve problems.

The governors chief of staff is traditionally among the most powerful positions in state government.

RACE TO REPLACE VILLERE HEATS UP

Roger Villere, the chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party, tells LaPolitics he will not seek re-election and that the state central committee will likely hold an election for his replacement during the first quarter of 2018.

Scott Wilfong, a consultant from Baton Rouge, has been actively campaigning for the post and has helped kickstart the race. But hes not alone.

Charlie Buckels of Lafayette, a longtime party player, says he will run for the top post as well when Villere steps down.

It should be a competitive race, especially for a post that hasnt been vacant in 14 years. Villere, who will be turning his attention to his florist business and possibly consulting, is actually the longest serving state GOP chairman in the nation at this time.

Possibly taking a cue from the Louisiana Democratic Party, which has Sen. Karen Carter Peterson as its chair, some party faithfuls are encouraging elected officials to consider running. The names of Rep. Barry Ivey and Sen. Beth Mizell, for instance, have been mentioned.

Others said to be considering a run for the job include Scott McKnight, Derek Babcock and Louis Gurvich.

STOKES STAFFS UP, ANNOUNCES FOR TREASURER

GOP Rep. Julie Stokes of Kenner has announced her campaign for treasurer and is already fully staffed up.

Stokes hired the Political Firm as her general and media consultants  this the same firm that handles media for Majority Whip Steve Scalise. She has also hired Jason Redmond as her campaigns senior adviser for policy, fundraising and day-to-day operations.

Greg Rigamer has been retained to provide data and targeting expertise, and Nicole Desormeaux will oversee both in-state and national fundraising events. Brent Barksdale of GoBig Media will be handling digital communications and advertising.

SCHRODER LAUNCHES WHISTLEBLOWER WEBSITE

As lawmakers prepare for a set of legislative sessions where the budget will take center stage, Rep. John Schroders campaign for treasurer has quietly launched a new website  StopLouisianaWaste.com  that allows anyone to anonymously report state waste.

We talk about state government waste, but we dont really know how bad it is or how deep it goes, Schroder says. I intend to find out.

For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.
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

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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.

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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  It's close to 600 days that the state of Illinois has been without a budget, and some in the faith community think they have an answer: the power of prayer.

On Thursday, Feb. 23, members of the Illinois Conference of Churches, representing 13 member denominations, plan to hold a rally and prayer service at the state capitol. The Rally and Inter-religious Prayer Service is set for 1:30 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, in the State Capitol Rotunda.

Organizers are inviting people from all faith groups, public education administrators and faculty, social service agency employees and all citizens of the state to support this event.

After the rally, members of the Conference plan to deliver letters to the governor and leadership in the House and Senate, asking them to reach a compromise on the budget.

One of those planning to attend from this area is Father Bob Flannery, head of the St. Francis Xavier Church in Carbondale. Flannery is also a member of the Illinois Conference of Churches, representing the Belleville Diocese.

"Its just incomprehensible that the two sides cant come to a compromise," Flannery said. "They are going to have to give a little bit and come up with a solution that serves the people of our state.

He is also the past president of the board for Good Samaritan Ministries  which provides shelter and food for those needing it  and said he's seeing up-close the impact the budget stagnation has on organizations like Good Sam's and the Women's Center.

"Things are really far behind where they cant plan and departments are being closed (in these and other social service agencies)," Flannery said.

Requesting corporate prayer

Flannery said he believes in prayer and has seen it work.

He's asking not just Christians but people from all faith walks to join in the prayer that day  and even if they can't make it to Springfield on Thursday, are asked to pray at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

They are also being asked to pray for the state's leaders and a budget compromise at their upcoming worship services.

"(They can join in) asking that God help us in this situation so that we can try to make a difference and help our state," Flannery said.

Those planning to go to Springfield are asked to arrive by 1 p.m. Thursday so they can pass through security checks.

For more information, visit the Illinois Conference of Churches, online, at http://illinoisconferenceofchurches.org; people can also contact Flannery at St. Francis Xavier at 618.457.4556.
When you set out to be a tourist in your own region, its best to leave with a loose plan and an open mind. That way you have an idea of where youre going but you leave room for the serendipitous moments that can take your breath away and leave lasting memories.

Thats how I would suggest exploring the Mississippi River towns that stretch across Southern Illinois western water border.

Have a starting and ending point in mind, but be open to all that you might discover along the way. Because this is a rich and magnificent piece of land that we call Southern Illinois  intentionally with a capital S, because it truly is its own defined place  and there is so much to see. Whether you are from here or a first-time or frequent visitor, there are new things to explore, and new seasons in which to explore them along the river. With very little planning, this can become your daytrip tour de force.

Take the trip with a lover, a friend or solo  better yet, do all of the above, and do it over and over again, choosing a different adventure each time. The Southern Illinois towns along the Mississippi River offer something for pretty much everybody: nature lovers, history buffs, comfort food connoisseurs, dive bar enthusiasts, Illinois political junkies and antique treasure seekers. The river welcomes the rich and poor, but theres no need to save or borrow a big pile for this trip. You can have a pretty good time on a tank of gas and a packed lunch, or for a bit more, you can stay in a bed-and-breakfast with historical roots and enjoy lunch and a beverage of your choice at any number of fun and quirky spots along the route.

Either way, youre guaranteed to meet interesting locals. And there are many opportunities to connect with the spirits of the true natives and later settlers who shaped this unique slice of Southern Illinois along the Mississippi River and contributed to its complex and winding past.

A long day trip could take you from Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site near Collinsville to Fort Defiance in Cairo where the Mississippi meets the Ohio. Though, its my suggestion that you split that into two days or more to truly enjoy the sights.

Either way, make sure to keep your eyes and heart open for those trip-defining serendipitous moments I mentioned. For us, that came as we headed out of Modoc in search of the Ste. Genevieve  Modoc Ferry. The December day I went exploring the river with Byron Hetzler, photo editor for The Southern Illinoisan and Life & Style magazine, it was biting cold. When we set out on assignment from Carbondale, we both laughed about how it was an oddly chilly day  and perhaps a poor choice  for a drive along the waters edge.

But the Mississippi River proved us wrong. Though the weather may dictate which adventure is most appropriate, there is no wrong time to set out on a drive through these magnificent miles along the Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail, the Lower Trail Scenic Route and other roadways along the river. The view along much of our route offered towering bluffs that bordered the road on one side and flatland as far as the eye could see on the other. It was an absolutely gorgeous drive, and its easy to understand why the Illinois General Assembly, in 2014, declared the Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail  the states oldest road, often referred to as the Kings Road  as an Illinois Historic and Scenic Route.

While we were disappointed that no ferry was waiting for us to carry us across the river into Kaskaskia on this particular day, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. As we headed back from whence we came, both of our stomachs growled. It was late afternoon and we began discussing where we might find a sandwich.

It was about this time when Byron looked to the left and stopped the car and told me to shhhhh! mid-sentence. I was a bit offended because  as the hour ticked past 1 p.m.  lunch was a topic of great importance in my mind. But then I looked in the direction his head was turned. We both fell silent. Id never seen that many bald eagles at once. In the marsh area to the east of the river, we counted at least 20. I forgot the rumble in my stomach, and I shed all of my grumbles. It was truly magnificent. Its the kind of moment on the Mississippi River that can make you forget yourself. And dont worry, theres an alternative route into Kaskaskia across the Chester Bridge. We made it there anyway  after a warm meal at a local diner in Chester, of course. I'm also told that the ferry should be up and running again by now. It was closed temporarily in December.

The below list includes 11 worthy stops along the river. It is in no way meant to be an exhaustive list of things to do and see, but rather to provide a few stops around which you could build a loose daytrip itinerary.

ONE MISSISSIPPI  Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

Near Collinsville, youll find plenty to explore on the historical site of one of the greatest cities of the world in its day. Cahokia was larger than London in A.D. 1250. Cahokia Mounds was the largest prehistoric Indian community north of Mexico, covering five to six square miles and originally containing more than 120 mounds. It was occupied primarily from A.D. 900-1400. It reached its peak in A.D. 1050-1200 when as many as 20,000 people may have lived there who belonged to the Mississippian cultural tradition.

The site is administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. It includes an Interpretive Center/Museum that is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The grounds are open from 8 a.m. to dusk. There is no admissions fee but a donation is suggested of $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, $2 for students and $15 for families.

TWO MISSISSIPPI  White Rock Nature Preserve

Rock ledges and outcroppings  perched within a geologic timeframe that dwarfs the human referent of time  define their own dimension of change, influenced only by wind and weathering. The grassy prairie bluff edges  natural vantage points  allowed long views up, down and across the miles-wide river valley. From the valley floor, the palisades of rock stretched like a shining necklace against the deep shade of the immense forest that rode across ridges and uplands until meeting the tallgrass prairies miles and miles away to the east.

Thats how Clifftop (Conserving Lands in Farm, Forest, Talus or Prairie), a nonprofit organization dedicated to preservation and conservation stewardship of the bluff lands and associated habitats in Saint Clair, Monroe and Randolph counties, describes White Rock Nature Preserve on its website. This is but one place to take in the numerous pristine natural wonders along the Mississippi River bluff lands, but it will be one worth your visit. The diverse and fragile Ozark ecosystem that makes up this region boasts more than 800 native plants, 200 migratory or breeding birds, 43 mammal and 62 amphibian species documented.

THREE MISSISSIPPI  Maeystown

A visit to Maeystown truly feels like stepping back in time. This picturesque 19th century German village was founded by Jacob Maeys in 1852. The original settlers were solely German settlers predominately from the former Bavarian Rheinpfalz, according to the villages website. There are several of the towns original structures, integrated into the rolling landscape, that are still standing. The original stone church, built in 1865-1867, held services intermittently in German until 1943. The town is tiny but rich in attractions and businesses to visit.

Maeystown is truly one of the hidden treasures of the Midwest, the village website boasts, and if youve never been, this town should be at the top of your must-see list along the Mississippi River. The villages population is only about 150 but explodes every May during Springfest. You can read more about the villages annual celebration that begins this year on May 7 in Out & About on page 50 of this issue. Maeystown was designated as a historic district in 1978.

FOUR MISSISSIPPI  Fort de Chartres State Historic Site

Near Prairie du Rocher, youll want to veer off the path and spend some time exploring Fort de Chartres, a French fortification with roots dating back to 1720. It served as the seat of civil and military government in the Illinois Country for half a century. First completed in 1720, it was rebuilt of stone in 1753-56, at a cost of 200,000 livres and became one of the strongest forts in North America and the key to the French defense in what is now the United States.

By the Treaty of Paris, in 1763, on the heels of the French and Indian War, France ceded the greater part of her North American possessions to Great Britain. But Fort de Chartres, the last post to be surrendered, was occupied by a French Garrison until 1765. Renamed Fort Cavendish, the fort was the seat of British government in the Illinois Country until 1772, when it was abandoned and destroyed.

The State of Illinois purchased Fort de Chartres and made it a state park in 1913. Events are held at the site throughout the year, with the largest one happening annually in June when fort de Chartres hosts a rendezvous  the largest in the Midwest  as thousands of people descend on the site for a period reenactment. A fur trappers rendezvous was an event where trappers and traders met to trade furs for necessities.

FIVE MISSISSIPPI  The Boondocks

A few miles away in the map-dot town of Modoc, slow down and say hi to Sharon Hammers. Shell give you the history of the old dry goods building turned bar she owns called The Boondocks. You can probably guess why she calls it that, but I asked anyway. Because it is the boondocks, she said of Modoc, as in the middle of nowhere for any of you city-dwelling yuppies reading this article and unfamiliar with the term. But kidding aside, Hammers said she loves her career serving the handful of regulars, and also enjoys those (typically warmer) days when passerby discover the place, almost always serendipitously, and stop in to wet their whistle on their way through town.

The Randolph County town had a population count of 221 at the 2000 Census. Thats probably a stretch of a head count for these days, though its hard to say. Modoc didnt participate in the 2010 Census.

SIX MISSISSIPPI  Kaskaskia Island

Kaskaskia is an incredible gem in Southern Illinois for both its preserved history and its natural beauty. The town was incorporated in 1725. The parish of the Immaculate Conception was begun by Fr. Jacques Marquette, a French missionary who accompanied Louis Joliet, the French explorer and trapper of the Mississippi River. In 1675, Fr. Marquette established a mission with the Kaskaskia Indians, but by 1700 crowded conditions and tribal unrest pushed the tribe and its mission down the river.

They eventually settled on the peninsula. At statehood in 1818, Kaskaskia served briefly as Illinois first capital before it was moved to Vandalia. Though still technically part of Illinois, what remains of the island is accessed via Missouri because a channel change in the Mississippi River decades ago cut off the land that connected it to Illinois. The Immaculate Conception Church has roots dating to 1714, but was built in its current location in 1894. The Bell Shrine is the other major site on the island.

A push of a button will open one of the double doors of the shrine and offer you a peek inside at whats known as the The Liberty Bell of the West. The ancient bronze bell was cast in La Rochelle, France, in 1741, and sent to the church as a gift by King Louis XV of France. The bell is inscribed POUR LEGLISE DES ILLINOIS PAR LES SOINS DU ROI DOUTRE LEA) which translates to For the Church of the Illinois, by Gift of the King Across the Water. It took almost two years to deliver the 650-pound bell by way of the New Orleans.

SEVEN MISSISSIPPI  Jodies Ol Farmhouse & Bakery

The day we happened upon this local cafe, a chalk board sign out front advertised chicken and dumplings as the days special. Thats what Byron devoured and he mumbled between bites that the homemade food was delicious. We didnt talk much after it was placed before us on a red-and-white checkered tablecloth. I opted for the beef vegetable soup, which was served in a coffee cup, and a grilled cheese sandwich, which I likewise devoured. It was a great homey stop along our route, and I recommend it to those who find themselves in Chester around the noon hour with their stomachs growling.

Its a lot better than eating spinach out of a can, no offense to Popeye. Youll leave Jodies satisfied and feeling like you made new friends in the staff, and theres plenty of artifacts and art on the wall to distract you from the amazing smells in the kitchen while your food is prepared. The meal was affordable and fast, but of note, they only accept cash or checks. Jodies owner Jodie Mehrer is also famous for her pies, so come hungry and treat yourself to a slice of goodness from behind the glass case.

EIGHT MISSISSIPPI  The Pierre Menard Home

The Pierre Menard Home, located just miles from Chester in Ellis Grove, is the finest example of French colonial architecture in the central Mississippi Valley. The elegant post-on-sill frame house was built for French Canadian businessman and fur trader Pierre Menard. Menard was presiding officer of the Illinois Territorial Legislature, and from 1818 to 1822 served as the first lieutenant governor of Illinois.

As Illinois prepares for its bicentennial celebration in 2018, this would make a good stop for people wanting to brush up on their Illinois political history, which begins not in Chicago or Springfield but rather in Southern Illinois. Menard entertained many notable politicians and businessmen at his grand home. He died in 1844 at the age of 78, leaving behind a fortune in land and assets. The outside of the home is visible from the roadway any time of year, but the inside is only open for tours on a limited basis between May and October. For more information, call 618-859-3031.

NINE MISSISSIPPI  Menard Correctional Center

Menard Correctional Center is Illinois second oldest institution. While you cant just stop in for a tour unannounced, its worth checking out as you drive along Kaskaskia Street in Chester. With the first cell house completed in 1878, it is the second oldest operating prison in Illinois. The prison faces the Mississippi River, almost opposite the site of old Kaskaskia. It was built on land that formerly belonged to the Menard family.

Most of the labor of building the facility was furnished by prisoners transferred from the Joliet penitentiary. The first cell house contained 400 cells. The second cell house was built in 1890. Today, the prison operates as a maximum security adult male prison with a population of about 3,200 inmates. The site also includes a medium security unit and a reception and classification center for incoming inmates.

TEN MISSISSIPPI  Mississippi River Museum and Interpretive Center

For a taste of river life, plan a stop at the Mississippi River Museum and Interpretive Center in Grand Tower. There, youll find an eclectic mix of items related to the river and the town. The museum opened about 10 years ago in a former drug store and doctors office on Front Street. Its located next to the community center. The museum was the brainchild of two retired master pilots who are brothers-in-law, Jack Knupp and Charles Burdick. Both worked more than four decades on the river. Knupp has passed away but his wife, Sharon Knupp, is still involved.

Sharon Knupp said the museum is open on Saturdays and Sundays from about April through August. But Knupp said she and Burdick welcome interested visitors in calling any time of the year to schedule a visit. Someone is available to let in visitors pretty much any time, she said. One of the things visitors will encounter walking in is a pilot house mockup with instrumentation and controls that can be found on a real tugboat.

To schedule a visit, call Sharon Knupp at 618-565-2227 or Charles Burdick at 618-565-2043.

ELEVEN MISSISSIPPI  Fort Defiance State Park

At the bottom tip of Illinois, Fort Defiance State Park in Cairo offers stunning views of the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The site was known as Camp Defiance during the American Civil War. In August 1861, Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, having proved his mettle in other places and risen in rank, was assigned to command troops near Cairo. From there, Grant, who would later become the 18th president of the United States, launched raids into Confederate territory in Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee from that site.

Those efforts helped the Union achieve victories in Tennessee  at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson  and provided access to strategic rivers, leading to further Union victories throughout the South. President Abraham Lincoln, so impressed with Grant, promoted him to major general of volunteers, after confederate forces surrendered Fort Donelson on Feb. 16, 1862.

Grant was regarded as a major war hero and was twice elected president. Cairo claims at least a part in his success. The state acquired the property in 1960 from the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. It was operated by the city of Cairo from 2001 to 2014. That year, it was transferred back to the state under a reverter clause in the deed because it had fallen into disrepair. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has since managed the roughly 38-acre site.

 Sources: Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Randolph County Tourism Committee and The village of Maeystown.
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The Piggly Wiggly in Neeses is expected to remain closed until at least early April after fire damaged the store's kitchen area.

"We are at the mercy of all those doing the cleanup and the reconstruction," Store Operator Robbie Stevens said. "We are hoping six weeks, but it could be two months."

A fire started in the ceiling of the restaurant portion of the store after 4 a.m. on Feb. 9. Although the physical damage was confined to the restaurant portion of the building, the entire store suffered water and smoke damage.

All inventory has been removed from the store. Equipment and display shelves will be refurbished and made like new for when the store reopens, Stevens said.

"The smoke damage has permeated the entire store," Stevens said. "We have had to start over."

The reconstruction will also require the replacement of the building's electrical wiring and ceiling tiles.

There is no estimated cost of the damage. The building was insured.

Chuck Fogle, who operates several Piggly Wiggly locations, said the delay is disappointing but there are other Piggly Wiggly stores in the area.

"We have three stores for shopping convenience," Fogle said. "We appreciate the business and we look forward to seeing them soon."

Fogle operates a store in Denmark, one on Edisto Drive in Orangeburg and one on Columbia Road in Orangeburg.

Fogle said during the down time the company is taking care of our employees.

Fire officials believe the origin of the blaze was electrical and do not suspect foul play.
The skeletal remains of what appears to be those of a male, was discovered at Peters Hope, in an area called Old Road, where workers had begun clearing in preparation for the commencement of construction work on the Black Sand Resort.





One of the workers involved in the clearing process and who was part of the discovery, spoke to THE VINCENTIAN on condition of anonymity, and said that sometime around 1:30 pm on Monday, a number of bones were found in a duffle bag, while others were found outside of the bag.





The person said that, based on how the remains were found, it could easily be concluded that the body was cut up (dismembered), and the parts placed in the bag. But, over time, it appeared that the bag disintegrated and some of the bones and skull fell out.





A pair of shoes was also discovered which, according to the person who spoke with this publication, could well help the police with their investigations.





The police were called to the scene, after which work was halted for the day.

Persons in the Central Leeward district have been speculating that the remains could be those of a Barrouallie man who went missing a number of years ago.





One female said that she believed the person was killed and taken to the area because it was very isolated and bushy. A police source said that investigations into the matter were ongoing, but no identification was possible before certain tests (forensic) were conducted.
Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
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Encouraging small churches to network together to share the Gospel in creative ways with people of all ages, but especially with the next generation.
Kuwait-based Warba Bank said it has entered into a renewable agreement with Al-Mulla International Financing Company by which the bank will increase the allocated amount of the acquisition of financing portfolios from Al Mulla International Financing to reach the amount of KD50 million ($163 million).

This agreement reflects Warba Banks commitment to provide innovative financing solutions to its clients in line with Islamic Sharia as well as the banks strategy of expansion locally and regionally, said a statement from the company.



It is worth noting that this co-operation of Warba Bank and Al Mulla International Finance Company comes as a result of the tremendous success realized by both parties during 2016, when the bank acquired from the company a portfolio in the amount of KD30 million.



Warba Bank CEO Shaheen Hamad Al Ghanem said this agreement represents a good example for companies looking for reliable resources for financing and liquidity, and also reflects the commitment of Warba Bank to offer innovative financing Islamic solutions through its available facilities which will help companies consolidate their assets.



"Such an agreement is a clear indication of Warba Banks ability to play an effective role in the development of Islamic economy in Kuwait and globally," he stated.

Khalid Abdul Aziz Al Muraikhi, the deputy chairman and CEO of Al Mulla International Financing Company, said it was proud of such a joint co-operation with Warba for the second time to achieve such significant arrangement which will be in the mutual interest of both parties.



The company has witnessed noticeable growth subsequent to becoming a financing company operating along the principles of Islamic Sharia and licensed by Kuwait central bank in December 2013, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) has signed up as a strategic partner for this years American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain (AmCham) Mena Regional Councils bi-annual forum to be held in Manama next month.



The forum is aimed at promoting trade and investment between the US and markets of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region including Bahrain, a leading regional financial and business hub.



The AmCham Bahrain' forum, which will be held at Ritz Carlton Bahrain from March 15 to 16, will focus this year on: SMEs - Unlocking Economic Potential in the Mena Region.



In line with its mandate to support economic growth in the kingdom, the EDB will work closely with AmCham in order to ensure the forum provides attending companies and investors with access to networks, information and prospects that help to support cross-border trade, investment and overall business growth, said the organisers.



Key to this will be the showcasing of opportunities for investment and partnerships with leading local, regional and international businesses based in Bahrain and neighbouring markets and the facilitation of B2B sessions and other initiatives that connect decision makers across a diverse range of sectors.



Those in focus at the Forum will include: financial services, energy, real estate, industrial manufacturing, retail, F&B, travel & leisure, technology and transportation, among others, they stated.



Khalid Al Rumaihi, the chief executive of the EDB, said: "Countries in the region are going through exciting economic shifts, as the economies move from a growth model driven by the public sector to one driven by private enterprise."



"We expect SMEs and startups to play an important role in driving this growth forward in the future. It is through events like this that we are able to connect with those companies and startups in order to enhance our entrepreneurship ecosystem to support their continued development," he added.



Qays H. Zu'bi, the president of AmCham Bahrain, said: "Leveraging the EDBs unique role as a highly active and successful proponent of economic growth as well as their extensive links with leading regional and global businesses, we are confident that this years forum can serve as an important platform for the development and expansion of trade and investment among and between the markets of the Mena region, US and others globally."



"We are grateful for their cooperation and the strategic value that their input will create for the more than 400 expected attendees at the forum," he added.



Participants are to include Mena Council member AmChams (Abu Dhabi-UAE, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia) as well as other regional US Business Councils (Dubai, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi), a broad range of international and regional business associations, US Chambers of Commerce and U.S. and MENA government representatives.



In addition to the opportunity to take part in B2B engagement, delegates and participating companies can also benefit from the insights and analysis that will be provided by high level keynote speakers and panellists at sessions covering a range of topics such as:

*SMEs as key drivers of economic development in the Mena region

*Assessment of key factors enabling the growth of SMEs in the region

*The integration of SMEs into the supply chain of U.S. and multinational companies in the region



The forums full agenda and further details will soon be announced and are being developed in cooperation with all regional AmChams with the support of the Mena Council Secretariat at AmCham Egypt.-TradeArabia News Service
Kaplan, a leading international provider of training and education services, has acquired Genesis Institute, a leading provider of financial training solutions, to further facilitate training and development in the Middle East region.



Genesis Institute, founded ten years ago in Dubai, UAE, leads the CFA examination market in the UAE, said a statement from the company.

It was set up by highly qualified and experienced professionals who are passionate about the delivery of relevant, high quality and effective financial education.



Genesis will now be able to integrate the world-class Kaplan Schweser CFA materials into its already exceptional CFA programmes, stated Kaplan UK chief executive Peter Houillon after signing the agreement with Binod Shankar, the managing director of Genesis Institute, at the company headquarters in Dubai.



As per the deal, Genesis and its team will trade under the name Kaplan Genesis and will continue to be based in Dubai and operate across the GCC, he added.



The organisation will also offer preparation for other financial and business qualifications, as well as leadership and professional development programmes for corporates.



Houillon said the combination of Kaplans distinguished learning heritage and global reach with the Genesis brand and local expertise provides exciting opportunities to build a highly competitive offering.



"Many of Kaplans UK and US clients, already with a significant presence in the region, will benefit from our combined expertise and global network," he noted.



Andrew Perkins, the global director of Kaplan Leadership and Professional Development, said: "We approach learning and development differently: we combine the development of technical competence and behavioural confidence that enables better decision making by individuals, team and organisations."



"We will now tailor these programmes to support the development of regionally based talent for our GCC, UK and US clients," he observed.



Shankar said: "Being part of Kaplan gives us the resources and infrastructure to enhance the fantastic student experience we have worked hard to create at Genesis. This is great news for our current and future students."



"As per the UAE's Federal National Council, the budget for 2017 is set by the cabinet at Dh48.7 billion ($13.3 billion) with a prime focus on education. About 20.5 per cent of the 2017 budget, or Dh10.2 billion ($2.7 billion), is earmarked to the education sector," explained Shankar.

"

Given the UAE's fast-paced growth and the government's vision of promoting innovative education as a drive for the future, this decision has opened new opportunities in various fields and programmes," he said.



"This economic objective aligns with Kaplan Genesis vision of holistically promoting learning and development among public as well as private sector professionals through customized collaboration," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Police is set to launch an awareness drive in schools across the emirate asking students to avoid surfing and chatting on social media sites when at schools following complaints from parents in this regard, said a report.



The Police will also co-ordinate with the Ministry of Education to address the issue and recommend banning online engagement by pupils while at schools, reported Gulf News, citing a senior police official.



Brigadier Dr Mohammad Al Murr, the director-general of the General Directorate of Human Rights at Dubai Police, said many parents have told him that their children are staying online for a long time when they are at schools.



He pointed out majority of the parents were worried over the long hours their wards were spending on social media site Facebook and Snapchat while at schools.



The parents said they could control the children when at home but were helpless while they are at schools, he added.



The students, he stated, were using their smartphones inside the schools withouit the knowledge of the teachers.



Brigadier Al Murr said Dubai Police had run many awareness campaigns in schools about the dangers of social media as the children can be abused and blackmailed by strangers and perverts.



Social media [sites] make the pupil live in a fake reality and make him/her lose focus on lessons taught in the school.



Another dangerous trend is that some pupils film their teachers on smart phones and post these images or videos on social media without realising that its illegal to do so, stated the official.



Dubai Police also warned that the children could face legal action for recording teacherss clips and posting them on social media.
Leading healthcare experts from across the globe will be in Dubai, UAE, to discuss issues related to neonatology, child nutrition and rare diseases at the upcoming Arab Paediatric Medical Congress.



The event, supported by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, also includes three conferences dedicated to neonatology, child nutrition and rare diseases. It will be held at the Conrad Hotel from March 2 to 4.



It will present a series of workshops dedicated to pressing health problems affecting children.



The Arab Paediatric Medical Congress, organized by Maarefah Management, aims to support the efforts of the regions stakeholders on the treatment and care of children by bringing together around 50 regional and international speakers.



The event also counts with practical sessions on topics such as epilepsy in children.



The workshop on Managing Epilepsy in Children will be hosted by Dr Abdalla Ali Abdalla, a paediatric neurology specialist from Al Jalila Childrens Specialty Hospital.



According to the expert epilepsy and neurological seizures in general are quite common in children. About one in a 100 children experiences at least one seizure in his/her life time. Many seizures occur in an otherwise normal child and there are many misconceptions among the public about its actual causes. There are different paediatric epilepsy syndromes, some of them are actually considered benign and have good long term outcome.



Dr Ali Abdalla said in one of its upcoming workshops, some of the most common types of epilepsy in children will be highlighted.



"We will classify them based on age of onset, how to investigate and treat them and the long term outcome," he added.



Another interactive session will be dedicated to special needs. Dr. Huda Sadeq, consultant in paediatrics neurodevelopment at Al Mafraq Hospital, UAE, will lead the workshop on learning disabilities in children caused by disorders of the central nervous system which interfere with the use of speaking skills, reading, writing, hearing, thinking or mathematical skills.



Approximately 7-10 per cent of school-age children suffer from a learning disability being reading the most common one. The specialist explains that "signs to specific learning disabilities can often be identified as deficits in early development, she stated.



"Once they are identified they can be managed in a proper way. This workshop will prepare paediatricians to effectively respond to parents who share their concerns about their childs school failure, and want assistance in procuring education services for their child," she explained.



The session aims to provide knowledge and support to understand these disorders and help specialists to better assess childrens conditions enabling them to intervene early and efficiently, she added.-TradeArabia News Service
Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) has signed a deal formally allowing Al Kamil Power, one of the country's earliest Independent Power Projects (IPP), to remain in operation for another four years beyond its existing contract which expires in 2017, said a report.



As per the agreement, Al Kamil Power Company, which operates a 280 megawatt (MW) gas-powered plant in South Al Sharqiyah governorate, will continue to be in service up to December 31, 2021, reported Oman Daily Observer.



It follows the successful completion of negotiations with OPWP, a subsidiary of the wholly government-owned Nama Group, leading to a contract extension with revised terms and conditions, the report stated.



Significantly, the extended PPA is the first of a number of similar pacts planned by OPWP that will allow for some of Omans oldest privately-owned power plants to stay in operation well beyond the expiry of their current contracts.



This, alongside options to procure new capacity, is key to the procurers strategy to ensure adequate capacity to meet galloping electricity demand growth, said the report.



Extensions are being negotiated only on a guaranteed capacity basis at economic commercial terms, and all plants have completed independent technical evaluations to confirm the capacity on offer, the procurer said in its 7-Year Outlook Statement for the 2016-2022 timeframe.



Also expected to receive a contract extension is Barka-1 Independent Power Project, which is co-located with a water desalination plant, reported Oman Daily Observer.



With the existing Power & Water Purchase Agreement (PWPA) due to expire next year, OPWP has already initiated negotiations with the plant owner, Acwa Power Barka, for a contract extension up to December 31, 2021, it added.
Airbus, one of the leading planemakers in the world, has appointed Mikail Houari, a global industry veteran, as its new president for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. He replaces Habib Fekih, who retires after 30 years of successful service.



Houari, who previously served as deputy president for MEA, brings to the position more than 25 years of experience within the industry at a global level. In his new role, he will lead the team to drive operations and future business across the region.



He began his career at Alcatel working in Spain, China and Latin America, after which he joined Thales, focusing initially on business in Saudi Arabia, thereafter leading global sales of its Scada products and services.



Houari joined Airbus in 2005 as vice president for Latin America, overseeing the defence and space divisions from where he moved to the UAE in the same capacity covering the Middle East region.



In 2011, he was appointed as general delegate for Airbus Group, before taking the position as deputy president for Airbus in Africa and Middle East.



Welcoming him into the fold, Airbus CEO Tom Enders said: "Houari's extensive business and market experience will allow him to lead Airbus in the region and deliver on its objectives."



"Under his leadership, Airbus will continue to expand its regional presence as new and existing markets emerge and evolve across Africa and the Middle East," he noted.



Houari is a business graduate in Applied Commercial Sciences from Paris. He succeeds Habib Fekih, who will retire after 30 years of service with Airbus.



Habib Fekih joined Airbus in 1986 as sales director for North Africa, before becoming sales VP for the Middle East two years later.



In 2006, Habib established Airbus Middle East and took the helm as the MEA president, a position he has held ever since.



He formed long-term partnerships for Airbus with governments, public and private sectors across the region and advised regional airlines on fleet management and operations.



Lauding Fekih for his achievements, Enders said: "He is one of Airbus' longest serving and most successful sales executives. He is one of the architects of Airbus new commercial structure.



"During his 30-year tenure at Airbus, he has successfully piloted the companys significant growth across one of Airbus most dynamic regions," he stated.



Under Fekih's leadership, Airbus sold more than 1,300 aircraft to airlines and leasing companies across the region, raising its market share in the region to more than 60 per cent. He was instrumental in leading his team to achieve close to 40 percent of all A380 sales and more than 35 percent of A350 sales.



Fekih was also the President of Airbus Corporate Jet. He led the restructuring of all its commercial activities including aircraft, cabin interiors and services into one unit which is reflected in its market visibility.



Habib represented the true spirit of Airbus and has served the company with distinction for three decades. Habib will be truly missed and I wish to thank him for his leadership and congratulate him for his many accomplishments, said Enders.



According to him, over the past four decades, Airbus has transformed the MEA aerospace landscape by providing innovative and often game-changing products and building sustainable industrial, commercial and research partnerships.



"As the chosen partner and leader in aeronautics, space and related services, Airbus is committed to expanding its industrial footprint and continually enhancing its products and services which enable economic growth and support livelihoods across the region," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
So, what would Devonian Casper have looked like to a visitor from 400 million years in the future?

The Beartooth Mountains are a pretty sizeable stones throw from Casper, but they are an important part of our story because they preserve a rare snapshot of what kinds of creatures would have lived in Wyoming 400 million years ago. In an outcrop of the Beartooth Butte Formation, 3,600 meters above sea level and conveniently located in the face of a sheer cliff in Park County, an assemblage of fossil plants and animals has been found that provides a window into this distant world of the past.

Like the Freemont Canyon Sandstone, the Beartooth Butte seems to represent a fluvial environment, specifically an estuary. Growing on the shores and intertidal flats of this environment were plants, but nothing like the vegetation that wed recognize today. They were really cut-rate, stripped-down plants  they had no flowers, no seeds and no fruit. Most didnt even have roots or leaves. They seem to have grown as horizontal stems that snaked across the ground, every now and again sending a shoot upward as the lowly club mosses do today. Some had stubby little leaves; in others even these were lacking, and the plant was basically nothing more than a little branching stem capped by simple spore cases. In these forms, the whole plant was undoubtedly green to permit photosynthesis.

There were few land animals living in this tangle of strange, snaky plants, but the Beartooth Butte fossils show that there was quite a bit of life in the watercourses. Most abundant is the armored fish Protaspis. Like the plants, this Devonian fish is a no-frills affair  it had no jaws, no teeth and no paired fins. It fed by sucking particles of food through its slot-like mouth.

Some artists portray these armored, jawless fish swimming confidently and powerfully right through the open water, but given their lack of decent fins or a swim bladder I imagine that they probably wriggled and flopped along the bottom, more like tadpoles, and probably spent quite a bit of their time resting motionless.

A larger and more elegant creature would have been Uranolophus (thats pronounced you ran All of us, which also makes it easy to remember). This was one of the earliest and most primitive lungfishes, and as such it provides scientists with important details about the evolutionary line of fishes that led to land-dwelling creatures like frogs, salamanders, reptiles and  eventually  to us.

The Casper area would have been pretty hot during the Devonian  at this time the state of Wyoming was actually located on the equator. Looking at these sandy, shallow creeks, I might be tempted to take off my shoes and cool my toes in the water. But I know better! The lungfish did not rule this watery domain  were also eurypterids, creatures who looked for all the world like horseshoe crabs that were trying to mutate into scorpions. An isolated pincer of an eurypterid found in the Beartooth Butte is 18 cm long, indicating that the whole animal was about as long as I am tall, which I feel is just too big for something that looks that much like a scorpion  Im not terribly wild about the tiny scorpions that you find in Wyoming today.

Id love to visit Devonian Casper, dont get me wrong. But Id definitely keep my shoes on and enjoy the view from the shore.

Support the Tate

On Feb. 25, the Tate Geological Museum will be having its 2017 Jurassic Jazz Fundraiser, with good food and live and silent auctions! See the Tate webpage, caspercollege.edu/tate-geological-museum, or call 307-268-2447 for more details and tickets.
Rotarians hear about eclipse

On Monday, Feb. 20, Anna Wilcox, executive director of the Wyoming Eclipse Festival, will give a presentation regarding Caspers response to travel for the solar eclipse to Rotarians and guests at noon at the Parkway Plaza. The eclipse will occur on Aug. 21, 2017 and Casper will be in the center for a prime viewing. Thousands of visitors are expected to descend upon Casper for the viewing.

As a results-oriented event planning and management professional, Wilcox brings over 15 years of experience within corporate, special events and festival planning.

As executive director for the Wyoming Eclipse Festival, Anna is focused on community preparedness, communication and coordination between involved agencies, fundraising, visitor information and community engagement.

Needle Guild meets Feb. 21

The Casper Needle Guild meets at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the Central Wyoming Senior Center, 1831 East 4th Street. The project is stitching a heart-shaped scissor fob, as well as practicing several stitches.

For further information, please contact Ann Hudson at 265-5510, or email CasperNeedleGuildEGA@gmail.com.

Gold prospectors meet Feb. 22

The Casper Chapter of the Gold Prospectors Association of America will have its monthly meeting at 7 p.m., on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Building, 2211 King Blvd. Enter through the east door. Members and guests are welcome. The speaker for this month is Dylan Bergman, a game warden with the Wyoming Game and Fish Dept. He will give a demonstration about basic GPS usage. Guests should bring their GPS device.

A general club business meeting will follow the presentation. There will also be a discussion about the upcoming trip to the Yukon. The club is holding a raffle for a Thompson Drywasher. Raffle tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the meeting or by calling Eric Weaner at 513-259-7902. The drawing for the drywasher will be held at the March meeting.

For more information about the GPAA or the Casper Chapter, or about prospecting in general, call Eric Weaner at 513-259-7902 or email caspergpaa@gmail.com.

Historians hear frontier medicine

The Feb. 23 program of the Natrona County Historical Society at 7 p.m., at the Oil and Gas Commission Building, 2221 King Blvd., will be on Frontier Medicine. It will be presented by Stacey Moore, who is an educational technician for the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. She has devised a broad range of childrens programs related to the historic trails and general history of Wyoming. Her prior service includes teaching in Japan with the JET Program and serving in West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer.

County Dems meet Feb. 23

Natrona County Democrats meet Feb. 23, at the IBEW Hall, 691 English Dr. Potluck begins at 6:30, with the meeting at 7 p.m. The agenda includes preparation for county party elections in March. The party provides the main dish for the potluck; attendees bring the sides and sweets. For more information, call the office at 234-1992.

Vital Network hosts speaker

Join Caspers Vital Network for Breakfast with the Girls, a special event at 10 a.m., on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Cheese Barrel, 544 South Center St. The gathering takes place in the meeting room for coffee and conversation  and optional breakfast. The speaker is Cheryl Flores of Casper, who will share Rest for My Weary Soul, her powerful story of poor life choices, including addiction, and the transformation shes experienced. Any woman is welcome to attend the event.

Vital Network is a Stonecroft Ministries nondenominational group of women who gather monthly and host different events each year to help the community in various ways. For more information on the February gathering or about Vital Network, call Julie at 235-8848.

PFLAG dinner and movie

The Casper community is invited to this months PFLAG dinner on Sunday, Feb. 26, at the United Church of Christ, 15th & Melrose. The agenda is: 5 to 5:25 p.m., business meeting; 5:30 to 6 p.m., potluck dinner; 6 to 7 p.m., program.

The group will watch The Out List (58 minutes), a 2013 documentary movie on famous people who have come out as LGBTQ.

The dinner theme is baked potato and salad bar. White and sweet potatoes will be provided. Bring toppings, salads and desserts to share.

For more information, call Ruth Ann Leonard at 265-5449 or Rob Johnston at 259-5026.

Woman of Distinction nominees set

These women have been nominated for the Casper Woman of Distinction  Barbara Crews, Linda Fittje, Tammy Frankland Ph.D., Nurieh Glasgow, Elizabeth Marshall, Gretchen Wheeler and Yvonne Wigington.

The 22nd annual Woman of Distinction Luncheon to honor all of the nominees and choose the Woman of Distinction for 2017 is 11:30 to 1 p.m., on Thursday, March 9 at the Parkway Plaza Hotel. The charge for the luncheon is $20 per person and reservations are due March 2, 2017. Those making reservations made after that date will be charged $25.

The luncheon is sponsored by the Accounting and Financial Womens Alliance, the American Association of University Women, Casper Alumnae Panhellenic and Soroptimist International.

For reservations, please contact Dyann at 237-1334 or 258-7071.

Soroptimists hear filmmaker McInroy

The Soroptimists of Central Wyoming (SICW) meet at noon on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.

A program meeting will be held at noon on Monday, Feb. 27, at the Cheese Barrel, 544 South Center Street. Patricia McInroy will be the speaker. Patricia created a documentary, Clara: Angel of the Rockies, which aired on Wyoming PBS, on Jan. 8, 2017.

The documentary tells the biographical story of Clara Brown, a former slave who came west and made a fortune. The film was a winner of PBSs To The Contrary: All About Women, film festival in the womens U.S. history category.

McInroy grew up in Casper, went to Casper College, and is a former Star-Tribune photographer. She will talk to the group about Clara Browns life and the documentary.

All women are invited. Soroptimist means Best for Women. SICW is a volunteer non-profit organization which strives to improve the lives of women and girls through community-based and international projects. SICW provides gift baskets and holiday meals to Seton House, gift baskets to the Transformation Center, and offers an annual Live Your Dream cash award for women seeking higher education or job training.

For more information about the monthly meetings or the Soroptimists, please contact Debbie Ehlers at 234-2173 or debbiehlrs@yahoo.com and find SICW on Facebook.

Mended Hearts

Feb. 27

Mended Hearts meets at 7 p.m., on Monday, Feb. 27, in the board room of the Support Services Building at Wyoming Medical Center.

The presentation will be by Andy Dunn, M.D., medical director of both Mesa and Sage clinics. After several years in Wyoming Medical Centers emergency room, he has seen many heart issues. His topic will cover new ideas in family medicine.

To find the meeting room, go towards the second floor lobby. From the elevator, take a right down the first hallway and through the automatic double doors. The room is on the left. All who manage heart issues, including caregivers and support, are welcome. After Dr. Dunns presentation, there will be refreshments.

Next month, March 27, will feature a presentation by Kendra Martin, exercise therapist with the cardio rehab program in the new NERD facility.

AAUW Readers meet

The AAUW Readers Group meets at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 28. After a no-host lunch, Carolyn Deuel will review Fess Parker: TVs Frontier Hero, by William R. Chemerka. Call Robin for information or reservations at 259-4174 by Monday, Feb. 20.

Craft night at Elks

Craft Night at the Elks Lodge at 6:30 p.m., on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Stop by the lodge between 4:30 and 6 p.m. Members, their spouses, and guests are welcome but class size is limited so sign up quickly! Cost is $5 for cost of supplies. Contact Stacey at 259-7809 or Wendy at 670-1078 to sign up or for more information.

Father Daughter at Elks

The annual Father Daughter Dinner and Dance at the Casper Elks Lodge is Feb. 25. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. Music by Good Times Only. If you dont have a daughter, borrow one and come down for dinner, dancing and door prizes and get your picture taken. Ticket prices are fathers, $10; daughters ages 14 and up, $9; ages 8 to 13, $8, and ages 7 and under are free. For more information, call 234-4839.

NARFE has social

Casper Chapter #358 of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) will have a no-host Social Meeting at noon on Feb. 28, in the meeting room at the Casper Senior Center at 1831 East 4th Street.

Mardi Gras Bingo

Mardi Gras Bingo, sponsored by Reveille Rotary of Casper, is 6 to 8 p.m., on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at the Casper Senior Center, 1831 E. 4th Street. Enjoy Bingo fun for the whole family. Tickets are $20 for two Bingo cards. There will be eight $25 games, nine $50 games, one $250 game and one $500 game. Concessions will be available (including homemade slices of pie). Proceeds benefit Wyoming Dementia Care. Tickets can be purchased from any Reveille Rotary member or at First Interstate Bank Downtown.

Casper Charla meets

Would you like to practice conversational Spanish or help others learn? Come and join the Casper Charla! Te gustaria platicar en espanol? Ven y charla con nosotros! Todos son bienvenidos! Come and join us on the second Wednesday of each month this spring. We meet at a different restaurant each month and partake in food, drink and conversation. All levels of Spanish are welcome, from beginning to native-speakers. Nos reunimos los miercoles en varios restaurantes en Casper. Ven por una copa, un antojito o simplemente una charlita.

Wednesday, March 8, 5-7 p.m.: Guadalajara; Wednesday, April 12, 5-7 p.m.: La Costa; Wednesday, May 10, 5-7 p.m.: La Cocina.

Scholarship notice

The Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration  Central Wyoming Section offers up to four $2,500 scholarships, the Coates, Wolff, Russell, and Swank Memorial scholarships. Applicant must have graduated from a Wyoming high school, must be enrolled full-time for the 2016-2017 academic year, upperclassmen  current college sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student, enrolled in mining/mineral extraction-related discipline, and have a 3.0 GPA minimum. Application forms are available by email request to smecasper@gmail.com

Civil Air Patrol meets

Civil Air Patrol meets from 7 to 9 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month at Casper National Guard Armory, 5905 CY Ave. For more information, call 259-0855.

Stammtisch at Applebees

The Casper German Stammtisch is meeting weekly on Thursdays at Applebees from 6:30 to 8 p.m. New this year  on the second Thursday of each month we will focus on speaking German! All ability levels are welcome, as long as they are eager to hear German.
Law enforcement located a missing Montana teen in Casper on Friday night, authorities said.

A Montana sheriff's office asked the public for help Friday locating Tristin Carter, 15, who was believed to be in the Casper area. The sheriff's office said he was found in Casper the same day authorities asked for the public's help.

Carter was reported missing from his home in Belgrade, Montana, on Feb. 11, according to the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office. Authorities believed he may have been staying with friends in the Casper or Mills area.

The sheriff's office said it didn't know what he was wearing when he left the house, but that he has a backpack. Authorities asked that people not approach Carter if they see him or tell him that they have called law enforcement.
Lets compare what President Donald Trump has accomplished since the inauguration with what congressional Republicans have done.

In the past three weeks, Trump has: staffed the White House, sent a dozen Cabinet nominees to the Senate, browbeat Boeing into cutting its price on a government contract, harangued American CEOs into keeping their plants in the United States, imposed a terrorist travel ban, met with foreign leaders and nominated a Supreme Court justice, among many other things.

(And still our hero finds time to torment the media with his tweets!)

What have congressional Republicans been doing? Scrapbooking?

More than 90 percent of congressional Republicans kept their jobs after the 2016 election, so you can cross staffing an entire branch of government off the list. Only the Senate confirms nominees, which theyve been doing at a snails pace, so theyve got loads of free time  and the House has no excuse at all.

Wheres the Obamacare repeal? Where are the hearings featuring middle-class Americans with no health insurance because it was made illegal by Obamacare?

The House passed six Obamacare repeals when Obama was president and there was no chance of them being signed into law. But the moment Trump became president, the repeals came to a halt.

After the inauguration, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put out a plan for repealing Obamacare ... in 200 days. They actually gave their legislative agenda this inspiring title: The Two Hundred Day Plan.

What was in the last six Obamacare repeals? If we looked, would we find All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy carefully typed out 1 million times? Seriously, what does Ryans day look like?

This is the Silence of the Lambs Congress. Theyre utterly silent, emerging from the House gym or their three-hour lunches only to scream to the press about Trump.

These frightened little lambs are appalled by nearly everything Trump does. Theyve been especially throaty about Trumps temporary travel ban from seven terrorist nations  as designated by the Obama administration (and everybody else who hasnt been in a deep freeze for the past decade).

Just like the six Obamacare repeals, a refugee ban was written and passed by one house of Congress. Then suddenly: the Silence of the Lambs. McConnell and Ryan are hiding under their desks as Trump is being attacked.

Fifteen long months ago, congressional Republicans didnt have a problem with a total ban on Syrian and Iraqi refugees. Not for a mere three months like Trumps order  but permanently, unless the director of the FBI, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and the director of national intelligence personally certified that a particular refugee posed no danger to the U.S.

That bill passed the House with a veto-proof majority, including 47 Democrats. Then it went to the Senate to die.

But when Trump imposed a comparatively mild three-month ban on immigrants from Syria, Iraq and five other terrorist nations, the same Republicans who had voted for a limitless ban on refugees whiled away their days calling reporters to denounce Trump.

A little more than a year ago, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, bragged in a news release that he had introduced the Houses refugee ban, calling it a bill that would protect Americans from ISIS.

But when it came to Trumps three-month pause, McCaul told the Post that Trumps order went too far.

I guess that ISIS problem just sort of faded away.

Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., who voted for the Houses permanent refugee ban, demanded that Trump immediately rescind his travel ban.

Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Ben Sasse, R-Neb., rushed to The Washington Post with this refreshingly original point: Not all Muslims are terrorists! Thank you, senators! Where would the GOP be without you?

The Post also quoted spokesmen for Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Rob Portman of Ohio and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina complaining about not having been briefed on Trumps order. The senators themselves were far too busy to talk to the press because they were  wait, what were they doing again? Words With Friends? Decoupage?

This is the moment weve been waiting for, but Republicans in Congress refuse to do the peoples will. Their driving obsession is to see Trump fail.

I am not presently calling for these useless, narcissistic, Trump-bashing Republicans to be defeated in their re-election bids, but theyre on my watch list. To be cleared, they can start by getting off the phone with The Washington Post and passing one of those six Obamacare repeal bills.
CHEYENNE  A bill in the Wyoming Legislature that specifies how video from police body and car cameras is made public has been changed to allow law enforcement to release footage in cases of lethal force by or against cops.

The amendment to Senate File 32 is a compromise among groups representing police, press and civil liberties.

Previously the bill required a judges order before any video would be made public, a proposition that could prove costly since the public would likely be more successful in court if they hired an attorney.

Under the compromise, law enforcement may release the video, but they do not have to. And then a requester would have to present their case to a judge, said Jim Angell, executive director of the Wyoming Press Association.

Wyoming law enforcement are increasingly using cameras and have requested guidance from the state on how to follow Wyomings public records law, while at the same time protect the privacy of crime victims and others who appear in video. Across the nation, body camera footage has figured prominently into cases in which police have shot black men.

The amendment, which cleared the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, also allows law enforcement to release the video to other police or public agencies without a court order.

Police can also release the video without a court order if theres a compelling public interest. An example of this would be when police need the publics help in identifying or capturing a suspect in a crime, Angell said.

Byron Oedekoven, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, didnt characterize the amendment worked out among the groups as a compromise. He said it was simply an improvement to the bill.

We all talked about how best to be able to release records and how best to protect privacy of individuals who may be in the picture, he said.

Sabrina King, policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming, said the new version of the bill strikes a balance between privacy of crime victims and others shown in police footage, with needs of the public and press.

Body cameras are an important tool for ensuring public accountability of law enforcement officers, she said.

SB32 heads to the House floor for consideration. It has already passed the Senate.
In a busy Monday meeting, the state Board of Education unanimously elected a Natrona County School District official as chairman and announced that the state will abandon its statewide assessment and adopt a new test.

Walt Wilcox takes the chair from Pete Gosar, whose term has ended. Wilcox is an associate superintendent for curriculum here. The assessment the board killed, the Proficiency Assessment for Wyoming, or PAWS, will be replaced by an assessment administered by the American Institutes for Research.

Students in first through 10th grade will take the test, which will be in online learning format, according to a press release from the board.

The board also voted to continue the states assessment contract with ACT Inc. to measure college readiness.

Wilcox said Thursday that the decision to drop PAWS was a recommendation from an assessment task force that looked at what test would meet statutory requirements while also being a useful tool for the district.

He explained that PAWS was administered once, at the end of the year. The results from the test were not available until late summer, when the students who took the test were about to enter a new grade. Teachers and schools thus had a hard time adjusting their methods to improve scores and help students.

The new assessments, meanwhile, will give districts the option to levy assessments throughout the year. Districts will be able to reach in and pick what assessment they want, Wilcox said. The results from the tests will be available either a day or 15 days later, depending on the assessment.

This assessment is going to allow us to monitor our gauges when were on a road trip and not just look at the mileage at the end, he said. He added that the board was tickled to death by the possibilities offered by the new assessments.

The first new end-of-the-year test will be administered in spring 2018. Wilcox said he wasnt sure when districts could begin using the optional mid-year tests, but he said the hope was to have all tests available during the 2017-18 school year.

On top of their ability to provide nearly instant feedback, the new assessments will also come at a lower cost, said state Superintendent Jillian Balow in a statement.

Wilcox said districts can use as many assessments per year as they need. Many had developed their own assessment systems to get mid-year results, and the new tests will supplement and compliment what some districts already have, he said.

I see 100 percent of districts taking advantage of it, he said.

On top of allowing districts to see mid-year results quickly, the new assessment will also allow for state-to-state comparisons, Wilcox said. While PAWS was a Wyoming-only examination, the new tests are also used in other states, like California, which will allow education officials to see how Wyoming stacks up against other states. Previously, the only examination that allowed for that was the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP.

As for his own goals as the newly elected chair of the state Board of Education, Wilcox said he wanted to continue the work the board was doing. He said the committee had five major priorities: standards, accountability, assessments, graduation requirements and expectations, and accreditation.

One of the strengths of the board, collectively their vision and mission is pretty consistent, he said.

He added that hell continue to strengthen ties to the state Department of Education, which have been frayed at times in the past.

Its OK to have some tension, but we have to come toward a unified staff to (achieve our goals), he said.

In addition to Wilcoxs election, Sue Belish was elected as vice chairwoman, and Ken Rathbun was reelected as board treasurer, according to the press release. Terms expired for Gosar, Kathy Coon and Hugh Hageman.
DAYTON  Tongue River High School band and vocal instructor Jason McArthur, his wife, Joy, and his assistant, Rosy Henderson, have written a musical called The Great Tie Flume that includes six original songs and reprises.

I always thought writing a play would be a neat class project to do with music and theater kids, McArthur said. This is the first one Ive ever done, so if this is the right or wrong process Ive no idea. We found a good story thats worth telling and ran with it.

The idea for the play came out of a discussion between McArthur and Tongue River Middle School assistant principal Pete Kilbride, regarding what kind of play the program planned for this year. McArthur said he was thinking about writing an original show. Kilbride suggested the tie flume, a man-made slide used to float and transport logs, and that is how the process started.

The story follows the events surrounding the tie flume in Dayton, with one of the main characters based on former Dayton Mayor Susan Wissler, who was the first woman mayor in the United States.

Honestly, I dont think she had anything to do with the tie flume, historically, but she was somebody of real significance, McArthur said. By looking at historical figures and learning who they were and what they did, characters for the play began to emerge.

After the characters were created, the story line came next, complete with heroes and villains and a love story woven in.

The play starts with Susan as a young girl with one of her best friends who ends up being her love interest later. She and her family head out West and there is an accident where her parents are killed, leaving Susan on her own. Years later she winds up at a logging camp in Dayton, trying to figure out how to make her way through the world, which would have been very difficult for a woman by herself during that time period. Soon she ends up running into her childhood friend at the camp.

The hardest part of the writing process is deciding what parts of all the research to put in and what to leave out, because you can only fit so much into a two-hour show, McArthur said.

McArthur began writing last summer and brought the finished story into the classroom, where he and the choir students started putting the play together. They mapped out the events and characters, created an outline and started writing the script. The process started in late August and was finished Jan. 2.

We put in a lot of really long days and nights and got the script finished, McArthur said. We built the tie flume slide over Christmas break and started building some of our other sets. Its been a whirlwind.

Actor and set designer TRHS choir student senior Grant Keller, who will be playing foreman John McShane, said that the construction of the set required building each part one piece at a time.

A lot of this stuff you cant build off one standard design, you have to build it custom for the job its going to have, Keller said. Its a lot of figuring it out as you go along.

Actress TRHS choir student senior Libby Heimbaugh, who will play Grandma Susan, added that some parts of the set, like the tower, were used before in plays based on the movies Frozen and Hercules. The parts screw together and unscrew so they can be rearranged on the stage and can be painted to meet the needs of each performance.

They are kind of like big plywood Legos, Heimbaugh said.

There will be more than 70 students participating in the play. Try-outs were held for the main roles and singing solos. Everyone in the choir class was cast for a character in the play, stagehands, lighting and sound. Other students who were not in choir but wanted to participate were given roles as well, including elementary and middle school students.

We found a way to get everybody involved that wanted to be, McArthur said. Thats what is so neat about writing your own show. We can add characters and have the ability to use input from the students. Its neat to watch the kids reactions when they have an idea, you put it in the play and it works.

For his part as foreman John McShane, Keller said he is getting into character by using his dad, a construction foreman, as his example.

Actress TRHS choir student junior Nikki Perfetti, who will be playing Daisy, said her character is at the bar a lot and has a bunch of boy-crazy girlfriends. She said she feels it will be easy to bring her character out by just having fun with the part.

Heimbaugh said McArthur modeled her character, Grandma Susan, after his grandmother. She has been studying her grandparents mannerisms and speech, and listens to stories McArthur tells her about his grandmother to assist getting into character.

Perfetti commented about how amazing it is to be a part of the debut performance, being the first actors on the set.

It is incredible to think that someday others will do this play, going off of how we did it and they will base it off of our characters, Keller added.

Heimbaugh said the performance is special because being an original, there is nothing to compare it to so it is portrayed how each actor pictures it in his or her mind.

Between now and opening night on March 7, staging is half done and the group needs to finish choreographing all the music. Once that is complete, theyll polish it up and get ready to perform.

We have two months to prepare the whole thing, so its a little tight, but well make it, McArthur said.
Transparency

The Natrona County Sheriffs Office did a great job of keeping nearby residents and community members informed during a recent home invasion in Bar Nunn. A school in the area was able to take precautionary measures and members of the public had early information before rumors could emerge. The departments handling of the situation is an example of the right thing to do.

Impressive effort

Wyoming National Guard soldiers joined firefighters and residents along the Big Horn River this week to fill and place sandbags along the banks of the surging river. The high water level came after warm temperatures melted heavy snow that had stacked up in recent months. Remember, swollen rivers can be very dangerous, especially when the water is so cold. Be careful and stay safe.

Severe weather

Flooding and storms throughout the state in the last week have reminded us how important it is to be ready for severe weather at any time. Strong winds knocked out power in the Jackson area, leaving Teton Village without power for days. Remember to keep emergency supplies on hand and have a plan in place in case of emergency.

Good news

Local agents have said that the commercial real estate business is on its way back after being affected by the downturn in Wyomings energy industry. More companies are looking to find space to do business in the Casper market. We hope this is the beginning of more good economic news for the city and state.
Editor:

There is a great deal of speculation floating around in Washington. Congress has no replacement plan for Obamacare, some in Congress, want to move toward a voucher system (aka premium supplement), increasing the age for Medicare eligibility, increase medical co-payments and Part B premiums to help sustain the costs of Medicare. All of the aforementioned issues are creating extreme concern for present Medicare recipients and those planning on the benefits in the future. Many in congress believe Medicare is going broke and it has to be reformed. Some of those same Congressional folks also think Social Security must also face much change or go bankrupt.

Millions of Americans and their employers have been paying payroll taxes for many years assuming they were guaranteed Medicare and Social Security benefits. Folks are fearful that their future lifestyles could be seriously impacted if satisfactory solutions cannot be reached.

The campaign promises made by President Trump vowing to protect the Social Security and Medicare Americans have come to know and depend on. The Presidents stand on these issues appear to be on a different page than those of some Congressional leaders.

I would suggest that we all learn all you can about these terms being discussed at this time in Washington: Premium Support Program, Voucher System, Privatization, Medicare Trust Fund and Trust Fund Solvency.

Additionally, I might suggest that you contact Senators Enzi and Barrasso and Representative Cheney and ask them to support protection of Medicare and Social Security.
Ray Zuckerman felt some relief when President Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership  and some reservations.

Relief because he felt the multination trade pact was rushed through with little oversight, but reservations because Zuckerman, a Phoenix business owner who does a brisk international trade, worries that losing the deal could harm free trade.

The principle of free trade is good, said Zuckerman, CEO of Phoenix-based ServerLift, which specializes in data center storage and transportation solutions.

But I dont know anybody that knows what (the agreement) actually says, he said of the trade deal. If you handed me the document I wouldnt know what it said.

Zuckermans dilemma represents the complex and sometimes-contradictory sentiments on the deal that has historic antagonists finding common political ground and trade experts debating whats best for the economy.

According to a report from the International Trade Administration, Arizona exported $13.3 billion in goods in 2015 to the 11 Pacific Rim countries involved in the TPP. That number accounted for 58 percent of the states total exports that year.

More than 4,000 Arizona companies exported goods to TPP countries in 2014, of which the majority were small and medium sized businesses  like Zuckermans.

The deal would have eliminated more than 20,000 tariffs, some of which exceed 35 percent, while seeking regulatory cooperation on environmental, human rights and intellectual property standards from the partner nations.

But critics say negotiations by then-President Barack Obamas administration were opaque, pointing to the fast track process under which Congress could only have voted the deal up or down, without amendments.

That deal was never ratified by the last Congress, which allowed Trump to issue his Jan. 23 executive order pulling the U.S. out of the pact.

Trump has vowed to craft better deals with trading partners on an individual basis, a promise he repeated in meetings with the prime ministers of major trade partners  and TPP members  Japan and Canada Friday and Monday. But Trump pointedly noted that any adjustments those countries would not be as significant as they would be with Mexico.

Zuckerman said abandoning the deal and embracing economic protectionism is not the right solution for Arizona, and that free trade would increase prosperity and increase international access for Arizonan products.

But Trump campaigned against the deal, which he called a potential disaster. His opposition was in line with that of prominent liberal lawmakers like Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts. They blasted TPP for benefiting companies that outsource jobs and potentially allowing corporations to sue nations whose laws or regulations hurt profits.

Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, was and remains an outspoken opponent to the agreement.

International trade increases wealth among the wealthy, Gallego said.

And while he agrees with Trump on very little  and thinks the presidents opposition to the pact comes from self-interest rather than concern for working Americans  Gallego said protectionism is a natural response to a shrinking middle class and wage stagnation.

We need a strong middle class, and I dont believe that TPP would build (that), said Gallego, who also called protectionism very much the consensus of American voters.

Like Trump, Gallego said he supports negotiating individual trade deals and taking another look at existing ones like the North American Free Trade Agreement to ensure that working Americans are the ones coming out ahead.

Some Arizona business leaders are unconvinced and, like Zuckerman, think the state would benefit from more open trade.

We believe that trade is a major contributor to prosperity worldwide, said Garrick Taylor, vice president for government relations at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. It helps Arizona products make their way overseas.

He pointed to some of the same figures in the ITA report  tens of billions of dollars in Arizona machine goods, technology, metals and agriculture shipped to TPP nations.

We would have loved to have seen those high tariffs go down under TPP, he said.

Taylor said a favorable trade environment would benefit the states burgeoning industries, led by tech companies like Intel and Honeywell, as well as create opportunities for export jobs.

He said the private sector needs to better educate lawmakers and citizens on the benefits of free trade, and warned that the next target will be NAFTA, in which Arizona has an even bigger stake given its proximity to Mexico.

The decision to withdraw the U.S. from the partnership before the ink had dried has proven unpopular with many even in the presidents own party. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said after Trumps order that he feared leaving the TPP would cede trade leadership in the Pacific Rim to China, Americas top competitor in the region.

McCains fears are reasonable, said Anna Maria Mayda, an associate professor of economics at Georgetown University. Mayda said China is already leading the negotiations on a separate deal focusing mostly on tariff reduction called the

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
It probably violates all rules of classical music etiquette to sit in a darkened concert hall with your mouth wide open fighting the urge to stand up and scream "Wow!" before the final chord has been struck.

So the audience at Friday night's Tucson Symphony Orchestra concert at Tucson Music Hall politely waited until the end. And with that final note barely out of pianist Conrad Tao's fingertips, 1,700 people  we didn't take a headcount, but the seats all around were vacant of bodies  leaped to their feet and showered the 22-year-old protege with applause and a chorus of bravos.

Wow.

Tao literally took our breath away. His performance of Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" Variations, expressive and filled with remarkable, throw-back to the '20s jazz flourishes, was so much fun to watch. He sat at the piano, fingers dancing along the keyboard, and seemed to disappear to another time. And another venue.

Music Hall turned into a jazz club and Tao was the house pianist directing the band with fingers snapping. When the trumpets blasted in, he mouthed their melodies  bada-bum, bada-wow, ba-da-ba-da. He snapped the fingers on his left hand while playing with his right, then bobbed his head in time to the orchestra. It was electric.

Conductor James Judd took the orchestra along for Tao's ride, matching the young pianist's energy and enthusiasm especially when it came to the dynamic trumpet section led by acting principal Katie Miller. Those folks got a workout, not only on the Gershwin but in the concert ender, Copland's Suite from "Billy the Kid."

Tao followed up with Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and we were equally stunned. He made that piece come to brilliant life with an energetic, bouncing-off-his-piano-bench performance that felt almost improvised. He slowed down for the more sobering passages, but you could sense this energy surging from his fingertips waiting to let loose. And when he did, we fought back that urge to scream "Wow!"

"I'm not done with you yet," Tao, wearing a collar-less suit coat and skinny-cut black pants, said when he returned to the stage for an encore. The audience members, including a dozen or more teens, almost giddily returned to their seats.

You'd think his encore would be something along the lines of Gershwin, but Tao, who won a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant at the tender age of 17 back in 2012, pulled out a piece by American icon Elliott Carter. It was something the late composer  he died in 2012 a month shy of his 104th birthday  had penned at age 97, but Tao made it sound like it came from a much younger hand.

The orchestra was still fired up from the concert's first half when it returned to perform the TSO premiere of Roberto Sierra's "Fandangos" and Copland's "Billy the Kid" suite. The energy they brought to the Copland was palpable, from the percussion section that recreated the sounds of horses clopping along, to Miller's amazing trumpet and the string section that made us believe a Western wind was blowing in the hall every time they tapped their bows on their strings in unison.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Feb. 18 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.
You thought the shenanigans at the TUSD board could not get any weirder?

You thought wrong.

A strange series of events took place this week that could be a precursor to a firing of Superintendent H.T. Sanchez, or the first step in a lawsuit by Sanchez against the district.

Could be both.

First came the sudden appearance Monday afternoon on Tuesdays board agenda of an item, requested by new member Rachael Sedgwick, that could have led to Sanchezs firing (more on this below). After meeting behind closed doors, the board dropped the matter.

Then Wednesday, Sedgwick and member Mark Stegeman, a longtime critic of Sanchez, got a special board meeting scheduled for this coming Tuesday with Sanchezs job, along with that of TUSD general counsel Todd Jaeger, as the main item.

Finally, Thursday afternoon, Sanchezs attorney, Peter Limperis, showed up at the Foothills law office of Rusing & Lopez to have a meeting with attorneys and Stegeman.

This alone is strange. At next Tuesdays meeting, the board can talk for hours behind closed doors if it wants, with the help of attorneys who can hash out the terms of the superintendents departure, if thats what it comes to. That apparently is not soon enough for somebody. Though who exactly wanted the junta is unclear.

According to Stegeman, Sanchez asked Board President Michael Hicks for a meeting. Hicks then asked Stegeman to set it up, said Stegeman.

Stegeman expected Sanchez himself to be there, but only the attorney was  along with board members Kristel Foster and Adelita Grijalva and a TV reporter.

Who set up who? Its unclear. When Stegeman arrived, the other two board members confronted him and followed him into the law office in what Stegeman called a circus.

Grijalva told me from the parking lot, He, without any board approval, is trying to negotiate terms of settlement. He doesnt have any authority.

Stegeman said that wasnt it at all  and he thought he had been set up.

Im not empowered to negotiate on behalf of the board. Im just having a conversation, he said.

Stegeman has been working behind the scenes to build a case for firing Sanchez with cause  meaning because of Sanchezs own behavior or performance. This would allow the district to get out of its contract with Sanchez rather than paying him the rest of it to get rid of him.

Stegeman reached out in recent weeks to my colleague Alexis Huicochea, now an editor but previously a reporter who covered TUSD and Sanchez.

He asked her in an email to confirm that Sanchez made two contradictory statements back in 2014  one an apparent lie about the hiring of board member Grijalvas mother-in-law.

He wanted Huicocheas confirmation in writing, even though the information was laid out in her stories  better to use as ammunition in a firing.

Huicochea refused, pointing out the stories stand on their own.

Theres nothing wrong with a board building a case to fire somebody. You shouldnt fire somebody with no good reasons. But negotiating his departure in private and cutting out other board members is not right, no matter who set it up.

Sedgwick wouldnt tell me when I asked her Thursday afternoon if she knew in advance about the meeting. But she did say, My very strong preference is for this to happen in the open as much as possible.

Shes right  it should be in the open, or at least in a meeting of the full board, not a private meeting.

Sedgwick takes lead

It can be a good thing when a new elected official gets involved right away and takes the job seriously. Sedgwick seems to be doing that. And yet, an unsettling pattern has developed when it comes to the TUSD governing boards newest member.

Sedgwick has been on the board for about six weeks. Even in the weeks before taking office she was making waves by raising her voice and heightening conflict when it didnt seem necessary.

Consider the late-December incident at a downtown Tucson bar, the Highwire Lounge, which didnt strike me as very significant at the time. It really came back to me this week when Sedgwick attempted a last-minute effort to force the board to consider Sanchezs employment.

To be clear, it isnt that the board shouldnt consider firing the superintendent  I tend to favor replacing him  but Sedgwicks Monday demand that it be put on the agenda Tuesday was a precipitous move that reminded me of the Highwire incident.

Sedgwick was at the bar and ordered a special Belgian ale. She was told in advance it was $12 but said later she didnt understand it came in a small snifter, not a pint glass. When the bartender gave the snifter  she said it was six ounces, the manager tells me it holds 12 ounces  she said that wasnt what she wanted and refused to pay.

Thats when bar manager John Hardin said she broke out the words that no official should speak: Do you know who I am?

Sedgwick isnt so sure those were her words. She said she did mention her impending school board membership to warn him that when she posted negative comments about the bar on social media, lots of people would hear it.

It was not the last hostile conversation in the board members recent history. Just last week, at Raging Sage Coffee Shop, Sedgwick met with Sanchez and the districts general counsel, Jaeger. Sanchez ended up leaving early when Sedgwicks tone turned hostile, district spokeswoman Stefanie Boe and Jaeger told me.

There was a tense exchange, Jaeger told me. He indicated he wouldnt be talked to in that way.

Jaeger stayed a few minutes longer, discussing unrelated matters, then left.

That meeting, Sedgwick told me Wednesday, was not the sole reason she introduced the idea of reconsidering the employment of Sanchez and Jaeger to last Tuesdays agenda. It was more like the final straw, she said.

Hes made it very clear that he really does not want to work with me, she said of Sanchez. He wont entertain my questions, respond to my requests, that sort of thing.

So Sedgwick demanded of Board President Hicks on Monday that it be put on Tuesdays agenda.

I put it on because Rachael Sedgwick asked to put it on, Hicks said. It became a contentious communication. So I gave up and said OK.

Again, theres no problem with considering whether a superintendent is doing a good job. But you cant casually put possible termination on the agenda as if its not a huge deal that the community shouldnt be involved in.
Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild was carjacked at gunpoint in midtown Saturday morning.

Shortly before 11 a.m., the mayor was leaving his home when he was greeted by a man holding a pistol, who demanded to know where his car was parked, Rothschild told the Star.

Rothschild said that he pointed to his city-owned Toyota Prius and the man demanded he hand over the keys.

The mayor complied, and the carjacker left the scene in the Prius.

Rothschild, who did not have a security detail with him, was not injured and says he's doing fine.

At about 7 p.m. Saturday, police said the car had been recovered, but provided no other updates. The carjacker is still at large, said Tucson Police Department spokesman, Sgt. Pete Dugan.

Rothschild said Saturday night that the Prius was found abandoned a couple of hours after the carjacking. It was found at 36th Street and Forgeus, several miles from his house, he said.

Robbery detectives with the Tucson Police Department are investigating the incident and have learned that prior to his run-in with the mayor, which happened in the area of North Tucson Boulevard and East 5th Street, the suspect unsuccessfully tried to take another car, Dugan said.

He also had a "small altercation" with a mail carrier before his confrontation with the mayor, leading police to believe that he wasn't targeting Rothschild, Dugan said.
With Congress not in session next week, local members of Congress will be holding meetings in Tucson.

Many meetings are invitation-only  but there will be a few opportunities to talk politics even if you dont get an invite.

Rep. Raul Grijalva announced plans for seven invite-only round-table discussions on education, immigration and the environment next week, but also will address the Democrats of Greater Tucson on Monday.

The event, which starts at noon, is open to the public, but a minimum purchase of a $2.50 beverage is required to enter the Dragons View Restaurant. It is west of downtown at 400 N. Bonita Ave.

Rep. Martha McSally is also expected to announce some meetings with constituents next week, but details were still being finalized as of Friday evening.

Up to 400 people might attend a town hall next week even though the invited guest  McSally  has repeatedly said she wont be there.

Public interest in the two-hour town hall Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church, 4625 E. River Road, is so great that organizers have had to create a waiting list.

Marion Chubon, the leader of the group McSally Take a Stand, said she sat down with the two-term Republican a week ago in an attempt to persuade McSally to participate.

The congresswoman, who represents District 2, said she would not attend the town hall but left the door open to a similar event in the future, Chubon said. Audience questions for McSally will be addressed to an empty chair, Chubon said. McSally has said the town hall is a ruse that activists are using to berate members of Congress.

McSally maintains that she has repeatedly met with community members in public forums since taking office in 2015.

Her staff earlier released a list showing the congresswoman has met with constituents about 30 times in town-hall settings since taking office, and she has held two telephone town halls in the last two weeks.

Chubon and other locals remain undeterred. They argue that McSally refuses to answer specific questions and they receive form letters in response to their emails and letters.
When Houda, an 18-year-old Syrian refugee, and her family arrived in Tucson last July, they knew no one. They had been on a long, difficult journey after leaving their home in their beloved but devastated city of Aleppo three years earlier.

Her family had left in a hurry. They left in fear. The family ended up in Amman, Jordan, in limbo, praying, dreaming of immigrating to the United States. After a lengthy, numbing vetting process, Houda, her parents and younger sister were granted refugee status. But the family had to leave Houdas older married sister and husband and their infant child behind in Jordan.

Houda and her family thought that their resettlement and acclimation might be slow and incognito. But within several months after arriving in Tucson, Houda, now 19 and a high school freshman, has become a voice for refugees like her and her family.

Last month, Houdas voice went out on the airwaves through community radio station KXCI-FM, for which I am a volunteer. She is co-host of a program called Mn Huna, which is Arabic for From Here. The other co-host is Melanie, whom she met two weeks after arriving in Tucson at a reception for Syrian refugees organized by a newly formed group, Arizona Welcomes Refugees. The group holds monthly bonding reunions.

For the program, Melanie, 46, a native of Washington, D.C., and Houda use their first names only. They chat. They laugh. Houda, who spoke no English when she arrived in Tucson, sounds relatively comfortable and is improving. On the programs KXCI website, a transcript in English and Arabic is available, making it accessible to a wider audience.

My first story for you will be about my mother, Houda says in the first podcast, which aired on Jan. 22. Melanie and Houda have produced three programs that can be found at www.kxci.org.

When Cathy Rivers, general manager at KXCI, became aware of the refugee gatherings, it made sense to her to share their experience with our listeners, our community. So the idea of a mini-show and podcast was formed, Rivers wrote me in an email.

In the midst of President Trumps ban on refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Syria, a program like this is critical. Its truly what we all need now, Rivers wrote.

Recently I visited Houda at her familys east-side apartment, along with Melanie. Houdas father was at his restaurant job and Safa Najjar Merheb, a Lebanese-born translator, joined us. Houdas mother served Syrian sweets and strong coffee. Syrians, Melanie told me, are famous for their hospitality. Houdas sister Sara, who enjoys drawing, shared with me some words in Spanish that she has learned at her middle school.

The family first applied to live in France but was denied. They applied to the U.S. and were accepted, but they had no idea where they would be relocated. In Tucson, the summer heat, the desert and the buildings were a far cry from what they left.

Houda said Aleppo was known for its beauty, history and customs. People from different religions lived side-by-side peacefully, respectful of one another, she said.

They lived together in harmony, said Houda.

Then came the civil war between the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and his opponents, other religious and political factions, and eventually Russian intervention.

Everything is upside down, Houda said.

The family tried to make the best of it. They hoped that the civil strife would eventually end. War, however, intruded into their daily lives.

One day, Houda arrived at her school. A market that was next to the school was gone. A bomb had gone off earlier, dispersing everything and everyone in it. On the schoolyard, Houda and her schoolmates saw pieces of human bodies strewn around.

And after her father was arrested, detained for five days and tortured, the family realized they had to leave.

Houda and her family feel fortunate that they found refuge through new friendships in Tucson. But they fear for family members who remain in Syria and for Houdas sister, husband and baby.

To write and to share stories about refugee families is Houdas dream. She wants her adopted town to understand their experience and hopes and fears.

Houda is doing an amazing job, KXCIs Rivers wrote. I want to experience her learning, growth and adventures in our community just as our listeners do.

I suspect well hear more of Houdas voice in the coming years.
Tucson police released the names Friday of three people arrested on suspicion of felonies at a downtown protest over federal immigration policies.

The three face felony charges of aggravated assault on a peace officer, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a police spokesman. They are David Leon, 24; Joan Cichon, 68; and Tanya Alvarez-Blancarte. 42.

A fourth suspect faces misdemeanor charges of obstructing and failure to identify.

The protest Thursday evening escalated into clashes between demonstrators and police. Three officers sustained minor injuries; no one was taken to a hospital, Dugan said.

One officer was hit in the face and another in the back, Dugan said. He wasnt sure how the third was injured.

Dugan said the police office of professional standards will investigate, after protesters complained about officers actions.

Tucson Police Lt. Jennifer Turner said the protest began at 4:30 p.m., in front of the federal building on West Congress Street at Granada Avenue, and by 6 p.m., included about 80 people. At that point, an officer issued an emergency call for assistance, she said.

Dugan gave this account:

The protest was peaceful until many started to enter the roadway, disrupting traffic on Congress. An officer was struck from behind and when officers tried to take a suspect into custody, members of the crowd surrounded the officers, moving closer. Some protesters locked arms and got in front of a police vehicle. Police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

Unfortunately for those trying to peacefully protest, police had to step in when officers were assaulted and the investigation was obstructed, Dugan said.

Protesters, who said they were demonstrating against ICE raids that began last week, disputed police accounts of the protest.

A protest organizer, Stteffanny Cott, said police overreacted to a peaceful demonstration. Cott is an organizer with Lucha Unida de Padres y Estudiantes (United Struggle of Parents and Students), which is an immigrants rights action committee.

This was provocation on the side of the police, Cott said, saying a police SUV blocked the route protesters intended to use between the federal building and their Armory Park destination.

She said marchers were going around the police vehicle, and that the officer was revving the engine and the SUV nudged a Brown Beret demonstrator, Leon, who was then detained on suspicion of assault on a peace officer.
The families of two men who were shot and killed by Tucson police officers last year in unrelated incidents have filed $6 million in claims against the city, records show.

The first claim, filed in November by Ellcie Cajoux, is asking for $1 million from the city in the May 30 death of her son, Osee Calix.

An officer stopped Calix, who was riding his bicycle in the area of North Columbus Boulevard and East Fairmount Street, when he attempted to brake and fell, Tucson police said at the time.

Paramedics arrived to treat Calixs minor injuries, and after receiving care he stood up and produced a handgun. When officers tried to take the gun from him, Calix fired at least one shot One of the officers then fired his gun, striking Calix, according to police.

It was determined later that Calix was wanted on a felony warrant for a probation violation out of Florida involving drug offenses.

The wrongful-death suit says the officers used excessive force and that the department exercised negligence in its training and supervision.

The officer who shot Calix is also named in the claim for an additional $1 million.

The second claim, filed Dec. 28, also alleges negligence by the department, this time in the July 8 death of Abraham Smith.

Tucson police arrived at Smiths mobile home, in the area of West Grant Road and North Stone Avenue, at the request of the countywide Mobile Acute Crisis Team, which deals with mental-illness situations, Tucson police said at the time.

The team, which was there to serve Smith with a court-ordered emergency mental-health petition, requested the assistance of TPDs Mental Health Support Team, according to police.

Officers were told Smith was mute and communicated through writing and gestures, and they attempted to make contact with him from outside the trailer for 15 minutes before entering the home, Tucson police said.

The three officers encountered Smith coming out of a back bedroom with what appeared to be two knives in his hands. Police later learned that Smith was holding a piece of broken glass from a mirror in one hand and a 10- to 12-inch kitchen knife in the other.

Two officers were able to back out of the trailer and out of Smiths way, but the third was backed into a fence and unable to escape as Smith continued to advance, according to police.

The officer ordered Smith to stop before firing his gun, police said.

The claim, filed by Smiths mother, Joan Smith, said the Mobile Acute Crisis Team was asked by Smiths sister not to bring police because her brother was afraid of them.

Joan Smith is asking the city to settle the claim for $5 million.

TPDs internal investigation into Smiths shooting is closed and it was determined to be justified within policy, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a department spokesman.

Calixs shooting is still under departmental review, Dugan said.

City Attorney Mike Rankin has previously told the Star that hes unable to comment on pending litigation.
iStock/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) -- A man has been charged in a shooting on Chicagos West Side last week that killed two people, including a toddler, and wounded a pregnant woman, police said Saturday.



The Chicago Police Department said Devon Swan, 26, was charged overnight with first-degree murder for his alleged role and connection to the triple shooting on Valentine's Day that killed 2-year-old Lavontay White and the toddler's uncle, 26-year-old Lazaric Collins.



At a press conference Saturday afternoon, Chicago Police Commander Brendan Deenihan said the investigation is ongoing and authorities are searching for more suspects.



Video of the tragic incident was streamed live on Facebook, police said. The little boy was riding in a car with his uncle down an alley in the city's North Lawndale neighborhood when they were each shot in the head on Tuesday. The two were pronounced dead at local hospitals, according to police.



A 20-year-old pregnant woman, who was driving the car, was also wounded in the shooting. She and her fetus are expected to survive, according to police.



Police said the violence was gang-related and they believe Collins was the intended target of the shooting which stemmed from a dispute between him and a group of individuals.



Authorities said the uncle was a gang member with a criminal history. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Collins was convicted of felony charges of burglary and armed robbery and was released on parole last June.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Help India!

By Sana Khan for TwoCircles.net

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So much has already been written, in support of her and against her, so much so that a few AMU students have called her Gustakh-e-Rasool, and even filed a police complaint against her. As for me reading all these posts  hateful, in solidarity, Shehlas posts, her clarifications  I feel this is yet another time when religion is being used as an instrument to suppress a woman who is free, independent and well opinionated.

I have seen Shehla from simply attending a public meeting to speaking at one to leading movements. Many of us admire her; salute her courage; love her for what she stands for. She stands for a voice that resonates with the masses. She stands for what is right (Yes, one may have different political positions than hers but what cannot be denied is the strength with which she stands for humanity, for nonviolence, for reason, for love).

I read what she had written, and as a believer, a practicing Muslim woman I do not think she wrote anything that should hurt the sentiments of anyone. These protectors of religion who get hurt on smallest of the things, need to be asked, is your faith, your religion so frail-so fragile that any statement (even though in this case it has been misquoted/misused/abused) made by anyone would make it fall?

It is these kinds of incidents that happen when one understands why liberals or Marxists hate organised religion. It is because it is centered on the notion of fear. Marx called it the opium of the masses for its falsifying reality and healing contradiction. Freud in his Future of Illusion called it collective neurosis where one depends upon religion for everything. If such incidents keep on happening from any of the communities belonging to any religion, one grows skeptical of organised religion. And such incidents pave path for further skepticism; and it is concluded that religion has no liberating potential. How do we come out of all this? It could be done by cultivating reason.

Reason, which also emanates from a religious ideology. It was the Prophets reason that helped raise the status of women as part of religious conviction and not just state policy. The popular term to describe someone who works for the upliftment/empowerment of women could be called a feminist. Shehla in calling the prophet a feminist commits no blasphemy. I have been growing up listening to stories of the Prophet since my socialisation has been in a Muslim household. Consider this story, during the Prophets time in the seventh century Arabia when a boy would be born, around hundred goats would be sacrificed to rejoice whereas on a birth of a girl child she would be buried alive and people would mourn. Prophet made a custom that when a boy is born, one should rejoice by sacrificing two goats and when a girl is born, one goat should be sacrificed, and snap! female infanticide was abolished.

Or a story which records that Prophet had said that a birth of a girl was the biggest blessing. Once a person asked the prophet, what does God do when he is happy? Prophet replied, it rains, again he asked, what happens when God is too happy? and the Prophet replied, It rains. Again the person asked, what happens when God is extremely happy? and the prophet said, it rains. And yet again he asked, what happens when God is ecstatic? and the prophet said, a girl is born. This story points to the fact that as a religious conviction, one was bound to see birth of a girl as a blessing, instead of burying her alive one must take good care of her. Another point to be noted, this was a time when only men owned property, Prophet got women inheritance rights. This was a revolution in itself. There are many such stories which push the case of Prophet being quite radical. Why am I sharing all these stories, only to again stress that as a believer my sentiments were never hurt reading Shehlas posts. And when she shares what an army of troll writes upon reading her arguments, whether its hate speech or not nowhere does she disrespect any religious faith.

Today we face a massive threat from the fascists and if we divide ourselves over these issues then no one wins but the fascist forces. AMU is supposed to be carrying Sir Syeds legacy, we cant abandon reason. And because of a few sentimental fools let the main issue of Najeeb not get lost.

P.S- Muslim men, whether condemning Shehla or supporting her, using #OurProphetOurHonour, you are neither the custodians of religion nor the protectors of women. Dont forget, ok! : )



Sana Khan is a student in Delhi.
Help India!

By TCN News

Mumbai-based NGO Majlis Manch, which has been working for legal rights of women and provides support to victims of domestic violence, especially Muslim women, on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking permission to intervene and assist the court in the triple talaq case.

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Instant and arbitrary talaq is invalid both as per Quran and court rulings. The Quran stipulates that divorce (talaq) is the least preferable solution in the eyes of God and it should be used only as the last resort, when all efforts of reconciliation have failed, the application filed by the NGO said, while opposing practice of triple talaq.

Citing its experience working with such victims in various places, Majlis Manch said based on the Quranic stipulations, the Supreme Court as well as various high courts in the country have declared that instant and arbitrary triple talaq invalid.

It also said the Muslim women were entitled for relief under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.

The application states that the Act is of utmost importance as it provides civil remedies such as protection against domestic violence, injunction against dispossession from matrimonial home, maintenance of the children and compensation for the harm caused through acts of domestic violence. The Act also lays down an expeditious and summary procedure through which an aggrieved person can secure her rights, as per the application.

In addition, divorced women have as right to a fair and reasonable settlement under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights upon Divorce) Act.

Since the Muslim marriage, from its inception, is a contract, there is no bar to stipulating terms and conditions within Nikahnama. Muslim law also permits pre-nuptial contracts (iqrar nama) for safeguarding the future rights of the brides.

It also sought the court for a direction to stipulate procedure and conditions for a valid talaq.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, which has termed triple talaq is a serious issue, fixedMay 11 for detailed hearing of the matter and asked the lawyer appearing for the NGO (Adv. Flavia Agnes) to assist the court during the final hearing of the matter.
The commission has given seven days time for submitting the papers failing which an apology has been sought from Modi. Further, if legal documents are not submitted the adoption will be deemed illegal and against the spirit of The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called himself as adopted son of Uttar Pradesh in an election rally, the UP State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has sought legal documents from Modi to substantiate his claim of adoption by someone in Uttar Pradesh.

In the notice, Khan has mentioned that commission has taken suo-motto cognizance of Modis statement from media wherein he has mentioned that he has been adopted by UP. Khan has termed the statement a direct violation and against the spirit of The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, Chapter 8 Section 56 to 73. In these section the constitution has defined the process of adoption.

Khan has stated that Prime Minister has mocked the sanctity of the Act, protected by the constitution and passed by the Parliament. She also stated that sentiments of all those poor children who have been abandoned and also those people who have to go through a process, in accordance with the law to adopt a child.

The commission has asked for submitting legal documents that Modi has been legally adopted by someone in the state of Uttar Pradesh, failing which his adoption will be deemed illegal and against the spirit of The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

The commission has also sought an apology from Modi as it has hurt the sentiments of children waiting for adoption and parents. Modi has also been requested to visit any such centre and feel the pain and sufferings of the children.

Earlier, according to reports during an election rally at Barabanki, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has statedLord Krishna was born in U.P. and made Gujarat his karmbhoomi (land of work). I was born in Gujarat and U.P. has adopted me  Uttar Pradesh is my mai baap. I am not the son who would betray his mai baap. You have adopted me and it is my duty to work for you.

After that there have been a war of words and Congress campaigner Priyanka Gandhi too raised it during her UP visit terming that UP already has its own youths to adopt.
Help India!

By Faisal Fareed, Twocircles.net

The relationship between political leaders and prisons in India is complicated, to say the least; but not in UP. With elections in full flow, the role of prisons has once again come into limelight. In UP, leaders do not hesitate before going to jail during public agitation, and in fact, time spent in prison is both acknowledged and respected. The UP government even offers pension to political prisoners who were sent to jail during the emergency. In fact, Ravidas Mehrotra, SP candidate from Lucknow Central has the distinction of being jailed more than 100 times in public agitation.

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On the other hand, there is a set of prisoners who are in jail but do not hesitate to contest polls. Many of them have even won the polls and became Manniya Sadasya of the assembly. And it is no different this time, several leaders are contesting the polls via jail.

The first name is Mukhtar Ansari who is contesting from Mau seat. He is presently behind bars but has won all his election from inside the prison. His main form of campaigning is through letters and appeals sent to voters. The campaigning is handled by his son Abbas Ansari and brothers Afzal Ansari and Sibghatullah Ansari.

Another name is Aman Mani Tripathi of Maharajganj. His parents Amar Mani and Madhumani too are in jail in the infamous Madhumita Shukla murder case. Amanmani was earlier given ticket by SP but it was later canceled. He has been himself arrested for the alleged charges of murder of his wife Sara. Presently he is contesting from Nautanwa and his sister Tanushri is campaigning for him in the constituency.

Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai are in jail, but this has not deterred Narayan Sai from floating Ojaswi Party and contesting from Shivpur seat in Varanasi.

Syedraja seat in Chandauli has the distinction where two candidates of major political parties are in jail. BJP candidate Sushil Singh, the nephew of MLC Brijesh Singh is lodged in Varanasi Jail while BSP candidate Shyam Narain Singh alias Vineet Singh was lodged in Ranchi jail.

Others who are behind bars but are in the fray include Amit Garg presently lodged in Agra jail but is contesting from Ferozabad, Manish Singh in Lucknow jail and is a candidate from Harchandpur in Raebareily. Besides this, there is a long list of jailed politicians who have fielded their kin in the elections. Prominent among them is mafioso Munna Bajrangi whose wife is contesting as Apna Dal (S) candidate from Mariyahun in Jaunpur.

Their fate will be decided on March 11 but still, these people are concerned about their elections while their supporters are busy in the constituencies.
Fake News has been a topic of hot discussion in the past few months, particularly in the wake of the US presidential election. With the ever shifting dynamics of the internet, fake news has proliferated due to the ostensibly democratic platform the internet offers. Subsequently, many have claimed that the result of the presidential election was heavily influenced by false stories plaguing Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Putting news under scrutiny

Today, channel 4 announced that it will be running a weeks worth of programming dedicated to the topic of fake news.

In a press release, Channel 4 stated: "We will be examining the fakers peddling fiction as fact, professional blaggers stealing the headlines... in a world where the truth is compromised by popularity determined by clicks, likes and shares".

Programming will feature extensive reports, interviews and panel show discussing the subject of fake news. Further, Stephen Mangan will host a satirical programme titled "The Fake News Show" exploring some of the more absurd false stories circulating on social media. Other programmes scheduled include "Confessions of a Papparazzo" and "Britain's Greatest Hoaxer".

In a recent speech on the 11th January, Donald Trump dismissed claims made by a dossier of evidence composed by a former British spy as "fake news". One of the major concerns arising from Trump's dismissal of the dossier is that the term fake news appears to be being wielded to discredit journalistic commentary that the president-elect disagrees with.

BBC to assemble "reality check" team

Channel 4's announcement comes after the BBC news chief James Harding announced that the BBC would assemble a full-time "reality check" team to dismiss stories masquerading as truth and stories decried as false. Harding, in a statement posted on the BBC's website, said: "the BBC will be weighing in on the battle over truth, lies, distortion and exaggerations. We are working with Mark Zuckerberg at FaceBook to determine what is the best means of checking reality".
Is it sinking poll ratings? Is it sheer nervousness that he may well lose two traditionally safe Labour seats? Is it his indecision and lack of clarity on Brexit? Who knows? But something caused Corbyn to produce a desperate speech today arguing that people are 'dying' as a result of austerity. It stank of pure desperation. No one denies there are large-scale problems in the NHS, but to argue austerity is killing people displays how low the left are willing to sink these days.

A desperate plea to lost voters

Never before has Stoke-on-Trent appeared in the news so much.

Sadly, it has cropped up for the wrong reasons. This is a land distant from the Westminster bubble. It is a typical 'serfdom' that Labour could traditionally rely on to deliver a red MP to Parliament. This is how the centre-left party view their voters- peasants who are trapped in poverty just to provide them with a sufficient reason to vote for them. But now they're scared, which is why it is ridiculous to see their activists pound Stoke's streets as if it was a marginal seat.

Nonetheless, there is more to Stoke's problems than a party that has taken them for granted for too long. This is a place that has lost its industry and a sense of identity as a result of businesses moving to EU countries that pay their workers far less than they do here.

Hence why it is the 'Brexit capital' of Britain. It's a relief to these people that their out-of-touch former MP, Tristan Hunt, resigned. Let's hope that whoever wins can lead a campaign to restore some pride to this place.

That is why Corbyn's appeal to Copeland and Stoke's voters was shallow and empty. The Labour Leader pleaded with them to 'send a message' to Theresa May.

Yet the only person who may receive a warning this Thursday could well be the self-proclaimed Trotskyist himself. How can this man have the audacity to continue his reign as commissar if he loses two seats this party should depend upon at every election?

The narrow message

Clueless on the economy, lost over Brexit, and struggling to retain the support of his own MPs, what better way to appeal to them and the voters that return them to office than beat the drum of their seventy-year-old message about being the 'party of the NHS' and blaming those 'evil Tories' for causing deaths in our famous institution?

The NHS needs radical reform, and quickly. Since the 1980s, governments of all colours have legislated changes that enable our health service to raise revenue through alternative means, yet none of these governments have been bold enough to admit more private money is needed to plug the funding gap in the NHS.

As long as the left claim a monopoly over our prized institution, we will never solve the health and social care crisis. It makes politicians scared to be daring with NHS reform. But for the Leader of the Opposition, he believes an endless pot of gold can be found to drag Britain back into the 1970s. That is why singling out austerity as the cause of deaths in the NHS is pathetic. It is a last minute attempt to win over a shrinking, alienated core base of support.

The annual event of the year: a Labour leadership election!

So if the socialists lose Copeland and Stoke on Thursday, Corbyn will no doubt fall on his sword and resign. But he seems so incapable of comprehending that he is the sole reason why the centre-left party are failing. And even if he did the honourable thing, the current membership of the Labour Party is so left-wing that we know John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, is waiting in the shadows to oust his useless comrade. It's reminiscent of the Soviet Union.

These leadership elections are becoming the annual event of the year. But it's tragic for democracy that we lack a strong opposition.

So rather than absorb the message behind Corbyn's NHS conference speech today, people will only be distracted by the smell of desperation. What a sad day for the centre-left.
As experts believe, the representatives of the security services and the media, which have a negative attitude to the new head of state can intentionally manipulate the authorities and public opinion. Now, a group of Republican senators together with 30 specialists in Psychiatry declared that Donald Trump is unhealthy, too emotional, denying everything the American media have written, and generally behaving like a person with a serious mental illness.

"President of the United States is ill: he is too emotional, deny the objectivity of the American press and does not accept other points of view"- Republican Senator Al Franken said in an interview with CNN.

The politician assured the host he is not alone in his assessment - some Republicans in the Senate also believe that Donald Trump is not completely healthy.

The speeches and actions

More than 30 American scientists supported Franken - specialists in psychology and psychiatry. They signed a joint letter to the The New York Times, which expressed their doubts about the ability of Donald Trump to run the state.

"Mr. Trumps speech and actions demonstrate an inability to tolerate views different from his own, leading to rage reactions. His words and behavior suggest an inability to empathize. Individuals with these traits distort reality to suit their psychological state, attacking facts and those who convey them (journalists, scientists)."

The appeal is that Trump has a narcissistic personality disorder" - severe emotional imbalance, detected in the speech and actions of Mr.

Trump, deprives him of the ability to safely perform the duties of the president."

Direct frontal attack

The US president, apparently, won't "stop this provocation". Thus, it means that the anti-Trump campaign will continue to evolve. The US society is trying to create a situation in which he will have to justify himself constantly and to prove his "normality."

"In this sense, it is an unprecedented situation.

Direct frontal attack. None of the American president in recent history, including Nixon, was not suspended because of mental incapacity to perform their duties, "- experts stated.

"We will observe more such letters. Trump, of course, is supposed to be ready, because he really went against all the bureaucratic apparatus of Washington, against the leading US media, and in some matters, against the Congress ", - experts concluded.

Paralysis

Trump, of course, is an experienced wrestler, but recently he gives reasons for the attack on himself. And in his the last decision he fired his adviser Michael Flynn. This scandal has inspired opponents of the president: they felt more willingness to attack.

The purpose of this pressure on the president's power is not a need for any real evidence of mental disorders but a public humiliation, paralysis of Trump's presidency. The truth is the line between narcissism and mental illness isnt always clear - even for the experts.
Several US intelligence contacts have told CNN and the New York Times that there were NSA intercepts of phone contact between Trump campaign workers and staff such as Paul Manafort (Trumps Campaign Manager) with Russian intelligence agents.

Reportedly (CNN, CBS, and New York times) the agencies became alarmed when they heard Russian agents telling Trump supporters they "had special access to Trump."

The world has seen how reliable Kellyanne Conways statements to the press are so what did she have to say about any contacts between anyone in the campaign and any Russians at all?

She denied it ever happened, but, of course, we already know that now disgraced and ousted White House National Security adviser Michael Flynn had extensive contacts, including six phone calls to the Russian Ambassador on a single day.

WH only concerned with leaks?

But the White House keeps trying to narrow the focus of any questions by saying the White House Counsel cleared Flynn of any illegality as if that were the end of it and saying president Trump is instead concerned with the leaks to the media without which it is likely we would never have learned of the Flynn/Russia links. It is interesting to note the timeline where President Trump was supposedly aware of the Flynn contacts with the Russian Ambassador more than two weeks before his resignation, yet spokesperson Sean Spicer insisted Trump was very decisive in his actions, only taking 17 days to decide it wasnt appropriate for someone who could be blackmailed by Russia to stop getting top secret briefings and managing things like the now infamous dinner party North Korea security discussions.

Although the Trump White House only wants to concentrate on the leaks to the press, it appears that Trump didnt dismiss Flynn until the media learned of the Flynn misconduct and made it public. Without those leaks, Flynn might still be getting daily intelligence briefings.

As for Vice President Pence, whom the Congressional Republicans are counting on to be a moderating influence on Trump, it appears he is not in the inner circle at the White House because he didnt learn of the Dept.

of Justices warnings about Flynn for two weeks after President Trump.

Did Trump disdain for CIA lull associates?

One of the questions raised by all the reports of close contacts between Flynn, Manafort, and other Trump aids with Russians is just how incompetent these people are and why. With all the revelations of how the NSA is monitoring practically every phone call made anywhere, how is it that these supposedly highly intelligent and very savvy people thought they could get away with denying any contacts with Russia when, in Trumps own words, even a dumb high school student, would be able to understand?

But Trump keeps saying how untrustworthy and incompetent the US intelligence agencies are despite a half century of successes against the U.S.S.R. culminating in its collapse, so perhaps this lulled his associates into thinking they could phone Russians and no one would ever know.

Now they are reduced to insisting they never talked with Russian intelligence agents when everyone who ever read a cold-war spy novel knows that any American dealing with any Russian will come to the attention of the Russian Intelligence apparatus and that half the people they meet will probably be with the KGB and its successors and probably also with the GRU - Putins main intelligence arm today.

GRU

The GRU is the arm of Russian intelligence connected with interference with the US election.

Glavnoye razvedyvatelnoye upravleniye or GRU is the military arm of intelligence operations founded in 1920 by an appointee of KGB founder Iron Felix, Felix Dzerzhinsky, the head of Lenins secret police and intelligence services the Cheka, which was headquartered at the infamous Lubyanskaya Square or Lubyanka prison. (Russian:  , Lubyanskaya ploshchad'),
Tom Hiddleston may appear to many as a debonair and suave celebrity on screen, ready-made to step into the shoes of Daniel Craig when he ultimately decides to call time on his James Bond experience. Yet The Night Manager star revealed another side to his character to chat show host Graham Norton, remembering the time when co-star Tom Hollander asked him to live up to his Eton nickname of Piddle in his hour of need.

Stung by a jellyfish

The rather surreal situation related to the time when Hollander was stung by a jellyfish. Seeking a solution to his predicament, he nonchalantly shouted across to pal Hiddleston I say old sport could you come and pee on me? Although slightly sceptical about the likely benefits of his actions, Hiddleston was only too willing to oblige the unusual request.

His doubts have been confirmed after subsequent investigation, as he told Norton and The Graham Norton Show audience that Ive since read up on it and I dont think it works, adding that he now believes it as being an old wives tale.

Bullied at Eton

Hiddleston also revealed that he was bullied during his time at Eton College during his school years, resulting in him wetting the bed. Seizing upon the uncomfortable incident, classmates then branded him with the unfortunate nickname of Piddle. His closest friends still call him Pid but as a term of affection rather than being hurtful.

British acting talent to the fore

The Night Manager has certainly bolstered Hiddlestons already impressive acting CV, since it burst on to TV last year.

The critically acclaimed modern-day adaptation of a John le Carre novel featured a wealth of British acting talent, including House star Hugh Laurie, BAFTA winner Olivia Colman and David Harewood (Homeland).

Hollander in the limelight

Hollander - who featured as the character Corky in the edgy BBC drama - is also enjoying his time in the limelight after a string of impressive and memorable performances both in films and television in recent times.

Alongside the moody Tom Hardy

The 49-year-old Bristolian has followed up on his portrayal of Lord Cutler Beckett in the hugely successful Pirates of the Caribbean film series, by branching out into different acting genres. His lead appearance in the sitcom Rev. helped the popular if quirky sitcom to claim a British Academy Television Award in 2011 and he can currently be seen alongside Tom Hardy in the dark Saturday evening drama series Taboo on the BBC.
The next version of the iPhone, which will be launched in autumn, will bring major changes. Rod Hall, JPMorgan analyst, claims that Apple will use on the next generation of iPhone a laser-based scanner which will be integrated in the front of the phone. It will facilitate the automatic phone unlocking due to facial recognition of the owner, taking over the Fingerprint Reader`s function.

This information accords with some of the most credible rumors which have circulated by now. According to these rumors, Apple is expected to discard the Home button, removing all at once its basic functions and its integrated fingerprint sensor.

Therefore, apealing to this rumor`s logic, Apple needs an alternative for securing its devices. So far we have talked about a sensor that reads fingerprints, and now the option of facial recognition shows up.

We consider the fact that both versions can be true. It wouldn`t be a big surprise if the top version of the new iPhone would have facial recognition system, while the other would use the fingerprint sensor, integrated in the screen or moved behind the phone.

New Design

By now, it was said about three IPhone versions Apple would launch this fall. In the top would be a 5.8 inch design, whose screen will probably fill a higher percentage from the front of the phone, due to lack of Home button.

Samsung and Apple signed an agreement whereby the South Korean company pledges to offer 160 million screens for future mobiles to the Americans. This number is surprisingly high, which means that iPhone8 could beat Apple`s sales records registered so far.

cNet has made a top of specifications that we could find on the new iPhone: Apple's next-generation processor, glass and stainless steel body, frameless display, wireless charging, improved water resistance, camera with dual lenses and AR capabilities, Support for Apple Pencil, iris scan as an alternative to Touch ID, new colors (including red), price that could exceed $ 1,000.

8 iPhone is likely to be launched in September this year, which means that it will be available, most likely in October.
Looking at the world through the eyes of the Web
Rex Tillerson has seen enough. The recently-confirmed Secretary of State is clearing out the State Department in a move designed to rid the federal government of Obama-era staffers who have no intention of cooperating with the Trump administration. On Friday, CBS News reported that numerous staffers were given their walking papers. As part of the transition from one administration to the next, we continue to build out our team. The State Department is supported by a very talented group of individuals, both Republicans and Democrats, Department of State spokesman R.C.

Hammond explained to CBS.

Career diplomat and counselor Kristie Kinney shown to the door

Among those who were shown the door were Kristie Kinney, a career Foreign Service officer who, for the past year, had served as State Department counselor. The Washington Post reports that Kinney was told that her services were no longer needed and that her staff would be reassigned. State Department sources have hinted that the void left by Kinney's departure may not be filled.

Tillerson's campaign of mass layoffs comes in the wake of Elliot Abrams' failure to rise to the position as State Department counselor. Tillerson's personal choice for the position was vetoed last week by President Trump and Abrams claims that his path to Kinney's position was blocked because of statements he had made during the presidential race that were critical of Trump.

Tillerson at G-20 conference in Germany when firings took place

CBS reports that much of seventh-floor staff, who work for the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and the Counselor offices, were handed pink slips while Tillerson was away on his first overseas trip as head of the State Department. According to the Washington Post, five of the eight senior staffers who accompanied Tillerson to Germany are serving in temporary capacities.

Some State Department officials have claimed that this was a "politically-minded purge" rather than the simple reorganization of the bureaucracy.
The United States Defense Department is considering a proposition that the US military deploy conventional ground forces into the country of Syria as part of the larger coalition action against the extremist group ISIL. Until this point in the conflict, only small teams of US Special Forces have been deployed to the country to train and assist anti-ISIL forces.

President Trump may use ground forces as part of larger strategy against ISIL

Although the Pentagon may recommend the use of ground forces in Syria, the decision for an expanded combat role for US forces will come for US President Donald Trump, who campaigned for the presidency using very aggressive rhetoric against ISIL and other extremist organizations.

The use of conventional ground forces in Syria was rejected by President Trump's predecessor, former President Barack Obama, who worried of inherent risks in deploying Ground Troops and the additional resources needed for an expansion of US presence in Syria.

The United States began supplying the Free Syrian army with aid in 2011 at the outbreak of civil war in the country. Under President Obama, the US began surveillance and military intervention campaigns against ISIL in September 2014. In 2016, under President Obama, the US dropped a total of 26,171 bombs throughout the world, with approximately fifty-percent of the explosives used in Syria.

The US has also funded the Syrian Train and Equip Program since 2011, which has armed and trained moderate Syrian opposition forces inside Turkey and other ally countries, with the intention to return to Syria to fight against ISIL forces.

The US has most prominently backed Syrian Democratic Forces recently. It is estimated the Islamic State has lost around a quarter of the territory it once controlled inside Syria in the last year.

Defense Secretary Mattis comments on proposition

US Defense Secretary James Mattis recently attended his first meeting in regard to the anti-ISIL coalition led by the United States. Mattis did not rule out the possibility of sending ground troops into Syria, and said further discussion would take place with President Trump in regard to the matter.
While #Donald Trump s first four weeks as President have been dominated by domestic issues and accusations of Russian interference in his election victory, North Koreas missile test last week was a reminder that Asia has the potential to cause major problems for his administration. China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and North Korea could become the grounds where his foreign policy would be most tested.

China

Undoubtedly China is already an economic super power and is one of Americas greatest commercial rivals, a fact already acknowledged by the 45th President when talking about making America great again.

Yet the Asian giant also has ambitions to become a true military superpower in its own right and not just on the coat tails of Russia, as it was in the past.

The development of new combat aircraft and navy ships, the building of artificial islands in the South China Sea shows military ambitions which are worrying such traditional American allies as Japan and South Korea.

The new Administration will need to keep a sharp eye on its rival because it is fast becoming an even bigger threat than it was before. At the same time, even though it is now more independent from Russia, history has shown that it will not hesitate to act together with the former Soviet Union if the needs require.

These developments will give Donald Trump and his new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson much work to do and not only because China is also a key to controlling the rogue North Korea.

India and Pakistan

The Indian sub continent comprised the former British colony of India. Mahatma Gandhi had warned the British not to separate the Hindus and the Moslems when the colony was divided and time has proven him correct.

The three wars between them since their independence and the regular incidents at their shared border are proof that this rivalry could once again explode.

The fact that both countries are also amongst the worlds biggest buyers of arms indicates that such a war would be truly disastrous.

Furthermore, long term tensions between India and China could also contribute to a clash between the two Asian giants which may also draw in Pakistan which would want to take advantage of any Indian distraction.

Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and North Korea

Indonesia is the worlds biggest Moslem country by population and Malaysia also shares the same religion. This makes them targets for ISIS and other fanatics groups and in fact they have suffered attacks in the past. For this very reason they may well provide not only a future battle field for the war on terror, but paradoxically may also be the key to help the United States in finding other solutions for the terrorism that has created the worlds refugee crisis.

The unusual and violent activities of controversial Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte with his war on drug runners which has seen 3,000 people die so far could be a destabilising factor in Asia.

His political ambition and inconstant and at times incoherent behaviour may see him act unpredictably and could even worsen the tensions over Chinese ambitions in the South China Sea.

North Korea, the country now lead by Dictator Kim Jung-un has been a thorn in the side of the United States since the end of the Second World War and will continue to do so for at least the immediate future.

Challenges

These are only a part of the challenges facing the United States and the world from Asia at the present time. They will not be easy to address and the presence of an American President and Secretary of State without diplomatic experience will make it that much harder.

Donald Trumps current domestic difficulties may well give one of these players the opportunity to make a move, as we saw with the North Korean missile test last week, but the other powers must not be neglected.

The President of the United States is considered the Leader of the free world and Asia could become the supreme test of Donald Trumps true capabilities in this role.
In less than 24 hours, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the next commander in chief on Inauguration Day. As the president-elect begins to celebrate, he's also facing harsh backlash, including from top celebrities.

Trump Hollywood backlash

The day most people never thought would come is almost here. The former host of "The Apprentice" will soon become the leader of the free word, as the era of Donald Trump will make its way into the White House. With Republican control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in Congress, Trump will have an easier time pushing through his policies and proposals than President Obama has had over the last eight years.

In response, critics of the president-elect have refused to remain silent, with multiple protests being planned to take place. As seen across Twitter on January 19, many celebrities are using their influence to help to set the record straight on the billionaire real estate mogul.

We're about to inaugurate a POTUS who almost certainly has committed treason. For the preservation of our democracy #SpecialProsecutor  Rob Reiner (@robreiner) January 18, 2017

"We're about to inaugurate a POTUS who almost certainly has committed treason," actor and director Rob Reiner wrote on Twitter, before adding, "For the preservation of our democracy" while using the hashtag "#SpecialProsecutor." Actor George Takei took a humorous approach, tweeting "Trump's inauguration will be wet and warm.

Oh myyy," while attaching a picture of Friday's weather report.

Trump's inauguration will be wet and warm. Oh myyy. https://t.co/30m1pScixb  George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) January 18, 2017

Actress Chelsea Handler also chimed in, while mocking the rock band "3 Doors Down" for performing at the event. "Trump's inauguration will be protested in all 50 states and 32 countries," Handler tweeted, before noting, "making this the highest attended 3 Door Down concert to date."

Trumps inauguration will be protested in all 50 states and 32 countries, making this the highest attended 3 Door Down concert to date.  Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) January 18, 2017

Anger on the left

Actress Rosie O'Donnell has used her Twitter account to express her disdain for Donald Trump for sometime, and responded to a tweet addressing the Inauguration Day boycott.

"Don't watch - literally do anything else," O'Donnell wrote.

don't watch - literally do anything else https://t.co/6Er8bJUKqd  ROSIE (@Rosie) January 19, 2017

Author Stephen King also gave his thoughts on social media, adding, "I wish anyone other than Donald Trump--left, right, or center--were taking the Oath of Office tomorrow.

My preference would be Barack Obama." In addition, King also tweeted, "Love Toby Keith. Great country artist. Supports the troops. Hopefully he'll play 'The Draft Dodger Rag" for Trump at that inaugural bash.'"

I wish anyone other than Donald Trump--left, right, or center--were taking the Oath of Office tomorrow. My preference would be Barack Obama.  Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 19, 2017

Moore takes a stand

Filmmaker Micheal Moore sent out an onslaught of tweets in recent days, documenting the ceremony leading up Inauguration Day. "As the soldier played a somber taps on his bugle, it felt like he was playing it 4 us, 4 something else that had died," Moore wrote on his Twitter page Thursday afternoon.

In another tweet, Moore took a shot at the lower than expected attendance for the inauguration.

JUST IN: Lots of DC hotel rooms & plane/train seats have opened up cause proTrump turnout much lower than thought. So come to Sat protest!  Michael Moore (@MMFlint) January 19, 2017

If u live near New York City, come join me, Alec Baldwin, Rosie Perez, Mark Ruffalo & others tonite (Thurs) 6PM Trump Hotel Columbus Circle!  Michael Moore (@MMFlint) January 19, 2017

"JUST IN: Lots of DC hotel rooms & plane/train seats have opened up cause proTrump turnout much lower than thought," Moore pointed out, while suggesting, "So come to Sat protest!" Moore, actor Alex Baldwin, and many others will be holding a protest outside of Trump Tower in New York City, with a record amount of protesters expected to take part in the event.
Keeping money safe is about to get a lot more difficult. Security researchers at the RSA cyber security conference in San Francisco this week offered ample evidence that hackers are becoming more adept at infiltrating banking systems and even blockchain platforms, built to handle bitcoin transactions, are also vulnerable.

Global banking systems under attack

Despite billions spent to secure networks, banks are vulnerable to attacks as cyber criminals become more sophisticated in injecting malware into connected systems. A sign of whats to come can be found in last years breach of Bangladesh Bank, where thieves gained access to funds through hacking of the SWIFT messaging system used by over 3,000 global institutions.

The criminals got away with $81 million of the $951 million they attempted to steal.

Researchers also pointed out that the worlds ATM structure is sadly outmoded. According to IBM security adviser Bruce Schneier, Ninety-five percent of the worlds ATM machines are still running on Windows XP. Microsoft ended their support for the operating system in 2016.

The machines out-of-date technology has not gone unnoticed by criminals either. Less than a year ago, cyber thieves executed malicious software on an ATM network in Taiwan that yielded over $2 million before the countrys largest banks suspended withdrawals.

Blockchain flaws revealed

There are also growing concerns that the blockchain, a platform used to handle cryptocurrency transactions and smart contracts, may be vulnerable to hacking as well.

Two separate presentations at this weeks RSA conference focused on vulnerabilities in a technology that many believed was virtually impossible to breach.

The issues with the blockchain are centered around the use of cryptographic keys and wallets where bitcoin currency is stored. Konstantinos Karagiannis, chief technology officer for British Telecom Americas, delivered a presentation at RSA that documented how advances in quantum computing will make it easier to obtain a blockchain users private key.

He urged the blockchain community to consider implementing quantum-safe encryption.

Another presentation by Uri Rivner, who leads cyber strategy for BioCatch, described flaws in the handling of security controls for growing private blockchains, since they are not subjected to the same complex hashing rules as the public blockchain.

Taking keys from devices is very easy these days, said Rivner.

The Internet security firm Cyren recently found evidence of malware that steals passwords from digital wallets and bitcoin as well. According to the firm, bitcoin users in the U.S. and Singapore are being targeted by enterprising hackers.

There have been other incidents over the past year which are raising concerns about blockchain security. Last October, the BlockChain.Info website, one of the largest bitcoin wallets, was hijacked and knocked out of service for nearly a day. And last summer, Bitfinex disclosed the loss of $60 million in customer funds. Just a few weeks ago, it was reported that the hackers of the Bitfinex accounts were beginning to move some of the bitcoin they stole into various exchanges in an apparent attempt to test how closely they were being watched.

The security world, gathered for five days this week in San Francisco, is clearly grappling with the rising sophistication of attackers and the tools they use. This has led to some interesting moments, such as one provided yesterday by James Lyne, the global head of security for Sophos.

In a live demonstration at the conference, Lyne deliberately infected his computer with malware that demanded a ransom in bitcoin for encrypted files. However, the researcher found the bitcoin service connection the criminals were using and quickly changed some code to trick the attackers into thinking they had been paid. Despite the escape, Lyne warned that ransomware will continue to evolve and improve in quality. And it could take much of the financial world with it.
Do you know the King of Jordan? You may or may not know about King Abdullah the 2nd of the Kingdom of Jordan. He is not only a King of a nation in the Middle East, but he is actually one amazing guy! Consider him the Elvis of Rock n Roll in the Middle East. Here are some things that will get you intrigued to start following up on this awesome dude!

The 55-year-old Jordanian is a true King

He is a ruler, a boss in its entire meaning. But at the same time, he is one of the most humble, down to earth guys anyone would fall in love with. Before becoming King, he had his studies in England and the United States, where shortly after that he joined and served with the British Army.

He is a man that takes on life to the fullest. He scuba dives, jumps out of planes in parachutes, he's a pilot AND hes a former Jordanian National Rally Racing Champion. He does it all right? Yes! But theres more! A few years back one of his Lieutenants was captured and burned to death by the horrible ISIS. He got so angry that he ordered a bombing mission against them right away and declared a harsh war against them. Thats not my point though. My point is to get revenge; King Abdullah personally flew one of the twenty F-16s in that mission! The world doesnt call him The Warrior King for nothing folks!

Humbleness goes a long way!

Aside from all of that he is truly a generous and inspirational figure.

He has managed to keep neutral ties with the majority of world leaders and is considered a great and strong ally in the region to many powerful countries around the world.

The King is a people person and there isnt anything he wouldnt do. In 2013, Jordan was impacted by a huge snow storm. Jordan isnt equipped for storms of that severity.

After it was over he went out for a drive around town to check on the status of his country. A car with a family in it were stuck on the side of the road. He made the driver stop and got out to push with the other civilians. He even used to wear a disguise and walk in town to talk to people about the King, just to see their opinions and thoughts on the Kingdom straight from his peoples mouths. If thats not a caring leader for his country, I dont know what it is! Did I mention his wife, Queen Rania is a superstar?! Even Oprah loves her!
CHANGSHA - The death toll has climbed to 10 in Tuesday's gas explosion at a coal mine in central China's Hunan Province after investigators unveiled a cover-up.

The explosion happened early on Tuesday at Zubao Coal Mine in Lianyuan, a county-level city in Loudi.

Mine authorities reported on Tuesday that of the 29 people who were working in the pit, 16 escaped the shaft, nine died and four were rescued.

On Thursday, investigators from the city government of Loudi found one more miner had been killed in the blast, but was listed as "injured", the press office of the Loudi government said in a statement Saturday.

It said police had detained a manager of the mine surnamed Liu who was suspected of covering up the miner's death.

Three officials are under investigation, including two deputy mayors of Lianyuan and the local production safety chief.

Hunan Province has launched a two-week safety overhaul and suspended all small coal mines with annual production capacity of less than 300,000 tonnes.

Zubao Coal Mine is a small mine with an annual capacity of 90,000 tonnes.
NEW YORK - Japan's SoftBank Group Corp is prepared to give up control of Sprint Corp to Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile US Inc to clinch a merger of the two US wireless carriers, according to people familiar with the matter.

SoftBank has not yet approached Deutsche Telekom to discuss any deal because the US Federal Communications Commission has imposed strict anti-collusion rules that ban discussions between rivals during an ongoing auction of airwaves.

After the auction ends in April, the two parties are expected to begin negotiations, the sources told Reuters this week.

Two and a half years ago, SoftBank abandoned talks to acquire T-Mobile for Sprint amid opposition from US antitrust regulators. That deal would have seen Deutsche Telekom retain a minority stake in T-Mobile, down from about 65 percent.

Deutsche Telekom Chief Executive Tim Hoettges has said in recent months that the German company is no longer willing to part with T-Mobile, prompting SoftBank to explore a new strategy to achieve a potential combination, the people said.

SoftBank, which owns about 83 percent of Sprint, has been frustrated with its inability to grow significantly in the United States on its own, where both Sprint and T-Mobile have struggled to compete with Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc, the two largest US carriers with much deeper pockets.

Investors have said a merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, ranked third and fourth respectively, would still face antitrust challenges, but made strategic sense as the industry moves to fifth-generation wireless technology. Carriers will need to spend billions of dollars to upgrade to 5G networks that promise to be 10 times to 100 times faster than current speeds.

While SoftBank is still open to discussing other options, it is now willing to surrender control of Sprint and retain a minority stake in a merger with T-Mobile, the sources said. They asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential.

SoftBank, Sprint, Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile all declined to comment.

"We may buy, we may sell. Maybe a simple merger, we may be dealing with T-Mobile, we may be dealing with totally different people, different company," SoftBank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son told analysts on the company's latest quarterly earnings call earlier this month.

With the advent of 5G, Deutsche Telekom may receive offers for T-Mobile from other US companies, such as DISH Network Corp and Comcast Corp. Sprint could also be an acquisition target for other companies, the sources said.

Dish declined to comment and Comcast did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

DISCOUNTING PLANS

Reuters could not determine how much of a premium SoftBank may want Deutsche Telekom to pay for control of Sprint, which has a current market valuation of $36 billion.

T-Mobile's market value stands at $50 billion, which is about $20 billion higher than when it was last in merger talks with Sprint in 2014.

While Sprint's market value has changed little since then, T-Mobile has overtaken Sprint as the No. 3 wireless customer in terms of numbers of subscribers. T-Mobile said it had 71.5 million total customers while Sprint had 59.5 million at the end of 2016.

T-Mobile is now almost as big as Deutsche Telekom's German business. "We are not in the mood of selling the business," Hoettges told investors last November.

Under John Legere, its combative, T-shirt wearing chief executive, T-Mobile has rolled out unlimited data plans and international roaming packages. Combined with aggressive marketing, this has boosted T-Mobile customer base at the expense of its rivals.
WASHINGTON  Over the strong objections of environmental groups, the Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday, giving President Donald Trump an eager partner to fulfill his campaign pledge to increase the use of planet-warming fossil fuels.

In six years as Oklahoma's attorney general, Pruitt filed 14 lawsuits challenging EPA regulations that included limits on carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. He also sued over the EPA's recent expansion of water bodies regulated under the Clean Water Act, a federal measure opposed by industries that would be forced to clean up polluted wastewater.

Pruitt's supporters cheered his confirmation, hailing the 48-year-old Republican lawyer as the ideal pick to roll back environmental regulations they say are a drag on the nation's economy.

"EPA has made life hard for families all across America," said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "The agency has issued punishing regulations that caused many hardworking Americans to lose their jobs. Mr. Pruitt will bring much needed change."The vote was 52-46 as Republican leaders used their party's narrow Senate majority to push Pruitt's confirmation despite calls from top Democrats to delay the vote until requested emails are released next week.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was the lone Republican vote against Pruitt. Two Democrats from states with economies heavily dependent on fossil fuels crossed party lines to support Trump's pick, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota.

During his Senate confirmation hearing last month, Pruitt said he disagreed with Trump's past statements that global warming is a hoax. However, Pruitt has previously expressed doubt about scientific evidence showing that the planet is heating up and that humans are to blame.

Pruitt's nomination was vigorously opposed by environmental groups and hundreds of current and former EPA employees, who fear he will preside over massive budget and staff cuts.

"The biologists, scientists, lab technicians, engineers and other civil servants who work at the EPA must be able to do their jobs without political interference or fear of retribution," said J. David Cox Sr., president of the American Federation of Government Employees, a labor union representing more than 9,000 EPA employees.

Democrats boycotted a committee vote on Pruitt's nomination last month, citing his refusal to hand over thousands of emails that he exchanged with oil and gas executives. As part of a public records lawsuit, a state judge in Oklahoma on Thursday concluded there was no legal justification for Pruitt's withholding his correspondence for the past two years. She ordered him to release most of the emails by next week.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to delay Pruitt's confirmation vote for 10 days. Schumer, of New York, tried to draw a direct line between Pruitt's withheld emails and last year's demands from Republicans during the presidential campaign.
The Trump administration considered a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants, including millions living nowhere near the Mexico border, according to a draft memo obtained by The Associated Press.

Staffers in the US Department of Homeland Security said they had been told by colleagues in two DHS departments that the proposal was still being considered as recently as Feb. 10. A DHS official described the document as a very early draft that was not seriously considered and never brought to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly for approval.

The 11-page document calls for the unprecedented militarization of immigration enforcement as far north as Portland, Oregon, and as far east as New Orleans, Louisiana. The document can be accessed at http://apne.ws/2l1Dj0kFour states that border on Mexico were included in the proposal  California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas  but it also encompasses seven states contiguous to those four  Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Friday the document was "not a White House document.""There is no effort to do what is potentially suggested," he said. Spicer called the AP report "100 percent not true," adding that there was "no effort at all to utilize the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants."The AP had sought comment from the White House beginning Thursday and DHS earlier Friday and had not received a response from either.

Governors in the 11 states would have had a choice whether to have their guard troops participate, according to the memo, which bears the name of Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general.

While National Guard personnel have been used to assist with immigration-related missions on the US-Mexico border before, they have never been used as broadly or as far north.

The memo was addressed to the then-acting heads of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Customs and Border Protection. It would have served as guidance to implement the wide-ranging executive order on immigration and border security that President Donald Trump signed Jan. 25. Such memos are routinely issued to supplement executive orders.

Also dated Jan. 25, the draft memo says participating troops would be authorized "to perform the functions of an immigration officer in relation to the investigation, apprehension and detention of aliens in the United States." It describes how the troops would be activated under a revived state-federal partnership program, and states that personnel would be authorized to conduct searches and identify and arrest any unauthorized immigrants.

If implemented, the impact could have been significant. Nearly one-half of the 11.1 million people residing in the US without authorization live in the 11 states, according to Pew Research Center estimates based on 2014 Census data.
NEW YORK  Municipalities nationwide including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Skokie, Illinois, are urging a federal judge to continue blocking President Donald Trump's travel ban.

New York City's chief lawyer Zachary Carter filed papers Friday in federal court in Brooklyn on behalf of nearly three dozen cities. Carter and Senior Counsel Susan Greenberg say in the filing that the ban against seven predominantly Muslim countries damages the economies and cultures of the cities. They say it harms efforts to keep cities safe, including against terrorists.

The White House has said the order is necessary to protect against terrorism.

The papers were submitted in advance of a Tuesday hearing.

A federal appeals court in Seattle has upheld a stay of the ban in a case brought by Washington state and Minnesota.
*M*ake what you will of this. In the modern era of partisan polarization, which can be dated back to the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, only the presid...
Zhao Yumin, consul general of China in Houston, talks about China's One Belt One Road initiative at Texas Southern University and how the US can participate in it. MAY ZHOU / CHINA DAILY

China's One Belt One Road initiative is not just for China and other countries are invited to participate, said Zhao Yumin, the deputy Consul General of China in Houston.

Zhao and Consul of Egypt Rahem Kholeif discussed One Belt One Road on Thursday at Texas Southern University and what it means for China, Egypt and the world, and how it can benefit the US.

"It's a colossal program, China can't do it alone. If the initiative can't benefit others, nobody would join. China is seeking win-win solutions for all to progress. It's important to have shared benefit," Zhao told the audience.

He said One Belt One Road, is not a new concept, and recounted the history of the ancient Silk Road of more than 2,200 years ago that peaked during the Tang Dynasty. It was a land route that began in western China's Xi'an and went into East Europe.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the One Belt One Road initiative in 2013, he referred to that historical trade route, and it means connectivity and inclusiveness in a world rapidly going global, said Zhao.

One Belt One Road has made headway in the past three years, he noted. China and 21 nations have set up 56 economic cooperation zones. In 2016, China invested $14 billion in One Belt One Road countries and had $900 billion in trade with them.

"This region has 4.4 million population accounting for 63 percent of the world's population, but GDP is only 29 percent of world total," Zhao said.

The average per capita GDP in the countries is only $4,000. The total GPD is valued at $21 trillion. It means there is a lot of room for development, he said.

China is planning a summit in Beijing in May to discuss strategies and projects of One Belt One Road. Zhao said that under the current atmosphere of de-globalization and protectionism, the summit wants to stress the importance of interconnection and inclusiveness.

The US can benefit from One Belt One Road, Zhao said, noting that there are so many high-speed railway, road and power plant projects in the region. US companies can profit by investment and technology transfer to do some of the projects, he said. "We often refer some projects to US companies," Zhao said.

While it's relatively easy to attract US companies to participate in One Belt One Road projects because of economic gains, Zhao said it's hard to get US government support for it.

"However, we work hard to communicate. The atmosphere is changing since last call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. We are working hard with your government. We need to do a lot with government at state, city and county level. We want to persuade American people that China is willing have a stronger relationship with the US, and US company can benefit from One Belt One Road."

"It is China's initiative but it belongs to the world. China wants to build its own economy but also help with global economy," Zhao said.
Framed up as an ostensibly responsible thing for "maintenance" and "community improvement," the proposed City bond doesn...
ABC News(MUNICH) -- Mike Pence affirmed the United States' support for NATO and urged Russia to deescalate violence in eastern Ukraine while speaking Saturday at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, which marked his first overseas trip as vice president.



"Today, on behalf of President Trump, I bring you this assurance: The United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in its commitment to our trans-Atlantic alliance," Pence told attendees at the annual international security policy gathering, at which Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly also attended.



He added, "This is President Trump's promise: We will stand with Europe, today and every day, because we are bound together by the same noble ideals -- freedom, democracy, justice, and the rule of law."



As for Russia, Pence took a defiant position, saying, "In the wake of Russian efforts to redraw international borders by force rest assured, the United States, along with the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany, will continue its leadership role as a framework nation in the Enhanced Forward Presence Initiative and support other critical joint actions to support our alliance."



In specifically addressing Ukraine, Pence said "we must hold Russia accountable and demand that they honor the Minsk Agreements, beginning by de-escalating the violence in eastern Ukraine."



He reiterated, "Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found."



Pence also spoke about quashing Iran's attempts to obtain a nuclear weapon while slamming the lifting of sanctions against the country, saying Iran "continues to destabilize the Middle East, and thanks to the end of nuclear-related sanctions under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran now has additional resources to devotwe to these efforts."



He continued, "Let me be clear: Under President Trump, the United States will remain fully committed to ensuring that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon capable of threatening our countries or our allies in the region, especially Israel."



Pence also described ISIS as "perhaps the greatest evil of them all. It shows a savagery unseen in the Middle East since the Middle Ages ... the United States will fight tirelessly to crush these enemies -- especially ISIS and its so-called caliphate -- and consign them to the ash heap of history, where they belong."



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Opinion / Columnist

In Egypt, President Mubarak made the mistake of declaring January 25, 2011, "police day." A celebration of the police who had been brutalizing and terrorizing the people? It was too much to countenance. Drawing inspiration from the ouster of Ben Ali in neighboring Tunisia, a group of young pro-democracy activists - called the Revolutionary Youth Movement - decided to replicate the accomplishments of the Tunisian experiment, and they made Mubarak's "police day" their "the day of rage."The established opposition parties in Egypt had been feckless, divided, and constantly feuding, but these new plotters and organizers were from the youth wings of the opposition movements. The following account of their strategy is culled from the February 11 edition of the Wall Street Journal.The protests were begun by a group of about a dozen young people, including representatives from six youth movements connected to opposition political parties, groups advocating labor rights, and the Muslim Brotherhood. "They met daily for two weeks in the cramped living room of the mother of Ziad al-Alimi, a leading youth organizer for Mr. El Baradei's campaign group."19 They chose 20 protest sites that were usually connected to mosques and were located in densely populated neighborhoods. The idea was that such a large number of scattered sites would strain security forces and draw larger numbers of people. The group called publicly for protests at those sites but did not make public the twenty-first site they had chosen. There were other organizers as well, including Wael Ghonim, the Google executive. However, this youth group seems to have masterminded the uprising at Tahrir Square.Three days before the protest, the youth plotters slept away from home, fearing that the police might pick them up in the middle of the night. They also stopped using their cell phones, fearing that they might be monitored, and used those belonging to relatives and friends instead. They sent small teams to do reconnaissance on the secret twenty-first site: the Badaq al-Dakrour neighborhood's Hayiss Sweet Shop. It was in a working-class slum area; the organizers knew that the protest's success would depend on the participation of ordinary Egyptians who had no access to the Internet. "On January 25, security forces predict-ably deployed by the thousands at each of the announced demonstration sites."20 Then four field commanders converged on the twenty-first site and mobilized the people to march unchecked by police to Tahrir Square (Liberation Square). The occupation of Liberation Square was a huge victory for the revolution.A visibly disturbed Mubarak sent his police goons to beat up, teargas, and douse the protesters with water cannons. They did not budge. Then he sent in the military: a column of tanks but, as in the Philippines in 1986, the protesters formed a human chain to block them. Mubarak next sent F-16 fighter jets to buzz the crowd. It did not work. Things began to turn in favor of the protesters when the army chief announced that the Egyptian military would not fire on its citizens. This announcement emboldened the protesters, who carried some of the soldiers high on their shoulders. A desperate Mubarak tried some of his old tricks. He suddenly withdrew the police from the streets and organized thugs on horses and camels to beat up and shoot the demonstrators. Some of the captured thugs were found to be carrying police ID cards. When he shut down the Internet, young Egyptians found alternative ways of communicating.On January 28, 2011, Mubarak sacked his government and formed a new one. He hastily announced new political reforms, pledged not to seek re-election in September 2011, and denied allegations that he was grooming his son, Gamal, to succeed him. (Ah, the coconut boogie again.) He indicated to Egyptians that he would like to finish his constitutional term and said that if he left, there would be chaos because the Muslim Brotherhood would take over. But his rants were greeted with the chants, "Leave, Leave, Leave!" and "Mubarak, Your Plane is Ready."On January 29, 2011, Mubarak appointed a vice president for the first time in 30 years. Threats were made against the street protesters, but yet people more came to Tahrir Square. When it became apparent that the Mubarak regime was playing for time, I sent a message to pro-democracy activists via Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail telling them to ratchet up the pressure by taking control of state television (as in the 2005 Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan); the airport (as in Kyrgyzstan in 2005 and in Bangkok on November 27, 2008); and parliament (as in Hungary in 1956 and Indonesia in 1998). On February 9, protesters pulled out a feint: They announced plans to seize state television, which was across Tahrir Square. When security forces deployed heavily to guard it, they changed tack and marched to the entrance of the parliament building.On February 10, in a highly anticipated speech, Mubarak announced that he would not step down and would remain in office until September, when his term would end. The crowd was enraged and vowed to show up at the square in even greater numbers. The military, ever attuned to the demands of the protesters, pushed Mubarak aside, and on February 11, he announced that he was stepping down and handing over power to a Supreme Military Council. Tahrir Square exploded in one giant jubilation and celebration. In all, over 300 lives were lost in the violent upheaval.
Opinion / Columnist

In a normal society, the majority of the people will be urging Grace Mugabe to hold more rallies and blowing her whistles louder.To me, Grace has touched on the biggest weaknesses of our society and why Mugabe will be voted into office even from his grave. First off, Grace has laid bare the fact that ZANU (PF) is an institutionalized organization. People can call ZANU (PF) by all names they want but the basic fact remains that ZANU (PF) has a structure that Grace and his husband realizes needs to be united urgently so that they win the 2018 elections handsomely. As long as the ZANU (PF) structures, Youth, Women, and the Veterans are whipped into line, they will vote for even a dead Robert Mugabe.At present, the Veterans are giving Mugabe a headache and his message to them is, "If you want me to go, let us go together because we started this together and we are in it together."The message from Grace is very clear to all the Opposition parties. It does not matter if you come up with a grand coalition. You are nothing but feckless groups with no capacity to organize yourselves into functioning institutions.Grace challenges the society on one simplistic idea; we are the ones who vote for Mugabe now we cry foul. Grace is being a useful tool; she is spilling the beans. You get organized first and get united, and then you stand a chance. Get united but with no organization then get lost.Another useful piece of information coming out of these rallies is that Mugabe is the face of ZANU (PF). The opposition does not have leadership. As much as I like what the Reverends are doing; their efforts will keep us in bondage for a little bit longer. Why does Mawarire/Manyika etl think they can now stand as Presidential candidates? Which institution will support their bids; their church followers? Please let us be serious about bringing better solutions to Zimbabwe.Having so many people clamoring to challenge Mugabe only serves to prevent any efforts of institutionalizing opposition parties in Zimbabwe. To quote Grace Mugabe, "We must do better than that. Whoever is doing things that destroy the party [opposition] should be ashamed.. You cannot go anywhere when you are divided."
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A NANG  a Nangs IT and communications sector is facing a serious shortfall in manpower, as colleges and training centres are only able to supply a fifth of the human resources needed for businesses operating in the city.

The pressing issue was discussed at a seminar on human resources training in the IT sector on Wednesday.

The shortage also proves to be a major obstacle for efforts to lure large technology investment.

a Nang has 700 IT businesses, of which 250 are software companies, with human resources expansion of 25 to 30 per cent each year. However, colleges and training centres in the city are only able to provide 20 per cent of the requirement, while the remaining staff have to be recruited from other provinces and cities nationwide, director of the citys Information and Communications department, Nguyen Quang Thanh said.

The citys Technology college  a major source of IT manpower  enrolled 3,000 students, but only 300 trainees in the field of IT each year. This has been a continuing issue since 2010, Thanh said.

He added that IT education centres should focus on practical skills rather than just theoretical learning.

According to Nguyen Thanh Binh, head of a Nangs Technology colleges IT faculty, 80 per cent of IT students were able to find jobs three months after graduation, and they almost all secured stable jobs after one year.

Nguyen Tuan Phuong, director of a Nang FPT Software company, said the company employed 500 people, of which 100 were from a Nang, last year.

We need a huge amount of manpower for our big projects every year, but the citys education system has not yet supplied enough for us. We had to compete against other companies in recruiting post-graduate students from colleges, Phuong said.

We almost always re-educate them [post-graduated students] for our current jobs, he said.

FPT Software a Nang has a staff of 2,000, of which two thirds were from a Nangs Technology College, while a third was from Ha Noi-based Technology college.

According to Nguyen Tan Khoi, deputy head of a Nangs Technology Colleges IT faculty, here needs to be an exchange between businesses and human resource training centres to provide eligible employees for the IT sector.

He said the IT curriculum at colleges should be developed in line with the market and employment needs of enterprises.

Fast-track model

Phuc Trung Kien, from FPT College, said the college would introduce its own fast-track education model that could provide qualified IT students with a four-term course in 16 or 20 months.

We aim to educate students with a quick course for the increasing human resource demands of IT businesses. Students could enjoy a more practical education and self-educated skills as well as studying at work places with senior IT engineers, Kien said.

Students can easily choose the most suitable education period from our nine-term course. We offer various opportunities for students to improve their skills and knowledge so they can be successfully recruited by employers, he said.

According to Hoang Nam Tien, chairman of FPT Software company, the company employs 3,000 people each year in order to provide enough manpower for domestic and international projects.

Our company has 10,000 employees, of which 1,300 are working at subsidiaries in 19 countries worldwide. We have a target of recruiting 30,000, with revenue of US$1 billion in 2020, Tien said.

Almost all education centres in Viet Nam have not yet caught up with global development trends as well as the latest technology. Thats the reason that we ask for an efficient and effective training course to meet the demand of human resources growth, he said.

Nguyen Thanh Nam, deputy chairman of FPT College, said IT students could find jobs at FPT Groups companies after a four-term training course leading to an FPT College qualification.

They [students] could either work for FPT Group or choose further education at FPT College. We are ready for collaboration with other colleges in speeding up qualified education to fill the IT human resource deficiency in a Nang and Viet Nam as well, Nam said.

He added that there it would only take a small change at current colleges to apply the FPT Colleges fast-track education model.

At the conference, FPT College inked an agreement on IT human resource training for FPT Software a Nang, and the enrolment will begin this April.

Last year, FPT Software company started its 10,000-Bridge Software Engineer (BrSE) programme in order to boost its presence in the Japanese market by 2020.

According to FPT Software, 23.3 per cent of Japanese businesses choose Viet Nam as the second outsourced service provider in the world.

Japan needs 60,000 IT engineers by 2020, of which 10,000 will come from Viet Nam and India.

FPT Software has opened branches in the United States, France, Japan and Singapore, as well as Malaysia, HCM City, Can Tho and a Nang.

In 2015, FPT Software acquired RWE IT Slovakia  a subsidiary of the RWE Group in Eastern Europe  to strengthen its global delivery capabilities in Europe, as well as to turn RWE IT Slovakia into a future FPT Slovakia, a member of the FPT family.

Last year, FPT Group also debuted the Information Technology (IT) Service Centre, FPT Complex, in a Nang to provide office space for 3,200 IT employees in the first stage and 10,000 engineers in the second stage.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam is ranked 37th among 45 countries in the latest Intellectual Property (IP) Index report compiled by the US Chamber of Commerces Global Intellectual Property Centre.

The report, released for the fifth consecutive year, ranks the United States first and Venezuela last.

Its latest ranking puts Viet Nam ahead of countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, India and Egypt, but behind the Philippines. It also marks an approximately four per cent increase in its overall score to 30 per cent (10.34 out of 35) from 26 per cent (7.83 out of 30) last year.

This years index, namely The Roots of Innovation, recognises the indispensable role of intellectual property (IP) in facilitating innovative and creative activity on a socially transformative scale, said Patrick Kilbride, Executive Director for the Global Intellectual Property Center, at the launch of Viet Nam IP Index by AmCham in Ha Noi on Friday.

The 2017 Index benchmarks the IP standards in 45 global economies, representing roughly 90 per cent of global GDP, Kilbride said, adding that economies are scored against six categories of IP protection: patents; copyrights; trademarks; trade secrets; market access; and enforcement and ratification of international treaties.

Thomas Treutler, Chairman of Amchams IT, Telecom and IPR Committee, said the increase in Viet Nams score this year can be attributed to the country signing the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal and improvements in industrial design protection and the ability to commercialise IP protection.

Over the last few years, Viet Nam has shown strong improvement in the IP sector. The market management authorities and the police seem to be much more active, as evidenced by the fact that hundreds of thousands of counterfeit goods were seized last year, Treutler said.

He added that in many cases, the operation of businesses producing counterfeit goods had been suspended, which showed the governments efforts to protect the IP rights of the honest enterprises.

However, although 2016 saw greater government focus on IP, overall efforts remain limited relative to the scale of the challenges, and tend to occur on a case-by-case basis rather than on a large scale, Truetler said.

According to this years report, Viet Nams improvements in the IP sector include putting a basic IP framework in place, particularly for trademark protection, better protection of domain names and action against confusingly similar marks for dissimilar goods.

The report also mentioned some limitations, like inadequate protection of life sciences patents, challenging enforcement environment, gaps in copyright protection, including lack of measures to address online infringements and very high physical counterfeiting rates and rampant online infringement.

Enforcement is still poor, insufficient penalties are levied and administrative inaction still occurs, according to the report.

The Global Intellectual Property Center says it works around the world to champion intellectual property rights as vital to creating jobs, advancing global economic growth, and generating breakthrough solutions to global challenges.

The US Chamber of Commerce is the worlds largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.  VNS
Boxes of fresh strawberries exported from the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Viet Nam must have for Vietnam written on them, according to new rules released on February 16 by Viet Nams Plant Protection Department. Photo vietnamnet.vn

HA NOI  Boxes of fresh strawberries exported from the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Viet Nam must have for Vietnam written on them, according to new rules released on February 16 by Viet Nams Plant Protection Department.

Under the new regulations, RoK fresh strawberries exported to Viet Nam must be produced, packaged, treated and stored at facilities registered with the RoKs agricultural goods authorities, said the department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The boxes of strawberries must also have the name or registration code of the production and packaging facilities.

The exports must also undergo quarantine checks by the RoKs plant quarantine agencies and receive quarantine certificates, reported baohaiquan.vn.

The boxes must also not have soil, leaves or any other parts of strawberry trees in them.

Korean strawberries are highly competitive thanks to strict quality management and are exported to 20 countries and territories around the world including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Viet Nam agreed to import RoK strawberries in 2016 after years of negotiation on quarantine issues between the two sides.

In Viet Nam, RoK strawberries sell for VN600,000-800,000 per kilo.

Korean strawberries are grown on smart farms according to the management good agricultural practice (GAP - good agricultural practice) so they have high quality and reach international food hygiene and safety standards. - VNS
HA NOI  This year may continue to be another eventful year for the stock market with a number of debuts from big corporations including Petrolimex, PV Power, Vietnam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Corporation (VEAM) and Loc Troi Group.

Petrolimex

After Vietnam Airlines, investors may be most excited for The Vietnam National Petroleum Groups (Petrolimex) - a leading petroleum distributor in Viet Nam with a 50-per-cent market share - expected first quarter debut.

Petrolimexs chairman Bui Ngoc Bao told the au tu chung khoan (Securities Investment) newspaper in January that the group will list shares on the HCM Stock Exchange in the first quarter if all listed conditions are satisfied.

Petrolimex made the initial public offering (IPO) in 2011 at VN15,032 (US$0.66) a share. After the information of listing in 2017, its share prices on the Over the Counter (OTC) market have picked up from VN26,000 a share late in 2016 to VN40,000 apiece in recent days.

The group has charter capital of over VN12.9 trillion ($568.3 million) with the State holding 75.9 per cent, JX Nippon Oil & Energy owning 8 per cent.

It has 66 member companies and 3 joint-venture firms with 14,000 service stations by all economic sectors and 2,352 stations of the parent company, supplying 50 per cent of the countrys demand for petroleum products.

It has estimated a pre-tax profit of nearly VN6.2 trillion in 2016. Last year, the group paid a 15-per-cent dividend rate.

PV Power

Another big energy company is expected to make an IPO and list shares this year is PV Power, a member company of Viet Nam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam).

The Wall Street Journal cited the head of the companys Business Renewal and Development Committee Phan ang Tuat as saying that the Government is seeking to sell its stakes here to a strategic investor to reduce holdings to below 50 per cent.

In 2016, PV Power generated an estimated 21.16 billion kWh of electricity, collecting total revenues of over VN26.5 trillion. Its net profit is forecast at VN1.6 trillion.

The countrys second largest power supplier has targeted to produce over 21 billion kWh of electricity in 2017 with total revenues expected at VN30.8 trillion and net profit of VN1.56 trillion.

Details of its IPO have yet to be disclosed.

VEAM

Vietnam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Corporation (VEAM) raised VN2.14 trillion in the nations largest IPO last year, with 149.5 million shares sold at an average price of VN14,291 a share.

Under the current law, VEAM must trade shares on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM) for 90 days after its IPO and list on either of the two national stock exchanges within one year.

On the OTC market, VEAMs shares are trading at around VN20,000 a share.

Established in 1990, the corporation, which makes engines and agricultural machinery, automobiles and motorbikes, possesses 12 member companies and nine affiliate firms. It owns major stakes in Honda Viet Nam (30 per cent), Toyota Viet Nam (20 per cent) and Ford Viet Nam (25 per cent), which have brought stable earnings for the company.

In 2016, VEAM estimated total revenues of VN11.3 trillion and consolidated profits of VN3.6 trillion.  VNS
HA NOI  The South Korean string JK Chamber Orchestra will perform at Viet Nam National Accademy of Musics Grand Concert Hall in Ha Noi on February 18 to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Viet Nam and Korea.

Under the baton of the orchestras music director and conductor Joseph Eui Myung Kim, 15 musicians will play pieces by Vivaldi, Bach, Francesco Geminiani, Pablo de Sarasate and Ottorino Respighi.

The highlight of the concert will be a chaconne for the string orchestra and a piece for two violins. The chaconne is arranged by Youngbin Jung from Partita for Violin Solo. Spanish Dance will be performed by Yoo Min Lee and Eun Kyu Yoon.

Lee earned her diploma from the McDuffie Centre for Strings at Mercer University in the US. She has performed at international festivals such as Aspen Music Festival, Rome Chamber Music Festival and Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. She is currently the first associate principal violinist in the Korean Symphony Orchestra.

Yoon graduated as Doctor of Musical Art at Stony Brook State University of New York and won the Sorantin International Competition.

Founded in 2005, JK Chamber Orchestra is a leading string orchestra featuring a dozen outstanding musicians, many of whom are university professors. The orchestra is led by violinist Joseph Eui Myung Kim.

The orchestra is dedicated to popularising classical music in Korea by performing in various venues.

"Our mission is to venture away from the archaic obstinacy of classical musics elitism and seek its popularity among the general public. In order to achieve our goal, we often select relatively well-known works and perform their arrangements to help our audience familiarise and feel more at ease with classical music," says the orchestras website.

Conductor Kim is one of the most active violinists and violin professors in Korea. He studied with the legendary Oscar Shumsky at the Curtis Institute of Music and Juilliard School of Music.

Since a young age, he has performed as a concertmaster and guest artist for the New Jersey Symphony, New Orleans Symphony, Koreas KBS Symphony Orchestra and Japans Sapporo Symphony.

He was awarded Musician of the Year by the Musicians Guild of Korea. He was also appointed as a Cultural Ambassador of Korea and received a Presidential Award for his achievements.

The concert will begin at 7pm. Entrance is free.  VNS
Lookout Mountain Community Services (LMCS) of LaFayette will be recruiting up to 15 employees to work in Chattooga, Dade and Walker counties. The company provides mental health, substance abuse and developmental disabilities services to individuals in the area.

The recruitment will be held Tuesday, March 7, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Georgia Department of Labors (GDOL) LaFayette Career Center located at 200 West Villanow St. in Lafayette.

The company is recruiting vehicle operators/drivers, customer service representatives, social service technical workers and human resources technicians.

All applicants must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma, or a General Education Diploma (GED).

However, those who apply for the driver positions must be at least 21 years old and have a clean driving record for at least three years, while applicants for the customer service position must have at least one year of experience in that field.

The company will train the social service technical workers and the human resources technicians.

Also, the company will conduct a drug-screening test and criminal background check on selected applicants.

Applicants are encouraged to bring a resume and dress appropriately to improve their opportunities for employment.

For more information about the jobs, or to apply online, visit employgeorgia.com to create an account and upload, or prepare, a resume. Having an Employ Georgia account expedites the interview process.

For more information about the recruitment, contact the LaFayette Career Center at (706) 638-5525. The career center is open to serve the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment, speaks to the Thoi bao Kinh te Sai Gon (Sai Gon Economic Times) about the importance of enacting the Law on Planning.

Will you explain why the draft Law on Planning had been approved by all Government cabinet members, but it was rejected by various ministries representatives at National Assembly Standing Committee meetings?

I myself defended the draft Law on Planning twice at the National Assembly Standing Committee. At those meetings, most of the delegates expressed their approval of the draft and only one or two delegates asked the drafting committee to continue to review, supplement and adjust some provisions in the draft.

No objections were raised at the two meetings. In my opinion, only some provisions and clauses of the draft need to be revised to make the law more comprehensive. In short, I can say that the draft law has enjoyed big support from the National Assembly delegates.

However, a few deputy ministers have insisted on maintaining sectoral planning. In my opinion, this is the major stumbling block.

In my address at an NA Standing Committee meeting, I emphasised the need to respect the working principle, which is to closely follow legal procedures in compiling a law. The draft Law on Planning was subject to discussion by government cabinet members many times and they agreed to present it to the National Assembly. Therefore the draft law is from, and on behalf of, the Government. Of course, we respect comments or suggestions from all deputies. But we have to follow the adopted working principles. If any cabinet members have cast their votes to approve the draft law and have now changed their mind, they should send letters to the PM who may organise a meeting to discuss the contentious points. If it is necessary, the PM may send a letter to the NA Standing Committee to make adjustments.

However, after the meeting of the NA Standing Committee, we, at the Ministry of Planning met with all ministries and sectors at a meeting organised by the NA Economic Committee. At that meeting, we discussed each point and all participants agreed with the draft prepared the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

A high number of people have expressed their approval of the draft Law on Planning prepared by the MPI and they have considered it the death knell of the practice of ask and give.

I cant agree more! In the past, there was a place for the practice of ask and give. But, with the new Law on Planning, there will be no law on product planning. Everything must follow market demand. For example, there will be no quotas given for the amount of rice to be planted or the amount of shrimp to be farmed in a given year. Farmers themselves will make their own decisions in accordance with market demands. In other words, there will be no more command economy in our country.

Some people have lamented that the MPI has made the Law on Planning for their own benefit. How do you respond to such claims?

Im sorry to say that those people have not read the draft law and misunderstand its provisions. We are not taking away the States assigned missions from any other ministries or sectors. In our legal system, each ministry has to develop its own planning. The objective of writing the Law on Planning is to help us manage the national planning policy framework, not to undertake the planning for each ministry or sector.

However, regarding the integrated national planning policy framework, we have requested the Government to assign a government agency to do the appraisal and submission to the government for approval.

Under our law, the MPI is a co-ordinating agency among Vietnamese government agencies so that they can sit down together and discuss the common issues in their planning documents. Besides, the national appraisal agency will have representatives from all ministries and sectors.

Do you think the importance of the Law on Planning is second to the Enterprises Law?

I cant give an answer to your question. But the Law on Planning is really very important. Why? The poor implementation of the Law on Practicing Thrifty and Fight Waste has had negative impacts on national development, particularly planning activities. A case in point is the serious traffic problems in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. No doubt, a key reason behind these issues is poor urban planning!

If the law is approved by the National Assembly, what will be the major impact on national economic development?

In a near future, well have a Master Plan for Development. Of course, the sectoral planning or local planning work will be reflected in that Master Plan of Development and they will serve as the spring boards for national development. By that time, the role of the State, the market, the enterprises will be very clear and they all work together to make the country advance._VNS
HA NOI  Chief Justice of the Singapore Supreme Court Sundaresh Menons current visit to Viet Nam will help bolster the partnership between the two court sectors and strengthen the Viet Nam-Singapore strategic partnership, said President Tran ai Quang.

Greeting the Singaporean official in Ha Noi yesterday, the President asked Singapore to support in training and sharing experiences with Viet Nams court sector to increase its operation competence.

Especially, Viet Nam wishes to learn from Singapore to improve the efficiency of its international arbitration centre and commercial tribunal, he said.

Lauding the two supreme courts signing of a memorandum of understanding on bilateral co-operation, he held that the deal marks a new development for the two court systems.

He suggested that the two sides should form a joint working group to direct the implementation of the new agreements.

He also hailed the courts of ASEAN countries for establishing a new co-operation channel through the Council of ASEAN Chief Judges, expressing his hope that the collaboration among ASEAN courts would become stronger and more effective, contributing to solidarity and unity in the ASEAN Community.

For his part, Menon noted that judicial co-operation between the two countries was developing in line with the growing Viet Nam-Singapore strategic partnership.

The Singaporean chief justice also voiced his wish that through the memorandum of understanding, the two countries court sectors would foster their ties in major areas of sharing experience in commercial tribunals, IT applications in court management, human resource development and building new common standards in court management.

The deal is a historical milestone in the effective affiliation of the two sectors, according to the Singaporean official.  VNS
KHANH HOA  The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2017 officially kicks off today with the first Senior Officials Meeting (SOM1) and related meetings taking place in the south central coastal city of Nha Trang until March 3.

Under the theme Creating new dynamism, fostering a shared future, the meetings participants are expected to discuss priorities for APEC co-operation in 2017, heard a press conference held yesterday in Khanh Hoa Provinces Nha Trang City.

APEC member countries will also determine priorities set by the economic committee, committee on trade and investment, budget and management committee, committee on economic and technical co-operation and other working groups; and set orientations for 2017 activities, announced the provincial Department of Information and Communications.

The Chemical Dialogue, Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group, Emergency Preparedness Working Group, Anti-Corruption and Transparency Experts Working Group, Human Resource Development Working Group, and Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade will hold meetings today and tomorrow.

As many as 2,000 delegates from the 21 member economies and representatives of the Pacific Economic Co-operation Council, APEC Business Advisory Council, international and regional organisations, domestic and international business circles will attend the events in Nha Trang.

More than 170 domestic and international reporters have registered to cover news on SOM1 and related meetings, according to the APEC National Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Viet Nam Bui Thanh Son, as Chairman of the APEC Senior Officials Meetings in 2017, will preside over SOM1.

Deputy Head of the APEC National Secretariat Nguyen Minh Vu said the event aims to boost economic growth for the 21 member economies and deepen economic connectivity.

The province established sub-committees to serve APEC events. The preparation for SOM1 and related meetings has been thorough, said Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Province Peoples Committee Nguyen Duy Bac.

Hosting APEC will be a chance to promote tourism of Viet Nam and of Khanh Hoa to these 21 economies. This also offers opportunities for the countrys localities to have bilateral dialogues with representatives of the worlds economies to attract investment, Bac said.

APEC is Asia Pacifics premier economic forum, aiming to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the region.

After nearly 30 years of development (1989-2017), APEC is a leading co-operative mechanism and economic linkage in the region. With a population of 2.8 billion people, the forum represents about 57 per cent of the worlds GDP and 49 per cent of world trade.

Viet Nam joined APEC in 1998, and hosted APEC in 2006.

Established in 1989, APEC comprises 21 economies, namely Australia; Brunei; Canada; Chile; mainland China; Hong Kong; Indonesia; Japan; the Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; the Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Taiwan; Thailand; the United States; and Viet Nam.  VNS
Viet Nam is deeply concerned about the test launch of a ballistic missile by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) on February 12, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh said to reporters yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo

HA NOI  Viet Nam is deeply concerned about the test launch of a ballistic missile by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) on February 12, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh said to reporters yesterday.

He noted that the missile launch violated resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and increased tension in the region.

Viet Nam pursues the consistent viewpoint of supporting all efforts promoting dialogue and maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and protesting any actions that cause tension and threaten peace, security and stability in the region and the world, the spokesperson said.

He called for the serious observance of the resolutions of the UN Security Council.  VNS
National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (R) receives Swedish Ambassador to Viet Nam Pereric Hogberg yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo Trong uc

HA NOI  National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has suggested Sweden continue supporting Viet Nam in realising millennium development goals and enhance co-operation with the country in trade, education-training, science-technology and health care.

During a reception for Swedish Ambassador to Viet Nam Pereric Hogberg yesterday, the top legislator applauded the Swedish Governments efforts to encourage and support Swedish enterprises investment in Viet Nam, affirming that Sweden is an important trade partner of Viet Nam.

Viet Nam will create favourable conditions for the diplomat to complete his duties, Ngan stated, expressing her hope that the ambassador would boost relations between the two countries and their legislative bodies.

For his part, Hogberg agreed with the hosts suggestion to hasten EU approval of a free trade agreement with Viet Nam in 2017 and recognise the countrys market economy status.

Earlier the same day, the NA Chairwoman received Hungarian Ambassador to Viet Nam Ory Csaba.

Ngan hoped that the two countries ministries and sectors would reach a consensus on the list of projects using preferential credits worth 440 million euro (US$468.4 million) pledged by Hungary.

The ambassador said his country wished to develop relations with Viet Nam, including expanding co-operation and establishing ties among the two countries localities.  VNS
Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Uong Chu Luu (R) meets President of the Republican Proposal Humberto Schiavoni  VNA/VNS Photo

HA NOI  Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, Uong Chu Luu, has voiced his hope that relations between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Republican Proposal (PRO)  the ruling party of Argentina  will be enhanced to be on par with political, economic and trade ties.

At a meeting yesterday with a PRO delegation led by its President Humberto Schiavoni, Luu said that the Argentinean parliaments experience in law making and reform is useful to its Vietnamese counterpart, adding that visits by parliamentarians of the two legislatures would help solidify the friendship and co-operation between Viet Nam and Argentina.

For his part, PRO President Humberto Schiavoni said that his country is interested in expanding all-round cooperation with Viet Nam, especially in trade, investment and economy.  VNS
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh reiterated Viet Nams wish to strengthen ties with the UK, the US and Brazil during his separate meetings with the foreign ministers of the countries yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo Pham Van Thang

Bonn  Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh reiterated Viet Nams wish to strengthen ties with the UK, the US and Brazil during his separate meetings with the foreign ministers of the countries yesterday.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in his meeting with Minh, affirmed that his country would keep strengthening multi-faceted co-operation with Viet Nam and continue to support the furthering of relations, connectivity and trade liberalisation between Viet Nam and Europe.

The two sides agreed to coordinate for the effective organisation of activities marking the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2018.

Minh asked the UK to increase scholarships for Viet Nam to help with the training of high-quality human resources.

They also discussed international and regional issues of common concern, sharing the view on the importance of maintaining peace, stability, freedom, security and safety of navigation and aviation; protecting the rule of law in seas and oceans; and resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

At a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Deputy PM Minh emphasised that Viet Nam treasures and wants to reinforce the friendship, co-operation and comprehensive partnership with the US on the basis of respect for each others political regime, thereby meeting the two peoples interests.

The Deputy PM repeated Vietnamese leaders invitation to US President Donald Trump to attend the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting and dialogues with businesses in a Nang this November. He also took this occasion to invite Tillerson to visit Viet Nam in the near future.

For his part, Tillerson also expressed his willingness to visit Viet Nam and participate in activities within the framework of the APEC Viet Nam 2017.

Deputy PM Minh also told Brazilian Foreign Minister Jose Serra that Viet Nam attached importance to the amity and multi-faceted co-operation with Brazil, which is the biggest Latin American trade partner of Viet Nam.

The two sides agreed to hold the third meeting of the inter-governmental committee and maintain the political consultation between the two foreign ministries.

The two officials also agreed to urge their foreign ministries to work towards the signing of co-operation documents on areas such as double taxation avoidance, shipping, education, agriculture, defence, tourism and investment.

Those documents would create a favourable legal framework for economic, trade and investment partnership, towards the trade target of US$10 billion by 2020, they said.

VN-Spain relations

On the sidelines of the meeting, Minh met with Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis, during which he voiced Viet Nams desire to bolster the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Dastis said that Viet Nam was an important pillar in Spains relations in Southeast Asia.

The two sides agreed to work together on an action plan to boost bilateral co-operation, especially in economics, renewable energy, infrastructure, tourism and hi-tech agriculture.

Minh asked Spain to support expedited EU approval of the EU-Viet Nam free trade agreement and the blocs recognition of Viet Nam as a market economy.

The two ministers also agreed to step up collaboration at international and regional multilateral forums.

Earlier, Minh also met with German Foreign Minister Sigma Gabriel and discussed measures to strengthen the Viet Nam-Germany strategic partnership.  VNS
HCM CITY  HCM City authorities plan to relocate some of the citys wholesale and retail markets to ease traffic congestion and ensure safety for residents.

Many longstanding, traditional markets still exist in urban areas, including wholesale flower markets Ho Thi Ky in District 10 and am Sen in District 11, and the wholesale dried-fish market in District 6.

Tran Thuy Lien, director of Binh ien Wholesale Market Management and Trade Company, said that it was unfair to continue to maintain wholesale markets in the inner city when other wholesale markets had relocated to outlying districts.

Lien, speaking at a meeting on Monday, said that she had asked the city government to step up relocation of inner-city wholesale markets to Binh ien Wholesale Market in District 8.

The management board of Binh ien also asked the city to strictly handle illegal businesses that encroach upon Nguyen Van Linh Boulevards pavements and entranceway leading to the wholesale market.

They also suggested removing small businesses that sell cattle meat and fresh and frozen poultry in districts Binh Chanh and 8, and a fruit market on Trang Tu Street in District 5.

The management board of Hoc Mon and Thu uc wholesale markets asked the city to speed up clearance of illegal businesses and temporary markets on nearby streets to protect businesses within the markets.

As for relocation of the Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, Nguyen Huynh Trang, deputy director of the citys Department of Industry and Trade, said the city should consider the difficulty of persuading long-time businesses to move out of the city centre.

Household businesses in the flower market have in-house flower stalls, but also display their products on the pavement, she said.

Trang said the department had urged cooperation between businesses at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market and Binh ien Wholesale Market, but the effort had not been successful.

Both retail and wholesale trade is conducted during the day, according to a representative of District 10s Peoples Committee.

Some traders who visited the shops in Binh ien have decided not to relocate because of the inconvenient location.

Truong Quoc Cuong, deputy chairman of District 11s Peoples Committee, said the city should not relocate am Sen Flower Market.

am Sen Flower Market is located on Nguyen Van Phu and Tong Van Tran streets where few vehicles pass, and the transport of flowers occurs at 1-2am each day, so it doesnt affect traffic. The district should keep this market."

The head of District 6 said the relocation of the dried-fish market on Le Tan Ke Street was not sustainable, even though it had been part of Binh Tay traditional market for many years, attracting hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy chairman of the city Peoples Committee, said the city would zone or relocate inner-city retail or wholesale markets that cause traffic congestion.

He said that district authorities should ensure traffic safety in zoned areas and consult their respective Standing Party Committees about whether to relocate or maintain markets in their areas.

New flower centre

This year, the Sai Gon Trading Group (SATRA) plans to open a flower trading centre at Binh ien Wholesale Market on an area of 14 hectares at a cost of VN700billion (US$31 million).

The centre will have market stalls for rent and provide many convenient services.

Next year, the centre will also co-ordinate with the a Lat flower trading centre in the Central Highlands province of Lam ong to form a new supply chain for flowers.

SATRA has invested in building infrastructure and logistic systems at Binh ien Wholesale Market and will assist businesses that need to relocate from the inner city with suitable spots.

Trang, deputy director of the Department of Industry and Trade, said that last year the department had provided district authorities with documents on the clearance of temporary markets.

Twenty-one districts in the city have reported their plans and the department is urging the other districts to begin clearance plans soon.

Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, which is the citys largest wholesale flower market, has more than 100 household stalls.

am Sen Flower Market has 55 businesses and provides about 15 tonnes of fresh flowers per day to many markets.  VNS
HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Ministry of Construction to clarify six problems which are of great public concern.

The request was delivered to the ministry yesterday by Minister and head of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung. Dung, also head of the PMs working group, led a group to inspect the ministrys implementation of tasks assigned by the Government and the PM.

Dung relayed PM Phucs desire to build a transparent, constructive, action-minded and serving Government which eliminates hindrances to enterprises.

According to the Construction Ministry, from the beginning of 2016 until February 10, 2017, the ministry has been assigned 311 tasks. 233 of these tasks had been fulfilled while 74 are in the process of being completed. Four are overdue.

The first problem that needs clarification relates to building mechanisms. According to Dung, the Law on Construction in 2014 should be reviewed in terms of its relevance with the Law on Land, Urban Law, Trading Real Estate Law and Public Investment Law.

He asked the ministry to propose changes to the law to the Government and National Assembly.

The PM also urged the Ministry of Construction to submit the amended Decree 59 on construction investment management to the Government.

According to Dung, ministries, sectors and localities have complained that the disbursement of public investment is slow due to Decree 59.

Design assessments for multiple-floor buildings is under the management of construction departments, however, regulations force the public and enterprises to apply for documents at the ministry, causing nuisance and waste, Dung said.

Explaining slow progress in supplementing and amending the decree, Construction Minister Pham Hong Ha said that the decree asks ministries, sectors and localities to reorganise management boards of projects. However, there are more than 1,000 Official Development Assistance project management boards nationwide, making this a huge task.

"There are many complications in the decree," he said, adding that changes would be considered and submitted to the Government soon.

The second issue raised during the inspection was planning and management of planning and construction order. This process has had failures resulting in planning breakdown or adjustments.

The PM called on the Construction Minister to clarify the roles of the ministry and localities. Localities can be authorised to issue construction licences but the ministry must supervise construction.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the ministry to prioritise the third issue, which relates to house construction, saying that the ministry should pay attention to houses for low-income people, social beneficiaries and workers at industrial parks and hi-tech zones.

Regarding the fourth issue, Minister and head of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung pointed out that the ministry has fixed construction material prices; however, they are adjusted at local levels.

The ministry should reach an agreement with localities to impose the fixed prices and stop investors hiking them, he said.

The Construction Ministry was also asked to study new materials, recycled materials, environmentally-friendly materials and substitute materials used domestically to cut down on the import of construction materials.

The last issue is the ministrys State-owned enterprise equitisation. The progress has been on schedule; however, the number of equitised firms set to be listed on the stock market is low.

The ministry was requested to speed up equitisation and avoid self interest in the progress.

Construction Minister Pham Hong Ha said that the ministry would continue completing mechanisms, work with State and local agencies in construction investment and pay attention to decentralised administration.

Decentralised administration must be conducted strongly, including assigning tasks to each locality, sector, corporation and group in the construction sector, Ha said.  VNS
HA NOI  Experts have expressed alarm over the nations poor management of invasive and harmful alien species after two cases were widely reported by the media this month.

The first case is of a company in the Mekong Delta Province of ong Thap illegally raising 120 crayfish (Procambarus clarkia) late last December although the Ministry of Rural Agricultural and Development has banned this for years because they are thought to damage crops.

However, the local authorities found and destroyed the crayfish recently, the Nong thon ngay nay (Countryside Today) newspaper reported earlier this month.

In the second case, a number of red-bellied pacu (Piaractus brachypomus), a close relative of the piranhas, were allegedly released into the Hong (Red) River in Ha Noi on February 05, raising safety concerns and fears of environmental damage.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, one of the two agencies assigned to manage issues related to invasive alien species, has asked the Ministry of Public Security to investigate the case quickly.

Professor Mai inh Yen, a leading marine scientist and an expert on fish, said overlapping functions of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment had been a factor in poor management of invasive alien species.

While the Agriculture Ministry is given the task of permitting an individual or organisation to import alien species, the Environment Ministry is tasked with handling other issues relating to alien species, he said.

Invasive alien species are only permitted to be imported in Viet Nam to serve scientific research purposes.

Yen suggested only one Government agency should manage all issues related to alien species. Other shortcomings could be fixed soon, he said.

In agreement with Yen, Nguyen Lan Hung, general secretary of the Viet Nam Union of Biology Associations told Viet Nam Television that overlapping functions was one of the reasons for the current situation.

He said the two ministries should discuss the issue together and find solutions.

The Government should assign a Deputy Prime Minister to make final decisions regarding the management of invasive alien species, he said.

Hung said every citizen should also be responsible in this regard. They should know well the harmful effects that invasive alien species can have on the countrys environment, he said.

The illegal raising of crayfish in ong Thap Province is a bitter lesson for managerial agencies, he said.

"Management of invasive alien species plays an important role in biodiversity protection and agricultural production," he said.

It is a complicated and costly task, it requires not only authorised agencies but every citizen to join hands to do it, he said.

In response to the situation, head of the agricultural ministrys Aquatic Resources Conversation and Development Department, Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung, said management of invasive alien species by the two ministries is clearly regulated.

Dung said the crayfishes illegally bred in ong Thap were imported via unofficial channels, so it would have been really difficult for the agricultural ministry to discover and prevent it.

In this case, the provincial administration also had to take responsibility, because it had also found the crayfish late, she said.

Under item 2, article 43 of the Decree 155/N-CP issued in November, 2016, an individual or organisation can be fined VN5-10 million (US$220-440) for illegally raising, breeding and transporting invasive alien species outside conservation areas for commercial purposes if the activities have yet to cause serious damage. The maximum fine is VN640 million ($28,000). VNS
Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations (Volkswagen Chattanooga) has established the Volkswagen Mechatronics Scholarship fund to support the students enrolled in the Volkswagen Mechatronics Akademie program. The fund assets are managed by the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga.

The Volkswagen Mechatronics Akademie is a workforce development initiative that features a partnership between the Hamilton County Department of Education (HCDE), Chattanooga State Community College (Chattanooga State) and Volkswagen Chattanooga.

The Chattanooga State portion of the program has a tuition component that many high school students are unprepared to meet. All of the Mechatronic Akadamie students qualified for and were awarded funds from the Volkswagen scholarship, which covers that aspect of their training.

The program features a curriculum for high school students, which allows them to complete their junior and senior years while earning more than 40 credit hours toward an associate degree in Mechatronics at Chattanooga State.

The Mechatronics Akadamie is the perfect entree to our post-high school programs in Mechatronics here at the factory and we felt that it was crucial for Volkswagen to support the reemergence of hands-on skills as a vital part of the educational options for students in the Tennessee Valley, said Scott Wilson, Head of Communications at Volkswagen Chattanooga.

I encourage others in the Chattanooga area to support skilled training by contributing through the Community Foundation so that these programs can flourish to include many more students in the future, Wilson said.

Beginning in the fall of 2016, a cohort of 24 juniors from four area high schools (Central, East Hamilton, Ooltewah, and Tyner Academy) enrolled in the program.

We are delighted to partner with Volkswagen to help students take advantage of an incredible opportunity to build market-value skills, said Maeghan Jones, President of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Inc.

This is a great opportunity for our students, said Interim HCDE Superintendent Dr. Kirk Kelly. The Mechatronics Akademie has become a crucial part of our Career and Technical Education, and we are so glad Volkswagen is supporting our Hamilton County students with the establishment of this fund. This successful partnership with VW and Chattanooga State means our students enter the workforce with an excellent education and real-world skills.

Chattanooga State is thrilled that Volkswagen has generously agreed to support this important partnership with Hamilton County, said Biondi, Director of High School Programs.

The students participating in the Mechatronics Akademie have already exceeded our expectations. With a 98% attendance rate and a dramatic increase in GPA, these students are working hard and their efforts have paid off. Having strong industry partners such as Volkswagen, allows HCDE and Chattanooga State to continue to develop innovative educational opportunities for the students in our community. We are confident that this model of education can be expanded successfully across our service region, Biondi said.

Classes will provide a combination of high school requirements and Chattanooga State credit. Hamilton County and Chattanooga State instructors will teach students on a schedule that will be flexible to fit the schools involved. Students will require only one additional year of college-level courses to complete their Associate of Applied Science degree in Engineering Systems Technology through Chattanooga State.
HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday said he was always open to hearing ideas on nation-building from any scientist.

In a working meeting with the Viet Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) in Ha Noi, the PM stressed that the Government, relevant agencies and authorities at all levels need to listen to scientists, intellectuals and the people, not only for the development of policies, laws and mechanisms, but also in other fields of governance in order to redress public grievances and remove obstacles to production and trade.

The PM said that VUSTA should closely collaborate with ministries and departments, especially the Ministry of Information and Communication, to develop projects and programmes that are practical and effective to boost socio-economic development.

VUSTA needs to create a favourable environment and preferential policies for talented people and scientific activities in order to maximise the creativity and scientific potential of the community, people and enterprises, PM Phuc said.

The associations also need to strengthen international collaboration and take advantage of foreign knowledge resources and advanced technologies.

The PM said he hopes VUSTA will continue to provide advice, opinions and social expertise at the central and local levels in developing legislation and issuing policies as well as inputs for major socio-economic development projects.

VUSTA Chairman ang Vu Minh said that from an organisation with only 15 members when it was founded in 1983, VUSTA currently has 141 member associations, more than 430 scientific organisations and 101 press agencies with 2.8 million members in total.

With such a strong body of intellectuals with practical experience, it would be a good idea to have VUSTA members involved in the law-making process, said Le Minh Tam of the Viet Nam Laywers Association.

He proposed developing an official channel for VUSTA so that its members could get involved early and contribute ideas to drafting legislation.

His remarks were supported by Nguyen Quang Thai, Secretary General of the Viet Nam Economic Scientists Association.

Scientists and experts should have the right to collaborate and talk directly with law drafters in the early stages, Thai said.  VNS
HA NOI 

HA NOI  Many farmers in the nations most advanced province in hi-tech agricultural production have a limited understanding what it actually means, experts say.

This also limits the provinces ability to fully tap the potential for hi-tech agriculture, they add.

With its considerable advantages in land and climate conditions, the Central Highlands province of Lam ong is leading the country in developing hi-tech agricultural production.

However the province lacks comprehensive technology planning, leaving its potential for higher productivity and better product quality untapped, according to Nguyen Truc Bong Son, director of the provinces Agriculture Extension Centre.

The hi-tech agriculture term has only been understood properly by policy makers and researchers; most farmers are still confused about it.

Many farmers think as long as they grow flowers in a glass house they can call it hi-tech agriculture. No. Hi-tech agriculture requires a lot more than that, be it quality seedlings, cultivation technology, or human skills to attain high yielding, good quality produce, he said.

Son said that farmers in the province were pursuing different hi-tech production models without any official orientation from authorities or experts as long as they earned a good profit.

Pham Thi Cuc, owner of the Bach Cuc Farm, grows vegetables using hydroculture, which she said she learnt from her peers.

I dont know which method gives higher quality, but my friends said customers like it better, so I chose this model, she said.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Van Thanh, chairman of the An Phu a Lat Company, has been planting his crops on nutritious soil, applying fixed-bed technology.

My partners from Japan and Canada ask for crops that are planted in the ground; they say these are better.

Nguyen Van Son, director of Lam ong Provinces Agriculture and Rural Development Department, said that while farmers had their right to choose their cultivation method in a market economy, the lack of proper oversight by the State could prove damaging in the long run.

Relevant State agencies need to properly analyse the pros and cons of each cultivation model, he said.

oan Van Viet, Chairman of the provinces Peoples Committee, acknowledged at a recent meeting that a weakness in the provinces agriculture sector was that it lacked proper technology planning.

 After many years applying hi-tech agriculture, a Lat City still doesnt have a post-harvest processing factory or a trade and evaluation centre, he said.

These are the biggest hindrances that keep a Lat from having agriculture products of higher quality. The city needs to foster post-harvest technology in the coming time, he added.

Pham S, Vice Chairman of Lam ong, said the province had included technology planning in its agriculture production planning.

Lam ong Province currently has more than 43,000ha dedicated to hi-tech agriculture, equal to 16.4 per cent of cultivable land. Of this, 11,900ha is for vegetables, 2,400ha for flowers, 11,300ha for coffee, 2,500ha for tea and 300ha for specialty trees.

The province recently started co-operating with the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) on a promising comprehensive agriculture development project with multiple approaches. The overall aim of the project is to turn the province and the Central Highlands region into a high-value agriculture hub in Southeast Asia.

JICA has sent experts to counsel and help Lam ong access new production and post harvest technologies, as well as achieve vertical and horizontal integration for production, consumption and export. -- VNS
Church will host community meal

WATERLOO -- The First Baptist Church, West Fourth and Baltimore streets, will host a free community meal from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday in the church social hall.

Everyone is welcome. Parking is available in the church parking lot.

The free meal is held the last Wednesday of every month.

Call the church with any questions, 234-1537.

KOC breakfast set for Feb. 26

JESUP -- The Knights of Columbus will host an omelet breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 26 at St. Athanasius Cafeteria.

The menu will include all-you-can-eat omelets, hash browns, whole hog sausage, toast, fruit cup and beverage.

Donations will be accepted, and carry-outs are available. Proceeds will go toward Jesup and Don Bosco scholarship funds and other projects.

The 2016 winners are Kyle Schultz and Alex McCombs of Jesup and Bailey Speare and Joel Sweeney of Don Bosco.

Concert set at Wartburg chapel

WAVERLY -- The Wartburg Choir and Iowa State Universitys Cantamus women's choir will perform in the Wartburg College Chapel on Thursday.

The 5 p.m. concert will feature the choral ensembles National American Choral Directors Association performance literature. Donations will be accepted to help offset the cost of travel.

More than 400 choirs from around the world applied to perform at the 2017 National ACDA convention; only 25 were accepted. Of those selected, six were collegiate ensembles.
WATERLOO -- A Waterloo man who was caught with a stolen pistol in June has been sentenced to prison.

Judge Linda Reade sentenced Keon James Jackson, 18, to three years and one month in prison during a Tuesday hearing in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. He will have to serve three years of supervised release following prison time and pay a $100 special assessment.

Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm as an unlawful drug user.

According to court records, Jackson was inside a vehicle that was pulled over by Black Hawk County sheriff's deputies in Evansdale in June, and Jackson left the vehicle, telling deputies he had to use the bathroom. He went to an area of tall grass where he allegedly attempted to hide a purse and then fled with authorities asked him what he was doing, records state.

Officers later found a Radom P-46 Makarov pistol hidden inside a shirt. The weapon had been stolen from a Waterloo business in 2012.
GLADBROOK - Two people are dead and one injured following a three-vehicle accident at the intersection of Iowa Highways 14 and 96, 10 miles west of Gladbrook and about nine miles north of Marshalltown shortly after 2 a.m. Friday.

The Iowa State Patrol identified the dead as drivers Kaleia S. Grant, 33, of Sprindale, Ark., and Brandon P. Skidmore, 32, of Marshalltown. A third driver, Joel Ryan Reints, 32, of Parkersburg, was taken to Central Iowa Healthcare in Marshalltown by Marshalltown Ambulance.

According to troopers, Skidmore's Silverado pickup truck was westbound on Highway 96 when it ran a stop sign and collided with the trailer portion or Reints' truck and trailer. The impact caused that trailer to swing around into the southbound lanes of Highway 14.

Grant's southbound truck and trailers split that trailer in two. All vehicles were in the roadway and the east and west ditches of Highway 14.

The accident is still under investigation.
Calvin Sneed, who has been working at NewsChannel 9 for the past 25 years, announced on Friday morning that he plans to retire in December.

The longtime TV personality also announced that he is about to publish a new book on his lifelong passion of bridges.

He said on his Facebook page:

A special note to the most beautiful people in the world: You all know I have a special passion for elegant steel truss bridges and arch bridges, and the coffee table-style book I'm doing to commemorate them is coming along.

Bridges can take us to new worlds and new experiences, and towards that end, I'll be officially retiring from NewsChannel 9 in December after almost 50 years in TV. I'll still be around anchoring the news until later this year, and helping folks with consumer advice, a passion of mine for 30 of those almost-50 years.

But these grand old, magnificent, graceful steel truss bridges are disappearing fast, and I'm on a mission to photograph them before they're gone forever. For me, it's not a sad time.. it's a wonderful, reflective time about helping folks solve consumer problems and delivering the news, not just in Chattanooga, but also in Columbus, Ohio... Knoxville (where I had the most fun)... and Kingsport-Tri Cities, where it all began in 1969.

East Tennessee is my home, you are all my family, and if you see me out photographing a bridge, or if you have a consumer question, holler! That's what family is for.
The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera and the CSO Youth Orchestras present an event, featuring not only two of the youth orchestras in concert (Symphony and Philharmonic), but also the CSO Orchestra and the CSOYO Symphony combined. This event gives CSOYO students a chance to learn more about their craft by working alongside the CSO musicians, and gives the

audience a chance to hear the huge sound of 150 musicians together on the Tivoli stage.

The CSO-CSOYO Side-By-Side Concert will be held on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. at Tivoli Theatre with Sandy Morris, conductor, CSOYO Philharmonic; Gary Wilkes, conductor, CSOYO Symphony; and Kayoko Dan, conductor, CSO Orchestra



In addition to providing the up-and-coming CSOYO musicians the chance to play alongside professional musicians, the program also features the top two winners of the 2016 CSOYO Concerto Competition, Juliette Blais and Hayden Daniel, in performances of their winning pieces with the CSO Orchestra.

'Please join us for a delightful afternoon of works by Bizet, Gershwin, Saint-Saens, Dvorak, and Von Suppe," officials said.

Admission is $15 for adults and $7 for children and students. Tickets are available online at

www.chattanoogasymphony.org and through the CSO Office 423-267-8583. Doors open at 2 p.m. Call 423-267-9011 for more information.



Program:



CSOYO Philharmonic BIZET LArlesienne Suite No. 2



CSOYO Symphony GERSHWIN Selections from Porgy & Bess



CSO Orchestra SAINT-SAENS Concerto No. 1 in A Minor for Violoncello & Orchestra Juliette Blais, soloist KABALEVSKY Concerto No. 1 for Violin & Orchestra, op. 48, 1st movement Hayden Daniel, soloist



CSO Orchestra/CSOYO Symphony DVORAK Slavonic Dances, Op. 72, no. 7 VON SUPPE Overture to Dichter und Bauer (Poet and Peasant)



Soloist Reviews:



Juliette Blais has been the principal cellist of the CSO Youth Orchestras Symphony orchestra

under Gary Wilkes since 2013. She also participated in the Philharmonic Orchestra under Sandy Morris for two years and was a student manager during that time. Her private instructor is currently Dr. Wesley Baldwin at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, but previously she studied with Jenny Wilkes Hibbard for several years.



Juliette has played cello since 2010, and has attended summer music camps including

Wintergreen Summer Music Festival in Virginia, Meadowmount School of Music in New York, and the Brevard Music Institute in North Carolina. She was the recipient of two CSOYO scholarships last spring, and this year won her first competition with the CSO Youth Orchestras.



In her free time, Juliette is a part of an informal youth chamber group comprised of members

from three Chattanooga high schools. They rehearse frequently and perform at several private locations, but they especially enjoy busking on the Walnut Street Bridge, a center of city life in Chattanooga.



Juliette currently attends Collegiate High at Chattanooga State Community College where she is enrolled in dual enrollment classes while pursuing her high school diploma. Juliette plans to pursue music with a double major in educational policy at college.



Sixteen-year-old Hayden Daniel has studied the violin since he was seven years old. He

currently studies under Dr. Josh Holritz, associate concertmaster of the CSO and CSOYO alum.

He is a junior at the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences and has the privilege of playing in the Orchestra there under the direction of Mr. Gary Wilkes. He has been a member of the CSOYO for six seasons and a member of the Chattanooga Boys Choir for eight years.

This past summer, Hayden attended The Tennessee Governors School for the Arts and has performed at several notable venues, including the Duke University Chapel and Emory Universitys Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.


By Feb. 16, 2017 | 08:12 AM | PADUCAH, KY



The Kentucky Soybean Board began investing their biodiesel budget in the education of future technicians and instructors in 2015. This class makes 333 technicians to have completed the biodiesel curriculum developed by the National Biodiesel Board, said Dennis Clark, Kentucky representative of the National Biodiesel Board.



Biodiesel is the first advanced biofuel in the US, and as we strive to be sustainable and take better care of our planet; this renewable resource puts out fewer emissions and burns more cleanly. In addition, it has detergent capabilities that help to clean out the entire diesel system, said Rae Wagoner, communication director of the Kentucky Soybean Board.



The Diesel Technology program at WKCTC is a sequence of courses designed to prepare students for careers in medium and heavy trucks, farm equipment service and construction equipment repair. Instruction, delivered by lecture and hands-on training, is provided by a National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) Master Certified Truck Technician.





For more information about the Diesel Technology program, contact Doyle Howard at doyle.howard@kctcs.edu or 270-247-9633.



The Kentucky Soybean Board donated $500 to West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) to be designated for the colleges Diesel Technology program and provided a biodiesel training course for students. Twenty-three WKCTC diesel students received certificates upon completing the course.This training was a great opportunity for our students to expand their knowledge in biodiesel. Adding this training makes our students more marketable when they graduate WKCTC, said Diesel Technology Program Coordinator, Doyle Howard.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 15, 2017 | 09:38 AM | GRAVES COUNTY, KY

Two people have been charged with stealing a car in Graves County.

Graves County Sheriff Dewayne Redmon said deputies responded Tuesday morning to a home in the 800 block of KY 945 on a report that a car was being stolen from the property. When deputies arrived, they were told that a 1997 Honda Accord had been stolen.

The suspects had reportedly loaded the vehicle on a trailer and traveled north on KY 945. Deputies saw a truck and trailer hauling the stolen car behind a home in the 1000 block of KY 945.

Thirty-seven-year-old Billy Crouch and 41-year-old Angela Thomas were arrested at the home and charged with theft of auto. Both were lodged at the Graves County Jail.
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Costa Rica is known for its quetzales, many hummingbirds, beautiful tanagers, and a host of other tropical birdies not found back at the home patch. Thats of course why most birders visit Costa Rica and rightly so. However, for a local birder who cant help but take part in a permanent hustle to boost the year list, you gotta look for more than the resident eye candy species. You also need to spend time scanning swallows, not give in to the temptation to ignore swift silhouettes, and get strategic.

Im trying to keep that in mind when I plan my birding forays and is why I drove a few hours to a windy reservoir two weeks ago instead of creeping around some cloud forest. I need lots of cloud forest birds for the year and love hanging out in that oxygen-rich habitat but I also need ducks and in Costa Rica, most of those old web-footed ones are local, rare, and only possible a few months out of the year. January is a good time for them, and since I had a day to spare, I decided to go for broke and hit the Canas reservoir as a day trip. From where I live, this involves driving down to the coastal plains and heading north on a road typically beleagured by slow-poke trucks. It doesnt matter that the route in question is part of the Pan-American highway, its still painfully slow in some sections, especially the one between here and Canas. The up-side to that is a new, four lane stretch of quick road for at least some kilometers along with a chance at rare ducks.

The other up-side is the possibility of making a quick detour to one of Costa Ricas best (and only) shorebird spots, the salt ponds at Punta Morales. If the tide is high, this spot is always worth checking, especially for local birders in need of year birds and rarities. Two weeks ago, I made it there just in time to tick off Black Skimmer, Long-billed Curlew, and a bunch of other terns and shorebirds before they flew back out to the more natural mud flats in the Gulf of Nicoya. This site can also be good for uncommon and rare swallow species, and on that day, scanning them paid off with a Tree Swallow a rare species for Costa Rica. No ducks, nor Cave Swallows but the other additions were very welcome.



We might not have wildlife refuges but we do have the Cocorocas salt ponds!

After the stop at Morales, it was onward to Canas on my quest for ducks. Upon eventual arrival, much to my relief, a hefty raft of teal were present.

Thousands of Blue-winged Teal can show up this reservoir. What on Earth do they eat? How do so many survive?

Akin to looking through clouds of gulls in Niagara, you have to keep scanning and re-scanning the ducks until something different floats into view. On Tuesday, a few something differents eventually showed with the Blue-winged Teals and small numbers of Lesser Scaup. The first were a couple of American Wigeon, an excellent addition to my Costa Rica year list! As un-exciting as this species may sound to birders up north, seeing one here is kind of like finding a Eurasian Wigeon or maybe a Pine Grosbeak.

The next different duck was a hybrid Cinnamon Teal. As with any hybrid, it was a bittersweet if interesting sighting because although it looked cool and very cinnamonish, there isnt any room for .5 species on my year list. All species have to be 100% so this also left off the next cool sighting at the reservoir.

A cool looking uncountable duck.

When I saw this stand-out duck, my heart jumped as I see-sawed between it being a hybrid and maybe a Chiloe Wigeon. I couldnt exactly recall what a Chiloe Wigeon looked like but I sure hoped it resembled the thing I was seeing! If so, it would probably still be excluded because of the dreaded captive possibility clause but a full species would be more exciting than a hybrid. Like a natural born leader among teals, it was larger than the birds that surrounded it, and shared some of their colors and face pattern but was more splendid in appearance. Ah, if only we could include hybrids and call that bird a King Teal, what a wonderful addition to the year list that would be!

All hail the King!

I didnt see any other ducks on my mini quest at the reservoir but I might have to go back, and soon. Another birder found Northern Pintail, and other needed year ducks could also show up. The weird King Teal turned out not to be a Chiloe Wigeon after all and I dont know what it was but it was still fun to behold and I wouldnt mind seeing it again.
CHICAGO, IL, February 18, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- LaSalle Network, a national staffing, recruiting and culture firm announces today its recognition as a seven-time winner of Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) "Best Staffing Firms to Work For," the only company headquartered in Illinois to be on the 2017 list.



The "Best Staffing Firms to Work For" award, sponsored by Monster, was based on the survey results of internal employees conducted by Quantum Workplace. The survey questionnaire measured 10 key engagement categories, including teamwork, trust in leadership, manager effectiveness, compensation and benefits, among others.



"This year's winners lead the industry forward each day, in their empowerment of people and through their commitment to the organizational values and vision that drive employee engagement and business success," said Barry Asin, president of SIA. "We congratulate each of these firms on their top performance and strong workplace culture."



"Best Staffing Firms to Work For" winners were categorized based on employee count. LaSalle Network was the only company headquartered in Illinois to be recognized in the 51 to 200 employee category, and has now won the award for seven consecutive years.



"Being named to this list for the seventh year in a row is truly a remarkable accomplishment that would not have been possible without our passionate and dedicated employees," said Tom Gimbel, founder and CEO of LaSalle Network. "I couldn't be more proud to be part of such an incredible industry that helps power economic growth and stability."



Additionally, LaSalle Network CEO, Tom Gimbel, was named a "Staffing 100" recipient, honoring the most influential people in the staffing industry.



The annual "Staffing 100" list, now in its sixth year, recognizes the movers and shakers who have made notable contributions to the staffing industry. Staffing industry insiders and observers nominate men and women from all sectors of the industry. The Staffing Industry Analysts editorial team reviews the nominations and makes the final determination of those individuals who have in some way affected the world of contingent work and influenced people's perception of talent and how it can be used.



Winners of SIA's 2017 awards were recognized at SIA's 2017 Executive Forum in San Diego, which is taking place this week at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Winners will also be profiled in the March/April print issue of SIA's publication, Staffing Industry Review, as well as online at http://www.bestfirms.staffingindustry.com.



For more information on LaSalle Network, please visit lasallenetwork.com or contact Anna Niesen at 312-517-7023, or [email protected]



About LaSalle Network

LaSalle Network is a national staffing, recruiting and culture firm with business units that specialize in accounting and finance, administrative, call center, healthcare revenue cycle, human resources, marketing, supply chain, technology, sales and executive search. Since its inception, LaSalle has worked with thousands of clients and placed thousands of candidates in temporary, temporary-to-permanent and permanent positions. LaSalle Network has been listed on Inc. Magazine's 500/5000 "Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies in America" list for 10 consecutive years, named by Staffing Industry Analysts' as a top five "Best Staffing Firms to Work For" from 2011 to 2017, Glassdoor's 2016 "Best Places to Work," Inc. Magazine's 2016 "50 Best Workplaces," and Crain's Chicago Business' "Best Places to Work" list from 2014 to 2016. The firm has offices in downtown Chicago, Oak Brook and San Francisco. For more information, please call 312-419-1700 or visit http://www.lasallenetwork.com.



About Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA)

Founded in 1989, SIA is the global advisor on staffing and workforce solutions. Our proprietary research covers all categories of employed and non-employed work including temporary staffing, independent contracting and other types of contingent labor. SIA's independent and objective analysis provides insights into the services and suppliers operating in the workforce solutions ecosystem including staffing firms, managed service providers, recruitment process outsourcers, payrolling/compliance firms and talent acquisition technology specialists such as vendor management systems, online staffing platforms, crowdsourcing and online work services. We also provide training and accreditation with our unique Certified Contingent Workforce Professional (CCWP) program.



# # #
Beijing reiterated its strong opposition to official exchanges and military connections between the United States and Taiwan, amid recent reports that the US Marines would be posted in a nonprofit organization in Taiwan.

"China consistently and firmly opposes the US and Taiwan engaging in any form of official contact or military connection," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a daily news conference in Beijing on Friday.

Geng was responding to reports that Stephen Young, former director of the American Institute in Taiwan said US Marines would be posted at the new site of the organization.

In a conference held by a Washington think tank on Wednesday, Young said he had pushed strongly for a US Marines detachment to protect the organization, and the new compound would include a "Marines house", which would be "a symbolic expression" of the US commitment to Taiwan, Taipei Times reported.

On Feb 10, President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump had a telephone conversation, during which Trump said the US government would adhere to the one-China policy.

"China hopes the US will observe the one-China policy and the principles of the three joint communiques between China and the US, and that it will handle the Taiwan-related issue prudently and properly," Geng said.

Geng said he had noted reports on the possible deployment and needed to gain more information on the situation.

The US posts Marines in its embassies and consulates to guard their security. Since 1979, when the US established diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China, there have been no US Marines stationed in the American Institute in Taiwan.

Zuo Xiying, a US foreign policy researcher at the National Academy of Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, said Young's comments may indicate the US undertaking a "petty act" in an attempt to strengthen relations with Taiwan.

The foundation of China-US ties will remain unaffected as long as the US adheres to the one-China policy, but they will be affected if the US deploys Marines at the institute, Zuo said.
Together towards peace [By Jiao Haiyang / China.org.cn]

Whenever an immovable object clashes with an unstoppable force, the results always prove the African proverb that says "When elephants fight, the grass suffers."

Such a bang was wisely avoided in early February after Beijing reminded Washington that there would be no winners in any type of war between the U.S. and China.

President Donald Trump's eventual acceptance that there is only one China was the only sensible position. But implementation of the declaration will eventually reveal whether the devil was hidden in the unspoken details.

The fact is, Trump's phone call with China's President Xi Jinping came at the same time he was reassuring visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinto Abe, in Florida, that Japan and South Korea can rest assured that under his presidency the U.S. will continue to back them militarily.

Pyongyang's recent missile test became cannon fodder for the U.S., Japan and South Korea to hasten the Washington plan to deploy the THAAD missile system in the area. It will further boost the already substantial U.S. military presence in the name of protection from North Korea, but with no guarantees they will not be trained on China.

Trump's White House is being pushed by Israel and Saudi Arabia to ratchet-up sanctions against Iran to military levels, generals are promoting militarily engagement with North Korea and the beginning of a new Cold War with Russia - and the eventual engagement of China, both militarily and economically.

The forced resignation of U.S. National Security Adviser General Michael Flynn again revealed the dangerously deep level of hawkish cross-party congressional opposition to any mending of fences with Russia.

The deep state is also worried about the overall negative global impact on America's image of Trump going to war with the judiciary over his Muslim entry ban, threatening the U.S. alliance with Australia, tearing-up the NAFTA trade pact with Canada, stubbornly insisting on building an ineffective border wall and pursuing an avoidable trade war with Mexico.

Trump is also causing great concern for conservatives at home.

Eliot Cohen, a leading neoconservative who was also a high-level deep-state player in determining U.S. foreign policy under President George W. Bush, recently wrote in The Atlantic: "As power intoxicates Trump and those around him (his presidency) will probably end in calamity - substantial domestic protest and violence, a breakdown of international economic relationships, the collapse of major alliances, or perhaps one or more new wars (even with China) "

The world always needs steady hands and visionary leadership in times of crisis.

With Trump increasingly preaching protectionism, more nations are calling on and expecting China to fill the leadership gap to promote global trade.

The recent World Economic Forum in Davos heard similar calls for China to play a leading role in the fight to protect and enhance global free trade and cooperation for the common world good.

Following the Xi-Trump phone call, China says it will now work with the U.S. "to enhance communication and cooperation, to advance bilateral ties in a sound and stable manner that can yield more fruits to benefit the two peoples and the people of all countries in the world."

The two leading nations can now continue to strengthen mutually-beneficial cooperation in trade and economics, investment and international affairs, as the two leaders "have agreed to keep close contact and exchange views in a timely manner, on issues of common concern."

One China sanity has prevailed in Washington. But for how long?

Less than one month into his term, Trump's irrationality and unpredictability have sent shivers up the spines of leaders everywhere.

He's backed the U.S. away from a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his foreign policy is as muddled as his rookie administration's efforts to appoint more retired generals and CEOs to top Cabinet posts. Intelligence leaks continue to haunt him on the Hill, while the strong and growing anti-Russia Washington lobby remains the big elephant in the White House.

The Trump administration is in a state of deep crisis, and prospects for world peace and cooperation are not about to become better overnight by the waving of Trump's magic wand.

But delusions of imperial grandeur must not be allowed to prevail in the age of 21st century global interconnectivity.

Which is why, never mind its reluctance to accept being seen and/or treated as the new solver of the world's problems, China's presence and role on the global stage today is increasingly being openly accepted as much-needed, highly-valued and well-appreciated by more nations and people, near and far.

Earl Bousquet is a contributor to china.org.cn, editor-at-large of The Diplomatic Courier and author of an online regional newspaper column entitled Chronicles of a Chronic Caribbean Chronicler.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Dustin Illingworth at The Quarterly Conversation:

There is an unfortunate shortage of grotesquerie in literary criticism. Prudish intellect has somehow muscled the burping body from the realm of books, as if we do not read and write, too, through the revelations and failures of our flesh. The grand critics have already assembled in holy raimentTrilling, Wilson, Kermode, Ozick, Woodto lay a white cloth over the roughly hewn table of literature, smoothing over its splinters, its sap. While of obvious merit, their collected work is, in itself, something like a history of manners: spotless, chaste, the well-planed beams of a gleaming critical edifice. This is not necessarily a knock against them (I read much of their work with admiration); call it rather a lingering desire for something supplementary, a meaner model, runny as an egg or rich as butter, words to stain lips and lapels, to pass gas (as Gasss does), flippant, bloated, savage, overcooked but rarely overwrought: a criticism of both gut and guile. Such a mode would, of course, need its exemplar, its Falstaff, comingler of erudition and eructation. Such a mode, finally, needed only Stanley Elkin.

Though perhaps we should pluralize that to Elkins, his guises being both potent and plentiful: pomo pervert, stand-up comic, sword-swallower, scamp, glutton, scribe, and oracle (to name but a few). Pieces of Soap, thenthe recent, exhaustive Elkin collection from Tin Houseis a necessarily lurid and lurching thing, a foaming cauldron of culture, a kind of bacchanal in which the master of ceremonies is soused but never sentimental. Cutting a broad swath across thematic concernsCalifornia, Schnitzler, the tuxedo, multiple sclerosis, the future of the novelElkins essays swerve gorgeously before he allows them to soar: in riffs, in rages, in tangents spinning out like silken thread to pile on the floor.

more here.
From Biography.com:

On the morning of November 14, 1960, federal marshals drove Ruby and her mother five blocks to her new school. While in the car, one of the men explained that when they arrived at the school, two marshals would walk in front of Ruby and two would be behind her. The image of this small black girl being escorted to school by four large white men inspired Norman Rockwell to create the painting "The Problem We All Must Live With," which graced the cover of Look magazine in 1964. When Ruby and the federal marshals arrived at the school, large crowds of people were gathered in front yelling and throwing objects. There were barricades set up, and policemen were everywhere. Ruby, in her innocence, first believed it was like a Mardi Gras celebration. When she entered the school under the protection of the federal marshals, she was immediately escorted to the principal's office and spent the entire day there. The chaos outside, and the fact that nearly all the white parents at the school had kept their children home, meant classes weren't going to be held. On her second day, the circumstances were much the same as the first, and for a while it looked like Ruby Bridges wouldn't be able to attend class. Only one teacher, Barbara Henry, agreed to teach Ruby. She was from Boston and a new teacher to the school. "Mrs. Henry," as Ruby would call her even as an adult, greeted her with open arms. Ruby was the only student in Henry's class, because parents pulled or threatened to pull their children from Ruby's class and send them to other schools. For a full year, Henry and Ruby sat side by side at two desks, working on Ruby's lessons. Henry was very loving and supportive of Ruby, helping her not only with her studies but also with the difficult experience of being ostracized.

Ruby Bridges' first few weeks at Frantz School were not easy ones. Several times she was confronted with blatant racism in full view of her federal escorts. On her second day of school, a woman threatened to poison her. After this, the federal marshals allowed her to only eat food from home. On another day, she was "greeted" by a woman displaying a black doll in a wooden coffin. Ruby's mother kept encouraging her to be strong and pray while entering the school, which Ruby discovered reduced the vehemence of the insults yelled at her and gave her courage. She spent her entire day, every day, in Mrs. Henry's classroom, not allowed to go to the cafeteria or out to recess to be with other students in the school. When she had to go to the restroom, the federal marshals walked her down the hall. Several years later, federal marshal Charles Burks, one of her escorts, commented with some pride that Ruby showed a lot of courage. She never cried or whimpered, Burks said, "She just marched along like a little soldier."

More here. (Note: At least one post throughout February will be in honor of Black History Month
Caryl Emerson in the TLS:

Perhaps the first thing a reader senses about a crisis-narrative is where the writer stands in time. Either the speaking voice has survived and can look back, or else it is caught on the cusp of the unfolding event. This is the difference between a memoir and a diary entry, the recollection of a dream and the experience of nightmare. In this anthology, Boris Dralyuk attempts a bold thing: to confirm us within the belly of the beast, to push us up against its heartbeat, all the while challenging the received notion that the Russian Revolution produced little literary art of lasting value in its early years. The work of fourteen poets and thirteen prose writers  some famous, others forgotten, several famous for other things  is sampled strictly within a two-and-a-half-year period, from the February Revolution that ended the Romanov dynasty to late 1919, the turning point of the Russian Civil War. The literature produced during these thirty-two months was without perspective, full of potentials and unclear about actuals. In his opening remarks to the prose section, Dralyuk notes that fictional treatments of the upheaval are hard to find because what was happening was too real, too immediate to lend itself to fictionalization. Verse and expository prose, with their intonations of direct engagement, seem more compatible with the revolutionary temperament than the more leisurely composition of stories. But such formal distinctions matter less than we expect. Both verse and prose in this book partake heavily of fable, parable, liberation rhetoric, ecstatic vision  modes that operate beyond literary genre, outside time, and that strive towards a truth prior to either history or fiction.

Thus narrowed and blind-sided, freed from tragic consequence, the paradoxes of 1917 emerge even more unanswerable. Revolutions bring bloodshed and impoverishment, but this one was to bring peace and plenty: an end to the Great War, to all war. As Mikhail Kuzmin writes in his poem Russian Revolution (1917): No sentinel, policemen, pickets, / as if there never had been any guards or guns . . . . Its like telling a starving man, Eat! / And him replying. Im eating! with a smile. The present-tense verb is proof that we are on the cusp; as-if becomes is. Most revolutions aim at political regime change, but this one saw itself enacting universal all-human change. As Alexander Blok insists in 1918, its music must be greeted with every cell of your body. The body politic is my body, your body. Politics becomes intimate; deeply private lyric poets create great civic verse. Bloks masterworks from 1918, The Twelve and Scythians, very famous poems in outstanding new translations here, show the anthology at its eschatological best. Bloks pretensions are millennial and stretch out over a continent, but the reader is left with palpable close-up images, the face of slit-eyed Eurasianism and marauding Red Guardists blessed by Jesus Christ. As the revolutionary capital is sanctified by its native poets it is cursed from the margins. The Georgian Symbolist Titsian Tabidze (18951937) contributes a lyric, Petersburg, that celebrates the sinking of the Bronze Horseman, the corpses of sailors bobbing in the Neva, and chaos swallowing up the city. Poetry rejects the well-plotted story and transmits moods: of exhilaration, of destruction, of eating this very minute after a long fast. Life gains in its savour and death loses its sting. Indeed, why die at all? As Mayakovsky bellows forth in Our March (December 1917): Hey you there! Yes, you, Great Bear! / Demand we be taken to heaven alive.

More here.
Residents of the neighborhood gather at the crime scene to watch the police investigation. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Two Chinese women were found dead in Makerere Kikoni, a neighborhood in the Ugandan capital of Kampala on Wednesday morning. The decomposing bodies of the two women were discovered in a rented house there, with each bearing a stab wound, according to local reports. The police said they are treating the cases as murder, reports say.

Local detectives were quoted by Chimpreports.com, a Kampala-based news website, as saying the two women were first kidnapped, killed and later dumped into the house where their bodies were found.

The Chinese embassy in Uganda issued two notices on Feb. 14 and 15 on its website saying it had received a report of a serious criminal case in which two Chinese nationals were killed, without giving further details.

Chimpreports.com quoted Ugandan Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura as saying the Chinese embassy reported on Saturday that two females had gone missing. The two were revealed to be Ren-Ju, 33, working with Club 7 restaurant in Kololo as a waitress and Sang-Weng Wa, 34, also a waitress at Chinese Business Hotel in Bugolobi.

Kampala police are holding a special hire driver in the investigations, Chimpreports.com said, "[the] special hire driver who is in police custody is said to have been hired by an unknown Chinese man from Chez Johnson hotel in Nakulabye to Club 7 Restaurant in Kololo where they picked Ren-Ju and brought him to the said house."

The house was previously used as a church until last week when the Chinese national, who detectives say they are treating as a suspect, rented it. It is suspected that the two women were stabbed by the man, who is on the run.

The local police were also quoted as saying that they have started tracking the phone number that the Chinese suspect used to send a WeChat message asking for ransom to release the suspects. Karihura said the clues indicate that the dead could have been targeted and followed from China to Uganda before being cornered and killed. He also said the two could have been killed between Saturday and Monday as the bodies had started to rot by the time they were recovered on Wednesday.

According to local news website The Ugandan, at least two people are violently killed in the shanty town Kikoni almost every week.
How many people have already voted absentee in South Dakota ahead of Election Day?
 Flash

China and Europe should send a positive signal to the world that the two sides would join hands in promoting an open world economy and safeguarding the global trade system based on the World Trade Organization (WTO), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday.

Wang made the statement when meeting European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty (G20) foreign ministerial meeting held in Germany's western city of Bonn.

Wang told Mogherini that China and Europe should further increase strategic consultation and cooperation because the two sides have the same or similar views on many major global issues.

The top Chinese diplomat also expressed hope that the EU can fulfill its obligations under Article 15 of the protocol on China's accession to the WTO at an early date.

In accordance with Article 15, WTO members should cease the surrogate country approach in anti-dumping investigations on China after Dec. 11, 2016, which expires exactly 15 years after China's admission.

Mogherini responded that the EU will make continuous efforts to deal with the fulfillment of its obligations under the WTO.

The top EU diplomat spoke highly of the keynote speech delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year, saying that this provides new opportunities for Europe-China cooperation.

She said it is more important than ever before for Europe and China to strengthen bilateral cooperation under current international situation, and the EU has always treated China as a cooperative partner instead of a "threat". She reiterated that the EU adheres to the one-China policy.

Mogherini said the EU will increase strategic cooperation with China in areas covering global development, climate change, African affairs, Afghanistan, Syria, and the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
Note: Dan wrote this piece last May about the wringing of hands of childrens' diminution of skills in the UK, and here in America.



By Dan Olmsted

I met a friend for lunch this week. He was fresh off the plane from London as part of a multi-country jaunt, and he had the baggy eyes to prove it. The first thing he did was pull out Mondays Daily Telegraph and point to an article on page 12: Primary pupils who can swipe but not speak.

The article began: Parents immersion in smartphones has left thousands of children starting primary school unable to hold conversations, teachers say.

Around one in three children starting school is not ready for the classroom with many lacking social skills, suffering speech problems or not toilet trained, a survey of senior primary school staff showed.

The litany included more and more children entering our early years stage with delayed speech and levels of reading, writing and numeracy lower than they should be.

The rest of the article basically blamed the parents and their failure to keep children from coming into contact with the world we live in, which is deemed self-evidently noxious and destructive  too many smartphones, too little parent-child interaction.

Before tackling that bogus argument, lets just acknowledge the facts in evidence here. A third of pre-school kids in England today have some version of issues that echo autism  speech problems, lack of social skills and toileting problems. My friend, much more knowledgeable about autistic children than I am, said the latter probably reflected sensory issues and GI problems (as well as general delay, Id suggest).

I dont care what this is called  autism-like traits, or school-readiness deficit syndrome in a third of children, not otherwise seen before (SRDSIATOFC-NOSB), or whatever. Its the kind of thing weve been talking about for years, a generation and now more damaged by something new and terrifying, and at least in England, its indisputable. I asked my friend what he thought was going on, and he said some combination of vaccines and other medical mayhem, pesticides, and god knows what else (the Environmental Working Group's study of all the evil crap found in mothers' umbilical cords is passing through the back of my brain). Unless you want to argue that the ability of one-third of children to make their way in life from the very start is just good old genes doing their work of making our species less able to thrive in a hostile world, it's definitely environmental. And it is NOT smartphones, dammit!








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Does Kevin O'Leary think Conservative party leader is a part-time job?

It looks like the celebrity millionaire has been spending more time attending to personal business in the United States than he's spent campaigning for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada since entering the race last month.

PressProgress reported last year that O'Leary spends most of his time in Boston, a city he's called "home" since the 1990s. And CBC News previously reported O'Leary spent "five or six days of his first week campaigning" in the United States, rather than Canada, after formally kicking off his leadership bid on January 18.

But a new analysis by PressProgress finds that O'Leary has spent at least half his time south of the border during the first month of his leadership campaign between January 18 and February 17.

Meanwhile, during the same timespan, the man who hopes to replace Stephen Harper has been spotted in Canada on fewer than one-third of those days  participating in only a small handful of public events.

Although O'Leary launched his campaign in Toronto on January 18, he was in New York City the next morning to appear on Good Morning America before hightailing it to Florida.

While most Canadians were busy shoveling snow out their driveways, O'Leary was sipping wine on Miami Beach and talking about his Conservative leadership ambitions on American cable news outlets like CNN and CNBC before a backdrop of lazy palm trees.

But he found time for a few Canadian outlets too. And on at least one occasion, O'Leary used the Canadian flag as a backdrop despite the fact he was really in Hollywood, Florida:

After spending several days in Florida during the first week of the campaign, the host of "the ABC TV show 'Shark Tank'" found himself in Indiana on January 30th for an event at Notre Dame University.

O'Leary also spent the first two days at the start of February in New York City on private business, promoting his investment firm and ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange:

O'Leary finally managed to squeeze Canada into his schedule in February, dragging himself out to Halifax for a Conservative leadership debate and holding a Reddit AMA from Toronto after apparently taking a few days off.

But before you knew it, O'Leary was spotted back to New York City promoting Shark Tank or over in Pennsylvania at the studios of an American home shopping channel hawking O'Leary Wines.

And somewhere in between, O'Leary managed to find time in his busy schedule to slip away for a weekend in Napa Valley wine country.

Thursday night, Shark Tank fans in Arlington, Texas got a chance to go "swimming with the shark" during "An Evening with Kevin O'Leary" at the University of Texas Arlington:

And rounding the circule, O'Leary was back in the sunshine state Friday morning.

Looking ahead, O'Leary will be the celebrity keynote at a conference in Orange County, California exploring the intersection of health care and venture capitalism.

Later, O'Leary will be in New Orleans before returning to New York City for an awards party a few weeks before the Conservative leadership vote on May 27.


Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Showers this morning, becoming a steady rain during the afternoon hours. High 77F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
The Plight of Christians in the Middle East

WASHINGTON -- The chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committees on Migration, Religious Liberty and International Justice and Peace, along with the board of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) issued a joint statement expressing solidarity with Christians and all those who suffer in the Middle East. The full statement follows: A statement from Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty; Bishop Oscar Cant
January was a mixed month for Europes combination carriers on the cargo front, with Lufthansa and IAG reporting increases in traffic while demand was down at Air France KLM and Finnair.

Lufthansa, the largest of the four carriers in cargo terms, saw January cargo traffic increase by 4.9% year on year to 736m revenue cargo tonne km.

The increase carries on from Lufthansas performance towards the end of last year and is ahead of its 0.5% increase in cargo traffic for the full year.

However, it is difficult to read too much into year on year comparisons in the first few months of the year because of the changing date of the Chinese New Year, when factories in the country shut for around two weeks.

Click here to visit our data hub or on the image below to view the European dashboard



Lufthansas cargo load factor climbed to 65.9% compared with 63.9% during the same month last year. In fact, this is the airlines best January cargo load factor since 2014.

There was also an increase at IAG, which saw cargo traffic increase by 2.8% year on year to 434m cargo tonne miles. This was roughly in line with the 3% improvement the carrier group registered in 2016.

Demand was flat at Aer Lingus, there was a 5.5% increase at British Airways and Iberia was down 7.3%.

During the month, IAG reported that it was benefitting from a vegetable shortage in the UK caused by a poor crop in Spain and Greece. Shippers turned to the Americas and flew in vegetables to meet demand.

Air France KLM continued to record a decline in traffic, although the speed of decline has narrowed as it comes to the end of its cargo fleet restructuring.

The carrier group saw traffic decline by 1.3% year on year in January to 659m revenue tonne km (RTK), with demand up at Air France and down at KLM. The decline is slightly ahead of its 0.9% reduction in cargo capacity for the month. The group saw its cargo load factor decline to 56.6% from 56.8% last year.

Meanwhile, there was another decrease in cargo traffic at Finnair, although this was once again caused by developments within the company.

Finnair suspended flights to Chongqing as planned between 11 January and 2 May 2017 due to its pilots A350 training, the airline explained. In addition, there were an extraordinarily high number of cancellations in Asian traffic during the month.

As a result, cargo demand was down 10.2% year on year in January to 58.2m RTK. This follows on from a 15.7% decrease in December when the implementation of a new cargo management system caused problems for the airline.

While there were some signs that cargo demand may have continued its strong end of year performance, the improvements were even more pronounced at US carriers American and United.



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February 17, 2017

CAIRO  Egypt and Turkey are exploring economic ventures that would benefit both countries, but experts say a potential financial friendship doesn't indicate relations will improve in other areas.

A high-caliber Turkish economic delegation recently attended the Egyptian-Turkish Business Forum held Jan. 29-30 in Cairo. The visit was the first by a Turkish delegation since June 2013, when mass protests in Egypt ended the Muslim Brotherhoods rule.

The delegation was headed by Rifat Hisarciklioglu, the chairman of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, who was invited by the head of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC), Ahmed El Wakeel.

The Turkish Embassy in Cairo said the delegation included 10 senior officials of companies involved in engineering, chemicals, textiles, energy, agriculture and various services, in addition to senior Turkish investors. The goal of the trip was to promote investments and revive trade in Egypt.

"The Turkish delegation wants to heavily invest in Egypt," Hisarciklioglu said in his speech at the forum. "We want more business activities. The frozen friendship between Ankara and Cairo is useless and futile. We must contribute to the development of the two countries and strengthen their economic relationship.

The countries' relations have been strained since the June 2013 fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. All Turkish investments in Egypt were frozen. The tension even led the Import and Export Division at the Egyptian Chamber of Commerce in Giza to call on the government to review all agreements with Turkey, mainly the bilateral free-trade agreement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then the prime minister, lashed out at Egyptian Muslim scholars and clergymen supporters of the revolution. Egypt responded by lowering Turkeys representation in Egypt to a charge d'affaires and expelling the Turkish ambassador to Egypt.

Turkey still refuses to recognize the legitimacy of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and describes what happened as a coup against the elected civilian rule.

The Turkish economic delegation's recent visit to Egypt has brought the prospect of improved relations into the spotlight again. The visit also stirred questions. Will the visit jump-start the stalled trade and investment activity between Cairo and Ankara? Will Turkey change its hostile policy toward Egypt?

Observers note Turkey's desire to improve relations with Egypt," Mustafa Zahran, a researcher at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, told Al-Monitor. "This is the first official Turkish visit to Egypt in four years. For the first time since June 30, 2013, the Egypt-Turkey Business Council will meet in Cairo.

He also noted that Turkish Tourism Minister Nabi Avci praised and welcomed Egypt's presence at the East Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition, held Jan. 26-29 in Istanbul. It was the first time in two years that Egypt participated in the exhibit, which Zahran said attests to Turkey's desire to rebuild good relations with Egypt. The exhibition attracted representatives of 85 countries and gave Egypt a chance to promote Egyptian tourism in the presence of Turkish officials.

Zahran added, Egypt is Turkeys gateway to Africa, and Turkey is Egypt's gateway to Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Both countries know this well. One cannot do without the other, especially in light of the huge Turkish investments in the Egyptian market.

Turkey has $5 billion worth of investments in Egypt, according to Wakeel. Alla Ezz, the secretary-general of the FEDCOC, told Daily News Egypt that Turkish companies in the delegation to Egypt plan to double that amount to $10 billion this year. Wakeel also noted Egyptian exports to Turkey have reached $1.2 billion, compared with $2.7 billion worth of Egyptian imports from Turkey.

Leaders of Turkish companies in the delegation to Egypt expressed interest in building factories in Egypt's Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea, and Safaga overlooking the Red Sea, Zahran said.

"Egypt is in dire need of such investments."

Many Turkish companies closed factories in Egypt when violence erupted in 2011 as Hosni Mubarak was overthrown as president, and in 2013 when President Mohammed Morsi was deposed. Many of those plants, which employed thousands of Egyptians, remain closed. Some will reopen now, which "will help Egypt secure hard currency because these factories exported their products abroad," Zahran said.

Nevertheless, overall relations between Egypt and Turkey remain prickly. Bashir Abdel Fattah, a researcher at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor, The two sides agree to cooperate on the security and economic levels, but the dispute between the two presidents is far from over. Erdogan will only recognize Sisis regime under specific conditions that Sisi refuses.

Indeed, Erdogan refuses to acknowledge Sisis regime as legitimate and has said that for good relations to resume, Egypt must conduct free presidential elections and release all prisoners arrested after June 30, 2013.

I think relations between the two countries will not return to what they were before. They will surely witness a remarkable development during the coming days at the economic level in terms of investments and the movement of trade, but that will not [translate into] relations of political support, assistance and alliance as they were during the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood," Abdel Fattah said.

Turkeys quest to restore trade relations with Egypt doesn't mean Erdogan recognizes President Sisi's legitimacy, or that Turkey is renouncing its support for the Brotherhood or changing its political positions toward them, he added.

However, Erdogan has managed to hold his tongue and refrain from attacking Egypt for about three months now. Abdel Fattah said, "A number of Turkish officials have been welcoming cooperation efforts with Egypt.

On Aug. 20, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a press statement, We see that there is a need to develop economic and cultural relations with Egypt, as two Mediterranean countries, and to keep the Turkish and Egyptian peoples away from the repercussions of the existing political differences.

In his last statement on Egypt, on Sept. 3, Yildirim said his governments foreign policy is based on making many friends and fewer enemies and is seeking to improve relations with many countries, including Egypt, after normalization of ties with Russia and Israel. He noted that Turkey is making serious attempts to normalize relations with Egypt and Syria.

Abdel Fattah said, Political differences between the two countries are still pending and Turkey will keep supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, but economic relations will be restored with full force, and this is the only objective Turkey is trying to achieve.

It seems both countries are well-aware that improved economic relations would serve them both. It also seems clear that diplomatic and political relations between the two are not likely to improve anytime soon, as Egypt will not meet Turkeys conditions for mending ties and Turkey won't let go of its demands.

The improvement of economic relations is a mere relaunching of investment and trade relations, but in no way represents a Turkish admission of the legitimacy of Sisis regime. Diplomatic relations between the two countries are still strained.
February 17, 2017

When talking to the Russians, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasizes Syria's territorial integrity and a peaceful resolution to that country's civil war. When talking to the Americans, Erdogan advocates a US-Turkish partnership that will also include a buffer zone. When he is conversing with Gulf leaders, the Turkish president slams Tehran and Damascus. A Syrian policy with a truly oriental flavor!

In his recent Gulf tour of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and in violation of the spirit of the Astana process jointly promoted with Russia and Iran, Erdogan expanded its targets in Syria. According to the Turkish president, Operation Euphrates Shield will continue after ousting the Islamic State (IS) from al-Bab. The new objectives will be Manbij and Raqqa in a three-phased operation. First will be setting up a "terror-free safe zone," which must also be covered by a no-fly zone. Second, Arabs and Turkmens will be settled in the safe zone. Finally, a national army will be established through a "train and equip" program.

There is also an enticing economic dimension to this extravagant project. After turning an area of 1,930 square miles into a safe zone, Turkey will build new housing for refugees.

In the heat of Erdogan's flamboyant comments, government spokesman and Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus issued a statement: "With al-Bab, Euphrates Shield will be over as goals will have been achieved. Raqqa is something else. It doesn't threaten Turkey's borders." But Kurtulmus' words were largely ignored.

This wasn't the first time Erdogan voiced his "safe zone/no-fly zone" proposal. The narrative, however, has undergone changes since Turkey developed a partnership with Russia over the evacuation of Aleppo in December. Erdogan has now made a sharp U-turn after CIA director Michael Pompeos Feb. 9 visit to Ankara. The Turkish president had referred to a "national army" and safe zone also in December: "For years, we have been calling for a no-fly zone along our border and a safe zone of a maximum of 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles). We also said let's set up a national army in this zone made up of moderate opposition elements. The regime by putting the pressure on Aleppo has been trying to push the people of Aleppo toward Gaziantep. We will not allow this plan."

For a long while, Erdogan cited the scenario of a potential refugee flow from Aleppo to justify his safe zone idea. But the civilians evacuated from eastern Aleppo did not come to Turkey as he had been forecasting. Those who came to Idlib under Turkey's protection are military groups and their families. Thus, the pretext of a potential refugee flow lost its validity.

There are even signs that the refugee movement now is not from Syria to Turkey but from Turkey to Syria. Journalist Mehmet Bedri Gultekin wrote that after the Syrian army retook Aleppo, some people from Gaziantep actually moved back to Aleppo. According to Gultekin, "Three families of a total 22 persons who lived in Sahinbey township, Sakarya neighborhood, Karacoma Baba Street No. 51 last week moved back to Aleppo. Three Syrian workers 10 days ago sent their families back to Aleppo. You will hear similar stories from anyone you speak to in Gaziantep."

Local sources Al-Monitor spoke to said this was not yet a mass movement of people, but there are families who have been going back since the Syrian army took over Aleppo.

Despite all these developments, Erdogan's narratives remain the same:

To push out from the west of the Euphrates the People's Protection Units who are defending Rojava (officially, the Democratic Federal System of Northern Syria), thus eliminating the autonomous bodies that were set up as part of the Kurdish cantonal system. To this end, the alliance between the United States and the Kurds has to be dismembered.

To use the presence of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in the field to prevent the Syrian army from approaching the Turkish border until Ankara achieves a political settlement it can live with.

To prevent Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from "sending back terrorists to Turkey where they came from," as he declared in October 2016.

This last point is exceptionally important for Turkeys security. Erdogan has no intention of letting the fighter potential that has piled up at Turkey's border after evacuating Aleppo to remain idle or pose a threat. This is the potential he has identified for the national army that he wants to set up in the area already cleared between Azaz and al-Bab. The TSK escorted some of the anti-regime opposition groups from Jarablus to al-Bab. But can this potential be reconfigured into a national army?

Among the Syrian opposition groups that participated in Operation Euphrates Shield under TSK direction are the Sultan Murad Brigade, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Brigade, Sultan Meliksah Brigade, Suleyman Shah Brigade, Shamiya Front, Hamza Brigade, Semerkand Brigade, Mutassim Billah, Festakin Kema Unirte, Northern Falcons, and Ahrar al-Sharqiya. In this collection, the Turkmens are in the majority.

Although it sounds like an impressive lineup of armed groups, they haven't until now given the impression that they can advance without the firepower and guidance of the TSK or even hold on to a cleared area on their own. Also, nobody really knows how many fighters these groups have put under TSK's orders.

Before Euphrates Shield was launched, the TSK had given artillery support to these groups for forays around Jarablus and al-Rai, but each time they were routed and fled. The TSK then realized that, without its active support, these groups could not control the terrain.

Although some recent successes in the field have again made the militias attractive, what is not at all transparent is the true strength of the diverse groups. There is no reliable data about them, giving the impression that the usefulness of a motley group of militiamen may be overblown. The potential Erdogan had set his eyes on is melting away with their endless internal squabbles. Many groups associated with Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) now clash with groups that have allied with Ahrar al-Sham, which is gaining prominence among religious factions. Some groups fighting under Ahrar al-Sham have already decided that joining Euphrates Shield is against their interests. In other words, receiving support from Turkey does not guarantee that they will become Turkey's soldiers.

Looking through the photographs and videos of the al-Bab operation, it is hard to see an effective force in the making. It is impossible to avoid the impression that these are armed hordes that open fire haphazardly and are ill-disciplined, untrained and inexperienced. The TSK had to revise its strategy at al-Bab because of this serious deficiency. While the TSK thought it would suffice to give provide support with armored operations and air attacks, soon it had to push its elite commando units to the front lines. Today, these units are directly clashing with IS.

In the meanwhile, Turkey is also training police forces for the liberated areas near its border. So far Ankara hasn't yet named them the "Syrian National Police." The first group of 434 were trained in the Turkish town of Mersin by the Mediterranean and deployed to Jarablus and al-Rai, which freed the militias serving as local security in those towns to be deployed to the al-Bab front.

The train-and-equip program Erdogan has been promoting as a panacea already has been tried and failed many times. Beyond impediments on the field to establish an effective and reliable force, there are also political obstructions, such as Russia. Vladimir Putin must have something to say about Erdogan's plans for a national army and a buffer zone.

Let's see what Erdogan, who has strong economic expectations from the Gulf, tells Putin the next time they meet.
The decision not to charge a man who shot and killed a Wenonah High School student during a gun-deal-gone bad was a controversial one, but the Jefferson County District Attorney's office says no crime was committed by the shooter.

The man - whose name has not and will not be released - agreed to trade a rifle to 17-year-old Isaiah Johnson and his friend, and that's not a crime, officials said. The shooting was ruled justifiable because he acted in self defense after Johnson pulled a weapon on him first.

Police said Johnson and his friend -- who is charged with murder -- were trying to rob the man who ultimately shot and killed Johnson.

The shooting happened about 2:50 p.m. that Tuesday - Feb. 7 - on Second Avenue South at 18th Street in front of the Railroad Square office building. Johnson, police said, was there to exchange guns in a deal that was brokered on Facebook. Once they met, authorities said, Johnson pulled out a handgun and the person he was meeting also pulled a gun and fired on Johnson.

After being shot, the teen ran out of the alley where he collapsed in the middle of Second Avenue South between 18th and 17th streets. Birmingham police officers fought to keep Johnson alive, but he was pronounced dead on the scene.

The suspects fled the area, but the shooter later met with police and was cooperative in the investigation. Surveillance video from the area backed up the shooter's story. Authorities have not released his age, but would only say he was over the age of 18.

Under Alabama law, a person can be charged with murder if they are participating in a felony crime that results in death, whether or not that person actually pulled the trigger. It is that law that led to the murder charge against 17-year-old Tavares Floyd - Johnson's friend - who didn't shoot anybody but who police say made plans with Johnson for the gun deal.

Some observers said that law also should have been applied to the shooter. Deputy District Attorney Shawn Allen said the shooter had brought a rifle to trade for a pistol that Johnson and Floyd said they had. Alabama law generally prohibits selling, giving or lending a pistol to any person under the age of 18, but does not prohibit a minor from having a rifle or a shotgun.

There is also a misconception, Allen said, that the gun deal involved stolen weapons. All of the weapons in this case were recovered, and none of them had been reported stolen.

In addition to having the rifle he was going to trade, the shooter also had a pistol with which he shot Johnson. He - nor Johnson or Floyd - had a valid permit to carry a concealed weapon, but that is a misdemeanor. For Alabama's felony murder law to have applied to the shooter, he would have been having to commit a felony in order to be charged in Johnson's death.

Still, not everyone agrees with the decision. Community activist Frank Matthews of the Outcast Voter's League penned an "open letter" to Jefferson County District Attorney Pro Tem Danny Carr.

Matthews still questioned why the man can't be charged and wonders whether the man has a history of selling guns, particularly to juveniles.

"We don't know what the law gives you the ability to do, but we beg you to do more,'' Matthews wrote to Carr. "Finally, and most importantly, who can we join you in lobbying so that laws are clearer? We do not hold you responsible but we are all accountable together in getting gun dealers off of our streets and to meet justice."
Butch Wilmore

Astronaut Butch Wilmore stands in front of the first completed flight hardware for NASA's Space Launch System Friday in Decatur, Ala. The hardware, a booster engine known as the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), is the large, round, yellow object behind Wilmore in a safe testing facility. After final testing, it heads for Cape Canaveral next week. (Lee Roop/lroop@al.com)

The first piece of flight hardware for NASA's Space Launch System heads from North Alabama to Cape Canaveral next week just as it appears the piece may find a bigger job waiting there than expected.

Key players in Alabama's rocket industry gathered Friday afternoon at the giant United Launch Alliance plant in Decatur to celebrate completion of the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS). A liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen engine, the stage's job is to push the Orion space capsule to the moon and back to Earth on the first SLS flight.

News came from Washington this week that NASA may want to fly astronauts on that first flight. NASA has launched a study to see if that's possible.

"We're more than happy to support (a study), ULA ICPS Program Manager John Casani said. He said the company has "complete confident in our article to do exactly what it's designed to do."

The completion of actual "flight hardware" is a milestone in a rocket system. Casani told his team that, when they see the American flag painted on the side of the SLS on the launch pad, it will be the same flag they see now on the side of the ICPS in the plant.

"We're feeling great. This is exciting," said Jerry Cook, SLS deputy program manager for NASA.

"We're keeping our focus now on building the rocket just like we planned to build it. Stay the course," Cook said. "We're going to support this study our acting administrator has kicked off, but in the meantime we're continuing to stay our course."

What would it mean if NASA had to certify the ICPS safe for a rocket carrying astronauts? "It'll mean a lot of things," Cook said. "That's part of this study. There's a lot of challenges we've got to go assess. Give us a little time to work through that full study and then we can come back and give you a better answer."

Before the ICPS leaves Decatur, it will be tested at low and high pressures. Technicians will open and close valves, look for leaks and validate all of the stage's systems.
Tears rolled down Dothan Pastor Kenneth Glasgow's face several times Saturday outside Limestone Correctional Facility in Harvest.

The founder of The Ordinary People Society (T.O.P.S.) and The Prodigal Child Project joined family members of convicted murderer Robert Earl Council, Jr., also known as Kinetik Justice. The protestors, forced to convene across the street instead of on prison grounds, were demanding Council, Jr. and fellow inmate James Plesant (also known as Dhati Khalid) be released from solitary confinement.

Both men are members of the Free Alabama Movement, a network of incarcerated people who organized a nationwide strike last September to rally against modern-day slavery within the prison system. Protestors on Saturday claimed Council, Jr. and Plesant have been targeted by the Alabama Department of Corrections with "retaliation and repression" for their roles in the cause.

"We came here today to stand in front of, to address the protest, to rally right here in front of Limestone Prison saying that solitary confinement should not be a means of treating people inhumanely and really a means to isolate people," Glasgow said.

Glasgow said Council, who was reportedly kept in solitary confinement for more than two years at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore for his involvement in a work stoppage in January 2014, was transferred to an isolated building known as the "Dog Pound" at Limestone in response to the strike.

The facility, which originally housed HIV-positive inmates, was in "deplorable" condition until a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) forced ADOC to desegregate them in 2013, according to T.O.P.S.

"They stopped the use of the 'Dog Pound' for HIV inmates and then they used it to really, really just treat inhumanely different inmates that they felt were influential, they felt were leaders, they felt were a threat to their administration," he said.

(left to right) Robert Earl Council, Jr., and James Monroe Plesant. Both men are prisoners at Limestone Correctional Facility in Harvest. (ADOC)

T.O.P.S. also claims Plesant, who has served 15 years for drug-related charges, helped organize a 10-day work stoppage across four Alabama prisons in May 2016. Before being transferred to the "Dog Pound" at Limestone, Plesent was allegedly "sprayed with chemicals and left naked in a 'hot bay' -- an isolated unit meant for prisoners experiencing mental health crises" at Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer.

When AL.com contacted ADOC about the protest, Public Information Officer Bob Horton said they were aware of the event. The agency would not respond to T.O.P.S.'s claims.

Dara Folden traveled from Atlanta to the protest to represent the Free Alabama Movement Queen Team, a group that supports FAM's work. She said the friends and families of Alabama's inmates will not be silenced.

"We want these people to know we know what's going on," she said. "We love our family and we believe in our family. That's why we drive miles, bringing as many people as we can to show them we're not going to accept the type of behavior that they're putting out.

"We understand that our family members have been sentenced to time, but they have not been sentenced to torture."

Council, Jr.'s parents, older brother and sister-in-law came from Enterprise to Harvest to speak for their son. Although they're concerned the protest may mean more retaliation for Council, Jr., the family is "standing all the way" with him.

T.O.P.S. said ADOC does not allow Council, Jr. or Plesant to keep in touch with family, friends or supporters through visits or phone calls. Communication with the outside via mail is "sporadic and subject to suspension," the group claims.

Earnestine Council, Council, Jr.'s mother, said she heard from her son last month.

"Sometime in January, I got a letter," she said. "That's the last time I've heard anything."

The protest attracted supporters from Project South, Southern Movement Assembly and the Tennessee Valley Socialists. Jovan Julien, another Atlanta resident at the protest, said prison slavery must end.

Speaking on behalf of Project South and the Southern Movement Assembly, he said "it's critical to show up for each other."

"All of our lives are connected and we need to be concerned with how we're building society together," he said. "How our economies are helping each other, helping ourselves, how our education system is supporting ourselves and how we're protecting and defending each other."
Space Launch System wide view.

This artist rendering shows a wide-angle view of the liftoff of the Block 1 70-metric-ton (77-ton) crew vehicle configuration SLS from the launchpad. (NASA)

It's not official, yet, but this week's report that President Trump wants NASA to go back to the moon in his first term is electrifying the space community. Here's what's happening, some of what people are saying, and what it might mean.

The news broke Tuesday in a Washington Post story headlined "NASA, heeding Trump, may add astronauts to a test flight moon mission." The story and others that followed said Trump advisers want to go big in space, partly to send a message to China that America will remain the world's No. 1 space power.

The Post story cited a letter Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot sent NASA employees Wednesday, and the letter soon became public. Lightfoot told his NASA team that he'd asked agency leaders to study whether astronauts could ride on the first flight of the new Space Launch System (SLS) now under development.

At the same time, the story quoted Scott Pace, an influential space adviser to past Republican administrations, saying that within this administration, "There is strong interest in finding significant near-term accomplishments that can be done in the first term."

The Daily Caller, a conservative website, ran the story with the headline, "Trump makes NASA add astronauts to moon mission, could save $10 billion." Its sources say moving the astronauts from SLS flight No. 2 to No. 1 saves years of expensive development on the second flight.

This screen shot shows a Daily Caller website tweet about its story on President Trump's rumored plans for NASA. (Lee Roop | lroop@al.com)

A less flattering view is that the idea is basically a "Hail Mary" pass by NASA to save an SLS program facing problems technically, financially or with the calendar. The "Hail Mary" idea was raised by Keith Cowing, a former NASA biologist, whose blog NASA Watch is a popular agency watchdog.

A post on the NASA watchdog site "NASA Watch" questioned the idea of flying crew on the first SLS mission. (Lee Roop/lroop@al.com)

Cowing thinks that if flying a crew on the first SLS mission was a good idea, NASA would have planned to do so all along. To move the mission up for political reasons "starts to smell like launch fever," Cowing writes in his blog.

"Launch fever" is a serious charge in the space business. It's when "good decision making becomes secondary to the desire to launch," in the words of Mike Leinbach, the final launch director for the space shuttle program. It can lead to loss of lives and spacecraft.

What are the challenges of putting astronauts on SLS launch No. 1? They start with the fact the Orion capsule lacks key parts of a life support system. It wasn't intended to carry a crew until launch No. 2, so NASA would need to develop a system pretty quickly.

Another critical part of SLS, the propulsion system that pushes Orion to the moon on the first mission only, isn't rated safe enough for humans. It wasn't supposed to have a crew onboard. Whether it needs that rating will be part of the coming debate.

Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the major contractors on the rocket and capsule, respectively, issued statements this week saying they're on board at least to study a speedup. This was perhaps the only part of the week's news that wasn't surprising.

Where does Alabama fit in to this story? Everywhere. The Space Launch System is being developed at Huntsville's Marshall Space Flight Center. Lightfoot was the director of Marshall before moving to Washington and his current job. It will be Marshall that has to make the propulsion part of this idea work.

Cowing has also coined the term "Alabama cabal" to describe the state's alleged influence in Washington regarding NASA. The "cabal" wants SLS fully funded even if there are cheaper, better options, in this view, and the mafia includes powerful players in both the White House and Congress.

What other options? Perhaps astronauts circling the moon in a SpaceX Dragon capsule? Lightfoot says this is a fake fight and America needs both NASA and its commercial partners to explore space. But is there enough money?

What will President Trump do? Many space watchers have no trouble believing he'll ask NASA to go big. How will he pay for it? This could be where cutting NASA's Earth science programs comes into play. What we know for sure is things are getting very interesting - and very serious - for NASA and its Alabama center.

(Updated at 9:17 a.m. CST to correct a reference on the NASA Watch blog to Alabama. Blog author Keith Cowing refers to an "Alabama cabal" in his blog, not an Alabama "mafia.")
Republicans control Congress so President Donald Trump's pledge to boost the Pentagon budget by tens of billions of dollars should be a sure bet.

It's not.

Trump faces skeptical Democrats whose support he'll need and resistance from fiscal conservatives opposed to repealing a 2011 law that set firm limits on military and domestic spending. Unless the president figures out a way to mollify the disparate camps, he'll have a tough time delivering on a signature campaign promise to rescue the armed forces from a festering financial crisis.

Senior U.S. commanders have flatly warned that the spending caps set by the Budget Control Act are squeezing the armed forces so hard that the number of ready-to-fight units is dwindling. That means beating powers such as Russia or China is tougher than it used to be as aging equipment stacks up, waiting to be repaired, and troops don't get enough training.

Gen. Daniel Allyn, the Army's vice chief of staff, startled many lawmakers when he testified recently that just three of the service's 58 active-duty and reserve brigade combat teams are ready to fight at a moment's notice.

Allyn and other four-star officers pleaded during separate hearings in the House and Senate for the spending limits to be repealed, clearing the way for the bigger budgets they say are needed to stop the military's readiness for combat from decaying further.

"We need to act now before it's too late," said Gen. Stephen Wilson, the Air Force's vice chief of staff.

The average age of Air Force aircraft is 27 years, according to Wilson, who added that more than half of the service's inventory would qualify for antique vehicle license plates in Virginia. On top of that, the Air Force is short 1,500 pilots and 3,400 aircraft maintainers, he said.

The Navy and Marine Corps are experiencing the same turbulence.

Trump, speaking at a White House news conference Thursday, said he's ordered a plan for a "massive rebuilding" of the armed forces. He didn't disclose how much he expected his blueprint to cost.

National security hawks in Congress have suggested a defense budget of $700 billion in 2018 -- more than at any point during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The total, which includes $60 billion for overseas combat operations, is $91 billion over the mandatory spending cap.

That's just a down payment to begin digging out of a readiness problem the Pentagon's top brass says will take years to fix. GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has envisioned annual increases of between 3 percent and 4 percent, culminating with an $800 billion budget for the armed forces in 2022.

Securing these sizable and sustained increases will require repealing the Budget Control Act. Trump, however, has proposed to eliminate only the budget limit on defense. That's a nonstarter for Democrats, who have long demanded parity between the two board categories of federal spending.

They've argued that Trump's approach will continue to restrict the budgets of the departments of State, Treasury and Justice, all of which play essential national security roles.

"We've always insisted, on our side of the aisle, that as long as the caps are in place, there should be equal relief," said Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services readiness subcommittee.

Trump will need at least a handful of Democrats on his side: It'll take 60 votes in the Senate to undo the budget law and Republicans hold 52 seats.

Republicans hold a larger majority in the House, but the party's deficit hawks are a significant obstacle. They see the caps as blunt yet effective tools to curb federal spending and prevent the national debt from spiraling further out of control.

"We're walking into a financial train wreck that is going to have implications not just in terms of national security but in terms of everyone's financial security," said Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C. "It would be disastrous to simply abandon the caps with no other alternative in place."

But not everyone is convinced that the Pentagon is struggling so mightily.

Lawmakers such as Rep. Jackie Speier, a liberal California Democrat and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, contend the current defense budget of $611 billion is already more than China and Russia spend on their militaries combined.

On top of that, money is being wasted on bases and installations that are no longer needed but remain open because the GOP-led Congress has so far refused to allow a new round of base closures.

"No one wants to see bases close," Speier said. "But we have a certain pot of money and we've got to use it smartly."
Michael Flynn

In this Feb. 1, 2017, file photo, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn speaks during the daily news briefing at the White House, in Washington. Flynn resigned as President Donald Trump's national security adviser Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.

(Carolyn Kaster/AP File Photo)

Joyce Stallworth

By Dr. B. Joyce Stallworth, who retired from the University of Alabama in 2016. Until then, she served as the associate provost for special projects and as a professor of English education.

Impeached former President Richard Nixon discovered the truism that the cover-up will doom you every time. One way or another, good investigative reporters will ultimately unravel even the most complex web of lies. Most recently, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who served under both Presidents Obama and Trump, has stumbled upon the reality that one lie begets another lie and another and another. At some point, the cover-up becomes the story.

Flynn discovered that he was doomed only weeks into his role as National Security Adviser when journalists revealed to the world that he briefed the Vice President using incomplete information. The revelation quickly resulted in his forced resignation.

Will President Trump and others in our government have similar epiphanies specifically about cover-ups or will "alternative facts" and "fake news" continue to prevail in the Trump alternative universe? Whether or not President Trump ever fully understands the concept of truth or consequences, he and his inner circle may be finally realizing the mighty power of the pen because hard core investigative print journalism is experiencing a renaissance. Journalists are putting pen to paper to answer the question, "Who knew what, when, why and how?" Furthermore, the president's use of Twitter rants to dismiss print and online newspapers as failing may finally have run its course.

Those who enjoy reading well sourced fact-based news articles are rejoicing and applauding journalists like David Ignatius, Glenn Thrush, Ellen Nakashima, and others who are defying the Trump administration's attempts to discount real news and to silence, delegitimize and criminalize reporters. Perhaps there are fine lines between leaks and confidential sources when the public's right to know is in the balance.

However, if not for professional journalists committed to uncovering the truth using confidential sources, Sally Yates, as one case in point, may have ended her stellar government service as a mere footnote. To the contrary and as a result of diligent reporting, Americans know that Yates performed her job by informing the Trump administration that Michael Flynn could be vulnerable to Russian blackmail because of multiple telephone conversations in 2016 with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Even as President Trump attempted to obfuscate by firing Yates for her wise defiance of his travel ban, journalists highlighted the fact that her colleagues described her as beyond reproach. Conversely, Stephen Miller, Trump's senior policy adviser, boisterously referred to her as reckless and irresponsible. In this instance, we the public must read closely and critically in order to discern for ourselves which characterization reflects reality.

For most of 2016, then candidate Trump praised WikiLeaks, and Democrats decried the organization. As Democrats were asking the Justice Department to investigate FBI leaks, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) led the House of Representatives in passing legislation to protect FBI whistleblowers. He stated, "[this legislation] would have far-reaching implications in protecting whistleblowers at the FBI, just as Congress intended in 1978 in the first whistleblower protection law."

Now the positions are diametrically different.

According to President Trump, "Leaks are illegal. Leakers will pay a heavy price. Leakers are criminals. Most members of the news media are bad because they are reporting 'fake news.'"

Conversely, Democrats are comparing Trump administration cover-ups to Watergate. These entirely reversed positions beg the question: Are investigative journalists who are presently using confidential sources "bad criminals" merely because their news stories are antithetical to the narrative of the current administration?

President Trump has proudly proclaimed that he doesn't read much, other than his own books. And according to a 2016 Pew study, more Americans prefer to watch their news (46%) rather than to read the news (35%). At this critical juncture in American life, reading is fundamental, and citizens must read widely and deeply as a foundation for informed civic engagement.

For instance, Americans can read unrefuted facts from unbiased news sources like the "Associated Press" and "Reuters." As well, we can read conservative and liberal interpretations of those facts from opinion columnists with whom we disagree and with whom we agree. Read from "The National Review," "The Wall Street Journal," and "The New York Times."

In sum, as a deeply divided nation, obtaining news exclusively from Twitter, Facebook, and television does not facilitate a complete understanding of critical issues. At any given point, there will always be too much breaking news, and TV media outlets strive to be the first to broadcast, which sometimes results in inaccurate reporting.

Moreover, the consumption of "incomplete information" may negatively affect our ability to engage in civil dialogue, especially in discourse about politics. Therefore, reading the news from a variety of diverse and responsible print and online newspapers increases reflection and presents opportunities for us to slow down and unpack, unravel, and digest information.

Maybe the increased attention to reading well-sourced investigative news will provide an additional pathway into civic discourse about politics, government, and society.
Has the United Nations turned its back on persecuted Christians? That is the question the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International tried to answer in their study and their answer is "yes."

In the report of the World Watch Monitor regarding the report bluntly titled "The UN's Failure to Promote and Protect Religious Freedom," the ADF accuses the world body of "straying" from its original mission to uphold human rights, saying it has failed to fulfil its obligations to uphold religious freedom, thus intensifying the suffering of persecuted Christians worldwide.

The report slams the organisation for its failure to label the crimes committed against Christians and other religious minorities by Islamic State (ISIS) as "genocide," thus allowing the perpetrators to remain unpunished and continue their acts without fear.

It especially finds "glaring" that the U.N. Security Council held a special meeting in 2015 on ISIS' crimes against approximately 30 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. However, that same U.N. body did not even reportedly bother to discuss the more than 10,000 Christians and other people who had been slaughtered by ISIS.

The ADF report also points out that the membership of the U.N.'s Human Rights Council includes Saudi Arabia and China - "states that perpetuate human rights abuses, including abuses of the right to freedom of religion."

The report also said that with regards to the U.N. rights body's 47 members, 13 are included in this year's World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution cited by the charity group Open Doors.

This is not the first time the U.N. has been criticized for its lack of action or decisions.

In December last year, the U.N. Security Council was roundly criticised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after it passed a resolution calling for a halt to Israeli settlement-building.

Then U.S. President-elect Donald Trump also blasted the world body on Twitter, saying, "The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!"

In October 2016, Dallas First Baptist Church Pastor Robert Jeffress, Texas even called for the abolition of the U.N. after a U.N. panel demanded that Americans pay reparations for their nation's history of slavery and oppression.

The pastor said the proposed reparations appear more like a "shakedown." As such, he said he would be ready to see the U.N. abolished "in a heartbeat."
This is an attack on a Pakistan, where the diversity of its citizens is the fabric of the society and history.

Dania Ahmed is an analyst and writer, and has worked on counternarcotics and communications strategies for Pakistan.

There is a legend told through oral tradition in the sub-continent. There was a man who appeared before a great city, a wanderer seeking refuge in a new land.

When the king found out about this person, he refused to allow him in. He sent this person a pot of milk, and with it a message saying, See this pot filled to the brim with milk, this is how we are. We have no room for you in our city.

The man, smiled and placed a flower on the pot of milk, and sent back a message to the king, I want to live among you like this flower floats on milk, to spread the fragrance of love. And so it is said that this man was Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and the place Sehwan Sharif.

A testament to love and tolerance

Part of a fresh wave of terror attacks occurring in Pakistan, the February 16 suicide bomb blast on Lal Shahbabaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan killed at least 88, including women and children. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for this attack  the deadliest in Pakistan since 2014.

Given that there has been very little if not any at all media coverage in the West of this attack and of Muslims killed by ISIL, it is high time to get acquainted with and revisit Pakistans rich history, cultural heritage and pluralism, delve into who and what was actually attacked here.

Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was a Sufi saint, philosopher, poet who preached love and tolerance for people of all religions, regardless of ethnicity, creed, gender or caste.

His life was a testament of these words from the 13th-century Sufi poet Rumi: The mosque that is built in the hearts of the saints is the place of worship for all, for God dwells there.

Thousands of devotees from across the country  from all religious backgrounds  Sunni, Shia, Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Parsi come to pay homage to Qalandars shrine every Thursday and participate in dhamaal  ecstatic devotional dance.

Whenever there is a terror attack in Europe or the US, the entire world is alarmed, devastated. The recent terror attacks by ISIL in Pakistan and Iraq killing Muslims do not get enough coverage in Western media. However, Muslims are, in fact, the biggest victims of ISIL. by

Qalandars urs, or death anniversary celebration, brings more than half a million pilgrims to the shrine from all over Pakistan.

What makes this site unique from any other shrines or mosques is that no devotee is compartmentalised into any particular religion. There are no labels. It is a space where different religious identities are embraced.

This is a side of Pakistan that the global media would not cover, as it often portrays only a relatively fanatic, narrow version of religion in Pakistan, inspired by violent fundamentalist groups, incognizant of a Sufi mystical dimension that is bound neither by space nor time.

READ MORE: Sufis return to Sehwan shrine in defiance of ISIL

In fact, the spread of Islam in the subcontinent was not because of the invasion of Muslim armies  it was primarily owing to the tremendous influence of the mystics of Islam  the tolerant and pluralistic spirit of the Sufis.

The fanaticism that Pakistan is witnessing today is nowhere near the ancient spiritual attitudes and tolerant sentiments of the land. Its pluralistic history is being lost with each and every terror attack.

An attack on all of us

The attack on Lal Shahbaz Qalandar has once again demonstrated that the militants consider pluralistic Islam  peaceful co-existence and mutual tolerance  a threat to their own worldview and version of Islam.

This is an attack on a Pakistan where the diversity of its citizens is the fabric of the society and history, where people are not bound by the confines of religious boundaries. It is a futile attempt to intimidate the masses and spread fear.

It does not help that the new United States administration reinforces an Islam vs the West mentality.

It is not fair that Islamophobes have no knowledge and are unaware that a spiritual tradition of acceptance is under attack.

Whenever there is a terror attack in Europe or the US, the entire world is alarmed, devastated. The recent terror attacks by ISIL (also known as ISIS) in Pakistan and Iraq killing Muslims do not get enough coverage in Western media. However, Muslims are, in fact, the biggest victims of ISIL.

With no accountability from the government, no clear signs of the National Action Plan being implemented, Pakistan is losing once again to senseless terror.

OPINION: Bigotry against Ahmadis, a constant in Pakistan

Previous US administrations have had a clear foreign policy on South Asia, or at least repeatedly condemned these kinds of attacks in the region, to contribute to a sense of global understanding and participation  if even temporarily.

With no coverage in media or condemnation from political leadership on this barbarous attack in Sehwan, it is clear that effective foreign policy towards this region is very low on the agenda of the current leadership.

This type of negligence will lead the US to further isolation in this part of the world and throw it years back on relationship building with the region.

In a space that has already been shrinking for minorities, a space where blood is being shed in streets, markets, schools, holy sites  this is not the pluralism that Pakistan once embodied in its identity, nor reminiscent of Pakistans diverse and spiritually charged roots that go back thousands of years.

Dania Ahmed is an analyst and writer, and has worked on counternarcotics and communications strategies for Pakistan.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is not doing enough to save the Rohingya community in Myanmar.

The latest United Nations report on the Rohingya minority shocked the world yet again with descriptions of the kind of atrocities that the Myanmar security forces are perpetrating.

From children cut to death, to women raped and whole villages burned, these brutal acts have been justifiably characterised as most likely amounting to crimes against humanity.

Despite having ample evidence of the extent of ethnic cleansing pursued by the Myanmar authorities, the world is yet to take serious action against the government in Naypyidaw.

Among the many organisations that should be striving to protect the Rohingya, there is one that should clearly lead this initiative: the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Of all the international entities, the OIC is best positioned to undertake the cause of the Rohingya community.

Not only does it officially represent Muslim-majority nations, but it also has welcomed powerful nations with Muslim minorities such as the United States, China, and Russia to have their own representatives in the organisation.

It has the leverage to lead international action to protect the Rohingya and in the past has stood up for persecuted Muslims in Palestine and Kashmir among other places.

An old issue with a new twist





The Rohingya problem is several decades old. A 1982 Myanmar law stripped the Rohingya of access to full citizenship. Since then members of the Rohingya community have been driven out of Myanmar. Many have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh and from there to other countries.

It is very difficult to determine how many Rohingya have migrated but currently there are about 400,000 of them in Saudi Arabia and about 200,000 in Pakistan and most are supposed to have fled via Bangladesh.

The Myanmar government has sought to erase decades of violence and oppression against the Rohingya by citing security concerns to justify its brutal campaign.

More recently concerns about the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group spreading its influence in Southeast Asia have presented the government with a welcome distraction from the atrocities it is committing.

After the OIC criticised Myanmar at its January 19 extraordinary meeting on the Rohingya issue, its foreign ministry responded by saying: It is disturbing to note that the OIC meeting held in Kuala Lumpur on January 19, 2017, failed to acknowledge that the situation was a direct result of the well-planned and coordinated attacks on police outposts in the northern Rakhine State on October 9, 2016, by extremist elements both funded and inspired from abroad.

The fear of the rise of extremism is genuine and should be examined candidly. Western media have extensively reported on suspicions that ISIL might be recruiting among the Rohingya fleeing violence in Myanmar.

Although Turkey has not been able to make any dent in Myanmar's stance on the Rohingya issue, it has been able to create a caring image of itself that Islamic teachings demand. by

Indian media has even claimed that Rohingya militants, who are trained in Pakistan, have become operational in Bangladeshs hill track area of Coxs Bazars Teknaf and remote areas of Bandarban.

But how much of this speculation is based in reality, and how much of it is propaganda? Whether true or not, it certainly provides a convenient excuse for the Myanmar government.

If one digs a bit deeper beyond the international terrorism rhetoric, it is clear that suffering of the Rohingya has provoked expected antagonism.

According to Austin Bodetti, writing in the The Diplomat magazine, the Rohingya rebels operate in secret and without support from civil society, and their Islamic credentials, though present, are by far secondary to their sociopolitical grievances. They want human rights for all Rohingya, not a caliphate or an emirate.

But as the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak warned in his speech at the OIC meeting, the Rohingya could be infiltrated by ISIL if their plight is not resolved and this could threaten the whole region.

The example of Turkey

January 19 was not the first time that the OIC has urged Myanmar authorities to let it and other international delegations visit the violence-torn areas.

Unfortunately each time this has happened, the Myanmar authorities have come forward with more force and more brutal persecution.

The OICs condemnation of the violence against the Rohingya has again been reaffirmed in the recent report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on February 3, 2017.

The OICs attempt to create pressure through other UN agencies such as the Human Rights Commission has also failed and the situation on the ground has continued to deteriorate.

In this context one must remember that international organisations such as the OIC have weak mechanisms for implementation of their resolutions.

Strong nation states most of the time ignore demands of international organisations if they consider them against their interests. Israel has always ignored UN resolutions and Myanmar seems to have employed the same tactics.

Yet, keeping in view the shortcomings of international organisations, one must look for ways to assist the Rohingya people. This necessitates the OIC to conduct some soul-searching: has it stood for universal justice and human dignity that it claims to stand for?

In this context one may recall two OIC member states, Malaysia and Turkey, coming forward with material, political, humanitarian and, more importantly, emotional assistance.

Several years ago Turkeys First Lady Emine Erdogan accompanied the Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on a visit to Myanmar to express solidarity with the victims. Many Rohingya refugees in Malaysia affectionately remember this event.

OPINION: Regional actors should take a stand against Myanmar

Although Turkey has not been able to make any dent in Myanmars stance on Rohingya issue, it has been able to create a caring image of itself that Islamic teachings demand.

Malaysia, too, on top of calling for international action to address the Rohingya crisis, has developed a mechanism to assist Rohingya refugees with the involvement of UNHCR.

In recognition of these efforts, the OIC has appointed former Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, as the OIC envoy on the Rohingya issue.

In contrast, Bangladesh has not only denied anchoring to the devastated boat people who tried to escape violence-torn Myanmar, according to Human Right Watch, it has also denied refugees access to necessary humanitarian aid, endangering the lives of thousands of civilians and compelling many to seek refuge in nearby countries.

Bangladeshs prime minister has accused the Rohingya of being terrorists. Shouldnt the OIC hold the government of Bangladesh responsible for denying the persecuted Rohingya entry into the country?

OPINION: Aung San Suu Kyis inexcusable silence

Unfortunately, the OIC has not taken the stance of the current government of Bangladesh seriously. The OIC does not seem to have appreciated the standpoint of Turkey either.

Had the OIC adopted a resolution condemning Bangladeshs posture and appreciating Turkeys position, it would have sent a signal to Myanmars government that the Rohingya issue is an issue of universal human rights and human dignity, which supersedes national interests.

The OIC was created to promote these values. Based on these universally recognised values, the OIC can also create moral pressure on the US, Russia and China.

Why should the government in Myanmar and world powers take the OIC seriously when the OIC is not able to practise what it claims to stand for?

Abdullah al-Ahsan is professor of comparative civilizations at the Department of History and Civilization in International Islamic University Malaysia. He is the author of The Organization of the Islamic Conference: Introduction to an Islamic Political Institution.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
World leaders and supporters celebrate presidents inauguration, marking end to tense standoff with predecessor Jammeh.

Adama Barrow has been sworn in as president on Gambian soil, marking the end of a tense political standoff with the West African nations former leader.

Dressed in flowing white robes, Barrow arrived at the Independence Stadium on Saturday to fanfare in Bakau, a town 20km from the capital Banjul, waving to supporters from his vehicle.

Several world leaders and thousands of Gambians witnessed Barrows second swearing-in ceremony.

Barrow first took the oath in an official ceremony at The Gambias embassy in neighbouring Senegal in January, as former leader Yahya Jammeh refused to cede power.





International pressure and the threat of regional military intervention led Jammeh to finally accept his December election defeat and fly into exile in Equatorial Guinea.

Hundreds of thousands of Gambians welcomed Barrows return to The Gambia on January 26.

Barrow, 52, was born the year that The Gambia gained independence.

He has promised to reverse many of Jammehs policies which stretched over more than two decades of power.

Already, Barrow has committed to stay in the International Criminal Court (ICC), rejoin the Commonwealth, and free political prisoners.

Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque, reporting from the inauguration site, said Gambians were also celebrating the countrys 52nd independence day, which coincided with the swearing-in ceremony.

Under Jammehs rule, the independence day was not a day of celebration. They had to celebrate July 22, instead. The day when Jammeh took power in 1994, he said.

So, Gambians are taking this opportunity Adama Barrows victory as well as their country.

The international community has warmed to Barrows approach.

The European Union, which had cut support amid tensions with Jammeh, recently announced an $80m package of assistance.

Boris Johnson, British foreign secretary, visited Barrow on Tuesday, saying: We are here to help.

Senegals President Macky Sall was among the guests at the inauguration ceremony, which was protected by troops from the West African bloc, ECOWAS.

READ MORE  The Gambia: A lesson for African dictators

The regional force secured the country during the transition, which remained peaceful.

Sall said The Gambia and Senegal, a regional power that surrounds the tiny country, except for its coast, must strengthen economic and other relations. Many Senegalese live in The Gambia.

We are the same people, and we remain the same people, he said.

Others attending included the leaders of Ghana, Liberia and Ivory Coast and the US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Thousands will attend ceremony in the capital Banjul to witness the first democratic transfer of power in the country.

The Gambias new president, Adama Barrow, is due to be officially sworn in on the countrys independence day.

President Barrow recently returned home from Senegal, where he was sworn in last month, after longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh refused to step down from power despite losing the presidential election.

On Saturday, Barrow will take oath as the West African country marks 52 years since it gained its independence from the UK.

Several heads of state were scheduled to attend the ceremony.

Jammeh, who came to power through a military a coup in 1994, went into exile in the Equatorial Guinea after the regional body ECOWAS sent in troops to force him out of office.

Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque, reporting from Banjul, said thousands of people have come to the main stadium in the city to attend the ceremony.

It is a very important day for all those who have voted for Barrow. People have been waiting inside the stadium for a long time, he said.

The atmosphere is absolutely electric. Barrows main challenge now is to bring in reforms into the security services. The security services were very loyal to Jammeh.

Barrow has pledged to reverse many of Jammehs actions and has committed to stay in the International Criminal Court and rejoin the Commonwealth. He also has vowed to free political prisoners.

Barrow, who will be the countrys third president, announced last month plans to rename the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a dreaded secret police accused by rights groups of forced disappearances and torture under the control of Jammeh.

Saturdays inauguration is the first time the country is experiencing a democratic transfer of power.

Around 4,000 West African troops remain in the country charged with ensuring safety, as it is believed rogue pro-Jammeh elements remain in the security forces that were once under his personal control.
China says it will suspend all imports of coal from North Korea for the rest of the year, depriving the country of a crucial source of foreign exchange following its latest missile test.

The suspension, which implements existing UN sanctions over North Koreas nuclear programmes, will start on February 19 and remain in force until the end of the year, Chinas commerce ministry said in a statement posted on its website on Saturday.

China will temporarily stop its imports of coal from North Korea for the rest of this year including coal for which customs applications have been made but not yet processed, it said.

The decision came after North Koreas February 11 missile test, as tensions escalate over the reclusive states defiance of UN resolutions.

China had traditionally ensured that UN Security Council resolutions on sanctions against North Korea included humanitarian exemptions, and had continued to buy huge amounts of North Korean coal  worth $101m in October alone.

Einar Tangen, a Beijing-based analyst, says Chinas move would have a massive impact on North Koreas economy.

Coal represents one-third of North Koreas total exports  The entire GDP of North Korea was about $17bn and now $1bn has effectively disappeared. This is biting into the very lifeblood of the administration, he told Al Jazeera.

China, a long-time main ally and neighbour of North Korea, appeared to be moving towards improved ties with South Korea after its political opposition gained popularity following President Park Geun-hyes impeachment, Tangen said.

READ MORE: N Korea defector says Kim Jong-uns days are numbered

China has recently been working hard with South Koreas opposition, he said.

The UN Security Council, which includes China, sharply criticised North Korea on Monday for the missile test, describing it as a grave violation of UN resolutions and threatening further significant measures.

On Wednesday, North Korea defended the missile launch and criticised the Security Council condemnation.

The rocket launch was the first since US President Donald Trump came to power and was seen as a challenge to the new American leader, who has promised a strong response.

Trump has repeatedly criticised China for doing too little to help stop North Koreas nuclear programme.

Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, used his first meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday to urge China to use all available tools to moderate North Koreas destabilising behaviour.

North Korea launched a series of missiles and conducted two nuclear tests in 2016 in its quest to develop a weapons system capable of hitting the US mainland.

The latest rocket  said by North Korea to be able to carry a nuclear warhead  flew east for about 500km before falling into the Sea of Japan, South Koreas defence ministry said.

The Security Council has imposed six sets of sanctions since North Korea first tested an atomic device in 2006.
Donald Tsang, who faces up to seven years in prison, is the most senior official to be found guilty in a criminal trial.

Donald Tsang, Hong Kongs former leader, has escaped a conviction of bribery in a trial that found him guilty of misconduct during his time at the helm of the city.

Tsang, 72, is the most senior city official to be convicted in a criminal trial  at a time when residents are losing faith in Hong Kongs leaders.

The case is one of several recent scandals that have shaken public confidence and raised concerns about ties between Hong Kongs leaders and wealthy businessmen.

Tsang was found guilty on Friday of failing to disclose his plans to rent a luxury flat from a major investor of a broadcaster, which was later granted a licence from the government while he was leader.

However, he escaped a bribery charge over allegations he had taken the redecoration and refurbishment of the apartment as a kickback, after the jury failed to reach a decision on that count.

Tsang, who was granted bail, was also acquitted on another misconduct charge which alleged he had failed to declare that an architect he proposed for a government award had been employed as an interior designer on the flat.

Sentencing is due to take place on Monday. He faced up to seven years in prison.

Al Jazeeras Divya Gopalan, reporting from Hong Kong, said: This guilty verdict is seen as a conclusion to the rise and fall of the long-serving and once very popular civil servant.

Tsang was the chief executive of Hong Kong for seven years before he stepped down in disgrace in 2012, even before he could finish his second term in office.

Our correspondent said the verdict came amid growing frustration and protests over ties between politicians and businesses, and has restored some faith in the citys judiciary system.

The verdict sends the message that relations between the business community and authorities will be closely watched, she said.

Hong Kong, a global financial centre and a special administrative region of China, has served as a major hub for mainland capital since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Police make fourth arrest in Malaysia following death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns half-brother.

Malaysian police have arrested a fourth suspect believed to be linked to the death of Kim Jong-nam, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

According to a statement by Malaysian police on Saturday, the suspect was arrested a day earlier in Selangor state and was identified as 47-year-old Ri Jong-chol from North Korea.

On Wednesday, a 28-year-old woman named Doan Thi Huong and carrying Vietnamese travel documents was arrested at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the scene of Mondays poisoning.





Two others were also detained in relation to the incident: A 25-year-old Indonesian woman called Siti Aishah, and a man who was accompanying her, reportedly a Malaysian national.

Police are also searching for other suspects including four men, who are believed to be involved in the case.

Kim Jong-nam was on his way to the Chinese territory of Macau, where he had been reportedly residing under Chinas protection.

The 46-year-old was targeted in the shopping plaza at the airport and had not yet gone through passport control, a senior government official said.

A second autopsy on the body will take place on Saturday after Wednesdays first autopsy was reportedly inconclusive, a senior Malaysian official said.

However, Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah dismissed reports that a second autopsy would have to conducted.

North Korea said it would categorically reject Malaysias autopsy report, and accused Malaysia of colluding with outside forces, in a veiled reference to rival nation South Korea.

OPINION: Trouble for Trump: Iran, North Korea, Palestine, China

The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing, North Koreas ambassador Kang Chol said after Malaysian police rejected demands made earlier in the week to return the remains.

We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem conducted unilaterally excluding our attendance.

Malaysia hit back by saying the countrys rules must be followed.

While in Malaysia, everyone has to obey and follow our rules and regulations. That includes North Korea, Inspector General Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, told a local news agency.

TV prank

On Saturday, Indonesian police said that the Indonesian detained suspect, Aishah, thought that she was allegedly taking part in a reality television prank.

She was probably just used without realising it was an assassination attempt, Indonesian Police Chief Tito Karnavian said according to local media.

Kim mostly lived outside of North Korea, including recently in Macau, Singapore and Malaysia, rendering him as the least likely candidate to have been the possible successor to his father.

He had said on several occasions over the years that he had no interest in leading North Korea.
Turkish presidents plan to clear Kurdish forces from Syrian city and set up a safe zone meets with Kurdish defiance.

The commander of Kurdish fighters in Syrias Manbij city has told Al Jazeera that his forces will fight to defend any move by Turkey to take over the area.

Adnan Abu Amjads comment came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that when his countrys forces finished helping Syrian opposition fighters take over Al Bab from ISIL , they would move on to Manbij and then ISILs self-declared capital Raqqa.

Erdogan said he wants to set up a safe zone near the Turkish border and clear all Kurdish forces from the area.

Abu Amjad said: If Erdogan wants to come to Manbij, its his business, but we will defend our city with all the strength we can find. As Syrian people, well resist any interference in our internal affairs.





Air strikes carried out by the US-led coalition and a long fight by mainly Kurdish ground forces freed Manbij from the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group last year.

However, the US backing for Syrian Democratic Force (SDF)  an alliance dominated by the Kurdish YPG militia  has caused anger in Turkey.

Since Donald Trump became the US president, Erdogan has offered to join the fight against ISIL, also known as ISIS, in Raqqa. But he does not want Kurds , who had launched a campaign to encircle the city in November, to participate.

It is not yet clear whether Trumps administration will provide weapons to the YPG over Turkeys objections.

The US says weapons provided to the SDF are so far limited to its Arab elements, but Turkey says the arms are going to the SDF and is asking for a halt.

Elsewhere in Syria , the besieged, rebel-held district of al-Waer in Homs city was bombed by Syrian warplanes on Saturday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Britain-based monitoring group, said three people were killed in the attack on Saturday.

The latest violence brought the death toll since the bombardment of the district resumed earlier this month to at least 30 people.

An opposition media activist in al-Waer said two people were killed in Saturdays bombing and the overall toll this month was more than 20.

Pro-Syrian government media outlets have said strikes were in response to rebels firing at residential areas of government-held Homs neighbourhoods.

Government strategy

Syria has tried to conclude a deal in al-Waer that would see rebel fighters and their families leave the district and the government take over.

Under similar local agreements in other parts of western Syria, rebels have left with light weapons and headed mostly for Idlib province.

The opposition says such agreements are part of a government strategy to forcibly displace populations from opposition-held areas after years of siege and bombardment.

In September, about 120 rebel fighters and their families left al-Waer in agreement with the government , but there have been no further reports of rebels leaving.

The SOHR estimates several thousand fighters remain there.
Both Merkel and US Vice President Mike Pence attend key security conference in Munich with Russia high on the agenda.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Islam is not the source of terrorism and that cooperating with predominantly Muslim states in the fight against it is vital.

Merkel, who has been critical of US President Donald Trumps attempt to impose a temporary travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries, was speaking on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, with US Vice President Mike Pence in the audience.

I think, those countries, first and foremost have to give a contribution. Because only in this way we would be able to convince people that it is not Islam that is the source of terrorism. But a falsely understood Islam, she said.

I expect from religious authorities of Islam to find strong language in order to delimitate peaceful Islam from terrorism committed in the name of Islam. We as non-Muslims cannot do this, it should be done by Islamic clergy and authorities, she added.

Merkel said Europes ties with Russia remained challenging, but it was important to work with Russia in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, known as ISIS) and similar groups.





She stressed the need to preserve and strengthen multilateral structures such as the EU, NATO and the UN during an address that came as concern grew about the Trump administrations approach to international affairs and fears that it may have little interest in working in multilateral forums.

Trumps criticism of NATO as obsolete, his praise for Britains decision to leave the EU as well as his softer approach towards Russia have unnerved allies.

Acting together strengthens everyone, said Merkel. We must see that the multilateral structures are in many places not efficient enough.

I am firmly convinced that it is worth fighting for our common international multilateral structures, but we must improve them in many places.

Pence reassures watchful allies

Pence, though, in his first overseas trip since being named vice president, said Trump would stand by NATO and no one should doubt his commitment after the sacrifices made to defend it.

The president asked me to be here today to convey a message, a reassurance  the US strongly supports NATO and we will be unwavering in our commitment to this transatlantic alliance, Pence said. Let no one doubt our commitment.

READ MORE: Donald Trump committed to NATO

Al Jazeeras Dominic Kane, reporting from the conference, said many people had wanted to hear Pence speak as speculation grew about Trumps approach to foreign policy.

Delegates here will be discussing the future of NATO as well as the future of the West, Kane said. With all these leaders speaking, it shows how important the conference has become in recent time.

The fact that Merkel spoke about ISIL and Boko Haram and the need to consign these people to history shows leaders here are in earnest about how they deal with the problem.

The question is though what policy will emerge from this. Is it likely this conference will arrive at a meaningful policy which will deal with these groups? Thats a much more difficult question to answer.

Pence is also scheduled to sit down with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko  all countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion  along with Turkeys prime minister, Binali Yildirim.
Push to allow Islamic courts to impose more severe punishments fuels fears of growing division in multiethnic nation.

Kuala Lumpur  A massive rally in the heart of Kuala Lumpur in support of proposals to allow Islamic courts to impose more severe punishments has raised fears of growing division in Malaysias multicultural society.

The amendments to Act 355, expected to be discussed in parliament when it sits next month, will allow the Islamic courts, which rule on religious matters and family law for Muslims, to impose a jail sentence of as long as 30 years, as many as 100 strokes of the cane and a fine of more than $22,000.

Currently, the maximum punishments are a three-year jail term, six strokes of the cane and a fine of more than $1,100.

Saturdays rally was mostly attended by supporters of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which is pushing the amendments, saying the changes will enhance the status of the Islamic courts and deter wrongdoing.

Critics of the amendments say they are unjust, disproportionate and unconstitutional.

Necessary upgrade

Wearing purple T-shirts, people began arriving in Kuala Lumpur in the morning.

While some were brought in by bus from PAS stronghold in the northeastern state of Kelantan, and neighbouring Terengganu, others came from Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding state of Selangor.

Many brought their children. Police estimated the crowd at about 20,000, while the local media put it at 50,000. PAS had said they expected to mobilise 200,000 people.

[The amendments] are necessary to upgrade the Islamic laws, said Shahrul Biden, a 40-year-old salesman and PAS supporter from Kuala Lumpur, who was among the crowd.

As Muslims, we are obliged to follow the rule of law as laid down by God, Allah, no matter what.

About 40 percent of Malaysias population is not Muslim, and the country has a dual legal system, with secular courts responsible for all civil and criminal matters.

United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the party of Najib Razak, the Malaysian prime minister, which is giving tacit support to the PAS bill, governs in coalition with a number of race-based non-Muslim parties who have expressed their concern about the amendments.

Jamil Khir Baharom, the government minister responsible for Islamic affairs, spoke at the PAS rally after night fell, clad in purple like the rest of the demonstrators. Abdul Hadi Awang, PAS leader, was due to close the event.

At a rival rally, about 100 people gathered in a nearby suburb to protest against the plans, which they argue are not only incompatible with Malaysias multiethnic and multireligious society, but in breach of the countrys secular constitution.

An ethnic Chinese politician from one of the smaller parties in Najibs coalition told the crowd he would resign if the amendments were passed.

Organisers said members of parliament from the Borneo state of Sarawak, which has a large Christian population, had informed them they would reject the proposals.

The opposition Democratic Action Party, which used to be in coalition with PAS, has reiterated it will reject the amendments; the version of the bill tabled last year led to the collapse of the opposition pact.

Affecting non-Muslims

While Malaysias non-Muslims do not have jurisdiction in the Islamic courts, they have increasingly found themselves caught up in proceedings, particularly in cases of divorce  in Malaysia, non-Muslims must convert in order to marry a Muslim  or child conversion.

One case has been dragging on for nearly a decade, with a Hindu womans former husband, who converted to Islam and changed his childrens religion without seeking his wifes consent, ignoring a civil court order to return his youngest child to her mother.

The religious bodies have also been accused of abusing their powers.

A Muslim married couple, who were accused of khalwat [close proximity of non-married people] by the religious police, is suing the Islamic authorities, claiming a breach of their rights under the constitution.

This process of Islamisation should stop, said Helen Ting, 53, who comes from Sarawak, but works near Kuala Lumpur and attended the rally against the amendments.

We want to tell the government its time do a stock-take [and assess] the impact of this on our country  not just for the non-Muslims but the Muslims too.
Russias foreign minister has called for an end to an outdated world order dominated by the West, even as US Vice President Mike Pence has pledged his countrys unwavering commitment to its transatlantic allies in NATO.

Sergey Lavrovs comments at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday came just hours after Pence promised to stand with Europe to rein in a resurgent Russia and hold Russia accountable.

Lavrov, offering pragmatic ties with the United States, said: I hope that [the world] will choose a democratic world order  a post-West one  in which each country is defined by its sovereignty.

The time when the West called the shots was over while NATO was a relic of the Cold War, he said.

In its place, Russia wanted a relationship with the US that is pragmatic with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our common responsibility for global stability.

The two countries had never been in direct conflict, he said, and that they were close neighbours across the Bering Straits.

Growing heat

Russia has been impatiently waiting for US President Donald Trump to make good on his pledge to improve ties, which fell to a post-Cold War low as his predecessor, Barack Obama, declared sanctions over the Ukraine crisis and Russias alleged meddling in the US presidential election.

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and voiced his willingness to work with him in fighting terrorism.

But in the face of growing heat over its links to Russia, Trumps administration appears to be backing off the warmer words used earlier for the country.

Exasperated and worried by Trumps calling into question long-standing foreign policy assumptions, European leaders have urged the US not to take transatlantic ties for granted.

READ MORE: Donald Trump committed to NATO

On a European roadshow this week, Trumps lieutenants have sought to reassure jittery allies that the administration will hold fast to existing foreign policies, including maintaining sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis.

Hours before Lavrov addressed the conference, Pence told the same forum that the US will stay loyal to its old friends.

The United States is and will always be your greatest ally. Be assured that President Trump and our people are truly devoted to our transatlantic union, Pence said, adding that America strongly supports NATO.

Let no one doubt our commitment, he said.

Al Jazeeras Dominic Kane, reporting from Munich, said: The warmth of words he used regarding NATO as a bedrock of security in Europe was warmly received here, by delegates, but not when he mentioned the need for NATO countries member states to boost the amount of their GDP spent on defence expenditure  that causes some concern.

New common ground

The US would also not relent in pushing Russia to honour the Minsk ceasefire accords with Ukraine, Pence said.

The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, James Mattis, defence secretary, said Russia must first prove itself and respect international law before there could be any improvement in relations strained by Russias Ukraine intervention and annexation of Crimea.

READ MORE: Merkel  Islam is not the source of terrorism

Mattis also said the transatlantic bond was as strong as Ive ever seen it, and emphasised that America remained rock solid in its support of Article 5  NATOs core one for all, all for one collective defence pledge.





Likewise, Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, indicated he would take a tough line in his dealings with Russia.

Following his first meeting with Lavrov in Bonn on Thursday, Tillerson said the US would cooperate with Russia but only when doing so will benefit the American people.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been a key player in mediating talks between Ukraine and Russia, said it was regrettable that Europe had not managed to reach a stable relationship with Russia over the last 25 years.

I will not give up on finding a way for better relations with Russia despite our different views on many questions, she said, championing international cooperation rather than a policy of isolationism.

In a year in which we see unimaginable challenges, we can either work together or retreat to our individual roles. I hope that we will find a common position, she said.
Filipino Catholics condemn a spreading culture of violence as the presidents anti-drug campaign kills thousands.

Thousands of Catholics have gathered in the Philippine capital in a show of force to protest extrajudicial killings being carried out under the banner of President Rodrigo Dutertes war on drugs.

The rally, dubbed the Walk for Life, was attended by 20,000 people, organisers said. Manila police estimated the crowd at 10,000.

At the biggest rally yet against the killings, members of one of the nations oldest and most powerful institutions prayed and sang hymns as they marched before dawn on Saturday, to condemn a spreading culture of violence.





More than 7,000 people have died since Duterte took office almost eight months ago and ordered an unprecedented crime war that has drawn global criticism for alleged human rights abuses.

The move, however, has been popular with many in the mainly Catholic nation.

We have to stand up. Somehow this is already a show of force by the faithful that they dont like these extrajudicial killings, Manila bishop Broderick Pabillo told AFP news agency before addressing the crowd.

I am alarmed and angry at whats happening because this is something that is regressive. It does not show our humanity.

The demonstrators also condemned legislation restoring the death penalty for drug-related crimes and other offences.

Duterte, 71, has attacked the Church as being full of sh*t and the most hypocritical institution for speaking out against a campaign that he says would save generations of Filipinos from the drug menace.

About 80 percent of the 100 million Filipinos are Catholic.

READ MORE: Children and Dutertes drug war  Lessons from the past

The Church helped lead the revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and a 2001 uprising against then-president Joseph Estrada that saw him ousted over corruption charges.

The Church had initially declined to voice opposition publicly to Dutertes drug war but, as the death toll of mostly-poor mounted, it started late last year to call for the killings to end.

It is obvious that there is a spreading culture of violence. It is saddening to see, sometimes it drives me to tears, how violent words seem so natural and ordinary, said Manila Cardinal Luis Tagle, the countrys highest-ranking Church official.

Dawn, which is supposed to be the hour of a new start, is becoming an hour of tears and fears by Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the bishops' conference

If the response to violence is also violence, then we are only doubling down on violence.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines had called on the faithful to gather before dawn at the Quirino Grandstand, in the same venue where Duterte held a huge pre-election rally in 2016.

Why dawn? Its because it is during these hours that we find bodies on the streets or near trash cans. Dawn, which is supposed to be the hour of a new start, is becoming an hour of tears and fears, Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the bishops conference, told the crowd.

Among those who attended Saturdays event was Senator Leila de Lima, a former human rights commissioner, who is one of Dutertes most vocal opponents.

The government on Friday filed charges against her for allegedly running a drug trafficking ring inside the countrys largest prison when she was justice secretary in the previous administration.

De Lima, who has denied the charges, said she attended the event as a show of solidarity.
President Donald Trump has stepped up his verbal attacks on several widely respected US news organisations.

US President Donald Trump has ratcheted up his verbal assault on the media, describing it as the enemy of the American people in a tweet.

Shortly after landing at his holiday home in Florida  where he is spending a third consecutive weekend  the president lashed out at several news organisations.

The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People! he wrote on Friday.

Trump had posted an earlier tweet that took aim at the New York Times, CNN, NBC and many more media organisations  and ended it with the exclamation SICK!

But he swiftly deleted that before tweeting the final version, adding two more enemies to his list.

Many US presidents have criticised the press in the past, but political analysts say Trumps language has more closely echoed that of authoritarian leaders.

Trump, who regularly accuses the media of overstating his problems, has also accused journalists of failing to show sufficient respect for his accomplishments  including in their coverage of a long-winded press conference on Thursday in which he voiced a litany of grievances against the industry.

Many journalists were taken aback by the extraordinarily combative press conference, which was described by some as bizarre, but Trump later echoed words of praise he got from one right-wing commentator and insisted it had been a bravura performance.

READ MORE: Anti-Muslim groups have tripled in US since Trump campaign

The 70-year-old partly built his election campaign on criticising the press as biased.

Month of tumult

In four tumultuous weeks, Trump has seen his national security adviser ousted, a cabinet nominee withdraw, a centrepiece immigration policy fail in the courts and a tidal wave of damaging leaks.

Trump tried to put that first month of difficulties behind him as he pitched himself as a champion of US jobs and industry during a visit to Boeing in South Carolina.

https://twitter.com/BrettLoGiurato/status/832709489409134592

He used the visit to publicly renew a campaign vow to champion jobs and industry.

As your president, Im going to do everything I can to unleash the power of the American spirit and to put our great people back to work, he said.

This is our mantra, buy American and hire American. We want products made in America, made by American hands, Trump added, pledging to wean the country off imports.

Although the unemployment rate is at a low five percent and wages are rising steadily, a triple whammy of deindustrialisation, globalisation and automation have hit the US heartland hard.
Russia, Ukraine and allies agree to ensure peace in eastern Ukraine as Kremlin indirectly recognises breakaway regions.

A truce between Russia-backed separatists and the Ukrainian army will come into force on Monday in eastern Ukraine, according to Russias foreign minister.

The deal was brokered on Saturday at the Munich security conference with the participation of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.

It is positive that the contact group [of foreign ministers of the four countries] agreed once again for the start of a ceasefire on February 20, Sergey Lavrov said.

INTERACTIVE: Ukraine divided  stories from warring sides

The agreement also concerns the start of the withdrawal of heavy arms in eastern Ukraine.

The Munich meeting examined where we were with the implementation of accords reached by the presidents of the four countries in Berlin in October, Lavrov said.





We observed that there hasnt been major progress in terms of results of the decisions taken in Berlin, he said.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, French foreign minister, said neither Russia nor Ukraine had offered any alternatives to the Minsk process.

The meeting showed that Russians and Ukrainians had no other option but to respect Minsk. They have no alternatives, he said.

We agree to meet quickly, perhaps in three weeks, to see if we can advance on the ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons and exchange of prisoners. We need a lot of patience, because we can see a lack of will on either side.

Fighting has recently intensified in the conflict, killing nearly 30 people at the start of February.

Major development

The news of the deal overshadowed a major development announced in Russia.

President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian authorities on Saturday to temporarily recognise civil registration documents issued in separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine, indirectly recognising the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

The move will enable people from the conflict-hit region to travel, work or study in Russia.

The new legislation will be in place until a political settlement of the situation in these regions based on the Minsk peace accords, the Kremlin said.

READ MORE: Foreign students face uncertain future in east Ukraine

Ukrainian authorities sharply criticised Putins decision, saying Russia had violated the Minsk peace process.

For me, this is another proof of Russian occupation as well as Russian violation of international law, Ukraines President Petro Poroshenko said in Munich.

Oleksander Turchynov, secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defence Council, which is headed by Poroshenko, said: This step completely negates the Minsk process.

Almost three years of fighting between government forces and Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine have killed nearly 10,000 people.
Omar Abdel Rahman, convicted of several terrorism charges, dies, his son tells Al Jazeera the US killed him slowly.

Omar Abdel Rahman, who was convicted of conspiracy in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and of planning more attacks as part of a war of urban terrorism in the US, has died in a North Carolina prison.

Abdel Rahman, 78, was serving a life sentence on several convictions when he died of natural causes on Saturday at a federal prisons medical centre in Butner, North Carolina, the US Bureau of Prisons said.

Abdel Rahman, an Egyptian, was blind, had diabetes and coronary artery disease.

He was jailed at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner for nearly 10 years.

His family in Egypt received a phone call from a US representative confirming his death, his son Ammar said.

Another of his sons, Abdullah, denied all accusations against his father as he blamed the US for causing his death.

He was surprised that America was the country that falsely accused and arrested him, Abdullah told Al Jazeera, speaking from Istanbul, Turkey.

They even became creative in the way they killed him slowly. In the last few days of his life, they took all of his medicine.

Is this America, the land of freedoms? Look how they treated the man who is old, blind, and ill and who came to America to call for freedom. They took the worst revenge against him, only because he used to say the truth. They conspired with the [former Egyptian President Hosni Mubaraks] regime against him.

Video evidence

Much of the case against Abdel Rahman, a preacher at a New Jersey mosque, and his followers was based on video and audio recordings made with the help of his bodyguard, who became an FBI informant.

One of those videos showed four defendants mixing fertiliser and diesel fuel for bombs.

After a nine-month trial, Abdel Rahman and nine of his followers were found guilty in October 1995 on 48 of 50 charges.

Six people died in the attack and more than 1,000 people were injured in the attack on February 26, 1993.

Abdel Rahman did not testify at his trial, but at a sentencing hearing gave a speech of more than 90 minutes, through a translator, proclaiming his innocence and denouncing the US as an enemy of his Islamic faith.

I have not committed any crime except telling people about Islam, he said.

Abdel Rahman remained a spiritual leader for some, even after more than 20 years in prison.

With his long grey beard, sunglasses and red and white cap, he was a famous religious figure in the 1980s and 1990s.

His following was tied to killings and bomb attacks around the world.

Abdel Rahman, who was born in a village along the Nile on May 3, 1938, grew up studying a Braille version of the Quran.

As an adult, he was accused of issuing a decree leading to the 1981 assassination of Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian president he had criticised for years.

US resident status

Abdel Rahman said in Egypt he was hung upside down from the ceiling, beaten with sticks and given electric shocks while held, but he was eventually acquitted and went into self-imposed exile in 1990.

He managed to get to New York after the US embassy in Sudan granted him a tourist visa in 1990  despite the fact that he was on the state departments list of people with ties to terror groups.

US authorities blamed a computer error for the visa, but the mistake was compounded in 1991 when Abdel Rahman was given a green card and permanent US resident status.

The New York Times reported the CIA had approved the visa application for Abdel Rahman, who had supported the anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan during the 1980s.

Abdel Rahmans convictions also included plotting to kill Mubarak during a visit to the US in 1993, a Jewish New York state legislator and a Jewish New York State Supreme Court justice.
Ten years ago, the number of devices connected to the Internet was under a billion.

Now, that number has exploded to 20 billion and it will continue to increase. Mobile computing, driverless connected cars and interactive fridges are a reality.

John Chambers, the executive Chairman of Cisco Systems, has been involved in building the infrastructure of the Internet since the 1980s. On his trip to Doha this week, we asked him where he sees the future, what economies will lead the next Internet evolution and why the Arab World has the potential to leapfrog other countries in terms of innovation.

Presenting his digital outlook for the future, Chambers notes, Youre going to have three to five times the impact of the Internet in this new digital era. You can call it the fourth generation of technology or a digital revolution  that every country, every city, every company in the world, every person goes digital.

As you do this, the economic benefit is probably $19-21 trillion, which translates to one to four percent GDP for every country in the world. What it will do is completely transform every industry, every country, every city  that as you transform, you can do something the Internet didnt do  if its done right, you can make it really inclusive across the 7.5 billion people around the world.

While France and India are finding creative ways of connecting their societies, the Arab World could leapfrog and skip a generation in leadership and perhaps bring peace in the Middle East by using the power of digitisation and creating a large middle class, largely through startups and small businesses getting much larger.

Maybe a dream, maybe a reality, said Chambers.

In terms of the interconnectivity of our daily lives, Chambers offered an interesting point: When Cisco started in 1984, there were 1,000 devices connected to the Internet. Today, there are 17 billion.

In 10 years, 500 billion. The whole key is to get the right information, at the right time, to the right machine, to the right person to make the right decision. The end result will be new business models. You will probably live five to 10 years longer because well improve the quality of healthcare so much.

Weve found cures for cancer, something we wouldnt have done otherwise. Well be able to cater the medicine that we take to the uniquenessess of your DNA with a much higher success rate. We have the potential to dramatically increase the income of every person in the world and to educate people more like our kids learn.

Also on this episode of Counting the Cost:

Cyberwarefare: In this fast-moving digital world, cyberattacks are becoming ever more sophisticated. How are those criminals brought to justice? What happens if hacking software run by a rogue nation attacks a government? Rob Reynolds reports from San Francisco at the worlds largest gathering of internet security experts.

Africas Breadbasket: Theyre small, but the damage theyre causing is enormous. An outbreak of Armyworm caterpillars is devastating crops in several African countries, prompting an emergency meeting of experts to discuss how they can fight back. There are warnings the pest could soon spread to Asia and the Mediterranean. Haru Mutasa reports from Zimbabwe.

Greece debt: The IMF is urging the Greek government to speed up reforms to get the economy back on track. So, what next for Greece, and its main creditor, the Eurozone? Philip Ammerman, managing partner at Navigator Consulting, explains whats behind the latest standoff between Greece and its creditors. John Psaropoulos reports from Athens.

Facebook TV: Facebook is about to launch a standalone app for TVs in order to grab a bigger share of digital advertising. That market was worth $20bn in the most recent quarter in the US alone.

Dubai taxi pod: The head of Dubais transportation agency said that self-flying taxis would start taking people across the city starting from July.

Samsung troubles: Samsung plays such a huge role in South Korea, its sometimes referred to as the Republic of Samsung. Its also the countrys biggest chaebol  a family owned conglomerate which literally means wealth clan. So what does it mean when the companys heir apparent is arrested? Well, it could have ramifications for the companys restructuring. Samsung needs to restore confidence in its brand after its exploding Galaxy Note 7 disaster. But now its boss-to-be is embroiled in a bribery scandal thats linked to the impeachment of the countrys president.
Christopher Whiteside MBE is County Councillor for the Egremont North and St Bees Division of Cumbria County Council. The division includes St Bees, Bigrigg, Wood End, Moor Row, part of the Mirehouse area of Whitehaven, and surrounding countryside. He will hold this office until the county council is abolished on 1st April 2023. He is also Chairman of the North-West region of the voluntary wing of the Conservative party. Chris lives and works in Copeland with his wife and family.
The case against Assange is as political as it is legal; where does it go from here? Plus, Kenyas election influencers.
What is driving increasing numbers of migrant Salvadorans to risk their lives in hopes of a new start in the US?

El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala form what is known as Central Americas Northern Triangle. The region is overrun by organised crime and gangs, resulting from violent civil wars that rocked the three countries in the 1980s.

According to a report from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 137,000 people from the Northern Triangle entered the US by June last year alone. Figures show that hundreds of thousands of men, women and children continue to try and flee poverty and violence in an attempt to reach the United States at any price.

When you're a member of a gang, there is no discrimination, everyone is the same. We've been hurt because if the government discriminates against you, obviously you're going to look for a place where you don't feel discriminated. by Aquiles, former gang member

Contrary to claims made by the Trump administration, the number of undocumented migrants from Mexico has fallen in the last few years. However, it is Central Americans who are increasingly attempting to cross the border, especially from El Salvador.

El Salvador has the highest murder rate in the world, and according to the 2016 El Salvador Crime and Safety Report conducted by the US Overseas Security Advisory Council, almost one-quarter of all Salvadorans were victims of crime in 2015. Salvadorans travel by land across Guatemala into Mexico  arguably the most dangerous part of the journey  where countless migrants are robbed, kidnapped, raped and/or killed by Mexican criminal gangs that control the route.

Since President Donald Trump renewed his vow to build an impenetrable wall to keep undocumented migrants out, traffickers  commonly known as coyotes  have raised their fees, trying to cash in on desperation to reach the land of the American dream before its too late.

In 2014, President Barack Obama approved a special refugee reunification programme to discourage tens of thousands of Central American children from risking their lives to join undocumented parents in the US. The programme was set to give these children refugee status  the Trump administration has since stopped the scheme in its tracks, raising concerns of a new wave of unaccompanied minors trying to reach the border.

Talk to Al Jazeera travels to El Salvador to see what is driving the migration wave and at what price.

Fernando Castaneda is a Salvadoran recently deported from the US back to El Salvador. He is living with his family, fearing for his life every single day. Asked why he left El Salvador to begin with, Fernando is visibly distraught.

The truth is I was getting threats from a gang to join them, they asked me to work with them, to transport drugs at my job, he says.

Refusing a gangs offer to join their operation can only lead to one thing, according to Fernando. The only thing they say is that they will kill you.

On his capture and deportation, he says: Ive been deported twice. The first time I was caught in Mexico. But because I couldnt stay here for long, I spoke to the smuggler that same day  I would be seen and something could happen to me  The last time, while I was crossing the Rio Grande, we lay down in the bush  we called the person who was supposed to pick us up, but he never came.

The cause and effect of gang violence is also a lot more complex than what may appear on the surface. According to former gang members who have either served time in prison or been deported from the US, poverty, disintegrated families and discrimination are only some of reasons behind the rise in brutality on El Salvadors streets.

Aquiles is one such former gang member and served 15 years in prison. He says life on the outside has not been what he might have once expected.

When I got out, I had nowhere to go and everything outside was very complicated because of the violence. Because I am not participating in any gang and Im a Christian, I wanted to find a refuge that could help me find a job. They [relatives] tried to get me help from the government, but they refused.

You can talk to Al Jazeera too. Join our Twitter conversation as we talk to world leaders and alternative voices shaping our times. You can also share your views and keep up to date with our latest interviews on Facebook.
Disconnection in Scientology is described as the organization directing members to sever all ties with family members and friends who dare criticize practices of the Church of Scientology and its dogmas, leaders, and beliefs. Labeled "suppressive persons," these enemies of the church are isolated from their social network, labeled in public as hateful, and when the dogmas of Scientology are rejected or criticized, they're ultimately "disconnected." "Suppressive persons" are dehumanized, categorized as evil, hateful, destructive, and the source of history's most catastrophic events.

Sound familiar?

Marching in rank with L. Ron Hubbard's guidance, liberals are now demanding that everyone within their bubble of experience disconnect from individuals who would dare question their ideology. "Suppressive persons" to the new left can easily be named: Ann Coulter, Gavin McInnes, Ben Shapiro, Milo Yiannopolous, etc. Basically, if you've ever been invited to give a talk at a university and someone pulled the fire alarm, you're probably on their list.

Resistance to opposing points of view is carried out in a number of ways: name-calling and dehumanization (Nazi, Hitler, racist, sexist, Islamophobe), lighting things on fire, pulling fire alarms, blocking streets, etc. Jeremy Scahill's recent tantrum represents yet another tactic: outright refusal to participate in discussion with people their cult of social Marxism has identified as their version of "suppressive persons." Invited to participate on Real Time with Bill Maher, Scahill canceled his participation on the show when he found out he would be appearing with the hyper-labeled Milo Yiannopoulos.

All of the key tactics are there. Milo is dehumanized as hateful, "openly  racist," "anti-immigrant," transphobic, etc. None of this is true, of course, and examples are lacking due to this absence of evidence. The attack and "disconnection" in this case, however, are meant not to affect the taping of the show, but to again smear Milo and publically identify him as a form of "suppressive person" using the same strategies dictated by Hubbard.

Dr. Jordan Peterson of the University of Toronto has developed a nine-point list detailing the mechanisms of behavior behind socially Marxist/SJW political correctness:

Identify an area of human activity. Note a distribution of success. Identify winners and losers. Claim that the losers are losing only because they are oppressed by the winners. Claim allegiance with the losers. Feel secure in your comprehensive explanation of the world. Revel in your moral superiority. Target your resentment toward your newly discovered enemies. Repeat. Forever. Everywhere.

In Scahill's public shaming of Milo we see the second half of that list very much on display  and display is what it's all about.

To his credit, Maher condemned Scahill's bailout:

Liberals will continue to lose elections as long as they follow the example of people like Mr. Scahill whose views veer into fantasy and away from bedrock liberal principles like equality of women, respect for minorities, separation of religion and state, and free speech. If Mr. Yiannopoulos is indeed the monster Scahill claims  and he might be  nothing could serve the liberal cause better than having him exposed on Friday night.

As liberals struggle to come to terms with the fact that 50% of the population disagrees with their worldview, another similar tactic has evolved from university safe-spaces: disinvitation.

Since their founding in 1999, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has noted that "one worrisome trend undermining open discourse in the academy is the increased push by some students and faculty to 'disinvite' speakers with whom they disagree from campus appearances."

Similar to the cultic practices of Scientologists who demand that family members and friends still within the church be cut off from disbelievers, or an individual who has dared to criticize the organization's dogmas, liberals on college campuses throughout the Western world are now organizing to "disinvite" formally invited speakers who present information at odds with their own cherished dogmas.

In 2016, FIRE recorded 43 cases of disinvitation. Thirty-five of these disinvitations came from the left of the speaker, and five came from the right, with three absent of political alignment. Milo Yiannopoulos represented 12 of these cases, with Ben Shapiro serving as another repeat offender. Numbers for 2017 are not yet available but are expected to surpass the 2016 numbers.

The parallel tactics employed by Scientologists and liberals in dealing with individuals expressing ideas, beliefs, information, or even raw data contrary to their own worldview is striking. That a Libertarian gay Jew with a black boyfriend (or boyfriends) is the most heavily protested speaker serves to show how completely cognitive dissonance dominates when the fabric of identity politics is called into question.

Pete Vanderzwet graduated from the University of Toronto with an honors degree in history and Near and Middle Eastern civilizations. He is a husband, father, and perpetual student. Follow him on Twitter at @rationalstoic.
One may be forgiven for believing that Hollywood has moved to Washington, D.C. Instead of James Bond, the political scene is full of heroes and villains; allegations of international spies; contacts of officials of the Trump administration with Russian intelligence operatives, if not with President Vladimir Putin himself; and illegal intercepted phone calls. Though the scenario is amusing, so far it lacks evidence of collusion between the two sides to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election or any aspect of policy.

It is less amusing but more important for the political and media worlds to turn attention from obsession with the reporting on publicly unrevealed phone calls to more sober topics such as global trade, the possibility of a trade war, and the tax agenda of President Donald Trump that may effect that trade war.

At the heart of the issue is the process of globalization, theoretically the interaction of economies, capital, investment, societies, cultures, and migration of people through greater communication and trade among the countries of the world. It was present at the end of the 19th century with free trade, mass migration, and capital flows. More pertinent, globalization has stemmed after World War II with new institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank, with the thought that global interaction was more likely to lead to peace and prosperity than to economic nationalism.

Elites thought free trade and globalization would raise all living standards, as well as bring a more peaceful world. No doubt, gains have been realized by globalization, free trade and financial flows, and part of the gap between rich and poor countries has been reduced, but the gains have not been equally shared. It has raised incomes of the world's poorer economies at the expense of the West.

Globalization is disruptive, destabilizing, and unfair since the global market is highly competitive. Some countries  Japan, China, South Korea  have benefited, while others have not. One consequence in defense is protectionism and rules ostensibly based on factors such as food safety and intellectual property.

The Trump administration is now facing the problems of globalization and has begun to take action. Trump has announced policies including preventing U.S. companies from shipping jobs abroad by various means, including border taxes. He argues for bilateral trade agreements but also for tariffs on imports to protect US manufacturing.

Is this sufficient? Globalization can work only if all countries abide by the same set of rules, but most countries, as the economist Dani Rodrik has argued, cannot allow for all three factors  democracy, national sovereignty, and globalization  to coexist.

Because globalization has led to a global redistribution of wealth and in the U.S. to unemployment in some enterprises and to reduced wages for blue-collar workers, the U.S. has needed to provide safety nets and government investment in job retraining. Candidate Trump on June 27, 2016 held that globalization made the financial elite very wealthy but left millions of U.S. workers with nothing but poverty and heartache.

His response is to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and to call for withdrawal from or renegotiation of NAFTA. It is highly likely that utterances of this kind contributed to his electoral victories in states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Many U.S. citizens believed that the existing political and cultural elite were more concerned with foreigners than with U.S. citizens, especially the unemployed working and middle classes.

In developed countries, income has shifted from labor to capital. The share of income going to the top 1% of the wealthy has increased in countries such as the U.S. and U.K. Workers with higher education and better skills have benefited more than others. Globalization has eroded job security for middle- and lower-income families and made some jobs obsolete. There has been a decline in well paying manufacturing jobs, while low-wage competition has benefited Mexico. Today, the U.S. has a $60-billion trade deficit a year with Mexico.

In the current world of rising nationalism, increasing attempts at immigration into the USA and Western Europe with the consequent fear and resentment of foreigners, and spread of fundamentalist religion and terrorism, globalism has become suspect politically as well as economically. In multiethnic societies, people seek cultural security.

The U.S. political world is divided between globalists believing that globalism is good and natural and, like "Davos man," that national boundaries are obstacles and should vanish, and those maintaining the priority of the nation-state for the benefit of citizens.

It is an open question whether open borders hurt the poor. Trump is one of those who believe that the nation-state still matters. If jobs are outsourced, they may not come back. The nationalist stance is not only economic in nature, but also based on social and cultural factors  mainly immigration  that affects schools, workplace, and daily life, as well as fear of terrorism. In this regard, it is populist, even nativist, which may be at odds with principles of democracy and equality.

In this view, free trade and protectionism, if necessary, will lead to greater prosperity and strength. Slower economic growth in the world has reduced support for globalization, since growth is the most important factor reducing extreme poverty. At the core, the U.S. must succeed in maintaining or getting jobs in industries vulnerable to automation or imports.

The U.S. is facing the downsides of globalization in trade and migration. It must seriously consider the desirability of the Trump agenda: bilateral trade agreements plus tariffs on imports to protect U.S. manufacturing, plus a border tax on companies that move jobs out of the U.S. Chinese currency manipulations cannot be ignored. A related problem is whether the Trump agenda will undo the growth benefits from his projected tax cuts and proposed spending on infrastructure.

Nor can the main issue of globalization be ignored. The country needs a healthy debate on the issue not only in itself, but also in the context of whether the loss of manufacturing jobs is due more to the process of automation than to trade globalization. A conversation on these issues may not be as enticing as James Bond, but it will be better for the economic and physical health of the U.S.
While Iran and the United States are still rattling sabers at one another, there's an emerging disruptive potential inside Iran in its main oil field province, Khuzestan, which has shocked the country. Thirty-eight years ago, what are known as "The Strikes" in this province, by tens of thousands of oil workers, paralyzed the state, and paved the way for the Shahs downfall. They are now happening again

Historically Irans oil supplies are the regimes jugular vein. To cut these supplies is to cut the Regimes throat

Khuzestan province, located in the southwest of Iran, borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz. It's the country's oldest province.

This province produces 35 percent of the Irans water and electricity. And more importantly, its black gold fields of oil and gas supply the lion's share of its energy wealth, which provides 90% of Irans national revenue.

Despite residing amid incredible oil and gas as well as agricultural wealth, the people in Khuzestan suffer from severe poverty, underdevelopment and environmental deprivation. They are Arabic in origin, and also suffer from social, political and cultural subjugation (Human Rights Watch, April 29). This is a fact of life throughout Iran for all of its ethnic groups.

Recently, the Iranian regime has carried out an array of treacherous plans in Khuzestan which have led to a disastrous air pollution and frequent water and power cut-offs. Those actions have jeopardized the people's health and quality of life. Tehran's central planners have taken actions as drastic as the diversion of the Karun and Karkheh rivers' water, an excessive building of dams, and the oil ministry's use of quick and cheap methods of oil extraction, drying up the ponds and lakes in the area, including the famous Hoor al-Azim wetland, and Shadegan lagoon, according to a women.ncr.Iran report.

The ongoing shortages have led to the closure of schools, universities, banks and government offices in no less than 11 cities in Khuzestan, Iranian media reported on Feb 14. A local official of the oil ministry has said that power blackouts in Khuzestan province have hit oil production, causing a 770,000-barrel decline in crude production.

The blackout mainly hit the oil-producing platforms of the National Iranian South Oil Company. Currently, Irans oil production totals 3.9 million barrels per day, 2.9 million barrels of which are produced by National Iranian South Oil Company.

One resident of Ahvaz tweeted: We get nothing from the oil and gas fields except smoke, power blackouts, and polluted air.

Women of Ahvaz took to the streets on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, for the third consecutive day to demonstrate, protesting the water and power cut-offs, and the severe air pollution in the capital of Khuzestan.

The protesters chanted, "Death to tyranny," "death to repression," We, the people of Ahwaz, won't accept oppression," "incompetent officials must be expelled," "clean air is our right, Ahvaz is our city," and "Shame on the State Security Force."

Clashes broke out on the Friday night of Feb. 11th after the police forces shot two motorcyclists in a chase occurring in the vicinity of Shadegan Dates Bazaar.

During the police operation, a young man named Abu-Qabish was killed while he was shopping, and the two motorcyclists were injured. Apparently, there were other casualties as well.

The regime's intelligence agents told the families of the victims that they would not be allowed to hold funeral ceremonies for their loved ones. The bodies were delivered to the families on the condition that they be buried in Qom, located in the south of Tehran Province.

The Iranian Resistance's president-elect, Maryam Rajavi, said the mullahs' regime is the source of all of the acute problems that have caused frequent water and power cut-offs which have led to unemployment and even various diseases for the people.

She pointed out: "One cannot expect the mullahs and the regime's leaders and officials provide any solutions." She called on the nation to help decrease the pressure on the deprived people of this area, especially the sick and vulnerable.

The solution, she said, lies in the people's escalation of protests in an uprising to drive back the regime and its officials who have created so many problems in their daily life.

Mrs. Rajavi hailed the people of Ahwaz and Khuzestan, particularly the women and youths, and urged them to unite ranks to continue their protests and demonstrations in solidarity.

There's a good likelihood this won't be the last we hear of this.
Bureaucrats benefit complex societies and are necessary to modern industrial states, but also impose costs and perils. Modelling the United States civil service in part on the Chinese use of mandarins, 19th-century government reformers hoped to create a highly skilled apolitical professional bureaucracy. That bureaucracy is now monstrous and tilted dangerously towards one political alignment over another. The American professional bureaucracys barely concealed hostility to the Trump administration is but the latest evidence of this. The president has an opportunity to reform the civil service, but such a hazardous undertaking must be done doggedly and deliberately.

Chinas historic success can be attributed in part to the creation of mandarins, professional bureaucrats who not only managed the government, but also developed and preserved cultural norms, such as language and Confucianism. Starting around the time of the Tang Dynasty the government selected mandarins on true merit, rather than elite family connections, based upon a rigorous written exam. There were obvious inequities, as the illiterate poor were usually, though not entirely, excluded. It was not unknown for a poor village to finance the education of a promising peasant boy in hopes that he would pass the exam and bring honor and wealth back home.

Of course, this also created problems, as mandarins, though nominally unbiased and professional, could use their power to benefit themselves, and/or to destroy perceived enemies, whether or not these actions benefitted the state. Ultimately, the mandarin became a societal class unto itself, and like any such class, sought to advance its own interests above those of the common good.

The U.S. civil service has followed a similar course. Originally, selection was based on the spoils system, according to the outcome of presidential elections, meaning that American bureaucrats did not have to be particularly smart, qualified, or skilled, so long as they had the correct political affiliation. This ended in the late 1800s with the Pendleton Act and the establishment of the Civil Service Commission. While hardly perfect, the new system, like that of the ancient Chinese, incorporated a competitive exam to weed out incompetents, promote excellence, and reduce bias in hiring decisions.

In modern times, until 1981, federal job applicants for higher level positions were required to take the PACE Test (overall for a relatively small percentage of federal jobs.) Although the test was carefully crafted and vetted, black applicants consistently did much worse on the test compared to white applicants (and other minority groups) with the result that the Carter administration scrapped the test in 1981, without replacing it. From that point on federal civil service hiring proceeded without an objective measure of competency or excellence.

The goal was to open up high-end federal jobs to African-Americans, which might have been noble, but came with its own consequences. Leaving aside whether this policy impacted efficiency or service delivery, it clearly if not deliberately ensured the hiring of employees almost guaranteed to be committed Democrats. The same supervisors hiring African-Americans under the rubric of affirmative action or diversity, could do much the same thing by hiring women or other minorities who skew Democrat, without having pesky test scores interfere. It even works for white males, by selecting the more probably liberal of two equally qualified candidates, e.g., the guy from Long Island who went to NYU and did graduate work at Berkeley.

Nearly forty years on, much of the federal bureaucracy is a clique of entrenched Democrat apparatchiks, with job protections that make it difficult if not impossible to fire. They have their hands on the levers of government, and now with an almost universally reviled (among Democrats) Republican president, are ready and willing to act against him.

What can Trump do?

Get his administration organized so that cabinet members and agency heads will appoint politically tough and reliable undersecretaries willing to do battle with career subordinates. This sounds like a no-brainer but it is not. Its contrary to human nature and ordinary business practice. You generally dont go into a job assuming your new employees are your enemies.

Bring back the PACE exam or something similar. Update it so that the inevitable attacks that arise about it being prejudicial to minorities can at least be muted. While African-Americans a generation ago might have had legitimate complaints about lack of educational opportunity compromising test performance that case is hard to make today.

Maintain the hiring freeze. The freeze not only keeps the federal rolls from expanding, it inhibits empire building within agencies. This has the added effect of slowing promotion.

Reinstitute broad merit pay systems in the federal government. These have been both ineffective and unpopular in the past, but so what. If it reduces the attractiveness of federal employment, presumably we will have fewer federal employees. Plus implementing such policies, or threatening them, gives the new administration some leverage, and will further demonstrate that Trump means business.

While troublesome federal employees are difficult to fire, they can be neutered, though at a cost. Within the government are thousands of employees who for various reasons are simply given a desk, told to come into work every day, and are paid for doing nothing -- the federal equivalent of teachers jail where school districts place problematic teachers who are too hard to fire. Not all of these employees are incompetent. Some simply refuse to kowtow to whatever bureaucratic imperative their bosses demand, or even perhaps display a politically incorrect mien. These people might be allies. Meanwhile, those bureaucrats who attempt to obstruct the work of the new administration but are too difficult to fire might be put out to pasture this way. You have to still pay them, but better to pay them for being harmless than undermining their boss.

None of this would be easy, and reinstituting an exam and merit pay would likely require new legislation. Likewise, for such a large task, eight years would be better than four.

I have nothing against federal bureaucrats. My father was one, and Ive worked there myself. But the system has obviously become dangerously corrupted by politics in a way that the civil service reforms of a century ago were meant to eliminate. By putting this issue in high relief, Trumps election could provide the impetus to undo the damage before it is too late.
Operation Rescue's Statement on the Passing of Pro-Life Icon Norma McCorvey info.operationrescue@gmail.com Contact: Troy Newman, President, 316-683-6790 ext. 111; Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Vice President, 316-516-3034; both with Operation Rescue



McCorvey was a long-time friend of Operation Rescue and lived for several months with the family of Operation Rescue President Troy Newman in Wichita, Kansas.

WICHITA, Kan., Feb. 18, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- Operation Rescue is saddened to learn of the passing of Norma McCorvey, the "Roe" of the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade. McCorvey later converted to Christianity and became a strong pro-life advocate calling for the reversal of that decision, which decriminalized abortion in the United States.McCorvey was a long-time friend of Operation Rescue and lived for several months with the family of Operation Rescue President Troy Newman in Wichita, Kansas. "I am deeply saddened at the loss of our dear friend Norma McCorvey. She spent the better part of the last 25 years working to undo the terrible Supreme Court decision that bears her name," said Newman. "Her work was not in vain. Norma became an inspiration for so many, and we at Operation Rescue work every day to achieve her goal of ending abortion in America." Read this statement online.



About Operation Rescue Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation and has become a strong voice for the pro-life movement in America. Click here to support Operation Rescue.

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With the left's scorched-earth strategy in response to the Trump administration, we have entered a new stage of politics. Some, including the great German philosopher Eric Voegelin, would point to that strategy as proof that we have entered the end stage of progressive activism. When progressives would rather see the country fail than admit defeat, we are in serious difficulty.

Voegelin, who fled Nazi Germany in 1938, devoted his life to understanding the rise of modern statist culture, a development he saw as part of a larger tendency toward Gnosticism in Western culture. Derived from the name of an early Christian sect who claimed secret knowledge of divine mysteries, Gnosticism is indeed a dangerously "knowing" attitude toward the world.

In its modern emanation, Gnosticism assumes that human agency can perfect society through centralized control and regulation. Its checkered history includes everything from 19th-century social experiments based on the thinking of Charles Fourier and Robert Owen to 20th-century debacles including Hitler's Third Reich and Mao's Great Leap Forward.

Traditional ideas of human fallibility and limitation, a central tenet of all major religions, implied a foundation of humility and thankfulness toward the Creator. Modern Gnostics substituted a boundless confidence in human capabilities, giving rise to a false religion with man, not God, at the center. Not surprisingly, their efforts involved grandiose schemes designed to remake society and even, as they believed, to "transform" human nature through re-education and indoctrination. Lenin, Hitler, Mao, Castro, Kim Il-sung, and Pol Pot come to mind, among many others. A common thread is an arrogant abuse of power and a disdain for the well-being of ordinary people, who were willingly sacrificed on the altar of social engineering.

In Voegelin's mind, progressivism always leads to antidemocratic and tyrannical forms of governance. Voegelin defined totalitarianism as "the existential rule of Gnostic activists," itself "the end form of progressive civilization" (New Science of Politics, Chicago: 1987, page 132). Voegelin understood that the aim of progressivism is always the seizure of absolute and permanent power as the means of social transformation. Progressives view the election of Donald Trump as an anomaly that stands in the way of their rightful control of the political system. No wonder they have responded with violence and obstructionism. When the Senate minority leader vows to block nearly every Trump appointee, sight unseen, we know we have entered a new stage of political division.

One doesn't have to look far to see where Gnosticism is leading us. Voegelin, who was born in Cologne, Germany and lived from 1901 to 1985, witnessed the defeat of Germany in WWI, the ruinous turmoil of the Weimar period, the rise of fascism, and the annihilation of Germany in WWII. He was fortunate enough to have escaped to the U.S., where he taught at several prestigious universities. He lived long enough, however, to witness the resurgence of progressivism in the U.S. under Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Jimmy Carter.

It is not difficult to predict what Voegelin would have thought of the Great Society as defined in Johnson's speech at the University of Michigan on May 22, 1964, in which Johnson declared that the "city of man" is "marching" toward an ever brighter future filled with "new [social] experiments." Of special import to LBJ, along with urban planning and environmentalism, was the nation's classrooms, in which "your children's lives will be shaped" (not at home or at church, but in the classroom). In order to establish the "new world" our ancestors envisioned, Johnson pledged to "assemble the best thought and the broadest knowledge from all over the world to find those answers for America." Johnson's Great Society speech was a call to arms for the young generation of the sixties. "Your generation has been appointed, by history ... to lead America toward a new age," LBJ declared.

Another major document in the history of Gnosticism was Obama's first inaugural speech. Here Obama committed to "the work of remaking America." In a telling phrase, Obama declared that "[t]he question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works." In other words, don't concern yourself with government becoming "too big." Obama's version of Gnostic activism preserved the goals of centralized control of education and the environment and added those of global universalism, multiculturalism, and unilateral disarmament.

Many Americans now live in fear of a government they despise. They are right to be fearful and right to despise it. Our federal government as it now exists would have been unimaginable to the Founders, who envisioned a small executive under the personal administration of the president working alongside and constrained by a Congress and judicial branch, each of these constrained by the Constitution. Our federal leviathan is precisely what Washington and Jefferson warned of. With his European experience and vast reading, Professor Voegelin was able to place this phenomenon of government expansion in the context of the broader tendency that he labeled Gnosticism.

At its heart, Gnosticism is driven by a dangerous confidence in the power of humans to control the world in which they live. It is one thing to have created the wonders of modern medicine, the labor-saving technology of the computer, and the advances of modern-day agriculture. It is quite another to pretend that a small, unelected ruling elite, all of them educated at the same universities and sharing the same predilections, should presume to govern by edict and court order.

How will it be with a president who promises to go "much further," as Hillary Clinton did in the recent campaign? Obama's executive actions, as bad as they were, were just the preamble  testing the waters for a full-scale assault. The end form of progressive civilization will not be, as some assume, a nonviolent democratic welfare state. It will be a vast government bureaucracy through which the State, turning its vast powers against the people, will govern all aspects of life.

The vehement reaction of the left to Trump's victory is evidence of how deeply engrained this vision of the future has become among progressives. It is foolish to imagine that, having poisoned half of our population, Gnostic activism will somehow dissipate under a Trump administration that itself betrays more than its share of Gnostic leanings. It is more likely that Gnosticism will continue to metastasize until it largely controls American political life. A full-blown progressive government, of which the Obama administration was a fair taste, would completely abandon constitutional limits in the service of what it deems the "higher purposes" of social equality or some other rationale. The particular rationale is irrelevant  power is what matters to progressives.

At that point, all constitutional liberties will have been lost, and we will subsist at the whim of a progressive elite dedicated to "perfecting" society, as they see it. That end point will constitute, as Voegelin predicted long ago based on his observation of earlier totalitarian movements, "the end form of progressive civilization." At that point, America will endure a catastrophe similar to what every other progressive state has done in the past. As Voegelin noted, "Gnostic politics is self-defeating in so far as its disregard for the structure of reality leads to continuous warfare" (quoted in Enrico Peppe, "Eric Voegelin: Science, Politics, and Gnosticism," The Intellectual Conservative, November 2, 2003). Following the catastrophe, with "the change of generations," Voegelin believed, Gnosticism might at last be abandoned. That was one alternative. The other was "horrible physical destruction" and unpredictable and ominous alterations in the social order.

Gnostic politics leads inevitably to "warfare" of one sort or another. Is not America, now divided into two great factions, already at war? In the end, Gnosticism triggers a debacle, and what follows, as Voegelin understood, is unpredictable. This, I fear, is the tragic path of American life over the next thirty years.

Jeffrey Folks is the author of many books and articles on American culture including Heartland of the Imagination (2011).
Pope Francis is one of those do-gooders who bends over backwards and twists the facts to claim that Muslims are no more likely to commit acts of terrorism than Christians or Jews.

This sort of shoot-from-the-hip equivalency is what we've come to expect from religious types all over Europe (with a few notable exceptions). In their desperation to bury the threat of Islamic extremism, Pope Francis, the archbishop of Canterbury, and other European religious leaders refuse to acknowledge the political nature of Islamic terrorism and the fact that there are massively more Islamic terrorists and terrorist sympathizers than terrorists from any other religion.

Breitbart:

Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist. They do not exist," Francis said in his speech to a world meeting of populist movements. What he apparently meant is that not all Christians are terrorists and not all Muslims are terroristsa fact evident to allyet his words also seemed to suggest that no specifically Islamic form of terrorism exists in the world, an assertion that stands in stark contradiction to established fact. "No people is criminal or drug-trafficking or violent," Francis said, while also suggestingas he has on other occasionsthat terrorism is primarily a result of economic inequalities rather than religious beliefs. "The poor and the poorer peoples are accused of violence yet, without equal opportunities, the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and will eventually explode." The Pope also reiterated his conviction that all religions promote peace and that the danger of violent radicalization exists equally in all religions. "There are fundamentalist and violent individuals in all peoples and religions  and with intolerant generalizations they become stronger because they feed on hate and xenophobia," he said. While denying the existence of Islamic terrorism, Francis also seemed to condemn the denial of global warming, asserting that "the ecological crisis is real." "A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system," he said. We know "what happens when we deny science and disregard the voice of Nature," the Pope said. "Let us not fall into denial. Time is running out. Let us act. I ask you again  all of you, people of all backgrounds including native people, pastors, political leaders  to defend Creation."

...says the leader of a religion that jailed, persecuted, and executed some of the greatest scientists in history, including Galileo.

While acknowledging that science is not "the only form of knowledge," and that "science is not necessarily 'neutral'" and often "conceals ideological views or economic interests," he still insisted that people of good will should not oppose "scientific consensus" regarding global warming. Leftist media like the liberal Guardian in the U.K. immediately politicized the speech, predictably claiming that the Pope was backing "anti-Trump protests," despite the fact that the Pope himself denied such a claim, explicitly declaring that "I am not speaking of anyone in particular."

A "consensus" that confirms the politicization of science is not a consensus at all. But global warming has become a favorite hobby horse of this pontiff  as has promoting the moral equivalency of Islamic extremism with other religions. Christianity and Judaism do not have 50 million adherents who approve of the murder of innocent people like abortion doctors or Palestinian women and children. Islam does. That fact alone makes the pope's rantings ludicrous.

Deputy Editor Drew Belsky adds: Bergoglio really does need an education in Islamic history and theology, but he's not alone in the mythmaking business. The myths about Galileo, fostered in pursuit of the worship of science and the desire to slander the institution that founded the university system and pioneered the scientific method, just refuse to die  even, every blue moon or so, on these pages.

And I'd be curious to know which of the "greatest scientists in history" the Catholic Church "executed." Are we calling notorious heretic and revolutionary Jan Hus a scientist now? Or maybe this is more fallout from that daft episode of the Cosmos remake, featuring bumbling atheist Neil deGrasse Tyson, that beclowned itself in making a martyr out of Giordano Bruno, the raving maniac and definitive non-scientist.

Better that we don't peddle such stuff, or swallow it.
If you ever worried about what the student snowflakes at American universities would be qualified to do after graduation, this is the perfect job for them.

Publishers are hiring "sensitivity readers" to check book manuscripts to make sure they adhere to politically correct standards.

From the Washington Post:

These days, though, a book may get an additional check from an unusual source: a sensitivity reader, a person who, for a nominal fee, will scan the book for racist, sexist or otherwise offensive content. These readers give feedback based on self-ascribed areas of expertise such as "dealing with terminal illness," "racial dynamics in Muslim communities within families" or "transgender issues." "The industry recognizes this is a real concern," said Cheryl Klein, a children's and young adult book editor and author of "The Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults." Klein, who works at the publisher Lee & Low, said that she has seen the casual use of specialized readers for many years but that the process has become more standardized and more of a priority, especially in books for young readers. Sensitivity readers have emerged in a climate  fueled in part by social media  in which writers are under increased scrutiny for their portrayals of people from marginalized groups, especially when the author is not a part of that group. Last year, for instance, J.K. Rowling was strongly criticized by Native American readers and scholars for her portrayal of Navajo traditions in the 2016 story "History of Magic in North America." Young-adult author Keira Drake was forced to revise her fantasy novel "The Continent" after an online uproar over its portrayal of people of color and Native backgrounds. More recently, author Veronica Roth  of "Divergent" fame  came under fire for her new novel, "Carve the Mark." In addition to being called racist, the book was criticized for its portrayal of chronic pain in its main character. This potential for offense has some writers scared. Young-adult author Susan Dennard recently hired a fan to review her portrayal of a transgender character in her "Truthwitch" series. "I was nervous to write a character like this to begin with, because what if I get it wrong? I could do some major damage," Dennard said. But, she added, she felt the voice of the character was an important one that wasn't often portrayed, so she hired a fan, who is a transgender man, just to be sure she did it right.

"Just to be sure she did it right"? By whose standards? Using what criteria? Self-censorship is still censorship and represents a threat to free speech. Certainly, portraying a black person as a shuffling, lazy character who eats fried chicken and watermelon is inappropriate. But beyond avoiding racial stereotypes, what responsibility does the author have to "marginalized" groups?

Can he portray a black man as a villain? Can he portray a woman as an airhead? Portraying "marginalized" characters as anything except heroic, smart, and beautiful is where "sensitivity readers" are driving the publishing industry.

The flip-side of this is, of course, the portrayal of white people as evil. How long before showing white people to be anything except racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. becomes the norm?

Here's some of what "sensitivity readers" do:

Her upcoming book, tentatively called "Breakout," focuses on three girls coping with a prison escape in their small town. Messner has enlisted multiple sensitivity readers to help her work out the class and race issues affecting the town and her characters. A reader has called out when her language doesn't ring true, and has questioned when her character does something that seems inauthentic and provides her perspective on why that is. Messner said it's been encouraging to hear when she's gotten something correct, but also she's had to make adjustments.

These people are "experts" not because of their extensive study and knowledge of the issues, but because they belong to one of the "marginalized" groups. Incredible.

I gave up on fiction years ago when the overwhelming majority of authors published were liberals and couldn't help but insert their political beliefs in their writing. Nonfiction has its problems, but at least you can easily recognize poorly sourced information or selective bias in the writing. And now, with sensitivity readers vetting books to make sure they adhere to the deadly conformity of political correctness, I definitely won't be spending my money to support authors and publishers who give in to this nonsense.
For a while, we've been hearing all of this anecdotal evidence about Americans desperately making plans to visit Cuba. Haven't you heard your co-worker or neighbor say he wants to see Cuba?

Well, it turns out that Cuba is not getting all of those U.S. tourists after all. It is not really that surprising.

Let's check this report from by Justin Bachman:

America, did you miss the travel industry's memo declaring Cuba the hottest new destination? Apparently. Service to the long-time U.S. foe began in September, but after just five months the largest carrier to the island, American Airlines Group Inc., cut daily flights by 25 percent and switched to smaller jets on some routes. Meanwhile, Silver Airways Corp. reduced weekly flights to six Cuban cities and JetBlue Airways Corp. downsized its planes so as to match lower-than-expected demand. "It's going to take a really, really long time for [Cuba] to become a Caribbean destination that's as popular as some of the other ones," Andrew Levy, the chief financial officer for United Continental Holdings Inc., told Bloomberg News in November. While the rest of the Caribbean is hopping with the U.S. winter break crowd, Cuba has some unique problems. The big one is that airlines, with no real idea about demand, were overly ambitious when they jousted for the limited routes allowed by U.S. regulators. With a mandate for only 110 daily U.S. flights -- 20 into Havana, the most popular destination -- the carriers tumbled over each other last year to get a piece of the pie, leaving the island oversubscribed. The air rush into Cuba "wasn't based on demand but speculation. They had no history to look at," said Karen Esposito, general manager of Cuba Travel Network, which specializes in tours to the island. Now they do. Silver Airways described additional obstacles, pointing to the complications accompanying U.S. travel arrangements to Cuba, along with too much capacity from larger carriers. Still, spokeswoman Misty Pinson said, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based airline "is optimistic about the future growth potential in Cuba."

Not a shock, frankly. Cuba is not ready to handle U.S. tourists, who are accustomed to better facilities in Cancun or Jamaica or the Dominican Republic. After all, who wants to go on vacation to an island with 1959 infrastructure? Cuba's communist system spent a lot of money on the military, prisons, and telling gullible U.S. college professors about their health care programs. Unfortunately, they did little to improve such basics as water pipelines, the electricity grid, and having hotels with clean sheets.

There is another reason. Cuba is competing with countries that have been marketing to U.S. tourists for decades.

It all reminds me of a conversation I had with an older couple years ago. They went to Varadero, Cuba for their honeymoon. The lady said Cuba was a popular honeymoon destination back in the 1950s. Back then, the hotels were private and well run, the restaurants were first-class, and hygiene was not a problem.

Cuba today is not that way. It won't be that way for a long time. So don't expect a lot of Americans to go to Cuba.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter
Shepard Smith, a Fox News anchor, whose job is to report the news, instead went off, unhinged, attacking President Trump because Trump criticized CNN reporter Jim Acosta. Evidently, the news media boys believe they can attack Trump, but when Trump responds, then it is an attack on the First Amendment. They cannot handle being criticized.

Smith said:

It's crazy what we're watching every day. It's absolutely crazy. He keeps repeating ridiculous throwaway lines that are not true at all and sort of avoiding this issue of Russia as [if] we're some kind of fools for asking a question. Really? Your opposition was hacked, and the Russians were responsible for it, and your people were on the phone with Russia on the same day it was happening, and we're fools for asking the questions?

Evidently, Smith does not understand or care that WikiLeaks released emails from John Podesta that document that Hillary sold access to the State Department and that Obama knew that Hillary Clinton was using an unsecure email server. FBI director James Comey said Hillary's emails were subject to hacking by hostile foreign actors  meaning foreign countries, not actors like the Hollywood lefties.

Assume that the Russians did leak the emails to WikiLeaks. So what? Podesta and Hillary did not deny or question the accuracy and veracity of the emails. If Hillary had not sold access to the State Department and Obama had not lied about not knowing that Hillary was using an unsecure unauthorized email system, then there would have been nothing to leak.

I thought these news reporters were interested in reporting the news and did not care about the source of the news, whether leaked or not. They always say the public has the right to know. But now they act as if we did not have the right to know about Hillary and Obama.

Smith obviously does not like Trump. Smith and the mainstream media do not care that the U.S. intelligence agencies leaked the General Flynn conversation with the Russian ambassador. This is a good leak. Smith and the MSM believe that it is news to leak classified information if it damages Trump, but to reveal the truth about Hillary is a bad leak.

Fox is viewed as a conservative counter to the liberal mainstream media represented by ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. Fox does have opinion commentators who are clearly of the left, such as Bob Beckel, Juan Williams, Geraldo Rivera, Richard Fowler, Julie Roginsky, and others. They make no pretense of being fair and objective. They are on the shows to give the Democratic Party view of the issues.

Fox also has supposed conservatives, such as former Bush press secretary Dana Perino and former Walter Mondale speechwriter Charles Krauthammer, who cannot resist taking shots at Trump.

But they are opinion commentators. Smith is a news anchor. He is to report the news straight up, like Bret Baier.

One may question why Fox, if it is the only conservative alternative, uses these commentators who regularly attack the conservative agenda that Trump is pursuing and attack Trump personally. If one wants to hear liberal views and hear personal attacks on Trump, there is no shortage of choices, given ABC, NBC, etc.

Smith would be at home at CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, and CBS, where the news anchors all are against Trump and mix in their attacks on Trump with the news. They slant the news reporting to fit their politics.

Maybe Smith can do a news report, or even commentary, on why so many reporters hate Trump and suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Leaked emails from a Democratic Party listserv account reveal the anger of local and state Democrat leaders at the relaunching of President Obama's activist group, Organizing for Action (OFA). Many Democrats around the country believe that the group siphons money and people from state parties, which directly led to the party losing more than 1,000 state legislative seats during the Obama years.

Daily Beast:

The nonprofit, which functions as a sort of parallel-Democratic National Committee, was founded to mobilize Democratic voters and supporters in defense of President Obama's, and the Democratic Party's, agenda. Instead, the organization has drawn the intense ire, both public and private, of grassroots organizers and state parties that are convinced that OFA inadvertently helped decimate Democrats at the state and local level, while Republicans cemented historic levels of power and Donald J. Trump actually became leader of the free world.

These intra-party tensions aren't going away, especially now that OFA "relaunched" itself last week to protect the Affordable Care Act, boost turnout at congressional townhalls, and train grassroots organizers gearing up for the Trump era.

This is some GRADE A Bulls**t right here," Stephen Handwerk, executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party, wrote in a private Democratic-listserv email obtained by The Daily Beast. Handwerk was reacting to news of OFA's post-election retooling, which was shared "without comment" to the group of state-level Dems by Crystal Kay Perkins, executive director for Texas Democrats.

"It also to me seems TONE DEAF  we have lost over 1,000 seats in the past 8 years all because of this crap," Handwerk continued. "Let's get through the next two weeks  but then we gotta figure this out and keep the pressure on. WOW."

Others on the thread shared these sentiments.

"Yes, it sure is," Katie Mae Simpson, executive director for the Maine Democratic Party, replied. "OFA showed up in Maine, organized a press conference on saving [Obamacare], with one of our Dem legislative leaders speaking, all without ever mentioning that they were in state and organizing. They hired someone I know, which is somewhat helpful, but my god, they don't have a very good alliance-building process."

Such grievances, though expressed privately, are nothing new among state Democratic Party leadership.

"[With] all due respect to President Obama, OFA was created as a shadow party because Obama operatives had no faith in state parties," Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb told Politico last week.

"I love and adore everything about President Obama except for OFA," South Carolina Democratic Party chairman Jaime Harrison (who is also running to chair the Democratic National Committee) said at a recent DNC "future forum," according to The Washington Post.
One of the classic leftist media tricks is back. This one is among my favorites because it relies on the stupidity of the readers, and obviously this outlet knows its audience.

Let's all play "Guess the political party"!

A Texas correspondent sends in this classic example:

From Texas Monthly's daily news summary:

State Senator Carlos Uresti had a bad day on Thursday, when the FBI and IRS raided his law office in San Antonio, confiscating documents and other stuff. According to the San Antonio Express-News, the raid was in connection to a now-bankrupt fracking sand company that has been accused of fraud. Uresti provided legal services for FourWinds Logistics, held a one percent stake in the company, and helped recruit investors. The company went under in 2015 and has been accused of defrauding investorsthree FourWinds officials have already been charged in connection with a scheme to defraud investors, and pleaded guilty to a felony charge, though they have yet to be sentenced. The Express-News reported on the scheme back in August, finding that the company's CEO blew investor money on himself, and that one investor recruited by Uresti lost $900,000. No arrests were made during the raid. "Today, FBI agents are in my office, reviewing our documents as part of their broad investigation of the FourWinds matter," Uresti said in a prepared statement on Thursday, according to the Express-News. "I have instructed my staff to fully cooperate with the federal investigators. I will help them in whatever way I can."
On February 11, 2017, Huffington Post published an open letter from Susan M. Shaw, professor of women, gender & sexuality studies at Oregon State University. She writes to "White, Christian Trump Supporters." The opening lines hinted that she sought a conversation, albeit one fraught with doubt:

I've listened to you my whole life, but I don't think I know how to understand you at all.

I took this as promising  that at some point, she would stop talking about herself and start listening to those "of the white working class ... of conservative Christianity."

Indeed, she repeats in the closing paragraph a vague vow to listen:

I need to know, is it more important to you to win than to do good? Or can we build coalitions? Listen to science? Rely on real evidence? Be effective? Put the needs and rights of all others above ideologies? Can we live the love of God we claim? You want me to hear and understand you. I get that. I also want you to hear and understand the rest of the world that is not you or your kind. Because they too are God's people and therefore are in the circle of those whom we must love. You taught me that when I was a child. If we can agree on that now, we have a place to start.

The column ended up not being a conversation. Susan Shaw was not, in fact, listening to anything; she was rather revisiting her own pre-existing repertoire of political tenets. At best, she prefaced an invitation to start a bona fide dialogue in some unspecified future  but only to answer questions loaded with controversial premises that she has defined as beyond challenge.

Most of the article was about herself, but not all. She did talk about her imagined readers (wherever they exist), summarizing for them her assumptions about what they believe and then arguing with these assumed beliefs in order to hector them with gossip about Donald J. Trump.

The text includes chatty summaries of what she believes drives their theology, such as here:

You say you want a Christian nation, but our founders were clear that was never their goal. In fact, the Constitution goes to great lengths to protect the government from religion and religion from government. I also get the sense that you think people are not Christians if they aren't Christian in the same way as you. But can't we find some common ground?  Do you really think a Christian, especially a biblical literalist, can want a wall built?

A biblical literalist is sure to be familiar with the Bible's story of Nehemiah, who went to great lengths to build a wall. Also, perhaps the founders sought to protect religion from government, but people like John Adams certainly did not hope to "protect government from religion." The latter would involve disallowing practicing believers from serving in public office. I wonder if one of Susan Shaw's colleagues might review the list of signatories to the Declaration of Independence and count how many of them were ordained.

Failing to recognize anything that resembles the beliefs of Christian supporters or the role of religious freedom in the nation's founding documents, I infer that Susan Shaw is engaging in a creative exercise here, visualizing a hypothetical Puritan conversing with her. It is like Socratic dialogue, only a monologue. This is what we in English used to call a "straw man fallacy," but things have changed dramatically in the world of rhetoric and composition, thanks to misapplications of Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Jean-Francois Lyotard's postmodern models of knowledge. It is entirely possible that now straw-man arguments are considered the pinnacle of academic reasoning.

According to this article, Susan Shaw is white, grew up in Georgia in a Southern Baptist family, and had a father who worked in a pipe-fitting factory. She is also an academic and glows about how hard she worked to earn tenure, proclaiming the virtues of academia as a place of rigorous standards, fairness, and opportunity. I will send her a free copy of Wackos Thugs & Perverts, a recent book in which I discuss the rampant nepotism, graft, price-gouging, corruption, fraud, and racist discrimination blossoming in the heart of academia, even in places like Oregon.

Unfortunately, this open letter, even with its flaws, was actually the closest I've seen any liberal writer come to engaging with the voters who handed Trump victory. Even so, she presumed not to spend much time reading books published by the over 130 scholars and writers for Trump, since her reminiscences of childhood in a "small, conservative town in northwest Georgia" several decades ago should suffice as a full picture of why people in 2017, following an election Trump won, may not be eager to join her colleagues' efforts to malign, obstruct, and destroy Trump's presidency.

Shaw cites "science" and "real evidence" several times without clarifying which discipline. A great deal of research affirms conservative positions. For instance, there is now proof that the unborn develop complex human features far earlier than was believed when Roe was decided. Researchers now know there are copious health risks associated with repeated trauma to the (male or female) anus. In addition, a host of researchers have admitted that sexuality is so fluid that homosexual-identified men have the willpower and option to refrain from anal sex. Science tells us therefore that chastity is a viable position to uphold, even in public policy.

Normally I would write a "reply," but I cannot reply to a letter that was not addressed to me. Though I am Christian and support Trump, I am not white. Nor am I an embittered zealot with no knowledge of academia. Shaw says in her letter that professors like her "really do know a lot of what we're talking about." As a doctorate holder who went all the way to tenure but forfeited it because of academia's incorrigible corruption (again, read my book for more), I can't take that assertion seriously.

Trump supporters come in many sizes, nationalities, and personalities, but we have one thing in common: nobody who opposes Trump has yet demonstrated a real interest in engaging us respectfully in dialogue. That means Trump will have to fight for us that much harder.

Robert Oscar Lopez can be followed at English Manif, CogWatch, or Twitter.
I don't want to shake the hand of anyone who refuses to buy Ivanka Trump's brand. I feel he wouldn't understand that a handshake is a handshake, and he might blame my hand for the fraying of the cuff, the irritation of the cufflink, or the location of the stars in the heavens.

Blame is a spiteful thing. To blame Ivanka's clothes for her father's politics is to read the text of the world backwards and find destiny in prejudice.

Ivanka's perfume is still the best selling on Amazon. That just shows that politically driven liberals are weak and can't ruin what they erroneously want to ruin. Thus, they couldn't get that dishonest, self-centered, catty Hillary elected as president.

The way to stop progressives is to stop them at their own bigoted game. Liberals pretend they are anti-materialistic, but it is all about money and twisted principles.

Not to buy Ivanka's products because she is a Trump shows a prejudice that is Klan-like. Liberals call the Trumps Nazis, but they are actually old-fashioned liberals  the accepting, loving kind, not the modern haters.

I never saw Trump cremate a Jew. He has many Jews in his family. Barack Obama, on the other hand, has endangered the Jews through Iran. He has reduced the income of black families.

The liberals of today are the fascist redneck bikers of yesterday. They confuse a clothing line with a prejudiced philosophy and don't have the brains to see that a pair of shoes is not a kick in the ass by a liberal donkey.

Yay for Ivanka. Shame on the liberals who perform a hate crime by not buying her products.
Perhaps the single most shocking incident of conservative Trump Derangement Syndrome happened a few days ago. Bill Kristol, the Trump-hating founding editor of The Weekly Standard (who recently stepped down to less demanding duties), tweeted this:

This is a shockingly irresponsible thing to say. I believe I was among the first to point out (well before Kristol's tweet) that the Deep State acted illegally to oust a critic of CIA fiascos, taking us down the road to banana state status, with a secret police controlling our politics. To aver that Trump's presidency is worse than a police state is deranged.

So over the top is this position that Kristol's own son-in-law (married to his daughter Anne Elizabeth Kristol), Matthew Continetti, penned a powerful response (although discreetly never mentioning Kristol's name). It is, in fact, the read of the day.

From the Free Beacon:

[O]ver the last few weeks America has been in the throes of an unprecedented revolt. Not of the people against the government  that happened last year  but of the government against the people. What this says about the state of American democracy, and what it portends for the future, is incredibly disturbing.

There is, of course, the case of Michael Flynn. He made a lot of enemies inside the government during his career, suffice it to say. And when he exposed himself as vulnerable those enemies pounced. But consider the means: anonymous and possibly illegal leaks of private conversations. Yes, the conversation in question was with a foreign national. And no one doubts we spy on ambassadors. But we aren't supposed to spy on Americans without probable cause. And we most certainly are not supposed to disclose the results of our spying in the pages of the Washington Post because it suits a partisan or personal agenda.

Here was a case of current and former national security officials using their position, their sources, and their methods to crush a political enemy. And no one but supporters of the president seems to be disturbed. Why? Because we are meant to believe that the mysterious, elusive, nefarious, and to date unproven connection between Donald Trump and the Kremlin is more important than the norms of intelligence and the decisions of the voters.

But why should we believe that? And who elected these officials to make this judgment for us? (snip)

The last few weeks have confirmed that there are two systems of government in the United States. The first is the system of government outlined in the U.S. Constitution  its checks, its balances, its dispersion of power, its protection of individual rights. Donald Trump was elected to serve four years as the chief executive of this system. Whether you like it or not.

The second system is comprised of those elements not expressly addressed by the Founders. This is the permanent government, the so-called administrative state of bureaucracies, agencies, quasi-public organizations, and regulatory bodies and commissions, of rule-writers and the byzantine network of administrative law courts. This is the government of unelected judges with lifetime appointments who, far from comprising the "least dangerous branch," now presume to think they know more about America's national security interests than the man elected as commander in chief.

For some time, especially during Democratic presidencies, the second system of government was able to live with the first one. But that time has ended. The two systems are now in competition. And the contest is all the more vicious and frightening because more than offices are at stake. This fight is not about policy. It is about wealth, status, the privileges of an exclusive class.
Nepalese ambassador to China said on Friday that China has generously offered resources for common prosperity in the region under the One Belt and One Road initiative to develop "communities of shared future".

Lela Mani Paudyal said this at a seminar on investment opportunities in Nepal, the fourth of a series of promotional programs in tourism, trade and investment over the past three months, according to the press release from the Nepalese embassy in Beijing.

The country's economy suffered after an 8.1-magnitude earthquake in 2015, and the government has been seeking foreign investment.

Paudyal urged Chinese investors to take advantage of the bilateral relationship, Nepal's abundant natural resources and government's preferential policies for foreign investment.

"China has immensely developed its technical and human capability including infrastructure and energy," the ambassador said.

He also advised Chinese entrepreneurs to connect Nepalese products and services in Chinese markets through their value chain or translocate their manufacturing bases to Nepal.

Sun Heping, former Chinese ambassador to Nepal, encouraged seminar participants to invest in the energy sector, since "the government has issued many preferential policies to attract foreign investment".

Altogether 64 entrepreneurs representing different associations from various Chinese provinces participated in the seminar.

Fifty-one of them from 18 enterprises have shown their interests in participating in the Nepal Investment Summit to be held on March 2-3 in Kathmandu.
home Tech iPad Pro 2 release date, latest news: New iPad Pro model expected to arrive this March

Apple's iPad line is somewhat at a crossroads. Based on the company's recent earnings report, the gadget's year over year sales has plummeted by 19 percent, and revenue fell by 22 percent.

Nevertheless, Apple's chief executive Tim Cook continues to be committed to the iPad product line, believing that there's still a lot of room for innovation in their flagship tablet.

"We've got some exciting things coming on iPad," Cook said last week, according to BGR. "And I'm optimistic about where things are headed," he added.

According to reports, Apple has plans to release three new iPad models this year: an affordable 9.7-inch model, a revamped 12.0-inch iPad Pro, and a new 10.5-inch model.

As for when the iPad Pro 2 might be released, recent speculations suggested that Apple users should expect the device to arrive sometime this March. Considering that Apple is known for holding its first big event every March for the past few years, the rumor is not completely unfounded.

With the 12.9-inch model already 18 months old and the 9.7-inch variant about to reach its 12-month mark this coming March, the time is ripe for upgrading the iPad Pro line. Moreover, reports have already surfaced about the significant slow-down of iPad Pro stocks, which suggests that a new line is already underway.

According to a report by ValueWalk, the existing 12.9-inch iPad Pro is already in short supply at major retail stores. Customers who bought the current iPad Pro model would have to wait for an estimated shipping period of around two to three weeks, compared to the usual two-week waiting period.

As analyzed by Apple enthusiast, this slowing down of current iPad Pro stocks is an indication that the company is running low on its current stocks of the tablet and have decreased production in order to prepare for the release of the iPad Pro 2.

With the upcoming arrival of the iPad Pro 2, news and details about its specs and features are also surfacing online. The new model will reportedly be powered by the AX10 Processor and will sport a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera.

Apple's iPad Pro 2 is speculated to come out sometime this March.
We know what Trump has done in his first month. We can only guess what Hillary would have done. Here is a short list:

Trump has:

Started enforcing immigration laws that Congress passed, including building the wall. Started telling the sanctuary cities to abide by the laws of the land.

Tried to seriously vet refugees from seven countries that the Obama administration said were the biggest sources of terrorists.

Began reversing some of Obama's executive orders.

Frozen federal employees' salaries.

Moved to roll back regulations on the private sector.

Issued an order to end the fine for people who cannot buy expensive health care insurance policies dictated by Obamacare. Began work to restore freedom of choice on health care.

Put sanctions on Iran after they clearly violated a U.N. resolution.

Began work on lowering taxes for corporations and individuals.

Nominated people for Cabinet position who have a history of achievement in business and the private sector.

Met with diverse corporate leaders, union officials, black community leaders, and others. It appears he will meet with all who are willing to come. He obviously doesn't care if they ever supported him for president.

Nominated a judge for the Supreme Court who looks as though he will abide by the Constitution to enforce laws, not make laws.

Negotiated with Boeing and Lockheed to lower costs on large contracts.

Brought coal company workers to the White House to announce he would save thousands of their jobs.

Scrapped the massively complicated Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

Approved the building of two environmentally cleared energy pipelines.

Had a freewheeling news conference.

(The media, of course, say the Trump administration is chaotic. Can anyone imagine how productive Trump would be if Democrats, the media, and judges weren't so obstructive?)

By contrast, Hillary most likely would have:

Hired scandal-plagued loyalists such as Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills as a first priority and set up a private server.

Continued to ignore existing immigration laws and allow sanctuary cities to do what they want. Although she voted for the wall, she and other Democrats hardly meant it.

Allowed refugees to pour in and then pretended to seriously review applications.

Expanded issuance of new regulations.

Certainly wouldn't have frozen federal salaries that are already much higher than the private sector, including benefits.

Let Obamacare continue to collapse under its own weight and, as it did, declared that the only solution is government-run health care. Hillary, the Democrats, and the media continue to want to take freedom of choice away from Americans on health care.

Looked the other way, as Obama did, when Iran violated U.N. sanctions. Approved the sale of more U.S. uranium to Iran from Russia. Paid more ransom to Iran.

Begun work on raising taxes for individuals and corporations.

Nominated people with no private-sector experience, just as Obama did.

Met with union leaders, hedge fund financier George Soros, and other people who will pay her husband, Bill, $250,000 or more for short speeches.

Nominated a person for the Supreme Court who would rule in favor of whatever Democrats like.

Continued to pay Boeing and Lockheed inflated prices.

Continued the goal of bankrupting coal companies.

May have backed out of TPP but had previously said it was the gold standard for trade agreements, even though she, like most other people, had no idea what was in it.

Continued to block pipelines for no apparent reason other than to appease special interest groups.

Had a news conference with pre-screened, scripted media questions and answers, just as she did during the presidential debates.

Hillary's main goal would remain the same as it has throughout her adult life: to enrich herself and her family through her use of political power.

Thankfully, we now have a president who wants to give power, freedom, and money back to the people instead of continue to expand the power of the massive government. President Trump certainly has his hands full with an antagonistic media to overcome  a group who obviously want the government to get bigger and have been willing to look the other way no matter what Obama and Hillary said or did.

Yet Trump has done a lot in his first 30 days despite the obstruction of the Democrats, the courts, and the media. His approval rating by Rasmussen is now at 55%, and 45% now think the country is heading in the right direction (up around 15% from before the election). Of course, those numbers are never reported, because facts just don't matter when the media have a president and an agenda to destroy.

Trump should also get credit for the drought ending in California, despite having nothing to do with it. After all, the media and Obama himself gave Obama credit for ending the recession in 2009, just 130 days after he took office, so it would seem only fair.

I have an easy question for scientists, the media, Democrats, professors, and Hollywood: since you blame humans and fossil fuels for the drought in California, what caused it to end? I heard on CBS radio news this morning that drought conditions have lessened, and they gave the reason that there was more precipitation. What deep thinkers they are!
C-SPAN conducted a survey of 91 presidential historians to determine the ranking of the nation's 44 chief executives. It's the third such survey conducted by the public affairs network, the previous two being taken in 2000 and 2009.

The top three presidents have been unchanged over that time: Lincoln, Washington, and Franklin Roosevelt. Included in the survey for the first time was President Barack Obama.

Historians ranked him 12th best.

Yahoo News:

The poll ranks each US president on various issues, including "crisis leadership", "moral authority", "international relations" and "pursuing equal justice for all". Obama scored particularly high on the "equal justice" scale, coming in third behind only Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) and Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969). But Obama ranked fifth from the bottom on "relations with Congress", and got a middling 24th best score on "international relations", the survey showed Historian Douglas Brinkley of Rice University said that Obama's presidency, despite its weak points, may age well and notch an even higher ranking as time passes. "There tends to be kind of an upward mobility, particularly if you are a president who had no major scandals," he said, noting that presidents are also often judged in comparison to their immediate predecessors and successors. "If the Trump presidency is problematic, people may judge Obama even higher yet." For the third time in a row, Abraham Lincoln ranked as the nation's best presidential leader, according to the panel. George Washington, the first US President (1789-1797), came in second, and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) rounded out the podium at third. Others in the top ten are: Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961), Harry Truman (1945-1953), Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), John F. Kennedy (1961-1963), Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) and Lyndon Johnson. George W. Bush's dismal ranking of 36rd [sic] in the 2009 survey has improved slightly with time. He is now ranked as the nation's 33rd best presidential leader. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), whose populist movement has been compared by some historians to Donald Trump's unconventional political rise, dropped several pegs in the latest survey, falling from the 13th slot in 2000 and 2009 to 18th.

Is this a ranking of the "best" presidents or the "most effective"? For instance, no one doubts that FDR's presidency was among the most consequential in history. But Roosevelt's economic policies never did result in America getting out from under the Depression. It took Pearl Harbor and world war for the American economy to finally recover. As for the rest, Roosevelt's policies grossly undermined the founding principles of American constitutional democracy  ostensibly to combat social upheaval caused by the Depression. It didn't work, making FDR one of the least "effective" presidents as far as the economy is concerned.

But Roosevelt also organized the country to fight a total war against Germany and Japan  no small feat, considering the challenges he faced. He could also be considered one of the best politicians ever to serve as president. Winning election four times speaks for itself.

Bottom line: He doesn't belong in the top five, but perhaps the top 15.

Lincoln over Washington? Close call, but without Washington, there wouldn't have been a Lincoln. Washington defined the presidency as an office with limited powers and guided the young republic through some severe crises at home and abroad.

Reagan is about where he should be; 9th is a good ranking, considering his nearly crisis-free tenure. Most presidents are defined by the difficulties they have to overcome while in office. Reagan met the challenge of a terrible economic crisis as well as changing the dynamic of the Cold War. Those feats alone should rank him in the top ten.

Now we come to Barack Obama, who presided over the worst economic recovery in history, the precipitous decline of American power and influence around the world, and the worse race relations since the 1960s.

So, of course, the historians rank him 12th.

His signature legislation  Obamacare and the financial regulation bill  are both going to become unrecognizable as Republicans alter them drastically over the next few months. How can anyone who calls himself a historian give such a high ranking to a president whose major achievements in office will largely be gone within a matter of a few months of him leaving office?

Obviously, there's some Obama worship at work with this ridiculous ranking. And while I wouldn't put President Obama last or even in the bottom 10, he doesn't rank much better than George W. Bush in my mind. Douglas Brinkley's observation that Obama didn't have any major scandals is a ludicrous statement. The only reason they weren't "major" scandals was because of a willing and compliant media running interference for him.

The bottom of the barrel as far as presidents go were mostly from a time in history when the presidency was won by inferior men  the period between Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln. With a couple of exceptions, the presidents in the 1840s and '50s were compromise candidates, nominated after dozens of ballots at the Democratic convention. President Buchanan well deserves his worst president ranking, having become paralyzed into inaction as one after another, the Southern states seceded from the union.

Barack Obama was a disaster as president, and his high ranking by historians will, despite their bias, fall over the years.
This authentic patatas bravas recipe will make you feel as if you are back in Spain, enjoying a leisurely tapas in the evening. If youve never been to Spain, it will give you an idea of what deliciousness awaits you, and learn some tips for your visit to Barcelona.

My trip to Barcelona in December was my first time visiting Spain and I fell in love! (A recipe for authentic patatas bravas follows below.)

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My friend Cathy (She Paused 4 Thought) was right: not only did I fall in love with the city, but with so many other things as well. The architecture, the climate and its food, like patatas bravasa simple tapas potato dishmade it difficult not to be smitten.

Patatas bravas is on almost every single tapas menu in Barcelona. What is it, exactly? The name translates to spicy potatoes, and I became a fan immediately after tasting them the very first time. This is why youll find a very authentic Spanish patatas bravas recipe below.

If you recall, I recently shared my experience in taking a cooking class in Barcelona, which was the very first thing I did on my initial morning in this beautiful city. I didnt know about that I would have wanted an authentic patatas bravas recipe then, or I would have asked there.

As Im writing this, I have my son and daughter in mind as they are both traveling in Europe next month and will meet each other in beautiful Barcelona! Im going to buy them tickets to visit La Sagrada Familia together. I want to make sure they dont miss it (more to come on this incredible cathedral which is pictured below).

The weather the second week of December was almost exactly what it had been in Los Angeles, in the mid 60s Fahrenheit (high teens in Celsius). There were several aspects about Barcelona which reminded me of LA. For example, as I sauntered through Parc de Joan Miro one morning, the cacophany of parrots squawking in the palm trees was similar to what I often hear outside my window. Of course, the palm trees made me feel right at home, too. Here are my tips for first time visitors to Barcelona, as a first time visitor myself. Im not attempting to tell you all about a city Ive only spent a few days in, you can visit Catalunya.com for that. Nevertheless, for a few basic, quick tips, here are my tips~ Walk the City Barcelona is a very walkable city, and I saw so much more than I would have if Id taken a taxi or the Metro. Obviously, in any city youll have to take some form of transportation for longer distances, but if youre someone who likes to walk (and is able), be a pedestrian as much as you can (my cousins used the Metro as they stayed outside the center of the city and loved it to get back and forth from their hotel). The following photos give an example of some sights along the streets of Barcelona.

TIP: when you have WiFi, download the Google map of the city to which you are traveling. Then, even when you dont have Wifi while you are in that city, you can still use your offline map for directions. Its been extremely helpful to me.

Attractions and Sites Not to be Missed

La Sagrada Familia

Hands down, La Sagrada Familia Cathedral, which means The Holy Family, should be at the top of your list. Do not miss this incredible work of architecture which is expected to be completed in 2026. (Admission charge goes towards the completion and upkeep of the cathedral.)

La Boqueria Market

One of the most colorful and vivacious markets Ive ever seen, with vast amounts of top quality foods, beverages, and places to eat. Talk about sensory overload! You could probably spend an entire day here, theres so much to see (and eat). (FREE.)

Parc Guell

Originally intended as a housing development in growing Barcelona which didnt come to fruition, it was turned into a park. Antoni Gaudis artistic talent is seen throughout Barcelona, but this park is one of his most famous attractions (although its not entirely his design). It is the location of one of the most iconic views of Barcelona as one can see much of the city, and the sea from this vantage point.

Gaudi actually lived in the house that is adjacent to the park for many years, before moving into accommodations at La Sagrada Familia, until his death. (There is an admission charge for both the park, and Gaudis former residence.)

The Magic Fountain Known locally as La Fuente Magica de Montjuic, this fountain will mesmerize young and old, alike. Just be sure to check the times of the music and colorful light show at the fountain, as it varies by day and season. I would also plan to be there earlier than the show begins as I was there in December and there was a sizeable crowd. I was able to go twice, once alone, and then with my husband, cousin and her husband. Everyone loved it and there is no charge. (FREE.) The National Art Museum of Catalonia I know some people arent interested in museums, but besides the fact that this one holds more than a quarter of a million works of art, the building itself and view from the top are two other solid reasons to go. Its easy for me to say that I loved The National Art Museum of Catalonia, and my husband really enjoyed it, too. Inside and out, the building is simply stunning. It was very serendipitous for us that I asked a staff person a simple question about the museum. My query led to us discovering the top of the museum which affords the most amazing views of the rear of the museums gardens, and the city of Barcelona from the front. Nowhere did we see that we could venture there. (You may also want to download an app for the museum, as none of the artworks are described in English.) My husband and I hadnt planned to spend as much time as we did at The National Art Museum of Catalonia, and in the end, we had to pry ourselves away to see other attractions. If you have the time, plan to spend at least 3 hours here. We also noticed the museums restaurant also has incredible views from expansive windows which we would have loved to try. (There is an admission fee for this museum.) The Gothic Quarter A central part of Barcelona, with many ancient buildings, including some from Roman times. The Barcelona Cathedral is there and its just a place with its own unique atmosphere that is different than any other part of the city. I was there before Christmas and there was a Christmas market on, although it wasnt anything like the markets Id visited in Germany. Christmas markets in Barcelona have a very specific theme of selling mostly Christmas decor, such as nativity sets and Catalan Christmas logs for children.

A strange custom is that of the caganer, translated (nicely) to the pooper which is a figurine (ranging from the traditional man, to Star Wars/movie/cartoon characters, or heads of countries) who is pooping. This caganer is placed somewhere near the nativity set and it seems to be that if he/she is missing, it can bring bad luck. As I said, to me, it was very strange, but then, many customs and traditions are rather bizarre if we think about them (like Santa Claus). (FREE)

The Waterfront/La Barceloneta

This is yet another unique part of Barcelona which feels like a completely different area, altogether. Although very close to the Gothic Quarter, the beachfront was totally redeveloped for the 1992 Olympic Games. Two miles of beachfront was created in the process, and its now an area to enjoy a lovely seafood meal or walk on the beach. I did both with my cousin Denisa and her husband, Duncan, while my husband was at work.

Barcelona Bus Turistic (Barcelona Tour Bus  Official)

Although in December only two routes were running on the hop-on hop-off bus, the other two routes cover a majority of the city (the green route by the waterfront doesnt run year round). Its really a great way to cover seeing a lot of sights if you dont have a lot of time in Barcelona. This is also a must if you or someone you are traveling with cant walk too much or too far. The three photos below the map were all taken from the tour bus.

Food and Beverages to Try

I mostly ate tapas while in Barcelona, so Im sharing a few of my personal favorites. I wanted to ask for an authentic patatas bravas recipe, but am so happy I found one when I came home! (Photos are arranged clockwise in the collage.)

Pan con Tomate  I could eat this simple toast and tomato until I die. Seriously, its so good! Tortilla  a thick, potato and egg dish. It reminded me of a very thick frittata and tasted the same. Jamon Iberico (or Serrano)  you cannot travel all the way to Spain and not try their jamon! Cava  Spains wonderful sparkling wine. Try it with your jamon. Paella  a traditional rice dish made with seafood, chicken or even vegetarian-style. Sangria  a fruit filled, sweet wine concoction that is dangerously easy to drink. Pastries  from Torta de Santiago, to crisp, breakfast treats, there werent many I didnt enjoy! Spanish Patatas Bravas  last, but not least, one of my favorites and recipe is below.

Edited: since this has been published, I have returned to Barcelona another two times and so has my daughter. She discovered a restaurant and fell in love with another type of potato tapa! Enjoy this one, too!

A pin for Pinterest!

One last tip, be vigilant with your purses, wallets and valuables, and dont carry lots of cash. Although we had no problems whatsoever, Ive had quite a few friends who were pick-pocketed. One acquaintance had her purse (containing passports and a lot of cash) stolen right from under her nose. She was amazed that they were able to do so and has no idea how they even did it. Be especially careful while on Las Ramblas, a popular shopping street in Barcelona, but realize that this tip truly applies to most large cities.

For more information on visiting Barcelona and the Catalonia region of Spain, visit the tourism boards site:

Catalunya.com

Now, for that authentic patatas bravas recipe I promised you!

Authentic Patatas Bravas Recipe

(Spicy Potatoes)

slightly adapted from Hispacocina (YouTube recipe)

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces (peeled or unpeeled, your choice)

oil for deep frying (I used sunflower)

Salsa Brava

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tsp paprika (smoked or sweet, depending on your taste)

1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (I used 1 tsp and the sauce was quite spicy)

1/2 tsp white pepper

2 tbsp flour

200 ml (7 oz) chicken stock

salt, to taste

Optional: mayonnaise or aioli sauce to serve with the potatoes

Bring a pot of water to a boil then add the chopped potatoes. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, then drain in a colander and set aside.

For the sauce~

In a saute pan, fry the onions in the heated olive oil (sprinkle a little salt on the onions) for about 5 minutes or so. Do not let them brown. Next, add the paprika, cayenne and white pepper and stir.

Add the flour, stir and continue to cook for about 3 minutes, then slowly add the chicken stock.

Stir continuously until all the stock has been added, then simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from heat and process with an immersion blender until smooth (or process in a blender) and set aside.

Fry the potatoes~

Heat enough oil to deep fry the potatoes, then add half at a time, unless you are using a very large pot or fryer. Fry until golden brown, then place on a paper-towel lined plate or bowl. Repeat with the next half.

To serve~

There are several ways to serve Spanish Patatas Bravas. Sometimes, the potatoes are served on a plate with the salsa brava on the side, along with some mayonnaise or aioli sauce. Other times, the sauce is mixed with a little mayo to create a less spicy sauce. Either way, these sauces can be poured over the plate of potatoes or squeezed over them from a condiment bottle. I love this authentic patatas bravas recipe!

I made a quick aioli to let my family try all the choices. Which way do you prefer? Do you like this Spanish Patatas Bravas recipe? Let me know!

If you are going to visit Barcelona, you can find everything you need to organize and plan your trip here

Dont miss another post, click below to sign up for my free recipes and travel posts!

(I promise not to share or sell your info, ever!)

As promised, a printable version of an authentic patatas bravas recipe.

Continue to Content Spanish Patatas Bravas (Spicy Spanish Potatoes) Recipe Yield: 4 tapas size servings Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Authentic patatas bravas recipe. Print Ingredients 4 medium potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces (peeled or unpeeled, your choice)

oil for deep frying (I used sunflower) Salsa Brava 3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tsp paprika (smoked or sweet, depending on your taste)

1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (I used 1 tsp and the sauce was quite spicy)

1/2 tsp white pepper

2 tbsp flour

200 ml (7 oz) chicken stock

salt, to taste Instructions Boil the potatoes~ Bring a pot of water to a boil then add the chopped potatoes. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, then drain in a colander and set aside. For the sauce~ In a saute pan, fry the onions in the heated olive oil (sprinkle a little salt on the onions) for about 5 minutes or so. Do not let them brown. Next, add the paprika, cayenne and white pepper and stir. Add the flour, stir and continue to cook for about 3 minutes, then slowly add the chicken stock. Stir continuously until all the stock has been added, then simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and process with an immersion blender until smooth (or process in a blender) and set aside. Fry the potatoes~ Heat enough oil to deep fry the potatoes, then add half at a time, unless you are using a very large pot or fryer. Fry until golden brown, then place on a paper-towel lined plate or bowl. Repeat with the next half. To serve~ There are several ways to serve Patatas Bravas. Sometimes, the potatoes are served on a plate with the salsa brava on the side, along with some mayonnaise or aioli sauce. Other times, the sauce is mixed with a little mayo to create a less spicy sauce. Either way, these sauces can be poured over the plate of potatoes or squeezed over them from a condiment bottle. I don't think any manner is more or less "correct" than another. Nutrition Information: Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 small bowl

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 4629 Total Fat: 158g Saturated Fat: 40g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 107g Cholesterol: 360mg Sodium: 17324mg Carbohydrates: 466g Fiber: 5g Sugar: 193g Protein: 308g Nutrition info is estimated. Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review by clicking on the 5 stars above, in the purple header (a form will appear) or tag me on Instagram! 

Christinas Cucina is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!
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A total 2,184 job providers, including Indian and multi-national companies, participated in job fairs across 12 clusters.

Gandhinagar: As many as 1,09,520 candidates out of 1,42,970 applicants were offered jobs at week-long fairs organised by Gujarat government across 12 clusters, a senior official said today.

A total 2,184 job providers, including Indian and multi-national companies, participated in job fairs organised across 12 clusters covering 33 districts, chief secretary JN Singh told reporters here.

"To pass on job opportunities created following investments which came into the state through 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit' to youth, mega job fairs were organised in 12 clusters between February 11 and 17," Singh said.

"As many as 2,184 job providers participated in the mega fairs and offered jobs to 1,09,520 candidates out of 1,42,970 applicants," he said. Job offers were made by companies from various sectors including automobiles, textiles, engineering, construction, pharmacy, food and beverages, power, cement, marketing/sales, banking, finance, hospitality, health care management, tele communications, among others, he said.

Among major job providing companies were L&T Limited, Ford India Limited, Suzuki Motors Gujarat Pvt Ltd., Honda Motors, Tata Motors, Vodafone, Pepsico, Adena Power, Essar Power, Reliance Industries, Welspun India Ltd., Arvind Mills, Sandhi Cement, Ambuja Cement, Eureka Forbes, Torrent Power, Tata Chemicals, Syntex Pvt. Ltd., Aegis Limited, Singh added.

"These companies offered jobs to skilled and semi-skilled workers, supervisors, engineers, managers, and customer care representatives, among others. As many as 1,09,520 youths, including 88,503 men and 21,017 women, were offered jobs through these fairs.

"As many as 144 differently-abled persons were also offered jobs. Of those who were offered jobs, many candidates were from SC, ST, and SEBC categories," the Chief Secretary said.

A further breakup shows that 56,742 candidates were offered jobs in manufacturing sector and 52,778 candidates were offered jobs in services sector. As many as 5,555 apprentices including 384 women candidates were offered jobs by municipal corporations, municipalities, and different industrial units, Singh said.

Twelve clusters where job fairs were organised are Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Godhra, Jamnagar, Morbi, Vapi, Mehsana and Gandhidham.
The film begins with a disclaimer that the film has no resemblance to any real life characters alive or dead.

Mumbai: Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's No Bed of Roses, starring and co-produced by India actor Irrfan Khan, has been effectively banned in Bangladesh.

Speculation has been rife in the Bangladeshi and Indian media that the film is a biopic loosely based on late Bangladeshi writer and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed who divorced his wife of 27 years and married an actress 33 years his junior.

Farooki has denied that the film is a biopic.

According to Variety, the film begins with a disclaimer that the film has no resemblance to any real life characters alive or dead. Irrfan plays a filmmaker named Javed Hasan who leaves his wife and marries an actress who was his daughter's classmate in school.

"I am really surprised to know that the government of Bangladesh has blocked the film. This is a humane story that deals with complex male and female relationships in a subtle and balanced way. What harm will it cause to the society if seen?" Irrfan said.

The film is a co-production between Bangladesh's Jaaz Multimedia and India's Eskay Movies with Khan's IK Company as co-producer.

The Bangladesh Film Development Corporation's (BFDC) Joint Venture Preview Committee approved the script on March 8, 2016 after which the film went into production.

The completed film was previewed for the BFDC on February 12, 2017 and received a No Objection Certificate on February 15.

On February 16, the BFDC sent the production a letter stating that the certificate had been cancelled due to a letter from the Bangladesh Information Ministry.

When BFDC Managing Director Tapan Kumar Ghosh was asked about the reason for the revocation of the Certificate, he said that it is not the BFDC's prerogative to issue the certificate and it was up to the Bangladesh Film Censor Board to issue it.

However, all the letters issued to the production from the BFDC are all on the organization's official letterhead.

In reality, international co-productions cannot approach the Censor Board without the BFDC certificate.

"We have been blocked at the first gate. As the order does not explain any reason, I don't know why they thought screening of the film would be inappropriate.

"Yes, my film handles a so-called taboo subject but it doesn't show anything explicit and hence doesn't violate any censor code. This goes against the freedom of expression," said Farooki.

Farooki is now taking the matter to court.
The actress is all set to make her Bollywood debut opposite Irrfan Khan in 'Hindi Medium'.

A video of her mocking Bollywood actors like Salman Khan, Emraan Hashmi, Hrithik Roshan had gone viral.

Mumbai: Saba Qamar had come in for a lot of criticism after a video of her mocking Bollywood actors like Salman Khan, Emraan Hashmi, Hrithik Roshan, Riteish Deshmukh went viral on the internet.

With her Bollywood debut opposite Irrfan Khan in 'Hindi Medium' round the corner, the actress issued a clarification.

'Good Morning Zindagi is a fun show where they ask you fun questions about Bollywood stars. Whatever I said about each of the actors was said just for fun at that moment. I love and respect the Indian film industry specially Salman Khan is such a huge star and so humble," she said.

In the video, the actress unabashedly calls the Bollywood superstar a 'Chhichhora' (Cheap person), also taking a jibe at his dancing skills.

She also takes a dig at Emraan Hashmi, who enjoys immense popularity in Pakistan, suggesting she wouldn't want to be diagnosed with oral cancer, taking a direct jibe at his serial-kisser tag.

The actress also mocks Riteish Deshmukh saying that she'd never do a movie with him since she's an 'A-list' actress in Pakistan, and hence would want to star opposite an A-list actor, if she were to debut in Bollywood.

She calls Hrithik Roshan a 'father of two sons' she wouldn't want to be involved with, calling him someone who isn't her type.

Earlier, Mahira Khan, who debuted in Bollywood opposite Shah Rukh Khan in 'Raees,' had also faced a lot of flak for dissing Bollywood in a throwback video.
Vikkas Manaktala talks about his camaraderie with co-star Niti Taylor, which helps them through gruelling schedules.

On-screen, they may play an estranged couple but off-screen, the lead pair, Vikkas Manaktala and Niti Taylor, of the telly show, Ghulaam, get along like a house on fire. In fact, the unit swears by their friendship, and believes they can look convincing as a sparring couple, thanks to their acting chops. In a candid conversation, the couple shares their journey as co-stars and more. Edited excerpts from the interview:

You two have become inseparable on the sets. Do you feel like long-lost twins?

Niti : Yes, we are like Tom and Jerry  we keep fighting and troubling each other.

Vikkas: I do think that I have found a long-lost friend in her. You just connect with some people  she is one of them.

You two are often caught teasing each other. Does it ever get to a point that you end up getting irritated with each other?

Niti: We know our intentions well. So, things never get out of control.

Vikkas: Its impossible, because we never have to much time on hand. We are either busy preparing or getting ready for our scenes. We dont have the luxury of having so much time. We TV actors are mere labourers. The only time we tease each other is when we get some time between shots.

Vikkas, do you mind it when she hits you?

Niti: I dont think he minds it, but he doesnt move an inch. He is a tough cookie.

Vikkas: She gets happy and irritated when she beats me because I never get hurt. It doesnt affect me one bit, so I just keep laughing when I am getting beaten by her.

You guys seem to be a laugh-riot together. Your director must have a tough time controlling you two.

Niti: Actually, all the actors are always upto something else. In fact, the director always has to say, Boys and girls, can we shoot now? Plus, our director is always a part of our pranks and jokes.

Vikkas: Our director swears by our commitment towards our work. You should ask him. We dont let our pranks disrupt our work. We are professional that way.

Vikkas, your off-screen friendship is being noticed by everyone. Does your wife, Gunjan Walia, get insecure about it?

Niti: Gunjan is a good friend. She is not at all insecure and I can vouch for it.

Vikkas: (Laughs) No, they are better friends to each other than Niti and me.

On-screen, you play a merciless husband to Niti. Given your equation with her, how do you manage to put off these scenes?

Vikkas: On the sets, I am Veer and shes Shivani. So, we both approach our work as professionals. When I am performing, I have my complete focus on the role. I dont think about anything else.

Niti: When the director says, Action! we become our characters. We keep the show above everything else.

Vikkas, the notorious character you play onscreen must have earned you a lot of haters by now

Vikkas: Surprisingly, everyone loves Veer. In fact, I would say that it has earned me more fans than haters.

You two havent filmed any romantic scenes so far

Niti: Yes, we still havent filmed any romantic scene, but I am sure whenever it happens, it will be awkward and funny, given our Tom and Jerry equation.

Vikkas: We havent filmed any romantic scene as of now, because I am a cruel husband that Shivani (played by Niti) is putting up with. Veer does get romantic with Shivani by called her Baby Doll, but she never responds to it.

Your chemistry looks pretty convincing despite the odds?

Niti: His chiselled face and my baby face creates the magic on-screen

Vikkas: I guess our contrasting characters compliment our pairing.

Is there a scene thats your favourite?

Niti: When I was tied to the horse on the chair, Vikkas helped me a lot because I was scared. I would call this my favourite scene.

Vikkas: There was this scene we shot in Badli, Haryana where we were in our wedding attire, and there was a lot of drama. I think both of us performed well in that scene. It can easily be one of my favourite scenes.

Is there one thing you like and dislike about each other?

Niti: I like that he opens up to very few people and I am one of them. (smiles) Hes hardworking, and everyone loves him on the sets, since he troubles everyone. I dont dislike anything about him. Regarding dislikes, he loves the make-up man and is always requesting for a touch-up. He also wants to do too many things at one time. I think he should take a step back and relax.

Vikkas: Niti is always bursting with energy on the sets of the show. In the last three months of knowing her, I havent found anything about her that I dislike.

Rapid Fire

Your favourite corner on the sets?

Niti: The swing.

Vikkas: The akkhada area.

Your favourite food on the sets?

Niti: Maggi.

Vikkas: I carry food on the sets.



Who is your stressbuster on sets?

Niti: I think I am everyones stressbuster (Laughs). I still haven't figured mine.

Vikkas: My music and actually the whole cast. I enjoy spending time with all of them.

Your wildest fantasy?

Niti: I don't have a wild fantasy.

Vikkas: Is too wild to be revealed.
A 35-year-old woman had filed a gangrape and sexual harassment case against Prajapathi.

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh police on Saturday lodged an FIR against Gayatri Prajapati, a minister in the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in the state, following an order from the Supreme Court in an alleged gangrape case.

A 35-year-old woman had filed a gangrape and sexual harassment case against Prajapathi, the Transport Minister of Uttar Pradesh, who is contesting the Assembly polls from Amethi constituency.

A Bench of Supreme Court Justices A.K. Sikri and R.K. Agrawal had asked the state to file a status report in eight weeks. You should first register FIR. Just because he is an influential person you are not registering FIR. You register FIR, investigate and if there is nothing file a closure report. But you cant say you will not register FIR, the Bench told the UP counsel.

The Bench passed the order on a petition filed by the woman, who alleged that the minister promised her a post in the SP party and raped her when she met him three years ago.

She also alleged that Prajapati took some obscene photos of her and threatened to make them public and repeatedly raped her. She also alleged that the minister molested her teenaged daughter but police refused to register FIR.
Nagaland Peoples Front MLAs deserted party president Shurhozelie Liezietsu vying to replace Zeliang.

Guwahati: In a dramatic turn of political development in trouble-torn Nagaland, former chief minister Neiphu Rio is all set to replace the current Chief Minister T R Zeliang, who will resign from his post on Saturday.

At least 45 legislators of ruling Nagaland Peoples Front (NPF) on Saturday deserted its party president Shurhozelie Liezietsu who was contemplating to replace Zeliang, sources in the NPF told this newspaper. A total of 45 legislators have reached in a resort at Kaziranga National Park in Assam where they are meeting Zeliang and Rio on Saturday, they added.

Zeliang and Rio, who were in New Delhi, have also left for the Ayora Resort where the legislators are camping.

Indicating that Zeliang would step down and Rio, who is the Member of Parliament, will be elected the new leader of the NPF legislature party in a meeting in Kaziranga.

Indicating that formula to end the impasse was worked out in New Delhi, security sources, however, admitted that Liezietsu had managed to take the signature of at least 34 legislators in his support but majority of them were reluctant to see him as their leader. In fact, a group of nearly 20 legislators led by some cabinet ministers openly revolted against the candidature of Liezietsu on Friday in Kohima.

The legislators had started leaving Kohima on Friday night as Liezietsu was preparing to stake claim to replace Zeliang soon after the arrival of Nagaland Governor P B Acharya from New Delhi.

Security sources said that Rio and Zeliang met union home minister Rajnath Singh and other senior officers of the ministry in New Delhi before finalizing a compromising formula to end the impasse in Nagaland.

Sources said that the BJP, which has four MLAs, would continue to be the part of new government led by Rio.
National Investigation Agency, Intelligence Bureau tell govt to take steps.

The NIA, in a joint operation with the BSF earlier this week, had seized high-quality Rs 2,000 notes from Malda area near the border that were being smuggled in from Bangladesh.

New Delhi: The Intelligence Bureau and National Investigation Agency cautioned the Centre that Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has successfully managed to copy at least 8 to 10 security features of the Rs 2,000 new currency note that were introduced in November last year in wake of the governments demonetisation drive.

One of the objectives of the demonetisation was to crack down on fake currency in the economy, most of which was in Rs 500 denomination.

In a recent classified note to the Centre, details of which have been accessed by this newspaper, the agencies have stated that the ISI and its operatives, however, have still not been able to get hold of fine quality of paper used for printing the new currency notes. The government must ensure and take immediate preventive measures to ensure that the ISI or its operatives are not able to get the paper from those who also supply to the Indian printing press or mint.

The NIA, in a joint operation with the BSF earlier this week, had seized high-quality Rs 2,000 notes from Malda area near the border that were being smuggled in from Bangladesh.

Sources said the notes were of very high quality while the miscreants had even managed to incorporate a number of safety features, although the quality of the paper was not very good.

It was in this backdrop, sources said, that the agencies cautioned the government to ensure that proper safety measures are in place so that ISI operatives are not able to source the same quality of paper used in India.

Top intelligence sources claimed in the past as well, ISI and members of the Dawood Ibrahim gang have made attempts to procure ink, paper and machinery from the same source that was, at some point, also supplying the materials to the Indian printing press.

Now with there being a case where subversive elements have managed to copy the safety features in Rs 2,000 notes and would be trying for the new Rs 500 note, we just want all government agencies to make their security arrangements absolutely foolproof to ensure that ISI or its associates dont succeed this time around, a senior intelligence official said.

Both IB and NIA in their note have also stated that ISI already has set up a state-of-the-art printing facility on the outskirts of Karachi where members of the D-company have also been roped in. We suspect the facility would surely be used for printing the fake new Indian currency and the Dawood gang has also been roped in, the official said.
The bench noted that the premises sought to be evicted is not held for the benefit of the son alone but the whole family.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday held that a landlord could seek the eviction of tenant under the Rent Control Act if the premise is required to conduct a business.

A bench of Justices Kurian Joseph and A.M. Kanwilkar ruled that under the Act, the landlord would need to establish only a reasonable requirement. It should not only be a simple desire (but) it must be a genuine need. Whether the requirement is based on a desire or need will depend on the facts of each case, (such as) whether the requirement of the landlord for own occupation could also mean occupation by a member of the family, in this case, the son, the court ruled.

The apex court was hearing an appeal against a high court order, which had overturned a trial court order allowing appellant Mehmooda Gulshans plea seeking the eviction of her tenant from her premises in Jammu & Kashmir for the bona fide use of her son. The trial court had decreed the suit in her favour but the high court reversed the order on an appeal from the tenant.

We fail to understand the approach taken by the high court. It has clearly come in evidence of the appellant that her one son is unemployed and in view of unemployment, he was frustrated. The appellants husband had contracted second marriage and deserted the appellant (who) herself was unemployed with no source of income, said the Supreme Court.

The bench noted that the premises sought to be evicted is not held for the benefit of the son alone but the whole family. It has been established  that the landlord was not happy and content with the paltry rent received from the premises. It is for the landlord to decide as to the best use the premises should be put to. There is nothing wrong on the part of a landlord in making plans for a better living by doing business engaging her son, the bench noted in its order.

Writing the judgment, Justice Kurian Joseph said it seems that the connotation of the term need or requirement should not be artificially extended nor its language so unduly stretched or strained as to make it impossible or extremely difficult for the landlord to get a decree for eviction. Such a course would defeat the very purpose of the Act which affords the facility of eviction of the tenant to the landlord on certain specified grounds, the court said.

In the present case, having regard to the background of the son who is unemployed and undereducated, the appellant was able to establish that business was the available option and the tenanted premises were the only space available. Thus, the genuine need for the premises has been established. Unfortunately, the high court has missed these crucial aspects, the bench held and allowed the appeal.
The family members have been forced to go out to attend natures call.

Families have been forced to use toilet spaces for other purposes after village sarpanches failed to complete the construction work despite receiving the amount.

Bhopal: Toilets in a Madhya Pradesh district have conveniently been turned into kitchen and pan shops, thanks to machinations of local sarpanches.

In Kodan village in Chhattarpur district, Dinesh Yadav has been left with no option but to shift his kitchen to the toilet built under Swachh Bharat Yojana scheme, when his pleadings to the local sarpanch to complete it went unnoticed for the past eight months.

The septic tank of the toilet has not been built to date, rendering it unusable. Our sarpanch had undertaken construction of toilets in our village. We have transferred the money deposited in our account under the scheme to the account of the sarpanch. But he has left the construction unfinished. Hence, we have decided to turn the toilet into kitchen to save space in our home, Deepaks wife Suhela said Saturday.

The family members have been forced to go out to attend natures call. In Debri village, on the outskirts of the district headquarters town of Chhattarpur, Laxman Kushwaha faced a similar problem, forcing him to turn his under-construction toilet into a pan shop.

The faulty construction of the septic tank has rendered the toilet useless. Hence, we have transformed the toilet into a pan shop and forced to defecate in the open, Laxmans 17-year-old daughter Neelima said.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of the local zilla parishad, D.K.Maurya, said he has ordered a probe into the alleged irregularities in construction of toilets in these villages.

According to him, against a target of 1.96 lakh toilets in the district, 55,000 have been built. The district has set a target to be open defecation free by October this year.
The actress was heading to the city from her house in Thrissur for film work when the gang intercepted her car at around 8.30 pm.

According to the police, the gang recorded videos and took pictures of the actress and threatened to release them on social media. (Representational image)

Kochi: A popular Malayalam film actress was abducted on her way from Thrissur to Kochi on Friday night and raped. Police have arrested one suspect and are looking for four others against whom an FIR has been registered.

The suspect in police custody, identified as Martin, is the actress driver. He was engaged just three days before the incident, through a contractor who supplies vehicles and drivers to film people.

Earlier during the day on Saturday, there were reports that the actress had been molested. But the victims complaint, and subsequent statement to the magistrate, mentioned rape.

According to the police, the incident occurred late on Friday. A total of seven accused, including Sunil Kumar, have been found involved in the act during our probe. Weve taken four into custody for interrogation. Martin was arrested as he was found to have made over 40 phone calls and sent several text messages to Kumar while picking up the actress, police said.

The actress was heading to the city from her house in Thrissur for film work when the gang intercepted her car at around 8.30 pm.

The actress was travelling in an Audi car. The gang followed her in a tempo traveller and hit her vehicle from behind in what at first seemed like a mishap. Her driver Martin stopped the car and then two men from the tempo entered it and threatened him driver to drive. One more person was picked up on the way and driver Martin was asked to board the tempo behind, a senior police official said.

For the next three hours, as the car was driven around Kochi city, she was manhandled and molested. According to the police, the gang recorded videos and took pictures of the actress and threatened to release them on social media.

Finally the attackers left her in the car near Padamughal and escaped in the tempo that was trailing the car. Martin then returned to the car and drove the actress to the house of a film director who informed the police about the incident, the officer said.

Director general of police Loknath Behera has constituted a six-member investigation team to probe the incident.
Meanwhile, the Centre has reiterated its appeal to the Congress to not drag the Indian Army into politics.

New Delhi: With fresh clashes breaking out in Srinagar and Pakistan flags being hoisted despite the warning by Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat, the Congress on Saturday maintained their critical stance on the Army Chief saying there was absolutely no need for him to make such a statement which would obviously result in tension in the Valley.

Asserting that the Opposition has always unitedly supported all initiatives for Jammu and Kashmir, Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said in Delhi that there was no need for the Army Chief to make such a statement and create a situation.

"Now we have reports of hand grenade attacks and stone pelting coming from the Valley. What was the need to have said that? In a civil society, the Army is there for the defence of the country not to make statements. He (Army Chief) is not a parliamentarian. We accept that the army has been vigilant and is effective, but there was no need for this," he added.

A protest that broke out near the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar saw protestors pelting stones and raising Pakistan flags shortly after Friday prayers.

The incident was in response to Thursday's warning by the Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat that Kashmiris supporting terrorists would be considered anti-national and acted against.

"People who have picked up arms, the local boys, if they want to continue with such acts of terrorism and display flags of ISIS and Pakistan, then we will treat them as anti-national elements and go helter-skelter for them. Our relentless operations will continue," General Rawat said while paying tribute to the bravehearts of the Handwara and Bandipora encounters.

Urging the local people to extend their support to the security forces trying to maintain peace in the Valley, General Rawat said, "They would not be spared if they continue resorting to negative acts and such actions are the reason for the high number of casualties among security forces".

Meanwhile, the Centre has reiterated its appeal to the Congress to not drag the Indian Army into politics.

"It's my appeal to the Congress to keep the Army and the Army Chief outside of politics. Our soldiers are dying and terrorists are infiltrating from Pakistan and it is unbecoming that such things are being said. The sooner the Congress realizes it is not in power anymore, the better for the nation," Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad said in response to the Congress' charges that General Rawat's statement could induce more hostility in the Valley.
However, the CM tweeted that the rally was cancelled due to miscommunication of time of the public meeting.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was on Saturday left red-faced due to low turnout of people at a rally organised in Pune for the upcoming zilla parishad and municipal corporation elections.

Fadnavis had to leave the venue without delivering his campaign speech as very few people had come to attend the rally. Almost all the chairs lined up at the venue for public were empty.

However, the Chief Minister later tweeted, saying, I have cancelled my public meeting at Pune due to miscommunication of time of rally. I regret for the same. Heading towards Pimpri Chinchwad.

He later addressed a rally in Pimpri-chinchwad, which will go to polls in less than a weeks time.

Sanjay Kakade, Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra, also said, The turnout at the rally was low because of miscommunication of the timings of the event. There was contention regarding the timing of the rally  at 2 pm or 4 pm, which led to confusion in informing the public about the event.

Ashok Chavan, state Congress president, said, The empty chairs at the CM's Pune rally was the reply from the people against the BJP government. I did four meetings in Pune but every rally had at least 3000-4000 people. I went to Pune urban, rural, Chakan and Pimpri-chinchwad and received a good response. Even businessmen and traders delegation met me in Pune expressing unhappiness about BJP.

Meanwhile, Twitter users trolled the BJP with some of them tweeting that even the Chief Minister was not successful in bringing the people of Pune out of their homes for an election rally.
In the 234-member House, Palanisami needs the support of 118 MLAs.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy after taking the oath of secrecy administered by Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao during the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Chennai. (Photo: PTI)

Chennai: Tamil Nadus Assembly is all set for a floor test today, two days after Edappadi K. Palanisami was sworn in as the states 13th chief minister.

A confidence motion will be moved by Mr Palanisami, who took over two days after his party chief V.K. Sasikala was convicted of corruption, ending her bid to become the states CM.

In the 234-member House, Mr Palanisami needs the support of 118 MLAs. Barring any last-minute hitches, the new AIADMK government is expected to sail through. He has said 124 of the 134 party MLAs back him.

On the floor test eve, O. Panneerselvam, who was locked in a succession war as acting CM with Ms Sasikala for 11 days, appealed to MLAs to vote against the motion.

Security has been beefed up in several parts of the state, including Coimbatore and Chennai, as WhatsApp messages asking people to gather for a protest in support of Mr Panneerselvam did the rounds.

Opposition DMK working president M.K. Stalin said his party legislators would vote against the Palaniswami government, while the Congress said the party would take a decision based on the advice of the party high command. The DMK has 89 MLAs, while the Congress has eight.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission issued a notice to Ms Sasikala to explain her appointment as the partys interim general secretary. The EC acted on a petition filed by Rajya Sabha MP Dr M. Maitreyan and 11 other MPs who asserted that her appointment was illegal as there was no such post in the partys constitution.
Vajpayee has been indisposed for some years now, after suffering age-related problems and has not been seen in public.

Lucknow: Voter number 141 of Lucknow Central constituency is likely to again give polling a miss. The voter is none other than 92-year-old former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha five times in a row and gradually became synonymous with the City of Nawabs.

The last time Atal Bihari Vajpayee voted was in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, which was also the last election he contested. Thereafter, he could not vote in Assembly elections of 2007, 2012 and Lok Sabha elections of 2009 and 2014, his close aide Shiv Kumar said.

Mr Vajpayee has been indisposed for some years now, after suffering age-related problems and has not been seen in public.

This time also he would not be able to cast his vote in the ongoing Assembly polls, Mr Kumar said. Polling in Lucknow is scheduled to be held on Sunday.

The polling centre, where the name of the former Prime Minister is enrolled as a bonafide voter, is located in the the office of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation. His voter identity card number is XGF0929877. Mr Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha from Lucknow in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004.

In the following Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and 2014, the BJP maintained its dominance on the seat as Lalji Tandon and Rajnath Singh were elected MPs respectively.

Lamenting that Mr Vajpayee would not be able to cast his vote in this election, BJP state spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, Though Atalji would not be able to cast his vote for the party candidate, yet his blessings are always with us. And with this, we would surge ahead in the electoral battlefield, and conquer Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Vajpayee is the first and the only non-Congress leader who completed his full term as Prime Minister.

Born in 1924, he had his baptism in politics during the Quit India movement in 1942. He was also the first external affairs minister to deliver a speech in the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi.
Opposition leader MK Stalin questioned the haste in which the ballot was being done, emphasising upon the importance of democratic means.

An injured official being taken to hospital following massive ruckus in the TN Assembly. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Assembly has been adjourned till 1 pm after a huge uproar over the secret ballot in the special session on Saturday.

With the assembly facing its first floor test in 30 years, there has been a debate over the ballot with the DMK not concurring with the confidence vote and the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League demanding to go for the needful.

Opposition leader DMKs MK Stalin questioned the haste in which the ballot was being done. He also emphasised upon the importance of democratic means in the state.

#WATCH DMK MLAs scuffle with TN Assembly speaker, protesting DMK MLA Ku Ka Selvam sat on speaker chair #floortest (Jaya TV) pic.twitter.com/CkMQY9FfQx  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

"Democracy will be fullfilled, only when secret ballot voting is done. Floor test should be done on another day. Why the hurry when the Governor has given 15 days time?" Stalin said.

Stalin also accused the officials of meting out 'prisoner-like' treatment to the dignitaries.

"MLAs are being brought to the Secretariat like prisoners," he said.

The DMK is said to have gheraoed Dhanapal, demanding secret ballot. DMK MLA Ku Ka Selvam sat on the Speaker's chair in protest.

Outside the assembly, the DMK MLAs shouted slogans in support of former Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam, even as the MLAs, who back the newly appointed Chief Minister E Palanisamy, raised slogans against the party.

Despite elaborate security arrangements and Speaker P Dhanapal assuring to provide adequate security to the MLAs, several mediapersons indulged in arguments with the Police outside the TN Assembly, after which the audio speaker kept in Tamil Nadu assembly press room, allocated for accredited reporters and cameramen, was disconnected.

Earlier, AIADMK Presidium Chairman Madhusudanan, who belongs to the Panneerselvam camp, appointed S Semmalai as chief whip in the assembly.

Ahead of the crucial 'floor test', Panneerselvam appealed to AIADMK MLAs to vote against Palanisamy. "MLAs should be given time to hear the views of their constituency people. Time should be given till then," he said, during the Assembly Session.

From the frenzy over Panneerselvam's rebellion at late J Jayalalithaa's memorial to the secret ballot of confidence today at the State Assembly, the political stalemate in the state looks far from getting resolved as the confusion over the occupant of the chair of power continues.

The party leadership appointed Palanisamy as the new legislative leader, when, following the Supreme Court order, party General Secretary VK Sasikala stood disqualified to take over as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. But, soon after taking the oath as the Chief Minister of the state, Palanisamy lost a few MLAs, who went ahead and declared support to Panneerselvam, who now heads the rebel AIADMK.
Voting in Rae Bareli and Amethi is scheduled for February 19, in the third phase.

Lucknow/Delhi: After much speculation and talk, the Congress star campaigner, Priyanka Gandhi, hit the campaign trail for Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on Friday.

She chose to address her first election rally at her mother, Sonia Gandhis constituency, Rae Bareli, with her brother and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi by her side.

Touted as the biggest crowd puller, Ms Gandhi launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had drawn a parallel between himself and Lord Krishna and described himself as the adopted son of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.

Mr Gandhi, on the other hand, used two popular films  Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) and Sholay  to throw jibes at the Prime Minister for failing to keep his promises of achche din. Imagine going to watch a movie. You are shown Shah Rukh Khans DDLJ. After two and a half years, turns out it is Gabbar Singh in Sholay, he said.

Speaking after her brother, Ms Gandhi too lashed out at the PM, saying, Why does Uttar Pradesh need to adopt sons? Does the state not have its own sons? Are Rahulji and Akhileshji not your sons? UP is in their blood and in their heart. Ms Gandhi then said, In fact, every youth here is a potential leader and can work for development of UP. She also accused the PM of always referring to women as someones mother, sister, wife and daughter. Dont women have an identity of their own,she asked.

Mr Gandhi raised the farmers issue to target the PM. Over two crore farmers gave us details of their debt burden and we went to request Mr Modi to waive the loans. Our request was met with complete silence and now, that elections are here, he is bargaining that if they vote for BJP, he will waive their loans, he said.

Voting in Rae Bareli and Amethi is scheduled for February 19, in the third phase. A total of 826 candidates are in the fray for 69 seats spread across 12 districts.

Hitting out at the PM for referring to women as mothers, wives, sisters and daughters, Ms Gandhi asked, Whenever he talks of women, he refers to them as someones wife, daughter or sister. Dont women have an identity of their own?

He pointed out that the BJP had made similar promises in Bihar, none of which have been fulfilled.

Mr Gandhi then added, Modiji went to Varanasi and said Ganga meri Maa. He made promises but nothing has changed in Varanasi. He decided that India was dirty, so he gave brooms to the people and flew off to USA.

Though Ms Gandhi has finally hit the campaign trail, the question remains whether she will confine herself to Rae Bareli and Amethi or zip across the state.

Sources said that the Congress continues to be in two minds as her election campaigns during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections had flopped miserably. Reports show that Ms Gandhi had held nearly 100 public meetings in Rae Bareli and Amethi and yet the Congress won only two seats.

Adhering to the usual, protective strategy of not over exposing her, a section of the Congress wants her role to be limited.

There was speculation that Ms Gandhi may be joining UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadavs wife, Dimple Yadav, for rallies. However, at this juncture, Ms Yadav is proving to be quiet a crowd puller for the SP-Congress herself. Reports from Agra indicate that hordes of women have been flocking to their rallies.
The Palanisami government won the confidence vote in the state Assembly by a comfortable 122-11 margin after high drama and bedlam in the House.

Chennai: Saying that the legislators who voted for Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K. Palanisami during the vote of confidence in the Assembly on Saturday betrayed late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, former CM O. Panneerselvam said the people of the state would decide whether Mr Palanisamis victory was valid or not.

From 11 am till 3 pm, the DMK members were forcibly evicted and injured (in the process) and the resolution (electing Edappadi K. Palanisami) was passed in the Assembly. This is against democracy. Whether this is valid or not, it is the people who will deliver the real verdict, Mr Panneerselvam said, expressing his sympathies to the DMK members.

Speaking to reporters at the secretariat after his rival was announced victorious, he said the MLAs would know the peoples feelings when they visit their respective Assembly constituencies. A situation will arise where they will be questioned when visiting the constituency, he added.

We are Ammas team. We will gain massive support in future and ensure Ammas rule to bloom. Justice will triumph, Mr Panneerselvam said and emphasised that his struggle would continue until Jayalalithaas rule was formed in the state.

The Palanisami government won the confidence vote in the state Assembly by a comfortable 122-11 margin after high drama and bedlam in the House.

He said his supporters had requested the Speaker to allow MLAs staying in the resort to visit their constituencies before the confidence vote.

On the appointment of AIADMK general secretary V. K. Sasikalas family members to top party posts, he said, if Jayalalihaa was alive, she would have continued to ensure that they did not have any access to the party." Today the fight is between the followers of Amma and Sasikala. The team led by Amma (Jayalalithaa) will win, he added.



Sitting MLA Semmalai, who was appointed as the party whip by the O. Panneerselvam camp said, the battle is over and the Dharma Yudham (war for justice) has begun.

Former minister K. Pandiarajan said the legalities of the Assembly resolution would be examined. The Dharma Yudham will be taken to every nook and corner of the state, he added.
Top Naga groups have opposed the reservation, saying it is against their tradition and violates their constitutional rights.

Guwahati: Nagalands lone Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio is set to be the states new chief minister as more than 40 MLAs, including many from the ruling NPF and some Independents in the 60-member Assembly, have proposed his name for the top job.

The MLAs want chief minister T.R. Zeliang to go after six weeks of political crisis and violence that began with his decision to give 33 per cent reservation to women in local body elections. Top Naga groups have opposed the reservation, saying it is against their tradition and violates their constitutional rights.

A senior functionary of the ruling party said that the decision for a change of guard was taken after a meeting between CM Zeliang and his predecessor Rio in New Delhi.

Pointing out that nearly 50 MLAs, including Independents, have signed a letter of support for Mr Rio, sources said that the legislators are camping in a resort at Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

Earlier on Wednesday, 42 of the 49 party legislators had unanimously supported NPF president Shurhozelie Liezietsu as their new leader to break the deadlock between agitating groups and the government. Sources said that governor P.B. Acharya, Mr Zeliang and Mr Rio reached Nagaland on Saturday.

Mr Zeliang and Mr Rio left for Kaziranga to meet the legislators to decide the course for transition of power in the state.

Sources said that it was difficult for Mr Zeliang to continue. Sources, however, said that BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, in consultation with NSA Ajit Doval and interlocutor for Naga peace talks R.N. Ravi, had a meeting with Mr Rio on Friday in which a roadmap for smooth transition of power was drawn. The BJP said it would continue to be a part of the ruling alliance in Nagaland.
The ruckus began after the Speaker turned down the Oppositions request for either a secret ballot or postponement of the vote.

Chief Minister 'Edappadi' K Palaniswami being presenting a floral bouquet by Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao after he taking the oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu during the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Chennai. (Photo: PTI)

Chennai: Chief minister Edappadi K. Palanisami on Saturday won a controversial vote of confidence in Tamil Nadus 234-member Assembly where about 100 Opposition MLAs were missing after unprecedented mayhem.

The victory of jailed AIADMK chief V.K. Sasikalas loyalist came after MLAs came to blows, ripping papers, yanking out mics, breaking chairs and toppling tables.

The ruckus began after the Speaker turned down the Oppositions request for either a secret ballot or postponement of the vote. Four MLAs had their shirts torn and one lost his dhoti in the melee.

Speaker P. Dhanapal, who said he was roughed up and his shirt torn, had all the 88 DMK MLAs thrown out of the House before announcing that 122 AIADMK MLAs supported the vote and only 11, led by rebel leader O. Panneerselvam, opposed it.

Eight Congress members and the lone IUML MLA had also walked out by then. The Opposition called the vote undemocratic, urging the governor to intervene.

State governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao had sworn in Mr Palanisami on Thursday, two days after the Supreme Court convicted Ms Sasikala, then locked in a succession war with acting CM Panneerselvam, of corruption. What was the hurry to hold the confidence vote in 48 hours. The governor had given 15 days (to Palanisami) to prove his majority in the House, said DMK leader M.K. Stalin.

The Speaker retorted: The Opposition leader had earlier faulted the governor for giving 15 days for the confidence vote, saying such a long period of wait would lead to all sorts of malpractices (horse-trading), but now he is questioning the early vote. I cannot shift my stand to suit your changing demands.

Congress leader K. R. Ramasamy argued with the Speaker saying even if he had no power under the Assembly rules to order a secret ballot, he can still order an adjournment so that the MLAs could come back after gathering public views in their constituencies. This would be fair, just and democratic, he pleaded.

Later, when the Speaker got ready to order voting on the confidence resolution after two adjournments amid chaos, Mr Ramasamy announced he was leading the Congress group of eight in walkout because this vote is being conducted in an undemocratic manner. Lone IUML MLA Abu Backer, a DMK ally, also walked out.

The succession war began in Tamil Nadu after then CM Jayalalithaa died of illness in December 2016. Mr Panneerselvam resigned for Ms Sasikala to be the CM, but he dramatically revolted against her, saying he was forced to quit.
The booklet ends with the circumstances leading to Rao inviting Palanisami to form government.

Hyderabad: Tamil Nadu acting governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao will be releasing a booklet on the happenings in the state from the time J. Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospital in critical condition on September 23 to February 16, when he invited E. Palanisami to form gove rnment.

This is the first time a governor will be issuing a factsheet while in office regarding developments that involve his own role in the change of governments in order to put the Raj Bhavans record straight, sources said.

Mr Rao initially wanted to issue a communique on the lines of the one issued for the first time, by President K.R. Narayanan in 1998 on the events after the I.K. Gujral ministry submitted its resignation that ultimately led to the dissolution of Parliament and fresh elections. However, Mr Rao settled on bringing out a booklet.

Sources indicated that the bookled would cover Jayalalithaas admission in hospital, allotment of portfolios held by her to her Cabinet colleagues, O. Panneerselvam being asked to convene Cabinet meetings, the death of Jayalalithaa, Mr Panneerselvam being made chief minister, his resignation, the election of V.K. Sasikala as AIADMK Legislature Party leader and her staking claim to form government.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court upheld the trial courts verdict in a disproportionate assets case, and Ms Sasikala surrendered and went to prison to complete the remainder of her four-year jail term.

The booklet ends with the circumstances leading to Mr Rao inviting Mr Palanisami to form government.

According to sources, the booklet will mention that Mr Rao rushed to Chennai on October 1 after seeing rumours that Jayalalithaa had been declared dead.

Dr Rao went to Apollo Hospital and saw for himself that Jayalalithaa was getting treatment. He then went to Raj Bhavan and issued an official communique on her heath.

As the Governor had played a key role in all these happenings, he has decided to put everything on record, since he believes there are doubts being expressed by different quarters about the role of the Governor, the source added.

It is believed that Mr Rao will mention the constitutional issues, precedents and options before him while not inviting Sasikala to form government before the Supreme Court judgement, and the advise tendered by legal pundits including Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi suggesting a composite floor test and the Governor rejecting the idea.

This booklet form part of the Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan records since Mr Rao may not be have the additional responsibility as acting Governor for long, the source said.
With so many Europeans living and working in British fashion, their status after Brexit has been a priority for many brands and designers.

Models present creations by South Korean designer Eudon Choi during his catwalk show on the first day of the Autumn/Winter 2017 London Fashion Week in London on February 17, 2017. (Photo: AFP)

London: The British fashion industry kicked off its seasonal showcase today urging the government not to damage a thriving sector by cutting immigration and trade ties with the EU after Brexit.

"Fashion week is a really great time to understand the power and influence of our industry, as well as our creativity," said Caroline Rush, chief executive of the

British Fashion Council (BFC). "We hope that you'll listen as we talk to you about visas, about talent, about tariffs, about frictionless borders, and around IP (intellectual property).

"Because this is incredibly important to sustain this incredible industry, that contributes USD 34.8 billion to the British economy and provides 880,000 jobs." Prime Minister Theresa May is due to start negotiations on leaving the European Union within weeks, and has already signalled her intention to impose controls on EU migrants coming to work in Britain.

She has said this would likely come at the cost of leaving Europe's single market -- a major concern for the fashion industry, as the bloc accounts for about 70 per cent of British textiles and apparel exports. Over the next five days, London Fashion Week will showcase collections by more than 80 designers and brands, from Versace's Versus to Burberry, JW Anderson, Christopher Kane, Roksanda, and Mulberry.

But amid the glamour and the creativity, there is unease about what the future holds. "The overarching feeling at the moment is uncertainty," said Adam Mansell, chief executive of the UK Fashion and Textile Association. Access to the EU's single market is a key issue for the industry, but there are other concerns, such as the skilled labour used in British manufacturing, as well as trade ties

with the rest of the world.

Mansell noted that British fashion is heavily dependent on imports, particularly large volumes of clothes made in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar and Turkey -- all currently tariff-free through EU-negotiated trade deals which must now be replaced. While there has been a resurgence in UK manufacturing over the past couple of years, with many high-end brands benefiting from the allure of British heritage, they are often staffed by skilled workers from the EU.

"A lot of the product that you'll see on the catwalk in the next few days is actually made in London. And I know several factories in London where the workforce is more than 70 per cent EU," Mansell told AFP. With so many Europeans living and working in British fashion, their status after Brexit has been a priority for many brands and designers, and industry bodies have petitioned ministers to guarantee their right to stay.
The court has listed the matter for further hearing on February 28.

The court asked the unions to spread the word that such incidents of violence should not happen so that a peaceful atmosphere is created for a meeting with Ola and Uber. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: In order to find an amicable path for the ongoing tussle between cab aggregators and drivers as the strike entered its eighth day, the Delhi high court has directed both Ola and Uber to conduct a meeting between their representative and drivers association. The court observed that the drivers union cannot hold the functioning of the service at random and the bench suggested peaceful negotiations be made by the protesting cab drivers.

Since the cab services had alleged vandalism and threat to public transport system, the court also roped in the Delhi police and asked joint commissioner of traffic police to ensure peace on roads and stop instances of hooliganism.

Keeping safety as the main bone of contention, the court said the two drivers unions have to get it out of their head that they can extract something from these companies by agitation as they do with the government. You cannot demand anything from plaintiffs except by peaceful commercial negotiations, the court said, telling the two drivers unions to change their mindset.

Joint commissioner of police (traffic) or any other officer of equal rank nominated by commissioner of police is requested to forthwith ensure that drivers/owners having contract with plaintiffs (Ola and Uber) and wanting to ply are not blocked and that their vehicles are not damaged, Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said.

The direction comes after Ola and Uber contended that despite the courts orders earlier this week restraining the two drivers unions from blocking or interfering with their services, there have been incidents of violence, including burning of a cab.

The two unions  Sarvod-aya Driver Association of Delhi (SDAD) and Rajdhani Tourist Drivers Union  denied responsibility for such incidents of violence.

While SDAD said it has been agitating peacefully with permission, Rajdhani contended that it was only operating tourist cabs and it was SDAD which was involved in the incidents of violence.

The court, however, noted in its order that if not by the defendants (SDAD and Rajdhani), then the incidents are happening at behest of the defendants as no one else would be interested in indulging therein. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on February 28.

It said if such incidents continue the defendants only would stand to lose as people would adopt other means of transport and will no longer have faith in them.

The court said that if the unions were unhappy with the rates fixed by Ola and Uber, then they have other options, like running as black and yellow taxis, open to them.

The court asked the unions to spread the word that such incidents of violence should not happen so that a peaceful atmosphere is created for a meeting with Ola and Uber.

You cannot demand anything from plaintiffs except by peaceful commercial negotiations, the court said and listed the matter for further hearing on February 28.

During the hearing, Ola and Uber said they have made several efforts for dialogue, but they cannot have meetings while these incidents of violence and hooliganism are occurring.

The court was hearing the pleas of Uber and Ola seekingto restrain SDAD and Rajdhani and anyone working on their behalf from disrupting their services.

The pleas were moved after hundreds of drivers of Uber and Ola went on an indefinite strike from February 10 in Delhi-NCR region to protest against the low fares and lack of basic amenities.

On plea by Ola and Uber, the court had issued directions restraining anyone, including the two unions and their members, from blocking vehicles or removing or confiscating the mobile devices installed in the cabs.

The court had also restrained the two unions, their office-bearers or anyone acting on their behalf, from staging a dharna within 500 metres of the offices here of Ola and Uber.
The Home Ministry has returned the Bill, seeking more clarifications.

New Delhi: Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday wondered how could the Bharatiya Janta Party legislators own expensive cars despite the low pay, a day after the Centre returned a Bill seeking 400 per cent salary hike for Delhi MLAs. The deputy chief minister asked the BJP-led Central government to either reveal this formula of getting rich despite a low pay or clear the Bill for raising the MLAs salary. The Home Ministry has returned the Bill, seeking more clarifications. He said that there are two models of politics in the country  honest politics and that of corruption.

In Delhi, an MLA gets just Rs 12,000 as salary. We just want to increase the MLAs salaries, which are currently ridiculous, he said. As per the Bill, the basic salary of MLAs is proposed to be increased from current Rs 12,000 to Rs 50,000 and their overall monthly package be increased to Rs 2.1 lakh as against existing Rs 88,000, which will make Delhi legislators the highest paid lawmakers in the country.
Nine students from the government school were rushed to the Madan Mohan Malviya hospital.

New Delhi: A day after a dead rat was found in the midday meal of a school  due to which nine students fell ill  Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia directed the chief secretary to monitor the cooking of midday meals served in Delhi schools. The police has also lodged an FIR against two operators of an NGO who supplied midday meals to Government Boys Senior Secondary School in Deoli.

I have ordered the chief secretary that all senior officers, including secretaries and principal secretaries, will inspect the kitchens based on my parameters and give me report within one week. Similarly, all kitchens in Delhi will regularly be inspected, Mr Sisodia said, adding, In the morning today, I had sent my officers to this kitchen at 4.30 am to take stock of the situation there.

Nine students from the government school were rushed to the Madan Mohan Malviya hospital on Thursday when they were taken ill after consuming the rat-contaminated food. Mr Sisodia, who is also the education minister, visited the students at the hospital on Thursday.

According to police officials, an FIR has been registered against the operators of Jan Chetna Jagriti Evam Shaikshik Vikas Manch, K.P. Singh and Sanjay Malik, under relevant sections on the complaint of school principal Giriraj Singh Sharma.

We have sent the food samples for test and are awaiting medical reports of the affected children to move forward. Further sections could be added and more people may be booked, if needed. No one has been arrested so far, a senior police official said.

The school principal also alleged that Malik and his associates, who were present at the school, ran away carrying the remaining food, he added.

When asked about the allegations regarding the kitchens being operated by a relative of an MLA, he said, We will not spare anyone who plays with the lives of students, even if he or she is the relative of an MLA, minister, or even the PM.

We will ensure strict action against the vendor. We will not tolerate those who play with the lives of students. We will teach them such a lesson that no one in future can do it again, he added.
The chief minister quipped that nobody voted for the BJP in the Punjab elections.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee arrives for the inauguration of the new drinking water booster pumping station at Bhabanipore area, Kolkata. (Photo: Abhijit Mukherjee)

Kolkata: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the BJP, which got a chance to rule the country because of the mistakes of the Congress, should be prepared to be ousted from power.

The BJP came to power, courtesy the Congress partys follies. Now, it should get ready to be dislodged from power, she said.

The party should first set its own house in order before giving lectures to others, she added. The chief minister said that in the recent Punjab Assembly elections, people did not vote for BJP.

Ms Banerjee was speaking at the inauguration of a booster pumping station at Harish Park in south Kolkata, not far from her Kalighat residence.

She criticised destructive politics of opposition parties in the state, including CPI(M) and Congress. She reserved her firepower for the BJP and the Narendra Modi government.

She said the BJP used money and muscle power, and misused Central investigating agencies such as the CBI and the ED to intimidate parties and topple state governments.

On demonetisation, Ms Banerjee said it completely ruined the countrys economy. Our country has been slowly but steadily progressing but demonetisation resulted in a big setback, she said, adding that the decision to scrap `1,000 and `500 notes was actually aimed at helping those who had a large stock of black money.

I may be a layperson, but even an economist of repute like Manmohan Singh has described demonetisation as organised loot, she added.

Ms Banerjee said the BJP has been threatening her with the CBI for persistently raising her voice against Mr Modis demonetisation decision. You can unleash 1000 CBIs against me, but I will go on fighting for the peoples cause, she added.

Turning her attention to the Congress, the chief minister said the party ruled at the Centre for a long time. But it messed up in Delhi. The Congress should not even cast a glance toward Bengal, she added.

She said even the CPI(M) failed to deliver despite people giving it overwhelming support for 34 years. CPI(M) is a lost case. It has no credibility. Now it should sit silently and let those who are working tirelessly for progress and prosperity for the state work in peace, she said.

Ms Banerjee said she is confident of Bengals transformation. Bengal will turn around. It is our determination, dedication and devotion, she added.
The saffron partys firebrand leader and MP from UP, Yogi Adityanath, too, will be in Mumbai on Sunday to reach out to voters.

Mumbai: In the last leg of campaigning for elections to the countrys richest civic body - BMC, BJP and Congress have started roping in national leaders the likes of Venkaiah Naidu, Ananth Kumar, P. Chidambaram, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijay Singh to woo specific communities in the city. With the countrys financial capital also being a very cosmopolitan city, parties are trying to connect with different communities by bringing in leaders from different parts of India.

BJP seems to be leading the pack, what with union minister Venkaiah Naidu, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, in the city to address a rally in Sion, which is home to a large number of south Indians. Similarly, Bhojpuri actor and member of Parliament (MP), Manoj Tiwari, has addressed nearly 12 rallies in different parts of the city in a bid to persuade north Indian voters. The saffron partys firebrand leader and MP from UP, Yogi Adityanath, too, will be in Mumbai on Sunday to reach out to voters. BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said, We are a national party and we take elections seriously. So, our leaders are trying to raise peoples issues through speeches everywhere. Our leaders are participating in campaigning based on strategy and need.

Congress is not too far behind, having summoned former finance minister P. Chidambaram, who was in the city on Tuesday to address Tamil voters in Dharavi.
Invoking the late Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray's connection, he said the city and Shiv Sena share a special bond which will not break.

Thane: Attacking the BJP government over the demonetisation decision, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said neither the black money has been unearthed nor corruption curbed post note ban.

"Neither the black money has come out nor has corruption reduced and things are as they were. It was only the common man who suffered while the rich were not at all affected," Uddhav said addressing an election rally for the February 21 Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) polls in Thane.

"They ask me if I have suffered due to it (noteban). My answer is yes. I have suffered looking at the common man standing in the queue. I have suffered upon seeing so many deaths.

"I have suffered when I heard that people including the jawans could not withdraw their own money," Uddhav said.

"Modi is behaving as if he has created the nation and is considering himself to be the Rashtra Pita," said Uddhav.

He also attacked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis too is behaving as if he has created the state and is claiming credit for all good things that have happened," said the Sena chief.

Invoking the late Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray's connection with Thane, he said the city and Shiv Sena share a special bond which will not break at any time.

"We are confident that the citizens of Thane will elect Shiv Sena to power in the TMC this time as well," Uddhav said.

On breaking of alliance with BJP ahead of the civic polls, Uddhav said, "They (BJP) were asking for too much in this elections and wanted 114 seats of which 40 were of the sitting Sena corporators."

Taking a swipe at Fadnavis, Uddhav said, "It is unfortunate that the Chief Minister who is aiming to win the Mumbai city is comparing it with Patna. Is Mumbai so bad? If he compares he should compare it with London or any other foreign city.
These were being smuggled into India without payment of customs duty and in contravention of provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

Mumbai: In the first case of the year involving an insider in gold smuggling, an airlines ground staff was arrested for smuggling gold at the Mumbai airport. Goya Ahmad Siraj A, who landed in Mumbai aboard Saudi Arabia airlines SV 772, was carrying three gold bars weighing 2.1 kilogram worth Rs 64 lakhs.

Based on profiling, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers intercepted the Saudi Arabian national who had arrived from Jeddah. His personal search resulted in the recovery of two gold bars of one kilograms each and one gold bar of 100 gram. These gold bars are valued at Rs 63, 71,400. The passenger had concealed the gold bars in black coloured pouches kept in pockets of trouser worn by him. They were recovered and seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

Custom officials said that the passenger in his statement (recorded under the sec. 108 of the Customs Act, 1962) admitted to the knowledge, possession, carriage, concealment and recovery of the said gold bars.

These were being smuggled into India without payment of customs duty and in contravention of provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

The passenger who is employed in Saudi Arabian Airlines Ground Services, in his statement has further admitted that out of the above 2.1 kilograms of the seized gold bars, two kilograms of gold belongs to him and 100 gram belongs to his cousin Mr Fahid Ali, who too is a citizen of Saudi Arabia. Hence he was arrested, said an AIU official.

However, a Facebook post went viral on Friday stating that the two kg, 100 gram gold was recovered from the wife of an IPS officer, Mr Sada Date. However, the AIU denied the same.
2-year-old was discovered staying with woman in Kings Circle slum.

Mumbai: The Nirmal Nagar police has rescued a two-and-a-half-year-old girl, identified as Shifa Shaikh, who had been kidnapped from Bandra early last week. While the minor was found with a woman staying in a Kings Circle slum, the police say that the woman is not the kidnapper and arrests are yet to be made. The Nirmal Nagar police said that the woman who kidnapped the girl was recorded by a CCTV camera at Bandra station and does not match the description of the woman in whose the custody the girl was found.

The girls parents registered a complaint with the Nirmal Nagar police station on February 9, after they realised their daughter was missing. The girl had accompanied a relative who had to visit a neighbour. She called the minor to wait downstairs promising to return in five minutes. When the relative returned, she found no trace of the girl and started looking for her. She initially thought the girl had gone back home but panicked after realising she was not there, said a police source. The girl went missing in the afternoon of February 9 and the parents, after looking for her registered, a missing persons complaint the same evening.

Vasudeo Jamdade, senior police inspector, said the police started scanning through the recording of various CCTV cameras in the area and in one of them saw that Shifa was walking towards Bandra station accompanied by a woman in a pink burqa. We contacted the railway police and scanned cameras on western and harbour line platforms. In one of them, we found the woman boarding a harbour line train with the minor. After scanning footage on all harbour line platforms, we spotted them alighting at Kings Circle station, the source added.

The Nirmal Nagar police roped in 12 police constables headed by PSI Valmiki Kore who began searching all the slums in the area. We found the girl in the custody of a woman who alleged that she had no clue the minor was kidnapped. She said that the woman said that the girl had been left with her by a friend stating that she would come pick her up but never returned, said Mr Jamdade.
According to Vinay Nathan, an entrepreneur who owns a start-up in Pune.

Mumbai: Mumbai is known as the countrys financial capital, but Pune has outshined it in terms of financial dealing for fintech and foodtech start-ups. Mumbai saw a dip of 44 per cent in its funding deals for start-ups in 2016 compared to 2015 while Pune saw an increase in funding from `260 crore in 2015 to `360 in 2016, according to a report by VCCircle, a business information website.

The report further said that in the last five years, Fintech startups in the state have received funding worth $122 million from 64 deals, while foodtech start-ups have received $64.5 million from 47 deals. Mumbai and Pune continued to be epicentres of start-up funding in Maharashtra in 2016, accounting for 96 per cent of the total deals and 99 per cent of the deal value.

According to Vinay Nathan, an entrepreneur who owns a start-up in Pune, Pune has a long history of having start-ups compared to Mumbai. Also, when we compare Pune with Mumbai there are two things on which Mumbai has to improve. One is the operational cost and the property rates in Mumbai are way too high when compared to Pune. In terms of having people on board to work with you, Pune has a lot more talent than Mumbai and this due to the giant engineering background in Pune.

The report, further, added, Mumbai contributed $232 million worth of funding from 151 deals in 2016, a steep decline from $418 million worth of funding from 233 deals in 2015. Notably, Pune recorded an annual 69 per cent increase in deal volume at 59, and a jump of 35 per cent in funding value at $ 52.5 million. It was, in fact, one of the few start-up hubs in India to buck the funding slowdown last year.

For Pune start-up owner Vivek Mulay, Mumbai has never been an ideal option. The lifestyle in Pune is much more relaxed when compared to Mumbai. Look at the time taken for one person to reach from one end to another in Mumbai. However, in Pune one can easily travel in shorter time from one place to another.

Recently, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also said that Pune would be the countrys largest start-up hub after Bengaluru.
The problem in both the Tata story and the Infosys case is not the question of controversy.

A friend of mine, once a brilliant organisation theorist, told me three things threaten ethics in India. First, he said, is the word sustainability. He cynically claimed it is the last refuge of scoundrels, as nationalism was once. The word sustainability is seen so superficially, merely as an engineering exercise that the links to waste, consumption, the aspirations of the middle class are things which are wished away as an engineering problem. Technology becomes a substitute for ethics.

The second threat, my friend cited, is corporate social responsibility. CSR is read for charity but charity is not social responsibility. The firms act as if they are doing a favour, bestowing gifts on society. The method and the mentality is that of the aid model. Today, one needs an evaluation, a philosophical assessment of CSR, in terms of ecology and ethics not just in terms of money spent. An accounting is not a social audit.

My friend added that the third word is even more problematic. He said it operated under the label governance. Governance is a pompous way of referring to administrative or managerial issues. It is a World Bank term that Narendra Modi and N. Chandrababu Naidu exploited to create claim to a different style. The sad thing is that all three words have such power and yet they have been emptied out of their real meaning.

I was thinking of these observations given the recent stories in the press. The recent struggle in the Tatas where the chairman was overthrown had shades of a Byzantine battle. References were always made to Cyrus Mistrys style or to Ratan Tatas addiction to power, yet there were no clear or objective analysts. The media is too reverential to cast any doubts. Yet if one looks at it objectively it is time one reassesses the Tatas reputation from their innovations in social audit, to their style of institution building. Labels like the presence of a sustainability officer are there, but it does not tell us what substantial changes are being made. Tata remains a corporate legend that needs to be demystified. One is not making a request for an RTI but for a greater initiative in social scrutinies of such major firms. The Tata controversy is an absolute failure of storytelling, of a power battle reported as if it is an absurd game of musical chairs. Ethical reporting instead of embalming reputations must keep firms under critical scrutiny. It will help us break stereotypes in what is a changing corporate environment.

This problem becomes even more acute when a citizen confronts the recent controversies around Infosys. Infosys is another legendary firm, yet in ordinary folklore, if both Tatas and Infosys are having what is now being dubbed governance problems, something is wrong in the corporate world. The scandal, if one can call it, that is not of corruption though the severance pay given to ex-CFO Rajiv Bansal seems like a Christmas present, an inducement to good behaviour or even discreet silence. Rs 17 crores as severance pay does smell of tacit extortion.

I am sure as the current chairman R. Seshasayee says the decision was a bona fide one. He claimed that firms should not be distracted by what he terms noise but Mr Seshasayee as an information expert should remember that noise is unwelcome music. It is a sound that is destroying or disturbing the Infosys symphony. The problem in both the Tata story and the Infosys case is not the question of controversy. Controversies are bound to happen specially in moments of transition, as legendary founders give way (reluctantly) to the next generation. Both Sikka at Infosys and Mistry at Tatas had to shoulder the burden of the glorious past. The issue is, and it is a problem in governance  how does one frame such problems, what degree of openness and transparency marks them? There is a second set of issues. Firms which talk of corporate social responsibility, which claim the high ground of ethics, have to communicate in a different way to society. These are exemplary, even paradigmatic organisations. They form part of the legacy of modern India, exemplify the possibilities and challenges of institution-building.

Yet the presentation of information in public life is disappointing. One expects more from a N.R. Narayana Murthy, a Mohandas Pai or a R. Seshasayee. They have been critics of politics but as one confronts their own demand for standards, candidness, honesty and integrity, they seem to fall disappointingly short of their own pretensions and claims.

There is, however, a broader issue that I want to emphasise. Civil society of late has been quiet about corporate governance. At one level one almost senses that CSR was invented to mute NGO voluntarism. But given this, one must now confront in a new conversation where the three key words one began with  sustainability, CSR and governance  have to be reworked into the warp of the democratic imagination. The two controversies  Tata and Infosys  have to be seen as fables, lessons for the future. Such an approach is important because in debating with the best of corporate governance, one confronts new possibilities and the limits of the idea. On civil societys side one must ask how does one make these new words, these new glossaries of competence and concern work for the democratic imagination in new ways.

The new forms of audit, accountability and responsibility being developed by movements like the MKSS have to be applied to issues of corporate governance. One would suggest that the medium of panchayat hearings  the Jan Sunwai be extended to corporate meetings creating a new form of hybrid accountability to stakeholder and shareholder. The stakeholder in the wider ecological, economic and democratic sense does not figure in the corporate imagination.

Secondly, there should be an audit of innovations in an ethical, ecological sense. All these firms talk of innovation. One has to ask what are the shadow effects of innovation, in terms of deskilling, unemployment and obsolescence. Democracy needs both sides of the picture.

I admit I am not merely reading the text of the recent Infosys imbroglio. There is context and even a pretext for new social and institutional innovations. The Infosys and Tata controversies or even the now distant debates on biotechnology are consumed passively, even indifferently ignoring the possibilities for creating social innovation. Words like CSR, governance and sustainability have to link to new worlds and help create a more inventive democracy.
Sasikala was Jayalalithaas close confidante but that does not mean she can rule Tamil Nadu, says Ila Ganesan.

BJP Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh Ila Ganesan, who hails from Tamil Nadu, in an interview to J.V. Siva Prasanna Kumar minutes before the Tamil Nadu Assembly took up the crucial vote of confidence on Saturday. Excerpts:

As a veteran politician with decades of experience, how do you see the current political crisis in Tamil Nadu?

The mess in Tamil Nadu is worse than ever before! Of course, there was a calamity immediately after MGRs death, and we saw one person emerge powerful because of her oratory skills. But late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa was not only a superstar but also a dedicated member of the party unlike V.N. Janaki, MGRs widow. When Jayalalithaa became the chief minister there was solace in the fact that a dedicated party worker got the post instead of a family member. I was happy.

The process of transition of power was hampered in India ever since the Congress chose Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister though there were more capable persons than her like Morarji Desai, in the party. Her only qualification was that she was Jawaharlal Nehrus daughter. After she was assassinated, her son Rajiv Gandhi was made Prime Minister. Given their history, the Congress has no right to talk about whats happening in Tamil Nadu.

But then dynastic politics is not the monopoly of the Congress?

The Congress led the way. When Sonia Gandhi was chosen as president of the party no one questioned it except the BJP. Rahul Gandhi too is not qualified to be the leader of the party, for entirely different reasons though. In future, if there is a need to replace him the Congress will think of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as their leader and nobody else.

But in Tamil Nadu, the Congress pattern of dynastic legacy has not been followed. Jayalalithaa has made a mark in Tamil political history. A leader is considered to be good when even after his or her demise, the organisation is left in good shape and it can go on to become stronger and better. I squarely blame Jayalalithaa for the current crisis because she had not created any second-rung leaders. I dont think anybody in the party matches up to her stature.

Is your opposition to Sasikala the main reason why you are criticising the succession in AIADMK?

I support O. Panneerselvam, as a party leader as Jayalalithaa had chosen him. Also, he has proved himself to be a capable leader. The Jallikattu problem was resolved because of him and Prime Minister Narendra Modis intervention. Certain factions in the AIADMK could not tolerate Mr Panneerselvams rising popularity. The BJP has never chosen any leader because of his or her family background. No one could dream that Narendra Modi would become our PM. The BJP is proud of its legacy.

Why did the BJP refuse to support Sasikala or her appointee K. Palanisami?

The BJP did not take sides when the AIADMK selected its general secretary as it was the partys internal matter. But chief ministership concerns the whole state. Naturally, everyone has got a right to express an opinion including the BJP. Our contention has been that if Mr Panneerselvam has proven right then why Sasikala? We were expressing not our mann ki baat but janta ka baat. Sasikala was Jayalalithaas close confidante but that does not mean she can rule Tamil Nadu.

It was wrong on part of the Opposition to accuse the governor acting at the behest of the Centre, which had no role to play in the political drama. He was taking time to consult legal experts. Now he has been proven right. The state would have plunged into crisis again if governor C. Vidyasagar Rao had sworn in Sasikala as CM and then, within after a few days the CM is jailed! Now everyone appreciates the governor cautious attitude.

Do you think Mr Rao was right in inviting Mr Palanisami to be the chief minister after Sasikala was jailed?

Yes. I know Mr Rao for many years. He is an upright man. He followed the rules.

Another MLA Arun Kumar from Coimbatore North, escaped from the beach resort in Koovathur on Saturday morning and returned to his constituency. How do you see this confinement of MLAs at one place under the guise of consultation?

There are many birds in that cage. They will also fly out.

Do you think Mr Palanisami will win the trust vote today?

I have nothing to say about Mr Palanisami as I have never met him, but he is Sasikalas nominee. She had said she will be ruling the party and the government from her prison cell. Naturally, soon well have a remote-controlled government in Tamil Nadu, which is undesirable. The Sasikala faction is following the Congress tradition.

You dont want anyone from the Sasikala clan to rule Tamil Nadu?

People dont want it! But etiquette demands that we welcome whoever becomes the CM based on the floor test. We will oppose him only if people reject him.

Do you favour Presidents Rule in Tamil Nadu?

No. I want the rule of the elected party in the state. That is always good. Lets see.

Is it not the responsibility of the governor to first ascertain whether the AIADMK legislators have been confined before swearing in Mr Palanisami as CM?

The MLAs should prove their loyalty only on the floor of the Assembly, where the majority can be tested. No one can question the decision then. Thats exactly what the governor plans to do.

Mr Panneerselvam said that its unfortunate that Sasikala once rejected by Jayalalithaa is dominating the AIADMK. What are your thoughts?

Mr Panneerselvam was considered as the most loyal person to Jayalalithaa, not only by her but also by the people. When such a person claims that he was forced to resign and was humiliated, I believe him. Even I was surprised on how he became a villain all of a sudden!

Will Mr Panneerselvam succeed?

I can only pray to God to save Tamil Nadu. God knows better than me.

Your party MP Subramanian Swamys support to Sasikala and Mr Palanisami has embarrassed the BJP state unit, putting them at pains to explain their stand.

He is a nominated MP. Whenever I meet him, I embrace him, but he embarrasses me.
Trump had infuriated Beijing by calling into question Washington's long-standing One China policy.

Wang and Tillerson met on Friday at a G20 gathering of foreign ministers, the highest-level Sino-US encounter since President Donald Trump was elected. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)

Beijing: Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China told his US counterpart Rex Tillerson that Beijing was ready to work with the Trump administration, according to a Chinese account of their meeting in Bonn.

Wang and Tillerson met on Friday at a G20 gathering of foreign ministers, the highest-level Sino-US encounter since President Donald Trump was elected.

Trump had infuriated Beijing by calling into question Washington's long-standing "One China" policy, but later reaffirmed it in a conciliatory phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping last week.

Wang told Tillerson this consensus on the issue "created the necessary pre-conditions for the two nations to engage in strategic cooperation on bilateral, regional, and global issues," said a Chinese foreign ministry statement issued late Friday.

"Wang said that China and the United States, both shouldering the responsibilities of securing world stability and enhancing global prosperity, had more common interests than disputes," the statement went on.

"China is ready to work with the US side to implement the consensus reached between President Xi and President Trump, and move the bilateral relationship forward in the direction that features no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation."

Wang added that the two sides should increase communication and cooperation "to ensure greater development of bilateral relations during Trump's presidency."

The "One China" policy is an acknowledgement that Taiwan is not separate from mainland China.

Trump's telephone call with Taiwan's president after his November election victory infuriated Beijing, which saw it as a repudiation of the "One China" policy.

Wang's attendance at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting seemed in doubt in the fallout, but after Trump's call with Xi, it was announced that the trip would go ahead.

Taiwan has been ruled separately since Mao Zedong's communists ousted China's Nationalists who fled to the island in 1949.

On the campaign trail, Trump regularly attacked China for stealing American jobs and running a massive, unfair trade surplus that he vowed to reverse.

The US State Department said the two ministers discussed the need for a "level playing field for trade and investment."

It said Tillerson also told Wang that Beijing must rein in North Korea after its series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
Police said Aisyah and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

Jakarta: The Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the killing of the North Korean leaders half brother in Malaysia was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank, Indonesias national police chief said Friday, citing information received from Malaysian authorities.

Tito Karnavian told reporters in Indonesias Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in Just For Laughs style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show.

He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer, Karnavian said.

She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents, he said.

Karnavians comments come after a male relative of Aisyah said in an Indonesian television interview that she had been hired to perform in a short comedy movie and traveled to China as part of this work. Indonesian Immigration has said Aisyah traveled to Malaysia and other countries, which it did not specify.

South Korea has been quick to accuse its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

Although Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau, police in Malaysia say none has come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples in the aftermath of what appeared to be an assassination.

North Korean diplomats in Malaysia have requested custody of Kim Jong Nams body, arguing that he had a North Korean passport. The officials objected to an autopsy, but Malaysian authorities went ahead with the procedure anyway because they did not receive a formal complaint.

Investigators were still trying to piece together details of the case, and South Korea has not said how it concluded that North Korea was behind the killing.

Malaysian police were questioning three suspects, Aisyah, another women who carried a Vietnamese passport, and a man they said is Aisyahs boyfriend and waiting for autopsy results that could shed light on why Kim Jong Nam suddenly fell ill at the airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau.

Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical. Within two hours, Malaysian officials said, he was dead.

Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46, had lived in exile for years and was estranged from his younger half brother, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Yoji Gomi, a Japanese journalist who wrote a book about Kim Jong Nam, said he criticized the family regime and believed a leader should be chosen through a democratic process.

Gomi said he met Kim Jong Nam by chance at Beijings international airport in 2004, leading to exchanges of 150 emails and two interviews in 2011, one in Beijing and another in Macau totaling seven hours.

Kim Jong Nam appeared nervous during the interview in Macau, Gomi said.

He must have been aware of the danger, but I believe he still wanted to convey his views to Pyongyang via the media, Gomi said. He was sweating all over his body, and seemed very uncomfortable when he responded to my questions. He was probably worried about the impact of his comments and expressions. The thought now gives me a pain in my heart.

In Indonesia, Aisyahs family and former neighbors said they were stunned by her arrest, describing her as a polite and quiet young mother.

Between 2008 and 2011 she and her then-husband lived in a home with flaking red paint in a narrow alley of Tambora, a densely populated neighborhood in western Jakarta.

Her former father-in-law, Tjia Liang Kiong, who lives in a nearby middle-class neighbourhood and last saw Aisyah on Jan. 28, described her as respectful.

I was shocked to hear that she was arrested for murdering someone, he said. I dont believe that she would commit such a crime or what the media says that she is an intelligence agent.

Aisyahs mother, Benah, said by telephone that the family comes from a humble village background and has no ability to help her.

Since we heard that from the television, I could not sleep and eat. Same as her father, he just prays and reads the holy Quran. He even does not want to speak, said Benah. As villagers, we could only pray.

According to Kiong, Aisyah only completed junior high school and moved to Malaysia with her husband in 2011 to seek a better life after the garment-making shop they ran from their home went out of business. The couple left their nearly 2-year-old son in Jakarta under the care of Kiong and his wife. She and her husband divorced in 2012.

Malaysia, which is approaching developed-nation income levels, is a magnet for millions of Indonesians, who typically find work there as bar hostesses, maids and construction and plantation workers.

Malaysia said Friday it wants DNA samples from Kim Jong Nams family as part of the post-mortem procedure and that officials were not yet willing to hand the body over to the North Koreans.

If there is no claim by next-of-kin and upon exhausting all avenues (to obtain DNA), we will finally then hand over the body to the (North Korean) embassy, said Abdul Samah Mat, a senior Malaysian police official.

He would not speculate on how long that process might take. The three suspects were arrested separately on Wednesday and Thursday.

The women were identified using surveillance videos from the airport, police said. Early Friday, police took the pair back to the crime scene at the budget terminal of the airport for further investigations, Abdul Samah said. Local media reported that police wanted to recreate the crime scene to establish new leads.
MONROE  Jerry Gleeson has deep roots on his land.

We live on a farm that was homesteaded in 1872 by Gleesons, he said. And I would like to see it going for many more generations.

The farm may be owned by the same family, but a lot has changed since Gleeson was growing up in the 1950s and '60s. The 68-year-old recipient of the Outstanding Senior Farmer award from the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce said his parents raised a little bit of everything  cattle, hogs, chickens and ducks.

It was a totally different time, said Gleeson, who will be honored March 14 during the Rural Recognition Banquet at Platte County Agricultural Park.

As his parents were slowing down and getting ready to retire, Gleeson was preparing to make some changes.

I was working in town and buying equipment up and doing improvements, he said. I basically changed it to grain farming.

His parents farmed 500 acres. When he took over the farm in the '70s, he started buying and renting more land to better utilize his modern equipment. Gleeson soon doubled the acreage and continued to grow the operation from there. Today, along with two of his sons, he farms around 4,000 acres.

Gleeson and his wife Karen have four children. His oldest, Mike, manages a Walgreens in Lincoln. Mike and his wife Lisa have a son, Adam, who will graduate from University of Nebraska-Lincoln in May. His daughter, Jennifer Schuerman, is a registered nurse in Arizona. She and her husband Todd have a son in kindergarten, Carter.

His second and youngest sons, Tim and Steve, split the land three ways with Gleeson.

They have their own fields and I have mine, he said. We treat them all the same as though theyre our own fields. Everythings treated the same.

One of the perks of having his family around is he gets to see his grandchildren regularly, especially when theyre younger and not in school.

Theyre with us all the time. Were doing shop work during the winter, Gleeson said. Theyre grandpas little helpers.

And hes happy to know the land hes spent his life cultivating will be passed on to his sons.

(Karen) and Is dream is to pass this along to our boys and their generation, and for them to pass it on to the next generation, he said.

Gleeson takes a great deal of pride in what he does.

All the farmers are feeding the nation and the whole world, he said. That means a lot to me, doing our part with feeding the nation.

Not that its always been easy.

Every day youre working with Mother Nature, he said. Youve just got to be kind of tough to adversity because farming isnt a check every week. Its a check every year  hopefully.

There was one year in particular that stood out in his mind.

In 1996 we were totally hailed out, he said. Our whole check was gone in 45 minutes. Youve still got to come up with paying your creditors and manage to come up with the money to farm the next year.

And he doesnt envy young people who want to get into the business today.

The technology is rapidly changing, he said. By the time you get the item in your tractor its already outdated.

Gleeson appreciates the chamber award, but said he shouldnt get all the credit.

It should be (Karen) and I because shes done half the work, too, he said. Shes half of this equation.
North Koreas ambassador said Malaysian officials may be trying to conceal something and colluding with hostile forces.

Kuala Lumpur: North Korea said it will reject the results of an autopsy on its leader's estranged half brother, the victim of an apparent assassination this week at an airport in Malaysia. Pyongyang's ambassador said Malaysian officials may be "trying to conceal something" and "colluding with hostile forces."

Indonesia's police chief, meanwhile, said an Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the death of Kim Jong Nam was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank.

Speaking to reporters gathered outside the morgue in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the autopsy on Kim Jong Nam "unilaterally and excluding our attendance."

Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46 and had lived in exile for years, suddenly fell ill at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau. Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical. He died while being taken to a hospital.

"We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem," Kang said, adding that the move disregarded "elementary international laws and consular laws."

Kang said the fact that Malaysia has yet to hand over the body "strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us."

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

North Korean diplomats in Malaysia objected to an autopsy and had requested custody of Kim Jong Nam's body, arguing that he had a North Korean passport. Malaysian authorities went ahead with the procedure anyway, saying they did not receive a formal complaint.

The autopsy could provide some clarity in a case marked by speculation, tales of intrigue and explosive, unconfirmed reports from dueling nations. Authorities were still awaiting the autopsy results.

Malaysia said Friday it wants DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam's family as part of the postmortem procedure and that officials were not yet willing to hand the body over to the North Koreans. Although Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau, police in Malaysia say none has come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples.

"If there is no claim by next-of-kin and upon exhausting all avenues (to obtain DNA), we will finally then hand over the body to the (North Korean) embassy," said Abdul Samah Mat, a senior Malaysian police official. He would not say how long that process might take.

Malaysian police have arrested three people in the investigation but have released few details.

Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian, citing information received from Malaysian authorities, told reporters in Indonesia's Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in "Just For Laughs" style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show. He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

"Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer," Karnavian said. "She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents."

Karnavian's comments come after a male relative of Aisyah said in an Indonesian television interview that she had been hired to perform in a short comedy movie and traveled to China as part of this work. Indonesian Immigration has said Aisyah traveled to Malaysia and other countries it did not specify.

Investigators were still trying to piece together details of the case, and South Korea has not said how it concluded that North Korea was behind the killing.

Malaysian police were questioning three suspects - Aisyah, another woman who carried a Vietnamese passport, and a man they said is Aisyah's boyfriend.

Kim Jong Nam was estranged from his younger half brother, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Yoji Gomi, a Japanese journalist who wrote a book about Kim Jong Nam, said he criticized the family regime and believed a leader should be chosen "through a democratic process."

Gomi said he met Kim Jong Nam by chance at Beijing's international airport in 2004, leading to exchanges of 150 emails and two interviews in 2011, one in Beijing and another in Macau, totaling seven hours. Kim Jong Nam appeared nervous during the interview in Macau, Gomi said.

"He must have been aware of the danger, but I believe he still wanted to convey his views to Pyongyang via the media," Gomi said. "He was sweating all over his body, and seemed very uncomfortable when he responded to my questions. He was probably worried about the impact of his comments and expressions. The thought now gives me a pain in my heart."
Hussein said the local Islamic State commanders, gave him and others a green light to rape as many Yazidi and other women as they wanted.

Witnesses and Iraqi officials say Islamic State fighters raped many Yazidi women after the group rampaged through northern Iraq in 2014. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP)

Sulaiyamaniya, Iraq: Islamic State militant Amar Hussein says he reads the Koran all day in his tiny jail cell to become a better person. He also says he raped more than 200 women from Iraqi minorities, and shows few regrets.

Kurdish intelligence authorities gave Reuters rare access to Hussein and another Islamic State militant who were both captured during an assault on the city of Kirkuk in October that killed 99 civilians and members of the security forces. Sixty-three Islamic State militants died.

Hussein said his emirs, or local Islamic State commanders, gave him and others a green light to rape as many Yazidi and other women as they wanted.

Young men need this, Hussein told Reuters in an interview after a Kurdish counter-terrorism agent removed a black hood from his head. This is normal.

Hussein said he moved from house to house in several Iraqi cities raping women from the Yazidi sect and other minorities at a time when Islamic State was grabbing more and more territory from Iraqi security forces.

Kurdish security officials say they have evidence of Hussein raping and killing but they don't know what the scale is.

Reuters could not independently verify Hussein's account.

Witnesses and Iraqi officials say Islamic State fighters raped many Yazidi women after the group rampaged through northern Iraq in 2014. It also abducted many Yazidi women as sex slaves and killed some of their male relatives, they said.

Human rights groups have chronicled widespread abuses by Islamic State against the Yazidis. Hussein said he also killed about 500 people since joining Islamic State in 2013.

"We shot whoever we needed to shoot and beheaded whoever we needed to beheaded," said Hussein.

He recalled how emirs trained him to kill, which was difficult at first when one person was brought for a practice kill. It became easier day by day.

"Seven, eight, ten at a time. Thirty or 40 people. We would take them in desert and kill them," said Hussein, an imposing, well-built figure, who was wearing metal handcuffs.

Eventually, he became highly efficient, never hesitating to kill.

"I would sit them down, put a blindfold on them and fire a bullet into their heads," he said. "It was normal."

Trouble

Counter-terrorism agents said Hussein was trouble when he first arrived. "He was so strong he snapped the plastic handcuffs off his wrists," said one.

Hussein sees himself as a victim of hardship, a product of a broken home and poverty in his hometown of Mosul, where Iraqi forces have launched an offensive against Islamic State to dislodge them from their last stronghold in Iraq.

"I had no money. No one to say 'This is wrong, this is right.' No jobs. I had friends but no one to give me advice," said Hussein, who has been held in the cell with a barred window since his capture in October.

Religious slogans are scratched on its cement walls by previous jihadist prisoners. His only possessions are a thick blanket and a Koran. On the floor is a polystyrene plate with broth and some rice.

Thick, metal handcuffs hang on a nearby wall.

Hussein, now 21, began his career as an Islamic militant began when he was just 14, he said. He was drawn to jihad by his local mosque preacher, then he joined al Qaeda and now awaits legal proceedings as a member of Islamic State, the successor of al Qaeda's Iraq branch.

Counter-terrorism agents described a second prisoner, Ghaffar Abdel Rahman, as less forthcoming, and said he had revealed little during questioning about his experiences as a checkpoint and logistics man for Islamic State.

Abdel Rahman, 31, with long hair and beard and a blank stare, gave little away in a separate interview with Reuters.

He admitted to opening fire on security forces in the raid on Kirkuk but says he never killed anyone. He said he and his brother joined Islamic State because otherwise, as state employees, they would have been killed by the group.

His Kurdish captors did not comment on his story, but Iraqi authorities are generally sceptical of fighters who say they had no choice.

Abdel Rahman's only hint of anger came when he was asked his view of Shi'ite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and he suggested Iraq would always be plagued by instability because many sects live in the country.

"He (Abadi) does not provide people with justice," said Abdel Rahman.
The names of Saeed and 37 other JuD leaders had earlier also been placed on the Exit Control List, barring them from leaving the country.

Islamabad: Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has been listed under Pakistan's anti-terrorism act by the provincial Punjab government, a tacit acknowledgement of his links to militancy.

Dawn News reported that the Punjab government has included names of Saeed and one of his close aides, Qazi Kashif, in the fourth schedule of the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA).

Three other men were also added to the list, Abdullah Obaid from Faisalabad, and Zafar Iqbal and Abdur Rehman Abid from the Markaz-i-Taiba, Muridke.

Saeed and the four men added to the fourth schedule of the ATA were also placed under house arrest on January 30 in Lahore amid an angry uproar from his party and political allies.

The five men were identified by the Interior Ministry as "active members of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniyat (FIF)," the report said.

The ministry directed the Counter Terrorism Department to "move and take necessary action" against them.

The names of Saeed and 37 other JuD and FIF leaders had earlier also been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), barring them from leaving the country.

The Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 empowers the government to mark a person as "proscribed" and to place that person on the fourth schedule on an ex-parte basis.

The mere listing of a person in the fourth schedule of the ATA shows that he is linked with militancy in some way, the report said.

Those listed face a barrage of legal consequences like travel bans and scrutiny of assets etc.

Any violation of provision of the fourth schedule may result in imprisonment of up to three years and fine or both.

The action against Saeed was taken after the country was hit by at least eight terror attacks which killed more than100 people.

"Detention of Saeed shows that army supported the step by the civilian government, and it was viewed by many as a sign of changing security priorities," the daily said.

Saeed was also put under house arrest after Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 but he was freed by court in 2009. Saeed also carries a reward of USD 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities.
The bill is widely acceptable to Hindus living in Pak because it relates to marriage, registration of marriage, separation and remarriage.

The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017, which is the first elaborate Hindu community's personal law, was adopted by the Senate on Friday. (Photo: Representational Image)

Islamabad: The much-awaited landmark bill to regulate marriages of minority Hindus in Pakistan is set to become a law with the Senate unanimously passing it.

The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017, which is the first elaborate Hindu community's personal law, was adopted by the Senate on Friday.

The bill had already been approved by the lower house or the National Assembly on September 26, 2015, and it now just needs signature of the President, a mere formality, to become a law.

Dawn News reported that the bill is widely acceptable to Hindus living in Pakistan because it relates to marriage, registration of marriage, separation and remarriage, with the minimum age of marriage set at 18 years for both boys and girls. The bill will help Hindu women get documentary proof of their marriage.

It will be the first personal law for Pakistani Hindus, applicable in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. The Sindh province has already formulated its own Hindu Marriage Law.

The bill presented in the Senate by Law Minister Zahid Hamid faced no opposition or objection. It was mainly due to the sympathetic views expressed by the lawmakers of all political parties in the relevant standing committees.

The bill was approved by the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on January 2 with an overwhelming majority. However, Senator Mufti Abdul Sattar of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl had opposed the bill, claiming that the

Constitution was vast enough to cater to such needs.

While approving the bill, committee chairperson Senator Nasreen Jalil of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had announced, "This was unfair not only against the principles of Islam but also a human rights violation that we have not been able to formulate a personal family law for the Hindus of Pakistan."

Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a leading Hindu lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, had been working relentlessly for three years to have a Hindu marriage law in the country.

"Such laws will help discourage forced conversions and streamline the Hindu community after the marriage of individuals," he said, expressing gratitude to the parliamentarians.

Vankwani also said it was difficult for married Hindu women to prove that they were married, which was one of the key tools for miscreants involved in forced conversion.

The law paves the way for a document 'Shadi Parath', similar to the 'Nikahnama' for Muslims to be signed by a pundit and registered with the relevant government department.
The bombing at the famed Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in southern Sindh province killed more than 80 worshippers.

With pressure growing for action, Pakistan demanded that neighbouring Afghanistan hand over 76 terrorists it said were sheltering over the border. (Photo: AP)

Sehwan Sharif: Pakistani security forces killed dozens of suspected militants on Friday, a day after Islamic State claimed a suicide bombing that killed more than 80 worshippers at a Sufi shrine, the biggest in a spate of attacks this week across the country.

The bombing at the famed Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in southern Sindh province was Pakistan's deadliest attack for two years, killing at least 83 people and highlighting the threat of militant groups such as the Pakistani Taliban and Islamic State. The security response was swift.

"Over 100 terrorists have been killed since last night and sizeable apprehensions also made," the military said in an operations update on Friday evening.

"Terrorists will be targeted ruthlessly, indiscriminately, anywhere and everywhere. No let up," an armed forces spokesman added in a tweet.

With authorities facing angry criticism for failing to tighten security before the shrine bomber struck, analysts warned that the wave of violence pointed to a major escalation in Islamist militants' attempts to destabilise the region.

"This is a virtual declaration of war against the state of Pakistan," said Imtiaz Gul, head of the independent Centre for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad.

With pressure growing for action, Pakistan demanded that neighbouring Afghanistan hand over 76 "terrorists" it said were sheltering over the border.

The bombings over five days have hit all four of Pakistan's provinces and two major cities, shaking a nascent sense that the worst of the country's militant violence may be in the past.

A series of military operations against insurgent groups operating in Pakistan had encouraged hopes that their leaders were scattered.

"But this has led to a degree of complacency within our civil-military leadership that perhaps they have completely destroyed these elements, or broken their back," Gul said.

If so, that impression has been shattered in recent days.

Blood and tears

At Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, the white marble floor was still stained with blood on Friday, and a pile of shoes and slippers was heaped in the courtyard, many of them belonging to the dead.

Outside, protesters shouted slogans at police, who they said had failed to protect the shrine.

"I wish I could have been here and died in the blast last night," a devastated Ali Hussain told Reuters, sitting on the floor of the shrine.

He said that local Sufis had asked for more security after a separate bombing this week killed 13 people in the eastern city of Lahore, but said: "No one bothered to secure this place."

Anwer Ali, 25, rushed to the shrine after he heard the explosion, and described seeing dead bodies and chaos as people fled the scene.

"There were threats to the shrine. The Taliban had warned that they will attack here, but authorities didn't take it seriously," Ali said.

Sindh police chief A.D. Khawaja said on Friday that the death toll had reached 83 people with scores more wounded.

The attacks have once again raised questions over the influence of Islamic State in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 190 million people that has tense relations with its neighbours India and Afghanistan.

In the past two years, Islamic State has worked to build its "Khorasan province" encompassing Afghanistan and Pakistan, often helped by local radicals.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's foreign policy adviser Sartaj Aziz blamed Jamaat-ur-Ahrar (JuA), a Pakistani Taliban faction that has been linked to Islamic State, for the attack.

Most of the other recent attacks have been claimed by factions of the Pakistani Taliban, which is waging its own fight against the government but whose ranks have also cooperated with and sometimes defected to Islamic State.

That has led some observers to question whether the growing prominence of Islamic State actually represents a new threat - since its fighters were already operating under different names to attack government, army and minority faith targets, among others.

However, the increasing number of attacks claimed by Islamic State has raised pressure on authorities to show they are capable of containing the renewed violence.

Islamic State also said it was behind another shrine attack, in southwestern Baluchistan province, that killed at least 52 people last November. In October, it said it carried out an assault on a police training college, killing 59.

The shrine attack has heightened tensions with Afghanistan, after Pakistani officials said some militant leaders took shelter over the border. The accusation echoes similar criticism from Kabul aimed at Islamabad.

In a telephone call with Afghanistan's national security adviser, Aziz expressed concern that JuA was operating from Afghanistan and that Kabul had failed to act against them, according to a statement from his office.

On Friday, border crossings were closed and Afghan diplomats were summoned to military headquarters in Islamabad and given a list of 76 "most-wanted terrorists" that Pakistan demanded be captured and handed over, the army said.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday condemned the shrine attack on Twitter, calling Islamic State "a common enemy of Afghanistan & Pakistan".
by Baoluo Jiaoyou ()

Criticism of Card. Tongs proposal to allow the Chinese government the function to appoint bishops in some way. In the proposed agreement between China and the Holy See, the latter would only have a veto power - not conclusive - on the proposed candidates.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - "The right to appoint bishops ... may never come from outside of the Church" is the fundamental position of a Catholic in China commenting on the article by Card. John Tong of Hong Kong on "The future of Sino-Vatican dialogue from the ecclesiological point of view". "The faithful who signs with the name Paul, criticizes Card. Tong who in his article leaves much room to the authority of the state with regard to episcopal appointments. At the moment it is still unclear what Beijings power in appointments would be. In his article Card. Tong deduces that the State (the Patriotic Association, the Councils of Bishops) propose the names and the Holy See appoints one of the proposed candidates. Chinese voices close to the group involved in dialogue, state that the pope would only have a veto power on candidates, and it would not be decisive.

A Catholic online website has published Cardinal Tongs an article which focuses on a discussion of ideas and understanding of Sino-Vatican relations. Some parts of the contents appear reasonable at first glance, and you may agree with him. But a careful reading reveals many weaknesses and mistakes. First of all, Cardinal Tong does not adhere to the bottom line of principles which are about the right of appointment of bishops and he does not basically recognize serious errors on the right of appointment of bishops. (Basically, he states there is no serious legal problem in this  This is one of the most important flaws and errors).

From the fundamental principle, the right to appoint bishops never comes from outside the Church. The right must be entirely left to the proper authority within the Church. Jesus Christ grants apostles the authority to administrate the Church, which means that the apostles must follow the teachings of Jesus Christ in the exercise of this right. For example, it is illegitimacy in violation of God's will if the authorities of the Church devolve a part of this divine right to no believers. The crucial point of the right to appoint bishops is that this power itself is derived from Christ's revelation.

Jesus Christ established the Church with divine will of God, the Church is not a secular religion made by man's will. The divine right that Christ granted the apostles is originally a complete Power. Furthermore, God does not need and does not allow man to add something to His divine right. Not even His people cannot words of their own to the Bible.

It is blasphemy and a violation of Gods will to apply legal principles to the divine power of God.

Therefore, the divine authority of the Church cannot allow anyone to take the place of His will and challenge God's authority to offend God. If someone were to apply legal principles to the divine power of God, would this not be a grave error?
According to head of NIOC a dozen new fields with a total reserve of 30 billion barrels has been found. 128 thousand billion cubic meters of natural gas discovered. Oil Minister: daily exports of 2.8 million barrels, equivalent to pre-sanctions period.

Teheran (AsiaNews)  Newly discovered oil wells and gas fields may give a fresh impetus to the economy of Iran, which is registering a timid recovery after years of crisis, thanks to the partial cancellation of sanctions in the wake of the nuclear deal. The energy sector has a strategic importance for the Islamic Republic, thanks to the recent trade agreements (worth billions of dollars) concluded with Chinese and Russian industry giants.

According to reports Seyyed Saleh Hendi, head of the exploration of the Iranian State Oil Company (NIOC), a dozen new fields with a total reserve of 30 billion barrels have been identified. Of these, at least 4.7 billion barrels are easily extractable.

The new fields  which emerged in recent years of studies and research - are not limited to oil but also relate to natural gas: for senior Iranian officials there would be up to 128 thousand billion cubic meters of newly discovered gas. "In the future you will not find big deposits like Yadavaran and Azadegan - added Hendi - but we'll have to get used to discovering smaller fields but which are still able to generate income.

With 157 billion barrels, the Islamic Republic is the third country in the world for oil reserves and the most important with regard to natural gas. If united, Iran would become home to the world's most important reserves in the hydrocarbon sector. Daily production is around four million barrels per day, of which 1.5 used for internal use.

Meanwhile, Iran's Oil Ministry announced that for next year [following the local calendar, which runs from March 21, 2017 to 20 March 2018] exports of oil and gas will touch 50 billion US dollars. A figure calculated on the basis of an average daily price of crude oil at 55 dollars a barrel.

In a statement the Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh says that the daily exports (oil and gas) is around 2.8 million barrels; a volume, he added, equivalent to the period before Western sanctions. Later this year (according to the Iranian calendar) the goal is to produce 40 billion as a total figure of revenues from exports. "We used to sell crude oil to four or five countries - the Minister added - and now our market has expanded and the number has increased significantly."

Iran in recent months has opened to foreign investors, who were able to participate in the first auction involving the newly discovered deposits. The auction took place on February 15th.
by Mathias Hariyadi

She won in Singkawan (West Kalimantan) defeating three competitors. She follows Confucianism. The city is majority Chinese, where everyone speaks the Hakka language.

Singkawang (AsiaNews) - Although there is still no final data from local elections, it is certain that the city of Singkawan will have a record: for the first time in Indonesia's history there will be a woman mayor and of Chinese descent, Ms. Thjai Chui Mie.

During the February 15 regional elections February 15, Mie beat three other competitors. To her credit she has a respectable career in politics, having won a seat in the Regional Assembly and been President of the regional parliament for two parliamentary mandates. Ms. Mie follows Confucianism (I Kong Cu).

In general the minority in Indonesia, citizens of Chinese origin count for around 1.2%. Singkawan is the second most important economic center in West Kalimanta and as the provincial capital, Pontianak, has a Chinese majority of 70% among the residents, so much so it has been named the "Chinese City".

Usually in Java and in big cities, the Chinese occupy important posts in the commercial sector or in other strategic segments of the economy. But Singkawan also finds Chinese working as cheap laborers, taxi drivers and farmers. The local language is the Hakka or Tiochew, even though everyone knows the national language, Bahasa Indonesia.

Singkawan is famous also because 15 days after the Chinese New Year it holds the festival of the "Cap Go Meh".
So far, suspects included an Indonesian, her Malaysian boyfriend, and a Vietnamese. Silence in Pyongyang. But the North Korean ambassador in Kuala Lumpur demands that the autopsy be carried out in the presence of his representatives. Hypothesis for murder: He did not obey his brothers order to return home. Kim Jong-nam was seeking asylum in a foreign country.

Seoul (AsiaNews) - Police in Malaysia have arrested a North Korean in relation to the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the brother of the Pyongyangs leader. Ri Jong Chol, 46, who has to has made frequent trips to Malaysia. Ri was one of four men who helped two women to murder - with some species of poison - Kim Jong-uns half-brother.

Police in Malaysia have also confirmed that the dead man is just Kim Jong-nam, although the passport he was traveling on bore the name Kim Chol. The results of the autopsy and the cause of death have not yet been made public.

So far, two women and a man had been arrested in connection with his violent death. One is an Indonesian woman, Siti Aisyah, who said she was paid to carry out a practical joke. The man, a Malaysian, was the Siti Aisyahs boyfriend. The other woman has Vietnamese passport with the name Doan Thi Huong. The North Korean was arrested last night near Selangor, near the capital Kuala Lumpur.

South Koreas secret services believe that kill Kim Jong-nam was ordered by his half-brother, who wanted to eliminate any possible threat to his rule, although Kim Jong-nam has never expressed a desire to take power. Pyongyang has so far not commented or given any news of the death of Kim Jong-nam, but is demanding his body be delivered to the North Korean authorities. Kang Chol, North Koreas ambassador in Kuala Lumpur, said that his country will not accept any outcome of the autopsy on the body without the presence of its representatives. He also warned Malaysia not to cooperate with "hostile forces" that are targeting North Korea.

Experts in South Korea speculate that Kim was killed because he was looking for asylum in some other country, after North Korea had cut off his all funds.

Koh Yu-hwan, a professor at Dongguk University says that "the assassination may have been carried out to prevent an attempt to seek asylum".

A fugitive of North Korea, who previously held a high-ranking position, instead maintains that Kim was killed because he refused to obey his brothers order to return to Pyongyang.
by Shafique Khokhar

The suicide attack in Sindh killed more than 80 people gathered in prayer. The National Action Plan against Terrorism was approved, but lacks the political will to put it into practice. "We must eliminate the Islamic religious element in the Constitution".

Karachi (AsiaNews) - The government in Islamabad has launched a manhunt across the country looking for affiliates to Islamic terrorism. Blanket checks were carried out in major cities as a response to the bloody attack carried out two days ago by a militant of the Islamic state on a Sufi temple in Sindh, which killed more than 80 people gathered in prayer. The police report that they have found and killed more than 100 terrorists, while the authorities are putting pressure on the government in Kabul to deliver 76 others affiliated with extremist groups hiding in Afghanistan.

Speaking to AsiaNews activists, intellectuals and educators say they are concerned about the climate of renewed violence that is sowing fear and fear throughout society. Samson Salamat, chairman of Rwadari Tehreek (Movement for tolerance), says: "Pakistan is shocked by this new wave of extremism and terrorism that has affected all provinces." He states: "The federal government and provincial ones, as well as anti-terrorism agencies, are responsible. For years we have asked for policies and strategies to deal with violent terrorism, but in reply we only had a few initiatives that do not go to the heart of the problem. Despite a national action plan that has been approved to fight terrorism, it has never been fully put into practice with commitment from all parties concerned".

The result of this inaction, he continues, "is that we are witnessing continuous violence and are helpless against the illegal groups that hold events, meetings and collect money in public." Whats worse, he points out, "is that even some people in government show a weak attitude towards the terrorists or even allow their public demonstrations. This is unacceptable. Government and state officials must propose clear policies. The political agendas primary goal must be zero tolerance towards all forms of extremism. The nation needs to break the silence and put pressure on the government. "

According to the educator Ishtiaq Ahmed, "all decent people should condemn attacks that target the innocent. Do we want a society in which no one is safe and fanatics with guns can go around wreaking havoc among our people? The so-called holy war from Afghanistan again threatens our lives.

The writer Ajmal Shabir adds: "Our hearts are broken. The attack on the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar temple shows that the poor and vulnerable can be a target at any time. On the contrary, the chief minister and all politicians are safe.

Adnan Rehmat, a popular columnist, believes that the time has come to "eliminate the religious element [Islamic] from the Constitution and establish once and for all that the task of the state is to ensure the welfare of citizens and not to use them for its delusions of grandeur in wanting to emerge as the leader of the Ummah [Islamic community] on the basis of religious and confessional identity. Otherwise the state would align what they want and glorify the terrorists. " "Poor people - he concludes - are tired of being murdered for these grandiose religious experiments."




1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.
AskMen's Ultimate Guide to Manscaping

The Dos and Don'ts of Manscaping Every Guy Needs to Know

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

All illustrations by Sarah Bean. Product photos from retailer site.

Manscaping. The term itself can be a bit off-putting  its vague, mysterious and downright intimidating if you dont know what it implies or how to do it correctly. But its actually a false alarm; manscaping is just the guy way of saying body grooming. It means smelling good, keeping your parts in order and making a good impression on others in addition to feeling good about yourself. (Yes, manscaping can have a positive effect on your confidence levels.)

Are you going to feel better about yourself going on a blind date knowing that youre ready for an intimate evening just in case? Its simple logic: Manscaping isnt something to be afraid of, but rather embraced. Especially if you expect your partner(s) to maintain a certain appearance or beauty standard, you owe it to them to return the favor. And trust us, youll feel more relaxed heading into any close encounter knowing that youre in your best form.

RELATED: What Women Think About Pubic Hair

Manscaping isnt about excessive grooming either  its not a given that women appreciate a guy whos obviously spent hours in front of the bathroom mirror any more than a man who neglects the area completely. You dont need to buy a bunch of useless products and you dont need to be someone youre not. Its simply about polishing up your natural assets and showing pride in the person you want to present to others.

What Is Manscaping?

First, lets start with an official definition. Google states that manscaping is the removal or trimming of hair on a man's body for cosmetic effect.

Although simplified, hair control is the essential component of manscaping, although the definition could be expanded to include other grooming tasks. In any case, however, the real question you should be asking is: How to manscape? Well, to understand the male grooming practice is to examine its full range, which could involve outlining one specific region of the body, or its entirety.

Best Manscaping Trimmers, Tips, and Tools

Wax. Razor. Trimmer. Scissors. Choose your weapon. Each one complements another and works best on specific body parts. Trimmers mow down hair most efficiently, while razors come into play once hair is cut short or to stubble length, giving the blades enough room for a sleek shave. Keep these grooming instruments on your radar.

Equinox Professional Razor Edge Series Hair Cutting Scissors

The most basic of trimming tools, these grooming scissors arent only for the hair on your head. Take these professional level scissors to your pubes with confidence thanks to high quality Japanese stainless steel and a comfortable, ergonomic design. Start by trimming your pubes and get comfortable with those before you go below to your balls.

$19.97 at Amazon.com

Philips Norelco Body Groomer

A 3D pivoting shaving head combined with a built-in trimmer hosting five length settings, the Body Groomer practically accommodates every major body part. Abs. Chest. Shoulders. You name it. Even operate it as an electric shaver to earn a velvety mug. The self-sharpening blades will cut through shrubbery without any lubrication.

$69.50 at Amazon.com

Braun Grooming Kit

Mowing the entire lawn requires a one-stop manscaping shop. Braun blesses you with a full-on electric razor grooming kit designed for precision control across the body. The bundle comes equipped with four combs covering 13 precision setting lengths, plus a few other attachments and a Gillette Fusion ProGlide manual razor for final touches.

$41.99 at Amazon.com

Mangroomer Ultimate Pro Back Shaver

Not a beard trimmer in design, Mangroomers extended trimmer is a godsend for grizzlies struggling to manage their back and rear, propelled by two shock absorber flex heads and a Power Burst mode that shaves over super-thick hair with finesse. The ultra-sensitive blades are hypoallergenic to warrant long-term use, and the ergonomic rubberized grip of the handle supports maximum control for stabilized trims.

$49.99 at Amazon.com

Meridian The Maintenance Package

The Meridian body groomer has made quite a name for itself in the sensitive skin shaving game. This waterproof trimmer isnt like those other trimmers your private parts have seen before. Specifically designed to trim the hair down there, and not your facial hair, this electric trimmer uses sensitive skin shaver technology to keep shaving rash at a minimum. We suggest you opt for the full  package  with these two backup blades and the citrus-scented ball spray that helps with odor neutralization and skin irritation.

$95 at MeridianGrooming.com

Andis Personal Trimmer

Eyebrow hair, ear hair, and nose hair  arguably three of the most misunderstood spots on a mans body. The Andis portable trimmer has the grooming prowess to clean up your mug in all areas with recessed cutting blades for closer, safer trims. Pack the device in any dopp kit when traveling or store it in the cabinet with a protective cap to preserve blade sharpness.

$15.59 at Amazon.com

Gillette Fusion5 ProGlide Razor

Sure, you could use a disposable razor, but flexibility is everything in a razor, especially when aiming below the belt. The Fusion5 ProGlide Gillette razors support patented FlexBall Technology to let the razor head contour every angle and shape of the body. The streamlined comfort guard and enhanced lubrication strip adds relief and security to the chore.

$12.97 at Amazon.com

Best Manscaping Tools for Waxing

Nightmares of Steve Carrell having his chest transformed into a checkers board run rampant as we speak. The scary truth is that the more hair you have, the more painful the waxing experience is going to be. Follow protocol and trim first, or better yet, have a professional do it. Once in the waxing phase, results can last as long as four to eight weeks, with hair growing back softer (and thinner) than before.

Parissa Men's Wax Strips

These cold wax strips come 20 per box and are sized perfectly for the back, chest and shoulders. Each strip can also be cut to manage smaller spots. Perfect for last-minute touch ups or when heading on vacation, they make for great quick fixes and help eliminate the messiness that usually comes with at-home wax application.

$10.49 at Amazon.com

VidaSleek Waxing Kit

Listen, if youve never waxed yourself before, this might not be the best place to start. However, if youre one familiar with the wax, its hard to go wrong with this VidaSleek kit. This is one of the most effective amongst men thanks to its all-natural contents (lemon, salt and sugar derived from honey). Equipped with two wooden spatulas, a 10 oz jar of all natural wax and eight non-woven wax strips, it pulls hair at the root-level to meet your Brazilian needs.

$19.99 at Amazon.com

RELATED: I Got a Brazilian Wax for Men and This Is What I Learned

GiGi Starter Hair Removal Waxing Kit

If youre really looking to learn how to wax at home, this Amazon best seller is a complete waxing set which most customers claim is easy to use with the wax heating at perfect temperatures to dab across the body. Inside are professional-grade products including a wax warmer, Brazilian hard wax, wood sticks, pre-epilation oil and post-wax cooling gel.

$43.12 at Amazon.com

Best Manscaping Creams and Sprays

Creams and lotions get no love these days. Shame seeing as this category of products has helped lay down the foundation for many manscaping routines. Interestingly, the results are said to last just as long, if not a little longer than a complete shave. It's not laser hair removal, but it's a lot easier to keep up with than shaving hair, with shaving cream, shaving foam, or whatever else it takes to create a smooth pubes free surface. Furthermore, using these liniments will naturally exfoliate your skin  certainly a bonus.

Nair Hair Remover Spray

Nairs affordability and simplicity has made it a consumer favorite depilatory cream for over 20 years. Now packaged in an easy spray, it works best on limbs and the back and chest areas. However, its ability to activate while in the shower is what differentiates it from the crowd, producing a cleaner wipe-down removal. Spray it on, wait 10 minutes, then let the shower rinse it off.

$7.79 at Amazon.com

Nad's Hair Removal Depilatory Cream

All manscaping groin jokes aside, Nad's four minute lotion is suitable for every body part, including your balls. Aloe Vera is one of its signature ingredients to protect and soothe skin after eradicating it of rough hair right from the hair follicle. If you can tolerate the less-than-lovely scent, then consider your testes as smooth as Dominic Torettos dome.

$5.99 at Amazon.com

Moom Organic Hair Remover

Moom maintains its all-natural integrity with a phenomenal hair removal topical suited for your underarms, legs, underwear line  even your face. It takes the pros of both waxing and sugaring, blending it into one complex minus the drawbacks of its counterparts. Tea tree oil is the signature ingredient used here to repair and sterilize skin, plus the inclusion of chamomile helps to fade out spots and treat acne scars.

$20.04 at Amazon.com

Pre-Manscaping Essentials

A whole world of hurt awaits if you attempt manscaping on poorly skin. Same shaving dos and donts you practice on the face apply when manscaping your junk. Now meet the go-to products you should adopt before moving ahead.

Baxter Of California Exfoliating Soap

Shower gels are cool but theres more bang for the buck in Baxters 3-in-1 exfoliating bar soap. Not only will you scrub off grime from the skins upper layer, but the product features rich ingredients to nourish skin without stripping moisture. Leave your coat feeling cleansed and refreshed right out of the tub before taking a blade to your bits.

$19 at Amazon.com

eShave Pre Shave Oil

Mainly used for facial purposes, shave oils soften hair and protect the skin from irritation. eShave offers a great selection  cucumber, orange sandalwood and verbena lime  each well mixed to keep skin moisturized and protected from colder, dryer temps. Cover the body part being groomed with a few drops and massage it in to give the razor smoother glide action.

$22 at eShave.com

Harry's Shave Gel

Natural ingredients. Rich lather. Soothing texture. Harrys aloe-enriched formula relaxes hair and skin, not to mention the gel forms a cushiony layer for superior razor glide to execute close shaves and protect your sheath against razor burn, irritation, nicks and cuts. Then theres the manly scent that sticks to your skin, doubling nicely as a fragrance for at least a short period  Something to keep in mind before sex.

$5.99 at Target.com

Dr. Carver Shave Butter

A shaver cream, gel, and oil blended into one beautiful product, DSCs top-selling shaving aide borrows elements from every popular facial salve and comes in translucent form for seamless blade guidance. Its consistency is so silky  blades wont clog and you'll reduce the risk of cuts and the formula is loaded with gentle ingredients to fight off ingrown hairs and razor bumps.

$7 at DollarShaveClub.com

Post-Manscaping Routine

Hair removal takes its toll on the skin. Apply these skincare solutions to keep your skin feeling great before and after manscaping.

Fur Oil

The companys hero product is formulated with active ingredients to simultaneously soften hair in between manscaping as well as tackle razor bumps, irritation and ingrown hairs post-shave. Gently rub it into problem areas and allow absorption. Its potent yet soothing ingredients include grape seed oil to hydrate, clary sage to soothe redness and tea tree oil  a powerful antimicrobial  to prevent ingrowns.

$46 at FurYou.com

Anthony Ingrown Hair Treatment

Several ingrown hair treatments are available to rid the body of coarse and curly threads. One of our favorites is Anthonys specialty hair serum, which uses glycolic acid to rid skin of dead cells. This in turn releases ingrown hairs by freeing bacteria under the skin and calming inflammation.

$34 at Amazon.com

Grooming Lounge Super Body Powder

This is the talcum powder youll fancy to help keep your privates comfortable and dry at all times. Use it anywhere (except the face) to avoid odorous funk, in addition to reducing itchiness. A light, fresh scent is an added touch since its suitable for all skin types.

$19 at Amazon.com

Manscaped Crop Preserver Ball Deodorant

Additives used in common spray deodorants and antiperspirants can lead to some gnarly jock itch. Manscaped sells a much milder solution  an all-in-one deodorant that also acts as a moisturizer for the boy downstairs. The cleverly-named Crop Preserver uses a fast-absorbing gel talcum formulation with antibacterial and anti-chafing protection to give your balls some relief during long shifts.

$12.99 at Manscaped.com

How to Manscape Body Hair

Some get a rush flexing hairless chests at the beach. Others love the reaction they get in the bedroom unveiling their crown jewels. But what exactly falls under the manscaping pyramid remains a mystery to most guys. The reality is your whole body is fair game  tip-to-tail  and we all have our own sweet spots. So, to guide you in the right direction, weve provided a full breakdown of all the major sections to consider deforesting, alongside expert manscaping tips, illustrations, and yes manscaping treatments.

Remember, you can do as much or as little manscaping to your body hair as you feel comfortable with. While some will naturally prefer less body hair, others will enjoy maintaining a bit of their wild side. All are valid options and dont be afraid to see a professional the first time around to learn the ropes.

How to Manscape Your Groin

Some get a rush flexing hairless chests at the beach. Others love the reaction they get in the bedroom unveiling their crown jewels. But what exactly falls under the body hair manscaping pyramid remains a mystery to most guys. Reality is your whole body is fair game; we all have our different sweet spots. So, to guide you in the right direction, weve provided a full breakdown of all the major sections to consider deforesting, alongside expert manscaping tips, illustrations, and yes, manscaping treatments.

Note: Remember, you can do as much or as little manscaping as you feel comfortable with. While some will naturally prefer less pubic hair, others will enjoy maintaining a bit of their wild side. All are valid options.

Step 1: Trim and Apply Shave Gel

Depending on the situation down there, a pair of hair-cutting shears might suffice, though make no mistake, electric clippers perform better. The different guard lengths and shave settings will remove the bulk of pubic hair. Head below the waist at a 45-degree angle and transition your way down to the perineum  the area between the anus and scrotum commonly referred to as the taint.

Lets be clear: Vision is key here so we must insist on using shaving gels. They work best for lifting whiskers off the body, require less application and provide skin protection plus nourishment. Most importantly, its translucent presence lets you see where your grooming tools should work, while averting slip-ups in areas where the skin is most delicate.

Step 2: Taut and Razor-Ready

Tug the skin back with your non-shaving hand because you dont want it getting caught under the blade. Start at the balls and perform one stroke, followed by a quick rinse of the blade. Go at it again. Head towards the shaft and hold everything upright as to not go against the grain with the blade and rinse often. Be gentle. Feel free to pass through the perineum if necessary, just be careful since this area is friction-sensitive.

Step 3: Use a Post-Shaving Agent

Shaving any body part, let alone your balls and pubic hair, can lead to some inflammation. Aftershave splashes and lotions can be risky as most utilize alcohol or fragrances that sting like hell. Opt for an aftershave balm to cool down and hydrate skin. Any containing aloe or camphor help reduce irritability.

For more deets on how to shave yourself like a pro, take the plunge and read our full pubic hair guide on shaving your balls.

How to Manscape Your Armpit Hair

Step 1: Trim. It. Down.

Same as the pubic area, its all about cutting back the forest. Match your hair length to the proper comb attachment and buzz away. If volume is light, use the trimmer head as is.

Step 2: Exfoliate the Skin

This necessarily applies everywhere, but arms and pits benefit hugely from a nice scrubbing. Learn how to exfoliate the body and value a good exfoliant to purge clogged pores and rid yourself of dead skin. Youll produce a smoother landscape for grooming tools to work better. (Razor. Trimmer. Whatever.)

Step 3: Lather Up

Stick with a shaving gel for the same reasons weve previously preached. Itll be much easier to navigate through the contours of your arms and pits. Application is much easier as well, since only a little is needed.

Step 4: Shave It Off

Take a cartridge razor, one with a pivoting head and with no less than three blades. Start at the inside of the wrist and transition up to the forearm. Stop at the elbow and move across the forearm with soft strokes. Do the same when tackling the upper part of your arms. When working the pits, shave any way you please since underarm hair naturally grows in all directions.

Step 5: Rinse and Cool Down

Manscaping in the shower lets you rinse off debris instantly. Let the water from the shower head manage all the dirty work. Once finished, pat down arms and pits gently. Then top it off with a skin-soothing lotion featuring aloe vera or other cooling ingredients.

How to Manscape Your Leg Hair

Step 1: Shorten Hair Length

Ads and commercials might lead you to believe it all begins with a razor and some shaving cream. Hell no. You will need to pre-shave your legs with a beard or body trimmer.

Step 2: Scrub-a-Dub

Jump in the tub and apply some form of scrubbing agent on your legs (exfoliating body wash, shower gel, etc.). You can spread it across a shower grooming tool, like a loofah or exfoliating gloves, and rub it over the skin in slight circles to get rid of dead skin.

Step 3: Apply Gel

Foam up those calves, kneecaps, thighs, and ankles. A translucent gel will ensure you dont miss any lingering hairs.

Step 4: Put in Blade Work

The way you approached the arms is no different from what youll need to do here. Take on the thinnest patches first to determine the razors maximum hair volume. Keep strokes short and be sure to rinse the blades. Shave with the grain (in the direction hair grows)  going against it in sensitive areas like the inner thigh could irritate the skin.

Step 5: Heal Your Legs

A mans skin produces more natural oils than a womans. Use a good moisturizer or post-shave conditioner to enjoy healthy, smooth legs. These solutions will destroy any existing bacteria as well. Moisturize every day to prevent friction burns.

How to Manscape Your Chest Hair

Step 1: Comb Through the Frizz

Hairy chests are obviously common, and some might love chest hair. But if you want to clear it up, heres what you need to do. The last thing you want are the trimmer blades getting caught in tangled patches. End result: Pain. Keep a premium hair comb on hand to run through the chest and shoulders (if necessary), which will help untangle any hair knots.

Step 2: Trust the Trimmer

Your chest is prone to accumulate a good amount of fur over time. The abdominal area, not so much. And thats a good thing. Grab a trimmer and go as short as possible within a 45-degree angle in the direction of the natural grain of your hair. Doing so will give your razor some breathing room.

Step 3: Use a Shaving Agent

Get a good amount of gel out of the jar or tube, lather it up, and spread across the chest and shoulders.

Step 4: Shave It Off

Play it safe with short strokes and shave following the direction of hair growth. Expect to pass the razor through the same spots a few times, primarily around the sternum and (rock-solid) pecs. Flare-ups might occur. Still, its nothing you cant treat.

Step 5: Cool It Down

A quick rinse with lukewarm water and a pat down might be enough depending on how flared up your chest becomes. Then again, an aftershave balm is always welcome.

How to Manscape Your Back Hair

Step 1: Flex and Trim

Were looking at two of the most difficult spaces to trim  your back and shoulders. Using a trimmer with flexibility and a long reach is a no-brainer. If it supports adjustable comb lengths, even better. Start with a low guard, power that sucker up, and put your contortionist skills to the test snatching up back and shoulder hair.

Step 2: Start Gelling

Youre probably capable of managing shoulder duty on this one. But a second pair of hands are required for the back. Get a girlfriend or part-time lover to smear some shaving gel right down to your crack  or lower, if that's your thing.

Step 3: Choose a Hair Removal Solution

Razors on your shoulder are no sweat. Same cant be said for the back. Waxes or a topical cream remain the better option. Either way, youre going to need another person to get it on. If youre insistent on using a razor, have the operator shave with the grain.

Step 4: Wipe It Down

Treat these areas the same way you would your arms and pits. Rinse, pat down dry, and prepare an aftershave balm.

Step 5: Clean Up and Exfoliate ... Later

The occasional ingrown hair is inevitable. Prevention is the next course of action. Look into getting a back scrubber or have someone gently rub on a good body scrub. This should avoid any bumps, buildups, or redness. Don't forget to rinse off when you're through.

How to Manscape the Rest

Step 1: The Moisture Effect

Lotion works for a quick fix, but a shower is even better. Again, steam opens up pores and moistens hair follicles for leveled trims. If too time-consuming, apply a warm compression pad to the area youre working on.

Step 2: Use a Portable Multi-Trimmer

Most body trimmers host extra accessories to trim facial spots. The problem is that these machines are heavy and provide little to no versatility to reach difficult areas. Invest in a nose hair trimmer, one with multiple heads to clear off the checklist.

Step 3: Clean Up

Most of those trimmed stray hairs stick to your body. Use a wet washcloth to wipe off any lingering whiskers. Maybe take a shaving brush or borrow a girlfriends makeup brush if need be. Our personal suggestion is body wipes for the cleansing and hydrating elements. Stock up on some and never forget to rinse the head of the trimmer.

Now that you have all the manscaping tips and tricks you could ever want, get out there and groom that body of yours to your heart's content.

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I am planning to apply for PR in the 189 subclass, by next month. Both me and my wife are in australia on student visa. I already have 65 points, which is more than the minimum requirement.

I have the following queries:

1) Do i need to apply normally on skillselect and add my wife as a co-applicant?

2) Does she need to leave the country once and come back?

3) Apart from the marriage certificate, are there any other documents we need to provide in order to apply together?



Any answers to this will be highly appreciated.

Thank you.
Hi there,



I'm currently on a 457 sponsorship visa and am looking to apply for a 189 skilled visa as a nurse.



In April this year I'm leaving to go backpacking for 6 months around the world and my question is: If I apply for the visa whilst I am in Australia (i.e before I embark) then am I still allowed to leave the country? If yes, do I need to apply for a bridging visa B in order to leave?
Photo courtesy of Hertz Global Holdings Inc.

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. has announced its sponsorship of the DRIVE Innovation Center. Launched by the Mayer Group in Tel Aviv, the center is dedicated to promote the development of technology for the smart mobility domain, including car rental.

The DRIVE Innovation Center will introduce Hertz to Israeli-based startups and entrepreneurs to provide them with guidance on car rental business model development and value creation, as well as explore partnership opportunities, according to the company.

"We are very excited to join the DRIVE community of smart mobility innovators in the 'Silicon Wadi,' said Tyler Best, Hertz chief information officer. Being involved in initiatives like the DRIVE Innovation Center program enables us to stay connected to development efforts around the world. It also complements our own research and development activity, which is aimed at helping us remain competitive and truly differentiated in this rapidly emerging sector. Additionally, we are pleased with the opportunity to work with fellow DRIVE sponsors Volvo Cars, Honda Silicon Valley Lab, and Israeli telematics company Ituran."

The Hertz sponsorship of DRIVE also builds upon the company's partnership with Mayer Cars and Trucks LTD, which has operated Hertz car rental and leasing in Israel for more than 40 years.

The DRIVE center incorporates a start-up accelerator, advanced prototyping labs, and co-working space.
Maven will be adding Chevy Bolt EVs to its carsharing fleet in Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of GM

Maven, General Motors mobility brand, is working with the City of Los Angeles to evolve mobility and provide more sustainable and convenient options.



Maven is adding the Chevrolet Bolt EV, with an EPA-estimated range of 238 miles, to its carsharing fleet in Los Angeles.



In addition to being available in Maven City carsharing, the Bolt will be offered in the Lyft Express Drive program in Los Angeles. Maven supplies vehicles for Lyfts Express Drive program, providing Lyft drivers with access to weekly rentals of GM vehicles in select cities.

Once fully deployed, more than 100 Bolt EVs will be available in Maven Los Angeles, says GM.



By adding the Bolt EV, Maven could allow for up to 250,000 all-electric miles driven per month across its offerings, according to GM. Maven also plans to offer the Bolt EV in San Francisco and San Diego.



To support the introduction of the Bolt EV to the Maven platform, GM is working with infrastructure providers on building a more effective EV charging network. Drivers using the Bolt EVs, for example, will have access to free charging for a limited time via the entire EVgo Freedom Station network throughout California, says GM.



Maven is also working with each of Californias investor-owned utilities on infrastructure projects that can help encourage the use of EVs in the sharing economy.



Maven is a smart, seamless, and flexible mobility platform providing sharing solutions that meet the different needs of unique communities, said Julia Steyn, vice president, General Motors Urban Mobility and Maven. Starting with Los Angeles, Maven will focus on collaborating with cities and municipalities to co-create smart transportation solutions that enhance mobility, create jobs, and ease parking and congestion.



Since launching in October 2016, Maven City carsharing in Los Angeles has seen an average of 56% member growth month-over-month. Maven will leverage this existing platform as well as in-city infrastructure, fleet management capabilities, and operational insights to help advance the City of Los Angeles Sustainable City pLAn, according to GM.



In the last 13 months, Maven has grown to 17 cities in the U.S. and Canada: Ann Arbor, Mich.; Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Chicago; Denver; Detroit; Los Angeles; Jersey City, N.J.; Nashville, Tenn.; New York City; Orlando; Phoenix; San Diego; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; and Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Maven has more than 24,000 members who have made more than 27,500 reservations, according to GM.
Via CBC News British Columbia: Illicit overdose deaths in B.C. dropped in January, but risk still 'extreme'.

The number of deadly illicit drug overdoses in B.C. went down in January in comparison to the previous two months, but officials say the figures are still too high.

The BC Coroner's Service said Friday that 116 people died of an overdose last month  more than seven deaths every two days.

That follows a record-breaking 142 deaths in December.

More than 90 per cent of January's deadly overdoses happened indoors, although none were at supervised consumption sites.

Sixty per cent of victims were between the ages of 30 and 49 and four in five were men.

The service reiterated that anyone using opiates should never do so alone.

"The continuing high number of deaths shows that the risks remain extreme," said Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe.

On Friday, sources told CBC News that B.C. is signing on to a new health-care deal with the federal government that includes more funding to fight the opioid crisis.

The province has continuously pressed the federal government for help developing strategies to combat the issue.

Last year, more than 900 people in B.C. died from an illicit overdose. In June, Lapointe said overdose deaths had become the leading cause of unnatural death in the province, surpassing motor vehicle crashes.
Airport operators and flight schools in the Palm Beach, Florida, area are bracing for long-term economic loss and disruption due to the presidential TFR covering President Trumps visits to his Mar-a-Lago resort. For the third weekend in a row, the presidential TFR covering Trumps visit has shut down busy Palm Beach Country/Lantana airport and disrupted flight training and other prohibited general aviation activities. Although local authorities and advocacy groups have approached the Secret Service requesting a cutout or procedural relief, none has been forthcoming.

Even though the tower at Palm Beach is willing to pick up the traffic and the TSA is willing to put some officers down here, the Secret Service has declined that. I dont know whether thats temporarily or permanently, said Jonathan Miller, who operates Stellar Aviation, the sole FBO on the airport. Lantana is located six miles south of Palm Beach International Airport and about 6.5 miles from the Mar-a-Lago Club, which is on a barrier island off the Florida coast.

The presidential TFRs have typically been two concentric rings, with an inner 10-mile ring and an outer 30-mile ring. All flight operations except scheduled airlines, law enforcement and related security operations are prohibited from the surface to 18,000 feet in the inner core. Limited operations are allowed in the outer core, to include departures and arrivals to area airports and, on an ATC-workload-permitted basis, transits through the area. All aircraft must be on VFR or IFR flight plans and must squawk a discrete transponder code. For aircraft operating into Palm Beach, gateway airports for TSA clearing have been established at Orlando, Dulles, Teterboro and Westchester County, New York.

Miller told AVweb that Lantana, which has five flight schools, has been shut down for the past three weekends and the impact on business has been devastating. He said the airport hosts 20 commercial businesses, about a dozen of which are large operators. Miller described the five flight schools as very busy.

In a preliminary economic analysis presented to Palm Beach County, Miller estimated losses for operators for just one weekend to total about $30,000 and his losses for the year could reach $200,000. The second-largest flight school has already relocated and Miller anticipates that others will follow. We are not large businesses. We are small businesses. Even these short-term losseshave significant impacts to us. Far more concerning is the fact that these short-term losses cannot besustained for subsequent TFRs without leading to the more serious and permanent long-term losses, Miller said in his report to the county.

Other airports outside the inner core have been less impacted according to checks AVweb made last weekend. However, aircraft displacements have proved disruptive. For example, many private jet operations have moved off Palm Beach International to Boca Raton, 20 miles south of Palm Beach. This has crowded the ramp, leaving less room for light aircraft parking and operations. Weekend flight training from other airports into Pompano Beach, Boca Raton and North Palm Beach Country has also been impacted.

During President Barrack Obamas terms, airports in Hawaii were similarly impacted when he vacationed there, albeit less frequently than Trump has visited Florida. Airport operators, flight schools and tour businesses were eventually able to work out a security arrangement with the Secret Service to continue flying. Florida operators are trying to do the same, but so far, the Secret Service has been unreceptive. AOPA says it has requested a meeting with the FAA to propose a TFR that would put Lantana in an airspace cutout, similar to what has been done elsewhere. No date for the meeting has been set.
Azerbaijan and Iran will create a joint chamber for settling possible differences between traders from both countries, Iranian Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, who is on a visit in Baku, said in an interview with Trend.

The minister said that the signing of a new agreement on cooperation in the sphere of justice was discussed during his visit to Azerbaijan.

He noted that the relations between Azerbaijan and Iran are developing in both political and economic spheres.

During the visit, Iran and Azerbaijan made statements on human rights, on the fight against terrorism, as well as the smuggling of narcotic drugs.

The minister added that an agreement was reached to establish the Iran-Azerbaijan arbitration chamber to eliminate the differences between businessmen and investors. Pourmohammadi said that currently, the sides agree on the text of the relevant treaty to be signed in the future after the completion of discussions between the two countries.

Iran can also use Azerbaijan's experience in the creation of ASAN service and using of e-services, especially in the field of justice, the minister added.

Pourmohammadi said that the relations between the presidents of the two countries are based on mutual trust.

The Iran-Azerbaijan relations are developing on the basis of mutual trust, the minister said.

The minister added that the external forces will be unable to have a negative impact on these relations.

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18 February 2017 13:19 (UTC+04:00)

The referendum in Azerbaijans occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region will only complicate the peace talks on settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Matthew Bryza, former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, told Trend Feb. 17.

He was commenting on the referendum to be held Feb. 20 in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, occupied by Armenia, to amend the illegal regimes constitution.

Bryza, who is also former US deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, said that Armenias intention to hold the referendum contains neither logic nor motivation for an early resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Earlier, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry said the illegal referendum constitutes a clear violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the norms and principles of international law, and, therefore, has no legal effect whatsoever.

The ministry reiterated that the illegal regime established by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is ultimately nothing other than the product of aggression and occupation.

This provocative step, as well as Armenias attempts to change the name of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the integral part of Azerbaijan, is yet another clear manifestation that Armenia is not genuinely interested in seeking a political settlement of the armed conflict, added the ministry.

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 us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
18 February 2017 11:15 (UTC+04:00)

Turkey will not recognize a referendum in Karabakh, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Friday.

In a statement, the ministry said that Ankara condemns the referendum, which will constitute a new violation of Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This referendum and its results, which we consider illegitimate, will not be recognized by Turkey, the statement added.

"Nagorno-Karabakh conflict still remains a major threat to peace and security in the South Caucasus", said in the message.

The illegal referendum constitutes a clear violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the norms and principles of international law, and, therefore, has no legal effect whatsoever. This so-called referendum is being conducted in the seized lands under situation created through the use of force and threat of force against the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan by Armenia and accompanied by the notorious practice of ethnic cleansing and other flagrant violations of the norms and principles of international law, says the statement. We call upon the international community to reject this fabricated illegal referendum exercise and to exert political and diplomatic pressure on Armenia with a view to drop its futile attempts to mislead its own people and the wider international community, cease its policy of occupation and annexation, engage constructively in the conflict settlement process and comply with its international obligations, said Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry in a message Feb. 17.

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 us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
18 February 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in Munich, Germany Feb. 17.

The sides noted that relations between Azerbaijan and Afghanistan are developing successfully in various areas, adding there are opportunities for the expansion of bilateral ties even further.

They stressed that there is good potential for developing relations in cotton-growing, cement production, health and transport sectors.

The presidents discussed introduction of Azerbaijani brand ASAN xidmet experience in Afghanistan. The sides stressed the importance of intensifying reciprocal visits in order to develop the bilateral bonds.

They also agreed to take certain steps to expand trade relations and export-import operations between the two countries.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
18 February 2017 09:59 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, Eugene Kaspersky, in Munich, Germany Feb. 17.

The sides noted that Kaspersky Lab maintains successful cooperation with Azerbaijan in certain fields.

They said ensuring cyber security is a crucial element of bilateral cooperation amid tumultuous global processes.

Kaspersky stressed the importance of expanding relations with Azerbaijan.

The sides exchanged views over work to ensure the safety of processes in industrial and other spheres.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Baku as a venue for a meeting between U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford and Russian Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov makes sense, as Azerbaijan is in the nexus of geopolitics among Russia, Iran and Turkey, Theodore Karasik, senior advisor to Gulf State Analytics, told Trend Feb. 17.

Gerasimov and Dunford met in Baku Feb. 16 and outlined vectors of joint work aimed at easing tensions and preventing military incidents.

In addition, Baku has good relations with NATO by participating in Afghan operations but it is also keenly aware of the Kremlin's interests and balances perfectly between the two, for now, opposite poles, the expert said.

The expert added that there are two topics for those important talks in Baku - first, the ability of the US and Russia to coordinate on the Levant to destroy the Islamic State (aka IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) terrorist group and second - NATO-Russia relations.

Azerbaijan's energy plans are a subject that requires NATO-Russia attention in order to reduce misunderstandings in the near term, he said.

But there is a third topic - U.S. relations with Azerbaijan that is crucial, he added. Dunford pushed hard to show U.S. commitment to Azerbaijan across a number of fields from security to energy.

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18 February 2017 12:44 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani Minister of Internal Affairs Ramil Usubov met with Minister of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mostafa Pourmohammadi Feb. 17.

Usubov said relations between both countries have historical and deep roots.

He highlighted the socio-political developments after the country gained its state independence, the enormous efforts the national leader of Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev made for construction of legal-democratic state, the socio-economic reforms conducted under his leadership, as well as the reforms in the legal-enforcement bodies to establish stability in the country.

Usubov underlined that after the restoration of Azerbaijan`s independence national leader Heydar Aliyev laid the foundations of fraternal relations between the two countries.

These ties are today being expanded thanks to the heads of state, he said.

Usubov also hailed potential opportunities of joint cooperation, adding bilateral beneficial relations will serve to interests of both countries and nations.

Mostafa Pourmohammadi said he is deeply impressed with the great changes that have taken place in the country ever since.

Pourmohammadi also said stability, prosperity in both countries will positively serve to security in the region.

Ambassador of Iran to the country Javad Jahangirzadeh was also present in the meeting.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The three sides of Iran, Russia, and Turkey meeting in Kazakhstans Astana to discuss the ongoing situation in Syria, have drafted a document over a joint committee tasked with safeguarding a current ceasefire in the country.

Strengthening the ceasefire, promoting trust-building measures by the conflicting Syrian sides, as well as discussing any issues that would help Syrian-Syrian talks are among the missions of the committee, Irans Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari, who had attended the Astana talks on behalf of Iran, told the IRIB on February 16.

This is the second meeting in Astana over the ongoing Syrian conflict. Last month the city hosted Syrian government and opposition and thethree regional powers as observers, where the sides talked about how to make the current truce hold.

The conflict started in 2011, when opposition in Syria started to become active against the government. The presense of the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) terrorist group was making matters worse.

Iran and Russia supported the Syrian government from the start. In mid-2016, they were joined by Turkey, which formerly used to back a Saudi-led campaign against the Syrian government.

Jaberi Ansari said that the first step of the Astana talks have been taken right, expressing hope over the future of the meetings. He added the next Astana meeting over Syria will be held in less than a month.

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ECDC has published Epidemiological update: Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil. Excerpt from the assessment:

The risk of yellow fever transmission in the EU/EEA is currently very low as it depends on the virus being introduced by viraemic travellers to an area with an established, competent and active mosquito vector population.

In Brazil, authorities have reported only sylvatic cases in 2016 and 2017. However, this outbreak should be carefully monitored as the establishment of an urban yellow fever cycle would have the potential to quickly affect a large number of people. Therefore, EU/EEA Member States should consider a range of options for response.

EU/EEA citizens who travel to, or live in, areas where there is evidence of yellow fever virus transmission, particularly in the states of Brazil reporting confirmed local transmission, should consider the risk of yellow fever, check their vaccination status and get medical advice about getting vaccinated against yellow fever.

ECDC monitors closely this event in collaboration with WHO. ECDC has published a rapid risk assessment on 26 January 2017. ECDC has also published an epidemiological update and a map for travel advice.
Carlisle Area School District plans to form a work group to study future options for the Swarner House  the district-owned Victorian style mansion adjacent to Lamberton Middle School.

We need to pull a group together to determine our needs, Superintendent John Friend told the school board budget and finance committee last week. We need to look at and weigh those options. Is it necessary for us to maintain it because it is cost-prohibitive? We are at a point where we need to put money into that facility.

The district had purchased the mansion many years ago as a way to control traffic onto South Hanover Street and to prevent the redevelopment of the mansion site into commercial activity. The three-story brownstone and brick house at 801 S. Hanover St. is the first old building travelers come across after leaving Interstate 81 at the Hanover Street exit.

The capital projects budget mentions the Swarner House as a future prospect but allocates no money for it in 2017-2018. Instead the advice from the administration is to form a work group to consider the future of the mansion and to determine the timing and costs of any necessary repairs to the front porch, the overhang roof, the building roof and the exterior and interior woodwork.

District staff and school board members need to understand the right-of-way issues associated with the mansion property and its location within the Carlisle borough, Friend said. We need to pull those documents to examine that whole area. We need to come back with recommendations.

Came up in 2013

Following the purchase many years ago, the district renovated and repaired the mansion to house offices that oversee the registration of students, special education, transportation and safety/security. However, the building was not designed to handle the weight load of staff and office equipment put on it by the district.

The future of the Swarner House came up in 2013 when the district was considering a proposal to purchase the former Pennsylvania Department of Transportation maintenance building at 540 W. North St. The district eventually purchased that building.

One goal of the 2013 purchase was to move the maintenance department from the Swartz building of Carlisle High School to the former PennDOT building. This would clear out space in the Swartz building to house the office functions of the Swarner building.

The district budgeted $900,000 in 2015-2016 to convert warehouse space in the Swartz building to office space. The plan is to allocate another $300,000 in 2017-2018 to finish the conversion and to replace the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system in the district office suite.

Houses history

The Swarner House was among the historic buildings The Sentinel profiled in its Building Block series last spring. The House sits on property that was originally part of the Noble farm, which took up a swath of land bounded on the north by Willow Street, the east by Letort Spring and the south by I-81.

Dr. Joseph Noble was a dentist who married late and spent most of his career in the British colony of Hong Kong, where he amassed a considerable fortune. On January 1906, Noble executed a deed in the colonial city of Victoria that was executed before the U.S. Consul General to China.

Recorded in Cumberland County in September 1906, the deed transferred ownership of part of the farm to a John V. Harris, whose family built the mansion in 1907. The first floor at that time consisted of a large entrance hall and dining room with a kitchen on the north side and a parlor on the south side.

The second floor had four bedrooms, a sewing room, balcony, bathroom and a rear stairway. The third floor sported what was said to be the largest private ballroom in Carlisle at the time.

Through a separate deed in early August 1907, Harris conveyed the land to O.T. Harris, either his father or brother. The property was then acquired by the Merchants National Bank, which ceased to function after John Harris was caught embezzling money as the cashier or head of the bank.

Ownership of the property then passed to Willoughby Albright, who willed the estate to Fannie Albright, his widow, and to their only child, Effie Albright Swarner. At Fannies death in 1941, Effie became the sole owner. Prior to that, the Swarner family rented the house out to others during most of the period leading up to the 1930s.

For years the Swarner family alternated their place of residence between this house on South Hanover Street and a stone farmhouse on Rockledge Drive in neighboring South Middleton Township. Meanwhile Joseph Noble, the original owner of the property, died on July 2, 1949, and left the bulk of his fortune to Carlisle Hospital. In 1950, Effie Swarner conveyed the property to her son F. Albright Swarner who in 1984 conveyed it to Russel C. Lash.

The front yard of the Swarner House was lost to make way for the Hanover Street exit ramp of the I-81 interchange. In the early 1980s, the land was rezoned from residential to commercial, and Lash negotiated access to the property from the neighboring Carlisle Area School District.

In May 1987, Lash conveyed the property to Ben and Michelle Breneman, who used the house for their Century 21 real estate business. This continued until the school district purchased the mansion.
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.      !

The report titled The Adaptation Gap Report 2022: Too Little, Too Slow  Climate adaptation failure puts world at risk was released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ContentsAbout the Adaptation Gap ReportWhat is adaptation?What are the key findings of the AGR 2022?What are the reports recommendations? About the Adaptation Gap Report The Adaptation ..

Month: Current Affairs  November, 2022

Category: Reports & Indexes Current Affairs

Topics: UN Environment Programme (UNEP)  UNEP Adaptation Report  UNEP report

The Union Education Ministry released the detailed report on Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2021-22 on school education of India. ContentsAbout UDISEAbout UDISE+UDISE+ 2020-21 report dataUDISE+ 2021-22 report data About UDISE Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) was initiated in 2012-13. It is one of the largest Management Information Systems on ..

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2022

Category: Reports & Indexes Current Affairs

Topics: Data  GER  Information  School  UDISE

1. Who is the head of the panel set up to strengthen the assessment and accreditation of higher educational institutions? [A] K Radhakrishnan[B] Kasturi Rangan[C] Amitabh Kant[D] V K Paul Show Answer Correct Answer: A [K Radhakrishnan] Notes:The Central Government has set up a high-level panel to strengthen the assessment and accreditation of higher educational ..

Category: Current Affairs Quiz - 2022: Daily Objective Current Affairs MCQ Quiz

Tags: Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2022

Here are Todays News Headlines by GK Today for November 5, 2022 ContentsINDIAECONOMY & CORPORATEWORLDSPORTS INDIA  President Droupadi Murmu inaugurates and lays foundation stone for various Central and State govt projects in Sikkim  Centre constitutes panel for strengthening assessment and accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions, headed by Dr. K. Radhakrishnan of IIT, Kanpur ..

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

1. Which of the following countries are members of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework? Philippines Brunei Fiji Vietnam Malaysia Taiwan Choose the correct answer using the codes given below: [A] Only 1, 2, 3 & 5[B] Only 2, 4, 5 & 6[C] Only 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5[D] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 Show ..

Category: Daily Current Affairs Test for UPSC Prelims Examination 2023

Tags: upsc prelims test series 2023

US News and World Report, an American media company, released Best Countries 2022 ranking recently. ContentsWhat is US News and World Reports Best Countries 2022 rankingHow did India perform in this report?How did the other countries perform? What is US News and World Reports Best Countries 2022 ranking The Best Countries 2022 ranking evaluated 85 ..

Month: Current Affairs  November, 2022

Category: Reports & Indexes Current Affairs

Topics: Indices and Reports  manufacturing sector  manufacturing sector in India  Reports
The hit movie "Hidden Figures" has inspired an exhibit in Seminole County that features African-American women influential in the countys history.

"Hidden Figures" is about a team of African-American women who helped NASA launch some of its first important missions into space.

The Seminole County exhibit features women who made notable contributions through service, dedication and inspiration.

These really are women whove been in the shadows, helping their community out and trudging through and making all of these contributions to our society and community over the past many decades, said Bennett Lloyd of the Museum of Seminole County History.

The exhibit opened this week and is open through March.

For more information, including museum hours and location, head to its website: http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/parks-recreation/museum-of-seminole-county-history/
ISRO successfully tests largest cryogenic engine for GSLV Mark III rocket

Published: February 18, 2017

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully ground tested Indias largest indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage engine for GSLV Mark III.

It was tested for full 10 minutes at ISROs Liquid Propulsion Complex (ILPC) at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.

Key Facts

The C25 stage is the most powerful upper stage so far developed by ISRO. It uses Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen propellant combination stored at minus 253 degrees centigrade.

so far developed by ISRO. It uses and propellant combination stored at minus 253 degrees centigrade. The development of C25 cryogenic stage will provide ISRO capability to launch 4 ton class satellites in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), an altitude where satellites revolve in sync with Earths rotation.

in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), an altitude where satellites revolve in sync with Earths rotation. So far, the cryogenic engine consisting very complex technology has been developed only by Russia, US, France, China, Japan and India.

Significance of Test

This was last test in the series before going for actual GSLV Mark III rocket launch in April 2017 where engine will be put into actual use.

The GSLV Mark III rocket will be a successor to the GSLV Mark II which was first launched in 2001 and can carry a heavier payload than the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2017

Topics: Cryogenic Engine  GSLV Mark III rocket  ISRO  Science and Technology

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Bonne Terre Fire Chief Matt Barton addressed the city council on Monday night with concerns about the current ISO rating the city has and how it effects the city.

ISO collects and evaluates information from communities on their structure fire suppression capabilities. The data is analyzed using their Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) and then a Public Protection Classification (PPC) grade is assigned to the community.

There are some things in the report, that even myself had problems figuring out exactly what they mean, said Barton. The problem with the ISO rating is they are basing it on every fire department, full-time, part-time and volunteer. Of course we dont have the money to keep up with the full-time fire departments, but there are a lot of things I have found, that I would suggest the city try to do to lower this ISO rating.

Barton stressed documentation was a lot of it, his understanding was the city has gotten the meter to flow test hydrants and that is a big thing. He added keeping the records of the flow testing was a big downfall for them. He said another one of the downfalls is their equipment which is growing old.

Our newest truck of course is a 2013 and then we drop to a 2006 and then drop all the way down to a 1995, said Barton. That kind of puts a damper on it. I think these numbers are more for a big city with more than one fire department. For the most part, considering, I think we did pretty well. I know it still went up which is not what you wanted to do, but I think for the most part we still did pretty good for what we have.

Bonne Terre City Administrator Jim Eaton said he feels they have many questions as a city. He added it was a substantial increase going from a 6 to a 7 ISO rating.

Barton responded saying it is a substantial increase and that anytime it changes, whether its a point or two points, it is substantial.

My goal is to not get the rating to change, to not necessarily lower it, but to keep it from going up, said Barton. Unfortunately, some of it was just out of my hands. The documentation was the big thing and one of the other big things was our communication center.

Barton said he asked a lot of questions, he did work as a dispatcher for 10 years and he knows with the sales tax that passed he has a lot of questions of why they dont have a better ISO from the communications center.

I know they do an outstanding job, but they base it off the size of your county, how many phonelines they have, how may 911 lines they have and how many people they have on staff, explained Barton. I dont feel we scored as high as we should have in that aspect. I know it is out of our hands, but I also think if the proper paperwork would have been filled out we could have scored a little bit better than we did with our communications.

Barton stressed he did take the paperwork over there, but he didnt receive it back.

It was just kind of  it wasnt necessarily the run-around, but I dont feel the questions I had were answered, said Barton. Again, the water system, as far as the hydrant testing, I looked at just about every piece of paper that was in that firehouse to try to locate any type of history on testing the hydrants. I did find some, but they were past the date he would allow me to turn in. So there were signs of hydrants being tested, however, it was expired. It wasnt able to be used.

Barton said they would be willing to help city workers test the hydrants. He added they have a couple of guys who know how to test them and are willing to help.

They dont look at every hydrant in the city, they pick like a dozen or 10 and it is sporadic, said Barton. Overhead maps are a big thing, they like to see it on paper. They want the fire department to keep an overhead map with highlighted areas of the fire hydrants.

Barton believes it is more for mutual-aid firefighters.

If something would take place and the city fire department isnt able to break free, our mutual aid company has the information right there at their fingertips, said Barton. Like I said, we do have things we need to work on and we didnt quite shine like I had hoped.

Barton said they scored about half of what they were able to score, but he can assure that he has taken every action possible to bring the rating down.

My goal is to lower this  a 7 is not acceptable to me, said Barton. I think a 5 would be, with what we have equipment-wise and people-wise. That is my goal, how long that will take us, I dont know. Every time something is done down there it is documented and filed. I have six, five-drawer filing cabinets designated just for maintenance and everything I found we failed on to keep.

He stressed they are making an effort to change the rating for the better. He added this is the first time he has experienced the inspection and he learned a lot from it.

There is still a lot I questioned just because I feel budget-wise, staff-wise and equipment-wise we just cant compete with a lot big cities and big fire departments, Barton said. Unfortunately that is the way it goes.

Also during the meeting, the council voted in favor of two ordinances, one was an ordinance granting authorization to the city administrator to enter into a contract with Taylor Engineering for the north industrial park layout and the other was an ordinance granting the city administrator to enter into a contract with Mineral Area Office Supply for the purchase of a Cannon copier and service plan.

The council also accepted Dawn Sens' resignation. She had served as city clerk and has left the position to take another job.
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When a little girl in San Angelo blew out her candles, she also blew away Selena fans everywhere with a birthday party fit for a Tejano queen.

Family members describe 6-year-old Ayvah Vega as a little girl with a giant personality, who is also a Selena superfan. Her only request for her party last weekend was for the Queen of Tejano to be the theme.

"We created a mini Selena concert," dad Alex Vega said, adding that his little girl kicked off her bash by teaching her friends how to pull of Selena's famous dance move, "The Washer Machine."

RELATED: San Antonio 6-year-old's Drake-themed birthday party made all others look like child's play

Alex Vega said he and his wife, Belinda, spent months and more than $500 perfecting their little girl's big day.

A mini stage, Selena performer, rose-embellished cake, replica of the star's most-famous ensemble and a pinata (which none of the little girls wanted to leave a dent in), completed the festivities at the Vega household.

The Vegas said some of the little party guests didn't know who Selena was before Ayvah's birthday, but they all left their home dancing and singing along with her songs.

"It kind of felt like you were at one of Selena's concerts," Alex Vega said. "It was so loud in there but the girls loved it."

RELATED: S.A.-area great, great grandma celebrates 107th birthday in style

Ayvah was the most pleased with her party. Her family said her obsession with the star, who was tragically killed more than 20 years ago, began at the start of this school year after she found a YouTube video of a Selena performance and was immediately enamored.

"For two months straight, her alarm was 'Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.' I came to work singing it," Ayvah's dad joked. "We introduced her to the movie and she's probably watched it 100 times  if it's not being played in the house, it's being played in the car."

RELATED: Thomas J. Henry threw his daughter one of the most lavish quinceaneras San Antonio has ever seen

Like her idol, the 6-year-old already has an impressive schedule of dancing, singing, cheerleading, gymnastics and impromptu talent shows in her living room whenever she has free time.

"Our little girl has always been a performer since the age of 2, she's always dancing and singing for us,"Alex Vega said. "There's just something about (Ayvah), when you put her on stage, she just switches."

The Vegas said they never expected the photos of Ayvah's party to extend further than their family members, but fans as far as London have reacted to the original Facebook post.

"To see it carry on to others  I think that was really neat," Alex Vega added.

Check out the gallery above for the party that will make your heart go "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom."

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Show More Show Less 5 of 5









A Port Arthur man and a Richmond woman were arrested Thursday evening after a multi-agency drug bust yielded $36,000 worth of suspected hydroponic marijuana, according the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

At about 7:15 p.m., after observing numerous traffic violations a Jefferson County narcotics agent stopped a BMW SUV on the 19000 block of FM 365, according to Capt. Crystal Holmes.
** Missouri 116th District State Representative Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, files his Capital Report at the end of each week the state legislature is in session.

It was another busy week in the House of Representatives as we passed a number of bills that are now on their way to the Senate. We worked on legislation addressing issues ranging from police officer protection to hair braiding. Two of the bills passed on the House floor are pieces of legislation that came out of the insurance committee I chair.

In committee this week we passed two bills. The first was HBs 90 & 68. The legislation is actually two bills on the same subject that were combined in committee. The combined bill creates a narcotics control act that is meant to help catch those who abuse drugs, and also help doctors and pharmacists have more information so they can make better decisions when prescribing medication. In addition to the prescription drug monitoring bill, we also passed a bill on insurance and judicial reform this week.

Much of the attention of the House is currently on the proposed state budget. Members on the budget committee are sifting through the budget line by line in an attempt to cut out nearly half a million dollars. I appreciate all of the budget members spending countless hours trying to justify every line item.

My colleagues and I took time to honor our veterans on the House Floor, to meet with people representing the National Federation of the Blind, the Alliance for Disability and to also visit with the many retired teachers representing their Missouri Retired Teachers Association. I want to thank those groups from our area who visited the Capitol this week. I had the pleasure of visiting with the Ste. Genevieve School Board. Representative Rick Francis and I met with Mayor Ken Baer and City Administrator Brent Buerck of Perryville. Visiting the Capitol also this week was Dr. Victoria Damba, Brandon Leach and Michelle Day were here to represent Serenity Hospice Care.

It is an honor for me to be your voice for the organizations that you care so much about.
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SAN ANTONIO  Authorities arrested a man Friday for his alleged role in the shooting death of a 23-year-old father, whose decomposing body was found inside the trunk of his vehicle earlier this month, according to court documents.

Ashton Lucas Lomas, 23, was charged with capital murder, which poses a maximum sentence of life in prison or the death penalty.

Martin Gonzales, 23, was reported missing in late January. On Feb. 7, police in Universal City were dispatched for a suspicious vehicle call at an apartment complex in the 500 block of Dukeway Drive.

RELATED: 3 arrested in connection with S.A.-area mail carrier shooting, crime spree

Investigators smelled a foul odor coming from the trunk of the vehicle and saw flies flying around the trunk of the vehicle, according to Lomas arrest affidavit.

The investigators believed a decomposing body was inside the vehicle and had a towing service help open the trunk. Once the vehicle was opened, the body, which was later identified as Gonzales, was found in a green military-style bag.

The medical examiners office arrived and unzipped the green bag to find the body was wrapped in bed sheets and other clothing articles, the affidavit said.

During the autopsy, investigators learned Gonzales arms were zip-tied and his legs wrapped with a white rope. His head was wrapped in cellophane, which covered a gunshot wound, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: Body found in trunk in Universal City identified as 23-year-old father

On Thursday, Feb. 16, the San Antonio Police Department said they received a call from Lomas, who said he had killed Gonzales. Lomas then provided police details about the killing and other facts not initially released to the public, according to the affidavit.

Lomas told investigators he and two other men took Gonzales to the 10000 block of Ware Seguin Road in Converse, where they robbed him.

They allegedly took his watch, a gold chain, two guns along with $40 and some marijuana, according to the affidavit. Lomas said he then received an order to shoot the victim which he did with a revolver.

Lomas said he and another one of the suspects cleaned the crime scene and helped him carry the body into the victims vehicles trunk. The same man that told him to shoot Gonzales told him to get rid of the body, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: Foul smell led to discovery of wrapped body in trunk of car in Universal City

Gonzales was known by the nickname Chubbs, and is survived by a wife and two children, according to previous reports.

Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick unveiled a crackdown this week on unwarranted hailstorm lawsuits, which he says are raising premiums and deductibles for other consumers. The effort seems justified, yet curiously, it highlights the lack of progress on a similar issue for other Texans.

For years coastal residents have been complaining about the lack of affordable windstorm insurance coverage for their homes and businesses, forcing them to use a costly state program instead. It's a big problem along the Gulf Coast, even though Texas hasn't been hit by a major hurricane since Ike in 2008.
From an organization founded in 1997 to one that has been around for nearly two centuries, the major EHR vendors come in all shapes and sizes.

Here are 50 things to know about five of the market's dominant EHR vendors.

Note: The vendors are arranged alphabetically.

athenahealth

1. Jonathan Bush  nephew of U.S. President George H.W. Bush and cousin of President George W. Bush  and Todd Park founded the Watertown, Mass.-based company in 1997. Today, Mr. Bush serves as CEO, president and chairman of the board of directors; Mr. Park, who no longer holds a position at athenahealth, went on to serve as U.S. chief technology officer during the Obama administration.



2. There are roughly 88,000 providers and 86 million patients on athenahealth's network. A few recent contracts include Tandigm Health  a value-based healthcare company supporting primary care physicians  implementing athenahealth's population health management tool and Michigan State University HealthTeam  the multispecialty faculty group practice of the university  implementing athenahealth's suite of services.



3. In 2016, athenahealth reported total revenue of $1.08 billion  a 17 percent increase compared to the $924.7 million it reported in 2015. In a list of health technology vendors ranked by highest revenues, IDC Health Insights named athenahealth the eighth highest earner compared to other companies that derive more than one-third of their revenue from healthcare payers and providers.



4. For three years running, athenahealth has ranked as the top vendor in user satisfaction among physician groups with six to 10 physicians and groups with 11 to 25 physicians, according to a Black Book poll. In the 2016 Black Book Inpatient EHR Surveys, athenahealth clients were also identified as "most loyal," meaning the company's clients intend to maintain their business relationship and have a positive attitude toward the vendor.



5. Only 22 of the 4,474 hospitals participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program use athenahealth's EHR technology, according to ONC data from July 2016, making it tied for the 36th most-used certified health IT vendor hospitals report for the program. However, ONC also notes that only 10 vendors, including athenahealth, supply 98 percent of hospitals with their certified IT technology, based on HHS' 2014 Edition Health Information Technology Certification Criteria.



6. In July 2016, the company announced its MIPS Guarantee program, which reimburses clients who face a downward payment adjustment under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System. The program is meant to help clients using the athenaOne services suite perform at or above the national performance threshold set by CMS, therefore avoiding any payment penalties on their Medicare Part B fee schedule.



7. One of athenahealth's core initiatives is its "More Disruption Please" program, which connects startups with the opportunity to sell to athenahealth clients. The program has collaborated with companies like Relaymed, which connects point-of-care devices to EHRs, and SnapMD, a telemedicine provider.



8. Another one of the company's primary focuses is interoperability. The company is a founding member of the CommonWell Health Alliance, a nonprofit and independent organization focused on developing and deploying interoperability solutions. Athenahealth, along with other major IT vendors like Epic and Cerner, also committed to the Interoperability Pledge, which HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell announced during HIMSS16 in February 2016.



9. In June 2013, athenahealth said it would move the majority of its Georgia operations from Alpharetta to Atlanta, and at the start of 2017, the company announced plans to expand its workforce in Atlanta to almost 1,000 employees by 2018. With this new expansion, athenahealth  which currently utilizes 98,000 square feet of space at Ponce City Market in Atlanta  will tack on an extra 40,000 square feet of space to its offices.



10. Athenahealth's CEO and cofounder, Mr. Bush, has made headlines for his outspoken views on both national politics and healthcare management. In a speech to Massachusetts Republicans in June 2016, he publicly stated he would not vote for Donald Trump, who has since won the national election. In an April 2016 interview with Bloomberg, he voiced that  although he is critical of the ACA  he credits some of athenahealth's growth the ACA.

Cerner

11. Neal Patterson, Cliff Illig and Paul Gorup founded Kansas City, Mo.-based Cerner in 1979. The company's name, according to the Cerner website, is derived from a Latin word meaning "to discern." Today, Mr. Patterson serves as chairman of the board and CEO, while Mr. Illig serves as vice chairman of the board. Mr. Gorup, who left Cerner in 1987 but returned in 1999, was named to Epiq's board of directors last year. Cerner employs more than 24,000 people worldwide.



12. The company's technologies are licensed at more than 25,000 facilities in more than 35 countries. A few recent contracts include Lynchburg, Va.-based Centra Health selecting Cerner for its five hospitals, more than 50 ambulatory and long-term care facilities and health plan, and the Department of Defense awarding a $74 million data hosting contract to Leidos, Cerner and Accenture for the DoD's EHR.



13. Cerner is currently building its seventh campus. Dubbed the Innovations Campus, the development is projected to reach $4.5 billion and will house 16,000 Cerner employees. Each of the 15 streets on the Kansas City-based campus' road system will be named after a healthcare or technology leader.



14. Cerner came in No. 2 on IDC Health Insights' 2016 HealthTech Rankings, which highlight companies that derive more than one-third of their revenue from healthcare payers and providers. Cerner also claims the largest market share in the EMR industry, according to a Kalorama Information report.



15. In the third quarter of fiscal year 2016, Cerner reported revenue of $1.185 billion  a 5 percent decrease compared to the $1.28 billion it reported in the third quarter of FY 2015. More recently, Cerner reported full-year 2016 revenue of $4.8 billion, which is 8 percent higher than its 2015 reported revenue of $4.43 billion.

Speaking of the revenue cycle business: In September 2016, Cerner appointed Jeff Hurst as the first-ever senior vice president of revenue cycle management and president for RevWorks, Cerner's revenue management services unit.



16. Cerner's loyalty rankings increased from 88 percent in 2015 to 96 percent in 2016, and 95 percent of its clients advocate for peers to purchase Cerner products, according to the 2016 Black Book Inpatient EHR Surveys. However, not all customers have been pleased. Vancouver Island Health Authority facilities in Canada made headlines after physicians reverted to using pen and paper to complete orders soon after their March 2016 Cerner implementation, claiming that the EHR system randomly lost, buried or changed orders for drugs and diagnostic tests.



17. Cerner has been the target of four lawsuits regarding employees' overtime wages. The latest lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, was filed in 2016 and alleges help desk workers who offer technical support were expected to work at least 48 hours a week, but they did not receive overtime pay. In another lawsuit, two former Cerner employees allege the company miscalculated overtime pay for potentially thousands of workers.



18. One of Cerner's core initiatives is interoperability. The company is a founding member of the CommonWell Health Alliance, a nonprofit and independent organization focused on developing and deploying interoperability solutions. Cerner's website offers the Interoperability Ticker, an interactive map that tracks clinical transactions, pharmacy transactions, health information exchanges and Cerner interoperability solutions in use across the country.



19. Cerner is the most-used certified health IT vendor reported by hospitals participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. Based on ONC data from July 2016, 1,029 hospitals report using Cerner's EHR technology; this is 76 more hospitals than the second most common health IT vendor that hospitals report using, which is Meditech.



20. Cerner's CEO and cofounder, Mr. Patterson, has continued to stay involved in the company's operations despite his 2016 diagnosis of soft tissue cancer. In November 2016, he made a surprise speech at the Cerner Health Conference in Kansas City, during which he discussed his personal journey through the healthcare system, saying: "I realized God had a sense of humor: He put me in a place undergoing an EHR conversion."

Epic

21. Epic was founded in a basement in 1979 by Judy Faulkner. With 1.5 employees, the company was originally called Human Services Computing but rebranded as Epic Systems in 1983, according to Isthmus. In its early stages, Epic and the precursor to American Girl utilized the same basement in a Madison, Wis., apartment building.



22. Ms. Faulkner, a programmer, initially had no intention of founding a company. But after requests from clients, she chose to start a company based on the clinical data management system she'd created. At a meeting during the company's early stages, a client grabbed a dictionary and looked up the definition of "epic": "the glorious recounting of a nation's events." The group liked the name and decided to go with it. "Like the 'Iliad' or the 'Odyssey,' our electronic health records chronicle the story of a patient's healthcare over time," Epic's website quips.



23. Ms. Faulkner serves as Epic's CEO. As of Jan. 17, 2017, Forbes valued her worth at $2.2 billion. Last year, Ms. Faulkner ranked No. 3 on Forbes' list of "America's Richest Self-Made Women" and No. 79 on Forbes' list of "Richest People in Tech."



In 2015, Ms. Faulkner pledged 99 percent of her wealth to philanthropy by joining the Giving Pledge, an initiative in which some of the world's wealthiest individuals pledge to donate the majority of their assets to philanthropy.



24. Located in Verona, Wis.  approximately 11 miles south of Madison  Epic's headquarters is unique. The company hired the architects who designed Disneyland to blueprint a creative campus, according to The Boston Globe. A sculpture of Humpty Dumpty sits on a wall near the entrance to the headquarters. Each section of the campus has a different theme, from farming to castles to New York City's Grand Central Station. The campus also features an enormous slide and treehouse for meetings.



Epic has even been lauded for its imaginative campus. In October 2016, the American Institute of Architects gave Epic an honorable mention in its annual TAP/CCA Innovation Awards. The Epic Deep Space Auditorium  which can seat up to 11,400 and was designed by Minneapolis-based Cuningham Group  received an honorable mention in the stellar design category.



25. Epic's campus is not only unique in its design  it's also unique in its sustainability efforts. To generate energy, Epic installed six wind turbines and 18 acres of solar panels. Its campus includes almost 350 acres of farmland that Epic lends out to farmers. For heating and cooling its buildings, Epic utilizes its thousands of miles of underground geothermal pipes.



26. Every five years, Epic employees are eligible for a month-long paid sabbatical. If employees decide to spend their time off in a country they've never been to, Epic will fund the trip for the employee and one guest. Thus far, Epic employees have headed out on more than 3,000 trips to more than 100 countries, including Israel, Germany, Zimbabwe, Japan and the Bahamas.



27. Approximately 19 million patients across the globe currently have a record in Epic's EHR system. Epic's software is used in a variety of clinical settings, including community hospitals, retail clinics, rehabilitation centers, academic medical centers and independent practices. Patients can access the software from their homes and their mobile devices.



28. Epic claims all of its customers currently interoperate and exchange 1.3 million patient records each day with other EHR vendors, government agencies, registries and each other.



Epic is a founding member of Carequality, an interoperability framework that's a collaborative of public and private organizations. However, Epic has refrained from joining certain marketplace collaborations that claim to be dedicated to interoperability, such as the CommonWell Health Alliance.



29. Epic clients appear less satisfied with and more "trapped" in their vendor relationships, according to the 2016 Black Book Inpatient EHR Surveys. The surveys gathered responses from EHR vendors between the second quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016. Epic was one of the vendors in the "trapped" quadrant, which Black Book classified as customers with the intent to continue business with the vendor but dissatisfaction with some important aspect of the relationship.



The overall loyalty percentage for Epic customers dropped from 89 percent in 2015 to 80 percent in 2016. In addition, 98 percent of Epic clients reported they were renewing their current contracts yet only 72 percent said they would advocate for peers to also purchase the product.



30. At Epic's 2016 Users Group Meeting, Ms. Faulkner addressed two new initiatives the company has launched.



First, Epic partnered with AmericanUniversity of Beirut in Lebanon to help refugees with their healthcare. Through their collaboration, Epic and AUB are planning a system in which patients in Lebanon would receive their basic health information on a thumb drive and be able to share that information with patients and organizations in other countries.



In addition, Ms. Faulkner said Epic is launching a program to support federally qualified health centers. Epic will offer free licenses and maintenance to healthcare systems that supply tertiary, specialty and inpatient care to local FQHCs. For FQHCs that can't afford or are too busy to install Epic, Epic will be available to help with the installs. For health systems that have already extended Epic to an FQHC, Ms. Faulkner said Epic will work with them to potentially reduce the cost of software maintenance.

McKesson

31. McKesson was founded in New York City in 1833 by John McKesson and Charles Olcott as a therapeutic drug and chemical wholesale company. In 1853, a new partner, Daniel Robbins, joined the company. Through the years, McKesson altered its focus multiple times and acquired various companies, including General Medical and HBO & Co. Today McKesson stands as the oldest healthcare company in the U.S.



32. John H. Hammergren currently serves as chairman, president and CEO of McKesson, which is now based in San Francisco. He was named president and CEO in 2001 and chairman in 2002.



33. The company has two primary businesses: McKesson Distribution Solutions and McKesson Technology Solutions. Through those businesses, McKesson works with providers, manufacturers, pharmacies and health plans. As part of its Distribution Solutions business, McKesson delivers one-third of all pharmaceuticals used each day in North America. More than 200,000 physicians utilize McKesson's technology and services, and 76 percent of hospitals with more than 200 beds are McKesson customers.



34. However, McKesson's offerings aren't limited to products in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors. The company offers a plethora of services across numerous sectors. A small sampling of McKesson's offerings includes revenue cycle services for physicians and for radiology, a Homecare MobileCare solution, prescription labeling and printing services, a Blood Bank solution and gift card processing services.



35. Last May, McKesson released its fiscal year 2016 financial results. Between the year ended March 31, 2015 and the year ended March 31, 2016, McKesson's revenue increased 6.6 percent from $179 billion to $190.9 billion. During the same period, McKesson's net income increased 49.7 percent from $1.5 billion to $2.3 billion.



36. According to July 2016 ONC data, 462 hospitals that attest to meaningful use utilize McKesson's EHR technology, making it the fifth most common health IT vendor. Cerner, Meditech, Epic and Evident have more hospital customers.



37. As part of the 2016 Black Book Inpatient EHR Surveys, a loyalty index split degrees of loyalty into four quadrants: "most loyal," "reachable," "trapped" and "top risk." McKesson was the only vendor placed in the "reachable" sector, which is characterized by clients with a good attitude about working with the company but do not have plans to enhance the business relationship.



38. McKesson was a founding member of the CommonWell Health Alliance, an organization dedicated to improving interoperability in the health IT realm. Other founding members include Allscripts, athenahealth, Cerner, Evident, Greenway Health and Sunquest. Additionally, McKesson committed to the Interoperability Pledge, which presents healthcare providers with three core commitments regarding interoperability and was announced at HIMSS16.



39. After a months-long process, McKesson and Change Healthcare have almost closed on the merger of their business units. In June 2016, the companies unveiled plans to combine McKesson's IT business unit and all of Change Healthcare's businesses into a separate company focused on healthcare technology. In September, the Department of Justice began examining potential antitrust concerns regarding the proposed merger, but the DOJ ended its investigation by late December. In January, the companies said the new company would retain the Change Healthcare name. Through the merger, which is expected to close in the first half of this year, McKesson will own 70 percent of the new company and Change Healthcare stockholders will own the remaining 30 percent.



40. McKesson has been working on a number of acquisitions recently. In December 2016, it wrapped up its $2.1 billion acquisition of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada-based Rexall Health. Through the transaction, McKesson gained ownership of Rexall's 470 pharmacies. Last month, McKesson announced its $1.1 billion pending acquisition of CoverMyMeds, an electronic prior authorization service provider. The acquisition agreement also includes a maximum of $300 million of consideration, which is dependent on CoverMyMeds' future fiscal performance.

Meditech

41. While A. Neil Pappalardo was working at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital in 1964, he created MGH Utility Multi-Programming System, or MUMPS, a medical software language. His interest in healthcare technology led him to found Medical Information Technology, or Meditech, in 1968. The company officially opened for business in August of the next year.

42. Howard Messing serves as president and CEO of Westwood, Mass.-based Meditech. He's held the president position since 2002 and CEO position since 2010. Lawrence Polimeno, Meditech's first employee, is the company's vice chairman, a role he's held since 2002. Mr. Pappalardo currently serves as Meditech chairman.

43. Meditech provides its EHR solution to more than 2,300 institutions around the globe. Approximately 650 of its customers are internationally based across 22 countries, including Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Ireland, Kuwait and Mozambique.

44. Meditech's latest product offerings include the 6.1 EHR platform and the web ambulatory solution. To date, more than 360 Meditech customers have signed up for the 6.1 platform, and 190 of them have gone live. More than 110 Meditech customers have signed up for its web ambulatory product, and six have gone live.

45. More than 2,000 providers using Meditech have attested to meaningful use. According to July 2016 ONC data, 953 hospitals that attest to MU use Meditech's EHR technology, making it the second most common health IT vendor.

46. In terms of interoperability, Meditech is a member of the CommonWell Health Alliance, a collaboration that seeks to enhance interoperability in health IT. It was founded by several other top IT vendors, including Allscripts, athenahealth, Cerner, Evident, Greenway Health, McKesson and Sunquest.

47. Meditech clients appear less satisfied with and more "trapped" in their vendor relationships, according to the 2016 Black Book Inpatient EHR Surveys. The surveys gathered responses from EHR vendors between the second quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016. Meditech was one of the vendors in the "trapped" quadrant, which Black Book classified as customers with the intent to continue business with the vendor but dissatisfaction with some important aspect of the relationship.

48. Meditech invests in learning and higher education. In 2010, the vendor launched a relationship with Boston-based Northeastern University to integrate its EHR software into the classroom setting for health science students. Three years later, Meditech was named "Employer of the Year" at Bridgewater (Mass.) State University. Meditech currently employs more than 200 BSU graduates.

49. Hospitals using Meditech's EHR have gained recognition in the health IT world. In 2015, two Meditech customers received the HIMSS Nicholas E. Davis Award of Excellence, which recognizes Stage 6 or 7 hospitals. The same year, numerous Meditech organizations  including Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Avera Health and Prince Frederick, Md.-based Calvert Memorial Hospital  were named to Hospitals & Health Networks' Health Care's Most Wired list.

50. Meditech recently reported its financial results for 2016. The company's total revenue for existing and new customers was $462.3 million in 2016, a 2.8 percent decrease from the $475.5 million reported in 2015. Meditech's 2016 net income was $72.9 million. This is nearly a 4 percent increase from the $70.1 million the company reported in 2015.
Enacted more than two decades ago with the simple purpose of curbing physician self-referral, Stark Law has evolved into a complex set of regulations, which some argue impede efforts to transition away from a fee-for-service system.

Here are 15 things to know about Stark Law.

1. In 1989, Congress passed the Ethics in Patient Referrals Act, which was dubbed Stark I after Rep. Pete Stark, a Democrat from California, who sponsored the initial bill.

2. The original statute was quite simple. It sought to ban physician self-referral for designated services when a patient was covered by Medicare or another government payer. Self-referral occurs when physicians refer patients for designated health services to hospitals, labs and other entities from which they or an immediate family member benefit financially.

3. Stark Law applies to the following designated health services:

Clinical laboratory services

Physical therapy services

Occupational therapy services

Outpatient speech-language pathology services

Radiology and certain other imaging services

Radiation therapy services and supplies

Durable medical equipment and supplies

Parenteral and enteral nutrients, equipment and supplies

Prosthetics, orthotics and prosthetic devices and supplies

Home health services

Outpatient prescription drugs

Inpatient and outpatient hospital services

4. The intention behind the original statute was to eliminate any financial motivation for physicians to send patients for unnecessary testing that could raise overall healthcare costs.

5. The original statute was expanded in January 1995, when Stark II went into effect. Over the next decade, CMS published a series of regulations implementing the physician self-referral law. Today, there is a sprawling group of regulations and statutes collectively named Stark Law.

6. Stark Law has numerous exceptions, each of which carries its own detailed requirements. Many of the exceptions require compensation paid to a physician to not take into account the value or volume of a physician's referrals or other business generated between the parties to a gainsharing agreement. Many exceptions also require the arrangement to be commercially reasonable and compensation to be at fair market value.

7. Any provider organization that violates Stark must repay all Medicare funds paid under the improper arrangement, which could total tens of millions of dollars. The organization could face Medicare exclusion and False Claims Act liability as well.

8. If claims are submitted to government payers through an arrangement that violates Stark Law, the claims are rendered false or fraudulent, creating liability under the False Claims Act, according to the American Bar Association. Most of these cases are filed by whistle-blowers under the qui tam provision of the False Claims Act.

9. Whistle-blowers have a lucrative incentive to pursue these actions, as they are entitled to up to 30 percent of the government's recovery in False Claims Act cases. The penalties authorized under the False Claims Act were raised in 2016 to a range of $10,781 to $21,563 per claim.

10. The complexity of Stark Law has left hospital executives, Congress and CMS struggling with the boundaries of the legislation  especially as the healthcare industry replaces traditional fee-for-service medicine with value-based care.

11. Stark Law requires physicians receive only fair-market prices for their services, and the serious costs associated with technical violations of the law have made hospitals hesitant to move forward with pay-for-performance initiatives.

12. Common technical violations of Stark Law include lack of documentation to support fair market value, failure to accurately describe services rendered and failure to change the terms in writing when compensation or duties change.

13. In early February, HHS released a report that provides observations on the effects of Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute on the industry's transition to value-based payment models. In the report, HHS said some gainsharing and similar arrangements can be structured in a way that does not violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and meets the requirements of Stark Law. However, HHS noted the current fraud and abuse laws "may serve as an impediment to robust, innovative programs that align providers by using financial incentives to achieve quality standards, generate cost savings and reduce waste."

14. Legislators and hospital leaders have expressed concerns about Stark Law in recent years. For instance, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing last July, Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said Stark Law has become too complex, creating obstacles in the transition from the antiquated fee-for-service model.

15. Sen. Hatch's views were echoed by several healthcare leaders during the hearing, including Ronald Paulus, MD, CEO of Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Health. Dr. Paulus said problems with the physician self-referral law can't be fixed by tinkering around the edges. He believes a full repeal is necessary to allow health systems to move forward with population heath efforts.

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A few days after the Seattle Times published a report outlining concerns with Swedish Health Services' Cherry Hill Hospital Chair of Neurosurgery Johnny Delashaw, MD, the publication now reports state health regulators are investigating complaints filed against him.

The Seattle Times revealed that an overhaul of Cherry Hill's neuroscience program to attract more complex and invasive procedures generated $500 million in net operating revenue in 2015 and the hospital received higher Medicare reimbursements per inpatient than any other hospital of its size. However, the publication also found the hospital incentivized physicians to "pursue a high-volume approach" and rewarded Dr. Delashaw with a promotion based on production despite complaints lodged against him.

Here are five things to know:

1. A Department of Health spokesman said the agency is launching an investigation into Dr. Delashaw after analyzing the Seattle Times report. The investigation is related to two complaints filed against Dr. Delashaw over the past 12 months.

2. Dr. Delashaw joined Cherry Hill in 2013 and his arrival coincided with an increase in patient volume and new contracts that incentivized a high-volume approach, according to the report. After Dr. Delashaw began performing cases at Cherry Hill, the percentage of aneurysm patients who received clipping surgery went from 36 percent to 57 percent.

3. The hospital's neurosciences department updated their approach to surgical cases with the transformation, adopting a concurrent surgery model allowing surgeons to run multiple ORs at the same time with surgical fellows performed the bulk of the operation in some cases.

4. Cherry Hill medical staff expressed concerns about patient safety, inadequate care and a "culture of intimidation and disregard for patient complaints" after Dr. Delashaw's arrival.

5. The Times revealed a whistleblower contacted the Department of Health last year with several concerns about inappropriate surgery, higher complication and infection rates and fellows performing surgery without supervision. At the time, the Department of Health investigated but found the claims were unsubstantiated.
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Sania Mirza who earlier denied allegations of service tax evasion criticised certain sections of the media for choosing to focus on the reports of tax evasion rather than her entry into the semi-finals of the Qatar Open. Standing ovation to our certain amazing sections of media who havent bothered to write or report about me being in another semifinal of a tournament in Qatar, but hey there are 100 articles about tax evasion which most of them dont even understand properly, Sania tweeted on Friday.
A passenger in the departures area of Dublin Airport

Dublin is now the fastest growing major airport in Europe thanks to passenger numbers soaring more than 11% in the space of a year.

The gateway in the northern outskirts of the city saw almost 28 million passing through in 2016.

The surge means Dublin - which in the previous year saw a record 1.2m journeys from Northern Ireland - is now outpacing Barcelona's El Prat Airport and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in terms of growth.

In 2015, Dublin saw a 37% increase in the volume of passengers from this side of the border. Figures for 2016 have yet to be released.

Dublin grew faster last year than all European airports which cater for 25m-plus passengers annually.

It said that growth was fuelled in part by flights between Europe and the United States.

Transatlantic traffic increased by 16% to a record 2.9m passengers last year, and transfer passenger numbers were up 23% to a record 1.2m.

The latest data has been released by ACI Europe, the trade body for European airports.

The terminal's managing director Vincent Harrison said the data "confirms that Dublin Airport had a record-breaking performance at home and abroad last year".

"Passenger traffic across the European airport network increased by 5.1% last year, while Dublin Airport increased its traffic by more than twice that amount," he added.

Officials said the record year was helped by 19 new routes, along with additional flights on existing links.

Dublin is due to add three long-haul routes this year: Doha with Qatar Airlines; Boston with Delta Air Lines, and Miami with Aer Lingus.

Long-haul passenger numbers rose by 12% to more than 3.6m. Short-haul traffic was up 11% with almost 24.3m passengers.

Meanwhile, Belfast International Airport also saw the number of people passing through its arrivals and departures halls grow by more than 17% in 2016, with passenger numbers reaching a record 5.15m.

However, it lost Northern Ireland's only transatlantic route after United Airlines announced it was pulling the plug on its service to Newark (New York) after a 9m subsidy from the Stormont Executive was blocked by Europe. However, Norwegian Air is expected to announce a Belfast to US route in the coming weeks.

George Best Belfast City Airport suffered a small drop in passenger numbers, falling 1.2% to 2.67m.

It blamed the dip on the loss of its connection to Gatwick.

The airport was also hit last month by news that Brussels Airlines was pulling its service to the Belgian capital less than a year after the launch.
A Titanic-themed hotel could be built in west Belfast amid fresh plans to revamp a former church.

The project could see the Shankill Road Mission Presbyterian Church transformed into a 50-bedroom, four-star hotel, inspired by the famous ill-fated cruise liner.

Argyle Business Centre is set to take control of the building, according to the North Belfast News.

Drennan McBride of the business centre said "at least five" individuals and companies have expressed an interest in taking on the project.

He said a "feasibility study has been completed along with an economic appraisal and they have come back positive".

"We inherited Argyle about seven years ago and kicked in a lot of business strategies that took us from 40% occupied with 60 people to over 400 employed and 100%," he told the newspaper. "We have gone from the smallest enterprise agency in Belfast to the second biggest.

"We were thinking that with the university coming, the mission could be turned into managed accommodation.

"But that idea progressed through a backpackers' hostel to developing a four-star hotel with a focus on training."

Those behind the scheme say they aim to see 100 trainees graduating each year.

Meanwhile, work is already under way on a long-awaited hotel at the former Harland & Wolff drawing offices in the Titanic Quarter.

The team behind the hotel say it will open this year. In 2015 the project was awarded a 5m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The 84-bedroom hotel will include attached areas for tourism focused on developing the offices as spaces for public use. It's thought as many as 250 jobs could be created during construction.

The drawing offices have been empty for decades, only being used for a number of small events.

The Harland & Wolff headquarters, which once housed 500 staff, was built in three stages between 1889 and 1922.

Across Belfast there are around 20 new hotels at various stages of development. That includes the Grand Central on Bedford Street.

Hastings Group is now planning to turn the former Windsor House building into a 304-bedroom development - the largest in Northern Ireland.
Our fishing industry is "guaranteed to benefit" following Brexit despite a leaked EU report showing plans for foreign boats to still be permitted to operate in UK waters.

Northern Ireland's fishing industry is "guaranteed to benefit" following Brexit despite a leaked EU report showing plans for foreign boats to still be permitted to operate in UK waters.

Alan McCulla, chief executive of the Kilkeel-based SeaSource co-operative, said the report by members of the European Parliament showed that the EU "recognises that the other member states cannot do without (access to UK waters)".

Mr McCulla said some 92% of fishermen across the UK voted for Brexit.

There had been claims in the run-up to the EU referendum that a Leave vote would mean the UK "could win its waters back". But this report suggests that may not be the case, and that the EU will try and negotiate access to British fishing grounds.

According to The Guardian, MEPs drafted seven provisions to be included in the UK's exit agreement, including the stipulation that there will be "no increase to the UK's share of fishing opportunities for jointly fished stocks (maintaining the existing quota distribution in UK and EU waters)".

"When Brexit is secure there will be an immediate benefit to the fishing industry in Northern Ireland. That is guaranteed. It cannot get any worse under EU management," Mr McCulla claimed.

"That report says you have those in positions of influence in Brussels who have admitted that 'we could lose out big time if we don't gain access to UK waters'.

"The Irish Sea - 75% falls within UK waters, yet UK fishermen get access to about 40% of fishing opportunities.

"You have a group of people in the EU who are saying 'the Brits are quite right'. They are saying 'we depend on access to UK waters'... Europe depends on it.

"Europe has an unfair share of the waters and they don't want to surrender it. Like any negotiation, the UK can come in and negotiate."

Mr McCulla added: "We have surrendered away a huge resource for the UK fishing industry."

There are 1,600 employed directly by the fishing industry here, 850 of them in Co Down.
Wrightbus is planning a major expansion of its factory in Ballymena to include a new car park and housing development

Wrightbus is planning a major expansion of its factory in Ballymena to include a new car park and housing development.

The bus-maker, which is one of Northern Ireland's largest manufacturers, wants to add a new huge 200,000 sq ft factory to help assemble chassis for its products.

The company, which is best known for its red 'Boris buses' - named after former Mayor of London Boris Johnson - also wants to add a car park for 600 vehicles, and has plans to build 75 new homes on the area of land at the rear of its Fenaghy Road plant.

Planners working for the company say it has occupied the current site for around 30 years and that "due to its considerable success" it has been "developed to its maximum capacity".

"This is far from ideal in terms of efficiency, and when the possibility of obtaining land adjacent to the Galgorm complex became a real prospect, they (Wrightbus) did not hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity."

Late last year, Wrights Group also struck a deal to buy the JTI Gallaher plant in Ballymena when the production line halts later this year. Speaking about the car park in a design statement, it says a new "dedicated car park" is required "that will meet the needs of the whole complex".

Planners say the company needs "more factory space to enable more operations to be carried out on the Galgorm site".

"This would greatly aid the efficiency of their operation in terms of productivity."

On the proposed housing development, planners say its main purpose "is to fund" the new factory and car park.

Aside from the factory, Wrightbus also plans on building a two-storey block for "administrative and welfare facilities".

The document says Wrightbus "have become a victim of their own success as they have outgrown the present site at Galgorm".

"In short, they need more space ... fortunately that space has presented itself in the form of vacant ground adjoining the existing complex. Wrightbus are seizing this lifeline with both hands."

Wrightbus is due to complete a total order for 1,000 of the Routemaster buses to Transport for London (TfL). North Antrim DUP MP Ian Paisley said he expects the Wrights Group "to be well-placed to successfully win a considerable part" of fresh bus contracts for London, over the next couple of years.
A Belfast family have spoken of their outrage after receiving a letter notifying them that their housing benefit is to be cut because their three-bedroom family home has been designated as under-occupied under new rules.

But Edward (62) and Anne Maginnis (56) say that because of Edward's deteriorating health, he requires a hospital bed and needs his own room.

The couple live in the house in east Belfast with their teenage daughter, Deborah.

"They should come out and see us - we are shocked that they would consider this a case of under-occupancy," they said.

The new rules are part of the Social Sector Size Criteria, dubbed a bedroom tax. They are being introduced by the Housing Executive to bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK, and come into effect on Monday.

The changes mean the Maginnis family will see their housing benefit cut by 25 per month, but people with more than one spare room stand to lose more.

The Department for Communities confirmed that a welfare supplement payment previously agreed by the Executive would be made to mitigate any financial loss, and advised anyone with concerns to contact their landlord.

Mr and Mrs Maginnis, however, said they have been left worried and confused because the relief scheme has only been confirmed to run until the end of March 2020.

"Why is it only for three years, what happens after that?" they asked. "We feel like we are being penalised, if not now then further down the road."

Mr Maginnis sleeps only in short intervals, watching television or reading during the night because his pain keeps him awake.

"It's just not practical or possible to share a room," Mrs Maginnis said. "Even if a bed could fit in my room I would be no use to him as a carer because I wouldn't get any sleep."

Her husband suffers from numerous respiratory illnesses, osteoporosis and arthritis in his spine and hips. He relies on community care visits and the care he receives from Anne just to get by. "I have shrunk from 5ft 4ins to 4ft 7ins in five years - my spine is just crumbling," he said.

"The exposed nerve endings in his back are hypersensitive and as a result he is on morphine around the clock and regularly takes shaking fits," Mrs Maginnis added. "It's unbelievable. Where do they want me to sleep?"

A spokesperson for the Department of Communities said: "The department has been working with housing and advice organisations to raise awareness of the changes and will continue to do so in the forthcoming weeks as the changes are introduced."

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations welcomed the relief arrangements that have been put in place by Stormont to ensure no household will end up worse off because of the bedroom tax.

However, they added: "We have always argued that the bedroom tax is a punitive measure that will significantly impact many households in Northern Ireland."
An English organisation made donations to the DUP to mount a UK-wide campaign in favour of Brexit, leader Arlene Foster has revealed.

But the party is coming under increasing pressure to name the organisation and reveal the amount involved - amid speculation it could be more than 250,000.

The DUP yesterday insisted it had complied with all rules on donations, and that returns will be published by the Electoral Commission in due course.

The party said in a statement: "The EU referendum was a national campaign and the DUP was involved in campaigning for a Leave vote right across the UK.

"This included members speaking at events in Great Britain, and through advertising. All advertising was paid for out of party funds. All eligible donations are registered with the Electoral Commission in the required manner.

"The DUP registered as a permitted participant in the referendum campaign. Other political parties, including from Northern Ireland, also registered as participants in the campaign.

"All spending by the DUP was within the allocated spending cap for permitted participants and was entirely separate from the official Vote Leave Campaign."

It added: "All the necessary returns for the referendum campaign have been submitted to the Electoral Commission and will be published by the commission in due course."

The statement came after Mrs Foster confirmed the DUP had registered as one of the parties campaigning to leave the EU "and we received donations". "Those donations have been given to the Electoral Commission and will be very clear for everyone to see," she said.

Mrs Foster - a candidate in Fermanagh/South Tyrone - revealed: "They are from an organisation in England that wants to see the Union kept... this was a national question asked on a national basis."

But Sinn Fein's John O'Dowd said the DUP should tell the electorate who funded its Brexit advertising campaign. "The enormous amount of money that the DUP spent on its pro-Brexit campaign is far in excess of its normal election spending.

"The consequences of the Brexit decision are so profound that the public are entitled to know who was funding the DUP's Brexit campaign.

"The DUP's mishandling of the RHI scandal damaged public confidence in the political institutions.

"There is an onus on the DUP to tell the public who funded its extravagant Brexit advertising campaign."

Meanwhile, Mrs Foster last night called for a strong team of DUP negotiators to be returned at the Assembly election next month.

In a speech to DUP members in Newry and Armagh, she said it was "critical that unionism enters these negotiations from a position of strength".

"It is dangerous to advocate supporting candidates who are pro-united Ireland above preferences for fellow unionists. The greater the number of nationalist MLAs elected, the stronger the push will be for a border poll," she warned.

"With the greatest respect to Mike (Nesbitt) and Colum (Eastwood), neither of their parties are even fielding enough candidates to win the election. And neither have any record of delivering anything. The truth is a vote for Mike means you will get Mike and Sinn Fein, not Mike and the SDLP. Sinn Fein would love to be negotiating with Mike Nesbitt. Even his own supporters fear that outcome. That is why it is so important that the DUP wins a strong mandate to ensure that the government do not give in to Sinn Fein's demands."
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A custody sergeant and a former civilian detention officer who deny causing the death of a police prisoner can now be identified after a judge lifted the reporting restrictions.

Last month at Craigavon Crown Court PSNI officer Brian McKenna and Alexander McAllister pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of David McGowan on May 30, 2014.

The case could not be publicised as a reporting restriction was put in place due to McKenna's job and the perceived potential threat to his life because of that. In a Belfast court yesterday Mr Justice Treacy lifted that restriction after it was challenged by the media.

McKenna and McAllister, whose addresses were given as Lisburn PSNI station, are also accused of misconduct in public office, McKenna as a sergeant and McAllister as a civilian detention officer, in that in their respective roles they "wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification neglected to perform a duty of care" to Mr McGowan on a date between May 28 and 31, 2014.

The 28-year-old Lisburn man was arrested after an incident on the Beersbridge Road in east Belfast. He was found dead in a cell at Lisburn PSNI station hours later.

The charges follow an investigation by the Police Ombudsman when, in the aftermath of Mr McGowan's death, investigators interviewed his family, witnesses and examined police actions.

In a statement last May the Public Prosecution Service confirmed that a decision had been taken to charge the men.

"After a careful consideration of all the available evidence in the case, it has been decided to prosecute two men, one of whom is a police sergeant and the other was a civilian detention officer, for the offences of gross negligence manslaughter and misconduct in public office," the PPS said.

ACC Mark Hamilton acknowledged how "difficult a time" it had been for the McGowan family following the death.

"I can confirm that one police officer has been suspended from duty in respect of these matters. A second person, who was employed by our managed service provider, is no longer working in the PSNI," he said.

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Lawyers representing Mr McGowan's family said they welcomed the decision to prosecute.

"This has been a deeply traumatic two years for David's family, particularly his mother Elizabeth, but this announcement will go some way in helping them to come to terms with David's death. Although the family are still cautious as they recognise it will take some time to reach the final conclusion, however we are all quietly confident justice will prevail."
It was a rescue with a difference for the Northern Ireland Fire Service - as they came to the aid of a two-week-old lamb who became trapped in a pipe after wandering into a manhole

It was a rescue with a difference for the Northern Ireland Fire Service - as they came to the aid of a two-week-old lamb who became trapped in a pipe after wandering into a manhole.

The lamb found its way into the hole on the Corbally Road in Fintona, Co Tyrone, and then travelled several metres down a narrow horizontal pipe.

It led to the fire-fighters trying their best sheep noises to try and coax the lamb back up the pipe.

But when this had limited success, they used a phone app of sheep sounds, which to their joy was successful.

The lamb turned around and came back up the pipe - but not far enough for its rescuers to grab it.

Content not to let the sheep pull the wool over their eyes, fire-fighters turned to local knowledge to try a more traditional method.

They contacted local sheep farmer Harold Crawford who provided a trained sheep dog which went up the pipe and retrieved the lamb bringing it to safety. "I brought the old dog and the young dog, but I thought the young dog would be the better dog, for he's thinner," he said.

However, it transpired that the older dog, Rover, took the main role in the rescue at its own insistence, despite his wider girth.

Rover and the lamb emerged from the pipe a few seconds later. It was then returned to its farmer.

In their Facebook post the fire service reassured the public that they were always available for emergencies throughout the incident. It said: "Usually when we post about incidents like this we attract the occasional comment about waste of resources etc, so just to assure everyone that the appliance was available for emergencies throughout.

"We liaise with other agencies such as the USPCA and an officer attends incidents such as this to assess, and we only commit resources if it is warranted."

The Fire Service issued a reminder to the farming community to think "safety first" to avoid such incidents: "At this time of year we are reminding the farming community to 'think safety first' and to ensure that potential hazards such as broken fences, drains and ditches are properly maintained. Animals in distress can pose a serious risk to the public or anyone attempting to rescue them. Fire-fighters would rather members of the public call for assistance than tackle animal rescue themselves as it may result in individuals placing themselves and others in danger."

Watch footage of the rescue at www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
A man who stole a woman's car and crashed it, has now become engaged to the same woman

A man who stole a woman's car and crashed it, has now become engaged to the same woman.

A defence solicitor told the Magistrate's Court in Londonderry yesterday that Mark McMullen (30), from Kavanagh Court in the Ballymagroarty area of the city, will marry the car theft victim in April.

District Judge Barney McElholm heard that on August 15 of last year, McMullen's then ex-partner asked him to look after her home and to check on her post when she went on a holiday with their two children.

However, when she returned home from her holiday, she noticed damage to the front bumper of her car.

She confronted McMullen and he admitted to her that he'd taken her car without her permission and driven it towards Belfast where he was involved in a damage-only road traffic accident at Toomebridge. McMullen offered to pay to have the damage repaired but his then ex-partner declined his offer and instead reported the matter to the police.

The defendant was arrested and during his police interview he admitted taking the woman's car without her permission and driving it without insurance.

The court also heard that in June last year police spotted McMullen in the driver's seat of a car at traffic lights at the junction of Bishop Street and Abercorn Road, using his mobile phone and without a seat belt.

He was also uninsured at the time.

Mr McElholm imposed a three-month jail sentence - suspended for eighteen months - and disqualified McMullen from driving also for eighteen months.

The judge further fined McMullen 200 and warned him if he was ever convicted of driving without insurance again he would be going to jail.
Leading Brexiteers have accused former Prime Minister Tony Blair of trying to undermine British democracy after he urged voters to think again about leaving the European Union.

Mr Blair said the people had the right to change their minds as they voted without knowledge of the true terms of Brexit during a speech at the London headquarters of Bloomberg.

His comments were met with anger and derision from prominent Leave campaigners, who compared him to a washed-up boxer getting knocked out in the first round.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson accused Mr Blair of insulting British voters.

He urged people to rise up and turn off the TV the next time that Mr Blair makes an appeal to the public as he insisted that the UK has a phenomenal future outside the EU.

Nigel Farage said Mr Blair was yesterdays man during a speech to delegates at the Ukip spring conference in Bolton.

It is amusing to see that Tony Blair... is standing up today and saying that the British need to rethink Brexit, he seems to think we are going to change our minds, he said.

However Mr Blairs proposals received some support from the Liberal Democrats, including leader Tim Farron who said Tony Blair is right, and that the challenge now is to persuade people to change their mind.
Anti-Brexit campaigners have brought traffic to a crawl on the main road between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

A convoy of protesters staged a noisy motorway go-slow near Dundalk in Co Louth using lorries and tractors to highlight the impact of predicted customs checks on the local economy.

Contingency work has begun to identify places where checkpoints could be set up once again, in preparation for the UK leaving the EU, the Government said.

Opponents of a hard Brexit have argued it could undermine peace process measures which helped transform a militarised zone pockmarked by the Troubles and overlooked by Army watchtowers and barriers into an invisible boundary.

While minor roads were once cratered and closed to control north/south traffic - and combat a thriving black market and IRA movement - since the end of the conflict people and goods have passed largely unimpeded between the neighbours on what would be the UK's only land border with Europe.

A trailer-load of sheep going to market and passport-toting residents took part in a theatrical "checkpoint" staged to highlight the detrimental impact of any such border on Saturday.

A rusty Second World War-era bicycle placed alongside a mock customs hut reinforced the message that a hard border was a return to the past which UK Prime Minister Theresa May has been adamant she wants to avoid.

Kitchen maker and demonstration organiser for Border Communities Against Brexit, Declan Fearon, said: "We are really in the eye of the storm of Brexit and we intend to make sure that this does not happen.

"We never want to see this community going back to what it was before."

Mock border officers from the UK and Ireland wearing traditional greatcoats waved down traffic in front of a stage customs hut.

Horns blared, truck drivers in the queue pretended to pull their hair out and waved pieces of paper supposed to be travel documents.

Lines of people with placards had gathered and vintage signs proclaimed "Stop: Customs".

Mr Fearon added: "The people here do not want to contemplate the reinstatement of spikes and roads being closed and of customs checkpoints and it looks like that is where we are going."

More than 20 years ago there were 270 crossings along the 300-mile long border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Mr Fearon said only 17 of them had clearance posts and many others were closed with roads deliberately made impassable and communities split in two.

A church near where he was standing is on one side of the border while its graveyard is on the other.

The UK Prime Minister has pledged no return to the heavily-secured border of the past.

Mr Fearon said: "It seems as if Theresa May and the British Government have no intention of listening to us.

"They don't seem to have any of our interests here along the border at heart and we want to make sure our voices are heard as far and wide as possible."
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey will meet Carlos Tavares next week in the latest in a series of talks he has held to help avoid any job losses

The Prime Minister is set to meet the chief executive of the PSA Group to discuss Peugeot's proposals to buy General Motors' European operation, including Vauxhall.

Theresa May has received a request for a meeting with Carlos Tavares to discuss the proposal, which could affect thousands of British workers.

The Peugeot boss is also set to hold talks with the leader of Britain's biggest union Unite to discuss the situation.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "We can confirm we have received a meeting request. The meeting will take place, in principle, subject to diary availability."

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey will meet Mr Tavares next week in the latest in a series of talks he has held to help avoid any job losses.

He said: "I am pleased that Carlos Tavares has responded speedily and positively to my request for a meeting to discuss Peugeot's intentions towards our Vauxhall plants.

"I will be using this meeting to press the case for the UK's world class facilities and workforce, and ensuring that Mr Tavares and the PSA Group understand fully that Luton, Toddington and Ellesmere Port, and thousands of dedicated UK workers, deserve a strong backer and a positive future."

Business Secretary Greg Clark, who visited Paris on Thursday for talks with PSA Group and French ministers, is expected to join Mrs May at the meeting with Mr Tavares.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said it expected the meeting will take place next week.

PSA Group said it was engaged in a "constructive dialogue" with all parties involved in the bid for GM's European division, which includes German-based Opel as well as Vauxhall.

A spokesman said: "Our intention is to establish the same maturity in our exchanges in France, Germany and the UK. This is why Carlos Tavares has asked to meet Theresa May as it was done with German authorities.

"In the spirit of co-construction that is driving the PSA Group on a daily basis its own trade union representatives in France, the same approach is obviously being taken to contact the trade union organisations in Germany and the UK."
Thousands of people marched to demand Spain's government increase its efforts to take in refugees (AP)

At least 160,000 protesters have marched in Barcelona to demand that Spain's conservative-led government increase its efforts to take in refugees from war-torn countries like Syria.

Spain has accepted just 1,100 refugees of the over 17,000 it has pledged to take in.

Marchers held a large banner and signs in Catalan with the slogans Enough Excuses! Take Them In Now! and No More Deaths, Open The Borders! as they made their way through the city centre to its Mediterranean coast.

Barcelona police said 160,000 people took part in the march, while organisers said it reached 300,000 participants.

"There is an ample consensus in Catalonia to demand that the (government's) commitments are upheld," said organiser Ruben Wagensberg.

In September 2015, Spain's government pledged to bring 17,337 refugees in within two years: 15,888 from camps in Italy and Greece and 1,449 from Turkey and Libya.

On Thursday, a group of 66 refugees- 65 Syrians and one Iraqi- who arrived in Madrid raised the total number of refugees that Spain has taken in to just 1,100.

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, a former anti-eviction activist who has pushed Spain's government to let her city accept more refugees, joined the march.

"It is very important that in a Europe of uncertainty where xenophobia is on the rise for Barcelona to be a capital of hope," Ms Colau said.

She also criticized the federal government's stance toward refugees in December at a Vatican conference on Europe's refugee crisis.

In contrast to Spain, fellow European Union member Germany took in 890,000 asylum-seekers in 2015 and another 280,000 in 2016.

Germany decided last year on more than 695,000 asylum applications. Nearly 60% of the applicants were granted either full refugee status or a lesser form of protection.

AP
A blind Egyptian cleric serving a life sentence in the United States in connection with a failed plot to blow up landmarks in New York City has died.

Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman was sentenced to life in prison after his 1995 conviction for his advisory role in a plot to blow up landmarks, including the United Nations, and several bridges and tunnels.

Kenneth McKoy, of the Federal Correction Complex in Butner, North Carolina, said Rahman died on Saturday after a long battle with diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Abdel- Rahman, who was 78, had been a key spiritual leader for a generation of Islamic militants and became a symbol for radicals during a decade in American prisons.

Abdel-Rahman, who had been blind since infancy from diabetes, was the leader of one of Egypt's most feared militant groups, the Gamaa Islamiya, which led a campaign of violence aimed at bringing down ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

He fled Egypt to the US in 1990 and began teaching in a New Jersey mosque.

A circle of his followers were convicted over the February 26 1993 truck bombing of New York's World Trade Centre that killed six people - eight years before al Qaida's suicide plane hijackers brought the towers down.

Later in 1993, Abdel-Rahman was arrested for conspiracy to carry out a string of bombings against the UN, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the George Washington Bridge and other New York landmarks.

AP
Mr Barrow's election victory has been popular nationally and internationally (AP)

Thousands have attended the inauguration ceremony of Gambia's new president as the West African nation celebrates wider freedoms after a tense political stand-off with its former leader.

Several heads of state went to the ceremony for President Adama Barrow.

He was sworn into office last month at Gambia's embassy in neighbouring Senegal as former leader Yahya Jammeh refused to cede power.

International pressure, including the threat of a regional military intervention, led Mr Jammeh to finally accept his December election loss and fly into exile in Equatorial Guinea.

Hundreds of thousands of Gambians welcomed Mr Barrow's return to Gambia days later.

The new president, who has just turned 52 and was born the year that Gambia gained independence, has pledged to reverse many of the actions Mr Jammeh took during more than two decades of power.

He has committed to stay in the International Criminal Court and rejoin the Commonwealth. He also has vowed to free political prisoners.

The international community has quickly warmed to Mr Barrow's approach, with the European Union recently announcing an 80 million dollar (64 million) package of support after breaking off assistance amid tensions with Mr Jammeh.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Mr Barrow on Tuesday, saying: "We are here to help."

Gambians at Independence Stadium also cheered independent electoral commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai, who had to flee to Senegal during the political crisis after standing by the election results.

Senegal's president Macky Sall was among the honorary guests at the ceremony protected by troops from the West African bloc, Ecowas.

The regional force has been securing the country during the transition, which has remained peaceful.

Mr Sall said Gambia and Senegal must strengthen economic and other relations. Many Senegalese live in Gambia.

"We are the same people, and we remain the same people," he said.

AP
Love them or loathe them, so-called 'food porn' photographs are inescapable on social media - there are more than 111 million posts under that hashtag alone on Instagram.

Even if you don't want to look at your friend's artfully arranged avocado toast, or homemade 'Buddha bowl', these snaps are harmless, right?

Wrong, according to new research, which has found that this obsession with documenting our every bite is actually exacerbating the food waste crisis.

The study, from Sainsbury's, suggests that 18 to 34-year-olds are more concerned with the idea that food is about pleasure, while neglecting to plan ahead, over-buying food and throwing away the resulting waste.

Of the 15 million tonnes of edible food waste produced in the UK each year, 7.3 million tonnes come from households, according to the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP), even though 60% of people surveyed by the organisation believe they personally waste either no food, or hardly any.

Clearly, that's not the case, as the Sainsbury's report also found millennials (18 to 35-year-olds) are more likely to have a 'live to eat' attitude and to experiment with exotic ingredients that are harder to reuse, compared to older generations who are thrifty in the kitchen and spend less on groceries.

But while social media might be to blame for young people's profligate behaviour, elsewhere the internet is helping to fight the war on waste, via a variety of innovative apps and sites.

Uninspired by what's hanging around in the fridge? BigOven lets you input three foods and suggests recipes (visit www.bigoven.com/recipes/leftover).

Similarly, WRAP's Love Food Hate Waste website and app (www.lovefoodhatewaste.com) offers meal ideas, plus advice on portion sizes and meal planning to help you make the most of your shopping. Got a bunch of grub you're not going to eat? Olio (olioex.com) is like FreeCycle, but for food, letting individuals and businesses offer up goods on the app for neighbours to take, with no money changing hands (except for some optional donations to charity).

Foodbank (foodbankapp.co.uk) links to your local foodbank and lets you know the items they're currently most in need of.

Tackling the issue of restaurant waste, Too Good To Go (toogoodtogo.co.uk) offers discounted meals from eateries that would otherwise have been thrown away.

And you can snap it for social media if you like. There's no need to limit those hunger-inducing Instagrams, as long as you start to think a bit more carefully about your consumption - not just the photo composition - and ensure that the food ends up in your tummy, and not in the bin.
Bangladesh Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid shows changes in a primary grade textbook during a news conference at the Ministry of Education in Dhaka, Jan. 10, 2017.

Millions of Bangladeshi students celebrated last month as the government gave away free textbooks, but some parents and educators soon questioned whether the contents violated secular rules for learning materials.

Complaints surfaced that the government approved books to satisfy conservative Muslim groups, particularly to appease the powerful Hefazat-e-Islam, a national organization of teachers and students at Islamic boarding schools  madrassas  whose influence is coveted by the ruling Awami League and opposition parties to win votes.

Four years earlier, Hefazat-e-Islam staged a huge demonstration in which the group issued a 13-point declaration for bringing sharia law to Bangladesh, whose constitution guarantees secularism. Changing the national curriculum for public schools was listed among the 13 points.

This year, members of the group praised the government for fulfilling their calls to change 29 articles in textbooks.

After our long struggle and rally, the authorities could finally understand the gravity of the issue and brought changes in the textbooks, Hefazat-e-Islam leader Shah Ahmad Shafi said in a statement. He criticized protesters from pro-secular government groups.

Intellectuals voiced concern that religion is seeping into the countrys education system.

National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) chairman Narayan Chandra Saha, however, denied that Hefazat-e-Islam had influenced the changes.

We do review the curriculum every five years. We did it for this years curriculum. Only students, parents and academicians were welcomed for recommendation, Narayan told BenarNews

A slow poisoning of children

Efforts by Islamic-based political parties to remove the secular tone from literature textbooks began in 1975 but were unsuccessful until this year. Prior to that year, religion-based political parties were banned.

Critics pointed to changes occurring as early as class one in alphabet books.

Ol, a kind of yam, was replaced with Orna, a kind of scarf girls wear as they become adolescents.

Bangladeshi students study religion according to their faith, which should not be linked with literary textbooks, Rasheda K. Chowdhury, executive director of the Campaign for Popular Education (Campe), told BenarNews.

Say, for example, earlier literature books had poems and prose written by Muslim and non-Muslim authors. This year, unnecessarily, some textbooks contents moved to religious content. If you want me to describe the situation, I will say, behind the scenes was a slow poisoning of children taking place, Chowdhury said.

BenarNews analyzed textbooks on literature from grades one to 10, finding that the book in grade two contained an essay sobai meele kori kaj (Lets work together), which told a story about a Muslim prophet, Hazrat Muhammad.

In grades three and four, students read the story of two Khalifas, Hazrat Omar and Hazrat Abu Bakar. The grade five literature book saw the addition of the farewell sermon of Prophet Muhammad.

Creeping into the mainstream

Expunged from textbooks was the poem Boi (Book) by Humayun Azad, a secular writer and professor at the University of Dhaka, who was attacked by militants with machetes during the Ekushey Book Fair in February 2004, and died a few months later.

Literature text books from grades six to 10 saw similar changes.

Among the essays removed from textbooks was Samay Gele sadhon Hobe na by Baul, a group of people in Bangladesh and part of India who practice mysticism and believe that the soul is the abode of God, and who follow a late mystic known as Lalon Fakir.

Also removed were excerpts from an adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana, written for children by Upendrakishore Roy Chowdhury, and Lalu, a popular novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

It means, the vested group has been gaining strength and creeping into the main stream education system, journalist Julfikar Ali Manik told BenarNews regarding the Islamization of textbooks.

The group tried to kill Humayun Azad and successfully removed him from the textbook. It means the group is moving forward with very specific agenda of destroying intellect, Manik said.

Education ministry sources speaking on condition of anonymity said some of the books had to be reprinted to make the changes sought by Hefazat-e-Islam.

During the process we forgot about two of their demands. About half of the total volume of books worth about 15 crore taka (U.S. $1.8 million) were published that time. We halted the process, excluded two articles and went into printing again.
Updated at 12:16 a.m. ET on 2017-02-18

A woman suspected of taking part in the assassination of the half-brother of Kim Jong-Un changed her appearance and her hotel several times before she was arrested, hotel staff said Friday.



Meanwhile, Indonesian officials said a second woman in Malaysian custody, Indonesian national Siti Aisyah, was duped into helping carry out the hit by being told she was participating in a reality TV prank filmed with hidden cameras, according to reports.



Details of the two female suspects emerged Friday as Malaysian police pursued their investigation into the sudden death on Monday of Kim Jong-Nam, the half-sibling of Pyongyang regime leader Kim Jong-Un.

Late on Friday, police arrested the first North Korean suspect in the case, in Selangor state. A police statement named him as as Ri Jong Chol, 46, but gave no further details.

Kim died en route to hospital after reportedly telling medical personnel that a woman had attacked him with a chemical spray at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) as he was waiting to board a flight to Macau that day.



Malaysian officials have yet to release an autopsy report stating the cause of death. South Korea has pointed the finger at North Korea, citing a "standing order" from Kim Jong-Un to kill his sibling and a failed assassination bid in 2012 after he criticized the regime.



In a tirade outside the Malaysian morgue where the body is being held, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol lambasted officials on Friday for refusing to release it and said Pyongyang would not accept the result of a post-mortem conducted by Malaysian authorities.



Armed with a teddy bear



Malaysian police said both women had been positively identified from CCTV footage taken at the airport around the time of Kims death. A Malaysian man described as Sitis boyfriend was also arrested, and police were searching for at least three other male suspects.

Vietnam has not commented on reports that the first suspect arrested in the case was carrying a passport identifying her as 28-year-old Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam.



She had checked into three hotels in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Sepang  not far from the airport  between Feb. 11 and Feb. 15, when she was arrested, employees at the hotels said.



She changed her appearance and was seen wearing a surgical mask, according to interviews with hotel receptionists. At one of the hotels, the woman borrowed a pair of scissors from staff that she used to cut her shoulder-length hair down to a bob.



Staffers said she checked in carrying bags and a stuffed animal half her size.



She came in with a very big teddy bear, and two bags, said an employee of one of the hotels.



She stayed at the first hotel from Feb. 11 to 12, at the next one from Feb. 12 to 13  the day of the killing  and the last one from the 13th to the 15th, according to interviews with receptionists.



A supervisor at the third hotel, who asked not to be identified, said the woman changed her contact lenses color every day and covered her face indoors with a surgical mask, which she took off when she went out in the evenings to get food.



The supervisor described the woman as tall and pretty.



I thought she was Korean until she produced her passport, the supervisor said.



No laughing matter



The Vietnamese passport holder was wearing a white shirt emblazoned with LOL when she was caught by a CCTV camera at the airport terminal on the day of the killing.



On Friday, Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian told reporters that Siti Aisyah was a victim of people who fooled her into taking part in the assassination.



Citing information relayed by Malaysian police, Tito said Siti had been paid along with another woman to pull off several pranks  which called for ambushing a man and spraying water in his face  for a show similar to Just for Laughs, a popular TV program that uses concealed cameras, the Associated Press reported.



Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong-Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer, Tito said, according to AP.



Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla backed up the claim that Siti had been duped.



Kalla said Siti was a victim of manipulation.



Kim  [was] a victim of a victim because Aisyah was also a victim, Kalla told reporters in Jakarta, brushing off allegations that she was a North Korean operative.



If she were an agent, I think she would have disappeared without a trace, he said, adding that the Indonesian government would provide her with legal aid.



Siti is a divorced mother of a 7-year-old boy who lives with his paternal grandparents in Tambora, West Jakarta, according to her former father-in-law, Lian Kiong.



Lian Kiong defended her over the reports, denying that she could have been involved in such a cloak-and-dagger crime.



I dont believe it, he told BenarNews.



He described his former daughter-in-law as polite and a good person. He last saw her on Jan. 28, when Aisyah came with her mother to visit her son, and she seemed normal, he said.



If you saw her, shed just smile, a former neighbor, Damayanti, told BenarNews about Siti, who once worked at a garment factory in Tambora, ironing and folding jackets.

Fadzil Aziz in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.
Political prisoner, activist, journalist, hymn-writer, emerging think tanker, aspiring novelist, "tribal elder", parliamentary candidate for North West Durham, Shadow Leader of the Opposition, Speedboat, proudly banned from Twitter so officially more dangerous than the Taliban, eagerly awaiting the second (or possibly third) attempt to murder me.


Paul Hooker with President Mary Ellen Mazey

By Matt Markey 76

Before the first whiteboards can be installed or the infrastructure for video streaming can be put in place, and even before the flexible classroom and study areas can be outfitted with the best in learning technology, there needs to be a foundation.

The new College of Business Administration needs financial building blocks of significant size in order to advance from the sketches and models to a living, functioning learning laboratory of the future, and for the future.

Several generous and committed donors who are passionate about keeping Bowling Green at the forefront in business education have provided major financial support for the new structure, which will be known as the Robert W. and Patricia A. Maurer Center.

Peggy L. Schmeltz 50, 70 is honoring her late husbands legacy with support for the new CBA building. William Schmeltz taught finance and was both an educator and a mentor to several generations of BGSU business students.The Maurers have made a substantial gift for the new CBA, and their philanthropy has been joined and enhanced by other prominent members of the greater BGSU family.

Michael 80 and Mary Lee 80 McGranaghan, Peggy L. Schmeltz 50, 70, and Paul J. 75 and N. Margo 74 Hooker regard this dramatic update to the BGSU campus as a priority.

What is required to be successful in a college of business is bright and fully engaged students, outstanding teachers utilizing the latest educational techniques, and a world-class facility that promotes learning and dynamic interactions, Mike McGranaghan said. If one of those three things is out of sync with the others, then this ecosystem will not work.

The McGranaghans know well the importance of that optimal incubator of learning  they are both products of a BGSU business education. They have a collective determination to make the exceptional education they received available to Falcon business students of the future.

Michael 80 and Mary Lee 80 McGranaghan have a collective determination to make the exceptional education they received available to Falcon business students of the future.

Bowling Green finds itself in an extremely competitive environment, Mike McGranaghan said, and if you are going to be a highly successful and vibrant university, this growth is essential.

The McGranaghans have provided a gift to create the Deans Suite in honor of the current dean, Raymond W. Braun. The suite will be centrally located in the building and house the administrative offices for the college.

Mary Lee McGranaghan stressed the importance of having an excellent facility, and then showcasing it to prospective students and the business world.

It will bring the top students there, which is very important, she said. I was able to land a very nice job after I left BGSU, and we want to see that happen for all of our students.The Robert W. and Patricia A. Maurer Center will also feature a unique student-centric aspect that honors an educator and humanitarian with close ties to BGSU graduates Paul and Margo Hooker. The Hookers have pledged to fund the Sister Noreen Gray Student Success Hub, naming the vital hub after Pauls aunt who passed away two years ago following a long career in education and charitable work that stretched from northwest Ohio to an orphanage in Jamaica.

We immediately thought that Aunt Noreens name would be much more fitting than ours to don this space, Paul Hooker said. Any accomplishments I may have had in my life pale next to those of my aunt.

Following graduation, the Hookers concentrated on raising their family and building a company. They reconnected with the University in recent years, and that association reminded them of the outstanding experience they had as BGSU students.

I find myself thinking often of lessons that I learned as an undergraduate, Paul said. The University offered me so many avenues to grow and mature . . . and I want to do what I can to help others attain a college degree from my beloved alma mater.

Paul Hooker has mentored BGSU students through his work with The Hatch program, and has also lectured on campus on entrepreneurial opportunities. He has seen the potential in that pool of enthusiastic business students.

Many of my touch points with the University have been the students themselves, Paul Hooker said. When I was at BGSU, the current College of Business Administration building was new, but teaching methods have changed and the building is antiquated. To draw the top business students, we need a state-of-the-art facility.

The association Peggy and the late William Schmeltz have had with the University and the CBA stretches back more than 70 years, when Bill first enrolled as a student in 1944. He later taught finance and was both an educator and a mentor to several generations of BGSU business students.

Building on that lengthy and deep relationship, which included the time Bill spent as dean of the College of Business Administration, Peggy decided to honor her late husbands legacy by lending the familys support to the new CBA building.

Bill always had the interests of the students in mind, she said. He wanted to make their education as much like learning to run a business as possible, and this new facility will continue that type of approach.

A prominent part of the new building will be the William F. and Peggy L. Schmeltz Atrium. It is Peggys desire that the area serve as a place where the business graduates that Bill helped to train and educate will gather during their visits to campus and share memories of his days with them in the classroom.

He followed many of his students after they left Bowling Green. It was a real source of pride for Bill, she said. I want the new students to know about him, and the alums to remember him. If he were alive today, hed be so proud of the direction the University is taking, and proud of them building this new facility.
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This is certainly essential, as an investment in the future, Bob Maurer said. We have no reservations about supporting this endeavor and helping see to it that Bowling Green State University has the best facilities to educate its students. You cant overemphasize the importance of that.

With its high-tech classrooms, atrium gathering place, student success center, deans suite, and a wide range of meeting areas and other amenities, Bob Maurer expects the new CBA to keep BGSU at the forefront in educating business students. The College of Business has been ranked among the top business programs by U.S. News and World Report, the Princeton Review and Bloomberg Businessweek, while the accounting program is ranked first in Ohio by Bloomberg.

Theyre obviously doing a great job already, so putting this new facility on campus will just add to that, and make the business education we offer at Bowling Green that much stronger, he said. We will continue to recruit the best students and instructors, and put them in a fine facility. We see that as a very wise investment.

Bob Maurer, who lettered in wrestling at BGSU, and his wife Patricia, who also attended the University, are members of The Presidents Club, the 1910 Society, the Cornerstone Club and Falcon Club.

In 2007, they were presented with the Friends of the Library Award for their strong support of the Library. Bob Maurer has served on the Board of Directors of the BGSU Foundation, Inc., and was a member of the Advocates Board for the Library. He now serves as a member of the Leadership Council for University Libraries.

The Maurers established the Maurer Family Endowed Professorship in Accounting in 2008, awarding the professorship to a faculty member who has an outstanding reputation in teaching and scholarship.

Were proud to support the Bowling Green community and were proud to be supportive of our university, Bob Maurer said. We think that is very important, and essential to the success of both.

The Maurers have also provided support to Phi Delta Theta fraternity, of which Bob Maurer was a member at BGSU. They have also supplied assistance to the Learning Commons and supported the band uniform fund. In the Bowling Green community, the Maurers have been supporters of the Wood County Library and the American Red Cross.

Robert Maurer said the creation of a new facility for the College of Business comes at a time when business is a rapidly changing field with a worldwide focus.

In todays business environment, youre either going forward or youre falling behind, and we need to provide the coming generations of students with the best facility possible, he said.

The Maurers see the business world as a rapidly evolving arena, and one in which Bowling Green State University is constantly pushing to offer the latest innovations in modern education.

Were excited about what has happened in recent years, and that excitement continues with this new College of Business building. The more they can bring the business education we offer as close as possible to what the business people see in todays age, then the better prepared our students will be for the business world of tomorrow, he said. This new building will provide a great foundation for that.
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Bollywood Celebrities Who Rocked The Midi Dress Bollywood Wardrobe Lekhaka

Most of us love wearing midi dresses, especially during summer. These calf-length silhouettes have been one among the staples in the wardrobe of many of us. Not too long, not too short - midi dresses have been flaunted by our divas from Bollywood perfectly.

A midi dress falls below the knee, brushes against the calf muscles and looks incredibly great on all types of bodies. Midi dresses look very feminine and sophisticated as well.

When you feel you are bored of A-line dresses or jeans, switch to midi dresses just like our Bollywood divas did.

Let's check these Bollywood stars who rocked the midi dress trend.

1. Alia Bhatt Alia Bhatt is the new style icon in Bollywood and she makes sure to stay updated with the latest fashion trends. The star wore a gorgeous white cut off midi dress during the promotion of her movie, Dear Zindagi in the Bigg Boss house. With slightly brushed hair and pink nude lips, Alia finished off the look with pastel pink sandals from the house of Intoto. Keeping it simple, the actress looked enigmatic.

Image Courtesy 2. Deepika Padukone One of the gorgeous ladies in B-town, Deepika Padukone looked elegant in this button down shirt midi dress from Shift's winter collection 2016. The actress rounded off the look with colour block pumps from the house of Christian Louboutin, matte red lipstick and a neatly tied ponytail.

Image Courtesy 3. Aishwarya Rai Wearing a pink dress by Dubai-based Lebanese designer, Aiisha Ramadan, Aishwarya Rai looked stunning during the promotion of her movie, Sarabjit. The actress finished off the complete look by teaming her dress with silver glittery pumps. She looked absolutely divine in this pink midi dress!

Image Courtesy 4. Priyanka Chopra The global desi girl, Priyanka Chopra wore a black embellished midi dress from the house of Veera Wang's spring 2016 collection. Priyanka's midi dress was embellished with gold and silver sequin all over. The sleek criss-cross pattern at the back surely got everyone's heart racing. The actress looked absolutely amazing in this midi dress while attending the People's Choice Awards 2016 function.

Image Courtesy 5. Kareena Kapoor Kareena Kapoor is the girl of the era who made various fashion statements during her pregnancy. Wearing a full sleeved printed midi dress from ISSA London during the ISSA's Pre-Fall 2015, Bebo looked remarkable. Nude lips, sun kissed makeup and softly brushed hair completed the look for Kareena.

Image Courtesy 6. Vaani Kapoor During a promotional event, Bollywood's Befikre girl, Vaani Kapoor stepped out in a midi dress from the house of Gauri and Nainika. The perfectly tailored dress looked absolutely stunning on Vani. The actress finished off her look with loose locks, a glossy pout and a pair of black peeps. I would say this look of Vaani was a spot on!

Image Courtesy 7. Kriti Sanon While attending Vogue's editor Suzy Menkes' event, Kriti decided to put her foot forward in a solid midi dress from the house of Manish Malhotra. Kriti looked amazing in this rich berry dress and the layers of the fringes added more glamour and style to the dress. Wearing a sparkling statement piece from the house of Isharya and heels from fashion label, Aldo, Kriti kept it simple and elegant.

Image Courtesy 8. Sonam Kapoor Sonam Kapoor chose to wear an earthy toned midi dress from the house of Dolly J, while promoting her movie Neerja. The chic hairdo and Christian Louboutin nude pumps rounded off her look. The actress matched her dress with Suhani Pittie earrings and had natural makeup on the face.

Image Courtesy 9. Jacqueline Fernandez While attending the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution program, the Dishoom actress wore a white midi dress with an artistic hemline. Accessorised completely in Dior, the actress carried her look with a bossy attitude. She chose to keep her makeup minimal and finished off with a casual ponytail.

Image Courtesy 10. Kangana Ranaut To honour superstar Jackie Chan at a bash hosted by actor Sonu Sood, Kangana Ranaut chose to step forward in a pink midi dress from the Parisian label, Paule Ka. The big sized bow on the waist surely added more glamour and elegance to the dress. With slightly curled hair, nude lips and a pair of pink sandals, Kangana rounded off her look with elegance.

Image Courtesy
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PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
In separate events only two days apart, Kim Jong-un, North Koreas impetuous young leader, yet again reminded the outside world of his determination to defy international norms by all available means. On February 12, with Kim present at the test site, the North successfully launched a Pukkuksong-2 intermediate range ballistic missile, which it described as a new strategic weapon of our own style. The launching of a solid-fuel missile from a track-wheeled vehicle was not the widely anticipated test of an intercontinental ballistic missile that North Korea claims it could undertake at a moments notice. But it attested to important advances in the Norths ballistic missile capabilities, and to Kims continued ability to face down near-universal opposition to his weapons programs.

The test of a mobile missile, a land-based version of a sea-launched missile first successfully tested last August, has a postulated ability to reach targets anywhere in South Korea or Japan. It is a more survivable weapons system capable of much more rapid firing than the liquid-fueled predecessors that have long dominated the Norths missile inventory. Equally or more important, North Korea claims the new missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, though this claim remains unproven.

The total number of executions (including numerous senior officials) undertaken on Kims orders now exceeds 300. But Kim Jong-nams assassination was the first murder undertaken outside of North Korea in recent years, even though there is ample history in North Korean terrorist actions over the decades. The Rangoon bombing of 1983, which killed 17 senior South Korean officials, including many Cabinet members, was one such example, and deeply agitated Deng Xiaoping and other Chinese leaders. This weeks assassination highlighted the single mindedness of the agents acting at North Koreas behest, and it also revealed major shortcomings in Malaysias airport security.

Kim Jong-nam has long been alienated from his younger half-brother, and had voiced open skepticism about dynastic succession in the North. According to South Koreas National Intelligence Service, Kim Jong-nam has long been a marked man. He purportedly sent a letter to Kim Jong-un in 2012 beseeching him to spare his life, but to no avail. The younger Kims continued elimination of his political opponents underscores his taste for blood and represents a clear warning to others within the North Korean elite. It resonates with the 1930s exchange between the British parliamentarian Lady Astor and Josef Stalin. When Lady Astor asked Stalin when he would stop killing fellow citizens, his mordant response remains chilling decades later: When it is no longer necessary.

Kim Jong-un has joined a long, disreputable lineage of leaders prepared to employ murder as a political tool. But he is also steadily amassing the means to threaten countries he deems the enemies of North Korea, ultimately including a capacity to reach the continental United States. The missile test and the murder in Kuala Lumpur might seem like very different actions, but both involve means to a common goal. Kim views the threat or use of violence as essential to his own survival and to the survival of the regime. In this regard, other members of the North Korean elite have ample reason to fear him. But neighboring states within the reach of North Korean missiles must also redouble efforts to minimize Kims threats to international security.

The near simultaneous events of the past week yet again pose the question of how to counter Pyongyangs open assault on international norms. Unless China is prepared to make North Korea pay a price for its latest actions, the prospect for tougher measures under U.N. Security Council auspices seem remote.

But North Koreas renewed resort to terrorist activity on a Southeast Asian state demands a coordinated regional response. At a minimum, the ASEAN member states, some of which have sought engagement with the North, should severely limit Pyongyangs activities in the region, including its search for new economic partners. Without imposing meaningful costs on the North, Kim will conclude that his actions are punishment free, which would only weaken the basis for concerted actions that his flagrant actions undoubtedly warrant.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hed faced physical and psychological violence before, but George Cuyler always leaned heavily on the idea that social services would be there to help if things ever got too bad.

As such, when Cuyler called social services at age 15 following a domestic violence incident between his foster parents, he expected to find RCMP join social service workers at his front door to turn things around.

Instead, he said that a lone social service worker showed up at his foster home.

Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun George Cuyler, 48, spent 17 years in British Columbia's foster care system, a period of time he refers to as "17 years in captivity." Now a resident of Brandon, he is striving to educate the public about the system that resulted in his suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

After meeting with his foster mother, Cuyler said that it became immediately clear the social worker wasnt going to make matters better. Instead, he alleged that his foster mother proceeded to slap him across the face as the social worker looked on and did nothing.

Cuyler said that his foster mother then hauled him into a nearby bedroom where he was beaten with a belt until his back was bloodied.

The days message was clear, he said  if he ever called social services again hed be pushing up daisies, to borrow a phrase that he said that his foster mother used that day.

Its a lesson Cuyler carried with him until his foster mother died a few years ago, during which time he held the abuses he endured as haunting secrets.

Now that shes dead, Cuyler, 48, has finally found the freedom to dig through his past and repiece together suppressed memories as a means of healing from past trauma.

He still has bouts of post-traumatic stress disorder, but he said that things have been getting better.

Earlier this week, an Ontario judge had sided with 16,000 60s Scoop survivors in a class-action lawsuit whose damages have yet to be awarded.

News of the judges ruling has had a ripple effect among indigenous people from across the nation who were placed in non-indigenous foster homes as youths.

The news item has certainly had an impact on Cuyler, who is part of a similar such class-action lawsuit in British Columbia, which hed last received an update about several years ago.

The lawsuit is less about getting money than it is about clearly establishing that the government was wrong in stripping indigenous youths of their culture, he said; for them to actually admit they did wrong.

Cuyler was first taken out of his parents home at the age of two, prompting what he now refers to as 17 years in captivity.

After shifting from different family homes in his native British Columbian community of Bella Coola, he and his three siblings were uprooted from their home community when he was five years of age.

While he said that his mothers drinking and lack of food in their household precipitated social services action, the supposedly safer environment that they were taken into was much worse.

Cuyler said that he can still remember the day he was taken out of his Heiltsuk (paternal) and Nu7lhalk (maternal) household.

Both of his parents were home at the time, he said  a rare occurrence, since his father was oftentimes away from home at fishing camps. Members of the RCMP arrived at the familys home and literally pulled Cuyler from his fathers arms.

From there, Cuyler and his three siblings were placed in a foster home at a farm in British Columbia where they joined 13 other children.

The foster dad was a good guy, Cuyler said, relaying that hed openly call him dad.

The foster mother  the primary caregiver  was something different altogether, he said.

She was never called mom.

Cuyler said that she beat with belts, blocks of wood, chains and various other items, kicked and verbally abused him  a pattern of behaviour that has contributed to Cuylers ongoing bouts with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some days, he said that its still difficult to leave his residence.

Repeatedly called a stupid Indian by his foster mother, whom Cuyler said would do whatever she could to belittle him and his indigenous roots, his lifes flame dimmed over the years.

Cuyler attempted suicide a couple times during his youth, including one incident where he said the rope tied around his neck broke, after which his foster father walked in and convinced him to keep himself alive, in that others  himself included  would feel hurt if he were no longer around.

After leaving the foster care system at the age of 19, Cuyler got into drugs and alcohol, spending a two-year stint homeless.

He credits reconnecting with his indigenous culture with finally allowing him to turn his life around.

Cuyler said that hed always felt like an apple  red on the outside, white on the inside  and that it wasnt until he started participating in cultural activities that he began to truly understand himself.

Culture is a way of being, he said. Once youve enveloped yourself into your culture, then your true identity starts coming out.

Struggles persisted as he relocated east to Manitoba, where he ended up settling down in Brandon.

About four years ago, he found a new rock bottom when he was thrown in the Brandon Police Service drunk tank. While sobering up behind bars, he said that he asked himself; What am I dong here, in my 40s?

He quit drinking on the spot, just as hed quit cocaine cold turkey 27 years before that.

Cuyler is working on his GED through a program at the Brandon Friendship Centre and has committed to writing a book about his life, highlighting his struggles through the foster care system and insights regarding how the system might improve.

While the 60s Scoop singles out the 1960s, his experience came during subsequent decades. He also points to nieces and nephews who recently got out of the foster care system as retaining a very limited knowledge of their indigenous culture.

I just want people to know that even though mainstream Canadians think that taking native kids away isnt doing them any harm, its still happening today, he said.

Change needs to happen, and a good starting point would be the government settling class-action lawsuits with indigenous people who were stripped of their culture through the foster care system.

This weeks news out of Ontario is a good sign, but other provinces need to follow suit, Cuyler said, suggesting that it feels like theyre waiting for proponents to die off so there are fewer people to settle with.

Cuyler has lost two of his three siblings over the years, and he recently learned that his one remaining sibling has early-onset dementia.

Cuyler said that he wants to see things settled while his sister can still comprehend whats going on.

Then, he said that Canadians need assurances that youths will no longer be stripped of their culture, and that those in the foster care system will grow up knowing who they truly are.

It took decades for Cuyler to pick up the scattered pieces of his life, and he doesnt want anyone else to go through the struggles that he and countless others have faced as it relates to ones basic sense of identity.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A retired CFB Shilo officer has been charged with a sexual assault alleged to have been committed against a subordinate member of the Armed Forces.

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service announced the charges on Friday. He was still a soldier at the time of the alleged offence, so the case will be sent through the military court system.

Even though during the course of the investigation he has subsequently retired, the military police still have the jurisdiction and the right to charge this individual, National Defence Public Affairs Officer Lieut. Blake Patterson said.

Retired Warrant Officer Jason Buenacruz is charged with sexual assault under the Criminal Code, and with three other counts under the National Defence Act.

Two of those counts under the National Defence Act are for abuse of subordinates. Under that charge: Every person who strikes or otherwise ill-treats any person who by reason of rank or appointment is subordinate to him is guilty of an offence on conviction (and) is liable to imprisonment for less than two years or to less punishment.

The remaining National Defence Act charge is for conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline.

The sexual assault is alleged to have been committed in May 2016 while Buenacruz was based at CFB Shilo. The complainant reported the assault on June 7, 2016. Buenacruz retired from the Armed Forces in October.

Patterson clarified that the sexual assault allegation relates to a single incident.

National Defence has not released the gender or age of the complainant, nor has it described the general circumstances under which the sexual assault is alleged to have been committed. Whether, for example, the assault occurred while in the field during training or at a home.

The date and location of any possible court martial is yet to be determined.

Buenacruzs current place of residence wasnt immediately available on Friday.

Patterson explained that regular members of the Canadian Armed Forces are subject to the Code of Service Discipline at all times. Military courts continue to have jurisdiction over retired members who were subject to the code at the time of an alleged offence.

Patterson couldnt clarify the precise connection between the complainant and Buenacruz at the time of the alleged offences. The complainant remains a serving member of the Armed Forces, he said.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/02/2017 (2088 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Selkirk RCMP are seeking the publics assistance locating 18-month-old Seaira Neveah Hunter and her mother Rebecca Mikalosh.

Police say Mikalosh, 36, failed to attend a scheduled visit with the girls father and that she doesnt have the authority to take the girl outside her local area.

Police spoke to Mikalosh on Wednesday morning, when she confirmed that she had Seaira and that they were both doing well. Further contact was made that night with a family member, however, in both instances, she declined to meet with RCMP.

Submitted Selkirk RCMP are seeking the publics assistance to locate Rebecca Mikalosh and her 18-month-old daughter, Seaira Neveah Hunter.

We are asking for Rebecca to contact us so that we can confirm that Seaira is doing well RCMP Chief Superintendent Mark Fisher said. We are also asking anyone who may have seen or been with Rebecca and Seaira to contact their local police immediately. 

Police believe Mikalosh is travelling west in a grey 2001 Ford Taurus with Manitoba licence plate GVD 275. They may be in western Saskatchewan (North Battleford/Saskatoon area) or Alberta, according to police.

A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for Mikalosh for the abduction of a child under 14 years old.

Mikalosh is described as Caucasian, approximately five-feet-six, 120 pounds, with short brown hair.

Hunter is described as Caucasian, approximately two-feet-nine and 20 pounds.

Anyone with any information should call 911.

Seaira Neveah Hunter

An amber alert was not issued as police dont believe there is any imminent danger of bodily harm or death to the child at this time.

 The Brandon Sun
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Their name has changed several times during the past 40 years, but the core plant of Paterson Patterson Wyman & Abel has remained the same.

So described Douglas Paterson, who as the only remaining founding member has secured top billing with the Brandon law firm.

It has been a fun ride over the past four decades, Paterson said  one that has satiated his sense of adventure by allowing him to tackle a wide breadth of cases.

Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun Robert Patterson (foreground) and his mentor, Douglas Paterson, from the Brandon law firm of Paterson Patterson Wyman & Abel.

Prior to breaking out on his own in 1977, Paterson spent his first four years in the legal profession as a solicitor for Autopac, during which his life felt on repeat, with a succession of similar cases failing to fully spark his interest.

I dont like to get into one specific groove, Paterson said in his downtown Brandon office this week. Now, I can come in and do what I want  what comes in the door I can take or not take.

Located across the street from the Brandon courthouse and within a few blocks of a handful of other law offices and a land titles office, Paterson Patterson Wyman & Abel has found itself a sweet spot in the Wheat City.

Their space at 1-1040 Princess Ave. is within the Carriage House building, which was built in 1939 and at one time served as the Brandon Bus Depot.

In early 2008, they doubled their footprint and grew in size to their present four partners and four associates.

During the firms 40 years, younger lawyers have joined the ranks as both partners and associates, ensuring the firm continues well past its 40th year.

One of these lawyers is Robert Patterson, who has considered Paterson a mentor since high school.

Growing up in Brandon, Pattersons parents were friends of Paterson and linked up the two when the younger (and double T) Patterson expressed interest in law.

Patterson job shadowed the elder (and single T) Paterson in high school, which established his love of the legal profession.

Now a partner with the firm, Patterson said that Brandon has been a prime location to practise law.

Even though youre in Brandon Manitoba and not on Bay Street, Toronto, or in downtown Calgary, you can still practise good law, (take on) interesting files, and we can do work as well as anyone anywhere else, he said. You do have the opportunity to see and experience quite a wide spread of work.

Whereas larger centres often find lawyers pigeonholed into specific areas of law, Brandons legal environment allows for a greater range of experience, Patterson explained.

Brandons a convenient place to practise for lawyers, Paterson said in agreement, adding that it has proven a good place to raise a family, which has motivated many lawyers to remain with the firm long-term.

Now in his 44th year practising law, Paterson said that it has been a rewarding career  one that has allowed him to help others on a regular basis, even though much of it is behind the scenes and known only to his clients and himself.

While technology has changed the profession over the past four decades, Paterson said past warnings that computers would eliminate the need for lawyers have thus far proven inaccurate.

The core plant remains in place.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
This is a very good article and the last paragraph sums it up nicely."While I know there are sane, moderate Republicans still left out there, they really no longer have a party. Long gone are the days of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Eisenhower. Now it's a party built on fear, hate, bigotry, racism, religious fanaticism and the myth of Ronald Reagan. It's supported by people whose own politicians treat them like mindless idiots  and they absolutely love every minute of it"The modern Republican Party of misfits and weak minded followers started it's down hill slide into batshit craziness during the Nixon administration when the religious "silent majority" started their takeover.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/02/2017 (2088 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Assiniboine Community College announced two new initiatives yesterday that will help adult students finish their high school diploma and assist them as they move on to post-secondary studies.

For the next two years, the college is waiving application fees for students applying to enrol in the Mature Student High School (MSHS) program, which it offers at its campuses in Brandon and Dauphin as well as in partnership with communities throughout Manitoba.

We want to eliminate as many barriers as possible to help connect individuals to education pathways, ACCs vice-president (academic) Deanna Rexe said. Manitoba lags behind the majority of Canada in terms of high school completion rates. Our college has an important role to play in narrowing this gap.

Prior to now, there was a $75 fee to apply to the program. The ACC Foundation is supporting the colleges efforts with a $16,000 contribution to help cover the fees over the trial period.

This past academic year, 455 students were enrolled in the colleges MSHS program, and 81 students graduated with a high school credential.

In addition to the commitment the foundation has made to support the colleges application fee waiver, we wanted to increase our efforts to make college education more accessible for mature students who choose to continue their studies, president of the ACC Foundation board Tammy Johannson said.

As a result, proceeds from the foundations Legacy Gala Dinner on March 23 will go towards growing the colleges entrance awards for MSHS graduates who are entering post-secondary programs. This will provide full tuition scholarships for at least ten students. Last year, the gala raised more than $30,000.

The good news is that around a third of those students who finish their high school studies with us choose to continue directly on to a college program in the fall, ACC president Mark Frison said. Its powerful to think that in a two- or three-year period, some individuals will go from not having a high school diploma to becoming a college graduate.

According to a 2015 economic impact study by Economic Modelling Specialists Inc, the average diploma graduate from Assiniboine will earn an additional $11,700 each year compared to someone with a high school diploma.

Education attainment, whether secondary or post-secondary, is a key determinant of labour market participation, income and health, Frison said.

 Submitted
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Manitobans prepare to celebrate Louis Riel Day, the Metis community is welcoming an increasing number of people embracing the man as well as joining the annual festivities.

It used to be Louis Riel was only associated with Metis people in Manitoba, but now that its recognized that Louis Riel was in fact the father of Confederation for the province of Manitoba  I think all Manitobans can lay claim to him as the first premier in the province, said Leah Laplante, vice-president of the Manitoba Metis Federation Southwest Region.

Grand Valley Local and the Manitoba Metis Federation Southwest Region throw a fun family celebration every year, which this year will be hosted at Brandon University on Monday due to a growing amount of interest.

Rhiannon Lekopoy and Baylie Lane enjoy a skate during 2016 Louis Riel Day celebrations in Brandon. This year, the fun family event put on by Grand Valley Local and the Manitoba Metis Federation Southwest Region will be hosted at Brandon University.

I was really happy to see this partnership because I think up until (now) people have been a little reluctant because it is called Louis Riel Day, Laplante said. Opening it up and partnering with other institutions is a great step in moving forward  all Manitobans have a reason to celebrate.

Despite being hanged for high treason in 1885, the assumption that Riel was a traitor has been put to rest and he is now largely regarded as the founding father of Manitoba.

These assumptions, however, have been long engrained in our history. As early as the years leading to his execution, Riel was highly controversial.

Issues of The Brandon Sun from the archives in 1885 have examples from both sides letters to the editor voicing support for Riels grievances with the government juxtaposed with poems describing Riel as a tramp and a fraud.

Even after his death, commentary made by Ambroise Lepine  Riels lieutenant in the North-West Rebellion  still shows a conflicted opinion.

I was with him all the time. Louis Riel was a crank on religion and politics, a monomaniac, a fool; still his work has brought good fruit. He always succeeded in gaining his point. He secured for the Metis of Manitoba those rights with the Hudson Bay Company so long denied them, and in the second rebellion he secured the freedom of the North-West. Unfortunately, it appears that a rebellion is needed whenever a portion of the country wants its rights, Lepine said in a Brandon Sun article from Dec. 3, 1889.

Of course, poor Louis paid the price with his life, but he did not pay too dearly. Every Metis now owns 240 acres of rich land. The land which he first cultivated is his own, and there is no surveyor or government officer of any kind who can take down his fence and begin parcelling out land to someone else.

Laplante said Riel ran more of a resistance than something resembling treason.

He was fighting for everyone that lived in Manitoba at the time, although the majority was Metis there were a lot of other nations of people here as well, Laplante said. He was fighting for everybodys rights. He was asking for the two languages, he was asking for bridges and roads, all of things that we still (ask for) today.

Riel was chosen as the namesake for the February holiday in 2008 after hundreds of Manitoba schools responded to a provincial naming contest, a sign Laplante said is encouraging.

That tells me that the true history is being taught to a large extent in the elementary schools, Laplante said. I think as we move forward were going to find that at some point, Manitobans will be very thankful that their children chose the name for this holiday.

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy

Holiday weekend festivities

Brandonites looking to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather this long weekend can head to Riding Mountain National Park for Louis Riel Weekend. Saturday and Sunday are filled with events including dog sledding, guided snowshoe tours, pony rides, beadworking and bannock roasting. For more information, check out friendsofridingmountain.ca.

Asessippi Ski Area & Resort is also celebrating this weekend, taking the opportunity to honour Canadas 150 birthday. On Saturday, guests are invited to hold sparklers and crack glowsticks to be part of the illuminated Canadian flag at 6 p.m., followed by live music. On Sunday, 150 paper lanterns will be released in the evening followed by a fireworks show. Burgers, beavertails and bannock will also be available at the courtyard barbecue all weekend.

Grand Valley Local is hosting Louis Riel Day at Brandon University from noon to 4 p.m. on Monday. Free hotdogs, tea and hot chocolate will be available while guests can enjoy a live band with traditional music. Jigging lessons will also be provided, so no one has an excuse to stay sitting.

 The Brandon Sun
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The economic conditions that surround the agricultural sector are always worth looking at, but the main concern for agricultural producers remains as old as time itself.

Weather conditions  specifically, Westmans saturated soil conditions and heavy snowpack  remain local area agricultural producers top concern, Keystone Agricultural Producers president Dan Mazier shared on Friday.

All the other things, including trade uncertainty brought on by U. S. President Donald Trump, is still important, but secondary.

File Taylor Lamouline, who works on a local farm, hauls snow out of Hartney in early January. Saturated soil conditions and heavy snowpack remain top concerns for area farmers, Keystone Agricultural Producers president Dan Mazier says.

Friday saw Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada release its 2017 Canadian Agricultural Outlook, wherein a net cash income decline of seven per cent was forecast for the year.

A weak North American livestock market factors into the decline, while crop receipts are expected to increase slightly.

This past year hasnt been kind to the pork industry either, Mazier said, noting that even those areas that declined or are forecast to decline are only dropping in comparison with recent years.

These sectors are still up when compared with a broader range of years, meaning things have still been on an upswing, overall.

Anything can change, Mazier said, noting that theres always work being done in the background to ensure things remain positive for agricultural producers.

The federal government is currently working to update its agricultural policies  an effort Mazier hopes to see result in increased funding toward protecting producers against perils.

The most recent funding shift found some of this funding shift toward research, which Mazier said is positive but shouldnt detract from helping agricultural producers in a more immediate sense.

This has put young farmers at risk, whose startups can sink rather quickly within unshielded conditions.

Meanwhile, certain forces have been working against agricultural producers, including a batch of significant mergers, such as that between Bayer and Monsanto, which Mazier fears might put a bigger squeeze on producers whose suppliers are in a less competitive marketplace.

Trumps musings about the North America Free Trade Agreement and other trade deals has also been of concern, particular his use of the word tweak, which Mazier said could mean just about anything.

Its day by day in this industry, he said, adding that a lot of it comes down to waiting and seeing.

For now, as always, the most immediate concern relates to weather conditions, and whether the heavy snowpack melts slowly so as to reduce the flood risk.

As long as the crops go in between May 1 and June 15 in time to experience a 100- to 120-day growing season, things should be fine.

That is, as long as serious hail events or an early snowfall, such as what last years growing season had in spades, does not occur, Mazier said.

As long as were off to a good start in the spring, well be OK, but things can change with any given weather forecast.

If worse comes to worse, the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. will be ready to take on insurance claims, vice-president of insurance operations David VanDeynze said.

These past two years have seen back-to-back record hail damage claim years, with about 3,000 logged in 2015 and about 4,000 recorded in 2016  A real reflection of increased hail activity over those two years, VanDeynze said.

Even so, VanDeynze affirmed that the organization is still in decent shape to handle farmers insurance needs in the event they face weather-related adversity in 2017.

Very little has changed with the organization year-over-year, VanDeynze said, noting that they organization remains in a relatively safe, static position.

Right now, he said that their main push is reminding agricultural producers about the March 31 deadline to make changes to their policies prior to this years growing season.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The race for the next leader of the federal Conservative party appears to be picking up steam as we inch closer to May 27, when party members finally get the chance to cast their ballots. Financial data compiled by polling analyst Eric Grenier, along with a new Nanos survey gauging Canadians views of the race, provides some interesting insights as to the emerging frontrunners in the leadership contest.

According to Grenier, fundraising numbers from the last quarter of 2016 place Maxime Bernier, a Conservative MP from the Quebec riding of Beauce and former cabinet minister in the Stephen Harper government, top of the list in terms of highest number of donations.

Not only did Bernier raise the most amount of money, he also drew donors from across the country. In fact, Bernierwas the candidate with the most or second-most donors in every region of Canada, notably in Quebec and Alberta, where he was supported by nearly half of all donors. While Kellie Leitch came in second to Bernier in terms of overall donors, most of her support came from Ontario and not from Quebec or the West.

CP Federal Conservative party leadership candidates, from left, Kevin OLeary, Andrew Saxton, Andrew Scheer, Rick Peterson, Chris Alexander, Michael Chong, Lisa Raitt, Kellie Leitch, Maxime Bernier and Steven Blaney, pose for a photo prior to a debate in Montreal last Monday. Kelly Saunders notes that Bernier not only raised the most amount of money among the leadership hopefuls in the last quarter of 2016, his support was broad-based, notably in Quebec and the West  regions the Tories dominated while winning record-setting majority governments under John Diefenbaker in 1958 and Brian Mulroney in 1984.

Berniers broad base of financial support is critical for two reasons. The first concerns the rules of the leadership contest as outlined in the Conservative partys constitution. While each member of the party is given a vote, each electoral district is allocated 100 points. Leadership candidates are then assigned a point total based on their percentage of the vote they receive in each district. To win the leadership, a candidate must obtain a majority of points from across the country.

The Conservatives also use a preferential voting system, which means that if no one wins a majority of points on the first ballot, the candidate with the least number of points will be removed from the running and another round of voting will take place until a winner is declared.

This means that every district and every province counts, and counts equally. Assuming that we can read in how party members might feel about Bernier based on his level of donations, this suggests that he might have the kind of broad-based appeal necessary to win under the partys leadership rules.

The fact that Bernier draws support from both Alberta and Quebec is also crucial when we consider the winning formula that has propelled the Conservative party to power in the past. When we look at the landslide elections of 1958 and 1984, where the Conservatives won majority governments (record-setting majority governments, in fact) under John Diefenbaker and Brian Mulroney, a key factor in these wins was the ability of both leaders to build a coalition of support in Western Canada and Quebec.

In 1958, Diefenbaker brought to a crashing halt two decades of Liberal party domination by winning two-thirds of the seats in Quebec along with 93 per cent of the seats in the West. This incredible success was repeated a quarter-century later by Mulroney, whose 1984 win was secured by his ability to deliver three-quarters of the seats in both Quebec and Western Canada. While the Progressive Conservatives also won a majority of seats in Ontario in both elections, it was the grand coalition of the West and Quebec that sealed the deal.

And while it is true that Harper won his Conservative majority government in 2011 with only five seats in Quebec, the fact many Quebecers parked their votes with the NDP and not the Liberals was the critical factor in that election. In this sense, the Tories could afford to lose Quebec to the New Democrats as they were not the Conservatives main opposition in the rest of the country  the Liberals were. Now that the Liberals have rebuilt their support base in Quebec, the Conservatives cannot afford to write off the province quite so easily.

The importance of Quebec in all of this is reinforced by a Nanos poll released a few days ago on Canadians perceptions of the Conservative leadership race. Nearly half of those surveyed indicated that they were likely or somewhat likely to vote against a leader who couldnt speak both of the countrys two official languages. Hence, even though the same poll found that 15 per cent of respondents found Kevin OLeary to be the most appealing of all the candidates, his inability to speak French could be a limiting factor for the Conservatives, notably in the battleground province of Quebec.

And this is what will be essential for Conservative party members to ponder as they cast their ballots on May 27. They will need to not only choose a leader who can unite the various factions within the party, but, more importantly, choose the person best situated to challenge the Justin Trudeau-led Liberals in the next federal election.

After all, the Conservatives still managed to garner 5.6 million votes in the 2015 federal election while losing to the Liberals  not far off the 5.8 million votes they received in their 2011 election victory. With the right leader, fresh policy ideas and some good old-fashioned luck, the 2019 election could prove to be very exciting indeed for the Conservative party.

 Kelly Saunders is an associate professor with the Department of Political Science at Brandon University.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The fact is, that if you wish to educate those children you must separate them from their parents during the time they are being educated. If you leave them in the family they may know how to read and write, but they still remain savages, whereas by separating them in the way proposed, they acquire the habits and tastes  it is to be hoped only the good tastes  of civilized people.

 Sir Hector-Louis Langevin, Conservative MP, in 1883

If Winnipeg Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette has his way, the name Langevin will be stripped from the building that houses the Prime Ministers Office and replaced with that of Louis Riel.

I think it would be an incredibly powerful symbol for reconciliation, he told media this week. I know it would go a long way to ensuring that many people feel included in this country, that they would see their heroes and our young people would have a hero they can look up to.

Ouellette joined several indigenous politicians, including Hunter Tootoo, Ron Rusnak and Romeo Sagansh, in calling upon Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to rename the building in Riels honour so that residential school survivors wouldnt have to be reminded of a man who devastated their lives, as the CBC reported.

The timing for such a push from indigenous leaders isnt coincidental  Manitoba celebrates Louis Riel Day on Monday.

After leading the Red River Rebellion of 1869  which led to his exile from Canada for five years  and the North-West Rebellion of 1885, Riel was hanged for high treason. The federal government of the day has been criticized for the underhanded way that his five-day trial was conducted, and more recently Riel has been considered a founder of Manitoba.

The Langevin Block is named after Hector-Louis Langevin, a noted father of Confederation who served in Sir John A. Macdonalds cabinet. As recounted by the Canadian Encyclopedia, Langevin is remembered for attending all three conferences that led up to Confederation, and for his demonstration of a strong national sentiment. He supported a national economic agenda, the colonization of Western Canada, and the creation of a transcontinental railway. He was also a cabinet minister for nearly 30 years.

But Langevins tenure as minister of Public Works has left a deep imprint upon First Nation communities in this country. Langevin was a leading architect of the residential school system that ultimately forced an estimated 150,000 indigenous children from across the country to attend what there initially described as industrial schools.

As recounted by the Canadian Encyclopedia, Langevin presented a pilot program to the House of Commons in May 1883, which suggested that the federal government establish three residential schools in the North-West Territories, citing the success of such schools in the United States.

In spite of this unhappy legacy, it is perhaps bitter irony that Langevin threatened to resign if Riel was hanged for treason. Francophones in Quebec did not want to see Riel killed by the federal government. In him they saw the further persecution of the French Catholic minority at the hands of English Protestants.

Politically, then, as a Quebec-based politician, Langevin understood that the Conservatives were likely to lose support in Quebec should Riels execution go forward. And according to the Library and Archives Canada, Langevin was one of the few Conservatives to survive the 1887 elections in Quebec.

Despite the views of certain politicians, he remained the minister of public works. Prime Minister John Joseph Caldwell Abbott then went back on his promise to appoint Langevin lieutenant-governor of Quebec.

There is certainly an argument to be made that Riel should be given more prominence within the federal government for the role he played in Canadian history. And Canadas indigenous leaders are intent upon making that argument  and rightfully so.

Having Langevins name adorn the building that houses the PMO does cannonize a man whose legacy has become increasingly controversial as Canadians realize the damage his residential schools inflicted upon our indigenous populations.

Yet erasing Langevins name  or really, that of any Canadian politician whose legacy has been tarnished with the passage of time, such as John A. Macdonald himself  from Canadian structures may do a disservice to future generations of Canadians, and to the history of Canada that they represent.

Perhaps remembering a controversial legacy can itself be useful, so that we dont forget our own history  both the good and the bad.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thanks for the chuckle

I had a good chuckle when reading the Sound Off on what has happened to our English and grammar. It is annoying sometimes to have to hear some of the sayings out there. I dont even watch the weather and news anymore because both men and women have their hands and arms moving around like they are getting ready to fly off. They cant seem to complete a sentence without putting an aw in it somewhere.

Do you want our blood, too?

As a senior citizen who has paid taxes all my life and have to stay in my own home because as with many seniors, I cannot afford to go to a seniors home at approximately $2,500 per month  why is the government now taking our school tax rebate away? Maybe they should take our blood, too. We are trying to get by on our pensions now. If they want to get rid of us, they should also pay for half of our funeral expenses.

At least you have a job

Teachers do not need a 2.5 per cent raise hike! My God  you people are never satisfied. Be thankful you have a job.

Cancer cuts will affect us all

Cancer is a dirty, dirty, six-letter word. Have you experienced it? Has anyone in your family experienced it? A friend, neighbour? If you can answer yes to any of the above, I suggest you send the MLA in your area a nasty letter condemning the cuts to the cancer building in Winnipeg. Do you people realize the effect that is going to have on the province  on the people? Maybe not the MLAs and the premier because they will likely be exempt. I am really mad about this  so you can pass that along to your friend in Costa Rica.

Hope history does not repeat itself

As I am a big fan of history, lets hope Justin Trudeau does not come back to Canada waving a useless piece of paper like Neville Chamberlain did after meeting with Hitler.

Give the RCMP what they need

I am responding to the Sound Off, Paulson Could Take A Lesson From Churchill. As someone who has an RCMP officer in their family, I hear stories. The outlaws often have bigger weapons than the officers. Some things have changed but not enough. Give them everything they need and more. It is what keeps our country safe  it is what keeps our country free  our police officers.
Update 3pm A 25-year-old Irish woman will appear in an Australian court tomorrow charged with her fiance's murder.

29-year-old David Walsh - who was originally from Enniscorthy in Co Wexford - sustained a fatal stab wound to his neck at a house in western Sydney last night.

He was the father of three young daughters.

25-year-old Tina Cahill was arrested by police, charged with murder and refused bail.

According to local paper The Daily Telegraph, police and paramedics were called to the house in Padstow following reports of a fight involving several people outside the house.

Detective Chief Inspector Glen Fitzgerald told Nine News in Sydney the alarm was raised when the couple's neighbours reported a disturbance in the street: At the location, immediately noticed was a man in the driveway, who had what appeared to be a stab wound in his neck.

The Department of Foreign Affairs says it's providing consular assistance, while New South Wales Police says it's working with the Irish Consulate in Sydney.

Mr Walsh had posted news of their engagement on social media last month, saying: Heres to the new chapter.

Update 11.22am: A 36-year-old local man who was arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of an Irish national in Sydney has been released.

Founder of the Irish Echo newspaper Billy Cantwell said it is a big shock for the Irish community in Sydney.

The numbers have fluctuated in recent years  obviously Irelands economy improving in recent years has drawn people back, but a steady stream of people continue to come to Sydney and the core Irish community is still very strong, he said.

This man, we understand, has been here for a number of years.

Earlier:

Australian police say they have charged an Irish woman with murder - following the death of an Irish man in Sydney.

He was stabbed in the neck at a home in Padstow in Western Sydney just after midnight on Saturday local time - and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police arrested a 25-year-old woman, who was known to the deceased - along with a 35-year-old man.

The woman, who is an Irish national, was charged with murder and is due to appear in court tomorrow.

The Department of Foreign Affairs says it is providing consular assistance while NSW Police says it is working with the Irish Consulate in Sydney.

Some sort of altercation took place in a property in Padstow which is in the western suburbs of Sydney, said Billy Cantwell, founder of the Irish Echo newspaper in Sydney.


Separately, OFA, which is run by ex-Obama officials and staffers, plans to stage 400 rallies across 42 states this year to attack Trump and Republicans over ObamaCares repeal.



This is a fight we can win, OFA recently told its foot soldiers. Theyre starting to waver.



On Thursday, Trump insisted hes moving ahead with plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which has ballooned health-insurance premiums and deductibles. Obamacare is a disaster, folks, he said, adding that activists protesting its repeal are hijacking GOP town halls and other events.



They fill up our rallies with people that you wonder how they get there, the president said. But theyre not the Republican people that our representatives are representing.



As The Post reported, OFA boasts more than 250 offices nationwide and more than 32,000 organizers, with another 25,000 actively under training. Since November, its beefed up staff and fundraising, though as a social welfare non-profit, it does not have to reveal its donors.



These arent typical Black Lives Matter or Occupy Wall Street marchers, but rather professionally trained organizers who go through a six-week training program similar to the training  steeped in Alinsky agitation tactics  Obama received in Chicago when he was a community organizer.



...



Obama appears to be behind the anti-Trump protests. He praised recent demonstrations against Trumps travel ban. And last year, after Trumps upset victory, he personally rallied OFA troops to protect his legacy in a conference call. Now is the time for some organizing, he said. So dont mope over the election results.



He promised OFA activists he would soon join them in the fray.



Understand that Im going to be constrained in what I do with all of you until I am again a private citizen, but thats not so far off, he said. Youre going to see me early next year, and were going to be in a position where we can start cooking up all kinds of great stuff.
President Higgins is on his way back to Ireland after an official three-country visit to South America.

He visited Peru and Colombia - and was the first Irish head of state to visit Cuba.
An Irish Senator is warning that the undocumented Irish in the US are currently in "uncharted waters".

Donald Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer last night denied a leaked report that the President could mobilise the national guard to round up illegal immigrants.
A dispute over custody of the body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother is raging between Malaysia and Pyongyang as inquiries continue into his apparent assassination.

Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46 and had lived in exile for years, suddenly fell ill at Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau.

Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical, and he died while being taken to hospital.

Malaysian officials performed a post-mortem examination on Wednesday over the strong objections of North Korea, which asserted sovereignty over the body of its citizen and said it should have a say in what happens next.

Medical workers began a second examination on Friday night because results of the first one were inconclusive.

Senior Malaysian police official Abdul Samah Mat denied the second post-mortem test had taken place, however. "No such thing as a second post-mortem," he said when asked, adding that the results of the first test have not yet been released.

Meanwhile, North Korea vowed to reject the results of any post-mortem. Pyongyang's ambassador said Malaysian officials may be "trying to conceal something" and "colluding with hostile forces".

The intrigue over the case raises all sorts of questions about the mysterious death of Kim Jong Nam, but a lack of closure and a lingering sense of the unknown are not unusual when it comes to North Korea.

While South Korea has blamed North Korea for several notable assassinations or attempted killings in past decades, the North often denies involvement or simply does not comment.

The death of Kim Jong Nam, the exiled half-brother of North Korea's powerful and mercurial ruler Kim Jong Un, has unleashed much speculation and unconfirmed reports from the duelling nations.

Malaysia has made four arrests so far over the death, the latest involving a North Korean man carrying ID that identified him as 46-year-old Ri Jong Chol.

Authorities are still trying to piece together details of the case.

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

On Friday, Indonesia's police chief said an Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the killing was duped into thinking she was taking part in a comedy show prank.

Tito Karnavian told reporters in Indonesia's Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in a Just For Laughs-style hidden camera show stunt. He said she and another woman took part in a skit which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

"Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer," Mr Karnavian said.

"She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents."

Malaysian police are questioning four suspects - Aisyah, another woman who carried a Vietnamese passport, a man they said is Aisyah's boyfriend, and the North Korean man.

North Korea broke its silence on the case Friday night. Speaking to reporters gathered outside the morgue in Kuala Lumpur, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the post-mortem examination on Kim Jong Nam "unilaterally and excluding our attendance".

"We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem," Mr Kang said, adding that the move disregarded "elementary international laws and consular laws".

Mr Kang said the fact that Malaysia has yet to hand over the body "strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us".

Malaysia is one of just a handful of countries to have full diplomatic ties with North Korea, with each country having an embassy in the other's capital.

Malaysia has also been a key place for quiet, semi-official diplomatic talks between North Korea and the United States.

The country said it wants DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam's family as part of the post-mortem procedure and that officials are not yet willing to hand the body over to the North Koreans.

Although Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau, police in Malaysia say no-one has come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples.

Abdul Samah Mat, a senior Malaysian police official, said: "If there is no claim by next-of-kin and upon exhausting all avenues (to obtain DNA), we will finally then hand over the body to the (North Korean) embassy."

Kim Jong Nam was estranged from his younger half-brother, Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favour with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.
US vice president Mike Pence has said the United States will "hold Russia accountable" even as Donald Trump searches for common ground with Vladimir Putin's administration.

Mr Pence told the Munich Security Conference in Germany that the international community must also demand that Russia honours a 2015 peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Moscow-backed separatists.

Watch @mike_pence's full address to the annual international security conference in Munich https://t.co/ObtU73alva  Sky News (@SkyNews) February 18, 2017

He also offered assurances over the US commitment to Nato and the European Union in his address to the international conference of foreign diplomats and defence officials.

Mr Pence's speech comes amid concerns in Europe about Russian aggression and US president Mr Trump's positive statements about his Russian counterpart, Mr Putin.

Mr Pence declared: "Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which, as you know, President Trump believes can be found."

Mr Pence also reinforced the Trump administration's message that Nato members must spend more on defence.

The 28 member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2% of their gross domestic product on defence within a decade. But only the US and four other members of the post-Second World War military coalition are meeting the standard, Mr Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, "erodes the very foundation of our alliance".

The US vice president added: "Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfil this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more."

Mr Pence will meet German chancellor Angela Merkel later.

She addressed the conference just before the US vice president, stressing the need to maintain international alliances and saying that Nato is "in the American interest".

Mrs Merkel appealed to the United States and others to support and bolster multilateral organisations such as the European Union and United Nations, as well as Nato.

Mrs Merkel told the gathering of other world leaders, diplomats and defence officials that "acting together strengthens everyone".

Her address came amid concern about the Trump administration's approach to international affairs and fears that it may have little interest in working in multilateral forums.

Mrs Merkel asked: "Will we be able to continue working well together, or will we all fall back into our individual roles?

"I call on us - and I hope we will find a common position on this - let's make the world better together and then things will get better for every single one of us."
A blind Egyptian cleric serving a life sentence in the United States in connection with a failed plot to blow up landmarks in New York City has died.

Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman was sentenced to life in prison after his 1995 conviction for his advisory role in a plot to blow up landmarks, including the United Nations, and several bridges and tunnels.
Interesting. You're calling some of us LIBTARDS (retarded???) and yet YOU have no idea when the U.S. started imposing income taxes?? Try 1913, Dude.

Obama's school records were never sealed and most presidents have never released their college records, but why would we need them? We do know that after finishing high school in 1979, he attended Occidental College in Los Angeles for two years, transferred to Columbia College in New York City (one of Columbia Universitys four undergraduate schools) for another two years, graduated from Columbia with a bachelors degree in political science, and then (after a five-year interlude during which he traveled and worked as a community organizer) entered Harvard Law School in 1988 and graduated with a law degree in 1991 AND we know that he graduated magna cum laude.

What about Trump? Have you seen HIS birth cert?? School records? More than likely he graduated magna cum stupid...or maybe Daddy paid for a nice looking framed diploma??
Protesters including anti-racism groups are planning a rally in Paris in support of victims of police violence.

The demonstration comes after a young black man was allegedly raped with a police baton in a town north-east of the capital in an incident that prompted violent protests in poor suburbs.

Paris police announced a security perimeter in the area for Saturday's rally, while far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen urged the government to ban it out of respect for the police.

A 22-year-old youth worker was left in hospital for two weeks after the attack in his hometown of Aulnay-sous-Bois, north-east of Paris. He has become a symbol for minorities who stand up to police violence.

Four police officers have been charged in connection with the case, but deny intentional wrongdoing.
A GoFundMe page has been set-up to help the family of the man attacked by a shark off north Queensland yesterday, whose partner is pregnant with their third child.

Glenn Dickson, 25, was mauled shortly after entering the water near Hinchinbrook Island to go spear fishing on Saturday morning.

He received multiple bites to his leg and remains in critical but stable condition in Cairns Hospital.

Mr Dickson has two children with partner Jessie Lee and a third due in June. He is a keen fisherman and mixed martial arts fighter.
A controversial multi-tower development at Flemington Racecourse has been approved by the state government, provided the height of its four towers is significantly reduced.

Planning Minister Richard Wynne announced on Saturday he had agreed to the planning scheme amendment for land owned by the Victoria Racing Club on the edge of its famed racecourse.

An artist's impression of planned apartment towers next to Flemington Racecourse railway station.

The rezoning will allow the VRC to go ahead with four towers, one on Epsom Road and three in Ascot Vale, on land it says is ripe for residential development.

But the state government said the height of the towers will have to be drastically scaled back.
London: Australia's high commissioner in London, Alexander Downer, says that after Brexit Australians should be given the same right to work in the UK as European Union citizens.

The former foreign minister has told The Times newspaper he hoped the UK's new post-Brexit immigration policy would treat Australians the same way as those from the EU.

"We have a non-discriminatory approach to immigration.

"That means we essentially don't discriminate between countries and we would have thought that it would be to your advantage and might be to our advantage to have a non-discriminatory approach to Australians."
Havana: Cuba said on Friday the United States had deported 117 migrants back to the island nation since ending its policy granting automatic residency to almost every Cuban who reached US soil as part of the normalisation of relations.

Cuba's ruling Communist Party newspaper Granma said that those deported included two people who were returned to Cuba on Friday on the first flight chartered specifically for the deportation of Cuban migrants since the policy shift.

Cuban authorities had long sought the end of the policy, arguing that the promise of US residency was fuelling people-trafficking and encouraging dangerous journeys. Credit:AP

The earlier deportees were taken back on commercial planes or boat.

Former US President Barack Obama repealed the special immigration policy for Cubans days before turning the White House over to Donald Trump.
Astros win second World Series title in six seasons behind dramatic moonshot

The Astros beat the Phillies in six games to win the World Series, thanks to Yordan Alvarez's 450-foot three-run home run in the clincher.
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...
Sydneys Northern Beaches just scored a new dining destination  and it comes with the tick of approval

Last year, Merivale took its magic wand and waved it at Newport's biggest harbourside pub, The Newport, effectively giving Northern Beach dwellers a new place to Sunday session. This year, Newport scores again with a new Italian hotspot, complete with its own wood-fired oven direct from Italy. It's from the restaurateurs behind celebrated Mosman restaurant Ormeggio at The Spit, so we have a feeling this one's destined to be a hit.

Named Sotto Sopra (which roughly translates into 'down/up' or 'upside down' in Italian), chef and restaurateur Alessandro Pavoni has been inspired by the food of his childhood in Italy. In partnership with Bill Drakopoulos, Victor Moya and head chef Mattia Rossi, he has high hopes the eatery will soon become the go-to for casual dining (and delicious Italian).

"Growing up in the mountains of Italy we often cooked on fire. With Sotto Sopra, I am so excited to bring this food of my childhood to my Sydney home, while utilising incredible Australian produce," he says. "I hope that this relaxed neighbourhood restaurant will soon become a part of the local community."

With a menu that includes ravioli filled with ox tail vaccinara, whole eggplant parmigiana, Gnocchi with sundried tomato, almonds, basil, mint and ricotta and chicken cacciatora and a cheese selection to make you salivate (pecorino from Sardinai? Check. Gorgonzola from Lombardy? Yep) - we can see Sotto Sopra fast carving out a niche as Newport's newest hang.

Sotto Sopra is open now.

The Palms G04/316-324 Barrenjoey Road, Newport, sottosopra.com.au
Mahindra Electric, part of the $17.8 billion Mahindra Group, is expecting its manufacturing plant in Karnataka to reach its capacity of 5,000 units this year. The development comes against the backdrop of the company launching four new vehicles last year.
While it may have tied up recently with Patanjali for physical refining and packaging of edible oils, Indore-based Industries' other joint venture with Adani Wilmar may not see the light of the day. Signed in May 2016 for introducing retail products jointly, the Adani- JV has been held in abeyance and may not fructify, say industry sources.
Issam Kazim, CEO of Tourism, has a lot riding on Indian travellers. The worlds largest democracy sent the maximum number of visitors to the Emirate state for the second consecutive year in 2016 and accounted for more than one-fifth of the growth in tourist arrivals in .
People should try non-drug treatment options like massage or stretching for most cases of before choosing treatment with over-the-counter or prescription drugs, according to new guidelines.
Surujmuni Marandi, 24, had decided to deliver her baby at the Godda district hospital in north-eastern Jharkhand. Like many other women, she was drawn to the idea of free medical assistance, medicines, nutrition and postnatal care for poor, pregnant women promised by Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), the government programme aimed at reducing Indias high maternal mortality rate.
Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD chief has been listed under Pakistan's anti- terrorism Act by the provincial Punjab government, a tacit acknowledgement of his links to militancy.

Dawn News reported that the Punjab government has included names of Saeed and one of his close aides, Qazi Kashif, in the fourth schedule of the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA).

Three other men were also added to the list-- Abdullah Obaid from Faisalabad, and Zafar Iqbal and Abdur Rehman Abid from the Markaz-i-Taiba, Muridke.

Saeed and the four men added to the fourth schedule of the ATA were also placed under house arrest on January 30 in Lahore amid an angry uproar from his party and political allies.

The five men were identified by the Interior Ministry as "active members of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i- Insaniyat (FIF)," the report said.

The ministry directed the Counter Terrorism Department to "move and take necessary action" against them.

The names ofSaeed and 37 other JuD and FIF leaders had earlier also been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), barring them from leaving the country.

The Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 empowers the government to mark a person as "proscribed" and to place that person on the fourth schedule on an ex-parte basis.

The mere listing of a person in the fourth schedule of the ATA shows that he is linked with militancy in some way, the report said.

Those listed face a barrage of legal consequences like travel bans and scrutiny of assets etc.

Any violation of the provision of the fourth schedule may result in imprisonment of up to three years and fine or both.

The action against Saeed was taken after the country was hit by at least eight terror attacks which killed more than 100 people.

"Detention of Saeed shows that army supported the step by the civilian government, and it was viewed by many as a sign of changing security priorities," the daily said.

Saeed was also put under house arrest after Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 but he was freed by the court in 2009.

Saeed also carries a reward of $10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities.
Describing the importance of innovation across agriculture and industries, Union Minister of State for Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSME) Giriraj Singh on Saturday said the iconic brand of Hindustan Motors has left the country due to lack of innovation.

C.K. Birla-controlled Hindustan Motors, recently executed an agreement with Peugeot SA on Friday to sell the brand including trademarks to the French automaker for a consideration of Rs 80 crore.

"Hindustan Motors' iconic Brand went to other people because there was lack of innovation," he said at an awards ceremony for MSMEs organised by Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Ambassador brand was born in 1957 when the automaker launched the Morris Oxford series II (Landmaster) in a new one and it was being produced at Uttarpara unit.

Singh described innovation in agriculture and MSME sector as a must for economic progress and urged all to come forward to draw up a policy framework on the same.

He said in order to make MSME companies more viable and also to encourage firms to migrate to company format, the central government proposed to reduce the income tax for smaller companies with annual turnover up to Rs 50 crore to 25 per cent.

As per data from the assessment year 2015-16, there are 6.94 lakh companies filing returns of which 6.67 lakh companies fall into this category and therefore, 96 per cent of companies will get this benefit of lower taxation, the latest budget presentation said.

This will make our MSME sector more competitive as compared to large companies, Singh said.
The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) that is creating the information technology (IT) backbone for the new indirect tax regime, is under scrutiny for probable tax evasion.

The service tax department, which comes under the Central Bureau of Excise and Customs (CBEC), is probing the GSTN.

An assessing officer of the department issued a summon against the GSTN Chief Executive Officer Prakash Kumar, asking him to appear in person or through a representative on February 22, and produce balance sheets, bank statements and income tax return forms of the company.

"A case against GSTN, under the Chapter V of the Finance Act, 1994 (service tax) is being investigated," the summon said.

The summon also asked the company to produce details of receipts of funds from the Centre and details of payments made to Infosys, which it hired to execute the hardware and software part of the project.

GSTN was set up as a non-profit, non-government company in March 2013, with 51 per cent stake owned by banks and financial institutions.

The GSTN, when contacted, told IANS, "We have not received any such summon regarding indirect tax inquiry."

However, sources in the CBEC told IANS that it is a prima facie inquiry to verify the tax liability details of the company.

"It is a preliminary inquiry to seek clarification. But as a first step, we just send a letter and summon comes only as the second resort. In this case, it looks like the work of an over-enthusiastic assessing officer who has skipped the first step and directly given a summon, which is wrong," the source told IANS.

He said that in all likelihood the summon has already been withdrawn because there is no propriety to it, though the routine inquiry would go on.

The CBEC source said that the records of the company will be checked like in the case of any other company.

"We cannot give it a leeway just because it is linked to the . The assessing officer will decide if the inquiry is required in the first place or not, and then its records will be checked in the normal course," he said.

"But there is no institutional fight between GSTN and CBEC and should not be projected that way," he added.

GSTN was established in 2013 to assist and engage with various stakeholders in preparing information technology and communications related infrastructure for the smooth rollout of the .

The company  established as a non-government, non-profit company  receives grants-in-aid from the government towards the creation of capital assets for infrastructure requirements and its functioning.

"Service tax is not payable on grants disbursed by the government, provided it does not directly affect the value of service. In this instance, grants received by GSTN appear to be capital in nature as they are for the capacity creation or for setting up of information technology infrastructure backbone to facilitate the introduction of GST in India. Thus, service tax may not be payable on the grants received by GSTN," analyst Pritam Mahure told IANS.

"In case, the concern of service tax applicability still persists in the minds of service tax authorities, then government/CBEC can explore issuance of specific clarification or exemption notification," he added.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy had earlier raised objections on GSTN saying that its operations must be stalled because of its majority stake being held by private players.

He had demanded that it should be replaced by a government-owned body.

The Centre owns 24.5 per cent stake in GSTN, state governments own another 24.5 per cent, while the HDFC, NSE Strategic Investment Corporation, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank own 10 per cent each.

LIC Finance holds 11 per cent stake in GSTN, according to the Registrar of Companies (RoC) filings, obtained by IANS from business research platform Tofler.

GSTN's total assets stood at Rs 143 crore, with revenues at Rs 16.3 crore as on March 31, 2016, according to the information obtained from Tofler.
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The Indian Navys second ocean going sailboat Tarini was inducted, in presence of host of dignitaries at a glittering ceremony at INS Mandovi Boat Pool. Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of Naval Staff along with other senior Naval Officers was also present on this historic occasion to wish the boat and her crew success in their endeavors. INSV Tarini is a sloop built by M/s Aquarius Shipyard Pvt Ltd at Divar, Goa. The sail boat Tarini is being inducted into the Navy and is slated to be the platform for First Indian All Women Circumnavigation of the Globe expedition of the Indian Navy.

During the ceremony, Admiral Sunil Lanba announced that the extremely challenging expedition by her All Women Crew is slated to commence in August 2017. Talking about the women crew, he said that the team has logged over 10,000 Nautical Miles on INSV Mhadei, including a voyage from India to Mauritius and back and Goa to Cape Town braving through rough monsoon seas and heavy wind.

The dignitaries had a visit to the boat and were briefed on its advanced features, including improvements, based on experience of operating INSV Mhadei, which have been incorporated. On completion of the ceremony, the crew sailed the boat out of harbour displaying its agile handling capabilities.

The keel of the vessel was laid on 27 March 2016 at the Aquarius Shipyard. The construction was diligently overseen by the Warship Overseeing Team, Goa and the vessel is being delivered before the scheduled date of delivery by the boat builder. Extensive trials of the newly built INSV Tarini were successfully completed on 30 January 17. The boat is skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi and crew members include Lieutenant Commander Pratibha Jamwal, Lieutenant Aishwarya Boddapati, Lieutenant Patarapalli Swathi, Lieutenant Sh Vijaya Devi and Lieutenant Payal Gupta.

Indian Navy will is operating four sailing vessels capable of open ocean deployments, that is, Tarangini, Sudarshini, Mhadei and Tarini, all four of which have been built in shipyards at Goa. Indian Navy is attempting to revitalise open ocean sailing and will also be inducting four 40 feet, state of the art open ocean racing sail boats.
Shri Radha Mohan Singh inaugurates Indias Western Regional Agriculture Fair 2017 in Bikaner

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated Indias Western Regional Agriculture Fair  2017 in Bikaner today.

Shri Singh, while addressing the people, said that most of the blocks in Rajasthan have gone into dark zones. In such circumstances, the scientists are to develop such techniques and high yielding varieties of seeds which are adaptable with lesser quantity of water. He further said that the farmers and agriculture scientists should work together for the utilization of every drop of water in agriculture. The Minister of Agriculture briefed this today on the eve of inaugural function organized in the complex of Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Krishi University, Bikaner on the occasion of Indian Western Regional Agriculture Fair 2017.

The Minister of Agriculture said that the government has initiated Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana to channelise maximum potential for irrigation and to get rid of the problems related to drought. He added that the scheme aims at water for every farm. The government has started another ambitious programme titled as Soil Health Card Scheme for the farmers. Now, the farmers will be capable to get the knowhow of nutritious elements existed in their soil resulting in better production on their farms.

The Minister of Agriculture further said that Government of India has fixed an ambitious target for making the farmers income double in the next five years. To achieve this target, the out of box initiative has been taken instead of traditional system. Towards this, the establishment of National Agriculture Mandi E-NAM portal is an revolutionary initiative for the farmers with which farmers can sale their agricultural products on better prices in any of the mandis.

Shri Singh said that the agriculture budget for 2017-18 has been increased to Rs. 51,026 crores from Rs. 44,250 crores in the previous year. A separate fund has been set up amounting to Rs. 20,000 crores meant for irrigation with the assistance of NABARD. The government has increased agriculture loan up to Rs. 9 lakh crore this year which would enable the farmers to get more loans. He added that till 2013-14 under National Food Security Mission, only 3 crops  rice, wheat and pulses were covered. Now, seven crops viz. rice, wheat, pulses, jute, sugarcane, cotton and cereals have been covered under the mission.

Thereafter the Minister of Agriculture addressed the people in a function organized in Veterinary and Veterinary Science Univeristy, Rajasthan (Rajuvas), Bikaner. He said that for the first time in the country a new initiative titled as Rashtriya Gokul Mission has been initiated with the allocation of Rs. 500 crore for preserving and promoting the domestic species of bovines under National Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development Programme. Under this mission, 14 Gokul Villages are being set up and 35 Animal Breeding Centers are being made sophisticated by providing the bulls of improved species with the assistance of more funds. Further, 3629 bulls have been allocated for genetic improvement.

Shri Singh further said that government had incurred only Rs. 45 crores during 2007-08 to 2013-14 for the growth of the domestic species of bovines whereas the existing government has sanctioned a sum of Rs. 582.09 crores for 35 proposals obtained from 27 states only within a span of 1 years by December, 2015. This amount has been multiplied 13 times more during two last years. Two new National Kamdhenu Breeding Centres (each in Madhya Pradesh  North India and Andhra Pradesh  South India) are being established for which Rs. 50 crore have been allotted.

The Minister of Agriculture said that for removing the shortfalls of trained veterinary physicians, the strength of veterinary colleges has been increased from 36 to 46 and the strength of the students to be admitted in these colleges has been increased from 60 to 100. He further said that the number of total seats in 17 veterinary colleges have been enhanced from 1914 to 1334. The number of veterinary post graduate students has been increased up to 1 times more. Even 1 times more seats have been enhanced in veterinary colleges. Extensive modifications have been made in Veterinary Minimum Standards Regulations, 2008 to transform the existing graduate veterinary courses and parameters as per the approved standards on global level.

Shri Singh further added that new scheme  National Bovine Productivity Mission has been started in November 2016 with the amount of Rs. 825 crores. This scheme is comprised of four components  Pashudhan Sanjivini Nakul Swasthya Patra, Unnat Prajanan Taknik, Rashtriya Desi Nasal Genomic Kendra, e-Pashudhan Haat. He further added that outbreaks have been reduced from 377 to 109 as compared to the year of 2013 by dint of the improved techniques for the treatment of foot and mouth diseases of animals under Animal Health Improvement Programme.

On this occasion, Minister of Agriculture briefed that total milk production during 2015-16 was 52.21 million ton which increased to 54.50 million ton in 2016-17. An increase of 4.38% has been recorded in the area of milk production. During 2015-16 the total production of eggs was 27.33 billion which increased up to 29.09 billion during 2016-17. An increase of 6.42% has been recorded in eggs production. During 2015-16, the production of meat was 2.24 million ton which enhanced to 2.23 million ton in 2016-17. An increase of 8.74% has been recorded in meat production.

Shri Singh briefed that Government of India has taken a decision to celebrate 3rd December as Agriculture Education Day to commemorate the anniversary of 1st President and Agriculture Minister of India, Bharat Ratna, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, for inspiration of youth. Similarly, it has been decided to celebrate 15th October as Women Agriculture Day. He further informed that the report of 5th Dean Committee on ICAR is being implemented from academic session of 2016-17. Three new Central Agricultural Universities have been established. Simultaneously two new IARI (Jharkhand, Assam) are also being set up. The government has decided to implement Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Improved Agriculture Education Scheme in 100 education institutes of the country so as to promote agriculture education on grass root level. He added that record 310 new species of crops have been released this year and 663 Krishi Vigyan Kendras have been set up to make the agriculture and livestock techniques accessible to the farmers.
Housing projects are booming throughout Linn County, Planning Director Robert Wheeldon told the Board of Commissioners this week, spurring board chairman Roger Nyquist to ask whats being done to support development of multi-family housing units.

I dont have a plan, but that may come, he said after the meeting.

Nyquist said his thoughts were sparked in part after attending a state transportation committee meeting Monday night in Salem.

It seems to me the state and the city of Portland are doing exactly the opposite of what should be done in terms of developing affordable housing, he said. Portland and the state are looking at rent control, when they should be looking at ways to incentivize builders to construct more multi-family housing.

Instead of restricting profits, Nyquist said, the best way to incentivize construction would be to make it more profitable for someone to invest their capital, not increase their costs.

Nyquist said he knows of someone who relocated here in August and had an extremely difficult time finding an apartment.

Nyquist said it is probably an issue that should be worked on by representatives of Corvallis, Albany and Lebanon as a group.

Wheeldon told the commissioners that total rural Linn County building permits are up 15 percent, electrical permits are up 23 percent, site-built dwellings are up 43 percent and the number of land use permits is up 10 percent.

The Planning Department also contracts for services with area communities and their permits are up 53 percent.

The number of new site-built dwellings within contract cities has increased from 33 at this time last year to 89 this year, Wheeldon said. Contract city permit activity particularly in Millersburg, is expected to remain high throughout the remainder of the fiscal year.
Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as a diplomatic spat over his body escalated.
President Donald Trump has lauded Indian-American Nikki Haley, saying she is doing an "awfully" good job as the US Ambassador to the United Nations.

Haley, 45, is the first-ever Indian-American to be appointed to a Cabinet-level position in any presidential administration.

"I want to thank your former governor, Nikki Haley, who is doing an awfully good job for us," he said, amidst applause in South Carolina.

"She's representing America very well as our ambassador to the UN. She is doing a spectacular job. It's early, but she has just been really great," Trump said in his first-ever public praise of the diplomatic work of the Indian-American politician.

Haley, the two-term former Governor of South Carolina, has been on her new job for a few weeks.
Since its founding in 1873 as Japans first maker of telegraph equipment, has survived a litany of challenges, from the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923, to having its factories bombed into rubble during World War II, to the drubbing of the Zune music player it co-developed with Microsoft. Now the conglomerate may be undone by four nuclear power plants under construction in the American South. Blown deadlines and budgets at the reactors in Georgia and South Carolina overseen by Toshibas Westinghouse Electric subsidiary resulted in the resignation of Chairman Shigenori Shiga on February 14 and $6.3 billion writedown on its nuclear reactor business.
Malaysian police said today they had arrested a North Korean man, the fourth person to be detained in connection with the murder of the half-brother of the North's leader.

The man was carrying Malaysian documentation issued to foreign workers, which identified him as 46-year-old North Korean citizen Ri Jong Chol, when he was arrested on Friday evening, according to a police statement.

He is the first North Korean to be arrested in connection with the case, after detectives detained a 25-year-old Indonesian woman named Siti Aishah and her Malaysian boyfriend, along with a woman carrying a Vietnamese passport identifying her as Doan Thi Huong, 28.

North Korean state media has remained silent on the murder of at Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday, which Seoul has blamed on poison-wielding female agents working for Pyongyang.
Two Pakistani officials said that a second key Chaman border crossing into Afghanistan has been closed, halting trade supplies to the neighbouring landlocked country.

The border closure in Pakistan's south-west Baluchistan province comes after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan that killed 88 people. It was seen as a tactic to pressure Kabul to act against militants who Pakistan says have sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani officials asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorised to brief the media on the record.

Earlier, Pakistan closed a border crossing at Torkham, which connects Pakistan to Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

The Islamic State says it was behind the shrine attack and Pakistani security forces have launched nationwide operations that they say has left more than 100 "terrorists" dead.
Russia on Saturday called for an end to an outdated world order dominated by the West, even as US Vice-President Mike Pence pledged Washington's "unwavering" commitment to its transatlantic allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov laid out a diametrically opposed global vision and offered "pragmatic" ties with the United States, just hours after Pence vowed to stand with Europe to rein in a resurgent Moscow.

"I hope that (the world) will choose a democratic world order  a post-West one  in which each country is defined by its sovereignty," said Lavrov.

The time when the West called the shots was over while was a relic of the Cold War, he said.

In its place, Moscow wanted a relationship with Washington that is "pragmatic with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our common responsibility for global stability".

The two countries had never been in direct conflict and were close neighbours across the Bering Straits, he said.

Moscow has been impatiently waiting for US President Donald Trump to make good on his pledge to improve ties which plunged to a post-Cold War low as Barack Obama slapped on sanctions over the Ukraine crisis and Russia's alleged meddling in Trump's election.

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and voiced his willingness to work with him in fighting terrorism.

But in the face of growing heat over its links to Moscow, Trump's administration appears to be backing off the warmer words used earlier for the former Cold War foe.

Exasperated and worried by Trump's calling into question long-standing foreign policy assumptions, European leaders have warned Washington not to take transatlantic ties for granted.

On a European roadshow this week, Trump's lieutenants have sought to reassure jittery allies that the administration will hold fast to existing foreign policies, including maintaining sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis.

Hours before Lavrov addressed the Munich Security Conference, Pence told the same forum that the United States will stay loyal to its old friends.

"The United States is and will always be your greatest ally. Be assured that President Trump and our people are truly devoted to our transatlantic union," Pence said.

The US would also not relent in pushing Russia to honour the Minsk ceasefire accords with Ukraine, he said.

"The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," the vice-president said.
The legal drama playing out in Seoul over whether scion Lee Jae-yong engaged in bribery and embezzlement has the feel of a Greek tragedy. Its a tale of an ambitious son trying to live up to his fathers legacy  and the twist of fate that binds them together.
Labourers sorting onions. Most farmers in Lasalgaon in Maharashtra's Nashik district aren't even able to recover the bare cost of productionOnion traders in the Lasalgaon district of Nashik, Maharashtra, have found an arbitrage opportunity in transporting the bulb to north India, mainly Punjab.
The Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) has estimated production to decline by 25 per cent, from 1.43 million tonnes in 2015-16 to 1.06 million tonnes in 2016-17. According to an SEA survey, the decline in output will largely be due to lower sowing.
The campaign for Ann Roe, who is running for Congress against Lyin' Bryan Steil has come out with the best one-liner of this cycle so far: I can't argue...

1 year ago
The Pakistan Army on Friday claimed that it has launched a nationwide crackdown, killing over 100 militants across the country in response to the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar's shrine suicide attack that claimed the lives of more than 100 people.

"As ordered by COAS last night, response to recent terrorist incidents is in progress across the country. Following actions have been undertaken; IBOs and combining operations are in progress across the country including Punjab. Over 100 terrorists have been killed since last night and sizeable apprehensions also made," Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.

It said that the Pakistan- Afghanistan border has been closed since last night after the army claimed to have found linkages to militants operating from across the border.

"There are linkages of support for these incidents from across the border. The border has been closed since last night due to security reasons. No cross border / unauthorised entry will be allowed to Pakistan from Afghanistan," the statement said.

According to the Express Tribune, the Islamic State group (IS) claimed the attack, that took place in Sindh's Sehwan town.

Assistant Superintendent of Police in Sehwan said that a suicide bomber entered the shrine through its Golden gate.

The attacker blew himself up after throwing a grenade, which failed to explode, he said.

The explosion took place in the area where dhamaal (a Sufi ritual) was being performed after evening prayers.

A large number of devotees, from across the country, frequented the shrine on Thursdays as it is a popular day to visit Sufi shrines.

Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has also directed that immediate assistance be provided to civil authorities.

Army contingents have been dispatched along with medical personnel.

The shrine is dedicated to Syed Muhammad Usman Marwandia, a 12th century Sufi who was born in Marwand, present day Afghanistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has expressed his concerns over continued acts of terrorism in Pakistan with impunity from Afghanistan.

General Bajwa, in a telephone call to U.S. General John Nicholson, Resolute Support Mission (RSM) Commander in Afghanistan, said that most of the incidents in Pakistan are claimed by terrorist organisations with leadership hiding in Afghanistan.

He said that such terrorist activities and inaction against them are testing their current policy of cross border restraint.

The Army Chief urged General Nicholson to play his role in disconnecting this planning, direction, coordination and financial support.

General Bajwa also informed him about list of terrorists handed over to Afghan authorities for action against them who are hiding inside Afghanistan since long.

General Nicholson expressed his condolences on loss of precious lives in recent terrorist incidents and assured him full assistance in response to his concerns, Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.

The U.S. General also shared his plans to undertake special coordination at appropriate level between RSM, Afghan Security Forces and Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Adviser to the Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has urged the Afghan Government to take strong action against terror elements, to reaffirm that its soil was not being used for terrorism in Pakistan.

Aziz on Friday held a telephonic conversation with Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar and underlined that the Government and the people of Pakistan were in a state of deep anguish and pain at the recent terrorist incidents in various parts of Pakistan resulting into loss of precious human lives.

He informed the Afghan National Security Adviser that terrorist group Jamat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) was behind these barbaric acts of terrorism.

Aziz expressed serious concern that JuA continued to operate from its sanctuaries and safe haven in Afghanistan for undertaking terrorism in Pakistan.

He added that the Government of Afghanistan had not paid any heed to Pakistan's repeated calls to take action against the group and its activities based in the country.

Aziz said that Pakistan has shared a list of suspected JuA terrorists with the Government of Afghanistan for action against them in this regard.

Highlighting that terrorism was a common threat and its elimination required close cooperation, Aziz said it was important that Afghan government should take strong action against such elements.

He also emphasized that cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan was vital for effectively combating the scourge of terrorism.

Aziz said that effective border management was required to prevent the movement of terrorist elements across the border.

Atmar on behalf of Afghan Government expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the recent terrorist incidents in Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's Minister of State for External Affairs, M. J. Akbar, paid a three-day visit to Germany from February 15-17 to attend the G20 foreign ministers' informal meeting in Bonn.

During his meetings and interactions, Akbar proposed the creation of a G20 Working Group on Terrorism and also underscored that while nations must and should engage with the governments for the development of Africa, the G20's focus could be society in addition to the states.

He reminded that the focus should be on the 'African' rather than on Africa only.

In the run up to the forthcoming Hamburg G20 summit in July 2017, ministerial meetings are being convened by the German G20 Presidency for holding deliberations in respective areas.

The meeting themes were (i) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (ii) Maintaining Peace in a Complex and (iii) Cooperation with Africa. Issues relating to rule-based international order were discussed over dinner.

They exchanges views on crisis-prevention, addressing global imbalances and poverty, and help build peaceful, fair and sustainable order. The need to reform institutions of global governance like the United Nations to reflect the contemporary realities was also discussed.

Highlighting India's participation in UN peacekeeping, Akbar enumerated India's contributions, including of USD 10 billion in concessional-loans, training and capacity-building and the successful hosting of the 3rd India-Africa Summit in October 2015. He called for a people-centric approach for Africa by G-20, concentrating on education, skill development and gender empowerment as priorities. He reinforced the need to invest in the cultural-pride, heritage, identity and music in the genius of the African people.

On the 2030 Agenda on the Sustainable Development Goals, Akbar stated that the key question was the crisis of poverty. He reiterated the fact that Prime Minister Modi had reset the compass to make poverty-elimination rather than poverty-alleviation as the principal goal of governance. This, he said, should be a model for the G20. This resonated well with the participating countries. Minister also shared India's development experience including the radical use of digital technology as a means for achieving inclusion and economic transformation.

On the sidelines of the G20 Meeting, the Minister of State for External Affairs held bilateral meetings with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Federica Mogherini; Foreign Minister of Argentina Ms. Susana Malcorra; Foreign Minister of Netherlands Mr. Bert Koenders; and Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Mr. Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir. Minister also met with the UN Secretary General Mr. Antonio Guterres and discussed issues related to counter terrorism, poverty alleviation, sustainable development and Africa.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the important role Germany has played at a number of multilateral institutions including the European Union and the United Nations, saying that the country and Chancellor Angela Merkel had been a symbol of "tolerance" and "hospitality" for people displaced from their homes and who are in need of protection.

"Germany has been extremely active in all aspects in which the international community needs to come together to face the dramatic challenges that are threatening our daily lives," said Guterres at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The UN chief said that he would like to see this in other parts of the in order to be able to respond to the dramatic suffering that is being witnessed because of the terrible conflicts that have spread around the globe.

"So, in this moment, I would like to say that I am sure that the cooperation that, as Secretary-General, I will have with Germany and its Government will be as solid, as positive, as deep and as successful as the cooperation we had when, as High Commissioner for Refugees, I could be fully in support of the German policy for the protection of refugees," he said.

Guterres also underlined the need for global responses to global challenges such as complex and interlinked conflicts, rising terrorism, impact of climate change and enormous movements of people and migration.

He stressed on the importance of multilateralism and for countries to come together and to use multilateral institutions, in a spirit of solidarity, to overcome the obstacles of today's .

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two Garo Liberation Army (GNLA) cadres were apprehended on Saturday from Goalpara district in two different operations.

The operation which started on February 16, was jointly carried out by Red Horns Division of Gajraj Corps and Assam Police.

The two accused have been identified as Polning Sangma and Ajay Momin.

The police recovered one country made pistol, 70 rounds of live ammunition, one mobile phone and three GNLA demand notes from Polning Sangma, while one factory made pistol along with magazine and three rounds of live ammunition were recovered from Ajay Momin.

The recovery of the weapons and apprehension is a major setback to the chances of the banned Garo Liberation Army (GNLA) to re-group and will further diminish their capability to carry out subversive activities in the near future.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday visited ailing Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Commanding Officer Chetan Cheeta, who is undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Trauma Centre.

Speaking to ANI briefly, General Rawat said, "He is now in good condition."

Chetan Cheeta was injured in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora encounter on Tuesday. The Commandant of the 45 Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) sustained multiple gunshots during the gun battle.

He was later airlifted to AIIMS trauma centre.

As many as three army personnel were killed and seven others injured in an encounter that took place between militants and security forces in the Hajin area of Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With Priyanka Gandhi Vadra going straight for the kill by attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi in her much-awaited debut in the Uttar Pradesh polls campaign, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday took a jibe at her stating that it's best to ignore a "part time politician" who makes statements while being unaware of the nation's political developments.

Priyanka joined her brother and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday in attacking Prime Minister Modi over demonetisation, saying it has only caused pain to the poor.

"The part time politicians and campaigners of Congress do not try to understand the real impact of demonetisation by making irresponsible statements. Demonetisation has only affected those who have amassed black money. Priyanka Gandhi comes once in a while during election periods and makes statements without even studying what really happened in the past. She is making comments unaware of the political developments, which I think is best to ignore," BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI here.

The Congress star campaigner finally hit the campaign trail for Uttar Pradesh Assembly election addressing a rally at her mother Sonia Gandhi's Lok Sabha constituency Raebareli along with her brother Rahul.

"UP doesn't need a leader from outside. All youth of the state can lead UP, build a new UP." Priyanka said. Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promises to women of the state, she added, "I am a woman.Who has committed the most number of atrocities against women, poor. Wasn't making you stand in queues atrocities against women?"

Priyanka also asserted that U.P. did not require an "outsider" to develop it, and conveyed to the Prime Minister that relationships were not built by just talk but they need fulfilling of promises as well.

Priyanka attended the rally two-day days after BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani claimed the Congress leader was not campaigning as she had no answers to people's question in Uttar Pradesh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bhopal's Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Saturday arrested Sahyog Singh in connection with the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISS) - backed espionage ring.

This is the 12th arrest in the case.

Singh is the close aide of mastermind Balram Singh who, along with Manish, Mohit and Dhruv, was sent to police remand till February 18.

However, accused Manoj and Sandeep have been sent to jail.

Earlier on February 9, ATS busted an international call racket that allegedly helped ISI agents to spy on India's military operations.

ATS chief Sanjeev Shami said that the accused were arrested in November 2016 in Jammu for collecting and using information of strategic interests for espionage.

"They were being funded by a person in Satna. Five persons from Gwalior, three from Bhopal, two from Jabalpur and one from Satna arrested," he said.

Shami further said the accused converted internet calls to cellular network and acted as medium for overseas handlers to contact people in India.

"The arrested men are accused of supplying information regarding army and Air Force in Madhya Pradesh. Complicity of some employees of telecom companies also surfaced," he said.

In January, the Uttar Pradesh ATS had arrested 11 people who were running a similar exchange.

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kuldeep Tomar's wife Poonam succumbed to injuries on Friday at a hospital in Meerut.

She was rushed to the hospital after being allegedly shot by Tomar following a heated argument.

The politician first shot his wife and was about to shoot himself but was stopped by his nephew.

An FIR was filed against Kuldeep by Poonam's family.

He is currently on the run.

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An award-winning, international bestselling erotic romance author, Destiny Blaine writes under several pen names. She lives in East Tennessee and spends a lot of time in Connecticut and Virginia, where her granddoll resides.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Saturday wrote to Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao dubbing the floor test conducted in the absence of his party members as foul and unconstitutional.

"The agenda of the Speaker is to go ahead with voting and announce that the Chief Minister has succeeded in getting the confidence of the House, in the absence of the DMK members. This is totally a foul play and unconstitutional," the letter stated.

The letter further requested the Governor to restore democratic values and order the Assembly postponement for conducting a secret voting on Confidence Motion.

"We request the Governor to restore democratic values and order postponement of the Assembly for conducting secret voting on the Confidence Motion," it read.

The DMK also stated the reason behind demanding for secret voting and narrated the entire course of incidents.

"We insisted secret voting. This request was made in view of the fact that a number of AIADMK legislators were held as hostage in a resort 70 kilometers away from Chennai and they were brought for voting under tight security and threat and that they will not be able to exercise their voting according to conscience and free will," the letter read.

"We pleaded with the Speaker to postpone voting to a future date. The Speaker did not listen to us and tried to carry on with open voting. The Speaker adjourned the House twice. Therefore we resorted to dharna in a very peaceful manner, as the Speaker ordered expulsion of all the DMK members en bloc. The police entered into the Assembly Hall and removed us by using force, presumably under the instructions of the Speaker. Many of our members have sustained injury," the letter further read.

Earlier in the day, AIADMK working president M.K. Stalin and other MLAs were detained by police for protesting against the floor test result at Chennai's Marina Beach.

Amid the uproar in the Tami Nadu Assembly during Saturday's much-anticipated floor test, Palanisamy won the vote of confidence with 122 MLAs supporting him.

The floor test took place in Block Two of the Tamil Nadu assembly.

The Tamil Nadu assembly witnessed a huge ruckus earlier in the day during the floor test with DMK working president M.K. Stalin alleging that his shirt was torn off when the assembly police forcefully evicted his party MLAs and the Speaker tore of his shirt himself and blamed the MLAs of the DMK for it.

"We were told that assembly will reconvene at 3 p.m., but at 2 p.m. police came and tried to forcefully evict us. My shirt was also torn," Stalin said.

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Malaysian Police has claimed that four North Koreans were tracking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother Kim Jong Nam, from a distance and carried out his murder.

The Straits Times (ST), newspaper of Singapore cited a report of the New Straits Times (NST) as saying that CCTV footage showed three North Korean men monitoring Kim Jong Nam from an eatery named Bibik Heritage, reportedly, 50 meters from the crime scene in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

However, a fourth man was also, reportedly, trailing Jong Nam before executing the assassination.

The attackers were tracking Jong Nam's movements for about a year to ascertain his travelling patterns.

The oldest half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un was killed in Malaysia, according to South Korean officials.

Kim Jong Nam died on Monday soon after getting ill at Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) before an outbound flight to Macau, as reported by CNN.

Two women are believed to have used some kind of poison to kill Kim Jong-Nam, with reports from Malaysia and South Korea saying he had been stabbed with poison-tipped needles or had chemicals sprayed in his face One woman was already in custody, arrested on Wednesday morning as she tried to fly out of Kuala Lumpur, and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

The Malaysian Police on Thursday detained a second woman, an Indonesian, in connection with the murder Nam.

According to Washington Post, the woman was identified as Siti Aishah, a 25-year-old Indonesian, according to a statement from Khalid Abu Bakar, the inspector-general of police.

She was arrested at about 2 a.m. on Thursday local time.

Two women are thought to have attacked Nam, , at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday morning as he went to check in for a flight to Macau, his main base since he went into exile about 15 years ago.

One of the women is alleged to have grabbed him while the other sprayed his face with a chemical and held a cloth over it for 10 seconds.

They left the scene - going down three escalators and buying a taxi voucher before asking to be taken to a hotel - and Kim Jong Nam sought help from the airport staff, complaining of dizziness.

He was put into an ambulance and died on the way to hospital.

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The Malaysian police has reportedly arrested a fourth suspect on Friday in connection to the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

According to reports in Malaysian media, the 47-year-old man was holding a North Korean passport when he was arrested late on Friday. He was reported to be one of the four men wanted by police over the suspected assassination.

This latest development came after the arrests of three other suspects including, a woman holding a Vietnamese passport identified as Doan Thi Huong, an Indonesian woman Siti Aisyah and her boyfriend Malaysian Muhammad Farid Jalaluddin.

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A girl named Archi, 12, and a resident of Indirapuram, Ghaziabad was rescued by Kangra Police near the Palampur bus stand.

Superintendent of Police (SP) of Kangra, Sanjeev Gandhi said the girl was handed over to Child Helpline and efforts were made to find out correct address.

According to Director of Utthan Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), R.C.Mastana, the girl was brought to the NGO on Wednesday, and now, her parents have arrived to collect her.

Mastana, however, expressed concern about the girl consistently changing her statements.

"Now, this is a matter of police investigation and only they can reveal the real facts," Mastana told ANI.

Sudha Yadav, the girl's mother said, "My daughter was missing from Ghaziabad since Wednesday and on Thursday I got a phone call from Ramesh Mastana from Himachal Pradesh informing about my daughter. My daughter says, she was hypnotised by two unknown women and she is not in a good mental state now."

Subhash Yadav, the girl's father, said, "Our daughter has been missing since February 13 and Uttar Pradesh Police told us that she may have been kidnapped. She has been rescued and we are thankful to the media and everyone who have helped her."

The matter is still under investigation.

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Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], Feb.18 (ANI): I had read about Odisha's Olive Ridley turtles and seen them on television programmes and had hoped that someday, sometime, I would get a chance to see them on a beach near the sea.

Little did I know that my wish would be granted sooner than I thought. I shifted from Delhi to Bhubaneswar in March 2013, when my mother took up a job there. Soon after we made the city our home, we got to know that mass hatching of Ridley turtles was taking place on some beaches in the coastal areas of the state.

My family and some friends decided to visit a beach close to Chilika Lake to witness this amazing phenomenon.

Odisha is a unique place as far as the Olive Ridley turtles are concerned. This is because there are only three places in the whole world where the mass nesting of these Olive Ridley turtles takes place. Costa Rica and Mexico are two of them and Odisha in India is the third one.

The Gahirmatha and Rishikulia beaches in the state have gained worldwide fame because of the presence of these rare breed of turtle.

The Olive Ridley's vulnerable status comes from the fact that they nest in a very small number of places, and any disturbance to even one nesting beach could have a huge effect on the entire population.

The endangered sea turtles are found mostly in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They get their name from the colour of their shell - an olive green colour. They are the smallest of the sea turtles, weighing up to 45 kilograms and reaching only about 2 feet in shell length as adults!

They are omnivorous, but mostly carnivorous, feeding on creatures such as jellyfish, snails, crabs, and shrimp. They occasionally eat algae and seaweed as well.

We started off from Bhubaneswar around 6 in the evening and reached our guest house, about 20 kilometres from the beach, at around 10 in the night. We had dinner and crashed out.

We woke up at 1:30 in the morning and quickly headed to the beach located right next to a village.

Mass hatching of turtles takes place in the night and so this was the best time to head for the beach.

Did you know that baby turtles are attracted to light? Moonlight gives the sea a faint glow, and that is what directs the small turtles to the sea.

It was completely dark when we reached the village. We made our way to the beach with the help of torches.

The first hatchlings I saw were trapped in fishing nets. As we freed them from the nets I picked one up ... it fitted in my palm!

Hatchlings are preyed upon as they travel across the beach to the water by vultures, frigate birds, crabs, raccoons, coyotes, iguanas, and snakes. Adults have a few predators, other than sharks, and killer whales. Other threats include boat collisions, trawling, gill nets and ghost nests etc.

Humans are still the leading threat to the Olive Ridleys, responsible for unsustainable egg collection, slaughtering nesting females on the beach, and direct harvesting adults at sea for commercial sale of both the meat and hides.

As we continued our walk down the beach, we were stopped by some conservationists who spend three-four months on the beach from the time mass nesting takes place to the time hatchlings head out for the sea, protecting them from people and predators like crows and crabs.

They asked us to wait in one part of the beach till dawn where we could see turtles make their way to the sea better. Also, our torch lights could have directed the hatchlings away from the sea to a certain death.

So, we waited. It was well worth the wait. The gentle sunrise brought an amazing sight; we could see hundreds of little baby turtles inching forward, trying to get to the sea.

As they struggled to reach the water, the waves would come rushing in and push them further inland... but the babies did not give up. They continued their struggle to reach the sea. Some were tinier than others. Some had missing limbs, but the need to get to the sea and for life was there in all.

Many did not make the mad dash to the sea; some did, beginning a new cycle of life.

The Olive Ridley turtles migrate hundreds or even thousands of miles every year, and come together as a group only once a year for the Arribada. That's Spanish for the arrival and the time when females return to the very beaches where they hatched, sometimes in thousands, to nest. During nesting, they use the wind and the tide to help them reach the beach. Females lay about a hundred eggs, and may nest up to three times a year. The nesting season is from June to December.

The little ones who I saw being carried out to sea would hopefully return one day to this very beach to nest!

The trip to see the olive ridleys was an amazing, inspirational and memorable experience. I hope to come back sometime to see a mass nesting, but that is for another day.

The views expressed in the above article are that of Vivan Sharma, a grade 10 student at the Sai International School, Bhubaneswar.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah targeted the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday, charging him with corruption in the Lucknow Metro project.

Addressing a party rally in Gorakhpur, Shah said, "The Samajwadi Party (SP), which opposed the Congress throughout their existence, is now forming an alliance with the Congress to win the elections. It is an unholy alliance of two corrupt parties," BJP president Amit Shah said, while addressing a rally in Gorakhpur.Congress-SP alliance is an impure alliance."

He said that the incumbent UP Government has indulged in corruption, whether it is road making or metro corruption.

"Everyone who has wanted to take their family to travel in the metro, had to return empty-handed since the metro has not started," claimed Shah.

Citing the various acts of injustice being heaped on the people of Uttar Pradesh, Shah promised that the BJP wil waive off loans for farmers and provide free education to women if elected to run the next government.

"To cure mental illness, Yogi Adiyanath and the central government talked to all researchers across the country. The AIIMS at Gorakhpur will have an entire wing for mental illness," he added.

"We are sure the poeple of Uttar Pradesh will rise above caste and religion to vote. It will change the face of the stat," he added.

The campaigning for the third phase of the assembly elections came to an end in 69 constituencies spread over in 12 districts yesterday. The 12 districts in the third phase include Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Kannauj, Mainpuri, Etawah, Kanpur, Dehat, Auraiya, Lucknow, Unnao, Sitapur and Barabanki.

The third phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections will vote on February 19 and the results will be declared on March 11.

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An FIR has been lodged by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration against the group of students who have blockaded the Administration Block in protest for the past one week.

A complaint had been received from chief security officer of JNU regarding the blockade of the Administration Block by some students, due to which officials could not access their office.

The complaint alleged that 14 student leaders and some 40- 50 students have wrongfully restrained the government officials.

On this an FIR has been registered at Vasant Kunj North Police Station and the case is under investigation.

On Friday, the JNU Students' Union formed a human chain on the campus in protest against the Vice Chancellor's "full-blown design to shut down the university".

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had questioned JNU over it not approaching the court if access to the administrative block of the varsity was being blocked by students since February 9.

The query was put to JNU's lawyer while hearing a plea by five students of the varsity that they be provided their marksheets and certificates as they want to apply for various courses and jobs.

In their plea, the five students have also sought removal of the protesters and restoration of functioning of the varsity's administrative block.

The students have claimed that since February 9, 2017, around 200 students have surrounded the Administration Block to protest against a May 2016 notification of the University Grants Commission, as per which there is a limit of eight students per professor for MPhil and PhD courses.

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A Bharatiya Janata Party worker on Saturday succumbed to his injuries post alleged attack by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) workers here.

The 58-year-old deceased was allegedly attacked by the CPI (M) workers on February 2.

The deceased was allegedly attacked at a temple near Kadakkal town of Kollam district in Kerala.

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Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that the people affected by the Bank's decision on cancelling finance to the Padma Bridge project and subsequent lawsuit in Canadian Court would file case against the bank.

"Effected persons would certainly file case against the Bank as tried to involve them in a direly false case," The Daily Star quoted the Prime Minister as saying in response to the demand of the expatriate leaders and workers of European Awami League in Germany.

"We are grateful to the Almighty as the persons affected by the Bank's decision have finally got justice after a long suffering. They tried to implicate my son and daughter, sister, my cabinet members, advisors and secretaries with the fictitious allegation," she said.

Hasina reached Germany yesterday to attend 53th Munich Security Conference at the invitation of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"The verdict of the Canadian court went in favour of us as all members of my family and I myself were in the path of truth and honesty," she added.

In June 2012, the World Bank cancelled its USD 1.2 billion credit for the Padma Bridge project, saying it had proof of a "corruption conspiracy" involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm and some individuals.

On February 10, a Canadian court dismissed an international bribery case linked to the project at the prosecution's request.

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A North Korean economist has said that neither the change in leadership in the United States, nor sanctions imposed by the United Nation Security Council (UNSC), will impede the country's economic and military advancement.

Ri Gi Song, a researcher of the Institute of Economics at the Academy of Social Sciences, said that sanctions weren't having an adverse impact on the country's military program, reports the CNN.

"No, the sanctions are not slowing down our nuclear and missile development. Rather we are going faster, we are increasing further the capability of our national defence with nuclear part as its main core," said Song.

The latest round of sanctions were imposed on North Korea in November by the UNSC following the country's fifth nuclear test.

Pyongyang still hasn't ceased its effort in nuclear advancement as it test-fired a new ballistic missile on Sunday, the first since US President Donald Trump took office in late January.

The launch was condemned by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as "absolutely intolerable" during a press conference with Trump and prompted responses from South Korea, China and Russia.

Speaking to CNN in Pyongyang, Ri said that the government would "continue to strengthen our nuclear capability as along as the United States continues its hostile policy against the DPRK".

Ri said restrictions on the North's ability to sell raw materials, including coal, hadn't impeded the country's economic growth.

He said the country is earning money from tech exports to Southeast Asia - including precision computer numerical control (CNC) systems - and processed raw materials like magnesite, graphite, and zinc products.

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Around 56,000 Rohingya refugees living in Malaysia will be given access to education, training and healthcare using funds contributed by the Qatar government.

Refugees, who are holders of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) card, will be co-ordinated by the National Security Council, helped by the Prime Minister's Department and several ministries as well as NGOs working with the community, reports the Daily Star.

"Our commitment is to ensure the funds reach the community to better their lives here while waiting to return home or be sent elsewhere," said Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Malaysia's call for the global community to aid the Rohingnya received support from the Qatar government, which agreed to provide funds to help the refugees in Malaysia.

The commitment by Qatar was secured after a series of meetings between Zahid and the top leadership of the emirate during his visit there recently.

The financial assistance is channelled through the Qatar Development Fund.

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Scott Pruitt's name has been approved by the U.S. Senate to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Senate confirmed Pruitt's name after lawmakers voted 52-46 in his favour.

He got the support of Democratic senators Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Manchin as both voted in his favour.

The two Democrats represent energy producing states of North Dakota and West Virginia respectively.

Moderate Republican Susan Collins of Maine voted against Pruitt.

"He's exceptionally qualified. He's dedicated to environmental protection. And, as someone with state government experience, he understands the real- consequences of EPA actions and knows that balance is the key to making policies that are sustainable over the long-term," CNN quoted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as saying.

Senator Tom Udall expressed his concerns over the approval Pruitt's name saying that the latter has has extreme environmental policy views and has zero experience in running an environmental protection agency.

Pruitt is an American lawyer and Republican politician from the state of Oklahoma.

He was elected Attorney General of Oklahoma in 2010 and in this role, he supported religious freedom laws, fought against abortion rights, gay marriage, the Affordable Care Act, and environmental regulations.

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In the wee hours of Saturday morning, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin was shifted from Siwan Jail to Patna amid tight security, from where he will be transferred to the high-security Tihar Jail in New Delhi on the Supreme Court's orders.

The criminal-turned-politician was escorted out Siwan jail around 2:40 a.m., flanked by security personnel and police.

However, despite the secretive efforts of the prison administration, supporters of Shahabuddin got wind of the developments and gathered outside the jail from midnight onwards to get a glimpse of their leader.

Carrying on with their operations, the Siwan administration escorted Shahabuddin to a white Tata Sumo, where he was lodged between two armed security officials.

From Patna, Shahabuddin will be taken to the capital via rail or airway and then moved into Tihar jail.

Earlier this week, the apex court had said that Shahabuddin's trial will be conducted through video conferencing and no special treatment will be given to him in Tihar jail, adding that trial in all 45 pending criminal cases be conducted through video conferencing only.

Holding that it is the "obligation and duty" of the court to ensure free and fair trial, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy said that Shahabuddin's presence in Bihar would discourage the witnesses to depose against him as he was a influential and powerful person and he must be shifted out of the state.

Last month, Shahabuddin triggered a row with his purported selfie showing his changed look inside Siwan prison, which went viral on the social media. Siwan jail officials, however, denied that a selfie was clicked by Shahabuddin and said some "well-wisher" who might have come to meet him could have taken the photo and posted it on the social media.

Asha Ranjan, the wife of the deceased journalist, Ranjan Rajdeo, had filed a plea stating that free and fair trial against Shahabuddin was not possible if he remain lodged in the Bihar jail as witnesses would not be able to depose against him with his goons threatening them.

42-year-old Rajdeo was shot dead in July last year at Phal Mandi near the Siwan Railway Station, barely half-a-kilometre from the police station.

The Bihar Government had recommended the Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) to probe the case.

The case came into limelight again after a photograph appeared in the media showing murder suspects Mohammad Kaif and Mohammad Javed with gangster-politician Mohammed Shahabuddin after his release from jail.

Kaif, however, later rubbished all accusations against him and said he has no involvement in Rajdeo's murder case.

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A woman arrested in connection with the murder of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half brother Kim Jong Nam has said that she thought she was participating in a television prank show when she squirted liquid in the face of the victim, Indonesian police said.

Suspect Siti Aishah, an Indonesian national, is one of the four people arrested in the death of Kim Jong Nam. The Police believe the victim was sprayed with poison as he waited to board a flight Monday at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.

According to CNN, Aishah said she was "not aware it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents," Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian told reporters in Aceh Province.

Four people have been arrested in the killing: the Indonesian woman, a Malaysian man and another woman carrying Vietnamese identification.

A North Korean man named Ri Jong Chol was arrested Friday in Selangor, Malaysia, according to police.

Aishah said she had sprayed others in a similar manner "three to four times [before]." However, Karnavian told journalists, in this case, "there was allegedly a dangerous substance in the sprayer."

The woman said "she was given a few dollars for the job."

The Police did not confirm who provided the sprayer to the suspects.

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Expressing absolute resentment over the victory of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy in the floor test, former chief minister O. Panneerselvam said the people of the state have been betrayed by the MLAs, adding that at the end Amma's rule will be established.

"Once we go back to our constituencies we will get to know the truth. The voters have been betrayed by MLAs," said Panneerselvam, while addressing the media here.

Panneerselvam assured that late J. Jayalalithaa's rule will be established to save democracy.

"Family thrown out from the party by Amma again came into picture with Sasikala's intervention. It won't last. Amma's rule will be established," he said.

"For three hours, DMK MLAs on repeating their request to save democracy. Now in absence of all of us, vote was passed. We doubt its validity," he added.

Stating the decision to be wrong, Panneerselvam said if needed, they will apprise the Governor of the same.

"We have time to prove this. At the end only dharma will win. If need be, we will meet the Governor," he said.

"We had kept two demands before speaker, one was to send MLAs to their constituencies, but the speaker didn't agree to them," he added.

Panneerselvam's loyalist Pandiarajan, while showing strong negation, said things would have been different if the assembly had resorted to secret ballot.

"There were constant threats, abusive language was used. Things would have been different if secret ballot was done," he said.

Amid the uproar in the Tami Nadu Assembly during Saturday's much-anticipated floor test, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy won the vote of confidence with 122 MLAs supporting him.

The floor test took place in Block Two of the assembly.

Earlier, the Congress staged a walk out from the assembly, while Speaker P. Dhanapal ordered the assembly police to evict the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLAs from the house as soon as the assembly resumed functioning after getting adjourned following an uproar over the secret ballot process.

"You tore my shirt and insulted me. I am doing my work abiding by the law," Speaker Dhanapal was quoted, as saying to the MLAs.

However, DMK working president M.K. Stalin alleged that his shirt was torn off when the assembly police forcefully evicted his party MLAs and the Speaker tore of his shirt himself and blamed the MLAs of the DMK for it.

"We were told that assembly will reconvene at 3 p.m., but at 2 p.m. police came and tried to forcefully evict us. My shirt was also torn," Stalin said.

The assembly was adjourned twice on Saturday, once at 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m.

Papers were torn and chairs thrown during the ruckus in the house.

The assembly was facing its first floor test in 30 years, and there was a debate over the ballot, with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League expressing mixed views about the confidence vote.

DMK's M.K. Stalin questioned the haste with which the ballot process was being done. He also emphasised upon the importance of democratic means in the state.

"Democracy will be fullfilled, only when the secret ballot voting is done. Floor test should be done on another day. Why the hurry when the governor has given 15 days time?" Stalin said.

Ahead of the crucial 'floor test', Panneerselvam appealed to AIADMK MLAs to vote against Palanisamy. "MLAs should be given time to hear the views of their constituency people. Time should be given till then," he said, during the assembly session.

Palanisamy took oath as Tamil Nadu's 13th Chief Minister on Thursday. A total of 31 other All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs were also sworn in.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday assured Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi of Washington's stance to abide by the "One China" policy.

While meeting on the sidelines of the foreign ministers meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) to exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of mutual concerns, Tillerson reiterated the U.S. stance to abide by the "One China" policy, which carries specific significance, not only to the bilateral relationship, but also to regional stability and development, reports Xinhua.

Meanwhile, Wang said that China and the United States, both shouldering the responsibilities of securing stability and enhancing global prosperity, had more common interests than disputes.

He added that China is ready to work with the U.S. side to implement the consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump, and move bilateral relationship forward in the direction that features no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Wang said.

He said the two sides should increase communication, enhance trust, handle differences properly, and deepen cooperation in a bid to ensure greater development of bilateral relations during Trump's presidency, bring tangible interests to the two countries' peoples, and make more contributions to peace and prosperity.

The U.S. Secretary of State said the U.S. side looked forward to working with China to conduct high-level exchanges, facilitate understanding, and maintain, improve and consolidate mutual dialogue and cooperation mechanisms in all fields.

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Expressing disappointment over the mayhem in the Tamil Nadu state assembly, the Congress Party on Saturday said democratic traditions were violated.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal told ANI that as far as the demands of the political parties are concerned, the speaker is the arbiter of these demands and whatever the speaker decides will be accepted by the state assembly.

"In an environment of peace and tranquility, the voting should take place, and, it is unfortunate that we have incidents like this. It is not good for democratic traditions. As far as the demands of the political parties are concerned, the speaker is the arbiter of these demands and whatever the speaker decides, will be accepted by the assembly and the voting should take place according to that," he added.

Toeing similar sentiments, another Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi told ANI that the law is what the speaker decides within the house which is final and binding on all and have no second guessing.

"On all matters of procedure and on all matter of internal management, on matters of running the house that is the way it is. Whether you like it or not. So, there is no question of judicial review of a speaker's decision for matters within the house. There is no question of second guessing or double guessing," he added.

Violence by DMK MLAs marred the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, which met on Saturday morning to take up a motion of vote of confidence moved by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami forcing Speaker P. Dhanapal.

The O. Panneerselvam camp and Congress protested in the House demanding secret ballot in the floor test.

The assembly was adjourned twice during the day before Palaniswamy secured the vote of confidence with the support of 122 MLAs.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has expressed concern that any attempt by the United States to send its troops to Syria will fan flames of extremism in the region and will implications on global security.

He stressed that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal ,will stay in place, adding that this was the best deal possible for concerned parties.

"I believe everybody, including experts in the United States, know this was the best deal possible for all concerned, not just Iran but the US too. It was a triumph of diplomacy over coercion, because coercion doesn't work anymore." Zarif said in an interview with CNN on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

He alleged that the United States' occupation in Iraq had led to the creation of the Islamic State (ISIS).

Zarif said that sending U.S. soldiers to fight ISIS would add fuel to the fire in a nationwide ceasefire in Syria which was largely working.

He described Trump's travel ban on seven mainly Muslim countries including Iran as an affront to the entire nation."

Zarif said that there is no Iranian who had committed a single act of terror against Americans.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has urged China to use all available tools to moderate North Korea's destabilizing behavior.

Tillerson highlighted the increasing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs during his first meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday.

The two discussed the efforts to advance bilateral cooperation while addressing differences in a constructive manner.

Both leaders also discussed the need to create a level playing field for trade and investment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid the political slugfest over Army Chief Bipin Rawat's statement on tough action against locals obstructing counter-militancy operations in Kashmir, the state government has accused the Congress of playing politics over the controversy and exploiting the entire situation.

Speaking to ANI here, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said the Congress' stand over the Army Chief' statement amid turbulent times in the Valley was both 'disappointing and unfortunate'.

"We are in the middle of a proxy war with Pakistan and also being attacked by their terrorists, in such times the Congress trying to exploit the situation is simply disappointing and unfortunate. The Congress should come out of their mindset of playing politics and support the Army," Singh said.

Howevver, the Congress has maintained its critical stance on the Army Chief saying there was absolutely no need for him to make such a statement which would obviously result in tension in the Valley.

Asserting that the Opposition has always unitedly supported all initiatives for Jammu and Kashmir, Congress leader Tom Vadakkan told ANI that there was no need for the Army Chief to make such a statement and create a situation.

"Now we have reports of hand grenade attacks and stone pelting coming from the Valley. What was the need to have said that? In a civil society, the Army is there for the defence of the country not to make statements. He (Army Chief) is not a parliamentarian. We accept that the army has been vigilant and is effective, but there was no need for this," he added.

A protest that broke out near the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar saw protestors pelting stones and raising Pakistan flags shortly after Friday prayers.

The incident was in response to Thursday's warning by the Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat that Kashmiris supporting terrorists would be considered anti- and acted against.

"People who have picked up arms, the local boys, if they want to continue with such acts of terrorism and display flags of ISIS and Pakistan, then we will treat them as anti- elements and go helter-skelter for them. Our relentless operations will continue," General Rawat said while paying tribute to the bravehearts of the Handwara and Bandipora encounters.

Urging the local people to extend their support to the security forces trying to maintain peace in the Valley, General Rawat said, "They would not be spared if they continue resorting to negative acts and such actions are the reason for the high number of casualties among security forces".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Northeast India is known for its alluring beauty, endowed with rich natural resources. The region is dotted with wildlife sanctuaries and incredible tourist destinations, as well as places of historical interest, folklore, legends and adventure sports.

The region also boasts a rich cultural heritage that attracts tourists from all across the globe. One such destination in Assam province is the 'Umananda' island, the smallest river island in the world, located in the midst of the mighty Brahmaputra river.

Umananda has been attracting tourists from the nook and corner of world as it holds a historical significance.

Assam, a place of historical and religious importance as well as an amalgamation of various ethno-cultural groups, it has a long list to offer its visitors.

One such place of historical importance is the ancient 'Umananda' temple, situated on a namesake island amidst the mighty river, Brahmaputra.

Also called Peacock Island due to its unique shape, it is the smallest inhabited river island in the world.

Umananda Devaloi the historical name of the Umananda temple and was built under the initiative of Ahom King Gadadhar Singha in the year 1694.

Every year, thousands throng to the temple to offer prayers and seek blessings from Lord Shiva as the shrine is considered very sacred.

"I have been to Kamakhya temple in the morning and after that we came here to pay obeisance in the Shiva temple here in Umananda. The journey has been amazing and a very pleasant experience to have sought blessings from Lord Shiva," said Namita Jaggi, a pilgrim from Delhi.

It is worth mentioning that according to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva created this place for his wife Uma's happiness and pleasure. Shiva is said to have resided in the temple in the form of Bhayananda.

"I appreciate the lived ancient tradition and the rich heritage of this temple and the people's efforts to hold on to the tradition and to have preserved such old heritage. Kamakhya is known to everyone and Umananda is also very significant as to seek blessings from such ancient temple is in itself a feel good thing," said Geeta Mehta, another pilgrim.

Moreover, Monday is considered to be the holiest day in the temple and the new moon brings bliss to the pilgrims.

"We have heard about Umananda and it is believed that when Shiva was carrying the corpse of Maa Sati and her body was completely burned into ashes Siva sprinkled ashes (bhasma) at this place and imparted knowledge to Parvati (his consort). It is said that when Shiva was in meditation on this hillock, Kamadeva interrupted his yoga and was therefore burnt to ashes by the fire of Siva's anger and hence the hillock got the name Bhasmacala. After paying obeisance to Maa Kamakhya, a visit to Umananda is a must," said Deepak Choudhury, pilgrim from Jharkhand.

Apart from seeking blessings, many come here to have a scenic overview of the beauty of river Brahmaputra, right at the heart of Guwahati city.

There is no dearth of reason making Umananda unique. Equally significant is the island's uncanny ability to sustain one of the most endangered species of primates - the Golden Languor.

Besides the main Shiva temple, there are five more temples on the island - the Ganesha, Hara Gauri, Chalantika, Chandrashekhar and Vaidyanath temples.

Pilgrims flock in large numbers to make offerings to the Gods and Goddesses and many believe that it will fulfill their wishes and desires.

"People come here to fulfill their wishes and desires and it is believed that those couples who have no children come to this temple to seek blessings as after paying obeisance to the deity there dream of having children gets fulfilled. This temple is rather known as the meeting place of 'Maa' Parvati and Shiv," said Bipin Sharma, Priest.

A 10-minute ferry ride from the river banks of the busy city takes one to this island of wonder. However, motor boats are also available everyday for tourists, which make commuting easier and exciting for them.

It is noteworthy that in recent years, with the state-owned Inland Water Transport introducing regular ferries to Umananda, the graph of tourist footfall has spiked thereby giving a boost to the tourism sector. Assam has already set a benchmark for itself in the Tourism map of the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A minor girl abducted from this eastern metropolis, has been rescued from New Delhi, police said.

The police conducted an investigation and rescued the girl on Friday. A man, who has been named in the FIR has been arrested in connection with the incident.

The girl's mother had filed a complaint at the Tangra police station that one Prokash Haldar, a resident of Ashok Nagar in New Delhi, had seduced and abducted her 17-year old-daughter on Wednesday with the intention of establishing a physical relationship.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Australian national park rangers on Saturday issued a "major" warning for tourists to be careful after catching a large saltwater crocodile.

Rangers in the Northern Territory (NT) pulled the 3.7-metre crocodile out of a baited trap in a gorge in the Nitmiluk National Park (NNP), only 30 km from Katherine, one of the territory's most popular tourist attractions, Xinhua news agency reported.

It was the sixth saltwater crocodile caught in the gorge since 2009 and was in the average size range, Andrew McPhee, acting district ranger for the NNP said.

"He's big enough to cause problems," McPhee told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday.

The NT has experienced a substantial wet season which has caused river levels to rise, creating perfect conditions for the lethal predators to navigate their way into waterways.

"You always know at this time of year when the river rises, especially when it starts to settle and slow down, it makes it an easy path for any size saltwater crocodile to move up from downstream into the gorge system,"McPhee said.

"We've probably been more surprised in the last few years that we haven't caught any."

Despite being closed during the wet season, some tourists still manage to enter the gorge system to canoe or swim.

Once the wet season finished, rangers spend up to a month surveying the area to ensure it is safe to re-open.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday said that Delhi residents can avail the facility of MRI, PET and CT scan tests for free at 21 private laboratories after showing referral letter from the selected 30 government hospitals.

Jain made the announcement at the 22nd Foundation Day of Delhi government's Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) here.

Reiterating Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's commitment towards providing quality health facilities to Delhi people, Jain said: "All Delhiites can now avail free MRI, PET and CT Scan check-up at 21 private labs in Delhi."

He said patients either referred by the 30 Delhi government hospitals or 23 state-run polyclinics in the city can avail these facilities.

He said that MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging), PET (positron emission tomography) scan and CT (computed tomography) scan are considered costlty tests, but the Delhi government is making them free for all Delhiites.

"The Delhi government has done an agreement with 21 private laboratories for the tests. Such tests are costly and even in AIIMS people have to pay between Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 for MRI tests, but we are getting it done for free," Jain added.

He also appreciated the efforts made by the forensic experts, who worked hard to bring down the pendency in all divisions, specially at the DNA unit of FSL.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 160,000 people in Barcelona took part in a demonstration in favour of welcoming refugees and to ask European Union authorities to provide "safe routes" for immigrants.

The mobilisation, called by the Our House, Your House campaign, and which seeks to become Europe's largest pro-immigrant movement, marched Saturday afternoon down the main streets of the city and planned to wind up at Barcelona's Paseo Maritimo promenade, Efe news reported.

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau said she hopes that, with this march, Barcelona "will become the capital of hope, of peace, and of the defense of human rights."

The banner at the head of the march was carried by immigrants already settled in the city and read "Enough excuses. Let's welcome them now."

In a statement to the press, the mayor said the demonstration is a message for all the nations of Europe, and called on them to establish "safe routes" for immigrants.

She also said the march could be the beginning of many more demonstrations in other European cities with offers of "hope and life."

The demonstrators' march went off in a family atmosphere with people of all ages taking part, many of them immigrants, together with small children and babies in strollers.

All the Catalan political parties except for the Catalonia branch of the ruling Popular Party (PP) expressed their support for the demonstration and/or announced they would take part.

Anti-racism, pro-immigration organisations, like the NGOs Proactive Open Arms, SOS Racism, the Stop Mare Mortum campaign and Papers for Everyone, also attended.

Our House, Your House organised late for a cultural event after the march featuring the famed theatre company La Fura dels Baus with music by the Barcelona Gypsy Balkan Orchestra.

During the event that ended late in the morning, two women -- one a Syrian refugee and the other a survivor of the the war in the Balkans -- related their terrifying experiences to the demonstrators.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Paving way for direct cargo vessel movement between India and Bangladesh, the first container ship from Kolkata arrived at Dhaka's Panagon river port, media reports said.

The 'Shonartori Nou Kalyan-1' reached the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal at Keraniganj upazila on Friday with 65 containers on board, bdnews24.com reported.

With this -- the bilateral 'Coastal Shipping Agreement' signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in 2015, which allows direct movement of ships at sea between the two countries -- came into effect.

It has helped in improving connectivity between the two neighbours by reducing shipping time from 30-40 days to 4-10 days.

The inauguration of unloading 65 containers from the ship was witnessed by Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid and other dignitaries.

Ahmed said that cargo ships will now reach and depart from Pangaon to India every 15 days, adding that buyers from home and abroad would be benefited from the operation of the Pangaon container terminal.

Welcoming the arrival of the container ship, Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla in a message said: "For the first time a ship carrying cargo has sailed from Kolkata to Pangaon which is just over 20 km from Dhaka."

"Today's event is significant as so far, the movement of ships was limited between seaports like Chittagong and Visakhapatnam," the Daily Star quoted Shringla as saying.

For his part, Bangladeshi Shipping Minister Khan said that the link between the Pangaon terminal and India will save time and money. "The shipping ministry is in the process to procure 36 more ships to boost the use of this network."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) received a fresh order from the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) to supply eight sets of cargo doors for the main deck of Boeing 737, said an official of the defence behemoth on Saturday.

"The IAI has signed a fresh contract with us to supply eight more sets of the main deck cargo door for Boeing 737 jets," the official told IANS on the sidelines of the biennial Aero India 2017 expo here.

The city-based defence aerospace major has already supplied 30 similar doors to IAI.

"The IAI has placed the additional order in view of our quality and timely delivery of the earlier order," added the official.

The company has been making doors for the single aisle A320 aircraft of the global aerospace major Airbus Industries since 2009.

"The IAI's new order reflects the confidence reposed by our valued Israeli customer," asserted HAL Chairman T. Suvarna Raju in a statement on the occasion.

The company, however, did not disclose the value of the new or the previous orders and delivery schedule of the fresh one.

As the leading maker of military and passenger aircraft, Boeing has sold about 6,500 jets in the 737-200C series worldwide.

"The Boeing 737 aircraft has the capacity to carry 21,500 pounds of cargo and 112 passengers," said the US-based aerospace major.

The Tel Aviv-based IAI is leading supplier of subsystems and components to Boeing.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"No Bed of Roses", a film said to be loosely based on late Bangladeshi writer and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed, starring and co-produced by Indian actor Irrfan Khan, has been banned in Bangaldesh. The filmmaker says the action is against freedom of expression, while Irrfan hopes the ban is lifted soon.

"I'm surprised with this decision. It is a story of emotions between a man and woman. How can it cause any harm to the society? I hope that the ban is lifted and the audiences can see the film soon," Irrfan said in a statement issued here on Saturday.

The actor is acclaimed for his work in Indian films like "The Lunchbox", "Paan Singh Tomar" and "Piku" and known in Hollywood for being a part of movies like "Jurassic World" and "Inferno". He plays the lead role in "No Bed of Roses", a co-production between Bangladesh's Jaaz Multimedia and India's Eskay Movies with Irrfan's IK Company as co-producer.

Helmed by Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, the movie is said to be about Ahmed, who divorced his wife of 27 years and married an actress 33 years his junior. But the filmmaker has denied that it's a biopic.

According to variety.com, the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation's (BFDC) Joint Venture Preview Committee approved the script of the movie on March 8, 2016, after which the film went into production. The completed film was previewed for the BFDC on February 12, 2017 and received a No Objection Certificate on February 15.

But just a day later, the BFDC sent the production a letter stating that the certificate had been cancelled due to a letter from the Bangladesh Information Ministry.

Farooki, who is known in Bangladeshi cinema for works like "Television" and "Ant Story", is now taking the matter to court.

"We have been blocked at the first gate," said Farooki.

"As the order does not explain any reason, I don't know why they thought screening of the film would be inappropriate. Yes, my film handles a so-called taboo subject but it doesn't show anything explicit and hence doesn't violate any censor code. This goes against the freedom of expression," he added.

The variety.com report claims they have had access to the film and it starts with a disclaimer that the film has no resemblance to any real life characters alive or dead.

BFDC Managing Director Tapan Kumar Ghosh told variety.com that it is not the BFDC's prerogative to issue the certificate and it was up to the Bangladesh Film Censor Board to issue it.

However, Variety claims having copies of all the letters issued to the production from the BFDC and they are all on the organization's official letterhead. In reality, international co-productions cannot approach the Censor Board without the BFDC certificate.

--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.)
Republican Senator John McCain has slammed Donald Trump's worldview and brand of nationalism without mentioning the US President's name even once, a media report said.

During a speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday, McCain suggested the Western world is uniquely imperiled this year -- even more so than when Barack Obama was President -- and proceeded to question whether it will even survive, The Washington Post reported.

"In recent years, this question would invite accusations of hyperbole and alarmism; not this year," McCain said. "If ever there were a time to treat this question with a deadly seriousness, it is now."

"But what would alarm them most, I think, is a sense that many of our peoples, including in my own country, are giving up on the West, that they see it as a bad deal that we may be better off without, and that while Western nations still have the power to maintain our world order, it's unclear whether we have the will," he added.

Trump has repeatedly suggested a desire to pull out of or scale back on international involvement and agreements including the NATO which Trump has suggested the US is getting a bad deal on and has flirted with not enforcing, the daily added.

McCain, in his speech also invoked some of those close to Trump.

"I know there is profound concern across Europe and the world that America is laying down the mantle of global leadership. I can only speak for myself, but I do not believe that that is the message you will hear from all of the American leaders..."

"That's not the message you heard from Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis. That is not the message you will hear from Vice President Mike Pence. That's not the message you will hear from Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly. And that is certainly not the message you will hear tomorrow from our bipartisan congressional delegation," the senator said.

McCain then concluded with another direct shot at Trump.

"I refuse to accept that our values are morally equivalent to those of our adversaries," he said.

"I am a proud, unapologetic believer in the West, and I believe we must always, always stand up for it. For if we do not, who will?"

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actress Angelina Jolie made her first public appearance after she filed for divorce from Brad Pitt in September 2016, when she stepped out for a press conference ahead of the Cambodia premiere of her new film "First They Killed My Father".

She made her appearance on Saturday in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The film will be presented in the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex with Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni, Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk and senior government officials are expected to attend, reports people.com.

During the press conference for the film, Jolie said she thinks of Cambodia "like a second home".

"Maddox (her son) is happy to be back in his country," she added.

"First They Killed My Father" is based on the autobiography of the same name by Cambodian human-rights activist Loung Ung, a friend of Jolie's. The memoir tells the true story of the devastation inflicted on Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge communist party in the 1970s.

"I read Loung's book many years ago. It helped to open my eyes to what was going on the world," said Jolie.

"First They Killed My Father" will be released globally via Netflix later this year.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Afghan government on Saturday again called on Pakistan to implement the Peace Quartet commitments on eliminating all terror groups without any discrimination.

The Afghan Presidential Palace in a statement stressed that regional countries -- particularly Afghanistan and Pakistan -- must jointly fight terrorism, Tolo News reported.

The statement came in reaction to Thursday's suicide attack on the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Pakistan's Sindh province in which over 80 persons died and nearly 250 were injured.

Pakistan has blamed the Afghanistan based Jamaat-ul-Ahrar terrorist group for the suicide bombing. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar had in 2015 sworn allegiances to the IS.

Kabul expects Islamabad to take immediate action against the terrorist groups active in Pakistan who threaten Afghanistan.

Afghanistan regards the Peace Quartet agreement as a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism and emphasised that now the time has arrived for Pakistan to implement the provisions of the document.

The Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and China on the Afghan Peace and Reconciliation process in January 2016 called on the Taliban to enter into talks with the Afghan government in order to resolve differences politically.

This followed the QCG's second meeting here to draw up the roadmap for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

"The members are commitment to a robust effort to eliminate all forms of terrorist groups, regardless of their national origin, operating in their respective territories," a QCG statement had said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Malayalam film actress Bhavana was on late Friday night kidnapped for a brief while on way from Thrissur to Kochi. She managed to escape, and her driver has been taken into custody, police said.

According to information, her driver is being suspected of involvement. He is part of a gang of four behind the incident, police said.

The actress is said to have been on way from Thrissur to Kochi after her shooting late on Friday night.

A car hit her vehicle from behind, following which an argument erupted over the accident. The passengers of the other car are reported to have forcefully entered her car and driven off with the actress. She managed to escape after a while.

Lok Sabha member Innocent, President of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, told reporters here that he has tried to get in touch with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the incident.

"I was told by his secretary that he is enroute to Delhi. I will speak to him later. I also spoke to the head of the police force Loknath Behra, who has assured me that the police are doing their job and all behind it would be arrested," said Innocent.

Leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala, currently on a day-long protest at his home constituency near Alappuzha over the "sudden deterioration" of the law and order situation in the state, expressed shock over the incident.

"If this is the plight of a celebrity, what can one say about ordinary people. This is really shocking," said Chennithala, a former Home Minister.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Forecasting that midterm assembly elections in Maharashtra are "inevitable", NCP President Sharad Pawar on Saturday said there is no question of his party propping up the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the state.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief told the media that he is even ready to put down his decision in writing and submit a copy to the state Governor if the Shiv Sena withdraws support to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"I can right now give a letter to this effect and forward it to the Governor. But even Shiv Sena should submit a letter to the Governor, saying it has withdrawn support and make it public," Pawar said, putting the ball in the Sena court over the fate of the government headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The Shiv Sena in the past few weeks has bitterly criticised the BJP in the state and at the Centre, saying the Maharashtra government was "on a notice period", indicating that it may withdraw support after the outcome of the civic elections on February 23.

However, Pawar termed the recent demand by the Sena leaders of continuing support in return for complete farm loans waiver as "an escape route".

Soon after the 2014 October assembly elections, the NCP had extended outside support to the BJP's minority government as Shiv Sena sat in the opposition for a month before joining the government.

The NCP chief had then justified its decision to provide external support to the BJP "in the interest of political stability and to avoid a fresh round of elections".

In the last assembly elections, Maharashtra threw up a fractured House as all the main parties had contested separately and against each other.

Attacking the Centre for demonetisation, Pawar said the November 8 move had resulted in massive losses in the farming sector and rural areas, besides job losses in the economy.

"Demonetisation has had an adverse impact on the powerloom and manufacturing sectors, causing 60 per cent increase in unemployment in rural areas. There is a severe displeasure among the rural masses in the state on the performance of the Fadnavis government," Pawar said.

Questioning Fadnavis' claims on the "transparency agenda", Pawar demanded to know how the BJP could spend so much money on advertisements and publicity for the ongoing civic elections in Maharashtra.

Referring to a demand by the BJP to ban the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana Group of Publications for some days during the election period, Pawar said this indicated "dictatorial" attitude of the central government part and expressed his opposition to it.

"I have been in power for long. It is surprising how power has gone to their heads in such a short time and they can demand banning of a newspaper. It's an indicator of a dictatorial tendency," Pawar remarked.

On the NCP's prospects in the ongoing civic elections, Pawar said he is not making any claims that his party would perform well in Mumbai, as it is strong at the state-level.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Five months after he quit Jammu and Kashmir's ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), Tariq Hameed Karra on Saturday joined the Congress. He attacked the central government for "mishandling" the situation in the state and vowed to fight "fascist forces" and the "RSS menace".

Karra slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders for "politicising" the army.

Karra said: "When we floated PDP in 1999, our basic declaration was against fascist forces and how we should take the state out of slumber."

"But after the 2014 assembly elections, the PDP, which had sought votes against (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's polarization politics, joined hands with him," he said.

"That decision forced me to distance myself from the party," Karra said.

He also said that he tried to distance himself from the PDP even when the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was Chief Minister. "I had started giving them warnings and suggestions," he said.

"I had told them it is not in the interest of the state and Indian polity that we give space to such people and such parties who have been engaged, since pre-Independence, in putting the social fabric of the country into jeopardy," he said.

While accusing the central government of mishandling the situation in the valley last year, Karra said: "When the 2016 unrest started BJP-PDP in connivance mishandled the situation and people of the state."

"They jailed people, they killed people and even blinded the children," he alleged.

"Thus my conscious did not allow me to remain in the PDP and I resigned," he said.

Karra resigned from the party on September 16, 2016.

He said he was "quite happy and elated" after learning of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi's ideas of bringing out Jammu and Kashmir from "slumber".

He vowed to fight "fascist forces" and the "RSS menace" from the state and elsewhere in the country, which he said has "created divisions" in society.

He also said that Army chief General Bipin Rawat's remarks were "politically motivated". "The force is to save the sovereignty of the country, and politicising the army is very unfortunate."

Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karra said: "With full respect to the highest chair of Prime Minister and Prime Minister's Office, a small man is sitting on a big chair."

In another development, Congress leader Ambika Soni attacked Minister of State Jitendra Singh for "politicisng" the remarks of the Army chief and said, "He politicised the issue."

"If they were so much concerned about the army, then they should tell why the retired army personnel are sitting on hunger strike for the last two years over the One Rank One Pension issue?" she asked.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's absence from the South Asian Speaker's Summit here was termed by regional neighbours Afghanistan and Bangladesh as "disappointing and unfortunate", with the representative from Kabul saying Islamabad has adopted terrorism as its policy which would prove a serious threat for it in future.

"It is unfortunate that Pakistan is not attending the summit. We don't know the reason, perhaps they can say it better. Being the neighbouring country we would have been happier if Pakistan would have attended the summit," Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Afghanistan, told IANS.

Dubbing terrorism as a serious threat to South Asia, Ibrahimi said that Pakistan has adopted terrorism as it policy. "Terrorism remains a threat to the South Asian countries, including Pakistan but unfortunately rulers of Pakistan have always supported terrorism. This policy of Pakistan is not in the interest of the South Asian region. In the future it is going to be a big threat to Pakistan," he said.

Ibrahimi also said that terrorism is a very serious threat to Afghanistan."We invite cooperation from India towards improvement in people's life, security and political areas in the region. We believe that this is in the interest of the people of South Asia," he said.

Lauding India for its approach towards Afghanistan, Ibrahimi said: "India is a big country and is an effective and influential power in the region. India has been a brotherly friend to Afghanistan and in the last 15 years it has supported Afghanistan with more than $2 billion aid."

"What we want from India is this relation to be further improved and developed. We want improvement in security and also enhanced relations between both countries. Hopefully it will continue in the future," he added.

Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) president and Bangladesh MP Saber Chowdhury expressed disappointment at Pakistan not taking part in the Summit here and hoped that it would join the platform in near future.

Chowdhury said that IPU strives for consensus and if the governments were not talking to each other, the parliamentarians should engage in dialogue.

"It's a disappointment that Pakistan is not with us today. Of course it is not unusual for the governments (to strive) for consensus but we at the IPU believe that it's absolutely critical. When the governments do not talk or stop talking, the parliamentarians should continue with engaged dialogue," Chowdhury said.

Pakistan is not participating in the two-day meeting that is discussing poverty, development, environment and gender concerns in South Asia. Pakistan's decision is an apparent tit-for-tat over India's boycott of the Saarc summit in Islamabad in November last year that got deferred as other members too pulled out.

Relations between the two countries have been strained after a terror attack at an Army camp in Uri, in Jammu and Kashmir, in September last year, and earlier another one in Pathankot. India has blamed both the attacks on Pakistan-based militants.

Chowdhury also said that countries impose sanctions against each other but the "sanction regime" should not apply to parliamentarians.

"Pakistan is not here but we hope that they will be joining this platform in near future," he said.Later, talking to IANS Chowdhury hoped that sooner the Pakistan realises better it is going to be.

"Dialogue is the way for all cases even if we have accute differences. Idea of parliamentary dialogue is that we should be able to talk if we aren't able to visit each other countries then how are you going to have dialogue.

IPU is a global organization for multilateral political and legislative discussions.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in her speech said the South Asian countries must work in tandem to achieve the goals for peace and prosperity of the people.

"We in South Asia have not only a shared history, a contiguous geography, but also a shared destiny. We must work in tandem to achieve the goals for peace and prosperity of our people," she said.

Later, talking to IANS Mahajan said that Pakistan was invited as it is also part of the South Asian countries.

The February 18-20 summit was inaugurated by Mahajan and attended by the presiding officers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The summit is being organised jointly by the Indian Parliament and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a global organisation for multilateral political and legislative discussions. On Sunday, the summit would release the Indore declaration on sustainable development goals.

(Brajendra Nath Singh can be reached at brajendra.n@ians.in)

--IANS

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Indias Achanta Sharath Kamal pulled off a nerve-wracking 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 13-11 victory over sixth seed Paul Drinkhall of England to surge into the semi-finals of the 2017 ITTF World Tour India Open at the Thyagaraj Stadium here on Saturday.

The seven-time national champion and World No. 62 had to pull out his prime defensive game to outwit and outlast Drinkall, a multiple medal winner in the last two Commonwealth Games.

It proved to be a battle of nerves and patience as Drinkall slowed down the pace of the contest, keeping the ball short while also loading it with devastating spin. He wasn't allowed to play his natural, attacking game and had to rely on each other's errors to win every point.

Sharath began on a strong note, racing away to a 11-4 win in the opening game. But Drinkhall quickly got his game together and frustrated and stunned Sharath with his well thought out tactics. He won the next two games 12-10, 11-9 to put the pressure entirely on the Indian, who had the full backing of a heavily invested crowd.

The 34-year-old Sharath began to look for openings to attack from that stage, and came back strongly to win the next two 12-10, 11-9.

He jumped to a 3-0 lead in the next game but allowed Drinkhall to catch up with him. He again went up 6-4 but then conceded four points to lose the psychological advantage. Drinkhall rode on the momentum to take the sixth game and place the match on the edge.

By now, the crowds were on the edge even though he made a strong start in the decider, going up 2-0 and 3-1. But Drinkhall fought back and took a commanding 8-5 lead. Sharath continued to attack and it helped him get stay in the contest. He saved two match points and a couple of forehand drives saw him emerge triumphant.

He will take on Japan's 14-year-old sensation Tomokazu Harimoto, who beat the eighth seeded Robert Gardos of Austria 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6 earlier in the day.

Earlier in the day, top seed Ovtcharov Dimitrij of Germany survived a scare to advance into the semi-finals after a gruelling 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 4-11, 6-11, 12-10 victory over Yuya Oshima of Japan.

The World No. 5 German who came into the match without dropping a game in this tournament, could not get the desired start and lost the opening game 7-11. He regained his composure to win the next three games 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 to move into a strong position.

Down 1-3 and staring at the bottom of the barrel, the 39th ranked Japanese upped the ante to take the next two games 11-4, 11-6 to restore parity.

With the scores tied, both the players displayed great tenacity and got involved in a neck-to-neck battle. However, it was the German who prevailed 12-10 to move into the last four stage.

He will now take on the third seeded Koki Niwa of Japan who sealed his berth in the semis by registering an easy victory over qualifier Tianyi Jiang of Hong Kong.

In the women's singles competition, eighth seeded Wing Nam NG of Hong Kong beat Goergina Pota of Hungary 11-9, 11-6, 12-10, 8-11, 11-3 to set up a semi-final clash against sixth seeded Sakura Mori of Japan who beat Tze Wing Mak of Hong Kong 11-6, 13-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7.

--IANS

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Pakistani security forces on Friday night pounded the camps of Jamaat-ul Ahrar terrorist group in Afghanistan, destroying four hideouts and a training compound, sources said on Saturday.

The strikes came hours after Afghan Embassy officials were summoned to the Pakistan Army's Headquarters in Rawalpindi, and handed over a list of 76 terrorists hiding in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani military or government have so far not confirmed the development, but informed sources said the army targeted Jamaat-ul Ahrar sanctuaries across the border of Khyber and Mohmand agencies, The News International reported.

Pakistan has blamed Jamaat-ul Ahrar for Thursday's attack on the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalander in Sehwan town of Sindh province in which at least 83 persons were killed and nearly 250 injured.

According to The News International, the camps were situated on the Afghan side of the porous border.

According to sources, several militants including the deputy commander of the group, Adil Bacha, were killed in the strikes.

Pakistani Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa earlier on Friday in a conversation over phone with US General John Nicholson, Commander of Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan, conveyed his concerns over continued acts of terrorism in Pakistan from Afghan soil.

"Most of the incidents in Pakistan are claimed by terrorist organisations in Afghanistan," an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement quoted Bajwa as telling Nicholson.

"Such terrorist activities and inaction against them are testing our current policy of cross-border restraint," Bajwa said.

The US General expressed condolences over loss of lives in recent terrorist incidents and assured full assistance from the Afghan side.

Meanwhile, the security forces have launched full-scale crackdown against terrorists after the recent spate of terror attacks killed over 100 persons within a week across Pakistan.

The security forces have eliminated over 100 terrorists across the country since Thursday night.

Pakistan has also closed the Torkham border and other crossing points with Afghanistan due to security concerns.

"Responding to the terrorists activities across Pakistan, we have launched attacks to target militants' sanctuaries near the Afghan border," an official said requesting anonymity.

He said the security forces used heavy weapons and mortar shells to hit several training centres of Omar Khalid Khorasani, the head of the Jamaat-ul Ahrar group operating in Afghanistan.

Another official said the forces had decided to conduct military operations against various militants' hideouts near the border with Afghanistan.

He said people living near Landikotal in Khyber Agency have been asked to vacate their houses to avoid collateral damage.

--IANS

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Pakistani Hindu community will have a personal law for the first time as the Senate has passed 'The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017'.

The bill, approved by the National Assembly on September 26, 2015 and passed on Friday, will likely get presidential assent next week to become a law, Dawn online reported.

According to the bill, Hindu women will get documentary proof of their marriage.

After approval, the law will be applicable on Pakistani Hindus in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Sindh province already has its own Hindu marriage law.

The bill presented in the Senate by Law Minister Zahid Hamid faced no opposition or objection.

It was approved by the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on January 2 with an overwhelming majority.

However, Senator Mufti Abdul Sattar of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl had opposed the bill, saying the Constitution was vast enough to cater for such needs.

Committee chairperson Senator Nasreen Jalil of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Friday said: "This was unfair. Not only against the principles of Islam but also a human rights violation that we have not been able to formulate a personal family law for the Hindus."

Senators Aitzaz Ahsan, Jehanzeb Jamaldini and Sitara Ayaz, supporting the bill, said it was related to the marriage of Hindus living in Pakistan and had nothing to do with Muslims.

Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, who had been working relentlessly for three years to have a Hindu marriage law, said: "Such laws will help discourage forced conversions and streamline the Hindu community after the marriage of individuals.

Vankwani said it was difficult for Hindu women to prove their marriage.

The law paves the way for 'Shadi Parath' -- similar to Nikahnama for Muslims -- to be signed by a pundit and registered with the relevant government department.

However, the Hindu parliamentarians and members of the community had concerns over one of the clauses of the bill that deals with "annulment of marriage".

According to the bill, one of the partners can approach the court for separation if any of them changes the religion.

"The separation case should be filed before the conversion as it gives an option to the miscreants to kidnap a married woman, keep her under illegal custody and present her in a court that she has converted to Islam and does not want to live with a Hindu man," Vankwani said.

The bill is widely acceptable for Pakistani Hindus and relates to marriage, its registration, separation and remarriage, with the minimum age of marriage set at 18 years for both boys and girls.

--IANS

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Pandemonium reigned in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Saturday with opposition parties demanding secret ballot to decide the fate of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami who proposed a confidence motion.

Soon after the assembly began, Palaniswami moved the motion, which was followed by heated arguments started by Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin urging Speaker P. Dhanapal to allow secret ballot.

The Speaker said that legislators could not interfere with his powers.

He also questioned the need for urgency in seeking a confidence vote when Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao gave 15 days time.

As the lawmakers supporting Chief Minister Palaniswami remained silent, the DMK legislators surrounded Dhanapal shouting slogans.

They also tore the assembly agenda papers and threw some chairs around.

As the ruckus continued, Dhanapal went to his room, adjourning the house till 1 p.m.

Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam also demanded secret ballot.

--IANS

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The inaction on the part of former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam in carrying out some acts that would have aroused public support and also attracting the legislators in the opposite camp were the main reasons for him to lose the plot, experts said.

"The plot was lost by Panneerselvam. He was not able to attract more than 10 legislators (excluding himself) to his camp. He was not able to infuse confidence to back him in the legislators in the opposite camp," Professor of Political Science at the University of Madras Ramu Manivannan told IANS.

"Further in the absence of secret ballot the Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami would have won the confidence vote even if DMK, Congress and Indian Union of Muslim League (IUML) had stood together with Panneerselvam's camp and voted against," former MP of DMK R. Thamarai Selvan told IANS.

"Only three legislators came to Panneerselvam's camp soon after he revolted against AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala. The remaining came to his fold over a long period of time," Selvan added.

He said Panneerselvam was the acting Chief Minister since Feb 5 and revolted against Sasikala on Feb 7.

"For nearly 10 days he was the acting Chief Minister. However he failed to do anything that would have attracted huge public support or create a comfort level in the legislators belonging to Sasikala camp, which was housed in a beach resort," Selvan added.

Selvan, Manivannan and couple of other AIADMK members to whom IANS spoke to, were of the view that Panneerselvam would have gained a massive public support if only he had ordered closure of liquor shops as ordered by Supreme Court.

"This is not a policy matter that an acting Chief Minister could not do. The Supreme Court has ordered closure of liquor shops on the highways. In order to comply with the court order he can order closure of liquor shops," former IAS officer and social activist M.G. Devasahayam told IANS.

Another view is that Panneerselvam was closeted in meetings and was always at his residence than being a man of action like going to the party office and functioning from there.

"Similarly Panneerselvam could have approached the High Court for a secret ballot in the case of confidence vote," Selvan added.

According to Selvan, the only way now to remove the government is imposition of President's rule going by the occurences in the assembly like eviction of DMK members.

--IANS

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Popular Malayalam film actress Bhavana was abducted for a while on way from Thrissur to Kochi on Friday night by some people who reportedly took pictures of her to blackmail her. Her driver is suspected of involvement and has been taken into custody, police said.

Kerala Police chief Loknath Behra on Saturday said they have identified those behind the 'kidnap' of Bhavana near Kochi.

Speaking to the media in the state capital, Behra said that a joint investigation team has been formed to track down those behind the crime.

"We know who are behind this, and we will very quickly arrest all of them and get to the bottom of the truth," said Behra.

The Nedumbassery police have registered a case under sections of kidnapping and molestation.

According to police, her driver is believed to be part of a gang of four behind the incident.

The hugely popular actress on Friday night after a shoot was on way from Thrissur to Kochi to take part in the dubbing of her new film directed by director-cum-actor Lal.

While on way, a car hit her vehicle from behind, following which an argument erupted over the accident. The passengers of the other car forcefully entered her car and drove off with the actress.

The gang behind the incident is from the film industry and involved in doing various production jobs, police said. Bhavana was held hostage for two hours. According to reports, the gang took pictures of the actress that they planned to use to blackmail her for money.

The police, after tracing the call list, zeroed down on the actress' former driver who was thrown out after she came to know of his criminal background. He is believed to be the main culprit.

After being held hostage by the criminal gang, the actress managed to reach the home of Lal, who informed the police.

Speaking to reporters, Lal said he has been advised by the police probe team not to speak about the incident as it would hamper the investigation.

The actress for a while was not having the best of relations with a group in the Malayalam film industry, and the group had scuttled a few good roles that she was offered, according to reports.

The police are looking into all aspects of the incident and will probe if this was a planned move against the actress.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is currently in Delhi, told reporters there that the police is doing its job and will certainly arrest those responsible.

Lok Sabha member Innocent, President of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, told reporters that he had tried to get in touch with Vijayan over the incident.

He said police chief Behra had assured him that all behind the incident would be arrested.

Leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala, currently on a day-long protest at his home constituency near Alappuzha over the "sudden deterioration" of the law and order situation in the state, expressed shock over the incident.

"If this is the plight of a celebrity, what can one say about ordinary people. This is really shocking," said Chennithala, a former state Home Minister.

--IANS

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Actor Rana Daggubati on Saturday remembered his iconic grandfather D. Ramanaidu, a very popular film producer, on his second death anniversary. He thanked him for teaching everything.

Naidu died after losing a long fought battle to prostate cancer.

"Thank you for teaching me everything I know. Thank you for looking out for me from the heavens above. Miss you more with each passing day," Rana tweeted.

In his illustrious career lasting over five decades, Naidu produced over 100 films across multiple Indian languages.

Some of his best films include "Jeevana Tarangalu", "Soggadu", "Prem Nagar" and "Anari" among others.

Meanwhile, Rana is currently enjoying the successful run of his bilingual war drama "Ghazi".

--IANS

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In a major political twist in Nagaland, legislators of the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) on Saturday extended their support to the state's lone Lok Sabha member, Neiphiu Rio, as the new legislature party leader, to replace embattled Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang.

The political development came after more than 50 legislators, including Independent members of the 60-member Nagaland Assembly, "signed a letter of support" in favour of Rio.

The NPF legislators along with the Independent legislators are camping in a resort at Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Zeliang and Rio are expected to meet the legislators later to discuss the transition of power.

"More than 50 (NPF and Independents) legislators have decided to support Rio as the new legislature party leader," Public Health Engineering Minister, Tokheho Yepthomi told IANS.

"There will be a formal meeting later in the evening to complete the formality and then meet the Governor to stake claim and form the new government," he added.

Earlier, on Wednesday 42 of the 49 legislators had unanimously supported NPF supremo Shurhozelie Liezietsu as their new legislature party leader to break the deadlock between the agitating groups and the government.

However, a group of nearly 20 legislators, including some cabinet ministers, were against 84-year-old Shurhozelie as their legislature party leader.

In the 60-member assembly, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland coalition government, comprises 48 NPF legislators, including suspended legislator Imkong Imchen, four of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and eight Independents.

In fact, Rio and Zeliang met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh late Friday night in New Delhi, and finalized change of guard to break the deadlock between the agitating tribal Naga groups and the minus any opposition Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government over the issue of 33 per cent reservation for women in civic elections.

"I have heard about the political development but let me meet the legislators before I comment on anything," Rio, a three-time Nagaland Chief Minister, told IANS after landing at Dimapur airport in Nagaland.

Governor P.B. Acharya, Zeliang and Rio reached Nagaland from New Delhi.

Nagaland has been on turmoil since January, after the NPF-led government decided to hold local body elections in 12 towns across the state with 33 per cent reservation for women.

Agitating tribal groups -- under the banner of NTAC and Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) -- have been demanding the resignation of Zeliang over his decision to conduct civic bodies' elections with 33 per cent reservation for women.

The government continued to shut down internet and mobile data service to stop the spread of rumours through social networking sites. It later declared the civic elections as "null" and "void".

Three persons were killed and many injured following clashes between the police and the public, who were opposing the civic polls.

NPF legislator Neiphrezo Keditsu had resigned as Chairman of Nagaland State Mineral Development Corporation Limited on moral grounds since one of the persons killed in the Dimapur police firing was from his village.

Nagaland has never elected a woman legislator since it gained statehood in 1963. The lone woman MP from the state was Rano M. Shaiza, who got elected in 1977.

In the 2013 Assembly elections, two women candidates -- one fielded by BJP and an Independent candidate -- contested unsuccessfully.

--IANS

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Actor Sai Dharam Tej's forthcoming Telugu action-drama "Winner", which also stars Rakul Preet Singh, will hit the screens worldwide on February 24, the makers have announced.

On Friday, the film was cleared by Central Board of Film Certification with U/A, and without cuts.

Directed by Gopichand Malineni, the film also stars Thakur Anoop Singh, Jagapathi Babu, Mukesh Rishi and Ali among others.

Talking about the film, Malineni told IANS: "While it's a largely commercial film, it is packaged in such a way that it will appeal to everybody. The action in the film will be much talked about."

The film features an awe-inspiring climactic action sequence shot in Istanbul.

"It's a nail-biting horse racing sequence, featuring Sai Dharam Tej and the film's antagonist Thakur Anoop Singh. The whole action episode was shot under the supervision of Bulgarian stunt director Kaloian Vodenicharov, who had worked in films such as 'Baahubali' and 'War Z'," he said.

The film, which has music by Thaman, is jointly produced by Nallamalupu Bujji and Tagore Madhu.

--IANS

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Neither the change in leadership in the US, nor sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, will impede North Korea's economic and military advancement, according to an economist from Pyongyang.

Ri Gi Song, a researcher of the Institute of Economics at the Academy of Social Sciences, told CNN on Friday that sanctions weren't having an adverse impact on the country's military programme.

"No, the sanctions are not slowing down our nuclear and missile development," he said, adding "Rather we are going faster, we are increasing further the capability of our national defence with nuclear part as its main core."

The latest round of sanctions were imposed in November by the Security Council following the country's fifth nuclear test.

North Korea test-fired a new ballistic missile on Sunday, the first since President Donald Trump took office in January.

The launch was condemned by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as "absolutely intolerable" during a press conference with Trump, and prompted responses from South Korea, China and Russia.

Speaking exclusively to CNN in Pyongyang, Ri said that the government would "continue to strengthen our nuclear capability as along as the United States continues its hostile policy against North Korea."

Ri said restrictions on North Korea's ability to sell raw materials, including coal, has not impeded the country's economic growth.

"The basic principle in terms of exporting raw materials is simply we don't promote the export of raw materials including coal," he said.

"As a result of that particular principle... we don't feel very much affected by the so-called restrictions in the export of coal."

He said the country was earning money from tech exports to Southeast Asia -- including precision computer numerical control (CNC) systems -- and processed raw materials like magnesite, graphite, and zinc products.

Regarding the US and its allies, he said: "They have to take... into good consideration, the fact that North Korea has now become a full-fledged nuclear power, a military power in the East."

Asked about the new Trump administration, Ri said while the US maintains a "continuous hostile policy", it does not matter which President is in the White House.

"Our advice would be for the new administration to be very considerate, to be very careful when they try to adopt new North Korea policy."

Ri also hit slammed US Defence Secretary James Mattis' recent visit to South Korea to discuss the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile system, which is being deployed to potentially intercept North Korean missiles.

"That particular visit and the commitment he made with the South Koreans is angering the local people here very much," the economist concluded.

--IANS

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Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Saturday said that South Asian countries must work in tandem to achieve the goals for peace and prosperity of their people.

"We in South Asia have not only a shared history, a contiguous geography, but also a shared destiny," Mahajan said in her inaugural speech of the South Asian Speakers' Summit, being held here from February 18-20.

"We must work in tandem to achieve the goals for peace and prosperity of our people," she said.

She stressed that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have set global priorities for the progress of humanity.

"The SDGs emphasise on achieving a balance between the three pillars of economic growth, social development and environmental protection," Mahajan said.

"I personally feel that this approach somehow was very much required in our contemporary growth and development strategy."

"In my view immediate relevance of the goals to the local priorities at the national and sub-national levels actually holds the key. Much of India's development agenda is mirrored in the SDGs," she said.

"I strongly feel that development at the cost of our culture is not sustainable," the Lok Sabha Speaker pointed out.

Mahajan said the past tells us how civilisational strengths may steer us through the contemporary challenges.

Emphasising on the development of the people, she said: "I must also mention here that first and foremost is the citizen. No development is possible and sustainable unless it has a human face."

In her address Mahajan pitched for an inclusive and broad based economic growth to reduce the widening gap between the rich and the poor and said that effective delivery of schemes, which targets the people at the bottom of the socio-economic strata of the society, was needed.

"The common road map to end poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, ignorance, disease and discrimination, especially of the girl child, requires conscious effort and concerted action from all of us here to achieve the desired results," she added.

She said that South Asian region is endowed with vast natural resources, rich culture and ancient heritage, but despite that the region is plagued by poverty and conflicts.

"It is said that 21st century belongs to Asia. This can happen only when we are able to surmount the challenges before our countries and the South Asian region as a whole."

During her address Mahajan also highlighted the importance of gender equality and said there was an urgent need for continuous efforts to be made to promote the welfare of the girl child.

"Elimination of child marriage, access to reproductive healthcare facilities and overall emphasis on hygiene and personal care of women are few of the critical areas we have to concentrate upon," she said.

Mahajan also spoke on climate change and said the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating global response to climate change.

"Nature has been the guiding philosophy of the Indian way of living. We are committed to a sustainable path to prosperity," she said.

"India and its Parliament is committed to working with the international community to craft an ambitious, comprehensive and equitable development agenda with poverty eradication at its core," Mahajan concluded.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The two-day South Asian Speakers Summit was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan here in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

The speakers would discuss achieving sustainable goals, including poverty, development, environment and gender concerns in South Asia, the home to over 25 per cent of the world population.

The summit is being organised jointly by the Indian Parliament and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a global organisation for multilateral political and legislative discussions.

President of Inter-Parliamentary Union Saber Chowdhury, Speaker of National Assembly of Afghanistan Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi, Speaker of Bangladeshi Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Speaker of National Assembly of Bhutan Jigme Zangpo, Speaker of Sri Lankan Parliament Karu Jayasuriya, Speaker of Parliament of Maldives Abdulla Maseeh Mohammad, Speaker of Parliament of Nepal Onasari Gharti have been participating in the summit on February 18-19.

Pakistan and Myanmar are not participating in the summit.

Mahajan will on Saturday night host a dinner of guest speakers and parliamentarians at Brilliant convention centre, where cultural programmes highlighting heritage of India will be showcased to delegates.

On Sunday, the summit would release Indore declaration on sustainable development goals.

--IANS

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Is Bitcoin legal tender? The answer remains ambiguous though the digital crypto-currency has become very popular over the nine years of its existence. It is now edging close to being acknowledged as legal tender after recent regulatory changes at two large central banks. A new Japanese law establishes parameters for using Bitcoins as legal tender. This is tied to stringent regulations designed to prevent misuse or criminal activity. Meanwhile, in a backhanded sort of way, the Peoples Bank of China (PBoC), too, acknowledges Bitcoin as a currency. The PBoC is attempting to shut down routes by which Bitcoin is deployed in multi-legged trades to enable capital flight out of China.
The Edapaddi K Palaniswami camp received a jolt ahead of voting on the confidence motion in the on Saturday when Coimbatore North MLA Arun Kumar walked out of it and decided to abstain.

Arun Kumar told reporters that voters and supporters in his constituency were not in favour of the functioning of the present AIADMK leadership.

"Considering the people's mandate, I decided to abstain from voting and not support Chief Minister Edapadi Palanisamy," Kumar said.

The MLA also demanded that Palaniswami relieve himself from the "clutches of family politics" and concentrate on good governance.

"Ideology is more important to me than money and power," he said.

The MLA said he had escaped last night from the resort at Koovathur, about 80 km from Chennai, where many MLAs supporting AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala were staying.

Arun Kumar also announced his decision to resign from the post of Coimbatore Urban District secretary.

His announcement has reduced the Palaniswami camp's support to 122 members in the 234 member house.

Opposition DMK has said its legislators would vote against the Palaniswami government.

However, it was not clear if DMK President M Karunanidhi, representing Tiruvarur constituency, would be present for voting due to his ill health.

The state Congress Committee chief had on Saturday said the party unit would take a decision based on the "advice" of the party high command.

DMK has 89 MLAs in the while Congress has eight.
Amidst a tumultuous political environment, the Tamil Nadu Assembly is going to conduct a special meeting on Saturday. The newly elected TN chief minister, E Palaniswami, would be required to prove his majority on the floor today, making the first floor test since three decades.
Chief Minister E Palaniswami passed the floor test with 122 votes on Saturday in a special session convened by the Assembly.



Votes were cast amidst utter chaos with 11 MLAs opposing the Sasikala-backed Palaniswami regime.



Earlier during the day, leaders of various parties were denied entry to the assembly after the session was temporarily adjourned till 3 pm.


Tamil Nadu Assembly on Saturday became witness to acts of violence and vandalism by elected representatives of the states people. And, worse, this was not the first time that the members of the states legislative Assembly resorted to actions beneath their office.
In a do-or-die election year, the Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) is upbeat about getting a two-thirds majority in the state Assembly elections. Bharatsinh Solanki, GPCC chief and son of former chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki, tells Sohini Das the partys 2017 strategy is not only to reconnect with the Patidars, but also to get at least 50 per cent of the urban seats, an area where the party had fallen flat in the last Assembly elections.
Fellow refugees say at least 140 Somalis have been settled in the United States after being blocked for days by President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries.

The refugees spoke on condition of anonymity because of concerns about their safety. They remain at the world's largest refugee camp, Dadaab, which hosts more than 200,000 Somalis.

The group of 140 which had been vetted by U.S. authorities had been on the brink of traveling to the United States, but Trump's ban left them in limbo at a transit camp in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. They then were sent back to refugee camps.

But a US court later suspended Trump's ban. The refugees were brought back to Nairobi in the past week before leaving for the US.

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Union Minister of State for MSME Giriraj Singh today said "lack of innovation" in Hindustan Motors was the reason behind the selling off of the iconic Ambassador car brand to European auto major Peugeot.

"Hindustan Motors' Ambassador went to others due to the lack of innovation," Singh said at the Bengal Chamber awards for MSME event.

Owners of C K Birla group inked an agreement with Peugeot SA of Europe earlier this month to sell off the Ambassador brand.

The manufacturing of Ambassador was discontinued in 2014.

Stressing innovation in the field of agriculture and MSME sector, he urged people to come forward to form a policy framework on it.

Singh also highlighted the Centre's policies in infrastructure sector and raising the limit for collateral free loans among others.

Asked about Rajiv Bajaj's comment that 'Made in India' as 'Mad in India' after his company faced hurdles in launching new products, the union minister said "One single person does not make India.

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Three people leading protests against the construction of a coal-fired power plant in southern Thailand were detained by the army today, as activists voiced alarm that the trio were being held in a notorious barracks prison.

Hundreds of protesters have gathered outside government offices in Bangkok yesterday to demonstrate against the junta's decision to green-light a 800-megawatt coal plant on the coast of Krabi, a region renowned for its popular tropical beaches and steep limestone hills.

The gathering is a rare act of defiance of the junta's ban on public protests. Generals seized power in 2014 and have severely clamped down on dissent.

The three protest leaders -- Prasitthichai Noonuan, Akkradet Chakjinda and Rungkhun Kittiyakara -- were initially detained by police this morning before being handed over to the military.

Junta spokesman Lieutenant General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the trio were "invited for talks" because they did not ask for permission to protest.

"They must seek official permission beforehand and not just inform the media before holding a rally," he said in a statement.

Thailand's junta often describes periods of compulsory detention as being an invitation to talk.

Both the Save Krabi protest group and Suni Phasuk, a local researcher with Human Rights Watch, said the men had been taken to the 11th Army Circle, a barracks in Bangkok with a controversial reputation.

The military have used the barracks to hold suspects involved in national security cases, often barring access to lawyers.

Detainees have previously accused authorities of physical abuse inside the facility while two men who allegedly improperly used their links to then Crown Prince and now King Maha Vajiralongkorn died in custody there.

"It reaffirms the ongoing repression of a military regime that strictly prohibits any form of dissent," Phasuk told AFP.

Thailand's south was a stronghold of the protest movements that pushed for the 2014 coup which brought the military to power and toppled their political rivals.

But some Krabi residents are now bristling at the junta for pushing through with the power station.

The junta says the power plant is desperately needed to help with energy shortages in the south.

Thailand's southern beach regions are a comparatively wealthy part of the country but they suck up significant energy resources. Blackouts have become more common.

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Actress Ashley Greene says she doesn't want her wedding to be "negative or stressful".

The "Twilight Saga" actress, whose longtime boyfriend Paul Khoury proposed her during a trip to New Zealand in December, said they aren't planning to get married soon, reported People magazine.

"We're definitely not rushing the engagement. I think the biggest thing for us is that we don't want any part of this to be negative or stressful. We're going to figure it out as we go.

"I'm sure my mother is already planning. But we're not going to be doing anything soon," Greene said.

The 29-year-old star, who previously dated Joe Jonas, has no doubt Paul is the man for her.

"He's always extremely romantic.The great thing about him and I is that we have a great open line of communication about where we are, what we want and where we want to go in the future. So I feel like we're kind of going along this path that feels right for us," she said.

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A first-year B Tech student allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in his hostel room in Munshiganj here, police said.

The body of Avinash Mishra (20) was found hanging from a fan yesterday. The deceased belonged to Murarchak in Sultanpur district and was studying in a college in Munshiganj, they said.

Irate students started protesting over his death following which SP Anees Ansari rushed to the spot with additional forces to check any untoward incident.

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Hundreds of Venezuelans marched today to demand the release of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, the annual demonstration taking on added urgency after President Donald Trump met with the activist's wife and his administration slapped drug sanctions on the country's vice president.

One small group held up signs reading "No More Dictatorship" and blocked traffic along Caracas' main highway as the opponents of President Nicolas Maduro gathered at different points throughout the capital and in other cities around the world including Madrid to mark the third anniversary of Lopez's arrest.

The US State Department today repeated Trump's call for Lopez's immediate release after meeting with the activist's wife in the Oval Office. While in office, former President Barack Obama had also called for Lopez to be freed.

"We call for the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience, respect for the rule of law, the freedom of the press, the separation of constitutional powers within the government, and the restoration of a democratic process that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people," the State Department said in a statement.

The Trump administration on February 13 imposed sanctions against Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami, accusing him of playing a major role in international drug trafficking.

El Aissami is the most senior Venezuelan official to ever be targeted by the US Trump met the following day with Lopez's wife, Lilian Tintori, and said the activist should be let "out of prison immediately."



Lopez last year was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison in a trial marred by irregularities for inciting violence during anti-government protests. Venezuela's Supreme Court upheld the conviction this week in the face of widespread condemnation by many foreign governments and the United Nations, which consider Lopez a political prisoner.

In comments made by Lopez in jail and passed along by family and lawyers to Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, the opposition leader said he had no regrets about his decision to turn himself in rather than seek exile, as he claims the government had offered.

In the correspondence, Lopez describes a daily routine of exercise, reading and prayer to overcome the hardships of solitary confinement that has kept him isolated from the other inmates at the military prison outside Caracas where he is held.

The government in the past has cast doubt on Lopez's description of his confinement but doesn't allow any visits except by the prisoner's family and lawyers, making it impossible to independently verify the conditions.

"I have no doubt I'd do it again," he said, according to the El Tiempo report published today. "Presenting myself before an unjust judiciary gave me an opportunity to confront the lies, abuse of power and show the need to change the system at its roots.

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Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's "No Bed of Roses", starring and co-produced by India actor Irrfan Khan, has been effectively banned in Bangladesh.

Speculation has been rife in the Bangladeshi and Indian media that the film is a biopic loosely based on late Bangladeshi writer and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed who divorced his wife of 27 years and married an actress 33 years his junior. Farooki has denied that the film is a biopic.

According to Variety, the film begins with a disclaimer that the film has no resemblance to any real life characters alive or dead. Irrfan plays a filmmaker named Javed Hasan who leaves his wife and marries an actress who was his daughter's classmate in school.

"I am really surprised to know that the government of Bangladesh has blocked the film. This is a humane story that deals with complex male and female relationships in a subtle and balanced way. What harm will it cause to the society if seen?" Irrfan said.

The film is a co-production between Bangladesh's Jaaz Multimedia and India's Eskay Movies with Khan's IK Company as co-producer.

The Bangladesh Film Development Corporation's (BFDC) Joint Venture Preview Committee approved the script on March 8, 2016 after which the film went into production.

The completed film was previewed for the BFDC on February 12, 2017 and received a No Objection Certificate on February 15.

On February 16, the BFDC sent the production a letter stating that the certificate had been cancelled due to a letter from the Bangladesh Information Ministry.

When BFDC Managing Director Tapan Kumar Ghosh was asked about the reason for the revocation of the Certificate, he said that it is not the BFDC's prerogative to issue the certificate and it was up to the Bangladesh Film Censor Board to issue it.

However, all the letters issued to the production from the BFDC are all on the organization's official letterhead.

In reality, international co-productions cannot approach the Censor Board without the BFDC certificate.

"We have been blocked at the first gate. As the order does not explain any reason, I don't know why they thought screening of the film would be inappropriate.

"Yes, my film handles a so-called taboo subject but it doesn't show anything explicit and hence doesn't violate any censor code. This goes against the freedom of expression," said Farooki.

Farooki is now taking the matter to court.

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As the campaign for the civic polls in Maharashtra nearing to a close, the Shiv Sena has escalated its attack on the BJP, likening the estranged ally to a "cobra" baring its fangs.

"We have for the last 25 years had an alliance with a cobra, which is now baring its fangs. I know how to crush it," the Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said referring to the BJP while addressing a rally here last evening for the February 21 civic elections.

He said the Sena did not want to commit the same mistake again (of forging an alliance with BJP) and is exercising caution in its dealings with the BJP, which Thackeray said had made unreasonable demands when it came to seat sharing for the Mumbai civic polls.

He also came down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alleging that they had taken the citizens for a ride with their false promises and assurances.

In the earlier phase of the campaign, Uddhav had put the Fadnavis government on "notice period" and ruled out any post-poll realignment with the BJP, in event of his party falling short of the majority in Mumbai corporation.

He, however, slightly softened his stance saying that his party's support to the government would depend on it meeting the demand for loan waiver for distress farmers in the state.
Prime Minister Theresa May will meet with PSA chief executive Carlos Tavares to discuss its plans to take over the European arm of General Motors, which includes Britain's Vauxhall cars, her office said today.

"We have received a meeting request. The meeting will take place, in principle, subject to diary availability," a Downing Street spokesman told AFP.

It emerged this week that PSA, which owns the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands, is in talks to take over GM's European brands Opel and Vauxhall.

The plans have sparked fears of job losses in Britain, where Vauxhall employs about 35,000 people, as well as in Germany.

Len McCluskey, the general secretary of Britain's biggest union, Unite, is also due to meet with Tavares next week.

"I will be using this meeting to press the case for the UK's world class facilities and workforce," he said.

British economy minister Greg Clark met Thursday with GM president Dan Ammann in London, and said he was "reassured" by the US firm's plans for its European interests.

He noted that GM had recently made "significant investments" at its Ellesmere Port and Luton plants.

Clark later travelled to Paris for separate meetings with French Industry minister Christophe Sirugue and board members of PSA Group.

The Financial Times reported today that, during those talks, Clark offered PSA similar assurances to those given to Nissan last year in a bid to save Vauxhall jobs.

Britain's automobile sector is expected to suffer from Brexit, which would entail leaving the EU's single market.

Japanese carmaker Nissan said in October that it would continue to invest in its Sunderland plant after securing unspecified guarantees about Brexit from the British government.

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Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China told his US counterpart Rex Tillerson that Beijing was ready to work with the Trump administration, according to a Chinese account of their meeting in Bonn.

Wang and Tillerson met yesterday at a G20 gathering of foreign ministers -- the highest-level Sino-US encounter since President Donald Trump was elected.

Trump had infuriated Beijing by calling into question Washington's long-standing "One China" policy, but later reaffirmed it in a conciliatory phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping last week.

Wang told Tillerson this consensus on the issue "created the necessary pre-conditions for the two nations to engage in strategic cooperation on bilateral, regional, and global issues," said a Chinese foreign ministry statement issued late yesterday.

"Wang said that China and the United States, both shouldering the responsibilities of securing world stability and enhancing global prosperity, had more common interests than disputes," the statement went on.

"China is ready to work with the US side to implement the consensus reached between President Xi and President Trump, and move the bilateral relationship forward in the direction that features no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation."



Wang added that the two sides should increase communication and cooperation "to ensure greater development of bilateral relations during Trump's presidency."



The "One China" policy is an acknowledgement that Taiwan is not separate from mainland China.

Trump's telephone call with Taiwan's president after his November election victory infuriated Beijing, which saw it as a repudiation of the "One China" policy.

Wang's attendance at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting seemed in doubt in the fallout, but after Trump's call with Xi, it was announced that the trip would go ahead.

Taiwan has been ruled separately since Mao Zedong's communists ousted China's Nationalists who fled to the island in 1949.

On the campaign trail, Trump regularly attacked China for stealing American jobs and running a massive, unfair trade surplus that he vowed to reverse.

The US State Department said the two ministers discussed the need for a "level playing field for trade and investment."



It said Tillerson also told Wang that Beijing must rein in North Korea after its series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

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The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has sought Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's intervention into the detention of foreign nationals and alleged violation of their human rights at a beggar home New Delhi.

DCW chief Swati Maliwal had written to Rijiju asking him to direct the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to "cooperate and provide basic information sought by the Commission in the discharge of its statutory duties".

She had last month conducted a surprise inspection at the beggar home in Nirmal Chhaya Complex in New Delhi and interacted with the inmates.

The Commission had summoned Delhi Police over an allegation of Uzbek woman's molestation at the home by an FRRO official. Also, in a case of the death of an African woman, who was allegedly illegally detained there and died Friday.

In her letter, Maliwal said she had recently conducted a surprise inspection at the beggar home and learnt that since 1991, foreign nationals were being detained by FRRO which functions under the Bureau of Immigration, Intelligence Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

She said she was deeply disturbed to note several human rights violations with the women therein and the Commission was investigating the matter.

"In this regard, notices were sent to FRRO by DCW to ascertain the reasons for detention of the women, status report of each woman who is present in the Home, Standard Operating Protocols governing the functioning of the FRRO etc.

"However, the commission is disturbed to note that complete information sought has not been provided despite three notices and as many summons having been sent to the FRRO over the past 40 days," she added.

Maliwal urged Rijiju to direct the FRRO to cooperate and provide basic information sought by the commission in the discharge of its statutory duties.

"The information sought would assist us in giving recommendations to MHA to help ensure the safety and well-being of the women detained by the FRRO," she added.
With the INLD announcing that its activists will start digging the SYL canal from February 23, Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today warned the Haryana-based party not to provoke Punjabis.

"The SYL issue is dead once and for all as the Punjab Assembly as well as the SAD-BJP government in the state have passed resolutions for restoration of the land acquired for the project," state minister and SAD spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said in a statement.

He added that the land acquired for the project had been restored to its original owners and it was now in the possession of the farmers of Punjab.

The statement said the SAD will never allow the completion of the project as "it would deprive Punjab's farmers of their own waters".

Cheema said the Sutlej Yamuna Link canal issue was "more of life and death for not only the farmers of Punjab but for all Punjabis" as the state was already witnessing a depletion of the water table in the recent years.

He added that it was most unfortunate that the political parties of neighbouring Haryana were resorting to provocative actions by issuing statements regarding digging of the canal.

"For Haryana, it may be a case of water. But for Punjab, it is now a case of life and death. Such statements will lead to tension in both the states and also contribute towards inciting violence between the neighbours which is not in anybody's favour," the Akali leader said.

He said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal have announced many a times that the SAD is committed to safeguard the waters of Punjab and it would go to any length, including sacrificing their own lives, for the safety and security of Punjabis in general and farmers in particular.

Cheema urged the Indian National Lok Dal and the other parties from Haryana to desist from indulging in such activities which may prove to be detrimental to the interests of the people of both the states.

Senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala has announced that his party workers will gather at Ambala and then march towards the Punjab border on February 23 to dig the SYL canal.

"SYL is the lifeline of Haryana...Even the Supreme Court has given its verdict in Haryana's favour," he said yesterday.

He claimed that neither the ruling BJP nor the Congress in Haryana were serious about the construction of the canal.

The SYL is a 214-km-long canal project to interlink the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers and defines water-sharing between Punjab and Haryana. The project has been suspended due to a dispute between the two states and the matter is now before the Supreme Court.

(REOPENS DES 42)



Meanwhile, some organisations in Punjab have announced to assemble at Kapoori in Patiala to thwart the construction of the SYL canal.

The Dal Khalsa today took a dig at the INLD, describing Chautala's announcement as a "political mischief and stunt".

Dal Khalsa leaders HS Dhami and Kanwar Pal Singh said the people of Punjab would not allow any mischief and misadventure by anyone at any cost.

Taking potshots at Chautala, they said his family had friendly ties with the ruling Badal family in Punjab and both the families had "wreaked havoc" over the years.

"Even now, the Chautala family knows that the current rulers of Punjab, who are virtually on their way out, will not welcome them with batons and bullets which are reserved for farmers, teachers, unionists, students, pharmacists and devout Sikh protesters," the Dal Khalsa leaders said.

"INLD, in its various avatars, has been hand in glove with the Badals to side-track the genuine issues and in the attempt to overawe Sikhs," they alleged.

They said the people of Haryana should stop day-dreaming about the construction of the SYL canal.

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Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh urged the governments at the Centre and in Haryana to take all steps to prevent any violation of Punjab's borders in the wake of the INLD's announcement to dig the SYL canal.

"The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has threatened to march into the state to start SYL digging on February 23. The governments at the Centre and in Haryana should take all necessary steps to prevent any violation of Punjab's borders," he said in a statement here.

The former Punjab chief minister also demanded action by the Haryana government against the INLD to prevent the eruption of an inter-state crisis.

"Abhay Chautala's inflammatory statement has the potential of further escalating the tension already triggered by the ongoing Jat agitation in Haryana," said Amarinder, urging the Centre to also initiate stern measures to maintain law-and-order.

With the Model Code of Conduct still in place in Punjab and elections going on in some other states, the Election Commission (EC) should also take note of the development and direct the Centre to intervene to ensure that peace was maintained at all costs, he added.

Amarinder urged the Parkash Singh Badal-led government in Punjab to protect the state's borders from any infringement.

"It is time now for Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to prove his self-proclaimed commitment to protect the interests of Punjab," he said.

The Congress leader accused the Chautalas of "indulging in political misadventure" and "trying to take advantage of their proximity with the Badals, on whose silent connivance they were pinning their hopes to realise their mischievous agenda".

"But, the people of Punjab will not allow themselves to be victimised or brow-beaten into submission on such a critical issue, on which depended their lives and future," Amarinder warned the INLD, asking the outfit to refrain from engaging in any ill-conceived action on the SYL issue.
Vice President Hamid Ansari will embark on a five-day visit to Rwanda and Uganda tomorrow, seeking to further boost ties with the countries and enhance India's engagement with the African continent.

This is the first high-level visit from India to Rwanda and the first high-level bilateral visit from the country to Uganda since 1997, MEA officials said.

During his visit to Rwanda from February 19-21 and Uganda from February 21-23, Ansari will seek to broaden the country's diplomatic footprint in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Vice President along with wife Salma, would be accompanied by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Vijay Sampla, four MPs, senior officials and a business and media delegation.

During the five-day visit, Ansari will be attending a host of programmes in the two African countries.

"The Vice President would pay homage at the genocide museum (in Kigali), interact with the Indian community there and attend a banquet hosted by the Prime Minister of Rwanda," a senior MEA official said.

Ansari's visit comes shortly after the visit of President of Rwanda for the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in January this year.

"India-Rwanda relations are marked by cordiality, convergence of views and cooperation on major international issues, increasing bilateral trade and investments, greater people-to-people contact and a deep sense of mutual respect," the official said.

"During his visit to Uganda from February 21-23, the Vice President would be meeting his counterpart and the President of Uganda. Ansari would also interact with the Indian community in Kampala," he said.

Relations between India and Uganda are characterised by historical cultural linkages, extensive economic and trade interest and a convergence on major bilateral and international issues, the official said.

"The visit is expected to deepen and expand the bilateral relationships," he said.

"The forthcoming visit of the Vice-President is part of the conscious broadening of India's diplomatic footprint in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in the Great Lakes region," the senior MEA official said.

The Vice President will also address India-Uganda Business Forum. Besides, he would be paying floral tribute to the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at Jinja.

In Rwanda, Ansari will launch India-Rwanda Innovation Growth Programme as part of which there would be a technology expo of India's low-cost innovations. The Vice President along with the Prime Minister of Rwanda would also address an India-Rwanda Business Forum, he added.

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A 55-year-old farmer was killed after a truck collided with his loaded tractor on Meerut-Karnal highway here, police said today.

The accident occurred yesterday when Ishvar Dayal Tyagi was transporting his sugarcane on a tractor to a mill, a police official said.

Irate locals blocked the highway in protest. However, police rushed to the spot and pacified them.

In another incident, Rohit (15) was killed when a tractor overturned on him at a village here yesterday. The victim was working in the fields when the accident occurred.

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The first container ship from India has arrived in Bangladesh's Panagon river port here under the Coastal Shipping Agreement signed in 2015, allowing direct cargo vessel movement between the two countries.

The ship, 'Shonartori Nou Kalyan-1' reached the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal at Keraniganj yesterday with 65 containers on board, bdnews24.Com reported.

At an event to mark the arrival of the ship, Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said that cargo ships will now reach and depart from Pangaon to India every 15 days.

He said there was progress in the field of river transport.

With this, the Coastal Shipping Agreement signed in 2015, comes into effect, paving way for direct cargo vessel movement between the two neighbouring countries.

Bangladesh Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Indian envoy to Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina's advisor Salman F Rahman also attended the ceremony.

The link between the Pangaon terminal and India will save time and money, said Minister Khan.

"The shipping ministry is in the process to procure 36 more ships to boost the use of this network," he said.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh in 2015, the two countries signed the Coastal Shipping Agreement.

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Thousands gathered today for the ceremony marking the inauguration of Gambia's new president as this tiny West African nation celebrates wider freedoms after a tense political standoff with its former leader.

Several heads of state attended the ceremony for President Adama Barrow. He was sworn into office last month at Gambia's embassy in neighboring Senegal as former leader Yahya Jammeh refused to cede power.

International pressure, including the threat of a regional military intervention, led Jammeh to finally accept his December election loss and fly into exile in Equatorial Guinea. Hundreds of thousands of Gambians welcomed Barrow's return to Gambia days later.

Barrow, who has just turned 52 and was born the year that Gambia gained independence, has pledged to reverse many of the actions Jammeh took during more than two decades of power.

He has committed to stay in the International Criminal Court and rejoin the Commonwealth. He also has vowed to free political prisoners.

The international community has quickly warmed to Barrow's approach, with the European Union recently announcing an USD 80 million package of support after breaking off assistance amid tensions with Jammeh.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Barrow on Tuesday, saying: "We are here to help."



Gambians at Independence Stadium on Saturday cheered Independent Electoral Commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai, who had to flee to Senegal during the political crisis after standing by the election results.

Senegal's President Macky Sall was among the honorary guests at the ceremony protected by troops from the West African bloc, ECOWAS. The regional force has been securing the country during the transition, which has remained peaceful.

Sall said Gambia and Senegal, a regional power that surrounds the tiny country except for its coast, must strengthen economic and other relations. Many Senegalese live in Gambia.

"We are the same people, and we remain the same people," he said.

Others attending included the heads of state of Ghana, Liberia and Ivory Coast and the US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

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Police in Nuzvid town in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh have registered a case against a man for allegedly raping his daughter.

The accused, resident of Ajaraiahpet in Nuzvid town, raped his minor daughter yesterday, said sub-inspector V Satish.

The girl lodged complaint today. She was sent to the government hospital for medical examination.

A case under Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act was registered. The accused was absconding, police said.

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Six months after her humiliating departure from Brazil's presidency following an impeachment trial, Dilma Rousseff is contemplating her political future.

During an exclusive interview with AFP, she appeared more relaxed than she was during August's emotional impeachment spectacle.

That event was not the end of her political battle, she said. On her Twitter account, she still calls herself "Brazilian President-elect."



"I will not run for president again," the 69-year-old leftist leader said in the capital Brasilia.

"But I will never give up politics. I do not rule out the possibility of running for the office of senator or deputy."



Rousseff's conservative rivals ousted her by securing an impeachment vote against her over allegations that she fiddled state accounts.

She denied the charges and branded the impeachment drive a politically motivated "coup."



"That was the enemy's idea of justice," she says. "Not to judge me -- to destroy me."



Her case was separate from the giant corruption scandal over the state oil firm Petrobras, which has netted numerous top politicians.

Rousseff's successor, her ally-turned-rival Michel Temer, himself risks being caught up in the Petrobras affair, which has implicated many politicians close to him.

A recent opinion poll indicated that Rousseff's old ally and predecessor as president Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva could win the 2018 election if he runs, despite facing charges in the Petrobras affair.

Questioned about Petrobras, Rousseff lets her frustration show.

"Those matters are extremely complex," she says. "To this day, no one in Brazil knows about all the corruption cases there."



Lula faces trial over alleged involvement in the Petrobras affair, which he denies.

But if he ever does return to the political joust, that could mean a dramatic upturn the fortunes of Rousseff and their Workers' Party, a beacon of the Latin American left.

Having left the presidential palace in Brasilia in September, Rousseff has been living a relatively low-profile life in her southern home city, Porto Alegre. She occasionally visits her mother in Rio de Janeiro.

With no pension from her time as president, she lives on a USD 1,700 monthly salary as a regional official. She tops it up with rent from four apartments her family owns.

Although has a bodyguard, she says "there is nothing to stop someone trying to attack me" so soon after last year's bitter political ructions.

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An Indian-origin barrister in the UK who was convicted of harassing his ex-girlfriend last year has been disbarred from practising law.

Sanjay Roy, 32, was convicted at Northampton Crown Court in July last year and given an 18-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to putting his former girlfriend in fear of violence by harassment.

The Bar Standards Board, which had suspended the lawyer soon after, yesterday decided to ban him from practising as a family law barrister, according to The Times.

"This behaviour is likely to diminish the confidence the public has in Mr Roy and the barrister profession in general," a spokesperson for the board said.

The court had been told last year that Roy beat his former girlfriend, Bibi Taylor-Wilcott, with a belt buckle and poured iced water.

He was also said to be highly controlling and wanted her to have an abortion.

She told the court that she was made to refer to him "as master, as I was nothing but a dog or a slave" and had to "prove to be selfless and treat him as my everything to earn privileges".

His defence team told the court last year that he was "genuinely remorseful" and his behaviour was "out of character".

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India's top ranked player Joshna Chinappa moved into the quarterfinals of the Cleveland Classic, USD 50,000 PSA event here.

Playing after a month's gap, the 14th ranked Indian, seeded third in this tournament, needed less than half an hour to counter the challenge of qualifier Hollie Naughton of Canada.

Joshna won 11-9 11-4 11-5 to enter the quarterfinal round, where she will take on Emily Whitlock, the fifth seed from England.

The only other Indian who had come for this event was Sachika Ingale but she could not cross the qualification phase.

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Former PDP Lok Sabha member Tariq Hameed Karra today joined the Congress in the presence of Rahul Gandhi and vowed to fight the RSS and other "divisive" forces to "save the social fabric" of the country.

Karra said his decision was necessitated as the PDP-BJP alliance government was pursuing the "RSS agenda" in Jammu and Kashmir after joining hands with the so-called fascist forces.

The founder PDP member also termed as "politically motivated" the statement of army chief General Bipin Rawat on "tough action" against those supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

"As far as the army chief's statement is concerned, I feel it is a politically motivated statement. It is very unfortunate that a force like the army, which has been deputed to save the nation's sovereignty, is politicised," he told reporters soon after his formal joining.

Welcoming him into the party fold, Congress vice president Gandhi said, "I am very happy that someone of his stature is joining us. I had met Karra ji in the Lok Sabha and we had some discussions. I welcome him into the Congress party and look forward to working with you".

Karra said, "We will strive, will try our level best to save the social fabric of India".

He accused the PDP of pursuing RSS' agenda in the state and said, "My conscience did not allow me to carry on any further and I resigned from PDP as well as from the membership of Lok Sabha".

"We sought votes against BJP so that BJP does not get space in the corridors of power and rest is history and in 2016 when the unrest started in J&K especially Kashmir Valley when both PDP and BJP in connivance with each other maimed people of J&K, mishandled the situation of J&K, jailed people which was against the conscience of Indian polity, blinded people there, killed children of the age of 5 and 8 years," he alleged.

"Basically after PDP backed an agenda of BJP which is dictated by the RSS, the political dynamics of the state changed. People in the state never accepted the inroads made by the RSS into the state politics using PDP-BJP alliance as a tool," Karra also told PTI.

"The alliance between PDP and BJP had necessitated need for realignment of political forces in the state. Kashmir issue has been put in a deep slumber by the ruling alliance," he said.

Party general secretary incharge of Jammu and Kashmir Ambika Soni said Karra has been the "conscience keeper" in PDP and had time and again warned it of going on a wrong track and rectify its course.

"When he saw no light at the end of the tunnel, he was compelled to leave the ranks of the PDP and we are very happy to welcome him.

"He has his own positive views of what the roadmap should be and how we can bring the processes into the mainstream of national politics and how alienation process which has set in can be reversed and can be an integral part of the Indian main stream," Soni said.

Karra earlier in the day met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi who welcomed him into the Congress party.

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Karra said he held extensive discussions with Rahul as well as Sonia Gandhi and was quite happy that they have definitive ideas about how to bring J&K out of its slumber.

"I have assured the Congress President as well as the Congress Vice President that in order to fight the RSS and menace of other divisive forces, the division they put the society into, I am at their disposal not only in J&K but elsewhere throughout India if they feel so," he said.

The former PDP MP, who has been a minister from 2002 to 2008 in the state, had jointly floated the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Kashmir in 1999.

"Till 2014 Assembly Elections, we followed that agenda and it was after 2014 Assembly elections, PDP which had sought votes against BJP's emergence and Mr Modi's jingoistic and polarisation politics that forced me to distance myself from PDP.

"When late Mufti joined hands with the so-called fascist forces which was so named by himself, I tried to distance myself and started giving them warnings as well as suggestions that since BJP is diametrically opposite, ideologically opposite to what PDP holds.

"It would not be interest of the state as well as for Indian polity that we should give space to such people and such party which has been engaged since pre-independence days for putting the social fabric of the country into jeopardy," he said.

Karra said he has had mutual discussions with the Gandhis and "got the sense from them that they would even like to, if need be, go forward for a movement of high-level people to discuss and find ways and means to fight out fascist forces".

The 61-year-old Karra, who is a founder member of PDP along with late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, had submitted his resignation from the Lok Sabha in September last year protesting against alleged excesses committed by security forces in quelling widespread protests after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani.

The resignation was accepted by the Lok Sabha secretariat in November last year.

Karra, whose uncle G M Sadiq was the first Congress chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said there was an urgent need for secular parties to come together to fight the "fascist forces in the state".

Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Ghulam Ahmed Mir, party's senior vice president Sham Lal Sharma and CLP leader Rigzin Jora were also present at his joining.
Delhi Chief Minister today donated Rs 50,000 to rights activist Irom Sharila's party which is fighting elections in Manipur.

With severe shortage of funds and manpower, Irom Sharmila's party Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) has taken to online crowdfunding to raise funds and campaigning on cycle to reach out to the masses.

Kejriwal said that he is donating Rs 50,000 to Irom Sharmila and also made an appeal to people on Twitter to help her while sharing the link.

"I am donating Rs 50,000 as my small contribution to her and appeal to everyone to support her," he tweeted while urging people to donate generously to her.

PRJA is the first regional party in Manipur which has resorted to crowdfunding to finance the poll expenses in the state.

According to PRJA sources, online crowdfunding with a slogan "Ten For a Change" is an idea in order to involve more people, bring in transparency in election funding and reach out to the masses. The PRJA so far has collected Rs 4.5 lakh through crowdfunding.

"The online crowdfunding is in line with the party's call for accountable governance. When we started the party there was a lot of need for funds.

"Online funds are transparent and normally political parties face a backlash because they don't have transparency in their funds," PRJA's convener, Erendro Leichonbam told PTI.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today inspected the new state Assembly building where he directed the officials to speed up the construction.

Khandu was accompanied by Speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, UD Parliamentary Secretary Techi Kaso, Chief Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin among others.

"The chief minister inspected the Assembly hall which has a seating capacity of 90 with construction work almost in its final stage. Few finishing works and electrification are left," according to an official release.

Instructions were also given to speed up the construction work of the boundary wall, it said.

Officials assured Khandu that "600 labourers were engaged in the construction of the building and the entire work will be done in time. They expressed confidence that the new Assembly hall will be ready by the coming budget session in March."



A final decision in this regard will be taken after the final round of inspection which will be made on February 28 next.

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Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar has filed a criminal defamation case against BJP National Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya at the city sessions court.

Vijayvargiya had on January 4 said he would ask CBI to initiate an investigation into Kumar's alleged role in destroying evidence in the Saradha scam purportedly to shield Trinamool Congress leaders.

The case by Kumar was filed yesterday at the city sessions court, which directed Vijayvargiya to appear before it on March 7.

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Melody Queen Lata Mangeshkar has been honoured with the 'Legendary Award' by Brand Laureate.

The Brand Laureate Awards recognise world-class achievement in branding amongst individuals and companies.

"Heartfelt thank you to "The Brand Laureate" for honouring me with the "Legendary Award" 2017," Mangeshkar, 87, posted on Twitter alongside the pictures of the award.

In 2012, Shah Rukh Khan was honoured with the Brand Laureate Legendary Award for his unmatched contribution to Indian Cinema.

The Brand Laureate Legendary Award has been earlier given to the likes of former South African president Nelson Mandela, Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus, Indian businessman Ratan Tata, late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Facebook CEO Marck Zuckerburg and F1 ace Michael Schumacher.

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Pyongyang has accused Malaysia of colluding with "hostile forces", saying it would reject any results of a post-mortem examination carried out by Kuala Lumpur on the body of Kim Jong-Nam, the half brother of North Korea's leader.

The comments from the North Korean ambassador were the first official remarks from the country since the assassination of Kim Jong-Un's estranged older sibling at Kuala Lumpur international airport on Monday.

But ambassador Kang Chol stopped short of identifying Jong-Nam and did not comment on the cause of death, while North Korean state media has remained silent on the killing.

"The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing. We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem conducted unilaterally excluding our attendance," the ambassador told reporters gathered outside the morgue where the body was being held shortly before midnight yesterday.

The ambassador earlier met with Malaysian police, demanding the release of the body without delay but his request was rejected, according to an English transcript of the envoy's comments distributed by an aide.

"They are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us of malice," the transcript said, suggesting South Korea was trying to defame the North in a bid to distract from a corruption scandal at home.

Malaysia had earlier said it would refuse to comply with requests to hand over the body, insisting it would only be released when his family provide DNA samples.

Detectives in Kuala Lumpur have arrested three people as they try to shed light on a killing South Korea says was carried out by poison-wielding female agents working for their secretive northern neighbour.

A 25-year-old Indonesian woman named Siti Aishah and her Malaysian boyfriend have both been detained, along with a woman carrying a Vietnamese passport that identified her as Doan Thi Huong, 28.

Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said late yesterday Aishah appeared to be the "victim of a scam or a fraud" who thought she was taking part in a reality show involving hidden cameras.

Aishah's family in Jakarta expressed shock over her arrest, with her former father-in-law saying there was "no way such a nice person would do that".

"I could not believe it because she was a good person," said Tija Liang Kiong, 56.

Vietnam have said they are co-operating with Malaysian authorities.

The drama erupted on Monday morning as Jong-Nam prepared to board a plane to Macau.

Malaysian police say the chubby 45-year-old was jumped by two women who squirted some kind of liquid in his face.

Jong-Nam told staff he was suffering from a headache and was taken to the airport clinic grimacing in pain, according to Malaysian media citing CCTV footage from the airport.

He was once thought to be the natural successor to his father, but on Kim Jong-Il's death in 2011 the succession went to Kim Jong-Un, who was born to the former leader's third wife.

Reports of purges and executions have emerged from the current regime as Kim Jong-Un tries to strengthen his grip on power in the face of international pressure over nuclear and missile programmes.

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Malaysian police said today they had arrested a North Korean man over the assassination of Kim Jong-Un's brother, as relations between Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur nosedived in a battle for his body.

A 46-year-old was arrested on Friday evening with documents that identified him as North Korean citizen Ri Jong Chol, a police statement said, making him the first person from the North to be detained over the case.

Kim Jong-Nam died after an as-yet unidentified liquid was sprayed in his face at Kuala Lumpur international airport on Monday, in an attack Seoul says was carried out by female agents from Pyongyang.

Local officers have already arrested a woman with a Vietnamese passport and a Malaysian man, as well as an Indonesian woman who foreign police said could have got involved in the murder thinking it was a reality TV prank.

Jong-Nam's body has been held in a Kuala Lumpur morgue since an autopsy on Wednesday, the results of which are still pending, according to Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah Mat.

After Malaysia ignored demands to return the remains, Pyongyang accused the Kuala Lumpur of conspiring with its enemies and said it would reject whatever results came from the post-mortem.

"The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing. We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem conducted unilaterally excluding our attendance," the North Korean ambassador told reporters gathered outside the morgue shortly before midnight on Friday.

The comments were the first official remarks from the country since the killing, but ambassador Kang Chol stopped short of identifying Jong-Nam or touching on his cause of death.

North Korean state media has remained silent on the murder.

The ambassador had met with Malaysian police, demanding the release of the body without success, according to an English transcript of the envoy's comments distributed by an aide.

"They are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us of malice," the transcript said, suggesting South Korea was trying to defame the North in a bid to distract from a corruption scandal at home.

Today Malaysia's police chief said Pyongyang would have to wait for the investigation to be completed, which would include a family member sending a DNA sample to identify the body.

"While in Malaysia, everyone has to obey and follow our rules and regulations... That includes North Korea," Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar told national agency Bernama.

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Popular television actor-host Maniesh Paul has been roped in to host and perform for superstar Salman Khan's "Da Bang" world tour.

The "Tere Bin Laden 2" actor, who is anxiously looking forward to his first world tour with Salman, has already stared rehearsing for the same, a press release issued here said.

"It feels very good to be on the tour because its going to be my first world tour. Performing with Salman Khan, Prabhudheva, Bipasha Basu, Daisy Shah and everyone will be a great experience," Maniesh said in a statement here.

"I am looking forward to that and its not just hosting so planning something different and quirky its going to be great," he said.

Titled 'DA BANG - The Tour', the event organised by The Chocolate Room will see a bevy of Bollywood stars including Sonakshi Sinha and Badshah joining Salman.

The "Dabangg" star is gearing up for the tour as he will be visiting Hong Kong, Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne along with other celebrities.

Also, there are reports that "Baahubali 2" actress Tamannaah Bhatia will replace Sonakshi for the tour at one of the destinations as the latter would be busy with the promotions of her upcoming film "Noor".

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US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis arrived in the United Arab Emirates today, his first trip to the Middle East since taking office last month.

A retired Marine general who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mattis knows the region well and was a frequent visitor during his time heading up the US military's Central Command.

He was scheduled to meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Defence Minister Mohammed Al Bawardi.

The Pentagon did not immediately release further details of the UAE trip, which comes after Mattis spent much of the week at summits in Brussels and Munich.

His mission there was to reassure nervous European and NATO partners that America will continue to fully support decades-old allegiances and calm concerns over possible ties between the White House and the Kremlin.

The UAE is seen as an important regional ally in the US-led coalition's fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

President Donald Trump in January spoke by telephone with Nahyan, committing to "further strengthen cooperation on fighting radical Islamic terrorism".

Gulf nations including the UAE are concerned about growing Iranian involvement in several regional conflicts, and Mattis, who has sounded a hawkish tone on Iran, has blasted Tehran for its "destabilising" influence.

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Nepal is offering "preferential" policies to Chinese companies for large-scale investments, Nepalese envoy here has said in the wake of China's strategic push into Nepal through road and rail links.

"Nepal is offering preferential policies to Chinese companies which want to invest in the country, though challenges remain such as limited public land and power supply, slow Internet speed and language barriers," said Leela Mani Paudyal, Nepalese Ambassador to China.

Chinese enterprises are encouraged to cooperate with Nepalese firms to develop products and services, relocate their manufacturing bases to Nepal, Paudyal said at a seminar yesterday here.

The Nepalese government has rolled out different corporate income tax rebates based on the types and locations of industries, Binod Prasad Acharya, Economic Minister at the Nepalese embassy, said at the seminar.

"For example, there is a 100 per cent exemption for 10 years and 50 per cent exemption in the following five years in the field of energy, and a 100 per cent exemption for five years in the tourism industry when investing more than 2 billion Nepalese rupees," he said.

In addition, 100 per cent foreign investment is allowed in almost all industries, and technology transfer is possible in all industry sectors, he said.

In terms of investment volume, China became Nepal's second-largest investor in 2016, after India.

China had invested in 1,121 projects by the end of 2016, totalling 3.79 billion yuan (USD 552 million), the daily report said.

China and Nepal signed a landmark transit treaty last year to reduce dependence on India for supplies.

Beijing is pressing ahead with its investment push into Nepal with rail and road connectivity through Tibet despite fall of Oli government which was replaced by Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda who observers say is trying to follow a more balanced policy between India and China.

"As most of the country's land is private, you have to negotiate with many people. We suggest Chinese investors establish an industrial zone here, for which we will provide land and other facilities. This will also help other investors," Paudyal said.

In addition, Nepal has an insufficient supply of power, but this is also a potential area for investment by Chinese companies, he said.

Chinese investors may need professional interpreters to overcome language barriers, but the problem may be alleviated in the coming years, as the country has sent many students to China to learn Chinese, including 200 in Beijing, Paudyal said.

The ambassador also suggested foreign investors find a reliable local business partner in Nepal to help them understand the laws and culture of the country.

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Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu today expressed concern over the incidents in the state Assembly during the confidence vote sought by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

BJP said while there was all round expectations of a healthy scenario in politics, "in Tamil Nadu it has ended with a scuffle."



"Whatever may be (the end result), its the desire of all to see a government without any scam taint. Lets wait and see, whether this is a government for the people. Else they will boycott it," state BJP chief Tamilisai Sounderrajan said in a statement.

"People want a stable government, not a shadow government," she said.

CPI (M) state secretary G Ramakrishnan said that democracy cannot be upheld by violence.

"The incidents that had happened have brought shame to Tamil Nadu and democracy," he said, adding elected representatives "causing damage to public property (in the Assembly) is strongly condemnable".

PMK founder S Ramadoss said "Assembly democracy and ethos have been buried" due to the incidents.

In Coimbatore, Puthiya Tamizhakam chief K Krishnasamy sought the dissolution of the Assembly, claiming the Floor Test was held in "an undemocratic and unconstitutional" manner after evicting the Opposition members.

He said the Governor should reject the outcome and dissolve the Assembly and recommend fresh election, he said.

Pandemonium had broke out in the Assembly during the confidence vote sought by Palaniswami, with the DMK members creating a ruckus and later alleging manhandling of its MLAs including Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin by marshals.

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Pakistan has reportedly launched "strikes" against militant bases in Afghanistan, hours after the army said it has found links that terrorists from across the border were behind a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine that killed 88 people.

The army yesterday summoned Afghan diplomats and handed them a list of 76 militants who, they say, were supporting terrorist activities in Pakistan. The move came after 88 people died in a suicide bombing at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in southern Sindh province on Friday night.

Immediately after the bombing, Pakistan claimed the attack was planned in militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan, in remarks that can renew hostility between Kabul and Islamabad.

Geo TV, quoting military sources, reported that the strikes were launched last night. But there have been no official word on the strikes, which, if confirmed, would be the first such operation on Afghan soil by the Pakistan Army.

The report said four camps of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar terror group were targeted in the strikes across the border of Pakistan's Khyber and Mohmand tribal agencies. Some reports said several militants, including the deputy commander of Jamat-ul Ahrar, Adil Bacha, were killed in the strikes.

The report quoted the Afghan media reporting that the Pakistani ambassador in Afghanistan has been summoned by the Afghan government over recent shelling in eastern part of the country.

Pakistan has often warned Afghan authorities to prevent the use of their soil for terror activities in Pakistan.

Yesterday, Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa told Gen John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan, during a telephonic conversation that terrorist activities and inaction against militants in Afghanistan were "testing our current policy of cross-border restraint".

Pakistan Army has launched "intelligence-based operations" combing operations across the country and claimed it has killed "100 terrorists" since the attack on the shrine.

The army has so far provided no details of how and under what circumstances the militants were killed. In a statement yesterday, it claimed it has found linkages to militant support networks operating from Afghanistan and it has closed the border due to security reasons after the shrine bombing.

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A panther was today caught near Sariksa where a hunt is underway to nab an elusive feline which had mauled two persons to death.

The panther was trapped in a cage this morning in forest area near Gopalpura village. However, it is not yet confirmed if it is the same panther which attacked two persons on Sunday.

The animal has been shifted to Jaipur zoo for medical examination, Alwar collector Muktanand Agrawal told PTI.

He said that the veterinary doctors at the zoo would examine if it isthe same panther.

Teams of forest department and police are still combing the area in search of the panther. Twenty cameras have been installed and monitoring is being done through drone cameras as well. The hunt is underway since Sunday.

Six persons have died recently in panther attacks in Sariska forest area.

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A 48-year-old paralytic man was charred to death after a fire broke out at his house in central Delhi's Chandni Mahal, police said today.

Iqbal, was alone at home, when the fire broke out at the first floor of the house last night. He couldn't escape since he was paralytic and suffering from multiple ailments. His family members had gone to attend a function, police said.

It is suspected that a short-circuit caused the fire. The curtains on the window caught fire that spread throughout the house. Neighbours saw flames emanating from the house and tried to douse it but were not successful, they said.

Neighbours said the residents of the second floor had to jump on the neighbouring roof to save their lives.

It took some time for the fire tenders to reach the spot as the roads are narrow. By the time the blaze was doused, the man was charred to death, police said.

Iqbal used to work as a car mechanic but he had been bedridden for months now. He is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son.

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A months-long campaign to isolate and pressure the Islamic State group's self-declared capital of Raqqa, Syria, is paying off as the administrative backbone of the militant organisation is beginning to crack, the Pentagon has said.

IS leaders "are beginning the process of leaving Raqqa and moving their operations farther downriver," said Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. He said yesterday an unspecified number of IS "bureaucrats" are heading east along the north bank of the Euphrates River toward Deir el-Zour, because they see "the end is near in Raqqa."



"We are seeing now an exodus of their leadership," Davis said, adding: "This seems to be a very organised, orderly withdrawal of a lot of their non-combatant support people."



Davis did not predict an imminent collapse of the militant group, and analysts said they expect a tough fight for the Syrian city.

The US-led coalition has been pounding the Raqqa area regularly for months. On Thursday it conducted 17 strikes near the city, targeting two IS military staging areas and an IS combat unit, according to the US Central Command's daily airstrike tally.

It said the attacks destroyed four tunnels, three fighting positions, three IS-held buildings, two weapons storage areas, two IS headquarters, a bridge and other targets. The coalition also launched 11 airstrikes near Deir el-Zour, destroying 20 oil tanker trucks, six oil wellheads, two artillery systems, an oil storage tank and a crane.

"ISIL is going to have to think hard about where they go next. Do they have any place to go?" said Christine Wormuth, the Pentagon's top policy official from 2014 to 2016. Wormuth, now a senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, said she expected some fighters would stay in Raqqa and fight.

"The whole point of the isolate mission is to try to squeeze them and get them to leave and flush them out into the open," she said.

President Barack Obama's strategy was to recruit, organise and enable local Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters to retake Raqqa, rather than put American combat forces in the lead. The Trump administration is now reevaluating that approach and considering options that could include a more direct US combat role.

At his confirmation hearing a month ago, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said the US approach should be reviewed and "perhaps energised on a more aggressive timeline." He has not said what changes he would recommend.

Last week, the top US commander for the counter-IS campaign in Iraq and Syria, Lt Gen Stephen Townsend, said forces leading the fights for Raqqa and the northern Iraqi city of Mosul should prevail within the next six months.

A major complication in the current strategy is Turkey's strong objections to a Syrian Kurd role in the Raqqa campaign.

The Turkish government views the US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters as terrorists and a threat to Turkey. The US sees them as the most effective and reliable element among local fighters supported by the Pentagon.

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Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff in the case that led to the Supreme Court's controversial Roe v Wade ruling that legalised abortion in the United States in 1973, has died. She was 69.

She died yesterday of heart failure in a Texas assisted-living facility, said Joshua Prager, a New York journalist who has written about her in Vanity Fair magazine.

McCorvey was known as "Jane Roe" in the case as she fought for the constitutional right to an abortion, a hot-button social issue that has divided the American public roughly in half for decades.

She became a hero to abortion rights supporters but a villain to those seeking to outlaw abortion. Years later in 1995, she announced she had switched her allegiance to the anti-abortion movement.

The Roe v Wade decision was handed down on January 22, 1973 with seven justices backing it and two dissenting.

In the four decades since the Supreme Court ruling, tens of millions of legal abortions have been performed in the country.

The ruling ended a lengthy legal drama that had begun in the state of Texas three years earlier, where abortions were permitted only in cases in which pregnancies endangered the mothers or children.

A single mother who had had a rough childhood, McCorvey was pregnant for a third time and wanted an abortion.

Encouraged by two feminist lawyers, she filed suit against Dallas district attorney Henry Wade over the Texas law under the pseudonym Jane Roe.

Although her child was born, the case took on a life of its own, becoming one of the most important and best-known decisions ever made by the Supreme Court.

McCorvey later became a fervent abortion opponent, converting to evangelical Protestantism and then Catholicism. She also declared herself a lesbian.

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Celebrated author Munshi Premchand changed the course of literature in Hindi and Urdu with his "modern perspective" and simple expressions, according to his grandson Alok Rai.

Rai, who was speaking in a session titled, "Hindustani Zindagi Ka Naqsh-Nigaar: Premchand", said Premchand chose a language that could reach masses.

"Premchand had a modern view and understood things happening around him from a completely different perspective. Being an ardent reader, he had several influences which he used in telling stories," Rai said while speaking at Jashn-e-Rekhta, a festival celebrating Urdu language.

Author and former JNU professor, Manager Pandey said extensive use of idioms was unique to Premchand's writings.

"He adopted an extensive use of idioms in most of his stories. The best thing about Premchand was that he was a social writer and expressed himself in a language that people could easily understand. He touched different castes, cultures as well as religions and catered to everybody," Manager said.

A pioneer in Hindi literature, the writer popularly known as "Upanyas Samrat" (King of novels), wrote more than a dozen novels and penned around 300 short stories.

Considered to be the first Hindi author whose writings prominently featured realism, Premchand presented a critical and modern view on the oppressed and urban-middle class of the society in his novels "Godaan", "Nirmala", "Rangbhoomi" and "Sevasadan".

His famous stories are "Kafan", "Shatranj Ke Khiladi", "Idgah", "Poos Ki Raat", "Namak Ka Daroga" and "Sadgati" among many others.

Rai said his grandfather was ahead of his times and that can be seen in the women characters that he wrote about as they were strong characters with a will of their own.

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An Innova car rented by Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari's additional personal secretary was stolen from outside his Lutyens' Delhi house at Pandara Road.

The complaint was filed by Manoj Kumar, additional PS of Gadkari, said a senior police officer.

The incident happened last night and the matter was reported to the police this morning, he said.

A case has been registered under section 379 (punishment for theft) of IPC at the Tilak Marg police station and investigation in the matter has been taken up.

It has been learnt that the burglars disconnected the GPS attached to the car near EDM mall in Ghaziabad, said the officer.

Police said they have some clues from the CCTV footage and they are being analysed. They are also scanning CCTV footage from nearby areas to establish the route taken by the accused.

Gadkari's PS stays close to the houses of some senior Delhi Police officers.

This incident is the latest in a spate of robberies in Lutyens' Delhi.

Last year in November, several items, including "copper Gandhi glasses" gifted to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were stolen from Tharoor's house.

On December 11, thieves broke into the house of Vice Admiral Michael Moraes and decamped with jewellery and cash.

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Since digital transactions took off rapidly from November 9, 2016, Rs 27,000 crore has so far been saved under the Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, this was informed at an event held at Panchkula today



Also, about 35 per cent people have taken to debit card, RuPay card and e-wallet services for making payments in Haryana.

This was disclosed in the presence of the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Krishan Pal Gujjar, and the Haryana Education Minister, Ram Bilas Sharma, at the inaugural function of the 'Digi Dhan Mela' and 'Basant Utsav', at Panchkula, near here, today, a Haryana government statement said here.

Speaking on the occasion, Gujjar said that 100 Digi Dhan Melas were being organised in the country to encourage people to adopt cashless transaction system for making payments.

So far, 56 such melas have been held. This is the third such mela in Haryana after Gurugram and Sonipat.

Gujjar urged the people to make digital transactions to realise the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and also encourage others to adopt this system.

The main aim of Digi Dhan Mela is to give people message of 'Mera Mobile-Mera Bank-Mera Batua', he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Ram Bilas Sharma thanked Arjuna awardee Sanjay Phogat, international shooter, Gauri Sheoran, and Kings XI Punjab (IPL) player, Manan Vohra, and others for attending the mela and expressed hope that such events would inspire people to adopt digital payment methods.

Vice-Chairman, National Payments Corporation of India, Pushpendra Singh, and Deputy Director, NITI Aayog, Sukhdeep Kaur, gave detailed information about various digital schemes.
The SAARC is an "unkept promise" that has failed to live up to people's expectations, Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) President Saber Hossain Chowdhury said today.

Chowdhury was of the view that people expect the IPU can fill the void left by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

"Looking at it from the point of view of people's aspirations, what I'm saying is that the SAARC was an unkept promise. I'm not saying we (IPU) are a replacement for the SAARC but...I think this is what people would like to see," he told PTI on sidelines of the South Asian Speakers summit.

The SAARC could have played a better role than certain groups like the European Union as it could have come up with a SAARC Central Bank or common currency apart from a platform to discuss issues like unemployment and health, he said.

Chowdhury, who is an MP from Bangladesh, said the SAARC is entirely political and it is at the governmental level, whereas the IPU is the platform led by people who are elected by the people.

"So I think there is a difference. When you are talking on people to people basis, you are more frank. You can easily talk about your differences," he added.

To a question on border issues between the South Asian countries, Chowdhury said all such matters could be discussed mutually through integration of borders.

"Borders should not be check points, they should be crossing points, and we can think of a region where there is a free flow of capital and labour," he added.

Emphasising on trade, he said inter-regional trade within South Asia is less than 5 per cent which is very low compared to the European Union or the African Union.

He added that IPU wants to create a structure and wants to add value to the ongoing discourse through the sustainable development goals so that it could give people the future they desire.

He said even when governments stop talking parliamentarians should continue the dialogue process. "At the Parliamentary level IPU stands for dialogue. You may have differences but talk about your differences," he added.

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Taking a jibe at the Shiv Sena over its #karun dakhavle (we did it) poll campaign slogan, Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan today asked Uddhav Thackeray to withdraw support to the BJP-led state government.

"Uddhav should implement what he says and withdraw support to the BJP-led government by asking his ministers to resign. Congress is ready for the mid-term polls," Chavan said while addressing an election meeting at Antop Hill here.

On BJP's 'transparency' plank for the BMC polls, Chavan wondered why the party had not thought of transparency for the 22 years it has been in power in the civic body.

"Congress works to unite people, while BJP wants to polarise society on the mandir-masjid issue. BJP says 'mandir wahi banayenge' and Shiv Sena says they will withdraw support to the BJP government, but both the parties don't give a date for it," he alleged.

Taking a dig at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the tagline "parivartan tar honarach (change will happen)" denoting its resolve to dethrone the Sena in the BMC, Chavan said, "Change will happen not in favour of BJP, but in favour of Congress."



The Congress leader added that villages in Maharashtra had better roads than in Mumbai.

Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam said if Congress is voted to power, it will start canteen service for the common man, where full meal will be available for Rs 20.

Former MPs Milind Deora and Eknath Gaikwad were present at the meeting.

In another rally at Sion held later, Chavan said his party was responsible for whatever development was seen in Mumbai, like Metro rail, Mono Rail and Eastern Freeway.

"However, Shiv Sena and BJP, despite being in power for 22 years in Mumbai, failed to provide basic amenities like water, roads and health services to the citizens," he said.

"In all these years, instead of spending the civic resources on development of the city, leaders of these two parties failed to live up to the people's expectations and are now busy attacking each other," Chavan said.

Demonetisation hit the common man hard and cost people of their livelihood, he said.

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Controversial RJD leader Mohammad Shahabuddin reached here today enroute to Delhi where he would be lodged in Tihar jail in accordance with the direction of the Supreme Court.

"In obedience to Apex Court direction, Shahabuddin has been brought to Patna this morning. He has been kept in Beur central jail from where he would be taken to Delhi's Tihar jail," Inspector General (Prisons) Anand Kishore told PTI.

In reply to a query as whether Shahabuddin would be taken to Delhi by flight or Rajdhani express train, Kishore refused to divulge anything on the issue saying that "We are keeping it (the transit plan of Shahabuddin) a secret as we did while bringing him to Patna from Siwan."



"Even in Siwan, nobody knew except Siwan DM, SP, IG (STF) and other two-three officials about Shahabuddin being taken to Patna...We are keeping it secret due to various reasons including operational difficulties and other problems," IG (Prisons) said.

The Apex court had on February 15 last directed the Bihar government to transfer Shahabuddin to Tihar jail within a week to ensure free and fair trial in the cases lodged against him through video conferencing.

The order came on the pleas by Siwan-based Chandrakeshwar Prasad, whose three sons were killed in separate incidents, and Asha Ranjan, wife of scribe Rajdeo Ranjan who was murdered in Siwan, seeking shifting of Shahabuddin, a four time MP and twice an MLA, from Siwan jail.

(REOPENS CES6)



In the evening Shahabuddin was taken to Delhi by



Sampoorna Kranti train.

The former MP was taken in a prisoners' van to Rajendra nagar Terminal from Beur Jail in Patna with security cover.

A large number of security personnel belonging to Bihar police, STF, RPF and Bihar Military Police stood guard at the Terminal.

Shahabuddi was brought out of the prisoners van and taken to a sleeper coach.

In accordance with the Supreme Court direction that no VIP treatment should be given to Shahabuddin while shifting him to Tihar jail from Bihar, the security personnel took him in S-2 Sleeper coach.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, STF Ramakant Prasad supervised the entire arrangement. Some supporters gathered at the Rajendra Nagar terminal and shouted slogan in support of the former MP who were kept at a distance by the security personnel.

Railway sources said that 1-16 number of berths in the S-2 coach have been reserved for Shahabuddin and security personnel escorting him to Tihar.

As 12393 Sampoorna Kranti reached Patna junction, the S-2 coach was shut and local TV reports showed some passengers who had reservation in that coach but asked to shift to contagious S-1 and S-3 coaches with Railway officials promising to accomodate them at a proper place later on.

A passenger A Kumar showing his reservation on berth number 35 of S-2 coach narrated his ordeal to reporters at Patna junction saying he was asked by security personnel to go to S-3 coach.

Some other passengers having reservation in S-2 coach also let out their woes after being instructed to move to other coach.

Sampoorna Kranti which starts from Rajendra Nagar terminal at 17:35 PM stops at Mughalsarai and Kanpur before reaching New Delhi at 07:50 AM in the morning.
NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad today alleged that Shiv Sena, which is in power in Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) for several years, "has ruined the city".

"The party (Shiv Sena) has done nothing for Thane and not a single development project was brought by it for the city," claimed Awhad, who represents Mumbra-Kalwa constituency in the Maharashtra Assembly.

"The Shiv Sena, which is in power in TMC for several years, has ruined the city," he told reporters here.

Awhad expressed confidence that the Congress-NCP combine will come to power in the TMC, after the February 21 election.

The NCP today published a folder containing "failures of Shiv Sena in TMC since the last five years on several fronts".

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A set of silk cloth blended with gold and silver threads, worth about Rs.16 lakh, was today donated to the Lord Venkateswara temple near here by two devotees.

Temple PRO Talari Ravi said the cloth was made of silk, gold and silver threads with the sacred term 'Om Namo Venkatesaya' embossed all over the cloth.

The devotees, Ramanuja Reddy and Venkata Sujatha, from Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh handed over the cloth to TTD Chairman Chadalavada Krishnamurthy on the hills tonight, he added.

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At least nine people were killed today when government forces launched a barrage of rockets that hit a funeral on the edges of the Syrian capital, a monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "seven rockets and several shells hit areas on the edges of Qabun", a northeastern district of Damascus held by rebels.

"The shelling targeted a cemetery while someone was being buried there," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

"The toll may increase because there are about 15 people wounded, some of them in critical condition," he said.

Rebels and regime forces reached a local truce deal in Qabun in 2014, but violence steadily escalated in the neighbourhood which is now bombarded regularly.

Also today, three civilians were killed in government air strikes on Waer, the last opposition-held district of the central city of Homs.

The Observatory said two young brothers were among the dead.

The toll brought to 30, including 10 children, the total number of people killed in an "escalating air campaign and clashes in Waer", Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Homs was dubbed the "capital of the revolution" after vast demonstrations there early in Syria's anti-regime uprising.

But after months of siege and bombardment, rebels agreed to quit the city in a 2014 evacuation deal with the government.

Another local deal was struck specifically for Waer in December 2015, and hundreds of rebels have left the neighbourhood.

More than 310,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011.

But after nearly six years, the conflict has morphed into a multi-front war that has drawn in foreign powers and seen jihadist groups rise to prominence.

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Tanzania today announced plans to publish a list of gay people allegedly selling sex online - just days after shutting dozens of AIDS clinics accused of promoting homosexuality.

The country's deputy health minister Hamisi Kigwangalla said on Twitter that the government was investigating "the homosexuality syndicate" and would arrest and prosecute those involved in the gay sex business.

"I will publish a list of gay people selling their bodies online. Those who think this campaign is a joke are wrong. The government has long arms and it will arrest all those involved quietly," he wrote.

"Once arrested they will help us find others."



Gay male sex is punishable by anything from 30 years to life imprisonment under Tanzanian law, but there is no such ban on lesbian relations.

However politicians have largely ignored the gay community - which was not subject to levels of discrimination seen in other countries such as neighbouring Uganda - until a recent spike in anti-gay rhetoric by the government.

In July last year, the regional commissioner for the port city of Dar es Salaam, Paul Makonda, announced a crackdown against gays, followed by arrests in clubs.

Some people who have been openly gay on the internet stopped posting after Makonda threatened that police would arrest those who follow them on social media.

Dozens of men suspected of being gay have been detained and taken to hospital for anal exams to confirm their homosexuality.

Also in July last year the government banned the import and sales of sexual lubricants, which Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said encouraged homosexuality which led to the spread of HIV/AIDS.

On Thursday government announced it was stopping many privately run health centres from providing AIDS-related services after they were accused of providing services to homosexuals.

"We have suspended the provision of HIV and AIDS services at less than 40 drop-in centres for key populations operated by NGOs countrywide after it was established that the centres were promoting homosexuality, which is against Tanzania's laws," Mwalimu told a press conference.

Last year she said it was estimated that 23 per cent of men who have sex with men in Tanzania were living with HIV/AIDS.

Homosexuality is illegal in 38 of 54 countries in Africa, and is punishable by death in Mauritania, Sudan and Somalia, according to Amnesty International.

Uganda in 2014 tried to impose the death penalty on those found guilty of being homosexual, however the controversial law was later repealed.

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The Trinamool Congress on Saturday said it would raise in Parliament the issue of the ongoing economic blockade in Manipur and already urged the Election Commission to take action to lift the blockade.

"We would raise the issue of economic blockade in Parliament. We are against any kind of blockade or shutdown. Recently I had met Election Commission and told them that they were required to act in order to lift the blockade as the model code of conduct is in force in the state," Roy told PTI.

Roy, who is presently in Imphal to campaign for TMC candidates contesting in Manipur elections, said that TMC would play a decisive role after the polls as "no party will be able to get a majority on its own."



"We are in a position to win at least seven to eight seats. We won seven seats in 2012 Manipur Elections. And in the post-poll scenario we'll play a decisive factor as no party will be able to get a majority on its own," Roy said.

TMC this time is fighting for 24 seats. Last time with seven seats TMC was the main opposition party in the state. Later, however, all the seven MLAs switched their loyalty to either Congress or BJP.

TMC leader in Manipur Samrat Tapadar accused both the BJP and the Congress of playing politics on the issue of the blockade and said "both the parties are only interested in votes by exploiting the sufferings of the common people.
A truce between pro-Russian rebels and the Ukrainian army will come into force on Monday in eastern Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Announcing a ceasefire deal brokered at the Munich security conference between Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, he called it "positive" but stressed the absence of "major progress" at the meeting.

"It is positive that the contact group (of foreign ministers of the four countries) agreed once again for the start of a ceasefire on February 20," Lavrov told Russian journalists in Munich.

The agreement also concerns "the start of the withdrawal of heavy arms" in eastern Ukraine, the Russian minister added.

The Munich meeting "examined where we were with the implementation of accords reached" by the presidents of the four countries in Berlin in October, he said.

"We observed that there hasn't been major progress in terms of results of the decisions taken in Berlin," he lamented.

Almost three years of fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine has killed nearly 10,000 people. Kiev and its western allies claim the rebels have Russian military support, but Moscow denies this.

Despite a ceasefire which went into effect in late December in the east of the country, clashes regularly flare up, killing nearly 30 people in a surge of violence at the start of February.

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Turkey has presented two plans to the US detailing how a joint operation could retake the IS de-facto capital of Raqa in northern Syria, a local newspaper reported today.

Turkish Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar set out Ankara's proposals to the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford during his visit to Turkey, Hurriyet daily said citing security sources.

Dunford travelled yesterday to the Incirlik airbase in the southern Turkish province of Adana, which is used for air raids against the Islamic State group (IS).

Turkey has repeatedly called for a joint operation with the US to clear Raqa of IS excluding Syrian Kurdish militia.

Last August, Ankara launched a unilateral military operation supporting Syrian rebels to recapture territory from IS in northern Syria and halt the advance of the militia.

In one of the proposals, Ankara suggests Turkish and US special forces supported by commandoes and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters would go down to Raqa via the Syrian town of Tal Abyad, the daily reported.

Tal Abyad was captured by Kurdish and Arab rebels in June 2015 and is 80 kilometres away from Raqa.

The newspaper said this would mean the US would have to persuade the Kurdish groups to let the forces through to reach Raqa via a 20-kilometre corridor.

The second plan would be to go to Raqa via Al-Bab but this would be less likely since this would require moving forces 180 kilometres across and there are mountainous roads, Hurriyet reported.

Al-Bab is IS's last stronghold in Aleppo province and the Turkish operation is currently engaged in clearing IS from the town, Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik said this week.

Relations between Washington and Ankara have soured over the six-year conflict as the US sees Syrian Kurdish militias as the most effective ground force against IS.

But Ankara views the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG), as extensions of Kurdish separatist militants waging an insurgency against Turkey.

A Kurdish-Arab alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is pushing towards Raqa in an operation dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates".

But it is not clear whether US President Donald Trump will continue to rely on the Kurdish militias for any operation in Raqa.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said it would not be right for the US to work with the PYD and YPG.

"You cannot go against a terror organisation with another terror organisation," Yildirim said, quoted by the CNN Turk broadcaster.

He said he believed the US administration would take these assessments into consideration.

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Turkey's prime minister drew criticism today for holding a rally in Germany urging Turks there to support a referendum that would expand President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.

Binali Yildirim also told the several thousands of people at a stadium in Oberhausen, in western Germany, that Turkey would track down the participants in last July's failed military coup "in all the holes where they are hiding".

Germany is home to about three million people of Turkish origin, the legacy of a massive "guest worker" programme in the 1960s and 70s and the biggest population of Turks in the world outside of Turkey.

They will be able to vote in the April 16 referendum, which would discard the post of prime minister for the first time in Turkey's history.

Critics say the new presidential system will cement one-man rule in the country.

Some 750 opponents of Erdogan rallied peacefully near the Oberhausen stadium, according to police.

Sevim Dagdelen, a lawmaker in Germany's far-left Die Linke party, called the rally "a publicity campaign for a dictator".

Another lawmaker, Cem Ozdemir of the Greens, wrote in the Kolner Stadt Anzeiger paper: "I find it shocking that a Turkish prime minister has no qualms about taking advantage of our democracy while he and his henchmen make their opponents disappear behind bars," he said.

But Yildirim told the supporters of the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) that "the era when some could give lessons to Turkey is over. Turkey is not a country that will be intimidated".

The German daily Die Welt said yesterday that Turkish police were holding its correspondent in the country.

Deniz Yucel, 43, has been detained in connection with reports on a hacker attack on the email account of Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, a son-in-law of Erdogan, the paper said.

Yildirim met Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier today during the Munich Security Conference, where she raised the correspondent's case.

"The chancellor noted that it was fundamental for Yucel to receive consular or embassy assistance... That he be treated fairly and in accordance with the law," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

Yildirim was to meet US Vice President Mike Pence at the conference later today.

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Ugandan authorities seized a ton of illegal ivory and arrested three West Africans they believe were plotting to ship it abroad, an official said today.

The seizure happened late yesterday at an "opulent, expansive house" in a suburb of the capital, Kampala, where law enforcement officials had been monitoring the West Africans for several weeks, said Gessa Simplicious, a spokesman for the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

A Liberian and two Guinea-Bissau nationals were arrested for possessing the ivory and would face criminal charges.

The ivory likely had been imported from neighboring countries such as Tanzania and Congo because it had markings not familiar to Ugandan authorities, Simplicious said.

"We are happy because Uganda will not be used anymore as a transit point" for smugglers of wildlife products, he said.

Smugglers take advantage of porous borders in Africa's Great Lakes region to move illegal wildlife products around, he said.

Uganda has about 5,600 elephants still left the wild. Although their numbers have been rising in recent years, elephants face sporadic poaching, sometimes with the help of corrupt wildlife officials.

Uganda's government recently set up a canine unit to help curb the illegal trade in wildlife products.

Africa had 1.3 million elephants in the 1970s but has less than 500,000 today. Experts warn that if the ivory trade is not stopped, elephant populations could plummet.

Ivory is treasured as a status symbol in China, where it is often carved into small trinkets. China recently said it plans to shut down its ivory trade by the end of 2017.

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A militant of proscribed United



National Liberation Front (UNLF) has been arrested during a search operation conducted by a combined team of Manipur police and Assam Rifles in Manipur's Thoubal district.

The girl was arrested after the teams conducted a search operation at Heirok Ngarouthel Leikai, according to a press release issued by PRO, Manipur police.

A case has been registered in this regard and investigation is on, the release added.

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A bipartisan delegation from the US House of Representatives is visiting Kosovo to reiterate the strong support for the nation.

In its two-day visit, the delegation led by Republican Peter Roskam will meet Kosovo's prime minister, Assembly (parliament) speaker, lawmakers and civil society.

Roskam heads the House Democracy Partnership, which works to support the development of effective, independent, and responsive legislative institutions.

A statement today from the US embassy said that the "United States is committed to helping Kosovo move along the path to further European integration."



Washington, Kosovo's strongest ally, led NATO's 1999 air war against Serbia to halt its attacks on people in Kosovo. In 2008 Pristina declared independence which is recognised by 113 countries but rejected by Serbia.

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The US and Singapore today discussed various issues, including ways to resolve the South China Sea dispute as per the international law during a meeting between the defence ministers of two countries.

During a meeting between US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Singapore Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen, on the margins of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, the two leaders also discussed the challenges posed by terror group ISIS.

They discussed shared interest in regional stability, the rule of law and the importance of regional architecture and the US-ASEAN relationship, said Secretary of Defence Spokesperson Commander Sarah Higgins.

"With regard to the South China Sea, the two reaffirmed the importance of the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law," Higgins said.

They discussed a range of mutual security interests, including cooperation on maritime security and countering violent extremism from terrorist organisations such as ISIS.

"The secretary expressed appreciation for Singapore hosting US forces and emphasized the importance of its contributions to the counter-ISIS coalition," Higgins said.

Mattis also met Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani, during which they discussed the latest developments in the Mosul operation and the key role Peshmerga forces have played in the counter-ISIS fight.

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The United States today repeated its call for Venezuela to release some hundred political prisoners, including a jailed opposition leader whose liberation Donald Trump urged earlier this week, inflaming tensions between the two countries.

The State Department's call came days after the Venezuelan Supreme Court upheld the punishment of Leopoldo Lopez, who is serving a nearly 14-year sentence on charges of inciting unrest at anti-government protests in 2014.

"We call for the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience, respect for the rule of law, the freedom of the press, the separation of constitutional powers within the government, and the restoration of a democratic process that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people," the department's acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

The State Department also urged Venezuela to release opposition leaders Antonio Ledezma and Daniel Ceballos, along with "many other students, activists, journalists, and peaceful protestors."



"The United States reiterates its dismay and concern about these arrests, and other actions taken by the Venezuelan government to criminalize dissent and deny its citizens the benefits of democracy," the statement said.

The ruling on Lopez's appeal, which was filed in July, came a day after Trump received Lopez's wife Lilian Tintori at the White House and posted a tweet calling for the prisoner's release.

"Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately," Trump tweeted following the meeting.

Lopez is the founder of Popular Will, one of the most hardline parties opposing President Nicolas Maduro.

Some 200 Venezuelan opposition supporters marched today, blocking one of the main highways in Caracas to protest Lopez's imprisonment.

Shortly before Trump sent his Twitter missive this week, Maduro had warned the US that Venezuela would "respond firmly" to any action deemed aggressive.

"Those who tangle with us will get an appropriate response," he said on state television.

Ties had already been strained on Monday when the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Maduro's powerful Vice President Tareck El Aissami and a businessman, whom the US authorities accuse of being involved in drug trafficking.

Washington has had a shaky relationship with Caracas since the late Hugo Chavez rose to power in 1999.

The former Venezuelan president was famous for his anti-American rhetoric, which has persisted under Maduro, who blames his country's deep economic woes on a US-backed capitalist conspiracy.

The two countries have not swapped ambassadors since 2010, but do share important economic relations, especially in the oil sector.

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The Vatican froze some two million euros in suspect funds last year as part of Pope Francis's war against money laundering in the Holy See, its chief magistrate said today.

Promoter of Justice Gian Pietro Milano said the funds (some USD 2.1 million) were part of a total of around 13 million euros frozen between 2013 and 2016.

Last year the Holy See's financial watchdog, the Financial Information Authority (AIF), said it had closed nearly 5,000 suspect accounts as part of a three-year examination of the once murky Vatican bank.

The Institute of Religious Works (IOR), as the bank is known, became notorious around the world because of a 1980s scandal centred on the death of banker Roberto Calvi, whose corpse was discovered hanging under Blackfriars bridge in London.

The AIF was established in 2010 by now-retired Pope Benedict XVI to bring the Vatican's financial institutions into line with international standards designed to reduce the risk of accounts being used for nefarious purposes.

Francis boosted the AIF's power after his election in 2013.

The Vatican had also signed up for external evaluation by Moneyval, a European body that combats money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Moneyval reported in 2015 that the Vatican had addressed most of its structural weaknesses.

But it also questioned why no indictments or prosecutions had ensued as a result of the evidence of wrongdoing gathered and handed to prosecutors.

Milano said 23 cases of suspected financial crimes had been flagged up by the AIF between 2012 and 2016.

Six had since been dismissed, while 17 were still being investigated.

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Jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has called on his supporters to hold a "massive" protest today, after US President Donald Trump incensed Caracas by calling for his release.

Lopez, the founder of Popular Will -- one of the most hardline parties opposing President Nicolas Maduro -- is serving a nearly 14-year sentence on charges of inciting unrest at anti-government protests in 2014.

Today marks the third anniversary of his arrest, and Popular Will has called a protest in Caracas under the banner "No more dictatorship."



In an audio message recorded in his jail cell at the Ramo Verde military prison, Lopez urged Venezuelans to join in.

"My Venezuelan brothers and sisters, we would like to invite you to a forceful, massive protest on the streets of Venezuela this Saturday," he said.

The message comes after Trump met with Lopez's wife on Wednesday and tweeted that Venezuela should "immediately" free Lopez, whom he called a "political prisoner."



The following day, Venezuela's Supreme Court upheld Lopez's sentence. His lawyer said he would appeal to international courts.

US-Venezuelan tensions have soared since Trump's tweet, with Maduro warning the new American leader not to provoke him.

Lopez's sentence has been strongly condemned by the United Nations, the United States and the European Union.

The opposition leader has managed to smuggle a handful of video and audio recordings out of jail. His lawyers say he is punished each time with measures such as bans on family visits.

Venezuela's socialist government, which is fending off a punishing economic crisis that has pummelled its popularity, denies Lopez is a political prisoner.

It blames him for the deaths of 43 people during the 2014 protests.

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A 29-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man got a fresh lease of life after they underwent renal transplant at Safdarjung Hospital.

The kidneys were retrieved from a 40-year-old man, who was declared brain dead, after he met with a road traffic accident in Chandigarh.

The family of the patient wanted to donate his organs, following which PGI Chandigarh authorities intimated NOTTO which as per protocol allocated one of the kidneys to PGI Chandigarh itself while the other one was allocated to Safdarjung hospital.

On February 5, a team of doctors rushed to Chandigarh. According to (Prof) Dr Anup Kumar, head of the renal transplant department at Safdarjung Hospital, there were few challenges. The retrieval time was limited as the donor was not stable and was sinking which means his blood pressure was dropping.

"Our team left at 3 PM by taxi as air tickets could not be booked. They carried along a special box to bring the kidney. At around 7.30 PM, we received another call from PGI Chandigarh saying they do not have a suitable recipient for the one kidney allocated to them.

"Then it was allocated to AIIMS, but they did not have the sample of the donor to get cross match done. Our team carried five samples. By the time our team reached there at 9 PM, they had two options, either to throw the kidney or give it to us. They gave us both the kidneys," Kumar said.

Special boxes were used to preserve the kidneys for 12 hours as there was no green corridor.

"The kidneys had to pass Punjab and Haryana to reach Delhi. The cross match revealed that they matched with two recipients. The team returned at around 5 AM. We had the operation theatres ready and the transplant surgeries took place," Dr Kumar explained.

While one was transplanted on Preeti Kumari, who was surviving on dialysis due to kidney disorder, the other one went to Tara Chand, who can now work again.

Safdarjung Hospital has conducted five cadaveric renal transplants so far and there is a waiting list of another 50 patients.

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UP politician Aman Mani Tripathi had allegedly killed his wife Sara Singh by strangulating her, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has claimed in its charge sheet filed on Saturday.

The CBI has alleged Aman Mani staged a road accident of his car Hyundai i10 at Firozabad to claim that Sara had died of fatal injuries but she was strangulated in a nearby field and her body was placed in the car.

"During an investigation, it was found that after her marriage with the accused, Sara was allegedly being subjected to physical torture and cruelty by the accused," CBI spokesperson R K Gaur said.

The agency has levelled IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, murder and dowry torture against Aman Mani.

The spokesperson said Aman Mani had killed Sara with a "premeditated plan" to get rid of her on July 9, 2015.

He allegedly framed a fake road accident and presented the same as the cause of death of Sara, Gaur said.

Aman Mani, son of former UP minister and murder convict Amar Mani Tripathi, is contesting assembly elections as an independent candidate from Nautanwa constituency in Gorakhpur.

Earlier, he was given ticket by the SP but after Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav took reins of the party his nomination was cancelled and Munna Singh was declared new candidate from the constituency.

Giving details of the charge sheet, the CBI sources said Sara was already dead when was shifted from the nearby field to the car and later on the Tata Magic vehicle in which she was taken to the district hospital, Firozabad.

"It was the (dead) body of Sara Singh and not injured Sara Singh who was transported from the accident spot to the district hospital," the sources said.

They said the claim of Aman Mani, that he and his wife met with an accident while trying to save a cycle-borne girl crossing the road, was found to be incorrect.

The sources said the agency is looking for other accomplices in the murder case and also the material used to strangulate Sara.

The agency has slapped charges of criminal conspiracy, murder and anti-dowry against Aman Mani.

"The CBI has today filed a charge sheet against an accused (husband of deceased) under section 498-A, 302, 201 and 120-B of IPC in the Court of Special Judicial Magistrate, CBI Cases, Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) in a case relating to alleged murder of his wife Sara Singh," Gaur said.

He said the CBI had registered the case on October 19, 2015, on a request from the Uttar Pradesh government.

He said she was allegedly murdered on July 9, 2015, with a "premeditated plan" by Aman Mani to get rid of her.

Aman Mani was arrested on November 25, 2016, and is in judicial custody.

Aman Mani is the son of influential politician Amar Mani Tripathi and Madhu Mani Tripathi, both convicted in the murder of poetess Madhumita Shukla in 2007 and serving life terms.

Amar Mani Tripathi who had stints in the Congress, BJP, SP and BSP was a minister under Rajnath Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav-led governments in Uttar Pradesh.
Supporters of immigrants' rights march in downtown Washington during an immigration protest Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, in Washington. Immigrants around the U.S. stayed home from work and school Thursday to demonstrate how important they are to America's economy, and many businesses closed in solidarity, in a nationwide protest called A Day Without Immigrants. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Several Utah businesses are participating in nationwide protests designed to how critical immigrants are to the U.S. economy and way of life.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2kP9Dkl) that Prime Auto Inc. and Mestizo Coffee were among those that closed their doors Thursday in Salt Lake City as part of the action called A Day Without Immigrants.

Also shuttered were Betos Mexican restaurants in Ogden and Clearfield.

Immigrants stayed home from school and work in cities around the country, including Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, Houston, Chicago and New York.

The protest gained momentum on social media and by word of mouth. Thousands of people were expected to participate.

It comes in response to President Donald Trump, whose administration has pledged to increase the deportation of immigrants living in the country illegally.
Transcription

1 Seismic Hazard Maps of Iran H. Hamzehloo, A. Alikhanzadeh, M. Rahmani & A. Ansari International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, Tehran, I.R.Iran SUMMARY: A new seismic hazard maps have been developed for Iran based on probabilistic earthquake hazard analysis. The hazard map, depict peak horizontal ground acceleration and spectral response at period of 0.2 sec and 1.0 sec with 50%, 10%, 5% and 2% probability of exceedence in 50 years, corresponding to return period of 75, 475, 975 and 2475 years, respectively. Finally, we presented the disaggregation and uniform hazard plots showing the contribution of hazard for major cities in Iran. Keywords: Seismic hazard, Deaggregation, Response spectra, Ground motion 1. INTRODUCTION The Alpide - Himalayan seismic belt is recognized as one of the seismically active areas of the world. Major development activities are taking place along this belt. The Iranian plateau (Fig.1), situated on this belt has experienced several major and destructive earthquakes in the recent past. It is therefore necessary to estimate characteristics of strong ground motion that can take place during a hypothetical destructive earthquake in an area where development is taking place, or is likely to take place. Berberian (1976) has divided Iran into four major seismotectonics zones, viz., Zagros active folded belt, Central Iran, Alborz, and Koppeh Dagh (Fig.1). The Alpide- Himalayan belt in Iran is defined by a broad band of diffused seismicity and contains several mobile belts surrounding small, relatively stable blocks. In the opinion of Shojah- Taheri and Niazi (1981), the major zones of mobility, in decreasing order of activity are Zagros, Alborz, East- Central Iran and the Caucasus and Eastern Turkey, although some small aseismic blocks in central Iran, Azarbaiejan and the south Caspian sea exhibiting noticeable stability has also been identified. The distribution of epicenters indicates that seismicity of the Zagros Active Folded Belt (Fig.2) is very high and characterized by a large number of shocks in the magnitude range 5 to 6 and a small number of shocks with magnitudes equal to or greater than magnitude 7. Central Iran has scattered seismic activity with large magnitude earthquakes. The earthquakes in Central Iran are generally of shallow nature with few intermediate earthquakes. The pattern of Seismicity in the Alborz region is discontinuous but with gaps filled in gradually by relatively large events. Most of the strong earthquakes of the region are in eastern and central Alborz. The earthquakes in Alborz Mountains are mostly of shallow type while some are intermediate. Koppeh Dagh is seismically active and the shocks have shallow focus (Berberian, 1976). The southern limit of this activity is not well defined and extends south to the Alborz and Central Iran.

2 Figure 1. Seismotectonic province of Iran (Berberian, 1976). Figure 2. Major seismic source zones. 2. DATA The basis for earthquake hazard analysis is the analysis of seismicity or the occurrence of the earthquake in space and time. The historic record may contain reports of earthquakes that occurred during the hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of years of recorded human history. The

3 instrumental record yields information about those earthquakes for which actual instrumental evidence exists. Ambreseys and Melville (1982) have been studied the historical and instrumental earthquakes in Iran. For this study, the IIEES catalogue, which is based on the reports from International seismological institutes, and reports from Ambreseys and Melville (1982) have been used. The used catalogue includes historical and instrumental earthquakes. Historical seismicity around the study area is shown in Fig.2. Historical seismicity is seismicity for which evidence can be found in the written or historical records. There is always uncertainty in estimation of earthquake magnitude. The moment magnitude (M W ) is used in all calculations. The available earthquake catalogs usually contain two type of information: historical and instrumental data. Kijko (2000) introduced a method making it possible to combine the information contained in the historical part of catalog with the instrumental part of catalog. The method is based on assumption of the Poisson occurrence of earthquakes with the activity rate of  and the doubly truncated Gutenberg- Richter distribution. We used Kijko (2000) method to estimate seismicity parameters and the return period for different earthquake magnitudes. 3. SEISMIC HAZARD ANALYSIS In contrast to the typical deterministic approach, which makes use of discrete single value events or models to arrive at the required description of earthquake hazard, probabilistic analysis allows the use of multi- values or continuous events and models. The methodology, which is used in most probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, was first defined by Cornell (1968). The first step in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis is to define the sources of earthquakes that could affect the location at which the hazard is being evaluated. Step 1 is the definition of earthquake sources. The sources are explicitly defined as being of uniform earthquake potential, that is, the chance of an earthquake of a given size occurring is the same throughout the source. Sources may be range from small planer faults to large seismotectonic provinces. Step 2 is definition of seismicity parameters for each source zone. We used kijko (2000) to estimate seiscmicity parameters. Each source zone is characterized by an earthquake probability distribution. A maximum or upper bound earthquake is chosen for each source zone, which represents the maximum event to be considered. In contrast to the deterministic procedure, this maximum event does not represent the only earthquake to be considered, but rather the upper limit of earthquakes of all sizes that will enter into the analysis for each source. Earthquakes are assumed to occur anywhere within the earthquake source, therefore, distances from all possible locations within that source to the site must be considered. Thus in the probabilistic analysis a range of earthquake size-site distance pairs and their associated probability of occurrence are taken into account. Step3, estimation of the earthquake effect, is similar to the deterministic method except that in the probabilistic analysis, the range of earthquake sizes considered requires a family of earthquake attenuation or ground motion curves, each relating a ground motion parameter, such as peak acceleration, to distance for an earthquake of a given size. Finally, the effects of all the earthquakes of different sizes, occurring at different locations in different earthquake sources at different probabilities of occurrence are integrated into one curve that shows the probability of exceeding of different levels of ground motion levels at the site during a specified period of time. On the basis of geological (Fig. 3) and seismological studies 25 source zones have been identified (Fig.2). For each source zone seismicity parameters have been estimated after omitting foreshocks and aftershocks from the catalogue.

4 Figure 3. Major active faults of Iran (Hesami et al., 2003). 4. RESULTS A reliable assessment of seismic risk in a region requires knowledge and understanding of both the seismicity and the attenuation of strong ground motion. It is well known that some of the larger uncertainties in earthquake hazard analysis are caused by uncertainties in seismic wave attenuation. The peak value of horizontal acceleration is one of the important parameters that is considered in the earthquake safe seismic design of engineered structures. Accordingly several studies have been carried out to obtain attenuation relations of peak ground accelerations for various regions of the world. Most of these studies are based on regression or multiple regression analysis of large data sets of strong motion acceleration records. Due to the use of various data bases, various published empirical attenuation relations for peak ground acceleration provide widely varying results. Thus it becomes difficult to select a relationship that can be considered appropriate for a specific application. Further, the use of a particular relationship for an area with different geological and tectonic features would lead to results that may differ significantly from the actual values. Four attenuation relationships have been considered. These are Boore et al, (1997), Ghasemi et al., (2009), Campbell and Bozorgnia (2003) and Abrahamson and Silva (1997). Figure 4 to 7 show peak ground acceleration and spectral acceleration for period of 0.2 sec maps for return periods of 475 and 2475 years. We have also performed disaggregation of hazard for major cities of Iran. Disaggregating the hazard results, which shows the contributions of different magnitude-distance pairs to the exceedance of the probabilistic ground motion, is a useful approach to define design earthquake(s) for the dominant contributor(s). The total seismic hazard is expressed as the aggregation of the contributions from each possible combination of magnitude-distance on each of the sources. The mean

5 values of magnitude and distance are considered to identify the seismic events (controlling earthquakes) dominating the hazard. Figure 4. Peak ground acceleration map for return period of 475 years. Figure 5. Peak ground acceleration map for return period of 2475 years.

6 Figure 6. Spectral acceleration map for return period of 475 years for period of 0.2 sec. Figure 7. Spectral acceleration map for return period of 2475 years for period of 0.2 sec.

7 Disaggregation of the total hazard as a function of magnitude and distance for (return periods of 475 ) and 2475years at period of 0.2 sec and 1 sec for Arak city is shown in Figure 8. Figure 9 shows an example of uniform hazard spectra for different return period for Arak city in central Iran. T= 0.2 sec return period 475 years T= 0.2 sec return period 2457 years T= 1 sec return period 475 years T= 1 sec return period 2457 years Figure 8. Disaggregation of the total hazard as a function of magnitude and distance for return periods of 475 and 2475years at period of 0.2 sec and 1 sec for Arak city.

8 acceleration (gal) period (sec) Figure 9. Uniform hazard spectra for Arak city for different return period. 5. CONCLUSIONS We presented a set of peak ground and spectral acceleration maps for return period of 75, 475, 975 and 2475 for Iran based on probabilistic hazard analysis. We present disaggregation plots showing the contribution to hazard for major cities in Iran. The uniform hazard spectra has also been calculated. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This work was supported by International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology under project No. P REFERENCES Abrahamson, N. A., Silva, W. J. (1997). Empirical spectral attenuation relations for shallow crustal earthquakes. Seismological Research letter, 68, Ambraseys, N. N. and C. P. Melville (1982). A history of Persian earthquakes, Cambridge University Press, London, 219 p. Berberian, M., (1976). Contribution to the seismotectonics of Iran (Part II), Geological Survey of Iran, Report No.39,141p. Boore, D. M., Joyner, W.B., Fumal,T.E. (1997). Equations for estimating horizontal response spectra and peak acceleration from western north American earthquakes: A summary of rcent work. Seismological Research letter, 68, Campbell, K.W., Bozorgnia, Y. (2003). Updated near source ground motion (attenuation) relations for the horizontal and vertical components of peak ground acceleration and acceleration response spectra. B.S.S.A., 93, Cornell, C.A. (1968). Engineering seismic risk analysis, B.S.S.A, Vol. 58, pp Ghasemi, H., Zare, M., Fukushima, Y., Koketsu, K. (2009). An empirical spectral ground motion model for Iran, Journal of Seismology, 13, Hessami, K., Jamali, F., and Tabassi, H., (2003). Active Fault Map of Iran. Proof print, International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, Tehran, Iran. Kijko, A. (2000). Statistical estimation of maximum regional earthquake magnitude M max, Workshop : seisimicity modeling in seismic hazard mapping project Solvenia, May Shoja- Taheri, J. and M. Niazi (1981). Seismicity of the Iranian plateau and bordering regions, Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., Vol.71, pp
The dry canal where the injured girl was found around 12:45 a.m.

SMITHFIELD  Crime scene investigators from Salt Lake City are gathering evidence in an unfolding case involving a 14-year-old Amalga girl who did not return home from school on Thursday. The girl, whom law enforcement officials are not naming given her age and the status of the investigation, was found seriously injured overnight.

Lt. Mike Peterson of the Cache County Sherriffs Office (CCSO) said deputies were trying to locate her until about midnight Thursday night, checking homes of acquaintances and friends, before they ran out of leads. They initiated a countywide search and put her name in the National Crime Information Center database.

About 45 minutes later, Peterson said the Smithfield City Police Department responded to a medical call involving a young girl who had been found in a dry canal bed just east of Sky View High School and was injured.

When they responded, they found that the girl had been located by a family member who had been out looking for her, and it was confirmed that it was the same girl that we were looking for in our missing person report, he said. Thats how we became connected as the two agencies in the process of this investigation.

Pinpointing what happened is being slowed by the complexity of the case and the nature of the girls injuries. Reports on social media indicate that she suffered a traumatic head injury and is being treated at Primary Childrens Medical Center.

She did have some injuries, Peterson confirmed. She was taken to a Logan area hospital, assessed there and then flown to a Salt Lake area hospital shortly after, which has caused a little bit of delay in our ability to release information and conduct our investigation.

Peterson said they are trying to process the scene and figure out how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

Coordinated efforts are being made between the Smithfield City, Logan City and North Park police departments, along with the CCSO, to unravel why the injured teen did not return home from school and how she ended up in Smithfield.

We are considering it suspicious in nature, said Peterson. Were investigating this as far as trying to put the last 24-48 hours together, and we have lots of people to talk to and we have lots of things to try to put together so we can start putting this case to a conclusion.

The Smithfield City Police Department is now leading the investigation, with Chief Travis Allen being expected to release additional information early this evening.

Note: CacheValleyDaily.com has chosen not to identify the 14-year-old girl in this case until more information has been released by law enforcement. However, she has been identified on social media, and community efforts to rally behind her and her family have already resulted in contributions of nearly $9,000 to a GoFundMe account established in her name.

The story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Seventeen-year-old Sarah Dunsey went missing in Las Vegas on Jan. 15. www.missingkids.com/poster/NCMC/1287408/1

Sarah Dunsey went missing on Jan. 15. Piecing together the details surrounding her disappearance does not paint a clear picture of what happened to Sarah, and her family is fearing the worst. In a <a href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7HzepYUXoQ&feature=youtu.be>video</a> released on YouTube on Valentines Day, Sarahs mother and stepfather, Amy and Todd Ellis, plead for their to keep fighting what she believes is sex trafficking. The video has since gone viral and is bringing increasing attention to a case that has seemingly gone cold.

According to multiple news reports and posts on social media, 17-year-old Dunsey left her home in Logan without permission in mid-January to travel to Las Vegas with several new friends. Once there, a falling out among them allegedly occurred at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Members of the group say Sarah left the resort with three older men and has not been seen since. Although texts and emails from Sarah, sent from someone elses phone, are said to have been received by her friends for several days after she vanished, its been weeks since theres been any new communication from her. When friends and family purchased a bus ticket for her, hoping to bring her home, it remained unclaimed.

Sarah Dunsey is said to have had no phone and no money with her when she left the MGM, and no extra clothing or identification. Her family has scheduled a candlelight vigil in her name, <a href=https://www.facebook.com/events/660950154108260/>Candles for Sarah Dunsey</a>, on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 8:00 p.m. at the home of her father and stepmother, Mike and Terri Dunsey (1081 Bonneville Road in Logan). The coordinator of the event, Trina McCullough, could not be reached for comment but posted on Facebook that she is Sarahs aunt.

This is so important to do as a community, she wrote. This could happen to anyones <em>[sic]</em> child. We are not exempt from this because we live in our beautiful Cache Valley. Please please please come and support this family during this difficult time. We want them and Sarah to know that we love her and we want her home, and we will never stop looking for her until she is safe at home again.

Sarahs disappearance was initially reported to the Logan City Police Department as a missing persons case, with the FBI, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department and the National Center for Endangered and Missing Children having since been involved with the investigation. A website, <a href=http://www.findsarahdunsey.com/>www.findsarahdunsey.com</a>, has been established seeking credible tips.

McCullough encourages the public to get involved.

Please share this message with everyone you know, she wrote, referring to Saturdays vigil. Bring your family and friends and lets <em>[sic]</em> bring our Sarah Bean home.

Sarah Dunsey is 52 tall and weighs 130 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes, and pierced ears. She has a tattoo of a lotus flower on her rib cage. Authorities are focusing their search efforts for Sarah on Nevada, Utah and California. Anyone with information about the girls whereabouts is encouraged to call the Logan City Police Department at (435) 753-7555.

<hr />

jennifer@cvradio.com




Trump's fascinating hour and 17 minutes performance art piece Thursday-- one Republican senator, not amused suggested he should have done it privately, with a therapist, not on live TV-- was unmoored from objective reality. Subject by subject, getting at any semblance of The Truth was not on Trump's agenda. Instead, he sent the fact checking services into a flurry of overtime activities.





One particularly bizarre lie he harped on-- perhaps forgetting the campaign (in which nearly 3 million more people chose Hillary Clinton than himself-- was an old right-wing gem about Hillary giving away 20% of America's uranium supplies to Russia. If you're a brainwashed or drugged up denizen of Hate Talk Radio or Fox you know all about that. If you're just a normal American, you probably were hearing the baseless charge for the very first time.





At a campaign rally in Waukesha, Wis., Donald Trump made a number of attacks on Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, including one involving Russia.



Clinton "gave up 20 percent of America's uranium supply to Russia-- to Russia," Trump said Sept. 28, 2016, two days after their first debate. "You know what people do with uranium, dont you? Its called nuclear. Twenty percent. They could have never done it without her."

The Hate Talk Radio stations Trump listens to as if they were real news, have long reported that Russias nuclear energy agency bought a controlling stake in Uranium One, a Canadian company with mines in Wyoming, Utah and other states. It doesn't produce 20% of America's uranium and, unless Trump grants it to them, it doesn't have an export license to send Russian even one gram of uranium. Uranium One also owns mines in the former Soviet Republican of Kazakhstan and that's what Putin was interested in. PolitiFact's rating:

Trump says Clinton "gave up 20 percent of America's uranium supply to Russia."



The reference is to Russias nuclear power agency buying a controlling interest in a Toronto-based company. That company has mines, mills and tracts of land in Wyoming, Utah and other U.S. states equal to about 20 percent of U.S. uranium production capacity (not produced uranium).



Clinton was secretary of state at the time, but she didnt have the power to approve or reject the deal. The State Department was only one of nine federal agencies that signed off on the deal, and only Obama had the power to veto it.

The Scotsman reported that the leader of Scotland's Conservative Party, Ruth Davidson, is telling people that after Theresa May met the unhinged sociopathic American president the British government So, yes, Trump was lying again. Now, let's see if this was all about Trump giving Putin an export license for American-mined uranium and then blaming Hillary and Obama, who never allowed any U.S. uranium to go to Russia. Would it surprise you? It wouldn't surprise me if Trump sold Putin the White House silverware. Yesterday,reported that the leader of Scotland's Conservative Party, Ruth Davidson, is telling people that after Theresa May met the unhinged sociopathic American president the British government began "reassessing" America's reliability as an ally . She described Trump's Regime as "chaotic," blaming a "lack of professionalism and moral seriousness." She pointed out that Trump's Regime is one step away from being run by a pack of "white supremacist bloggers."

Referring to the UK-US relationship, she said: We are going to want to make sure that any deals that are done he is going to honour. We have to be sure of that.



Ms Davidson does not attend cabinet meetings but has an invitation to attend Prime Minister Theresa Mays political cabinets, when political strategy rather than government business is discussed.



Her comments come after the Prime Minister attempted to strike a friendly tone when she visited Mr Trump last month... The Scottish Tory leader also said caution was required with a President whose early actions should worry us all.



She added: At the moment, from the UK, we have always seen America as being a very strong, a reliable ally and now, even after only 26 days or however long the tenure has been so far in Pennsylvania Avenue, we are beginning to reassess how reliable an ally the United States is.

In Germany yesterday, John McCain wasn't exactly reassuring to the people attending the Munich Security Conference. He admitted that the Trump Regime is in "disarray" and that Trump "contradicts himself so we've learned to watch what the president does as opposed to what he says." Trump sent Pence to the conference today to pretend everything back in DC is nice and normal-- nothing to worry about.





Referring to Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist, a German patriot who attempted to assassinate Hitler in 1944, McCain asked rhetorically, "What would von Kleists generation say if they saw our world today?" And answered, harshly rebuking Trump without mentioning his reviled name: "They would be alarmed by an increasing turn away from universal values and toward old ties of blood, and race, and sectarianism. They would be alarmed by the hardening resentment we see toward immigrants, and refugees, and minority groups, especially Muslims. They would be alarmed by the growing inability, and even unwillingness, to separate truth from lies. They would be alarmed that more and more of our fellow citizens seem to be flirting with authoritarianism and romanticizing it as our moral equivalent... [W]e stand for truth against falsehood, freedom against tyranny, right against injustice, [and] hope against despair. I am proud, unapologetic believer in the West, and I believe we must always, always stand up for it-- for if we do not, who will?"

Michael Fallon, the British Defense Minister told the conefrence that "We should be under no illusions about the step-change in Russian behavior over the last couple of years, even after Crimea...We have seen a step-change in Russian military aggression, but also in propaganda, in misinformation and a succession of persistent attacks on Western democracies, interference in a whole series of elections including... the United States."




Friday, February 17, 2017 at 9:19PM

YouTube is finally taking away the unskippable 30-second video ads we see on its service. The downside is itll be happening starting next year. The streaming service acknowledges how unpopular these ads are, especially for data-capped mobile users, and are pushing towards new shorter format ads. One example is the six-second unskippable ad it launched last year.

The move, which wont appease advertisers, is seen as one way to keep people on its service. According to Callum McCahon, strategy director for Born Social, "Im reading this as a signal that YouTube is very worried about Facebook. We know that video is right at the very core of Facebooks roadmap. Their video offering is becoming ever more attractive to brands by the day, and YouTube is panicking."

Source: Campaign
"An incident involving our own member is very concerning. It doesn't matter who you are, or what role you have in the community any form of violence is not tolerated by ACT Policing," she said.
It is time to make all of our MLAs travel, and at our expense. You can tell from what they burble about in and around the Assembly that they are preoccupied with the parochial and the trivial, with roads, gutters, dog licences, rates. For the sake of the standard of public conversation in the ACT every one of them should often, their protests ignored ("Please don't make me go to Venice. Can't I stay here? It's a jungle out there. All those foreigners. If I must go somewhere can't I just go to Sussex Inlet?") be bundled aboard Qantas flights to the big wide world.
Debra Spector presents Jimmy Gomez with Planned Parenthood's Champion of Choice award



Planned Parenthood was never an unhinged group of self-serving profiteers the way EMILY's List is, but many women candidates expect to be endorsed by an organization with Planned Parenthood's stated objectives, which are, after all, focused primarily towards making the lives of women better. And Planned Parenthood does endorse women candidates-- lots and lots of them. Why do they endorse women candidates? Easy: because the women candidates they endorse are better than their opponents. How revolutionary is that? Yesterday Planned Parenthood announced their endorsement of Jimmy Gomez for the open Los Angeles congressional seat that Xavier Becerra resigned from when he was appointed Attorney General. There isn't really anything remarkable about this endorsement, except for the fact that among the two dozen candidates in the race, several are pro-Choice women.





Jimmy's not a woman but in 2015 he was named Planned Parenthoods "Champion of Choice" and last year he wrote and passed AB-1671, a law that protects Planned Parenthood clinics from illegal recordings by the right-wing extremists and the terrorists who consistently harass them, threatening their staff and patients. One of the women candidates running for the seat, Wendy Carillo, a journalist and former Bernie volunteer, is also a decent candidate and if I had to bet, I'd bet that given the chance she'll be good on Planned Parenthood's issues too? With Gomez, though, there's no guess work.





Celinda Vasquez, Vice President of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles explained why her organization gave their nod to Gomez. "Jimmy Gomez is a true champion for Planned Parenthood health centers and the women they serve. For three consecutive years we have turned to Jimmy Gomez to author and pass legislation to protect the safety of Planned Parenthood patients and staff, and to advance access to critical services like birth control and cancer screenings. We are confident that Jimmy will continue to advocate for women and families in Congress, and be a strong ally in the fight for access to Planned Parenthood health centers across the Country. Planned Parenthood Action Fund proudly endorses Jimmys campaign for Congress."





The best potential candidate for president in my opinion, Elizabeth Warren, happens to be a woman. I'm glad she is and I'll be glad to see a woman president. But if I thought Joe Biden or Cory Booker or that O'Malley character was a better candidate, I'd be rooting for one of them. I just looked at the Blue America list of the fiercest and most awesome congressional voices of the Resistance . The list includes Pramila Jayapal and, obviously Elizabeth Warren. They're not on the list because they're women; they're on the list because they are the best of the best, the cream of the crop; the smartest, the most effective, the most powerful.





I don't know the folks at Planned Parenthood but from watching them over the years, I've come to trust their instincts on candidates more than most DC-centric organizations. They gravitate towards candidates who are the best fighters for their cause-- man or a woman. Unlike the other candidates in the CA-34 race, Gomez has an incredibly strong record of accomplishment and leadership on their specific issues and on other issues important to progressives. Gender doesn't come into it. Nor should it. No one thinks we need more Betsy DeVoses, Marsha Blackburns, Joni Ernsts and Kyrsten Sinemas in government, right?





Same goes for the gay community. Two of the absolute worst Democrats in Congress both happen to be gay-- Sean Patrick Maloney (New Dem-NY) and Kyrsten Sinema (Blue Dog-AZ). ProgressivPunch rates their lifetime vote scores, very low "F." Sinema is probably worse but just marginally and both are corrupt on a Republican-level of corruption. They don't deserve support from the LGBT community.





This week Equality California, the biggest LGBT organization in the state, joined Planned Parenthood in urging voters to back Gomez. Among the two dozen candidates running, several are gay-- but Gomez isn't. So why did they endorse him? Do you really have to ask? Once again,it's all about the record of accomplishment, not the fine-sounding words. The Assemblyman who represents Silverlake, he worked with LGBT organizations to get his bill, AB 663 exactly right for the community. And then he got it passed. The bill integrates LGBT-specific cultural competency into training for administrators at long term care facilities, helping to ensure that LGBT seniors are treated with dignity and respect. In 2014, he authored AB 1951, which established the right of same-sex parents to be reflected on their childrens birth certificates. Equality California rates every member of the California state legislature. Gomez's rating: 100%.





Rick Zbur is the executive director of Equality California and he was very clear about why his organziation is working to elect Gomez. "As the climate in Washington grows colder and more hostile to LGBT people, immigrants and many others, who we send to Congress matters more than ever. Assemblymen Gomez stood out from a large field of LGBT allies because of his solid record of accomplishment on behalf of LGBT people. Time and again, he has proven himself one of our communitys most committed and dedicated allies in the state legislature, authoring and carrying priority bills for Equality California and helping to secure passage of others that address the needs of LGBT people. We are confident that he will head to Capitol Hill ready to fight for LGBT people, our state and the values important to all of us as Californians."
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 ...
-by Sam Husseini





Many so-called progressives are stoked that Trump's National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, resigned as the result of charges surrounding his discussions with a Russian ambassador while Trump was president-elect.





Congressional Democrats want to use this to go after Trump. Rep. Nancy Pelosi: "After Flynn resignation, FBI must accelerate its investigation of the Trump Administration's Russian connection."









There's certainly reasons to want to see Flynn go-- he recently put Iran "on notice" while the White House tried to gin up the case against Iran





And there are obvious reasons to try to impeach Trump that don't require congress people to qualify them with an "if"-- his violations of the " emoluments clauses





"But it's perhaps easier, more "nationalistic" and ultimately horrifying for "progressives" and others with an alleged interest in peace to be harping on the Russian angle.





The Clinton campaign repeated that time and again during the campaign-- with disastrous results. Clinton talked about Russia and Trump talked about jobs in the rust belt. Guess who won the presidency?





Many so-called progressives are in effect making an alliance with the most war-mongering parts of the U.S. establishment. They are in effect buttressing incredibly dubious notions of U.S. victimology and demonizing official enemies that increase U.S. militarism and the likelihood for confrontation with the other nation on the planet that could destroy the planet a hundred times over.





Trump had just reportedly turned down Elliott Abrams ' bid to be number two at the State Department. That was a good thing. Elliott Abrams was part of the Iran-Contra scandal and needed a Christmas Eve pardon from George H.W. Bush. He backed death squads in Central America. He then did a stint in the George W. Bush administration in charge of "democracy promotion" and was almost certainly behind still unaccountable horrors by Israel and in Iraq and elsewhere.





But he somehow gets depicted as "reasonable" by many. In fact, just as the major media were closing in on Flynn, Elliott Abrams appeared on CNN , saying he thought Steve Bannon was behind him not getting the job. Damn that crazy Bannon for apparently blocking a certifiable war criminal.





Trump won the presidency in large part because he was a Republican who could with minimal credibility talk about being against the "establishment." I didn't buy it, but lots of people did. He won an election that I doubt many in the vast Republican field could have. Trump talked about non-intervention, he talked about preserving Social Security and Medicare.





One upshot of the Flynn resignation is that Vice President Mike Pence, a white "Christian" nationalist, who is also is a darling of both Wall Street and the "neo con" interventionists comes out smelling like roses. Trump is a twisted narcissist who is a political opportunist. But Pence is likely what a lot of people claim Trump is.





Flynn was compelled to resign in large part because what is euphemistically called the "intelligence community" apparently had recording of his dealings with Russian representatives that he allegedly mischaracterized.





This implies that people will be held accountable for their falsehoods if-- and only if-- their stance upsets the CIA, NSA, et al.





It's worth keeping in mind that when Trump seemed to challenge this part of the permanent government in January, leading Democrat Chuck Schumer said Trump was "really dumb" for attacking the intelligence agencies . Said Schumer: "Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you"





And what else did we just see happening as Flynn was resigning? Steven Mnuchin, from the good folks at Goldman Sachs was confirmed as Treasury Secretary. The case against Mnuchin is so massive and his Wall Street / Goldman Sachs / Soros / foreclosure king / Skull and Bones pedigree is so not "populist" that it's quite remarkable that he was able to get through.





Virtually all the Democrats in the Senate did vote against Mnuchin. But they all knew that that wouldn't stop him. Schumer got to put out some populist rhetoric, conveniently ignoring his own deep ties to Wall Street.





Four of Schumer's top funders through his political career are in insurance and finance: Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Credit Suisse Group. Heck, he even took money from Mnuchin himself.





Wall Street and other corporate interests are quite firmly in control of the Democrats in Congress and Trump has put them in power in his cabinet. Part of the twisted dynamic is that the populist/nationalist wing of the Trump administration would disappear were he to disappear as Flynn has.





Trump is an obvious con artist and is not to be trusted. I'd bet his attempts at a detente with Russia have to do with profiteering-- or worse, with trying to go after China or such. But the crit to date bares more resemblance to the Republican obsession with Benghazi than with an attempt to meaningfully try to change U.S. agressions around the world.





But any meaningful critique of Trump can't possibly be one that demonizes the other major nuclear power, especially given the litany of U.S. illegal aggression around the world, including it's provocations against Russia-- such as violating promises and expanding NATO to Russia's boarder. Besides, Putin makes U.S. allies like israel and Saudi Arabia look like idyllic democratic wonderlands.





If only all these liberals scrutinized presidents when they want to go to war like they do Trump when he wants to make peace with Putin.
















Trump's Pence's worst nominees, Oklahoma's corrupt Attorney General Scott Pruitt, with whom they hope to destroy the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The vote was NY Times: "Many of the scientists, environmental lawyers and policy experts who work in E.P.A. offices around the country say the calls are a last resort for workers who fear a nominee selected to run an agency he has made a career out of fighting-- by a president who has vowed to 'get rid of' it.") Thursday, the Republicans invoked cloture to shut down the debate over the qualifications of one ofPence's worst nominees, Oklahoma's corrupt Attorney General Scott Pruitt, with whom they hope to destroy the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The vote was 54-46 , the Senate's 2 most right-wing Democrats, Joe Manchin (WV) and Heidi Heitkamp (ND) crossing the aisle to go with the Republicans to end the debate. (This went down even as EPA employees were taking the extraordinarily courageous step of organizing opposition to Pruitt : "Many of the scientists, environmental lawyers and policy experts who work in E.P.A. offices around the country say the calls are a last resort for workers who fear a nominee selected to run an agency he has made a career out of fighting-- by a president who has vowed to 'get rid of' it.")





A few hours later, Rachel Maddow revealed-- in the opening of her show (video, up top; you can skip the gruesome first 12 minutes if you have a queasy tummy)-- why there should have been no rush to cut off debate on Pruitt. Maine Republican Susan Collins, who did vote to shut down the debate so that Miss McConnell could rush to a vote, told her constituents that she would vote against Pruitt

Collins tells Maine Public Radio she met at length with Pruitt and reviewed testimony from his confirmation hearing. She says hes an accomplished attorney with considerable knowledge about environmental laws, and if he were nominated for another position in the federal government, Collins says she might support him.



But when it comes to the role and mission of the EPA, Collins says she and the nominee have very different visions.



Specifically, I have significant concerns that Mr. Pruitt has actively opposed and sued the EPA on numerous issues that are of great importance to the state of Maine, including mercury controls for coal-fired power plants and efforts to reduce cross-state air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, she says. His actions leave me with considerable doubts about whether his vision for the EPA is consistent with the agencys critical mission to protect human health and the environment.



...Pruitt has sued the EPA 14 times, and according to a letter from more than 400 former EPA workers last week, issued more than 50 press releases celebrating lawsuits to overturn EPA standards to limit mercury emissions from power plants, reduce smog and haze, clean up the Chesapeake Bay and control greenhouse gases.



Pruitts record, they wrote, raises serious questions about whose interests he has served to date and whether he agrees with longstanding tenets of U.S. environmental law.



During his Senate confirmation hearing, Pruitt was grilled over a series of letters he sent to federal agencies on state stationery that were critical of the economic effects of environmental rules, and drafted, almost word for word, by energy lobbyists. He has also been criticized as a climate change denier and someone who has indicated that he would like to see a limited role for the EPA.

But McConnell was in a frantic, breakneck rush to get Pruitt voted on Friday-- or, at least, before Tuesday. Why? Oklahoma County District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons ordered Pruitt to release the papers he's been illegally hiding about his relationship with the Big Oil and Gas corporations who are behind his nomination. Timmons found that "there was an abject failure to provide prompt and reasonable access to documents requested."

[The Center for Media and Democracy, a] liberal watchdog group had asked for the correspondence between Pruitt's office and Koch Industries, mining and drill companies and the Republican Attorneys General Association, according to the CMD's general counsel, Arn Pearson.



"Those are the types of things we're looking for that go toward his conflicts of interest and whether he'll be carrying out the agenda of fossil fuel companies and not carrying out the EPA's mandate," Pearson said.



At the time of the hearing on Thursday, the attorney general's office had provided only 411 of the more than 3,000 emails the CMD had requested. The office turned over the 411 emails earlier this week, although the group filed its first request two years ago.



..."Scott Pruitt and Senate Republicans have made a mockery of the confirmation process, permitting the nominee to escape scrutiny and hide his deep ties to the fossil fuel industry," Sierra Club Legislative Director Melinda Pierce said in a statement. "What is he hiding in all of these emails?



"The vote to confirm Pruitt must now be delayed until every senator can see just who Pruitt is and what he will do if permitted to run the EPA," Pierce said.

Democrats asked McConnell to hold the vote until next week so that they can evaluate the papers that will be released Tuesday. "This information," said Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), "ought to be evaluated before Republicans jam his nomination through to lead the EPA. The Majority Leader should delay the vote to confirm Mr. Pruitt until the Senate has had time to review the documents the Oklahoma judge has ordered to be released. This is basic due diligence and fairness." Thursday night Jeff Merkley (D-OR) agreed and pointed out that "McConnell is forcing the Senate to vote tomorrow on Pruitt even though his emails wont be released until Tuesday. This is an egregious cover up that must not stand." Schumer even offered to vote on another nominee in place of Pruitt to give senators time to look at emails next week, but Miss McConnell told him to go pound sand.





But stand it did. McConnell-- with the help of Manchin and Heitkamp (and Collins)-- forced the vote anyway. And because Manchin and Heitkamp were voting with the GOP on this, it didn't matter than Collins voted NO and that McCain was away at a conference in Germany. Friday morning there were 2 votes, one to extend the debate, which lost 51-47 (party line-- with Donnelly and McCain away). And then the vote to confirm, which passed 52-46 , Heitkamp and Manchin voting with the Republicans and Donnelly in hiding.
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Bugatti may have already started production of the 1500 hp Chiron and prepared for deliveries, but the all-conquering French hypercar still hasnt been performance tested to its max.



Reportedly, the Veyrons successor will be able to accelerate to upwards of 288 mph (464km/h), but such a figure wont be confirmed until sometime in 2018. While we eagerly await to hear of the cars top speed, we have learned of just how ferocious its acceleration and deceleration capabilities will be.

While recently having dinner with Bentley and Bugatti boss Wolfgang Durheimer, Evo Magazines Dan Prosser was told that the Chiron will be able to accelerate to 250 mph (400 km/h) and return to zero in under 60 seconds.

Comparing such figures to other hypercars is rather difficult as no other automaker has done a 0-250mph-0 test before. The closest thing would be the Koenigsegg One:1 which in 2015, accelerated from 0-186mph -0 (zero-300km/h-zero) in just 17.95 seconds. In that run, it took just 6 seconds to decelerate from 186mph or 300 km/h to a standstill.

For the Chiron to achieve a 0-250-0 sprint in under a minute, it will have to go well beyond the speeds explored by the One:1 but certainly has the grunt to do it. After all, it has an 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine delivering a rather ridiculous 1,500 hp.

Had dinner with Bentley and Bugatti boss Wolfgang Durheimer on Monday. He told me the Chiron does 0-250mph-0 in sub 60 seconds.

 Dan Prosser (@TheDanProsser) February 15, 2017

PHOTO GALLERY
A former Republican candidate for a Michigan House seat with a cranking fetish was arrested on Tuesday after taking four cars on joyrides from a local Chevrolet dealership.



According to MLive, one 26-year-old Jordan Haskins broke into the cars at the dealership, driving them around the back lot area and jumping them over hills causing undisclosed damages.

The mans cranking fetish involves removing spark plug wires, thus causing the car to ride rough, which he then interprets as sexual gratification. Three of the cars he broke into belonged to customers, while the other one belonged to the dealership.

This person took some vehicles from the body shop and drove around the back lot area, damaging the vehicles and jumping over hills, said Thomas Township Police Sgt. Al Fong. It was a joy ride.

Based on the arrest warrant, the cars involved were a 2011 red Chevrolet Silverado, a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe, a 2015 Silverado and 2010 Equinox. The vehicle Haskins was arrested in, a 2001 Buick Park Avenue, was also stolen.

According to NBC, Haskins was a Republican candidate for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives back in 2014. He has had several run-ins with the law regarding his automotive fetish, including cranking in a government truck in December 2016.

He is now being held in Saginaw County Jail on a $40,000 bond.

PHOTO GALLERY
Part of a lawsuit alleging that Chevrolet cheated emissions testing for the Cruze Diesel will go ahead.



U.S. District judge Thomas L. Ludington in Michigan revealed in an order to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan that claims of deceptive advertising and fraudulent concealment will proceed. However, part of the lawsuit that alleged breach of contract will be dismissed.

The nine Chevrolet Cruze Diesel owners behind the lawsuit allege that that car was fitted with an emissions cheat device and are seeking buybacks, compensation, and a $2,000 reimbursement for the premium they paid over the petrol Cruze.

It is reported that Chevrolets defeat device operated in a similar way to Volkswagens and only triggered when the vehicle was being tested but was deactivated when the vehicle was in use.

According to a statement from Steve Berman, a managing partner from Hagens Berman responsible for the lawsuit, said Diesel emissions fraud didnt stop with Volkswagen or Mercedes  GM has proven that it, too, placed greed and profits ahead of thousands of owners who paid premium prices for what they thought were clean diesel cars.

Speaking with The Detroit News, GM spokesman James Cain was confident that alongside the breach of contract demands that were dismissed, the other claims will fail.

Were pleased with the ruling because the court found that many of the legal theories put forward by the plaintiffs dont hold water. Were confident their remaining claims will eventually fail as they are baseless, he said.

PHOTO GALLERY
Aston Martins are generally seen as truly beautiful cars but when the British brand collaborates with Zagato, like in the case of this Vanquish, the results are just mesmerizing.



Sure there are other cars to spend nearly three quarters of a million dollars but not one of them will be as stunning to look at as the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato.

This is the fifth time the two companies came together to work on a car, with the Vanquish Zagato sporting a bespoke body made out of one-piece carbon-fiber panels.

The details are endless and include features like the trademark double-bubble roof, a new sculpted rear end with round 3D LED lights, a new front grille with the Z pattern and lots and lots of exposed carbon fiber everywhere.

Under the bonnet lies an upgraded version of Astons naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 which now offers 24hp more for a total of 592hp (600PS), with the company claiming a 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds.

All in all, the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato will be made in just 99 units and this car right here, which is the No.5 of the lot, was located by Autos Exoticos en Mexico erm.. in Mexico where it will make its owner without any doubt extremely happy.

PHOTO GALLERY
Photo: Contributed - Google Maps

An incident at a local car dealership has Kamloops RCMP asking for the public's assistance.

Four new vehicles at the Kamloops Toyota dealership on Caribou Drive, were hit by gun shots around 5:15 Monday morning.

Staff Sgt. Grant Learned says patrol officers, a police dog and Forensic Identification Specialists conducted a detailed search of the area.

"They recovered an undisclosed number of bullet casings on the edge of the embankment of Hillside Dr. directly behind the dealership."

In the dealership vehicle lot investigators also located four vehicles that had sustained bullet damage.

"Forensic identification Specialists recovered an unspecified number of bullets from the vehicles that were examined," says Learned.

The details surrounding the gunfire remain unknown and police are seeking assistance from anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious on Hillside Dr. between 5:10 and 5:15 a.m. on Monday morning.

Call the Kamloops RCMP or Crimestoppers.
Photo: Nicholas Johansen

Politics  and demons  are said to be behind an exodus of students and staff from a Kelowna private school.

Upwards of 40 students, out of a student body of about 125, left Kelowna Waldorf School last semester. That followed the firing of the school's principal, resignation of the majority of its board of trustees, and several teachers quitting.

The Lower Mission school offers programs for children as young as 18 months, up to a Grade 8 education.

Dan Ryder, an associate professor at UBC Okanagan, had been a parent at the school for seven years, but removed his daughter at the end of last semester.

Limiting use of technology in the classroom, going at the child's own pace, it's very arts and humanities focused schooling, and it's very socially nice, in that the classroom environment is very friendly, Ryder said. These are the sort of things that appealed to us when we first saw the school.

Waldorf schools are based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, a 19th century Austrian, who emphasized the importance of imagination and play-based pedagogy.

Steiner also founded anthroposophy, which the Kelowna Waldorf School bases its teaching on.

Ryder says his family left the school for several reasons, but a big part was a group of what he calls fundamentalist anthroposophists who subscribe to some of Steiner's more radical ideas. Near the beginning of last semester, the group petitioned to have the board of trustees removed and replaced with those who he says subscribe to fundamentalist ideals.

Steiner believed it was the responsibility of the Waldorf teachings to help guide human evolution down the right path and resist the forces of the demon Ahriman.

Ryder says that in October 2015, when a non-fundamentalist board was elected, a founding member of the school got up in the meeting and lectured the room on the malign influences of the demon.

I was one of the people going, 'What the hell is this guy talking about?' Ryder said.

Parents say the philosophy began to blend into the school's teachings.

My daughter came home talking about 'trunk animals,' 'head' animals and 'limb animals, Ryder said. I looked it up, and this is directly out of Steiner.

Heidi vant Geloof, another former school parent, said her Grade 2 son came home one day and told her how each child had chosen a saint they could talk to during difficult times to guide them.

Mommy's 'spidey' senses went off," she said. "That to me crossed a line, and it crossed the line for a number of other families in that class as well.

Vant Geloof says her younger daughters faced bullying at the school, but that Steiner's philosophy was to let the bullying be and that children needed to sort things out on their own.

Several former parents confirmed Ryder and vant Geloof's accounts, but asked to remain anonymous.

Rick Salsa, the current president of the board of trustees, did not return multiple calls from Castanet.

Online reviews show polarizing opinions. On Google Reviews, 12 of 25 reviews have one out of five stars, while 13 have five stars.

We were looking for an open-minded, heart-based, alternative school, but instead experienced an environment run on archaic, dogmatic, and intolerant principles upheld by an old, power-hungry alumni and founder group that controls the majority of day-to-day operation of the school, wrote Mimi Thorp in a one-star review one month ago.

If you're looking for a place where at least one teacher believes that children with autism spectrum disorder are torn between heaven and hell, and that lying them in the grass and praying over them is very helpful, then look no further, wrote Sarah Vander Veen in another one-star review.

Others say the school's underlying philosophy is misunderstood.

Although anthroposophy is not taught to the students, the employees and volunteers in the three spheres of this school's flat hierarchy must have an understanding and support this philosophy, wrote Gabriele Knodel in a five-star review. Those parents who resist and do not allow this successful way of Waldorf education to unfold, will not like it here."
Photo: Contributed

A shootout that shocked Vernon was triggered by an attempted armed robbery, B.C. Supreme Court heard this week.

Jacob Lowes, one of three men charged in the August 2014 shootout, is on trial for attempted murder using a restricted or prohibited firearm, intent to wound and other firearms charges.

He lived at the notorious Green Valley Hotel in Vernon when the violence erupted in his room.

The man's friend, Darren Chapman, testified in B.C. Supreme Court Friday that he'd spoken with Lowes three or four days after the shootout.

"I thought he'd been shot, so I was happy to see him," said Chapman, adding he ran to the parking lot to greet his 32-year-old friend when he saw him.

He said Lowes told him that several people, including one with a shotgun, tried to rob him in his room. Lowes told Chapman he chased them out of the hotel and into Polson Park.

Chapman testified Lowes bragged to him that the men who tried to rob him "ran like bitches."

The incident became the talk of the town.

Police flooded the area after numerous shots were fired on Aug. 12, 2014. An RCMP helicopter took to the air, as police dogs sniffed on the ground.

Chapman, who was a heroin addict at the time, testified he'd slept  or was passed out  during the entire noisy incident.

The defence in the case argued Friday that the fact that Chapman was likely high on heroin, or possibly crystal meth, when he spoke to Lowes makes his testimony about what the accused apparently told him unreliable.

Details also emerged Friday about the fear residents of the derelict motel felt.

It has since been shut down.

Chapman testified the motel was a "pretty rough place" to live and that he had an "uneasy feeling there."

It was a feeling, he said, that was shared by Lowes.

"You're always kind of sleeping with one eye open," said Chapman.

He said Lowes, who wasn't from Vernon, was taken aback by the craziness of the motel. Lowes told Chapman he wasn't going to be bullied or taken advantage of by any of the "predators" there.

Two other suspects, Adrian Dziedzic and Robin Rochemont, have also been ordered to stand trial in connection with the shooting.

The trial continues next week.
Photo: Nicholas Johansen

An official opening was held for Kelowna's most recent affordable housing building, which provides 86 subsidized rental apartments for low-income people in the community.

The i-spa-us ki-low-na building, or Heart of Kelowna, is a four-story apartment building in the Central Green development, off Chapman Road.

The project is run by the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society, a non-profit that helps all people in need, while promoting Aboriginal culture.

The units, which range from studio apartments to three-bedrooms, have fixed monthly rental rates, ranging from $604 to $1,069. Utilities are not included in those prices.

Tenants first began moving in last November, and the building is now fully occupied.

While the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society operates the building, it is open to anyone with low-income.

You need to be low-income working families or individuals, seniors, students, said Jeremy Bowers, building manager.

Edna Terbasket, executive director of the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society, said they screen potential tenants to ensure the safety of those living in the building.

The project has been four years in the making, and was financed in partnership with the provincial government which provided $3.9 million, the City of Kelowna which provided $1.1 million in land, municipal reductions and grants, and the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society which provided $470,000.

The building is neighboured by the Karis Support Society, a 36-bed facility for women with addictions.

Construction on other non-subsidized apartments continues in the area, and the new five-acre Rowcliffe Park is expected to begin taking shape this summer.
Photo: Contributed

The British Columbia government says it's raising disability assistance rates this spring by $50 per month.

The provincial government says it is investing $199 million over three years in order to raise the monthly payments.

A single person on disability currently receives $983 per month, but that will go up to $1,033 as of April 1.

The ministry of social development says a couple receiving disability assistance will get an increase of $100 per month, for a total payment of $1,773.

In 2016, the ministry said close to 100,000 people receive disability assistance from the province  a figure that has doubled since 2001.

The ministry says the increased rates support B.C.'s 10-year accessibility plan to remove barriers for people with disabilities in the province.
Photo: VSA

Highway 8 has reopened near Spences Bridge following a mudslide that blocked the road on Wednesday.

DriveBC reports the highway reopened this afternoon, 12 kilometres east of Spences Bridge.

VSA Highway Maintenance advises drivers to watch for loose gravel and debris on road and to be prepared for delays over the next three days, while cleanup continues.
Photo: Wayne Moore

The City of Kelowna has made a tidy profit on a piece of property it purchased five years ago.

The City announced late Friday it has finalized a deal to sell the vacant lot at the corner of Ellis Street and Lawrence Avenue to the Mission Group for more than $2.6 million.

The property went on the market in June. At the time, the city was asking $2.35 million.

It purchased the land in 2012 for $1.97 million. It has been used as a parking lot since.

Mission Group plans to build a mixed-use residential and commercial development on the property.

The minimum height will be 12 storeys, however, the Downtown Plan states properties can be up to 19 storeys.

The successful strategic disposition of these properties to realize a significant return on investment over five years furthers the fiscal goals of the city and supports important planning objectives of seeing more people living downtown and sustainable development, said Graham Hood, strategic land development manager.

With more than $20 million in investment downtown in parking, public spaces and transportation infrastructure over the last five years, along with the addition of the Kelowna Community Health Services Centre, Okanagan Centre for Innovation and Kelowna Yacht Club, downtown is continuing to achieve the goals of attracting people, increasing vibrancy and building on the economy of our city."

Mission Group is expected to bring a development permit application before city council sometime this year.
Photo: Google Street View

A Canadian is accused of helping five people sneak into the U.S. from the South Okanagan.

U.S. Border Patrol Agents headed to a remote area southeast of Osoyoos after a camera spotted people walking toward the border on Feb. 8 near Oroville, Wash., reported Spokane news outlet KXLY.com.

Once there, the agents reportedly found footprints in the snow crossing the border.

Muhammed Khan, a Canadian citizen who had entered legally into the U.S. the day before, was pulled over by border agents. He had five people in the truck with him.

Court documents obtained by KXLY say "all passengers were dressed in layers of clothing and were wet from the knees down. This is indicative of someone who had walked through deep snow."

All five were reportedly residents of India.

Khan has been charged with bringing in and harboring certain aliens.
Photo: Google Maps

UPDATE: 9:35 p.m.

Castanet has received reports that the fire is now out and the scene is under investigation.

More details as they become available.

Send pictures and video to [email protected]

ORIGINAL: 9:15 p.m.

Crews were called to 165 Prior Road South, just after 9 p.m. after reports of smoke were seen coming from the building.

Everyone was evacuated from the building and crews are calling the fire "minor in nature."

At this time FortisBC is on route to the scene.

Castanet will update you as more information becomes available.
Photo: Contributed

The man accused in the murder of a Japanese student in Vancouver has also been charged in a sexual assault in Vernon.

The sex crime related to the new charge allegedly took place in Vernon on Sept. 28, the same day William Schneider was arrested at a makeshift camp near Polson Park.

Schneider is charged with second-degree murder and indignity to a human body in the death of Natsumi Kogawa last year.

Kogawa's body was discovered earlier that day at a vacant mansion in Vancouver's West End.

Police have not revealed how the victim died.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Facebook Serry Massoud, left, and Haylee Boender with her baby.

A Vernon woman says the owner of The Squires Four Public House mistreated and discriminated against her while she worked there, due to her pregnancy.

Haylee Boender began serving at the Vernon pub in July 2015, and found out she was pregnant in September.

According to a recent BC Human Rights Tribunal's decision to proceed with Boender's complaint, Boender immediately told her manager and owner of the pub, Serry Massoud, about the pregnancy.

Boender claims Massoud would continually make comments about her size, and tell her the customers didn't want to see it.

She told the tribunal she would leave work in tears almost every day.

Boender says Massoud would call her a little girl and told her she had to take her maternity leave 17 weeks before her due date. Boender couldn't collect maternity benefits until 11 weeks before her due date.

Finally, Boender says her doctor recommended quitting the job, as the stress could harm her baby.

In response to the complaint, the pub denies Boender's claims, and says she missed her shifts, left early, argued about night shifts and lacked energy and punctuality.

Massoud says the pub has other employees who are pregnant who haven't claimed to be discriminated against.

Massoud and the pub recently applied to have Boender's complaint dismissed, but Catherine McCreary, a tribunal member, denied this application and the matter will now proceed to a hearing.

None of the allegations have been proven at the tribunal.
The United States strongly condemns the suicide attack at the Afghan Supreme Court in Kabul February 7 which killed at least 21 Afghans, including several women working for the court, and wounded more than 40 other people.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, and promised future assaults against Afghanistans judiciary.

White House Spokesperson Sean Spicer called the bombing a cowardly attack, and condemned it in the strongest possible terms. He also praised the Afghan security forces for their rapid response.

U.S. Embassy Kabuls Charge dAffaires Ambassador Hugo Llorens said in a statement that the attack was a strike against the very foundation of Afghan democracy and the rule law by terrorists who have no regard for human life and a flagrant hatred of a democratic system of justice.

On February 8, six members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the ICRC, were shot and killed in Jowzjan province while they were delivering supplies to areas hit by devastating snowstorms and avalanches. The whereabouts of two other aid workers from the same convoy are unknown.

ICRC President Peter Maurer said These staff members were simply doing their duty, selflessly trying to help and support the local community,".

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the ICRC staff members. Provincial authorities suspect that Islamic State terrorists, who are active in the area, were the perpetrators.

A recent report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, recorded 11,400 civilian casualties last year -- 7,920 injuries and 3,498 deaths -- caused by the violent conflict in Afghanistan -- the majority by anti-government extremists, mainly the Taliban. UNAMA noted that civilian casualties caused by terrorists linked to the Islamic State rose significantly, from 82 in 2015 to 899 last year -- a tenfold increase.

Afghanistan deserves peace and security, said Charge dAffaires Ambassador Llorens. My government and the people of the United States are and will remain committed to standing with the people of Afghanistan and its elected representatives in their fight against terrorism and in working toward a peaceful and prosperous future supported by justice and the rule of law. We stand with the Government of National Unity and people of Afghanistan in bringing an end to these barbarous attacks against its people.
A 60 year old man is behind bars after police say he sexually assaulted two children in Odessa.

Ervin Wallie Clarence Mullins was arrested after a 9 year-old girl and 12 year-old boy made an outcry to OPD stating that Mullins had indeed assaulted them.

However prior to this arrest a sexual assault was reported on July 30, 2015 to OPD involving the 9 year-old girl and Mullins, an interview was conducted but the girl did not make an outcry, according to Odessa Police.

Then on January 23, 2017, another sexual assault was reported to OPD involving Mullins and a 12 year-old boy, after investigating police determined the 12 year-old had been sexually assaulted several years prior.

The Harmony Home Child Advocacy Center in Odessa brought the 12 year-old boy in to be interviewed by a forensic interviewer, this is when the boy made an outcry that he indeed had been sexually assaulted by Mullins.

Another interview was then conducted with the first victim, the 9 year-old girl, who then also made an outcry that she had also been sexually assaulted by Mullins.

Odessa Police Detectives obtained two warrants for Mullins, who was charged accordingly.
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Tennessees largest professional organization for doctors has helped convince state officials to delay expanding the use of a value-based healthcare payment model being tested under TennCare into commercial health insurance plans.



After a series of discussions culminating in a meeting at the Capitol this week, the Tennessee Medical Association was able to notify its more than 9,000 members that healthcare providers will not be required to participate in additional episodes of care-based payment programs in the upcoming enrollment year.

Participating insurance companies will offer value-based programs for providers who choose to voluntarily participate. The TennCare episode initiative will continue to roll out as scheduled this year.The states episodes of care payment model focuses on the total healthcare delivered in acute events like surgical procedures or inpatient hospitalizations. The state collects data through its managed care organizations  Amerigroup, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, and UnitedHealthcare  and uses it to determine value. Healthcare providers are subject to financial rewards or penalties based on how they measure against average cost, quality and other benchmarks set by the MCOs. The model is part of the Tennessee Healthcare Innovation Initiative was designed in 2012 and introduced in the market in 2015, funded by a grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.TMA has supported the concept of creating alternative payment mechanisms that help contain costs. At the same time, TMA has repeatedly expressed concerns to state administrators about significant defects with respect to episode design, and data collection, data reporting, and data accuracy during the program implementation.Generally speaking, doctors are on board with the move toward value-based reimbursement. We have to move away from fee-for-service and find ways to make healthcare more efficient without negatively affecting quality of care, said TMA President Keith G. Anderson, MD, a Memphis cardiologist. But weve been saying for years that the design and implementation has to be accurate, fair and transparent for the program to work, and we are still not there.TMA officials were disappointed with the states plan to move forward with the program in the commercial markets even though many aspects of the project are still flawed and need more work. TMA immediately began urging state officials to reconsider.There are lingering issues with the program in its current TennCare implementation that must be fixed before expanding to the commercial market. We want to make sure it has a chance to be successful in all areas, added Dr. Anderson.Since 2012, when the state used its first federal grant to design the episodes of care program, TMA has worked directly with the Governor, the Bureau of TennCare, the Tennessee General Assembly, and others to advocate for changes that help achieve the goal of cutting costs without adversely affecting patient care, or adding unnecessary administrative burden or financial strain on healthcare providers. The Association considers this most recent development a step in the right direction.We appreciate the opportunity to dialogue with TMA. Physician input has been and is very important to the health care innovation initiative. We are taking this year to allow more time to engage with physicians and other providers and address their concerns and suggestions about episodes in the commercial market. Ultimately we believe that bringing all the stakeholders together will help us get to our common goal of more efficient, cost-effective ways to deliver high-quality healthcare for Tennesseans. Working together, we can achieve that aim, said Deputy Governor Jim Henry.

"TMA is among the most influential healthcare voices in the Tennessee General Assembly, actively advocating for physicians and their patients. Payment reform is one of the organizations top priorities, and TMAs leadership will remain active and vocal in protecting physicians interests as it works with all stakeholders to help improve the episodes of care program



TMA recently partnered with the Tennessee Hospital Association and Tennessee Medical Group Management Association to develop an online feedback portal for the episodes of care program.



Learn more about TennCare payment reform and TMAs resources at tnmed.org/paymentreform.
Bradley County High School students in CAD and engineering classes gathered on Friday, Feb. 17, to hear from Wacker Polysilicon Vice President and Site Manager Mary Beth Hudson about engineering career opportunities. In recognition of Wackers involvement with the schools, Bradley County Mayor issued a proclamation declaring Engineers Week for Bradley County.

WACKER hires the best and the brightest: we want our employees to rank among the very best in the business, said Ms. Hudson. Since we began our BEST Partnership with Bradley Central High School last year, I have learned much more about the excellent education students here receive, providing them with readiness to grow and excel. I am very proudand I hope you are, tooof what you have accomplished, and I look forward to hearing more about the projects you are presenting today. I hope one day to see you around our plant in responsible production roles.



Bradley County Schools have been very successful in the introduction of the STEM educational structure, said Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis. Were here today to not only highlight what our local educational systems are providing, but to also highlight the successful partnerships with these school systems and local industries such as Wacker who help with providing additional support regarding what is needed by industries to successfully compete in the global marketplace.



The mayor read the proclamation to the students. He thanked Wacker for bringing technical and advanced manufacturing opportunities to the community, as well as for increasing support for STEM education in our local schools.



Bradley County High School Principal Todd Shoemaker recognized the students for their hard work, and encouraged them to continue to push themselves.



You are pushing yourselves and looking at the next step in your life, and this is what today is about, said Mr. Shoemaker. We are here for you and we want you to be successful. Thank you to Wacker for what you have done, thank you to Mary Beth: you have been incredible to work with. Were so pleased that were able to work with a company that cares so much about their community and about the students. We want our students to be college- and life-ready. At Bradley County High School, thats what we are focused on.



State Representative Dan Howell addressed the students, identifying them as future mechanical, civil, chemical and electrical engineers.



Im glad to see the culmination of this partnership, said Rep. Howell. What were seeing is the result of something that started in Nashville, our Governor and our former economic development commissioner Randy Boyd pushing the idea of workforce development. It takes partnerships like this, and I am so appreciative of Wacker and what they do in partnering with school systems throughout Bradley County. I knew coming in that Wacker was going to a great corporate citizen, and youve proven that to us. I am so appreciative of what you have done for these students.



There is a broad range of opportunities available to you, Rep. Howell said to the students. Youre not going to have to leave Bradley County to find a good-paying job. I wish you well in the future. Get a good education, and you will find a good job waiting for you.



Two students who participate in the advanced manufacturing mentorship program between Wacker and the school presented several projects on which they have worked during the school year.



We start our class with very simple drawings, a few basic shapes in the CAD programs, said Alex Gutsol, Bradley County High School student. By the end of class, youre easily capable of drawing rockets and even 3D printing them, as we did, and we launched them with fully deployable parachutes to retrieve them. This class is very fun.



Bradley County High School student Patrick Brown delivered a presentation on the programs used at the school, showcasing various models they designed and eventually printed in 3D to learn how to use CAD software.



Some of the CAD programs that we use, Auto Desk Inventor and Solid Works, we are working now to earn a certification in those programs, said Mr. Brown.



National Engineers Week is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers, said Ms. Hudson to the students. Engineering is the constant discovery of ways to improve our lives. So to you, I encourage you to continue to pursue this exciting career pathit is a job that is creative, collaborative and never dull.



The Mayors Proclamation reads as follows:



Whereas; in 2017 the recognition of National Engineers Week will be held nationally during the 19th  25th of February. Many events are planned across our great land, and also locally.



Whereas; the many benefits of engineering studies are far reaching. Those who have dedicated their time and efforts to master this difficult and sometimes overlooked career choice have chosen a truly remarkable career pathway that in many ways is a public service to us all.



Whereas; in a significant way of honoring the actual birthday of George Washington during their week-long celebration they also pay tribute to him as also being one of the countrys first engineers. From the early times to present day, the engineer has helped solve many of the technological challenges of our history. Building design, disaster recovery, space exploration, travel advancements, manufacturing improvements and numerous patents, ALL had an engineering component. For many it is not just a job, it is a calling.



Whereas; locally our community has been blessed with many engineering minds, businesses and industries. Included in this group is one of our newest additions to the manufacturing landscape that has become synonymous with giving back to the community. Wacker Polysilicon NA has helped to bring more technical and advanced manufacturing opportunities to our community. They have also joined with the many others across our community who help by increasing support for STEM education in our local schools. In addition to sending engineers to many of our local educational facilities this week to engage with students in hands-on STEM activities, they will also be sending several hundred of our students to see the new IMAX 3D Movie, Dream Big  Engineering Wonders of the World.



Whereas; education starts at home, is combined with opportunities that are available in our schools and further cultivated by individual determination and dreams. It is up to each of us to help the next generation to find their passion and future career paths. If you know of a student who may find the Engineering concept interesting please join with me in helping to promote



Engineers Week

Now, Therefore, I, D. Gary Davis, Bradley County Mayor, do hereby proclaim Feb. 19  25, 2017 as Engineers Week throughout Bradley County.
Candy Navarrete stands in her clothing booth at Source Fashion inside Discount Mall in Little Village during a very slow sales day on Feb. 15, 2017. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

The specter of Trump-era immigration enforcement has dimmed the energy of Little Village, where streets no longer bustle with commerce and conversation, residents say.

News of last week's immigration raids, coupled with rumors that federal agents were asking people for their documents on sidewalks and at businesses, have kept immigrants from leaving their homes unnecessarily.

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Some have stopped going to work and are keeping their children home from school  fearful that the family will get separated should the parents be arrested. The result is a slowed economy in the neighborhood known as the "Mexican Capital of the Midwest," one that relies on visitors from the suburbs and Indiana to fuel its businesses and immigrants without legal status to work in its restaurants.

"Everybody is talking about how ICE is catching people," said dress shop owner Kocoy Malagon.

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With prom season approaching, her splashy gowns with bejeweled bodices usually sell quickly. But few dresses have left the racks of Source Fashion. Malagon and another employee have spent the week watching the minutes creep by, waiting for customers they doubt will show.

"I know sometimes (the deportation rumors are) not true, but now everybody believes everything," she said. "The Mexican families, they prefer to stay home and close their doors, and that's it. And then the economy becomes really bad for everybody."

While the scale of recent arrests was on par with operations conducted under former President Barack Obama, the effect was magnified in Little Village by President Trump's rhetoric about immigration and by his recent executive order that expanded the list of who can be deported.

The neighborhood is home to one of the largest populations of immigrants without legal status in Chicago. About 20,000 immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally reside in Little Village, according to an analysis of U.S. census data from 2010 to 2011.

"Most businesses here are mom-and-pop shops. Immigrant-owned. We are very successful because the community supports us a lot," said Jaime di Paulo, executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. "But businesses have been reporting losses ... people are stressed."

Taqueria owners say lunch and weekend rushes are more relaxed, and the parking lot of the discount mall  home to nearly 80 vendors selling clothing and toys  has been empty on recent weekdays save for the cars of employees.

The neighborhood's main commercial center, 26th Street, is among Chicago's most-shopped corridors. But business owners report as much as a 20 percent drop in sales since Trump's inauguration, according to the Chamber of Commerce.

Chicago's immigration enforcement office made 48 arrests in the Chicago area during an operation from Feb. 4 through Feb. 10. Of those arrests, 33 people were from Mexico. That sent alarm bells through Little Village, which is 80 percent Latino.

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In January, Trump issued an executive order to expand the list of deportation priorities. It now includes any noncitizen who is charged with a criminal offense of any kind, is suspected of committing criminal acts, engages in fraud or willful dishonesty while interacting with immigration officials, is the subject of a pending order of removal or has previously been deported and re-entered the country.

The executive order, as well as viral posts on social media warning people of rumored raids planned for Little Village and Pilsen this weekend, have immigrants limiting their shopping and recreation. While last week's raids heightened fears, business owners say they've seen fewer shoppers on 26th Street since Trump's inauguration.

"We're suffering. We're not just slow, we're suffering," said Khodr Kaddoura, the owner of a clothing store at the discount mall. He pointed at the mall's empty corridors, identifying those walking around Wednesday afternoon as a security guard and employees.

"We have to pay rent. We have to pay employees, and we're cutting down on those employees. Look, he's working," he said, nodding at another vendor, "and I'm working by myself. We cannot even afford employees."

While residents and business owners said some immigrants without legal status have chosen to stop working, those who remain at work look over their shoulders during their commute, worrying someone will stop them. Permanent residents bring their green cards to work in anticipation of raids while they're there.

One 26th Street restaurant owner who employs immigrants who don't have legal permission to live in the country is frustrated by the wave of fear and said immigrants still need to work and provide for their families.

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"They're not criminals or nothing," said the man, who asked to remain anonymous so he can protect his workers. "They've been here for so many years, they've got kids, they've got a house," he said. "Of course I worry about (my employees). If they take my people, what am I gonna do? Just open the restaurant for one shift?"

Di Paulo, the chamber of commerce's executive director, said businesses are disheartened by people's reluctance to shop. The chamber is working to launch a campaign encouraging people to shop locally in the Hispanic market and hopes to draw visitors from outside Little Village by promoting some of the neighborhood's restaurants.

"We're working on strategies to bring business back," he said. "(Trump's crackdown) should be more of a reason to unify and be one voice."

meltagouri@chicagotribune.com

@marwaeltagouri
Northwestern head coach Chris Collins directs his team during the second half. (Nam Y. Huh / AP)

Lore might very well remember it as the shot that saved a season  and preserved an invitation.

With 58 seconds left and the likelihood of Northwestern's first NCAA tournament bid in the balance, Bryant McIntosh took a few dribbles and released the go-ahead 3-pointer from his left hand.

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The basket allowed the building full of purple-clad people exhale as the Wildcats held on for a 69-65 victory against Big Ten bottom-dweller Rutgers on Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Sort of.

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"It felt like we needed to get a stop," McIntosh said of his reaction after the shot. "We had struggled all day to get one. Just trying to move on to the next play. At first you want to celebrate. It is a big shot. But there's still quite of bit of time left. We had to finish the game."

And so the Wildcats (20-7, 9-5 Big Ten) did, and in the process tied a school record for victories in a single season.

Northwestern guard Bryant McIntosh reacts to his late 3-pointer in the 69-65 win over Rutgers on Feb. 18, 2017. (Paul Skrbina/Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

The Wildcats' confidence didn't wane despite going more than seven minutes without a field goal during the second half. And despite turning the ball over five times during that same span. They also allowed a seven-point lead to turn into a six-point deficit against the Scarlet Knights (13-15, 2-13).

In the end it all boiled down to McIntosh's one crucial shot  and a couple of others.

"That's a shot I work on a lot," said McIntosh, who finished with a game-high 18 points and six assists. "As soon as I gathered the ball I knew I hit it. That's how confident I was."

McIntosh's shot is to be remembered, for certain. And while two key 3-pointers from Gavin Skelly will fade in memory, they propped up the Wildcats enough to put McIntosh in position to hit his.

Skelly hadn't made a 3 in his previous nine attempts and hadn't made one during a game since Jan. 22 at Ohio State.

His first pulled the Wildcats within 54-51 with 6 minutes, 25 seconds left. His encore sliced the deficit to 63-62 with 2:03 remaining, the two biggest shots of the game, per Wildcats coach Chris Collins.

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Skelly said he has been shooting 200 to 300 3-pointers a day to try to cure his ills.

"I was in a huge shooting slump," he said. "I made about 20 3s in a row (during practice Friday). Today I was making a bunch and they said, 'Let it fly.'

"The next couple of games I'm going to let it fly even more."

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A loss at home to Rutgers, six days after what seemed like a season-saving victory at then-No. 7 Wisconsin, could have been devastating to Northwestern.

The Wildcats had lost three of four, including at home to Maryland on Wednesday and to Illinois, a team that hadn't won a true road game in more than a year.

A meeting with a program that hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 1991, the second longest drought among Power 5 conference teams behind  who else?  Northwestern, seemed like some respite during a tough part of the Wildcats' schedule.

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Northwestern's leading scorer, Scottie Lindsey, had six points and four assists in his first game back since missing the previous four with mononucleosis.

"In the past we'd fold," McIntosh said. "We wouldn't win a game like this. But we buckled down to get enough stops and finally saw the ball go in the basket."

pskrbina@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @ChiTribSkrbina
The carrot course at Grace restaurant on the near west side of Chicago on Jan. 30, 2013. (Alex Garcia / Chicago Tribune)

Chef Curtis Duffy, Alinea's most famous alumnus, is a master of precision and refinement, and his multicourse meals (dubbed flora and fauna) progress as naturally as conversation among friends. General manager Michael Muser oversees, among other things, a superb wine program. The dining room is tastefully luxurious, and it's a treat to peer into the adjacent activity (do not turn down any opportunity to tour the kitchen). And, tangential as it may be to the dining experience, the restrooms are dazzling.

MORE: Phil Vettel's full review of Grace

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Tribune rating:    

Address: 652 W. Randolph St.

Phone: 312-234-9494

Website: www.grace-restaurant.com

Open: Dinner Tuesday-Saturday

Price: 8- to 12-course menu, $235

Credit cards: A, DS, M, V

Reservations: Strongly recommended

Noise: Hushed

Other: Wheelchair accessible; valet parking

Ratings key:     outstanding;    excellent;   very good;  good; no stars: unsatisfactory. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
My earliest food memory involves a lot of old people yelling.

The setting was a dim sum restaurant on a Sunday morning, with what seemed like 1,000 people doing their worst to talk over one another.

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In between complaints about their ungrateful grandchildren or the humidity, they sipped chrysanthemum tea and picked up delicate shrimp dumplings from bamboo steamers. They dipped crisp egg rolls into Worcestershire sauce and spooned mango tapioca pudding from dishes of evaporated milk.

After swallowing, the yelling commenced.

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You might say dim sum is a communal act with the peripheral involvement of food. One can debate whether your mouth is more actively engaged in eating or gossiping. Before pintxos, tapas, canapes and anything small plate-related, the Cantonese were serving two-bite barbecue pork buns and egg custard tarts for brunch.

Chicago's dim sum scene hasn't experienced the type of growth that, say, ramen culture has over the last decade in this city. But it chugs steadily along, readily available when the mood strikes for steamed chicken feet on a Sunday morning. Which is always, right?

***

If you're part of a Hong Kong-based luxury hotel chain, as The Peninsula Chicago on Michigan Avenue is, your Chinese offerings better be up to snuff. Shanghai Terrace serves up the most elegant Cantonese dining experience in town, but because it charges extravagant downtown hotel prices, it's never brought up in conversations about Chicago Chinese restaurants, like Phoenix or MingHin. It lives in its own bubble. Which is a shame, because if you can find a friend with an unlimited expense account, Shanghai Terrace is a singular experience in Chicago worth at least a visit. A Cantonese restaurant with Michelin star ambitions, its room is adorned in red-and-gold-lacquered chinoiserie, with opulent touches such as pewter chopstick holders in the shape of a Hong Kong junk boat.

Yes, ingredients like wagyu beef and XO sauce are guaranteed crowd-pleasers, but the technique exhibited by chef Ivan Yuen's team is impressive in its understated touch. Witness the intricate washboardlike pleats in the black truffle and lobster dumplings, a sign of deft, careful hands. A simple clay pot of fried rice is offered for $18, yes, but it's an exquisite rendition  minced wagyu beef, scrambled egg shards and individual, slick granules of long-grained rice, not a clump in the bowl. For $18, you're paying for craftsmanship. A $15 Cantonese meat platter equates to three bites each of barbecued pork (char siu) and roasted duck, but these are apotheoses that make you say, "Ah, this is how it should taste."

A mile south of The Peninsula is Yum Cha, tucked inside a network of Lakeshore East high-rises overlooking Grant Park.

My first two experiences at Yum Cha were nothing short of disastrous. On the first visit, the food arrived cold and servers seemed confused by simple requests. On visit No. 2, the pork shumai was completely raw in the middle, a first for this Cantonese man, and a replacement order took so long, we gave up and left. I had relegated Yum Cha to my "you're dead to me" list.

Several months after that, I subjected myself to visit No. 3. I'm pleased to report Yum Cha  a collaboration between Chinatown's Phoenix and Mount Prospect's E+O Food and Drink  has rebounded to acceptability. Service has improved, clean plates and tea refills now come quickly, and the waitstaff converses about dishes with relative proficiency.

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The gimmick here is dim sum with downtown ritz, which often translates to highbrow ingredients such as foie gras or truffles. At first this felt like cheating, a sly way to overcharge in this affluent neighborhood. But indulgent as it is, some combinations work. Roasted bone marrow topped with braised oxtails is frighteningly rich, but a side plate of pungent ginger-scallion sauce balances out flavors, and the pillowy baos do an effective job sopping things up. "Buddha" chicken wings with shrimp dust? It's fried to an expert crisp, and the briny shrimp dust works with the sweet and sourness. Then there's the foie gras-topped egg custard tart  an idea so outrageous that it makes you want to hit somebody. But the combination works on some ridiculous level, better than I'd care to admit.

As for standard dim sum fare, it's on par with Chinatown, plus a roughly 35 percent upcharge. If you're too intimidated to trek down to Archer and Wentworth avenues, Yum Cha adequately introduces you to the genre, albeit at a premium.

But why not head to Chinatown? No need to be scared! Most dim sum restaurants now have illustrated, bilingual menus.

Entering its 20th year in 2015, Phoenix Restaurant has firmly settled into its role as Chinatown's reliable default. The space has undergone a face-lift in the last year and now resembles one of those modernist dim sum houses in Vancouver or San Francisco, with hosts decked in professional crisp suits. The operation is all business.

The food remains a credible introduction to the dim sum canon. A few issues pop up that novices will gloss over but aficionados might notice: Pork and shrimp dumplings (shumai) are too texturally uniform, or the lotus leaf-wrapped glutinous rice skimps on the chicken filling with no visible sweet sausage (lap cheong).

But there were several standout dishes, such as the Shanghai soup dumpling (xiao long bao), which I've been told is a recipe Phoenix has been tweaking for years. This one contains the requisite volume of soup, creating that desirable explosion when the dumpling is taken in one bite. The pork filling is also fatty enough to maintain a consistent lusciousness.

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I also thought the taro puff (wu gok) was fried really well: Think of it as a crispy mashed potato ball stuffed with pork and mushroom. The problem with many wu gok is it can get incredibly greasy. This version exhibited a lacy crispness that didn't leave my lips slick with oil.

The two top dim sum restaurants in Chicago, however, can be found on opposite ends of Chinatown Square. The first is MingHin Cuisine. Just look at two dishes that are reliable indicators of cooking aptitude at a dim sum parlor  shumai and har gow (crystal shrimp dumpling). The versions here are seasoned better  I liked the white pepperiness to the har gow  and both dishes had better textural variance in the filling (chunks of shrimp in the shumai instead of minced into a homogenous texture).

The baked barbecue pork buns are spheres of sticky and soft bread rolls with a char siu filling that isn't cloyingly sweet. The beef meatballs here, minced with ginger and water chestnuts, exhibit an important trait in Cantonese cooking: an appealing, bouncy chew, like a Swedish meatball but more toothsome.

Beyond small plates in bamboo steamers, MingHin's fortes are congee (rice porridge) and Cantonese roasted meats. Of the former, abalone and chicken congee soothes with its seafood sweetness. The best thing here is the Macau-style roasted pork belly, these incomprehensibly crunchy cubes of skin-on fatty pork that you dip into a plate of sugar and turn into pork candy. They're dangerous.

My other choice in Chinatown would be Cai, more in line with the classic dim sum image of gaudy chandeliers and chattering retirees amid the bustling room. Like MingHin, Cai's cooking is a notch above other restaurants of its ilk.

You can tell by taking apart a dish like lotus leaf-wrapped glutinous rice (lo mai gai): filled not just with the standard-fare chicken and mushroom, but with dried scallops and an egg yolk too. Steamed spare ribs were meaty, fatty, bony knobs slicked with black bean and jalapeno-flavored oil. The taro puffs (wu gok) were just as satisfying as Phoenix's, the outer exterior even flakier and more grease-free, though Cai's version was sweeter and substitutes chicken for pork. Because Cai's forte is volume, the food comes fast and furious. My lunches here averaged 30 minutes, and never did I feel rushed.

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In the northwest suburbs, Jockey Wok 'N' Rolls in Hoffman Estates is an awful name for acceptable-to-decent weekend dim sum. (There's also a food court location inside Mitsuwa Marketplace.) If you don't care about ambience, Bistro Chen in Arlington Heights is a good stand-in, which despite its combination Americanized Chinese/sushi genre produces some adequate dim sum items. The shumai is decent, as are the Teochew dumplings, a fascinating combination of pork, dried shrimp and peanuts within. Two dishes here would be solid over steamed rice: roast duck (despite the crisp skin sogged down by a drenching of sweet soy sauce) and a fork-tender braised beef brisket with daikon radish.

kpang@tribpub.com

Twitter @pang

Dim sum sampler

Note: Dim sum is typically served during lunch hours, though some restaurants will have it during dinner service. Call to check on availability.

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

Shanghai Terrace

The Peninsula Chicago

108 E. Superior St.

312-573-6695

Average price per dim sum order: $8

Yum Cha

333 E. Upper Randolph St.

312-946-8885

Average price per dim sum order: $6.95

Phoenix Restaurant

2131 S. Archer Ave.

312-328-0850

Average price per dim sum order: $3.95

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MingHin Cuisine

2168 S. Archer Ave.

312-808-1999

Average price per dim sum order: $3.85

Cai

2100 S. Archer Ave.

2nd floor

312-326-6888

Average price per dim sum order: $3.99

Jockey Wok 'N' Rolls

1017 N. Roselle Rd.

Hoffman Estates

847-885-0888

Average price per dim sum order: $3.75

Bistro Chen

10 E. Miner St.

Arlington Heights

847-255-9080

(Closed Monday)

Average price per dim sum order: $3.50
Shrimp and andouille sausage gumbo makes a fine dish for Mardi Gras. From the meat to the stock to the vegetables, the ingredients are easily swapped out. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

New Orleans cuisine is just about my favorite among regional American cuisines. (No offense, absolutely everybody else in the country.) And of all the iconic dishes  etouffee, blackened anything, jambalaya  there's nothing I love more than a steaming bowl of spicy brown gumbo. Mm-mmmmm.

Why you need to learn this

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Mardi Gras is right around the corner (Feb. 28). Also, this method is so easy to use that you can swap out the stock and protein to make literally gajillions of delicious variations.

The steps you take

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There was a time, not too long ago, when you couldn't swing a dead catfish without hitting a menu with blackened something on it  blackened redfish, blackened soup, blackened toast ... Back in the day, though, New Orleans cuisine was virtually unknown outside of Louisiana. Then, along came chef Paul Prudhomme, who pretty much played St. Paul to New Orleans' Jesus, if you get my drift.

Today, what we generally refer to as "New Orleans cuisine" is actually the conflation of two originally separate cuisines: Creole and Cajun. Think, "citified" vs. "countrified," respectively.

From the 18th century, New Orleans was populated by French and Spanish settlers, local native Choctaws and thousands of West African slaves.

Add to this mix the descendants of French settlers of Acadia, a region that now encompasses parts of Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces. In the mid-18th century, these mostly poor French speakers landed in Louisiana after fleeing hostilities between British and French forces. Their name, Acadians, gives us their current moniker, "Cajuns."

Take a look at gumbo's ingredients, and you'll see influences from all of these groups.

While probably every cook in Louisiana has her or his own method for gumbo, one thing that pretty much all gumbos have in common is their thick consistency. While some are thicker than others, they all by definition have some sort of thickener in them. (Please, Dearly Affronted Reader, do not send me videos of your Aunt Nell's Looziana Cooking Party in which she makes a delicious albeit watery gumbo. I'm sure they exist.)

Typically, gumbos are thickened one of three ways.

1. Roux. This hallmark of French classical cuisine blending equal amounts of fat and flour is cooked to various shades of darkness. In its adopted New Orleans home, the fat is oil and the roux can be cooked to very dark.

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2. Okra. This native African vegetable arrived with West African slaves.

3. File powder. Ground, dried leaves of the sassafras tree add flavor along with consistency. If you've never seen a sassafras tree, they're really cool because they have three distinct leaf shapes: one regular, leafy shaped leaf; one with two parts that makes it look like a mitten (or Michigan, if you want to stoke a little regional pride); and one with three parts that make it look like the Canadian flag or Lisa Simpson's hand if you couldn't see her thumb.

Now, some hard-core New Orleans cooks might argue strenuously about what thickeners go with what. My advice is, listen to them respectfully, then do what you want. We're not trying to be authentic here; we're just trying to re-create, as my Kendall College colleague chef Elaine Sikorski lectures, a New Orleans "flavor profile."

Here's what you do (for more specific instructions and amounts, see the accompanying recipe):

Roux (a mixture of fat and flour) is one way to thicken a gumbo. Start it by cooking equal amounts of fat and flour together. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

1. If you're using roux, combine equal parts by weight vegetable oil and flour in a large Dutch oven. Stir it over medium heat until it's very dark brown, about 15 minutes.

2. Add a 2-to-1-to-1 mix of diced onion, celery and green bell pepper  the New Orleans version of the French "mirepoix." Stir it into the roux until it starts to brown  3 or 4 minutes.

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If you're not using roux, start by sauteing the vegetables in oil until brown.

You could also stir in a clove or four of minced garlic when the other stuff starts to brown.

3. Add stock. Homemade is best, but, let's be honest, who's got the time, what with all the phone calls and emails? Chicken stock works for just about everything, or use fish stock or canned clam juice for seafood gumbo.

4. Add your other ingredients:

Okra. If you're not using roux, make okra equal to the weight of the proteins. If you are using roux, cut the amount in half.

Proteins. Andouille sausage, cubed chicken or duck breasts, beef short ribs, chunks of ham, anything. For seafood, don't add it until 5 to 10 minutes before serving the gumbo, so you don't overcook it.

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Spices and herbs. Try equal parts of ground red, black and white peppers along with dried thyme, oregano and bay leaf. How much? How spicy do you want it?

Tomatoes. Hmmm. More than a few people argue that tomatoes have no place in a proper gumbo. I say, unless those people are rich relatives of yours from whom you stand to collect a tidy inheritance someday, go for it.

Simmer everything together about 30 minutes. In that time, the starchy flavor of any roux will disappear and the okra (if you're using it) will have thickened the broth.

5. If you're using file powder, it's typically added at the end, about an ounce or 2 per quart of gumbo.

6. Season with salt, and you're ready to go. Mound some cooked rice in a bowl and ladle the gumbo around it. Yum.

James P. DeWan is a culinary instructor at Kendall College in Chicago and author of "Prep School: How to Improve Your Kitchen Skills and Cooking Techniques," a collection of his Chicago Tribune columns.

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Gumbo traditionally calls for a dark roux, which can take 10 to 20 minutes. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Shrimp and andouille gumbo

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 1 hour, 12 minutes

Makes: 12 servings

Spice mix:

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

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1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons thyme

2 teaspoons oregano

2 bay leaves

Gumbo:

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3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 large onions, medium dice

3 green bell peppers, medium dice

5 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch slices

4 garlic cloves, minced

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1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes, chopped, with juice

1 pound okra, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 quarts chicken stock

1 pound andouille sausage, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Salt as needed

1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled, deveined

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Cooked rice as needed

1. For spice mix: Combine ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.

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2. For roux: Heat a 6-quart Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add oil and flour; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is dark brown, 10 to 20 minutes.

3. Add onions, peppers and celery and cook until onions are soft and brown, stirring frequently, 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Add garlic and half of the spice mix; cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.

5. Add tomatoes, okra, stock and sausage; bring to a boil while stirring, then reduce heat and simmer to remove starchy flavor of flour, about 20 minutes. Season with salt, then taste for spiciness. If needed, add remaining spice mix and simmer another 5 to 10 minutes.

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6. Add shrimp and simmer until done, about 5 minutes.

7. To serve, use an ice cream scoop to place rice in a warm bowl. Ladle gumbo around it and serve immediately.

Nutrition information per serving: 314 calories, 19 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 102 mg cholesterol, 15 g carbohydrates, 5 g sugar, 20 g protein, 505 mg sodium, 4 g fiber






Conductor Riccardo Muti, left, and Cardinal Blase Cupich share a laugh after a performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Feb. 17, 2017, at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's most famous concert given at Holy Name Cathedral in the presence of a dignitary of the Roman Catholic Church was in 1979, when the orchestra under Georg Solti played Bruckner's Fifth Symphony for an audience that included Pope John Paul II. The concert was given in honor of the pontiff's first visit to Chicago.

"I assure you I am not the Chicago orchestra," the pontiff told a cheering crowd in the church courtyard after the concert. "I am only the pope."

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The return of the CSO to the seat of the Archdiocese of Chicago on Friday night may not prove quite as historic an event but it most certainly was a deeply moving occasion for the more than 1,000 people who packed the church to hear Riccardo Muti conduct members of the orchestra in a special pre-Lenten performance of Haydn's "The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross."

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This hourlong devotional sequence of slow movements reflecting on Christ's final moments on the Cross is one of the great monuments of sacred music. It could do no better than being played by musicians such as these in a magnificent church setting such as Holy Name.

And there was the considerable bonus of hearing the seven sonatas interspersed with original meditations spoken by Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago.

The cardinal's inspiring readings touched on various areas of Christian faith and belief, offering the balm of hope and spiritual solace to the audience-congregation, more than 200 of whom were community members participating in programs supported by the church. Complimentary tickets were offered to those who would not otherwise have been able to attend a CSO performance. Furthermore, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association donated a portion of the ticket revenue to Holy Name to support its ministries and outreach programs.

The special concert was originally scheduled to take place a year ago but was postponed after the cancellation of Muti's winter 2016 residency so that the music director could recover from hip surgery.

Haydn's "Seven Last Words" ("Seven Last Exclamations" would be a more apt title, Muti told me in an interview last week) carries special significance with the maestro, who has given countless performances worldwide and recorded the work three times. The version he presided over Friday was the orchestral original, played by a chamber ensemble of 34 CSO members. (Haydn's own arrangement for string quartet has long been a Chicago tradition in the Vermeer Quartet's annual Lenten performances.) The acoustical warmth of the high-ceilinged cathedral created welcome intimacy to a deeply involving musical experience.

The fact that Haydn's tempos never vary from largo to lento to adagio to grave  except for the violent presto depiction of an earthquake at the very end  can make for a solemn slog under less considerate hands than Muti's.

His pacing was remarkably flowing and varied, allowing the subtle dynamic contrasts of piano and pianissimo their full effect in Sonata 2 ("Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise"), with its sonorous layer of four horns. Accents were forcefully applied in Sonata 3 ("Woman, behold thy son"), poised in high relief against the tenderness of Haydn's string writing.

A few rough attacks were of no consequence in a performance that brought out the wondrous mystery and grace of a masterpiece absolutely unique in the canon of classical liturgical music.

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Also: At the CSO subscription concert scheduled for Saturday night at Symphony Center, Muti was to present pianist Mary Sauer with the orchestra's highest honor, the Theodore Thomas Medallion for Distinguished Service. Sauer retired in November as the orchestra's principal piano, a position she held for an unprecedented 57 years. She was the orchestra's only full-time principal keyboardist since its founding in 1891.

John von Rhein is a Tribune critic.

jvonrhein@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jvonrhein

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
"Im just so grateful, and my heart is so full," Darvece Monson said as she recovered at the Center for Care and Discovery on Feb. 17, 2017. Monson received a kidney transplant from a relative, Takiya Holmes, 11, who was shot and killed in Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Just hours after she died in her mother's arms, 11-year-old Takiya Holmes did something remarkable.

She saved six lives, according to the girl's grandmother, Patsy Holmes. The youngest is 7 months old. The oldest is 67.

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Seven of Takiya's organs were donated following her death on Tuesday  to a distant relative and to strangers she had never met. Someone received her heart, her pancreas, her lungs and her kidneys. Two recipients shared her liver.

At the end of a troubling week when three children died from the endless violence plaguing our city, Takiya gave us a reason to feel hopeful.

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She never regained consciousness after being struck in the head by a stray bullet Saturday while sitting in a parked car with her mother, aunt and younger brother on the South Side. On Tuesday, her family allowed her to be removed from life support.

In the darkest of tragedies, Takiya is a candle beckoning us to a calmer place, where we can take a deep breath and think more clearly about the future.

Through her gracious gifts, she has shown us the meaning of compassion, that often elusive trait that allows us to feel what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes.

By giving others a chance at a life that was so brutally taken from her, she has implored us to be kinder to each other, better people than we thought we could be.

That's a powerful message coming from a young girl who had so much yet to learn about life. She has made the ultimate sacrifice. The least we can do is listen.

For Takiya's family, this doesn't bring closure, but it does offer some measure of peace.

"It brings us peace to know that she's living in someone else," said Holmes, adding that Takiya's mother and father eagerly agreed to the transplants. "The fact that she extended another person's life and helped give them quality of life, we can live with that."

It took a lot of courage by Takiya's family to share their child with someone else. Minorities, and African-Americans in particular, are not quick to donate organs.

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Though 20 percent of all transplant recipients are African-American  the overwhelming majority of them kidney recipients  blacks make up only 16 percent of all donors, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

But with blacks being more susceptible to heart disease, hypertension and diabetes, 30 percent of those waiting for organs are African-American.

There are lots of reasons blacks tend to shy away from being organ donors, namely poor health and costs. But one reason is most troubling.

Some African-Americans believe that the medical profession is more interested in harvesting their organs than helping patients get better. They fear that with others waiting for organs, they likely will get subpar care in the hospital.

It is an unreasonable fear that is rooted in history. Remember the Tuskegee experiment of 1932, when the U.S. government tricked 399 black men into allowing syphilis to go untreated in order to study the long-term effects?

Takiya's family chose to defy that stereotype. We should all be grateful.

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Because of her family's generosity, the fifth-grader's death will not be in vain.

Darvece Monson is a transplant recipient being kept alive with one of the girl's kidneys. Monson said she thinks this is what Takiya would have wanted.

"She was an exuberant, energetic child, so full of life," said Monson, 36, in a phone interview from her hospital bed at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Three children 12 years old and younger were victims of Chicago gun violence the week of Feb. 13, 2017. The Tribune tracks shootings and homicides. Here is what the data say about the youngest victims of Chicago's street violence. (Jonathon Berlin / Chicago Tribune) (Jonathon Berlin / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

"Overnight, my life has changed."

Long after Takiya's smile and dimpled cheeks have faded from our memory, we shall remember this.

In the end, she gave all that she had to give. There could not have been a greater gift.

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dglanton@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @dahleeng
Kenneth Austin, grandson of Chicago Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th,has been indicted on charges of murder, robbery in the first degree, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and tampering with physical evidence in the fatal shootingof a man in Louisville, Ky. (Cook County Sheriff's Department)

The grandson of Chicago Ald. Carrie Austin was arrested last week on murder charges in a fatal shooting that occurred last month in Louisville, Ky., authorities said.

Kenneth Austin, 28, and at least one other person are suspected in the killing of a 25-year-old man during a robbery Jan. 30. The victim was found inside a residence with a gunshot wound to his chest, according to a spokesman for the Louisville Metro Police Department.

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Austin, of Chicago, has been indicted on charges of murder, robbery in the first degree, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and tampering with physical evidence, said Jeffrey Cooke, a spokesman for the Jefferson County, Ky., commonwealth's attorney's office.

Austin was arrested Feb. 8 in Chicago on a fugitive warrant out of Louisville but awaits extradition at Cook County Jail, according to the Cook County sheriff's office website.

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On Thursday, Carrie Austin, chairwoman of the City Council's Budget Committee, was sketchy on the details but confirmed to the Tribune her grandson was arrested last week. She said her son, Kenneth's father, told her the grandson was wanted for questioning in the Kentucky slaying.

"As far as I know right now, they're just trying to get an attorney, so we can get some definitive information," said the alderman, whose 34th Ward encompasses parts of Chicago's Far South Side. "My grandson ain't killed nobody. People always say, 'You know, he could do that.' No, not this one. ... But that has to be proven."

Cook County court records show that her grandson has also been fighting felony attempted aggravated robbery charges since last year and has a court date on that case in March. According to his arrest report in that case, Kenneth Austin and a co-defendant were arrested by Chicago police in July for trying to rob two people in the South Side's Bridgeport neighborhood. In the arrest report, Austin's occupation was listed as a customer service assistant with the Chicago Transit Authority.

He has caused controversy for his grandmother in the past when it was revealed that she hired him on her staff after he was criminally charged with bilking a retiree out of thousands of dollars. The court case was mentioned in a 2010 Tribune story about aldermen who reward friends and relatives with their taxpayer-funded expense accounts.

Kenneth Austin was charged in 2008 with felony theft for allegedly teaming up with an in-home nurse to steal more than $2,000 from an elderly woman the nurse was caring for, court records show. He pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge on June 22, 2010, and was sentenced to two years of probation by Cook County Judge Dennis Porter, according to court records.

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In the past, Carrie Austin defended the employment of her grandson, who first surfaced on her expense-account payroll in December 2008, after he was charged with theft, by saying she holds him to "a higher standard. ... I can ask of him what I can't ask of other people."

According to the 2010 article, Kenneth Austin was paid about $18,500 the year before as a legislative aide for his grandmother.

Chicago Tribune's Liam Ford contributed.

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Fighting back the emotions of a heavy heart, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson on Saturday announced a murder charge in the Valentine's Day shooting of 2-year-old Lavontay White Jr. and challenged a city rocked by several child deaths to "finally make a stand."



Johnson vowed his police force will track down all involved in the triple shooting that took the lives of Lavontay and his 26-year-old uncle, Lazarec Collins, and wounded Collins' pregnant girlfriend in the 2300 block of South Kenneth on Tuesday--a horrific crime caught on Facebook live.



The first arrested in the crime, Devon Swan, 26, was denied bail on a first-degree murder charge shortly after Johnson described him as a documented gang member and felon with a history of gun and narcotics crimes. A frustrated Johnson stepped up his call for tougher laws against repeat gun offenders,



"Lavontay wasn't someone who made some bad decisions and lost his way or got involved in a gang conflict," Johnson said. "He was just a little boy with his whole life ahead of him."



Standing next to Johnson at police headquarters was the Rev. Michael Pfleger, who hailed people who came to him with information that helped lead to Swan's arrest and the courage of citizens who went with him to police.



"Your faith has to be greater than your fear," said Pfleger, a civil rights activist and the senior pastor of the Faith Community of St. Sabina in the Auburn-Gresham community.



Swan made incriminating statements to witnesses and later to detectives following his arrest, police said, but the case is far from closed.



"This is a very active, very active ongoing investigation," said Brendan Deenihan, commander of the area central detective division who said "we're looking for more people who are responsible for this."



Swan told police the motive for the shooting was because "they were seeking revenge for a prior incident," Deenihan said. But he added that the exact reasons have yet to be pinned down because other people have brought forward "different motives."

At a bail hearing Saturday, prosecutors said Swan dropped off his girlfriend about an hour before the shooting and then picked up three more individuals.The two back seat passengers were both armed with firearms.

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At some point the blue Chevrolet Spark pulled along side the victims' vehicle and opened fire. Collins' girlfriend exited the vehicle and ran, and the gunmen continued firing into the vehicle, prosecutors said.

Surveillance footage in the area captured the blue Spark circling the area and fleeing after the shooting. Witnesses also saw a person running to the car with a firearm and entering before the attack, prosecutors said.

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Prosecutors said Swan made third party admissions to multiple witnesses about his involvement in the slayings.



According to Cook County court records, since 2009, Swan has had convictions on narcotics, gun and robbery charges. He previously was sentenced to 18 months in prison and given time served for a count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon on a person.



Lavontay was one of three children fatally shot in the city over the past week - a particularly grim period following one of the deadliest years in decades.



"Last week we lost three young innocent lives to gun violence," Johnson said. "I'm sure every Chicagoan like me is tired of seeing this occur (in) some of our neighborhoods on the South and West sides of the city.



"Even before those incidents occurred, for decades, we lost too many people regardless of their age and background because of offenders who are willing to pull a trigger over drugs and petty conflicts."



Johnson's words echoed those of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has held out hope earlier last week that Chicago could reach a "turning point" with the deaths of Lavontay and two more children who were victims of crossfire in separate shootings: 12-year-old Kanari Gentry Bowers while playing with friends in West Englewood and 11-year-old Takiya Holmes while in a car with family on the South Side.



"Let their lives and death be a reminder of how we need to come together as a city to reduce the gun violence in these neighborhoods," Johnson said, adding their names need to be spoken out loud to lawmakers considering tougher gun laws. "If we remember those names and what they represent, we can come together to finally make a stand and not let their lives be lost in vain."



All three deaths followed an especially dark year in a city where more than 760 were killed, most by gun violence. The city and police have faced an avalanche of criticism for their seeming to be unable to stop the bloodshed, including from President Donald Trump, who has threatened to "send in the Feds" if the city can't stop the murder and carnage.



The Valentine's Day slayings of Lavontay and his uncle were captured on Facebook Live as the uncle's girlfriend streamed video of the three riding in a car on the West Side. According to the recording, as the car pulls into an alley, several gunshots are heard. The woman jumps out of the car with her phone and runs to a house to plead for help.



Collins' pregnant girlfriend, who was 4 months along, was shot in the abdomen, police said.



Both the girlfriend and the unborn child survived the shooting, police said Saturday.



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rlong@chicagotribune.com
A New Jersey man who disappeared while visiting relatives Friday in the city's South Shore neighborhood was found safe and returned to his family, police said Sunday.

Joseph "Joe" Key, 53, had been last seen in the 7200 block of South Constance Avenue. He was found and returned to his family, police announced Sunday morning.

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He may have gone to the areas of the 1400 block of South Canal Street, the Canal Street train station, the University of Illinois Medical district or O'Hare International Airport.

Police said he may be in need of medical help.

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Anyone with information on his disappearance was asked to contact police at 312-747-8380.
A Chicago police SUV crashed into a building in the 3500 block of West 26th Street about 9:25 p.m. Feb. 17, 2017. (Megan Crepeau / Chicago Tribune)

A Chicago police car crashed into a vacant storefront in Little Village late Friday, leaving one person with minor injuries, authorities said.

Someone veered in front of an unmarked police SUV about 9:25 p.m. as it drove in the 3500 block of West 26th Street, police said, causing the driver of the SUV to crash into the building at the corner of 26th Street and Drake Avenue.

Police said no injuries were reported, but Chicago Fire Department officials said one person was taken in good-to-fair condition to St. Anthony Hospital. That person is not a police officer, the Fire Department said.

The storefront, which used to house a pharmacy, has been vacant for years, neighbors said. The police SUV crashed into the building near the front door, but no major structural damage was apparent.

A silver car remained on the scene near the police SUV. The silver cars front bumper had been sheared off and was resting in the intersection between the two vehicles.
Gov. Bruce Rauner attempted to inject a dose of optimism into his budget speech last week, heaping praise on the "tremendous leadership" in the Senate, which is laboring over a much-hyped attempt to strike a "grand bargain" to end the historic state government impasse.

What the governor left unsaid, however, was that the Senate bid has struggled to gain traction, even in its current form that relies heavily on major tax hikes and less on difficult budget cuts and tough-to-pass pro-business changes.

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Absent from the mix are many of the key provisions Rauner has sought for more than two years: a scaling back of collective bargaining rights, a comprehensive overhaul of workers' compensation more beneficial to businesses, term limits or redistricting reform.

Adding more of the governor's wish list to the equation almost certainly will result in the Senate talks stalling out, leaving the state lurching along with debt piling up and its future direction unresolved.

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Still, Rauner's repositioning stands to serve him well politically in the near term as the chess game at the Capitol continues this spring.

Grabbing onto the Senate effort after more than a month of silence on its merits provided a focus for his budget address. Governors have to give two big speeches each year, and the stalemate means Rauner hasn't had much in the way of new developments to highlight when he steps to the microphone.

In addition, the Senate embrace afforded the governor an opportunity to present himself as a politician who's trying to lead. That's been one early theme for Rauner's 2018 re-election campaign, with the other that long-serving Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan is to blame for the state's ills.

Talking up the Senate plan also allowed Rauner to shift the focus away from his own budget proposal, which is anywhere from $4.5 billion to $7.2 billion short, depending on whether he can persuade lawmakers to go along with $2.7 billion in politically difficult cost cuts.

Perhaps most importantly, if the Senate talks fall apart in the coming months, Rauner can nimbly pivot yet again and blame Democrats who control the legislature for not reaching a compromise with him.

In the spirit of the well-funded, Washington-style, nonstop campaigning that has quickly become the norm in Illinois, Rauner's campaign posted a video after the speech touting that "Bruce Rauner's plan to balance the budget reforms Illinois, builds a new economy, freezes property taxes, caps spending, pays down the debt and term limits politicians' power."

Democrats, however, called out Rauner as a political poser. Democratic Sen. Don Harmon of Oak Park, who's on the chamber's leadership team, said the governor's decision to weigh in on the Senate discussions on a compromise was "just an attempt to disrupt it."

"As I heard him, he was basically saying to us: 'Unless this bargain benefits big business at the expense of residents of Illinois, I'm not going to sign it,'" Harmon said.

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"I saw him trying to appear to be publicly intervening in what is already a successful negotiation in order to take some credit for it. I don't think that's going to hold water in the end," he said. "He's clearly not been involved thus far, and the more he tries to get involved, the worse it is for the eventual compromise."

The governor's Wednesday budget speech was an about-face. He previously made a point to note he was staying out of the negotiations led by Democratic Senate President John Cullerton and Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno, saying he didn't want to interfere and that he preferred a compromise that came from the legislature.

"While the Senate package is still evolving, it wouldn't be that hard to reach a good deal for taxpayers," Rauner told lawmakers.

"This is now a question of political will. I know I'm willing  I hope you are too," he said.

Rauner clarified that he could support an income tax increase, as well as a broadening of the state's sales tax to include some services, to finally achieve a budget. He ruled out attempting to reinstate the state sales tax on food and medicine as well as imposing income taxes on retirement income, the latter not considered in the Senate package.

Getting a Republican governor who ran as the guy who would "shake up Springfield" to agree to significant tax hikes on the eve of a re-election year would come at too steep a price for Democrats, however. And while the Senate plan has some of what the governor wants, it doesn't include key elements of what he's called his "turnaround agenda."

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Included is a Cullerton-Rauner proposal aimed at reducing pension costs for state workers. Though the plan carries a potential savings of $1 billion a year, it also would face a certain court challenge from public workers over its constitutionality.

The package also contains a temporary freeze on property taxes that would require local units of government to go to voter referendum to raise property tax rates. Rauner said in his speech that he wants such a tax freeze to be permanent, but the two sides seem relatively close on the issue.

But the Senate blueprint does not carry provisions Rauner has long sought that would weaken collective bargaining rights in union negotiations with schools or municipalities or eliminate the requirement that prevailing union wage rates be paid on public works construction projects.

And the package does not include a proposed constitutional amendment to put term limits on state politicians, a plan the governor has backed and is part of the messaging of the Rauner-subsidized Illinois GOP's frequent attacks on Madigan, the nation's longest-serving speaker.

The Senate attempt to address that included a narrowly tailored rule change that put limits on the terms of leaders in that chamber. Such a move could be revoked later, however, and would not apply to the House, where Madigan is in charge. Radogno has introduced a constitutional amendment to put in place permanent term limits, but it is not tied to the overall budget package.

Also, the Senate discussions don't feature another Rauner-backed proposed constitutional change aimed at taking much of the politics out of the every-decade process of redrawing the state's legislative districts.

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The package also contains changes to Illinois' workers' compensation laws in an effort to lower costs to business. But in his speech. Rauner made clear the changes currently being considered do not go far enough for him. He suggested a system that is similar to Massachusetts, where payouts for work-related loss of limbs, for example, was vastly lower than Illinois.

Some business groups, traditionally aligned with Republicans, have been among the leading opponents of the Senate package, contending their interests are not getting enough in return for supporting the plan.

Rauner has sought to encourage more pro-business changes in the Senate's efforts, repeatedly calling on lawmakers to look to help prioritize the concerns of "job creators."

"Nothing, I repeat, nothing, is more important than creating more jobs, more good paying careers, in the state of Illinois," Rauner said at one point, prompting murmurs from Democrats who view social safety-net protections a higher priority.

"First and foremost, the final result must be a good deal for taxpayers and job creators: a grand bargain that truly balances the budget once and for all, and really moves the needle when it comes to job creation," he said.

Republican Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, a member of Radogno's leadership team, said he thought Rauner's decision to weigh in on the Senate efforts "gave us good additions to what we've been working on in a bipartisan way in the Senate" and would "foster, hopefully, a solution that brings us forward."

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Democratic Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie, a top Madigan deputy, countered that Rauner latched onto the Senate effort because he has been "flailing around trying to come up with some magic formula."

"But the only magic formula for a governor is to roll up his sleeves and get a big pot of coffee and get legislative leaders in his office with a big pad of paper and sit there until they finish the job that he was elected to do," Lang said.

"The reason he is so enamored with the Senate discussions is that he has not personally involved himself in the budget discussion. A governor must do that," he said.

Looking ahead, Radogno, the GOP Senate leader, has said the chamber should vote on a compromise package of bills by Feb. 28 after two earlier proposed deadlines for floor votes went by the wayside due to lack of support, primarily from Republicans, who are a minority in the chamber.

Even if the plan is redrawn and somehow escapes the Senate, there are questions about the fate of a "grand bargain" package in the House under Madigan. The speaker hasn't said much publicly about the Senate plan, adopting the strategy that he doesn't need to address a proposal that's so far failed to gain momentum.

If a Senate vote doesn't occur by month's end, Radogno said senators should "go home" and leave the budget impasse on Madigan's doorstep.

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"Madigan is under tremendous pressure," Radogno said. "He's got members in his caucus whose constituencies are suffering too because we don't have a budget. So I think he's going to be under a lot of pressure to move something forward that can get signed into law and, again, put our state back where it needs to be."

Garcia and Geiger reported from Springfield.

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kgeiger@chicagotribune.com
Malaysian Police cars come out of the main gate of the forensic wing at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Malaysian authorities announced two more arrests Thursday in the death of the North Korean leader's half brother, whose apparent assassination this week unleashed a wave of speculation and intrigue. (Vincent Thian / AP)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia  Malaysia performed a second autopsy on the estranged half brother of North Korea's leader because the first procedure was inconclusive, piling on the intrigue surrounding what appeared to be a well-executed assassination at an airport in Kuala Lumpur, an official said Saturday. Police arrested a fourth suspect, identified as a North Korean man.

The second autopsy clearly enraged North Korea, which has vowed to reject the results of any post-mortem and demanded that Malaysia turn over the body immediately. Speaking to reporters outside the morgue late Friday, Pyongyang's ambassador said Malaysian officials may be "trying to conceal something" and "colluding with hostile forces."

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A Malaysian official with knowledge of the investigation confirmed the second autopsy started Friday night and said that the results of the first one were inconclusive. He asked that his name not be used because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

The inconclusive autopsy results raise all sorts of questions about the mysterious death of Kim Jong Nam, but a lack of closure and a lingering sense of the unknown aren't unusual when it comes to North Korea. While South Korea has blamed North Korea for a slew of notable assassinations or attempted killings in past decades, the North often denies involvement or simply doesn't comment.

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The death of Kim Jong Nam, the exiled half brother of North Korea's powerful and mercurial ruler, has unleashed a torrent of speculation, tales of intrigue and explosive, unconfirmed reports from dueling nations.

Malaysia has arrested four people so far, the lastest a man carrying an ID that identified him as 46-year-old Ri Jong Chol. He was picked up Friday night.

Authorities were still trying to piece together details of the case.

Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46 and had lived in exile for years, suddenly fell ill at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau. Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical. He died while being taken to a hospital.

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

On Friday, Indonesia's police chief said an Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the killing was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank.

Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian, citing information received from Malaysian authorities, told reporters in Indonesia's Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in "Just For Laughs" style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show. He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

"Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer," Karnavian said. "She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents."

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Malaysian police were questioning four suspects  Aisyah, another woman who carried a Vietnamese passport; a man they said is Aisyah's boyfriend; and the North Korean man.

North Korea broke its silence on the case Friday night. Speaking to reporters gathered outside the morgue in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the autopsy on Kim Jong Nam "unilaterally and excluding our attendance."

"We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem," Kang said, adding that the move disregarded "elementary international laws and consular laws."

Kang said the fact that Malaysia has yet to hand over the body "strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us."

Malaysia is one of just a handful of countries to have full diplomatic ties with North Korea, with each country having an embassy in the other's capital. Malaysia has also been a key place for quiet, semi-official "track 2" diplomatic talks between North Korea and with the United States.

Malaysia said Friday it wants DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam's family as part of the post-mortem procedure and that officials were not yet willing to hand the body over to the North Koreans. Although Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau, police in Malaysia say none has come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples.

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"If there is no claim by next-of-kin and upon exhausting all avenues (to obtain DNA), we will finally then hand over the body to the (North Korean) embassy," said Abdul Samah Mat, a senior Malaysian police official. He would not say how long that process might take.

Kim Jong Nam was estranged from his younger half brother, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini and Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta, Indonesia, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Tim Sullivan in New Delhi contributed to this report.
Amanda Rudd was the first woman and the first African-American to head the Chicago Public Library system. (Handout / Family photo)

Amanda Rudd, turned away as a child from the segregated library in her South Carolina hometown, followed her love of learning and books to become the first African-American to head the Chicago Public Library .

As library commissioner from about 1982 to 1985, Rudd worked to spread her love of books and learning, said Mary Ghikas, an assistant commissioner under Rudd and who is now senior associate executive director of the American Library Association.

"She was very big on literacy  that was really a big deal for her," Ghikas said. "She was very keen on getting literacy services, books and reading resources out to all the neighborhoods."

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Rudd also was a strong mentor to younger colleagues, including Carla Hayden, now librarian of Congress. In a letter to Rudd's daughter, Hayden wrote, "Amanda was a trailblazer in the library field and I benefited greatly from her guidance during my time at the Chicago Public Library."

Rudd, 93, died of natural causes Feb. 11 in Arbor Terrace Assisted Living in Atlanta, according to her daughter, Loretta O'Brien-Parham. She moved to Atlanta about six years ago, after living in retirement in Washington, D.C., and before that in Cleveland.

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She was born Amanda Sullivan in Greenville, S.C. Her daughter said she received a bachelor's degree from Florida A & M University in Tallahassee and later a master's degree in library science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where she lived from the late 1950s until 1970.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 86 Dick Orkin, an award-winning radio advertising creator for close to a half-century who was perhaps best known for his syndicated Chickenman spoof, which aired on Chicago stations, died on Dec. 24 in California. He was 84. Read more. (Handout)

After working as a second-grade teacher in Cleveland public schools, Rudd became a school librarian and eventually assistant director of school libraries in the city, her daughter said.

She moved to Chicago in 1970, joining the defunct Field Enterprises, then the publisher of the World Book Encyclopedia. She worked as an educational consultant, traveling around the country teaching educators how to incorporate the encyclopedia into their teaching.

Rudd took a job in 1975 with the Chicago Public Library, working on community outreach. She was a deputy commissioner and then acting commissioner before taking on the commissioner's job in the early 1980s.

It was a time, Ghikas said, when Chicago Public Library and libraries around the country were working to make collections more diverse. Rudd played a solid role in that effort.

"She was a very strong woman, she had opinions, she had things she wanted to get done. She pushed and that was good," Ghikas said. "I learned a lot from her."

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 100 Actress/singer Rose Marie is gleeful as director Carl Reiner, right, and Honorary Mayor of Hollywood Johnny Grant, present her with 2,184th star on the famed Hollywood Walk of Fame Oct. 3, 2001, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Marie died Dec. 28, 2017, at age 94. Read more. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

Members of her management team could disagree with her but had to do their homework and be sure of their facts to do so.

"You needed to be on your game," Ghikas said, "because she certainly was going to be."

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Rudd resigned from the commissioner job in 1985. As reported in the Chicago Tribune at the time, she was given a substantial consulting contract lasting almost two more years.

After leaving the library, O'Brien-Parham said her mother worked for Baker & Taylor, a distributor of books and other materials. She worked for some time putting together an annotated bibliography of children's books for, by and about African-Americans.

From there, she moved back to Cleveland and then to Washington, D.C., before moving to Atlanta. "Enjoying retirement," said her daughter, who is also a librarian.

Rudd also is survived by a son, Grover Cleveland Randle Jr.; a brother, Eddie Sullivan; five grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Her two marriages ended in divorce.

Services were held.

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Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter.
In June of 1966, just a week out of high school, I found myself on the yellow footprints at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, Calif. It was a world entirely unlike that any of my friends and I had known. We joked that when told to jump, we asked, "How high?" on the way up.

But complete and instantaneous obedience wasn't the only standard we were set. Just a few days into boot camp, we received a lecture in which we were told in no uncertain terms that if we received an illegal order, we were not to obey it. If we did obey it and were charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the defense that we had only been obeying orders would not be acceptable. Those of us who were history-minded recognized this as the discredited "Nuremberg defense," which had been unconditionally rejected as a way to escape punishment at the post-World War II war crime trails. I believed then, and I believe now, that this was an extraordinarily rigorous standard to hold 18- and 19-year-old men  boys, really  who had no knowledge of military law and whose understanding of ethics and, even more basically, of right and wrong were still in the formative stage.

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Now we are seeing government officials faced with the dilemma of following instructions from the president that they recognize as illegal, or refusing to obey orders and risking dismissal. Sean Spicer, a Navy officer and current presidential press secretary, apparently didn't get the lecture we Marine boots got; he very dismissively said that civil servants who couldn't go along with any instructions they received should look for work elsewhere.

It does not seem unreasonable to hold educated, experienced, professional civil servants to the same standards required of teenage privates in the Marine Corps. It also doesn't seem unreasonable to suggest to President Donald Trump that if an executive order is objected to by millions of ordinary citizens, most major-market newspapers, members of both parties in Congress, and apolitical legal and diplomatic personnel, maybe that order needs a second look. Or were those $89-per-month recruits from '66 expected to be more responsible than our president?

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 Howard Pyle, Homewood
Race relations will be the topic of a forum in Aurora on Wednesday.

The forum, hosted by Kane County Sheriff Donald E. Kramer and his community outreach team, will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Santori Public Library in downtown Aurora.

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According to organizers, the forum will look at the persistence of racial disparities and divisions that exist across society and more specifically in Kane County.

Listed speakers include IMSA Multicultural Education Specialist Nadrienne Coleman; Living Purpose Church Pastor Tim Bailey; Iglesia El Camino Pastor Josue Valdez; Aurora University's Dr. Eva Serrano; African-American Men of Unity's Ricky Rodgers; Illinois attorney and civil rights advocate Sadia Covert; and Unity Partnership president Regina Brent.

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Kramer said that a dialogue on race relations is important.

"I want to be part of that discussion before things happen in our community," Kramer said. "I don't want there to be a belief that we are unfair to a certain group, race, religious or sexual orientation. We should understand as police officers and as a community be aware."

Most officers are white males, which doesn't necessarily mirror the community, Kramer said.

His department has taken steps to seek more diversity in officers, and has hired more Spanish speakers in the last couple of years, he said.

While the sheriff's office generally handles public safety in unincorporated areas with smaller minority populations than Aurora and Elgin, its major cities, everyone ends up at the county jail, Kramer said.

The sheriff's office is trying to increase programming at the jail to help people in as many ways as possible, regardless of race, Kramer said.

In that context, he said "life skills" are key words.

"We try to help them build what would be considered a resume or help them find jobs," Kramer said.

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A program implemented in September put tablets in cell blocks, so inmates could work on educational programs, Kramer said. They can also focus on anger management and child rearing, he said.

On a recent day, when 474 inmates were in custody at the Kane County jail, 29 percent were Hispanic, 32 percent were white and 36 percent were African-American, Kane County Sheriff Lt. Patrick Gengler said.

Overall about 70 percent were between the ages of 22 and 60, he said.

In contrast, 2015 census data state the county's population was 57.7 percent non-Hispanic white, 31.5 percent Hispanic or Latino, 6.1 percent African-American, and small percentages of other races.

"I don't think the jail is grossly overrepresented by any majority group," Kramer said

In the jail's tight quarters, though, issues related to race are bound to surface, Gengler said.

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"It is a small part of the community," Gengler said, "but man, when you talk about having all those same relationships, the same questions and differences on the outside, they are magnified when you have that small space, and people have to live together."

During the forum, Kramer wants to look at some of the underlying problems, which can start when someone doesn't do well in school, has trouble getting a job and gravitates toward negative choices, such as selling drugs and hanging around people involved in violent crimes, he said.

"Right now at least two African-American gangs in the Aurora vicinity are stepping up their violence," Kramer said.

Gangs traditionally tend to make their income off of illegal transactions like the sale of illegal drugs, so the concerns are all related, he said.

"One of the reasons I wanted to address issues of cultural divide is often people in minority groups identify very strongly with certain gangs," Kramer said.

"There might be a perception when you talk about gangs that when you're in a minority, you must be in this gang or that gang. That's a barrier we want to break down."

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hleone@tribpub.com

Twitter @hannahmleone
The Aurora City Council has approved a car wash for the corner of Orchard Road and Bushwood Drive on the far West Side.

Approval of the Shine Bright Car Wash came after one objector said he feared the facility would overwhelm the area with traffic, and that the right in, right out on Orchard Road was not enough to safely handle that traffic.

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The objector said Aurora police records show that there were 45 accidents in a year near the right in, right out along Orchard Road, and that cars waiting for the car wash might spill out onto Orchard Road, causing a jam, and an unsafe situation.

But Alderman Carl Franco, 5th Ward, said he talked to the police about the accident situation, and they said most of the accident reports in the area were not due to the right in, right out. He agreed with the petitioner for the car wash, who said most of the traffic would be contained to Bushwood and Augusta Way.

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"I had checked on all this because I had concerns," Franco said. "I really did not find any of the experts had the concerns."

During the planning process, some had said they thought the car wash would be like a similar car wash along Farnsworth Avenue on the East Side, which often has traffic spilling out onto Farnsworth.

But planners said the design of the West Side car wash is different, and can contain more cars on its property, as well as side streets.

"The car wash on Farnsworth is closer to the road, and there are two entrances and access points (on the new one), so it will mitigate some of that," said Bill Wiet, chief development officer.

The vote in favor of the car wash was 11-1, with Alderman Lynne Johnson, 10th Ward, voting against it.

slord@tribpub.com
John F. Kennedy, then a candidate, swung through Batavia on a 1960 campaign trip through the Fox River Valley. (Courtesy city of Batavia) (Chicago Tribune)

Longtime Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke can still vividly recall former president John F. Kennedy's campaign trip through the Fox River Valley in 1960.

He was 11, and his mother pulled him out of school for the afternoon to see the then-candidate come through Batavia.

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Kennedy worked his way down the river, stopping in Aurora, in an extensive trip widely remembered throughout the area, Schielke and Aurora Historical Society Executive Director John Jaros said. But he was not the first or the last president or candidate to visit.

Sitting presidents Theodore Roosevelt and George W. Bush visited Aurora, Jaros said. Historical Society records document visits by Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan as candidates, along with Kennedy. Richard Nixon, then just a former vice president, swung through Aurora campaigning for Barry Goldwater during the 1964 election, Jaros said.

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Historical Society records dating back before Roosevelt's visit are sketchy, he said.

Dwight Eisenhower outside Aurora's City Hall in 1952. (Aurora Historical Society / The Beacon-News)

Jaros said the number of presidents and candidates who came through Aurora is not surprising. When Roosevelt came through in 1903, he was on a rail trip back from the west and stopped in cities along his route to D.C., and Aurora was a large population center along the railroad. The city was heavily industrial until the 1970s and is close to Chicago, which is bound to be a stop for presidents or candidates visiting Illinois, he said.

"It's always been the largest city in the Fox River Valley, so it's probably a pretty important place for them to come if they're going to be in the general vicinity," he said.

Photos from the Aurora Historical Society and a video posted by the city of Batavia show snapshots of the visits. Roosevelt rides in an open carriage. Eisenhower, visiting in 1952, has both arms raised behind a microphone set up on the steps of Aurora City Hall. Kennedy rides through Batavia in a motorcade sitting atop his seat and appears at one point to mingle with the crowd, at another to be giving a speech. A photo of Kennedy riding in a convertible in Aurora shows a pro-Nixon bumper sticker haphazardly on the side of his car.

"He wasn't coming only to fans," Jaros said.

Bush visited in 2005, and went to the Aurora Caterpillar plant, which is actually located in Montgomery, to tout some highway and mass transit legislation that had been recently passed by Congress.

When Reagan came in 1976  he also came through in 1980 as the Republican nominee, Jaros said, and visited St. Peter School in Geneva as president in 1982  he went to a banquet dinner with 700 guests at Aurora's Gaslite Manor, Jaros said.

Teddy Roosevelt visited Aurora in 1903. (Aurora Historical Society / The Beacon-News)

As president, he visited an eighth-grade class at St. Peter on his way back to D.C. from a speech in Chicago, recalled Patricia Weis, who was the school's principal at the time.

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She remembered getting a call from the White House one evening. The next day at school, White House and Secret Service officials were preparing. And the day after that, around 11 a.m., three helicopters landed in the school parking lot, she remembered.

"It's such an honor," she said. "I never had the opportunity before in my life, and this was to be face to face and shake hands and eyeball to eyeball, it was an experience that I'll never forget in my life. It really changed my whole life."

Reagan spent about 30 or 45 minutes addressing a "mammoth" crowd gathered when he landed, greeting Weis and taking questions from the eighth-graders, Weis said.

Weis recalled worrying about what to say when the president arrived, and making what she termed a huge mistake during the president's visit. When an aide indicated that it was time for the last question, Weis was supposed to ask for a class photo. Instead, she said, for reasons she still doesn't know, she asked the president to sign the students' civics books.

President George W. Bush shakes hands during an appearance at the Aurora Caterpillar plant in Montgomery in 2005. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

About a week after the visit, she said she got a call again from the White House, this time asking her if she wanted to be part of the advance team preparing for visits to the Chicago area by Reagan, Nancy Reagan, then-vice president George H. W. Bush or Barbara Bush.

"I've told (students), you never know what the Lord has in store for you," she said. "Because that's the last thing I would have ever expected."

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When Kennedy came through Batavia at the end of a tight race, Schielke remembers him giving a speech from the trunk of his car. Shortly afterward, it began to rain.

Though he said the visit didn't spark his desire to run for public office, it certainly didn't dissuade him.

"You don't quickly forget something like that," he said. "It's just the way it is."

sfreishtat@tribpub.com

Twitter @srfreish
Fox Valley social groups and many leaders are not optimistic the state's budget crisis will be ending anytime soon.

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner gave more specifics Wednesday on what tax hikes he'd accept to end Illinois' nearly two-year budget stalemate. Rauner told the General Assembly that spending cuts "need to be real  no smoke and mirrors" and insisted his plan would balance the budget. Democrats have been skeptical of the plan since its announcement.

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The state's budget woes have made for nervous times over the past two years for Fox Valley social service agencies that depend on some money from Springfield.

Senior Services Associates Inc. Executive Director Bette Schoenholtz said she was not encouraged by Rauner's comments. Senior Services works to help older residents in Kane, Kendall and McHenry counties.

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"Basically, I don't have a lot of faith in what they are doing," she said. "I tend to feel that we just have to wait and see what happens."

She said it can take up to a year for the state of Illinois to pay the agency the money it is owed.

"There is so much uncertainty," she said.

Karen Beyer, mental health executive at Ecker Center in Elgin, said she is hoping for the best.

"I would hope that all parties would come together and reach a reasonable compromise and pass a budget," she said.

At Mutual Ground in Aurora, which provides services to survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, Rauner's budget message is being viewed with caution.

Mutual Ground Executive Director Michelle Meyer said the governor's budget line item fully finding domestic violence services has her "cautiously optimistic," if it ever passes.

"I didn't hear anything that made me think that this is going to happen quicker," Meyer said. "I always have that hope that the leaders will come together and negotiate and come up with something in the best interest of all of us in the state of Illinois, but it's been a long time, and that hasn't happened. So it's hard to be hopeful."

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While Mutual Ground has made efforts to wean itself off dependency on state funding by increasing fundraising efforts, about $600,000 of its $2 million annual budget is supposed to come from the state, Meyer said. Its efforts have pulled in more money from donors and events in the past year, with the Food For Thought live auction, dinner and raffle fundraiser coming up March 31 at the Hotel Arista in Naperville.

However, it's a lot to think about replacing all the money the group usually gets from state sources, Meyer said.

"It's a big number that we are not going to be able to pull in each year in fundraising money," Meyer said.

Mutual Ground invoices the state each month, and typically the state reimburses it monthly, but the agency hasn't received a cent from the state since August, Meyer said.

In fiscal year 2017, she estimates the agency will be short $373,645 in funding for domestic violence work and another $137,000 in funding to fight sexual assault if it continues to receive no payments from the state.

"Another way of looking at it is that these amounts are our big question mark in our budget right now," Meyer said.

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While Mutual Ground has seen an outpouring of support from the community, for which the agency is beyond grateful, that doesn't change the facts it's faced with, she said.

Already, through layoffs and other departures, staffing levels have been significantly reduced, affecting the number of people Mutual Ground has been able to help, Meyer said.

"When people leave, we are not refilling those positions," Meyer said. "The problem that creates is we are not able to serve as many victims as before."

Mutual Ground has had to put more people on waiting lists or turn them away each day, she said.

"We are talking kids, too, so that's scary," Meyer said.

Some local members of the General Assembly also weighed in on the governor's budget plan.

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State Sen. Karen McConnaughay, R-St. Charles, said she was pleased with the speech.

"I was encouraged by the governor's message ... and buoyed by his support of the budget framework that we've been working on in the Senate. The governor laid out his vision, and with his leadership it's time for us, the General Assembly, to go and do our jobs," McConnaughay said in a press release.

Some weren't as happy with the governor.

"Over the last three years, Gov. Rauner has failed to introduce a responsible and balanced budget," said state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego. "His 2015 vetoes of almost all bills relating to the budget have resulted in Illinois taking on $5.5 billion in new debt, and the state now faces over $11 billion in unpaid bills  a record high. This is threatening the services of disabled residents, seniors and veterans, and jeopardizing the future for tens of thousands of students by failing to fund the MAP grant program."

State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, said she was also unimpressed with the speech.

"Unfortunately, the governor has yet again failed to propose a balanced state budget, which is his constitutional duty," she said. "Instead, the governor rehashed the same failed approach he has used for the past two years  adding new spending, assuming cost savings based on reforms that may not be constitutional and providing little to no detail on how he would pay for any of the programs outlined.

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"Every day that we operate without a budget, the state falls deeper into debt by $11 million. Illinois government cannot continue to operate without a balanced budget, or else the debt that our children and grandchildren must pay will only continue to grow, and critical services for those in need will face more damaging cuts."

Courier-News reporters Mike Danahey and Rafael Guerrero and freelance reporter Gloria Casas contributed.

hleone@tribpub.com
On Valentine's Day I felt like a loser at relationships.

That's the day one of the most influential people in my life passed away  making it far too late for me to let her know how important she had always been to me.

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I always thought there would be another tomorrow. Another opportunity to pick up that phone and get back in touch. To schedule that long overdue reunion. To catch up on a quarter century of life that somehow slipped away, and now, can never be brought back.

Margaret (Peg) Sloan was my mentor  as a journalist  as a columnist as a woman trying to juggle motherhood and career. She was my first editor when, after teaching for a few years and then staying home with two young sons, I decided to try my hand at using that second college degree. Actually, I didn't even know that, after moving to the Kankakee area my then-husband had sent my resume in to the Daily Journal until Peg called and asked if I wanted to come in for an interview.

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It was love (or at least a whole lot of like) at first sight. A tall, redheaded Irish woman as regal and sophisticated as she was warm and witty, Peg had already raised six kids before she agreed, in her 50s, to become the features editor for the Kankakee paper.

Despite her late entry into the profession, she thrived in that newsroom chair. And she went on to become such a popular (and award-winning) columnist, once, when there was a scheduling mix-up at an event where she was to have been the guest speaker, the group simply read aloud some of her favorite columns . And she received a standing ovation.

To say Peg was a gifted writer is an understatement. And she made me better at a career I grew to love, not only passing along the wisdom she so quickly acquired in a male-dominated profession but guiding me through four more pregnancies and the land mines during those early days of the Mommy Wars.

"When things get overwhelming," she once told me when I was struggling to keep all those maternal and professional balls in the air, "remember from someone who has been there that the beauty of life is not in the destination but in the journey."

Then she offered me my first column, which we titled "Moms at Work" and which ran in the paper until my family moved out of state in 1992. Peg and I remained in contact for a few years, particularly after I returned to Illinois. But as often happens, life grew more complicated.

I thought of her many times over the years, especially when I got my first job as an editor in Aurora and had the opportunity to work with so many young journalists. But I don't remember the last time I spoke to Peg.

In May, after briefly referring to one of her pearls of wisdom in my Mother's Day column, I had an overwhelming urge to find her  if she was still alive. A Google search brought me to a post about his mother on her son's website. At age 91, Peg was not only very much alive, she was still married to her beloved Barney (for 69 years) and now residing just a hop, skip and a jump down the road in Wheaton.

I quickly reached out to Mark Sloan, a well-respected California pediatrician, author and speaker, on what I hoped was his Facebook page. And I waited.

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Nearly eight months later he responded, with a heartfelt apology "for being such a terrible Facebook user." His mom had Parkinson's and would soon be getting out of the hospital after a bout with pneumonia, but otherwise was doing just fine, he wrote. And after assuring me she'd love to hear from me, he passed along her number, which I promptly added to my phone contacts.

As soon as things settle down, I'll give Peg a call and make that drive to Wheaton, I told myself week after week. Only things never settled down ... at least that's the sorry excuse I'm telling myself now.

On Wednesday, I received a message from Mark letting me know his mom had passed away on Valentine's Day. And so, instead of enjoying a long-overdue visit with Peg, I attended her funeral Saturday at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Wheaton.

Instead of giving her a big embrace and telling her in person how much I thought of her over the years, I hugged her children and told them.

Instead of that wonderful catch-up reunion I'd envisioned in my mind, I'm writing about regret in one last column for my first and most gracious editor.

I'm glad you arrived at your destination, Peg. Thank you for being part of my journey.

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Dcrosby@tribpub.com
Homebuilder CalAtlantic, developer of the Brookmere subdivision in Matteson, pictured, has indicated it wants to put homes on the former headquarters of Panduit Corp. in Tinley Park. (Mike Nolan / Daily Southtown)

A major home builder is interested in turning Panduit Corp.'s former headquarters property in Tinley Park into a residential development, according to a posting on the village's website.

Panduit has a "letter of intent" from CalAtlantic to redevelop the property, northeast of the intersection of 175th Street and Ridgeland Avenue, for residential use, the village notes in an updated report of monthly projects.

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Village staff are in preliminary discussions about "development scenarios" with the home builder, the village said in the brief post.

Privately held, Panduit in 2010 relocated its global headquarters to a site south of Interstate 80 and east of 80th Avenue. Its former headquarters and manufacturing space are all but vacant, although the company still maintains a research center, the Jack E. Caveney Innovation Center, on part of the land.

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California-based CalAtlantic has several residential developments in the Chicago suburbs, including, locally, the Brookmere subdivision in Matteson.

A Panduit spokeswoman on Thursday said the company had "not contracted with any developers and will not comment until we do."

Paula Wallrich, the village's interim community development director, said she has had a couple of conversations with a CalAtlantic official and was told within the past month by the company about the letter of intent, but that CalAtlantic hasn't provided details of its plans. A representative for CalAtlantic was unable to verify the company's intentions as far as the Panduit property.

The entire Panduit property is 57 acres, and the company has 20 acres devoted to the research and development center.

The company is donating at the northeast corner of 175th and Ridgeland a little more than eight acres to Tinley Park for construction of a stormwater holding pond.

Tinley Park wants the pond to provide off-site stormwater detention for future development in and around the Oak Park Avenue business district, but it could also fill the detention requirements for future redevelopment of the Panduit property. The Village Board is scheduled to approve a contract next week to build the pond.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Village officials had previously indicated that home builders were interested in the Panduit property, and the village last year created a tax increment financing district that encompasses that land as well as many nearby homes.

In a web posting last year outlining the TIF's benefits, the village said that the Panduit property would most likely be redeveloped for residential use, and that there "are many disadvantages that work against this physical area for successful re-use for commercial or industrial purposes, not least of which is the Cook County property tax structure that taxes such properties more heavily than residential."

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New tax revenue generated by the TIF could be used to help pay for public improvements, such as storm sewer improvements in neighborhoods within the district. TIF money also could be used for running new streets and utilities through the Panduit site as part of a redevelopment of the land, as well as for demolishing buildings on the site and getting it ready for new construction.

According to a report prepared for the village in advance of creating the TIF district, Panduit has 757,000 square feet under roof at the 175th and Ridgeland location, and at least 73 percent of the space is vacant.

CalAtlantic, formed by the fall 2015 merger of home builders Ryland Homes and Standard Pacific, acquired dozens of lots in the Brookmere development, between Cicero Avenue and Interstate 57 and south of Vollmer Road. Work on the subdivision came to a halt due to the recession as well as the financial problems of Brookmere's previous developer.

The developer had previously said it plans to build more than 300 homes, with a mix of detached single-family and town homes, as well as 27 quad buildings that have four rental units each but which could later be converted to owner-occupied housing. It currently has several of the quad units under construction directly south of Vollmer and west of Cicero.

mnolan@tribpub.com
Dean Barnett was elected to the Hazel Crest School District 152 board of education 16 years ago. Since then he has been re-elected three times, and his fellow board members have selected him to serve as president of the board.

But Barnett's bid to win another term in the upcoming election has been derailed by a ruling from the Cook County Electoral Board, which decided Feb. 10 that he is ineligible to serve on the school board because in 1993 he was convicted of a felony  receipt, possession and sale of a stolen vehicle. He was 17 at the time.

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The electoral board ruled that because Barnett was guilty of an "infamous" crime he was ineligible to serve on the school board under a state law that prohibits anyone with such a conviction from serving in a municipal office.

Barnett's attorney told the Daily Southtown that his client plans to appeal the decision, and we hope he does so. The fact that he has been re-elected three times and that he has been chosen by his colleagues to lead the board suggest he has served to the public's satisfaction. It also suggests that he has been rehabilitated since his conviction more than two decades ago of a crime that would hardly fit most people's definition of "infamous."

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It should be noted that Illinois lawmakers do not believe that this same sort of "infamous" crime should affect their own eligibility to hold office. State law exempts constitutional officer-holders  such as the governor or members of the General Assembly  from the same disqualification.

Why? We can only guess that lawmakers don't believe people like themselves should be punished for the rest of their lives for an action they might have committed many years earlier, and for which they have presumably paid their "debt to society." The same reasoning, it seems to us, would apply to Barnett.

We don't mean to suggest that there are no past crimes that should disqualify a person from holding an office of public trust. We wouldn't want to see a former drug dealer or sex offender or someone with a history of violent crimes sitting on a school board. And we think it would be reasonable to require a candidate to disclose that he or she once was convicted of a felony. The voters are capable of deciding whether that information was relevant in a current campaign.

The fact is we don't buy the implied argument that municipal officials should be held to a higher standard than state constitutional officeholders. The law needs to be changed to hold state officials to the same standard as school board members, aldermen or other municipal office-holders.

And surely the law also should be amended to recognize that individuals over time can prove themselves to be rehabilitated.
Worried about our new president's erratic behavior, fabricated facts, and insulting comments? Illinois voters, you're off the hook. Illinois did not contribute to Donald Trump's electoral votes. Whether you voted for him or not, you can't be blamed for what has become a more than anticipated frightening start to this administration.

Tinley Park

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I think Tom from Evergreen Park is misinformed. We did not invade Iraq in 2003 because of the attack on the World Trade Center. The perpetrators of the attack were not from Iraq. Most of them were from Saudi Arabia. Sadam Hussein controlled Iraq and did not allow Al-Qaeda there. We invaded Iraq on the recommendations of neocons in President George Bush government because of so-called "weapons of mass destruction" that never existed. Iraq was never a threat to the USA. It was, however, a threat to our ally, Israel. That is why we invaded and bombed Iraq and killed Hussein. We only succeeded in completely destabilizing the Middle East by our actions. Isis moved in and is still a big threat. We did succeed in killing and maiming many Americans and thousands of civilians.

Pat

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It doesn't matter if state income tax is 5%,10%,15% or whatever. The Democrats will continue to spend, spend, and spend more. They are like spoiled little children who "always" get their way. Thank you, Mike Madigan for making Illinois the most problematic state in the union.

Oak Forest

In 1962, President John Kennedy gave an interview in which he stated that he did not always like what the press had written about him, but acknowledged that the press was an "invaluable arm of the presidency as a check of what's going on in administration." He went on to say many times the press brought important things to his attention. Without a rigorous press, you have a totalitarian system. An active press is required for a free society and is required in order for a democracy to thrive. I hope and pray that the citizens of this great country are not buying into President Donald Trump's attempt to silence the media. The press is not the enemy. Threats to our free speech and democracy is the enemy.

SS

I saw online that people are outraged because it is costing the government millions of dollars for the Secret Service to protect President Donald Trump and his family. What, did the Secret Service work for free during the eight years that President Barack Obama was president? I highly doubt that.

What's Speak Out?

Speak Out allows readers to comment on the issues of the day. Email Speak Out at speakout@southtownstar.com or call 312-222-2427. Please limit comments to 30 seconds or about 120 words and give your first name and your hometown.
Greg Schmidlin, Tim Classon and Kathy Underwood, members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin, erect a new Black Lives Matter banner early Saturday morning. The sign, originally put up in early January, has been stolen twice. (Janelle Walker / The Courier-News)

Twice since Jan. 8, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin has placed a Black Lives Matter banner on its building.

As of early Friday, the banner has been stolen twice.

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Undeterred, the congregation replaced the banner again Saturday morning. The new sign  purchased to replace the first one stolen  arrived in time to replace the second one that was taken, the Rev. Leslie Mills said.

The Elgin church, as part of a initiative started at the denominational level, isn't just putting up a sign about the Black Lives Matter movement, Mills said. The church and other Unitarian Universalist churches around the country are talking about what the movement means in their sermons and discussions, she said.

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She believes Elgin's church has been lucky; other churches have been vandalized for posting Black Lives Matter signs, she said.

So far, the sign, which sits along Highland Avenue in far west rural Elgin, has only been stolen. The church has not had corresponding vandalism.

There haven't been any calls from neighbors complaining. But on a Sunday shortly after the sign was first put up, someone driving past the church did yell "all lives matter" at departing parishioners, she said.

Beth Cooper, of Bartlett, was one of the church members who came out Saturday to help replace the banner.

She said she wishes those who don't agree with the message would talk to the church and its members about what the movement means instead of just ripping down a sign with which they don't agree.

"That is what an informed populace does  talks things out. You don't tear it down. We talk to each other," Cooper said.

The church has had a history of involvement in social issues going back to the civil rights movement, Mills said. The support of Black Lives Matter is part of that, she said. But it is not meant to be interpreted as black lives are more important.

All lives matter, Mill said, "but we live in a world that doesn't treat all people that way. We want to lift up the lives of all that are marginalized and make a world where all people are treated like their lives matter, having equal opportunity."

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The Unitarian Universalist Church also has a long history of being a mostly white congregation, so reaching out to minority groups is important to challenge beliefs, she said.

Susan Anderson, of Elgin, is one of a handful of African-American members of the Elgin church and came out to watch the new banner go up.

"The Universalist church is committed to social justice," Anderson said.

Many traditional black churches have erected Black Lives Matter signs, she said. "For a predominantly white denomination to say Black Lives Matters  that means something," she said.

Lt. Chris Collins, of the Kane County sheriff's office, said because the thefts occurred during the evening and night hours, the church will receive extra patrols. Detectives are investigating the thefts, he said.

The church is in the process of adding additional security measures as well, Mills said.

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Janelle Walker is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
John F. Kennedy, then a candidate, swung through Batavia on a 1960 campaign trip through the Fox River Valley. (Courtesy city of Batavia) (Chicago Tribune)

At least eight U.S. Presidents have visited the Elgin area during their lifetimes, dating from the most recent appearance by George W. Bush at Judson University in 2011, back to Ulysses S. Grant in the late 1870s.

According to information from Elgin historian Mike Alft, Grant was the only POTUS to be in office when he came to the city.

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Alft wrote that Grant may have been in Elgin on as many as four occasions, once toured the Elgin watch factory and was the guest of honor at a company banquet. In 1879, Grant was on his way to Chicago in a private railroad car and had time only for some handshaking from the car's rear platform.

Teddy Roosevelt came to Elgin both before and after his White House years, according to Alft.

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"In 1900, as a vice-presidential candidate, he was greeted by 35 rounds of cannon when his train arrived. He spoke briefly from a stand erected near the west side North Western depot and waved a '98 Rough Rider hat. He spoke briefly from a train in 1910 and shook a few hands at another train stop in 1917," Alft wrote.

A Courier-News report claimed that the Max McGraw hunting club, adjacent to The Milk Pail off Route 25 in unincorporated East Dundee, also had a private dining club. In the 1950s, noteworthy members included Omar Bradley, Adlai Stevenson and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Prominent guests of The Milk Pail in those days were ex-President Herbert Hoover, Ronald Reagan and Marilyn Monroe.

Elgin area historian Jerry Turnquist, however, said he had not heard about the presidents who visited McGraw's club or The Milk Pail.

A trip to Elgin and other Fox Valley towns that still sparks vivid memories is when John F. Kennedy made campaign stops in October 1960.

Former South Elgin police chief and village administrator Larry Jones said, "With a note from my mother, I was able to leave Lowrie School and walk down to Dupage and Grove to see John Kennedy. I remember very little of his speech, but remember the crowd was unbelievable. The idea that I was watching a man who might be president was exciting."

"I remember seeing Kennedy drive past Lincoln School that day. They had all of us out front on National Street to see him," said Bud Johnson, a You Might Be From Elgin Facebook member.

Carol Herra of Elgin said, "If I remember correctly, (Kennedy) rode in the back of a large black convertible and waved to us as he rode by. It was the first time I was politically aware. I was definitely infatuated with Camelot."

"This was my first political awareness, too," Kelly Cade Duncan of Elgin said. "The motorcade stopped at a stoplight by the school, and he looked over and waved to us."

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"I was in 2nd grade and remember chanting 'Kennedy, Kennedy he's our man. Nixon belongs in a garbage can,'" Patricia Mullen Cross, who now lives in Texas, said.

The day Kennedy came to the area, Connie Powers of Elgin recalled, "When I got to school I realized that I had forgotten my permission slip. I could not miss this. I confess that I forged a note from my mother giving me permission to go. It was the greatest thrill of my young life."

Gay Quisenberry, now of Kansas, claimed Kennedy and his entourage stopped at Quisenberry's uncle's gas station along Route 31. "My uncle gave him two plastic Dino the Dinosaurs for the kids," Quisenberry said.

Pam Selby Schlueter, now living in Florida, said she was 14, in 9th grade and already a fan of JFK, when he came to Elgin that fall day.

"His speech strengthened my support. I campaigned for him at the mock election at school," Schlueter said.

According to Alft, Kennedy addressed a huge crowd from a platform at the intersection of Dupage Street and South Grove Avenue.

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"Facing a sea of Nixon signs, he called for American leadership of the free world and reminded his listeners, if the world suffers, you must suffer with it," Alft wrote.

Fellow Elgin historian Turnquist said he attended the JFK rally with his 6th grade class from Burnham School. He wound up by what now is Al's Cafe, while some of his classmates maneuvered their way right up front.

Despite the event, come November, "Elgin Township voted Republican, like they always did," Turnquist said.

Kennedy also spoke in Carpentersville that October at a campaign rally in the Meadowdale Shopping Center. The focus of his speech was education.

"We build roads, we build homes, we also need schools. I want to make it very clear that one of those areas where we are going to act, and this is only one of the areas that need action, will be in the field of education," Kennedy told the Carpentersville crowd.

After JFK became president, in 1961, about 400 Republicans attended a gathering at the Blue Moon restaurant to hear Michigan congressman Gerald R. Ford. Ford criticized what he called the "indecision" of Kennedy's administration, according to Alft. Ford, of course, wound up becoming president in 1974, upon the resignation of Richard Nixon.

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Of the next visit from a president-to-be, Turnquist recalled being among the 200 or so who packed into a smoke-filled reception room at the old Holiday Inn in 1976 to see Ronald Reagan.

The former governor of California was in Elgin to meet with delegates to the Republican National Convention, according to Alft. Reagan would lose the nomination to Ford that year, but become the GOP nominee in 1980, then win two terms as president. In 1982, he returned to the Fox Valley, stopping by St. Peter Roman Catholic grade school in Geneva.

Another former president to come to Elgin was in 1997, when George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, spoke at Elgin High School to promote Money magazine's Advising Elgin project, which used the town as its typical American city. According to reports, media was not invited to attend the event.

"Elgin was being studied for its economy and standard of living, if memory serves me right," Gary Alan Lichthardt of Elgin said.

Bruce Wascher said he attended the Bush talk and also was in the crowd that heard Kennedy 37 years prior.

"I guess I've always been bipartisan," Wascher of Elgin said.

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Elgin City Council member Terry Gavin recalled being in the packed gym to hear Bush speak.

"I remember the tight security and the energy in the room as he spoke, but as to exactly what he said, not so much," Gavin said. "Even as a City Councilman I was not allowed to access all areas. The Elgin Police Department was a big part of the security outside the fieldhouse."

According to Alft, Barack Obama visited Elgin on three occasions before he became president.

"In 2002 as a state senator, he spoke on health care to a group at 453 Fremont St. He was back in 2003 at the Second Baptist Church as a candidate for the U.S. Senate. And in 2008, he spoke as a candidate for re-election at Cafe Magdalena," Alft wrote.

Obama also made a campaign stop on Oct. 30, 2004, during his U.S. Senate run, in West Dundee at the now-closed Clearwater Theater. Obama was there to support 10 candidates running for various offices in Kane and McHenry counties.

According to reports, about 600 people attended the rally, while a small group of protesters stood across Route 72 with signs.

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Obama told reporters on his way out of the event that he "worked with Republicans, too, to solve problems." During his address, Obama said that, although the country may be divided, "a set of values binds us together as a people. Everywhere we went, people would talk about similar values."

The most recent visit by a former president happened in April 2011 when George W. Bush spoke at Judson University's first World Leaders Forum. Reports stated about 1,600 people attended the talk, 550 of them Judson students.

St. Charles entrepreneur and Judson student Samuel Szobody told the Courier-News Bush's speech "wasn't necessarily a well-composed presentation with a strong idea, but rather a conglomeration of ideas regarding what it's like to be president, some illustrations and stories justifying some of his policies, and an inspirational ending for aspiring students. He presented it much like he was in a conversation."

Beacon-News reporter Sarah Freishtat contributed.

mdanahey@tribpub.com
Five Democrats are seeking to unseat Republicans in the offices of Elgin Township supervisor and four trustee seats in the April 4 election.

Franklin Ramirez is running for supervisor. Ed Guerra, Verner Tepe, Susan Van Weelden and Jose Alfonso Villalobos are competing to become trustees.

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Ramirez, 35, of Elgin, who heads community engagement at Open Door Health Center of Illinois in Elgin, was defeated in 2011 in his only other bid for public office. He ran for alderman in Park Ridge.

Ramirez said he is running now because "Elgin Township can be so much more. As a community we have been underserved by the township. I want to explore new ways to work with social service agencies and local governments."

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He would like to establish committees on youth and seniors, and have residents participate in deciding the direction and services of the township, he said. He also points to the fact that the supervisor and current trustees have more than 80 years of elected service as a reason for his candidacy.

"For far too long, the township has flown under the radar," Ramirez said. "Constituents I have talked with have no idea that the township (government) exists or even what they do for the residents. The township has not sent out a newsletter in over 16 years and still uses personal emails to communicate with each other -- not only is that unprofessional, but creates a very serious [Freedom of Information Act] concern."

The biggest challenges facing Elgin Township are transparency and getting the word out about what it does, Ramirez said.

"The township's website is lackluster. Residents cannot even look up local ordinances, and the monthly meetings are not (electronically) recorded or broadcast. In order to know what is going on with the township, you have to go to the township. In this day and age, that is inconvenient and unacceptable," he said.

Guerra, 46, who works for the Illinois Department of Human Services, is a candidate for trustee. In 2014, he ran and served as an elected Elgin Township Democratic Precinct Committeeman.

He is running because he wants "to make sure that Elgin Township residents are made a priority when decisions are made. I will provide a voice for residents and offer a fresh perspective," Guerra said.

He sees attracting new businesses as a big challenge for the township, he said.

Tepe, 75, of Elgin, said he is a semi-retired computer consultant who, along with his business partner, manages several real estate investments. He also is a registered tax preparer. He ran for the Gail Borden Library Board eight years ago.

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On running for Elgin Township trustee, Tepe said, "My wife and I thoroughly enjoy our life in Elgin, and we take advantage of every opportunity to become engaged in civic and volunteer activities. I have made it my mission to learn in detail how Elgin Township operates. I believe my background makes me an ideal candidate for trustee."

Tepe said he believes that the township board "has become complacent, particularly since several [members] have been in their positions for over 12 years. A new board would be ready on day one to address the needs of the citizens looking to the future.

"There are gaps that exist in Elgin and South Elgin in providing services to youth, seniors and families. I would support the creation of several advisory boards to help determine the services and direction that the township should provide. We need to work in conjunction with other organizations in Elgin and South Elgin, not independently."

He, too, cites lack of knowledge about the township as a challenge. "Very few Elgin citizens know that the township exists, and even fewer know how this body functions. Unfortunately, the current board has not even produced a newsletter for at least 10 years, much to the disservice of our citizens. I would immediately focus on first communicating to the township residents that we exist and provide a detailed list of services available to them."

Tepe said his top priority would be "the major issue of the Elgin Township Road Commission. In reality, there are less than 20 miles of roads that are currently maintained by the township at a cost per mile that is more than twice what is paid in the City of Elgin. Fiscally, it would make much greater sense to move these duties under the purview of the trustees and township supervisor. I would assure the Elgin Township citizens that proper road maintenance and safety would continue to be provided at a much reduced cost."

Trustee candidate Susan Van Weelden, 68, of Elgin, is a retired community college dean and director who ran for the Elgin Township board in 2013.

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She is trying again, she said, because, "I feel I can contribute and improve township government. More services can be provided to more people -- at no additional cost to taxpayers. Accessibility, transparency, building partnerships and leveraging resources are goals I have to improve township government. Procuring outside grants is just one example of leveraging resources. Other townships have achieved more by being assertive in terms of external grant applications and building partnerships to leverage resources."

Van Weelden sees the township's biggest challenge as "when residents lose assistance and services from other levels of government, townships need to be ready to assist those residents. Other townships are doing this via various means. Elgin Township needs to do this as well."

Villalobos, 37, of Elgin, works in customer support at People's Gas. It is the first time he has run for public office, and he's doing so because "more people to get involved more in their government. The lack of community outreach by the township is something that needs to be addressed. We can not help the community if people don't know we exist."

He believes he offers a fresh perspective and can bring an Hispanic voice to the office.

Like Tepe, Villalobos supports "reducing the highway commission so we can redirect that money to other services."

Donna Griffin-Lego, 69 of Elgin, intended to run for Elgin Township clerk. But her candidacy was challenged and the Elgin Township election board agreed she did not file a receipt from the Kane County Clerk's office showing that she filed a statement of economic interest.

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While Griffin-Lego said that was a small mistake, she didn't see the point of challenging the ruling, which would have meant hiring an attorney.

Instead, she said she tried to get 350 signatures needed to run as an independent, but was only able to reach 255. She intends to help her fellow Democrats with their campaigns.

mdanahey@tribpub.com
June Keibler, of Dundee Township, was honored for her work as a Conservation Foundation trustee. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News)

June Keibler has advocated for open space, serves as a steward for Raceway Woods in Carpentersville and has planted countless trees and prairies.

Keibler was honored at the Conservation Foundation's Winter Membership and Awards Luncheon on Wednesday at Riverside Receptions in Geneva.

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"Like the trees and prairies she has helped plant, she has helped all of us grow and dream bigger," said Nancy Hopp, vice-chair of the Conservation Foundation board of trustees.

Keibler joined the board of trustees in 2007. She has been working to save land in Dundee Township since the late 1980s, Hopp said at the luncheon where Keibler and retiring Trustee Sunil Chand were recognized.

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Hopp said Keibler has a unique knack to get people involved to save native habituates. She is retiring from the board and will be traveling with her husband to visit all National Parks in the country, Hopp said.

"Thank you June for inspiring us and passing on your passion," Hopp said.

It is not difficult to sing the praise of the Conservation Foundation, Keibler said. She has found the Foundation and its staff are passionate about what they do and do wonderful projects, she said.

"I continue to believe saving land and healing land is the most important thing we can do," Keibler said.

The Conservation Foundation also presented the Paul Butler Memorial Award to the Friends of the Dayton Bluffs, which helped plant 90 acres on a prairie at an Ottawa forest preserve.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
A photo reconstruction from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (left) and a school picture of James Allen Reymer. (National Center for Missing and and Exploited Children)

Streamwood police Cmdr. Michael Zeigler spent more than a year, off and on, combing through Streamwood High School yearbooks from the early 1980s, hoping to find a photo that sparked recognition.

Zeigler had a photo reconstruction of a boy, knitted together by technicians with help from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The boy's skeleton  outdoors for weeks or months  was found in Jackson County, N.C., in 1984. The boy had died from a gunshot wound, believed to be self-inflicted, according to reports.

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His body was cremated, eliminating any possibility of DNA matching later. But the photographic reconstruction of the teenager's face was created from pictures of the skull.

This week, the John Doe was identified as James Allen Reymer, formerly of Streamwood. He was 16 years old at the time of his disappearance, officials said.

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Reymer's was just one of the more than 700 cases of unidentified child remains the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is aware of, said Carol Schweitzer, a forensic services case manager at the center.

In 2011, the center began working to match remains with identities, using its Facebook page, Help ID Me, to push information to the public.

"We created a specialized unit to identify children's remains" found across the nation, Schweitzer said. The center has been able to identify remains from as far back as the mid-1960s.

There are likely hundreds or thousands more cases than the ones the center knows, with remains or case details in coroners' and medical examiners' offices throughout the country, Schweitzer said.

The Reymer case started with the facial reconstruction, but there were other details that helped the search for a name, Schweitzer said.

A fast-food place mat was found near the body details  a sort of hand-written resume  including that the person had attended Streamwood High School.

There were also references to restaurants in North Carolina and Memphis, Tenn., Schweitzer said. But the boy had been using a false name at those jobs.

In 2015, the center featured the boy's facial reconstruction on Help ID Me. Chicago media picked up the story.

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Former Streamwood police Chief Jim Gremo saw the story and asked Zeigler if the village had a 30-year-old missing child case. But no report was ever generated here, Zeigler said.

It is his understanding, Zeigler said, that the family had moved to Illinois from Tennessee. Unhappy here, Reymer's family allowed him to move back to Memphis to live with people there, Zeigler said. The boy later ran away.

"I looked through yearbooks and had a general sketch. I was finding a ton, boys with typical '80s haircuts. There were thousands of possibilities," Zeigler said.

Then there was a break in the case. An area resident saw the media coverage and believed the reconstructed picture looked like a boy he'd been in school with at Streamwood's Canton Middle School.

"They came up with a name, and we were able to find the family," Zeigler said.

The family, which still lives in the area, was not identified.

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It isn't unusual that Reymer's disappearance was not reported in Illinois, Zeigler said. There was a police report in Memphis, where he was living at the time, but he was found in North Carolina.

Sometimes, tracking a missing juvenile can be easier now because of cellphones and social media, Zeigler said.

"There is more  more notoriety, more social media. We are better able to track kids. In the '80s, there was no way to trace them," Zeigler said.

Remains aren't cremated anymore, Schweitzer said, adding that it wasn't unusual for large jurisdictions, with little room for storage, to cremate unclaimed remains.

Now, however, DNA is collected from unknown remains before they are buried, she said.

While DNA could not be used in the Reymer case, there is little doubt the North Carolina remains are his, Zeigler said. There was a missing person's report in Memphis; he had connections to Streamwood; and photos of him, lined up with photos of the skull, show the teeth match, she said.

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The center hopes to continue matching remains and cold cases to remains, Schweitzer said. But there has to be a missing persons report to begin the work. In many cases, there are no reports because the family didn't know to make one, believing the person had just moved away or disconnected with family.

"The first step is making a missing person report. You don't have to be family to make a report or family to report a tip. In this case it was a friend who recognized him," Schweitzer said.

Janelle Walker is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Puncture wounds are usually minor in nature. A little pinprick, put on a bandage, and all is well.

But there is one that hurts  even kills  scores of people every day. It is when the needle is slipped into the vein. Whatever joy that first jolt brings, it almost always leads to the agony of addiction.

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It's not just addicts who suffer. Their destructive path to drug dependency is littered with the debris of broken families, devastated loved ones and lost friendships.

Perfect strangers to this crisis are also hurt when addicts burglarize homes and hold up store owners and people on the street to get the money they need to feed their habit.

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We all pay a painful price for drug addiction.

Many have paid with their lives.

Drug overdose deaths in Kane County increased by 55 percent last year, according to Kane County Coroner Rob Russell. There could have been many more, if not for the huge increase in first responders' use of naloxone, the drug that, when administered, can bring overdose victims back from the brink of death. Between September and January, the Elgin Police Department used it 15 times to save 13 lives. Elgin Fire Department firefighters and paramedics used it 92 times. More than 1,000 police officers in Kane County have been trained in use of the drug.

Drug abuse is not a problem somewhere else. It's a growing crisis in our backyards.

The only hope of getting a handle on drug abuse and addiction is to use what works  treatment.

Maxxam Partners LLC wants to provide just such a drug and alcohol residential treatment facility at the former site of the Glenwood School, 41W400 Silver Glen Road in Campton Township.

The group is not getting a warm reception. Opponents have told the Kane County Zoning Board of Appeals that the facility is a threat to property values and public safety. They have also said Maxxam is too inexperienced to manage a treatment program they believe is doomed to fail because of its distance from a hospital.

We are not aware of any strong body of research that would confirm the worst fears about a drug and alcohol treatment center in a community setting. Neither do we agree with stereotypical assumptions that stamp an unfair stigma on people who just want to get well. They aren't a bunch of menacing desperadoes or scurrilous characters who would prowl the streets near the treatment facility. Drug addiction doesn't always occur by choice and isn't always fed by dealers in the shadows. Addicts can also be victims of poor pain management - hooked on drugs prescribed by health-care providers who carelessly monitor their use.

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We do know that study after study confirms that treatment not only works for the addict, but for the entire community.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that "according to research that tracks individuals in treatment over extended periods, most people who get into and remain in treatment stop using drugs, decrease their criminal activity, and improve their occupational, social, and psychological functioning."

And, the group notes that "every dollar invested in addiction treatment programs yields a return of between $4 and $7 in reduced drug-related crime, criminal justice costs and theft. When savings related to health care are included, total savings can exceed costs by a ratio of 12 to 1. Major savings to the individual and to society also stem from fewer interpersonal conflicts; greater workplace productivity; and fewer drug-related accidents, including overdoses and deaths."

Treatment is not just in the addict's best interest. What Maxxam wants to do is also in the community's best interest. We hope the Kane County Board sees it that way, too.
The US flag flies at half staff over the White House in Washington on August 6, 2012, following an order by US President Barack Obama for all flags above government buildings to fly at half staff to honor six people gunned down in a shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. (SAUL LOEB / AFP/Getty Images)

Presidents Day really isn't. Lake County, like much of the nation, has fallen in line with the popular, though inaccurate, reference to the holiday, which experts say is a result of promotional ads of three-day sales.

Officially, the third Monday of February is a national holiday designated as Washington's Birthday, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

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"Though other institutions such as state and local  and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law," the agency notes at www.opm.gov in its listing of 2017 holidays.

What may otherwise technically be considered Washington's Birthday Observed, Monday is designated as Presidents Day by most calendars, while this year, Washington's birthday follows on Wednesday. President Abraham Lincoln's birthday, Feb. 12, is not a national holiday, though Illinois is among the states that observe it as a day off for entities like courtrooms and state agencies.

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The reason for the confusion stems from a 1968 congressional act that designated a Monday observance for the national holidays but did not finish the job by officially changing the name. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved federal holidays to create long weekends for workers.

"During debate on the bill, it was proposed that Washington's Birthday be renamed Presidents' Day to honor the birthdays of both Washington (Feb. 22) and Lincoln (Feb. 12)," Encyclopedia Britannica's website says. "Following much discussion, Congress rejected the name change. After the bill went into effect in 1971, however, Presidents' Day became the commonly accepted name, due in part to retailers' use of the name to promote sales and the holiday's proximity to Lincoln's birthday."

In fact, retail sales were so influential, the Old Farmer's Almanac credits stores for changing how American consumers refer to the holiday: "Of course, all of the three-day retail store sales are called 'Presidents' Day' sales and this vernacular has also been influential in how we reference the holiday."

To further the confusion, there is no consistency in how to spell the day  if it is plural possessive, Presidents' Day, or singular possessive, President's Day. The Associated Press style, used by newspapers, has it as Presidents Day, without the possessive apostrophe.

Lake County will celebrate the day with "President's Day Sale at Pleasant Prairie Premium Outlets" and "President's Day Super Sale at Gurnee Mills." And residents needing a sugar fix can cross the border for the "Jelly Belly Presidents' Day Caseload Sale" in Pleasant Prairie, Wis.

U.S. News and World Report compiled a list of "The Top Presidents Day Sales for 2017," which includes Macy's, Eddie Bauer and L.L. Bean for apparel; JCPenny and Target for home goods; Home Depot and hhgregg for appliances; and Dell and Lenovo for electronics, among a long list of others.

Despite the television commercials hawking low, low, low prices, there are other things to do in Lake County on Monday. The Heller Nature Center, 2821 Ridge Road, Highland Park, is having a snow day from noon to 4 p.m. for kids ages 6 to 10.

"Bundle up for an afternoon of exploring everything that makes winter great this President's Day," Park District of Highland Park says at www.pdhp.org. "We'll hike, play in the snow, go sledding, do science experiments and play games, then head inside to enjoy a hot cup of cocoa while watching a snowy movie."

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Peter Patterson Glassworks is using Monday's holiday to have an open house, where visitors can make a pen holder, ring holder, note clip or domed paperweight, according to www.visitlakecounty.org. It runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and costs $25 per piece; the cost is usually $45. Peter Patterson Glassworks is at 888 Tower Road, Unit E, Mundelein.

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Lake County News-Sun.
A woman called Zion police last July to report a harrowing experience. Her former live-in boyfriend allegedly pointed the barrel of a silver handgun to her forehead during an argument and threatened to kill her, records show she told police.

The woman received paperwork given to alleged domestic violence victims, and she told the officer she planned to seek an order of protection, according to the police report for the July 18 incident. The Lake County state's attorney's office later approved a domestic battery charge against her former boyfriend and signed a warrant for his arrest.

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Nevertheless, two days later, a Zion building inspector sent an imposing letter to the apartment complex's ownership. Based on the police response for assault and battery and the unlawful use of weapons, the property was "in danger of being classified a chronic nuisance," the letter read. The owners had 10 days to propose a nuisance abatement strategy or face legal proceedings if the activity continued, the letter said.

Under a local "crime-free" ordinance, Zion officials may declare properties a nuisance and effectively evict residents temporarily by prohibiting occupancy for 30 to 80 days. The warning letters are the first step to declaring a property a nuisance, and opponents of such ordinances  which have been implemented in communities across Illinois  say they may disproportionately target racial and ethnic minorities and can harm low-income crime victims.

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"These types of policies aren't good for anyone," said Howard Handler, government affairs director at Illinois Realtors, a group advocating for private property rights across the state. "They drive investment out of the community. They drive homeowners out of the community."

Zion sent a similar letter to the landlord of a woman who called police June 24 and told an officer she had been raped, records show.

"You have a woman calling for rape, and then they use this ordinance against her, or against the property, but it still affects her," Handler said.

Zion officials said they no longer send warning letters to domestic violence victims and recently have made other changes to the city's nuisance property enforcement program.

In an interview, Zion Mayor Al Hill acknowledged past enforcement problems with the ordinance and said the city has since changed its response to potential nuisance properties. He said the city sends fewer letters and no longer enforces the ordinance against domestic violence callers or tenants who are crime victims. Warning letters have to be approved by a supervisor before they are sent, he said.

Handler sent a letter to Hill and the Zion City Council on Nov. 16 raising concerns about the city's enforcement of its nuisance property ordinance. He had counted the number of violation notices related to the ordinance that were issued between January and July 2016.

By Handler's count, he wrote in the letter, Zion had not sent out any violation notices during the first five months of 2016 and 29 letters between May 23 and July 31. At least 10 of the letters, by Handler's count, appeared to be sent to those who were potential crime victims, not perpetrators, he said.

Hill said Friday that 76 warning letters in total have been sent since May, suggesting the rate of sending letters has gone down since the initial rash of violation notices last year. He also said the city has never "initiated any action to actually take a property or ... take the occupancy permit," which he said was evidence that the city was getting properties to comply with the ordinance and abate nuisances.

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Richard Ianson, director of the city's building department, estimated that the city sends out an average of one or two violation notices per week and some weeks hasn't sent out any. The rate went down after the changes were made last summer, he said.

"We decided to streamline it and just go with the more serious offenses," Ianson said.

Zion's nuisance abatement program was renewed and updated in May 2016 after it had previously been discontinued due to budget cuts, meeting minutes show. The update specified that the ordinance could be enforced by either the city's Police Department or Building Department. The Lake County Housing Authority, which administers federal Section 8 housing vouchers for low-income residents, was aware of the update and its implications, according to meeting minutes.

Hill said the city made adjustments to its enforcement strategy "many months" prior to receiving Handler's letter in November.

One of Handler's concerns was that violation notices were being sent after the first time police responded to properties and found one of 13 "nuisance activities" defined in the ordinance, which include disorderly conduct, sexual abuse, assault, illegal consumption of alcohol and unlawful use of weapons.

But the ordinance says the warning notice should be sent  to both the landowner and the occupants, if the occupants are renters  after police find two instances of nuisance activity at a given property. The ordinance allows the city to "commence a legal proceeding to abate the nuisance" if the property owner does not respond to the notice within 10 days.

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The property is classified as a "chronic nuisance" if the police respond and find nuisance activity three times in 180 days. It is then subject to being "closed and secured against all use and occupancy."

"That was a mistake," Hill said when asked about the city's prior practice of sending violation notices after the first incident involving a nuisance activity, rather than the second. The city has corrected the issue, he said.

It was one of "a couple mistakes" that Hill acknowledged about the city's enforcement strategy.

"One of them was about a domestic, and we were threatening to the woman who lived there," said Hill, who was elected in April 2015. "And we've corrected that."

Records show the city also sent violation notices after police responded to assist a mentally impaired man who had allegedly been stabbed, a woman who had allegedly been physically threatened by her son and a man who told police he had been "jumped" in his home by his roommate and was later placed in an ambulance.

A state law passed in 2015  in reaction to crime-free ordinances such as Zion's  prohibits municipalities from penalizing tenants or landlords for contacting police to report domestic violence. The same protections extend to people with physical or mental disabilities in such cases.

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The Associated Press reported at the time that more than 100 communities across the state had such property nuisance regulations, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law alerted 42 Illinois cities that their policies were especially out of sync with the new law.

Kate Walz, director of housing at the Shriver Center, said in a recent interview that Zion's enforcement strategy in 2016 was "concerning" and said municipalities run into "potential legal problems" when they "have these kind of ordinances and when they enforce them in an aggressive manner."

A 2013 Shriver Center report concluded that such ordinances "present numerous potential pitfalls that can cause serious harm to tenant households, landlords and the community at large, and expose municipalities to legal liability."

"These ordinances can reduce the supply of rental housing, displace crime victims and others who need to reach out to the police for help, chill reporting of crime to the police in the first place, increase the number of vacant properties and the rate of family homelessness, deny persons with disabilities the opportunity to access housing that is integrated into the community, and prevent persons with criminal records from finding stable housing," the report found.

Sasha Samberg-Champion, an attorney with the Washington, D.C.-based firm Relman, Dane & Colfax specializing in civil rights and housing justice issues, estimated that hundreds of crime-free ordinances such as Zion's exist nationwide, part of a "get-tough-on-crime movement" that began in the 1990s, he said. He said such ordinances raise First Amendment issues because they can produce a "chilling" effect on someone's willingness to call the police for assistance because they fear losing their housing.

"They obviously have a disparate effect and an unfair effect on survivors of domestic violence, who are mostly women, as well as other crime victims," Samberg-Champion said. He added that people with disabilities are often disproportionately affected and that studies have shown the police often don't enforce the ordinances evenhandedly across cities.

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"They tend to be enforced much more vigorously in predominantly minority areas," he said.

Hill said the idea the ordinance is discriminatory is "laughable."

"The reason we're doing it is to protect the lower-income (residents) and the people who don't have the means to fight for themselves and who are being taken advantage of by the landlords," Hill said.

Absentee landlords "often don't care what the living conditions are of their tenants, so we've put these in place to protect life-safety issues for those who can't fight for themselves," he added.

He said landlords in Zion "need to take responsibility for who they're renting to."

"This goes for any rental unit  if they are places where crimes are taking place, we expect that the landlords are going to assist us in ensuring that we get good people here," Hill said. "And the definition of 'good people' has absolutely nothing to do with how much money they make. It has to do with how they act. And (if) landlords are not doing background checks and not doing reference checks  then we have a problem with it."

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The city under Hill also has changed another aspect of its policy toward rental units. The council passed a rental certification inspection program in 2015 and imposed a biennial $75-per-unit fee (up to a maximum of $10,000) upon landlords wishing to rent property in the city. The inspection makes sure rental units are up to city code.

Landlords complained when the inspection fees were under consideration in October 2015, arguing other municipalities in the area don't charge or require anywhere near what Zion was proposing for rental inspections. Hill replied that 60 percent of Zion's living units are rentals and that "a healthy community has 23 percent rental units."

"Zion has 3.5 percent the population of Lake County," Hill said as the council deliberated the inspection fees at the time. "We have 38 percent of the Section 8 vouchers that Lake County gives out. And it's an issue that we have to address.  We have to get our arms around all the rest of the issues that are associated with too many rental units and too much Section 8 rental units."

TBS Group, a limited liability company that owns rental property in Zion, sued the city, alleging the inspection fee ordinance violates the federal Fair Housing Act, targets renters "based on race and national origin" and "has a disparate impact on African-American and Latino renters," according to a complaint filed in June.

Minorities "comprise a large percentage of all renters in Zion and an even larger amount of those who rent the housing, considered substandard, that is the target of this ordinance," TBS Group alleged in the complaint.

"Now, renters and landlords will have to have certification before Section 8 benefits are renewed," the complaint reads.

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A federal judge in January granted the city's motion to dismiss the complaint. A group of rental property owners is also posing an ongoing challenge to Zion's rental inspection program in Lake County Circuit Court, alleging the city doesn't have the authority to impose the program, said Terry Boone, one of the plaintiffs.

lhammill@tribpub.com

Twitter @lucashammill
Volunteers found 26 people sleeping outside in Lake County during the annual "point-in-time" count of the homeless last month, the highest number on record going back to 2005.

County Board members released the news in email newsletters sent out this month.

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The previous record for "unsheltered" homeless people found during the point-in-time tally was 20, counted in 2010. Last year, volunteers found 19 unsheltered people. Seventy-five volunteers joined the effort this year  another record.

Numbers weren't yet released in the newsletters for the number of homeless staying in shelters. During the previous four-year stretch, the total number of homeless in Lake County decreased from 497 in 2013 to 299 in 2016. The number statewide similarly decreased from 14,009 in 2011 to 11,590 in 2016.

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Homelessness has become a political issue in cities such as Waukegan, where complaints about panhandling, littering and drug use around the PADS Lake County facility on Grand Avenue led to Mayor Wayne Motley temporarily pulling the organization's business license. The office reopened, but clients no longer can take showers at the facility or hang around outside without a reason for being there.

Advocates have appeared at multiple Waukegan City Council meetings since then to urge the city to provide a better solution for the city's homeless.

County Board approves Lawlor's reforms

After a spirited discussion last week, the County Board unanimously approved a resolution supporting Chairman Aaron Lawlor's proposed reforms to Lake County's structure of government.

The reforms  which Lawlor proposed in the form of amendments he hopes state Sen. Terry Link (D-Waukegan) would make to a bill he filed in Springfield  would put ballot questions before voters, asking them whether they would like to elect the County Board chair at large, whether the County Board should be reduced in size and whether the county should find a way to more fairly and independently draw the boundaries between board districts.

Link's bill would simply mandate that the County Board chair be elected at large beginning in 2020. Currently, the chair is elected by fellow County Board members. Link has said he would be open to letting voters decide whether they want to elect the board chair countywide, but he balked at Lawlor's other proposed reforms, saying the county could undertake those efforts itself if County Board members wanted.

Lawlor, a Republican, and numerous County Board members took umbrage with Link's bill, even though they agree it has merit. They accused Link of filing the bill without first consulting the county, which they characterized as a breach of decorum.

Board members like Democrat Paul Frank (District 11) said they intended to move forward on reforms like reducing the size of the board and drawing independent maps, with or without Link's bill.

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"We know what the right things are to do," Frank said.

Activist drama in Waukegan

It's common for a handful of dedicated activists to chastise Mayor Wayne Motley and Waukegan aldermen during public comment time at the end of each City Council meeting.

But earlier this month, a rift was exposed among the activists themselves.

Margaret Carrasco, a frequent critic of the mayor, has raised questions about many of Motley's decisions, but has also aired alleged incidents from his personal life.

After she spoke Feb. 6, Ralph Peterson  another longtime Waukegan activist and critic who even sued Motley and the city last year  defended Motley and turned the tables on Carrasco, who is running for school board in Waukegan School District 60 in April's elections. He criticized Carrasco for her comments and social media posts, and noted she has made mistakes herself, bringing up 2011 reports of a lawsuit accusing her of misrepresenting herself as an immigration attorney. Carrasco denied the allegations at the time.

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"Obviously, Ralph's 'show' was politically staged by Mayor Motley in a 'desperate' effort to distract voters from the real issues," Carrasco said in a text message.

Peterson has defended the mayor more often of late, giving him credit for an agreement he helped foster between the city's Police Department and its Latino and African-American leaders.

"You're hurting people's families," Peterson said to Carrasco during the meeting. Carrasco then appeared to hint from the audience that she had potentially damaging information she could share about Peterson, as well.

Lake County News Sun Twice-weekly News updates from Lake County delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

"Top that, Lisa," Motley said after it was over, turning to Ald. Lisa May, 7th, for the beginning of aldermen's comments.

Fox River Corridor meeting

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning will hold a meeting March 2 at Cary Village Hall for input on a plan to improve water quality, recreation and open space along the Fox River.

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The plan is being spearheaded by CMAP and the McHenry County planning and development department, but Lake County is also involved.

The corridor spans from Route 176 to the edge of the Fox Bluff Conservation Area and includes parts of Cary, Fox River Grove, Island Lake, Lake Barrington, Oakwood Hills, Port Barrington, Tower Lakes and Trout Valley, said CMAP communications associate Melissa Silverberg in an email.

lhammill@tribpub.com

Twitter @lucashammill
Mundelein police officer Chris Callas talks to students Feb. 16 in a criminal law class about what it is like being a police officer. (Michael Schmidt / Pioneer Press)

To more effectively teach the material, Mundelein High School invited police officers to be guest instructors for several criminal law classes throughout February.

Mary Plucinski, a teacher at the school, said many students have expressed an interest in law enforcement careers, and real life examples always help the learning process.

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"As much as I've studied the case law and textbook procedures relevant to criminal law, I have obviously never been a part of that process myself," Plucinski said. "Having experienced police officers answer their questions and help teach some material will provide our students with a unique combination of 'textbook' and 'street knowledge.'"

Officer Chris Callas was scheduled to discuss arrest procedures with the class on Feb. 16, while investigator Mike Bush discussed the Fourth and Fifth Amendments that deal with rights of the accused as well as search and seizure on Feb. 7.

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School officials say visits will continue through the rest of the month.

"This is a great opportunity for our community and school to work together and to provide the students with real world experiences," Superintendent Kevin Myers said.

Mundelein Police Chief Eric Guenther said the invitation allows the police department to connect with youth in the community in a non-confrontational way.

"Ninety five percent of law enforcement is creating and maintaining positive relationships with the people we serve and this partnership certainly facilitates this," Guenther said.

The two organizations had already been talking about more ways to partner with each other when Plucinski's idea surfaced, according to Guenther.
President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney walk in the Last Fling Labor Day Parade in Naperville in 2000, before they were elected to their White House posts. It was while in Naperville that Bush made his much-reported comment about a New York Times reporter being a "major league a------."- Original Credit: handout (Provided by Naper Settlement)

Every community in America has its own brush-with-a-president story, whether the man spoke, ate or slept in town or wrote a letter to one of its residents. Naperville is no exception.

And with Presidents Day on Monday, it's a chance to reflect Naperville's links to the nation's highest elected office.

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Most of the city's direct connections with the commander in chief relate to communiques a president sent.

"I do not know of any sitting president who visited Naperville (while they were president)," said Bryan Ogg, Naperville Settlement's research curator. If they did come to town it was either before they were elected or after they'd left office.

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Ogg said the local museum collection includes letters sent by three presidents to residents of Naperville.

Just 10 days after his inauguration in 1857 as the 15th president, James Buchanan sent a letter to the "gentlemen" of Naperville in response to a petition asking the new president replace Brigham Young as the governor of the Utah Territory.

Ogg said since the Buchanan correspondence was among files given to Naperville Settlement by the family of Judge Robert Murray, the assumption is that Murray sent the original letter on behalf of his fellow Napervillians.

The letter hinted that Buchanan planned to remove Young, and two months later the president sent his new pick for governor along with troops to stop any trouble the Utah settlers might cause as a result of his action.

Another document reflects how the efforts of a beloved Naperville high school teacher and North Central College instructor caught the eye of the man who would become America's 34th president.

This painting depicting Abraham Lincoln speaking to a crowd from a roof at Naperville's Pre-Emption house likely never happened, Naper Settlement historian Brian Ogg says. There's no record that Lincoln ever set foot in Naperville. (Provided by Naper Settlement)

In February 1947, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower sent Angeline Gale a letter of thanks for her role as leader of the Naperville Service Organization, a group that aided veterans re-entering civilian life after their return to Naperville post-World War II.

Roughly 30 years later, as part of America's bicentennial celebration, President Gerald Ford sent a letter commending "Naperville for playing a special part in this great national celebration."

"The bicentennial offers each of us the opportunity to join with our fellow citizens in honoring the past and preparing for the future in communities across the nation. Thus, in joining together as races, nationalities, and individuals, we also retain and strengthen our traditions, background and personal freedom," the correspondence said.

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Despite the lack of historical proof, stories abound of people who check into local inns, bed-and-breakfasts or restaurants under presidential names like Grover Cleveland or Abraham Lincoln.

Even the ledgers from Naperville's Pre-Emption House hotel and tavern shows an A. Lincoln stopped by for dinner or supper on several occasions.

While some folks in the city like to think the A was short for Abraham, Ogg said historically it's more likely the man was Alonzo Lincoln, who lived and worked in early Naperville and whose grave is located in Naperville Cemetery.

A carefully preserved letter housed in Naper Settlements archives is written by the 15th president of the United States, James Buchanan. The letter was in response to a committee of gentlemen regarding their petition to have Buchanan replace Brigham Young as the governor of the Utah Territory (Provided by Naper Settlement)

"Back then it was not uncommon for single or elderly men to have a meal at the Pre-Emption House," Ogg said.

Many have tried to find a link between Abraham Lincoln and Naperville.

Despite the oral history and Lester Schrader's painting depicting Abraham Lincoln speaking from atop a Pre-Emption House roof that's in Naperville Settlement's collection, Ogg said he can find no historical evidence the revered president ever visited the city.

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However, Ogg said the records show Lincoln's political opponent Stephen Douglas spoke in town and visited the home of the Robert Murray family.

He figures sometime between Naperville's Centennial in 1931 and the demolition of the original Pre-Emption House in 1946 is when stories of Lincoln speaking in Naperville took root.

Ogg won't discount the notion. "I just don't know. I can't prove it or disprove it," he said.

Although they never were in Naperville during a presidency, members of the Bush family have been frequent visitors to the Naperville area for book-signings and speaking engagements.

After his presidency, George W. Bush appeared at Anderson's Bookshop to sign copies of the biography he wrote about his dad, President George H.W. Bush, "41: A Portrait of My Father."

"I remember it was a cold day," said Candace Purdom, director of publicity and events for Anderson's, who next to the president and passed him books to sign.

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"He really is a charming guy," she said. "I remember one of the first words out of his mouth. He called me baby. I handed him a bottle of water and he said, 'Thank you, baby.'"

Dwight Eisenhower penned this note to Naperville resident Angeline Gale in 1947, six years before he was elected president. (Provided by Naper Settlement)

Former first lady Barbara Bush, wife of George H.W. Bush, spoke twice at Benedictine University's Great Ideas, Great Issues lecture series. She spoke alone in 1998 and was joined by her husband in 2000.

At her second appearance, the former first lady said, "I can't imagine staying inside on this fall day just to watch two unemployed senior citizens."

Here are a few more examples:

As a presidential candidate, then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush marched in the Last Fling's Labor Day Parade in 2000 after holding a rally at Naperville North High School. It was on the rally stage before the speech when the candidate, who was oblivious the microphones were live, pointed out a veteran political reporter to his running mate Dick Cheney and said, "There's Adam Clymer, major-league a------ from The New York Times."

Former first lady Laura Bush and daughter, Jenna Bush Hager, have visited Naperville on numerous occasions through the coordination of Anderson's to plug their new books, including speaking at North Central College last year and promoting their picture book in 2008.

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Jenna Bush also rolled through town after she published her first book in 2007.

Jenna Bush wasn't only daughter of a president who has hawked a book in Naperville.

On a book signing tour, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton stopped at Jefferson Junior High School in 2015 to talk with students about her first book, "It's Your World - Get Informed, Get Inspired and Get Going!"

Daughter of President John F. Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy has made numerous appearances courtesy of Anderson's including:

Attending a tea in 2005 hosted at the District 203 Administrative Center where she talked with elementary and junior high students about her book, "A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children."

Speaking to more than 500 people at North Central College in 2013 about her latest book, "Poems to Learn by Heart."

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Twitter @SBakerSun1
State legislators who represent portions of Aurora, Naperville and neighboring towns are hoping two pieces of proposed legislation will save Illinois seniors money on their property taxes.

Illinois state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, Sen. Michael Connelly, R-Lisle, and Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, held a news conference Friday to announce the proposed legislation.

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One component of the proposal would give seniors statewide a larger property tax break by increasing the maximum reduction property owners 65-and-older can claim under the Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption.

Seniors can currently claim up to a $5,000 exemption off the equalized assessed value of their home. The proposal would increase the maximum amount to $7,000  saving a property owned in Aurora with a 10 percent property tax rate about $200, according to Chapa LaVia's office.

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"When you knock on a door in this region, particularly if it's a senior home, you'll sit for 10 minutes and hear stories about how they're being taxed out of their home," Connelly said. "What makes it fundamentally discouraging is that these are the families that have raised their kids here and really were part and parcel to the development of Naperville and Aurora, now they're being forced out of their homes because of ever-increasing property taxes."

Another component would increase the maximum household income for claiming the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption from the current $55,000 to $75,000. Property owners over the age of 65 who meet the income requirements qualify for the exemption, which freezes a property's equalized assessed value the year they qualify.

Raising the income threshold is crucial "as we see more multi-generational families living together and we see increased expenses to seniors," Naperville Township Assessor Warren Dixon said at the event.

The proposals are proactive ways to provide tax relief for seniors, Chapa LaVia said.

"The school districts and the mayors throughout the state aren't really happy about this, but I think it's about time we go back to the seniors and the residents and make sure they know what we're doing with their money," Chapa LaVia said. "We seem to have a deficit in trust in government and this puts it back where they understand that we are fighting for them."

Seniors moving into communities like Naperville's Carillon Club or Aurora's Carillon at Stonegate and Stonegate West should get a break when it comes to property taxes, Kifowit said. "These seniors should not be paying full property taxes when they're moving into a senior living community of which there is going to be zero impact on school districts," Kifowit said. "The proposed legislation offers a more fair solution for seniors."

As proposed, both changes would take effect immediately upon approval in Springfield.

Chapa LaVia said she is confident the proposals will gain bi-partisan support during this year's legislative session.

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"In a time when we have a very partisan divided country, this is a bi-partisan issue where we want to provide that relief for those seniors who by and large developed this region," Connelly said.

ehegarty@tribpub.com
A crowd waits for the doors to open for a town hall meeting with U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Deerfield, at the Northbrook Public Library on Feb. 18, 2017. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

People filled the auditorium, then the overflow room and finally the adjacent hallways of the Northbrook Public Library on Saturday morning for what has suddenly become a hot ticket: a congressional town hall.

In this case, it was U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider speaking and taking questions from a friendly audience clearly frustrated by President Donald Trump's administration.

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Schneider, D-Deerfield, received a standing ovation when he entered his "Congress on Your Corner" event.

"I will tell you the last four weeks have been the longest year of my life," Schneider said. "We have to brace ourselves for a very long struggle, a long resistance, a long battle."

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For most of the 90-minute event, Schneider was peppered with questions and comments from a high-octane crowd that often shouted queries or opinions without being called upon.

Attendees demanded an independent investigation into recently resigned National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and the administration's connections to the Russian government, as well as into possible interference by the foreign government in the U.S. presidential election. Several audience members also called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from any investigation into ties with Russia.

Schneider said Democrats in Congress are united in their call for an independent investigation. But as the minority party, he said, they need to garner support from their Republican colleagues and have struggled so far to do that.

He urged the crowd to keep public pressure on Republican members of the House of Representatives and Senate. He specifically called out his colleagues in nearby districts, including U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, a Wheaton Republican.

Schneider has held the north suburban 10th District seat twice in three terms. He was elected in 2012 and served one term before losing his re-election bid in 2014 to Republican Robert Dold. He reclaimed the seat in 2016 with 52 percent of the vote.

On Saturday, Schneider also fielded rapid-fire questions about Trump's refusal to release his tax returns and the possibility that Trump has violated the emoluments clause, which bans federal officials from accepting gifts or doing business with foreign officials.

"These are all fair concerns. The challenge we face  and there is nothing I can do about it, but we are in the minority," he said.

Several attendees shouted, "We are the majority  use us!" in response.

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One woman asked the congressman to do her a "favor" and let Republicans in Congress know "they can sit on their laurels for two years, but if they don't get some integrity and some courage and speak independently with morals  because I think some are moral but frightened  in 2018, I swear to God, we'll try to get every Republican to vote Democratic just to get those slackers out."

Her speech elicited huge cheers.

Several people asked Schneider what they should be doing to effectively oppose the policies of the Trump administration.

"If all of us try to do everything, we will accomplish nothing," Schneider said. He recommended focusing on one or two specific issues, getting involved with organizations  particularly local groups  that are fighting for those causes and educating friends and neighbors about them, among other things.

Jenny Stadelmann, leader of the Deerfield chapter of Moms Demand Action  a national group that advocates for "common-sense gun reforms"  said after the event that she worked to help get Schneider elected but was inspired after Trump's election to get more involved in politics. She said the moms' group has seen an explosion in membership and formation of local chapters.

Stadelmann, 41, of Deerfield, said the increased involvement stretches across a broad spectrum of issues and that grass-roots groups "have thousands of members organizing over Facebook and starting to meet in person."

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Northbrook couple Elliott and Jennifer Bruns attended the town hall with their two teenage children. Jennifer Bruns, 49, who said she wasn't surprised by the turnout, came to find out what she could do to support Schneider's positions.

Before the election, she said, she wasn't interested in politics. But Trump's win "absolutely lit a fire under my butt not just to take an interest but that I have a responsibility to do whatever I can to make sure our values stay in place."

Elliott Bruns, 51, a self-described "long-standing Republican" who did not support Trump in the election, said he's dismayed and saddened by what's going on in government and the GOP's support of the president's initiatives.

"There needs to be Republican dissent, and there isn't, and I don't know necessarily how to get it," he said.

Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter.
About 60 community members marched together to the New Life Ministries Church on Austin from Chicago Avenue and Taylor Avenue. Oak Park's Suburban Unity Alliance hosted a "March for Peace." (Jon Langham / Pioneer Press)

Iesha Hollins, a resident of Chicago's Austin neighborhood, told a group of dozens of Oak Parkers and West Side residents gathered in a church Thursday night that the children in her neighborhood live in a "different reality" than people outside its borders.

"A lot of the children I deal with in Austin don't know anything outside of Austin, and that's very sad to say," said Hollins, who runs a youth development nonprofit organization called Root2Fruit. She spoke as part an event hosted by Oak Park-based Suburban Unity Alliance that was dubbed "Bridge for Peace: Oak Park and Austin Communities Call to Action."

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Anthony Clark, an Oak Park and River Forest High School teacher and founder of SUA, said the idea for an event aimed at developing strategies to curb crime and gun violence by bringing members of the Oak Park and Austin communities together had percolated since the death last year of Elijah Sims, a 16-year-old OPRF student who was fatally shot in the Austin neighborhood.

Attendees first gathered Thursday night at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Taylor Avenue across from a BP Gas Station, which was the site of a shooting Feb. 11 in which a Chicago resident was struck by a bullet in the leg. Meeting across from the station was a way for both Oak Park and Austin residents to "take ownership" of the area, which is near Austin Boulevard, the north-south street that divides Oak Park from Chicago.

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The Austin neighborhood experiences higher levels of violence than Oak Park, and because of that some people in Oak Park don't want to build relationships with their West Side neighbors or they're afraid to visit that community, Clark said. He said SUA's goal is to tear down the metaphorical wall that exists between the communities and build relationships or a metaphorical bridge.

Clark said he also hopes to leverage Oak Park's relative affluence and resources to assist those on the other side of Austin Boulevard.

After meeting on the corner, the dozens who showed up for the SUA event walked five minutes down the road to New Life Ministries C.O.G.I.C., on the Oak Park side of Austin Boulevard. A diverse group of people of varied ages and racial backgrounds gathered in the sanctuary of the church to share their own personal experiences with crime and violence in the neighborhood. Several adults in attendance, including Sims' mother, Sharita Galloway, said they had lost children to gun violence.

Hollins said her organization teaches youth how to be entrepreneurs and "how to survive outside of where they live." She described the daily violence endured by many of the young people she serves  particularly the young men  losing children to gun violence and standing beside a man as he was shot and killed.

Her son, Lester Bradford, a 14-year-old freshman at Al Raby High School, told the crowd that people in his community are "getting killed day by day."

Hollins and Clark both disputed a perception that people who live in Austin don't care about the violence occurring around them.

"We have to get some help," Hollins said. "It seems like we don't want better in Austin, but there are a lot of people fighting in Austin."

Clark added that when Austin residents are "yelling and screaming" for help, Oak Parkers should join their cause.

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Deno Andrews, owner of Oak Park restaurant Felony Franks and contender in the race for village board trustee this spring, said that for the first 30 years of the 46 he's lived in the community, "I never stepped foot or spent a penny in Austin."

When he moved from northwest to northeast Oak Park in 2000, Andrews said his "whole world changed" and he met folks "who had a much different reality three miles away from where I grew up."

Andrews urged the Oak Park residents listening to spur economic development in the community  which he cited as a key factor in curbing violence  by patronizing the businesses there and getting to know the people who live there and helping them to find jobs when they need one.

"I think it's time us Oak Parkers spend money in Austin," he said.

Christina Waters, a mother of three who lives near the BP Gas Station, said she's tired of the increased violence in the neighborhood, and she believes the community can make a difference by being out in the streets and calling out nefarious activity when they see it.

"When you see something, say something," she repeated three times.

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Waters and Clark both advocated for a joint community watch as a potential strategy to mitigate the violence and crime and passed out fliers encouraging attendees to join a Facebook group to get involved in the effort.

Derrick Green, a coordinator for the faith-based organization, Jehovah Jireh#1 Outreach Ministry, an Austin-based organization that aims to stop violence in the streets, said the Austin community needs more than jobs, it needs businesses and a culture that instills pride rather than desperation in the youth who live there. He urged the group to give money to or attend one of the organization's events.

"We will go where there is a need. But we need help. I hope you guys are here today to give us some type of assistance," he said.

Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Valparaiso University Sophomore Cassidy Wright, 19, of Round Lake, Ill. created her own sweet, simple and satisfying dessert bar recipe using crushed Oreos to salute the cookie's 105th birthday in March 2017. (Philip Potempa / Post-Tribune)

When the Oreo cookie was launched in the United States on March 6, 1912, by the National Biscuit Company, (Nabisco), there's was also another flavor option offered besides the traditional chocolate sandwich cookie with vanilla cream.

A lemon-flavored version, filled with vanilla cream, also was introduced and sold as a "lemon meringue" Oreo sandwich cookie. However, it was discontinued by 1920s.

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While teaching a recent Introduction to Public Speaking course at Valparaiso University, one of my students paid tribute to the Oreo cookie, its history and also shared an easy and delicious Oreo cookie dessert bar recipe for her demonstration speech assignment. That student is Cassidy Wright, 19, a sophomore at Valparaiso University who originally is from Round Lake, Ill., is studying communication, with minors in general engineering and humanities.

Even though many people associate chocolate chip cookies as the most popular choice, according to Kraft Foods  the parent company of Nabisco  Oreos rank as the world's best-selling cookie with more than 450 billion Oreos produced worldwide since the cookie's debut.

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As Cassidy explained, the cookie's basic recipe also has changed in recent decades.

Originally, the white cream filling consisted of pork lard blended with sugar and a few other ingredients. The This initial recipe was devised by Nabisco's food scientist Sam Porcello. After Porcello's retirement in 1993, Nabisco opted to remove lard from the filling and replace it with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Starting in January 2006, any trans fat used in the filling ingredients was replaced with nonhydrogenated vegetable oil, making Oreos both Kosher and vegetarian friendly.

Today, Nabisco is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelez International. Nabisco's plant on Chicago's Southwest Side, a 1,800,000-square-foot plant at 7300 S. Kedzie Ave., ceased production of Oreos in July. It used to be billed and ranked as the largest bakery in the world, employing more than 1,500 workers and turning out some 320 million pounds of snack foods annually.

Growing up at our farm, rather than Oreos my mom tended to buy the competing Hydrox brand of chocolate sandwich cookie for our lunchbags, since they were more economically priced. While most people have categorized Hydrox as the knock-off brand for Oreos, Hydrox chocolate sandwich cookies were introduced first. Produced by Sunshine Biscuits Company and first sold in stores in 1908, they arrived on store shelves four years before Oreos.

According to the company's website, the Hydrox name is derived from the atoms that make up the water molecule: hydrogen and oxygen. The cookie's creators were said to be "looking for a name that would convey purity and goodness." The origin of the Oreo name is unknwown. Some food historians say the term comes from the French word "or," which means gold and could have been associated with the cookie's original gold packaging when sold. Other brand researchers speculate the name is a nod to the Greek word of the same spelling oreo, which means "beautiful, nice or well done."

Wright said she likes her Oreo Dessert Bar recipe because can be both dairy-free and vegetarian friendly.

"These bars store well and they are a great pick-me-up snack for studying," she said.

Columnist Philip Potempa has published three cookbooks and is the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. Mail your questions to: From the Farm, P.O. Box 68, San Pierre, IN 46374.

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pmpotempa@comhs.org

Cassidy's Easy Oreo Dessert Bars

Makes 16 bars

1 (16 ounce) package Oreo cookies

1 (10.5 ounce) package marshmallows

4 tablespoons of butter or margarine (or vegan butter)

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1. Line an 8-inch by 8-inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

2. Using a large sealed back, crush Oreo cookies until no large pieces remain and set aside.

3. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter or margarine. Remove the bowl from the microwave and mix in the crushed cookies. Press the mixture in the foil-lined pan and allow the bars to cool for around 10 minutes, until they are set.

4. Cut the bars into small squares, or tear off pieces to eat and enjoy.
It truly was a night to shine.

The Night to Shine Prom for people with special needs (14 and over) had the Valparaiso Nazarene Church filled with lights, action and camera, last Friday evening, as well as music, music, music. This special night is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation and, for the second year, has been hosted by the Nazarene Church, who not only provide the space, but also provide the majority of the volunteers.

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Beginning with Pastor Eric Wood, the planning for this very special evening began several months ago, and his parishioners helped make their church come alive with lighting, decorations, and even a red carpet so that the ladies and gentlemen attending would have the royal treatment that would rival a Hollywood bash.

Prior to that beautiful evening, the prom-goers could choose a time to have a fitting, and ladies could find the dress that was just perfect, while the guys were trying on suits, ties and even shoes to look their very best. Each guest had a buddy, all of whom were volunteers from Opportunity Enterprises, the church, Special Olympics, and several other organizations.

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Before the evening began, there were makeup artists and hair stylists at OE to make lovely ladies even lovelier. When each couple began their walk down the red carpet, the ladies donned a tiara, and men were crowned, and both received corsages/boutonnieres. Their walk was greeted with cheers and clapping as they experienced the royal treatment, and stopped long enough to have their forever picture taken. Then there were limo rides, karaoke, delicious food and drinks, and dancing, dancing, dancing. Although there was no cost to the attendees, the prom was a sellout.

So many people from so many walks of life with so many ways to give made this such a wonderful, memorable night that will be talked about for weeks to come. Every one of you who did anything to help make this evening a night to shine are very special, too, and are my pet persons of the week. It was a night that God blessed every one who entered the Valparaiso Nazarene Church, and the smiles lit up the sky.

Here is some information from the Porter County Visiting Nurse Association that you may want to write down to keep in your memory bank. The Hospice Support Fund in Nashville has been soliciting members of our community through direct mail requesting donations to give all people home hospice care. It is NOT affiliated with the VNA Hospice, nor do they provide any funds for our community's nonprofit Hospice Center. In fact, 80 percent of the donations they receive are used for fundraising costs, and administration. That doesn't leave much to go around the U.S. for those in need of hospice care. If you are solicited by this group, please instead support our local VNA Hospice with a donation, and visit their website at www.vnanwi.org. Also, if you want more information or have questions, please call 219-462-5195. There are so many organizations who use direct mailings to try and take away the donations needed right here at home, so please always check to make sure it is something you truly want to support. Our VNA is for us.

Do you know someone who you always feel goes above and beyond in volunteering their time for others, and never seems to get recognized for their selflessness? The Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club is seeking individual nominees to give those kindnesses a thank you. Each year the club solicits nominations from organizations or individuals to recognize givers. If there is someone in your life who others should know about, please consider nominating them. For a nomination form, please contact pasciarra@antoninsurance.com and surprise someone who deserves to be known.

Then I hope you have a great day because you deserve it. Thanks for reading. Fly your flag.

Lorrie Woycik is a freelance columnist for the Post-Tribune.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb talks with the media following his round-table meeting with community leaders in East Chicago on Friday. (Jim Karczewski / Post-Tribune)

Gov. Eric Holcomb assured officials and residents of East Chicago on Friday that the state is ready to meet the needs of the city as it deals with the remediation and relocation work at the U.S.S. Lead Superfund site.

"We will bring all that is at our disposal to bear," Holcomb said.

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Holcomb met with residents, city officials, state legislators and federal representatives Friday to discuss a disaster declaration he signed last week to leverage more resources for East Chicago. Mayor Anthony Copeland had petitioned the state for the declaration to bolster the city's resources to address the lead contamination issues in the Calumet neighborhood, which is on the U.S.S. Lead Superfund site.

Residents of the Superfund site described concerns about the safety of the drinking water, challenges West Calumet Housing Complex residents face with relocation and ongoing health concerns.

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The Rev. Douglas Sloss, pastor of First Baptist Church, said he's worried about the overall impact of the contamination on the community.

"It doesn't just impact today. It's a long-term impact," Sloss said.

The Rev. Cheryl Rivera said people knew the city lacked the resources it needed to deal with effects of the contamination. She said it's important to not just focus on the residents who must relocate but what can be done to ensure that the neighborhood is sustained.

Holcomb said his staff will work with local and federal officials to start developing a plan on how to move forward and see that the necessary resources are found.

"It's a tall order, but it's achievable," Holcomb said. "We will get through this, and we will be better for it."

Copeland said the meeting showed that city, state and federal officials are working together to help the residents.

"It's the first step toward restoring public trust. I think the people thought no one was listening and that hope would never come," Copeland said. "I think that room reflects hope."

Copeland, in his request for the declaration, said the city needs more resources to address ongoing issues at the Superfund site as the city cannot handle all the costs itself.

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"The residents of my city, my staff, other local officials and I have been laboring under conditions which are not of our making but which cry out for help," Copeland wrote to then-Gov. Mike Pence on Dec. 1.

The resources of East Chicago are strained to the "point of breaking," Copeland wrote, and resources from the state are needed to adequately respond to the continuing crisis. Pence denied East Chicago's request in mid-December.

Holcomb said his first priority is to see that all the residents of the West Calumet Housing Complex find new housing, and then shift focus to the other neighborhoods in the Superfund site.

Tia Cauley, executive director of the East Chicago Housing Authority, said 86 families are still left at the West Calumet Housing Complex. Cauley said the goal is to still have the complex closed at the end of March.

Copeland said the housing authority can pay for residents to look at housing or relocate within a 50-mile radius, but people could find more options if that range was broadened.

"This is an area where we may need additional funding," Copeland said.

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Cauley said the housing authority took more than $1 million from its capital fund to help with the relocation.

Copeland said the housing authority needs an infusion of new money to refresh the capital fund.

"That was our first cry out for help," Copeland said.

Cauley said she's concerned that if the city doesn't have the demolition money soon, the buildings could fall victim to vandalism or blight. She said the housing authority has tried to secure the vacant units as best it can.

"That's what we're working on now," Sen. Joe Donnelly said. He said his office and federal officials have stayed in contact with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and are closing in on the demolition funds.

Copeland said he's asked the state to do a comprehensive review of its water supply; provide water filters across the Superfund site; find money for the replacement of lead service lines; and provide a series of health and education programs.

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Holcomb said that during his first month in office he reviewed the facts of East Chicago's request and made it a priority.

"This is my watch," Copeland said.

Copeland said Pence had representatives from his staff in contact with the city, including Holcomb, who met with him, and those connections are starting to yield results.

"Maybe that's why now you'll see the rate of speed change," Copeland said.

Holcomb's efforts from the governor's office aren't the only ones designed to send additional resources to East Chicago.

A series of proposals, put in by members of the Lake County delegation to the legislature, aim to provide financial assistance to the city and school district; push for cleanup and testing efforts; and better assist residents being forced to relocate because of contamination at the U.S.S. Lead Superfund site.

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clyons@post-trib.com

Twitter @craigalyons
East Chicago police on Friday filed charges of resisting law enforcement, reckless homicide and theft against a couple involved in a fatal crash while fleeing from police after the woman stole a case of beer to sell for crack cocaine, according to court records.

Donnell Howard Jr., 31, and Jessica Pichon, 27, of East Chicago, are being held without bail in Lake County Jail on charges filed stemming from the crash Wednesday that killed 13-year-old Julianna Chambers and seriously injured her grandmother, Theresa Paramo, at a Hammond intersection.

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The charges filed Friday in Lake Superior Court include resisting law enforcement causing death, a level 3 felony punishable by three to 16 years; resisting law enforcement resulting in serious bodily injury to Paramo, a level 5 felony punishable by one to six years; resisting law enforcement, a level 6 felony; reckless homicide, a level 5 felony; and misdemeanor resisting law enforcement and theft.

In a statement to police, Pichon said she and Howard had been smoking crack cocaine earlier in the day Wednesday. At some point, Howard told Pichon they needed money to buy more drugs, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in court.

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Howard drove them to Strack and Van Til, 4725 Indianapolis Blvd., East Chicago, and told her to go in and steal three cases of Modelo beer to sell for drugs, court records state. Pichon told investigators she tried to leave the store with the beer in her cart, but a worker confronted her, so she grabbed one of the cases and ran from the store to her blue Dodge Durango, where Howard was waiting, according to court documents.

The couple fled the parking lot at a high rate of speed, leading East Chicago police on a pursuit that continued into Hammond, documents said.

At the same time, Paramo, 57, of Whiting, was northbound on Columbia Avenue with her granddaughter, Julianna, in the back seat. They were returning home from the girl's orthodontist appointment in Munster.

The two had the green light at Columbia and Gostlin Street when the Durango crashed into Paramo's vehicle, police said. The Durango hit Paramo's SUV, forcing the SUV through a fence and into a grassy area outside Lang Ice Service's parking lot.

The Durango was forced into the right lane of westbound Gostlin, just east of the intersection, according to Hammond police. Both Howard and Pichon tried to run from the crash scene, records state.

Paramo was taken to Methodist Hospital's Northlake Campus in Gary with critical injuries and was later airlifted to Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill., police said.

Julianna was taken to Franciscan St. Margaret Health in Hammond, where she was pronounced dead from blunt-force trauma, according to the coroner's news release.

Pichon told a detective she was wrong for trying to steal the beer and would take full responsibility for that but wanted to get her car back and go home, records state. During the police chase, Pichon said she begged Howard to stop several times, but he refused, records state.

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Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. on Thursday offered his sympathies to the Paramo family but was upset the accident happened in the first place. East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland shared McDermott's sentiment Friday.

"I can tell you that it's under investigation. I'm waiting to find out the results of that investigation," Copeland said. "I'm awaiting an investigation that will produce the facts that will give me a reason to never second-guess. We owe the families the truth and nothing but the truth.

"My heart and my family and the East Chicago family, our hearts go out for them. They're in our prayers."

McDermott said Wednesday's accident was the second at that intersection in less than a year. A Lake County sheriff's officer was injured in June after a truck struck his squad car while he was responding to a drunk-driving call.

Michelle L. Quinn and Ruth Ann Krause are freelance reporters for the Post-Tribune. Post-Tribune reporter Craig Lyons contributed.
The Merrillville Town Council plans to conduct a feasibility study on a town-operated community center that would include finances and possible locations, now that an official with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana has expressed an interest in its plan.

"We're very interested," Ryan Smiley, interim president and CEO of the local youth organization, told council members at the conclusion of a joint workshop session Feb. 14.

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Smiley said it wasn't part of the organization's long-term strategic plan to embark on another capital campaign, having recently completed a $5.5 million campaign for its Tolleston campus in Gary.

"Is it part of our discussion in the future? Absolutely," Smiley said.

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He called the meeting the beginning of the conversation. He said he would talk to the organization's board of directors "and see where we can progress from here."

Smiley said that a comprehensive study concerning having a Boys & Girls Club was conducted in Merrillville about 11 years ago, but fell by the wayside. He said the club then formed a partnership with the Merrillville School Corp., using Merrillville Intermediate School on 61st Avenue for its local club.

He said the partnership with the school corporation has been successful for the organization, but there have been challenges with operating out of school buildings.

"If we're in an elementary school, we don't attract older kids," he said.

Councilman Shawn Pettit, D-6th, said the town is looking to have a separate building that would house its park department and its programs, and hopefully the Boys & Girls Clubs.

"We need to build it ourselves and let you guys come in. We need to have our brand on it," Council President Richard Hardaway, D-2nd, said.

He said he has always wanted Merrillville to be a community that families choose to live in.

"We can't be a community of choice now because we have nothing to offer families with school-age children," Hardaway said.

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The council brought up various sites where a current vacant building could be renovated or a new one built. Several locations along Broadway were mentioned, including the former off-track betting and Patio restaurant buildings, but it was pointed out that the Boys & Girls Clubs want some green space included at their sites so the children can play outside.

Pettit also mentioned the 2.8 vacant acres at 72nd Avenue and Broadway that the town owns and planned to turn into Union Park, but said the town would probably have to acquire more property for that site to work.

Parks director Jan Orlich said the first step should be to seek requests for proposals from companies to do the feasibility study. Town Manager Bruce Spires said that could be paid for from Broadway TIF District funds.

"It's imperative we move forward with the feasibility study. We need to include financials and geographical locations, and one of the most important things is we need to be near public transportation," she said.

The council said it would also talk to the Merrillville School Corp. about providing transportation for students to the future community center after school.

"It's important that we start moving, then don't stop," Hardaway said.

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Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
The former Farm Bureau at 1304 Evans Ave. is now owned by Calvary Church across the street. The church is turning the building into office space. (James D. Wolf Jr. / Post-Tribune)

A southern Indiana firm is looking at Valparaiso as the site of an assisted living facility made of 14 duplexes in seven buildings and a community building.

A representative of Cash, Waggner and Associates presented plans for the proposed Wildwind Subdivision at the Feb. 7 Site Review Committee meeting.

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The subdivision would be at the southwest corner of Silhavy Road and Vale Park Road, on 1.92 acres along Lilac Lane, City Planner Tyler Kent said.

Kent said that the company gave no definite start date and were presenting plans for the city staff to review.

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The firm's representative said that the one-story duplexes would have their own garages, and residents will pay for separate utilities themselves.

Also at the meeting, the staff favorably reviewed Calvary Church's plans to turn the old Farm Bureau building at 1304 Evans Ave. into offices for the church.

John Tilford, president of Restore-Tech, said the church wants to move the support and administrative offices there so there is more room in the church building, which church officials expect to have attendance pass 2,000 this year.

"It's growing by leaps and bounds," he said.

The church would like to start renovating the building as soon as possible, but an elevator is the biggest hurdle, Tilford said.

The church wants to make the basement accessible, he said.

James D. Wolf Jr. is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
The message of the March for a Welcoming Valparaiso on Saturday was a clear one.

"This must be the beginning of a movement that says we will not tolerate those who can't love us because of our differences," the Rev. Cheryl Rivera, executive director of the Northwest Indiana Federation of Interfaith Organizations, told the crowd at Valparaiso City Hall. "(Valparaiso) is big enough for all of us. Let's enlarge the circle."

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The event, in which more than 250 people walked from Valparaiso University to City Hall on an unseasonably warm day, was triggered by President Donald Trump's executive order that sought to prevent immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, organizers said. The order is on hold as it works its way through the federal court system.

With signs that read, "No ban, no wall, no hate," and "Resist fear, teach peace," the marchers chanted their way down Lincolnway with an occasional chorus of, "A country united shall never be divided." Several drivers honked as they passed by.

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Lakshmi Raman, of Valparaiso, a native of Madras, India, said she felt it was important to take part in the event.

"I want to show that Valparaiso has been welcoming for me," she said. "I've been here 18 years and this sends the right message for the city."

Organizer Candace Shaw, of Valparaiso, said she was motivated to put the march together after hearing in recent weeks from first and second generation Americans who are afraid because of what's going on in this country. She cited a recent report by the Southern Poverty Law Center that shows the number of hate groups is on the rise.

As she addressed marchers from the steps of City Hall, Shaw said she wanted those in attendance to carry the speakers' stories with them in their daily lives, to empathize with them.

"It's not enough to march on one day and move right back to the status quo," she said. "Today is not the ending. It is the beginning."

She told marchers at the start of the event and again when they reached City Hall not to engage with hecklers and to stay positive with their words and actions.

When a heckler tried to interrupt Janet French, officiant for Unitarian Universalist Church in Hobart, during a responsive reading, the crowd raised their voices to drown him out with, "We come together to take a stand for a welcoming Valparaiso."

Jesus, from the time of his birth, was a refugee when Joseph and Mary were warned to flee to Egypt, the Rev. Timothy of Trinity Lutheran Church in Valparaiso said.

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"If God has to depend on us not to get killed, we certainly need to also," he said. "People who are fleeing war zones and terrorists are not terrorists. People who are looking for a job are not terrorists. They are looking for a job."

The CEOs of Google, Apple, Tesla, Yahoo and Microsoft are immigrants or the children of immigrants, said Ferass Safadi, who graduated from Valparaiso High School and went on to get a degree from Loyola University. He and his wife are raising five children in Valparaiso, he said.

"It's the normal life of every single American except for one thing. I was born to immigrant parents. Muslim parents. Syrian parents," he said. "I am here to reaffirm what I saw in Valparaiso my whole life. It's a welcoming city."

Immigrants like his father, a physician, often leave everything behind and start with nothing when they arrive here. As a doctor in the region for more than 40 years, Safadi said his father "has served and healed more than 240,000 residents."

"He is proud to be a Muslim, and we are all proud to be American Muslims and American Jews and American Christians and not live in fear," he said. A policy of dividing the country to conquer it will not work because of the judicial system's system of checks and balances, he said.

As the hour-long rally wound down, Shaw introduced a surprise speaker, Nour Ulayyet, who garnered international attention when her sister was denied entry to the United States from Syria on Jan. 27, the day Trump's executive order went into effect. Sahar Algonaimi was en route to the U.S. to help care for her sick mother.

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"Thank you (for) every single prayer that came our way," said Ulayyet, of Valparaiso. With help from the community, U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, and U.S. Sen. Joe Donelly, D-South Bend, "my sister was able to come back here and is visiting with my mother."

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
2022 election guide: Here are Pueblo County's top races, ballot issues

Here's what you need to know about the local candidates and ballot questions in the 2022 election, as well as how to vote in Pueblo, Colorado.
CARSON CITY  Nevada Rural Housing Authority presented an award of recognition to Elko County Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi for his outstanding support of NRHAs mission to promote, provide and finance affordable housing opportunities for all rural Nevadans.

Our agency is only as successful and strong as our partnerships, Gary Longaker, NRHA executive director, said, Delmos partnership with NRHA is truly invaluable. His brand of unwavering support is the reason were able to achieve what we do in Elko and throughout rural Nevada.

A lifelong member of the Elko community, Andreozzi is the marketing and public relations director at Centruy 21, Gold West Realty. He is also an Elko County Commissioner serving District No. 2.

Andreozzis partnership and support of NRHA has come in many forms. From providing homebuyer education and hosting homebuyer seminars to helping train realtors on NRHAs Home At Last program, his number-one priority is helping the citizens of Elko and Nevada.

His efforts ensure that eligible homebuyers are aware of the programs that can help them get into homeownership. And as an Elko County Commissioner, he has supported measures to help fund the Home At Last Mortgage Credit Certificate program, providing even more opportunities to those wanting to purchase a home of their own.

Home  its so much more than a house. Its a home! Andreozzi said. The Home At Last program is truly a great program, and one of the things we need to make sure of is that its not the best kept secret.
President Xi Jinping on Friday called for an overall national security outlook at a seminar in Beijing, emphasizing the importance of political, economic, territorial, social and cyber security.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who heads the National Security Commission (NSC), presides over a seminar on national security in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)



Xi, who heads the National Security Commission (NSC), presided over the seminar on national security on Friday. Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang, the two deputy heads of the NSC, were present at the seminar.

After listening to reports by Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui, Hubei Province Party chief Jiang Chaoliang, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Chief Chen Quanguo, Xi said national security has become more and more important in the work of the Party and the state, adding that national security work is all about the people's interests.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that safeguarding national security requires the grasp of rules in the context of the great changes in the international order, and that the planning work must give priority to the prevention of risks.

National security planning must consider the general background that China is in a period of important strategic opportunity for development, Xi said.

"The overall direction of multipolarization of the world, the globalization of the economy and the democratization of international relations has not changed," said Xi.

"No matter how the international situation changes, we must maintain our strategic steadiness, strategic confidence and strategic patience," the president said.

He called for global vision in national security work, coordinating development and security, combining principles with tactics, and taking the strategic initiative in China's own hand.

Xi called for enhancing a prevention and control system for public security, improving overall capability in social management, and solving problems and disputes at their roots.

Xi stressed efforts should be made to enhance security in fields including transport and production of hazardous chemicals and improve fire prevention and control so that major accidents do not occur.

A firm fence of cyber security should be consolidated, and efforts should be made to better safeguard cyber security and key information infrastructure, Xi said.

Xi said the development of core technologies should be facilitated and early warning and monitoring of cyber security should be strengthened, in addition to ensuring the security of big data.

Xi stressed the need to proactively shape China's external security environment, adding the country must strengthen cooperation in security field and guide the international community to jointly safeguard international security.

Xi called for enhanced capacity building in terms of materials, technology, equipment, talent, law and mechanism to safeguard national security.

He underscored that it was a fundamental principle for national security work to adhere to the leadership of the Party, adding local Party leaderships must fulfill their national security obligations.
Beijing municipal government has set a goal of converting 57 percent of the city's household waste into energy.

This waste-to-energy conversion will be carried out at six garbage treatment plants to be opened this year, according to Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Management.

Commission director Sun Xinjun said Friday that the commission's priority this year is to encourage residents to create less waste, improve waste sorting and boost waste-to-energy conversion.

The most common conversion process generates electricity or heat directly through combustion, while some also use industrial processing to produce combustible fuels like methane and ethanol. This supplies energy and reduces carbon emissions.

With 21.7 million permanent residents, Beijing's massive amount of household waste has a profound impact on the environment. Beijing aims to raise its garbage treatment capacity to 30,000 tonnes a day by 2020 -- 24,000 tonnes being incinerated while the rest will undergo biological treatment. No untreated waste will be buried.

Lin Jinwen, another official with the commission, said Beijing will reduce waste sorting bins from three categories to two. One will be labeled "kitchen waste" with the other for the rest of household waste. The bins labeled "recyclable" will no longer be displayed to avoid confusion.

Lin said the city will distribute guidebooks and host training to help the public sort their daily garbage. As the campaign starts, there will even be helpers assigned to stand by community trash bins to help confused residents.

Waste sorting bins will spread from residential communities to companies, government offices, shopping malls and other public venues in the next few years.
China is beefing up efforts to better manage diplomatic vehicles with the recent release of a new regulation.

The regulation, jointly promulgated last month by the Foreign Ministry and other several ministries, will for the first time control the total number of such vehicles, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a news briefing on Friday.

Applications for these vehicles will be approved individually and the owners are required to buy third-party liability insurance for an insured amount of at least 1 million yuan ($147,000), the regulation says.

The number of diplomatic vehicles has surged amid China's opening-up, which has drawn a growing number of diplomats and larger staffs at international organizations, Geng said.

Under the regulation, new license plates will replace the old by May 1, Geng said. On Monday, the Laotian embassy received the first new plates. Previously, diplomatic license plates had the Chinese character for ambassador followed by numbers. Now the order is reversed, and the character is white instead of the former red.

The regulation allows ambassadors to register two such vehicles for private use. Other diplomats may register only one. Administrative and technical staff at diplomatic missions can register only one vehicle per household within the first six months of their terms of office in China.

Seven situations are listed in the regulation that would deprive the vehicle of diplomatic status. For example, a diplomatic vehicle loaned to someone who is not a diplomat forfeits its immunity privileges.

In addition, traffic violations will no longer be condoned as the ministries will closely oversee the purchase, use and traffic law compliance of these vehicles, Geng said.

The new regulation comes against the background of the long struggle to ease traffic jams in Beijing, where one-fifth of the more than 4 million vehicles in the city are restricted from the roads between rush hours on work days, said Sun Lijun, a professor of transportation at Tongji University in Shanghai.

Moreover, the recurrent smog in northern China has government promoting policies that limit emissions and help to improve air quality, he added.
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Celebration for the sixth anniversary of the revolution of February 17 took place on Friday in the Libyan capital Tripoli.

Libyans take part in a rally marking the sixth anniversary of the Libyan revolution in Tripoli, capital of Libya, on Feb. 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Hamza Turkia)



Libyans in public squares and street celebrated the anniversary of the uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.

UN-backed Prime Minister, Fayez Serraj, said in a televised speech congratulating the Libya people and commending "those who gave their lives for the country."

"Despite the hard times we had to go through in the past six years, we have to admit that what we live today is a heritage of failure to build a state of institutions and law that would serve all the people, not just one person," Serraj said, referring to Gaddafi's regime.

"The presidential council of the government of national accord spared no efforts to strengthen the unity between Libyans," Serraj added.

The anniversary comes as Libya is suffering security vacuum, chaos and political division. The country is also plagued with deteriorating economy and escalating violence.
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Serbian Prime Mininster Aleksandar Vucic officially entered the presidential race after the Steering Committee of his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) unanimously adopted the proposal to make him a candidate on Friday.

The Steering Committee of SNS held a session at Sava Center congress hall, and Vucic accepted to be the candidate in a speech in front of hundreds of party delegates and journalists.

"Despite all problems and advices (not to run for president), I decided to accept the candidature for the president of Serbia, because Serbia doesn't have much time and those who destroyed the country mustn't return to power," he stressed, adding his opponents should belong to the political past.

The mandate of the incumbent president Tomislav Nikolic expires on May 20, while Serbian law proscribes that elections must be called for at least 90 days earlier and held at least 30 days after that.

Serbian mainstream media speculate, according to their sources, that the incumbent president Tomislav Nikolic might run for another term, but this was neither confirmed nor rejected by the president's office.

So far several candidatures have been announced by the opposition parties.

Serbian Radical party already announced the candidature of its leader Vojislav Seselj. While the Democratic Party decided to support former ombudsman Sasa Jankovic as an independent candidate.

Vuk Jeremic, former foreign minister of Serbia and the former president of the general assembly of the United Nations, also decided to be an independent candidate.
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The Syrian Foreign Ministry accused Turkey on Friday of bringing in equipment to build a separation wall in northern Syria, according to state news agency SANA.

In a letter of condemnation sent to the UN, the ministry said the Turkish government's aggression on Syria soil is incessant.

On Jan. 11, the Turkish forces and border control guards brought in heavy machines and trucks into Syrian territories in northern Syria, particularly in the northern countryside of Hasakah province, making a dirt road and digging a trench while installing cement pillars to build a separation wall.

Three days later, the Turkish forces entered the Syrian territory at a depth of 250 meters in the town of Arab Tuma in the northern countryside of Aleppo province, and began to make a two-kilometer road to build a separation barrier in that area.

The ministry said that Turkish trucks yanked 2,500 olive trees in the Sheikh Hadid town in Aleppo countryside and captured areas to build a cement wall, while moving the fence at the Turkish Syrian borders 100 meters deep inside Syrian territories with a length of 600 meters.

The Turkish forces also repeated the move in the northwestern province of Idlib, which also has borders with Turkey, saying that the Turkish forces captured six acres of lands in the Harem area in Idlib countryside that belong to Syria citizens with the same aim to build the wall.

Moreover, the ministry said that the Turkish authorities have set up a military base in the village of Jitar in Aleppo countryside, containing arm depots and barracks for Turkish officers and soldiers.

The ministry condemned the Turkish "incursion," adding that it is a continuation of the Turkish violations that include providing various forms of military, material and logistic support to the rebels, bringing foreign "terrorists," facilitating their entry into Syria and setting up training camps for them on Turkish soil under direct Turkish intelligence supervision and providing arms and fire cover to the terrorist groups fighting inside Syria.

It urged the UN to pressure Turkey into halting its "violations against Syria and to implement UN Security Council resolutions pertaining countering terrorism."

Turkey has for long spoken of its intentions to create safe zones in northern Syria, and the recent revelation by the Syrian government regarding the Turkish wall building in northern Syria nurture the conviction that Ankara is moving on with its plans.

Syrian government officials recently said that any unilateral international actions without the consent of the Syrian government will be dealt with as violations to Syria's sovereignty.

President Bashar al-Assad said in a recent interview that setting up safe zones in northern Syria is "unrealistic."
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U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis on Friday reassured European leaders that the transatlantic bond is "the strongest bulwark against instability and violence" amid ongoing security uncertainty concerns after U.S. President Donald Trump took office.

"Security is always best when provided by a team," he told the Munich Security Conference (MSC) which officially opened Friday afternoon as an array of global security issues ranging from the future of the transatlantic alliance to the West-Russia relations are in the spotlight.

"America's security is tied to Europe," Mattis said.

"BEDROCK COMMITMENT"

The three-day MSC will see over 500 decisionmakers and participants in the realm of international security from the world debating critical security challenges.

Mattis said in his much-anticipated speech that the Article 5 of NATO charter on collective defense is "a bedrock commitment".

He also warned of the "threat on multiple fronts" in Europe and urged NATO allies to contribute their fair share to the collective defense.

Mattis' comments came weeks after Trump prompted severe concerns across Europe by calling NATO "obsolete".

But U.S. officials have since assured the transatlantic alliance's 27 other leaders that the U.S. has "strong support for NATO" and "the alliance remains a fundamental bedrock for the United States".

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is expected to address the MSC meeting on Saturday in his first foreign tour since taking office. He is also scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to further clarify his country's amid concerns over the new president's commitment to NATO and posture toward Russia.

German Minister of Defense, Ursula von der Leyen, said in her opening statement at the MSC that the Europe's open societies and way of life are targeted by sphere-of-influence politics as well as disinformation.

"We want to meet our commitment as Europeans, as Atlanticists, as a grown-up country, a reliable democracy," she said.

"A stable EU is as much in the U.S. interest as a united NATO," she said.

"MASSIVE UNCERTAINTY"

Besides the future of transatlantic relations and NATO after the election of Trump, the ongoing conference also focuses on the state of European Union (EU) cooperation in security and defense matters, the Ukraine crisis and relations with Russia, the war in Syria, and the security situation in the Asia-Pacific, including in the Korean Peninsula.

Participants will also discuss terrorism, information warfare, as well as major threats to global health and climate security.

At the MSC opening on Friday, MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger stressed the "massive uncertainty" in today's world as the "most anticipated security conference in many years" kicks off and the threats EU is under from both within and from outside.

"Some of the most important pillars of the liberal international order are weak," he said.

Much of Friday's MSC panel discussion sessions are devoted to discussion of the unity of the EU and the future of the West as the refuge crisis and Brexit are bringing uncertainty for the 28-member regional bloc.

The Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told the conference that solidarity is the key but only when it is considered and implemented everywhere. He urged the EU to distinguish refugees from migrants, a move obviously targeting the "closedoorism" concerns following Brexit.

"I don't see a reflection on the causes of Brexit in many countries and among many politicians," Waszczykowski said.

Frans Timmermans, first vice president of the European Commission, told the meeting that "what we need is more patriotism, but not in the form of nationalism".

Decision-makers including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Council President Donald Tusk and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg are all expected to address the meeting on Saturday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to address the conference late Friday.

Since its foundation in 1963, the annual MSC, once dubbed a "transatlantic family gathering", has become an independent forum dedicated to promoting peaceful conflict resolution and international cooperation and dialogue.
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Former British prime minister Tony Blair said Friday that the British people have a right to change their mind about leaving the European Union.

"Our mission is to persuade them to do so," Blair told a pro-stay organization in his first major speech on the topic.

His call flies in the face of British Prime Minister Theresa May's determination to carry out the will of the people in last June's referendum by taking Britain out of the EU. She is set to trigger the exit process by the end of March.

Addressing a meeting of the pro-European campaign group Open Britain, Blair said he recognized the British people voted to leave Europe, and he agreed the will of the people should prevail.

"But the people voted without knowledge of the true terms of Brexit. As these terms become clear, it is their right to change their mind. Our mission is to persuade them to do so," he said.

"The road we're going down is not simply hard Brexit. It is Brexit at any cost. Our challenge is to expose relentlessly what this cost is, to show how the decision was based on imperfect knowledge which will now become informed knowledge," Blair added.

Questioned at the meeting on whether he thought there should be a second referendum in Britain, Blair responded: "All I'm saying is that if a significant part of that 52 percent (who voted leave) show real change of mind, however you measure it, we should have the opportunity to reconsider this decision."

"Whether you do it through another referendum or another method -- that's a second order question. But this issue is the single most important decision this country has taken since World War II and debate can't now be shut down about it," Blair said.

His intervention was quickly condemned by leading leave supporters, including former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage and Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative MP. But former leader of the minority Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg said he agreed with what Blair had said.

Referring to Theresa May and Philip Hammond, Blair said: "Nine months ago both she and the chancellor were telling us that leaving would be bad for the country, its economy, its security and its place in the world. Today it is apparently a 'once in a generation opportunity' for greatness."

Blair added: "Britain can and would survive out of the EU. This is a great country, with resilient and creative people. No one is going to write us off, nor should they.

"But making the best of a bad job doesn't alter the fact that it isn't smart to put yourself in that position unless you have to," he added.
Shed antler hunting is a great hobby that gets families out into Nevadas vast expanses during late winter and early spring, but those who wish to hunt sheds have a duty to do it responsibly and legally, in order to minimize stress on winter-weakened wildlife and avoid impacts on habitat.

Some people might not realize that elk and mule deer shed their antlers in the winter months, and many members of the sporting and non-sporting public alike, head out to the winter ranges where animals concentrate to collect shed antlers for a wide variety of uses.

Prior to this winter, it had been several years since Nevadas wildlife had experienced extreme winter conditions, and this years badly needed precipitation has come at a price. Animals are more vulnerable to stress than they have been in several years due to the increased energy expenditures associated with staying warm, moving through deep snow and searching for food.

Wildlife is stressed across Nevada, particularly in the winter range, said Chief Game Warden Tyler Turnipseed. Its critical that shed hunters, hikers and anyone encountering wildlife give them plenty of space. Harassing wildlife is a crime.

In extreme cases, people use motorized vehicles or other means to pursue deer and elk, hoping the act of chasing them will cause their antlers to drop off. Its a crime to harass wildlife that carries an array of fines and penalties, including suspension of all hunting, fishing and trapping license privileges. Motor vehicles can also cause severe damage to winter range habitat, particularly when off road motorists make multiple tracks crisscrossing the range.

Shed hunting is a lot of fun, and if people do it carefully and on foot, it can have little to no impact on wildlife and habitat, said Turnipseed. Every year we hear of instances of improper shed collecting, and in a year like this, responsible shed hunting can make a difference for many winter-stressed animals.

The state of Utah has enacted an emergency statewide closure on shed collecting from Feb. 3March 31, creating concerns that many Utah residents may come to Nevada to collect sheds. More people can increase stress to an already delicate situation according to Turnipseed. Game wardens will be patrolling the range to make sure shed hunters follow the law.

To report wildlife crime, sportsmen and members of the public can call OGT at 800-992-3030. Follow Turnipseed on Twitter for the most up to date information on investigations @Chief_GW_NV.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, and promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOWs wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmens license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. Find us on Facebook, Twitter or visit us at www.ndow.org.
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The foreign ministers meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) concluded here Friday with participants affirming support for multilateralism after two days of intensive interactions.

German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said at a press conference shortly after the meeting ended that the participants agreed countries should work together to deal with the various challenges facing the world today.

"The meeting was very fruitful, indeed," Gabriel said.

Gabriel said the G20 played an increasingly important role in tackling global issues such as climate change and water scarcity, and such issues could only be tackled by working together, not by working in isolation.

The German minister also called for the establishment of an early warning mechanism so that the world would be better prepared to deal with global issues.

The meeting of foreign ministers, one of the serial ministerial-level meetings leading to the G20 Hamburg Summit in July, was held at the World Conference Center in Bonn.

The participants met on Thursday for the first working session focused on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted in September 2016 at the Hangzhou Summit.

They met for the second session on Friday to discuss issues about conflict prevention, post-conflict peace building, and how to strengthen cooperation with Africa.

The G20 is comprised of 19 countries plus the European Union (EU). The countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Britain, and the United States.
RENO  World-renowned animal behavioral expert and autism spokesperson Temple Grandin will be speaking about understanding animal behavior at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.

The University of Nevada Renos College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Natural Resources department and the Autism Coalition of Nevada are pleased to bring Grandin, a prominent author and speaker on animal behavior, to Reno. Grandin was honored as one of Time magazines most influential people in 2010 and has authored more than 400 articles in both scientific journals and livestock periodicals on animal handling, welfare and facility design. Recently, she has received the Meritorious award from the World Organization for Animal Health and was inducted into The Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Encouraged by her science teacher and mentor as a young student, Grandin pursued her interest in science. She received a bachelors degree in psychology from Franklin Pierce College in 1970, her masters in animal science from Arizona State University in 1975 and a doctorate in animal science from the University of Illinois in 1989.

One of her career goals is to improve animal welfare and productivity. Now a consultant and designer of livestock handling facilities for Grandin Livestock Handling Systems Inc. based in Fort Collins, Colorado, she is also a professor of animal science at Colorado State University.

Today, half the cattle in North America are handled in facilities she designed. Her unique facilities, such as the curved cattle chute, help keep animals calm and prevent them from getting hurt. Other facilities she has designed are located in Europe, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

Grandin is also widely celebrated as one of the first individuals on the autism spectrum to publicly share her insights and personal experience with autism.

Tickets for the event are $25. Visit the Temple Grandin Eventzilla website for tickets or call 850-291-6778 for more information.
China's securities regulator has relaxed the trading rules for stock index futures, signaling a gradual exit by the regulator from the harsh restrictions imposed during the market rout in 2015, analysts said on Friday.

The measures include lowering trading fees and raising the maximum daily trading cap at 10 contracts to 20 per investor. The minimum margin requirement for trading on the CSI 300 and SSE 50 index futures was also reduced from 40 percent to 20 percent of the contract value, according to a statement by the China Financial Futures Exchange on Thursday.

The relaxation reflected the regulator's desire to gradually restore the market function as a risk-hedging tool which was almost killed off in 2015 by a series of restrictive measures taken by the regulator to stem a market rout, analysts said.

Ma Wensheng, chairman of the Xinhu Futures Co Ltd, said: "A healthy and stable development of the stock market needs an effective futures market as a risk-hedging tool. The move by the regulator was in line with market expectations and meets investors' demand for this much-needed tool."

The trading of stock index futures was blamed for the market crash in the summer of 2015. Restrictive measures later imposed by the regulator almost dried up liquidity in the market and resulted in a dramatic drop in trading volumes.

While the initial effect on market trading will be limited as the relaxation was more of a symbolic gesture, the move was seen by analysts and investors as a timely and positive step to gradually improve the liquidity of a thinly-traded market.

Li Xinran, an individual investor in the stock index futures in Beijing, said: "I do not expect a big and substantial change in the current trading at the moment. But it is an encouraging message from the regulator to gradually normalize the market and improve liquidity."

Analysts at Sinolink Securities Co Ltd said in a report that the initial effect of the trading relaxation of stock index futures would likely be neutral on the A-share market.

"The future movement of the A-share market will be decided by a basket of factors. The overall market condition has not changed and we maintain our target for the benchmark index to reach 3,300 point," they said.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dropped 0.85 percent to 3,202.08 point on Friday.
Airbnb Inc bought Luxury Retreats in its biggest acquisition yet as the apartment-rental website takes steps toward becoming a full-service global travel company.

Airbnb unveiled the acquisition of the Canadian manager of high-end rentals and services on Thursday, declining to disclose financial terms. The cash and stock deal was worth roughly $300 million, people familiar with the matter said. Bloomberg reported the two were in talks last week.

Accor SA, Europe's biggest hotel operator, and Expedia Inc, the global online travel giant, also bid for Luxury Retreats, people familiar with the matter said.

Those companies' cash offers were bigger, but Luxury Retreats decided on Airbnb partly because its founder, Joe Poulin, foresaw having more control than at those other firms, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions were private.

Luxury Retreats, with more than 4,000 properties around the world, has built a concierge service that Airbnb will be able to offer to its customers.

Premium vacation-home rentals are a key growth area for the travel industry, which seeks greater profit margins on properties rented to wealthy globe-trotters.

Bloomberg
A robot helps check power transmission facilities in Quanjiao county, Anhui province. [Photo/China Daily]

Move expected to result in more business and higher exposure in South America

The State Grid Corp of China - the world's biggest utility company by revenue - said it will launch a tender offer to buy the remaining shares it does not already own in CPFL Energia SA, the Brazilian power group said in a securities filing.

The State Grid said on Thursday it would pay 25.51 reais ($8.35) per share for the balance in CPFL.

The latest move comes after the Chinese company last month acquired a controlling 54.64 percent stake in CPFL Energia and its subsidiary, CPFL Energias Renovaveis SA, for 17.36 billion reais ($5.68 billion).

According to the filing issued by CPFL, the largest power distributor in Brazil, the State Grid plans to delist CPFL from the New York and Sao Paulo stock exchanges.

Bloomberg Intelligence senior analyst Joseph Jacobelli said with the purchase, the State Grid would enjoy better synergies overall with more business and exposure in Brazil.

The State Grid did not reply to questions about the buyout, but said when taking the controlling stake, the deal would further extend its business to power transmission, distribution, new energy power generation and electricity sales.

It said last month that the acquisition would help it to introduce its new energy power generation technology and management experience in the South American country.

Now running most of the country's electricity distribution network, the State Grid has other projects in Brazil as well.

It earlier landed ultra high-voltage electricity transmission projects in Brazil, planning to build transmission lines from the huge Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in the Amazon area to the populous center-south region.

The first phase of the Belo Monte UHV DC Transmission Project is expected to start commercial operations by February 2018, Li Lequan, deputy director of State Grid International Development Co Ltd, SGCC's subsidiary for global operations, said earlier during a news conference.

Brazil's power sector is undergoing a wave of consolidation as several companies struggle financially amid Brazil's economic recession since middle 2014.
A Victoria's Secret advertisement at a department store in Shanghai. [Photo provided to China Daily]

US lingerie giant Victoria's Secret is opening its first full assortment stores in China. Two stores will open initially, one in Shanghai and the other in Chengdu.

Both stores will be opened during the first quarter of 2017, said its parent company L Brands in a news release on Friday.

Utmost secrecy shrouds details of Victoria's Secret's first store in Shanghai to be opened in less than two weeks. But officials from the city's Huangpu district, where the store will be located, are thrilled to bits already.

They expect what is, arguably, the world's sexiest brand to create a stir in the local market, helping boost all commercial establishments in the district, whose business has been sluggish of late.

"Victoria's Secret store, together with some other new commercial projects to be launched this year, will reinvigorate the commerce environment of Huaihai Road and help it to restore its former glory," said Chen Yong, director of the Commission of Commerce for Huangpu district, at a media briefing on Thursday.

For decades, Huaihai Road had been labeled the Fifth Avenue or the Champs-Elysees of Shanghai. With the rise of e-commerce, however, several malls and boutique stores had to shutter or were left vacant in recent years.

Last September, Pacific Department Store, one of the most iconic and historical traditional stores along the road, just a block away from the upcoming Victoria's Secret store, was closed.

According to Chen, the lingerie store's opening will likely create a splash as the brand's celebrated models, known as "the angels", are to be flown in to Shanghai. And the reputed Victoria's Secret Annual Show is also likely to take place in the city.

In an email to China Daily, a company spokesperson confirmed the district officials' take on the store opening, but said "we have not announced an opening date".

The Ohio-based lingerie brand has been operating 20 "concept stores" in mainland cities, selling only accessories and beauty products. In March 2016, it announced an expansion in the China market with plans to sell its core lingerie collections.

According to Euromonitor International, China's retail market for women's underwear has seen a compound annual growth rate of 9.7 percent from 2011 to 2016, reaching 139 billion yuan ($20.1 billion) in 2016.

Wu Yiyao contributed to the story.
A skilled worker operates a welding robot at an elevator-manufacturing company in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. [Photo/China Daily]

China is confident of realizing its 6 percent annual growth target for industrial output in 2017 as the growth momentum of the industrial sector is improving, a top official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Friday.

"The country's industrial economy developed steadily and positively, while business performance and market confidence improved in 2016. That momentum is expected to continue this year," said Industry and Information Technology Minister Miao Wei at a news conference on Friday.

China's industrial output, a main gauge of industrial production, increased by 6 percent last year and quarterly growth had improved from 5.8 percent in the first quarter to 6.1 percent in the next three quarters, clearly indicating stable growth for the whole industry, ministry data showed.

Other indicators such as the producer price index and purchasing managers' index have all improved. For example, the PPI, which gauges factory-gate prices, has been positive since September and surged 5.5 percent in December. The PMI, an indicator of manufacturing activities, has remained above 50 since March, indicating expansion.

High-tech manufacturing industries have maintained higher growth, while the integration of the manufacturing industry with the internet has taken firm steps, with the internet-enabled new economy showing strong growth, Miao said.

The output the high-tech industry grew 10.8 percent over the previous year, ministry data showed.

The ministry will implement the Made in China 2025 strategy, strengthen the high-tech manufacturing industry as well as cultivate new driving forces, with a view to achieving stable growth for the industrial economy, Miao said

Cutting overcapacity in the steel sector will continue to be a key task for the ministry.

"This year is very crucial for cutting excessive industrial capacity, which is also a long-term task. We are very determined to implement the strategy and won't slacken our efforts," said the ministry's vice-minister, Xu Lejiang.

China plans to cut steel output to 150 million metric tons from 250 million tons by 2020. In 2016, over 65 million tons of iron and steel production capacity were reduced, exceeding its target of 45 million tons.

Xu said the measures showed positive results as the total profits of steel companies more than doubled last year.
BEIJING - Net foreign exchange sales in Chinese banks dropped last month, indicating eased capital outflows, new data showed Friday.

Banks bought $121.6 billion worth of foreign currency and sold $140.8 billion, resulting in a net sale of $19.2 billion in January, according to an online State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) statement.

The deficit was down from December's $46.3 billion and November's $33.4 billion.

The pressure on capital outflows has been alleviated since the start of the year, SAFE said, citing month-on-month declines in foreign currency buying by businesses and individuals for overseas investment, study and trips.

There had been rising concerns about capital flowing out of the Chinese market in the second half of 2016, when the economy was facing looming downward pressures and the Chinese yuan was in the middle of a losing streak against the US dollar.

But the yuan gradually recovered from its weakness in recent months. Its central parity rate strengthened for the fourth consecutive day to 6.8456 against the US dollar Friday, marking a more than three-week high.

The Chinese economy also started 2017 on a firmer footing, supported by robust factory activities and better-than expected foreign trade.

Despite external uncertainties, China's sound economic fundamentals will determine stable cross-border capital flows in the medium and long run, according to SAFE.
VIENTIANE - China's Hebei Construction and Investment Group Co Ltd (HCIG) on Friday signed an agreement with Lao Ministry of Planning and Investment on the development of a hydropower plant in Lao southern Sekong province.

Lao Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Khamlien Pholsena, Vice-General Manager of HCIG and Chairman of the Construction and Investment International Co Ltd Wang Jinsheng jointly signed the agreement.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Wang said his company will follow the requests put forward by Lao government, strictly fulfill its obligations and responsibilities to soon finish procedures and construction of the plant for the prosperity of Laos and improvement of local residents' lives.

The Construction and Investment International Co Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HCIG which is an entity of Hebei's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

Earlier in July 21, 2015, the Construction and Investment International Co Ltd and Lao Ministry of Planning and Investment signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the project of hydropower plant on Huai La-Nge River at Kaleum District in Sekong privince, some 530 km southeast of Lao capital Vientiane.

After fulfilling all the work specified in the MoU, HCIG and the Lao ministry signed the project development agreement on Friday in Lao capital Vientiane.

The hydropower plant has an installed capacity of 60 MW with total investment of $136 million, according to General Manager of the Construction and Investment International Co Ltd Yu Zhongcai.
Wang Lijun accepts interviews after he is announced as innocent at court in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Friday. HEI KE/CHINA DAILY

A villager who was penalized for illegally purchasing corn was pardoned on Friday at a court in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The intermediate court in the region's Bayannur city overturned the original judgment and announced Wang Lijun innocent.

Wang, who was sentenced to one year in jail with a two-year reprieve, showed his excitement after the announcement, saying, "I'm happy with the result".

The 46-year-old villager was given the sentence during the first trial at Linhe District People's Court in the city on April 15 after he was said to have obtained 6,000 yuan ($874) in profits by purchasing corn without a business license between November 2014 and January 2015.

The court also fined him 20,000 yuan.

The villager handed the fine to the court and did not appeal to a higher court at that time.

But after a review, the Supreme People's Court made a decision on Dec 16, asking the city's court to retry the case over the erroneous application of law by the district court.

Wang Dianxue, the villager's attorney, applauded the national top court's decision, "as it is a duty for judicial authorities to have a retrial if they find something wrong in verdicts".

"The seriousness of the case is not big enough to be defined as a criminal case. The purchase didn't disturb public order," the attorney said. "It's a kind of an administrative violation or it doesn't need to be criminally penalized."

The fact that the top court took initiative to correct wrongful convictions without requiring an appeal should be encouraged, he said, adding "which is the bigger significance of the pardon".

He said that he was glad to witness his client pronounced not guilty, "because the evidence of his corn purchase made it hard to prove he violated the Criminal Law."

The villager said that he did not know what to do after he was sentenced.

"I was afraid to say I was innocent, as I worried I might be jailed," Wang Lijun said.

"But now the top court proved me not guilty," he said.

Ruan Qilin, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law, said the correction reflects the rule of law, adding that it will guide courts to strictly apply criminal charges when penalizing people.
Police in Taiwan have broken up a telecom fraud case in which a university professor on the mainland was scammed out of around 18 million yuan ($2.6 million), according to a report from China News Service.

The report said Taiwan police arrested eight people who were suspected members of a fraud ring in Taiwan on Wednesday.

The report cited other Taiwan media saying the professor, surnamed Huang, from prestigious Tsinghua University, reported to police in Beijing in July that she was scammed out of 17.6 million yuan by a group of phone swindlers disguised as officials from law enforcement and judicial departments.

Police in Taiwan discovered that some of the money swindled from Huang was withdrawn from ATMs in Taiwan and some was transferred through online banking services. The transactions were found using IPs registered in Taiwan.

Police arrested the suspects in an office building in Taichung City on Wednesday and gathered evidence at the scene including internet equipment and software for money transfers.

The large amount of money involved attracted wide public attention to the case.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, more than 7,600 organized telecom fraud rings were broken up last year. In these cases, 561 suspects have been brought to the mainland from other countries including Kenya, Laos and Malaysia. Among them, 219 are Taiwan residents.

More than 100 million yuan has been returned to victims, the ministry said.

In 2015, a series of telecom frauds nationwide netted 22.2 billion yuan. Half the money flowed into bank accounts in Taiwan, and so far only a fraction of the total amount has been recovered, leaving many families destitute.

In April 2015, police in Guizhou province broke up China's biggest single case of telecom fraud, in which 117 million yuan of public money was taken from the construction bureau of the Economic Development Zone in Duyun city.
ELKO  Mail service returned to Montello on Friday but the rain also returned to northeastern Nevada, prompting a small-stream flood advisory while flooding continues along the Humboldt River between Battle Mountain and Winnemucca.

Another foot of snow is expected Saturday in the Sierra Nevada, while a stronger storm is forecast to move into the region late Sunday into Monday.

Water diversions have successfully removed some water from the main channel and lowered the flood wave along the Humboldt River, the National Weather Service reported Friday.

The postmaster in Montello distributed mail in front of the flooded post office on Friday, the first day a shipment has made it to the remote town.

As soon as the roads allow, we will have a mobile Post Office on site, said spokesman David Rupert. Then, centralized mailbox units will be installed for use until repairs can be arranged.

State Route 233 remains closed from Interstate 80 to the Utah line, but some local traffic has been directed in from the south.

Flood recovery efforts are under way in Elko after the Humboldt flooded up to 100 homes last weekend. The international aid group Team Rubicon was assessing damage Friday. Anyone wanting to volunteer to help in the flood area should meet at 7 a.m. Saturday at the Home Depot to register.

All volunteers should be dressed appropriately for work in the flood area, stated the City of Elko. Team Rubicon will assist homeowners remove drywall, insulation, and carpeting that will eventually create a health hazard.

Anyone requiring assistance with flood damage should call the Red Cross Resource Center at 725 Railroad St., phone 340-4550. The City of Elko Emergency Operations Center has been closed but the phone number, 777-7320, is in effect until further notice.

Weather conditions are expected to stay wet for the next week, with a mix of snow and rain.
Cadres told to fortify ideals, stay on course

Provincial and ministerial officials attending a four-day workshop have been told to strictly practice self-discipline and safeguard the authority of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

During the workshop, which ended on Thursday, attendees sharpened understanding of various remarks by President Xi Jinping and of the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party.

"Leading officials should strengthen their political capability, fortify their political ideals, uphold political direction, be steadfast in their stance and strictly observe political rules," Xi said at the opening session of the workshop on Monday.

Such workshops date back to late in the last century and are now part of the CPC routine. In 1999, a financial seminar at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee was attended by provincial and ministerial officials.

Since then, workshops on major strategic plans have been held almost every year, with topics covering deepening reform, promoting the rule of law and implementing decisions of plenary sessions of the CPC Central Committee.

This week's workshop aimed to help senior officials understand two documents adopted at last year's sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, one on the norms of political life within the Party in the new era, and a regulation on intra-Party supervision.

The workshop stressed the self-discipline required of "key minorities," a term first raised at a workshop in February 2015 that refers to the small group of officials at provincial and ministerial level who have both extensive power and big responsibilities.

The term has since been regularly brought up. Last month, senior CPC leader Liu Yunshan asked organization departments to practice strict intra-Party political life and strengthen intra-Party supervision, focus on "key minorities" and promote comprehensive and strict governance of the Party.

Xin Ming, a Party School professor of CPC studies, said this group of officials is crucial to governing the country, as many are members or alternate members of the CPC Central Committee - the top decision-making body.

An editorial published on Friday in People's Daily, the CPC's official newspaper, also required senior officials to stay vigilant and not allow themselves to be swayed by interests groups. If officials ignore self-discipline, they could easily be knocked down by sugarcoated bullets, it said.

At the workshop's closing ceremony on Thursday, Liu also urged officials to safeguard the authority of the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core.

He called for deepening ideological education, tightening political discipline, and strengthening management and supervision of Party members.

Guo Xiangong, director of the Party-building division of the Party School of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee, said provincial and ministerial officials act as connectors, carrying out the policies of higher authorities and making decisions for lower ones.

These officials follow the policies and guidelines of central authorities and serve as the decision-makers for city, county and township-level ones, he said.

Their understanding of central authorities' policies and guidelines directly affects the implementation and effect of policies, he said.
BONN, Germany - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during a meeting here with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida on Friday, urged efforts from both countries to bring bilateral ties back on the right track.

Wang and Kishida met on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty (G20) ministerial summit in Germany's western city of Bonn.

Wang noted that 2017 and 2018 respectively mark the 45th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japan diplomatic ties and the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan.

He said both countries should take the opportunity of these anniversaries, draw on past experiences on their relations, and work to consolidate the political foundation for bilateral ties, in a bid to bring bilateral ties back on the correct track.

Wang stressed that there are now both opportunities and challenges for improving China-Japan relations. He said the continous, negative moves made recently by Japan regarding major sensitive issues have caused disturbances to the improvement of bilateral ties.

He said only when Japan honors its commitments and adopts a responsible attitude, thus preventing the occurrence of incidents damaging the political foundation of the China-Japan ties can there be real improvement in relations.

Kishida said 2017 is a vital year for the China-Japan relations, expressing the Japanese side's willingness to handle differences between both countries well. He said Japan would work to make events marking the 45th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japan ties a success, giving a boost to the improvement of bilateral ties.

Saying Japan attaches importance to the major concerns raised by China, Kishida reiterated Japan's stance of not supporting claims of "two Chinas," "one China one Taiwan," and not supporting "Taiwan independence," saying the stance would not change.
China's top court and the national judge association strongly called the public to further protect judges' safety and uphold judicial credibility on Saturday, after a grassroots judge was injured by a defaulter.

Zhou Long, the judge of a court in Shuyang county, Jiangsu province, was hit by a car on his way to work Friday afternoon, and then he was continually stabbed by the driver, according to a statement from the Supreme People's Court.

The seriously injured Zhou is recovering after being hospitalized, the statement said.

After a preliminary investigation, the county court declared that the driver named Hu Xiaogan is a defaulter, who declined to comply with his rulings and disturbed the court's order for his dissatisfaction with verdicts before the attack, the statement said.

The suspect has been arrested by local police and the case is still under investigation, it added.

The top court showed its shock and anger to the latest case on Friday and advocated on its official micro blog on Saturday to severely and strictly punish those who harm justice and judges.

It was not the first case that a judge was attacked by litigants or people involved in disputes.

On Jan 26, Fu Mingsheng, a retired judge from a court in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was stabbed to death in his home by the defendant in a divorce case Fu handled in 1994.

Last year, Ma Caiyun, a Beijing judge, was shot in the stomach and face at home by a litigant who was discontent with the property division in a divorce verdict Ma gave.

To better protect judges' safety, the top court issued a guideline on Feb 7, in which it said it will punish those who disturb judicial work or take revenge on legal officers.

"We've told judges across the country to increase self-protection as well as that for their family members," the statement said, calling courts at all levels to establish their own judge protection association in a timely manner.

It also asked every court to improve court facilities, taking judges' dignity and safety as priority.

"Protecting judges is to uphold justice. Anyone who disturbs, threatens and damages judges and justice should be severely penalized," it added.
A villager who was penalized for illegally purchasing corn was pardoned on Friday at a court in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The intermediate court in the region's Bayannur city overturned the original judgment and announced Wang Lijun innocent.

Wang, who was sentenced to one year in jail with a two-year reprieve, showed his excitement after the announcement, saying, "I'm happy with the result".
Marine Le Pen, French National Front (FN) political party leader and candidate for the French 2017 presidential election, attends the 2-day FN political rally to launch the presidential campaign in Lyon, France February 5, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

With still more than two months to go until the first round of France's presidential election, the contest is already looking messy. A financial scandal, online gossip about one candidate's sexual orientation and accusations of interference in the electoral process by a foreign power have enlivened the race to replace outgoing socialist President Francois Hollande.

Among more than half a dozen hopefuls, attention is focused on three - right-of-center former prime minister Francois Fillon, independent centrist Emmanuel Macron and far right-winger Marine Le Pen.

In the rest of Europe and other Western capitals, mainstream politicians are nervously watching to see if the National Front's Le Pen will win this time around. In 2002, her father Jean-Marie Le Pen made it to a second round runoff against Jacques Chirac, in which left-wing and conservative voters joined forces to deny him victory.

A decade and a half ago, a National Front victory would have been an anomaly. This year - post-Brexit and post-Donald Trump - it could be seen as a further sign of a perceived populist insurgency against out-of-touch ruling liberal Western elites. The outcome is still too close to call. And even Benoit Hamon, a leftist critic of the so-called neo-liberal order, could yet deliver his own upset on behalf of the somewhat discredited Socialist Party.

The contest has been rocked by an investigation into allegations that the conservative frontrunner Fillon paid his wife and children salaries for non-existent jobs earlier in his political career. Although he is hanging on for now, the affair has badly dented his opinion poll ratings.

At the same time, former investment banker Macron has been rising in the polls by focusing on fixing the economy. He has the benefit of being a political outsider, even if he is a former Rothschild banker, which is hardly likely to endear him to anti-elitist insurgents.

The long-married Macron has laughed off rumors that he is a closet homosexual. The gossip figured prominently in Russian media, where he has also been labeled a secret agent for US banking interests. Aides have hit back by claiming the Kremlin is trying to interfere in the electoral process because Moscow would prefer to see the victory of either Le Pen or Fillon, both seen as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Most of the outside world would undoubtedly prefer continuity rather than unsettling change. China, for example, has enjoyed a rewarding relationship with Hollande, including cooperation on infrastructure projects, as he reminded Beijing in a speech to mark the Year of the Rooster.

A Le Pen victory, in particular, would place another big question mark over the future of the European Union following the referendum vote in the United Kingdom to leave the bloc, as at a minimum, the National Front candidate would seek to pull France out of the eurozone. The first round of the election is on April 23 and the second on May 7 if, as is almost certain, no candidate wins a clear majority first time around.

It will not be the first test of European opinion this year. The Netherlands votes in mid-March, with the far-right, anti-immigrant and euroskeptic Geert Wilders topping recent polls. However, the Dutch tradition of coalition government would almost certainly deny him the premiership.

Germany votes in September in a contest that could be influenced by voting trends elsewhere in Europe. So, is Europe headed for what Wilders calls a "patriotic spring" or will centrists hold on to power in the Netherlands and elsewhere?

One lesson that has been taken from Brexit and Trump's victory in the US is that Western voters have rejected decades of globalization, internationalism and free trade and the austerity for which such policies are blamed.

An equally valid lesson is that almost exactly half of Western voters have failed to be swayed by such an analysis and are relatively happy with the status quo, even if they would like to see their politicians be more responsive on social issues.

Nationalism is not an unstoppable tide. In France and elsewhere, there is all to play for.

The writer is a senior media consultant for China Daily UK.

(China Daily 02/18/2017 page5)
I remember seeing a very impressive public service advertisement promoting filial piety. It asked people to draw a 30 by 30 grid on a sheet of paper, with each square representing one month of a person's life (considering the average life span is 75 years), to calculate how many more months or years they are likely to live. Those who work in cities far away from their hometowns can also calculate how much time of their adult life they have spent (or will spend) with their parents.

The ad came back to haunt me after this Spring Festival holiday, a time when many people traveled back home to share the festive joys with their parents and probably have to wait for another year before they can do so again.

With China facing an aging population and accelerating migration from rural to urban areas, and the members of the "one-child" generation becoming the sole breadwinners in their families, taking care of senior citizens is becoming an increasingly tough social challenge both in cities and the countryside.

Since filial piety is an age-old tradition in China, the vast majority of Chinese people agree that visiting parents regularly and providing them with all the necessary help are the responsibility of their grownup children. But the problem is, not all those who have migrated to cities in search of better livelihoods, despite their best efforts, can manage the time or resources to do so. This applies to both white-collar and blue-collar workers.

Indeed, social administration authorities at all levels have taken measures to address this problem. And several local authorities have issued policies requiring people to meet their aged parents' material and spiritual needs. But government regulations alone cannot solve this familial and social conundrum.

Earlier this month, Southwest China's Chongqing municipal government issued the draft law for the protection of senior citizens' rights and interests which requires "supporters and other family members that don't live with the elders" to pay frequent visits to their parents, and call them over the phone or write to them regularly.

However, the draft, despite its good intentions, is not likely to achieve the desired results even if it is implemented in its current form. On the one hand, "frequent" is a vague term that cannot be quantified in real terms. On the other hand, if a person's place of work and hometown are thousands of kilometers away, it is really difficult for him/her to pay "frequent" visits to his/her parents. And even if people make phone calls or write letters regularly, they cannot meet their parents' emotional needs. Written words or those conveyed over the phone are no substitute for physical presence.

That is not to say governments cannot do anything to improve the situation. The authorities' appeal, as in the Chongqing draft law, can help build a more harmonious social environment and encourage people to take better care of their old parents.

But what we urgently need is a "smart" social policy that will help people to spend more time with their parents and meet their various needs.

In this regard, the recently approved Fujian provincial ordinance for the protection of senior citizens' rights and interests is a good example. The ordinance says employees are entitled to 10 days of paid leave a year if they belong to single-child families and their parents are above 60 years of age, so that they can visit them regularly and meet their spiritual and other needs.

The Fujian ordinance not only attempts to solve the practical problem that many people face in taking care of their aged parents, but also protects such people's rights and interests. Local authorities should learn from such policies and take more positive measures to safeguard the rights and interests of senior citizens.

The author is a writer with China Daily. wangyiqing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/18/2017 page5)
The Hong Kong stock market has rarely charmed investors so much in the last couple of years. The Hang Seng index rose 9.8 percent from the beginning of the year to the end of last week, outperforming almost all the other markets in the world.

Hong Kong is still a window to the Chinese mainland's economy. Its stock market's recent performance confirms what some analysts said at the turn of the year: for all its existing problems and the uncertainties of other economies, the Chinese economy, and for that matter, the Hong Kong market, will be a stabilizing factor in 2017.

Over the last few years, China has learned how to achieve the needed level of growth during its economic transition while dealing with a host of external threats and meeting domestic challenges.

Some overseas commentators have highlighted these threats and challenges and, from time to time, interpreted them as signs of a larger setback, if not a general crisis, for the mainland economy. But their alarming forecasts have not come true.

The economy's growth data from the second half of 2016 and the recent price indexes of consumer and producer goods show a slow but sure-footed recovery, which is better than most other emerging economies'. More importantly, China didn't achieve the recovery by slashing the exchange rate of the yuan or deliberately increasing its exports volume.

For some years, the Chinese business media have been "looking for new growth drivers". If the country could continue relying on exports for growth, they wouldn't be looking for new drivers.

Apparently, several sectors are beginning to replace - or have replaced - manufacturing and exports as the growth drivers. Among those sectors is the "high-speed railway economy" - or all the business opportunities China can create by expanding its high-speed railway network. This completely domestic system is just beginning to realize its potential. And in 2017, when the threat of an international trade war looms large, it can serve as a strategic stabilizer for the national economy.

However, it would be simplistic to say China's high-speed railway program is only an expediency designed to meet the orders of construction companies and create jobs for their workers.

Faster trains with efficient services can expand and improve the Chinese tourism industry, which saw a year-on-year growth of 15.9 percent, totaling 423.3 billion yuan ($61.78 billion) during the recently ended Spring Festival holiday week. Plus, the high-speed railway has opened up hitherto remote places to tourists, expanding business opportunities.

In 2016, the domestic tourism sector's revenue reached 3.9 trillion yuan, equivalent to more than 5 percent of the country's GDP. And in South China's Guangdong province, the tourism revenue was equivalent to nearly 15 percent of the provincial GDP.

China's economic development has always had a geographical dimension. Since the 1980s, its economic growth was led by large-scale development and opening-up of certain cities - the special economic zones in Shenzhen in the 1980s, Pudong (Shanghai) in the 1990s, and Chongqing, which was brought under direct central government administration, in the 2000s.

China's high-speed railway network will continue to expand in 2017, helping distant cities to form economic ties with their more advanced counterparts, and proximate cities to form their own economic clusters. The amount of financial investment that a sound transport and communications network can generate is far beyond the revenue from the sales of tickets. Similarly, an efficient high-speed railway is not only about travel and tourism but also about its overall economy-boosting capacity.

So players in the Hong Kong financial market, who expect handsome returns from their investments, should see the mainland's high-speed railway system not just as a potentially profitable industry, but also as a new dimension of the mainland's entire economic geography.

The author is an editor-at-large of China Daily. edzhang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/18/2017 page5)
In Algorithm, a new hotspot in Sanlitun in Beijing, you can buy just about anything, from food to clothing, accessories, furniture and even the bonsai plants in the corridor.

Feeling peckish? No problem. Just snap up that swish jacket and that bonsai plant and head for the dining area

It's no use trying to pigeonhole Algorithm as a multibrand fashion boutique or a restaurant or a furniture store; It's all of the above.

Five minutes' walk from the Sanlitun area of Beijing, the store is located at a bustling intersection. The design is minimalist, the venue having transparent glass walls. The whole store becomes a window display as the glass walls frame the dining scene and fashion display inside.

In this store you can buy just about anything, from food to clothing, accessories, furniture and even the bonsai plants in the corridor so long as they take your fancy.

The menu is updated every season, and every dish is named after a city that has a personal story to tell. For example, the sandwich is named Copenhagen, where two of the founders say they met for the first time.

At a time when technology is making almost everything easier, Hu Nan, co-founder of Algorithm, believes that there really is nothing to match sensory experience and communication.

She wants to stimulate everyday life by giving a sense of ceremony to the tiniest things in life, she says.

"When we really pay attention to the minutiae of life we are happier," she says.

She studied economics at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing and later became the executive chief editor of Fashion China Magazine.

There Hu established an extensive network in fashion circles. She curated one of the first showrooms for Chinese designers during China Fashion Week and worked as a consultant on strategy and design to many fashion brands.

After working for a few years she went on to acquire a master's degree in business at the University of International Business and Economics and traveled to Europe during her study.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meet on the sidelines of a gathering of foreign ministers of the G20 leading and developing economies at the World Conference Center in Bonn, Germany, on Friday. CHINA NEWS SERVICE

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his US counterpart Rex Tillerson agreed in Bonn on Friday that the two countries should work together for greater development of bilateral relations during US President Donald Trump's term. Wang and Tillerson met on the sidelines of the foreign ministers meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) to exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of mutual concerns. The meeting is the first of its kind since Tillerson assumed office.

Wang said the recent telephone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Trump had great significance.

During the conversation, Wang said the US side had made it clear that it would continue to honor the one-China policy and the two leaders agreed that China and the United States could be great partners and should promote greater development of their bilateral relationship from a new starting point.

This key consensus has safeguarded the political basis of Sino-US relations, charted the course of the relationship in the new era and created the necessary pre-conditions for the two nations to engage in strategic cooperation on bilateral, regional and global issues, Wang noted.

Wang said that China and the United States, both shouldering the responsibilities of securing world stability and enhancing global prosperity, had more common interests than disputes.

China is ready to work with the US side to implement the consensus reached between President Xi and President Trump, and move their bilateral relationship forward in the direction that features no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Wang said.

He said the two sides should increase communication, enhance trust, handle differences properly and deepen cooperation in a bid to ensure greater development of bilateral relations during Trump's presidency, bring tangible interests to the two countries' peoples and make more contributions to world peace and prosperity.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police said on Saturday they have detained a Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) citizen suspected to be involved in the death of a DPRK man identified by Malaysian authorities as Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un.

The male suspect was identified as "Ri Jong Chol," who was born on May 6, 1970, in the DPRK, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said in a statement, citing information on the ID card in the suspect's possession, known in Malaysia as "i-Kad," used by foreign workers living in the country.

Abdul Samah Mat, police chief of Selangor state who leads a criminal investigation in the case, told Xinhua that the suspect was caught Friday after police forces raided a condominium in Selangor.

He declined to reveal the links between the DPRK man and two female suspects detained previously, one with Vietnamese travel document and the other an Indonesian. A local Malaysian male has also been detained to assist investigation.

The 46-year-old Kim Jong Nam was found dead on Monday at the Kuala Lumpur airport.

Though police has completed postmortem on the deceased, Abdul said the police still need the body in their investigation and will not transfer the body to the DPRK embassy before they receive DNA samples from the next-of-kin.

Meanwhile, DPRK Ambassador Kang Chol said on Friday that they will "categorically reject" the results of the postmortem conducted by Malaysia and demanded an immediate transfer of the body.

The DPRK embassy in Malaysia has not confirmed the identity of the suspect.
A zip line and five-gallon bucket are making it possible for stranded Maggie Creek Ranch workers to get home-cooked meals and clothing from their families.

Its good to have cooked food, said the Maggie Creek Ranch manager, Jon Riggs, who said the bucket also brings clothing and other needed items to his crew and to him.

Seven families are on one side of the washed-out road that would normally provide access to the main bridge that is used to go back and forth to the ranch headquarters south of Interstate 80 west of Elko. The ranch workers are on the other side.

There is now a 40-yard gap to the bridge, Griggs said.

Road repair will be a significant project, he said, adding that the ranchs equipment to repair the road is on the wrong side of the washed-out road.

Still, Griggs said the flooding from the Humboldt River hasnt damaged any homes or buildings on the ranch and no livestock have been lost. The challenge, however, is that this is the time of year when Maggie Creek Ranch moves cattle to the north range, and that route is flooded and will be muddy for some time.

The trail the cattle follow goes under Interstate 80.

Griggs said he thought the South Fork Dam really saved us this year from worse flooding.

Newmont Mining Corp.s Elko Land and Livestock TS Ranch is in worse shape from the flooding and has cattle in jeopardy, Griggs said.

Elko Land and Livestock also owns the Horseshoe, IL and Big Springs ranches in northeastern Nevada.

Elko Land and Livestock has experienced significant impacts resulting from the recent Humboldt River and related tributaries floodwaters. Irrigation works and related infrastructure have experienced damage along with livestock impacts, said Jeff White, vice president of Elko Land and Livestock.

Roadway access, particularly in the Boulder Valley area, has been hampered, along with the precautionary closure of the bridge leading to the TS Ranch, he said.

White said crews are assessing the damage.

At the sprawling Winecup Gamble Ranch in northern Elko County, buildings were damaged by floodwaters, but no one was hurt and livestock losses were minimal, said the ranch general manager, James Rogers.

He said it will probably be months before the extent of the flood damage is determined.

We still cant get to places. Were just in the discovery stage, Rogers said.

The flooding on the largest ranch in Elko County was caused by water from snowmelt filling the 78-mile-long Thousand Springs Creek, he said.

The Winecup headquarters is roughly four miles east of U.S. Highway 93, which was closed on Feb. 9 due to flooding and reopened Feb. 12. The Gamble headquarters is about seven miles north of Montello, which is on State Highway 233, which was damaged and is closed.

Rogers also said that contrary to some reports, the flooded Thousand Springs drainage had nothing to do with Montello. The little town of Montello had major flood damage, but he said that was from snowmelt from the mountains, and it would be impossible for Thousand Springs drainage to reach the town.

The Twentyone Mile Dam near Montello used for rural irrigation in Elko County broke on Feb. 8, and The Associated Press reported on Feb. 9 that State Engineer Jason King said the dam had received a fair rating in June on the scale of poor, fair and satisfactory.

King said there were recommendations for improvements but no issues identified as needing immediate attention.

Rogers said he was thankful there were no injuries in the flooding and he really appreciated people stepping up to help the ranch.

I think you will find that ranchers are pretty resilient, he said.

The Nevada Department of Agriculture is keeping a close eye on the flooding and aftermath and can help with moving livestock out of harms way.

The Nevada Department of Agriculture is in regular communication with local governments and can assist with moving livestock as needed, said Doug Farris, animal industry administrator for the department.

Our staff has been actively monitoring the situation along the Humboldt River and the area to its north. Thankfully, ranchers in the area had advanced notice and were able to relocate the majority of livestock to higher ground, Farris said Friday.

We recently surveyed the area by air with Eureka County to ensure no livestock are endangered, he said.

There isnt a list of all ranches impacted from the flooding, but not all ranches in northern Nevada are involved.

Barrick Gold Corp.s Nevada ranches, including the Squaw Valley, 7H, Dean, Hay and JD ranches, didnt receive flood damage, Jorge Esteva, communications director for Barrick Gold of North America, said Friday.

Fortunately, we had no damage or losses related to flooding in our ranches, he said.

Nevada Cattlemens Association Executive Director Kaley Sproul said the association hadnt received any reports of flooding impact, but she is in Fallon focusing on the Fallon All Breeds Sale to be held Saturday.

Sam Mori of Mori Ranch at Tuscarora and president-elect of the Nevada Cattlemens Association said the Mori Ranch is on higher ground and didnt get flooding.
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.
(Photo : PLARF) DF-16 on its TEL.

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The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) is aiming an increasing number of its road mobile DF-16 medium range ballistic missile (MRBM) launchers at Japan, South Korea and the Republic of China (Taiwan).



Most of the operational DF-16 are deployed in Guangdong province across the Taiwan Strait and are aimed at Taiwan. PLARF conducted a series of training exercises involving its short range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) and MRBMs such as the DF-16 deployed against Taiwan during the Chinese New Year last Jan. 28.



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DF-16 launchers in northern Guangdong might be used to attack air defenses, runways and unhardened command and control facilities of the Republic of China Armed Forces in the event of a cross strait invasion by the People's Liberation Army (PLA).



The Taiwanese government of President Tsai Ing-wen has repeatedly warned China might attempt an invasion of their country before 2020.



DF-16, which entered service only in 2015, now also threatens military bases of the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) and the Republic of Korea Armed Forces (ROKAF), as well as bases occupied by the United States Armed Forces in these two countries, said the People's Liberation Army website quoting American media.



The DF-16 can bombard all of South Korea if deployed to Liaoning province bordering North Korea to the northeast, or to Jilin province immediately across the border from North Korea. DF-16 has a range of 1,600 km and carries a 1,500 high explosive warhead.



If deployed to launch sites in Fujian province to the southwest of Japan or to Zhejiang province to the north of Fujian, the DF-16 can be used to attack JSDF and U.S. military bases in Okinawa.



The DF-16 made its debut at a military parade in Beijing in September 2015. PLARF seems to place great faith in the DF-16, saying this MRBM "poses a challenge to foreign military installations along the First Island Chain," which is how the PLA describes the series of islands that stretch from Japan in the north to Taiwan and the Philippines to the south.



State media also revealed the DF-16's strike range fills the gap that previously existed with the absence of a medium-range ballistic missile in the PLA's arsenal.



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TagsPeople's Liberation Army Rocket Force, PLARF, DF-16 medium range ballistic missile, MRBM, Japan, South Korea, Republic of China (Taiwan), Guangdong
(Photo : Getty Images. ) The issue of North Korea dominated Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's first high profile meeting that happened on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Germany.

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China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday on the sidelines of G20 meeting in German city of Bonn, a first high level meeting between the two countries since U.S President Donald Trump assumed the office last month.



The chances of such a meeting appeared dim in the wake of Trump administration's recent jibe against China over 'One China Policy'. However, Trump's conciliatory call to Chinese President Xi Jingping last week appears to have been good enough to prompt Wang to agree for this unlikely meeting.



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Both ministers discussed host of critical issues, but reports indicate that Tillerson repeatedly evoke the North Korea issue and made it the main topic of the high profile meeting. Expectedly, he once again urged his Chinese counterpart to do more to rein on North Korea's controversial missile program.



Ahead of the meeting, Tillerson vowed to use all the available military arsenals including nuclear missiles to defend South Korea and Japan against North Korea. He, however, did not spoke specifically about the deployment of THAAD anti-missile system, which is likely to be deployed near the North Korean border in coming months.



China, which is Pyongyang's only ally, is once again facing the heat from the U.S and allies, after its communist neighbour tested fired another ballistic missile this week. However, Beijing has tried to shrug off these pressure tactics by claiming that there are limitations on how much pressure it can exert on North Korea.



Frustrated by China's efforts, Trump had accused that China of not doing enough on North Korea issue. This serious allegation, however, was levelled before Trump assumed the office and much before his last week's conciliatory call to Xi.



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Tagschina, North Korea, Tillerson, Wang Yi, China and US, North Korea missile tests
(Photo : Reuters) A J-31 stealth fighter, which looks a lot like the U.S. F-35 it copied.

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China is moving from being infamous as a copycat and purloiner of military technologies from the West into a nation that seems to be reaching "near-parity with the West," especially in the aerospace realm.



This according to "The Military Balance 2017," the latest edition of the much awaited annual assessment of global military capabilities and defense economics published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London.



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Released only this week, The Military Balance 2017 reckons that Western military technological superiority "is increasingly challenged" by China.



"We now judge that in some capability areas, particularly in the air domain, China appears to be reaching near-parity with the West," said the report.



The report noted that for decades China was only capable of copying Soviet-era or Russian weapons or technologies. Today, however, China has shifted to the domestic research, development and manufacture of weapons and technologies, supported by sustained military spending.



China's military budget is 1.8 times larger than those of South Korea and Japan combined and accounts for more than a third of Asia's total military spending in 2016.



The report claims China is now seen as a "pacing threat" to the U.S. in aerospace technologies. It noted that the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has just introduced into service the "PL-10," a short-range air-to-air missile only a few countries have been able to develop.



The PL-10 is unique in that it can be slaved to a Helmet Mounted Display (HMD), a system only used by a few fighters such as the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Russian Sukhoi S-35 air superiority fighter.



The HMD allows a pilot to track a target beyond the aircraft's radar scan envelope using the missile's high off-boresight capability, achieved by the pilot turning his head towards the target to lock-on.



China is also developing what might be the world's longest range air-to-air missile, aptly called the "Very Long Range Air-to-Air Missile" or VLRAAM.



VLRAAM is being developed to shoot down strategically important but slow and unarmed U.S. aerial tankers and airborne early warning and control aircraft (AEW&C), and not faster stealth fighters such as the F-35 flown by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.



Chinese state-controlled media revealed VLRAAM is over six meters long compared to the 3.6 meter length for the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) currently in use by the United States military. VLRAAM has a diameter of 33 cm compared to AMRAAM's 18 cm.



News stories and photos 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.



This disadvantage means the easily detectible J-16 can be easily engaged at long range by U.S. fighters such as the F-35 or the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets flown-off U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. The two-seat J-16 has a round trip range of 3,900 km.



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Tagschina, copycat, The Military Balance 2017, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), People's Liberation Army Air Force, PL-10, Very Long Range Air-to-Air Missile, VLRAAM
(Photo : Getty Images. ) China on Friday reminded that without 'solid evidence' it won't support India's effort to get a UN ban on Masood Azhar.

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China on Friday categorically said that it needs 'solid evidence' to back India's efforts to get a United Nation's (UN) ban on the Pakistani leader Masood Azhar. The reminder on the contagious issue comes barely days before India and China are slated to start new round strategic dialogue on Feb.22.



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India is most likely going to use the 'strategic dialogue' as a diplomatic platform to once again urge China to Change its rigid stance on Azhar issue, after it repeatedly thwarted India's application in UN seeking ban on the controversial Pakistani leader.



"Our criteria is only one, we need solid evidence. If there is solid evidence the application can be approved. If there is no solid evidence there is hardly consensus," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters.



Geng claimed that China has played fair on the Azhar issue as he once gain reminded that Beijing "upholds principles of objectivity, impartiality and professionalism and takes part in relevant discussions."



Analysts say that China's repeated emphasis on being impartial must be seen from the context of its latest technical hold on Azhar's application, which was moved by the U.S earlier this month. This was first time that the U.S moved an application in U.N on the Masood Azhar issue, believed to have been done at the behest of India.



India reportedly turned to the U.S under presumption that China may support the U.S backed application. But New Delhi's move failed, as Beijing once imposed a technical ban on Azhar's application.



The Azhar issue has became a thorny issue between the two Asian giants as none of them seems to be interested in moving from their rigid stance. For China, maintaining pressure on New Delhi on this sticky issue is important for supporting its regional ally Pakistan.



The Indian government has constantly accused that the Pakistani leader has been involved in many deadly terrorist attacks on its country, including the 2002 attack on the Indian parliament.



Meanwhile, China also said that it won't change its stance on the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) issue as well. It reiterated that entry of non-NPT member like India in the elite nuclear club is difficult.



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Tagschina, India, Masood Azhar., China and India
(Photo : Lockheed Martin) F-35A, F-35B and F-35C.

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Generals and Admirals from the U.S. Air Force, Navy and the Marine Corps testified before Congress on Feb. 16 about the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, and were united in their professional opinion that with this stealth jet, the U.S. has "a war winner" on its hands and want more of this stealth fighter as soon as possible.



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The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps are the three major users the F-35, which has been modified to suit the unique needs of each service. The Air Force flies the F-35A, the smallest and lightest version; the Marine Corps, the F-35B, which is a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant, and the Navy the F-35C that can land on aircraft carriers.



Only some 200 of the stealth fighters have been built as of January. The U.S. and its allies plan to buy some 3,100 F-35 over the coming years. The fighter is expected to serve with the U.S. military until 2070.



General officers of the Marine Corps and Navy said their biggest problem with the F-35 is not having enough of the fighters with their front line squadrons.



Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, a fierce champion of the F-35 and Deputy Commandant for Aviation, Headquarters Marine Corps, said the Marines need F-35s to replace their aging fleets of F-18s and Harrier jump jets, which average 22 years in service.



In 2016, Gen. Davis became the poster boy for the F-35 with a series of remarkable statements. Speaking in July about the impending deployment of 10 F-35Bs to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan he said:



"I can't wait to get the airplane out to the Pacific. It's tailor-made for that part of the world with its fifth generation capability and its expeditionary capabilities to land on a small ship or strip, and flow back and forth between those."



Gen. Davis said the Marines' F-35s are ready for combat now if needed. He revealed the F-35s are doing a lot better in combat exercises than expected, achieving kill ratios of 24 to zero in mock aerial combats against other jets, and surviving every sort of simulated enemy attack.



"It is like watching a velociraptor going through. Everything in its path is killed," he said.



Gen. Davis said the Marines are working to ensure its small-deck carriers have enough bandwidth to take full advantage of the F-35's extensive data-gathering and sharing capabilities.



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TagsLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, stealth fighter, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, Velociraptor
(Photo : Getty Images) HNA Capital, the conglomerate's financial services division, confirmed the transaction and noted that owning a stake in Deutsche Bank is part of its asset management growth strategy.

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Chinese conglomerate HNA Group has snapped up a 3.04 percent stake in Deutsche Bank, marking its latest acquisition. The minority stake will make the aviation and shipping company one of the largest shareholders in the embattled German financial firm.



HNA Capital, the conglomerate's financial services division, confirmed the transaction and noted that owning a stake in Deutsche Bank is part of its asset management growth strategy.



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"We have full faith in the management and will watch its future steps very carefully, and support them where necessary as a shareholder," it said, adding that the conglomerate may pick up further stake in the German financial services, but has no intention of going beyond 10 percent.



With a 3.04 percent stake, HNA is now the fourth-biggest shareholder in Deutsche. The other three big investors include two investment companies representing some members of the Qatar royal family and a US investment firm BlackRock.



The Deutsche Bank has been on a downfall for last two years now, with investors worried about some of its investments in heavy securities not paying off and the uncertainty over the impact of U.S. authorities' heavy penalty on the company. The adverse circumstances have taken a huge toll on the company's shares, driving down the shares to a 30-year-low in September last year.



As for the HNA Group, a minority stake in Deutsche reaffirms its growing ambitions to pick up attractive assets in foreign firms. Last month, it acquired ANZ's New Zealand asset finance business finance for $628 million.



This was preceded by a flurry of deals sealed last year including the acquisition of Ingram Micro, a US information technology group, Radisson owned Carlson Hotels in the U.S and 13 percent stake in Virgin Australia airline.



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TagsHNA Group, Deutsche Bank, china, HNA China, HNA Acquisition
(Photo : Getty Images. ) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday urged all the concerned parties to work towards the resumption of six party talks with North Korea. He was speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

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China on Friday urged the U.S. and other concerned parties to revive the six party talks with North Korea claiming that the United Nation's sanctions may not yield desirable results, without pursuing long term negotiations.



"Today, what we see is nuclear test, sanction, nuclear test and then sanction again," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the Munich Security Conference, terming the UN sanctions against North Korea as 'negative cycle' that needs to be broken.



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Wang warned that the end result could be unbearable if this negative cycle is not broken as he proposed the resumption of six party talks as a viable solution to the present situation.



"There are still opportunities for the resumption of six-party talks," Wang said referring to the multilateral talks including China, United States, South Korea, Japan, and Russia. "We should work to bring the parties back to the table."



He also called on all concerned parties to not take any further actions that could aggravate the situation further, hinting that the fresh UN sanctions against North Korea could lead to such a situation.



North Korea's latest missile test brought back the pressure on China as the U.S., Japan and South Korea immediately denounced the test and called for urgent an UN meeting. China also cautiously criticized Pyongyang's latest missile test, but again urged all the concerned parties to practice 'restrain.'



China's relatively moderate stance on Pyongyang is least surprising, considering that it is the sole ally of the isolated communist nation. However, this hardly stopped Beijing from implementing the UN sanctions against its close ally last year.



Nonetheless, the Chinese government from time-to-time has been urging the U.S and other allies to re-start the six party talks.



The six party talks is a multilateral dialogue process that was started by the efforts of China in 2003. The sole aim of this multilateral negotiation is to put complete end to North Korea's nuclear missile program, as it is deemed a major threat to global peace and security.



The multilateral negotiation almost managed to convince North Korea to give up its missile program in return for diplomatic and economic rewards. But the talks eventually fell apart after North Korea withdrew from the negotiation process in 2009.



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Tagschina, North Korea, North Korea Missile Program, China and North Korea, six-party talks
(Photo : Getty Images) The coal suspension will become effective from Feb 19 and will last until Dec. 31, China's Ministry of Commerce said on its website.

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China has announced a complete suspension of coal imports from North Korea in its latest effort to fully comply with the United Nation's (UN) sanctions. The move is seen as a retaliatory measure against Pyongyang's latest missile test that was carried out earlier this week.



The coal suspension will become effective from Feb 19 and will last until Dec. 31, China's Ministry of Commerce said on its website. However, the ministry was tight-lipped over reports that it has started rejecting coal shipments from North Korea, with South Korean news agency reporting that China last week rejected coal shipment worth around $1 million.



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This is not the first time that China has ordered a temporary import ban on North Korea's coal. In December last year, Beijing imposed a three-week import ban on all coal shipments arriving from the neighboring communist nation.



The latest suspension order is expected to bring some financial hardship to the reclusive state, especially considering that this ban will last for almost 10 months. Coal is North Korea's most valuable export, with China being one of its largest importers.



According to a rough estimate, the isolated communist country was the fourth largest coal exporter to China last year, with non-lignite coal import reaching to 22.48 million tonnes.



The series of UN sanctions passed last year specifically focussed on putting an enormous strain on Pyongyang's financial resources as it sought to squeeze the funding to its controversial nuclear program.



Meanwhile, the North Korea issue completely dominated China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi's meeting with Rex Tillerson on the sidelines of G20 meeting in Germany, the first high-level contact between the two nations since U.S. President Donald Trump assumed the office last year. Tillerson reiterated that China must do more to rein on North Korea's controversial missile program.



This high profile meeting was quickly followed by Wang's speech at the Munich Security Conference, where he urged the U.S. and other concerned allies to re-start the long-stalled six-party talks with North Korea.



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Tagschina, North Korea, Pyongyang, North Korea Coal, North Korea Nuclear Missile Program
home World ACLJ chastises U.N. for being silent on ISIS' genocide against Christians

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has questioned the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) over its refusal to formally recognize Christians and other religious minorities as victims of genocide carried out by the Islamic State despite well-documented pieces of evidence.

The conservative law group stated that it has filed an urgent testimony with the UNHRC documenting the genocidal acts committed by ISIS against Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria. The testimony was filed nine months ago in partnership with the group's European affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ).

ACLJ lamented that the UN has remained silent in the past nine months while ISIS continued its attacks against the minorities.

The law group noted that some Christian leaders were able to return to their homeland after it was liberated from ISIS, but their homes have been turned into piles of rubble. It also pointed out that the 300,000 Christians that lived in the region before ISIS took over had dwindled to 20 to 30 residents.

In its new submission to the HRC, the ACLJ called on the U.N. to recognize the minority groups as victims of genocide as defined by The Genocide Convention.

"A declaration by the Human Rights Council that the Islamic State is engaged in genocide and action by this Council calling for the U.N. General Assembly (and other appropriate organs of the U.N.) to follow suit would carry significant weight," the ACLJ wrote.

"We need action now. The U.N. must defend the rights of all religious minorities, including the Christians in Iraq, Syria, and any other place where the Islamic State engages in genocide," it added.

The U.N. has been reluctant to use the term "genocide" to describe the victims of ISIS, but it has acknowledged that crimes against humanity and war crimes have been committed against Yazidis.

"Genocide has occurred and is ongoing," said Paulo SArgio Pinheiro, chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, in June 2016.

"ISIS has subjected every Yazidi woman, child or man that it has captured to the most horrific of atrocities," he added.

The ACLJ vowed to continue holding global leaders accountable to their legal commitments to ensure that genocide will never occur again. A petition launched by the group calling on the international community to stop the genocide against Christians has garnered over 270,000 signatures.
home US Baylor students launch petition to turn university into 'sanctuary campus'

A group of graduate students at Baylor University has created a petition asking its administrators to turn the school into a "sanctuary campus" to provide safe haven to undocumented immigrants.

The petition, which has already received around 1,350 signatures since its introduction on Feb. 6, was addressed to Interim President David Garland and other Baylor officials.

It was created in response to President Donald Trump's executive order related to immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries. The petition denounces the order as "incompatible with Baylor's Christian commitments."

"Baylor's profession of the Christian faith commits it to the formation of a hospitable, just, and truth-telling community, especially for the sake of its most vulnerable members, in whom Christians discern the face of Christ," it stated.

The petitioners demand that the university refuse to comply with immigration investigations when possible and to officially condemn Trump's executive order. The signatories also vow to create an office for non-citizen students to expand on-campus services such as financial aid for undocumented students and access to free legal counsel.

It also calls for the creation of a scholarship program that would give special preference to displaced students from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, the seven countries named in Trump's executive order.

Students, alumni and faculty members from over 200 campuses across the U.S. have created similar campaigns, urging their schools to adopt policies similar to those of "sanctuary cities" that refuse to cooperate with the federal government's attempts to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.

Two co-authors of the petition, Thomas Breedlove and Tyler Davis, told The Christian Post that their campaign was distinctive from other sanctuary campus efforts because of its demand that the university officials act in accordance with "its own acknowledged moral commitments."

"Appealing to Baylor's leadership to make Baylor a sanctuary campus is nothing other than petitioning Baylor to participate in the persistent Christian tradition of hospitality and inclusion," they said.

Following the launch of the petition, university officials released a statement acknowledging the Baylor community's support for those who are affected by the executive order.

"The university is aware of the sanctuary petition and fully appreciates the strong support and encouragement of the campus community for our students and scholars who have been impacted by the recent executive order," the statement said.
home World Boko Haram insurgency has claimed nearly 100,000 lives, new report says

The governor of Borno state in Nigeria has released a new report indicating that the Islamic terror group Boko Haram has killed nearly 100,000 people and driven over two million Nigerians out of their homes.

Borno state Gov. Kashim Shettima presented the report titled "Managing the Boko Haram Crisis in Borno State, Experiences and Lessons for a Multiparty, Multiethnic and Multireligious Nigeria" during the annual Murtala Mohammed memorial lecture held at the Shehu Yar'Adua Centre in Abuja, Premium Times reported.

The governor said that the figure was based on the estimates of the community leaders over the years. He noted that as many as 2,114,000 people have been internally displaced as of December 2016, with 537,815 in separate camps and 158,201 in official camps.

Another 379,614 are situated at 15 satellite camps in the state, while 73,404 people were forced to become refugees in neighboring Niger and Cameroon.

Shettima also cited a Recovery and Peace Building Assessment (RPBA) report which indicated that the damage caused by Boko Haram in the region has amounted to $9 billion.

In the past year, the Nigerian government has repeatedly declared that it has beaten the terror group.

In December 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari announced that Boko Haram has been "technically defeated." Twelve months later, he said that the militant group has been expelled from their final enclave.

Additionally, Major General Lucky Irabor, who heads the Nigerian counter-insurgency operation, recently told reporters that the group was "in disarray and... desperate."

However, the attacks that occurred throughout January in Nigeria as well as in neighboring Niger and Cameroon, has put the extent of the government's claim of success into question.

Shettima asserted that conspiracy theories hampered the previous administration's ability to defeat Boko Haram.

He noted that in 2011, a conspiracy theory emerged that Boko Haram has been set up by Muslim-majority northern leaders to target Christians and make the country ungovernable for former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

Shettima further noted that the conspiracy theories came out after two terror attacks occurred in June and August 2011, which were within three months after Jonathan was sworn-in. However, he pointed out that the first major attacks carried out by Boko Haram took place in 2009, during the term of the late President Umaru Yar'Adua, a Northern Muslim from Katsina State.

The governor cautioned Nigerians against believing conspiracy theories and called on them to suppress their biases and work hard to gather the facts on all issues.

"We must recognise that for every conspiracy theory, there is group that stands to gain politically. As Nigerians, we should regularly free our minds and ask ourselves, who stands to gain on any conspiracy theory we come across," the governor said.

"We must stop condoning our collective callous attitude that predispose us to blaming victims for their losses in lives and property, the protection of which is a main reason for the existence of every government in the first place," he added.
home US Christian florist aims for Supreme Court after losing appeal in gay wedding case

A Christian florist who refused to make floral arrangements for a gay wedding has lost her appeal at the Washington Supreme Court on Thursday. Her defense team is now looking to appeal her case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Washington Supreme Court ruled unanimously against Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers, for violating the state's anti-discrimination law in 2013 when she refused to design floral arrangements for the wedding of Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed.

The ruling upholds a lower court decision that held the 72-year-old Stutzman personally liable, which puts her at risk of losing her home, personal property, savings and bank accounts to pay for damages, fines or attorneys' fees awarded against her.

Her attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) have expressed their intentions to file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to World.

In both trials of Ingersoll v. Arlene's Flowers, Stutzman's lawyers argued that the Washington Law Against Discrimination compelled her to make floral arrangements in violation of her religious liberty, freedom of association and free speech rights. However, in upholding the lower court decision, the Washington high court ruled that her creative efforts constituted "conduct" not "speech," and the law "protects patrons, not business owners."

Kristen Waggoner, senior counsel for the ADF, denounced the decision saying: "This case is about crushing dissent. In a free America, people with differing beliefs must have room to coexist."

The ADF stated that the decision marked "a decisive blow against fundamental freedoms: freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion."

Stutzman's lawyers argued that the florist never denied Ingersoll access to goods and services at her shop and even considered him a friend after selling him flowers for almost 10 years. She only refused when he asked her to design arrangements for his same-sex wedding, an event that violated her deeply held religious beliefs.

Stutzman said that Ingersoll being gay was never an issue for her, and she loved creating custom floral designs for him.

"[T]he state is trying to use this case to force me to create artistic expression that violates my deepest beliefs and take away my life's work and savings, which will also harm those who I employ," Stutzman said in an ADF press release, as reported by Baptist Press.

"I'm not asking for anything that our Constitution hasn't promised me and every other American: the right to create freely and to live out my faith without fear of government punishment or interference," she added.
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home US Court says Christian prayers said in public meetings in Jackson County violated Constitution

A federal appeals court has stated that the practice of opening public meetings with Christian-only prayers in Jackson County, Michigan violated the U.S. Constitution by favoring one faith over others.

In a 2a1 decision, Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Peter Bormuth, a resident who described himself as a pagan and an animist, whose religious practices include worshipping the sun, the moon, the earth and ancestral spirits, The Washington Times reported.

Bormuth, who began attending Jackson County Board of Commissioners meetings in 2013 to discuss environmental issues, said in his lawsuit that he felt compelled to stand and participate in religion in order to speak to elected officials at the meetings.

One commissioner reportedly called him a "nitwit," and another board member said that his lawsuit was an "attack on Christianity and Jesus Christ."

He accused the board members of rejecting his nomination to its Solid Waste and Planning Committee because of his refusal to participate in the prayers.

The court stated that prayer invocations at public meetings can be legal, but it noted that the commissioners in Jackson County were the only ones who offered a prayer, not audience members, and the prayer was always Christian, not from other faiths.

"There is no distinction between the government and the prayer-giver: They are one and the same. The prayers, in Bormuth's words, are literally 'government speech,'" said judges Karen Nelson Moore and Jane Branstetter Stranch, according to the Associated Press.

The appeals court ruling reversed the decision by U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani in Detroit, who said that Bormuth was being "hypersensitive." The lower court argued that he was not forced to participate in the prayers, and he could have left the room if he did not feel comfortable.

Judge Richard A. Griffin, who dissented from the majority opinion, said the appeals court misapplied U.S. Supreme Court in public prayer.

"Contrary to today's decision, the Supreme Court has ruled twice that legislative prayer does not violate the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution," Griffin wrote.

He also noted that the board members delivered the prayer on a rotating basis regardless of religion and added that people of other faiths can be elected as a Commissioner in Jackson County.

"The religious faiths of the periodically elected officials a including Jackson County's Commissioners a are dynamic, not static," he stated.
home World General Synod rejects Church of England's report on gay marriage

The Church of England's ruling body has rejected a report that upholds the teaching that marriage is the union between a man and a woman.

The report, released by the House of Bishops last week, stated that there was "little support" for changing the traditional view of marriage.

The majority of the General Synod voted in favor of taking note of the report gaining 106 votes from the laity, 43 from bishops and 93 from clergy. The motion, which needed majority support in each of the three sectors, failed to pass as 100 members of the clergy voted against it. Eighty-three members of the laity and one bishop also rejected the motion.

While the votes were not a formal rejection of the proposals, the views aired will be used by the House of Bishops to inform their future work, Daily Mail reported.

Although the report recommended that the Church uphold its stance on traditional marriage, it called for the promotion of "maximum freedom" within its current laws and doctrines, without changing them.

It suggested that guidelines could be created to encourage clergy to guide and pray with same-sex couples, without blessing such marriages.

LGBT campaigners stood outside the main entrance to the Church House in London in an effort to convince members to vote against the report.

Lucy Gorman of York told the synod that the Church is perceived by the wider society as "lacking in love." She asserted that fewer young people are coming to church because of its stance on homosexuality. "Why would people become part of a church that is seemingly homophobic?" she asked.

Some conservative members of the church also voiced their criticisms and voted against the report.

Andrea Williams, from the group Christian Concern, voted against the report over concerns that it would lead to blessings for gay couples. She said that the results should not be taken as a victory for LGBT activists.

"What was clear from the debate was that the report tries to straddle positions that cannot be reconciled," said Williams. "Now what we need is clarity. We request the Church make clear the teaching on true marriage that is good for all and in line with the Church's apostolic teaching," she added.

Synod member Susie Leafe, who leads the conservative group Reform, also rejected the report due to concerns that it allowed for "maximum freedom" for gay couples.

"We didn't get the clarification from the bishops that we asked for so therefore we voted against," she told Christian Today.
home US House Committee approves resolution to overturn D.C.'s assisted suicide law

A Congressional committee has approved a resolution that would strike down a law that legalized assisted suicide in the District of Columbia.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 22a14 in favor of H.J. Res. 27, which aims to overturn the "Death With Dignity Act." Twenty-one Republicans and one Democratic member supported the resolution while 13 Democrats and one Republican opposed it, Life News reported.

The assisted suicide law, introduced by Democrat Mary Cheh, allows people with an estimated six months or less to live to ask their physician through a written request for medication that would end their life. Additionally, the patient must also make two verbal requests within 15 days.

The D.C. city council passed the act in November by a vote of 11a2, and it was signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser. However, the measure still requires approval from Congress, and some have urged legislators to reject the measure.

One of the most vocal opponents of the law is Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who voiced his objection to the measure in an op-ed for the Washington Post.

"Certainly the federal government's commitment to preventing suicide is clear," Chaffetz wrote. "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," he added.

Chaffetz asserted that the act is incompatible with the government's efforts to prevent 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," he said.

The assisted suicide law is set to take effect on Feb. 17 unless a joint resolution of disapproval is enacted.

The pro-life group National Right to Life called on legislators to approve H.J. Res. 27. The organization argued that the law could become a means to push the medically vulnerable into an early death. The group also noted that the measure has no requirement that patients be screened for depression or other mental illness that can be treated.

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, also urged members of the Congress to act quickly on the resolution.

"Assisted suicide has nothing to do with dignity," Moore told Baptist Press in written comments. "It turns human life and death into marketable goods and undermines the inherent worth of every person, regardless of age, health or mental ability," Moore added.
home US House votes to repeal Obama rule that prohibits states from defunding Planned Parenthood

The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to overturn President Barack Obama's HHS rule that prohibits states from withholding funds from Planned Parenthood and other organizations that perform abortions.

The House voted 230a188, in favor of H.J. Res. 43 which seeks to repeal the HHS rule. Two Democrats and 227 Republicans voted to support it, while two Republicans and 186 Democrats voted against it, Life News reported.

The rule, which was issued by Obama just days before he left office, barred states from blocking Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from receiving Title X funding, which is dedicated to family planning services. The resolution would allow states to direct Title X grants to any kind of health center they wish, according to World.

House Democrats asserted that the vote for resolution specifically targeted Planned Parenthood.

"Let's be real clear: this is not about Planned Parenthood and abortion because we already know that Planned Parenthood gets no funding for abortions in this country," said Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) on the House floor, as reported by Stream. "What my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are willing to say is 'we just want to make sure Planned Parenthood doesn't get a dime,'" she added.

Pro-life lawmakers claimed that the resolution was not about defunding Planned Parenthood, but rather giving the states the right to fund the kind of care that they prefer.

"We are simply voting today to affirm the rights of states to fund healthcare providers that best suit their needs without fear of reprisal from their own federal government," said Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn), the lead sponsor of the resolution.

Under the HHS rule, the states which chose to withhold the funds away from Planned Parenthood risk losing Title X grants altogether.

"This is the definition of coercion," said Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J), on the House floor on Thursday. "The Obama administration essentially told states, 'You must use your family planning dollars to support abortion providers, or we will take away your family planning dollars,'" he continued.

The resolution is now headed to the Senate where it needs 51 votes to pass. The Republicans currently hold a 52a48 majority in the upper chamber.

Title X grants only make up about 10 percent of federal family-planning spending while Medicaid reimbursements make up 75 percent of federal spending on the said services.

Republicans have stated plans to withdraw federal funding for Planned Parenthood entirely through the repeal of Obamacare, which will address Medicaid funding.
home World Imprisoned Iranian Christian falls 'seriously ill' after undergoing hunger strike

An Iranian Christian convert who was imprisoned in August has fallen "seriously ill" after he went on a hunger strike to protest against the unfair handling of his case.

Amin Afshar Naderi, who began his hunger strike with his fellow inmate Hadi Asgari on Feb. 5, is reportedly in critical condition in Evin prison, according to Mohabat News.

Sources close to Naderi have said that he had suffered significant weight loss and a drop in his blood pressure. Asgari is reportedly suffering from a kidney infection and has been refused medical treatment.

Naderi and Asgari were arrested in August along with three other Christians while they were on a picnic in Alborz Mountains, northeast of Tehran. The other three, identified as Amir Saman Dashti, Ramil Bet-Tamraz and Mohammad Dehnavi, were released in October after they posted bail equivalent to US$33,000 each.

According to Middle East Concern (MEC), Naderi and Asgari were unable to raise sufficient funds for their bail.

There have been no charges against the five men despite going through months of interrogation and imprisonment. MEC said that it is likely that they were arrested either because of their Christian faith or their connection to Ramil's father, Victor Bet-Tamraz, who led the Tehran Pentecostal Assyrian Church.

Victor's church was shut down by the Ministry of Interior in 2009, and he was arrested along with Naderi and another convert in 2014. The three men were charged with conducting illegal evangelism and were kept mostly in solitary confinement in Evin prison. They were released on bail in February and March 2015, but Victor is still expecting a summons to court.

Other Iranian Christians have also gone on hunger strikes to protest against their treatment in prison.

In June 2015, Ebrahim Firouzi went on a hunger strike to protest against being held among dangerous criminals in ward 10 of Rajaei-Shahr prison. He ended his strike after the authorities promised a partial improvement in his situation.

Maryam Naghash Zargaran, an Iranian Christian woman who was arrested in connection with her work at an orphanage with American-Iranian Pastor Saeed Abedini, went through two hunger strikes to protest against being denied access to medical treatment for her health issues.

While she was eventually allowed to leave prison temporarily for treatment, she has been forced to return before it could be completed. Her sentence was extended by six weeks last year to make up for the time she spent outside of prison.
home World Pakistani court denies bail to Christian teenager facing blasphemy charges

A magistrate's court in Pakistan has rejected the bail application of a Christian teenager who was accused of blasphemy for allegedly insulting Islam on social media.

Nabeel Masih, 16, was arrested and charged with blasphemy in September after a photo of the Kaaba in Mecca, one of Islam's holiest sites, appeared on his Facebook profile. The image reportedly showed the Kaaba with a pig's head on top. The complainant, Akhtar Ali, claimed that Masih "liked" and shared the image on Facebook.

Masih's lawyers argued that he should be granted bail because he is underage and has no prior convictions. However, the court in Kasur, south of Lahore, rejected the bail application on Feb. 7, World Watch Monitor reported.

In October, the lawyers were reportedly intimidated by the supporters of the complainants when they went to the Appeal Court.

Aneeqa Maria Anthony, head of the legal team representing Masih, said that a mob of about 80 people threatened Masih and his family when they appeared in court.

Amin Muzammal Chaudhry, the complainant's lawyer, reportedly warned Anthony against defending the teenager.

"These are Muslim courts, so you should not defend such a criminal. You people come here from Lahore to pursue this case, but there are many people here whom you cannot see, so you better watch yourself and stay away," Chaudry allegedly told Anthony.

Human rights lawyer Napoleon Qayyum denounced Chaudry's statement, saying: "We condemn this treatment of attorneys in the courtroom. Pakistan's Christians are citizens of the country. We have lived here for a long time and should not be considered outsiders."

Masih's family has been forced to flee their home for fear of reprisals. Other Christian families living in the area also went into hiding, although they later returned. The teenager could face the death sentence if he is convicted.

Pakistan is currently ranked in the Open Doors 2016 World Watch List as the sixth most difficult country to live as a Christian. The country's blasphemy laws are often abused to settle personal scores, particularly against Christians and other minorities, according to Open Doors.
home US Pastor Saeed Abedini sentenced to community service for violating wife's restraining order

Pastor Saeed Abedini, who was imprisoned for three-and-a-half years in Iran for evangelizing, has been sentenced to work four days of community service for violating the restraining order filed by his estranged wife, Naghmeh.

Abedini, who was released along with five American prisoners in mid-January last year, pleaded guilty on Monday in Ada County Magistrate Court for violating the restraining order.

Magistrate Daniel Steckel handed down a 180-day jail sentence but suspended all but five days, Idaho Statesman reported. Abedini was given credit for the one day he spent in the Ada County Jail after his arrest on Aug. 31. He was placed on a two-year unsupervised provision, and he was fined $1,000, with $500 suspended.

The pastor was also ordered to stay at least 300 yards away from Naghmeh's home in West Boise. He was told that he may only contact her through text or email for matters concerning their children. The judge obligated the couple to have a third person who would arrange to bring the children from one parent to the other.

Naghmeh campaigned tirelessly for Abedini's release, but she filed for legal separation on the same day he arrived back in Boise. She had stated that Abedini had been emotionally and physically abusive toward her during their marriage.

In November 2015, two months before her husband's release from prison, she announced that she will be suspending her public advocacy for her husband due to the abuse she experienced.

"I love my husband, but as some might understand, there are times when love must stop enabling something that has become a growing cancer. We cannot go on the way it has been. I hope and pray our marriage can be healed," she said at the time.

In 2007, Abedini received a suspended 90-day jail sentence and was placed on one-year probation after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic assault. Court documents revealed that he shoved his wife several times during an argument at their home.

Last October, Abedini announced that he had filed divorce from Naghmeh, saying it's the "only path toward healing."

"There are no words to describe the ongoing effect of the trauma I experienced and my family has experienced both during and in the aftermath of my imprisonment. We are different people, and we are hurting people. It pains me to say, but I have decided the only path toward healing is apart, and not together," the pastor said, according to The Christian Post.
home US St. Louis Mayor approves ordinance to make city 'sanctuary' for abortion

The mayor of St. Louis, Missouri has approved a bill that would amend its nondiscrimination ordinance to include protections for women who have had abortions in the past.

Board Bill 203, which was passed by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen on a 17a10 vote last Friday, was signed by St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, according to St. Louis Review.

The ordinance would prohibit employers or housing providers from rejecting prospective employees or tenants who have made decisions related to abortion, birth control or artificial reproduction services.

Several board members opposed the bill, saying it is a solution to a problem that does not exist and causes unnecessary divisiveness.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis, one of the opponents of the ordinance, is expected to file a lawsuit to challenge the measure. Archbishop Robert J. Carlson has said that the archdiocese and its affiliated agencies will not comply with the ordinance.

"I am outraged that the City of St. Louis Board of Aldermen has now enshrined into law an ordinance which creates a 'sanctuary' for the despicable practice of abortion," said Carlson. "In other words, the laws of the City of St. Louis now actively protect and promote the killing of unborn children," he added.

While the bill provides limited exemptions for religious institutions, it does not have protections for individual business owners who might have objections based on their religious beliefs.

Alderman Larry Arnowitz said that he voted against the bill because he received 26 letters from people from his ward asking him to oppose the measure while he received only three postcards from people telling him to support it.

Alderwoman Marlene Davis, who said that she supports keeping abortion legal, cited the problems the measure causes the archdiocese and other religious groups, saying it "opens a can of worms" that is not necessary.

The bill's sponsor, alderwoman Megan Green, argued that the measure is necessary to prevent employers from firing workers for having an abortion.

"Employers can have their own beliefs. But they shouldn't be able to impose those beliefs on people or fire someone because of those beliefs," she said.

Missouri lawmakers are currently considering a bill that could have an impact on Green's bill.

House Bill 174, sponsored by Rep. Tila Hubrecht (R-Dexter), would protect the free speech rights of alternative-to-abortion agencies such as pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes. Deacon Sam Lee, a pro-life lobbyist with Campaign Life Missouri, said the Hubrecht's bill would protect such agencies as well as individuals who do not want to participate in abortion.
home World Suspect in Istanbul nightclub attack says his goal was to kill Christians

The suspect in the killing of 39 people in an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Day has told a court that his goal was to kill Christians to exact revenge on them "for their killing acts across the world."

The gunman, identified as Abdulgadir Masharipov, initially planned to attack the area around Taksim Square, but he went to the upscale Reina nightclub instead because of the heightened security measures around the square, Reuters reported, citing Hurriyet newspaper.

"I did not take part in any acts before the Reina event. I thought of carrying out an act against Christians on their holiday, to take revenge for their killing acts across the world. My goal was to kill Christians," Masharipov was quoted as saying.

"If I had decided to do so, I would have used a gun and killed the people there (Taksim). There was no entrance to Taksim, it was swarming with police. I changed my mind after that," he added.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, and Masharipov has confessed that he is a member of the terror group.

Masharipov, who was caught in a police raid in Istanbul on Jan. 16, was charged with murder, membership in an armed terror group and attempting to overthrow the constitutional order. He said that he does not regret his actions, and he would prefer to be sentenced to death.

"It would be better if a death penalty was ruled. I threw the stun grenades after my ammunition had finished, nothing happened. I remained alive, but I had gone to die there," he said.

Turkey formally abolished the death penalty in 2002 as part of its European Union accession talks, but Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that he would support its restoration if the parliament passes it.

Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have arrested another man in connection with the nightclub attack. The suspect, identified only by his initials A.S., was reportedly a French citizen with a Turkish background. He reportedly had in his possession a contract to rent out an apartment that was used by Masharipov.

Masharipov reportedly sent a video to his family, urging his son to become a suicide bomber when he grows up.
home US Trump keeps Obama's LGBT envoy in State Department

A State Department spokesperson announced on Monday that President Donald Trump's administration has decided to retain Randy Berry as the Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI persons.

Berry, an openly gay career Foreign Service officer, was given the position by the Obama administration in 2015.

The position was created in 2014 as part of the efforts to protect gay people abroad from violence and death, according to Religion News Service. Conservative groups, however, said that the office is an attempt to "entrench the LGBTI agenda" into the U.S. government.

The Family Research Council (FRC) has considered it a priority to remove such "activists" and has called on the State Department to get rid of employees who promote an "anti-family, anti-life agenda."

FRC President Tony Perkins said that the news about retaining Berry was "a disappointing development." He stated that the administration should focus on protecting Christians against persecution and genocide rather than promoting gay rights.

"Keeping Berry only signals to the world that the extreme agenda of the Obama years is still deeply entrenched in the State Department," he said.

Ross Murray, the director of programs at pro-LGBT group GLAAD, said that he was surprised by the decision to keep Berry as the LGBT envoy.

"I don't think I can applaud it until I see what his mandate becomes in this administration. But Berry has been really effective in that job," he said.

The retention of Berry came after Caribbean religious leaders wrote a letter to Trump last month urging him to stop the U.S. efforts to export the LGBT agenda.

The nearly 300 Caribbean ministers and church leaders who signed the Jan. 31 letter claimed that the Obama administration's State Department had used coercive measures to normalize same-sex marriage and elevate LGBT issues at the expense of human rights.

The ministers cited concerns about the influence of the State Department's LGBT special envoy and pointed to last year's Department of Education directive which required public schools to make special accommodations for transgender students or risk losing federal funding.

"Please understand that this same kind of coercion is being used against our countries to force us to fall in line with the entire same-sex agenda," the pastors wrote, according to World. "In this letter, there is no room to enumerate the various ways in which this is happening," they added.

The letter was signed by pastors from the Bahamas, Guyana, St. Maarten, St. Vincent, and Trinidad and Tobago.
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home US Virginia governor vows to veto bill that aims to defund Planned Parenthood

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has promised to veto a bill that was recently passed by the Senate. The said bill aims to strip Planned Parenthood of its non-Medicaid funds.

The Senate voted 20a19 along party lines on Tuesday to approve H.B. 2264, which would cut off federal Title X funding for Planned Parenthood and other organizations that perform abortions. The measure would redirect the tax dollars to community health clinics that do not perform abortions and provide more comprehensive care, Life News reported.

Del. Ben Cline, the sponsor of the bill, said that it would ensure that health clinics and hospitals would receive funding before abortion centers.

McAuliffe had vetoed a similar bill last year during an event at Planned Parenthood's Richmond center, and he is expected to do the same to H.B. 2264. "And I will veto it again this year," he tweeted last week when the bill cleared the House.

Planned Parenthood denounced the measure, saying women will have nowhere else to go for services, such as testing for sexually transmitted infections.

"This bill specifically targets Planned Parenthood and, if passed into law, would undermine the health of thousands of our patients who count on us for comprehensive care," said Virginia CEO Paulette McElwain, according to Christian News.

"Clearly, the senators voting for this bill have no real sense of its impact. We know that immediately scores of Virginia women would no longer have access to STI testing, a subsidized service utilized by nearly 2,000 of our patients last year," she continued.

However, one pro-life advocate pointed out that there are other alternatives for the non-abortion services that Planned Parenthood provides.

Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, said that there are over 140 clinics in Virginia that offer comprehensive services to women, and many of them are in areas where Planned Parenthood does not have clinics.

"It was extremely disingenuous for apologists of the abortion industry to argue that passing the bill would prevent abortion centers from having funds to do testing for sexually transmitted diseases and thus have serious negative health consequences," she said, as reported by Life Site News.

She asserted that the abortion industry fought to remove safety standards that required abortion centers to perform STD testing.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, there were 21,080 abortions performed in Virginia in 2014, the latest year on file. The majority of the women that obtained abortions were unmarried and many claimed to be religious.
home US White Evangelicals supporting Trump represents 'crisis in the church,' says Jim Wallis

Rev. Jim Wallis, who heads the progressive Christian social justice group Sojourners, has said that the evangelical voters and white Christians who supported President Donald Trump in the 2016 election represent a "crisis in the Church."

In an interview with The Christian Post on Wednesday, Wallis said that the evangelicals and Christians who voted for Trump are "responsible" for any "racist" policies that would come out of the current administration.

Wallis, who released a paperback version of his book "America's Original Sin" on Tuesday, said that the Trump campaign relied on the stoking of "racial bigotry" to win the presidency.

The exit polls have revealed that Trump had the support of 81 percent of evangelical voters, 60 percent of Protestant voters, 52 percent of Catholic voters and 55 percent of "other Christian" voters, while Hillary Clinton gained the support of 88 percent of black exit poll respondents and 65 percent of Latino respondents.

Wallis explained that Trump relied on racial bigotry in starting his career by denouncing immigrants and referring to them as rapists and criminals.

He denounced Trump's call for "law and order" and "stop-and-frisk" policing, saying it would lead to even more "racial profiling" than what already exists. He also decried the selection of Jeff Sessions as attorney general for his anti-immigration stance.

"Here is the deal. White evangelicals voted for Donald Trump. Now they have him and are responsible for him," Wallis said.

"And he is pursuing policies that are overtly racist. So, what are white Christians going to do about that? There has never been such a racial divide in the church in my lifetime than what I see now. Black evangelicals I know don't even want to speak to white evangelicals because they voted for Donald Trump," he added.

While some conservatives and Christians were hesitant to support Trump, many voted for him because of his promise to protect religious liberties, defund Planned Parenthood and appoint pro-life Supreme Court justices.

On the other hand, there was a very little chance that conservative Christians would vote for Clinton due to her support for late-term and partial-birth abortion.

Wallis contended that it would have been acceptable for evangelicals to vote for a third-party or independent candidate. He pointed to Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore, who suggested that it is acceptable for Christians to support a third-party candidate when faced with a choice between "two evils."

Wallis said that Trump's election presents an opportunity for the nation and the Church to have a concrete discussion about race that arguably would not take place if Clinton had been elected. He asserted that the U.S. would no longer be a "white nation" by 2040 and said that white Christians should be the ones to start saying that diversity is a "blessing and is God's intention."
home US World Relief prepares to close five offices and lay off 140 staff in wake of Trump's refugee order

A Christian organization that helps resettle refugees is preparing to close five of its offices and lay off 140 staff members as a result of President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration and refugees.

World Relief, which is one of nine private agencies contracted with the U.S. government to resettle refugees, announced on Wednesday that it will be closing the offices in Boise, Idaho; Columbus, Ohio; Miami, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; and Glen Burnie, Maryland. In total, the five offices had resettled more than 25,000 refugees.

Matthew Soerens, U.S. director of church mobilization at World Relief, said that the offices were chosen in part because other refugee resettlement agencies are already working nearby.

He told Religion News Service that some of the staff have already been laid off before the announcement. The rest of the layoffs and closures will be implemented "gradually" as the organization continues to fulfill its responsibilities to recently resettled refugees and its church partners.

Last Week, World Relief brought together more than 500 evangelical leaders to sign an open letter decrying the executive order on refugees.

The order has been blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court, but it only suspends the 120-day ban on refugee resettlement. It still effectively limits the number of refugees that will be allowed to enter the U.S. in 2017 at 50,000. According to the New York Times, about 30,000 refugees have already been admitted for the fiscal year of 2017, which started in October.

World Relief had expected to resettle 11,000 refugees this year, but Soerens said that the number will likely drop to 5,000, most of whom have already been resettled.

The organization receives a $2,025 grant for each refugee it resettles from the U.S. State Department. Soerens said that World Relief is anticipating an increase in donations from churches and individuals, but the organization still needs to cut expenses.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Soerens said that the layoffs and office closures alone will not be enough to help the organization overcome the loss of revenue resulting from the new refugee limit.

"We have always received some of our support from the federal government but we have always received significant support from local churches and private individuals," he said. "Our ability to sustain our infrastructure for refugees is really going to have to rely more heavily on churches and individuals right now," he added.
home World Wounded ISIS fighters get treated in Christian hospital outside Mosul

Islamic State fighters who are wounded in the battle for the liberation of Mosul are being treated in a hospital set up by an evangelical humanitarian aid group outside of the city.

Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse, revealed on Facebook last Saturday that his organization not only treats the residents and injured Iraqi-led coalition soldiers but also the members of the terror group they are trying to defeat.

Graham's post came in defense of President Donald Trump's controversial executive order that restricts travel of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries and indefinitely bars refugee settlement from Syria.

"At Samaritan's Purse we work in over 100 countries and have worked in most of those on the banned list, so I feel I have something to say about this issue," the evangelist wrote.

Graham pointed out that the Emergency Field Trauma Hospital set up by Samaritan's Purse outside Mosul is treating Muslim civilians, including women and children, many of whom were shot by ISIS snipers as they tried to flee the city.

"At the same time, we are treating badly wounded ISIS fighters. Our medical teams take them in, perform surgery, bind up their wounds, and give everyone the same compassionate, Christian careahelping them in Jesus' Name," he added.

The field hospital, which was opened in early January, became the closest medical facility to the front lines of the battle to liberate Mosul from ISIS.

In his Facebook post, Graham said that the borders of the U.S. need to be secured, and he argued that providing medical care to wounded ISIS fighters does not mean that they should be allowed to immigrate to the country.

"God does tell us to help the stranger and those in need; but God doesn't tell us to expose our cities, homes, and lives to hostile people," he asserted, adding that Jerusalem had walls and gates which were closed when there was a threat against the city.

Some Christian leaders have disagreed with Graham's stance on Trump's executive order. Last week, the board members of Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico withdrew their support for Graham's Festival of Hope rally, which was held in the country's capital of San Juan on Feb. 10a12.

The Puerto Rican baptist leaders argued that Graham's endorsement of the immigration policy are contrary to the "values of the Kingdom." They said that they did not intend to undermine the festival, but they made their statement in order to affirm their "testimony in favor of the poor, marginalized and foreigners."
Malaysia Arrests North Korean Man As Row Over Kim Jong Nam's Death Escalates

Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder of the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as a diplomatic spat over his body escalated.

Kim Jong Nam died this week after being assaulted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with what was thought to be a fast-acting poison. South Korean and US officials have said he was assassinated by North Korean agents.

Malaysian police said the latest arrest connected with the murder was made on Friday night, and the suspect was identified as Ri Jong Chol, born on May 6, 1970.

'He is suspected to be involved in the death of a North Korean male,' read the statement.

Two female suspects, one an Indonesian and the other carrying Vietnamese travel documents, have already been arrested. While a Malaysian man has been detained. At least three more suspects are at large, government sources have said.

Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of the isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea.

South Korea's intelligence agency told lawmakers in Seoul that Kim had been living with his second wife in the Chinese territory of Macau, under China's protection.

He had been at the Kuala Lumpur airport to catch a flight to Macau when he was killed. An autopsy is being performed at a hospital in the capital city.

Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah told Reuters that the autopsy report was not complete yet. He dismissed media reports that a second autopsy would have to conducted.

Diplomatic row

North Korea said in the early hours of Saturday that it would categorically reject Malaysia's autopsy report on the death of Kim Jong Nam, and accused Malaysia of 'colluding with outside forces', in a veiled reference to rival nation South Korea.

Malaysia hit back by saying the country's rules must be followed. The foreign ministry has yet to make any comment.

The case threatens to weaken North Korea's ties with Malaysia, one of the few countries that has maintained good diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.

Kim Jong Nam was assaulted at the low cost terminal of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday with what is believed to be fast acting poison before he could board a flight to Macau. He sought help but died on the way to the hospital.

North Korea demanded on Friday night that Kim Jong Nam's body be released immediately. It had earlier tried to persuade Malaysian authorities not to carry out an autopsy.

'The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing,' the North Korean ambassador Kang Chol told reporters outside the hospital where the body of Kim Jong Nam is being kept.

'We will categorically reject the result of the post mortem.'

He said Kim Jong Nam had a diplomatic passport and was under the consular protection of the DPRK.
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It all happened so fast.

The scene at VIBES by "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue's inaugural musical festival began on a relatively tame note.

One minute, a gaggle of VIP ticket holders were sampling braised goat crafted by Houston's own Chris Shepherd, a James Beard nominee of Underbelly fame, outside of Post HTX, the former downtown post office. Then someone spotted John Legend moving quickly through the crowd. Clad in a studded black motorcycle jacket, the Grammy Award-winning artist hustled toward his wife, Chrissy Teigen, who appeared out thin air by the lineup of chefs' tents.

Her leather-wrapped ponytail swung as she told onlookers, "Frito pie is my favorite to-go food on the planet. You can put whatever you what on it." The eight-time "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue model then proceeded to spoon-feed fans for the camera. And Instagram. And Snapchat. Less than five feet away, Legend helped himself to generous helpings Frito pie - topped with jalapenos, guacamole, and sour cream - in addition to his wife's spicy cornbread, prepared from the original recipe featured in Teigen's bestselling cookbook, "Cravings."

"We're serving up Smirnoff jalapeno Moscow Mules, because they go together so perfectly," she added as cocktail servers began circling with trays topped by copper mugs.

A few minutes later, the couple abandoned their post to meet-and-greet Shepherd and Tyson Cole, the Austin-based chef/restaurateur behind Uchi and Uchiko.

Then it was onto the Lexus VIP tents where three-time "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue cover girl Kate Upton was enjoying a private moment. The calm shattered once Teigen and Upton embraced. Cameras flashed and security guards were immediately overwhelmed by the onslaught of party-goers eagerly snapping away at the celebrity girl friends (especially when Upton struggled to adjust her strapless black dress).

The velvet rope-barricaded area filled quickly. Christie Brinkley sipped cocktails and waved to patrons until the evening's headliner, Miguel, popped onto the nearby stage in a sudden flash of spotlights and bass. In the crowd, swimsuit issue rookies Lais Ribeiro and Vita Sidorkina danced against Houston's downtown skyline. Legend was spotted again on a lounge loveseat, this time taking in the show next to Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman.

So much for tame.
Houston bar 13 Celsius claimed a spot on Food & Wine magazine's latest Best Wine Bars in the U.S. list.

The short roster of just 19 bars from around the country offers a nod to establishments that feature "a distinct point of view" and that "educate as you sip or create an atmosphere with a real sense of joy."

So it's not surprising that this Midtown spot at 3000 Caroline managed to impress the publication. Wine-savvy general manager Adele Corrigan frequently offers smart tasting and pairings tips. She earned her Level I status with the Court of Master Sommeliers and is a wine specialist certified through the Society of Wine Educators.

LEARN ABOUT IT: Houston wine expert educates local drinkers from the comfort of his shower

"I was surprised and super excited to find out we made the best wine bar list," Corrigan said. "I am truly thankful for a great staff and a loyal customer base who have supported us for years. I hope to continue to provide Houstonians with great wines, memorable experiences and pushing the standard of food and beverage in this city to the next level. "

The magazine shared:

"Named for the optimal wine cellar temperature, 13 Celsius is inspired by the wine bars of Europe, housed in a 1920s-era, Mediterranean-style Midtown structure. The open-air courtyard and 40-foot antique Carrera marble bar are equally charming places to taste your way through a wide-ranging collection that spans the globe. Thanks to a Coravin preservation system, 13 Celsius can offer dozens of wines by the three-ounce or six-ounce glass, with hundreds more by the bottle, all helpfully laid out on the menu according to their character, for instance distinguishing light and earthy reds from the full-bodied and fruity. An equally thoughtful cheese and charcuterie list doesn't hurt."

The bar has been around for a decade and was co-founded by Mike Sammons and Ian Rosenberg.

"It's pretty unbelievable that by just following our heart and our passion, we were recognized at this level. All we tried to achieve was to be was to be the best on the block," Rosenberg said in a prepared statement. "We are incredibly honored and humbled. To our customers, thank you all for the wonderful words and support. 13 is nothing without its patrons and supporters and we would be nowhere without you."

Another Texas bar to make the list is Winebelly in Austin.

Click above to see Houston's best wine bars.
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One man is dead after he ran out in front of traffic on Gulf Freeway early Saturday.

Just after 2 a.m., police swarmed the scene at Gulf Freeway and Bellfort in response to multiple calls about a man in the freeway.

"He exhibited signs of having some kind of mental crisis," Houston Police Department Captain Daryn Edwards told reporters at the scene.

WANTED: Fort Bend police seek man who forced way into woman's home

Police made contact and began talking with the man, who was walking in the shoulder.

"He was disgruntled in talking to the officer and just indicated he was having a bad time," Edwards said. "So the officer was trying to help him out, get him out of harm's way."

Suddenly, the man - who has not yet been identified - bolted into oncoming traffic and was fatally struck by a car. The driver, who did not appear to be intoxicated, stopped and cooperated with police.

Police said it appears the victim's actions were intentional.

INVESTIGATION: Body of boy found behind school

Officers are now investigating the incident as an in-custody death.

"Anytime somebody is killed in the presence of a police officer, we treat it as an in-custody death," Edwards said.

After the crash, police shut down the roadway to investigate. The freeway finally opened again around 8 a.m.

>>>Scroll through the above gallery to see the states with the most fatal crashes
Sasna Dzrer Member Hovhannes Harutyunyan has 18 metal fragments in his leg

Hovhannes Harutyunyan, a member of the Sasna Dzrer group that attacked and seized a police station in Yerevan in July, has 18 metal fragments in his leg. Hovhannes feels the movement of fragments which worries him a lot, his lawyer, Hayarpi Sargsyan told A1+ Company. Hovhannes Harutyunyan was wounded on July 26, 2016, in a shootout with security forces near the police compound where the gunmen remained holed up for about two weeks. The group demanded Serzh Sargsyans resignation and the release of their jailed leader, Zhirayr Sefilyan. Hovhannes is charged with conspiracy to seize buildings and facilities, as well as illegal procurement, transportation or carrying of weapons and ammunition. Hovhannes Harutyunyan has been transferred from the Hospital for Convicts to the Nubarashen penitentiary. The lawyer has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) as she claims that her client needs to be treated in a civil hospital. Yesterday, the Armenian Government answered ECtHRs questions concerning the health condition of the Sasna Dzrer member. After the inquiry of the ECtHR, Hovhannes was moved to the medical center of the prison. It is already a week, he is there but our demand is the same- we demand that Hovhannes Harutyunyan be transferred to a civil hospital considering his health situation, Hayarpi Sargsyan said. The lawyer is hopeful that the ECtHR will take the necessary measures to have Harutyunyan transferred to a specialized hospital where he will receive proper treatment.
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A Houston man arrested for the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison Friday, according to federal prosecutors.

In addition to the sentence, the judge also ordered DeAngelo Tate, 27, to serve 10 years of supervised release and to pay $20,000 in restitution to the girl. Tate pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of children in December.

According to admissions by Tate, between Jan. 13, 2015 and March 16, 2015, Tate posted classified advertisements on backpage.com promoting the prostitution of the 17-year-old female, but stating she was 19 or 22.

LOOKING BACK: Houston sex-trafficking brothel attracts national attention

Tate admitted he also rented hotel rooms in Corpus Christi and Houston to serve as the location for commercial sex acts between the minor female and male customers.

Tate moved the girl to Corpus Christi from Houston after she was previously arrested for prostitution by the Houston Police Department.

According to court documents, Tate transported the girl to the hotels, collected all of the money from the completed sex acts and became violent with her if she did not follow his orders.

He was arrested on March 16, 2015 after police officers in Corpus Christi received a 911 call from a local inn. The then 17-year-old girl told an operator she was hiding from Tate in the bathroom.

Officers arrived to the inn and kicked down the door after several attempts to contact someone inside. Two females were found, one being the 17-year old caller. Tate told officers he had just met the females.

The victim told officers that she was being held against her will by Tate and the second female. She also told investigators Tate had been her pimp for about two months.

Tate will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The FBI investigated this case with assistance of police departments in Houston and Corpus Christi.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack and trial attorney Lauren Britsch of the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

For information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
It sounds like an old joke: Jesse James and Billy Kidd walk into a Texas bar and trouble ensues.

Police in Lubbock most assuredly were not amused and insist it is all too real.
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Nicole Shante Moore disappeared in the strangest way in December.

She just vanished, leaving behind a black 2012 Cadillac STS that officers found in early January at a Toys R Us parking lot in Amarillo.

Now, investigators in the Texas Panhandle say the 28-year-old Moore may have been taken to New Mexico.

Moore, who goes by "Nicky" and may be using the last names Casey or Mason, was last seen Dec. 6.

MISSING WOMAN: She left work 25 years ago, then vanished

Moore is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes and weighing 135 pounds. Police say Moore has distinguishing tattoos, including the name "Hjarian" on her neck, "Andrew" on her right ankle, and a tattoo of a heart on her wrist.

Police believe her car had been in the store's parking lot for some time before being identified as her's and haven't disclosed what led to the New Mexico theory.

Anyone with information about Nicole Moore may call the Amarillo Police Department at 378-3038.

>>>Scroll through the gallery for details about other missing persons cases in Texas
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LONDON (AP)  From jungles to deserts to mountains, the BBC's epic nature series "Planet Earth II" takes viewers around the world  and around many genres of television.

The fortitude of a penguin family tugs heartstrings like a love story. The snail's-pace courtship of a three-toed sloth is soothing comfort TV. And a life-or-death contest between baby iguanas and writhing racer snakes is heart-in-mouth action thriller.

The seven-part series, which begins in the U.S. on Saturday with a simulcast on BBC America, AMC and SundanceTV, is a spectacular demonstration of how far nature programs have come. And no one has been more closely linked to their evolution than David Attenborough, the 90-year-old naturalist who narrates "Planet Earth II."

STUDY: Geologist discover eighth continent: New Zealand

Attenborough has been making wildlife documentaries for so long that, when asked about the biggest technological change he's seen, suggests "the shift from black-and-white to color" before settling on the transformative power of digital photography.

Speaking to The Associated Press ahead of the show's U.S. premiere, he said in the days of celluloid film, "I went for as long as 2 1/2 months without seeing what I'd filmed."

A decade ago, the BBC's original "Planet Earth" was the first nature series filmed in high definition. The new series  shot in razor-sharp ultra-HD  uses even more technological wizardry. Stabilizers and drones let the cameras roam, capturing creatures'-eye-views of leaping lemurs and fighting Komodo dragons. Remote camera traps allowed close-ups of elusive snow leopards and grizzly bears.

ODD: 22 pounds of animal parts seized at Dallas-Fort Worth airport

The result is a show that gets viewers closer to the animals than ever before  and more emotionally involved. Broadcast in Britain in the fall, "Planet Earth II" has been sold around the world and starts airing this week in Canada and Australia.

Attenborough says in the past, program-makers felt "we weren't giving the viewers the climax that they wanted" if a predator failed to catch their prey. In real life, he said, "the failure is more common and more significant than the catching. ... Lions fail about eight times out of 10."

Nowadays, producers understand that viewers often want to cheer for the underdog. When "Planet Earth II" aired in Britain, millions watched, caught between horror and hope, as newly hatched baby iguanas tried to make it across a Galapagos beach without being devoured by hungry racer snakes.

Series producer Tom Hugh-Jones said he thinks a growing number of female producers has added "a lot more emotion" to wildlife programs.

"They see different things, little looks or tender moments," he said. "The male producers tend to go for the more bombastic stuff."

The crew, who spent more than 2,000 days filming in 40 countries, also faced the fraught question of whether to intervene in life-and-death situations.

SURVIVING TEXAS: How to stay safe vs. the Lone Star State's biggest threats

"We wouldn't stop a predator from catching its prey, because that's the natural cycle of things. And the predator needs to eat as much as the prey," Hugh-Jones said.

But crew members stepped in to save a fledgling noddy bird that had become covered in sticky seeds.

"In certain situations, where you can see very little benefit of that bird dying, apart from maybe a bit of fertilizer for the tree, it feels fair enough to help the animal out of a sticky situation," Hugh-Jones said.

It's not just technology but the planet that has changed in the decade since the first "Planet Earth." For one thing, a majority of the world's population now lives in cities.

Alongside episodes exploring islands, mountains, jungles, deserts and grasslands, "Planet Earth II" devotes one episode to urban wildlife  including Mumbai's leopards, Manhattan's peregrine falcons and the pesky raccoons of Toronto.

HEMP FOR COWS: Colorado approves hemp-animal feed study

Climate change is also reshaping the globe and creating new dangers. It worries Attenborough, who has been exploring the beauty of the natural world for nine decades.

He admits he is not an optimist about the future of the natural world.

"I don't think the world is going to recover to what it was like when I was a boy," he said "But I am persuaded that we can ameliorate things. We can prevent things getting worse than they might be if we did nothing."

Attenborough thinks the keys to that are cutting waste and getting far more of our energy from renewable sources. He's among the scientists and educators behind the Global Apollo Program, aimed at drastically cutting the cost of carbon-free energy.

Attenborough believes plentiful and cheap green energy is "just out there, just beyond our reach. And all we need to do is organize scientific research to solve the particular problems on that roadmap."

"It's not there yet, but it's possible," he said. "And while there's possibility, there's hope."

Click through above to images from BBC's "Planet Earth II."
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.
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

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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

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
Hyderabad Feb 18 : Narayana Murthy holds a respectable position in Telugu film Industry. He is known to be Peoples man and hardly makes public appearance but whenever he attended any event, left everyone surprised. Earlier he has said many things about Power Star Pawan Kalyan and recently during a movie event, he spoke about Pawan and Pawanism. He said, What is Pawanism? What is the meaning of Pawanism?" Ism is not truth but it is an opinion and Pawanism means Pawan Kalyans opinion. He added that Pawan has huge number of fans and he has electrifying quality of Rajinikanth and Charishma of Megstar Chiranjeevi. He further added that Pawan should not support someone else to make them as Chief Minister or Prime Minister as their only agenda is that Pawan should himself become the CM.



On the other side, Pawan is busy in the shoot of ?Katamarayudu  under the direction of Dolly and romancing with Shruti Hassan.
Hyderabad Feb 18 : According to the souiyanka Chopra who is the brand ambassador for a shampoo brand will be replaced by the young actress Alia Bhatt.

Apparently, the brand was looking for two aspects to represent their product -- Young and A popular face to which Alia seems to have fit their bill. Due to her back-to-back hits, the young and talented actress is also counted as one of the top actresses. Alia is said to have already signed the contract with the brand.

A source also reveals that one of the reasons Alia is replacing Priyanka Chopra is due to the price. Actress Alia Bhatt has charged less amount than Priyanka and is apparently off to Singapore for a week to shoot for the commercials.

On work front, Priyanka is busy shooting her Quantico series and soon will be seen in a Hollywood flick Baywatch starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Effron, while, Alia is busy with the promotions of her upcoming film Badrinath Ki Dulhania with Varun Dhawan.
BNM anunta concurs pentru postul vacant de expert coordonator (durata determinata) responsabil de control pe teren si din oficiu a sistemelor de plati
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Inside the Agora Ballroom, Clevelanders gathered in their strangest outfits for a nighttime EDM event.

Radiate 2017 was the sixth yearly run for the glow festival, which encouraged locals to come out with glow sticks, light-up gloves and LED hula hoops. The result was an all-out dance party that lasted from 9 p.m. on Friday night, to 3 a.m. Saturday morning.

Headlining the fest was EDM artist Grandtheft. Dr. Fresch, Sunsquabi and other DJs also performed.

Watch the video above to get a taste of the event. Below, you can see our coverage of Radiate on Snap.
IMG_8375.jpg

New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow during his Saturday afternoon talk where he criticized President Donald Trump on February 18, 2017 at the Cleveland Public Library. (James Ewinger, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Charles M. Blow can communicate in many media, but on Saturday he used words, and he used them earnestly, bluntly, passionately and eloquently to register his disgust with the Trump presidency.

The standing ovation for New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow after his Saturday afternoon talk where he criticized President Donald Trump on February 18, 2017 at the Cleveland Public Library. (James Ewinger, The Plain Dealer)

The widely read New York Times columnist called the president "a 70-year-old toddler," "pathological liar," "the Grand Wizard of birtherism against President Obama" and "a demi-fascist."

He said Trump has "assembled one of the least-educated cabinets in recent history," and his appointments are "agents of idiocracy."

Normally, Blow skewers Mr. Trump in his New York Times op-ed column, but his forum Saturday was a stage in the Stokes Wing of the Cleveland Public Library as part of CPL's Cleveland Conversations series.

He drew more than 300 -- a capacity crowd -- to the auditorium and an overflow of 75 more who had to watch him on video in a second-floor conference room.

Blow wove together fascinating details about abolitionist Frederick Douglass and presidents Lincoln and Trump.

Trump, he said, wants to shut down dissent in this country. By contrast, Douglass was one of Lincoln's harshest critics, but the president "still invited him to the White House to hear him out." They ultimately developed a deep friendship, and Lincoln called Douglass, "one of the most meritorious men, if not the most meritorious man, in the United States."

"That is what leadership and growth look like," Blow wrote in a recent column. "Lincoln grew from the association with and counsel from his onetime critic, to become one of the greatest presidents America has ever known."

He said Trump's recent remarks suggest that the president has no idea who Douglass was and may even think he is still alive, even though Douglass died in 1875. Blow quoted Trump as saying "Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who's done an amazing job that is being recognized more and more, I notice."

Blow's evolution into a Times opinion writer is unusual. He started out as a graphic artist and designer, ultimately becoming the Times' prize-winning design director for nine years. He went on to become art director of the National Geographic before returning to the newspaper, according to his official bio. His column appears regularly in The Plain Dealer.
Source: Independence-X

On Saturday, the Kennedy Space Center is playing host to a launch by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX. The Falcon 9 rocket's highly anticipated voyage is the latest symbol of how commercial space flight is firing up the public's imagination, and taking extraterrestrial exploration to the next level. Not to be outdone by SpaceX, however, are two companies that lack Musk's star power but have become active players in a new space race that many observers speculate will become the next major source of wealth creation. Moon Express and Planetary Resources are two start-ups in the white-hot global space sector that the FAA estimates is a combined $324 billion, and what some argue could become the first trillion-dollar industry. Industry players believe space exploration is due for a quantum leap, with commercial test launches abounding this year. "This is the first post-global enterprise," said Chris Lewicki, president and CEO of Planetary Resources, an asteroid mining company. While asteroid mining tends to conjure images of video games from the 1980s, Planetary Resources has its sights zeroed in on a future likely to be pioneered, if not dominated, by private companies. "The first space colonies, tourist destinations, commercial laboratories all will be enabled by the business that we're growing," Lewicki told CNBC recently.

Bringing back moon materials sounds much more complicated than it really is, for gravity is your friend. Naveen Jain co-founder, Moon Express

The Arkyd 100 (A100) small satellite used by Planetary Resources to gather compositional data of asteroids during prospecting missions. Planetary Resources
Jim Cramer says investors have been on the edge of their seat since the election, waiting for the day of reckoning to derail stocks.

"When I look at what is happening with individual companies  not the overall market  I see a game plan that most likely will face its roughest test next week," the "Mad Money" host said.

Cramer is most concerned about retailers, as the numbers could be surprisingly bad when the companies report next week. However, he doubts that the test will be bad enough to let the bears have their big sell-off and outlined the stocks and events on his radar next week.

Tuesday: Home Depot, Macy's, Scott's Miracle Grow analyst meeting

Home Depot : While this is one of Cramer's favorite stocks, he worries that the same pattern could be ingrained. It usually runs going into the quarter, reports strong numbers, and the stock gets hammered anyway. He thinks this time will be no different.

Macy's : Be ready for the department store to once again disappoint with earnings and cut its forecast, Cramer said. Without a takeover, he thinks it will go lower.

"Tuesday morning will set the tone for the rest of retailers, so keep track of what they will say as it will stay relevant throughout the parade of bricks-and-mortar road kill that weighs on us like an anvil for the rest of the week," Cramer said.

Scotts Miracle-Gro : Many investors have asked Cramer for a legitimate play on marijuana that is away from GW Pharma . Unfortunately, Cramer said there is no real play. However, he will be watching what happens at the Scotts Miracle-Gro meeting and he is hoping that the company hints that it might spin off its Hawthorne hydroponic division, which could help with growing marijuana indoors.

Wednesday: Tesla

Tesla : Among the top CEOs that Cramer admires, Elon Musk does not get his due from Wall Street. The problem, Cramer said, is that the stock is difficult to analyze on fundamentals, considering how non-traditional its earnings reports are. Cramer will want to know how its Solar City acquisition is going and how many Model 3s can be produced this year and next.

Cramer is also interested in hearing about Musk's relationship with Trump.

"It does seem that, despite a belief that his anti-fossil fuel bent and reliance on government tax credits could put him in bad stead with Trump, his build America mentality makes him the president's unlikely hero," Cramer said.

Thursday: Kohl's, Gap, Nordstrom, Chesapeake Energy

Chesapeake : A warm winter will likely not allow natural gas companies to blow away the numbers, but Cramer said Chesapeake could still be a good buy after it reports on anticipation of more pipelines and higher demand in the future.

Kohl's , Gap , Nordstrom : These stocks bounced back last time they reported because they were hit before reporting. Cramer expects the same this time, but said to be careful because Amazon has reduced these to just trades, not investments.

Friday: Foot Locker, J.C. Penney

Cramer expects Foot Locker to be good, and J.C. Penney to be problematic.

"Next week  has the weakest line-up of earnings season, and they can put downward pressure on the entire market, even as the real blame for the nasty numbers lies not with these companies, but the Washingtons  D.C. and Seattle," Cramer said.

Questions for Cramer?

Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC

Want to take a deep dive into Cramer's world? Hit him up!

Mad Money Twitter - Jim Cramer Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Vine



Questions, comments, suggestions for the "Mad Money" website? madcap@cnbc.com
A lot of onlookers criticized Mark Zuckerberg's Thursday night manifesto, "Building Global Communities," as a public relations stunt, a calculated move to blunt criticism Facebook 's role in propagating fake news that might have helped tip the presidential election.

I don't buy it. Techies like Zuckerberg are all about efficiency, and a 6,000-word braindump isn't the most efficient way to sway opinion -- as President Donald Trump has shown on Twitter, brevity is the path to America's hearts and minds.

Others have suggested that this is another step toward running for president, following his move to tour all 50 states, even though Zuckerberg has denied any plans to run.

I think we're actually seeing something simpler. This is Mark Zuckerberg navigating a midlife (quarter-life?) crisis of confidence -- only in public, as you'd expect from the founder of the platform where people air their private lives for the world to see.

It's the same kind of crisis that Bill Gates had when the Department of Justice sued Microsoft for antitrust about 20 years ago.

Gates and Zuckerberg have a lot in common, beyond the obvious fact that both created massively successful tech companies that made them deca-billionaires.



Both dropped out of Harvard. Both built reputations as ruthless business competitors.

Both are solid technical visionaries, often right, and quick to correct course when wrong: Gates initially missed the importance of the web but eventually led Microsoft to dominate it with Internet Explorer, while Zuckerberg made an ill-fated bet on a standard called HTML5 for Facebook's mobile development before switching courses. Now Facebook's mobile apps rule the charts and it makes almost 90% of its revenue through ads delivered to mobile platforms.

And both seem to have blind spots when it comes to how others see them.

According to a Wired report in 2000, Gates insisted that Microsoft had done nothing wrong, and one associate said the suit "literally made him sick." He had built a massively successful company out of nothing, and didn't understand why he was being attacked for it. The other side's point of view -- that Microsoft had a monopoly on PC operating systems, and was using the power of that monopoly to squash competition -- simply sounded like sour grapes from competitors in Silicon Valley.

Zuckerberg seems to have the same kind of blind spot when it comes to Facebook's critics. Last summer when controversy erupted about Facebook allegedly censoring conservative news viewpoints from its Trending Topics module, Facebook's response was to fire the human editors overseeing the project and increase its reliance algorithms instead. As a result, the site was inundated with fake news -- including some pro-Trump and anti-Clinton stories generated by Macedonian teens during the election season. Zuckerberg then expressed dismay at the idea that fake news on Facebook could have swayed the election.

Zuckerberg has grown up fast. He was 19 when he started Facebook, and probably barely had time to breathe as he built it into a $400 billion market cap company that reaches nearly 2 billion people every day. There were existential threats on every side -- competing social networks like Twitter and Instagram and LinkedIn, big players like Google coming after its core market.

That's all done now. Facebook is winning. It's vanquished or bought most of its competitors, and newcomers are forced to spend buckets of money just to play in the same league -- ask Snap , which lost more than $500 million last year.

But the price of all that success may be a realization that the rest of the world doesn't view your life's work as an unambiguous force for good in the way that you do. In the last few years, Zuckerberg seems to have realized that, and has turned some of his energy toward improving society. He has donated to San Francisco's main trauma hospital and pledged most of his fortune toward ambitious goals like ridding the world of disease.

Now, he's trying to figure out how to make his creation, the source of his wealth, better for society as well.
Bernard Weil | Toronto Star | Getty Images

President Donald Trump's travel ban, which triggered days of chaos before being dealt a blow in the courts that effectively suspended its execution, still has thousands of immigrant students stranded in a state of limbo. After a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the immigration order, which imposed travel restrictions on citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries linked to terrorism, Trump vowed to issue a new executive order that could come as early as next week. With the world watching for Trump's latest moves, international students who hail from the countries affected by the ban are on tenterhooks, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "I hope the ban is not extended beyond the 90-days period" said Mostafa Afkhamizadeh, a PhD candidate from Stanford University who was initially banned from coming back to California when traveling from his native Iran. Afkhamizadeh traveled to his home country on January 19th, but was held up by Trump's executive order. He now finds himself trying to get back, much like thousands of other U.S. green card and visa holders who found their ability to travel was curtailed by the original ban. "I'm mostly concerned about further policy changes or a revised executive orders during my visa process" the engineering student said to CNBC recently, who is waiting for a visa appointment in March. If Trump issues a new order that is upheld, "I will most likely terminate my doctoral program." More than 1 million strong

Trump's immigration ban impacted more than 16,600 students in the U.S., according to figures from the Institute of International Education, a vital pool of talent that boosts economic activity in ways both large and small.

The more than 1 million international students living domestically contribute nearly $33 billion to the U.S. economy, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The majority graduate to become professionals, researchers and innovators for U.S. employers. They make up more than 70 percent of graduate students in electrical engineering and computer science and support more than 400,000 jobs in the U.S., according to NAFSA data. That group includes Abdallah, a Palestinian computer science student in California who spoke to CNBC recently, but asked not to share his full name. Like many students, Abdallah voiced concerns about whether he'd be allowed to continue his studies.

"The future is very uncertain, and we don't know whether the ban is going to expand, or people from other Muslim majority countries are going to suffer" with tighter restrictions being extended to other countries, Abdallah told CNBC.
The secretary general of NATO has supported demands from the U.S. for European and Canadian members to increase their contribution towards the North Atlantic defense alliance.



Jens Stoltenberg told CNBC Saturday that the demands from the new Trump administration were "firm and fair" and come at a time when NATO is needed more than ever.

President Donald Trump has heavily criticized the NATO defense alliance and has signalled plans to withdraw unless European countries increase their defense spending to at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product, an agreement initially laid out by the 28 member states in 2014.

On Wednesday, U.S. defense secretary James Mattis reiterated that the U.S. would "moderate" support if these demands were not met.

"The message from secretary Mattis was very firm and fair because it is fair of the U.S. to ask for more defense spending across Europe and Canada," Stoltenberg told CNBC.

Stoltenberg said Europe and Canada were "moving in the right direction", with the alliance seeing a 4 percent increase in real spending in 2016.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence sought Saturday to calm jittery partners by declaring that the United States, under President Donald Trump, would "hold Russia accountable" and maintain steadfast support for NATO, the post-World War II military alliance Trump once dismissed as "obsolete."

In his overseas debut as vice president, Pence told foreign diplomats and security officials attending the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. would be "unwavering" in its commitment to the trans-Atlantic alliance and Trump would "stand with Europe." He pointed to their shared "noble ideals -- freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law."

Addressing violence in Ukraine, Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honor a 2015 peace deal agreed upon in Minsk, Belarus, to end violence in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. He did not mention findings by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in last year's presidential election to help Trump win the White House.

"Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Pence's address and a series of one-on-one meetings with world leaders along the sidelines here sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression, including its annexation of Crimea. Many have been alarmed by Trump's positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pence's speech aimed to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist tendencies.

After his speech, Pence met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called for the maintenance of international alliances and told the audience, with Pence seated nearby, that NATO is "in the American interest."

Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, told the conference after Pence's speech that Moscow wanted "pragmatic relations" with the U.S. He said he hoped that "responsible leaders" would choose to create a "just world order, if you want you can call it a post-West world order."

European countries along Russia's border are rattled by the prospect of deeper U.S.-Russia ties after Trump suggested sanctionscontrary to the opinions of Merkel and other world leaders  imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea could be eased in exchange for a nuclear weapons deal. The president referred to NATO as "obsolete" in an interview before his inauguration, but has since tempered his language and has stressed the importance of the alliance during telephone conversations with foreign leaders.

But mindful that the new U.S. president often lashes out on Twitter, some attendees remained skeptical that the speech represented Trump's thinking and said his foreign policy moves would be closely watched.

"We are waiting for actions," said Polish President Andrzej Duda. "We only know what the media has reported and the statements that we've got. Now we are waiting for actions of the new government of Donald Trump."

Wrote U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on Twitter: "Looks like we have 2 governments. @VP just gave speech about shared values btwn US and Europe as @POTUS openly wages war on those values."

Michael Chertoff, a former Homeland Security secretary under U.S. President George W. Bush, noted that Pence's comments about NATO and Europe echoed assurances given by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. "They've all been consistent about the fact that there is a strong, deep and enduring commitment to Europe and to NATO and I think that message has been received," Chertoff said.

In his remarks, Pence also reinforced the Trump administration's message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

NATO's 28-member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. But only the U.S. and four other members of the post-World War II military coalition are meeting the standard, Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, "erodes the very foundation of our alliance."

"Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfill this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more," Pence said.

In a day of meetings and photo ops, Pence was sitting down with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and separately with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko  countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion. The vice president also scheduled a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The former Indiana governor's stature within the administration was also under scrutiny after the recent dismissal of Trump's national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign Monday following reports he misled Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat. The vice president learned that he had been misled through media accounts about two weeks after the president was informed.

Pence also met with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. remains embroiled in two separate wars. Trump has made clear his intention to defeat the Islamic State group. But he also said the U.S. may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion that has been rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Trump's immigration and refugee ban has ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order, which is currently tied up in court, including Iraq a close ally in the fight against IS. Trump has promised to issue a revised order, possibly as soon as next week.
ALBANY, N.Y.  SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) plans to use a federal grant of $1.25 million to help establish an advanced manufacturing performance (AMP) center.

The grant from the U.S. Department of Commerces Economic Development Administration (EDA) also involves $500,000 in matching funds from Empire State Development (ESD), SUNY Poly said in a news release issued Thursday.

ESD is New Yorks primary economic-development agency.

SUNY Poly expects the AMP center to support thousands of current and future high-tech jobs, the school said.

Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com
The edge of the 5-ounce silver quarter dollar is marked incuse with the weight and fineness in silver.

The Uncirculated 2017-P Effigy Mounds National Monument 5-ounce silver quarter dollar is scheduled to go on sale from the U.S. Mint at noon ET March 7.

The 2017-S clad Proof set is one of several annual sets that will have a lower purchase price than the 2016 version had, because it won't contain Presidential dollar coins. The Presidential $1 Coin Program ended in 2016.

Prices for three annual numismatic products to be released in 2017 by the U.S. Mintwill be lower than the prices for 2016 editions of the sets, because the 2017 products will not contain Presidential dollars, for the first time in a decade.

The 10-year Presidential $1 Coin Program was completed in 2016.

The sets that are affected by the price reductions include various Proof sets and the Uncirculated Mint set.

The price of the 2017-S Proof set containing all issues in base metals is $26.95, compared to the 2016 price of $31.95, since the set in 2017 will contain only 10 coins. The set goes on sale March 29 at noon ET.

The price of the 2017-S Silver Proof set is $47.95 compared to last years $52.95 price, and the 2017 Uncirculated Mint set costs $20.95 compared to the 2016 cost of $26.95. Release dates for these two annual sets are not yet announced.

The 2017-S Silver Proof set will contain the same number and denominations of coins as the Proof set, but the Roosevelt dime, five America the Beautiful quarter dollars and Kennedy half dollar are struck on 90 percent silver planchets instead of copper-nickel clad planchets. The remaining coins will be struck in their standard compositions.

The 2017 Uncirculated Mint set, containing specially struck Uncirculated coins of each denomination, cent through dollar, from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints, will contain six fewer coins than the 2016 set, which held the final coins struck for the Presidential $1 Coin Program.

The Uncirculated Mint set will also contain the one-year type Philadelphia Mint cent that bears, for the first time in the Mints history, the P Mint mark.

All three sets will include the manganese-brass clad Native American dollar coin for 2017.

The 2017 Native American dollar reverse commemorates the contributions of Sequoyah, inventor of the Cherokee Syllabary. The coin is already available in roll and bag quantities from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints.

Product schedule

The U.S. Mint has also announced release dates through March 29 for other numismatic products to be offered:

March 2  Proof 2017-W American Eagle gold coins, including the single tenth-ounce, quarter-ounce, half-ounce and 1-ounce coins as well as the four-coin gold Proof set.

March 7  Uncirculated 2017-P Effigy Mounds National Monument 5-ounce silver quarter dollar.

March 23  Proof 2017-W American Eagle silver dollar.

Order from the Mint online at https://catalog.usmint.gov, or telephone the Mint ordering line at 800-872-6468.
Separate from Hadrians Asia Minor cistophori of circa 128 to 132 are his Bithynian issues of circa 136 to 137. They were struck on new planchets and their circulation range was limited.

An elegant triumphal arch appears on the reverse of this cistophorus of Hadrian. Its from an uncertain mint in Asia Minor and appears to be unpublished in the standard references.

Hadrians portraits on cistophori often are of exceptionally fine style, as seen on this piece of an uncertain mint in Asia Minor that shows on its reverse a statue of Diana of Ephesus.

This Hadrian cistophorus from Ephesus bears vibrant traces of the coin over which it was struck  a cistophorus issued about 170 years earlier by the triumvir Marc Antony.

The reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian (A.D. 117 to 138) was extraordinary in many ways, not the least of which was coinage. His provincial issues are intriguing. Chief among the coins that Hadrian struck in the provinces were silver cistophori  large, silver coins he produced in two distinct phases.

The reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian (A.D. 117 to 138) was extraordinary in many ways, not the least of which was coinage. His standard imperial issues have always been of great fascination to collectors, and his provincial issues are perhaps even more intriguing.

Chief among the coins that Hadrian struck in the provinces were silver cistophori  large, silver coins he produced in two distinct phases. The first occurred circa 128 to 132 at a number of mints in the Province of Asia, the second circa 135 to 136 in the Province of Bithynia at its principal mint of Nicomedia.

Using old coins to make new

The first issue was produced by overstriking old cistophori withdrawn from circulation to be used as blanks for the new cistophori, most of which typically bore the portrait of Hadrian. Almost all of the re-purposed coins were then-antique issues of the warlord Marc Antony (issued in 39 B.C.) and Romes first emperor, Augustus (issued circa 28 to circa 18 B.C.).

Its remarkable that these early cistophori had served their monetary purpose so well, having circulated for 146 to 171 years by the time they were withdrawn, only then to be re-purposed as planchets for an entirely new coinage.

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The overstriking was far from perfect, and traces of the designs from the original Antonian or Augustan cistophori often remain, verifying the source, intermingling with the fresh designs of Hadrian. One example features on its obverse the bold remnants of a coiled serpent from the Marc Antony undertype, as well as parts of that coins original inscription on the reverse.

Hadrians second issue of cistophori was of an entirely different character. Instead of being struck for general use in the Province of Asia it was meant to form a new coinage for the Province of Bithynia, a region north of the Province of Asia. The inhabitants of this region, apparently, had never used many cistophori. In this case there was no overstriking, and fresh planchets were created.

It is possible that all of these cistophori were valued at four imperial denarii. Originally, this impressive denomination had been valued at three denarii, but according to researcher Kenneth Harl, by the reign of Hadrian it was more appropriate to value the new cistophori at four denarii because of reductions, prior to Hadrians reign, in the weight of the denarius.

Harl contends that a valuation at four denarii would have prevented the new cistophori from being earmarked as an undervalued coin. In fact, it would have meant that the new coins were slightly overvalued, which would have helped cover the costs of minting and would have assured they remained in local circulation rather than being melted or exported.

Revaluing the coinage

Its important to note that not every scholar agrees that Hadrian revalued the cistophorus. Among those who do not agree is William Metcalf, who wrote the standard reference on the series. He suggests that the recoining was intended to counter abuses by bankers who took advantage of a policy in which they accepted only fresh coins at face value, and discounted all others.

Since the only cistophori in circulation during Hadrians time were significantly worn, this may have put cistophori at an economic disadvantage, even though their weight remained full considering the weight reductions that had occurred since the originals were struck.

Though there is every reason to believe there was an economic need for these remodeled coins, ideas vary on why Hadrian undertook the recoining. Some scholars, in fact, see it as a reflection of Hadrians panhellenic program and his interest in the Greek cities of Asia Minor, for he was a strong supporter of Greek culture.

Metcalf has identified numerous mints in the province of Asia at which the new cistophori were struck, and he suggests the die engraving at all but four mints (at most) was performed by just one engraver per mint. Because so many mints were in operation in different parts of Asia Minor, there is quite a variance in engraving styles, ranging from the somewhat crude to truly elevated works of art.

Varied reverse types

Another interesting feature of Hadrians cistophori is the reverse types, which are remarkably varied. Typically, most of the mint cities used this opportunity to create reverse designs that celebrated their patron deities or otherwise highlighted some notable aspect of local culture. Often times they chose to depict local attractions, such as cultus statues, temples or monumental arches.

Hadrians most peculiar cistophori are the restitution issues that bear the portrait of Augustus, rather than his own. Hadrian had always tried to foster a close connection with Romes first emperor, and this coinage underscores that effort.

The reverse inscription on these coins includes REN (meaning renatus, or reborn), which perhaps alludes to how Hadrian  like Augustus  had been initiated into the Greek Eleusinian mysteries, and thus was reborn. The fact that Hadrian appears on the reverse holding grain ears backs up this premise since it is emblematic of Demeter and Persephone, the Greek goddesses who presided over the mysteries.

In all, the Romans had made just a few concerted efforts to strike cistophori. The first ones had been during the age of the Republic, when a variety of officials operating in Asia Minor found occasion to strike coins to pay soldiers and to increase the regional money supply.

Then there were the significant productions under Marc Antony and Augustus, followed by a smaller effort by the Emperor Claudius (A.D. 41 to 54).

After Claudius, however, the only noteworthy effort was made by Hadrian. The Emperor Septimius Severus (A.D. 193 to 211) later created a series of lower-weight cistophori that today are seldom seen. Though its possible most of these Severan cistophori were melted rather than buried, and that, in fact, the issue was much larger than we suspect, it most likely was just a modest effort that soon was abandoned  and which turned out to have been the last attempt.

Coin images courtesy of Classical Numismatic Group.
At least 334 cases of mumps have been reported to MU's Student Health Center since the beginning of the fall semester. This week, the center offered a free third vaccine to slow the outbreak with free clinics also planned for Thursday and Friday.
What did Eli Drinkwitz say after Missouri's game vs. Kentucky?
Parents even want their nanny to be a psychologist (video)

Eda will graduate from university in several months. She is a fourth-year student majoring in Special Education at Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU). We cannot complain of our profession because it is one of the most in-demand occupations [in the country]. There is an increasing demand for qualified specialists in all educational institutions, starting from nursery schools to assessment centers, says Eda Kalashyan, a fourth-year student of the Faculty of Special Education. The Faculty was opened in 2011. Only Armenian State Pedagogical University has such a faculty. The demand for special educational needs (SEN) teachers has increased in Armenia after the introduction of the inclusive education system in the country. Our specialists are recruited not only in the education sector, but also in clinics, hospitals, special centers, etc. We do not experience difficulties in finding a job because the profession is very popular today. We have noticed that nowadays most parents are looking for a nanny who is a graduate of our Faculty, says Armenuhi Avagyan, Dean of the Faculty of Special Education at ASPU. Currently, the Faculty has 1147 students. Every year, about 160 graduates receive a diploma with a Bachelor's or Masters degree in ispeech and language therapy, educational psychology, special education or some other area. Of course, all graduates cannot find jobs. Armenuhi Avagyan says the reason is not the lack of jobs but the absence of desire among graduates. Inclusive education will become available in all the schools by 2025; education must be equally accessible to all. However, the process does not seem promising at this point. So far, inclusive education has been introduced in 260 of the 1464 schools.


the complete review - fiction

The Accusation



by

Bandi



general information | review summaries | our review | links | about the author

Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea

Korean title: 

Translated by Deborah Smith

With an Afterword by Kim Seong-dong

With a Note from Don Hee-yun

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Our Assessment:



B : solid if a bit obviously done; interesting glimpses into North Korea

See our review for fuller assessment.

From the Reviews

"The overall structures of Bandis stories are almost identical -- perhaps too identical, one might think, except that the repetitiveness of their trajectories seems all too accurately to reflect the fates of real-life North Koreans. Bandis prose style is rough, jagged with exclamation marks and anguished rhetorical questions: this, too, could be said to fit the exigencies of his book." - RO Kwon, The Guardian





"Bandi nest pas Soljenitsyne, et son uvre litteraire en est tres loin. Linteret tient aux recits de la vie quotidienne qui montrent les failles du systeme, son hypocrisie, son absurdite, sa repression et les strategies de survie des Nord-Coreens." - Martine Bulard, Le monde diplomatique





"(A) collection of courageous and confounding short stories (.....) Each has at its heart an accusation, enabling the book to highlight masterfully the ways in which everyone (...) is debased by the fear of committing an unavoidable or unforeseeable crime. (...) Its a quiet privilege to be given access to the voiceless by listening to such vivid and uncompromised storytelling." - Megan Walsh, New Statesman





"The stories are spare, direct, unflinching and bitterly angry. They detail the misery that the cruel absurdities of the regime inflicted on everyday lives in the closing years of Kim Il-sungs reign. (...) Bandis characters struggle to live with love, humour and humanity while conforming to the demands of the regime, but are undone by the impossibility of the proposition, by the routine injustice, corruption and cruelties endemic in the system." - Isabel Hilton, The Observer





"Whatever little moral ambiguity the situation might offer is eclipsed by the clarity of Bandis anger." - Publishers Weekly





"(A) collection of seven stories depicting the terrifying struggles of ordinary North Koreans -- translated elegantly by Deborah Smith" - Min Jin Lee, Times Literary Supplement





"In an unfussy translation by Deborah Smith, their power is in the plain-spoken, almost artless way they convey daily life under an ever-watchful, whimsically cruel regime." - Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal





"Though the English translation is faithful to the original stories, the actual stories themselves, such as 'So Near, Yet So Far,' can be schematic in plot and general in characterization. Throughout the book, the prose is ordinary, and the adopted tone occasionally reminds one of news reports. The use of such devices as the diary form is clumsy at best. (...) The value of The Accusation as a work of art is debatable, but it remains valuable for its compelling insights into a little-known world." - Krys Lee, World Literature Today

Please note that these ratings solely represent the complete review 's biased interpretation and subjective opinion of the actual reviews and do not claim to accurately reflect or represent the views of the reviewers. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. We acknowledge (and remind and warn you) that they may, in fact, be entirely unrepresentative of the actual reviews by any other measure.



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The complete review 's Review :

The Accusation collects seven stories written by an author still living in North Korea, with 'Bandi' a pseudonym used for the foreign publication of these stories to protect his actual identity. The stories were apparently written between 1989 and 1995 and smuggled out of the country (as Kim Seong-dong explains in the Afterword); they were first published in South Korea in 2014.

In the Afterword, Kim Seong-dong describes Bandi as a member of the Chosun Writers' League Central Committee, meaning that he is a bona fide -- and likely relatively highly-respected -- author in the North Korean hierarchy; as Kim notes, for writers in North Korea: "affiliation with the Chosun Literature and Art General League is obligatory" (and a place in the Central Committee obviously a mark of high local status). The stories in The Accusation, however, are presumably entirely unlike whatever the author publishes in his homeland; these system-critical stories are unthinkable in the lockstep regime, where contrarian voices exist, at best, very privately and fiction that suggests the system might be flawed and life in it not, essentially, idyllic could never be published. These stories by Bandi presumably show realities of North Korean life -- ironically: surely ones his readers there are all too familiar with anyway --, as opposed to the local propaganda-lit that has to put a rosy shine on even the worst of circumstances.

In 'So Near, Yet So Far' the plot revolves around something as simple as a son trying to see his dying mother. Summoned by yet a third telegram -- "Mother critically ill" -- he wants to do his filial duty -- but can't get the necessary Travel Regulation permit. It's not that the authorities are necessarily completely heartless -- the suggestion is that normally this probably wouldn't be too much of a problem -- but other considerations eclipse any personal ones:

We've had an order from above forbidding travel to this district. They're gearing up to hold a Class One event -- you know what that means, don't you. That's right, the Great Leader himself.

How could his own village, in his own country, his own land, be so remote, so utterly unreachable ?

We would escape from this land of deceit and falsehood, where even loyalty and diligence are not enough for life to flourish, choked as it is by tyranny and humiliation.

You might not be familiar with the term, but you should at least understand the concept, how actors perform a given play as though it were real life. To lie, in other words, but convincingly, so the audience will believe it is the truth.

A sincere, genuine life is possible only for those who have freedom. Where emotions are suppressed and actions monitored, acting only becomes ubiquitous, and so convincing that we even trick ourselves.

- M.A.Orthofer, 18 February 2017

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:

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About the Author :

'Bandi' () is the pseudonym of a North Korean author, born in 1950.

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Publicly traded companies are required by law to disclose only their global headcount, and that's all the information many of them provide. That keeps certain information a secret. These companies may be shrinking their U.S. headcount as they grow their overseas workforces. Six U.S. senators want to change that.

These senators -- all Democrats -- are co-sponsoring legislation, introduced Thursday, that would require publicly traded companies to disclose their numbers of employees by location, by state, and by country.

"It's hard to hold companies accountable for gaming the system and shipping jobs overseas when it's not even known where their employees are located," said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), in a statement. One of the key reasons this bill, called the Outsourcing Accountability Act, was introduced is because it is difficult to find information about the number of jobs that are moved offshore.

[ Discuss this story. Join our H-1B/Outsourcing group on Facebook. ]

Peters introduced similar legislation in the U.S. House before he was elected to the Senate in 2013. The other bill sponsors are Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).

No more than 18 percent to 25 percent of publicly traded companies disclose their U.S. hiring, said Scott Liao, an associate professor of accounting at the University of Toronto, who wrote a paper in 2012 with Anne Beatty, a professor of accounting and management information systems at Ohio State University, that looked at corporate headcount disclosures.

The researchers found that companies that break out their U.S. headcount usually hire more U.S. workers. Companies that don't disclose their headcount may be moving jobs overseas or shrinking their U.S. workforces, and are worried about a public and employee backlash if that information is made public, Liao said, in an interview.

The nondisclosing companies "are hiding that information because they don't want the public, or the employees, to know their geographic deployment," he said.

If the law were changed to require geographic disclosures of employees headcounts, "it's possible" that more companies would hire domestically, Liao said, but he couldn't be certain of it.

Many U.S. tech companies don't report U.S. headcounts, but those that do may fit the model described by Beatty and Liao in their research paper.

Microsoft, for instance, discloses its U.S. headcount in its annual reports and increased its domestic workforce last year. In 2015, the company reported 118,000 full-time employees globally, 60,000 of them employed in the U.S., and 58,000 internationally. In 2016, Microsoft's overall workforce declined to 114,000, but its U.S. workforce increased to 63,000, and its international workforce declined to 51,000.

But another company, IBM, stopped providing its U.S. headcount in 2010. It's U.S. workforce had been declining as its overseas workforce increased. It now only provides a global headcount in its annual reports.
Almost 20 years ago, Chris Wysopal was among a group of hackers who testified before U.S. Congress, warning it about the dangers of the internet.

Unfortunately, the U.S. government is still struggling to act, he said. "Youre just going to keep ending up with the status quo," he said, pointing to the U.S. government's failure to regulate the tech industry or incentivize any change.

Its a feeling that was shared by the experts who attended this weeks RSA cybersecurity show. Clearly, the U.S. government needs to do more on cybersecurity, but what?

Public and Private sector

Perhaps, the need for U.S. action hasn't been more urgent. In last year's election, Russia was accused of hacking U.S. political groups and figures in an effort to influence the outcome.

In addition, major internet companies, including Yahoo, have also reported huge data breaches, one of which exposed details to a billion user accounts.

The list of problems goes on and on. However, what the U.S. government's role should be in cybersecurity isn't as clear-cut as one might think. That's because most of the IT infrastructure is in the hands of the private sector, which is constantly churning out new -- and sometimes vulnerable -- tech products. But it's not always the biggest fan of regulation.

"Every year, people talk about improved collaboration between the public and private sectors," said RSA CTO Zulfikar Ramzan. "And of course, every year, it feels like we haven't made that much progress."

Michael Kan RSA CTO Zulfikar Ramzan speaks at RSA 2017.

He predicts the state of cybersecurity will first get worse before it gets better. Nowadays, one relatively simple hack involving a phishing email can affect an entire U.S. election, like it did, last year.

Ramzan recommends that the U.S. fully outline the public and private sectors' roles in cybersecurity, as opposed to leaving this muddled. "That would help things move forward," he said. "Each respective sector can do what they do best."

For instance, the U.S. should be pushing out more standards on IT security, based on guidance from the industry. Meanwhile, the private sector can focus on developing new innovations that government bureaus can beta test and support.

Practical approaches

Others like Wysopal, who is now CTO at Veracode, think the U.S. government is in a unique position to spark change that can reach out across the industry.

Imagine if tech vendors all suddenly decided to build securer products -- not because of any new regulation -- but because they wanted to win bids from a customer.

The U.S. government happens to be one of the biggest customers of technology. So it's in a prime position to demand tech vendors secure their products, which would pass those benefits on to other buyers such as enterprises and consumers, Wysopal said.

"It isnt regulation. Its securing the government and getting that ripple effect," he said.

"But they've never really done that," he added. "They've never put acquisition requirements in place. There's recommendations. But they're not as stringent as we see with the banks."

Experts at the RSA show also brought up the urgent need for the U.S. government to train new cybersecurity talent  which is scarce in today's industry  and to readily share its intelligence on the latest cyber threats, rather than wait until it's too late.

"Dont tell us what to do, how to do it," said Jeremiah Grossman, chief of security strategy at SentinelOne. "Just tell us what's out there."

"The faster we get the data out to the masses, the sooner we can counteract," he said. "By sharing threat intel data, we force them [the hackers] to change their tactics."

Hard questions

But in the cyber realm, perhaps the biggest challenge facing the U.S. government is what to do about state-sponsored hacking.

The U.S. still doesnt have a clear policy on how to retaliate, which does nothing to discourage foreign governments from striking again. But at the same time, many of these cyber attacks might be considered an act of war, said Mike Rogers, a former U.S. congressman who was chairman of the House intelligence committee.

Michael Kan Former U.S. congressman Mike Rogers.

During a panel at the RSA show, he pointed to the example of North Korea's suspected hacking of Sony Pictures in 2014, which costs millions of dollars in damages.

"Is that an act of war?" he asked. "It's so hard to come to that conclusion, because [these cyber attacks] are happening a million times a day."

In 2007, U.S. officials began realizing they needed a policy around cyberwarfare, Rogers said. But the government still isn't close to defining it, despite wrestling with the topic for years.

"We were having a hard time coming to any agreement, and we're not there yet," he said.

But clearly, something needs to change.

"I think the United States is in cyberwar and most Americans don't know it. And I'm not sure we're winning," he said.
The brilliant future of mixed reality will come to us from the likes of Microsoft and Magic Leap, according to the conventional wisdom.

Microsoft has grabbed mindshare with awesome demos of its Hololens product, like its Project XRay game demo at its October 2015 Windows 10 event.

Magic Leap, which has raised more than $1 billion from investors, has dazzled YouTube users with simulated experience videos.

Other contenders in this space include ODG and Meta.

There's no question that the demos are cool and that several or all of those products will appear on the market and thrill users with a new experience that blends the real with the virtual.

But the future of mixed reality won't be dominated by Microsoft, Magic Leap, ODG or Meta, but by Google and Apple. Here's why.

The reality about mixed reality

Unlike virtual reality, which involves immersion into a fully computer-generated world, mixed reality blends the real with the computer-generated.

There are two kinds of mixed reality:

1. Head-up display (HUD): This kind of mixed reality simply places computer-generated words and images into the user's field of view without attaching those virtual objects to things or surfaces in the real world. Google Glass offers a HUD, as do fighter-jet displays and next-generation car windshields.

2. Object- or surface-aware augmented reality: Any mixed reality where text or computer-generated objects appear to attach or interact with real-world objects. This can range from simple applications, such as the Sphero BB8 toy robot smartphone app, to complex systems, including Hololens, Magic Leap and others.

The most thrilling mixed reality experience involves real-time, 3D mapping of the environment, which enables virtual objects to interact with surfaces and objects in the real world. For example, a computer-generated creature that can stand on a table -- or hide behind it.

Here's the challenge: 3D-mapping capability is compute-intensive, meaning it is expensive, power-hungry and heat-generating. So is the real-time rendering of 3D objects.

With the richest mixed-reality experience, you need both 3D mapping and image rendering. As a result, products like Hololens and Magic Leap require heavy, bulky headsets and cost a lot of money. (The Hololens developers edition weighs more than 1.25 lbs. and costs at least $3,000 -- roughly the same weight and price as four iPhones.)

This class of mixed-reality product is exciting, but these systems aren't for casual use. I'm sorry to break it to you, but only businesses, universities, military operations and very dedicated gamers will buy them in the near future.

And that's where Google and Apple come in.

Google

I told you about Google's Tango 3D mapping technology more than a year ago. The platform is capable of quickly mapping interior spaces, including depths and distances; it's even capable of accurately determining the size of objects in a room.

Since then, the first Tango-capable phone has shipped (Lenovos Phab 2 Pro) and a second has been demonstrated (the Asus ZenFone AR).

Dozens of Tango-supporting apps are now available, and there should be hundreds by the end of the year.

The American Museum of Natural History is using Tango to bring back the dinosaurs, as demonstrated at the most recent Google I/O developer conference.

BMW is using Tango to sell cars.

And MIT researchers are using Tango to create virtual-reality spaces based on real-life spaces. This is a nascent approach to virtual and mixed reality where such environments could be created on the fly using low-cost phones and headsets.

Some of the most interesting Tango apps are for shopping, such as Home AR Designer, which lets you see virtual furniture in place in your living room before you buy.

The best Tango products are yet to come. These will appear in the form of new phones, new apps and new peripherals, such as mixed-reality glasses that work with a smartphone.

What's amazing about Tango is that Google has already demonstrated sophisticated mixed-reality-capable mapping that's inexpensive enough to be offered in a $500 smartphone.

The ZenFone supports not only Tango, but also Google's Daydream VR headset -- but not at the same time. I spoke with Tango chief Johnny Lee this week, and he told me that they can theoretically work together now, but not well enough for public use. Expect the union of Tango and Daydream support (as well as support for lighter mixed-reality glasses) in future Android phones.

Lee also said that the Tango team has frequent meetings with Google's Pixel smartphone group. He said they're well-versed on all aspects of Tango and that there's "a lot of interest and enthusiasm" as Tango technology gets smaller and cheaper. I think it makes enormous sense for future Pixel phones to get Tango functionality built in.

Tango can harvest 3D data the could be useful in the future for identifying objects, which would provide artificial-intelligence-based augmented reality, Lee said. That means Tango itself could be a major tool for identifying objects, buildings, appliances and products and labeling or providing additional information about them in your field of view. Everyday use of this feature could enable Google to crowdsource data on everything in real time, much as Google's Waze app maps traffic.

The most important thing Google and Tango are doing is bootstrapping a smartphone-based mixed-reality ecosystem. This wide effort is happening behind the scenes and encompasses the development of smartphones, peripherals, apps, content -- even a "large library of 3D assets that you can place in the world," according to Lee.

Google is building a world of smartphone-friendly mixed reality that's mainstream, portable, affordable and practical.

Apple may be doing the rough equivalent.

Apple

During a visit to the U.K. last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook told The Independent that he is "excited about augmented reality" (AR). (Cook uses the term "augmented reality," but "mixed reality" is more accurate.)

That's interesting, because Cook rarely uses the e-word -- excited -- unless he's talking about Apple products.

(Apple rarely discusses future product plans, and the company declined to comment for this column.)

Goldman Sachs analyst Simona Jankowski and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo both believe Apple's 10-year anniversary iPhone 8, will support mixed reality.

Combine all this tea-leaf reading, guesswork and rumor-mongering with Apple's numerous mixed-reality patents and acquisitions, and it all adds up to a strong possibility that Apple could embrace mixed reality in commercially available products. Chief among Apple's acquisitions is Primesense, the company behind the hardware Microsoft based its Kinect system on.

If Apple does offer something in the mixed-reality space, it will probably be for the mainstream consumer market. Cook told The Independent that mixed reality is a "big idea, like the smartphone"  something "for everyone."

I've predicted in this space that Apple will get into the smart glasses business. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple's first foray into mixed reality was a simple HUD display built into fashion glasses, a 3D-image sensing feature for the iPhone 8, or both.

Either way, when you think about mixed reality, understand that while Microsoft, Magic Leap and others are creating powerful, exciting mixed-reality products, they lack the one quality that Google and probably Apple have -- the intention to develop mixed reality that's affordable, mobile and mainstream.

The mixed reality you'll actually use isn't the heavy, expensive, nonmobile version from Microsoft and Magic Leap. It's the one that comes free with your phone.
Early this week, Open Democracy ran an article on the so-called dark money that paid for Brexit. The supposedly-sinister funds referred to were those that the Democratic Unionist Party contributed to Vote Leave.

Now, the reason they call it dark money is because political donations are still secret in Northern Ireland. There are certainly grounds for objecting to that, although one can also reasonably disagree.

But rather than confining themselves to that, the authors at Open Democracy go to some length to try to persuade us that the DUPs actual campaigning activity was also deeply suspicious, if not worse. They base this claim on two notions: that the party spent a lot more money on the referendum than it usually does, and that it spent a lot of it outside Northern Ireland.

It takes only a few moments consideration to realise that there are non-sinister explanations for both. Lets look at them in turn. First:

Just how much the DUP spent on Brexit remains to be seen. But the Electoral Commission have already let slip something surprising: its more than 250,000. And the most obvious reason that a relatively small party had so much to spend on this campaign? Because political donations in Northern Ireland are kept secret.

Is that really the most obvious reason? It strikes me as rather more obvious that the DUP had, like other official participants in the campaign, a legal spending allowance to which Brexiteer donors might quite reasonably direct funds when other allowances were full.

Maybe Arlene Foster really did cash an anonymous cheque from a Kremlin-linked bank or suchlike, but thats far from the most obvious explanation for her partys spending. The authors try to insinuate that the DUP wouldnt have been a useful outlet for Brexiteer cash without Ulsters secrecy rules, but they dont really even begin to demonstrate why this would be so.

So when the authors ask So, why did the DUP spend so much campaigning to leave the European Union? And where did they get all the money to do so?, the most obvious answers are because they wanted to leave the European Union and Brexiteer donors.

Despite this, its understandable that a small party spending much larger amounts of money than usual might look suspicious at first glance. The same cant be said for the second objection: that the DUP spent money on the mainland.

Open Democracy point out that the party spent in several areas, including signs in Scotland, but focus on a major advert on the front of the Metro, which doesnt circulate in Northern Ireland. There then follows this contribution from Naomi Long, leader of the Alliance Party and MP for Belfast East from 2010 to 2015:

It is hard to understand why the DUP would spend that amount of money on an advert in London or anywhere else in GB. Where are the benefits to the DUP in doing that?

Long isnt an idiot, so she must know that the question shes posing is ridiculous. This wasnt an election with DUP candidates standing in their own little patch: the benefits to the DUP of Brexit spending were Leave winning the UK-wide vote. It would be more surprising if the DUP were not directing their funds as part of a country-wide vote-optimisation effort.

Moreover, in the following two statements the authors at Open Democracy actually provide us with more reasons for the partys high mainland spending:

A UK-wide wrap around advert in the Metro costs 250,000: on its own, far more than any Northern Irish Party has ever spent on even the most significant election campaigns.

and

A quarter of a million pounds is unlike anything the DUP has spent in the past. Just a month before the EU referendum, the party won 38 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections and retained its position as the largest party there. To do this, they spent less than 90,000.

Even if the DUP werent doing the obvious, sensible thing and channelling their funds to wherever in the UK they would maximise the Brexit vote, the above passages clearly indicate that Northern Irish politics can absorb only a comparatively small amount of campaign spending. In a truly national contest theres no reason the overflow wouldnt or shouldnt get spent in other theatres.

Personally, as a unionist, I welcome Northern Irish unionists adopting a more pan-UK perspective. That the referendum afforded us the opportunity to have a genuinely national political debate, transcending the divisions of devolution, was one of its great upsides.

Again, you can think what you will on Northern Irish donor privacy laws. But its a shade ironic for the champions of clarity to make claims like this:

Until the funders behind the DUP campaign are fully disclosed, we should assume there is a good reason that someone doesnt want us to know who they are.

without even mentioning the alternative, less sinister explanations for the facts theyre analysing  and disappointing when a paper like the Times () fails to add such context when it picks up the story.
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According to a 2013 statistics, in the United States, around 40.6 percent of babies are born to unmarried women. Tacking the issue of parental rights, a paper investigates from a historical perspective when unmarried men claim paternity of a child. Are there any other factors that affect the decision of unmarried men to step up to the plate for potentially their offspring?

The paper, done by sole researcher Kermyt Anderson of the University of Oklahoma, investigates when unmarried men acknowledge paternity of a child. It also investigates how the establishment of paternity affects both the future of the mother and child.

According to Anderson's hypothesis, a number of factors affect the decision of unmarried men if and when they claim paternity of the child. In fact, the legal establishment of paternity of the child before birth or during the mother's pregnancy increases the likelihood of the offspring being born.

In the US, the establishment of paternity rights occurs at the birth of the child. Usually, the husband of the married woman is automatically indicated as the legal father of the child on the birth certificate unless stated otherwise. However, there are growing number of cases of children born out of wedlock and legal rights of the father should be established by having the man sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity form to guarantee his paternal rights over the child.

The paper, published in the journal Human Nature, exposes the darker side of paternal rights. According to the researcher, based on the analysis of the data collected from 5.4 million births that occurred from 2009 to 2013 in the United States from the National Center for Health Statistics, unmarried men are most likely to claim the child as theirs If the mothers have a high socio-economic status.

Unmarried men are also most likely to establish themselves as the legal father of the baby if the baby born is male and the baby's mother is not a teenager and has private health insurance. In fact, unmarried men are most likely to voluntarily acknowledge fatherhood if the baby's mother is at least college educated, healthy and had a healthy pregnancy.

Moreover, legal paternity affects the likelihood of the child to be born healthy and to be breastfed upon birth. It even affects how the mother takes care of both herself and her child. The paper was also able to determine that the mothers adjust their investment to their child based on the expected investment of the child's legal father.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will be launched into space this Saturday, from the Cape Canaveral pad to being an antibiotic-resistant superbug that will be studied by astronauts on the International Space Station. The experiment aims to identify properties of the bug in outer zero-gravity condition and possibly create a drug that would be able to resist such bugs.

The mission aims to work on the MRSA bacteria in a zero-gravity environment where researchers can better understand the mutation process of superbugs and how they have managed to become resistant to the current antibiotics available to a human, CNN reports.

The MRSA or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus also known as the staph is a bug resistant to antibiotic methicillin and many others. This bug is a cause of many diseases such as sepsis, skin and bloodstream infections and pneumonia. DR. Anita Goel, the chairwoman, and CEO of the laboratory company Nanobiosym is seeking for a medical breakthrough and technology that will help combine physics, biomedicine, and nanotechnology.

The experiment is curious about the effects of microgravity on the bacteria as well as electromagnetic radiation and other unanticipated elements in outer space.

According to News Australia, the NASA researchers are also hopeful that the different conditions in outer space would give them a better insight into how it is best to eradicate the superbug. Although everything is just a theory for now, they are pushing this experiment to be able to create a precision medicine for a specific bug, predict the drug resistance of such drugs and create smarter drugs for human consumption in general.

Meanwhile, the NASA confirms that the space station is indeed an ideal environment for the experiment. The virus will be sent to the space station this Saturday, February 18. It was initially scheduled to be launched on Valentine's Day in the United States but was pushed back to a later date.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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Scientists expressed the need for more people to donate their brains for research after die. At present, there is a lack of brains from people with disorders such as depressions and post-traumatic stress disorder.

To be able to develop new treatments for mental and neurological diseases and disorders, scientists are appealing to the public to donate their brains for research purposes after they die, BBC reports. The human brain, being the complex organ it experiences changes in wirings and develops as humans for. It is a representation of the behavior that a human possess and who a person is.

Studies conducted on the human brain are being conducted to be able to understand the link between the shape of the brain to several mental and neurological disorders. At present, there are more than 3,000 brains stored at the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center at the McLean Hospital located just outside Boston. This center is considered as one of the largest brain banks in the world. Specimens in the centers are mostly from people with neurological and mental issues.

Scientists are looking forward to finding new treatments for Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's and a lot of other psychiatric disorders. However, brain banks across the world, even the one from McLean Hospital do not have enough specimens to support their research.

Even with the tools and the capabilities to conduct a deep-level biology on the human brain, there is a current lack of the donated brains that they receive, which they can use for their research.

Meanwhile, Yahoo News reports about the increasing rate of overdose deaths in Canada lead to an increase in the number of organs available for transplant. Canada is currently fueled with a deadly spike in fentanyl abuse. This analgesic is found to be 100 times stronger than morphine. Data shows that there are already 59 organs from 20 donors used in transplants from January 2017 to mid-February. Around 25% of the organs that have been transplanted in Canada for 2016 came from people who die of a fentanyl overdose.

Although these untimely deaths are unfortunate for the family of the disease, it is also being treated a "mixed blessing". Many people on the waiting list for an organ transplant are getting the help that they need.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
Lewis Hamilton says there is "no racing achievement" that will make him consider doing a shoey this season.

Daniel Ricciardo was the shoey king last season in Formula One, introducing the craze into the sport and doing his first shoey - drinking champagne from one of his race boots - after he finished runner-up in the German Grand Prix at the end of July, mirroring what Jack Miller had done in MotoGP after winning at Assen the month before.

Ricciardo then managed to get ex-F1 driver and podium interviewer Mark Webber in on the act in Belgium, before roping in Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen and Nico Rosberg after he won in Malaysia. Rosberg also subsequently did a shoey after winning the World title in Abu Dhabi as well.

5 Questions which need answering as F1 2017 begins

Hamilton, however, has ruled out doing one himself in F1 2017, describing it as "disgusting" during a Facebook Q&A with sponsor UBS.

"There is no racing achievement [that will get me to do a shoey]. That is disgusting. It is kinda of cool that he [Ricciardo] has got his own little thing and I admire him for having his own little thing. It is totally cool if he wants to drink the sweat off his own foot, but I definitely don't [want to]," Hamilton said.

REWIND: Ricciardo explains 'Shoey' as Rossi joins in

"I wouldn't even drink the sweat from my own shoe. You don't understand... We have got these shoes and it is so hot down by our feet - all the hydraulic fluids are going down there and they are running at 300 degrees or something crazy. It is bleeding hot. Your feet are drenched afterwards.

"My dad would always call it 'toe jam'. He is just drinking 'toe jam'. There is no way, no way [I will do it]. Zero chance."

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Accenture Joins List of Companies Committing To U.S. Job Growth

Jimmy Sheridan

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Accenture added itself to a growing list of tech companies committing to U.S. job growth on Friday when it committed to creating 15,000 U.S. jobs within the next three years.

"In recent months, I have met with clients across all the major industries we serve, and the need for innovation to grow, compete and transform in the digital economy has never been greater," Julie Sweet, Accentures chief executive officer of North America, said in a statement.

Accenture did not respond to request for additional comment by publication time.

The Dublin-based consulting giant  No. 2 on CRN's SP500 list  will be accelerating its investments in the U.S. to boost new technology innovations within the country, by opening 10 new innovation hub centers across the U.S. and investing $1.4 billion in training between now and 2020.

[Related: 5 Tech Companies Eyeing U.S. Job Creation Investments During The Trump Administration]

Accenture is investing in training and creating jobs across all five of its businesses according to a statement from the company, boosting its Strategy, Consulting, Digital, Technology and Operations business units.

Accenture, as part of its mission to help companies increase performance and become more efficient, typically helps businesses outsource jobs to less expensive labor markets. It's strategy tagline, which changed in 2014, was "Consulting. Technology. Outsourcing."

In today's announcement, Accenture said it plans to grow its total workforce in the U.S. to more than 65,000, an increase of 30 percent by the end of 2020.

"I am excited that we are creating even more opportunities for our people to participate in one of the most dynamic parts of the American economy  Today marks a key moment for Accenture to help our clients play an even bigger part in the nations growth and innovation agenda," said Sweet, in a press release.

The new innovation hubs allow Accenture to bring in clients and work with them as they retool their businesses, and business models, using a full arsenal of new technologies including advanced analytics, IoT sensors and robotics.

Though Accenture's statement didn't mention politics, the timing of the company's announcement lines up with a host of tech-related firms that have publicly said they'd focus on American job growth, under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. job growth has been a cornerstone of Trump's campaign and presidency  he recently vowed to create 25 million new American jobs in the next decade.

As a backdrop, the momentum is certainly in his favor. The economy has added nearly 2.2 million jobs in the most recent 12 months. It has gained jobs for 75 straight months, the longest streak on record.

Since meeting with Trump, a number of companies, including IBM, AT&T, Intel, Amazon and Sprint have all declared that they will be increasing their investments in the American job market, and will be making new positions available to American workers.
Cloud News

IBM, With VMware, Provides Partners A Market-Ready Hybrid Cloud Solution That They Can Sell Now

Joseph Tsidulko

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IBM stirred up excitement early last year when it forged a strategic partnership with VMware to facilitate extension of VMware environments to the SoftLayer public cloud. But partners were soon disappointed to learn IBM Cloud for VMware would be a no-go zone for the channel.

That all changed this week when Big Blue revealed at its PartnerWorld Leadership Conference it was authorizing business partners to resell the integrated hybrid cloud offering previously reserved for its own internal services division.

"That really opens up an entire new market [for partners] with all of the VMware installations around the globe, and there are many," said Meg Swanson, vice president of marketing for IBM Bluemix, in revealing the change to IBM's channel program.

[Related: From A Partner Program Perspective, IBM Says Its Cognitive Transformation Is Already Complete]

With VMware's own public cloud play, vCloud Air, fading into obsolescence, and uncertainty surrounding a much-hyped deal with Amazon Web Services, IBM's integration represents VMware's only hybrid cloud story.

Avnet, an IBM cloud distributor that facilitates a network of value-added resellers around the world, is now working with those partners to leverage the integrated solution, Sergio Farache, Avnet's senior vice president of strategy, told CRN.

Avnet had already been offering its own tools and white-label services to help partners deploy VMware environments on SoftLayer, the IBM Infrastructure-as-a-Service platform recently wrapped under the Bluemix branding. But the process was more operationally cumbersome and expensive than what IBM developed last year for the exclusive use of its services unit.

Making the "VMware-ready capability" a channel play "accelerates the motion of something we were already promoting on the generic SoftLayer bare-metal infrastructure," Farache said.

IBM's solution simplifies provisioning through the IBM Marketplace, adds migration, automation and management capabilities, and integrates billing so partners dont need to go out and obtain separate licenses.

"IBM is the first one to put a complete model in place with this level of integration and transparency for the partner, and a real partner motion," Farache said. "Others have announced, but there's no real partner motion."

AWS, the industry leader, made waves in October when it struck its own deal with VMware to bring the virtualization technology to the public cloud.

IBM Cloud for VMware, however, has the advantage over AWS of actually being on the market, as opposed to a conceptual product with unspecified pricing and no firm release date, said Quincy Allen, chief marketing officer for IBM Cloud.

And IBM's solution is compatible with all VMware tools and interfaces, Allen told CRN, something partners were clamoring for.

"They were disappointed in the beginning when they could not take advantage of it," Allen told CRN.

At the same time, IBM recognized that its many thousands of channel partners around the world could rapidly scale deployment of VMware on Bluemix.

"Clients are trying to get to the cloud. That's what they want to do, but quickly what comes into your purview, the reality, is they're not just going to start over," Allen said. "The quickest way to cloud is to leverage what you have already."

And what enterprises throughout the world already have are VMware-virtualized private clouds, he said.

Farache, of Avnet, told CRN that more than working with any specific vendors, partners want to be able to offer a comprehensive hybrid solution that meets the demands of enterprises. Many who focus on private cloud have been developing skills in orchestration and automation, and were looking for an opportunity to extend into the public cloud.

"More and more their hybrid needs were growing," he told CRN. "The piece IBM is putting on the table is simplifying this for them."

Solution providers can install just about any software on any hyper-scale cloud, as Avnet had previously done with VMware on SoftLayer. But a streamlined product, available through a marketplace and supported by a formal channel program, incentivizes partners to go to market with a true value proposition, he said.

And for enterprise customers, IBM's capabilities as far as security, redundancy, and global data center presence make the hybrid option far more attractive, he told CRN.
Mobility News

Head-To-Head: Lenovo Yoga 910 Vs. Apple MacBook Pro

Kyle Alspach

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Lenovo Yoga 910 Vs. Apple MacBook Pro

The PC market may be in a continuing slide, but Apple and Lenovo are still finding growth in the market. At least during the final three months of 2016, Lenovo reported a 2 percent gain in its PC business year-over-year, while Apple's Mac line grew 7.4 percent. Products that have been crucial to the growth are laptops in Lenovo's Yoga line -- including the new flagship, the Yoga 910 -- and Apple's recently overhauled MacBook Pro. But which of the two laptops would be the better fit for you? Click through as the CRN Test Center compares Lenovo's Yoga 910 vs. Apple's new MacBook Pro on specs and price.

First Things First - Lenovo Yoga 910 Vs. Apple MacBook Pro

There are a few obvious differences to mention upfront. The Yoga 910 is a touch screen convertible, featuring the signature 360-degree Yoga hinge. That allows the display to fold all the way back for use as a tablet, or in stand or tent mode. Apple's new MacBook Pro does have some touch capabilities, but not on the display. Instead, the laptop's Touch Bar -- a touch-sensitive strip that's located in place of the function row of keys -- provides controls that adapt to whatever app is being used.

While the Yoga 910 has one standard model (with different configurations on specs available), the new MacBook Pro comes in three distinct models: a 15-inch version with the Touch Bar; a 13-inch Touch Bar model; and a 13-inch version without the Touch Bar.

Another difference, of course, is around the operating system of each laptop: The Yoga 910 runs Windows 10, while the MacBook Pro runs macOS Sierra.

Display - Lenovo Yoga 910 Vs. Apple MacBook Pro

Apple's Retina display has lots of fans, but if you're looking for the maximum number of pixels, Lenovo's Yoga 910 actually has more to offer. The laptop is available with a UHD (3,840 x 2,160) display option, which beats out the highest-available resolution on the new MacBook Pro. The displays on the MacBook Pro models are 2,880 x 1,800 resolution for the 15-inch version, and 2,560 x 1,600 for both of the 13-inch versions.

As far as display size, the Yoga 910 falls in between the two sizes of the MacBook Pro, at 13.9 inches. The Yoga 910 also offers an FHD (1,920 x 1,080) model in addition to the UHD version.

The Yoga 910 and MacBook Pro both leverage IPS technology in their respective LCD displays, which helps enable better colors and viewing angles.

Thickness And Weight - Lenovo Yoga 910 Vs. Apple MacBook Pro

One area of focus for Apple in revamping the MacBook Pro was improving the laptop's portability. The result? Both versions of the 13-inch MacBook Pro are 0.59 of an inch thick, while the 15-inch version measures 0.61 of an inch. Meanwhile, on weight, the 13-inch models are 3.02 pounds, while the 15-inch MacBook Pro weighs 4.02 pounds.

Unfortunately for Apple, Lenovo's Yoga 910 is still thinner, with a thickness of 0.56 of an inch. And even with a larger screen than the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the Yoga 910 is roughly the same weight, at 3.04 pounds.

Processor - Lenovo Yoga 910 Vs. Apple MacBook Pro

The Yoga 910 features a more-recent CPU than the MacBook Pro -- Intel's seventh-generation Core i (Kaby Lake), rather than the sixth-gen variety (Skylake). Apparently, Apple's work on the new MacBook Pro didn't sync up with Intel's schedule for Kaby Lake. The Yoga 910 comes with one processor option, the Core i7-7500U, which is dual-core.

Still, while the MacBook Pro processors are a generation old, they're still really fast. Especially on the 15-inch model: the laptop features Intel's powerful HQ series of quad-core processors, with options that include the i7-6700HQ and the i7-6920HQ. Meanwhile, the 13-inch Touch Bar model features a choice of speedy dual-core i5 processors in the U-series (configurable up to Core i7), while the 13-inch non-touch version features a slower Core i5 U-series processor.

Battery Life - Lenovo Yoga 910 Vs. Apple MacBook Pro

While users of the new MacBook Pro have reported widely varying results on battery life, Apple promises 10 hours for both the 13- and 15-inch models. That's just a bit above the nine hours of battery life that Lenovo promises for the Yoga 910. But in reports of real-world tests (including our own), the Yoga 910 has shown some strong results on battery life. That suggests that many users may just find the Yoga 910 to be superior on battery life to the MacBook Pro. Notably, Lenovo has included a larger battery (78Whr) in the Yoga 910 than what's featured in the MacBook Pro (76Whr for the 15-inch model, 49.2Whr for the 13-inch Touch Bar version), even though the Yoga 910 is a thinner machine.

Ports - Lenovo Yoga 910 Vs. Apple MacBook Pro

Another controversy for the new MacBook Pro has involved the lack of port options. The laptop relies entirely on Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), while all other types of connections, such as USB-A, require a converter. The laptop also doesn't include a slot for an SD card, traditionally a popular feature with photographers. The Touch Bar versions of the MacBook Pro both include four USB-C ports, while the 13-inch non-Touch Bar version has two.

The Yoga 910 has a bit more variety on ports, but not much. The laptop includes two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, but no SD card. In addition, it's worth noting that the USB-C ports on the Yoga 910 do not support Thunderbolt 3 (which offers such benefits as speedy data transfers).

Memory And Storage - Lenovo Yoga 910 Vs. Apple MacBook Pro

While 8GB of RAM is standard for the 13-inch MacBook Pro versions, both can be boosted to 16GB. The 15-inch MacBook Pro comes with 16GB of RAM.

For storage, all three versions of the MacBook Pro start at 256GB of storage but can be configured with 512GB or 1TB.

For the Yoga 910, the RAM options are 8GB or 16GB, and the storage options are 256GB or 1TB.

Price - Lenovo Yoga 910 Vs. Apple MacBook Pro

Neither the Lenovo Yoga 910 nor the new Apple MacBook Pro come cheap. But the price tag on the MacBook Pro is at the higher end of the spectrum than the Yoga 910.

For one comparison, take the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar -- configured with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage -- versus a Yoga 910 with the same storage and RAM. That MacBook Pro will run $1,799, while the Yoga 910 (with FHD display) will be $1,199.99. Even that Yoga 910 configuration with UHD display will be much cheaper, at $1,279.99. And keep in mind, the Yoga 910 has a full touch screen display and a 360-degree hinge, neither of which you'll find on the MacBook Pro.

Even the non-Touch Bar version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro has a significantly higher starting price than the UHD version of the Yoga 910, at $1,499 (and a slower processor, too). Meanwhile, to snag the newest 15-inch MacBook Pro, the starting price is $2,399, twice that of the Yoga 910's starting price point.

There are plenty of good reasons to go for the new MacBook Pro -- fast processors, the Retina display, the Touch Bar, and of course the fantastic Apple trackpad -- but the price tag is not one of them. If you want to feel like you're getting a pretty good deal on premium specs, you may find yourself leaning toward the Yoga 910.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Washington State issued its much-anticipated opinion in State of Washington v. Arlenes Flowers and Ingersoll v. Arlenes Flowers.

The only way to see this decision is as a major setback for religious freedom.

The case involved an anti-discrimination complaint brought against Barronelle Stutzman, the 71-year-old owner of Arlenes Flowers, and I might add, one of the nicest people on the planet. Three years ago, a long-time customer whom Stutzman considered to be a friend, asked her to create a floral arrangement for his same-sex wedding.

Stutzman declined because her Christian belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman prevented her from using her artistic talents to promote contrary ideas about marriage. Instead, she referred him to three other floral design artists who she knew would do a good job.

The customer then filed suit against Stutzman and was joined by the State of Washington.

In 2015, the trial court found that Stutzman had violated Washingtons anti-discrimination law and ordered her to pay a $1,000 fineand the ACLUs legal fees, which could approach a million dollars. Also, Stutzman could no longer operate her business according to her beliefs without risking further legal sanction.

The appeal to the state Supreme Court drew so much interest that arguments were held in an auditorium at a local college instead of at the Courts facilities. Judging by the justices questions and response, they didnt appear to be sympathetic to Stutzmans plight.

So sadly, it was no surprise that the Court ruled unanimously against Stutzman. It rejected her claim that any discrimination, if it existed, was on the basis of marital status and not sexual orientation. In a case of deja vu all over again, it cited Obergefells language and then took it even a step further, claiming that to not service a same-sex wedding serves to disrespected and subordinate gays and lesbians. For this and other reasons, the Court concluded that Washingtons anti-discrimination law applied to Stutzman.

The court then turned to the question of her rights under the U.S. and Washington State constitutions. And to put it straightforwardly, the Court was unsparing in its rejection of her claims.

It ruled that her floral arrangements werent speech but instead conduct, and that this conduct does not inherently express a message about [a same-sex] wedding, any more than providing flowers for an Islamic wedding amounts to endorsing Islam.

Citing Employment Division v Smith and analogous cases under Washingtons constitution, it rejected her free exercise claim that the Washington law could only be upheld if it served a compelling governmental interest in the least restrictive means possible.

Justice McCord wrote that even assuming that [the Washington law] substantially burdens Stutzmans religious free exercise, [it] does not violate her right to religious free exercise under either the First Amendment or (the Washington Constitution) because it is neutral, generally applicable law that serves the state governments compelling interest in eradicating discrimination in public accommodations.

As our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom, who represented Stutzman, put it bluntly: [T]he Washington Supreme Court has punished Barronelle Stutzman for peacefully operating her business consistently with her faith. Now ADF will appeal to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, they ask us to pray for Barronelle and to urge President Trump to keep his campaign promise and make religious liberty a first priority by signing an executive order to protect religious freedom.

Look folks, for more than 40 years weve been fighting the courts to save the unborn. Now we find ourselves at the beginning of a long march to restore religious freedomour first freedom under the constitution. We cannot grow weary.

And I ask LGBT advocates, is this really what youre fighting for, to destroy people like Barronell Stutzman, your neighbors who have served you and the community kindly for so many years?

Come to BreakPoint.org for more on yesterdays tragic ruling and to find out what you can do to support Barronelle Stutzman and religious freedom.

BreakPoint is a Christian worldview ministry that seeks to build and resource a movement of Christians committed to living and defending Christian worldview in all areas of life. Begun by Chuck Colson in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on todays news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print. Today BreakPoint commentaries, co-hosted by Eric Metaxas and John Stonestreet, air daily on more than 1,200 outlets with an estimated weekly listening audience of eight million people. Feel free to contact us at BreakPoint.org where you can read and search answers to common questions.

John Stonestreet, the host of The Point, a daily national radio program, provides thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.

Publication date: February 17, 2017
Cheese Movers Internationals restructuring resulted in some employees being unhappy with either their new role or the new management. And unhappy employees, especially those who know the system well and have access, can become major problems for companies.

Verizons RISK Team was called in because the multinational company had heard rumblings among the disgruntled employees and found some negative comments online. While there was no evidence of a data breach, Cheese Movers' upper management was concerned something was coming.

This is just one case found in Verizons recently released annual breach report, which examines some of the cases where the RISK Team was called in to hunt down culprits. The ridealong edition of Verizons report provides a first-person perspective of the company that calls in the heavy hitters to find out why the network has slowed, who defaced a website or where a leak is coming from. With all the accounts, the names of the companies have been changed to protect the brand from public ridicule.

The RISK Team performs cybersecurity investigations for hundreds of commercial enterprises and government agencies annually across the globe. Over the previous three years, they conducted over 1,400 engagements for their customers. Here are a few of their reports:

Not moving on

Cheese Movers International (CMI) had drawn the attention of more than one group of hacktivists who had posted messages on their social media accounts referencing the company's organizational changes. Various derogatory hashtags on social media were popping up and threats against executives were being posted to social networking sites, according to Verizons report.

CMIs precarious situation was exacerbated by the risk of an insider or recently terminated employee using their advanced knowledge of the organization to perpetrate an attack or to leak information to would-be attackers.

Verizon initially provided CMI with assistance and guidance in collating and reviewing open-source intelligence; this included searching social networks and online forums as well as specialized investigative activities within the darknet. They set up a secure anonymous account, which enabled Verizons crew to search through marketplaces and other locations on the darknet to see what the hacktivists were discussing in relation to CMI. These activities identified many threats and negative statements. And although most of the discussions were not considered genuine threats, the home address and personal details of executives were being actively sought by suspicious parties, Verizon reported.

The breach of personal information associated with senior executives was identified early enough that it could be reported to law enforcement. This was just the first of multiple threats and attacks experienced over the course of the next three weeks. Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks were attempted against many of the companys websites (the majority of which were thwarted by the DDoS protection capability that CMI had put in place).

The pen testing team performed urgent assessments of key assets and identified vulnerabilities in web-facing servers that could have proven catastrophic had they been noticed by hacktivists. In two cases, a SQL injection vulnerability and an unpatched application with known vulnerabilities were identified. It was later found that both servers had been targeted with reconnaissance activities.

After about two weeks of defending against attacks on all fronts, an attack was finally successful. One of CMIs websites appeared to have been defaced: The site was not accessible and had been replaced with a message claiming responsibility and blaming CMI for inviting this retribution. The posted message claimed that CMI's servers had been hacked and customer data would be leaked unless certain actions were performed. Verizon determined the defacement was not the result of a compromised system, but rather the website's URL was being redirected to another server hosting the message.

It was later determined that the domain registrar for the effected domain had been targeted in a social engineering attack, during which the threat actor successfully impersonated CMI staff. They were able to gain access to the account on the domain registrars service and modify the relevant DNS records, which caused visitors to the CMI website to be redirected to another website.

The affected site was not CMIs principal website and was only used by a small subset of its customers. The DNS issue was quickly resolved and the affected domain was migrated to CMI's principal domain registrar, whose security practices were superior.

Lessons learned Mitigation Dont rock the boat. Stay off the radar of any potential hacker.

Keep an ear to the ground. Base defenses, detection mechanisms and response capabilities on sound threat intelligence.

Secure your environment. Implement a timely and effective patch management program; conduct regular penetration-testing activities.

Protect social media accounts. Use two-factor authentication, strong and varied passwords, as well as proper security awareness training for staff members who manage the social media presence.

Protect third-party services. Protect account credentials; use a reputable domain name registrar that offers two-factor authentication or approved IP address whitelisting. Response Prepare and initiate your incident response (IR) plan. Establish an IR plan early, and then regularly review, test and update it.

Scope and triage the incident quickly. Effectively scope and task prioritize; be prepared to manage simultaneous, yet distinct, incidents.

Proactively communicate with affected entities. Confirm facts quickly; develop a remediation strategy and communicate this to customers.

Engage law enforcement at the right time. Consider legal and regulatory responsibilities in conjunction with advice from legal counsel.

Down to the wire

Here is another Verizon case from their clients CIO:

I asked in this day and age, how is it even possible for threat actors to initiate fraudulent wire transfers?

Verizon's RISK Team investigative response liaison replied, It happens all the time. Threat actors use social engineering tactics to fool someone into processing a fraudulent wire transfer.

I thought, sure, it happens all the time, but this couldnt possibly happen to us. After all, as the CIO, I provide written approval for all wire transfer transactions within our organization. I was confident we had enough checks and balances in place to avoid fraud occurring, the CIO said in the report.

One day the finance director came to the CIOs door with a manila folder in hand. She proceeded to say that as part of a monthly audit, the finance department was missing an international tax form for a wire transfer that had occurred three weeks prior. This missing form had prompted her to request it from the accountant who originally submitted the request for the wire transfer.

When she asked him for the form, he could not recall the details of the transfer. Since I had approved the transfer, she thought she would ask me if I could offer some assistance in jogging his memory, the CIO said.

As part of the companys wire transfer process, the accounting team must first email an invoice to the CIO containing the company name, services provided, bank account information and invoice amount. The CIO reviews the invoice and replies by email with an approve or deny. If approved, the accountant then forwards the email, invoice and tax form (if applicable) to the Wire Transfers Department. This department then reviews the information for accuracy and processes the wire transfer.

In this case, with the exception of the accompanying tax form (which isnt required immediately upon completing the wire transfer) all of these things happened  except the CIO, too, could not recall providing the approval for this wire transfer. The finance director showed the CIO the email in which he approved another wire transfer to the same bank account just three days prior to the one in question.

We werent talking chump change here: This was a significant amount of money, like buying a Rolls-Royce Phantom in a couple of different colors kind of money, the CIO said.

The RISK Team examined the email header information and confirmed that the wire transfer request did come from the accountants internal corporate email address. However, they noticed the purported CIOs email address was off by one character. Verizon explained that it was originating from an external email service. The RISK Team confirmed someone had registered a domain very similar to their client's just a few days before the wire transfer emails were sent.

We now knew how the threat actor was able to provide the approval email, but I still wanted to know how the emails originated from the accountants corporate email account, the CIO said.

The RISK Team collected the accountants email archive, a memory dump from the accountants laptop, and a forensic image of the laptop hard drive. The RISK Team asked for email web access logs. Verizon reported that numerous external IP addresses had been successfully logging into the accountants email using email web access. These logins started about a week prior to the wire transfer requests.

By analyzing activity on the accountants laptop at the time of the web email logins, the RISK Team was able to determine the accountant had received a phishing email from someone claiming to have paid a late invoice. The email instructed the accountant to click a link and provide their email domain credentials to authenticate and review the payment receipt.

Apparently, the accountant provided his email account credentials and then forgot to follow up on the fact that he didnt receive the payment receipt. The threat actor used the accountants credentials to log into his email account and study the companys wire transfer approval process by searching through emails. The threat actor even used previously sent invoices and tax forms to create the fake versions that were used for the fraudulent wire transfers. The threat actor fabricated an approval email chain that was sent to the Wire Transfers Department, according to Verizons findings.

The company was told that the link contained in the email was known to be malicious. I really started to wonder why our tools didnt block access to the URL, the said.

It turns out the internal URL filtering tool did block access to that URL from other systems within the network. It didnt block it in this situation because the accountant had been connected to his personal Wi-Fi network. He was working from home the day the phishing email was received. The IT Security Team said the companys tools werent able to block the URL because the accountant wasnt using the corporate network.

To this day, we are still working with law enforcement to figure out what happened to our money, the CIO said.
BRIDGEPORT  The city shelled out nearly $1.2 million at the end of last year to over 800 public employees as a thank you for sticking with their jobs.

And not just unionized rank and file workers. Big shots, too, get so-called longevity bonuses after so many years on the city payroll.

Elected and appointed officials like the mayor, the police and fire chiefs, the city attorney, the budget director, even the registrar of voters.

Longevity payments for time-served are not new to the public sector. State employees earn them, as do those toiling for other big cities like Hartford and New Haven. In Bridgeport the checks arrive around December.

But in tough fiscal times this public sector perk  dare it even be called a tradition  has come under fire as no longer practical or affordable.

Longevity was eliminated for state managers a few years ago. And many state government unions agreed to phase it out as part of new contracts. Civilian workers hired on or after July 1, 2011, are no longer eligible, and state police eliminated it for new members of the force as of July 1, 2015.

Kevin Maloney, spokesman for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said though it appears longevity bonuses are still widely prevalent in unionized and other town contracts ... I would not be surprised if there was some curtailment in this new tighter fiscal environment.

Its something to look at. Think about, said Bridgeport City Councilman Scott Burns, a chairman of that legislative bodys budget committee, which come April will be working with Mayor Joe Ganim to craft a new city budget.

Burns, formerly a teacher in Berlin, is aware of longevity pay. Educators receive the bonuses as well.

Burns accepts the argument offered by union heads that it makes sense to throw a little bone to those employees who have been around a long time and have a lot of value.

A pension booster

Those bones are meatier for some than for others, with a handful of Bridgeport employees earning over $3,000 and a few hundred others more than $1,000. The lowest payment last year was $108.38. Whatever the amount, it all gets counted toward pensions.

Many city workers have to put in 10 years before qualifying for longevity bonuses that vary from $65 to $70 to $75 per-year, depending on their seniority and union contract.

Members of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees union hired after the early 2000s, for example, have their annual bonuses capped at $1,800.

Cops in Bridgeport and firefighters pack the list of longevity recipients. Officers who have been on the force for at least a half decade are eligible for an annual bonus of $75 for each year with the department.

Its an incentive for you to stay here is what it basically comes down to, said Sgt. Chuck Paris, the police union president, adding longevity payments have been part of the contract for years. Im sure something was taken away to get it. Thats usually how these things work.

Of the 2016 bonuses  totaling $1.18 million  five individuals, three firefighters, two police officers, earned over $3,000. Deputy Police Chief James Honis, hired in 1970, who was paid $180,455 last year, making him one of the top city earners overall, topped the longevity list with a $3,450 bonus.

Wow, said Burns. Some on the council have been questioning the monetary worth of Honis and the three other deputy police chiefs, given the departments budgetary and manpower constraints.

Burns said that when already well-compensated staffers are receiving longevity checks, It makes you start to wonder whats the purpose?

Chief Armando A.J. Perez, who joined Bridgeports Finest in 1983, received $2,475. He was 19th on the longevity list, and among the 181 individuals who earned bonuses of over $2,000. Also among that group, Fire Chief Richard Thode ($2,175), R. Christopher Meyer, City Halls top lawyer ($2,025), Mark Anastasi, Meyers predecessor, who stayed on in that office ($2,400), and Nestor Nkwo, the budget chief ($2,025).

Four hundred and fifty six city workers got bonuses over $1,000, with the remaining 172 earning under that. That last batch included Democratic Registrar Santa Ayala ($825) and returned Mayor Joe Ganim ($900).

Ganim, as previously reported, is being treated by the personnel department as if he worked 13 consecutive years for the city. Ganim was mayor from 1991 until 2003 when he was toppled by a corruption conviction. He was re-elected in 2015 and bridged, meaning his prior time in office counts toward longevity pay, vacation time, and health benefits, rather than starting from scratch.

Good for morale

Like the state, New Haven has eliminated longevity payments for non-union managers, according to Laurence Grotheer, a spokesman for Mayor Toni Harp.

(And) its one of those things being renegotiated by certain bargaining units as we speak, said Grotheer.

Av Harris, a Ganim adviser, called longevity sound public policy and a very small line item in the city budget that actually reaps substantial benefits to the taxpayers through good government and efficient and effective delivery of government services.

Dwayne Harrison is head of the 700 strong National Association of Government Employees. NAGE last year negotiated concessions with Ganim to avoid layoffs, canceling a 2.5 percent raise scheduled for this year.

Harrison said longevity bonuses are a good thank you from the city to boost morale, especially in tight economies like we have now.
The Connecticut GOP is moving to the burbs.

The state Republican Party recently voted to relocate its headquarters from Hartford to a shuttered restaurant property next to Interstate 84 in Southington  a destination once laying claim to having the best ribs in the state.

The move ends a five-year run in the capital city for the party, which has struggled to gain traction in the states largest urban centers but picked up seats in the Legislature last fall. Its new digs, the former site of Brannigans, is 16.4 miles from the Capitol.

The real estate agent who handled the lease transaction was state Rep. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, who said that he will receive a commission from his brokerage firm, Realty3 of Connecticut. Both Sampson and state GOP Chairman J.R. Romano say that saving money on rent was the impetus for the move.

Theres nothing funny going on in the lease, Sampson said, adding that commissions are usually equal to one months rent or half that amount.

The party had been paying $2,850 a month for its fourth-floor location at 31 Pratt St. in Hartford, filings with the Federal Election Commission show. Romano said GOP will save about $1,000 a month under its new lease.

Its like being able to afford a BMW, but you buy a Ford, Romano said. We can afford a BMW, but Id rather have the Ford so I can invest more into winning elections.

The Connecticut Democrats averaged about $5,119 on monthly rent and utilities for their 30 Arbor St. headquarters in Hartford during 2016, FEC filings show.

Under Romanos predecessor, Jerry Labriola Jr., the state GOP moved its headquarters from New Britain to Hartford in 2012. New Britain was one of several locations scouted out by the party this time, according to Romano, who said the GOP also looked at Glastonbury, Rocky Hill and Hartford.

The Republican State Central Committee approved the relocation in January. The new location includes a large billboard that Romano said the party has use of under its lease.

There is no longer a premium on having a Hartford address, said Edward Dadakis, a state Central Committee member for Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan.

We have computers. We have instant messaging. We have email, Dadakis said. I think Hartford is nice if everything else being equal. But if we can get a better facility and we can spend our money on electing Republicans, I just think it makes sense.

nvigdor@hearstmediact.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
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WASHINGTON  Connecticut lawmakers expressed dismay Friday over a draft memo obtained by The Associated Press that proposed using up to 100,000 National Guard troops to round up undocumented immigrants.

Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., said if the plan was enacted, it would be a disgraceful abuse of taxpayer dollars.

Esty said she and her staff regularly hear stories from immigrant parents who are afraid of being deported. Esty said these immigrants deserve better than the cruel treatment proposed in this memo.

The 11-page memo indicated the National Guard would be used in the border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. It would also be deployed in states further from the border such as Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Sending the National Guard to these states would have a big impact on the undocumented population. About one-half of the 11.1 million undocumented immigrants in the United States live in these 11 states, according to the Pew Research Center.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called the proposed actions mentioned in the memo completely unwarranted, deeply disturbing, and antithetical to our entire system of law enforcement.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer characterized the memo as 100 percent not true. He also said there was no effort at all to utilize the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants.

The AP reported that two staffers in the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the memo was being discussed Feb. 10, but it was a very early draft that was never sent to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

Blumenthal said the Trump administrations complete disregard for the impact its internal chaos and inability to manage its own message and policy is having on real peoples lives is offensive.

The AP sought comment from the White House beginning Thursday and DHS earlier Friday and had not received a response from either before it published its story Friday morning.

Governors in the 11 targeted states would have had a choice whether to have their guard troops participate, according to the draft memo, which bears the name of Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general.

While National Guard personnel have been used to assist with immigration-related missions on the U.S.-Mexico border before, they have never been used as broadly or as far north as proposed in the memo.

The memo was addressed to the then-acting heads of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It would have served as guidance to implement the wide-ranging executive order on immigration and border security that President Donald Trump signed Jan. 25. Such memos are routinely issued to supplement executive orders.

Under current rules, even if the proposal had been implemented, there would not be immediate mass deportations. Those with existing deportation orders could be sent back to their countries of origin without additional court proceedings. But deportation orders generally would be needed for most other unauthorized immigrants.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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Tesla is once again trying to carve out a wider niche in Connecticut  beyond the Whole Foods charging station, hedge fund elite and the courtesy car fleet at one Greenwich hotel.

For the third year in a row, the electric car maker is lobbying the General Assembly to approve legislation that would allow Tesla to sell directly to consumers in the state. The Transportation Committee introduced a bill Thursday that would clear the regulatory hurdles for Tesla to open up dealerships here.

Previous overtures by the pioneering brand, which has become a status symbol for well-heeled and eco-conscious owners, have encountered resistance from traditional auto dealerships in the state.

Above all, we are excited to invest in the people of Connecticut with brick-and-mortar stores, creating up to 25 jobs per location, injecting millions of dollars into the local economy, and creating additional tax revenue for the state, a Tesla company statement said.

There are about 1,300 Teslas registered in Connecticut, which represents 62 percent of the electric vehicles in the state, according to the Palo Alto, Calif.- based company. But Teslas footprint is currently confined to a vehicle service facility in Milford and a Greenwich flagship store that is the subject of an ongoing court battle between the electric car producer and the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association.

Tesla advertises the unorthodox location  wedged between high-end boutiques and a juice bar along the towns main shopping thoroughfare  as a gallery and says it does not sell cars there.

They are illegally selling cars out of that location in Greenwich, said Jim Fleming, president of the car retailers group.

They are hardly a startup, Fleming said. They have great political influence. Their CEO, as you know, serves on the new presidents economic council in Washington, D.C. They want to compete with a local car dealer, who is tiny compared to a multinational corporation.

Tesla claims the states existing auto dealers are trying to protect their monopoly on the market for cars. New York and Massachusetts already allow direct-to-consumer sales.

State Sen. Carlo Leone, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the Transportation Committee, said lawmakers wanted to reopen the debate on Tesla sales, but that he is undecided on the bill.

Im getting it from all sides, Leone said. Im not quite there on either, quite frankly.

State Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, the committees co-chairwoman, said both sides make compelling arguments.

This is a very different business model that threatens to end the status quo, Boucher said.

The committee will hold a hearing at 12:30 p.m. next Wednesday on the bill in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. At least one member of the Legislature drives as Tesla, state Sen. Art Linares, R-Westbrook, who is a Transportation Committee member.

Tesla wants to create many new, good-paying Connecticut jobs, Linares said. This law works in Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. While these states are growing their economy by welcoming new businesses like Tesla, Connecticut is getting left behind.

nvigdor@hearstmediact.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
Cubas ambassador to Mexico, Pedro Nunez Mosquera said on Wednesday that he is proud of belonging to the first densely populated region in the world declared Free Zone of Nuclear Weapons, reported Cubaminrex website.

During a speech at the 25th Session of the General Conference for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean held in Mexico City, Nunez Mosquera highlighted the efforts of the entitys General Secretary Luiz Felipe de Macedo for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

The Cuban diplomat recalled that the regions heads of states formally proclaimed Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace during the 2nd Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held in Havana on January 2014.

With CELAC, our region advanced towards superior ways of integration, that is why we continue to support strengthening ties between CELAC and the General Conference for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in the region, he said.

The Cuban ambassador to Mexico urged all OPANAL member nations to continue coordinating positions and contributing to the implementation of practical actions as a follow up to the High Level Nuclear Disarmament Meeting at the UN General Assembly held on September 26th, 2013.

OPANAL is an inter-governmental organization made up by 33 States from Latin America and Caribbean, which was signed and ratified the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in the region known as the Treaty of Tlatelolco. (acn)
US cruises to Cuba expected to increase

Submitted by: Juana

Local

Travel and Tourism

Destinations

02 / 18 / 2017



Cruise trips from the United States to Cuba could experience a significant increase when Carnival Cruise Line, biggest branch of the American company Carnival Corporation, begins its operations towards the Caribbean island next June.

That entity announced that departures from the port of Tampa Bay to Cuba will be carried out onboard of the Carnival Paradise, with 2 052 passengers, making it the ship with the largest capacity in history to sail from the United States to Havana.

It was known that Carnival Corporation was granted permission to expand trips to Cuba, where it undertook tours on May 2016 under its Fathom line, being the first of that nation in more than 40 years to arrive at Cuban coasts.

Pearl Mist, belonging to Pearl Seas line, second American company that connects the two shores, has also reached this destination since last January.

Studies indicate that the Caribbean has established itself as the main cruise market in the world with a participation quota of 40 percent of the total sector, and more than half of the reception of the vacationers is concentrated in the northern part of the region, in which Cuba also occupies a privileged site.

However, Cuba has been excluded from these routes due to the restrictions of the blockade, a reality that begins to acquire other nuances from the granting of exceptional permits by the US Treasury Department.

Former President Barack Obama authorized 12 general categories, including the possibility of Americans to individually visit Cuba within the category of "educational trips for people-to-people exchange."

In 2016, 614 433 Americans visited Cuba, representing a 34 percent increase in comparison to the previous year, although they still cannot do tourism in the Caribbean island, because of the validity of the blockade.

The rise of that statistic in 2016, when the Cuban nation received 4 million international visitors, is mainly due to the reestablishment of direct regular flights between Cuba and the United States, which had been suspended for more than 50 years.

The signing of a memorandum of understanding by authorities in Havana and Washington opened the possibility of conducting up to 110 daily flights, which began last August. (acn)
We must rethink the U.S. response to infectious disease. Here's why.
Are you a married woman aged between 40 and 45? I hate to tell you, but youre at the peak age for adultery. And if youre a married man, its 55 to 65.

Human beings seem cursed with contradictory impulses. We search for true love, find him or her and settle down. Then, if the spell begins to fade, the mind begins to wander.

Most people, its true, will keep to their marriage vows, but a surprising number will not. This seems to be the case throughout much of history, whatever moral and religious codes prevailed at the time.

It's been the case throughout history that a surprising number of couples will cheat, whatever the prevailing moral and religious codes

In the Twenties, Gilbert Hamilton, a pioneer in sex research, interviewed 100 men and women. Of these, 28 per cent of the men had committed adultery and 24 per cent of the women.

And that was when far more people were practising Christians and contraception was less available or reliable.

By the late Fifties, a survey of more than 13,000 men and women found that a third of husbands had been unfaithful and 26 per cent of the wives.

A couple of decades later, there was an interesting shift: both sexes were starting to have extra-marital trysts at a younger age.

Its not hard to understand why. The Pill had become widely available in the Seventies and the so-called sexual revolution was encouraging the young to experiment.

And today? Theres barely any change since the Twenties in the number of us who are having extra-marital affairs.

How to spot a cheat Could your partner be tempted to stray? Scientists say people who have affairs are likely to fall into at least one of the following categories: Men and women who regard themselves as more socially desirable than their spouses (they tend to cheat soon after the wedding).

Wives who report they get their way during disagreements.

People who werent securely attached to their parents during childhood.

Those who dont feel their spouse supports and loves them.

Men and women who are more open to new experiences.

Alcoholics and those who are clinically depressed.

Spouses who arent equally open and conscientious.

Women who are more educated than their husbands.

Individuals with a high income.

Spouses who work outside the family home.

Men and women whose jobs involved touching clients.

Anyone who works alone with a co-worker.

Those who have spouses with chronic illness.

Anyone who thinks their sex life is poor  especially men with frigid wives.

A man whose wife is pregnant. Advertisement

So theres no getting round the fact that a quarter of married men and women cheat on their spouses. And they do so despite all the risks to family, friends and livelihood.

There is no culture on the planet  or in history  in which adultery is unknown, as I have discovered in the course of my work as an anthropological biologist and a senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University.

In ancient China, a man who slept with the wife of another man was burned to death; in Japan, he was told to commit suicide; and an Indian man who dared sleep with the wife of his guru could be forced to sit on a red-hot iron plate, then chop off his own penis.

Dr Helen Fisher has found there is no culture on the planet where adultery is unknown

Note the punishment was solely for sleeping with another mans wife. In a great many societies, it was taken for granted that married men would be unfaithful with prostitutes or single women.

Not so women. In ancient times, a married woman caught sleeping with anyone other than her husband could be executed or have her nose chopped off.

But even dire punishments couldnt stop either women or men from playing with fire. Adultery, it seems, is an innate part of human behaviour.

At least the majority of us dont cheat; for other mammals its very different. Thought foxes mated for life? Think again: their pair bond lasts only through the breeding season and then they move on.

The same applies for at least half of birds. Why? Because its not normally to a males advantage to remain with one female when he can have sex with several and pass more of his genes onto posterity.

As for females, bearing young with different fathers increases the likelihood that more of them will survive. A case, if you like, of not putting all your eggs in one basket.

So there is an evolutionary imperative at play.

But why do modern husbands and wives have affairs? Most adulterers questioned by scientists say its lust, love or  pathetically  I dont know.

Why chaps are sloppy kissers A kiss gives first-hand information about a man's health, state of mind and his drinking and smoking habits A kiss is not just a kiss. In fact, the first kiss you exchange with a potential romantic partner can be disastrous. In a recent study of 58 men and 122 women, 59 per cent of the men and 66 per cent of the women said theyd ended a romance after the first kiss. In other words, far from adding a spark to the relationship, it proved to be the kiss of death. Why should this be so? Well, when you kiss someone for the first time, you learn a huge amount about them. You can see them close-up and clearly, as well as smell, taste, hear and feel them. And these messages from your senses are instantly picked up by five of your 12 cranial nerves and escorted directly to the brain. Once there, they detonate, giving you first-hand information about the mans health, state of mind and eating, drinking and smoking habits. But lets say you havent been repelled. Lets say you actively enjoyed that first kiss. Then watch out  because a good first kiss may well trigger strong feelings of romantic love. There are sound scientific reasons for this. First, any kind of novelty triggers the dopamine system in the brain. And dopamine is associated with feelings of romance. But kissing may also be a direct tool for seduction, because male saliva contains testosterone  the hormone of sexual desire. Intriguingly, men tend to like sloppier kisses than women do. This may be because theyre unconsciously trying to inject them with this sexy chemical in the hope of enticing them into bed. As a final bonus, kissing boosts your pulse and blood pressure, dilates your pupils and deepens your breathing  all sexual responses that may propel you to take a relationship further. What about if you are married? If you are still kissing your husband or wife, then good for you: your kisses are likely to bring you emotionally closer and strengthen your bonds. This is because kissing a long-term partner elevates the activity of oxytocin, the brain chemical associated with feelings of trust, attachment and emotional union. Kissing also reduces the stress hormone cortisol. Oddly, however, erotic kissing  or touching lips long enough to exchange saliva  is not a universal human trait. In fact, men and women kiss in only 40 per cent of 88 cultures recently studied by scientists. Until Western contact with these societies, kissing was unknown among the Somali, the Lepcha of Sikkim in India and the Siriono of South America. The Tsonga of South Africa and other traditional peoples found the very idea disgusting. Yet in many of these cultures, its common to pat, suck, lick or caress the face of a beloved  as do males and females of other species. Dogs lick one anothers lips and face. Moles rub noses. Elephants put their trunks in one anothers mouths. Albatrosses tap their bills together. And bonobos, our closest chimp relatives, smooch with French kisses  just like us. Advertisement

What we know is that some use their escapades as an excuse to leave a spouse. Others want to feel special, desired, more masculine or feminine, more attractive or better understood. And some want more communication, more intimacy or just more sex. Others want to solve a sexual problem or just get high on all the secrecy involved in an affair.

A few seek revenge. Some are just bored. Or they crave drama, excitement or danger.

Digging deeper, scientists have examined the impact of religion and social class on rates of adultery. Religion, it turned out, made no difference at all  no matter what people professed to believe, it failed to stop some philandering.

Class is a more nuanced issue. The famous Kinsey sex report of the Fifties found young working-class men indulged in a great deal of cheating, but much less so in their 40s. Meanwhile, white-collar, university educated men tended to philander less in their 20s, then increase their dalliances to almost once a week by the age of 50.

Married women tend to have greater emotional connection with their illicit lovers

Scientists have found gender differences, as well. Married women tend to have a greater emotional connection with their illicit lovers and seek more intimacy.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the intensity and frequency of womens affairs are linked to the degree of dissatisfaction they feel with their husbands.

Among men, however, infidelity is less dependent on the state of their marital relationship.

Astonishingly, a 1985 study found that 56 per cent of male adulterers rated their marriage as happy or very happy. For women, the figure dropped to 34 per cent.

So, many men and some women jeopardise happy marriages for the sake of a tumble or two. Why?

Scientists have found some clues by studying prairie voles  one of very few mammals that generally mate for life. The breakthrough came when they discovered that the few philandering prairie voles carried a particular gene that influenced the vasopressin system.

Vasopressin is a hormone, formed and stored in the pituitary glands, before being released into the bloodstream and possibly directly into the brain, where it is believed to play a role in social behaviour, sexual motivation and pair bonding.

And what do you know  humans carry similar genes governing their vasopressin system.

Swedish scientists investigated whether one of these genes affected mens sexual behaviour. The results were remarkable. Men who had inherited this gene scored significantly lower in a questionnaire that measured their degree of attachment to a mate.

Men who had two copies of the gene had the lowest scores.

Both men and women are more likely to cheat when they reach middle-age

Both categories of men admitted they had experienced more marital crises during the previous year, including threats of divorce.

And those who did not carry the gene? They turned out to be the most attached to their partners.

This field of work is relatively new, but scientists think other adultery genes are probably involved. In another recent study, for instance, a direct link was found between specific genes in the dopamine system (dopamine is a neurotransmitter that controls the brains reward and pleasure centres) and a higher frequency of sexual infidelity.

So some married men, it seems, may be biologically programmed to be more open to temptation.

Can they rise above this dubious heritage? Of course they can.

The world is full of people who are faithful to their partners  a testament to the triumph of culture, love and personality over natural predisposition.

You wont be surprised adultery is top of the list of all the reasons that marriages end in divorce. And not just in our culture: a study of 160 different societies came to the same conclusion.

Intriguingly, the reason for divorce was more likely to be the wifes adultery than the husbands.

The next most common reasons were a spouses inability to produce children; cruelty, particularly by the husband; and various unappealing aspects of a spouses behaviour (such as nagging, disrespect and temper tantrums).

Today, the divorce rate in Western countries is staggeringly high: up to 50 per cent of marriages will end in the courts.

There are various reasons, but many observers home in on one  the modern phenomenon of women who earn their own living.

Animals flirt just like we do One aspect of courtship is unlikely ever to change: the way we flirt. The essential choreography is the same the world over  and often shared by animals and birds. To find out how women do it, a German scientist had a camera constructed with a secret lens that took pictures to the side when he was pointing it straight ahead. During extensive travels, this allowed him secretly to film the facial expressions of women as they flirted in Samoa, Papua, France, Japan, Africa and Amazonia. Then he carefully examined each frame. The choreography of courtship is shared by animals and birds all over the world A universal pattern emerged. First, the woman smiles at her admirer and lifts her eyebrows in a swift, jerky motion as she opens her eyes wide to gaze at him. Then she drops her eyelids, tilts her head down and to the side, and looks away. Other gambits include a coy look, in which a woman cocks her head and looks shyly up at her suitor. Among other mammals, a female possum does this, too  turning toward her suitor, cocking her snouty jaw and looking straight into his eyes. Female animals frequently toss their heads to get the males attention. So do women: they raise their shoulders, arch their backs and toss their locks in a single sweeping motion. And men? Think of the last time a colleague walked up to you, smiled, arched his back and thrust his upper body in your direction. If youre a man, he was subconsciously asserting his dominance; if youre a woman, he was flirting. Both sexes also make use of what scientists call the copulatory gaze. They stare intently at a potential mate for about two to three seconds, during which their pupils may dilate  a sign of extreme interest. Then they blink and look away. Eye contact triggers primitive parts of the human brain, calling forth one of two basic emotions  approach or retreat. You may smile and start a conversation or look away and edge toward the door. But first, youll probably tug at an earlobe, adjust your jumper, yawn, fidget with your glasses or perform some other meaningless movement. This helps alleviate anxiety while you make up your mind how to respond. Animals who also do the copulatory gaze include baboons and bonobos (pygmy chimps). Female baboons fidget  often with their feet  while deciding if theyre really interested. Like chimps and gorillas, we also deploy special smiles to signal our interest in a potential mate. There are 18 types of smile, but the one that signals were sexually interested is distinctive: lips completely drawn back and teeth fully exposed. Advertisement

Back in the days when most couples farmed for a living, they point out, hardly anyone got divorced. A woman depended on her husband to move the rocks, fell the trees and plough the land, while her husband needed her to sow, weed, pick, prepare and store the crops.

More important, if one of them wanted to leave the other, they left empty-handed. Neither could dig up half the wheat and easily relocate.

A woman with a salary coming in, on the other hand, will usually be far less prepared to put up with an unhappy marriage. She leaves because she can. Thus career women are responsible for some of the rise in divorces.

Theyre also most likely to divorce young, usually before the peak of their careers at 25 to 29.

For men, the peak divorce age is 30 to 34.

After that, women dont hang about: 80 per cent of those who divorce before the age of 25 remarry before turning 35. If they divorce after 25, 44 per cent of women remarry before theyre 40 and 55 per cent of men.

For men the peak divorce age is 30 to 34, but 80 per cent of women of divorce before 25 remarry by the time they're 35

What about the seven-year itch? I have news for you: it doesnt exist. What most certainly does, however, is the three to four-year itch.

Since 1947, records show that  despite massive upheavals in society  the highest number of divorces take place after three or four years of marriage.

This peak time for splitting has remained roughly the same in each decade, even when the divorce rate doubled between 1960 and 1980. After doing research, I found that the same applies in more than 60 countries.

Some of their citizens are bankers, others herd cattle  but their divorces all cluster around the three to four-year mark.

The only exception is in traditional Muslim societies, where divorces occur most frequently after the first few months of marriage. And thats largely because so many marriages are arranged.

In the West, one reason may be that so many young people expect to marry a soul-mate in perfect harmony with themselves.

When it turns out they havent, they bail out soon after the end of the infatuation stage. But theres another reason buried deep in our past. In many traditional hunting-gathering tribes, the woman breast-feeds until the child is three or four. This suppresses ovulation.

Our earliest ancestors almost certainly did the same. And when the child was old enough to join a pack of children looked after by other adults, the fathers role as food gatherer and protector became largely redundant.

In other words, human pair bonds originally evolved to last just long enough to raise a single child through infancy. So the modern divorce peak of three to four years after marriage may, in fact, be a biological phenomenon.

Interestingly, 29 per cent of all divorces occur among young couples with one child.

If they have two children, the number falls to 18 per cent and only 5 per cent of parents with three children ever head for the divorce court.

People without children are the most likely to divorce (43 per cent), thus freeing them to have children with someone else. And the couples least likely to split have four or more offspring. So, the more children there are in a family, the less likely it is that their parents will divorce.

What about middle-aged and older couples? You may expect some to grow bored with each other or to end unhappy marriages after the children have left home. Indeed, these age groups are divorcing more frequently than in the past. But dont be fooled into thinking age is a major factor in divorce. The overwhelming majority of these spouses remain content with their choice.

In fact, if a couple get past the age of 34, theyre statistically less likely to divorce. And the ones who do leave a first marriage will almost all remarry.

Most tie the knot three or four years after divorcing. This is a pattern that has remained stable for decades.

They may have been buffeted by adultery and quarrels. But hope reigns eternal that the next spouse will remain faithful.

Adapted by Corinna Honan from Anatomy Of Love: A Natural History Of Mating, Marriage And Why We Stray by Helen Fisher (WV Norton & Co, 11.99).  Helen Fisher 2017. To buy a copy for 9.59 (offer valid until next Saturday), call 0844 571 0640 or visit mailbookshop.co.uk. P&P free on orders over 15.

MONDAY: PROOF LOVE REALLY IS ADDICTIVE
Broadcaster Andrea McLean is one of a growing number of middle-aged women to seek out the perfect smile

Braces were once an affliction of the teenage years.

But the train tracks are increasingly being sought by adults in their 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s.

Middle-aged middle-class customers, most of them women, spend thousands of pounds in search of a perfect smile, experts report.

Orthodontists say 50 per cent of patients are adults  up from just 10 per cent a decade ago  as braces become a must-have accessory.

Social media is driving the rise, experts say, with millions of middle-aged Facebook users seeking to improve their profile pictures.

Dr Richard George, an orthodontist in Kent and spokesman for the British Orthodontic Society, said: There has been a significant rise in adult orthodontic treatment over the past few years. Selfie culture is definitely playing a role.

'Patients say to me, I dont like the way I look in photographs. I never used to get patients saying that at all, that is a result of digital photography and social media.

Im regularly now treating women in their 60s  they come to me and say they want lovely smiles.

Rising divorce rates also seem to be fuelling the trend. Many patients are middle-aged women who have separated from their husbands and are embarking on second marriages, Dr George said.

TV STAR: I GOT THEM WITH MY TEENAGE SON Broadcaster Andrea McLean is one of a growing number of middle-aged women to seek out the perfect smile. The 47-year-old said she decided to get braces when her teenage son had them fitted. After years of insecurity about her teeth, she said was she was no longer embarrassed to do something about it. The host of ITVs Loose Women changed her mind after son Fin, 14, was told to get a set  and she felt she would be a hypocrite if she did not do the same. I was supposed to have them when I was a teenager, she said earlier this month. I had acne, a perm, I was not going to add braces. My 14-year-old son just had them done. I was saying youre so brave, and I thought youre such a hypocrite because you never did it. So I did it! And were brace-face together! Other celebrities to have had braces as adults include singer Gwen Stefani at 30, reality TV star Khloe Kardashian at 28, and actor Tom Cruise at 39. Advertisement

I get people who say they are getting married and they want to look good on their big day, he said.

Increasing disposable income means middle-aged people are able to afford the latest in discreet braces, which cost up to 2,500 a set.

The NHS funds orthodontics for adults only in extreme cases when it is medically necessary.

A survey of 430 orthodontists conducted by the British Orthodontic Society found 75 per cent are seeing an increase in adult treatment.

Orthodontists say 50 per cent of patients are adults  up from just 10 per cent a decade ago  as braces become a must-have accessory (file photo)

More than 80 per cent have practices with 50 per cent or more adult patients, of which the majority are women.

They found 10 per cent of adult patients were 18-25, 66 per cent 26-40, 22 per cent 41-55, and 2 per cent in their late 50s and into their 60s.

Dr George added: I have seen this reflected in my own practice where over 50 per cent of my patients are adults, of whom about 80 per cent are female.

Vast improvements in the quality of orthodontics had also played a role, he said. In the past most people with braces had painful and prominent metal train tracks.

But modern options include invisible lingual devices fixed behind the teeth, and ceramic braces which blend in with the tooth colour.

For many adults it would just be unacceptable to have a metal brace, Dr George said. But there are many more options now.

Most adult patients are those who were never offered braces as teenagers. But many had treatments as children which did not work. Tim Bradstock-Smith, clinical director of the London Smile Clinic, said: Weve seen a huge increase in demand for adult orthodontics.

Professionals at this age tend to have more disposable income and there have been huge developments in modern treatments.

We see big numbers of older patients now looking for discreet, comfortable and quick results  treatments that arent going to disrupt their active lifestyles.

Were noticing older patients are moving away from more drastic veneer treatments and are looking for a more natural and less invasive approach using sophisticated orthodontics.
Every evening parents across the country bark the same instruction to their young children at the dinner table: Dont play with your food!

Now, however, research suggests that youngsters who are allowed to mess around with their fruit and vegetables are actually more likely to eat them.

Researchers found that children given permission to touch, handle and even squash foods such as spinach, cucumbers, bananas and tomatoes were more inclined to snack on them later.

Research suggests that youngsters who are allowed to mess around with their fruit and vegetables are actually more likely to eat them

The findings, published in the journal Appetite, suggest this type of sensory play helps young children overcome any resistance they have to foods they are reluctant to eat.

Researchers said the key is not to put pressure on children but to let them play instead.

At no time during the experiment were they encouraged to consume any of the fruits or vegetables. Instead, they naturally took to eating healthy snacks immediately after the test.

It is estimated that only around 16 per cent of pre-school children in Britain eat the recommended daily allowance of five portions of fruit and vegetables.

Experts have long believed the key to increasing their intake is exposing youngsters to taste. But the latest study, by scientists at De Montfort University in Leicester, suggests touch and feel may be the catalyst to healthier eating.

They recruited 62 pre-school children aged three to four from nurseries around Northampton.

Parents were asked to record typical fruit and veg intake in the weeks before the experiment.

The latest study, by scientists at De Montfort University in Leicester, suggests touch and feel may be the catalyst to healthier eating

Some of the children were then given bowls of broccoli, carrots, spinach, banana, radishes, green beans, oranges, lemons, cucumbers, tomatoes and blueberries.

They were asked to use them to reproduce pictures from the childrens book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The children were encouraged to squash or reshape the foods if they needed to.

Another group was told to instead play with pompoms, sequins, foam shapes, feathers, glitter and pipe cleaners.

A third group was allowed to play a similar game but with a researcher handling the foods rather than them. Immediately after playing, the children were asked if they would like to try any of the items.

The results revealed that those who had played with them tried significantly more fruit and vegetables than those in the rival groups.

The researchers said: One explanation is they had time to familiarise themselves and interact with the foods. This would suggest exposure does not have to be based on taste alone.

We found the largest benefits were with foods that are less familiar, such as pomegranate and kiwi. During play, there was no mention of tasting the food.

'The goal was to engage with it and create something from it. It may be these types of activities increase the likelihood of tasting by children.
The bacteria that cause food poisoning could be used to kill cancer, medical experts said yesterday.

A genetically-altered form of salmonella has been developed that will attack tumour cells but leave healthy cells alone.

The bugs are a leading cause of food poisoning in the UK each year.

It is the latest example of developments in a new field of cancer treatment called bacteriotherapy.

Experiments on mice using a modified version of salmonella reduced the size of cancer tumours, the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Boston heard.

Genetically-modified salmonella could be used to destroy cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone

Alterations made to the salmonella bug stopped it attacking and infiltrating into normal healthy cells. Instead it targeted cancer cells.

It was also engineered to create flags that are recognised by the immune system, guiding the bodys defence system to target the cancerous tumours.

When injected into the bloodstream of mice with colon cancer, tumours exposed to the bacteria shrunk.

The development, led by Jin Hai Zheng from Chonnam University in South Korea and colleagues, was published in the AAAS journal Science Translational Medicine.

Dr Zheng said: The engineered bacteria induced an effective antitumor immune response, successfully treating tumours in several different mouse models with no evidence of toxicity.

The breakthrough was hailed by British researchers yesterday.

Kevin Harrington, professor of biological cancer therapies at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: It has been known for some time that certain types of bacteria, including strains of salmonella, are able to grow in tumours but not in normal tissues.

Researchers called the new work by South Korean scientists 'a fascinating new approach'

However, until now, attempts to use bacteria as anti-cancer therapies have had limited success, both in the laboratory and in the clinic.

The current work by Zheng and colleagues represents a fascinating new approach to using bacteria.

Instead of asking the bacteria to kill cancer cells directly, the researchers have genetically engineered salmonella so that it expresses a gene from a different bacterium and this triggers the immune system to mount an attack on the tumour.

The results show that this approach is effective against a range of tumour types with little or no toxicity in mice.

Dr Catherine Pickworth, Cancer Research UKs science information officer, added: In this study the researchers injected the bacteria into the mice where it was delivered to the tumour through the blood, causing an immune reaction.

The bacteria fits like a lego piece onto the surface of immune cells. This starts a chain reaction inside the immune cells, causing them to release molecules that can kill cancer.

Salmonella is the bacteria behind large numbers of cases of food poisoning

Dr Pickworth went on: This study, carried out in mice, shows that bacteria can be used to trigger the immune system to attack cancer cells. The next steps will be to see if this method is safe and if it could be used to help patients.

Were funding similar research using viruses to help the immune system recognise cancer cells as a threat so it can destroy them, opening potential new ways to treat the disease.

Professor Paul Dyson, of Swansea University, who is also studying the use of salmonella in fighting cancer said one advantage is that the salmonella are living factories for production of therapeutic molecules.

He added: So long as the tumor persists, potentially the bacteria will continuously produce the therapeutic agents.

So we believe there is huge mileage in pursuing research into this type of treatment. Existing evidence indicates there would few or no side effects.
Alan Diplock, (pictured with his daughter Kerry-Anne Orakwusi) died from MC last year aged 65

The full shocking extent of the outbreak of a 'blood-eating' bacterial infection that may have affected thousands of British heart patients can be revealed by The Mail on Sunday today.

And the first survivor of the disease to speak out has told of her anguish after being warned that it may still kill her.

We reported last month how the bacterial disease mycobacterium chimaera (MC) had been transmitted to heart-valve patients via contaminated surgical equipment.

The number of victims is unknown, forcing the NHS to embark on a mammoth project to trace the 47,000 people who have had surgery since 2013  the longest period that anyone could have incubated the slow-growing bacteria and still be alive.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) has now revealed that in the past two years it has received reports of the killer bacteria being found in more than one in three machines used to heat and cool blood in use in NHS hospitals nationwide.

At least 65 of up to 150 machines have been found to be contaminated. The MHRA could not confirm the make of the units or whether the contaminated machines were still in use.

So far, 26 cases of MC infection contracted during heart surgery have been reported to Public Health England (PHE), including one seven-year-old child.

The stories of two fatalities, Alan Diplock, a fisherman from Peacehaven, Sussex, who died from MC last year aged 65, and Coventry victim Brian Smith, 73, a retired insurance broker, were revealed by this newspaper in January.

Of those who have survived, nine are fighting for their lives and just two are said to have recovered.

PHE says it is expecting more infections to emerge.

One of the victims is Patricia Line, a former NHS nurse, who contracted MC during a heart-valve operation in August 2014, but did not start to suffer from symptoms for 19 months.

Mrs Line, 67, from Birmingham  the first affected patient to speak publicly  said: 'No one can tell me if I will survive this. Three other people treated at the same hospital as me have already died.'

Her MC diagnosis was preceded by a small stroke, and an unexplained high temperature. She recovered but then developed what seemed to be severe flu which continued for two weeks.

'I was treating myself at home but I really felt as if I was on my last legs,' she said.

'The GP had no idea what was wrong. My family were really worried because I had such a fever, and finally called an ambulance. By the time I was hospitalised, the infection had spread to my major organs, my blood, my bone marrow.'

Her life is dominated by daily doses of seven tablets representing a cocktail of three antibiotics.

The powerful drugs themselves threaten to damage her sight permanently and are causing a range of other side effects.

'I feel constantly ill,' added Mrs Line. 'All they will say is that although I appear to be tolerating the treatment, my outlook is uncertain. I feel very vulnerable. It's a horrible feeling.

'I am one year into a two-year course of antibiotics and they can't tell me whether I will survive or not,' she said.

'This is a very slow-growing infection. I honestly don't know what the future holds.'

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) received reports of the killer bacteria being found in more than one in three machines

Her case raises the terrifying prospect that even if affected people are found in the planned patient recall, it may already be too late to save them.

Mrs Line spoke out as an inquest was opened into what is suspected to be one of 15 British deaths from MC, which kills by 'eating' its victims' red blood cells.

A 68-year-old man from Weybridge, Surrey, died in August after battling MC.

The former investment banker contracted the disease following a heart-valve replacement three years earlier at exclusive private hospital in London.

Last week, Westminster Coroner's Court said it was still gathering evidence ahead of a planned inquest next month.

In the US, groups of affected patients and their families are gearing up for a major legal battle with compensation claims expected to run into millions, opening the door to similar claims here.

In America, questions have been raised about the safety and cleaning instructions issued for machines involved  specialist heater-cooler units which run blood alongside tubes of cool or warm water to control its temperature during open-heart-valve replacement surgery.

Some of the units have been found to cause infection in patients by releasing fine sprays of bacteria-laden water into the air, which then enters an open wound. Investigations have suggested that the bacteria, normally found in soil and water, may have contaminated the units during the manufacturing process.

University Hospital Coventry, where six heart-valve replacement patients have been infected with MC, said it has now changed its procedures. Three patients who were treated in 2013 and 2014 have already died. No cases had been identified at the hospital since a national alert was issued in 2015.

A spokesman said: 'We have worked with PHE to ensure we continue to meet all national guidelines on testing and decontaminating units. We remain vigilant and we discuss the potential risks with all patients undergoing heart-valve replacement or repair.'

The alarm about MC was first raised by Nottingham solicitor Paul Balen, who was contacted by the family of Alan Diplock.

Mr Diplock's daughter Kerry-Anne Orakwusi is distraught that doctors failed to diagnose the infection in time to save him.

'It's fairly clear this risk was known about from 2012 onwards but the information was not widely circulated,' said Mr Balen.

Cases are now emerging from hospitals all over the country, including Brighton, Manchester, Wolverhampton and London.

The first identified MC infection dates back to 2007. An international alert followed a cluster of six cases in Zurich, Switzerland, more than four years ago. Cases have since been reported worldwide including in Germany, the Netherlands and Australia.

According to Rani Sommerstein, an infectious-diseases expert at Bern University and one of the Zurich investigators, the hospital there was unable to get rid of the MC bacteria in its blood heater-cooler machines, so it replaced them in 2014.

He said: 'Every cardiac unit in the world should now be doing everything to make sure there are no more cases, and looking to identify former patients who are ill.'

An NHS spokesman said advice about the bacteria risk was circulated twice to cardiothoracic surgery providers in 2015.

She said: 'Investigations have shown that the risk to patients from surgery where heater-cooler units are used is very low. Any infection risk is far lower than the risk of delaying life-saving cardiac surgery.'

Thousands of the heater-cooler units are sold globally and are used in 70 to 80 per cent of the 20,000 heart-valve replacement operations carried out in Britain each year.

Mark Garvey, spokesman for the Infection Prevention Society and principal clinical scientist in microbiology at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where some MC survivors are being treated, said infected patients can incubate the bacteria for several years, and the infection is hard to identify until it has actually caused illness.

Testing could therefore produce false negative results.

Once bacterial infection has progressed away from the bloodstream and into bone and other tissue that does not have circulation, it becomes harder for antibiotics, which are carried in the bloodstream, to reach it. Mr Garvey said: 'We just don't know what the risk of this infection is.'

DR ELLIE CANNON: Don't put blame on hospital hygiene

This is a terribly shocking and worrying story. Hospitals should have the utmost hygiene standards, but we know from cases of MRSA over the past decade how this can slip, to the detriment and decline of patients.

The cases of MC infections are exceedingly serious but it must be stressed that they are not related to hospital hygiene.

Evidence points to the cause of these life-threatening infections being bacteria entering the equipment during the manufacturing process, which has led to contamination.

Patients having heart- valve surgery are already extremely vulnerable, and contracting an infection from equipment allows the bacteria to take hold within the bloodstream and also deep within the tissues of the body.

These kinds of deep- seated infections are terribly difficult to treat even if the appropriate antibiotics are available, since it is hard for the active drug to reach these areas from the bloodstream.

What is most worrying for patients is the fact that the infection can remain latent after the surgery and not manifest itself for months: very frightening for heart-surgery patients and families who would be oblivious to any underlying problem until it may be too late.
A single shot of a drug normally used to treat arthritic knees could save thousands of stroke patients from brain damage and lifelong disability.

A stroke occurs when blood supply is cut off from a part of the brain either through a clot or a haemorrhaged vessel.

It is the third-largest cause of death in adults, after heart disease and cancer, and affects about 110,000 people in England every year.

As 85 per cent of strokes are caused by a blood clot, patients are often given 'clot-busting' medication in a procedure known as thrombolysis to resolve the issue.

A single shot of a drug normally used to treat arthritic knees (stock photo) could save thousands of stroke patients from brain damage

However, these drugs do not stop the toxic inflammatory response caused by a stroke and commonly are not given until the patient has reached hospital  which can be hours after the stroke incident.

To bridge this gap, British doctors are trialling the use of a rheumatoid arthritis drug which targets the inflammatory process in the brain caused by stroke in the same way it treats inflammation in an arthritic joint.

People who have suffered a stroke are left with abnormally high levels of interleukin-1, a protein that can trigger inflammation in the brain. This inflammation increases a patient's risk of severe disability or death, and at present there are no drugs to treat this particular side effect of a stroke.

However, the drug being trialled  known as IL-1Ra  appears to block interleukin-1.

It can be administered by paramedics at the scene as an injection in the arm or thigh, meaning that treatment starts before the patient has even reached hospital.

As part of the Manchester-based trial of nearly 200 patients, doctors have also discovered that the drug can even encourage the production of new cells to repair those that have been damaged.

Professor Stuart Allan, of the University of Manchester, who has been researching the drug for years, said: 'The results lend strong support to the use of IL-1Ra in the treatment of stroke. However, further large trials are necessary.'

He added: 'The fact that this drug could be given by paramedics would be hugely significant. We know that in stroke, damage can be quite rapid. At present we have no way of reversing or halting the toxins released by the inflammatory response.'

And Professor Pippa Tyrrell, a stroke specialist at Salford Royal Infirmary, who has led the human trials, said: 'We are excited by the results of our work so far. We know this drug appears to be safe and we have seen some beneficial response in patients. But we need to confirm our findings in larger stage-three trials, which we hope to start soon.'

British doctors are trialling the use of a rheumatoid arthritis drug which targets the inflammatory process in the brain

Prof Allan added: 'This is quite a significant achievement. It has taken so long because we are using an existing drug which has made it difficult to get research funding. When we've run out of cash, we've had to stop to raise more.'

Experts say that the drug could get relatively rapid approval for routine use because it already has a licence and a good safety profile.

The drug would be relatively cheap for the NHS to buy, no more than a few hundred pounds per jab, but the savings could be enormous

Prof Tyrrell said: 'We are all very optimistic about the results so far and look forward to this drug being used for treating stroke.'

She added: 'The NHS spends hundreds of millions of pounds a year treating patients and caring for them if they don't fully recover. We might be able to cut that bill in half.'
Menu Gordon Jones

2 Wellsway, Bath BA2 3AQ

01225 480871, menugordonjones.co.uk

Rating:

From the outside, Menu Gordon Jones looks like a stop-gap charity shop, the sort of place that moves swiftly from one derelict site to another, as tatty as it is transient. It squats in a drab Sixties concrete block that lurks on the corner of a busy main road in a far-off suburb of Bath. Once inside, the welcome is warm, and the small room bathed in late winter sun. But any spring in my step is quickly dampened by a brief glance at the menu.

Here at Menu Gordon Jones, our aim is to play with, cajole and combine seasonal flavours in a fun, enjoyable and more often than not unexpected way. Oh God. I gulp, grasp the table and glare at Matthew.

Jones, like all good chefs, knows exactly where to draw the line. Big flavours, kept under the strictest of control

This was your idea, I hiss. Dragging me to a place with a Surprise tasting menu. You know I bloody despise

My tirade is cut short by the chef, Gordon Jones, bearded and blessed with the deepest of Scottish burrs, plonking down a paper bag on the table. Filled, so it says, with bread. Not ordinary bread. Of course not. No, chocolate and cumin bread. Worse still there are test tubes, filled with strange oils. And in a small bowl, a bright green mousse, made, says Jones, with the very first of the wild garlic. Oh and that, he grins, pointing to a pair of golden morsels, is sausage in batter.

Hmm. I disconsolately pick up my saveloy nugget. And chew through the hot, crisp burnished batter into a sweetly porky, wonderfully seasoned banger. Damn, this is good. The bread, rich and pitch black, has a sweetly bitter edge. An edge soothed and cosseted by that silken mousse, with its gentle allium allure.

I uncork a test tube and pour a puddle of deep orange oil. Its magnificently meaty, the very quintessence of good chorizo, an unguent so fine Im half temped to dab a drop behind my ears. This is not what I expected. This is not what I expected at all.

Roquefort and broccoli Cuppa soup has intense depth that belies its ephemeral espuma texture. It comes with a cheese and onion madeleine as light as a virgins sigh. Fun rather than gimmicky, a dish of substance. Just like the suckling pork belly, lasciviously soft and squishy, brushed with peanut butter and served alongside a ball of densely chewy rice. Theres the crunch of radish, the roar of chilli, and sweetly sharp chunks of pineapple. Bold, ballsy and robustly salty, it tastes of Singapore markets, Hong Kong dim sum houses and Vietnamese street carts, one of the best plates of Asian tucker Ive eaten in years.

There are test tubes, filled with strange oils. And in a small bowl, a bright green mousse, made, says Jones, with the very first of the wild garlic

Lemon sole, impeccably fresh and beautifully cooked, comes hidden beneath a tangle of bitter cress and brittle slices of fried lotus root. Quietly pungent wild garlic flowers mix with squiggles of punchy harissa mayonnaise, while a pile of gently braised aubergine sits beneath, calming any over-spiced excess. As do lightly pickled chunks of cucumber, offering welcome blasts of cool relief. In lesser hands, the dish could quickly become overwhelming, a brutal mass of overwrought excess. But Jones, like all good chefs, knows exactly where to draw the line. Big flavours, kept under the strictest of control.

Slices of hogget, bleating of wind swept hills, sit atop pickled cabbage, and crunchy Japanese artichokes and slivers of Blewit mushroom. Theres a well-salted sweetness, tempered by still more chilli, strident but never boorishly brash.

Even pudding delights, a pastel de nata with flaky pastry to make even a Portuguese smile, and an oozing Jerusalem artichoke custard. Sounds wrong, tastes wonderfully rounded and right.

Prices are ridiculously low for cooking this sensational, and service warmly impeccable. Jones has restored my faith in the tyranny of the tasting menu, a chef at the very peak of his considerable powers. The exterior may be drably forgettable. But lunch is anything but.

Five-course Surprise Menu: 50
The Great Wall Cert: 12A 1hr 43mins

Rating:

In recent years, Hollywood has become more and more aware of the commercial potential offered by the Chinese market and has adjusted its film-making habits accordingly.

Whether its Chinese product placement in the latest Transformers film, the use of Chinese locations in a James Bond, or casting Chinese actors or actors of Chinese origin in supporting roles in films such as Independence Day: Resurgence or the remake of The Magnificent Seven, establishing your China-friendly credentials has become very big film-making business.

But now along comes The Great Wall, the first big-budget production in which the direction of travel is very much in the opposite direction.

Matt Damon as Irish adventurer William

Directed by the prolific Chinese film-maker Zhang Yimou and backed substantially by Chinese money, this is first and foremost aimed at the Chinese market.

And yet its star is Matt Damon, which is why it has a big release both here and in the US.

In these Western markets, its makers are clearly hoping to cash in on two things  Damons undoubted popularity and our apparently unquenchable appetite for fantasy adventure.

This is basically Game Of Thrones (though without the gratuitous nudity and sex) meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Yes, despite the historical come-on of the title and a plot that purports to be about wicked medieval Western adventurers trying to get their hands on Chinese gunpowder, this is basically Game Of Thrones (though without the gratuitous nudity and sex) meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Or, in this case, dragons  thousands of them.

It turns out thats what the Great Wall of China was actually for. To keep dragons, or the tao tei, as they are referred to here, out of the Middle Kingdom.

So when William (Damon), an Irish adventurer and his wisecracking Hispanic sidekick Tovar (Pedro Pascal) are captured by the Chinese just as the dragons mount their first attack for 60 years, its all hands to the battlements.

Tian Jing as Commander Lin and Karry Wang as the Emperor

This is a film drenched in colour and rich in spectacle but weighed down by over-use of visual effects.

The re-creation of the massive masonry wall I might have bought, but a valley full of furious dragons  each one clearly created by computer  smacked of what Western film-makers were doing a decade ago when no would-be epic was complete without the serried ranks of a computer-generated army.

IT'S A FACT Zhang Yimou directed the extraordinary opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games of 2008 employing more than 14,000 performers. Advertisement

Chinese and Western audiences have always liked a generous dollop of effects-driven magic, as the success of Zhangs own House Of Flying Daggers and Ang Lees Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon can attest.

But it doesnt quite work for me here, in a film short of emotional subtext to draw you in.

Damon does just about enough to avoid professional embarrassment  which is more than can be said for Willem Dafoe as the treacherous Ballard  but the anti-greed, pro-collective message is laid on a bit thick in a film where the dragon-taming use of magnets seems a bit silly and where the real acid test is your reaction to the sight of a pagoda-high pile of furious, computer-generated dragons. Bring it on? Then The Great Wall might just be for you.

SECOND SCREEN

Hidden Figures (PG)

Rating:

Moonlight (15)

Rating:

The Founder (12A)

Rating:

John Wick: Chapter 2 (15)

Rating:

Love Of My Life (15)

Rating:

Remember The Imitation Game, the very British film about the very British mathematician Alan Turing, who cracked the Enigma code?

Well, Hidden Figures feels like Americas answer to it  and its very nearly as good.

Set in the still racially divided Virginia of 1961, its the story of three black female mathematicians who worked as human computers for Nasa during the early years of the space race.

Hidden Figures is the story of three black female mathematicians (Janelle Monae, Taraji P Henson and Octavia Spencer, above) who worked for Nasa during the 1960s space race

A race that America was losing, of course, once Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the Earth.

And then Katherine Johnson (Taraji P Henson), the most mathematically gifted of the three, is transferred to the main space group, an exclusively white, male enclave run by the increasingly stressed Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), and slowly things begin to change. And not just in space.

Directed by Theodore Melfi, this fascinating, hugely watchable and eventually heart-warming story does occasionally lack subtlety but its deservedly up for a Best Picture Oscar, Octavia Spencer has secured a Best Supporting Actress nomination, and the excellent Henson can count herself unlucky to have missed out. Highly recommended.

With eight nominations to its name, Barry Jenkinss Moonlight is definitely one to keep an eye out for at next weekends Oscars ceremony.

Its a painful, thoughtful and ultimately beautiful film about a young black boy growing up on the rough streets of Miami.

Chirons father is long gone, his mother (a brilliant performance by Naomie Harris) is a crack addict, and the only man who shows him any kindness, Juan (Mahershala Ali, also brilliant), is also the man who sells his mother the drug that threatens to destroy both their lives. Oh, and did I mention that Chiron is discovering that hes gay?

Music, cinematography and some wonderful acting come together to produce a film with real emotional punch, although British audiences may struggle to follow some of the mumbled street-slang.

The Founder, starring Michael Keaton (above), spends far too much time looking like a corporate biopic for McDonald's but it certainly casts those golden arches in a whole new light

The Founder is a tale of extraordinary greed and betrayal, and you can see why Michael Keaton  an actor known for his unsettling intensity  was drawn to the central part of Ray Kroc.

Unfortunately, despite being directed by the experienced John Lee Hancock, it spends far too much time looking like a corporate biopic for McDonalds as we watch Kroc, who back in the Fifties was a struggling milkshake-machine salesman, meet Dick and Mac McDonald for the first time and sense the business opportunity that would change his life completely.

He saw that the diner they were running so successfully in San Bernardino could be replicated all over the United States.

But did he actually need the brothers..? This certainly casts those golden arches in a whole new grubby light.

Keanu Reeves returns in John Wick: Chapter 2 and he isn't bad but the plot is paper-thin

Squealing tyres, a rapidly rising body count and Ian McShane giving it plenty as the manager of the secret club for contract killers yes, it can only mean that Keanu Reeves is back in John Wick: Chapter 2.

Reeves isnt bad, in a monosyllabic kind of way, and I rather like the noir-ish comic-book touches, but the killings are endless and the plot paper-thin as Wick  the man you call when you want the bogeyman killed, apparently  finds himself not just hunter but hunted as well.

Love Of My Life is a double tragedy. Tragedy one is that having successfully reunited almost half the main cast of Four Weddings And A Funeral  Anna Chancellor, John Hannah and James Fleet  this dismal, low-budget Canadian comedy-drama about a middle-aged woman who may or may not be dying of a brain tumour completely wastes their talents.

Tragedy two is that Chancellor, in the central role, is really, really good  in a film that really, really is not.
Night Trains: The Rise And Fall Of The Sleeper

Andrew Martin

Profile Books 14.99

Rating:

There are few things quite so alluring as a sleeping compartment on a night train, and  lets be honest  few things quite so disappointing.

The night train always promises so much: not just the magical sensation of going to sleep in one place and waking up somewhere completely different, but also a dreamworld of snugness, luxury, privacy and steamy romance.

But as the fantasies mount up, so too do future disappointments. At 3.30am, you wake up on your hard, cramped little bed  this is assuming, of course, that you ever managed to get to sleep  and, as the minutes turn into hours, you are made ever more wide-awake by the cacophony of clanking, the terrible stuffiness, the sound of strangers hawking in the corridors, the threat of officials, thieves or serial killers bursting in, and so on, and so forth.

The night train has a very rich history, and has inspired countless books, films and poems

Yet somehow, the romantic fantasy of the night train persists, and when it comes to planning our next holiday, I generally find myself saying: Hey! Lets not fly, lets take the night train! And so the nightmare begins again.

Andrew Martin has cornered the train market. He is the Bard of the Buffer, the Balladeer of the Blue Train, the Laureate of Lost Property. The last book of his that I read was all about the London Underground, and wonderfully funny and informative it was, too. He has also written a series of crime novels set on trains  Death On A Branch Line, The Last Train To Scarborough, The Necropolis Railway, etc, etc  which are said to be richly enjoyable. So I picked up Night Trains knowing that I would be entertained, but also in the hope that his many years of experience would teach me how to sleep on a sleeper.

Martins love of the night train has its roots in his early teens. His father worked for British Rail in York, and was a member of the British Railwaymens Touring Club. After his mother died, he travelled by rail for three successive summers to the Continent, as it was then known, with his father and sister.

His fathers job with BR came with singular benefits. When the train came in, I concentrated on looking nonchalant as we headed for first class, he recalls. After each holiday, he liked to boast to his schoolfriends of his glamorous adventures on the continental sleepers: While we were having our meal in the dining car, the guard came along and made up the couchettes! He remembers once waking up at 3am and raising the blind a few inches to see a perfect encapsulation of Switzerland: crescent moon, a handful of stars and a snow-capped mountain with a log chalet halfway up it.

It is for these moments that we diehard fans of the night train still keep booking our outrageously expensive tickets. Long gone are the days when it was the cheaper option. Budget airlines and budget hotels have put paid to that. Throughout his book, Martin keeps totting up the cost of pursuing his childhood dreams. For instance, Paris to Venice by night train is 170 for a one-way journey, which is more than twice what youd pay for a return flight. The cost of his flight to Istanbul would have been 100; his railway ticket cost 500.

Is it worth it? As Martin points out, no one ever remembers an air journey (unless, of course, it turns into a near-death experience). Flying is vacuum-packed, insulating human beings from real life. Every airport is the same as the last airport, every flight the same as the last flight. Nobody goes interplaneing on their gap year, he observes.

The night train, on the other hand, has a very rich history, and has inspired countless books, films and poems. Early on, Martin quotes an evocative piece by Vladimir Nabokov, which captures the romance of the perfect journey: the soft crackle of polished panels in the blue-shaded night, the long sad sigh of brakes at dimly surmised stations, the upward slide of an embossed leather blind disclosing a platform, a man wheeling luggage, the milky globe of a lamp with a pale moth whirling around it.

Ah, for the old days! This is, by and large, a travel book, with Martin taking six long journeys on night trains all over Europe. But he peppers this framework with tales of days gone by, generally contrasting the grandeur of the old night trains with the stripped-back parsimony of todays.

In 1860s America, for instance, George Mortimer Pullmans sleeper train empire included trains equipped with hairdressing salons, libraries and organs, for church services. And even the loos were palatial. The original Orient Express had waiters in frock coats, knickerbockers, white tights and slippers, all serving nine-course menus. But things are not what they were. On his trip along the same route last year, Martin made his way to the dining car just outside Budapest, only to be confronted with a serving counter. He looked for a maitre dhotel, but couldnt see him. Then he spotted a burly, grey-haired chap sitting on a duvet on the floor behind the counter with another duvet wrapped over his knees. He was watching a film on a laptop.

The loos, too, have come down in the world. A century ago, you would have found fresh towels, fresh soap, and vials of eau de toilette. Alas, no more: on the same trip, Martin encountered no water in the WC, either for the taps or the flushing of the loo. That ought not to have mattered because the toilet was just a hole on to the tracks. Yet still the toilet reeked, and the reek permeated the compartment of lumpy green vinyl seats.

Despite all this, and any number of comical setbacks along the way, Martin manages to retain an enthusiasm for the night train. I imagined that, by now a seasoned traveller, he would take rail travel in his stride, easing himself from one station to another without the slightest fuss. But no: he seems to be more jittery than I am, which is saying something. He spends most of his time dreading the arrival of a stranger to share his compartment and the rest of the time being terrified of missing connections. Before he has even set off from London to catch the Berlin Night Express, he has a sleepless night, fearful of missing the Gatwick Express.

Of course, bad news for a writer is generally good news for his reader. While one half of him might genuinely have dreaded having to share his compartment with an unkempt stranger, the other half was probably beckoning him in. Writing, as J P Donleavy once observed, is the art of turning your worst moments into money.

Happily for us, the book swiftly becomes what Martin calls a comedy of embarrassments. Ticket sellers take a delight in informing him, and misinforming him, of cancelled trains. A strike finds him spending an entire night in a sleeping compartment while the train goes nowhere at all. Somewhere between Bucharest and Istanbul, he encounters those three most ominous words: Replacement Bus Service. A thief pilfers his wallet. He never seems to get a good nights sleep, even though the promotional leaflets left in the compartment promise a one-of-a-kind experience. Awake refreshed, and with a great rail experience behind you.

Andrew Martin is the best sort of travel-writer: inquisitive, knowledgeable, lively, congenial. He is also very funny, while never letting the humour drive reality, rather than vice versa. Every page has a good joke. Talking about the old night ferry, in which the train drove straight on to a ship, he says that it offered the novelty of being seasick on a train. And he can sum up an entire world in a single word: comparing the new sparse dining on a French train with the grand old days, he writes: Everything looked mute: nothing tinkled.

Witty as it is, his book is also an elegy. Even while he was writing it, death sentences were being handed out to the few remaining night trains in Europe. The famous night train to Nice is now scheduled to run for the very last time in October of this year. This book has been written as a lament, he writes. But if it turns out that my tone is misconceived, and the European night trains will not disappear into permanent darkness, I will be only too glad.
The Kettering Incident

Wednesday, Sky Atlantic

Rating:

Andrew Marr: My Brain And Me

Tuesday, BBC2

Rating:

The Kettering Incident is the new Australian drama starring Elizabeth Debicki, that sublime creature from The Night Manager with the legs that go up to her armpits, although not literally, as that would be hideously freaky.

Debicki, who is also a sublime actress  lets not get too distracted by the legs that go up to her armpits, but not literally  plays Anna Macy, a doctor who is working in London and experiencing baffling and frightening black-outs.

Did you suffer a childhood trauma? a neurologist asks her. Could it be PTSD? No, said Anna, fiercely and stubbornly. Yes, I said, not because Im in possession of a special gift, but because Ive seen enough dramas like this to know how these things go.

Elizabeth Debicki, 'that sublime creature from The Night Manager with the legs that go up to her armpits'

Anna returns to her hometown of Kettering in Tasmania. She didnt so much decide to do this as suddenly wake up in a car, with the plane ticket (handily) peeking out of her bag.

She has no memory of having made the journey which, considering it would have to have taken at least 27 hours, and involved a stop-over in Kuala Lumpur, possibly at 4am, has to be the way to travel, and a mercy.

Anna has not been home for some years but no one seems pleased to see her. Not even her father. The locals in the cafe stare. Kettering is, in fact, a spooky place where men bustle sinisterly, threatening anonymous letters are received, giant moths are trapped in bottles, and strange lights flicker.

It turns out that, 15 years ago, Annas friend Gillian disappeared. The two are shown in flashback, as teenagers riding bikes into the forest, with Gillian in a vivid red coat because, in these instances, the disappeared one is always a teenage girl in a vivid red coat (very Dont Look Now) and never a boy in lederhosen, say.

I know what this is, and you know what this is. We know the drill. Its unnerving, eerie happenings as played out against a vast landscape. It is Twin Peaks, Top Of The Lake, Fortitude and all the other dramas where you might hang on in there in the hope youll one day understand whats going on, but probably wont, as it will wish to retain its mystery and will likely continue for season after season with its lights and moths but without ever adding up to diddlysquat.

So, in the words of the great Deborah Meaden: Im out.

That Andrew Marr is a fiercely stubborn little fella. That Andrew Marr could teach Dr Macy a thing or two, about being fiercely stubborn.

The documentary Andrew Marr: My Brain And Me charted Marrs recovery from the major stroke he suffered in 2013. It was intimate and personal and he knew that what television most wanted was for him to cry, because television is like that but, being a fiercely stubborn little fella, he refused, repeatedly.

Youre looking for me to be emotional, he said. You want a little tear. Im not going to do a little tear. Im not that kind of a person. Later, it was: I am not going to cry. Im from Dundee. And also: Self-pity is the most nauseating quality.

Oh God, really? Since when? Some days, self-pity is all I do.

This was fascinating and also affecting, tears or no tears. For two months after the stroke it wasnt known if hed live, while his wife was told that, even if he did, hed probably be a cabbage in a wheelchair.

He recovered his speech, and his mind seems as sharp as ever  his brain is so huge you could probably open a Starbucks in there  but the left side of his body is still severely impaired.

He walks lopsidedly and can barely use his left arm or hand. He undertakes physiotherapy which sometimes involves having to put little beads into pots as if I were in nursery school and which he finds deeply humiliating.

This was illuminating about strokes generally, as he met other victims, looked at brain scans, talked to doctors, went to Oxford for a new treatment that didnt work, then to Florida for a new treatment that didnt work.

He claimed he had changed as a person, but I couldnt see it. He is still a workaholic, as far as I could gather. Hes still made two documentaries, written a book and fronted his usual TV and radio gigs before you or I have even brushed our teeth in the mornings, or are even vaguely ready to put in the hours on the self-pity front.

Yet his paintings have changed dramatically. Amazingly, he paints in his spare time  not amazing that he paints but that he has any spare time  and whereas he was once a competent landscape painter he now produces abstracts in eye-popping colours that just seem so much more vibrant and alive somehow.

He did show one moment of vulnerability. He could have gone to art school, but didnt. Too scared. Scared of failure.

Are you allowed to say that, coming from Dundee? Will he ever be allowed back?
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recently released more than one million reports, notes, cables and other documents relating to the agency's work.

Thousands are dealing with India and the subcontinent. Glancing through some of these 'Top Secret' documents, I came across a note dating July 15, 1953, which contains vital information for India's northern borders.

It is titled 'Chinese Communist Troops, West Tibet, Road Construction, Sinkiang to Tibet and Ladakh'.

It was only in August 1959 that Jawaharlal Nehru dropped the bombshell in the Lok Sabha: the 'Tibet-Xinjiang highway' had been built through Indian territory.

It confirms what many historians have been guessing: China had started building a road across the Indian territory in the early 1950s.

It was only in August 1959 that Jawaharlal Nehru dropped the bombshell in the Lok Sabha: the 'Tibet-Xinjiang highway' had been built through Indian territory.

Truth

A few months earlier, Nehru hid the truth in Parliament. On April 22, 1959, when the issue of Beijing displaying Indian territory as its own on China's maps came up, Delhi denied the existence of the road.

Braj Raj Singh, an Indian MP, quoting 'a news item published in several papers alleging that the Chinese have claimed some 30,000 sq m of our territory,' queried about the Aksai Chin.

Nehru answered: 'I would suggest to honourable members not to pay much attention to news items emanating sometimes from Hong Kong and sometimes from other odd places.

'We have had no such claim directly or indirectly made on us.'

The Prime Minister deliberately 'omitted' to mention the Aksai Chin.

Now, the CIA note shows that in late 1952, the 2 Cavalry Regiment, commanded by one Han Tse-min, had its headquarters at Gartok (the main trade centre in Western Tibet).

The regiment had 800 camels and 150 men garrisoned at Rutok, in the vicinity of the Pangong lake, which is shared by Tibet and Ladakh.

The same report affirms that another PLA's regiment was stationed on the Tibetan side of the Tibet-Ladakh border, near Koyul in the Indus Valley in Ladakh.

China had started building a road across the Indian territory in the early 1950s. (file picture)

According to the US document, the commandant of the 2 Cavalry announced the Chinese intention to built new roads in the area.

One of them was a road from Khotan to Rutok; the other one to Suget Karaul (Shahidulla) ending at Vanjilga (at the western end of the Aksai Chin).

The first one was completed in July 1953, says the report. The alignment of the 1953 route might have been slightly different from present Aksai Chin road (now NH219).

Moreover, it was then not fit for heavy vehicles (only four years later, heavy trucks would be able to ply).

It is difficult to believe that the information available with the US Intelligence agency was unknown to their Indian counterpart; let us not forget that India had still a Consulate General in Kashgar and, therefore, easy access to information.

The Hindi-Chini, bhai-bhai wave was most likely too strong and the PM's collaborators (in particular, BN Mullick, the IB Chief) were busier pleasing their boss than checking on Chinese advances.

Han Tse-min asserted: 'When these roads were completed, the Chinese communists would close the Tibet-Ladakh border to trade.'

It is what happened after the signature of the Panchsheel Agreement in 1954.

Document

The CIA document also says that Han declared that 'the Chinese communists in Sinkiang (Xinjiang) were telling the people that Ladakh belongs to Sinkiang.'

Another CIA note written 10 days later, provides details of the traditional routes used by the caravaners.

The CIA remarks: 'The only Chinese in north-western Tibet are the Chinese Communist troops, seven or eight hundred of whom are stationed along the Tibet-Ladakh border.

'They first appeared in north-western Tibet in 1951, having come from the Khotan.'

Delhi was not concerned. It would continue doing nothing for several more years, with the result that the Indian territory is still occupied by China today.

On October 6, 1957, Chinese newspaper Kuang-ming Jih-pao reported from Hong Kong: 'The Sinkiang-Tibet - the highest highway in the world has been completed.'

'During the past few days, a number of trucks running on the highway on a trial basis have arrived in Gartok in Tibet from Yecheng in Xinjiang.'

The Sinkiang-Tibet Highway is 1,179 km long, of which 915 km are more than 4,000m above sea level; 130 km of it over 5,000m above sea level, with the highest point being 5,500m.'

It spoke of 'thirty heavy-duty trucks, fully loaded with road builders, maintenance equipment and fuels, running on the highway on a trial basis' heading towards Tibet.

Confrontation

Early 1958, five months after the 'official' opening, Subimal Dutt, the Indian foreign secretary, wrote to Nehru.

Dutt suggested sending a reconnoitering party 'in the coming spring' to find out if the road had really been built on the Indian territory.

The next day, Nehru agreed for the reconnoitering party, but added: 'I do not think it is desirable to have air reconnaissance.

'In fact, I do not see what good this can do us. Even a land reconnaissance will not perhaps be very helpful.'

It was only in the fall of 1959 that a CRPF patrol consisting of 70 constables attempted to cross over the Lanak Pass to establish a border post in the Aksai Chin.

They were confronted by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) which had occupied the pass.

On October 20, 1959, three Indians were captured and detained by the Chinese.

The next day after a short confrontation, nine Indian soldiers were killed and seven taken prisoner.

The Indian media was incensed; Nehru had no other choice to officially announce the occupation of the Aksai Chin.

Today, the CIA papers tend to prove that the Aksai Chin road was opened much earlier that thought.

The writer is an expert on Tibet and China
Amid a blustery political storm over army chief General Bipin Rawat's statement against Pakistan-backed terrorists and their supporters, the force is taking steps to deal sternly with those who obstruct its operations against militants and has asked its troops to use only rifles and drop their long sticks.

The men in olive green are also preparing for a hot summer as inputs suggest that stones would be replaced by Molotov cocktails in small water bottles in the battle against the army waged by overground workers active in the Kashmir valley during public demonstrations.

According to information received by the force from the trouble-torn state, the mischief makers have been gathering a large number of small mineral water bottles like the ones served in aircraft to be used as Molotov cocktail bombs and hurl them on troops and their vehicles, sources told Mail Today.

The army is taking steps to deal sternly with those who obstruct its operations

'We have inputs that they would come into use in a big way in the next summer and they used it in Poonch area where one army tent was set on fire.

Such bottles are being stored in large quantities in houses there,' the sources said.

The overground workers have been creating major obstacles in operations as during a recent encounter in Handwara, troops were allegedly facing firing from terrorists on one side while they were being pelted with stones from the rear, said the sources.

'We have told the troops clearly to get strict with all the elements that obstruct our operations and we cannot allow that. In cases where it becomes necessary, the commanders can also take the action they want,' they added.

The reports come days after General Rawat said civilians who indulge in stone pelting during counter insurgency operations in Kashmir would be treated as anti-nationals and dealt with accordingly.

'We would request the local population... local boys if they want to continue with the acts of terrorism, displaying flags of the IS and Pakistan, then we will treat them as anti-national elements and go helter-skelter for them...

'If they do not relent and create hurdles, then we will take tough action,' he said.

Political leaders including those from the Congress, National Conference and pro-Pakistan separatists like Yasin Malik criticised his statement, saying this would further muddy the situation in the state.

In the past few months, Kashmiri locals comprising mostly women start pelting stones on troops during operations in a bid to help terrorists escape from the encounter spot.

'If the situation continues to remain like this, we will also not discriminate on basis of gender while hitting out at the obstructers,' the sources informed.

Due to relatively gentle handling of such obstructers who are allegedly directly aiding terrorists, there have also been talks that the junior leadership there is feeling that they are fighting with their hands restrained.

Senior army sources said the personnel were using lathis to stop women from entering their encounter zones but they have now been told by the headquarters to drop them and stick only to their rifles.

The army is also carrying out extensive operations against terrorists even in winter months and will intensify these manoeuvres in the coming days as it wants to hunt down militants hiding in villages due to the snow and cold, sources in the defence ministry said.

Protesters flash ISIS & Pakistan flags in Srinagar after Friday prayers

They said in the past month, the troops have carried out over 10 such operations in the Valley itself in which at least 14 terrorists including some hardcore ones from Pakistan have also been eliminated.

The sources said the Hajin operation in which three army troops were killed may have been a case where the informer 'double-crossed', as they were given wrong information about the house in which the terrorists were hiding.

'When troops surrounded the house, they were fired upon by the militants who were hiding on the rooftop of another house.

Apart from three deaths, around 7-8 CRPF men, local police personnel and civilians were injured there,' they said.

Sources said the army has briefed the top leadership about the way it wants to handle the situation in Kashmir where it does not want the Pakistan- backed movement to gain any momentum.

Senior defence ministry sources said the government is firmly behind the army in its operations in the Valley and counter-terrorist operations there as they are on the ground and know what is to be done to handle the situation.

The army has also tried to use soft measures like using smoke cover to prevent locals from obstructing operations but this has not yielded much result forcing it to consider using harsher methods.
Harpreet Singh, a decorated athlete is among three people arrested by the police in the Capital with 25 kg of party drugs

A decorated athlete is among three people arrested by the police in the Capital with 25 kg of party drugs, which they had allegedly smuggled from Africa in false cavities and containers on ships by paying off workers at dockyards.

The consignment of mephedrone, popularly known as 'meow meow', is worth around Rs 50 crore in the international market.

Officials say the drugs are distributed among peddlers in metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata while a majority of the shipment is forwarded to the UK, US, Europe and West Asia.

Synthetic drugs like meow meow are psychoactive drugs that induce a six-to-seven hour-long trip, producing a rush of energy and making the user want to dance or jump around.

It also increases sensitivity to light and sound, making it popular among party-goers.

Mephedrone is sold at around a tenth of the price of cocaine in the city and has created a young customer base for itself in the rave circuit.

Among those arrested is Harpreet Singh, 30, who represented India in the discus throw event at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games in Australia and picked up a silver medal.

Part of the consignment was hidden in the false cavity of a ship, while the rest was stored in containers.

He also won bronze at the 2006 South Asian Games in Sri Lanka.

He had to quit the sport after an injury. The other two have been identified as 29-year-old Amandeep Singh and Harnish Sarpal, 36.

Sources said during interrogation the accused told the police that a massive 300-kg shipment of mephedrone reached Mumbai port from Africa.

Part of the consignment was hidden in the false cavity of a ship, while the rest was stored in containers.

Experts say meow meow is a club drug, which can either be snorted or swallowed, and is similar to coke.

The drug is known to be linked to violent self mutilations.

Police claims that the agent in Africa had informed drug peddlers about the location of their packages in the ship so they could retrieve the goods when the vessel reached Mumbai port.

The gang is allegedly headed by Kishan, who is settled in the UK.

He allegedly directed the arrested trio to fetch the consignment and send it to the UK, UAE, US, Malaysia and other West Asian countries.

'They were waiting for a call from Kishan when they were nabbed,' said a senior police officer.

Teams have been formed to track the remaining consignment that has already reached Mumbai.

It has been learnt that drug mafia who are part of international supply chains received the consignments through ships and later sent them to other countries via postal courier.

Harpreet was arrested along with Amandeep Singh (left) and Harnish Sarpal (right)

'They used to send letters and other irrelevant documents via courier. In the envelope, they would stow around 10 gm of white powder in plastic bags and send it,' said sources.

Officials who are keeping a tight vigil on this modus operandi said two of the most popular drugs - ketamine and mephedrone - are being supplied using the code names 'bada' and 'chhota' respectively.

However, among the drug users, they are popularly called 'ice' and 'meow meow'.

'Many times, the white powder reaches India hidden in packaged food.'

'The mafias have reportedly joined hands with some employees of the food manufacturing units who pack the consignments in original food tins.

'So when the consignment reaches India, the peddlers pull them out,' added sources.
Preeti Kumari, 29, and Tara Chand Chaurasiya, 40, underwent renal transplant at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital last week and received a fresh lease of life.

Like any other other girl of her age, Preeti now wants to marry and settle down in life.

Thanks to the surgery, her wish will soon be fulfilled.

Tara Chand Chaurasiya with Dr Anup Kumar, after he underwent successful renal transplant

Her marriage was being delayed as she was surviving on dialysis due to kidney disorder.

Similarly, Tara Chand wants to focus on his earnings to fulfil his family needs as a father of three school-going kids.

Last week, renal experts at Safdarjung Hospital conducted cadaveric kidney transplants on two patients, who were surviving on dialysis for more than a year.

Cadaveric kidney transplant is classified as the one in which kidney is taken from a dead donor and transplanted to a patient.

Even for doctors, it was great news as the kidneys were retrieved from a brain-dead patient.

Sharing her joy, Preeti, a Delhi girl, told Mail Today: 'Due to my kidney disorder, my marriage was delayed as I was surviving on dialysis.'

'I was struggling to get a suitable donor. I had never imagined that I would undergo a successful renal transplant.'

'And now, I plan to fulfil my marriage dreams.'

Preeti, who has completed her studies, wants to take up a job once she is fit.

Preeti Kumari was on dialysis for a year and after the transplant wants to work

Tara Chand expresses his gratitude to the doctors because he can now go for work.

'He is the only one to earn in the family. 'I am a father of three kids. Ever since I was ill, I could not work.'

'My wife started doing a part-time job to pay the fees for our children and expenses for my medicines,' he said.

(Prof) Dr Anup Kumar, head of the renal transplant department at Safdarjung Hospital, told Mail Today: 'We received a call from PGI Chandigarh that they were sending us two kidneys that were retrieved from a 40-year-old brain-dead patient.'

'A team was quickly dispatched to get the kidneys safely in a short span of time by road as air tickets could not be booked.'

PGI Chandigarh had received a patient who met with an accident.

His relatives had come forward to donate his organs. According to health experts, a cadaver transplant should be done within six hours of organ retrieval.

'We immediately alerted an expert who was sent to PGI Chandigarh by taxi to collect the organs.'

'We maintained a proper system to protect the kidneys. For this, special techniques were used to preserve them for 12 hours as there was no green corridor.'

'The kidneys had to pass Punjab and Haryana to reach Delhi and we were short of time,' Kumar said.

The major challenge was to get the results of 'cross match test', which is key to find the suitable recipient for the kidneys.

For this, five patients were called to the hospital of which two got it correct.

Safdarjung Hospital has conducted five cadaveric renal transplants so far and there is a waiting list of another 50 patients.
The political scene in Mohammadabad constituency looks straight out of an episode of the popular political pot boiler, Game of Thrones.

The fast-changing poll equations in this constituency of UP, which is infamous for mafias, have turned in such a way that it is now open to contest between just two candidates.

In a surprise turn of events, the nominations of SP and Congress candidates for the seat were cancelled on Friday, which has now left only the BSP and BJP candidates contesting each other.

Alka Rai will fight the election against the brother of don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari

The face-off will be between Alka Rai and Sibakatullah Ansari of the BSP.

Alka is the widow of late strongman-turned-politician and leader of the locally dominant Bhumihar-Brahmin community Krishnanand Rai.

While Sibakatullah Ansari is the brother to Mukhtar Ansari, another dreaded don-turned-politician and one who is accused of having ordered the gunning down of Krishnanand Rai.

The SP-Congress alliance was already under pressure in this seat.

Earlier, Congress had declared Janak Kumar Kushwaha as its candidate from the seat, but later he was replaced by Arvind Kishor Rai.

When things turned ugly between the two, UP Congress chief Raj Babbar had to write to the returning officer of Ghazipur that Rai should be considered the rightful Congress candidate and thus the symbol be allotted to him.

However, on Friday, Rai's nomination was found deficient and his nomination was cancelled too, leaving the party without a candidate here.

On the other hand, the SP too had declared its candidate from the seat, Hyder Ali 'Tiger'.

Sibakatullah Ansari is the brother to Mukhtar Ansari, another dreaded don-turned-politician and one who is accused of having ordered the gunning down of Krishnanand Rai.

It is learnt that SP MLC Arvind Singh had flown in on a special chartered flight to Varanasi and then travelled by road to Ghazipur to accompany Tiger as he filed his nomination.

But Tiger's nomination was cancelled as well.

Thus, for all practical purposes, only Alka Rai and Sibakatullah stand to measure swords.

Krishnanand Rai too was a BJP MLA from the same seat between 2002 and 2005, when he was gunned down allegedly at the behest of Mukhtar.

The Rai family has been close to Ghazipur MP and MoS in Narendra Modi council Manoj Sinha, who is said to have paved the way for Alka Rai this time.

The contest is much to the liking of the BJP as well as the BSP as the Rai-Ansari feud has strong undertones of communal fault lines.

A clear corroboration of this was the fact that BSP supremo Mayawati found Mukhtar Ansari and his Quami Ekta Dal ideally cut out for fitting her pro-Muslim poll strategy for UP elections.
The rivalry between e-wallets and banks came to the fore when HDFC Bank chief Aditya Puri said that companies which hold on to customers through cash-backs are loss-making and have no future.

'I think wallets have no future. There is not enough margin in the payment business for the wallets to have a future,' Puri said at the annual Nasscom summit.

'Wallets as a valid economic proposition is doubtful. There is no money in the payments business.

Aditya Puri says that wallets as a valid economic proposition is doubtful

'The current loss reported by market leader Paytm is Rs 1,651 crore. You cannot have a business that says pay a Rs 500 bill and take Rs 250 cash-back,' Puri said.

Wallet companies cannot copy the Alibaba model as well, as the domestic regulators are better, he added.

Interestingly, HDFC Bank also has a wallet service called Chillr.

Puri said ApplePay is also another version of the wallet and there is no re-imagining of the bank happening there.

Banks and stand-alone wallet players have been at loggerheads and there have been instances last month like blocking of money transfer by ICICI Bank into Flipkart's PhonePe or SBI refusing to let its customers transact on Paytm for security reasons.

The National Payments Corporation of India had intervened in the matter first ruling in favour of Paytm and then abruptly reversing the decision after the banks explained their concerns on the issue.

Stating that banks also have wallets for e-commerce transactions, Puri said the standalone wallet players depend on banks as an intermediary to get funds.

Additionally, the launch of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) makes it possible for banks to carry out payments transactions faster.

'Is this wallet any better than mine, other than a cash- back? I don't have a Rs 1,651 crore loss. You eliminate the loss, then we will talk,' he said.

When asked if the higher interest offering of over 7 per cent by payments banks which space Paytm plans to enter soon, Puri said let's wait for the launch of the bank but maintained that such high returns are not sustainable.

'When Paytm launches the bank, then we will see. Judge the risks and put your money. You might get the interest,' he said.
A German takeover of the London Stock Exchange faces a last-ditch challenge from campaigning MPs.

The 21bn deal is causing increasing concern in the City and there is growing pressure on ministers to step in.

MPs debate the tie-up in Parliament on Tuesday, and, led by Conservative Bill Cash, politicians want the Government to ask tough questions about the deal and its leaders.

Deutsche Boerse wants to buy LSE for 21billion, which critics say is against the UK's interest

One senior City figure with knowledge of the deal called for a pause last night. Otherwise, he said, the proposal would give Deutsches controversial boss Carsten Kengeter a powerful role in the negotiations.

Deutsches controversial boss Carsten Kengeter has a powerful role in the negotiations

The 49-year-old is under increasing pressure after Frankfurt prosecutors accused him of insider trading earlier this month. He bought 3.8m of shares days before talks on the tie-up began and is set to be chief executive.

The insider said: If they let the deal go ahead, theyre going to get Kengeter turning up in the negotiating room.

He will have a seat at the table  and we need a proper sovereign-to-sovereign deal without corporate interests getting involved.

The deal is not opposed by the Government and on Tuesday MPs are expected to query this position.

Cash said: I hope ministers will reconsider their stance on this ill-advised takeover.

EU commission authorities are due to make a final decision on the takeover next month.
Metal prices have soared since the start of the year  but it might not be too late for those who have missed the rally to still invest.

Copper has risen to $2.75 a pound from around $2.10 just six months ago.

Its an incredible price rise of around 30 per cent for the industrial metal which is used in everything from construction for piping and roofing to industrial processes.

Copper has risen to $2.75 a pound from around $2.10

But todays price is nothing on its historical highs. A so-called super-cycle, largely driven by voracious demand in China, saw copper reach $4.50 in 2011.

With such values in recent memory, some experts believe the current metal rally could continue for some time yet. But it is not an investment for the faint-hearted.

Jason Hollands, managing director at Bestinvest, says: Commodity prices have taken investors on a brutal rollercoaster ride in recent years. Extracting metals is a very costly business so even modest swings in prices can make a big difference as to whether a mining company makes a profit or a loss  and that makes it an incredibly risky place to invest.

Promises: US President Trump is driving commodity prices

Much of the recent rally has been driven by promises of major infrastructure investment by US President Trump. Any type of building, be it homes, transport links or a wall, will require commodities and a surge in demand could drive prices higher.

Platinum has recently crossed the $1,000 per ounce marker, but back in 2013 it reached $1,700.

Silver, at $18, is about half its value just five years ago. In 2011 it climbed as high as $50 an ounce. Palladium has surged more than 50 per cent since the start of the year from $500 to $790.

But as recently as last summer the precious metal sold for more than $900 an ounce. On the back of the trend, shares in mining firms have soared.

Demands: Gold has climbed past $1,200 an ounce

Several gold miners this week announced larger-than-expected dividends after a rally in its price helped performance.

Gold has climbed past $1,200 an ounce, but only a few years ago experts were betting it would smash through the $2,000 marker. Metals have had a dreadful time over the past few years. Thats primarily because of investor caution after the financial crisis and a glut of supply dragging down prices to long-term lows.

One of the issues for mining companies is that they have to manage their business several years in advance.

When demand for metals was surging they ploughed cash into exploration and production to try to capitalise on high prices and keep up with demand.

But it takes years for a new mine to be built and for production to begin. By the time many were up and running the global financial crisis had occurred.

Good times ahead: A shift to a consumer-led economy means more demand for copper

That recession saw demand fall off a cliff and the situation was exacerbated as China started its shift from an industrial economy to a consumer-led one, which meant the worlds biggest importer of metals was no longer propping up demand.

Miners were hit hard; they reined in spending and spent years shoring up their balance sheets, in many cases slashing dividends.

Ironically, the fact that miners stopped splashing cash to protect their businesses has led to concerns about lack of supply because no new mines have been built, and started driving prices up again.

James Sutton, manager of the JPM Natural Resources fund, says: This is what always happens, its a cyclical sector and the companies have to make decisions on a four-year basis. Thats really hard to do  right now we dont know what is going to happening in the world in three months time, let alone in four years.

But Sutton is confident there are still opportunities in the sector.

Chinas shift in focus from industrialisation may have hit the steel price but it could be good for copper. A shift to a consumer-led economy means more demand for the commodities needed in electronics. For example, copper is used in circuit boards and chips for tablet computers and mobile phones.

Increasing wealth and growing middle classes in emerging economies mean more people will want precious metals and stones such as gold and diamonds.

The rise of the electric car, meanwhile, should drive demand for nickel and lithium.

But there is still a sense of caution around the sector. Sutton is investing in big blue-chips such as Antofagasta  a high-quality company with a strong balance sheet which means it can more easily ride the ups and downs.

He bought Glencore shares when the firm was desperately raising capital in 2015, for 80p each  they are now worth 320p.

Suttons fund has doubled investors money over the past year. But if you had invested 1,000 five years ago you would have just 700 left today.

That demonstrates how risky a bet on raw materials can be.

Its this volatility that leads Hollands to conclude: If anything, this is a time for investors who have enjoyed the rally to consider getting out.
Royal Bank of Scotland was last night told that plans to sell-off Williams & Glyn have been abandoned.

The troubled lender was ordered by European regulators to offload the 314 branches to boost competition following its 45bn bailout by the taxpayer in the financial crisis.

But it has been struggling to find a buyer and was set to miss the deadline of the end of this year.

Future: RBS will provide 750m to boost competition in the UK business

In a dramatic move, the Treasury said a new plan has now been hatched that will see RBS provide 750m to boost competition in the UK business banking market  particularly for small and medium sized businesses known as SMEs.

If the plans are accepted by the European Commission, RBS will be able to address competition concerns that arose out of the provision of state support during the crisis without selling Williams & Glyn.

RBS chief executive Ross McEwan said: Todays proposal would provide a path to increased competition in the SME market place.

If agreed it would deliver an outcome on our state aid divestment obligations more quickly and with more certainty than undertaking a difficult and complex sale and would provide much needed certainty for customers and staff.

A Treasury spokesman said: This new plan provides a clear blueprint to increase competition in the UKs business banking market.
The takeover bid by US giant Kraft Heinz has handed bosses at Marmite maker Unilever a 500,000 windfall on shares they picked up two days earlier.

Unilever chief executive Paul Polman was among 13 executives at the firm given shares worth 3.3m on Wednesday.

Yesterday, the companys value soared 13 per cent as it was revealed ketchup maker Kraft Heinz had staged an audacious takeover bid.

Cashing in: Unilever chief executive Paul Polman

It meant the board members of Unilever saw their shares climb by around 500,000. Polman, 60, who is renowned for his zany comments on the environment and business methods, made 150,000.

On top of this he saw his stake in the company worth an estimated 10.4m yesterday morning, soar by 1.5m.

The surprise 115bn bid by Kraft Heinz, which was rejected by Unilever, would have been the second-biggest takeover deal in history, behind the 147bn swoop on Germanys Mannesmann by Vodafone in 2000.

Buffetts pulling the strings... Billionaire investor Warren Buffett was behind Kraft Heinzs audacious 115bn swoop for European rival Unilever  and is ready to bankroll an even bigger offer. Buffett, 86, dubbed the Sage of Omaha for his ability to predict the markets, owns a 26.8pc stake in Kraft though his Berkshire Hathaway fund. A further 24.1pc is owned by controversial Brazilian private equity firm 3G, which in the past has been a close ally of Buffett (pictured above with actress Glenn Close at a summit in Washington). Buffett, who according to Forbes is the worlds second richest man worth around 68bn, built his stake in Kraft with 3G in 2015. The two had previously teamed up when 3G merged Burger King with doughnut chain Tim Hortons to create the firm Restaurant brands International. 3G also controls AB InBev, which last year merged with SAB Miller in a 69bn deal. Buffett has said he wanted to work with 3G on another takeover in the future. The veteran investor, who backed Hillary Clinton in the US elections last year, has shown no signs of wanting to step back from his firm. He recently said he could keep going until he was 100.

It could surpass this record with Kraft Heinz set to return to the bargaining table with a bigger bid, which must be by March 17 under US takeover rules.

The takeover would be a bumper payday for investment banks, stockbrokers, lawyers and other advisers.

Lazard has been appointed to broker a deal for Kraft, while Morgan Stanley and Centerview are acting for Unilever, along with corporate brokers UBS and Deutsche.

Kraft made an offer 18 per cent above the value of the shares on Thursday that would see Unilever shareholders receive 40 a share in a mix of cash and equity.

Mega deal: Ketchup maker Kraft Heinz has made a takeover approach to Unilever. Marmite owner Unilever sees no merit in Kraft takeover

But the Anglo-Dutch company said the offer undervalued the firm, and added it had no merit.

Analysts predicted competition concerns, suggesting a deal might not get approval from regulators.

Michael Hewson, analyst at CMC Markets, said: The amount of costs that could well get stripped out of any combined entity is bound to worry governments in countries where Unilever has a significant number of employees, like the UK and Holland. UK authorities have already had experience of broken promises by Kraft in the Cadbury takeover a few years ago.

For Kraft, the deal would help it to achieve explosive growth almost overnight.

Steve Clayton, fund manager at Hargreaves Lansdown, said Unilever shareholders were in no mood to accept a short-term premium in exchange for losing the growth the company could produce for decades to come.

To win over a majority of Unilevers shareholders, we think Kraft Heinz will need to dig very deep indeed, he added.

Kraft Heinz said it wanted to create a leading consumer goods company with a mission of long-term growth and sustainable living. Kraft Heinz shares were up 7 per cent at $93.98 in New York.
June Kenton, 81, is the chosen bra supplier to the Queen

June Kenton, bra supplier to the Queen, says the Monarch is charged the same price for her bras as any member of the public.

Kenton, who became a multi-millionaire when she sold her lingerie business Rigby & Peller, still goes to Buckingham Palace and holds the Royal Warrant as corsetiere to the Queen.

Yet it has not always been easy. She started out selling ladieswear at Brixton market in South London and remembers struggling desperately to pay her bills as a young woman.

Her autobiography, Storm In A D Cup, will be published at the end of next month. Now, 81, she lives with her husband Harold, 86, in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

What did your parents teach you about money?

That it does not grow on trees and you have to earn it  and they meant it. When I was about six years old, during the Second World War, I could earn a penny if I collected 12 caterpillars from my fathers cabbages. I hated caterpillars but I wanted the penny so badly that I would do it.

How much pocket money did you get as a child?

Sixpence a week from the age of 12. Four of us would get together and between us, we would have two shillings  enough for some bread and jam. We would go out and sit in a field to eat it. We thought what we were doing was amazing.

Kenton became a multi-millionaire when she sold her lingerie business Rigby & Peller

What was the first paid work you ever did?

Working in my dads shop, after I left school at 16. My parents were both in the retail business  they sold ladieswear, blouses, skirts and underwear. I tended to work in the lingerie department, because I felt at home with that. I got the princely sum of ten shillings a week in wages.

Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?

Absolutely. When Harold, my husband, and I first went into business together, we ran an open-fronted ladieswear shop in the Brixton market arcade in South-West London  and froze to death. It was really hard.

We had to watch every penny and tighten our belts to pay the rent. We were renting a two-bedroom flat in Streatham for 12 a week and we had just adopted our son David, because we could not have children of our own. It was a huge struggle. The biggest worry was paying our bills. We did not go out at all, there were no holidays or new dresses. But it did not matter because we were so happy.

Kenton had to go to the Queen and see if she approved of her taking Rigby & Peller over because a Royal Warrant is given to a person, and then a company

Have you ever been paid silly money per hour for a job?

No, never. I wish I had.

What is the most you have ever been paid for a bra or a fitting?

I could not possibly say, but no one has ever offered to pay me a fortune. It is not something I would entertain anyway. We never charge for a fitting, just the cost of the bra  and whatever I have charged for that, it has always been the normal price.

Do you charge the Queen a different price than you would charge the rest of us?

Absolutely not. I would not charge anyone in the Royal Family any more than a member of the public. That is being honourable in business. I would never want to charge someone extra because I know they have lots of money.

What was the best year of your life in terms of money you made?

Selling Rigby & Peller for 8 million in 2011. We did not do anything silly with the money. It never dawned on us to celebrate. We do not drink much so we did not even open a bottle of champagne. It gave us a feeling of security  it meant we could have something for our old age and for our two children. But we have always lived comfortably so it did not make any difference to our lives.

Kenton says she still goes to the Queen but she refuses to say exactly what she does, she adds: 'You will have to imagine it. Officially, I am corsetiere to Her Majesty the Queen'

We did not celebrate because we do not need for anything. We have always had our feet on the ground.

We made only one concession. I collect first period Worcester blue and white porcelain. So when I saw four gorgeous late 18th Century pieces at Bonhams, I bought them. I must have spent 800, which is quite unlike me.

What is the most expensive thing you have ever bought yourself just for fun?

A Jaguar  a Sovereign. It cost 40,000 or 50,000. We have always driven either a Lexus or a Jaguar.

What is the biggest money mistake you have ever made?

I had a leather jacket and skirt made to measure, which I have never worn. The leather is gorgeous and I still own it because I feel I cannot get rid of it. It cost me an absolute fortune, 1,000, but every time I put it on, I think: Oh no, and take it off again. I just do not feel that leather is me.

What is your best money decision?

Buying Rigby & Peller for 20,000. It was losing money hand over fist, but it was the right thing to do because it held the Royal Warrant. I had to go to the Queen and see if she approved of me taking it over because a Royal Warrant is given to a person, and then a company. She did, so I have held the Royal Warrant since 1982.

I also got the warrant for the Queen Mother in 1993. I used to go to Princess Margaret a lot too. I think going to Buckingham Palace is one of the most wonderful things you can achieve in business. It shows you are reliable and do a good job.

Do you still fit the Queens bras?

I still go to the Queen. I will not say exactly what I do. You will have to imagine it. Officially, I am corsetiere to Her Majesty the Queen.

It is another world when you walk into the Palace. At the beginning, it was nerve-racking but now, of course, I really enjoy it. Everything is explained to you the first time, so you do not make an idiot of yourself, which you can easily do.

I have written about it in my book and although I have not mentioned it to her yet, I am planning to give the Queen a copy.

Do you own any property?

Kenton's autobiography, Storm In A D Cup, will be published at the end of next month

Yes, our three-bedroom bungalow in Bushey, Hertfordshire, which we bought 20 years ago to be nearer to our children in North London. It cost 475,000 and I suppose it is worth 1.5 million today. We also own a two-bedroom apartment in Marbella by the sea. We bought it in 2002 but I would not dream of telling you how much we paid for that. I do not think it has gone up by much in value since we bought it though.

How much cash do you carry?

Usually 50, enough to pay the hairdresser and my nail technician. I always want to look my best so I get my hair and nails done once a week.

If you were Chancellor, what is the first thing you would do?

I would fund a bra allowance for teenage daughters of families who receive income support to use to buy properly fitted bras. It breaks my heart to think these girls are too embarrassed or uncomfortable to do sport because they are wearing hand-me-down bras.

Do you think it is important to give to charity?

Yes. This year I will spend a lot of time giving talks and doing book signings for charity. I have had breast cancer so that is a cause I feel passionately about, but it does not matter which charity you support, it is just important to give something back.

What is your number one financial priority?

Looking after Harold. He was diagnosed with dementia three years ago. It is sad, but he is so well looked after and that is the most important thing. He is OK but he is not Harold any more. It is hard to watch, but I have lots of wonderful memories. We have been married nearly 55 years.

June Kenton was talking to Donna Ferguson.
County commissioners in immigrant-rich Miami-Dade voted Friday to uphold their Cuban-born mayor's order to cooperate with federal immigration officials, drawing shouts of 'shame on you' from those hoping to make their community a sanctuary city.

Though it's the only U.S. county where more than half the population is foreign-born, Florida's Miami-Dade has bucked a trend among some cities that have sought to defy federal immigration crackdowns out of sympathy with their large migrant populations.

The commissioners, voting 9-3, backed the order of Mayor Carlos Gimenez that was delivered after the administration of President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from the so-called sanctuary cities.

Shirley Vanegas, who is the daughter of illegal immigrants, addresses Miami-Dade County commissioners in Florida on Friday

Dian Alarcon cries while hugging her friend after the Miami-Dade County commissioners vote to back Mayor Carlos Gimenez on Friday

An activist is pushed back after he threw his white flower toward the commissioners after the commission's vote to back Mayor Carlos Gimenez to end Miami-Dade status as a sanctuary city

'This is a country that opened arms to everyone, allowed opportunities to everyone. But this is also a country of law,' county commissioner Rebeca Sosa, also of Cuban descent, said before the vote taken in a special public session.

'I am so sad to see that people are afraid of something that has nothing to do with immigration. This was just a financial decision.'

In emotional public testimony, dozens spoke against the order, including school-age children of deportees, young people brought to the U.S. without legal permission as children, construction workers, lawyers and rights activists.

At one point, four school-age girls and a boy stepped up to the podium holding hands with Nora Sandigo, who has a foundation that helps and houses children whose parents have been deported.

The commissioners, voting 9-3, backed the order of Mayor Carlos Gimenez that was delivered after the administration of President Donald Trump (pictured Thursday) threatened to withhold federal funding from the so-called sanctuary cities

'These kids are orphans because they took their parents away from them. I can't stand this much pain,' Sandigo said.

Many of the people gathered at the meeting stood and shouted obscenities at the commissioners when they voted to uphold the mayor.

Hatian-born Jean Monestime was among the three commissioners to vote against the motion.

'Today cannot be about money. It must be about justice,' Monestime said. 'It must be about dignity it must be about the spirit of our community.'

Nora Sandigo and several of the children under her legal guardianship receive a standing ovation at their arrival. Sandigo is legal guardian to around 1,000 American-born children and minor teenagers who at least one of their parents has been deported

Sandigo speaks at the Miami-Dade County Commission chambers speaking on behalf of undocumented immigrant children

The debate has highlighted a divide between Cuban-Americans and immigrants from other countries, stemming largely from a former immigration policy that gave preferential treatment to Cubans fleeing the island's communist government.

For more than 50 years, Cubans arrived to open arms in the U.S. and were able to become citizens much more easily than people from other countries.

'Cuban families, in a general way, haven't been as aware of what it means to be undocumented in this country,' said Michael Bustamante, a Florida International University expert on contemporary Cuban history.

'They have had a different process to achieve legal status. Not to say that they haven't faced other difficulties.'

Miami-Dade counts 51.7 per cent of its people as born abroad.

Victoria Rivera shows a sign of despair as commissioners speak positively of mayor Carlos Gimenez plan on behalf of immigrants

But the share of immigrants living here without permission is lower than places like Houston or Atlanta, precisely because Cuban immigrants could quickly get employment authorization cards, a Social Security number and become legal residents.

But that's changed. In January, then President Barack Obama announced that Cubans without residency or visas would be treated as any other immigrant with similar status.

In 2013, Miami-Dade commissioners passed a resolution that local law enforcement officers would comply with federal immigration officials only in cases of serious charges or convictions and only when the federal government agreed to reimburse the county for holding an offender in jail for more than two days.

Longer detention while awaiting deportation was costing local taxpayers, Miami-Dade officials said.

The move put the county on a list of sanctuaries in a 2016 Justice Department report.

Gimenez contested the designation, and then on January 26, a day after Trump announced he would strip federal funding from sanctuary cities, Gimenez sent a memo instructing the corrections director to honor all immigration detainer requests.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez greets Nora Sandigo as she exits the Miami-Dade County Commission chambers as they discuss the mayor's plan to deal with immigrants on Friday

Sandigo, right, comforts Yardley Vanegas, left, and Sherley Ramirez, right, children under her legal guardianship, as they leave the Miami-Dade County hearing on Friday

Gimenez defended his decision Friday and said the county's police were not actively chasing people or asking for their immigration status - they were only agreeing to hold people flagged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

He said that most of the 34 people who have been requested by immigration authorities had previously committed crimes.

'Look. I am an immigrant myself,' Gimenez said. 'I can assure our residents that I will not comply with any executive order that will unfairly put our law-abiding immigrants at risk.'

But Maria Bilbao, a 51-year-old Argentine who has lived in the U.S. for 16 years and is now obtaining residency, said the commissioners' support of Gimenez's decision is an anti-immigrant stance.

'They are broadening ways in which immigration officials can deport families,' she said. 'How can they keep a clear conscience.'
A Massachusetts man has been convicted by a judge of running over a hotel worker and dragging her body more than three miles.

Moses Acloque, of Norwood, was convicted on Tuesday of motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of an accident causing death.

He was also convicted of use of a motor vehicle without authority, and larceny of property under $250, Foxborough Patch reports.

Acloque, 25, was acquitted of leaving the scene of a collision causing personal injury.

Moses Acloque (left in 2013) has been convicted of running over hotel worker Kanchanben Patel (right) and dragging her body more than three miles

Authorities say Acloque was squatting in a vacant room at the Arbor Inn on U.S. Route 1 in Wrentham. Hotel management confronted him in November 2013.

Police say Acloque tried to flee in a truck, but hit 58-year-old Kanchanben Patel, who became stuck under the vehicle and was dragged for miles into Foxborough.

Patel's body became dislodged after Acloque pulled into the parking lot behind a restaurant near Gillette Stadium and put the truck in reverse.

The Boston Globe reports that Acloque tried fleeing, and a driver who was pursuing him alerted Massachusetts State Police, with troopers arresting Acloque.

Patel's body became dislodged after Acloque pulled into the parking lot behind a restaurant (right) near Gillette Stadium and put the truck in reverse

Acloque tried fleeing, and a driver who was pursuing him alerted Massachusetts State Police, with troopers arresting Acloque

In a statement, District Attorney Michael Morrissey said: 'This was a shocking crime. The victim was run over standing next to her husband of 40-years.

'A terrible way for her to die and a terrible thing for him to witness.'

Kanchanben's spouse Dahyabhai Patel worked at the Arbor Inn as well, The Sun Chronicle reports.

Another employee had said that Kanchanben earlier became a US citizen in 2013, according to the newspaper.

Sentencing for Acloque is planned for mid-March.
Her face horribly burned and body pitted with shrapnel, Emans hands have had to be tethered to prevent her from scratching at her sickening wounds.

The one-year-olds eyes are closed, one is badly bruised while a tube and monitors are dotted round her broken, bandaged body as she lays in the emergency ward of a hospital in Yemens capital Sanaa. Her stomach has been punctured by flying debris.

In a bed across the ward, one-year-old Zuhoor, her eyes puffed and red from bruising and right arm in plaster is an equally shocking sight, lying in a yellow top dotted with cartoon characters and her own blood.

Heartbreaking: One-year-old Eman lays in a hospital bed, her hands tethered to prevent her from scratching at her sickening wounds. Her eyes are closed, one is badly bruised while a tube and monitors are dotted round her broken, bandaged body in the emergency ward of a hospital in Yemens capital Sanaa.

Bandaged: Across the ward, one-year-old Zuhoor is in a bed in a yellow gown covered in cartoon characters and dotted in her blood. She was one of the victims of an airstrike by warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition. Her right arm is heavily bandaged and her face is swollen

Both children were among the innocent victims of an airstrike by warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition which struck a house north of Sanaa where a crowd of mourners had gathered on Wednesday night.

Seven women, among them Emans mother, and a child are said to have died in what was being described as the latest outrage of the coalitions controversial bombing campaign.

Dozens were reported to have been injured, including Eman and Zuhoor, as residents in the village of Ashira pulled them from the wreckage of collapsed buildings.

The airstrike hit the house of a local tribal leader where mourners were gathering to offer condolences after the death of a well-known local woman.

People heard the sound of planes and started running from the house but then the bombs hit the house directly, a resident of Ashira said, The roof collapsed. Blood was everywhere.

Pictures published by local media showed tribesmen searching through the rubble of a destroyed house said to belong to Mohammed al-Nakaya, a tribal leader allied with Yemen's Houthi movement.

Devastation: The airstrike struck a house north of Sana'a, where mourners had gathered on Wednesday night. Seven women, among them Emans mother, and a child are said to have died in the 'latest outrage' of the coalition's controversial campaign

'Blood was everywhere': Villagers in Ashira dug the bodies and survivors out of the rubble with their bare hands. The house is said to belong to Mohammed al-Nakaya, a tribal leader allied with Yemen's Houthi movement

'Horrific': The attack has been condemned by Grant Pritchard, Deputy Country Director for Yemen of the British-based charity Save the Children. He said nearly 1,500 children have been killed in the airstrikes

Some dug bodies and survivors from the rubble with their bare hands. One man cradled the body of a dying woman as he knelt in the dust. Grant Pritchard, Deputy Country Director for Yemen of the British-based charity Save the Children, called the attack horrific.

He said : 'Weve heard at least one child was killed, and our teams have just visited a hospital where they saw two infants who had been seriously injured, including a one-year-old girl with shrapnel wounds to her stomach and burns right across her face.

The little girls aunt told us her mother had been killed in the attack and there are still two children missing in the rubble.

Attacks like this have been carried out by all sides with impunity for nearly two years, and all too often it is children and their families that are paying the price.

Nearly 1,500 children have been killed and thousands maimed. The bombs are landing on homes, they are landing on schools, and they are landing on hospitals. These are crimes, pure and simple. It is unforgivable.

It was unclear whether the house was targeted because of the tribal leaders links to the Houthi rebels but a spokesman for the coalition said it was looking into reports that Yemeni civilians had been killed in an air raid.

Starving: Haunting images of malnourished children in Yemen were released earlier this month by children's charity UNICEF. It is estimated that 2.2 million children in the country are suffering from acute malnutrition

Malnourished: At least one child dies every 10 minutes from preventable diseases in the war-torn country. Less than a third of the country's population has access to medical care, and less than half of health of facilities are functional. Pictured, a child suffering from severe malnutrition

There has been fighting between Yemeni armed forces and rebels in this area in recent days, he said, We are investigating the reports.

In October the alliance of mainly Gulf Arab states was heavily criticised after launching an air strike on a funeral gathering in Sana'a that killed 140 people, according to one U.N. estimate.

The death toll from that strike was one of the highest in any single incident since the alliance began military operations in March 2015 to try to restore the administration of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who the Houthis ousted.

The White House said at the time it might consider cutting its support to the Saudi-led campaign which has been providing air support for Hadi's forces in a civil war that has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced millions.

The alliance, which says it does not target civilians, blamed the October funeral attack on incorrect information it said it received from the Yemeni military that armed Houthi leaders were in the area.

Britain has faced strong criticism after weapons and munitions sold to Saudi Arabia were found to have been used in coalition airstrikes.

There have also been claims that UK military advisors have been working with the coalition, helping to plan the strikes  allegations denied. Aid workers warn that children like Eman and Zuhoor are being the brunt of the crisis in Yemen that has seen two million displaced.

Save the Childrens Ruairidh Villar said: British aid is keeping children alive in Yemen right now. Weve managed to reach three quarters of a million children in the last two years  though programmes like malnutrition clinics for starving babies, psychological care for children left traumatised by war, and support for maternity units.

Under strain: Doctors and nurses in Yemen are struggling to cope with the rising number of malnourished children. For every child that reaches a hospital, there are 10 or 15 who don't. Save the Children's Ruairidh Villar said: 'The odds are stacked against us'

Trauma: Over the last two years, the children's charity have helped three quarters of a million children who are suffering from malnutrition or have been traumatised by war. Pictured, a starving child stares blankly at the camera, in a picture that was released earlier this month

'Thats children so malnourished they dont have the energy to cry and their bones are jutting out. Or children maimed by bombs who wake in the night screaming. Its horrific.

But were operating in a war zone and the odds are stacked against us  right now our doctors are telling us for every child who reaches care there are 10 to 15 who dont. There are more than two million acutely malnourished children in Yemen, of which nearly half a million are at the most extreme end of the scale and close to death.

Hospitals have been attacked. In one of the maternity units we support in Sanaa the glass has been blown out of the windows, and its incubators are held together with sellotape.
Council spending on ridding the streets of pigeons and gulls has doubled to almost 1million over the past three years.

The biggest spender on bird control was the London Borough of Southwark, which has shelled out 393,000 since 2013.

The amount spent by English councils on bird control surged from 452,000 in 2014 to 830,000 last year, statistics obtained through Freedom of Information requests show.

Women enjoy feeding the pigeons at Marble Arch in London, but council spending on ridding the streets of the birds has doubled to almost 1million over the past three years

The bird control methods used ranged from pigeon-proofing buildings to employing marksmen or hawks to kill the pests. The spending also covered clearing up pigeon guano and removing dead ones.

The British Pest Control Association suggested the increase could be due to the growing awareness of public health risks associated with the birds.

But they added that some methods, such as pigeon-proofing, simply moved problems on to another building or area.

The figures come two years after then Prime Minister David Cameron called for a 'big conversation' about seagulls following attacks on a dog and a tortoise in Cornwall.

The true rise could in fact be far higher as only 103 authorities, around two-thirds of England's councils, responded to the BBC's Freedom of Information requests.

Among those that revealed how they controlled the numbers of the pest birds, 12 said they employed marksmen, 12 used hawks, and 46 used spikes to try stop pigeons landing.

Stoke-on-Trent Council was found to be biggest spender outside London, paying out 75,000 since 2013.

In second place was West Sussex County Council, which spent 65,000, with Portsmouth in third with spending of 63,000.

Aria the hawk on patrol with his handler Max Bell at London King's Cross train station

Meanwhile, Scottish councils spent 950,000 over the past three years  in contrast to 43,000 in Wales and 9,519 in Northern Ireland.

The RSPCA said: 'The most humane way of deterring birds is to remove what attracts them to urban areas - mainly food or shelter.

'Means of doing this can include reducing food availability, or preventing them from accessing roofs or other areas where they could cause disturbance.

'If deterrence methods and all alternatives fail, and there is a proven case for control methods, we urge people to use only humane methods and trained, experienced professionals.'

Dee Ward-Thompson, technical manager at the British Pest Control Association, said pigeon control was usually for public health reasons, while white gulls were targeted because they can be aggressive.

Warning that the tactics councils were employing did not always work, she told the BBC: 'If you totally exclude them rather than control the population, they sometimes just move to an adjacent building.

'What we are seeing more often now is landowners coming together to deal with issues collectively.

'In London, they are trying to exclude gulls from all of the buildings because otherwise they will just be moving the issue on.'

Pigeons are known to carry a variety of diseases, such as Listeria and Ecoli, that can be transmitted through the birds themselves and their droppings.

Acidic guana - which looks and smells unpleasant - can also corrode buildings' brickwork and block chimneys.

There have been reports of rising numbers of gull attacks, including one on a pensioner in Helston, Cornwall, leaving her with a nasty gash on her scalp.

In 2015, it was revealed the number of gulls in the UK and Ireland had nearly quadrupled over the past 15 years.

A census found gull colonies rose from 239 in 2000 to 473 in 2015, with the colonies discovered to be far bigger than they had been previously.

Falconer Mark White, from Step Pest Control in East Anglia, said councils were increasingly using methods of bird control that do not hurt the animal. His own methods include using a high-powered laser beam, hawks, and nets.

He said: 'A lot of people think we in pest control use hawks for killing. It is in fact the complete opposite - we use the birds for disruption and discourage killing as much as possible.'

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said it 'would always advocate non-lethal measures in the first instance'.
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In a Mexican cave system so beautiful and hot that it is called both Fairyland and hell, scientists have discovered life trapped in crystals that could be 50,000 years old.

The bizarre and ancient microbes were found dormant in caves in Naica, Mexico, and were able to exist by living on minerals such as iron and manganese.

Penelope Boston, head of NASA's Astrobiology Institute, described it as 'super life,' when she presented the discovery on Friday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Boston.

In a Mexican cave system so beautiful and hot that it is called both Fairyland and hell, scientists have discovered life trapped in crystals that could be 50,000 years old

The bizarre and ancient microbes were found dormant in caves in Naica, Mexico, and were able to exist by living on minerals such as iron and manganese

If confirmed, the find is yet another example of how microbes can survive in extremely punishing conditions on Earth.

Though it was presented at a science conference and was the result of nine years of work, the findings haven't yet been published in a scientific journal and haven't been peer reviewed. Boston planned more genetic tests for the microbes she revived both in the lab and on site.

The life forms - 40 different strains of microbes and even some viruses - are so unique that their nearest relatives are still 10 per cent different genetically.

That makes their closest relative still pretty far away, about as far away as humans are from mushrooms, Boston said.

Penelope Boston, head of NASA's Astrobiology Institute, described it as 'super life,' when she presented the discovery on Friday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Boston

New Mexico Tech professor Penny Boston crawls through the Mud Turtle Passage on the way to the Snowy River formation during an expedition in Fort Stanton Cave

If confirmed, the find is yet another example of how microbes can survive in extremely punishing conditions on Earth

The Naica caves - an abandoned lead and zinc mine - are half a mile (800 meters) deep. Before drilling occurred by a mine company, the mines had been completely cut off from the outside world.

Some were as vast as cathedrals, with crystals lining the iron walls. They were also so hot that scientists had to don cheap versions of space suits - to prevent contamination with outside life - and had ice packs all over their bodies.

Boston said the team could only work about 20 minutes at a time before ducking to a 'cool' room that was about 100 degrees (38 Celsius).

NASA wouldn't allow Boston to share her work for outside review before Friday's announcement so scientists couldn't say much. But University of South Florida biologist Norine Noonan, who wasn't part of the study but was on a panel where Boston presented her work, said it made sense.

'Why are we surprised?' Noonan said. 'As a biologist I would say life on Earth is extremely tough and extremely versatile.'

This isn't the oldest extreme life. Several years ago, a different group of scientists published studies about microbes that may be half a million years old and still alive. Those were trapped in ice and salt, which isn't quite the same as rock or crystal, Boston said.

Mario Corsalini stands near to a gypsum rosette crystal, in the caves of which some were as large as cathedrals

Though it was presented at a science conference and was the result of nine years of work, the findings haven't yet been published in a scientific journal and haven't been peer reviewed

The age of the Naica microbes was determined by outside experts who looked at where the microbes were located in the crystals and how fast those crystals grow.

It's not the only weird life Boston is examining. She is also studying microbes commonly found in caves in the United States, Ukraine and elsewhere that eat copper sulfate and seem to be close to indestructible.

'It's simply another illustration of just how completely tough Earth life is,' Boston said.
A grieving mother has met the five-year-old girl whose life was saved by her dead daughter's heart.

Amber Travaglio was able to hear her daughter's heartbeat again when she met little Peyton Richardson in Atlanta, Georgia on Valentine's Day.

Travaglio's eight-year-old daughter Melody suffered a sudden asphyxic asthma attack in July 2015 at their home in Cleveland, Ohio.

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Emotional meeting: Amber Travaglio was able to hear her daughter Melody's heartbeat again when she met five-year-old Peyton Richardson (above) in Atlanta, Georgia on Valentine's Day

Eight-year-old Melody Travaglio (left) died after suffering a sudden asphyxic asthma attack in 2015. Peyton (right) was in a hospital 700 miles away after a cold virus attacked her heart

Melody was rushed to hospital but tragically couldn't be saved. Her mother opted to donate Melody's organs to honor the little girl's memory.

Five-year-old Peyton was in a hospital 700 miles away when her mother Ashlyn Richardson was told her little girl was a match for Melody's heart.

Peyton had been on a transplant list for months as machines helped pump her vital organ after a common cold virus attacked her heart.

Almost two years later, Melody's mother went to visit Peyton and her family in an emotional meeting that was captured by Fox8.

Travaglio was left in tears as she hugged little Peyton and her mother.

'I mean I grew that heart inside of me,' she said of the surreal moment.

Almost two years after Melody died, her mother went to visit Peyton and her mom Ashlyn Richardson. They are pictured above embracing for the first time

Travaglio said meeting Peyton had brought her peace and closure following her daughter Melody's (above) shock death

Peyton had been on a transplant list for months as machines helped pump her vital organ after a common cold virus attacked her heart

In an emotional post on Facebook, Travaglio said meeting Peyton had brought her peace and closure following Melody's shock death.

'Saying goodbye to Melody is the hardest thing I have ever done. I knew, in an instant, that my life was forever changed,' she wrote.

'Every happy event is shadowed in sadness because she is not here and the hard times are even harder without her beautiful soul to light up the room.

'Melody was destined for greatness. She was kind, gentle, smart, sassy and spunky. Her purposely mismatched cloths and squeaky voice were just a small part of her charm.

'Meeting her heart recipient this week brought me some peace and closure, I am forever grateful for that. Peyton and her mom are amazing strong people and I am touched and honored to call them family.'

Travaglio said she had also met Melody's kidney recipient and looked forward to the possibility of knowing the rest of the names and faces her daughter helped save.
Health inspectors have found McDonald's restaurants with dirty and unhygienic kitchens across New South Wales.

A number of outlets were handed fines from the NSW Food Authority for unacceptable food practices last year, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The worst offender was Stanmore McDonald's in Sydney's inner west, which was slapped with a $24,000 fine.

This picture was captioned: Disorganised mess (Stanmore McDonald's pictured in 2014)

The worst offender was Stanmore McDonald's in Sydney's inner west (pictured), which was slapped with a $24,000 fine

In September investigators from the Inner West Council found food and grease on the floors, walls and in storage areas.

They also discovered food exposed to possible contaminating and paint flakes and construction dust covering the kitchen.

A number of other stores were given fines including Bexley in Sydney's south for out of date food, and Maroubra for failure to eradicate pests.

In a statement a McDonald's spokesperson told The Daily Telegraph: 'These instances are obviously very disappointing.'

'It is unacceptable and inconsistent with our track record when it comes to restaurant cleanliness.'

'We took immediate action to address these with the restaurants involved and to prevent any recurrence- crew members have been retrained, we are conducting more regular audits and have reinforced our procedures.'

Health inspectors have found McDonald's restaurants with dirty and unhygienic kitchens across New South Wales (McDonald's Stanmore pictured)

In September investigators from the Inner West Council found food and grease on the floors, walls and in storage areas at Stanmore McDonald's (pictured)

Customers have previously slammed the store over cleanliness.

'Thanks Maccas 4 horrible food. Food thrown around and 20 min for fries and nuggets. Maccas #Stanmore yuk,' wrote one customer on Twitter.

An Inner West Council spokesperson said they were working with McDonald's to avoid further health issues.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted McDonald's Australia for comment.
Tony Blair was accused of trying to undermine democracy last night after he delivered an extraordinary appeal to Remainers to rise up and revolt against Brexit.

In a brazen attempt to re-enter the British political arena, the former prime minister insisted it was not inevitable that the UK will leave the European Union  because the public might change their minds.

And he made the incendiary claim that people only voted to leave last June because they did not understand the true cost of walking out.

Tony Blair was accused of trying to undermine democracy last night after he delivered an extraordinary appeal to Remainers to rise up and revolt against Brexit

Mr Blair said it should be the mission of progressives to persuade Leave voters to shift their view by highlighting all the pain that will ensue if we leave. This is not the time for retreat, indifference or despair; but the time to rise up in defence of what we believe, he added.

Last night Leave campaigners accused him of astonishing arrogance, with some Remainers even calling his intervention staggeringly unhelpful.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson led the backlash, saying: I urge the British people to rise up and turn off the TV next time Blair comes on with his condescending campaign. Former Tory party chairman Lord Tebbit said: Tony Blair should go back to doing what he does best  making money and crawling up the backsides of foreign governments.

And Michael Gove added: Tony Blair should respect the result and work with the Government to make a success of Brexit instead of trying to undermine British democracy.

It came as polling found that 68 per cent of voters want ministers to get on with implementing the EU referendum result. Significantly, the ICM poll found that more Remain voters agree than disagree, at 42 per cent compared with 33 per cent.

A separate survey showed 74 per cent of the public view Mr Blair unfavourably, compared with just 14 per cent who like him. Remain supporters are also heavily against him.

Mr Blair made his intervention in front of a pro-Europe audience at Bloombergs London headquarters  the same venue where David Cameron announced plans for an In-Out referendum four years ago.

The former Labour leader said that when people voted last year they had not understood the full cost of withdrawal, which included the potential break-up of the UK.

I accept right now there is no widespread appetite to re-think, he said. But the people voted without knowledge of the true terms of Brexit. As these terms become clear, it is their right to change their mind. Our mission is to persuade them to do so. He said that in the absence of any effective opposition, Remainers would have to form a cross-party movement to keep Britain in the EU.

In an attack on Jeremy Corbyn, he said: The debilitation of the Labour Party is the facilitator of Brexit. I hate to say that, but it is true. What this means is that we have to build a movement which stretches across party lines.

In an attack on Jeremy Corbyn, he said: The debilitation of the Labour Party is the facilitator of Brexit'

Mr Blair also insisted his decision not to apply transitional immigration controls in 2004, when Eastern European countries joined the EU, had not contributed to the Brexit vote  saying the real immigration rise came several years later.

He denounced hardline Leave campaigners as ideologues pursuing Brexit at any cost, which would leave millions worse off. But Mr Johnson accused him of insulting the intelligence of the electorate, adding: This is the guy who would have taken our country into the euro with ... catastrophic consequences.

Mr Blairs intervention was also criticised by many on the Remain side. Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas called it staggeringly unhelpful to those who still backed the Remain campaign. To be perfectly frank it would be better if Blair butted out and left this debate to people who havent betrayed the trust of British people, she said.

A Labour source said: No wonder we are still trying to recover from Tony Blairs legacy when he has such contempt for democracy.

However, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: Tony Blair is right. The challenge now is to persuade people to change their mind.
Uber hopes that the launch of a ride-sharing system will help alleviate Sydney's congestion problems.

UberPOOL is a service that lets riders share a ride, and split the cost, with another passenger heading in the same direction.

It's available in over two dozen cities worldwide, including New York, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro - and now the US taxi company is hoping to launch the service in Australia.

Uber's general manager for Australia and New Zealand, David Rohrsheim, said Uber's ride sharing service UberPOOL is coming to Australia

Hundreds of commuters are pictured stranded on Sydney's Harbour Bridge after an accident in 2006. Sydney's roads are some of the regions slowest, a study has shown

'By making it easier for locals to share rides we believe we can make the five million private cars on NSW roads a part of the solution,' said Uber's general manager for Australia and New Zealand, David Rohrsheim, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Sydney is Australasia's most congested city - and home to seven of the region's 10 slowest roads, a study revealed earlier this year.

The city's roads are even slower than the famously congested New York, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Mr Rohrsheim said the company's research shows customers care more about price and convenience than the potential discomfort of sharing a car with a stranger.

In San Francisco, shared rides now make up 40 percent of all Uber journeys, he said.

The company's announcement comes after it was dealt a blow in an Australian court.

On Friday, the NSW Federal Court ruled that Uber should be considered a taxi service, meaning that drivers will have to register for goods and services tax.

The court decision was a win for the Australian Tax Office, which has sought to crack down on the so-called sharing economy.
I can disclose that Jeremy Paxman, 66, has split up with Elizabeth, 64, with whom he has three grown-up children

When Jeremy Paxman stepped down from Newsnight after a quarter of a century, his long-term partner, Elizabeth Clough, might have hoped to see more of the BBCs celebrated inquisitor.

Sadly, spending more time at their family home in Oxfordshire seems to have spelt doom for their 35-year relationship. I can disclose that the 66-year-old University Challenge host has split up with Elizabeth, 64, with whom he has three grown-up children.

Friends say he is being comforted by a much younger woman at his pied-a-terre in Kensington, London.

The new companion is said to be in her 30s and works in publishing.

Jeremy Paxman and his partner separated last year, confirms his agent. They retain a mutual respect for each other and a deep love for their children.

The couple have a 26-year-old daughter, Jessica, and twins Jack and Victoria, 19.

The break-up is a bitter blow for Elizabeth, who never received a wedding ring from Paxman despite making great sacrifices for the relationship.

She gave up her highly paid job as a producer on the BBCs faith and ethics programme The Big Questions in 2011 after the Corporation moved it from London to Glasgow.

At the time, Steve Anderson, creative director of Mentorn, which produces The Big Questions, said: When it was relocated by the BBC to Scotland, she spent some time bedding it in, but she couldnt relocate. Paxman is known for his appeal to the fairer sex and was nicknamed the thinking womans crumpet.

In 2003, he was spotted kissing actress Sinead Cusack, wife of Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons, on the lips in a London street, but they said they were just friends.

Known as a willowy beauty, Elizabeth Clough was one of 25 girls who made history in 1968 by ending the all-male tradition of the English public school.

She joined 800 boys at Marlborough College  which now costs 35,280 per year  setting a path that would be followed by the Duchess of Cambridge and Samantha Cameron, among many other prominent women.

I had the pick of all the debating societies, read out my poems in literary groups and was generally lionised by virtue of my sex, she later recalled.

The break-up is a bitter blow for Elizabeth, (centre) who never received a wedding ring from Paxman despite making great sacrifices for the relationship

I went out with the head boy, Nigel, who was very charming. His position gave him certain privileges. That was the only romance I had, because after Nigel, all the boys my age seemed totally callow and unsophisticated.

She then went up to Oxford to read history at Somerville College. Malvern College-educated Paxman was at Cambridge.

After Marlborough, Oxford was a huge disappointment, she said. The men werent the gods I was expecting, they were no more mature than the boys Id been at school with.

After graduating, Elizabeth joined the BBC as a trainee. She later worked on Panorama, Watchdog and Newsnight, where she met Paxman.

He went on to become one of the BBCs highest-paid presenters, signing a four-year deal with the broadcaster in 2010, worth 3.2 million. However, he announced in 2014 that he was to leave Newsnight.

Paxman had told BBC Director-General Tony Hall that he wished to quit the previous year, but agreed to stay on after the show was damaged by the Jimmy Savile scandal and the Lord McAlpine fiasco.

Speaking at the Chalke Valley History Festival in 2014, Paxman complained that Newsnight was made by idealistic 13-year-olds who foolishly thought they could change the world.

Mentioning no names

Which England rugby star, who has a loyal, long-standing girlfriend, was seen leaving a seedy Kensington massage parlour known to provide optional extras?

Will a wedding end the Howards' war?

Castle Howard, where classic Eighties drama Brideshead Revisited was filmed, couldnt be a more magnificent setting for a family reconciliation.

Unwelcome prediction of the week Harry will wake up on the floor one day and realise that she loves herself so much theres no room for him in the bed. - Samantha Grant on her half-sister Meghan Markle, Prince Harrys girlfriend Advertisement

London restaurateur George Howard  whose father, Nicholas, took over the 10,000-acre North Yorkshire estate from his younger brother Simon amid much acrimony  has become engaged.

And the wedding could help bring together the warring family.

George, 31, is to marry the American artist Elissa Goldstone, also 31, and his father tells me: I couldnt be more pleased. Elissa is a fabulous person. I look forward to the festivities.

Simon, 61, who had presided over the estate for 30 years, was forced out last summer with his wife, Marks & Spencer heiress Rebecca. This followed a coup by Nicholas and his wife, Victoria, former chief executive of publishing giant HarperCollins.

A family friend remarked at the time: This makes Cain and Abel look like a fairy tale.

Men used to walk out of the room when author Fay Weldon entered because they were so outraged by her feminist books

Men used to walk out of the room when author Fay Weldon entered because they were so outraged by her feminist books. But the revolution has gone so far that young women now hold themselves in too high regard, she claims.

Weldon, whose novel The Life And Loves Of A She-Devil was turned into a hit Hollywood film starring Meryl Streep, says: I think we should be teaching them low self-esteem.

The 85-year-old author teaches creative writing at Bath Spa University and says of her students: What makes it difficult to teach them is their high self-esteem. If they had a bit of low self-esteem, or a bit of modesty . . . enough of this sharp-elbowing people out of the way.
Clive Palmer's been ridiculed, discredited, embarrassed and disparaged by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Employment Minister Michaelia Cash to the tune of $10 million each, he claims.

The 62-year-old businessman and former MP has filed lawsuits against the pair over allegedly defamatory comments they made about the demise of Queensland Nickel.

Documents lodged in the Brisbane Supreme Court this week claim the prime minister and Senator Cash conveyed at a press conference on April 15, 2016 that Mr Palmer had used funds from the company for his own benefit.

Clive Palmer at the Federal Court in Brisbane for examination of over the collapse of his company, Queensland Nickel

Mr Palmer also claims the pair, who are being pursued separately, said he had acted to the detriment of QNI employees, their families and the Townsville community at large.

Their remarks conveyed the imputation that Mr Palmer is a 'greedy self-serving entrepreneur who does not care for the welfare of his employees and ordinary Australians', the documents claim.

Mr Palmer is seeking $10 million in damages from both Mr Turnbull and Senator Cash, plus interest.

He claims the published comments reached more than 330,000 readers and injured his personal and professional integrity, character and reputation.

Mr Palmer (pictured) has filed lawsuits against the pair over allegedly defamatory comments they made about the demise of Queensland Nickel

Mr Palmer is seeking $10 million in damages from both Mr Turnbull (left) and Senator Cash (right), plus interest

'(Mr Palmer's) personal and professional reputations has been discredited and disparaged and brought into public disrepute, and he has suffered ridicule and embarrassment,' the documents say.

'His business affairs have suffered financial detriment in the form of decreased revenue.'

Mr Turnbull and Senator Cash have 28 days to dispute the claim.

Senator Cash said her and the government's role was to protect the interests of Australian taxpayers who footed the bill for Queensland Nickel workers' entitlements.

'We have a responsibility to recoup these funds,' she said on Friday.

Senator Cash (pictured) said her and the government's role was to protect the interests of Australian taxpayers who footed the bill for Queensland Nickel workers' entitlements

Mr Palmer claims the pair said he had acted to the detriment of Queensland Nickel (pictured) employees, their families and the Townsville community at large

The prime minister's office declined to comment.

Mr Palmer had indicated on Tuesday that he would be pursuing the pair in court for besmirching his name.

'They've lied to people about Queensland Nickel and my role in it. They've said things designed to damage me, personally, in the public's eyes, which were not true and they did that for political reasons,' Mr Palmer told AAP on Tuesday.

Mr Palmer returned to the Brisbane Federal Court this week to be grilled by liquidators who are winding up his QN business, which has debts of about $300 million.
President Donald Trump raised his criticism of political journalists from 'hot' to 'beast mode' on Friday, writing on Twitter that five news outlets are 'the enemy of the American People.'

Initially his naughty-list was just three organizations he named on Twitter: CNN, NBC News and The New York Times.

The outlets are three of Trump's favorite targets.

But the president deleted his tweet and sent a new version 16 minutes later, adding CBS News and ABC News for good measure.

To make room, he deleted his stinging verdict: 'SICK!'

President Donald Trump raised his criticism of political journalists from 'hot' to 'beast mode' on Friday, writing on Twitter that five news outlets are 'the enemy of the American People'

Initially his naughty-list was just three organizations he named on Twitter: CNN, NBC News and The New York Times

Trump has taken to blasting 'fake news'  a term he first slapped on CNN for what he considered its hostile coverage of his transition and presidency

Trump has taken to blasting 'fake news'  a term he first slapped on CNN for what he considered its hostile coverage of his transition and presidency.

He brought up the term repeatedly in his surprise press conference Thursday, where he dismissed reports of a chaotic start to his presidency and insisted it was a 'fine-tuned machine.'

He also made plain that he still holds a grudge for a New York Times story from the campaign about his treatment of women, bringing it up Thursday months after the fact.

NBC's Peter Alexander questioned Trump at the press conference that his electoral college win was the biggest since Ronald Reagan.

Trump backed down after the question and said that someone had given him the information.

Trump's word choice drew notice on Twitter. Josef Stalin was one of the Soviet dictators to use the term 'enemy of the people' to kill or imprison dissenters or those deemed a threat to the state.

'Words matter. My great-grandfather was sentenced to the gulag under Stalin for being "an enemy of the people." He was a poet...' wrote Lucy Kafanov, a foreign correspondent for NBC News.

Trump's latest attack included five of the major national media outlets. Trump made sure to call on all three TV networks during his press conference.

Trump's word choice drew notice on Twitter. Pictured is a tweet from Lucy Kafanov, a foreign correspondent for NBC News

Laurie Hertzel, the books editor for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, posted this tweet

He also called on CNN  sparring with White House correspondent Jim Acosta  while praising Fox News for its morning show.

Although the two exchanged some good-natured barbs, Trump said he was changing his label for the network to 'very fake news.'

Trump's performance got panned in the mainstream media, although some pro-Trump voices, including Jeffrey Lord  who appears as a commentator on CNN  said it played well in Trump country.

But about 45 minutes after his first media critique Friday, Trump gave a shout-out to conservative talk host Rush Limbaugh.

'"One of the most effective press conferences I've ever seen!" says Rush Limbaugh. Many agree. FAKE MEDIA calls it differently! Dishonest,' Trump wrote Friday night.

It wasn't immediately clear why Trump added CBS and ABC to his 'fake news' list.

About 45 minutes after his first media critique Friday, Trump gave a shout-out to conservative talk host Rush Limbaugh

The headline for Trump's presser on CBS contained the anodyne headline, 'Trump holds freewheeling impromptu press conference.'

CBS anchor John Dickerson, in an appearance on the Hugh Hewitt conservative talk show, criticized Trump's slam on the press, but made comments that gave the media some of the blame.

'Yes, it's true, and it's not because of anything obviously Donald Trump did,' Dickerson said when Hewitt said the public doesn't believe the press anymore.

'The press did all that good work ruining its reputation on its own, and we can have a long conversation about what created that, Dickerson continued.

The press should avoid 'a lot of hysterical coverage about every little last thing that doesn't warrant it,' he said.

'Having said that, it doesn't mean and in fact, it most explicitly does not mean that the press just throws out the standards. One of the roles of the press is to make sure that the president in the voice of the people is telling the truth.'
Since Kraft took over Cadbury in 2010, it has changed the recipe for creme eggs, rounded the corners on dairy milk bars, ditched chocolate coins and started making some of its chocolate in Poland instead of Britain.

The food giant's 115billion bid for Unilever, therefore, raises the prospect of changes to many of Britain's best-loved food products such as Marmite, Colman's mustard and Bovril.

And experts fear that the major household brands could become more expensive.

The bid, which was rejected but is expected to be raised until a deal is reached, also sparks fears of jobs cuts for Unilever's 7,000 employees in Britain.

Dozens of major household brands could become more expensive under a proposed 115billion takeover of Marmite-maker Unilever (file photo)

The deal would bring dozens of the biggest names in British supermarkets under the ownership of just one firm, giving it huge bargaining power to dictate prices charged to shoppers

The deal would bring dozens of the biggest names in British supermarkets under the ownership of just one firm, giving it huge bargaining power to dictate prices charged to shoppers.

Kraft owned chocolate maker Mondelez during its controversial takeover of Cadbury in 2010. It promised to safeguard jobs  only to shut Cadbury's historic factory near Bristol just weeks after the deal was completed.

David Buik, market commentator at stockbroker Panmore Gordon, warned that a takeover of Unilever could lead to heavy cost-cutting by the new owners.

He said: 'What worries me with Kraft is they are ruthless. There would be massive redundancies.'

Neil Wilson, an analyst at ETX Capital, warned the deal would create a giant consumer brand with huge clout when negotiating with supermarkets. 'The combined entity would... be able to flex bargain muscles even more,' he said.

Unilever, formed out of the Lever Brothers, is one of the biggest firms on the UK stock market. It employs 168,000 people globally and is responsible for 400 brands.

Coleman's mustard and Bovril are among the products made by Unilever

Among them are Wall's ice cream, Flora spread, Lynx deodorant, and Pot Noodle.

The firm traces its roots back to 1885, when brothers William and James Lever opened a soap-making business in Warrington, Cheshire.

Their soap proved so popular that by 1888 they had bought a bigger factory on the Wirral at what was to become Port Sunlight, which became famous for offering good quality housing for workers.

In 1930, the firm merged with Dutch margarine company Margarine Unie to form Unilever  widely regarded as the world's first multi-national.

Under threat: Unilver also makes PG tips and Hellman's mayonaise

If the firm were taken over it would be the latest leading British company snapped up by foreign buyers.

Pioneering tech firm ARM Holdings was taken over by Japan's SoftBank last year. And the London Stock Exchange is in the midst of a takeover by German rival Deutsche Borse.

Unilever and Chicago-based Kraft Heinz are already both global giants with massive bargaining power when setting prices. Last year, Unilever flexed its muscles by attempting to get Tesco to raise prices by 10 per cent following the fall in the pound. On that occasion  dubbed 'Marmitegate'  Tesco finished victorious. But many other supermarkets have since hiked their prices.

BID THAT WILL TEST MAY'S METAL Kraft Food's 115billion bid to take over marmite-maker Unilver will test Theresa May's promise to block foreign takeovers of British companies if they weren't in the national interest. The Prime Minister claimed eight months ago she would have blocked the American company's takeover of Cadbury in 2010. And now she's under pressure to stop it taking over Unilever amid fears it would cut the jobs of its 7,000 employees. When Kraft took over Cadbury it reneged on a comittment to keep a local factory open, a betrayal which has not been forgotten by business leaders worried about its approach for Unilever. Iain Wright, chairman of the business, energy and industrial strategy committee, told The Times that the government must 'take a view' on the sale of one of Britain's biggest companies. He said: 'This is going to be a real test for the government's industrial strategy. Theresa May said she would restrict foreign takeovers that weren't in the national interest. The government needs to use those powers now. 'It should use its influence to demand commitments on jobs and investment in production facilities.' Advertisement

If Unilever and Kraft Heinz combined it would give them even more power to dictate prices as they would control the supply of many brands on the High Street.

Last month Unilever chief executive Paul Polman said that shoppers should 'get used' to price rises after sterling's collapse. 'Others in the industry have done the same thing as we have done in the last few months and where the pound is falling, many more will look at increasing prices,' he added.

Unilver also makes pot noodle

Richard Hyman, an independent retail analyst, said: 'The question is will the retailers have to take a bigger hit if the merger goes through? The answer is probably yes. If the big four supermarkets put their prices up they are going to lose a bit of market share to German discounters Aldi and Lidl.' A takeover could also put out of business thousands of smaller suppliers who have gained a foothold in bigger stores in recent years.

If they posed a threat, the newly-created giant would be able to undercut them.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron criticised the takeover bid, and blamed it on Britain's decision to quit the EU. He said: 'This deal would not be happening without Brexit. The Government's industrial strategy has been completely undermined by its determination to leave the single market.'

Kraft said in a statement: 'While Unilever has declined the proposal, we look forward to working to reach agreement in the terms of the transaction.
The future of 3,500 car workers in Britain was cast into fresh doubt last night as Angela Merkel vowed to fight for German jobs threatened by the proposed takeover of Vauxhall.

Thousands of jobs are at risk under plans by the French owner of Peugeot and Citroen to buy the European arm of General Motors  which includes Vauxhall in the UK and Opel on the Continent.

German chancellor Mrs Merkel yesterday said she would do everything in her power to protect the 19,000 Opel jobs in Germany should the company be bought by French giant PSA Group.

Angela Merkel vowed to fight for German jobs threatened by the proposed takeover of Vauxhall

But her robust defence of German manufacturing contrasted with British ministers, who won only thin assurances over the future of the factories in Cheshire and Bedfordshire.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said he had held constructive meetings in Paris with French car bosses, but there were no guarantees over the Vauxhall workforce in the UK.

Analysts said Vauxhall workers in the UK are very vulnerable as a result of the deal, as tough German labour laws made it far more expensive to lay off workers there than in the UK.

PSA Group  which is 14 per cent owned by the French government  and GM are understood to be discussing a price tag of 1.6billion for the Vauxhall and Opel unit and are hoping to reach an agreement by the end of next week.

New Opel cars at the Opel plant in Bochum (file photo). Thousands of jobs are at risk under plans by the French owner of Peugeot and Citroen to buy the European arm of General Motors  which includes Vauxhall in the UK and Opel on the Continent

Vauxhall employs 1,830 staff at its factory in Ellesmere Port, where it makes the Astra, and a further 1,530 in Luton where it makes the Vivaro van. In total, the business employs 38,000 staff  19,000 in Germany  spread across ten manufacturing plants and three development centres in seven European countries, including Poland, Spain, Austria and Hungary.

The row is shaping up to be the biggest industrial headache for Theresa May since she became Prime Minister, and saw Mr Clark dispatched to Paris on Thursday for crisis talks.

The Business Secretary said: I had constructive meetings in Paris with both my French counterpart, the industry minister, and executives of PSA Group, in which they explained the rationale behind this potential alliance.

They stressed that they valued highly the enduring strength of the Vauxhall brand, underpinned by its committed workforce. While discussions are ongoing, they made clear to me that in any deal these were strengths they would wish to build on. We agreed to remain in close contact during the period ahead.

An exterior view of the Opel plant in Bochum, Germany (file photo). Mrs Merkel yesterday said she would do everything in her power to protect the 19,000 Opel jobs in Germany should the company be bought by French giant PSA Group

Mr Clark has also held talks with GM president Dan Ammann and union boss Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, amid mounting concerns over Vauxhalls UK workforce. Despite the series of meetings, Mr McCluskey has said he had received no assurances at the moment over jobs at Vauxhall.

Mr McCluskey said the UK Government should now demand that it has a seat at the table whenever PSA Group and GM meet for talks with the French and German governments. Ministers have also been urged to offer incentives to PSA Group to keep Ellesmere Port and Luton open  as it did in October with Nissan to convince the Japanese car maker to increase its investment in Sunderland.

John Colley, a professor at Warwick Business School, said PSA Group has little choice but to close the UK Vauxhall plants at Ellesmere Port and Luton to make the Opel acquisition work.

He added: The cost of closing the high-cost German plants will be at least triple that of the UK plants. Not only will they have to placate the powerful German unions, but redundancy costs are around three times the level of the UK.
British soldiers deployed to Estonia were given a taxpayer-funded guide to its strip clubs by the Ministry of Defence.

Troops posted to the capital Tallinn received a booklet advising them which establishments offered the prettiest dancers.

The Army also gave advice on how much to tip girls and whether private dances were available.

British soldiers deployed to Estonia were given a taxpayer-funded guide to its strip clubs by the Ministry of Defence. Troops received a booklet called 'Tallinn guide for friendly forces' (file photo)

The information sheet, entitled Tallinn guide for friendly forces was distributed to soldiers taking part in a 2014 Nato exercise, Operation Steadfast Javelin.

The booklet, which also included information about Tallinn nightlife beyond the strip club circuit, was disclosed to the BBC following a Freedom of Information request. It gave details of three of Tallinns major strip clubs.

X Club, which bills itself as a place where the most sexy and hot girls will each night surprise you with most crazy erotic shows was described in the guide as the most professional strip club.

The pamphlet noted that the club offered various elements in addition to strippers, although it did not give further information.

On its website, the club boasts that customers searching for spicy excitement can visit a medieval torture cellar, which promises to enrich your life with unforgettable memories.

Another Tallinn club, Soho, was described by the MoD guide as the biggest strip club in Estonia.

The establishment claims former heavyweight boxer Lennox Lewis was a customer. It says up to ten girls a night demonstrate their skills and fascinating bodies.

The booklet, which also included information about Tallinn nightlife beyond the strip club circuit, was disclosed to the BBC following a Freedom of Information request. It gave details of three of Tallinns major strip clubs (file photo)

Lasso Baar was described by the guide as a big strip bar with one of the prettiest dancers.

The booklet advised on strip club etiquette, with soldiers told they should use cash in such places, and that the average level of tips was five to 20 euros.

The booklet also recommended lingerie shops where troops could buy gifts for partners.

An MoD spokesman said: As you would expect, we provide guidance to our people about staying safe on deployment.
A German doctor struck off the UK medical register for failing three patients has admitted it may be unsafe for foreign doctors to work in Britain.

For six years, Dr Klaas Bogena flew to the UK to do out-of-hours shifts at the weekend having worked a five-day week at his GP surgery in Bremen.

As he came from the EU, there was no way the GMC could check his language skills or competency.

He said he had to treat too many patients in too little time - with just ten minute time slots for each (file photo of a GP)

Describing one year, he said: Of 52 weekends in the year I stayed in England for about 40. Every weekend  night shift, night shift, night shift. Come back Monday morning.

When working for the NHS he would spend 300 on flights, hotel and car hire every weekend, but earned up to 65 an hour for shifts of up to 20 hours long.

But he was struck off in October after a medical tribunal found him guilty of serious misconduct that caused harm to at least three patients in 2013-14.

They included a 20-year-old pregnant woman with diabetes who lost her baby eight hours after Dr Bogena had sent her home.

The tribunal panel criticised him for his self-serving and defensive responses to the allegations.When asked about the errors he made he said: It is quite complex. But he insisted he was a competent GP.

When asked why so many EU doctors were being struck off in England he said: Its difficult to say. Dont forget it is a different country. Different rules, different ways of acting. We are foreigners in your country.

When asked if it was unsafe for foreign locums like him to be working in England, he replied: Generally it is unsafe because the system is different.

He said he had to treat too many patients in too little time - with just ten minute time slots for each.

Whereas he said in Germany there were many different specialists available to help tackle the broad range of health problems the out-of-hours service was confronted with.

He said the out-of-hours service in the UK was used as a normal practice, adding: Non-stop from morning till dawn. None stop 24 hours.

In the UK, they are coming in with all the problems. It was quite often very hard work. Exhausting.
Angela Merkel last night refused to concede to US demands to raise defence spending.

Germanys chancellor said she was in no hurry to meet Nato targets because there were other issues to deal with.

She said her country was conscious of its responsibility and would stick to the long-term aim of raising defence spending to 2 per cent of national income by 2024.

Angela Merkel last night refused to concede to US demands to raise defence spending

But she said there were other issues that were important for global security as well as spending more on arms.

She said: We must do more here, no question, but the matters of development aid and crisis prevention are also important.

EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker yesterday said Europe must not cave in to the US demands to raise military spending.

The European Commission president argued that development and humanitarian aid could also count as security  and said he was against being pushed into this.

In a speech on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the former prime minister of Luxembourg said he did not like the US narrowing down this concept of security to the military.

His comments came after US defence secretary Jim Mad Dog Mattis issued an ultimatum to the Nato alliance to either spend more on defence or risk losing Washingtons support.

Yesterday General Mattis repeated to delegates at the security conference that it was only fair that other Nato countries carry a fair share of the burden to defend our freedoms.

He said Donald Trump fully supported Nato and added: American security is permanently tied to the security of Europe. He said the transatlantic bond remained the strongest bulwark against instability and violence.

Also in Munich, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said that Gen Mattis had been uncompromising on spending and he agreed with him that other countries should step up.

Europe must not cave in to US demands to raise military spending, EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker has said

Speaking about their bilateral meeting, he said in a briefing: We got off to the strongest possible start, stronger than I remember. I am delighted by the commitment that theyve shown to the Nato alliance. General Mattis said he wanted the special relationship to be more dynamic.

In response to Gen Mattiss ultimatum to Nato countries, on Thursday, Mr Juncker said: It has been the American message for many, many years. I am very much against letting ourselves be pushed into this.

He said he knew Germany would no longer have a budget surplus if it increased defence spending from 1.22 per cent.

I dont like our American friends narrowing down this concept of security to the military, he said, arguing it would be sensible to look at a modern stability policy made up of several components.

He added: If you look at what Europe is doing in defence, plus development aid, plus humanitarian aid, the comparison with the United States looks rather different.
Dick Bruna, the Dutch illustrator and artist who created the bestselling children's books starring white rabbit Miffy, pictured, has died, aged 89.

His publisher Mercis said Bruna died peacefully in his sleep in the Dutch city of Utrecht.

The simplicity of Bruna's characters gained him fans around the world. He wrote and illustrated 124 books, but Miffy  known in the Netherlands as Nijntje  was the most popular.

Dick Bruna, the Dutch illustrator and artist who created the bestselling children's books starring white rabbit Miffy, pictured, has died, aged 89

Bruna created 32 books about Miffy, who turns 62 this year, which sold over 85 million copies.

Mercis spokesman Marja Kerkhof said: 'He was very much loved around the world. I remember traveling with him to Australia, to New Zealand, to Asia, to Japan. Wherever he would go people would queue up for signing sessions of his books.'

He wrote and illustrated 124 books, but Miffy  known in the Netherlands as Nijntje  was the most popular

She said the public's affection for Bruna and Miffy stemmed from the illustrations' simplicity.

'It is very clear pictures, almost like a pictogram, and the fact that he leaves so much out - he goes to the essence of things - and of course his very strong, powerful primary colors.

'Even today if you see it in a store, you would think, 'hey, this looks different to a lot of other things out there'. There is no clutter, it's all very clear.'

A museum in Utrecht dedicated to Miffy tweeted: 'Today the sad news reached us that Dick Bruna has died.'

The message appeared above a typically simple black and white drawing of the famous rabbit, arms behind her back and a single tear below her left eye.
A city is offering local residents the chance to win a years free council tax if they become pooper snoopers.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson has put up the reward for anyone who catches a dog owner not picking up their pets mess which leads to a criminal conviction.

In what is thought to be the first such scheme in the UK, the Labour politician said he was making a stand against environmental criminals after becoming appalled at dog mess around the city.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson has put up the reward for anyone who catches a dog owner not picking up their pets mess (FILE PHOTO)

Pooper snoopers are being encouraged to either provide photographs or videos to the council, or confidentially inform on repeat offenders.

With those caught facing a fine of up to 1,000, Mr Anderson believes the financial penalty will offset the cost of paying the council tax for people who tip-off officials. It is also hoped that money will be saved from the street cleaning budget.

He said: In parts of Liverpool, you step out of your car and you are hit by the smell of it  it is totally unacceptable.

If you provide us with the identity of someone who allows their dogs to foul the streets and doesnt clear it up and that leads to a prosecution, we will give you your council tax for free. These people are environmental criminals.

Mr Anderson added that he was also making the offer to anyone who could catch fly-tippers.

But the plan has faced opposition. Liverpool Liberal Democrat leader Richard Kemp voiced fears it was not the right way. He added: I would employ more dog wardens.

Liverpool Council. Mayor Anderson says some parts of the city reek of dog faeces

Those caught not clearing up their dog's mess face a fine of up to 1,000

Mr Anderson  the citys first directly-elected mayor  is planning to raise the level of council tax by five per cent as he looks to plug a 90million hole in funding. The council issues fines ranging from 75 to 1,000 for dog fouling, depending on how often people have offended.

Dog mess is one of the most common causes of complaints to local councils, with four out of ten people considering it a problem in a 2013 survey.
A 19-year-old man charged with first-degree murder in the death of an 11-year-old girl who was shot in the head was beaten at the courthouse by another alleged murderer.

Antwan C. Jones, who was charged with the shooting of Takiya Holmes, was sitting in Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on Wednesday.

Surveillance video appeared to show him taking a nap while awaiting a bond hearing, when another prisoner, Renard Williams, 24, suddenly ran over to him and began pummeling the suspect with his fists. Surveillance video captured the odd scene.

Renard Williams appears to sneak up on sleeping suspect Antwan Jones while at the courthouse

Video shows him slinging his fists at the sleeping suspect while others look on

An officer rushed over and restrained Williams from landing any more blows - it is not known whether the two knew each other

Jailers said they had no idea why Williams took it upon himself to beat Jones, as they know of no connection between the two or between Williams and Holmes.

However, the community in general was outraged by the shooting of the little girl, which happened when Williams allegedly opened fire on rival gang members, and helped police identify the suspect.

However, it's not even known if Williams knew who the sleeping prisoner was.

'We don't know one way or the other,' said said Cara Smith, chief policy officer for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who runs the jail, according to DNAInfo.

Antwan C. Jones (left), 19, surrendered himself to the police after witnesses identified him in the shooting of Takiya Holmes (right), 11, on Saturday night

Williams, who was awaiting his own court hearing on a 2016 murder charge and who was only briefly unrestrained, took the opportunity to dash over to Jones and unleash his fists on him. He is then restrained by a police officer.

Jones appeared shaken by the incident, but not harmed. He refused to press charges, said the outlet.

The 11-year-old Takiya was sitting in the backseat of a van when shots rang out on Saturday night. She was struck in the head and died in the hospital on Tuesday.

Detectives said Jones turned himself in after the police interviewed witnesses who were captured in a video they obtained of the shooting.

Relatives of the little girl said she 'passed away in her mother's arms' after she was taken off life support. The family will now donate her organs

Takiya's cousin Andrew Holmes is an anti-violence activist who reached out to residents in an appeal to track down the gunman. The victim's age also prompted witnesses to cooperate with the police.

Takiya's grandmother told the Chicago Sun Times: 'I hope its the correct person and Im hoping justice is served. If its the right person I want him to be punished to the fullest.'

Takiya died on Tuesday morning after her family took the girl off life support.

She had not regained consciousness since she was shot on Saturday evening in Chicago's Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood.

Relatives of the little girl said she 'passed away in her mother's arms' at Comer Children's Hospital.

'She's going to be a donor. They made the decision to give her organs...That's the kind of person Takiya was,' Takiya's grandmother Patricia Holmes told ABC7.

Takiya was shot on Saturday night while she was sitting in the back seat of her mother's SUV outside of this dry cleaners with her younger brother

Takiya was shot at about 7.40pm on Saturday as she sat in the backseat of her mother's minivan with her younger brother.

Her mother pulled up to a dry cleaners where she works to talk to a colleague.

As soon as the woman put the car into park, shots rang out. Police say Jones was shooting at rival gang members in a beef about drug selling territory.

When the bullets stopped, the stunned mother turned to find her daughter unresponsive.

Takiya was among at least three children shot in Chicago in recent days.

Kanari Gentry Bowers, 12, was critically wounded by a gunshot to the head in separate incident on Saturday night just 4 miles away. She remains in a critical condition in hospital

Kanari was shot in the head on Saturday while playing on this playground at Henderson Elementary School in Chicago

White was riding in a car with his 20-year-old aunt Breunna Devonte and her boyfriend, 26, around 1:30pm on Tuesday when a gunman opened fire on their vehicle

Just 25 minutes before Takiya was fatally wounded, 12-year-old Kanari Bowers was also shot in the head in a separate incident four miles away in the city's West Englewood neighborhood.

She had been playing with friends in a playground at Henderson Elementary School and remains in a critical condition at Stroger Hospital.

Two-year-old Lavontay White was fatally shot Tuesday when someone opened fire on a vehicle he was in with two adults, police said.

White was riding in a car with his 20-year-old aunt Breunna Devonte and her boyfriend, 26, around 1:30pm on Tuesday when a gunman cut them off, got out of the car and opened fire on their vehicle.

Police suspect the boyfriend who also died was the target of a gang hit.
Darrelle Revis enters the Pittsburgh Municipal Courts Building en route to City Court with his lawyer Friday

NY Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis turned himself in to Pittsburgh police Friday night for felony assault charges after allegedly knocking two men unconscious.

He was caught on camera walking into the Pittsburgh Municipal Courts Building on his way to to City Court with his lawyer.

Revis, 31, is being investigated by police over allegations that he assaulted two men in Pittsburgh early Monday morning.

Philadelphia police say Revis now has pending charges of robbery, terroristic threats, conspiracy and aggravated assault.

The multi-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl pick was spotted by a police officer doing his rounds in the South Side at around 2:30am on Monday, talking to two men.

When the cop came back around the block, both men had been knocked out and Revis was gone, WTAE reported. They were reportedly out for 10 minutes.

The Jets star was caught on camera walking into the Pittsburgh Municipal Courts Building on his way to to City Court with his lawyer

Revis, 31, is being investigated by police over allegations that he assaulted two men in Pittsburgh early Monday morning

Altercation: Charges of aggravated assault, robbery, conspiracy and 'terroristic threats' have been made against NY Jets' Darrelle Revis after an alleged altercation at 2:30am on Monday

Revis, a Philly native who was back visiting relatives, had allegedly been approached by a 22-year-old man at the corner of East Carson St and 23rd Street on Saturday.

The man recognized him and tried to confirm his identity, according to a police report.

When he said that he was indeed Revis, the man began to follow him, recording the pro on their cellphone even after he asked him to stop, the report said.

Revis then allegedly lost his temper and snatched the phone off the man to delete the video - but failed to do so.

At that point a second, 22-year-old, man approached the pair and tried to help get the phone back - at which point, the report says, Revis threw it into the street.

Accosted: Revis was accosted at this intersection in Pittsburgh. Both men were unconscious for ten minutes, and when they woke up Revis and a friend who was with him had gone

As the three got into a shouting match, a friend of Revis' - also described as a 21-year-old - approached the group. That allegedly spiraled into a tussle and the two men were knocked out.

Nobody saw who threw the punches, witnesses said. The men were unconscious for ten minutes, until they were woken up by police.

Terroristic threats are defined in Pennsylvania law as 'communicating a threat to commit a crime of violence with the intent to terrorize another.'
Brendan Orr outside Glasgow High Court, where he was jailed for two years

A university student who blindfolded and raped a schoolgirl after sending a text stating no 'means yes' has been jailed for two years.

Brendan Orr pounced on the 16-year-old in his room at Heriot-Watt University's Riccarton campus in Edinburgh.

Orr - described as a 'straight A student' - had earlier tied up and blindfolded the girl.

The 22-year-old was jailed at the High Court in Glasgow after earlier being found guilty of rape.

The November 2013 attack was said to be revenge for the girl stealing 'legal high' drugs from him.

There had previously been consensual sexual activity between the pair.

Jurors heard how he had once sent her a message asking about 'sober sex'.

When she refused, he then said: 'rape'.

The girl - who initially took it as a joke - said no.

But, Orr sent another message stating: 'That means yes.'

On the night of the rape, the victim said she was 'really nervous' when she turned up at his halls of residence.

He had said he hated her for the theft - but he invited her over to make it up with 'money and stuff'.

Orr, of Aberfeldy, Perthshire, tied the girl to his bed and blindfolded her with a snood before attacking her.

He denied of carrying out the sex attack during a trial in Edinburgh.

Tony Graham, defending, said Orr was from an 'utterly respectable' background and had been a 'straight A student doing well at university'.

Orr pounced on the 16 year-old in his room at Heriot-Watt University's Riccarton campus in Edinburgh

He is thought to have been studying engineering.

Lady Scott said a jail-term had to be imposed.

The judge added Orr's 'attitude to sexual matters' may have been affected by 'pornographic material' that he accessed.

Orr was also placed on the sex offenders list for 10 years.
An Irish man has been stabbed to death outside a home after a reports a fight broke out between a number of people.

The 29-year-old man was fatally stabbed in the neck after reports of a fight breaking out at a home on Watson Road in Padstow, western Sydney, on Saturday.

The ambulance paramedics arrived to find the man in critical condition but he died at the scene.

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A man and woman have been arrested following a stabbing in Padstow

A crime scene has been established in Padstow after a man was stabbed to death

It is believed three women and a man were at the home, before another man turned up - known to the women - and an altercation started.

'At the location, we've established there are three females at the place and one other male. Prior to the actual incident, a second male has come home,' Inspector Fitzgerald told The Daily Telegraph.

'All five people are known to each other, albeit one of those males only tonight.

'Four of them seem to live at this address; one of the males was at an establishment with them earlier in the day.'

A crime scene was established and police arrested a 25-year-old woman who lived at the home.

A 36-year-old Revesby man was also arrested.

The 36-year-old man sustained minor injuries and no women were hurt.

No charges have been laid at this time.
This probably isn't the 'wall' Donald Trump had in mind. Hundreds of people in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez gathered on the edge of the Rio Grande river on Friday to form a 'human wall' to protest President Trump's plans for a wall between the countries.

The demonstrators held aloft colorful swatches of cloth and white flowers and waved to the residents of the neighboring city of El Paso, Texas on Friday.

Organizers said a friendly, human wall meant to join the two cities was better than a wall of steel or concrete to divide them.

Students form a human chain during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, and to call for unity, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on Friday

Hundreds of people joined the chain along the border between the two countries, which Trump has promised to block with a wall

Young people wave colored flags reading 'Peace' as they form a symbolic human wall along the Rio Grande

'We have, as it is being demonstrated here, many friends on the other side of the river, on the other side where they intend to build this wall that will never separate two friendly peoples,' said former Mexican presidential candidate Cuauhtemoc Cardenas said.

Chihuahua Governor Javier Corral issued the call for people to form a human wall.

'In the face of the intention of Donald Trump to build a wall we cannot bow down, because bowing down will mean things will go worse for us...' he said before the event, according to Mexico News Daily.

Activists hold a banner reading 'Nobody's illegal' during a protest against US President Donald Trump's immigration policies

People wave colored flags reading 'Peace' as they form a symbolic human wall along the Rio Grande

Children held flowers as they gathered along the wall to show solidarity with their American neighbors

Corral said he doesn't believe most Americans want a wall and that it contradicts the 'spirit of the founders of the United States.'

The mayor of El Paso, Oscar Leeser, attended the protest. He himself was born in Chihuahua and immigrated to Texas when he was nine, according to his official bio.

He said his life, in which he rose to become a successful car dealer businessman, is the very definition of the 'American dream.'

Trump has promised to make Mexico pay for the wall, something Mexican officials say they will not do.

A similar event was also held in Tijuana.

People wore colorful clothing, held flowers and waved to their neighbors in El Paso, Texas
The family of NYPD sergeant Jose Benitez are suing New York City after the 30-year-old hanged himself on March 10, 2015 after working on the force for nine years

An NYPD cop struggling with bipolar disorder committed suicide after he was made to work an exhausting overnight shift, court documents claim.

The family of sergeant Jose Benitez are suing New York City after the 30-year-old hanged himself on March 10, 2015 after working on the force for nine years.

Benitez had been working the overnight shift monitoring video cameras in a Brooklyn housing project when he died, the New York Post reports.

He had been diagnosed with mental health issues several months before and his family claim the police department was aware of his condition, the lawsuit claims.

The suit, which seeks permission to file a late notice of claim as a precursor for a wrongful death lawsuit, states his mental health treatment required quality sleep and a regular routine.

But court papers state the NYPD 'negligently assigned him to a position that would become a trigger for his eventual demise'.

Benitez, who was a former college track star, had been diagnosed with mental health issues several months before he killed himself

'He was a great officer. He graduated second in his class and just was overworked at his precinct,' family lawyer Nicholas P. Iannuzzi told the New York Daily News.

'Essentially they didn't take care of him. He was diagnosed with a condition and they didn't take care of it correctly.'

Benitez, a Fordham University alum, was a former track and field star.

He left behind a one-year-old son.

His family are seeking full death benefits in the lawsuit because Benitez 'died on the job based on emotional stress negligently caused by the NYPD'.

For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.
Detained: Daniel Ramirez-Medina, 23, was arrested last week in Seattle by US Immigration agents who were there to take his father

A federal magistrate has declined to immediately release a man arrested by immigration agents last week despite his participation in a federal program to protect those brought to the U.S. illegally.

Magistrate Judge James P. Donohue said in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Friday that Daniel Ramirez-Medina, 23, must request a bond hearing from a federal immigration judge and that the hearing should take place within a week.

While Donohue deferred to the immigration judge on the custody issue, he said the case would return to his court on the issue of whether the federal court has jurisdiction to hear Ramirez's claims that his detention violated his rights.

Ramirez-Medina, who has been in the US since he was 16, was arrested last week in his suburban Seattle home by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who were there to take his father.

He has a job, a young son, no criminal record and protection under Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program - referred to as 'Dreamers' - according to his lawyers.

However, according to a court filing by his lawyers last Monday, the agents told him that even though he was a DACA recipient 'he would be arrested, detained, and deported anyway, because he was not 'born in this country'.'

Ramirez-Medina challenged his detention saying that his Fourth Amendment Rights had been violated.

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Raids: Seattle ICE officers (some pictured in Atlanta on Thursday) allegedly pressured him to admit to being in a gang. His lawyers say he is not a criminal, and has a job and young son

'We're hopeful the immigration judge will recognize there's no reason to keep Mr. Ramirez,' Theodore Boutrous, one of his attorneys said outside the courthouse after Friday's hearing.

He is being held at a federal detention center in Tacoma and did not appear in the courtroom.

Promise: Donald Trump has promised to deport 'millions' of illegal immigrants. He has said he wants his raids to focus on people who have committed crimes

His attorneys said the bond hearing will only deal with the question of his immediate release. They said they eventually want to get the court to develop standards to protect others under the DACA program.

Some saw his arrest last week as the opening salvo in an attack on former President Barack Obama's DACA program, while federal authorities suggested it was simply a routine exercise of their authority.

DACA recipients were termed 'dreamers' by the Obama administration.

Dozens of people demonstrated in his support outside the courthouse before and after Friday's hearing. Some held signs that said 'Free Daniel,' or 'No Deportations: Not 1 More.'

Court documents filed by the government said Ramirez-Medina admitted to having gang ties when questioned by an immigration agent.

His lawyers called the allegation false and said the federal government has failed to show proof of that statement.

The court documents also said Ramirez-Medina had a 'gang tattoo' on his forearm, but Rosenbaum said the agents misidentified it.

Dreamer: Ramirez-Medina was one of Barack Obama's dreamers, protected by DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) act. No other DACA person has yet been arrested

He said it reads 'La Paz BCS.' La Paz means 'Peace' in Spanish and is also the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur where Ramirez was born.

He worked on farms picking fruit in California before moving to Washington, and he twice passed background checks to participate in the DACA program- most recently last spring.

Immigration agents found him earlier this month when they went to an apartment complex in the Seattle suburb of Des Moines to arrest his father, identified as Antonio Ramirez-Polendo.

Ramirez-Polendo was deported eight times between 2000 and 2006, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday, and he served a year in prison in Washington state for felony drug trafficking.

The DACA program - referred to as 'Dreamers' by supporters and derided as 'illegal amnesty' by critics - has protected about 750,000 immigrants since its inception in 2012. It allows young people who were brought into the country illegally as children to stay and obtain work permits.
Phillip Martin was twice arrested for abusing wife Diana Rodriguez-Martin (pictured) who he confessed to murdering Friday

A Brooklyn man has admitted to killing his wife before chopping up her body and 'discarding her remains in a dumpster.'

Phillip Martin, 42, was charged Friday with murder and concealment of the corpse of his wife Diana Rodriguez-Martin.

Her remains are still missing.

Rodriguez-Martin's family became concerned something terrible had happened to the 43-year-old when she didn't turn up to a doctor's appointment on February 8.

Martin told police his wife went missing and took their dog around January 16 according to CBS New York.

Sources told the station he dumped her body in a dumpster on Bedford Avenue which runs through the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn. The couple lived at 58 Linden Boulevard.

Phillip Martin (center) confessed to killing and dismembering his wife on Friday

Martin initially told police his wife left their apartment in the middle of January with their dog

Sources also told the station Martin used a 'hammer and a handsaw' to chop up his wife's body. He told police he killed her by striking her in the throat.

Police noticed inconsistencies with Martin's account of his wife's disappearance when they questioned him Thursday, which led to his confession.

Authorities also discovered he continued to use her credit cards after she went missing.

Martin had been arrested twice for abusing his wife.
A commuter jumped back on a bus after it burst into flames on Sydney Harbour Bridge so they could tap off their Opal card.

Transport investigators were shocked when they discovered the passenger risked their life to get the correct fare, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The passenger was one of 22 evacuated from the public bus in September last year after the driver noticed smoke coming from the engine.

A commuter jumped back on a bus after it burst into flames on the Sydney Harbour Bridge (pictured) so they could tap off their Opal card

The passenger was one of 22 evacuated from the public bus in September last year after the driver noticed smoke coming from the engine

Transport investigators were shocked when they discovered the passenger risked their life to get the correct fare (Opal card stock image pictured)

Pictures of the scene show flames engulfing the bus and thick black some billowing across the Harbour Bridge before firefighters took control of the blaze.

CCTV images taken from inside the bus show the brave passenger tapping off his opal so he was not charged with the highest fare.

But the move may have been in vain according to Action For Public Transport campaigner Jim Donovan.

'The Opal readers will only allow people to tap off when the bus is at a stop. This person should obviously just have stayed well clear in any case,' he said.

The driver and two passengers were treated for smoke inhalation after the fire.

The Office of Transport Safety Investigations discovered the fire started in the engine bay and was likely to have been an electrical fault, according to a preliminary report.

Pictures of the scene show flames engulfing the bus and thick black some billowing across the Harbour Bridge before firefighters took control of the blaze
A 25-year-old father of two is fighting for life after being viciously mauled by a shark on Saturday morning.

Glenn Dickson from Mission Beach is a keen fisherman according to close friend Simeon Ballantyne who was shocked to hear about the attack off Hinchinbrook Island in North Queensland.

'He is an amazing person, it is terrible news I can't believe it,' Mr Ballantyne exclusively told Daily Mail Australia.

Glenn Dickson, right with partner Jessie Janssen, has been attacked by a shark off Queensland's Hinchinbrook Island

Mr Dickson, left, with best friend Simeon Ballantyne who is flying to Cairns to see him in hospital

Mr Dickson and his partner Ms Jenssen have two children together - he is currently in surgery

'He's a caring person who is always there for his mates and family and is loved by many.

'Hope he recovers from this accident.'

Mr Ballantyne will be flying to be by his friend's side tomorrow  and to help support his friend's partner Jessie Janssen.

Mr Dickson lost a lot of blood during the attack as the shark snapped down onto his legs and hip until he was rescued by a quick-thinking friend.

Mr Dickson loves fishing, according to his friend, who was shocked to hear about the attack

Mr Dickson was saved by quick-thinking friends, paramedics and emergency surgery but is still fighting for life in hospital

According to Seven News Mr Dickson's friends dragged him back to the boat before applying a tourniquet to stop the excessive bleeding.

They then raced him to the mainland town of Cardwell 30kms away where he was stabelise by ambulance crews and rushed to Cairns Hospital.

It has been revealed one of Mr Dickson's friends was an ex navy officer with medical training.

A Queensland paramedic said it was one of the most difficult' cases he has ever dealt with.

He is currently in surgery in Cairns Hospital, Daily Mail Australia can reveal.

Initial reports from the Cairns Post said Mr Dickson was attacked the moment he hit the water  after jumping from a rock near a boat ramp.

A man is fighting for his life after being bitten by a shark at Cardwell in north Queensland

Mr Dickson was attacked by the shark after jumping from a rock into the water

A Queensland Ambulance spokeswoman said paramedics treated him for serious leg injuries and severe blood loss after he sustained multiple bites to his upper and lower leg.

He was treated on a jetty not far from where the attack happened before he was taken to Cairns Hospital in a critical but stable condition.

Paramedics have described the man's injuries as 'very severe'.

The attack was reportedly seen by nearby swimmers.

Witnesses told the Cairns Post the man appeared to lose a significant amount of blood in the attack.

Witnesses believe it was either a bull shark or tiger shark responsible for the attack.
A young father of three girls was allegedly stabbed to death by his fiancee outside their southwest Sydney home just weeks after they were engaged on New Year's Eve.

Tina Cahill, 25, has been charged with murder following the death of David Walsh, 29, who was fatally stabbed in the neck, allegedly with a broken bottle, following reports of a fight breaking out at the home on Watson Road in Padstow, on Saturday.

According to 9 News, Mr Walsh, also known as Daithy Ian Walsh, broke into jealous rage when he woke to find Ms Cahill and her friends had bought a Revesby man, 36, home from the pub.

Tina Cahill, 25, allegedly stabbed her fiance David Walsh, 29, outside a Padstow home in southwest Sydney on Saturday

Ms Cahill has been charged with murder following the death of David Walsh

Neighbours claim they heard glass breaking and people screaming before authorities arrived.

Ms Cahill and the 36-year-old man were arrested and taken to Bankstown Police Station.

Ms Cahill, an Irish national who had been living in Australia since 2012, was charged with murder on Saturday afternoon.

She has been refused bail and will appear in Parramatta Local Court on Sunday as the Revesby man continues to assist police with their inquiries.

Friends and family of Mr Walsh have expressed their devastation over the death of the father-of-three.

'The town of Enniscorthy is numbed by this tragedy. He was a respected and talented young gentleman who worked in the building trade,' Enniscorthy councillor John O'Rourke told The Independent.ie.

'David grew up in Moran Park in the town, the son of highly respected builder John Walsh and his wife Anna. He was one of six children.'

Ms Cahill, also an Irish national, was charged with murder and refused bail to appear in Parramatta Local Court tomorrow

The couple were engaged on New Years Eve, just weeks before the horrific tragedy

The 29-year-old was father to three little girls. It is alleged he broke into jealous rage when he woke to find Ms Cahill and her friends had bought a Revesby man, 36, home from the pub

Friends and family of Mr Walsh have expressed their devastation over the death of the father-of-three

A Revesby man was also arrested last night, but has since been released without charge

'At the location, we've established there are three females at the place and one other male. Prior to the actual incident, a second male has come home,' Inspector Fitzgerald told The Daily Telegraph.

'All five people are known to each other, albeit one of those males only tonight.

'Four of them seem to live at this address; one of the males was at an establishment with them earlier in the day.'

The 36-year-old man sustained minor injuries and was released without charge

'The town of Enniscorthy is numbed by this tragedy. He was a respected and talented young gentleman who worked in the building trade,' Enniscorthy councillor John O'Rourke said

A crime scene has been established in Padstow after the 29-year-old was stabbed to death
The final image of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un's half brother, slumped in a chair moments after being poisoned, has emerged.

Dizzy and in pain, Kim Jong-nam told medics at Kuala Lumpur airport that he had been sprayed with a chemical. He died on his way to hospital on Monday.

Kim, the estranged brother of the secretive state's despot ruler, had once been expected to lead North Korea, but was instead exiled because his family felt he was 'too westernised'.

The finger of blame has been pointed at Pyongyang, with South Korea's spy agency saying Kim Jong-un killed his half brother out of 'paranoia'.

It remains unclear why Kim was killed, amid some speculation that he was planning to set up a government in exile.

The shocking image of Kim Jong-nam's final moments was published by the New Straits Times in Malaysia, showing him sluped in a chair at Kuala Lumpur airport

Malaysian police have announced the arrest of a fourth suspect, a North Korean, in the death of Kim Jong-nam, left, the half brother of dictator Kim Jong-un, right

Other theories include rumours that Kim, known for his carefree lifestyle and gambling habits, was murdered by mobsters because he had built up debts.

But authorities in Malaysia believe North Korean secret agents carried out the assassination.

Police investigating his murder have arrested a fourth suspect, and are hunting three more men, believed to be North Korean agents.

CCTV stills showing three men, taken at Kuala Lumpur airport - where Kim was killed on Monday - have been released by Malaysian police.

It is believed they watched on from 50 metres away as a poisonous substance was thrust into his face.

The shocking picture of the North Korean's final moments were published by the New Straits Times in Malaysia.

Police have released CCTV image in the search for three more men over the murder

The latest man to be arrested was carrying a North Korean passport identifying him as a 46-year-old man named Ri Jong Chol.

Investigators believe North Korean agents behind the killing were watching from an airport restaurant, 50 metres from where Kim was poisoned.

Police believe a woman wearing a top with 'LOL' on it approached the victim from behind and thrust a deadly poisonous substance into his face.

Yesterday Indonesia's police chief said one of the suspects, Indonesian Siti Aishah, was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank.

It has been claimed that was approached in a nightclub and offered $100 to carry out the act. She did not know who Kim was, it is believed.

She claims she and Vietnamese accomplice Doan Thi Huong, 29 - who was wearing the LOL T-shirt - were duped into carrying out the assassination by North Korean agents.

Suspect Siti Aisyah is claimed to have been approached by North Korean agents in a nightclub, where he was led to believe she would be carrying out a prank

Two women, one of them Indonesian and the other travelling on a Vietnamese passport, and a boyfriend of one of them, have been arrested earlier on suspicion of involvement in the death of Kim Jong Nam.

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

A senior Malaysian official says a second autopsy will be carried out on the half brother of the North Korean leader who was apparently assassinated at the Kuala Lumpur airport.

A police statement says the man identified as Ri Jong Chol was arrested on Friday in Selangor near Kuala Lumpur

The 'LOL assasin' (left) who allegedly murdered Kim Jong-nan (right) by wiping poison on his face may have been 'duped into killing him' by 'agents who told her it was a harmless prank'

The official says the result of the first autopsy was inconclusive. He says the second one will take place today.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

Earlier, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the autopsy on Kim Jong-nam 'unilaterally and excluding our attendance.' He says his government will reject any findings.

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

Former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il (bottom left) poses with his first-born son Kim Jong Nam (bottom right), in this 1981 family photo in Pyongyang, North Korea

Jong-nam was once seen as the future ruler of North Korea but his sibling took power after his father's death in December 2011.

It is believed his family deemed him 'too westernised' to run the hermit kingdom. He fell out of favour with his father following a botched attempt to enter Japan on a forged passport and visit Disneyland in 2001.

His assassination happened just after Pyongyang test-fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile.

The missile is viewed as being more powerful and harder to detect than the current liquid-fueled rockets that North Korea possesses.

MURDER PROMPTS CALLS FOR NORTH KOREA TO BE RE-LISTED AS STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM North Korea should be re-listed as a state sponsor of terror, US politicians have said, following Monday's poisoning. The designation was lifted nine years ago, having been in place for two decades following the 1987 bombing of a South Korean airliner which killed 115 people. President George W. Bush lifted the designation in 2008 to smooth the way for aid-for-disarmament negotiations. The concession proved of little value as the talks collapsed soon after and have yet to resume. Calls are being mounted in the US for North Korea, led by dictator Kim Jong-un, to be re-listed as a state sponsor of terrorism Currently, the US considers only Iran, Sudan and Syria as terrorism sponsors. To re-impose the designation on North Korea, the secretary of state would have to determine that it has 'repeatedly' provided support for acts of international terrorism. Last June, the department said North Korea 'is not known to have sponsored any terrorist acts' since the plane attack 30 years ago. US lawmakers are pushing for a fresh review of the evidence. 'We should never have taken North Korea off the state sponsor of terrorism list,' Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman of California told a congressional hearing Thursday. While Malaysian authorities are still investigating, the death compounds the impression of North Korea acting with impunity. Just a day earlier, it launched a new type of medium-range missile as President Donald Trump was meeting Japan's prime minister. Trump has vowed to 'deal with' North Korea but hasn't said how. And it's unclear if his administration would contemplate negotiations with the North, which wants to be treated as a nuclear power. Democrats and Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, want Trump to apply stiffer sanctions on the country and press China to turn the screws on its wayward neighbor. Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, who chairs a Senate panel on Asia, is among six Republican senators who this week urged Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to take more steps to cut off North Korea's access to hard currency. They also sought for the administration to review the terror designation. 'The murder once again highlights the treachery of North Korea,' Gardner told The Associated Press in an interview. He said there is evidence of North Korean 'actions and relationships that would meet the criteria of state sponsor of terror'. 'Almost every North Korean provocation has been met with capitulation - year after year, administration after administration,' Rep. Ed Royce of California, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the AP in a written statement. He said he is working on legislation to re-list North Korea. Advertisement

Kim Jong-Nam was once considered heir but fell out of favour with his father Kim Jong-Il following a botched attempt in 2001 to enter Japan on a forged passport and visit Disneyland

The second autopsy enraged North Korea, which has vowed to reject the results of any post-mortem and demanded that Malaysia turn over the body immediately.

Speaking to reporters outside the morgue late Friday, Pyongyang's ambassador said Malaysian officials may be 'trying to conceal something' and 'colluding with hostile forces'.

Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian, citing information received from Malaysian authorities, told reporters in Indonesia's Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in 'Just For Laughs' style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show.

He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

'Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong-nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer,' Karnavian said.

'She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents.'

Front page of #Malaysia newspaper (@NST_Online) carries picture of an unconscious Kim Jong Nam taken following attack on him at KLIA. pic.twitter.com/ZuE1wXYxUQ  Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 18, 2017

Speaking outside the morgue in Kuala Lumpur last night, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the autopsy 'unilaterally and excluding our attendance'.

'We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem,' Kang said, adding that the move disregarded 'elementary international laws and consular laws'.

Kang said the fact that Malaysia has yet to hand over the body 'strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us'.
Samantha Cameron has spoken of her struggle to cope with the death of her young son, Ivan, saying it 'overshadowed everything'.

Ivan Cameron, who was born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, died in hospital on February 26 2009 shortly before his seventh birthday.

Mrs Cameron described how they had to cope with regular 'life or death situations' throughout Ivan's life, yet his death was still a 'huge shock'.

Mrs Cameron pictured with Ivan in on October 19, 2007 when she was opening a new lift to enable children in wheelchairs to access the Special Yoga Centre in Kensal Rise, London

The fashion entrepreneur told The Times in an emotional interview that she sought strength from her faith and found hosting charity events at Downing Street cathartic.

However, she would often be brought to tears when meeting children and parents in similar situations.

Mrs Cameron said the experience - which came just a year before the couple entered Downing Street - was the 'biggest thing in my life' while 'being the prime minister's wife was just a role'.

'Ive dying is such a massive thing that everything else is irrelevant. It just overshadows everything,' she said.

Mrs Cameron said Ivan's premature death was of such magnitude that it made everything else 'meaningless'. Pictured: The couple return to their home in Notting Hill after his death in 2009

Mrs Cameron described how they had to cope with regular 'life or death situations' throughout Ivan's life, yet his death was still a 'huge shock'. The couple pictured in 2009 returning from hospital after Ivan's death

Mrs Cameron said the couple relied on routine so they did not 'fall apart completely'. The Camerons are pictured at Ivan's funeral in Chadlington, Oxfordshire, on March 3, 2009

'What goes on in the outside world becomes meaningless. Like anyone else in my situation, I just kept going. You have to deal with it, because you have no choice.'

Mrs Cameron said the couple relied on routine so they did not 'fall apart completely' and they still visit Ivan's grave 'very often'.

Their first child, Ivan was born with a severe form of epilepsy and cerebral palsy and died shortly before his seventh birthday. Pictured in a photo handed by the Camerons in 2009

When Mr Cameron announced his resignation after losing the referendum in June he appeared on the steps of Downing Street flanked by his wife and Ivan's siblings, Nancy, Florence and Arthur, who had grown up the flat above No 11.

In a way their brother's death had helped her prepare for the 'parallel universe' of life in Westminster, Mrs Cameron explained.

'I think it changed Dave's politics. It made him understanding, although he couldn't be too subjective,' she said.

Ivan was born in 2002 but by his second week he was losing weight and suffering jerky movements.

He was eventually diagnosed with Ohtahara syndrome - a rare neurological disorder characterised by seizures.

Doctors told the couple that some children with Ohtahara syndrome die in infancy, while others live for years but with profound disability.

The former Prime Minister later recollected that Ivan's diagnosis hit him 'like a freight train'.

Mr Cameron speaking outside Downing Street for the last time as Prime Minister on July 13. Behind him, left to right, Florence, Nancy and Alwin

But he recalled a kind of epiphany a few days after Ivans diagnosis, when he realised he and Samantha were going to get through this.

If we cant do a good job and look after him, then we have failed, he thought to himself.

Though his condition meant he could not move his limbs or speak, the Camerons drew strength from the fact that he appeared to respond to their love and care.

Samantha Cameron pictured with her other children - Florence, Nancy and Alwin - in Downing Street on July 13, 2016

'Ivan's only self-conscious movements are to raise his eyebrows and to smile,' Mr Cameron said in 2004.

'And his smile - slightly crooked, sometimes accompanied by a little moan - can light up a room. It never fails to make me both happy and immensely proud of him.'

But asked once if he thought Ivan enjoyed his life, he replied: 'Oh, not really, I think his life's very tough.'

Managing Ivans condition was an intensive process and he was given as many as 20 different drugs a day

There were regular emergencies caused by seizures, infections and changes in his blood pressure.

In both 2002 and 2003, Mr Cameron had to abandon the Tory party conference because Ivan was in hospital.

But the former PM said they knew their own limitations and decided not to be martyrs.

The parents of disabled children are not necessarily angels, he said.

The family now spend their time between homes in Notting Hill, west London, and Oxfordshire, where Mr Cameron served as MP for Witney for 15 years. Pictured: By No10 on July 13

St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, which looked after Ivan during his illness. Consultant paediatrician Dr Mando Watson attended his funeral

They didnt ask for this to happen. And you mustnt pretend to be an angel, because if you do youll exhaust yourself or your marriage will break down or your other kids will suffer.'

The family now spend their time between homes in Notting Hill, west London, and Oxfordshire, where Mr Cameron served as MP for Witney for 15 years.

Mrs Cameron, who worked for British leather brand Smythson while he was PM, has now launched her own women's wear label, Ceffin.
Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew has thanked firefighters after a bushfire came perilously close to her property.

The 33-year old posted to Instagram on Saturday an aerial photo of the devastation that bushfires in Capertee Valley, 135 km north-west of Sydney had caused.

Bartholomew captioned the photo saying how 'frightening' the ordeal was and how 'grossly underprepared' she was to deal with the fire.

Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew has thanked firefighters after a bushfire came perilously close to her property in in the Capertee Valley, 135 km north-west of Sydney

The 33-year old posted to Instagram on Saturday an aerial photo (above) of the devastation that bushfires

'This was pretty frightening,' the caption began.

'After a year of playing farmer, things got very real yesterday and we were grossly underprepared.

'Thank god for our wonderful neighbours and the @nswrfs for containing the fire in the valley. Joining the RFS right away and stocking the shed with everything we need #nswrfs #thankyou.'

Bartholomew recently purchased the 'country home' just outside Lithgow where her partner Neil Varcoe grew up.

Bartholomew recently purchased the 'country home' just outside Lithgow where her partner Neil Varcoe grew up

The journalist also said in the comments that if in the situation again she will be better prepared.

'Our fire plan was get the hell out of there this time. Next time we will be equipped to help more,' she wrote.

Almost 50 homes and thousands of sheep have been lost in bushfires that raged across parts of NSW in the most 'catastrophic' fire conditions in the state's history.

The Rural Fire Service on Saturday confirmed that 45 homes were razed, most in the central west, while more than 2000 sheep and nearly 400 cattle died in last weekend's bushfires.

More than a dozen homes are thought to have been lost in in Friday's bushfire at Carwoola, east of Queanbeyan, but firefighters are still assessing the damage.

Almost 50 homes and thousands of sheep have been lost in bushfires that raged across parts of NSW in the most 'catastrophic' fire conditions in the state's history

The Rural Fire Service on Saturday confirmed that 45 homes were razed, most in the central west, while more than 2000 sheep and nearly 400 cattle died
A man wanted for armed robbery was found dead just three days after he stole drugs and cash from a Toowoomba pharmacy.

Queensland police said they found him dead at a house in Newtown, in Toowoomba's west on Saturday, along with items 'directly linked to the armed robbery'.

The masked suspect threatened staff at the Discount Drug Store on Mylne Street with a knife at 8.15am on Wednesday, but no one was injured.

A man wanted for armed robbery was found dead just three days after he stole drugs and cash from a Toowoomba pharmacy

Queensland police said they found him dead at a house in Newtown, in Toowoomba's west on Saturday, along with items 'directly linked to the armed robbery'

Aged in his 30s, he wore a menacing dark Adidas-branded hoodie, gloves and a black and white striped mask during the robbery captured on CCTV.

After taking the drugs and money he fled outside and changed into a blue singlet, long pants, socks and no shoes on another street nearby.

He then took off on a red bike that was later found dumped in a lane.

The suspect used this hessian bag to collected the drugs and money before fleeing the shop

The masked suspect threatened staff at the Discount Drug Store (pictured) on Mylne Street with a knife at 8.15am on Wednesday, but no one was injured

'The drugs that he stole are drugs that we have a great concern for being out among the general public,' police said earlier in the week.

Witnesses said he was seen near the pharmacy about 90 minutes before the robbery.

Police said his death was not suspicious and a report would be prepared for the coroner.
Electronics giant Bosch is rushing to repair thousands of faulty gas hobs amid fears they could explode.

The German company has said that gas connectors on the appliances could be damaged, warning that in rare cases a 'risk of explosion can arise'.

The fault applies to Bosch and Neff cookers manufactured between 2009 and 2011, of which there are 3,898 of the appliances in households across the UK.

A source told the Sun: 'It is a voluntary repair action, so workers would go to a customer's property and repair it for them.'

Electronics giant Bosch is rushing to repair thousands of faulty gas hobs amid fears they could explode (file picture)

It is not the first time Bosch has had to issue safety warnings about one of its products.

The company issued an alert in July 2011 about a problem with 632,000 dishwashers, which had been sold under the Bosch, Siemens and Neff brands.

They were sold with an electrical component fault, which could lead to a fire.

There were 269 fires linked to the machines reported between 2010 and March 2013, although only 14 have caused serious damage beyond the machine itself.

The dishwashers were manufactured between 1999 and 2005 but may have been bought after this time, and but the fires only began happening from 2010.

The German company has said that gas connectors on the appliances could be damaged, warning that in rare cases a 'risk of explosion can arise' (file picture)

Bosch said they are caused by fluctuations in the power supply coming through the national grid. It said that as a result, a solder connection in the control panel may fail over time.

The firm's operations director, Joe O'Sullivan, said at the time that the company would back a new registration system for appliance purchases to help with safety recalls.

'Any move to improve registration of appliances to make them easier to trace, we would support,' he said.

Mail Online has approached Bosch for comment.
U2 frontman Bono had an impromptu meeting with Mike Pence Saturday in Munich and praised the vice president's support of AIDS relief efforts.

The Irish rock star, who called Pence 'the second busiest man on Earth', met the vice president along the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Bono offered his appreciation to Pence for meeting and noted that the former Indiana governor had twice supported bills in Congress to provide AIDS medication to African nations.

Bono called it an 'extraordinary historic accomplishment' and credited Pence with playing a 'leading role'.

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U2 frontman Bono had an impromptu meeting with Mike Pence Saturday in Munich (pictured) and praised the vice president's support of AIDS relief efforts

Pence has met with several world leaders at the Munich Security Conference, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and President Of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani.

The Munich Security Conference marks his first overseas trip as vice president.

The vice president on Saturday reaffirmed the US commitment to the security of the Baltic states in a meeting with the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Pence's office said the vice president noted the Trump administration's support for the collective defense of NATO allies and the need of NATO to counter terrorism.

The leaders expressed their concerns over the ongoing violence in eastern Ukraine, the office added, and discussed the need to make progress toward the full implementation of the Minsk agreement to resolve the conflict between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

The Irish rock star, who called Pence 'the second busiest man on Earth', met the vice president along the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (pictured)

Bono (pictured at the conference Friday) noted that the former Indiana governor had twice supported bills in Congress to provide AIDS medication to African nations

Pence has also met separately with the leaders of Iraq and its Kurdistan region, thanking both for committing to fight the Islamic State group.

He commended Iraq's security forces for their battlefield success during his meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the White House said.

Both leaders underscored the importance of continuing progress in the fight against IS, as well as on Iraq's economic recovery and to free the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group.

In the meeting with Masoud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Pence thanked Barazani and said the US continues to support a unified, federal and democratic Iraq.

Pence encouraged close cooperation between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan regional government, according to the White House.

The vice president also expressed support for Afghanistan's national unity government during a meeting with Ashraf Ghani, the country's president.

The leaders met on the sidelines of the security conference in Munich and talked about ways to improve relations between their countries and advance mutual interests, particularly on counterterrorism cooperation and economic development.

Pence has met with several world leaders at the Munich Security Conference, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured with him Saturday)

They also affirmed the importance of continuing the 'strategic partnership' between the US and Afghanistan.

Earlier on Saturday, Pence and Merkel committed to continue close cooperation on a range of global issues, officials said.

The leaders met after separately addressing the security conference in Munich.

Pence and Merkel also discussed the need for NATO member countries to meet their 'burden-sharing' commitments. They also agreed that the alliance must continue to transform itself to meet 21st century threats.

Pence thanked the chancellor for leading on Ukraine and expressed appreciation for Germany's contributions in Afghanistan and to the coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

He said the US would 'hold Russia accountable' even as President Trump searches for new common ground with Russia at the start of his presidency.

Pence stated that with regard to Ukraine, the international community must hold Russia to account and demand that it honor a 2015 peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

The vice president said President Trump 'will stand with Europe'.
Missing Madeleine McCann's parents are reportedly fighting a Portuguese court decision to side with former police chief Goncalo Amaral over his hurtful claims about her disappearance

Missing Madeleine McCann's parents are reportedly fighting a Portuguese court decision to side with former police chief Goncalo Amaral over his hurtful claims about her disappearance.

The country's Supreme Court last month rejected their last-ditch appeal over his 2008 book The Truth of the Lie in which he alleged Maddie died in their holiday flat and they faked her abduction to cover up the tragedy.

Judges backed a lower court's April 2016 decision to reverse their 2015 libel win against the ex-detective, leaving them facing a huge legal bill and the nightmare prospect of being sued by Amaral.

And they also challenged Gerry and Kate's insistence they had nothing to with their daughter's disappearance in a devastating put-down which is said to have sparked their fresh legal challenge.

Best-selling Portuguese daily Correio da Manha said the couple were seeking to get the Supreme Court decision invalidated after launching a formal complaint against the judges' findings.

It was known they had 10 days to file an objection with court officials.

It is thought the McCanns' reported attempt to nullify the decision is based on comments made by the judges in their 76-page ruling that the 2008 shelving of the Portuguese probe into their daughter's disappearance 'was determined by the fact that public prosecutors hadn't managed to obtain sufficient evidence of the crimes by the appellants.'

The McCanns had their status as 'arguidos' or official suspects lifted on the same day - July 21 2008 - just three days before Amaral published his controversial book.

The country's Supreme Court last month rejected their last-ditch appeal over his 2008 book The Truth of the Lie in which Mr Amaral (left) alleged Maddie (right) died in their holiday flat and they faked her abduction to cover up the tragedy

Correio da Manha reported today: 'The McCanns have requested the annulment of the Supreme Court decision, terming it frivolous for saying it 'had not been possible for public prosecutors to obtain sufficient evidence of crimes by the appellants.'

The newspaper said the McCanns had described the ruling as 'leviano' in the complaint lodged through their Portuguese lawyer - which in English translates as 'frivolous' but can also mean 'sloppy' or 'rash'.

No-one from the Supreme Court was available for comment this morning.

The McCanns' lawyer Isabel Duarte is refusing to say anything after receiving instructions from the couple not to make any public comment on the case.

She said yesterday when asked whether the couple had filed a formal complaint to the Supreme Court about the ruling: 'We received instructions from the clients not to make any declaration or give public information about the file against Mr Amaral or the case itself.'

The McCanns' lawyer Isabel Duarte is refusing to say anything after receiving instructions from the couple not to make any public comment on the case

It was unclear today if another set of Supreme Court judges dealt with complaints about rulings - or they were handed to another judicial body to deal with.

Amaral was ordered to pay the McCanns EUROS 500,000 euros (POUNDS 430,000) by a Lisbon court in April 2015 after they won round one of their lengthy judicial battle over his book and a subsequent TV documentary.

The former police chief got that ruling - and a ban on selling his book - overturned on appeal in April last year.

The decision by Lisbon's Court of Appeal sparked the Supreme Court fight which was resolved on January 31.

The full 76-page ruling said to have sparked a new legal challenge by the McCanns was released last week.

Judges made it clear in their decision their job was not to decide whether the McCanns bore any criminal responsibility over their daughter's disappearance and it would be wrong for anyone to draw any inferences about the couple's guilt or innocence from their ruling.

But they added: 'It should not be said that the appellants were cleared via the ruling announcing the archiving of the criminal case.

'In truth, that ruling was not made in virtue of Portugal's Public Prosecution Service having acquired the conviction that the appellants hadn't committed a crime.

'The archiving of the case was determined by the fact that public prosecutors hadn't managed to obtain sufficient evidence of the practice of crimes by the appellants.

'There is therefore a significant, and not merely a semantic difference, between the legally admissible foundations of the archive ruling.

'It doesn't therefore seem acceptable that the ruling, based on the insufficiency of evidence, should be equated to proof of innocence.'

They added, highlighting the McCanns' Tapas Nine friend Jane Tanner's much-questioned sighting of the suspected 'abductor': 'It's true that the aforementioned criminal inquiry ended up being archived, namely because none of the apparent evidence that led to the appellants being made 'arguidos' was subsequently confirmed or consolidated.

She said yesterday when asked whether the couple had filed a formal complaint to the Supreme Court about the ruling: 'We received instructions from the clients not to make any declaration or give public information about the file against Mr Amaral or the case itself'

'However even the archive ruling raises serious concerns relating to the truth of the allegation that Madeleine was kidnapped.'

The Supreme Court judges said the McCanns claimed Amaral's book and the TV documentary based on the book formed no part of case files made public in 2008 and would have damaged the honour and good name of any 'innocent person who had been cleared through the shelving of the criminal investigation.'

But they stated: 'We consider the invocation of the violation of the principle of innocence should not be taken into account here, since this issue is not relevant to the resolution of the question that needs to be decided here.'

They said the 'crucial question' for them was how to resolve the rights of Kate and Gerry McCann to their 'good name and reputation' and the rights of Goncalo Amaral and the other respondents including the book editors to the constitutionally-inshrined right of 'freedom of expression.'

Concluding Amaral had not acted 'illicitly,' they ruled his book was not a personal and unjustified attack on the McCanns with a 'defamatory intention' behind it which would not be protected by freedom of speech rights.

Kate McCann holding Maddie's Cuddle Cat soft toy

Describing the book and the TV documentary based on it as an 'opinion' based on the logic of facts and evidence contained in the criminal case files, they added: 'Our opinion is that rather than an injurious animus, the intention was informative and defensive.'

The Supreme Court ruling meant Amaral was spared having to pay the McCanns the compensation he was ordered to hand them after the first court ruling in 2015.

The payment was frozen when he launched his successful appeal.

Earlier this month it emerged the ex detective, removed as head of the investigation into Madeleine's May 3 2007 disappearance after criticising British detectives, was writing a new book about the unsolved mystery.

It is understood he will be critical in the new book of some of the things Scotland Yard did in their review and later ongoing investigation of the case.

The former cop insisted from day one of his court fight with the McCanns that everything he wrote in his book was based on the publicly-available case files.

Kate and Gerry, both 48, of Rothley, Leicestershire, have said they will sue if 'The Truth of the Lie' is sold in Britain.

They said in a statement after learning of the Supreme Court ruling against them: 'What we have been told by our lawyers is obviously extremely disappointing.

'It is eight years since we brought the action, and in that time the landscape has changed dramatically, namely there is now a joint Metropolitan Police and Policia Judiciaria investigation which is what we have always wanted.

'The police in both countries continue to work on the basis that there is no evidence Madeleine has come to physical harm.

'We will of course be discussing the implications of the Supreme Court ruling with our lawyers in due course.'

Kate and Gerry, both 48, of Rothley, Leicestershire, have said they will sue if 'The Truth of the Lie' is sold in Britain

It is believed the McCanns are discussing the possibility of taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

The 20,000 page 'Madeleine files made public in 2008 contained a report by public prosecutors which said:' No element of proof whatsoever was found which allows us to form any lucid, sensible, serious and honest conclusion about the circumstance of Madeleine's disappearance from the apartmentincluding, and most dramatically, establishing whether she is alive or dead, which seems more probable.'

Referring to the McCanns' much-criticised decision to leave their daughter, then three, alone with younger siblings Sean and Amelie while they ate tapas nearby, it added: 'We must also recognise that the parents are paying a heavy penalty over the disappearance of Madeleine for their carelessness in monitoring and protecting their children.'

Portuguese police chiefs said late last year they were 'completely in tune' with British detectives still investigating Madeleine's disappearance, appearing to end years of tension between the two forces whose theories on the youngster's fate have differed wildly.

Portuguese prosecutors reopened their probe into Madeleine McCann's disappearance in May 2014, and are now working in close coordination with Scotland Yard's scaled-down Operation Grange probe into Madeleine's fate.
Russia Saturday called for an end to an outdated world order dominated by the West, even as US Vice President Mike Pence pledged Washington's 'unwavering' commitment to its transatlantic allies in NATO.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov laid out a diametrically opposed global vision and offered 'pragmatic' ties with the United States, just hours after Pence vowed to stand with Europe to rein in a resurgent Moscow.

'I hope that (the world) will choose a democratic world order - a post-West one - in which each country is defined by its sovereignty,' said Lavrov.

The time when the West called the shots was over while NATO was a relic of the Cold War, he said.

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Vice President Mike Pence (left) has said the US will 'hold Russia accountable' even as President Donald Trump searches for common ground with Vladimir Putin. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (right) called for a new 'post-West' world order

In its place, Moscow wanted a relationship with Washington that is 'pragmatic with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our common responsibility for global stability.'

The two countries had never been in direct conflict, he said, and were close neighbors across the Bering Strait.

Moscow has been impatiently waiting for US President Donald Trump to make good on his pledge to improve ties which plunged to a post-Cold War low as Barack Obama slapped on sanctions over the Ukraine crisis and Russia's alleged meddling in Trump's election.

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and voiced his willingness to work with him in fighting terrorism.

Pence (left) is seen with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) at the conference in Munich. European governments have been unsettled by the signals sent by Trump on a range of foreign policy issues ranging from NATO and Russia to Iran, Israel and European integration

But in the face of growing heat over its links to Moscow, Trump's administration appears to be backing off the warmer words used earlier for the former Cold War foe.

Pence said earlier on Saturday that the US will 'hold Russia accountable' even as Trump searches for common ground with Putin's administration.

Pence told the Munich Security Conference in Germany that the international community must also demand that Russia honors a 2015 peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Moscow-backed separatists.

He also offered assurances over the US commitment to NATO and the European Union in his address to the international conference of foreign diplomats and defense officials.

A day earlier, Republican Senator John McCain (left) broke with the reassuring message that US officials visiting Germany have sought to convey on their debut trip to Europe, saying on Friday that Trump's (right) administration was in 'disarray'

Pence declared: 'Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which, as you know, President Trump believes can be found.'

A day earlier, Republican Senator John McCain broke with the reassuring message that US officials visiting Germany have sought to convey on their debut trip to Europe, saying on Friday that the Trump administration was in 'disarray.'

McCain, a known Trump critic, told the Munich Security Conference that the resignation of the new president's security adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russia reflected deep problems in Washington.

'I think that the Flynn issue obviously is something that shows that in many respects this administration is in disarray and they've got a lot of work to do,' said McCain.

'The president, I think, makes statements (and) on other occasions contradicts himself. So we've learned to watch what the president does as opposed to what he says,' he said.

European governments have been unsettled by the signals sent by Trump on a range of foreign policy issues ranging from NATO and Russia to Iran, Israel and European integration.

The debut trip to Europe of Trump's Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to a meeting of G20 counterparts in Bonn, went some way to assuaging concerns as they both took a more traditional US position.

But Trump is wrestling with a growing controversy at home about potential ties between his aides and Russia, which he dismissed on Thursday as a 'ruse' and 'scam' perpetrated by a hostile news media.

Mattis made clear to allies, both at NATO in Brussels and in Munich, that the United States would not retreat from leadership as the European continent grapples with an assertive Russia, wars in eastern and southern Mediterranean countries, and attacks by Islamist militants.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini (left) meets with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (right) at a G20 meeting in Bonn, Germany, on Thursday

Pence also reinforced the Trump administration's message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

The 28 member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2% of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade.

But only the US and four other members of the post-Second World War military coalition are meeting the standard, Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, 'erodes the very foundation of our alliance'.

The US vice president added: 'Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfill this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more.'

Pence will meet German chancellor Angela Merkel later.

She addressed the conference just before the US vice president, stressing the need to maintain international alliances and saying that NATO is 'in the American interest'.

Merkel appealed to the United States and others to support and bolster multilateral organisations such as the European Union and United Nations, as well as NATO.

She told the gathering of other world leaders, diplomats and defense officials that 'acting together strengthens everyone'.

Her address came amid concern about the Trump administration's approach to international affairs and fears that it may have little interest in working in multilateral forums.

Merkel asked: 'Will we be able to continue working well together, or will we all fall back into our individual roles? I call on us  and I hope we will find a common position on this  let's make the world better together and then things will get better for every single one of us.'
Mining chief Richard Walkland, 46, was found dead in the bedroom of his West Perth apartment

A mining chief once sued for millions by former Federal MP Clive Palmer has been found dead inside his WA apartment.

The body of Richard Walkland, 46, was found in the bedroom of his West Perth home by a friend after the mining executive failed to turn up to work earlier this month, The West Australian reports.

Authorities are not treating the death of the British-born man as suspicious, but the cause of his passing is to be determined.

Mr Walkland was the deputy director of CITIC Pacific, one of eight defendants who faced legal action from Mr Palmer's Queensland Nickel.

Authorities are not treating the death of the British-born man as suspicious, but the cause of his passing is to be determined

The dispute between Mr Palmer's company and the Chinese-owned iron ore giant was over royalty payments and was later thrown out of court when the action was ruled 'an abuse of process' by a judge.

Before he died, Mr Walkland was also involved a second legal dispute with Mr Palmer's company Mineralogy.

The privately-owned company is seeking royalties amounting to tens of millions from a CITIC project in the WA region of Pilbara.

The Chinese-owned iron ore giant was ordered to pay $10.7 million to Mineralogy last month, but the decision is being appealed, The West Australian reports.

It's not known how Mr Walkland's death will influence the current legal action, but CITIC said in a statement on Friday that Mr Walkland worked tirelessly to put Sino Iron on a sustainable footing and was a valued colleague and friend.

Mr Walkland was the deputy director of CITIC Pacific, a one of eight defendants who faced legal action from Clive Palmer's (pictured) Queensland Nickel

Mr Palmer has also filed lawsuits against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Employment Minister Michaelia Cash over allegedly defamatory comments they made about the demise of Queensland Nickel.

Documents lodged in the Brisbane Supreme Court this week claim the prime minister and Senator Cash conveyed at a press conference on April 15, 2016 that Mr Palmer had used funds from the company for his own benefit.

Mr Palmer is seeking $10 million in damages from both Mr Turnbull and Senator Cash plus interest.

He claims the published comments reached more than 330,000 readers and injured his personal and professional integrity, character and reputation.

Mr Turnbull and Senator Cash have 28 days to dispute the claim.
Alexander Downer, 65, Australia's high commissioner, said he wanted a 'non-discriminatory approach' for his countrymen after Brexit

Australians must be granted the same rights to work in Britain as European Union citizens as the price of a free trade deal, the country's most senior diplomat in London has said.

Alexander Downer, 65, Australia's high commissioner, said he wanted a 'non-discriminatory approach' for his countrymen after Brexit.

And he urged Theresa May to make it easier for Australians to get work visas in Britain as part of any deal.

He told The Times' Damian Whitworth: 'We have a non-discriminatory approach to immigration.

'That means we essentially don't discriminate between countries and we would have thought that it would be to your advantage and might be to our advantage to have a non-discriminatory approach to Australians.'

Mr Downer said it did not make sense for a 'taxi driver in Bucharest' to have free access to Britain while it was far harder for a 'brain surgeon from Sydney' to come here.

Australia was the first country to propose opening trade negotiations with Britain after the Brexit vote.

And Mr Downer - seen meeting Defence Secretary Michael Fallon - also urged Theresa May to make it easier for Australians to get work visas in Britain as part of any deal

The countries have established a working group to thrash out the outlines of an agreement, although no deal can be signed until after Article 50 is invoked.

Mr Downer also stressed the importance of relaxing immigration rules for Australians during an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme in January.

'We would want to see greater access for Australian businesspeople working in the UK and thats often been a part of free trade negotiations.'

He went on: 'It might just make it a bit simpler actually, for example an Australian company that invests in the UK might want to bring some of its executives to the UK.

Mr Downer also urged Theresa May to make it easier for Australians to get work visas in Britain as part of any deal

'That can be done with what are called Tier 2 visas but maybe that could be made a little bit easier, I suspect they would be the only sort of changes youd be looking at.'

Any negotiation over visa arrangements could be conducted separately but at the same time as a deal for the free movement of goods and services between the two nations, he suggested.

An Australia-UK agreement could be reached very quickly after Brexit, given that Canberra struck a deal with the US in eight months during George W Bushs presidency, he said.

Mr Downer said a similar timeframe could be realistic if Britain does not want to protect certain industries and revealed exploratory discussions had already taken place at many levels.

'We have had discussions with them at all sorts of different levels, including ministerial level, we have set up a working group to explore the scope of what a free trade agreement might look like,' he said.

Mr Downer also warned EU leaders in The Times against trying to punish Britain over Brexit.

He said the 'erection of trade barriers' between the EU and UK would have a 'deleterious effect' on the global economy.
Far-right populist politician Geert Wilders - who intends to 'de-Islamise' the Netherlands - has launched his election campaign today among tight security.

Groups of protesters gathered as the anti-Islam candidate, who has lived in hiding for more than a decade, launched his bid in Spijkenisse, a blue-collar suburb of Rotterdam.

Surrounded by police, Wilders today handed out fliers and posed for selfies with supporters at a market.

The politician, who was convicted for inciting discrimination in December, plans to shut all mosques, ban the Koran and close borders to refugees and migrants from Muslim countries.

Opponents held up signs saying 'Refugees Welcome' and 'Don't Let Them Scare You'.

The Dutch MP, who is narrowly ahead of Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the polls, marked the campaign launch by deriding 'Moroccan scum'.

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The controversial populist has said he intends to 'de-Islamise' the Netherlands if he gets into power

A protestor holds a sign reading Refugees Welcome at Wilders in Spijkenisse this morning

Despite the huge mob of protesters that greeted Mr Wilders, there were also supporters to greet him, including this man in a Donald Trump-esque 'Make America Great Again' hat

The latest combined opinion polls give Wilders and his PVV party between 24 and 28 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, two to four seats ahead of Liberal Rutte's ruling VVD party.

Wilders, whose party currently has 12 lawmakers in the house, told reporters today: 'The Moroccan scum in Holland ... once again not all are scum... but there is a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who make the streets unsafe, mostly young people... and that should change.

'If you want to regain your country, if you want to make The Netherlands for the people of The Netherlands, your own home again, than you can only vote.'

The upcoming election is seen as a litmus test of European politics after Brexit and Donald Trump's victory in the United States.

A young man gets a selfie with Mr Wilders on his mobile phone, as the controversial politician hit the campaign trail today

There was a large scrum around the MP as he launched his election campaign today

A women holds a poster reading 'Don't let yourself be afraid' as Dutch far-right Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders launched his campaign

A supporter of the far-right Pegida movement holds a flier in support of Wilders this morning

Wilders, who has spoken positively in favour of both Trump and Brexit, continued: 'The elections for sure are historical. It's a choice that the people of Holland can make on March 15 whether to give their country away more and more or to get their country back to themselves. To make the Netherlands ours again.'

The Netherlands will go to the polls on March 15, but even if he does win, Wilders would struggle to form a government since most major parties have ruled out joining a coalition with him.

He has previously claimed that 80 per cent of Dutch Muslims believe it is heroic to travel to Syria and fight - a statement hotly disputed by his opponents.

Wilders has lived in hiding since the 2004 murder by an Islamist of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh.

The country goes to the polls on March 15, but most major parties have ruled out joining a coalition with Wilders' Freedom Party

Wilders posed for selfies at the rally, held in a suburb of Rotterdam this morning

Mr Wilders makes his way through the huge crowd of media personnel who were covering the start of his drive

Van Gogh, who had made a controversial film named Submission about the treatment of women in the Islamic community, was gunned down by Dutch-Moroccan Mohammed Bouyeri.

Since then Wilders has lived in a safe house, having received death threats from terror groups including ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

He often ventures outside in a bulletproof vest and is guarded at all times. He has been described as 'the best protected man in The Netherlands'.

Rabble-rousing speeches by the far-right politician have seen him single out Moroccans and Muslims, and his controversial views are gaining traction in the Netherlands.

He has previously stated of Moroccans: 'They happily accept our dole, houses and doctors but not our rules and values.'

Last month he attempted to plaster 'Stop Islam' advertisements on the side of trams in the country.

Wilders has branded the Dutch parliamentary election the start of a 'Patriotic Spring' in Europe, where French and German voters go to the polls in May and September.

Wilders and his Party for Freedom has led in opinion polls for most of the past two years, but the fragmented political landscape means a coalition government of four or more parties is all but inevitable.

In December, Wilders was convicted of inciting discrimination for leading supporters in a chant that they wanted 'Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!' Moroccans in the country.

A supporter hands the Dutch far-right populist flowers at a launch event this morning

Wilders often ventures outside in a bulletproof vest and is guarded at all times. He has been described as 'the best protected man in The Netherlands'

The controversial politician was convicted of inciting discrimination in December

The controversial far-right populist has pledged to 'de-Islamise' the Netherlands if elected

In an interview with Associated Press this week, he denied his policies would be illegal to implement.

Wilders said: 'A constitution is not something that is (set) in stone and can never be changed.

'It's alive as a society is alive and we are now being threatened by mass immigration and Islamisization and what I see as the toxic combination of mass immigration from Islamic countries and at the same time a total lack of demanding for people to assimilate and to integrate.'

His rise in popularity has been seen as a breakdown in the traditional Dutch values of tolerance.

Wilders responded: 'I don't want to get rid of the typical Dutch tolerance. But it's cultural suicide that we, at the end of the day, keep on being tolerant to the intolerant. That should stop as soon as possible.'

If elected, he said, he plans to take the Netherlands out of the European Union.

If Wilders' PVV party finishes first but is unable to form a government, Rutte will be left trying to forge a centrist coalition with several parties that share little more than opposition to Wilders.

One of the far-right politician's supporters holds up a leaflet handed out during Wilders' launch event today

A woman holds a fake hundred guilder note, the Dutch currency before the introduction of the Euro,carrying the portrait of anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders

In that case 'we will stay put and manage the country until there is a new coalition,' Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Tuesday, quipping the situation could persist for 'years' under the constitution.

The Netherlands, a country of 17million that relies heavily on foreign trade, in 2005 rejected the European constitution and last year voted down a treaty for closer EU ties with Ukraine.

A poll by Motivaction on Tuesday showed more than 61 per cent of respondents see Dutch politicians as 'elitist, unreliable and dishonest.'

Around 37 per cent of likely voters said they hadn't decided who to vote for.

'I find it difficult to make a decision,' said Renee Keijzer, from the town of Volendam. 'So much has happened in the world that it is hard to position yourself properly.'
A heartbreaking video shows the moment a widow met her Army veteran husband's coffin on the airport tarmac, leaving a plane full of passengers in tears.

Green Beret Shawn Thomas, 35, an Oklahoma native and father of four who was based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, died earlier this month after a vehicle accident while serving in Niger, Africa.

His flag-draped coffin was brought back to Raleigh-Durham International Airport and the fallen warrant officer's remains will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He had two Bronze Stars and four Good Conduct Medals, as well as other decorations for the time he served abroad, according to the Army Times.

A passenger on the aircraft recorded the moment Thomas' wife, Tara, came up to her husband's coffin on the tarmac - and later said the widow had told her to share the video so viewers would understand the sacrifices made by military families.

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A heartbreaking video shared online Tuesday shows the widow of fallen Green Beret Shawn Thomas, 35, meeting his coffin at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (pictured)

The footage shows soldiers respectfully taking Thomas' coffin off of the airplane while the person recording sheds tears.

Tara, all dressed in black, can be seen through the rain-splattered window walking up to her husband's remains and placing her hands on the American flag, lowering her forehead to the coffin.

More family members then gather around her, their sorrow apparent.

'It was an honor to fly home with this PATRIOT!' Lisa West Williams, who shared the video on Facebook, wrote. 'God bless his wife and family. There was not a dry eye around me.'

The clip has now been viewed more than seven million times, with dozens of comments thanking Thomas for his service and presenting their condolences to his family.

Thomas (pictured with his wife Tara and their family), 35, was based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He died earlier this month after a vehicle accident while serving in Niger, Africa

The woman who filmed the video said Tara (pictured with her husband) had thank her for the footage and wanted her to share it so the public would know of his sacrifice

Williams told WNCT that Tara had thanked her for the footage and wanted it to be posted for others to see.

'She wanted people to realize that this goes on every day,' Williams said.

'There are many men and women that come home in a casket and they've made the ultimate sacrifice for us.'

The passenger recalled hearing someone else on the aircraft saying, as Thomas' coffin was brought out, 'Oh, another angel is coming home.'

Thomas was part of a group of soldiers deployed to central Africa to work with Nigerian soldiers against terrorism and counter Boko Haram.

The warrant officer (pictured left in uniform and right on his wedding day) had two Bronze Stars and four Good Conduct Medals. He had served in Iraq and Afghanistan seven times

A spokesman told the Army Times he couldn't give more details regarding the accident that took Thomas' life due to an ongoing investigation.

The warrant officer had become a member of the armed forces in 2000 and served seven times in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He received a Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal after his death, recognizing the work he had conducted in Niger.

An obituary for Thomas states that 'under his big beard, tattoos and giant muscles there was a small town Oklahoma boy that was grounded by his faith, strong values, and family'.

The soldier is survived by his wife, their four children, his parents, as well as his brother and half-sister.
Two years ago, Ryan Geddes took his knife and sliced open his veins hoping to end the torment from his time in Afghanistan.

But the former Australian army combat engineer's dog Yogi had other ideas and bit him on the hand so hard he dropped the knife, saving the 30-year-old's life.

'If I hadnt met Yogi, Id be dead by now, Hes saved my life a few times,' he told News Corp of his wolfhound cross and best friend.

Mr Geddes served two tours in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011 and developed post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression in 2012.

Former combat engineer Ryan Geddes (C) at the Australian War Memorial with his service dog Yogi and two other veterans with their own animal companions

He got worse over time and in one particularly frightening instance his then-girlfriend came home from work in October 2014 and found him self-harming with a huge hunting knife.

'The knife was only handed over once the police pepper sprayed Ryan in the face,' she wrote in a submission to parliament about veteran mental health services.

'This episode was triggered by the air conditioning blowing up in Ryan's car while he was driving. Essentially he was transported back to a traumatic event which occurred in Afghanistan.'

Geddes pictured as a lance corporal serving in Afghanistan in 2010

Geddes (pictured) served two tours in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011 and developed post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression in 2012

He suffered from anxiety about being in public or meeting new people, hypervigilance, night terrors, self harming, serious depressive episodes, anger control issues, lack of empathy and the inability to sleep without medication.

Mr Geddes met Yogi when he was based in Brisbane in 2010 and kept him as a pet, but in 2015 had him trained as a service dog to help him cope.

When his girlfriend left him about a year ago, he relied on his dog even more and the pooch would sleep on his bed every night until he finally got to sleep.

A soldier with a military dog in a vet hospital, the kinds of dogs used in the pilot program

Military working dogs that are often reassigned to be trained as service dogs for veterans

Yogi now accompanies him everywhere, and Mr Geddes said it made a big difference in helping him live with his illnesses.

'If my brains going to flip out with traumatic brain injury stuff where I like break down and get lost and dont know where I am, I can tell Yogi to take me outside or to the car or a safe place,' he said.

'He gives me the freedom to get out of the house and do things, he looks after me, watches my back and if Im not feeling good he picks up on it before I even do.'

Mr Geddes was unable to work since he was medically discharged in 2014, but now has a new purpose in life - training other dogs to help his comrades through veteran's advocate group Soldier On.

The charity's K9 Support Program to help reduce veteran suicides, of which there have been 300 since 2001, launched in Sydney on Saturday

The charity's K9 Support Program to help reduce veteran suicides, of which there have been 300 since 2001, launched in Sydney on Saturday.

Veterans would be shown how to train their own dogs, or those trained by people like Mr Geddes - often Labradors reassigned from Australian Border Force.

Eight veterans will take part in the pilot program that aims to expand across the country.
Australian V8 champ Jamie Whincup calls off his wedding to dancer fiancee after seven years together saying they 'have decided not to be together any more'.

Whincup and Courtney Nicholson's nuptials were called off just a week before the intimate ceremony was to take place.

The couple were originally set to wed at the end of the V8 racing season in December, but the lavish summer wedding was called off, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Australian V8 champ Jamie Whincup calls off his wedding to dancer fiancee Courtney Nicholson (pictured together) after seven years together

Whincup and Ms Nicholson's nuptials were called off just a week before the intimate ceremony was to take place

Glamorous dancer Nicholson is understood to be 'completely blindsided' by the split, now left with a wedding dress and a fully paid for ceremony and reception.

The six-time V8 Supercar champion even celebrated his bachelor the day before the wedding was called off, sources told The Daily Telegraph.

'Jamie is a very, very private person and the few people that he does confide in didn't even see this coming,' said one friend who asked not to be named.

'It was a huge shock to everyone. Particularly given they were days away from getting married.'

Whincup rarely speaks about his private life, especially in regards to Ms Nicholson, his partner since 2010.

He has confirmed the wedding to Ms Nicholson had been called off and that the decision was mutual.

'We are just two people who have decided not to be together any more and that's all I can say about it really,' Whincup told The Daily Telegraph.

'In terms of my personal life I prefer to keep that private.'

Ms Nicholson declined to comment on the split.

Glamorous dancer Nicholson is understood to be 'completely blindsided' by the split, now left with a wedding dress and a fully paid for ceremony and reception
Theresa May has agreed in principle to meet Peugeot boss Carlos Tavares to discuss PSA Group's proposals to buy General Motors' European operation, including British company Vauxhall, Downing Street said.

The PM had received a request for a meeting from Tavares, PSA Group's Chief Executive Officer, who wanted to discuss the planned acquisition, a spokesman for the French carmaker said.

'Carlos Tavares has asked to meet Theresa May,' the spokesman said. 'It's the same approach that we've engaged with the German authorities.'

The proposal could affect thousands of British workers, and the Peugeot boss is also set to hold talks with the leader of Britain's biggest union Unite to discuss the situation.

Theresa May has agreed in principle to meet Peugeot boss Carlos Tavares to discuss plans to take over the British company

Talks on a sale of GM's European arm to PSA were confirmed by both companies on Tuesday, raising concerns in London and Berlin over possible job cuts.

Germany accounts for half of GM Europe's 38,000 staff, with 4,500 in Britain where the company operates under the Vauxhall brand, with plants at Ellesmere Port and Luton.

Two sources close to PSA said on Thursday that job and plant cuts were part of the tie-up talks, with the two Vauxhall sites in Britain in the front line.

A Downing Street spokesman said: 'We can confirm we have received a meeting request. The meeting will take place, in principle, subject to diary availability.'

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey will meet Mr Tavares next week in the latest in a series of talks he has held to help avoid any job losses.

He said: 'I am pleased that Carlos Tavares has responded speedily and positively to my request for a meeting to discuss Peugeot's intentions towards our Vauxhall plants.

'I will be using this meeting to press the case for the UK's world class facilities and workforce, and ensuring that Mr Tavares and the PSA Group understand fully that Luton, Toddington and Ellesmere Port, and thousands of dedicated UK workers, deserve a strong backer and a positive future.'

Business Secretary Greg Clark is also set to attend the upcoming meeting with Theresa May, and has met with Len McCluskey twice to assure union leaders that he will remain in close contact with the companies and make a strong case for maintaining manufacturing in the UK.

Two sources close to PSA said on that job and plant cuts were part of the tie-up talks, with the two Vauxhall sites in Britain in the front line

On Friday, Mr Clark was told 'Vauxhall's brand and 'committed workforce' were highly valued, during crisis talks in Paris in a desperate bid to save British jobs threatened by the proposed takeover.

He had travelled to Paris to meet French industry minister Christophe Sirugue and board members of PSA Group, which is in talks to acquire General Motors' loss-making European operation.

PSA Group said it was engaged in a 'constructive dialogue' with all parties involved in the bid for GM's European division, which includes German-based Opel as well as Vauxhall.

A spokesman said: 'Our intention is to establish the same maturity in our exchanges in France, Germany and the UK. This is why Carlos Tavares has asked to meet Theresa May as it was done with German authorities.

'In the spirit of co-construction that is driving the PSA Group on a daily basis its own trade union representatives in France, the same approach is obviously being taken to contact the trade union organisations in Germany and the UK.'
A Fort Worth house was gutted entirely in what appeared to be a burglary just a week before it was contracted to be sold.

The house, which is located near TCU's campus, was completely stripped of all appliances, toilets, furniture, cabinets, shutters, doors, molding and even the doorbell.

Owners Lee and Leila Beckelman thought that burglars had destroyed their house and taken all the fixtures, a remarkable plight due to the thoroughness of the job. All that remained when the home was found on February 9 were walls, bathtubs, and some of the flooring, reported the Star Telegram.

Before and after: A Fort Worth house was gutted entirely in what appeared to be a burglary just a week before it was contracted to be sold

The house, which is located near TCU's campus, was completely stripped of all appliances, toilets, furniture, cabinets, shutters, doors, molding and even the doorbell

Worse, the Houston-area couple had a contract to sell the home after their son moved out of it last year.

But, as it turns out, the entire thing was a mistake.

While Forth Worth police investigated the supposed burglary, they received a phone call from a contractor who told police that the man who owned a house near to the one in question, hired the contractor to gut it, reported the Telegram.

The contractor and his crew were meant to enter the home at 2700 Forest Park Boulevard, but instead misread the address and went into 2736 Forest Park Boulevard.

All that remained when the home was found on February 9 were walls, bathtubs, and some of the flooring

'It was a huge misunderstanding,' said Fort Worth Police Department Sargent WD Paine.

The owner of number 2700 did not give the contractor keys, and instead instructed him to kick the door down to enter, which he did.

He and his crew removed nearly everything inside over three days, and when neighbors asked, they honestly said that they had been hired for the work.

Owners Lee (right) and Leila Beckelman (left) thought that burglars had destroyed their house and taken all the fixtures, a remarkable plight due to the thoroughness of the job

'We can't really file a criminal mischief charge because his intent wasn't to deprive them of the property. We're leaving it up to the contractor and victim to settle it,' Paine said to the Telegram.

Leila Beckleman said that she and her husband have spoken to the contractor, who feels bad about the incident and is willing to do whatever necessary to restore things.

Paine said that the contractor offered to restore the house or buy it for the selling price.

The home was on the market for $369,000, but the selling price has not been disclosed, according to the Telegram.

Beckleman said that the current plan is for the contractor to return everything taken and restore the house, at least.

'He is bending over backwards for us. We are grateful that he was honest and admitted the mistake and wants to reconcile,' Beckleman said.
Germany's foreign minister has called on EU members to resist the urge to punish Britain for the Brexit vote.

Sigmar Gabriel, who is the country's Vice Chancellor, told the Munich Security Conference today that he regrets Britain's decision to leave but said 'we must respect it'.

Prime Minister Theresa May plans to trigger the process of negotiating the country's departure by the end of March.

Sigmar Gabriel said EU leaders must resist the temptation to treat Britain overly harshly

Mr Gabriel said: 'We should resist the temptation to treat Britain overly harshly - not out of pity but in our own interest.

'We need Britain, for example, as a partner in security policy and I am also convinced that Britain needs us.'

He has previously spoken out against Brexit, and told the Bundestag last month that Britain's decision to quit the EU, coupled with wins for anti-European figures in upcoming elections in France and the Netherlands, could spell disaster for the union.

He said: 'If Europes enemies, after Brexit last year, are successful once again, if theyre able to achieve success in France or the Netherlands, then we are really in danger of seeing the largest civilisation project of the 20th century fall apart, namely the European Union.'

His latest comments echo statements by French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, who warned against taking revenge on Britain

His latest comments echo statements by French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, who warned against taking revenge on Britain.

She told The Telegraph: 'What is the point in punishing a country? It is senseless, unless you think the EU is a prison, and you are condemned if you escape.

'I want to rebuild our damaged relations with the United Kingdom.

'A people decides its own destiny. You cannot force a country to do something that is against its own interest, or against the democratic process.'
Midnight Oil have unveiled radical plans to stamp out ticket scalping including selling only paper tickets and capping the amount of tickets fans can buy.

The plans come just a day after the Australian rockers announced they were reforming to go out on a six month tour.

They are hoping to stop a repeat of Ed Sheeran's tour where scalpers sold $125 seat tickets for $1600.

Midnight Oil have unveiled radical plans to stamp out ticket scalping for the Australian segment of their upcoming world tour called The Great Circle

Oil's front man and former Labor MP Peter Garrett said that he was hoping that by introducing certain steps to stop 'low-life companies and individuals' from profiting, it would benefit their true fans.

'Scalping has become a monumental rip-off. It's urgent that we rein in low-life companies and individuals profiteering from music lovers by this disgusting practice,' Peter Garrett told The Herald Sun.

The original line-up of Garrett, Jim Moginie, Rob Hirst, Martin Rotsey and Bones Hillman addressed waiting media on Sydney Harbour to announce the reform.

The band said they were reforming to go out on a six month tour which will begin in South America in April before they return home for 18 gigs.

By May, they will be hitting North America for 11 dates across the country at a particularly volatile time in US politics.

The Australian rockers announced they were reforming to go on the tour on Friday

Front man and former Labor MP Peter Garrett said that by introducing certain steps to stop 'low-life companies and individuals' from profiting, it would benefit their true fans

The introduction of only selling paper tickets, limiting sales to between four and six tickets and printing the buyers name and address will be introduced for the Great Circle concerts in Australia.

The details on the ticket must also match up to those of the credit card used to purchase them and the tickets will be posted to that individual two months before the start of the tour.

The Oils' manager John Watson told the publication that this would stop people from obtaining several sets of tickets.

'It is easy for someone to have 100 email addresses and multiple credit cards but not as easy to have 100 post office boxes,' Watson said

The introduction of only selling paper tickets, limiting sales to between four and six tickets and printing the buyers name and address will be introduced for the Australian concerts

The band are also employing UK ticket reselling site Twickets so that if people who purchase tickets are unable to go they can still recoup the money they spent

The band are also employing UK ticket reselling site Twickets so that if people who purchase tickets are unable to go they can still recoup the money they spent.

Tickets will only be able to be resold for face value with the company charging the purchaser a little extra to cover admin fees and will also donate a portion to Indigenous charities.

The Australian dates, which begin in Alice Springs in October, will herald the band's first national tour since 2002.

Midnight Oil will kick off the world tour with an intimate gig in a Sydney pub in April and will return in October to play 18 dates nationally, culminating in a November 11 concert in Sydney's Domain, supported by the John Butler Trio and A.B. Original.
The true pressure felt by HSC students across Australia has been revealed as a new television series follows a group of teenagers in year 12 through their final year of school.

The program called 'My Year 12 Life' will air on the ABC and follows thirteen teenagers as they conquer their HSC, and experience all the challenges associated with sitting their final exams.

'If I don't get an ATAR of 90 plus I'm dead, my mum will honestly run me over, no joke she will,' Angela Zhang said during the show, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Angela Zhang, pictured, admitted she was stressed out for the HSC and her mum's reaction if she did not do well

The young taekwondo champion can be heard on the television series trailer explaining that 'Asian parents have the most expectations'.

'I don't want to be in year 12, it sounds like it is fun but it is really not,' she said.

The young woman also revealed she put a lot of pressure on herself during her final year of school.

'If I don't perform to my best I am going to kick myself on the inside forever knowing that I could have done better.'

Other students took a more relaxed view than Ms Zhang. Catholic prankster Ben Kenworthy was aiming for an ATAR of 96.

Catholic prankster Ben Kenworthy was aiming for an ATAR of 96 for his HSC

'That's in the top few percent,' he said.

But his trailer appeared to be full of jokes, parties and family laughter. At the end his mother revealed how proud she was of her son who was the first in his family to receive a '50' for one of his subjects.

The young man wasn't the only relaxed teenager to take part in the series.

Zoe Mallett admitted she wanted good marks but didn't want to prioritise study  despite being terrified of what the year might bring.

'Heading into year 12  basically I am sh**ting myself  I want to get a fifty in at least three subjects,' Ms Mallett told the camera.

'Ideally I would get a 50 in all of them but let's face it I am not going to lock myself in my room all year and study.'

Zoe Mallett admitted she wanted good marks but didn't want to prioritise study  despite being terrified of what the year might bring

The show was created by Laura Waters  after she watcher her own children get through the notoriously tough year.

'When my eldest went through I was really surprised at how the system works,' she said.

'The amount of pressure they are under and the belief that one number defines who they become for the rest of their lives is common to all of them.'

The students on the show were given a video camera and asked to keep a daily video diary  sharing their thoughts, hopes, and fears with the audience.

Ms Waters chose students from all over Australia to take part in the informative television series and admitted watching the video entries made her emotional because of the raw honesty.

The show will premiere on February 20 at 7.30 on ABC Me.
More than 20 festival-goers at the Electric Parade festival in Melbourne have reportedly overdosed on drugs.

Ambulance Victoria said they responded to more than 20 call-outs related to 'substance abuse,' with 17 patients hospitalised in 'serious conditions',according to Herald Sun.

Social media images show a sea of revellers letting loose at the dance-music event, which opened its door as 1pm on Saturday at Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

Revellers let loose at the Electric Parade festival, where 20 festival-goers reportedly overdosed

State Health Commander Paul Holman told the publication the festival had the most rampant drug seen in years

'This is the worst we've seen for a very long timeThere's a lot of drugs here tonight.'

He said Victoria Ambulances were feeling the strain, with patients in critical conditions rushed to The Alfred, Royal Melbourne Hospital and St Vincent's.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria for comment.

Revellers at the event, which opened its door as 1pm on Saturday at Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl

Social media was awash with festival-goers kicking back their heels at the dance-music event

The line-up boasted local and international dance acts including Ace Ventura, Alex M.O.R.P.H, Alex Stein and Day Din

'Delivering the ultimate production along with a next level line-up, this is your chance to experience amazement and bliss,' the festival website reads.

'As the sun sets, you are left dancing to the pulsating sounds of the world's greatest international DJs and Live Acts.'

The line-up boasted local and international dance acts including Ace Ventura, Alex M.O.R.P.H, Alex Stein and Day Din.
President Donald Trump is interviewing John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster for the job of national security adviser.

A White House official says both meetings will take place this weekend at the president's private club in South Florida.

Trump is scrambling to fill the vacancy left by the firing of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn last week.

The president has also expressed interest in former CIA Director David Petraeus, although the disgraced CIA chief has ruled himself out of contention.

The official was not authorized to discuss the interview process publicly and insisted on anonymity.

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President Donald Trump is interviewing John Bolton (left), the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster (right) for the job of national security adviser

David Petraeus, pictured, will not be replacing Michael Flynn as Donald Trump's next national security adviser. Petraeus, a retired general and former CIA director, expressed concern about Trump's reluctance to grant the new adviser full discretion over policy and staffing

Retired Vice Admiral Bob Harward, right, declined an offer to become the next NSA on Thursday. Harward, a senior executive at Lockheed Martin and former Navy SEAL, declined Trump's offer in part because he wanted to bring in his own team

Trump ousted Flynn on Monday in a controversy over the retired lieutenant general's contacts with Russia.

Petraeus, a retired general and former CIA director, expressed concern about Trump's reluctance to grant the new adviser full discretion over policy and staffing.

On Friday, Petraeus told the Munich Security Conference: 'Whoever it is that would agree to take that position certainly should do so with some very, very significant assurances that he or she would have authorities over the personnel of the organization.

'That there would be a commitment to a disciplined process and procedures,' the Wall Street Journal reported.

Petraeus had been considered a candidate but officials said his prerequisites for the job were not acceptable and he is no longer a candidate.

The White House wants Trump and the various agencies comprising the National Security Council to have authority in policy-making, officials told the Journal.

Petraeus held command posts in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and served as CIA director under Obama.

He resigned as CIA chief in 2012 and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified materials relating to documents he had given his biographer, with whom he had an affair.

Petraeus had been considered a candidate but officials said his prerequisites for the job were not acceptable and he is no longer a candidate. WH wants Trump and the various agencies comprising the National Security Council to have authority in policy-making, officials said

Trump traveled to South Carolina on Friday with acting NSA Keith Kellogg, a retired general who was Flynn's chief of staff. Trump said Kellogg is in contention to take on the role permanently

In an interview, Harward cited family and financial issues as his reasons for not taking the job

Meanwhile, Trump traveled to South Carolina on Friday with acting NSA Keith Kellogg, a retired general who was Flynn's chief of staff.

Trump tweeted on Friday morning: 'General Keith Kellogg, who I have known for a long time, is very much in play for NSAas are three others.'

Former U.S. National Security Agency head Keith Alexander was also thought to be under consideration.

Three others also thought to be in contention were former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, who holds a senior post with the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and former Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno.

Retired Vice Admiral Bob Harward declined an offer to become the next NSA on Thursday.

Harward, a senior executive at Lockheed Martin and former Navy SEAL, declined Trump's offer in part because he wanted to bring in his own team, according to two sources familiar with Harward's decision.

The White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, told Fox News on Friday that Harward's family 'didn't sign off' on him taking the job.

'That's all it is,' Priebus said.

In an interview, Harward cited family and financial issues as his reasons for not taking the job.

Others thought to be in contention were former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, right, who holds a senior post with the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and former Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno, left

Former U.S. National Security Agency head amd current IronNet Cybersecurity Inc CEO Keith Alexander was also thought to be under consideration

Trump may meet with candidates for the post during his weekend visit to Florida, a White House official told reporters.

An official told the Journal that Flynn's eventual successor may need to accept heading Flynn's staff instead of hiring their own.

The source said: 'If you make that a precondition, you are not a loyal soldier and you don't deserve the job.'

Richard Haass, who held senior White House and State Department posts under Republican presidents and now heads the Council on Foreign Relations, said on Twitter the new national security adviser should insist on the right to choose staff members and have unlimited access to the president.

Haass, who Trump considered for a job in his administration, also called for rescinding a directive from the president that gave Trump's chief White House strategist, Steve Bannon, a seat on the National Security Council, a move condemned by Democrats.

He said: 'New NSA should insist on right to choose staff, unlimited access to potus, rescinding directive giving chief WH strategist seat at NSC table.'

Trump's administration has been dealing with the fallout from Flynn's departure for much of the week.

Flynn, a close adviser to Trump during his presidential campaign last year, was seen by Moscow as a leading advocate of friendlier ties with Russia.

Trump said on Thursday he fired Flynn because he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador to the United States, before Trump took office, about sanctions imposed by Obama's administration.

Trump has defended Flynn's actual contact with the ambassador, saying what he did 'wasn't wrong.'
A teenager with no terrorist links threatened to behead police officers at a juvenile detention facility that houses two Islamic extremists.

The 16-year-old was interviewed by police after he spat on a prison guard, refused to go back to his cell and then attacked a guard on Monday.

When officers arrived the next day to talk about it he threatened to behead them and later allegedly kicked to door to his cell and hit a guard in the head, giving him a wound needing six stitches.

A teenager with no terrorist links threatened to behead police officers at a juvenile detention facility that houses two Islamic extremists (one pictured)

Prison guards are worried inmates are being radicalised by extremist detainees and want high risk ones isolated from the general prison population in Supermax-style centres

Prison guards told the Sunday Telegraph they feared young offenders like him were being radicalised by terror suspects imprisoned alongside them.

The boy was held in Cobham Juvenile Correctional Centre, in Western Sydney - the same facility housing two boys arrested in October for planning a terrorist attack.

Prison staff want Supermax-style prisons for high-risk juveniles, similar to adult prisons that separate the most dangerous criminals from the rest.

Public Service Association general secretary Stewart Little said young terror suspects like the two 16-year-olds were escorted to court by heavily armed police.

They feared young offenders like him were being radicalised by terror suspects imprisoned alongside them, like the pair arrested in October (pictured) charged with planning an attack

They were filmed on CCTV exchanging bags before walking into a gun shop where they allegedly bought M9 Bayonet hunting knives to carry out their attack

'Yet when they go back into the juvenile facility they're back in the general population. If they're dangerous enough to need police escorts, they're dangerous enough to provide a specialised facility,' he told the newspaper.

'There are at least four detainees charged with terror offences, but on top of that you've also got numerous other high-risk detainees with a history of violence and it is impossible to manage in the general population.'

NSW Corrections Minister David Elliott said Cobham had the 'appropriate facilities' for high-risk prisoners.

Counter-terrorism police detained the 16-year-old extremists in Bankstown as they were about to say their final prayers before allegedly going to behead someone.

Counter-terrorism police detained the 16-year-old extremists in Bankstown as they were about to say their final prayers before allegedly going to behead someone

One allegedly had a handwritten note pledging allegiance to ISIS in his pocket and one told his mother he intended to do 'something bigger' than the murder of Curtis Cheng

They were filmed on CCTV exchanging bags before walking into a gun shop where they allegedly bought M9 Bayonet hunting knives to carry out their attack.

One allegedly had a handwritten note pledging allegiance to ISIS in his pocket and one told his mother he intended to do 'something bigger' than the murder of Curtis Cheng.

One was photographed aged 12 holding a sign reading 'behead all those who insult the Prophet' at a protest in Hyde Park in 2012, and the other was kicked out of Egypt last year after he tried to join a terrorist organisation.
A 13-year-old boy has confessed to shooting his own great-grandmother, and displays a chilling lack of remorse for the crime, police say.

The boy was arrested on Thursday with two accomplices, including 19-year-old Erick James Toomer, in Mobile County, Alabama.

'We can affirmatively say that he pulled the trigger,' Mobile County Sheriff's Office Captain Paul Burch said, referring to the great-grandson, in an interview with AL.com.

Great-grandmother Mary Williams Faulk, 68, was found shot dead in her Semmes, Alabama home on Thursday afternoon.

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Great-grandmother Mary Williams Faulk (left) was found shot dead in her home on Thursday. Three were charged in her murder, including her great-grandson, 13, and 19-year-old Erick James Toomer (shown right in police mugshot)

19-year-old Toomer (pictured) was the only adult of the three charged in Faulk's murder

Crime scene: Cops found Mary Faulk shot dead in her Semmes, Alabama home Thursday

Her car, a 2011 Toyota Corolla, was missing and presumed stolen, and local police were put on alert.

A sheriff's deputy spotted the slain woman's car later that day, on a dirt road in a wooded area about 20 miles from Faulk's home.

Toomer, the great-grandson, and another boy, 15, fled into the woods on foot when the deputy approached.

Cops set up a perimeter and swept through the woods, arresting the three.

Cops found Faulk's stolen car in a wooded area about 20 miles from her home later Thursday

All three confessed in the murder, with the great-grandson admitting to pulling the trigger in Faulk's brutal slaying, cops said.

Captain Burch was stunned at the 13-year-old's coldness about the crime.

'My conversation with him showed a very evil person, and in 28 years I have not seen someone like that,' Burch said. 'He was not remorseful in the least.'

'The other teens were a little more remorseful, but he [the 13-year-old] showed absolutely nothing,' said Burch.

Neighbors were shocked at the violence against the great-grandmother, whom they described as a loving family woman who walked her great-grandkids to the bus stop every morning

Toomer, the 19-year-old (pictured in court) was charged with second-degree possession of marijuana and as an accomplice after the fact to murder

Neighbors were shocked at the violence against the great-grandmother, whom they described as a loving family woman.

'She would walk them to and from the school bus stop every day, rain or shine,' one neighbor told Fox 10.

Because Alabama law requires defendants to be 14 to be tried as an adult, the great-grandson does not face adult charges, and can be sentenced to a maximum of three years in juvenile detention, prosecutors said.

Toomer, the 19-year-old, was charged with second-degree possession of marijuana and as an accomplice after the fact to murder.

He is held on a $25,000 bond.

Both juveniles were charged with murder and are being held in the Strickland Youth Center.
The wind of an F-15: Trump's tie blows in the wind as he exits Air Force One arriving in West Palm Beach on Friday. Two F-15s terrified residents as they rushed to intercept an unresponsive aircraft near Mar-a-Lago

A 'sonic boom' was heard in parts of South Florida on Friday as two F-15s raced to intercept an unresponsive aircraft near Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach.

The two fighter jets were able to contact the general aviation aircraft, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said.

A statement reported by Fox News read: 'The intent of military intercepts is to have the identified aircraft re-establish communications with local FAA air traffic controllers and instruct the pilot to follow air traffic controllers' instructions to land safely for follow-in action.'

This follows another incident two weeks ago in which a private plane flew within two miles of Trump's aircraft on February 3.

And what is believed to be a rock was thrown at Trump's motorcade Friday afternoon, most likely as he was getting transported to Mar-a-Lago.

A law enforcement official told ABC: 'The presidential limo was not hit by the object, apparently a rock.'

The Secret Service is investigating the incident.

This follows another incident two weeks ago in which a private plane flew within two miles of Trump's aircraft on February 3. Pictured: Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, where Donald Trump has spent the past three weekends

What is believed to be a rock was thrown at Trump's motorcade Friday afternoon, most likely as he was getting transported to Mar-a-Lago. And a 'sonic boom' could be heard in parts of South Florida as the two fighter jets were able to contact the general aviation aircraft

A spokesperson said: 'The Secret Service can confirm that an object appears to have been thrown at the motorcade this afternoon.

'We are investigating at this time and don't have anything further,' The Hill reported.

Trump has spent the past three weekends at his Mar-a-Lago estate, which he referred to as the 'Southern White House' in a Saturday morning tweet.

He wrote: 'Will be having many meetings this weekend at The Southern White House.

'Big 5.00pm speech in Melbourne, Florida. A lot to talk about!'

It is thought that he may be meeting with candidates to select a new National Security Adviser to replace the disgraced Michael Flynn, who was fired on Monday.
A Honolulu couple says that a babysitter has managed to evade justice for serious injuries she allegedly inflicted on their infant son over two years ago because she is married to a police officer.

Chelsea Valiente and her husband, Rey, say that police failed to adequately investigate the babysitter who was watching their son, Peyton, according to HawaiiNewsNow.

Peyton suffered a head injury while under the care of the babysitter.

On January 9, 2015, Peyton was rushed to a Honolulu hospital after a number of seizures rendered his legs and arms stiff, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.

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A Honolulu couple says that a babysitter has managed to evade justice for serious injuries she allegedly inflicted on their infant son, Peyton Valiente (above), over two years ago because she is married to a police officer

Peyton suffered a mysterious head injury while under the care of the babysitter

A CT scan showed a dangerous buildup of blood in the brain, which had shifted 1.3 centimeters from its normal center line. It was the kind of injury that could only be caused either by shaking or a severe blow to the head.

Today, Peyton is said to be doing better, though his family thinks he suffered permanent brain damage.

He occasionally suffers from seizures, his parents said.

While Peyton was under the care of his babysitter, his mother received a phone call.

'Your son is having a hard time waking up and he had thrown up a few times prior,' Chelsea says the babysitter told her on the phone over two years ago.

Peyton, who was unresponsive, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors noticed that he had bleeding on his brain and bruises on his body.

Video courtesy of Hawaii News Now

'He's my only boy,' Rey Valiente said. 'It's so hard to accept that somebody would do this to him. I was shaking.'

'I couldn't think. I couldn't move. As soon as I got there, I was speechless. I kept telling him, 'Peyton! Wake up! Wake up son! Don't leave!' He wouldn't respond.'

Today, he is said to be doing better, though his family thinks he suffered permanent brain damage. He occasionally suffers from seizures, his parents said

In the two years since the incident, no charges have been filed in the case. The Valientes - Rey (left) and his wife Chelsea (right) believe that the police were negligent in investigating the matter because the babysitter is married to a Honolulu police officer

In the two years since the incident, no charges have been filed in the case.

The Valientes believe that the police were negligent in investigating the matter because the babysitter is married to a Honolulu police officer.

They say that police made numerous errors during the investigation.

On one occasion, they said that the detective who handled the case and improperly spoken on the telephone to the babysitter and her husband.

'Her husband came on the phone and started talking to the detective and how I knew that was because he made mention to reassure his wife that she had nothing to worry about and this was all protocol,' Chelsea Valiente said.

'There's no question my son was abused during the time he was there at the babysitter and we want someone to be held accountable,' Chelsea Valiente (seen above with her son) said

On Wednesday, the Honolulu Police Commission, a regulatory board that oversees the police department, has instructed investigators to re-examine the case

'There's no question my son was abused during the time he was there at the babysitter and we want someone to be held accountable,' she said.

'It's been two years and we thought that we would get a fair shot at a proper investigation regardless whether her husband is a HPD officer, we really trusted the system.'

On Wednesday, the Honolulu Police Commission, a regulatory board that oversees the police department, has instructed investigators to re-examine the case.

We've requested the chief to take another look at it and do an audit and see and he has said he would do that. And I've asked him to report to us at our next meeting in two weeks,' said Honolulu Police Commission Chairman Max Sword.
John Brydon, 48, got angry currency changes were affecting customer sales and laid into a man dropping off gas cylinders in Brentwood

A tropical fish trader assaulted a delivery driver after getting frustrated about the after-effects of Brexit, a court heard.

John Brydon, 48, got angry currency changes were affecting customer sales and laid into a man dropping off gas cylinders in Brentwood, Essex.

After asking victim Andrew Hunt to move his 'f****** truck', Brydon then pushed him to the ground, causing him to cut open his head.

CCTV footage later showed Brydon walking away from the scene, running his hands through his hair and asking for people to help.

Basildon Crown Court heard how the incident unfolded on January 12.

Brydon had pulled up outside his tropical fish shop, H20 Aquatics, to unload boxes of stock.

He had ten minutes to park in accordance with his agreement with the council but as he did so, Mr Hunt turned up to drop off gas cylinders at a neighbouring night club.

Another vehicle had also pulled up behind Brydon, blocking him in.

The disagreement then broke out between the two men, resulting in Mr Hunt suffering a two-and-a-half inch cut to the head which needed 11 stitches.

Brydon pleaded guilty to causing assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) on Monday.

After asking victim Andrew Hunt to move his 'f****** truck', (pictured) Brydon then pushed him to the ground, causing him to cut open his head

Defence barrister Janick Fielding said his client was a hard-working man, but was feeling the effects of Brexit.

He said: 'The defendant is someone who works very hard, does long hours and is very dedicated to his business.

'He found himself inconvenienced by the lorry. There is no dispute that the two men spoke to each other in a gruff and unpleasant manner.

'In hindsight, he should have not reacted to it but one could not have foreseen the injury from that action.

'He was clearly shaken by what happened, his first reaction was to go to offer help. He is very remorseful. It's not something he would normally do.'

Mr Fielding also spoke of the long hours Brydon spent driving, including an hourly commute to work and a weekly trip to the Netherlands to buy supplies.

Brydon, of Brentwood, was ordered to pay compensation of 300 and 500 in costs

He was allowed to walk free from court after being given a three-month custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months

Sentencing him, Judge David Pugh said: 'You did not intend to cause him any injury, but this was a nasty laceration.

'Although you have previous convictions for violence, none of them are recent and your remorse was genuine.'

Brydon, of Brentwood, Essex, was ordered to pay compensation of 300 and 500 in costs.
A Buckingham Palace intruder who climbed the perimeter fence around the Queen's Residence has been charged with trespass.

Police saw William Hayes-Collins, 24, climbing the fence on CCTV at 4am in August.

They swooped in and caught him as soon as his feet touched the ground on the other side.

A Buckingham Palace intruder who climbed the perimeter fence around the Queen's Residence has been charged with trespass

Hayes-Collins was arrested and charged but police have refused to reveal the exact location he breached the fence.

He did not gain access to the palace and officials confirmed that no members of the Royal Family were in residence during the incident.

Hayes-Collins, from Croydon, south London, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court next month charged with trespass on a protected site.

A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: 'William Hayes-Collins, 24, of Wickham Avenue, Croydon, was charged on Friday, 3 February with trespass on a protected site, namely Buckingham Palace, contrary to sections 128 to 131 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.

Police saw William Hayes-Collins, 24, climbing the fence on CCTV at 4am in August

'He climbed over a security fence at Buckingham Palace, police were monitoring CCTV, he was arrested within a security perimeter.

'They watched him go over and as soon as he was over they had him.'
Pope Francis said 'no religion is terrorist' in a welcome letter read aloud at a meeting of grassroots political movements in California

Pope Francis said 'no religion is terrorist' in a welcome letter read aloud at a meeting of grassroots political movements in California.

The gathering of Catholic clergy and activists comes as the world grapples with the impact of President Donald Trump's attempts to change US immigration policy.

The pontiff said: 'Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist.'

Pope Francis insisted in the letter to the conference in Modesto that there are 'violent individuals in all peoples and religions'.

And he said 'intolerant generalisations' would only make these people stronger because because they feed on hate and xenophobia.

'Do not classify others in order to see who is a neighbor and who is not,' the pope said.

'You can become neighbor to whomever you meet in need, and you will do so if you have compassion in your heart.'

Despite insisting he was talking about 'anyone in particular', his speech is likely to be interpreted as a critique of President Trump's immigration policy.

The gathering comes as the world grapples with the impact of President Trump's attempts to change immigration policy. Pictured: A man speaking at a panel on racism

Pope Francis also hit out at the 'denial' of climate change, saying: 'Time is running out. Let us act'.

He said: 'I ask all of you, people of all backgrounds including native people, pastors, political leadersto defend Creation.'

The gathering of more than 600 clergy and social justice activists also included a session on racism.

Speakers encouraged religious people and institutions, including the Roman Catholic Church, to confront their own racism.

The pontiff - pictured on February 15 meeting indigenous people at the Vatican - said: 'Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist'

Bishop Shelton Fabre of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana said the church has whispered at times when 'the church should have spoken boldly.'

Likewise, Andrea Cristina Mercado of the National Domestic Worker Alliance called on the church to do more.

'We need the church to speak clearly,' she said, to rousing cheers from the audience. 'Be bold. Take bold action. Offer sanctuary at Catholic churches.'
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A series of photos appear to show drug cartel members preparing to fight in the absence of their recently arrested leader, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.

The pictures, published Monday by Mexican website Blog Del Narco, which often breaks cartel-related news, show people brandishing machine guns and setting them up inside vehicles. The author published them next to an account of the ongoing 'war' in Sinaloa, home to the cartel once led by Guzman.

Since Mexico's top drug kingpin was extradited, gunfights in broad daylight have rocked Sinaloa in a power struggle that is a reminder of how hard it is to crush the country's drug cartels.

The release of the photos comes after nine people died before the weekend in the border city of Reynosa in shootouts between gunmen and authorities.

A series of photos (one of which is pictured) published on Mexican website Blog Del Narco appear to show drug cartel members preparing to fight in the absence of their recently arrested leader, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman

The pictures, published Monday on the website, show people brandishing machine guns and setting them up inside vehicles

The image's release comes as broad daylight gunfights have rocked Sinaloa in a power struggle after El Chapo's extradition

Two confrontations occurred Friday in Reynosa, killing respectively two and three suspected cartel members as well as their taxi driver, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

Three other people died late the previous day during other confrontations, Tamaulipas state officials said. Reynosa is located in the state.

Guzman is currently being held at a maximum security prison in New York, where he is awaiting trial after his extradition to the United States last month.

When leaders such as Guzman are taken out, others replace them or the cartels splinter. Either way, the flow of drugs to lucrative US markets is rarely interrupted for long.

As boss of the Sinaloa cartel, Guzman escaped from prison twice before Mexico's navy arrested him last year after a chase through city sewers.

In his absence, violence has flared. The Sinaloans, long the world's largest drug gang with a footprint across most of the US, appear to be facing both an internal power struggle and challenges from upstart rivals.

Last month, there were 116 homicides in Sinaloa, 50 per cent more than the same month in 2016, an official at the state attorney general's office told Reuters.

The author published the pictures next to an account of the ongoing 'war' in Sinaloa, home to the cartel once led by Guzman

The Sinaloans, long the world's largest drug gang with a footprint across most of the US, appear to be facing both an internal power struggle and challenges from upstart rivals

Guzman (pictured) is currently being held at a maximum security prison in New York, where he is awaiting trial after his extradition to the United States last month

Shootouts in the state capital Culiacan resulted in 12 deaths over three days over last week alone, the office said in a statement. The state education ministry suspended classes in 148 schools on Wednesday last week, citing security issues.

A video obtained by Reuters from a Federal Police official showed a pick-up truck fitted with a mounted machine gun circling a gas station during a two-minute exchange of gunfire.

The official said the footage was taken in Culiacan. Reuters could not independently verify that. Earlier, a Mexican marine and five other people were killed in clashes with a drug gang's armed convoy that was roaming the city.

Tomas Guevara, who studies crime at Sinaloa State University, attributed the outburst of violence to the breakdown of an alliance between factions, with Guzman's sons Alfredo and Ivan Archivaldo on one side and another leader, Damaso 'El Licenciado' Lopez, on the other.

Scott Stewart, vice president of tactical analysis at security consultancy Stratfor, said Chapo was out of touch now he was in a US jail.

'That seems to have emboldened "El Licenciado",' Stewart said.

After Guzman was extradited the night before Donald Trump's inauguration, former and current US Drug Enforcement Administration officials told Reuters they expected an imminent move on Chapo's sons by their rivals. A letter this week to a top Mexican journalist claimed they were injured in the latest violence.
Blink sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was sentenced to life in prison for plotting the deadly 1993 World Trade Center attacks, has died in prison, authorities have said.

Abdel-Rahman, 78, died of natural causes at 9:40 am at the Federal Medical Center, Butner, part of a federal prison compound in Butner, North Carolina, according to Greg Norton, a spokesman.

The Egyptian cleric was one of six suspects convicted of participating in the 1993 bombing, which left six people dead and more than 1,000 injured.

He also plotted attacks on other landmarks in New York City, including the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, the United Nations headquarters and the George Washington Bridge.

Blink sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman (pictured), who was sentenced to life in prison for plotting the deadly 1993 World Trade Center attacks, has died in prison, authorities have said

The cleric, who had diabetes and coronary artery disease, had been incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner, for nearly 10 years, Norton said.

Earlier, the cleric's son Ammar told Reuters his family had received a phone call in Eygpt from a US representative saying his father had died.

'We have contacted the American and Egyptian authorities to repatriate' his body, his son Mohamed Omar told AFP.

With his long gray beard, sunglasses and red and white clerical cap, the charismatic Abdel-Rahman was the face of radical Islam in the 1980s and 1990s. He preached a fiery brand of Islam that called for the death of people and governments he disapproved of and the installation of an Islamic government in Egypt. His following was tied to fundamentalist killings and bomb attacks around the world.

Abdel-Rahman, who led the militant Al-Gamaa al-Islamiya group in Egypt before immigrating to the United States, had become a cause celebre for jihadists and Islamists who demanded the blind and ailing militant's freedom.

He was born in a village along the Nile on May 3, 1938 and lost his eyesight due to childhood diabetes and grew up studying a Braille version of the Koran.

As an adult he became associated with the fundamentalist Islamic Group and was imprisoned and accused of issuing a fatwa leading to the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, against whom he had railed for years. The sheikh said he was hung upside-down from the ceiling, beaten with sticks and given electric shocks while held but he was eventually acquitted and went into self-imposed exile in 1990.

During the 1993 attack (pictured), perpetrators placed a 1,200-pound bomb in a rental Ryder van that was parked in an underground garage beneath the World Trade Center

Brian Rolford is pictured in 1993 outside the World Trade Center after walking down from the 105th floor after a bomb exploded in a parking garage below the complex

He managed to get to New York after the US Embassy in Sudan granted him a tourist visa in 1990 - despite the fact that he was on the State Department's list of people with ties to terror groups.

US authorities blamed a computer error for the visa, but the mistake was compounded in 1991 when Abdel-Rahman was given a green card and permanent U.S. resident status. The New York Times reported the CIA had approved the visa application for Abdel-Rahman, who had supported the anti-Soviet mujahedin in Afghanistan during the 1980s.

Abdel-Rahman preached his radical message and lived in the New York City borough of Brooklyn and nearby Jersey City, New Jersey, building a strong following among fundamentalist Muslims. Even in exile, he remained a force in the Middle East, where followers listened to cassette tapes and radio broadcasts of his sermons decrying the Egyptian government and Israel.

While in the United States Abdel-Rahman and his disciples would be linked to the 1990 slaying in New York of militant Rabbi Meir Kahane, the 1992 killing of an anti-fundamentalist writer in Egypt and attacks on foreign tourists in Egypt.

US authorities took action in 1992 by revoking Abdel-Rahman's green card on the grounds that he had lied about a bad check charge in Egypt and about having two wives when he entered the country.

Six people died and more than 1,000 were injured in the bombing, which caused the ceiling of the PATH station to collapse. Pictured, a soot-covered man is being led away by rescuers

He was facing the possibility of deportation when a truck bomb went off in the basement parking garage of the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 in an attack that made Americans realize that they were not immune to international terrorism.

The blow destroyed the ceiling of the location's PATH station, causing it to collapse. About 50,000 had to be evacuated from the complex.

Four months later Abdel-Rahman was arrested and went on trial with several followers in 1995, accused of plotting a day of terror for the United States - assassinations and synchronized bombings of the UN headquarters, a major federal government facility in Manhattan and the tunnels and bridge linking New York City and New Jersey.

The indictment said Abdel-Rahman and his followers planned to 'levy a war of urban terrorism against the United States' as part of a jihad - or holy war - to stop U.S. support for Israel and change its overall Middle East policy.

The defendants were not directly charged with the 1993 World Trade Center attack but were convicted of conspiring with those who did carry out the bombing.

Abdel-Rahman's convictions also included plotting to kill Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a visit to the United States in 1993, a Jewish New York state legislator and a Jewish New York State Supreme Court justice.

Much of the case against Abdel-Rahman and his followers was based on video and audio recordings made with the help of a bodyguard for the sheikh who became an FBI informant. A video also showed four defendants mixing fertilizer and diesel fuel for bombs.

He did not testify at his trial but at a sentencing hearing Abdel-Rahman gave a passionate speech of more than 90 minutes through a translator, proclaiming his innocence and denouncing the United States as an enemy of his faith.

'I have not committed any crime except telling people about Islam,' he said.

A police officer is pictured guarding the entrance to the Vista Hotel parking garage the day after the deadly 1993 attack. Abdel-Rahman was arrested four months later

In his long declaration, he launched into a declaration of war as he was ordered to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

'The prosecution wants that we should kneel and be subservient to America and obey America, but we do not kneel to anyone, except to God,' he said according to a New York Daily News story published at the time.

'America will go and be withered and this civilization will be destroyed. Nothing will remain. We will not kneel.'

Judge Michael Mukasey, who handed Rahman his sentence, said the additional attacks plotted by the cleric would have made the World Trade Center bombing look minor.

'You were convicted of ordering others to perform acts which, if accomplished, would have resulted in the murder of hundreds if not thousands of people and brought about devastation on a scale that beggars the imagination, certainly on a scale that is unknown in this country since the Civil War, if ever,' Mukasey said.

Abdel-Rahman was still an important figure in radical Islam even after years in prison.

A year before his al Qaeda followers pulled off the most destructive assault on US soil, the September 11, 2001, attacks, Osama bin Laden had pledged a jihad to free Abdel-Rahman from prison.

When Mohammed Mursi, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, began his short-lived presidency of Egypt in 2012, he said winning the sheikh's freedom would be a priority and the jihadists who attacked an Algerian oilfield and took hostages in 2013 also demanded his release.

In 2006 one of Abdel-Rahman's lawyers, Lynne F. Stewart, was sentenced to 28 months in prison for helping smuggle messages from the cleric to his followers in Egypt.
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Monday will be Britain's hottest February 20th for 160 years with temperatures set to reach 16C.

Temperatures in the UK will be hotter than Greece, Dubai and Saudi Arabia thanks to a 'blast of hot air from the Caribbean', bringing weather fit for a barbecue.

It comes after many enjoyed unseasonably warm temperatures during the week - with people even seen sunbathing in Britain's parks.

After last week's bitingly cold temperatures, spring looks to be well on its way with balmy highs of 16C by Monday due to a southwesterly airflow.

Life's a beach: Monday will be Britain's hottest February 20th for 160 years with temperatures set to reach 16C. Pictured: Brighton pier

Relaxed: Sunbathers on the beach in Brighton. Temperatures in the UK will be hotter than Greece, Dubai and Saudi Arabia thanks to a 'blast of hot air from the Caribbean'

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Warm blast: This Met Office graphic shows how the UK will enjoy a hot blast of air that is coming to us from the Atlantic

This three-day weather forecast shows the weather will be mild but not necessarily sunny, with clouds expected in the west

Ice cream: People queue for a tasty snack on South Bank, London as temperatures rises ahead of next week's blast of hot air from the Atlantic

Met Office meteorologist Emma Stone said Monday should be the warmest February day since February 23, 2012, when it reached 18.7C in northern Wales.

She told MailOnline: 'The UK is currently underneath the jet stream meaning we're on the warm side of a blast of air from the Caribbean giving us milder conditions.

'We're expecting most places to experience double digit conditions over this weekend, rising over the next day or two.

'The mild weather will continue next week with frosts at night very unlikely - but it won't necessarily be sunny with some cloud and drizzle forecast.'

The cloud of hot air is making its way over the Atlantic Ocean from Florida and parts of the Caribbean, and is expected to reach the British Isles over the weekend, the Met Office said.

Relaxing: A couple enjoy the sunshine on the beach in Brighton, East Sussex as temperatures are set to reach 16C on Monday

Two 99s please: A couple enjoy the sunshine on the beach in Brighton, East Sussex - but they keep a reasonable number of layers on proving it's not quite summer yet

Aberdeen, Wattisham and London are all tipped as likely locations for the highest temperatures, with the east of the country broadly enjoying the best of the warmth.

The rise could make the UK among the hottest locations in Europe, following bouts of snow and freezing temperatures that took hold earlier this month.

Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh will be 13C on Monday - three degrees less than Britain.

The hottest recorded day in February was in 1998, when thermometers reached 19.7C.

Chilling out: One woman enjoys the mild temperatures along the South Bank with a few drinks and sit down in a deck chair

The city in the sun: This image shows the London Eye and Houses of Parliament under hazy sunshine on Saturday

A couple in London take a moment to snap a selfie during the unseasonably warm weather in the capital on Saturday

The break of dawn: South Shields lighthouse on the north east coast of England as the sun rises above the horizon of the North Sea
Comedian Larry Wilmore remained composed through his anger as he told Milo Yiannopoulos 'go f*** yourself,' in response to comments made by the controversial conservative figure about the comedian's intelligence.

Yiannopoulos went on a five-minute rant against transgender people, saying that he did not want them in the bathroom with little girls, on Bill Maher's 'Overtime' on Friday night.

When the conversation got heated, Yiannopoulos criticized the rest of the panel, saying that Maher 'needs to start inviting higher IQ guests' onto the show.

In response to his calling dedicated counter terrorism official Malcom Nance and former Georgia representative Jack Kingston on the show's panel 'stupid' Wilmore couldn't hold himself back.

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Friday night's 'Overtime' with Bill Maher featured right-wing Breitbart columnist Milo Yiannopoulos (far right), former Georgia representative Jack Kingston (center), comedian Larry Wilmore (center left), and counter terrorism official Malcom Nance (far left)

L-R: Malcom Nance, Larry Wilmore, Jack Kingston. Wilmore remained composed through his anger as he told Milo Yiannopoulos 'go f*** yourself,' in response to comments made by the right-wing figure about the rest of the panel's intelligence

'If your argument is that these people are stupid you didn't hear a word this man said earlier in this segment because he can talk circles around your pathetic, douchey little a**,' Wilmore said to roars from the audience.

Yiannopoulos has been lauded by the alt-right movement as a face to their campaign.

Wilmore's outburst comes a few weeks after Yiannopoulos had to cancel a speaking event at the University of California-Berkeley because his presence sparked violent protests on campus.

The protests were enough to catch the President's attention, and Trump defended Yiannopoulos as a proponent of 'free speech'.

Milo Yiannopoulos is a staunch Trump supporter, and has been accused of peddling racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia. His following began on Breitbart while current White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was still in charge

Trump also threatened to cut federal funds to Berkeley unless it stopped perpetuating violence on 'innocent people'.

Yiannopoulos is a staunch Trump supporter, and has been accused of peddling racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia.

His following began on Breitbart while current White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was still in charge.

Earlier in the night, speaking to Maher, Yiannopoulos said: 'All I care about is free speech and free expression,' before criticizing democrats in America, saying that they 'take the bait' too easily

Wilmore (left) mentioned comments made about 'Ghostbusters' actress Leslie Jones on Friday night, telling the Breitbart editor: 'And one last thing, Leslie Jones is not "barely literate." Go f*** yourself again for that one'

Earlier in the night, speaking to Maher, Yiannopoulos said: 'All I care about is free speech and free expression,' before criticizing democrats in America, saying that they 'take the bait' too easily.

However, he has been criticized by many on both sides of the spectrum for comments that he made against 'Ghostbusters' and 'Saturday Night Live' star Leslie Jones.

Yiannopoulos viciously attacked the actress's performance in 'Ghostbusters' and has referred to her as 'illiterate'.

Wilmore mentioned it on Friday night, telling the Breitbart editor: 'And one last thing, Leslie Jones is not "barely literate." Go f*** yourself again for that one.'
Chilling diary entries have revealed details of the murder of a woman who was choked to death by a fellow airman at the Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

Timothy Wilsey, 20, has been accused of killing Rhianda Dillard, 20, last year by strangling her to death as the two sat on a bed watching a television show.

Prosecutors say he then stole a pack of Oreo cookies as he left her dead in her room.

Attorneys at a military courtroom on Thursday read the details of the slaying as they were written in the journal that has been used to link Wilsey to her death, the Omaha World Herald reported.

Timothy Wilsey, 20, has been charged with the murder of Rhianda Dillard, 20, from Mississippi, after journal entries detailing her cold murder, were found among his belongings

According to the journal, the two were sitting on a dorm room bed watching a television show on a laptop on a Friday afternoon in late July.

As they sat side by side, he allegedly counted down three different times in his head, until he had worked up the nerve to kill her.

After counting down a third time, he finally slipped his arm around the woman's shoulder, putting her in chokehold.

He then switched arms and sat on her, choking her until she died, prosecutors say.

Wilsey left the woman dead in her bed and took a pack of Oreos before leaving the room. The 20-year-old airman disappeared after the murder, but was arrested 11 days later in Emporia, Virginia.

Dillard's cause of death was from compression of the neck.

The journal was among Wilsey's belongings when he was found, the Omaha World Herald said.

Dillard had been at the Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska for less than five months when she was killed

Rhianda's mother, Elizabeth Dillard, said her daughter had turned down college scholarships to join the air force after she graduated high school

He allegedly picked Dillard as his victim because she had few ties to people at the Offutt base. She was found dead on her bed on August 1, two days after she was last seen.

Dillard, who was from Biloxi, Mississippi, had only been at the Air Force base for less five months.

The victim's mother Elizabeth Dillard said her daughter had turned down college scholarships to join the military after graduating high school.

Wilsey was charged with premeditated murder and desertion under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

An agent from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations said analysis of the handwriting matched Wilsey's and descriptions of the woman in the journal matched Dillard's clothes, occupation, and appearance at the time of her death.

Timothy Wilsey, 20, reportedly killed his fellow airman by strangling her as the two watched a television show in her room

A package of Oreo cookies was also found in his dorm room.

The writer also described locations in the entries that matched Wilsey's GPS, the agent said.

The special agent also testified against Wilsey detailing conversations that the accused killer had with his friends, including a text message.

Wilsey allegedly sent his friends Snapchats and texts to his friends while he was away.

In a text message to another airman, Wilsey wrote Dillards hall name and room number along with the words 'My bad.'

The friend said he was confused by the message, but soon made the chilling discovery when he went over to the dorm and saw Dillard's room blocked off by investigation tape.

Rhianda Dillard, pictured in 2015. The 20-year-old was found dead in her bed on August 1st

Wilsey had been a member of the 5th Intelligence Support Squadron and sat in a uniform unshackled during the hearing, but did not speak, reports said.

The defense argued that the airman was not mentally competent at the time of the murder. According to Wilsey's representatives, his DNA was not found on Dillard's body.

The relationship between Wilsey and Dillard was not specified during the case hearing. The victim's mother told the Omaha Herald that her daughter had never mentioned Wilsey before, and she 'did not date' so she does not believe there was a romantic link.

Mrs Dillard was told Wilsey was last seen with Rhianda going to her dorm room on Friday afternoon on July 29th.

'He went about that like she was nothing,' Elizabeth Dillard said.


A 20-foot sinkhole opened up in Studio City in Los Angeles swallowing up two cars and leaving one driver stranded inside after powerful storms hit southern California on Friday.

LAFD arrived at the scene off Laurel Canyon Boulevard and found a 48-year-old woman in the hole full of rushing water, standing on top of her upside down car.

The driver was brought to safety after firefighters lowered a 20ft extension ladder allowing her to climb out. She was then taken to hospital and is said to be in fair condition, LAFD said.

LAFD said the first car dropped into the hole full of rushing water after the driver felt it pitch

One of the drivers was left stranded ontop of her car and had been shouting for help

While driving, she felt the car pitch to the left right before it tumbled into the sinkhole. Airbags deployed and as water began to flow in she tried to raise the windows, to no avail.

The woman was eventually able to open the door and climb on top of the car, where she started screaming for help.

She told authorities she had thought she was going to die until she heard firefighters respond to her screams.

The driver of the second vehicle managed to escape the car before it fell and was uninjured.

Southern California is currently being battered by the strongest storms its seen in years, bringing floods, power outages and trees toppled by heavy winds.

Another roadway on the southbound Interstate-15 was washed away yesterday leaving a fire truck wobbling on the edge the highway before the road collapsed.

The fire engine ended up falling off the road, but no one was injured, The LA Times reported.

Four people have been killed so far as a result of the fierce storms pouring down in the area. Around 130,000 people were left without power due to the storm on Friday night.

The driver of the second vehichle managed to escape the car before it fell and was uninjured

The vehicles were set to be removed today during daylight hours
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More than 1,000 new tattoos are expected to be sketched and drawn at Britain's 'biggest' convention celebrating the UK and Ireland's top inkers.

Billed as 'the new London convention' to showcase the best local artistry, Tattoo Collective is hosting 150 hand-picked studios from Britain and Ireland at the three-day event held at Brick Lane's Old Truman Brewery in east London.

Up to 7,000 guests from around Europe are expected to attend and meet some of the world's most famous artists.

Miki Vialetto, co-founder of the event, said: 'There are tattoo enthusiasts here from Switzerland, Italy and from Spain. It's a good opportunity for them to see what the UK and Ireland can give.

A variety of tattoo styles are represented at the event, including the 'very popular' black and grey designs.

The convention is also selling 'alternative merchandise', ranging from bespoke jewellery and clothing, to stuffed foxes and other taxidermy.

The event is being hosted by Milan-based magazine Tattoo Life, which also hosts the International London Tattoo festival, held annually.

The tattoo convention starts today and runs until February 19.

More than 1,000 tattoos are expected to be sketched and drawn at the convention in east London this weekend

Body piercing artist Aneta Von Cyborg shows off what she can do with her cleaved tongue at the event at the Old Truman Brewery

Up to 7,000 guests from across Europe are expected to attend this weekend to meet some of the world's most famous tattoo artists

One of the event's 150 ink artists, Jo Harrison, works her magic on the leg of a customer

Ms Harrison works beneath her artworks depicting famous faces clad in tattoos, including Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Winston Churchill

Von Cyborg adds another tattoo to her vast collection - this time on her bottom

The model describes herself as a 'freak, weirdo, pervert and exhibitionist'

London-based Von Cyborg has silicon implants under her skin which makes her look as if she has horns

A variety of tattoo styles are represented at the event. Here ink artist Adem Senturk draws galloping stallions on a customer's back

Some visitors were not phased by the pain with a few even reading books as artists set their needles to work

Vicky Ball shows off her arm tattoo of a female pirate, complete with a Jolly Roger head band

Numerous artists from across the country were at the event to show off what the UK and Ireland can do

Colin Snow, 70, shows off his torso covered in tattoos, some of which were done 45 years ago

It is estimated that about one in five of the UK population has a tattoo with that number rising to around one in three young people

According to a YouGov survey only 14 per cent of people with tattoos in the UK regret them in their later life

Early tattoo methods included using chisels, rakes, or picks. Soot-covered thread was also used. The thread would be sewn through the skin

The event is being hosted by Milan-based magazine Tattoo Life, which also hosts the larger International London Tattoo festival, held annually

Tom Storm works dilegently on the already heavily-tattooed arm of Kerrie Hibbert

James Naden showed off his arm tattoo, which pays tribute to one of his favourite rock bands

YouGov found that the median age of getting a first tattoo is 21

A variety of tattoo styles are represented at the event, including the 'very popular' black and grey designs

The convention is also selling 'alternative merchandise', ranging from bespoke jewellery and clothing, to stuffed foxes and other taxidermy

A woman casually talks on the phone while having a tattoo applied

The event is scheduled to run all weekend, starting yesterday and ending on Sunday February 9

Tattoos are becoming increasingly popular with an estimated one in three young adults in the UK choosing to go under the needle

Not all skin on the body is the same and, therefore, will not take tattoo pigment the same. For example, tattoos on elbows, knuckles, knees, and feet are infamous for fading

To get a tattoo, the skin is pierced between 50 and 3,000 times a minute by a tattoo machine

Laser surgery is the most effective way to remove a tattoo. The laser penetrates the skin and breaks up the tattoo pigments so that they can be carried away naturally by the body's immune system

Archeologists have discovered tools in France, Portugal, and Scandinavia that were probably used for tattooing. These are at least 12,000 years old

The tattoo machine was invented by American Samuel O'Reilly around the late 19th century. He based his design on the autographic printer, an engraving machine invented by Thomas Edison

Tattoo artists Red Wright, left, and Alan Alfred have a chat as they get to work on customers

Receiving a tattoo has been described as similar to getting stung by a bee or getting a sunburn

Typically the most painful areas to tattoo are over the bone such as the ankle, collarbone, chest, ribs, and spine

A man with ink all over his head stands behind a glass cabinet filled with skulls

Body artists Humandra tattoos a customer's leg. The artists have been hand-picked for the event

The customer is the picture of relaxation as the artist smiles at his work

For many people tattoos represent significant traits or moments in their lives. Film star Johnny Depp once said: 'My body is my journal and my tattoos are my story'

Green and yellow designs are the most difficult to have removed
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (above) thinks governments should tax robots that replace human labor as a means of slowing down the spread of automation

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates thinks governments should tax robots that replace human labor as a means of slowing down the spread of automation.

The world's richest man says that a 'robot tax' could be used to generate revenue that would finance re-training people for jobs that only humans could do, according to Quartz.

These jobs include taking care of the elderly and teaching kids in schools.

'You ought to be willing to raise the tax level and even slow down the speed' of automation, says Gates.

The rate at which robots will replace human labor is likely to accelerate in the next 20 years, according to Gates.

'Right now, the human worker who does, say, $50,000 worth of work in a factory, that income is taxed and you get income tax, social security tax, all those things,' he says.

'If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you'd think that we'd tax the robot at a similar level.'

'And what the world wants is to take this opportunity to make all the goods and services we have today, and free up labor, let us do a better job of reaching out to the elderly, having smaller class sizes, helping kids with special needs.'

'You know, all of those are things where human empathy and understanding are still very, very unique. And we still deal with an immense shortage of people to help out there.'

Passengers look at a police robot at Zhengzhou East Railway Station on February 15, 2017. The robot can do the cleaning, monitor the air quality, find fire, and recognize passengers' faces. In 20 years, almost half of US jobs could be automated, according to recent Oxford study

A recent study by Oxford University estimates that 47 percent of American jobs could be automated within the next 20 years, according to Wired.

Gates says that the increased productivity and the money saved by reduced labor costs means that taxing robots may be the only way to save jobs.

'There are many ways to take that extra productivity and generate more taxes,' Gates says.

'Exactly how you'd do it, measure it, you know, it's interesting for people to start talking about now. Some of it can come on the profits that are generated by the labor-saving efficiency there. Some of it can come directly in some type of robot tax.'

'I don't think the robot companies are going to be outraged that there might be a tax. It's OK.'

Gates says that the government  not the private sector  is the only one capable of carrying out such a plan.

'If you want to do [something about] inequity, a lot of the excess labor is going to need to go help the people who have lower incomes,' he says.

'And so it means that you can amp up social services for old people and handicapped people and you can take the education sector and put more labor in there.'

'Yes, some of it will go to, "Hey, we'll be richer and people will buy more things".'

'But the inequity-solving part, absolutely government's got a big role to play there. The nice thing about taxation though, is that it really separates the issue: "OK, so that gives you the resources, now how do you want to deploy it?"'
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A turf war for control over drug trafficking routes in isolated jungles has left thousands of terrified indigenous families starving to death.

The cries of hungry babies pierce the quiet of dawn in the green jungles of northwestern Colombia.

For thousands of indigenous families displaced by war, recent peace efforts have brought no relief.

Sordid fighting over drugs and land continues. Terrified locals are starving to death.

Embera indigenous children seen in Tasi, a rural village in Alto Baudo, department of Choco, western Colombia

An Embera indigenous woman walks with her children in Puesto Indio, a rural village in Alto Baudo in Choco

A turf war for control over drug trafficking routes in isolated jungles has left thousands of terrified indigenous families starving to death

The cries of hungry babies pierce the quiet of dawn in the green jungles of northwestern Colombia. Pictured and locals walking on the streets of Puerto Meluk in the department of Choco, western Colombia.

'There is no food here,' says John Hamilton Sagugara, a school teacher in Tasi, one of a grouping of local indigenous communities. Many people have diarrhea, vomiting and fever.'

With the youngest of her seven children clinging to her breast, Mariluz Dari confirms it. Her baby has been sick for the past three weeks.

Naked children with bellies swollen by hunger roam the mud streets between the wooden houses.

Local authorities say two children died here last year from gastric and respiratory conditions caused by malnutrition.

Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for reaching an accord with the leftist FARC rebels to end five decades of conflict.

His government has also launched peace talks with the country's last remaining rebel group, the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN).

For thousands of indigenous families displaced by war, recent peace efforts have brought no relief. An Embera indigenous woman cooks alongside her children in Tasi

Despite the peace deal signed by the Colombian government and the FARC rebels, a turf war for control over drug trafficking routes in the isolated department of Choco continues to rage between the smaller ELN guerrilla group and the Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia, a criminal gang that emerged after the paramilitary demobilization a decade ago

A Colombian police officer guards the streets of the town of Pie de Pato. Sordid fighting over drugs and land continues. Terrified locals are starving to death

Boats seen on the Baudo River in the town of Puerto Meluk. Naked children with bellies swollen by hunger roam the mud streets between the wooden houses

Local authorities say two children died here last year from gastric and respiratory conditions caused by malnutrition

But local officials here say that the ELN is still fighting against right-wing paramilitary groups - remnants of a long, many-sided conflict.

'There is a really strong presence of ELN here,' says Dayro Palacios, an administrator in Pie de Pato, municipal capital of the surrounding district.

'They are seeking control of the drug-trafficking and that means they are constantly fighting for territory.'

Embera indigenous women and children are photographed in Puesto Indio, a rural village in Alto Baudo

Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for reaching an accord with the leftist FARC rebels to end five decades of conflict

The government launched peace talks with the country's last remaining rebel group, the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN)

The violence forced hundreds of people to abandon their homes near the Upper Baudo river in 2014 and resettled in other nearby communities.

One of them, Tasi community leader Jeison Mecha of the indigenous Embera people, says he eats once a day on average: 'nothing but bananas.'

Despite the peace efforts, 'we are still suffering,' he says in broken Spanish.

Local officials here say that the ELN is still fighting against right-wing paramilitary groups - remnants of a long, many-sided conflict. Pictured are Embera indigenous people dancing in Puesto Indio

A man gets a haircut in Puerto Meluk. The violence forced hundreds of people to abandon their homes near the Upper Baudo river in 2014 and resettled in other nearby communities

An Embera indigenous woman carries her baby in Tasi. The locals used to grow corn, plantains and rice. They used to rear pigs and hens. They have had to abandon it all for the jungle

The locals used to grow corn, plantains and rice. They used to rear pigs and hens. They have had to abandon it all for the jungle.

'We ran in fear,' says Sagugara, the schoolteacher, his golden tooth glinting in the midday sun.

Upriver in the village of Puesto Indio, resettled families live crammed in overcrowded huts perched on piles.

On January 9, armed guerrillas burst into a meeting of local leaders and threatened to kill them.

'They accused us of collaborating with the paramilitaries,' said one leader, who has not been named to protect him from reprisals. We were very, very afraid.'

A member of the Embera indigenous guard holds a stick shaped like a rifle shape in Puesto Indio, a rural village in Alto Baudo

Upriver in the village of Puesto Indio, resettled families live crammed in overcrowded huts perched on piles. On January 9, armed guerrillas burst into a meeting of local leaders and threatened to kill them

The Red Cross has mediated to help calm the conflict in the region and aid civilians. Pictured is women playing bingo

For fear of being attacked, locals stay in their settlements, guarded by indigenous strongmen with wooden staves

The Red Cross has mediated to help calm the conflict in the region and aid civilians.

But for fear of being attacked, locals stay in their settlements, guarded by indigenous strongmen with wooden staves. Stuck there without access to their crops, they are slowly starving.

'When people are hungry, there is no peace,' Jaime Valderrama, a senior official in the Upper Baudo district government.

As well as extortion and reprisals by the fighting sides, locals fear being caught in the crossfire.

An Embera indigenous woman holds her daughter in Puesto Indio. As well as extortion and reprisals by the fighting sides, locals fear being caught in the crossfire

They locals say they are at risk from bombardments by government forces targeting drug-traffickers and illegal mines

The United Nations warned last year that the local Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations needed 'urgent' protection

Authorities say there are 6,000 people displaced and 7,000 confined to their homes in the surrounding Choco region for fear of violence

Youngsters play soccer in Puerto Meluk, department of Choco, western Colombia, on January 23, 2017

They say they are also at risk from bombardments by government forces targeting drug-traffickers and illegal mines.

The United Nations warned last year that the local Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations needed 'urgent' protection.

Authorities say there are 6,000 people displaced and 7,000 confined to their homes in the surrounding Choco region for fear of violence.

'We cannot guarantee that the peace process will end the violence,' says Luis Carlos Arce, governor of Alto Tumando, another settlement of displaced people.

'The violence of hunger, its impact on education and health - that is not going to end.'
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A rescue operation has been launched to free a large cargo ship that is lodged in frozen waters off the coast of Russia.

The wrecked and abandoned Yeruslan cargo ship is currently trapped in the Amur Bay.

A large team were pumping water from the ship, with her stern nearly completely underwater and her bow lifted off the surface.

The Yeruslan cargo ship has been trapped off the coast of Russia for xxxxxxxxx after thieves reportedly used oxy acetylene torches to remove parts of the ship to take away and sell as scrap metal

A huge team of rescuers A large team were pumping water from the ship, with her stern nearly completely underwater and her bow lifted off the surface

Long pipes were used to pump the water out of the boat in a bid to free it and finally remove it from the Amur Bay waters

The Cambodian ship has been stuck in the ice near the far-eastern Russian city of Vladivostok

Footage filmed by eyewitnesses on their smartphones showed the ship well ablaze in the bay with the fire raging through the decks

Thieves were blamed after the cargo ship trapped became trapped in the ice-covered bay and burst into flames.

The Cambodian ship has been stuck in the ice near the far-eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.

It is believed that it caught fire as thieves used oxy acetylene torches to remove parts of the ship to take away and sell as scrap metal.

Footage filmed by eyewitnesses on their smartphones showed the ship well ablaze in the bay with the fire raging through the decks.

The damage caused by the fire on the boat can be seen here. Thick clouds of smoke were visible for miles around but fire brigade leaders left the ship to burn saying they could not justify risking their crews by sending them out onto the ice

The bow off the boat stuck in the air. This image shows the rusty state the ship has fallen into since its abandonment

A chainsaw is revved up as they prepare to cut through the to get the boat out of the ice, once the water has been cleared

The crew stop for refreshments during a busy rescue operation. Footage filmed by eyewitnesses on their smartphones showed the ship well ablaze in the bay with the fire raging through the decks

Thick clouds of smoke were visible for miles around but fire brigade leaders left the ship to burn saying they could not justify risking their crews by sending them out onto the ice.

The video footage also shows two men loading what looks like an oxy acetylene tank into the back of a car parked on the ice next to the ship.

Onlookers also reported that they had seen the men loading items stolen from the ship, including metal, books, maps and personal items belonging to the crew, into the vehicle.
A house committee is investigating former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn over potentially illegal funds he might have received.

Meanwhile, some officials are saying that he may not face any criminal charges.

Law enforcement sources told CBS News they believe there is not enough evidence to charge him with a crime.

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A house committee is investigating former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, left, over potentially illegal funds he might have received. The House Oversight and Government Reform committee hopes to learn whether Flynn received payouts from the Russian government

Law enforcement sources believe there is not enough evidence to charge him with a crime after he was investigated for a call with a Russian official in which he discussed sanctions, lied about discussing sanctions and told Mike Pence, who proceeded to tell the public, the lie

Flynn might have violated federal law when he discussed Obama's sanctions on Russia with Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador to the United States, before Trump's inauguration.

He was later investigated for this call by the FBI and told VP Mike Pence - who proceeded to tell the public - that he did not discuss sanctions.

A transcript of the call shows otherwise, sources said.

The investigation from the House Oversight and Government Reform committee specifically pertains to how much Flynn was paid - and who paid him - for a trip to Moscow in December 2015, Yahoo reported.

A bipartisan letter from Republican representative Jason Chaffetz, of Utah, and Democratic representative Elijah Cummings, of Maryland, is asking Leading Authorities, Flynn's speakers bureau, to reveal how much Flynn was paid when he attended a December 2015 celebration of the 10th anniversary of Russia Today.

Flynn might have violated federal law when he discussed Obama's sanctions on Russia with Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador to the United States, before Trump inauguration

On the same trip, he also sat for a 44-minute interview with Russia Today.

The media organization has been criticized for allegedly serving as a mouthpiece for the Russian government and for covertly helping to undermine the presidential candidacy of Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The committee hopes to learn whether Flynn received payouts from the Russian government, which may have violated Department of Defense guidelines.

The guidelines prohibit even retired military officers from receiving gifts from foreign governments.

Flynn had retired from his role as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in August 2014 - though sources including Colin Powell said he was, in fact, fired, the Washington Post reported.

Chaffetz and Cummings wrote a letter to the president of Leading Authorities, in which they said they are trying to determine 'whether Flynn may have received payments from any foreign governments for additional engagements.'
Police on Thursday arrested a man who they believe killed and dismembered the mother of his child after she went missing with their one-year-old daughter last weekend.

Ashley Mead and her one-year-old daughter went missing last weekend, and Boulder police investigating the disappearance have revealed that they believed she was killed then dismembered across state lines.

Adam Densmore, the father of her child, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in Oklahoma when he was found just a few miles away from where human remains of a female were discovered near a Walmart dumpster in Tulsa, reported the Daily Camera.

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Police on Thursday arrested Adam Densmore (right) who they believe killed and dismembered the mother of his child Ashley Mead (left) after she went missing with their one-year-old daughter last weekend

Ashley Mead and her one-year-old daughter (pictured together) went missing last weekend, and Boulder police investigating the disappearance have revealed that they believed she was killed then dismembered across state lines

Video courtesy of CBS Denver:

Those partial remains have been tentatively identified as the 25-year-old Mead based on observations made during an autopsy.

Police are now asking for the public's help in locating the rest of her remains, which may be in a purple suitcase.

They believe her remains will be 'somewhere between Louisiana and Oklahoma,' according to Police Chief Joe Prentice, in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, reported the Daily Camera.

'We would like to find, recover the rest of the body, and give the family some closure as well,' Prentice said in a news conference on Friday.

Police believe that Densmore left Boulder on Sunday and drove to Raton, New Mexico, through the Texas panhandle, before arriving in Haughton, Louisiana. It is believed that he then drove through Conway, Arkensas and Okmulgee before being arrested near Tulsa.

Densmore, pictured, remains in custody and is being held without bond in Oklahoma

The missing one-year-old, Winter Daisy Mead, was with Densmore, but was not hurt. She is currently with a foster family in Oklahoma.

The mother-daughter pair were reported missing Tuesday morning, though it is believed that they went missing over the weekend.

Police believe some of Mead's remains may be in a purple suitcase, and have released an image of similar luggage.

Densmore remains in custody and is being held without bond in Oklahoma. He has no criminal history in Colorado, and there have been no comments on a possible motive, reported the Daily Camera.

He will be transferred to the Boulder County Jail in the next 10 days, and will be charged there.
He's been labelled the shopkeeper who spoke for Britain.

Now Tom Innes is helping fellow merchants in the small market town of Monmouth protest against extortionate rising business rates.

Shopkeepers, business owners and residents in Welsh border town packed the normally quiet main street on Saturday.

Shopkeepers and business owners n Monmouth descended upon the quiet main street to protest rising business rates

They asked residents to sign their petition against business rates, due to rise in April, which could see small local stores pay thousands of pounds extra in tax.

Business owners in Monmouth say they're being hit on two fronts because the council has also imposed charges on pavement advertising.

Traders say the combination will put them under more financial pressure than ever before.

By the end of the day the protestors had gathered over a thousand local signatures.

The extortionate business rate rise could hit as many as 500,000 shops nationwide.

The new business rate rise could hit as many as 500,000 shops nationwide and destroy smaller independent retailers

Protestors gathered over 1000 signatures to help protect the small local stores in Monmouth

Mr Innes, a wine merchant, has won praise after penning an extraordinary letter to David Gauke, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, of living in a Westminster bubble while traditional businesses struggle.

He said: 'Traditional bricks-and-mortar shops now have to compete on unequal terms with internet traders.'

'A gigantic increase in rates will put more of them out of business. Do you want to turn the whole of Britain into a retail wasteland, rather than just the poorest areas?'

Tom Innes, a wine merchant, has accused Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke of 'living in the hothouse of Westminster'

He added that while small shops are faced with a 30 per cent business rate rise, giant retailers Waitrose and Marks and Spencer are only facing a rise of 6 and 10 per cent.

Local councilor Peter Fox and chief executive Paul Matthews said the protestors had made 'fair points', the South Wales Argus reported.

In a statement they said: 'Traders in this country are serious sensible people and they play a massive role in the success of our towns - without them we are lost.'

They explained that the decision to raise business rates had been made without the council being aware that some stores could see a rise of a staggering 300 per cent.

They added: 'The policy was agreed well before anybody became aware of the madness being introduced to the rural trading community by the latest business rate revaluation exercise.'

The Monmouthshire Beacon reported that some businesses are set to receive 1,500 relief in order to help with the business rise.

Some shops in the sleepy Welsh border town may be hit by a staggering 300 per cent rise in business rates

Local councilors admitted that the protestors in Monmouth had made 'fair points'
The 17-year-old Utah girl who had been missing for more than a month and was believed to have been kidnapped into sex slavery has been found and returned home.

This comes a day after her mother made an emotional plea to get her daughter back. Two men who were with Sarah Dunsey have been taken into custody, according to her aunt.

Her mother posted an update on the 'Help Us Find Sarah Dunsey' Facebook page, saying: 'We found our Sarah Bearah!!!' Thank you all for sharing, getting Sarah's face out there, and helping us to find her.

'Thank you to the people that sent us the tips that found her. We ask to please give our family a little space and privacy. We are looking to retreat into our safe place and heal.'

A vigil was held on Saturday night to celebrate her return, and the crowd took a moment to pay tribute to sex trafficking victims.

Sarah Dunsey (right), from Utah, was last seen at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on January 15. Her mother (left) has made a desperate plea to get her daughter back

Her mother posted an update on the 'Help Us Find Sarah Dunsey' Facebook page, saying: 'We found our Sarah Bearah!!!' Thank you all for sharing, getting Sarah's face out there, and helping us to find her

The message also said that Sarah told her family: 'I prayed and prayed that you would come, and you came'.

A nonprofit group called the Association for the Recovery of Children has taken partial credit for the discovery of Sarah.

The group posted a message to their Facebook claiming that she was recovered last night and reunited with her family.

The message says: 'she is now safe, in her family's arms, and on the road to healing,' and says that the ARC and SERT ministries were 'pleased to assist in cooperation with law enforcement.'

A spokesperson at the Logan Police Department has said that this is now a LAPD case, suggesting that she was found in Los Angeles.

Sarah, from Utah, was last seen at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on January 15. Her parents released a message that said they believed: 'she is being held against her will and is a victim of sex trafficking.'

A vigil was held on Saturday night to celebrate her return of 17-year-old Sarah Dunsey

The crowd took a moment to pay tribute to sex trafficking victims who have never returned home

Sarah Mauney has been found and returned home

Amie Dunsey, Sarah's mom, starred in a heartfelt video calling on people to come forward to help bring her daughter home.

'January 15 our daughter Sarah Dunsey was abducted from Las Vegas, Nevada; she's being held against her will and Sarah is a victim of sex trafficking,' she said to the camera, as Sarah's father, as well as a host of relatives and family friends, are stood behind her.

'This is my absolute worst nightmare. We need Sarah home.

'I cannot wonder where she is and if she is safe. Please help us find her.

'Sarah this message is for you: I want you to fight. Because I need you, all of us need you. The world needs you, so fight.

'We are coming to get you.'

Amie is also seen writing out on a piece of paper what the family claims was the last text message they received from Sarah - who went to Las Vegas on a trip with a group of friends.

'I cannot wonder where she is and if she is safe. Please help us find her,' Amie Dunsey (pictured), Sarah's mom, said

Sarah (pictured) had traveled to Las Vegas with a large group of friends for a trip when she went missing

'This is my absolute worst nightmare. We need Sarah (right) home,' her mom (middle) said

The haunting message read: 'If I die tonight it's a guy named.'

The text included the name of the person mentioned, but it was redacted from the video. The Dunseys say they did so because they do not want to tip off the person who they believe took her.

Sarah's aunt, Leah Hullinger, told PIX11 before she was found: 'all of this information is pointing to Sarah being held against her will and being trafficked and exploited'.

Sarah's family said this is the last text message they received from her before she disappeared

Sarah's mother and father are seen in this emotional video where they made a plea to have their daughter returned home

Hullinger closed her comments by saying the family knows it is a long shot, but they all desperately hope the new video reaches Sarah, and it seems as though they were successful.

'This lifeline to her family so she knows, don't let them strip you of your identity and how you are, and everything that you are: Don't let them do that to you,' she said.

The family has not explained why they believe Sarah has being trafficked. They have not released any more information, but said that more details will come out at a vigil held for Sarah Saturday night.
Edward Heath with his piano at his home Arundells in Salisbury, Wiltshire

The police chief investigating claims that Sir Edward Heath was a paedophile is convinced the allegations are 120 per cent genuine, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

More than 30 people have come forward with claims of sexual abuse by the former Conservative Prime Minister, according to well-placed sources.

And they are said to have given strikingly similar accounts of incidents to Wiltshire Police  even though the individuals are not known to each other.

The Mail on Sunday has been told that Wiltshire Chief Constable Mike Veale regards the allegations as totally convincing, and plans to publish a report in June.

Detectives have established that, contrary to claims that Sir Edward could not have committed the crimes as he never drove a car and always had a police driver with him, he did drive  and did have a car.

They have photographic evidence that shows he is a driver, and have established that he had a driving licence. He also bought a Rover 2000 after being deposed as Tory leader by Margaret Thatcher in 1975, when he was 58.

Astonishingly, Mr Veale is also understood to support claims that Sir Edwards alleged crimes were reported to police years ago but covered up by the Establishment.

Some of those who said Sir Edward abused them are believed to have told police they went on to commit sexual abuse crimes themselves as a result.

The investigation into Sir Edward, called Operation Conifer, was set up in 2015 in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

Mr Veale came under pressure to abandon the inquiry last year after separate claims of a paedophile ring at Westminster involving former Home Secretary, the late Lord Brittan, and former Defence chief, Lord Bramall, were found to be groundless.

Wiltshire Chief Constable Mike Veale regards the allegations as totally convincing, and plans to publish a report in June

Allegations that Sir Edward was involved in satanic orgies have been dismissed as fantasy by an expert asked to review the case.

However, The Mail on Sunday has been told that Mr Veale believes the paedophile allegations are genuine. A source said: Mr Veale believes in them 120 per cent and thinks they are totally convincing.

There are very close similarities in the accounts given by those who have come forward. The same names used for him, the same places and same type of incidents keep coming up.

What stands out is that the people giving these accounts are not connected but the stories and the details dovetail.

It contains disturbing stuff. Investigators have been shocked by what they have learned.

Another source said: The police were initially sceptical about the allegations, but now believe them. And they have come round to the view that they were covered up in the past because of who Heath was.

DO THESE PHOTOS UNDERMINE EX PM'S DEFENCE? Sir Edward Heath seen with his car in Weymouth, despite claims he never drove These are the photographs that appear to disprove the notion that the allegations against Sir Edward cannot be true because he never drove a car and was always accompanied by police. Both were taken in October 1975. In the main picture on the right, Heath is standing by the drivers door of the Rover 2000 he bought after Margaret Thatcher ousted him as Tory leader in February that year. In the picture on the left, he is seen arriving at the Tory Party conference in Blackpool  in the drivers seat. The Mail on Sunday has learned that Wiltshire Police has also obtained photographic evidence of him driving. The issue was first raised by former Cabinet Secretary Lord Armstrong, who worked with Sir Edward in No 10. Lord Armstrong said Sir Edward  whom he described as asexual  had a 24-hour police guard and driver from the day he became PM in 1970 to his death in 2005, and did not have his own car. When he was at home he had two policemen on the gate, he had the personal protection officer from Scotland Yard in the house, he never drove a car himself, he always had an official driver, said Lord Armstrong. It seems highly unlikely he could have escaped all that to do the kind of thing that is described. Sir Edward Heath again pictured driving, this time leaving leaves the conference for the sea breezes of Weymouth Sir Edward bought the Rover after losing the chauffeur-driven car he was entitled to as Prime Minister, then Opposition leader. A confidant of the former PM said: He definitely could and did drive, though was a notoriously bad one. When he went to music concerts in Salzburg and hired a car, he was meant to drive it because his British police guards werent officially allowed to. But they insisted as they were frightened he was going to crash. Advertisement

They will not be deflected by the rich and powerful trying to do the same now. Mike Veale is doing a great job and should be congratulated for his courage.

The disclosures come after several senior politicians dismissed the allegations against Heath as absurd and unfounded. Former Tory Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind complained Heaths reputation was being besmirched. Heaths sexuality has been the source of much speculation over the years. Some believed he was gay, others said he was asexual. At one point, he was being investigated by no fewer than five police forces  the Met, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Kent and Jersey.

The claims, some of which have been proved false, include alleged links to a convicted brothel keeper known as Madame Ling-Ling. A paedophile dossier compiled by Labour peer Baroness Castle said he offered young boys trips on his yacht, and in a separate incident one man claimed Sir Edward picked him up hitchhiking in Kent as a 12-year-old in the 1960s and lured him to his Mayfair flat.

Labour MP Tom Watson also said he had received allegations about Sir Edward. However the claims Mr Veale is investigating, which date from the 1960s to 1990s, are not linked to the discredited evidence of the man known as Nick, who alleged a high-level paedophile ring.

One of the key counter-claims made when the allegations first surfaced came from former Cabinet Secretary Lord Armstrong, who worked with Heath when he was Prime Minister. He said Heath never drove a car and always had at least one policeman with him from 1970 until his death in 2005.

Labour MP Tom Watson also said he had received allegations about Sir Edward

The fact that Sir Edward could drive was confirmed last night by a friend, who said the former Prime Minister bought a car in 1975, although Sir Edward was later given a chauffeur-driven car and police guard after IRA death threats.

Asked if Mr Veale believed the allegations against Sir Edward were totally convincing, a police spokesman said the Chief Constable was determined to ensure the investigation is proportionate, measured and legal and that the job of the police was to impartially investigate allegations without fear or favour and go where the evidence takes us. It is not the role of the police to judge the guilt or innocence of people in our criminal justice system.

Further asked if Mr Veale had 120 per cent faith in the allegations, the spokesman declined to comment.

Police refuse to call off the dogs after VIP child sex ring fiasco

Launched in 2015 to investigate allegations against Sir Edward Heath, Operation Conifer has been dogged by claims that it traduces the reputation of a Prime Minister who died more than a decade ago and could not be put on trial.

The operation, which has a staff of 17 and has run up a bill approaching 1 million, did not get off to a good start when Wiltshire Chief Constable Mike Veale had to apologise for launching it in front of cameras outside Sir Edwards former house, Arundells, in Salisbury.

Demands to call it off grew last November when Scotland Yard was forced to abandon its Operation Midland investigation into similar claims of a VIP paedophile ring in Westminster.

After a flurry of false accusations, Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe apologised to former Defence chief Lord Bramall, ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor, DJ Paul Gambaccini and Lady Brittan, widow of the late Lord Brittan.

A police officer stands at the gate of Arundells, the former home of Heath when the probe was launched

Pressure on Operation Conifer mounted after this newspaper revealed how an expert, brought in by police to assess claims that Heath was linked to paedophiles who held satanic orgies, dismissed them as fantasy.

Days after The Mail on Sunday report, Mr Veale came out fighting and insisted Operation Conifer was not a witch-hunt.

In a surprise statement released on December 2, he said he refused to buckle to demands to abandon the inquiry, and stressed his officers had not spoken to Nick, the man at the root of Operation Midland.

The Heath investigation was not a fishing trip, he said, adding that he was duty-bound to go ahead with it without fear or favour and go where the evidence takes us.

He accused his critics of ignorance, and rebuked them for using inappropriate and unacceptable pressure in an attempt to halt the inquiry.

Mr Veale said a significant number of individuals had alleged abuse, but refused to say how many or give details of the only two people to be arrested.

He even said the findings of the investigation may never be made public, stating: A confidential closing report will be written and at that time I will take advice as to what I can legally put in the public domain.

Police were testing, checking and challenging the evidence and ensuring our approach is proportionate and justified, he said.

Mr Veale argues that although Sir Edward died in 2005, other offenders may still be alive and victims could require support.

If the force had received allegations of non-recent child abuse against a former Prime Minister and done nothing, what would the reaction have been?

Margaret Thatcher and Edward Heath at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool

Lincoln Seligman, Sir Edwards godson, responded to Mr Veales December statement by saying: If they have uncovered no evidence after 18 months they should say so.

And if Conifer is wound up, [Sir Edward] deserves to be exonerated as publicly as he was initially smeared. Shuffling the inquirys findings off into the night is not acceptable.

Other aspects of Operation Conifer have also come under fire. Wiltshire Police interviewed key figures at Private Eye because the satirical magazine joked about unmarried Sir Edwards sexuality 40 years ago.

They wanted to know if its nickname for him, Sailor Ted, in his days as PM from 1970 to 1974, was a reference to rumours that he was gay.

Police even asked current editor Ian Hislop what he knew about Heath, despite Hislop being a teenager during the period under investigation.

Officers have also tracked down former Downing Street staff to ask them if young men were ever sneaked into No 10.

Times writer and ex-Tory MP Matthew Parris dismissed the allegations, saying: If Heath was a child abuser, Im an aardvark.
An Iowa teacher-turned-stripper who was charged with sleeping with a 17-year-old student will serve three months in jail.

Mary Beth Haglin, 24, was sentenced Friday to 90 days in jail by the same Cedar Rapids, Iowa, judge who convicted her in December, according to KCRG-TV9.

During an appearance on the Dr. Phil television show, she admitted to sleeping with the teen daily on the October 17 edition of the show. She was arrested in July last year.

In addition to jail time, Haglin will also have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

In light of her TV confession, prosecutors upgraded her charges from misdemeanor sexually exploiting a minor to felony sexual exploitation - bumping her maximum sentence up from two to five years.

Mary Beth Haglin (left and right) was sentenced to 90 days in jail on Friday. She will also have to put herself on the sex offenders' register for ten years

Haglin was arrested and charged with having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student (seen right). She said the teen seduced her with romantic letters. She originally faced a maximum sentence of two years

Papers filed by the Linn County Attorney's Office in Cedar Rapids point directly to her TV appearances - which also included interviews with Inside Edition and Crime Watch Daily - as the reason for her tougher charges.

Haglin 'admitted engaging in a pattern or practice of sexual conduct with a student while employed as a teacher at Washington High School, which supports the more serious felony offence,' the papers said.

Haglin gave this photo - and nude images - to her 17-year-old lover, who then shared them with his friends

The ex-teacher, who worked as a stripper under the name 'Bambi,' was arrested in July after their their six-month affair was spotted by an eagle-eyed classmate - and after the teen showed off her nude pictures to his friends.

The pair had hooked up while Haglin was working at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids.

Their relationship, which ran from January to May this year began, she told Dr. Phil, when he seduced her with romantic Post-Its.

At the end of class, he would leave the messages on her desk calling her my empress and Mrs. Robinson - the latter a reference the older woman who seduces a young man in the movie 'The Graduate.'

Eventually, Haglin said, a fight with her then-boyfriend drove her into the teen's arms - and into a relationship that she says the 17-year-old convinced her was real.

'He did so with such intelligence and such an elevated vocabulary that I was completely duped by the whole facade,' Haglin told Dr Phil.

In one letter, written when Haglin was moonlighting as a waitress, the adolescent suggestively wrote: I love the way you smell like pizza. It drives me crazy wanting a piece of the crust.

Wordsmith: Haglin said the boy's seductive messages - and a break-up with her boyfriend - led to their six-month dalliance. They were caught when his schoolmate spotted them together

Haglin admitted to having sex with the 17-year-old almost every day for nine months, sometimes in her or his car, other times in the homes of the boy's parents.

Eventually, she said he convinced her to send him sexy photos of herself, including some naked selfies, which he later reportedly shared with his friends at school.

'I dont know what was going through his brain,' Haglin said. 'He thought it would be cool... bragging rights... I dont know.'

Haglin said she didn't think he would disseminate the intimate snapshots 'because in my mind if youre in a real relationship, you dont just run around with your phone saying, "Hey, look, look everybody, look how hot my girlfriend is."'

She added, 'Looking back now I think, "Oh, my God, what was I thinking? What was I doing?"'

Their relationship finally came to light when a female student noticed the teen sneaking into Haglin's class on breaks.

She went to her mom with her concerns, and the woman confronted Haglin point-blank at the school.

'She said, "Yes, it's true,"' said the parent. 'She kept telling me that she was in love with this young man, that as soon as he graduated, they were going to get married.'

Rebecca had Haglin write a statement confessing to the tryst, which she then took to school administrators.

Haglin was fired from her job in May at the conclusion of an internal investigation and arrested in July.

An earlier probe conducted in February had failed to prove any wrongdoing on Haglins part.

Haglin (left), 24, confessed to Dr. Phil (right) that she had sex with one of her 17-year-old students 'hundreds of times' on his October 19 show

In trouble: Haglin had already been charged with misdemeanor sexual exploitation, but that was upgraded to a felony charge after she made the shocking admission

Both investigations have since been labelled as ineffective by the school district, with accusations that staff tried to perform a cover-up.

According to a cache of emails obtained by The Gazette, Washington High Principal Dr. Ralph Plagman even agreed to write Haglin a letter of recommendation in the midst of the second investigation.

That bombshell led to the resignations of three high-ranking officials, including Plagman, according to The Gazette.
An elderly woman was found stuck in her living room chair surrounded in her own feces and urine after having sat in it for months.

Emergency response crews required hazmat suits to remove Barbara Foster, 75, from her Springfield Township home in Ohio on Thursday.

The 550-pound woman had been sitting in the same place since July, causing her body to weaken and her skin to mold to the shape of the chair Lucas County Sheriff's report said.

Barbara Foster, 75, had been sitting in the same living room chair since July 2016

The woman was removed from her Springfield Township home in Ohio on Thursday after a church volunteer called the police. Foster's skin had molded to the chair and became so frail her bones broke

The smell coming from the home located on the 200 block of Burnham Green Road was so strong, officials could smell it from the sidewalk,WKRN reported.

Foster was screaming in pain as she had become so weak that her bones were breaking when EMS carried her out of the house. She was taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center to be treated.

Toledo-Lucas County Health Department declared the home unfit for residents and posted a large orange sign in the woman's front window.

Foster's neighbor and goddaughter told the news station she knew the woman was a hoarder, but hadn't visited her in a while.

Neighbors were unaware Foster had been living in squalor for so long. The woman

Neighborhood resident Robbie Zolciak told the news station it had 'been years' since he had seen the woman. He said he was unaware she was in poor health.

A local church volunteer who had delivered meals to Foster's home said the residence usually smelled, but called the police when he realized the woman had not been 'acting like herself.'

Foster was behind by $1,400 in property taxes and missed her first payment in July when she was stuck in the chair, the Toledo Blade reported.

Detectives are investigating the incident for any crimes.
Scores of British jihadi women and children returning home from Syria and Iraq as the Islamic State crumbles pose an unprecedented threat to the UK, secret intelligence analysis warns.

According to a chilling classified report prepared for the Prime Minister by intelligence officers  and seen by The Mail on Sunday  lone-wolf terror attacks by returnees are all but inevitable.

While the threat by battle-hardened adult male jihadis is well-known, this is the first time the danger of women and children returning from Syria and Iraq has been documented.

Scores of British jihadi women and children returning home from Syria and Iraq as the Islamic State crumbles pose an unprecedented threat to the UK

The secret warning comes as the anticipated military defeat of Islamic State (IS) in their stronghold of Raqqa is set to send jihadis back across Europe  a threat dubbed the Raqqa scatter.

Returning women and children will escape prosecution for terror offences if they can convince police they were coerced into travelling to Syria or Iraq by husbands or parents.

The study claims that some British women have already undergone military training under IS including Aqsa Mahmood, 22, from Glasgow

The document warns that as IS faces imminent military defeat, it is more and more likely to use women and children to carry out attacks in Britain.

Intelligence services fear that as ISs final defeat looms, the increasing number of female jihadis who try to re-enter will reach the point where it will not be possible to adequately monitor them.

The report states: The threat women pose is likely to be greater than the available intelligence allows us to assess.

More than 850 Britons have travelled to Syria and Iraq, the vast majority to join IS. About half have already returned, the report says.

Of the remainder there are about 80 women and at least 90 British-born children. But the actual number of those returning could be much higher as many British jihadi brides have had children in the Middle East.

Returning jihadi women are expected to delete incriminating social media accounts and destroy mobile phones to hinder any investigations.

THE 'RAQQA SCATTER' THREAT Sally-Anne Jones 46, from Gillingham, Kent, who took her son with her to Syria The term Raqqa scatter is used by the intelligence officers who wrote the secret report seen by The MoS. It refers to the fear that European jihadis fighting in the IS strongholds of Raqqa and Mosul will return to wreak havoc in the West after the terror groups defeat. Among them may be women such as white convert Sally-Anne Jones, whose 11-year-old son apparently executed a prisoner in a horrific IS video. Last year, Tareena Shakil became the first returning female jihadi to be jailed  after taking her baby son with her to Syria in 2014  but others may go free if they convince police they were forced into going to the caliphate. Advertisement

Some will try to come back with their children using false identities and forged documents, the report says.

The study claims that some British women have already undergone military training under IS including Aqsa Mahmood, 22, from Glasgow, and white convert Sally-Anne Jones, 46, from Gillingham, Kent, who took her son with her to Syria. They were part of ISs infamous Al-Khansa Brigade, a female morality police accused of torturing other women.

Suspected jihadis who cannot be prosecuted because of a lack of evidence can be made subject to Temporary Exclusion Orders under which they are tagged and monitored.

The Home Office can also use Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIMs), putting an extremist under house arrest in a property hundreds of miles away from their local area.

At present, there are only six individuals in Britain subject to TPIMs.

If a returning jihadi has dual nationality, the Government may try to strip away their British citizenship and ban them from returning to the country in what is known as deprivation of citizenship.

IS expert Nikita Malik of think-tank the Quilliam Foundation said: We have seen child soldiers in other theatres of war, but nothing like under IS, who brainwash children through their schools.
The nephew of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Han Sol (left), turned down a place at Oxford University amid fears he could be murdered in the UK by the tyrants globe-trotting assassins

The nephew of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un turned down a place at Oxford University amid fears he could be murdered in the UK by the tyrants globe-trotting assassins, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

Kim Han Sol was living in fear of his uncles ruthless hit squads even before the brutal murder of his father Kim Jong Nam in Malaysia last week.

Yesterday a horrifying picture was published of Kim Jong Nam moments from death in an airport chair after he was poisoned by female assassins last Monday.

Pictures of three suspected North Korean agents said to have watched the killing from an airport restaurant were also released  supporting the theory that paranoid tyrant Kim Jong Un ordered the execution of his half-brother.

Han Sol was due to move to the UK after reportedly being offered a place at an Oxford graduate college, starting in September. His girlfriend is also a student there.

But the offer coincided with warnings from Chinese security officials that the North Korean leader was plotting to kill both the 21-year-old and his father to wipe out the familys bloodline.

Peace-loving Han Sol, who studied politics in Paris for three years before winning the Oxford place, is seen as a potential stand-in leader should the North Korean regime collapse.

Han Sol's girlfriend Sonia (left) studies at Oxford University. The North Korean leader's nephew spent three years studying politics in Paris

Yesterday he was under armed guard with his mother Ri Hye Kyong and sister Sol Hui, 18, in the Chinese gambling resort of Macau. The Mail on Sunday has learned he has had extra protection from Chinese security agents for months.

Residents in the apartment block where the family is living said armed police had been patrolling there for at least three months before Mondays assassination.

Han Sol and his father were advised not to travel outside Macau and China where North Korea would be reluctant to send a hit squad for political reasons, security sources said.

Casino-loving womaniser Kim Jong Nam shrugged off the warnings, travelling to Malaysia where he is rumoured to have a mistress, before being poisoned in Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday. Han Sol appears to have taken the threat more seriously, turning down the UK college offer and deciding to stay in Macau.

North Korea depends heavily on Chinese aid and Kim Jong Un wouldnt dare kill his nephew on Chinese soil, said a Beijing source.

In Britain, however, Han Sol would be at far greater risk.

We dont know for sure if he turned down the university place because of the warning but it now looks as if that decision may have kept him alive for now.

Yesterday a horrifying picture was published of Kim Jong Nam moments from death in an airport chair after he was poisoned by female assassins last Monday

Han Sols girlfriend, who goes by the English name Sonia and refers to Han Sol as hubby, is already is studying in the UK, according to a Macau newspaper.

Since taking power in 2011, Kim Jong Un has been obsessed with fear that his brutal regime might be overthrown and his half-brother or nephew installed in his place. He executed his uncle Jang Sung Taek in 2013 after accusing him of plotting with China to overthrow the regime.

Two South-East Asian women believed to have been duped into poisoning Jong Nam with spray have been arrested over Mondays assassination. A suspected North Korean agent is also in custody.
Robert De Niro is again promoting the theory that there is a link between vaccines and autism.

'Who settled it, how was it settled? Where is the science?' the actor replied when asked by veteran journalist Sharyl Attkisson about the overwhelming evidence that vaccines are safe, as revealed in an advance clip of Full Measure's Sunday episode obtained by Page Six.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated definitively that vaccines do not cause autism.

But the 'anti-vaxxer' movement that De Niro increasingly associates with argues that there is a massive scientific cover-up and conspiracy hiding the dangers of vaccines.

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'Who settled it, how was it settled? Where is the science?' Robert De Niro said of vaccine safety in a new interview. The actor has previously backed an anti-vaccination documentary

De Niro's comments to veteran journalist Sharyl Attkisson (right) come in spite of a definitive statement from the CDC that vaccines do not cause autism

De Niro (center) has said that his experience as a father influenced his beliefs. His son Elliot (left) showed symptoms of autism around the time he was vaccinated, he said.

The actor recently backed the anti-vaccination film 'Vaxxed,' which was last month pulled from a London theater over outcry from scientists.

He's previously said that his own son's onset of autism around the time of certain vaccinations led him to question vaccine safety.

'Here's what we have from all these studies, and here's what they have. And so it seem's like something's not right,' the said the actor in his latest interview.

'I'm not anti-vaccine, I take vaccines all the time,' De Niro clarified. 'But there's something wrong, it's gotta be fixed.'

The two-time Academy Award winner also called for an 'independent commission' to investigate vaccine safety.

Earlier this week, he held a press conference in Washington, D.C. with Robert F. Kennedy Jr to offer a $100,000 reward for anyone who can offer 'proof' that vaccines are safe.

Kennedy has claimed he was invited by President Donald Trump to join a commission on vaccine safety, but a spokesperson later said that the discussion was preliminary.
More than 20 revellers have been hospitalised after overdosing at a popular Melbourne music festival - as 40 people were arrested.

At least 30 people were treated at the Electric Parade festival, with 22 of them being hospitalised after taking what was believed to be the synthetic drug GHB.

Many of those treated at Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday were in a critical condition - and paramedics treated seven others who collapsed at nearby parks and streets.

Ambulance Victoria State Health Commander Paul Holman has described the event as 'awash with drugs' and there was a serious risk of death.

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More than 20 revellers have been hospitalised after overdosing at a popular Melbourne music festival (there is no suggestion anyone in these pictures was involved in criminal activity)

More than 20 revellers have been hospitalised after overdosing at a popular Melbourne music festival (there is no suggestion anyone in these pictures was involved in criminal activity)

'The majority of those treated by paramedics had overdosed on GHB,' Holman said.

'We have transported 22 young people from that event alone and we're now up to 30-plus from that event and across the city all with GHB overdoses, all critically ill.

'It's the highest number of overdoses we have seen at a music event for some time.'

'That we haven't seen (any deaths) tonight [Saturday] is probably just good luck and not anything else.'

The danger many put themselves in was self-inflicted and had a 'significant impact' on ambulance resources, he said.

St Vincent's Hospital took eight patients and most had GHB and 'a cocktail of other drugs' in their system, its spokesperson said.

By 9am on Sunday, seven had been discharged and the one remaining was not in a critical condition.

The Alfred took in 15 drug overdose patients - two were critical but the majority had been discharged.

The majority of the drug overdoses are believed to have been of the synthetic drug GHB.

'It's a drug that causes people to become unconscious, slows the heart rate and can cause seizures,' Mr Holman said.

Of those 33 males and seven females arrested, 28 people received diversions and two received cannabis cautions.

One man was charged after he was found with ecstasy, cocaine, MDMA, LSD, ketamine and hash. He was remanded in custody.

Social media images show a sea of revellers partying at the dance-music event on Saturday

Revellers partied at the Electric Parade festival, where more than 20 festival-goers overdosed (there is no suggestion anyone in these pictures was involved in criminal activity)

Ambulance Victoria said they responded to more than 20 callouts related to 'substance abuse' (there is no suggestion anyone in these pictures was involved in criminal activity)

Social media images show a sea of revellers partying at the dance-music event, which opened its door from 1pm on Saturday.

State Health Commander Paul Holman said the festival had the most rampant drug seen in years

'This is the worst we've seen for a very long timeThere's a lot of drugs here tonight.'

He said Victoria Ambulances were feeling the strain, with patients in critical conditions rushed to The Alfred, Royal Melbourne Hospital and St Vincent's.

The event is scheduled to head north on Sunday - and will take place at the University of Sydney.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria for comment.

Social media was awash with festival-goers kicking back their heels at the dance-music event (there is no suggestion anyone in these pictures was involved in criminal activity)

The line-up boasted acts including Ace Ventura, Alex M.O.R.P.H, Alex Stein and Day Din (there is no suggestion anyone in these pictures was involved in criminal activity)

'Delivering the ultimate production along with a next level line-up, this is your chance to experience amazement and bliss,' the festival website reads.

'As the sun sets, you are left dancing to the pulsating sounds of the world's greatest international DJs and Live Acts.'

The line-up boasted local and international dance acts including Ace Ventura, Alex M.O.R.P.H, Alex Stein and Day Din.
With three million devoted viewers each week, The Great British Sewing Bee is one of the BBCs most unlikely hits.

But the Corporation has failed to commission a new series  prompting more than 20,000 fans to sign a petition in protest.

The show, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, left, has been praised for encouraging home sewing and dressmaking, once seen as dying arts.

With three million devoted viewers each week, The Great British Sewing Bee is one of the BBCs most unlikely hits

Its disappearance from the schedules has caused despair among viewers, many of whom have added their names to the petition on the change.org website.

One protester, Jennifer Marsh, wrote: Typical BBC, create a success then ditch it. Disgusted.

The programme sees competitors design and make their own garments. There have been four series so far and a fifth had been expected this spring.

But the Corporation has failed to commission a new series  prompting more than 20,000 fans to sign a petition in protest

One protester, Jennifer Marsh, wrote: Typical BBC, create a success then ditch it. Disgusted.

However, a spokesman for makers Love Productions said: The BBC has not recommissioned it.

We have not put a casting call out for contestants. No decision has been made on its future yet.

Love Productions also makes The Great British Bake Off, which controversially moved to Channel 4 after talks between the company and the BBC collapsed.

Jennifer Ward, editor of Sew Magazine, said more people had taken up the hobby since Sewing Bee was first aired.

She said: People realise they are capable of making their own clothes. The BBC said: Decisions on future series will be made as part of the standard commissioning process.
Education Secretary Betsy Devos is getting protection from US Marshals after protesters blocked her from entering a school during her first official visit.

Donald Trump's controversial pick for the job is the only cabinet member to be receiving such protection.

A spokesperson told Politico that the Marshals Service 'is not aware of providing a protective detail for the U.S. Secretary of Education in the past' and that the move was authorized by the Attorney General.

Previous education secretaries have had a security unit coordinated by the Education Department and it is not clear whether there is coordination between the two bodies for Devos.

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Trump administration Education Secretary Betsy Devos is receiving U.S. Marshal protection services. She is the only cabinet member to be receiving such protection

Previous secretaries have had a security unit coordinated by the Education Department and it is not clear whether there is coordination between the two bodies for Devos. Marshals Service 'is not aware of providing a protective detail' for past education secretaries

DeVos got turned away and blocked physically as she tried to make her first visit to a public school on February 10.

DeVos, whose nomination only cleared the Senate after Vice President Mike Pence broke a tie following a contentious process, was greeted by parents, retired teachers, and a small band of aggressive protesters as she visited a middle school in southwest Washington.

She ultimately made it inside, but not before having to retreat to her government SUV while getting shouted at by protesters who stood just a few feet away from her.

Things got heated as DeVos tried to enter the building through a back door.

After being physically blocked from getting inside, she turned away and left after being angrily confronted by a protester holding a 'Black Lives Matter' sign.

'Go back. Shame!' a man yelled, while an escort, presumably an agent wearing an ear piece, places an arm on DeVos' back and helps her into a black SUV.

DeVos issued a statement after the incident where she said she was 'honored' to meet with the school about 'our shared commitment to public education.'

DeVos got turned away and blocked physically as she tried to make her first visit to a public school on February 10. Pictured: Donald Trump in Charleston, South Carolina

She added: 'I respect peaceful protest, and I will not be deterred in executing the vital mission of the Department of Education. No school door in America will be blocked from those seeking to help our nation's school children.'

Devos is the daughter-in-law of Richard Devos, whose family's net worth is an estimated $5.6bn, Forbes reported.
President Donald Trump allegedly 'yelled' at CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Thursday 'for not pushing back hard enough' against reports that the intelligence community withheld some details of their operations from him, according to CBS News.

Trump called Pompeo and 'yelled at him for not pushing back hard enough' against the reports, according to CBS News.

The incident occurred after The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that US intelligence officials had kept information from Trump because they feared it could be leaked or compromised.

Trump called Pompeo and 'yelled at him for not pushing back hard enough' against the reports, according to CBS News.

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CIA Director Mike Pompeo (above) denied allegations that the agency was hiding intelligence from President Donald Trump

Pompeo flatly denied The Wall Street Journal's claim: 'We are not aware of any instance when that has occurred.

'It is CIAs mission to provide the President with the best intelligence possible and to explain the basis for that intelligence.

'The CIA does not, has not, and will never hide intelligence from the President, period'.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that in some cases officials opted not to tell President Trump how they collected information because they were concerned it could be leaked or compromised

The White House also denied the report.

Trump 'did not yell at the CIA director', a White House spokesperson told CBS News.

CIA spokesman Dean Boyd denied that there was a conversation between Pompeo and Trump about The Wall Street Journal article.

'There was no conversation between the CIA Director and the President about the Wall Street Journal article, either before or after CIA issued its statement about the article.

'The CIA issued its statement on its own accord because the story was inaccurate and we felt the need to defend the integrity of our officers and institution'.

President Trump has accused the CIA of pursuing 'politically motivated' investigations as the agency concluded that Russia tried to interfere with the US presidential election

Some of the current and former CIA officials cited in the article said they were hesitant to reveal to Trump the 'sources and methods' that intelligence agencies use to collect sensitive information.

The CIA's reluctance to share their methods of collecting sensitive data is apparently due to lingering suspicions surrounding the Trump administration's ties to Russia.

Trump has had a tenuous relationship with the CIA since his election.

The president has accused the CIA of pursuing politically motivated investigations as the agency concluded that Russia tried to interfere with the US presidential election.
The Russian Defence Ministry has published a video showing a building being bombed after saying it had struck an Islamic State base in Syria.

The ministry said in a statement that the Tupolev-95 bombers had taken off from Russia and flown over Iran and Iraq to get to Syria, where it said they had successfully targeted militant training camps and a command point in the city of Raqqa.

The aerial video, published by the military today, shows the long-range bombers lining up their target before striking the building.

The Russian Defence Ministry has published a video showing several cruise missiles striking an Islamic State base in Syria

The video shows a Tupolev-95 taking aim at a building before an explosion is seen

A huge explosion is then seen, followed by large clouds of smoke billowing out of the building.

Russia carried out a series of sustained attacks on Raqqa in late 2015, but has since focused its fire power around Aleppo and other rebel-held areas.

Earlier this week, the Russian military released a video showing a destroyed Roman amphitheatre after jihadists took over Palmyra, Syria.

The camera then pans in and showing clouds of smoke billowing out of the building

The video was published after the Russian military released a video showing a destroyed Roman amphitheatre

The black-and-white video, dated February 5, shows part of the amphitheatre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reduced to rubble and the tetrapylon, a 16-columned structure that marked one end of the ancient city's colonnade, wiped out.

The tetrapylon, built during the rule of the Roman Emperor Diocletian in the 3rd Century AD, consisted of four sets of four pillars each supporting massive stone cornices.

The monument had suffered considerable damage over the centuries and only one of the 16 pillars was still standing in its original Egyptian pink granite. The rest were cement replicas erected by the antiquities department in 1963.

The Roman amphitheatre dates back to the 1st Century AD and was used by IS for public executions during its occupation of the city between May 2015 and March last year.
The Royal Navy mistakenly took nuclear weapons to the Falklands War, storing them aboard the ship on which Prince Andrew served.

The WE.177A nuclear depth charges were taken aboard aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, from which the Prince flew sorties as a Sea King helicopter co-pilot with 820 Naval Air Squadron.

The Nuclear Information Service report estimates that there were ten warheads aboard Invincible, 16 on the second British carrier, HMS Hermes, and more aboard support ships in the task force dispatched by Margaret Thatcher in 1982.

Prince Andrew returns from the Falklands War on September 17, 1982, on board HMS Invincible

The Nuclear Information Service report estimates that there were ten warheads aboard Invincible

According to the report, the Royal Navy should have removed the ordnance from the warships before the fleet sailed to the South Atlantic, but the task was not performed since offloading the weapons would have given the Argentinians more time to dig in.

The presence of the weapons aboard British ships in the Falklands War was not officially confirmed until 2005.

An MoD report that year acknowledged the risks involved but added: The operational imperative to dispatch the task force as rapidly as possible was judged by admirals and Ministers to take precedence over the safety advantages of returning the weapons to a home base.
Glaciers and ice caps in Canada are melting 900 per cent faster than they were in 2005, research has found.

The ice caps of the Queen Elizabeth Islands (QEI) in Canada represent 25 per cent of the Arctic land ice outside of Greenland and are divided into eight major ice caps.

The research reveals that between 1991 and 2005, ice lost from the melting surface of the glaciers averaged three gigatons per year, but from 2005 to 2014, it increased dramatically to around 30 gigatons per year.

The study found that before 2005, the mass of ice lost from the glaciers was divided evenly between icebergs breaking off and melting on the glaciers' surface. But after 2005, the causes of the loss were no longer split evenly - about 90 per cent of ice was lost due to surface melt. Pictured here is the northernmost of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Ellesemere Island, separated from the northwestern tip of Greenland by the slowly thawing Nares Strait

The glaciers and ice caps of the Queen Elizabeth Islands cover an area of 105,000km2 (65,243 square miles).

Since 2005, the amount of ice mass loss from the islands glaciers has drastically increased.

'Prior to 2005, the rate of mass loss was low,' the researchers wrote in a study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

'After 2005, the mass loss increased markedly to transform the [Queen Elizabeth Islands] into a major contributor to sea level change,' they wrote.

The ice caps of the Queen Elizabeth Islands (QEI) in Canada represent 25 per cent of the Arctic land ice outside of Greenland and are divided into eight major ice caps

The glaciers and ice caps of the Queen Elizabeth Islands in Canada cover an area of 105,000km2 (65,243 square miles). Since 2005, the amount of ice mass loss from the islands glaciers has drastically increased

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found that before 2005, the mass of ice lost from the glaciers was divided evenly between icebergs breaking off and melting on the glacier's surface.

But after 2005, the mass of ice lost increased and the causes of the loss were no longer split evenly - about 90 per cent of ice was lost due to melting on the glacier's surface.

This figure shows the flow speed of the QEI glaciers averaged between 1991 and 2015. The survey domain is divided into 6 regions: (a) Northern Ellesmere Icefield, (b) Agassiz Ice Cap, (c) Axel Heiberg Islands, (d) Prince of Wales Icefield, (e) Devon Ice Cap, and (f) Sydkap Ice Cap and Manson Icefield. Blue basins represent the drainage basins of marine-terminating glaciers and brown basins represent the drainage basins of land-terminating glaciers

The researchers used satellite data from 1991-2015 to map the speed of the ice loss combined with data from NASA's Operation IceBridge to calculate ice lost from icebergs breaking off.

They also used a Climate Model to calculate melting from the glaciers' surface over the past 25 years.

They thought they'd find that glaciers moving into the Arctic Ocean, Baffin Bay and Nares were mainly affected by tide water touching the glacier front.

The researchers found that the biggest factor causing the glaciers' mass loss was melting on the surface. 'With ongoing, sustained, rapid warming of the high Arctic, the mass loss of QEI should continue to increase significantly in the coming decades to century,' they wrote. Pictured here a view of the Islands taken in 1958 during the National Film Board of Canada's production of 'The Face of the High Arctic' - a study of the geological evolution of the islands

But instead, they found that the biggest factor causing the glaciers' mass loss was melting on the surface.

'With ongoing, sustained, rapid warming of the high Arctic, the mass loss of QEI should continue to increase significantly in the coming decades to century,' the researchers wrote.
I am looking at the conveyor belt of my dreams.

Bite-size cylinders of chocolate whirr past, bound for a colourful casing and, a few hours later, a shop shelf.

Such is the growl in my stomach, if one of these delicious confections doesnt come my way soon, I could throw a strop worthy of Veruca Salt herself.

Maison Cailler, Switzerlands first chocolate factory, lies in the tiny village of Broc, in the ambrosial Fribourg region.

Silky ribbons of chocolate pour from the mould here at Maison Cailler, Switzerlands first chocolate factory

Founder Francois-Louis Cailler became hooked on the sweet stuff in the early 19th Century after tasting it in Italy. When he returned home, he was certain the masses would want it too.

Tourists, seduced by the idea of a chocolate factory with real history, are prepared to put the miles in for a decent bar.

Many take the Chocolate Train, a Belle Epoque Pullman that funnels visitors here in a certain style.

During the tour there are hunger-inducing demonstrations of how chocolate goes from bean to bar.

Many tourists take the Chocolate Train in, a Belle Epoque Pullman that funnels visitors here in a certain style, pictured

The best exhibits?

An ethereal-looking statue sculptured from 90 lb of dark chocolate and finished with gold leaf, and an early 20th Century grinding machine that might have made even Augustus Gloop think twice.

When the invitation to taste everything from embossed truffles to ganache-filled cups finally comes, there are no Oompa-Loompas keeping an eye out for gluttony and I fall foul of temptation. Im in chocolate heaven.
The antique sedan chair in the hotels marble-floored hallway recalls an era of 18th Century elegance when the painter Sir Thomas Gainsborough lived just a few doors away.

Yet the main attraction of this swish new hotel in Bath is due to an even more ancient heritage  think toga-clad Romans in Britain reclining decadently on marble beds amid steam from natural hot springs.

This glorious, unspoiled city has always been a place of pleasure. Not surprisingly, the Victorian anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce once decreed: Bath is the worst of all places for getting any work done.

Huw relished in the Gainsborough Bath Spa, pictured, which is entirely private for guests of the hotel

He was as right then as now. Like Venice, Bath never fails to delight, which is why more than four million visitors descend on the city each year.

The Romans were on to something when they discovered the waters in 43 AD. Now The Gainsborough Bath Spa offers a unique private spa with warm water piped in from natural springs.

Hotel guests just have to use a private lift to soak in waters from a source originating 2,000 years ago. This is what Anthony would have built for Cleopatra, had she asked.

Two warm pools are the first step, then a master of scents offers an array of herbs and oils from lemon to rosemary to take into the sauna, before chillaxing on the lavender ice alcove.

What is remarkable about this new pleasure palace is that the building was, for many years, abandoned and left to decay.

The best thing for Bath after the Roman invasion has been a 21st Century Malaysian one, where the new owners have spent lavishly with one aim: to make a marble-floored Claridges for the South of England.

Hotel guests just have to use a private lift to soak in these warm waters, piped in from a source originating 2,000 years ago

Nestled in the city centre next to the Thermae Bath Spa, The Gainsborough has the feel of an ancient Oxford quad thanks to its yellow sandstone buildings. The hotel is on a mission to spoil.

The welcome message in the bedrooms is scripted in dripping chocolate, and bottles of Somerset cider and a local gin are on offer for those with a taste for something a bit stronger.

Dressing gowns in the top suites have guests names embroidered on them. Cars are taken away to be parked, washed and dried before being supplied with bottles of water and mints next to the drivers seat.

The unique point of staying at The Gainsborough is to try the hotels own baths, which are utterly private, unlike those next door which attract 300,000 visitors every year.

Dressing gowns in the top suites have guests names embroidered on them

The hotel is also the perfect base from which to visit the Holburne Museum with its magnificent Gainsboroughs and Zoffanys, or to walk to the Jane Austen Centre or No 1 Royal Crescent, the Georgian house that has been put on a million postcards.

And hip-hip-hooray, the city is not a no-go area for cars or constantly jammed with traffic.

Honeymoon couples and hen-night friends are out in force in the spas, as are the occasional supermodels, and the elegant, silver-haired brigade.

The Gainsborough has an obsession for detail  butter at breakfast is sourced from one set of cows in one set of fields, Netherend Farm in Gloucestershire.

The waitresses in their white aprons share the same purposeful bustle as the staff in Downton Abbey. Plates are nudged a quarter of an inch to the left on the table mats by the beady-eyed maitre d as if every meal is as significant as a state banquet.

The hotel is also the perfect base from which to visit the impressive Holburne Museum, pictured

The menu is rich but not pretentious. The chef knows what he is doing with ham hock terrine with a broad bean puree and foie gras on the taster menu, alongside wild mushroom risotto with poached quails egg and parmesan crackling.

But back to the main point as you zip along the corridor in your dressing gown. These are the most private Roman baths available, and are entirely separate from the Thermae Spa.

There is almost a hallowed silence in this water haven. Quirky treats include a constant supply of hot chocolate in a tea urn, a sybaritic treat apparently wildly popular in the 1700s. And you can steam off those calories immediately.

Essentially this is 21st Century pampering with an ancient Roman twist.

The Gainsborough is part ancient history lesson too as you do learn about Sulis Minerva  Sulis being a Celtic Goddess and Minerva a Roman one (please keep up, those at the back of the class).

And it offers easy access for visitors to Bath, as it is located just seven minutes from the station.

The portrait painter of yesteryear would approve as the same-named establishment has surpassed the previous luxury standards in Bath, reinterpreting its age-old mission of spoiling travellers.
She's one of Australia's most recognisable actresses.

And Rachel Griffiths, 48, is using her star power for good in her latest TV role.

The Hollywood actress told The Daily Telegraph this week that her new miniseries When We Rise has the power to transform 'hearts and minds' when it comes to marriage equality in Australia.

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'It will make a really important contribution': Rachel Griffiths told The Daily Telegraph this week that her new miniseries When We Rise has the power to transform 'hearts and minds' when it comes to marriage equality in Australia

'I'm really proud to be a part of a television event that has the power to change hearts and minds,' she said.

'If you remember watching Roots and how that changed our understanding of the civil rights movement, then this is a very similar experience.

She added: 'And with the debate on marriage equality stuck in this country, it will make a really important contribution.'

Changing minds: The Muriel's Wedding star believes the TV show, which premieres on SBS next month, will reinvigorate discussion on marriage equality

The American miniseries dramatises the 1969 Stonewall riots for gay rights and also stars actor Guy Pearce.

The Muriel's Wedding star believes the show, which premieres on SBS next month, will reinvigorate discussions about marriage equality.

Rachel recently returned to the bigscreen in controversial director Mel Gibson's wartime epic Hacksaw Ridge.

Rachel Griffiths is ensuring her star power is being put to good use in her latest television role

She confessed to Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek's KIIS FM drive show that part of taking the role was wanting a job.

'I hadn't worked for a while,' the star told the hosts, before dishing the details on Mel's work practices.

Kate was quick to point out to the star that Mel hadn't worked for a while either, referencing the alcohol-fueled anti-semitic tirade that saw him effectively blacklisted from Hollywood for a decade.

Controversial: Rachel has also returned to the big screen recently in director Mel Gibson's wartime epic Hacksaw Ridge

Laughing off the comparison, Rachel revealed there was more to her decision than wanting to find more acting work.

'I had heard that actors really like working for him,' she said. 'I knew he'd be a lot of fun.'
They've been seemingly inseparable since finding love on The Bachelorette.

And Georgia Love, 28, and Lee Elliott, 35, struggled to keep their hands off each other at the Kennedy Twilight Beach Polo in Melbourne on Friday.

At one point, mechanical plumber Lee affectionately placed his hand on Georgia's backside while clutching a Heineken bottle and she laughed at the snap on Instagram.

Smitten: Georgia Love, 28, and Lee Elliott, 35, struggled to keep their hands off each other at the Kennedy Twilight Beach Polo in Melbourne on Friday

'Oi! Get your hand off my Heine(ken)!' she joked.

The 27-year-old journalist graced the event in a baby pink playsuit that highlighted her bronzed glow and showed off trim physique.

She paired the look with gold statement drop earrings, a matching bangle and ring on her middle finger.

Cheeky: Georgia took to Instagram to share a snap of herself in Lee's arms as the sun set behind them at the glamorous event

Holding a champagne glass, the brunette beauty beamed as her partner held her close.

Lee looked dapper in a classic blue Ralph Lauren button down shirt and beige pants and a tan-coloured belt.

The mechanical plumber styled his hair into a faux hawk and accessorised his look with a pair of dark sunglasses and a large men's style watch.

Loved up: She graced the event in a baby pink play suit that complimented her bronzed glow, while her dapper partner looked dashing in a Ralph Lauren button down shirt and beige pants

Fans of the couple gushed over their loved-up post.

One rather keen fan said: 'Hottest couple going around. When's the wedding?'

While another wrote: 'I can imagine you two just sitting there laughing at all the pun opportunities for your photo captions.'

They recently celebrated their first Valentine's Day together on an extravagant date in a helicopter flying over Melbourne.
Kanye West's relationship with President Donald Trump is puzzling to many.

But on Friday, mother-in-law Kris Jenner did her best to explain during an interview with Ellen DeGeneres where she was asked if the Famous rapper was 'friends' with the 45th President.

'I don't think so,' laughed the 61-year-old mom turned super-manager before revealing the reasons behind Kanye's December visit with the then President Elect.

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'I don't think so' On Friday Kris Jenner put to rest rumors about son-in-law Kanye West's friendship with President Trump in an interview with Ellen Degeneres

Real Friends? The 39-year-old rapper turned heads when he meet with the 45th President at Trump Tower back on December 13

The Yeezus artist definitely made waves when he was spotted visiting President Donald J. Trump at New York's Trump Tower in New York back on December 13.

But in the weeks since the inauguration, Kanye seemed to have a change of heart when he deleted any and all mentions of the 45th President from his social media.

So it was the job of Kris to breakdown the facts after Ellen asked the mom-of-six if her son-in-law is 'really friends with Trump'.

Talking things out: The 61-year-old super manager told Ellen that the Life Of Pablo rapper met with Trump to talk about some issues and 'that was the extent of it'

'I don't think so,' Kris laughed before explaining how the 21-time Grammy winner came to speak with the businessman-turned-politician.

She told Ellen, '[Kanye] went and [my boyfriend] Corey Gamble went with him and they went because I think he had some, you know, issue that he might have wanted to talk about and I think that was the extent of it.

'I think he was lucky enough to be able to get you know, an audience and talk about whatever they talked about, but I think that, you know, it wasnt for any special intention,' she continued.

A bit of luck: The reality star said that Kayne 'was lucky enough... to get an audience' with the president and there was no 'special intention' behind the meeting

The Keeping Up With The Kardashian's star has been busy around town.

In addition to her Ellen interview, which will air on Monday, the Calabasas local spent last Sunday as one of E! News' red carpet reporters at the Grammy's.

This could be the start of a new career for the PR wizard, Kris also worked the red carpet at January's Golden Globes.
She injured her knee during her stint on notoriously dangerous series The Jump.

But Vogue Williams is not letting the pain hold her back as she was seen heading to London Fashion Week on Friday - after a jam-packed week of nights out.

The Irish model, 31, looked in better spirits than ever despite her crutches as she headed to her next catwalk show in a chic black dress, with a sexy raised front.

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No stopping her! Vogue Williams is not letting the pain of her knee injury hold her back as she was seen heading to London Fashion Week on Friday - after a jam-packed week of nights out

The beauty still managed to show off her enviably long and slender legs in the revealing frock, even while sporting her clunky leg brace and support.

Following the style of a classic wrap dress, the maxi frock upped the sex appeal by splitting into a saucy slit at the front, to reveal her leggy model figure beneath.

Adding a further sexy touch, the stylish number then plunged into a deep V neckline to give a subtle glimpse of her bust - which she further teased out with a black choker, that extended down to her cleavage.

Professional: The Irish model, 31, looked in better spirits than ever despite her clunky crutches, as she headed to her next catwalk show in a chic black dress with a sexy raised front

Wrapping up: Following the style of a classic wrap dress, the maxi frock upped the sex appeal by splitting into a saucy slit at the front, to reveal her leggy model figure beneath

The blonde effortlessly tied the look together with a pair of black studded boots and a petite cross body back of matching hue.

Styling her glossy hair into their trademark curls and adding glowing, dewy make-up to her face, Vogue looked truly radiant as she stepped out for the evening - appearing completely unfazed by her injury as she beamed for cameras.

Vogue sustained her knee damage after falling heavily while practicing for a slalom race, causing her to pull out of the Channel 4 show.

It's all in the accessories: The blonde effortlessly tied the look together with a pair of black studded boots and a petite cross body back of matching hue

She announced sadly on her Instagram page earlier this month: 'So disappointed to be out of The Jump this year.

'I've had such an amazing time and met the best people whilst learning such a cool skill. My knee will heal and If the show comes back next year I'll be in it to win it'

When contacted for comment, a spokesperson for Vogue told MailOnline: 'Unfortunately Vogue had a fall during a ski cross training session for The Jump and injured her knee, which means she will be unable to compete in the live shows starting this Sunday.

Saucy: Adding a further sexy touch, the stylish number then plunged into a deep V neckline to give a subtle glimpse of her bust

Feeling good: Vogue looked in better spirits than ever as she stepped out on crutches for the evening - appearing completely unfazed by her injury

No stopping her: The night completes a busy week for Vogue - who has attended Craig David's BRITs gig (L) and Annabel's Bright Young Things (R) this week despite her injury

'It's a real shame as I know Vogue was having such a brilliant time. She is obviously gutted to be missing out on the full competition but we all knew the risks involved when she signed up and that these kind of things could happen.'

However her time on the show has not all been disastrous, after it was seemingly confirmed this week that she and co-star Spencer Matthews had fallen for each other during filming.

While the pair have remained tight-lipped about the romance, it was fellow contestant Mark Dolan who ended up spilling the beans to OK! Magazine.

The second star to be eliminated from the show joked: 'I think I'm the only member of the cast who hasn't been made love to by Spencer Matthews. I'm quite offended.'

Before he added: 'I don't think it's a secret that Spencer and Vogue have established a rapport. They were very sweet together and I know they're very fond of each other.'
She's among several former Home and Away stars who have made it in Hollywood.

And actress Isabel Lucas has revealed how she manages life in Tinsletown.

The 32-year-old, who is a vocal wildlife activist and environmentalist, recently revealed that a secret 'women's circle' has helped her stay grounded according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Grounded: Actress Isabel Lucas, 32, recently revealed that a secret group helps her manage life in Hollywood

'There are like 60 people in our little invite group now, but only about 12 to 16 come at a time,' she said.

'We just sit and go through some processes... we share our shadow and our gold.

She added: 'Your shadow is your block, whatever is unconsciously blocking you, and your gold is whatever is filling you up and inspiring you.'

Support network: Isabel often shares snaps of her friends on social media

The secret group regularly meets at a Masonic Lodge to 'not have to be anything and have a very non-masculine, non goal-orientated space.'

The Transformers star splits her time between LA and the spiritual beachside oasis of Byron Bay, in norther New South Wales.

Back in Australia this week, Isabel has been promoting Sante skincare - for which she is the new face.

High five! Back in Australia this week, Isabel has been promoting Sante skincare - for which she is the new face. She is pictured at a launch party this week alongside PR queen Jacenko

On Wednesday, she was pictured in a rare public appearance alongside Sydney-based PR Queen Roxy Jacenko at the launch of the brand.

Despite having held a high profile since making her Home and Away debut in 2003 at the age of 19, Isabel revealed to The Daily Telegraph why she's stayed out of the spotlight recently.

'I like to keep relatively separate from the buzz and keep grounded,' she revealed.

'I prioritise what is important to me and there is a lot happening in the world right now that is distracting us from the more important issues on the planet.'

Early starter: Isabel burst onto the scene in 2003 on Home and Away, before getting her big international break as part of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

A well known environmentalist, she's also a spokesperson for Australian National Breast Cancer and a supporter of World Vision, Women Against Violence and Save The Whales - among others.

The Melbourne native says she aims to be a 'positive' influence in the world and be part of the 'solution' to its problems.

In 2007 she made headlines for protesting against dolphin culling at a notorious hunting spot in Taiji, Japan, alongside fellow Hollywood star Hayden Panettiere.
She was just 20-years-old when she competed in the 1986 Miss World pageant, representing the US.

And on Friday, Halle Berry shared a photo of herself as Miss USA amid a gaggle of contestants, all wearing leotards to show off their fabulous physiques, in London.

The 50-year-old captioned it: 'Where it all began. #FBF #1986 #MissWorld.'

Spot the difference: Halle Berry shared a snap of herself as Miss USA at the Miss World pageant in London, captioned, 'Where it all began. #FBF #1986 #Miss World.' She has hardly changed in the 30 years since then

Amazingly, the actress has hardly changed, and the likeness is even more striking now that she's returned to the big hair look she had back in the day.

Halle was also pictured in a glitzy Hollywood outfit as she stood next to Miss UK Alison Slack, dressed as a sexy Beefeater.

The event was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, on November 13, but Halle didn't come away with the crown.

Not much has changed: The 50-year-old actress looked as beautiful at an event in Los Angeles on February 11 as she did back in 1986 when she was 20

The winner was Giselle Jeanne-Marie Laronde from Trinidad & Tobago, with Miss USA in the 5th runner up slot.

Just three years later Halle landed a roll in TV series, Living Dolls, and her acting career took off from there.

Some 28 years later her beauty queen looks haven't deserted her.

Flashing the flesh: The brunette wore a blingy Hollywood inspired outfit that showed off her cleavage and tummy as she stood next to Miss UK Alison Slack, dressed as a sexy Beefeater

The ravishing actress will next be seen in Kidnap, playing a mom whose son is snatched, which hits theaters on March 10.

She is also working on Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the follow up to 2014's hit Kingsman: The Secret Service, due out on October 6.

Earlier this month she was seen filming Kings with Daniel Craig on the streets of Los Angeles.

Hanging with the girls: Halle posed with seven other contestants from around the world

Written and directed by Deniz Gamze Erguven it revolves around a South Central Los Angeles foster family during the time of the Rodney King trial in the early 1990s

After the police officers who had beaten King were acquitted, riots spread in Los Angeles for six days and resulted in 55 deaths.

Meanwhile the star, who has been married three times, has two kids: Nahla, eight, with boyfriend Gabriel Aubry, who she never wed, and Maceo, three, with husband No. 3 Olivier Martinez, who she was with from 2013 to 2016.
She's been at the top of her game in the fashion industry for several years, having posed for the likes of Burberry, Balmain and H&M.

But Jourdan Dunn turned her hand from modelling to designing on Friday as she saw the launch of her new clothing line, LonDunn x Missguided.

The British beauty, 26, ensured she was the centre of attention in a striking metallic mini dress as she celebrated her new collection with friends, at trendy venue The London EDITION.

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Leading lady: Jourdan Dunn, 26, turned her hand from modelling to designing on Friday as she saw the launch of her new clothing line, LonDunn x Missguided

The supermodel certainly turned heads at the bash as she posed in a sporty thigh-skimming frock, which showed off her sensational model figure.

Styled like an oversized bomber jacket, the frock was made more feminine by its shimmering pink satin hue and ruched waist, which cinched in at her incredibly petite frame.

Leaving it unzipped at the top to saucily tease at her cleavage, the dress then cut off at an eye-watering height on her thigh, to display her famously long and slender pins to all.

All eyes on me: The supermodel certainly turned heads at the bash as she posed in a sporty thigh-skimming frock, which showed off her sensational model figure

Sports chic: Styled like an oversized bomber jacket, the frock enhanced her enviably slender figure with its ruched waist, as she posed beside Sofia Richie (L)

Leggy lady: The dress then cut off at an eye-watering height on her thigh, to display her famously long and slender pins to all as she greeted Sofia and Leomie Anderson (R) at her bash

Lengthening her leggy frame even further, she paired the outfit with a pair of classic black ankle boots, complete with chunky heel.

Mirroring the quirky vibe of her ensemble elsewhere, Jourdan styled her typically glossy waves into two trendy and sporty braids, which fell all the way to her waist.

Scraping her locks away from her face, the model drew attention to her naturally striking features and clear, glowing skin as she smiled for cameras.

Simplicity is key: Lengthening her leggy frame even further, she paired the outfit with a pair of classic black ankle boots, complete with chunky heel

Plait's how to do it! Mirroring the quirky vibe of her ensemble, Jourdan styled her typically glossy waves into two trendy and sporty braids - here with Missguided founder Nitin Passi

Babes: Scraping her locks away from her face, the model drew attention to her naturally striking features and clear, glowing skin as she smiled for cameras with Rina Sawayama (L)

Star-studded: She was joined by budding model Sofia Richie (middle) who kept things more casual in a plain white T-shirt and jeans

Blonde bombshell: Sofia jazzed her simple look up with a chunky grey coat and vibrant green velvet choker

Striking: She later posed and chatted with Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts, who stood out from the crowd in a bright green fishtail gown

The mother-of-one was joined by a host of stars to celebrate and view her new high-street clothing line, aptly released during London Fashion Week.

She was joined by budding model Sofia Richie, who kept things more casual in a plain white T-shirt and jeans, and Leomie Anderson, who emulated Jourdan's sports-chic look in a blue and white tracksuit.

Also present at the bash was fellow model Neelam Gill, who co-ordinated with the designer in a matching pink satin tracksuit.

Jourdan first announced her clothing line with the online fashion retailer on her Instagram page, at the start of this month.

Think pink: Also present at the bash was fellow model Neelam Gill, who co-ordinated with the designer in a matching pink satin tracksuit

Hint of glitz: Neelam accessorised with a pair of metallic silver heels and a bedazzling jewelled choker as she congratulated Jourdan on her new clothing line

Ready to party: Jourdan was in the mood to celebrate as she danced around with her guests after releasing her first fashion line with online retailer Missguided

Heading home: Sofia was joined by a pal as she exited the event

Happy: Pretty in pink Neelam sported a massive smile as the left, proving she had a great time

Pins on parade: Amy Jackson showed off her long, lean legs in a draped grey dress

All eyes on him: Kyle De'Volle looked super trendy in funky shoes and a unique kitted top

Pops of colour: Leomie Anderson worked her sartorial flair in a cool Von Dutch jacket, which she paried with a white jumper and stylish joggers

Posing in a skimpy black bra from the range with her rock hard abs clear for all to see, the British model had teased with followers that it was 'coming soon' by simply captioning the shot: 'Londunn + Missguided' followed by several raised eye emojis.

The new collection marks the model's second clothing line - having released a range of kidswear, Lil' LonDunn by Jourdan Dunn, for Marks and Spencer in April last year.

The beauty was first discovered by a model scout in a branch of budget high street store Primark in Hammersmith, west London.

She has since appeared on countless covers of fashion bible Vogue and featured in campaigns for the likes of Burberry, Balmain, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, DKNY, John Galliano and Tommy Hilfiger.

Success story: Jourdan's new collection marks her second clothing line - having released a range of kidswear, Lil' LonDunn by Jourdan Dunn, for Marks and Spencer in April last year
Earlier in the day she posted some sizzling swimsuit shots from her toasty Costa Rica trip.

But conditions were quite different when Kourtney Kardashian later stepped out with daughter Penelope and niece North West for a pottery painting play date in Calabasas, CA.

The 37-year-old reality star was all bundled up for the inclement weather.

Braving the storm! Kourtney Kardashian stepped out with daughter Penelope and niece North West for a pottery painting play date in Calabasas, CA

The eldest Kardashian sister donned an olive sweatsuit for the outing, over which she layered a cropped green satin bomber jacket.

She paired white socks with a some black Yeezy sneakers, and hid her face behind some oversize sunglasses.

A black ball cap and a small black leather pack with pink Louis Vuitton pattern completed the cozy look.

While Kourtney chose an eclectic outfit to tackle the rain, it seems Penelope went with a more classic approach.

Pragmatic: The eldest Kardashian sister donned an olive sweatsuit for the outing, over which she layered a cropped green satin bomber jacket

Supporting the brand: She paired white socks with a some black Yeezy sneakers, and hid her face behind some oversize sunglasses

The four-year-old wore a denim jacket with a fuzzy collar over a long, slate grey shirt dress.

Black leggings kept her limbs warm, while she forded puddles in some black boots with chunky rubber soles.

Her brunette tresses were pulled back into two tight buns.

A little grunge? While Kourtney chose an eclectic outfit to tackle the rain, it seems Penelope went with a more classic approach

Thinking ahead: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's daughter North, aged three, was even more prepared than her two companions

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's daughter North, aged three, was even more prepared than her two companions.

She also wore a denim jacket, and a tracksuit, though hers was in white.

But she also rocked some very practical cute white rain boots with pink soles, as well as an umbrella decorated with various pastries.

Despite the storm, it looked like the group had fun at the self-painting pottery studio.
The Real Housewives of Cheshire star is currently dating her ex-boyfriend Jake Hall.

So it is lucky that Chloe Lewis did not bump into Misse Beqiri on Friday night, as they both headed out to London Fashion Week events.

The TOWIE star, 24, was seen heading out of Paul Costelloe's AW17 presentation in a chic white shirt - while Misse, who looks strikingly similar to Chloe, attended the Charlotte Simone catwalk show nearby.

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Close call! It is lucky that Chloe Lewis (L) did not bump into Misse Beqiri (R) on Friday night, as they both headed out to London Fashion Week events

Chloe was first seen heading out for dinner with a friend after taking her place on the FROW at Irish designer Paul Costelloe's catwalk show.

The brunette beauty looked truly stunning in a simple but classic ensemble of a crisp white shirt and quirky black flares.

Tying the shirt at her waist and leaving it unbuttoned at the top, the reality star gave a flash of her toned tum and plenty of her gorgeous glowing skin as she ventured to her next fashionable event.

Monochrome master: Chloe looked truly stunning in a simple but classic ensemble of a crisp white shirt and quirky black flares

Proving her naturally trendy sense of style, Chloe then teamed the shirt with a striking pair of black flares, falling into bold, oversized ruffles on the legs.

Cinching into a high waist, the strides further enhanced her slender figure and lengthened her already leggy frame as she took to the London streets like a catwalk.

Sweeping her brown hair into a slick ponytail, Chloe drew attention to her naturally pretty features and defined cheekbones - which she enhanced with perfectly contoured make-up.

Toned: Tying the shirt at her waist, the reality star gave a flash of her toned tum and plenty of her gorgeous glowing skin as she ventured to her next fashionable event

What a frill: Proving her naturally trendy sense of style, Chloe then teamed the shirt with a striking pair of black flares, falling into bold, oversized ruffles on the legs

Tying her look together with a pair of pearl hoops and a slick of pink lipstick, the Essex girl oozed glamour as she headed out to celebrate the start of London Fashion Week.

The night was something of a near miss for Chloe however, as the new girlfriend of her ex Misse Beqiri made an appearance at the Charlotte Simone AW17 catwalk on the same evening.

Misse had put on an equally confident and chic display in an androgynous suit as she arrived at the nearby The Vinyl Factory in Soho.

Awkward! The night was something of a near miss for Chloe however, as Misse Beqiri made an appearance at the Charlotte Simone AW17 catwalk on the same evening

The ITVBe star also flashed her impressively toned stomach and washboard abs in a black crop top, which she layered beneath a checked trouser and jacket co-ord.

Formed of a trendy bomber jacket and fitted skinny trousers, the ensemble showed off her enviably slim figure from head to toe as she smouldered for cameras.

Keeping all eyes on her killer body, Misse paired her look with chic barely-there black heels as she took her place on the FROW beside a multitude of stars - but luckily not Chloe.

Check her out: The ITVBe star also flashed her impressively toned stomach and washboard abs in a black crop top, which she layered beneath a checked trouser and jacket co-ord

Chloe and Misse may not see eye to eye, as the latter is currently dating Jake Hall - who emerged on the scene as a couple with Chloe with back in 2015.

The pair's on-off romance saw its dramatic end on TOWIE over the year that followed, after he was accused of cheating with Lauren Pope and Megan McKenna.

Resulting in a difficult split, Jake then left the show to focus on his fashion career, but re-emerged last year with Misse - who is the spitting image of Chloe - as his new girl.

However after openly suffering from a broken heart on TOWIE, Chloe now appears to have moved on from Jake after announcing a new romance on Valentine's Day.

No awkwardness: Chloe and Misse may not see eye to eye, as the latter is currently dating Jake Hall - who emerged on the scene as a couple with Chloe with back in 2015

Mystery man: However Chloe now appears to have moved on from Jake after announcing a new romance with a 'bloody handsome' hunk on Valentine's Day (above)

Loved-up: Jake meanwhile was wholly less coy on the front of his relationship as he littered his social media feeds with images of his girlfriend in honour of the holiday (above)

Sharing a selfie with the dashing hunk on the day of love, she gushed to fans in the caption: 'So bloody handsome... to this one making me feel so special everyday', although did not specify the identity of her new beau.

Jake meanwhile was wholly less coy on the front of his relationship as he littered his social media feeds with images of his girlfriend, in honour of the holiday.

In an extremely romantic gesture, the couple sported personalised, matching suede jackets, adorned with the words: 'Those who suffer love' and 'I promise to love you'.

He shared a snap of the jackets as he beamed alongside, with a caption reading: 'Custom jacket for me and my girl on valentines @missebeqiri your the best thing to happen to me'.
She's the Australian actress fast becoming one of Hollywood's rising stars.

And Bella Heathcote looked every inch the star as she attended Ralph Lauren's runway show at New York Fashion week on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old's high fashion appearance comes after she revealed she was nervous about reactions to her role as Christian Grey's ex-lover in Fifty Shades Darker.

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You beauty! Bella Heathcote STUNS in polka dots at Ralph Lauren's show, after confessing she felt 'nervous' about role in Fifty Shades Darker film

Bella opted for an eclectic ensemble at the event, wearing a short white and black polka dot dress.

She paired the outfit with a leather biker jacket and cowboy ankle boots, showing off her lean legs in daring fishnet stockings.

The former Neighbours actress wore her blonde locks in a fashionable quiff, sporting a deep plum lipstick and subtle eye makeup.

Quirky: Bella went for an eclectic ensemble at the event, wearing a short white and black polkadot dress

Stunning: The former Neighbours actress wore her blonde locks in a fashionable quiff, sporting a deep plum lipstick and subtle eye makeup

She accessorised her look with a pair of silver hoop earrings and chunky rings on her fingers.

At the fashion show Bella mingled with some of the biggest female stars of Hollywood.

She sat front row alongside Emmy Rossum, Kate Bock, Jessica Biel and Camilla Belle, appearing engrossed in conversation with Jessica at one stage.

That's one famous row! She sat front row alongside Emmy Rossum, Kate Bock, Jessica Biel and Camilla Belle

Bella's front row appearance comes as she graced the cover of InStyle Australia, telling the publication she had been worried about her part in Fifty Shades Darker.

The Dark Shadows actress explained she was nervous about playing the role, but not because of the explicit content.

Instead, Bella worried about disappointing the Fifty Shades fan base, saying: 'I was nervous, to be honest, about the fans.

Catching up! At one stage Bella appeared engrossed in conversation with Jessica Biel

'I was worried that I'd disappoint them, or not live up to the idea that they had in their minds of who she should be.'

Bella also admits she found herself relating to the character of Leila Williams, a former submissive partner of Christian.

In the storyline, Leila cannot accept their relationship has ended and suffers a nervous breakdown.

Bella said: 'I kind of related to the idea of someone who is grief-stricken, but hopefully I handle grief slightly better than she does - and break-ups in general!'
Forget whether or not Han shot first  the most contentious issue in the Star Wars universe is a grammatical one.

And it has now been solved, after fans figured out The Last Jedi is in fact plural.

Since director Rian Johnson revealed the title of the penultimate episode last month, Star Wars buffs have been racking their brains trying to figure out whether the titular Jedi - which is the same word singular and plural - meant the ancient Order was down to one.

It's plural! Foreign language Star Wars posters have confirmed there will be more than one 'Last Jedi' in Episode VIII

But the debate was settled on Friday when Disney's French, Italian and Spanish Star Wars Twitter accounts posted pictures of the new logo.

In each of the European languages - unlike English - the demonstrative adjectives and articles define whether the following nouns are singular or plural.

Therefore Les Derniers Jedi, Gli Ultimi Jedi and Los Ultimos Jedi in French, Italian and Spanish confirm that Luke Skywalker is not the last of his kind.

Had the posters read Le Dernier Jedi, L'ultimo Jedi and El Ultimo Jedi, Mark Hamill's Luke would have been even further up on the endangered list.

Grammar wars: The debate was settled on Friday when Disney's French (L), Italian (R) and Spanish Star Wars Twitter accounts posted pictures of the new logo

You are not alone: Had the posters read Le Dernier Jedi, L'ultimo Jedi and El Ultimo Jedi, Mark Hamill's Luke would have been even further up on the endangered list

The revelation seems to contradict both Yoda and the opening crawl of The Force Awakens, which both referred to Luke - singularly - as 'the last Jedi'.

Some fans hoped - as Yoda once did - that Leia Organa might too have fulfilled her Force potential and become a Jedi; indeed this may have even been part of the upcoming plot, were it not for the tragic and untimely death of actress Carrie Fisher.

The question now remaining is who indeed are these Last Jedi, with Luke and Daisy Ridley's Rey being the prime suspects.

Another Skywalker: Some fans hoped - as Yoda once did - that Leia Organa might too have fulfilled her Force potential and become a Jedi; indeed this may have even been part of the upcoming plot, were it not for the tragic and untimely death of actress Carrie Fisher

Teaser: Since director Rian Johnson revealed the title of the penultimate episode last month, Star Wars buffs have been racking their brains trying to figure out whether the titular Jedi - which is the same word singular and plural - meant the ancient Order was down to one

'Felt so good to drop this': Johnson shared first look at The Last Jedi's opening crawl last month

A return to the Light Side for Adam Driver's Kylo Ren AKA Ben Solo looks unlikely to be accepted by fans after he mercilessly skewered his father, the beloved Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford in the last film.

However Kylo's granddad Darth Vader / Anakin Skywalker seemed to have been welcomed back despite massacring countless Jedi to the point of extinction, including dozens of children.

As well as Driver, Ridley, Hamill and the late Fisher, The Last Jedi will see the return of John Boyega, Lupita Nyongo, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis.

New cast members will include Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran.

The Last Jedi - which picks up immediately where The Force Awakens left off - is scheduled for release on December 15.

Who is it? The question now remaining is who indeed are these Last Jedi, with Luke and Daisy Ridley's Rey (pictured) being the prime suspects
It boasts big name stars, a rocking soundtrack and the drama of a love triangle or two, to boot.

A new preview of Song to Song, the latest from director-writer Terrence Malick, paints a portrait of love, beauty, music, passion and betrayal amid the artsy backdrop of Austin, Texas.

The clip features Natalie Portman as a stunning server and Michael Fassbender as a manipulative music business executive.

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Boy meets girl: Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara are in the ensemble cast of Song to Song

Girl meets boy: The film also features Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman

'I didn't know why I was coming to this party - and then I saw you and I thought, "That's why,"' BV, played by Ryan Gosling, tells Faye, played by Rooney Mara in one of the more enticing scenes.

The preview, which features multiple versions of Del Shannons Runaway, shows a cavalcade of snippets from the sexy movie.

The film has an eye popping supporting cast with stars like Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Val Kilmer, Benicio Del Toro and Holly Hunter,

Sad song? The movie takes place amid the thriving music industry of Austin, Texas, with Fassbender playing a mogul and Gosling playing an up-and-coming songwriter

Popeye to her Olive Oil: The clip shows this sexy sequence between Fassbender and Portman

It also features musical standouts such as Iggy Pop and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The film is slated to debut at the prestigious South by Southwest festival - which also takes place in Austin.

'Terrence Malick is a world class revered cinematic poet,' the festival's director of film Janet Pierson told Variety last month. 'His work is a treasure trove of talented actors and vision.

Seductive: Fassbender turns on the charm opposite Mara in the sexy sneak peek

Longtime coming: The film's writer-director Malick has been working on the movie for more than five years

'Song to Song couldnt be a more perfect opening night film for SXSW.'

Malick's film has been years in the making as IMDB reports that he was spotted working on it as far back as six years ago.

Bale was initially slated to play the role Fassbender has in the movie, but had to drop out to film American Hustle, which was released in theaters more than three years ago.

The film opens at the festival March 10, then in Los Angeles and New York March 17.

Unwanted advances: Fassbender's character, Cook, uses his power and influence in the music business as a tool in his love life
She's the Australian actress who found love and career success in the US.

But it seems like the fast paced lifestyle of Los Angeles could be taking its toll on Teresa Palmer.

The 30-year-old took to Instagram to celebrate Forest's nine-week-old milestone.

Getting bigger: Australian actress Teresa Palmer celebrates son's nine-week milestone back in her hometown of Adelaide

Teresa also took to her blog, Your Zen Mama, to talk about travelling with her young sons and husband, filmmaker Mark Webber, back to her home in South Australia.

In a vlog post, she also opened up about missing the laid back lifestyle of Adelaide compared to the rush of living in Los Angeles.

'In LA it's like everywhere you turn you know someone or you've got something going on, or there's an event or a party. And here its just not like that at all,' she said.

Laid back lifestlye: In a vlog post, she also opened up about missing the laid back lifestyle of Adelaide compared to the rush of living in Los Angeles

Tinsel town: 'In LA it's like everywhere you turn you know someone or you've got something going on, or there's an event or a party,' she said

The Hacksaw Ridge star is currently in Australia for a secret photo shoot.

She said she spent a week in her home town and took her eldest son Bodhi to preschool for the first time.

In her video the blonde beauty opted for a makeup free look and gushed about how well he is treated by his teachers and is engaged with what he is learning.

However, she added that it would be bitter sweet when they will eventually return back to LA where Teresa and Mark work.

Loved up: The Hacksaw Ridge star gushed about how her eldest son Bodhi is well he is treated by his teachers and is engaged with what he is learning at his Australian pre-school

'Our children are going to have the best of both worlds they're gonna experience the chaotic energy of LA and all the exciting creativity there,' she said.

'And then you come here and its completely recharging, serene and peaceful, and I always feel like I'm in my higher place in Adelaide because I have the time to slow down and be really present,' she added.

But it's not all bad, with the Warm Bodies actress saying she loves LA, the friends they've made there, as well as the food and culture.

'But I have to say it's so nice to have this second home here, to be able to come back as much as we do,' the actress said.

'Best of both worlds': The actress noted that her sons will have a great experience living in between Australia and American

Traditional upbringing: 'I want that for him (Bodhi), and for my next baby and my future children. There is so much about Australia that we want our kids to experience'

In a previous interview with the Herald Sun Teresa said she wanted to giver her children a traditional Adelaide upbringing, similar to her experience before moving to the US when she was 18.

'I want that for him (Bodhi), and for my next baby and my future children. There is so much about Australia that we want our kids to experience,' she said.

Teresa will jet off to Paris for fashion week, before returning to LA for the Oscars - which she said will coincide with her 31st birthday.
Her estranged husband is rumoured to have moved on with stunning model Jasmine Yarbrough, 33.

And the mother of Karl Stefanovic's three children Cassandra Thorburn, 44, cut a solo figure as she dashed barefoot to her car on Friday.

The former ABC journalist and the Today host, 42, announced their shock separation in September, after 21 years of marriage.

Low-key: Karl Stefanovic's estranged wife Cassandra Thorburn cuts a solo figure as she walks barefoot to her car on Friday

Sporting a pale singlet and denim shorts, Cassandra displayed her slender frame.

She wore glasses and a silver necklace and opted to forgo shoes as she made her way to a car.

The mother-of-three made her low-key outing amid media reports her estranged husband is dating Jasmine.

Split: The former ABC journalist and the Today host, 42, announced they had separated last September after 21 years of marriage

The blonde model is said to be heading to a 'secret hideaway' to meet with the TV host after landing in Sydney on Thursday.

A source close to the LA-based beauty told The Daily Telegraph this week that Karl 'rented a secret hideaway with water views' for the pair.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Karl for comment.

The home is said to be located, 'somewhere on Sydney's Northern Beaches' which boasts kilometers of pristine shoreline and upmarket getaway destinations.

Touched down: The 33-year-old shoe designer flew into Sydney this week and was seen with her sister Jade at Darling Harbour cafe after touching down

The 33-year-old shoe designer flew into Sydney this week and was seen with her sister Jade at Darling Harbour cafe after touching down.

According to Woman's Day magazine, Jasmine and Karl have been seeing each other since December, after meeting at a boat party in Sydney.

And now, the duo are preparing to 'go public' according to one of Karl's friends, who has told the publication: 'Karl and Jasmine don't want to hide because they aren't ashamed of being together.'

Reports: A source close to the LA-based model told The Daily Telegraph this week that Karl 'rented a secret hideaway with water views' for the pair

The leggy beauty is said to have been invited by the TV star to his brother Peter Stefanovic's April wedding to co-star Sylvia Jeffreys, giving her a chance to meet the family.

It's also alleged Karl may introduce Jasmine to his three children - Jackson, 17, Ava, 11, and River, 10 - when she visits in April, which is also when they will step out together for their first public appearance at the Logie Awards that month.
She's the Today show host who's widely adored for her down-to-earth persona.

And Sylvia Jeffreys stepped out to pick up a few things from her local supermarket in Sydney on Saturday.

The 30-year-old cut a casual figure in a maxi sundress as she purchased two potted orchids from the friendly staff.

Bloomin' beautiful! Sylvia Jeffreys cuts a casual figure as she steps out in a floral maxi dress to buy orchids from a Sydney supermarket on Saturday

Wearing noticeably less makeup than she does on TV, the charismatic presenter sported a bit of foundation and some eye makeup.

Sylvia was clad in a playful low-cut frock with a floral print that brightened up her weekend look.

Her slender legs were on display through a chic dress slit.

Stunning! The charismatic presenter sported a light coverage of foundation with a focus on her eye makeup, as she showed off her lithe legs in the garment's high-slit design

She wore her luscious locks in her signature side-swept style, with a natural kink creating a more voluminous appearance.

The Sydney stunner accessorized her look with comfortable white Birkenstocks and designer black sunglasses.

Sylvia appeared to do the shopping without her fiance Pete Stefanovic, as she hauled two plastic grocery bags and two potted orchids in her arms to the car on her own.

Solo shopping: Sylvia appeared to do the shopping without her fiance Pete Stefanovic (pictured), as she hauled two plastic grocery bags and two potted orchids in her arms to the car on her own

The couple met after hosting Weekend Today and confirmed their relationship in 2014, while Peter was working in Europe as Channel Nine's overseas correspondent

During a romantic holiday to Europe last July the pair announced their exciting engagement.

The former foreign correspondent and brother of Today's Karl Stefanovic proposed to his lady love at a French winery.
She recently returned from a tropical holiday in Bali.

And it seems that Skye Wheatley might be missing her sunny vacation, with the 23-year-old sharing a busty throwback snap to Instagram on Saturday.

The former Big Brother contestant showed off her surgically enhanced-assets in a skimpy bikini as she posed poolside.

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She knows how to make a splash! Skye Wheatley flaunts her bikini curves in a VERY busty pool snap from Bali trip

She is seen wearing a tiny blue bikini with daring cut outs, emphasising her sizable cleavage.

The social media snap shows Skye emerging from a crystal blue pool in Seminyak, Bali, her taut stomach on display as she leans out of the pool.

The Instagram model flaunts her beach tan and accessorises with a straw visor, her golden locks in natural waves.

Social media star: Skye first rose to prominence as a Big Brother contestant but has since turned her stint into Instagram fame

Missing her trip? It's not the first throwback snap Sky has shared since returning home to the Gold Coast

Skye goes for a understated beauty look for the poolside day, wearing minimal eye makeup and a pink lip.

'Happy Saturday lovers I'm about to start work on an hour @skyemareemakeup [sic],' she captioned the photo.

It's not the first throwback snap Sky has shared since returning home to the Gold Coast.

Speculation: Skye was forced to deny she had surgically enhanced her bottom after getting a Bangkok boob job, lip fillers and rhinoplasty

On Friday, the blonde shared another busty bikini snap as she posed on a couch, flower in her hair.

Prior to her Bali holiday, Skye was forced to deny she had surgically enhanced her bottom after getting a Bangkok boob job, lip fillers and rhinoplasty.

'Apparently I've had my butt done but that's a rumour, I can assure you,' she told The Project.
The former beauty queen relocated from Australia to the US to pursue her modelling career this year.

But proving she still supports local brands, Natalie Roser flaunted her taut abs in Seed Heritage's new activewear collection on Friday.

The model, 26, took to Instagram to show off her gym-honed physique in a post-workout selfie.

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AB-solute stunner! Natalie Roser flaunts her incredible toned figure and washboard abs in sweaty Instagram post-workout selfie on Friday

Natalie appeared pleased with her fitness session, as she made sure to showcase her perspiring frame in a graphic-print crop top and leggings.

The former Miss Universe tugged the right side of her leggings down as she proudly displayed her sculptured, washboard stomach.

Strands of Natalie's blonde tresses had fallen out of her high ponytail as the sun shone through the gym's windows onto her frame.

Cheeky! When visiting the Grand Canyon she shared a picture suggestively lifting her top towards the natural wonder

You beauty! While living in the US she has openly bared her flesh in a series of scantily-clad and bikini-wearing shots that flaunt her trim legs and sculptured abs

She captioned the sizzling snap, in part: 'When one of your favourite brands releases their active wear collection. Testing out the new #SeedSport collection this weekend!'

While living in the US she has openly bared her flesh in a series of scantily-clad and bikini-wearing shots.

When visiting the Grand Canyon she shared a picture cheekily lifting her top towards the natural wonder.

The Australian bikini babe also shared a sexy snap of herself in a skimpy swimsuit enjoying toast for breakfast on Valentine's Day from her balcony in Miami.

Tasty treat: Natalie showed off her incredible bikini body in a skimpy swimsuit while enjoying breakfast in Miami on Valentine's Day

Wearing a black and white triangle top and a pair of unbuttoned denim mini shorts, Natalie flaunted her toned tummy and long tanned legs.

Completely makeup-free, her platinum blonde locks gathered around her shoulders in their natural state.

Her move to the US comes after the stunner reportedly split with personal trainer fiance, Dan Adair.

Moving on? Her move to the US comes after the stunner reportedly split with personal trainer fiance, Dan Adair

The pair became engaged during a holiday in July 2015 and had plans to marry in October last year.

They have not been seen on their public social media accounts for months.

A representative for the couple recently told Daily Mail Australia that their wedding was 'moved' because their chosen wedding venue shut down and that their relationship was still going strong.

Stateside: This year, the former beauty queen relocated from Australia to the US to pursue her modelling career




She works hard to keep her figure trim with hot yoga, Pilates and cycling classes.

So it's no surprise that Bella Thorne was keen to flaunt her gym-honed figure as she frolicked in a tiny blue bikini during a holiday in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on Friday.

The 19-year-old actress showcased her incredibly flat and toned limbs in the outrageously skimpy printed two-piece as she hit the beach.

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Vacay: Bella Thorne is currently enjoying a luxury cruise around the Caribbean with Celebrity Cruises, and her stop for the night was Cancun, Mexico

Adding a quirky edge to her swimwear, the actress layered a key pendant necklace and some gold bangles.

Wearing her blue-highlighted hair in a tousled straight style under a white baseball cap, she appeared to go make-up free.

She hit the beach with a group of stunners - including model Kyra Santoro - each of whom wore tiny bikinis, and appeared to spent the vast majority of their time documenting each other on social media.

The Blended star is currently enjoying a luxury cruise around the Caribbean with Celebrity Cruises, and her stop for the night was Cancun, Mexico.

Hot: Earlier the girls - which included model Kyra Santoro - were spotted catching some sun on Playa del Carmen, about an hour south

Captured: She kicked it off her social media blitz with an Instagram snap on Thursday, once again in the tiniest of two-pieces

She kicked it off with an Instagram snap on Thursday, once again in the tiniest of two-pieces.

'Tryin to kick my leg up but got caught in this awk pose instead,' she wrote in her first of many posts. 'Thank you @celebritycruises for the gift of this much needed #vacation'.

And later that day Belle flaunted almost all of her flawless figure in a skimpy outfit for her friend's birthday celebrations.

R&R: Bella is enjoying her time off ahead of a very busy year, with no less than six films already lined up

The actress was giving herself a final once over on Snapchat before she headed to dinner with her pals.

In her selfie, the young star wore cute black ankle boots, a tiny skirt, and an even smaller off the shoulder crop-top that showed off her long legs, toned tum and sculpted shoulders in equal measure.

Bella is enjoying her time off ahead of a very busy year, with no less than six films already lined up.

She is set to appear in horror Amityville: The Awakening; thriller You Get Me; Midnight Sun with Patrick Schwarzenegger; Keep Watching opposite The Walking Dead's Chandler Riggs and McG's The Babysitter with Robbie Amell.

She's also set to join the all star cast of The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, featuring Kit Harington, Jessica Chastain, Natalie Portman, Kathy Bates and Susan Sarandon.

Barely there: It was her friend's birthday  yet Belle Thorne was the one almost rocking a birthday suit on Friday

On display: The 19-year-old flaunted almost all of her flawless figure in a skimpy outfit
Hollywood is a place where many family paradises can be poisoned - but not Pierce Brosnan's.

The Mrs. Doubtfire star and his comely clan were snapped at the 15th Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival Friday in Los Angeles.

The 63-year-old actor, his spouse Keely Shaye Smith, 53, and their kids Paris, 15, and Dylan, 20, took in a screening of the Poisoning Paradise.

Proud occasion: Pierce Brosnan, 63, and his family (left to right) son Paris, 15, wife Keely Shaye Smith, 53, and son Dylan, 20, attended Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival Awards in LA on Friday

The event at LA Live in Los Angeles was to celebrate the documentary which Keely co-directed and Pierce acted as executive producer on.

The family braved torrential downpours in the Southern California area, and did so in style, dressed to the nines for the proud evening.

The dashing 6ft actor wore a dark grey suit with a white button-up and a black tie, while Keely looked elegant in a black dress with matching boots.

Happy couple: The dynamic duo didn't let ongoing rain in the area wash away their smiles on the night

Multi-talented: Keely was worn a number of hats in her career, working in show business and journalism

The filmmaker also has a background in journalism.

Dylan, a 20-year-old model for Burberry, wore a black pinstriped jacket with black pants and a floral-patterned button-up shirt.

Family project: Pierce and Keely both worked on the documentary, as she was a co-director while he was executive producer

Classy: The veteran actor's star presence is obvious in this shot alongside his beautiful spouse

Collaborators: The beautiful couple posed with Keely's co-director on the environmentally-geared documentary, Teresa Tico

The young hunk, who's been working in the fashion industry for more than two years, had his shaggy locks down while posed with his family.

The November Man star's younger son Paris was the most casual on the evening, keeping warm in a black jacket over a moss green hoodie with cedar brown slacks and patterned sneakers.

The documentary co-directed by Keely - who famously appeared in Huey Lewis's 1986 video for Stuck With You - focuses on the ramifications of pesticides being used in Hawaii.

Leading man: Pierce and Keely were snapped in Poland in December at an award show

The one-time James Bond was in the news last month after James Corden, the scorching-hot host of CBS's The Late Late Show, claimed the Hollywood stalwart had pushed him when they crossed paths at a U2 show, then didn't acknowledge the snub.

'I've never felt anything like it, this arm went on here and just pushed me out the way," Corden told Khloe Kardashian in a segment on his show. 'And I looked at him, and he didn't even glance at me ... maybe he's just a bit f------ rude.'
It's only a matter of weeks before she welcomes her first child with NRL star George Burgess.

And on Saturday, Joanna Burgess looked positively radiant as she celebrated her baby shower brunch in Sydney.

The glamorous WAG, 28, embraced her growing belly by donning a pastel-coloured slip dress for the exciting occasion.

A beauty in blue! Heavily pregnant Joanna Burgess looked radiant in pastel blue slip dress at baby shower in Sydney on Saturday as she prepares to give birth to her first child with NRL star husband George Burgess

The blonde stunner looked effortlessly stylish, as she strutted about the venue in heels while hosting the large gathering.

Joanna's elegant frock clung to her burgeoning baby bump and she couldn't help but rest her hand on her stomach as the day went on.

She beamed a natural glow with a neutral application of makeup, with her luscious locks styled in loose-waved curls.

'Thanks for making my baby shower extra special': Grinning from ear-to-ear in every snap, the expectant mum appeared relaxed and comfortable in the company of her female friends

Glowing! She beamed a natural glow with a neutral application of makeup, with her luscious locks styled in loose-waved curls

The heavily pregnant design student took to Instagram stories to provide fans with a peek at the event at Millers Point's Pier 8, with included large balloons, glorious food and an ocean view.

Grinning from ear-to-ear in every snap, the expectant mum appeared relaxed and comfortable in the company of her female friends.

She thanked everyone pictured in a group shot, by writing: 'You girls rock. Thanks for making my baby shower extra special.'

Blonde beauties! One of her special guests included sister-in-law Phoebe Burgess, who recently welcomes her first child last month

Getting in some practice? Joanna shared an adorable image holding Phoebe's newborn daughter Poppy in her arms at the event

One of her special guests included sister-in-law Phoebe Burgess, who recently welcomed her first child last month.

The stunning star - who often appears on the Today Show - arrived in a loose-fitting white summer dress as she pushed her stroller towards the cafe.

Wearing comfortable black loafers she toted a luxury Louis Vuitton bag in her arms as she carried her adorable bub into the venue.

Joanna shared an adorable image holding Phoebe's newborn daughter Poppy in her arms at the event, calling her: 'Little Miss Poppy.'

The expectant mum revealed in December that her soon-to-be-born baby boy will be named Boston, who will also become Poppy's cousin.

Casual chic! The stunning star - who often appears on the Today Show - arrived in a loose-fitting white summer dress as she pushed her stroller towards the cafe

Stylish arrival: Wearing comfortable black loafers she toted a luxury Louis Vuitton bag in her arms as she carried her adorable bub into the venue

Feast your eyes! Joanna showcased the impressive table setting and platters on social media from the Millers Point's rustic cafe Pier 8, which included floral displays, balloons and tasty platters of Turkish bread sandwiches, sliced fruit, muffins and sugary treats

While using the hashtag 'Boston's Brunch' for the baby shower, Joanna also showcased the impressive table setting and platters on social media.

The tasty platters included Turkish bread sandwiches, sliced fruit, muffins and sugary treats.

It appears the baby shower was strictly no boys allowed, as her husband George was absent from the special gathering.

Happy couple: George and Joanna wed an intimate ceremony in Noosa, Queensland last December after publicly dating since 2014

George, 24, and Joanna, 28, began dating publicly in 2014.

The couple appear virtually inseparable and are constant fixtures on each others' social media feeds.

The British rugby league star finally proposed in January 2016, with the pair revealing they were expecting eight months later in September.

They wed in an intimate ceremony in Noosa, Queensland last December, with the beautiful bride dressing her bump in an intricately detailed lace gown by Pallas Couture.
She's been quietly curating a quirky sense of style since leaving Made In Chelsea in 2013.

And Ashley James showcased her fashion credentials once again as she attended a London Fashion Week party on Friday night.

The radio DJ, 29, nailed the Sixties vibe in a purple knitted houndstooth dress and seriously bouffant topknot at the LFW Fashion Film cocktail party, sponsored by River Island, at the Serpentine Galleries.

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Looking good: Ashley James, 29, showcased her fashion credentials once again at a London Fashion Week party on Friday night

The blonde beauty, who dated Ollie Locke on Made In Chelsea, subtly flaunted her lean frame in the skintight dress, which featured a cinched-in waist and high collar.

Injecting an extra dose of sartorial flair, she rocked some black peep-toe booties with purple ribbon lace-up detail.

The radio presenter let her statement dress do all the talking and carried a simple black leather tote bag.

She framed her striking blue eyes with retro winged eyeliner and complemented the look with nude lipstick.

Retro: The radio DJ nailed the Sixties vibe in a purple knitted houndstooth dress and a seriously bouffant topknot at the LFW Fashion Film cocktail party, sponsored by River Island, at the Serpentine Galleries

Simply stylish: The blonde beauty, who dated Ollie Locke on Made In Chelsea, subtly flaunted her lean frame in the skintight dress, which featured a cinched-in waist and high collar

Since her brief role on Made in Chelsea in 2012, Ashley has carved a career as a DJ - fronting her own show Hoxton Radio every Friday.

A keen fitness fanatic however, Ashley has returned to the London music scene after recently completing a gruelling boot-camp session in Morocco.

She is firm advocate of a regular gym routine and often shares her workouts with fans on social media - but decided to give herself a break following the fitness trip to indulge in as many carbs and days off as she wanted.

Late last year, she reflected on her transformation in her blog, explaining that she was surprised to learn that confidence is what makes her feel sexy, not muscle tone.

Having openly discussed her battle with body dysmorphia in the past, she wrote confidently to fans: 'I have gained a little weight, but I still feel sexy'.

Chic: Injecting an extra dose of sartorial flair, she rocked some black peep-toe booties with purple ribbon lace-up detail

Stunning: She framed her striking blue eyes with retro winged eyeliner and complemented the look with nude lipstick

Ashley also revealed she was going to 'hold back' more with other people after admitting she was left 'feeling disappointed' by some.

'Im naturally a very caring person, and I trust and love people pretty much the moment I meet them,' she wrote on her blog. 'Be this friends or men.

'I always think of things I can do, people I can put them in touch with etc, and sometimes I am left feeling disappointed that people dont give me the same level of effort.

'Therefore, this year, Im going to hold back a little and I know that as a result I will feel happier, which in turn will make me a nicer person to others anyway.'
She has been keeping a low profile since filing for divorce from Brad Pitt in September.

And on Saturday, Angelina Jolie made her first official appearance in Siem Reap, Cambodia at the premiere of her new film First They Killed My Father, joined by her children Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 10 and eight-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

The mother-of-six, 41, whose eldest child Maddox was adopted in 2002 from an orphanage in Battambang, Cambodia, gave a free public screening of the memoir-based drama.

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Back to business: Angelina Jolie made her first official appearance since her split from husband Brad Pitt in Siem Reap, Cambodia on Saturday for the premiere of her new film, First They Killed My Father

Flanked by her proud children, the Hollywood star was the picture of elegance in a simple black dress with lace detailing on the shoulders.

The kids beamed with delight as they joined their mother at the grand unveiling of her latest project.

Angelina was invited to the royal residence for an audience with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni.

The harrowing film tells the story of the war time experiences of Angelina's friend and former refuge Cambodian Loung Un as a young child, and is set to be released on Netflix.

Jolie, who directed the project, credited Maddox with convincing her to make the film after it languished for years.

Family affair: The mother-of-six, 41, attended with children Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 10, though 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne didn't appear present

Former flame: She has been keeping a low profile since filing for divorce from Brad Pitt in September

All in attendance: Also pictured were eight-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne (far left) as they attended an audience with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni

'I wanted to focus not just on the war but on the love of family and on the beauty of the country and in fact I wanted to understand what my son's birth parents may have gone through.

'And I wanted to know him better and I wanted to know this country better,' she said.

'He was the one who just called it and said he was ready and that he wanted to work on it, which he did. He read the script, helped with notes, and was in the production meetings,' Jolie recently told The Guardian.

Maddox was seen visiting the Angkor temple complex on Friday.

'It's the first time there's something on this size about this war in this country,' she said.

Giving back: The harrowing film tells the story of the war time experiences of Angelina's friend and former refuge Cambodian Loung Un as a young child, and is set to be released on Netflix

'He read the script, helped with notes, and was in the production meetings,'Jolie, who directed the project, credited Maddox with convincing her to make the film after it languished for years

'I feel like nobody is here for themselves and everybody here to do any job is here to put something forward and help their country speak,' the American actress, who has been granted Cambodian citizenship, said.

Cambodia's king and survivors of the communist regime will be among some 1,500 people invited to the debut screening of 'First They Killed My Father', directed by Jolie and based on the memoirs of Loung Ung.

Loung Ung was five years old when Khmer Rouge troops, led by Pol Pot, swept into Phnom Penh plunging her family into a harrowing ordeal that saw them sent to brutal labour camps before her eventual escape to the United States.

'He was the one who just called it and said he was ready and that he wanted to work on it, which he did', Angelina said of Maddox (middle)

Publicising their battle: In its quest for an agrarian Marxist utopia, the regime killed up to two million Cambodians between 1975-79 through execution, starvation and overwork

In its quest for an agrarian Marxist utopia, the regime killed up to two million Cambodians between 1975-79 through execution, starvation and overwork.

It is the second movie by Jolie to tackle the subject of genocide - in 2011 she made a film about the Bosnian conflict featuring mostly local actors.

In a tribute to those who survived the brutal regime, Jolie has pushed to ensure the film would be both made by Cambodians and accessible to them.

Raising awareness: It is the second movie by Jolie to tackle the subject of genocide - in 2011 she made a film about the Bosnian conflict featuring mostly local actors

'I wanted to understand what my son's birth parents may have gone through' Jolie admitted

Almost the entire film is in the Khmer language while the cast members and much of the crew were local hires, including the two child protagonists.

The film is also co-produced by Rithy Panh, Cambodia's most acclaimed filmmaker.

He lost almost all his immediate family during the Khmer Rouge years but went on to produce searing documentaries that helped break the silence surrounding the genocide.

'I feel like nobody is here for themselves and everybody here to do any job is here to put something forward and help their country speak,' Angelina, who has been granted Cambodian citizenship, said

The premiere will be followed by screenings across Cambodia, some seven months before the film is released to a global audience on Netflix.

Jolie's arrival in Cambodia marks a rare public appearance since her high-profile split last year from Brad Pitt in September.

Together they had brought up Hollywood's most celebrated family with three of their six children adopted from overseas.

Respecting tradition: Angelina pays her respects during an audience with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni

Coveted audienceCambodia's king and survivors of the communist regime will be among some 1,500 people invited to the debut screening of 'First They Killed My Father', directed by Jolie and based on the memoirs of Loung Ung

Pitt, 53, and Angelina are currently locked in a custody battle over their children.

Brad and Jolie - whose romance is believed to have begun during filming of Mr & Mrs Smith, while he was still married to Jennifer Aniston, in 2005 - are due back in court this month for a hearing in the ongoing case.

Pitt and his family allegedly got into an argument aboard a private plane in September, causing an anonymous source to call the DCFS.

Pitt was exonerated in November by officials with the FBI and LA DCFS amid accusations he was physically abusive to Maddox during the flight from France.

The actor is requesting to share joint physical and legal custody with Jolie, who wants sole physical custody with Pitt receiving scheduled visits.

Success: The premiere will be followed by screenings across Cambodia, some seven months before the film is released to a global audience on Netflix

Keeping a low profile of late: Jolie's arrival in Cambodia marks a rare public appearance since her high-profile split last year from Brad Pitt in September

Last month Jolie accused her estranged husband of 'publicly impugning' her character in court documents that claimed Pitt is 'terrified the public will learn the truth'.

The allegations came as she approved of Brad's request that their children's records be legally sealed, after he claimed their accessibility was a violation of privacy.

While Jolie at the time agreed with his motives, she accused Pitt of using court filings to deflect from his 'own role in the media storm that has engulfed' their children .

Jolie - who currently retains temporary physical custody of the children - remains undaunted in her attempts to get sole custody of the kids.
They're currently supporting Ariana Grande on her Dangerous Woman tour in the USA.

And on Friday, Little Mix found themselves in Uncasville, Connecticut, bringing their dose of sass and style to the Mohegan Sun stage.

Jade Thirlwall pretty much stole the show in her daring outfit - a candyfloss-pink dress/shirt, which she wore baggily over her tiny frame.

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Sweet like candy: Little Mix's Jade Thirlwall pretty much stole the show in Uncasville, Connecticut on Friday in her daring outfit - a candyfloss-pink dress/shirt, which she wore baggily over her tiny frame

She's got the edge: Leigh-Anne Pinnock wore a sheer top, which showed off her toned torso underneath, with a crimson print on the chest with the number '30' on it

The cute number was cut riskily short, allowing the Brit Award nominee to show of her bronzed, toned pins.

However, she allowed only a glimpse, covering the rest with over-the-knee black leather boots.

Around her neck she donned a pretty silver necklace which she allowed to cascade down the front of her body, with a black and gold choker around her neck for added flair.

Jade wore her brunette tresses loosely around her shoulders; as did co-star Jesy Nelson, who also sported an edgy black choker, but in leather with buckles and chains embellishing it.

Leggy lady: Meanwhile, Perrie Edwards opted for a demure stripy dress that clung to her hourglass figure

Fab four: Little Mix were performing in Connecticut... a few days before jetting back to London for the BRITS

Gothic chic: Jesy Nelson sported an edgy black choker, but in leather with buckles and chains embellishing it

She wore knee-length black dress, with rips and tears all over it, finished off with black ankle boots.

Jade wore lashings of thick mascara around her eyes, giving the look an extra-goth-like edge.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock also wore a black ensemble for the performance.

She wore a sheer top, which showed off her toned torso underneath, with a crimson print on the chest with the number '30' on it.

Meet and greet: The band made their way from the stage to a table to meet some fans and sign autographs

Stylish: Around her neck she donned a pretty silver necklace which she allowed to cascade down the front of her body, with a black and gold choker around her neck for added flair

The thigh's the limit: Jade's cute top was cut riskily short, allowing the Brit Award nominee to show of her bronzed, toned pins

Women in black: Jade wore knee-length black dress, with rips and tears all over it, finished off with black ankle boots

She sported tight black trousers and heels and wore her hair in intricate plaits around her shoulders.

The singer matched the front of her top with some daring rouge lipstick and delicately adorned her lashes with a light touch of eyeliner.

The fourth band member, Perrie Edwards, was sporting a black and white striped dress, tied at the waist loosely.

The long-sleeved number featured black cuffs and she wore little black heels on her feet.

Strutting their stuff: The ladies are currently supporting Ariana Grande on her Dangerous Woman tour in the USA

Sassy gals: On Friday, Little Mix found themselves in Uncasville, Connecticut, bringing their dose of sass and style to the Mohegan Sun stage

Chit chat: Perrie wore a dash of light red eye-shadow on her lids, accentuated as she glanced down demurely

She tied her ash blonde hair up on top of her head, allowing a couple of strands to fall loosely at the front around her face.

Make-up wise, she wore a dash of light red eye-shadow on her lids, accentuated as she glanced down demurely as the band made their way from the stage to a table to meet some fans and sign autographs.

They have an exciting week again, as they are nominated for best British single at the Brit Awards 2017, for Shout Out To My Ex.

They're also up for a best video gong for Hair, and an award for best British group.

They'll be jetting back to London to perform, alongside Robbie Williams, Bruno Mars, Skepta, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and The 1975.

Busy week: They have an exciting week ahead, as they are nominated for best British single at the Brit Awards 2017, for Shout Out To My Ex

Off the cuff: Perrie's long-sleeved number featured black cuffs and she wore little black heels on her feet
She turned heads as she walked for Philipp Plein's show during NYFW on Monday.

And Sofia Richie made her fashionable presence known once again as she arrived at model Jourdan Dunn's new clothing line launch, LonDunn x Missguided, at The London Edition on Friday night.

The 18-year-old rising model looked super cool in a chic grey coat, ripped jeans and a statement vibrant green velvet choker.

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Trendy: Sofia Richie, 18, arrived in style at model Jourdan Dunn's new clothing line launch, LonDunn x Missguided, at The London Edition on Friday night

The daughter of crooner Lional Richie stood out amongst a sea of models with her sartorially savvy ensemble.

Sofia dressed her slim frame with a stylish white top with a DKNY logo which was neatly tucked into a pair of ripped skinny black jeans.

The social media sensation boosted her height in a pair of chunky ankle boots and accessorised with a bright chained choker which draped down her front.

All eyes on her: The rising model looked super cool in a chic grey coat, ripped jeans and a statement vibrant green velvet choker

Stylish: Sofia dressed her slim frame with a stylish white top with a DKNY logo which was neatly tucked into a pair of ripped skinny black jeans

Finishing touches: The social media sensation boosted her height in a pair of chunky ankle boots and accessorised with a bright chained choker which draped down her front

Standing tall: Despite being significantly shorter than her fellow attendees, the half-sister of Nicole Richie showed off her modelling prowess. With Jourdan Dunn (L) and Leomie Anderson (R)

The American born beauty kept her makeup look natural, opting for a slick of mascara and blusher, and sported windswept shoulder-length locks.

Showing her support for model pal Jourdan on her new clothing line, Sofia forwent her coat inside as she posed up a storm.

Despite being significantly shorter than her fellow attendees, the half-sister of Nicole Richie showed off her modelling prowess.

Stunning: The American born beauty kept her makeup look natural, opting for a slick of mascara and blusher, and sported windswept shoulder-length locks

Heading home: Sofia looked just as stylish as she exited the event while cradling her chained brown handbag

In good condition: She ensured to tame her mane in place

Company: Sofia was spotted leaving with a male pal

She was also joined by London based models Neelam Gill and Leomie Anderson.

Sofia seemed in great spirits as she exited the exciting fashion spectacle with a male pal.

Meanwhile, the edgy teen star recently gifted herself a new 'loyalty' tattoo on her arm.

She also has one on the side of her neck and another running down the inside of her thumb.
She's been hard at working plugging her new tune, Stay My Love.

And Una Healy absolutely wowed as she headed to The Late Late Show in Dublin, Ireland on Friday night to talk about her new solo endeavours.

The 35-year-old former The Saturdays star dressed her sensational frame in a flowing wine-coloured garment which boasted a cheeky keyhole neckline.

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Stylish: Una Healy, 35, absolutely wowed as she headed to The Late Late Show in Dublin, Ireland on Friday night to talk about her new solo single Stay My Love

The garment teased her ample cleavage with the saucy plunge, which featured a black underlay to protect her modesty.

Una worked her dramatically flared sleeves as she strutted forth in a pair of black stilettos.

The flowing element to the bottom half of her dress gave her whole look a further girly vibe as she worked her angles.

The flame-haired stunner showed off her silver dangling earrings, while her striking features were enhanced with a glamorous coat of make-up.

Sexy touch: The former The Saturdays star dressed her sensational frame in a flowing wine-coloured garment which boasted a cheeky keyhole neckline

Fashionable touch: Una worked her dramatically flared sleeves as she strutted forth in a pair of black stilettos

Saucy: The garment teased her ample cleavage with the saucy plunge, which featured a black underlay to protect her modesty

Her single debut, Stay My Love on which she teamed up with Nashville star Sam Palladio, was released on Monday.

It comes from her new album entitled The Waiting Game, which was released at the weekend.

Una obviously has the full backing of her former girlband mates, who turned out to support her in the British capital on Wednesday.

Frankie Bridge led the charge in a glamorous leopard print furry coat and joined model Vanessa White in her show of solidarity.

Sartorially savvy: The flowing element to the bottom half of her garment gave her whole look a further girly vibe as she worked her angles

Gorgeous: The flame-haired stunner showed off her silver dangling earrings, while her striking features were enhanced with a glamorous coat of make-up

Happy: She was clearly in a good mood

She was clearly thrilled to have the support of both her bandmates - posting a backstage snapshot of the trio together on her social media account.

'So Incredibly lovely to have @vanessawhiteofficial and @francescabridge here tonight!' wrote Una on her Instagram. 'Missing @mollieking @rochellehumes whom both sadly couldn't make it #satsreunited xxx.'

Rochelle is currently pregnant with her second child by husband Marvin, and expecting later this year.

Backstage snap! Una posted a shot of herself with Frankie Bridge (right) and Vanessa White (left) but expressed sorrow that Mollie King and Rochelle Humes couldn't make it down to support her on Wednesday night, when she performed her first solo gig in London

The full line-up: Una (left, with The Saturdays' Vanessa and Frankie in 2014) was sad that bandmates Mollie (centre) and Rochelle (right) couldn't make it, as the former is in Los Angeles and the latter is pregnant

Hunk: Australian Eric Bana also looked super suave as he arrived to The Late Late Show

Pleasing the people: He was in a great mood as he mingled with fans

Model Mollie meanwhile, is currently Stateside, in Los Angeles, working on her own solo ventures.

Una recently disappointed fans of the girl group when she revealed they wouldn't be reuniting anytime soon.

She told Lorraine on Tuesday: 'I always say when the nostalgia kicks in, thats when bands reform and I hope one day we will, but it wont be for a few years.

'I really miss the girls and their company. Were all doing out own thing, but Ive got the guys in the band. But of course I miss the girls.'
Lunch with your fiance's mother can be an intimidating prospect for some.

Not so for Sylvia Jeffreys, as the Today show newsreader looked completely at ease as she joined husband-to-be Peter Stefanovic and his mother Jenny for a lunch date in Sydney on Saturday.

After a relaxed meal at trendy Double Bay's Pink Salt restaurant, the 60 Minutes reporter was the model son was seen walking arm-in-arm with his mum.

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Lunch date! Today Show newsreader Sylvia Jeffreys, as the Today show newsreader looked completely at ease as she joined husband-to-be Peter Stefanovic and his mother Jenny for a lunch date in Sydney on Saturday

Model son! After a relaxed meal at trendy Double Bay's Pink Salt restaurant, the 60 Minutes reporter looked the model son as he took an arm-in-arm stroll with his mum

The 30-year-old beauty arrived at the informal meetup in a breezy grey top with a paint-speckle pattern, paired with white jeans.

She wore her short blonde hair in a half-up-half-down bun, staying sun safe with a pair of wide-brimmed sunglasses shielding her eyes.

The personality kept her eyewear on for part of the lunch but later took them off as she made conversation with her future mother-in-law.

Lunch outfit! The 30-year-old beauty arrived at the informal meetup in a breezy grey top with a paint-speckle pattern, paired with white jeans

Staying extra sun-safe! The personality kept her eyewear on for part of the lunch but later took them off as she made conversation with her future mother-in-law

Yum! Jenny, the mother also of Sylvia's co-star, Karl Stefanovic, enjoyed some sweet potato fries with her meal

Charming Jenny - who is mother to four children, including popular Today show personality Karl Stefanovic - sported a summery blue dress with white polka dots.

The group appeared to enjoy their meals, which included some sweet potato fries.

Possibly talking about the couple's upcoming wedding, Sylvia was seen smiling as the trio chatted at the table.

Soon-to-be-wed: Possibly talking about the couple's upcoming wedding, Sylvia was seen smiling as the trio chatted at the table

Following the catch up, Pete appeared to be a doting son as he and his mum linked arms in a sweet post-meal stroll.

Jenny wrapped her arms around her son as they sauntered along the Eastern Suburbs streets.

Sylvia met her future husband after the pair hosted Weekend Today's summer series in 2013 before confirming their relationship in 2014.

Post-meal stroll: Following the catch up, Pete appeared to be a doting son as he and his mum linked arms in a sweet post-meal stroll

Happy couple: Sylvia met her future husband after the pair hosted Weekend Today's summer series in 2013 before confirming their relationship in 2014

They endured a long-distance romance while Peter was working as Channel Nine's European correspondent before he returned home in 2015.

During a romantic holiday to France last July, the pair announced their engagement on social media, with the 60 Minutes presenter proposing to his lady love at a winery.

In addition to Peter and Karl, Jenny is mother to almond farmer Tom, and makeup artist Elisa.

Family portrait: In addition to Peter (second right) and Karl (right), Jenny is mother to almond farmer Tom (left), and makeup artist Elisa (second left)




The fourth of July is a American holiday in which the nation commemorates their independence with patriotic pride.

But on Friday, it was Australian model Natalie Roser, Brazilian bombshell Rayla Jacund and Montenegrin marvel Lena Radonjic dressed in red, white and blue to celebrate the occasion.

Natalie, 26, flaunted her voluptuous frame in an American flag bikini at once point for the Independence Day themed shoot for Venus swimwear in Miami.

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True blue: Australian model Natalie Roser flaunted her voluptuous frame in a summery navy dress for an Independence Day themed shoot for Venus swimwear in Miami on Friday

Behind the scenes! Taking to Instagram after the shoot, Natalie gave fans a peak behind the scenes showing off an American flag bikini as she stood next to her co-stars

At first the Newcastle-born beauty kept her figure under wraps, donning a low cut casual navy dress, which exposed her ample cleavage.

Her luscious blonde locks were curled and parted to one side, spilling onto her chest.

The plunging gown was adorned with a plaited detailing which wrapped around the neckline.

Natalie walked along the idyllic white sand in one picture, her beaming blue eyes forming a sultry gaze as she looked lost in thought.

Props: In one snap, the former Miss Universe Australia stood among one of the American flag props set aside for the holiday shoot, as the 26-year-old's strapless nude bra slipped out from the top of her dress

Later, the former Miss Universe Australia stood among one of the American flag props set aside for the holiday shoot.

Her strapless nude bra slipped out from the top of her dress in the snap.

Natalie's fellow international models then joined the beauty for a group shot, the trio cuddling up together as they covered their slender frames in a red and white towel.

Near-dopplegangers Lena and Rayla both wore white swimwear, with raven-haired Rayla wearing her locks down in a one-piece, while Lena pushed her hair back into a messy bun.

International trio: Fellow international models Lena Radonjic (left) and Rayla Jacund (centre) then joined the beauty for a group shot, with the trio cuddling up together covered in a red and white striped towel

In one playful snap, Rayla was sandwiched by her Australian and Montenegrin pals, all three of the beauties smiling wide to mark the occasion.

Taking to Instagram after the shoot, Natalie gave fans a peak behind the scenes showing off an American flag bikini as she stood next to her co-stars.

'That's a wrap!! A Brazilian, an Australian and a Montenegrian to help @venus get ready for #4thofJuly,' she wrote in the caption.

Stuck in the middle: In one playful snap, Rayla was sandwiched by her Australian and Montenegrin pals, all three of the beauties smiling wide to mark the occasion

While living in the US the Australian model hasn't been shy about flashing the flesh in a series of scantily-clad bikini shots.

Natalie's move to the US comes after the stunner reportedly split with her personal trainer fiance, Dan Adair.

The pair became engaged during a holiday in July 2015 and had plans to marry in October last year.

If you've got it, flaunt it! While living in the US the Australian model hasn't been shy about flashing the flesh in a series of scantily-clad bikini shots
She's the glamorous NRL WAG who has been cherishing every new moment with her newborn daughter, Poppy Alice, since giving birth three weeks ago.

But Phoebe Burgess took to Instagram Stories on Thursday to express her annoyance at 'A Mum "first"' she wasn't pleased with experiencing.

The 27-year-old posted a rant to social media which shamed a Sydney organic cafe for being 'mum-ophobic' towards her and her little one.

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'Cheers to the mum-ophobic waiter': Phoebe Burgess posts rant to Instagram Stories on Thursday about being kicked out of a Sydney cafe with her SLEEPING newborn daughter Poppy the day prior

Clearly frustrated by the venue's service, she tagged them in the post taken outside the eatery, which was removed but it's not known if that was before or after the standard 24 hours of a Story post.

The journalist began: 'Yesterday was the first time I've been asked to move/leave an empty cafe with a 3 week old baby asleep in her pram.'

Without explaining how the situation unfolded, she added a middle-finger emoji and said: 'Cheers to the mum-ophobic waiter who made me terrified to do it again.'

'Terrified to do it again': Phoebe stated she was asked to leave the cafe with her three-week old baby girl, but suggested it could have been worse 'If I'd started feeding as planned...'

Clearly stating that her bub was asleep, she suggested it could have been worse: 'Imagine If I'd started feeding as planned...'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted both Phoebe and the cafe in question for comment.

Cafe owner Pat de Pinho said: 'As one new parent to another, I have personally reached out to Mrs Burgess to clarify and rectify this misunderstanding.

'We are a family friendly cafe and all our team here welcome anyone, any time.'

A few days later, the wife of NRL star Sam Burgess appeared to have overcome her fear of braving a cafe with her newborn as she headed out with her bundle of joy on Saturday.

Glam! A few days later, the wife of NRL star Sam Burgess appeared to have overcome her fear of braving a cafe with her newborn as she headed out with her bundle of joy on Saturday in a loose-fitting white summer dress

The stunning star - who often appears on the Today Show - wore a loose-fitting white summer dress as she pushed her stroller towards a seaside cafe in Millers Point.

She accessorised her casual-chic look with black slides and luxury sunglasses while hanging her Louis Vuitton tote from the baby stroller.

The new mother sported a bronzed complexion and nude lip for the outing, leaving her blonde locks down in a straight style.

Blonde beauties! Phoebe was attending her sister-in-law Joanna Burgess' baby shower, in which she took a sweet photo with the heavily pregnant stunner, writing: 'Can't wait to meet little bubba'

Sweet cuddles! The media personality let expectant mother Joanna share a special moment with her newborn daughter, which Joanna shared on her Instagram Story with love-heart emojis

Phoebe was attending her sister-in-law's baby shower, in which she took a sweet photo with the heavily pregnant beauty, writing: 'Can't wait to meet little bubba.'

The media personality even let the expectant mother share a special moment with her newborn, which Joanna posted to her Instagram Story captioned: 'Little Miss Poppy.'

As Joanna is due to give birth in the coming weeks, Poppy will soon have a Burgess cousin to grow up with.

Regular diners: Sam and Phoebe regularly post about enjoying breakfast or brunch out, with Bondi's Speedos Cafe as one of their regular dining spots (pictured)

Burgess brood: Phoebe and husband Sam welcomed Poppy in January, with the NRL player sharing the news with an adorable photo of the family from the hospital bed

Phoebe and husband Sam welcomed Poppy in January, with the NRL player sharing the news with an adorable photo of the family from the hospital bed.

Phoebe later took to Instagram with cute snaps of the newborn to her 52k followers, who liked and congratulated her within the comment section.

The happy couple tied the knot in December 2015 in an idyllic ceremony at Phoebe's parent's sprawling Southern Highlands estate in Bowral.

The duo met in 2014 at an Avicii concert and are understood to have shared their first date when Sam visited Phoebe in hospital weeks later.
Viewers were not impressed when Emma Willis was 'rudely' interrupted by presenter Angela Scanlon.

The Big Brother host, 40, was relaying a lovely story about her granddad when asked what her favourite sweet was on The One Show on Friday, before she was cut off by Angela.

'Well one of my all-time favourites - because my granddad always had a jar of them in his house and I would literally eat the whole bowl...' she began before the flame-haired presenter interjected: 'Well come back to that.'

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Didn't expect that: Emma Willis, 40, was relaying a lovely story about her grandad when she was 'rudely' interrupted by presenter Angela Scanlon on The One Show on Friday

'We'll come back to that': The Big Brother presenter was mid-sentence when responding to a question about her favourite sweets, when the Irish presenter cut her off

The exchange live on air left Emma unimpressed, letting out a surprised 'Oh!' and sporting a shocked look on her face.

And viewers quickly flocked to social media to stick up for the brunette beauty and express their opinions about the exchange.

'@BBCTheOneShow is a #disaster ,the format,awkwardly ask a guest something only to rudely interrupt them & go to a recording', one user wrote.

Another posted: 'Erm, wasn't Emma Willis mid-flow then? Strange #theoneshow.'

'Well that was very awkward!@BBCTheOneShow. @EmmaWillis I want to hear the story about your Grandad!', a third shared.

Bored already? Angela made the bold decision to move on to another portion of the show without letting Emma finish

'Oh!' The exchange live on air left Emma unimpressed as she sported a shocked look on her face

'Amateur Hour': Viewers quickly flocked to social media to stick up for the brunette beauty

Not a fan of Angela: One user slammed the presenter for being 'rude'

'How rude is this woman presenting the #oneshow?! Don't interrupt the wonderful woman that is @EmmaWillis.'

'The female presenter is just awful! Completely cut Emma off.'

'Hi Emma watched the one show ton I. Was mad that you was talking about your granddad and got cut I thought very rude xxx.'

Meanwhile, Angela seemed oblivious to the social media furore as she posed for an excitable picture with her co-presenter Ore Oduba and Emma.

'Was mad': Another tweeter had to inform Emma of his emotions following the interruption

'I want to hear it!' Viewers were upset that they didn't get to hear the rest of Emma's tale

'Strange': One social media user thought Angela interjection was suspicious

'I admire her SO much': Angela seemed oblivious to the social media furore as she posed for an excitable picture with her co-presenter Ore Oduba and Emma

Stylish: Emma looked sensational in a black top with gold lining down the front

Like a pro! Given her previous TV history, the beauty was a natural in front of the camera

All eyes on her: Emma wrapped up warm in a military-inspired navy coat which served to attenuate her lean figure as she exited the show

'Today I got to interview one of my absolute favourites & someone I admire SO very much, @emmawillisofficial ahead of her hosting @thebritawards next Wednesday (here she is counting & eating toffee at the same time so it should be a breeze!)'

The Irish presenter is currently standing in for Alex Jones, who is on maternity leave, on The One Show.

Previously Angela has presented for the like of Robot Wars and The Voice UK and also worked as a journalist and stylist.

Taking over: Angela (in khaki jacket) is currently standing in for Alex Jones, who is on maternity leave, on The One Show

Chilling: At one point, Emma tried to kill time by clapping her hands

Meanwhile, mother-of-two Emma looked sensational as she exited The One Show after her interview.

She wrapped up warm in a military-inspired navy coat which served to attenuate her lean figure.

Despite the on-air blunder, Emma sported a content demeanour as she ensured to mingle and take selfies with fans.

Pleasing the people: Despite the on-air blunder, Emma looked content as she ensured to mingle and take selfies with fans




It seems to be all but confirmed that Karl Stefanovic has a new lady love in his life.

Just days after Woman's Day first reported the Today Show co-host is dating shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough, the pair have been spotted together for the first time while on a boat party on Sydney Harbour on Saturday.

Seemingly not trying to hide their romance, the pair appeared affectionate in pictures published by The Sunday Telegraph.

Spotted: Just days after it was first reported Karl Stefanovic (left) is dating shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough (right), the pair have been spotted together for the first time while on a boat party on Sydney Harbour on Saturday

One shows Jasmine, 33, sitting next to Karl, 42, with her arms across him as he tried to take a selfie of the pair.

In another image, the duo were later seen laying together on the bow of the luxury yacht, sipping champagne as they shared a conversation alone together.

It's believed the couple, who are said to have met on a boat party in December and have been seeing each other since Christmas, were out celebrating a mutual friend's birthday with approximately 50 other friends.

After the boat docked at Rose Bay wharf, the duo were seen getting into the same car.

Jasmine looked effortlessly stylish in a white long-sleeve sheer dress, which appeared to be worn over a brightly coloured swimsuit.

'Smitten': According to The Sunday Telegraph, a friend claims the TV presenter is 'smitten' with the beauty and sees her 'as a legitimate long-term love prospect'

Fun on the sea: It's reported the pair met on a boat party in Sydney in December (Karl pictured at a separate boat party with friends in January 2015)

Happy holidays! It's believed the pair have been seeing each other since before Christmas

Her blonde locks were swept back off her face in a bun and she accessorised with a chain handbag and gold jewellery.

Meanwhile Karl opted for sand colour chino shorts with a blue linen shirt partially unbuttoned and a brown hat.

According to newspaper, a friend claims the TV presenter is 'smitten' with the beauty and sees her 'as a legitimate long-term love prospect'.

The usually LA based Jasmine was spotted in Sydney earlier this week, just after news broke of the coupling.

The father-of-three split from his wife of 21-years, Cassandra Thorburn, last year.

Split: The father-of-three split from his wife of 21-years, Cassandra Thorburn, last year

According to the earlier reports in the weekly tabloid magazine, the duo were preparing to 'go public' soon, according to one of Karl's friends.

They claimed: 'Karl and Jasmine don't want to hide because they aren't ashamed of being together'.

The 33-year-old blonde beauty is said to have been invited by the TV star to his brother Peter Stefanovic's April wedding to co-star Sylvia Jeffreys, giving her a chance to meet the family.

It's also alleged Karl may introduce Jasmine to his three children - Jackson, 17, Ava, 11, and River, 10 - when she visits in April, which is also when they will step out together for their first public appearance at the Logie Awards that month.

'They aren't ashamed of being together': According to the earlier reports in the weekly tabloid magazine, the duo were preparing to 'go public' soon, according to one of Karl's friends

Ready to meet the family? The 33-year-old blonde beauty is said to have been invited by the TV star to his brother Peter Stefanovic's April wedding to co-star Sylvia Jeffreys, giving her a chance to meet the family

'They're hoping that once they declare they're a couple, public interest will die down,' the friend claims.

The designer counts Australian models Ashley Hart and Montana Cox among her friends over in the States.

It's understood the 42-year-old visited the LA-based shoe designer while in the US on his two-month holiday across December and January.

The magazine claims the pair travelled separately to restaurants.

Representatives from the Nine Network declined Daily Mail Australia's request for comment. Jasmine has also been contacted for comment.
She's usually the star attraction.

But Sheridan Smith didn't mind sharing the spotlight with her adorable Pomeranian dog Pandora at the photocall for Funny Girl at The Palace Theatre in Manchester on Friday.

The 35-year-old actress was all smiles as she planted a smooch on her pet as she promoted the UK tour of the much-loved theatre show.

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Not a ruff day! Sheridan Smith and her adorable Pomeranian dog Pandora shared a kiss at the photocall for Funny Girl at The Palace Theatre in Manchester on Friday

Sheridan couldn't look happier as she sported an edgy biker jacket and a funky headband during the fun display.

The stage star opted for a glamorous slick of make-up including blush infused cheeks and a generous dose of mascara.

She also posed for a few solo shots inside the venue where she still couldn't wipe the smile from her face.

Sheridan sat on the set of seats which were the furthest away from the stage as she posed up for photographers.

Partner in crime: The actress was all smiles as she doted on her pet as she promoted the UK tour of the much-loved theatre show

Pucker up! Sheridan couldn't look happier as she sported an edgy biker jacket and a funky headband during the fun display

Stunner: The stage star opted for a glamorous slick of make-up including blush infused cheeks and a generous dose of mascara

Joining her was her Funny Girl co-star Chris Peluso who looked handsome in a beige coat and jeans.

Meanwhile, Sheridan recently won rave reviews for her role of Julie Bushby - the leader of the community search for Shannon Matthews in 2008, in the new BBC drama The Moorside.

But Sheridan Smith has revealed that she and the woman herself struck up a firm friendship during the show - with Julie even supporting the blonde through her dad's cancer battle.

Like a pro: She also posed for a few solo shots inside the venue where she still couldn't wipe the smile from her face

Loving the limelight: Sheridan sat on the set of seats which were the furthest away from the stage as she posed up for photographers

Details: She sported large gold hoop earrings

The actress confessed to Radio Times that Ms Bushby taught her a lot about 'staying strong' in a late-night chat during filming for the series - and that she is still 'good friends' with the 'kind and courageous' woman.

Having spent a lot of time with Julie as part of her research for The Moorside, the West End star revealed the pair actually become close friends after they bonded over their mutual sense of loss.

Sheridan explained: 'I am still friends with Julie. She's a great mum and grandmother and, although she doesn't always let it show, she has a heart of gold.'

What's so funny? Sheridan, who recently won rave reviews for her role on The Moorside, was clearly in on a hilarious joke

Cast: Joining her was her Funny Girl co-star Chris Peluso

'There was a really emotional scene I had to play where my character talks about losing her baby boy to cot death. She stayed up all night with me discussing what had happened and how she had coped, just to help me play the scene.'

She added: 'I was so worried about my dad, but I learnt a lot from her that night about staying strong for those you love and for that I'll always be grateful.'

Colin sadly lost his battle with the disease in early December after filming had wrapped, and passed away at the age of 80.
She's currently travelling around Cambodia with her latest memoir based drama.

Adding to her life altering trip, Angelina Jolie shared a special moment with King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia after the opening ceremony of First They Killed My Father on Saturday.

The actress - who has kept a low profile of late since filing for divorce from Brad Pitt in September - looked sensational as she took a step out of her usual muted fashion toned choices for a hot pink gown in the country's Siem Reap province.

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A vision: Angelina Jolie shared a special moment with King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia after the opening ceremony of First They Killed My Father on Saturday

The 41-year-old was striking in her head-turning full-length chiffon number as she accepted the honour from the country's King.

In awe of her experience, the Hollywood A-lister graciously bowed in respect to the monarch, dressed in her backless flowing dress.

The Oscar winning actress' dress draped over her lithe frame, highlighting her narrow waist as she accepted a bouquet of flowers from his highness during the ceremony.

Accentuating her delicate features, she swept her dark locks into a chic chignon which showcased her simple diamond studs for the memorable occasion.

Honoured: The actress - who has kept a low profile of late since filing for divorce from Brad Pitt in September - looked sensational as she took a step out of her usual muted fashion toned choices for a hot pink gown in the country's Siem Reap province

Memorable: The 41-year-old was striking in her head-turning full-length chiffon number as she accepted the honour from the country's King

Candid: In awe of her experience, the Hollywood A-lister graciously bowed in respect to the monarch, dressed in her backless flowing dress

Jolie's beaming display comes after she made her first official appearance in Cambodia at the premiere of her new film, joined by her children Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 10 and eight-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

The mother-of-six, whose eldest child Maddox was adopted in 2002 from an orphanage in Battambang, Cambodia, gave a free public screening of the memoir-based drama.

Flanked by her proud children, the Hollywood star was the picture of elegance in a simple black dress with lace detailing on the shoulders.

The kids beamed with delight as they joined their mother at the grand unveiling of her latest project.

Back to business: Angelina made her first official appearance since her split from husband Brad Pitt on Saturday for the premiere of her new film

Family affair: The mother-of-six, 41, attended with children Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 10, though 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne didn't appear present

Have a cuddle: Jolie's youngest daughter Vivienne embraced her as they stood outside before the cinematic event

Family affair: Angelina gave Vivienne a hug as they attended the premiere together

Angelina was invited to the royal residence for an audience with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni.

The harrowing film tells the story of the war time experiences of Angelina's friend and former refuge Cambodian Loung Un as a young child, and is set to be released on Netflix.

Jolie, who directed the project, credited Maddox with convincing her to make the film after it languished for years.

'I wanted to focus not just on the war but on the love of family and on the beauty of the country and in fact I wanted to understand what my son's birth parents may have gone through.

Former flame: She has been keeping a low profile since filing for divorce from Brad Pitt in September

All in attendance: Also pictured were eight-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne (far left) as they attended an audience with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni

'And I wanted to know him better and I wanted to know this country better,' she said.

'He was the one who just called it and said he was ready and that he wanted to work on it, which he did. He read the script, helped with notes, and was in the production meetings,' Jolie recently told The Guardian.

Maddox was seen visiting the Angkor temple complex on Friday.

'It's the first time there's something on this size about this war in this country,' she said.

Giving back: The harrowing film tells the story of the war time experiences of Angelina's friend and former refuge Cambodian Loung Un as a young child, and is set to be released on Netflix

'He read the script, helped with notes, and was in the production meetings,'Jolie, who directed the project, credited Maddox with convincing her to make the film after it languished for years

'I feel like nobody is here for themselves and everybody here to do any job is here to put something forward and help their country speak,' the American actress, who has been granted Cambodian citizenship, said.

Cambodia's king and survivors of the communist regime will be among some 1,500 people invited to the debut screening of 'First They Killed My Father', directed by Jolie and based on the memoirs of Loung Ung.

Loung Ung was five years old when Khmer Rouge troops, led by Pol Pot, swept into Phnom Penh plunging her family into a harrowing ordeal that saw them sent to brutal labour camps before her eventual escape to the United States.

'He was the one who just called it and said he was ready and that he wanted to work on it, which he did', Angelina said of Maddox (middle)

Publicising their battle: In its quest for an agrarian Marxist utopia, the regime killed up to two million Cambodians between 1975-79 through execution, starvation and overwork

In its quest for an agrarian Marxist utopia, the regime killed up to two million Cambodians between 1975-79 through execution, starvation and overwork.

It is the second movie by Jolie to tackle the subject of genocide - in 2011 she made a film about the Bosnian conflict featuring mostly local actors.

In a tribute to those who survived the brutal regime, Jolie has pushed to ensure the film would be both made by Cambodians and accessible to them.

Raising awareness: It is the second movie by Jolie to tackle the subject of genocide - in 2011 she made a film about the Bosnian conflict featuring mostly local actors

'I wanted to understand what my son's birth parents may have gone through' Jolie admitted

Almost the entire film is in the Khmer language while the cast members and much of the crew were local hires, including the two child protagonists.

The film is also co-produced by Rithy Panh, Cambodia's most acclaimed filmmaker.

He lost almost all his immediate family during the Khmer Rouge years but went on to produce searing documentaries that helped break the silence surrounding the genocide.

'I feel like nobody is here for themselves and everybody here to do any job is here to put something forward and help their country speak,' Angelina, who has been granted Cambodian citizenship, said

The premiere will be followed by screenings across Cambodia, some seven months before the film is released to a global audience on Netflix.

Jolie's arrival in Cambodia marks a rare public appearance since her high-profile split last year from Brad Pitt in September.

Together they had brought up Hollywood's most celebrated family with three of their six children adopted from overseas.

Respecting tradition: Angelina pays her respects during an audience with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni

Coveted audienceCambodia's king and survivors of the communist regime will be among some 1,500 people invited to the debut screening of 'First They Killed My Father', directed by Jolie and based on the memoirs of Loung Ung

Pitt, 53, and Angelina are currently locked in a custody battle over their children.

Brad and Jolie - whose romance is believed to have begun during filming of Mr & Mrs Smith, while he was still married to Jennifer Aniston, in 2005 - are due back in court this month for a hearing in the ongoing case.

Pitt and his family allegedly got into an argument aboard a private plane in September, causing an anonymous source to call the DCFS.

Pitt was exonerated in November by officials with the FBI and LA DCFS amid accusations he was physically abusive to Maddox during the flight from France.

The actor is requesting to share joint physical and legal custody with Jolie, who wants sole physical custody with Pitt receiving scheduled visits.

Success: The premiere will be followed by screenings across Cambodia, some seven months before the film is released to a global audience on Netflix

Keeping a low profile of late: Jolie's arrival in Cambodia marks a rare public appearance since her high-profile split last year from Brad Pitt in September

Last month Jolie accused her estranged husband of 'publicly impugning' her character in court documents that claimed Pitt is 'terrified the public will learn the truth'.

The allegations came as she approved of Brad's request that their children's records be legally sealed, after he claimed their accessibility was a violation of privacy.

While Jolie at the time agreed with his motives, she accused Pitt of using court filings to deflect from his 'own role in the media storm that has engulfed' their children .

Jolie - who currently retains temporary physical custody of the children - remains undaunted in her attempts to get sole custody of the kids.
She is known for showing off her killer figure in an array of daring outfits.

And Emily Ratajkowski was certainly not afraid to flaunt her enviable body once again on Saturday, as she took to Instagram to reminisce on her summer getaway to Greece.

The model, 27, took to the site to share a number of sizzling bikini snaps with her 11.2 million followers - displaying her rippling abs and tiny waist for all to see.

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Bikini babe: Emily Ratajkowski was certainly not afraid to flaunt her enviable body once again on Saturday, as she took to Instagram to reminisce on her summer getaway (above)

First posing in the crystal waters, the brunette confidently showed off her impressively slim figure and a serious amount of skin in a typically skimpy two-piece.

The triangle top, decorated with a vintage floral pattern, plunged into a deep V at to give a flash of her ample cleavage, and left her toned stomach on full display.

Pairing the top with matching barely-there briefs, the model then drew attention to her unbelievably tiny waist and long legs, with the saucy string fastenings rising past her hips.

Twice as nice: Emily later uploaded another image of her taking refuge from the sun in the shade, which further enhanced her slender physique

Adding to her titillating display, Emily later uploaded another image of her taking refuge from the sun in the shade, which further showed off her slender physique.

Facing side on, the London-born beauty not only proved there was not an inch of fat on her but also showed off her striking model features - with her cheekbones, enhanced by a shimmering sweep of highlighter, coming into focus.

The brunette beauty reminisced on her tropical getaway during a busy New York Fashion Week in the Big Apple.

Candid: The brunette beauty reminisced on her tropical getaway with fans (above) during a busy New York Fashion Week in the Big Apple

As one of the hottest models of the moment, Emily has bagged a place on the FROW at some of the most highly anticipated shows at this year's stylish event, including Michael Kors, Jason Wu and Diane von Furstenberg.

Having risen to fame in Robin Thicke's music video for Blurred Lines, the brunette's career has only gone from strength to strength - most recently revealing on Instagram that she had landed the prestigious cover of Vogue Espana.

The starring role was her very first for the Spanish publication and her second cover for the fashion bible internationally.

Proving she has multiple strings to her bow however, the brunette has also turned her hand to acting.

Leading lady: As one of the hottest models of the moment, Emily has bagged a place on the FROW at some of the most highly anticipated shows, including Michael Kors (above)

She starred alongside Zac Efron in We Are Not Your Friends back in 2015, before appearing on hit Netflix comedy Easy late last year.

However, Emily recently admitted to ES Magazine that her sexy appearance which has grabbed so much attention can hinder her in scoring different roles in film.

She explained: 'If you're a sexy actress it's hard to get serious roles. You get offered the same thing that they've seen you in. People are like sheep and they're like 'Oh, that's what she does well.''

'Whats so dumb is that women are 50 per cent of the population and they want to spend money to see movies where theyre portrayed as three-dimensional characters.
British model and Vogue contributing editor Alexa Chung is the epitome of urban chic.

But the 33-year-old fashionista plumped for a more old-fashioned look on Saturday.

The slender beauty channelled a rural peasant style look in a stunningly original white dress for the J.W.Anderson show at LFW.

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Rural style chic: Urban fashionista Alexa, who splits her time between London and New York, looked every inch the rural young girl - completing her wide-sleeved, old fashioned style dress with a wicker bag

The style icon even touted a wicker bag along with her to the show's front row.

But Alexa could not resist throwing in stand out modern touches to the outfit.

Sheer tights with subtle black circles added texture to the ensemble, while a pair of unusual cream and black snakeskin shoes with ovular rolled heels somehow managed not to steal too much attention.

The fashion darling pulled her naturally tousled waves back in a bun, but left blonde-tinged strands hanging around her face - highlighting her high cheekbones.

The TV presenter sat in the front row for the J.W.Anderson show on Saturday afternoon.

Daring to be different: Sheer tights with subtle black circles added texture to the fashionista's ensemble, as did her unusual cream and black snakeskin shoes with ovular rolled heels

The Northern Irish designer is now an LFW veteran. He shot to fame in 2008 after a display of his interesting accessories caught attention and this is now his ninth year presenting.

Later, on the front row at the LFW Emilia Wickstead Show, Alexa sported a loose fitting black coat.

The Vogue contributing editor looked to be deep in conversation - perhaps discussing a new piece.

Alexa looked every inch the model as she stared up into the camera lens while sitting with her legs held elegantly to one side.

Always elegant: Later, on the front row at the LFW Emilia Wickstead Show, Alexa sported a loose and complementary black coat

Beauty and brains: The Vogue contributing editor looked to be deep in conversation - perhaps discussing a new piece for the magazine

Alexa splits her time between the UK and New York where boyfriend and Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard, 40, lives, who she has been dating since last year.

Despite frequently popping over to New York, and supporting him during his most recent film The Legend Of Tarzan, the couple keep their relationship low-key.

Earlier in the year it was rumoured that an engagement could be on the cards between Alexa and Alexander.

Model gaze: Alexa looked every inch the model as she stared up into the camera lens while sitting with her legs held elegantly to one side

Confident bearing: Alexa also presents TV documentaries on fashion and recently starred in a racy underwear commercial

Wedding bells? Earlier in the year it was rumoured that an engagement could be on the cards between Alexa and Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard, 40, who the model has been dating since last year

And this isn't the first time the sartorial fashionista has wowed in white by the catwalk.

Alexa wore a dazzling strapless whiti midi dress to attend the Christian Siriano AW17 show for New York Fashion Week earlier this month.

The TV presenter's strapless number accentuated her delicate decolletage as she posed for photos backstage at the event.
She recently took New York Fashion Week by storm, walking the runways for Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Anna Sui and Michael Kors.

Now, Kendall Jenner appeared to get preparations underway for London Fashion Week as she went for a spot of shopping down Portobello Road in Notting Hill on Saturday.

The 21-year-old model basked in the tourist atmosphere as she tried a number of tantalising treats at the food market in her leather cowboy fringe jacket.

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An American in London! Kendall Jenner appeared to get preparations underway for London Fashion Week as she went for a spot of shopping down Portobello Road in Notting Hill on Saturday

The style maven's cropped leather jacket with gold accents fell stylishly over her distressed black printed tee, not helping her attempt to go incognito.

Highlighting her endless pins, she slipped on a pair of daring leather ankle-grazing trousers which dared to bare her subtle skin with lace-up side detail.

The high-waisted pants elongated her endless legs as she strutted down the pavement in her white Adidas trainers.

Showcasing her chin-length bob, she sported a pair of oversized aviator sunnies as she clutched onto a warming hot beverage through the market.

Fringe benefits: The 21-year-old model basked in the tourist atmosphere as she tried a number of tantalising treats at the food market in her leather cowboy fringe jacket

Chic: The style maven's cropped leather jacket with gold accents fell stylishly over her distressed black printed tee, not helping much to aid her attempt to go incognito

Lace it up! Highlighting her endless pins, she slipped on a pair of daring leather ankle-grazing trousers which dared to bare her subtle skin with lace-up side detail

Known for it's ream of lustworthy vintage clobber, Kendall stopped by a number of stalls to try on the retro fashions.

Her chilled out appearance comes after she arrived in London alongside pals Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin ahead of LFW.

Meanwhile, the fashion darling shared during a visit to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this week that she has shot several covers for Love magazine.

The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star has also shot Sienna Miller for a Love magazine cover.

Pin-credible: The high-waisted pants elongated her endless legs as she strutted down the pavement in her white trainers

Skate on: Kendall playfully stood by the the crepe and waffles stand, resting her foot on a skateboard

In line: The reality star happily waited for her turn to get her treats

'That's un-retouched by the way,' she said as they examined the cover shot. 'There's no retouch, she's just perfect like that.'

Kendall also described how sister Kylie, 19, and mother Kris Jenner, 61, shout so loudly at fashion shows that it almost throws her off her game.

'I've told myself, since my first show, like I never look at the audience, ever. If I do it will mess me up,' she said.

Relaxed: The brunette beauty was happy browsing through the market stalls, carrying her hot drinks

Chic: Kendall showcased her ever evolving style in her leather ensemble

'But Kylieactually, if she's at a show, and my mom usually, I can hear them screaming,' she laughed.

'Sometimes I'll smirk a little bit because I can't hold it in, but I never look, I could never look at them,' she shared. 'The shows are an adrenaline rush.'

Jenner - who is fresh from her NYFW stint - insisted she had learned to love the madness of fashion week.

Distressed style: Kendall's T-shirt oozed distressed vibes with it's many worn holes

Happy out: Kendall hid her chocolate peepers behind her shades as she soaked up the atmosphere

Hot stuff: Showcasing her chin-length bob, she sported a pair of oversized aviator sunnies as she clutched onto a warming hot beverage

Dress up! Kendall helped her pal try on a head-turning coat at the market

'It's really funyou work all day and then people are like 'let's go out' there's no sleeping,' she remarked.

'The last three years have been awesome,' she beamed, noting that these days she only gets nervous if she has to wear something awkward such as 'a really long dress with really crazy heels'.

'I've actually become really comfortable,' said the model, who already has an estimated income of around $4 million USD per year from her career.

Chanel chic: Kendall exuded glamour for her stint on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday
They've been together for twelve years, and will soon celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary together.

And now Nicole Kidman has opened up about the secret to her marriage to Keith Urban.

In an interview with news.com.au, the 49-year-old said the couple have lasted for over a decade 'through absolute commitment and kindness, the desire to protect and help each other.'

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'Keith and I always say that we are just so lucky to have each other': Nicole Kidman has opened up about her marriage to husband Keith Urban

She added: 'Thats what our relationship is.'

The Lion starlet couldn't stop herself when it came to gushing over her devoted husband.

'Keith and I always say that we are just so lucky to have each other,' Nicole continued.

'Through absolute commitment and kindness, the desire to protect and help each other': The 41-year-old revealed how she and Keith have stayed together for so long

'In this world, to be able to come back to that love and that strength is so nourishing and powerful,' gushed the Lion starlet

'In this world, to be able to come back to that love and that strength is so nourishing and powerful.'

Despite their loved-up displays, rumours have been rife that their marriage is on the rocks.

Keith recently told the Today show's Richard Wilkins that it's difficult to keep on top of the rumours as the couple enjoyed their lives out of the spotlight, moving between NSW's Southern Highlands and their home in Nashville, Tennessee.

'People make up the most insane crap, and we kind of just roll with it': Keith has been forced to defend his marriage against baseless rumours

He said: 'People make up the most insane crap, and we kind of just roll with it.

'It does [annoy me], I want to live our life together, and the fact we live somewhere where we're not being photographed all the time - it makes it possible for people to make up that stuff because you're not always there to defend it.'

Keith and Nicole tied the knot in June 2006 during a secret Sydney wedding, before welcoming daughters Sunday Rose in 2008 and Faith Margaret in 2011.
More than 6,000 people have died in the seven months since President Rodrigo Duterte ordered an unprecedented war on drugs, which has drawn global criticism for alleged human rights abuses

Thousands of Catholic faithful gathered in the Philippine capital on Saturday for a "show of force" in the biggest rally yet to stop extrajudicial killings in President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war.

More than 6,000 people have died since Duterte took office seven months ago and ordered an unprecedented crime war that has drawn global criticism for alleged human rights abuses, but is popular with many in the mainly Catholic country.

Members of one of the nation's oldest and most powerful institutions chanted prayers and sang hymns as they marched to condemn a "spreading culture of violence".

"We have to stand up. Somehow this is already a show of force by the faithful that they don't like these extrajudicial killings," Manila bishop Broderick Pabillo told AFP before addressing the crowd.

"I am alarmed and angry at what's happening because this is something that is regressive. It does not show our humanity."

Thousands of Catholics gather at a dawn rally in a "show of force" against alleged extrajudicial killings in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war in Manila on February 18, 2017

Duterte, 71, has attacked the Church as "the most hypocritical institution" for speaking out against a campaign that he says would save generations of Filipinos from the drug menace.

About eight in 10 Filipinos are Catholic, making the former Spanish colony of more than 100 million people Asia's bastion of Christianity.

The Church helped lead the revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and a 2001 uprising against then-president Joseph Estrada that saw him ousted over corruption charges.

It had initially declined to voice opposition publicly to Duterte's drug war but, as the death toll of mostly poor people mounted, it began late last year to call for the killings to end.

Saturday's event, called the "Walk for Life", gathered 20,000 people, according to the organisers. Manila police estimated the crowd at 10,000.

The rally also opposed Duterte's push to restore the death penalty, his top legislative priority as part of his crime war.

- 'Tears and fears' -

"It is obvious that there is a spreading culture of violence. It is saddening to see, sometimes it drives me to tears how violent words seem so natural and ordinary," said Manila Cardinal Luis Tagle, the country's highest-ranking Church official.

"In your surroundings, in your neighbourhood, there are so many lives that must be saved. They will not be saved by mere discussion."

Officers investigate the killing of two alleged robbers in a gun fight with police in Manila

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines had called on the faithful to gather at the Quirino Grandstand, where Duterte held a huge pre-election rally, from 4:30am.

"Why dawn? It's because it is during these hours that we find bodies on the streets or near trash cans. Dawn, which is supposed to be the hour of a new start, is becoming an hour of tears and fears," Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the bishops' conference, told the crowd.

Villegas this month issued the Church's strongest statement against the drug war, warning against a "reign of terror" in poor communities.

Among those who attended Saturday's event was Senator Leila de Lima, a former human rights commissioner and one of Duterte's most vocal opponents.

The government on Friday filed charges against her for allegedly running a drug trafficking ring using criminals in the country's largest prison when she was justice secretary in the previous administration.

De Lima, who has repeatedly insisted the charges against her are trumped up to silence her and intimidate other Duterte critics, said she attended Saturday's event as a show of solidarity.

"For as long as I can, I will continue to fight. They cannot silence me," De Lima, who is expecting to be arrested in the coming days, told AFP.

Bone cancer survivor Lucy Castillo, 56, turned up in a wheelchair along with dozens of other people with disabilities.

"When I was in so much pain, I could have taken my life but I did not. Only God can take it," she told AFP.

"I was diagnosed 40 years ago but I was given a chance to live. I want to give these drug addicts another chance."
Lonesome George was thought to be around a century old when he died in June 2012

The embalmed body of the giant tortoise known as Lonesome George -- the last known member of a species that was wiped out with his death in 2012 -- returned home to the Ecuadoran Galapagos Islands.

The body arrived in Puerto Ayora, the capital of the archipelago's Santa Cruz Island, on an Ecuadoran military plane after undergoing taxidermy work at New York's American Museum of Natural History, the Galapagos National Park said.

The giant tortoise -- thought to be around a century old when he died in June 2012 -- was the last known member of the subspecies Geochelone nigra abingdoni.

He failed to reproduce despite a decades long conservation effort that earned him the moniker "Lonesome George."

Last of its kind

His body will go on display at the park starting February 23, after having starred in an exhibition at the New York museum from September 2014-January 2015.

The Pacific island chain is famous for its unique flora and fauna studied by Charles Darwin as he developed his theory of evolution.

Of the 15 species of giant tortoise known to have originated in the Galapagos, three, including George's, have gone extinct -- victims of plundering 18th-century pirates who damaged the islands' fragile ecosystem.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Vice President Mike Pence pictured in Munich, southern Germany, on February 18, 2017

US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday led a chorus of reassurance for allies rattled by Donald Trump's policy stance but European leaders gave the pledges a lukewarm welcome.

Underlining US loyalty to its old friends, Pence told European leaders and defence experts: "The United States is and will always be your greatest ally."

"Be assured that President Trump and our people are truly devoted to our transatlantic union," he said at the Munich Security Conference.

Trump's criticism of NATO as "obsolete", his praise for Britain's decision to leave the European Union, and his softer approach towards Russia have unnerved Washington's allies.

But Pence and other members of Trump's administration -- Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson -- stuck largely to the foreign policy rule book in a major European diplomatic foray this week.

NATO member countries

On Russia, the US would not relent in pushing it to honour the Minsk ceasefire accords with Ukraine, said Pence.

"The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," the vice-president said.

And Tillerson said the US would cooperate with Moscow but only when doing so "will benefit the American people".

On NATO, Mattis emphasised that America remained "rock solid" in its support of Article 5 -- the alliance's core "one for all, all for one" collective defence tenet.

- 'Not a word on the EU' -

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addresses the Munich Security Conference in southern Germany on February 18, 2017

In response, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said he "had no doubt that the American vice-president and the defence secretary will do everything to fulfil their commitments to NATO as in the past."

But pressed for his view on Trump, Gabriel was terse. "I can only say what I have spoken about with Mr Pence. And that I have done and on that I have no doubt."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was "struck that (Pence) had not at any moment mentioned the EU."

"I don't want to accuse Pence prematurely; he is going to Brussels on Monday and I hope that we will have a clear response on this question because Donald Trump gave the impression that he welcomes Brexit and that there would be more to come," said Ayrault.

US President Donald Trump's criticism of NATO as "obsolete" has unnerved Washington's allies

"The future will give more clarity on all the issues ... I don't believe in everyone for himself, in solving questions through force or through deals," he said.

US politicians in attending the conference in Munich pointed to a chasm between what Trump's envoys and the president himself said.

"Looks like we have 2 governments," Democrat Senator Chris Murphy said in a tweet.

Pence spoke about "shared values between the US and Europe (but Trump) openly wages war on those values".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel made no direct mention of Trump in her address in Munich.

She however, championed a clear message of international cooperation rather than the feared isolationism of the president's "America First" strategy.

"In a year in which we see unimaginable challenges we can either work together or retreat to our individual roles. I hope that we will find a common position," she said.

- 'Post-West world order' -

US Vice President Mike Pence on his way to bilateral talks at the Munich Security Conference on February 18, 2017

Amid the turmoil, Russia stepped in to call for an end to what it called an outdated world order dominated by the West.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he hoped the world "will choose a democratic world order -- a post-West one -- in which each country is defined by its sovereignty."

The time when the West called the shots was over while NATO was a relic of the Cold War, he said.

In its place, Moscow wanted a relationship with Washington that is "pragmatic with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our common responsibility for global stability".

Moscow has been impatiently waiting for Trump to make good on his pledge to improve ties which plunged to a post-Cold War low as Barack Obama slapped on sanctions over the Ukraine crisis and Russia's alleged meddling in Trump's election.

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and voiced his willingness to work with him in fighting terrorism.

But in the face of growing controversy over its links to Moscow, Trump's administration appears to be backing off the warmer words used earlier for the former Cold War foe.
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis

US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, his first trip to the Middle East since taking office last month.

A retired Marine general who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mattis knows the region well and was a frequent visitor during his time heading up the US military's Central Command.

He was scheduled to meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Defence Minister Mohammed Al Bawardi.

The Pentagon did not immediately release further details of the UAE trip, which comes after Mattis spent much of the week at summits in Brussels and Munich.

His mission there was to reassure nervous European and NATO partners that America will continue to fully support decades-old allegiances and calm concerns over possible ties between the White House and the Kremlin.

The UAE is seen as an important regional ally in the US-led coalition's fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

President Donald Trump in January spoke by telephone with Nahyan, committing to "further strengthen cooperation on fighting radical Islamic terrorism".

Gulf nations including the UAE are concerned about growing Iranian involvement in several regional conflicts, and Mattis, who has sounded a hawkish tone on Iran, has blasted Tehran for its "destabilising" influence.
US President Donald Trump arrives at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort on February 17, 2017

With his presidency in turmoil and political adversaries baying for blood, Donald Trump is trading the Washington mud pit for more soothing surroundings: a campaign stage and crowds of thousands chanting his name.

The provocative real estate mogul-turned-leader of the free world is not jump-starting his 2020 reelection bid -- not yet anyway.

But on Saturday, he returns to the medium that made him a political juggernaut, one he mastered in the 2016 campaign to the humiliation of his Republican and Democratic rivals.

Trump hits the campaign stump for a rally in Melbourne, a city on Florida's famed Space Coast, at 5:00 pm (2200 GMT), not as candidate but the nation's commander-in-chief seeking to reconnect with his tribe of largely white, male middle-class voters.

Melbourne, the White House said Friday, will be "a campaign rally for America."

The rally locale had all the flair and anticipation of a campaign event from 2016: Thousands of supporters in line, women wearing red "Make America Great Again" hats, men in "Bikers for Trump" shirts, toddlers asleep on parents' shoulders, and plenty of Trump merchandise for sale.

"I love our president. He's coming out for us, we the people!" car salesman Gene Huber, from West Palm Beach, told AFP.

US President Donald Trump speaks at the Boeing plant in North Charleston, South Carolina, on February 17, 2017.

He said he was first in line, arriving at 4:00 am to see his Republican political hero.

Huber and many other Trump fans around him were dismissive when asked whether they were concerned that Trump, as the country's 45th president, was employing the same contentious style from his time on the campaign trail.

"No jitters at all," Huber said. "This is a world leader now who's taking control."

The event will provide Trump an opportunity to bond with his base after a tumultuous start to his presidency.

Florida has been good to the New York billionaire, and Trump was clearly relishing the chance to return to the stump here.

"Big crowd expected!" he tweeted.

The populous southeastern state backed Trump in November, helping him seal his shock victory over his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Gary Snow of Jacksonville, Florida, a supporter of US.President Donald Trump, stages a lone vigil against anti-government protesters during a rally at the Orlando Melbourne International Airport on February 18, 2017

But the decision to hold the event appears to defy convention in Washington, coming as it does just one month into Trump's four-year term, when most new presidents are focused on finding their footing and getting their national security team and cabinet up to speed.

Trump has repeatedly pledged to do things differently.

And with the past week marked by his national security adviser's resignation, a withdrawal by one of his cabinet nominees, and a startling news conference loaded with vituperation, his team appears to have seen a return to his political bread and butter to be in order.

Tensions have soared in recent days as lawmakers pressed for more information about the Trump campaign's connections with Russia.

Congress is already investigating Russian interference in the November 8 presidential election, and the issue appeared to exasperate Trump on Thursday at his extraordinary news conference, where he denied his campaign had contact with Moscow.

As reporters pressed him on the sensitive issues, he lashed out, then ratcheted up his anti-journalist tirade in a Friday tweet, calling the media "FAKE NEWS" and "the enemy of the American people!"

It marked a new level of abrasiveness for Trump, who has made clear he believes the media are out to sink his presidency.

He is likely to continue such denunciations in friendlier company Saturday, much as he did during last year's campaign, when he called the media "some of the worst people I've ever met."

- 'Nobody does it better' -

Activists stage a New Orleans-style funeral procession in Washington Square Park in New York on February 18, 2017, to mourn the death of the US presidency

Robert Sponsler, 64, a retired railroad worker from Jacksonville, turned his nose up at the stew in Washington.

"We don't care," he said of the various conflicts Trump is navigating. "He don't owe nobody nothing. I'm with him 100 percent."

The White House made no secret of the Melbourne rally's campaign-trail feel.

"President Trump, just as he did so effectively throughout the campaign, is going to continue taking his message directly to the American people," deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

Journalists "don't always do the best job delivering his message, and nobody does it better than he does."

About a hundred protesters, some holding "Resist" signs, were seen across the street from the line of Trump supporters.

"Watch out, snowflakes," yelled one man who wore a black vest with a "DJT 45" patch. "It's warm out here, you might melt."

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle meanwhile continued to press for thorough, bipartisan investigations into Russia's role in the election.

FBI director James Comey personally briefed senators Friday amid the uproar over Trump's Moscow ties.
The sun sets over Jerusalem on January 23, 2017

With a new leader in the White House bent on disrupting the status quo, could it also be time for a fresh approach to Middle East peace?

The United States this week encouraged a "regional" solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, backing a proposal for the Jewish state to unite with Sunni Arab powers against Shiite Iran, their common foe.

The first meeting at the White House between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took place on Wednesday, with the proceedings dominated by the US leader backing away from longstanding American policy of calling for a "two-state" solution.

Trump's aides contributed to the confusion by stating that Washington remained committed to the two-state solution that remains a staple of Mideast diplomacy, but added that the administration was also open to alternative solutions.

Israel's changing borders

Netanyahu was more specific in proposing a regional alliance to help attain peace in the Middle East -- a proposal that Trump called "a terrific thing" during their joint news conference Wednesday.

"We think the larger issue today is how do we create the broader conditions for broad peace in the Middle East between Israel and the Arab countries," Netanyahu said Thursday on MSNBC.

"That's something that may have a new opportunity because of the fact that many of the Arab countries now see Israel not as their enemy but as their ally in confronting the large threat of Iran and (the Islamic State group) -- that is, the twin Islamist forces that threaten all of us. That is bringing us closer together and may also help pave avenues for peace."

- Inadvertently united -

Trump affirmed that the United States would work "very, very diligently" on a "great peace deal" -- with his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is Jewish, expected to lead the American effort.

The US president said Netanyahu's proposal for a regional alliance was something that "hasn't been discussed before," noting it would take in "many, many countries and it would cover a very large territory."

US President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on February 15, 2017

More specifically, Trump's pick for US ambassador to Israel, lawyer David Friedman, has pushed for cooperation between Israel and Sunni Arab nations in opposing Shiite Iran.

"The Gulf states, the Egyptians, the Jordanians and the Israelis are all united, perhaps inadvertently so, but they're all united in a common concern about Iran. Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism," Friedman said during his Senate confirmation hearing, during which he was grilled on his right-wing views.

US experts said the alignment of interests between Israel and Sunni Arab countries against the Iranian regime should be supported by the Trump administration, which has already broken from the policies of predecessor Barack Obama who had signed the landmark deal giving Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear ambitions.

"Trump has the potential to pull off a major diplomatic coup between Israel and the Gulf states in countering Iran's threat," Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told AFP.

- 'New Middle East' -

US President Donald Trump (centre) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on February 15, 2017

So sensitive is the issue that Israeli authorities rarely -- if ever -- specifically name Arab countries when speaking publicly on the subject, with the exception of Egypt and Jordan which have peace deals with Israel and maintain diplomatic relations.

Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar do not have diplomatic relations with Israel -- although that does not prevent them from sharing informal links.

Retired Saudi general Anwar Eshki met Israel's then-foreign ministry director general Dore Gold in Jerusalem last July. The pair shared a stage a year earlier at a Washington think tank.

At the time, they spoke of the peace process, stalled since 2014, and pledged to reinvigorate the Arab Peace Initiative.

Also known as the "Saudi initiative," the 2002 plan called for normalization of relations between Israel and Arab states in exchange for a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

The initiative was revived in July 2013 by then-US secretary of state John Kerry, prior to his mediating Israeli-Palestinian talks nine months later.

But now the Trump administration has an opportunity to push for the proposed US-Israeli-Sunni Arab alliance, said Robert Satloff, executive director of conservative think tank the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

"Israel's real strategic need from Washington goes far beyond the bilateral relationship. What Israel -- along with other longstanding US allies in the region -- really needs is a reassertion of American leadership after a period of perceived indifference by the Obama administration," he said.

Israeli Minister Ayoob Kara, in a tweet, welcomed "the expected regional peace summit of Arab leaders in Washington... This is the new Trump-Netanyahu Middle East."
Turkey has suggested a joint operation between their special forces, pictured here in Karkamis, Syria in September 2016, and US special forces to retake Raqa

Turkey has presented two plans to the US detailing how a joint operation could retake the IS de-facto capital of Raqa in northern Syria, a local newspaper reported Saturday.

Turkish Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar set out Ankara's proposals to the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford during his visit to Turkey, Hurriyet daily said citing security sources.

Dunford travelled Friday to the Incirlik airbase in the southern Turkish province of Adana, which is used for air raids against the Islamic State group (IS).

Turkey has repeatedly called for a joint operation with the US to clear Raqa of IS excluding Syrian Kurdish militia.

Last August, Ankara launched a unilateral military operation supporting Syrian rebels to recapture territory from IS in northern Syria and halt the advance of the militia.

-- US special forces --

Turkish Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar, seen here, sent two proposals for a joint operation to retake Raqa to US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford

In one of the proposals, Ankara suggests Turkish and US special forces supported by commandoes and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters would go down to Raqa via the Syrian town of Tal Abyad, the daily reported.

Tal Abyad was captured by Kurdish and Arab rebels in June 2015 and is 80 kilometres (50 miles) away from Raqa.

The newspaper said this would mean the US would have to persuade the Kurdish groups to let the forces through to reach Raqa via a 20-kilometre (12.5 miles) corridor.

The second plan would be to go to Raqa via Al-Bab but this would be less likely since this would require moving forces 180 kilometres (112 miles) across and there are mountainous roads, Hurriyet reported.

Al-Bab is IS's last stronghold in Aleppo province and the Turkish operation is currently engaged in clearing IS from the town, Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik said this week.

Relations between Washington and Ankara have soured over the six-year conflict as the US sees Syrian Kurdish militias as the most effective ground force against IS.

- 'Wrath of Euphrates' -

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the US should not work with the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG)

But Ankara views the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG), as extensions of Kurdish separatist militants waging an insurgency against Turkey.

A Kurdish-Arab alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is pushing towards Raqa in an operation dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates".

But it is not clear whether US President Donald Trump will continue to rely on the Kurdish militias for any operation in Raqa.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said it would not be right for the US to work with the PYD and YPG.

"You cannot go against a terror organisation with another terror organisation," Yildirim said, quoted by the CNN Turk broadcaster.

He said he believed the US administration would take these assessments into consideration.
Gambian President Adama Barrow looks at the audience from the roof of a car as he arrives at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, west of the capital Banjul for his inauguration ceremony, on February 18, 2017

Thousands celebrated Saturday as new Gambian President Adama Barrow retook his oath of office, a month after he was sworn in across the border in neighbouring Senegal during a tense power struggle.

February 18 is also the anniversary of The Gambia's independence from Britain, but many are also calling the day the birth of a third republic following the ousting of Yahya Jammeh at the ballot box.

The festivities began Saturday morning at Independence Stadium in Bakau, west of the capital, and were attended by several African heads of state as well as high-ranking diplomats.

The guest of honour was Senegalese President Macky Sall. Tens of thousands packed the venue, singing and dancing, an AFP correspondent said.

Barrow told the crowd he would probe human rights abuses under Jammeh's mercurial and despotic rule spanning 22 years.

"A Human Rights Commission will be established without delay," to track people who were missing of had disappeared after being arrested, Barrow said.

"Orders have already been given for all those detained without trial to be released," he added.

Jubilant supporters said it was the start of a new era.

- Symbolic pigeons -

Gambian President Adama Barrow (L) takes an oath during the inauguration ceremony for the start of his presidency at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, west of the capital Banjul, on February 18, 2017

"This event we are celebrating today is the rebirth of democracy and the rule of law in the Gambia," said Sainey Marenah, a journalist who returned home from Senegal where he spent four years in exile.

Crowds of hundreds began to gather as early as 3:00 am.

"I spent the night here at the stadium. This is to ensure that I can have a smooth passage inside", said Isatou Dibba, a Barrow supporter.

Barrow retook the oath of office he first made at the Gambian embassy in Senegal, whose territory almost entirely surrounds The Gambia and whose president is seen as Barrow's closest ally.

Later 52 pigeons will be released, representing each year of independence from Britain.

The swearing-in ceremony on January 19 was held at a fraught time for the tiny west African nation, as Jammeh was refusing to step aside and acknowledge the result of the election Barrow won several weeks earlier.

Senegal spearheaded efforts to deploy west African troops in The Gambia after Jammeh's departure, in order to secure a country whose military forces were riven with factions still loyal to the ex-leader.

Around 500 Senegalese, Ghanaian and Nigerian soldiers remain in the country and were helping provide security for the celebrations on Saturday.

Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who pushed for mediation efforts with Jammeh during his last days in office, and another key mediator -- Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz -- attended the ceremony.
Cuban migrants, who often travel through Panama to reach the US, can now be deported unless they can convince US officials that they fear persecution or have valid humanitarian reasons to be let in

More than 680 Cubans have been deported back to Cuba since the United States ended its decades-old policy giving them preferred immigrant status in January, state media reported Saturday.

According to official Cuban reports, 683 people have been sent back to the Caribbean island from the United States, or from Mexico, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, where they were crossing in a bid to reach the US border.

On January 12, then-president Barack Obama scrapped with immediate effect a 1995 policy that had given Cubans near-automatic entry to the United States if they managed to set foot on American soil, regardless of their visa status. Cubans attempting to enter the country by sea had been turned back.

The end of the so-called "wet-foot, dry foot" policy was part of the broader normalization and warming of US-Cuban relations after a half-century of hostility that Obama helped engineer in 2015 along with Cuban President Raul Castro.

Now, overland Cuban migrants are treated like those who have attempted to cross into the United States by water and can be sent back to Cuba -- unless they can convince US officials that they fear persecution or have valid humanitarian reasons to be let in.

Obama's action came just days before President Donald Trump took office on January 20. The Republican property tycoon has vowed to fight illegal immigration and also criticized the US-Cuban normalization deal.

Cuba's Communist government had opposed the "wet-foot, dry foot" policy on grounds that the special treatment encouraged illegal migration and human trafficking.

Cuban media reported Saturday that the United States had deported 40 Cubans on commercial flights and 75 by boat. Another two deportees arrived in Cuba on a charter flight Friday, according to the newspaper Granma and website Cubadebate.

Mexico deported 264 Cubans and turned away 144 who were trying to illegally enter the country through airports. The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands deported a combined 156 people.

A total of 50,082 Cubans entered the United States in 2016, according to the Office of Field Operations of the Customs and Border Protection Service. Of those, 38,310 arrived illegally, while 11,772 had a visa.

Last year's numbers exceeded the 36,700 Cubans who fled the island in 1994 in makeshift boats headed for the US coast some 90 miles ( 145 kilometers) away, during the so-called "raft crisis."

That was the second-largest mass exodus from Cuba since 1980, when 125,000 people fled to Florida on boats launched from the port of Mariel, in an incident known as the Mariel boatlift.
People attend the burial of victims from the Beni massacres in October 2014, which marked the beginning of a string of murders suspected to have been carried out by the ADF, a Ugandan rebel group

Countries in Africa's Great Lakes region launched an intelligence nerve centre in Uganda Saturday to better coordinate the fight against a rebel group responsible for massacres in neighbouring DR Congo.

A string of bloody killings in which civilians have mostly been hacked to death around the town of Beni in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo has left nearly 700 dead since 2014.

The bloodbath has been blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a shadowy group dominated by hardline Ugandan Muslims which has never claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, and whose basic motives and ideology remain unclear.

The centre in Kasese in Uganda, which is near the DRC border and suffered several ADF attacks in the late nineties, will be manned by eight security experts from Uganda, DRC, Tanzania and Kenya, with an unspecified number of staff working under them.

"Once the intelligence information is received at the centre, it will be analysed by the experts, further investigated and disseminated to member countries for action," said Uganda army spokesman Brigadier Richard Karemire.

The centre started with initial capital of $600,000 (565,000 euros) according to the executive secretary of the regional Great Lakes bloc ICGLR, Zachary Muburi Muita, and is financed by the four core member states.

The ADF started out with the aim of overthrowing Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who was seen as hostile to Muslims. But it went on to absorb other rebel factions into its ranks and started carrying out attacks in 1995.

Gradually pushed westwards by the Ugandan army, the ADF relocated most of its activities to the DRC.

When the Beni massacres started in October 2014, the ADF was quickly branded the culprit by both Congolese authorities and the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO.

Kinshasa has insisted on a jihadist motive to the killings. But many observers and experts say there has been no proven link with the global jihadist underground, and that this is a "simplistic" explanation for their acts.

Many ADF recruits -- drawn from Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya and as far as Somalia -- are not hardcore ideologues but young Muslims lured by the promise of going to study in Saudi Arabia, an intelligence agent and civil society source told AFP in December.

A group run by US researcher Jason Stearns published a report in March claiming several distinct groups "appear to be involved in the massacres", including soldiers from the regular army.

The government rejected the claims and Stearns was expelled from DRC after the report's release.

Beni's mayor Bwanakawa Nyonyi told AFP last year he believes the massacres are carried out by a nebulous group, with politically-motivated "Congolese hands" behind them.

In explaining the violence, some have cited struggles for control of trafficking in various industries like timber, agricultural produce or minerals in a region with extremely rich potential.
Norma McCorvey, pictured on January 21, 1998, the woman at the center of the US Supreme Court ruling on abortion, died of heart failure in a Texas assisted-living facility at age 69

Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff in the case that led to the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion in the United States in 1973, died Saturday. She was 69.

She died of heart failure in a Texas assisted-living facility, said Joshua Prager, a New York journalist who has written about her in Vanity Fair magazine.

McCorvey was known as "Jane Roe" in the case as she fought for the constitutional right to an abortion, a hot-button social issue that has divided the American public roughly in half for decades.

She became a hero to abortion rights supporters but a villain to those seeking to outlaw abortion. Years later in 1995, she announced she had switched her allegiance to the anti-abortion movement.

The Roe v. Wade decision was handed down on January 22, 1973 with seven justices backing it and two dissenting.

In the four decades since the Supreme Court ruling, tens of millions of legal abortions have been performed in the country.

The ruling ended a lengthy legal drama that had begun in the state of Texas three years earlier, where abortions were permitted only in cases in which pregnancies endangered the mothers or children.

A single mother who had had a rough childhood, McCorvey was pregnant for a third time and wanted an abortion.

Encouraged by two feminist lawyers, she filed suit against Dallas district attorney Henry Wade over the Texas law under the pseudonym Jane Roe.

Although her child was born, the case took on a life of its own, becoming one of the most important and best-known decisions ever made by the Supreme Court.

McCorvey later became a fervent abortion opponent, converting to evangelical Protestantism and then Catholicism. She also declared herself a lesbian.

Marjorie Dannenfelser -- president of the Susan B. Anthony List, an organization that seeks to roll back abortion rights -- offered the group's condolences in a statement and praised McCorvey's shift in views.

"She overcame the lies of the abortion industry and its advocates and spoke out against the horror that still oppresses so many," Dannenfelser wrote.

"In her memory and in her honor, we will carry on that work and we pray for her eternal peace."
Rescue workers from Syria's White Helmets -- the subjects of an Oscar-nominated documentary -- said they received US visas to attend next week's prestigious Academy Awards ceremony

Rescue workers from Syria's White Helmets -- the subjects of an Oscar-nominated documentary -- said on Saturday they have received US visas to attend next week's prestigious Academy Awards ceremony.

For weeks, the rescuers and the film's staff had been nervously watching the fallout from US President Donald Trump's now-suspended travel ban for seven countries, including Syria.

"We got our visas yesterday (Friday), but we're not yet sure if we'll be able to travel or not," Raed Saleh, leader of the rescue group, told AFP by phone on Saturday.

"We don't want to have problems at the borders or the airport," he said.

The documentary titled "The White Helmets", directed by Orlando von Einsiedel, was named a contender in late January in the Oscars short documentary category.

Since it emerged in 2013, the rescue group has attracted over 3,000 volunteers and says it has saved more than 78,000 lives.

It is named for the distinctive white hard hats worn by its volunteers and has gained international renown for its daring rescues, often filmed and circulated on social media.

The Oscars award ceremony will take place on February 26 in Hollywood.

Raed Saleh, head of the white helmets of Syrian civil defence, pictured in September 2016, says that "with so many people watching, it would be such an important opportunity to talk about the suffering happening in Syria"

"With so many people watching, it would be such an important opportunity to talk about the suffering happening in Syria," Saleh said.

More than 310,000 people have died since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011, and over half the country's citizens have been forced to flee their homes.

"The documentary took a lot of effort to make and we've been working on it for a long time. People who are featured in the film have since died. There's equipment that you see that has been destroyed," Saleh said.

"This film is history for us. We hope that we win the Oscar, because that would provide moral support to the White Helmets and show them that their sacrifices weren't for nothing."

According to the film's producer Joanna Natasegara, Saleh will be joined by fellow White Helmet Khaled Khatib, who shot much of the footage.

Natasegara told AFP by phone that the last few weeks had been a "roller coaster" ride.

"Initially, we were totally delighted at the nomination and invited them to join us, and two days later the executive order came through," she said.

Under Trump's short-lived executive order, travellers from seven mainly-Muslim countries, including Syria, were banned from travelling to the United States for 90 days.

The travel ban has since been suspended in court, but Natasegara said she and the film's team would "be nervous until (Saleh and Khatib) are on US soil".

"For us as filmmakers, we wanted to be able to give them that platform," she said.

"It's their day. Their message is one of hope and peace. We're just really excited to share that day with them."
Three top South Sudanese military officials have resigned with objections to actions taken by President Salva Kiir (L) and his regime

A third top South Sudanese military official has resigned, accusing President Salva Kiir's regime of war crimes and ethnic cleansing, according to a letter seen by AFP Saturday.

Brigadier Henry Oyay Nyago, advocate general and director of military justice, was the latest military official to pen a damning resignation letter accusing the government of atrocities in the country's three-year civil war.

"Your regime committed sundry war crimes... genocidal acts and ethnic cleansing," he wrote, accusing Kiir of ordering the killing of civilians not belonging to his ethnic Dinka group, and overlooking crimes committed by the Dinka in various probes into violence.

"I cannot continue to be silent or taciturn when you are finishing and slaughtering the innocent people of South Sudan," Nyago wrote in the letter to Kiir, which detailed specific events in which civilians were ordered killed, or atrocities were overlooked.

In another letter released Saturday, the head of South Sudan's military court, Colonel Khalid Ono Loki resigned, accusing the army chief of extra-judicial arrests of citizens based on their ethnicity.

Addressed to army chief Paul Malong Awan, the letter decried "unspecified and unstipulated arrests and detentions fluctuating from months to years without investigation and scrutiny ... on fabricated cases against individuals of non-Dinka ethnicity."

Loki also accused Awan of dismissing rulings against members of his own tribe accused of murder, rape and theft.

"Mr. Chief, you have often avoided the current courts, tried officers on your own, whilst crafting and forming alien ones paradoxical to the existent established courts which are in conformity with the law," Loki wrote.

"Your unqualified clique of friends and relatives who dangerously arrest and sentence as you so wish and command have never attended any law school to carry such responsibility."

- 'Catastrophic proportions' -

The UN's humanitarian office OCHA said some 7.5 million people in South Sudan, shown here on December 14, 2016, are now in need of humanitarian assistance

Lieutenant-General Thomas Cirillo Swaka, deputy chief of general staff for logistics, resigned last week accusing Kiir and his tribe of "ethnic cleansing".

While the army could not be reached for comment on the latest resignations, a statement last week said Swaka had quit as he was corrupt and had fled to evade arrest.

The country's labour minister also resigned on Friday, and declared allegiance to rebel leader Riek Machar.

The exodus comes amid mounting alarm over a civil war which has devastated the world's youngest nation over the past three years.

War broke out in oil-rich South Sudan in 2013, just two years after it achieved independence, after Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of plotting a coup.

An August 2015 peace deal was left in tatters when fighting broke out in Juba in July last year.

Violence -- initially between ethnic Dinka supporters of Kiir and ethnic Nuer supporters of Machar -- has since spread to other parts of the country, engulfing other ethnic groups and grievances.

The United Nations has warned of potential genocide and ethnic cleansing.

A confidential UN report obtained by AFP this week cites UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as saying the war had reached "catastrophic proportions for civilians".

Rights groups accuse both soldiers and rebels of horrific rights abuses including rape and extra-judicial killings.

The war has left tens of thousands dead and more than three million people displaced.

The humanitarian crisis has been exacerbated by a severe drought which has put thousands at risk of famine in the country.

The UN's humanitarian office OCHA said some 7.5 million people in the country were now in need of humanitarian assistance.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - President Donald Trump's travel ban does not appear to have affected a Syrian man's attempts to bring his wife and young daughter to Wisconsin, U.S. Justice Department attorneys told a federal judge Friday, noting that the family's asylum applications were still being processed.

The department's court filing provides clarity on the administration's position following challenges to the Trump's travel ban that has since been put on hold. The president's executive order had temporarily barred travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Syria, and indefinitely banned refugees.

The Trump administration said the government stopped processing asylum applications following the executive order but reversed course after a federal judge in Washington put the ban on hold on Feb. 3, according to Friday's filing. Justice Department attorneys said that "based on a preliminary review, it does not appear" that the man's petitions were affected by the stoppage.

The ban caused widespread confusion and spawned dozens of lawsuits. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had about 7,420 pending asylum applications at the end of 2016, according to the most recent data available.

The Syrian man in Wisconsin received asylum status in 2016. He filed a lawsuit in federal court in Madison on Monday, asking a judge to declare the ban unconstitutional as applied to his wife and daughter's applications and to promptly issue them visas.

The man filed the lawsuit anonymously because his wife and 3-year-old daughter are living in hiding in Syria and he fears they could be killed.

In its response to the lawsuit Friday, the Justice Department noted that the man's application had been expedited at the request of Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat. The agency also asked the lawsuit be halted until Trump issues a new version of his executive order.

Trump has said he plans to issue a new travel ban next week but no details have been released.

U.S. District Court Judge William Conley declared the man's demands moot on Friday, noting the Trump administration has resumed processing applications. Conley, who was appointed to the federal bench in Wisconsin by former President Barack Obama, noted a new draft of the executive order could change things and requested the man check in on March 22.

Vince Levy, an attorney for the Syrian man, said in a statement that his client is relieved to hear his family's applications are being processed, but his legal team stands ready if the new order violates the man's constitutional rights.

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Follow Cara Lombardo on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CaraRLombardo
MIAMI (AP) - Officials say two women have become the first Cubans to be deported from the United States since the immigration policy known as "wet foot, dry foot" ended last month.

El Nuevo Herald (https://goo.gl/HVBIXq ) reports that the women were deemed "inadmissible" for entry to the United States and placed on a morning flight to Havana on Friday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a statement confirming the deportations, but they haven't said when the women arrived in the U.S.

Wilfredo Allen, an attorney for one of the women, says they had arrived at Miami International Airport with European passports. The women requested asylum and were detained.

Former President Barack Obama declared an end to "wet foot, dry foot" days before leaving office. The policy allowed most Cubans who made it to U.S. soil to stay.

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Information from: El Nuevo Herald (Miami), http://www.elnuevoherald.com/
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) - A man was critically injured when he was attacked by a shark on Saturday while spear fishing on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, an official said.

The 26-year-old was bitten repeatedly on a leg as he dived near Hinchinbrook Island off the coast of Queensland state, Queensland Ambulance Service Supervisor Ange Timmins said.

His friends brought him by boat to the town of Cardwell where ambulance officers stopped his bleeding and stabilized his condition, Timmins said.

He was flown by helicopter in a critical condition 150 kilometers (90 miles) north to the Cairns Base Hospital, she said.

His friends thought the man was attacked by a bull or tiger shark, Timmins said.

A 55-year-old man was severely injured a 4-meter (13-foot) bull shark while diving near the Great Barrier Reef last month.
MUNICH (AP) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday conveyed a message to jittery partners that the Trump administration will "hold Russia accountable" and maintain steadfast support for NATO, a military alliance the American commander in chief once dismissed as "obsolete."

In his overseas debut as vice president, Pence told the audience at the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. would be "unwavering" in its commitment to NATO and that President Donald Trump would "stand with Europe." Pence pointed to their shared "noble ideals - freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law."

Addressing the violence in Ukraine, Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honor a 2015 deal to end violence in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. He did not mention findings by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in last year's presidential election to help Trump win the White House.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and United States Vice President Mike Pence arrive at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. The annual weekend gathering is known for providing an open and informal platform to meet in close quarters. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

"Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Pence's address and a series of one-on-one meetings with world leaders along the sidelines here sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression, including its annexation of Crimea. Many have been alarmed by Trump's positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pence's speech aimed to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist tendencies.

After his speech, Pence met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called for the maintenance of international alliances and told the audience, with Pence seated nearby, that NATO is "in the American interest."

Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, told the conference after Pence's speech that Moscow wanted "pragmatic relations" with the U.S. He said he hoped that "responsible leaders" would choose to create a "just world order, if you want you can call it a post-West world order."

European countries along Russia's border are rattled by the prospect of deeper U.S.-Russia ties after Trump suggested sanctions - contrary to the opinions of Merkel and other world leaders - imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea could be eased in exchange for a nuclear weapons deal. The president referred to NATO as "obsolete" in an interview before his inauguration, but has since tempered his language and has stressed the importance of the alliance during telephone conversations with foreign leaders.

But mindful that the new U.S. president often lashes out on Twitter, some attendees remained skeptical that the speech represented Trump's thinking and said his foreign policy moves would be closely watched.

"We are waiting for actions," said Polish President Andrzej Duda. "We only know what the media has reported and the statements that we've got. Now we are waiting for actions of the new government of Donald Trump."

Wrote U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on Twitter: "Looks like we have 2 governments. @VP just gave speech about shared values btwn US and Europe as @POTUS openly wages war on those values."

Michael Chertoff, a former Homeland Security secretary under U.S. President George W. Bush, noted that Pence's comments about NATO and Europe echoed assurances given by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. "They've all been consistent about the fact that there is a strong, deep and enduring commitment to Europe and to NATO and I think that message has been received," Chertoff said.

In his remarks, Pence also reinforced the Trump administration's message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

NATO's 28-member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. But only the U.S. and four other members of the post-World War II military coalition are meeting the standard, Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, "erodes the very foundation of our alliance."

"Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfill this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more," Pence said.

In a day of meetings and photo ops, Pence was sitting down with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and separately with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko - countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion. The vice president also scheduled a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The former Indiana governor's stature within the administration was also under scrutiny after the recent dismissal of Trump's national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign Monday following reports he misled Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat. The vice president learned that he had been misled through media accounts about two weeks after the president was informed.

Pence also met with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. remains embroiled in two separate wars. Trump has made clear his intention to defeat the Islamic State group. But he also said the U.S. may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion that has been rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Trump's immigration and refugee ban has ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order, which is currently tied up in court, including Iraq - a close ally in the fight against IS. Trump has promised to issue a revised order, possibly as soon as next week.

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Associated Press writers David Rising and Geir Moulson contributed to this report.

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On Twitter follow Ken Thomas at https://twitter.com/KThomasDC

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and United States Vice President Mike Pence meet during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. The annual weekend gathering is known for providing an open and informal platform to meet in close quarters. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Trump's plan for spike in defense spending faces big hurdles

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans control Congress so President Donald Trump's pledge to boost the Pentagon budget by tens of billions of dollars should be a sure bet.

It's not.

Trump faces skeptical Democrats whose support he'll need and resistance from fiscal conservatives opposed to repealing a 2011 law that set firm limits on military and domestic spending. Unless the president figures out a way to mollify the disparate camps, he'll have a tough time delivering on a signature campaign promise to rescue the armed forces from a festering financial crisis.

Senior U.S. commanders have flatly warned that the spending caps set by the Budget Control Act are squeezing the armed forces so hard that the number of ready-to-fight units is dwindling. That means beating powers such as Russia or China is tougher than it used to be as aging equipment stacks up, waiting to be repaired, and troops don't get enough training.

Gen. Daniel Allyn, the Army's vice chief of staff, startled many lawmakers when he testified recently that just three of the service's 58 active-duty and reserve brigade combat teams are ready to fight at a moment's notice.

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Southern California rain eases; north facing renewed storm

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A huge Pacific storm that parked itself over Southern California and unloaded, ravaging roads, opening sinkholes and leading to the deaths of at least three people, eased off Saturday. But it was only a temporary reprieve as new storms took aim farther north.

The National Weather Service predicted drying weather through Sunday followed by the return of wet weather in the region. But while flash-flood watches for Southern California were canceled, Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area were facing a weekend return of heavy rain and winds that lashed them earlier in the week before the storm moves out.

"Stronger southerly winds and widespread flooding will be likely as an atmospheric river (of moisture) takes aim somewhere along the central California Coast," a weather statement warned.

The approaching rain could cause more problems in the far north where damage to spillways of the Lake Oroville dam forced evacuation of 188,000 people last weekend. As of Saturday, the lake's water elevation had fallen more than 45 feet.

Meanwhile, authorities up and down the state were dealing with the fallout, including overflowing creeks, mudslide threats in foothill areas denuded by previous fires, road collapses and hundreds of toppled trees in neighborhoods.

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McCorvey, who was at center of Roe v. Wade, dead at 69

DALLAS (AP) - Norma McCorvey, whose legal challenge under the pseudonym "Jane Roe" led to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision that legalized abortion but who later became an outspoken opponent of the procedure, died Saturday. She was 69.

McCorvey died at an assisted living center in Katy, Texas, said journalist Joshua Prager, who is working on a book about McCorvey and was with her and her family when she died. He said she died of heart failure and had been ill for some time.

McCorvey was 22, unmarried, unemployed and pregnant for the third time in 1969 when she sought to have an abortion in Texas, where the procedure was illegal except to save a woman's life. The subsequent lawsuit, known as Roe v. Wade, led to the Supreme Court's 1973 ruling that established abortion rights, though by that time, McCorvey had given birth and given her daughter up for adoption.

Decades later, McCorvey underwent a conversion, becoming an evangelical Christian and joining the anti-abortion movement. A short time later, she underwent another religious conversion and became a Roman Catholic.

"I don't believe in abortion even in an extreme situation. If the woman is impregnated by a rapist, it's still a child. You're not to act as your own God," she told The Associated Press in 1998.

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Trump to interview 4 candidates to replace the ousted Flynn

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - As he seeks to get his struggling administration back on track, President Donald Trump is interviewing at least four potential candidates to serve as his new national security adviser.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer says that Trump will interview his acting adviser, retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg; a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton; Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster; and the superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen.

Trump, who is spending the weekend at his private Palm Beach club, could potentially talk to a few others, Spicer said Saturday. Trump is also planning to talk with several foreign leaders Sunday, and will have a health care strategy meeting.

Trump is working to replace ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn. Trump's first choice - retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward - turned down the offer.

The president tweeted Saturday morning that he "will be having many meetings this weekend at The Southern White House." Trump also planned a campaign rally Saturday afternoon, and he continued his Twitter attacks against the news media.

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Pence says US to hold Russia accountable, stand with NATO

MUNICH (AP) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday conveyed a message to jittery partners that the Trump administration will "hold Russia accountable" and maintain steadfast support for NATO, a military alliance the American commander in chief once dismissed as "obsolete."

In his overseas debut as vice president, Pence told the audience at the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. would be "unwavering" in its commitment to NATO and that President Donald Trump would "stand with Europe." Pence pointed to their shared "noble ideals - freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law."

Addressing the violence in Ukraine, Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honor a 2015 deal to end violence in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. He did not mention findings by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in last year's presidential election to help Trump win the White House.

"Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Pence's address and a series of one-on-one meetings with world leaders along the sidelines here sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression, including its annexation of Crimea. Many have been alarmed by Trump's positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pence's speech aimed to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist tendencies.

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Kelly: Trump is working on a "streamlined" travel ban

MUNICH (AP) - President Donald Trump is working on a "streamlined" version of his executive order banning travel from seven predominantly Muslim nations to iron out the difficulties that landed his first order in the courts, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Saturday.

Speaking on a panel about combating terrorism at the Munich Security Conference, Kelly said Trump's original order was designed as a "temporary pause" to allow him to "see where our immigration and vetting system has gaps - and gaps it has - that could be exploited."

He said the Trump administration was surprised when U.S. courts blocked it from implementing the executive order and now "the president is contemplating releasing a tighter, more streamlined version" of the travel ban.

Kelly said this next time he will be able to "make sure that there's no one caught in the system of moving from overseas to our airports."

Asked whether that meant Trump's new executive order would allow people with green cards and visas to come into the United States, Kelly said "it's a good assumption."

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Blind cleric jailed for 1990s terror plots dies in US prison

Omar Abdel-Rahman, the so-called Blind Sheik convicted of plotting terror attacks in the United States in the 1990s, died Saturday in a federal prison where he was serving a life sentence. He was 78.

Abdel-Rahman died at 5:40 a.m. after suffering from diabetes and coronary artery disease, said Kenneth McKoy at the Federal Correction Complex in Butner, North Carolina. The inmate had been at the complex for seven years.

The cleric's daughter, Asmaa, announced the death in a series of Arabic-language tweets: "We are saddened by your departure, father," she wrote.

Abdel-Rahman was a key spiritual leader for a generation of Islamic militants and became a symbol for radicals during two decades in American prisons.

Blind since infancy from diabetes, Abdel-Rahman was the leader of one of Egypt's most feared militant groups, the Gamaa Islamiya, which led a campaign of violence aimed at bringing down ex-President Hosni Mubarak.

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New Gambian president promises reforms, freedoms

BANJUL, Gambia (AP) - Gambia's new president promised greater freedom, an improved economy and better education as thousands attended a ceremony Saturday marking his inauguration after a tense political standoff with the country's former longtime leader.

"This is a victory for democracy. It is a victory for all Gambians," President Adama Barrow said to a packed stadium near the capital that included dignitaries and several African heads of state.

The day, he said, was symbolic because it also marked the day in 1965 when the small West African nation declared its independence from Britain and the year in which the 52-year-old Barrow was born.

Saturday's ceremony was held to let Gambians witness a swearing-in that echoed the official one last month. Barrow first took the oath of office at Gambia's embassy in neighboring Senegal in January as former leader Yahya Jammeh refused to cede power.

International pressure, including the threat of a regional military intervention, led Jammeh on Jan. 21 to finally accept his December election loss and fly into exile in Equatorial Guinea. Hundreds of thousands welcomed Barrow's return to Gambia days later.

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Executive order that incarcerated Japanese Americans is 75

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Satsuki Ina was born behind barbed wire in a prison camp during World War II, the daughter of U.S. citizens forced from their home without due process and locked up for years following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.

Roughly 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans were sent to desolate camps that dotted the West because the government claimed they might plot against the U.S. Thousands were elderly, disabled, children or infants too young to know the meaning of treason. Two-thirds were citizens.

And now, as survivors commemorate the 75th anniversary of the executive order that authorized their incarceration, they're also speaking out to make sure that what happened to them doesn't happen to Muslims, Latinos or other groups.

They're alarmed by recent executive orders from President Donald Trump that limit travel and single out immigrants.

In January, Trump banned travelers from seven majority Muslim nations from entering the U.S., saying he wanted to thwart potential attackers from slipping into the country. A federal court halted the ban. Trump said at a news conference Thursday that he would issue a replacement order next week.

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Last-second launch delay for SpaceX at historic moon pad

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Last-minute rocket trouble forced SpaceX on Saturday to delay its inaugural launch from NASA's historic moon pad.

SpaceX halted the countdown with just 13 seconds remaining. The second-stage steering issue actually cropped up several minutes earlier. But with just an instant to get the unmanned Falcon rocket airborne, flight controllers could not resolve the problem in time.

The next launch attempt - provided everything can be fixed quickly - would be Sunday morning.

The Falcon remains at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A, waiting to soar on a space station delivery mission. It's the same pad where Americans flew to the moon almost a half-century ago.

Up at the International Space Station, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet had a light-hearted take on the delay.
DETROIT (AP) - Lucy Neighbor knew that to start over after fleeing torture, bloodshed and repression in her native Cameroon, she needed to find something called Freedom House. She managed to reach the place in 2008, and though she wasn't exactly sure what it was, she felt at home the moment the door opened.

"When you come here, the person talking to you has so much compassion and love. All the anxiety, all the fear starts just going," said Neighbor, 41, who became a U.S. citizen last year and now works at a Detroit-area hotel.

Freedom House is a haven in Detroit for asylum seekers that bills itself as the only facility in the U.S. providing temporary housing, legal aid and other services under one roof and at no charge. For more than three decades, the nonprofit organization has welcomed immigrants from around the globe, especially Africa, Latin America, South Asia and the Middle East.

Freedom House is shown, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Detroit. Freedom House, based in a former convent on the grounds of Detroit's oldest parish and overlooking the river that separates Detroit from the Canadian city of Windsor, continues to ease the fears of asylum seekers from across the globe. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

But now, residents and staff members are anxious about the future as President Donald Trump tries to close the door to many newcomers to the U.S.

"They're scared, they're crying. Many of them are having PTSD, flashbacks," said Freedom House executive Deborah Drennan, who is known as "Mom Deb."

In addition to trying to bar nearly all refugees, block travelers from seven Muslim countries, build a wall at the Mexican border and cut funding to immigrant-protecting "sanctuary cities," Trump made it clear in an executive order signed last month that he intends to take a harder line on asylum claims to "end the abuse" of the program.

Drennan said there are fears that more applicants for asylum will be detained, deported and, ultimately, consigned to death in their home countries.

"It gets me big afraid because I don't know what's happening in the future," said a 29-year-old Freedom House resident from central Africa, who would not give her name or country out of fear for her safety and her family's. She said she was jailed in her homeland for protesting the government.

Foreigners who arrive in the U.S. can win the right to stay permanently if they can show a well-founded fear of persecution in their homeland. It takes years for asylum cases to be decided, but between 2011 and 2015, an average of 46,000 requests were made annually and about 9,500 were granted each year.

Freedom House was started in 1983 by faith and community organizations to help a flood of refugees fleeing the civil war in El Salvador. Based in a former convent, it can hold roughly 50 residents and provides medical and mental health care, job preparation and English classes. Residents also play games and music, and cook in a large kitchen overflowing with the sound of laughter and the scents of savory concoctions.

They can stay for up to two years while they get their feet on the ground.

Freedom House has an annual budget of $750,000, 60 percent of which has come from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The agency recently announced it was cutting the funding as it shifts priorities to permanent housing programs. Drennan said Freedom House is appealing the decision but also trying to fill the gap with more donations from individuals, companies and foundations.

Neighbor was an opposition party member in Cameroon, where, she said, she was beaten and raped in jail and her husband and teenage son were killed. She said sending desperate people back to the country they tried to escape is "like killing someone twice."

"Just give them the chance, like I got this chance," she said. "If they sent me back, I would be dead."

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Follow Jeff Karoub on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffkaroub . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/author/jeff-karoub

Lucy Neighbor laughs with Deborah Drennan, Freedom House's executive director, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Detroit. With the help of several people, Neighbor escaped a jail where she was beaten and raped, secured a passport and U.S. tourist visa, and eventually found her way to Freedom House's front door in January 2008 from Cameroon. Neighbor, whose husband was fatally beaten during a government protest in their homeland, wasn't sure exactly what it was but felt at home the moment a worker from Africa opened the door.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Lucy Neighbor visits at Freedom House Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Detroit. With the help of several people, Neighbor escaped a jail where she was beaten and raped, secured a passport and U.S. tourist visa, and eventually found her way to Freedom House's front door in January 2008 from Cameroon. Neighbor, whose husband was fatally beaten during a government protest in their homeland, wasn't sure exactly what it was but felt at home the moment a worker from Africa opened the door.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Lucy Neighbor vists at Freedom House Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Detroit. With the help of several people, Neighbor escaped a jail where she was beaten and raped, secured a passport and U.S. tourist visa, and eventually found her way to Freedom House's front door in January 2008 from Cameroon. Neighbor, whose husband was fatally beaten during a government protest in their homeland, wasn't sure exactly what it was but felt at home the moment a worker from Africa opened the door.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Lucy Neighbor sits at Freedom House Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Detroit. With the help of several people, Neighbor escaped a jail where she was beaten and raped, secured a passport and U.S. tourist visa, and eventually found her way to Freedom House's front door in January 2008 from Cameroon. Neighbor, whose husband was fatally beaten during a government protest in their homeland, wasn't sure exactly what it was but felt at home the moment a worker from Africa opened the door.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A by-the-numbers look at some of Donald Trump's early activity as president:

-24: Executive orders and memoranda signed. That includes orders to withdraw the United States from Trans-Pacific trade deal, impose a federal hiring freeze and reduce regulations related to the health care law enacted under former President Barack Obama.

-1: Executive orders blocked. An order to ban travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations was blocked by federal judges. Trump is expected to issue a new order next week.

In this Feb. 16, 2017 photo, President Donald Trump hands the pen he used to sign H.J. Res. 38 to Kevin Hughes, General Manager, Murray Energy Corporation, second from right, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. The president is surrounded by coal miners and members of congress including Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., right, Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, left, and Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio. third from left, (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

-4: Bills signed into law. They include a bill to halt regulation blocking coal mining debris from being dumped in nearby streams.

-6: The average number of tweets per day from personal account @realDonaldTrump.

-25.1 million. Twitter followers for @realDonaldTrump.

-15.5 million. Twitter followers for official account @POTUS.

-4: Visits from foreign leaders. (Britain, Japan, Canada, Israel.)

-1: Cancelled visit from foreign leader. (Mexico.)

-1: Supreme Court nomination. Judge Neil Gorsuch.

-2: Failed personnel choices. Andrew Puzder withdrew as the nominee for labor secretary; Michael Flynn was ousted as national security adviser.

-14: Cabinet-level nominations approved, out of 24 total.

-39: Percent of respondents who approve of Trump's job performance in Pew Research Center poll conducted Feb. 7-12.

-3: Weekend trips to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
ISTANBUL (AP) - A Turkish Airlines plane in Istanbul was evacuated Saturday after a suspicious note was discovered in one of its bathrooms.

The Turkish Airlines cabin crew found the words "BOMB TO TORONTO" on the bathroom's wall on Flight TK-17 during its pushback from the gate, a Turkish Airlines press official told The Associated Press. The plane was leaving Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport for Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The plane returned to its parking spot and was evacuated. The airline said the plane and its passengers underwent security procedures, but the official said nothing suspicious was found. The press official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed by his company to give his name.

Passengers of a Turkish Airlines flight to Toronto, Canada, wait at the boarding gate in Istanbul's Ataturk international airport, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. A Turkish Airlines plane in Istanbul was evacuated Saturday after a suspicious note was discovered in one of its bathrooms. The Turkish Airlines cabin crew found the words "BOMB TO TORONTO" on the bathroom's wall on Flight TK-17 during its pushback from the gate, a Turkish Airlines press official told The Associated Press. (DHA-Depo Photos via AP)

A new plane has been designated for the flight to Toronto.
President Tran Dai Quang receives Chief Justice of the Singapore Supreme Court Sundaresh Menon (Photo: VNA)

The President, who is also head of the Steering Committee for judicial reform, said that the court system plays the core role in Vietnams judicial reform towards 2020, while greeting the Singaporean official in Hanoi on February 17th.

He, therefore, asked Singapore to support in training and share good experience with Vietnams court sector to increase its operation competence, especially in arbitration and commercial tribunals.

Vietnam wishes to learn experience from Singapore to improve the operational efficiency of its international arbitration centre and commercial tribunal, he said.

Lauding the two supreme courts signing of a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation, he held that the deal marks a new development of the two court systems.

He suggested that the two sides should form a joint working group to direct the implementation of reached agreements.

He also hailed the courts of ASEAN countries in establishing a new cooperation channel through the Council of ASEAN Chief Judges, expressing his hope that the collaboration among ASEAN courts will become stronger and more effective, thus contributing to strengthening solidarity and unity in the ASEAN Community.

For his part, Sundaresh Menon noted that judicial cooperation between the two countries is developing in line with the growing Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership.

He briefed the host on Singapores judicial training programme as well as the operation of the Council of ASEAN Chief Judges, including projects on judicial training and improving capacity for court officials.

The Singaporean chief justice also voiced his wish that through the memorandum of understanding, the court sector of the two countries will foster their ties in major areas of sharing experience in commercial tribunal, IT application in court management, human resource development, and building new common standards in court management.

The deal is expected to be a historical milestone in the effective affiliation of the two sectors, he stated./.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EST):

6:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump's newest campaign rally sounds much like his old campaign rallies with promises of action on health care, taxes, crime and America's southern border, among other issues.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the "Make America Great Again Rally" at Orlando-Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Trump's rhetoric often mirrors what he said for months in the run-up to Election Day, with familiar phrases like "we don't win anymore" and "drain the swamp." And it's ending with a familiar tune, the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want."

Trump appeared early Saturday evening at an airplane hangar in Melbourne, Florida, to revisit his campaign promises and update supporters on the progress he's made after just four weeks in office.

In the face of reports of chaos in his young administration, Trump is assuring supporters that the White House is "running smoothly, so smoothly."

Trump is also castigating the news media, saying they are purveyors of "fake news" and part of the corrupt system.

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6 p.m.

President Donald Trump is kicking off his campaign rally in central Florida castigating the news media as purveyors of "fake news" and part of the corrupt system.

Appearing at an airport hangar in Melbourne, Florida, Trump is telling cheering supporters that he wants to speak to them without the filter of the "fake news." And he's accusing the "dishonest media" of publishing one false story after another as his administration gets underway.

Trump says that when the media lie to the people, he will "never, ever let them get away with it."

First lady Melania Trump introduced her husband at the rally, reciting the Lord's Prayer before offering her own pledge to act in the best interest of all Americans as she pursues initiatives she says will impact women and children around the world.

Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One if a campaign rally was too early, Trump said that "life is a campaign" and that making America great again is a campaign. He added that "it's not easy, especially when we're also fighting the press and the media."

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4:35 p.m.

A supporter of President Donald Trump attending the president's rally in central Florida says she wishes that certain media outlets wouldn't be "so mean" to him, especially during news conferences.

A disabled veteran from Claremont, Florida, 60-year-old Cheryl Hall says she was a Trump campaign worker during the election.

As she waits for Trump at an airplane hangar at Orlando Melbourne International Airport near Melbourne Saturday afternoon, Hall says she's not bothered by Trump's remarks about the media, though she knows some do tell the truth and others don't.

Hall also says that instead of always bringing up Russia, the news media should ask Trump about health care, taxes and jobs, issues that she calls her priorities and more important than Russia.

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3:50 p.m.

President Donald Trump plans to interview at least four potential candidates to be his national security adviser.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer says that Trump will interview his acting adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, as well as the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton.

Also set to speak with the president are Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster and the superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen.

The interviews are expected to take place Sunday while Trump stays at his private south Florida club, Mar-a-Lago.

Trump is scrambling to fill the vacancy left by the firing of Michael Flynn.

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11:30 a.m.

President Donald Trump is interviewing John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster for the job of national security adviser.

A White House official says both meetings will take place this weekend at the president's private club in South Florida.

Trump is scrambling to fill the vacancy left by the firing of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn last week. The president has also expressed interest in former CIA Director David Petraeus, though Petraeus has not been interviewed by the president since Flynn's forced resignation, according to the official.

The official was not authorized to discuss the interview process publicly and insisted on anonymity.

-By Julie Pace

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10: 50 a.m.

President Donald Trump is out of Washington for the weekend. His plans include meetings at his Mar-a-Lago estate and a campaign rally in central Florida.

On Twitter Saturday, Trump touted his "many meetings this weekend at The Southern White House" and his "big" speech in Melbourne later in the day. He added: "A lot to talk about!"

Trump is trying to regain his footing following a series of crises that have threatened his young administration.

Trump may meet this weekend with potential candidates to replace his ousted national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Trump's first choice to replace Flynn - retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward - turned down the offer.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) - A Texas judge says a lawsuit against the widower of slain Tejano star Selena can proceed as her father seeks to block a TV series about her.

Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, opposes the show. It's based on what he calls an unauthorized book, "To Selena With Love," by Selena's husband, Chris Perez.

Lawyers for Perez wanted the lawsuit dismissed based on free speech grounds. They had no immediate comment on Friday's ruling.

Quintanilla is suing Perez and two companies planning to adapt the widower's memoir into a series. The lawsuit says that after Selena's 1995 slaying, Perez signed a deal that gave all rights to Selena's likeness and name to her estate.

Selena Quintanilla-Perez was shot by her fan club president, now serving life in prison.
TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) - An explosion and fire erupted Saturday at a California oil refinery, exactly two years after a blast that crippled the plant and led to higher gasoline prices, authorities said.

No injuries were reported from the Torrance Refining Co. near Los Angeles, and there were no evacuations or damage to any buildings outside the refinery, Assistant Fire Chief Steve Treskes said.

Three dozen firefighters using heavy streams of water battled flames that rose 40 feet in the air, and the fire was knocked down in about 30 minutes, Treskes said.

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2015, file photo, a very large smokestack flare burns off flammable product after an explosion in a processing facility at the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, Calif. An explosion and fire at this oil refinery near Los Angeles, exactly two years after a blast that crippled the plant and led to higher gasoline prices. Torrance Assistant Fire Chief Steve Treskes says the explosion was reported early Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, but three dozen firefighters had the blaze knocked down within a half-hour. No injuries are reported and there were no evacuations. (Chuck Bennett/Los Angeles Daily News via AP)

"All safety systems at the refinery operated properly, and all personnel are safe and accounted for," Betsy Brien, a spokeswoman for the refinery owner, New Jersey-based PBF Energy Inc., said in a statement.

There was no immediate word on damage or the cause of the blast.

However, most of the refinery continued to operate, Brien said.

The blast came on the anniversary of a Feb. 18, 2015, explosion that slightly injured four contractors, destroyed a large part of the refinery, rocked the neighboring community 20 miles southwest of Los Angeles and sent a fine white ash raining down on nearby homes and cars.

Later in the day, about 400 people gathered at the refinery in a previously planned protest to mark the anniversary and demand a ban on the use of a highly toxic and volatile chemical, modified hydrofluoric acid, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported (http://bit.ly/2lwBWri ).

The 2015 explosion involved a pollution-control device called a precipitator. Federal regulators later concluded that the explosion could have been prevented if managers had taken into account aging safety equipment and shut down a key, spark-generating part of the refinery before attempting repairs elsewhere.

The blast tossed an 80,000-pound piece of equipment within feet of another unit where tens of thousands of pounds of modified hydrofluoric acid were stored in tanks.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board concluded that there was a potential to release a toxic cloud and cause "serious injury or death to many community members."

California regulators also fined ExxonMobil - then-owner of the refinery - more than $500,000 for safety violations.

Most of the refinery was shut down for more than a year, leading to a shortage of gas that meets California's stricter pollution regulations and higher prices at the pump.

Two other incidents were reported in the fall of 2015. One involved a leak of modified hydrofluoric acid and the other a leak in a pressurized pipe that created a large steam cloud. No injuries were reported.

The refinery sits on 750 acres and produces 1.8 billion gallons of gasoline a year, which accounts for about 8.3 percent of the state's total refining capacity.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - States in the American West are marking the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that forced 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans into internment camps.

Most were from Oregon, California and Washington state. Adults, including the elderly, and children could only bring what they could carry and were transported by bus and train, often with blacked-out windows, They were sent, ostensibly to avoid sabotage and spying, to camps in California, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona and other states as far away as Arkansas.

Oregon, California and Washington are not only marking Sunday's anniversary, but politicians and activists say America must learn from this dark chapter of history.

Carol Suzuki, Lynn Fuchigami Longfellow, middle and June Arima Schumann on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, display a copy of a poster in a hearing room in the Oregon State Capitol that notified Japanese-Americans they would be sent to relocation camps. The slogan #NeverAgain has been emblazoned on the poster. Seventy-five years ago, America's president signed an executive order that incarcerated 120,000 Japanese Americans. Now, the survivors, descendants and activists are backing a bill in the Oregon Legislature to make the anniversary a Day of Remembrance, underscoring that this should never happen again, against any group. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky)

Here's a look at what states are doing to recognize the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans:

OREGON

The Oregon Legislature is considering a bill to recognize a Day of Remembrance of the mass incarceration.

Carol Suzuki's father and grandparents were forced to relocate from their home in Oregon's Hood River Valley to detention camps in California and Idaho. After President Donald Trump recently signed immigration executive orders, her 9-year-old daughter asked if she, too, would be put away.

"Sometimes the words of an innocent child are the ones that affect you the most," Suzuki testified Monday before the Oregon Senate committee considering the Day of Remembrance bill.

Suzuki blinked away tears as she described the conversation with her daughter, who "should never be afraid of her own government."

George Nakata, 83, of Portland, told the committee about his firsthand experience with a "dark chapter in American history ... not found in many school textbooks."

He recalled being sent with thousands of other Japanese-Americans to a former livestock exhibition center in Portland, where the families were confined until rural detention camps were built. "I can never forget, upon entering the building, the smell of livestock urine, the pungent odor of manure underneath the wooden floors."

At the Minidoka relocation center in Idaho, Nakata as a young boy recited the Pledge of Allegiance as he looked out at barbed wire and guard towers from tar-papered barracks.

The committee unanimously endorsed the bill. The House is scheduled to take it up on Monday.

WASHINGTON

Washington state began recognizing Feb. 19 as an annual Day of Remembrance 14 years ago.

Vigils, a taiko drum concert and other events are planned in Seattle to mark the anniversary Sunday.

Gov. Jay Inslee tweeted that "this anniversary should serve as an all too real reminder of what can happen when America acts out of fear." Inslee also met with former detainees.

CALIFORNIA

In California, the Legislature has passed resolutions proclaiming Feb. 19 as the 75th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066 and recognizing a Day of Remembrance.

California lawmaker Al Muratsuchi, who sponsored one of the resolutions, said that with Trump focusing on Muslims in his immigration order, Americans must ensure no one is targeted because of national origin or faith.

"Now, more than ever, every American needs to remember the unjust incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II," Muratsuchi said.

HAWAII

More than 2,000 people of Japanese ancestry were detained at camps on the islands or on the mainland. In marking the anniversary, Honolulu businessman and poet Suikei Furuya will share his story at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii.

IDAHO

In Idaho, Lt. Gov. Brad Little will sign a proclamation Sunday honoring interned Japanese-Americans.

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Associated Press journalists Sophia Bollag in Sacramento, California; Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington; Cathy Bussewitz in Honolulu, Hawaii; and Kimberlee Kruesi in Boise, Idaho contributed to this report.

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Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky

FILE--In this Oct. 9, 2014, photo, photos of Harry Takeshi Morioka are shown along with his personal belongings including his camera, photographs, a patch and replica of the Congressional Gold Medal, sit inside the Deschutes Historical Museum in Bend, Ore. During the winter of 1942, Morioka and his family were taken from their home in The Dalles, Ore., and placed in a series of 10 internment camps along with 127,000 other first- and second-generation Japanese immigrants on the West Coast. Seventy-five years ago, America's president signed an executive order that incarcerated 120,000 Japanese Americans. Now, the survivors, descendants and activists are backing a bill in the Oregon Legislature to make the anniversary a Day of Remembrance, underscoring that this should never happen again, against any group.(AP Photo/The Bulletin, Meg Roussos, file)
Omar Abdel-Rahman, the so-called Blind Sheik convicted of plotting terror attacks in New York City in the decade before 9/11 and spiritual guide to a generation of Islamic militants, has died in a federal prison. He was 78.

Abdel-Rahman, who had diabetes and coronary artery disease, died Saturday at the Federal Correction Complex in Butner, North Carolina, said its acting executive assistant, Kenneth McKoy. The inmate spent seven years at the prison medical facility while serving a life sentence.

"We are saddened by your departure, father," the cleric's daughter, Asmaa, tweeted in Arabic.

FILE - This April 6, 1993 file photo shows Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman in New York. Kenneth McKoy of the Federal Correction Complex in Butner, N.C., said Abdel-Rahman died Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, after a long battle with diabetes and coronary artery disease. Abdel-Rahman was sentenced to life in prison after his 1995 conviction for his advisory role in a plot to blow up landmarks, including the United Nations, and several bridges and tunnels. (AP Photo/ Mark Lennihan, file)

Abdel-Rahman was a key spiritual leader for militants and became a symbol for radicals during his decades in U.S. prisons, where his captivity inspired plots, protests and calls for violence. The only person charged in the U.S. in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Zacarias Moussaoui, had said he was training for a mission to fly a jet into the White House if the government refused to free Abdel-Rahman.

Blind since infancy from diabetes, Abdel-Rahman was the leader of one of Egypt's most feared militant groups, the Gamaa Islamiya, or the "Islamic Group," which at its height led a campaign of violence aimed at toppling that country's onetime president, Hosni Mubarak.

Abdel-Rahman fled Egypt to the U.S. in 1990 and began teaching in a New Jersey mosque. A circle of his followers were convicted in the Feb. 26, 1993, truck bombing of New York's World Trade Center that killed six people - eight years before al-Qaida's suicide plane hijackers brought the towers down.

Later in 1993, Abdel-Rahman was charged as the leader of a group that conspired to bomb the United Nations and other New York landmarks, including the George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln and Holland tunnels.

Those attacks were never carried out, but U.S. District Judge Michael Mukasey, who later became attorney general, told the defendants at sentencing that if the plot hadn't been thwarted it would have: "brought about devastation on a scale that beggars the imagination, certainly on a scale unknown in this country since the Civil War."

Defense lawyer Ron Kuby, who once represented the sheik, said Abdel-Rahman's war was with a corrupt Egyptian government and he believes there was insufficient evidence to link him to the New York plots.

"I'm not in any way defending his vision," Kuby said. "He was an Islamist, he believed in Sharia law and that's what he wanted to see in Egypt. But he bore no malice toward the United States or the American people."

Since his imprisonment, Abdel-Rahman's influence had been seen as more symbolic than that of a practical leader. His Gamaa Islamiya, which led a wave of violence in the 1990s against Western tourists, Egyptian police and Coptic Christians, was eventually crushed, and its leaders - jailed in Egypt - declared a truce.

Abdel-Rahman's activities pre-dated Osama bin Laden's formation of al-Qaida in the late 1990s. But he was an influential figure in the generation of Islamic extremists that emerged from Egypt in recent decades.

He shared an ideology with another prominent group at the time, Islamic Jihad, that rejected the governments of Egypt and other Arab countries as infidels that must be overthrown by force.

Throughout his militant activities, however, Abdel-Rahman was faced by rejection by some fundamentalists, who argued that Islamic law forbids a blind man from being a commander.

Born in the Egyptian Nile Delta village of al-Gamalia in 1938, Abdel-Rahman was blind by the age of 10 months. Still, he said in his autobiography that he memorized Islam's holy book, the Quran, by age 11.

He attended Cairo's Al-Azhar University, a center of Islamic scholarship and then began preaching as an imam in a mosque in the oasis of Fayyoum, an agricultural area just south of Cairo.

He quickly ran into trouble as he turned toward a radical interpretation of Islam that holds that those who don't follow a strict version of Islamic Sharia law are infidels.

After the death of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel-Nasser in 1970, he told followers not to pray for the soul of the leader of secular Arab nationalism because he was an infidel. That got him eight months in prison.

After the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat by Islamic militants, Abdel-Rahman was jailed and accused of sanctioning the killing. He was later acquitted. He escaped several later scrapes with the courts - acquitted in 1984 of plotting to overthrow the government and in 1989 of sparking anti-government protests in Fayyoum.

In 1989, after Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini called for the death of British writer Salman Rushdie, Abdel-Rahman issued a similar fatwa ordering the death of Egyptian Nobel-winning novelist Naguib Mahfouz for writings some Muslims considered blasphemous. Mahfouz, who died in late 2006, was stabbed in 1994 by a radical who said he was following Abdel-Rahman's edict.

Before moving to the U.S., Abdel-Rahman travelled to Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he became a spiritual leader for the mujahedeen, then fighting Soviet troops with help from the Central Intelligence Agency.

Even though Abdel-Rahman was on a list of suspected terrorists and thus banned from the U.S., he managed to enter the country in 1990 because of a bureaucratic blunder. He was given permanent residence status under the name Omar Ahmed Ali.

Efforts to free him gained new strength when Islamist Mohammed Morsi was elected as Egypt's president and vowed to free the blind sheik in 2012. Before Morsi was ousted a year later, Abdel-Rahman's supporters staged a series of sit-in protests outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo demanding his release.

Since Morsi's ouster by the military in July 2013, Egyptian authorities have taken an uncompromising stand on Islamists, and hundreds have been killed in street clashes in 2013 and 2014 and thousands jailed.

No information was immediately released on burial plans.

Any possible effort to repatriate the body to Egypt and hold a funeral there would likely draw thousands of mourners, mostly Islamists, thus raising the specter of clashes with the police.

Egypt has effectively banned street demonstrations since November 2013 and security officials said contacts were already underway with leaders of the revived Gamaa Islamiya to ensure Abdel-Rahman's burial and funeral are peacefully held.

Abdel-Rahman had two wives and 13 children.

One of his sons, Ahmed, was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2011 in Afghanistan, where he was fighting U.S. and NATO forces.

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Melley reported from Los Angeles and Keath reported from Cairo. Hamza Hendawi in Cairo and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.
MUNICH (AP) - Turkey's prime minister has promoted a switch to a presidential system in his country at an event in Germany attended by about 10,000 people.

Turkey is set to hold a referendum April 16 on changing to the new system, and about 1.4 million Turks in Germany will be eligible to vote. Critics fear the switch would put too much power in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim dismissed criticism at Saturday's event in Oberhausen, news agency dpa reported.

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim speaks to Turks living in Germany to promote a planned referendum in Turkey this year, in Oberhausen, Germany, Saturday Feb. 18, 2017, (Roland Weihrauch/dpa via AP)

He said: "They say that a one-man system is coming. Are there two chancellors in Germany? In a presidential system, of course there is only one president. There can't be two captains on one ship."

Yildirim's appearance in Germany was criticized by several German politicians.

Supporters wait for a speech of Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to promote a planned referendum in Turkey this year, in Oberhausen, Germany, Saturday Feb. 18, 2017. (Roland Weihrauch/dpa via AP)
DALLAS (AP) - Norma McCorvey, whose legal challenge under the pseudonym "Jane Roe" led to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision that legalized abortion but who later became an outspoken opponent of the procedure, died Saturday. She was 69.

McCorvey died at an assisted living center in Katy, Texas, said journalist Joshua Prager, who is working on a book about McCorvey and was with her and her family when she died. He said she died of heart failure and had been ill for some time.

McCorvey was 22, unmarried, unemployed and pregnant for the third time in 1969 when she sought to have an abortion in Texas, where the procedure was illegal except to save a woman's life. The subsequent lawsuit, known as Roe v. Wade, led to the Supreme Court's 1973 ruling that established abortion rights, though by that time, McCorvey had given birth and given her daughter up for adoption.

FILE - In this April 26, 1989 file photo, Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe in the 1973 court case, left, and her attorney Gloria Allred hold hands as they leave the Supreme Court building in Washington after sitting in while the court listened to arguments in a Missouri abortion case. McCorvey died at an assisted living center in Katy, Texas on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, said journalist Joshua Prager, who is working on a book about McCorvey and was with her and her family when she died. He said she died of heart failure.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Decades later, McCorvey underwent a conversion, becoming an evangelical Christian and joining the anti-abortion movement. A short time later, she underwent another religious conversion and became a Roman Catholic.

"I don't believe in abortion even in an extreme situation. If the woman is impregnated by a rapist, it's still a child. You're not to act as your own God," she told The Associated Press in 1998.

After the court's ruling, McCorvey lived quietly for several years before revealing herself as Jane Roe in the 1980s. She also confessed to lying when she said the pregnancy was the result of rape.

Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, she remained an ardent supporter of abortion rights and worked for a time at a Dallas women's clinic where abortions were performed. Her 1994 autobiography, "I Am Roe: My Life, Roe v. Wade, and Freedom of Choice," included abortion-rights sentiments along with details about dysfunctional parents, reform school, petty crime, drug abuse, alcoholism, an abusive husband, an attempted suicide and lesbianism.

But a year later, she was baptized before network TV cameras by a most improbable mentor: The Rev. Philip "Flip" Benham, leader of Operation Rescue, now known as Operation Save America. McCorvey joined the cause and staff of Benham, who had befriended her when the anti-abortion group moved next door to the clinic where she was working.

McCorvey also said her religious conversion led her to give up her lover, Connie Gonzales. She said the relationship turned platonic in the early 1990s and that once she became a Christian she believed homosexuality was wrong.

She recounted her evangelical conversion and stand against abortion in the January 1998 book "Won by Love," which ends with McCorvey happily involved with Operation Rescue.

But by August of that year, she had changed faiths to Catholicism and had left Operation Rescue. Though she was still against abortion, she said she had reservations about the group's confrontational style.

McCorvey formed her own group, Roe No More Ministry, in 1997 and traveled around the U.S. speaking out against abortion. In 2005, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge by McCorvey to the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

In May 2009, she was arrested on trespassing charges after joining more than 300 anti-abortion demonstrators when President Barack Obama spoke at the University of Notre Dame. In July 2009, she was among demonstrators arrested for disrupting Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination hearing.

McCorvey was born in Louisiana, spending part of her childhood in the small village of Lettsworth. Her family then moved to Houston and later Dallas, where in "I Am Roe" she recounts stealing money at the age of 10 from the gas station where she worked afternoons and weekends and running away to Oklahoma City before being returned home by police. She was eventually sent to a state reform school for girls in the northern Texas town of Gainesville, living there from the age of 11 to 15.

She married at the age of 16, but separated shortly after while she was pregnant. She gave custody of her daughter to her mother.

She gave a second child up for adoption, but when she got pregnant a third time she decided to have an abortion. She said she couldn't afford to travel to one of the handful of states where it would have been legal.

In "I Am Roe," she said her adoption attorney put her in touch with Texas lawyers Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington, who were seeking a woman to represent in a legal case to challenge the state's anti-abortion statute. She gave birth to the "Roe" baby in June 1970.

Her first child, Melissa, was the only one of the three who was a part of her mother's life, according to journalist Prager. Melissa was with McCorvey when she died.

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 1998 file photo, Norma McCorvey poses in Dallas . McCorvey, whose legal challenge under the pseudonym "Jane Roe" led to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision that legalized abortion but who later became an outspoken opponent of the procedure, died Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. She was 69. McCorvey died at an assisted living center in Katy, Texas, said journalist Joshua Prager, who is working on a book about McCorvey and was with her and her family when she died. He said she died of heart failure. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
VATICAN CITY (AP) - American Cardinal Raymond Burke says he's aiming to wrap up the sex abuse investigation involving Guam's suspended archbishop by the summer.

The Guam archdiocese said Burke left the Pacific island U.S. territory on Saturday after meeting this week with witnesses.

Burke, a top canon lawyer, is presiding over the church tribunal hearing the case against Archbishop Anthony Apuron, who faces multiple allegations of sex abuse of altar boys in the 1970s. Apuron has denied the claims and has not been criminally charged.

Burke's presence on Guam had raised eyebrows because he has been involved in some high-profile clashes with Pope Francis.

Burke denied Saturday he had been sent to Guam as "punishment," telling Italy's Mediaset it was normal for cardinals to take on extra jobs in their areas of expertise.
PHOENIX (AP) - For years, immigrants being released from jails in Phoenix would routinely be kept locked up an extra couple days to give federal authorities time to check their immigration status and launch deportation proceedings.

It was a policy put in place by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and widely denounced by critics who cited it as a pattern of unfair treatment toward immigrants. Jail systems in other cities have also faced legal challenges contending it's unconstitutional to keep a person in jail after they're released on bail or complete their sentence.

The man who defeated Arpaio in the November election announced Friday night that he was doing away with the policy amid questions about its constitutionality. That means the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office will no longer keep immigrants past their release dates, putting more of the onus on Immigration, Customs and Enforcement officers.

FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2016, file photo, then Democratic Maricopa County sheriff candidate Paul Penzone speaks to supporters during an election party in Phoenix. Penzone who defeated Arpaio in the November election announced Friday, Feb. 17, 2017 that he is ending a policy that keeps immigrants locked up in his jails past their release date to give federal authorities extra time to launch deportation proceedings. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

"I have an obligation that this office act constitutionally and within the laws," Penzone said at a news conference.

Penzone said the Maricopa County Attorney's Office informed him of the legal issues surrounding policy, and he responded by doing away with the practice.

The County Attorney's Office said Saturday that it had reviewed U.S. court cases on ICE civil immigration detainers, including a Texas one in which a court concluded that county officials without federal authorization to enforce immigration law can't hold people beyond the time necessary to enforce state law.

The office said in a brief statement it wouldn't comment further before next week.

State Sen. John Kavanagh, a Republican who has co-sponsored Arizona legislation targeting illegal immigration, earlier said Penzone's move "really infuriates" him and that he'd try to get it rescinded.

Kavanagh said he'll consult legislative lawyers and the County Attorney's Office about Penzone's move.

It may violate a state law requiring law enforcement agencies to cooperate with ICE on immigration matters to the fullest extent of the law, opening the door for sanctions against the county if the move isn't rescinded, Kavanagh said.

The new rules come as President Donald Trump has issued executive orders demanding a tougher stance on immigration, carrying through on promises that were a centerpiece of the celebrity businessman's campaign. Immigration officers have arrested hundreds of immigrants in the country illegally in the last week, including gang members, sex offenders and drug traffickers.

Immigrants say agents are also sweeping up people wanted on lesser offenses and tearing apart families. The government says the actions are a continuation of policies during the presidency of Barack Obama, whose administration deported a record number of immigrants.

The actions and ensuing controversy are a replay of sorts from what happened in Phoenix over the last decade under Arpaio, who campaigned alongside Trump on several occasions.

Arpaio's immigration raids and sweeps generated the most controversy during his time as sheriff, but his opponents also took him to task for how immigrants were treated in his jail system. That includes the presence of immigration officers at the jails and the "courtesy holds" that Penzone eliminated.

An activist arrested during a protest against Trump and Arpaio last year sued the sheriff late last year and accused the office of unlawfully holding her overnight for a federal immigration check even though she is a U.S. citizen. Jacinta Gonzalez Goodman and others blocked off a road leading to a protest at a Trump rally in Fountain Hills during his presidential campaign.

Gonzalez Goodman was held overnight while others arrested during the protest were let go. She said she was the only one of her group to be interviewed by ICE.

"Penzone's announcement cleans up just one of the many messes Arpaio left behind and is a step in the right direction He must go further however to ensure that all law enforcement agencies are obtaining judicial warrants before entering his jail," she said in a statement Friday.

Activists also want ICE agents out of the jail system, but Penzone is not taking that step.

"We are going to continue to be aggressive in enforcing the laws to keep the public safe," he said.

FILE - In this June 25, 2014, file photo, an unidentified U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent, left, helps an immigrant, including setting up intravenous fluid replacement for dehydration, near Sells, Ariz. Paul Penzone who defeated Joe Arpaio in the November election announced Friday, Feb. 17, 2017 that he is ending a policy that keeps immigrants locked up in his jails past their release date to give federal authorities extra time to launch deportation proceedings. (AP Photo/Astrid Galvan, File)
MUNICH (AP) - The Latest on U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's trip to Europe (all times local):

11:20 p.m.

Vice President Mike Pence has met with the president of Ukraine and assured him of U.S. support.

United States Vice President Mike Pence, left, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko meet for bilateral talks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. America's commitment to NATO is "unwavering," Pence said Saturday, reassuring allies about the direction the Trump administration might take but leaving open questions about where Washington saw its relationship with the European Union and other international organizations. (Mykola Lazarenko/Presidential Press Service Pool Photo via AP)

Pence's office says he "underscored U.S. support" for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and underlined that the U.S. does not recognize "Russia's occupation and attempted annexation" of Crimea.

Russia seized the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014 and continues to support separatists fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's office says during Saturday's meeting in Munich his country "received a powerful signal that the U.S. stands with Ukraine, that Ukraine is among the top priorities for the new U.S. administration."

President Donald Trump's stated aim of improving relations with Russia had raised concerns in Ukraine and elsewhere that he would lift sanctions imposed on Moscow for its intervention in Ukraine.

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6:50 p.m.

Vice President Mike Pence is holding an impromptu meeting with U2 front man Bono, who calls the vice president "the second busiest man on Earth."

Pence met with the Irish rock star along the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Bono offered his appreciation to the vice president for meeting and noted that Pence had twice supported bills in Congress to provide AIDS medication to African nations.

Bono called it an "extraordinary historic accomplishment" and credited Pence with playing a "leading role." Reporters were then ushered away.

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6:05 p.m.

Vice President Mike Pence is reaffirming the U.S. commitment to the security of the Baltic states in a meeting with the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Pence met with the leaders on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Pence's office says the vice president noted the Trump administration's support for the collective defense of NATO allies and the need of NATO to counter terrorism.

Pence's office says the leaders expressed their concerns over the ongoing violence in eastern Ukraine and discussed the need to make progress toward the full implementation of the Minsk agreement to resolve the conflict between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

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4 p.m.:

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has met separately with the leaders of Iraq and its Kurdistan region, thanking both for committing to fight the Islamic State group.

The White House says Pence also commended Iraq's security forces for their battlefield success during his meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (HY'-dahr ahl ah-BAH'-dee). Officials say both leaders underscored the importance of continuing progress in the fight against IS, as well as on Iraq's economic recovery and to free the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group.

In the meeting with Masoud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Pence thanked Barazani and said the U.S. continues to support a unified, federal and democratic Iraq.

The White House says Pence encouraged close cooperation between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan regional government.

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2 p.m.:

The White House says Vice President Mike Pence expressed support for Afghanistan's national unity government during a meeting with Ashraf Ghani, the country's president.

The leaders met on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich. They talked about ways to improve relations between their countries and advance mutual interests, particularly on counterterrorism cooperation and economic development.

The White House says they also affirmed the importance of continuing the "strategic partnership" between the U.S. and Afghanistan.

Pence is also scheduled to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (HY'-dahr ahl ah-BAH'-dee).

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1 p.m.:

The White House says Vice President Mike Pence and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have committed to continue close cooperation on a range of global issues.

The leaders met after separately addressing a security conference in Munich.

Pence and Merkel also discussed the need for NATO member countries to meet their "burden-sharing" commitments. The White House says they also agreed that the alliance must continue to transform itself to meet 21st century threats.

Pence thanked the chancellor for leading on Ukraine and expressed appreciation for Germany's contributions in Afghanistan and to the coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

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11:15 a.m.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are meeting along the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The two leaders retired behind closed doors after both addressed the Munich Security Conference of foreign diplomats and security officials.

Pence said the US would hold Russia accountable and offered reassurances that the U.S. strongly supports NATO.

Merkel pointed to the need to preserve and strengthen multilateral partnerships such as the European Union, NATO and the United Nations.

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10:15 a.m.:

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is reinforcing the Trump administration's message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

NATO's 28 member countries promised in 2014 to commit to spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. Pence says in remarks at a security conference in Germany that only the U.S. and four other NATO members are meeting the standard.

President Donald Trump has also called on NATO members to spend more on their militaries.

Pence says the "time has come" for allies to boost spending because the dangers they all face are growing and changing every day.

He adds that failure to meet the spending commitment undermines the alliance's ability to come to each other's aid.

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10 a.m.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says the United States will "hold Russia accountable" even as President Donald Trump searches for new common ground with Russia at the start of his presidency.

Pence says at the Munich Security Conference in Germany that with regard to Ukraine, the international community must hold Russia accountable and demand that it honor a 2015 peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

He's offering assurances of the U.S. commitment to NATO and the European Union in remarks at an international conference of foreign diplomats and defense officials.

Pence's speech comes amid concerns in Europe about Russian aggression and Trump's positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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9:50 a.m.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is offering assurances that the United States strongly supports NATO and "will be unwavering in our commitment to this trans-Atlantic alliance."

He says President Donald Trump "will stand with Europe."

Pence is addressing the Munich Security Conference in his first overseas trip as vice president.

The vice president's speech was aimed at reassuring skeptical allies in Europe about American foreign policy under Trump along with U.S. willingness to maintain international partnerships.

Pence's trip to Germany comes as Europeans are skittish that Trump may promote isolationist tendencies and not hold Russia accountable.

United States Vice President Mike Pence, left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meet for bilateral talks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. The annual weekend gathering is known for providing an open and informal platform to meet in close quarters. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

United States Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. The annual weekend gathering is known for providing an open and informal platform to meet in close quarters. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)




During a reception for Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Hogberg in Hanoi on February 17th, the top legislator highlighted the fruitful development of the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

She thanked the country for its valuable assistance to Vietnam, especially helping Vietnam foster international integration and connect with international financial and monetary institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

NA Chairwoman Ngan applauded the Swedish Governments activities to encourage and support Swedish enterprises investment and business in Vietnam, affirming that Sweden is one of Vietnams important trade partners in Europe and the Northwest Europe.

She also appreciated Sweden for its provision of non-refundable aid for Vietnam, focusing on the fields of health care, economic and administrative reform, institutional building, law-building, human resources development, environmental protection and climate change response.

Lauding Swedens proposal to establish bilateral strategic partnerships in education-training and biotechnology, she urged the ambassador to work closely with Vietnams ministries, sectors and partners to realise the initiative.

The Vietnamese State and NA will create favourable conditions for the diplomat to complete his duties, Ngan stated, expressing her hope that the ambassador will do his best to promote the relations between the two countries as well as their legislative bodies.

For his part, Pereric Hogberg concurred with the hosts suggestion on hastening the EU to approve and sign a free trade agreement with Vietnam in 2017 and recognise the countrys market economy.

He believed that the trade deal will also contribute to boosting Vietnam-EU economic links and those between the two nations in the coming time.

Earlier the same day, the NA Chairwoman received Hungarian Ambassador to Vietnam Ory Csaba. She suggested the two sides enhance the exchange of all-level visits to share experience in legislative activities and discuss international and regional issues of common concern.

Vietnam always remembers valuable and effective assistance provided by Hungarys State and people for its national defence and construction, she said.

The host spoke highly of the two Governments efforts in accelerating the completion of procedures for the signing of a framework agreement on credit cooperation between the two sides in January this year.

She believed that the two countries ministries and sectors will reach a consensus on the list of projects using preferential credits worth EUR440 million pledged by Hungary in the framework of the agreement.

Ory Csaba said his country is willing to share lawmaking experience with Vietnam, thus further bolstering cooperation between the two countries legislatures.

The two sides underlined the significance of a Hungarian-funded oncology hospital project in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, which helps better the localitys health care system and promote training in the field.

The ambassador said his country wishes to develop relations with Vietnam, including expanding cooperation and establishing twining ties among the two countries localities in the coming time./.
An unknown man carjacked Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild's city-owned car

Tuscon Mayor Jonathan Rothschild's city-owned Toyota Prius was stolen at gunpoint outside of his home Saturday morning.

Police Sargent Pete Dugan says a male suspect pointed a handgun at Rothschild and demanded his car keys as Rothschild walked to his car at 11am.

The mayor was not injured during the carjacking. His Prius was found abandoned in the city two-and-a-half hours later.

The gun-wielding carjacker walked up to Rothschild in the area of North Tucson Boulevard and East Fifth Street and said: 'Gimme your keys.'

In a moment the mayor said was more 'surreal' than scary, he handed the carjacker his keys and watched him speed away.

The mayor told Tuscon.com: 'I am fine. Nobody was hurt. It was not scary.

'It was so quick and, I hate to say this, but so businesslike.'

Dugan says the same suspect was involved in several other incidents in the same midtown area before the carjacking, so detectives don't think the mayor was targeted because of his city office.

The crime is not suspected to be politically motivated since there was a failed attempted carjacking by the same suspect in the same area

Rothschild said: 'Ive lived in the city for a very long time and Ive never been a victim of any serious crime.

'It does go to show, it can happen to anybody at any time.'

Dugan says the other incidents included an unsuccessful carjacking attempt and some sort of altercation with a mail carrier.

The same carjacker also apparently tried to break into a car down the street but ran off when the owner threatened to call 911 according to KGUN.

The car was found abandoned near East 36th Street and South Forgeus Avenue at 1.30pm

Not much is known about the thief but he was described as 'clean cut'.

The mayor's car was not equipped with a GPS tracking system, but now officials are considering putting them on city cars depending on the cost.
Malaysian police have announced the arrest of a fourth suspect, a North Korean, over the death of the half brother of the North Korean leader.

The man identified as Ri Jong Chol was arrested on Friday in Selangor near Kuala Lumpur, police said, giving no other details.

Two women, one of them Indonesian and the other travelling on a Vietnamese passport, and a boyfriend of one of them, had been arrested earlier on suspicion of involvement in the death of Kim Jong Nam.

Kim Jong Nam, left, exiled half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, (AP)

Kim Jong Nam was estranged from his younger half brother, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favour with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of sending a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46 and had lived in exile for years, suddenly fell ill at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau. Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical. He died while being taken to a hospital.

A second post-mortem will be carried out after a senior Malaysian official said the result of the first one was inconclusive.

Police cordon off an area with tape for a police re-enactment of the attack (China Press/AP)

Earlier, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the first post-mortem unilaterally and excluding our attendance and warned that his government will reject any findings.

He said the fact Malaysia has yet to hand over the body strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us.

Indonesias police chief has said the Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the death was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank.

North Korean ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol at the forensic department of the hospital in Kuala Lumpur (Vincent Thian/AP)

Tito Karnavian, citing information received from Malaysian authorities, said Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in Just For Laughs style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show. He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer, Mr Karnavian said. She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents.

His comments come after a male relative of Aisyah said in an Indonesian television interview that she had been hired to perform in a short comedy movie and travelled to China as part of this work.

Investigators were still trying to piece together details of the case, and South Korea has not said how it concluded that North Korea was behind the killing.
A baby sloth has made its first appearance at a US zoo, but a DNA test is needed to learn whether it is a boy or a girl.

Stephen Taylor, mammal curator at Hattiesburg Zoo in Mississippi, said they will have to send a sample of fur to a lab to learn the gender of the Hoffmans two-toed sloth born to Mo and Chewy, as sloths sex organs are internal.

Mo, hanging upside-down with the baby resting on her tummy, was on public view on Friday for the first time since giving birth on February 5.

Although born fully furred, eyes open and clawed, with teeth, the baby will typically remain dependent on its mother for about a year.

The first days after birth are delicate for any animal, and Mr Taylor said this baby did not start suckling on its own.

He said that after about half a day, zookeepers began feeding it puppy milk replacement from a syringe fitted with a nipple instead of a needle.
Wales Amy Boulden produced a superb finish to rescue her chances of victory in the ISPS Handa Womens Australian Open in Adelaide.

Boulden began the third round three shots off the lead, but covered the front nine at Royal Adelaide in two over par before carding a double bogey on the 11th and dropping another shot on the 12th.

Welsh star @amy_boulden will tee off the final round @WomensAusOpen on -5 in T10 position & just 5 shots off the lead @RoyalAdelaideGC pic.twitter.com/qYZpoLl21K  Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) February 18, 2017

However, the 23-year-old responded with birdies on the 13th and 16th before holing out from a bunker to eagle the par-five 17th.

Amy Boulden

Boulden eventually signed for a 74 to finish five under par, five shots off the lead held by American Lizette Salas.

Scotlands Gemma Dryburgh and Michele Thomson, who began the day four under par, slumped down the leaderboard after rounds of 80 and 81 respectively.
Hundreds of people in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez gathered on the edge of the Rio Grande river to form a human wall to protest against US President Donald Trumps plans for a wall between the countries.

The demonstrators held aloft colourful swatches of cloth and waved to the residents of the neighbouring city of El Paso, Texas.

Organisers said the protest aimed to join the two cities, rather than have them divided by steel or concrete.

A flower sits on a guard rail as people form a symbolic human wall along the Rio Grande (Christian Torres/AP)

We have, as it is being demonstrated here, many friends on the other side of the river, on the other side where they intend to build this wall that will never separate two friendly peoples, said former Mexican presidential candidate Cuauhtemoc Cardenas said.

Mr Trump has promised to make Mexico pay for the wall, something Mexican officials say they will not do.
Ten-man Millwall booked their place in the sixth round of the Emirates FA Cup after Shaun Cummings last-minute strike condemned Leicester to another miserable defeat.

The League One side had to play the majority of the second half without Jake Cooper after he was sent off in the 51st minute for a second bookable offence.

But the deficit only inspired Millwall to a famous victory with Cummings finding the net in the 90th minute to heap more pressure on Claudio Ranieri and his beleaguered team.

Picture

With more than one eye on their Champions League trip first-leg clash at Sevilla next week and their Premier League encounter against Liverpool a week on Monday, Ranieri made 10 changes to his side which lost at Swansea.

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez were relegated to the bench while Demarai Gray was the only survivor from the 2-0 defeat at the Liberty Stadium  a result which leaves Leicester hovering dangerously above the relegation zone.

The Premier League champions enjoyed the better start and it was Gray who provided the first real opportunity of the match. Bartosz Kapustka floated the ball into his path and the youngster cut back in on his right foot only for his curled effort to fall wide of Jordan Archers post.

As Vardy, who has failed to score since last year, warmed up on the touchline, Shinji Okazaki found himself through on goal. Off-balance however, Archer managed to parry his shot away.

Ahmed Musa was there for the follow-up but his quick-fire shot was superbly blocked by Byron Webster. Okazaki then saw his header from the resulting corner magnificently palmed away by the Millwall stopper.

Roared on by a raucous crowd, the hosts ended the first half on top. Calum Butchers header from a corner called Ron-Robert Zieler into action for the first time and a goal-mouth scramble ensued moments before the interval. Cooper was booked for his over-zealous attempts to snatch the ball out of Zielers grasp.

But just six minutes after the interval Millwall were reduced to 10 men when Cooper was sent off for a rash challenge on Musa.





Match-winner @s_cummings89 has been speaking to the media here at The Den...#Millwall  pic.twitter.com/wi5hqLLNtm  Millwall FC (@MillwallFC) February 18, 2017

It should have provided the spark for Leicester to go on and win the tie. But With 18 minutes to go, and his side now on the back foot, Ranieri called for Vardy. Moments later, the England international had Archer scrambling to his far post as his 20-yard shot fizzed wide.

Then with 10 minutes to go, Okazaki had the perfect chance to win the tie. Marc Albrightons cross fell into his path inside the six-yard box but the Japanese forward failed to convert.

The tie appeared to be heading for a replay before substitute Lee Gregory chested the ball into the path of Cummings who made no mistake as he coolly slotted the ball past Zieler.

Going down to 10 men just after half-time is tough. It put the pressure and expectation on to Leicesters shoulders and my players did not freeze. It galvanised the stadium. The atmosphere was electric. It carried the players and my players carried the stadium because of the pressing with 10 men, the closing down and the chances we created. It was everything you would want from a Millwall team.

I want to speak again with the players and say we have to fight every match. Who wants to fight? Tell me. I need the soldiers, I need the gladiators, because Millwall, with 10 players, showed they are fantastic gladiators.
By David Lawder and Michael Nienaber

WASHINGTON/BERLIN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund declined to comment on a media report on Friday that it was likely to contribute up to 5 billion euros ($5.3 billion) to a third bailout package for Greece, saying its views on the deal had not shifted.

The German magazine Der Spiegel said in an unsourced report that European lenders were now expecting the IMF to contribute a sum of this size after first having hoped for 16 billion euros.

"We will not comment on speculation. The Fund's position is well known and hasn't changed," an IMF spokesman in Washington said.

It remains unclear whether the Fund will be involved in the programme, and this is likely to be one of the main talking points when German Chancellor Angela Merkel and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde meet next Wednesday.

Germany's government, gearing up for what is forecast to be a close-run national election in September, opposes debt relief for Greece as demanded by the IMF. Still, Berlin says the current programme can only continue if the Fund joins in.

A finance ministry spokeswoman on Friday reiterated the government's position that Berlin considers it essential that the IMF participate in Greece's third aid-for-reforms package.

The Fund has insisted on debt relief and precautionary fiscal measures to ensure that Athens can meet its fiscal targets before it will consider participating in the bailout.

Without new policies, the IMF believes Greece can only meet a primary fiscal surplus target of 1.5 pct of gross domestic product by 2018.

The Spiegel report said the IMF had now adopted the view of European lenders that Greece should post a primary budget surplus of 3.5 percent in order to get fresh aid.

RED LINE

In Athens, Labour Minister Effie Achtsioglou said Greece could not cut pensions any further as demanded by the IMF, drawing a line in the sand days before euro zone finance ministers assess Greece's progress in fulfilling the conditions of its bailout.

The review has been beset by delays and disputes between Greece and its European Union and IMF creditors. As disagreement has arisen over Greece's fiscal targets and reforms prescribed under its bailout programme, fears have grown that Europe could face a new financial crisis.

Greece's slow progress in carrying out reforms has been overshadowed by the rift between Germany and the IMF over the size of projected fiscal surpluses in and after 2018, when the third bailout, worth up to 86 billion euros, is due to end.

The IMF insists that Athens cannot meet the EU's target for a primary surplus of 3.5 percent of economic output in 2018 unless it adopts more austerity.

But rather than more Greek belt-tightening, the IMF says it wants the primary surplus target cut to 1.5 percent of GDP and wants significant debt relief for Athens.

Euro zone officials said last week that the lenders would ask Greece to broaden the tax base and cut pensions again, in measures which together would be worth 3.6 billion euros or 2 percent of GDP. (1 = 0.9383 euros) (Additional reporting by Michele Kambas and Renee Maltezou in Athens; Writing by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
By Dominique Patton and Michael Hirtzer

BEIJING/CHICAGO, Feb 17 (Reuters) - China's COFCO Corp is in talks to sell a small cargo of corn to Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp, two sources said on Friday, a rare foreign sale of grain from the world's No. 2 producer.

The state-controlled Chinese company is in discussions to sell at least 15,000 tonnes of corn to Japan, one source briefed on the deal said.

A U.S. grains trader who had spoken with the buyer said the shipment could be closer to 23,000 tonnes.

Both sources declined to be identified as they are not authorized to speak to the press.

Delivery was expected at the end of February, the first source said.

A Mitsubishi spokesman said the company is considering buying corn from other countries, including China, as an emergency measure, but it has not yet made any purchase. A spokesman for COFCO could not be reached by phone and did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The deal is the latest sign that lengthy delays in shipments from the northwestern United States, Japan's main corn supplier, were disrupting established trade flows.

Feedmakers in Japan, the world's top corn importer, are expected to tap emergency stockpiles as inventories decline to critically low levels.

CHINA CORN GLUT

Beijing has been intensifying efforts to tackle a massive glut of grain. It is not known if this relatively small shipment is just a one-off.

China last exported significant volumes of corn in 2006/07, when it sold almost 5 million tonnes.

Any sign that China is preparing to ramp up corn exports in more sizeable volumes would unnerve a saturated global market, where the United States and Brazil are the world's top exporters.

COFCO would need to obtain a government permit to export before the shipment could leave China. No export permits have been issued yet this year, the source briefed on the matter said.

"I think it's a trial, but let's see where it goes," said a Singapore-based trader.

China's state planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), did not respond to requests for comment.

Japanese trading houses such as Mitsubishi fulfill a quasi-national role by importing everything from oil to corn to sustain the country's resource-poor economy.

The country buys other agricultural products from China - it was the top foreign buyer of Chinese soymeal last year, accounting for two-thirds of the 1.9 million tonnes in sales abroad.

Other countries that could fill the shortfall would include Australia, Russia and Ukraine.

The Chinese government gave permits to at least two companies, including COFCO, to sell about 2 million tonnes of corn abroad, trading sources said in September, the first approval for bulk exports in a decade.

Those permits were returned to the government at the end of 2016 as they had not been used, said the source briefed on the deal.

China has ramped up efforts to get rid of its glut of grain, which is large enough to feed the country for one year.

Its proximity to some of the world's top importers would allow it to compete with America and Brazil with lower freight costs and speedier delivery time.

(Additional reporting by Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo and Beijing newsroom; Writing by Josephine Mason; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
BEIRUT, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Syrian warplanes carried out air strikes in a besieged rebel-held district of Homs on Saturday that killed at least two people, adding to a death toll of more than 20 in nearly two weeks of air raids, an activist and monitors said.

Al-Waer, the last rebel-held neighbourhood in the western city of Homs, had for months been spared much of the intense violence raging elsewhere in the country, as the government tried to conclude an agreement with insurgents there.

Bombardment of the district resumed earlier this month, rescue workers and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported.

The British-based Observatory said three people were killed on Saturday bringing the death toll since then to at least 30 people.

An opposition media activist in al-Waer said two had been killed and the overall toll this month was more than 20.

Pro-Syrian government media outlets have said strikes were in response to rebels firing at residential areas of government-held Homs neighbourhoods.

Damascus has tried to conclude a deal in al-Waer that would see rebel fighters and their families leave the district and the government take over. Under similar local agreements in other parts of western Syria, rebels have left with light weapons and headed mostly for Idlib province.

The opposition says such agreements are part of a government strategy to forcibly displace populations from opposition-held areas after years of siege and bombardment.

In September some 120 rebel fighters and their families left al-Waer in agreement with the government, but there have been no further reports of insurgents leaving. The Observatory estimates several thousand rebels remain there. (Reporting by John Davison; editing by John Stonestreet)




The meetings took place on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting, which Vietnam was invited to participate in as the host of the APEC Year 2017.

Talking to UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Minh highlighted progress in the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership, particularly in economics, trade and investment. He welcomed the initiative of establishing an informal dialogue mechanism to discuss measures for facilitating bilateral trade in the context of the UKs upcoming negotiations on its exit from the EU.

Johnson affirmed that his country will keep strengthening multi-faceted cooperation with Vietnam and continue to support the enhancement of relations, connectivity and trade liberalisation between Vietnam and Europe.

The two sides agreed to coordinate for the effective organisation of activities marking the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2018, especially the exchange of high-ranking delegations and the partnership in economics, trade, investment, education, training and tourism.

Minh asked the UK to increase scholarships for Vietnam to help with the training of high-quality manpower.

The officials noted with satisfaction the outcomes of the cooperation in organising the Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in November 2016, agreeing to continue fostering collaboration in this field in the following years.

They also discussed international and regional issues of common concern, sharing the view on the importance of maintaining peace, stability, freedom, security and safety of navigation and aviation; protecting the rule of law in seas and oceans; and resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

At a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Deputy PM Minh spoke highly of Tillersons knowledge about and contribution to promoting economic, trade and investment ties between the two countries.

Both officials noted positive and substantive strides in all aspects in the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership.

Minh emphasised that Vietnam treasures and wants to reinforce the friendship, cooperation and comprehensive partnership with the US on the basis of respect for each others political regime, thereby meeting the two peoples interests.

The diplomats agreed that the two countries need to maintain high-level delegation exchanges and visits.

The Deputy PM repeated Vietnamese leaders invitation to US President Donald Trump to attend the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting and dialogues with businesses in Da Nang city this November. He also took this occasion to invite Tillerson to visit Vietnam in the near future.

For his part, Tillerson also expressed his willingness to visit Vietnam and participate in activities within the framework of the APEC Vietnam 2017.

Sharing the understanding on the significance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability and development in the region, the officials also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

Meanwhile, Deputy PM Minh told Brazilian Foreign Minister Jose Serra that Vietnam attaches importance to the amity and multi-faceted cooperation with Brazil, which is the biggest Latin American trade partner of Vietnam.

The two sides agreed on the need to continue increasing delegation exchanges at all levels, especially between high-ranking officials, in order to consolidate the growing political ties. They also agreed to hold the third meeting of the inter-governmental committee and maintain the political consultation between the two foreign ministries.

The two officials looked into measures to bolster affiliation in certain spheres, including urging their foreign ministries to work to hasten the signing of cooperation documents on such areas as double taxation avoidance, shipping, education, agriculture, defence, tourism and investment.

Those documents will create a favourable legal framework for economic, trade and investment partnership, towards the trade target of 10 billion USD by 2020, they said.

Minh also asked the Brazilian Government to soon recognise Vietnams market economy.

At the meeting, the diplomats also mulled over ways to intensify coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations./.
BRUSSELS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - One person was killed and about 20 injured, two seriously, on Saturday when a carriage toppled onto its side in a train derailment in Belgium, rescue workers said.

Rail operator SNCB said the passenger train bound for Brussels jumped the tracks shortly after leaving the city of Leuven, 25 km (16 miles) east of the capital at about 1.20 p.m. (1220 GMT).

Pictures posted on the internet showed one carriage had come to rest on its side part way down a small slope.

Services between Leuven and Brussels were suspended, including some trains heading to the airport. (Reporting By Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
ABU DHABI, Feb 18 - U.S. President Donald Trump's defense secretary arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday for talks with one of Washington's closest allies in the Middle East.

Jim Mattis, on his debut trip to the region as Pentagon chief, was expected to meet Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan and U.S. embassy representatives. U.S. officials have not disclosed details about his agenda.

In late January, Trump and the Crown Prince spoke by telephone and the White House said they had discussed a proposal for safe zones for Syrian refugees displaced by the conflict.

Mattis, a retired Marine general who is reviewing U.S. war plans against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, is a familiar figure to Gulf Arab rulers.

A former leader of Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the region, Mattis said in his Senate confirmation hearings that Iran was "the biggest destabilising force in the Middle East and its policies are contrary to our interests."

Such views play well with Gulf Arabs, who hope Trump's administration will check what they see as a surge of Iranian support for paramilitary allies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon and for fellow Shi'ite Muslims in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia's oil-producing Eastern Province.

The United Arab Emirates is also a key U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda in Yemen. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Helen Popper)
TAIPEI/MADRID, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Taiwan said on Saturday it "deeply regrets" a decision by the Spanish government to deport to China around 200 Taiwanese nationals suspected of telecom fraud.

The Spanish government said on Friday it had approved the extradition of 269 "Chinese citizens" as part of a year-long investigation into an Internet fraud ring operated from several Spanish cities, including Madrid and Barcelona.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said around 200 of the suspects were Taiwanese.

Taiwan "deeply regrets" the decision by the Spanish government "which has infringed upon the rights and interests of our people and ignored the tradition of the EU countries' emphasis on human rights," the ministry said in a statement.

The Spanish case is the latest involving Taiwanese abroad suspected of telecom fraud against China being rounded up with Chinese nationals and sent back to China.

Last year, Taiwanese suspected of telecom fraud were deported, sometimes forcibly, according to the Taiwanese government, from countries including Kenya, Cambodia and Armenia, to China.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said the suspects had not yet been deported from Spain and that its representatives in Spain would continue to work with Taiwan's judicial authorities and police on the rights of the Taiwanese suspects.

No Spanish government officials could be immediately contacted on Saturday to comment on the nationality of the suspects.

China says Taiwan is part of its territory and has no right to diplomatic relations.

Major countries in the world, including all of Europe, outside of the Vatican, follow a 'one China' policy, recognising Beijing as the sole legal government of China.

Taiwan has been self-ruled since Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists forces fled to the island in 1949 after being defeated in a Chinese civil war with Mao Zedong's Communists.

Thirteen of the illicit call centres in Spain were dismantled in December in a joint operation by Spanish and Chinese police, Spains Justice Ministry said on Friday.

Around 839 people were victims and the sum involved in the scam was estimated at around 120 million yuan ($17.5 million), the Spanish justice ministry said in a statement. ($1 = 6.8640 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by J.R. Wu in Taipei and Sonya Dowsett in Madrid; Editing by Adrian Croft)
By Humeyra Pamuk

ISTANBUL, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Turkey has presented two proposals to the United States for how to carry out a joint military operation to drive Islamic State from its stronghold in the Syrian city of Raqqa, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on Saturday.

Ankara has said repeatedly that the planned operation should be conducted by local Arab forces, possibly with support from Turkish troops, as opposed to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) -- an alliance dominated by Kurdish YPG militia.

Washington's support for the SDF, which launched a campaign to encircle Raqqa in November, has caused tension with NATO-ally Turkey. Ankara views the Kurdish militia as an extension of militants fighting on its own soil.

It is not yet clear whether the new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump will provide weapons to the YPG despite Turkey's objections. The U.S. says arms provided to the SDF are so far limited to its Arab elements but Ankara says they are going to Kurdish militia and is asking for a halt.

Speaking during a trip to Germany, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said there would be "serious issues" for ties with the United States if Washington partnered with Kurdish militia for the Raqqa operation against Islamic State.

"We've told them one terrorist organisation can not be used to fight another. I believe the new U.S. administration will take these assessments into consideration," he told reporters.

MILTARY CHIEFS MEET

In a meeting on Friday at Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, a key hub for the U.S.-led coalition against the jihadists, Turkish military chief Hulusi Akar and his U.S. counterpart Joseph Dunford discussed the two Raqqa road maps, Hurriyet said, citing security sources.

Ankara's preferred plan of action envisages Turkish and U.S. special forces, backed by commandoes and Turkey-backed Syrian rebels entering Syria through the border town of Tel Abyad, currently held by Kurdish YPG militia, the newspaper said.

The forces would cut through YPG territory, before pushing on to Raqqa, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south.

Such a plan would require the United States to convince the Kurdish militia to grant the Turkey-backed forces a 20-kilometre (12-mile)-wide strip through YPG territory, the paper said.

The SDF alliance, which includes Arab and other groups in Syria's north as well as the YPG, controls swathes of territory along the Syria-Turkey border as they push back Islamic State.

Yildirim said Turkish forces would not be directly involved in combat but would provide tactical support. Both the Turkish and U.S. military would have a ground presence, he added.

A second alternative outlined by Akar to Dunford was to push towards Raqqa via the Syrian town of Bab, Hurriyet reported, which Turkey-backed forces have been fighting to seize from Islamic State for the past two months.

But the long journey of 180 kilometres (about 110 miles) and mountainous terrain make that possibility less likely, it said. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Helen Popper)
Feb 18 (Reuters) - Karolina Pliskova stormed to her second WTA title of the year, beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-3 6-4 in the Qatar Open in Doha on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Czech, seeded number two, took just under an hour and 20 minutes to end the former world number one's hopes of a first success of 2017, breaking the Dane's serve in the opening game and rarely looking back.

She took the first set comfortably after racing into a 4-1 lead, dropping her serve just once in a mid-set stumble. But the second was a far tighter affair before Pliskova ended the match as she had begun it, by breaking Wozniacki's serve.

Pliskova felt beating Serena Williams on the way to the U.S. Open final last year was a turning point in her career, which has seen her add two WTA titles already in the opening six weeks of 2017 to bring her total haul to eight.

After winning the Brisbane International in January, she rose to third in the women's rankings, while Wozniacki -- a U.S. Open finalist in 2014 -- is currently 18th.

"I'm having a great start to the year, which is always important" said Pliskova before receiving her trophy in Doha.

"Last year was a breakthrough. (Reaching) the U.S. Open final was my biggest result. It gave me a lot of confidence."

Wozniacki conceded Pliskova deserved her victory, but she said: "I've been proud of how I've been playing this week. I'm disappointed with the loss, but Karolina has been playing well.

"She deserved this one, but I'm going to try to get my revenge next time." (Reporting by Neville Dalton; Editing by Toby Davis)
BUENOS AIRES, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Argentina's President Mauricio Macri used some of his harshest language yet against Venezuela's socialist government in comments to Spanish media published on Saturday ahead of his trip to Madrid.

"Enough with euphemisms, Venezuela is not a democracy," the center-right Macri said, according to leading newspaper El Pais.

"I know what the Venezuelan people are suffering, I think what we have to have is a firm position, without euphemisms, saying that in Venezuela democracy and human rights are not respected," Macri said.

He said Argentina would help end "this social, political and economic conflict," where it could, according to the paper.

The comments came days after Macri, who took office in late 2015 ending a decade of leftist rule, spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump. Both shared their "concern" over Venezuela in a Wednesday phone call, Macri's spokesman told Reuters.

Later that day Trump called on Venezuela to release opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who was sentenced last year to nearly 14 years in prison on charges of inciting anti-government protests in 2014. (Reporting by Caroline Stauffer; Editing by Mary Milliken)
Even as Sri Lankas former President Mahinda Rajapaksa angles for a political comeback, New Delhi appears to be weighing up possible political shifts in the island, including a split in the Rajapaksa camp, the Hindu reported.

On February 10, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, known to be Prime Minister Narendra Modis point man on Sri Lanka, met President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo, a week before Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankars scheduled official visit.

Mr. Madhav also met a few other key political actors, The Hindu learns, and reportedly discussed political options that might neutralise former strongman Rajapaksa. Confirming that he met the President and the Prime Minister to discuss bilateral issues and a forthcoming Indian Ocean conference in the island, Mr. Madhav, when contacted in New Delhi, said the [other] allegations are false.

While he categorically denied having discussed the former first family in any of his meetings, political sources in Colombo told The Hindu that the BJPs key strategist seemed to explore the possibility of Gotabaya Rajapaksa decamping from Mahinda Rajapaksa in return for high political office.

One of Sri Lankas most controversial figures and brother of the ex-President, Mr. Gotabaya was prominent in the leadership to defeat the LTTE, playing a key role as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development.

Currently facing corruption charges for allegedly transferring state-owned weapons to a private firm, causing a loss of nearly $75 million to the country, he has been a staunch critic of the governments reconciliation strategy.

While Mr. Madhavs reported enquiries about him have raised eyebrows in political circles, its timing is also significant.

Two years after coming to power, Sri Lankas national unity government  formed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) that President Sirisena leads and its rival United National Party with PM Wickremesinghe at the helm  is pulling apart.

Amid mounting criticism over the governments delay in delivering its key election promises, coupled with looming corruption charges, the government is facing another immediate task for its survival  managing the ex-President, who leads a faction of the SLFP. This political grouping is challenging virtually every move of the government as a joint opposition in Parliament.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rajapaksa has become increasingly vocal in his criticism of India. Observing that New Delhi has been mouse-like on the current governments China policy, while it objected to his, the former President has accused India of plotting his defeat in the January 2015 elections.

Even as Colombo tries to iron out issues with Beijing on a massive port and investment zone being built with Chinese assistance, Mr. Rajapaksa went to China in late 2016 on an invitation from the government.

At the same time, Colombo-New Delhi ties improved visibly with Mr. Modis visit to the neighbouring country in 2015, the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly three decades.

India and Sri Lanka are currently negotiating a trade deal and exploring partnerships in the strategically crucial eastern city of Trincomalee, in addition to collaborating on development projects. Mr. Madhav is a frequent visitor to Colombo and a known emissary of Mr. Modi. Foreign Secretary Mr. Jaishankar, who arrives on Saturday for a two-day visit, will meet the Sri Lankan President, Prime Minister and other key political actors.
Certain NGOs in their haste to take advantage of the Right to Information (RTI) Act for their own agendas have applied for information on the assets declaration of the President and the Prime Minister soon after the RTI was enacted on February 3, President Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday.

He said the RTI envisioned the strengthening of the rule of law, ensuring good governance, democracy and transparency in state affairs and added that the Government introduced the RTI to eradicate corruption amid the people believing that 85% of public servants and 100% of the politicians were corrupt.

Delivering the keynote address at the ceremony held to mark the enactment of the RTI, the President said the law relating to the assets declaration by politicians and public servants was already in the statute book and any citizen could obtain information on the assets of a parliamentarian from the Speaker, by paying the relevant fee.

"Those seeking information under the RTI Act must be aware that they cannot obtain personal information of individuals and information relating to national security," he said adding that this information could be used for character assassination by unscrupulous individuals or groups.

He said information relating to public affairs, public expenditure and national development could be obtained.

Our country is faced with indiscipline. Although we have the highest rate of literacy, the lack of discipline among the public, officials and politicians is a major setback in our forward march. Our people never do what should be done. This government was elected not to do what the previous government did. The people gave me a mandate with the hope that I will restore the rule of law, strengthen democracy and good governance, the President said.

He said the people and the media enjoy the new found freedom under this government with certain groups taking to the streets, inconveniencing the public.

"A few people claiming to be disabled soldiers attempted to invade the Presidential Secretariat after removing their artificial limbs, demanding full pension benefits, though they had resigned from military service a few years after recruitment," the President said.

"The former prime minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was severely harassed by the opposition. In the short period that he ruled the country, not a day passed without protests staged by the opposition. It is no different with the unity government. The media and the opposition are misusing the freedom restored by the unity government." (Sandun A Jayasekera)
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




At a meeting in Hanoi on February 17th with a PRO delegation led by its President Humberto Schiavoni, Luu appreciated the solidarity and support that the Argentinean people have given to Vietnam in the fight for national liberation in the past and the reform process at present.

The Argentinean parliaments experience in law making and reform is useful to its Vietnamese counterpart, Luu noted, adding that visits by parliamentarians of the two legislatures will help solidify the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Argentina.

For his part, PRO President Humberto Schiavoni affirmed that his delegations visit is of importance amidst the growing relations between Vietnam and Argentina, which boast potential for stronger cooperation.

He highly valued Vietnams economic achievements and its growing role in Southeast Asia, adding that his country is interested in expanding all-round cooperation with Vietnam, especially in trade, investment and economy./.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recently released more than one million reports, notes, cables and other documents relating to the agencys work. Thousands are dealing with India and the subcontinent. Glancing through some of these Top Secret documents, I came across a note dating July 15, 1953, which contains vital information for Indias northern borders.

It is titled Chinese Communist Troops, West Tibet, Road Construction, Sinkiang to Tibet and Ladakh. It confirms what many historians have been guessing: China had started building a road across the Indian territory in the early 1950s. It was only in August 1959 that Jawaharlal Nehru dropped the bombshell in the Lok Sabha: the Tibet-Xinjiang highway had been built through Indian territory.

Truth

A few months earlier, Nehru hid the truth in Parliament. On April 22, 1959, when the issue of Beijing displaying Indian territory as its own on Chinas maps came up, Delhi denied the existence of the road. Braj Raj Singh, an Indian MP, quoting a news item published in several papers alleging that the Chinese have claimed some 30,000 sq m of our territory, queried about the Aksai Chin. Nehru answered: I would suggest to honourable members not to pay much attention to news items emanating sometimes from Hong Kong and sometimes from other odd places. We have had no such claim directly or indirectly made on us. The Prime Minister deliberately omitted to mention the Aksai Chin.

Now, the CIA note shows that in late 1952, the 2 Cavalry Regiment, commanded by one Han Tse-min, had its headquarters at Gartok (the main trade centre in Western Tibet). The regiment had 800 camels and 150 men garrisoned at Rutok, in the vicinity of the Pangong lake, which is shared by Tibet and Ladakh.

The same report affirms that another PLAs regiment was stationed on the Tibetan side of the Tibet-Ladakh border, near Koyul in the Indus Valley in Ladakh. According to the US document, the commandant of the 2 Cavalry announced the Chinese intention to built new roads in the area. One of them was a road from Khotan to Rutok; the other one to Suget Karaul (Shahidulla) ending at Vanjilga (at the western end of the Aksai Chin). The first one was completed in July 1953, says the report. The alignment of the 1953 route might have been slightly different from present Aksai Chin road (now NH219). Moreover, it was then not fit for heavy vehicles (only four years later, heavy trucks would be able to ply).

It is difficult to believe that the information available with the US Intelligence agency was unknown to their Indian counterpart; let us not forget that India had still a Consulate General in Kashgar and, therefore, easy access to information.

The Hindi-Chini, bhai-bhai wave was most likely too strong and the PMs collaborators (in particular, BN Mullick, the IB Chief) were busier pleasing their boss than checking on Chinese advances. Han Tse-min asserted: When these roads were completed, the Chinese communists would close the Tibet-Ladakh border to trade. It is what happened after the signature of the Panchsheel Agreement in 1954.

Document

The CIA document also says that Han declared that the Chinese communists in Sinkiang (Xinjiang) were telling the people that Ladakh belongs to Sinkiang. Another CIA note written 10 days later, provides details of the traditional routes used by the caravaners. The CIA remarks: The only Chinese in north-western Tibet are the Chinese Communist troops, seven or eight hundred of whom are stationed along the Tibet-Ladakh border. They first appeared in north-western Tibet in 1951, having come from the Khotan.

Delhi was not concerned. It would continue doing nothing for several more years, with the result that the Indian territory is still occupied by China today.

On October 6, 1957, Chinese newspaper Kuang-ming Jih-pao reported from Hong Kong: The Sinkiang-Tibet  the highest highway in the world  has been completed. During the past few days, a number of trucks running on the highway on a trial basis have arrived in Gartok in Tibet from Yecheng in Xinjiang. The Sinkiang-Tibet Highway is 1,179 km long, of which 915 km are more than 4,000m above sea level; 130 km of it over 5,000m above sea level, with the highest point being 5,500m. It spoke of thirty heavy-duty trucks, fully loaded with road builders, maintenance equipment and fuels, running on the highway on a trial basis heading towards Tibet.

Confrontation

Early 1958, five months after the official opening, Subimal Dutt, the Indian foreign secretary, wrote to Nehru. Dutt suggested sending a reconnoitering party in the coming spring to find out if the road had really been built on the Indian territory. The next day, Nehru agreed for the reconnoitring party, but added: I do not think it is desirable to have air reconnaissance. In fact, I do not see what good this can do us. Even a land reconnaissance will not perhaps be very helpful.

It was only in the fall of 1959 that a CRPF patrol consisting of 70 constables attempted to cross over the Lanak Pass to establish a border post in the Aksai Chin. They were confronted by the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) which had occupied the pass. On October 20, 1959, three Indians were captured and detained by the Chinese. The next day after a short confrontation, nine Indian soldiers were killed and seven taken prisoner. The Indian media was incensed; Nehru had no other choice to officially announce the occupation of the Aksai Chin.

Today, the CIA papers tend to prove that the Aksai Chin road was opened much earlier that thought.
At the talks (Photo: VNA)

The Vietnamese delegation to the talks was led by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Thanh, Deputy Minister of Public Security, while the Cambodian delegation was headed by Secretary of State from the Ministry of Interior Em Saman.

The two sides agreed on specific programmes to implement effectively the bilateral collaboration blueprint in 2017, which was signed in Hanoi in January, to ensure safety and security in the respective countries, especially during the celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Cambodia.

They also exchanged regional and international issues of mutual concerns.

The talks occurred in a candid and open atmosphere.

On February 16th, the Vietnamese delegation met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng.

Vietnamese officials also offered incense and laid wreaths at the Vietnam  Cambodia friendship statue, and worked with the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh./.
HDFC Bank Limited provides banking and financial services to individuals and businesses in India, Bahrain, Hong Kong, and Dubai. It operates in Treasury, Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking, Other Banking Business, and Unallocated segments. The company accepts savings, salary, current, rural, public provident fund, pension, and Demat accounts; fixed and recurring deposits; and safe deposit lockers, as well as offshore accounts and deposits, overdrafts against fixed deposits, and sweep-in facilities. It also provides personal, home, car, two wheeler, business, educational, gold, consumer, and rural loans; loans against properties, securities, rental receivables, and assets; loans for professionals; government sponsored programs; and loans on credit card, as well as working capital and commercial/construction equipment finance, healthcare/medical equipment and commercial vehicle finance, dealer finance, and term and professional loans. The company offers credit, debit, prepaid, and forex cards; payment and collection, export, import, remittance, bank guarantee, letter of credit, trade, hedging, and merchant and cash management services; insurance and investment products. It provides short term finance, bill discounting, structured finance, export credit, loan syndication, and documents collection services; online and wholesale, mobile, and phone banking services; unified payment interface, immediate payment, national electronic funds transfer, and real time gross settlement services; and channel financing, vendor financing, reimbursement account, money market, derivatives, employee trusts, cash surplus corporates, tax payment, and bankers to rights/public issue services, as well as financial solutions for supply chain partners and agricultural customers. The company operates 6,378 branches and 18,620 automated teller machines in 3,203 cities/towns. As of March 31, 2022, it had 21,683 banking outlets. The company was incorporated in 1994 and is based in Mumbai, India.
LYNCHBURG  No matter the bank, most branches have similar, familiar features. Customers stand in line to be waited on by tellers behind tall counters, while employees specializing in different areas of banking see customers in their offices.

Instead of going down this traditional path, Lynchburg-based Bank of the James decided to take a different route with its new branch in Albemarle Countys 5th Street Station shopping center.

Dubbed the UnBranch, the new banking office features an open floor plan. Customers can use free WiFi or the banks own smartphones and tablets to look at online banking products. Employees trained in all aspects of banking aim to provide customer service more easily.

Were merging your traditional banking experience and culture with a more engaging retail environment, said Brandon Farmer, executive vice president for Bank of the James. In essence, youre taking a Best Buy flow with employees walking around, versus having a lot of furniture between you and the employee.

Instead of a traditional rope line and counters that separate tellers from the customer, the UnBranch has a lower counter traditionally seen in retail stores with no barriers, so a customer can see the employees screen while being assisted. Instead of relying on traditional security measures to protect cash, the branch has a machine called a cash recycler that automatically dispenses cash and protects it from theft.

In the new format, any of the banks three employees can help a customer with deposits, set up accounts, assist with online banking products or answer questions, rather than being confined to specialized areas.

Branch manager Philip Gould said the change brings banking back to its roots as a financial resource.

The idea of this is really going to universal banking and going back to old-school banking, which is about answering questions, Gould said. Were trying to make it as convenient as it can be, but if you have more complicated questions like education for your children or purchasing a house where you need someone you can trust, you can come here as well.

For those more complicated questions, customers can use the Expert Nearby service, which allows customers to video-call privately with mortgage experts or other specialists located in Lynchburg or Harrisonburg. In the future, the bank hopes to allow people to sign documents remotely during these calls.

The UnBranchs emphasis on a more relaxed atmosphere extends to the exterior, which features a patio where customers can meet with employees, a community board for events and announcements, free coffee and tea and an exploration area for customers to look at Bank of the James mobile banking products on a variety of different tablets and phones.

The design process began in 2015 when Farmer learned about the new branch concept catching on throughout the country. Once the bank decided to move forward with the concept, they contracted with financial design firm DBSI, based in Phoenix.

The company helps banks in all 50 states create branches centered around new models for customer service. CEO John Smith said DBSI works with all aspects of the design, including signage, interior decor and training employees.

We look at all of the barriers that get in the way of ineffective sales and service and create an environment thats inviting that allows the customer to discover all the ways the bank can help them on lifes journey.

For Farmer, this drastic change in how banking is done is a response to customers changing needs.

We just believe that this is the evolution of a bank branch, Farmer said. People are visiting [banks] less often because they dont have to because the technology is evolving quickly. We want to evolve our branch setup to be a destination for folks for education and to be engaged with us as their financial institution instead of just a stop on their days journey.

For now, Bank of the James plans to keep the format just in the Charlottesville market, although Farmer said there are opportunities in Lynchburg, Roanoke and Harrisonburg for possible UnBranches.

In the Richmond area, Capital One is rolling out another style of nontraditional bank branch with its Capital One Cafe branches. One recently opened at Short Pump Town Center in western Henrico County, and another is planned for the citys Carytown area by the end of the year.

At Capital One Cafes, anyone can purchase coffee, baked goods and use the free WiFi, but those who bank with Capital One get a 50 percent discount on coffee and can do their banking with ambassadors who assist customers with questions. The large bank has 14 Capital One Cafe locations around the country, mostly in big cities like Los Angeles, Boston and Philadelphia.

Even though this new style of banking has mostly grown in big cities by large companies such as Capital One, Gould, the Bank of the James Charlottesville branch manager, said the focus on customer service helps smaller banks grow and provide for customers needs.

I believe this model fits community banks, he said. This is for building community relationships. Theres no hiding behind closed doors here.
RICHMOND  Gov. Terry McAuliffe is pushing legislative budget leaders to restore funding to address mounting concerns about mentally ill jail inmates and unexplained jail deaths, as well as money he had sought to solve problems with the states election system that Republican legislators identified last fall.

McAuliffe, in a letter on Friday to budget leaders and a briefing for media at the Capitol, said hes generally happy with the budgets that the House of Delegates and Senate adopted, but faulted them for refusing to support his proposed solutions to concerns they share  from the unexplained death of Jamycheal Mitchell in a Hampton Roads jail to funding for economic development priorities.

The governor took particular aim at the decision to cut $4.2 million he had proposed to screen and assess jail inmates for mental illness, as well as $200,000 to enable state corrections officials to investigate deaths in regional and local jails. Mitchells death in Hampton Roads Regional Jail 18 months ago remains a mystery. Last week, it cost Inspector General June Jennings her job at the hands of legislators who were dissatisfied with her offices handling of the case.

We just lost our inspector general, who did not have the authority to investigate the death of Jamycheal Mitchell, he told reporters. I sent down bills to correct the problem. Those bills died.

Later on Friday, McAuliffe named Michael Westfall, internal audit manager at Virginia State Police, as acting inspector general.

Two of the bills  both carried by Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, who chairs a joint subcommittee on mental health  remain alive in diminished form in the House. They could become vehicles in the final week of the General Assembly session to address the vexing dilemma of state authority over regional and local jails.

Were either serious about it or were not, Deeds said Friday. So far, the legislative response has not been serious.

House Appropriations Vice Chairman R. Steven Landes, R-Augusta, said in an interview Friday theres still a possibility related to funding, as well as Deeds proposal to reconstitute the Board of Corrections to take responsibility for investigating deaths in regional and local jails.

I think were going to be looking at that closely, Landes said.

An Appropriations subcommittee is working with Deeds to possibly amend his other proposal for jail screening and assessment. The goal would be to reduce its scope and fiscal impact on local and regional mental health agencies that would have to carry it out.

McAuliffe also questioned why the Senates proposed budget cut $4 million in funding to improve the states balky voter registration system and replace disappearing federal funding for elections. Inadequate funding of our election system will only give rise to problems and issues that none of us want, he said in a letter to House Appropriations Chairman S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, and Senate Finance Co-Chairmen Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, and Emmett W. Hanger Jr., R-Augusta.

Im putting money in to make the improvements; they took it out, the governor told reporters.

McAuliffe also said he was mystified that the Senate removed $400,000 in incentives for Air India to establish non-stop service between New Delhi and Washington Dulles International Airport. He made an announcement two weeks ago that the airline would begin flights in July that he estimated would have a $30 million economic impact on the region.

The elimination of these funds jeopardizes this economic development opportunity, he told legislative leaders.

The governor also suggested several places to find money in the budget to pay for higher priorities, including a $10 million state subsidy for the 2019 commemoration of the Jamestown Settlements historic red-letter year of 1619 and the $7.5 million that legislators restored for the GO Virginia economic development initiative.

Still, McAuliffe said he and budget leaders are very close on most budget issues, including a compensation package that would restore a 3-percent raise to state employees and other public employees instead of the one-time bonus he proposed in December.

The governor said that when he prepared his budget last fall state revenues still had not recovered from a shortfall that forced cancellation of the pay raises he and the assembly approved last year.

Im very happy now about the pay raises, he said. When I did the budget in October, I couldnt do it.
Mary Jane Morris, 98, of Charlottesville, passed away on Saturday, February 11, 2017. Mary Jane was born on May 4, 1918, in Gainesville, Va., on Brundage Farm to Edward D. Morris and Mary Virginia Cockerille Morris. Mary Jane set a shining example of caregiving for others to follow in the nursing profession and in the community. Mary Jane attended the UVA Hospital School of Nursing and received the RN in 1942. She devoted her nursing career of 40 years to UVA Hospital in the capacity of general staff nurse, Head Nurse, and Supervisor in the areas of Psychiatry, Medicine, and Neurology. Mary Jane also served on the faculty of the nursing program at the UVA Hospital. Her working years at the UVA Hospital and School of Nursing included meeting many students who were a joy to know. The class of 1955 established a scholarship fund at the UVA School of Nursing in her honor. In 1969, Mary Jane served as the Chairman of the American Cancer Society's Reach to Recovery program in Charlottesville. In addition, Mary Jane served as the Chairman of the Cancer Society Rehabilitation program and was a Board Member of the Cancer Society locally. Working with cancer patients and survivors was a very rewarding experience for Mary Jane. Mary Jane moved to Westminster Canterbury of the Blue Ridge in May 2003 where she was involved in many activities and enjoyed many friends. Mary Jane was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Mary Jane had two brothers, Edward Morris and Douglas C. Morris M.D., both deceased. She is survived by one sister, Lucy M. White; two nieces, Leslie M. Yarbrough and her husband, Bob, of Hume, Va., and Mary Pat Morris; six nephews, Edward D. Morris III and his wife, Cara, of North Palm Beach, Fla., Andrew D. Morris and his wife, Paula, of Jupiter, Fla., and Hank, Howard, Larry, and Ray White; one great-nephew, Ian A. Morris; and three great-nieces, Mariel Yarbrough Murphy, Jennifer Morris, and Kendall Morris. The family wishes to send a Special Thanks to the staff at Westminster Canterbury of the Blue Ridge for caring for Mary Jane for the last number of years. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 1, 2017, at the Chapel at Westminster Canterbury of the Blue Ridge, 250 Pantops Mountain Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22911, officiated by Chaplain Heather Baggett. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Mary Jane Morris Nursing Scholarship Endowment. You can send a check payable to "UVA School of Nursing" and specify "Morris Endowed Scholarship, allocation 11612," in the memo line. Send your gift to: UVA School of Nursing, Alumni & Development Office, P.O. Box 801015, Charlottesville, VA 22908-1015. You can also make a donation by phone at (800) 297-0102 or (434) 924-0138. Or go online to http://giving.virginia.edu/supportnursing and where it says "This Gift is in Memory of" enter "Mary Jane Morris" and under "Special Instructions" enter "Please designate my gift to the Morris Endowed Scholarship, allocation 11612." Condolences may be offered to the family at www.teaguefuneralhome.com
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and President of Poland Andrzej Duda during the talks in Munich on Saturday condemned the recent acts of vandalism in Huta Pieniacka and Bykivnia, discussing in the context the reconciliation of the two peoples.

"The sides discussed the issues of reconciliation of the Ukrainian and Polish peoples, strongly condemning the recent acts of vandalism that took place in Huta Pieniacka and the Bykivnia Graves historical-memorial reserve that were most likely organized by a third party," the press service of the Ukrainian state said.

As reported on January 10 unidentified persons in Lviv region partially destroyed the monument to the Poles - the inhabitants of the Huta Pieniacka village killed during World War II.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko spoke by telephone to United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday, the president's press service reported.

"The president of Ukraine, while at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, had a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson," reads a statement posted on the president's official website.

"The conversation focused on countering the ongoing Russian aggression and restoring the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, not least with the aid of the sanctions policy. The president informed the U.S. Secretary of State of the escalation of the situation in Donbas and violation by Russia of the Minsk agreements," the website says.

For his part, Tillerson informed Poroshenko of the results of the meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Bonn (Germany) and stressed the importance of implementing the Minsk agreements.

Poroshenko and Tillerson also "outlined a circle of issues requiring urgent attention at this stage in the strengthening of the strategic partnership between Kyiv and Washington," the statement said.

The Ukrainian president invited the U.S. Secretary of State to pay a visit to Ukraine and congratulated Tillerson on his appointment, wishing him success in this demanding foreign-policy mission.
It is necessary to continue the work of the so called Normandy format to achieve a lasting ceasefire in Donbas, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.

"Unfortunately, not all provisions of the Minsk Agreements were implemented, but the work is ongoing and we need to continue this work. We need to achieve a lasting ceasefire," she said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

She said that the observance of the Minsk Agreements is necessary and they remain a foundation on the path to the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

Merkel recalled that negotiations of the Normandy format's foreign ministers will be held in Munich on Saturday.

"NATO is playing an important part following the annexation of Crimea and hostilities in eastern Ukraine. Why do the actions in Ukraine lead us to difficulties and concerns? The principle of territorial integrity of the state is violated there and it has been violated," she said.

He said that one must act with resolve in that regard while maintaining the European order.
U.S. will do everything for Russia to take responsibility for implementation of Minsk agreements in part of de-escalation

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has stated the United States would do everything necessary for Russia to bear responsibility for the implementation of the Minsk agreements, in particular in part of de-escalation of the situation in Donbas.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference he said it is necessary to ensure that Russia fulfill the Minsk agreements starting with the de-escalation of the situation.

"And I want to say that the U.S. will continue to demand that Russia bear responsibility," he said.

He added that in the situation when Russia redrew international borders, the United States together with its key partners will do everything to take other critical measures to support NATO.
The European Union is ready to facilitate the work of the Normandy format, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini has said.

"As you know, there are obligations and the format is facing certain challenges. We are ready to assist, provide support and maintenance. The most important thing is the content, not the form," she said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

She confirmed that the EU's stance on the connection of the sanctions imposed on Russia with the implementation of the Minsk Agreements remains the same.

"You know that the European Union supports Ukraine in many directions. A complete implementation of the Minsk Agreements is important for us. As you know, the sanctions are imposed for an illegal annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine and these sanctions are closely connected to a complete implementation of the Minsk Agreements. This stance of the EU remains," she said.
Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin and his Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland have discussed the prospects of trade between the two countries after the free trade area (FTA) agreement comes into force.

According to the press service of the foreign ministry of Ukraine, the parties in the framework of the Munich Security Conference discussed the issues of Ukrainian-Canadian bilateral cooperation, in particular, the prospects of intensification of Ukrainian-Canadian trade after the entry into force of the FTA agreement between the two countries.

"Chrystia Freeland assured of Canada's full support for Ukraine in the context of Russia's aggression against our country," the press service said.

Klimkin, in turn, informed the interlocutor in detail on the situation in Donbas, in particular, about the recent escalation of violence in Avdiyivka and numerous human rights violations in the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol temporarily occupied by Russia.
First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Gerashchenko has stated the key issue for Europe and the United States remain steps toward Russia, while Ukraine will defend its sovereignty and independence using political and diplomatic means.

"Do we know what to do with Russia? We will defend our independence and sovereignty by all available means, first and foremost, political and diplomatic, of course, but our army is ready to rebuff. Now is February 2017 but not 2014, our army and our country have changed. Whether the EU, the United States, the world know what to do with the Russian Federation? This is the key issue," she wrote on her Facebook page, commenting on the Munich Security Conference.

Gerashchenko noted the key message in Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's speech at the conference was not only the situation in Ukraine, but first of all Russia as a major factor of destabilization and danger, aggression and violation of international law in the European continent.
No Ukrainians among those injured in explosion in Turkey

No Ukrainian citizens were affected by the explosion in the Turkish city of Viransehir, the Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey wrote on its Twitter page.

"One child was killed, 15 people were wounded in the explosion in Viransehir, Istanbul province. According to preliminary information, there are no citizens of Ukraine among those affected," reads the report.

As reported, the explosion occurred in the southeast of Turkey in the city of Viransehir on Friday night.
On Wednesday, the Union Cabinet cleared the proposal to merge State Bank of India (SBI) with five of its associate banks.

New Delhi: Ahead of its proposed merger with parent SBI, State Bank of Travancore (SBT) will raise up to Rs 600 crore to shore up additional tier-I capital by issuing Basel compliant bonds on private placement.

The bank got approval of its Executive Committee today to raise the money, which will be added as its additional tier-I capital. "The executive committee of the board of directors of the bank at its meeting held on February 18, 2017 has approved the raising of up to Rs 600 crore by way of issue of Basel III compliant additional tier-I bonds by private placement," SBT said in a regulatory filing.

On Wednesday, the Union Cabinet cleared the proposal to merge State Bank of India (SBI) with five of its associate banks -- three of which are listed and other two unlisted.

State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ) and State Bank of Mysore (SBM) apart from SBT, are the three listed entities, while State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Hyderabad are unlisted.

However, there is time for the amalgamation to take shape as the complex merger process entails share swap as well as employee issues, among others. Banks in India are augmenting their tier-I capital, to gradually align themselves with global Basel III Capital Regulations to strengthen capital planning by creating buffer against potential stresses on asset quality and consequential impact on performance and profitability.

The standards are being implemented in phases since April 1, 2013 by Indian banks. India is expected to get fully compliant with Basel III standards by March 2019. This will align full implementation of Basel III for Indian banks closer to the internationally agreed date of January 1, 2019.
Mumbai: Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former deputy chairman of erstwhile planning commission, has said that the five-tier tax rate incorporated under proposed Goods and Services tax regime was not an ideal taxation method, The Times of India reported.

Under the proposed tax structure of GST, lowest 5 per cent and highest 28 per cent tax rates have been included for implementing uniform tax rate. Besides, tax rates of 12 per cent and 18 per cent are also part of the draft legislation.

Ahluwalia headed the top plan body under former prime minister Manmohan Singh who led the United Progressive Alliance government for two terms.

The GST Council, nodal agency for GST related matters, in next three or four years must work towards plan to make GST a single uniform tax across the country, he said.

Ideal GST has some exemptions and one single rate, TOI quoted Ahluwalia as saying. According to Ahluwalia the GST Council must work on this agenda that over next 3-4 years they will clean up "multiplicity of rates".
Mumbai: The tenth sitting of the all-powerful GST Council may take up tax on gold which was earlier excluded from Councils important meetings, according NDTV. Goods and Services Tax or One Nation One Tax regime as it is known intends to streamline the entire taxation process in country.

Key legislations that the Council was likely to take up today included an Integrated GST defining the inter-states trades, a State GST that defines power of states.

Besides, a legislation exploring ways to compensate states for revenue loss due to scrapping of taxes that were their purview up till now will also be discussed.

Since September last year, the Council has met nine times and has sailed through various contentious issues that included disagreement over dual control and cross empowerment of states.

The states have also been allowed to tax territorial waters under their jurisdictions, 12 nautical miles, that was again a major breakthrough in the GST talks. This was arrived at despite the Centre has control over territorial waters.

Earlier, the Centre and the states had agreed upon how to tax small tax payers whose annual turnover was Rs 1.5 crore or less than that. States wanted a 100 per cent control over them.

However, both reached an accord under which the Centre and the states will now tax small tax payers in 50:50 ratio. Apart from that finance minister Arun Jaitley had earlier said that the states will be cross empowered.
Mumbai: The model GST legislations will be taken up in Parliament as Money Bill, ET Now reported on Saturday. A Money Bill doesnt necessarily need approval from Rajya Sabh, upper house of Parliament, to sail through.

Lok Sabha is not bound by including the amendments, if any, proposed by Rajya Sabha in the Money Bill. Lower house may or may not include changes put forward by upper house and can pass the bill in its original form.

The government presently has a full majority house in its favour in Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament. In Rajya Sabha, government lacks numbers. This might be the reason why the government now wants to table model GST legislations only in Lok Sabha.

On Saturday, the all-powerful GST Council approved draft Compensation Bill that defines methods to share GST revenue between the Centre and the States. It also makes room for a compensation clause for states on loss of revenue.

In Indian parliamentary democracy, a bill is said to be a Money Bill if it has provisions for either imposition or abolition of taxes in country. Besides, a bill seeking appropriation of money out of the Consolidated Fund of India is also deemed as Money Bill.

A Money Bill originates in Lok Sabha after it received Presidential nod. The procedure how a Money Bill is initiated and then taken forward has been explained and enshrined in Article 109 of Indian Constitution.
New Delhi: Like always, Khiladi Kumar has managed to give a good competition to the Khans as his recent release 'Jolly LLB 2' was received well, despite releasing on a normal weekend, unlike SRK's 'Raees'.

A satire on India's legal system, the flick has earned over Rs. 80 crore in the first week of its release.

Also, the Subhash Kapoor-directorial went past 'Singh Is Bling' (Rs. 77.60 crore) to become Akshay's fifth biggest opening week of all time.

The producers are now aiming for a big second weekend, as the film is very close to enter the 100 crore club.

Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios, said, "We are humbled with the overwhelmingly positive response that we have got for 'Jolly LLB2'. A huge week one ensures that the film will enter the 100 crore club, making it back to back four Akshay Kumar movies to do so. We are expecting a big second weekend and all eyes are now on what the lifetime of this film will be."

On a related note, the top-five 'Week One' grossers of Akshay Kumar now are: ' Rustom'(Rs. 90.9 crore), ' Airlift' (Rs. 83.5 crore), 'Housefull 3' (Rs. 80.1 crore), 'Rowdy Rathore' (Rs. 79 crore) and 'Jolly LLB2'.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- During a visit to a Boeing plant on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump once again touted his "America first" agenda, vowing to bring jobs home and level the playing field for American workers by stopping "foreign cheating."

"You have heard me say it before and I will say it again. From now on, it's going to be America first," Trump told a cheering crowd of workers at the unveiling ceremony of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner at the Boeing facility in Charleston, South Carolina.

The U.S. must rely less on imports and more on products made in the U.S., Trump said in the speech.

He said, as president, he will do everything he can "to unleash the power of the American spirit and to put our great people back to work."

"This is our mantra, 'buy American and hire American.' We want products made in America, made by American hands," he added, citing his request for the pipes to be used in the Keystone pipeline be manufactured in the United States.

Trump said his focus is all about creating jobs, and he will do everything possible to bring jobs back into America.

He said he will make it harder for American businesses to outsource jobs overseas, by imposing a "substantial penalty" on U.S. companies which make products abroad and sell them back in the U.S. market.

"I don't want companies leaving our country. Making their product, selling it back, no tax, no nothing, firing everybody in our country. We're not letting that happen anymore, folks," the billionaire-turned president said.

To achieve his goal, Trump promised to "massively reduce job crushing regulations" and enforce strong trade rules to stop "foreign cheating" so to level the playing field for American workers.

"When there is a level playing field -- and I've been saying this for a long time -- American workers will always, always, always win. But we don't have a level playing field. Very shortly, you will have a level playing field again," he said, without going into details.

The election victory of Trump, who based his presidential campaign on anti-globalization and protectionist trade promises, has stoked fears about rising trade frictions with its major trade partners.

At the same time, Trump vowed to "fully rebuild" the U.S. military so that none will dare to challenge it, by ensuring it will acquire "the latest, the most cutting edge systems in their arsenal."

He added his administration is "looking seriously" at a big order for procuring the F-18 Super Hornet fighters from Boeing, which also produces other advanced military aircraft such as the F-15 Strike Eagle and Apache helicopter.
Salman Khans generosity towards his brothers and his sisters husbands is well known to all. Not just them, he also promotes and is extremely supportive of his girlfriends as well.

In fact, he loves playing Godfather to them. While Iulia Vantur has been making guest appearances everywhere, thanks to Salman, Katrina, too, has bagged an endorsement for the brand, Splash, for which she will soon be walking the ramp.

Incidentally, the owner of the brand, Raza Beig is Salmans good buddy. Does that explain Katrinas association with the brand?

The latest is that Amy Jackson has now been signed as brand ambassador for Salmans own fashion label, Being Human. Salman and Amy were briefly linked with each other until Iulia returned from Romania to enter the picture once again.
Mumbai: Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's No Bed of Roses, starring and co-produced by India actor Irrfan Khan, has been effectively banned in Bangladesh.

Speculation has been rife in the Bangladeshi and Indian media that the film is a biopic loosely based on late Bangladeshi writer and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed who divorced his wife of 27 years and married an actress 33 years his junior.

Farooki has denied that the film is a biopic.

According to Variety, the film begins with a disclaimer that the film has no resemblance to any real life characters alive or dead. Irrfan plays a filmmaker named Javed Hasan who leaves his wife and marries an actress who was his daughter's classmate in school.

"I am really surprised to know that the government of Bangladesh has blocked the film. This is a humane story that deals with complex male and female relationships in a subtle and balanced way. What harm will it cause to the society if seen?" Irrfan said.

The film is a co-production between Bangladesh's Jaaz Multimedia and India's Eskay Movies with Khan's IK Company as co-producer.

The Bangladesh Film Development Corporation's (BFDC) Joint Venture Preview Committee approved the script on March 8, 2016 after which the film went into production.

The completed film was previewed for the BFDC on February 12, 2017 and received a No Objection Certificate on February 15.

On February 16, the BFDC sent the production a letter stating that the certificate had been cancelled due to a letter from the Bangladesh Information Ministry.

When BFDC Managing Director Tapan Kumar Ghosh was asked about the reason for the revocation of the Certificate, he said that it is not the BFDC's prerogative to issue the certificate and it was up to the Bangladesh Film Censor Board to issue it.

However, all the letters issued to the production from the BFDC are all on the organization's official letterhead.

In reality, international co-productions cannot approach the Censor Board without the BFDC certificate.

"We have been blocked at the first gate. As the order does not explain any reason, I don't know why they thought screening of the film would be inappropriate.

"Yes, my film handles a so-called taboo subject but it doesn't show anything explicit and hence doesn't violate any censor code. This goes against the freedom of expression," said Farooki.

Farooki is now taking the matter to court.
There seems to be a few shifts in work dynamics, where a couple of Bollywood stars are concerned. Kangana Ranauts faithful sister Rangoli, who looked after the stars professional commitments, seems to have vanished from the scenes, while Nawazuddin Siddiqui has brought his brother on board as his business manager.

Kanganas doting sister, who trailed the actress to most events, is no longer on board with her. Says a filmmaker friend of the actress, We dont see Rangoli accompanying Kangana anywhere anymore for any events. She has not been seen at any of the Rangoon events, or for that matter anywhere near Kangana. We hear she has gone back to their home town in Himachal.

We do hope that the rift between the sisters, if any, is soon resolved. In the meanwhile Nawazuddin has sacked his business manager. Henceforth, all his work is going to be supervised by his brother, Shamas Nawab Siddiqui. Shamas has in the past made a short film Miyan Kal Aana.

Another Btown biggie of a small-town origin, who has brought his siblings into the industry is Anurag Kashyap. Anurags brother Abhinav made the successful Dabangg and the flop Besharam. Anurag and Abhinavs sister also directed a short film. Now we hear Kashyaps cousin from Lucknow is all set to make his acting debut.
The actor tweeted mocking the turn of events, projecting it as an insult to the democracy.

Mumbai: Kamal Haasan, who has been quite vocal about his criticism of the current turmoil in Tamil Nadu politics, has once again hit back again after sitting Chief Minister Edapapdi Palanisamy of the AIADMK won the trust vote with the support of a staggering 122 MLAs.

The actor tweeted mocking the turn of events, projecting it as an insult to the democracy.

The House had been adjourned twice after the opposition vehemently protested the trust vote. DMK MLAs, including leader Stalin were forcibly evicted by marshals, following which Congress MLAs staged a walk-out. The Trust Vote was subsequently passed in the absence of the MLAs of the opposition parties.

Kamal also urged his followers to express their discomfiture to the government, providing an email id for the same. He also asked of them to express their grievances politely.

The tweet reads, "Please send your grievances as emails to Rajbhavantamilnadu@gmail.com. But be polite, this is not the assembly, but the governor's house."

Earlier, AIADMK General Secretary V. K. Sasikala had been convicted by the Supreme Court in a two-decade old disproportionate assets case.
Malayalam actress Nikhila Vimal, who was appreciated for her performance in Vetrivel and Kidaari, is excited that her debut film Panjumittai with Ma Pa Ka Anand, which was lying in the cans for long, is finally getting released.

Speaking about the film, the actress says, initially, she was clueless about the Tamil film industry and could not speak the language. When I came for the audition, my director, SP Mohan said he is looking for an actress who could dub for herself. He wanted me to learn the language. Today, everyone says I speak good Tamil. All thanks to Mohan sir! Nikhila says with a smile.

What was amusing to her was the fact that she was calling her on-screen pair Ma Pa Ka Anand as Anna (brother) during the shoot. I never knew that you should not call your hero as anna. I was calling every male in the unit as anna. My crew later told me to call Anand as sir or by his name, she quips.

However, Anand was very cooperative, she says. Being a newcomer, I would make mistakes and there would be retakes. Anand would patiently teach me and was very supportive. Nikhila is currently busy with the film Onbadhu Kuzhi Sampath.
One of the radical messages that artist Chandranandan conveys through his works is an appeal to women not to give birth. The 10 paintings and 25 photos were exhibited at the Russian Cultural Center of Thiruvananthapuram.

According to the artist, the contemporary times cradle a lost generation, which is a wide majority who are born in poverty, live in misery and end up as criminals in jail. He terms the lost generation as those who neither know English nor Math or Grammar due to the circumstances they are born into. It is better if they are not born if they are destined to live in misery, he seems to say.

Chandranandan told DC that he has travelled across the country in search of those frames that befit his theme. He took many risks in photographing the poor and the homeless of the land since most of the pictures were taken without their knowledge. Indirectly, he is arguing for the intellectual empowerment of women and their choice to practise free will.

Chandranandan who has served as publication artist in the Agricultural University also displays his ideas on improving the agricultural yield by tissue culture, his love for nature and green revolution through his paintings.
Models present creations by South Korean designer Eudon Choi during his catwalk show on the first day of the Autumn/Winter 2017 London Fashion Week in London on February 17, 2017. (Photo: AFP)

London: The British fashion industry kicked off its seasonal showcase today urging the government not to damage a thriving sector by cutting immigration and trade ties with the EU after Brexit.

"Fashion week is a really great time to understand the power and influence of our industry, as well as our creativity," said Caroline Rush, chief executive of the

British Fashion Council (BFC). "We hope that you'll listen as we talk to you about visas, about talent, about tariffs, about frictionless borders, and around IP (intellectual property).

"Because this is incredibly important to sustain this incredible industry, that contributes USD 34.8 billion to the British economy and provides 880,000 jobs."

Prime Minister Theresa May is due to start negotiations on leaving the European Union within weeks, and has already signalled her intention to impose controls on EU migrants coming to work in Britain.

She has said this would likely come at the cost of leaving Europe's single market -- a major concern for the fashion industry, as the bloc accounts for about 70 per cent of British textiles and apparel exports. Over the next five days, London Fashion Week will showcase collections by more than 80 designers and brands, from Versace's Versus to Burberry, JW Anderson, Christopher Kane, Roksanda, and Mulberry.

But amid the glamour and the creativity, there is unease about what the future holds. "The overarching feeling at the moment is uncertainty," said Adam Mansell, chief executive of the UK Fashion and Textile Association. Access to the EU's single market is a key issue for the industry, but there are other concerns, such as the skilled labour used in British manufacturing, as well as trade ties

with the rest of the world.

Mansell noted that British fashion is heavily dependent on imports, particularly large volumes of clothes made in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar and Turkey -- all currently tariff-free through EU-negotiated trade deals which must now

be replaced. While there has been a resurgence in UK manufacturing over the past couple of years, with many high-end brands benefiting from the allure of British heritage, they are often staffed by skilled workers from the EU.

"A lot of the product that you'll see on the catwalk in the next few days is actually made in London. And I know several factories in London where the workforce is more than 70 per cent EU," Mansell told AFP. With so many Europeans living and working in British fashion, their status after Brexit has been a priority for

many brands and designers, and industry bodies have petitioned ministers to guarantee their right to stay.
The New York Fashion Week is a place for the most influential to gather in their stylish best, and observe and critique new trends on the ramp. Its no secret that fashion weeks are where one can spot whats going to be in this season and what has been discarded  not just on the runway, but also on the attendees.

Our very own Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone made their presence felt, with their uber chic looks. Chennais fashion experts share their views on the celebrities A-game.

Priyanka Chopra made a statement at Prabal Gurungs show with a fur coat, an embellished T-shirt casually tucked into an asymmetrical slit skirt and gorgeous thigh high boots. She also donned a red lip and wavy free-flowing locks. The actress gracefully struck a pose alongside bigwigs like Diane Kruger, Sarah Jessica Parker and Huma Abedin.

Deepika chose a more understated look but looked glam nevertheless at Michael Kors show, in a trenchcoat dress from the designers Spring 2017 collection. The navy dress was accessorised perfectly with wedges, a sleek hairdo and minimal makeup.

Fashion blogger Pavitra Krishnaswamy says, I think Pee Cee looked amazing! Her look was right off the previous runway and the slit skirt with the fur jacket really created a lasting impression. Deepika, I think, could have worn something better. With her amazing figure and face, she could have done a lot more. She goes on to share what she thinks people can incorporate from these looks, I really hope to see people in Chennai daring to wear thigh high boots because theyre really trendy. They can be worn even if its not winter and make a statement. Off the runway, I think embellished T-shirts and T-shirt dresses are going to make a foray into our looks soon.

Priyadarshini Vijay, who runs the fashion blog High on Styl, says she liked both the looks, I think both looks were brilliant. Priyanka Chopra wore something as simple as a T-shirt and a skirt and still managed to glam it up with a fur coat and boots. Deepikas trench dress was so simple but the way she carried it with grace and styled it, made it stand out. I think everyone should take a leaf out of their book and learn how to style even the most basic outfits.

Make-up artist and vlogger Anushka Uniyal Saxena of Colours by Anushka shares her thoughts on their makeup and hair, Deepika certainly kept it clean and minimalistic, which I loved. Her sleek hair with a side partition and understated makeup was great. With Priyanka, it felt like she was trying harder even though her red lips were very stylish.

She goes on to say, I think its easy to create a side-swept hair look, or extreme partitions with a few products and tools, so people should definitely give it a shot. And of course, red lips like Priyankas will never go out of fashion, whatever season.
Studies revealed that when infants were engaged during song, their mother's instincts are also on high alert. (Photo: Pixabay)

Washington D.C.: Attention new mommies, sing lullabies to your new born to feel more connected to your babies, suggests a study.

The research, published in the Journal of Music Therapy, finds that through song, the infants are provided with much-needed sensory stimulation that can focus their attention and modulate their arousal.

"One of the main goals of the research was to clarify the meaning of infant-directed singing as a human behaviour and as a means to elicit unique behavioural responses from infants," said study author Shannon de l'Etoile from the University of Miami in the US.

The researchers also explored the role of infant-directed singing in relation to intricate bond between mother and infant. They filmed 70 infants and observed their responses to six different interactions: mother sings an assigned song, "stranger" sings an assigned song, mother sings song of choice, mother reads book, mother plays with toy and the mother and infant listen to recorded music.

The findings suggested that high cognitive scores during infant-directed singing suggested that engagement through song is just as effective as book reading or toy play in maintaining infant attention and far more effective than listening to recorded music.

The results also revealed that when infants were engaged during song, their mother's instincts are also on high alert and when infant engagement declined the mother adjusted her pitch, tempo or key to stimulate and regulate infant response.

For mothers with postpartum depression, infant-directed singing creates a unique and mutually beneficial situation," de l'Etoile noted. "Simultaneously, mothers experience a much-needed distraction from the negative emotions and thoughts associated with depression, while also feeling empowered as a parent," de l'Etoile explained.
VIENTIANE, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's Hebei Construction and Investment Group Co., Ltd (HCIG) here on Friday signed an agreement with Lao Ministry of Planning and Investment on the development of a hydropower plant in Lao southern Sekong province.

Lao Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Khamlien Pholsena, Vice General Manager of HCIG and Chairman of the Construction and Investment International Co., Ltd Wang Jinsheng jointly signed the agreement.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Wang said his company will follow the requests put forward by Lao government, strictly fulfill its obligations and responsibilities to soon finish procedures and construction of the plant for the prosperity of Laos and improvement of local residents' lives.

The Construction and Investment International Co., Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HCIG which is an entity of Hebei's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

Earlier in July 21, 2015, the Construction and Investment International Co., Ltd and Lao Ministry of Planning and Investment signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the project of hydropower plant on Huai La-Nge River at Kaleum District in Sekong privince, some 530 km southeast of Lao capital Vientiane.

After fulfilling all the work specified in the MoU, HCIG and the Lao ministry signed the project development agreement on Friday in Lao capital Vientiane.

The hydropower plant has an installed capacity of 60 MW with total investment of 136 million U.S. dollars, according to General Manager of the Construction and Investment International Co., Ltd Yu Zhongcai.
Insects are still able to show a preference for mates from the same species a key to evolutionary success. (Photo: Pixabay)

London: An attractive scent is just as important as good looks when it comes to choosing a mate at least among stick insect populations, according to a new

study.

It could explain why, when looks are deceiving, the insects are still able to show a preference for mates from the same species a key to evolutionary success, according to the study by scientists at the University of Sheffield and Royal

Holloway, University of London.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, are part of an 18-year research programme, in which scientists examined stick insect populations in California to try to understand better what drives new species formation. In evolutionary terms, the ability to avoid mixing genes with other species is important to preserve differences between species and evolve characteristics that are advantageous to survival.

Natural selection plays a large part in this. For example, if an insect population has developed an effective camouflage that prevents birds from eating them, a

new population of non-camouflaged individuals moving into the area might not last long, and so would be only a minor threat to the gene pool.

The teams at Sheffield and Royal Holloway, studied more than 100 populations of stick insects, including 11 separate species, over nearly two decades, to try to find some answers to this evolutionary puzzle of how new species form. "Species formation generally takes place over huge timescales and it's very difficult to observe directly mainly we just get snapshots of what's happening at a

particular moment in time," said Patrik Nosil from the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield.
Noisy children can ruin the dining experience of diners when their parents fail to correct their behaviour. (Photo: Pixabay)

Noisy children at restaurants more often than not can ruin the dining experience of other patrons. Things can get even worse when their parents refuse to correct such behaviour. So, a restaurant in Italy is actually rewarding discounts to parents if their children are well-behaved.

Antonio Ferrari, who runs a wine bar and restaurant named after him in Padua, Italy, offers a 5 per cent discount to families with children that dont create a ruckus. "I have seen five-year-olds put their feet on the table and four-year-olds jumping from chair to chair, while parents do nothing," Ferrari told the Times of London.

Shockingly Ferrari has given the special discount a total of just three times ever since he started promoting it. He says that he takes this to be a sign of how rare good behaviour is, and a good reason for why such discounts are needed.
Gurugram: A man has been arrested here for allegedly selling costly cars like Audi and Fortuner on OLX after obtaining them on rent from their owners using forged documents, police said on Friday.

The accused, Ajay Dabas, a resident of Jhajjar in Haryana, was arrested from Basai village last evening following a tip-off that he was hunting for client to sell two luxury cars, the Crime Branch police said.

The cars -- an Audi and a Fortuner -- have been recovered from Dabas, a notorious cheater, they said.

"Dabas was actively reselling such cars after taking real cars owner in confidence. He hired cars on rent for running them in private MNCs from the owners on the pretext of giving them good amount in return and gave them agreements on his fake identity card such as Adhaar card, voter card, cheques of forge bank accounts.

"After obtaining cars, he would switch off his phone numbers," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Crime Sumit Kumar said.

He then used to sell them on 'OLX', a popular classifieds portal, to get easy money. He has sold many cars in Noida, Mumbai and Delhi through the marketing website, Kumar said.

"On questioning, Dabas told police that he was actively involved in this crime from last year to live lavish life and to spend lakhs of money on his girl friend," the DCP said.

He has a good knowledge of computer and has studied till class XII. He made forge documents on the basis of scanner, police said.

He was earlier arrested by Gurugram police in a share market cheating case.
Gurugram: A man has been arrested in Gurugram for allegedly selling costly cars like Audi and Fortuner on OLX after obtaining them on rent from their owners using forged documents, police said on Saturday.

The accused, Ajay Dabas, a resident of Jhajjar in Haryana, was arrested from Basai village Friday evening following a tip-off that he was hunting for client to sell two luxury cars, the Crime Branch police said.

The cars - an Audi and a Fortuner - have been recovered from Dabas, a notorious cheater, they said.

"Dabas was actively reselling such cars after taking real cars owner in confidence. He hired cars on rent for running them in private MNCs from the owners on the pretext of giving them good amount in return and gave them agreements on his fake identity card such as Aadhaar card, voter card, cheques of forge bank accounts.

"After obtaining cars, he would switch off his phone numbers," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Crime Sumit Kumar said.

He then used to sell them on OLX, a popular classifieds portal, to get easy money. He has sold many cars in Noida, Mumbai and Delhi through the marketing website, Kumar said.

"On questioning, Dabas told police that he was actively involved in this crime from last year to live lavish life and to spend lakhs of money on his girl friend," the DCP said.

He has a good knowledge of computer and has studied till class XII. He made forge documents on the basis of scanner, police said.

He was earlier arrested by Gurugram police in a share market cheating case.
Hyderabad: A 42-year-old cab driver who sexually assaulted his minor daughters was arrested on Friday. Police said that Kukutla Srinivas, who was working with Uber, assaulted his daughters while they were asleep, and threatened them not to reveal it to their mother.

The mother, who is a movie artiste and a tailor, lodged a complaint with Rajendranagar police stating that her husband had sexually assaulted her daughters aged 16 and 15. She said she married Srinivas in 1998, and later came to know that he was already married to another woman and has a son. When she asked him about it, he quarrelled with her and was staying apart since five years.

Recently, he started coming home again and used to stay for two to three days every time. She came to know from her younger daughter that while the girls were sleeping, he used to insert his hands into their privates. Police registered a case of rape and as per provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Srinivas was arrested on Friday.
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court has sought a report on the action taken by the AP government against Kurnool SP A. Ravi Krishna for allegedly allowing his wife to practise at the firing range with his AK47 rifle. Justice A. Ramalingeswara Rao was dealing with a petition by B. Purushothama Reddy, an advocate of the city, seeking directions to the AP Chief Secretary to take action against the SP for his alleged misconduct. According to the petitioner, Mr Ravi Krishna, while he was serving as SP of Guntur (Urban) took his wife Devi to the APSP 6th Battalion firing range and offered her his AK47 rifle to practise firing which is against the All India Services (Conduct) Rules.

Ravi Kiran Rao, counsel for the petitioner, submitted that no family member of the police personnel should use the weapons given to the cops and if they do, it amounts to a crime under the Arms Act. Vidyavathi, counsel for the AP government, while denying the alleged use of the AK47 rifle by the wife of the SP, said that she had only examined the weapon. Counsel said that the petitioner filed the petition as part of vengeance against the SP for registering a case against him. The judge asked Chief Secretary to inform the court of the steps taken on the letter issued by the home ministry and on the representation of the petitioner and adjourned hearing by two weeks.
Bengaluru: Although the recent 'State of Global Air 2017' study states that India, surpassing China, now accounts for the maximum number of premature deaths from air pollution in the world, civic authorities in Bengaluru are refusing to take heed, unwilling to act to end the wanton pollution of our water bodies. The froth and toxic foam at Bellandur was bad enough. But Thursday's flames when the methane and the garbage and the untreated sewage combusted is downright dangerous. There's no conclusive proof that the fire came from the hutments where an illegal Bangladeshi migrant community has encroached upon the lake beds. But as Meenakshi, volunteer of Kasa Mukta Bellandur, says "We doubt that the garbage collected in and around Bellandur even reaches the designated dumping areas."

Lake burns, no place for babus to hide

The city's largest lake was on fire on Thursday, thanks to years of neglect. But who should be held responsible for the Bellandur Lake mess?

Is it the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) which should have been proactive in preventing the entry of toxic chemicals and detergents into the water body from factories? Or the BBMP which granted permissions to build numerous apartment complexes without ensuring that they take measures to treat their own sewage? Or is it BWSSB which should have set up Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) to prevent sewage from the surrounding areas entering the lake?

Bellandur Lake on Friday, the day after a major fire broke out (Photo: SATISH B.)

However despite Friday's calamity, none of the above authorities want to take up any responsibility or carry out remedial action.

A senior BWSSB official, on condition of anonymity, said, "The issue has been there for the last 20 years. It has only escalated due to unplanned rapid urbanisation." He argued that lake rejuvenation should be a collective effort and not the sole responsibility of BWSSB. The official said, "Factories cannot simply let their toxic effluents into lakes. They have to be treated to a certain standard. The job of this lies with KSPCB and they seem to have not done anything significant. The regional officials accept bribe and turn a blind eye."

While huge apartment complexes and houses were being built in the area, the promoters were never told to set-up waste treatment plants. BBMP is also not monitoring the illegal dumping and encroachment of the lakes by Bangladeshi community he said. All this has led to an unmanageable situation, he rued.

The official also pointed out that currently there is no underground drainage in the 110 newly-added villages and hence the entry of sewage into the lake cannot be stopped.

What should have been a joint effort to mitigate the lake's sorry condition, has now turned into a blame game. The KSPCB has served notices to BBMP, BWSSB and BDA for their failure, the official lamented.

Regarding the Bellandur mess, Sridhar Pabbisetty, CEO, Namma Bengaluru Foundation, said, "Water Act and Air Act provide enormous power to KSPCB to protect our lakes and environment. They should conduct required tests to ascertain the cause and nature of the fire and direct the appropriate authorities to take corrective action."
Hyderabad: A letter written by Rohith Vemulas paternal grandfather, which asserted that the University of Hyderabad (UoH) research scholar is a Dalit, has resurfaced days after the Guntur district administration in Andhra Pradesh claimed the opposite.

According to a The News Minute report, the letter which was submitted in June last year was addressed to Gunturs district collector Kantilal Dande.

In the letter, Rohiths grandfather said that he met Radhika Vemula (Rohiths mother) rarely after she got divorced from his son. When he had gone to meet her when she was suffering from paralysis, he was informed by Anjani Devi (Rohiths adoptive grandmother) that Radhika was from a community that belonged to a scheduled caste.

I strongly affirm that she belongs to the SC community and her children also get the same caste because they were brought up by her, without any support from my family or my son (Mani Kumar). Therefore our caste cannot be attributed to her or her children, he was quoted as writing.

Earlier, the government had reportedly decided to cancel Rohiths Scheduled Caste certificate.

The decision was made after District-Level Scrutiny Committee (DLSC), after a year-long investigation, alleged that the SC certificate was fradulently procured by Radhika.

The controversy had started when one of the certificates of Raja Vemula (Rohiths brother) stated that he belonged to the OBC Vaddera community.

However, it later became known that his mother belonged to the Mala community while his father belonged to the Vaddera community. Also being an alcoholic, Mani Kumar had deserted the family after he realised that Radhika was a Dalit.

As Rohith grew up without knowing his father, he claimed his mothers caste.

Rohiths family had also expressed regret after they received the show-cause notice from the government asking them to prove their caste.

The issue could also potentially affect the case against UoH vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile, who was charged under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after the death of Rohith.
Former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam along with his supporting MLAs after the vote of confidence motion moved by chief minister Edappadi K Palanisamy passed under tumultous circumstances in the House, at State Secretariat in Chennai on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam expressed disappointment after Sasikala pick Edappadi Palanisamy won the vote of the confidence in the state Assembly on Saturday, by a margin of 122 to 11.

"We tried for a secret ballot, but despite our efforts it was not possible, he said speaking to media.

Panneerselvam criticised the manner in which the Opposition DMK had been evicted from the House by the Speaker.

He also said that the MLAs who had voted against him would now have to answer to the people.

Whether MLAs will be able to enter their constituencies after this is the question. The voters have been betrayed by MLAs. As they come out of the Assembly, they won't be able to answer questions here as well as to the people, he asserted.

When Amma had expelled the members, she had said that she would never allow them into the party. This dispensation does not represent Amma, the former CM claimed.

He said that the family which Jayalalithaa had thrown out was now back in the picture thanks to Sasikalas intervention. But he added that the fight was not over and Ammas rule will be established.

He added that only the people would decide if the trust vote was valid.

Panneerselvam said if needed, they will apprise the Governor of the same.

"We have time to prove this. At the end only dharma will win. If need be, we will meet the Governor," he said.

We had kept 2 demands before Speaker. One was to send MLAs to their constituencies, but Speaker didn't agree to this demand, OPS asserted.

AIADMK MLA Pandiarajan, who is in the OPS camp, said that if a secret ballot had been held, MLAs who voted for E Palanisamy would have voted against him.

Pandiarajan warned that even if the battle had been lost, the war was still on. The Dharma Yudh will continue. The issue will again come up in the Assembly again, he asserted.

Sasikala's choice E Palanisamy won the trust vote after 122 AIADMK MLAs voted in his favour. 11 MLAs who had joined the OPS camp voted 'no confidence'. With DMK and Congress absent from the House, the Palanisamy camp sailed through in the 235-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday claimed that it has busted a module of Over-Ground Workers (OGWs) of frontline indigenous militant group Hizbul-Mujahideen after arresting a militant in Sopore area of north-western Baramulla district.

Nine members of the 'well-knitted network' have also been taken into custody in a series of raids conducted in and outside Sopore town during the past few days, the police officials said. These raids were carried out jointly by the J&K police, the Army and the CRPF, a police spokesman said adding that the accused were aiding and abetting militancy in the area by luring young boys into militancy and take up the gun.

The officials said that the police had recently arrested a militant identified as Irshad Ahmed Shah, a resident of Sopores Seelu area. During interrogation, he revealed the names of the OGWs who have been helping the Hizb in recruiting the youth into the outfit and raising funds locally, they said. Shah, they said, had joined the Hizb more than two years ago.

The police claimed that he along with two others who are still at large were involved in the killing of a local resident Eid-ul-Amin Mir and that the conspiracy to target him was hatched at the house of one of the nine arrested OGWs namely Azhar Imtiyaz of in Sopores Behrampora area.
MUNICH, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- China and Spain agreed to expand cooperation and enhance communication as the foreign ministers of the two nations met on Friday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Spanish counterpart Alfonso Dastis on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference, which opened on Friday afternoon.

Wang told Dastis that Spain, as an EU member, is a good friend and an important partner to China. China is an important trade and investment destination to Spain, and vice versa,

Bilateral economic and trade cooperation is continuously deepening and promising, Wang said.

China is ready to work with Spain to jointly implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both sides, maintain high-level exchanges, expand pragmatic cooperation, strengthen cultural exchanges and thereby to elevate their comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level, Wang said.

Dastis responded by saying Spain would like to strengthen high-level exchanges with China and deepen bilateral trade and investment cooperation.

Meanwhile, against the backdrop of international uncertainties, Spain is ready to enhance strategic communication with China, jointly push forward the globalization process and oppose protectionism.
Palanisamy won a resounding majority with 122 AIADMK MLAs supporting him during the vote of confidence after those of the DMK were evicted and its allies staged a noisy walkout. (Photo: PTI/ File)

Chennai: Sasikala loyalist Edappadi K Palanisamy on Saturday won an easy trust vote 122-11, aided by the eviction of main opposition DMK and walkout by its allies, amid stormy scenes during which mikes were uprooted, chairs toppled and sheets of papers torn and hurled around.

The Legislative Assembly was reduced to a battleground, with Speaker P Dhanapal pushed and shoved around by agitated DMK MLAs whose leader M K Stalin warned they would commit "suicide" if attempts were made to marshal them out by the order of the chair before the crucial trust vote was conducted in their absence.

Palanisamy won a resounding majority with 122 AIADMK MLAs supporting him during the vote of confidence after those of the DMK were evicted and its allies staged a noisy walkout.

Together they accounted for 98 MLAs in the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly.

For all his spirited challenge, Palanisamy's rival O Panneerselvam could muster support of only 11 MLAs.

The division vote was taken up after two adjournments following tempestuous scenes during which the opposition MLAs insisted on a secret vote, a demand rejected outright by Speaker Dhanapal.

Soon Dhanapal was surrounded by a swarm of agitated DMK members, one of whom was seen trying to snatch the microphone from him.

Some angry opposition MLAs were seen hoisting and menacingly waving the chairs of official assembly reporters, while others tore sheets of paper and flung those around, including some towards the Speaker's podium.

A few opposition MLAs were seen pushing the Speaker, prompting the watch and ward staff to immediately throw a security cordon around him and escort him to safety.

The shirts of Speaker Dhanapal and Leader of the Opposition Stalin were torn in the melee.

After adjournments, when the House reassembled at 3 PM, Speaker Dhanapal, allowed Panneerselvam, who was among the votaries of a secret vote, Congress Legislature Party leader K R Ramasamy and IUML member Abubacker to make brief remarks.

The Speaker then ordered a block-wise division during which the MLAs were to stand in order to support or oppose the resolution moved by Palaniswami seeking confidence of the House.

The Palanisamy government sailed through the trust vote having garnered the support of 122 MLAs, with the DMK seats empty. Panneerselvam's 11 MLAs voted against the resolution. DMK's allies and Congress walked out and did not participate in the voting.

Reacting to the confidence vote, Panneerselvam later said that those AIADMK MLAs who voted for Palanisamy had betrayed the trust of the people. He added that they may not be able to return to their constituencies, and that only the people would decide if the trust vote was valid.

The former CM added that Sasikalas family, whom Jayalalithaa had expelled, was now back in power. He said the dharma yudh would go on until Ammas rule was established in Tamil Nadu.

But Speaker P Dhanpal claimed that the Palanisamy government had an absolute majority and would have won the confidence vote even if he had not expelled the DMK MLAs from the Assembly.

Following his victory, Palanisamy attacked Panneerselvam, stating that he worked against Amma and that the 'real supporters' of Jayalalithaa had finally won. He also said that the vow taken by AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala at Jayalalithaa's memorial had been fulfilled too.

Stalin for his part began a hunger strike against the vote, along with several MLAs, at Marina beach in Chennai. However he was soon arrested by the police.

In a letter to the Governor which he presented while meeting him, Stalin said the Assembly session should be postponed and a new session should be held where secret ballot would be used in the confidence vote. However, the Tamil Nadu Assembly adjourned sine die after Sasikala pick Palanisamy won the vote.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy on Saturday lashed out at former CM O Paneerselvam, saying that the latter worked against late J Jayalalithaa's government.

"Everybody watched how rival faction (OPS camp) worked against Amma's government. This day brought forward real Amma supporters," said Palanisamy while addressing the media in Chennai after winning a trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Assembly

Palanisamy won the confidence vote 122-11.

He said with his government winning the vote in the Assembly, the vow taken by AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala has been fulfilled.

"The vow taken by our party's General Secretary V K Sasikala has been fulfilled," he said as party cadres raised slogans "Chinnama Vaazhga!" at the MGR memorial, hailing Sasikala.

He was apparently referring to Sasikala's earlier assertion that Jayalalithaa's government would continue in the state.

Palanisamy, flanked by his ministers and senior party leaders, including party Deputy General Secretary, TTV Dinakaran, paid floral tributes at the memorials of party founder M G Ramachandran and late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Talking to reporters, Palanisamy said, a party which had been nurtured by AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, was ignored by some and they wanted to unseat this government by allegedly joining hands with DMK.

"Their true face has been exposed by today's result", he said.

Asked whether he would take action against those who went away from the party, he said, only the party can decide.

On the issues that would be taken up, the chief minister said the first issue was to address out the severe water crisis in the state.

"The state is facing severe water crisis that was not experienced in the last 140 years. Solving the drinking water problem will be my first priority," Palanisamy said.

He said he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and get the relief fund for the damage caused by cyclone 'Vardah in December last year.

Meanwhile, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) headed by party's working president M.K. Stalin staged protest at Chennai's Marina Beach, following which Stalin and other protesting MLAs were detained by police.

Earlier, Stalin had also met Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao post the floor test result to apprise him of the situation.

Earlier, the Congress staged a walk out from the Assembly, while Speaker P. Dhanapal ordered the assembly police to evict the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLAs from the house as soon as the assembly resumed functioning after getting adjourned following an uproar over the secret ballot process.

"You tore my shirt and insulted me. I am doing my work abiding by the law," Speaker Dhanapal was quoted, as saying to the MLAs.

However, DMK working president M.K. Stalin alleged that his shirt was torn off when the assembly police forcefully evicted his party MLAs and the Speaker tore of his shirt himself and blamed the MLAs of the DMK for it.

"We were told that assembly will reconvene at 3 p.m., but at 2 p.m. police came and tried to forcefully evict us. My shirt was also torn," Stalin said.

The assembly was adjourned twice on Saturday, once at 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m.

The Assembly was facing its first floor test in 30 years, and there was a debate over the ballot, with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League expressing mixed views about the confidence vote.

Ahead of the crucial ' floor test', Panneerselvam appealed to AIADMK MLAs to vote against Palanisamy. "MLAs should be given time to hear the views of their constituency people. Time should be given till then," he said, during the assembly session.

Palanisamy took oath as Tamil Nadu's 13th Chief Minister on Thursday. A total of 31 other All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs were also sworn in.
DMK working president M K Stalin arrives along with his party MLAs at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat in Chennai on Saturday.

Chennai: DMK working president MK Stalin was on Saturday detained after he sat on a hunger strike at Marina beach here against the alleged attack on him and his party MLAs during the trust vote in the state Assembly.

Terming Saturday as a "black day" for democracy, the senior DMK leader urged all those who wanted to "remove" the "anti-democratic" AIADMK government to join him.

After alleging that he was manhandled in the Assembly by the marshals on the day of the vote of confidence, which the Palanisamy government won with a comfortable margin of 122-11, Stalin sat on a protest at the Marina along with his MLAs. However, police detained the protesting MLAs including Stalin.

"It is a black day for democracy. This anti-people (AIADMK) government must be removed. Insisting that a peaceful protest is underway at the Marina. Those who want to remove this anti-democratic government should converge at the Marina," he said in a statement here.

Stalin had earlier met Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao even as the confidence vote was on in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

Incidentally, the Marina had witnessed week-long pro-Jallikattu protests in January where scores of people, mainly youngsters had converged at the sands of the famous beach and agitated before it turned violent.

Meanwhile, several DMK workers blocked vehicular traffic and indulged in stone-pelting in different places in the state to protest the alleged attack on Stalin, police said.

In Tirupur, stones were hurled at the Avinashi office of state Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, police said. DMK supporters staged protests in more than 10 places in and around Coimbatore.

Reports from Cuddalore said, government buses were damaged in stone-throwing incidents at Chidambaram, Virudachalam and Veppur in the district, in which two persons sustained minor injuries.

In Puducherry, the DMK cadres staged a road roko at near the bus terminus and raised slogans condemning the attack on Stalin.

Thanjavur reports said, around 300 persons including former Union Minister TR Balu were arrested for burning the effigy of Dhanapal.

Similarly, picketing was reported from several places in Erode district, including Bhavani, Gobichettipalayam and Sathyamangalam.

In the letter to the Governor, the DMK complained about their eviction from the Assembly and sought postponement of the session to enable a secret voting.

"The agenda of Speaker (P Dhanapal) is to go ahead with voting and announce that the Chief Minister has succeeded in getting the confidence of the House, in the absence of the DMK members. This is totally foul play and unconstitutional," it said.

"Therefore, we request the Governor to restore democratic values and order postponement of the Assembly session for conducting secret voting on the Confidence Motion," it said.

However, the Assembly was adjourned sine die after the confidence vote.

Stalin noted that the party insisted on secret voting in the Assembly in view of the "fact that a number of AIADMK legislators were held as hostage in a resort."

He alleged "they were brought for voting under tight security and threat and that they will not be able to exercise their voting according to conscience and free will."

He said DMK also 'pleaded' with the Speaker to postpone voting to a future date but that he had not obliged.

"The Speaker did not listen to us and tried to carry on with open voting. He adjourned the House twice. Therefore, we resorted to dharna in a very peaceful manner, but the Speaker ordered expulsion of all the DMK members en bloc," he said.

"The police entered into the Assembly Hall and removed us by using force, presumably under the instructions of the Speaker. Many of our members have sustained injury," he claimed.
Hyderabad: The Telangana state government has jolted a dozen or so IAS officers out of their dreams of getting foreign education.

A dozen IAS officers had applied for study leave to pursue higher education and training opportunities abroad for duration ranging from six months to 2 years. However, the government rejected these applications, citing shortage of IAS officers in the state.

With the increase in districts from 10 to 31, the government is already facing severe shortage of IAS officers.

The applications had been submitted to Chief Secretary S.P. Singh for approval, who then referred the issue to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Sources in Chief Minister's Office said the CM has rejected the applications saying that the government cannot afford to grant study leave to 12 IAS officers under the present circumstances as the state was already grappling with the shortage of IAS officers after the creation of new districts last October.

The government could not find adequate senior IAS officers to appoint them as collectors for 21 new districts.

Due to this, it appointed joint collectors of old districts as collectors besides appointing junior IAS officers in various departments as collectors.

The state government made a special representation to Centre to increase IAS cadre strength of state in accordance with the increase in number of districts. However, the Centre is yet to approve the request, four months on.

Already, each IAS officer is handling three to four departments on an average. If any officer goes on leave, others are being given additional charge of those departments. With this, some IAS officers are forced to handle six to eight departments. This is hurting the administration and resulting in huge pendency of files, said sources.

The sources said that at this stage, if 12 officers were to be given study leave for up to two years, it would be very difficult for the government to run the administration.
Chennai: DMK Working President M.K. Stalin was on Saturday detained after he sat on a protest at Marina beach here against the alleged attack on him and his party MLAs during the trust vote in the state Assembly.

Terming Saturday as a black day for democracy, the senior DMK leader urged all those who wanted to remove the anti- democratic AIADMK government to join him.

After alleging that he was manhandled in the Assembly by the marshals on the day of the vote of confidence, which the Palaniswami government won with a comfortable margin of 122-11, Mr Stalin sat on a protest at the Marina along with his MLAs. However, police detained the protesting MLAs including Stalin.

Incidentally, the Marina had witnessed a week-long pro-jallikattu protests in January where scores of people, mainly youngsters had converged at the sands of the famous beach and agitated before it turned violent.

Earlier, the Tamil Nadu Assembly turned into a battlefield with Speaker P. Dhanapal being shoved around by the DMK legislators angered by his refusal to order secret ballot to decide on the confidence vote. He alleged that his shirt was torn and the main opposition had targeted him only because he was a Dalit.

Former CM, O. Panneerselvam then rose to tell the Speaker that MLAs were kept as prisoners at a resort in Koovathur for the last 15 days. The physical tussle between the DMK legislators and the security personnel lasted about 20 minutes at the end of which the latter managed to push the protesters out of the House. Stalin was carried out by half a dozen security men. Eyewitnesses said the DMK leader was punched on his back and his shirt was torn.

Kamal calls it demockcrazy

Actor Kamal Haasan on Saturday took potshots at the new leadership in Tamil Nadu, saying the state now has another Chief Minister and dubbed the political developments Jai demockcrazy.

The trust vote was preceded by eviction of principal Opposition DMK and walkout by its allies, which have 98 MLAs in the 234-member House, in protest. Taking to Twitter, Haasan wrote, People of Tamizhnadu, Welcome your respective MLAs with the respect they deserve back home.

He then took a dig at the decision, saying, There you go. Seems like we have another CM. Jai demockcrazy. I've seen MLAs of the then ADMK now Congress walk away with bunch of plucked microphones. The English TV anchors were too young to remember. We do, he further added.
Pune: Crowds are like oxygen for politicians on the campaign trail and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was found gasping when empty chairs greeted him at a public rally here, forcing him to cancel it.

Mr Fadnavis was scheduled to address an election rally at the New English School compound on Tilak Road here as part of the last phase of campaigning for Pune Municipal Corporation polls voting for which will take place on February 21. When Mr Fadnavis reached the venue of the public meeting at the appointed hour at 2 pm, he found very few people present and most chairs empty.

The Chief Minister waited in vain for some time for people to gather at the rally and then left without addressing the rally. Mr Fadnavis, who is spearheading BJPs campaign in the local bodies elections in Maharashtra, left for adjoining Pimpri Chinchwad where he was scheduled to address another election meeting.

I have cancelled my public meeting at Pune due to miscommunication of time of rally. I regret for the same. Heading towards Pimpri Chinchwad, Mr Fadnavis later confirmed on Twitter.

BJP withdraws made for each other poll ad

BJP has withdrawn a TV ad, made as part of the partys campaign for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, after criticism in social media. The ad Mumbai and BJP: Made for each other has been withdrawn after considering public sentiments, Maharashtra BJPs chief spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said on Saturday.

The ad, which featured college friends, ended with a youth telling his friend that they were made for each other, just like BJP is made for Mumbai. To this, she replies, Chal (lets go).

There was a volley of negative comments across social media about the punch line of the ad, following which the party decided to pull it out of circulation.

Meanwhile, posters featuring CM Devendra Fadnavis and declaring ha shabda maza ahe (this is my word) have been put up all over the city to counter Sena posters, which claim credit for work done by the civic body, ahead of the February 21 BMC election. The BJP posters have the tagline as parivartan tar honarach (change will happen) denoting its resolve to dethrone the Sena in the BMC.
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Saturday turned into a battlefield with Speaker P. Dhanapal being shoved around by the DMK legislators angered by his refusal to order secret ballot to decide on the confidence vote. He alleged that his shirt was torn and the main Opposition targeted him only because he was a Dalit.

Sasikala loyalist E.K. Palanisami won the trust vote 122-11, amid stormy scenes during which mikes were uprooted, chairs toppled and sheets of papers torn.

Trouble erupted within minutes of the House assembling at 11am for allowing Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami to prove his majority.

As soon as the Speaker began the session with a reading of Thirukkural, rebel AIADMK legislator S. Semmalai rose to complain that there was no safety for the MLAs (of OPS group). I have already given you a petition about this and you must ensure our protection, he said.

Mr Dhanapal said he would ensure the legislators safety. Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin was on his feet alleging that the police stopped him while he was coming for the Assembly session. We were checked by the police and brought here like criminals from jail, the DMK leader said.

We are Ammas team, says Panneerselvam

Alleging that the legislators who voted for CM Edappadi K. Palanisami during the vote of confidence have betrayed late CM J. Jayalalithaa, former CMO. Panneerselvam said people of the state will decide whether Mr Palani-samis victory is valid or not.

From 11 am till 3 pm, the DMK members were forcibly evicted and injured (in the process) and the resolution (electing Mr Palanisami) was passed in the Assembly. This is against democracy. Whether this is valid or not, it is the people who will deliver the (real) verdict, Mr Panneerselvam said. Speaking to reporters at the secretariat, he said the MLAs would know the peoples feelings when they visit their respective Assembly constituencies.
New Delhi: As Uttar Pradesh prepares for the third phase of polling, the BJP seemed to be concerned over the silence among its core Hindutva vote bank.

Ground reports reaching the BJP high command and also the feedback with the RSS indicate that the Hindutva vote bank is confused on a number of issues when it comes to whether or not to back the saffron party.

BJPs inability to project a chief ministerial candidate in this politically crucial state is a key factor for this silence. Feedback from first and second phases of polling suggests that for as there is no major issue to consolidate behind the BJP, the Hindu vote bank could also look for other options and SP is the best alternative.

Unlike earlier when the Hindu vote bank was prompt in its replies, the feedback suggests that most of the replies when asked who will they vote or voted for, have been dekhte hain (lets see).

Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi is BJPs poll mascot in the UP polls, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav remains the first choice of this votebank for the top post in the state.

However, there is a concern whether Mr Yadav would continue with his development agenda or pursue the communal politics as done by his party under SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The feedback suggests that Mr Modis popularity remains intact and many agree that BJP is giving a tough fight to both the regional heavyweights  SP and BSP on almost all the Assembly constituencies.

But lack of chief ministerial candidate with the BJP is a concern with this vote bank, who is also miffed with BSP supremo Mayawati, who they feel is only wooing Muslims. The BSP has fielded the highest number of Muslim candidates at nearly 100. Muslims had supported the SP in the 2012 elections but in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Muslim vote bank got divided benefiting the BJP.

Rebels plot Akhilesh revenge

Jheen Babu a.k.a. Mahendra Singh and Rampal Yadav are rebel SP MLAs who have been denied tickets by SP president and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Jheen Babu is a four-term sitting MLA from Sevta seat while Rampal Yadav is the sitting SP MLA from Mehmoodabad.

Jheen Babu has decided not to contest elections this time and has given his seat to Rampal Yadav who is contesting on a Rashtriya Lok Dal ticket. We want to avenge the humiliation that has been meted out to us by Akhilesh Yadav. Our purpose is to defeat the Chief Minister, said Jheen Babu.

Rampal Yadav, who was earlier expelled from the party on land grabbing charges by Mr Akhilesh Yadav, said We will defeat Akhilesh, not the Samajwadis. Our leader continues to be Mulayam Singh Yadav and we are even using his photograph in our posters.

The two leaders, in their public speeches, reminded voters that Mr Akhilesh Yadav is stubborn and did not even accept his fathers list of 38 candidates but at the same time gave away 105 seats to the Congress party.

They claim that Akhilesh has deposed his father from the party and is determined to destroy those who support his father. When asked why the chief minister refused to give them tickets, the two legislators claim that it was their increasing clout in the district that troubled Mr Akhilesh Yadav. Rampal Yadav's son and daughter had won the panchayat elections as rebel SP candidates last year and this apparently irked the chief minister.

The rebel MLAs are obviously unwilling to accept the leadership of Mr Akhilesh Yadav. "Akhilesh has proved his lack of capability in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Had he not managed things, even his wife Dimple Yadav would have lost from Kannauj. These elections will again prove his inability", says Rampal Yadav. The campaign being run by these two rebel leaders is expectedly causing problems for the official SP candidate Shivkumar Gupta.

Ravi Yadav, a young SP worker, admits that, "Rampal and Jheen Babu are very senior leaders and wield clout in the area. Together, they have become a force to reckon with and their campaign against our party leadership is damaging our candidate".
Chennai: The food safety department raided a godown and seized 7.9 tonnes of gutka tobacco product worth Rs 55 lakh in Royapuram on Friday.

Tipped off by the police in Royapuram, food safety officers raided the place at around 11.30 on Friday morning, only to find tonnes of gutka. "The police has taken all the items under their custody and are planning to file a case against the Deepam Roadways Transport on S. N. Chetty Street, the godown where the product was found, said food safety officer K. Jebraj.

We conduct checks on a regular basis, however, as this was in a transport godown, we went ahead based on a tip-off. The area is full of godowns, he said, adding that the police are on the lookout for the owner Balaji who is absconding.
Hyderabad: The TS government has begun a fresh survey of employees to identify fake staff. The government has handed over a questionnaire comprising 40 questions  right from the place of birth to educational qualifications to date of appointment, increments and promotions. Sources said that the feeling is that some employees secured jobs in undivided AP with fake certificates and other details besides regularising their jobs though being appointed on contract. All such irregularities would come to light in the fresh survey, the sources said.

There are complaints that some employees exist only on rolls and are drawing salaries while others have been missing for years and have jobs abroad. The government wants to identify unauthorised absenteeism and other discrepancies in the fresh survey. The last survey was conducted in undivided AP five years ago. However, employees say they are upset with the lengthy questionnaire. They are also irked at being asked personal details of their parents, spouse, children, their educational qualifications, their bank accounts and Aadhaar numbers.

Where is the need to seek all such personal details of our family members? What is the point in asking when we cleared SSC, Inter, degree etc. after serving for 20-30 years? This is nothing but creating unnecessary panic and confusion among employees, said Telangana Udyogula Sangham president A. Padma Chary. Collectors are directing the treasuries department to stop payment of salaries of those who fail to submit the details. The finance department has been appointed the nodal agency to monitor survey and compile the details. Officials are however dismissing the apprehensions raised by employees unions. The survey is only to set right the record. There has been no updation of cadre for years. Several discrepancies are coming to light in the survey, said sources.
BONN, Germany, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his U.S. counterpart Rex Tillerson agreed here Friday that the two countries should work together for greater development of bilateral relations during the term of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Wang and Tillerson met on the sidelines of the foreign ministers meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) to exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of mutual concerns. The meeting is the first of its kind since Tillerson assumed office.

Wang said the recent telephone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Trump had been of great significance.

During the conversation, Wang said the U.S. side had made it clear that it would continue to honor the one-China policy and the two leaders agreed that China and the United States could be great partners and should promote greater development of their bilateral relationship from a new starting point.

This key consensus has safeguarded the political basis of Sino-U.S. relations, charted the course of the relationship in the new era, and created the necessary pre-conditions for the two nations to engage in strategic cooperation on bilateral, regional, and global issues, Wang noted.

Wang said that China and the United States, both shouldering the responsibilities of securing world stability and enhancing global prosperity, had more common interests than disputes.

China is ready to work with the U.S. side to implement the consensus reached between President Xi and President Trump, and move bilateral relationship forward in the direction that features no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Wang said.

He said the two sides should increase communication, enhance trust, handle differences properly, and deepen cooperation in a bid to ensure greater development of bilateral relations during Trump's presidency, bring tangible interests to the two countries' peoples, and make more contributions to world peace and prosperity.

For his part, Tillerson reiterated the U.S. stance to abide by the one-China policy, which carries specific significance, not only to the bilateral relationship, but also to regional stability and development.

The U.S. secretary of state said the U.S. side looked forward to working with China to conduct high-level exchanges, facilitate understanding, and maintain, improve and consolidate mutual dialogue and cooperation mechanisms in all fields.

Tillerson also expressed the U.S. side's hope for strengthened cooperation with China in areas such as economy, finance and security and pushing for greater development of bilateral ties.

Wang and Tillerson also exchanged views over the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula.
Chennai: DMK president M. Karunanidhi will not be able to attend the House on Saturday. So, the strength of the party during confidence vote will be 88, while IUML has a lone member. So, far 11 AIADMK MLAs have openly announced their support to Panneerselvam. The total strength of the Assembly is 233 now and the exclusion of Speaker P. Dhanapal and Karunanidhi will bring down the tally to 231, reducing the halfway mark to 116.

In case of a tie, the Speaker could vote, but such a scenario will be ruled out if the opposition musters 116 members, which will be possible only if Congress decides to oppose the confidence motion.

The DMK's decision was announced by party's working president M.K. Stalin after a meeting of party MLAs at party headquarters Arivalayam. Stalin told reporters that the DMK would vote against Palanisami in the confidence motion since the law and order situation had deteriorated and the rights of Tamil Nadu are being lost. Stalin also said there are reports that the Congress would oppose the motion.

Reacting to a question on request for secret voting in the Assembly, Stalin said "I will welcome it, if such a situation arises", indicating the DMK's thinking that secret voting could encourage more AIADMK MLAs to vote against the confidence motion without fear of disqualification from the House. Palanisami government will be doomed even if eight more ruling party members decided to oppose the confidence motion. The DMK legislators had been asked to stay in the city and go to the Assembly on time, so that all of them are present for the voting.

The Congress MLAs met under TNCC president S. Thirunavukkarasar, but he did not meet the media. After the circulation of a twitter message stating that Thirunavukkaraar had announced Congress opposition to the motion, the Congress leader denied that he had any twitter account. The Congress leader said his party would take a decision only on the morning of voting, giving an indication that Congress is considering supporting Palanisami too. Former TNCC president E.V.K.S. Elangovan flayed Thirunavukkasar for not announcing a stand and said he would complain about it to the high command.
Chennai: Ruckus broke out in Tamil Nadu Assembly as special session began on Saturday for the key floor test on the confidence motion to be moved by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy.

The Speaker P Dhanapal walked out of the Assembly and the House was adjourned till 1 pm amid violence by DMK MLAs. Legislators tore papers, broke chairs and pulled off microphones after the Speaker rejected their demand of secret ballot in trust vote.

After continuing violence, the Assembly was adjourned till 3 pm.

When the session reconvened, DMK MLAs were marched out of the Assembly and Congress staged a walkout. MK Stalin and DMK MLAs went off to meet Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao.

With the Opposition absent from the house and demand for a secret ballot rejected by the Speaker, CM Palanisamy won the vote of confidence, 122-11.

Earlier, as the session began in the morning, DMK leader MK Stalin questioned the haste in conducting trust vote. He also emphasised upon the importance of democratic means in the state. "Democracy will be fulfilled, when secret ballot voting is done. Floor test should be done on another day. Why the hurry when the Governor has given 15 days time?" Stalin said.

Stalin also accused the officials of meting out 'prisoner-like' treatment to the dignitaries. "MLAs are being brought to the Secretariat like prisoners," he said.

The DMK is said to have gheraoed Dhanapal, demanding secret ballot. DMK MLA Ku Ka Selvam also sat on the Speaker's chair in protest.

The DMK MLAs shouted slogans in support of former Tamil Nadu CM O. Panneerselvam, even as the MLAs backing newly appointed CM Palanisamy, raised slogans against OPS.

Several mediapersons indulged in arguments with the Police outside the Assembly, following which the audio speaker in the press room was disconnected.

Earlier, AIADMK Presidium Chairman Madhusudanan, who belongs to the Panneerselvam camp, had appointed S. Semmalai as chief whip in the assembly.

Ahead of the crucial 'floor test', Panneerselvam appealed to AIADMK MLAs to vote against Palanisamy. "MLAs should be given time to hear the views of their constituency people. Time should be given till then," he said, during the Assembly session.

From the frenzy over Panneerselvam's rebellion at late J Jayalalithaa's memorial to the secret ballot of confidence on Saturday at the state Assembly, the political stalemate in the state looks far from getting resolved as the confusion over the occupant of the chair of power continues.

Palanisamy was appointed as the new AIADMK legislative leader following former general secretary VK Sasikalas conviction in disproportionate assets case. But, soon after taking oath as the chief minister of the state, Palanisamy lost a few MLAs to Panneerselvam, who now heads the rebel AIADMK.
Bhuj: Congress workers and members of Kutch Asmita Manch clashed at Naliya in Kutch district on Saturday.

Congress has organised `Beti Bachao rally from Naliya to Gandhinagar to protest a gang rape case where some local BJP leaders are among the accused. The rally started on Saturday.

Senior Congress leaders including Leader Of Opposition in Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela, state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki and Shaktisinh Gohil took part in the rally.

As the rally started at Naliya, KAM members showed black flags and shouted slogans against Vaghela, saying he defamed Kutch by his statement that Kutch had turned into a sex hub.

Police said they detained briefly over a dozen persons from both sides after a minor clash.

After the rally reached Bhuj, Gohil hit out at BJP at a press conference, alleging that it tried to stop the rally using KAM as a front.

How will Kutch get a bad name if Congress fights for justice to a Kutchi daughter? BJP is scared, knowing well that if proper investigation is conducted (of gang rape), names of many top leaders will be revealed for involvement. We demand investigation by a sitting High Court judge, he said.

Congress also brought a woman to the press conference, who said she was a BJP taluka panchayat member from the district, and was raped by a BJP leader, but police had not taken any action on her FIR, lodged five months ago.

I lodged FIR against a local BJP leader namedsome five months ago, but the police did nothing. A lot of pressure was put on me not to lodge any FIR. And he has not been arrested yet, because of pressure from the ruling party, the woman alleged.
Chennai: Mylapore MLA and former DGP R. Nataraj on Friday extended his support to O. Panneerselvam. The top cop handpicked by former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa to contest in the high profile Mylapore said he took the decision for two reasons.

Initially I tried to bring the AIADMK factions together but it failed. And now I am extending my support to Panneerselvam as it was the collective decision of my constituency voters, he told Deccan Chronicle.

I chose to maintain a neutral stand for some time, but now there is a situation that I have to vote in Assembly on Saturday. The role of an MLA is not only confined to constituency work but also to exercise his discretion wisely in the Assembly. And now at this crucial juncture it is my duty to take a decision. My decision is based on the conscience and I will vote reflecting the will of the people. AIADMK party cadres also wanted me to vote against the

government, he said.

Former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa gave me the party ticket to contest and it was the public who elected me as the MLA. My loyalty will always be only with late Jayalalithaa. I will stand by honesty and truth and my vote will go in favour of Panneerselvam. And this decision was solely taken after consulting voters of Mylapore, Nataraj added.
Chennai: With DMK and Congress absent from the Tamil Nadu Assembly, new Chief Minister and Sasikala pick Edappadi Palanisamy on Saturday won the vote of confidence, with 122 AIADMK MLAs voting in his favour.

Earlier, ruckus broke out in Tamil Nadu Assembly as a special session began or the key floor test on the confidence motion to be moved by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy.

The Speaker P Dhanapal walked out of the Assembly and the House was adjourned till 1 PM amid violence by DMK MLAs. Legislators tore papers, broke chairs and pulled off microphones after the Speaker rejected their demand of secret ballot in trust vote.

The Palanisamy camp had 122 MLAs in the 234-member House with one vacancy. Ailing DMK supremo M Karunanidhi was not present in the House.

Here are the highlights from the day's events:

DMK working president MK Stalin was held after he began a hunger strike at Marina beach.

After winning the trust vote, Palanisamy visited Jayalalithaa's memorial along with AIADMK ministers and MLAs, and paid tribute.

MK Stalin will go on a hunger strike at Chennai's Marina Beach against the trust vote, said ANI.

MK Stalin's meeting with the Governor at Raj Bhavan ends.

He also said that the MLAs who had voted against him would now have to answer to the people. OPS claimed that only the people could decide if the trust was valid.

The Speaker forcibly evicted DMK members from the house, against democratic values, said OPS.

"We tried for a secret ballot, but despite our efforts it was not possible," O Panneerselvam said after Palanisamy won the trust vote.

In the open ballot, all 122 MLAs who had earlier pledged support to Palanisamy, voted in his favour. 11 MLAs, who had pledged allegiance to Panneerselvam, voted against him.

After all 6 divisions of MLAs in Tamil Nadu Assembly vote in favour, CM Palanisamy wins vote of confidence.

Trust vote begins in Tamil Nadu Assembly. This is not a secret ballot. The DMK has gone to meet the Governor, and the Congress is also not in the House.

Speaker said that he has reconvened the Assembly despite the violence against him. "House will function only according to rules," he adds.

"We're going to meet the Governor to apprise him of the situation," says the DMK working president. He alleged that even his shirt was torn off in the Assembly, and reiterated a demand for a secret ballot.

Stalin alleged that the Speaker P Dhanpal tore off his shirt himself and blamed DMK MLAs for it.

MK Stalin was led away and his shirt was unbuttoned, indicating that he was also attacked during the scuffle.

Rapid Action Force troops on stand by outside Assembly, ready to assist Speaker if DMK MLAs resist eviction again.

Assembly security unable to evict DMK MLAs; Assembly adjourned again till 3 PM.

DMK MLAs begin protests outside the Assembly after being evicted; will sit on dharna inside Assembly premises.

DMK MLAs once against broke the Speaker's microphone.

DMK members surround the Speaker's chair as the House reassembles. Security is struggling to evict DMK MLAs.

After violence, Speaker order Assembly police to evict DMK MLAs from the House.

You tore my shirt and insulted me, Speaker Dhanapal tells DMK MLAs.

2,000 police personnel stationed outside of Tamil Nadu Assembly.

Tamil Nadu Assembly proceedings begin after ruckus.

A House official has been taken out of the assembly on a stretcher.

Meeting of Chief Minister Palanisamy with senior minister is underway.

DMK is a violent and anti-national party. VK Sasikala is much better than DMK, says BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

Amid ruckus, Speaker leaves the House escorted by marshals and Assembly is adjourned till 1 PM. An ambulance has been brought in.

DMK MLA Ku Ka Selvam sat on Speaker's chair in protest.



DMK MLAs tear paper, break chairs, speakers microphone and secretarys table in the Assembly demanding secret ballot.

DMK MLA Poongothai Aladi Aruna climbs on the table and raises slogans demanding secret ballot.



DMK MLAs gherao Assembly Speaker Dhanapal, demand secret ballot.

MLAs should be given time to meet people of their constituencies and know their views, says Mylapore MLA R. Nataraj.

Indian Union Muslim League too demands secret ballot voting.

Nobody can interfere in my decision on how to vote, says P Dhanapal.

Congress MLAs too demand secret ballot.

People's voice should be heard and then only the floor test should be done in the assembly, says O Panneerselvam.

DMK's MK Stalin demands voting to be postponed. Democracy will be fulfilled, only when secret ballot voting is done, says Stalin.

No live telecast of Tamil Nadu Assembly proceedings. Audio speaker kept in Assembly press room has been disconnected.



Speaker rejects DMKs request to postpone floor test.

Everyone knows that MLAs were kept in (Golden Bay resort) Koovathur. People's voice should be heard and then the floor test should be conducted, says Panneerselvam.

MK Stalin says floor test should be done on another day. Why the hurry when the Governor has given 15 days time?

Division voting begins, in 6 blocks each consisting of 38 MLAs. First block raises hands in favour of Palanisamy.

230 MLAs present in the Assembly; halfway mark is now 115.

Speaker Dhanpal calls for order; division vote begins amid continued uproar.

Rejecting secret ballot, Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal says the MLAs will be provided adequate security.

Ruckus breaks out in Tamil Nadu Assembly as DMK, Congress join Panneerselvam faction of AIADMK.

Chief Minister Palanisamy moves trust motion in Assembly.

Panneerselvam camp asks for secret ballot; Governor forwards request to Assembly Speaker.

Stalin says MLAs are being brought to the Secretariat like prisoners.

Congress to vote against Edappadi K Palaniswami government, says Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief Su Thirunavakkarasar.

Congress MLAs reach Tamil Nadu Assembly for the trust vote.

The governor should have brought in Presidents rule for at least 2-3 months so that normalcy could prevail and the MLAs were free, not under threat, says BV Acharya, special public prosecutor in the Sasikala DA case.

AIADMK MLAs, staying at Goldern Bay resort, reach Jayalalithaa memorial to pay respects ahead of the trust vote in Assembly.

Edappadi K Palanisamy and DMK Working President MK Stalin reach Secretariat for floor test.

Nataraj says he would vote against Palanisamy when the Assembly takes up the trust vote.

Arun Kumar decides to abstain from voting, says his decision is in sync with public opinion.

AIADMK Coimbatore North MLA Arun Kumar and Mylapore MLA R Nataraj leave Edapaddi Palanisamy camp.

The two factions of AIADMK and DMK had issued clear directions to its members and Congress has decided to vote against the Palanisamy government.

AIADMK had issued direction to all the 133 members barring Speaker P. Dhanapal to be present in the Assembly and support the motion. Minister O.S. Manian had warned that those who disobeyed the whip would be disqualified after due process.

Earlier, O. Panneerselvams camp had removed AIADMK general secretary V. K. Sasikala and her two relatives from the party for going against its principles and ideals.

Security has been beefed up in several parts of the state including Coimbatore and Chennai as WhatsApp messages asking people to gather for a protest in support of Panneerselvam were doing the rounds.

Constitutional experts had said the Governor should keep the Assembly in suspended animation and give a chance to another group which stakes claim to form the government.

Justice D. Hariparanthaman, former judge of the Madras high court, said If Palaniswamy fails to prove his majority on the floor of the assembly in the vote of confidence, then the decision will be taken by the Governor with the consultation of the President of India

He said Normally, the Governor may keep the assembly in 'suspended animation' to enable any other group to form the government. If no group is able to form the government, then the assembly will be dissolved and elections will be held. In the meantime, President's Rule will be imposed under Article 356 of the Constitution.
Imphal: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday said it would raise the issue of an ongoing economic blockade in Manipur in the Parliament and already urged the Election Commission to take action to lift the blockade.

"We would raise the issue of economic blockade in Parliament. We are against any kind of blockade or shutdown. Recently I had met Election Commission and told them that they were required to act in order to lift the blockade as the model code of conduct is in force in the state," Mukul Roy told PTI.

Roy, who is presently in Imphal to campaign for TMC candidates contesting in Manipur elections, said that TMC would play a decisive role after the polls as "no party will be able to get majority on its own."

"We are in a position to win at least seven to eight seats. We won seven seats in 2012 Manipur Elections. And in the post poll scenario we'll play a decisive factor as no party will be able to get majority on its own," Roy said.

The TMC is fighting for 24 seats this time. Last time with seven seats, TMC was the main opposition party in the state.

Later, however, all the seven MLAs switched their loyalty to eiher Congress or BJP.

TMC leader in Manipur Samrat Tapadar accused both the BJP and the Congress of playing politics on the issue of blockade and said "both the parties are only interested in votes by exploiting the sufferings of the common people."
DMK MLAs went on rampage in Tamil Nadu Assembly during trust vote. (Photo: ANI Twitter)

Chennai: Pandemonium broke out in the Tamil Nadu Assembly today ahead of the crucial vote of confidence by the Edapady Palanisamy government with the opposition members stalling the proceedings.

With the matter coming to a head, Speaker P Dhanapal came out of the assembly escorted by marshals shortly after the House assembled to facilitate the floor test.

A video emerged showing DMK MLAs manhandling and jostling the Speaker.

You insulted me and tore my shirt. I am doing my work by abiding law. Where do I go and tell the public about the torture meted out to me in the Assembly, said Dhanapal.

#WATCH DMK MLAs scuffle with TN Assembly speaker, protesting DMK MLA Ku Ka Selvam sat on speaker chair #floortest (Jaya TV) pic.twitter.com/CkMQY9FfQx  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

Following Dhanapals order Assembly police evicted DMK MLAs from the Assembly after violence.

The proceedings were stalled amid the pandemonium, where some opposition members demanded secret voting.

Palanisamy, who was sworn in as Chief Minister two days ago, has opted to prove his majority today itself though he was given 15 days time by Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao.

Earlier in the day, the rebel O Panneerselvam camp got a boost when Coimbatore North MLA Arun Kumar announced his decision to abstain from voting after yesterday's decision by Mylapore MLA and former DGP R Natraj to vote against the government.

With the decision of the two, the Palanisamy camp is left with 122 MLAs in the 234-member House with one vacancy. Ailing DMK supremo M Karunanidhi was not present in the House.

In another development, the Panneerselvam camp appointed Semmalai as the party whip in the assembly and sent a letter to the Speaker to this effect.
We have been busy in alienating the sympathies of free peoples... the rights of a power, the rights of a nation, ought not to be invaded because it happens to have the misfortune of a despotic government, William Gladstone said in 1880. The systematic violation of these rights by the US is the cause of the turmoil Europe and West Asia face today. In 2003, analyst William Pfaff wrote: Choosing to invade two Islamic states, Afghanistan and Iraq, neither of which was responsible for the (9/11) attacks, inflated the crisis, in the eyes of millions of Muslims, into a clash between the United States and Islamic society. The two wars did not destroy Al Qaeda... The United States is no more secure than it was before. The wars opened killing fields in two countries that no one knows how to shut down. Since then, the US has added Libya and Syria to its list of adventures. The waves of migration that followed have fanned the flames of latent Islamophobia in the West. This was not an aberration. It is part of the US psyche, its belief in exceptionalism and manifest destiny. Pfaff writes: The American conception of Manifest Destiny, originally seen as transcontinental expansion, has been recast... as the creation of a world order that is nominally pluralistic but under ultimate American leadership  which, it is taken for granted, would be welcome to nearly all. A programme to bring the world to democracy reflects a large consensus...

The implications of President Donald Trumps America First battle cry will unfold through his policies, but its grim, ultranationalist undertones have already been revealed through his curbs on immigration. Regime change, rooted in the nations psyche, is a constant in US foreign policy regardless of who holds office. Barack Obama essentially issued a fatwa on Qadhafi in 2011; equally peremptory was his edict on Assad. During a Security Council meeting, Russias ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, aptly remarked, Then you will start telling what king needs to resign and what Prime Minister needs to step down. Regime change has an ancient history, becoming en vogue in modern times as the Cold War intensified. In 1953, Operation Ajax saw the CIA overthrow the democratically elected government and reinstall the Shah of Iran. The CIA did the same with the democratically elected, leftist President of Guatemala a year later.

In the 1970s, a US Senate committee investigating intelligence activities published a report entitled Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders, which stated that on balance the likelihood that Presidents knew of the assassination plot is greater than the likelihood that they did not. Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy were heavily implicated. Targets included leaders of the Congo, Dominican Republic and South Vietnam. Famously, eight attempts were made on Fidel Castro. In 1958, a CIA-supported coup attempted to topple Indonesias President Sukarno. In 1972, Chiles President Allende killed himself in the wake of a CIA-supported coup. In 1978, Carter issued an executive order declaring that no official shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination. This did not deter Reagan from ordering an aerial attack on Qadhafis residence in 1986.

These games continued to be played with enthusiasm in recent years. The US sought to subvert Irans government after the Islamic Revolution  attempting to enlist its first President as an informant for $1,000 a month, as was revealed in Asnaad Lanae Jasoosi Amreeke published by Iranian students following the siege on the US embassy in Tehran in 1979. Iran survived these and worse attempts  but Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria were wrecked. In all four cases, diplomacy was spurned in favour of the set goal of regime change. As Zbigniew Brzezinski said, 9/11 was a terrorist attack, not an act of aggression. Felix Kuehns book, An Enemy We Created, exposed the myth of the Taliban-Al Qaeda merger in Afghanistan. Mullah Omar, desperately seeking a way out, needed time. The US chose to wage war on the Afghan state, with consequences that are there for all to see. The same is true of Iraq; it is now widely accepted that the 2003 invasion has wrought ruin. Libya now has three governments, two Parliaments, three armies and 10 militias. Half of the population has emigrated. In many cases, the US relies on CIA-backed emigres; calling the shots in Libya is Khalifa Haftar, who the CIA backed in several attempts to assassinate Qadhafi. Syria has only thwarted the US plans thanks to Russian support. But at what price? The countries are a wreck, the plight of their people is miserable. The recent waves of migration have had terrible consequences. The international community must end the practice of regime change.

By arrangement with Dawn
Through January, protesters gathered in huge numbers at Chennais Marina beach demanding that jallikattu  the sport that displays the virulent masculinity of the Tamil male  be made legal. While jallikattu was the demand which brought the protesters together, what kept them glued was the underlying feeling: Tamil Pride. Not long after they began, the protests became a rallying point for expressing the disgruntlement of the Tamil people on a gamut of issues ranging from Tamil Eelam to Cauvery river-water-sharing.

As reported in the media, the posters made it evident that seemingly couched in the calls for justice was the politics of Tamil identity. The wounds of Tamil Eelam have not healed just yet. Several posters of slain LTTE chief Prabhakaran were seen. Fishermen spoke about the killings and torture of Tamil fishermen at the hands of Sri Lankan forces. The grammar of the protests and choice of black clothing too reminded one of the early days of the Dravidian movement. In 1945, Periyar had formed the black shirt army as a part of his anti-Brahmin movement and it had undercurrents of anti-Indian-nationalism too. But it had lost its focus until the anti-Hindi agitation coalesced the issue once more into a Tamil protest.

But does this really mean that Tamil nationalism is alive and kicking? Were the jallikattu protests about Tamil identity? While the feeling of Tamil pride still exists, and it does have the potency to consolidate people across the state, the idea of Tamil nationalism itself has been dragged down to a caricature. The crowd at Marina was nothing like the smaller but livid crowds in 2009 that called for an end of the war in Sri Lanka. There were several groups which tried to convert the jallikattu protest into an issue of Tamil sub-nationalism, but eventually, the sloganeering was rooted in Tamil pride and identity. But most of it was just that  sloganeering. For a bunch who were angry with a host of things, from jallikattu to demonetisation, the Tamil identity became a device to vent it all out.

It remained a mere device, as the real reasons that brought people together was the fury against the Centre. Tamil Nadu has never entirely liked the nature of its relationship with the Indian state. The progressive Tamil doesnt like that she or he has to choose between national parties every five years. But what these emotions have now come to represent is the disappointment with the Centre due to its failure in ensuring federalism. It is evident from the fact that while most protesters mouthed platitudes on Tamil pride and nationalism, any conversation ahead would shift to the disgruntlement with politics, at the State and the Centre.

Further, it is arguably wrong to frame jallikattu as an issue of Tamil pride, as it inevitably leads to chauvinism and is invariably linked to caste pride. Unfortunately, even if the core feeling of Tamil Nationalism is diluting, the dangers of chauvinism and caste-pride exist. In fact, one of the ways the continued oppression of Dalits is masked is through Tamil identity politics.

This doesnt mean however that Tamil identity is now an ineffective political tool to raise passions. It remains the easiest way for Tamil politicians to articulate their disenchantment with the Indian state. But in diluting the nature of it and how superficially such identity politics is being employed, there is hope that Tamil identity and sub-nationalism is not necessarily the only counter to nationalism. There is always the hope that the only way in which individual rights can be more effective does not lie in identity politics.

The writer is one of the founders of the digital newspaper, The News Minute
I had an irritating experience while watching Aamir Khans Dangal recently. During the national anthem sung within the film, a few people got up. I did not. A lady next to me tapped on my shoulder suggesting that I get up too. To avoid an ugly scene I rose from my seat but later, made my point to her. I did stand during the anthem before the start of the film. Ordinary people, who honestly pay taxes, love their land, are far more patriotic than false patriots.

Jingoism, false patriotism, is causing concern worldwide with the rise of people like the U.S. President Donald Trump. That is why a Swedish television journalist in Mumbai, Malin Mandel Westberg, found it necessary to interview me on my experience while watching the film and this was aired primetime on Swedish T.V. on our Republic Day along with the coverage of celebrations.

I am happy when our sportspersons win medals for the country but the obsession with medals as depicted in Dangal, only adds to this false patriotism. A real sporting spirit goes beyond this. I am a proud Indian but having said that, I must say a true patriot should be the first to criticise wrong policies of his or her government. As Noam Chomsky has pointed out: It would be very unpatriotic of an American not to oppose Americas war in Iraq.

Some people have very strange ideas about being patriotic. Im part of the Pakistan India Forum for Peace and Democracy, an organisation of democratic people on both sides of the border. But some think it is almost being anti-Indian to have friendship with Pakistan. Some are also surprised that I visited Pakistan for a conference of this organisation in 2003 in Karachi. To be a true Indian you are expected by some people to hate Pakistan. That is sad. I am very critical of many policies of the Pakistani establishment. But people everywhere are basically nice and there should be people-to-people contact.

I was attracted to the Soviet Union during the cold war era. I worked as a journalist for many years but when a Russian asked me over dinner some years ago to work for him, actually pass on some political information to him, I declined politely. That is because my soul and I are not for sale. I believe in an ideology but this cannot be traded. It is possible to be an internationalist and at the same time to be true to ones country. Be true to thine own self as Shakespeare said. The logic behind the slogan: Workers of the World Unite, you have nothing to lose but chains is very good. But countries, which ruled in the name of communism, did not do a very good job in promoting this.

Mahatma Gandhi is our great asset, strength. His views on simplicity, decentralisation and environment are most precious and we should be very wary of grand-sounding ideas like India becoming a superpower, world-class and that sort of stuff. It is very deceptive, even insulting to talk in these terms when people do not have water, food, healthcare and housing. Attaining equality, happiness for all should be our goal  it may be difficult to achieve but it is desirable. The current path of development leading to growing inequalities is dangerous. The rise of the Naxalite movement in answer to this shows there are flaws. We talk with pride about being Indians but we have colonised the lands of poor in our own country  taken away their livelihood, rivers and farms.

Our best guides on this are two texts, Tagores essay on nationalism in 1917 and Mahatma Gandhis Hind Swaraj of 1910. Tagore warned that political forces should not be allowed to overrun common people in the name of the Nation. Gandhiji was against a centralised, monolithic State that enslaved, alienated people. Their vision is very relevant. BJP supporters like to flaunt their patriotism. But look what the BJP-led government did in 2003 during the celebration of 150 years of the Indian Railways. The Indian Railways claimed in full-page newspaper advertisements that Indias freedom struggle began in 1853 with the running of the first train between Mumbai and Thane. Can you beat that?

The truth is that the railways were established mainly to meet the requirements of British capital and there was a big increase in the network to prevent outbreaks of revolts as in 1857. And our BJP types think the freedom struggle began in 1853. Worse, a picture on the cover of the invitation for the 150th anniversary ceremony showed two Indians, one in a traditional dress and another almost half-naked polishing the boots of two Britons, who are lying in comfort in a railway compartment in 1891. One of the Britons is smoking the traditional hookah on the upper berth. Surely, BJP supporters need to have a better understanding of history and concepts such as patriotism and nationalism.

The writer is a columnist and a former journalist
Most of the specially equipped versions of the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle will be used by San Francisco-based Lyft.

General Motors Co plans to deploy thousands of self-driving electric cars in test fleets in partnership with ride-sharing affiliate Lyft Inc, beginning in 2018, two sources familiar with the automakers plans said this week.

It is expected to be the largest such test of fully autonomous vehicles by any major automaker before 2020, when several companies have said they plan to begin building and deploying such vehicles in higher volumes. Alphabet Inc's Waymo subsidiary, in comparison, is currently testing about 60 self-driving prototypes in four states.

Most of the specially equipped versions of the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle will be used by San Francisco-based Lyft, which will test them in its ride-sharing fleet in several states, one of the sources said. GM has no immediate plans to sell the Bolt AV to individual customers, according to the source. The sources spoke only on condition of anonymity because GM has not announced its plans yet.

GM executives have said in interviews and investor presentations during the past year they intend to mass-produce autonomous vehicles and deploy them in ride services fleets. However, GM officials have not revealed details of the scale of production, or the timing of the deployment of those vehicles.

In a statement on Friday, GM said: "We do not provide specific details on potential future products or technology rollout plans. We have said that our AV technology will appear in an on-demand ride sharing network application sooner than you might think."

Lyft declined to comment.

GM's crosstown rival Ford Motor Co has said it plans to begin building its first self-driving vehicles at a suburban Detroit plant in late 2020, for deployment in on-demand ride sharing fleets in 2021. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is providing a small number of Chrysler Pacifica minivans to Waymo, which is converting them for self-driving tests.

GM's Maven car sharing operation likely will be involved with Lyft in developing a commercial ride sharing business around self-driving vehicles such as the Bolt AV, GM executive Mike Ableson told Reuters in a November interview.

"If you assume the cost of these autonomous vehicles, the very early ones, will be six figures, there arent very many retail customers that are willing to go out and spend that kind of money," Ableson said. "But even at that sort of cost, with a ride sharing platform, you can build a business."

Chief Executive Mary Barra in mid-December said GM would begin building a fully autonomous version of the Bolt EV in early 2017 at its Orion Township plant north of Detroit. GM is testing about 40 Bolt AVs in San Francisco and Scottsdale, Arizona, and plans to extend testing this year to Detroit, the automaker said in December. A year ago, GM paid $500 million for a minority stake in Lyft, the second-largest US ride sharing firm after Uber.

Before it closed the deal, Ableson said he and GM President Dan Ammann discussed with Lyft founders Logan Green and John Zimmer the prospect of jointly developing a ride sharing business with self-driving cars.

"We walked in not wanting so much to talk about the business today, but how do we work together to develop this idea of autonomous, on-demand networks in cities," Ableson said of the initial discussions with Lyft.

To make that business successful, Ableson said, requires the ability to engineer autonomous systems, to build self-driving vehicles in volume and to deploy them in a ride sharing fleet.

"If you take those three things, no one company has all three," Ableson said.

GM in early 2016 acquired Cruise Automation, a San Francisco startup, to help it accelerate development of self-driving cars. GM also launched a car sharing business, Maven, which has provided vehicles to Lyft.

"Cruise, Lyft, Maven are all bringing different parts of this singular solution around autonomous on-demand networks in urban environments," Ableson said.

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The Canada-based company has rounded to zero per cent share among smartphone operating systems after shipping of 207,000 smartphones last quarter.

The Canadian BlackBerry was earlier known as the king of all smartphones  the best in doing a job of a smartphone during its time, with emails and phone calls. But with the launch of Apple iPhone, BlackBerry started struggling. The job of a smartphone has since shifted to more than being a mere phone  pocketable personal computer, housed with desktop-like operating system and a rich app ecosystem. BlackBerrys struggle in the OS market remained for years, and finally it has now died down, almost completely.

The market share of BlackBerrys operating system is down to a flat 0.00 per cent, a newly published fourth-quarter Gartners report revealed. The Canada-based company has rounded to zero per cent share among smartphone operating systems after shipping just 207,000 smartphones in the last quarter.

While the other major operating systems, Android and iOS, are advancing year-on-year, BlackBerrys OS has fallen far behind.

In a blog post, Marco Arment, a web and iPhone software developer argued that Apple could be the next BlackBerry. Explaining the fall of BlackBerry he said, BlackBerry had not spent years building a world-class operating system, or a staff full of great designers, or expertise in mass production of luxury-quality consumer electronics, or amazing APIs and developer tools, or an app store with millions of users with credit cards already on file, or all of the other major assets that Apple had developed over a decade (or longer) that enabled the iPhone. The truth was that the job of the smartphone shifted almost entirely outside of BlackBerrys capabilities, and it was too late for it to catch up.

Apple iOS secured 17.9 per cent operating system market share, according to Gartner Q4 (2016) report, whereas Googles Android is still leading the OS market with 82 per cent share this Q4. Android was the only OS to grow market share year on year, reads Gartners report.

Apple may have wiped out BlackBerry in the operating system market, but the latter is continuing with its effort to grow.

To increase growth, late last year, BlackBerry handed-out manufacturing and retailing of BlackBerry-branded mobile devices globally to Chinas TCL Communication Technology Holdings, the first licensing deal signed since BlackBerrys transition into a software company.

This year, BlackBerry also signed a software licensing agreement with a Delhi-based telecom enterprise Optiemus for the production of Android secured BlackBerry branded devices covering India, as well as Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.

At a media event last year, BlackBerrys Chief Executive John Chen expressed his concerns over the companys overall growth saying, I don't consider ourselves in a turnaround anymore, Now we need to execute for growth.

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Since the policy shift, more than 680 Cuban irregular migrants have been deported in total from various countries. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)

Havana: Cuba said on Friday the United States had deported 117 migrants back to the island nation since ending its policy granting automatic residency to almost every Cuban who reached US soil as part of the normalisation of relations.

Those deported included two people who were returned on Friday on the first flight chartered specifically for the deportation of Cuban migrants since the policy shift, Cuba's ruling Communist Party newspaper Granma wrote. The earlier deportees were taken back on commercial planes or boat.

Former US President Barack Obama repealed the special immigration policy for Cubans days before turning the White House over to Donald Trump.

Cuban authorities had long sought its end, arguing that the promise of US residency was fuelling people-trafficking and encouraging dangerous journeys.

The move however dashed the hopes of many who had been hoping to fulfill their American Dream and left hundreds of Cubans seeking a new life stranded halfway on their journey.

Since the policy shift, more than 680 Cuban "irregular migrants" have been deported in total from various countries, Granma wrote, including more than 400 from Mexico, 117 from the Bahamas and 39 from the Cayman Islands.
North Charleston: US President Donald Trump, scrambling to find a new top security aide after firing his first one and being spurned by another candidate, said on Friday he has four people under consideration including acting national security adviser Keith Kellogg.

Trump ousted Michael Flynn on Monday in a controversy over the retired lieutenant general's contacts with Russia. Retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward on Thursday turned down the Republican president's offer to replace Flynn.

"General Keith Kellogg, who I have known for a long time, is very much in play for NSA as are three others," Trump said on Twitter, without naming the other candidates.

Former CIA chief David Petraeus was previously identified as a candidate by a White House official.

Former U.S. National Security Agency head Keith Alexander and former supreme allied commander in Europe James Jones, who held the national security adviser post under former Democratic President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2010, were also thought to be under consideration. Both are retired generals.

Two others also thought to be in contention were former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, who holds a senior post with the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who is currently chief of staff of the White House National Security Council, accompanied Trump on a trip to South Carolina on Friday before heading to Florida. He stepped into the national security adviser role on an acting basis after Flynn's firing.

Trump may meet with candidates for the post during his weekend visit to Florida, a White House official told reporters.

Petraeus held command posts in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and served as CIA director under Obama. He quit as CIA chief in 2012 and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified materials relating to documents he had given his biographer, with whom he had an affair.

Harward, a senior executive at Lockheed Martin and former Navy SEAL, declined Trump's offer in part because he wanted to bring in his own team, according to two sources familiar with Harward's decision.

The White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, told Fox News on Friday that Harward's family "didn't sign off" on him taking the job.

"That's all it is," Priebus said.

Access to the president

Richard Haass, who held senior White House and State Department posts under Republican presidents and now heads the Council on Foreign Relations, said on Twitter the new national security advisor should insist on the right to choose staff members and have unlimited access to the president.

Haass, who Trump considered for a job in his administration, also called for rescinding a directive from the president that gave Trump's chief White House strategist, Steve Bannon, a seat on the National Security Council, a move condemned by Democrats.

Trump's administration has been dealing with the fallout from Flynn's departure for much of the week.

Flynn, a close adviser to Trump during his presidential campaign last year, was seen by Moscow as a leading advocate of friendlier ties with Russia.

Trump said on Thursday he fired Flynn because he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador to the United States, before Trump took office, about sanctions imposed by Obama's administration.

Trump has defended Flynn's actual contact with the ambassador, saying what he did "wasn't wrong."

The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Flynn told FBI agents last month that he had not discussed sanctions with the ambassador. Flynn's Jan. 24 interview with the FBI could expose him to charges, since lying to the agency is a felony, but any decision to prosecute would lie with the Justice Department.
Young people hold colored flags reading 'Peace' as they form a symbolic human wall along the Rio Grande, which marks the border between Mexico and the US in Ciudad Juarez. (Photo: AP)

Ciudad Jurez: Thousands of Mexicans linked arms to form a "human wall" on their country's border with the United States, protesting President Donald Trump's plan to build a massive barrier between the countries.

The protest on Friday, organised by local authorities and Mexican advocacy groups, brought together people armed with flowers, including politicians, social leaders and crowds of students to the border town Ciudad Juarez which already is separated by extensive fencing from its American neighbour city El Paso.

Protestors hurled slogans at Trump, whose plans to build the wall to keep undocumented immigrants out of the US and make Mexico foot the bill has enraged many people here.

"The wall is one of the worst ideas," said Carolina Solis, a 31-year-old student. "It won't stop anything not drugs or migrants."

"It's just a symbol of Donald Trump's hatred, the president's racism."

Under the watchful eye of US Border Patrol officers, protestors among them El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser formed a human barrier of nearly 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles).

Many people on both sides of the border cross it daily, calling one country home while going to work in the other.

"Ciudad Juarez and El Paso are one city we will never be apart," said Leeser, who was born on the Mexican side of the border.

His Ciudad Juarez counterpart Mayor Armando Cabada vowed to help resettle migrants deported from the US.

"Trump only generates fear in our US compatriots. We must show solidarity with them and tell them that they have our support," he said.

"If they are deported, we will welcome them with open arms."

Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested some 680 people across the United States as part of a crackdown by the new administration on the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Officials insist the raids targeted known criminals but rights advocates say people with no serious criminal records were also detained.

A similar protest was planned on Mexico's Pacific coast, at the border between the city of Tijuana and its US neighbour San Diego.
We believe that US' long-term interests are best served by supporting Pakistan's efforts to combat violent extremism and build a more stable, tolerant, democratic society, State Department said. (Photo: Representational Image)

Washington: Amid reports of a crackdown on terror hideouts by the Pakistan army, the US has said it is in its long term interest to support Islamabad's efforts to combat violent extremism and build a more stable society.

"We believe that US' long-term interests are best served by supporting Pakistan's efforts to combat violent extremism and build a more stable, tolerant, democratic society," a State Department spokesperson told PTI while responding to reports that the Pakistan Army attacked suspected militant hideouts close to the Af-Pak border.

"We've seen the reports. We'd refer you to the government of Pakistan," the official said.

"Pakistan has suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists," the official added.

The United States has long stood in solidarity with the people of Pakistan and all those who fight the menace of terrorism, the spokesperson said.

"We are grateful for the sacrifices, the Pakistani military and people have made in combating terrorism, shutting down terrorist safe havens and restoring government control to parts of Pakistan that have been used as terrorist safe havens for years," said the spokesperson.

Pakistan Army yesterday claimed to have killed more than 100 suspected terrorists in retaliation to an Islamic State suicide bombing at a crowded Sufi shrine in the southern Sindh province that claimed over 80 lives.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, addresses a Security Council meeting of the United Nations. (Photo: AP)

Washington: President Donald Trump has lauded Indian-American Nikki Haley, saying she is doing an "awfully" good job as the US Ambassador to the UN.

Haley, 45, is the first-ever Indian-American to be appointed to a Cabinet level position in any presidential administration.

"I want to thank your former governor, Nikki Haley, who is doing an awfully good job for us," he said, amidst applause in South Carolina.

"She's representing America very well as our ambassador to the UN. She is doing a spectacular job. It's early, but she has just been really great," Trump said in his first-ever public praise of the diplomatic work of the Indian-American politician.

Haley, the two-term former Governor of South Carolina, has been on her new job for a few weeks.
Los Angeles: Early on Saturday, an evacuation order remained in effect for 180 homes in the city of Duarte, given the potential for mudslides.

Intense rains and heavy snows were expected to lash California on Saturday after claiming at least two lives and causing flooding, mudslides and power outages, officials said.

Forecasters warned that rain totals could reach 10 inches (25 cm) in parts of southern California and 2 feet (60 cm) of snow in higher areas to the east as the massive storm continues to roll through the region, the National Weather Service said.

The storm was bringing California's heaviest rainfall in six years, after months of wet weather that has dramatically eased the state's years-long drought. The heavy rain and melting snowpack threatened to undermine a spillway at one of the largest dams in the country, which prompted the evacuation of 188,000 residents earlier this week.

Utility crews worked throughout the night to restore service to more than 78,000 electric customers affected by power outages throughout the Los Angeles area.

Early on Saturday, an evacuation order remained in effect for 180 homes in the city of Duarte, about 20 miles (32 km) east of Los Angeles, given the potential for mudslides.

The storm claimed the life of a man who was electrocuted by a downed wire, the Los Angeles Fire Department said, adding that it responded to 150 reports of downed wires on Friday.

Another person was found dead in a submerged vehicle in Victorville, about 100 miles east of Los Angeles, fire officials said on Twitter.

A woman was injured when the car she was in fell into a sinkhole in Studio City on Friday night. Soon after crews rescued the woman, a second car fell into the 20-foot sinkhole, an ABC affiliate reported.

Local television news also showed dramatic video footage of a San Bernardino County fire truck tumbling over the side of a freeway as the road gave out.

"All firefighters confirmed safe. The lane under the fire engine has failed, and the engine has gone over the side," the San Bernardino County Fire Department said on Twitter.
Los Angeles: A California university's decision to have the Dalai Lama speak at this year's commencement ceremony has sparked uproar among Chinese students who see the choice as an affront.

The University of California San Diego (UCSD) said it extended the invite to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader in a bid to promote his message of "global responsibility and service to humanity."

However the San Diego chapter of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association and other groups have objected, denouncing the 81-year-old Nobel laureate as a separatist leader intent on dividing China.

"The Dalai Lama is not simply a religious person, but also a political exile who has long been engaged in splitting the motherland and destroying national unity," the student association said in a statement.

In an op-ed for the school newspaper, The Guardian, Ruixuan Wang said the main reason Chinese students are upset "is that our university shows little consideration about cultural respect, as he is a politically sensitive person in China."

He added that many parents will be flying in from China to attend their children's graduation in June and the Dalai Lama's presence "will ruin our joy."

"What we want to say is that objectively, he will be an excellent speaker for the commencement," Wang wrote.

"Nonetheless, culturally speaking, his selection to be a presenter is inappropriate in such a situation, considering how many Chinese students and their families are going to attend this commencement."

The university said in a statement that it stood by its decision and there was no indication it planned to rescind the invite.

"The University of California San Diego has always served as a forum for discussion and interaction on important public policy issues and respects the rights of individuals to agree or disagree as we consider issues of our complex world," the statement said.

"As a public university dedicated to the civil exchange of views, the university believes commencement is one of many events that provide an appropriate opportunity to present to graduates and their families a message of reflection and compassion," it added.

The Dalai Lama, who heads the main branch of Tibetan Buddhism has been a thorn in the side of Beijing.

The spiritual leader, who has lived in exile in the north Indian town of Dharamsala since a failed 1959 uprising, has for decades called for more Tibetan autonomy rather than independence.

Chinese authorities maintain he is a "separatist" seeking to split Tibet from the rest of the country.
In early February, Iran conducted drills involving short-range missiles at a time of heightened tensions with the United States. (Photo: Representational/AP)

Tehran: Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard is to conduct military drills next week, a senior commander announced on Saturday, despite warnings from the United States and fresh sanctions over a ballistic missile test.

"The manoeuvres called 'Grand Prophet 11' will start Monday and last three days," General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the force's ground units, told a news conference.

He said rockets would be used without specifying which kind.

In early February, Iran conducted drills involving short-range missiles at a time of heightened tensions with the United States.

The Islamic republic said the exercises were aimed at demonstrating Iran's "complete preparedness to deal with the threats" and "humiliating sanctions" from Washington.

US President Donald Trump slapped fresh sanctions against Tehran's weapons procurement network following a ballistic missile test on January 29.

"Iran would do well to look at the calendar and realise there's a new president in the Oval Office. And Iran would do well not to test the resolve of this new president,"

Vice President Mike Pence said earlier this month. New Pentagon chief James Mattis, for his part, has branded Iran "the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world".

Iranian officials have rejected the threats emphasising that the missile programme is purely defensive.
Seoul: Membership of North Korea's ruling dynasty brings enormous privilege, but for anyone who falls foul of the power games there is a potentially fatal price to pay.

The assassination of leader Kim Jong-Un's elder half-brother Jong-Nam in Malaysia is likely to leave other estranged and exiled relatives casting some increasingly anxious glances over their shoulders.

Chief among them is the murdered man's son Han-Sol, who lived in exile with his parents in the Chinese territory of Macau, and who with his impeccable bloodlines could be seen as a rival figurehead in a state roiled by bloody purges.

"As Kim Jong-Un's reign of terror continues, some elites in Pyongyang have started to think about possible alternatives," said Koh Young-Hwan, a former North Korean diplomat who is now a Seoul-based commentator on North Korea affairs.

"So Kim Jong-Un must have concerns about such figures. Now Jong-Nam is dead, you can say his son is also in great danger."

Han-Sol, 21, is believed to have graduated from his studies at the Science Po University in France but his current whereabouts are unknown.

Some analysts believe China was keeping the family under its wing in case it needed a friendly figure to serve as replacement leader in the event of upheaval in the North.

"China has been protecting Jong-Nam and his family. Therefore, he was detested all the more by the North's leader", said Kim Sung-Min, a high-profile defector who operates an anti-Pyongyang propaganda radio station in Seoul.

Back in 2012, when at school in Bosnia, Han-Sol labelled his uncle Kim Jong-Un a "dictator" in an interview in which he appeared bright and articulate and hinted at a future role in his homeland.

"I have always dreamed one day I will go back and make things better, make it easier for all the people there," he said.

"My dad was not really interested in politics," Kim said when asked why his father was passed over for the dynastic succession in favour of his younger brother.

Ahn Chan-Il, a former North Korean military official and the head of the World Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul, said that after the death of Jong-Nam, his son now had a target on his back.

"He has remained quiet for a couple of years after criticising the North once. But now that his father has been poisoned to death, he will start speaking out again some day to criticise the regime," he said.

Overkill

The Kim family tree is littered with figures who met violent deaths or were forced into exile after being marked out by a regime which has never loosened its grip on power in three generations.

Jong-Nam's death evoked the fate of Jang Seong-Taek, a one-time number-two and uncle of the young ruler, who was executed in Pyongyang in 2013 for treason and corruption in a brutal display of who was now in charge.

Jang is known to have served as Jong-Nam's protector and provider, bankrolling the playboy's profligate life style.

The Malaysian assassination may be straight out of the pages of a spy novel, but North Korea has a long history of spectacular targeted killings including a 1968 commando attack on South Korea's presidential Blue House.

Yi Han-Yong, Kim Jong-Nam's cousin, was shot dead by two assassins in 1997 outside his home near Seoul after he defected in 1982 and published a memoir revealing details of the Kims' private lives.

Others have been sent packing despite posing no apparent challenge.

Kim Jong-Un's uncle, 62-year-old Kim Pyong-Il, has been living in quasi-exile for the past three decades, mostly in Eastern Europe.

Currently serving as ambassador to the Czech Republic, he was once tipped as the North's next leader.

"It's long been a taboo to talk about him and any official who tries to befriend Pyong-Il is subject to punishment", said the defector Kim.

Jong-Un's brother Jong-Chul, 35, is also known to be living in near-exile, travelling abroad and keeping a discreet distance from politics. He was spotted watching British rockstar Eric Clapton perform in London in 2015.

South Korea's spy chief said last year that Jong-Chul was living "in internal exile under tight surveillance" and was abusing alcohol and suffering from poor mental health.

"Although Jong-Chul is older than Jong-Un, it is highly unlikely that he will play any significant role in the North", said Thae Yong-Ho, former North Korean deputy ambassador to London who defected to the South last year.

"Had he been born to an ordinary family, he might have become a good guitarist", he quipped.
Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in Just For Laughs style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show. (Photo: AP)

Jakarta: The Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the killing of the North Korean leaders half brother in Malaysia was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank, Indonesias national police chief said Friday, citing information received from Malaysian authorities.

Tito Karnavian told reporters in Indonesias Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in Just For Laughs style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show.

He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer, Karnavian said.

She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents, he said.

Karnavians comments come after a male relative of Aisyah said in an Indonesian television interview that she had been hired to perform in a short comedy movie and traveled to China as part of this work. Indonesian Immigration has said Aisyah traveled to Malaysia and other countries, which it did not specify.

South Korea has been quick to accuse its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

Although Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau, police in Malaysia say none has come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples in the aftermath of what appeared to be an assassination.

North Korean diplomats in Malaysia have requested custody of Kim Jong Nams body, arguing that he had a North Korean passport. The officials objected to an autopsy, but Malaysian authorities went ahead with the procedure anyway because they did not receive a formal complaint.

Investigators were still trying to piece together details of the case, and South Korea has not said how it concluded that North Korea was behind the killing.

Malaysian police were questioning three suspects  Aisyah, another women who carried a Vietnamese passport, and a man they said is Aisyahs boyfriend  and waiting for autopsy results that could shed light on why Kim Jong Nam suddenly fell ill at the airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau.

Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical. Within two hours, Malaysian officials said, he was dead.

Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46, had lived in exile for years and was estranged from his younger half brother, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Yoji Gomi, a Japanese journalist who wrote a book about Kim Jong Nam, said he criticized the family regime and believed a leader should be chosen through a democratic process.

Gomi said he met Kim Jong Nam by chance at Beijings international airport in 2004, leading to exchanges of 150 emails and two interviews in 2011, one in Beijing and another in Macau totaling seven hours.

Kim Jong Nam appeared nervous during the interview in Macau, Gomi said.

He must have been aware of the danger, but I believe he still wanted to convey his views to Pyongyang via the media, Gomi said. He was sweating all over his body, and seemed very uncomfortable when he responded to my questions. He was probably worried about the impact of his comments and expressions. The thought now gives me a pain in my heart.

In Indonesia, Aisyahs family and former neighbors said they were stunned by her arrest, describing her as a polite and quiet young mother.

Between 2008 and 2011 she and her then-husband lived in a home with flaking red paint in a narrow alley of Tambora, a densely populated neighborhood in western Jakarta.

Her former father-in-law, Tjia Liang Kiong, who lives in a nearby middle-class neighbourhood and last saw Aisyah on Jan. 28, described her as respectful.

I was shocked to hear that she was arrested for murdering someone, he said. I dont believe that she would commit such a crime or what the media says that she is an intelligence agent.

Aisyahs mother, Benah, said by telephone that the family comes from a humble village background and has no ability to help her.

Since we heard that from the television, I could not sleep and eat. Same as her father, he just prays and reads the holy Quran. He even does not want to speak, said Benah. As villagers, we could only pray.

According to Kiong, Aisyah only completed junior high school and moved to Malaysia with her husband in 2011 to seek a better life after the garment-making shop they ran from their home went out of business. The couple left their nearly 2-year-old son in Jakarta under the care of Kiong and his wife.

She and her husband divorced in 2012.

Malaysia, which is approaching developed-nation income levels, is a magnet for millions of Indonesians, who typically find work there as bar hostesses, maids and construction and plantation workers.

Malaysia said Friday it wants DNA samples from Kim Jong Nams family as part of the post-mortem procedure and that officials were not yet willing to hand the body over to the North Koreans.

If there is no claim by next-of-kin and upon exhausting all avenues (to obtain DNA), we will finally then hand over the body to the (North Korean) embassy, said Abdul Samah Mat, a senior Malaysian police official.

He would not speculate on how long that process might take. The three suspects were arrested separately on Wednesday and Thursday.

The women were identified using surveillance videos from the airport, police said. Early Friday, police took the pair back to the crime scene at the budget terminal of the airport for further investigations, Abdul Samah said. Local media reported that police wanted to recreate the crime scene to establish new leads.
Munich: Vice President Mike Pence vowed on Saturday that the United States will "hold Russia accountable" even as President Donald Trump searches for new common ground with Moscow at the start of his presidency.

Pence, in an address to the Munich Security Conference, also offered assurances to European allies that the U.S. "strongly supports" NATO. He said the US would be "unwavering" in its commitment to trans-Atlantic institutions like NATO.

In his first overseas trip as vice president, Pence sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression and have been alarmed by Trump's positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin. The address to foreign diplomats and security officials also sought to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist tendencies.

Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honour a 2015 peace deal agreed upon in Minsk, Belarus, to end violence in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

"Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Pence was meeting afterward with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who addressed the conference just before the vice president. Merkel stressed the need to maintain international alliances and told the audience, with Pence seated a few feet away, that NATO is "in the American interest."

European countries along Russia's border were rattled over the prospect of deeper U.S.-Russia ties after Trump suggested sanctions imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea could be eased in exchange for a nuclear weapons deal, and after the president referred to NATO as "obsolete" in an interview before his inauguration. Trump has since tempered his language, stressing the importance of the NATO alliance during his telephone conversations with foreign leaders.

Pence also scheduled meetings Saturday with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko - countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion. Pence also planned to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The visit, which includes a stop in Brussels on Sunday and Monday, comes amid worries in Europe about Russian aggression, Trump's relationship with Putin and whether the new president may promote isolationist tendencies through his "America First" mantra.

"The vice president has sent reassuring messages through his own engagement but that hasn't been enough to dispel the concerns that you see in many parts of Europe," says Jeff Rathke, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "There are such grave challenges that the U.S. and Europe faces that it only heightens the desire for additional clarity from Washington."

Pence's stature within the administration was also under scrutiny because of the recent dismissal of Trump's national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign Monday following reports he misled Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat. The vice president learned that he had been misled through media accounts about two weeks after the president was informed.

Pence is also expected to meet with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. is embroiled in two separate wars. Trump has made clear his intention to defeat the Islamic State group. But he also said the U.S. may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who will be meeting with the vice president.

Trump's immigration and refugee ban has ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order currently tied up in court, including Iraq - a close ally in the fight against IS.

In Munich, the American allies were searching for clues from Pence as to how the Trump administration plans to deal with Russia in the aftermath of Flynn's departure, U.S. inquiries into Russia's involvement in the presidential election and Trump's past praise for Putin.

In his remarks, Pence also reinforced the Trump administration's message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

NATO's 28-member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. But only the U.S. and four other members of the post-World War II military coalition are meeting the standard, Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, "erodes the very foundation of our alliance."

"Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfill this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more," Pence said.
Sulaiymaniya, Iraq: Islamic State militant Amar Hussein says he reads the Quran all day in his tiny jail cell to become a better person. He also says he raped more than 200 women from Iraqi minorities, and shows few regrets.

Kurdish intelligence authorities gave Reuters rare access to Hussein and another Islamic State militant who were both captured during an assault on the city of Kirkuk in October that killed 99 civilians and members of the security forces. Sixty-three Islamic State militants died.

Hussein said his emirs, or local Islamic State commanders, gave him and others a green light to rape as many Yazidi and other women as they wanted. Young men need this, Hussein told Reuters in an interview after a Kurdish counter-terrorism agent removed a black hood from his head. This is normal.

Hussein said he moved from house to house in several Iraqi cities raping women from the Yazidi sect and other minorities at a time when Islamic State was grabbing more and more territory from Iraqi security forces.

Kurdish security officials say they have evidence of Hussein raping and killing but they don't know what the scale is. Reuters could not independently verify Hussein's account.

Witnesses and Iraqi officials say Islamic State fighters raped many Yazidi women after the group rampaged through northern Iraq in 2014. It also abducted many Yazidi women as sex slaves and killed some of their male relatives, they said.

Human rights groups have chronicled widespread abuses by Islamic State against the Yazidis.

Hussein said he also killed about 500 people since joining Islamic State in 2013. "We shot whoever we needed to shoot and beheaded whoever we needed to beheaded," said Hussein.

He recalled how emirs trained him to kill, which was difficult at first when one person was brought for a practice kill. It became easier day by day. "Seven, eight, ten at a time. Thirty or 40 people. We would take them in desert and kill them," said Hussein, an imposing, well-built figure, who was wearing metal handcuffs.

Eventually, he became highly efficient, never hesitating to kill. "I would sit them down, put a blindfold on them and fire a bullet into their heads," he said. "It was normal."

Trouble

Counter-terrorism agents said Hussein was trouble when he first arrived. "He was so strong he snapped the plastic handcuffs off his wrists," said one.

Hussein sees himself as a victim of hardship, a product of a broken home and poverty in his hometown of Mosul, where Iraqi forces have launched an offensive against Islamic State to dislodge them from their last stronghold in Iraq.

"I had no money. No one to say 'This is wrong, this is right.' No jobs. I had friends but no one to give me advice," said Hussein, who has been held in the cell with a barred window since his capture in October.

Religious slogans are scratched on its cement walls by previous jihadist prisoners. His only possessions are a thick blanket and a Quran. On the floor is a polystyrene plate with broth and some rice. Thick, metal handcuffs hang on a nearby wall.

Hussein, now 21, began his career as an Islamic militant began when he was just 14, he said. He was drawn to jihad by his local mosque preacher, then he joined al-Qaeda and now awaits legal proceedings as a member of Islamic State, the successor of al-Qaeda's Iraq branch.

Counter-terrorism agents described a second prisoner, Ghaffar Abdel Rahman, as less forthcoming, and said he had revealed little during questioning about his experiences as a checkpoint and logistics man for Islamic State.

Abdel Rahman, 31, with long hair and beard and a blank stare, gave little away in a separate interview with Reuters.

He admitted to opening fire on security forces in the raid on Kirkuk but says he never killed anyone. He said he and his brother joined Islamic State because otherwise, as state employees, they would have been killed by the group.

His Kurdish captors did not comment on his story, but Iraqi authorities are generally sceptical of fighters who say they had no choice.

Abdel Rahman's only hint of anger came when he was asked his view of Shi'ite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and he suggested Iraq would always be plagued by instability because many sects live in the country.

"He (Abadi) does not provide people with justice," said Abdel Rahman.
Islamabad: A brutal attack on a beloved Sufi shrine that killed 88 people raised fears that the Islamic State group has become emboldened in Pakistan, aided by an army of homegrown militants benefiting from hideouts in neighbouring Afghanistan, analysts and officials said on Saturday.

Pakistani security forces have carried out sweeping country-wide raids following Thursday's bombing of the shrine in Pakistan's southern Sindh province that also wounded 343 people.

The military's public relations wing reported on its official twitter account that more than 100 suspected 'terrorists" were killed in the raids, while government officials lashed out at Kabul accusing the Afghan government of ignoring earlier pleas to crackdown on militant hideouts.

Zahid Hussain, an expert on militants in the region, said a toxic mix of violent Sunni militant groups, many belonging to banned groups that are flourishing under new names, have wrapped themselves in the banner of the Islamic State group.

"The Islamic State (group) might not have a strong organizational structure in Pakistan but we have thousands of members of banned groups sympathetic to the (their) ideology," Hussain said in an interview. "They subscribe to the Islamic State (group) world view."

Thursday's terror attack, Pakistan's deadliest in years stunned the nation and raised questions about the authorities' ability to rein in militant groups despite several military offensives targeting militant hideouts.

It also threatened to drive a deeper wedge between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad quickly lashed out at Kabul, saying the bombing was masterminded in militant sanctuaries across the border in Afghanistan, whose own security forces have been assaulted by Islamic State fighters.

Overnight, Afghan authorities said 17 Afghan soldiers were killed by IS insurgents.

Pakistan's Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa spoke by phone with U.S. Gen John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, to protest militant sanctuaries on Afghan soil, according to a statement carried on the military's official twitter account. Bajwa said the Afghan government was not taking action against the hideouts and warned that its "inaction" was testing "our current policy of cross border restraint," without further elaborating.

Underscoring tensions between the two neighbours, Pakistan fired a blistering round of artillery shells into Afghan territory on Friday and shut down the Torkham border crossing a key commercial artery between the two neighbours. Pakistan said the barrage was in response to a militant attack on one of its border posts.
The border closure in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province comes after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan that killed 88 people. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)

Islamabad: Two Pakistani officials say a second key Chaman border crossing into Afghanistan has been closed, halting trade supplies to the neighbouring landlocked country.

The border closure in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province comes after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan that killed 88 people. It was seen as a tactic to pressure Kabul to act against militants who Pakistan says has sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani officials asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to brief the media on the record.

Earlier, Pakistan closed a border crossing at Torkham, which connects Pakistan to Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

The Islamic State says it was behind the shrine attack and Pakistani security forces have launched nationwide operations that they say has left more than 100 "terrorists" dead.
Pakistan has often warned Afghan authorities to prevent the use of their soil for terror activities in Pakistan. (Photo: AP)

Islamabad: Pakistan has reportedly launched "strikes" against militant bases in Afghanistan, hours after the army said it has found links that terrorists from across the border were behind a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine that killed 88 people.

The army on Friday summoned Afghan diplomats and handed them a list of 76 militants who, they say, were supporting terrorist activities in Pakistan. The move came after 88 people died in a suicide bombing at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in southern Sindh province on Thursday.

Immediately after the bombing, Pakistan claimed the attack was planned in militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan, in remarks that can renew hostility between Kabul and Islamabad.

Geo TV, quoting military sources, reported that the strikes were launched on Friday night. But there have been no official word on the strikes, which, if confirmed, would be the first such operation on Afghan soil by the Pakistan Army.

The report said four camps of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar terror group were targeted in the strikes across the border of Pakistan's Khyber and Mohmand tribal agencies. Some reports said several militants, including the deputy commander of Jamat-ul Ahrar, Adil Bacha, were killed in the strikes.

The report quoted the Afghan media reporting that the Pakistani ambassador in Afghanistan has been summoned by the Afghan government over recent shelling in eastern part of the country.

Pakistan has often warned Afghan authorities to prevent the use of their soil for terror activities in Pakistan.

On Friday, Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa told General John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan, during a telephonic conversation that terrorist activities and inaction against militants in Afghanistan were "testing our current policy of cross-border restraint".

Pakistan Army has launched "intelligence-based operations" combing operations across the country and claimed it has killed "100 terrorists" since the attack on the shrine.

The army has so far provided no details of how and under what circumstances the militants were killed. In a statement yesterday, it claimed it has found linkages to militant support networks operating from Afghanistan and it has closed the border due to security reasons after the shrine bombing.
The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017, which is the first elaborate Hindu community's personal law, was adopted by the Senate on Friday. (Photo: Representational Image)

Islamabad: The much-awaited landmark bill to regulate marriages of minority Hindus in Pakistan is set to become a law with the Senate unanimously passing it.

The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017, which is the first elaborate Hindu community's personal law, was adopted by the Senate on Friday.

The bill had already been approved by the lower house or the National Assembly on September 26, 2015, and it now just needs signature of the President, a mere formality, to become a law.

Dawn News reported that the bill is widely acceptable to Hindus living in Pakistan because it relates to marriage, registration of marriage, separation and remarriage, with the minimum age of marriage set at 18 years for both boys and girls. The bill will help Hindu women get documentary proof of their marriage.

It will be the first personal law for Pakistani Hindus, applicable in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. The Sindh province has already formulated its own Hindu Marriage Law.

The bill presented in the Senate by Law Minister Zahid Hamid faced no opposition or objection. It was mainly due to the sympathetic views expressed by the lawmakers of all political parties in the relevant standing committees.

The bill was approved by the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on January 2 with an overwhelming majority. However, Senator Mufti Abdul Sattar of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl had opposed the bill, claiming that the

Constitution was vast enough to cater to such needs.

While approving the bill, committee chairperson Senator Nasreen Jalil of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had announced, "This was unfair not only against the principles of Islam but also a human rights violation that we have not been able to formulate a personal family law for the Hindus of Pakistan."

Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a leading Hindu lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, had been working relentlessly for three years to have a Hindu marriage law in the country.

"Such laws will help discourage forced conversions and streamline the Hindu community after the marriage of individuals," he said, expressing gratitude to the parliamentarians.

Vankwani also said it was difficult for married Hindu women to prove that they were married, which was one of the key tools for miscreants involved in forced conversion.

The law paves the way for a document 'Shadi Parath', similar to the 'Nikahnama' for Muslims to be signed by a pundit and registered with the relevant government department.
Pakistani para-military soldiers stand alert after a deadly suicide attack at the shrine of famous Sufi Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan. (Photo: AP)

Sehwan Sharif: Pakistani security forces killed dozens of suspected militants on Friday, a day after Islamic State claimed a suicide bombing that killed more than 80 worshippers at a Sufi shrine, the biggest in a spate of attacks this week across the country.

The bombing at the famed Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in southern Sindh province was Pakistan's deadliest attack for two years, killing at least 83 people and highlighting the threat of militant groups such as the Pakistani Taliban and Islamic State.

The security response was swift. "Over 100 terrorists have been killed since last night and sizeable apprehensions also made," the military said in an operations update on Friday evening.

"Terrorists will be targeted ruthlessly, indiscriminately, anywhere and everywhere. No let up," an armed forces spokesman added in a tweet.

With authorities facing angry criticism for failing to tighten security before the shrine bomber struck, analysts warned that the wave of violence pointed to a major escalation in Islamist militants' attempts to destabilise the region.

"This is a virtual declaration of war against the state of Pakistan," said Imtiaz Gul, head of the independent Centre for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad.

With pressure growing for action, Pakistan demanded that neighbouring Afghanistan hand over 76 "terrorists" it said were sheltering over the border.

The bombings over five days have hit all four of Pakistan's provinces and two major cities, shaking a nascent sense that the worst of the country's militant violence may be in the past.

A series of military operations against insurgent groups operating in Pakistan had encouraged hopes that their leaders were scattered. "But this has led to a degree of complacency within our civil-military leadership that perhaps they have completely destroyed these elements, or broken their back," Gul said.

If so, that impression has been shattered in recent days.

Blood and tears

At Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, the white marble floor was still stained with blood on Friday, and a pile of shoes and slippers was heaped in the courtyard, many of them belonging to the dead.

Outside, protesters shouted slogans at police, who they said had failed to protect the shrine. "I wish I could have been here and died in the blast last night," a devastated Ali Hussain told Reuters, sitting on the floor of the shrine.

He said that local Sufis had asked for more security after a separate bombing this week killed 13 people in the eastern city of Lahore, but said: "No one bothered to secure this place."

Anwer Ali, 25, rushed to the shrine after he heard the explosion, and described seeing dead bodies and chaos as people fled the scene. "There were threats to the shrine. The Taliban had warned that they will attack here, but authorities didn't take it seriously," Ali said.

Sindh police chief A.D. Khawaja said on Friday that the death toll had reached 83 people with scores more wounded.

The attacks have once again raised questions over the influence of Islamic State in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 190 million people that has tense relations with its neighbours India and Afghanistan.

In the past two years, Islamic State has worked to build its "Khorasan province" encompassing Afghanistan and Pakistan, often helped by local radicals.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's foreign policy adviser Sartaj Aziz blamed Jamaat-ur-Ahrar (JuA), a Pakistani Taliban faction that has been linked to Islamic State, for the attack.

Most of the other recent attacks have been claimed by factions of the Pakistani Taliban, which is waging its own fight against the government but whose ranks have also cooperated with and sometimes defected to Islamic State.

That has led some observers to question whether the growing prominence of Islamic State actually represents a new threat - since its fighters were already operating under different names to attack government, army and minority faith targets, among others.

However, the increasing number of attacks claimed by Islamic State has raised pressure on authorities to show they are capable of containing the renewed violence.

Islamic State also said it was behind another shrine attack, in southwestern Baluchistan province, that killed at least 52 people last November. In October, it said it carried out an assault on a police training college, killing 59.

The shrine attack has heightened tensions with Afghanistan, after Pakistani officials said some militant leaders took shelter over the border. The accusation echoes similar criticism from Kabul aimed at Islamabad.

In a telephone call with Afghanistan's national security adviser, Aziz expressed concern that JuA was operating from Afghanistan and that Kabul had failed to act against them, according to a statement from his office.

On Friday, border crossings were closed and Afghan diplomats were summoned to military headquarters in Islamabad and given a list of 76 "most-wanted terrorists" that Pakistan demanded be captured and handed over, the army said.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday condemned the shrine attack on Twitter, calling Islamic State "a common enemy of Afghanistan & Pakistan".
In Puducherry, the DMK cadres staged a road roko at near the bus terminus and raised slogans condemning the attack on Stalin. Thanjavur reports said, around 300 persons including former Union Minister TR Balu were arrested for burning the effigy of Dhanapal.

In the letter to the Governor, the DMK complained about their eviction from the assembly and sought postponement of the session to enable a secret voting.





"The agenda of Speaker (P Dhanapal) is to go ahead with voting and announce that the Chief Minister has succeeded in getting the confidence of the House, in the absence of the DMK members. This is totally foul play and unconstitutional," it said.





"Therefore, we request the Governor to restore democratic values and order postponement of the Assembly session for conducting secret voting on the Confidence Motion," it said.





However, the Assembly was adjourned sine die after the confidence vote. Stalin noted that the party insisted on secret voting in the Assembly in view of the "fact that a number of AIADMK legislators were held as hostage in a resort."





He alleged "they were brought for voting under tight security and threat and that they will not be able to exercise their voting according to conscience and free will." He said DMK also 'pleaded' with the Speaker to postpone voting to a future date but that he had not obliged.





"The Speaker did not listen to us and tried to carry on with open voting. He adjourned the House twice. Therefore, we resorted to dharna in a very peaceful manner, but the Speaker ordered expulsion of all the DMK members en bloc," he said.





"The police entered into the Assembly Hall and removed us by using force, presumably under the instructions of the Speaker. Many of our members have sustained injury," he claimed.

Similarly, picketing was reported from several places in Erode district, including Bhavani, Gobichettipalayam and Sathyamangalam.




"The vow taken by our party's General Secretary V K Sasikala has been fulfilled," he said as party cadres raised slogans "Chinnama Vaazhga!" at the MGR memorial, hailing Sasikala. He was apparently referring to Sasikala's earlier assertion that Jayalalithaa's government would continue in the state.





Palanisami, flanked by his ministers and senior party leaders, including party Deputy General Secretary, TTV Dinakaran, paid floral tributes at the memorials of party founder M G Ramachandran and late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. His government won the vote of confidence by a margin of 122-11 in the assembly.





Later, talking to reporters, Palaniswami said, a party which had been nurtured by AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, was ignored by some and they wanted to unseat this government by allegedly joining hands with DMK. "Their true face has been exposed by today's result", he said.





Asked whether he would take action against those who went away from the party, he said, only the party can decide. On the issues that would be taken up, the chief minister said the first issue was to address out the severe water crisis in the state.





"The state is facing severe water crisis that was not experienced in the last 140 years. Solving the drinking water problem will be my first priority," Palaniswami said.





He said he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and get the relief fund for the damage caused by cyclone 'Vardah in December last year.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today said with his government winning the confidence vote in the Assembly, the vow taken by AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala has been fulfilled.
Happiness is the ultimate purpose of our existence, whether as a conscious or unconscious decision. It is every human beings inalienable right. Yet, how do we measure happiness? It comes in so many different forms and for such diverse reasons that there can never be a consensus of what constitutes happiness.





The world will have you think that happiness is determined by material conditions; the great ancient religions, by asceticism, virtue and moral character. Balancing spiritual and material happiness is a tightrope walk that few have mastered. In our personal quest for this most elusive ideal, we often seek the path of fame, fortune and pleasure. But these are means to an end, ephemeral. As the great Greek philosopher Aristotle pointed out: Happiness depends upon ourselves. It stands to reason then that the sum of your life, as lived from moment to moment, equals happiness. That is the fundamental philosophy of life. But philosophy does not always translate well into reality. In actuality, a lot depends on where you live, and the contributions of that city to your well-being.



For long, GNP (gross national product) was the measure by which the world gauged the well-being of a country. But this did not take into consideration the contentment of an individual within a society. In July 2011, the UN General Assembly passed a historic resolution inviting member countries to measure the happiness of their people and to use this to help guide their public policies.



Yet, in doing so, many factors come into play, factors such as urban and rural, the economic divide, society and community. These contribute to the fluctuation of well-being between citizens of a particular city. The variables are more so between countries when national wealth, human development and environmental conditions are taken into consideration. So it would seem almost a futile exercise to try and determine the happiest city or country. More practical would be to measure the broad parameters of economic, social, cultural and political effects that contribute directly to the well-being of a person.



Increasingly, happiness is considered to be the proper measure of social progress and the goal of public policy, say the editors of the World Happiness Report (WHR) 2016*. According to WHR, Denmark ranks as the happiest country, followed by Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries. It is interesting to note that WHR ranks India 118 after Pakistan at 92 and Bangaladesh at 110!



The editors have arrived at the happiness index using six factors: GDP per capita, healthy years of life expectancy, social support (as measured by having someone to count on in times of trouble), trust (as measured by a perceived absence of corruption in government and business), perceived freedom to make life decisions, and generosity (as measured by recent donations), relative to a hypothetical country called Dystopia.



The editors, all independent experts acting in their own capacities, have leveraged data from the Gallup World Poll for their analysis. The rankings are based on answers to the main life evaluation question asked in the poll. This is called the Cantril Ladder: it asks respondents to think of a ladder, with the best possible life for them being a 10, and the worst possible life being a 0. They are then asked to rate their own current lives on that 0 to 10 scale, explains Kris Hodgins, manager, Gallup Analytics.



Statistics aside, its what the citizen on the ground has to say that really matters. A quick poll around the globe elicited these responses:



Politics, government



In the annual survey (ASICS) of governance parameters done by Janaagraha, a non-profit Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, all major cities in India fall short on the parameters evaluated. We believe all four parts of the framework: planning, transparency, capacities and legitimate political representation must be addressed in a holistic manner and work in tandem for ensuring a good quality of life in our cities, says Anil Nair, senior manager, Advocacy. Nair points out that as per the 2015 ASICS survey, of the 21 largest cities in India, Bengaluru was ranked 12th.



V Balasubramanian, IAS Retd, is not so optimistic about Bengaluru. There is no administrative will within bureaucracy, let alone political will among leaders to pause and think of the future. The tragedy, he says, lies in the fact that the central and state administrative leadership are antagonistic to each other. This causes problems in resource flow from centre to state.



Goa meets with the same verdict. Corruption is rampant, and demonitisation has hit the common man, and not where it was supposed to hit! says M L Tavares, a prominent educationist. Agricultural land, arbitrarily taken for development without adequate compensation, is further aggravation.



David Venus from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, seems as disenchanted with his government. MPs are selected by people in their own area to represent them; these are career politicians and not truly representative of the people, he says.



There is an echo across the seas from Italy. My city, Trento, has been among the top three Italian cities when it comes to high living standards. But, unfortunately, my city does not reflect the actual situation in Italy. A slow growth GDP rate since decades, high unemployment rate among people between 20 and 35 years, and unable politicians are destroying every potential that my country could offer, says Egon Mutschlechner, project manager.



The Middle East seems to fare better. We have been blessed with a kind and benevolent leader, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, under whom we enjoy peace, stability and economic privilege, says fashion and lifestyle blogger Rachel George who has lived all of her life in Muscat, Oman, and now considers it home.



Stacie Wideman, self-employed at her family-run spring manufacturing unit, believes that while government transparency is extremely important, it does not mean much if citizens do not get involved. Fortunately for the residents of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA where she lives, the local government has town hall meetings on important issues or new city development where citizens can ask questions and voice their opinions on the subject. It is set up so that you can listen in on the meetings at home on your phone as well. One such citizens victory was when a proposal to increase sales tax (which would have made it the highest in the country) did not pass.



Infrastructure



The United Arab Emirates has proven just why they are ranked No 3 in Asia (world rank No 28) on the Happiness Index. Theirs is perhaps the only country in the world that has no taxes, yet citizens receive world class infrastructure. Healthcare and education (including education abroad) is free, electricity and water are heavily subsidised. Generous grants are given for housing as well as for marriages. In addition, the Khafeel scheme allows local Emiratis a 51% stake in business without having to invest a fil. While all these schemes are aimed at local Emiratis, foreigners living in the UAE partake of the good life too.



While taxes in many parts of the world are as high as 40-45% of a persons income, citizens get a lot in return. Safety and infrastructure are what put Japan ahead of other parts of the world. We have a very good national healthcare system too, says Japanese translator Rita Sugano who lives in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture.



Austria receives as glowing a report. The infrastructure here, whether its the electric buses, clearing of the snow in winter, maintaining parks to free education in schools and free medical services add to the quality of life and the feeling of community rather than being individualistic, says regional marketing manager, Nolita Lobo, speaking of Salzburg. We see our taxes working for us, compared to Italy or India, she says.



Broken Arrow has a good public school system and a large majority of tax dollars go to the running of public schools. Tax dollars also support libraries, public parks, community centres, government and social programmes, says Wideman.



Do we like living in the United Kingdom? Yes, its not perfect, but its not bad, we have a lot of good with our public services and council facilities, but the real pride is the National Health Service, says Venus.



To those of us in Indian cities who feel we do not get recompense for our taxes, Frenchman Jean-Marc Dalle offers an explanation: The Chinese prepare (anticipate) everything before building something, in India thats the opposite, and all the problems are addressed in a reactive mode when it becomes a problem!



Safety, law & order



Safety, or the perception of safety, is crucial to living anywhere. In many parts of the world the stark inequality of living conditions is what contributes to the breakdown of law and order. Natural disasters and human terror organisations are rapidly growing threats. It is an ongoing battle for many governments; but not impossible if the will is implacable.



Dr Anil Kashyap, International Federation for Housing & Planning Council India representative, shows in his case studies how Rio De Janerio that historically struggled to ensure good urban safety... through the integration of monitoring technology, hopes it can mitigate risks associated with both social and natural safety concerns. Similarly, Kashyap points to Preston, UK. With the addition of a Community Engagement Officer, Prestons local community has built a programme aimed at the creation of safe and inclusive local environments.



Hong Kong has a great blend of security, stability, sustainability and freedom providing a strong springboard to happiness, says Penni Mannas Diefendorf. The author, Core of Steel series, says that Hong Kong enjoys a peculiar kind of freedom where you can be anything and do anything, regardless of background or education!



Sometimes though, the best of intentions go haywire. Despite having the entire police force out, Bengaluru witnessed the shameful New Years Eve debacle, prompting a wry comment from Michael van der Veen: Of course, Bengaluru is a happy place  now you can do a Trump anytime you want!



Robust law enforcement, even for minor traffic infractions, makes UAE one of the safest places to live in. A non-existent gun culture ensures the absence of gun-related deaths. Even petty crimes like mugging, thefts and burglary are almost unheard of.



Japan has a very low crime rate and I love not having to worry... There is an absolute zero tolerance for drugs here. People are polite and the focus tends to be on the community rather than the individual person. They work hard and show us the importance of doing the least little thing properly and with respect. There is great attention given to detail. No one is looked down upon because of what they do, says Sugano.



Culture & community



Both of which we have in abundance in India! Though there are some that will argue to the contrary, and barring the disruptive elements that attack the fabric of our society, Indians have no hesitation in embracing their neighbours food and festivals. We can, by and large, rely on our compatriots in times of trouble and you can expect a warm welcome from a neighbour any time you choose to visit. This is true for many Asian cities, though the same cannot perhaps be said for Europe.



New Zealand, it would seem, is as genuine in its hospitality and warmth as we are in India. I can really appreciate the genuine authenticity of the people in New Zealand... the way in which NZ society is open to difference, and celebrates diversity, is unparalleled in my experience, says Rhea Mohenoa, social worker and family advocate.



Environment



It is said that Bhutan is one of the happiest places on earth due, in no small measure, to the fact that this country, situated in the Himalayan Mountains, still has well over 60% of natural wilderness. Living with and surrounded by nature definitely has advantages compared to pounding through a concrete jungle all day long.



Mohenoa agrees. In New Zealand, you dont need to drive longer than an hour to find a space of tranquillity and beauty... it is a beautiful country, both in landscape and culture, and is really just a slice of heaven that you cant quite match!



Lobo puts it into perspective when she cites it a privilege and a joy to be able to come home to the quiet of the mountains and its stunning beauty in Salzburg. We love that the locals work hard to preserve their heritage and nature. This, then, is the underlying global truth: citizen involvement!



Work-life balance



This is the eventual weight that tips the scale in favour of happiness. While many are still caught on the hedonic treadmill, increasingly the more courageous are jumping off to balance the scales in favour of what they love. When the mundane duties of life are efficient and seamless to the point of non-existence, it leaves one free to just be  surely the happiest of happiness one could wish for! signs off Diefendorf.



(*Helliwell, J, Layard, R, & Sachs, J (2016). World Happiness Report 2016, Update (Vol. I). New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network. World Happiness Report management by Sharon)
Controversial, misunderstood, and sometimes overlooked, Minor White (1908-1976) is one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, whose ideas exerted a powerful influence on a generation of photographers and still resonate today, wrote Paul Martineau (Minor White: Manifestations of The Spirit / J Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles / 2014). He pushed himself to live what he called a life in photography.





In a career spanning over four decades, White made thousands of evocative black-and-white and colour photographs of landscapes, people and abstract subject matter. No wonder, he came to be known as an intellectual grafter, transposing methods and ideas from art history, literature, religion, psychology, and other photographers to his own work. As a thoughtful theoretician and trenchant critic, he presented views on aspects of art which sometimes generated controversy.



In 1952, he helped start the famed photography magazine Aperture; and became its first and longtime editor. He was also an influential and esteemed teacher always guiding and encouraging his students. Interestingly, during his career as a photographer, he also followed several spiritual, mystical and philosophical strands; at one point of time, he supposedly wanted to even write a book on astrological influences on photography!



He was a seeker, a searcher, recalled Carl Chiarenza, who studied under Minor in the 1950s and is today known for his unique vocabulary of visual abstraction. From Catholicism to Boleslavksy to Zen to astrology, from I Ching to Ouspensky and Gurdjieff, from hypnosis to Schapiro and Wolfflin; from the hell of the military to the depths of music and art and the revelations he found in the photography of Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, and Alfred Stieglitz. And with all he found, he was always generous to others; especially his students, for whom he was always there.



Minor was keen that his students spent time looking deeply into pictures, from edge to edge. The big thing that Minor did as a teacher was to demonstrate, in word and deed, what a truly deep involvement in photography was, recalled another of his students, Paul Caponigro, who is among Americas foremost landscape photographers today. He showed what it was to have photography at the heart of your life. It was an inspiration and a challenge.



Memorable fancies



Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, in 1908, Minor Martin White graduated with Botany and English as his subjects. He wrote poems and reportedly completed a series of a 100 sonnets in five years. Throughout his life, he kept a journal which he called Memorable Fancies, a title derived from the work of English poet, painter, and mystic William Blake.



When he was 18, he became aware of his homosexuality. A year later, he bought a one-way ticket from Minneapolis to Seattle aiming to become a photographer. On the way, he stopped for a few days in Portland, Oregon. What was intended to be a brief stay ended in his decision to make the new city his home. It was in Portland that he developed many of his ideas and, more importantly, a lifelong obsession with photography.



He organised a camera club and built a darkroom and a modest gallery for exhibiting pictures.



After serving military intelligence during World War II, he went on to study Art, History and Aesthetics at the Columbian University. Subsequently, associating himself with leading photographers of the day including Edward Weston, Ansel Adams and Alfred Stieglitz, he developed his own style and maturity in his art.



Grappling gayhood



Haunted by his sexuality, White often described the pain and misery of being gay in his diaries. He was constantly struggling with the compulsion to hide himself to cover his shame, observed British studio potter and writer Emmanuel Cooper (The Sexual Perspective: Homosexuality and Art in the Last 100 Years in the West). Like many other homosexual men, White feared public exposure and rejection  whether as an artist, friend or lover, and he also found the acceptance of his own homosexuality almost impossible.



That, however, did not prevent White from taking pictures of the male nude secretly throughout his life; and depicting intimate lives and lacing the images with explicit homoerotic content. In 1940, for instance, he made a series of art nudes of model Gino Cipolla. He also created beefcake portraits, the classic fare of physique magazines, which served as thinly veiled newsstand erotica for homosexuals. He employed photography as a creative tool to search for spiritual transcendence and to express his sexual desire for men. Whites sexuality underlies the whole of the autobiographical statement contained in his work, wrote an observer.



Emotional power



White himself believed that all of his photographs were self-portraits. He filled his images with symbolic and metaphorical allusions  be it an expansive landscape, portrait or a mysterious close-up of an object. Throughout his career, he sought to photograph things not only for what they were but also for what they could suggest. He perceived an unappreciated mystical dimension in real things; and tried to build strong visible emotions between himself and his subjects.



By the end of his career, Whites pictures had become increasingly abstract, spiritual and intense. Instead of depicting his subjects (close-ups of rocks, wood and flowing water) in a single frame, he arranged them in sequences, leading viewers from one picture to another, and forcing them to make connections with the shapes.



He explained that the sense of authenticity in a photograph is so effective it can seduce some persons who reject abstraction in painting to accept what looks like abstraction in a photograph. At the same time, he acknowledged the limitations of photography as a path toward salvation, writing that the camera is both a way of life and not enough to live by.



In conclusion, it may be worth recollecting what White told his students. Meditate, concentrate, focus on a print for an hour. Go within, edge to edge, corner to corner. Now close your eyes and go where that hour moved you. That is where you and image blend.
No Mans Land

David Baldacci

Pan Macmillan

2016, pp 417, Rs 599





At a time when many US-born thriller-writers keep concocting plots where all things evil are perpetrated by a ruthless foreign agency controlled by a head of state with the first name of Vladimir, David Baldacci highlights the internal threat posed by rogue scientists working on official American agency-funded projects to create the perfect warrior.



In this book, Baldacci creates a scenario where rogue scientists who are working on a project financed by the USAs Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, (known in real life for its contribution to creating the technical foundation for what we now know as the Internet) are trying to enhance four-fold not just the psychological but physical attributes of aliens who are so keen on acquiring American citizenship that they allow themselves to be treated like guinea pigs for experiments that violate all judicial and ethical norms, and which have hazardous consequences for those experimented with.



In Mary Shelleys 1818 novel Frankenstein, the monstrous human created in a laboratory experiment wreaks revenge on the scientist by killing his brother and fiancee. Something similar happens in Baldaccis No Mans Land, with the alien Paul Rogers reacting to the experiments that warp his mind and body, by escaping from the laboratory and slaying those who have treated him like a guinea pig.



When an innocent bystander  Jacqueline Puller  sees Rogers running amok, she is killed and buried by those who do not want to run the risk of their experiment becoming public knowledge. Her family assumes that she is missing and it is left to her husband, a US Army general, to bring up the two young sons. General Puller is one of the most outstanding combat officers of his generation and is worshipped by the men he leads in one of Americas most difficult and complex conflicts, the Vietnam War. The highly-decorated officer now has to focus on bringing up the two boys.



The generals younger son is John Puller, who grows up to become a military-CID warrant officer, and who has featured in earlier Baldacci thrillers as the tenacious investigator who bucks the system to solve crimes. In No Mans Land, Baldacci gives us an insight into the childhood trauma that has made Puller what he is.



The book begins with Rogers being released after serving a 10-year sentence in a penitentiary that he has come to regard as a sanctuary from the rogue scientists who experimented on his mind and body. Round about the same time, John Puller, who holds the rank of chief petty officer with the military CID, is informed that the critically-ill wife of a sergeant  who had served with his father  has given a dying declaration that the general had killed Jacqueline.



The past and the present merge as John Puller tries to find out the truth, relying not just on his finely honed investigative skills, but his childhood memories of the missing mother he adored and the father he idolised and who is now being treated for dementia in a hospital. Meanwhile, Rogers is engaged in a pursuit of his own to track down and punish the female scientist who masterminded the project in which he was the unwitting guinea pig.



What follows inevitably comes across as a Manichaean conflict between the military values of courage and honour on one side, and the total darkness of the perspective of the rogue scientists whose mastermind Claire Jericho tells Rogers, We more than quadrupled your strength metrics. You fulfilled our mission of creating a meta-biologically dominant soldier. But the Pentagon shut down the whole program. The wars in the Middle East would have been different if wed had a division of soldiers like you. This made everything else we did to enhance you, secondary. A fighting machine who has no fear. It was the greatest attribute one could bestow. Fear makes one weak. A soldier who feels is not a real soldier.



In Baldaccis appropriately titled No Mans Land, there is always the tantalising if. What if the meta-biologically dominant soldier is not just a piece of fiction but something on which the defence advanced research project agencies of more than one nation are actually working on? What if Hitlers Herrenvolk or master-race could be meta-biologically mass-engineered in laboratories to create an army of fighting machines that could perpetrate holocausts without fear or guilt?



In a simpler age, some 250 years ago, one of Englands most outstanding naval heroes, Horatio Nelson, would be remembered for his spontaneous childhood query of what is fear? Towards the end of the second decade of the 21st century, David Baldacci seems to be reiterating what the American animator Walt Kellys comic-strip character Pogo uttered at the height of the Vietnam War: We have seen the enemy and he is us.




US-headquartered home floor-cleaning solutions major iRobot has expressed plans to extend its India footprint, eyeing more markets where it could retail its robotic gizmos.





The company, which was founded in 1990 by a team of roboticists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), entered the Indian market at the end of 2015, when it opened its first store in Bengaluru. In India, the company enjoys an exclusive distribution partnership with Puresight Systems, a provider of home robotic appliances.



Talking to DH about iRobots strategy for India, Puresight Systems Director Asaf Merary said, As a global company with $1.5 billion in value, which grew 50% last year, we see a huge global market for robotic cleaning appliances. India is next in line of our vision. We are experiencing double-digit growth in the country each quarter, and hence, seek to expand here.



As part of its expansion plans, iRobots primary focus is on setting up concept stores along with service centres, while it is open to large, (premium) retail formats too. Currently, iRobot operates two concept stores in Bengaluru, and wishes to open two more in any (yet-to-be-decided) metros this year, for which it is identifying eligible partners and sub-distributors, while several negotiations are underway as well.



The idea is also to make people aware of the reliability of robots in cleaning homes, which is nothing short of sci-fi.



According to Merary, iRobots solutions ensure hygiene in limited time. Our robots are preset with algorithms that understand the scale of a home, and ratio of cleanliness. Our diverse range comprises robots embedded with intelligence for dirt-detection and real-time cleaning, ensuring the highest cleanliness possible. A home cleaning robot is not meant to replace a domestic workers services, but assist and ease out his/her daily work, he said.



In India, iRobots range consists of the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner (priced from Rs 27,000), and the Braava moping robot (priced from Rs 25,000). Soon it will be launching the new Braava Jet line. Its products, designed in Boston, are imported from a facility in China. In 2015, iRobot generated $617 million in revenues, employing more than 500 engineers.




Apples decision to set up its manufacturing facility in Bengaluru will miss the supplier ecosystem from Japanese and Taiwanese companies, as they are not keen to set up facilities in India immediately.





With these developments, Apple will have to depend on importing the required components from Taiwan and Japan to have an assembling and packaging unit in Bengaluru.



According to sources familiar with the development, Japanese and Taiwanese companies who comprise the majority of suppliers for Apple products, have already set up their manufacturing base in their respective countries and China to meet global supply demands.



The Karnataka government recently stated that Apple will be setting up its third global manufacturing facility in the city. When DH contacted Japanese and Taiwanese officials who are privy to this development said supply chain companies are not ready to open their shops at this point of time.



Japanese companies existing manufacturing facilities can meet the Apples supply demand till 2023. So they will not open any manufacturing facility at this point of time in India, said an official who is handling Japanese companies.



Taiwanese consulate office from Chennai said the leading supplier from the country Wistron is most unlikely to set up a facility when Apple begins its assembly plant.



Currently, Apple has developed a hardware and software supplier ecosystem at its China and Taiwan plants. Its sourcing ecosystem is spread across 28 countries, and the majority of them are done by 70 odd companies in Taiwan, China, and Japan. Apart from Flextronics and Bosch India, none of Apple components suppliers has any facility in India. Also, Bengaluru doesnt have any ecosystem for mobile manufacturing.



The only company involved from Bengaluru is Bosch India, which is supplying pressure sensors based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.



Robert Bosch Electronics Engineering division General Manager Uday Prabhu said the company has 100-odd strong MEMS team.



In the MEMs area, we do the design and testing from India and fabrication is done from the German plant. We have achieved a good maturity level, and are progressing to build products, said Prabhu.



Besides its supply chain, the company is helped by its warehouse, the company owned and operated showrooms, and well-oiled after services to operate economically around the globe. Apples India decision to replicate it will depend on the concessions that the government will offer, and how GST will pan out across the country.



Art of assembling



Apple will have to depend on importing the required components for its assembling in Bengaluru



Apples sourcing ecosystem is spread across 28 countries, and majority of them located in Taiwan, China and Japan










Manipal University former VC B M Hegde on Saturday said people should change their lifestyle to maintain good health without any medical intervention.





Delivering the Foundation Day Lecture at Karnataka Bank Limited (KBL) head office here, Prof Hegde, who is also one of the customers of the bank, categorically told the gathering: People should better change lifestyle on their own, without waiting for the government to promote, as the latter is only interested in funding highly rewarding medicines.



Similar is the case with cancer, where 73.4% of cases have common cause in smoking and consumption of alcochol. Yet, the government is not willing to ban such hazardous products.



Thanks to the banks which are funding projects of corporate hospitals that have invaded India in a big way. Reason: Cancer is the biggest business in the country, he said.



Prof Hegde, who is known for his no holds barred rhetoric, dwelt on the topic Money, Man and Health with alliterations.



Referring to the demonetisation of high-value currency notes, Hegde described how it had brought in peace in the valley which was till then witnessing turbulent times due to frequent stone pelting. It can be summed up as No note, no stone, he observed.



It would be better for health, if he or she becomes broad minded with We approach rather than preferring to be narrow with I only approach, he felt.



Managing director and Chief Executive Officer of Karnataka Bank P Jayaram Bhat was happy to note that capital of the bank has touched Rs 4,670 crore against Rs 11,520 in 1924, the founding year of the bank.



CSR work



To mark the Foundation Day, total financial assistance of Rs 37.20 lakh was extended to various associations under corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding of the bank.



A cheque for Rs 20 lakh was handed over to the representatives of Sri Krishna Seva Trust, Bengaluru, Rs 12.20 lakh to Hoysala Foundation, Shivamogga, towards procurement of two dialysis units and Rs 5 lakh to upgrade the infrastructure of Mangala Higher Primary School and High School, Mannagudde, Mangaluru, run by Karnataka Rajya Devadigara Sangha.


Bright students prefer to study in Delhi or the plains





Govind Singh has fought three wars against Pakistan and China, but he feels helpless against simians that plunder his terraced fields in the picturesque lower Himalayan mountains. In late January, 73-year-old Singh was away for a day visiting his relatives in a neighbouring village when a troop of monkeys ravaged orange trees and green peas plants that were just about bearing the fruits of his labour.



At a little distance in the mountains, Chured wears a deserted look. Only three people stay in the tiny hamlet as the rest have left their homes and hearths in search of jobs in the plains. The same story repeats in village after village in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand  barren fields and absence of the daily hustle and bustle that is the hallmark of rural life.



There are hardly any people in the village. Whatever little we grow is destroyed by monkeys who come in hordes, 68-year-old Saraswati Devi said. Saraswati Devis two sons have left the village to settle in the plains of Kotdwar, a larger town near the border with Uttar Pradesh.



There are no jobs in villages and whatever we earn from agriculture is not enough to sustain a large family, she told DH. Her children migrated to the plains almost two decades ago.



Bilochan Singh retired from Assam Rifles as a havildar in 1999. He has been tending to a small part of his terraced farm. I remember, when I retired, we used to grow wheat and jangoora (jungle rice) all over the mountain. Now, everything is barren, 60-year-old Bilochan said, pointing to the mountain slopes near Daantedhar.



Large tracts of untended land have increased the human-animal conflict. According to a report by Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, on an average 50 people are killed every year by leopards in Uttarakhand.



Bilochan Singh said the absence of people in villages have made the fields prone to attacks by monkeys and wild boars, making farming very difficult. We also see occasional attacks by bears, he said.



Sati Devi has erected a fence of dried thorny shrubs around her small patch of land to prevent it from being raided by wild boars.



Govind Singh, who retired from Garhwal Rifles in 1980, also recalls instances of leopards wandering in villages in search of food and doing away with livestock. The number of bullocks too has reduced in the hills as farms are barren, said Singh.



Migration and unemployment have been neglected by successive governments in the state and whatever little industry Uttarakhand has seen has been limited to the plains.



Mayank Rawat is pursuing a bachelors degree in science at the Government Degree College in Chaubattakhal. Rawat is lucky as three generations of his family stay under one roof at Jagsyakhal village about 2 km from Chaubattakhal.



His father works as a clerk in the tehsil office in Chaubattakhal, while is grandfather Gabbar Singh spent his life tending to the family farms. However, Mayank has no plans to continue staying in the village. After graduation, I plan to go to Delhi or Dehradun to pursue a course in hotel management, Mayank said. He eyes a career as a bar tender.



The Government Degree College at Chaubattakhal has classes for arts and science streams. Situated on a mountain top, the college has a birds eye view of the valley below and the numerous hamlets located there.



We have 250 students pursuing higher studies, R K Verma, associate professor of Hindi, told DH. He said the number was higher this academic year. Last year, we had 180 students, he said attributing the higher number this year to the repeated extensions to the last date for seeking admissions.



Bright students prefer colleges in Delhi or the plains  Haridwar or Dehradun. What we get here is the chaff, M Maurya, associate professor of geography said.



The cut-off marks for admissions to arts courses is just 40%, while those seeking to pursue studies in science need a minimum of 45% marks.



As per Census 2011, of Uttarakhands 16,793 villages, 1,053 had no inhabitants and another 405 had a population of less than 10. The number of such ghost villages has reportedly risen after the earthquake and flash floods of 2013.



In the context of the hill region in Uttarakhand, while widespread low earnings in agriculture and limited employment opportunities outside agriculture for increasing population at a remunerative incomes have been dominant reasons for migration, Rajendra Prasad Mamgain, Professor of Economics at the Giri Institute of Development Studies, Lucknow, said in a report titled Outmigration from Hill Region of Uttarakhand: Magnitude, Challenges and Policy Options commissioned by the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.



Nearly half of the migration was due to lack of employment opportunities in the region. Due to abysmally low levels of agricultural productivity most of the people would like to discontinue farming provided they get some alternate source of income and that too of regular nature, said the report.



No wonder, migration and unemployment was a key election issue in 2017 with both the Congress and the BJP promising to reverse the trend of migration to re-populate the villages.



While Chief Minister Harish Rawat has spoken about promoting eco-tourism in remote villages and making them centres producing fruits, vegetables and medicinal herbs, the BJP has promised setting up IT parks in hill regions to tap the potential of the youth.



However, analysts link the migration to the plains as a natural but worrisome process. How can you expect people to stay in the villages when leaders themselves are fleeing to the plains, a political scientist quipped pointing out that Harish Rawat and former chief ministers Ramesh Pokhriyal and B C Khanduri  all hill leaders  had chosen to contest elections from seats in the plains.


The stakes are high for the SP and the BJP in the third phase of polling for 69 seats in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. It will decide the fate of 11 ministers in the Akhilesh Yadav Cabinet.





The SP is hard-pressed to repeat its 2012 Assembly poll performance, when it had won 55 seats and had swept the polls in several districts.



While Abhishek Mishra, one of the key aides of Akhilesh, is in the fray from Lucknow, senior SP leader and state minister Farid Mehfooz Kidwai is contesting from the Kursi seat in Barabanki district.



Another key Akhilesh aide and minister Arvind Singh Gope is locked in a tough fight in the Ramnagar seat in Barabanki district.



Senior SP leader Beni Prasad Verma, who wanted the seat for his son, is working against Gope. Another state minister Ravidas Mehrotra is contesting from the Lucknow Central seat.



Though the Congress had given this seat to the SP, its nominee, Maroof Khan, has refused to withdraw and remains in the fray.



The outcome of the polls in this phase will also test the popularity of many senior SP leaders, including the partys Rajya Sabha member Naresh Agarwal, whose son Nitin Agarwal is in the fray from the Hardoi Sadar seat.



He faces a tough challenge from his BSP and BJP rivals. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadavs wife and Lok Sabha member from Kannauj Dimple Yadav also faces the test in this phase.



Dimple has campaigned extensively in her constituency. The SP, however, is wary of Verma, who is said to be sulking after the party did not nominate his son from the Ramnagar Assembly seat in Barabanki district.



Rajnaths stature at stake



Stakes are also high for Assembly seats in Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhs Lucknow constituency.



A good performance by the BJP in Lucknow will help boost Rajnaths stature in the party. The BJPs performance in the 2012 Assembly polls in Lucknow was not satisfactory, with the party winning only one of the nine seats.
The police rescued a cab driver less than two hours after he was abducted by a gang of eight over a financial matter on Friday.



The suspects are Ajay, Sachin, Mayanna, Manjegowda, Darshan, Swamy, Anand and Kiran, all residents of Channapatna. They had abducted Abhilash (23), a cab driver from Laggere and a native of Channapatna.



Abhilash was Ajays car driver in Channapatna. He had moved to Bengaluru two years ago to work as a cab driver. He had borrowed Rs 15,000 from Ajay, but had delayed the repayment. The two used to quarrel over the issue.



When Ajay called up Abhilash on Friday around 5.30 pm and demanded the money, Abhilash said he wouldnt repay it. Ajay warned him of dire consequences. Abhilash dared Ajay and told him he would wait for him near the Kempegowda arch in Mahalakshmi Layout, said the police.



Ajay and his associates went there in two cars. They thrashed Abhilash, dumped him into a car and drove away. A traffic constable nearby noticed the fight and gave details of the cars registration numbers to the control room.



The police formed three teams and started chasing the suspects. They intercepted the cars four km from Kunigal and arrested the eight, said the police.


China's health authorities have stepped up prevention and control measures against the spread of H7N9, urging local officials to attach high importance to the problem.

East China's Jiangxi Province reported 28 H7N9 human infections, including 7 deaths since January 1, news site cnr.cn reported Friday

Since January, at least 269 H7N9 human infections have been reported in China, with at least 87 fatalities, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) announced Thursday.

Most cases have happened in areas around the Yangtze and Pearl River deltas, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The NHFPC is training medical workers in screening and early diagnosis, and in treatment of critically ill patients. The commission has also ordered a ban on the live poultry trade in places where infections have been reported.

The disease control and prevention center in Jiangxi has set up four emergency response teams to tackle the outbreaks.

The animal husbandry department in Jiangxi has sent out 1,500 staff members to inspect 500 markets and 2,000 farms.

Beijing's food and drug authority also said on Thursday that four vaccines have received green light for clinical tests, bringing hope for better prevention and control in the future.

Exposure to live poultry is the major source of infections, particularly in rural areas. The flue is most likely to strike in winter and spring.
The Federation of Wine Merchants Association has urged the state government to allow consumption of liquor at retail liquor shops (CL-2) and takeaways from bars (CL-9).





In a pre-budget memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday, the association also called for introduction of 60 ml and 90 ml liquor sachets. These measures can fetch handsome revenues to the government, B Govindaraj Hegde of the association said.



The association has urged the government not to allow new Mysore Sales International Ltd (MSIL) liquor outlets. Liquor shops are incurring losses due to MSIL outlets. Instead, the government should take steps to renew old licences pending since 2000.



The government has been allowing opening of MSIL outlets as it has stopped issuing licences to new liquor shops. The then government, in 1993, banned issuing new licences to liquor shops. Successive governments in the state are shying away from issuing new licences fearing public backlash.



Lorry owners



This apart, the Bangalore City Lorry Transporting Agents Association has urged the chief minister to open new truck terminals along Old Madras Road and Hosur Road near Bengaluru.



The government has been able to open only one truck terminal near Dharwad despite the then government in 2007-08 taking a decision to open truck terminals in all districts, the association said.




Choked stormwater drains, clogged sewers, inadequate water supply, badly maintained parks and chain-snatchings are some of the major problems bothering the residents of Vijayanagar Assembly constituency, who spoke their heart out during Janaspandana  Citizens for Change organised by DH and Prajavani on Saturday.



Elected representatives, including Housing Minister and Vijayanagar MLA M Krishnappa and eight corporators in the Assembly segment, and a battery of officials responded to peoples grievances at the civic engagement event held at Chandrashekhar Azad Grounds in Hampinagar.



Girish Malavalli of Vijayanagar set the ball rolling by speaking against the encroachment of footpath by shopkeepers near the Vijayanagar police station. He said there was grave danger to pedestrians lives as they were forced to walk on the traffic-filled road.



In response, BBMP executive engineer Prakash said the shopkeepers would be accommodated in the high-tech Palike Bazaar being built near Indraprastha Hotel. The shops will be fully air-conditioned. BBMP Joint Commissioner H R Vishwanath elaborated, We have called for tenders to construct 44 shops. The Rs 5-crore project can be completed in five to six months. Krishnappa said some of the shops would be built below the boulevard, somewhat similar to MG Road.



Chikka Boraiah, a resident of Maruthinagar, said the Hakku Patra given to people like him had no legal sanctity and that they needed sale deeds. The minister promised to issue the sale deeds shortly.



Ningegowda, a resident of Vijayanagar ward, highlighted the pathetic condition of roads in the locality and how flex boards were present everywhere. The joint commissioner promised that all the flex boards would be removed and the roads repaired under the Nagarothana scheme.



L Boraiah, from Hampinagar, complained about clogged sewers at 9th C Main and said BWSSB officials were unable to replace them for lack of funds. BWSSB engineer Mahesh replied that the work to replace the sewers would begin in a fortnight as funds were no longer scarce.



Jagannath, a resident of Vijayanagar, said the locality needed a general hospital. Most of the super-speciality hospitals are located on Bannerghatta Road. These are hard to reach in case of emergency, he said.



In response, BBMP health officer Dr Komala spoke of a plan to upgrade hospitals in the ward under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). A dialysis centre is coming up in RPC Layout. Other hospitals will be upgraded with NUHM funds, she said.



Ravi Kumar of Bapuji Nagar sought a BangaloreOne centre in the ward while the residents of Deccan Enclave apartment demanded upgrade of playgrounds. Papanna from Chandra Layout asked the authorities to shift an electricity pole from the footpath as it obstructs pedestrian movement.



Padmavathi, a resident of Ramco Layout, spoke up against the monkey menace. About 40-50 monkeys in the area have made our lives miserable. They steal food items from our homes, she said. Padmavathi said her husband, a wildlife volunteer himself, was once attacked by a troop of monkeys. The MLA replied that though not much could be done about the problem, the animal husbandry department would still look into it.


The High Court of Karnataka recently expressed displeasure over the dwindling number of policewomen in the state.





Justice A N Venugopala Gowda, who is monitoring the recruitment of police personnel in the department, said though women constitute 50% of the population, the number of women in the force was not enough to deal with crimes against women. He said the government should come up with an action plan to increase the number of women in the force.



Taking the analysis report  Data on Police Organisation in India, 2016  on record, the court said the national average of female officers in the police force was 7.1%, but in Karnataka it is just around 6%.



Of the total strength of 70,934 of the force, only 4,354 are women. The court pointed out that the highest number of 606 women police personnel, including 502 constables, were posted in Bengaluru.



Compared to DelhiNCR (National Capital Region) and Mumbai, which have more than 6,000 and 4,000 female personnel respectively, Bengaluru has a much lesser number.

The report said, Tamil Nadu had 33% reservation for women in the police force.



Though Karnataka had a reservation of 20%, the reality appears to be otherwise. Policewomen are mostly assigned for security duties rather than frontline responsibilities. The judge pointed to the lack of adequate rest-rooms for women in stations. He said surveys had shown that presence of women in police stations made it more comfortable to report incidents like eve-teasing, dowry related issues, molestation and sexual harassment.



With a meagre presence of women personnel, it will be difficult to prevent incidents of crime against women, like the one reported on New Years eve. Though the government counsel argued that reports in the media about crime against women on New Years eve was incorrect, the judge said damage had been done to the reputation of Brand Bengaluru. Justice Gowda asked the government to come up with an action plan for recruitment of women in the force.




After a low-key beginning, the biennial Aero India show concluded on a high at the Yelahanka air force station here on Saturday. The last two days had over two lakh people turn out to witness the aerobatics.





Business never reached the highs of the previous shows, but the crowd turnout made up for it. The defence minister had made a strong pitch for Make in India at the shows inaugural on Tuesday. However, no mega defence deals were announced apart from a few joint ventures. There was no official word yet about whether Bengaluru will host Aero India 2019. Speculations are rife that this could be the last air show in the aviation hub as the defence minister is keen to shift the event to Goa. Official sources said nearly five lakh people have visited the event, including about one lakh business visitors.



Besides 65 ministerial and other high-level delegates from several countries that attended the event, the exhibition at the show saw participation from 549 companies, out of which 270 were Indian and 279 foreign. A five-member Chinese delegation from the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force attended the show for the first time.



The show turned out be a huge attraction for aviation aficionados who thronged the event to witness the static and air display by various aircraft, including fighter, transport, helicopter and aerobatic display teams.



Aero India had about 72 aircraft and witnessed enthralling stunts by helicopter display teams Sarang, and Surya Kiran, Russian-made Yakovlevs and SKYCATS-Scandinavian Air Show aerobatic teams.



Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)-developed Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), Cheetal helicopter, advanced light helicopters (ALH), light combat helicopter (LCH), Hindustan Turboprop Trainer-40 (HTT-40), Dornier Do 228 along with indigenously upgraded Hawk Mk132, named as Hawk-i, and vintage Tiger Moth aircraft performed breathtaking manoeuvres.



Homegrown LCA (Tejas) along with Sukhoi (Russian), Gripen (Swedish), Rafale (French), F16 (US), Pilatus (Swiss) aircraft roared the skies with their daredevilry. Embraer 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft equipped with the first-ever Active Electronic Scanning Array (AESA) radar, and LUH were displayed for the first time at the show.


Everyone wants an eye in the sky, relaying live videos in clandestine avatars. Blurring the military-civilian divide, the market for mini unmanned aerial vehicles (mini-UAVs) is on the verge of an explosive boom.





The just-concluded Aero-India 2017 had enough small drones on display to indicate the impending trend. But pushed by firms  big and small, domestic and foreign  the mini UAVs had a distinct feature  all were fixed-wing, agile and designed for stealth. Unlike the quadcopters sold commercially, the fixed wing could take off silently, rise up to altitudes of one km and quietly relay live feeds of enemy territory.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had its Indian Eagle on display. This mini-UAV has already been demonstrated to the armed forces and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).



But the technology could reach production stage only if a manufacturer, private or government, had orders in hundreds, a DRDO official told DH. DRDOs Black Kite, Sly Bird, Pushpak and Golden Hawk were all waiting to be picked up. The simplicity of use is what sets apart the mini-UAVs. A crew of not more than two persons can carry the entire equipment on a backpack and hand-launch the UAV within 10-15 minutes. But heavy winds and bad weather conditions could hamper its operations. Betting big on its own mini UAV, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has completed extensive trials and demonstrated it to the Railways, Forest department and the police. The 8-kg UAV can operate in day/night conditions with infra red cameras and fly non-stop for 90 minutes.



Hand-launched, the device is capable of belly-landing. However, unlike the quadcopters, it cannot take off vertically and hover around a particular area. HAL, said an official, is also working on a rotary-wing based UAV in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.



Competing with DRDO and HAL, the Israelis had their own third generation mini-UAVs, the Bird Eye 400 and 650 on display. The 400 version, besides providing real-time day/night imagery data for urban operation, could offer over the hill intelligence.



Typically, the mini-UAVs have their missions defined: reconnaissance, as they can operate under the glare of radars, for counter-terrorism, law enforcement, patrol and convoy escort. Civilian use could spike if the police start using them for traffic and disaster monitoring, a DRDO engineer said.
Twenty-seven US lawmakers will visit India next week as New Delhi relies more on American Congress in the wake of immigration reforms and foreign policy changes by Donald Trump administration.



A delegation of 19 US lawmakers will visit New Delhi and Hyderabad next week under the auspices of Aspen Institute, a think-tank based in Washington DC.



Another delegation of eight US Congressmen, led by Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the US House Judiciary Committee, will visit New Delhi and Bengaluru around the same time. The visiting US Congressmen will meet Union Ministers, Members of Parliament, academicians and industry leaders.



Some of them may also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, if he could spare time from his hectic campaign schedule in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, sources told the DH.



New Delhi is highlighting the visit of such a large number of Democrat and Republican members of Senate and House of Representatives within the span of a week as a demonstration of bipartisan support in American Congress for strong India-US relations.



George Holding, Republican Chair of India Caucus in US House, will be among the US lawmakers visiting India.



So will be Hank Johnson of the Democratic Party. The US lawmakers will be visiting India less than a month after Donald Trump took over as the new American President, promising an America First foreign policy.



Even as the Trump Administrations early move to bring in tough anti-immigrant measures triggered uproar within the US, India is particularly concerned about the fate of Indian Information Technology professionals working in America.



New Delhi is closely monitoring not only the executive orders issued by the Trump Administration to restrict entry of immigrants into the US, but also the legislative moves in American Congress to bring in protectionist measures. A bill sponsored by California Republican Representative Darrell Issa is now under review of American House of Representatives.



Protect and grow jobs



The bill  known as Protect and Grow American Jobs Act - will require US companies to pay high-skilled foreign workers hired under the exempt category of the H-1B visa program at least $ 100,000 a year, 40% more than the current minimum of $ 60,000.



This will make it difficult for Indian IT companies to send professionals to US on H-1B visas. New Delhi will convey to the visiting US lawmakers that Indias IT professionals and IT companies contributed to the competitiveness of Americas economy, sources said.



India will also rely on American Congress to stop US from supplying advanced military hardware and weapon-systems to Pakistan, as well as to block flow of aids, which the neighbouring country is accused of misusing to fund terror strikes in India and Afghanistan.


The AIADMK MLAs, who had remained huddled in a resort 80 km from Chennai for over 10 days, heaved a sigh of relief when Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami won the confidence motion in the Assembly.



The legislators came to the Assembly in several ministers cars to take part in the voting, which retained Palaniswami, a loyalist of general secretary V K Sasikala, in power.



Soon after Speaker P Dhanapal declared that Palaniswami had won the motion, MLAs on the Treasury Benches  who had kept quiet through the ruckus created by the DMK  erupted in joy, thumping their desks continuously for about a minute.



Palaniswami, who looked relieved, said Sasikalas vow had come true. Those who tried to break the AIADMK were unmasked, he said. Referring to his predecessor O Panneerselvam and his supporters, Palaniswami said, People watched how the rival faction worked against Ammas government.



He said the day had shown who were the real supporters of Amma (the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa). Listing the immediate tasks at hand, Palaniswami said he would seek financial assistance from the prime minister for farmers affected by the Vardha cyclone.



Meanwhile, the Golden Bay resort in Kancheepuram district, where the MLAs in the Sasikala camp were housed, closed for maintenance soon after the legislators left to participate in the Assembly

session.



A note posted on the wall of the luxurious property read: resort under maintenance. AIADMK sources said the MLAs would head for their constituencies by Saturday night or Sunday.


Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami won a crucial floor test in the Assembly on Saturday, amid violence created in the House by the Opposition DMK.



Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, who was injured in the violence, adjourned the House twice. After the voting by division, the Speaker announced that Palaniswami had won the confidence vote, with 122 MLAs in his favour.



Eleven MLAs supporting his rival within the AIADMK, former chief minister O Panneerselvam, voted against the motion. I declare to this House that the motion has won, Dhanapal said.



Before the head count, the 88 members of DMK, which had decided to vote against Palaniswami, were evicted from the House for indulging in violence. They damaged the Speakers chair and microphone, and hurled a slipper at him. The slipper, however, missed the target.



They also damaged the Assembly secretarys seat, tore agenda papers and hurled them in the air.

Dhanapal said his shirt was torn by DMK MLAs, and showed it to the members. I am really pained.



They insulted me with their rude behaviour. Is this is the way to treat a Speaker in the House? he said. Congress legislators also walked out after Dhanapal refused to heed their request to adjourn the House for a week. The lone Indian Union Muslim League member followed the Congress.



Soon after the Assembly session began at 11 am, DMK working president M K Stalin, Panneerselvam, and Congress member K R Ramasamy asked the Speaker to either conduct a secret ballot or adjourn the House for a week to enable AIADMK MLAs to get the peoples view in their respective constituencies. The rebel AIADMK camp leader, Panneerselvam, who was given a seat in the second row of the treasury benches, also questioned the need for urgency in seeking a confidence vote when Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had allowed 15 days time for it.



At the time of the first adjournment, though DMK members continuously shouted slogans, even against AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala, the treasury benches kept silent. Not even a single member of the ruling party faction countered the slogans.



When the session resumed, Opposition MLAs, including from the eight-member Congress, rose from their seats and shouted slogans demanding voting by secret ballot. Going a step further, DMK members trooped into the well of the House facing the Speakers chair. There was no possibility of voting as DMK members continued to create a ruckus.



They also heckled the Speaker and threw books kept on the Assembly secretarys table. Several DMK MLAs were injured during the scuffle with the Assembly marshals who came to evict them. The DMK members also tried to drag the Speaker as he left the chamber with the marshals help.



The confidence vote had to take place because of a power struggle in the ruling AIADMK, following Panneerselvams revolt. He had said that he was forced to resign as chief minister to make way for Sasikala, a confidante of the late CM J Jayalalithaa.



Sasikala was convicted in a disproportionate assets case, but before heading for prison she picked Palaniswami to replace her as the legislature party leader. Palaniswami was sworn in as CM by Governor Rao, but asked to prove his majority in the Assembly.


A popular woman actor was reportedly abducted and molested in a moving car by a gang of five men near Kochi on Friday night.



Sources said police arrested Martin, a native of Thrissur who drove the film unit vehicle the actor was travelling in, on Saturday. Police, however, refused to confirm the identity of those arrested or divulge details of the incident. Reports said the other four were also involved with film production units.



According to a complaint filed with the Nedumbassery police by the 30-year-old actor, also noted for her films in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, the assault happened at Angamaly around 9 pm as she was returning to Kochi from Thrissur where she was shooting for the sequel to Honey Bee.



Following a minor  and supposedly staged  accident involving another car and an altercation over the incident, three men travelling in the other vehicle got into the actors car. It is said they took control of the vehicle and during a two-hour drive in the city, forcibly took revealing photographs of the actor. The gang dropped her near Palarivattom and fled. Martin later dropped the actor at the home of producer-actor Lal. The driver reportedly revealed his involvement to the police during interrogation.



The actor has acted in several Kannada films, including Romeo, Topiwala, Bachchan, Mythri and Mukunda Murari, and has starred alongside stars like Puneeth Rajkumar and Sudeep. She was one among the four heroines in the recently released Chowka.



The actor, who debuted in Malayalam with Nammal (2002), has featured in films like Chronic Bachelor and CID Moosa. Sunil Kumar aka Pulsar Suni, an accused in many criminal cases, has been reportedly identified as the key conspirator in the case.


MUNICH, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday called on countries worldwide to adhere to cooperation and make right decisions.

Wang made the remarks in a keynote speech at a plenary session of the 53rd Munich Security Conference, which officially opened Friday afternoon.

An array of global security issues ranging from the future of the transatlantic alliance to the West-Russia relations are in the spotlight.

Wang said that in two major speeches delivered in Switzerland last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for building a community of shared future for all and achieving shared and win-win development.

Peace and development are still the main themes of today's world, Wang said.

"We need to remain committed to multilateralism, which is the effective pathway to peace, development and the settlement of global issues," he said.

Multilateralism is not out of date, but should be carried forward, Wang said. And cooperation among big countries needs to be strengthened.

"Big countries have more resources and more capabilities. They have the responsibility and the obligation to play a greater role in maintaining international peace and security and make more contributions to human development and progress," he said.

Wang said that global governance should be improved so as to solve the imbalances in world development and realize sustainable growth of the world economy.

"China is actively participating in global governance," he told an audience of over 300 people.

Wang added that the world needs to firmly advance all types of regional cooperation as this has proved effective for promoting global development.

Founded in 1963, the annual MSC has become a forum dedicated to promoting peaceful conflict resolution and international cooperation and dialogue. China first attended conference in 1999.
The heavy rush of visitors to the Yelahanka air base on the last day of the air show saw massive traffic snarls.



Traffic moved at snails pace in the morning, all the way from Hebbal flyover to Chikkajala police station, while lack of exit plan choked all roads after the show in the evening.



Traffic police started segregating vehicles right from the morning with only VIPs, guests and delegates of the Aero India allowed on Hebbal and Yelahanka flyovers. Other people on their way to the air display viewing area as well as general public were directed to service roads, which were too small to handle the rush of vehicles.



Soon, the service roads were choked, following which, the traffic police opened the flyovers for all.The rush of vehicles, together with the time needed to segregate vehicles near the Yelahanka flyover, slowed the traffic and led to jams.



DCP (North) Renuka K S, who monitored the situation from Kempapura, noted that the police did their best by deploying additional personnel right from the morning. The traffic management plan was a detailed one. We opened the six-lane alternative road to the airport, though it is incomplete, to ease traffic on Ballari road. Also, there is no service road in front of the IAF station. With limited infrastructure, there will be problems, she said.



While the sheer number of vehicles overturned the elaborate plans of police in the morning, the absence of an exit plan led to bumper-to-bumper traffic in the evening with commuters spending nearly an hour to pass the stretch of the road in front of the air force station.



A senior police officer told DH on condition of anonymity that rationing the number of vehicles exiting the airbase according to the carriage capacity of the roads would have solved the problem.



When contacted, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) R Hithendra said no arrangement can be adequate when the number of vehicles is huge.



More than 2.5 lakh people entered the airbase on the last day, according to the data. All of them wanted to get in between 9 and 11 am. We made detailed plans, but as long as the airshow passes are not limited, it is difficult to handle the traffic, he said.




(Global Times) 14:43, February 18, 2017

China is considering to lower the minimum age at which juveniles can be put in administrative detention from 16 to 14, triggering debates among netizens and experts after media started online survey on the issue on Friday, with some worried it would hurt the future development of the young offenders.

The Ministry of Public Security released a draft revision of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law to solicit public opinion on January 16 in which it has revised the age for administrative detention of juveniles who have violated the law for the first time to 14 years old.

The ministry said that the revision aims to "deal with newly emerged situations and problems, better maintain social order, safeguard public security and protect the interests of individuals and organizations."

This is the first time for the authorities to adjust the age from 16 to 14.

An online poll conducted by the Sichuan-based Chengdu Business Daily showed that more than 60 percent of the 5,500 respondents support heavier punishment to juvenile violators and suggest the reduction of the age at which they can take criminal responsibility, while 4 percent said that authorities should be more prudent on the issue.

The draft has triggered heated discussion on social media as a Web page on Sina Weibo with the hashtag "decrease in the age of detention to 14" has been viewed more than 7.6 million times.

According to China's Criminal Law, juveniles under 14 would not take criminal responsibility and "any person who has reached the age of 14 but not the age of 18 and who commits a crime shall be given a lighter or mitigated punishment."

Effectiveness in doubt

This view of the netizens was not shared by some of the legal experts who said merely lowering the threshold of administrative detention would not help with educating young violators.

If the draft is passed, people who have reached 14 but not 16 would face a maximum detention of 20 days, Yao Jianlong, professor of juvenile crime studies at the Shanghai-based East China University of Political Science and Law, was quoted by the China Women's News on Friday as saying.

Yao, who disagrees with the change, said the revision is a response to the public's rage on ineffectiveness of measures on managing juvenile delinquency in China recently.

A series of school bullying cases involving underage students were exposed in 2016 which caused a stir and rage among the public.

Statistics from the Supreme People's Procuratorate showed that a total of 1,114 people involved in 1,881 cases of school violence and bullying have been arrested from January to November in 2016 and middle school students account for a higher percentage among underage suspects of school bullying.

"School bullying belongs to the category of misconduct and not crime and it is improper to apply the punishment for adult criminals to young offenders," Zong Chunshan, director of the Beijing Youth Legal and Psychological Consultation Service Center, told the Global Times.

A 2010 national report released by the China Institute of Juvenile Crime Prevention concluded that the majority of juvenile offenses involve violent crime and organized crime. The major motive is a desire for money and the major influence is peer pressure. It also pointed out that the majority of offenders act on impulse. According to the report, robbery is the most common crime that most juveniles commit, which accounts for 60 percent. Theft accounts for 20 percent.

These figures were confirmed by the Shanghai Juvenile Reformatory where more than 70 percent of inmates' crimes involve property violations.

Zong said that considering that China has no specialized area to detain young offenders, things would become worse if underage violators stay with adult criminals during their detention.

Better education

"Handing detention to young offenders would temporarily prevent them from misconduct. But the effects will be limited and may impact their future growth considering they are at a crucial phase of brain, personality and psychological development," Song Yinghui, deputy director of the law school of Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times on Friday.

Song said that the causes of juvenile delinquency are related to family education and the society, and effective measures to decrease juvenile delinquency should cover the family, school and society.

"Schools should offer more education on individual security and laws and enhance psychological intervention for early offenders. Family members, especially the guardians, should also take their responsibilities and send young offenders to specialized schools in a timely manner," said Song.
Irvine, California, 14 February 2017 (University of California, Irvine)  Ice loss from Canadas Arctic glaciers has transformed them into a major contributor to sea level change, new research by University of California, Irvine glaciologists has found. From 2005 to 2015, surface melt off ice caps and glaciers of the Queen Elizabeth Islands grew by an astonishing 900 percent, from an average of three gigatons to 30 gigatons per year, according to results published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters. In the past decade, as air temperatures have warmed, surface melt has increased dramatically, said lead author Romain Millan, an Earth system science doctoral student. The team found that in the past decade, overall ice mass declined markedly, turning the region into a major contributor to sea level change. Canada holds 25 percent of all Arctic ice, second only to Greenland. The study provides the first long-term analysis of ice flow to the ocean, from 1991 to 2015. The Canadian ice cap has glaciers on the move into the Arctic Ocean, Baffin Bay and Nares Strait. The researchers used satellite data and a regional climate model to tally the balance of total gain and loss each year, and the reasons why. Because of the huge number of glaciers terminating in area marine basins, they expected that discharge into the sea caused by tide water hitting approaching glacier fronts would be the primary cause.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18

By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:

Azerbaijan and Iran will create a joint chamber for settling possible differences between traders from both countries, Iranian Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, who is on a visit in Baku, said in an exclusive interview with Trend.

The minister said that the signing of a new agreement on cooperation in the sphere of justice was discussed during his visit to Azerbaijan.

He noted that the relations between Azerbaijan and Iran are developing in both political and economic spheres.

During the visit, Iran and Azerbaijan made statements on human rights, on the fight against terrorism, as well as the smuggling of narcotic drugs.

The minister added that an agreement was reached to establish the Iran-Azerbaijan arbitration chamber to eliminate the differences between businessmen and investors. Pourmohammadi said that currently, the sides agree on the text of the relevant treaty to be signed in the future after the completion of discussions between the two countries.

Iran can also use Azerbaijan's experience in the creation of ASAN service and using of e-services, especially in the field of justice, the minister added.

Pourmohammadi said that the relations between the presidents of the two countries are based on mutual trust.

The Iran-Azerbaijan relations are developing on the basis of mutual trust, the minister said.

The minister added that the external forces will be unable to have a negative impact on these relations.
Tom Hanks Says He Is A Cool Grandparent
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Iran does not recognize Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, occupied by Armenia, as an independent republic and considers it wrong to conduct "referendum" in that region, Mohammad Reza Najafi, spokesman for the Iranian embassy in Azerbaijan, told Trend Feb. 18.

He added that Iran considers any action that could be a threat to peace and security wrong.

"Irans principled position on the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is clear and transparent, he said. Iran supports the soonest settlement of the conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and international law. We hope for the speedy settlement of the conflict and restoration of peace and security in the region."

"Referendum" on amendments to the "constitution" of the illegal regime is planned to be held in Nagorno-Karabakh region February 20.

Earlier, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry said the illegal referendum constitutes a clear violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the norms and principles of international law, and, therefore, has no legal effect whatsoever.

The ministry reiterated that the illegal regime established by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is ultimately nothing other than the product of aggression and occupation.

This provocative step, as well as Armenias attempts to change the name of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the integral part of Azerbaijan, is yet another clear manifestation that Armenia is not genuinely interested in seeking a political settlement of the armed conflict, added the ministry.

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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E njoying our last hours in Cuenca in S an Blas P ark before heading back to Salinas for a few weeks but we'll be back!

Hello Friends, we hope you have enjoyed this video or article. We have posted something new several times per week for the past 5 years and there are a lot of crucial insights and every day life experiences to help others on this blog. If you're looking for straight forward answers and honest reporting about life here, you've found it!
Speaker adjourns TN assembly amidst chaos; trust vote disrupted

Pandemonium broke out in Tamil Nadu assembly on Saturday as the newly-sworn chief minister Edappadi K Palanisamy called a special session to seek a trust vote ahead of the 15-day period given for the key floor test of confidence.

Soon after the house assembled, Palaniswami moved a motion seeking a vote of confidence. Minister KA Sengottayan was appointed as the floor leader of the Tamil Nadu assembly to monitor and manage the floor test proceedings.

AIADMK has 134 MLAs in the 234-member legislative assembly and Palaniswami, who claims to have support of 123 MLAs, is seeking the confidence vote as directed by governor Vidyasagar Rao.

Though the new government was given 15 days' time to prove majority in the House, Palaniswami, a known loyalist of AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala Natarajan, opted to do it within two days, lest the MLAs change their minds.

As the session began in the morning, DMK leader MK Stalin questioned the haste in conducting the trust vote as the Sasaikala faction decided to seek mandate from MLAs just as they were released from the hotel they were being accommodated for more than a week.

He also emphasised that the will of the people and not that of factions outside political sphere should prevail.

"Democracy will be fulfilled, when secret ballot voting is done. Floor test should be done on another day. Why the hurry when the governor has given 15 days' time?" Stalin asked.

Stalin also accused the officials of meting out 'prisoner-like' treatment to elected representatives of the people. "MLAs are being brought to the secretariat like prisoners," he said.

DMK legislators gheraoed and heckled Speaker Dhanapal, demanding secret ballot. DMK MLA Ku Ka Selvam also sat on the Speaker's chair in protest.

The DMK MLAs shouted slogans in support of former Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam, even as the MLAs backing newly appointed CM Palanisamy, raised slogans against OPS.

The Speaker P Dhanapal walked out of the Assembly and the House was adjourned till 3 pm amid violence by DMK MLAs. Legislators tore papers, broke chairs and pulled off microphones after the Speaker rejected their demand of secret ballot in trust vote.

Police tightened security outside Tamil Nadu assembly during the trust vote to avoid the chaos from spilling over to the streets.

Mediapersons were seen arguing with the police outside the assembly, following which the audio speaker in the press room was disconnected.

Earlier, AIADMK Presidium Chairman Madhusudanan, who belongs to the Panneerselvam camp, had appointed S Semmalai as chief whip in the assembly.

Ahead of the crucial 'floor test', Panneerselvam appealed to AIADMK MLAs to vote against Palanisamy.

"MLAs should be given time to hear the views of their constituency people. Time should be given till then," he said, during the assembly session.

With today's developments and future uncertainty, the political stalemate in the state looks far from getting resolved.
St. Catherines Accordion Band in Killybegs are preparing for a big performance in April, when they will march at Disneyland Paris.

The band is scheduled to march in the Disney parade on Holy Thursday, April 13th.

Its the chance of a lifetime, Nuala Knox, chairperson, said. Up to 35 band members are to take part.

The band last summer submitted a video of their performance, and were selected to march in the Disney parade on the strength of that. St. Catherines band has been recognised before: For St. Patricks Day in 2010 and 2012, they travelled Seattle, Washington, and London, respectively; and the band also took part in the 2015 Rose of Tralee parade.

The current band members are aged between 8 and 19.

Nuala said the band has been assisted by many good teachers, including a music teacher, a choreographer, a drum teacher and a Maghery Band member who has been working with them on marching.

Theres a lot of rehearsal, she said.
The Donegal Democrat has been informed of the following deaths:

-Mary Christina (Mabel) Carty, Dublin and Bundoran

- Patrick Doherty, Carndonagh

- Edward Meehan, Ballyshannon

- Patrick Boyle, Kilcar

- Anna Duffy, Letterkenny



Mary Christina (Mabel) Carty, Dublin and Bundoran

The death has taken place of Mary Christina Carty of Dublin and Bundoran in her 106th year. Funeral mass on Saturday at 11am at the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Bundoran with burial in St. Ninnidhs cemetery, Bundoran.

Patrick Doherty, Carndonagh

The death has taken place at Carndonagh Community Hospital of Patrick Doherty, Taylor, late of Hollymount, Carndonagh.

Requiem Mass on Saturday February 18th at 11am, at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Carndonaghwith burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.



Edward Meehan, Ballyshannon

The death has occurred of at the Rock Community Nursing Home of Edward Eddie Meehan, late of Behy, Cashelard, Ballyshannon.

Funeral Mass on Saturday at St. Marys Church, Cashelard at 12 noon with burial in the church grounds. Family flowers only please, donations if desired to the Rock Community Nursing Home Patient Comfort Fund c/o Murphys funeral directors, Lahardane, Ballina, Co. Mayo.

Patrick Boyle, Kilcar

The death has occurred of Patrick Boyle, late of Cullion, Kilcar.

Removal on Saturday from his residence at 11:30am for funeral mass in St. Carthas Church, Kilcar at 12 noon.

Family flowers only. Donations in lieu to Cliff and Mountain Rescue.



Anna Duffy, Letterkenny

The death has taken place of Anna Duffy, late of 368 Glencar Irish, Letterkenny formerly Brennan Rosemount.

Her remains reposing at her late residence.

Funeral on Sunday 19th Feb going to St Eunans Cathedral for mass at 12 noon, with burial afterwards in the family plot in Conwall Cemetery.

Family flowers only, donations in lieu if desired to the Donegal Hospice, c/o Paschal Blake Funeral Director, Stoney Arch, New Line Road, Letterkenny.

House Strictly Private at the request of the deceased.



* If you wish to have a death notice included, please e-mail: editorial@donegaldemocrat.com and include a contact telephone number for verification.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Leonardo company Mauro Moretti in Munich, Germany Feb. 18.

Moretti said he visited Azerbaijan, adding he was impressed with the beauty of Baku.

He said he closely follows ongoing development processes and achievements made in Azerbaijan.

Moretti also highlighted his company`s relations with various institutions in Azerbaijan, including SOCAR, and underlined that there are good prospects for expanding cooperation.

They exchanged views over the enhancement of cooperation.
Home Four wheelers Most Popular Car & Bike In India Revealed oi-Kennedy Paul

The Maruti Swift and Bajaj Pulsar are the most popular car and bike on online platforms. A survey carried out by Droom; an online automobile transactional marketplace revealed the most favourite vehicle in the country.

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Most Viewed Car Photo Gallery
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18

Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference Feb. 18.

During the meeting, the ministers stressed that this year marks the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Austria.

The sides exchanged views on the agenda of OSCE and the priorities of Austria in its capacity as Chairperson-in-Office.

At the meetings the problems related with the OSCE Yerevan office were also discussed. Mammadyarov reiterated concern and position of Azerbaijan with regard to operation of OSCE Yerevan Office in contrary to its mandate.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

Turkey and Azerbaijan continue technical discussions on the draft of the preferential trade agreement, Turkish Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Faruk Ozlu said at the 5th Turkey-Azerbaijan-Georgia business forum in Istanbul.

Ozlu expressed hope that the volume of mutual trade in the national currency between Azerbaijan and Turkey will increase soon.

In 2016, 6.5 percent of Turkeys foreign trade operations were carried out in the national currency, he said. Switching to national currency in mutual trade will protect businessmen from external financial factors and changes in the US dollar exchange rate.

The minister noted that last year, the volume of mutual trade between Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan reached $4.2 billion.

The national income of these three countries as a whole is $890 billion, the total foreign trade volume amounts to $363 billion, Ozlu said, noting that the current level of mutual trade doesnt reflect the existing potential between the countries.

The Turkish minister added that Turkey has so far invested $7.6 billion in Azerbaijans economy and Azerbaijans investments to Turkey amount to $4.7 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
The city of Oslo, Norway is offering grants to help its citizens partially pay for electric cargo bikes through its Climate and Energy Fund. Each grant covers up to $1,200 or 25 percent of an electric cargo bike purchase, which can cost from $2,400 to $6,000.

The funds could potentially put 500 to 1,000 electric cargo bikes onto Oslos streets for individuals, businesses and organizations, City Lab reported.

Unfortunately, subsidy for private individuals is no longer available, but it is still possible to apply for funding for pilot projects under the auspices of condominiums, cooperatives, organizations or companies, the Oslo Council bike grant application page states.

Oslo offers this grant partly because of the citys growing issues with air pollution, which also prompted a January ban on diesel vehicles. Similarly, in late 2016, Paris imposed driving restrictions and provided free public transportation.

Despite considerable improvements in past decades, air pollution is still responsible for more than 400,000 premature deaths in Europe each year, according to The European Environment Agency, which described air pollution as a persistent problem throughout Europe.

In 2016, Oslo carried out a similar initiative to partially pay for up to 20 percent of the cost of an electric bike. These funds were used in full. This program received criticism when it was discovered that some of the electric bike recipients were among Oslos wealthiest citizens or were living outside of Oslo.

Oslos numerous hills and harsh weather conditions have also been called deterrents to electric bike programs, yet the city appears to continue to pursue green solutions at every front. In 2015, Oslo became the first capital city to ban investments in fossil fuels. Additionally, electric cars outsell conventional vehicles in Oslo and the city has dedicated $1 billion to a bike infrastructure fund, reported City Lab.
Monsanto may be looking forward to turning a new leaf with its potential $66 billion mega-merger with Bayer AG, but the agrochemical giant just cant shake its notorious past as the primary manufacturer of highly toxic and banned substances called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, that were once used for paints, electrical equipment and other products.

https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1459957254017207/

Monsanto manufactured about one billion pounds of PCBs for between the 1930s-70s before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the chemical in 1979. PCBs are harmful to humans, wildlife and the environment. To this day, the toxins are dispersed throughout landfills, water bodies and even in the deepest part of the ocean.

In recent years, eight West Coast cities, the Port of Portland as well as Washington state have taken legal action against Monsanto to recover PCB cleanup costs. In Washington, for instance, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said that the state has spent tens of millions of dollars on cleanup efforts in bays, rivers, streams, sediment, soil and air throughout the state, all while the pollutants cause harm to protected salmon and orcas.

Washington Becomes First State to Sue Monsanto Over PCBs, Accused of Knowing Its Toxicity for Decades https://t.co/NIpDZ7lgLZ @gmo917  EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) December 10, 2016

Monsanto has been dismissive of the lawsuits for a number of reasons, including having nothing to do with the companys current business.

But the litigation is gaining momentum. Earlier this month, a California federal judge denied Monsantos motion to dismiss separate public nuisance lawsuits filed by the cities of San Jose, Oakland and Berkeley. The cities are suing Monsanto for costs associated with PCB cleanup and stormwater system retrofit damages.

The cities also allege that Monsanto knew for decades that PCBs were dangerous but continued to sell them anyway. As stated in U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davilas Feb. 3 order, an internal Monsanto report identified PCBs as nearly global environmental contaminants but urged a number of actions which must be undertaken to prolong the manufacture, sale and use of these particular Aroclors, which was the trade name of commercial PCB mixtures. Furthermore, an internal memo declared that despite the hazards of PCBs, Monsanto cant afford to lose one dollar of business.

Judge Davila based his decision on Californias new water code that gives cities a right to capture stormwater and put it to use.

As cities are using stormwater for beneficial purposes, they have a right to recover for stormwater retrofit damages due to these PCBs, plaintiffs attorney John Paul Fiske explained to EcoWatch. Prior to the presence of PCBs, stormwater systems did not need to account for PCBs. Now that we have to account for PCBs, we have to spend extra money in order to remove or reduce or just basically manage the presence of PCBs in stormwater.

What weve alleged is that the presence of PCBs in stormwater and large water bodies is a public nuisance because it disallows or interferes with the publics right to engage in normal public activities like fishing or bathing or swimming, he added.

Judge Davila ruled that the cities could continue to pursue damages against Monsanto. Monsanto may now file a motion to dismiss or stay this case.

Fiskes California-based law firm Gomez Trial Attorneys as well as Texas-based Baron & Budd are also representing San Diego, Long Beach, Seattle, Spokane, Portland, the Port of Portland and Washington state.

EcoWatch spoke with Fiske over the phone about the recent Northern California ruling.

Q. Monsanto has since shifted business operations to agriculture. Why should it be liable for something that they no longer manufacture?

A. Part of it is a factual answer and part of it is a legal answer. The factual answer is that Monsanto was, always has been, and always will be a chemical company. Im not really sure what it means to be an agricultural company when one of the main products are GMO seeds that are not natural or pesticides such as glyphosate and Roundup. So the idea that Monsanto is not in the chemical business anymore is just not true. They are very much a chemical company and always has been dating back to things like Agent Orange.

The second issue is the legal answer. Corporations can play games all they want but they remain liable and responsible for the chemicals they produce. Companies can spin off, they can merge, they can come together, they can split apart. But so long as we can trace these chemicals back to the original manufacturer, which was old Monsanto then they are liable.

So thats why were suing Monsanto, Pharmacia and Solutia. Because all companies come from the original Monsanto company and therefore they all maintain the same liabilities for PCBs.

read page 1

Q. How did this all start? Which city was the first?



A. The first city to file was the city of San Diego. In that case the city had written a check for $15 million dollars because it was required to dredge PCBs on the bottom of San Diego Bay. And so once we understood that this was a real and practical problem that cities were dealing with, it became very clear to us that other cities would benefit from this type of filing. This litigation was born out of the organic problemno pun intendedcreated by the ubiquitous presence of PCBS.

Monsanto, in the news, has tried to focus this case on plaintiffs lawyers such as myself rather than the substance of the issues. But trust me, millions of people as taxpayers are dealing with these issues all across the country. Over 6,000 water bodies are contaminated with PCBs.

Q. Id like to go into that. Scott Partridge, the vice president of global strategy for Monsanto, once said: PCBs have not been produced in the U.S. for four decades, and Washington is now pursuing a case on a contingency fee basis that departs from settled law both in Washington and across the country  Most of the prior cases filed by the same contingency fee lawyers have been dismissed, and Monsanto believes this case similarly lacks merit and will defend itself vigorously. What is your response to that?

A. Its a classic response to delay, deflect and deny. Delay means you just push it back. Deflect means to blame other people, either the plaintiffs or third parties. And deny means you flat out deny it.

Oh and when that doesnt work, you blame the messenger and thats me. Of course Monsanto is going to try to attack the messenger who is exposing their worldwide contamination. It doesnt surprise us or hurt our feelings. They are worried about this liability especially as they are coming into a merger with Bayer.

Q. About the the merger. This is a major backstory. How do you feel about this and what does it mean for the PCB lawsuits if this merger happens?



A. Its a really good question. We have an American company whose headquarters is in St. Louis, Missouri, the Heartland of America. And that company is now being purchased by a company based in Munich, Germany. So my question for Bayer is, Does Bayer understand its liabilities and its responsibilities for this PCB contamination? Do they understand that they are acquiring a massive liability that spans the entire nation? And if they do understand that what do they plan on doing about that and do they take responsibility for it?

About two weeks after Monsanto and Bayer announced its $66 billion merger, Monsanto also announced that they are setting aside $280 million to deal with PCB personal injury cases. So does Bayer think that its going to have responsibility? Does a German company plan on taking responsibility for American environmental problems? Do they plan on continuing to delay, deflect and deny the problem?

Q. What do you think about the Trump factor? (Last month, Bayer CEO Werner Baumann and Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant met with the then president-elect to ask him to bless the companies planned $66 billion mega-merger.)

A. Well if were going to Make America Great Again we should start by cleaning up our waters. We should make our waters great again.

Q. Have you seen the new study about how PCBs have been detected in the Mariana Trench?

A. Yes, I did see that and thats unfortunate. Monsanto manufactured in America alone close to 1.5 billion pounds of PCBs and they knew that they were toxic and they do not biodegrade and yet they continued to sell them anyway.

So what were seeing in the deep parts of the ocean or in the fish in our backyard is something that Monsanto had predicted back in the 1950s and 60s.

Toxic Chemicals Banned in 70s Found in Deep Ocean Creatures https://t.co/GDK6mYMye4 @FoEAustralia @ejfoundation  EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) February 17, 2017

Q. Are you expecting more cities or states to file PCB contamination lawsuits?

A. We expect more to be filing. A lot of cities and states are starting to take notice of the fact that Monsanto is losing its motions to dismiss. Therefore its encouraging them to jump into the ring and help find solutions for their cities PCB problems.
Date: 01/02/2017 UMC is a foundry partner for Panasonic in making Resistive RAM Panasonic Semiconductor has partnered with Taiwan-based semiconductor foundry UMC to design and mass-produce the latest disruptive flash memory alternative resistive RAM (ReRAM).



Panasonic Semiconductor started ReRAM mass production using a 180nm process in 2013, and it's also selling 8-bit microcomputer MN101LR series for low power consumption applications such as in portable healthcare devices. Panasonic says it was the first to test and verify the high reliability of memory arrays by 40nm process.



Both the UMC and Panasonic integrating Panasonic's 40nm ReRAM process technologies with UMC's high-reliability CMOS process technologies. The goal is to finalise a process to integrate ReRAM inside SOC chips replacing embedded flash memory in applications such as ID cards, wearables and IOT devices.



Panasonic said it will ship product samples in 2018 that use the new 40nm process, and claim will be the first to start mass production in the industry. The two companies, PSCS and UMC are willing to share the co-developed ReRAM process platform to other semiconductor manufacturers and suppliers from around the world.



Kazuhiro Koyama, President of Panasonic semiconductor says, "The company will provide a wide range of optimal products that meet customer needs by developing a scaling process platform that will accelerate the market uptake of ReRAM, whose mass production in the industry was started by PSCS."



"We are excited to enter into this foundry agreement with Panasonic," said Senior Vice President S.C. Chien from UMC. "The proven reliability, fast cycle times and high yields of our 40nm process will bring a new element of competitiveness to Panasonic's ReRAM, which will result in mutual benefits for both companies as the product gains widespread market adoption. We look forward to working with Panasonic to bring their 40nm ReRAM to high volume production."

Tweet Follow @eeherald
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.18

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed) pipeline project fits well with the European Unions target of increasing the security of gas supply and diversification of routes, nergy and Environment Minister of Greece, Giorgos Stathakis, said in an exclusive interview with Trend.

It should be a top priority project, if one takes into account that current discoveries in the Levantine basin already adding up to 1.2 trillion cubic meters, equal the size of Azerbaijani gas reserves [in Shah Deniz field], according to the minister.

Pre-Feed studies demonstrated that the EastMed Pipeline could be a fully viable export option to the converging dynamics between present and future gas discoveries in the East Med region and Europes growing import requirements, Stathakis added.

The minister said he believes that all interested parties should continue in the spirit of the already existing good cooperation to advance the project farther.

The Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed) pipeline project relates to an offshore/onshore natural gas pipeline, directly connecting East Mediterranean resources to Greece via Cyprus and Crete.

The project is being currently designed to transport up to 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year from the off-shore gas reserves in the Levantine Basin (Cyprus and Israel) as well as from the potential gas reserves in Greece.

The minister noted that if EastMed qualifies as the southern part of the South-Eastern Energy Crossroad, then vertical pipelines such as Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) or Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) form the northern part of it.

Greek government strongly endorses these projects with particular reference to IGB, he said.

The latter is a key project and a stepping stone for the development of the vertical corridor that will further ensure the security of supply to Eastern Europe and the Balkans, according to Stathakis.

We are determined to continue our good cooperation with our Bulgarian friends so as to bring the project to fruition, he added.

IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.

The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas.

IAP is a proposed natural gas pipeline in Southeastern Europe (SEE) that will stretch from Albania through Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Split in Croatia. It will be connected with TAP.

IAP will provide deliveries of Azerbaijani gas to several countries of South-Eastern Europe. The capacity of the pipeline will amount to 5 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Tehran, Iran, February 18

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

A former Iranian MP says a planned February 20 referendum in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, occupied by Armenia, is by no means justified and will be a model for the law of the jungle in the world.

How could it be right if you forcefully occupy a region, disturb the population makeup, lead about 800,000 people to homelessness, deploy forces in the area, and then announce that you are going to hold a referendum on the future of the area? Mansour Haqiqatpour told Trend February 18.

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.

If things go on like this they will lead to global anarchy.... I think neither the global community nor the United Nations will accept this. The government and people of Azerbaijan have a right to make objections, Haqiqatpour said.

The exact territory of Nagorno-Karabakh region should be defined and then people who have been living there for long years should decide about its future, the Iranian MP stressed.

Turkey, another neighboring power, also denounced the planned referendum in advance. Turkey will not recognize a referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh region, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said February 17.

In a statement, the ministry said that Ankara condemns the referendum, which will constitute a new violation of Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Tehran, Iran, February 18

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iran has denied that its Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is going to meet with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

I strongly reject the reports and such a meeting will not be held, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi told ISNA news agency February 18.

Reports had claimed a meeting would be held between Zarif and the new US secretary of state while they were in Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference.

According to the official website of the conference, the top Iranian diplomat is slated to deliver a speech at the international event in the morning of February 18.

More than 500 participants are planned to take part in the event, including 50 foreign ministers, 30 defense ministers, and 90 parliamentarians.
In partnership with the Climate Innovation Center, Ghana, the Clean Energy West Africa Summit will host the first incubator workshop in April which will look at how entrepreneurs can build, develop and sustain clean energy businesses.

Ruka Sanusi, Executive Director of Ghanas Climate Innovation Center will lead this exciting workshop and will focus on how attendees can create an intentional business. Ms. Sanusi runs boot-camps for start-ups and has a unique focus on providing advisory services in the areas of business strategy, business operations and business transformation. Prior to founding Alldens Lane in 2012, Ruka served as part of the senior management team at PwC Ghana and PwC Nigeria for over a decade; and the decade before that she worked with the global corporation Crown Agents in the UK, as part of their international consulting team serving clients in Africa and the Caribbean. Ruka has advised governments, public sector organisations and private corporations on international projects and assignments in 16 sub-Saharan African countries. She has lived in the UK, Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria.

Other sessions at the Clean Energy West Africa Summit will show attendees how business models can enable scale-up and speakers will join from FINCA International, Camco Energy, BBOX, PEG Ghana and more. Attendees will be able to listen to the advice in two parts: from the investment community and businesses that have done it for themselves!

Investment fund CrossBoundarys Femi Fadugba will also present on how to build a great solar company. What are the common misconceptions and mistakes that could hinder young growth companies? What, specific conditions would you need to meet in Ghana? How do you pick winning partners? How do you get the money in place? Having signed PPAs with Heineken, Unilever and Kasaprekl, CrossBoundary know what theyre talking about!

For more information please contact

Jo Wilkinson, Head of Event Content at Solar Media

jwilkinson@solarmedia.co.uk

+44 (0) 20 7871 0122
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 18

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Irans police seized over 877 kilograms of opium from smugglers in the country's south-eastern province of Kerman in the city of Jiroft.

The smugglers were trying to carry the drug cargo to central Iran, Reza Baniasadi, the province's police commander, said, the news portal of Irans police reported Feb. 18.

Two smugglers were arrested in a police operation, Baniasadi added.

Iran is situated on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as the Persian Gulf states. The Islamic Republic shares about 900 kilometers of common border with Afghanistan, over which 74 percent of opium is smuggled.

The fight against drug trafficking annually costs Iran about $1 billion, according to the official estimates.

According to the statistics, there are about two million drug users in Iran.
Turkish security forces killed two PKK terrorists in a clash in the southeastern Mardin province, the governor office said early Saturday, Anadolu reported.

A police officer was wounded during the clash with the terror group in the Nusaybin district, according to a statement that said the operation is ongoing in the region.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its armed campaign in July 2015 and has since been responsible for the deaths of approximately 1,100 security personnel and civilians, including women and children.
The Princess Diana story still hasn't died down. There are more facts emerging in a new biography by Sally Bedell Smith. The details sound pretty murky. Smith looks into Prince Charles' difficult relationship with his father Prince Philip and explains that the son had been forced to marry Princess Diana by his father.

Prince Charles' biography titled "Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life" by Sally Bedell Smith explores the difficult relationship between the father and son. Prince Charles felt that forcing him to marry Princess Diana had been "coercive and accusatory," according to Royalcentral.

Even his cousin Pamela Hicks reveals details in Prince Charles' biography of a threatening letter that he had got from his father after the prince had spent one night on a train in 1980. Hence, Prince Charles had been bulldozed into marriage, whether he had wanted to or not. The sordid facts of what exactly happened when he got the letter, and what he had said to Princess Diana, have been written in detail.

What looked like a fairytale wedding soon turned into a nightmare. Princess Diana claimed that she always felt "misunderstood," according to Mail Online. Even as Prince Charles and Princess Diana got divorced in 1996, Princess Diana got killed in a car crash in Paris a year later. Price Charles then got back to his first love and mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles, in 2005.

Readers are now treated to the difficult relationship between father and son. Prince Philip described his son Prince Charles as a 'romantic' even as he felt that he himself was a 'pragmatist.' Both men did not look at everything with the same eye.

Prince Charles does not even agree with everything that his mother Queen Elizabeth says. One reason she is reluctant to step down is that she feels Charles is not ready to become King of England. Without her, she is sure that the very foundation of the monarchy would be shaken up.

YouTube/Gossip Radar
The 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is comparable to an ice cream due to its many flavors. Anyone looking for a luxurious car with offroad capabilities should look no further than the Trailhawk model.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is one of the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee's most distinguished model especially with the Renegade's black hood stripes in matte. It comes with the Trailhawk badge, but what will make every car lover's heart beat with delight is its Quadra-life air suspension that provides a ground clearance of up to 10.8 inches. Add in the off-road tires by Goodyear and it's love at first sight.

At a price of $53,515, the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk fits the bill of someone who has an eye for beauty, but at the same time has deep pockets to finance such good taste, according to Autoweek. For budget-conscious car aficionados, the smaller version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk would be a good buy.

The 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk boasts of an eight-speed automatic, 5.7-liter V8 and an All-Wheel-Drive engine. On the average, it has a 16mpg fuel economy, but that would not be a problem for those who can afford its price. The well-design cabin of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk will allow the owner to travel in style at all times, although the wide turning radius can be a problem.

Accessibility to the offroad systems of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk's is one of its strongest features. The vehicle's brakes, transmission, suspension, traction control, and differential are poised to do the driver's bidding with just the push of a button and the twisting of a knob, according to Autoblog.

It would be easy to become comfortable with the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, thanks to its interiors specifically the seat inserts made of suede. This luxurious feature took the jeep out of its traditional rugged interiors, but no one's complaining.

"Our Cherokee and Renegade Trailhawk models are among our fastest selling and most sought-after models," Jeep Brand Head for FCA Global Mike Manley said.

Any Jeep lover wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. It is available in eye-candy colors of Velvet Red, Diamond Black Crystal, Redline Red, Bright Wine, Billet Silver, Rhino and Granite Crystal.
She almost became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu; now she is behind bars. The future of V K Sasikala, the late All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader J Jayalalithaas protege, has mesmerised the media and the Tamil public ever since the latter passed away in Chennai on 5 December 2016. The speculation ended dramatically on 14 February when the Supreme Court, after an inexplicable delay, pronounced judgment in the two-decade long disproportionate assets case and held Jayalalithaa, Sasikala and two of the latters relatives, V N Sudhakaran and J Elavarasi, guilty under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. While the media obsessed over the political drama of Sasikala sequestering legislators loyal to her at a holiday resort as she made her claim to run the state of Tamil Nadu, the significance of the disproportionate assets case has been somewhat eclipsed. Even though questions have been raised about the timing of the pronouncement of judgment by the apex court, the ruling is nevertheless important.

Hearing an appeal against the 11 May 2015 verdict of the Karnataka High Court, that had overturned the September 2014 ruling of the special trial court convicting Jayalalithaa of possessing assets in excess of her known sources of income and convicting Sasikala and the other two of colluding in masking this unaccounted wealth, the Supreme Court upheld the trial courts ruling in full. It observed that even though the first accused, Jayalalithaa, had died, the other three accused, including Sasikala, would have to serve four years in prison and pay a fine of 10 crore each as required by the trial court.
Its a wrap.

RSA 2017 concluded today, leaving in its wake alarming new vulnerabilities and dire warnings about the cybersecurity landscape amid a growing cloud market and the unstoppable spread of the Internet of Things (IoT). IT giants made some announcements, too, offering the industry a look at how they plan to tackle some of the most pressing security challenges facing IT organizations today.

RSA, now part of the Dell tech empire, announced a suite of Business-Driven Security solutions that adds business context to security incidents, enabling security teams to better focus their efforts on activities that have a significant business impact. We believe that operationalizing business-driven security will make security teams and risk managers more effective, resulting in smarter and faster decisions around cyber risk management, blogged Grant Geyer.

That means new RSA NetWitness Suite capabilities that enable faster threat detection for enterprise environments, with a mix of public cloud (AWS and Microsoft Azure), virtualized (VMware and Gigamon) and physical IT assets. Updates to SecurID Access bring stronger multi-factor authentication and improved access management that span a wide variety of device types.

The RSA Archer Ignition Program is now generally available, helping businesses manage risk and compliance. And the companys new Risk & Cybersecurity Practice provides customers with access to RSA technologies and consulting services for security solutions that are tailored to the needs of an organization.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced SecureData for Hadoop and IoT, a solutions set aimed at securing big data environments, many of them swimming in a massive amount of information gleaned from IoT devices.

HPE SecureData for Hadoop and IoT provides maximum data protection with industry-standard, next generation HPE Format-Preserving Encryption (FPE), and HPE Secure Stateless Tokenization (SST) technologies, stated the company in an online fact sheet. With HPE FPE and SST, protection is applied at the data field and sub-field level, preserves characteristics of the original data, including numbers, symbols, letters and numeric relationships such as date and salary ranges, and maintains referential integrity across distributed data sets so joined data tables continue to operate properly. HPE FPE and SST provide high-strength encryption and tokenization of data without altering the original data format.

Microsoft, meanwhile, called for a Digital Geneva Convention to protect businesses and citizens from nation-state cyberattacks. Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer of Microsoft, proposed a Digital Switzerland, where the tech industry works to collectively assist and protect customers from foreign government hackers.

We suddenly find ourselves living in a world where nothing seems off limits to nation-state attacks, said Smith in a Feb. 14 announcement. Conflicts between nations are no longer confined to the ground, sea and air, as cyberspace has become a potential new and global battleground.? There are increasing risks of governments attempting to exploit or even weaponize software to achieve national security objectives, and governmental investments in cyber offense are continuing to grow.?
Written by ACM

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- In Exclusive Statements to "Eurofora", the Chairman of EU Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), and former President of EU Parliament, professor Jerzy Buzek, a ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP from Poland, explained the main reasons for which the planned creation of a European "Cloud" of Computer Data would Benefit EU Citizens, the Economy and Science, both at Home and Abroad, being a Modern Technology Opportunity to seize, by overcoming any eventual challenges.

Particularly nowadays, when Public Debates on "Europe's Future" are growing, Both inside EU Pariiament, (with 3 Political Reports during this Plenary Session) and outside, also in view of the forthcoming, Exceptional EU Heads of State/Government Summit at Rome, for the 60th Anniversary of the EU Treaties, due to Highlight some New Horizons, at Rome (Italy), on March 2017.



However, Dreaming on 2016-2017 about the imminent Creation of European Digital "Clouds" didn't start on the Sky, but down on Earth, at Strasbourg's Political, EU Experts and Civil Society Meetings' level, already from 2012-2013, as "Eurofora"s personal Experience attests :



- An Early Proposal around a Digital EU "Cloud", initialy focusing on Legal Rules' framework only, has been made since 2013, during an Annual Cyber-Security Legal, Economic, ICT Experts and Politicians' Conference of Franco-German-Swiss "Superior Rhine" Euro-Region in Strasbourg, to which "Eurofora" had been Invited and actively participated : In particular, this was a main idea of a Key Expert, Senior Official of the French National Security Agency for Information Systems (ANSSI), Philippe Wolf, advanced in an Interview with "Eurofora" : See, f.ex., also : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/cyberattaksandeurules.html ).



But it was, Initialy, already at the Beginning of 2012, that an Experienced MEP, former Chairman of EU Parliament's "STOA" Committee on Scientific/Technological Options' Assessment, Paul Rubig from Austria, (ChristianDemocrat/EPP), in cooperation with his successor, Portuguese former Minister Antionio de Campors (SocialDemocrat), Replied to "Eurofora" Questions in a Press Conference in Strasbourg, about foreseable Future Projects "in the Coming Years", by pointing, at the 1st Place, to "Cloud Computing", (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/euscienceoptionsandcitizens.html ).



Moreover, an interesting PanEuropean/International Conference on "Clouds" data in relation with the Global Fight against Cyber-Crime was organized by CoE's "Budapest" Convention Experts' body on 2015 in Strasbourg, where CoE's Anti-CyberCrime Director, Alexander Seger, spoke to "Eurofora" about the Need for relevant Capacity-Building and potential Victims' Protection, (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/coecybercrimedirectoroncapacitybuilding.html ).



=> That Rubig's and Wolf's moves proved to be Premonitory :



- On February 2017, such Pioneer but sketchy Ideas, have become now a seriously documented and Fully-Fledged Official EU Parliament's Report, drafted by ITRE's experienced Chairman, President Buzek, Debated (on Wednesday) and Voted (on Thursday) by MEPs this Week in Strasbourg, on a 2016 initiative launched by EU Commission, which was presented here by EU Commissioner in charge of Scientific Research and Technology Development, Carlos Moedas, (for Other EU Commissioner Moedas' Statements to "Eurofora", see, f.ex., also : ....).



- "We can say that, in the case of Cloud Computing, the most Crucial Issues are about Using that, very Widely, in Science" matters mainly, President Buzek observed from the outset, in Reply to an "Eurofora" Question, Earlier this week.



- "Because we (Europeans) haven't done that yet, until now", and "this is Incredible !", he regretted, (given also the rapidly growing Globbal Competition in this key ICT crossroads area).



- But "Cloud Computing for Research, for Sciences, is of Crucial Importance" nowadays, ITRE's Experienced Chairman (who is also a former University Professor in Physics), underlined.



- "And, ... we, in Europe, could be in the Best role in the World ! ", President Buzek, (who has a large Experience also as former EU Parliament's Rapporteur on the Science and Technology Funding, Mutli-Annual Program "Horizon"), optimisticaly Highlighted.



- "Because, as you know, we (EU) have more than 550 Millions Citizens, and a Lot of Universities, while Science and Research is advancing forward", he noted.



- Success depends also on "whether we (EU) Start Immediately with Cloud Computing, to go through all the Technicaclities, as soon as possible", EU Parliament's competent Rapporteur urged.



+ When "Eurofora" observed that f.ex. our Natural Science's Advisor, Dr. Constantin Marcopoulos, who is currently working as Professor mainly on Physics and Chemistry etc. in China, during a recent visit to France and Germany (2017) said that he Needs an Efficient and Safe "Cloud" for his Original Documents, and Asked Buzek if it is Possible for the EU to Develop such Computer Clouds which would be physically accessible to Users all over the World, ITRE's Chairman replied very Positively : - "I think so. Yes, Absolutely ! This is (part of) our (EU's) Task".



-------------------------------



- Speaking, Later-on, in an EU Parliament's Plenary Debate with MEPs on Buzek's Report, EU Commissioner for Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas (Comp. Supra), stressed from the outset EU's "Ambition of ensuring that science, businesses, public services could reap all the benefits of the so-called Big Data revolution. Today we produce 2.5 billion  billion  bytes of Data per day. That is, as someone once put it, 4 Eiffel Towers of Blu-ray Discs per Day, so the fundamental Question for us tonight is really How we should deal with it, and the Cloud Initiative is part of the answer".



- EU Commission "proposed the creation of an inclusive, European, open science cloud, deploying an efficient European data Infrastructure to address such enormous data flows and Opening up the User base to the Public sector and Industry", he resumed in this regard.



- For this purpose, on 2017, "We (EU Commission) are now Discussing sustainable funding and implementation instruments with the Member States, research infrastructures, scientific communities and other key players". "First, on the European Open Science Cloud the Commission is preparing a roadmap for Governance and Financing to be presented to, and discussed with, the Member States in the course of 2017. ...We want our 1.7 Million European Scientists to have the best services for text and data Mining, the best data Management plans, and the best Training programmes. We made Open data the default in "Horizon 2020" (EU Research Funding Program), starting in 2017. In other words, we kind of transformed an exception into a rule", Moedas said.



+ And "We (EU) will Fund a Pilot Project ...to ensure that the Governance in the European Open Science Cloud is truly representative of European Science" and "creates Synergies". "Over the Year, ...we will define a Governance board before the end of 2017 and we will work on making all our research Data fair; Findable, so scientists can identify each piece of data in a unique way; Accessible, so it can always be obtained freely; Interoperable, because science is today at the intersection of disciplines; and ReUsable, because you cannot lose important data after you have used it, you have to be able to use it in different disciplines at different times", he promised.



- Concerning "the European Data InfraStructure", "a European high performance Computing Strategy (is) under development with Member States and European Industry", which "includes a Pooling of the necessary Investments at all levels to create a World-class ...computing and big data ecosystem by 2023", due "to be built on 2 Exascale Computers. That means a billion operations per second, which is basically 1.000 times Faster than todays supercomputers", the competent EU Commissioner Highlighted.



- This "requires seamless user-friendly Access, with appropriate levels of data Protection, Security and services, to ensure Trust and Confidence", he admitted. "So,...on 10 January last, the Commission adopted the Communication on Building a European Data Economy", "dealing with additional big data issues : It advocates reducing barriers to the Free Flow of data. It looks into questions of Ownership, Access to data, Liability", and "puts emphasis on ...Open and Competitive economy, without unjustified lock-in effects.



+ Citting "a recent Visit" f.ex. to a "Bio-Informatics Institute" at Nearby "Heidelberg", Moedas observed that it had "made" a "Choice" for "Scientific Information Freely Available to the Global Science Community", and pointed out that "This is the Way we (EU Commission) are Going".



- Meanwhile, however, he also said to be "deeply committed to Engaging with All relevant Stakeholders", as well as to "Consider several Proposals, on the Supply and Demand side, and on the Extension to SMEs", as he promised.



-------------------------------------



However, during the EU Parliament's debate, despite an overall Positive, in principle, Welcome by most MEPs, among some Criticism was also f.ex., on behalf of the Conservative/Reformist Group, (mainly UK-driven), MEP Krasnodebski's call to Better Focus on the "Industry sector" and "the realities of the Market", instead of a "Centralized" EU "Commission"'s "Intereference", as he said, expressing also a Reserve about EU's estimation of an "Additional Public-private Investment of 4,7 Billions " "within 5 Years".



He didn't, however, go as far as the Euro-Sceptic British MEP Diane James, who lated spoke on behalf of "Independent" MEPs, Criticizing a "forecast" to "Cost 6,7 Billions , including a 4,7 financial Shortfall", which would "mean that no one knows Where almost 5 Billions  ... will be Found", so that, Other, "Existing Global, and fully International Alternatives", might be, perhaps, preferable, according to her opinion.



On the Contrary, "EuroLeft" Group's representative, MEP Marisa Matias from Portugal, found "Necessary ... that the (EU) system is maintained in the Public domain, guaranteeing the use and access to the entire community, from researchers to SMEs, ...secondly, to ensure the portability and interoperability of the data; in the third place, to Protect the personal data", as she stressed.



- On behalf of the "Green" Group, MEP Judith Sargentini, denouced the Fact that, until now, "we do store very often data Outside the EU, and that is Not Good, because outside our jurisdiction, we can Not Protect Governments, Businesses, Scientists and Citizens", while f.ex. "US Companies and NSA watch", as well as some "Russian companies", etc., while, nowadays, "Personal Infrmation is extremely Important" to safeguard. Therefore, EU's "Cloud Initiative" could be also "Good for our Wallets and for our Privacy", particularly if EU Ciommission "Stop Listening to (some) American Companies that would like to have a Monopoly on the Cloud", such as, f.ex. "Hewlett-Packard and Amazon", etc.. "By EnForcing Open Standards" for All, "we (EU) could Reduce that Risk", awhile "also, our (EU's) Data Protection Laws, by keeping the (EU) Cloud very Safe, can Offer even to Foreign Companies, (and/or) Out of the EU, some very Good Opportunities", she observed.



- French MEP Jean-Luc Schaffhauser, (who had been, initialy, the Rapporteur for that Issue"), speaking on behalf of the "Nations and Freedoms" Group (Rightists), stressed from the outset that his main "Concern was to Keep, ... Both the Software and the Harware, for really European Businesses, i.e. Headquartered in the EU, Producing in Europe, and having European Capital". But also "to Monitor Security" and "the concept of Openess, ... so that it doesn't serve only some Foreign Powers", as he Warned, in addition to "Protecting the Data, according the Principle hat they Belong to those who Produce them", as he said.



But, together with "a Team of 25 Experts and 5 Coordinators (MEPs), specialized in this field, we Found ... that even some among the Leading European Companies had Not been Consulted", as he claimed, while, moreover, EU Commission had chosen to "Put Huge (Financial) Means on Super-Computers, but Abandoned the Quantic (Tech) or Other Sectors, as, f.ex. the Micro-Processors, which represent 2O Times more than the Market of SuperComputers", so that this all risked to Benefit "mainly the Foreign Lobbies", in his view.



-----------------



- Experienced, mainstream ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Paul Rubig from Austria, one of EU's Pioneers in the domain of "Cloud Computing" (Comp. Supra), Welcomed EU Commission's initiative, as a means to "Strengthen Europe", and Advised to Better use the potential "Bonuses" of the "Protection of Personal Data, in a Trusted European Cloud".



- F.ex., a "Cloud Select Industry Group has sought a Code of Conduct, ...set for European Standards", "so that the European Cloud Industry gets in this area a Strong Role", also at "a Global" level, Rubig stressed, while also Saluting the presence of "ENISA and ETSI's Key players" at EU Parliament, Hoping that EU's Initiative "would Really Bring a sustainable Success for European SMEs".



=> For that purpose, "We (EU) also Need a Cloud Computing Compliance-Monitoring Catalog System, to set Standards, (and) enable us to Avoid Distrust and Crisis of Confidence, in this area". In Fact, "we (EU) Need a European Cloud "Quality Seal", for the "Data Storage to European Cloud Providers, in European Data Centers", with "the full Source Code Available in Europe", as well as, "we Need the European Law, and the European (EU and/or CoE) Rules on Data Protection, to apply to the (EU) Cloud a Quality Seal", Rubig urged.



- When this will be achieved, "then, EU Taxes ... and IT Services will be Able to Contribute (to Fund and Support) our InfraStructure", the experienced Top MEP concluded.



------------------------------------



+ Spanish MEP Jose Blanco Lopez, added a Wish "to make it possible for All Regions of the EU to participate, withOut New Gaps".



Dutch MEP Lumbert van Nistelrooij, observed that in several EU Countries, already, "New Academies Combining Big Data, Science, Ethics, and Entrepreneurship", were "Starting", Hoping that EU would "Not Repeat what had happened during the Last Years, when we Lost Time (f.ex.) vis a vis the USA", as he found.



Greek Conservative MEP Notis Marias, observed that "Revenues from EU's Cloud Computing could reach 80 Billions  until 2020". But he also reminded that "Protection of Personal and other Sensitive Data should have a Priority on the Free Flow of data", while also, "any European Policy" on this field, "should respond to the Needs and Benefit SMEs, and particularly Consumers, both at an EU, National, Regional and Local level", as he said.



-------------------



- In Reply, EU Commissioner Moedas, from Portugal, anew Stressed that "Open Data is the Future, and Locking up is the Past", urging "Not o Miss this Boat of Open Access, Open Data, Open Science, and Openness to the World", as "this (EU) Cloud is about being Able to Mine text and Data, Better than others, and about having Access to Information that can create Ideas" and "Jobs", as he said.



+ However, at the same time, he also Promised to "Speed Implementation, Invest in a World-leading Capacity, set up a Governance structure ...truly Representative of European Science", and "Protect People's Data and Privacy", as well as "Ensure that European Industry and Public Sector Benefit from that".



------------------------------------------------



>>> President Buzek's Draft Report supports such an "European Open Science Cloud" (EOSC), particularly after observing the fact that "Countries like USA, China Japan and Russia are seriously Investing in such Systems", while also stressing that it "should be Developed with due regard for the Fundamental Rights enshrined in (EU's) Charter ..., in particular the Rights of Data Protection, Privacy, Liberty and Security", as well as to Benefit also SMEs, be associated with a Wider Access to Broadband Internet for the People, throughout Regions, and by engaging with Civil Society Together with all other relevant European stakeholders.



-----------------------------------------------



An Alternative Draft Resolution, presented in the form of an Amendment by the "Nations and Freedoms" Group of Rightist MEPs, warned, inter alia, also about "US Intelligence Services" allegedly "advocating Maximum Openness", observed that f.ex. "China requires every Cloud Operator to have a Minimum of 50% of Chinese Capital", Regretted that EU "Commission (allegedly) Failed to Consult the only European Producer of MicroProcessors, ... or Europe's largest Cloud Computing Company, although it did Consult their Non-European Rivals", Urges to use "Free (EU) Linux Software" in order to "Save... Tens of Billions " and "allow the European Digital Sector to play a Leading role", Calls to consider a Company as "European" "only if its Office and ..Decision making centers, Manufacturing Sites, are on European Territory, and if it's Controlled by European Capital, and subject to consolidated Tax" here, (instead of merely having "a European Subsidiary", as EU Commission allegedly would estimate), Denounces "Storing or Processing Data Outside of Europe", as "tantamount to Killing off EU's Digital Economy", asks for "Governance" to be "under European Jurisdiction", asks to "encourage and Fund the writing of Secure Free Software" in Europe, particularly "with Linux", and to "massively Invest in (EU's) SemiConductor Industry", as well as "to adopt High Encryption standards", (a point also made in Buzek's Draft), and Concluded by calling to ensure that "anyone Using .. Data should Remunerate the Data Provider", with "Dissuassive Fines on Companies illegaly using Data", so that "Europe" could become "a Safe Haven for Data Storage in the World", as it claimed.



------------------------------------------------



As a whole, that Text was, however, Rejected by a strong EU Parliament's Majority of at least 535 MEPs, against only about 40 and 5 Abstentions.



While, on the Contrary, President Buzek's Draft Resolution, (which Included some Responses to several among those Concerns : Comp. partly Supra), was clearly Adopted by EU Parliament, with a Crystal-clear absolute Majority of 444 Votes in Favour, and Only almost 144 Dissident Votes, (Against or Abstentions), i.e. supported by More than 3/4 of MEPs.



-----------------------------------





(../..)





***



(NDLR : Partly Updated on Thursday, February 16, 2017).



+



("DraftNews", as already send to "Eurofora" Subscribers/Donors, earlier. A more accurate, full Final Version, might be published asap).



***


President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced his support for the constitutional change that would lower the minimum age to become a lawmaker from 25 to 18, citing the example of powerful companies who employ young chief executive officers, Anadolu reported.

Speaking at an opening ceremony for infrastructure projects in eastern Turkeys Elazig province, Erdogan said the campaign for a Yes vote for the April 16 referendum on constitutional changes would continue.

We would also like to see ages of ministers going down to 18 from 25 years. Is that possible? Why not! Today, 25-year-old, 30-year-old young people are running giant corporations of the world, he said.

Under the proposed changes to the constitution, minimum age for parliamentary candidates would be reduced to 18 from 25.

The president said Turkey needs idealism and energy of youths, adding he wants to see elected young people between the ages of 18 and 25 in the Turkish parliament.

Erdogan kicked off the Yes campaign on Friday after the official referendum schedule was announced by the Supreme Election Board. The campaign began in southern Kahramanmaras, one of the areas that gave him the most votes in the 2014 presidential polls.

Turkey has finally achieved the appropriate management system which has been seeking for years. The name of this system is the presidential government system, he said.

Referring to opposition to the constitutional changes, Erdogan said those who objected to the new system do not want it because it is going to destroy their own interests and revealing their own bad intent.

Constitutional reform has been discussed since then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was voted president in August 2014.

The reforms would remove parliaments power to question ministers or stage a confidence vote in the government. The minimum age for parliamentary candidates would be reduced to 18 and the number of deputies will rise to 600.

Simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections for a five-year term would be held in November 2019 under the new constitution.

Turkish nationals overseas will be able to vote in the referendum between March 27 and April 9 at polling stations in embassies and consulates as well as at Turkish ports and airports. These votes will be tallied in Turkey on referendum night.

The political parties can campaign until 6 p.m. on April 15.

The bill of constitutional changes was passed by parliament in January, with 339 votes in favor -- nine more than needed to put the proposals to a referendum.
At first it may not sound like a big deal to organizations in the U.S. or Western Europe, but in fact the new cyber-reconnaissance malware discovered by CyberX may be a much bigger threat than it first appears.

This new malware, which researchers at CyberX call Operation BugDrop is designed to sit quietly on computers throughout an organization and record everything heard by the microphone built into or attached to a computer.

Every day the BugDrop malware sends the sound files to a Dropbox file, where its uploaded to the hackers for further analysis. Once the BugDrop malware infects an organization, it effectively turns every computer into a bug that in some ways is far more effective than if intelligence operatives had actually planted bugs in the same offices.

The reason its so effective is that the computer itself is the bug. Attempts to sweep an office for bugs would fail because the bug is the computer not hidden elsewhere in office.

The software also takes other steps to avoid detection. Because it exfiltrates audio recording data it avoids detection by looking like legitimate traffic. The software encrypts the DLLs it installs as a way to avoid detection by antivirus software.

Its installed using a phishing attack followed by what appear to be legitimate Microsoft Office messages that are designed to make sure that the computer user enables macros that facilitate malware installation.

Next the malware installs a main downloader thats obfuscated to avoid detection by AV software. Then it installs a key into the computers registry. The registry key makes sure that the software will run when the computer is restarted. The malware itself is installed using DLL injection, a technique that loads the malware as part of the process of loading legitimate software, which again hides it from anti-malware software.

BugDrop also avoids detection by using the public cloud service Dropbox to receive the surveillance data. This works because many organizations consider Dropbox traffic to be normal activity and they dont block it.

While the BugDrop malware is primarily intended to capture audio conversations, it can also search for and steal a wide variety of document types as well as steal passwords and other information from browsers. The specific activities of each malware infection can be tailored to match the targeted individual, which is known because the phishing emails that brought the malware into the computer were also specifically targeted.

When it loads the malware first checks for the existence of software that would expose it, such as some types of anti-malware software, and for activity monitors such as WireShark. The exfiltrated data is encrypted before its sent to Dropbox.

Nir Giller, co-founder and CTO of CyberX said that Operation BugDrop is extracting 2.5 to 3 gigabytes from each infected computer per day. Right now, he said that it appears that the Russian hackers are working against Ukraine under specific direction, but he said that its not clear exactly who is ultimately behind the attack. Giller noted, however, that all indications are that the malware was created in Russia, however.

Its highly targeted, Giller said, explaining that its aimed at critical infrastructure and the media.

Giller said that an operation such as BugDrop usually starts with a period of surveillance which may last up to six months. This is how the hackers determine who they want to attack and exactly how to go about the attack so that its most effective. They have a specific goal, he added.

Giller explained that the Russians monitored the Ukrainian power grid for six months before they brought it down in December 2015. One reason he thinks its the Russian government is because of the resources required to process the massive amount of data thats being taken from the Ukraine. He also said that the level of sophistication required to create this malware shows ability to access vast resources.

While it appears the primary target of Operation BugDrop is Ukraine, theres already some activity in Saudi Arabia and other places. Giller explained that this malware and reconnaissance malware can be used to attack anywhere, including in the U.S.

He said that the best way to determine whether a network has been compromised is to monitor the outgoing traffic for signs of exfiltration. In this case, its many gigabytes of data going to Dropbox daily.

While the target for the exfiltration could change to some other public cloud service, it still has to take place for the malware to do its job. He stressed that network monitoring is critical for spotting it. Once spotted Giller said that there are measures that an organization can take to get rid it, including locating the registry key and running an anti-malware package that can find it.

But its important to note that just because the attack is currently going on against the Ukraine, thats no reason to think that it cant happen here. Giller explained that the only thing needed is the motivation.

As soon as whoever is behind the attacks decides to start another attack, it could just as easily be the United States or a European Union country. Considering how poorly protected some critical infrastructure is in the U.S. and elsewhere, such an attack would surely succeed.
A worker performs a CD4 HIV test at a lab of Shanghai Xuhui District Central Hospital on Dec. 6, 2006, in Shanghai, China. (Photo : Getty Images/ China Photos)

HIV cure claimed to have been discovered by in Nigeria will once more undergo considerable scrutiny. The country's Senate Committee on Primary Healthcare, Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases has proposed for further authentication of the claim made by Prof. Maduike Ezeibe.



Prof. Maduike Ezeibe of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture recently announced that he had made a breakthrough in HIV treatment after thorough research. The professor claimed that he had developed a new drug that could treat HIV. He further explained that during the research process, volunteers were given doses of Medicinal Synthetic Aluminum-Magnesium Silicate and were subjected to monthly testing for viral loads.



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"They were treated daily with the Medicinal Synthetic Aluminum-Magnesium Silicate (50 mg/kg)," Vanguard Nigeria quoted Ezeibe as saying. "With the antiviral effects of the medicine, its ability to reach all cells (as nanoparticles) and the lymphocytes, there is no more hiding place (sanctuary) for HIV."



Despite the claim of the Nigerian professor of his latest discovery, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has dismissed his claim. That is why Senate wanted a thorough scientific analysis in order to fully determine and conclude the claim made by Prof. Ezeibe.



However, the agencies who previously studied and checked the latest HIV treatment claimed by Prof. Ezeibe have been adamant by their stand. They firmly believed that the information and claim of the Nigerian professor cannot be relied upon.



"Based on the evidence that he has provided that he had treated 10 patients and when you look at the records he had presented, it falls short of what is expected in terms of rigour, in terms of what is acceptable," The Guardian Nigeria quoted Executive Secretary Dr. Faisal Shuaib as saying. "We engaged the university and found out the information provided by the professor cannot be relied upon. By the information I have, we found out that those persons were not cured."



Watch here below ways on how HIV may penetrate the body:






Danaaus said: I got vague answers from all websites. For example, in Aus only certain occupations in SOL list gets PR. Is there any such list for Canada? If i do a masters in any field I can apply for PR? Click to expand...

I am an international student in Canada. How can I apply to become a permanent resident?



There are several permanent resident categories that you may fit into, including the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Provincial Nominee Program.



Some of those categories require eligible Canadian work experience. If you want to work in Canada after you graduate from your studies, you must apply for a work permit under the



NOTE: Completing an Express Entry profile is the first step to immigrate to Canada permanently as a skilled worker. Completing an Express Entry profile does not guarantee that you will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence. An Invitation to Apply for permanent residence will be based on your score and rank in the Express Entry pool using the Comprehensive Ranking System. There are several permanent resident categories that you may fit into, including the, the, and theSome of those categories require eligible Canadian work experience. If you want to work in Canada after you graduate from your studies, you must apply for a work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program NOTE: Completing an Express Entry profile is the first step to immigrate to Canada permanently as a skilled worker. Completing an Express Entry profile does not guarantee that you will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence. An Invitation to Apply for permanent residence will be based on your score and rank in the Express Entry pool using the Comprehensive Ranking System. Click to expand...

First of all, if you want to come to Canada, you are going to have to think in Canadian terms and forget about how things are done in Australia. AustraliaCanada, so things are going to be different and you will have to do your homework to figure out how things work in Canada.What makes you think that a Canadian would know what an SOL is without looking it up? To the average Canadian, SOL is an acronym for a phrase of rude slang and unless they did a Google search for "SOL Australia," they wouldn't know (and wouldn't care) that it is what the Australians call a "Skills Occupation List."Such a thingexist in Canadian immigration and if you had done research into coming to Canada, you would know what it's called and how it is used in Canadian immigration.In regards to 'vague answers from all websites,' did you actually look at the links in the search I posted for you?!I went to the first link in that search and found the following:How much more specific do you need the GoC website to be?!Not only do they give you suggestions as to how you might stay on in Canada via links to various immigration streams (hint, it's where you can find the Canadian version of the skills/occupation list that you claim you couldn't find),Are you serious about wanting to come to Canada or is Canada just a back up plan to be used in the event that your applications in Australia are refused?Your immediate hurdle would be to get accepted into the Masters program at a Canadian university. Your education qualifications would first have to be assessed to see if they're equivalent to Canadian standards; your English language ability would also have to be assessed and, most importantly, you would have to sit and pass an entrance exam (i.e. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) ) . Competition is stiff to get into grad school in Canada.Also, do you have the necessary funds to finance not only your studies (including books and associated fees) but also your life in Canada - food, lodging, clothing, transportation, health insurance, internet, mobile phone (keep in mind that Canada has one of the highest rates for mobile phone plans) etc? You will not be entitled to any sort of social welfare/public funds and while you will be allowed to work, your permitted work hours per week are limited... on-campus jobs are hard to come by and there are more applicants than jobs available and off-campus employers have the right to refuse to hire you if you are on a student visa and you have no recourse against them in that regard.Youalso be required to show proof of having sufficient funds in the bank to cover your studies and you are not eligible for Canadian Student Loans either.Also, unless you've secured yourself a job at the end of your studies, you will be required to leave Canada.Immigration to Canada in general is difficult... it's not enough tocome to Canada. Unlike in Australia, there is no quota system or deadline to apply type system in play - you are ranked on suitability and adaptability factors against everyone else who is seeking entry and only the top applicants receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence. Do have a look at the "How Express Entry works" sticky at the top of this branch and also do a Google search for "Express Entry" for more information.
I woke up this morning to a cold house without any power. No breakers had been flipped, and I found that all the other tenants on our property were also without power. We all live on the same property as the landlord, but the landlord is out of the city until Sunday.



How do we find which electricity provider we have so we can ask/report about an outage?



Our landlord hasn't asked about any information and won't be available until Sunday night. That's too long to not have power / heat / hot water / food.



Currently posting this from work, and would like to be able to check on the status by calling someone if possible.



This is in Essonne, near Palaiseau.
Hi everyone,



I just got to Palermo a couple of days ago and I am here for a few more and not sure where to visit. I don't speak Italian and finding it a little difficult.



Any suggestions?
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People visiting New Zealand are spending more than ever in the country but they are being put off by recent earthquakes and avoiding the areas where they have hit the country.Overall international visitor spending reached $10.1 billion in the year to December, up 5% from the same period in 2015, according to figures from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).  Last year we welcomed 3.5 million visitors to our shores. Tourism is our biggest export market and is hugely important to our economy. Its great to see that spending from international tourists remains strong, said Tourism Minister Paula Bennett.The figures show that international visitors coming to New Zealand for a holiday spent the most for this period with a total spend of $6.4 billion, up 10% compared with the previous year. The strongest growth was South Korea with spending up 82% to $299 million.Its positive to see the industry still achieve a 4% increase in visitor spending after record growth in 2015. We want to maintain these numbers while still ensuring these tourists can have a great visitor experience, Bennett pointed out.She explained that there is a range of work underway to support the tourism sector to attract the right mix of visitors around New Zealands regions, and ensuring visitors have a great time. This includes funding for regional infrastructure projects, an education campaign for visiting drivers, and ongoing work to assess options for meeting future infrastructure needs.The earthquake last November had a limited overall impact nationwide on tourism expenditure. The effects of lower visitor numbers and spending was limited to the regions that suffered damage, especially Kaikoura. We are continuing to provide support to the North Canterbury region, such as the Employees Support Subsidy scheme and the restoration of the Kaikoura harbour and transport routes, she added.Indeed, figures from Statistics New Zealand show that Kaikoura had a record 41% drop in guest nights at the districts hotels, motels, backpackers and campgrounds in November.Numbers were down in both Kaikoura and the nearby Hurunui district in November 2016 compared with the same month in 2015, due to the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the middle of the month.In Kaikoura, about half the accommodation providers we survey were closed for the second half of November, after the earthquake on 14 November cut access for the town, said Statistics New Zealand business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly.Some establishments that stayed open hosted earthquake recovery workers. Of those that closed, some expected to reopen shortly, and some expected to remain closed for many months, he added.Guest nights in Kaikoura were 17,000 for the month, compared with 30,000 in November 2015. In Hurunui district, which includes Hanmer Springs, guest nights were down 12% for November 2016, the largest fall in almost three years.However, total guest nights for the Canterbury region were up 1.5% from November 2015, despite the falls in Kaikoura and Hurunui which are both are located in Canterbury.Accommodation providers in Wellington may also have been affected by the earthquake and subsequent storm. Guest nights in the city were down 8% from November 2015, the largest fall in two years.But these statistics for November 2016 only reflect half a month of earthquake disruption and a bigger picture will emerge when the December figures are published in March as they will include information about how many Kaikoura establishments were closed for the month.
Train to Busan Official Trailer #1 (2016) Yoo Gong Korean Zombie Movie (Photo : Zero Media / YouTube)

According to "Train to Busan 2" rumors, the film does not have an official production and release date yet, but there are speculations that "Descendants of the Sun" actor, Song Joong Ki, is the likely replacement for Gong Yoo in the upcoming film.



According to Indie Wire, the internet is abuzz with "Train to Busan 2" rumors that Yoo will be replaced by Song Joong Ki or Lee Min Ho of "Legend of the Blue Sea" fame. Sources claim that between two actors, Song Hye Kyo's alleged beau is the likely choice to replace Yoo's character in the apocalypse-themed movie.



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Most fans are already aware that Yoo's character gets infected with a virus in "Train to Busan," making it impossible for him to be the lead actor in follow-up film. However, unless "Train to Busan 2" finds a mysterious cure for the disease, it is unlikely that Yoo will return for the sequel.



If "Train to Busan 2" rumors are indeed true, Joong Ki will feature as the doctor who is working on the antidote that will cure this deadly disease. His character is also speculated to save Kim Su-an's daughter after he dies trying to protect her. Reports also claim that his character will raise Su-an's daughter in "Train to Busan" sequel, Movie Pilot reported.



Meanwhile, as the filming is reportedly scheduled to begin in June 2017, Min-ho may not be a part of the production agenda as the actor is supposed to leave for his military service within this year. For now, there is no update about when the actor has to enlist his services.



As "Train to Busan 2" rumors are rife online, no update about the upcoming film's release or cast details has been officially announced. For now, the film's reported plot details and Gong Yoo's replacement by actors Joong Ki or Min-ho are mere rumors, so the fans should take this update with a grain of salt.






Were witnessing a massive increase in federal interference in civil society  despite what President Donald Trump says or intends. Hes vowed to cut bureaucratic red tape and neuter federal agencies to ease regulations on U.S. companies.

Hes also personally called out Boeing Co., Ford Motor Co., LL Bean and, most recently, Nordstrom for dropping his daughters clothing and accessory line.

Thats scary and should worry everyone. But, first, lets look at the regulations.

A simple way to understanding business versus regulation is this: businesses usually resist the extra cost of new rules, some of which seem arbitrary, blunt and excessive.

To an energy company facing the Environmental Protection Agency, a financial services company facing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or Securities and Exchange Commission or a pharmaceutical company facing the Food and Drug Administration, regulations will reduce profit at best and potentially destroy business at worst.

And yet, as consumers, we typically dont want chemical waste dumped in our waterways, financial shysters preying on the vulnerable or untested drugs unleashed on the sick.

Reasonable people in a reasonable society can and should debate the right level of government interference with business.

Gary Dudley and Charlie Amato, for example, founded the San Antonio-based insurance giant SWBC forty years ago, and say theres been a dramatic rise in the cost of compliance with federal regulations over that time.

Everybody can agree we need to protect consumers from being taken advantage of, Dudley recently told me. But the CFPB, for example, has a little too much power, in my mind. If you attack the financial institutions, you drive costs up, and consumers end up paying for that.

SWBC has quadrupled its compliance staff over the past five years, Dudley said.

In the past five years alone, Dudley says, The number of compliance officers on our payroll has increased by four times.

Many people believe local, state, and federal regulation of businesses in the U.S. has generally gone too far. As a profit-seeking capitalist myself, Im open to that idea.

President Donald Trump agrees with that idea as well, and I guess is why he promised to business leaders in January: We think we can cut regulations by 75 percent. Maybe more.

Beyond the semantic question of what 75 percent really means here, I think we have to reach for a deeper understanding of how government interacts with business to properly interpret Trumps promise, tactical style and effects.

I say that because theres another consequence of regulation that should make everyone skeptical of government interactions with business. By this I mean a sort of libertarian view of the regulatory state. Ive been reading my Plutarch recently, so Ill call this the Cato view of government rules and regulation, named for the Roman Statesman who famously spoke out against the encroaching power of would-be dictators like Pompey and Caesar.

The Cato view goes like this: every regulation acts as a bureaucratic bottleneck that a business must resolve via interactions with public officials. You dont need to resort to outright bribes (although some will!) to understand the power that a public official wields at that bottleneck.

Were talking about delays, paperwork, inspections, licensing, fees, fines, exceptions, certifications, committee hearings and waivers. You get the idea.

In the Cato view, public officials empower themselves by exploiting those bottlenecks, to the detriment of everyone else in society. Businesses and consumers alike pay the costs, one way or another.

The Cato view, broadly understood, is what worries the heck out of me about President Trumps approach to doing deals for business. He talks about eliminating 75 percent of regulations, but his core policies and style threaten to generate regulatory bottlenecks instead.

Restrictions on immigration, America First trade policy, carrots-and-sticks for keeping manufacturing jobs here and Twitter-bullying of specific businesses all lead to bottlenecks that expand  rather than reduce  the power of public officials and the regulatory state.

Whatever your view of the Executive Order dubbed the Muslim Ban, there is no denying this creates an extraordinary bottleneck, in the Cato sense of the world. This bottleneck is why more than 100 tech CEOs filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit against the Executive Order. Tech CEOs understand the Muslim Ban hampers their ability to hire and attract the best talent in the world.

They know, and we know, what would happen next with this kind of ban, right? The Trump administration, in its eagerness to show it can do deals, would create special immigration waivers for those tech companies. Provided, of course, those companies play ball with the administration in other ways. Otherwise, they should expect delays and intransigence from federal regulators.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Whatever your view of Trumps proposal for America First tariffs on goods coming from Mexico or China or other supposed trade rivals, there is no denying this proposed border tariff creates extraordinary costs for importers.

Can some group of importers cut a deal to get those taxes reduced, because of a particular favored-company or favored-industry status? Do you have any doubt they will try? Thats what the corporate lobbying industry is built for!

A new set of import tariffs, as consistently promoted by the Trump administration, creates extraordinary opportunity for bottlenecks, and therefore, potential public corruption through deals and solutions.

Whatever your view of the deal cut by Trump and then-Indiana Governor Mike Pence for the Carrier plant to maintain some manufacturing jobs in Indiana, there is no denying the message it sent to other companies: if you want to get waivers, exceptions or tax breaks, be sure to follow what the Trump administration would like you to do with respect to keeping jobs in the U.S. What manufacturing CEO would not try to get in line to curry favor with the Trump administration? Maybe they too can get a deal on some tax incentives? Right?

That deal may have given the appearance of job creation by government officials  who will certainly claim that success  but it also resembles an exploitable regulatory bottleneck, in the Cato view of the world.

When the Twitterer-in-Chief attacks a particular company like Ford or Nordstrom, its an extraordinarily blunt attack by the federal government against civil society.

Some of this is not particular to the current administration, but rather is inherent in government regulation. Weve seen some of this before now. Some of it, however, is new, and forms the core the administrations policies, tactics, and style. Regulation and interference come in a variety of forms, and we need to understand them as such.

Cato tried to warn the Roman Republic about the overreach of its leaders. Consider yourself warned about the Trump administration and its true approach to government interference in business.

Michael Taylor is a former Goldman Sachs bond salesman and writes the Bankers-Anonymous.com finance blog. michael@michaelthesmartmoney.com

@Michael_Taylor
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Local officials toured solar inverter manufacturer Kaco New Energys facilities Friday just weeks after another solar company announced mass layoffs.

The tour was designed to show that at least one company in the citys renewable energy manufacturing business was finding success after the conclusion of a 400-megawatt solar agreement with city-owned utility CPS Energy.

We kept the promises, we will keep that promise and we will not lay off any people, said Kacos Chief Operations Officer Arnd Becker, referring to Kacos commitment to base its American operations in San Antonio and provide CPS Energy with the inverter equipment for its solar farm projects. Kacos home base is in Germany.

Kaco builds inverters as large as a tractor-trailer that convert the electricity produced in solar panels, called direct current or DC, into alternative current, or AC, which is used to power homes, businesses and electronics.

The company is part of CPS New Energy Economy initiative, which seeks to attract 1,000 new jobs to support renewable manufacturing in San Antonio and help bring the citys energy mix to 20 percent renewables.

Mission Solar remains the largest company in the city with 124 employees, while Kaco and other companies such as Sun Action Trackers, Silver Spring Networks and Landis + Gyr make up some of the others that have set up at least some of their operations in San Antonio.

The end of the CPS solar project has sent Mission Solar and Kaco on different trajectories.

On Jan. 27, Mission Solar spokeswoman Laura Waldrum said the conclusion of CPS Energys utility-scale projects combined with competition from overseas producers forced the company to cut its workforce by 170, or 58 percent. A round of layoffs in October cost 87 people their jobs as Mission Solar shut its solar cell production line, citing Asian competition.

But while Mission Solar has had to cut utility-scale module production, the utility-scale projects with CPS helped Kaco gain exposure with renewable energy contractors such as Mortenson and ConEdison. Kaco is now providing inverters as far away as North Carolina, Mexico and Central America.

The module prices were in free fall last year; that didnt happen with inverter prices, Becker said. He added the fall in modules didnt affect Kacos business other than some projects being put on hold.

Becker said Kaco already has orders for a gigawatt of inverter capacity in 2017. A megawatt of electricity can power between 400 and 900 homes; 1,000 megawatts equal 1 gigawatt.

Becker said the San Antonio site, which has 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space and serves as the American headquarters for Kaco, is able to produce up to 1.5 gigawatts of inverter capacity a year.

I think if we increase to the 1.1 gigawatt range than we would have to hire some more permanent employees, Becker said. It currently has 89 full-time employees and 12 temporary hires.

Meanwhile, New Energy partner Mission Solar  which at one point employed 381 people in San Antonio and had pledged to employ 400  is looking to switch to smaller residential and commercial projects.

There is a transition going on, said CPS Rick Luna, the utilitys senior manager of product development. Mission Solar, theyre transitioning their product line to be more residential focused.

Luna said that 38 megawatts of solar power had been installed on residential and commercial roofs in 2016, a record. As a sign of demand, he pointed to the $15 million for solar rebates allocated by CPS board at its January meeting. The rebates $9 million for residential users and $6 million for commercial  were pledged after $30 million, meant to last from 2016 through 2018, were dispersed in just over a year.

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While the base rebate will now be 60 cents per watt, incentives to buy locally sourced solar materials would add an 8-cent-per-watt rebate for locally built solar modules and a 2-cent rebate for locally built inverters. Mission Solar and Kaco are the only local companies that would benefit from the additional rebates.

When we look at the trend of adoption, its been an upward trend and (was) significantly higher last year, he said. Now whether or not thats enough to sustain the company (Mission Solar), I couldnt answer that question.

Mission Solar is having to repay San Antonio for a tax abatement worth $600,000. It has already repaid Bexar County for its tax abatement worth more than $64,000. Mission Solar is owned by OCI Solar Power, a San Antonio-based subsidiary of Seoul, South Korea-based OCI Co.

Mayoral candidate and City Councilman Ron Nirenberg, who attended the Kaco tour, said the solar industrys instability should not come as a surprise to policymakers or the public. Price fluctuations combined with policy uncertainty created by President Donald Trumps administration have thrown parts of the renewable market into flux, he said.

He said city government has to remain transparent and diagnose issues before they become massive layoffs so we can do our part as partners within the new energy economy.

Its discouraging to see all the turbulence in the industry for sure, but it doesnt change the fact that renewables and sustainability are vitally important goals within a publicly owned energy utility, Nirenberg said.

The new energy economy is a global evolution, and we should embrace that fact, he concluded.

rdruzin@express-news.net

Correction: This article has been updated to correct the number of Kaco New Energys employees.
Some investors in now-defunct Palmaz Scientific Inc. are pursuing claims against the investment banks that marketed and sold the San Antonio medical technology companys privately traded shares.

The approximately 30 investors allege that Wall Street investment bank Jefferies and Dallas WFG Investments Inc. would have uncovered numerous misrepresentations and omissions of key facts relating to Palmaz Scientific had the firms done a reasonable investigation.

The firms failure to scrutinize Palmaz Scientific and the companys subsequent bankruptcy caused the investors to lose their entire investment, which was at least $3.2 million, the claim states.

The investors filed the claim with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the securities industrys self-policing organization, in December. Disputes are handled by FINRA arbitration panels in private.

The investors allegations, though, became public earlier this month when Jefferies filed a federal lawsuit in Dallas asking the court to declare the firm doesnt have to arbitrate the claims.

Jefferies spokesman Richard Khaleel declined to comment. WFG President David Williams didnt respond to requests for comment.

Those same investors and others are separately suing former Chairman Dr. Julio Palmaz and ex-CEO Steven Solomon in state district court in Dallas. The pair are accused of intentionally withholding information, including about the companys recurring losses and a personal bankruptcy in Solomons past.

Dr. Palmaz has filed a counterclaim seeking more than $1 million, alleging investors signed an agreement that represented they were accredited investors and could tolerate the high risk of investing in Palmaz Scientific.

Jason Davis, a lawyer for Dr. Palmaz, didnt respond to a request for comment.

Justin Bryan, a lawyer for the investors, said, Our clients have sued responsible broker dealers because they owed duties independent of and in addition to those of the former officers and directors.

Dr. Palmaz is a local luminary known for inventing in the 1980s a heart stent credited with saving millions of lives. Johnson & Johnson bought the rights to the heart stent in 1998, reportedly paying about $500 million.

In 2008, Dr. Palmaz raised at least $40 million from investors to launch Palmaz Scientific with the idea of developing the next generation of arterial stents. But those efforts flopped and the company sought refuge in bankruptcy in March. Dr. Palmaz and Solomon resigned their positions just before the bankruptcy.

Officials blamed the companys troubles on a negative campaign of false information orchestrated by Austin investment banker Susan Harriman. She and the company have been tied up in litigation stemming from a soured business deal with Solomon.

In their arbitration claim, the investors allege Jefferies recommended Palmaz Scientific shares despite not getting the companys audited financial statements. Those would have shown the company generated no revenue despite raising significant capital, the claim adds.

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The investors also allege the investment banks failed to disclose Advanced Bio Prosthetic Surfaces (ABPS), an alter ego of Palmaz Scientific, had racked up as much as $50 million in losses in the nine years leading up to Palmaz Scientifics formation.

ABPS licensed its technology to Johnson & Johnson and medical-device company Cordis in 2003, the claim also says. But J&J and Cordis couldnt commercialize the technology and the rights reverted back to ABPS, the claim adds. That, the investors say, demonstrates that the technology wasnt as valuable as represented.

Last year, the San Antonio Express-News reported that emails from Jefferies lawyers to Arlington investor Toby Wilson indicated the firm severed its ties to Palmaz Scientific in 2011. However, Jefferies name continued to be listed in marketing materials through at least 2013, according to paperwork provided to Wilson.

Palmaz Scientifics representative said last year that its contract had never been terminated by Jefferies.

WFGs Williams told the Express-News last year that the firm acted properly and lawfully at all times and made recommendations it believed were in the clients best interests.

pdanner@express-news.net

Twitter: @AlamoPD
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On a trip to the Australian outback to see contemporary Aboriginal art, collector May Lam was taken with a painting of a cluster of striped hive-like shapes and small circles in vibrant, almost luminous colors.

It was titled Woman Gathering Bush Melons.

Now when I saw that, I said, Where is the woman and where are the melons? Lam said.

As she learned, the larger forms represent breasts adorned with body paint while the spheres represent a palm-sized native fruit.

I thought it was the most gorgeous painting, Lam said.

The piece by Minnie Pwerle, an artist who began painting at 80 and quickly became one of the most sought-after indigenous painters, was one of the few Lam could not let go of when she and her family donated the collection that grew out of that trip to the San Antonio Museum of Art last year.

Fortunately for museumgoers, she was willing to part with it temporarily for Of Country and Culture: The Lam Collection of Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art. The exhibit of more than 90 works created by Aboriginal artists since the mid-1990s opens Feb. 24.

Curated by Lana Meador and Erin Murphy, the exhibit presents works in a range of materials and regional styles that are rooted in ancient indigenous Australian traditions such as sand and body painting and rock art dating back 40,000 years.

I think what makes the pieces so rich is there is that connection to the past, but fusing that with contemporary art practices, because they are contemporary artists, said Meador, curatorial assistant for modern and contemporary art at the museum. They are working today just like any other contemporary artist in any other country.

Lam, a longtime museum trustee who moved to California about three years ago to be close to family, began collecting Aboriginal art after she saw Spirit Country at the museum in 2000. The traveling exhibit was curated by Jennifer Isaacs, an Australian writer and art consultant recognized for her work to promote Aboriginal culture. A few years later, Lam had the opportunity to travel to the Outback in Isaacs company to meet indigenous artists and watch them work.

I really am not in the category of what you call a collector, but when I saw the art, I was so fascinated by it, she said. We assume its a primitive culture, but the more I listened to (Isaacs), the more I realized its just really a very ancient culture.

Lams daughter Dorothy joined her in collecting Aboriginal art. Together, they amassed more than 100 works, including bark paintings from Arnhem Land, pukumani grave poles from the Tiwi Islands and abstract paintings from the Western Desert. The family donated more than 90 percent of the entire collection to the museum.

I will tell you honestly, every time when I think about the fact that I gave all these, my heart misses a beat because they are very important and valuable, but Im so grateful that the museum is taking care of them, Lam said.

The curators spent about a year working on the show.

One of the things we determined in our research was the numerous exhibitions that have been mounted within the past five to 10 years have been by geographic region, which is really helpful in terms of seeing stylistic similarities among artists that are working in the same area, Murphy said. But one of the things we wanted to do was treat the material a little bit differently. So we divided the exhibition into kind of elemental concepts relevant to the Aboriginal people.

More than half of the works in the exhibition are by women, a reflection of the Lams interests as collectors. While Aboriginal women always have had a role in art-making, as far as the contemporary painting movement that began in the 70s, that was largely male artists that were starting to work with canvas and acrylic paints, Meador said.

Initially, women helped with the dotting and filled in the backgrounds of large compositions.

That really inspired a lot of women to say, Hey, I want to do my own piece. I want to make my own Dreaming paintings, Meador said.

After an introduction, the first section of the exhibition addresses the Dreaming. Wall text in the exhibit explains that the term refers to the Aboriginal belief system that connects all objects, lands, life forces and beings. According to indigenous belief, spirit ancestors laid the foundations for Aboriginal law, which encompasses all aspects of life.

Carved wooden sculptures painted with natural ochres depict Mimih. Mischievous at times, the ancestral spirits are believed to monitor people to make sure they are abiding by Aboriginal law. Imagery of the Mimih  depicted as tall, slender figures with elongated torsos  dates back tens of thousands of years in rock art found in Arnhem Land, a region located in the northeastern part of the continent.

I think whats interesting about this artistic representation of them is they were not actually made into sculptures like this until the 1980s, Meador said. Its a way that you see these really ancient artistic motifs and stories and concepts being brought into contemporary art-making practices.

In general, contemporary Aboriginal artists have been open to new forms of representation and media.

A lot of people think, This culture is so old  over 50,000 years old  and these traditions are so important and some of them are so sacred, but to be around for that long you have to flexible and you have to adapt, Meador said. Youll see just with the birth of the contemporary painting movement in Aboriginal Australia in the 1970s, they were very quick to pick up on canvas and acrylic paints.

The section of the exhibition devoted to land features abstract paintings in natural ochres, many of them characterized by intricate patterns and layers of dots. Paintings of the Bungle Bungles  striated bell-shaped sandstone formations located in Purnululu National Park  by husband and wife artists Patrick Mung Mung and Betty Carrington illustrate how differently artists may interpret the same subject.

Carringtons hills have an almost anthropomorphic quality with a trio of formations huddled together in the middle of the canvas, while Mung Mung presents what looks like an aerial view of a flattened landscape, depicted as patches of color outlined with dots.

These mountain ranges are 350 million years old, and just how modern is that representation of them? said Meador, manager of exhibitions and assistant to the chief curator. Such a wonderful connection between the past and the present.

The section of the exhibition devoted to ceremony likewise features abstract painting, but the brightness and vibrancy of the palette is amplified.

I think that echoes the vibrancy of ceremony, which would include dancing and song and sand and body painting, Meador said.

Among the works in this area, a painting of flattened circles and nesting curved lines in orange and blue by Tjunkiya Napaltjarri refers to the Umari rockhole, a ceremonial site. To create the piece, the artist applied multiple layers of paint to the canvas, then gouged through the surface to reveal the color below, a technique Murphy believes alludes to the practice of ritual scarification.

One of the things that Lana and I both delighted in and were terrified by in a lot of the works is that so many of them can simultaneously refer to a ceremony or a practice during a ceremony, a sacred site, a landscape, Murphy said.

They could go in all rooms, Meador said.

The last section of the exhibition features works that deal with mortality, including the pukumani grave poles. Carved out of ironwood, the totems are placed around a burial site and left to erode over time. The ornamentation and the shape of each reflects attributes of the deceased, so a prominent figure in the community might have a larger pole than someone less so.

All of the pieces in the exhibition were created as art objects.

They do reference ceremonial practices or body painting or important formations, but these are objects to be sold to kind of spread the message, Murphy said.

Of Country and Culture opens Feb. 24 and continues through May 14 at the San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave. There is a $10 surcharge to see the show. 210-978-8100, samuseum.org. Jennifer Isaacs will present a special exhibition lecture 6 p.m. Friday. The talk is free with museum admission.

lsilva@express-news.net
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Arri Brown walked up to the microphone in the gym at SASIC Preparatory Academy on Wednesday night, flanked by upset parents and a wall of students hoisting signs in protest of conditions at the charter district. The eighth-grader explained how she had gone hungry earlier in the week because she was afraid to eat the food at school, and her parents had been unable to afford alternatives.

I didnt want to eat this food because I was scared to get food poisoning, like my friends did. Do you know how frightening that is? the 14-year-old said at the public forum, before breaking into sobs. After Arri sat down, tears streaming down her face, another student embraced her.

The San Antonio School for Inquiry and Creativity, a charter district with five schools and around 570 students, has been beset by a long list of misconduct allegations made by parents, students and staff.

As a result, the Texas Education Agency has threatened to cut off funding and suspend school operations if the district doesnt demonstrate by 5 p.m. Tuesday that it meets student safety and welfare requirements.

A chief complaint at SASIC concerns the food, which students and parents say has been served undercooked and spoiled, resulting in illnesses and absences. Other complaints, many unsubstantiated, include failing to conduct criminal background checks on staff, not maintaining clean facilities, falsification of student and employee records, failing to pay workers, and administrative nepotism. Several students also told the San Antonio Express-News that at times the bathrooms lacked soap and toilet paper.

Upheaval at the district prompted state Rep. Diego Bernal to pen a letter last week to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, citing alarming reports of misconduct  brought to my attention directly by faculty, staff and parents. Bernals office also sent copies of the letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton, Bexar County District Attorney Nicholas LaHood and San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, along with the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Texas Workforce Commission and local health inspectors.

I ask that you receive this letter as both a formal complaint and a request for a full investigation, Bernal wrote.

SASIC Superintendent Tonja Nelson told the Express-News she was blindsided by the accusations and was unaware of them until recently, when a letter calling for her resignation began circulating among students and parents.

Nelson became the districts interim superintendent during the 2015-16 school year and was named superintendent the same year. Previously, she was superintendent of the Academy of Careers and Technologies, which had its open-enrollment charter contract revoked after failing to meet financial accountability standards for three consecutive years and requiring academic accountability improvement in 2013-14, TEA records show.

The superintendent did not deny that students had been served rotten food, saying obviously it happened because people are upset about whats going on. The director of food services has since resigned, and a food service manager has been placed on leave pending an internal investigation.

The school board plans to hire a law firm to investigate another complaint about school resources being used to enrich employees private businesses.

Nelson said the district will resolve other problems by communicating with parents and re-emphasizing school health committees at the individual campuses.

We really need to find out what is the root of this, how do we fix this and how do we move forward cohesively, Nelson said.

In a response to Bernals letter, Nelson and school board President Denise Fritter wrote that some of the allegations had already been addressed, while others remained unfamiliar to school officials. Their response was read aloud at Wednesdays forum, where incensed parents aired their grievances.

How are you unfamiliar with things when this is your school? asked Jhonatan Tello, who has three children enrolled in the district. His words were met with applause and cheers.

Fix it, another father simply said.

Last week, Bernal joined visibly frustrated parents and students at another meeting, where Nelson responded to the allegations. For more than an hour, Nelson quietly spoke to the board, with the districts attorney occasionally interjecting to speak on Nelsons behalf. At one point, Nelson accused students of destroying school property. At another, she said people were saying vicious things, slanderous things.

I was just as shocked like everyone else, but its not like I knew this was going on, Nelson told the board in reference to the food issues.

Nearby, a group of students silently held up colorful posters. The district has failed our children, read one sign. Stop the lies, read another. On a nearby table a petition to remove Nelson lay beside printed photos of various grievances with the schools. One flier included a photograph of a package of raw, discolored meat and queried, Would you eat this?

Afterward, as one man walked away from the school, he called out, KIPP Academy, everybody. KIPP Academy is enrolling.
As part of a investigation into the states special education services, U.S. Department of Education officials will visit a dozen Texas school districts, including two in San Antonio.

During the week of Feb. 27, officials from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services will travel to North East Independent School District and Harlandale ISD. They will also visit Laredo ISD and nearby United ISD, along with Austin, Houston, Fort Bend, Aldine, Everman, Del Valle, Ector County and Leander districts. Officials will review records and conduct interviews with staff about the evaluation, referral and child find processes. It is unclear how or why those 12 districts were selected.

The federal probe was triggered by a Houston Chronicle investigation into the drop in Texas special education rate. The investigation found that in 2004 the Texas Education Agency established an 8.5 percent target enrollment for special education programs. The standard coincided with a significant statewide drop in the number of students with access to services, even as overall enrollment increased. Texas has the lowest percentage of students enrolled in special education services of any state, the series found.

Gerard Cortez, executive director of special education at North East ISD, said it is unclear why the district was selected for the review. In advance of this months visit, he said the district has complied with requests for corrective action plans and other information.

As one of the biggest districts in the state, North East serves about 6,700 children with special education services. Since the 2003-04 academic year, the district has seen the percentage of students in special education drop about 6 percentage points from 15.3 percent to 9.4 percent in 2015-16.

Harlandale ISD experienced a similar decline during the same period. The district had 15.4 percent of its students in special education in 2003-04, a proportion that has since fallen to 8.9 percent.

Laredo ISD has 1,888 students enrolled in special education services, said district spokeswoman Veronica Castillon. The districts special education rate has dropped from 13.6 percent to 7.8 percent since 2003. In a statement, Laredo ISD said the district looks forward to demonstrating how LISD invests a tremendous amount of resources for all of our students.

In recent years, Cortez said North East has focused on response to intervention, an approach that addresses struggling students, and giving students access to general education curriculum as much as possible. The emphasis could explain the districts special education decline, he said. However, North East officials are confident in its procedures and have not closely examined the decrease, Cortez said. The district evaluates students on an individual basis and has not felt pressured to adhere to a benchmark, he added.

I think thats what imperative for everyone, to keep an open mind and realize there always is room for improvement, Cortez said.

lcaruba@express-news.net
More than 500 religious and spiritual leaders have endorsed a statement calling for a new trial for Christopher Young, a 33-year-old San Antonio man who was sentenced to death in the 2004 murder of a convenience store owner.

In their statement, the religious leaders say Young deserves a new trial because religious discrimination occurred in the jury selection process.

It is absolutely unacceptable to strike a juror based on her affiliation with her church. As Evangelical Christians, we firmly believe that people of all faiths and backgrounds should be able to participate as jurors, Joel Hunter, a senior pastor from Florida, said in a news release. We stand by Mr. Young and his right to a jury of his peers.

Youngs attorneys say Young deserves a new trial because prosecutors violated the Free Exercise and Equal Protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.

During the trial, Youngs attorneys say, an African American member of the jury panel was struck from service based solely on her religious affiliation and her association with her Baptist churchs ministry program.

The religious leaders  including 109 from Texas and 11 from San Antonio said they are not taking a stance on the death penalty. They simply believe an individual should not be discriminated against based on their religious affiliation.

Young was sentenced to death in 2006 for a string of crimes in Southeast San Antonio that ended in the death of 53-year-old Hasmukh Hash Patel, who friends described as a beloved convenience store owner.

Young, who was 21 at the time, also abducted, raped and robbed a woman.

At the time of the string of crimes, Young was on a 14-month probation for assaulting a family member, according to Express-News archives.

Last summer, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit denied Youngs claim that improper religious or racial discrimination occurred.

Youngs attorneys filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 29. The justices are scheduled to conference on the case March 3.

We hope the Supreme Court will agree to review the case and reaffirm that our Constitution and our nations commitment to religious liberty mean that an individuals membership in a church does not automatically disqualify that person from acting as a juror, said David R. Dow, Youngs attorney.

There are 12 inmates, including Young, from Bexar County who are on death row.

One of them, Rolando Ruiz, who was convicted in the 1992 murder of a 29-year-old woman, is scheduled to be executed on March 7.

Youngs execution date has not yet been set.

eeaton@express-news.net

Twitter: @emilieeaton
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BOERNE  Rick Schroder brings plenty of experience in municipal governance to his campaign against incumbent Boerne City Councilwoman Nina Woolard, most notably his current job as Helotes city administrator.

But what Schroder bills as an asset in his first bid for elected office, Woolard casts as a worrisome conflict of interest.

Seeking a fourth term representing District 2, she contends that Schroders loyalties would be divided if hes elected May 6 between Helotes, the small city in Bexar County where he works, and Boerne, the Kendall County seat where hes lived for 17 months.

We compete as cities for state money for road projects, and for industry and commercial projects, said Woolard, 59, a tax consultant. I dont see how he can protect the taxpayers of Boerne and Helotes at the same time.

Calling those concerns ludicrous, Schroder, 35, said that if elected, hed prioritize Helotes business while on duty there and Boerne matters when off-duty.

In the 10 years Ive been here working for the city of Helotes, weve never had any major issue thats come up where we are in direct competition with the city of Boerne, he said.

If a conflict did arise, Schroder said, he would declare it and, if necessary, recuse himself from voting on it as a Boerne council member.

Rather than just the private sector being on city councils, I believe we should have people who have dedicated their lives to public service on there as well, said Schroder, who joined the Helotes staff in 2006 as an economic development specialist and became city administrator in 2008.

The Texas City Management Association did not return calls seeking its views on city administrators running for elected office.

But the practice is a definite no-no for members of the International City/County Management Association, to which Schroder doesnt belong, said its spokeswoman, Michele Frisby.

Members shall not run for elected office or become involved in political activities related to running for elected office or accept appointment to an elected office, the groups ethics guidelines say.

We feel that all appointed managers and administrators should refrain from political activity. However, we recognize that the code only applies to our members, Frisby said from her Washington office.

Schroders role as executive director of the Helotes Economic Development Corp. also concerns Woolard. She noted that Boerne council members often receive confidential briefings on development prospects from the Boerne Kendall County Economic Development Corp.

Schroder responded, The city of Boerne and Helotes do not compete for the same type of economic development projects. Period.

Boerne City Manager Ron Bowman declined comment on the candidacy of Schroder, who years ago discussed running for the the San Antonio City Council before opting not to.

Helotes Mayor Tom Schoolcraft dismissed concerns about possible conflicts of interest.

Last I heard, a citizen of the United States can run for an office if hes qualified, and theres nothing we can do as a city to prohibit him from running, he said.

However, he said Schroder has agreed, if elected, not to conduct Boerne business while on duty in Helotes.

We cant monitor any employee to see if theyre doing personal business on city time, the mayor said. It comes down to trust. I trust Rick to do whats right.

Woolard also questioned the accessibility of a future Councilman Schroder.

With him being in municipal government, I dont see how hes going to be able to devote any time to Boerne constituents during working hours, she said Friday. Thats when they contact me the most.

Schroder said hed make whatever time is necessary to fulfill council duties, noting, Im able to come and go (from Helotes) as necessary. Im not an hourly employee.

zeke@express-news.net
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Acting as his own attorney Friday, a man on trial on a charge of attempted capital murder who was shot and paralyzed in a 2015 gunbattle outside a Southeast Side nursing home cross-examined one of three officers whose gunfire might have put him in a wheelchair.

Authorities say Darnell Rogers, 23, is one of the two black men in black clothing described on police videos as firing weapons in the 3800 block of East Southcross Boulevard on Sept. 18, 2015. The pair had begun to flee from arriving deputy constables when one of them turned, pointed a gun and shot at his pursuers, according to testimony in the trial, which began Thursday.

Rogers made no objections throughout the morning of testimony and made no effort to highlight a discrepancy in testimony in which one officer testified that Rogers brandished his weapon in his left hand and another said it was in his right hand.

Cpl. Fabian Gonzalez of the Bexar County Constable Precinct 4 office had testified Thursday that he had fired three shots at Rogers in response to Rogers shooting at his partner, deputy constable James Valle, and said he saw Rogers drop after the first shot. Valle testified Friday that he also shot at Rogers.

John Terry, a Bexar County Sheriffs Office programmer-analyst who was a deputy constable in 2015, testified that he saw Rogers point his gun, holding it in his left hand.

After prosecutors played dramatic body cam videos that captured the heart-pounding panic of officers being fired upon, deputy constable Tony Jones testified that he saw deputies chase Rogers through an apartment complex and then heard shots that he said came from Rogers semi-automatic handgun.

He had the gun in his right hand and was trying to clear a malfunction (in the guns chamber) with his left, said Jones, a seven-year veteran with the constables office.

He had already tried to shoot one deputy, and I knew he would try to kill a second one, Jones said. When he stood and aimed, he was aiming at Deputy Valle. Thats when I pulled the trigger.

I saw the male pull to his right (after the shot) and it appeared his legs didnt move and he fell face-forward on the grass.

As officers flooded the scene, some continued looking for the second suspect and others set up a perimeter. The video shows Jones with his weapon drawn, keeping Rogers on the ground.

I think my round dropped him, Jones could be heard telling another officer. I pulled the trigger.

Jones assured prosecutor Jessica Schulze that he was not bragging about the shooting but only alerting a supervisor who was asking which officers fired their weapons. Jones said it was standard procedure in police shootings to separate the officer who fired a weapon so that any subsequent official statements would not be contaminated by discussions with other officers.

Is there any doubt, asked Schulze, that the person you saw aiming at deputies is the same one who you shot?

No, said Jones, there is not.

Jones said it was the first time he had ever fired his weapon in the line of duty in 16 years of law enforcement.

Rogers, who is being assisted but not technically represented by attorney Philip Bozzo Jr., haltingly asked Jones if he saw the suspect walking while shooting, if he had seen him cock the weapon (thats how revolvers would work, not semi-automatics, Jones replied) and how many times he thought the suspect fired his weapon.

Then he told state District Judge Kevin OConnell that he had no further questions. At the defense table, Rogers took notes with his left hand.

The trial will resume Tuesday.

bselcraig@express-news.net
Samsung's Lee Jae-yong as he is being accompanied by his security details. (Photo : YouTube/ARIRANG NEWS)

Just as when Samsung is picking up the pieces, another blow to the company has been inflicted with the apprehension of one of their top bosses - Lee Jae-yong (Jay Y. Lee). The business magnate's arrest was due to accusations of embezzlement, perjury, and bribery in exchange for favors.



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An arrest warrant was issued by Seoul's Central District Court on Feb. 17 following a previous warrant that got rejected in January due to lack of evidence. In a statement obtained by The Register, a representative from the company pointed out that Samsung has not offered bribes of such in exchange of asking favors to President Park Geun-hye.



Moreover, authorities believe that Lee cashed in an amount of $37.6 million dollars to foundations that are helmed by confidants of now impeached President Park. The said amount was given in exchange for the South Korean government's support of Samsung C&T and Chiel Industries' partnership in 2015.



As of late, the prosecutors now have 10 days to arraign Lee. If such process would be done during that timeframe, the court will then be asked to make its initial ruling within three months, according to Reuters.



Meanwhile, credit rating organizations believe that Lee's detention will have no bearing on Samsung's current credit standing and added that such development in the company will hasten its refinement of its corporate transparency and governance. However, it is inevitable that some daily processes within the company will be bogged down now that Lee is cuffed.



In a couple of statements gathered by the publication, an employee at the company's chip-making department stressed out that most of the employees are upset that the authorities singled out Samsung. Nonetheless, another employee mentioned that it would be irrational for the company to go haywire for reasons that their top executive is detained.



Watch a clip of Lee's arrest here:










WASHINGTON  If the Trump administration seeks to mobilize tens of thousands of National Guard troops to round up immigrants in the country illegally  a proposal that the White House forcefully denies was floated  it would meet fierce opposition from Texas Democrats in Congress and immigration rights advocates.

Even if the proposal, which was obtained by the Associated Press, proves false, the fact that it was considered at all points to strong sentiments about immigration that exist within the administration, while heightening tensions already on the rise with arrests of nearly 700 people in recent days in operations described as routine.

Very disturbing; Im hoping that its not true, said Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, who was part of a delegation that met in Washington on Thursday with Immigration and Customs Enforcement about the recent deportations.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-San Antonio, called the report an alarming development. There may be questions about how far this administration will go, but its clear that Donald Trumps advisers are considering a number of costly alternatives to apprehend as many undocumented folks as they can.

The Homeland Security Department had considered a plan to deploy up to 100,000 National Guard troops for immigration enforcement from Texas to California as well as in states well beyond the border, according to the draft memo cited by the Associated Press.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer branded the report 100 percent not true. Homeland Security officials described the 11-page document in question as early proposals that didnt make it to Homeland Security Secretary John Kellys desk.

The Department is not considering mobilizing the National Guard for immigration enforcement, spokesman David Lapan wrote in an email.

A spokesman for Gov. Greg Abbott said Abbotts office not seen the memo nor had it received a request from the White House or Homeland Security to deploy troops.

The White House has adamantly denied there are efforts under way to mobilize the National Guard for this purpose, Abbott spokesman John Wittman said.

U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, said, The question that should be asked is whether or not the report should be taken seriously. I have seen no evidence to date that it should.

Lt. Col. Travis Walters, a Texas National Guard spokesman, said, We have received no official notification to execute any activations at this time.

The Guard has deployed soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border for full-time duty under Operation Secure Texas, which began in 2014. Abbotts predecessor, Gov. Rick Perry, in November 2014 deployed 1,000 Texas National Guard troops, a force reduced to 300 at the end of that year and whittled down to 100 troops the following summer.

Another Guard official, Laura Lopez, said she did not know how many soldiers were on the border Friday, and she would not say where they were posted, citing security reasons.

By the end of last year, Texas had spent roughly $800 million since 2014 to send guardsmen and troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety to the border. DPS, which operates the nations biggest state-funded border security program, last fall asked for an additional $300 million increase for its budget  which would bring the total cost to more than $1 billion.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said the potential Guard deployment would amount to throwing a blanket net out there trying to catch everybody. This is not based on reality, or logic. National Guard members did not sign up to do this.

He added in an interview, I hope they bury this. I dont know whether President Trump is doing this on purpose, but hes done a good job of promoting fear out there.

Texas Democrats in Congress have focused increasingly on the Trump administrations hard-edged immigration plans and recent apprehensions.

Doggett became involved this week on behalf of a 19-year-old San Antonio resident detained as a result of a misdemeanor marijuana conviction despite enjoying protection under DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. He was released, but Doggett said his future status is unknown.

Its unclear under the new approach if someone who violates park curfew, runs a red light, does a number of minor things, whether ICE will renew their DACA permit or deport them, Doggett said.

He added his belief that the AP report heightens fears and suggests that much broader action is about to occur, whether it involves the National Guard or additional ICE officers.

Castro took part in a closed meeting Thursday in Washington with senior ICE officials that was intended to allay fears on Capitol Hill. But the gathering may have had the opposite effect when GOP organizers refused to allow entry of several Congressional Hispanic Caucus members.

The office of House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the guest list was restricted to representatives from committees with jurisdiction over immigration. Protests by Hispanic House members and others were ignored.

Castro, who took part as an Intelligence Committee representative, said Friday that assurances from ICE acting director Thomas Homan had done little to tamp down concerns about the breadth of the administrations deportation plans.

It was hard not to conclude that President Trump had not started his mass deportation plan, Castro said.

Castro said Trump himself should respond to the report about deploying the National Guard.

Its hard to know when Sean Spicers denial is actual policy, he said.

Immigration rights advocates condemned provisions in the draft memo, noting that it also proposed to greatly expand fast-track deportation and in so doing limit rights of those apprehended.

Its a reign of terror and fear that is being perpetrated by Donald Trump and Steve Miller and Steve Bannon, and it has to stop, said David Leopold, former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, referring to two aides believed to have the presidents ear on immigration matters.

In a joint statement the National Council of La Raza and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund said a massive Guard deployment would exacerbate what is already a chaotic civil and human rights crisis, transforming this country into a police state ruled by fiat and brute force rather than democracy and the rule of law.

Staff Writers Peggy Fikac, Sig Christenson and Jason Buch contributed to this report.

bill.lambrecht@hearstdc.com
President Donald Trumps administration has already deemed the media the opposition party, so perhaps its instructive now to distingush between dueling parties.

Heres a distinction: When the president provides information to the public, he doesnt care whether its true or false. Journalists do.

Take the last 48 hours.

On Thursday, Trump held a White House press conference at which he harangued the dishonest press for more than an hour while peppering his diatribe with falsehoods. The next day, the Associated Press reported that his administration is considering a proposal to mobilize National Guard troops to enforce immigration law.

The memo was leaked to the press, so naturally the White House called it fake. Not the leak; just the news revealed by the leak. White House spokesman Sean Spicer called the AP report 100 percent not true.

But the memo exists.

Written on Jan. 25 by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, the 11-page document calls for allowing governors in 11 states, including Texas, to decide whether to deputize their National Guards to help detain and deport unauthorized immigrants.

So whats really going on?

In the alternative reality of the Trump reign, thats a fraught question. Lets turn to Trump himself for answers. After all, he just gave a lengthy news conference. (And the press is dishonest, anyway.)

Notably, Trump does not like it when people know whats going on. He acknowledged this in relation to recent news reports about his bizarrely cranky phone calls with the leaders of Mexico and Australia.

Just weeks ago, Trump called these news reports fake: Thank you to Prime Minister of Australia for telling the truth about our very civil conversation that FAKE NEWS media lied about. Very nice! he tweeted.

At Thursdays news conference, though, he grudgingly acknowledged that the press had found out exactly what took place.

I spoke to the president of Mexico, the president said. I had a good call. All of a sudden, its out there for the world to see. Its supposed to be secret 

Same thing with Australia, he continued. All of a sudden, people are finding out exactly what took place  And Im saying  the first thing I thought of when I heard about it is: How does the press get this information thats classified? How do they do it?

For Trump, this was a rare moment of honesty. Buried in the megalomania, his rhapsodies can sometimes yield nuggets of truth. This one showed that, rather than righteous indignation at fake news, the president actually feels something more akin to mystification at the reporting process.

Finding out exactly what took place, as Trump put it, is a fine definition of journalism. Just because the news is something he doesnt want the public to know, though, does not make it fake.

If something is demonstrably untrue, then its fake. And Trump made some demonstrably untrue assertions at his news conference. At the same time, he acknowledged that he hadnt bothered to verify those assertions.

His victory, he said, was the biggest electoral college win since Ronald Reagan.

It wasnt.

When a reporter in the room pointed that out, Trump said, Well, I dont know, I was given that information. I was given  I actually, Ive seen that information around.

Trump also told the assembled reporters, You have a lower approval rate than Congress. I think that's right, I dont know.

It turns out, Trump didnt know; he was incorrect. Congress ranks below the news media.

Trump, then, doesnt seem to care if what he says is true or false. If a piece of information fits one of his narratives  Trump is great; the press is dishonest  then hell assert it. And if the press reports something he doesnt want the public to know, then its fake.

Keep that in mind whenever the White House calls news such as the APs National Guard story 100 percent not true. In Trumps war on reality, truth doesnt matter.

bchasnoff@express-news.net
The genius, Qian Xueshen. (Photo : MIT)

Qian Xuesen, acknowledged as the "Father of Chinese Rocketry" and one of the men responsible for building China's first atomic and hydrogen bomb, will have a special place of honor at a new exhibition displaying the progress of China's military missiles over the past six decades.



Qian, who was also known as Hsue-Shen Tsien, contributed greatly to the development of the Dongfeng family of ballistic missiles that now form the backbone of China's strategic rocket forces operated by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force or PLARF.



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He died in 1999 at the age of 98. He was described as "an undisputed genius" by one American scientist who worked with him in the 1940s. After working in the United States starting in 1935, Qian returned to China in 1955.



The People's Liberation Army (PLA) reported that the construction of an exhibition featuring China's missile weapons equipment and technology at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution at the Haidian District in Beijing began Feb. 17.



The museum displays restored military weapons and equipment from the history of PLA, up to and including modern-day weapons. The exhibition will be located at the museum's science and technology hall, which includes 10 sections and covers an area of about 10,000 square meters.



The museum was opened to the public in August 1960 as the only state-level military museum in China.



Construction of the exhibition should be completed by the end of June. PLA said the exhibition will be the only one of its kind in the country.



Missiles will figure prominently in the new exhibition. The PLA said the exhibition w be an educational base for promoting patriotism, in addition to being a popular science park for defense weapons and equipment.



The museum in February 2016 signed an agreement with China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, a major missile weapon equipment developer, to jointly build the exhibition.


Fayetteville woman says anti-abortion laws hurt her mom, then herself

Judy Pittard said her and her mother's pregnancy complications that required abortions were made worse by the decisions of "old men in big buildings."
Recording artist Eminem performs onstage at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on April 13, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Getty Images for MTV/Christopher Polk)

Legendary rapper Marshall Mathers, a.k.a Eminem, is among the high-profile names who joined the investors of a Detroit-based startup, StockX. Other investors on board are AOL chief Tim Armstrong, actor Mark Wahlberg, Joe Haden, DJ Skee and Wale.



Eminem is not so cool with challenges in the studio, Stat Quo told HipHop DX. However, the 44-year-old Detroit rapper is taking chances with investments outside the music industry. He and the other investors generated $6 million for StockX which plans to expand into other products like watches and handbags.



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StockX is a distinct auction and e-commerce website, a live bid and ask marketplace that lets sellers to ask and buyers to bid, then executes the transaction when the price asked by the seller is met by a buyer. Launched in February 2016, StockX is founded by Josh Luber who serves as the CEO and Quicken Loans chairman and Cleveland Cavaliers' majority owner, Dan Gilbert.



Four months following its launch, StockX reached milestones with its Android and iOS apps. It plans to expand its sneaker trading market and may be opened to sneakerheads outside the United States. Sneakerheads are consumers obsessed with collecting limited or popular editions of Nike and Adidas.



Luber launched StockX because there was never a data-driven price guide for sneakers. Though Nike, Adidas and Jordan sneakers are resold online, such as in Ebay, information about their appropriate auction price are rare. He also hinted their plans to expand StockX.



"We started with sneakers and we will move into other verticals that look like sneakers next," Luber told Fortune. "The idea is to expand into whatever you can buy or sell using a stock market."



Meanwhile, one of Eminem's songs, "My Name Is" is in the recent headlines again. Almost three decades following the song which catapulted the artist to worldwide fame, a secret message was recently discovered behind its tracks.



The 1999 hit "My Name Is" has something that can be heard when it is played reversed. A fan revealed in a tweet that the chorus in "My Name Is" says "It's Eminem. It's Eminem. It's Eminem" when played in reverse.



If you play the chorus of "My Name Is" by Eminem backwards he says "It's Eminem." #mindblown pic.twitter.com/a6rvYDWyIe

 DMX (@ConfidentSword) February 8, 2017







The 44-year-old music icon from Detroit is one of the world's most respected rappers and lyricist. Furthermore, it took a while for his fans to know he can simultaneously rap normally and in reverse.



Listen to "My Name Is" track again:






At the recent CII Partnership Summit held in Hyderabad, memorandum of understandings (MoUs) were inked by the Andhra Pradesh government for setting up 12 apparel manufacturing facilities at an investment of Rs 963 crore, in the state. This was informed by Srikanth Prabhakar, joint director, commissioner of handlooms and textiles, AP Government.Prabhakar gave this information in an interactive session with entrepreneurs, while also adding that this investment would create around 46,000 jobs.

At the recent CII Partnership Summit held in Hyderabad, memorandum of understandings (MoUs) were inked by the Andhra Pradesh government for setting up 12 apparel manufacturing facilities at an investment of Rs 963 crore, in the state. This was informed by Srikanth Prabhakar, joint director, commissioner of handlooms and textiles, AP Government.#

Four of these apparel plants would be set up at the Brandix Apparel Park, while five would be setup in Anantapur district and the remaining in Chittoor district. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Over 95 per cent of the total investors in the Bangladesh apparel industry are local. Moreover, Bangladesh also has a number of foreign investors in textile and apparel sectors. The country encourages foreign investments in the areas of high value added items, non-traditional apparel items and in the primary textile industry, especially woven textiles.

"Investors will invest in industries, which are more viable in the longer term," Md Siddiqur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) told Fibre2Fashion.

Speaking about the concept of awarding special economic zones (SEZs) to countries like UK and China, Rahman said, "Garment industry in Bangladesh has a clear prospect to grow further. This indicates the need for planned industrial zones where factories can be set-up as we have scarce land. SEZs will be a vital force to flourish this industry further in a more organised way, resolving the issue of land availability to a significant extent."

Bangladesh is also working on decreasing its dependency on imports as there has been a significant capacity building in the area of yarn and fabrics manufacturing, especially for knitwear items.

"Around 80 per cent of the knitted fabrics are produced in Bangladesh. Denim production capacity has also got a significant boost in the last decade. Almost 50 per cent of the demand for denim fabric by our export oriented garment industry is being fulfilled by our local denim mills. Besides, Bangladesh produces almost 100 per cent of its accessories needed locally," added Rahman.

The country is dependent on external sources mostly for fibre, because it does not grow cotton or petrochemical products. It is lagging behind in woven fabric production, which has potentials for investment, noted the president of BGMEA.

Talking about the internal apparel market of Bangladesh, Rahman said, "The purchasing power and per capita income is growing in Bangladesh leading to increasing consumption and retail market size in the country."

Bangladesh progress on doing own labels/brands is still not mentionable, but it is producing for global brands.

"Our factories are now getting prepared for the next leap forward. In-house design development, presentation of collections to buyers, investments in high value added production capacity, etc. are happening in our apparel industry," said Rahman. (KD)

Click here to read the complete interview

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Sustainable knitwear manufacturer Tengri has used eco-friendly dyeing process to produce hopsack weave fabric exclusively for Huntsman. This extremely limited-edition cloth is woven from Khangai Noble yarns that are superior to those of any other yak fabric. The cloth is available in its undyed silver and natural colouring, as well as a bright new navy blue.

The hopsack weave fabric has been woven by Yorkshire-based R Gledhill Ltd, well-known for spinning fine woolen yarns for more than 70 years.

"We are honoured to be working with one of the finest and long-standing tailors on Savile Row, an establishment which also happens to be the most innovative. Its innovation that drives Tengri to push the boundaries of sustainable fashion and luxury goods, and our collaboration with Huntsman further realises that luxury and sustainability do not have to be mutually exclusive. The exclusive new cloth celebrates our shared dedication to rich heritage, integrity, craftsmanship and style," said Nancy Johnston, founder of Tengri.

Huntsman will offer clients the chance to own bespoke pieces, made in this new Tengri cloth. These Khangai Noble yarns can be combed only once a year when the animals shed their winter coats. Only 100g of fibre available from each yak, every year.

"At Huntsman, we have offered the ultimate in luxury tailoring for 167 years. We are dedicated to sourcing limited-edition luxury cloths, the very best available in the world at any time. To be working with Tengri and to discover this very unique fabric is truly special. The fibres of the Khangai yak, indigenous to this very specific region of Mongolia, transcend yak yarns and cloths currently available in the luxury market. With Tengri we are able to offer some very precious rare colours, and key for Huntsman, finding exquisite fabrics that stand up to the stresses and tests of time. A Huntsman garment should be able to endure for generations! We are also very proud to be offering a truly sustainable option to our clients, there are not many luxuries in the world you can buy that help people, wildlife, and natural habitats. We fully support and embrace Tengris philosophy'Noble Yarns, Noble Ways'," said Pierre Lagrange, Huntsman owner. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Aeoon Technologies, Austria-based digital textile printers manufacturer, is showcasing its Aeoon Compact Series, its newest range of digital direct to garment textile printers, at the ongoing GMMSA expo India, by the Garments Machinery Manufacturers & Suppliers Association, held from February 17 to 20, 2017, in Ludhiana, Punjab, at stall A14, hall A.Live demonstration of the Aeoon Kyo Compact Series, durable digital textile printer designed for industrial use, is presented at the exhibition. The Aeoon Kyo digital printer series uses the direct-to-garment printing technology, also known as DTG printing. The ink is printed directly and digitally onto the fabric.

Aeoon Technologies, Austria-based digital textile printers manufacturer, is showcasing its Aeoon Compact Series, its newest range of digital direct to garment textile printers, at the ongoing GMMSA expo India, by the Garments Machinery Manufacturers & Suppliers Association, held from February 17 to 20, 2017, in Ludhiana, Punjab, at stall A14, hall A.#

Visitors can get answers to all the questions about the machine and digital direct to garment printing process in general at the show. Also, information about the new Aeoon PTB Pretreatment Series, with which one can pre-treat up to 930 pieces per hour, can also be seen in the show. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Association of Greek Textile Industries (SEVK) has identified high energy costs, lack of strategic planning to support production and imports of textile products from countries with cheap labour as the reasons why the country's textile sector has taken a hit. The association has presented various proposals to tackle the issue of high energy costs.

High energy costs affecting Greek's textile sector was the agenda of the meeting held between SEVK and George Stathakis, environment and energy minister of the country. The memorandum presented by SEVK describes the Greek textile industry's position and made some other recommendations to revive the sector to help the country's economy.

Regarding the issue of high energy costs, the association has suggested that high-voltage and low-voltage charges should be harmonised, new directives should be introduced on state support for energy and environment and a strict timetable to regulate the domestic electricity market to the requirements of an EU target model.

The Association of Greek Textile Industries (SEVK) has identified high energy costs, lack of strategic planning to support production and imports of textile products from countries with cheap labour as the reasons why the country's textile sector has taken a hit. The association has presented various proposals to tackle the issue of high energy costs.#

The association also said that the government has not made any concrete plans to support the textile industry in the last 15 years. Imports from countries with low labour wages and energy costs have also increased, causing Greek textile manufacturing industries to close down and resulting in higher unemployment. Industrial activity in Greece has reduced by 70 to 80 per cent since 1980, according to SEVK. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
BrahMos battery. (Photo : Indian Army)

A BrahMos extended range supersonic cruise missile will be tested on March 10 by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), an improvement that will increase the missile's range by over 60 percent.



BrahMos extended range is designed to carry its 200 kg semi-armor piercing, high explosive warhead out to 450 km, which will be two-thirds farther than the current range of 290 km, said DRDO Chief Dr. S Christopher. More important, this BrahMos version will still retain the accuracy of the original version, which can deliver its warhead to about one meter of its target.



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One of the biggest drawbacks to BrahMos -- the world's fastest cruise missile -- is its paltry range of just 290 km. That drawback was imposed because Russia, the co-builder of the missile, was a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) at the time BrahMos was being developed in the 1990s and India wasn't.



The MTCR, which now consists of 35 nations, forbids its members from selling, jointly producing or exporting missiles with a range in excess of 300 km. India became the newest member of the MTCR club on June 28, 2016, which means it can now develop but not export missiles with a range exceeding 300 km.



BrahMos is being produced by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Russia's Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPOM.



The decision to extend the range of BrahMos was announced by Russian president Vladimir Putin during the recent 17th annual India-Russia bilateral summit in Goa last Oct. 15.



"We have also agreed to improve the BrahMos missile, which will be land, air and sea launched. We will also work to increase its range," said Putin.



India and Russia later agreed to work together to more than double the range of BrahMos to over 600 kilometers, an upgrade that will bring all of Pakistan within range of the missile's high explosive or nuclear warheads.



The far longer range will also enable this as yet unnamed model to attack more People's Liberation Army bases in the interior of Tibet that threaten the Line of Actual Control, especially those bases aimed at the imperiled Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh China claims is part of Tibet.


HanesBrands, a global marketer of everyday basic innerwear and activewear apparel under world-class brands, has announced that its Cleveland distribution centre has attained safety milestone by achieving 2 million employee hours without ainjury in 2016. This is one of the 34 facilities in the state of North Carolina to have bagged this achievement.

North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) commissioner Cherie Berry had visited the distribution centre to present the certificate to Joel Long, director of distribution for HanesBrands, on behalf of the facilitys more than 500 employees. The NCDOL million-hour safety awards are given to facilities that accumulate 1 million or more employee hours with no cases of injury or illness that involve days away from work.

It is important that we recognise companies when they exceed expectations of safety and health in their workplace, and the HanesBrands facility in Kings Mountain has demonstrated that commitment with this recent 2 million-man hour award, said Berry.

Commending the achievement of the distribution centre team, Long said, "Safety is a top priority at HanesBrands, and a responsibility that each of us at the Cleveland Distribution Center owns  both for ourselves and those we work with. Achieving 2 million safe hours is a reflection of the strong teamwork and focus of everyone who works here."

The Cleveland Distribution Center, which ships intimate apparel orders for Bali, Playtex and Maidenform, from department-store and mid-tier retailers, has a long track record of safe operations. The facility has earned six consecutive NCDOL Gold Safety Awards (2011-2016) and achieved 1 million safe hours in 2016. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Itema, a leading, privately-held provider of advanced weaving solutions, including best-in-class weaving machines, spare parts, and integrated services, is set to showcase its R9500denim rapier weaving machine at DTG expo, - the 14th Dhaka international textile & garment machinery exhibition, to be held from February 23 to 26, 2017, in hall 6, stand 609.During DTG, Itema will display for the first time in Bangladesh the rapier weaving machine R9500denim, the brand-new product concept launched in October 2016 during ITMA Asia dedicated exclusively and especially to denim mills in search of customised solutions to respond faster, more effectively, and efficiently to changing denim trends with versatile, high-performance, ad-hoc machinery.

Itema, a leading, privately held provider of advanced weaving solutions, including best-in-class weaving machines, spare parts, and integrated services, is set to showcase its R9500denim rapier weaving machine at DTG expo, - the 14th Dhaka international textile & garment machinery exhibition, to be held from February 23 to 26, 2017, in hall 6, stand 609.#

The Itema R9500denim comes fully accessorised and equipped with dedicated devices, including the new main motor with oil cooling to ensure unparalleled machine performances. Unrivalled textile versatility is guaranteed by the unique Itema shed geometry, widely recognised in the industry as best-in-class, and the SK weft transfer system featuring reinforced rapier heads and tapes optimised to weave denim weft yarns.The R9500denim at DTG can weave heavy denim (14 oz.), thus highlighting Itema machines unique-in-the-market ability to produce even the most demanding and heavy denim styles, due to the sturdy machine structure and to the renowned Itema shed geometry. Even though the width of the machine - 2200 millimetres - may not seem usual for the Bangladeshi denim weavers, the aim of Itema is to introduce the latest trend in the global denim market related to weaving machines width necessary to weave stretch and super stretch denim.Itema Group sales and marketing director, Christian Straubhaar said, We, at Itema, are ready to actively support denim mills with our rapier R9500denim designed especially for markets like Bangladesh, to provide weavers with the perfect machine engineered for the highest performance, superior fabric quality, lower .running costs and maximum versatility of patterns needed to excel in denim production.Updeep Singh, Itema India managing director said, We are excited to take DTG as the opportunity to demonstrate to the Bangladeshi weavers visiting DTG our most innovative, latest generation weaving technology, as well as our full and value-added service capabilities. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
During a meeting held with stake holders of the carpet weaving industry, textile minister Smriti Irani assured the carpet industry that carpets would not be cut by customs officials, to determine the price of these products. The meeting was held in response to an issue raised by carpet exporters that port authorities were damaging carpets by cutting them.Irani told the finance ministry officials that cutting of carpets led to carpets getting damaged, due to which exporters were not able to realise the full value of their carpets.

During a meeting held with stake holders of the carpet weaving industry, textile minister Smriti Irani assured the carpet industry that carpets would not be cut by customs officials, to determine the price of these products. The meeting was held in response to an issue raised by carpet exporters that port authorities were damaging carpets by cutting them.#

She also suggested taking assistance of the Textiles Committee Office in Mumbai and the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, Bhadohi, to determine other ways to determine prices, media reports said.Najeeb Shah, chairman, Central Board of Excise & Customs assured the minister that a mechanism in consultation with the textiles ministry would be worked out, to determine prices in a different manner, to avoid cutting of carpets. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Surat International Textile Expo (SITEX) 2017, a buyer-seller meet, is being organised with an aim to bring together powerloom manufactures, entrepreneurs, retailers and dealers under one roof. The event to be held from February 25-27 is a platform to share latest developments of fibres, fabrics, fashion, apparel, home and technical textiles and more.

Regional office of the textile commissioner, Ahmedabad and the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce (SGCCI), Surat are jointly organising this buyer-seller meet. SITEX 2017 aims to encourage the trade and industry of the South Gujarat region and promote the brand 'Surat' by highlighting the strength of the city's textile Sector.

SSI registered small scale entrepreneurs from various parts of India are expected to participate in the event. About 30 stalls will be set up by various powerloom unit owners, according to the organisers.

Surat International Textile Expo (SITEX) 2017, a buyer-seller meet, is being organised with an aim to bring together powerloom manufactures, entrepreneurs, retailers and dealers under one roof. The event to be held from February 25-27 is a platform to share latest developments of fibres, fabrics, fashion, apparel, home and technical textiles and more.#

The event will provide an excellent opportunity to the manufacturers, dealers, wholesalers and retailers of the textile industry to showcase their wide range of products and services and industry experts to discuss about the latest market innovations.

Business leaders, corporate, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, buyers and sellers can expect lucrative business opportunities that will expand their business. Participants will also get a chance to capitalise on their expertise and diversify or expand their operations in the existing market. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
HON PM VOREQE BAINIMARAMA AT THE 20TH ANNUAL ANZ FIJI EXCELLENCE IN TOURISM AWARDS





The Honourable Minister for Tourism,

The Chairman of Tourism FijiThe Chairman of the ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism AwardsDistinguished guestsLadies and Gentlemen,Bula vinaka and a very good evening to you all.This is a night of celebration but also a night for sombre reflection as we prepare as a nation to commemorate the anniversary of Tropical Cyclone Winston. And I want to begin by asking you all to remember the Fijians who were killed almost a year ago by the worst storm ever to strike our shores.On Monday, well be commemorating that dark day in our history with a national service of remembrance and thanksgiving in Suva. Remembrance for those of our loved ones who died. Thanksgiving that much of our nation - including most of our tourism properties - were spared. And that our economy on which we all depend survived the onslaught of Winston.The tourism industry, in particular, has much to be grateful for. You really were stars a year ago  as the theme for this evening puts it  because most of you not only weathered the storm but cleaned up quickly and remained open for business. Our visitors kept coming and thanks also to the tourism industry, Fiji as a whole bounced back faster than anyone expected at the time.So I am here on behalf of the entire nation to thank you and every Fijian who works in the industry for the superb effort you put in to help us back on our feet. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Fijians in other sectors of the economy who helped us to bounce back faster than anyone expected. I also want to thank those Fijians for their own individual acts of charity to those in need that will never be forgotten by those who benefited. Vinaka vakalevu to you all.Ladies and Gentlemen, as we approach the anniversary of Winston, as we look back on the tremendous suffering endured by our people, we must rededicate ourselves to the spirit of caring that binds us together as Fijians and that carried us through that difficult time.Tonight, we send a message of love and of comfort to the families and friends of those we lost. So please bow your heads and join me in a moment of reflection and respect for the men, women and children taken from us so cruelly on February 20, 2016.Ladies and Gentlemen, as your Prime Minister, I will carry the memories of those Fijians with me when I venture into the world this year to lead the global campaign against climate change.As you know, Fiji is the incoming President of COP 23  the ongoing United Nations negotiations to tackle the greatest challenge the world has ever faced. And as I assume this monumental task, I will certainly have the families of those who died in Winston first and foremost in my thoughts. I owe it to them and to every other Fijian to fight as hard as I can to get the global community to stick to the promises we all made in Paris at the end of 2015. To reduce the carbon emissions that are causing global warming and the extreme weather events, rising seas and changing weather patterns that threaten our way of life and lives of billions of others around the world.Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very worried that the multilateral, decisive approach that we took in Paris to lower the global temperature is already being questioned. We must stick to the plan we reached in the Paris Agreement, not walk away from it.So as the ball is passed to me as COP president, I will be striving to hold the team together, to move the global agenda forward and eventually secure victory for all 7.5 billion people on the planet.I dont need to tell anyone in this room how important this mission is. Those of you in the tourism industry know better than most that our very survival depends on it, not only in Fiji and the rest of the Pacific but in every vulnerable country. And I know that I can count on your support as I take the fight to the latest round of negotiations in Bonn in November and beyond.Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to spend time tonight meeting as many of you as possible. To really rub shoulders with the stars. Because thats what you are, especially after your magnificent fight-back in the wake of Winston.It is little short of astonishing that in the year that Fiji was hit by the biggest cyclone ever to make landfall in the southern hemisphere, tourism numbers actually grew.Last year, we recorded a record annual arrival figure of 792,320 visitors, with record arrivals from New Zealand and China. The 49,000 arrivals from China is especially gratifying.We hope to do the same with India as time goes by  to tap into the increasingly affluent and adventurous market there as well. And we will soon be making a very exciting announcement of a codeshare agreement between Fiji Airways and a major Indian carrier which is bound to boost traffic from the subcontinent and beyond.I know that pride in our national airline is shared by every Fijian. And as it opens up new destinations and develops its own package holiday division, Fiji Airways has cemented its place as one of the two most important partners the tourism industry has. The other, of course, being my government.One thing is undeniable. No other government in Fijian history has done more to develop our economy and the tourism industry in particular. No other government has looked at the Fijian economy holistically as we have. Our record of economic management is unrivalled  seven straight years of growth including an impressive two per cent in one of the most testing years in our history.We have also made the biggest investment in infrastructure of any government. Because we know that this is the best way to lay the foundation for continuing prosperity now and in the years to come.We can all be proud of our new airport terminal, which will transform the visitor experience when the work is completed and set a new standard for the region. We can all be proud of the new road linking the airport with Denarau. And the work that is proceeding to upgrade our road network all over Fiji. We can all be proud of the expansion of our seaports, the new level of efficiency on our wharves and the way in which we are introducing cutting edge information and communication technology. These are hugely important advances that are benefiting every Fijian and moving our nation forward.So Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to use this opportunity to reinforce the importance of the partnership between Government and the private sector as we expand and refine our tourism sector. And I especially seek your input and support  as members of the industry  for the Tourism Development Plan that is currently being formulated and that we will launch this year. It is called Fijian Tourism 2021. And it will be a comprehensive and practical blueprint to bring all of us together to achieve an ambitious goal over the next four years. To make Fijian tourism an industry worth 2.2 billion Fijian dollars by the end of 2021. The Tourism Development Plan of course shall tie in with the National Development Plan which will also be finalised this year.I urge you all to familiarise yourselves with the details of what we have in mind. But in essence, the key features of the plan are these: To build an industry and is resilient, productive and focuses on quality; to refine and develop our existing markets and take the Fijian brand to markets we havent yet tapped; to not only encourage more visitors to Fiji but encourage those visitors to spend more and improve our yields; To improve our training and address our skills shortages; To support existing businesses and encourage new ones, especially micro, small and medium operators; to improve co-ordination between the industry and government; to build our resilience to climate change and global economic shocks; and most important of all, to develop everything we do is a sustainable and inclusive manner.Ladies and Gentlemen, I cannot stress enough the Governments commitment to sustainability and our determination that development will never come at the expense of our precious environment. Along with the friendliness and hospitality of the Fijian people, our pristine surroundings are the bedrock of Fijian tourism. And they must never, ever, be compromised.We must protect our environment, our flora, fauna and biodiversity. We must honour and respect ourselves, our history and heritage for the future. We must support our communities - government and the private sector working hand in hand to provide Fijians with interesting, sustainable livelihoods. And we must all take responsibility for our actions and especially the impact of any development.In this context, I want to repeat my call to every Fijian  whoever you are and wherever you live  to take responsibility for your own surroundings. I am very upset and disappointed that no matter how many times I urge people not to litter, we still have so much rubbish being strewn around on land and at sea. This has now reached crisis proportions. And I again say to every Fijian: you wouldnt rubbish your own home. Stop rubbishing our country! If youre proud of it, its high time you also started protecting it.Ladies and Gentlemen, for all the sombre reflection this weekend a year on from Winston, it is also a time for you in the tourism industry to celebrate. And I want to close by warmly congratulating our winners and the industry as a whole. A special thanks to our sponsors, the ANZ, for their support for this important event. And to everyone who has worked to make this evening a success.I know how hard everyone in the industry works. So tonight is a chance to catch up with your friends and fellow operators and relax. In the sure knowledge that whatever our setbacks, it is an exciting time for Fijian tourism and even greater days lie ahead.Vinaka vakalevu to you all and enjoy the rest of the evening.
Divya's Plunge In The Film Industry

Divya's mother Meeta in a Cine Blitz 95' interview revealed, "She was in ninth standard when she began getting films offers. At first she wasn't interested. Nandu Tolani was constantly after us to let Divya work in Gunahon Ke Devta. She asked me for advice. So I explained that she could lead a normal life even when she became a star. You are getting this opportunity, take it. If you are successful fine, if you are not you can return to what you want to do'. She was thrilled when I told her that she would have to forget her studies, she said, fantastic, then let me join films'. Divya was 14 then."

The Radha Ka Sangam Episode

Govinda's brother Kirti Kumar noticed Divya at a video library, He was so smitten by her that he was eager to cast her opposite Govinda in 'Radha Ka Sangam'. But after waiting in the wings for over eight months, she never got the film.

Buzz was that as soon as she signed a contract with him, she was forced to go underground. She was told that if she wanted to be the heroine of his film, she would concentrate totally on it and so school became a closed chapter. Later there were reports that Kirti started getting too possessive about her. And then, shockingly, he replaced her with Juhi Chawla in the film.

Back then, Divya had confessed in an interview, " I was upset about his decision. But not starring in Kirti's film is not the end of the world, I am one who told him to return my contract. He was getting too possessive. I am 15 years old. He virtually kept me prisoner. Even my parents didn't ask me as many questions as Kirti did. If he wanted his Radha to be pristine and pure, how come he's chosen Juhi Chawla? She has acted in so many films up to now. Her image isn't that of a virgin..."

On the other hand, Kirti had a different version to tell and said, "The girl was lacking sincerity." He added, "I trained her for six months. At the end of that, if I have set her free, there must be a definite reason for it."

'Aamir Should Behave Like A Senior, Not A Star'

Reportedly Aamir Khan was terribly upset with Divya's erratic behaviour during a London show and refused to perform with her. In a Stardust March 92' interview, when the 'Saat Samundar' actress was asked the truth behind this, she lashed out, "Aamir is not the one who should be upset with me. I'm the one who should be upset with that man. What happens when you're on stage live for a show, it's but natural that you might make a mistake. I did make a mistake which wasn't noticeable and I covered it up immediately. But Aamir noticed only because he knew the movements. The next thing I hear is that Aamir had informed the organisers that he wanted to rehearse with Lollypop, (the choreographer)'s sister Chiclet. What could I say?

But what really upset me was when I saw Aamir doing the number on stage with Juhi Chawla instead. As it is I had only three numbers and while she had quite a few and here she was doing one more. For the rest of the shows Aamir even opted out of the medley number he was supposed to have done with me. He said he was too tired. This only left me with one solo song 'Saat samunder'. I was in tears. It was then that Salman came to my rescue. Inspite of having a lot of numbers, inspite of having a broken foot, Salman Khan was sweet enough to agree to do the medley with me. I was very touched by the niceness of the gesture. And I'm sure Aamir must have been aghast."

She further added, "It's sad that he's got the attitude that he's senior and that if we juniors make mistakes we're out. He should correct me. As a senior he should tell me my mistakes, not take them to heart. He should behave like a senior, not a star. Actually one of the organisers even told me that Aamir felt I was ignoring him. But tell me, what difference does it make to him if I ignore him or not? I always greeted him with a 'hello sir'. I didn't ignore him at all. If I did too, it was obvious why. Believe me, I was so upset that I sat in the bathroom and cried for hours. I was very hurt. But I had to be brave and go out there and perform. As we were all paid to do so. I'm still very quite upset with Aamir's starry attitude. Thank god for Salman and his genuine niceness."

When Aamir Khan Got Divya Dropped Out Of Darr

This shocking revelation was made by Divya's mother in an old interview which had her quoted saying, "Many people still think that Divya lost Darr because she had a problem with Yash Chopra. That wasn't the case. When Sunny was signed, he wanted Divya opposite him. But Aamir wanted Juhi Chawla. Unfortunately, at that time, we were in America for some shows. Before we left they announced Darr with Sunny, Divya and Aamir. When we returned it was Sunny, Juhi and Aamir. It seemed that Aamir who was also working with Yash Chopra in Parampara, managed to push Juhi and had Divya dropped. After he got Juhi into Darr, he was dropped and Shah Rukh was taken."

'If I Was Even Half As Notorious As People Made Me Out To be, Then Would Such A Caring Man Like Sajid Still Be With Me'

Barely 16, Divya met Sajid Nadiadwala in 1990 at Filmcity, when he dropped by the sets of 'Shola and Shabnam' to meet his friend Govinda.

Talking about it, Divya had said in a G-magazine 93' interview, "Govinda is the one who introduced me to Sajid when he dropped by on the sets of Shola Aur Shabnam, two and half years ago. I don't think I can ever forget that day! Soon it became a routine for the unit to see Sajid on our sets everyday. Govinda and he being very good friends, this was unsual. slowly we became very friends until I realized that I was beginning to like him. He was so sweet, frank and open hearted, just like me. The chemistry was instantaneous. Our attraction for each other was inevitible. In fact soon everyone on the set began to tease us about each other. Everytime he'd come on the sets, they'd say," here comes Divya's boyfriend". I must confess that in the beginning I didn't expect to fall head over heels love with him. But I did. I still am. That is why I find it disturbing when there were reports that something brewing between Govinda and me. Govinda is like my brother to me. He is the one to bring me to films, and the peacemaker everytime Sajid and I have a fight."

In a Filmfare July 92' interview she was quoted saying, "If I was even half as notorious as people made me out to be, then would such a caring man like Sajid still be with me? We have been going around for nearly one and a half year now. And things have been just terrific between us. The advantage is that Sajid is very mature and a very experienced man. He has been through a lot in life. Whenever I behave childishly or sulk then Sajid explains things to me. He tells me what is right and what is wrong. I trust his judgement he is never wrong.

Honestly, Sajid has been very patient with me. Like I cannot be domesticated, I cannot cook, to the extent that I can't make a cup of tea. It was Sajid who taught me how to make tea. Even his sister has been a big help. For one whole week, she cooked one particular vegetable so that it would be easier for me to learn how to cook it. The sad part was on the eigthth day I had forgotten everything. Once I cooked dal and Sajid practically spat it out. Not only was it without salt but it was bitter too. guess I am a bad student.

Right now I am going through one of the best phases of my life. Professionally I am doing well. Personally I have Sajid and both our respective families have accepted each other. I don't want to plan out my future, I live day to day. I have become ambitious now. I want to reach the top. I want to be known as an actress of repute. "

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Kangana Ranaut's 'Rangoon' is all set to hit the theatrical screens next week. Meanwhile, the 'Queen Of Bollywood' recently revealed that she was indeed approached for Majid Majidi's Beyond the Clouds which also marks the acting debut of Shahid's brother Ishaan Khattar, in an interview to a leading tabloid.

BLAST FROM THE PAST: When Divya Bharti CRIED Because Of Aamir Khan & Salman Came To Her Rescue!

A few days back, the tinsel down was abuzz with speculations about Kangana rejecting the Iranian filmmaker's offer after Deepika Padukone failed to bag the role despite giving a look test. While speaking to Mumbai Mirror, she confirmed that she turned down the film and said, "It's a brother-sister story where the brother is the one doing all the fighting. Since I'm jumping straight into Ketan Mehta's Jhansi ki Rani, who was an iconic heroine, why would I take on such a submissive role?"

The 'Rangoon' actress is currently grabbing eyeballs for her constant digs at her co-star Shahid Kapoor with whom she is rumoured to be not getting along well.

At the time when actors take the diplomatic route, Kangana is the one who doesn't believe in mincing her words while calling out nepotism that prevails in the film industry, during her appearance on Karan Johar's chat show Koffee With Karan.

Now, that's quite bold and bindass of her!
On Her Intimate Scenes With Shahid: I Can't Say Acha Laga Ya Kharab Laga

"When you are enacting a scene, we don't do time pass. When we are asked questions on intimate scenes, especially to girls, there is a sleazy undertone to it. 'Kaise laga aapko kiss karke?' What am I supposed to say? I can't say acha laga ya kharab laga.''

My Purpose Is To Answer It As An Actor

''My purpose is to answer it as an actor. So as an actor I said there were 50 people while we were shooting in the mud scene. And my co-actor had a cold. So it was the most convenient thing to do.''

These Men Just Had Babies

''It was made into a horrible.... I don't take these things seriously. Also, media needs to understand that they shouldn't ask such questions. They ask me who is the better kisser? Mujhe kya lena dena? What do you mean? These men have just had babies and we don't look at them in that way.''

When She Took A Dig At Deepika

''This is our work and it is our rozi roti. But people talk in such a frivolous way. And I never talk like that about my work. There is always a risk of being misquoted horribly but it is better than saying I love Shahid's boxers. Isn't it better?'' Those who are not aware, Deepika Padukone made a similar comment during Tamasha promotions. Deepika had said, "Ranbir has the cutest boxers by the way."

Shahid Must Have Borrowed That Line From Hrithik

Shahid had said recently, "I have to tell you that Kangana makes up things in her head. She has a vivid imagination. I don't remember telling her all this at all." To which Kangana Ranaut replied, "That line he (Shahid) must have borrowed from Hrithik. He would have thought that dude I will borrow these claims from Hrithik."

On Her Character In Rangoon

Kangana told a leading news agency, "She (Fearless Nadia) is a stuntwoman and it's an amalgamation of many characters in the film. I am known to speak my mind and to say things that I stand for is right. That sort of conviction and identity was important for the role."
Song Joong-ki with Mini Me (Photo : Instagram/Song Joong-ki)

It seems that the photos-with-baby battle between Descendants of the Sun stars Song Joong-ki and Song Hye Kyo is far from over. After the two posted photos with baby girls one week apart, Song Joong-ki posted on Friday on Instagram another photo with a child who looks like his mini me version.



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The photo immediately became viral with more than 200,000 hits in one day. Like their previous photos with kids, the 31-year-old actor did not again identify who is the little boy with him.



Actors Son?



But based on physical similarities, the boy could be mistaken for Song Joong-kis son. His penchant for having photos taken has been interpreted by some fans as a hidden desire to be a parent why is why wis.k.0903 asked him, Opp. Do you want a son look like him?



Other fans, like mei.rosales, indulged in fantasy and wrote in Filipino that the boy is the fruit of her and Song Joong-kis love. She even named the boy Ynigo. Likewise, chuchristiana asked the actor to go home to their imagined kids.



Itsmernamae also claimed the boy is her son by Song Joong-ki. But muslim.tri_fadlilah_ was more diplomatic and asked if the boy is the actors brother, while ruchikasaklani55 asked, Who is he?



Yekulaparthavi inquired if the boy is Song Joong-kis son. Iklimjr_ asked if the boy is the actors son with Song Hye Kyo.



Husband Material



Again, placing pressure on the actor to marry and raise a family, xiaruohuan_sissi predicted that Song Joong-ki would make a good daddy. Maranathageovan agreed that the actor is husband material.



Based on the comment of sabri_mai, it seems the boy is not related at all to Song Joong-k because on the background could be seen some people in a mirror reflection calling the attention of the child to look at the camera. Again, from all appearances, the situation looks like the child is the son of a fan who requested the actor for a photo opportunity.



But because of the childs physical similarity with the actor, production has found a potential child who could play a younger Song Joong-ki or the child of Captain Yoo Si Jin if the producer of Descendants of the Sun would make a part 2 and cast him and Song Hye Kyo as a married couple with kids as speculated by fans and media alike.


Saif Talks About Sara

'I am like her friend, philosopher and guide. I don't want to control her, because it is not like one of those old-school star kids' launch where she has to talk to me or her mom to decide what she wants. I am content functioning in an advisory capacity to my daughter. '

Amrita Gave Me Some Great Advice When I Entered The Industry

'My advice to her is to mainly focus on the art and figure out what kind of an actor she is, rather than getting distracted by other thoughts and politics. Sarah will also get great advice from her mom (Amrita Singh), who gave me some great advice when I entered the industry. She discusses things with me and I teach her, too. Though I wish I had followed my own advice (laughs!). I think Sarah will be a good actor as she is very passionate about it.''

On Taimur's Name Controversy

''This country has a lot of liberal and intelligent people. We have arts festivals, blues festivals and all of that, but at the same time, there are some right wing people, who could be following different religions but are uneducated and silly. And we don't have to always listen to them. God bless them...wherever they are, but they don't feature in my life. My son and his name have nothing to do with them or their views.''

I Think Taimur Is A Beautiful Name

''Not that I owe anyone an explanation, but I know that my children will be brought up differently and in an open-minded environment because that's how our parents were and that's who we are. We are proud to be Indians, but we are also proud of where we come from. The history of India is thousands of years old. This land has seen the British and the Mughals and more...and all of them have left their mark. I believe in that and I think Taimur is a beautiful name, and that's all there is to it. Any similarity with people living or dead is purely coincidental.''

On Not Joining The Social Media Sites

'Well, I grew up with a bit of a Victorian hangover, while we were also part of Bollywood. We were told not to talk too much to everybody, and I turned out to be more of a private person. It takes time for people like me to come out and speak about myself. Social media is great, but there is a downside to it, too. I think it should be about sharing rather than selling. This platform is not about news anymore; it is about making news.''

Promoting Myself Here Doesn't Come Naturally To Me

'I know it can be a lot of fun, but promoting myself here doesn't come naturally to me. I know the ups and downs of this because I come from both generations. I have witnessed the change; I guess being in your 40s gives you that advantage. I don't want to be stuck to my phone like most do. If I want to show people the way I am living - like taking pictures of the places I visit, Pataudi palace or my children, then I feel I'm doing it for the wrong reason.''

On Social Media, Everything I Say Has To Be To Create A Good Impression

'On social media, everything I say has to be to create a good impression, and I think that will take away from the kind of person I am. I know that sometimes, it is better to share news on this platform and tell the truth because there are some things that people will talk about anyway.''

On His Career: I Had A Shaky Start

'I had a very shaky start because I wasn't cut out in my mind or in other people's mind for this (Bollywood). I wasn't thinking like a hero or as an actor. Over the years, I started understanding the dynamics of the industry better. Films like Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho were important. I think holding my own in a Shahrukh Khan film was a big achievement at that time, and I also learnt a lot from him in terms of the kind of commitment a hero brings to a film.''
Shahid Kapoor's brother Ishaan is all set to make his debut in Majid Majidi's upcoming film 'Beyond The Clouds' and the Rangoon star is the happiest man to see his brother entering the film world with a renowened film-maker with an international background and experience. Shahid was quoted as saying,

"I know how much hard work I had to put in to get that first break. I know how difficult it is to get that opportunity and how rare are the people, who are in that privileged place, so it's the happiest feeling to know that my brother has got that opportunity. I am very happy and have my fingers crossed. I only wish the best for him."



Bikini Diaries! Riya Sen Holidays In Goa With Her Girlfriends

Beyond The Clouds has gone on floors in Mumbai and the second leg will be shot in Jaipur. It was reported that Deepika Padukone will be a part of the film but the actress has turned down the offer. The film-makers are on the look out for more actors to be a part of the film and the auditions are still on.

Priyanka Chopra Talks About 'Showing Off Her Bra'!

Also, the producer of 'Beyond The Clouds' praised Ishaan by saying, "He is a superb actor, was amazing in his look test and suits the character Mr Majidi was looking for. Ishaan will play someone deeply connected to the ground and to the city."

Amy Jackson's Mobile Hacked! Personal Pictures Leaked Online
Celebrated Hollywood actress Emma Watson states that she would love to host Michelle Obama, the former US First Lady for pep talk as her dream house guest.

The Beauty And The Beast actress has been all impressed by the former US First Lady, who turns 53, and thinks that she could actually give Emma Watson some great advice about life and everything.

"Michelle Obama. Just for a quick chat, you know. Just for a quick pep talk. That would be great." Said the 26-year-old Harry Potter actress about who she want to be her dream house guest.

The very beautiful actress who happens to be also the brand ambassadors of 'United Nation's HeForShe outreach movement', also discussed about how strong her female character of Hermione Granger was in the Harry Potter series.

"Hermione was that perfect example of turning on its head this initial prejudice that she gets. Hermione finds a way to wield her intelligence and become really the leader in this group of two other boys and that's kind of the role that she assumes," said the actress.

"Harry is much more intuitive. Ron is just along for the ride. Hermione is the one with the plan. She's in control. I think somehow that gave other women permission to feel that they were allowed to take up space." Watson stated.

"What is so fundamentally beautiful about Hermione is her loyalty to that group of friends. She's really the glue that keeps that trio together. It's fundamental, and the boys knew it, and they really treat her as if they know that," the actress added further.
Veeram, the upcoming Malayalam film, directed by Jayaraj is all set for a grand release on February 24, 2017. With each passing day, the expectations on the movie is reaching new levels.

The film is getting that much needed hype and support from all quarters. Earlier, actor Hrithik Roshan had released the trailer of the movie online and now Aamir Khan has come up with wishes for the film and Kunal Kapoor, who plays the leading character in Veeram

Aamir Khan took to Facebook to share the recently released trailer of the movie. The actor praised the trailer of the movie in his own words. Take a look at the Facebook post of Aamir Khan..

Aamir Khan and Kunal Kapoor have wroked earlier in the Bollywood film Rang De Basanti. With Aamir Khan sharing the trailer of Veeram, the film has got that much needed added advantage and reach. The film, is being distributed to the theatres by LJ Films.

The movie, which is based on William Shakespeare's Macbeth, has been made with a budget of 35 Crores. The film is one of the most expensive Malayalam movie made.

The film has employed the service of some well-known Hollywood technicians. Veeram, which has been made simultaneously in Hinid and English, has been produced by Chandramohan Pillai and Pradeep Rajan under the banner Chandrakala Arts.
Tovino Thomas, is definitely going great guns in Mollywood, with most of his upcoming movies finding a place in the list of most awaited movies of 2017.

Now, after winning the hearts of the Mollywood audiences, the young actor is all set to make a mark in Kollywood, as well. If the latest reports are to be believed, the actor joined the sets of the movie in the year 2016, itself.

The yet-to-be titled Tamil movie is said to be in the lines of a romantic tale. Reports also suggest that the movie is based on a real incident that happened in Brazil. Nothing much has been revealed about the rest of the cast of the movie.

Reportedly, the upcoming Tamil movie is being directed by cinematographer-turned-director B R Vijayalakshmi. She has been an active presence in the industry since the mid 1980's. Vijayalakshmi was also the writer of the Malayalam movie Daddy, released in the year 1992.

Meanwhile, Tovino Thomas is garing up for the big release of his upcoming film Oru Mexican Aparatha, which will hit the theatres on March 3, 2016. Godha, is the another film of the actor, which will be hitting the theatres in the first half of 2017.


BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The freedom of the press was a pillar of democracy and she had great respect for journalists, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.



She made the remarks in response to questions from the press regrading the controversies linked to the U.S. President Donald Trump's approach to the media. The U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was also present at the event.



Merkel expressed concern over Russia engaging in hybrid warfare involving cyber attacks and spreading fake news, but stressed on the need to co-operate with the country to fight terrorism.



There was a need to strengthen multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, the NATO and the European Union and more efforts are required to intertwine military capabilities, Merkel said.



She urged the EU to focus on the genuinely important issues.



The German chancellor also said that there were rare instances in the past of such a positive atmosphere between France and German in terms of security co-operation. She also said German will do whatever possible to achieve the NATO defense spending target of 2 percent of gross domestic product.



Merkel also said that there was a need to defend the principle of territorial integrity. 'We cannot accept violations,' she added.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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One consequence of the 2008 financial crisis, the deleterious impact of which on employment and incomes still persist, is that it tarnished the image of bankers and managers. I would be hard pressed to defend bankers, even if some of them feel they are doing Gods work. In this post, I wish to defend the management profession.

At the risk of eliciting laughter, I believe that there is fundamental lack of understanding of why management is necessary, and consequently, why management is a noble profession. I realise it is relatively easy to make fun of the many unnecessary bureaucratic procedures that we all face everyday in our encounters with the government as well as the practices of profiteering businesses. But, this should not take away from the critical role of managers in any society, regardless of whether they serve in the non-profit or profit sectors.

Managers are indispensable because no society, no matter how rich, has the resources to fulfil all the aspirations of its inhabitants. There has to be some form of rationing. This can be done by rules as government agencies and non-profits do, hopefully based on need. Alternatively, it can be via the price mechanism (can you afford it?) as businesses and markets do. Neither mechanism is perfect.

The drawbacks of each can be observed clearly by contrasting the challenges of the UK Health Care System (NHS) with those of the USA. UK, which relies on need, has long waiting times, while USA which relies on markets has many uninsured (more prominently before the reviled Obama care). There is rationing of health care in both systems.

Of course, it is more obvious in the UKs NHS since everybody is eligible for care. In contrast, in the USA private system, the blame or responsibility of rationing health care is transferred to the individual rather than the government as it is the individuals responsibility to buy adequate insurance. In general, the masses, despite misgivings, will be more satisfied in the UK system, while the elites will be happier in the US system.

Returning to my thesis, the point I am trying to drive towards is that great managers in either system through efficient operations manage to serve more people (citizens or customers) at lower costs. Efficiency (input/output ratios) is the magic potion that should be the focus of managers, regardless of whether they are driven by the altruistic or the profit motive. And, for the cynical, even in the profit driven business world, thoughtful entrepreneurs and managers realise that it is only by serving many customers efficiently that you create the most wealth for your business and yourself.

Low cost business model

The low cost business model (articulated in my article: Strategies to Fight Low Cost Strategies, Harvard Business Review, 2006) employed by companies like Aravind Eye Hospital, EasyJet, IKEA, Vanguard, and Walmart is especially illustrative of how management through more efficient use of resources can help increase living standards.

Take the case of Aldi from Germany, often referred to as a hard-discount store. It is a minimally decorated outlet that sells a small assortment of foodstuffs and household goods  typically 1,000 items (SKUs) compared to a usual supermarket that stocks 30,000 SKUs. They are small retail stores with comparably lower staffing levels, and typically located in low-rent districts.

Hard discounters have an extremely efficient supply chain, thanks largely to their limited SKU numbers and private-label focus, which make for a simpler operation. Aldis costs add 13 percent or 14 percent to the procurement price  2 percent each for logistics, rental, overhead, and marketing, plus about 5 percent for staff. Its efficiency allows Aldi to offer products at startlingly low prices.

By keeping SKU numbers low, Aldi can cut supply chain costs because their own brands account for 80 percent of the SKUs. Since these private labels are typically priced at 50 percent below manufacturers brands, their success has helped rich and poor consumers cover their essential needs at much lower costs. And, yes, it has resulted in competitive pressures for the bloated traditional supermarkets and brand manufacturers.

Even if a company does not adopt the low-cost model, unless you are into luxury brands (where higher price is part of the customer proposition), all managers should be seeking greater efficiency (obtaining more output with fewer resources). Some of these gains can be directed to increasing profitability, but the rest should be devoted to reducing prices and / or investing in innovation. This helps expand the market (by lowering / maintaining prices), offer better products over time (through innovation), and build more sustainable organisations (through profitability).

Bureaucratic encounters

Management can help improve lives because ultimately most of our interactions are with organisations, from the daily Starbucks to the infrequent immigration service. Countries that are developed have more efficient processes, developed by better managers. Unfortunately, often, especially in less developed markets, the belief is that it is scarce resource endowments that is the reason for difference with developed world.

Last week, I visited Switzerland. At the immigration desk, the encounter took less than 30 seconds and there was no form to complete. In fact, with the obvious exception of USA, the shorter the immigration form for tourists, the more developed the country is. Resources, time and money, are not wasted on inefficient processes. And, this is despite more people wanting to immigrate to Switzerland than India.

Similarly, this week, I was attempting to keep my mobile numbers with Vodafone India and Vodafone UK by just changing the billing to my personal account from my previous company. It was not easy in either country. Yet, the UK process was completed with fewer forms and interactions. For India, despite providing voluminous back up documents, I am still waiting, after two unsuccessful phone calls. Again, resources of both Vodafone and my time are limited. Management, via bureaucratic processes and through efficient utilisation, makes large differences between societies.

Take a bow

So, managers all over the world, especially in the business world, do not be shy. Take a bow for the valuable work that you do. And remember, the challenge is to serve ever greater numbers of satisfied customers through higher efficiency, while generating profits for the company.

(The writer is an academician and former GEC council member, Tata Sons.)
There's new reason for Ellen DeGeneres to dance with joy: A judge tossed out a lawsuit stemming from a breast joke made by the comedian.

DeGeneres scored a legal victory after the judge ruled there was nothing out of line about the comic jokingly pronouncing Georgia real estate agent Titi Pierce as 'Titty' during a bit on her show last year, TMZ reported.

Pierce sued the producers of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in June, asserting that 'grammar dictates' her name should be pronounced 'TEE TEE' and adding that the on-air gimmick led to harassing phone calls.

But the judge sided with DeGeneres.

"The letter 'i' in the English language can be pronounced in several ways. While Titi chooses to pronounce her name with 'e,' there is nothing demonstrably false in pronouncing it with 'i' as DeGeneres did," the judge declared, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. The 59-year-old DeGeneres  who is known for dancing throughout her NBC program  made the joke during a segment dubbed 'What's Wrong with These Signs?' The comic introduced Pierce's real estate sign, complete with her phone number, shortly after introducing another sign that read 'Nipple Convalescent Home.'

"Titty Pierce, sounds like she might have spent some time in that nipple home, I don't know," she deadpanned.

Pierce said aggravating phone calls followed, prompting her to request monetary damages as well as the removal of DeGeneres' show from air.

That won't be the case, however, and DeGeneres show remains under contract through 2020.
A noted Malayalam actress was abducted by unidentified men and molested on Friday night in Kochi. As of now, one man has been arrested and the police are on the hunt for the remaining culprits, reports ANI.

According to Malayalam news website IEmalayalam.com, a group of men forced themselves into the victim's car at 10:30 pm on 17 February and pushed aside her driver. It is reported that the men, keeping the actress hostage in the car, drove around for an hour and half in the city during which they took photos and videos of the actress. The gang dropped her at Palarivattom junction and fled after which the actress drove her car to the home of a film producer who stayed nearby. The actor reported that her former driver was a part of the gang that molested her.

Manorama news also reported that the actresss driver might be a part of the plot. Police suspect the act was planned in advance by him and his associates. Another man called Sunilkumar, the driver who was previously employed by the actress earlier, is suspected to be the main conspirator and is still absconding.

The actress for a while was not having the best of relations with a group in the Malayalam film industry, and the group had scuttled a few good roles that she was offered, according to reports. The police are looking into all aspects of the incident and will probe if this was a planned move against the actress.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is currently in Delhi, told reporters there that the police is doing its job and will certainly arrest those responsible. Lok Sabha member Innocent, President of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, told reporters that he had tried to get in touch with Vijayan over the incident.

He said police chief Behra had assured him that all behind the incident would be arrested.

Leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala, currently on a day-long protest at his home constituency near Alappuzha over the "sudden deterioration" of the law and order situation in the state, expressed shock over the incident.

"If this is the plight of a celebrity, what can one say about ordinary people. This is really shocking," said Chennithala, a former state Home Minister.

 Compiled with agency inputs

Note: A previous version of this article had mentioned the actress' identity since early reports indicated a case of kidnapping. However, the article was been amended as charges of assault have been included against the accused.
Thailand's Revered King Bhumibol (Photo : Getty Images)

Descendants of the Sun actor Song Joong-ki must have been so effective in his portrayal of Army Captain Yoo Si Jin that even a real military general gave his thumbs up to the record-breaking Korean drama.



PM is a Hallyu Fan



Unlike China which initially was alarmed by the growing popularity of the 31-year-old actor when iQiyi aired the 16-episode drama from late February to mid-April 2016, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has a different response. He openly admits he admires the military drama because Descendants of the Sun left an impact difficult to erase, Inquisitr reported.



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He has good words not only for the cast of the hit drama but even South Koreans in general whom the PM lauded for being good at displaying the common values of Asians in dramas. That is the reason why I particularly admire Descendants of the Sun because not only it tells a love story, but it also instills senses of patriotism, self-sacrifice, and citizenship rights and responsibilities, which are very relevant to our society at this point in time, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said.



In May 2016, Song Joong-ki held a fan meeting at the Thunder Dome in Bangkok which kicked-off his Asian Tour. According to SBS, the actor donated all the proceeds of the Thailand fan meet to charity. On Feb. 4, he was back in Bangkok at the same venue when he surprised fans of bromance partner Park Bo Gum by being the guest in the fan meet of the Moonlight Drawn by Clouds actor.



Impact on Thai Daily Life



Almost a year since Descendants of the Sun premiered over iQiyi and KBS 2TV, the PM said the effect of Hallyu is so strong that it has affected the daily lives of Thai people in many areas, from culture to the academic and politics. With such a solid base of people-to-people exchange, Korea is so important to Thailands market and we hope more investment from Korea will be following since we both agreed to further new areas of cooperation such as infrastructure development and advanced science and technology, he added.



The former generals outlook is so different from China which banned Hallyu over the deployment of the THAAD missiles by Seoul. Lately, Beijing even extended the ban to Korean beauty products.


Many of the films directed by Martin Scorsese have a common element: The protagonist is both the good guy and the bad guy. Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver has a skewed sense of justice that almost makes him seem like the Punisher. Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull has a massive temper problem. From the gangsters in Goodfellas to the cunning, deceiving stockbroker in The Wolf of Wall Street, many of Scorsese's films are known for their grey characters.

But perhaps this moral ambiguity is depicted in the subtlest way in Silence, the historical drama directed by Scorsese and starring Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, Adam Driver and Tadanobu Asano.

The film is based on the 1966 novel of the same name and is set in 17th century Japan. It depicts the journey of two Jesuit priests who travel from Portugal to Japan to find their missing mentor at a time when Christianity was banned in Japan. The priests then witness the kind of horror and violence Christians are subjected to in Japan and have to face the oppression themselves.

What makes Silence a special Scorsese film is the fact that despite the reverence shown for faith and Christianity in the movie, the film never shies away from depicting some of the horrible consequences of faith and religion.

This is not one of those propaganda films which is trying to convince you to believe in God or follow some religion. On the contrary, Silence tells its viewers that bad things can happen to good, God-loving people and all will not necessarily be well if you just trust in God.

But the best part about Silence is undoubtedly the questions it asks: What is the point of unyielding faith? How much of a difference does religion make to faith? And most importantly, how does one find God in a world which is unjust and cruel and where God is seemingly silent?

Different people will come up with different answers after watching the movie. What really matters is that the characters in Silence are actually as clueless about the answers to these crucial questions as the audience.

This is where the moral ambiguity of protagonist Sebastiao Rodrigues, played by Garfield, comes into play. Rodrigues often finds himself in many situations in which he, a devoted Catholic priest, is genuinely confused about whether there truly is a God listening to his prayers. He has to take many decisions which determine whether people will survive or be killed.

And Andrew Garfield's performance perfectly displays this conflict. Garfield portrays the intensity (and sheepishness) of his character's firm and innocent faith as effortlessly as the desperation of a man just trying to survive. The best moments in the film are when Garfield is expressing the character's helpless disgust or confusion about his faith and the times when his mask of faith falls to reveal a man who is tempted to do anything to avoid a doomed fate.

Silence also never portrays the Japanese rulers who are torturing Christians as some blindly evil monsters. In fact, there are no villains in the movie. The characters played by Tadanobu Asano and Issey Ogata offer their own well-thought-out reasons for their actions.

The extremes of Rodrigues' determination to spread Christianity and the Japanese rulers' desire for complete sovereignty is balanced by Cristovao Ferreira, played by Liam Neeson.

Even though Neeson does not have a lot of screen time in the movie, it is his character which asks the toughest questions and even answers some of them. We can't talk a lot about Neeson's character without spoiling the movie but let's just say that Neeson probably understood the importance of comprehensively depicting his character's thoughts and feelings.

It is really not surprising that Silence has been nominated for Best Cinematography at this year's Academy Awards. Apart from the great historical detail which the film has to immerse the audience in the world of 17th century Japan, it also uses colour in such a diverse way that it makes something as common as sunshine look exceptionally beautiful in a scene and imposing mountains and heavy mist look glum in another one.

There are, however, times when the pace of the movie becomes a bit too slow and it is easy to get bored, especially in the first half. The scenes in which the Christians in Japan are marveling at how the priests conduct prayers or baptisms should have been shorter and fewer in number.

But despite the occasional slow pace, Silence is a great film and a must-watch for those interested in the dynamics of faith.

Reports have said that Scorsese had been developing this film for 25 years. With the excellent production quality, grand and stunning scenes due to skilled camera work, and  most importantly  the ideas and questions about faith, religion, survival and morality, it is not difficult to believe that.
By Emily Chow and Liz Lee

| KUALA LUMPUR

KUALA LUMPUR Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as a diplomatic spat over his body escalated.Kim Jong Nam died this week after being assaulted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with what was thought to be a fast-acting poison. South Korean and U.S. officials have said he was assassinated by North Korean agents.Malaysian police said the latest arrest connected with the murder was made on Friday night, and the suspect was identified as Ri Jong Chol, born on May 6, 1970. He was in possession of a Malaysian i-Kad, which is an identification card given to foreign workers, they added."He is suspected to be involved in the death of a North Korean male," read a statement.The police chief for Selangor state, Abdul Samah Mat, said the suspect had been remanded in police custody.Two female suspects, one an Indonesian and the other carrying Vietnamese travel documents, have already been arrested, while a Malaysian man has been detained. At least three more suspects are at large, government sources have said.Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea.South Korea's intelligence agency told lawmakers in Seoul that Kim had been living with his second wife in the Chinese territory of Macau, under China's protection.He had been at the Kuala Lumpur airport to catch a flight to Macau when he was killed. An autopsy is being performed at a hospital in the capital city.Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah told Reuters that the autopsy report was not complete yet. He dismissed media reports that a second autopsy would have to be conducted.

DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION

North Korea said in the early hours of Saturday that it would categorically reject Malaysia's autopsy report on the death of Kim Jong Nam, and accused Malaysia of "colluding with outside forces", in a veiled reference to rival nation South Korea.Malaysia hit back by saying the country's rules must be followed. The foreign ministry has yet to make any comment.Health minister Dr S.Subramaniam told state news agency Bernama that Malaysia was waiting for the toxicology report to complete the autopsy.

He said the autopsy report would hopefully be released "within this week".The case threatens to weaken North Korea's ties with Malaysia, one of the few countries that has maintained good diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.North Korea's nuclear arms and weapons programmes have alarmed the West, most recently its test of a ballistic missile earlier this month in its first direct challenge to the international community since Donald Trump became U.S. president.Pyongyang's main ally and trading partner is China, which is irritated by its repeated aggressive actions but rejects suggestions from the United States and others that it could be doing more to rein in its neighbour.On Saturday, China said it had further tightened trade restrictions with North Korea by suspending all imports of coal starting Feb. 19, although it did not say why. Coal exports to China are a vital source of revenues for Pyongyang.

ROW OVER AUTOPSY

Kim Jong Nam was assaulted at the low cost terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday with what is believed to be fast acting poison before he could board a flight to Macau. He sought help but died on the way to the hospital.North Korea demanded on Friday night that Kim Jong Nam's body be released immediately. It had earlier tried to persuade Malaysian authorities not to carry out an autopsy."The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing," the North Korean ambassador Kang Chol told reporters outside the hospital where the body of Kim Jong Nam is being kept."We will categorically reject the result of the post mortem ... "He said Kim Jong Nam had a diplomatic passport and was under the consular protection of North Korea. (Additional reporting by Meng Meng and David Stanway in Beijing; Writing by Praveen Menon and A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Michael Perry and Mike Collett-White)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The entire military establishment has come out in support of Army Chief General Bipin Rawats statement that stone-pelters interfering in anti-terror operations will be treated as over-ground workers of terrorists and be fired upon. But critics believe this statement will only serve to alienate the people of Kashmir further and he should have instead nudged the government to work towards a political resolution.

Wajahat Habibullah, former bureaucrat and an old Kashmir hand, part of the interlocutor team led by former Cabinet minister Yashwant Sinha, who visited the Kashmir Valley late last year and submitted a report to the Home Ministry, has expressed a sense of sharp disappointment at the army chiefs statement.

What is your reaction to General Rawat's statement?

What General Rawat has said is a reflection of his judgement. He is not saying anything new. Has the situation (in the valley) been handled differently in the past? The fault does not lie with him, it lies lies with the political leadership. The present government is trying to find a military solution to what is a political problem. These boys (stone-pelters) talked in terms of seeking martyrdom. This is going to encourage them further. If that was his (Rawats) intention, he has done what was asked of him.

What kind of signal will such a statement send out in the valley?

Until now, the local leadership in the valley was telling these boys not to indulge in stone-pelting as this will result in causalities among them. Now, with the army chief making such a statement, he is making an admission that these activities (stone-pelting) are affecting the army and in so doing so, this has achieved its purpose.

My case is that handling the situation is not the armys job. He (Rawat) is telling you how he will handle it. He is a General. It is his judgement. But he is not saying anything new. Has it been handled differently in the past? You have a huge army there against a small group of people. Children have been killed, they have lost their eyesight.

What is the way out?

I cant tell you. The central government has to enter into a dialogue, it needs to give the Kashmiri people greater freedom as enjoyed in other parts of the country.

The UPA regime was able to show results; there was some degree of stability with the violence petering out. Ever since July last year, there has been a throwback. There has been nothing but mishandling and political manipulation. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had a certain sympathy with the public, but at present, the situation seems hopeless, it is very disappointing. I have a sense of personal failure in this.

You and a group of four interlocutors led by Sinha did visit the valley last October and again in December and even submitted a report to the Home Ministry...

Yes, when we reached Jammu and Kashmir, school examinations were close to being disrupted and that would have affected the future of two million children. It was on 14 November, when the exams were to start that the Hurriyat leader led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani gave a call to the Kashmiris to protest against the excesses committed by security forces.

However, Sikh community leaders in the valley, went to appeal to Geelani not to go ahead with the bandh as Guru Nanak's birth anniversary were being celebrated on that day across the nation. Keeping their sentiments in mind, Geelani acceded to their request and the bandh was called off.

I had also pointed out to Geelani that even during the 2010 agitation, when young boys had indulged in stone throwing, schools had not been shut down. Closure of schools would have a long-term effect on the education prospects of children. He relented. But we must not forget that the Hurriyat leadership is under pressure from the people of the valley and it is the duty of the people of India to reach out to them.

The Hurriyat leaders want a dialogue with both  the people of India and the leadership. This was the consensus that our team arrived at after talking to Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (who had been released from jail just ahead of their visit to facilitate talks) and Shabir Shah. Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik declined to meet us.

I must admit, I was shocked at the hatred that the people in the valley felt towards us. The situation there is much worse than in the 1990s. During the 90s, one could sense a lot of anger but today there is tremendous resentment at the way in which the situation has been handled specially since July.

Families have suffered losses in terms of death, injuries and blindness. People asked me what I was doing for the last three months  why I had not come there in July itself. I told them that I had a broken leg and had just started walking. It also took time to put a group together.

India has been unable to win the hearts of the people of Kashmir and is repeating one blunder after another. In 2010, when all this started, there had been a great deal of stone pelting often by school students, I had advised the then IG Police in the J&K government not to arrest them under the Public Safety Act, instead put these boys into juvenile homes. They could have taken over some police or army barracks and created them into juvenile homes. Instead, they chose to put them in jails with men convicted of murder and worse crimes.

I told the commissioner in Srinagar that she should go and meet these boys during their incarceration. Even if they condemned her, they would still feel that somebody cared. She did not listen. The result is that these boys came out of jail with hardened mindsets.

The first thing I told the young boys who came to meet me in Srinagar was that we (our delegation) are not your enemies. Many of these young boys had been abusive to me on Facebook but this was not the case when they met me in person. Some of the boys of the younger generation have gone on to get an education and have taken up jobs because they want to serve their own people. But even these boys are scared because they could be beaten up and were being seen as traitors by the larger public.

I think it is very foolish when you are not able to gauge the pulse of the people. Unfortunately, our leaders fear their own people, they have no sense of rapport with them. Every political leaders roam around with so much security. What is the message that goes across that our leaders do not care for their fellow Indians ?

Who was behind the burning of schools in the valley?

I refuse to believe that the burning of schools was the work of Pakistani infiltrators. During the 70s, when I was SDM of Sopore, the public blamed the BSF for the burning down of public properties, including schools. The BSF blamed Pakistani infiltrators. The same thing is happening today. There are certain elements out to create mischief and we need to point out who these people are.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju has said that the central government will provide all possible help to Chetan Cheeta, the CRPF commanding officer, who got critically injured in the recent encounter with militants in Kashmir.

According to The Indian Express, Rijiju has said that the Centre is committed to providing all possible help to the injured jawan and his family and the best medical facility available is being provided for his treatment. Rijiju was speaking to the press after visiting Cheeta at the hospital

Sh Kiran Rijiju, MOS Home GOI visited AIIMS to meet #ChetanCheeta & apprised by Drs about his health condition; he also consoled Mrs Chetan. pic.twitter.com/rzcKr64vqy  CRPF (@crpfindia) February 17, 2017

Army Chief Bipin Rawat, on Saturday, also visited the CRPF officer.

Army chief Bipin Rawat at AIIMS Trauma Centre to see Chetan Cheeta, CRPF officer wounded in Bandipora encounter. pic.twitter.com/622eoA3Zrr  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

Cheeta received multiple gunshot injuries in a gunfight with militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district on Tuesday. He was later brought to Aiims in Delhi, where he remains to be in a critical condition.

He underwent a surgery on Wednesday to reduce to reduce intracranial pressure  the pressure inside his skull. He was also diagnosed with acidosis, a medical term for increased acidity in blood and other body tissues, according to The Hindustan Times.

According to hospital authorities, Cheeta was in a circulatory shock due to excessive loss of blood when he was brought to the hospital. He continues to be on the ventilator.

Meanwhile, prayers for Cheeta's quick recovery poured in from across the nation. According to a report in Hindi News-18, people offered prayers in Ajmer's Dargah Sharif and temple's across Jaipur for Cheeta's prompt recovery.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandant Chetan Cheeta, 45, was initially admitted to a military hospital in Srinagar and later shifted to Aiims critical care unit with multiple wounds on several parts of his body including the head, eyes and stomach.

Aiims Spokesperson Amit Gupta said the officer, a resident of Kota in Rajasthan, was reacting to painful stimuli but his situation remains critical.

"Repeat CT scan showed raised intracranial pressure following which he was taken for surgery immediately... his condition remains critical," Gupta said.

Gupta also said that Cheeta also had bilateral upper limbs fractures.

Cheeta was injured in the gun fight between three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba militants and a joint team of CRPF, army and Jammu and Kashmir Police on 14 February morning in Parraypora village, located in Bandipora district's Hajin area.

The operation was conducted after security forces got a tip-off about the militants having holed-up in the village. Eight people  seven security personnel and one civilian  were injured in the gunfight.

With inputs from IANS
Justice Anil Kumar Committee for review of hike of school fee filed a report in Delhi High Court asking 13 more unaided schools based in the capital city to refund fee collected unduly from the parents along with 9 percent interest. Earlier too many of the 621 schools were asked to refund fee with 9 percent interest but they are yet to comply with the court order.

Ashok Agarwal, advocate for the petitioner. submitted in court that more than these schools owe more than Rs 350 crore to these parents but the Delhi government has taken no action against these erring educational institutions.

The court allowed the petitioners plea to extend the committee's tenure up to 31 December 2017.

Agarwal further said that so far 634 schools have been asked to refund access tuition fee collected from students with 9 percent interest, including the latest addition of 13 schools.

An order passed by the Director of Education in 2009 allowed the schools (under few conditions) to hike tuition fees in order to meet financial burden cast upon the schools as a result of the revision in the pay scale of the teachers and other staff of the schools consequent upon implementation of the recommendations of the 5th Pay Commission.

Flurry of petitions to the Delhi High Court demanding review of the fee hike followed increase of tuition fees made by many schools after the said order.

Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh and other parent bodies mentioned in one such petitions, Whereas, the parents body representing the students studying in these schools feel that enhancing the fee is unreasonable and without any proper procedure which was required to be followed as per the mandate of law and earlier judgment of this court as well as the Supreme Court.

Ashok Agarwal told Firstpost that the Delhi High Court in 2011 ordered to form a panel to verify if the hike in fees by schools was justified and as per law.

In accordance with the order, a panel for the purpose came out with ten interim reports suggesting 621 schools had raised fees unjustifiably and had to refund excess fee collected with 9 percent interest. Agarwal said that there was an increase in this number after the latest addition of 13 schools.

The Indian Express reported that the committee studied the records of 745 schools until 2014. Of these 330 were asked to pay back the excess fee charged, 95 were recommended for special inspection and 208 schools were cleared.

The 13 schools in Delhi which are asked to refund fees are Bal Bharti Public School, Sector-14, Rohini, Delhi International School, Sector-9, Rohini,Rich Harvest Public School in Janak Puri, Vidya Public School in Cannaught Place, Happy Home Public School, Sector-11, Rohini, South Delhi Public School in Defence colony, Jinvani Bharti Public School, Sector-4, Dwarka, Delhi International Happy School in Jangpura, Shiksha Bharti Public School, Sector-7, Dwarka, Rattan Chand Arya Public School in Sarojini Nagar, St. Frobel School in Pachim vihar, National Victor Public School in Patparganj, Decent Public School in Sector-3, Rohini.
Maybe India will still sleep well at night if Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi are not sent back from the United Kingdom, despite the 26 year old extradition treaty. After all, the welfare state must protect those who find haven under its canopy and save them from the harsh fates that await them if they are parceled back to their countries. Especially if these individuals are well heeled, in which case the financial comfort zone adds to the harbor.

But Prime Minister Theresa May, we will not sleep well at night if we find that your courtesy extends to protecting and covering for a couple now allegedly accused of having murdered their 13-year-old adopted son (or colluded in the murder) ostensibly to collect Rs 1.2 crores in life insurance which they had invested in him.

Here is where External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj can make a major difference and fast track justice. This is a case that deserves her personal and official interference.

The UK-based Gujarati couple Arti Loknath (53) and her husband Kanwaljitsinh Raijada (28) allegedly plotted the murder of 13-year-old Gopal for the insurance policy worth Rs. 1.2 crore ($240,000) which they had bought as a cover for his life.

This is sick. The recently released movie The Lion (could be the Oscar winner next week) tells the story of the danger for thousands of children on the streets of India and the government's blind refusal to do enough about rampant pedophilia in the nation. If you dither from bringing this couple to justice in either your country or refuse to investigate and interrogate further in this matter to the satisfaction of all of us, then all that stuff about child services that you set to such great orchestral music are worth nothing. All they do is strike a false note. So far the UK has not sent one person back to India, not even mass murderers. So would they send a couple who killed a kid?

The parents of the 13-year-old child who was knifed to death in what is being projected as a planned conspiracy are in your country. Just as much as it is incumbent upon India to demand access and a co-operative investigation in which prima facie evidence can be gathered and assessed it is also incumbent upon the United Kingdom to put a score on the board and fight the good fight for the dead child. This child becomes the symbol of Indian sloth and laziness to the harsh world out there and the British arrogance in never returning one wanted person to India despite requests.

You need to take this seriously. We need to take this seriously. This has to become a milestone in criminal co-operation.

There is another tragic dimension to any foot dragging. I know several people who have adopted children and given them hope and a new life and just to see that is so inspiring. Now, if we let this just slip past and allow things to get lost in the legal labyrinth we will make the already complex adoption process even worse. As it is the subject is soaked in suspicion and frowned upon culturally and if it is being seen to be misused we are robbing these kids of a life.

It requires courage, conviction and great heart to make a child your own. If you have been fortunate enough to witness it perhaps there is nothing more beautiful than a child calling his adopted parents 'mama' and 'daddy'.

When it goes horribly wrong it is incumbent upon all of us regardless of borders to ensure that we all fight for the rights of the child.

The arrested individual has pointed a finger at the London based parents. They must prove their innocence and the police their guilt and this can only happen if the British authorities bring them in.

One can only be afraid that after a preliminary round in which nothing can be proven the issue will die out with young Gopal who never got a chance to live.
What role do all probabilities assumed, or rather presumed by a judge play in the adjudication of cases of child sexual abuse? How do such presumptions about the complainant go on to shape judicial decision-making? These questions become especially pertinent when the judge slams the complainants behaviour, blames the complainant for her own plight and doubts the credibility of her testimony.

In an ideal world, such kind of victim-blaming would not mar judicial decisions, because of the oblique insensitivity and bias which results in secondary victimisation of the complainant, but the reality is far different.

This becomes apparent in a recent Order by Justice Sadhana Jadhav of the Bombay High Court, in which she granted bail to a man accused of sexually abusing his adopted daughter over a period of nine years. Justice Jadhavs reasoning, especially its tenor, underscores the dire need of sensitising judges so that justice doesnt go abegging.

Adjudication or Inquisition?

In deciding whether to grant or refuse bail, the court is required to see only if there are chances of the accused abusing his liberty, or of tampering with the evidence. It is not for the court to decide if the charges are true or false, because that has to be determined at the time of trial.

However, Justice Jadhav ignores this very basic principle and proceeds to determine the veracity of the charges leveled by the complainant. And shockingly, she does this in a manner which reeks of an inherent distrust of the complainant.

Moreover, since the case was brought under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, the Order also ignores Section 29 of the law which mandates that the court shall presume an offence to have been committed unless the contrary is proved. The manner in which Justice Jadhav gathers this proof is also sufficient to shock ones conscience.

The Superintendent of the protective home where the complainant was staying had made her write an account of her life, in which she had apparently confessed to doing dirty things since childhood. The judge relied on this fact to arrive to the conclusion that the complainant was inherently abnormal and had sexual instincts right from her childhood. This was, in all probabilities, due to the conduct of the complainants mother who died of HIV, the judge continued. She also held that the time gap of nine years after which the complaint was lodged, made it inherently untrustworthy. She also observed that despite attaining majority, the complainant was still lodged in a protective home because of in all probabilities, her unnatural behavior.

In other words, Justice Jadhav just stopped short of saying that the complainant had lured the accused with sexual advances, that she had inherited certain traits from her promiscuous mother (do note the reasoning  that because she died of HIV), and had cooked up the accusations to cover up her own failings.

It would be difficult to find a more glaring example of victim-blaming and relying on false and baseless myths. There is also the reliance on the outmoded belief that failing to report abuse on time makes the complainant less credible.

Need for Judicial Sensitivity

While dealing with cases of this type, the courts and justice delivery system are supposed to play a social role  to go by the totality of circumstances, instead of just relying upon the black letter of the law or superficial facts. So it was incumbent upon Justice Jadhav to ensure that in trying to obtain knowledge, she did not end up punishing the complainant.

A crucial part of this duty is the need to dispel blame  the myths that focus only on the comportment of the complainant, without factoring in the multitude of reasons as to why a person acted in a certain manner.

In child sexual abuse cases, the majority of complainants have to undergo the distressing experience of having their evidence torn apart by the shards of disbelief. Because of this, it is essential for judges to ensure that from the very start, the entire case does not become a discrediting process. Not doing so is an abdication of a sacrosanct judicial duty, with the result that it instills violent fear, instills fear in the complainant instead of boosting her confidence and faith in the justice delivery system.

Of late, there have been a plethora of judgments in which the courts have laid down protocols regarding how the prosecution and police ought to deal with rape and child sexual abuse cases. However, these guidelines have maintained a stony silence on the duties of the judiciary. Unless this is rectified, complainants and victims shall continue to be constrained and intimidated by violence and the fear of violence.
Editor's note: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) set a record by launching 104 satellites on board a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) flight on 15 February. Amid the keen interest all over the globe in ISRO's feat, a new book, published by HarperCollins India, promises to further illuminate the space agency's history.

Narrated by ISRO pioneer R Aravamudan, ISRO: A Personal History, tells the gripping story of the people who built Indias space research programme and how they did it  from the rocket engineers who laid the foundation to the savvy young engineers who keep Indian spaceships flying today. It is the tale of an Indian organisation that defied international bans and embargos, worked with laughably meagre resources, evolved its own technology and grew into a major space power. Today, ISRO creates, builds and launches gigantic rockets which carry the complex spacecraft that form the neural network not just of our own country but those of other countries too. This is a made-in-India story like no other.

The following is an excerpt from ISRO: A Personal History, in which Aravamudan and his wife and co-author Gita Aravamudan, describe how Sriharikota became the site for the organisation's launches. Sriharikota's Satish Dhawan Space Centre was the site for the recent PSLV-C36 launch as well.

***

...By the mid-1960s, our sounding rocket launches were increasing in frequency and we were on a major expansion programme. Exciting new plans for the development of satellites and satellite launch vehicles were on the anvil. The team in charge of finding an east-facing site for launching big rockets had zeroed in on an island off the southern coast of Andhra. The new site, Sriharikota, was about 100 km north of Madras city. In the 1960s, Sriharikota was a remote, almost unapproachable island occupied only by the Yenadi tribals who lived in the forest. The Andhra government used this island for planting eucalyptus and casuarina trees which were then transported to places like Madras for use as firewood.

An east-facing site was sought so that we could get some additional impetus from the earths rotational movement while launching satellites. The Andhra government provided large tracts of reserve forestland for the launch activity. They also actively helped in the acquisition of the required private land for the experimental launches as we would need a large safety zone to be cleared of human habitation in view of the

hazardous nature of the proposed activities.

It was at this juncture that Sarabhais first formal visit to Sriharikota was arranged in coordination with the Andhra government. Preliminary work for the visit, such as coordination with the state government, liaison with the local authorities, clearing of temporary jeep tracks in the

forest area and so on, was undertaken by the civil engineers under the guidance of RD John, our site engineer. Since the legendary Buckingham Canal was to be traversed by the visiting team, the waterway traffic had to be suspended for a few days and a temporary bridge strong enough to allow the passage of jeeps had to be rigged up. This was done by stacking boats abreast and fixing sturdy wooden planks over them. This caused a pile-up of boats laden with cargo on either side of the temporary structure until the visit was over.

On the morning of the visit the retinue assembled at Sullurpeta where Sarabhai and other dignitaries were met by the Andhra government officials. Our team included senior personnel from Thumba, engineers and officials from DAE, Sarabhai and his close advisors including Chitnis, MGK Menon, MA Vellodi and a host of other specialists. Somehow all our major ventures in those early years were destined to be baptised in churches, for it was in a church property that we first assembled even in Sullurpeta.

After a hearty breakfast, the team piled into a number of jeeps and moved in a convoy towards Pulicat Lake. It was summer and the water level was low. The vehicles could actually pass over the dry lake bed. The tough patches had been filled with dry leaves and branches by the advance team and the jeeps could pass through easily.

After a few kilometres we reached Buckingham Canal. The entire team had to get out of the vehicles so that the empty jeeps could cross the temporary bridge. We walked across and boarded the jeeps again to resume the trip. It was like a jungle safari. The freshly created track was made of logs hewn out of the forest trees, and the path was reinforced with branches and foliage cut and spread by the advance party. It was quite an adventure for our young and energetic city crowd. The most enthusiastic was Sarabhai, who was in his late forties at that time. Many times the jeeps got stuck in the sand and we had to get out and push. A few vehicles broke down and had to be abandoned. One even caught fire and had to be doused with sand.

At long last, the Bay of Bengal sparkled before us. We had covered just 20 km, but we felt as if we had battled through miles of jungle! We had got used to our little coastal station in Thumba with the gushing Arabian Sea and the lines of swaying coconut palms. But this beach was very different  and equally beautiful.

There wasnt too much time to savour the scenery, though. We got out of our jeeps and were given a quick briefing. Then we started walking along the seashore, surveying possible locations for the launch pad and other associated structures. I was quite tired and so were my colleagues, but Sarabhai was as fresh as a breeze. Actually we found it difficult to keep pace with him as he covered almost 10 km by foot in the sand!

The coastal length of our new area was almost 40 km. The place had sporadic fishing activity. The local Yenadi who were native to the area were hunter-gatherers. For generations they had lived mainly on forest produce. Although they were a small group, they had to be protected and kept safe from the proposed launch activities.

The forest had a large acreage of casuarina plantations developed by the forest department and a wide variety of natural vegetation, mainly consisting of bushes and wild trees. A number of birds and animals including monkeys, jackals, rabbits and wild pigs roamed the forests. There were stories of occasional sightings of leopards and cheetahs. But what was remarkable was the presence of huge herds of wild cattle. Thousands of them roamed around freely all over the island. At that time we didnt know about the huge flocks of flamingoes and other exotic waterbirds, such as the painted storks and pelicans, which came to Pulicat in the winter.

We spent a few hours on the site and started back inland. After a gruelling drive we reached a forest rest house. A small gathering of tribals and local forest workers had been assembled by the local collector who had briefed them of the proposed visit of the VIPs.

The Yenadi were a totally isolated community. Many had not even seen a bicycle, as they had never gone out of the island. It was difficult to believe that this was the 1960s and we were standing on an island not too far from Madras. In retrospect I think the sight of so many vehicles and city folks must have been quite overwhelming for them. The Yenadi had been told that someone very important would address them. He would tell them about the great things the government would bring to the island and how it would benefit them. I think they assumed that Sarabhai was some kind of raja!

Sarabhais English speech was translated for them by the district collector. He described his plans to them and told them that Sriharikota would become a nationally important place. They listened with great attention but I wonder if they really understood what he said! The Andhra government had arranged a ceremonial lunch in the local school building. It was like a grand wedding feast. Since Dr Sarabhai was a

vegetarian the meal had the choicest of Andhra vegetarian delicacies.

Sarabhai asked the well-known architects Pithavadian and Partners to design the facilities and the associated housing colonies. Since Sriharikota was a cyclone prone area, the colony had to be built to withstand heavy winds and rain. Interestingly, the Yenadi who had lived there for generations had perfected their simple thatched structures by modifying their shapes to withstand the cyclones. Soon, RD John began work on the basic amenities on the island. The Sriharikota Range was ready by 1971. It was a modest facility by international standards; no one at that time would ever have imagined how rapidly it would grow, transforming into one of the most important spaceports in the world.

ISRO: A Personal History, published by HarperCollins India | Paperback | 256 pages | Rs 399

R Aravamudan is an award-winning senior scientist who served as the director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota and of the ISRO Satellite Centre, Bengaluru. Gita Aravamudan is a veteran journalist and author.
Jaipur: A rocket fired during practice by Indian Army landed in a field, on Saturday, beyond the boundary of the firing range, in Jaisalmer district and damaged crops.

There was no loss of life due to the incident but it left a crater in the field, defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha said.

During practice firing at Pokhran Field firing ranges,rocket landed in field on outskirts of range boundary: Army on Jaisalmer incident pic.twitter.com/vnt10sA9ac  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

"In a rare incident during practice firing, a rocket landed in a cultivated field on the outskirts of the range boundary. There was no loss of life or injury to any person. Safety norms are strictly observed by armed forces during field firing," Ojha said.

He said the cause of the rocket overshooting the range boundary is being investigated.
The ongoing exhibition at Akar Prakar Kolkata is divided across two spaces. The smaller, closed space has fifteen frames from a stop-motion animation film while the large, airy space, has ten landscapes meant to be used as backgrounds for different animation projects. These twenty five works are but a few leaves from the two decades (1959-1978) of day-long back-breaking toil of a younger Ganesh Pyne (b. 1937), freshly out of Government College of Art & Craft (Diploma in Drawing & Painting) employed at Mandar Studio, 209 Cornwallis Street (now Bidhan Sarani).

Only this much is absolutely certain about these works. And also the fact that, said gallery proprietor Abhijit Lath, Ganesh Pyne strictly instructed these should never be exhibited during his lifetime. The rest is shrouded in contradictory oral and written histories making them ripe for a lost treasure rediscovered story. But lets not lapse into that yet.

When we look at the first set (the fifteen frames) which depicts a morality tale starring a humbug lion, a wily fox, a socialist monkey, a delicious deer and a poisonous snake (with a supporting cast of other lovable beasts) our Disney-saturated vision remains underwhelmed. By 1959, when Pyne joins the studio, the Golden Age of Disney films had already passed [Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937), Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942)]. In 1956, Clair Weeks, a Walt Disney Studio veteran, had arrived on governmental invitation to train Indian animators. In Calcutta, animation was familiar enough for brands to commission in-cinema promos. Perhaps that was the boost behind the second innings of Mandar Mullick, the owner of the two-man set-up, Mandar Studio. By most accounts he was an irrepressible idealist from a zamindar family, doomed to be driven into penury, heartbreak and death. But armed with a German Oerlikon 35mm motion picture camera and ingenuity, this man had already made himself count among the pioneers of the fascinating era of early Indian animation with his film Akash Pataal (1939). That history remains to be written.

Why should we deliberate over these works then, even when the artist didnt want us to? If we judge their worth by the traces they have left in Ganesh Pynes later masterpieces, thats fluffing the obvious  two decades of daily engagement is bound to leave its mark. Even Ganesh Pynes storyboard-like minute sketches on graph papers could be arguably traced back to this practice. But if we concentrate on the probable answers to his denial, it couldnt be the usual vanity of artists not showing incomplete works. After all, he agreed to exhibit his sketches. A bitter ending to the Mandar Studio chapter in his life could be partially responsible (after Mandar Mullicks death in 1978, he was requested to continue his own work there; he stopped going in 1986.)

If we stroll into the second space (with ten landscapes) to look for answers, the question looms larger instead. Unlike the derivative aesthetic of the animal tale, these cool and warm landscapes (with a blank footer and a faint hand-drawn ruler) soothe and smoulder masterfully. The sequences suggest another morality tale, this time of an ecological kind. The deft layering of transparent colours (in contrast to the opaque animals on translucent backgrounds) although, are more innocent in impact than his signature tempera gleam of mature years. But with its stash of subtle visual pleasures  a familiar foliage here, a glinting mineral rock there, and a pronounced mood overall  this suite of works doesnt warrant disownment from Pyne.

To surgically remove a part of his past (in this case, one third of his lifetime) was most uncharacteristic of the man, according to those who had known him and his art intimately. The eighties art boom (which went bust in the noughties) must have soured him when he saw ghosts from his past who commissioned him for gratis graphic design, make a beeline to mint money from those works. Not that he could hold on to his fellow artists support either. From the 1974 MF Husain interview in Illustrated Weekly of India which anointed him as the best Indian artist (getting him discovered by the art world) to another 1994 interview where Hussain demoted him to merely the fifth best, he persevered with a wan smile. Ganesh Pyne was unlike most artists who do a strict division in quality of labour between bread-and-butter work and studio work. Pynes excellent works in numerous books of Bengali poetry, prose, little magazine covers, especially those in his intellectual compatriot Dr Mukund Laths book Ardhakathanaka, ( based on miniature paintings ) were as meticulously researched and exquisitely rendered like his standalone works. Theres no reason to believe his Mandar Studio works were embarrassing exceptions.

Should we then chalk his reluctance to show these up to his much-written-about obsessive need for privacy and mysterious reticence? Unfortunately, it would be playing right into that stale stereotype of a garret-living, ill-understood artist, re-heated and served repeatedly, in his English obituaries and Bengali hagiographies. The quiet Ganesh Pyne did run away from pestering art historians and was indeed shy of lengthy learned monologues, but for the most part in his life, was never hesitant spending his time and energy with sahRdaya-s , those individuals whose love for the arts were equipoised between their heads and hearts. Since his early Mandar Studio days, he was an active participant in the vibrant public sphere of the arts  especially cinema and literature  as an avid pair of eyes, a patient listener, precise commentator and an indefatigable writer of elegantly worded and illustrated letters, besides being a faithful member of Society of Contemporary Artists. Both outside and inside Basanta Cabin eatery, spaced atop a rich mineral vein of older Calcutta culture, on which Cornwallis Street, too, was precisely mapped.

His reserved nature was not of a timid, uninitiated one but that of a tempered aesthete. In the blood-and-fire seventies Calcutta, only art that visibly communicated suffering or revolutionary potential of the oppressed masses was kosher in the city's art world and all else was bourgeois reactionary expressions. In those younger days, Pynes candour and insistence for a more nuanced narrative in his works won him more enemies than friends.

As per Ganesh Pyne, dense mythic-Puranic-poetic narratives were not meant to be illustrated but to allude to timeless structures in human condition. Those structures trigger images and it is up to artist to hew his own parallel visual world to host those images. It was not a paved path, but a tortuous one  just like one line from Octavio Paz and another from Rabindranath Tagore once made him visually translate the famous Trevi fountain scene from Fellinis La Dolce Vita (1960) to his own satisfaction.

But all this still doesnt answer the question we began with, which is just as well. Because contrary to what simplistic auction catalogue biographies would make us believe, great artists dont go to art school in order to struggle valiantly, then to have group shows, followed by solo shows, then retrospectives, in order to win national and international awards and then die in blaze of multimedia glory.

Much remains and should remain unanswered in their lives. In order to teach us asking better questions.

Ganesh Pyne | Mandar Studio | Cornwallis Street continues at Akar Prakar (P 238 Hindustan Park, Kolkata 29) till Saturday, 18 March 2017.

After an Engineering degree and a decade in the advertising industry, Sourav Roy has completed two masters programmes in Modern & Contemporary Indian Art History as well as in Indian Arts & Aesthetics. He occasionally contributes to publications and is currently a'research vagrant'.

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Firstpost is the online partner for Ganesh Pyne | Mandar Studio | Cornwallis Street
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Campaign for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election that will be held on 21 February will end on Sunday. The battle for the 227 seats of the BMC reached a fever pitch with Mumbai's skyline dotted with hoardings of the rival parties  the BJP and the Shiv Sena, leaving little space for other parties like the Congress, NCP and MNS.

The long-time alliance partners are fighting this BMC election solo. Last week, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were seen attending rallies and making speeches across Mumbai. From Dahisar to Mahim on the Western Express Highway and from Mulund to Sion on the Eastern Express Highway, campaign hoardings reflect the ongoing tussle for power.

According to the data available with the BMC, the MMRDA, the MSRDC and the PWD Department, there are 3,600 hoardings in the BMC area, 50 percent of which are reserved for companies, corporate clients and for social awareness messages from the government. The remaining space is owned by Bright Outdoor Media, Global Advertisers and three other companies in Mumbai.

A highly placed source from advertising told Firstpost that there are three hoardings of the BJP and two of the Shiv Sena. The BJP have put up more than 200 hoardings in Mumbai, Shiv Sena have over 100 hoardings. The hoardings of the Congress, and the NCP count up to 15, whereas MNS has about 10 hoarding sites, he added.

The charge for a 10 by 40 feet hoarding site is around Rs 2 lakh, the rate comes down if the client wants to keep it for two weeks. In Mumbai, more than Rs 100 crores is spent on hoardings for party publicity. The BJP and the Shiv Sena are also utilising print, television, radio and social media for their campaigns, said a source handling the advertisements of the Shiv Sena.

The hoardings, whether it's the BJP or Shiv Sena, boast of the development works done by the individual parties, while taking potshots at each other.

Two days back, NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik alleged that the BJP is spending around Rs 500 crores on hoardings and advertisements in newspapers and television. MNS chief Raj Thackeray too said that within one-km space there are half-a-dozen hoardings of the BJP and Shiv Sena, but where is the money coming from? He alleged that it is money that was amassed from corruption.

A division bench headed by Justice A S Oka of the Bombay High Court recently directed the BMC to remove all hoardings, banners and advertisements put up illegally by parties or their members and initiate action against them.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by NGO Janhit Manch alleging alleging that political parties and their members put up illegal hoardings, banners and posters in complete violation of civic rules all over the state, defacing private and public properties and spaces.

"There are more than 10 places where there are back to back hoardings of the BJP and the Shiv Sena. It looks funny to see such hoardings after every five metres," said Sameer Kotecha, who travels daily from Andheri to Nariman Point.

Nobody from the Shiv Sena, BJP, Congress, MNS and NCP leader were willing to comment on the amount spent on advertisements.
BJP is a party of goons. This party sidelined loyalists and gave tickets to people with criminal record  Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray

Sena and Congress are helping each other in civic polls. Shiv Sena leaders should introspect about whom they fought against for the last 25 years"  Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

NCP is ready for midterm polls  NCP chief Sharad Pawar

Even after civic polls, BJP and Shiv Sena will continue coalition  Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan

Whatever is going on between Sena and BJP is pre-planned. Both parties have done similar posturing in past  MNS chief Raj Thackeray

These are few statements made by star campaigners of political parties contesting civic polls, considered as a verdict on BJP governments two and half years regime in Maharashtra. As Sena and BJP crossed swords over seat-sharing in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, the repercussions were across the state. Sena is yearning to retain its power in BMC  the richest civic body in Asia with annual budget of over Rs 37,000 crore and has put Devendra Fadnavis on notice period.

This tug-of-war to control Mumbai changed the narrative of the entire campaign in ten civic bodies, Panchayat Samitis and Zilla Parishads going for polls. In the vortex of mudslinging and allegations, parties and leaders hardly touched development issues. State will go for polls to elect new bodies of ten municipal corporations across on 21 February. Almost 9,199 candidates are contesting for 1,268 seats to enter civic bodies.

However, local development issues are pushed under carpet and BJPSena leaders are busy exposing each others corruption and incapability to rule. Instead of presenting their visions for the development of cities, leaders including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis preferred to politicise the entire campaign.

In his Pune rally, monotonous Fadnavis targeted NCP and Congress as this combine has ruled the civic bodies in Pune and Pimpri for the last decade. Fadnavis kept counting projects approved by his government, but his main focus remained on targeting opposition. He talked about Pune Metro project, development plan and reiterated how his government had solved critical issues like CRZ in Mumbai. But Fadnavis discourse lacked vision for the city. BJPs manifesto talks of Smart City Mission, riverfront development, continuous water supply  the projects which are already rolled out by the civic administration. But BJP city unit chief Yogesh Gogawale feels that there is no need to add new projects. We will focus on proper execution of these projects he said. Not surprisingly, the BJP which wants to conquer Pune corporation has failed to present its own vision and development roadmap for the city and is banking on past to move in the future.

NCP chief Sharad Pawars entry into the campaign has added to the intense political manoeuvring. NCP, which has been in power in the PMC for ten years with help of Congress, has alleged that the BJP has copied its manifesto. Pawars googly that the NCP will not support BJP government if Sena withdraws support completed the politicisation of campaign. Pawar said his party was ready for mid-term polls but also expressed apprehensions about Uddhavs will power to step out of power corridors. Pawar and his party are trying to widen the difference between BJP and Sena and have nothing to offer to citizens on the development front.

Uddhav Thackeray's single point agenda is to target the BJP and hence Sena's entire party campaign revolves around castigating BJP. So when Sena decided to take on the Modi government on demonetisation, the focus was on BJP and not on how common people suffered. Senas manifesto and booklets try to expose BJP and its policies at the state and the Centre. Amidst extreme efforts to paint BJP in black, the Sena has not realised that it has been partner in crime for all these years. Shiv Sena leaders in Pune are following into footsteps of Uddhav and their main target is BJP vote bank. Development has taken a backseat in Senas campaign.

Congress, which is fighting for survival, has presented a 21-point agenda to citizens, but has nothing new to offer. The party which stands as a divided house is unable to reconstruct itself from devastation it faced in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is campaigning for the party in Pune, continues to speak as if he is the partys spokesperson in New Delhi. His speeches targeting central government policies have not attracted the attention of even Congress workers. Though Congress is in alliance with NCP on some seats in Pune, Chavan still is not sure if NCP will join the BJP government in the state and wants his bete noire Sharad Pawar to clarify his stand. Three former CMs including Prithviraj, Ashok Chavan and Narayan Rane who campaigned in Pune hardly touched local issues and failed to give any hope not only to voters, but also Congress workers.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray put up a Powerpoint show on development works done by his party in Nashik and development projects implemented by his party corporators in Pune. However, the local unit of the party has hardly any agenda and even the four page manifesto had nothing new to offer.

The political tone of the election will definitely have an impact on governance of the city, say experts who added that if people with no vision enter the civic body, they will spend money without any plan.

A report card prepared by NGO Parivartan highlighted that corporators largely spent their money on constructing roads and putting up benches in their wards. Barely some money was spent on strengthening of public transport, resolving the issues of like garbage, developing public spaces. Tanmay Kanitkar, who leads the NGO, said, The word 'development' was overused in 2014 elections and has lost its value, which is really sad. But yes, there should have been more focus on civic issues. We have not seen a single party or leader talking about systematic changes that they want to bring in local self-governance. Nobody is talking about autonomy of civic bodies, decentralisation and participation of people. It is very unfortunate to see the extremely vague and superficial manifestos of all parties. More focus is on showing how opponents are bad rather than what good I could do."

"No one is serious about development. No one wants to know what citizens will need," said Vivek Velankar of NGO Sajag Nagrik Manch.

As election campaign ends, citizens remain confused on what type of civic body they will get and how quality of life they can expect.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will go to polls soon. BMC, the biggest municipal corporation in the country, is going to see one of the most competitive elections with 2,275 candidates in the race for 227 seats. Thus, there is an average of 10 candidates contesting for every seat. The major ground battle is being fought between friends-turned-foes, BJP and Shiv Sena. The remaining skirmishes will be fought between other political parties and 717 independent candidates.

Such a flourishing competition in a democracy appears to be a healthy sign. However, much of this competition is unfair. It is between money and muscle on one side and restricted resources on the other. The outcome of BMC elections 2012 shows that out of the total 1,958 candidates with available data and who held a candidature, 217 candidates declared criminal cases. That is a staggering 11 percent of all candidates. Out of these, 91 candidates, or 5 percent of total, held a serious criminal case which falls under the category of a non-bailable offence, of the nature of an assault, murder, kidnap, an electoral offence or offences under the prevention of corruption act.

Whats worse is that 32 candidates out of the 217 candidates who had a criminal record won the elections. 12 out of those 32 candidates are being tried for a serious criminal record.

If we do a little math here, we can draw an estimate that there is a 14.74 percent chance of getting elected if an individual holds a criminal record or a 13.18 percent chance of winning if the individual holding a serious criminal record. Comparing this with the winning chance of 11.25% for those candidates without a criminal record, one can conclude that there is a marginally higher chance of winning the elections if you hold a criminal record.

Now lets look at money. The chances of winning for candidates with a net worth of more than a million rupees stands at a 25.93 percent while for those who fell below the million mark is a mere 9.2 percent. It is widely understood that there is a considerable overlap between individuals who are both millionaires and who hold a criminal record. For Indias richest municipal corporation which is neither transparent nor accountable, appointment of such corporators is gravely worrisome.

The 2017 BMC polls are no different. The data analysed for 1641 out of 2275 candidates by the Association of Democratic Reforms and Maharashtra Election Watch exposes that 216 candidates, or 13 percent of those analysed, hold a criminal record. Also, 154 candidates or 9 percent candidates have serious criminal cases against them.

28 candidates from Shiv Sena, 22 from MNS, 16 from Indian National Congress, and 14 from BJP are charged with a serious crime. Not only this, 36 independent candidates have self-declared their criminal records.

The money strength phenomena finds validation again in this election as an overwhelming 489 or 30 percent of candidates are millionaires. What points to a strong correlation between deep pockets and candidature is an astounding fact: The average asset size of candidates analysed is Rs 1.93 crores.

To borrow a phrase from author Milan Vaishnavs book When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics, a phenomenon of money primaries is being witnessed in the BMC elections where a political party gives contesting tickets to those who possess both money and muscle. Recent instances of criminality in the wake of the BMC elections affirm this observation. Congress Corporator Manoj Mhatre was murdered only a week before the elections and a violent clash among candidates and party workers from Shiv Sena and BJP caused BJP candidate, Prakash Darekar to be admitted in an ICU.

There is a serious under-equilibrium of democracy as the state of affairs lies in the electoral system of India. Voters are starved for good candidates while good candidates have a slim chance at winning the elections. For a voter today, a political candidate is nobody other than an alien knocking on the door seeking votes, never to be seen, or heard from after elections.

Alexis de Tocqueville once remarked in his book, On Democracy in 1835, I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can be no doubt that such men do not run. One can argue that the situation is worse in India, for what determines a winning candidate in the election is not integrity but the muscle and money that a candidate possess.

Saurabh Modi works with Free A Billion in Mumbai.
Democracy formally retired hurt in the land of Kolaveri on Saturday. The entire Opposition of the DMK, Congress and the IUML were evicted to allow Edappadi K Palaniswami to seek a trust vote, which he won 122-11. In the process, farce earned a synonym.

The Kollywoodish drama started early at 11 am with both MK Stalin and O Panneerselvam demanding secret ballot voting. But once Speaker Dhanapal rejected the demand, the decibel levels inside the Tamil Nadu Assembly rose, with DMK MLAs climbing on to their chairs, tearing up documents. Visuals were leaked selectively by the AIADMK-backed Jaya TV to highlight DMK's belligerent behaviour, it established that Dhanapal was manhandled, his shirt torn, his microphone broken and his table overturned. Stalin, however, claimed the Speaker tore his shirt himself and accused the DMK of misdemeanour to build a case against them.

Not that the past two weeks have not dented the Tamil Nadu political ecosystem. The manner in which one person in the quest for becoming chief minister confined all her MLAs to a resort outside Chennai, was a vulgar low. While a majority of the legislators were indeed followers of VK Sasikala, having earned their entry into politics with her blessings, there were some who were allegedly arm-twisted to stay on. Some of them managed to escape to tell the tale of coercion inside the Golden Bay resort. One of them, Madurai MLA Saravanan, fled clad in bermuda shorts.

Then there was the sight of Stalin, the leader of the Opposition, walking out of the Assembly with his shirt buttons open, claiming it was torn by political rivals. It was the DMK leader's political 56-inch chest moment, signifying his party was ready for the political battle.

Daag acchhe hain? No, certainly not. All that has happened in the last two weeks in Tamil Nadu have been a blot on democracy in the battle of the veshtis. Contrary to Panneerselvam's desperate hope that at least half a dozen MLAs will vote according to their conscience to make the Palaniswami government lose the trust vote, the 122 lawmakers decided that power in hand is better than a re-election victory in the bush. Winning the trust vote means no immediate election and gives the resort sun-tanned legislators hope that they will have time to woo their voters once again.

That will be an audacious hope given that people in Tamil Nadu are saliva-ready to spit on the MLAs, the moment they set sight on them. The anti-Sasikala sentiment runs so deep that the Palaniswami regime that will look to Bengaluru for instructions from convict number 9234, will start its innings without any honeymoon period.

And if people needed a spark to light up their anger, that came from actor Kamal Haasan who tweeted taunting India's "de-mockcrazy'' soon after the trust vote saying : "People of Tamizhnadu, Welcome your respective MLAs with the respect they deserve back home.''

There you go. Seems like we have another CM. Jai de-mockcrazy  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) February 18, 2017

People of Tamizhnadu, Welcome your respective MLAs with the respect they desrve back home  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) February 18, 2017

Not that the Sasikala camp spared any effort to downplay its enthusiasm to get into positions of power. Sources reveal that the name of Sasikala's nephew, TTV Dinakaran figured in the initial list of ministers to be sworn-in. But Governor Vidyasagar Rao put his foot down in light of the economic offences cases against Dinakaran. Rao told Palaniswami that he will have to seek legal opinion on Dinakaran and if Palaniswami insisted on him, he will have to put off the swearing-in ceremony to another day. A desperate Palaniswami fell in line, agreeing to strike out Dinakaran's name. If not for Rao, Tamil Nadu would have seen an economic offender who coughed up a fine of Rs 25 crore in a money laundering related FERA case last month, sworn-in most likely as the finance minister.

Palaniswami may have won the battle of Fort St George, where the Assembly is located but the war of Madras is far from over. 'Thalapathi' Stalin, with his torn shirt as his first weapon, wanted to sit on a hunger strike at the Marina. The DMK calculated that even if it indulged in what would be deemed to be unparliamentary behaviour, the public mood is so anti-Sasikala that it would forgive Saturday's misdemeanour. Stalin would hope to build on this to start a public movement against the Palaniswami's freshly minted government.

However, Palaniswami who is clearly a man of numbers, after having bagged 122, has imposed Section 144 at the Marina which empowers the Chennai police to evict Stalin and company from the Gandhi statue area.

Giving Stalin's competition to grab the anti-Sasikala space, will be Panneerselvam. His dramatic revolt got him no more than 11 legislators but made him into a hero in the public eye. He will now have to show the spine to cultivate the AIADMK cadre to tap into the gulf between the Sasikala-led AIADMK leadership and its cadre.

Across the Cauvery, Sasikala will be pleased. Both the party and the government are in her grip. Little does she realise that in all probability, she has lost Tamil Nadu.
In early December 2016, the Income Tax Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation in Bengaluru swooped down upon a host of government contractors, engineers, businessmen and bank managers.

On 3 December, seven people were arrested, among them was a government official in Karnatakas Public Works Department, SC Jayachandra. On 6 December, more arrests were made  that of a businessman called Chandrakant Ramalingam, along with bank officials of Karnataka Bank, Dhanalaxmi Bank and a private cash logistics firm called SecureValue India.

The Jayachandra arrest went on to make headlines  this was the countrys first case of pink notes as Rs 5 crores in the rare new Rs 2000 currency notes had somehow illegally made its way into the hands of this group. Jayachandras case was the first major catch of money laundering in the wake of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes announced by Prime Minister Modi in November 2016.

Who Is Chandrakant Ramalingam?

Ramalingam, an Erode-based businessman is one of the directors of Ramalingam Construction Company, as per the records available with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. He was arrested in December 2016 and is currently lodged in the Parappana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru.

Ramalingam is now under the lens once again, thanks to the recent political developments in Tamil Nadu  specifically, the ascent to the Chief Ministers post of Edappadi K Palaniswami, loyalist of VK Sasikala, aide and confidante of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Edappadi Palaniswami, who was sworn in on 16 February as Chief Minister, has one son by the name of Mithun Kumar. Mithun Kumar is married to Divya. Divya has a younger sister by the name of Saranya and Saranyas husbands elder brother is the aforementioned Chandrakant Ramalingam.

Edappadi Palaniswami himself was not reachable for comment  his phone and those of other MLAs and party leaders in the Sasikala camp are switched off, as they continue to camp in the Golden Bay Resort, ahead of a crucial floor test on Saturday.

Sources close to Palaniswamis family in Edappadi confirmed to Firstpost that Ramalingam was indeed related to the Chief Minister. But why are you bringing all this up? They have no connection with the Chief Ministers family and their business interests are of no concern to the Chief Minister or his family, said one source who did not wish to be identified.

This comes in the wake of widespread allegations on Palaniswamis alleged links to river sand mining baron Shekhar Reddy, who was arrested by the CBI in Chennai on 22 December. His arrest followed a raid by IT Department officials in his properties in Chennai which yielded cash to the tune of Rs 136 crores including Rs 20 crores in new currency. Reddy too is currently lodged in a Chennai jail.

Palaniswami has not been available for comments on the alleged links with Reddy either.

The Infamous Jayachandra Case

The country's first case of pink notes in black money could well make Prime Minister Narendra Modi thump his chest and narrate the story of how an engineer in Karnataka lived in luxury and yet nothing belonged to him. Every property, moveable or immoveable, listed out was held in somebody else's name.

SC Jayachandra was chief planning officer of the state Highway Development Project, Public Works Department, Karnataka, when the Income Tax authorities raided his premises and hit the pink jackpot in the form of the new and crisp Rs 2,000 notes, a currency of wonder at that point of time soon after the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes were demonetised.

Neatly laid out on a bed, along with other notes, by the Income Tax authorities, the photograph made many either gape in wonder or get their blood boiling since those were the days of waiting in long queues simply to collect the daily 'ration' of their own hard earned money. The Income tax Departments press note had pointedly mentioned that the new currency notes of Rs 2,000 totalled Rs 4.7 crores.

The IT raid was a trendsetter in many ways because it was the first in the country to take place soon after demonetisation. For Jayachandra, it was the beginning of another bad month of December. In the same month exactly eight years ago, Jayachandra had been raided by the Karnataka Lokayukta and found to be allegedly in possession of disproportionate assets to the extent of Rs 84.53 lakhs. He was then chief engineer of the Hemavathi project. That case is still pending but the IT raid showed that the amounts, as far as he was concerned, had moved up the value chain.

IT authorities found that he owned or was in possession of four flats in the upscale Rajmahal Vilas Extensions Pebble Bay apartments, valued at Rs 5 crores. Cash seized was Rs 5 crores in brand new Rs 2000 currency notes with 7 kgs of gold and silver items. Moveable and immoveable properties accounted for Rs 14 crores.

The most interesting aspect has been the various explanations for Jayachandra being in possession of large sums of cash. Take, for instance, the case of the Enforcement Directorate.

The explanation for possession of Rs 27 lakhs, which is inclusive of the Rs 5 lakhs in the new Rs 2,000 currency, appears rather simple. Jayachandras lawyers have argued that the amount was an advance amount that had been paid for the purchase of three flats being constructed by a company called Messrs Shakya Constructions and Developers. The partnership firm belongs to Ms Bharathi, wife of Jayachandra, and Thrijesh, son of Jayachandra. The total amount has been accounted for in the name of Purushottam and Devanand, (Rs 10 lakhs each) and a Mrs Rathod (Rs 7 lakhs). (All single names as per the order of the Special court for PMLA cases).

At a point of time when demonetization had zapped all energy out of the real estate industry because of Modis dampener on cash transactions, the question that arises is why would anyone pay advance amount for booking a flat in hard currency. Jayachandras defence has made a simple point. That the amount was not proceeds of crime and that the allegations were false, frivolous and concocted. The special court, however, felt that it was inconceivable as to how the accused managed to collect new currency to the tune of Rs 5 lakhs when an individual could collect not more than Rs 2,000 on a single day.

One of the reasons for Jayachandra to come under the spotlight of the Income Tax authorities was reportedly the lavish lifestyle that his son led. Thrijesh is alleged to have been driving around in fancy, high-end vehicles like Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati and MV Agusta. For his 26th birthday, the young man described himself as the King and the invitation card, embossed with a silver coin, requested his royal friends and my countrymen to a royal feast of wine and dine on the occasion of your beloved King completing 25 glorious years. The party was at an upscale pub in the city, Bangalore Mirror reported.

But, the legal argument has been that he was like many others in his age group just showing off his pictures with the fancy cars. But that had been used by the Enforcement Directorate to state that he owned all those cars. This has been substantiated by the contention that the cars were all in the name of a contractor who apparently owns 35 similar fancy vehicles all of which, it is said, were purchased in the proper legal manner.

The Special court, however, in its order rejecting bail to Jayachandra had this to say on the possession of Rs 27 lakhs for the purchase of the three flats. It could be at the most a defence that could be taken by the accused and the same cannot be a ground for considering bail. The court went on to say that the accused has not provided any proof in support of his defence. It has also pointed out that as per Section 24 of the PMLA, the burden to prove that the proceeds of crime are not involved lies with the accused. The Court also did not fail to note that the accused is a wealthy person having political as well as official influence.

The political and official influence of officials like Jayachandra is fairly well known in the corridors of power in Karnataka. To the point that even Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had to officially deny even knowing Jayachandra.

SR Hiremath, Convenor of the Samaj Parivartana Samudaya, said - It is clear that such officials are protected by the government of the day. Whether it is the Congress or the BJP government in power, such officials get protection. Jayachandra was one of the officials who was raided by the Lokayukta in 2008. The case is pending because the government has not yet granted sanction for his prosecution.

And protection comes because the political class has a lot to hide itself, said Hiremath, who first came into the limelight when his organisation took the illegal iron ore mining case involving former BJP minister Gali Janardhan Reddy to the Supreme Court.

The Enforcement Directorate case is just one of the cases filed against Jayachandra. The investigation by the IT Department, the CBI as well as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) into the other assets of the official is still on with some officials complaining of non-cooperation. 17 of Jayachandras properties worth Rs 25 crores have been attached by the Enforcement Directorate early this month.

But, the single biggest factor that stands out in this trend-setter of the case post-demonetisation has been put across succinctly by a lawyer  Everything is benami. There is nothing the poor man owns. Everything has been at his disposal and in his possession but he owns very little.

Another lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity also noted, The question that needs to be answered is also why would any contractor give away such fancy cars to be used by an officials son? And, why would the other properties belong to someone else. Or why would some other properties be held in his mother-in-laws name and why not his own?

The above questions are not uncommon. But, the fact remains that the journey of cases registered takes a long time to provide justice just like the Lokayukta case against Jayachandra has not shown any signs of conclusion even after eight years. The legal route of the latest set of cases are also bound to take a longer time as the courts await appointment of new judges.
Lucknow: With the Supreme Court breathing down its neck, on Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Police filed an FIR against tainted senior minister Gayatri Prajapati in connection with cases of alleged gangrape and attempt to rape a woman and her minor daughter.

The apex court had on Friday directed the police to book the minister, who is a senior leader of the ruling Samajwadi Party.

Circle Officer of Hazratganj, Avanish Kumar Mishra, said the FIR was lodged against the cabinet minister and six of his accomplices under various sections of the IPC and POCSO Act.

He said the FIR was lodged in Gautampalli Police Station in Lucknow.

The apex court's direction came on a PIL filed by a woman who alleged repeated gangrape by Prajapati and others and sought the court's direction for lodging of an FIR.

The alleged incident had first taken place in October 2014 and continued till July 2016 and when the accused tried to molest the minor daughter of the petitioner, she decided to lodge a complaint after her written request to the DGP in October 2016 went unheeded. Since no FIR was lodged, she moved the apex court seeking justice.

Prajapati was sacked by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav from his cabinet in 2016 during the family feud with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Yadav but was later reinstated in the council of ministers.
Mumbai: NCP President Sharad Pawar on Saturday asserted that his party will not bail out the BJP Government in Maharashtra if it is reduced to minority and dared the Shiv Sena to withdraw support to it.

"We are willing to give a letter to the Governor, saying the Devendra Fadnavis government will not have NCP's support if Shiv Sena withdraws from it. But Uddhav Thackeray should first give a letter to the Governor withdrawing support to the Fadnavis government and also make the letter public," Pawar said at a press conference in Mumbai.

Replying to questions on Uddhav's remark that he doesn't trust the NCP when it says it will not support the BJP government if Shiv Sena pulls out, Pawar said he does not require a certificate of trust from him.

Uddhav, which has snapped ties with BJP for the 21 February civic polls, has said he will take a decision on continuing in the Maharashtra government after election results are announced on 23 February.

The Maratha strongman said two years ago, his party had announced support to BJP (which won maximum seats) since no party had got a majority and NCP did not want political instability immediately after the 2014 Assembly polls.

"The BJP had formed Government for the first time and people thought the party should be given a chance to perform. But after two years, people have realised that BJP is no good. Hence, there is no question of supporting the Government," Pawar said.

The former Union Minister claimed the BJP will not have an upper hand in the civic polls and alleged the central leadership of the party has been "plotting" to weaken the Shiv Sena.

Pawar said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' poll campaign is centred around personal attacks on Uddhav, "the Shiv Sena had to retaliate. If this continues and the Shiv Sena withdraws support, there will be mid-term polls. But, there is no clarity yet on the Shiv Sena stand."

He said the Sena's demand for loan waiver to farmers in the state is nothing but an "escape route" to avoid quitting the over two-year-old dispensation.

"I don't think Fadnavis will have a problem in announcing sops for farmers to keep his Government stable," the NCP chief said.

Pawar said he had predicted two years ago that the Sena-BJP alliance will hit a rough patch during the Mumbai civic polls and "we are facing a similar situation now".

He said the NCP has a limited presence in Mumbai and hence will not benefit from the Sena-BJP fight in the state capital.

"NCP support is mostly among farmers, rural masses and Marathi-speaking people. In Mumbai, the Marathi space is already with the Shiv Sena. We need more time to create a space for ourself in the city," he added.
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While many are looking forward to the DA case verdict, the Tamil Nadu state government machinery is thinking back to the Jallikattu protests. Law and order backlash is something they are preparing for not just for today but for the entire week. Police presence has been upped across the city at the start of the week and screws tightened across the five locations which are likely to see disturbance after the DA verdict  Jayalalithaas residence at Poes Garden, OPS residence on Greenways Road, AIADMK headquarters, Golden Bay Resorts and Marina Beach Road. Cops are on alert for crowds that may expand to become larger groups. The general line of thinking among government insiders is that the Jallikattu protests were much more about a lack of state government preparation and a lag in police intelligence and a tad less about spontaneous uprising.

Since Monday night, theres a growing buzz  and its coming from New Delhi  about the DA case possibly heading for a split verdict. If Justice Amitava Roy and Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose have written separate judgments, a split verdict is well within the realm of possibility until it's declared at 10.30 am. The three simpler outcomes are Sasikalas conviction, acquittal or the case being dialled back to the Karnataka High Court. In case of a split verdict, a fourth flank opens up: the Chief Justice of India could refer the case to another judge or bench and we all know what that means  a 20-year-old case will drag some more and the inmates of Golden Bay Resorts will erupt in wild celebration.

Now, if the case heads for a split verdict and is referred back to a bench rather than a single judge, it could mean an awfully long wait. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi has already advised Governor Rao that he must go with the choice of the AIADMK legislature party - despite allegations of foul play by the OPS camp, swear in Sasikala and call for a floor test immediately.

History and precedent were all too familiar for the Governor to rush in last week  Jayalalithaa was disqualified as Chief Minister after she was convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act in 2001 and again in September 2014.

Governor C Vidyasagar Rao got back from Mumbai last Thursday and it was fairly clear that he would wait it out until the DA case verdict.

If DA case heads for split verdict, Tamil Nadu will have to wait longer to get a CM?

Many more than six differences to spot here.

When Jayalalithaa was alive, a case verdict day for her  especially one of this magnitude  would mean thousands of coconuts and white pumpkins being smashed at temples across the state, women cadre lining up in droves, many of them fasting until the verdict is out, raw and unrelenting wave upon wave of loyalty, affection and support. Tuesday has dawned cool and clear, the crowds are in predictable photo op spots and they will have their moment in some camera frame or the other as the sun climbs higher. Corner shops around politico hotspots selling tea and biscuits are all enjoying a spike in walk-ins.

The hugely popular Tamil magazine Kumudam has a long loved spot the six differences page of two almost similar cartoons.

The former, who is a PWD minister could have his nose ahead in the race. But will majority stay on in the faction led by a tainted Sasikala or jump ship to O Panneerselvam?

Plan B for Sasikala if she is convicted would mean to convene an emergency AIADMK legislature meeting and elect either E Palanisamy or Sengottaiyan as new leader of legislature party.

What is plan B for Sasikala if SC convicts her

B Kumar, S Senthil: These two led 25 lawyers from Tamil Nadu defending Jaya; strengthened the hands of more famous lawyers pushing for bail, played a leading role in the Karnataka High Court acquittal.

Senior Advocate L Nageswara Rao: Appeared for Jayalalithaa as defence counsel in Supreme Court, argued that appeals by DMK and Subramaian Swamy had no locus.

Justices PC Ghose, Amitava Roy: Heard the appeal against the High Court Judgment delivered by Kumaraswamy J, and reserved the verdict June 2016 after 20 days of court arguments.

Justice HL Dattu: Former Chief Justice of India Dattu heard Jayalalithaas petition in the Supreme Court against Karnataka High Courts rejection of her bail plea in the DA case.

Fali S Nariman: After Jayalalithaa was jailed, her team leaned on this eminent jurist to get bail for the AIADMK chief.

Justice CR Kumaraswamy: The judge who acquitted Jayalalithaa of all charges in the Disproportionate Assets case. Was his judgement a tragedy of arithmetic errors as Subramanian Swamy calls it? The last word on that comes up this week.

Justice John Michael DCunha: Special Court judge who delivered the September 2014 verdict that sent Tamil Nadu into a tizzy - he convicted and jailed the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 for holding disproportionate assets. In November 2016, he was appointed judge of the Karnataka High Court.

As we wait for the Supreme Court verdict, le's take a a look at the A-list of legal minds whose names will remain associated with the disproportionate case that has its roots in a gaudy million dollar wedding that pockmarked both Tamil Nadu and Jayalalithaas legacy and continues to haunt Sasikala. Everytime Jayalalithaa went in and out of courts for 19 years, these are the folks behind those headlines.

A-list of legal minds who will always be associated with DA case

Of the 135 AIADMK legislators (plus Jayalalithaa) who were elected in 2016, sources say at least 90-odd are firm Sasikala loyalists, having got their ticket thanks to the woman from Mannargudi. That is why they say, they are staying put in her camp. Anyone underestimating the hold of the Sasikala family over the MLAs, is making a grave mistake.

Why it is only MPs and not MLAs who are joining OPS' cause

But both sides are making desperate moves to be one-up on the other. The AIADMK sacked its IT wing secretary G Ramachandran because he had crossed over to the Panneerselvam camp, after having retweeted many tweets that were supportive of the OPS. Team Sasikala is already upset that they have not been able to effectively counter the anti-Sasikala narrative and hashtags like #NotMyCM on Twitter.

Panneerselvam is playing mind-games with the Sasikala camp which has learnt one important lesson in the last 24 hours  loyalty to Amma is not a fixed deposit to be transferred to Chinnamma, now that Jayalalithaa is no more.

Panneerselvam needs to stay calm for a win as Sasikala may face a tempest in court

News18 reports that Sasikala is mulling picking a new successor as the Supreme Court pronounces its verdict. According to the report, Sasikala might pick Jayalalithaa's nephew for the post.

A back of the envelope calculation puts the bill for boarding and lodging these free as birds MLAs for a week at about Rs 50 lakh plus. Add to this fuel costs for the plus-size-only vehicles that Sasikalas brood prefers and sundry exprenses for the thuggish men in starched white veshtis guarding the outer walls of the resort and youre looking at a cool Rs 1 crore and thats a conservative estimate. Public servants, did they say?

"For tomorrow, we will surely have rooms available, Madam," says the sleep deprived front office manager at the suddenly famous beach resort on Chennais outer edge.

It is costing Rs 3,50,000 for 119 members of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly "living like a large, happy family" in 56 rooms at Golden Bay Resorts in Koovathur, Tamil Nadu. Thats the room rent for a single day minus all the frills, service tax, Swachh Bharat cess and that sort of petty cash detailing.

So, is it a good thing for the democracy and the judiciary? Looks like it is although it could further delay the already sluggish judicial processes. Its indeed gladdening that we are going to witness today is something thats getting rarer. Can we expect some new useful addition to our jurisprudence? Lets wait and see.

The LiveLaw study also has found out that in the benches of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), the rate of decline in dissent is more than in other benches. Between 2011 and 2014, there hadnt been a single case of dissent. Could it be because the persona of the CJI or the indirect influence of his authority on a subordinate judge? One of the judges in the bench that heard the DA case is quite senior.

Still, that the judges chose to write separate verdicts on the DA case, that has already taken 20 years and a lot of the courts time, shows that theres something special about this case. Would it make some legal breakthrough? In case the verdicts are dissenting, the opportunity costs are going to be much higher because the hearing might start all over again which would entail more time of the SC judges, lawyers and even the final delivery of justice.

But another important question is if its good for the development and practice of Law? According to this analysis by LiveLaw that looked at there verdicts from 1950 to 2014, the phenomenon of dissenting opinions by judges has declined since 2011 after steadily rising from 1980. The increasing number of two judge-benches and the heavy workload are cited as the possible reasons.

Since both the names of the judges appear in the listing of the DA case, its expected that the judges are going to give separate judgments. If they dissent in their verdicts, the outcome for Sasikala and Tami Nadu politics can be be dramatically different.

If it's dissenting verdicts, what we are going to see today is a phenomenon thats getting rarer

Elaborate security arrangements have been made outside Sasikala's residence in Poes Garden as precaution ahead of Supreme Court's verdict in the corruption case against VK Sasikala. Apex court is expected to pronounce its verdict today.

A small crowd is gathered outside the residence of O Panneerselvam on Greenways Road in Chennai. The mood is tense and the crowd is anxious. They all realise that even though the Supreme Court verdict is about a corruption case involving Sasikala, Supreme Court's judgment will affect all of Tamil Nadu.

Even OPS supporters are waiting for the verdict with bated breath

In a two-judge bench, as in the DA case, there cannot be majority and minority views and if the judges are dissenting, it will have to go to a bigger bench so that there will be a conclusive verdict later.

In accordance with the majority opinion the challenge to the constitutionality of Section 302 of the Penal Code in so far as it provides for the death sentence as also the challenge to the constitutionality of Section 354(3) of the CrPC, 1973 fails and is rejected. The Writ Petitions and other connected matters may now be placed for hearing, in the usual course, before the Division Bench for consideration of the individual cases on merits, in the light of the principles enunciated in the majority judgment.

And this is how the final order, that referred to the minority view, read:

I have had the advantage of reading the careful judgment prepared by my learned brother Sarkaria. but I find myself unable to agree with the conclusions reached by him. I am of the (view that Section 302 of the Indian |Penal Code in so far as it provides for imposition of death penalty as an alternative to life sentence is ultra vires and void as being violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution since it does not provide any legislative guidelines as to when life should be permitted to be extinguished by imposition of death sentence. I would therefore strike down Section 302 as unconstitutional and void in so far as it provides for imposition of death penalty as an alternative to imprisonment for life. I shall give my reasons for this view on the day on which the Court reopens after the summer vacation.

An important verdict in which the former Chief Justice of India PN Bhagwati made a dissenting note was the Bachan Singh vs State Of Punjab on 9 May, 1980, which is held up as a significant example in law schools. While four judges of the bench that heard the case were together in their verdict with their majority view, Justice Bhagwati had a minority view which was rejected.

If the judges are of the opinion that the case raises substantial questions of constitutional law (which is highly unlikely at this stage i.e that of final verdict), then they may refer those questions to a Constitution Bench (A five judge bench) under Article 145(3) of the Constitution who will hear arguments on those particular questions and then send the opinions back so the case can be disposed by the Division Bench.

However, divisions between judges in Division Bench have been growing rarer and rarer in recent years as most judgements are delivered either Per Curiam (in the name of the Court) and signed off by both judges or contain a leading opinion seconded by a shorter opinion. A dissenting opinion today will be quite rare.

A two judge bench is known as a Division Bench. If the judges of Division Bench disagree on a particular point of law, then they refer that particular point to a third judge for adjudication. The entire case will not go automatically to another bench. Unless however, they disagree on all issues of all, in which case a third judge will hear arguments on all the issues afresh and pass a separate verdict to resolve the division.

However, it appears that OPS was a bit late in his counter move.

In his counter-move, OPS changed the state police intelligence chief on Monday evening and appointed S Davidson Devasirvatham, who had been shunted out in 2015. This would ensure that the police strategy would change and Sasikala would lose the alleged patronage. In such case, what else can she do other than going there herself? If there is an adverse verdict, the MLAs need more control so that they just dont run away.

OPS biggest weakness, since his break with Sasikala, has been the lack of police support and his inability to reach the MLAs to seek their endorsement. There had been reports that the police had provided tacit support to the Sasikala camp in guarding the resort and in ensuring that nobody from outside gained access. Reportedly there was ring of security provided by private men  OPS had that alleged there were four "goondas" per MLA  and the police also seemed to have supported them by preventing the media or others from entering the resort.

Sasikalas dramatic move of shifting to the resort on Monday where about 119 MLAs are housed may not be a premeditated master-stroke, but a move necessitated by O Panneerselvams counter strategy to break her gridlock over the MLAs.

Has the change of police intelligence chief by O Panneerselvam prompted Sasikala to camp at the Golden Bay resort?

Sasikala decamping to Golden Bay Resorts has little to do with her "deep commitment" to her AIADMK family and everything to do with the unforgettable memories of Jayalalithaa on her favourite balcony after victories big and small. Sasikala does not dare try that before the verdict. If she goes scot free, expect an 'SRK at Mannat' kinda moment. In real estate litigation, they call it squatting.

Poes Garden is the mansion Sasikala 'occupies' but it is Jayalalithaas property and we have no idea whether theres a will. All we know is that a camp other than OPS flew in a top doctor from the UK in a tearing hurry last week to say that Jayalalithaa was conscious when she put her thumb impression on certain documents. What about Jayalalithaas will? Deafening silence.

Just for the record, this is where Sasikala can live without any question marks but she chooses not to  her address as in the DA case pending since 1996: #18, Third Cross Street, East Abhirampuram, Chennai - 600018.

The simplest questions are the most awkward to answer if you lock yourself into a web of secrecy and intrigue as Sasikala (just like Jayalalithaa) has done for the last two decades.

Whats your address? Imagine you ask Sasikala that, what would she say?

A pamphlet which lists out ten points explaining why O Panneerselvam was always former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's first choice. Among other things mentioned, the pamphlet says that OPS was trustworthy and loyal. Interestingly, the pamphlets were distributed by Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayaraman followers.

The judgment in the two-decade-old corruption case will be pronounced by a bench of Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Amitava Roy in Court Room 6 at 10.30 am. Interestingly, it is a two-judge bench which is known as a Division Bench. If the judges of Division Bench disagree on a particular point of law, then they refer that particular point to a third judge for adjudication. The entire case will not go automatically to another bench. Unless however, they disagree on all issues of all, in which case a third judge will hear arguments on all the issues afresh and pass a separate verdict to resolve the division.

Once the verdict on Sasikala is out, government will implement the judgment. It is now upto Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to call either Sasikala or O Panneerselvam

Another MLA Semmalai extended his support to O Panneerselvam. Panneerselvam now has 12 MPs and 9 MLAs in his camp. TS Sudhir reports that Semmalai was in the resort till Monday. Such last minute decisions and desertion indicates nervousnes.

5. One upholds, the other sends it to the HC.

2. Both send it back to the HC without suspending the latters verdict;

1. Both judges uphold Karnataka High Court verdict or acquit saying since Jayalalithaa died the case has abated;

Less than 10 minutes left for verdict: Let's take a look at the possibilities

Reports also said that Sasikala will not be able to contest any election for the next ten years. The Supreme Court bench has ordered the acting general secretary of the party to pay a fine of Rs 10 crore. However, Sasikala can take the case further and refer it to a larger bench, even though her political career has effectively ended.

Two-judge bench convicts AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala in the 20-year-old corruption case. The embattled leader has been sentenced to 4 years in prison and has been told to surrender immediately.

 "AIADMK still has the majority. They should immediately nominate another person to lead the government in the state, and Governor should swear this person in immediately. Any further delay in swearing-in could lead to another case, Subramanian Swamy told News18.

Sasikala's conviction further muddied the already murky and unpredictable saga that unfolds in Tamil Nadu.

A little more than a week later, Supreme Court's verdict convicting Sasikala and Jayalalithaa comes as a shock and a huge setback for the Sasikala camp who had the numbers to prove their majority on the floor of the state Assembly. Supreme Court bench has also ordered immediate arrest of Sasikala and said that soon to be former AIADMK general secretary will be out of active politics for next ten years. A fine of Rs 10 crore has been slapped on the leader too.

Merely a week ago, the drama in Tamil Nadu escalated without warning and there were two close confidantes of the late Jayalalithaa who were at each other for the Chief Minister's post. While O Panneerselvam went to Jaya's memorial and claimed "Amma spoke" to him, Sasikala said she was the one who stood by Amma for 33 years when the former chief minister was ridiculed by everyone.

Speaking to News18, Soli Sorabjee said, "There is no split verdict by the Supreme Court. She can't possibly be the chief minister. She will have to serve the sentence. However, Sasikala camp has the majority. Someone else can be nominated for the post of chief minister who is loyal to her. Her conviction doesn't debar her from running the party."

Latest reports say that 22 MLAs have jumped to O Panneerselvam camps, which effectively means that the Sasikala camp does not even enjoy majority anymore.

"The Supreme Courts verdict in DA case is out today. Need of the hour is to enable an able and stable government in Tamil Nadu as per the wishes of the people of state:" Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu tweet on Sasikalas verdict

"Justice finally prevailed after 21 years. We welcome the verdict of the Supreme Court": DMK's MK Stalin

If she has served any time in prison already, she would be given credit for that time that has already been served. She can also apply for probation as any normal prisoner may be entitled to under the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958 based on the report of her Probation Officer as to her conduct and the prospects of her rehabilitation.

She may make an application for review of the judgment. This application will have to be preferred within thirty days. There will be no oral arguments and a review will only be admitted if there is an error apparent on the face of the record. The chances of a review petition being admitted are slim. If that fails she can prefer a curative petition stating that natural justice was violated in her case. The chances of that being admitted are even more slim.

Sasikala now has few options left before her

"Whenever there had been burden for Amma (Jayalalithaa) she (Sasikala) had taken it on her. She is doing the same now also. #Chinnamma," the party's official Twitter handle, @AIADMKOfficial said.

Minutes after the Supreme Court convicted VK Sasikala, the AIADMK on Tuesday threw its weight behind the party general secretary, saying she has always carried the "burden" of Jayalalithaa.

"Justice done after a long time, after about two decades. It is a historic judgment," Stalin said, adding that the verdict showed how politicians should conduct themselves in public life.

DMK working president MK Stalin on Tuesday described as "historic", the disproportionate assets case judgment convicting VK Sasikala, and called on Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao to take steps for forming a stable government in Tamil Nadu.

For all the heat being piled on him, governor Rao showed admirable patience in holding his counsel and not taking a decision that could trigger another crisis in the state later. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

But politics in India is a 24x7 reality show, driven by TV ratings. To the breathless media and its many pundits, the governor's "delay" was a sure sign that somebody was conducting a backroom operation from somewhere, dictating his actions. No evidence was offered for such a conjecture, but what's the point in waiting for facts when journalism can be conducted through speculation?

Throughout the political turmoil, the governor had been targeted for his use of "delaying tactics". There were elaborate conspiracy theories drawn and endless sound bites given on why his office had taken the wait-and-watch approach. With the apex court indicating that it would deliver the verdict within a week, it made little sense for Rao to call Sasikala for swearing-in and usher in a Constitutional crisis should there be an unfavourable verdict (as it turned out to be the case). Considered legal opinion was of the view that he was right in not rushing into a hasty decision. No less than former Attorney-General of India Soli Sorabjee had come out in his favour.

The Supreme Court verdict convicting AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala in a 19-year-old disproportionate assets case, effectively ending her chances of ever taking office as Tamil Nadu chief minister, is a vindication for Governor Vidyasagar Rao.

Three more SPs from Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Tiruvannamalai too are given alert as the convicts would be taken to Bengaluru through these districts, sources told News Today correspondent Santhosh Mathevan.

Five district SPs and IGs from two zones have been brought to the resort. SPs of Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur, Villupuram and Vellore along with North and Central zone IGs are at the Golden Bay resort in Kovathur. From revenue department, only Seiyyur Tahsildar has arrived. No other government official has come here to the Golden Bay Resort.

"Thank you all for your support. The golden rule of Amma will continue. Amma's soul will protect the state. I express my heartfelt thanks. Ideals of Amma will continue."

OPS first reaction: Caretaker Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O Panneerselvam wrote an open letter to party leaders mentioning, "MLAs must forget temporary differences and should unite."

After the verdict in the DA case, groundswell of support for O Panneerselvam outside residence

"We have the numbers and therefore we have written a letter to the Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to invite us to form the government. As soon as governor calls we will submit letter to him to prove out majority to form the government," Palanisamy says.

VK Sasikala camp wrote a letter to the Governor mentioning that O Panneerselvan has been expelled and Edapadi K Palanisamy was appointed as the new leader of legislator. The letter further reads the Governor should invite them to form the government.

E Palanisamy has written a letter to Governor C Vidyasagar Rao and staked claim to form the government. AIADMK presidium chairman Sengottaiyan will also meet the Governor carrying MLAs support letter which says that the MLAs have unanimously elected Edapadi K Palanisamy as Legislative Leader of the party.

E Palanisamy on his way to Raj Bhavan to stake claim to form government: 'I have sent a letter to Governor with details about MLAs'

Incidentally, the politician had then chosen not to function from the chair on which his 'revered' leader sat while he performed the role of night watchman. He duly vacated the post after Jayalalithaa was acquitted in the case.

From humble origins as a farmer and tea shop owner to Fort St George, the seat of power in Tamil Nadu, he has travelled a path of unexpected twists and turns. Jayalalithaa had sprung a surprise by handpicking him to fill her shoes in 2001 when she had to step down due to her conviction in TANSI land scam case. But this time, following her conviction, it was more or less clear he was leading the race among his colleagues, considering his unflinching loyalty to Jayalalithaa that even earned him the sobriquet 'Mr Faithful.'

After filling in as the interim chief minister twice, O Panneerselvam is back at the helm of things. After the Supreme Court verdict which convicted VK Sasikala in the 20-year-old disproportionate assets case, OPS (even though expelled from AIADMK), is in a stronger position than his competition.

Leaders from Panneerselvam's camp said, "Decision taken by Sasikala regarding his suspension is illegal as the court judgment says she has to surrender forthwith and hence it's a contempt of court. Amma's spirit is still alive. It will protect our state and its people and show us the right way."

"The case was investigated by ACB. So Karnataka police has no role. The directive needs to come from Tamil Nadu home department. If she surrenders before trial court, prison department will take charge," says Karnataka DGP.

In the May 2001 Assembly elections, AIADMK secures absolute majority and Jayalalithaa becomes the chief minister. Her appointment is challenged due to her conviction in October, 2000 in the Tansi (Tamil Nadu Small Industries Corporation) case. The Supreme Court nullifies the appointment. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

1 October 1997: Madras High Court dismisses three petitions by Jayalalithaa including one challenging the sanction granted by then Governor M Fathima Beevi for prosecuting her.

4 Jun 1997: They are charge-sheeted for offences under sections 120-B IPC, 13(2) read with 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

1997: Prosecution launched in sessions court in Chennai against Jayalalithaa and three others for having assets 'disproportionate' to their known income.

1996: Subramanian Swamy, then Janata Party chief, files a case against Jayalalithaa alleging that during her tenure as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996, she amassed properties worth Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate to her known sources of income.

Following is the chronology of events in the disproportionate assets (DA) case in which the Supreme Court on Tuesday convicted AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala that also involved the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

The humble O Panneerselvam will now rise as the new star of Dravidian politics. His popularity, that has been rising since his late night revolt against Sasikala at Marina a week ago, will skyrocket now. No proxy that Sasikala will leave behind to take care of her interests can match OPSs image. By the end of Tuesday, he will achieve cult status. The fastest rise to political stardom in India, perhaps after Arvind Kejriwal. In fact, he even rose faster than Kejriwal, who took nearly two years to reach this status.

With Sasikala gone and OPS on the rise, AIADMK will be an altered party

Palaniswami, a known Sasikala loyalist and a five-time MLA, is the party's strongman from Salem district and currently holds the portfolios of Highways, Public Works and Minor Ports. He was a minister in the previous Jayalalithaa-led Cabinet, and also continued with the same portfolios. He was retained in 2016, both by Jayalalithaa and later by her successor Panneerselvam, who has since raised a banner of revolt against Sasikala for allegedly forcing him to step down from chief ministership.

To this, the second judge, Amitava Roy, said, "We are setting aside the high court judgement and restoring the trial court judgement in full. Case against A1 (Jayalalithaa) is abated. All convicted and surrender forthwith."

It took just eight minutes for the Supreme Court to announce its decision that abruptly cut short the political career of VK Sasikala, a long-time companion of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, according to a report in NDTV . "You can understand too much of fatty judgement. We have taken the burden on us...we will read out the conclusion," said Justice Pinaki Chandra Bose.

"Every citizen has to be a partner in this sacrosanct mission, if we aspire for a stable, just and ideal social order as envisioned by our forefathers and fondly cherished by the numerous self-effacing crusaders of a free and independent Bharat, pledging their countless sacrifices and selfless commitments for such cause," he said.

Clearly there are two judgements because Justice Amitava Roy wanted to make a forceful extra point on corruption in the country. Those five pages have deepen the value of this judgement. "The attendant facts and circumstances encountered as above, demonstrate a deep rooted conspiratorial design to amass vast assets without any compunction and hold the same through shell entities to cover up the sinister trail of such illicit acquisitions and deceive and delude the process of law. Novelty in the outrages and the magnitude of the nefarious gains as demonstrated by the revelations in the case are, to say the least, startling," Roy noted.

4. Governor recommends Presidents rule and elections in less than a year. The most improbable possibility is that the Sasikala faction doesnt suffer any more erosion and still keep asking for their turn which the Governor may not entertain because the equations and numbers that Sasikala originally claimed have been altered.

3. Even after a reasonable time, either of the factions doesn't get a majority and DMKs MK Stalin comes up with his claim with the support of the Congress. The Governor may or may not entertain him because numbers are still not enough.

2. OPS waits for a few more days. Governor doesnt show any urgency, and he finally manages a simple majority.

1. More MLAs shift to the OPS camp, but may not be sufficient to prove majority in the Assembly. In such a case, the rump of the Sasikala faction also doesnt get a chance to form a government.

The current situation in Tamil Nadu could lead to four probable situations:

Centre has no role to play, Guv will take decision: Venkaiah Naidu | ANI

Palaniswami was elected at a meeting of party MLAs chaired by Sasikala held at a resort, where the legislators have been staying for last few days following the revolt by Panneerselvam.

"Nobody has the authority to elect anybody," was the terse response from School Education Minister K Pandiarajan, a supporter of Panneerselvam. He was responding to reporters' queries to Palaniswami being elected the legislature party leader, hours after the Supreme Court upheld a trial court verdict against AIADMK general secretary Sasikala in a disproportionate assets case.

An unfazed O Panneerselvam camp on Tuesday rejected the appointment of Sasikala loyalist Edappadi K Palaniswami as AIADMK Legislature Party leader.

'Honourable Amma's spirit has saved and directed our state and the people of the state in the right direction. I am thankful for all party members and all who have supported and backed me. It was the people of Tamil Nadu who brought Amma's government to power for the second time. I know that what happened after that. But we know that Amma's spirit is alive and she is leading us in the right direction. The verdict from the Supreme Court has come some time back. My request to everyone is that you remain calm and peaceful.'

OPS asks supporters to remain calm, says Amma's spirit is leading us in right direction | Times Now

Soon after the Sasikala faction elected Edappadi Palanisamy to the new legislature party leader, the staunch Sasikala loyalist sought an appointment with Governor Vidyasagar Rao to prove his majority. According to CNN-News18, Palanisamy is all set to meet the governor at 5.30 pm today.

Though BJP has not made any official comment on the power struggle between caretaker chief minister O Panneerselvam and Palanisamy.

If the new AIADMK leader is not able to create confidence among the people and cadres and is like a "puppet" and a "yes man", then the party should "know that the verdict is a blow to all kinds of manipulation", he said. The state needs a clean and effective government, he said.

"Sasikala has the advantage of being at the top of the party but she does not have the advantage that Jayalalithaa had, which was having people's endorsement. That is a very important factor. By appointing a proxy you can never win people's trust, which is essential," said P Muralidhar Rao, BJP's general secretary and Tamil Nadu in-charge .

Soon after VK Sasikala and her supporters appointed Edappadi Palanisamy as the new legislature party chief, the Bharatiya Janata Party warned Sasikala that picking a proxy won't help her win people's trust.

This is at variance with the strategy adopted by police in 2014, when J Jayalalithaa (the other accused in the disproportionate assets case) was taken into custody soon after a special court in Bengaluru found both Jayalalithaa and Sasikala guilty.

Meanwhile, police sources told Firstpost that security arrangements have been stepped up in anticipation of violence breaking out when Sasikala is taken into custody. Given the fact that Sasikala is now a convict, she cannot be allowed to stay on at the Golden Bay Resort. However, there were no immediate indications that she would be taken into custody today even though a full six hours have passed since the Supreme Court passed its order.

Sasikala's legal team attempted to buy time by filing a petition before the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking four weeks' time to surrender on "health grounds".

Why did the governor have to wait for the Supreme Court verdict? Even if there was only a day you cannot second guess justice. She (Sasikala) was innocent till proven guilty? What if this verdict was three weeks away or forty days or any other time frame, where and when does the clock start ticking? Governors cannot make decisions predicated to what might happen in court. There is no statute of limitations in the sense that it is okay if there is a decent gap since no one defines the decent gap in days, hours and minutes.

Though Shakespeare himself would have wept in frustration at the intrigues that pretzel the Tamil Nadu political situation and in recent months give rise to suspicions that between the Centre and this southern state and the apathy of the north, situations have been approached and treated in what can best be called a clumsy and oafish manner.

More than the Supreme Court verdict, Sasikala and company face an unassailable charge from which no court or fort can extricate them: the popular belief among party cadre and Jayalalithaa admirers that it was this grisly gang that caused their "dear Amma" much bad name all through. So, Jayalalithaa, though convicted, is now a martyr, a trusting victim of crooked caretakers. And that is the most potent weapon that OPS possesses against Sasikala and company in his fight against the inevitable post-verdict mischief that the family has already started unleashing. Digging into those 75 days of Jayalalithaa's "captivity" in the hospital as also that of the MLAs in the last few days would put the schemers  now without the support of Sasikala who will cool her heels in jail  even more on the back foot.

With Sasikala convicted, AIADMK MLAs know O Panneerselvam is their last resort

"Who's Edappadi Palanisamy?" is the question locals who switched off after the DA case verdict this morning are asking as the sun goes down on a cathartic Valentine's Day in Chennai. Riot police in wait for Sasikala at Golden Bay Resort in Kuvathur and a new player called E Palanisamy at Raj Bhavan mean the Sasikala camp will drag this thing out as long as they possibly can. What's a week or two when 20 years have passed?

After he was elected the new legislature party chief, Edappadi Palanisamy met Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao. According to some reports, he claimed to have the support of 126 AIADMK MLAs.

According to CNN-News 18, O Panneerselvam has sought time to prove majority and wants to have a meeting with Governor Vidyasagar Rao.

This is the verdict the DMK has waited for 20 years, their patriarch M Karunanidhi was in his mid seventies at the time the DA case was filed, hes now on the edge of life and career, his son is battling illness and trying to put on a brave face, their headquarters at Anna Arivalayam is where the fireworks should be blasting into the night sky but its eerily quiet there. Instead, wild celebrations are on within the AIADMK at OPS residence while police who once fell at Sasikalas feet are now waiting to ferry her to prison. If DMK and AIADMK come together to keep Sasikalas proxies out, its not a bad thing at all. We will be relieved, we don't want this chaos to continue, we have had enough, say Chennaiites.

Eight hours have passed since the verdict and the same Sasikala who said shes a lion is now saying she needs to see a physician  these are all pills shes popped during the Jaya years. In criminal matters, review petitions are not entertained, say legal experts. How does the common man see this latest delay tactic by Sasikala? "Fairly simple. There's obviously some big money they need to transfer, stuff they need to hide away, that's why she needs the time. How come she did not need a doctor till now when she was threatening OPS and sacking people left right and centre," is the loudest soundbite on Chennai's streets.

Sasikala, because of her proximity to Jayalalithaa, is no stranger to Jayas doggedness. Her leaving Poes Garden last night, her being ready with the alibi of health condition and asking for four weeks time, the absurd sight of police guarding every inch of Golden Bay Resorts and Sasikala refusing to surface is the special education shes gotten by just watching Jayalalithaa navigate two decades free as a bird after that outsize wedding in the September of 1995. As of this moment, Sasikala is still inside and the police outside Golden Bay Resorts.

Whats the upside of a court case that goes on for 20 years? You can live almost half a life, for one.

> He was elected elected as the new legislature party head at an emergency meeting called by Sasikala at the Golden Bay Resort on Tuesday within hours of the Supreme Court upholding a Bengaluru trial court order convicting Sasikala in the disproportionate assets case. But who's the new head of the AIADMK party?

> Palanisamy was retained in 2016, both by Jayalalithaa and later by her successor Panneerselvam, who has since revolted against Sasikala for allegedly forcing him to step down from chief ministership.

> He comes from a region that is known for its powerful representation of Gounder community and a stronghold of the AIADMK.

> Palanisamy was close to late J Jayalalithaa. According to The News Minute, Palanisamy was a member of Amma's close coterie of the 'Four Man Army' or Nalvar Ani.

> MLA from Salem's Edappadi constituency, Edappadi Palanisamy currently holds the portfolios of Highways, Public Works and Minor Ports. Was elected in 1989, 1991, 2011 and 2016.

Who is Edappadi Palanisamy: All you need to know about the new AIADMK chief

A 570 page verdict by the Supreme Court has to be followed by a process  it does not mean the cops in Chennai can act immediately. The visuals we are seeing of police swarming around the backwater resort is a preparation for whats to follow: arrest and transport to jail. But for that to happen, theres a certain protocol. First, the order has to reach the trial court in Karnataka and then the cops here in Chennai have to have a warrant in hand. Thats what the wait is about. Sasikalas request for extra time  via a sound bite by some random MLA  will not hold in the face of a warrant. And, if Sasikala wants more time, her lawyers will have to appeal to the Supreme Court. Has that happened? "Not that we know of," says OPS campers.

The Supreme Court verdict on the disproportionate assets case was out at 10.30 am. The skies have stained black since then but Sasikala is still at Golden Bay Resort. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Police is out there in full force, and theres a parallel show going on with the politicos zipping in and out of the state's Raj Bhavan. So, is Sasikala is going to spend a sleepless night at Golden Bay Resorts or will she be taken to the jail?

It is obvious she (Sasikala) has caught the illness that inflicts every politician the moment they are caught on the wrong side of the law. The spectre of punishment descends on them like a dreaded ghost, turning them pale, breathless and with a dull pain in the chest. Maybe, someday it will be diagnosed as 'post-punishment depression' or 'pre-incarceration syndrome'.

The Supreme Court directed Sasikala and her two relatives  V N Sudhakaran, Jayalalithaa's foster son, and Elavarasi, widow of Sasikala's elder brother, to "forthwith surrender" before the Bengaluru's trial court which will "take immediate steps" to ensure that all the three "serve out the remainder of sentence awarded to them and take further steps in compliance of this judgement, in accordance with law."

The fact the Supreme Court convicted former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa along with other accused in the case, it is being said that a memorial in her name seems unlikely, CNN-News18 said. Not just that eve her photos have to be removed from the Tamil Nadu Assembly since she has been convicted in the case, it said.

"Emboldened by the lucrative yields of such malignant materialism, the perpetrators of this malady have tightened their noose on the societal psyche. Individual and collective pursuits with curative interventions at all levels are thus indispensable to deliver the civil order from the asphyxiating snare of this escalating venality.

"A growing impression in contemporary existence seems to acknowledge, the all-pervading pestilent presence of corruption almost in every walk of life as if to rest reconciled to the octopoid stranglehold of this malaise with helpless awe. The common day experiences indeed do introduce one with unfailing regularity, the variegated cancerous concoctions of corruption with fearless impunity gnawing into the frame and fabric of the nations essentia.

"The attendant facts and circumstances encountered as above, demonstrate a deep-rooted conspiratorial design to amass vast assets without any compunction and hold the same through shell entities to cover up the sinister trail of such illicit acquisitions and deceive and delude the process of law. Novelty in the outrages and the magnitude of the nefarious gains as demonstrated by the revelations in the case are, to say the least, startling.

"The Mannargudi mafia is not that simple to understand. You can do a PhD on it," says TR Jawahar, group editor, News Today, who has covered Tamil Nadu politics and Jayalalithaas reign in great depth. This palpable sense of distaste for the disproportionate assets case accused also finds mention in the tail end of the 570-page judgement in the Supreme Court. Here is an excerpt:

The most common words that pepper replies to this question are "mafia", "goondas", "fear" and "rowdies".

The floor is the best platform to judge the majority of any leader. Let's leave it to the governor's judgement to take a call. But it's very fluid situation in Tamil Nadu. There are enough precedents, politically speaking and of courts. 'What is the governor waiting for?' You should ask the governor. In politics, you go by constitutional propriety. The norm usually is that the chief minister personally handles his resignation to the governor. Did Panneerselvam go to Governor Vidyasagar Rao to handle his resignation? In fact, he later claimed that he was forced to tender the resignation.

"Although A2 to A4 claims to have independent sources of income but the fact of constitution of firms and acquisition of large tracts of land out of the funds provided by A1 indicate that, all the accused congregated in the house of A1 neither for social living nor A1 allowed them free accommodation out of humanitarian concern, rather the facts and circumstances proved in evidence undoubtedly point out that A2 to A4 were accommodated in the house of A1 pursuant to the criminal conspiracy hatched by them to hold the assets of A1."

The damning Supreme Court judgement against Sasikala and troupe certainly helps the OPS cause. Sample this from page 561 of the 570-page ruling (A1 is Jayalalithaa, A2 is Sasikala; A3 is Ilavarasi and A4 is Sudhakaran):

Now, with Sasikala trying the old health reasons trick to delay her trip to jail and a new player Edappadi Palanisamy turning up to claim the chief minister's post, OPS remains firm that he will win the floor test. Its entirely likely that the OPS camp is banking on Governor Vidyasagar Rao to give them some time, now that the Supreme Court verdict has validated the governors waiting game in round one of the political drama in Tamil Nadu. The man on the street does not have a problem with that. "They kept Amma in hospital for 75 days, they were in no hurry to tell us whats going on. Whats the big hurry to swear in a new government? Let the governor take his time," they say.

Even when MLAs hastened slowly, even though his MP crossovers were more and they dont really matter in the local Assembly, even when Sasikala kept threatening him and calling his a "zero" mocking the "O" in OPS, he stayed smiling and relaxed, although tired. After the Sasikala verdict, all that poise makes total sense.

A week ago, Tamil Nadu watched with astonishment the transformation of the soft-spoken O Panneerselvam into a rebel who could stand Sasikalas meddling no more. Where did he get his confidence from when he did not even have the numbers? Even today, he has 11 or 12 MLAs with him. Did he know something about how the case verdict may turn out?

"The DA case was filed by DMK and I will handle this. You (MLAs) have to remain resolute and make sure people question DMK's existence."

In her first address to party members and supporters since Supreme Court convicted her in the 20-year-old disproportionate assets case, Sasikala broke down and vowed that no one will be able to separate her from AIADMK.

A signature campaign to turn 'Veda Nilayam', the official residence of late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa into a memorial, has elicited a huge response from party cadres and the public.

Sasikala's loyalist Edappady K Palanisamy was elected the Legislature Party Leader, a move apparently aimed at projecting him as the next chief minister, while O Panneerselvam, the caretaker chief minister, was sacked from the party's primary membership, the latest in a series of tit-for-tat moves that the two factions have been making.

Sources told NDTV that 61-year-old Sasikala is unlikely to surrender or make herself available on Tuesday for imprisonment because she has not yet received a copy of the lengthy court verdict.

The Supreme Court pronounced its verdict on Tuesday morning sentencing VK Sasikala to prison for the next four years. In a 570-page judgement in the 19-year-old case that also involved J Jayalalithaa, the apex court ordered that Sasikala, 60, a close aide of the late chief minister, surrender forthwith and serve the remaining part of her four-year jail term.

The week-old political drama in Tamil Nadu got some level of closure with the Supreme Court dashing all hopes of Sasikala's political ambitions through its verdict. Here is a look at the key highlights of the day.

"In view of these developments, the impugned interim order of the High Court in putting Shri Kalyan Singh in position as Chief Minister should be and is, hereby, made absolute subject of-course to Democratic process," the Supreme Court had observed on the floor test in 1998.

The term "composite floor test" came into existence when Jagdambika Pal and Kalyan Singh in Uttar Pradesh were asked to go for it by Allahabad High Court. This is an innovation by the court which does not find any constitutional validity. In fact, the appointment of the CM is sole prerogative of Governor as per the constitutional provision.

How did the 'composite floor test' come into existence?

After almost a week of high optics guard duty at Golden Bay resorts, 30 private guards brought from Mannargudi by Sasikalas clique have been kicked out by Tamil Nadus top police officers clearly relieved at the cloud lifting over the DA case and a semblance of order coming back to the still chaotic administrative arrangements as the AIADMK crisis lurches into its second week. All 56 rooms at the Golden Bay resort are still occupied by Sasikalas MLAs while Sasikala left late night Tuesday to Poes Garden to deliver a tearful speech before she is ferried to jail in neighbouring Karnataka. No additional crossovers to OPS camp since Tuesday despite the damning Supreme Court verdict.

Known for the way they rule a parallel economy in Tamil Nadu via fear tactics, the Mannargudi mafia will certainly be weakened with Sasikala in jail but its clear that Accused # 2 in the DA case is unable to let go, considering the legacy of ill-gotten wealth she has been accused of laundering. Theres a lot of debris left behind, her (Sasikala) going to jail will not end the mafia but will weaken it enough so that it will not remain the brute force it is today, say Tamil Nadu politicos.

They can jail me but they cant jail my heart, I will continue to monitor problems, said Sasikala, the pivot of the Mannargudi clan manipulating Tamil Nadus politics and pelf throughout the most successful years of Jayalalithaas years. "You can take me away from AIADMK but you cant take AIADMK away from me, she said at Poes Garden late Tuesday night, sending chills down Tamil Nadu voters who were just beginning to relax after the verdict, hoping they dont have to worry about law and order in the state capital and the rest of Tamil Nadu.

Does Sasikala in jail mean the Mannargudi mafia's sway is over?

In March 2014, Judge D'Cunha slapped a Rs 60,000 fine on Special Public Prosecutor in the case, G Bhavani Singh for repeatedly seeking adjournments since January 27, 2014, without justifiable cause. In less then a year from then, he delivered his verdict holding Jayalalithaa, Sasikala and Ilavarasi guilty of holding disproportionate assets upwards of Rs 66 crore. This is not the first time D'Cunha's style of swift action has found its way to the headlines - in 2004, as a Judicial Magistrate First Class at Hubli, Karnataka, D'Cunha issued a non-bailable warrant against then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti in connection with her role in the 1994 Hubli riots.

The DA case filed in 1996 slowed almost to a complete halt until 2013 when it picked up pace and hammered away at Jayalalithaas health too. That was the same year in which DCunha was appointed as Special Judge to dispose of the case. While news media are pouring over the latest 570-page tome, its logical genesis starts way back in 2013-2014.

The aftermath of the DA case verdict has many heroes but in legal circles, its a standing ovation for Karnataka High Court additional judge John Michael DCunha.

ANI reports that AIADMK said that TTV Dhinakaran has been appointed as the party's deputy general secretary.

There they go again. This is what Sasikala means when she says she'll continue to monitor the party  her nephew TTV Dinakaran is back in the AIADMK as deputy general secretary which is just code for a further elevation soon. He made a special appearance when Sasikala met the Governor last week and is said to have coached her to say the only three words she spoke in English, "I stake claim."

Yet, when you point out that he is looked upon as a "hero" as this message suggests, Acharya laughs in the most embarrassed fashion to say, "No, no. I dont want to take all that. I sincerely worked as a public prosecutor should do."

And, sections of social media are agog with this line: "This is the time to remember the courage and integrity of (Special Public Prosecutor BV) Acharya and Special Judge Michael D'Cunha but for whom the accused would have got away".

The case lasted 19 years in various courts  from Chennai to Delhi (Supreme Court), to Puducherry and Karnataka. Acharya worked for nine-and-a-half years in a case that has taken almost 21 years to reach some form of finality before the Supreme Court right from the trial court stage.

BV Acharya is the one who has served as the special public prosecutor (SPP) in the disproportionate assets case against late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa and the closest anyone could have come to the post of chief ministership in Tamil Nadu, VK Sasikala, among other accused.

Meet the giant-slayer who took on Jayalalithaa and won

For those of you who want to cut the chase, below is an excerpt from Page 95 of the 570-page verdict which is the fairly straightforward, non-legalese version of why the main star cast in the DA case is finally heading to jail: that to prove conspiracy it is not possible to have direct evidence. The same has to be proved by drawing inferences from the proved circumstances. It is fundamental that the ultimate decision has to be by considering cumulative effect of all the circumstances taken together.

Jayalalitha did time at this prison for 21 days from September to October 2014, after which her health went into a tailspin, her sugar levels shot up to dangerous levels and she all but disappeared from public gaze.

Unless theres a meteor strike, VK Sasikala, self-appointed protector of the AIADMK legacy, will leave sometime today from her plush 24,000-square feet mansion in the heart of Chennais Mylapore for a cell in the overcrowded Central Prison in Bengaluru also called Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. As of October 2016, this prison is spread over 40 acres and has more than 4,400 inmates despite its official capacity being only 2,200.

"I think people should respect the decision of the Supreme Court. This will however strengthen the roots of democracy and somewhere will bring an end to corruption. Now, the AIADMK will have to decide who will be their party leader and how will their party run. And what face they will show to the people of Tamil Nadu," ANI quoted JD(U) leader Ajay Alok as saying.

Immovable properties Cash paid over and above consideration New or additional construction buildings Gold and diamond jewellery Silver wares Fixed deposits and shares Cash balance in bank accounts Vehicles Machinery Footwear Sarees Wrist watches

Money, dough, cheques, land, loot, cash, houses, cars, diamonds, debt, blings  it covers a lot of ground in 20 years, especially when there are 4 people rolling in it. Even the judges who finally delivered the verdict on the 20-year-old DA case found their heads spinning. So, for convenience, they settled on these below listed 11 broad divisions to figure out the final calculation of disproportionate assets of the accused detailed in Page 98 of the order:

Meanwhile, Sasikala's advocate KTS Tulsi told PTI that she wanted some time to surrender to manage her affairs before going to jail.

The Supreme Court said: "We do not intend to pass any order on this. We are not going to change anything in the judgement."

According to sources, Sasikala has not been arrested yet. She is likely to surrender before Bengaluru court this evening. Sasikala's lawyers had already reached the court. Judge Ashwath Narayana yet to reach.

Next up  expect to hear very soon from the people who were on duty at Veda Nilayam on the day Jayalalithaa was rushed to Apollo Hospital in September 2016. For the OPS camp, that's a sure way to make the Mannargudi mafia tag even more reviled while its kingpin is away.

J Ilavarasi, Sudhakaran, Sasikala will bid goodbye to Veda Nilayam for a longish spell and we are sure to hear soon how they need urgent medical care for their fragile bodies not used to the rigours of a hard life in jail, minus chicken curry and booze. By the time they return to Chennai, Tamil Nadu will be bracing for another Assembly election and the cops outside Jayalalithaas home will be there not to welcome them but to shoo them away.

Remember Jayalalithaas final journey before the burial on 6 December, 2016? Remember those no-locus freeloaders who climbed on the army vehicle which held Jayalalithaas body? Youll see them again today, stepping out of a house thats not theirs and into a crowd that doesnt want them here.

No more chicken curry and booze for the reclusive freeloaders

AIADMK is paying the price for the fact that Jayalalithaa left behind no political successor and neither did she get the chance to appoint one.

To counter this problem, personality cult parties often fall back to the formula or succession. Therefore, we find Lalu Yadav try desperately to prop up his sons and Mulayam Singh Yadav stage an elaborate Punch and Judy show to "properly" launch son Akhilesh.

A progeny of the Dravidian movement, AIADMK was from the start a party based on personality cult. It was identified with founder MG Ramachandran who broke away from DMK due to internal differences. His death saw the cult baton being passed to J Jayalalitha after a short but intense battle of succession. Jayalalithaa's death now has created a vacuum because the successors  be it O Panneerselvam, VK Sasikala or Edappadi K Palaniswami  neither have her political acumen or charisma. While all players try desperately to hold on to and claim Jayalalithaa's political legacy, Tamil Nadu's largest political outfit is facing a vertical split and may soon face an existential crisis.

The crisis facing AIADMK is indicative of the fate that awaits political parties built on personality cults instead of an ideological base. The problem is, personality cults never endure, ideas do.

Tamil Nadus voters are not particularly keen, though. Sample actor Siddharth's tweet: "Why ask for 4 weeks, why not 4 years time?" in reaction to Sasikala's futile delay tactics citing ill health.

Yet, because of Jaya's political aura and success, her admirers had a totally different equation with her - they see Sasikala as the schemer who misled Jaya. Never in Jayalalithaas reign would you have seen her Land Cruiser slow to almost a halt on Poes Garden Road; what we saw today is proof that Sasikalas alleged authority over the police has been busted. Gritting her teeth and muttering something under her breath, Sasikala banged her right hand hard on the soft and fragrant flowers atop Jayalalithaas memorial, it seemed like she promised to fight on.

The crush at Poes Garden when Sasikala finally decided to leave for her appointment in jail is less about her loyalists and grip over the party - its a long pending revenge of the cameras on a street that has been the ultimate stonewall for hacks. You can't ask questions, can't take pictures, you'd have to stand in line but half a kilometre away, tender ads would be cancelled if you wrote a line out of place, the list of no-nos at TN's seat of political power was endless.

What does it take to gather two bus loads of cronies and get them to shout slogans in praise? Packed mutton biryani, moonshine and the vague promise of political stakes in the hazy future. Not a big deal for a party, although in crisis, which won big in the Assembly elections less than a year ago.

"I hope you (Tulsi) understand the meaning of the word 'immediately'," Justice Ghose said.  PTI

During the brief hearing today, the bench said that the word 'immediately' has been used in the judgement with regard to the surrender of the convict.

The bench, instead of listing the plea, made clear to the lawyer that it would not consider the plea.

He was seeking urgent hearing of the application today itself.

Senior advocate KTS Tulsi, appearing for Sasikala, said that the leader wanted some time to surrender as she has to manage her affairs.

"Sorry. We have already written everything in the fatty judgement and it says forthwith. I am not going to change even a word," the bench said.

"We do not intend to pass any order on this. We are not going to change anything in the judgement," a bench headed by Justice PC Ghose said.

Details of how the Supreme Court refused to entertain Sasikala's plea for more time

"I was kidnapped and held hostage at a resort," India Today TV quoted MLA Saravanan as saying.

Half the time, we, the petitioners or defendants, do not understand what our lawyers are saying and we just nod in miserable surrender and helplessness.

In this case, with Sasikala facing several years behind bars and Tamil Nadu in political turmoil, just to offer an example (not to mention another 100,000 cases) to illustrate the point, would it not be more sensible to reinvent the English language in the judicial system and use it for maximum benefit as a vehicle for educating the public?

While there is no absence of respect for the right of the judiciary to exercise its writing skills, a germane question would be how important it believes it is to get the message across to the public.

He was arrested in a land grab case in 2012, has been accused of land grabbing, assault and cheating in a whole bunch of cases in 2011 but is out and thriving at his Chennai den. Oddly (and predictably) enough, he was hospitalised in Chennai with a certain breathing problem on the same day Sasikala allegedly pressurised OPS to step down as Chief Minister. Expect more in the Sasikala family to develop chest pain and breathing problems in the coming weeks.

Sometimes spotted on flights to New Delhi, known to travel overseas often, seen on the rare television interview but more often known as the person who has exerted outsize clout over Poes Garden insiders, hes next on the radar of the anti-Sasikala group. He showed up suddenly to lay a wreath on Jayalalithaas body on 6 December last year and then faded into the shadows as quickly as he surfaced. BJP leader L Ganesan tried to introduce him to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Later, during the last rites, Natarajan, Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Tamil Nadu Congress chief Thirunavukkarasu with far from sombre faces made for quite a photo op.

So, where is this man, known to be all powerful behind the scenes?

He features early on in the DA case files: Tmt. Sasikala Natarajan is the wife of one Mr. M. Natarajan who had joined Government service as a Publicity Assistant in the Department of Information and Public Relation, Government of Tamil Nadu, in the year 1970 and thereafter promoted in succession eventually as Deputy Director in the year 1986 in the same department. He tendered his resignation from Government service on 1st November, 1988 which was accepted by the Government of Tamil Nadu with retrospective effect on 3rd April, 1991.

Cold, hard facts in the black and white of court judgments have that welcome quality of stripping popular myths constructed around shadowy people. One such is Sasikalas husband - M Natarajan.

The resignation came after Sasikala's nephew Dinakaran was made the party's deputy general secretary.

This development comes after AIADMK MLA Saravanan alleged that he was kidnapped at the resort.

There were many other lines as well, none charitable to Sasi, reflecting the popular mood of the State.  News Today

There was one saying 'Ongi adicha ondra tonnu weightu da' (a reference to the iconic dialogue from Suriya's Singam, roughly translating to mean: If I bend and thump you, you'll feel the weight of one and a half tonne).

The gesture  interpreted as some kind of vow or pledge  triggered speculation and inevitably, 'meme jokes' immediately.

Sasikala arrived at the Jaya memorial all solemn (and also sore-looking) and as she bent down in silent prayer, everything looked normal. And then, when she leaned forward and thumped the flower-bedecked tomb of Jayalalithaa with her open palm three times, things became typically Tamil Nadu.

As if there was dearth of drama all along, VK Sasikala provided more moments of theatre at the Jaya Memorial at the Marina, which she visited en route to Bengaluru where she is expected to give herself up in a court.

Before leaving for Bengaluru, VK Sasikala vowed to return to politics. She made a quick but dramatic stop at Jaya memorial, MGR's residence.

Suspense has been quelled as Sasikala's whereabouts have been ascertained. But a couple of hours ago things weren't so clear. Anything but, in fact..."

People whove been operating from dark alleys of Tamil Nadu are now on the main street, openly daring OPS. Edappadi Palaniswamy is just a front and he's on his way to Raj Bhavan  the AIADMK's favourite evening haunt for coffee, biscuits and to belt out their favorite opening line: "I stake claim."

Natarajans landing up in Bengaluru has sent a loud message to the OPS camp and Tamil Nadu's voters who may have been lulled into thinking it's game up for the Mannargudi mafia, but Sasikalas rule by proxy is a real and present threat.

Its Barrack Number 20 at Parappana Agraharam Central Prison for VK Sasikala. Shes inside while her husband Natarajan and her large extended family with its long and murky history of cases pending against them are all out there roaming free.

Sasikala threat for OPS far from over: Mannargudi mafia breaks out of shadows, heads to Raj Bhavan

There are stories that end and there are stories that are mere beginnings. Exactly 10 days ago, when O Panneerselvam checked in at Jayalalithaas memorial on Marina beach, sat in silence for 40 minutes and then lambasted Sasikala, Tamil Nadu was stunned and elated. Numbers did not matter at that moment. The rebellion was enough. Ten days later, Sasikala is in jail and still on the brink of power. Her side led by proxy Edappadi Palanisamy has the numbers, OPS has all of 11 MLAs where 117 is the minimum magic number to win control of the state legislature. Sasikalas nephew Dhinakaran is back as an AIADMK power broker so that all instructions from the Bengaluru prison become his official business. Likewise, Sasikalas husband M Natarajan, after years in the wilderness, is back on the prowl, now that Jayalalithaa is out of the way. These are all people who would not dare show up anywhere in Jayalalithaas range of vision, todays theyre crawling all over.

As Sasikala settled in at Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara central jail day after the Supreme Court convicted her in a corruption case, her loyalist Edappadi Palaniswami called on Governor Vidayasagar Rao for the second time. His challenger to the post of the chief minister, O Panneerselvam, followed soon after. Speaking to CNN-News18, sources said that the governor, who has been conspicuous by his silence so far, may call for a floor test on Friday. It was not immediately clear whether the floor test would be a composite one, as advised by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi.

Sources indicate that Raj Bhavan's invite could go out to Palanisamy by Thursday noon and the swearing-in ceremony could even take place the same day.

Sources say Rao himself is keen to put an end to this stalemate that has lasted ten days now. Personally he is in favour of inviting Palanisamy to form the government and ask him to prove his majority on the floor of the House within 24 to 48 hours. But the pitch has been queered by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi who has suggested a composite floor test to be conducted between Panneerselvam and Palanisamy even though it is only the Supreme court that can order it. The governor reportedly is not convinced that the situation in Chennai warrants a composite floor test.

Edapadi Palanisamy has conveyed to Rao that he has the support of 124 MLAs, which is seven above the half way mark of 117. O Panneerselvam has not presented any numbers but it is obvious he has only ten legislators on his side. The fact that Raj Bhavan is still engaging with Panneerselvam is proof that a political farce is being played out in Chennai.

Is 124 greater than 10 or is it the other way round? All of Wednesday night, Governor Vidyasagar Rao sought the answer to this question in the land of Ramanujam. On it hinges how soon Tamil Nadu will get its new government.

Is 124 greater than 10? Answer to this will determine Tamil Nadu's future

A prison official told journalists that the long-time confidante of the late J Jayalalithaa will make candles in jail. Sasikala surrendered to the trial court set up in the prison along with her sister-in-law Elavarasi and nephew VN Sudhakaran, all of whom were held guilty along with the late Jayalalithaa by the apex court on Tuesday of having assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

Former AIADMK General Secretary Sasikala, convicted in the disproportionate assets case by the Supreme Court, on Wednesday returned to the Bengaluru jail as the battle for supremacy in the AIADMK continued in Tamil Nadu. Sasikala, 59, was sent to a women's cell in the Central Jail soon after she reached Bengaluru in a convoy from Chennai after her plea for more time to surrender was rejected by the Supreme Court.

The jail is just off the highway that connects Chennai to Bengaluru.

Bangalore Central Jail, also known as Parappana Agrahara central jail, is the largest and the most crowded in Karnataka. It is spread over an area of 40 acres and houses 4,400 inmates, twice its capacity. Established in 1997, the Bangalore Central jail is located in a suburb called 'Parappana Agrahara' in south-east Bengaluru.

Soon after her surrender, Sasikala was registered as qaidi number 9235, while Ilavarasi, her niece, was given the number 9236. Sasikala, who almost became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu last week, will be put up in cell number 2, which she will share with other inmates. News18 reported that male prisoners in the jail dress in white coarse cotton shirts and pyjamas, while the women wear sarees. Sasikala and Ilavarasi will be given three saris each, the channel further said.

Even at the prison, where police and AIADMK activists scuffled on Wednesday, Sasikala sought more time to serve the jail term but the judge rejected her request and told her to undergo a health check-up.

All four were lodged in the same prison for three weeks from September 27, 2014 after the trial court sentenced them. They later got bail from the Karnataka High Court.

In 2014, Sasikala, with her nephew V N Sudhakaran and sister-in-law Ilavarasi, had spent 21 days in Parappana Agrahara central jail. Sudhakaran and Ilavarasi are the co-convicts in the disproportionate assets case. At the time, the jail played host to J Jayalalithaa too, who was serving a term at the same place after being sentenced to four years by a special court that tried all four of them.

Sasikala and Ilavarasi would share a small cell in women's block in the jail, Rao said. He said Sasikala would get normal food, not home food, but it would be according to the doctor's advice. Sudhakaran would also be sharing the cell with other inmates, he said.

Sasikala will be in jail for three years and about 11 months out of the four years sentence awarded by the trial court, DG (Prisons) Sathyanarayana Rao told PTI. She had earlier spent 21 days in Parappana Agrahara jail after conviction by the trial court in September 2014.

Yasin Bhatkal  co-founder of terror group Indian Mujahideen  is scheduled to be brought to the same jail in connection with the Chinnaswamy Stadium blast, reports said.

E Palanisami has conveyed to Rao that he has the support of 124 MLAs, on the other hand, Team O Panneerselvam is confident of winning the floor test. "Panneerselvam will also be given a chance, most of the MLAs are not interested in supporting Sasikala, they are supporting Panneerselvam," says Durai Pandian, AIADMK, Panneerselvams camp.

Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao has assured supporters of Sasikala that he will announce his decision today (Thursday). "If Governor invites us, swearing in can happen today itself," Sasikala camp sources were quoted as saying by News18. In fact, the channel confirmed that the governor will meet Palanisami at 11.30 today morning.

According to AIAMDK leader in the Panneerselvam camp, the appointment of TTV Dinakaran as the party's Deputy General Secretary by Sasikala is void. "As per party bylaw only a person who is a party member for five continuous years can hold any party post. Dinakaran was not a member of the party for the past several years. He was dismissed from the party by Jayalalithaa," he added.

On Wednesday evening, AIADMK's leader of the legislature party Palanisamy and Panneerselvam met Rao separately. After the meeting AIADMK Presidium Chairman KA Sengottaiyan expressed confidence that the Governor would soon invite Palanisamy to form the government. Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar too echoed similar views post Rao's meeting.

Soon after the death of Jayalalithaa, thousands of AIADMK cadres rallied behind Jayakumar and wanted her to enter politics. According to the AIADMK leader, who spoke to IANS on the condition of anonymity, the political impasse in the state may end in a couple of day's time. "Yesterday (Wednesday) when we met the Governor, we reiterated the point that majority of AIADMK legislators are held in captivity at the beach resort and if they are freed then support for our leader would swell," he said.

Tamil Nadu Governor Rao will meet Edappadi Palanisamy and five other ministers at Raj Bhavan at 11.30 am today. "E Palanisamy will be next the chief minister. It is a great news," Apsara Reddy, AIADMK spokesperson told CNN-News18.

Speaking to News18 , BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said, "First Sasikala, and now Palanisami have produced the list. Panneerselvam has not been able to produce a list even now. It has become a national disgrace that Vidyasagar Rao took so much time to do what should have been done earlier. His friends played on his emotions. I have no doubt about his integrity, but he is a bit sentimental about friendships. The Centre said they wouldnt take an official stand. It is between the governor and the President, and the Constitution."

As information about Palanisamy meeting the governor spread beyond the limits of Chennai, reactions started pouring in.

Playing down the meeting between Edappadi Palanisamy and Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, a minister from the O Panneerselvam camp said that it is not a big deal. "We anticipated this," Durai Pandian told CNN-News18. Meanwhile, the channel claimed that the swearing-in of the new chief minister will likely take place on Thursday evening in Raj Bhavan.

Hailing it as the victory for Amma, the Sasikala and/or the Palanisamy camp of AIADMK celebrated after Governor Vidyasagar Rao formally invited Edappadi Palanisamy to form the government. Rao, however, gave Palanisamy time of 15 days to prove majority on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

Letter of invite from Governor to Palaniswami to form government in Tamil Nadu

The law was added via the 52nd Amendment Act, 1985, soon after the Rajiv government came to power with a thumping majority in the wake of the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. The Congress had won 401 seats in the Lok Sabha.

"The Tenth Schedule  popularly known as the Anti-Defection Act  was included in the Constitution in 1985 by the Rajiv Gandhi ministry and sets the provisions for disqualification of elected members on the grounds of defection to another political party."

But it is over for OPS. The only way OPS comes out on top after this debacle id if the defected leader is able to prove a two-thirds majority on the floor of the House in a floor test 15 days later. If he fails and abstains from appearing in Assembly after the dealine is over, OPS and supporting MLAs will be disqualified under the anti-defection law.

After Governor C Vidyasagar Rao formally invited Edappadi Palaniswami to form the government in Tamil Nadu  effectively making him the new chief minister of the state  supporters of O Panneerselvam, who heads the losing faction of AIADMK, said that it's not over yet. ANI tweeted that V Maitreyan from OPS camp is going to meet the Election Commission in Delhi this afternoon.

- Sasikala Pushpa had told the Commission that the elevation of Sasikala as the general secretary of the party was carried out in an "undemocratic manner". - VK Sasikala has been Jayalalithaa's closest aide since the 1980s. She has been taking care of party affairs, although she never held any formal position in the AIADMK before Jayalalithaa's death.

- The full bench of Election Commission of India will conduct enquiry today at 2.45 pm on the validity of appointment of VK Sasikala as General Secretary of AIADMK based on the complaint of Sasikala Pushpa RS MP and Mathusoothanan. This outcome will decide the validity of Sasikala's actions as general secretary. - On 8 February, EC had sent a communication to AIADMK asking them to explain what rules of their constitution were followed to appoint the general secretary after certain complaints were raised to EC. However, no deadline has been given to them to explain the matter.

OPS can still bring the current government down by poaching MLAs, which leaves the governor with only one choice: Impose President's Rule in Tamil Nadu and hold fresh elections in six months or a year. But this option is highly unlikely. It will require big political players to show their clout and convince the eight MLAs to leave the EPS camp  which will be in power for the next four years  and bring down the government just to go for fresh elections.

OPS could still try to win it back, but it will be a tough one. OPS needs eight more MLAs to bring down Palaniswami's newly-formed government (EPS has 124 MLAs, if OPS can coax 8 out of them to defect, the count goes down to 116, which is one less than the majority of 117). However, it is an uphill task for OPS as MLAs will not defect unless there is a sure chance of winning.

It seems unlikely, but there's still a window of hope for Panneerselvam.

The law on elected legislators is clear: They can't break away unless they new faction has the support of at least two-third of the elected members. So, in Panneerselvam's case, he can trigger a rebellion only if he has at least 100 legislators. Given that he has just around a dozen MLAs in his camp, a split in the AIADMK looks unlikely.

The governor's decision ensures that either Panneerselvam goes out and breaks the AIADMK with the support of at least two-third legislators or loses his Assembly seat. His third option is, of course, to go back to the AIADMK and become its loyal servant again, provided the powers that control the party forgive and forget.

With the governor's decision to invite Palanisamy  a proxy nominated by VK Sasikala's camp after Chinnamma's incarceration  to form the next government, the acting chief minister faces a dark future that may end into oblivion.

Unless a miracle saves him or his supporters spill out on the streets, this looks like the end of O Panneerselvam  the courtier who wanted to be the king. On Thursday, Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao ended the stalemate and power games in the state by inviting E Palaniswami to form the government. He has been given 15 days to prove his majority in the Assembly.

End of OPS: With Sasikala proxy nominated as Tamil Nadu CM, OPS' future may end into oblivion

In many ways, the denouement appears rational and justified. Panneerselvam was a proxy for J Jayalalithaa. After her demise, he had staked claim to her legacy citing his loyalty to the late CM. But, his current innings seems to have ended with the former CM. Courtiers and proxies often meet this end.

This means if Panneerselvam and his supporters violate the AIADMK whip to support Palaniswami's government in case of a floor test, they could be expelled from the Assembly. So, if Panneerselvam wishes to remain a member of the legislature, he would have to obey the diktat of the new high command.

"However, if there is any overt act of either joining any other political party voluntarily or defies any whip of any political party then he will attract the provision of the 10th Schedule and action can be taken against him by the Speaker," the government clarified.

Though Panneerselvam has been expelled from the party, he will continue to remain under the control of the party. In 2016, the government had clarified in the Supreme Court that upon expulsion from a political party, there is no automatic disqualification under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution from legislative assembly or Parliament and that member will continue as an unattached member as per the direction of the Speaker.

Perhaps the road to Jayalalithaa's legacy was jinxed. Everybody who tried to claim got scalded: Sasikala went to jail, the BJP got checkmated and Panneerselvam might disappear into oblivion.

If Sasikala decides to avenge her humiliation by the Centre and decides to join the anti-BJP camp, it would turn out to be a lose-lose situation for everybody who supported Panneerselvam and thwarted Chinnamma's dream.

With Palaniswami in the driver's seat and the remote firmly in Sasikala's hand, it would be interesting to see how the new government deals with the BJP-led Centre. The Centre needs the government's support for getting its candidate elected as the next President of India. The AIADMK numbers are crucial also in the Rajya Sabha, where the government is currently outnumbered by the Opposition.

With Palaniswami in driver's seat, how will BJP-led Centre deal with new Tamil Nadu government

O Panneerselvam story is temporarily over. He managed to tap into the anti-Sasikala sentiment but could not convince enough MLAs to jump ship. But with Mannargudi family still well entrenched in party and maybe even in the government, it gives OPS hope to rally AIADMK cadre around himself and position as an anti-AIADMK voice.

Story over for OPS: But he could be a strong anti-AIADMK voice in Tamil Nadu

All AIADMK MLAs are ready, and governor C Vidyasagar Rao has reached Raj Bhavan to administer the oath of office to new Chief Minister E Palaniswami and 30 ministers part of his new Cabinet.

Newly sworn in Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswamy and his 30 Cabinet members to visit 'Amma' memorial at Marina Beach, and may even visit VK Sasikala, lodged in a prison in Bangalore.

Media is reporting that other than new chief minister E Palaniswami and his Cabinet, who are heading to 'Amma' memorial, the remainder of the 100-odd MLAs may be heading back to the Golden Bay resort, which is where they will stay until the date for the floor test is announced by the Assembly.

AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala spent a tough first night in jail, as she was unable to sleep and was restless at night. As the trial court denied Sasikala's demand for some privileges, including home food, she refused to have supper on Wednesday night though she was served two rotis, one ragi ball, 200 gms of rice and 150 gm of sambar, like all other inmates. "When Saskiala's sister-in-law and co-convict Elavarasi cajoled her to have food in view of her weak health, she took rice with sambar and butter milk," a jail source said. The judge also rejected Sasikala's request for a special room for prayers and yoga and an attached toilet-cum-bathroom.

Media analysts and experts believe the big mistake caretaker chief minister O Panneerselvam made was to trust that the rebel MLAs would back him after VK Sasikala's conviction came through. But considering almost half of them were first-time MLAs who didn't fancy the prospect of facing another round of elections, they chose to go with safety in numbers. And that may have helped keep the AIADMK party together, and send E Palaniswami to the chief minister's chair.

Within 24 hours of VK Sasikala going behind bars, her proxies are front and centre in Tamil Nadu as state's voters struggle to come to terms with this bitter harvest. Cartoonists for Tamil rags are having a busy day, every headline screams: "Sasikala's cunning strategy pays off, she rules from jail".

DMK leader, MK Stalin has congratulated the Edappadi Palaniswami government, however, he reminded the new chief minister of Tamil Nadu to remember his oath while carrying out his official duties.

After the oath ceremony, the AIADMK MLAs headed to the Golden Bay Resort, ANI said. Meanwhile, according to the news agency, the Tamil Nadu Assembly will convene on 18 February and a floor test will take place on the same day.

The news report also said that the MLA has pledged to join the OPS camp.

AIADMK's MLA from Mylapore M Natarajan has reportedly refused to vote for the newly appointed Chief Minister E Palaniswami ahead of the Saturday's floor test, according to India Today TV.

Madusudanan also announced the "expulsion" of TTV Dinakaran and S Venkatesh. He said Jayalalithaa had earlier (in 2011) expelled them from the party for "betraying" her. "Their re-induction, done without any authority, is being cancelled," he said.

"VK Sasikala is being removed from the party's primary membership for going against the party principles and ideals, and having violated her promise to Amma (Jayalalithaa), besides facing criminal cases. She has brought disrepute to the party," he said in a statement.

In his statement, E Madusudhanan alleged that Sasikala "violated" her promise to Jayalalithaa that she will not enter politics and that she had no inclination to be a part of the party or government.

But the EPS camp is confident as all its MLAs are still at the resort. The OPS camp claims several of them have been threatened with dire consequences if they defy Sasikala. Everything will then depend on how they vote on Saturday.

Interestingly, state BJP leaders have been in touch with Panneerselvam since Thursday. On Friday, Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan said it is unlikely that Palaniswami will stay CM after Saturday's floor test.

It may be a touch and go with Mylapore MLA R Natraj, former DGP saying he will go with what the people want.

The story clearly isn't over yet in Tamil Nadu. The effort of the OPS camp is now to somehow ensure E Palaniswami (EPS) loses the trust vote on Saturday.

DMK acting president MK Stalin has called an emergency meeting of his MLAs to strategise ahead of Saturday's floor test.

Reacting to that, Panneerselvam had said smiling at another human being is one of the qualities that differentiates humans from animals.

The strange advice came just a few days after AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala had noted that former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had smiled at Stalin  and cited that as one of the reasons for asking him to step down.

DMK's Working President M.K. Stalin on Friday advised newly-sworn-in Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy against smiling at him in the assembly.

The assembly has been convened on Saturday where Palaniswami with 125 legislators in his camp will seek the confidence of the house for his government.

After holding hectic discussions at Panneerselvam's residence on Friday morning, a small group of AIADMK leaders met the Speaker in the Secretariat and demanded secret ballot on Saturday.

Panneerselvam's camp has demanded secret ballot on Saturday when the motion of confidence is moved in the assembly, leaders said.

One, It has a razor thin majority now. Any conflict and Palaniswami will have to ensure that he keeps the entire flock happy. Apart from cabinet berths, he will have to ensure the MLAs are rewarded with plum posts of chairmen of corporations.

Will the AIADMK survive the next four years and stay in power? It looks extremely difficult because there are too many factors that are not in its control.

Will the AIADMK survive the next four years and stay in power?

Following Nataraj's about turn at the last minute, Palaniswami's support base is down to 124 legislators.

AIADMK legislator representing Mylapore constituency and former Director General of Police (DGP) R Nataraj on Friday said he would vote against Palaniswami.

There is immense chaos in the House at the moment. The speaker has denied the request to defer the floor test to another day.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly has been adjourned till 1 pm. According to CNN News18, chairs were thrown at Speakers podium and complete pandemonium persisted in the Assembly. The voting has been postponed in this light.

After the House was reconvened at 1 pm, the DMK MLAs were expelled by the Speaker for their earlier unruly and violent behaviour. The DMK MLAs protesting this expulsion and are refusing to leave.

This is the second time the Assembly has been adjourned during the special session that was called to conduct a floor test. Earlier, the House was adjourned till 1 pm after a violent outburst by the DMK MLAs who demanded a secret ballot and deferment of the floor-test. However, these requests were denied.

The chief minister won the motion, but the voting was conducted without the DMK which was seeking secret ballot in the first place.

An FIR has been filed against DMK working president MK Stalin, 63 party MLAs, 3 MPs and cadres for holding a protest at Marina beach against the alleged attack on him and his MLAs during the trust vote in the Assembly.

DMK leaders met with the governor on Sunday and submitted a memorandum on Saturday's floor test. Speaking to media, DMK Rajya Sabha MP T Siva said, "We've submitted a memorandum on the issue to TN Governor; He has promised to look into the matter. Sans participation of Opposition in Assembly, the trust vote moved by CM was passed; It's illegal."

Stalin says he will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to highlight the ongoing crisis

AIADMK Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinakaran has reached the Bengaluru Central Jail and will be meeting VK Sasikala, who has been jailed in the disproportionate assets case for four years, reports NDTV.

Earlier in the day, Palaniswami 'did a J Jayalalithaa' by deciding to close down 500 more Tasmac liquor shops just like his leader had done when she returned to power in May 2016.Among his other decisions was to announce a housing scheme to build 5,000 independent homes for fisherfolk, implementation of an election promise to give working women a 50 percent subsidy to buy a vehicle and an in emolument for pregnant women from Rs 12,000 to Rs 18,000, which will benefit six lakh women.

AIADMK Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinakaran has reached the Bengaluru Central Jail and will be meeting VK Sasikala, who has been jailed in the disproportionate assets case for four years, reports NDTV.

Earlier in the day, Palaniswami 'did a J Jayalalithaa' by deciding to close down 500 more Tasmac liquor shops just like his leader had done when she returned to power in May 2016.Among his other decisions was to announce a housing scheme to build 5,000 independent homes for fisherfolk, implementation of an election promise to give working women a 50 percent subsidy to buy a vehicle and an in emolument for pregnant women from Rs 12,000 to Rs 18,000, which will benefit six lakh women.

The DMK petition challenging Tamil Nadu chief minister's trust vote win, Madras High Court adjourns case till Monday asking petitioners to submit video of ruckus in Tamil Nadu Assembly.

There is no secret ballot in parliament and assembly, only during elections it is followed: Panrutti Ramachandran, Senior AIADMK leader pic.twitter.com/4xUQfZYXVR

Panrutti Ramachandran said that there is no secret ballot in the Parliament or Assembly, it is used only during elections. The reason it is not used in the Parliament and Assembly is to prevent defection.

Working president of the party, MK Stalin, is participating in the strike from Trichy.

The DMK cadre observed hunger strike in all district offices across Tamil Nadu protesting eviction of DMK MLAs from the state Assembly on Saturday, 18 February.

Trichy (Tamil Nadu): DMK begins its hunger strike protest over ruckus that took place in Tamil Nadu Assembly. MK Stalin also present pic.twitter.com/PKseoSNmJ5

Massive security arrangements have been put in place across Tamil Nadu to prevent untoward incidents during the protests.

When we see that the Speaker is deliberately harping on his community to maligns us, it is very regrettable. It is a matter of shame, according to us, for Tamil Nadu, Stalin had said.

On Tuesday, MK Stalin had said that the DMK would move a no confidence motion against P Dhanapal. This response came after P Dhanapal claimed that he was specifically targetted by the DMK for hailing for a particular community.

Have proof that AIADMK MLAs were kept at Golden Bay resort for 11 days& also that many filed complaint about being caged: Advocate K. Balu pic.twitter.com/auese3hvGi

Advocate K Balu said that AIADMK MLAs were kept at Golden Bay resort for 11 days and that many had filed a complaint about being caged.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is all set to seek a vote of confidence on Saturday in the state assembly  that is likely to see some tight-rope walk, with the rival AIADMK faction led by O Panneerselvam joined by opposition parties to vote against the government.

The southern state, that has not seen a day without hectic political developments since the past 10 days, is poised for another day of intense political activity with the scene shifting to the state assembly.

Palaniswami, 63, a senior leader in the ruling AIADMK of the VK Sasikala camp, was sworn in on Thursday. He needs the support of 117 legislators to continue in the post.

The AIADMK party commands the support of 124 legislators, including the Speaker, while the breakaway group led by former Chief Minister Panneerselvam has 11 legislators.

The other opposition includes DMK with 89 members, Congress - eight, Indian Union Muslim League with one, and one seat is vacant. The DMK has said it will vote against the government, while the Congress has said it will wait for the party high command's directive. However, the Congress has indicated it will vote against the Palaniswami government.

The DMK (minus its President M. Karunanidhi who is unwell has 88 legislators to vote), Along with the Congress and Indian Union of Muslim League, the opposition group comes to 97.

The Panneerselvam camp has the support of 11, taking the tally against Palaniswami to 108. If there is some cross-voting to the tune of 10 legislators from Sasikala's camp then it could be the end for Palaniswami.

The Assembly has a total strength of 234 of which one seat is vacant.

On Friday, the Chief Minister's support base suffered erosion by one legislator.

AIADMK legislator representing Mylapore constituency and former Director General of Police (DGP) R. Nataraj said he would vote against Palaniswami.

Following Nataraj's about-turn at the last minute, Palaniswami's support base is down to 124 legislators.

Meanwhile, a week after he was sacked from the AIADMK, former party Presidium Chairman E. Madhusudanan on Friday in turn "dismissed" General Secretary VK Sasikala, Chief Minister Palaniswami Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinakaran, Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha M.Thambidurai, A. Navaneethakrishnan, Thangamani, N.Dalavai Sundaram, Valarmathi, R.B. Udhayakumar, C.Ve. Shanmugam and S. Venkatesh  from the party's primary membership.

The vote of confidence is being held following a split in the AIADMK party after Panneerselvam revolted against General Secretary VK Sasikala charging her of forcing him to quit.

Sasikala is now in a jail in Bengaluru after being convicted in a corruption case.

On Thursday, Palaniswami was sworn in as Chief Minister and 30 ministers also took oath.

Majority of legislators belonging to Sasikala camp are housed in a beach resort around 90 km from here and Panneerselvam hopes to get some votes from those legislators.

After holding hectic discussions at Panneerselvam's residence on Friday morning, a small group of AIADMK leaders met the Speaker in the Secretariat and demanded secret ballot.

Speaking to reporters, S. Semmalai, part of the Panneerselvam camp, said they have urged the Speaker for a secret ballot to decide on the motion of confidence.

"Panneerselvam and the legislators supporting him should openly vote against the motion of confidence and to build on the credibility in the people's mind space," KC Palaniswamy, a former MP of AIADMK, told IANS on Friday.

On the other hand if secret ballot on the confidence motion is allowed and a whip is issued the issue before the Panneerselavam camp is whether to abide by the whip or disobey.

"In case if they disobey, whether they could be disqualified as legislators under the anti-defection law is a point to ponder," an AIADMK leader said.

"The party whip has to take orders from the leader before issuing any whip on the way in which legislators are to vote. In AIADMK's case the appointment of Sasikala as General Secretary is under dispute and also the appointments made by her. So that question would have to be decided before any legislator can be disqualified," Palaniswamy said.

Sasikala had recently dismissed Panneerselvam and former Minister K. Pandiarajan from the primary membership of the party and both are outside the purview of the anti-defection law.

DMK General Secretary K. Anbazhagan has predicted the government will not survive.

On Thursday, MPs belonging to the Panneerselvam camp had met Election Commission officials and petitioned to disqualify Sasikala's appointment as General Secretary.
To say the least, Prime Minister Narendra Modis self-description of being the adopted son of Varanasi and the Gandhi siblings retort that neither Uttar Pradesh nor any of its cities or towns need adoptive children because it has enough sons of its own, is bizarre and inappropriate as part of any political discourse. Space for such duologue is best limited to melodramatic scenes in popular cinema.

Under law, there is no bar on a citizen of India contesting from anywhere in the country, for either of the two Houses of Parliament or state legislatures. There are instances galore of political leaders entering Parliament from States where they were neither born, nor where they set up home.

Priyanka Gandhis paternal grandparents represented constituencies that were not their own. The forgotten Gandhi, Feroze, made Rae Barelli his political base and after taking over the constituency after his death, Indira Gandhi began her political comeback in a by-election from Chikmagalur in 1978.

More than two decades later in 1999, Priyankas mother, Sonia Gandhi, opted to contest from Bellary. In any case, by questioning Modis right to establish linkage with Varanasi, Priyanka is bringing her mothers right to claim herself as Indian into question.

Not just the Congress party, but even in the Bharatiya Janata Party, there are several cases of leaders seeking election from constituencies with which they have no or little personal association. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born in Gwalior, yet entered the political fray in a bypoll from Balrampur in UP in the 1950s. Thereafter, he contested  and represented  diverse cities like Gwalior, Vidisha and Lucknow besides being a member of Rajya Sabha. Lal Krishna Advani had represented both New Delhi and Gandhinagar. Sushma Swaraj has never had a proper political home shifting states from one election to another before finding a political base of some sorts in Vidisha. One can write countless pages providing instances of political rolling stones who gathered no moss as they shifted from constituency to constituency. George Fernandes for instance, made a mark in Indian politics as a Bombay based trade unionist, but the highlight of his parliamentary career was as a representative from Bihar.

Not just Lok Sabha, but Rajya Sabha has always been a House that witnessed leaders representing states with which they have no prior link. Manmohan Singh was Indias prime minister for a decade while representing Assam in the Upper House. A random check of current members of Rajya Sabha reconfirms the belief that the Upper House is used as a parking space for those who have to be made MPs midterm or because they failed to get elected by people directly. Andhra Pradesh, the first state on the alphabetical list of states has Suresh Prabhu as its representative.

The next state that begins with the alphabet A, Assam has former prince of Amethi, Sanjay Singh as its representative (besides Manmohan Singh). Sharad Yadav, who made his political debut from Madhya Pradeshs Jabalpur three decades ago, represents Bihar now because he could not get elected to Lok Sabha from any other state. Smriti Irani and Arun Jaitley are in the list of representatives from Gujarat. Corporate honcho, Parimal Nathwani has been elected from Jharkhand. The list is endless and cuts across party lines.

As far as Lok Sabha is concerned, senior leaders contest from states different from ones original, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the home terrain could be slippery, either permanently or for that particular poll. Secondly, the move may be part of a surprise strategy of the party and thirdly, because the party may conclude that fielding the leader may enable the party to make inroads in new territory.

Modis decision to contest from Varanasi in 2014 was taken with the intention of boosting the BJPs campaign in the state. The ploy was greatly successful and was an important factor the party to sweep the state. Modi was entitled to contest and did not owe explanations. His decision to reiterate that he is a UP-wallah in the course of this campaign has been perplexing because once a leader becomes a prime minister, he becomes a national representative and playing to parochial sentiment is uncalled for. Moreover, elections in Gujarat are due later this year and attempt to establish linkage with UP might eventually turn out to be counterproductive.

Traditionally, the son of the soil theory has been raised by sectarian forces to harness perceived insecurity of the people. Organisations like Shiv Sena, and its political progenies now, have owed their growth to strategies that built on fears of people that outsiders are prospering at the cost of original inhabitants. Several separatist agitations have been rooted in the same sentiment. The Assam agitation began as an anti-Bengali and anti-Bihari movement because it was believed that fruits of development eluded the local and indigenous people while outsiders prospered.

Given this backdrop, responsible political leaders need to steer away from attempts to establish personal belonging with a city or state. Modi is entitled to lead the campaign of his party in UP even if he is not an adopted son of Varanasi. And, even if the people of the city do actually begin looking at the prime minister as one among them, the Gandhi siblings have little right to question that. But falling back on this argument, both Modi and his adversaries have lost an opportunity to lead people in discarding parochial sentiments. It is time parties and leaders seek votes on the basis of their Indianess and not by raising slogans like UP-wallah versus outsider or the Bihari versus Bahari slogan that cast a negative shadow on elections in that state in 2015.

The writer is a Delhi-based writer and journalist. He authored Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times and Sikhs: The Untold Agony of 1984. He tweets at @NilanjanUdwin
Winds of change could be blowing in Uttar Pradesh. Ahead of the third phase of polling in this most populous and politically crucial Hindi heartland state, there are signs on the ground that Samajwadi Party-Congress coalition, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadavs pre-poll catchphrase UP ko ye saath pasand hai is not striking the desired cord among the numbers of voters required to catapult them to power.

That catch phrase in any case has been lifted from Salman Khan-starrer Sultan song 'Baby ko bass pasand hai'. Though the core social constituents of the coalition  the Yadavas and broad sections of Muslims  may like the tune, the majority could still come out with the verdict that baby didnt like the bass for a variety of reasons. They may say: "UP ko kuch aur hi pasand hai."

Its true that there are no obvious signs of anti-incumbency against Akhilesh Yadav but the endorsement sentiments to bring the incumbent back to power is clearly missing.

An excessive reliance of the SP-Congress coalition to woo Muslims has given rise to latent Hindutva sentiments across the state. The strategists perhaps erred in calculating the Muslims vote but they are not the only ones who vote. Mayawati too has erred on the same count. Scratch a bit and Hindutva sentiments of non-Yadav and non-Jatav community would come out to the fore. The situation may not be that of 2014 but this factor is certainly there on the ground and that could significantly tilt the balance for BJP.

The polling percentage so far, with exception of Noida, has been very good. That is a clear indicator that voters in large numbers from all communities are coming out to vote.

After talking to people drawn from various strata of society and also of various castes in various parts of the state, Firstpost assessed that there is a clear edge to the BJP. Except for some heavily Muslim-populated constituencies in Western UP, in all other places, it is the BJP, which all parties and candidates are fighting against. Thats a huge change from 2012 assembly elections.

BJPs consistent efforts to woo non-Yadav Other Backward Castes (OBCs) is working in UP elections. The partys hammering that Akhilesh Yadav or SP government meant welfare of one caste (Yadav) and one particular community (Muslims) has hit right cords among people.

If you talk to people in Ghaziabad, Kannauj, Kairana, Bagpat, Raebareli, Amethi, Amroha, Shamli or any other place, someone would start an argument that in all appointments, including police or public service commission and in all important postings including that of SO (station Officers) and such posts of importance in police and administration, Yadavs have been a favoured lot. Firstpost cant verify this but whether right or wrong, thats what is public perception and during elections, its not the facts, or lies or half-truths which matter. What matters is public perception around an issue or around a leader.

Take Rakesh Kashyap, a worker at gud kohlu in Bagpat, Sohan Lal, Sukesh Kushwaha in Kannauj, Rampal Rana in Samli, Lal Bahadur Singh in Raebareli, Banwari Gupta in Ghazibad, Lokesh Mishra in Moradabad. They all talked about undue favours to Yadavs only in Akhileshs regime.

While BJP does not have a chief ministerial face to counter Akhilesh, that handicap is still not so much of a hindering factor, given the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to have a very high popularity rating.

His sincerity and the surgical strike are talked about to claim that he means business and should thus be given time. There is also an argument that Mulayam, Mayawati and Akhilesh by rotation have been given 15 years; so why not try BJP  a combination of same-party government at the Centre and in the state?

Whatever Modis critics may say, demonetisation is not an issue on the ground, which is influencing the voting pattern. Those opposed to demonetisation and claiming that this would spell doom for Modi are drawn from those who in any case wouldnt have voted for Modi. Those supportive of BJP in these elections claim that demonetisation was a good move to eliminate corruption.

Travelling through various regions of Uttar Pradesh, one finds a huge change in peoples perception than what seen in 2012 assembly elections. Five years ago, there were very few who would talk about BJP. It was only hardcore supporters of the party would used to make weak arguments or it was the influence of individual candidates in constituencies which made electorate of that constituency talk about the party and its leader.

The ongoing election of 2017 marks a perceptible change. BJPs presence is visible everywhere. Its supporters are spread everywhere, vocal or silent. The slogan Abki Bar BJP sarkar may not be for these elections there but people are actually talking in those terms.

In Dimple Yadavs parliamentary constituency, for instance, when a heated argument was going on in a group of youngsters about their respective preference for SP and the BJP, a person who appeared to be from a marginalised section of society told Firstpost: Iss baar yahan hawa BJP ka hi hai, uski hi sarkar banana chahiye. This was not an isolated example.

An elderly Congress leader in Raebareli was snubbed at Naresh Sweets while having coffee by two of his friends from Pratapgarh, saying whatever he might say against Modi, there was a need to support Modi both at the Centre and in the state.

One is not sure if it is the chaiwalas brew or something in the air that made the Congress leader concede that Modi was still popular and people in some areas would still be voting for him in Raebereli-Amethi region but he thought Rahulji was learning fast. What about Akhileshji? his friend questioned. The Congress leader said, "I can't say anything about him, he is leader of another party.
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At the same time, this place is also linked to the family of BJP's tallest leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In fact, BR Ambedkar was the first one to realise the significance of this township where Dalit assertion manifested for the first time after Maharashtra before India's Independence. Since then Agra was symbolised with Dalit assertion. Ambedkar's influence on Agra's social and political life remains enduring till date.

BJP chief, instead, will meet family of businessman shot dead in the area on Thursday night.

Amit Shah cancels his foot march that was to be held in Meerut

The roadshow will then proceed towards Bhagwan Talkies , Deewani chauraha, Sur Sadan and then Wazirpur the only area dominated by Muslims the major factor responsible for a turnaround in UP poll results. From there it moves forward to Hari parvat , Chipitola and finally ending at Bijligarh Chauraha situated in the south of the city.

Dayalbagh also inhabits a large population of Satsanghis, who are followers of the RadhaSwami sect. The followers in general are taken to be mute supporter of the right wing party.

For example the Dayalbagh institute is an educational institution area located at Dayalbagh in the heart of the city. The institute has been given deemed university status by UGC and is one of the most sought out campus among students.

The road map which has been signalled by the district administration for this road show has an interesting mix of both communities, young and old voters and women in general.

Starting point of this roadshow will be Dayal Bagh Engineering college, passing through Bhagwan Talkies, Deewani Chauraha, Sur Sadan, Wazirpur, Hari Parvat Crossing, Chipitola and finally culminating at Bijligarh Chauraha located in the South of the City.

The roadshow will continue for approximately 3 hours and end around 6pm in the evening.

With the choice of their city and preference of safer and urban road map for this show, it seems as if both the leaders are keen to send a strong political message to the people of the state in minimal time. And make out for the losses incurred to their party because of the delay in forming this unprecedented and fresh alliance.

According to Firstpost reporters on the field, Akhilesh and Rahul have taken lessons from their earlier road show in Lucknow where they had a tough time facing the low hanging electric wires. Thus, confining the road show to areas which is comparatively more equipped in terms of basic infrastructure.

He talked of how despite facing difficulties people have supported demonetisation in national interest. The BJP leader targeted the Akhilesh Yadav Government over alleged corruption and mining mafia. He also said it was his party's strategy not to declare its chief ministerial face. "In the UPA government, it was said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is honest but the government is corrupt. Now Akhilesh Yadavji is also saying 'I am honest and removed one minister over allegations of corruption' but he reinstated him again after 15 days," Balyan said.

However, for the upcoming elections, the party seems to have adopted the much-publicised narrative of development. Western UP, where tension had prevailed during the 2014 Lok Sabha election too in the wake of riots, is calm and elections would be held peacefully with development being the major issue, Balyan told PTI.

The BJP had deployed local MP and minister of state for agriculture in Modi government, Sanjeev Balyan, MP Hukum Singh and MLA Suresh Rana for campaigning in February-2016 bypoll, the first after the communal riots. They were all named as accused in cases related to the 2013 riots which left at least 60 dead and thousands displaced.

In 2016, nearly two and a half years after the Muzaffarnagar riots, when bypoll was held in this constituency following the death of the then sitting SP MLA Chitranjan Swaroop, the BJP won the seat battling a sympathy wave in favour of the leader's son. Many analysts had then said the saffron party was able to exploit the communal faultlines through its campaign which was led by riot-accused BJP leaders.

"The family drama of SP is heading towards tragedy from melody and comedy," the senior BJP leader said at a press conference in Lucknow.

"The alliance between Congress and SP is opportunist and immoral. Akhilesh Yadav has made an alliance but did not give space to his father (Mulayam Singh Yadav) even on the carrier of the 'bicycle' (SP symbol) and gave its handle to Congress.

Terming Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance as "opportunist and immoral", Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said the family drama of ruling Samajwadi Party is "heading towards tragedy from melody and comedy".

During his roadshow in Meerut few hours earlier he had reeled out statistics on crime to point out that the law and order situation has gone from bad to worse under Akhilesh?

Kaam bolta hai  goes the campaign catch line for Akhilesh's Samajwadi Party. The SP chief would like to believe his government has done enough to receive a repeat mandate, but BJP president Amit Shah surely is not buying that.

Second mandate for Akhilesh? Amit Shah doesn't think so

Dil mile ya na mile, party toh mil gayi hai, is the current emotion running high in the ruling party of Uttar Pradesh. The mega road show in Agra is a clear message to parties that SP and Congress have decided to bulldoze into minority bastion and claim the Muslim votes.

An hour late from the scheduled time, UP ke ladke have started their road show in Agra. As TV footage showed, the two leaders stood atop the vehicle, instead of being holed up inside their bullet-proof vehicles, and waved to their supporters, giving the feel that everything is well in the recently-formed alliance.

Give it to the man, his claims may not be beyond suspicion, his confidence is.

With Netaji in kabhi haan kabhi naa mode and uncle Shivpal Yadav planning his own party after elections Akhilesh has reason to be worried. Father Mulayam is taking too many quick turns for his comfort. But atop the vehicle in a road show he is a picture of confidence and self-assuredness.

"This government has kept you (farmers) in darkness. The government has bought only 3 percent of its crops in the state," he said.

"Why does the government give opportunities to traders to loot farmers?" the prime minister further said.

"I want to ask Akhilesh ji's government: What is your connection with those from the sugar mills? Why doesn't the government provide money to the sugarcane farmers?" Modi said.

"Has it ever happened that the farmers of Uttar Pradesh got the money they deserve?" Modi said.

Why didn't Akhilesh govt do anything for farmers? says Modi

The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance has got the buzz right and it's drowning out the BJP and the BSP. Speak to the young men at the venue and they quickly chant Akhilesh Bhai ko jitana hai (We have to ensure Akhilesh's victory). What's the big deal, you might ask. It's after all a Samajwadi Party rally. Step beyond the rather cramped space, the buzz refuses to disappear. Akhilesh has struck a chord, it might carry him all the way.

At Meerut's Nauchandi Chowk, amid batches of placard-carrying Congress and Samajwadi workers who keep streaming in for Akhilesh-Rahul joint rally, you feel the energy of the young.

Akhilesh-Rahul joint rally: The UP CM might have struck a chord with the youngsters

The reference, of course, is to Akhilesh and Rahul. Other placards say, "humko ye saath pasand hai," in a small variation of the alliance slogan "UP ko ye saath pasand hai". Ask the guy carrying the placard what he meant by the filmy comparison  Karan, Arjun are lead characters of a movie played by Shah Rukh Khan and Salman long ago  and he turns away. He is too busy for silly questions.

Karan-Arjun aa gayo, says a placard made of a thermocol sheet fraying all around.

Of course, some went beyond this and said a victory for Akhilesh-Rahul would be the beginning of the end of Narendra Modi.

Bhaichaara was the word spoken often by the speakers on the dais. "UP had had enough of communal tension. It has suffered a lot. Now it's the time to put a stop to it. 2014 was a mistake. You put power in wrong hands. Let's not repeat it." This was the essence of their speeches.

Victory for Akhilesh-Rahul could be beginning of end for Narendra Modi?

Perhaps one of the negative consequences of the personality cult. There's none in the BJP to attack or discuss in Uttar Pradesh. A loss here, if it happens, would be a loss for Modi, none else.

"You fell for white lies in 2014. Where is the recovered black money in your bank accounts? Where are the jobs? What happened to all those tall promises you made? Liar, liar." The barbs were, of course, directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The election in Uttar Pradesh is a curious one. T he prime minister is in the direct line of attack in a state election.

"These elections are not about choosing the next government, it is not about which political party will win or not. These elections are about whether development, which has been sent to an exile for the past 14 years, will it come back?" Modi says in Ghaziabad.

The prime minister also lambasted Akhilesh for not generating employment as promised. "Standing today in Ghaziabad, I promise that youths won't have to run around for jobs anymore. And these are not election promises. This is my resolve."

Taking on the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Akhilesh and said that when he was elected as the chief minister everyone had great hopes from a young, educated leader. "Bachiyan school jaane se darrti hai. Aapki party (SP) ne gundon ko pal rakha hai or UP ka ye haal kar rakha hai (Girls are afraid to go to school because of the goons owned by you)."

Samajwadi Party is ruled by goons, the govt is making no attempts to enforce law and order

Narendra Modi says he will answer his detractors in 2019

Those who were fighting, have joined hands: Narendra Modi | ANI

I thought maybe, a young man (Akhilesh Yadav) will be ready in politics in five years. On another side, there was a politician in Congress, whose childish acts (you should see and find out the jokes on him) and manner of talking had kept Congress politicians away. The politician whose even the Congress leaders were running away from, Akhilesh Yadav has joined hands. That's when I began to doubt Akhilesh Yadav's intellegence.

When it comes to the security of women in Uttar Pradesh, they blame the media. Isn't the crime records in Uttar Pradesh a proof of the poor women security situation in Uttar Pradesh?

Women can't walk out of their homes: Narendra Modi

Why only one family from Safai with so many politicians: asks Narendra Modi

Two families who destroyed Uttar Pradesh and India have joined hands: Narendra Modi

The only way to save Uttar Pradesh is keep these two families from coming back to power.

It's Akhilesh Yadav's government to give the money to sugar cane farmers. I had said, as soon as I come to power, we paid the money to 32 lakh farmers directly in their accounts. We will destroy the five-six mills hoarding your money.

'We started Fasal Bima Yojana for farmers. This scheme insures you even if you couldn't sow seeds till August. If your crop is destroyed by natural disaster, your loss be covered. But against the wishes of the sugarcane farmers, they put it under the insurance. A party which talks of making potatoes in factory, what would they know of farming. But at least Akhilesh Yadav should have known. His family's background is farming. Sugarcane is least affected by natural disasters. Even the richest farmer wouldn't insure sugar cane. But this anti-sugar cane farmers government in Uttar Pradesh.'

We will listen to farmers and decide on insurance: Narendra Modi

We are walking in the footsteps of Chaudhary Charan Singh: Narendra Modi

Citing unutilised funds allocated by the central government, Modi attacked Akhilesh Yadav government of failing the people of Uttar Pradesh.

We have to end family rule from Etawah: Amit Shah

Akhilesh has given up before election by joining Congress: Amit Shah

'Rahul Gandhi has been asking the BJP government of what we did. The first thing we did is gave a PM who can talk. The Manmohan government of corruption, we have given a government which even the opposition can't make a case of corruption. In your government, they used to behead soldiers. In our government, after they burn our soldiers, within ten days, we beat them in their home.'

BJP will select candidates for Class III and IV jobs on the basis of merit: Amit Shah

"In my tenure as chief minister, when a rape like this had happened, I got this done. Police officials told me that doing this was a violation of human rights. I replied that these 'danavs' (demons) do not have human rights. I also told the woman to watch the rapist being tortured through a lock-up window so that she could get some peace after listening to his screams and cries for help," the BJP leader said.

Addressing an election rally here yesterday, she claimed that during her tenure as chief minister when a rape incident happened, "I also told the woman to watch the rapist being tortured".

Rapists should be tortured "till their skin comes off", Union minister Uma Bharti has said and accused the Samajwadi Party government of failing to provide justice to the victims of the Bulandshahr gangrape case.

Uma Bharti claims to have 'tortured rapists' when she was CM

The BJP's stakes are high in the crucial state as they are being viewed as a mini-referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modis major decisions like demonetisation and the surgical strikes across the border in Pakistan. After a bitter family feud, incumbent Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's future is at stake as he eyes re-election.

The principal protagonists  Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)  are hoping for a strong performance in the communally-charged western UP region, infamous for the murderous riots in 2013, so as to gather enough impetus for the later phases.

After months of campaigning, issues like communal polarisation to development and BJP government's decision to demonetise will be put to test as 73 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh go to the polls today in the first of seven-phase elections. Polling has already begun and is expected to go on till about 5 pm on Saturday.

Amroha has a special significance for Muslims, for the simple reason that around 65 percent of the electorate in this Assembly constituency are Muslims. There couldnt be a better place for leaders and students of politics to understand the communitys political preference. Owaisi was making his political debut in Uttar Pradesh, and Amroha was the most important stopover for him.

Their body language clearly suggested that the sher they were referring to was their hero, both as a leader and as a rock star performer. The announcement that he had finally arrived resulted in a commotion, with everyone pushing, pulling, vying to catch a glimpse of the one man they were waiting for  Assaduddin Owaisi, Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP and chief of AIMIM.

Hours after the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmad Bukhari, blasted the Samajawadi Party-Congress coalition in Uttar Pradesh, and urged Muslims to vote for Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party instead, a mildly aggressive gathering of hundreds of young men from the community thundered, "Dekho dekho kaun aya, sher aaya, sher aaya (Oh, look who's here, the lion is here)."

Take for example, the current arrangement in both the Houses. The Modi government, enjoying a brute majority in Lok Sabha, has presented a curious and unprecedented tug-of-war between the ruling party and the Opposition. While the BJP-led NDA government can pass any law as it pleases in the Lower House, key legislation often get stuck in the Upper House  where the Congress enjoys a majority  due to Parliament logjams and political bickering. While for the BJP, UP polls will be one chance to wrest free the Rajya Sabha from the controls of the Opposition, ensuring that BJP's strength is limited in Rajya Sabha is the only respite Congress can hope for until the next Lok Sabha Elections.

Uttar Pradesh is called the king-maker state and it's not for nothing. The northern Indian state, with over 14,12,53,172 voters, sends the largest number of Members of Parliament to the Rajya Sabha, where both the ruling party and the Opposition vie to stake control.

Polling delayed in booth no.42 in Mathura's Govardhan, and in booth nos 119 and 120 in Baghpat as EVMs are not working

Thus, it is only natural that all eyes remain on the intense political drama unfolding in the state in these high-stake elections. So Firstpost sifted through the political pandemonium playing out in Uttar Pradesh, and brought together all that you need to know to track the humongous polling exercise.

The state elections also arguably set the precursor to the the 2019 Lok Sabha election as Uttar Pradesh was crucial in BJP's cleansweep in 2014 Lok Sabha elections  the saffron party's one-third parliamentarians come from the state that sends 80 MPs to the Lower House. Besides this, with the 2017 Presidential Election is in the offing, UP's strength will also play up in selecting the Constitutional head of the state.

Total 73 constituencies, including a larger chunk of the politically important, western Uttar Pradesh goes to polls on 11 February. Key constituencies include communally sensitive constituencies of Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Dadri and Meerut, apart from Ghaziabad, Noida, Agra etc.

Ignoring the chill in the air, with the morning temperature being 11 degrees, the residents of Noida Sector 15 and 16, especially the senior citizens are heading towards polling booths. Many are taking a detour from their morning walk to cast their votes. But right now voters are very few in numbers, which is expected to pick up by 9 am.

Noida: Number of voters expected to increase after 9 am

The only bright point is that it has Hema Malini as MP. As voters start trickling in at booths the question is will BJP will do better this time?

The BJP's record in Mathura, the land of temples and mythology, is rather poor. In the birthplace of Krishna the party has not had its own lawmaker in the assembly for sometime now.

Mathura was in the spotlight last year over the incident at Jawahar Chowk that claimed 24 lives. Two policemen were also killed in attack by encroachers on government land. The BJP raked this issue up during its campaign, citing this as an example of failing law and order under Akhilesh's rule. Will the voters buy it this?

The Bahujan Samaj Party, meanwhile, has been working silently on the ground to regain control on the state by engineering a politically potent but unpredictable amalgamation of two communities, Dalits and Muslims. However, each party has its own Achilles heel to deal with; the nail biting competition can swing any way.

But in Lok Sabha elections 2014, the people of the state voted overwhelmingly in support of the BJP. The saffron party would like to repeat the winning streak for obvious reasons, as it will pave a smooth path for the party in Delhi. However, the current ruling party in state, SP, has barely emerged from a succession war and it is Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's only opportunity to prove his mettle as a leader, after he overthrew his father from the party's helm.

The political scene in the state has been dominated by regional players (SP, BSP, RLD etc) since the 1990's and the so called national parties (BJP and Congress) have been pushed to the sidelines. If at all BJP and Congress managed to stake claim at the throne of Uttar Pradesh it was by cobbling up an alliance with the regional parties.

After overwhelming win in 2014 LS elections, BJP would want a repeat of the mandate in UP

The electoral battle in the state has grabbed all eyeballs, be it the electoral merger between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party or the infighting within the first family of this politically crucial state.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for smooth polling, especially in sensitive areas of Shamli, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Bulandshahr and Agra.

This gives the present BJP candidate Pankaj Singh, who is the son of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh an edge over others. But it's also challenging for him as he is a first timer. He has been given ticket by replacing Vimla Batham Sharma. Initially this led to some confusion and dissent among local party workers. But BJP leadership has ensured that the contesting candidate gets full support. It needs to be seen whether debutant Pankaj Singh is able retain the tradition of BJP of winning Noida seat this time.

After he became an MP, in the 2014 by poll, BJP's Vimla Batham Sharma got elected.

Noida, the assembly constituency was always a bjp stronghold. Mahesh Sharma of BJP held this seat, till the time he became an MP in 2014. In the by-election that followed, the bjp retained the seat.

Rajnath Singh's son Pankaj has edge over others in Noida, thanks to Mahesh Sharma

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Assembly closes its term by May 2017. Elections to the Assembly are scheduled for February and counting will take place in April 2017. As candidates get ready to file their nominations with the Election Commission, we present our analysis of the current composition of the Assembly (2012-2017) and the participation of the members (MLAs).

As Aligarh goes to elections, appeals for vote consolidation intensify. Messages and appeals being circulated on social media and through word of mouth. To avoid any sort of chaotic situation and to provide more convenience to voters, this time Aligarh has increased the number of booths. To increase voter accessibility the numbers are limited to 1000 votes per booth.

As of 9 am, reports said that Agra recorded 12.8 percent; Muzaffarnagr recorded the highest at 15 percent; Aligarh recorded 9 percent and Ferozabad recorded 11 percent; Bulandshahr 12 percent.

Reports said that EVMs in two polling booths in Mathura malfunctioned. Meanwhile, police have detained Gagan Som, brother of BJP candidate Sangeet Som for carrying a pistol inside poll booth.

Akhilesh added that noone is better to run a state than two youths. "It will be a government of vision," added Rahul.

While announcing the common minimum programme, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav says that many do not walk the talk, clearly taking a potshot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Akhilesh says he is confident that the first vote cast in the first phase of Uttar Pradesh election was cast in the name of Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance.

Former BJP state president Lakshmikant Bajpai (Meerut), RJD chief Lalu Prasad's son-in-law Rahul Singh (SP) from Sikandarabad, and Sandeep Singh, grandson of Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh from Atrauli are among other key figures in this phase.

The first phase of polling will decide the electoral fortunes of Pankaj Singh (Noida seat), son of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress Legislature Party leader Pradeep Mathur (Mathura) against whom BJP spokesman Srikant Sharma is in fray, Mriganka Singh (Kairana), daughter of BJP MP Hukum Singh and controversial BJP MLAs Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana -Sardhana and Thanabhawan respectively.

A total of 2.60 crore voters, including over 1.17 crore women and 1,508 belonging to third gender category are eligible to cast their ballots in 26,823 polling stations to decide the fate of 839 candidates..

Amid tight security, polling began for the first of the seven phases of the high-stake Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections with voters queueing up to cast their ballots in 73 constituencies spread over 15 districts of western Uttar Pradesgh.

When asked about Shahi Imam Bukhari supported Mayawati and dissed SP-Congress alliance, Akhilesh Yadav said, "Shahi Imam Bukhari saab is a very good and learned man and if you ask him in person he will always give us the blessing and support us."

The positive body language of Akhilesh Yadav during the presentation of SP-Congress vision document on Saturday gives an indication of his confidence in outcome. While tackling provocative questions from media, Akhilesh chose to play down the barbs, trying to drive a distinction between SP's development-oriented campaign and BJP's angry rhetoric. Akhilesh advised BJP to be less angry, his easy confidence rubbing on to even Rahul Gandhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strategy is distraction. When he can't answer questions, then he starts distracting. Truth is that in two-and-a-half years, he has failed. He peeps into bathrooms and does nothing else. His threats are empty as well." When asked about seat-sharing issues between Samajwadi Party and Congress, Rahul said, "There are issues on six-seven seats, but these issues are insignificant, things will be worked out soon."

Modi has all the time to do insignificant things, in 2.5 years he has done nothing: Rahul Gandhi

"Modi loves to Google, peep into bathrooms, but he should be more concerned about development. Some clerics are resentful. But we believe they will finally support us. Modi is unable to answer on security, jobs, unemployment and that why he is distracting people," Rahul Gandhi.

"Modi loves to Google, peep into bathrooms, but he should be more concerned about development. Some clerics are resentful. But we believe they will finally support us. Modi is unable to answer on security, jobs, unemployment and that why he is distracting people," Rahul Gandhi.

The major issues of the burgeoning Assembly segment of Gautam Buddh Nagar district are regular supply of power and water, and the alarming crime rate.

This time Congress hasn't fielded any candidate due to its alliance with Samajwadi Party.

The sprawling industrial hub of Noida, which was the brainchild of one-time Congress stalwart and veteran leader ND Tiwari, seems to have nothing to do with the Congress anymore. Tiwari, as old-timers would remember, was the Chief Minister of undivided Uttar Pradesh thrice, and of Uttaranchal once that was carved out of Uttar Pradesh, is credited with substantial work for the development of the big and politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh. Tiwari held important portfolios as a minister at the Centre and also served as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.

Noida, a brainchild of Congress' ND Tiwari, has nothing to do with the party anymore

BJP wins all three MLC seats in UP where elections were held: Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Bareilly

Besides, the EC has set up a police cell to keep a tab on messages received through social media so that trouble makers do not vitiate social harmony.

The excise department has set up checkposts at inter-state borders as well as along the border with Nepal to check distribution of liquor to voters during elections.

Around 6,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in all polling centres in Muzaffarnagar and neighbouring Shamli to instill a sense of security among voters, especially with focus on areas which had witnessed communal riots in 2013.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in all districts for the polls which are being seen as a litmus test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nearly three-year rule. Out of 887 polling centres in riot-scarred Muzaffarnagar, around 600 are sensitive where video cameras have been installed to maintain strict vigil.

Elderly voters waiting their turn at the booth at Dhouli Pyayu primary school in Mathura

80 percent voters of 76 vidhan sabha seats in shehar Aligarh belong to the Ansari community, mostly engaged in small scale lock industries. Rest of the 20 percent constitute of Qureshi community, darzi, dhobhi, naai, sabzi farosh, pheri wale etc. All are vouching for SP candidate Zafar Alam.

There are 26,822 polling centres for over two crore voters in the first phase of polling for 73 seats across 15 districts. Fate of 839 candidates will be sealed on Saturday. Prominent faces who cast their votes earlier included Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh who cast his vote in Sahibabad, Shrikant Sharma of BJP and Congress's Pradip Mathur in Mathura, Sangeet Som in Sardhana and Suresh Rana in Shamli.

An EC official informed IANS that these problems were being attended to on a priority basis and EVMs at some places were replaced. Long queues were seen in places like Mathura, Agra, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut (City), Sardhana, Shamli and Noida. The largest constituency in this phase, as per population, is Sahibabad in Ghaziabad and the smallest is Jalesar in Etah.

Voting picked up in the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections within hours of its start at 7 am, poll officials said on Saturday. Kasganj witnessed 13 percent polling in the first two hours, Muzaffarnagar 15, Meerut 10, Mathura 11, Noida seven and Greater Noida nine percent. Technical snags in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were reported in the first hour in polling booths across Noida, Baghpat, Hathras and Mathura.

Reports of first phase of voting very positive: BSP chief Mayawati

Aligarh is actually divided into two parts - old city Aligarh and new civil lines Aligarh. Old city side people feel that civil lines side voters are not fragmented and detached. They feel that civil lines area people might goof up the elections as they won't go for consolidated voting since they are divided among four major candidates - Vivek Bansal(congress), Ajju Ishaq (SP), Haji Aamirullah Khan(independent, previously SP candidate), Ram Kumar Sharma (BSP), Parvez Khan (AIMIM). These candidates are from Kol vidhan sabha (civil lines, Aligarh). BJP candidate from Kol is Anil Parashar.

This statement coming in the backdrop of the Supreme Court ruling directing political parties to refrain from communal or caste appeasement in poll campaigns can be called a remarkable shift.

He also insisted that there was no polarisation amid voters of Kairana.

"Exodus was never a communal matter, it was a law and order problem," Hukum Singh said. He however refused to say that the exodus was a non issue, while adding that it was coincidental that the goons behind rangdaari (extortion) and petty crimes belonged to a specific community.

BJP's MP from Kairana, Hukum Singh, on election did a U-turn on the exodus issue, first raked up by him last year. While Hukum Singh had always maintained that the Hindu community in Kairana district was being singled out and targetted, he told CNN-News18 on Friday that it was never a communal issue.

BJP's Hukum Singh does a U-turn, says Kairana exodus was never a communal issue

There are 26,822 polling centres for over two crore voters in the first phase of polling for 73 seats across 15 districts. Fate of 839 candidates will be sealed on Saturday. Prominent faces who cast their votes earlier included Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh who cast his vote in Sahibabad, Shrikant Sharma of BJP and Congress's Pradip Mathur in Mathura, Sangeet Som in Sardhana and Suresh Rana in Shamli.

Long queues were seen in places like Mathura, Agra, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut (City), Sardhana, Shamli and Noida. The largest constituency in this phase, as per population, is Sahibabad in Ghaziabad and the smallest is Jalesar in Etah.

Largest constituency in Phase one is Sahibabad and smallest is Jalesar

Though the Jat-dominated constituencies are witnessing a heavy turnout, their political conduct remains a mystery. Jats may not have numerical strength on many seats but their influence over political economy of the region can hardly be undermined. That is the reason why the BJP seems a little worried in the first phase.

In west UP, there is an impression that the government turned anti-jat after its victory in 2014. As a result MPs like Satypal Singh, former Mumbai police commissioner, who defeated Chaudhary Ajit Singh has also lost relevance in the constituency. Hence this move was planned to rope in Jats who are fence-sitters.

Just as Jat-dominated western UP was going to polls today, BJP president Amit Shah had a group of prominent jat leaders hosted by Union Minister Rao Virendra Singh, a jat leader from Haryana. The obvious reason was to neutralise the anger that Jats felt after their agitation in Haryana.

BJP puts one last-ditch effort to woo Jats in western UP

Most of Aligarh university votes are going to the Congress but a few votes of non-teaching staff are for Samajawadi Party as well. Samajwadi Party has strong appeal among the economically lower sections of the population.

"Badaun is one of those villages in India which are the most backward in India. Samajwadi and BSP have promised so much, delivered nothing."

There is hardly any wave in support of any party. Even at the time of polling, there is hardly signs of any wave.

Ajit Singh, his son Jayant Singh and his wife Charu Singh also attracted huge turnouts. How could one explain this? Asked leaders. Of course, given large population of the state, the turn outs are poor indicators to read political mood of the state. Yet there is no denying the fact that this election is the most deceptive electoral battle Uttar Pradesh had ever seen.

Apparently not only Prime Minister Narendra Modi attracted a good crowd in this region but there was a huge turnout also for Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and even outsiders like Nitin Gadkari. Similarly Akhilesh, Rahul Gandhi and BSP chief Mayawati also drew good crowds.

As the first round of the polls is underway, there is one confusion that prevails among senior leaders of all parties. This confusion is about how to explain the large turn out at meetings of these leaders.

Modi addresses rally in Badaun which goes to polls on 15 February

But earnings from the auto were irregular, from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 a month. So, Hussain is about to begin a job designing and fixing uppers (the upper part of a shoe that contains the tongue) at a shoe factory in NOIDA, located in UP but an extension of the metropolitan region of Delhi, Indias richest province, by per capita income.

In the 1990s, Kanpurs leather industry employed a million workers (there are no official data), according to IndiaSpends inquiries with the government and leather-industry representatives. With 176 of 400 leather tanning units shutting over 10 years, according to a joint secretarywho requested anonymity since he is not authorised to talk to the mediain UPs industries department, that number has halved.

According to Firstpost Hindi, voter turnout is heavy in western Uttar Pradesh. Till 1pm, Bulandshahr recorded polling percentage of 41.7 percent, Fatehpur Sikri recorded 45 percent, Aligarh 40 percent and Shamli recorded 43 percent.

The huge turnout in response to communal consolidation of one community in today's polls is indicative of this strategy.

An impression has gained ground here that most of these belong to a particular community. This assessment may not be correct. But the perception is stronger than reality. And the BJP's move has found resonance among voters who are divided on communal lines.

The BJP's promise of launching anti-Romeo squads to check eve-teasing in Western UP is calculated to strike resonance with Hindu constituency. Of late there have been reports of eve-teasing assuming a sociological menace in the entire region. Criminals ruling the roost in west UP in the past five year was nothing new. But criminalisation of governance is given a communal touch by a deft political move by the BJP.

Inputs from the field across western Uttar Pradesh from correspondents of ETV show polarisation trends, to the extent that channels showing Muslims in large numbers in front of polling booths since early morning also played on the minds of the voters. Observers believe that others are turning up now due to that influence. Voting percentage is likely to be very high and reports said that this polarisation helps BJP.

Yet the BJP's move to placate Jats runs the risk of triggering a counter-polarization of non-hat castes. This is a tricky political situation for not only the BJP but also for SP-Congress and the BSP.

"We are not short of fertilizer now as we get it aplenty" said one. They were least affected by demonetisation. What had hit them most is the brazen Yadavaisation of governance by Akhilesh Yadav and increasing criminalization. "We were the worst sufferer of this" said villagers who huddled in a corner to mourn the death of young boy in a road accident. Apparently the village distinctly displays a pro-BJP turn.

In Tappal area adjacent to Aligarh exists a village where non-jat castes live in large number. In a Baghel-caste dominated village not far from the Yamuna expressway, villagers have decided to vote for the BJP. The reason is obvious.

In Aligarh lies a non-Jat, pro-BJP pocket but saffron party runs the risk of losing the edge

Multi-phase polling gives politicians this opportunity  to move to areas which would come in later phases of polling and go out either to make high pitch campaigning or hold press conferences to make a last-ditch attempt to shape minds of voters in areas where voting was on. In this age of 24x7 news channels, social and digital media ensures that the message is communicated live.

It was a strategic decision Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi to hold a joint press conference and slam Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his remarks on their alliance in UP on Saturday morning when first phase of polling in the state was underway.

Voting slow in several booths in Mathura. Polling officials say footfall may increase later in the day. If it doesn't then the guessing game over results begins all over again. For parties the task right now would be to get their core voters to booths.

There was a feeling that momentum has been generated, from the point of view of crowd turn out in Lucknow, Agra and Kanpur for Congress-SP dynasts, needed to be maintained. Can that press conference influence voter mind who are going out to vote today?

There were also reports that on ground level the SP and Congress workers had their own issues and reservation against each other to join hands and fight for common cause. The seat sharing in some constituencies, even as Congress had been allotted 105 seats were there and people, even the party supporters were taking an adverse view. Rahul acknowledged that there were problems in 6-7 seats but underplayed it.

The decision to make Rahul and Akhilesh appear together, days after their joint presence in Kanpur, was guided by emerging circumstances because there was a feeling among sections of Samajwadi-Congress party leaders and supporters that Mayawati had lately become aggressive particularly pitching some influential Muslim religious leaders and groups urging minority community voters to trust and vote for BSP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's high decibel attack against Congress and Samajwadi Party.

Can UP ke ladke sway the voters of Western UP

First, the present election has become mechanical and appears more a contest between highly professional poll managers hired by all the political parties than the parties themselves. Second, the well-defined notion of vote-bank politics is in terminal decline. The social bases of all the political parties have been seriously challenged. Read the full article here

Interestingly, the pragmatism of electoral compulsions is seen in full swing when we find that all the parties moderated their competitive needs and entered into the political alignment beyond ideological lines and conventional hostilities. The saddest part is that the dramatic defragmentation of political parties has succeeded in misplacing the priorities of Uttar Pradeshs electorates.

The first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election in the western region of the state, for 73 seats, is finally underway. The early trend of voting pattern shows that this election is shaping up to be one of the most unique, hyper-competitive, and potentially divisive elections in generations.

The SP-Congress combine is heavily banking in Muslim voters in the region seeing their combination as sole protector of their interests. This was the region which was affected in 2013 riots.

It is clear that a majority of Jats have shifted their preference from BJP to their very own Ajit Singh's RLD but then many of them are with the BJP. Ajit Singh's RLD is no winner (it can win few seats) but can play spoiler to the BJP's prospects. It thus becomes important for the BJP what percentage of Jats vote for RLD and what percentage of Jats vote for BJP. BSP and SP-Congress combine is talked here in context of a triangular or a quadrangular fight.

Common wisdom would suggest that people or a group or a community would vote to see what suits their interest, who protects their interest and who has the potential to deliver goods for the state and work for popular welfare. Jats are a hugely emotional community and more often than not emotions take priority over prudence. Fellow Jats from adjacent Haryana have been camping in this region to ensure that their brethrens in Western UP got disconnected from the BJP.

The 73 constituencies spread across 15 districts going to the polls in first phase, has an interesting mix of rural areas in western UP. While areas going to the polls includes, two most important cities Noida and Agra, but the centre of attention in this phase is how Jat heartland Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Hapur and Bulandshahar would vote.

From Kol tehsil (civil lines side of Aligarh) Haji Zamirullah, the independent candidate who was previously in Samajwadi Party and belonged to the Shivpal camp was seen as a strong contender till morning but now voting has shifted to the Congress and the SP among Muslims. From Kol seat, both the Congress and SP candidates are getting votes. Zamirullah is also a favourite among Muslims as they are of the view that when an independent Muslim candidate is available then why should Muslim votes go to political parties who only use their votes for vested interests.

As first phase of polling in western UP is underway, the stress in the media and at other chatter points have been on Jat factor, Jats slipping away from BJP and Muslims looking at Akhilesh Yadav-Rahul Gandhi combination with hope. The impression that Mayawati has capitulated is misleading. Her party candidates are strong on the ground and their campaign has been visible but while talking about BSP, we tend to talk only about Dalits and Muslim.

BJP seems to have faltered on their strength. Instead of presenting the electorate with a simple yet convincing narrative, they are desperately searching for a better story to trump the one told by Akhilesh. They have been reduced to making the same mistake which Modi's rivals did in 2014  run an anti-campaign."

Even BJP's early campaign script for 2017 Assembly polls promised to take off from where Modi had left in 2014.

"In 2014 Modi had a better narrative than his opponents. To the electorate, pushed against the wall by a non-performing government at the Centre, Modi's promise of 'better days' made more sense than apocalyptic fear of riots.

How Modi's campaign changed dramatically and what it says about BJP's chances

A total of 121 candidates are in the fray in Agra. Around 30 percent votes were polled till noon in 73 Assembly constituencies, PTI said

In twilight zone of their life them coming out to vote means that the hope that India would change is undying. Hope new rulers of Uttar Pradesh would consider their hopes and aspirations.

It was heartening to see so many senior citizens in their 70s and 80s, even 90s coming out, holding hands of younger members of their family members, some with walking sticks.

Standing in queue to honour my right to vote at a polling station in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, I realised that polling day is perhaps one day which senior citizens relish the most. They don't complain of queue and hassled walk to polling booth but they like the way its an occasion when the world treats them with respect and dignity they deserve. Its also a day when their preference matters.

We go on talking about India as a young country and its youthful energy. Political leaders speeches and government programs are angled at wooing them.

In an election that's all about the youth, senior citizens inspire by exercising their franchise

The Election Commission has been coming out with unique ideas to encourage women to come out and vote. Earlier in Goa, that went to poll on 4 February, the poll panel gifted soft toys to first-time women voters. Now in Uttar Pradesh, the poll panel is gifting all women voters a red rose, according to The Financial Times

The party retained two of its traditional seat while it bagged another seat previously held by the Samajwadi Party.

Even as polling is underway for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP won all three graduate MLC seats in Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Bareilly.

BJP makes a grand start to UP polls, bags three MLC seats in Kanpur, Bareilly, Gorakhpur

Incidentally, in Mathura the BJP has been battling a poll jinx for over fifteen years as it had failed to bag a significant win in this city of temples. Malini remains its only bright spot in this holy town of Western UP.

The actor turned politician had said, "Vrindavan widows have a bank balance, good income, nice beds, but they beg out of habit... There are 40,000 widows in Vrindavan. I think there is no more place in the city. A large population is coming from Bengal... that's not right. Why don't they stay in Bengal?," NDTV reported

BJP's MP Hema Malini ran into a controversy in 2014 when she commented that the aged widows were "unnecesirily crowding" her constituency.

According to Telegraph report, some 40,000 widows  about 25,000 from Bengal  are estimated to live in Vrindavan, Mathura region. They primarily live in various government-run homes and private quarters supported by Sulabh International.

Bengali widows, who have found shelter in large numbers in Mathura, exercised their franchise in the crucial elections in the state.

Whether the high voter turnout in key districts could swing the beeps on EVMs in favour of the BJP particularly in small non-Jat pockets would be known on 11 March. These isolated pockets have traditionally been against the Jat dominance and could appear as a saviour for the BJP.

Besides, the Jats could be the most politically dominating community in the region but their numbers aren't incredible enough to singlehandedly influence the voting pattern in an election.

The Jat leaders have advised the community to collectively defeat BJP, however, the appeal is unlikely to maneouvre a 100% swing against the BJP in a community that overwhelmingly voted for the BJP just two years ago. The undecided voter could still go with the saffron party.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is walking on a tightrope in the Jat majority areas, as the community has openly pledged to vote for a candidate most suited to defeat the saffron party.

Will the high voter turnout swing undecided voters in favour of BJP

Soon, all hell broke loose and the Samajwadi Party (SP) leader was gheraoed by an angry mob of BSP supporters after which police had to resort to cane charge to disperse the unruly crowd.

The incident happened at the Islamia Madarsa poling booth. When he was talking to the voters, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supporters outside took umbrage to his spending a long time inside.

The 61-year-old politician, who is the incumbent legislator from Kithaur constituency, was greeted with slogans and some people also pelted stones at him, after which he beat a hasty retreat, officials said.

Uttar Pradesh Labour and Employment Minister Shahid Manzoor faced a hostile crowd in Meerut's Kithaur constituency on Saturday when he visited a polling both.

Addressing a gathering in Budayun, a Yadav stronghold, the Prime Minister said time has come to reverse the caste and community-based policy making in the state and instead embrace the 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas' policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi renewed his attack on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday and charged him with presiding over chaos and lawlessness in the state in the past five years.

Firstpost spoke to voters coming out after voting in Aligarh to sense the mood on the ground. Our inputs suggest that Khatig (SC) caste from the region has primarily voted for the BJP while Koli, Kumhar castes are going to SP. Among Muslims Abassi community has favoured the BSP as the local candidate fielded by it belongs to the Abassi community. However, the BSP has managed to retain the Jatav votes.

As Firstpost spoke to the voters coming out of the booth, the mood remained inclined towards BJP, except for the Jatav votes which remained hitched to the BSP. However, other SC community voters have chosen to vote for BJP in Modi's name and not in the candidate's name. This area has negligible Muslim population.

At the Nahar Singh Inter College, quarsi polling booth around 60% polling was recoded till 4 pm. The officials their suggested that the peak time at this booth was between 11am to 2pm.

Voting remained slow in Aligarh according to our ground reports.

Voting ends for the first phase, around 63% turnout recorded till 5pm

"Give BJP a chance. Within six months, I promise the law-and-order situation here will improve. The knife-wielding gangs will all be sent to jails within six months," says Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur district.

"Women in Uttar Pradesh can't even wear chains in public, because they are afraid it'll be snatched away. The largest state in India is in the hands of criminals," says Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Lakhimpur.

Women in UP are scared to wear chains: Modi

"In her tenure, Mayawati gave electricity to 23 villages. In his tenure, Akhilesh gave electricity to just three more villages. But in just the last two years since I became Prime Minister, I have given electricity to 1,364 villages," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, while addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur district.

Modi attacks Mayawati, Akhilesh over UP villages still being without electricity

"The corrupt who I targeted with my demonetisation decision are still unable to sleep well. They stole money from the poor, but I am fighting them. And I will not rest. They are all joining hands against me, because they are afraid their ill-gotten wealth will go away from them," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Corrupt are joining hands against me, says PM Modi

Second phase of Uttar Pradesh began at 7 am. Join us for LIVE updates on everything that is happening on the ground in the 67 constituencies of India's most populous state.

Firstpost Hindi brings you a comprehensive explainer as Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand vote. For Uttar Pradesh, this is the second phase of voting.

While Bangli Hindus gradually found the area inhospitable and spread out to other parts while Sikh farmers developed large farmhouses across the area. At the height of Punjab terrorism, a large group of khalistani terrorists found this area as safe haven. But the lush green belt of the region and highly cultivable land is known as paradise for farmers and rice bowl of India.

Sikhs comprise a major population in Terai (Himalayan foothills) that border Nepal. Lakhimpur Kheri, Pilibhit, Bijnor are the core and buffer forest zones of Dudhwa and Jim Corbett forest ranges. After 1947, Sikhs farmers from Punjab and Bangladeshi hindus were settled in this barren land and given cultivable land.

Few know that the area going to polls in the second phase is known as mini Punjab in Uttar Pradesh.

The Ruhailkhand area which comprises Himalayan foothills and forest is socially a diverse land. But it is known for housing a liberal Islamic seminary- called Barelvi school of Islamic though. Adjacent to Deobandi school of Islamic thought that propagates fundamentalist variant of the religion, the Barelvi school is known for promoting a liberal value system among faithfuls. This seminary is quite influential among Muslims of the region. Though they avoid directly to be indulging in politics, their tacit support is critical for parties which vie for Muslim support. This time Ulemmas of the seminary are divided and let the voters take their choice.

In fact, Mulayam's fortune revived from Terai region where Sikhs came out in support of him. This is the precise reason that Samajwadi Party still enjoys considerable clout among sikhs of the area.

He had his legs fractured too. But Mulayam found his spirit soaring following using reception he got in wake of killings of 13 Sikhs in fake encounters by the police in Pilibhit.

Pakaria Gurudwara of Lakhimpur Kheri was the first place where Mulayam Singh Yadav visited after his electoral drubbing in 1991. When the BJP won the election, Mulayam was completely crushed in the election.

Considering Azams controversial, mostly acidic, statements that generate a lot of political heat frequently, one needs no proof. The senior Samajwadi Party leader is contesting from Rampur. Its not about Hindu or Muslim, anyone can be victim of his tongue, says Debendra.

"This man is incorrigible," says driver Debendra Singh, a resident of Etawah and a supporter of the Samajwadi Party, about Azam Khan. "He will do some good work but in the end say something so nasty that it will nullify all the goodwill he might have generated for himself. If only he knew how to control his tongue," he adds.

It's not about Hindu or Muslim, your words can hurt anyone: Voter on SP's Azam Khan

The BJP has none. While the first two are hoping to benefit from the support of minorities, the BJP is banking on reverse polarisation.

With their eyes on the demographic balance, every party has stepped into the fray with a different strategy. The BSP and SP alliance have 26 and 25 Muslim candidates.

The 67 seats that go to polls in Uttar Pradesh second phase are considered the pocket burrough of the Samajwadi Party. In most of the seats, Muslims are a third of the electorate and thus the decisive factor.

"It was a situation that was allowed to escalate and the party in power in the state needs some explaining to do. Making Azam a scapegoat wont work."

Not many in Muzaffarnagar believe Samajwadi Party's Azam Khan was behind the riots of 2013. "No, the perpetrators were other people. But the reputation of this man is such that people would buy anything said about him," says a Jat leader who plays an important role for farmers of the region and who saw the riots from close quarters.

'Azam Khan's reputation is such that anyone would buy theory that he was involved in Muzaffarnagar riots'

The police administration of the district was under pressure to trace the animals. It made national news too. The buffaloes were traced to Moradabad. We dont know what the thief went through after being caught, but the message conveyed was clear: nobody messes with Azam, or his buffaloes, in Rampur.

That Azam is a powerful man in the Samajwadi Party needs no overstating. So when cattle thieves stole seven of his buffaloes from his farm house two years ago, it was an act of great courage. Call it immense stupidity if you please. You cannot run away with Azam Khans buffaloes just like that.

This is one of the few constituencies where the election is principally between SP and BSP. But then candidature and claim of BJP's Lakshmi Saini can't be completely ruled out. In 2014 parliamentary poll pattern gives hope to BJP's supporters - Muslim votes got divided between Azam's candidate from SP Naseer Ahmad Khan and Nawab Kazim Ali Khan to pave victory way BJP's Nepal Singh.

What makes this Khan versus Khan battle even more interesting is the fact that this constituency has 60 percent Muslim population and the way members of the community vote here today could send signals elsewhere. Nawab Khan's family and SP's Azam Khan (who practically lords over this region) political rivalry dates is four decade old. But in this assembly election it has become sharper than ever.

A well educated and well groomed Nawab Kazim Ali Khan is four time MLA from this constituency. A traditional Congressman Nawab (belonging to a family which had been with Congress since Independence until about a year ago) is now BSP candidate. He now hopes that dailts and other sections on margins of social structure would add on to his personal social clout of a royalty. Pitted against him is a young Samajwadi candidate Abdullah Azam Khan. Though the young Khan is a political green horn but has support and legacy of his mighty father.

The battle of second phase is between the erstwhile Nawab of Rampur Nawab Kazim Ali Khan and modern day political Nawab of Rampur Azam Khan's son Abdullah Azam Khan.

UP Second phase battle is between two royalties

The BJP has picked up the topic of Triple Talaq ahead of Uttar Pradesh elections and asked its rivals SP and Congress to clarify their stand on gender justice. The women voters also feel that safety and security of women are of prime concern and they will vote for the party that can ensure it.

Speaking to CNN-News18, Muslim women of Rampur, one of the constituencies that will cast its ballot in the second phase, say Triple Talaq isn't an issue that political parties should discuss and is best left for the community to tackle.

Politicians should stay away from issue of Triple Talaq: Rampur voters

Owasi's rally here drew enthusiastic crowd of under-30 youngsters. Can his AIMIM be a winner or spoiler for SP and BSP candidates? A triangular split in Muslim vote, if it happens, would generate hope for BJP candidate.

This constituency has over 65 percent Muslim electorate. So it's not surprising to find that 10 out of a total of 13 candidates in contention are from Muslim community - SP's candidate Mehboob Ali is a minister in Akhilesh Yadav government. He is facing a stiff challenge from BSP's Naushad Ali. The two were pitted against each other in 2012 also. Then there is AIMIM's Shamim Ahmed, RLD's Salim Khan, and Peace Party's Mohammad Rizwan and the list would go on. BJP's Kunwar Singh Saini is one of only three Hindu candidates from Amroha.

Amroha could be taken as a test case to understand Muslim voters polling preference  whether the Muslims were en-bloc with SP-Congress combine or Mayawati's BSP has own claims in the community and how far Assaduddin's Owaisi AIMIM has made inroads in the community.

In a crowded main bazaar of Amroha, one sees a hoarding "Tandoori Roti Rs 35 per kilo". Tandoori Roti or bread is cheaper than the price of raw atta that sells in any bigger cities. But when it comes to voting and understanding voting pattern, things are far more complicated.

It is precisely for this reason that BJP president Amit Shah said in a media conference that Mayawati's outfit is BJP's main rival in this phase. Shah hopes that BSP, which has given tickets to 99 Muslim candidates this time, would spoil SP's plan and help BJP.

Spread across 11 districts, the 67 constituencies that go to polls today in the second phase of Uttar Pradesh elections are dominated by the Muslim factor. While Muslims are known to vote tactically to keep the BJP away, the SP-Congress alliance would be hoping that the minority votes are not splintered between it and the BSP.

BJP strategises propping up BSP as party's main rival in the second phase so as to benefit from the splinter

Both quotes are attributed to Azam. Abdullah is the Samajwadi Party candidate from Suar. As part of the Rampur Lok Sabha constituency, it comes in the extended political catchment of his father. The latters prestige would as much at stake here as his.

Abdullah Azam, son of Azam Khan, is believed to be a suave man and a temperate speaker unlike his father. He won't certainly be caught saying something like, "RSS volunteers are homosexuals, thats why they never get married"; or "Mobile phones are responsible for the rape of minors."

States with the worst sex ratios have more women members of legislative assemblies (MLAs), as IndiaSpend reported in September 2015. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

The only exception was for the seats reserved for scheduled caste (SC) candidates. The proportion of women winning SC seats was more than double that of those winning general seats. All this happened over a period when women in Indias most populous state became healthier and better educated, reinforcing the point that there is no correlation between these indicators and better political representation of women.

Poor, populous Uttar Pradesh was the first Indian state to have a female chief minister  Sucheta Kriplani from 1963 to 1967but this pioneering effort has not improved prospects for women in elections. As voter turnout has risen, more competitors have stood against women candidates, fewer women have won and a growing number have lost their deposits, according to an IndiaSpend and Swaniti Initiative analysis of electoral data of the last three state elections in UP since 2002.

Age must give way to youth, says the veteran brass trader.

Some voters though are worried about the succession battle that affected the ruling party in this SP stronghold. One of them tells CNN-News 18 that Mulayam should have understood that he has reached retirement age and should have made it easier for son Akhilesh to succeed him, not tougher.

The brass industry of Moradabad has been hit by notebandi (demonetisation) and the predominantly Muslim electorate are in a mood to teach BJP a lesson.

Moradabad - Brass industry, which has been hit by demonetisation - in a mood to teach BJP a lesson?

Overall, the voter turnout stands at 10.96 percent in Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, Moradabad recorded 11 percent voter turnout till 9 am and Saharanpur recorded 12 percent.

Akhilesh Yadav and Narendra Modi urge voters to go out and cast their vote

In the end, the outcome may not be decided by issues that have been talked about during the campaign  development, demonetisation, dynasty and corruption. It may well boil down to whether a voter thinks of himself as a Muslim or a Hindu before pressing the button or looks dispassionately at the parties in the fray.

A lot had changed between 2012 and 2014. But a lot has changed from 2014 to 2017. So, neither of the two scenarios is an apt pointer to the trend. The outcome would ultimately depend on how the BJP manages to benefit from a possible split in Muslim votes (nearly 33 percent) and capitalises on counter-consolidation of Hindu votes.

There are two ways to look at polling in 67 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh. The first is to see it as a contest that could be shaped by the 2014 General Elections when the BJP polled nearly 42 percent votes and led in 49 seats in the region. The other is to go back to 2012 when the BJP polled just around 17 percent, winning 10 seats.

In 2nd phase, all depends on how BJP manages to split Muslim votes

Maximum voting was reported from Saharanpur and Bareilly at 11 per cent each, followed by Rampur (nine per cent) and Amroha (7.4 per cent).

Excited first time voters, newly weds, elderly, differently-abled and women queued up outside the polling stations to cast their votes at 7 a.m.

Brisk voting is reported in the first two hours of polling in the second phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on Wednesday.

A confident Azam Khan, the SP minister, tells Aaj Tak in an interview that Muslims will be firmly behind his party. This phase is crucial for Samajwadi Party which won 34 of 67 seats in 2012 and is under pressure to do an encore. The BJP had got 10 seats during last assembly elections and BSP, 11. Till 9 am, 10.69 percent ballots have been cast in Uttar Pradesh.

Azam Khan invokes Gujarat while tackling Narendra Modi's charge that police stations in Rampur, his constituency, have become Samajwadi Party's offices.

Second phase: Tussle between BSP and SP-Congress alliance; Azam Khan confident Muslim voters will back him

Five, the BJP's performance this time wouldn't be as good as 2014. Well, these could be true of the whole of UP as well. In any case, these don't give you an idea on which the way voters are going to swing this time.

Four, local equations will override other considerations in the elections; and

One, Akhilesh Yadav is not someone who is disliked much, both as a person and a politician;

In Bijnor, you dont catch the election mood by speaking to a few people. Most are evasive when they sense a politically-inclined question. The ones who open up are most likely to be sympathisers of one party or the other. However, talking to a cross-section of people here you get to understand a few things:

Facts from Bijnor that holds true for the whole of Uttar Pradesh: SP-Congress alliance a good idea and demonetisation doesn't matter

"My battle is with Azam Khan and not his son. In terms of funding, the chief minister has sent crores worth of funds to the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, which Azam Khan is the chancellor of. The money hasnt been used for the upliftment of the people of Rampur."

His success, whatever it be, votes or seats, means loss to SP. So far Muslim politics and Muslim voting preference in the state has so far been split between SP and BSP. The BSP has fielded 100 Muslim candidates with SP closely following that number but the fact remains that no party with Muslim leadership at the top, formed with purpose to cater Muslim interests has so far electorally succeeded. Can Owaisi make that exception? His speeches have been fiery, making the crowd lustily cheer for him but can he turn that personal appeal in votes?

For the first time Owasi is trying his luck here and has fielded 40 candidates from AIMIM symbol. Owaisi and erstwhile Congress ally in Andhra Pradesh and also at the centre during UPA regime had surprised all by opening account in Maharastra assembly election and making substantive gains in civic bodies polls. He, however, had failed in Bihar assembly elections because his party was seen as a vote spoiler. Uttar Pradesh is a big test for him. In his public rallies in Uttar Pradesh, he has pulled fierce punches on Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati. BJP is his favourite punching bag.

This round of election spread across electorally Muslim-dominated areas of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha where community presence vary between 30 percent to 65 percent will decide whether Hyderabad based Assaduddin Owasi's AIMIM can spread its political influence outside of Telangana and make a mark in Hindi heartland.

Here is a look at the key electoral issues in Uttar Pradesh.

Is caste the standalone factor that swings the electoral outcome in Uttar Pradesh or the recent tune of development sung by SP-Congress combine and the BJP resonating with the voters.

With a Muslim electorate of over 65 percent all mainstream parties have chosen to field leader from the same community. SP's Iqbal Mehmood is sitting MLA and is considered a very strong candidate. He has for long been a challenger to Barq's dominance in the region. Presence of Mayawati's BSP candidate Rafatulla has further spiced up polls.

He has roped in a hugely influential a four-time MP Shafiqur Rehman Barq to his party. Barq is now 86 and has chosen his young grandson Ziaur Rahman Barq to be AIMIM candidate. If AIMIM has a chance to open an account in UP then Sambhal needs to be watched. It's a tough electoral battle.

Enter Sambhal and you will soon realise Asaduddin Owasi and his men mean business.

Key to Owaisi's expansion plans for UP is an 86-year-old in Sambhal

But that is not the case. The electoral chemistry of the national election is vastly different from the state assembly polls. In 2014 elections, Narendra Modi rode on a wave of high expectation and an outright rejection of a government perceived to be led by a weakest-ever prime minister. The groundswell of support transcended the caste-barriers in a decisive manner for Modi. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Not let us examine the reasons why this election is one of the rarest political event in the life of the country's most populous state. Conventional wisdom has it that the party which gets overwhelming mandate only two-and-a-half years back in 2014 Lok Sabha election should have edge over others. By this logic, the BJP should have been choice for the electorate in the state assembly election.

Conventional wisdom often guides elections. But rarely does an election turn conventional wisdom on its head. A cursory glance at the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election 2017 would leave no one in doubt that this election would fall into the category of 'rarest of rare' elections.

In 2002, women won 11 of 314 seats (3.5 percent) for general-category candidates, and 15 of 89 seats (16.9 percent) reserved for SCs. By 2012, women won 22 of 318 general seats (6.9 percent) and 13 of 85 reserved seats (15.3 percent). So, women contesting from scheduled-caste seats had a more than double chance of winning.

The BSP chief's move was to tell voters that such a thing will never be repeated in past. She has gone out of her way to attack BJP, calling the debate around triple talaq part of nefarious RSS agenda.

To counter her tactic of fielding an unprecedented 99 Muslim candidates, Akhilesh Yadav therefore has been going around telling voters that Mayawati can't be trusted since her party has allied with "communal" BJP three times in past.

In Kanpur on Tuesday BSP chief Mayawati was at pains to distance herself from BJP, insisting that she will never join hands with the "Dalit basher" party. Mayawati's predicament is understandable. To return to power she must ensure Dalit votes are consolidated and a sizeable portion of Muslim votes are weaned away from the Samajwadi Party.

Mayawati distancing herself from 'Dalit basher BJP': BSP chief's move is most obvious and necessary

Speaking to the media after casting his vote Duniyapur says the foundation of the Ram Rajya in Uttar Pradesh will be laid in Rampur. He adds that all parties in Uttar Pradesh are against the BJP. He is confident that the BJP will come to power in full majority in the state and that people will vote against poor governance and corruption.

Though Lucknow had familiarised itself with Iranian cultural traditions due to Shia's influence, Rampur borrowed its cultural traits from Mughals of Delhi. As this constituency goes for polls, the electorate gets divided on intense communal lines. However in reality Rampur has a rich cultural heritage which has much more to celebrate about than acrimony.

Historically Pathans from Afghanistan found a shelter in picturesque land of Ruhilkhand. Apar from Lucknow, Rampur emerged as another centre of excellence of Nawabi culture of Uttar Pradesh.

Rampur, a township known as bastion of Samajwadi Party's loudmouth Azam khan, is also known as land of khans.

The BJP is expecting benefits from counter pollination which may happen in the second half of the polls.

Similarly, voters registered a significant turnout in Saharanpur and Pilibhit. This round of polls seem to be going in favor of the SP because of demographic profile of the region that comprises Muslim-Yadav as significant social chunk. In certain pockets where scheduled caste voters are higher in number, Muslims are looking for BSP as an option. But that is very rare as the SP-Congress enjoys a solid support base.

Initial turnout in Budaun, Saharanpur, Bareilly and Shahjahanpur do indicate that Muslim voters have come out in large numbers in the morning. For instance in Budaun there are reports of 25 percent polls that suggest large turnout of Mulim-Yadav voters in support of the Samajwadi Party.

Initial turnout indicate Muslim voters have come out in large numbers

As Uttar Pradesh votes to choose its Legislative Assembly, BJP hopes to repeat its 2014 sweep victory riding on a Modi wave once again. The Akhilesh camp on the other hand managed to bag the majority in the 2012 Assembly polls. If a party's past performance tells us anythig, it's that in state elections swing votes ensure that its a close call between the key parties. Here is a look back at the previous performances of all the parties in UP.

UP Polls: A look at the previous performance of key players in the state

If the votes are divided then its advantage BJP, says Satish Prakash, Dalit activist. With as many as 34 of the 67 seats under its belt last time, the SP would expect a better show. It has the Congress votes with it now. The BSP, on the other hand, has announced its candidates much earlier and cultivated the constituencies well. The BJP would be happy if the alliance and the BSP shared the Muslim votes equally.

Which way will the Muslim votes swing? On this question rests the fate of parties in Uttar Pradesh. As voters in the Muslim heavy constituencies queue up at the booths today the suspense would be around whether they have voted for the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance or the BSP.

Why the BJP would like Muslim votes to be shared equally by BSP and the SP-Cong alliance

Official sources said polling was dull initially but picked up as the day wore on. They said till midday there was no report of any untoward incident and polling was going on smoothly.

Over 25 percent of the electorate cast their votes till noon in the second phase polling in Uttar Pradesh. In the second of seven-phase election, 2.28 crore voters, including over 1.04 crore women, are eligible to cast their ballots in 14,771 polling centres and 23,693 polling stations.

It reminds the imams that it is their "special responsibility" to use mosques and make the millat (the global Muslim nation) aware of the current conditions and ensure that Muslims know that voting is a democratic right as well as a shar'i fareeza (Islamic religious duty). While the appeal does not say which party to vote against, it urges the imams and others to go to areas where Muslim candidates are in the fray against other Muslim candidates, and explain the situation to the voters to exercise their vote unitedly, presumably against the BJP.

On the second-phase polling in Uttar Pradesh, the Urdu-language daily Roznama Inquilab carries a frontpage appeal by some Muslims titled: "Respectful appeal to the imams of mosque." The two-column appeal reads: "The country's fascist forces, under their eternal projects, are conspiring to make Muslims second- and third-grade citizens, and are engaged in targeting the dear country's biggest minority by adopting new, new tactics. And surely, you are no less concerned about these situations."

One argument I have not understood but most experts say is that Indian Muslims are voting the BJP, which is correct to some extent within Gujarat but it's not proven elsewhere. Khalid feels that Muslims indeed are voting the BJP but he says that they do not proclaim it publicly. "Within the community, such BJP voters are shamed by clerics and elders and therefore they do not reveal. So, one cannot detect such votes publicly," he explains. Perhaps in times to come, Muslims will vote for the BJP, but the party has not given tickets to any Muslim candidate in UP elections.

A day before the first phase of UP polls on 11 February, Roznama Inquilab had carried a frontpage headline: "UP  First phase polling, Musalmanon ka Imtehan (Test for Muslims)." A few days ago in Aligarh, I asked Urdu journalist Hasan Khalid how will Muslims perceive if Hindi newspapers gave such a headline saying elections are a "test for Hindus." Khalid criticises such headlines in the Urdu media and argues that if one has to be so, it must only be: "voters ka Imtehan."

It also carries some reports expressing concern that the division of Muslim votes, notably in Pratapgarh region, could hurt secular forces. Roznama Sahafat, another Urdu daily, carries a whole front-page report in favour of Azam Khan, and it's not presented as kind of advert. Statements of Muslim elders such as Chaudhary Munawwar Saleem are given on the entire page to ensure Azam Khan's victory, but there have been occasions where his political rallies faced disruptions in Rampur.

To assure Muslims that the BSP will not support the BJP in UP after the elections, Mayawati's statement "Willing to sit in opposition but no alliance with BJP (after the elections)" is a front-page headline in Urdu daily Roznama Akhbar-e-Mashriq on 15 February, as the UP goes to second-phase polling.

Such pure rumours worked against the BJP in Bihar elections. Uttar Pradesh elections have seen mobilisation of Muslim voters against the BJP and in support of the SP-Congress alliance and to some extent for BSP.

During Bihar Assembly elections, I heard actual reports that even rumours played a consequential role in defeating the BJP. In rural areas, poor Muslim women were convinced by Islamic clerics and local opinion makers to offer prayers for the victory of Nitish Kumar. They were told that "Modi will demolish mosques."

Modi was effectively urging the voters to rise above caste, community and identity fault lines with a strong dose of nationalism arising out of the achievements of scientists.

Narendra Modi began his rally in Kannauj by congratulating Isro scientists for launching 104 satellites in one go earlier in the day. Constantly invoking their success during his speech, the Prime Minister asked the sizeable crowd to raise their voice to laud the scientists' effort in which 101 were foreign satellites were launched and only 3 were Indian.

Modi uses Isro success to punch in strong dose of nationalism in Kannauj rally

The sugar mills feel their business is unsustainable in view of falling sugar prices. Some have threatened to die but they cannot do so under the law. Akhilesh has just made things more difficult for them by increasing the State Advisory Price for sugarcane to Rs 305. The BJP promises a loan waiver and payment to farmers within 14 days of delivery. But on the ground, its not a big talking point. Interesting.

In the sugarcane zone of Uttar Pradesh theres not much talk on plight of cane farmers. Not all is hunky-dory with the sugarcane industry here. Farmers have been complaining about rising arrears in payment from the sugar mills.

Plight of sugarcane farmers and mills missing from poll campaign

Was it really a paradigm shift in voter behaviour? Was 2014 the year of enlightenment for Indian voters who suddenly realised that they had been taken for a merry ride by politicians in the name of caste and community equations? Were they eschewing identity politics and its trappings?

Writing for EPW, A K Verma analysed BJP's victory as "it is significant that the party made electoral gains across all castes and communities and across all regions in the state. This victory signalled a paradigm shift in voter behaviour, with a preference for good governance and development pushing out the identity politics of caste and community."

The result was stunning. In Uttar Pradesh alone, BJP won 71 out of 80 seats. Dalits abandoned Mayawati and voted in droves for BJP's PM candidate. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal ran a campaign of anger. Modi defeated him in Varanasi by a huge margin.

It was a remarkable spectacle in 2014. While BJP's rivals, especially in the Hindi heartland, were busy slicing and dicing data on caste equations, PM-aspirant Narendra Modi was telling rally after rally of packed audiences how he will bring achhe din. The more his rivals asked the electorate not to trust him, the more Modi talked about development. The opposition called him a 'polarising figure who will usher in riots', Modi said he will usher in vikaas.

How Modi's campaign changed dramatically and what it says about BJP's chances

The underlying purpose behind the alliance between Akhilesh Yadav led Samajwadi Party and Sonia-Rahul Gandhi led Congress party was consolidation of Muslim votes for the combine. Akhilesh Yadav on several occasion has said there was a confusion among some people about Samajwadi's prospects to return to power but after a tie-up with Congress that confusion is gone. If SP-Congress has to come to power, it needs to sweep this phase. In 2012 elections SP had won 35 of 67 seats, Congress 3, BSP 18 and BJP had won 10, one seat had gone to Independent. The BJP is banking on some split in Muslim votes between SP-BSP and AIMIM. The BJP is also looking for a situation where aggressive polling by Muslim community members could consolidate Hindutava votes in its favor. Latent Hindutava sentiment is there in sections of Hindu voters but the key question is how much of that is translating into votes. The BSP has fielded some strong candidates on the ground. The party has also got a number of influential Muslim clerics and community groups to issue appeal in its favor. Despite Supreme Court order, Mayawati has been openly talking of importance of Muslim votes. Will that yield dividend to her. As it is she has solid backing of Dalits, particularly Jatavas. Polling by noon has shown that polling percentage could go up in this phase, at least as compared to phase one. There lies the catch for all three mainstream contenders SP-Congress, BJP and BSP.

This phase of election is supremely important for the SP-Congress combine as majority of the 67 seats where the polling process is underway has overwhelming Muslim population.

Sweeping phase two election crucial for SP to justify its alliance with Congerss

Picking up BJP's clean sweep in Uttar Pradesh where the party won all three seats of graduate MLC seats in Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Bareilly this month, Narendra Modi during his election rally in Kannauj on Wednesday taunted the SP-Congress alliance by asking, "UP ko yeh saath pasand kyon nahin aya"? (Why did the UP voters show thumbs down to SP-Congress alliance). The taunt was a spin on the alliance partners' campaign slogan. The PM also mentioned BJP's good result in Odisha panchayat polls and interpreted it as the poor endorsing demonetisation despite Opposition slander.

With elections for the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh assembly underway, even sale of liquor has fallen, partly because of strictures from the Election Commission.

The Excise Department, the cash cow, has also taken a beating in revenue collection. An official said that as against a target of Rs 1,443 crore in December, the collection was down at Rs 1,345 crore.

While it earned Rs 4,494 crore in tax in November, the collection slipped in December and is set to go down further in January and February due to engagement of employees and officials in election duty.

The Sales Tax Department, an official told IANS, has seen a drop in collections in the past three months.

Officials in the concerned departments fear that the revenue targets for the current fiscal might take a knock of 25-30 per cent.

Uttar Pradesh's revenue has taken a big hit  first due to demonetisation and now because most government employees are out on election duty.

Modi says those sitting in Delhi cannot gauge the extent of damage at Barabanki

The once powerful Shivpal Yadav is a pale shadow of himself after the knock-out blow from nephew Akhilesh. Patriarch Mulayam Singh is a much subdued man these days, preferring to be away from the limelight. Some other members of the family are still in the process of adjusting to the generational shift in the party. The Yadav community has stood by Mulayam for over two decades but this time its a bit confused after the coup by Akhilesh which many perceive as an insult to Mulayam.

In Uttar Pradeshs heartland, where the election enters phase three, the debate is not whether the Yadav dominance in their stronghold would continue, its how the bitter power struggle in the Yadav first family would impact the prospect of individual members in the fray.

Yadav family image matters just as much as seats

Akhilesh Yadav. ReutersAkhilesh Yadav. Reuters In the 2012 Assembly polls, SP had won 55 of these 69 seats, while BSP, BJP and Congress secured just 6, 5 and 2 respectively. One seat went to an Independent.

Curtains will come down on Friday on the hectic campaign in 69 Assembly seats spread over 12 districts of Uttar Pradesh that will go to polls in the third phase on 19 February. The districts are Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Kannauj, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur, Unnao, Lucknow, Barabanki and Sitapur.

Campaign for 3rd phase ends on Friday, 12 districts go to polls on 19 February

"Akhilesh says that their party has changed over the years but the goons are still there within the party. Three people have been engaged in spreading corruption in the country and now these people have tied up in an alliance to loot Uttar Pradesh."

"What has this family given you? There are problems for farmers while law and order machinery in the state has collapsed. There is acute shortage of water and medicines. What has this state government done for you?" he asked.

He asked the voters to shun dynastic and caste-based politics, noting that everything in the state veered around one family.

Two families have entered into an unholy alliance. Initially, people were affected by one shahzada (prince), now it is two. One shahzada is giving pain to his mother, the other to his father," he said, attacking Rahul and Akhilesh, who had a bitter feud with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav over the control over SP.

UP election is a way to end caste and family politics, says Shah at Amethi rally. Congress-SP alliance is immoral, he adds.

Sitting UP minister Vijay Mishra joins Mayawati's party dealing a fresh blow to Akhilesh. Vijay goes on to call Samajwadi Party Anti-Brahmin while Mayawati, all confident, says that Uttar Pradesh will punish Akhilesh for running goonda raj in state.

The killing spree started with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by RSS. We are Gandhians from the core of our heart and firm believer of non-violence," AICC General Secretary and in-charge of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad told a news conference here.

Congress on Thursday dismissed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charge that the party had made a bid on Mulayam Singh Yadav's life, saying the word 'murder' was synonymous with Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. "The word 'murder' is synonymous with Modi and (Amit) Shah.

Irani had said on Thursday that Priyanka Gandhi was avoiding canvassing in Amethi because she was afraid of people's questions on their unfulfilled promises.

After Smriti Irani took on Priyanka Gandhi for not addressing a single rally in Amethi, Priyanka has finally entered the poll limelight as she appeared at a Congress rally in Raebareli, flanked by her brother Rahul Gandhi.

The apex court has also sought a status report from the UP police within a period of eight weeks.

The Supreme Court ordered the registration of an FIR against UP minister Gayatri Prajapati in a gang rape and sexual harassment case against him. The bench hearing the case observed that the state machinery could not go slow on a accused just because he was an influential leader in the state.

Gayatri Prajapati should not be allowed to contest elections: BJP leader Laxmikant Bajpai

Poll panel officials said they hope that more and more people will come out to vote this time and that the previous turnout of 59.96 per cent in this region in 2012 will be bettered by the end of the day.

Voting for 69 seats in the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections began on Sunday amid tight security. Heavy security deployment has been made across the 12 districts where polling began. Sensitive polling stations marked by the Election Commission (EC) are being monitored online, an official said.

Officials hope third phase turnout will be better than the second phase's 59.96%

In this round, all eyes are on people from the Yadav clan, like Shivpal Singh Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav's cousin Anurag Yadav. The fate of BJP's Rita Bahuguna Joshi will also be decided in this round.

In all, there are 826 candidates in fray whose fate would be decided by 2.41 crore voters. Prominent districts where polling is underway include Lucknow, Kanpur, Etawah, Kannauj, Etah and Mainpuri.

BSP has fielded Yogesh Dixit, who is trying to woo voters by promising good governance by party supremo Mayawati.

The SP candidates include Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav and three ministers, one of whom was recently sacked. BJP has preferred to field turncoats on two seats  Lucknow Central and Lucknow Cantt. Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who had won on Congress ticket last time, has been fielded by BJP from Cantt seat against Aparna.

Ruling Samajwadi Party is facing a tough battle as it tries to retain the seven Assembly seats it had won last time out of nine in Lucknow, while BJP and BSP queer the pitch. The two other seats were shared by BJP and Congress.

Third phase is a matter of prestige for Samajwadi Party

BSP has given ticket to Rajiv Srivastava in Lucknow.

Lucknow Central is also witnessing a keen contest, where sitting SP MLA and cabinet minister Ravidas Mehrotra is facing an uphill task with Congress candidate Maroof Khan refusing to withdraw from the field despite a tie-up between the two parties. BJP has given ticket to former MP Brijesh Pathak, a fromer Lucknow University student union president, who switched from BSP.

However, this time the situation for SP is difficult with its MLA Sharda Prasad Shukla contesting on RLD ticket after being spurned by the party.

An interesting contest is on in Sarojini Nagar seat, where BJP's woman face and state women wing chief Swati Singh is in fray. BJP has never won the seat.

The driver gives it a thought, stifles a smile and nods in agreement.

Who would like to be seen in the vicinity of the clinic and be branded a naamard? Its a society where everyone knows everyone. And word spreads fast. Salacious words move faster. I doubt whether even other patients go to the clinic that day.

Do you think these doctors do any business on Tuesdays? I ask the driver, a native of Uttar Pradesh, adding, I dont think so. He is a bit perplexed: Why?

One wise doctor has fixed a weekday for each category of patients for consultation. Naamards on Mangalbar (impotents on Tuesday), reads the information on one wall. Somewhere else Thursday is the day for those with the problem of early ejaculation. Something strikes you as odd.

On the road through the Yadav zone in Uttar Pradesh which goes to polls today, theres no escaping gupt rog. On the ubiquitous long brick walls amid green fields on both sides you find the mention of gupt rog and the doctor in loud white. In fact, this crude advertisement easily outnumbers those of the candidates in the elections.

Gupt Rog and a sure way to lose clients

Most voters are unable to say with confidence which party might form the next government in Lucknow. Will this election result in a hung assembly? This too cannot be said with certainty, as a shift of just about three percent votes could result in a clear majority for a single party.

Except for the Jat voters, the BJP voters have largely stayed with the party. BJP might be enjoying some silent polarisation in its favour. However, talking to people in western UP, it didn't appear that there was any wave in favour of any party. This may change in eastern UP.

During the first two phases of polling which covered western Uttar Pradesh, some division was seen in the Muslim votes. While most Muslim votes went for the Samajwadi Party, the BSP too seems to have received a fair share of Muslim votes. There is effectively a three-cornered contest across Uttar Pradesh.

BJP might have enjoyed silent polarisation in western UP but that changes in eastern UP

The constituency comprises city area considered stronghold of BJP and in 2012 polls BJP's Bora lost by a narrow margin of 2,219 votes to Mishra.

Lucknow North is witnessing a contest between state minister and SP candidate Abhishek Mishra and BJP's Neeraj Bora, while BSP has fielded former NSUI leader Ajay Srivastava this time, making it a three-cornered fight.

The Urdu daily Roznama Inquilab on 17 February also carried a five-column report from Barabanki quoting several Islamic clerics and local elders saying that appeals made by Muslim leaders to vote for a certain party has confused Muslim voters. Muhammad Yunus Khan, who works for educational uplift of Muslims, is quoted in the report as saying that there is awareness among Muslims as to which party to vote for.

Haseeb Ahmad Nizami of the Lucknow-based social organisation Bharatiya Aqaliyat Mahasabha who criticised such appeals for Muslim votes says that Muslims are aware of which party to vote for or not to vote, according to a report in the Urdu daily Akhbar-e-Mashriq on 16 February.

Some resentment is being seen in the Muslim community against appeals made by various leaders for Muslim minority votes. This may not be consequential but there is a realisation that political leaders use Muslims at the time of elections and forget the community after the vote.

Muslim voters know who to vote for

"I urge everyone to cast their important vote in the third phase of Uttar Pradesh voting. After the first two phases, I can confidently say that even in third phase BSP will lead all the parties as far as votes are concerned. In fact, in all the remaining phases as well BSP will come out as a winner. And I can positively say that BSP will form a government on its own, without anyone's assistance or any uncomfortable alliance. Uttar Pradesh needs change, it is looking for development. BJP has been tested and the same goes for Samajwadi Party  the voters have decided."

At another place close to Kanpur, you get ghanghor thandi beer. It does not surprise anymore.

Perhaps its a case of overdoing things. The owner of the shop wanted extra emphasis on the chill factor and came up with this adjective. Well, cannot say it does not attract attention. If it didnt, why would one be discussing it in the first place?

We know chilled beer. We can forgive the lapse on the sign board writers part when he mentions it as child beer. After all, beer is what matters in the end. But what, pray, is bhayankar thandi beer? On the road from Meerut to Kanpur one comes across this on a sign board and pauses for a few minutes to grasp the meaning of the words in combination. Thandi is for cold alright and beer needs no explaining. What is bhayankar doing here?

The polling percentage so far, with exception of Noida, has been very good. That is a clear indicator that voters in large numbers from all communities are coming out to vote. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

An excessive reliance of the SP-Congress coalition to woo Muslims has given rise to latent Hindutva sentiments across the state. The strategists perhaps erred in calculating the Muslims vote but they are not the only ones who vote. Mayawati too has erred on the same count. Scratch a bit and Hindutva sentiments of non-Yadav and non-Jatav community would come out to the fore. The situation may not be that of 2014 but this factor is certainly there on the ground and that could significantly tilt the balance for BJP.

Its true that there are no obvious signs of anti-incumbency against Akhilesh Yadav but the endorsement sentiments to bring the incumbent back to power is clearly missing.

Winds of change could be blowing in Uttar Pradesh. Ahead of the third phase of polling in this most populous and politically crucial Hindi heartland state, there are signs on the ground that Samajwadi Party-Congress coalition, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadavs pre-poll catchphrase UP ko ye saath pasand hai is not striking the desired cord among the numbers of voters required to catapult them to power.

Long queues have been seen in Lucknow, Kanpur and Etawah where people went early morning to cast their votes. Lucknow, which is generally less excited about exercising franchise, has also witnessed long queues outside polling stations.

The Modi-versus-Akhilesh debate has dominated the election scenario in Awadh, which could turn out to be a make-or-break region for both parties. Modi, who is the BJPs strongest vote-puller in a battle without a chief ministerial face, underlined the fact that he was an MP from the state and described himself as UPs adopted son.

Brisk voting has been reported from most of the 69 assembly seats which are going to polls on Sunday in the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections.

Awadh: With Modi vs Akhilesh debate dominating election talk, it could be a make-or-break region

Prominent persons who voted here included Rita Bahuguna Joshi, former state Congress President and currently the BJP candidate from Lucknow Cantt seat.

Large crowds swarmed polling stations in Indiranagar, Gomtinagar, Aliganj Chowk in the old city and Aashiana. Many voters were out early morning so that they do not have to wait in long queues later in the day.

In this region, the competition is between the father and the son. There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that Akhilesh Yadav is being seen as tanashah (dictator), as one person told me. However, it seems to be more of a social case. In Indian society, people generally favour the father in any clash with his son.

The third-phase polling today covers Etawah and nearby constituencies which are considered a stronghold of Mulayam Singh Yadav. However, the recent clash between Mulayam Singh and his son Akhilesh Yadav has caused resentment among the voters in this region.

The black patches could well be heartbreaks, externalised and painted in colour for public viewing. These frustrated aspiring candidates could damage the prospect of running candidates in the Samajwadi Party dominated region through silent sabotage acts.

Some of them had started campaigning already anticipating party tickets. The names had to be removed from the walls to avoid confusion among voters about the candidates.

The huge, ugly black patches on many walls in the fields on both sides of the road (from Meerut to Kanpur) tell you that someone has done a shoddy job. Look carefully, and try to find what the dark patches are trying to cover. You get the Congress' campaign theme before it entered into an alliance with the Samajwadi Party: '27 saal UP behaal' and you get names of Congress and Samajwadi Party aspirants who didn't finally get the ticket or lost out due to the alliance.

Black patches on the walls tell an election story

The Bhojpuri actor, who formally was a Congress candidate and contested election in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur in 2014, is all set to join the BJP. The announcement was done by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari.

If rumours are anything to go by he would damage the prospect of the Samajwadi Party in some seats in the Yadav belt. He would ensure that the strike rate of the party goes down by several points. It was 80 percent  and 55 seats  last time. He would not mind playing the BJP's game. Mulayam Singh is still with him but his relationship with Akhilesh remains frosty. Wait for a new episode in the family drama after the results are out.

Never underestimate the man outdone in a power game. He could have been pushed to the fringes of the Samajwadi Party by Akhilesh and ploughing a lonely furrow in his Jaswant Nagar assembly constituency at the moment, but Shivpal Yadav remains a dangerous man for Akhilesh.

Akhilesh's alliance partner Rahul Gandhi's Congress 
By Bill Trott

Omar Abdel-Rahman, the extremist Muslim cleric known as "the blind sheikh" convicted of conspiracy in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and planning more attacks as part of a "war of urban terrorism" in the United States, died on Saturday in a North Carolina prison, authorities said.Abdel-Rahman, 78, died of natural causes at 9:40 a.m. (1440 GMT) at the Federal Medical Center, Butner, part of a federal prison compound in Butner, North Carolina, according to Greg Norton, a spokesman. The cleric, who had diabetes and coronary artery disease, had been incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner, for nearly 10 years, Norton said. Earlier, the cleric's son Ammar said his family had received a phone call in Eygpt from a U.S. representative saying his father had died. The Egyptian-born Abdel-Rahman remained a spiritual leader for radical Muslims even after more than 20 years in prison.With his long gray beard, sunglasses and red and white clerical cap, the charismatic Abdel-Rahman was the face of radical Islam in the 1980s and 1990s. He preached a fiery brand of Islam that called for the death of people and governments he disapproved of and the installation of an Islamic government in Egypt. His following was tied to fundamentalist killings and bomb attacks around the world.Abdel-Rahman, who was born in a village along the Nile on May 3, 1938, lost his eyesight due to childhood diabetes and grew up studying a Braille version of the Koran.As an adult he became associated with the fundamentalist Islamic Group and was imprisoned and accused of issuing a fatwa leading to the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, against whom he had railed for years. The sheikh said he was hung upside-down from the ceiling, beaten with sticks and given electric shocks while held but he was eventually acquitted and went into self-imposed exile in 1990.

He managed to get to New York after the U.S. Embassy in Sudan granted him a tourist visa in 1990 - despite the fact that he was on the State Department's list of people with ties to terror groups.U.S. authorities blamed a computer error for the visa, but the mistake was compounded in 1991 when Abdel-Rahman was given a green card and permanent U.S. resident status. The New York Times reported the CIA had approved the visa application for Abdel-Rahman, who had supported the anti-Soviet mujahedin in Afghanistan during the 1980s.Abdel-Rahman preached his radical message and lived in the New York City borough of Brooklyn and nearby Jersey City, New Jersey, building a strong following among fundamentalist Muslims. Even in exile, he remained a force in the Middle East, where followers listened to cassette tapes and radio broadcasts of his sermons decrying the Egyptian government and Israel.While in the United States Abdel-Rahman and his disciples would be linked to the 1990 slaying in New York of militant Rabbi Meir Kahane, the 1992 killing of an anti-fundamentalist writer in Egypt and attacks on foreign tourists in Egypt.U.S. authorities took action in 1992 by revoking Abdel-Rahman's green card on the grounds that he had lied about a bad check charge in Egypt and about having two wives when he entered the country. He was facing the possibility of deportation when a truck bomb went off in the basement parking garage of the World Trade Center on Feb. 26, 1993, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 in an attack that made Americans realize that they were not immune to international terrorism.

Four months later Abdel-Rahman was arrested and went on trial with several followers in 1995, accused of plotting a day of terror for the United States - assassinations and synchronized bombings of the U.N. headquarters, a major federal government facility in Manhattan and tunnels and a bridge linking New York City and New Jersey.The indictment said Abdel-Rahman and his followers planned to "levy a war of urban terrorism against the United States" as part of a jihad - or holy war - to stop U.S. support for Israel and change its overall Middle East policy.The defendants were not directly charged with the 1993 World Trade Center attack but were convicted of conspiring with those who did carry out the bombing.Abdel-Rahman's convictions also included plotting to kill Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a visit to the United States in 1993, a Jewish New York state legislator and a Jewish New York State Supreme Court justice.

Much of the case against Abdel-Rahman and his followers was based on video and audio recordings made with the help of a bodyguard for the sheikh who became an FBI informant. A video also showed four defendants mixing fertilizer and diesel fuel for bombs.After a nine-month trial, the sheikh and nine followers were found guilty in October 1995 on 48 of 50 charges.He did not testify at his trial but at a sentencing hearing Abdel-Rahman gave a passionate speech of more than 90 minutes through a translator, proclaiming his innocence and denouncing the United States as an enemy of his faith."I have not committed any crime except telling people about Islam," he said.Abdel-Rahman was still an important figure in radical Islam even after years in prison. A year before his al Qaeda followers pulled off the most destructive assault on U.S. soil, the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Osama bin Laden had pledged a jihad to free Abdel-Rahman from prison. When Mohammed Mursi, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, began his short-lived presidency of Egypt in 2012, he said winning the sheikh's freedom would be a priority and the jihadists who attacked an Algerian oilfield and took hostages in 2013 also demanded his release.In 2006 one of Abdel-Rahman's lawyers, Lynne F. Stewart, was sentenced to 28 months in prison for helping smuggle messages from the cleric to his followers in Egypt. (Additional reporting by Mohamed Abdellah; writing by Asma Alsharif; Editing by Kevin Liffey and W Simon)

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By Laila Bassam and Angus McDowall

| BEIRUT

BEIRUT (Story corrects headline and paragraph 1 to show source said Hezbollah speeches aimed to draw "red lines" to prevent action against Lebanon, removes reference to hitting U.S. interests by targeting Israel which the source did not say.)The Hezbollah leader's harsh words for Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump this week were aimed at drawing "red lines" to prevent any threatening action against Lebanon or the group, a source familiar with the group's thinking said on Friday.Trump and administration officials have used strong rhetoric against Hezbollah's political patron Iran and to support its main enemy Israel, including putting Tehran "on notice" over charges it violated a nuclear deal by test-firing a ballistic missile.Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday described Trump as being an "idiot". On Thursday he said that his group, which played a major role in ending Israel's occupation of Lebanon, could strike its nuclear reactor at Dimona.The harsh words for Israel and Trump were aimed at drawing "red lines" for the new U.S. administration, the source familiar with the thinking of the Lebanese Shi'ite group said."Until now, Hezbollah is not worried about the arrival of Trump into the U.S. administration, but rather, it called him an idiot this week and drew red lines in front of any action that threatens Lebanon or Hezbollah's presence in Syria," the source said.

Israel and the United States both regard Hezbollah, which dominates Lebanese politics and maintains an armed militia that has had a significant part in fighting for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, as a terrorist organisation.The group was founded as a resistance movement against Israel's occupation of the predominantly Shi'ite Muslim south Lebanon which ended in 2000, a role that meant Beirut allowed it to keep its arms after the country's civil war ended in 1990. In 2006 Israel launched another war against Hezbollah in south Lebanon but withdrew without forcing the group, which gives allegiance to the supreme leader of Shi'ite Iran, to abandon its weapons.

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah, defended the group this week, saying: "As long as the Lebanese army lacks sufficient power to face Israel, we feel the need for (Hezbollah's) arsenal because it complements the army's role".THREATS

In his speech on Sunday, Nasrallah said: "We are not worried (about Trump), but rather we are very optimistic because when there is an idiot living in the White House, who boasts of his idiocy, it is the beginning of relief for the weak of the world".

On Thursday he urged Israel to dismantle its nuclear reactor at Dimona. Israel is widely believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal at its Dimona reactor but it refuses to confirm or deny if it is a nuclear power."We can turn the threat (of their nuclear capability) into an opportunity," he said, signalling that Hezbollah could strike the Dimona reactor and other Israeli atomic sites according to the source familiar with Hezbollah thinking. Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said in a statement on Thursday: "If Nasrallah dares fire on the Israel's home front or on its national infrastructure, then all of Lebanon will be hit." The source familiar with Hezbollah thinking said that it has been Nasrallah's policy since the 2006 war with Israel to reveal elements of the group's military capabilities as part of a policy of deterrence against attack by the Jewish state. (Reporting By Laila Bassam, writing by Angus McDowall; Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem)

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MOSCOW President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian authorities on Saturday to temporarily recognise civil registration documents issued in separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine, a decision strongly criticised by Ukraine's president.The decision will enable people from the conflict-hit region to travel, work or study in Russia.According to Putin's order, published on the Kremlin website, Russia will temporarily recognise identity documents, diplomas, birth and marriage certificates and vehicle registration plates issued in the eastern Ukraine regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.The legislation will be in place until a "political settlement of the situation" in these regions based on the Minsk peace accords, the Kremlin said.Ukrainian authorities sharply criticised Putin's decision, saying Russia had violated the Minsk peace process.

"For me, this is another proof of Russian occupation as well as Russian violation of international law," Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko told reporters in Munich, Germany."This step completely negates the Minsk process," said Oleksander Turchynov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, which is headed by Poroshenko.

Fighting has recently escalated in the conflict between the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, refocusing global attention on a simmering conflict that has strained relations between Russia and the West. The February 2015 Minsk peace agreement only locked the two sides into a stalemate that has been broken periodically by sharp resurgences of fighting that Kiev and the Kremlin accuse each other of instigating.

The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine met on Saturday in Munich and agreed to use their influence to implement a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from Monday in eastern Ukraine. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova in Moscow, addition reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kiev; Editing by Adrian Croft)

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Munich (Germany): On Saturday, Russia called for an end to an outdated world order dominated by the West, even as US Vice President Mike Pence pledged Washington's "unwavering" commitment to its transatlantic allies in

Nato.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov laid out a diametrically opposed global vision and offered "pragmatic" ties with the United States, just hours after Pence vowed to stand with Europe to rein in a resurgent Moscow.

"I hope that (the world) will choose a democratic world order - a post-West one - in which each country is defined by its sovereignty," said Lavrov.

The time when the West called the shots was over while Nato was a relic of the Cold War, he said.

In its place, Moscow wanted a relationship with Washington that is "pragmatic with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our common responsibility for global stability".

The two countries had never been in direct conflict, he said, and were close neighbours across the Bering Straits.

Moscow has been impatiently waiting for US President Donald Trump to make good on his pledge to improve ties which plunged to a post-Cold War low as Barack Obama slapped on sanctions over the Ukraine crisis and Russia's alleged meddling in Trump's election.

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and voiced his willingness to work with him in fighting terrorism.

But in the face of growing heat over its links to Moscow, Trump's administration appears to be backing off the warmer words used earlier for the former Cold War foe.

Exasperated and worried by Trump's calling into question long-standing foreign policy assumptions, European leaders have warned Washington not to take transatlantic ties for granted.

On a European roadshow this week, Trump's lieutenants have sought to reassure jittery allies that the administration will hold fast to existing foreign policies, including maintaining sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis.

Hours before Lavrov addressed the Munich Security Conference, Pence told the same forum that the United States will stay loyal to its old friends.

"The United States is and will always be your greatest ally. Be assured that President Trump and our people are truly devoted to our transatlantic union," Pence said.

The US would also not relent in pushing Russia to honour the Minsk ceasefire accords with Ukraine, he said.

"The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," the vice-president said.
In 2016, says data from South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), 612 civilians were butchered in Pakistan from 172 terror attacks. Some of the major ones included a suicide bomb blast in Balochistan capital Quetta, an attack on Bacha Khan University, a suicide attack in Lahore, another blast in Quetta  this time in a government hospital  killing at least 75. Balochistan suffered yet again in November when a bomb ripped through the crowded Shah Noorani shrine. Sixty two people died. The number of those injured were obviously much higher.

The turn of the new year saw the bloodshed continue unabated. In fact, it just went up a few notches. Thursday's suicide blast in a Sufi shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in southern Sindh caused the deaths of over 80 civilians. Quoting government figures, Geo News put the number of deaths at 88 and the injured at 343. The fatality figures may still go up.

The suicide strike which, according to some reports, was carried out by a female bomber and has since been claimed by the Islamic State through its Amaq news agency, is the 10th deadly assault Pakistan has suffered in the past five days. So far, in February alone, 100 have died, including civilians and security personnel.

According to Dawn, it started with an attack on a media van on 12 February. It was followed by a suicide blast during a Lahore rally that killed 13, explosions in Quetta, land mine blast in south Waziristan, four suicide attacks that targeted security forces and members of the judiciary, another bomb explosion in Balochistan and finally, an onslaught on a police van killing four officers and a civilian in Dera Ismail Khan.

Thirty of those dead in the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar attack were children. Reports indicate that the women's wing of the renowned 13th century Sufi shrine suffered the maximum damage. The timing of the blast was synchronised with the performing of dhamaal, a sacred ritual among devotees. The diabolical nature of the blast is therefore well established. The bomber used a lot of shrapnel for utmost injury. This is being called the deadliest attack in Pakistan since the terror strike on a Peshawar school in 2014 that resulted in the death of 154, nearly all of them schoolchildren. Entire classes were wiped out.

Pakistan's response has been interesting. The military was the first to react, not the Nawaz Sharif government. Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa's war cry left no one in doubt about the hierarchy of power.

It will be worthwhile going over Pakistan's steps following the tragedy. First, it sealed its border with Afghanistan, summoned its embassy officials to Army headquarters in Rawalpindi (not Islamabad, the seat of civilian power) and handed them a list of 76 names which it claimed were "terrorists hiding inside Afghanistan" and demanded their immediate deportation.

In a show of intemperate rage and revenge, the army launched a countrywide crackdown and claimed to have killed 100 'militants' in simultaneous operations in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the north-west, Pak-Afghan border, Orakzai Agency, Khyber Agency, Karachi and many other places.

The scope and ferocity of the retaliation raises several questions. Pakistan has always been at pains to deny the presence of Islamic State among its many terror nurseries. By launching a countrywide operation against an attack claimed by the Islamic State, is Rawalpindi acknowledging the possibility that Islamic State has spread its tentacles far and wide? The Pakistan Army has so far played down the Islamic State claim. Its actions too prove that it is more worried about the disgruntled Taliban which has been feeling the heat of its anti-terror operations.

Therefore, the real question is this. Why did it take a string of deadly attacks on its soil to finally goad Pakistan Army into action? If it was already aware of the terror network operating from its soil  a point proved post-facto by its neutralising of 100 'terrorists' in 24 hours  why didn't it take preemptive action?

The answer is an easy. But the khaki generals at Rawalpindi GHQ would never admit it because the truth ultimately threatens the elaborate power structure that the Pakistan Army has erected over the years.

Pakistan's strategy of using terror as a geostrategic policy tool has harmed it more than perhaps anyone else but dismantling will irreparably harm the army's grip over the country's power structure. Besides, it may no longer be possible for it to do so. The spate of attacks prove that Pakistan army has lost control over the Frankenstein that it has reared and nurtured over the years to get even with India and keep Afghanistan within its grasp. After years of differentiating between 'good terrorists' and 'bad terrorists', the cauldron has finally bubbled over and is scalding its own hands the most, spilling blood of countless innocents.

Ironically, just when Pakistan is bleeding profusely, came the unkindest cut: A sermon from a lawmaker in the US, a country which has so far pumped in billions to help Pakistan rein in and dismantling its terror factories. Congressman Brad Sherman, while expressing his grief for the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar attack, said Pakistan is reaping its own terror harvest.

"Pakistans intelligence services have for too long supported some terrorist organisations while combating others It is impossible to get a handle on fanatical and violent groups when you play this double game" PTI quoted him as saying.

In his column for The Hindu, Husain Haqqani, director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC who had earlier served a stint as Pakistans Ambassador to the US, wrote how every anti-terror operation in Pakistan was matched by a step in the "opposite direction".

"For decades Pakistan has seen jihadi groups as levers of its foreign and security policy and periodic assertions that the policy has changed have proved wrong. Every step against jihadis is followed by one in the opposite direction. Thus, the much publicised Operation Zarb-e-Azb targeted out-of-control Pakistani Taliban in Waziristan but spared groups based in Punjab and Karachi. Hafiz Saeeds recent detention was accompanied by blocking action against him and Masood Azhar at the U.N. with Chinese support. It is almost as if the Pakistani state is continuously telling jihadis, 'Those of you who do not attack inside Pakistan will not get hurt,'" he wrote.

Its diabolical strategy has so far served Rawalpindi well but now, the cost is threatening to outstrip the benefits. Amid indications that the Donald Trump administration may not give Pakistan as long a rope as the George Bush or Barack Obama regimes did, Pakistan needs a thorough geostrategic recalibration. General Bajwa has an opportunity. It remains to be seen whether he remains stuck in vine loop of terror or shows the courage to snap out of it.
By John Whitesides

| WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON After a tumultuous opening month in the White House, President Donald Trump is heading to a friendlier, familiar and potentially rejuvenating place: the campaign trail.Beset by vicious fights over his Cabinet, legal setbacks over his immigration orders, the resignation of his national security adviser and an investigation into possible links between his campaign and Russian intelligence, Trump is turning to the winning formula that vaulted him into the White House: big, adoring crowds and fiery, angry speeches.He has replaced Hillary Clinton, his former Democratic presidential rival, with a new foil: newspapers and TV news outlets that have reported unflattering revelations of dysfunction or other problems in the White House. He has described them as "lying", "corrupt", "failing" and, late on Friday, as "the enemy of the American people."On Saturday, he holds a campaign rally in an airport hangar in Melbourne, Florida, just up the coast from his Mar-a-Lago resort where he will spend the weekend. The event gives Trump a chance to bypass what he says is an unfair media and take his message straight to his supporters."It will remind people that he still has a lot of support out there, and he probably needs the reminder," said Republican strategist John Feehery. "When you are inside the bubble, it's not a bad idea to reconnect with your supporters and get re-energized."Trump's race against Clinton was marked by big, boisterous rallies, and the event in Florida is likely to be the first of many as he tries to appeal directly to his most passionate supporters and reframe his image following growing questions over his temperament and ties between his campaign and Russian intelligence.Shortly after an unusually long and combative 77-minute presidential news conference on Thursday, Trump's campaign sent out a fundraising email featuring a "media accountability survey" asking supporters about coverage."I've made it a point to cut through the media's noise and go straight to the American people. It worked during the campaign, and it will work again over these next four years," Trump said in the email.

Democrats countered with their own fundraising email, seeking donations to ensure "Trump is a one-term president.""First he had Republican primary opponents, then he had Hillary Clinton, and now he has the evil media," said Republican strategist Rich Galen. "He's very comfortable in this kind of campaign mode."EARLY START

The Florida rally marks an extraordinarily early start to the 2020 White House campaign for Trump, who filed re-election papers with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) five hours after he was sworn in as president on Jan. 20. His predecessor, Barack Obama, filed the same form in April 2011, more than two years into his first term as president.

The paperwork was not a formal declaration of Trump's candidacy, but allowed him to continue raising funds, including the money received from sales of his popular red "Make America Great Again" hats. The Trump campaign raised $9.6 million in December and had about $7.6 million on hand at the end of the year, the last time it was required to file a report with the FEC.Obama and other presidents have traditionally held campaign-style events to support their legislative initiatives, but they were organised and paid for by the White House. Saturday's rally will be organised and run by the campaign, the White House said.Obama hit the road frequently in early 2009 to rally voters behind his economic stimulus package. But he was also supported by an outside group called Organizing for America that filled some of the role of a campaign organization by building grassroots backing for his policies.By keeping his campaign intact, including his campaign website, Trump has made the concept of a permanent campaign into reality. The website, which features a photo of the inauguration, stresses Trumps campaign cannot stop because we still have much work to do.

Trump's first presidential event outside Washington was on Friday in North Charleston, South Carolina, where he visited an airplane plant operated by Boeing Co (BA.N) to celebrate the unveiling of its latest Dreamliner jet.On Air Force One after the Charleston event, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump is headed back on to the campaign trail because the media does not always deliver his message well, and "he can do that very effectively by taking the stage and talking to the people of America."Trump's early re-election campaign start has created some confusion for federal workers worried about possibly violating a U.S. law prohibiting them from engaging in political activity in the workplace.The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an independent government agency that protects federal bureaucrats from unfair personnel practices, issued guidance to federal workers last week after it said it received "numerous" questions about whether they can express their views on Trump given his intention to run for re-election.Federal workers would violate the law if they start calling for his re-election or defeat while on duty, the memo said, but since the election is still three years away workers can express approval or disapproval of his policies or actions but "may not display signs in their office that read 'Reelect Trump in 2020' or express" views on his candidacy while in the workplace.Once he formally announces his candidacy, the memo said, workers who are on duty or in the office cannot do anything "directed at the success or failure of his candidacy." (Editing by Jason Szep and Mary Milliken)

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By Jeff Mason

| NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. President Donald Trump promised to boost U.S. manufacturing and punish companies for moving jobs overseas during a visit on Friday to a South Carolina Boeing Co (BA.N) plant to celebrate the unveiling of its latest Dreamliner jet.The Republican president, who previously feuded with the plane maker over projected costs for the next version of Air Force One, gave a ringing endorsement to the company on Friday and used the event to highlight his pitch to boost homegrown job growth."I'm going to do everything I can to unleash the power of the American spirit and to put our great people back to work," Trump told a crowd of workers at the plant, with the presidential aircraft and the new Boeing jet behind him."This is our mantra: buy American, and hire American."Trump repeated his campaign threat that any company that lays off American workers to move to another country will face a "substantial penalty" when trying to sell their products in the United States.Trump's visit to the Boeing plant in North Charleston was a victory for Boeing, which had faced pointed tweets from Trump over the price tag to build a new Air Force One presidential aircraft fleet. [nL1N1F710E]

Trump took a tour of the factory along with Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg, and declared that the company had done "an incredible job."While Trump praised Boeing during his visit, he also signaled he would keep up pressure on defense companies to cut better deals with the U.S. government. After delivering his remarks, Trump told reporters that the price for the Air Force One fleet is still "too high, but we're negotiating."He also said that Boeing's competitor, Lockheed Martin(LMT.N), would have to cut the price of its stealthy F-35 jet or his administration would consider replacing some F-35 orders with Boeing's F/A-18 Hornet jets.

"We're going to save billions and billions of dollars," Trump said. "Most important, we are going to have a great product from both Boeing and Lockheed."On Thursday, Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, who runs the F-35 program for the Pentagon, said the cost of the jet could fall 16 percent to around $80 million in future purchases. [nL1N1G111B]Trump and other U.S. officials have criticized the Pentagon's most expensive program for delays and cost overruns, but the price per jet has steadily declined in recent years as production ramps up.

At the South Carolina plant, Boeing is building the 787-10, the largest of three models of its high-tech, carbon-fiber composite Dreamliner. Production of the other 787s is split with Boeing's factory in Washington state.Boeing rolled the first 787-10 out of the factory on Thursday. It is due to enter flight testing this year and reach customers in 2018.Boeing has been pressing to get the 330-seat $306 million plane into production because it is expected to be more profitable than the smallest version. But the company has sold only 149 of the jets, a small fraction of the 1,202 Dreamliners that have been ordered. (Additional reporting by Alwyn Scott in Seattle and Mike Stone and Ayesha Rascoe in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham)

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ISTANBUL Turkey has presented two proposals to the United States for how to carry out a joint military operation to drive Islamic State from its stronghold in the Syrian city of Raqqa, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on Saturday.Turkey has said repeatedly that the planned operation should be conducted by local Arab forces, possibly with support from Turkish troops, as opposed to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) -- an alliance dominated by Kurdish YPG militia.Washington's support for the SDF, which launched a campaign to encircle Raqqa in November, has caused tension with NATO-ally Turkey. Ankara views the Kurdish militia as an extension of militants fighting on its own soil. It is not yet clear whether the new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump will provide weapons to the YPG despite Turkey's objections. The U.S. says weapons provided to the SDF are so far limited to its Arab elements but Ankara says the arms are going to Kurdish militia and is asking for a halt.In a meeting on Friday at Turkey's Incirlik air base, a key hub for U.S.-led coalition against jihadists, Turkish military chief Hulusi Akar and his U.S. counterpart Joseph Dunford discussed the two Raqqa road maps, Hurriyet said, citing security sources.Ankara's preferred plan of action envisages Turkish and U.S. special forces, backed by commandoes and Turkey-backed Syrian rebels entering Syria through the border town of Tel Abyad, currently held by Kurdish YPG militia, the newspaper said.

The forces would effectively cut through YPG territory, before pushing on to Raqqa, which lies about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south.Such a plan would require the United States to convince the Kurdish militia to grant the Turkey-backed forces a 20-kilometre (12-mile)-wide strip through YPG territory in order to push south, the paper said.

The SDF alliance, which includes Arab and other groups in Syria's north as well as the YPG, controls swathes of territory along the Syria-Turkey border as they push back Islamic State.With air strikes and special ground forces from the U.S.-led coalition, the SDF is in the middle of a multi-phased operation to surround Raqqa, Islamic State's base of operations in Syria.Hurriyet also said Ankara was betting on securing a Syrian and Arab force of about 9,000 to 10,000 troops for the Raqqa operation, with most coming from among the fighters being trained at two camps inside Turkey.

A second but less likely alternative outlined by Akar to Dunford was to push towards Raqqa via the Syrian town of Bab, Hurriyet reported, which Turkey-backed forces have been fighting to seize from Islamic State for the past two months. But the long journey of 180 kilometres (about 110 miles) and mountainous terrain make that possibility less likely, it said. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Helen Popper)

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Oberhausen: Turkey's prime minister drew criticism on Saturday for holding a rally in Germany urging Turks there to support a referendum that would expand President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.

Binali Yildirim also told the several thousands of people at a stadium in Oberhausen, in western Germany, that Turkey would track down the participants in last July's failed military coup "in all the holes where they are hiding".

Germany is home to about three million people of Turkish origin, the legacy of a massive "guest worker" programme in the 1960s and 70s and the biggest population of Turks in the world outside of Turkey.

They will be able to vote in the April 16 referendum, which would discard the post of prime minister for the first time in Turkey's history.

Critics say the new presidential system will cement one-man rule in the country.

Some 750 opponents of Erdogan rallied peacefully near the Oberhausen stadium, according to police.

Sevim Dagdelen, a lawmaker in Germany's far-left Die Linke party, called the rally "a publicity campaign for a

dictator".

Another lawmaker, Cem Ozdemir of the Greens, wrote in the Kolner Stadt Anzeiger paper: "I find it shocking that a Turkish prime minister has no qualms about taking advantage of our democracy while he and his henchmen make their opponents disappear behind bars," he said.

But Yildirim told the supporters of the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) that "the era when some could give lessons to Turkey is over. Turkey is not a country that will be intimidated".

The German daily Die Welt said yesterday that Turkish police were holding its correspondent in the country.

Deniz Yucel, 43, has been detained in connection with reports on a hacker attack on the email account of Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, a son-in-law of Erdogan, the paper said.

Yildirim met Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier today during the Munich Security Conference, where she raised the correspondent's case.

"The chancellor noted that it was fundamental for Yucel to receive consular or embassy assistance... that he be treated fairly and in accordance with the law," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

Yildirim was to meet US Vice President Mike Pence at the conference later on Saturday.
A soldier from the United Arab Emirates died while taking part in a Saudi-led military operation in Yemen, state news agency WAM reported on Friday, without clarifying the circumstances of his death.

A second Emirati soldier in Yemen died of a heart attack, the report said.

The UAE is a member of a mostly Gulf Arab military coalition led by Saudi Arabia that is backing Yemen's internationally recognised government in a nearly two-year war against the Iran-allied Houthi group.

In coordination with local Yemeni fighters, Emirati soldiers have played the main role this month in capturing the port town of al-Mokha, part of a strategic push to deny Houthi forces access to Yemen's Red Sea ports.

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By Roberta Rampton and Shadia Nasralla

| MUNICH

MUNICH U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday brought a message of support for Europe from Donald Trump but failed to wholly reassure allies worried about the new president's stance on Russia and the European Union.In Pence's first major foreign policy address for the Trump administration, the vice president told European leaders that he spoke for Trump when he promised "unwavering" commitment to the NATO military alliance."Today, on behalf of President Trump, I bring you this assurance: the United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to this transatlantic alliance," Pence told the Munich Security Conference, offering "greetings" from the president.While Poland's defence minister praised Pence, many others, including France's foreign minister and U.S. lawmakers in Munich, remained sceptical that he had convinced allies that Trump, a former reality TV star, would stand by Europe. Trump's contradictory remarks on the value of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, scepticism of the 2015 deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and an apparent disregard for the future of the European Union have left Europe fearful for the seven-decade-old U.S. guardianship of the West.After Pence spoke, the former deputy secretary to the alliance Alexander Vershbow summed up the mood in Munich, telling Reuters: "Many in this hall are still asking if this is the real policy."Pence, who held a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also marked out a divide on Iran, which the European Union sees as a business opportunity following the nuclear deal. Pence called Tehran "the leading state sponsor of terrorism", language never used by European officials. Pence's strident vow to consign Islamist militants "to the ash-heap of history" also raised eyebrows, European officials said. TWO U.S. GOVERNMENTS?

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Twitter expressed his disappointment that Pence's speech contained "Not a word on the European Union", although the vice president will take his message to EU headquarters in Brussels on Monday.U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the opposition Democrats, said he welcomed Pence's address but saw two rival governments emerging from the Trump administration.

Pence, Trump's Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his foreign minister Rex Tillerson all delivered messages of reassurance on their debut trip to Europe.But events in Washington, including a news conference in which Trump branded accredited White House reporters "dishonest people", sowed more confusion."I like a lot of what I heard from Vice President Pence," Murphy told Reuters. "It's just hard to square that speech with everything Donald Trump is doing and saying," citing an assault on the free press.The resignation of Trump's security adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russia on the eve of the U.S. charm offensive in Europe also tarnished the message Pence, Mattis and Tillerson were seeking to send, officials told Reuters.U.S. Republican Senator John McCain, a Trump critic, told the conference on Friday that the new president's team was "in disarray".The United States is Europe's biggest trading partner, the biggest foreign investor in the continent and the European Union's partner in almost all foreign policy, as well as the main promoter of European unity for more than sixty years.

Pence, citing a trip to Cold War-era West Berlin in his youth, said the new U.S. government would uphold the post-World War Two order."This is President Trump's promise: we will stand with Europe today and every day, because we are bound together by the same noble ideals  freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law," Pence said.TEPID APPLAUSE

Pence received little applause beyond the warm reception he got when he declared his support for NATO. His warning that the "time has come to do more" on military spending was met with an awkward silence. Murphy said the speech won "tepid applause".

Ayrault, in a speech defending Franco-German leadership in Europe, lauded the virtues of multilateralism at a time of rising nationalism. Trump has promise 'America First.' "In these difficult conditions, many are attempting to look inward, but this isolationism makes us more vulnerable. We need the opposite," Ayrault said. Pence warned allies they must pay their fair share to support NATO, noting many lack "a clear or credible path" to do so. He employed a tougher tone than Mattis, who delivered a similar but more nuanced message to NATO allies in Brussels this week, diplomats said.The United States provides around 70 percent of the NATO alliance's funds. European governments sharply cut defence spending after the fall of the Soviet Union but Russia's resurgence as a military power and its seizure of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula has started to change that.Baltic states and Poland fear Russia might try a repeat of Crimea elsewhere. Europe believes Moscow is seeking to destabilize governments and influence elections with cyber attacks and fake news, an accusation denied at the conference by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Pence's tough line on Russia, calling on Moscow to honour the international peace accords that seek to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, were welcomed by Poland."Know this: the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz said Pence's speech "highlighted on behalf of President Trump that the U.S. supports NATO, Ukraine and Europe."They want to show the U.S. military potential," he said. (Additional reporting by Noah Barkin, Andrea Shalal, Vladimir Soldatkin, John Irish and Jonathan Landay; Writing by Robin Emmott; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
In November, Kenya's vice president visited Cairo, discussing with President El-Sisi strengthening cooperation between African and Nile Basin countries in particular

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met with Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi on Saturday during a one-day visit to the country for talks on bolstering development projects between Nile Basin countries, state news agency MENA reported.

Egypt will not spare any effort in bolstering its strategic relationship with Kenya in all aspects, especially in the area of development, El-Sisi said at a press conference with Kenyatta.

Egypt and Kenya are connected by a single artery, the River Nile, as well as a long history of constructive cooperation, El-Sisi said, adding that the two countries share the same hopes and aspirations as they both seek economic development and prosperity.

El-Sisi said he agreed with Kenyatta that development efforts should be undertaken in all Nile Basin countries to make the most out of this vital artery.

The Nile Basin countries are Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, and Sudan.

The Egyptian president said the talks with his Kenyan counterpart revolved around ways of strengthening the economic and commercial relationship between the two countries to fulfill their mutual interests.

El-Sisi also said that the two leaders agreed on intensifying efforts to restore stability in East Africa and the Horn of Africa.

In November, Kenya's Vice President William Ruto visited Cairo to discuss with El-Sisi the strengthening of cooperation in various fields between African countries in general and Nile Basin countries in particular.

Ruto announced at the time that Kenya has exempted Egyptians from obtaining travel visas in advance to visit the country.

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It has been more than a year since Samsung introduced its flagship Exynos 8 Octa 8890 14nm SoC that is being used in the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge smartphones. Now Samsung has posted a new teaser for the Exynos 9 that will succeed the Exynos 8 when everyone were expecting the Exynos 8895 to power the S8 series. The teaser says Discover cloud 9 with Exynos, clearly hinting at the Exynos 9.

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The Exynos 9 will likely be used in the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ in most markets like India, while some markets like the U.S. will probably use the Snapdragon 835 SoC. The Exynos 9 will likely use the 10nm FinFET process (10LPE). The company started mass production of System-on-Chip (SoC) based on the technology last October.

We still dont have any specifications of the Exynos 9, but the processor is expected to use a Mali-G71 GPU offering Vulkan API from Khronos as well as support for smooth mobile VR experience.
Bank of America Corp raised Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Brian Moynihan's compensation by 25 percent in 2016 after the second-largest U.S. bank grew profits by 13 percent.

Moynihan's total compensation was $20 million, up from $16 million in 2015. As has been the case in prior years, his award includes a base salary of $1.5 million and no cash bonus. The remainder comes in units that can be converted into stock. Fifty percent of those units are subject to performance hurdles that must be met in later years.

Bank of America grew revenues and lowered expenses in 2016 while returning 33.3 percent to shareholders and achieving "historically low credit losses," according to a regulatory filing released Friday.

Moynihan earned 91 percent of the performance-restricted stock he was awarded in 2011 and just 42 percent of the performance-restricted shares he received in 2013, according to the bank's most recent proxy filing last year. Performance-restricted shares Moynihan received in 2012 and after 2013 are still pending.

JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon's compensation went up 3.7 percent to $28 million and Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman's compensation rose 7 percent to $22.5 million.

Moynihan took the helm of Bank of America in 2010 on the heels of the financial crisis. He inherited an institution that had more troubled mortgages on its books than any other U.S. bank and was in a tense marriage with Merrill Lynch, the storied brokerage it acquired in the midst of a market meltdown. Having spent much of his tenure slashing costs and resolving legal issues, the former attorney has lately been hiring salespeople and investing in technology in an effort to make the bank more efficient.

(Reporting by Dan Freed; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Like most serious investors, I'm a big fan of Warren Buffett. That's why I do my best to take his advice seriously. So when the Oracle of Omaha says that his "favorite holding period is forever," I make sure to fill my portfolio with stocks I never plan on selling.

Three such companies are Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE: BEP), NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE), and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE: BIP). Here's why I could see holding each one for the rest of my life.

Rivers of cash flow

Brookfield Renewable Partners is one of the world's largest renewable power-generating companies. While Brookfield focuses on hydropower, it also operates wind, solar, and energy storage facilities.

The company primarily sells the power it produces under long-term contracts to utilities and other end users to lock in pricing. These agreements provide Brookfield Renewable with steady cash flow. The company distributes the bulk of this money to investors via a dividend that currently yields 6.2%.

Meanwhile, Brookfield uses the cash it retains, its strong balance sheet, and select asset sales to invest in expanding its portfolio. Add those investments to the inflation-related growth baked into its existing contracts and its upside to higher future power prices, and Brookfield Renewable anticipates that it can expand cash flow by 6% to 11% annually. That should support 5% to 9% yearly dividend growth.

That combination of income and growth should enable the company to continue generating market-beating returns, which it has done by a significant margin since its inception. Couple that with a massive opportunity for renewables, and Brookfield Renewable Partners looks like a forever holding to me.

The clean-energy leader

NextEra Energy is not only one of the largest utilities in the U.S., but the global leader in producing power from the wind and sun. That lead should increase over the next few years since the company is in the process of investing $40 billion in expanding its portfolio.

One thing that stands out about NextEra is that its investments move the needle for investors. Since 2005, the company has grown its earnings at an 8.5% annual pace, which has vastly outperformed the meager 3% yearly growth rate of its peers over that time frame. That fast-paced growth, when coupled with NextEra's attractive dividend that currently yields 2.7%, has enabled the company to outperform 86% of the companies in the S&P 500 over that period.

That outperformance appears poised to continue because the company keeps making bold bets on both renewables and energy storage. Add in its investments in natural-gas pipelines and electricity transmission, as well as its ability to acquire assets, and NextEra Energy should have the power to grow earnings by a 6% to 8% annual rate for the next several years. That should support continued dividend increases, which could give it the power to continue outperforming.

Built for the long haul

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners operates one of the largest portfolios of critical global infrastructure assets. This sibling of Brookfield Renewable focuses on operating transportation assets (toll roads, ports, and railways), energy businesses (pipelines and utilities), and data infrastructure (communications towers and data centers). Most of its operations generate steady cash flow either backed by fee-based contracts or predictable volumes. That enables the company to pay an attractive distribution that currently yields 4.9%.

Brookfield Infrastructure, like its sibling, uses a combination of the cash it retains, its strong balance sheet, and targeted asset sales to give it the funds to invest in growing its portfolio. Combine that with inflation escalators embedded in its legacy contracts and volume growth as the global economy expands, and Brookfield expects earnings to increase at a 6% to 9% yearly pace. That should support 5% to 9% annual growth in distributions to investors.

Brookfield's ability to increase both cash flow and its dividend at a steady pace has enabled it to outperform the market by a wide margin since its inception. This trend appears poised to continue, especially given the company's focus on operating mission-critical infrastructure, which will remain an area of need for decades to come. That makes it worth holding for the long haul.

Everything I look for in forever stocks

Brookfield Renewable, Brookfield Infrastructure, and NextEra Energy have all the characteristics I want in a long-term holding. They each operate in industries that should be around in the decades ahead. Further, they have rock-solid financial profiles, which gives them the ability to pay generous dividends while expanding their operations.

This combination of factors should enable these companies to generate market-beating returns over the long haul. That potential for sustained outsized returns is why I don't plan on selling these stocks.

10 stocks we like better than NextEra EnergyWhen 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 quadrupled the market.*

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Matthew DiLallo owns shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners, and NextEra Energy. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Infrastructure Partners and NextEra Energy. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
"When it comes to maintaining a basic international order ... us having the most powerful military on Earth helps [to] check the impulses of some other bad folks. We ... are the ones who are pushing back [against bad actors] most effectively."

-- U.S. President Barack Obama, Nov. 4, 2016, interview with Bill Maher

America's defense industry is the arsenal of democracy. Image source: Getty Images.

Pity the U.S. defense industry.

Americans may complain about our cable companies and cellphone carriers. We may question the integrity of car dealers and joke about wanting to get rid of our lawyers. But when it comes to bad reputations, it's hard to beat the bad rap that defense companies such as Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) get: Goodness gracious! These companies make products that kill people!

And yet, when TV talk show host Bill Maher asked President Obama to justify supporting the defense industry with hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars annually, the president's response was telling: It's a good thing that we have a strong military, and a strong defense industry to support it. As the president put it himself: "We really are the indispensable nation... If you have a rogue nation that decided it was going to take action that significantly threatened a lot of people, I'd want to know that the U.S. military was there ... because for the most part, other countries don't have either the capacity or the inclination" to do the job.

That, in a nutshell is why I have no qualms about investing in defense stocks. But if you are still on the fence, here are five more good reasons to feel good about investing in defense.

Like your car? Then you should love defense companies

America imports about 24% of the oilwe consume daily -- 9.45 million barrels of oil per day, much of it coming from dangerous neighborhoods around the globe. This oil then gets processed into gasoline and diesel to fuel our cars ,and chemicals for our industry, and we turn around and reexport4.74 million barrels of it a day. The majority of these imports and exports travel by oil tanker across international seas.

For that matter, widen the lens a bit. More than just oil, the U.S. imports more than $2.2 trillion worth of various goods annually, and we export nearly $1.5 trillion worth -- again, with much of this commerce traveling by sea.

The problem is, these seas lack any form of international police force, and unless someone takes on the task of protecting oceangoing commerce, such international trade can be interrupted. (It doesn't take much to interrupt it, either, if you recall the troubles oil companies had a few years back with AK-47-toting pirates off the Somali coast.) And who built the boats that curbed those pirates? U.S. defense contractors and naval warship-builders like General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), and drone manufacturers such as Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC).

Market giants

Speaking of General Dynamics and Boeing -- along with Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon, these are the biggest defense contractors in the U.S. And they're also just plain big companies (and employers), period. From Boeing, with its market capitalization of more than $100 billion, to Northrop and its relatively svelte $40 billion market cap, America's five biggest defense contractors represent more than $310 billion in market value.

Every year, these five companies produce goods and services worth $220 billion. They help keep the U.S. trade deficit balanced, exporting nearly 40% of their goods and services abroad -- more than $83 billion worth annually. And they earn so much profit from selling these goods and services that the five defense companies named average a P/E ratio of just 19.9-- making these five defense stocks more than 20% cheaper than the 25.8 average P/E on the S&P 500.

Jobs

These companies employ nearly 500,000 persons between them. That's 50% more jobs than Intel, Microsoft, Facebook, Alphabet, and Twitter combined.

Stock performance

International ruffians may be bad for business generally, but making sure bad actors don't disrupt global security has been great for the defense business. The rising threat posed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria has particularly helped to more than double the share price of Boeing stock over the past five years. It's pushed up the price of General Dynamics shares by more than 150% in that same time period, and sent Lockheed Martin up nearly 190%.

Raytheon? That stock has close to tripled in value over the past five years, and Northrop Grumman stock, helped by a big buyback program, has nearly quadrupled to more than $230 per share.

Defense, but not just defense

And let's not forget, too, that these companies do more than just build bombs and missiles. In addition to nuclear submarines, General Dynamics builds fuel-efficient "ECO" class civilian tankers. In addition to being one of the world's biggest defense companies, Boeing is also the biggest builder of civilian airplanes in the world. And Lockheed Martin -- get a load of this! -- is a pioneer in researching nuclear fusion technology to produce cheap, clean, inexhaustible energy for the world. At the same time, both Boeing and Lockheed Martin, through their United Launch Alliance joint venture, are instrumental to NASA's efforts to put human astronauts on Mars.

Wave a magic wand to make these "defense" companies go away, and not only would the world become a more dangerous place, but a lot of the completely peaceful work they do would also vanish.

10 stocks we like better than Lockheed MartinWhen 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 Lockheed Martin wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

*Stock Advisor returns as of February 6, 2017

Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Republican Senator John McCain broke with the reassuring message that U.S. officials visiting Germany have sought to convey on their debut trip to Europe, saying on Friday that the administration of President Donald Trump was in "disarray".

McCain, a known Trump critic, told the Munich Security Conference that the resignation of the new president's security adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russia reflected deep problems in Washington.

"I think that the Flynn issue obviously is something that shows that in many respects this administration is in disarray and they've got a lot of work to do," said McCain, even as he praised Trump's defence secretary.

"The president, I think, makes statements (and) on other occasions contradicts himself. So we've learned to watch what the president does as opposed to what he says," he said.

European governments have been unsettled by the signals sent by Trump on a range of foreign policy issues ranging from NATO and Russia to Iran, Israel and European integration.

The debut trip to Europe of Trump's Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to a meeting of G20 counterparts in Bonn, went some way to assuaging concerns as they both took a more traditional U.S. position.

But Trump is wrestling with a growing controversy at home about potential ties between his aides and Russia, which he dismissed on Thursday as a "ruse" and "scam" perpetrated by a hostile news media.

Mattis made clear to allies, both at NATO in Brussels and in Munich, that the United States would not retreat from leadership as the European continent grapples with an assertive Russia, wars in eastern and southern Mediterranean countries and attacks by Islamist militants.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will address the Munich conference on Saturday with a similar message of reassurance.

Pence will say that Europe is an "indispensable partner" for the United States, a senior White House foreign policy adviser told reporters.

Mattis told a crowd that included heads of state and more than 70 defence ministers that Trump backed NATO.

"President Trump came into office and has thrown now his full support to NATO. He too espouses NATO's need to adapt to today's strategic situation for it to remain credible, capable and relevant," Mattis said.

Mattis said the United States and its European allies had a shared understanding of the challenges ahead. Trump has alarmed allies by expressing admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mattis, however, has spoken out strongly against Russia while in Europe. After talks with NATO allies in Brussels on Thursday, he said that he did not believe it would be possible to collaborate militarily with Moscow, at least for now.

The Europeans may need more convincing that Washington stands with it on a range of security issues.

"There is still a lot of uncertainty," Sebastian Kurz, Austria's foreign minister, told reporters. "The big topic in Munich is looking to the USA to see which developments to expect next."

"NO ILLUSIONS"

European intelligence agencies have warned that Russia is also seeking to destabilize governments and influence elections across Europe with cyber attacks, fake news and propaganda and by funding far-right political parties.

"We should be under no illusions about the step-change in Russian behaviour over the last couple of years, even after Crimea," British Defence Minister Michael Fallon said, referring to Moscow's 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula.

"We have seen a step-change in Russian military aggression, but also in propaganda, in misinformation and a succession of persistent attacks on Western democracies, interference in a whole series of elections including ... the United States."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Munich, seeing progress on encouraging Moscow to be more open about its military exercises that the alliance says are unpredictable.

Russia says it is the Western alliance, not Moscow, that is destabilising Europe by sending troops to its western borders.

"We have different views," Stoltenberg said of the crisis in Ukraine, where the West accuses the Kremlin of arming separatist rebels in a conflict that has killed 10,000 people since April 2014. Russia says the conflict is a civil war.

In the latest incident, Lithuanian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into a false report of rape by German soldiers stationed there on a NATO mission to deter Russia.

Mattis, without explicitly citing the case, rallied to the defence of German forces as he spoke in the German city of Munich. "I have great respect for Germany's leadership in Europe  and for the ethical performance of your troops on the battlefield," he said.

U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Trump's favour.

McCain acknowledged concern in Europe and beyond that America was "laying down the mantle of global leadership" and cited global trends he found disturbing, including hardening resentment toward immigrants and an unwillingness to separate truth from lies.

McCain urged the forum not to give up on the United States.

"Make no mistake, my friends: These are dangerous times, but you should not count America out, and we should not count each other out," McCain said. (Additional reporting by Noah Barkin and Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Hugh Lawson ad Cynthia Osterman)
Callista and I have great affection and respect for Bob Michel, and the news of his passing at age 93 brought back a lot of memories. He was a great colleague, mentor, and friend.

I learned an immense amount from Bob in our 16 years serving together  especially during the five years I served as whip while he was leader. Bob taught me lesson after lesson about leading people in a legislative environment.

He was always a citizen first and a politician second. And Bob, like Senator Bob Dole, represented what Tom Brokaw called "the Greatest Generation."

Both grew up with solid middle American values. Both took patriotism and hard work for granted. Both served in the Army in Europe. Both were wounded. Both overcame their wounds and went on to serve in public office.

We are fortunate to still have Senator Dole with us. I am sure he joins in reflecting on what a remarkable citizen leader Bob Michel was.

After Michel fought the Axis powers in Europe  earning two Bronze stars, a Purple Heart, and four Battle Stars  he came home to Peoria, Illinois. There, he graduated from Bradley University and married his lifetime love, Corinne Woodruff. Both loved music (Bob had a great singing voice, and Corinne was a talented pianist). They had four children and remain a close-knit family.

Bob was also a fan of the Chicago Cubs. I am glad he got to see them break their curse and win the World Series last year. Im told Bob watched every game with rapt attention.

After overcoming the wounds he suffered in World War II, Bob continued his life of service to America. He came to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1949 as an assistant to Congressman Harold Velde. In 1957 Bob replaced Velde and served for 38 years  including six as Republican whip and 14 as minority leader. He was the longest serving minority leader in American history.

Bob used to tell those of us in Congress great stories about the lessons he learned serving as bartender for private sessions with Senator Everett Dirksen and long-time Republican Whip Congressman Les Arends, both of Illinois. He left deep impressions on all who worked with him.

Former Congressman Bob Walker, who was my close ally in working for a House Republican majority, caught the essence of Bob Michel in a note he wrote to Bob's family, which he has allowed me to quote:

"So sorry for your loss. But in a larger sense, it is truly a loss to all of us and to the nation. For all 50 years that I was on the Hill and working with the Hill, Bob Michel was a giant and an inspiration. Throughout his career and in his retirement, he was the shining example of a legislator's legislator. No one was more respected by all of his colleagues for his leadership, his integrity, his courage and his sense of principle. Barb and I truly mourn with you on the loss of a great man and great American."

Bob Michel became minority leader three years after I arrived in Congress in 1978. As Michael Barone noted in the Reagan years, Bob was possibly the most effective minority leader in history.

The passage of the Reagan and Bush agendas owed a lot to Bob's skills and leadership  and his ability to successfully play the hand he was dealt. You can see that in the way he held the House GOP and the Bush administration together when the 1990 tax increase fight threatened to spin out of control. He could also work with Tip O'Neill and Dan Rostenkowski to get a lot done for Reagan. I could never have done that.

On the other hand, I was prepared to run a national campaign to elect a House GOP majority for the first time in 40 years. Bob was willing to tolerate my forcing the pace in 1993, and he very generously backed me for over a year as we pushed to elect a majority. He could easily have insisted I wait until his retirement, but that would have made the Contract with America campaign impossible.

Bob was deeply devoted to his family and his wife Corinne, and her passing in 2003 left a sadness that nearly equaled their intense partnership and happiness. Callista and I offer our thoughts and prayers to the Michel family.

Bobs was a life worth living and an inspirational model for us all.
Over the past few months, America has lurched from partisan warfare to the cliffs of an existential crisis.

Multiple reports show that my former colleagues in the intelligence community have decided that they must leak or withhold classified information due to unsettling connections between President Trump and the Russian Government.

Said an intelligence officer: I know what's best for foreign policy and national security And I'm going to act on that.

Some of us might applaud this man, including a few of my fellow Democrats. In their minds, this is a case of Mr. Smith Goes to Langley to do battle against a corrupt President Trump.

One small problem. The intelligence officer quoted above was actually Aldrich Ames, a CIA traitor whose crime of treason in the 1980s and 1990s resulted in the compromise of more than 100 assets. Many were tortured and executed as a result.

Ames flawed logic is eerily similar to that of his present-day colleagues who are engaged in a shadow war with their commander in chief. They, too, have decided that their superior judgment is more important than following the law.

For the sake of argument, however, lets assume that these officials are somehow different than Ames. Lets suppose that they have compelling pieces of information that indeed suggest Trump or his staff have committed treason.

When youre trained as a spy, youre taught how to handle these kinds of situations. Upon learning the information, it gets tightly compartmented (restricted) and sent to the Department of Justice or Congress for investigation. If the evidence is found to be credible, the constitution makes clear what happens next: impeachment.

Thats how American democracy should work.

And thats precisely how it has been working. According to former Vice President Biden, theres been an on-going investigation into the alleged connections between Trump and Russia. All of us should take heart in knowing that the system is functioning exactly as designed.

However, some of Americas spies are deciding that thats not enough. For reasons of misguided righteousness or partisan hatred, theyve taken it upon themselves to be judge, jury, and executioner. They have prosecuted their case in the court of public opinion, with likeminded media outlets such as CNN, The New York Times, and the Washington Post serving as court stenographers.

Elected by no one, responsible only to each other, these spies have determined that Trump is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors.

Days ago, they delivered their verdict. According to one intelligence official, the president will die in jail.

I understand how this might feel appealing to deeply partisan Democrats. After all, I didnt want Trump to win either. But the solution to fighting this subpar president cannot be encouraging a network of spies to tip the scales back in our political favor. We must instead let the system continue to work, as it has, and make our case to the American people during future elections.

If youre not convinced, imagine the consequences of letting spies decide not just Trumps fate but other political winners and losers too. Imagine how they might treat our candidates next.

Flash-forward to November 4, 2020, where Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have defeated Donald Trump and Mike Pence for the White House. Democrats will celebrate in the streets. The liberal spies will smile.

Mission accomplished.

Conservative spies, however, will take a darker view. To them, their liberal colleagues will have gotten away with political murder. Theyll be looking for revenge.

Welcome to the new America. Its now their turn to burn democracy down. And theyve got the tools and motivation to do it.

This is the slippery slope of political tribalism that, up until a few months ago, I would have thought impossible in America. Certainly it happens in third world nations but not here. I was trained to believe that we were exceptional.

In the culture of Americas spies, you live and die by a set of rules. One of them is a sacred pledge of allegiance to the constitution and commander in chief. Spies may not like a president or their policies but they must salute their leader nonetheless. If they cannot, they are told to resign.

Spies also take a vow of secrecy, specifically to keep classified information hidden from anyone who doesnt have an authorized need to know. Its a commitment one keeps for a lifetime. And should that vow be violated, the consequences are dire. Prison time. Colleagues and informants killed. Enemies emboldened. The country less safe.

Spies also accept and embrace a final rule: there must be an unbreakable wall between government workers and the democratic process.

Why?

Because many spies have access to powerful tools that, if used improperly, could cause incredible damage to the nations stability. Accordingly, clandestine officers have a special covenant with the American people  codified by the Hatch Act  that limits their participation in politics.

During my time as a CIA officer, I quickly learned why all these rules were in place. I read peoples emails. I listened to phone calls. I recruited assets that told the dirtiest and most embarrassing of secrets. I came to realize that my power was both an awesome responsibility and, at times, wickedly seductive.

Some of us faltered in our commitments. I remember colleagues who believed themselves above the rules, conducting quiet investigations into cheating wives or ex-boyfriends. They were eventually discovered and rightfully thrown out. They had demonstrated an inability to handle the burden of power.

And that is precisely what we are experiencing today. The spies who are plotting against President Trump are breaking U.S. laws. Theyre violating their oaths. And theyre committing treason to remedy (perceived) treason.

They likely dont see it that way, of course. But, then again, neither did Aldrich Ames.

With luck and aggressive investigations, these renegade spies will join their fallen colleague at the Allenwood Correctional Facility for the remainder of their lives.

I look forward to watching the gates forever close behind them.
President Trump on Friday said that the U.S. is looking into a big order of Boeings F/A-18 Super Hornets that may have stealth capabilities.

Trump made the comments during a tour of a Boeing plant in South Carolina. The message appeared to be also directed at Lockheed Martin, the maker of the F-35 and corporate rival, Bloomberg reported.

We are looking seriously at a big order, Trump said, referring to the F/A-18. He said, If the price (of the F-35) doesnt come down, we would. The F-18s a great plane and now put a stealth component onto it.

VIDEO: TRUMP: AMERICAN WORKERS WILL SOON HAVE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff, was seen at the factory holding a brochure for the F/A-18 XT, which is the advanced Super Hornet, DefenseNews.com reported.

Trump has called the costs of the F-35 program out of control. He has been critical of both Lockheed and Boeing and appears to be comfortable pitting the two aerospace giants against each other.

Dennis Muilenburg, the CEO of Boeing, said in January that he has spoken to Trump about the Air Force One program and discussed fighter aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force plans to buy 1,763 of the F-35A model jets, Bloomberg reported. The report said that there is likely not much Boeing could do to compete with the fifth-generation F-35, which is equipped with a more advanced radar system.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Lockheed cut about $600 million from the F-35 program. The planes used to cost $102 million each, now they are under $100 million.

The F-35 program made up 20 percent of Lockheed's total 2015 revenue of $46.1 billion. And U.S. government orders made up 78 percent of its revenue last year.

The F-35 program directly or indirectly supports more than 146,000 U.S. jobs, according to the company's website. Lockheed assembles the F-35s in Fort Worth, Texas.

Lockheed said at the time that it has worked to lower the price of the F-35 by more than 60 percent and said it expects the aircraft to cost $85 million in 2019 and 2020.

In December,Trump tweeted Thursday that based on the tremendous cost overruns of Lockheed Martins F-35 program, he had asked the aerospace giant's competitor, Boeing, to "price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet."
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., had two main objectives. First, hoof it to the Senates Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility as quickly as possible. Secondly, elude reporters.

The Senate was still taking its final vote Friday before a 10-day recess when Burr bounded out of the chamber. He traced a circuitous route, gliding past the Northeast Grand Staircase in the Capitol, making a hard right into the Ohio Clock Corridor, then jogging left again past the Mike Mansfield Room. Burr then strode down a carpeted hallway leading past the hideaway offices of other senators.

The senator boarded an obscure elevator at the end of that hallway that he obviously didnt use often. He asked a U.S. Capitol Police officer carrying a salad if the elevator went to the SCIF. The elevator didnt go as far down as Burr needed it to. So he disembarked, resuming his break-neck stride, spilling out into the upper level of the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center (CVC).

Burr cut past school children and tourists -- nimbly avoiding the obvious thoroughfare to the SCIF. After all, reporters circled near the precise spot the Intelligence Committee chairman wanted to avoid -- a spiral staircase beneath a skylight close to the Senate subway station that led to the obvious doorway concealing the SCIF.

Burr made his way to an escalator and coasted past the statues of King Kamehameha from Hawaii and Sakakawea from North Dakota. He disappeared behind a set of wooden doors by the CVC appointments desk.

Burrs quarry was up ahead. A non-descript, double doorway at the end of the hall. All that sheathed the passageway was a six-panel, folding screen that looked like it belonged in the changing room of a high-end department store. Burr rapped his knuckles on the doorway three times to gain ingress. He then disappeared behind the ultimate backdoor on Capitol Hill.

There was a reason behind Burrs cloak-and-dagger approach. He and other members of the Senate Intelligence Committee had a sub rosa meeting in the subterranean SCIF with FBI Director James Comey. The topic: Russian influence in last falls election, leaks and undoubtedly, how someone exposed a phone call between former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and Moscows Ambassador to Washington Sergey Kislyak.

Better yet, how did they intercept the call? Was it a mistake? Was Flynn under surveillance? Was there a super-secret warrant authorized by a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court?

Even so, why was the U.S. wiretapping one of its own citizens? FISA law expressly prohibits such eavesdropping. Were the participants on the call unmasked because spooks were listening for something else and stumbled upon Flynn on the line?

Flynn is now out of a job but really a bystander in the whole operation.

I want to know what the Russians have on Donald Trump? demanded House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Her fellow Democrats went further, invoking parlance from a malignant era not so long ago.

Did the president know and when did he know it? asked House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

Whatever the reason, it was enough for Burr to keep the meeting on the Q.T. and slash his way through back hallways just to make the briefing. Congressional sources wouldnt even confirm on the record that Comey was at the Capitol.

Reporters never would have known Comey was around had the directors lanky, 6-foot-8-inch frame and robust security detail not betrayed him as he made his way to the conclave.

Soon, other senators came and went from the meeting, but no one would stop to talk or even generally elaborate on the subjects discussed.

It was a classified briefing, was all Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, offered.

We made our non-statement, statement, declared Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence committee.

This was truly under the Cone of Silence.

What had overcome the usually loquacious senators? Were they silenced like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., last week?

The Senate determined Warren violated the bodys sacred Rule XIX when she bad-mouthed then-colleague and now Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The Senate then barred Warren from speaking on the floor for the remainder of the debate on Sessions nomination.

But after huddling with Comey for more than two hours, the senators didnt say anything.

They didnt have to. Their silence said everything.

There are classified briefings. And then there are classified briefings.

There is no issue as white hot in Washington about whats going on now with Russia, Flynn and potential issues between President Trump and Moscow.

It may be poor form, but lawmakers on both sides of Capitol routinely walk out of classified sessions, stop at a bank of microphones and immediately spill things to the press.

Its not that they openly cough up classified or sensitive information to reporters. Sometimes the lawmakers grouse that they didnt learn anything in those briefings that they hadnt already read in the paper.

One lawmaker privately told Fox several years ago that the worst possible optic is to walk out of a classified briefing, then immediately talk to a scrum of scribes.

Reporters may not like it. But perhaps thats how it should be following a classified session. Hold your tongue. Play the cards close to your vest. Dont chatter.

The fact that none of that jawboning unfolded following Fridays covert Comey confab reveals how vital the session truly was. The reticence revealed how sensitive the information may be.

This is always the challenge when reporting on intelligence matters.

Reporters never have the full story. They cant. The information is classified. Its illegal for those in the intelligence community, aides and lawmakers to publicly unveil top-secret material.

And theres usually a reason when factions inside the

intelligence community go rogue and reveal information to burn a rival. But thats selective and never the entire story. Those on the outside lack access to additional, contextual material.

Perhaps theres good justification why actor A did something. Why did actor B do that? Well, there may be a perfectly fine explanation, ensconced inside the classified documents. But the outside world will never know. The other information remains obscured.

More often than not, information deliberately leaked to the press may not even be true. Or at the very least, leakers slightly contour the information to influence public perception and shape the debate.

Those inside the intelligence community know its not true. But thats the problem. They cant volunteer additional information to countervail the claims without potentially breaking the law. Theyre stuck.

These are the black arts of the intelligence world -- performed not just in Washington but in Moscow, Vienna, London, Prague and other capitals.

The leaks about Flynn say a lot about him and his political adversaries.

There were no leaks or even vague comments following Comeys session. This was a stark contrast to how things usually go down on Capitol Hill.
House lawmakers are being told by law enforcement to maintain enhanced security awareness as they return to their home districts for a week -- following several raucous town hall meetings in which congressional Republicans were ripped over plans to dismantle ObamaCare and other GOP initiatives.

The advisory issued Thursday by the House Sergeant at Arms strongly encouraged the chambers roughly 435 members to review security protocols as they leave Capitol Hill for a District Work Period, which historically includes town hall-style events and other interactions with constituents.

This is important if your district office becomes a potential demonstration site, the advisory reads. If your home address and phone number are publicly available, you should remain particularly alert regarding your surroundings.

On Saturday, GOP Rep. Tom Reed hosted another town hall event in his upstate New York district in which attendees gave him rough time, demanding answers about his purported desire to shutter the Environmental Protection Agency and about Russia, Russia, Russia.

The situation follows several town hall events hosted by House Republicans over the past several weeks in which some attendees shouted and demanded answers to a range of concerns about their agenda and that of Republican President Trump -- particularly whether millions of Americans will lose health insurance if ObamaCare is indeed dismantled.

GOP Rep. Tom McClintock received a police escort from a recent town hall event in his eastern California district and has two more scheduled for next week.

Some of the disruption is an organized effort by critics of Trump and congressional Republicans agenda. And McClintock and others have suggested at least some of the disruptors are paid agitators.

A couple of weeks ago, at the House Democrats retreat in Baltimore, New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone downplayed the attendees behavior, saying he faced raucous town hall crowds of 3,000 during the Tea Party movement.

I never felt threatened, he told Fox News. They were calling us all kinds of names. I think (Republicans) are a little more thin-skinned than we were.

The Sergeant at Arms advisory also urges House lawmakers to coordinate with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies if they hold town hall meetings and to provide a copy of their schedule for situational awareness.

Whether groups have specific plans to protest at Republican lawmakers district offices is unclear.

But the fiscally conservative group FreedomWorks told Fox News earlier this week that it intends to drive busloads of people to congressional offices across the country to pressure conservative lawmakers to fulfill campaign promises on tax and regulatory reform and on repealing and replacing ObamaCare.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on Friday told the Munich Security Conference that President Trumps administration is in disarray and has a lot of work to do.

McCain has emerged as one of Trumps most vocal critics from his own party. Most recently, there has been a public fued between the administration and McCain over the Yemen raid that resulted in the deaths of civilians and the loss of a Navy SEAL.

McCain, who did not call out Trump by name, pointed to the resignation of Trumps former national security adviser to illustrate his point.

"I think that the Flynn issue obviously is something that shows that in many respects this administration is in disarray and theyve got a lot of work to do, McCain said, according to Reuters. The president, I think, makes statements (and) on other occasions contradicts himself. So weve learned to watch what the president does as opposed to what he says.

McCain pointed to the profound concern across Europe that the U.S. is laying down its mantle of global leadership.

I can only speak for myself, but I do not believe that that is the message you will hear from all of the American leaders who cared enough to travel here to Munich this weekend, he said.

Vice President Pence gave a speech Saturday morning where he assured NATO that the U.S. "will be unwavering in our commitment to this trans-Atlantic alliance."

The Washington Post ran a headline, in an analysis article, John McCain just systematically dismantled Donald Trumps entire worldview. The paper reported that it was a striking display from a senior leader of a party when it comes to a president of the same party.

McCains comments came days after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told fellow NATO members to increase military spending by year's end or risk seeing the U.S. curtail its defense support  a stark threat given Europe's deep unease already over U.S.-Russian relations.

Echoing Trump's demands for NATO countries to assume greater self-defense responsibility, Mattis said Washington will "moderate its commitment" to the alliance if countries fail to fall in line.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
President Trump returns to friendly and familiar ground Saturday with a campaign rally in Florida, after a challenging first several weeks in the White House, largely deprived of the voter enthusiasm that helped propel him to his unexpected November win.

Trump will hold the event inside an airplane hangar in the central Florida city of Melbourne. The Republican president visited Florida nearly two dozen times during the 2016 presidential campaign and won the state after Democratic President Obama was victorious there in 2008 and 2012.

Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump on Saturday wants to "speak directly to people across this county in an unfiltered way, in a way that doesn't have any bias."

Big rowdy rallies were the hallmark of Trump's presidential campaign. He continued to do them, although with smaller crowds, throughout the early part of the transition, during what he called a "thank you" tour.

Since his November win and officially entering the White House in late-January, the president has continued to argue that much of the news media has treated him unfairly, which has slowed progress for his young administration.

Trump has continued to use Twitter to sidestep reporters and communicate directly with Americans. But his use of social media has not appeared to spark as much energy as his freewheeling campaign stops -- notorious for chants of Drain the swap, "Lock her up" and Build a wall.

Saturdays rally will likely be a return to the old style, which appeared to energize Trump as much as it did voters, if his roughly 70-minute press conference Thursday was a prelude.

Trump revisited his upset victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, repeatedly dismissed negative news reports as fake news and dissing reporters, even telling one, Sit down.

The event Saturday is being put on by Trump's campaign, rather than the White House.

Asked if it was a rally for the 2020 election, Sanders called it "a campaign rally for America."

Trump promoted his appearance on Twitter on Friday: "Looking forward to the Florida rally tomorrow. Big crowd expected!"

During an appearance Friday at a Boeing plant in South Carolina, Trump slipped back into his campaign's "America First" message with ease.

"America is going to start winning again, winning like never ever before," he said, as the company showed off its new 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft. "We're not going to let our country be taken advantage of anymore in any way, shape or form."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Vice President Pence on Saturday worked to assure NATO allies that the United States would be unwavering in its commitment to the trans-Atlantic alliance.

Pence, in his first overseas trip as vice president, told the Munich Security Conference that President Donald Trump intends to "stand with Europe." He sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression and have been alarmed by the U.S. presidents positive statements about his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

"Today, on behalf of President Trump, I bring you this assurance: The United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in its commitment to our trans-Atlantic alliance," Pence said.

MCCAIN IN GERMANY SAYS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IN DISARRAY

During his address to foreign diplomats and security officials also sought to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist tendencies.

Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honor a 2015 peace deal agreed upon in Minsk, Belarus, to end violence in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

"Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Pence met afterward with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who addressed the conference just before the vice president. Merkel stressed the need to maintain international alliances and told the audience, with Pence seated a few feet away, that NATO is "in the American interest."

The vice presidents comments come just weeks after Trump called NATO obsolete, according to a Bloomberg Politics reports about an interview the then-president elect gave to a German paper.

Its obsolete, first because it was designed many, many years ago, Trump said. Secondly, countries arent paying what they should and NATO didnt deal with terrorism.

On Saturday, Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honor a 2015 peace agreement aimed to end fighting in Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists.

"Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Pence also reinforced the Trump administration's message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

NATO's 28-member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. But only the U.S. and four other members of the post-World War II military coalition are meeting the standard, Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, "erodes the very foundation of our alliance."

"Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfill this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more," Pence said.

James Jeffrey, a U.S. ambassador to Iraq during the Obama administration, said Pence looked "like an adult. The question is will Trump listen to him?"

The visit, which will include a stop in Brussels on Sunday and Monday, comes amid worries in Europe about Russian aggression and Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Pence has also scheduled meetings Saturday with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko  countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion. Pence also planned to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

"The vice president has sent reassuring messages through his own engagement but that hasn't been enough to dispel the concerns that you see in many parts of Europe," Jeff Rathke, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said. "There are such grave challenges that the U.S. and Europe faces that it only heightens the desire for additional clarity from Washington."

The Associated Press contributed to this report
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is being guarded by the agents from the U.S. Marshals Service after a bruising nomination process, Politico reported.

Drew J. Wade, a spokesman for the service, told the magazine that he is not aware of these agents guarding an education secretary in the past. The education secretary is traditionally guarded by a small security unit from the education department, the report said.

The report said that few other details are available about the security arrangement.

Despite her win, DeVos emerged bruised from her highly divisive nomination fight. Opposed by half the Senate, she faced criticism, even ridicule for lack of experience. At one point, she said some schools should have guns because of the threat of grizzly bears.

And there has been scathing opposition from teachers unions and civil rights activists over her support of charter schools and her conservative religious ideology.

President Trump accused Democrats of seeking to torpedo education progress. In a tweet before the vote, he wrote, "Betsy DeVos is a reformer, and she is going to be a great Education Sec. for our kids!" Pence tweeted later in the day that supporting DeVos was "a vote for every child having a chance at a world-class education."

In a separate development, DeVos announced Friday that a government website devoted to students with disabilities, which had been down for more than a week, has been restored and will be updated with input from interested parties. She also accused the previous administration of neglecting the website. The American Federation of Teachers disputed that contention.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and worlds richest man, said in an interview Friday that robots that steal human jobs should pay their fair share of taxes.

Right now, the human worker who does, say, $50,000 worth of work in a factory, that income is taxed and you get income tax, Social Security tax, all those things, he said. If a robot comes in to do the same thing, youd think that wed tax the robot at a similar level.

Gates made the remark during an interview with Quartz. He said robot taxes could help fund projects like caring for the elderly or working with children in school. Quartz reported that European Union lawmakers considered a proposal to tax robots in the past. The law was rejected.

Recode, citing a McKinsey report, said that 50 percent of jobs performed by humans are vulnerable to robots, which could result in the loss of about $2.7 trillion in the U.S. alone.

Exactly how youd do it, measure it, you know, its interesting for people to start talking about now, Gates said. Some of it can come on the profits that are generated by the labor-saving efficiency there. Some of it can come directly in some type of robot tax. I dont think the robot companies are going to be outraged that there might be a tax. Its OK.

Last month, Gates told FOX Business Networks Maria Bartiromo that he is excited to work with President Trump and his administration, especially when it comes to the U.S. governments support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization he said.

How we continue that type of outreach and how it helps our security that we are helping those countries to be healthy and be stable, he said. There will be some great conversations and be some ideas about new investments that can be made.
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They're worried and anxious at Freedom House in Detroit.

Freedom House is a shelter for immigrants who fled bloodshed and repression in their home countries and are asking for asylum in the U.S.

Run by a nonprofit organization, it houses up to about 50 people. They can stay for as long as two years while they get their feet on the ground. They learn English and receive legal help, job preparation and health care.

But now, residents and staff members are worried by the Trump administration's hard line on immigration, particularly its intention to end what it considers abuse of the asylum program.

Around Freedom House, there are fears that more immigrants will be turned down for asylum, deported and, ultimately, consigned to death in their home countries.
Egypt's constitution prohibit the formation of political parties on the basis of race or religion

Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court rejected Saturday a lawsuit that called for the dissolution of the ultra-conservative Salafist El-Nour Party.

Lawyers Rizq Al-Molla and Ahmed El-Shandedy filed the lawsuit complaining that El-Nour Party was created on a religious basis, something proscribed by the 2014 Constitution.

El-Nour Party, spawned after the 2011 uprising as the political arm of the Salafist Call, is the only potent Islamist party that survived as a legal entity following deadly confrontations between Islamists and authorities after the 2013 ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi.

El-Nour Party supported the toppling of Islamist leader Morsi, who hailed from the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.

The party garnered only 12 seats in parliamentary elections that took place over two phases in 2015.

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Omar Abdel-Rahman, the so-called Blind Sheik convicted of plotting terror attacks in the United States in the 1990s, has died. He was 78.

Kenneth McKoy of the Federal Correction Complex in Butner, North Carolina, said Rahman died at 5:40 a.m. after suffering from diabetes and coronary artery disease. Abdul-Rahman had been at the complex for seven years.

Rahman was a key spiritual leader for a generation of Islamic militants and became a symbol for radicals during a decade in American prisons.

Abdel-Rahman, blind since infancy from diabetes, was the leader of one of Egypt's most feared militant groups, the Gamaa Islamiya, which led a campaign of violence aimed at bringing down ex-President Hosni Mubarak.

Abdel-Rahman fled Egypt to the U.S. in 1990 and began teaching in a New Jersey mosque. A circle of his followers were convicted in the Feb. 26, 1993 truck bombing of New York's World Trade Center that killed six people  eight years before al-Qaida's suicide plane hijackers brought the towers down.

Later in 1993, Abdel-Rahman was arrested for conspiracy to carry out a string of bombings against the United Nations, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the George Washington Bridge and other New York landmarks.
A federal prison official says a blind Egyptian cleric serving a life sentence in the United States in connection with a failed plot to blow up landmarks in New York City has died.

Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman died early Saturday. Abdel-Rahman was sentenced to life in prison after his 1995 conviction for his advisory role in a plot to blow up landmarks, including the United Nations, and several bridges and tunnels.

Kenneth McKoy of the Federal Correction Complex in Butner, North Carolina, said Rahman died at 5:40 a.m. after a long battle with diabetes and coronary artery disease.
A man who was a Guantanamo prisoner for eight years wants to return to his cell at the U.S. detention facility in Cuba, it was reported Saturday.

Hedi Hammami, 47, tells The New York Times that he wants to go back because there is no future for him in Tunisia.

It would be better for me to go back to that single cell and to be left alone, he told the paper. Two or three weeks ago I went to the Red Cross and asked them to connect me to the U.S. foreign ministry to ask to go back to Guantanamo.

He says the Red Cross refused to entertain his request, the paper reports.

The paper reports that Hammami hasnt been happy for a long time in Tunisia.

He lost his government job, was placed under house arrest in 2015 and remains under administrative control. He told the Times the police have raided his homes and harassed him in other ways.

He was shipped to Guantanamo from Pakistan in 2002 after the military said he spent time in Al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.

He was released in 2010 without being charged after being deemed no long a threat to the U.S.

He told the Times that he has no links to al Qaeda or terrorism.

Tunisia took him back after the overthrow of the countrys president in a popular uprising in 2011 that ushered in the Arab Spring. But Tunisia's democracy is faltering, according to the Times.

Hammami wants to return to Guantanamo even though he says he was tortured and mistreated there.

My only demand is to be stable, but they dont let me live my life in stability, he said Tunisian authorities. They are pushing you towards death.
Two F-15s caused a sonic boom as they raced from their base in Homestead, Fla., Friday to intercept an unresponsive general aviation aircraft that flew near Palm Beach during a stay by President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

The jets flew at supersonic speeds and residents were startled by the loud boom, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, said in a statement. The two fighters were able to establish communication with the aircraft. This incident occured at about 7 p.m. ET. No further details were immediately available.

"The intent of military intercepts is to have the identified aircraft re-establish communications with local FAA air traffic controllers and instruct the pilot to follow air traffic controllers' instructions to land safely for follow-on action," the statement read.

TRUMP HINTS AT 'BIG ORDER' OF F/A-18 SUPER HORNETS

Earlier this month, a private plane got within 2 nautical miles of Air Force One, which is closer than permitted, while flying over Florida and the incident is being investigated by authorities, Bloomberg reported.

The planes were flying on a parallel route and there was no risk of a collision during the incident, which occurred 30 miles out on Feb. 3, sources told the news agency. President Trump arrived safely at Palm Beach International Airport.

The report said that when Air Force One is in flight, Secret Service agents work with FAA supervisors and monitor for threats.
More than 100 pounds of Marijuana have been seized at the U.S. - Mexico Border on Wednesday, according to officials with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In a statement released Friday, the incident happened at the Port of Sasabe, about 74 miles southwest of Tucson.

Officers found the drugs hidden inside a shipment of mesquite firewood, after a narcotics-detection canine was alerted to a truck, the statement said.

The Marijuana was discovered, after officers loaded the firewood off the truck, and split them in half. The drug, according to the statement, is worth an estimated $53,000.

The person driving the truck, identified as a 41-year-old man, was reportedly turned over to officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Click here for more from Fox 10 Phoenix.
SUPERSONIC RESPONSE

Two F-15s caused a sonic boom as they raced from their home base in Homestead, Fla., Friday evening to intercept an unresponsive general aviation aircraft that flew near Palm Beach during a stay by President Trump at Mar-a-Lago. The fighter jets were able to establish communications with the aircraft.

TRUMP MULLS BIG ORDER OF F/A-18S

President Trump appears to be comfortable pitting aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed against each other. So on Friday, during a tour of the Boeing factory in South Carolina, he told reporters that the U.S. is looking seriously at a big order of a stealthy Boeing F/A-18s. The order might cut into the amount of F-35s. Some aviation experts find it difficult to imagine how the F/A-18 could ever compete with Lockheeds fifth generation fighter.

'HANNITY': Will GOP work with Trump to implement agenda?

'TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT' What the US could learn from Sweden's refugee crisis

ROBOTAX?

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, says the world better start considering a tax on robots that steal human jobs.

WHERE DOES OBAMAS PRESIDENCY RANK HISTORICALLY?

C-SPAN asked a bunch of historians to rank former presidents. Barack Obama was ranked above James Monroe, but behind Woodrow Wilson.

BEEFED UP SECURITY

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is reportedly being guarded by the agents from the U.S. Marshals Service after a bruising nomination process.

COMING UP ON FNC

10:01 AM ET: Scheduled launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. Watch live on FoxNews.com

5: 20 PM ET: President Trump participates in a Make America Great Again Rally in Orlando. Watch live on FNC and FoxNews.com
Sheriff Joe Arpaios successor in Phoenix says he wont hold immigrants flagged for deportation by federal authorities past their release date in a major policy change.

Arpaio instituted the courtesy hold policy to give federal authorities more time to launch deportation proceedings but new Sheriff Paul Penzone said at a surprise press conference Friday that legal issues left him no choice but to change it, effective immediately, according to reports.

"ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) will have to take a more aggressive position on how they're going to act on those who are in violation of Federal law, as we continue to enforce State law, Penzone said, according to Fox 10 Phoenix.

Arpaio became a lightning rod for criticism over his harsh immigration tactics that included his well-publicized sweeps and raids but also his jail policies. Penzone toppled Arpaio in the November election after voters became frustrated over huge legal bills surrounding the longtime lawman.

Penzone said ICE officers will remain in his jail to screen everyone who is booked, but he will no longer detain inmates past their release dates to accommodate the agency.

SHERIFF ARPAIO'S REPLACEMENT SAYS HIS AGENCY WON'T LEAD IMMIGRATION RAIDS

An ICE spokesman in Phoenix told the Arizona Republic Friday the agency had no immediate comment.

The paper reports that under the courtesy hold policy Maricopa County Jails would detain an individual for up to 48 hours past the individuals release date at the request of ICE officers.

Penzone was unable to cite a specific lawsuit that prompted the policy change, but the paper reports that last year a Mexican-born woman who is a U.S. citizen filed a lawsuit challenging the policy's constitutionality after she was arrested at a Trump protest and jailed overnight on a detainer request.

"The sheriff is absolutely doing the right thing by having any detention to have constitutional standards, the woman Jacinta Gonzalez Goodman, 31, said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A man has been charged in a Chicago shooting captured on video that killed two people, including a toddler, and wounded a pregnant woman, police said Saturday.

Devon Swan, 26, is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting that killed 2-year-old Lavontay White and Lavontay's uncle, 26-year-old Lazaric Collins. They were riding in a car Tuesday when shots were fired. The pregnant woman was driving, and she and her fetus are expected to survive.

Police believe it was a gang attack and that Collins was the intended target. Authorities have said Collins was a gang member with an extensive criminal history. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Collins was convicted of felony charges of burglary and armed robbery and was released on parole last June.

EXCLUSIVE: CHICAGO GANG MEMBERS SAY MORE POLICE WON'T STOP THE MURDERS

Video of the shooting was streamed live on Facebook. In it, the woman and man can be seen listening to rap music before more than a dozen shots ring out. Screaming is heard as the footage becomes jumbled but shows the woman exiting the car and running toward a house. The video goes to black, but the audio continues and people can be heard yelling, "Oh my God," ''I can't breathe," and "Please, no, no."

There is no phone listing for Swan in Chicago to pursue comment on his behalf.

Lavontay was one of three children fatally shot within days of each other in Chicago. Also killed were 11-year-old Takiya Holmes and 12-year-old Kanari Gentry-Bowers. An arrest was made and charges filed in Takiya's shooting death.
Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, the blind firebrand Islamist cleric behind the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, has died in federal prison, Fox News has learned. He was 78.

Abdel-Rahman, an Egyptian radical who maintained a global following even while imprisoned for more than two decades, died Saturday morning at Butner Federal Medical Center in North Carolina, where he was serving a life sentence.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Abdel-Rahman died at approximately 5:40 a.m. Saturday of natural causes after a long health battle with diabetes and coronary artery disease.

His son Ammar told Reuters that his family had received a phone call from a U.S. representative saying his father had died.

Andrew McCarthy, who was the assistant US attorney who prosecuted Abdel-Rahman for the federal government, told Fox News on Saturday that the sheikh was globally notorious as the emir of jihad long before there was an al-Qaeda or ISIS.

"He provided the international jihadist campaign its deep roots in sharia supremacism," McCarthy added.

"His scholarly heft made him highly influential, in the deadliest of ways. The only thing he could do was lead [the terrorist organization] provide it with inspiration and a sense of diving mission. His life is a testament to the centrality of sharia supremacist ideology to the terrorist threat."

Abdel-Rahman was convicted in 1995 of plotting terror attacks throughout New York City, targeting the United Nations and other New York City landmarks. He was also linked to the 1993 World Trade Center attack in which six people died and more than 1,000 others were injured.

Known as The Blind Sheikh, Abdel-Rahman lost his eyesight when he was 10 months old. By the time he was 11 years old, he had memorized the Braille version of the Quran and was sent to an Islamic boarding school.

He went on to study at Cairo Universitys School of Theology and later earned a doctorate in from Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Abdel-Rahman went on to become one of the countrys most prominent and outspoken Muslim clerics to denounce Egypts secularism.

In the mid-1980s, Abdel-Rahman made his way to Afghanistan, where he built a strong rapport with former Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Bin Laden once credited Abdel-Rahman as the inspiration and justification for the September 11 attacks which destroyed the World Trade Center.

Adbel-Rahman was the spiritual leader of Al-Gama Al-Islamiyya. The Islamic group was believed to have been behind other terror attacks such as the 1997 killing of tourists in Luxor, Egypt.

He remains revered in his native Egypt, and his supporters had demonstrated throughout Cairo for his freedom in the past.
States in the American West are marking the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that forced 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans into internment camps.

Most were from Oregon, California and Washington state. Adults, including the elderly, and children could only bring what they could carry and were transported by bus and train, often with blacked-out windows, They were sent, ostensibly to avoid sabotage and spying, to camps in California, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona and other states as far away as Arkansas.

Oregon, California and Washington are not only marking Sunday's anniversary, but politicians and activists say America must learn from this dark chapter of history.

Here's a look at what states are doing to recognize the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans:

OREGON

The Oregon Legislature is considering a bill to recognize a Day of Remembrance of the mass incarceration.

Carol Suzuki's father and grandparents were forced to relocate from their home in Oregon's Hood River Valley to detention camps in California and Idaho. After President Donald Trump recently signed immigration executive orders, her 9-year-old daughter asked if she, too, would be put away.

"Sometimes the words of an innocent child are the ones that affect you the most," Suzuki testified Monday before the Oregon Senate committee considering the Day of Remembrance bill.

Suzuki blinked away tears as she described the conversation with her daughter, who "should never be afraid of her own government."

George Nakata, 83, of Portland, told the committee about his firsthand experience with a "dark chapter in American history ... not found in many school textbooks."

He recalled being sent with thousands of other Japanese-Americans to a former livestock exhibition center in Portland, where the families were confined until rural detention camps were built. "I can never forget, upon entering the building, the smell of livestock urine, the pungent odor of manure underneath the wooden floors."

At the Minidoka relocation center in Idaho, Nakata as a young boy recited the Pledge of Allegiance as he looked out at barbed wire and guard towers from tar-papered barracks.

The committee unanimously endorsed the bill. The House is scheduled to take it up on Monday.

WASHINGTON

Washington state began recognizing Feb. 19 as an annual Day of Remembrance 14 years ago.

Vigils, a taiko drum concert and other events are planned in Seattle to mark the anniversary Sunday.

Gov. Jay Inslee tweeted that "this anniversary should serve as an all too real reminder of what can happen when America acts out of fear." Inslee also met with former detainees.

CALIFORNIA

In California, the Legislature has passed resolutions proclaiming Feb. 19 as the 75th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066 and recognizing a Day of Remembrance.

California lawmaker Al Muratsuchi, who sponsored one of the resolutions, said that with Trump focusing on Muslims in his immigration order, Americans must ensure no one is targeted because of national origin or faith.

"Now, more than ever, every American needs to remember the unjust incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II," Muratsuchi said.

HAWAII

More than 2,000 people of Japanese ancestry were detained at camps on the islands or on the mainland. In marking the anniversary, Honolulu businessman and poet Suikei Furuya will share his story at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii.

IDAHO

In Idaho, Lt. Gov. Brad Little will sign a proclamation Sunday honoring interned Japanese-Americans.
The Egyptian parliament's Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee will convene on Sunday to discuss an Ethics Committee recommendation that high-profile MP Anwar El-Sadat be stripped of parliament membership.

The 15-member Ethics Committee, also headed by Abu Shoqa, agreed last week that El-Sadat's parliamentary membership should be dropped, saying that he failed to defend against accusations that he was involved in collecting and sending secret information to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), leaking a draft NGO law to foreign embassies in Cairo and faking the signatures of 16 of his colleagues on laws he drafted on criminal procedures and NGOs.

Bahaaeddin Abu Shoqa, the head of the Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee and secretary-general of the Wafd Party, told reporters that the Ethics Committee's recommendation was referred to the Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee in line with Article 53 of parliament's internal bylaws.

Article 53 states that if the Ethics Committee recommends an MP be stripped of parliamentary membership, the Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee must meet to discuss the recommendation, question the MP and listen to his defence, said Abu Shoqa.

El-Sadat, supported by a number of leftist and liberal MPs, lashed back against the Ethics Committee's recommendation, describing it as biased and politicised.

El-Sadat, nephew of late president Anwar El-Sadat, also announced that he had officially requested Prosecutor-General Nabil Sadek question him over the accusations made by the Ethics Committee.

In his request, El-Sadat said that since these accusations negatively affect my dignity and reputation as an MP, I hope that you officially ask parliament that I be stripped of my parliamentary immunity so that you can take all the measures necessary to uncover the truth and all the facts related to these accusations.

Ihab El-Tamawy, a member of the Ethics Committee, told reporters that if the 33-member Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee also agreed that El-Sadat must be stripped of membership, a report on this recommendation would be prepared to be discussed in a plenary session.

MPs will vote on this recommendation, said El-Tamawy.

El-Tamawy explained that in line with Article 110 of the constitution, parliament should meet in a plenary session to decide whether the MP in question has lost trust or violated rules, and then two-thirds of MPs should vote in favour of the recommendation for it to be effective.

El-Sadat said that if a final report recommends that I be stripped of my parliamentary membership, I hope that a majority of MPs would vote against the recommendation.

Sources said that El-Sadat faces a hostile majority in the Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

It might also be recommended that El-Sadat be put on trial on the charge of leaking secret national security information, said an informed source.

Sadat said the Ethics Committee's recommendation against him is politicised because he took the unprecedented step of accusing parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal of squandering EGP 18 million on buying three armoured cars at a time of austerity measures and economic crisis in Egypt.

In a plenary session on 13 February, speaker Abdel-Aal accused El-Sadat of taking photos of his armoured car and giving copies of it to different media outlets, including television channels and private newspapers.

If I were to be assassinated, the man who took photos of the car of the House speaker would be considered a partner in this crime, said Abdel-Aal.

Abdel-Aal said that although Egypt's [new] parliament has become one-and-a-half years old, some MPs still insist on showing unacceptable conduct.

I had been working as a professor in Ain Shams university for 45 years and it had never happened that a professor got involved in attacking the university's board of directors, so I wonder how an MP can insist on attacking Egypt's parliament on false grounds, said Abdel-Aal.

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A 26-year-old man has been critically injured by a shark while spear fishing on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Queensland Ambulance Service Supervisor Ange Timmins says the man was bitten repeatedly on a leg on Saturday as he dived near Hinchinbrook Island off the coast of Queensland state.

She says his friends brought him by boat to the town of Cardwell where ambulance officers stopped his bleeding and stabilized his condition.

He was flown by helicopter in a critical condition 150 kilometers (90 miles) north to the Cairns Base Hospital.
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Turkish officials say 26 people have been detained following a car bomb attack which killed two people in the southeast of the country.

A statement by the governor's office on Saturday said the car bomb exploded a day earlier near the lodgings of judges and prosecutors in the mainly Kurdish town of Viransehir in Sanliurfa province, bordering Syria.

Fifteen others were reported to have been wounded. Officials say one of the dead was a child.

The statement says detainees include the owner of the car, which was loaded with explosives and parked near the government housing.

Turkey has been hit by a series of violent attacks since the summer of 2015, which were blamed on the Islamic State group or Kurdish militants. More than 550 people have been killed.
A fourth suspect was arrested in connection to the North Korean leaders half-brother, Malaysian police announced Saturday.

A man was arrested with an ID card that identified him as 46-year-old Ri Jong Chol. He was picked up Friday night.

Authorities were still trying to piece together details of the case.

Officials performed a second autopsy on Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, because the first procedure was considered inconclusive, an official said on Saturday.

North Korea has vowed to reject the results of any post-mortem and demanded that Malaysia turn over the body immediately.

Pyongyang's ambassador said on Friday, while speaking to reporters that Malaysian officials may be "trying to conceal something" and "colluding with hostile forces."

Kim Jong Nam suddenly fell ill at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau. He told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical. He died on the way to the hospital.

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

On Friday, Indonesia's police chief said the Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the killing was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank.

The Indonesia police chief cited information received from Malaysian authorities, saying that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in "Just For Laughs" style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show. The official said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

"Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer," the police chief said. "She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents."

Malaysian police were questioning four suspects  Aisyah, another woman who carried a Vietnamese passport; a man they said is Aisyah's boyfriend; and the North Korean man.

North Korea broke its silence on the case Friday night. Speaking to reporters gathered outside the morgue in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the autopsy on Kim Jong Nam "unilaterally and excluding our attendance."

Kang said the fact that Malaysia has yet to hand over the body "strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us."

Kim Jong Nam was estranged from his younger half-brother, the North Korean leader. He reportedly fell out of favor when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport in 2001, saying he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has apologized for a catalog aimed at Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community that contains no images of women.

Ikea says the booklet was produced by its Israeli branch, not by the Swedish group itself.

IKEA spokeswoman Josefin Thorell says the catalog "is not something that has gone through us," adding "we have been very clear that this is not what the Ikea brand stands for."

Thorell told Swedish news agency TT late Friday that its Israeli franchise "had tried to reach a consumer group" and made "an error."

Thorell was not immediately available for comment on Saturday, and it was not clear how many catalogs had been printed.

Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community makes up make up about 11 percent of Israel's population.
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Vice President Mike Pence vowed Saturday that the United States will "hold Russia accountable" even as President Donald Trump searches for new common ground with Moscow at the start of his presidency.

Pence, in an address to the Munich Security Conference, also offered assurances to European allies that the U.S. "strongly supports" NATO. He said the U.S. would be "unwavering" in its commitment to trans-Atlantic institutions like NATO.

In his first overseas trip as vice president, Pence sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression and have been alarmed by Trump's positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin. The address to foreign diplomats and security officials also sought to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist tendencies.

Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honor a 2015 peace deal agreed upon in Minsk, Belarus, aimed at ending violence in eastern Ukraine.

"Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Pence was meeting later Saturday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who addressed the conference shortly before the vice president. Merkel stressed the need to maintain international alliances and told the audience, with Pence seated a few feet away, that NATO is "in the American interest."

Pence also scheduled meetings Saturday with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko  countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion  along with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The visit, which will include a stop in Brussels on Sunday and Monday, comes amid worries in Europe about Russian aggression, Trump's relationship with Putin and whether the new president may promote isolationist tendencies through his "America First" mantra.

"The vice president has sent reassuring messages through his own engagement but that hasn't been enough to dispel the concerns that you see in many parts of Europe," says Jeff Rathke, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "There are such grave challenges that the U.S. and Europe faces that it only heightens the desire for additional clarity from Washington."

Pence's stature within the administration was also under scrutiny because of the recent dismissal of Trump's national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign Monday following reports he misled Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat, which the vice president learned about through media accounts about two weeks after the president was informed.

Pence is also expected to meet with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. is embroiled in two separate wars. Trump has made clear his intention to defeat the Islamic State group. But he also said the U.S. may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who will be meeting with the vice president.

Trump's immigration and refugee ban has ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order currently tied up in court, including Iraq  a close ally in the fight against IS.

In Munich, the American allies were searching for clues from Pence as to how the Trump administration plans to deal with Russia in the aftermath of Flynn's departure, U.S. inquiries into Russia's involvement in the presidential election and Trump's past praise for Putin.

European countries along Russia's border were rattled about deeper U.S.-Russian ties after Trump suggested sanctions imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea could be eased in exchange for a nuclear weapons deal and the president referred to NATO as "obsolete" in an interview before his inauguration. Trump has since tempered his language, telling foreign leaders in phone calls about the importance of the NATO alliance.

NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a military alliance of European and North American democracies created after World War II to strengthen international cooperation as a counter-balance to the rise of the Soviet Union. In 2014, the 28-member alliance created a rapid-reaction force to protect the most vulnerable NATO members against a confrontation with Russia.

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On Twitter follow Ken Thomas at https://twitter.com/KThomasDC
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President Donald Trump is working on a "streamlined" version of his executive order banning travel from seven predominantly Muslim nations to iron out the difficulties that landed his first order in the courts, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Saturday.

Speaking on a panel about combating terrorism at the Munich Security Conference, Kelly said Trump's original order was designed as a "temporary pause" to allow him to "see where our immigration and vetting system has gaps  and gaps it has  that could be exploited."

He said the Trump administration was surprised when U.S. courts blocked it from implementing the executive order and now "the president is contemplating releasing a tighter, more streamlined version" of the travel ban.

Kelly said this next time he will be able to "make sure that there's no one caught in the system of moving from overseas to our airports."

Asked whether that meant Trump's new executive order would allow people with green cards and visas to come into the United States, Kelly said "it's a good assumption."

But he went on to say that only people with visas who were already in transit would be allowed in. For others, he said, "we will have a short phase-in period to make sure that people on the other end don't get on airplanes."

He did not elaborate on whether this would apply to green card holders as well.

Among the security challenges, Kelly said, was that the U.S. does not have "strong counter-terrorism partnerships" with the countries in question or "robust information on individuals traveling from these countries" to be able to make a good risk assessments before their citizens traveled to the United States.

The nations affected by the original ban were Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Kelly mentioned "seven nations" again on Saturday, leading to speculation they will all be included in Trump's next executive order.

The U.S. needs to "find ways to vet in a more reliable way to satisfy us that the people that are coming to the United States are, in fact, coming for the right reasons," he said.

Asked about the effectiveness of a blanket ban on seven countries, fellow panelist Thomas de Maiziere, Germany's top security official, suggested it could be counter-productive.

"To ban whole countries perhaps could create more collateral damage, and perhaps does not produce more security," he said. "The more precise you do it, the more effective you are."
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The Latest on U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's trip to Europe (all times local):

9:50 a.m.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is offering assurances that the United States strongly supports NATO and "will be unwavering in our commitment to this trans-Atlantic alliance."

He says President Donald Trump "will stand with Europe."

Pence is addressing the Munich Security Conference in his first overseas trip as vice president.

The vice president's speech was aimed at reassuring skeptical allies in Europe about American foreign policy under Trump along with U.S. willingness to maintain international partnerships.

Pence's trip to Germany comes as Europeans are skittish that Trump may promote isolationist tendencies and not hold Russia accountable.
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Two Pakistani officials say a second key Chaman border crossing into Afghanistan has been closed, halting trade supplies to the neighboring landlocked country.

The border closure in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province comes after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan that killed 88 people. It was seen as a tactic to pressure Kabul to act against militants who Pakistan says have sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani officials asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to brief the media on the record.

Earlier, Pakistan closed a border crossing at Torkham, which connects Pakistan to Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

The Islamic State says it was behind the shrine attack and Pakistani security forces have launched nationwide operations that they say has left more than 100 "terrorists" dead.
The daughter of the Egyptian Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, considered the spiritual leader of the Islamist Gamaa Al-Islamiya group, said on Saturday on her Facebook account that her father has died in an American prison.

The 79-year-old Abdel-Rahman, also known as the blind sheikh, was serving a life sentence for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing in New York, where six people were killed and hundreds were injured when a truck bomb was detonated in the building's garage.

He was also convicted of plotting to bomb other New York targets including the United Nations headquarters and a plan to assassinate former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Abdel-Rahmans family, supporters, and Egyptian human rights organisation had demanded in recent years that he be returned to Egypt due to his deteriorating health condition.

They also charged that the sheikh was subjected to strict special administrative measures that prohibited anyone, including his lawyers, from providing information to anyone outside the prison about his condition.

US officials have denied these charges, saying the sheikh was getting the medical attention he needs.

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Spain's defense ministry says one of its naval ships has rescued 112 migrants off the coast of Libya.

The Spanish frigate Canarias found the migrants' vessel adrift on Saturday morning, according to the ministry, which says all 112 of the migrants were male and "the large majority" were from sub-Saharan Africa.

The frigate is participating in a joint European mission in the Mediterranean Sea to fight human trafficking.

Nearer the Spanish coast, the coast guard said its ships rescued 36 more migrants from two small overloaded boats on Saturday.

In Barcelona, thousands of Spaniards marched Saturday to urge the conservative-led Spanish government to accept more refugees from war-torn areas like Syria.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says that the U.S. decision to block a former Palestinian prime minister from leading the U.N. political mission in Libya was "a serious mistake."

Washington blocked the proposed appointment of Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian Authority's prime minister from 2007 to 2013, a week ago. It said it was acting to support its ally, Israel.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Guterres said: "I believe that it's essential for everybody to understand that people serving the U.N. are serving in their personal capacities. They don't represent a country or a government."

Guterres said that Fayyad "was the right person in the right place at the right time." Libya has been gripped by unrest since its 2011 revolution and the killing of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.
The move comes after repeated attacks on security forces utilising motorcyles

Egypts Prime Minister Sherif Ismail issued a decree Saturday to ban motorcycles from restive areas in central and north Sinai for a year, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.

The decree outlines the following areas or cities: Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid, Al-Arish, Al-Midan, Maghara, Al-Khatmiya, Sidr Al-Hitan, Qalaat Al-Gindi, and Taba, including Ras Sedr area.

Ismail added that motorcycle spare parts are also barred, so far as this does not contradict the demands of the national development plan of Sinai.

Egypts army and police forces have been waging a war over the past three years against an Islamist militant insurgency in North Sinai.

Insurgents have killed hundreds of security personnel.

Militants sometimes use motorcyles to attack army and police forces in Sinai and elsewhere.

However, exact statistics of such attacks are unavailable.

In July 2015, the Egyptian cabinet issued a decree banning 4x4 vehicles in the areas designated by the Egyptian armed forces as stages of military operations in North and South Sinai governorates, following an intensive military operation against Islamist militants at the time.

Islamist militants have reportedly used 4x4 vehicles in repeated attacks on security forces.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued a decree establishing a state of emergency in parts of North Sinai in October 2014, renewed periodically since.

Under emergency law, Egypt's army and police have the authority to "take any action necessary to confront terrorism and protect public and private property in the areas under the state of emergency." A curfew in place lasts from 5pm to 7am.

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Six of the seven options for redistricting Colonial Forge High School developed by the Stafford County School Board at a work session this week include shifting the under-construction North Embrey Mill neighborhood into the North Stafford High School zone.

I cant let a community get moved for people that dont even exist, board member Chris Connelly said of the options to shift students from the developing neighborhood instead of those from existing communities.

Connelly represents the Garrisonville District, which runs along the border between the North Stafford and Colonial Forge zones.

The purpose of Thursdays work session was to develop options, not to vote on redistricting. That vote will take place March 14, after a public hearing scheduled for March 1 at Colonial Forge.

There are presently fewer than 50 students from what the schools are now calling South Embrey Mill at Colonial Forge High School. But projections for the development, which still is being built, show it is expected to add almost 300 students215 from North Embrey Millto the school over the next four years.

Embrey Mill residents say that they feel targeted, as if theyre being blamed as the source of overcrowding and told their community is a burden to the county, despite the support developers have given to improvement projects in the county and the area.

Embrey Mill has been in plans since the 1990s, resident Ellen Vandaveer said. Even though were new, were not really a new idea. Embrey Mill residents feel kind of vilified, kind of like were the sacrificial lamb, of sorts, for Stafford County schools and the overcrowding issue.

Vandaveer said that she and other residents believe that the schools projection for the number of high school students who would come from the ongoing construction is too high.

Developer estimates are lower, she said, and the neighborhood has attracted young families, so she believes fewer neighborhood children than projected will be in high school during the next four to six years anyway.

I feel like the arguments that are being made are more emotional than they are rational. Which, again, I will say is understandable under the circumstances. How can you not be emotional when youre talking about your kids school? I get it, Vandaveer said. But what I feel is not happening is that a focus is not being put on rational re-zoning.

She feels the county is being set up for more crowding and more redistricting, she said.

Other residents, such as Robin Hawkins of Autumn Ridge, say that they feel they should not be asked to move from a high school theyve counted on for years to make room for students who are expected to move into the zone in the future.

But Hawkins, like Vandaveer, feels the current process is rushed and will create future problems.

I feel the decision is being rushed and the entire county is not being taken into consideration, Hawkins wrote via email. This will be a temporary fix with this debate coming back to haunt the community again in a few years if this continues to be a rush job. 

The board started the work session Thursday with members acknowledging they expected to redistrict again when a sixth high school is built in the southern part of the county.

The process of setting the budget, selecting the site or getting bids for that school has not yet formally started, but School Board members and county supervisors have said they hope for a 2023 opening, which would require action soon.

Other board members made statements similar to Connellys about established neighborhoods.

Why do we want to move an established community instead of kids that arent even here yet? Aquia District board member Irene Egan asked.

George Washington District member Dewayne McOsker, who is on the Commonwealth Governors School committee, was concerned about the idea of removing Colonial Forge as a governors school site.

I cant look someone in the eye and say  protect those vacant lots, Mc-Osker said.

Two options also would move Augustine Northabout 127 students over four yearsto Mountain View High School, and two options would move Autumn Ridge, with 85 students over four years, to North Stafforda school that a variety of community members have criticized in recent public remarks.

We have some work to do on the branding and the perception of North Stafford, Connelly said Thursday.

The administration has not yet analyzed the seven options the board developed from suggestions from the community and information from staff Thursday night, according to Assistant Superintendent for Operations Scott Horan. Staff will look at transportation patterns and other issues and share that information with the School Board before the options are finalized.
University of Mary Washington first-year students who share double rooms wont see their rates increase next year.

The UMW board of visitors approved room and board rates for the 2017-18 school year Friday after two days of presentations and deep discussions in committee meetings. The one dissenting vote was board member Edd Houck.

The next academic year will see all double rooms occupied by first-year students at the same rate as this year and previous years: around $6,000 to above $7,000 based on the desirability of the dorm.

The standard rate for freshmen will be $6,600 per year, or $3,300 per semester.

All other room rates will increase by 3 percent.

The additional revenue, about $250,000, will go to create a reserve fund for dormitory renovations. The first renovation expected to take place is Willard Hall.

President Troy Paino said many of the halls are in dire need of renovation and arent to the standard other schools tout. He said many students choose a school based on amenities such as dorms.

Board rector Fred Rankin voiced strong support for the reserve, saying if UMW wants to be competitive, it should begin now.

But the decision for a standard was also made on a philosophic principle, as board member Sharon Bulova called it: the idea that housing costs should be equal for students.

Vice President of Student Affairs Juliette Landphair presented the rate resolution to the board, saying that in an effort to retain students, the school introduced livinglearning communities a few years ago. The idea was that students would live with others who chose the same freshman seminar class and forge stronger bonds, she said.

But some students were choosing their seminar class based on cost of specific dorms linked to the class and were not making those friendships or finding interesting subject matter like the school hoped, she said. The change, she said, will allow students to choose based on the class, not cost.

The board also approved dining rates at the meeting. Most plans will go up 2.5 percent, with the largest increase costing $102 more per year and the least costing $20 more per year. However, the meal plan freshmen are required to buy will not increase at all.

Vice president for administration and finance at UMW Rick Pearce said these increases reflect the higher cost of labor and food for UMWs dining supplier Sodexo.

The board did not vote on tuition and fees for the upcoming school year, but is expected to do so at either its April or May meetings.

Paino discussed cost drivers for the school and said tuition raises of 3 percent, 4 percent and 5 percent are being studied.

He broke those down into three categories: changes in state general fund support, unavoidable state mandates, debt service, utilities, contracts, prior commitments and new initiatives.

He said the financial picture from the state is still unclear and the rate of increase will depend on Virginia budget.

The governors budget included a general fund reduction totaling $1.4 million or about 5 percent of UMWs general fund base, he said. This reduction was offset by a general fund increase of $800,000 included in the original 2016-18 biennial budget adopted by the General Assembly last year.

The current Senate budget maintains the reduction proposed by the governor, while the House restores some funding.
Its a complaint as old as the school itself: Students at the University of Mary Washington say they have nothing to do on campus.

But Student Government Association President Alex Clegg told the Board of Visitors Friday that theres a reason for the lack of student activities: the requirement that students must use school food vendor Sodexo to cater on-campus events, even when the costs are much higher than other providers.

Clegg, a senior, said that in some cases Sodexos quotes are up to $5,000 more than other local caterers and the burden of cost is keeping student-run clubs from holding events.

Caitriona Cobb, co-president of the Arab Culture Club, is organizing the schools annual Arab Culture Night. She said she ran into obstacles obtaining a waiver to get off-campus catering.

Sodexo, she said, cannot supply halal meat that is important to the celebration and charged significantly more than other caterers. After much back-and-forth, the waiver was granted, Clegg said.

The Sodexo quote was approximately $8,000 and the local restaurant Aladins quote was about $2,000 for the same service and food, namely halal meat options and traditional dishes such as hummus, grape leaves and falafel for 500 people.

Cobb is also president of Class Council and said she has planned many events where the cost seems to be extravagant. She said it is difficult to negotiate with Sodexo since she is not allowed to contract off-campus companies without a waiver, and waivers are difficult to obtain.

For example, Clegg quoted a Sodexo bill of $16 per gallon for lemonade that he would have preferred to make himself with $5.99 mix from Giant Food.

Similar cost discrepancies were found for a student government barbecue event and the annual Colors of Africa event.

UMW Vice President for Administration and Finance Rick Pearce said the school will absolutely take a hard look at that part of Sodexos contract.

Im pretty positive we can make some changes here, he said.

Sodexo has been the schools dining vendor for 17 years and has a contract worth $7.5 million to provide food on campus.

Every July, that contract is open for negotiation. Clegg proposed that during negotiations this summer, the school should put pressure on the people who decide these costs.

Board member Kenneth Lopez thanked Clegg for his presentation and wonderful advocacy for students.

And board rector Fred Rankin said the issue would be studied by the school and returned to the board with more information.
On Jan. 28, Michelle Thomas and her 7-year-old son were picking up trash along their street in rural Mecklenburg County for a Cub Scout project.

Suddenly, two dogs that live in the neighborhood ran across the road and began attacking them.

According to a friend, Lisa Kurzawa, who set up a GoFundMe campaign for the family, Thomas yelled for her son to run away. But Thomas, a Fredericksburg area native, was unable to flee, being legally blind and unsteady on her feet due to a hip replacement.

Thomas told Kurzawa that she tried to play dead and the dogs eased off her for a time, but then returned.

She sustained broken bones and severe lacerations to her faceincluding her one good eyeas well as bites to her arms and legs.

Thomas remains in VCU Medical Center in Richmond, where she was transported by helicopter following the attack. In a telephone interview Thursday, her husband, Robert Thomas, said she had just undergone her eighth or ninth surgery.

Doctors are still unable to tell him when hell be able to take his wife home, he said.

We allme, Michelle, both of my sonswell never be right, Robert Thomas said. Well never be the same.

The first surgery was to re-attach Michelle Thomas cheek, an operation that required 200 stitches, he said.

Then they basically had to rebuild her left arm, he said.

Subsequent surgeries have been skin grafts to close wounds on her hands and fingers.

Robert Thomas, a truck driver, spends Friday and Saturday nights at the hospital with his wife. On Sundays, he drives a hundred miles home to the community of Skipwith in Mecklenburg to be ready for work Monday morning.

During the week, Michelle Thomas mother and sisters, who live in Caroline and Spotsylvania counties, stay with her at the hospital.

At the Thomas home on Trottinridge Road, their 17-year-old son, who graduated from high school in December, stays with their younger son, who is attending school during the week.

Robert Thomas said hes been happy with the care his wife, who is on Medicaid, has received at the hospital.

You know what? Shes alive, he said. Shes got both arms, both hands and all 10 fingers. Ive been happy with the work theyve done.

Its been stressful and I probably ask too many questions, he said. One of the biggest questions they cant answer is  when can I take her home? Right now its up in the air. They tell me theyre doing everything they can to get her home, but their main concern is that she wont have any complications when she gets home.

He said doctors told him that Michelle Thomas will need excruciating physical therapy for a year-and-a-half, two years to regain the use of her arm.

The Thomas family has two dogs at home, an Alaskan Malamute mix and a chiweenie.

Thomas said that since the attack, his younger son is afraid of dogs other than his own.

He went to his grandmothers house and he was skittish around her dogs for the first time, Robert Thomas said.

The two dogs involved in the attack, which the GoFundMe site identified as pit bulls, are being held at the Mecklenburg County animal shelter, county Animal Warden Doug Blanton said.

We are waiting for Mrs. Thomas to get out of the hospital because wed like to have her there when we take the case to court, Blanton said.

He said the animals owners, who are believed to live in the neighborhood, will be charged with having vicious dogs.

There are two classifications, and theyll be charged as vicious because the extent of the attack was so severe, Blanton said.

The Code of Virginia defines a dangerous dog as a canine that has bitten, attacked, or inflicted injury on a person or companion animal. A vicious dog is one who has killed a person or inflicted serious injury on a person.

Robert Thomas said he isnt angry with the owners of the dogs.

They claim it wasnt their dogs that [did] it. That kind of upsets me, he said. Five people have identified them, including one of their own family members. Take responsibility for what your dogs did. But I cant say that Im mad at them.

The GoFundMe campaign Kurzawa organized has raised $5,185more than its goal of $5,000for Michelles medical bills. The campaign can be found at gofundme.com/woman-attacked-by-2-pitbulls.
Lets talk about the Virginia General Assembly bill that would fine drivers for driving slowly or dawdling in the left lane.

Having driven Virginia interstate highways far more than I would like, it appears to me that dawdling in the left lane is often construed as doing 80 in a 70-mph zone.

This is especially true of drivers from northern states such as Maryland, New Jersey and New York, who sit on the bumpers of those traveling 80-plus. Sometimes I wonder if they have any speed limits north of the MasonDixon Line.

I understand the intent of this billkeep traffic flowing. Still, what is going to be the definition of dawdling in the left lane?

If youre going 85 mph and the guy behind you is 3 feet away, do you speed up to 90? What if he is still riding your back bumper? Do you speed up to 100?

This sounds like the making of a speed trap to me. You go too fast in the left lane and you get charged with speeding. You go too slow and youre charged with dawdling. Theyve got you either way you go.

Some four-lane highways have left-turn lanes and you have to get over and slow just a bit to get in them. Will you get a ticket for that?

There are other times, especially on Interstate 81, where you get into the left lane to pass and then cant get back over, Ive passed a couple of cars only to find that there are a half-dozen tractortrailers in the right lane speeding up as they go down a long hill.

Suddenly there is a guy from New York pushing me from behind and no way to get into the right lane. What do I do?

I can hear some speed demon out there right now yelling, You should have stayed in the right lane!

Hey! I pay taxes just like everyone else. Im entitled to pass a car if I do it legally. Sometimes things just happen.

Listen, I never fail to take the extra 5 mph past the speed limit, but if I do 75 in a 70-mph zone on an interstate I get pushed off the road. Just how fast does the state want me to go? If the police tell me I should be going 90 in a 70-mph zone, Ill do it. Sometimes I think that is what they are saying.

There used to be a 40-mph minimum speed limit on interstate highways. Did the state want me to stay above this minimum in a blinding snowstorm or when traffic was stopped? They finally had the good sense to do away with that.

No, I dont think someone should be doing 40 or 50 in the left lane of an interstate highway because it does make for dangerous conditions. But on other four-lane roads, it may be a logical and safe speed.

As a driver, I need to know the maximum speed I can go without getting a ticket and the minimum speed I can go without a citation. Give me those two parameters and Ill be comfortable with any dawdling law. But dont leave either to the discretion of the police, because every officer will react differently.

And dont tell me that the posted speed limit is the maximum allowable speed, because if you do, well go down to I-95 and have a good laugh. Sometimes I think there is no speed limit on that road.

Another reason for the dawdling bill is to prevent road rage. In other words, give speeders what they want. Thats like the proposed D.C. law that would have paid kids for not getting in trouble.

If the General Assembly wants to pass a needed motor vehicle law, let it ponder one that forces drivers to be able to identify a house when taking the drivers license test.

Every night on the news there seems to be another incident where a driver runs into a house or some other building. How dangerous is that? Are these cases of road rage? Or house rage? Or are drivers unable to tell a house from a highway?

If we do get the dawdling law, then do we have to follow the Trump Plan and eliminate two laws in return? Weve already eliminated the minimum speed limit on interstate highways, so we would need to find only one more.

We have enough laws. We dont need any more.
Human rights lawyer Khaled Ali announced on Saturday that he, along with other lawyers including Tarek El-Awady, Malek Adly, has filed a case in an administrative court calling for the barring of foreign settlements in Sinai.

Ali said on his Facebook page that the suit aims to combat what he says are plans to settle Palestinians in Sinai.

The suit comes days after Israeli minister Ayoub Kara said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump would discuss an alleged proposal President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to establish a Palestinian state in Gaza and Egypts Sinai Peninsula.

Netanyahu later denied Karas claims, saying that this idea was not even a point of discussion.

Ali said he is filing the lawsuit in order to ensure the integrity of Egypt given the intentions by some to settle Palestinians in Sinai.

Ali said that former president Hosni Mubarak issued two decrees in 2002 and 2004 approving an agreement with the Union for the Mediterranean regarding the settlement of citizens from a third nation in Egyptian lands.

Alis colleague lawyer Malek Adly told Ahram Online that this shows that the lawsuit calls for the cancellation of Mubarak's decrees and calling on Egypt's president to issue a decree prohibiting the settlement of any foreign nationals in Sinai.

Adly added that since there is no transparency in Egyptian government policy, as evidenced by the Tiran and Sanafir agreement, we need to take precautionary actions using the tools at our disposal as lawyers.

We welcome any Palestinian refugees, but not in a border area of national security concern, and because this does not comply with Egypts historical position supporting the two state solution and the preservation of the Palestinian identity, Adly said, adding that such a plan would be solving the Israeli problem, and not the Palestinian one.

On Friday, Egypts foreign ministry dismissed any reports of a proposal to establish a Palestinian state in Sinai, saying the idea has never been a point of discussion between any Egyptian and foreign officials.

In a statement to the privately-owned TV channel DMC late on Thursday, ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said that the Sinai Peninsula is sovereign Egyptian territory.

The spokesman added that Egypts stance on the two-state solution is clear and known to all parties, stressing that Cairo believes the two-state solution is the basis of the current international consensus, whether among the UNs Security Council or the Quartet on the Middle East (the EU, the UN, Russia, and the US).

[Egypts position] goes in line with the aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state on their own land with East Jerusalem as its capital, Abu Zeid said, highlighting that the negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis is what will determine the agreement.

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ITS a Watergate-era cliche that the cover-up is always worse than the crime. In the Mike Flynn affair, we have the first recorded instance of a cover-up in the absence of a crime.

Being covered up were the Dec. 29 phone calls between Flynn and the Russian ambassador to Washington. The presumed violation was Flynn negotiating with a foreign adversary while the Obama administration was still in office and, even worse, discussing with Sergey Kislyak the sanctions then being imposed upon Russia (for meddling in the 2016 elections).

Whats wrong with that? It is risible to invoke the Logan Act, passed during the John Adams administration, under which not a single American has been prosecuted in the intervening 218 years. It prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign powers. Flynn was hardly a private citizen. As Donald Trumps publicly designated incoming national security adviser, it was perfectly reasonable for him to be talking to foreign actors in preparation for assuming office within the month.

Worst case: He was telling Kislyak that the Trump administration might lift sanctions and therefore, comrade, no need for a spiral of retaliations. How different is this from Barack Obama telling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, on an inadvertently open mic, during his 2012 re-election campaign, This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.

Flynn would have been giving the Russians useful information that might well have contributed to Russias decision not to retaliate. Im no Russophile. But again: Whats wrong with that? Turns out, the Trump administration has not lifted those sanctions. Its all a tempest in an empty teapot.

The accusations of misbehavior by Flynn carry a subliminal echo of a long-standing charge against Richard Nixon that he interfered in the Paris peace talks in October 1968 to prevent his Democratic opponent from claiming a major foreign policy success on the eve of the presidential election.

But that kind of alleged diplomatic freelancing would have prolonged a war in which Americans were dying daily. The Flynn conversation was nothing remotely of the sort. Wheres the harm?

The harm was not the calls but Flynns lying about them. And most especially lying to the vice president, who then went out and told the world Flynn had never discussed sanctions. You cant leave your vice president undercut and exposed. Flynn had to go.

Up to this point, the story makes sense. Except for one thing: Why the cover-up if there is no crime? Why lie about talking about sanctions? Its inexplicable. Did Flynn want to head off lines of inquiry about other contacts with Russians that might not have been so innocent? Massive new leaks suggest numerous contacts during the campaign between Trump associates and Russian officials, some of whom were intelligence agents. Up till now, however, reports The New York Times, there is no evidence of any Trump campaign collusion or cooperation with Russian hacking and other interference in the U.S. election.

Thus far. Which is why there will be investigations. Speculation ranges from the wildly malevolent to the rather loopily innocent.

At one end of the spectrum is the scenario wherein these campaign officialsincluding perhaps Flynn, perhaps even Trumpare compromised because of tainted business or political activities known to the Russians, to whom they are now captive. A fevered conspiracy in my view, but there are non-certifiable people who consider it possible.

At the benign end of the spectrum is that the easily flattered Trump imagines himself the great dealmaker who overnight becomes a great statesman by charming Vladimir Putin into a Nixon-to-China grand bargainwe jointly call off the new Cold War, join forces to destroy the Islamic State and reach a new accommodation for Europe that relieves us of some of the burden of parasitic allies.

To me, the idea is nuts, a narcissistic fantasy grounded in neither strategy nor history. But that doesnt mean Trump might not imagine itafter all, he maintains that if we had only stayed in Iraq to steal its oil, we wouldnt have the Islamic State. And if this has indeed been his thinking about Russia, it would make sense to surround himself with advisers who had extensive dealings there.

I believe neither of these scenarios, but Im hard put to come up with alternatives. The puzzle remains. Why did Flynn lie? Until we answer that, the case of the cover-up in search of a crime remains unsolved.

Charles Krauthammer is a columnist with The Washington Post Writers Group. Email him at letters@charleskrauthammer.com.
THE EFFECT may not be quite as startling, but somethings happening in Stafford County that is almost as surprising as if your neighbor opened the door to his garage to reveal a spacecraft, ala My Favorite Martian.

Or as if (continuing the 1960s TV theme) out of the nightly gloom toward you came the Batmobile, roaring down a quiet, leafy lane after emerging from the Bat Cave.

OK, those metaphors may be a bit strained. But the sense of wonder is appropriate for what carpenters, masons, timberwrights, blacksmiths, archaeologists, historians and architects are creating at Ferry Farm.

A unique and faithful replica of the house where George Washington grew to manhood is rising on the very ground where he and his family lived.

And today and Monday, you can a good peek.

The George Washington Foundations interpretive replica of the Washington familys gentry home is still a work in progress, with plastering, exterior paint and lots of interior carpentry left to do.

But whats there now, this Presidents Day weekend, is eye-catching. The Washingtons built their house to impress, and its modern facsimile does that, too.

Even unfinished and unfurnished, this structure is of a handsome scale, especially when seen along the Rappahannock Riverthe regions Colonial Main Street as well as the gateway to Europe and the seafaring worldor the streets of lower Fredericksburg. It would have wowed most Americans of the era. At the time this farm was home to George and his kin, the vast majority of the continents European settlerseven wealthy and prominent Virginianslived in dwellings no larger than a cabin. The majestic homes that we now associate with the 18th centurysay, Chatham Manor, Kenmore or the George Wythe House in Colonial Williamsburgwere built in the latter half of the 1700s, a very different time than the first half of the century. Ferry Farm was one of the finer residences of its period.

People of our century, though, have inherited the idea from popular writers and artists of long ago that the Washington home was a humble farmstead. Rather, it was the nerve center of two farms of more than a thousand acres together, and a family that rented even more land.

So being able to see, size up and eventually touch the foundations house replica will dispel mistaken notions, based on scanty knowledge and past storytellers creative license, about the Washingtons and their roles in Colonial society here.

Getting closer to the truth about the family, particularly George, is important to peoples appreciation of this singular figure in our history. And Ferry Farm, its advocates argue persuasively, was seminal to the values and development of the young Virginian who became the revolutions standard-bearer and his nations first president. Here, after all, he tasted boyhood, allegedly chopped down a cherry tree, felt the loss of loved ones, shouldered heavy responsibilities, learned about the wider world, and began figuring out to make his way without a father and mentor.

Thats a compelling, complex and very human story. And nows a perfect time to better understand how it will be interpreted at this important historic site. Seeing how a project like this comes along, bit by bit, is more fun and engaging than if you wait until its all dusted and done.

So starting with this weekend, and then from March 1 onward, we hope that readers will visit Ferry Farm throughout 2017 to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunities that ongoing construction of the Washington house replica affords. Itll be something to tell the grandkids about.
Column ignored threat to womens health, security

Politics does make strange bedfellows. In her column [Womens march not a step toward high ground Feb. 5], Linda White concluded with two points.

First: Advocating for the vulnerable while promoting abortion is hypocritical. Hypocrisy starts at home. Mother Teresa (the only true saint I have witnessed in my lifetime) gave her life for Christian charityfor the hungry, naked, homeless, sick, imprisoned, lonely, unwanted. Her Nobel Prize acceptance speech (nobelprize.org) is inspiring because she practiced what she preached. Mother Teresa fought abortion with adoption.

Though its not Catholic doctrine, certainly supporting contraceptive and health assistance would benefit the poor worldwide. President Trumps extended global gag rule would cut funding to every program that falls under global health assistance. I dont believe our laws should ignore womens health, rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Second: And joining forces with those whose real goal is to tear down this countrythats really foolish. Indeed, Trump has promoted his alt-right righthand man, Steve Bannon, to a permanent seat at the National Security Council meetings while relegating the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to attendance by invitation only. nuff said.

Maxine Yagla

King George
Turkish authorities on Saturday blamed Kurdish militants for a car bombing which rocked the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, close to the Syrian border, and detained 26 people in connection with the attack.

The explosion struck the district of Viransehir on Friday night, killing a 10-year-old and a neighbourhood watch guard.

The office said 26 people were detained including the suspected owner of the car used in the blast, which Dogan news agency said was caused by a tonne of explosives.

Some 17 people were also injured in the attack on a housing complex where courthouse workers and security personnel live.

Sanliurfa governor Gungor Azim Tuna told the official news agency Anadolu that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was to blame.

"We believe this terror attack was conducted by the PKK terror organisation," Tuna said.

The PKK is proscribed by Ankara, the United States and the European Union as a terror group.

The group has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 during which over 40,000 people have been killed.

Last year saw a series of attacks in Turkey blamed on Kurdish militants and Islamic State (IS) extremists while 2017 began with a bloody start.

During New Year celebrations a suspected IS militants killed 39 people, most of whom were foreigners, in an armed attack on a popular Istanbul nightclub.

IS claimed the attack and a few days later the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a splinter group of the PKK, claimed responsibility for an attack that left two dead in the Aegean city of Izmir.

The latest attack came after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan kicked off his campaign for a "yes" vote at the April 16 referendum on expanding his powers in the province of Kahramanmaras, close to Sanliurfa.

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Self-serving area delegates ignore voters

The Republican House of Delegates has now killed fair redistricting reform for another year.

For years, House Speaker Bill Howell of Stafford chafed under unfair redistricting when Democrats controlled the process. But when asked about reforming it now, his continuing anger toward the Democrats is reflected in his various answers on the subject: They did it to us first; why should I give up that power now that I am in charge?; yes, the election last November reflected anger with both parties, but so what?; and persisting with his strategy of resisting reform even while acknowledging that his opponents have demolished his argument.

For years, Del. Mark Cole of Spotsylvania has likewise resisted fair redistricting despite polls that show more than seven in 10 Virginians favor it. He has argued that reform wouldnt make any difference to election outcomes; no perfect system exists; and we dont need to do anything until after the census of 2020 (when it will be too late to do anything about reforma perfect definition of Catch-22).

Politicians of either party who appear to put themselves, and not the people, must understand that such behavior only increases the voters disdain for them and cynicism for the process. Fearing the voters, they must think, despite their protests to the contrary, that unfairly gerrymandering their districts is the only way they can get re-elected.

It will be up to the voters to remember the cynical attempts by politicians of either party to subvert the political process and replace them with people who are more considerate of their concerns.

Now it is on to the courts, and the court of public opinion.

Jay Brock

Fredericksburg
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Syrian warplanes carried out air strikes in a besieged rebel-held district of Homs on Saturday that killed at least two people, adding to a death toll of more than 20 in nearly two weeks of air raids, an activist and monitors said.

Al-Waer, the last rebel-held neighbourhood in the western city of Homs, had for months been spared much of the intense violence raging elsewhere in the country, as the government tried to conclude an agreement with insurgents there.

Bombardment of the district resumed earlier this month, rescue workers and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported.

The British-based Observatory said three people were killed on Saturday bringing the death toll since then to at least 30 people.

An opposition media activist in al-Waer said two had been killed and the overall toll this month was more than 20.

Pro-Syrian government media outlets have said strikes were in response to rebels firing at residential areas of government-held Homs neighbourhoods.

Damascus has tried to conclude a deal in al-Waer that would see rebel fighters and their families leave the district and the government take over. Under similar local agreements in other parts of western Syria, rebels have left with light weapons and headed mostly for Idlib province.

The opposition says such agreements are part of a government strategy to forcibly displace populations from opposition-held areas after years of siege and bombardment.

In September some 120 rebel fighters and their families left al-Waer in agreement with the government, but there have been no further reports of insurgents leaving. The Observatory estimates several thousand rebels remain there.

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The Israeli government on Thursday bowed to pressure from the defence establishment and voted to give it a 2.75 billion shekel ($738 million, 573 million euros) budget increase, official statements said.

The rise came less than six months after the cabinet approved a 3.0 billion shekel cut as part of the overall 2014 austerity budget, which Finance Minister Yair Lapid said was essential for the country's economic health.

A government statement Thursday evening, after a meeting of the ministerial committee on national security, said there were now "surplus budget funds" from which the money could be found.

It was less than the 4 billion shekel raise which the military had sought, but more than Lapid had been willing to endorse.

"We unanimously reached a decision which strikes a balance between the great security challenges facing the state of Israel and the need to keep guiding the Israeli economy responsibly in the face of the global economic crisis," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

A finance ministry statement did not hide Lapid's frustration.

"The prime minister has decided to add to the defence budget although I objected during the debate," it quoted him as saying.

"We still say that the security establishment must act with financial responsibility and become more efficient," he added.

"I am glad that we were able to prevent transfer of the full amount that the security establishment requested."

The amounts in dispute are a small part of what is still likely to be a 2014 military bill of about 56 billion shekels.

With civil strife and political turmoil raging in neighbouring Egypt and Syria, and with Iran seen as a potential nuclear threat, defence chiefs had lobbied hard against any cuts. They warned politicians they would bear responsibility if they eroded the ability of security-conscious Israel to defend itself.

Lapid has warned that if defence spending is not reined in the axe will fall on health, education and social spending.

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One of the UKs largest retailers, Marks & Spencer, is looking for 10,000 to 12,000 additional prime animals following a commitment to stock only Scotch lamb in its stores north of the border.

M&S is looking to source the animals, equivalent to more than 1% of Scotlands total lamb production based on 2016 figures, between now and June.

All animals will be sourced exclusively from the retailers select farms in Scotland, must have full provenance and be slaughtered at Scotbeef, Bridge of Allan.

See also: Retailers slammed for misleading lamb labels

The decision to solely stock Scottish lamb was driven by customer demand, said M&S head of agriculture, Steve McLean.

We know that our customers really like to buy regionally sourced meat, so we have been working hard with our suppliers to find a way to bring them a year-round supply of delicious fresh lamb from Scottish farms.

In 2016 we sourced UK lamb for 42 weeks of the year. For 2017, we have not made the switch to New Zealand lamb in our Scottish stores, and instead will supply 100% Scotch lamb throughout the entire year.

Fantastic opportunity

The M&S announcement was exciting for Scotch lamb producers, said Ian Watson, chairman of livestock marketing co-operative, Farm Stock Scotland.

This new market is great news for our farmers, and I am sure they are up to the challenge of delivering stock to meet this fantastic opportunity.

M&S is to be applauded for making this commitment to our industry, it is now our turn to ensure that we meet its expectations.

Our field staff are now actively working to procure an additional 5,000-6,000 lambs over and above what we would normally require in the next few months.
A vegan media campaign accusing the dairy industry of animal cruelty has been slammed by the NFU.

The adverts, which featured in the Sunday Telegraph a fortnight ago, have also appeared on billboards and on the sides of buses and taxis in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and London.

Go Vegan World tells the truth about the Dairy Industry in The Sunday Telegraph @Telegraph #DitchDairy #govegan #govegan2017 pic.twitter.com/4ZdPAZrIV7  Go Vegan World (@Go_Vegan_World) February 5, 2017

The organisation behind the campaign, Go Vegan World, also advertised on billboards at the Stadio Olimpico during the Italy v Ireland Six Nations rugby match last weekend, which attracted millions of television viewers.

The founder and director of the campaign, Sarah Higgins, described humans treatment of animals as the greatest tragedy the world has ever witnessed.

This campaign aims to reflect the truth of the consequences for them of our non-vegan lifestyle values and choices, casting a light into the hidden, dark world of human predation on defenceless others.

See also: 13 milk myths and misconceptions debunked

The health benefits of veganism or any of the other benefits of veganism are not usually sufficient to ensure that people cease their participation in all animal use.

In an open letter to the Sunday Telegraph, NFU dairy board chairman, Michael Oakes expressed his shock at seeing the misleading advertising campaign.

Adverts such as this paint an incorrect picture of the UK dairy industry and dishearten the nations dairy farmers, for whom the health, welfare and care of dairy cows and calves is incredibly important.

About half of our beef production comes from the dairy herd  a vital source of both calves for prime beef production and cow beef.

For calves to reach their potential they need to be happy and healthy, whether the future is within the dairy herd or within the beef supply chain.

Back Red Tractor

Mr Oakes championed the work of the Red Tractor kite mark, which applies to nearly all British farms and promotes high animal welfare, environmental and food standards.

It [Red Tractor] also means farmers comply with specific standards, for calves and cows.

This includes calves having visual and tactile contact with other calves.

Dairy farmers have had a horrendous two years of sustained low milk prices and we are grateful for the fantastic support we have received from the British public.

Mr Oakes added: Shoppers can be confident in dairy products displaying the Red Tractor logo and we urge them to continue to back and value British dairy farming.
Vice President Mike Pence sought on Saturday to assure Europe that the United States will back NATO even as it looks for new ways to cooperate with Russia, but was greeted by muted applause by European allies unnerved by President Donald Trump.

In Pence's first major foreign policy address for the new Trump administration, the vice president told European leaders and ministers that he spoke for Trump when he promised an "unwavering" commitment to the NATO military alliance.

Trump's contradictory remarks on the value of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, scepticism of the 2015 deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and an apparent disregard for the future of the European Union have left Europe fearful for the seven-decade-old U.S. guardianship of the West.

Pence, citing a trip to Cold War-era West Berlin in his youth, said the new U.S. government would uphold the post-World War Two order.

"This is President Trump's promise: we will stand with Europe today and every day, because we are bound together by the same noble ideals  freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law," Pence told the Munich Security Conference.

While the audience listened intently, Pence received little applause beyond the warm reception he received when he declared his support for NATO.

European officials told Reuters in Munich there was still doubt about the direction of the Trump administration, particularly after U.S. Senator John McCain told the conference on Friday the president's team was "in disarray."

Pence warned allies they must pay their fair share to support NATO, noting many lack "a clear or credible path" to do so. He employed a tougher tone than Trump's defense secretary Jim Mattis, who delivered a similar but more nuanced message to NATO allies in Brussels this week, diplomats said.

Pence also said Russia must honour the Minsk peace accords and deescalate violence in eastern Ukraine.

"Know this: the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

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Readers, we need your help to prove a merry Christmas for victims of domestic violence.
Russia Saturday called for an end to what it said was an outdated world order dominated by the West after US Vice President Mike Pence pledged Washington's "unwavering" commitment to transatlantic allies in NATO.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov offered a diametrically opposed global vision, just hours after Pence vowed to stand with Europe to rein in a resurgent Moscow.

"I hope that (the world) will choose a democratic world order -- a post-West one -- in which each country is defined by its sovereignty," said Lavrov.

The time when the West called the shots was over while NATO was a relic of the Cold War, he said.

In its place, Moscow wanted a relationship with Washington that is "pragmatic with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our common responsibility for global stability".

Moscow has been impatiently waiting for US President Donald Trump to make good on his pledge to improve ties which plunged to a post-Cold War low as Barack Obama slapped on sanctions over the Ukraine crisis and Russia's alleged meddling in Trump's election.

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and voiced his willingness to work with him in fighting terrorism.

But in the face of growing heat over its links to Moscow, Trump's administration appears to be backing off the warmer words used earlier for the former Cold War foe.

Exasperated and worried by Trump's calling into question long-standing foreign policy assumptions, European leaders have warned Washington not to take transatlantic ties for granted.

On a European roadshow this week, Trump's lieutenants have sought to reassure jittery allies that the administration will hold fast to existing foreign policy, including maintaining sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis.

Hours before Lavrov addressed the Munich Security Conference, Pence told the same forum that the United States will stay loyal to its old friends.

"The United States is and will always be your greatest ally. Be assured that President Trump and our people are truly devoted to our transatlantic union," Pence said.

The US would also not relent in pushing Russia to honour the Minsk ceasefire accords with Ukraine, he said.

"The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," the vice-president said.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, Defence Secretary James Mattis said Russia must first "prove itself" and respect international law before there could be any improvement in relations strained by Moscow's Ukraine intervention and annexation of Crimea.

Likewise, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson indicated he would take a tough line in his dealings with Russia.

Following his first meeting with Lavrov in Bonn on Thursday, Tillerson said the US would cooperate with Moscow but only when doing so "will benefit the American people".

Despite the US charm offensive, European leaders gave a cautious reaction.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said he "had no doubt that the American vice-president and the defence secretary will do everything to fulfil their commitments within NATO as in the past."

But tellingly, his confidence was ostensibly only extended specifically to Pence and Mattis.

When pressed for his view on Trump, he would only say: "I can only say what I have spoken about with Mr Pence. And that I have done and on that I have no doubt."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was "struck that (Pence) had not at any moment mentioned the EU", an institution which needs to take a bigger place in a world buffetted by a rise in nationalism and populism.

"I don't want to accuse Pence prematurely, he is going to Brussels on Monday and I hope that we will have a clear response on this question because Donald Trump gave the impression that he welcomes Brexit and that there would be more to come," said Ayrault.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel meanwhile made no direct mention of Trump in her address in Munich.

She however, championed a clear message of international cooperation rather than a policy of isolationism -- in what could be a plea for the US not to retreat as it seeks an "America First" policy.

"In a year in which we see unimaginable challenges we can either work together or retreat to our individual roles. I hope that we will find a common position," she said.

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More than 60 people crowded in front of Wells Fargo Bank on the corner of Northwest Monroe Avenue and Third Street Friday afternoon to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Trump administration.

The local protest, billed as part of a nationwide general strike coordinated through Strike4Democracy, encouraged local residents and the city of Corvallis to divest funds from Wells Fargo Bank, which is one of several banks that provide financing to the group building the pipeline.

When you stand with us, you are not the minority, Alex Riccio of Allied Students for Another Politics shouted through a megaphone. You are the majority.

The Corvallis City Council voted in October to approve a resolution in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline in front of a standing-room-only crowd. The city currently has $2.2 million in a Wells Fargo money market account, said Nancy Brewer, finance director for the city.

The protest began with a meeting on general strikes at the Westminster House, where participants were encouraged to demonstrate during a general strike by not working, not attending school and participating in nonviolent protests. Organizations involved included ASAP, Campus Walkout and the Corvallis-Albany Industrial Workers of the World.

To have a strike does not just mean not going to work. Its doing everything to shift around the notion of power, said Joseph Orosco, an Oregon State University philosophy professor and IWW member. Its not just about protesting, but about demonstrating people power. Its figuring out a way for people to have the power.

In addition to the protest, organizers spoke about coordinating larger general strikes that would have a major impact on the city, properly demonstrating peaceful protests, and establishing a space called Left Bloc: A Radical Gathering of Alternative Groups and Resources, where food, art and other items would be available free to all.

There are many people who are frightened right now, and were showing our support for them, said Linda Richards, a nonviolence trainer and member of several Corvallis advocacy organizations. I want people who are afraid to know we are doing our best to create a world of equality for all.

Co-organizer Andrew Barton of ASAP said he hoped people would see the march and realize they are not alone in their frustrations.

Im hoping people stay persistent and dont compromise on justice, Barton said. It might seem like people in Standing Rock are far away and that their struggles arent our struggles. But were all on this land, and the government is our government, and its all being done in our name.
The Timberhill land-use wars will continue Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. when the Corvallis City Council meets at the downtown fire station, 400 N.W. Harrison Blvd.

The council is meeting away from its usual Monday slot because of the Presidents Day holiday.

Councilors are scheduled to deliberate on a possible extension of Northwest Kings Boulevard through the Timberhill region. The council held a limited public hearing at its Feb. 6 meeting, but deliberations were postponed until Tuesday because of requests to hold the record open.

The Feb. 6 hearing was in response to a remand of previous council decisions by the state Land Use Board of Appeals. The board ruled that the city must provide guidance to developers regarding the best route for the proposed extension.

Councilors also will hold a 7:30 p.m. public hearing on an ordinance that would change the way tobacco retailers are licensed. If passed, future tobacco outlets could not be placed within 1,000 feet of a school or within 1,000 feet of another tobacco retailer.

The council session will include a community comments segment in which members of the public can testify on any subject except the Kings project. The record is closed on that issue. Residents also can submit testimony on any topic in advance at www.corvallisoregon.gov/publicinput.

In other public meetings:

Monday

 U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden has set a town hall for 11 a.m. at the La Sells Stewart Center, 875 S.W. 26th St. on the Oregon State University campus. A Wyden event filled the Linn-Benton Community College gymnasium in Albany on Feb. 5. This is the 794th town hall meeting the Oregon Democrat has hosted since his election to the Senate in 1996.

 Samaritan Heath Services is hosting a meeting to discuss its expansion plans for land north of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. The event runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Samaritan Square Atrium, 815 Northwest Ninth Street. The event is open to the public, but interested parties must reserve a spot in advance by calling Michelle Bernard at 541-768-7325 or by emailing mibernard@samhealth.org.

Tuesday

 The Benton County Board of Commissioners will hold a work session at 9 a.m. in the county board rooms, 205 N.W. Fifth St. Discussion topics will include updates from the Environmental Issues Advisory Committee and the Historical Society Board, a possible 12-ton weight limit for the Hayden Covered Bridge and a recruitment video and engagement strategy for the county.

 The commissioners will hold a regular session at noon, with the long topic on the agenda the second reading of a zoning code change that would allow commercial marijuana growing at the Corvallis Municipal Airport Industrial Park.

Wednesday

 The Corvallis Watershed Management Advisory Board meets at 5:15 p.m. at the Madison Avenue Meeting room, 500 S.W. Madison Ave.

Thursday

 The Corvallis City Council will meet in a 4 p.m. work session at the Madison room. Councilors are scheduled to discuss the transportation system plan update, possible changes in the lodging tax and a code of conduct. Please note that the council has moved work sessions from their previous Tuesday slot to Thursday.

The meeting includes a community comments section. Residents wishing to offer comments in advance can do so at www.corvallisoregon.gov/publicinput.

 The historic commissions for both the city of Corvallis and Benton County as well as PreservationWORKS and others meet at 7 p.m. at the downtown fire station to discuss plans for historic preservation month.

Friday

 The Corvallis City Legislative Committee meets at 10 a.m. at City Hall, 501 S.W. Madison Ave.

Feb. 25

 Ward 1 Corvallis Councilor Penny York will be the government comment corner guest from 10 a.m. to noon at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden will hold a town hall meeting in Corvallis next week to discuss current issues with constituents.

The event will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday in the Austin Auditorium of Oregon State Universitys LaSells Stewart Center, 875 S.W. 26th St.

More than 1,500 people filled the gymnasium at Linn-Benton Community College in Albany for a similar event two weeks ago, with many of them expressing concerns about policies being implemented by President Donald Trump.

Its clear from my first town halls of 2017 so far that Oregonians are coming out in record numbers with real concerns, Wyden said in a news release announcing Mondays event. I look forward to continuing the conversation  about how to preserve and protect the Oregon way focusing on solutions.

Since his first election to the Senate in 1996, Wyden has held town hall meetings in each of Oregons 36 counties every year.
International carnival : The first UN Carnival Princess has been crowned

Oberburgerneister Ashok Sridharan proklamiert die erste UNiversa Nora I.. Foto: Barbara Frommann

Bonn 150 guests at a reception in the historic town hall were given private lessons in all things Karneval. Nora I. is the new figurehead for Bonn expats.

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It is a first for the Bonn carnival: the international Bonn community has crowned its own UNiversa Princess. At the "Bonn Expat Alaaf" carnival reception on Friday evening UNiversa Nora I. was officially inaugurated into her office by the Bonn mayor Ashok Sridharan.

Nora Dineen works for the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and has two rather different messages to pass on: one is the worldwide call for sustainability and the other is to teach her UN colleagues about Bonn carnival traditions.

At the fourth meeting of "Bonn Expat Alaaf" mayor Sridharan welcomed around 150 international employees from the UN, NGOs, global companies and scientific institutions. The expats were given an introduction into all things carnival related. They were joined in their celebrations by the Bonn carnival Prince Mirko I. and Princess Patty I. and the so-called Laundry Princess (Wascherprinzessin) Luisa I.

Making their first appearance were the UN Funken carnival club which was founded this January by members of several UN organisations. The club will also take part in the Rosenmontag procession through the city centre on Carnival Monday. President Patrick van Weerelt, Head of the UN Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development (UNSSC), awarded the mayor with honorary membership of the UN Funken. He thanked the mayor for his invitation to the Storming of the Bonn Town Hall in 2016 which was where the idea for the UN Funken was first formed.
A severe storm pounding southern and central California reportedly killed at least four people overnight Friday, causing flash floods and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes.

Los Angeles city fire officials said a 55-year-old man was electrocuted after a tree downed a power line. Several people stranded near the Los Angeles River had to be rescued with inflatable boats.

Two other people died in car accidents in the San Diego area, and a fourth was died in a submerged vehicle, local media reported.

Another person was injured after her car fell into a massive sinkhole in Los Angeles, local television station KABC reported. She was trapped until fire crews pulled her out.

The powerful storm blew in from the Pacific Ocean, hitting California on Friday with high winds and heavy rain that downed power lines, leaving 60,000 people in the Los Angeles area without power, and prompting hundreds of flight delays and cancellations at airports.

Rushing flood waters swept away cars, downed trees and caused mudslides and sinkholes, the National Weather Service said.

Flash-flood warnings will continue through the weekend in many areas of the West Coast state, which has been hit this winter by a series of storms that have filled reservoirs, bringing respite following a severe five-year drought.

Although the latest storm, which packed heavy wind-driven rain, was mainly affecting southern and central California, rain was also forecast to hit the San Francisco Bay Area in the north.

Residents of the city of Duarte, located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of Los Angeles, were ordered to evacuate on Friday for fear of mudslides and voluntary evacuation orders were issued for some residents of Camarillo Springs, north of LA.

"The storm looks to be the strongest to hit southwest California this season," the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said.

The National Weather Service said the northern part of the state -- where flooding last week damaged the Lake Oroville Dam and forced the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people -- was expected to see new rain and snow systems moving in during the next few days.

It forecast "the wettest storm" on Monday and Tuesday, warning of potential renewed flooding across Northern California.

"Recent storms have left the region highly vulnerable, so amplified impacts will be possible with additional rainfall," the NWS said.

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Samsung teases Exynos 9 SoC, to be used in Galaxy S8 News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu Exynos 9 SoC teased by Samsung.

It is known that we won't be seeing the launching of the Galaxy S8 at the Mobile World Congress this year. But the company is likely to announce when the flagship smartphone will be unveiled at the event. Earlier, Samsung made it clear that the Galaxy S8 launch has been delayed for quality assurance reasons.

In 2016, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge smartphones at the MWC 2017. The company also introduced the in-house Exynos 8 Octa 8890 14nm SoC along with these devices. As it is a year since the Exynos 8 was launched, at the MWC 2017, we can expect the company to launch the Exynos 9 SoC. Tipping the same, Samsung has posted a teaser for the Exynos 9 reading, "Discover cloud 9 with Exynos".

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ could be using the Exynos 9 SoC in select markets such as India. The Snapdragon 835 variant of these phones will be meant for the rest such as the U.S. market.

Samsung Galaxy S8 launch date to be revealed at MWC 2017

Talking about the Exynos 9, the processor is likely to be built using the 10nm FinFET processor. This process technology is said to render 30% lower power consumption, 27% higher performance, and 30% better efficiency.

The mass production of this chipset was started in October 2016 itself. As of now, the specifications of this SoC remain unknown, but it is expected to use the Mali-G71 GPU. This GPU offers Vulkan API from Khronos and supports smooth mobile VR experience as well.

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LG G Pad III 8.0 Nougat updates now available News oi -Vigneshravi Nougat updates made available for LG G Pad 3 8.0, through Canadian carrier Fido

Nougat update for the LG G Pad 3 8.0 has recently been released. Subscribers of the Candian carrier Fido will be the first to receive the update to their units.

The update will bring with it all the Nougat features and at the same time it has been said that the update will enhance the UX of the Tab as well as the overall performance and security.

Just to give you a brief idea, the tab will now be enabled with spilt-screen multi-tasking, especially with the Nougat update. It will also increase the functionality of the Tab. Moreover, the update will also bring with it other features like improved notificatons and menu options, which will be equally handy for Tab users.

LG to launch a new Tablet with Android Nougat

Given the fact that it is an OTA (over the air) roll out, it might take a while for the update to reach the users' device. However, if users are not very thrilled about the wait and feel alittle impaitent a manual update is possible.

LG's G Pad III 10.1 FHD LTE Android Tablet is Now Official

To go ahead with the manual update users can check for the update by navigating to the device's settings menu. Settings>Software Update> Software Manual Download, upon selecting the manual download option the device will recieve the update.

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Samsung Gear S3 Classic review: the best Smartwatch till date Reviews oi -Chakri Kudikala The Samsung Gear S3 Classic is lot more productive than current generation Android Wear Smartwatches.

Samsung is in the wearable department for a long time now and has been updating their product portfolio now and then. But, we must admit that Smartwatch market is still in its initial stage as of now with consumers not preferring to get a Smartwatch of their own as they believe that their phone is nearly enough for them to manage daily tasks.

Rating: 4.0 /5

PROS Decent design

Excellent battery life

Use the watch with any 22mm strap

Gorgeous design CONS Bundled leather strap could have been better

Priced on a heavier side

Not ideal or iOS users

But, South Korean smartphone giant, Samsung is looking the segment in an entire peculiar way. With the Samsung Gear S2, the firm moved away from the Android Wear OS and embedded their Tizen OS, which was backfired then.

However, Samsung is sticking to power their next generation Gear S3 Smartwatches with the same Tizen OS.

This time around, the OS is perfectly optimized and is slightly more productive than the Android Wear. Samsung launched two variants of the Gear S3 Smartwatch- the Gear S3 Frontier and Gear S3 Classic. That said, both the variants share a similar set of specifications, but the Frontier has support for LTE, which is a fitting addition having around.

Samsung sent us a review unit of the Gear S3 Classic, which doesn't have support for LTE connectivity. We used the Smartwatch connected with a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 during our review period, and Samsung recently added support for Apple iOS as well. Here's our complete review of the Samsung Gear S3 Classic after using it extensively for more than two weeks.

Design: Just another Smartwatch with good looks, but the leather strap is annoying, first up

Without any doubt, the Gear S3 Classic and Frontier are the best looking Smartwatches from Samsung. Arguably, the best ones out in the market right now. The Galaxy S3 Frontier looks a bit odd with its utterly disappointing design, but the S3 Classic looks like an original watch, which we liked.

There is a rotating bezel placed around the screen of the Gear S3, and it is used to switch between the screens. This essentially removes the fuss of using the touchscreen all the time to browse between certain tasks.

Another best part of the Gear S3 Classic is: you can use any 22mm strap with the watch. Samsung bundles a leather strap with the Smartwatch itself, and we did not like it, first up. Our editor was so furious that he can't even bend the strap after taking it out of the box.

SEE ALSO: Sony SmartWatch 3 won't be receiving Android Wear 2.0 update

Up front, there is 1.3-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 360*360 pixels that further extends to a pixel density of 278 PPI. This AMOLED panel gets bright enough, and we don't have any issues to complain. Also, you can choose between the brightness levels from 1 to 10, which is a good feature to have around.

Software: Better than Android Wear 2.0, but lacks apps

One of the major highlights for Samsung still surviving in the Smartwatch segment is the fact that the company uses the Tizen OS to power them. Tizen OS is Samsung's in-house operating system, which takes on the Android Wear and we must admit that Tizen OS is way ahead of Android Wear.

Google recently announced the Android Wear 2.0 with hell lot of new features, but those upcoming features are already present in Tizen OS. To be precise, the Gear S3 Classic runs on Tizen OS 2.3.2.1. Samsung has a dedicated Gear application in the Google Play Store, and the South Korean giant recently added the support for iOS as well, but the IOS application can't access notifications.

With the Gear application, you can do pretty much everything like changing watch faces, and there are many watch faces to choose from, where some of them are paid, and some of them are free. The Samsung store is filled with applications, but not as many as Android Wear platform, which is another downside.

You can manage notifications, set alarms, play music, and can do pretty much everything within the Gear S3 itself.

Also, the Gear S3 Classic comes with several fitness tracking options as well. There is a heart rate sensor located below the Smartwatch that measures your heart beat rate without any issues. The Smartwatch even keeps track of your record while walking, running, sleeping, etc. Alternatively, you can download the S Health application to view your daily data.

Another feature which we liked is that the watch wakes you up if you're unmoved for more than one hours by saying as 'Keep Moving.' That said, we did not receive any notifications while sleeping, though.

Regarding connectivity, aforesaid, the Gear S3 Frontier has support for LTE, but the Gear S3 Classic did not have support for LTE. Instead, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC.

Performance and Hardware: Pretty much the same as current generation Android Wear watches

The Samsung Gear S3 Classic comes with a 1.0GHz dual-core chipset, coupled with 768MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. Yes, this watch comes with 4GB of internal space, which means that you can install a lot of apps and store music within the app itself.

The real life performance of the Gear S3 is brilliant as well as we did not face issues or touch irresponsiveness while using the Smartwatch. On the flip side, the Huawei Watch used to showed us large signs of lags and sometimes to get the touch working; we have to reboot as well. Well, that's all about Android Wear platform.

Battery Life: Nailed it!

One of the major aspects of the Gear S3 Classic is its battery life. Android Wear watches never delivered a good battery life in their existence. But, that has changed with the Gear S3 Classic. It comes with a small 380mAh battery that charges from zero to 100 percent in less than two hours.

The Samsung Gear S3 Classic offers a battery life of about two days even with the device connected to a mobile phone all the time. At the time of its launch, Samsung claimed that the battery could last up to four days with a single charge, however, in our entire review period, the Gear S3 haven't delivered battery life for four days.

We used the Huawei Watch running on Android Wear, and when compared the Huawei Watch with Gear S3, the Samsung's Smartwatch is way ahead of Huawei ones' as it offers a battery life of about 20 hours, which is underwhelming.

Verdict: Only for Android users!

The Samsung Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier ships with the same price tag of Rs. 28,500, which is on the heavier side. Also, it's a but disappointing factor to see that the Frontier has additional support for 4G LTE and costs same as the Gear S3 Classic.

However, barring the heavy price tag, the Gear S3 Classic is a perfect upgrade to Samsung Gear S2 and is currently the best Smartwatch out there. That said, we haven't tested the LG's new Watch Style and Watch Sport yet.

The Gear S3 is a worthy upgrade over its predecessor with improved display, performance, better battery life, and expanded support for Tizen OS. All said and done; we have a new Smartwatch in the town that can overshadow the existing Android Wear watches.

Samsung recently released the Gear application to iOS as well, but there are many features missing. So, if you're an Apple iPhone users, just don't get the Gear S3 Smartwatch.

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France's far-right leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen will meet Lebanon's president on Monday, her first official head-to-head talks with a head of state.

The trip will allow her to meet "leading politicians and religious figures" in Lebanon, her National Front (FN) party said Saturday.

Le Pen is leading polls of voters' intentions for the first round of the French election on April 23.

Shunned by many European leaders over her party's stance on immigration and anti-EU message, Le Pen's meeting with President Michel Aoun in Beirut is designed to add to her international credibility.

Le Pen will also meet Prime Minister Saad Hariri, an opponent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Le Pen has criticised the EU's calls for Assad to stand down after nearly seven years of war.

France had mandate power over Lebanon and neighbouring Syria during the first half of last century, and ties between the countries have remained close.

Rival presidential hopeful and former economy minister Emmanuel Macron visited Beirut on January 24, where he met both Aoun and Hariri.

While he did not call for an alliance with Assad, Macron advocated a "balanced policy" towards the regime and the myriad rebels fighting it.

Right-wing candidate Francois Fillon, dogged by revelations his wife was paid for years with public funds for a suspected fake job as a parliamentary aide, cancelled a visit this month to Lebanon and Iraq.

Le Pen has met few foreign leaders since taking control of the National Front in 2011: She met no high-ranking Canadian politicians in a visit to Quebec last year, and Chancellor Angela Merkel refused to meet with her during a gathering of eurosceptic and far-right leaders in Germany last month.

And Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told AFP last week that "a victory of the populists would be the end of Europe", a clear reference to Le Pen's call for a referendum on France's EU membership.

But although this would be Le Pen's first official visit with a head of state, a source in her party said it was not the first time she had met a foreign leader, while not elaborating further as to who she might previously have seen less formally.

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Canadians test capabilities at Tyndall's Combat Archer, Combat Hammer

By Airman 1st Class Cody R. Miller, 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published February 17, 2017

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- Royal Canadian Air Force personnel took part in exercises Combat Archer and Combat Hammer here, from Jan. 10 to Feb. 10.

This was the first time the 401st Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed a detachment of personnel since fall 2015. The 401st TFS is from Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada, and brought about 120 personnel.

The training provided members of the CF-18 Hornet squadron with a rare opportunity to employ live air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons systems in a permissive and controlled environment.

Both Combat Archer and Combat Hammer are part of the Weapons Systems Evaluation Program operated by the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group at Tyndall Air Force Base. The program goal is to evaluate a unit's capability to employ a variety of weapons systems throughout all stages of the process, from storage and preparation, to use on a target.

"We're here to perform system evaluations of our air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities," said Maj. Patrick Hutcheson, the 401st TFS aircraft maintenance engineering officer. "We also have the goal of enhancing the skills and system qualifications of our technicians and pilots. The United States has provided us with the ability to perform these tests and has given us nothing but support."

Canadian pilots coordinated with Tyndall Airmen to improve air-to-air and air-to-ground tactics, as well as improve international relations between countries. During Combat Archer, 22 missiles were fired for tactical evaluation.

The exercises were split into three parts, each with its own set of objectives. The first part was one week of general aircraft training alongside U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles and F-22 Raptors.

They then entered a two-week phase of Combat Archer. This entails live air-to-air missile tests, using AIM-120, AIM-7 and AIM-9 missile systems against the BQM-167 aerial target.

Finally, part three is known as exercise Combat Hammer. The Canadians took part in a full-scale, live air-to-ground bombing exercise; using GBU-12 laser guided inert bombs, coupled with state of the art targeting telemetry, against realistic and live targets located at the Eglin AFB target range.

"These exercises are a tremendous opportunity for not only the members of the 401st, but the RCAF's fighter force as a whole," said Lt. Col. Joe Mullins, the 401st TFS commander. "It isn't every day we have the chance to practice our live weapons capabilities, across all stages of the operation. The goal of this exercise is to improve capabilities, identify points of strength and areas of improvement, and ultimately prepare ourselves for the next time we are called into combat."

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Alaskan Raptors arrive in Australia for training initiative

By Staff Sgt. Alexander Martinez, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs / Published February 17, 2017

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE TINDAL, Australia (AFNS) -- The last wave of F-22 Raptors from the 90th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, arrived here Feb. 14 to launch bilateral exercise and training missions with the Royal Australian Air Force and further strengthen the military relationship the two nations share.

"We are thrilled to be here and working with our Australian counterparts," said Lt. Col. Dave Skalicky, the 90th FS commander. "They have been phenomenal hosts, and their level of support allows us to increase our combined capabilities."

The F-22s, 12 in total, came to RAAF Base Tindal under the direction of U.S. Navy Adm. Harry B. Harris, the U.S. Pacific Command commander, as part of the Enhanced Air Cooperation Initiative under the Force Posture Agreement between the U.S. and Australia.

This combined training activity marks the most extensive F-22 joint training with Australia in duration and scale, providing the Raptors the opportunity to conduct integrated air operations training with the RAAF's 75 Squadron F/A-18A/B Hornets.

"We constantly look forward to training operating with our U.S. counterparts, in particular, with fifth-generation squadrons such as the 90th FS," said Wing Commander Mick Grant, the 75 Squadron commander. "Usually we only integrate with the F-22s at major exercises in the U.S. such as Red Flag or during coalition operations, so we appreciate the efforts of the 90th FS having traveled a significant distance to Australia to join us in our backyard this year. Northern Australia's extreme climate and distinctive training areas provide our ally unique opportunities to train with their fifth-generation aircraft in a range of environmental conditions."

The F-22s and F/A-18A/Bs will conduct offensive and defensive training missions at various locations in the Northern Territory and Queensland.

Skalicky explained the history of the 90th FS and how it can trace it's lineage back to World War II when the then U.S. Army Air Forces 90th Bombardment Squadron conducted missions out of the area against the Japanese in various battles throughout the Pacific.

"We were here 75 years ago, and to be back carrying on the tradition is an honor," Skalicky said.

Accompanying the F-22s here are approximately 200 Airmen providing operational, maintenance, logistical and security support.

The F-22s are scheduled to be in Australia through the beginning of March.

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Officials Provide Details of Latest Counter-ISIS Strikes in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 17, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

U.S. Central Command continues to work with partner nations to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Coalition military forces conducted 34 strikes consisting of 35 engagements in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, five strikes destroyed seven oil tanker trucks, three oil refinement stills and two oil wellheads.

-- Near Bab, a strike destroyed a decoy tactical vehicle.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, 11 strikes destroyed 20 oil tanker trucks, six oil wellheads, two artillery systems, an oil storage tank and a crane.

-- Near Raqqa, 17 strikes engaged two ISIS staging areas and an ISIS tactical unit; and destroyed four tunnels, three fighting positions, three ISIS-held buildings, two weapons storage areas, two ISIS headquarters, a vehicle bomb storage facility, a fuel station and a bridge.

Strikes in Iraq

Coalition military forces conducted seven strikes consisting of 27 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed four watercraft, three front-end loaders, two shipping containers, a mortar system, an artillery system, a vehicle bomb facility, a vehicle and an ISIS-held building; damaged 11 supply routes and a tunnel; and suppressed a mortar team and an artillery team.

-- Near Tal Afar, three strikes destroyed an improvised bomb facility, a weapons storage facility and a fuel storage area.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect. For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does 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.

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Incirlik Airmen Feel Sense of Accomplishment in Counter-ISIS Battle

By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey, Feb. 17, 2017  Airmen at this crucial base in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria are feeling a sense of accomplishment after Iraqi ground forces cleared eastern Mosul of the enemy, Air Force Col. David Trucksa, commander of the 447th Air Expeditionary Group, said here.

The group provides air support for Iraqi forces battling ISIS and for Syrian forces confronting the group around Raqqa. "At the height of the East Mosul operation, we were dropping a bomb on an ISIS target every eight minutes, 24 hours a day," Trucksa said in an interview.

The colonel spoke to the press today during a visit by Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Base Plays Key Role in Counter-ISIS Campaign

A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft supported by tankers and intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance assets from the base are a key part of the success of the campaign.

It has been a challenge. Last year, the threat of possible terror attacks against the base meant family members were evacuated. In July, the coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shuttered the base and stopped operations for a short while.

After a period of uncertainty, operations again ramped up and A-10s, supported by KC-135 tankers and ISR assets, took the fight to the enemy.

And then in October the Iraqi offensive to liberate Mosul from ISIS ratcheted up the tempo.

The Air Force deployment schedule causes its own churn. There are only four people on operations that were here in December, Trucksa said.

Well-Trained Units

Yet the training that squadrons receive before coming to Incirlik prepares them well, the colonel said. "We had back-to-back A-10 [deployments] from the Air National Guard, and now have an active duty squadron from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona," he said. "They arrived just over a month ago, so they have been getting their spin up, getting used to flying here."

The obvious difference between Guard and active units is the experience levels. Guard units typically have much more experience flying the aircraft -- thousands of hours versus hundreds. In the current fighter squadron only four of their pilots had ever deployed before, so this operation is their first combat time.

"It's a testament to the training process eight to ten months prior  to get ready for this, so Day 1, they roll in ready to do the mission," Trucksa said.

And the deployments are demanding. "In my previous experience, you could go weeks before you actually employ weapons," the colonel said. "These guys, the first time across the line, they are actually employing weapons and doing it well."

There is also churn on the tanker side as well. The tankers are centered around a unit from Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, but it is scheduled to finish in a couple of weeks and a new unit is coming in, Trucksa said. Again, he added, training and the deliberate deployment process will mean they are ready to do their jobs on arrival.

'We Are Doing More'

As all these changes occur, the mission grows. "We are doing more," he said. The operation to liberate Mosul began in October and took 100 days to liberate the eastern half of the second-largest city in Iraq.

"January was the highest number of weapons released in Operation Inherent Resolve since the beginning," he said. He noted that airmen dropped 227 bombs on ISIS targets just during President Donald J. Trump's inauguration on January 20.

Even with all the changes and the uncertainty caused by the attempted coup, morale on base remains high. The airmen had a real uplift at Christmas when Americans sent care packages to airmen on the base. "I think our postal center was overrun with folks sending stuff for the troops overseas," Trucksa said. "It was pretty cool and  a visible show of American pride and patriotism."

But even the holidays didn't slow the work at the base. The missions continued. Morale stayed high because of the progress being made on the ground. "A lot of people didn't want to leave, I got a lot of people who wanted to stay to see this through," Trucksa said. "They felt this was the most rewarding deployment they have been on. I had no problems getting people to work because they believe they are helping."

Moving forward there are many questions -- mostly hinging on what ISIS does. "Will they stand in western Mosul and fight to the death? Will they try to reconstitute back in Syria?" he said. "We just don't know, but we have to be prepared for it all."

Trucksa added, "With our precision munitions we limit as much collateral damage as we can. We're not carpet bombing-the city. We pinpoint the target and kill them as required per the ground commander's request. Right now, we haven't changed the weapons types we've been loading because we think it may be the same as the East."

In Raqqa, the shaping phase of the campaign continues and counter-ISIS forces are surrounding the city. "Once they push into the city, we will see how effective [ISIS's] resistance is," he said. "It's their so-called capital and they have had years to fortify it. We expect them to put up a fight for it."

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Mattis Stresses NATO Importance at Munich Security Conference

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2017  The bond between the United States and its NATO allies is a critical component in regional and global security, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said at an international security conference in Germany today.

"As guardians for our nations and as sentinels for new threats we all see our community of nations under threat on multiple fronts as the arc of instability builds on NATO's periphery and beyond," Mattis said at the Munich Security Conference.

Mattis, who as a Marine Corps general served as NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation, said the "transatlantic bond remains our strongest bulwark against instability and violence."

NATO exists, he said, to protect the way of life of its members, to include the exchange of free ideas that characterizes the annual Munich Security Conference.

The conference, which brings together more than 450 senior decision-makers from across the globe, is now in its 53rd iteration.

"I'm grateful to be among so many leaders in our democracies as we forge our path ahead," Mattis said, adding, "This is how we build approaches to working together for a peaceful and prosperous future."

Vice President Mike Pence and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly are also attending the multi-day conference.

The threats to the alliance are numerous, Mattis pointed out. The best approach to protecting oneself is in tandem with others, he said, as "security is always best when provided by a team."

Full U.S. Support for Alliance

Mattis underscored U.S. support for the alliance, saying President Donald J. Trump has thrown his full support to NATO and believes in NATO's need to adapt to today's strategic situation for it to remain credible, capable and relevant.

As the NATO-European Union Joint Declaration signed in Warsaw reflects, American security is permanently tied to the security of Europe, Mattis said.

The U.S. defense chief, who met in Brussels earlier this week with his NATO counterparts, said the transatlantic bonds are strong and fellow defense ministers are under "no illusions about the threats our nations face together."

Unity in Recognizing Threats

NATO allies recognize 2014 was a "watershed year and we can no longer deny reality," Mattis said.

"Unified by these growing threats to our democracies, we possess strong resolve," he said, noting the alliance will adapt to the challenges.

Adapting, according to Mattis, is the hard part, as the alliance moves forward together, reinforcing deterrence and defense, and more directly addressing terrorist threats along NATO's southern flank from the Mediterranean to the Turkish border.

In a speech in Brussels earlier this week, Mattis noted that 2014 included Russia using force to alter the borders of one of its sovereign neighbors, and the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

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NATO Secretary General: need for transatlantic bond stronger than ever

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

17 Feb. 2017

Arriving at the Munich Security Conference on Friday (17 February 2017), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the need for Europe and North America to work together was stronger than ever in times of turmoil and unpredictability. The Secretary General stressed the importance of fair burden-sharing, noting that all 28 Allies have made clear commitments to increase defence spending.

The Secretary General will also make the case for the importance of the transatlantic bond in a keynote speech on Saturday (18 February 2017). During his two-day visit, the Secretary General will also hold a range of bilateral talks, including with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, President Sauli Niinisto of Finland, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman, US Secretary for Homeland Security John Kelly and US Senator John McCain.

The Munich Security Conference is one of the world's foremost foreign and security policy gatherings, and more than 30 heads of state and government are scheduled to attend. This year's conference will focus on transatlantic relations, European security cooperation, relations with Russia and the conflict in Syria.

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Democrats raise questions about Trump's mental health

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:37PM

A growing number of Democrats are openly saying that Donald Trump may not be mentally fit to serve as the president of the United States.

Mental health professionals have already warned that President Trump is showing "classic signs" of mental illness, including "malignant narcissism."

A Washington, DC-based newspaper, The Hill, reported on Friday that several Democratic lawmakers are also now questioning President Trump's mental health.

In a floor speech this week, Earl Blumenauer, a Representative from Oregon, demanded a review of the Constitution's procedures for removing a president if he is mentally unstable. The Congressman said the 25th Amendment of the Constitution falls short when it comes to mental or emotional fitness for the office of the president.

Senator Al Franken from Minnesota told CNN during a weekend interview that Trump's mental health is a source of great concern for some of his Republican colleagues as well.

Asked by the host if it is "true that Republican colleagues of yours express concerns about President Trump's mental health," Franken replied, "A few There's not a majority of them."

Meanwhile, a Representative from California, Ted Lieu, is set to introduce a bill that would require the presence of a psychiatrist or psychologist in the White House to check on the president.

The Democrats argue that Trump's habit of making demonstrably false claims show that something is wrong with him. President Trump at a press conference on Thursday claimed that he had the biggest Electoral College victory since former Republican President Ronald Reagan, for example, while his margin was lower than either of President Barack Obama's wins.

Blumenauer told The Hill he started talking about the review of the 25th Amendment because Trump has repeatedly made ludicrous claims, such as insisting that it wasn't raining during his speech on Inauguration Day on January 20 at Capitol Hill when it was.

"It's not normal behavior. I don't know anybody in a position of responsibility that doesn't know if they're being rained on. And nobody I work with serially offers up verifiably false statements on an ongoing basis," he said.

For decades, psychologists and psychiatrists have kept silent about their diagnostic opinions of public figures in accordance with ethical rules set out by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

However, thousands of mental health professionals have signed a Change.org petition declaring the US president "is mentally ill and must be removed."

Thirty-five psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers have sent a letter to The New York Times saying that "the grave emotional instability indicated by Mr. Trump's speech and actions makes him incapable of serving safely as president."

Psychologists have also begun questioning Trump's state of mind because of the type of temperament and behavior he has displayed during his public appearances.

Most recently, John D. Gartner, a practicing psychotherapist who taught psychiatric residents at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, said Trump "is dangerously mentally ill and temperamentally incapable of being president," according to The Independent.

Gartner believes Trump shows signs of "malignant narcissism," which is defined as a combination of narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, aggression and sadism.

But some other mental health professionals are concerned that political actors suggesting that their opponent has psychological problems risks stigmatizing people with actual mental illnesses.

"I think the politicization is troubling," said Joshua Miller, a psychologist at the University of Georgia whose research focuses on pathological personality traits and personality disorders. "We certainly wouldn't want individuals to use mental illness as a weapon to harm others."

Congressman Lieu however argued that the mental health of a person who is in control of the nation's nuclear codes must be scrutinized.

"I think it is a legitimate issue to raise. I am not a mental health professional, so I don't know in terms of any sort of medical expertise on this. But I do see and hear the same things that other people see and hear, and a lot of people have concluded that what's going on is not normal. So what do I do with that as a member of Congress?" he told The Hill.

"Anyone who can launch 4,000 nuclear weapons in minutes absolutely should be questioned on any matter related to their physical and mental health," he stated.

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17 Afghan soldiers killed in Daesh attack in Nangarhar

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:19PM

Seventeen Afghan soldiers have been killed in an attack by the Daesh Takfiri terrorists on army security posts in eastern Afghanistan.

Ahmad Ali Hazrat, the chief of the provincial council, said on Friday that the attack was carried out in Dih Bala district of Nangarhar province the previous night.

Hazrat said the Daesh terrorists attacked the posts from three directions and after several hours of fierce battles, 17 soldiers were killed.

General Doulat Waziri, the spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, said army troops killed 21 militants in the battle.

In a separate attack on Friday, Taliban militants assaulted several government security posts in the eastern province of Kunar, killing five police officers.

Police forces, aided by other security personnel, managed to repel the attackers, forcing them to flee. Provincial Governor Waheedullah Kalimzai said a sixth police officer was missing after the attack.

Kunar borders Pakistan and Taliban militants are active in the province.

Pakistan shells base of Daesh

The latest attacks in Afghanistan came as Pakistani security forces shelled Daesh positions in Nangarhar following a terrorist bombing claimed by the Takfiri group that killed at least 80 people, including 20 children, in the city of Sehwan in Sindh province.

Gul Agha Roohani, the provincial police chief of Nangarhar, said Pakistan had fired several artillery rounds early on Friday into Lalpur district, near the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Pakistani officials say the Thursday attack on Lal Shahbaz Qalandar sufi shrine, as well as other recent bombings in Pakistan have been masterminded by militants who hide across the border in Afghanistan.

Islamabad shut down Pakistan's border with Afghanistan following the attack.

Pakistani officials say security operations would continue in the coming days.

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Cyprus peace talks collapse over differences

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 10:26AM

Reunification talks between Greek and Turkish Cypruses have crashed abruptly over bitter difference between the two sides.

The meeting between Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akinci ended about an hour after it had started on Thursday.

On February 9, a vote at the Greek Cypriot parliament endorsed the results of a controversial, unofficial referendum in 1950 in which people voted for unification with Greece, a process known locally as "enosis."

According to Akinci, the talks collapsed when the issue of scrapping the decision came up. At that point, Anastasiades said there "was nothing else to say, slammed the door and left," Akinci said.

But Anastasiades said the Turkish Cypriot side left the talks first.

The United Nations facilitator mediating the talks said, however, that the reunification negotiations would continue at a later date.

"Both leaders very strongly said they are committed to this process, and nobody sees this process as over, or terminated, or suspended," said Espen Barth Eide, the UN's special envoy running the peace talks, which have been ongoing for almost two years.

The talks aim to end the division of the island, which has been an enduring bone of contention between NATO allies Greece and Turkey, and an obstacle to Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

"Enosis," or union, with Greece has long been a deep source of resentment among the island's Turkish Cypriots and was partly the cause of inter-communal clashes in the 1960s, shortly after the island gained independence from Britain.

In 1974, the island was split into two parts after Turkish forces occupied the northern segment of Cyprus following a brief Greek Cypriot coup by elements in the military seeking to have the island annexed to Greece.

Greek Cyprus has been a member state of the EU since 2004.

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Renowned British composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) believed that a musician should serve the community. He practiced his ideology in a variety of ways, through music activities organised for the local community and through founding the Aldeburgh Festival, one of Europes most prestigious festivals focused on classical music.



Today, Brittens legacy is continued by the Snape Maltings (formerly Aldeburgh Music), a creative campus embedded in the breathtaking fields and under the open skies of Suffolk, a county in the south east of the United Kingdom. Located in the small village of Snape and spanning across several buildings that belonged to the composer, among them the famed Concert Hall which he opened in 1967 and his studio, now a small concert hall, the Snape Maltings organisation duly continues the composers legacy through the many activities it pursues.



Part of its mission to embrace the community is expressed with the Learning and Inclusion Department, which uses music as a tool for social engagement. This department has been in existence for about 20 years, and is deeply engrained within the Snape Maltings concept of how music can work within the community, how it can be useful and how it can engage with the widest group of people.



Our department used to be called Education, but when recently the organisation changed its name from Aldeburgh Music to Snape Maltings, we also renamed the department to Learning and Inclusion. This is a better description of what we do, Lizzie Woods, Learning and Inclusion manager tells Ahram Online, elaborating that the word education had a certain amount of formality behind it, while learning and inclusion is all about how you creatively engage with the musical experience. It doesnt matter who you are, how old you are, where you are from and what you do  There is always this ability for you to join.



The departments website reveals that last year 28 projects took place, which included a total of 337 sessions, involving 80,451 participants, 45,310 audience members and 142 artists.



The departments activities aim at embracing the community through musical expression, which nevertheless is not imposed onto them but rather serves as a tool for reaching out to them. As such, the Snape Maltings team works with school age children, from mainstream education to those who are in need of special programmes; it reaches out to care homes and centres taking care of the elderly or people with a variety of illnesses, such as dementia; it creates links with prison inmates. The programme also trains teachers and caregivers so the mission can be carried on after the Snape Maltings team leaves the location. The local community is also encouraged to attend some of the activities held within the Snape Maltings' halls.





The material we work with varies depending on the group we address. Equally we do not work with one kind of music or offer one pattern of music practice. Sometimes we pick the songs or music, at other times sometimes musicians would capitalise on the songs that the participants know already and play around them, Callum Given, Learning and Inclusion officer explains, mentioning a few core strands of the programme.He gives an example of schools that have 90 percent of children who are not English native speakers, and how the programme brings them together through music. He elaborates on working with people who have advanced dementia. They might have difficulty showing their participation, but to us it is important that they are there, whether they just tap with a finger to the music or sit silently  In some projects we encourage the families to get involved too, especially that with dementia family members often feel that they lose the link with the loved one. Our work can help recover this connection, even if differently.Woods recalls some success stories. She gives an example of a woman who contacted the Snape Maltings after she attended music sessions with her husband who had dementia. She told us that finally she found an activity they can share together and that this extended to their home life. She recovered part of a lost link with him. We also had cases when the participants reported that their sleeping problems have subsided.Among other target groups of the Learning and Inclusion department are prison inmates. Snape teaches them songwriting and twice a year organises a performance during which the songs are presented. Due to our work within the prisons, there are cases that some inmates get temporary parole to join our activities at the Snape Maltings. This is a great example of how they have developed certain abilities to communicate within the community, Woods explains.Yet another activity is a programme called Participate, with monthly sessions held in the Snape Maltings' campus. According to the programmes description, Participate is an inclusive, creative music making workshop that brings together people from across the community in a supportive and friendly environment.The group meets in music practice where we care about engaging the participants on the level that works for them, even if this means that you just sit there and listen (as can be the case with people with severe dementia). It is important to be with other people, to share a positive experience; it is all about inclusion, Woods adds.Callum Given points to yet another strand of the Learning and Inclusion department, which while working within the local community also has a wide international outreach.The programmes name is Friday Afternoons, and it was conceived as part of the centenary celebrations of Snape Maltings in 2013.The initiatives name references Benjamin Brittens 12 songs that he composed for his brother Robert, the headmaster of the local Clive House School. The set of simple compositions  among them Cuckoo! and Old Abram Brown, which much later were also featured in the 2012 American film Moonrise Kingdom  were sung by the pupils on each Friday, hence their name. Today, the Snape Maltings commissions composers to write additional songs, some of them being inspired by Brittens musical material.Not only the Snape Maltings host Friday Afternoons (though today not necessarily on this day of the week), but also encourage all international institutions and individuals to join them in singing.All of the songs are uploaded to our Song Bank, accessible for free on our website www.fridayafternoonsmusic.co.uk. Anyone around the world can download the songs, sheet music and supporting material for teachers. While they are ready to be sung as such, we also invite the international community to adapt them to their cultures and musical preferences. If you are fascinated with Samba, make them to Samba beat. If you are used to Arabic music, you are free to add your cultural touch to them, Given explains, adding that since its inception, Friday Afternoons had 80,000 participants, from all around the world.Yet this is not where the gems of the Friday Afternoons end. Faithful to the idea of inclusion, the department has also uploaded material that helps differently-abled children to learn music notation. Known as Figurenotes and developed by the Finnish music educators Kaarlo Uusitalo and Markku Kaikkonen, each note in the score carries a corresponding coloured symbol and the length of the note drawn corresponds to its time duration.Some children who are differently-abled cannot grasp the idea of all the black small dots representing different notes. The colours and shapes help them understand the music progression, Given explains.The Learning and Inclusion team invites everyone around the world to benefit from the free material and register their participation on the website. The online map of the world reveals all the beneficiaries of the songs, where they span across many countries in Europe, in addition to the United States, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, as well as China, Thailand and Malaysia.Whether it is work with the elderly, differently-abled, inmates or children, the Learning and Inclusion department of Snape Maltings creates a palpable change through music.Music is a very important part of our life and it has multiple entry points, whether it is just tapping a small rhythm on your knee with one finger or singing with a large group. You have so many options to choose from and all of them allow you to participate and feel that you belong to the community. No better way to follow Brittens legacy, Woods concludes.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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NATO to boost naval presence in Black Sea: Secretary general

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 7:41AM

NATO has announced new plans to beef up its presence in the Black Sea, in a move almost certain to draw Russian ire.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made the announcement in a briefing for reporters after a ministerial meeting of the military bloc at its headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.

During the meeting, he said, member states "agreed on two additional maritime measures: an increased NATO naval presence in the Black Sea for enhanced training, exercises and situational awareness, and a maritime coordination function for our Standing Naval Forces when operating with other Allied forces in the Black Sea region."

'Trying to drag Russia into war'

Stoltenberg said NATO will be enhancing its military forces in the strategically important sea, where a Russian naval fleet is based; however, he claimed the move "will in no way aim at provoking any conflict or escalating tensions."

Speaking earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said NATO was damaging global peace and security by continuously trying to "drag" Moscow into a military confrontation.

Putin told senior members of the Russian intelligence agency FSB that global security "has not improved, but on the contrary, many existing threats have only become more serious" as a result of NATO's moves.

NATO's "newly-declared official mission to deter Russia" is one such threat, Putin said, apparently referring to the bloc's recent buildup of military forces near Russian borders. "In fact, they are constantly provoking us, trying to drag us into a confrontation."

NATO members "are continuing their efforts to interfere in our domestic affairs with the goal of destabilizing social and political order in Russia proper," he added.

Russia and NATO have been at loggerheads over Moscow's alleged role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The Western military alliance severed its ties with Russia in 2014 after the then-Ukrainian territory of Crimea voted in a referendum to join Russia.

Since then, NATO has deployed extra troops and military hardware closer to Russian borders to exert pressure on Moscow, brandishing what it says are threats of Russian aggression.

Russia has pledged to take unspecified measures to respond to the increased activities of NATO.

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Trump's pick to replace Flynn turns down national security offer

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 6:6AM

Retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward has turned down US President Donald Trump's offer to replace Michael Flynn as national security adviser, according to a report.

Harward was offered the job after Trump dismissed Flynn on Monday for misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his discussion of sanctions with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office.

Harward, a former deputy to Defense Secretary James Mattis, turned down the job offer in part because he did not receive sufficient assurances about staffing and autonomy, two sources familiar with Harward's decision told Reuters.

That put him at odds with Trump, who had told Flynn's deputy, K.T. McFarland, that she could stay.

At a news conference on Thursday, Trump appeared to praise Harward as "somebody that I think will be outstanding for the position."

In a statement reported by CNN later in the day, Harward said that "since retiring, I have the opportunity to address financial and family issues that would have been challenging in this position."

Flynn's ouster, and the circumstances leading up to it, has become a major crisis for the White House and has put the first significant strain on relations between the new administration and an increasingly restive Congress.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, framed Harward's decision to reject the offer as the latest evidence that the Trump's White House is "falling into utter disarray."

Democrats in Congress are calling for an independent investigation into possible links between the Trump team and Moscow, including when the president first learned of Flynn's contacts.

Meanwhile, Trump tried to make it clear why he asked Flynn to step down.

"The thing is, he didn't tell our vice president properly, and then he said he didn't remember. So either way, it wasn't very satisfactory to me," he said.

Previously, Trump had blamed "illegal leaks" by the intelligence community and the "dishonest" media for Flynn's resignation.

The president himself has come under increased pressure after it emerged that he had been aware that Flynn was being misleading in his account of his contacts with Russia "weeks" before he was forced out.

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Pentagon Says Used Depleted-Uranium Rounds Against IS Oil Tankers

February 17, 2017

The United States used depleted-uranium antitank rounds twice during 2015 in air strikes against convoys of Islamic State (IS) tanker trucks, the Pentagon has said.

The military prizes depleted-uranium munitions for their armor-piercing capability in battles against tanks and armored vehicles.

But they have been criticized for posing health risks to soldiers who use them and being potentially toxic to surrounding civilian populations.

The United Nations Environment Program has described them as "chemically and radiologically toxic heavy metal," with about 60 percent of the radioactivity of natural uranium.

A military spokesman on February 16 said A-10 attack aircraft used depleted uranium rounds on November 16 and 22, 2015, in attacks on IS tanker trucks carrying oil, destroying hundreds of trucks.

Thousands of depleted-uranium rounds were fired in combination with other incendiary rounds "to ensure a higher probability of destruction of the truck fleet," U.S. Central Command spokesman Major Josh Jacques said.

Jacques added that depleted-uranium rounds remain an option for the future in battles against IS.

The munitions have been suspected -- but never proved -- to be a cause of the debilitating "Gulf War syndrome" suffered by veterans of the 1990-91 war.

Based on reporting by AFP and TASS

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/syria-us-depleted- uranium-munitions-used-islamic- state-oil-tankers/28315121.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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U.S. Vice President, Defense Chief To Attend Munich Security Conference

RFE/RL February 17, 2017

Top world leaders, diplomats, and defense officials are gathering in Germany for the annual Munich Security Conference -- an event that will be attended this year for the first time by members of the new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly are leading the U.S. delegation to the February 17-19 conference, known for providing an open and informal platform for allies -- and adversaries -- to meet directly.

Petro Poroshenko will meet with Pence, the Ukrainian president's website said. Meanwhile, a senior U.S. administration official told CNN that Pence will also meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The conference is taking place amid concerns over the Trump administration's commitment to NATO and posture toward Russia.

Merkel, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Council President Donald Tusk, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg are among the group of more than 30 heads of state and government, 80 foreign and defense ministers, and other officials expected to attend.

Trump triggered considerable alarm last month by calling NATO "obsolete," though he has subsequently told European leaders he agrees on the "fundamental importance" of the military alliance.

He has emphasized the need for all members to pay a fair share for defense, an issue that NATO leaders themselves have pushed for years.

Mattis told the alliance's 27 other defense ministers in Brussels on February 15 that Trump had "strong support for NATO" and assured Stoltenberg that "the alliance remains a fundamental bedrock for the United States."

However, Mattis also told fellow NATO members they needed to increase their military spending by year's end or risk seeing the United States curtail its defense support.

Conference organizer Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to the United States, said that other issues -- Trump's backing for Britain's decision to leave the EU, his perceived closeness to Russia as well as his inaugural promise to put "America first" -- also have raised "an unbelievable number of question marks."

Ischinger said expectations that Pence would speak at the conference on February 18 were extremely high.

Others expected to attend include Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

U.S. Senator John McCain, an outspoken critic of Trump's Russia policies, is among more than a dozen lawmakers expected to attend as part of a U.S. congressional delegation.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and CNN

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/us-pence-mattis-munich -security-conference/28315172.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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Mattis Tells Europeans Trump Fully Supports NATO, Calls For Burden-Sharing

Steve Gutterman February 17, 2017

MUNICH, Germany -- U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis reassured Europe that President Donald Trump has "thrown his full support behind NATO," while also pressing the new administration's call for alliance members to shoulder their share of the financial burden for defense.

Mattis spoke on February 17 at the annual Munich Security Conference, where European leaders are watching closely for signals about Washington's commitment to upholding transatlantic ties under Trump.

He said that after the "watershed year" of 2014 -- when Russia seized Crimea and stoked a conflict in eastern Ukraine, and Islamic State (IS) militants overran swaths of Syria and Iraq -- NATO nations "can no longer deny reality."

"As guardians for our nations and as sentinels for new threats, we all see our community of nations under threat on multiple fronts as the arc of instability builds on NATO's periphery and beyond," Mattis said. He also said the "transatlantic bond remains our strongest bulwark against instability and violence."

Mattis indicated that the United States is not questioning "the bedrock commitment" of NATO to collectively defend any member that is attacked, and said all allies must work as a team go to preserve the freedoms" of the transatlantic community "intact for our next generations."

"President Trump came into office and has thrown now his full support to NATO," he said. "He too espouses NATO's need to adapt to today's strategic situation for it to remain credible, capable, and relevant," Mattis said.

'Fair Demand'

But Mattis, who told NATO allies in Brussels on February 15 that the United States might "moderate" its commitment if other members do not honor their defense spending pledges, again emphasized the need for "proportionate" outlays by every member.

"It is a fair demand that all who benefit from the best alliance in the world carry their proportionate share of the necessary costs to defend our freedoms," he said. The United States provides 70 percent of the alliance's funds.

Coming less than a month after Trump's inauguration, the 53rd edition of the Munich Security Conference is a chance for governments in Europe, Russia, and around the world to look for answers to questions about the foreign policy Washington will pursue in the coming years.

From an array of prominent figures including the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine, as well as Republican U.S Senator John McCain and Irish rock star Bono from the band U2, there were impassioned calls for unity and the defense of what speaker after speaker said were -- and must remain --the common values of Western countries.

"We cannot give up on each other or on ourselves," McCain said. "That is what our adversaries want."

Conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger opened the three-day gathering with words that seemed to channel concerns in Europe about Trump, who has caused jitters by praising Britain's plan to leave the European Union, calling NATO "obsolete," and voicing admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ischinger said the gathering was happening at a time when the global security situation is "more volatile than at any point I can remember" -- clouded by "massive uncertainty" over issues including "the future of the transatlantic relationship."

Ischinger asked whether the United States still wants to be a European power, and said some of Trump's statements "seem to point in a different direction." He also questioned whether or not recent remarks by U.S. officials that seemed to represent a toughening stance on Russia reflect "a lasting shift."

While Trump suggested during the presidential campaign that he would consider lifting sanctions imposed on Russia over its interference in Ukraine, administration officials have said repeatedly in the past few days that Moscow must return control over Crimea to Kyiv and deescalate violence in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko urged the West to reject calls for the "appeasement of Russia," warning that "it would be a mistake to think that Russia's appetite" is limited to Ukraine.

Conflicts And Crises

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to speak at the gathering on February 18, and a senior White House foreign policy adviser said he will tell the conference that Europe is an "indispensable partner" for the United States.

"We are the most secure and most prosperous when both the U.S. and Europe are strong and united," the adviser told reporters.

Pence is expected to meet with Poroshenko, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders from the Baltic nations.

Merkel and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are among those due to address the conference on February 18.

Speaking just before Mattis, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen also told the Munich gathering that the world is watching "conflicts and crises spread at a staggering rate."

Apparently referring at least in part to Russia, she said some countries are "projecting military power" and that "zones of influence are being modified" in ways that violate international law."

"Our open societies are under attack, our freedom," she said, adding that the arsenals of those conducting them now include "bots, trolls, and fake news" -- methods Western governments say Moscow is using to interfere in elections from the United States to Europe, where countries including Germany hold key votes this year.

Von der Leyen said that "a stable European Union is as much in America's interest as a strong, unified NATO," and that "NATO cannot be taken for granted" by European members or the United States.

She stressed that while it is important for members to share the financial burden, there are "shared values" that also are crucial for alliance members -- such as opposing torture and avoiding civilian casualties.

McCain said that the departure of Michael Flynn, who was forced out as White House national security adviser amid controversy over phone conversations with Russia's ambassador to the United States, showed that the Trump administration "in many respects...is in disarray and they've got a lot of work to do."

But McCain suggested he is confident that Europe can rely on the United States as a strong partner.

"Make no mistake my friends, these are dangerous times but you should not count America out."

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/munic- security-conference-mattis-nato -defense/28315907.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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Caucasus Report: An Update On Georgia's Military Reform

Liz Fuller February 17, 2017

The spring draft got under way in Georgia this week under new guidelines intended to ensure that the country's armed forces conform as closely as possible to NATO standards -- even though it has little chance of being invited to join the alliance in the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, in line with staff cuts announced by Defense Minister Levan Izoria last fall, the ministry has dismissed a total of 2,100 personnel, most of them civilians.

One of Izoria's first moves following his appointment in August 2016 was to reverse the decision by his predecessor, Tina Khidasheli, to abolish conscription into the armed forces as of January 2017, but not other agencies, such as the Special State Protection Service and the Interior Ministry.

Under the new guidelines, the length of military service has been cut from 15 to 12 months. All conscripts, not only those assigned to the army, will undergo three months of "comprehensive" combat training. \

That combat training will continue during the following nine months, during which conscripts will "support the professional army" in its daily duties, including by participating in maneuvers.

Conscripts will be allowed weekends off and will receive "an improved social benefits package."

Financial Considerations

Izoria has admitted that the primary reason for reversing Khidasheli's abolition of conscription is financial, given that the cost of maintaining a professional force comprising only contract servicemen costs at least twice as much.

Nika Chitadze, who heads the Security and International Relations Research Institute, has predicted that the decision to bring back the draft will trigger a corresponding increase in the number of young men seeking to avoid it. That hypothesis is tenuous, however. An opinion poll conducted in late November by InterpressNews registered 69.5 percent approval.

Financial considerations were similarly behind Izoria's decision to reduce Defense Ministry personnel by some 10 percent. (According to Chief of General Staff Vladimir Chachibaia, salaries and administrative costs account for 67 percent of the ministry's budget.)

'Upside-Down Triangle'

Initially, Izoria said the downsizing would affect only civilian personnel and not the armed forces.

He noted that the firing of 10 advisers and deputy defense ministers alone would save almost 390,000 laris ($147,732) annually.

But Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili advocated a different approach, noting that "our Defense Ministry resembles an upside-down triangle, we have far more senior officers than we should have," and that Georgia's Western partners, including NATO, have for the past decade urged that the problem be addressed.

As of January 30, 2,100 Defense Ministry personnel had been dismissed, of whom 1,750 were civilians. Of the military personnel affected, 217 were officers (166 of them colonels) and 123 sergeants. Together they were paid a total of some $2 million in compensation.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/caucasus -report-georgia-military- reform-nato/28315955.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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Ousted White House Aide May Have Lied To FBI About Talks With Russian Envoy

February 17, 2017

U.S. media are reporting that former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn may have lied to FBI agents in an interview last month, saying he had not discussed sanctions against Russia with Moscow's U.S. ambassador.

Flynn's lie or misstatement during a January 24 interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation could expose him to criminal charges, since lying to the agency is a felony.

Any decision to prosecute would lie with the Justice Department.

U.S. intelligence agencies, which are investigating alleged Russian interference in the presidential election, intercepted Flynn's call with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak in December in which the two discussed sanctions before President Donald Trump took office, The Washington Post and other media reported.

CNN reported that Flynn initially told the FBI he didn't discuss sanctions with Kislyak. But when FBI agents challenged him, he said he didn't remember.

CNN said the FBI concluded that Flynn was being cooperative and truthful and decided not to pursue any charges against him.

The Post said Flynn's claim that he couldn't remember gives him a defense against perjury charges.

Flynn resigned on February 13 after news reports that he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his conversation with Kislyak.

Based on reporting by The Washington Post, CNN, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/ousted-white -house-aide-flynn-may-have-lied-fbi-about- discussing-russian-sanctions-russian- ambassador-kislyak/28314849.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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Navy Seals in Yemen Kill Tribal Leader Working With US-Backed Government

Sputnik News

23:47 17.02.2017(updated 01:08 18.02.2017)

New details of a January raid by US forces against al-Qaeda in Yemen that left 26 people dead are raising new questions about the mission. A tribal leader enlisted by the US-supported Yemeni government to fight Shiite rebel factions was among those killed in the raid, according to local authorities.

The US raid on the village of Yakla led to the death of one Navy Seal and at least 25 Yemenis, at least 7 of whom were al-Qaeda members, but also 10 children and nine women. US Central Command claims that 14 of the 25 killed were al-Qaeda militants, including the tribal leader Sheikh Abdel-Raouf al-Dhahab.

The raid centered on al-Dhahab's property, as well as the nearby estate of the locally prominent al-Ameri family. The US also reported that six of their soldiers were wounded in the firefight. The raid's high death toll outraged the public and prompted the Yemeni government to ask the US to review their soldiers' conduct.

Al-Dhahab's role in the conflict is disputed. His tribe is highly influential in the region, but underwent a schism decades ago when part of the family joined al-Qaeda. Al-Dhahab denied being a member of the organization, and in 2013 made a televised statement pledging to force al-Qaeda out of the region.

"I am a sheikh as any [other] Yemeni sheikh, and all accusations that say I am a member of al-Qaeda or field commander are lies," he said at the time.

Major General Mohsen Khasrouf, a government forces spokesman, told Al-Arabiya TV that al-Dhahab was the leader of a force of 800 fighters who were being paid by the government to fight al-Qaeda and rebels.

The Yakla raid killed low-level operatives of al-Qaeda, but a senior US defense official said the raid's main purpose was to gather intelligence, an end to which the raid was successful. Al-Dhahab and his brother Sultan were described as "top operational planners and weapons experts" for the militant group, and were the primary targets.

Locals dispute the American claims. "If you want to hunt al-Qaeda, you can find them in the surrounding mountains not in this small village The Americans' information was wrong," said village leader Aziz Mabkhout.

However, al-Qaeda released a statement following al-Dhahab's death calling him a "holy warrior" and swore revenge on America for the attack. "American soldiers shot children and women in cold blood and left the police dogs to crunch on the corpses of the dead," they declared.

Over 10,000 Yemenis have died in the grueling civil war since it began in 2014, forcing Yemen's government to begrudgingly tolerate the presence of terrorist groups in their country while they focus their efforts on the rebels. The United States is a declared supporter of the Yemeni government, but their aerial campaign is targeting al-Qaeda, not the rebels.

The death of al-Dhahab points to deeper concerns in the Yemeni civil war. The government, backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has also made an alliance of necessity with al-Qaeda. The terrorist group has carved out a large chunk of the country's center and have forged alliances with many tribal groups.

A sworn eternal enemy of the West, al-Qaeda has used anger over American drone and missile strikes to bolster their numbers.

The January 28 operation, shortly after Trump's inauguration, had been proposed and authorized in the last weeks of the Obama administration and was reauthorized by Trump's Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

 Sputnik

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Pentagon Still Sees 'Great Many Barriers' to Restore Military Ties With Russia

Sputnik News

23:26 17.02.2017

Despite holding a meeting between the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford and his Russian counterpart, the Pentagon still sees numerous obstacles to restoring military-to-military relations with Russia.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Legal and practical considerations hamper the normalization of military-to-military relations between the United States and Russia, US Department of Defense spokesperson Jeff Davis said in a briefing on Friday.

"We have legal considerations and practical considerations," Davis said. "Legally, we have got NDAA [National Defense Authorization Act] limits to the amount of cooperation we can do, and from a practical matter there are still great many barriers to us being able to have a closer relationship with them militarily."

On Thursday, Dunford met with the head of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov in Baku, Azerbaijan, to discuss military relations and ways to avoid crises.

Davis explained during the briefing that the US position is "primarily driven by their own conduct in Crimea, Ukraine and elsewhere."

He noted, however, that the United States and Russia continue to communicate through the deconfliction channel for operations in Syria.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Gerasimov and Dunford outlined vectors of joint work aimed at easing tensions and preventing military incidents.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis was not involved in planning the meeting, which constituted appropriate exchange of views, David added.

 Sputnik

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Pentagon Tracking Activities of Russian Ship Off East Coast, Finds No Violations

Sputnik News

20:35 17.02.2017(updated 23:49 17.02.2017)

The United States is monitoring activities of Russian intelligence ship Viktor Leonov, which has been sailing in international waters off the US east coast, and has seen no violations, the US Department of Defense spokesperson Jeff Davis said in a briefing on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day it was reported that the Russian intelligence ship, which has been sailing in the international waters near the US east coast, has been spotted not far from a naval base near Virginia Beach. The SSV-175 Viktor Leonov remains in international waters and was detected 19 miles away from Norfolk, which houses the largest US naval base, Fox News reported.

"It is lawful and very similar to operations we do ourselves in places around the world," Davis stated when asked to comment on the ship's movements.

Davis said the Russian ship has not entered US territorial waters and the Coast Guard continues to track its movements.

On Thursday, Viktor Leonov was spotted some 30 miles south of Groton Navy submarine base in the US state of Connecticut. The ship was first detected near the east coast on Tuesday, when it approached Delaware.

Commenting on the reports on Thursday, Trump said that the Russian spy ship allegedly detected off the US eastern coast, a newly deployed Russian cruise missile and Russian military airplanes flying near a US destroyer in the Black Sea will not damage Washington's efforts to build relations with Moscow.

When asked whether the recent developments will damage bilateral relations and undermine the US ability to work with Russia, Trump said, "No."

 Sputnik

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Lithuania Welcomes Growing US Military Presence Near Russian Borders

Sputnik News

19:30 17.02.2017(updated 19:33 17.02.2017)

Lithuania is expecting US military presence close to Russian borders to grow in the future, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said Friday.

MUNICH (Sputnik)  Since 2014, NATO has been building up its military presence in Europe, particularly in eastern European countries bordering Russia, using Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine's internal conflict as a pretext.

Moscow has repeatedly voiced its protests against the NATO military buildup saying that will undermine regional stability and result in a new arms race.

"For us, the security in our region is utmost on the agenda, and the presence of US troops on our soil is also important as deterrence element on our territories. It is clear that security on our continent cannot be fulfilled and guaranteed only by our increased financial resources and army reforms, but without the US it is impossible," Grybauskaite said at the Munich Security Conference.

"We expect that the presence and deterrence done by the US near the European frontier with Russia will be only increasing," Grybauskaite stressed.

During the last NATO summit in July, NATO resolved to strengthen its military presence in Eastern Europe on a rotational basis with four battalions in Poland and in the Baltic nations. During the 2014 summit, NATO established a 5,000-strong Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in response to the alleged Russian threat.

 Sputnik

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NATO Defense Ministers Agree to Stand Behind Transatlantic Partnership

Sputnik News

16:27 17.02.2017

The NATO secretary general said that NATO defense ministers agreed on the need to boost partnership and to share the burden of military spending fairly.

MUNICH (Sputnik)  Defense ministers of NATO member states agreed on the need to boost partnership and to share the burden of military spending fairly, alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday.

"We live in an pivotal moment for our security. In times of turmoil and unpredictability, we need strong transatlantic bond more than ever. And a very clear message from the defense ministerial meeting in Brussels, which ended yesterday, was that we all stand behind the strong transatlantic partnership. It has to be strong commitment to the transatlantic partnership from both Europe and North America because we all know that alone we cannot cope with all the challenges," Stoltenberg said in a doorstep statement ahead of the Munich Security Conference.

He also noted that the issue of NATO member states' commitment to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense had already been discussed.

"Of course, one of the issues that was stressed by the defense ministers but also in meetings with [US Defense] Secretary [James] Mattis was the importance of burden sharing, increase of defense spending across Europe and Canada and fair burden sharing," Stoltenberg added.

On Wednesday, Mattis noted that only five out of 28 NATO member states fulfill their military spending obligations and warned that the United States may moderate its commitments to the alliance if its member states fail to comply with their commitments.

 Sputnik

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Trump Blasts 'Fake Reporting' for Making It Harder to 'Get Along With Russia'

Sputnik News

15:37 17.02.2017(updated 18:12 17.02.2017)

United States President Donald Trump has directed a barrage of criticism at the mainstream media, saying that "false" reporting has complicated his efforts to improve Washington's relationship with Moscow, and added that his team "inherited a mess" from the Obama administration both at home and overseas.

"I want to just tell you, the false reporting by the media, by you people  the false, horrible, fake reporting makes it much harder to make a deal with Russia," he said during a press conference held on February 16. "And probably Putin said,  I see what's going on in the United States, I follow it closely; it's got to be impossible for President Trump to ever get along with Russia because of all the pressure he's got with this fake story. Okay? And that's a shame."

President Trump reaffirmed that he "would love to be able to get along with Russia." He also emphasized that adopting a tough stance on Moscow, something many hardliners in Washington have called for, would not be a sound policy.

"If I was just brutal on Russia right now, just brutal, people would say, you would say, oh, isn't that wonderful. But I know you well enough. Then you would say, oh, he was too tough, he shouldn't have done that," he observed. "Look, it would be much easier for me to be tough on Russia, but then we're not going to make a deal."

Relations between Moscow and Washington hit a low point after a foreign-sponsored coup in Kiev led to a civil war in Ukraine and Crimea's reunification with Russia. Other major points of contention included the Syrian conflict and NATO's eastward expansion.

Most recently, the Obama administration blamed Russia for allegedly meddling in the internal affairs of the United States by leaking information ostensibly obtained in high-profile cyberattacks on the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2016 US presidential campaign. Moscow has repeatedly denied these claims, pointing out that Washington has failed to provide any evidence.

The whole Russian thing is 'a ruse'

President Trump criticized the media for focusing on the alleged ties of his administration to Russia while turning a blind eye on "the real subject" which to him are illegal leaks, saying that "the whole Russian thing  that's a ruse." He reaffirmed that he has "done nothing for Russia" and "has nothing to do with Russia."

President Trump also pledged to introduce a criminal penalty for making classified data public.

"I don't want classified information getting out to the public," he said. "Yes, we're looking at it very, very seriously. I've gone to all of the folks in charge of the various agencies, and we're  I've actually called the Justice Department to look into the leaks. Those are criminal leaks. They're put out by people either in agencies. I think you'll see it stopping because now we have our people in."

President Trump added that this process has not been finalized, saying that some members of his team are still awaiting confirmation.

Trump further noted that "it was terrible" that some of his conversations with foreign leaders as well as other classified information were leaked.

"What's going to happen when I'm dealing on the Middle East? What's going to happen when I'm dealing with really, really important subjects like North Korea? We've got to stop it. That's why it's a criminal penalty," he said.

'I Inherited a Mess'

President Trump lambasted the Obama administration for leaving the United States in a dire state after eight years in power, while also leaving numerous overseas challenges unresolved.

"To be honest, I inherited a mess  it's a mess  at home and abroad. A mess. Jobs are pouring out of the country. You see what's going on with all of the companies leaving our country, going to Mexico and other places  low-pay, low-wages," he explained.

Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to bring jobs back home, blaming multilateral free trade deals for damaging the US economy. He fulfilled one of his main campaign promises, by withdrawing from the negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a controversial deal aimed at deepening economic ties among Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the US.

President Trump also mentioned "mass instability overseas" as something that the Obama administration contributed to, calling the Middle East "a disaster" and pledging to "take care" of North Korea's military nuclear efforts. He also said that Daesh "used to be a small group, and now it's in large sections of the world," that the brutal organization has "spread like cancer."

Critics have blamed the US-led military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Washington's drone wars and support to insurgents in the Middle East for exacerbating sectarian tensions and fueling violence in the region.

 Sputnik

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Joint Troika Statement Supporting African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Peace Process in Sudan

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

February 17, 2017

The text of the following statement was issued jointly by the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Norway.

Begin Text:

The Troika (Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States) expresses its continued support for the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) peace process, led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki. In support of the AUHIP-brokered Roadmap Agreement signed by both the Government of Sudan and the opposition, the Troika urges the signatories to honor the Agreement by concluding comprehensive cessations of hostilities and engaging in an inclusive political dialogue. The Government of Sudan must now create an environment that is conducive to freedom of expression and political participation by both armed and unarmed opposition in Sudan.

The Troika is also encouraged by the Government of Sudan's decision to accept the United States' proposal to support humanitarian assistance to South Kordofan and Blue Nile states (the "Two Areas"). The U.S. proposal is intended to facilitate humanitarian assistance to affected populations in the Two Areas, in line with AUHIP efforts for broader negotiated humanitarian access. The Troika urges the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North to swiftly accept this proposal and facilitate the delivery of life-saving assistance to those in need in the Two Areas.

The ongoing unilateral ceasefires are a significant step toward peace throughout Sudan. However, in order to realize sustainable peace, all parties must engage in a political process. The Troika also encourages continued engagement by the armed movements from Darfur with the AUHIP peace process. We call on the Sudan Liberation Movement - Abdul Wahid Al Nur to cease hostilities and immediately engage with the AUHIP peace process. The Troika also encourages the Government of Sudan to make progress on addressing the root causes of the conflict.

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Central African Republic: UN mission reinforces presence in restive Bambari

17 February 2017  Amid ongoing rebel activity in and around Bambari in strife-torn Central African Republic, the United Nations mission  known as MINUSCA  said today that it has reinforced its presence in the city with the arrival of additional troops, including a quick reaction unit and Special Forces.

This reinforcement makes it possible to better protect Bambari and its inhabitants, as, for the time being, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission is the only legitimate authority mandated by the Government to control the city. As Mission chief Parfait Onanga-Anyanga recalled: "Bambari should not belong to armed groups."

In a news release, the Mission stressed that the FPRC (Front Populaire pour la Renaissance de Centrafrique)'s coalition and UPC (Mouvement pour l'Unite et la Paix en Centrafrique) represent a threat for civilian populations and that UN peacekeepers will respond in case of violence.

However, discussions are ongoing and a UN civilian-military delegation will soon meet with the leader of one of the armed groups. The MINUSCA stressed that Bambari "must be free of armed groups in the coming days."

And the UN Mission today also welcomed the nomination of Toussaint Muntazini Mukimapa as Special Prosecutor to the CAR's Special Criminal Court.

Clashes between the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition and anti-Balaka militia, which are mostly Christian, plunged the country of 4.5 million people into civil conflict in 2013. According to the UN, more more than half the population is in dire need of assistance. Despite significant progress and successful elections, CAR has remained in the grip of instability and sporadic unrest.

In December 2016, the Mission supported a new dialogue between 11 of the 14 armed groups, as part of an ongoing effort to disarm the factions.

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IS Attack Leaves 18 Afghan Soldiers Dead

By Ayaz Gul February 17, 2017

Local Islamic State affiliates have attacked and killed at least 18 government soldiers in eastern Afghanistan, officials confirmed Friday.

The deadly clash occurred in Dih Bala, a district in the border province of Nangarhar, where Afghan forces have recently launched a counter-IS offensive with American air support.

Provincial security sources said that a large group of IS loyalists staged the surprise assault against Afghan National Army outposts from three directions, which triggered heavy fighting that lasted for several hours.

At least eight Daesh fighters were also killed and 12 others wounded, the sources claimed, while confirming the death of 18 soldiers. Afghan officials use the Arabic acronym for the Middle East-based terrorist group.

Late Friday, Islamic State's media wing claimed the group carried out the attack, saying it killed the 18 Afghan soldiers.

Nangarhar borders Pakistan and is the only Afghan province where IS has succeeded in establishing its bases in several districts.

Pakistani officials said that IS is using its Afghan bases to plot deadly terrorist attacks on their soil, including Thursday's suicide bombing of a shrine in the southern Sindh province.

IS claimed responsibility for the violence that Pakistan officials say left around 90 people dead, including women and children, and wounded over 200.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, has condemned the killing of 12 civilians in Thursday's bomb blast in the southeastern province of Paktika on the Pakistani border.

Eight children were among the victims who were returning home from school for the weekend when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb, according to a UNAMA statement issued Friday.

The number of child casualties in Afghanistan rose by 24 percent last year, which marked the highest recorded civilian casualties since 2009 when UNAMA began systematically documenting such figures in the conflict-torn country.

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Pentagon Chief Reassures NATO Allies on Collective Defense

By Henry Ridgwell February 17, 2017

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has told European allies that American security is tied to that of Europe, describing NATO's principle of collective defense as a 'bedrock commitment'.

He made the comments at the Munich Security Conference, where heads of state and delegates from across the world are gathered at a time of global uncertainty.

"Transatlantic unity buttresses European unity. A fact we recognize in the context of cooperation between NATO and the European Union," Secretary Mattis told delegates, adding that "American security is permanently tied to the security of Europe. Done correctly, European initiatives and NATO unity are mutually reinforcing."

U.S. President Donald Trump last month labeled NATO as obsolete. But Mattis said the president had now thrown his full weight behind the alliance  although he repeated the demand that Europe shares more of the financial burden.

Preserving international order

"Standing on the bedrock of our NATO alliance, 28 democracies help preserve the rules-based international order," Mattis said.

It is that international order that many delegates in Munich say is at risk  and many pin the blame mainly on Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will speak at the Munich conference Saturday. NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed further dialogue.

"Russia is our biggest neighbor and especially in times with more military activity along our borders, with high tensions, I strongly believe that there is the need for dialogue between NATO and Russia," he told reporters Friday.

More U.S. troops and military hardware arrived in Latvia and Romania this week, part of the biggest NATO reinforcement since the end of the Cold War.

European allies have been reassured by the warm words that Secretary Mattis had for the transatlantic alliance. But many delegates also say that they would like to hear those same words from President Trump himself.

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South Sudan Activist Accuses Peace Monitor of Bias

By John Tanza February 17, 2017

The head of the organization monitoring South Sudan's shaky 2015 peace deal has sparked controversy by saying rebels who fought the administration of President Salva Kiir should return to Juba and surrender.

Former Botswana president Festus Mogae chairs the Joint Evaluation and Monitoring Commission, or JMEC, which oversees the deal between President Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar.

Mogae recently told the British Broadcasting Corporation that Machar, a former South Sudanese vice president, should not return to the capital, Juba, for the sake of peace. Machar fled South Sudan in July during clashes between the government and opposition forces that killed some 300 people.

Remarks show favoritism

Mogae's comments drew a sharp reaction from Remember Miamingi, a South Sudanese activist and international human rights expert on the faculty of the University of Pretoria's law department.

Miamingi, a lecturer, told VOA the remarks by Mogae show favoritism toward the government of South Sudan.

"He called on the other parties to the agreement who are fighting right now in South Sudan to surrender, come to Juba and ask the president (Kiir) to grant them amnesty. Now this will indicate to me that JMEC has taken sides with the government," he said.

Credibility at risk

Miamingi said by echoing the position of the government of South Sudan on the current conflict, the peace monitoring body risks its credibility.

"JMEC then can no longer be a neutral, impartial and an objective referee in a process where it has already taken sides," he said.

The peace deal brokered by the Intergovernmental Authority for Development. or IGAD, stipulated institutional reforms to address the root cause of the power struggle within South Sudan's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) party, which resulted in bitter fighting between supporters of President Kiir and his former deputy, Machar, in December 2013.

Decisions questioned

JMEC succeeded in pushing the parties in the conflict to form the Transitional Government of National Unity after the peace deal was signed in August 2015. Mogae convinced rebel leader Machar to return to Juba eight months later.

But Miamingi said JMEC has no moral grounds to make decisions on behalf of the South Sudanese people.

"When we have not heard from AU (African Union), when we have not heard from IGAD, that the region has decided that one of the main parties to the agreement led by Dr. Riek Machar is barred from returning to South Sudan, is that in the interest of the peace agreement?" he said.

Mogae needs to leave?

President Kiir has been telling both local and international reporters since the deadly July fighting in the capital that he will only allow Machar to return to Juba if the rebel leader denounces violence.

Miamingi said JMEC has failed in its obligations to identify the main guilty party violating the peace agreement, and suggested Mogae leave the country.

"The most honorable thing for (former) President Festus Mogae to do and JMEC, is to tell the South Sudanese people and (the) international community that we have tried our best, we have failed and therefore resign and leave," he said.

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UN: Drought-stricken Somalia Has 2 Months to Avert Catastrophe

By Lisa Schlein February 17, 2017

United Nations aid agencies warn they have a two-month window of opportunity in drought-stricken Somalia in which to scale-up emergency assistance for millions of people and avert a catastrophe.

The United Nations estimates that half of Somalia's population, or 6.2 million people, are threatened by the drought, which is spreading from the hard-hit northern regions.

Over the past week, representatives from the World Food Program and the U.N. Children's Fund, visited some of the worst affected areas in the northern Puntland region.

They describe scenes of utter devastation, where people have reached the limit of their abilities to cope. In one village, the team found about 500 women and children living in precarious conditions in makeshift huts with little inside and surrounded by dead livestock.

"Although these are pastoralists," said Laurent Bukera, WFP country director, "they had for the whole village one goat and one camel that did not look in good shape."

"That is an area where normally pastoralists have hundreds of sheep and large swaths of camels."

He said the men had left the village, moving around in search of grazing land and water for the cattle that were still alive.

Short window of opportunity

Speaking on a telephone line from Nairobi, Bukera told VOA that there was a short window of opportunity for aid agencies to scale up emergency operations and prevent the worst from happening.

"The severity, the spread of the drought and of the situation this time around is bigger, is larger geographically than what happened in 2010-11."

"Therefore, if we do not respond fast enough, if we do not respond at scale," he said, "we can prepare ourselves for a catastrophe, which is at least to the size and the intensity of the situation we experienced over there in 2010-11."

Nearly 260,000 people, half of them children under five, died during the famine in Somalia between 2010 and 2012. UNICEF projects the number of severely malnourished children in Somalia could reach 270,000 over the coming months.

UNICEF warned that children are among the worst affected by the current drought and that many, once again, are at great risk of dying from malnutrition-related causes.

The agency noted that 944,000 children would likely become acutely malnourished this year, including 185,000 severely malnourished.

UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac said "these children will need urgent lifesaving support. It is very likely that the number of children severely malnourished will increase 50 percent to 270,000."

He said that by April, 4.5 million people will need water, sanitation and hygiene assistance and that "four million people will be without health services due to the planned closure of health centers due to a funding shortfall."

$450 million needed

UNICEF and WFP said they required more than $450 million to provide urgent assistance in the coming months.

The needs are expected to grow as the drought in Somalia is set to worsen.

The Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum has predicted below average rainfall between March and May, which is the main cropping season for many parts of the Greater Horn of Africa.

Claire Nullis, spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization said this was alarming because "it follows two consecutive poor rainfall seasons in 2016 and the likelihood of depressed rainfall persisting into the March to May 2017 rainfall season remains high."

WFP's Bukera said aid agencies probably have a couple of months in which to scale up their emergency response to the drought and to take measures to prevent food prices from soaring.

"I think it is extremely critical for us to not only provide assistance to the most vulnerable immediately, but it is also absolutely critical that we make sure that we do not let the market go significantly high as that will be a trigger for an additional catastrophe."

Though the situation was extremely grave, he told VOA that Somalia had a better chance of averting a catastrophe this time around because the international community had been alerted to this crisis well in advance.

"2011 was a reaction in the summer. It was not an action based on early warning," he said. "We have today a number of early warnings that let us respond all last year" and was making it possible for us to scale up operations this year.

"So, I think this is a huge difference."

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As Romania's Crisis Continues, Spotlight on Corruption

By Luis Ramirez February 17, 2017

Over the past two weeks, Romania has seen Eastern Europe's largest protests since the fall of communism in 1989.The demonstrations center on corruption, and they continue even after the government survived a no-confidence vote.

For the West, the crisis represents a dilemma in which people on the streets of Bucharest are exposing a darker side of the government's anti-corruption efforts that have been much lauded by the United States and the European Union. To many of the demonstrators, the anti-corruption fight itself has become corrupt.

Angered by a recent move to decriminalize corruption offenses below a $50,000 threshold, demonstrators want the government to quit.

The government reversed the decree, but the protests continued. Many believe that leaders are using anti-corruption laws to smash the political opposition, with tactics similar to those employed by the communist government of the late longtime ruler Nicolae Ceausescu.

Anti-corruption leader

The protests have cast a spotlight on Laura Kovesi, the woman who heads Romania's anti-corruption directorate, known as the DNA.

On Kovesi's watch, the DNA has boasted a conviction rate topping 90 percent, with guilty verdicts being handed to the likes of a prime minister and other top government officials. To her supporters, the figure represents an impressive achievement in the fight against corruption. To her critics, it is evidence of a system that is rigged in a way not seen since the communist era, when trials were often held only for show.

In Britain and elsewhere in the West, there have been warnings for years of what some analysts say is a corruption crisis that could bring embarrassment, or at the very least a reassessment of support for what has been a staunch and favored ally of Washington on Europe's eastern flank.

As some in the rest of Europe see it, the integrity of the region is at stake. Romania has been a member of the EU since 2007 and is a part of NATO.

"If Romania is not adhering to democratic standards that are supposed to bind not just members of the European Union, but also members of the Council of Europe, members of the [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe], then it becomes a problem because it creates a potential for the Putinization of parts of Europe and that sort of creeping return of authoritarian and anti-democratic practices which are incompatible with the kind of Europe that we've been trying to build since 1989," said David Clark, a former special adviser to the British Foreign Office.

Steadfastly pro-Western

But condemning Romania, demanding thorough reforms and threatening expulsion from the EU are difficult notions for Washington and other nations in the West to embrace.

Since 1989, Romania has been steadfastly pro-Western and relations between Bucharest and Washington have remained consistently robust. The two countries have a number of security agreements that the U.S. sees as crucial in a sensitive and important region. In addition to hosting hundreds of U.S. troops and elements of U.S. missile defense systems, Romania has contributed troops and equipment over the years to NATO efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Kosovo.

But some politicians and Romanian exiles in Britain have for years warned that ignoring the corruption problems in the country could prove harmful to American and Western interests in the long run.

"I think the biggest danger for the United States is that it could lose its credibility in Romania," said Alexander Adamescu, an exile in London whose father, Dan Adamescu, a billionaire owner of an opposition newspaper, died of blood poisoning last month in Romania. Authorities had imprisoned him on corruption charges that his family, lawyers and international human rights advocates said were politically motivated.

Human rights reputation

The United States, the younger Adamescu told VOA, could "lose the status it has enjoyed thus far as the power that's protecting Romania from all kinds of evil in the region by ignoring the problems on the anti-corruption front and just blindly supporting" the country's anti-corruption efforts. "It is putting in danger the long-standing assumption, the belief that the United States are defenders of democracy, separation of powers and human rights."

Kovesi's efforts have received praise from Western officials, including Americans. But some analysts say the longer the protests continue, the more likely the West will start to reassess its opinion of her and the effort she leads.

"They've accepted the PR on this. Laura Kovesi has been very effective at projecting herself internationally as a great crusader against crime," Clark said. "Laura Kovesi's international reputation is one that should be subjected to much more serious scrutiny and consideration."

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White House Denies Plan For National Guard To Round Up Illegal Immigrants

RFE/RL February 17, 2017

The White House is denying a media report that it is considering the deployment of up to 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants in 11 states, some far from the Mexican border.

The White House denial on February 17 came minutes after the Associated Press (AP) reported seeing a draft memo proposing the unprecedented deployments.

AP said the proposal was in an 11-page memo written by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general.

It said the plan would target millions of people living as far north as Portland, Oregon, and as far east as New Orleans.

AP said four of the 11 states mentioned in the memo border Mexico -- California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas

It said the seven other states were Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

The report said the draft memo was dated January 25 and addressed to the then acting heads of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

AP also said the draft document has been circulating among Department of Homeland Security staff during the past two weeks.

National Guard troops in the past have been used in immigration-related matters on the U.S. border with Mexico. But the proposal reported by AP would be the first time they were used as broadly or as far north.

'100 Percent Not True'

White House spokesman Sean Spicer called the AP report "100 percent not true" and "irresponsible."

Spicer said "There is no effort at all to round up, to utilize the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants."

The AP report comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on February 16 that he plans to issue a new executive order on immigration next week.

The new order would replace an earlier executive order, which was put on hold by U.S. federal courts, that called for a temporary ban on entry to the United States by citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Trump said at a news conference on February 16 that his new executive order would be "tailored" to avoid the constitutional problems with his earlier travel ban that were raised in court rulings.

Details of the new order were not immediately available.

But officials in Trump's administration have said they may move to ban entry only by foreigners from the seven Muslim-majority countries who have never previously entered the United States, ensuring that legal U.S. residents from those countries would not be affected.

A U.S. appeals court late on February 16 granted the White House's request for a pause in the legal fight over its initial travel ban so that it can issue the replacement order.

Bob Ferguson, the Washington state attorney general who led the court challenge to the original Trump order, said the latest moves by the White House amount to "conceding defeat."

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/white-house- denies-national-guard-immigrants -trump/28316092.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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Chinese Billionaire's Disappearance Continues to Raise Questions

By William Ide, Joyce Huang February 17, 2017

The mystery surrounding a politically-connected Chinese billionaire's sudden removal from a hotel in Hong Kong  and China's silence about the case  is perpetuating a state of fear among investors and businesses, analysts say.

It is still very difficult to say with any certainty why Xiao Jianhua was suddenly seized from the Four Seasons Hotel late last month and taken to China. But his case highlights both the necessity of having political connections when doing business in China and the risks that go hand in hand with such ties.

Political ties

Xiao is the head of a holding company called Tomorrow Group, which has stakes in real estate, insurance, coal and cement firms. His rise to a position of influence began early on when he was admitted to China's prestigious Peking University in the late 1980's. During China's pro-democracy demonstrations in 1989, he was loyal to the party where he served as head of an official student organization.

After his graduation, Xiao gradually rose to prominence and in more recent years has served as a banker for China's politically connected and wealthy families. In 2014, Xiao told The New York Times that he helped the family of Chinese President Xi Jinping dispose of their assets.

Xiao's company, however, in that same year denied that political connections were the key to his company's success, instead arguing that they merely followed Warren Buffett's value-investing strategy. That statement was made in a rebuttal to The New York Times story on the billionaire.

Crucial time

His rendition from Hong Kong, as some reports have described, comes at a crucial time. His disappearance occurred just months ahead of a once in five-year power reshuffle in China that is seen as crucial for President Xi to solidify his power. Because of that, some have seen his removal from Hong Kong as a political move.

"He's a rich guy, he stays in Hong Kong. He's very well-connected, very mysterious and people always want to understand him more because they know he is well connected with Chinese government officials," said one venture capitalist who did not want to be identified because of the sensitive nature of this story.

The source added that while many things are unclear, it is clear the move was politically motivated.

In China, "money and politics are always linked with each other. They interfere and influence each other," the source said.

Chinese authorities have yet to clearly state where Xiao is or why he was scurried away from his de facto headquarters in Hong Kong (his company is based in Beijing), and that is feeding speculation about his disappearance.

Some have said he was previously free to speak with family and friends and was in Beijing, but in recent days, even that connection has been cut off. Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that members of his company have been barred from leaving the country.

Given the upcoming Communist Party power reshuffle, some have speculated that factions opposing President Xi were behind the move, while others suggest Xi himself stepped in to minimize any possible damage.

But, without any official comment on the matter, it has been difficult to draw any clear conclusions.

"No matter which [political] faction is trying to use him to weaken the other rival faction, there will be a slew of many others who will be involved or implicated. His arrest won't be the end of the story," says one political scientist based in Hong Kong. "The more people involved, the more developments and possibilities there will be."

Environmental risks

Xiao is not alone, nor are his circumstances entirely new. Unlike most, however, he has amassed a large amount of wealth. According to the Hunrun Report, which tracks the wealth of Chinese billionaires, Xiao has an estimated worth of about $6 billion.

Economists note it is difficult for businessmen operating in China to expect to make profits without maintaining close connections with politicians. And with political situations always changing, those businessmen are always at risk.

"No matter which side you bet on, you will be put in an awkward position when the table is turned among different [political] forces," one Chinese economist tells VOA. "That means your business may be affected by the role you play."

One country, two systems?

In Hong Kong, Xiao's disappearance has created a climate of fear, and some are already reportedly looking to move their assets elsewhere. One big question for many is why Xiao decided to remain in Hong Kong instead of moving elsewhere given the increasingly tight political environment in China under Xi Jinping.

Hong Kong, a special administrative region, was long seen as a safe haven from China. After its return to China from Britain in 1997, the port city was guaranteed basic rights that are not commonplace on the mainland in a formula called "one country, two systems." But, over the past few years, concerns that those rights are beginning to erode have blossomed.

Just last year, five men linked to a Hong Kong book publisher that focused on gossip about China's leaders were abducted; three of them in China, but two others were taken against their will to the mainland. One of the abducted booksellers was seized in Thailand and another in Hong Kong.

Without any clarity about the incident, even those who may think it is a positive move will begin to raise questions about the rule of law in China, how the Chinese government treats dissidents and even the "one country, two systems" model.

"As long as there is no solid evidence available to clear up any doubts (about the case), the incident's spillover effect will only get worse and exaggerated since many tend to let their imagination run wild," one analyst in Hong Kong said.

Get physical

What is clear, the venture capitalist told VOA, is that Xiao's disappearance is likely to further fuel an ongoing exodus of capital from the county.

"I think it is going to trigger some global asset allocation," the venture capitalist said. "More money will be going toward these globally well regulated, liquid and transparent places."

Over the past few years, China has seen a dramatic rise in capital outflows. The venture capitalist said that despite the rhetoric about U.S. President Donald Trump, there are likely to be more investments in places such as the United States and Britain.

In the past, the rich may have viewed countries such as Switzerland or Luxembourg as safe places to park their money, but now increasingly they are seeing that it is better to invest in physical assets, be it infrastructure in Britain, companies in the United States or real estate in Australia.

"Xiao Jianhua case shows that even if you are sitting in a Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong, you are still not that safe," the venture capitalist said.

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Washington calls on Beijing to rein in North Korea

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 6:41PM

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has called on China to help rein in North Korea's provocative actions after Pyongyang launched its latest ballistic missile test early this week.

The top US diplomat made the plea on the sidelines of a first-time meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during a G20 foreign ministers summit in the German city of Bonn on Friday.

"Tillerson also highlighted the increasing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and urged China to use all available tools to moderate North Korea's destabilizing behaviour," US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

Following Tillerson's comments, Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement quoting Wang as saying, "China and the United States have joint responsibility to maintain global stability and promote global prosperity, and both sides' joint interests are far greater than their differences."

The statement added that, "The two countries should increase mutual trust, deepen cooperation and ensure that under Trump they make even greater contributions to global peace and prosperity."

The remarks are made while Beijing, which is North Korea's only ally and main trading partner, has so far shown itself reluctant to put too much pressure on Pyongyang over its previous series of ballistic and nuclear missile tests.

South Korea's Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that its northern neighbor had launched a missile test near the western city of Kusong, adding that the missile had flown 500 kilometers eastwards before falling into the Sea of Japan

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) confirmed a day later that Pyongyang had "successfully" tested a "surface-to-surface medium long-range ballistic missile."

The launch has concerned Japan and South Korea and their ally the United States. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was visiting US President Donald Trump in Florida when the launch occurred, called the test "absolutely intolerable."

Trump reacted to the test only by saying that the US stood behind Japan, "its great ally, 100 percent."

Tillerson later pledged that Washington would use the full range of its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend Tokyo and Seoul against Pyongyang.

"The United States remains steadfast in its defense commitments to its allies, the Republic of Korea and Japan, including the commitment to provide extended deterrence, backed by the full range of its nuclear and conventional defense capabilities," he said.

North Korea faces international pressure to abandon its arms development and nuclear program. Yet, it says the programs aim to protect the country from US hostilities.

The US has military forces in South Korea and is planning to deploy an advanced missile system there in response to perceived threats from the North. The US also occasionally deploys nuclear-powered warships and aircraft capable of carrying atomic weapons in the region.

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Malaysia rejects N Korea request for Kim's body

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 6:1AM

Malaysia has turned down a request by North Korea to turn over the body of a man believed to be the North Korean leader's half-brother, who was recently killed in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian authorities are requesting family DNA to ascertain the relation first as they are trying to get to the bottom of the cloak-and-dagger murder.

"We need a DNA sample of a family member to match the profile of the dead person," said Selangor State's police chief Abdul Samah Mat on Friday.

"North Korea has submitted a request to claim the body, but before we release the body, we have to identify who the body belongs to," he added.

Reports coming out of Malaysia and South Korea have already been referring to the victim as Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Jong-nam was attacked by two female assailants as he was walking through the departure hall at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday, according to South Korea's intelligence chief Lee Byung-ho.

Police in Malaysia have arrested two women and a man in connection with the killing. One of the arrested women was traveling on a Vietnamese passport and the other on an Indonesian document. The man arrested is a Malaysian.

Police forensic specialists were carrying out tests on samples from the dead man's body to try to determine the deadly substance that was apparently sprayed on his face as he readied to board a plane at the airport.

Malaysian officials say North Korean diplomats have objected to the post-mortem examination.

Jong-nam had been spending many years in exile in Macau, a Chinese city.

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Chinese FM Calls to Stop 'Sanctions-Nuclear Tests Circle' in North Korea Dispute

Sputnik News

22:33 17.02.2017(updated 22:57 17.02.2017)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged on Friday to break the vicious circle of sanctions against North Korea and Pyongyang's retaliation in the form of nuclear tests, calling to resume six-way talks on Korean peninsula denuclearization.

MUNICH (Sputnik)  Pyongyang carried out on February 12 a successful test of an intermediate-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile. Launched from an airbase in the western province of North Pyongan, the missile was reported to have traveled about 480 km before plunging into the Sea of Japan.

North Korea's neighbors warned Pyongyang that they saw the latest missile launch as a provocation, and a violation of a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution prohibiting it from carrying out ballistic missile tests.

The UNSC has condemned North Korea for the test. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary said that the UNSC should consider the introduction of new sanctions against Pyongyang.

"We witnessed nuclear test followed by sanctions, sanctions and nuclear tests again. It is a vicious circle and it must be broken because we may all lose in the end," Wang Yi said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

"We believe that we still have the possibility to resume the six-way talks, as we lay our hopes on them," Wang Yi said.

The minister added that the United States and North Korea, as the key sides in the Korean Peninsula nuclear dispute, must show political will and take serious steps to reach a mutually-acceptable compromise on the issue.

North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2005. The United States, Japan and South Korea, as well as Russia and China, took part in talks with North Korea on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula between 2003 and 2009, when Pyongyang withdrew from the talks.

 Sputnik

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Death of North Korea's Onetime Heir Sheds Light on Secretive Kim Dynasty

By Jenny Lee February 17, 2017

The apparent assassination of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is drawing the world's attention to the secretive Kim family's inner circle.

Kim Jong Nam, 45, died en route to a hospital Monday after he was reportedly poisoned by two women at Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International Airport while waiting to take a Macau-bound flight, according to Malaysian and South Korean officials. Malaysian police have detained two women and one man in connection with the death. Authorities are hunting for other suspects.

Selangor Police Chief Abdul Samah Mat told VOA Friday the hospital has not released final results of an autopsy that could determine the cause of the death. Abdul Samah, who is in charge of the investigation, said the police are trying to obtain DNA samples from the victim's kin to confirm his identify.

According to South Korean lawmakers briefed by the National Intelligence Service, there is reason to believe that Kim was killed on the orders of his younger half-brother Kim Jong Un, who is known to execute or depose anyone who appears to be a threat to the legitimacy of his rule. In late 2013, the North Korean leader executed his uncle Jang Song Thaek, who was widely deemed as the second-most powerful figure in the country.

Jang Jin-sung, who worked as a psychological warfare officer for North Korea's ruling Workers' Party before he defected in 2004, told VOA that given Kim Jong Nam's place as the firstborn child of Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un might have seen his brother's existence as an obstacle to his grip on power.

Secluded childhood

Kim Jong Nam is the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who ruled the communist state from 1994 to 2011, and was once regarded as heir apparent to his father. The son was born on May 10, 1971. His mother was a South Korea-born film star, Song Hye Rim, who divorced her husband to become Kim Jong Il's secret mistress.

"Kim Jong Il wanted a family with the woman he loved, and now he had an heir, but he also needed to protect his position as his father's successor," reads an unpublished memoir obtained by VOA and based on the oral accounts of Li Nam Ok, Song's niece.

Kim Jong Il kept the relationship with Song secret, especially from his father Kim Il Sung.

Kim Jong Il almost completely insulated his son from the outside world. Li Nam Ok was his only playmate in Pyongyang. Kim, besotted with his son, forgave his "tantrums and capriciousness," according to French author Imogen O'Neil, who worked with Li on the memoir. Li left North Korea in 1992 and never returned.

"His father refused him nothing; Kim Jong Il used to say there was only his son in his life," according to O'Neil's manuscript.

The memoir offers a rare glimpse into Kim Jong Nam's childhood, adolescence and early manhood. It revealed that he lived in luxury in Pyongyang, surrounded by expensive goods virtually unseen in North Korea. His aunt, Song Hye Rang, who was Li's mother, oversaw Kim's private education, which covered math, science, English and Russian. When Kim was 8 years old, he visited Moscow, where his mother was receiving medical treatments.

According to the memoir, Kim Jong Il decided to send the "little general" overseas for "structured education" on his son's 10th birthday. For most of the 1980s, Kim Jong Nam lived in Switzerland, where he studied at the International School of Geneva.

After returning to Pyongyang in 1988, Kim, who was known to be a computer enthusiast, held government posts. At one point, he was head of North Korea's Computer Committee where he was in charge of developing information technology.

Fall from grace

Yoji Gomi, a senior staff writer at the newspaper Tokyo Shimbun closely followed Kim Jong Nam and published a book in 2012 that was based on correspondence with him. Gomi told VOA that upon returning from Switzerland, Kim had frequently advised his father to adopt the free market system to boost North Korea's economy.

"Kim told me that he had some friction with the supreme leader Kim Jong Il, and that's when their relationship began to sour," Gomi said. "I believe that because of that friction, Kim was not able to become North Korea's leader and, instead, he led an itinerant life" outside North Korea.

Cheong Seong-chang, an expert on North Korea's leadership and director of unification strategy at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, said Kim Jong Nam was sidelined from succession when Kim Jong Il's third wife, Ko Yong Hui, a dancer born in Japan, gave birth to two sons, one of whom now rules North Korea.

"It appears that after Kim Jong Chul and Kim Jong Un were born, Kim Jong Nam may have come as a burden to Kim Jong Il," the analyst said in an email to VOA. Kim Jong Chul was last seen in 2015 in London at an Eric Clapton concert, according to press reports.

Some suspect that Kim Jong Nam fell out of favor with his father when he was arrested at Tokyo's Narita Airport in 2001 as he attempted to enter Japan with a forged Dominican Republic passport. He told police at the time that he had traveled to Japan to visit Tokyo Disneyland with his four-year-old son and two unidentified women.

Since then, Kim Jong Nam had been living in exile  mostly in Beijing and Macau  with his wife and children. Often spotted at hotels, casinos and airports throughout Southeast Asia, Kim was widely known for his gambling and drinking habits.

In an interview with TV Asahi in 2010, shortly before his younger brother Kim Jong Un rose to power, Kim Jong Nam expressed his discontent with the Kim family's three-generation dynasty.

In 2012, Kim Han Sol, the then 16-year-old son of Kim Jong Nam, said during an interview with a Finnish TV channel that he didn't know how his uncle Kim Jong Un "became a dictator."

Feared for his life

Seoul's intelligence agency said Kim Jong Un had "a standing order" for his half-brother's assassination and that there had been a botched attempt in 2012, according to South Korean lawmakers briefed by the agency.

Following the failed attempt, Kim Jong Nam begged for his life in a letter addressed to Kim Jong Un, said the lawmakers.

Kim Jong Nam's family members are believed to be in Beijing and Macao under China's protection, according to the South Korean intelligence agency.

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Will North Korea Stop its Weapons Program?

By Steve Miller February 17, 2017

After two nuclear tests and multiple missile launches in 2016, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un tested a new intermediate-range missile Sunday. The rocket flew about 500 kilometers before splashing down in international waters between South Korea and Japan. The missile is believed to have used solid fuel, a type that would make future launches more difficult to detect.

The United Nations Security Council met Monday at the request of South Korea, Japan and the United States. The 15-member council unanimously condemned the launch.

North Korea rejected the U.N.'s statement, saying the test was defensive in nature. So will the Security Council's latest rebuke make a difference in how North Korea behaves?

"The North Koreans are very afraid of imposed regime change by the United States or [an] outside power," says Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest.

"They are extremely afraid that the United States someday will make the determination, [as in] the case in Iraq or Afghanistan or Libya, that it is time to impose some sort of regime change. So this is why you could have all the U.N. Security Council resolutions that you want, you can have toughest language that you want.  Quite frankly, it's not going to work," Kazianis said.

Jonathan Miller, senior fellow for the China, East Asia and United States program at the EastWest Institute, agreed. "Within the past six years or so, the North has conducted so many missile tests and nuclear tests with little to no change to their strategic calculus," he noted, that "this kind of statement from the U.N. Security Council, while welcomed, I don't think it will fundamentally change the course for Pyongyang."

Is international pressure sufficient?

A goal of the international community has been to create an environment where North Korea decides to denuclearize, but is there adequate international pressure for Kim Jong Un to abandon his goal of building a nuclear arsenal?

Kazianis does not see a "scenario where North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons program." While countries like the United States, South Korea, and Japan outman and outgun North Korea, he says, "the only thing that brings sort of an equalizer to the situation is North Korea's, quite frankly, crude nuclear weapons program."

Miller says while North Korea may not abandon its goals in the foreseeable future, there are other unknowns.

"I think the wild card here is how the Trump administration will approach the North. I really don't believe they really have that figured out yet. You can kind of clearly see that the U.S. fully articulated its thoughts on how it will approach North Korea, having [Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo] Abe speak first and the president in the background just echoing those thoughts," Miller said, referring to an impromptu news conference by the two leaders in Florida after news broke about Pyongyang's missile launch.

What's price of abandoning nuclear work?

"I don't know that the North is in a position where they feel they can barter their program for almost anything," Miller said. "It's become that ingrained into the policy and to the legitimacy of that regime. ... It becomes very difficult to move toward that road of denuclearization."

If North Korea won't abandon its programs, how should the international community respond?

Kazianis says there are two things the international community should do. First, he says, is to further isolate and limit North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities. This can be accomplished with the United States' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system (THAAD), but also with additional defenses in Japan.

The second item Kazianis suggests is talking to North Korea. "We don't want to get into a situation where we have these endless cycles of North Korean missile testing ... because eventually one of these tests could go wrong, and it could cost people's lives, and that's how wars start," the analyst added.

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Algeria Demands French Compensation for Nuclear Tests in Sahara Desert

Sputnik News

20:58 17.02.2017

In the 1960s, France carried out nuclear tests in Algeria to study the effects of radiation on humans. However, Algerians are still struggling to cope with the consequences of the French atomic experiments.

In the 1960s, France carried out nuclear tests in Algeria to study the effects of radiation on humans. However, Algerians are still struggling to cope with the consequences of the French atomic experiments.

Algeria is demanding financial compensation from the French authorities for the nuclear tests they carried out in the Sahara desert in the 1960s.

According to Algerian military expert, Colonel Muhammed Halfawi, "France recognizes the fact that it carried out nuclear and chemical tests, but refuses to pay compensation to the victims."

"Jointly with these people, we are actively urging France to pay compensation to the families of the victims of the explosion and those who have suffered from the effects of these tests," Halwafi told Sputnik France.

"There are documentaries that reveal how the tests had been conducted. They show that at that time the French did not have an accurate understanding of the force of the explosion. You can see how the generals hastily left the site on the aircraft, because the power of the bomb significantly exceeded their calculations."

Algerian officials recently held a national forum on "French nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara, and their effect on humans and the environment." The event was timed to the 57th anniversary of the nuclear experiments conducted on February 13, 1960.

According to Halfawi, the Algerians have been fighting for justice for a long time.

"Confessions on a political level are not enough. The families of those who died or became disabled are living among us. The nuclear tests will have effects for millions of years. France should recognize the rights of these people," Halfawi concluded.

France carried out nuclear tests on its servicemen in the 1960s to study the effect of radiation on humans, according to a secret report uncovered by French media several years ago.

The 260-page document, reported by Le Parisien newspaper in 2010, said the experiments were carried out on French soldiers in the Algerian Sahara desert in 1960-1966.

According to the report, the experiments, intended to study the possibility of carrying out offensive and defensive operations in a contaminated area, involved some 300 infantrymen and tank crews, the paper said.

The French military authorities reportedly intended to "study the physical and psychological effect of nuclear weapons on humans" and find out whether soldiers were "able to continue fighting" if a nuclear strike would have taken place in the conditions of a war.

 Sputnik

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India's HAL Signs $8.5 Million Contracts to Maintain SAAB's EW System in India

Sputnik News

19:13 17.02.2017

SAAB has also offered Airborne Electronically Scanned Array fighter sensor package for India's indigenously assembled Tejas LCA MK 1A aircraft.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  Indian government owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has signed $8.5 million contract with Swedish firm SAAB to maintain Electronic Warfare (EW) Self-Protection system of Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter. Contract signed with SAAB's subsidiary SAAB Grintek Defense includes transfer of technology for in-country maintenance of Saab's Integrated Defensive Aids Suite (IDAS) system in India. IDAS has been selected as the electronic warfare (EW) self-protection system for Indian Air Force and Indian Army Aviation Corps variants of the HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter.

"The ToT programme will run for 24 months and will qualify HAL Hyderabad as a Saab-approved IDAS repair facility. HAL will focus on maintenance and repair of IDAS equipment for the Indian end-users. Saab will continue to support HAL Hyderabad with critical spares and proprietary components for the entire service life of IDAS," reads a release after signing agreement on the sideline of Aero-India2017 in Bengaluru.

"The export of this technology to India bodes well for future manufacturing and skills transfers, and for building an ongoing mutually beneficial partnership in line with the 'Make in India' initiative," says Trevor Raman, President and CEO of Saab Grintek Defence.

HAL and SGD had signed a long term agreement in year 2005 for the delivery of IDAS equipment by SGD, based on annual orders. Series production of IDAS systems at SGD is currently underway with more than 200 ordered to date.

 Sputnik

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Lockheed Martin: India and US Talk on Proposal to Build F-16s in India

By Anjana Pasricha February 17, 2017

U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin says talks are being held between the American and Indian governments on its proposal to manufacture F-16 fighter jets in India.

The comment by Lockheed's head of F-16 business development, Randall Howard, came at an air show in the Indian city of Bengaluru amid questions whether the company's proposal to produce fighter jets in India will run counter to U.S. President Donald Trump's opposition to American companies moving jobs and manufacturing overseas.

Lockheed Martin's F-16 and Saab's Gripen fighter plane from Sweden are regarded as the front-runners in getting a lucrative, multi-billion dollar contract for 200 to 250 jets for the Indian air force that New Delhi is expected to finalize sometime this year.

India has insisted that any foreign firm awarded the deal will have to collaborate and manufacture in the country with a local partner to boost its drive to build a domestic air production base. It is part of an initiative by the world's biggest arms importer to link its defense purchases, which could top $200 billion over a decade, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" pitch.

Lockheed Martin last year offered to set up a manufacturing base for F-16s in India provided it is awarded a contract for the fighter jets that India wants to buy - a proposal supported by the former Obama administration. In fact, the company had proposed to make India the sole producer of the single-engine combat aircraft, which is being phased out in the United States, but for which it is seeking markets in other countries.

Amid uncertainty about the new U.S. government's policy, Lockheed Martin has said in Washington that the Trump administration will want to take a "fresh look at some of these programs" and that it is "prepared to support that effort to ensure that any deal of this importance is properly aligned with U.S. policy priorities."

Inaugurating the air show earlier this week, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said no exceptions will be granted to setting up a facility to produce planes in India, and it is up to companies making proposals to get clearance with their governments. "That is my requirement," he said.

India, once heavily dependent on arms purchases from Russia, has diversified its purchases in recent years and defense imports from the United States have grown quickly in recent years.

India's huge appetite for defense purchases to modernize its armed forces attracted the world's top defense companies to the air show.

Among them was Sweden's Saab, which showcased its fighter jet at the air show, and which reiterated its commitment to establishing what it called a world class aviation facility in India to manufacture the Gripen both for India and the global market.

Pitching for its Gripen aircraft, sales director Kent-Ake Molin told reporters ahead of the air show that "what we are offering is a futuristic, new generation plane and not one that is reaching the end of its life."

Besides manufacturing, India has insisted on transfer of technology as part of its efforts to build a domestic production base and end its dependence on costly defense imports.

That was not expected to be a roadblock with the F-16 as American and Indian defense ties have grown in recent years.

Anit Mukherjee, assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore said the deal "will be an important topic of conversation between senior defense officials in both countries in the next few months." He points out that although "there is a general element of unpredictability around President Trump," it is widely believed that U.S.-India defense ties will be marked more by "continuity than disruptive change."

While that may be the case, defense analysts in India believe uncertainty clouds the future of the proposal to make F-16s in India. "This is going to be in direct conflict with (Trump's) America First," says Amit Cowshish with the New Delhi-based Indian Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, who was a former financial adviser to India's Defense Ministry.

From India's standpoint, he says any deal for fighter aircraft will have to be contingent on local manufacturing. "For this government to go back on it and say that we are just going to buy it off the shelf, or go with some screwdriver technology, it is not going to go down well either with their own philosophy or with the services."

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Iran Needs Billions to Upgrade Gas Fields, But Will Investors Invest?

By Henry Ridgwell February 17, 2017

Iran sits on what are thought to be the world's largest gas reserves, yet can barely supply its own domestic demand.

Since the United Nations-backed deal over Tehran's nuclear program spurred the lifting of international sanctions, the country has strived to attract foreign investment in developing oil fields and upgrading its aging infrastructure.

The Ministry of Petroleum helped to convene the CWC Iran Gas Conference this week in Frankfurt, Germany, to bring together government figures and private investors.

Industry experts: $100 billion needed

Industry estimates suggest Iran needs to invest $100 billion in order to fully exploit the reserves. The nuclear agreement removed some sanctions on Iran, but mainly in Europe. It remains extremely difficult for American companies to do business, according to Reiner Jahn, vice president of the German-Iranian Chamber of Commerce and expert on financing deals with Iran.

"Unless it's licensed by OFAC, the U.S. sanctions authority, there is no way for an American to negotiate any transaction with an Iranian," he said.

So Iran is looking elsewhere.

Indian demand for gas is forecast to grow rapidly, and Tehran sees it as a key market. The private consortium South Asia Gas Enterprise, or SAGE, has advanced plans for the world's deepest underwater pipeline connecting the two countries.

"Our reconnaissance survey was performed between Oman and India. Unfortunately at that time the leg that went to Iran couldn't be surveyed because of sanctions. SAGE is expecting to perform the remaining leg of the survey to Iran this year," project director Ian Nash told delegates at the conference.

The 1,300-kilometer, $5 billion pipeline would lie on the seabed, more than 2,500 meters below the ocean's surface. The viability of such investments depends on the price of gas, currently difficult to predict, says Vincent Groote of Dutch engineering firm Twister Supersonic Gas Solutions.

An OPEC for natural gas

"You get [the price] floating up and down, which is not what investors would like. So I can imagine that as a natural development, similarly as OPEC for oil, in the long future we could think about a 'GPEC'  let's say a Gas-Producing-Exporting Country' type of infrastructure."

Iran likely would wield considerable power in such a cartel, though there are clouds on the horizon.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the nuclear deal, and he has imposed new sanctions on Iran following a recent missile test. History shows that the United States could still intervene to disrupt foreign investment, says Jahn.

"The U.S. invented secondary sanctions, where they sanction European companies that acted in complete accordance with EU law, but not in accordance with U.S. law. Therefore. I think they have an impact in our market," he said.

The French bank BNP Paribas was fined $8.9 billion by U.S. authorities in 2014 for breaking such sanctions.

The nuclear deal may have lifted some restrictions, but analysts say Trump has introduced new uncertainty just as foreign investment in Iran starts to build.

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Iraq: UN health agency delivers medical aid to newly retaken areas of Mosul

16 February 2017  The United Nations health agency has delivered medical supplies to parts of eastern Mosul, the Iraqi city liberated from the Islamic State (ISIL), where clinics are receiving an influx of people in urgent need of medical care.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the supplies "will support treatment of patients with infectious diseases, chronic conditions, diarrheal diseases and trauma cases who have been deprived of medical care."

According to the press release, the supplies are a donation from the Government of Norway and include medicines, emergency health kits, surgical kits and an interagency diarrheal disease kits.

They were delivered to newly retaken areas of Mosul, including 16 primary health centres, one hospital and the Directorate of Health (DOH) of Ninewa  the governorate which includes Mosul.

WHO has appealed for $65 million to support health interventions in this part of Iraq through the end of the year. So far, $14 million has been received.

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Some 5,000 Iraqis Finish Coalition Training to Join Mosul Operation - CENTCOM

Sputnik News

00:35 18.02.2017

About 5,000 Iraqis have finished months-long training to join the campaign to liberate Mosul and fight against the Daesh terror group (outlawed in Russia), US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a release on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  In January, Iraqi and US-led coalition forces liberated the eastern part of the city that was captured by Daesh in June 2014.

"The Iraq security forces have nearly 5,000 more personal to assist as hold forces in Eastern Mosul and eventually in the fight against ISIS [Daesh] in western Mosul following recent graduation ceremonies at Taji, Besmaya, Erbil, and Al Asad Air Base," the release said.

"At Taji and Besmaya, the release added, nearly 2,000 Ninewah policemen "graduated and are poised to assist in the fight against ISIS [Daesh] in Mosul."

Moreover, 300 Iraqi soldiers graduated for patrol and clearing techniques at the Al Asad Air Base, a program led by the combined efforts of Danish, British, Latvian, Estonian and US forces.

Last October, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of the military operation to retake Mosul from Daesh militants. Iraqi troops and their allies, including local Sunni militias and the US-led coalition against Daesh, are involved in the offensive.

The city's western part still remains under control of the terrorist group.

 Sputnik

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Japan to Build New Hi-Tech Fleet as East China Sea Conflict Heats Up

Sputnik News

22:08 17.02.2017(updated 01:42 18.02.2017)

Japan has announced the acceleration of a warship-building program, hoping to construct two additional frigates each year to better enforce their claim on the East China Sea. Japan has been embroiled in a land dispute with China and Taiwan over several islands in the East China Sea since the 1970s.

Three anonymous sources with knowledge of Japan's navy say that Tokyo's Self Defense Forces will construct two 3,000-ton frigates as well as one 5,000-ton destroyer in the 2018 fiscal year. Japan intends to create a small but highly modern fleet of eight vessels that may also be used for minesweeping and submarine hunting.

Naval shipyards are expected to bid for the contracts to build the eight frigates. Each ship will cost 40-50 billion yen ($353-$443 million) for a total outlay of over $3 billion.

The announcement of the contract comes in the wake of a renewal of territorial squabbles between the East Asian sea powers. Japanese officials have publicly stated that they are concerned about China pressing its claim in the East China Sea, just as Beijing has done to the Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea.

The disputed islands in the East China Sea are known by several names. The earliest known source, a 15th century Chinese sea chart, names them the Diaoyu. A 19th century Imperial naval record is the origin of their Japanese name, the Senkaku. The Taiwanese call them the Diaoyutai, while 18th century English explorers dubbed them the Pinnacle Islands.

Regardless of what name one uses, the disputed islands consist of five islets and three rocks, the largest of which is less than five square kilometers. The uninhabited islands were historically part of China, before being annexed by Japan following the First Sino-Japanese War, in 1895. After World War II, the islands were occupied by the United States.

The islands were returned to Japanese control in 1972, but by then a potential treasure trove of oil and natural gas had been identified in the surrounding area. Since then, both China and Taiwan have declared ownership of the islands. China in particular has objected to Japanese activity, including nationalizing several of the islands in 2012, and building a lighthouse in 2014.

The US has supported the Japanese claim in the past. In 2014, President Barack Obama pledged to aid Japan if China attempted a military occupation of the islands. Similarly, President Donald Trump declared US support for the Japanese claim on Tuesday, February 14.

"I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent," said Trump in a joint statement with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Other US leaders, such as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis, have corroborated Trump's promise to support Japan's claim in the region. Mattis took it one step further by pledging that the United States would take a more active role in the dispute than was taken under the previous administration.

China has responded by sailing naval vessels through the disputed waters, doing so now about thrice monthly. "No matter what anyone says or does, it cannot change the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China, and cannot shake China's resolve and determination to protect national sovereignty and territory," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a statement.

"We urge the US side to take a responsible attitude, stop making wrong remarks on the issue involving the Diaoyu Islands sovereignty, and avoid making the issue more complicated and bringing instability to the regional situation," said Lu Kang, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.

 Sputnik

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Pakistan Cracks Down On Militants As Shrine Death Toll Hits 83

RFE/RL February 17, 2017

Pakistani security forces say dozens of Islamic extremists have been killed in a nationwide crackdown following a recent series of deadly terror attacks that broke a period of relative calm in the country.

The announcement on February 17 comes a day after Islamic State (IS) extremists claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in southern Pakistan that killed at least 83 worshippers at a Sufi shrine, the largest in a wave of attacks across the country claimed by different militant extremists during the past week.

Security forces have moved quickly since the February 16 attack on the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sindh Province -- with political and military leaders vowing to go to any length to crush the extremists.

"Over 100 terrorists have been killed since last night and sizable apprehensions also made," the military said on February 17.

Analysts said the recent wave of violence has been a major escalation in militants' attempts to destabilize the country.

"This is a virtual declaration of war against the state of Pakistan," said Imtiaz Gul, head of the independent Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad.

Pakistan's military in recent months has scored a series of victories against different extremist militant groups and factions, boosting optimism about security in the country.

But hopes have been dashed this week by a renewed campaign of violence by IS and Taliban-linked groups, along with other extremists.

Border Crossing Closed

Military and foreign office officials claimed the renewed attacks had been launched from extremist hideouts in Afghanistan.

Pakistan's military said Afghan Embassy officials have been summoned to the military's General Headquarters and presented with a list of 76 "terrorists" said to be hiding in Afghanistan.

Pakistan on February 16 also closed the Torkham border crossing into Afghanistan for "security reasons."

Major General Asif Ghafoor, head of the military's ISPR media wing, said the border crossing on the highway between Peshawar, Pakistan, and Jalalabad, Afghanistan, would remain closed until "further orders."

In the attack on the Sufi shrine in the town of Sehwan, at least 30 children were among the dead. More than 100 people were wounded.

Period Of Mourning

The government of Sindh Province on February 16 announced a three-day mourning period.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief of staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on February 17 visited the town of Sehwan.

Sharif vowed to crush the extremists "with the full force of the state."

Earlier on February 16, a land-mine blast had killed an army captain and two army soldiers in the Awaran area of Balochistan Province.

On February 15, two suicide attacks took place in northern Pakistan -- both claimed by Taliban militants.

One was in the Mohmand tribal district and the other, in Peshawar, targeted court judges.

On February 13, a suicide attacker targeted protesters in Lahore, killing 13 people, including senior police officers, and wounding more than 80 others.

With reporting by By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, Reuters, AP, AFP, Dawn TV, and Geo TV

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-crackdown- militants-sufi-shrine-attack/28316223.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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Pakistan Armed Forces Killed Over 100 Militants in 24 Hours Since Shrine Attack

Sputnik News

23:52 17.02.2017

Pakistan's security forces have killed more than 100 militants in past 24 hours during raids across the country in the wake of a deadly bomb attack on a shrine in the southern city of Sehwan, a spokesman of the country's Armed Forces said Friday.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik)  On Thursday, a suicide attack took place in the shrine during a religious ritual near a tomb of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, a Sufi poet and philosopher, involving a large number of participants. According to Pakistani media citing the country's health officials, at least 88 people were killed and over 300 others were injured as a result of the attack. The terrorist organization Daesh, outlawed in Russia and many other countries, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Following the attack, Pakistan's security forces have launched a massive counter-terror operation. Earlier on Friday, local media reported that at least 37 terrorists were killed as a result of several separate raids across the country.

"Over 100 terrorists have been killed since last night and sizeable apprehensions also made," a statement, published on Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor's official Twitter account, read.

It added that no cross-border or unauthorized entry "will be allowed to Pakistan from Afghanistan."

"Security forces have been given special orders in this regard to have strict watch all along the border," according to the statement.

Pakistani intelligence agencies "are making progress to unearth networks" behind the attack, the statement read, adding that "terrorists'" shelters on Pakistani-Afghan border "have been effectively targeted."

 Sputnik

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Wave of Terrorist Attacks Leaves Pakistan on Edge

By Ayesha Tanzeem February 17, 2017

Pakistan's security forces claim to have killed more than 100 suspected militants in a massive nationwide security operation Friday in the wake of a deadly suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine that left more than 80 dead.

The spokesman for Pakistan's military, Major General Asif Ghafoor, tweeted that the killings, along with many arrests, were a result of intelligence-based or combing operations.

The attack Thursday night in Sindh province at the shrine of a famous Sufi saint, Laal Shahbaz Qalandar, was one of the biggest in a series of attacks the country has faced during the past week.

The militant group Islamic State took responsibility for that attack.

Another militant group called Jamaatul Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed to have carried out most of the other attacks in the country last week, including one at a protest in the heart of Pakistan's second largest city, Lahore, that left more than a dozen dead.

Through its social media platforms, the group announced that the attacks were the beginning of an operation against the state and its security agencies.

The wave of attacks has shattered the perception that the country has its terrorism problem under control.

Muhammad Amir Rana, a security analyst, said this is a technique to create a perception of chaos.

"In my view the group is following the same strategy as other terrorist groups in the region. They collect all their resources and then they try to trigger a wave to achieve the maximum impact of the violence."

Nonetheless, this is a blow to Pakistan's claims that its military operation called Zarb e Azb, to clear its lawless tribal areas in the north, along with intelligence based operations throughout the country, have managed to dismantle terrorism's infrastructure.

Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at Washington-based research organization the Wilson Center, said the country would not be able to overcome its terrorism problem without a change in its long-term strategic thinking.

"Pakistan's war on terror has essentially been an effort to go after terrorists and not to go after the ideologies that drive terrorism and terrorists," he said.

The society in Pakistan, he added, was conducive to hateful narratives against India, the United States, or religious minorities inside Pakistan that was often perpetuated by significant influencers including some religious leaders, media personalities, even the state itself.

Meanwhile, Pakistan blamed the wave of terrorism on hostile powers, an often-used euphemism for India.

It also claimed that the attackers had sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

The leadership of the Pakistani Taliban and Daesh Khorasan, the local chapter of IS, is supposed to be hiding in Afghanistan.

The chief minister of Pakistan's most populous Punjab province, at a press conference Friday, showed a video of a man he claimed was an abettor of the attack in Lahore. The man in the video confessed that he had come from Afghanistan's Kunar province.

In response, Pakistan has, for the time being, closed the busiest border crossing with Afghanistan at Torkhem as well as handing a list of 76 terrorists to Afghan officials, demanding immediate action.

Afghan presidential spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazavi told VOA that the Afghan government considers Daesh and other terrorist groups common enemies of Afghanistan and Pakistan and is sincerely fighting terrorist groups. He also said that closing borders was not the answer.

Regional experts say Afghanistan, in turn, blames Pakistan for providing sanctuaries to the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani group, that have wreaked havoc on its soil. It might not be inclined to help Pakistan until it sees action from the other side.

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Meeting of Federal Security Service Board

Vladimir Putin took part in an annual expanded meeting of the Federal Security Service (FSB) Board to discuss the FSB's results for 2016 and the priority tasks for ensuring Russia's national security.

February 16, 2017

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon.

These annual FSB Board meetings give us a chance to meet and not only thoroughly analyse and review the results of the agency's work over the period, but also to discuss at length all important national security issues in general and outline the priorities for the immediate future and the longer-term.

The FSB plays a key part in protecting our constitutional order and our country's sovereignty, and in protecting our people from threats at home and abroad.

Let me say from the start that last year's results were positive and show good development. This concerns your work to counter terrorism and extremism, a series of successful counterintelligence operations, your efforts to combat economic crime, and other areas.

You ensured a high standard of security for major public events, including the State Duma election and regional and local elections.

I would like to thank both the executives and staff for their conscientious attitude towards their work and their timely and efficient performance of their duties.

At the same time, demands on the quality and results of your work grow constantly. The global situation has not become any more stable or better over the past year. On the contrary, many existing threats and challenges have only become more acute.

Military-political and economic rivalry between global and regional policy makers and between individual countries has increased. We see bloody conflicts continue in a number of countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. International terrorist groups, essentially terrorist armies, receiving tacit and sometimes even open support from some countries, take active part in these conflicts.

At the NATO summit last July in Warsaw, Russia was declared the main threat to the alliance for the first time since 1989, and NATO officially proclaimed containing Russia its new mission. It is with this aim that NATO continues its expansion. This expansion was already underway earlier, but now they believe they have more serious reasons for doing so. They have stepped up the deployment of strategic and conventional arms beyond the national borders of the principal NATO member states.

They are provoking us constantly and are trying to draw us into confrontation. We see continued attempts to interfere in our internal affairs in a bid to destabilise the social and political situation in Russia itself.

We also see the recent serious flare-up in southeast Ukraine. This escalation pursues the clear aim of preventing the Minsk Agreements from going ahead. The current Ukrainian authorities are obviously not seeking a peaceful solution to this very complex problem and have decided to opt for the use of force instead. What is more, they speak openly about organising sabotage and terrorism, particularly in Russia. Obviously, this is a matter of great concern.

The events and circumstances I have mentioned require our security and intelligence services, especially the Federal Security Service, to concentrate their utmost attention and effort on the paramount task of fighting terrorism.

We have already seen that our intelligence services dealt some serious blows to terrorists and their accomplices. Last year's results confirm this: the number of terrorism related crimes has decreased.

Preventive work has also brought results. The FSB and other security agencies, with the National Antiterrorist Committee acting as coordinator, prevented 45 terrorism related crimes, including 16 planned terrorist attacks. You deserve special gratitude for this.

You need to continue your active efforts to identify and block terrorist groups' activity, eliminate their financial base, prevent the activities of their emissaries from abroad and their dangerous activity on the internet, and take into account in this work Russian and international experience in this area.

The murder of our ambassador to Turkey was a terrible crime that particularly highlighted the need to protect our citizens and missions abroad. I ask you to work together with the Foreign Ministry and the Foreign Intelligence Service to take additional measures to ensure their safety.

You must also work to take our counterterrorism cooperation with partners abroad to a new level, despite the difficulties that we see in various areas of international life. It is a priority, of course, to intensify work with our partners in organisations such as the UN, the CSTO, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

It is in our common interests to restore dialogue with the US intelligence services and with other NATO member countries. It is not our fault that these ties were broken off and are not developing. It is very clear that all responsible countries and international groups should work together on counterterrorism, because even simply exchanging information on terrorists' financing channels and sources and on people involved in or suspected of links with terrorism can substantially improve the results of our common efforts.

Our priorities include firmly suppressing extremism. Security methods must go hand-in-hand with constant prevention work. It is essential to prevent extremism from drawing young people into its criminal networks, and to form an overall firm rejection of nationalism, xenophobia, and aggressive radicalism. In this context, of great importance is open dialogue with civil society institutions and representatives of Russia's traditional religions.

Counterintelligence services also face greater demands today. Operational data show that foreign intelligence services' activity in Russia has not decreased. Last year, our counterintelligence services put a stop to the work of 53 foreign intelligence officers and 386 agents.

It is important to neutralise foreign intelligence services' efforts to gain access to confidential information, particularly information concerning our military-technical capabilities.

This makes it a priority to improve our system for protecting classified information comprising state secrets, particularly with agencies going over to an electronic document circulation system.

I would like to note that the number of cyberattacks on official information resources tripled in 2016 compared to 2015. In this context, each agency must develop its segment of the state system for detecting and preventing cyberattacks on information resources and eliminating their consequences.

The public expects greater results in such key areas as economic security and the fight against corruption. I ask you to be particularly thorough in monitoring the funds allocated for state defence procurement (a subject I have spoken about before), major infrastructure projects, preparation of big international events, and implementing federal targeted and socially important programmes. Regrettably, we still see many cases of state funds being embezzled or misappropriated.

Reliable protection of our state borders plays a big part in ensuring our country's comprehensive security. The priority here is to close off channels through which members of international terrorist and extremist groups enter Russia, and put a firm stop to all forms of smuggling, from weapons to drugs and various bio-resources.

Of course, we must continue the work to develop border infrastructure where it is not yet sufficiently developed, particularly in the Far East and in the Arctic.

Colleagues, let me stress that we will continue to bolster the FSB's central and regional branches and ensure you have the most advanced arms and equipment. We will also continue to give attention to social provisions for FSB personnel and their family members.

I wish you success in protecting our national interests and the security of our country and our people. I am confident that you will continue working towards your targets with dignity.

Thank you for your attention.

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Putin: NATO keeps trying to draw Russia into confrontation

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 12:37AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has slammed the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) over what he termed as the military alliance's constant attempts to drag Moscow into a military confrontation.

Addressing senior members of the Russian intelligence agency FSB in Moscow on Thursday, Putin stated that the global security situation "has not improved" over the past years "but on the contrary, many existing threats have only become more serious."

The Russian leader added that NATO with its "newly-declared official mission to deter Russia" is one such threat.

Putin was making reference to a NATO summit last July in the Polish capital city of Warsaw, where members of the alliance described Russia as their key security threat.

"This is the goal behind the expansion of this military bloc. It happened before, but now they have found a new justification which they believe to be serious," he said.

"In fact, they are constantly provoking us, trying to drag us into a confrontation," the Russian president said, adding that NATO members "are continuing their efforts to interfere in our domestic affairs with the goal of destabilizing social and political order in Russia proper."

Putin stated that foreign intelligence agencies are engaged in intensive operations inside Russia, saying, "In the past year 53 foreign intelligence operatives and 386 agents of foreign intelligence services have been busted."

The Russian president also expressed regret that fighting common enemies such as terrorist groups has been primarily affected in the wake of the strained relations between Moscow and the Western military alliance.

"It's in everyone's interest to resume dialogue between the intelligence agencies of the United States and other members of NATO," Putin said.

NATO and Moscow have been at loggerheads over Russia's alleged role in the ongoing Ukraine conflict that has taken thousands of lives.

The military alliance severed its ties with Moscow in 2014, after the Ukraine-controlled Baltic peninsula of Crimea rejoined Russia in a historic referendum.

Since then, NATO has been deploying weapons and equipment close to Russia's borders.

In early January, the US military began the deployment of hundreds of combat vehicles such as tanks and artillery guns along with 3,500 troops to Germany.

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Russia Cautious on Flynn Resignation, Dismisses Tougher Ukraine Line

By Daniel Schearf February 17, 2017

Russia has reacted defensively and cautiously this week after the resignation of President Donald Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was considered among the most Kremlin-friendly in the new administration.

Russia's initial euphoria when Trump took office is fading after Flynn's resignation and Trump's call for Russia to return Crimea to Ukraine. Russia considered Flynn key to promoting improved relations with the United States.

In 2015, Flynn controversially celebrated a Kremlin-funded propaganda TV channel with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

"I think that it worries Russian lawmakers and Russian policymakers because he has been considered to be one of very few pro-Russian American politicians," said Pavel Sharikov, with the Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies.

While the Kremlin called Flynn's resignation a U.S. internal matter, Russian lawmakers described it as politically motivated against Russia.

"Yes, Flynn wrote in his report that he did not tell the president about his contacts with the leadership of the Russian embassy in the USA.," said the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee at Russia's State Duma Leonid Slutsky. "But this may be some sort of political and informational action, which was prepared in advance."

Ruffling feathers with Ukraine

Trump's shifting this week to a tougher stance on Crimea also ruffled feathers in Russia.

Russian officials bluntly dismissed the Trump White House calling on Russia, for the first time, to de-escalate violence in Ukraine and return the Crimean peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014.

"We do not give back our own territory," said Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "Crimea is territory belonging to the Russian Federation. That is it."

During his election campaign, Trump hinted he might recognize Crimea as part of Russia. Trump's comments raised hopes in Moscow he might move to lift sanctions imposed over Crimea and for Moscow's military support for separatists in east Ukraine.

U.S. lawmakers critical of Trump are not taking any chances; they introduced a bill this week to block the president from lifting sanctions against Russia over Ukraine without first getting congressional approval.

Issue of Trump aide contacts

Some are calling for a deeper inquiry into White House ties to Russia amid ongoing investigations into former Trump aids.

A Kremlin spokesman denied a New York Times report of contacts between Trump's presidential campaign and Russian intelligence agents.

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"This is purely a newspaper report which is not based on any facts. And which does not point to any real facts," said Dmitry Peskov.

Trump also dismissed the allegations as "nonsense."

On the streets of Moscow, Russians are still hopeful that relations with the United States will improve under Trump, but they also are increasingly cautious as the controversy and political turmoil play out.

"We do not know what line he will choose, but Crimea is Russian for sure," said accountant Alexandra. "I do not know how he will carry on, but I hope for the better. I hope that we will have good relations with America."

Controversial deployments

Adding to tensions are allegations the Kremlin violated the U.S.-Russia Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) with a recent deployment. Peskov rejected the concern, saying no official complaint had been lodged by the U.S.

Russia, likewise, dismissed reports it positioned spy ships off the U.S. East Coast and that Russian jets buzzed a U.S. Navy ship in the Black Sea.

President Trump at a Thursday press conference acknowledged the spy ship and said some of his critics might think it would be great if he were to attack it, but he said, "that's not great." He went on to say, "But hopefully, I won't have to do anything, but I'm not going to tell you."

When asked if he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin was testing him with the recent moves, Trump said "No, I don't think so. I think Putin probably assumes that he can't make a deal with me anymore because politically it would be unpopular for a politician to make a deal."

"Now, I don't know that we're going to make a deal," Trump added. "I don't know. We might. We might not. But it would be much easier for me to be so tough  the tougher I am on Russia, the better. But you know what? I want to do the right thing for the American people. And to be honest, secondarily, I want to do the right thing for the world."

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Saudi Arabia 'purchasing offensive weapons'

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 11:2AM

Military analysts at IHS Jane's have revealed that Saudi Arabia and several other Western-backed Arab countries in the Middle East are purchasing weapons suited for a more offensive military program in distant locations.

The UK-based group specializing in defense and intelligence analysis said Saudi Arabia is purchasing "items intended to boost the attacking capabilities of warplanes, such as precision air-to-ground missiles, advanced guidance systems and air-to-air refueling gear that extends the duration of flights," according to media reports on Friday.

Saudi Arabia will likely upgrade its fleet of Panavia Tornado ground-attack aircraft and the 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jet fighters ordered from BAE Systems Plc to project its military power over a distance, it said.

IHS Jane's added that Saudi Arabia's military budget is to expand by three percent annually from 2018, with combined budgets for the Middle East and North Africa reaching 180 billion dollars a year by 2020.

The pursuit of more-offensive military equipment will be extending to the naval arena as well, it said.

IHS analyst Reed Foster said in the report that "traditionally, military capabilities in the region have been focused on territorial defense."

Now, however, the Western-backed Middle Eastern states are purchasing military equipment that will allow them to build "the kind of capabilities required to conduct operations beyond their borders," Foster said.

Saudi Arabia had the fourth-biggest military budget in 2016, behind the United States, China, and India.

Saudi Arabia has deployed military forces and equipment to neighboring Bahrain to help Manama's despotic regime to crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

Riyadh has also been waging war on Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to bring back the country's former government to power. The war has claimed the lives of at least 11,400 Yemenis.

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UN backtracks on 'political transition' in Syria peace talks

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 5:43PM

The United Nations has reversed its position on the issue of "political transition" in the upcoming round of peace talks on Syria.

The term "political transition" is interpreted by the foreign-backed opposition as the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or at least erosion of his powers.

Yara Sharif, the spokeswoman for UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, initially said at a regular UN briefing in Geneva on Friday that the negotiations, due to be held in the city on February 23, would address the transition.

"I think, yes, you can use the word 'political transition'. It is going to be a focus I guess as it has been in the past," she answered a reporter's question.

However, she later clarified her statement in an email.

"This morning at the briefing I was asked about the intra-Syrian negotiations and whether the issue of political transition would be discussed."

"For clarification purposes, please note that the negotiations will be entirely guided by (UN) Security Council Resolution 2254, which talks specifically about governance, a new constitution and elections in Syria," she added.

Since March 2011, Syria has been gripped by militancy it blames on some Western states and their regional allies.

De Mistura estimated in August last year that more than 400,000 people had been killed in the crisis until then. The UN stopped its official casualty count in the war-torn country, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.

Before previous peace talks in Geneva, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said the fate of President Assad remained a "red line" for the Syrian government.

Russia has also called for an end to demands for the removal of Assad.

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US-led coalition airstrikes kill 11 civilians near Syria's Raqqah: SOHR

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 2:4PM

A monitoring group says nearly a dozen civilians have lost their lives when the US-led coalition purportedly fighting Daesh in Syria carried out airstrikes near the country's Daesh-held northern city of al-Raqqah.

The strike targeted Tishrin farmland, which lies approximately 20 kilometers west of the provincial capital city of al-Raqqah, on Friday, the Britain-based so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The observatory said nine people were killed and several others injured in the aerial attack, noting that the death toll could rise as some of those injured in the airstrike are in critical condition. There is a child among the deceased.

Additionally, a woman and her child were killed as US-led military aircraft struck an area in the city of al-Thawrah, also known as al-Tabqah and situated approximately 55 kilometers west of Raqqah.

Raqqah, on the northern bank of the Euphrates River, was overrun by the Takfiri terrorists in March 2013, and was proclaimed the center for most of the terrorists' administrative and control tasks the next year.

The attack is not the first US-led airstrikes to result in civilian casualties.

At least eight civilians lost their lives on January 6, when coalition fighter jets pounded the village of Suwaydiyah al-Kabirah, which is situated approximately 55 kilometers west of Raqqah.

Nearly 20 civilians were killed in a US-led strike targeting al-Msheirfeh region north of Raqqah on December 8 last year. Several people also sustained injuries in the blitz.

Moreover, the so-called anti-Daesh US-led coalition carried out an airstrike against a purported militant position near Raqqah on December 7, claiming the lives of seven civilians.

The US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against what are said to be the Daesh terrorists inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.

The coalition has repeatedly been accused of targeting and killing civilians. It has also been largely incapable of fulfilling its declared aim of destroying Daesh.

Syria writes to UN, Security Council against Turkish strikes

Meanwhile, Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has strongly condemned Turkey's repeated violations of the Damascus government's sovereignty and its deadly aerial attacks against Syrian people.

The ministry, in two identical letters to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN Security Council Volodymyr Yelchenko, asked the council to shoulder its responsibilities concerning international peace and security, and put an end to the violations.

These attacks are part of the Turkish government's aggression against Syria over the past nearly six years, which include providing various forms of military and logistic support to terrorist organizations and facilitating entry of foreign militants into Syria, the letters read.

On August 24, 2016, the Turkish Air Force and special ground forces kicked off Operation Euphrates Shield inside Syria in a declared bid to support the Free Syrian Army militants and rid the border area of Daesh terrorists and fighters from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and Democratic Union Party (PYD).

The offensive was launched in coordination with the US-led military coalition.

The incursion was the first major Turkish military intervention in Syria, which drew strong condemnation from the Syrian government for violating the Arab country's sovereignty.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on November 29, 2016 that the Turkish army had marched into Syria to end the rule of President Bashar al-Assad, whom he accused of terrorism and causing the deaths of thousands.

The Turkish leader however backtracked on the comments two days later, asserting that the offensives there were aimed only at terrorists.

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France directly liable for killings in Syria: President Assad

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 10:40AM

President Bashar al-Assad says France's support for terrorist groups operating against the Syrian government and people is a direct cause of bloodshed in the Arab country.

"The policy of France, that started from day one, has been to support terrorists in Syria, and is responsible directly for the killings in our country," Assad told TF1 and Europe 1, respectively a French channel and a French radio network.

Assad further said his remarks were not a mere accusation as French officials have on numerous occasions admitted that they are supporting militants in Syria.

"They said many times they supported the war," said the Syrian leader. "They said that they send armaments to whom they call moderate groups, which are terrorists. They said that; I didn't say it. The Americans said the same, the French said the same."

The Syrian head of state further cast doubt on the sincerity of Western states in their approach towards the crisis in Syria.

"We have to be cautious with every Western leader because they can say something and do the opposite do something in the morning and do the opposite in the eveningThey don't have values in their policies," he added.

Assad said the fate of the Syrian people is not for the West to determine.

"My people have to choose, because this is a Syrian issue, to be frank with you," he said.

"So, we don't care about what the Western officials think about this. They have to worry about their people and to protect their people from the terrorist attacks that have been happening because of their policies."

The foreign-backed violence in Syria has unleashed an influx of refugees toward Europe. The inrush has put the continent on alert against potential entry of terrorists and arms smugglers among asylum seekers.

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Syrian Army Reportedly Eliminates Nusra Front Commander in Daraa

Sputnik News

22:58 17.02.2017(updated 23:12 17.02.2017)

The Syrian government forces have eliminated one of the leaders of the terrorist group Jabhat Fatah al Sham, formerly known as Nusra Front (banned in Russia), in the southwest of the country, Lebanon's Aljadeed TV channel reported on Friday.

BEIRUT (Sputnik)  According to the channel, the terrorist commander known as Khaled Shakhadi Al Alyul was killed in a special operation in the provincial capital Daraa.

Daraa is located to the south of Damascus near the border with Jordan and is controlled by the Syrian government forces. The terrorists of Jabhat Fatah al Sham, outlawed in Russia, hold control of several settlements to the north and west of the city, as well as of a check-point on the border.

On Monday, local media reported that Syrian army units managed to repel an attack of Nusra Front, on the southern city of Daraa.

Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition and terrorist groups, including al-Nusra Front and Daesh, banned in a range of countries, including Russia.

 Sputnik

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Russian Long-Range Bombers Launch Cruise Missile Strikes on Daesh in Raqqa

Sputnik News

17:06 17.02.2017(updated 21:51 17.02.2017)

Russian Tu-95MS long-range bombers have launched cruise missile strikes on Daesh targets near the Syrian city of Raqqa, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Russian strategic bombers destroyed several terrorist camps, training centers and a command post of one of the major terrorists' units near Daesh's de facto capital of Raqqa.

The ministry said that "reconnaissance means have confirmed the destruction of all designated [terrorist] targets" near Raqqa.

The strikes have been carried out by brand new X-101 cruise missiles.

The long-range bombers that took off from a Russian airfield flew over Iraq and Iran. After launching cruise missile strikes on Daesh targets, the bombers returned to Russia.

"Su-30SM and Su-35S provided air cover to the Russian bombers from the Hmeymim airbase."

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said that Russian and US-led coalition's militaries used mechanism on safety of flights over Syria to avoid any incidents near Raqqa, where the coalition is also conducting airstrikes.

Russia and the US signed the bilateral memorandum of understanding in October 2015 to ensure flight safety during combat missions over Syria.

 Sputnik

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Second Round of Astana Talks Yields Pact on Syria Ceasefire Monitoring

Sputnik News

06:56 17.02.2017(updated 19:11 17.02.2017)

A second round of Syria talks in Astana ended Thursday in a deal by the three peace guarantors  Russia, Turkey and Iran  to uphold Syrian truce and set the stage for more in-depth negotiations in Geneva next week.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Though not a breakthrough, indirect talks between the Syrian government and armed opposition were lauded as "unique" and a "step forward" by Russia's lead negotiator Alexander Lavrentyev.

The meeting in the Kazakh capital yielded a joint paper by the three sponsors that will also allow for prisoner exchanges, but a joint communique was not adopted.

On the sidelines, UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura came to Russia on a visit to promote anticipated Geneva talks, scheduled for February 23. He said the Astana meeting had consolidated efforts to bring peace to Syria but said aid convoys still needed greater access to Syrians.

CEASEFIRE MONITORING GROUP

A three-way deal between Russia, Turkey and Iran to set up a permanent contact group to maintain the December 30 ceasefire in Syria was the most tangible result of two days of talks at Rixos hotel in Astana.

"It was the close and sound work with the representatives of Syrian armed opposition groups here in Astana, with the government delegation and our tripartite consultations between Russia, Turkey and Iran, which allowed us to reach a modest but real result by establishing the Concept Paper on the Joint Group that will determine control over the ceasefire," Lavrentyev told reporters.

The Joint Paper, seen by Sputnik, stipulated that the three-party monitoring group would take up the task of facilitating prisoner swaps at its regular meetings. It pledged to report to the United Nations about truce violations and brief the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) on its progress.

The three nations also agreed to continue their effort to separate opposition groups from terrorist organizations, such as Daesh and the Nusra Front. Both are outlawed by Russia and many other nations and are not part of the existing ceasefire.

DIRECT TALKS UNLIKELY

A setback to Syrian reconciliation progress was a lack of a joint communique, which Syrian government's chief negotiator Bashar Jaafari blamed on the opposition delegation, whose late arrival, he said, proved they were irresponsible about the talks.

In turn, Osama Abu Zeid, a member of the Syrian armed opposition delegation to Astana, said he was pessimistic about the outcome of the negotiations, calling them a "waste of time," and doubted there would be a third round.

Lavrentyev, who is Russian president's special envoy for Syria, said chances were rather slim that Syrian rival forces would meet for direct talks any time soon as there was still a lot of "mutual distrust" between them.

"But I believe that we must move ahead every time, step-by-step, without leaving any space for confrontation," Lavrentyev stressed. He added the fact that both delegations had turned out was a positive sign, and they would draw on this experience when they gathered in Geneva in a week.

TURKEY UNDER FIRE

Turkey came under a barrage of criticism from the Syrian government's lead negotiator for sending troops over the border to back rebels in northern Syria, where they are fighting Daesh militants for the control of Al Bab.

Jaafari again accused Ankara of violating Syria's territorial integrity and called into question its contribution to the Syrian effort as one of the peace guarantors. He said Turkey was underrepresented at the Astana talks, which ran counter to its status as a peace guarantor.

"The Turkish government cannot be fanning the flames and extinguishing them at the same time. And in this case it is certainly fanning the flames. Turkey must withdraw its military forces from our country and respect the Astana 1 Communique that upholds Syria's sovereignty," he said.

 Sputnik

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US Allies Optimistic About Political Solution to Syrian Conflict

By VOA News February 17, 2017

U.S. allies said after a meeting Friday with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson they were encouraged the United States would support a political solution to the Syrian conflict.

"All the participants want a political solution because a military solution alone won't lead to peace in Syria," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters in Bonn, where the G-20 summit is under way.

Tillerson met for the first time on the sidelines at the gathering with about a dozen Western and Arab countries as well as Turkey.

US Syria policy

Before the meeting, diplomats were seeking clarity on whether the new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump had changed its policy on Syria, particularly regarding the future of President Bashar al-Assad.

Under the previous administration of President Barack Obama, the U.S. insisted Assad had to go, putting the U.S. at odds with Russia - which supports the Syrian leader.

Trump has emphasized closer cooperation with Russia in combating Islamic State in Syria.

Russia, whose influence in the conflict has grown, hosted separate peace talks in Kazakhstan with Turkey, brokering a fragile six-week truce between Syria's warring factions.

German Foreign Minister Gabriel said "like minded" nations agreed to increase pressure on Russia to support a political solution and reaffirmed there could be no alternative to United Nations-led talks. A new round of the talks involving the Syrian regime and rebel representatives has been scheduled for February 23 in Geneva.

Secretary of State Tillerson also met Friday with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi for the first time and urged China to help assert more control over North Korea after a series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

North Korea nuclear threat

Acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Friday in Bonn that Tillerson "highlighted the increasing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and urged China to use all available tools to moderate North Korea's destabilizing behavior."

Wang told Tillerson that the U.S. and China have joint responsibilities to maintain global stability, according to a statement form China's Foreign Ministry. Wang also said common interests between the two countries far outweigh their differences.

Ukraine

After meeting Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Tillerson said the U.S. could collaborate with Russia if it honored its commitment to help end the crisis in Ukraine.

Tillerson is attending his first G-20 meeting, hosted by Foreign Minister Gabriel, who has been a vocal critic of some of Trump's policies.

The G-20 countries account for about 85 percent of the world economy and two-thirds of the global population.

The Bonn meeting is a precursor to a G-20 summit scheduled for July in Hamburg in what may be the first time Trump meets Putin in person.

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Military helicopters conduct drill at MND headquarters

ROC Central News Agency

2017/02/17 16:02:38

Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) Two military helicopters were deployed in a drill on Friday, landing and taking off from the plaza of the Ministry of National Defense (MND) headquarters in Taipei's Dazhi area, the ministry said.

A S-70C, used for rescue missions, and a UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopter departed from the Air Force's Songshan base and landed inside the MND compound, it said.

The helicopters took off shortly afterwards, completing the drill which was held to strengthen combat readiness and emergency response measures, it said.

Asked about the drill, Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan () said on the sidelines of a legislative floor session on Friday that it was part of military training aimed at beefing up the country's defense capabilities.

The drill was intended to ensure military preparedness for the transportation of troops and materials by helicopter in similar drills in the future, Feng said.

It was the first time helicopters have landed on the plaza in front of the MND's main building since the ministry relocated to Dazhi in late 2014, local newspaper Apply Daily reported, citing an unnamed source.

The MND headquarters is believed to be linked to the Hengshan Command Center, a facility nestled deep under the mountains surrounding Taipei which serves as the military's main command and control center in the case of an emergency.

Local media described Friday's drill as simulating the removal of the president from the presidential office to a secure location in the event of a national emergency, but the report was not officially confirmed.

(By Claudia Liu, Chen Chun-hua and Elaine Hou)

ENDITEM/AW

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Turkey close to capturing Syria's al-Bab from Daesh: Army

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 11:19AM

The Turkish military has claimed that it is close to capturing the northern Syrian city of al-Bab in Raqqah Province from the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

"The operation to gain complete control of the al-Bab region has neared its end and the resistance of the Daesh terror group has largely been broken," the Turkish military announced in a Friday statement.

According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nine civilians were killed in overnight Turkish bombardment of the city, but Ankara claims the shelling killed 13 terrorists.

"In the past 48 hours, Turkish airstrikes and shelling have killed 45 civilians, including 18 children and 14 women," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Observatory.

The Turkish Air Force and special ground forces kicked off their operation inside Syria last August in a declared bid to rid the border area of Daesh terrorists and Kurdish militants.

The operation was not coordinated with the Syrian government, which has described it as a violation of the Arab country's sovereignty.

President Tayyip Erdogan has stressed that the next target for the Turkish offensive should be the city of Raqqah, which is already encircled by different fronts, including Kurdish militias, the Turkish military and Syrian army forces.

Turkey seeks to continue the operation with local Arab forces, and not Kurdish militants which Ankara considers as terrorists.

The government in Ankara claims that recent terrorist attacks in Turkey, including a New Year's Day shooting in an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people, had been masterminded in the Daesh-held cities of al-Bab and Raqqah.

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Four states that border on Mexico are included in the proposal -- California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas -- but it also encompasses seven states contiguous to those four -- Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

The 11-page document calls for the unprecedented militarization of immigration enforcement as far north as Portland, Oregon, and as far east as New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Trump administration is considering a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants, including millions living nowhere near the Mexico border, according to a draft memo obtained by The Associated Press.

Governors in the 11 states would have a choice whether to have their guard troops participate, according to the memo, written by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general.

While National Guard personnel have been used to assist with immigration-related missions on the U.S.-Mexico border before, they have never been used as broadly or as far north.

The memo is addressed to the then-acting heads of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It would serve as guidance to implement the wide-ranging executive order on immigration and border security that President Donald Trump signed Jan. 25. Such memos are routinely issued to supplement executive orders.

Also dated Jan. 25, the draft memo says participating troops would be authorized "to perform the functions of an immigration officer in relation to the investigation, apprehension and detention of aliens in the United States.'' It describes how the troops would be activated under a revived state-federal partnership program, and states that personnel would be authorized to conduct searches and identify and arrest any unauthorized immigrants.

Requests to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for comment and a status report on the proposal were not answered.

The draft document has circulated among DHS staff over the last two weeks. As recently as Friday, staffers in several different offices reported discussions were underway.

If implemented, the impact could be significant. Nearly one-half of the 11.1 million people residing in the U.S. without authorization live in the 11 states, according to Pew Research Center estimates based on 2014 Census data.

Use of National Guard troops would greatly increase the number of immigrants targeted in one of Trump's executive orders last month, which expanded the definition of who could be considered a criminal and therefore a potential target for deportation. That order also allows immigration agents to prioritize removing anyone who has "committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense."

Under current rules, even if the proposal is implemented, there would not be immediate mass deportations. Those with existing deportation orders could be sent back to their countries of origin without additional court proceedings. But deportation orders generally would be needed for most other unauthorized immigrants.

The troops would not be nationalized, remaining under state control.

Spokespeople for the governors of Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Oregon and New Mexico said they were unaware of the proposal, and either declined to comment or said it was premature to discuss whether they would participate. The other three states did not immediately respond to the AP.

The proposal would extend the federal-local partnership program that President Barack Obama's administration began scaling back in 2012 to address complaints that it promoted racial profiling.

The 287(g) program, which Trump included in his immigration executive order, gives local police, sheriff's deputies and state troopers the authority to assist in the detection of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally as a regular part of their law enforcement duties on the streets and in jails.

The draft memo also mentions other items included in Trump's executive order, including the hiring of an additional 5,000 border agents, which needs financing from Congress, and his campaign promise to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The signed order contained no mention of the possible use of state National Guard troops.

According to the draft memo, the militarization effort would be proactive, specifically empowering Guard troops to solely carry out immigration enforcement, not as an add-on the way local law enforcement is used in the program.

Allowing Guard troops to operate inside non-border states also would go far beyond past deployments.

In addition to responding to natural or man-made disasters or for military protection of the population or critical infrastructure, state Guard forces have been used to assist with immigration-related tasks on the U.S.-Mexico border, including the construction of fences.

In the mid-2000s, President George W. Bush twice deployed Guard troops on the border to focus on non-law enforcement duties to help augment the Border Patrol as it bolstered its ranks. And in 2010, then-Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced a border security plan that included Guard reconnaissance, aerial patrolling and military exercises.

In July 2014, then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry ordered 1,000 National Guard troops to the border when the surge of migrant children fleeing violence in Central America overwhelmed U.S. officials responsible for their care. The Guard troops' stated role on the border at the time was to provide extra sets of eyes but not make arrests.

Bush initiated the federal 287(g) program -- named for a section of a 1996 immigration law -- to allow specially trained local law enforcement officials to participate in immigration enforcement on the streets and check whether people held in local jails were in the country illegally. ICE trained and certified roughly 1,600 officers to carry out those checks from 2006 to 2015.

The memo describes the program as a "highly successful force multiplier" that identified more than 402,000 "removable aliens."

But federal watchdogs were critical of how DHS ran the program, saying it was poorly supervised and provided insufficient training to officers, including on civil rights law. Obama phased out all the arrest power agreements in 2013 to instead focus on deporting recent border crossers and immigrants in the country illegally who posed a safety or national security threat.

Trump's immigration strategy emerges as detentions at the nation's southern border are down significantly from levels seen in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Last year, the arrest tally was the fifth-lowest since 1972. Deportations of people living in the U.S. illegally also increased under the Obama administration, though Republicans criticized Obama for setting prosecution guidelines that spared some groups from the threat of deportation, including those brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

Last week, ICE officers arrested more than 680 people around the country in what Kelly said were routine, targeted operations; advocates called the actions stepped-up enforcement under Trump.
OSCE wants 'real' withdrawal of arms in eastern Ukraine

Iran Press TV

Fri Feb 17, 2017 6:28PM

The head of the European peacekeeping corps in eastern Ukraine has reiterated the importance of withdrawing heavy weapons from the front line of conflict.

"The intensity of hostilities is much,  too much. And what we want to see is really the withdrawal of the heavy weapons and we have very little evidence that this is taking place," said Lamberto Zannier, the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which monitors the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

On February 11, 2015, at a summit in the city of Minsk, Belarus, a peace deal was brokered by Russia, Germany and France, in which Kiev and pro-Russia forces agreed on a package of measures to alleviate the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine.

"[T]here was a line that was somehow defined in Minsk but that line doesn't really correspond to what is on the ground, because there have been movements. And there are some who say we should return to that line, but of course this becomes complicated," Zannier said in an interview on Friday.

Zannier called on both sides of the conflict to move back from positions established at the time of the Minsk accord in early 2015.

A week-long surge at the end of January and start of February saw the heaviest shelling in two years, refocusing global attention on the ongoing conflict, which has strained relations between Russia and the West to the worst degree since the Cold War era.

The three-year conflict in eastern Ukraine has left about 10,000 fatalities and over 21,000 people injured, according to UN figures.

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Ukraine's Poroshenko Warns Against 'Appeasing' Russia

Steve Gutterman February 17, 2017

MUNICH, Germany -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has urged Western nations to reject calls for the "appeasement" of Russia.

In impassioned remarks during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference on February 17, Poroshenko suggested that U.S. and EU sanctions imposed over Moscow's interference in his country should remain in place.

Poroshenko said that Russian President Vladimir Putin "hates Ukraine" and "sees no place for Ukraine on the political map of Europe."

Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula from Kyiv's control in March 2014, after sending in troops and staging a referendum considered illegitimate by most countries.

The Kremlin also supports pro-Russia separatist forces in a war that has killed more than 9,750 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.

Lamenting what he said were "increasing calls for some degree of appeasement" of Moscow, Poroshenko warned that "it would be a mistake to think that Russia's appetite" is limited to Ukraine.

He called on the West to help stop "Russian revanchism," saying: "The time is now, and the place is Ukraine."

Poroshenko said that three Ukrainian servicemen had been killed and 12 wounded in eastern Ukraine in the previous 24 hours, adding that most of the casualties were in Avdiyivka -- a government-held town where fighting has flared up in recent weeks.

Speaking on the same panel at the annual conference in Munich, U.S. Senator John McCain urged the West to step up support for Ukraine.

McCain said Russians "are killing" Ukrainians every day, and said he thinks "it's going to get worse, because...this is a time of testing" the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump by countries such as China and Russia.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poroshenko-munich- warns-appeasing-russia/28316193.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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Cotton, Johnson, Rubio, Poe, and Rogers Introduce Intermediate-Range Forces Treaty Preservation Act

February 16, 2017

Washington, D.C.  Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), along with Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) today introduced the Intermediate-Range Forces Treaty (INF) Preservation Act, legislation that would allow the United States to take steps to bring Russia back into compliance with the INF Treaty and begin developing similar missile systems. Congressmen Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

"If Russia is going to test and deploy intermediate range cruise missiles, then logic dictates that we respond. Pleading with the Russian regime to uphold its treaty obligations won't bring it into compliance, but strengthening our nuclear forces in Europe very well might. We're offering this legislation so we can finally put clear, firm boundaries on Russia's unchecked aggression," said Cotton.

"Russia has a troubling track record of violating treaties," said Johnson. "The United States must begin to deal with the Russian regime firmly and from a position of strength, and this bill aims to do just that."

"Russia's mounting violations of the INF Treaty, including testing and now brazenly deploying ground-launched cruise missiles with intermediate range, pose grave threats to the United States and our European allies. This legislation makes clear that Russia will face real consequences if it continues its dangerous and destabilizing behavior," said Rubio.

"Just this week reports emerged of a secret Russian deployment of a nuclear capable cruise missile that violates the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. But this was neither the first such Russian violation nor should anyone expect it to be the last. While we have been limiting our own missile development in accordance with the treaty, the Russians have spent years violating the treaty with little impunity. This bill changes that. It brings real consequences for Russia's violation and prepares the United States to develop intermediate range missiles should Russia not come back into compliance with the treaty. No longer will the U.S. sit by and be played by Putin," said Poe.

"The Obama Administration's failure to confront Russian aggression in practically every sphere has only emboldened Vladimir Putin. His belligerence has brought us to the point that one of the seminal achievements of the nuclear age, President Reagan's Treaty on Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF,) has been left in shreds across Moscow," said Rogers. "This legislation will give President Trump the tools he needs to show our friends and adversaries alike that 'peace through strength' is back."

Background: On Tuesday reports surfaced indicating that Russia secretly deployed a new cruise missile in violation of the INF treaty. This legislation states that the Russian violation has crossed the material breach threshold allowing the United States to take steps to bring Russia back into compliance, and begin developing similar missile systems. The steps to bring Russia back into compliance included in the legislation are:

- Funding counter-force, active-defense, and countervailing-strike activities identified in the Section 1243(d) report of FY16 NDAA;

- Establishment of a program of record for a dual-capable road-mobile ground launched missile system with INF Ranges;

- Aggressively seeking additional missile defense assets;

- Facilitating transfer of INF range systems to allied countries

- Limiting funds for New START extension or OST activities until Russia returns to compliance; and

- A policy review on determination of RS-26 as countable under New START.

###

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The Kremlin denied Friday that it has grown frustrated with a lack of progress in improving relations with Washington under President Donald Trump, saying it's too early to say what course Russia-U.S. ties will take.

"We never wore rose-tinted glasses, never had any illusions, so there is nothing to be disappointed with," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked if President Vladimir Putin's administration was disappointed with Trump and the lack of quick progress in repairing bilateral ties.

Peskov dodged a question about Trump's news conference Thursday in which the president blamed the media for trying to thwart his plan to improve ties with Moscow.

Moscow believes that "Russia-U.S. ties are important for our two nations and the entire global community, so we believe that they deserve special attention," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.

At his White House news conference, Trump denied that his campaign aides had been in touch with Russian officials before the U.S. election and said he had "nothing to do with Russia." Asked whether the Kremlin watched the news conference, Peskov said Putin's administration was too busy with its domestic agenda.

Areas of possible cooperation or disagreements between the U.S. and Russia could only be determined after Putin and Trump have substantive talks, Peskov said, adding that it's not clear when that might happen. "Only after they have a chance to have a detailed talk it would become clear where significant differences remain and where it's possible to find areas for cooperation," Peskov said.


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Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Canadian Zeolite Corp. (the Company) (TSX.V: CNZ) (OTCQB: CNZCF) (FSE: ZEON) is pleased to announce its intention to spin-out its Bullard Pass Property (the Bullard Project) through a Plan of Arrangement under the British Columbia Business Corporations Act (the Arrangement). The Arrangement is designed to deliver greater value to its shareholders by unlocking the value of the Bullard Project. In addition, this will allow the Company to focus on the production and distribution of its line of natural zeolite products. An information circular is anticipated to be mailed out to security holders in mid-March, 2017 to approve the terms of the Arrangement and other matters at the Companys Annual and General Meeting scheduled for April 28, 2017.

Ray Paquette, the Companys President and CEO said, During the period of 2007 through 2010 the Company's major project was the Bullard Pass Property. We conducted geological work including staking, drilling and assays incurring expenditures of USD$688,000. We consider the Bullard Project to be a property of merit and further exploration is warranted. The current recommendation for the Bullard Project is a three pronged one phase exploration program. This program includes data compilation, increasing the property size through staking and a 3500' drilling program. The proposed spin-out allows the Company to focus on further advancement and sale of its natural zeolite products for distribution to the agricultural and animal feed industries, for water treatment and aquaculture as well as numerous industrial applications, such as road salt replacement, radioactive waste containment and artificial turf.

Canadian Mining Company Inc. - The Bullard Pass Property

The Bullard Pass Property is located within the Pierce Mining District in southern Yavapai County, Arizona and lies along the Bullard detachment fault in the Bullard Mining District at the southern end of Harcuvar metamorphic core complex. The Bullard detachment fault is a portion of the regional Buckskin-Rawhide-Bullard detachment fault in west central Arizona, striking approximately N55-60E and with a moderate dip to the south. While most of the property is covered by Quaternary alluvium, the limited exposures in the low hills indicate the hanging wall of the fault is comprised largely of Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks, while the footwall is comprised largely of mylonitized granitoids or granitic gneisses of early Proterozoic and Cretaceous age.

Mineralization is theorized to consist of detachment fault related gold. Small showings of quartz veins and breccias have been mapped locally on surface and have returned grades ranging from background to 2965 ppb Au. Mapping and property wide enzyme leach soil sampling highlighted three areas on the property: Unity grid, Southwest Corner Grid and Access Road grid. These areas were followed up with closer spaced enzyme leach soil sampling and preliminary drill targets were identified. A diamond drill program consisting of 8 vertical holes ranging from 400 to 500 feet was completed over the three grids area by Canadian Mining in 2010.

Board and Management

It is anticipated that Ray Paquette will become chairman of Canadian Mining and that the management team will consist of Brian Thurston as Chief Executive Officer, Mark Groenewald as Chief Financial Officer, and Dianne Szigety as Corporate Secretary. Changes and additions to the management team will be made as needed and as the Bullard Project progresses. The names of additional directors are expected to be announced in the near future and will be outlined in the information circular to be mailed to the Companys security holders for the Companys Annual General and Special Meeting.

The Transaction - Summary of the Arrangement

The Company has entered into a Vend-In Agreement with Canadian Mining Company Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, (Canadian Mining) whereby it has agreed to transfer its interest in the Bullard Project to Canadian Mining. Concurrently with entering into the Vend-In Agreement, Canadian Mining and Canadian Zeolite entered into an Arrangement Agreement which governs the terms of the Arrangement.

Pursuant to the Arrangement, Canadian Zeolite Corp. will be distributing the common shares it holds in Canadian Mining (collectively the Canadian Mining Shares) to its shareholders on a one (1) Canadian Mining Share for every five common shares held in the Company. All warrants held in the Company will be cancelled and holders of such warrants will be issued one (1) new Company warrant for each Company warrant held with an exercise price adjusted to reflect the spin-out of the Bullard Project from the Company and one (1) warrant in Canadian Mining for every five (5) common shares held. The exercise price for the Spinco Warrants issued to the Canadian Zeolite Warrant holders will be the lesser of the Canadian Zeolite Warrant Exercise Price, and the issue price per Spinco security issued in connection with the Concurrent Financing. The share and warrant exchanges set out above will be based on security holdings as of a date following the Annual General and Special Meeting established by the Company.

Closing of the Arrangement is subject to a number of customary conditions precedent, including, but not limited to:

1. Canadian Mining closing an offering raising at least $650,000.00

2. The Arrangement being approved by two-thirds of the Companys shareholders, warrant holders and option holders at the upcoming Annual General and Special Meeting;

3. The granting from the Supreme Court of British Columbia of an interim order authorizing the security holders to approve the Arrangement and a final order approving the Plan of Arrangement and the fairness of its terms; and

4. The Common Shares of Canadian Mining being listed on the TSX Venture Exchange.

The above description summarizes the terms of the Arrangement. A copy of the Arrangement Agreement entered into between the Company and Canadian Mining has been filed on SEDAR as a material document and is available for review at the Companys head office. Investors are urged to read the Arrangement Agreement in its entirety for a more complete description of the Arrangement as well as the information circular to be provided to security holders in connection with the Annual General and Special Meeting of the Companys security holders.

Concurrent Financing

As a condition to the completion of the Arrangement, Canadian Mining is undertaking a financing to raise net proceeds of at least $650,000. It anticipates this raise to be executed through the issuance of units for $0.09 per unit. Each unit will be comprised of one common share in Canadian Mining and one share purchase warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder to acquire, at any time up to the first anniversary of the issuance of such warrants, one common share at a price of $0.25.

Listing of the Canadian Mining Common Shares issuable pursuant to the Concurrent Financing is subject to approval from the TSX Venture Exchange.

Qualified Person

Technical disclosure for the Bullard Project included in this press release, has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Pat O'Hara. Dr. O'Hara is a Qualified Person (QP) under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Canadian Zeolite

Canadian Zeolite Corp. is an environmentally friendly Green Tech company involved in the exploration, development and production of the industrial mineral zeolite. It is a producer of natural zeolite from its zeolite deposits in British Columbia, Canada. The Companys shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol CNZ, on the OTCQB under the symbol CNZCF and on the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol ZEON.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Ray Paquette

President & CEO

604.684.3301

www.canadianzeolite.com

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

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made and information contained herein in the press release constitutes forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively, forward-looking information). The forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this press release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward looking information. Generally, this forward-looking information can frequently, but not always, be identified by 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 statements that certain actions, events, conditions or results will, "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotations thereof. Forward looking statements include, the anticipated timing of mailing the information circular to security holders, the listing of Canadian Minings common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange, the approval of the Arrangement by the Companys security holders, the ability of Canadian Mining to execute on the initial exploration program at Bullard Pass, the ability of the parties to meet all the conditions precedent to the Arrangement and the anticipated size and terms of Canadian Minings concurrent financing.

All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: risks and uncertainties relating to, among other things, the risk of the Company not obtaining: a) an interim order; b) a final court order, c) Canadian Zeolite security holder or stock exchange approvals to proceed with the Arrangement or the listing of Canadian Mining Common Shares; the risk of unexpected tax consequences to the Arrangement, the risk of unanticipated material expenditures required by the Company prior to completion of the Arrangement; risks of the market valuing Canadian Zeolite and Canadian Mining in a manner not anticipated by the Company; risks relating to the benefits of the Arrangement not being realized or as anticipated, Canadian Mining being unable to add additional properties to its portfolio, the potential dilution at the Bullard Project, the inherent uncertainties regarding cost estimates, changes in commodity prices, currency fluctuation, financing, unanticipated resource grades, infrastructure, results of exploration activities, cost overruns, availability of materials and equipment, timeliness of government approvals, taxation, political risk and related economic risk and unanticipated environmental impact on operations, as well as other risks uncertainties and other factors, including, without limitation, those referred to in the Risks and Uncertainties section of the Companys annual management discussion and analysis, a copy of which is filed on SEDAR, and elsewhere, which may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information included in this press release are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements and information should not be unduly relied upon. This statement and information speaks as of the date of the press release.

To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/CanadianZeo02172017_0.pdfSource: Canadian Zeolite Corp. (TSX Venture:CNZ, OTCQB:CNZCF, FWB:ZEON)

To follow Canadian Zeolite Corp. on your favorite social media platform or financial websites, please click on the icons below.

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Copyright  2017 Filing Services Canada Inc.
CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Feb. 17, 2017) -

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

US Oil Sands Inc. ("US Oil Sands" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:USO), an innovator of oil extraction technologies, announces that it has reached agreement with various service providers to reinitiate work on the PR Spring Project (the "Project") through the deferral of payments and/or the issuance of shares on outstanding accounts.

"We are pleased that the Company continues to have the support of the contractors who have diligently contributed to the construction and commissioning of the Project," said Cameron Todd, CEO of US Oil Sands. "As the Company continues to carefully manage its most recent capital infusion, the ability to defer or settle its accounts payable liabilities through the issuance of shares provides the Company with additional operational and financial flexibility. We can now look forward to completing commissioning procedures, beginning operations, and achieving our goal of making first-oil early in 2017 and profitably demonstrating the Company's commercial technology."

SHARES FOR DEBT AGREEMENTS

The Company has entered into agreements with four of its service-provider creditors to issue 793,857 common shares in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares") at a deemed price of C$1.15 per Common Share in settlement of an aggregate of C$912,934 in debt.

The issuance of the Common Shares to creditors as described herein is subject to acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Company anticipates entering into further agreements with service-provider creditors.

PR SPRING PROJECT UPDATE

The Project commissioning recommenced in early February as employees and contractors were brought back to site in a staged basis allowing for a coordinated and safe return-to-operations.

The Company expects to complete commissioning and initiate start-up operations over the next 8 - 10 weeks. Following successful initial operations, the Company anticipates ramping up to capacity.

ABOUT US OIL SANDS INC.

US Oil Sands is engaged in the exploration and development of oil sands properties and, through its wholly owned United States subsidiary US Oil Sands (Utah) Inc., has a 100% interest in bitumen leases covering 32,005 acres of land in Utah's Uinta Basin. The Company plans to develop its oil sands properties using its proprietary extraction process which uses a bio-solvent to extract bitumen from oil sands without the need for tailings ponds. The Company is in the pre-production stage, anticipating the commencement of bitumen production and sales once it has completed commissioning and start-up of the Project.

The foregoing contains forward-looking information relating to the future performance of the Company including obtaining approval of the TSX Venture Exchange in respect of the current and anticipated shares for debt transactions ("transactions") described herein, closing of the transactions, the Company's ability to enter into agreements with other service-provider creditors, expectations that the Company will complete commissioning, start-up and operate Phase 1 of the Project during 2017, and that production will reach the expected capacity. Forward looking information is subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in our forward looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of exploration activities, changes in world commodity markets or equity markets, the risks of the petroleum industry including, without limitation, those associated with the environment, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, title disputes, change in government and changes to regulations affecting the oil and gas industry, and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities (available at www.SEDAR.com). Forward-looking statements are made based on various assumptions and on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made.

Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking information contained herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these assumptions, beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable 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.
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Meet WayCare : an Israeli startup that wants to predict when traffic accidents and congestion will happen in cities.The firm is in the midst of a seed fundraising round and is working on potential pilot projects in Las Vegas, as well as Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The idea in those pilots will be to not only predict congestion and accidents , but also learn the most effective ways for cities to respond to those things.None of the pilots are finalized yet. But when they are, CEO Noam Maital said the company would be focusing on corridors with comparatively high levels of traffic fatalities.A spokesperson in the Tampa Department of Transportation and Stormwater Services confirmed that its in talks with WayCare about a potential pilot.By putting data such as historical traffic incidents alongside information such as current weather and what time the sun will set, Maital said the companys algorithms can learn to predict something like 70 percent of accidents up to two hours before they happen.[If] theres a car stuck on the side of the road, that has a very big implication in our algorithm on whether a traffic accident is likely to occur, he said.That means cities could deploy police officers to strategic locations, or it could even help cities set variable speed limits. Since speed is a significant determinant of how severe an accident will be, bringing down speed could help avoid fatalities.For now, its all preliminary  aside from the fundraising, WayCare is opening an office in Palo Alto, Calif., and working with the UpWest Labs accelerator.
(TNS) -- Imagine whats known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and what comes to mind are floating bottles, flip flops and coolers blown about by wind and currents. In reality, the patch, and countless others spread across the planet, are nearly invisible, vast peppery soups of microscopic plastic.Now, thanks to a pair of University of Miami oceanographers, and decades of data from government drifters used to monitor ocean conditions, those patches will be easier to find.In a new study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, Josefina Olascoaga and Francisco Beron-Vera looked at data from more than 15,000 drifters deployed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since the early 1990s and found something surprising: where an object ends up after it is tossed in the ocean is determined as much by the size of the object itself as wind and current.With the result, she said, we can better follow the pollution.Earlier efforts to track debris relied heavily on factoring in wind and currents. Scientists call it the Ekman convergence, named for the 20th-century Swedish oceanographer Vagn Walfrid Ekman who, basically, spent a lot of time looking at icebergs to figure out that objects dont get pushed in a straight line by winds and currents, but spiral because of the Earths gravitational pull and the way water absorbs energy.In looking at the drifters, Olascoaga and Beron-Vera determined that the size and shape of the object also affected where it landed, which logically seems like a no-brainer but documenting it turns out to be far more complex.The pair, whose research focuses on how the ocean mixes things, started by looking at the drifters and the vast trove of information they provide. Drifters have been deployed for decades by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to track changes in temperature, salinity and currents to help predict short and long term climate patterns. (Schools can even adopt one.) They have been used for everything from monsoons in the Arabian Sea to what happens between the air and sea during hurricanes.The drifters are actually made of two parts: a buoy, or surface float that includes a battery and instruments to track wind, temperature or other conditions, and a drogue which floats about 50 feet below the surface to monitor conditions in the upper ocean. Sometimes, the drogue becomes untethered.Olascoaga and Beron-Vera noticed that the two moved in different ways. While they both ended up getting swept into subtropical gyres, eventually reaching the center where garbage patches collect, the untethered drogues got there faster. The speed at which they arrived was too fast to be driven by Ekmans theory on wind and current propulsion, leading the pair to wonder what else was driving them. In a complex model, they determined that it was also the size and weight of the untethered drogues.By coming up with a model, oceanographers can now better track ocean plastic, a growing problem threatening both marine life  one study found baby fish now prefer eating micro plastic to plankton  and anyone who eats fish.Plastics never really go away. They just break down over and over again, spokeswoman Diana Parker said in a NOAA podcast explaining the problem.The research can also be applied to other objects  ships lost at seas, downed aircraft and spilled oil  where accuracy and speed can be a matter of life and death.Every step we do to understand more of the question, how things are moving in the ocean, Olascoaga said, helps us solve all these other problems.
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A fizzy delicacy popular with Texans could be jeopardized if President Donald Trump enacts trade policies hostile to the U.S. southern neighbor.

Coca-Cola bottled in Mexico, dubbed Mexican Coke, has gained popularity during the past decade as hipsters flocked to the drink with a sleek glass bottle and a reputation for using cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup.

The retro-looking beverage is ubiquitous in San Antonio and South Texas. Grocery stores, big-box retailers and convenience stores stock individual bottles in coolers and soda aisles. Trendy restaurants and food trucks order them lest they lose their hipster cred. But the sugary drink has long been in a mainstay in Latino communities in the U.S.

But supplies of the popular fizzy drink along with other sodas sweetened with Mexican cane sugar could be disrupted should the Trump administration pursue aggressive trade policies toward Mexico.

A previous trade dispute forced at least one Texas soda manufacturer to switch to U.S. sugar.

Austin-based Party Time Beverages had used Mexican cane sugar in its Doppleganger line of sodas, owner Joe Stanke said. The company supplies sodas to Torchys Tacos and Hopdoddy Burger Bar, both of which each have San Antonio locations, among other Austin-area restaurants.

But in 2014, a spat between the U.S. and Mexico over prices of Mexican cane sugar disrupted his supply. Although the two nations eventually came to an agreement, we just bit the bullet and said, Were just going to get it in the states and pay more, Stanke said. The companys clients and customers didnt note a change in taste, he said.

At least two companies  Coca-Cola FEMSA, based in Mexico City, and Arca Continental  handle Coca-Colas bottling operations south of the border.

A spokeswoman for Coca-Cola, based in Atlanta, declined in an email to answer questions about whether the company has contingency plans should a trade war break out between the U.S. and Mexico, how many bottling plants the company uses in Mexico and whether the company has found any significant difference in taste between soda bottled in the U.S. and in Mexico.

While Coca-Cola from Mexico sold in the U.S. continues to grow, it is minimal compared to the (overall) sales of Coca-Cola in the U.S., the spokeswoman said.

Click here for the full report on ExpressNews.com or read Fridays edition of the Express-News.
GREENWICH  Greenwich residents opposed to some or all of the social policy coming out of Washington are gathering in hopes of making their voices louder.

An initial meeting last week focusing on abortion rights drew nearly 80 people. The second gathering is set for March 10 and will focus on immigration.

The meetings, described as a call to action by Trish Hussey, a vice chairman of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee and a chief organizer of the event, were spurred by unhappiness over the election of Donald Trump as president.

After the November elections, the DTC got inundated with calls and emails from people expressing despair and fear and dismay, Hussey said. We heard loud and clear that people wanted to do something. They wanted to make their voices heard. They wanted to contribute.

Hussey said the Democratic Town Committee is sponsoring the meetings but they are open to all.

Reproductive health is a non-partisan issue, she said. We heard from Republicans and unaffiliated voters on this, too. We didnt want to play up the DTCs involvement too much because we want everyone to feel welcome and able to come and share their views.

Last weeks meeting included representatives of Planned Parenthood and the World Health Organization. Attendees were told of four bills now before the state legislature that would require parental notification before an abortion could take place, grant person-hood status to fetuses and require ultrasounds before an abortion would be provided.

Hussey said there has been a huge rise in the volume and frequency of American activism after Trumps election. She was among the crowds to attend the womens march in New York City, one of scores held around the world the day after Trumps inauguration.

The march was galvanizing and it was pushed by individual strength from so many people, Hussey said. We want people to know they cant just stand on the sidelines. We dont want them to be laissez-faire about whats happening in this country.

According to Hussey, the reproductive health meeting drew mostly women to the cafeteria at Town Hall but the gathering was standing room only.

I think it worked out very well, Hussey said. We wanted to bring in subject matter experts but not have them dominate the conversation. We wanted them to speak for about 15 minutes each so we could open things up to questions and answers and we could hear from people about what they wanted to do and what they can and should do to be more involved in these issues.

Attendees were given email addresses and office phone numbers for Greenwichs legislative delegation and for the state representatives for Stamford, New Canaan and Darien.

The group also suggested people check out www.cga.ct.gov, the official state website where people can check the status of any bills before the Connecticut General Assembly, and find out what amendments have been added, what committees the bills are before and when they are up for votes.

Its an amazing system and its really easy to make you aware of whats going on, Hussey said.

The next meeting will focus on immigration, sanctuary cities, increased action by the federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency and the Trump administrations actions, including a pledge to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and cutting off funding for cities that wont pursue deportation of undocumented immigrants unless they have committed serious crimes.

Future topics include gun control, the environment, funding for arts in the schools and what might happen if Congressional funding for the National Endowment for the Arts is cut, as has been promised.

The group is also reaching out to young voters.

We do need to do what we can to get our message out to a younger group of people, Hussey said. How we do that is really the million dollar question but its something were going to keep focusing on.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
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WASHINGTON  In the world of President Donald Trump and his senior policy adviser, Stephen Miller, the United States is awash in voter fraud  enough to give defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton the popular vote and a victory in New Hampshire.

But in southwestern Connecticut and the rest of the state, voter fraud is exceedingly rare. When improper votes are cast, its often the result of an honest mistake  such as someone thinking they live in Westport when, in fact, they live in Weston.

True story.

When you look at the millions of votes cast in Connecticut, the number (of illegal votes) is very small, said Michael Brandi, executive director and general counsel of Connecticuts State Elections Enforcement Commission, which fields and investigates complaints of election-law impropriety.

However, Brandi said, our job is to guarantee the integrity of the electoral system, and we take every complaint seriously.

Of 1.6 million ballots cast statewide in the 2016 election, 16 complaints are under review, Brandi said. A commission log of cases involving voting irregularities has about 90 entries dating back to 1975.

Trumps administration, however, continues to carry the voter-fraud narrative in the wake of his popular-vote loss to Clinton, even though he won the presidency via the Electoral College. Miller was on TV talk shows last weekend, saying voter fraud in New Hampshire was very real and very serious. It is widely known, he said, that busloads of bogus voters regularly cross the border from Massachusetts. Millers claim is unproven.

Such attacks unfairly undermine confidence in the electoral system, Brandi said. We prosecute to the max, but we need facts and proof, and not just baseless allegations, he added.

Misunderstandings

In Connecticut, the most serious instance of voter fraud may have been the case of former state Rep. Christina Ayala, of Bridgeport, who voted in nine primaries and elections from false addresses between 2009 and 2013, and did not live in the district she was elected to represent. She pleaded guilty in 2015 to election-law violations and agreed to not run for office for two years.

But the average case investigated by the commission generally involves a much more humdrum scenario. Among them:

A voter who cast ballots in 2013 in different municipal elections in Greenwich and Kent, something the commission blamed in part on an error by a Kent registrar of voters. The voter dropped his Greenwich registration and no civil penalty was assessed.

Homeowners who were registered in Westport because they thought they lived within its limits, but their homes actually were just over the border in Norwalk and Weston.

A father in Wilton who signed an absentee ballot application on behalf of his son, who was away at college. The hapless dad insisted he was motivated by excitement over his son voting in his first presidential election in 2012, not fraud. He paid a $200 civil penalty.

A college student from Bristol who was alleged to have attempted to vote twice in 2008  once in person and once via absentee ballot. An investigation showed a poll worker mistakenly checked the students name off on the voter roll when her father came to vote. The case was dismissed.

Registrars in an unnamed town received an absentee ballot from a voter they knew to be dead. Suspecting fraud, they opened it up  only to find a note from the decedents wife, explaining her husband had not been able to vote and she was returning the ballot unmarked.

Connecticut officials insist safeguards are sufficient to guarantee fraudulent voting is rare. Town or city election officials often consult with each other when a question arises as to whether a voter is double-registered, said Patrick Gallahue, communications director for Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.

Safeguard layers

In addition, Connecticut participates in a consortium of 20-plus states that enables checking for duplicate voter registrations. Applicants do not have to present photo IDs, but they must provide a Social Security number or drivers license number. Immigrants with drive-only licenses are not allowed to register.

Drivers licenses used for online registration are checked against Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicle records, Gallahue said.

Absentee ballots must be requested and are mailed directly to the voter or an immediate family member. Once they are returned, the name on the voter rolls is checked off to guard against the individual voting in person.

The kind of voter-fraud scenario of people getting bused in  I dont know how anyone could engage in that kind of conduct and go unnoticed, Brandi said.

The commission depends on local town clerks and registrars to be the investigators eyes and ears, he said.

Our staff takes its responsibility for ensuring fair and open elections very seriously, said Darien Mayor Jayme Stevenson, a Republican. Staff and volunteers are well trained and know our voter base, which helps significantly in identifying any potential issues.

Connecticut Republican chairman J.R. Romano said whatever the safeguards, Connecticut is not impervious to fraud. He cited the check box on the registration form that asks whether an applicant is a U.S. citizen, with no verification.

Americans have died to preserve the right to vote, he said. And to shrug this off is wrong.

Connecticuts voter ID standards ensure the law is being followed, Gallahue said. It wouldnt make sense to create potential barriers to voting for eligible citizens based on an issue that we have no evidence exists.
This week, Mark Zuckerberg posted a lengthy open letter on his Facebook page about his vision of the companys future, in which he explained his intention to build a global community.

For the past decade, Facebook has focused on connecting friends and families, Zuckerberg wrote. With that foundation, our next focus will be developing the social infrastructure for community -- for supporting us, for keeping us safe, for informing us, for civic engagement and for inclusion of all.

While Zuckerberg has said that he does not plan to run for political office, much of the letters contents would not be out of place in a campaign stump speech.

Related: 17 Weird Things You Didn't Know About Mark Zuckerberg

One the eve of Facebooks IPO in February 2012, Zuckerberg laid out his plans for investors in a letter that took on similar themes, though was not as detailed.



At that time, Zuckerberg shared his desire to bolster relationships between individuals, writing, People sharing more -- even if just with their close friends or families -- creates a more open culture and leads to a better understanding of the lives and perspectives of others. We believe that this creates a greater number of stronger relationships between people, and that it helps people get exposed to a greater number of diverse perspectives.

In his Feb. 16, 2017 letter, he led with the idea of utilizing Facebook to build support systems in real life. Online communities are a bright spot, and we can strengthen existing physical communities by helping people come together online as well as offline, Zuckerberg wrote. In the same way connecting with friends online strengthens real relationships, developing this infrastructure will strengthen these communities, as well as enable completely new ones to form.  These communities don't just interact online. They hold get-togethers, organize dinners and support each other in their daily lives.

Related: Mark Zuckerberg for President in 2020? Pundits and Comics Share Their Hot Takes.

Five years ago, Zuckerberg highlighted Facebooks ability to connect users to business and the economy, and to help people build better and more engaging products. However, in his 2017 letter he also talked about t Facebooks role to build tools to help make the world a safer and more engaged place. He cited Safety Check, and he described how users have taken to Facebook to fundraise after tragedies such as the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

He discussed developing artificial intelligence systems to remove propaganda from the platform and prevent recruitment for terrorist organizations.

This is technically difficult as it requires building AI that can read and understand news, but we need to work on this to help fight terrorism worldwide, Zuckerberg wrote.

Related: A Reminder From Mark Zuckerberg: 'Put People First'

He also explained that Facebook intends to prioritize protecting individual security and liberty, highlighting the social networks positive stance on encryption, which is integrated into WhatsApp and Messenger. Keeping our community safe does not require compromising privacy, he wrote.

In his 2012 letter, Zuckerbergs goal was to change how people relate to their governments and social institutions. The vision he laid out was somewhat vague, but it centered around the idea that Facebook and the internet at large would create an environment that would allow for a more honest and transparent dialogue around government that could lead to more direct empowerment of people, more accountability for officials and better solutions to some of the biggest problems of our time.

Related: Mark Zuckerberg: 'Entrepreneurship Is About Creating Change, Not Just Creating Companies'

But in 2017, in this current political climate, Zuckerberg seemingly felt compelled to be more specific about how he envisions Facebooks role regarding civic engagement. He described how the platform helped 2 million users register to vote in the 2016 U.S. general election, and how candidates and politicians used the site to engage with their constituents. Again, the CEO cited the platforms ability to bring users together offline.

Sometimes people must speak out and demonstrate for what they believe is right. From Tahrir Square to the Tea Party -- our community organizes these demonstrations using our infrastructure for events and groups, Zuckerberg wrote. The Women's March is an example of this, where a grandmother with an internet connection wrote a post that led her friends to start a Facebook event that eventually turned into millions of people marching in cities around the world.

Related: Mark Zuckerberg: I Would Only Hire Someone to Work For Me If I Would Work For Them

Zuckerberg used the letter to acknowledge mistakes Facebook has made in monitoring and removing content on the platform, citing the removal of videos related to Black Lives Matter and historic images from the Vietnam War as well as the misclassifying of hate speech. Zuckerberg characterized these exchanges with users as painful, noting In the last year, the complexity of the issues we've seen has outstripped our existing processes for governing the community.

He laid out his idea for developing a system of personalized settings when it comes to what content you see in your feed, proposing the idea of a questionnaire to determine how much users see content containing violence, nudity and profanity. We are committed to always doing better, even if that involves building a worldwide voting system to give you more voice and control, Zuckerberg wrote. Our hope is that this model provides examples of how collective decision-making may work in other aspects of the global community.

Related:

How Mark Zuckerberg's Vision Has Changed Since Facebook Went Public

Los 5 puntos que propone Facebook para construir el mundo que queremos

How to Create a Polished CEO Presence Worthy of Mark Zuckerberg Without Hiring a Staff



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
The Xiaomi Mi 6 has been frequenting the rumor mill for quite a few months now. Frankly, the immense fan interest has made it exceedingly hard to sort through all the alleged info on the device. Thus, you should take this new scoop, courtesy of a source on Weibo with the usual pinch of salt.

The poster claims that the Mi 6 will come in two distinct variants - one with 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a FullHD panel, while the other will ramp storage up to 64GB and offer a QHD display. Different storage options sound perfectly reasonable and were observed on the Mi 5 as well, however, having different panel resolution versions under the same phone moniker is a bit more uncommon, although definitely not unheard of.

Going back to the Mi 5 analogy, Xiaomi might very well opt for a "Standard", "Prime edition", "Pro edition" tier system yet again. Only this time, resolution would change, instead of RAM. Speaking of memory, 4GB seems like a good prediction. The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S8 is said to rely on the same amount, paired with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 chip, which the Mi 6 is believed to use as well.

While on the subject, another recent rumor hinted an a cheaper MediaTek Helio X30 version of the handset, as well. This could potentially put even more variety in the phone's tier lineup.

Circling back to today's leak, it also gives out some specifics on the Mi 6 camera setup. The flagship is said to use a Sony IMX386 sensor for its main 12MP shooter and borrow the Sony IMX268 8MP selfies setup from the Mi Note 2.

Speaking on which, the only real glimpse we currently have of the Mi 6 does portray it as a smaller Mi Note 2 in terms of design and general aesthetic. Frankly, the Mi 6 is still shrouded in a lot of mystery. So far, sources haven't even been able to get its launch date right. As the story goes, it was originally planned for a February 6 unveiling, but was then postponed for April, to wait out Samsung's alleged monopoly on Snapdragon 835 supplies.

We guess, we just have to wait for Xiaomi to weigh in on the matter with some Mi 6 detail at some point. The Chinese OEM won't be attending MWC and also appears to be keeping busy with redmi designs and a new Mi Mix, so the wait is on.

Source | Via
Hawaii pro-life centers fight abortion referral mandate

by Samantha Gobba, WORLD News Service, February 17 2017

Hawaii state lawmakers hope to make their state the next to force pregnancy care centers to promote abortion.

Twin bills in the state House and Senate would require the pro-life centers to post a pro-abortion statement in a clear and conspicuous place in their waiting areas or give it to women when they arrive.The statement reads: Hawaii has public programs that provide immediate free or low-cost access to comprehensive family planning services including all FDA-approved methods of contraception, prenatal care and abortion for eligible women. To determine whether you qualify, contact the appropriate Med-QUEST division eligibility office.

If pregnancy care centers dont cooperate with the state-sponsored message, they face a $500 fine the first time and $1,000 for each subsequent offense.

In addition, women who walk in and are offended by a violation may personally sue the center. The Hawaii proposal is more strict than Californias law requiring pregnancy care centers to promote abortion, because offending centers there face fines but not civil action.

Stacey Jimenez, director of operations at A Place for Women in Waipio, a pregnancy care ministry at Calvary Chapel Pearl Harbor, told me the bills would violate the centers freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

The ministry offers Bible-study format recovery classes for women who have had abortions, and Jimenez said the bills would essentially make them tell women, Go out, go harm yourself and come back and well help you heal.

We have had women come through our classes who have been infertile as a result of their abortion. And we have had women come through with emotional issues, she said. We shouldnt be in a position to refer out for one of the very things that we offer recovery classes for.

Women seeking abortion, she said, can search online for an abortion center: Why do I have to tell them about it? We don't do that here.

Other state laws requiring pregnancy care centers to post or hand out information on where to get an abortion have faced court challenges with varied results.

In 2014, a Maryland county dropped a case against a pro-life pregnancy care center protesting a law requiring thembut not abortion clinicsto post signs saying no doctor was on staff.

In October, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Californias Reproductive FACT Act, which requires pregnancy care centers to post or distribute information about where to obtain an abortion.

But in December, an Illinois judge issued a preliminary injunction against a new law requiring all healthcare providers to give out information on where to get an abortion if a patient asks. He called it compelled speech in violation of plaintiffs free speech rights.
Commissaries Begin Measuring Regional Savings

News Release from Defense Commissary Agency

FORT LEE, Va., Jan. 30, 2017  Commissary savings now will be reported more often and better reflect the cost of living where patrons shop, the director and CEO of the Defense Commissary Agency said.

We have updated how we measure patron savings at the commissary, Joseph H. Jeu said. This enhanced way of calculating savings doesnt change the actual dollars that patrons save, but it will give patrons a better understanding of price comparisons in their local area.

Accounts for Geographic Differences

Historically, DeCA measured savings globally, by comparing national prices at commissaries against average market prices for the whole country. However, the cost of living varies by region, DeCA officials noted. To account for these geographic differences, they said, Congress now requires DeCA to report on savings regionally, comparing prices with two or three commercial grocers, including super centers, in the local area of each commissary in the United States.

Through this updated measurement, officials said, DeCA also is expanding the range of items on which it measures savings. Besides continuing to compare about 38,000 branded items at a national level, they explained, DeCA also will compare local prices on about 1,000 products that are representative of a shoppers typical market basket.

What we did before was good for showing a worldwide, annual savings average, Jeu said. However, now we are diving deeper into our patrons shopping experience to better reflect regional differences in cost of living and actual shopping patterns.

Savings Rates Vary by Region

Because the savings rate is calculated from local price comparisons, it will vary by region due to differences in the cost of living, even when commissary prices remain uniform and constant, officials said.

To illustrate how the price comparisons work, officials used a hypothetical example of macaroni costing $1.25 at all commissaries. The comparison price at local commercial retailers varies by region. In Hawaii, where the cost of living is higher, the price of macaroni in commercial retailers is $2, but in Georgia, where the cost of living is lower, the price outside the gate is $1.50. This would mean that even though customers pay $1.25 for macaroni at commissaries worldwide, customers in Hawaii save 37.5 percent by using their commissary benefit, whereas customers in Georgia save 16.7 percent.

Congress requires that DeCA maintain savings at current levels, even as the commissary system transforms its business operations and improves the shopping experience, officials said. The new savings rate provides an accurate baseline that will allow DeCA and Congress to monitor and protect patron savings, they added.

Savings Levels Will Remain Consistent

I am pleased that DeCA can offer significant savings to our patrons on products they frequently purchase, Jeu said. The enhanced savings calculation will allow us to measure the benefit more specifically and more often, protecting it at current levels for years to come. The value of a patron's market basket should not change because of the new savings calculation. Although market fluctuations will cause prices of grocery products to increase and decrease -- as they do today -- commissary patron savings levels will remain constant.

This table reflects savings rates by region:

-- New England: 36 commissaries, 21.4 percent savings;

-- South Atlantic: 30 commissaries, 19.9 percent savings;

-- South Central: 33 commissaries, 18.1 percent savings;

-- Pacific: 31 commissaries, 20.9 percent savings;

-- Mountain: 20 commissaries, 17.6 percent savings;

-- North Central: 18 commissaries, 20.2 percent savings;

-- Alaska and Hawaii: 9 commissaries, 32.6 percent savings;

-- U.S. average: 177 commissaries, 20.2 percent savings;

-- Overseas: 61 commissaries, 44.2 percent savings; and

-- Global average: 238 commissaries, 23.7 percent savings.

The calculation includes applicable taxes in commercial grocery store prices and surcharge in commissary prices, officials said, noting that without these, savings would be 22.3 percent in the United States, 45.6 percent overseas, and 25.7 percent globally. Thirty-five states -- 70 percent -- do not have sales tax on food items.

More information is available in the transformation questions and answers on the DeCA website.
A Mother-of-three was fined 1,500 for unlawfully getting free gas using a dangerous meter that could have caused a "catastrophic" explosion at her home.

Sarah Walker (35), of Saggart Lakes, Saggart, was spared a six-month jail sentence and the maximum 5,000 fine after she pleaded guilty to dishonestly using gas and causing it to be diverted.

The prosecution was brought by Gas Networks Ireland.

John Memery, an authorised officer with Gas Networks Ireland, told Judge John Brennan at Dublin District Court that he went to Walker's home last September 19 to investigate tampering with a gas meter.

The house is in a gated community of about 20 homes and, when he was let in, he went to inspect the meter at the side of the house. The meter door was broken off and it was not the correct meter for the house.

Mr Memery said it had been stolen from another premises in 2012. Its washers were worn and the gas valve was not in the off position. He considered the meter to be in an "extremely dangerous condition".

Explosion

He agreed with prosecution solicitor Adrian Lennon that he took a reading from the meter. He said it was a big house and a considerable amount of gas had been used until 2013, but after the stolen meter was installed the gas reading dropped considerably.

He installed a new meter and, from September until the end of the year, there was 20,000 kilowatts of gas used.

He said that the average three-bed semi-detached house used about 30,000 kilowatts of gas in a year. Mr Memery agreed with defence solicitor Dermot Flanagan that he only spoke with the accused's husband as Walker was occupied with her children.

Mr Flanagan asked the court to note that the woman did not know about the meter and her husband paid all the bills. She was prosecuted, however, because the gas account was in her name and liability rested with her.

The solicitor said she is embarrassed, has no prior convictions and was not afforded the opportunity of a caution. He said the property was large and there were bank arrears.

Judge Brennan noted the guilty plea and the submissions that she was unaware of these actions.

Convicting her, he imposed a 1,500 fine and also ordered her to contribute 500 towards the cost of the prosecution.
Gda Jerome Twomey told the court that Morrissey was paid 600 a week for handling the cash.. (Stock Image)

A woman caught with more than 117,000 in her possession was acting as a bookkeeper for serious criminals.

Drug addict Janet Morrissey (35), a single mother with heavy debts, was "ripe for exploitation", Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told.

Gardai found 9,670 in her coat when they stopped her outside her home in Meile An Ri Drive, Lucan, last April 4.

A further 108,130 was found in a wardrobe in the apartment. A book, which was described as a ledger, was also discovered.

Morrissey pleaded guilty to possessing 117,800, which was the proceeds of crime. She will be sentenced on July 24.

Bundles

The accused said she collected money from people when she received texts from "Boss". She then sorted it into bundles of 5,000 and 10,000.

She said she had been doing this for four or five weeks, but the ledger showed it had been going on for longer.

Gda Jerome Twomey told the court Morrissey was paid 600 a week for handling the cash.

"The people she would have been dealing with were involved in serious crime," he said. "I believe that if she were to stop, serious threats would have been made to her."

Morrissey told gardai she never asked if the money was the proceeds of crime.
Hillwalking groups are breathing a sigh of relief after the High Court overturned a 40,000 award made to a woman who injuring herself tripping over a railway sleeper while hiking in the Wicklow mountains.

Mr Justice Michael White overturned a decision by the Dublin Circuit Court last year that found the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) was negligent for not maintaining a boardwalk on the Wicklow Way.

He also dismissed Teresa Wall's claim for 40,000 in damages.

The judge said Ms Wall was "a genuine person" who had suffered injuries that had greatly affected her "active lifestyle".

However, when considering "the mechanism of her fall", the judge found there was a "high degree of negligence on Ms Wall's part, in that she was not looking at the surface of the boardwalk when she fell".

The decision has significant implications for Ireland's national parks and for the future of the Wicklow Way itself.

Fears were expressed during the appeal that, had the Circuit Court's decision been upheld, the popular route would disintegrate as private land owners would withdraw their consent to allow walkers on their property out of fear of liability.

Mountaineering Ireland, representing 12,000 hillwalkers and 185 registered clubs, welcomed the judge's decision.

"The judgment will provide reassurance to hillwalkers and to many landowners, public and private, who permit access to their land," the association said.

"It reinforces the long- established principle that people engaging in outdoor recreational activities must take responsibility for their own safety."

Keep Ireland Open, a lobby group campaigning for greater public access to rural areas, also expressed relief at the ruling.

Excuse

"If the NPWS had lost this case, it would have been used by landowners as yet another excuse to restrict Ireland's already dismal level of public access to the countryside," said spokesman Michael Carroll.

Ms Wall did not respond to a request for comment made through her solicitor last night.

Judge White adjourned the matter for a fortnight to allow both parties to consider his decision and Ms Wall's situation before making any application over legal costs.
An Irishman has died after he was stabbed in the neck at a house in Australia.

Emergency services in Sydney were called to a home in the early hours of Saturday morning following reports of an altercation.

Police discovered a 30-year-old Irishman outside the property with a stab wound to his neck. He was treated by paramedics but he died at the scene.

The victim was from Enniscorthy and local people in the Co Wexford town named him last night as David Walsh, a father-of-three, who emigrated to Australia in recent years.

Arrested

Police told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper there were three women and a man at the home when a second man arrived at the property, leading to an altercation.

The women were not hurt in the incident while the second man sustained minor injuries.

A 35-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were arrested at the scene and taken to Bankstown Police Station where they were being questioned.

Enniscorthy councillor John O'Rourke said: "The town is numbed by this tragedy. He was a respected young gentleman."
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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national leader and Union human resource development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday said that his party is not going to name chief ministerial candidate ahead of the state assembly polls in Manipur which votes in two phases on March 4 and 8.

Every states has a different strategy.Sometimes we declare (candidate) like we did in Assam. But in Jharkhand, in Maharashtra, in UP, in Bihar and in Haryana, we did not announce, said Javadekar who is the BJPs election in-charge for Manipur. So its a strategical decision of the party to declare before hand or not to declare (the candidate). But well give you a very good chief minister.

Sometimes abundance of people also is the reason. Weve a number (of) very good and potential people.Its an issue of strategy, he added at a press conference in Imphal.

Read | Manipur BJP banking on this former footballer-editor for election win

Javadekar is currently camping in Imphal to personally take up the partys action plan for the crucial assembly elections in which is seeks to oust 15 years of Congress rule.

Earlier, BJPs Manipur Pradesh election management committee convenor Th Chaoba Singh told the local media that he had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to name a chief ministerial candidate to give their campaign an edge.

However expressing confidence of the partys success in March polls, the HRD minister said the peoples response to the party, compared to the last assembly polls, is quite commendable. A number of BJPs star campaigners are expected to speak to voters to further boost efforts.

Ahead of Modis visit for an election rally at the historic Kangla Fort on February 25, Union home minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to attend the meet Change for a better and develop Manipur on February 19.

Also read | Manipur election: Parties look to reap economic blockade dividends
BJP national president Amit Shah expressed confidence on Saturday that the party would form a majority government in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa.

Addressing a press conference here after holding public meetings in Basti, Siddharthnagar and Sant Kabir Nagar, Shah said: I assure you the BJP will sweep UP, Uttarakhand and Goa. Punjab will witness a triangular fight while the peoples view in Manipur is not clear.

He said the BJP had left behind all other parties in the first two phases of assembly election and added a BJP tsunami would bring about a major change in Uttar Pradesh.

Shah, who also visited Gorakhnath temple on Friday, said the tie-up between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress was an alliance of corruption.

Read| Uttar Pradesh elections: SP-Cong tie up an unholy alliance, says BJP chief Amit Shah

Going against its ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia, who kept opposing the Congress all through his life, the SP has sealed this alliance for the sake of power, he said.

Had Akhilesh been confident of returning to power on the basis of work done in last five years, he would not have held the Congresss hand, Shah remarked.

He said Akhilesh hurriedly inaugurated two projects  Metro train and Agra-Lucknow Expressway  even before its completion.

Over 10,000 people in Lucknow tried to board Metro after Akhilesh spoke about it on TV but had to return disappointed as the service had not really started, he added.

The data of the National Crime Records Bureau show UP tops the chart in crime. The SP government failed to clear farmers dues and could not provide uninterrupted power and water supply to the people, he said.

Attacking the SP government on deteriorating law and order, Shah said the Bulandshahr rape case and Mathuras Jawahar Bagh incident shook the nation.

Responding to a question over tickets to the sons and daughters of BJP leaders, Shah said the party had no place for family politics.

In Congress, Jawahar Lal Nehrus daughter Indira Gandhi became the PM and was followed by her son Rajiv Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi controlled the Manmohan Singh government. This is not the case in the BJP. If a party worker gets a ticket on the basis of his work, no one should object to it, he said.

When asked why the BJP did not give ticket to any Muslim candidate, Shah said the party did not consider caste and religion while distributing tickets.

On the question of dissent in the party over tickets, Shah said it was natural as more than one candidate was vying for one ticket. He said the issue had been sorted out as three rebel candidate had agreed to take their nomination back on his request.

Read| UP election: Why brand Modi will stand tall in BJPs victory or defeat
Rampur police have initiated investigation against Abdullah Azam Khan, son of senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, and his supporters for allegedly attacking and causing hurt to supporters of Bahujan Samaj Party on the day of polling. Polling in the constituency was held on February 15.

Abdullah is contesting from Suar constituency of Rampur on SP ticket against Kazim Ali Khan of BSP.

The FIR was lodged on the basis of complaint filed by Haider Ali Khan, son of Kazim Ali, in Suar police station on Thursday. According to the complainant, Abdullah and over 200 supporters of Samajwadi Party manhandled Haider Ali and his supporters near polling booth.

They used abusive language against me and my supporters and charged on me. I somehow managed to save my life or they would have killed me, reads the complaint lodged by Haider Ali.

Based on his complaint, the police lodged an FIR under section 307 (attempt to murder) of Indian Penal code (IPC) against Abdullah and his 200 supporters. A police team under the station house officer of Suar police station is investigating into the matter, said Rampur SP KK Chaudhary.

Meanwhile, Abdullah and his supporters have also lodged a similar complaint against Haider on Friday, a day after the FIR was registered against him. Based on his complaint, police have registered cross FIR against Haider Ali. The complaint lodged against me is politically motivated. I was not present at the place which is mentioned in his (Haiders) complaint, said Abdullah Azam Khan.

Read| UP elections: Weaving Dalit-Muslim alliance in Rampur, BSP in Azam Khans land

Abdullahs mother and Rajya Sabha member Tazeen Fatma has reportedly sent a complaint to the Election Commission. In her complaint she has alleged that Bahujan Samajwadi Party leaders are using Rampur police to act against Samajwadi Party supporters.

However, the SP has rubbished Fatmas claims. Both the FIRs were lodged on the basis of the complaint and we are following due procedures to investigate the matter. Police is not favouring or acting against any specific party, said the officer.
Uttar Pradesh begins voting in the third phase of assembly elections on Sunday with 24 million voters going to the polls in 69 seats considered the most crucial for the ruling Samajwadi Party.

The phase covers strongholds of the ruling Yadav family  the Kanpur and Avadh regions  but experts warn that many of the so-called safe seats might see close fights because of a resurgent opposition and bitter infighting within the SP.

Of the 69 constituencies in 12 districts which go to polls, the SP had won 55 in 2012. But spurred by infighting, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav changed candidates on as many as 20 seats.

Many party heavyweights  including senior leaders Shivpal Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadavs younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav  are in the poll fray.

Unlike the previous two phases, the third phase has the highest number of big fights, and figures many first-timers among 826 candidates.

The phase will be critical for both Akhilesh and Shivpal, who were locked in a bruising months-long fight for party control. The chief ministers move of replacing 20 winners with new candidates will be put to test. For Shivpal, it will determine whether the leader, who is contesting the elections as a loner without any support from the party, is able to win on his own.

The region where voting takes place is one through which the SP governments flagship Agra-Lucknow expressway passes through. The area comprises the potato belt, and Kannaujs perfume industry.

The Bahujan Samaj Party, with only six sitting MLAs, and the BJP with five are trying their best to take advantage of the Yadav family feud.

The usually predictable Yadav pocketboroughs of Etawah and Mainpuri and the rest of the Yadav land  comprising Kannauj, Farukkhabad and Auriya  might see close contests this time.

Read | Yadav family feud has led to the desolation of Shivpal Yadav on SPs turf in UP

Sundays polling will decide the fates Shivpal Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadavs younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav, his nephew Anurag Yadav and Akhileshs aide Anurag Singh. Also in the fray are BJP leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi facing off against Aparna Yadav, SP ministers Nitin Agarwal and Abhishek Mishra, BSP heavyweight Nakul Dubey, and many more.

SP minister and MP Naresh Agrawals son Nitin is contesting from Hardoi while minister Farid Mahmood Kidwail is contesting from his current seat Kursi (in Barabanki). Another minister, Arvind Singh Gope, is fighting to retain his Ramnagar seat in Barabanki.

This phase is also a test for the Union minister Rajnath Singhs influence on the five Lucknow seats in his Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency. But at the same time, it will tell if the big-ticket Lucknow projects of Akhilesh Yadav government --the Metro, Janeshwar Mishra Park, Gomti River Front, will convert into votes.

Election machinery too would be under observation for voters turnout. Last time this phase constituency polled 59.75%, while the first and second phases this time have polled 64.22% and 65.16% votes.

Read | UP elections: Why a hung assembly cant be ruled out in this battleground state

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Pakistani actor Saba Qamar, who is in the news for an old video footage in which she branded Bollywood star Salman Khan a chhichhora (indecent), says she loves the Indian film industry and finds the Dabangg star humble.

In a two minute-plus long video from an old episode of Pakistani show Good Morning Zindagi, Saba comments on Hrithik Roshan, Emraan Hashmi, Ranbir Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh and Salman, when the host asks Saba to say no to them under hypothetical situations -- and explain why.

The reasons she gave -- including one where she claimed she wouldnt like to work with actor Emraan Haashmi for the fear of mouth cancer -- got newfound attention on social media earlier this week.

Clarifying her stance, Saba said in a statement on Saturday, Good Morning Zindagi is a fun show where they ask you fun questions about Bollywood stars. Whatever I said about each of the actors was said just for fun at that moment. I love and respect the Indian film industry specially Salman Khan is such a huge star and so humble.

The actor is making her debut in Bollywood with the upcoming Irrfan Khan starrer Hindi Medium.

On Friday, IANS had contacted Saba, and she had said over phone that it was a fun show.

Koffee With Karan mein kya kuchch nahi hota (What all does not happen on Koffee With Karan), Saba asked.

In the video, when the host asks Saba if Hrithik asked her to marry him, how would she say no, Saba said, Dont want a father of two... He is not my cup of tea.

Next was Bollywoods serial kisser Emraan Hashmi, whom she rejected because she didnt want mouth cancer. This comment hasnt gone down too well with his fans as Emraans son has fought cancer and the actor has been doing his bit for cancer awareness.

Saba rejected Riteish because since she is an A-grade actress in Pakistan, she would want to work only with other A-grade actors, even in India.

The host then showed a photograph of Ranbir, whom she could not reject.

Of course darling, I am ready for you, Saba said looking at the actors photograph. But on insistence by the host, she finally turned him down because he had a chakkar (affair) with Deepika Padukone.

Finally, the photograph of Salman was shown, and Saba turned him down for being chhichhora (indecent), and for not knowing how to dance.

Sabas video appeared during ongoing tension between India and Pakistan after the Uri army camp attack in September last year, and at a time when Pakistani artistes are not being entertained in India due to a ban imposed by certain right-wing outfits.

Saba, who made her acting debut with the PTV Home drama Main Aurat Hoon in 2004, is popular in Pakistan for essaying leading roles in hit dramas Dhoop Mein Andhera Hai, Jinnah Ke Naam and Uraan.
Irrfan Khans film No Bed of Roses, a film said to be loosely based on late Bangladeshi writer and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed, has been banned in Bangaldesh.

Helmed by Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, the movie is said to be about Ahmed - who divorced his wife of 27 years and married an actress 33 years his junior. The filmmaker, however, has denied that its a biopic.

According to variety.com, the Bangladesh Film Development Corporations (BFDC) Joint Venture Preview Committee approved the script of the movie on March 8, 2016, after which the film went into production. The completed film was previewed for the BFDC on February 12, 2017 and received a No Objection Certificate on February 15.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Irrfan Khan in the poster for Jazbaa.

Just a day later, the BFDC sent the production a letter stating that the certificate had been cancelled due to a letter from the Bangladesh Information Ministry. Irrfan said, I am really surprised to know that the government of Bangladesh has blocked the film. This is a humane story that deals with complex male and female relationships in a subtle and balanced way. What harm will it cause to the society if seen?

The actor, acclaimed for his work in Indian films like The Lunchbox, Paan Singh Tomar and Piku and known in Hollywood for being a part of movies like Jurassic World and Inferno, Irrfan plays the lead role in No Bed of Roses.

The variety.com report claims they have had access to the film and it starts with a disclaimer that the film has no resemblance to any real life characters alive or dead.

Irrfan Khan plays the owner of Jurassic Park, Simon Masrani, in Jurassic World. He is a true heir to John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) from Jurassic Park. (Photo: Universal Pictures)

No Bed of Roses is a co-production between Bangladeshs Jaaz Multimedia and Indias Eskay Movies with Irrfans IK Company as co-producer. Farooki, who is known in Bangladeshi cinema for works like Television and Ant Story, is now taking the matter to court.

BFDC Managing Director Tapan Kumar Ghosh told variety.com that it is not the BFDCs prerogative to issue the certificate and it was up to the Bangladesh Film Censor Board to issue it. However, Variety has copies of all the letters issued to the production from the BFDC and they are all on the organizations official letterhead. In reality, international co-productions cannot approach the Censor Board without the BFDC certificate.

The cast is multi-ethnic including Omar Sy and BD Wong, as well as Irrfan. (Photo: Universal Pictures)

We have been blocked at the first gate, said Farooki.

As the order does not explain any reason, I dont know why they thought screening of the film would be inappropriate. Yes, my film handles a so-called taboo subject but it doesnt show anything explicit and hence doesnt violate any censor code. This goes against the freedom of expression, he added.

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Kangana Ranaut is a livewire when it comes to giving quotable quotes to media.

A few days back, she said that living in the same cottage with Shahid Kapoor during the shooting of Rangoon was a nightmare. And kissing Shahid Kapoor on-screen wasnt a great experience for her. In fact, she said, it was disgusting.

Later, when asked for his comments on Kanganas statements, Shahid Kapoor said, I have to tell you that Kangana makes up things in her head. She has a vivid imagination. I dont remember telling her all this at all.

And that made Kangana furious. She just exploded when Pinkvilla asked for her reaction on the ongoing verbal duel between the two actors.

That line he (Shahid) must have been borrowed from Hrithik. He would have thought that dude I will borrow these claims from Hrithik, she said.

She went on to say, I havent said such things. I give my version of the situation. When you are enacting a scene, we dont do time pass. When we are asked questions on intimate scenes, especially to girls, there is a sleazy undertone to it. Kaise laga aapko kiss karke? What am I supposed to say? I cant say acha laga ya kharab laga. My purpose is to answer it as an actor.

The lead actors of Vishal Bhardwajs Rangoon dont seem to be on good terms outside the shooting, and their onscreen camaraderie will be tested on February 24, 2017, when the film will open in cinema halls.
I have bronchitis. Its almost the first thing Nandana Sen says, walking in just in time for her session at Kitab Khana, the hip south Mumbai bookstore. A few days later, emailing from London, shell provide an update: taking a while to get rid of the bronchitis.

I put it down to being a thing with Bengalis. An instant kinship with anyone with Ray or De, Chatterjee or Banerjee for a surname. And that we consider illnesses legit social conversation. You only need to be halfway through Amitav Ghoshs Shadow Lines to know that.

Nandana Sen discussing her children's book at Kitab Khana during the Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda festival in Mumbai on February 11, 2017. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

But it also tells you something about Sen. In her decade-long acting career, she gravitated towards offbeat roles. Now, at 49, having turned full-time childrens writer, she shows no traces of really having belonged in glamorous Bollywood. Mainstream actors dont talk about bronchitis, let alone make public appearances.

She parks herself on the stage floor, as close as possible to the kids in the audience. She asks for names, birthdays, favourite books. Later, in a different context, she says, Ive always been more comfortable with kids than with adults.

She gets the kids to play characters from her fable, Mambi and the Forest Fire. In her geeky glasses, ringlets flying as she jumps with them and swishes an imaginary tail, shes more drama teacher at school than that woman with a famous face, and a famous surname.

Book signings and photos done  she sits Santa Claus-like, hauling children on to her lap one at a time  we find ourselves two chairs in one corner of the store.

Shes keen to talk books, kids, and social work. More specifically, her books, her social work. Not Yet [her latest book] was just published is in nine Indian languages [bilingual, including English], shell annotate our conversation in the end.

Nandana Sen with her father Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen at the Jaipur Literature Festival on January 17, 2013. (Himanshu Vyas/Hindustan Times)

The book is nuanced: a mother asking her daughter to go to bed, the young one imploring, Not yet. Though in playful rhyme, the scenario is relatable. There were many inspirations for it. First, having a niece Im close to, who never wants to go to sleep. Second, Im fascinated by the magical time between being awake and falling asleep, when the imagination runs wild and anything seems possible... This confluence of younger-older concerns runs through Mambi too, a fable about friendship and chivalry, but trials that manifest as a forest fire.

In the last two years, Sen has written three books. Shes got two more coming up. Talky Tumble of Jumble Farm, about a kid and her single mother, in nonsense rhyme. The inspiration was the Jabberwocky [Alice in Wonderland]. The words seem nonsensical at first, but are anagrams for kids to unscramble. In the second story, you discover antonyms in every line.

While her transition from actor to author seems abrupt, Sen says shes always been writing. Perhaps the best testimony is her monthly fiction series, Youthquake, for The Wire. She writes evocatively on adolescence, sexual violence and childhood trauma. The audience is adult, but kids are still her subject.

Nandana Sen discussing her childrens book at Kitab Khana during the Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda Festival in Mumbai on February 11, 2017. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

Sens desire to work with kids started early, during school in Kolkata. She was part of book-collection initiatives for kids less fortunate. Shed go on to work with UNICEF, and now Rahi  Foundation (they work with child sexual abuse victims).

All this while, she remained a voracious reader. When I went to Harvard, I had one-and-a-half suitcases full of books. I knew I would feel bereft without them, she says.

It makes you wonder if she was a misfit in movies. Sen crosses her arms at this point. Ive always had eccentric taste in films. I picked themes I connected with, or causes I felt passionate about. Black, Rang Rasiya and Autograph (Bengali), yes. Marigold, Tango Charlie and Prince, not so much.

Read more: Nudity needs responsible treatment

But she walked away from it. You might presume a degree of stability, besides the stellar education, that enabled it. But privilege is a byword in Bollywood. And yet, youll struggle to find actors who chose to leave it all, and make successful alternate careers.

Sen isnt done with films either. She wants to turn one of her scripts into a childrens film. I grew up watching childrens movies by Satyajit Ray, Ritwick Ghatak, Tapan Sinha. But now, theres the perception [in India] that childrens films dont make money. She reckons they could, as those in the West do. But something tells you shes not preoccupied with profits. The creative arts need people like that.

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When a monster calls, do you answer? A Monster Calls is a realistic fable rooted in fairy tales. Conor (too old to be a kid, yet too young to be a man) lives with his terminally ill mum, Lizzie. The father lives with his new family in America. Lizzies mother comes over to help. One night at exactly 12:07, the trees visits begin. He promises him three stories in return for the fourth, which is Conors truth.

Barcelona-born Juan Antonio Garcia Bayonas adaptation of Patrick Ness book by the same name is visually elegant, well-lit and sensitively shot  a satisfying balance between quiet moments and action-heavy CGI sequences. Animation director Adrian Garcia provides beautiful watercolour, ink and stopgap illustrations for the first two of the monsters stories. It adds to the magic realism, drawing comparison with Guillermo del Toros 2006 fantasy-drama Pans Labyrinth. (Unsurprisingly, the two are good friends.)

But Bayonas effort is less thriller, more heartfelt drama and more unabashedly emotional. Cinematographer Oscar Faura, music composer Fernando Velazquez and production designer Eugenio Caballero (incidentally an Oscar winner for Pans Labyrinth) are also part of the artistic behind-the-scenes team.

The emotion of dreams

In his Slash Film interview, Bayona said, I wanted to be faithful to the book, but I also wanted to find some light at the end of the story. This is the beauty of interpretations. Making Conor an artist changes some narrative threads in ways that work wonderfully on-screen.

But interpretations can backfire. Patrick Ness, in adapting his own book, seems to have simplified a simple story, robbing it of much of its complexity. This sounds paradoxical, but the books unexpected power lies in its insistence at being anything but conventional. It may appear as a coming-of-age narrative about grief, but its about a young boy calling for the end of his pain and the resultant isolation from the world. Its about the raw guilt of feeling responsible for his mums weakening condition because of his very human wish, and his subsequent need for punishment. Its about anger at feelings hes too young to process.

A Monster Calls, director JA Bayonas (left) cinematic offering, stars Lewis MacDougall (right) in the lead role

The film acknowledges the truth of Conors nightmare. But its cliche, minus any of the significance, that makes the book deeper than most YA fare. With the recurring nightmare at the heart of Conors emotional crisis, the book elevates the narrative beyond grief into the messiness of it all. That is the missing element the films denouement needed for more poignancy. (Though the film will still make you cry).

Id also have loved to see the wry humour that Conor possesses in the book despite everything; his defiance and courage, the layered relationship he shares with his mother, and his complicated connection with the monster.

The wild beauty of stories

Despite everything, the adaptation remains fresh. Scottish newcomer Lewis MacDougall is a stunning find, embodying Conor with remarkable poise and emotional range (tragically, he lost his own mother to multiple sclerosis). Felicity Jones has an expressive off-screen presence. Tony Kebbell, as the estranged father who loves his son and is yet unwilling to take him back to the States, makes for a genuine if complicated cameo. And what better than Liam Neesons distinct Irish brogue for the monster? The only false note is Sigourney Weaver as the grandmother, though there is one scene where she shines.

A book is not a film and vice-versa, and yet its possible for the heart of a story to remain intact through love and reverence for the characters and their narrative truth. Does A Monster Calls pass the test? Yes and no, but this is a compassionate narrative about love, hope, loss, grief, healing, the wild beauty of stories, and how to survive when it seems impossible. Id recommend it in a heartbeat.

*

The book of the film

When award-winning YA author Siobhan Dowd, who was working on a story about a boy dealing with his mothers terminal illness, succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 47, Patrick Ness, author of the Chaos Walking series, was given her characters, premise and beginning, and asked to write the book.

From HT Brunch, February 12, 2017

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A friend travels for adventure-themed breaks, in the hope that a paragliding accident might relieve her marriage of the husband. Another buddy, who crosses continents for wine-tasting holidays, confessed a perfect trip meant being sloshed by or around breakfast. Specialist travel  including to massage parlours in Pattaya  changed the way we look at travel: in lieu of aimless drifting, there had to be a focus, a peg, a point-to-point series of attractions. Internationally, spa circuits are popular.

Recently, as I met my middle age with a mood disorder, I decided to check into a few spas to see if they might save me from devolving into an Uncle  which is what the neighbourhood kids call me lovingly (I cannot tell you what they call me otherwise).

Guests visit this resort year after year because its nailed classic Ayurvedic treatments

Id flown from Chiva Som, my favourite wellness centre in Thailand, to its chief rival, Ananda, in the Himalayas. Theyre a bit like sparring sisters at the ball, both differently gifted but equally powerful, with exceptional strengths. Anandas fine therapists have been poached by spas internationally. When I met one of their former managers abroad, I joked about how many of the Ananda team were now with him. Thats not poaching, he quietly countered. Thats smart hiring. If this Himalayan resort enjoys lifelong loyalists, its thanks to its talented, tireless therapists  theyre among the best in the world. On my first day, after a jasmine salt scrub and an aromatherapy treatment, my Tinder profile, with spanking new photos in mountain light, landed an app-crashing boost (everyone was a good 150kms away proving that distance does, indeed, add enchantment to the dad bod).

The Wow villa

My yoga class in their handsome pavilion was a study in perfection; my instructor was the solid, silent type whose sincerity allowed me to ignore a visiting ministers handlers waiting around me as I performed surya namaskars (I was, for the record, extremely flattered when one bodyguard snapped a photograph, perhaps to show his children that middle-aged men can still stretch). I persevered, taking in the marvellous views of the hills, the clean, crisp air and the thrill of being treated like a social media star from outer Rishikesh.

Renewing the skin and the soul

What distinguishes this spa from others  which are privileged by swankier rooms  is that its a fundamentally serious place for sorting yourself out

Guests visit this resort year after year because its nailed classic Ayurvedic treatments, such as Nasyam (it did wonders to assuage my citified lungs, as did the Urovasti, which involved a black gram powder paste on the chest followed by an application of Dhanwantaram oil). My most memorable treatment was Njavarakizhi: Njavara rice boiled in the decoction of the herb bala with milk. This cooked rice is later bundled up and used for therapy. Your skin  and your vitals  feels renewed; I was quiet for a long spell after this treatment, something on the level of my consciousness had shifted, I had encountered something sage and potent.

Wholesome comfort food is part of the experience at every good wellness facility (Atmantan Resort)

What distinguishes this spa from others  which are privileged by swankier rooms  is that its a fundamentally serious place for sorting yourself out. Yes, their treatments for body renewal  such as the gentle eye rejuvenator  are sterling, but Id go back for their authentic interpretations of Choornasweda or their Pizhichil (and Id definitely angle for one of their gorgeous private villas over the rooms).

Pre-wedding pampering

An Indian wedding is where two people come together while everyone else falls apart. When 2,000 folks, en masse, are appointed cheerleaders for two peoples future infidelities, they want desperately to not look like extras on the sets of Divorce Ke Pehle. Frequently, weddings happen in Goa, where I live. The best stylist in town is Bina Punjani, who radiates calm, wit and talent as she takes years off your mug at her salon (where you can also get a splendid head massage from her team). Id watch for the home comforts of a massage on the beach; shacks like Anahata in Morjim offer treatments out in the winter sun. If you want luxury, skedaddle over to the spanking new Clarins spa at the W in Vagator where I prepped up for a wedding in Goa. Skin, they say, holds touch memory; in my case, the memories must have been horrific, for during my treatment I exfoliated like a snake in summer; evidently, my skin was in earnest to forget demons of seasons past.

Before my body wrap, I paused for lunch  because lets face it, if the entire beauty game is tiresome for Sonam Kapoor, then it was downright exhausting for me. The resort has a genius chef in Tanveer Kwatra, who whipped me up a cappuccino of pumpkin, goat cheese dumpling and ginger milk soup. My melting honey deep touch massage and foot reflexology was so relaxing in the spas glammed up environs (read: James Bond-like fountains) that I fell sleep and missed the wedding: the most sensible way to deal with such events.

If the entire beauty game is tiresome for Sonam Kapoor, then it was downright exhausting for me.

A labour of love

As I was about to get my first acupuncture treatment at Atmantan, a sparkling new spa near Pune, I was reminded of my mothers first needle treatment. The therapist, she said, had put her out of her joint pain and, comforted, she had exclaimed: Every prick was worth it! Ive lived by her sage words ever since, and I gladly volunteered to the astonishingly sensitive treatment by the hands of my doctor at this spa, which I predict will be the go-to wellness destination in India.

Carved into the mountains, overlooking Mulshi dam, the centre is evidence of charismatic owners Nikhil and Sharmilee Kapurs vision, adventure, expertise and passion. The resort appears in the middle of nowhere, immured by hills. To have crafted beautiful rooms overlooking the water with top-notch treatment rooms testifies this is a labour of love. Not only was the acupuncture exceptional, the Chinese massage panned out as a revelation of pain (strong, blunt pressure) that led up to relief (two days later, my muscles eased up from the treatment as I felt energy around my navel rerouted through its natural channels).

The backyard view at the W in Vagator, Goa (W Goa)

At Atmantan, renowned British medium and healer Jacqueline Bourbon  a visiting therapist, ex-Chiva Som  gave a reading into my past. As she channelled into visions of all the people Id dated, she might have been horrified; I know I am. During the guided meditation, Bourbon alerted me that someone in my life  a tryst of recent vintage perhaps  had had to leave. I rose from the meditation thinking this matter was over. This person, for their brio and talent, dissolved into a kind of memory ash. Id never believed a spa would grant me such a shift on a deep, psychological level; truly a gift.

Activities at Atmantan Resort (Atmantan Resort)

At the resorts excellent testing centre, I checked for allergies. While Id assumed this would have been limited to my former mother-in-law, it expanded out to tur dal and other dals (as a result, Ive resolved to consume only mutton biryani). I asked the spa manager if I might avail rejuvenating treatments before returning to Goa. She suggested a body wrap and their glorious signature massage (in equal parts guided mediation and relaxation workout). I came back from my stay looking at least 10 years younger than my age. But, my sister reminded me when I reached home, you went in looking, maybe, twenty years older than your age.

In any event, I said to her, this has been a good start.

The writer is the author of the best-selling book, The Last Song Of Dusk, and has also written some of the most popular, much Googled articles for HT Brunch.

From HT Brunch, February 19, 2017

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Sebi will not spare any violations in Infosys, the market regulator said on Friday, amid the IT giant came under the scanner for alleged corporate governance malpractices.

Any input that we receive from any source is taken to its logical end. Sebi does not believe that just because some allegations have been made, it is true, UK Sinha told reporters at the international conference of commodity derivatives.

We have to apply our mind and follow the due process. All I can assure you is that after an investigation if we conclude that anything wrong has happened then they will not be spared howsoever big or small they are, he said without naming any company.

Infosys has become the latest major corporate to attract regulatory attention for alleged corporate governance lapses being played out in public after the Tatas, United Spirits and Ricoh India, among others.

A senior SEBI official had recently told PTI that they are keeping a close watch on all the developments with a special focus to ensure that minority investors interests are safeguarded.

While Infosys and its top management led by chief executive Vishal Sikka have put up a brave face saying all was well in the company and denied any misgovernance or any other lapses, there have been reports that the founders of the IT giant are not happy with the current leadership team.

Some former Infosys executives have also raised questions about the way the company is being run currently, as also about the pay packages of some people including severance deals given to a few.
How the world turns, worms and all. Many did a double take when they heard the United States president, Donald J. Trump, saying protection will lead to great prosperity and strength. They had done it just days earlier when Xi Jinping declared, pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room and rallied in favour of globalisation. Our own prime minister, Narendra Modi, did his bit too, warning that globalisations gains are at risk and speaking against rising parochial and protectionist attitudes across the global.

The priests are turning on their gods. The Global North is saying the Washington consensus is not such a good idea. The South  more specifically the East  has now become the champion of open borders and free-flowing capital.

The Middle Kingdom has taken the lead. And why not, its been the great beneficiary of the international order set up and maintained by the US after World War II. After a few decades under a Maoist shroud, they embraced McWorld and saw their share of GDP go from 4% to 18% in 16 years. India hasnt done badly either, its share of GDP has doubled to 7.3%.

So when Trump scrapped the mega-trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, China immediately proffered its own Asian free trade arrangement to the world. When Trump spoke of walking out of the Paris agreement on climate change, Xi declared China ready to be the jolly green giant of humanity.

Read: Donald Trump can be a blessing in disguise for Indian IT players: Mukesh Ambani

Stepping into superpower shoes isnt that easy, not even if youre the worlds number two and its largely aspirational if youre number six. Understand the task that awaits the socially ambitious middle-level power.

The so-called American Century had three globalising sides.

There was an economic face. That was all about trade, investment, finance and rulebooks to keep the pinstripes straight. Another face was about security. The last face was values, the role model American institutions and liberal democracy provided for the world.

And now we have the blue collared American saying this economic order created by his bosses is unfair while these same bosses say playing sheriff is just a waste of time. As for values, the chief boss in the hallowed Oval Office is Donald J.

Into this gap steps China. Beijing should be setting up a global system in which everyone sees Beijing as the friendly neighbourhood bank manager and amiable local police chief. Instead China is seen as a Shylock whose weapon is debt traps and infrastructure contracts. As for being a sheriff, one just has to whisper the words South China Sea to make any foreign leader to see Chinese flags under the bed.

As for values, Beijing doesnt even pretend its repressive one-party system is worth emulating.

Read: Protectionist Trump threatens China; India will be watching

Indias candidacy for champion of a new global order has its own problems.

New Delhi has a decent record of multilateral security. It has built up a network of security relations in the Indian Ocean, adding a slew of African ones last year. Now it is exploring what can be done in the political minefield of the Persian Gulf.

The downside is Indias economic engagement with the planet.

Even adjusted for its smaller resources, India is a multilateral economic pygmy. India is the country that can only say No, is the countrys unofficial motto at august places like the World Trade Organisation.

There are niche areas where India has shown some signs of being a constructive global player, like climate change. India can actually claim to have given birth to the newest multilateral baby in the world, the International Solar Alliance. If even half of Digital India takes off, Modi would be in a position to be the Great E-Helmsman of the world.

Values is an area India actually has more to offer than it realises, but first it must strive to iron out the many creases it has in its practice of democracy and rule of law on the home front.

Globalisations new champions are well short of being Sir Galahads. India is a hero on the security side, a zero on the economics. China is the reverse.

Read: As Trump raises global trade barriers, India will be further pushed to the margins

In theory, a string of emerging powers could together more than fill up the space that is being created by an American president retreating at the beat of his constituencys nativism. However, last one checked New Delhi and Beijing talk largely about Masood Azhar, a topic that is unlikely to engender bilateral bonhomie.

A new world disorder is coming, some of which is already evident on certain Twitter hashtags. India needs to start thinking about the rest of the world in the comprehensive way that, arguably, it hasnt since Jawaharlal Nehrus day. This is not to say it isnt trying, but there is an element of two steps forward, one step back for Indias efforts. If China gets it act together faster and better  which curiously seems unlikely so far  India could find itself back to grumbling about the unfairness of a global system whose instructions are written in Mandarin characters. New Delhi is warned: globalisation is up for grabs just as India is positioning itself to benefit from its spread.

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The Congress is hopping mad. The Partys fury has been roused by Narendra Modis rhetoric. It believes hes been rude to Manmohan Singh. Its demanded an apology and if that isnt forthcoming, the Congress has decided to boycott the Prime Minister when parliament reconvenes.

The truth is that like many of us the Congress lacks a sense of humour. Mr. Modis turn of phrase may not have been brilliant but it was undoubtedly witty. And, of course, it was a put down. That, after all, is the intent of repartee.

The problem is we love a good joke at someone elses expense but when were the butt its perceived as an insult and we bristle with self-righteousness. Thats precisely how the Congress is behaving.

In contrast, just look at how British politicians, including serving and former prime ministers, have referred to each other down the centuries. As far back as the 18th, when the 4th Earl of Sandwich angrily said to John Wilkes Sir, I dont know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox this was the reply the First Lord of the Admiralty had to contend with: That depends, my Lord, on whether I embrace your Lordships principles or your mistress.

My favourite are the exchanges between William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, who were competing prime ministers in the late 19th century. This is how Disraeli once described Gladstone: A sophistical rhetorician inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity and gifted with an egotistical imagination that can at all times command an interminable and inconsistent series of arguments to malign an opponent and to glorify himself.

History does not record Gladstones replies but, thankfully, that did not deter Disraeli. On a famous occasion, when he was attempting to distinguish a misfortune from a calamity, he said: If Gladstone fell into Thames, that would be a misfortune, and if anyone pulled him out, that, I suppose, would be a calamity.

Read: Congress fury over PM Modis Manmohan raincoat jibe threatens to stall Parliament

This tradition of ribbing prime ministers has become a revered part of British parliamentary practice. Clement Freud dubbed Margaret Thatcher Attila the Hen. Norman St. John-Stevas called her The Blessed Margaret. Nicholas Fairbairn said of John Major: Hes more a ventriloquists dummy than a prime minister. Whilst Churchill described Attlee as a sheep in sheeps clothing.

The truth is all sorts of insults have been bandied about in the House of Commons. They include cad, stool pigeon, guttersnipe, snivelling little jerk and  the delightful  semi-house-trained polecat. Rarely does the person so addressed demand an apology. Indeed, that was also true when John Davies was called a fat-arsed twit by a fellow Labour MP!

Even the most dour have been capable of delicious flights of wit. Harold Wilson once said of his own cabinet colleague: Tony Benn is the only man I know who immatures with age. Dennis Healey dismissed an attack by Geoffrey Howe with the piercing remark its like being savaged by a dead sheep.

Read: Congress says it wont let Modi speak in Parliament unless he says sorry to Manmohan, Rahul attacks PM

So, instead of whining when theyre bested by their opponents, the Congress should learn the art of giving one better than they get. But if thats not possible, try and smile through clenched teeth. Throwing a tantrum isnt just childish its also a sure sign you cant take a joke.

Or would the Congress prefer Mr. Modi to borrow a phrase from the good Rev. Spooner and call them shining wits?

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DEHRADUN: Some Uttarakhand BJP leaders on Saturday rushed to Delhi amid reports that they had been called by the high command to discuss the post-poll scenario.

The report is that four BJP leaders -- Satpal Maharaj, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, BC Khanduri and Trivendra Singh Rawat -- had a closed-door meeting with the partys national president, Amit Shah in Delhi.

Maharaj, a spiritual leader, who contested the election from the Chobattakhal assembly constituency, is the BJPs national executive member. Rawat, a BJP national secretary, is contesting from the Doiwala assembly constituency. Former chief ministers and incumbent parliamentarians Koshiyari and Khanduri have not contested the election this time.

BJP insiders confirmed that Shah called all four leaders to Delhi to discuss the post-poll scenario.

The move comes amid reports that the mountain state is headed for a hung assembly with the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP in a close fight. The post-poll surveys and media reports contradict the claims of both parties to win 45-50 seats in the House of 70.

In a political party, such meetings involving its leaders and strategists are normally held, especially after elections, said BJP state general secretary Naresh Bansal. The meeting may have been called by top party bosses to discuss all issues relating to formation of a government, as the assembly poll results will be declared on March 11, he added. All aspects are discussed in such meetings, he further added.

When specifically asked, if the meeting will also discuss the post-poll hung assembly scenario, Bansal said the BJP will return to power with a two-third majority. That means we are winning more than 42 seats, he clarified.

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Dehradun: Three residents of Chakrata assembly constituency in Uttarakhand have alleged that they were facing social boycott by fellow villagers for objecting to bogus voting in the assembly constituency. The village head, however, denied the charges.

The complainants, Ranvir Singh, Shoorvir Singh and Uday Singh, residents of Fanar village in the Bawar area, around 150 km from Dehradun, were appointed as polling agents of the local BJP candidate, Madhu Chauhan. They alleged that Hari Singh, husband of the Fanar village head Babita Rana, had tried to allure them with an offer to compensate duly, if they condoned bogus voting on the polling day, but the three villagers refused to accept Ranas offer and objected to the same.

This, according to the complaints, angered Hari Singh, following which a meeting of village elders and other members was held under Syana Diwan Singh -- Syana is a traditionally accepted headship of the most influential family in a village -- on Thursday night to deliberate over their conduct. After the meeting, an emissary was sent to us on Friday, who informed that three of us, who tried to stop bogus voting at the village booth, have been boycotted by the community, said Ranvir Singh.

According to him, he contacted the team of special police observer in the constituency, but the latter refused saying that they cannot take action on incidents away from polling booths.

As per the decision taken by Syana, now community and other villagers will not be allowed to interact with us till we pay 5,000 and a give one goat as compensation to waive off the sanction, said Ranvir Singh.

When contacted for his reaction over the charges, Hari Singh said, I dont think any sanction was imposed on them (the complainants), but I cannot speak to you now. Please speak to me in the evening.

Madhu Chauhan, the local BJP candidate, said, Sitting Congress MLA had been winning here with the help of bogus voting in Bawar area, but now people have started rising against the voting culture in the area. Sanction against my supporters was the result of arrogance of power, but we will lodge a complaint with the district magistrate today or tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the complainants said that they were planning to file a formal complaint in the matter with the district magistrate in Dehradun.
To ensure that only leaders with grass root level support get tickets for the upcoming municipal polls, the Delhi Congress has set up a call centre to cross-check their claims and credibility among party workers.

The party has sought applications from ticket seekers with five references from each polling booth. On an average, each ward has around 45 such booths. Therefore, each candidate has to give around 200 references.

All references will be contacted through a calling agent to know their feedback about every candidate. They will be asked certain questions and will verify information furnished by an individual with the application. A dedicated call centre has been set up by the party. All calls will be recorded, said Delhi congress chief Ajay Maken.

Read:AAP receives over 10,000 applications for MCD election ticket

A senior party functionary said party volunteers have been given special training for the purpose and provided with a set of questions.

All sitting councillors in the three municipal corporations are likely to get tickets this time too, however, the final call will be taken on the basis of feedback from party workers, he said.

A message has been conveyed to all sitting councillors that they will be given the tickets. If the character of their wards has changed post delimitation or reservation (SC/ women) of seats, they can suggest names of their family members. The party will give due consideration to their suggestions, he said.

In the three corporations, the Congress has 88 councillors.

Read: A month ahead of MCD polls, Delhi to host the first ever Bhojpuri film festival

Earlier, the party had set February 15 as the deadline to submit applications for the election tickets, however, the deadline was extended to February 19.

Another party leader said the date was changed due to overwhelming response from the ticket seekers.

We have deployed eight persons who were accepting applications manually at partys state headquarters. It was a time consuming process so we asked applicants to submit the form digitally. Due to heavy rush, we have decided to deploy a separate person for document collection for all 14 districts, he said.

He added that the applications are being put in sealed boxes and will be opened once the process of receiving claims is over. We cant give you numbers at present as applications are kept in sealed boxes. Exact figure will be known when the boxes will be unsealed for scrutiny, the Congress leader said.

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The driver of a BMW car who had stopped to relieve himself was allegedly robbed by three men at gunpoint in northwest Delhis Adarsh Nagar area on Thursday night.

The alert driver, however, chased the men down and managed to catch one of them, identified as Rinku (30). Other two managed to flee.

According to the police, the incident was reported around 3 am, when Varun, who owns a BPO, and Kabir were returning from work.

The men reportedly had a bag that contained Rs 1 lakh inside the car. When they stopped near Adarsh Nagar to relieve themselves, three youths on a bike intercepted them and held them hostage at gunpoint.

They asked the men to hand over the bag, mobile and other cash to them, a senior police officer said.

Varun in his complaint stated that he gave his gold kada, phone and the bag that had R 1 lakh to the men. The men then got on to the bike and fled. Varun and Kabir then got inside the car and started chasing the bike.

Meanwhile, Kabir also made a PCR call and informed them about the robbery. Soon after, the emergency reaction vehicle (ERV) also joined the chase.

While the accused were being chased, they allegedly opened fire at the vehicle hoping to puncture the tyres. They were, however, disbalanced, and fell on the ground.

While the two men were chasing the bike, the accused tried to puncture their tyre and a bullet even hit the cars engine. The bikers also fired in the air to scare the duo but they kept chasing them. Varun then managed to overtake the bike. The bikers could not speed more, lost balance and fell,a police officer said.

While one of them was apprehended, two others managed to escape along with the bag.

A case of robbery and attempt to murder has been registered. One person was arrested and some cartridges have been recovered from him, said Milind Mahadeo Dumbere, DCP, northwest.
Delhi Police special cell on Friday arrested two persons, reportedly associated with the ISI and seized Rs 6 lakh in fake Rs 100 notes that they were allegedly trying to funnel into India from Nepal.

According to sources the consignment worth Rs 6 lakh of FICN (fake Indian currency notes) was smuggled from Nepal to India. Sources said that earlier Malda route was used to pump in FICN of Rs 2,000 denomination.

Police said that the Border Security Force and National Investigating Agency busted that module while the special cell of Delhi police made the seizure in the capitals Sonia Vihar area. This is the first seizure of 100 rupee notes post demonetisation.

One of the main aims of demonetising high value bank notes was to stop fake currency being pumped into the economy. But a spate of seizures recently, including some of high denominations, indicate that counterfeiters do not seem to have been hit hard.

Last month, the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested three men and claimed to have busted a fake currency printing racket. Counterfeit notes in the denomination of Rs 2,000 with a total face value of Rs 18 lakh were seized from them.

Also read | Demonetisation affects Nepal, black marketing of currency rampant at border

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In a step towards improving the public transport in the city, the Delhi government has added 100 new GPS-enabled buses in its fleet and plans to add 250 more during the next two months and 450 AC buses this year.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia flagged off new buses outside the Delhi Secretariat. The induction of 100 new cluster buses will facilitate connectivity for commuters in the Capital, he said.

The new cluster buses are GPS-enabled and comfortable. We are also developing 31 new bus depots and are awaiting approval from DDA in this regard, transport minister Satyendar Jain said.

A plan is also being processed to facilitate a multilevel parking at bus depots to ease traffic congestion and parking woes, he added.

The buses have mobile charging sockets. (Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times)

According to KK Dahiya, special transport commissioner, Approximately 20 acre land is being utilised in Bawana and Narela to develop new bus depots that will have multilevel parking.

Besides urban specifications and safety tests, the buses are fitted with 41 anti-vandalism seats (that wont come off easily) and have a better seating arrangement to ensure the comfort of passengers.

With the addition of 100 buses, the cluster fleet strength has risen to 1,725. They will be largely catering to north, east and west Delhi on eight additional cluster routes. Additional buses will not only boost public transport, but will also help take at least 5,000-6,000 cars off the city roads.

Digital ticket systems have been installed in the 100 new cluster buses. (Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times)

In their first budget, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had promised to induct 10,000 more buses in five years while in the manifesto, the promise was to add 5,000 buses. In its second budget presented last year, the government said it would procure 1,000 new low floor non-AC buses, 1,000 under the cluster bus scheme and another 1,000 under a new premium category during 2016-17.

However, not a single bus has been added to the low-floor fleet and only 215 have been added under the cluster scheme. The plan for premium buses did not materialise as the L-G asked the government to rework on the proposal.

Data show that bus fleet has reduced by over 35% in the last six years. Delhi Transport Corporation, which used to operate 6,204 buses in 2010-11, is operating only 4,020 buses due to which ridership has also reduced considerably. Only 21.80% Delhi commutes by buses, but the share of buses among all registered vehicles in Delhi has gone down from 1.52% in 1980-81 to less than 0.36% now. The depleting fleet of DTC buses and its image of poor mans service have kept commuters away.

A first-aid box. With the addition of 100 buses, the cluster fleet strength has risen to 1,725. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

The Delhi government and the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) which runs the cluster bus service are in the final leg of procuring standard floor non-AC buses.

The buses will be able to seat 42 people, more than DTCs 35-seater low floor buses. The fares will be charged through electronic ticketing machines, said an official.

In September, the government inducted 100 buses under the cluster fleet. In the next phase, it promised to add 800 buses, of which 450 buses will be air conditioned.
Delhi Police suspect that the Rs100 fake Indian currency notes recovered from two persons in Sonia Vihar on Friday, were to be supplied to eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, where assembly polls are being conducted in seven phases.

Sources in the special cell said that the two men, Sanjeev, 31, and Arvin, 35, have disclosed that in the past two months, they circulated fake notes worth Rs 2 crore within Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR, including areas of Noida and Ghaziabad.

It is clear that the fake currency was being printed in Pakistan. From Pakistan it was being pushed into India via Nepal under the supervision of Pakistans Intelligence Agency, ISI, with an aim to destabilise the economy. These two men, who have been arrested, were just distributors. Their job was to take the consignment from eastern UP and then supply it to the areas where the demand was high, a police source said.

We have identified the person who used to get the fake currency from Nepal and deliver it to Sanjeev and Arvin for further supply and have sent teams to arrest him. This man had been dealing in fake currency notes for the past 12 years and has a vast network in Nepal, he added.

Of late, the accused disclosed that there was high demand of fake notes from eastern and western UP, sources said. They said that many persons who were involved in election rallies in UP had contacted them for the money and they had supplied it for election purposes. It is, however, not clear, if this money was distributed to people for votes, a police source said.

Police sources said that one Iqbal Kana, a native of Shamli in western UP, who is currently in Pakistan is the one who facilitates the supply of fake currency in India.

Kana has a good hold over UP and has several sources here who work for him. Kana pushes 80% fake currency to India through the porous Nepal, Malda and Bangladesh border, that is then transferred to UP and is further distributed from there. We suspect that the new Rs100 notes, too, were pushed from Pakistan by him, a police source said.

The police have now taken the two accused to UP to help them identify the men who bought the fake currency from them. More arrests are likely to take place in the case. The person who got the consignment from Nepal and gave it to these two for further supply will soon be arrested. Also, the buyers of the fake currency are also on our radar. What was the purpose of buying the fake currency will be clear once they are apprehended, a police officer said.

The police also suspects that the accused supplied the fake currency to terror modules in India. Investigation in the matter is on.

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A day after Ghaziabad police lodged an FIR against several persons who allegedly forced a 25-year-old man to drink urine in Bhojpur village, locals said the content was that of a man and his wife, whose bedroom the victim peeped into.

The incident happened on February 10, when the victim, a daily wager who helps in erecting marriage pandals, peeped into his neighbour Amits bedroom, when the latters wife was inside. He was in a drunken state and when the woman raised an alarm, he fled the spot.

However, he was summoned to a panchayat on February 14, where he was forced to stand on one leg, was beaten up, and made to drink urine. The incident came to light only on Friday, when the victims wife filed a complaint with the police.

Officiating senior superintendent of police Salmantaj Patil had, on Friday, ordered Bhojpur police to immediately register an FIR. Although the police have been tight-lipped about the panchayat or the incident, locals revealed more chilling details on Saturday.

There were nearly 100-125 people assembled at the panchayat, held opposite the house of one Puran. Amit, his wife, parents, uncle and brothers were present. The victim stood on one leg before the panchayat for nearly an hour and repeatedly apologised for the mistake. Amit and his brothers slapped him. Later, the victims aunt beat him up with sugarcane. His uncle too joined her, said Chiranji Lal, a villager.

Chiranji Lal said that later, Amits wife came up with her slippers and hit him with it. Then too, the victim was apologising. He was made to write a mafinama (apology letter), in which he said that he is sorry for the mistake and will not be seen in the locality post evening. After this, Amit brought a bottle containing urine. He claimed that the urine was of himself and his wife. The bottle was half full. Four to five people from his family held the victim and forced the content to his mouth, he said.

Chaman Kumar, another villager, said that Amit and family had filled the bottle beforehand and brought to the gathering.

Amit said iski nazar nahi uthane denge (We will not allow him to raise his eyes). Several people from his neighbours family grabbed him and forced urine to his mouth. No one got time to save him. No one came forward as it was urine. Ever since the incident, he has left his house and is staying with some relative, Chaman said.

Locals said that following the incident, the victim had run to his house and tried to set himself afire, which was thwarted by his neighbours. Unable to face the humiliation, the victim and his family have fled their house.

Meanwhile, Amits family had lodged a complaint against the man after he peeped into the house on February 10. The complaint alleged that he had come with an intention of theft.

Chaman said that when the humiliated victim attempted suicide, Amits family had rang up the police station and informed them that the thief had come. When police arrived and were apprised of the incident, they beat the perpetrators of the incident instead and said that an FIR would be lodged against them, he said.

Police have arrested Amit and three others namely Rajvir, Deepu and Vikas, in the case.

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The Public Works Department (PWD) has invited suggestions from residents of neighbouring areas for the layout plan to redesign the 5.8-kilometre Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor project, which was scrapped in February 2016.

The PWD has decided to redesign the road with construction of six subways that would have provision for cafes and shops.

As per the plan, humps will be made on this stretch under which low-inclined subways will be constructed. These subways can be used by the motorised and non-motorised vehicles to take u-turns and for pedestrians to cross the road, a senior PWD official.

On Saturday, a meeting was called by the senior officials of PWD with the RWAs to give presentations on infrastructure development happening in Greater Kailash constituency. The meeting was convened by area MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj at CR Park.

But the residents demanded the agency to make arrangements to deal with congestion at three major bottlenecks  Chirag Dilli, GK-I Archana complex and Moolchand.

These points are always confusing and remain choked. This increases the chance of accidents. To avoid the situation, we had asked the officials to make enough arrangements, said an RWA member from GK-II.

Residents demanded a reduction in the width of footpaths on BRT stretch and increasing the width of carriageway.

In January, the RWAs met PWD minister Satyendra Jain requesting a presentation about major projects in GK. During the meeting, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation officials also shared the site map of the Greater Kailash Metro station with one of its entry/exit points at the sharp turn of GK-II, near Savitri Cinema, Ring Road. The residents can reach the metro station constructed on other side of Ring Road using a tunnel.

For going downstairs, the DMRC has provided stairs and elevators. But residents demanded that the DMRC must occupy the portion of land at Savitri Complex and use it for installing escalators as well, said Suchita Meena, a resident of Alaknanda.

To this, Bhardwaj said that the Savitri Cinemas land belongs to a private company. To discuss the matter, we will meet lieutenant governor Anil Baijal soon, he said.
If you have faced a problem making payment via card to recharge your Delhi Metro Smart Card, it is likely to be resolved soon.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), after receiving complaints from several commuters, has awarded contracts for new card swipe machines. These will start arriving next week.

Cash transactions reduced significantly at Metro stations after the November 8 recall of old 1,000 and 500-rupee bills, with more and more people switching to digital mode of payment.

The DMRC also accept payments through Paytm, but many commuters prefer to recharge their smart cards from the customer care counters.

For the past few days, the card swipe machine has not been working at the Vaishali Metro station. I tried at a few other stations too but there were network issues and the transaction got declined. What is the point of going cashless when you dont have the infrastructure, said Raksha Singh, a regular Metro commuter.

The DMRC will install 400 new card swipe machines for the facilitation of online transactions at its stations as part of a new tender.

By and large, the point-of-sale machines used for card payments are working fine across the system. However, on occasions there may be connectivity-related issues. The system is expected to get further streamlined in the days to come as fresh tendering process for these machines is currently underway, said DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal.

Another DMRC official said that once the new stock arrives, every station will have at least two such machines.

There were many stations where no machine was available while at few only one machine was available. Now we will have machines at 160 customer care centres so that customers do not have to face problems in case they want to use card for payment, the official added.
From a community FM radio channel, university, a chamber of commerce to a multi-specialty hospital and a medical college, various groups contesting the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) are promising various schemes for the welfare of the community to woo voters before the polls on February 26.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa, outgoing general secretary of the DSGMC, said if they came to power again, they would continue to promote and celebrate Sikh culture and heritage. We organised a two-day event at Lal Quila to venerate the Khalsa victory in Delhi, when Sikh general Baba Baghel Singh hoisted the Khalsa flat at Lal Quila. We also observed the centenary of the martyrdom of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. We will carry forward this legacy. We will publish more religious texts, he said.

Read|DSGMC elections: Three-cornered contest in the offing

Sirsa is contesting on a Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) ticket from Punjabi Bagh ward. The Akali leader said that the construction of a multi-specialty hospital and medical college were also on their agenda. People will vote for us because of our clean record. We eliminated several irregularities prevailing in the previous committee, he said.

Over 3.8 lakh Sikh voters in the capital will elect 46 members for the committee.

Paramjit Singh Sarna, president of SAD (Delhi), a splinter group of Akali Dal, said his party will focus on the youth and launch programmes to bring them closer to the religion. He is contesting against Sirsa from the Punjabi Bagh ward.

We will start a Sikh helpline and a Sikh FM radio station to help the community and to proliferate the Sikh religion and the Sikh language Gurmukhi. Also, Sikh religious material will be published in various languages to promote the Sikh religion and ensure distribution of Guru Granth Sahib in all homes, Sarna added.

Read|Whats at stake in DSGMC? Religious clout, a moneyed organisation, and much more

Kulwant Singh Baath, SAD (Badal) candidate from Navin Shahdara ward said his priority will be to set up a Khalsa college in trans-Yamuna area. As I come from east Delhi, I would make effort to build a college for children of our community in this region. One of the biggest achievements of DSGPC is that it managed to secure 50 % minority quota for Sikh children in colleges run by the committee, he said.

Read|SGPC panel to probe Dera Sacha Sauda support to SAD
The Aam Aadmi Party is at loggerheads with the Centre again and this time the bone of contention is the compensation package of its legislators. For the second time, the Union home ministry has turned down a bill passed by the Delhi Assembly seeking to raise the emoluments package of Delhis MLAs from Rs 88,000 to Rs 2.1 lakh. Since Delhi is a Union Territory with a legislative assembly, bills with financial implications have to be cleared by the Centre. Supporters of a 400% hikes for the legislators argue that higher emoluments for legislators would lead to greater probity in public life and thereby less corruption. No one grudges a salary hike for our lawmakers. But it has to be commensurate with performance. If those who elected them to office get their remuneration based on the work they do, why should the MLAs be any different?

Read: View | For honest politics: Why our MPs deserve to be paid better salaries

There is a constant clamour for higher salaries and better perks even among our Parliamentarians. Last year, a parliamentary panel recommended a 100% hike for our parliamentarians. Apart from basic pay, Indian MPs get an array of perquisites including fuel allowance, diesel allowance, constituency allowance and allowance to pay their secretarial staff. That is not the case in many other countries, including in British democracy on which ours is modelled. In Britain, MPs often use public transport and do not get the security detail and cavalcades that many of our elected representatives are used to.

Read: Counter view | If parliamentarians want a better pay, let them perform

Apart from Rs 45,000 as basic salary, the compensation for an MP includes Rs 45,000 as constituency allowance, Rs 30,000 to pay the staff and Rs 15,000 for stationary! Plus, he or she gets Rs 2,000 per day just to attend parliament. Other entitlements include rent-free accommodation in the capital, 1.50 lakh free phone calls a year, and 4,000 kilolitres of water and 50,000 units of electricity per annum. Many politicians in the Capital get plush accommodation in the heart of Lutyens Delhi. With the economy still recovering from the after-effects of a note ban, the demand for a 400% hike needs a strong justification. It is true that they have to spend money on their constituents many of whom come to them with demands and grievances. But that is what they signed up for. While constantly demanding salary hikes, many of our MPs and MLAs seem to forget that they even get several benefits well after they demit office, unlike in other professions.
Students of the Lucknow University will soon get to assess their teachers as the officials are set to come up with a format allowing them to evaluate their classroom experience.

The university will begin the process of obtaining the feedback of students about the faculty. The move is seen as an attempt to improve the quality of education.

The idea is to find out what students think about the way they are being taught. We are developing a system with a set of questions that will be distributed among the students to rate the teachers, an official said.

In addition to this, a monthly report pro forma has also been circulated to the heads of various departments so that the monthly progress and activity report of the departments can be compiled, said LU spokesman NK Pandey.

The university, through its Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), will start the process of obtaining students feedback about the faculty engaged in teaching, he said.

The IQAC has finalised a detailed pro forma on faculty and the facilities available on the campus, he added.

Pandey said an assessment pro forma for self-finance courses had also been circulated to analyse its status and improve relevance.

The students are excited and are waiting for the idea to take concrete shape. Ankita Khan, a BA first year student said, This will help students as teachers will do a bit extra while teaching us in class.

President of the LU Teachers Association Dinesh Kumar is open to the idea but has some reservations too.

Only those students should be allowed to evaluate performance of teachers who have 75% attendance and are regular in class. If someone is not regular in class how will he assess a teachers ability, Kumar said.

By and large, the university teachers have welcomed the idea.

Prof Manoj Dixit, head of public administration department, said: To me it is good if used as a feedback tool only. Mutual feedback is always good. All necessary caution, however, needs to be taken. Democracy will take root through mutual feedback.

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Ever seen corporate executives toiling in the fields with their families? Head to Garethpur bas village 15 kilometres from Gurgaon. In the age of online vegetable markets, residents of several upscale localities in the city have taken to organic farming in Garethpur Bass village.

As there is growing awareness about the harmful effects of chemical fertilisers and pesticides sprayed on crops, the idea is to grow unadulterated fruits and vegetables that are safe for consumption, residents said.

Under the banner of Green Leaf India, formed by a group of residents and farmers, more than 70 families have started organic cultivation on plots of 600 square yards each.

The project that started in October 2016 and supported by the horticulture department of Haryana is now a hit among residents. Currently, land is being leased to these families by the horticulture department for community farming.

This is a pilot project and we have been approached by many residents from various parts of the city. We are also helping people here who do not have any idea of farming. Local farmers provide the basic support to these residents and take care of these plots on a regular basis.



We have launched two phases of the project until now, Deen Mohammad Khan,district horticulture officer,

Gurgaon, said.

The corporate executives said working in the fields with their families has helped them connect with nature again.

This is not just farming, but a weekend activity. Living in a city like Gurgaon where people rarely get fresh air, this kind of exercise is a blessing, Prasant Yadav of Central Park 2 said.

He said he is getting a good yield, and has distributed the harvest among family and friends in the last few months.

Similarly, Mohit Agarwal of Sector 47 said, I have been growing palak, methi, cabbage, cauliflower and dhaniya in my 600 square yard plot.

People said they come to the farm every weekend. It binds the family together as the entire process of digging, sowing the seeds, watering and monitoring the growth of vegetables is done by each member of the family, Neeraj Yadav, a corporate executive, said.

Residents also said it is a good learning experience for children as agriculture has become alien to city dwellers.

Anil Kapoor of Preet Vihar, New Delhi, said, There is no better way to teach children about how they are getting food. They are learning not to waste food as they now understand how difficult it is to grow it.

Residents said the project has become so popular because they cannot get fresh organic vegetables that are free from toxic elements in the city.

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Consumers who buy organic farming products will soon be able to trace the origin of the fruits and vegetables. Each organic product will be labelled with a unique barcode ID that will enable a consumer trace the details of the farmer, supplier, production date and other details.

This initiative is part of the organic farming programme launched by Green Leaf India -- a group of residents and farmers -- and backed by the Gurgaon horticulture department in Garethpur Bass village.

We will launch this initiative with a view to letting people know whether they are consuming organic vegetables or not. This will also curb the fake organic products in the market, Deen Mohammad Khan, the district horticulture officer, Gurgaon, said.

The plan is to tie up with farmers across the country and make their products available to consumers.

Green Leaf India will also launch a website and mobile phone-app using which consumers can buy organic fruits and vegetables. A central office that will track all orders online through a website, which is under process now, will also be launched, a Green Leaf member said.

Consumers can scan the barcode on the products using the app to get details of the product such as the place where it came from, how much time it took to harvest and also the kind of fertilisers used.

The programme will be a first in Haryana and will get support from farmers in Nagpur, Bhopal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and other places in the state.

Through such an initiative, not only will the quality be kept in check but farmers will also be benefited, Khan said.

It will provide relief to the farmers as well, as they can get in touch with consumers directly, he said.

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The police arrested two persons on charges of looting two liquor shops and snatching valuables. The accused allegedly fired at the police team that was chasing them on Dwarka expressway near Garhi Harsaru village on Friday night.

The duo was allegedly involved in the loot of Rs 1.5 lakh at gunpoint from a liquor shop owned by a family member of jailed gangster Binder Gujjar. The robbery took place on Tuesday night on Khandsa road, the police said.

Those arrested were identified as Aman, 19, and Rohit, 21. Both are residents of resident of Aligarh in UP.

Rajiv Kumar, assistant commissioner of police (city), said the two are members of a gang that looted a liquor shop in Sector 37 on Sunday night, then the liquor shop on Khandsa road on Tuesday night and a third liquor shop in Tigra village on Thursday night.

The CCTV footage recovered from the liquor shop on Khandsa road helped the police trace the accused.

A team was chasing the accused on Dwarka expressway when they opened fire on the policemen. A bullet hit the police vehicle and the accused fled towards Delhi on a bike. But they were nabbed, said ACP Kumar. He said the accused are involved in five incidents of loot and snatching in Gurgaon and are booked in several cases, including murder, in UP.

Aman has served a jail term. They have revealed names of two other accomplices and search is on to arrest them, the officer said.

The police recovered two countrymade pistols, two cartridges, and a bike from the accused. The officer said the accused are also involved in snatching a mobile phone and cash from a shopkeeper in Khandsa mandi, and stealing the vehicle of an online retail company in Kherki Daula.
Clean drinking water for everyone is one major health goal for decades, in one a shocking revelation, a study warns that while it reduces chances of catching many deadly diseases, but it can increase the risk of childhood asthma.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada suggested that there could be a link between the risk of asthma and the cleanliness of the environment.

The findings indicated that while gut bacteria plays a role in preventing asthma, but it was the presence of a microscopic fungus or yeast known as Pichia that was more strongly linked to asthma. Instead of helping to prevent asthma, however, the presence of Pichia in those early days puts children at risk.

Researchers suggested that there could be a link between the risk of asthma and the cleanliness of the environment. (Shutterstock)

Children with this type of yeast called Pichia were much more at risk of asthma, said Brett Finlay.

That was a surprise because we tend to think that clean is good, but we realise that we actually need some dirt in the world to help protect you, Finlay added.

The new research furthers our understanding of the role microscopic organisms play in our overall health.

In previous research, Finlay and his colleagues identified four gut bacteria in children and if present in the first 100 days of life, seem to prevent asthma.

In a follow-up to this study, they repeated the experiment using fecal samples and health information from 100 children in a rural village in Ecuador.



As part of the study, the researchers noted whether children had access to clean water.

They found a yeast in the gut of new babies in Ecuador that appears to be a strong predictor that they will develop asthma in childhood.

They also found the presence of four types of bacteria in the gut of babies less than 100 days old seemed to prevent them from developing asthma in later life.

Those that had access to good, clean water had much higher asthma rates and we think it is because they were deprived of the beneficial microbes, Finlay stated.
Angelina Jolie said Saturday that she hopes her new film about Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge will help educate the world about the brutality of the 1970s regime and shed a light on the plight of young people in war zones today.

The actor was joined by her children - Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and twins Knox and Vivienne, eight - at the world premiere of her passion project, First They Killed My Father in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Her sons Maddox, who was born in Cambodia, and Pax were both involved in the films production.

The actor was joined by her children at the world premiere of her passion project, First They Killed My Father in Siem Reap, Cambodia. (AFP)

First They Killed My Father is based on author and human rights activist Loung Ungs account of her survival as a child under the 1975-79 communist Khmer Rouge regime, believed to be responsible for the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians from starvation, disease and execution.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of the films premiere, the actor-turned-director said she hopes the movie will remind everybody that there are little Loungs all around the world today in various war zones and corners of the world.

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie speaks to media during a press conference at a hotel in Siem Reap. (AFP)

Her story is their story and so this is, in many ways, universal, and we hope that that is something that you think about as well, said Jolie, who directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Loung.

Jolie has had an affinity for Cambodia since she began goodwill work for the UNs refugee agency in 2001, and her eldest son, Maddox, 15, was adopted from the country. She also has established a foundation to promote social development in rural Cambodia.

Angelina Jolie (L) and Cambodian-born American human rights activist and lecturer Loung Ung laugh as they arrive for a news conference. (REUTERS)

However, the Hollywood superstar stressed that Cambodias history is not just the war.

I hope that the young people, when they see this film, that yes, they will learn part of their history, but I hope they also see  I hope all of you see  that this is a country of talent and art and love and beauty, Jolie said.

Maddox worked on the production of the movie, which was shot on location in Cambodia in late 2015 and early 2016. Jolie said that Maddox is very proud of his Cambodian heritage and that she and her children see Cambodia as their second home.

Angelina Jolie, center, stands with her group members as they wait before meeting Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni, in Siem Reap. (AP)

The children are very close to the children who are in the film and, in fact, many of them are best friends, she said. So, theyre simply happy to be back with their friends. Maddox is happy to be back in his country.

The film, a Netflix original production, will be shown on the streaming service later this year.

Jolies previous directorial projects include the 2015 marriage drama By the Sea, in which she starred alongside then-husband Brad Pitt, and the 2014 survival story Unbroken.

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Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman star in Terence Malicks Song to Song, a romantic drama about two musicians, a music industry executive, and a restaurant waitress.

Featuring Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara as musicians in the same band, Michael Fassbender as a music industry executive, and Natalie Portman as a restaurant waitress, Song to Song takes place within the city of Austin, Texas, where it will premiere at the annual SXSW festival on March 10 -- a week before it goes on general release.

We thought we could just roll and tumble, live from song to song, kiss to kiss, the trailer tells us, as romance appears to become consumed by manipulation and betrayal.

The film is also noted for its many cameos by active musicians including Iggy Pop, Iron & Wine, Lykke Li, Patti Smith and Florence Welch.

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Nagalands lone Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio, not Naga Peoples Front (NPF) president Shurhozelie Liezietsu, may replace TR Zeliang as the chief minister.

Liezietsus camp has been in a fix after more than 40 MLAs, including independents, in the 60-member assembly sneaked out of Nagaland capital Kohima late Friday night to be lodged in a resort close to Assams Kaziranga National Park.

The resort is said to be in Borgoch and may not be as grand as the Golden Bay Resort near Chennai where AIADMK leader V K Sasikala had huddled over 120 MLAs.

An NPF leader, seeking anonymity, attributed the sudden development to the BJPs plan to make Rio the chief minister.

Rio, who quit as chief minister to contest the Lok Sabha poll in 2014 and won it, had made Zeliang his successor. But differences between the two cropped up as Rio, denied a berth in the Narendra Modi government, was trying to take over the reins in the state again.

Rio allegedly seized the opportunity after the row over womens quota in the cancelled civic body polls made tribal organisations demand Zeliangs resignation.

Zeliang is in Delhi since Thursday after NPF legislators, in a meeting the previous night, backed the 81-year-old Liezietsu as their next chief minister. There were 42 MLAs in that meeting, 33 of them from NPF.

The BJP helped Zeliang and Rio patch up in Delhi for the latter to take over as chief minister, the NPF leader said.

Nagaland governor PB Acharya was also in Delhi on Thursday, though NPF said it was coincidental that his travel plan matched with that of the chief minister.

Despite Acharyas absence, the DAN Legislature PartyBJP and NPF formed the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN)had on Friday submitted a letter to the Raj Bhavan in Kohima assuring MLAs support to Liezietsu.

Read: Nagaland crisis: NPF MLAs back Shurozelie for next CM; Zeliang to step down

Acharya, Zeliang and Rio are scheduled to reach Dimapur, Nagalands commercial hub, on Saturday afternoon.

In Tamil Nadu, more than 120 MLAs were huddled off to a resort outside Chennai earlier this month as acting chief minister O Panneerselvam revolted against AIADMK general secretary Sasikala, who was set to take over from him.

Also Read: Nagaland civic polls declared null and void

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A two-and-half-year-old girl, who was kidnapped from suburban Bandra , was found in the house of a childless couple after a woman left her with them, Mumbai police said.

Mumbai polices official Twitter handle noted that Kidnapped for begging, 2.5 years old Shifa Shaikh has been reunited with her family after 8 days of rigorous search by Nirmal Nagar PStn.

Kidnapped for begging, 2.5 years old Shifa Shaikh has been reunited with her family after 8 days of rigorous search by Nirmal Nagar PStn. pic.twitter.com/HjqF8ImWZP  Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) February 18, 2017

The infant girl went missing from outside of her house in Zakeria Nagar in Bandra (East) on February 9 and was rescued after eight days of investigation.

After the girl went missing , some by-passers told her parents that they had seen her going with a middle-aged woman.

Police examined CCTV footages at railway stations in the neighbouring areas, said inspector Shankar Bhore of Nirmalnagar police station who was probing the case.

The girl was spotted with a woman in the footage at Dadar station. Police tracked them upto Kings Circle railway station after which they disappeared from CCTV footages.

An informer in Kings Circle area told police about seeing a girl with matching description at a house. Police visited the house Friday night and found the girl with a couple.

The couple said a woman who begged in the area had brought the girl to them, introducing the kid as her grand-daughter whose father had died recently, police said.

The couple had no child of their own and wanted to keep her. The woman demanded Rs 10,000 but the couple said they would pay more if she brought the girls mother, they said.

The woman left the child with them and didnt turn up again, police said, adding they were looking for this woman.
The Tamil Nadu assembly was adjourned twice within a couple of hours on Saturday as opposition DMK legislators broke furniture and microphones, threw papers and even occupied the Speakers chair in unprecedented violence during a trust vote by chief minister EK Palaniswami. (LIVE UPDATES)

Speaker P Dhanapal first adjourned the House till 1 pm and walked out in anger before returning, but was forced to stop proceedings again till 3 pm after marshals failed to evict DMK legislators.

The DMK appeared to have taken the spotlight away from Palaniswami and former chief minister O Panneerselvam, who are locked in a bruising battle to take control of the ruling AIADMK and the government.

Though the numbers appeared to be in favour of the Palaniswami faction, Panneerselvam found support from the DMK, the Congress and the All India Muslim League.

Palaniswami, 62, formed the government on Thursday and was asked to prove his majority within fifteen days by governor C Vidyasagar Rao.

Pandemonium broke out after the Speaker rejected a demand by Panneerselvam and the DMK for a secret ballot.

TV visuals showed DMK legislators surrounding and shoving the Speaker before he gets up and leaves. One DMK MLA, identified as Kuka Selvam, was seen sitting on the Speakers chair briefly.

They tore my shirt and insulted me, Dhanpal told reporters outside the House.

The Speaker barred media into the assembly and even cut off power to a public announcement system at the press room inside the assembly.

Amid the chaos, one assembly staff was taken away in an ambulance after he felt dizzy and collapsed, reports said.

When the House resumed at 1pm, the Speaker evicted all DMK legislators for their unruly behaviour but they refused to leave, forcing him to adjourn the House again.

Rapid Action Force troops have been put on stand-by outside of assembly, ready to assist Speaker if DMK MLAs resist eviction again, sources said.

The Panneerselvam camp believes a secret ballot will enable fence-sitters in the Palaniswami camp to vote for the former chief minsiter.

Earlier, DMK working president MK Stalin said the AIADMK legislators should be allowed to meet the people in their respective constituencies and seek their views on who they want as their chief minister.

The demand was apparently based on the assumption that Palaniswami, propped up by disgraced AIADMK leader VK Sasikala, did not have the peoples approval.

Are the AIADMK MLAs prisonersthey are paraded around like prisoners, Stalin said.

Audio speaker kept in Tamil Nadu assembly press room (allocated for accredited reporters and cameraman) has been disconnected. #floortest pic.twitter.com/hvo2v5ilC7  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

When the House resumed at 1pm, the Speaker evicted all DMK legislators for their unruly behaviour but they refused to leave, forcing him to adjourn the House again.

Rapid Action Force troops have been put on stand-by outside of assembly, ready to assist Speaker if DMK MLAs resist eviction again, sources said.

The Panneerselvam camp believes a secret ballot will enable fence-sitters in the Palaniswami camp to vote for the former chief minsiter.

Earlier, DMK working president MK Stalin said the AIADMK legislators should be allowed to meet the people in their respective constituencies and seek their views on who they want as their chief minister.

The demand was apparently based on the assumption that Palaniswami, propped up by disgraced AIADMK leader VK Sasikala, did not have the peoples approval.

Are the AIADMK MLAs prisonersthey are paraded around like prisoners, Stalin said.

Palaniswami emerged as the chief minister choice after the Supreme Court sent Sasikala to jail in a 20-year-old corruption case. The apex courts verdict also dashed her hopes of becoming the chief minister.

Panneerselvam made a dramatic, late-night appearance at Jayalalithaa memorial in Chennais Marina Beach, mediated for more than half-an-hour and then told newsmen that he was forced to resign by Sasikalas supporters.

Rao had given Palaniswami 15 days to prove his majority but the CM chose to take the floor test immediately  apparently over concerns that the lawmakers confined in a seafront resort were getting anxious.
Locals, ignoring a recent warning by the army chief, pelted stones at security forces when the latter cordoned off a village looking for militants in south Kashmirs Pulwama district on Saturday.

The incident comes barely a couple of days after army chief General Bipin Rawat had warned of harsh measures if youths hampered counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir Valley.

A trend has emerged lately in Kashmir valley where local youths flock encounter sites during raging gun fights to help militants flee.

The army chiefs statement triggered outrage in the Valley with opposition parties as well as separatists claiming such remark would escalate tension in the state.

Read| Army chiefs warning will increase hostility in Kashmir: Separatists

A team of army and police surrounded the village in Urivan-Newa area of Pulwama after getting information about the presence of militants there in the afternoon.

Soon local people started throwing stones intermittently at the security forces from the rooftop of their houses, sources at the Pulwama police control room said.

They were pelting stones occasionally at the security forces when they were doing their job. The searches, however, went off peacefully, a policeman manning the PCR said.

Army spokesman Rajesh Kalia said stones were hurled at the security forces by a mob when they were returning after conducting the search, which was initiated based on some intelligence inputs.

The mob was dispersed by the police, he said.

A local news agency in Srinagar, however, reported that the security forces had to withdraw the operation after facing stiff resistance from locals. Police and army officials refuted the report.

Read| Parrikar backs army chiefs comment on Kashmiris, says military has full freedom
A former CPM councillor suspects that the ongoing tussle to emerge as the next Thiruvananthapuram district secretary could have played a part in the letter fiasco.
The acquittal of Mohammed Rafiq Shah in the 2005 Delhi serial blasts case has left his relatives and friends in Kashmir euphoric.

They, however, know that life will not be the same for the man.

Three separate explosions ripped through crowded spots in the heart of the Capital on October 29, 2005, when thousands of people were out shopping before Diwali, leaving a trail of mangled bodies and metal strewn across markets.

Shah and Mohammed Hussain Fazili, two Kashmiri men, were arrested and later charged for the three blasts by the police.

But they were acquitted by a city court on Thursday after spending 12 years in jail in the case that killed 67 people and left more than 200 injured.

The twin acquittals triggered allegations of a botched up police investigation, a claim vehemently denied by the police.

Twelve years is a long time. The sad part is that police arrested Rafiq based on fabricated evidence. While I completed my PhD, my friend rotted in prison, Bashir Ahmad Dar, a college lecturer and close friend of Rafiq told HT.

Bashir was a junior to Rafiq, then 22, in the Kashmir University before his arrest. Bashir was in the political science stream while Rafiq was studying Islamic studies.

It was a shock for the whole community, especially for us, the students, Bashir said.

We got to know the next morning that Rafiq had been picked up from his house in Srinagar on allegations of having carried out the bomb blasts in Delhi. But, he was with us at the University that day, recounted Bashir.

Twelve years is a long time. And, if you consider academically, the lost time can never be returned. His batchmates and even juniors have completed their research and received PhDs. Many are assistant professors now, he added.

Rafiq is the eldest sibling and has two sisters. His father is a retired government employee. Bashir closeness to Rafiqs family increased after the latter was imprisoned.

It was Bashir who accompanied Rafiqs mother to Tihar jail on numerous occasions.

In the last twelve years, whenever Rafiqs mother mentioned her son, she had tears in her eyes. The family struggled a lot in the past 12 years, Bashir said.

Bashir feels that a proper closure in the case was possible only if the policemen responsible for fabricating evidence to build their case were brought to justice.

Rafiq wont probably be able to start his career as an academic. But for his family, their son has returned. He will be there for his parents, as they grow old, said Bashir.

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Haryana remained tense ahead of the protesting Jats threat to intensify their stir seeking reservation on Balidan Diwas (day of sacrifice) to be observed across the state on Sunday in memory of protesters killed during last years violence.

The protesters have planned to bring lakhs of supporters to all 20 dharna sthals (sit-in sites) in 19 districts, warning of an earthquake if all their demands are not met by the state government. The tremors are being felt by those living in the stir-affected areas or planning to travel through the state.

Adding to their worries are unofficial travel advisories put out on social media or sent through messaging services by some concerned people. Over a lakh people are expected to participate... national highway will be blocked by these protesters. All are requested not to travel through Haryana on February 19, read one such message which went viral on Saturday.

Also read | Beneath the second phase of protests for Jat quota, old wounds fester in Haryana

It was on this day (February 19) exactly a year ago that unprecedented violence had rocked eight districts of the state with rampaging mobs indulging in arson and loot. At least 30 people lost their lives, and public and private properties worth hundreds of crores were destroyed.

While All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) chief Yashpal Malik, spearheading the three-week-long agitation, has repeatedly said that the protests would remain peaceful, panic-stricken people in places such as Rohtak have sought security for their educational institutions and business establishments. Those planning to travel through the state in the next two-three days are also calling up friends, journalists and officials before firming up their plans.

Also read | Jat quota stir: Signs of trouble as gun-toting youth block highway

SPOTS OF BOTHER

The state agencies are worried about four sensitive spots  Jassia in Rohtak, Jhajjar, Joli-Lath in Sonepat, and Jind  where the Jat protesters are holding dharnas and their supporters are expected to turn up in huge numbers. These four Js are probable trouble spots, said sources.

Why Sunday matters Year on: February 19 is the date exactly a year ago when violence rocked eight districts of Haryana with rampaging mobs of quota-seeking Jats indulging in arson and loot. 4-J threat: There are four sensitive spots  Jassia in Rohtak, Jhajjar and Joli-Lath in Sonepat, and Jind  where protesters are holding dharnas and supporters are expected to turn up in huge numbers Social media panic: Though police have dismissed the travel advisories doing the rounds on social media and have warned of action against rumour-mongers, viral messages are being sent by concerned people against travel through Haryana on February 19

A close watch is also being kept at followers of jailed self-styled godman Rampal, who announced their support to the agitators and thronged the dharna in Rohtak, giving anxious moments to the state police and intelligence agencies. Officials say that this alliance is not going to last long, given the long history of hostilities between Rampals followers and Arya Samajis, mostly comprising Jats in the area. The home ministry is also alert and closely monitoring the situation.

However, additional director general of police (ADGP), law and order, Muhammad Akil, assured the people that the situation would be normal and peaceful. We are taking all precautions and have made tight security arrangements, he said.

Dismissing the travel advisories as erroneous and misleading, Akil said people would be able to travel on national highways freely, safely and smoothly. He also said that action will be taken against those found involved in spreading rumours or misinformation on social media.

The movement of trains is also normal. We have not issued any travel advisory for tomorrow (Sunday), he said, making an appeal to those sitting on dharnas to maintain peace. A total of 37 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in different districts. Another seven companies are expected from Rajasthan.

LAST-MINUTE EFFORTS

Akil, who is member of the negotiating committee set up by the state government under the chief secretary, said the second round of talks with the pro-quota groups, including the AIJASS, are likely to take place on February 20.

Meanwhile, the state government and ruling party leaders made last-minute efforts to ease up the situation by deciding to release compensation to innocent persons who suffered injuries in clashes during the protests in February last year.

Amit Arya, media adviser to the chief minister, said that any person who sustained a bullet injury will be paid Rs 1 lakh compensation. Those who suffered a fracture not due to any bullet injury will be paid Rs 50,000. The amount of compensation will be Rs 25,000 for those who suffered any other minor injuries, he told reporters. The compensation amount will be paid out of the CMs Relief Fund and has been released to the deputy commissioners.
All terror cases involving right-wing Hindutva groups will be made to collapse in courts as the NDA government is using investigation agencies to advance its political objective, former home minister P Chidambaram has said.

His remarks came a fortnight after a Dewas court acquitted Sadhvi Pragya in Sunil Joshi murder case. Joshi was the alleged mastermind of what came to be known as Hindu terror that was linked to right-wing group Abhinav Bharat and some individuals associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The National Investigation Agency (NIA) dropped all charges against Pragya and 5 others in 2008 Malegaon blast case last year. Many witnesses have turned hostile in 2007 Ajmer Dargah and Samjhauta Express blasts cases.

Asked how the so-called Hindutva terror casestransferred from states to the NIA during his tenure as union home minister-- were falling apart, Chidambaram told HT: It shows how the investigation agency is being used to advance their (the ruling partys) political objective. How can witness after witness turn hostile? Is there not a single witness who will come and depose?

If this is the truth, then take action against those officers who took the statement. It cannot be that the set of officers who recorded the statement and the set of officers, who are now watching helplessly as witness after witness turns hostile, both cannot be discharging their duties. One (set) of then has failed to do his duty. They are pursuing a political agenda. In all these cases, every case will be made to collapse.

The former home minister said that when he was in office, he didnt give any instruction to the NIA or whichever agency was investigating. The court is the place where the investigation must be monitored and must be properly guided. And the court was doing its job. But the government changes, everything changes. What kind of criminal law administration is this?

A group of Hindutva extremists, allegedly led by former RSS pracharak Joshi, were chargesheeted by the NIA in a series of blastsin Malegaon (2006), Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid and Ajmer Sharif (all in 2007), and in Malegaon and Modasa (2008). NIA officials maintain that what made their task difficult was the fact they were asked to investigate these cases in 2011 and by that time many leads had gone dry. Besides, Sunil Joshi, the alleged mastermind, was murdered in December 2007, making it difficult for the agency to establish the conspiracy.

The NIA had earlier come under flak after one of its special prosecutors in Mumbai, Rohini Salian, alleged that she was asked to go soft in the Malegaon case by one of the agency officials. The NIA rebutted her charge.

Read | During Rajan tenure, RBI said demonetisation was not a wise move: Chidambaram

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Actor Kamal Haasan took potshots at the new leadership in Tamil Nadu, saying the state now has another chief minister and dubbed the political developments Jai de-mockcrazy.

The Edappadi K Palaniswami government won the confidence vote in the Tamil Nadu assembly. The vote was preceded by eviction of principal Opposition DMK and a walkout by its allies, which have 98 legislators in the 234-member House, in protest.

Taking to Twitter, Haasan wrote, People of Tamizhnadu, Welcome your respective MLAs with the respect they desrve back home

He then took a dig at the decision, saying, There you go. Seems like we have another CM. Jai de-mockcrazy.

In another tweet, he reacted to the MLAs behaviour in the assembly, saying, Ive seen MLAs of the then ADMK now Congress walk away with bunch of plucked microphones. The English TV anchors were too young to remember. We do.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday strict action will be taken against the attackers who allegedly abducted a popular south cinema actor in Kochi and molested her, taking pictures and videos before letting her off.

It is an unfortunate incident. It should not have been happened. Police are looking into the case seriously and stern action will be taken against those responsible for it, Vijayan said in Delhi.

Kerala police chief Loknath Behra said a special investigation team has been constituted to probe into incident. A person has already been arrested and we are closing in on others, he said.

The incident took place when the actor was reportedly returning home from a film shoot. The gang forcibly boarded her car when it stopped near a traffic signal and molested her for almost two hours inside the vehicle, police said.

The 30-year-old actress lodged a police complaint later in the night.

The actor has worked in more than 75 films in several languages including Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. She made her acting debut when she was 16 years old.

The police arrested Martin, who was allegedly driving the actors car. After examining his call log, they found he was in constant touch with Sunil Kumar aka Pulsar Suni, now identified as the main accused.

We have identified five persons in connection with the case. The incident is suspected to be a conspiracy to blackmail the actress, said a senior police officer of Kochi. The actor later underwent a medical test.

Sunil Kumar, who has several criminal charges against him, was a temporary driver. The actor had complained about his rude behaviour previously.

After the attack, the accused fled in another car and the actor sought refuge in a director friends house.

In her complaint, she said she was physically assaulted, and gang members forcibly took photos and recorded a video, threatening to post them on social media if she went to the police.

A popular dubbing artiste, Bhagyalakshmi, said she tried contacting the actor after the incident but found her mobile switched off.

This is the first time that a Mollywood artist is facing such a situation. Its quite normal for stars like her to travel at ungodly hours after work, she told Malayayam Manorama, referring to a term used to describe the Malayalam film industry.

Its not the matter of a celebrity, its the matter of being a woman. This incident shows that our girls are no longer safe. Its a case of shame and shock, she added.

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The Supreme Court has ordered the Bihar government to move Rashtriya Janata Dals Mohammad Shahabuddin to Delhis Tihar jail for a free and fair trial. The four-time MP from Siwan was lodged in Bihars Siwan jail after the Supreme Court cancelled his bail granted by the Patna high court last year in connection with the killing of the prime witness in the murder of two brothers by pouring acid on them. The 50-year-old gangster-turned-politician has 45 criminal cases filed against him. As Shahabuddin joins the ranks of high-profile prisoners in Delhis Tihar, heres a look at the whos who of the jail.

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Chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami won the trust vote in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Saturday after hours of ruckus, violence and two adjournments.

In the morning, all hell broke loose after the Speaker rejected the demand for a secret ballot by MLAs belonging to the O Panneerselvam camp, who were supported by the DMK, Congress and IUML. Chief minister Palaniswami had suffered a jolt on Friday after former state police chief and MLA R Nataraj switched sides to Panneerselvams camp. Early Saturday, another MLA, Arun Kumar, who was holed up at the Koovathur resort, escaped and said he will abstain from voting in the floor test.

Watch this space for live updates from Tamil Nadu on an action-packed Saturday:

6.00pm: Request Tamil Nadu governor to restore democratic values and order the assembly session to be postponed for conducting secret voting on confidence motion, wrote DMKs Stalin in a letter to the governor.

5.45pm: Effigy of Tamil Nadu speaker Dhanpal burnt by DMK workers and Stalins supporters call for justice.

5.30pm: Tamil Nadu assembly speaker Dhanpal alleges he was attacked by DMK during Saturdays session because he is from the Adi Dravidar community.

5.00pm: MK Stalin and other protesting DMK MLAs have been detained by police at Marina Beach.

4.16pm:

CM Palaniswami pays tribute at #JayalalithaaMemorial after winning #floortest in Tamil Nadu Assembly pic.twitter.com/YCYerLLPmW  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

4.08pm: DMKs MK Stalin arrives at Marina Beach, to go on protest fast near Gandhi Statues along with evicted MLAs

4.07pm:

There you go. Seems like we have another CM. Jai de-mockcrazy  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) February 18, 2017

4.06pm: We condemn the thrashing of MLAs; This is murder of democracy and cant be accepted in any form, says DMK MP Tiruchi Siva

4.05pm:

3.59pm: Palaniswami breaks down at Jayalalithaa memorial. All MLAs from his faction at the Marina memorial now

3.57pm: Reports say, Palaniswami leaves for Jayalalithaa memorial after winning trust vote

3.56pm:

"The battle is over, but the war has just begun," says Semmalai #OPSvsEPS @htTweets  Aditya Iyer (@Theadityaiyer) February 18, 2017

3.53pm: Panneerselvam: For three hours, DMK MLAs kept repeating their request to save democracy, now in absence of all of us the vote was passed. We doubt its validity

3.51pm: Jayalalithaa had removed a family, and that family has now captured the party, says O Panneerselvam

3.48pm: Pandiarajan, MLA loyal to Panneerselvam, says: There were constant threats;abusive language was used. Things wouldve been different if the secret ballot was used

3.45pm:

We have time to prove this, at the end only dharma will win. If need be will meet the Governor: #OPanneerselvam on #floortest pic.twitter.com/1XECTbX9i4  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

3.36pm: Panneerselvam: Ammas government will return to Tamil Nadu

3.44pm: Panneerselvam: Those who have won today are from the Sasikala faction, we are the Amma faction

3.41pm: We tried making many suggestions, but the Speaker did not agree, says Panneerselvam after trust vote

3.29pm:

Chennai: Visuals from outside Raj Bhavan where DMK workers are protesting alleging that party MLAs were forcefully evicted from #TNAssembly. pic.twitter.com/NpqiCvnYni  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

3.23pm: Edappadi Palaniswami passes floor test with voice vote in special session of Tamil Nadu assembly. For 122 , against: 11

3.21pm: DMK working president MK Stalin reaches Raj Bhavan

3.14pm: Trust vote underway without opposition MLAs

3.11pm: Voting begins on chief minister Palaniswamis vote of confidence

3.10pm: Congress MLAs stage walk out from Tamil Nadu Assembly

3.09pm:

Even though I was manhandled and shirt was torn, I reconvened house. The house will function only acc to rules: P Dhanapal,TN Speaker pic.twitter.com/R3zabCJDAx  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

3.08pm: Reports say, Tamil Nadu assembly reconvenes, all DMK MLAs evicted

3.01pm: DMK working president MK Stalin alleges that 500 marshals attacked the party legislators at 2.30 pm

3pm: Going to meet the governor and explain what happened, says Stalin

2.59pm:

DMK working president MK Stalin emerges from assembly with torn shirt #OPSvsEPS @htTweets pic.twitter.com/mlEjSspSMQ  Aditya Iyer (@Theadityaiyer) February 18, 2017

2.58pm: We were told that the assembly will reconvene at 3 pm, but at 2 pm the police came and tried to forcefully evict us.My shirt is also torn, says Stalin

2.57pm: Speaker tore off his shirt himself and blamed MLAs of the DMK. We reiterate our demand for a secret ballot, says Stalin

2.55pm: DMK MLAs begin leaving the Assembly in cars

2.52pm: Tamil Nadu governor cancels trip to Mumbai

2.48pm: Police have entered the assembly and are not letting it function, says DMK MLA TM Anbarasan

2.42pm: DMK working president MK Stalin evicted from Tamil Nadu assembly, say reports

2.34pm: So far, 20 DMK MLAs have been removed from the Tamil Nadu Assembly

2.33pm: DMK working president MK Stalin and remaining party MLAs inside the assembly sit on floor and begin dharna

2.14pm: DMK MLAs being forcibly evicted from the assembly. Two legislators who went outside not allowed back in

1.51pm: Chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan seeks meeting with Speaker Dhanapal

1.38pm: Rapid Action Force troops on stand by outside assembly, ready to assist Speaker if DMK MLAs resist eviction again

1.30pm: Assembly security unable to evict DMK MLAs, Assembly adjourned again till 3pm

Earlier visuals of broken tables and torn pieces of paper near Speaker's chair #floortest pic.twitter.com/dGcF0HMRok  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

1.28pm: DMK MLAs to sit on dharna inside Tamil Nadu assembly premises.

1.23pm: DMK MLAs begin protests outside the Assembly after being evicted.

1.19pm: Tamil Nadu Speaker P Dhanapal orders assembly police to evict DMK MLAs.

1.18pm:

You (DMK MLAs) tore my shirt & insulted me, I am doing my work abiding law: #TamilNadu assembly Speaker P Dhanapal #FloorTest  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

1.17pm:

#WATCH DMK MLAs scuffle with TN Assembly speaker, protesting DMK MLA Ku Ka Selvam sat on speaker chair #floortest (Jaya TV) pic.twitter.com/CkMQY9FfQx  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

1.15pm: Reports say 2,000 police personnel stationed outside of TN Assembly.

1.11pm:

DMK protest in TN assembly earlier today, MLAs snatch Speaker's mic and throw paper #floortest (Jaya TV) pic.twitter.com/3pGfUpAF3G  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

1.06pm: Assembly back in session.

1.03pm: Jaya TV shows Speaker Dhanapal being pushed around by MLAs before being escorted out by security.

12.55pm:

An injured official being taken to hospital following massive ruckus in the assembly #floortest #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/bzBSO1eGaZ  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

12.52pm: Seven vans of police personnel stationed outside the Tamil Nadu assembly.

12.50pm:

#OPS supporter Ma Foi Pandiarajan says he, other MLAs, been threatened with an acid attack #OPSvsEPS @htTweets  Aditya Iyer (@Theadityaiyer) February 18, 2017

12.45pm: Reports say a House official has been taken out of the assembly on a stretcher.

12.38pm: Ambulance brought to Tamil Nadu assembly.

12.37pm: Meeting underway between chief minister Palaniswami and senior ministers.

12.29pm: DMK is a violent and anti-national party. Whatever she is, VK Sasikala is much better than the DMK, says BJPs Subramanian Swamy.

12.19pm: DMK MLA Ku Ka Selvam sat on Speakers chair in protest.

12.18pm:

Police move towards Assembly premises after huge uproar inside by DMK and other parties demanding secret ballot #floortest pic.twitter.com/l1l1VCpzBn  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

12.17pm:

Tamil Nadu assembly has been adjourned till 1 pm after uproar #floortest  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

12.15pm: Reports say Speaker Dhanapal walks out of assembly

12.13pm:

DMK protest in assembly: Table in front of Speaker's chair has been broken, . Microphones being thrown #floortest  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

12.10pm:

DMK MLA Poongothai Aladi Aruna climbs on bench and raises slogans demanding secret ballot #floortest  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

12.10pm: Reports say chairs being broken, DMK MLAs climb Speakers table

12.07pm: DMK MLAs gherao Speaker Dhanapal, demand secret ballot.

12.06pm: Panneerselvam loyalist R Natarajan echoes DMK working president MK Stalin, says MLAs should be given time to meet people and know their views.

11.58am: Indian Union Muslim League too demands voting via secret ballot .

11.57am:

Audio speaker kept in Tamil Nadu assembly press room (allocated for accredited reporters and cameraman) has been disconnected. #floortest pic.twitter.com/hvo2v5ilC7  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

11.51am: Nobody can interfere in my decision on how to vote,says Tamil Nadu assembly Speaker Dhanapal

11.50am: Now, Congress MLAs too demand secret ballot

11.47am: MK Stalin demands that MLAs first go to their respective constituencies and then vote.

11.41am: I urge to go for a secret ballot, says Panneerselvam.

11.40am: Speaker P. Dhanapal rejects DMKs request to postpone floor test.

11.39am: Peoples voice should be heard and only then the floor test should be conducted in the assembly, says Panneerselvam.

11.38am: Everyone knows that MLAs were kept in (Golden Bay resort) Koovathur, says Panneerselvam.

11.36am: Democracy will be fulfilled only when secret ballot voting is done, says MK Stalin.

11.34am: DMK working president MK Stalin continues to disrupt session, says Voting should be done on another day. Why the hurry when the Governor has given 15 days time?

11.29am: Division voting begins, in 6 blocks each consisting of 38 MLAs. First block raises hands in favour of Palaniswami.

11.26am: House strength reduced to 229 MLAs, including Speaker. Halfway mark now 115.

11.25am: All doors shut in Tamil Nadu assembly premises.

11.24am: Speaker Dhanapal calls for order. Division vote begins amid continued uproar.

11.20am: Speaker rejects suggestion that voting should be conducted via secret ballot. Uproar in Assembly continues.

11.16am: Speaker Dhanapal guarantees protection for AIADMK MLAs inside the Assembly.

11.15am: Confidence motion moved by Palaniswami accepted by Speaker. Now to decide whether it will be an open or secret ballot.

11.14am:

Arguments break out between media persons and Police after Police denies media entry into TN assembly premises pic.twitter.com/2DfVmoyXHy  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

11.12am: AIADMK MLAs (Palaniswami supporters ) raise slogans against the DMK in assembly.

11.11am: MLAs are being brought to the Secretariat like prisoners, says DMK working president MK Stalin.

11.10am: DMK wants Panneerselvam faction leader to speak in the House.

11.08am: Palaniswami moves trust vote, ruckus breaks out, say reports.

11.02am: Panneerselvam allotted third row in the House, say reports.

10.56am: Tamil Nadu governor has forwarded O Panneerselvams request for a secret ballot to the Speaker for consideration

10.55am: E Madhusudhanan, removed as AIADMK presidium chairman, submits formal nomination of Semmalai as party whip to floor Speaker

10.54am: O Panneerselvam arrives at Tamil Nadu assembly with two other MLAs

10.47am:

DMK Working President MK Stalin walked to the Tamil Nadu assembly in protest alleging his car was searched at the entrance pic.twitter.com/foDN4pXL73  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

10.38am: Coimbatore North MLA Arun Kumar, who escaped from the Golden Bay resort and will skip the trust vote, told IANS: Considering the peoples mandate, I decided to abstain from voting and not support chief minister Edapadi Palanisamy. Ideology is more important to me than money and power.

10:31am:

Congress to vote against the confidence motion in Tamil Nadu assembly's special session today #FloorTest pic.twitter.com/dIyhUuZFwN  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

10.17am: Congress whip and MLA Vijayadharani arrives at assembly.

10.13am: 11 MLAs belonging to the Panneerselvam faction reach assembly

10.07am: All AIADMK MLAs from Golden Bay resort reach assembly premises.

10.07am: Congress MLAs reach Tamil Nadu assembly for the trust vote.

10.04am: The governor should have brought in Presidents rule for at least 2-3 months so that normalcy could prevail and the MLAs were free, not under threat, says BV Acharya, special public prosecutor in the Sasikala DA case.

10.03am: Congress issues whip, tells MLAs have been to vote against governors motion in the Tamil Nadu assembly. The party has 8 legislators.

9.58am: BV Acharya, says, You cant say it is a vote exercised by them (MLAs who stayed in resort) out of their free will.

9.55am: DMK working president MK Stalin reaches assembly to attend special session on trust vote.

9.46am

Visuals from #TamilNadu assembly's entrance, #floortest to take place today at the special session pic.twitter.com/yuEF8wXU72  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

9.41am: DMK working president MK Stalin leaves for assembly.

9.33am: Halfway mark in Tamil Nadu assembly down to 115 from 117 as 2 MLAs will skip the trust vote: AIADMKs Arun Kumar, who escaped from the Golden Bay resort, wont vote, while DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, who has been unwell, will also give the vote a miss.

9:20am:

A historic day in the Dharma Yudh - confidence motion in TN Assembly - trust voice of conscience & voice of Amma's soul dominate decisions !  Pandiarajan K (@mafoikprajan) February 18, 2017

9:09am: Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami reaches the secretariat.

9:08am:

ta-conversation="none" data-lang="en">

Amma's legacy rests on abled shlders of OPS, this will be driving force to vote,not temporary confinement of brainwashing: M Pandiarajan pic.twitter.com/Blk9PxYdC5

 ANI (@ANI_news)

9:07am: We dont think we are in single digit. We believe 135 people should vote for us, M Pandiarajan, former minister and OPS supporter, tells ANI.

9:00am: Panneerselvam likely to visit late CM J Jayalalithaas memorial on Marina beach in Chennai before reaching the assembly for the crucial floor test.

8:50am: I listened to the peoples voice and came out of resort. We were free there, but came out of my own free will, Arun Kumar, the AIADMK MLA who escaped from the resort, says.

8:33am:

We have to safeguard our party, symbol and the Government. Will work with Chinamma: AIADMK MLA leaves Kuvathur resort #FloorTest pic.twitter.com/SimJ54eatj  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

8:10am: MLAs being taken to assembly in 31 cars, with police giving the convoy protection. Trust vote is scheduled for 11 am. We will win, the MLAs say in unison.

8:08am: AIADMK MLAs start for the assembly from Kuvathurs Golden Bay Resort amid heavy police presence. The Palaniswami camp is confident of winning the trust vote.

7:50am: The Palaniswami camp loses one more MLA. The strength of his camp comes down to 122. The OPS (Panneerselvam) camp sure of more MLAs revolting. Arun Kumar escaped from the Kovathur resort and will abstain from voting.

How close can the trust vote really get? Can Panneerselvam overthrow the government? HT breaks down the numbers:

Numbers game Strength of TN assembly: 234 Former CM J Jayalalithaas seat is vacant. Opposition DMK chief M Karunanidhi is ailing and wont be present. Speaker Dhanpal cannot vote unless theres a tie. So, effective strength of assembly during trust vote: 231 Majority mark: 116 Palaniswami camp strength: 123 Panneerselvam camp strength: 11 Opposition: 97 Panneerselvam has been buoyed by the opposition DMK grouping  DMK, Congress and Indian Union Muslim League  deciding to vote against the government.

Scenario 1: Palaniswami wins

Palaniswami holds on to his 123 MLAs and sails past the mark of 116. The total votes against him  97+11= 108  wont be enough to knock his government off.

Scenario 2: Palaniswami loses

The chief minister can lose if eight of his MLAs switch sides. Then his strength comes down to 115, one less than the majority. The oppositions strength becomes -- 97+ 11+ 8 = 116. The governor doesnt need to vote.

The controversy

Sasikala  a long-time confidante of former AIADMK supremo and late chief minister J Jayalalithaa  had been anointed the late leaders successor by the ruling party and was due to be sworn in last week.

But she was pulled into a bruising power struggle by Panneerselvam, who alleged he was forced to resign. Since then, he has been backed by several MPs and MLAs who have switched sides but a majority of the party lawmakers is said to be behind Sasikala, who was sent behind the bars by the Supreme Court in the 21-year-old DA case.

Before surrendering in a Bengaluru prison earlier this week, Sasikala appointed Palaniswami the legislature party leader, and the governor later invited him to form the government. Rao had given Palaniswami 15 days to prove his majority but the CM chose to take the floor test immediately  apparently over concerns that the lawmakers confined in the resort for nine days were getting anxious.

But now, analysts warn there is a real possibility of Palaniswami losing the vote and going down in history as the CM with the shortest tenure in the state  just three days.

Tit-for-tat sackings

The bitterness between the warring AIADMK camps was apparent in a string of tit-for-tat sackings throughout Friday. Panneerselvam loyalist E Madhusudanan expelled Sasikala, her nephews TTV Dinakaran and S Venktatesh and all the ministers of the new government, claiming that their camp was the real AIADMK.

Late in the evening, the election commission sent a notice to Sasikala on a petition by Panneerselvams camp challenging her elevation as interim party chief last month. Panneerselvam also met the assembly speaker P Dhanpal and urged him to conduct a secret ballot that will enable MLAs to vote according to their conscience but was turned down.

The Sasikala faction also appointed senior minister KA Sengottiyan as the floor leader for the party.
Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday claimed to have busted a module of separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen with the arrest of a militant and nine others who were influencing young and innocent boys in Baramulla district to join militancy.

With the arrest of one militant Irshad Ahmad Shah of Seelu village of Sopore in Baramulla, police has been able to bust a huge network who were spearheading militant activities and recruitment of local boys in Baramulla and Sopore. A total of nine persons were arrested so far, a police official told PTI here.

He said Shah alias Tanveer, who along with two other absconders are involved in killing of a civilian Eidul Amin Mir of Behrampora, has been active with Hizbul Mujahideen for more than two years.

The conspiracy to kill Mir was hatched in the house of overground Hizb worker Azhar Imtiyaz of Behrampora who was also arrested, the officer said adding efforts are on to arrest two other militants involved in the killing.

Read| Kashmir crisis: Its time for Mehbooba Mufti to prove her mettle

He said Shahs arrest led to the busting of the network of overground activists of the outfit who were aiding and abetting insurgency besides luring young boys towards militancy.

In a series of raids, police assisted by security forces has arrested nine persons from different parts of the district, the spokesman said and identified the arrested persons as Mudasir Ahmad Ganie and Abdul Majeed Dar of Ladoora village, Ajaz Ahmad Shah of Shangergund, Azhar Imtiyaz of Behrampora, Ghulam Mustafa Lone of Thagund, Showkat Ahmad Mir and Aejaz Ahmad Bhat of Bomai and Mohammad Yasin Tantray and Abdul Majid Shah of Wadoora Payeen.

Referring to the killing of two hardcore militants of Hizbul Mujahideen in an encounter in Baramulla on February 4, the officer said the investigations revealed that one of the slain militants - Azhar Khan of Trich village in Kupwara - was a radical ideologue of the outfit who with the other killed militant had gone to Pakistan on passports and received arms training there.

Both these militants were active in Sopore and Baramulla and with the help of this busted overground superstructure were enticing young boys from Sopore and Baramulla for militancy, the officer said.

Based on the information which was generated during the course of these investigations, some boys who were being recruited for militant activities were counselled and handed over to their families thus saving their lives, the officer said, appealing parents to watch over their children and not to let them fall into the trap of militant propaganda.

Read| General Rawat, hold your fire. All Kashmiri youth are not aides of jihadis
The countrys top three exponents of authentic yoga have joined hands to stop the likes of Shilpa Shetty, Bikram Chaudhary and Ana T Forrest from giving a modern twist to the ancient Indian practice of mental and physical exercise.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Art of Livings Sri Sri Ravishankar and Shantikunj head Pranav Pandiya recently floated Indian Yoga Association at Haridwar in Uttarakhand to take on the new-age promoters of what they called synthetic yoga.

They also formed a technical committee to work out the modalities of their action plan and submit a report to the Centre before the next International Yoga Day on June 21.

Ramdev, whose Patanjali Ayurvedic Limited has a turnover of R 5,000 crores, will head the association.

Read: When Baba Ramdev showed his power of yoga in the Pro Wrestling League

Shettys Quick Fix Yoga, Chaudharys famous Hot Yoga and Anas specially-designed Forrest Yoga have millions of followers worldwide. But the trinity of traditional Indian yoga is not impressed.

Some people have designed the Hot Yoga, some have founded European YogaIts an ancient Indian practice and India should have intellectual property rights over it (yoga), said Pranav Pandiya.

Yoga is believed to have emerged as a money-minting industry with the annual business touching roughly anything between $30 -50 million. Hundreds of yoga studios are being run across the US, UK and Europe, besides India.

Read: Patanjali to make big foray into textile sector, says Baba Ramdev

Ramdev, Sri Sri and Pranav Pandiya have their own centres in several countries. Through these centres, they now plan to spread the traditional version of the breathing exercise.

They also collaborated with a Portugal-based yoga master, Amrta Suryananda Maharaj, who was conferred Padma Shri in 2015, to prevent the concoction.

The trio said their objective is not only to promote ancient yoga but also to bring uniformity in the yoga curriculum taught in various schools and universities.

Our aim is to spread Indian yoga world over. The idea is also to bring uniformity in yoga education so that we can have trained yoga professionals, said Ramdev.

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Fourteen months ago, she was battling for life in a Delhi hospital after being sexually assaulted for months. The 18-year-old girl, who was unable to sit, talk or walk when she was admitted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in December 2015, now campaigns to prevent young girls from falling into the trap of traffickers.

She returned home in January 2016 and now goes to schools and helps West Bengal Police initiative - Swayamsiddha (self-empowerment) - in creating awareness about trafficking among young students.

I am still on medication and have to visit hospital once in a month. That incident changed my life and I am scared of going out of my house. But I dont want any other girl to meet the same fate. For that I help police educate young students, said Aaftab (name changed), who now lives at her home in south 24 Pargana district.

That is quite a change from December 2015. When HT met her in the hospital, her legs were infected and doctors had to remove pus regularly to prevent the infection from spreading. She had gag wounds around her mouth. Her father, who is a daily wage labourer fears that his daughter will remain unmarried but now he wants to fight against traffickers.

There is a social stigma and I am aware of it. I wanted my daughter back and I will now take care of her. Together we will ensure that the person who made her life hell, gets punishment, said her father. The girl, who was trafficked from West Bengal in 2014, said she was sexually assaulted over 10 times in a day by different men for six months. According to doctors, the cause of her deteriorating health was repeated sexual assault.

I have been taken to Rishikesh, Haridwar, Manali, Mangalore and many other locations and kept at someones place where people used to come and rape me. This happened for over six months and traffickers used to beat me up on refusal. I caught fever and my health started deteriorating. Then the trafficker dropped me in the hospital and left, the girl told HT.

It was after Hindustan Times highlighted her plight that she was given medical attention, which ensured speedy recovery. The cause of infection was repeated sexual assault. She was diagnosed with septic arthritis, and displayed visible lacerations in and around her mouth consistent with gag wounds. The girl is courageous and has now recovered from the trauma. That is why we are talking more about gender based violence and a girl like her will help us in creating awareness, said Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini, an NGO which monitored her rehabilitation.

Kant said that with the help of the US consulate, they are trying to create awareness on gender based violence in the region with focus on college campuses. Compensation given by the state government and the Centre has helped her pick up the threads of her life.

After the state government, the ministry of home sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for me, which will help in getting the right treatment, she said. She is one of the thousands of girls trafficked every year to Delhi from states such as Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam. Some are forced to work as domestic helps in inhuman conditions while many are pushed into prostitution.

According to a global survey report, India has the largest population of modern slaves in the world, with more than 18 million people trapped as bonded labourers, forced beggars, sex workers and child soldiers. The Global Slavery Index by human rights organisation Walk Free Foundation said the number was 1.4% of Indias population, the fourth highest among 167 countries with the largest proportion of slaves. Battling poverty, young people, especially women, get taken in by the promise of a better life and fall prey to traffickers who run a well-organised racket.

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The BJP-led NDA governments claim of pursuing a pro-poor economic policy was questioned on Friday by a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue, who termed the continuing farmer suicides a corollary of an untamed agrarian crisis.

In an indictment of the economic policies of the Centre, RSS joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said the governments response to the suicides committed by hundreds of farmers in the past one decade was not enough.

The government policies have failed to create equitable wealth for a large section of the population and instead focused on a few individuals, helping them become billionaires, Hosabale said.

The observation betrays the Sanghs lack of confidence in the BJPs economic policies.

One lakh farmers committed suicide in India in 10 years we have not seen (any) government being brought down because of this. God forbid, but if 10 IT industry captains had done so...What would have happened? he said.

Linking the deaths to poor policy intervention he said: Lets assume many had not done so for economic reasons, even then such a large number of farmers choosing to end their lives is a sad commentary on the governments planning and economic policies.

Hosabale was speaking at the first National Economic Conclave 2017, which was organised by the India Policy Foundation, a think-tank affiliated to the Sangh.

Speaking to HT on the sidelines of the conclave, Hosabale said just as some non-government organisations have conducted research on the issue of farmer suicides, the government too needs to do its bit.

On the issue of demonetisation, Hosabale was circumspect.

While Sangh affiliates such as the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the Laghu Udyog Bharati were unequivocal in their opposition to culling of high denomination currency and the thrust to digital payment platforms, Dattatreya said it was too soon to come to any conclusion. The initial response (to demonetisation) though is positive, he told the HT.

Hosabale also cautioned the government against charting any policy that is not drafted keeping Indias cultural and social ethos in mind or the one which is inspired by the western nations.

Which economic model should we follow ...the experiment is still on. We have implemented the socialist and capitalist models, but where have we reached? We as a nation have not been able to clearly chart out an economic path for the development of the entire nation, he said, calling for a social and cultural audit.

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Former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammad Shahabuddin was, on Saturday, taken to New Delhi, where he will be lodged in high security Tihar Jail as per a Supreme Courts order.

More than 20 armed security personnel accompanied Shahabuddin as he boarded the New Delhi-bound Sampoorna Kranti Express which left Rajendra Nagar Terminal station at 5.45pm.

Shahabuddin was brought to Rajendra Nagar Terminal station in the state capital amid tight security from Beur Central Jail, in the outskirts of Patna, where he was shifted from Siwan prison earlier in the day.

Rajendra Nagar Terminal station was turned into a virtual fortress by the police administration as a large number of supporters of the former MP jostled to get a glimpse of the gangster-turned politician.

The former MP from Siwan was moved out of the Beur jail at around 4 pm in a prisoners van, which was followed by more than 10 police vehicles.

The administration chose to take him to Rajendra Nagar terminal, the originating point of the train in an apparent bid to avoid any chaos at the busy Patna junction railway station.

Sources said the terminal was also chosen for security reasons and to make the shifting a low key affair by keeping the media at bay.

The police also anticipated trouble at Patna junction as a large number of Shahabuddins supporters had started assembling there.

We did not want to take any chances during the shifting of the former MP from Beur jail to the station and to keep it a low key affair, said a senior police officer, seeking anonymity.

The police administration also took all care to ensure that Shahabuddin was not provided any special treatment as per the directives of the Supreme Court during his transfer to Tihar jail.

He was booked in a sleeper class (S-2) compartment of the Sampoorna Kranti Express like an ordinary prisoner and whisked away to the train from the prisoners van at 5 pm after waiting outside the station for almost half-an-hour.

Sources said 22 policemen from Siwan were also booked in the train.

Earlier, he was escorted out of Siwan jail at 2.40am and brought to Patna by road amid tight security. Police and administrative officials reached Siwan divisional jail around 1am and informed Shahabuddin that he was being shifted to Tihar as per SCs order.

Supporters of former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin outside the Siwan jail before he was shifted from there. (HT photo)

However, despite efforts of the prison administration to keep Shahabuddins shifting plan a secret, supporters of the former Siwan MP got wind of the developments and gathered outside the jail from midnight onwards. They also raised slogans against the Siwan district administration and the state government.

Jail officials said after the mandatory medical examination by doctors of Siwan sadar hospital, in accordance with the jail manual, Shahabuddin was escorted to a black SUV, which drove him to Beur jail.

Members of Bihar polices special task force (STF) and officers, including the additional superintendent of police and the sub-divisional officer, accompanied him in seven other vehicles.

At least 10 SUVs, carrying supporters of Shahabuddin followed the vehicle carrying the RJD leader, but STF personnel forcibly stopped them near Nayagaon in Saran district, about 40km from Patna, and seized the keys of their vehicles.

Siwan superintendent of police (SP) Suarabh Kumar Sah said all directives of the top court were followed and no special facility was provided to Shahabuddin while he being shifted to Patna.

The SUV in which he was taken to Patna belonged to police and he was flanked by two armed security officials in the vehicle, the SP added.

The Supreme Court had, earlier this week, ordered the Bihar government to move Shahabuddin to Tihar jail to ensure his free and fair trial.

The top court order came on petitions filed by Asha Ranjan, wife of slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan and Chandrakeshwar Prasad alias Chanda Babu whose three sons were murdered allegedly at Shahabuddins behest.

Last month, Shahabuddin triggered a row with his purported selfie showing his changed look inside Siwan prison, which went viral on the social media.

Siwan jail officials, however, denied that a selfie was clicked by Shahabuddin and said some well-wisher who might have come to meet him could have taken the photo and posted it on the social media.

Asha Ranjan had filed a plea stating that free and fair trial against Shahabuddin was not possible if he remain lodged in any Bihar jail as witnesses would not be able to depose against him.

Rajdeo Ranjan was shot dead in May last year near the Siwan railway station.

Shahabuddin is facing trial in 45 cases. The top court had sent him back to jail on September 30, 2016, by reversing a September 7, 2016, Patna high court order granting him bail.

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From his unbuttoned shirt and a fiery demeanour at a massive protest rally at the iconic Marina beach, just after being evicted from the assembly on Saturday, it was clear DMK leader MK Stalin wants to take the issue to the people.

Experts say it is part of a calculated strategy to raise question on the legitimacy of the government that won a trust vote in the absence of most of the opposition MLAs.

EK Palaniswami, a loyalist of AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala, won the trust vote 122-11, after DMK legislators were evicted from the assembly and Congress staging a walkout in protest amid stormy scenes.

The DMK held protest in several parts of the state questioning the legitimacy of the government.

The DMK is the principal opposition party with 89 seats and support of eight Congress and one IUML legislators.

There is nothing wrong in asking for a secret vote even through conventions and rules of the House may not provide for it, given the extraordinary circumstances that led to the formation of the government amid allegation of MLAs being forcefully confined in a resort, a political analyst said.

But Stalins lodged the protest with the governor and took the issue to the people in a calculated move to occupy the mind space of the masses, who perceive O Panneerselvam as a hero who revolted against Sasikala, he said.

Stalin hit out at Sasikala and her family and stated that there is no government or governance in Tamil Nadu for the past several months.

Local body polls will be held in the state soon and Stalin through the tough posturing is trying to set an agenda for the elections.

Trust vote is not everything. There will be enough opportunities for Stalin to corner the government even in the assembly. Budget session is coming up which will be an important test for the government as it will be under constant pressure due to lack of credibility, particularly after the floor test was conducted without opposition, said Professor Ramu Manivannan of the Madras University.

#WATCH DMK MLAs scuffle with TN Assembly speaker, protesting DMK MLA Ku Ka Selvam sat on speaker chair #floortest (Jaya TV) pic.twitter.com/CkMQY9FfQx  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

Perhaps the DMK knew Palaniswami will win the trust vote anyway. So it was better to reinforce the doubt over its legitimacy in the eyes of the people, Prof Manivannan said.

Speaker P Dhanpal in his concluding remarks after the trust vote, had noted that the government would have won the confidence motion even if the DMK and the Congress members were present in the assembly.

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Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami comfortably won a dramatic trust vote on Saturday amid chaos after the speaker threw out opposition DMK members for violence and Congress legislators walked out.

Palaniswami won by 122 votes to 11 after speaker P Dhanapal twice adjourned the House within a couple of hours when DMK legislators broke furniture and microphones, threw papers and even occupied his chair.

The unprecedented eviction of the 88 DMK legislators and the secrecy surrounding the special session are likely to take the sheen off Paliniswamis win, which also hands a moral victory to disgraced AIADMK chief VK Sasikala in a high-stakes battle against her challenger O Panneerselvam.

His victory meant that Panneerselvams gamble of revolting against Sasikala  a long-time confidante of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa  has failed and his dreams of holding on to the top job gone, at least for the time being.

The current crisis erupted about two weeks ago when in a late-night dramatic revolt, Panneerselvam alleged Sasikala  anointed to succeed Jayalalithaa as CM  forced him to resign from the states top post.

But despite Palaniswami winning the trust vote handily, the political thriller that has transfixed the nation for weeks showed no signs of ending.

Minutes after he was carried out by marshals, DMK working president MK Stalin rushed to governor C Vidyasagar Rao to complain about the speakers actions and Panneeerselvams camp dubbed the floor test undemocratic. Stalin later sat on a protest dharna at Marina Beach, ringed by party members.

But Dhanapal  whose shirt was torn in the melee and who had to be rescued by marshals  hit back, saying DMK members misbehaved with him as he is from the Adi Dravid (Dalit) community.

By afternoon when results of the trust vote were declared, news poured in of protests in various districts against the chief minister and Sasikala, indicating that Palaniswami had a long way to go before gaining political stability.

Palaniswami, 62, was propped up as chief minister by Sasikala after the Supreme Court sent her to jail on Tuesday in a 20-year-old corruption case. Panneerselvam, with barely a handful of legislators in his camp, however, found support from the DMK, the Congress and the All India Muslim League.

The day had begun on a hopeful note for Panneerselvam as hours before the vote, a legislator said he escaped from a resort 120-odd AIADMK lawmakers were corralled for 10 days to join the former CM.

Buoyed by the defection, the Panneerselvam camp and DMK pushed for a secret ballot in the hope that fence-sitters in the Palaniswami camp would switch sides. But Dhanapa, rejected the demand outright and when the MLAs tried to lecture him, he said I know the rules and regulations. Dont teach me how to run the house.

As if on cue, the entire DMK contingent trooped into the well of the House and created a ruckus, seemingly with an intention to force adjournments and delay the floor test.

The opposition partys aggression appeared a last-minute change of strategy as legislators broke tables, threw sheaves of paper at the speakers podium, pulled out his mike and sat on his chair. Dhanapal himself being was pulled by an MLA in a scuffle that left his shirt torn.

#WATCH DMK MLAs scuffle with TN Assembly speaker, protesting DMK MLA Ku Ka Selvam sat on speaker chair #floortest (Jaya TV) pic.twitter.com/CkMQY9FfQx  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

Two MLAs Kuka Selvam and Ranganathan sat on the speakers chair. Another MLA held a chair and was threatening to hurl it across. Vendum, vendum, rahasyamaga vakku allikka vendum (wanted, wanted, secret voting wanted) slogans rent the air as DMK members thronged the well and surrounded the speaker Dhanpal, forcing him to adjourn the session the first time.

When the house reconvened at 1pm, DMK members ringed the speaker with vociferous slogans to press for secret balloting. But this time around, the speaker was surrounded by white-uniformed marshals and ordered the eviction of all DMK lawmakers after a warning. Stalin and his party leader Durai Murugan were among first of the MLAs to be evicted.

When the house met again at 3pm, it was clear that the numbers were heavily stacked in favour of Palaniswami and Panneerselvams hopes of inducing cross-voting and defections would fail. And the CM sailed through, with the score line reading: For : 122 and Against: 11.

Read: Palaniswami wins trust vote: Heres how parties played their cards

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With chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami scraping through a floor test in Tamil Nadu assembly on Saturday, there are challenges aplenty for him.

With 122 MLAs firmly in his grip, satisfying governor C Vidyasagar Rao was easier. But winning trust vote could be a tad trickier. Amid reports of few MLAs likely to revolt like AIADMK MLA and former DGP R Nataraj did on Friday morning, Palaniswami cancelled his visit to Bengaluru to call on party general secretary lodged in Parapparana Agrahara Central Jail.

The chief minister rushed to the Golden Bay resort to quell a potential rebellion and pacify the restive MLAs. It indicates that even if he won the trust vote, his government would be at the mercy of few MLAs.

Pleasing all the 122 MLAs is the biggest challenge as Palaniswami is already facing a threat from O Panneerselvams camp and a resurgent DMK. Few reports indicated that DMK might either abstain or walk out of the house and if it happens, then Palaniswami is home and dry without a hassle.

But more important than the floor test, the Palaniswami government has to win the public trust and legitimacy it lacks so badly. It was evident from the public reaction to the swearing-in of his government in Chennai on Thursday. The common man showed his anger and resentment against the MLAs and booed them as they were emerging out of the resort to visit Raj Bhavan on Thursday.

Moreover, he is also fighting the public perception that he is a puppet chief minister, controlled by Sasikala from jail and by her nephew TT V Dinakaran, the AIADMK deputy general secretary.

The wafer thin majority that Palaniswami would enjoy, of just about seven MLAs, is something that will pose a constant challenge to him and the longevity of his government. Except, the fear of facing people in a fresh election from his own MLAs is his best bet, said political analyst Prof Ramu Manivannan of the Madras University.

But the anger against Sasikala and her puppet is cutting across caste and region barriers, said political analyst Sumanth C Raman.

Longevity is not just the cause for concern. There are bigger challenges waiting for Palaniswami as he gets down to business, if he passes the floor test that is. First and foremost is that he will have to tackle the agrarian crisis that got aggravated because of the worst drought in over 100 years.

Then he will have to match up to the success notched by OPS on the Jallikattu issue by getting the Centre to exempt Tamil Nadu students from the NEET examination (common entrance examination for medical colleges), which can only be done through the active support of the central government. Palaniswami will have to work hard to win the trust and build a working relationship with the central government, but with nearly 50 MPs in its kitty, as also the AIADMK MLAs, the ruling BJP at the Centre may not disturb the Tamil Nadu government till the Presidential and vice-presidential elections are gone through, in some six months time.

Filling in the shoes of Amma and building upon Brand Amma will be his main mission as it would help him win popularity among the masses.

But more important test of Palaniswami government and the AIADMK led by Sasikala will be the local body polls that could be held very soon.

(This copy was updated after Palaniswami won the floor test)

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Following the ruckus in the Tamil Nadu state assembly, DMK working president M K Stalin was detained after he sat on a protest at Marina beach against the alleged attack on him and his party MLAs during the trust vote on Saturday.

Terming the day as a black day for democracy, the senior DMK leader urged all those who wanted to remove the anti- democratic AIADMK government to join him.

After alleging that he was manhandled in the Assembly by the marshals on the day of the vote of confidence, which the Palaniswami government won with a comfortable margin of 122-11, Stalin sat on a protest at the Marina along with his MLAs.

However, police detained the protesting MLAs including Stalin.

Read| Palaniswami wins trust vote in Tamil Nadu assembly, DMK legislators evicted after violence

It is a black day for democracy. This anti-people(AIADMK) government must be removed. Insisting that a peaceful protest is underway at the Marina. Those who want to remove this anti-democratic government should converge at the Marina, he said in a statement here.

Incidentally, the Marina had witnessed a week-long pro-jallikattu protests in January where scores of people, mainly youngsters had converged at the sands of the famous beach and agitated before it turned violent.

Meanwhile, several DMK workers blocked vehicular traffic and indulged in stone-pelting in different places in the state to protest the alleged attack on Stalin, police said.

In Tirupur, stones were hurled at the Avinashi office of state Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, police said.

DMK supporters staged protests in more than 10 places in and around Coimbatore.

Reports from Cuddalore said, government buses were damaged in stone-throwing incidents at Chidambaram, Virudachalam and Veppur in the district, in which two persons sustained minor injuries.

In Puducherry, the DMK cadres staged a road roko at near the bus terminus and raised slogans condemning the attack on Stalin.

Thanjavur reports said, around 300 persons including former Union Minister TR Balu were arrested for burning the effigy of Dhanapal.

Similarly, picketing was reported from several places in Erode district, including Bhavani, Gobichettipalayam and Sathyamangalam.

Read| Palaniswami wins trust vote: Heres how parties played their cards
Its a sight that will put you off eating any food cooked at the place.

A toilet in Madhya Pradeshs Chhatarpur district has been turned into a kitchen, while another has been converted into a small grocery shop, exposing the tall claims of the government over swachhta abhiyan (cleanliness campaign).

In the districts Kodan village, Dinesh Yadav has changed his toilet into a kitchen because the septic tank was not constructed. His wife Sushela told reporters that although the money under the scheme was transferred to their beneficiary account, it was the sarpanch in their village who constructed the toilet.

Our toilet was also constructed by him. We gave him the money transferred into our account. But so far the toilet has not been completed. We still go out for attending natures call, he said.

Read | In 2 years of Swachh Bharat, only 4 states visibly improved cleanliness: Study

On the Deri road of Chhatarpur town, one Laxman Kushwaha, a labourer, has opened a grocery shop in his toilet as the septic tank was not properly built by the contractor has, sources said.

Neelam, 17, eldest daughter of the labourer said though the toilet was built but the septic tank was very small and not constructed properly. We complained to officials about it but no one listened to us. So my father decided to open a grocery shop in it. It was constructed around six months ago. Our family members still go out in the open for attending natures call, she said.

When contacted, DK Maurya, additional district magistrate (ADM) Chhatarpur and in-charge CEO Zila Panchyat told HT that authorities would probe why the villagers in the two areas had turned their toilets into a kitchen and a grocery shop respectively.

We have a target to make our district ODF by October this year. Against a target of building 1.96 lakh toilets in rural areas, so far 55000 toilets have been constructed. I admit there are some problems in the implementation of this scheme. We are taking action against those found guilty and reckless. Strict action has been taken and district coordinator has been shunted out for lapses, he said.

Read | Tribal woman becomes face of Maharashtras open defecation-free project

When contacted, Kamta Gupta, chief municipal officer Chhatarpur Nagar Palika told HT that against a target of constructing 2822 toilets in Chhatarpur city, around 1600 have been constructed so far. I am sending officials to look into why on the Deri road, which falls under our area, a toilet is being used as a grocery shop, he said.

RK Thapak, convener Social Media Foundation, a local NGO, alleged there were irregularities in the construction of toilets under Samgra Swachhta Abhiyan in rural and urban areas of the district.

Highlights In Chhatarpur district, 39.3 % households have toilet facility, against 53.39 % households in the entire state. Of MPs 51 districts, Indore and Harda have been declared ODF. 27.11 % villages in MP have been declared ODF

Many sarpanchs and secretaries are working as contractors and they tell villagers that if they construct the toilets on their own, the inspection officer may not approve the construction. So they ask them to get their toilets constructed through them. This needs a thorough investigation, he said.

The Centre, under Swachh Bharat Mission has set a target to make the country open defecation-free (ODF) by October 2, 2019, which coincides with the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Madhya Pradesh has nearly 55000 villages and district administrations are racing against time to ensure their respective districts are declared ODF as soon as possible.

Read | Swachh Bharat Abhiyan a mass movement, says Modi
Two shocking incidents of crime against women rocked Allahabad district on Saturday.

In the first incident, two motorcycle-borne youths threw acid on a class 11 student in Koraon area while in the other, an 18-year-old girl, who was going to a madarsa, was stabbed by a youth in Naini area for repelling his advances.

In the Koraon incident , the girl, a resident of Badauwa Kala village, was going to school when the youths, who had their faces covered with a cloth, came from behind and threw acid on her. The girl, however, managed to duck and escape with burns on only one of her arms. She raised an alarm but the attackers sped away. The girl was later admitted to a nearby CHC for treatment.

Two youths were detained on suspicion, but released after the victim failed to recognise them, Inspector Koraon Krishnapal Singh said. Further action in the incident will be taken after receiving complaint from the victim, he added.

In the Naini incident, the girl, of Mahewa area under Naini police station, was going to a nearby madarsa when the youth stabbed her with a knife several times before local residents could rush to save her.

The youth, identified as Janib, was later caught and was handed over to the police. He was stalking the girl since long and was enraged when she repelled his advances. The injured girl was admitted to a hospital where her condition was reported to be critical.

Circle officer, Naini, Alka Bhatnagar said the accused was arrested and an FIR registered against him on the complaint of the girls father.

Blast from the past In November, 2016 three sisters survived an acid attack in area of Baharia, in Allahabad, by motorcycle borne miscreants who were later nabbed. Investigations revealed that a neighbourhood girl was involved in the attack. In May, 2014, a youth threw acid on his estranged wife and sister-in-law at Mauaima Bazaar. He was later nabbed by cops. In August, 2013, a youth threw a burning shirt on a female student of Allahabad University for repelling his advances. The girl had sustained serious burn injuries and the youth was arrested.
A government scheme to install cradles at hospitals across the state to allow parents to put unwanted infants has saved 35 newborns in less than a year. Twenty-five of them are girls.

Chief minister Vasundhara Raje announced, in her 2015-16 budget speech, Ashray Palna Sthal Yojna to instal 65 cradles at medical college, district, satellite and sub-district hospitals to save newborns abandoned by their parents, and often thrown in hedges, dustbins and water bodies, exposing them to life risks.

The directorate of child welfare data shows that 350 infants were found abandoned across the state in the last three years. According to the 2011 Census, the child sex ratio in Rajasthan  infamous for female infanticide  stands at 883 girls for every 1,000 boys, as against 909 girls in 2001.

The scheme was launched to give women, who forsake newborns because of family and social pressures, a safe option of abandoning the babies, said Devendra Agarwal, adviser to the health department and in-charge of the scheme.

We dont want newborns to die if their mothers cant raise them, he added.

Under the scheme, a cradle is kept outside the duty room of hospitals. Every time a baby is placed in the cradle, a bell rings after three minutes to give the person, who puts the child, time to leave unquestioned.

The abandoned newborns are taken to neonatal intensive care units for medical care and later handed over to 37 adoption agencies in the state, including two run by NGOs in Jodhpur and Udaipur, through the child welfare committees, said Reena Sharma, deputy director (child rights).

A CRADLE OF HOPE In April 2006, female foetuses found floating in Udaipurs Fatehsagar Lake prompted businessman Devendra Agrawal, now adviser to the health department for the Ashray Palna Yojna, to thik why girls were killed before birth. He set up Mahesh Ashram locality and put a cradle outside it so that "unwanted" girls could be saved from being killed or abandoned.

Agarwal also put a cradle outside MB Hospital a few months later. The two cradles have received 248 girls.

The concept of Ashray Palna Yojna was conceived by Agarwal. The government made him the nodal officer for the scheme.

After the installation of cradles, the Jodhpurs Ummed Hospital was the first to receive two girls in March. The third girl was abandoned at a government cradle in Jhalawar district hospital in April. Until February 15, 25 girls and 10 boys have been safely abandoned at 22 cradles, the cradles at Nyaypura in Kota getting a maximum of four in three months (September to November, 2016).

Agarwal said many of the newborns are sick when abandoned and some fail to survive despite the best medical care provided to them. Of the 35 newborns received at government cradles, nine died during treatment. Seven of them were girls.

Against the general perception that only baby girls are abandoned, the cradles received 10 boys, he said.

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Jaipur: The family of a 30-year-old brain dead man from Jaipur has given a fresh lease of life to four others by donating his heart, liver and kidneys. Three residents of Jaipur received the liver and the kidneys while the heart was flown to AIIMS in New Delhi. The liver transplant was carried out at state-run Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital

SMS medical college principal Dr US Agarwal told media that a team from the Institute of Biliary Sciences (ILBS), Delhi, alongwith doctors of the hospital performed the first cadaver liver transplant.

Health minister Kali Charan Saraf congratulated the SMS Medical College and hospital doctors and nursing staff for the successful transplant. He also thanked the family members of the donor.

The donor, from Kotputli area in district, was declared brain dead Friday morning. His family was counselled and they agreed for organ donation. The liver was transplanted to a 45-year old male while the kidneys were transplanted into two males, both 50 years old, sources said, adding the team lead by Dr Vinay Tomar performed the kidney transplant. Till date, 18 cadaver kidneys have been transplanted at SMS hospital.

Dr Vinayendra Pamecha of ILBS said, Efforts were being made for last two years to perform the liver transplant at SMS hospital. It fructified today. He said the transplant was successful and the patient was stable.

Pamecha said the team from ILBS reached Jaipur at 9.30 pm Friday and few hours later started the process to harvest the organs. The process got over at 6am. The doctors started the process to transplant the liver, which took nearly six hours. The recipient is in intensive care unit and will be discharged in three to four weeks, he said.

This facility should be launched at all the government hospitals, he added.

Agarwal said the retrieved heart was sent to AIIMS and was same successfully transplanted. He thanked deputy commissioner of police, traffic, Hyder Ali Zaidi for creating a green corridor to carry the heart from the hospital to airport, which was done in seven minutes. Even the Indigo flight took off with the heart 15 minutes before the schedule. In Delhi, the heart reached AIIMS within 25 minutes. The heart, after retrieval, has to be transplanted within two hours, he informed.

Apart from Pamecha, doctors Ranbir Rao, Ajay Sharma and SS Sharma, and nearly 100 others, including the team of 15 from ILBS, worked together for successful transplant of liver.

Agarwal informed that as per a memorandum of understanding with ILBS, the first 25 cadaver liver transplants will be performed by the experts from ILBS assisted by doctors from SMS hospital.
A panther was on Saturday caught near Sariksa where a hunt is underway to nab an elusive feline which had mauled two persons to death.

The panther was trapped in a cage this morning in forest area near Gopalpura village. However, it is not yet confirmed if it is the same panther which attacked two persons on Sunday.

The animal has been shifted to Jaipur zoo for medical examination, Alwar collector Muktanand Agrawal told PTI.

He said that the veterinary doctors at the zoo would examine to see it is the same panther.

Read | Order to shoot killer panther unwarranted: Wildlife experts

Teams of forest department and police are still combing the area in search of the beast from the Sunday attack. Twenty cameras have been installed and monitoring is being done through drone cameras as well. The hunt has been underway since Sunday.

Six people died recently in panther attacks in Sariska forest area.
Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar has filed a defamation case against BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who accused him of destroying evidence in the Saradha chit fund scam.

Kumar, a 1989 batch IPS officer, known to be close to the chief minister, filed the case in a city sessions court on Friday. The move is expected to add another chapter of acrimony in the relations between the Mamata Banerjee government in the state and Narendra Modi-led Centre.

Vijayvargiya, who is the BJP observer in the state, had last month accused Kumar of destroying documentary evidence in the Saradha chit fund scam and said he will ask the CBI to investigate his role.

His comments came after the arrest of Trinamool MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay by the CBI in the Rose Valley chit fund scam and triggered a clash between Trinamool and BJP workers. The allegations that several ruling party leaders have been involved in these mega ponzi scams have hit the Bengal government, with BJP trying to get leverage from the issue.

Banerjee and the Trinamool have accused the Centre of using agencies such as CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) over her criticism of the Prime Ministers demonetisation move.

Read: CBI says Rose Valley scam arrests not linked to Trinamools note-ban opposition

Over the past few years, Kumar has been accused by various opposition parties of taking steps to shield ruling party leaders in various scams. But this is the first time he has sought legal action. Government employees are not known to react to jibes and comments made by politicians.

The petition was lodged under sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of IPC. The maximum punishment under these sections is imprisonment up to two years, and may include fine.

The judge admitted the petition and asked Vijayvargiya to appear on March 7.

BJP leaders told HT that it will fight the legal battle with all the resources under its command.

The Kolkata Police commissioner knows that he is going to face grilling by the CBI. So he is moving court. But it wont save him, Sayantan Basu, BJP state secretary, told HT.

In police circles, Rajeev Kumar is reputed as an officer with a keen crime solving ability using cell phone and internet-based technology.

Also Read: Actor Rimi Sen joins BJP ahead of assembly elections
With thousands of aspiring primary school teachers relentlessly taking to the streets in the districts and Kolkata over the past few days, alleging mismanagement in the recruitment process, the ruling Trinamool Congress may soon have to deal with another hot potato. For, recruitment of teachers ran into similar roadblocks over the last two years following countless litigations and political movements over alleged corruption and nepotism.

Some people are simply trying to jeopardise the recruitment process. Those who have proper documents are being appointed, said state education minister Partha Chatterjee on Friday. Even as he spoke, agitators who took the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for more than 60,000 jobs complained that either their appointment letters were being dismissed as incomplete or they were being appointed as para teachers (assistants) and not teachers, as promised.

Hundreds of candidates are demonstrating every day in different districts throughout the state from Kolkata to Cooch Behar, Barasat to Birbhum.

Read: Opposition threaten to stall Mamata govts plan to recruit 72,000 schoolteachers

Officials at West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) talked to each candidate for around 10 seconds before turning them away, alleged Silpi Mitra, a candidate in Kolkata. A few successful candidates also alleged that only those who had bribed the right people were getting jobs. The agitations were continuing even till the wee hours of Saturday.

Incidentally, in August 2015, the government had to order a CID probe into the disappearance of TET question papers from a bus after the CPI-M and Congress organised movements, alleging foul play and involvement of Trinamool leaders. The test was postponed till October that year. The results, however, had to be postponed again because of litigation started by candidates who had undergone formal training before appearing for TET. Finally, in September 2016, the Calcutta High Court directed WBBPE to publish the results by giving preference to those trained by Primary Teachers Training Institute (PTTI).

This is a mountain of corruption. The number of court cases has increased over the years. So, I have appealed to the Calcutta High Court to club them together and give a combined hearing to all, said noted lawyer Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya who is representing quite a few candidates.

Many candidates had alleged that they were promised jobs against bribes going up to Rs 9-10 lakh, Bhattacharya told HT.

Incidentally, the BJP, which took out a mammoth procession in Purulia on Friday on this issue, suffered a blow on January 14 when its Bengal vice president and spokesperson, Jaiprakash Majumdar was arrested by the state police on charges of taking Rs 7.20 lakh from a candidates brother. Enthused by the continuing success of the land movement at Bhangar, Congress and CPI-M leaders are all set to turn on the political heat.

In the teachers eligibility test conducted in 20013 less than 2% qualified. In August 2015 TET was postponed following disappearance of question papers from a bus in Hooghly district. Government ordered CID probe.

In October 2015 while the test was going on there were allegations that questions were leaked on social media.

In September 2016 Calcutta High Court asked the government to release results but giving preference to trained candidate during recruitment. Finally this month, results were sent to the candidates though text messages for the first time.

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A commitment to protecting the secular fabric of the country, a firm no to the politics of religion and faith in young political leadership have emerged as the top issues for a section of young Muslim students in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election.

To gauge the mood of these young Muslim students, HT visited the Islamic Centre of India, which runs one of the oldest madarsas of the country.

Prominent Islamic scholar Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli is president of the Islamic Centre.

In a freewheeling discussion with students, both boys and girls, Team HT tried to know what they were thinking.

A party which believes in secularism must form the next government in Uttar Pradesh. We want peace, said Mohammad Ishtiaq.

This was the opinion of every student taking part in the discussion. It was very clear that young Muslims loathed the politics of hatred and communal frenzy.

Another student, Mohd Arif, said, Religion and politics must be kept apart. Politicians must not polarise voters on religious lines to seek votes.

Security for women tops girls agenda

Increasing incidents of crime against women perturbed Muslim girl students also.

Incidents of rape are a cause of concern for us. Security of women must be on the priority list of all political parties. There must be severe punishment for rapists, said Sana Khan.

Fauzia advocated more fast track courts for ensuring speedy justice to rape victims.

Girls also demanded stern punishment for those behind riots.

A student expressing her views during the Campus Adda session at the Islamic Centre of India in Lucknow. (HT Photo)

To keep a check on riots, there must be stringent punishment, said Huda Parveen.

The students said there should be no political interference in Muslim personal laws.

The Indian constitution has given equal right to every citizen to practise his or her religion. The issue of triple talaq is not so important for Muslims. There are many other issues like implementation of recommendations of the Justice Sachar Committee for Muslims, said Sufyan.

Percentage of divorce cases is very low among Muslims as compared to other communities, he said.

JOB QUOTA

Employment and education also figured on the priority list of students of this Islamic seminary.

There must be reservation for Muslims in jobs. Muslim parents do a lot to ensure good education for their children. But when this child ends up jobless, the parents lose hope, said Sahif-ur-Rahman.

DEMONETISATION NOT A GOOD DECISION

They said demonetisation will definitely be a poll issue in UP as it caused much harm to poor and marginalised section of the society.

It was not a good decision. It did not help in checking the menace of black money, said Fauzia Zaki.

Another student Abdul Latif said, After demonetisation, a large number of factory workers lost their jobs. Daily wage labourers and artisans suffered a lot.

Atiq-ur-Rahman said cashless or digital payment was not an option for a large number people who were illiterate and had no access to Android phones.

YOUNG LEADER PREFERRED

Most of the students rooted for a young leadership over an old political leadership.

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadavs decision to form an alliance with Congress for UP polls got a positive nod from these Muslim youths.

The Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance for UP polls is good, said Mohammad Azam.

Read more: In a Lucknow college, the election debate among students is about reservation
What does it take to be a teenager who is CEO or president of his own company? Chutzpah, inventiveness  and parental support.

Not only because a child cannot legally set up a corporation, but because it takes belief to lend your child money for equipment, allow her or him to take time off from school or summer classes to study something they are passionate about.

This combination of confident children who grow up thinking out of the box, and parents who are willing to back them, is creating a generation of entrepreneurs so young, theyre still in school.

Seeing many successful start-up stories around them has made parents and kids positive and confident about taking risks. We need a new generation of risk takers and thats exactly what were starting to see taking shape, says Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, entrepreneur and CMD of one of the earliest biotech companies, Biocon.

Shaw was on the speakers at the first-ever India round of Young Entrepreneurs Academy USA (or YEA!), a platform that seeks to groom very young entrepreneurs. This round yielded an app for on-call nannies thought up by a 13-year-old from Gurgaon, and a valet parking service to reduce congestion on the streets, thought up by a 17-year-old from Mumbai.

Meanwhile, the fourth round of the TiE Young Entrepreneurs Program gave us a trio aged 14 to 16 who have created a drink thats 95% fruit, as their contribution to the fight against diabetes and obesity.

Others, like teen filmmakers Pal and Chin Vardhman and Jayansh Bhartiya, and app developers Shravan and Sanjay Kumaran, are going it alone, with support from their parents and platforms such as the Childrens Film Society of India and World Wildlife Fund.

The Vardhmans bought a flat in Mumbai so their boys could study aspects of filmmaking in their summer breaks. They even home-schooled them for two years so they could make their first film in peace. (It went on to win international awards).

As the app developers dad and chief investor Kumaran puts it: Its such a thrill to see them, so young, taking their ideas through to implementation. For my boys to meet Apples stringent requirements, and to do it at their age, its amazing.

ITS LIKE UBER, BUT INSTEAD OF A CAB, YOU CALL A NANNY

Nakshh Kohli (left) and Avi Dayani s app locate baby-sitters near you. Select the one that suits you best. (Burhaan Kinu/HT PHOTO)

A year ago, my mom had to travel abroad for work, our maid stopped coming and I saw my dad struggling without help, says Gurgaon boy Avi Dayani, 13. So I came up with an idea for an app called Shanny, or Short Service Nanny.

Avi is now in Class 7 at Shri Ram School and his partner in class and friend, 12-year-old Nakshh Kohli, is his partner in this business.

Basic market research has been completed. We did a survey of 20 people in the neighbourhood and were surprised to find out how much people are ready to pay for an educated babysitter, says Kohli. The average price we kept hearing was Rs 1,000 for two hours. We have fixed on Rs 700. We will take a 30% commission, and the nanny will take home Rs 490.

Watch Avi and Nakshh share the story of how they came up with the baby-sitting service app here:

Local residents associations are helping the boys put together a list of babysitters. So far, its mostly college students and grandmothers. We are asking for government ID and references for each applicant, Dayani says.

The app will give you options of baby-sitters near you with their ratings and personal details. You select the one that suits you best.

The target audience of their app is nuclear families, where both parents work.

The idea has won the first prize of Rs 50,000 at YEA! India. The boys will register their company and launch a beta version of the app in March, with Dayani as CEO and Kohli as CFO.

YEA! is helping us with the legalities. My parents, Nakshhs parents and my uncle, who is a lawyer, will also help, says Dayani.

Avik Chattopadhyay, Dayanis father business partner, is investing Rs 15,000 in Shanny. Radhika Aggarwal, founder of e-tailing website Shopclues, has invested Rs 25,000.

What caught my attention with Shanny was that it aimed to solve a very persistent and age-old problem, Aggarwal says. As a working mother, I know how difficult it is to find a good babysitter. Shanny aims to provide a much-needed solution in this space, and that made me decide to invest.

BUILDING APPS FOR PLAY, PRAYER IN CHENNAI

Shravan Kumaran (right),16, is president and Sanjay, 15 is CEO of GoDimensions, the company they set up in 2011.

Growing up, Shravan and Sanjay Kumaran from Chennai idolised Steve Jobs. The way some children dream of being firefighters or pilots, they dreamed of someday creating an app for the Apple App Store.

They were so in love with computers that their dad, Kumaran, a software engineer, taught them some basic computer programming. And that was all it took.

By age 11 and 10 respectively, they were reading advanced material and doing complex programming on their own. Sanjay was still only in Class 3.

In 2011, they developed their first app  Catch Me Cop  an iOS version of the offline chor-police game. They registered their partnership firm in December 2011, and submitted their app.

Apple has a very rigid testing procedure. If theres one bug or its not visually appealing, they reject it. They generally take at least two weeks to get back. But they accepted our first app in a week. I still remember the day. Dad brought home a cake to celebrate, says Shravan, grinning.

Since then, the boys have developed seven apps for Apple Store  gaming apps, prayer apps, helpline and emergency number apps  and three for Androids PlayStore. In 2015, they launched their first app for the new Windows Phone Store.

In non-exam time, we spend an hour a day on our company. We have a thousand ideas in our heads, so we need to decide which ones are feasible, says Shravan, 16, president of GoDimensions. At exam time, we brainstorm while having tea together.

In addition to their computer, they have invested in an iPad, an Android phone and a Windows phone.

We treat our dad as our venture capitalist. For each device, we pitch our app ideas to him to justify the cost, Shravan says.

Also, watch Riya Sankhe, another 16-year-old entrepreneur talking about her company that will make trendy khadi apparel , here:

Their investor has very positive feedback. Im thrilled that they have seen their ideas through to implementation. To meet Apples stringent requirements, and to do it at their age, its amazing, Kumaran says.

Its not just fun and games. We tried their Emergency Booth app  which promises to put you in touch with local ambulance, fire brigade and police services wherever you are. And we got a call, instantly, from a local ambulance service in Mumbai!

Their apps have had an average of 4,000 to 10,000 downloads each. The brothers were named Young Achievers of Digital India by CNN-IBN last July.

The target audience is everyone, they say.

We have started this company not to make money but to fuel our passion. All our apps are free to download and anyone can use them  young, old, children, says Sanjay, 15, CEO of GoDimensions.

Two months ago they have developed a new Android app called GoDonate, which helps you share your excess food with a charity or orphanage near you.

In 2015, Tamil Nadu governor Konijeti Rosaiah conferred upon them the Young Achievers Award given by Space Kidz India, a platform for young scientists.

We gave the award to Shravan and Sanjay because they were the youngest app developers in the country. During the ceremony, it was a delight interacting with them. They are extremely smart kinds and way mature for their age, says Dr Srimathy Kesan, founder and CEO of Space Kidz India.

VALET PARKING, EVERYWHERE YOU GO

Kevin Thakkar, 17, is designing a GPS-enabled app that will guide car-owners to the nearest valet point. Trained waiting chauffeurs will then take charge of their car and park it for them. (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

Kevin Thakkar, 17, from Cathedral & John Connon School in Mumbai participated in the Mumbai leg of the YEA! entrepreneurship contest and won second prize for a business idea called My Valet.

Living in Bandra, I noticed that most traffic jams were caused or worsened by double parking, illegal parking or drivers waiting in idle vehicles, Thakkar says. I conducted an online survey of about 200 adults and found that about 80% were willing to pay for an on-the-spot valet service like the one I was planning to offer.

Kevin is designing a GPS-enabled app that will guide car-owners to the nearest valet point. Trained waiting chauffeurs will then take charge of their car and park it for them.

Watch Kevin talk about the challenges he is facing while launching his app here:

I won Rs 40,000 and I will invest it in my business, he says. I plan to launch in May and I will approach tech and app-based companies for investments too. I have started talking to valet providers in Mumbai about costing and other matters.

I loved Kevins idea, says Namita Thapar, CEO of Incredible Ventures, the Indian franchise of YEA! USA. It came from his personal experience and offers a workable solution to an India-specific problem. We have made investments in the ideas that are given highest rating by the expert investor panel. The prize money is seed funding to motivate our budding entrepreneurs.

A READY-TO-MIX FRUITY DRINK THATS MOSTLY REAL FRUIT

Pranavi Vegesna, 16, Raghav YS, 14 and Armaan Kumar, 15 have won first prize with an idea called Juicerr at the Hyderabad leg of TiE Young Entrepreneurs. Its a fruit powder composition that is 95% fruit and can be stored for six months.

A trio from Hyderabad in Class 9, 10 and 11  Raghav YS, 14, Armaan Kumar, 15 and Pranavi Vegesna, 16  participated in the Hyderabad leg of TiE Young Entrepreneurs, a 16-week-long entrepreneurship programme by global non-profit TiE, and won first prize with an idea called Juicerr.

Its a fruit powder composition that is 95% fruit and can be stored for six months, says Raghav.

With the growing number of cases of diabetes and obesity in our country, people will need a fruit juice which is actually healthy, says Vegesna.

Raghavs mother, Yogeeswari Perumal, a professor of pharmacy at Bits Pilani, helped them with the formula for the product.

We went to a mall and did random sampling with 20 strangers. We got feedback about the flavour and that helped us to make it better, says Kumar.

Read: School kids break stereotypes, bring in parents to meet transgenders

The big challenge for us was time-management, because we had school assignments and examinations. But thats what entrepreneurship is all about. It is doing something different every day without disturbing your regular routine, says Raghav.

The targets group is health-conscious people of any age who dont have the time to make fresh juice every day.

The team will now represent the state in an international competition to be held in California in June, along with five teams from other Indian states. So far, TiE has pledged Rs 50,000, but if they win in the US, they stand to win Rs 10 lakh to help them set up their product line.

One of my friends fathers has shown interest too, but we will only talk to investors after we come back from the US. We will then have a clearer launch plan, Raghav says.

These three kids stood out from the start with their focus on a physical product that brings tangible benefits to peoples health, says Venkatesh Narasimhan, co-chair of TiE Hyderabad and senior VP at Advance Technologies  Redpine Signals. Their enthusiasm and thoroughness impressed us all and we are hopeful they will make their mark on the world stage too.

MAKING FILMS FOR THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

In September, to help raise awareness on the issues that urban trees face, Jayansh Bhartiya,17, made a series of documentary films called The Speaking Tree series, which the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has used to promote their Adopt a Tree campaign. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)

Jayansh Bhartiya, 17, a student of Modern School, Delhi, began his film career by participating in the annual FILMIT competition held by Intach, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, for films made by students on their citys heritage. He was 12.

In the years that followed he won Intach awards for films on teaching children about their cultural roots and about the symbolism of colours in our country.

While volunteering with an NGO called Indus Action, his storytelling took a new direction.

I made a film called SLATE, about a school-going boy who gifts a slate to a girl who cant afford school and how, later, with the help of the Right to Education Act, he helps her to go to school, Bhartiya says.

While making this documentary last year, he had what he considers a life-changing experience.

Watch Jayansh talk about his experiences while making documentaries here:

I met a boy who told me that his dream was to eat a big meal. I can never forget the look in his eyes when he said this. It made me think about all the urban kids, including me, who are spoilt for choice, he says. Since then, Bhartiya has been making films about subjects that matter.

In September, to help raise awareness on the issues that urban trees face, he made a series of documentaries called The Speaking Tree series, which the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has used to promote their Adopt a Tree campaign. The films are on their YouTube channels and social media page.

When Jayansh came to show us his films, we were excited to see how a young boy was using the medium of film. And the message coincided with WWF-Indias Adopt a Tree campaign, says Vrinda Nagar, communications officer at WWF India. Jayanshs films are special because they are relatable. He is currently working on our Water-Tales campaign to bring urban citizens closer to wetlands. Jayanshs film is in the process of being edited and will be published on our social media pages later this month.

AWARD-WINNING ANIMATORS

Four years ago, when Chin and Pal Vardhman were in Class 7, they made a sci-fi movie about two boys and an alien. The film, The Adventure of Palchingiri Begins, was finished in 2015. They are now 16.

When Pal and Chin Vardhman, twin brothers from Udaipur, were in Class 2, they fell in love with digital visual effects. They would take pictures and create overlays of special effects on them. Their mother, Manju, an artist, noticed this and started finding avenues for them to pursue their passion.

At 8, Pal signed up for a course at the Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) in Mumbai. At 10, he did an advanced animation course at Seagull Animation & Gaming Academy (SAGA), Udaipur, and a screenplay course from Digital Academy  The Film School, also in Mumbai. The parents bought a flat in Mumbai so they could live there while their children were pursuing their passion in the summer breaks.

One can do a course at MAAC only if you have passed high school. They didnt want to take me. But dad sat down with the faculty and showed them my work, the 2D and 3D games that I have developed. They were impressed, says Pal, grinning.

Chin did a short acting course at Institute of Creative Excellence (ICE) in Mumbai when he was 10. The institutes were sceptical about taking so young a student, but the work Pal did at home convinced them, says Manju.

Four years ago, when they were in Class 7, they decided to make a sci-fi movie about two boys and an alien. Going to school in the morning and then working on the film through the night was taking a toll, so their parents opted to homeschool them for two years.

The 51-minute film, The Adventure of Palchingiri Begins, was finished in 2015. We turned our home into a studio for it. A simple camera, household lights, a baggage trolley, a sheet for our green screen and our computer were our only equipment. Me, Chin, mummy and our pet dog Tiger acted in the film. Though we stopped going to school for two years, we had the best of time, says Pal.

Watch The Adventure of Palchingiri Begins here:

The movie won the Platinum Reel Award (Student Category) at the Nevada Film Festival in the US, 2015, besides being screened at numerous international film festivals, including the San Diego Film Festival, the International Childrens Film Festival India (ICFFI), Hyderabad; and the National Childrens Film Festival in Jaipur in 2016.

The brothers are in Class 11 now, studying via the National Institute of Open Schooling. Their dream is to go to US to study advanced VFX and filmmaking.

The Adventure of Palchingiri is an ode to the power of learning, says Shravan Kumar, CEO of the Childrens Film Society of India. What is unusual about Pal and Chin is how they have used the internet to learn on their own. They studied animation, make their own films and even act in them. Its a phenomenal effort.

PLATFORMS FOR KIDS

* New platforms are helping entrepreneurial youngsters take their ideas and turn them into companies and products.

* Two of these platforms are TYE (TiE Young Entrepreneurs), a program begun in Boston in 2005, to help young teens build startups, and YEA! (Young Entrepreneurs Academy), launched in the US in 2004 to help middle- and high-school students turn entrepreneurs.

* In 2016, YEA! tied up with Incredible Ventures in India and invited children from Classes 6 through 12 in Mumbai and Delhi to pitch ideas.

* They were then mentored and groomed over five months, via sessions with successful entrepreneurs. Finally, they participated in an investor panel shark tank session where they pitched their business ideas for real funding.

* The TYE Indian chapter started in 2013 and is open to kids from Classes 9 through 12.

* They are divided into groups based on their skills and mentored by an established entrepreneur.

* They also then pitch their idea, and the winner goes on to compete globally for a top prize of Rs 10 lakh.

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In his last public address before the February 21 civic polls, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying the government was behaving like in a state of emergency, and it has been steadily losing support. He, however, refrained from commenting on whether his party will continue to support the BJP-led government at the Centre and state. Although there were whispers in the run up to the BMC elections about Sena ministers planning to put in their papers to give a jolt to the BJP-led government in the state, the day of the two parties final rally before the polls passed without any drama.

Uddhav had gone on record to say that he needs a breathing period to assess the situation and take an informed decision of whether to continue his partys support to the BJP in the state. Leaders, however, say the partys course of action may depend on how it fares in the polls to ten municipal corporations, including Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik, on February 21.

In a retort to allegations of corruption against the Sena and the Thackeray family by BJP leaders, Thackeray questioned the status of the Ganga rejuvenation project, training his guns directly on PM Narendra Modi.

You (the BJP-led government) poured thousands of crores of rupees in the Namami Gange gimmick, but not even a drop of the water was purified. Where did this money go? If the money from Mumbais desilting scam went into my pockets, did the Ganga rejuvenation scam money go into Modis pockets? Inside the pockets of his coat worth Rs10 lakh? Thackeray roared at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground.

He slammed the demand for a ban on Saamna, the Shiv Senas mouthpiece , saying it is akin to behaviour in a state of emergency, adding the Sena should pose Lokmanya Tilaks famous question to the government, Sarkar cha dock thikanyavar ahe ka? (Is the government thinking right?) Thackeray said Modi does not have any right to talk about erstwhile Congress PM Manmohan Singh wearing a raincoat when he himself wears a coat of Rs 10 lakh.

Modi has already taken Mahatma Gandhi out of the charkha. He has created a image such that the world thinks there is only one person born in this country who was a Mahatma, the father of the nation, and the one who gave birth to our country, while the rest are ordinary. Modiji, you havent given birth to this country. It has a long and rich history, and whenever under siege, great people have been born in Maharashtra to protect it, the Sena chief said at the rally, adding that nowhere in the world is there a PM who threatens his own residents and a government that brands people as traitors if they criticise.

Raj relies on Nashik model to woo voters

Even after being heavily criticised for lack of development in Nashik, Raj Thackerary tried to woo the voters in the Marathi heartland  Dadar  by talking about the work done by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Nashik, where its the ruling party.

Thackeray also responded to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis mimicry jibe at Nashik.

If a cartoon is in front of me, I will draw a sketch, said Raj. On Saturday, Fadnavis had remarked that Raj can only do good mimicry.

Thackerays message to retain the Dadar-Mahim strong-hold was, See me in every MNS candidate and vote for me so that I can work for you. There has been no development of the city in the past 25 years as roads and health services have been in mess.

Thackeray also slammed the governments move to construct a Metro car shed in Aarey colony.

He said that this move was to support the developers to usurp the land available with Mumbai Port Trust, which could have easily been used for constructing a car-shed without disturbing the environment.

Raj also said Uddhav has place to give to developers, but cannot grant space in the city for Bal Thackerays memorial. Further criticizing his cousin, Uddhav, Raj said, Why did demonetisation hurt you so much......you should have resigned or should have jumped out of the boat when PM Modi did not even look at you during the Shivaji statue foundation event.

Bigger homes under SRA: CM

Three days ahead of the Mumbai civic body elections, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced that the government run by the BJP will increase the size of the tenement to be given under the slum redevelopment scheme (SRA) from its current 269 square feet to 305 square feet. He said the decisions to facilitate the redevelopment of koliwadas (colonies of fishing community) will be taken and also those residing on forest lands will be rehabilitated at the same place.

Fadnavis was speaking at the last election rally of the party ahead of the polls, at Somaiya Ground in Sion.

Its my promise that the government will withdraw SRA scheme from those who are fooling people since years and people will be given new homes. We will also increase size of the SRA tenement from 269 square feet to 305 square feet, Fadnavis said.

He said that the government will facilitate the redevelopment of koliwadas by coming up with separate Development Control (DC) rules as they are the original inhabitants of Mumbai.

Raising the issue of those residing on forest lands, CM Fadnavis said there were mistakes in the survey of people residing on forest land.

The state government will again go to the central government to rectify the mistake and regularise in-situ redevelopment of these people, the chief minister announced. He said that the government will also facilitate in-situ redevelopment of slums being situated on land of Airport Authority of India (AAI) and 50,000 homes will be constructed.

Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a tiger, CM Fadnavis said those who roar inside their home cannot be called a tiger.

Fadnavis said in reality, Narendra Modi who conducted a surgical strike in Pakistan is a tiger. He further said all those who are residing in Mumbai since years are Mumbaiites. He said the BJP does not believe in regional and linguistic divide.

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Goodies for you to vote: Free cab rides, 15% off at eateries
Free cab rides, discounts at restaurants and free dessert  casting your vote on February 21 could be a sweet deal, as the state election commission, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, NGOs and college students leave no stone unturned to get you to vote.

The student-run Vote for Mumbai campaign, for instance, has partnered with cab-service provider Ola to give voters free rides from polling booths. Give a missed call on 8733087330, then go and vote. Your ride back from the polling booth will be free. We are doing this to encourage first-time voters, said Lishu Singhvi, a third-year student and Vote for Mumbai member. The civic body too has tied-up with Uber to give voters a Rs75 discount on rides to and from polling stations.

Joining the effort, the Association of Hotel and Restaurants (AHAR) has asked its members to run offers on Tuesday  discounts and free desserts for patrons who have voted.

Some city restaurants are promising up to 15% off, while hotel associations in the Lonavala-Khandala belt will give a 20% discount. We are doing this to increase Mumbais voter turnout, said Niranjan Shetty from AHAR, which has 8,500 Mumbai restaurants as members.

On Saturday, the ward office at R/South ward (Kandivli), started sending invitations to homes. Designed like wedding invites, the cards request citizens to cast their vote.

While more than 60% of Mumbais people are registered voters, the turnout during elections has always been poor. In the 2012 civic elections, just 44% turned up to vote.

NGO Operation Black Dot (OBD), which has been working with the election commission, has released a guidebook on what, how and why of elections. The book has a section on where voters can find their polling booths.

Citizens can log onto operationblackdot.in/voter-list-search/ to find it. The NGO has also released a film asking people to vote.

Read: BMC polls: 11 lakh Mumbaiites pledge to cast their votes

BMC polls: Companies announce incentives to increase voter turnout

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A week after citizen groups met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over cutting of trees for the Metro 3 project, environmentalists met Fadnavis on Saturday requesting to shift the construction of the Metro car-shed from Aarey Colony, Goregaon to an alternative location.

Stalin Dayanand, director, non-government organisation (NGO) Vanashakti requested the CM to consider Kalina as an alternative site for the Metro car-shed.

In a 20-minute meeting with the chief minister, we explained to him the importance of Aarey Colony and if the land was open to construction for the metro car-shed, it would fall susceptible to further development, said Dayanand. The CM responded that as per a new design by the state government, only 350 trees will be affected at Aarey and that they would be transplanted for a 20 hectare (ha) double decker Metro car-shed.

Stalin added that a 30-ha plot was available at Kalina but the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) had not seen it as a viable option. The CM responded by dialing MMRCL officials to consider Kalina as an alternative. He also asked them to set up a meeting with environmentalists who were present for the meeting, to explore this site for the construction of the car-shed, Dayanand said. He added that the CM assured the environmentalists that the land-use for Aarey Colony, which is a no-development zone currently, would not be changed to commercial under any circumstances.

On February 14, Fadnavis had assured citizens that maximum number of trees will be protected during the Metro 3 project construction after south Mumbai residents Nina Verma, Pervin Jehangir and Khar resident Zoru Bhathena, all filed petitions before the Bombay high court on various matters regarding the Metro 3 project. Fadnavis had directed MMRCL to set up an internal committee to look into the issue and make sure that minimal number of trees is cut for the project.

Meanwhile, MMRCL officials said that they have not received any direction from the CMs office so far. Kalina was considered as a part of the detailed project report (DPR) for the Metro 3 project; it falls under the Mumbai University land and may not be viable. The environmentalists might have met the CM but we have not received any instructions from the CMs office. Once we receive the order, we will take a look at it, said R Ramana, executive director (planning), MMRCL.

In the past

On December 19, the NGT Pune bench passed an interim order implementing a stay on all construction at Aarey Colony, including the construction of Metro III car-shed by MMRCL on the 30-hectare land. The stay was extended to March 15 on Friday by the NGT bench after the forest department failed to produce papers that the tribunal had asked for.

The tribunal was hearing a petition filed in 2015 by environment groups Vanashakti and Aarey Conservation Group (ACG, seeking protection of the Aarey landscape and maintaining it as a no-development zone. However, on January 5, NGT had accepted MMRCLs plea to construct a casting yard on 3-hectare land, allotted by the state at Aarey, for the metro III project from Colaba to SEEPZ Andheri, subject to mandatory clearances.

READ MORE

In Mumbai: Citizens to be part of MMRCL team to monitor hacking of trees for Metro 3

Mumbai: Green tribunal extends stay on Metro construction at Aarey for another month

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The Mumbai police Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) busted an alleged inter-state drug racket with the arrest of four people on Friday evening. The accused, including one from Punjab and another from Gujarat, were nabbed while they were smuggling drugs in Ghatkopar (East), claimed police sources.

About 2.4 kilograms of mephedrone (MD) drug worth Rs48 lakh and a Swift Dzire car was seized from them.

According to sources, the accused were planning to sell the drugs in the upmarket areas in Andheri (West). Acting on a tip off, the ANC team led by inspector Santosh Bhalekar laid a trap in Pantnagar area, Ghatkopar (East), on Friday evening and nabbed them near the BEST depot at Ghatkopar Andheri link road at 5.40 pm.

The arrested accused have been identified as Sunny alias Asif Gulam Ansari, 24, Yatin Lalit Sanghvi, 39, Saumil Pathak, 59, from Gujarat and Dalwinder Singh Ajmer Singh, 47, from Punjab. Among the, Sanghvi is a chemical and pharma agent.

Sources from the ANC said that the drugs were manufactured outside the state. The police suspect that the drug was produced either in Gujarat or Punjab and investigation is underway to track its manufacturing unit.

The accused were produced before a court and remanded to police custody till February 23, said senior police inspector Dilip Sawant of the Ghatkopar unit who was a part of the ANC team.

Within 45 days the ANC have seized about 20.5 kilograms of MD worth Rs4.2 crores. While in 2016, drugs worth Rs 1.86 crore were seized which included 3.32 kilogram of MD worth Rs65.86 lakh.

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About 2.4 kilograms of mephedrone (MD) worth Rs48 lakh was seized from the accused.

Mumbai businessman arrested with 1kg of Mephedrone in Andheri
Firebrand Vidarbha leader and former Nagpur MP Jambuwantrao Dhote passed away on Saturday morning following a massive heart attack.

According to his family, Dhote suffered a massive heart attack and was rushed to a nearby private nursing home where he died during the course of treatment.

He was 78 and is survived by wife, Vijaya and two daughters, Kranti and Jwala.

His last rites would be performed at Yavatmal on Sunday, family sources informed.

Known as the Lion of Vidarbha for his support to statehood for the region, Dhote was also a legislator for two terms from Yavatmal district. An ardent disciple of Subhash Chandra Bose, he started his political career with Forward Bloc and later moved to the Congress in the late 70s before joining the Shiv Sena.

He was first elected to the state assembly from Yavatmal in 1962. His membership was suspended when he threw the paper weight at the assembly speaker over the issue of a separate Vidarbha. He again won in 1967. Later he had contested the Lok Sabha elections from Nagpur in 1972 and won it by defeating Congress veteran Rikhab Chandra Sharma.

The veteran politician joined hands with Indira Gandhi in 1978 and made an electoral adjustment with the Congress in 1978 state elections. His Forward Bloc got 22 seats from Vidarbha and four of his supporters were nominated as ministers.

Dhote contested the 1980 Lok Sabha elections from Nagpur as a Congress candidate and won it by a handsome margin. He later left the Congress and floated Vidarbha Janata Congress.

Dhote was the son-in-law of veteran Congress leader and former deputy chief minister, the late Ramrao Adik. His wife, Vijaya was also a Congress legislator from Yavatmal.
With the Shiv Sena backing away from its threats to pull down the BJP-led government in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday attempted to put pressure on Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. Pawar said he was to give a guarantee in writing that his party would not support the BJP government if the Shiv Sena decided to withdraw its support, adding that Thackeray should also give a written assurance that he would withdraw his partys support to the government.

If Uddhav has no faith in me, I am ready to give in writing, and that too to the governor, that the NCP is not going to support the BJP government if Sena withdraws its support. But he [Uddhav] should also give in writing to the governor that he is pulling out of the Fadnavis government, Pawar said, replying to a comment from Thackerays in which he said he didnt trust Pawar.

Pawar added, Uddhav Thackeray is not clear on withdrawing his support. Moreover, he has also left an escape route by announcing that he will support it for the full five-year term if the Fadnavis government waives farmers loans.

Thackeray said recently, We dont trust Pawar. What is the guarantee that he will not support the BJP if we withdraw from the government? he said. He made the comment after Pawar declared that the NCP would not support the government if the Sena pulled out, saying he would prefer facing mid-term polls to supporting the BJP government.

Doubts were raised about the stability of the Fadnavis government after Shiv Sena leaders began threatening to withdraw their support. Thackeray has said he will make a decision on whether to withdraw support to the Fadnavis government after the BMC elections.

Read

BMC polls are here: Mumbais parties rally support one last time

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The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) arrested two persons on Friday for smuggling gold worth Rs1.14 crore to India from Dubai. The gold was smuggled in as clothes hooks which were coated with silver to evade detection.

The arrests were made after the DRI officials stopped a consignment in the unaccompanied baggage section of the air cargo complex in Sahar. The baggage had been cleared by the customs.

On further examination, the officials found that the consignment contained trousers but its hooks seemed heavier than usual. The officials realised that the hooks were made up of gold and was plated with silver as a camouflage.

The officials seized 364 pieces of silver coloured metallic pieces weighing 4.2 kilogram from 91 trousers.

The consignment consisted of 10 cartons that were labelled as old clothes worth Rs13,000 imported by a Usha Mudaliar. She was to deliver the consignment to one Durriya Ismail Soni and Yusuf Azgar Lokhandwala. We have arrested Soni and Lokhandwala in the offence, said a DRI official.

Mudaliar, a resident of Mulund, had arrived in the city from Dubai a few days ago. Officials found that Lokhandwala and Soni smuggled gold into the country in similar ways.

In her statement to the DRI, Mudaliar told officials that she had met the accused a few days ago and had given Soni her passport in exchange for some money. She also denied having imported anything through unaccompanied baggage.

Soni and Lokhandwala have admitted to the offence. Lokhandwala has also said that he has smuggled in gold several times by the same process, said a DRI official.

Also read: Papayas to diapers: How gold smugglers hoodwinked airport authorities in 2016
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackerays media advisor Harshal Pradhan on Friday filed a police complaint after getting threats on social media platform WhatsApp, from a supporter of BJP MP Kirit Somaiya.

Somaiya has been demanding that Uddhav declare his financial assets and has alleged the Sena leader has links with shell companies indulging in money laundering.

Pradhan, who stays at Parel in Central Mumbai, submitted a written complaint to Shivaji Park Police Station, a police officer said.

According to the complaint, Pradhan received threat from Somaiyas former personal assistant Dayanand Nene after the formers post on the Alert Citizen Forum WhatsApp group about distribution of sarees and money allegedly from Somaiyas vehicle, to lure voters.

Nene objected to this and replied to Pradhans post on same group mentioning the latter in a derogatory manner, mentions the police complaint.

Nene later posted Harshal, lets confront once, will die or kill, place and time of your choice. Pradhan mentioned this in the police complaint.

We have forwarded this complaint to Bhoiwada Police Station, senior PI Gangadhar Sonawane of the Shivaji Park police station said.

When Pradhan is at his home, we will protect him. So we have sent back his application to Shivaji Park Police Station for further action, Dattatray Patil of Bhoiwada Police Station said.
A 16-year-old girl on Saturday jumped from the fourth floor of a building at Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad, after she was threatened to withdraw a police complaint regarding a previous rape attempt.

The girl survived but suffered multiple injuries. She is presently under treatment at a private hospital.

The victim, hailing from Jhansi, works as a domestic help in her neighbourhood. At around 6.30 pm on Friday, she was allegedly called by one Ajay Kumar, who works as accountant for a private developer named Kunal.

Ajay talked to me on the pretext of giving me a job. He called me to the second floor of the building saying theres a woman in the office who would instruct me on the domestic helps job. But when I went inside, there was no woman. He confined me to a room and started misbehaving. When I dialled my mother, he snatched the phone and broke it. Since the outer door was not latched, I ran out and came home. I informed my parents and filed a police complaint, the victim said.

My daughter was being threatened ever since. She tried to end life to save her honour, the girls mother said.

The girl said that on Saturday morning, she was again summoned to the office by Kunal, the developer. He warned me of dire consequences if the police complaint was not withdrawn. He threatened to kill my family and said he would set fire to our house. He was angry and getting violent, so I ran towards the upper floors of the building to save myself and jumped off the fourth floor, she said, adding that she went unconscious and found herself in hospital.

Her mother said she heard shouts of locals and ran towards the crowd to find that her daughter had jumped.

Police registered an FIR under sections related to attempt to rape, criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation against the two accused, and arrested Kunal on Saturday evening.

We have added sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Kunal is arrested while his accountant Ajay is absconding. A hunt is on for him, said IP Singh, circle officer (city II).

Doctors said the girl suffered injuries on head, legs, hands and chest but remained stable so far.
In a first, Dr Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) has introduced a result grievance portal to address the issues of students who study in affiliated colleges outside Lucknow where the universitys campus is situated.

Now, students studying in AKTU-affiliated colleges wont have to approach the university main campus in Lucknow for clarifications over their results and other issues.

AKTU vice chancellor Vinay Pathak inaugurated the portal on Saturday and called it an important step towards connecting with thousands of students who study in remote villages and towns of Uttar Pradesh.

Several students who had doubts regarding their exam results had to approach the registrar office in Lucknow, which was inconvenient for them. Most complaints were about publishing and delay in results and the horde of outstation students approaching the university office was also a troubling issue. As a step towards digitalization of education, AKTU has created a grievance portal on the website that will register all complaints by the students, said Pathak.

More than 900 engineering, medical, management and computer science colleges are associated with AKTU across the state. A total of 93 colleges in Ghaziabad and 75 colleges in Gautam Budh Nagar are associated with the university.

Students can check the Result Grievance Portal on the universitys website https://aktu.ac.in and can register complaints using their login id. They will have to submit their documents along with an email id and phone number while registering the complaint.

Every complaint will be addressed within a week by the university administration. We have asked students to submit their phone number and email id so that we can inform them immediately through SMS and email whenever their issue is resolved. I believe with such a portal we will be able to solve the grievances of students and connect them on a better platform, said Pathak.

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Four men on two motorcycles opened fire and critically injured a 58-year-old section officer with Ministry of Defence on Saturday.

The man, Subey Singh, had come to Ghaziabad to have a look at his ancestral agricultural fields in Richpal Garhi village near Crossings Republik Township when the incident took place.

Singh family told the police that he hails from Durga Puri in Delhi and had come to his brothers house from where they went to the fields.

Around 5pm, we were in the fields when four bikers on two motorcycles came there and fired several rounds at my brother. The pillion riders on both bikes were firing away while the riders kept idling the bikes and then sped away, said Mahender Pal Singh, Singhs brother.

My brother suffered injuries to his spine and was rushed to a multi-specialty hospital. However, the doctors have told us to shift him to a superior hospital for treatment. Since it was his day off from work, he had come to my house to check on our ancestral land. However, some persons arrived and fired shots at him, he said.

Singhs brother stays in Vijay Nagar in Ghaziabad near Crossings Republik township. The police said several teams have been dispatched to know more about the incident.

We have received a police complaint from the brother of the victim. In his complaint, he has said named four persons  Shahid, Furkan, Naresh and Kamal  to be behind the attack. The complainant has alleged that the four men were trying to take over their plot of land and that could be the motive for the shooting. Prima facie, it seems that some land dispute between the two parties led to the atttack, IP Singh, circle officer (City  II), said.

A case for attempt to murder will be lodged as per the complaint, the police officer said.

We have also dispatched a team of officials to record statements of the victim and his family members. An inspection of the scene of crime will be done and we probing the matter to get more details about the accused persons, the circle officer said.
A 40-year-old man sustained four fractures in the chest after he was thrashed and robbed by three men on NH-24 near Indirapuram late Friday night.

The victim, Shailendra Kaushik, was returning from Delhi and was walking along the highway after an autorickshaw dropped him near the border.

Kaushiks family members said he suffered four fractures in the chest and other injuries after being severely beaten up by the robbers who escaped with his gold chain, two rings, 3,000 in cash and an iPhone.

He was walking when suddenly three men grabbed him and dragged him into the bushes near the highway. They seemed to have been hiding in the bushes waiting for an unsuspecting passerby. They severely beat up my brother and also tried to strangle him. One of the men said they should kill him while another said no. Maybe, it was all part of a plan to frighten the victim, said Dinesh Singh, Kaushiks brother.

The men were armed with knives and thrashed Shailendra badly. They escaped with the valuables, phone and cash. He somehow made it home and we immediately lodged a police complaint in Indirapuram, Singh said.

The family said that the incident took place on the highway where the police claim to have numerous patrol vans and highway patrol teams. Kaushik is a resident of Shakti Khand 4 in Indirapuram and runs his own production house.

Police officers at the Indirapuram police station said they have lodged an FIR in the incident.

An FIR under IPC section of robbery has been registered and our teams are trying to trace the robbers. We are also scanning CCTV footage from the area to get a clue about the men. Our teams are investigating the matter, said PK Tripathi, station house officer, Indirapuram.

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Even as the police on Friday claimed that 12-year-old Archie Yadav had left home on her own after she could not complete her school assignment, her family maintained that the girl was taken away by two women who hypnotised her and took her to Kangra in Himachal Pradesh.

The girl was spotted by Kangra police on February 14, a day after she went missing from her house and was seen running away alone in the CCTV footage from a camera near her house. She has been reunited with her parents and is expected to arrive home in Indirapuram on Sunday.

My daughter has told us that two women abducted her. One of the women came to house and called her to the door. I am myself confused about what to say... there have been a couple of incidents like this in our neighbourhood. They used a car to take the girl from Ghaziabad and then took a train. My daughter was unconscious during the entire period, said Subhash Yadav, Archies father.

She had been telling us different versions and dont even know what she has said to different persons. As per the police claims about school assignment, a class 6 student has no physics or chemistry subjects. Her sister, in class 11, has such subjects, he said.

Police on Friday has said girls school assignments were incomplete and her statements were also corroborated by the school teacher.

I will not be able to say anything about the school assignments till I return to Ghaziabad, her father said.

On the afternoon of February 13, the girl returned to her house from school and spent some time at her neighbours house before her mother took her to their flat. Thereafter, Archie was locked inside the flat while her mother went out fetch her other daughter from the nearby bus stop.

Around 2.51pm, her mother called Archie on the landline and asked her to have a banana. The police said the CCTV footage captured Archie running away alone around 2.54pm, barely 3-4 minutes after her mother called her.

After she was spotted by Kangra police, she told them her name was Teena Devi, an orphan who had run away from an orphanage in Haridwar. She had also said she ran away as she was harassed by two staff members of the orphanage. Her statements were checked by the police and found to be incorrect, the diary recording at the Kangra police station said.

In her second statement, she said she was a student of Father Agnel School in Haridwar and that too was found to be incorrect by the police.

When further counselled, she said her house is in Ghaziabad and also gave the police her parents mobile numbers. When she was asked more, she said a woman had hypnotised her and she went with her. When told that no such woman was spotted in the CCTV footage, Archie said two courier boys had taken her and left her in Kangra, Salmantaj Patil, officiating senior superintendent of police, had said on Friday.

When Archie was told that she was spotted running alone in the CCTV footage, she finally told the cops that she was not able to complete her school assignment and was upset with this, the SSP said.

However, despite the claims of hypnotism by her parents, the police maintained that the girl had gone on her own will.

We have evidence of her running out alone and no other suspicious person was spotted in the vicinity. We will go as per the evidence. Her family is free to claim what they feel. The investigation is still on in the case and we are awaiting her return to Ghaziabad, Patil said.

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The police on Saturday said they have arrested four persons in connection with the alleged incident at a panchayat at Bhojpur village in which a 25-year-old man was forced to drink urine for peeping into a womans house. The FIR was lodged after the alleged incident was brought to the knowledge of the senior police officials and a written complaint was filed by the victims wife.

Police said they arrested Amit, Rajvir, Deepu and Vikas who were named as accused persons in the FIR lodged at Bhojpur police station. Superintendent of police (SP) rural, Om Prakash, said they are investigating the case following the FIR.

The station house officer (SHO) has told us that there was no panchayat or any urine incident. We are also trying to find the victim and his family, he added.

The 25-year-old man is yet to return to his house that he had left with his family after the alleged incident. The woman, Sushma Devi, in whose house the man had allegedly peeped into, however, claimed that her husband made him drink a liquid that was not urine but tea water without milk.

He had barged into my house when I was in bed. We even tried to chase him but he ran away, leaving his slippers behind. The panchayat was held on February 14 and he was made to drink tea water and was in fact beaten up by his own family members. We did not touch him once. We had prepared the tea water by adding tea leaves to water and made him drink it to scare him into admitting his mistake, said Sushma Devi, wife of accused Amit.

He had been peeping into my house for almost a year. We were trying to ask him why he came to our house and whether he wanted to attack us or take our children. The men from our family have been picked up by the police after the incident and have been falsely implicated in the matter. The people in the panchayat are claiming it to be urine but they dont know (the truth), only we know that it was tea water and not urine, she added.

My husband had once confronted him, but he had replied that he was just standing at a nearby plot. He used to trouble us in various ways. One day, he took out a bulb from our house and went inside to fetch a candle to see what happened. Later, when I returned, I found the bulb placed on a chair. We told the family elders, but they did not pay any heed. Every time we complained, they said if you find him again, kill him, she said.

The police maintain that no panchayat was held and no such incident took place on February 14. However, villagers have claimed that a panchayat was held and the man was beaten up before being forced to consume urine by the accused persons.

Although the SHO has himself conducted an inquiry and said that no panchayat was held, I will inquire into the matter myself or send a circle officer. The issue is sensitive in nature and needs to be investigated thoroughly, the SP said.

Following the complaint by the victims wife, the police on Friday lodged an FIR against the accused persons under sections 352 (punishment for assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of IPC.

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Pakistani journalist Arif Jamals book Shadow War: The Untold story of Jihad in Kashmir confirms three major suspicions held by Indian intelligence since the civil unrest broke out in the Valley in early 1990s. The definitive work that traces Pakistan-sponsored jihad in Kashmir makes it amply clear that religion is being used as a political tool to align the Valley towards Islamabad rather than azaadi or independence.

Jamal writes that anyone opposed to pro-Pakistani Jamait-e-Islami leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who heads the All Party Hurriyat Conference (G), was eliminated by the Pakistani ISI through jihadists, including fathers of Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Sajjad Lone. The author actually blames Geelani for getting his political opponents killed.

Jamaal confirms the long-held view of Indian intelligence that it was the ISI that asked Valley-based militant groups to attach themselves with Hurriyat parties for a moderate political face. This means that the Hurriyat Conference is a militant front with handlers sitting across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and masters sitting in Rawalpindi GHQ. The third important confirmation is the ISIs role in the creation of the Hizbul Mujahideen in the 1990s to counter the indigenous Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) as the latter was a votary of the independence of Kashmir from both India and Pakistan. The Hizbul Mujahideen, according to Jamal, brutally neutralised the JKLF cadre to ensure that the Valley became the unfinished agenda of partition and ISI turning the Azaadi narrative to pro-Pakistan in the Valley.

The essence of the book is that the jihadi tap in the Valley is controlled by the ISI, which turns it off and on depending on the global focus on Kashmir. It highlights the umbilical linkage between the Pakistan agency and the Jamait-e-Islami with the latter being the proxy for ISI control in Kashmirs political landscape.

Cut to the present, and it becomes amply clear that Jamait cadres led by Geelani are acting as the cats paw of their handlers across the border. Targeting of Sufi culture by Sunni jihadists fed on Salafist ideology and the growing Arabisation of the Valley are all part of the effort to turn a majority of Kashmiris towards Pakistan with in-house Kashmiriyat heading towards extinction. The growing Islamic radicalisation in the Valley is calibrated to using it as a political weapon against the Indian state and not join the Islamic State ideology, which is without any geographical boundaries for Islam. The Pakistani causes force is multiplied by its sponsored militants on the ground in Kashmir, with no less than 300 foreign fighters at present operating in the Valley.

Questions must be put up to the Indian army and security forces on why they did not stop the jihadists from infiltrating in 2015-16 after the formation of the PDP-BJP government. The presence of foreign fighters, 90 per cent of whom belong to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, ensures that people turn up in thousands to attend the funerals of Pakistani militants like Abu Qasim in 2015 or even those unknown Pakistanis militants killed in police encounter in Handwara on February 14. The crowds are incited by Jamait leaders, particularly Geelani, who address the gatherings through mobile phones, to take on the Indian security forces so that the circle of violence continues. Though it is nobodys case that the agitators should be dealt with excessive force, the strength of a hundreds-strong crowd attacking a CRPF post of four constables and one head constable from Indian hinterland could be quite unnerving, forcing the latter to retaliate with whatever weapons or ammunition at hand. In these circumstances, security forces are easiest to blame.

The answer to Kashmirs current problems does not solely lie with the security forces or the Modi government. It lies in the elected representatives from PDP, BJP, NC and Congress to re-occupy the political space in the state and reach out to agitating masses. After the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani by security forces last year, this is easier said than done as there is practically a political vacuum in the Valley with militant diktat ruling the roost. The slogans of good governance have been subsumed by the spiraling violence with the elected government practically paralysed with fear of facing the public. Rather than treating Geelani with kid gloves and confronting the Jamaitis with her political capital, the Mehbooba Mufti government is looking askance at the Modi government to break the logjam through diplomatic initiatives. Even the window of opportunity created after the surgical strikes last year was lost by the PDP-BJP government. Fact is that while the Centre is all ready to extend any support, the number of times that BJPs deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh has sought the support of home ministry top officials could be counted on fingertips.

With the Centre in no mood to talk to Pakistan and none whatsoever with Hurriyat, the coming months should see a spike in violence in the Valley as Rawalpindi handlers will try and force Modi government to come to table by mounting international pressure. Its time for Mehbooba Mufti to prove her mettle and live up to her fathers political legacy.

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Donald Trumps move to ban immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries has triggered a fight in the US courts and provoked angry protests in many US cities. But the arguments over its legal and moral merits wont change many minds. The new presidents supporters and critics are already motivated and mobilised. Few are neutral on Trump or this policy. But the more important impact of this story is unfolding outside the United States. Trumps immigration policy has only just begun to create both problems and opportunities abroad.

Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saw Trumps move as an opportunity. Not long after Trumps announcement, Trudeau used Twitter to make clear that Canada remains open to refugees: To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength. This was no impulsive gesture. Since November 2015, Canada has accepted 40,000 Syrian refugees. Thats far less than Germany, Turkey, or Jordan have absorbed, but compare Canadas total with the 15,000 accepted over that period by the Obama administration. Sadly, generosity sometimes comes with a cost; within hours of Trudeaus announcement, a Muslim-hating Canadian killed six and wounded 17 inside a Quebec City mosque.

Read: PM Justin Trudeau says Canada will take refugees

As for reaction in West Asia, Israel and the Gulf monarchs are relieved that Trump will be tough on Iran, which Trump will continue to harass even if he opts not to tear up the nuclear deal with that country. Egypts government appreciates Trumps plan to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation. But anger at the Muslim ban is exacerbated in the Gulf states by Trumps refusal to consult with leaders in the region or even to warn them of the announcement in advance.

Its also natural for governments in the region to wonder which countries might be next. Trump faces questions at home about why he chose to include only countries in the region where he owns no hotels, but an attack on Americans by one mentally unstable citizen of another Muslim-majority country will generate pressure on Trump to extend his ban. Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Jordan have plenty to worry about. Trumps vitriol has made that attack on Americans more likely. We must also wonder if/when Trump will add Pakistan to the immigration ban. US-Pakistani relations have been deteriorating for years, and Trump appears to have a personal affinity with Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Read: Five things we know about the Trump-Modi phone conversation

But it is in Europe where animosity toward Trump is hardening most quickly. This is an election year in Europe. There will be national votes in the Netherlands, France, and Germany. Italy will probably stage early elections. Greece might too. There is well-founded fear among EU officials and establishment politicians in all these countries that Trump will follow his support for Brexit with active encouragement of anti-EU populists in all these countries. Terrorist attacks or another surge in Europes migrant crisis will only leave the continent more vulnerable to the political forces pulling the EU apart.

Speaking of Brexit, US ties with traditional ally Britain have also taken a hit. A visit to Washington by Prime Minister Theresa May helped the two leaders build a working rapport, but Trumps Muslim ban, announced almost immediately after she departed, left May in a tough spot. More than 1.8 million Britons have since signed a petition calling for Trump to be barred from visiting the UK. The invitation to Trump wont be revoked, but the crowds that will greet him on arrival will be loud and wont be friendly. Throughout his visit, they will heckle his every move.

Finally, at the heart of whats left of the transatlantic alliance is the relationship between Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The two leaders disagree on economic questions, on the future of NATO, and on Russia. But its Trumps attempt to slam the door on refugees that underlines just how stark the differences between the two leaders have become. Facing re-election this fall, Merkels greatest vulnerability comes from her decision to welcome Muslim refugees and her steadfast refusal to place any upper limit on their numbers.

Read: Nato obsolete, Merkels mistake, Brexit great: Trump reveals tilt towards Russia

Not since the end of World War II have the leaders of Germany and the United States been so at odds. Its clear that Trump will set many more such precedents in months and years to come.

Ian Bremmer is the president of Eurasia Group and author of Superpower: Three Choices for Americas Role in the World.

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The victory in the trust vote by E Palaniswami of AIADMKs VK Sasikala faction was a foregone conclusion when the reticent governor, C Vidyasagar Rao, invited the latter to form the government. Despite the drama that preceded the vote, Palaniswamis victory does not mark the end of the crisis in Tamil Nadu.

Palaniswami is a loathed figure for the mere fact that he is from the Sasikala faction of the party. The revulsion against the official faction is so widespread that the MLAs owing allegiance to it apparently fear going back to their constituencies. The opposing camp led by O Panneerselvam is the direct beneficiary of this public anger.

What is important to note is that both factions claim they are the true inheritors of Jayalalithaas legacy. And this despite the fact that the Supreme Court has indicted the dead leader for corruption.

Does that change the Jaya legacy? Is it now tainted by the conviction? Many political observers might want to think so.

Anybody who even remotely followed the news in the 1990s will remember the ridiculous levels of ostentation that rivaled Imelda Marcos of the Philippines. But the ground reality in the aftermath of her conviction does not in any way indicate that the sheen has come off her legacy.

It is a strange quirk of politics that O Paneerselvam, with his late attack of conscience, has emerged the hero, but that he upholds the legacy of a convicted criminal, speaks volumes of what Jayalalithaa managed at the fag end of her life.

She managed to ensure a victory without the need for electoral alliances which ensure victory. The victory of 2016 was completely hers. She depended on the support of the people of Tamil Nadu for all the social schemes she launched to make the state one of the most progressive in the country.

The AMMA schemes were ridiculed. The schemes seemed to be replete with narcissistic excesses, but for the people of Tamil Nadu, the inexpensive meals or the schemes to empower women made a huge difference. For Jayalalithaa it was the cementing of her political future.

So yes, corruption is a bane. Egoistic whims are a problem. But in the everyday reality of those on the margins society, it was a mothers benevolence.

Jayalalithaa was forgiven her excesses. The pervading pestilent presence of corruption was a thing of the past. It was in fact transferred to the wicked machinations of Sasikala. Amma is benevolent and fragile, while her conniving companion lives on to become the hate figure. That is the genius of Ammas legacy. That is the sheen that will make the Jaya memorial a must-go destination for teeming admirers.

So while one would not want to hazard a guess on how long Palananiswami will last as chief minister or how and when the AIADMK will implode, one would not even hazard a guess how long more Tamil Nadu will endure Sasikala and her extended familys control over party and government. But one thing is clear, corruption or no corruption, Jayalalithaa with all her flaws will remain an endearing Amma for the Tamil multitude until the collective conscience of the people will reassess her legacy probably years from now.

(The views expressed by the author are personal)

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The Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) administration has geared up to upgrade infrastructural facilities at the hospital, with several plans set to start rolling soon.

The initiatives, discussed during a recent meeting of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti with Patna divisional commissioner Anand Kishor, included the expansion of the emergency ward of the hospital from the existing 100 to 200 beds.

Kishor said the project had received administrative approval and tender had been floated for the work.

He asked the officials concerned to complete the project within a year, without disturbing the emergency ward services.

He also asked the hospital authorities to present plans for the expansion of paediatrics, medical emergency and other departments, to the commissioners office, on Saturday.

It was also decided at the meeting to fill up vacant posts of x-ray technicians, pathologists, lab technicians, OT assistants and 100 paramedical staff, on contract basis, by the end of March this year.

The participants in the meeting approved two more e-trolleys for plying inside PMCH. At present, there are two e-trolleys plying on the campus. The e-trolleys will be arranged within a month.

They also gave nod to the purchase of 15 more RO water purifiers to be installed in different departments, within a month.

PMCH will also procure an ambulance to ferry patients from one department to the other.

The commissioner ordered the seizure of unauthorised ambulances parked on the hospital premises. He asked the hospital authorities to issue sticker passes for staff members and doctors so that unauthorised vehicles could be marked easily.

At the meeting,it was also decided to allocate Rs 2 lakh in each quarter to the hospital superintendent for maintenance and repair of defunct machines.

Kishor said a new layout plan for sewage system, integrating the storm drainage system, would be prepared, keeping in view the future expansion plan of PMCH and the overflow from choked drains.

The meeting participants also approved an additional elevator for the gynaecology department, work for which will begin after marking the place by a committee headed by the PMCH principal and superintendent of the hospital.

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The three-member panel probing into some Sikh politicians seeking electoral support from Dera Sacha Sauda in the run-up to the assembly elections in violation of an Akal Takht edict has been given time till March 7 to complete the inquiry. The decision to extend the deadline was taken in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) executive committee meeting chaired by its president Kirpal Singh Badungar here on Friday.

Members of the panel, SGPC senior vice-president Baldev Singh Kiampuri, general secretary Amarjit Singh Chawla and executive member Gurcharan Singh Grewal, were to submit the report by February 13. Formed on February 6, the panel has identified 30 Sikh leaders who attended the dera meeting and sought more time from the SGPC to complete the probe.

Going by the seriousness and magnitude of the matter and finding their request as genuine, we decided to put the matter before the executive committee, said Badungar.

In November 2007, the Akal Takht had passed an hukamnama (edict), asking the Sikh community to break all ties with Sirsa Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh after he allegedly appeared in an attire similar to that of Guru Gobind Singh. Badungar said the penal will review all ties between Sikh leaders and dera from 2007 onwards when the Akal Takht issued the edict.

On the SGPC budget, Badungar said many proposals were still under consideration.

SAD(A) concern to be considered

Meanwhile, some members of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) reached the meeting hall and showed resentment over penal prolonging the matter unnecessarily. We understand the concern of SAD(A) leaders. They have given us a memorandum. We want the probe to be unbiased and detailed that is why we have decided to extend the date, said Badungar.

No connection with Delhi Gurdwara polls

Badungar trashed the insinuations that the panel has been given more time due to February 26 Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections. Akal Takht edict is not just applicable to a particular party, but to all the Sikhs. So, it has nothing to do with Delhi gurdwara elections, he said.
Chandigarh Police on Friday claimed as many as 27 teams of cops are raiding possible hideouts to arrest Balraj Singh Randhawa, accused of running over Akansh Sen, 28, following an altercation on February 9.

We are yet to recover the vehicle used in the crime. We received a tip-off that the accused is hiding in Punjab. We are going to question his relatives to get leads about his whereabouts, said police.

With the arrest of co-accused Harmehtab Singh Rarewala, alias Farid, on Thursday, police were expecting to get clues about Randhawas whereabouts. Farid was in the passenger seat of the BMW allegedly being driven by Randhawa.

Randhawa had left to drop a friend

Police sources said Randhawa had left to drop a female friend to her residence and had returned to Deep Sidhus house in Sector 9 to pick up Harmehtab Singh Rarewala, alias Farid, on that fateful day.

Police said after partying at various clubs in the city, a group of 11 people gathered at the house of Deep Sidhu, a national shotgun shooter.

After partying at S Cafe and Bar and F Bar, both in Sector 26, and Boom Box Cafe in Sector 9 (owned by Sen), they all gathered at Sidhus house in Sector 9. The old rivals Sher Singh Shera (Sens friend) and Farid allegedly could not refrain themselves from indulging into another heated argument at Sidhus house, said a police official.

A senior official claimed that Sen also entered into heated altercation with Farid at Deeps house. He confronted Farid and asked him not to abuse Shera. Looking at the tensed situation, Deep asked the guests to leave. Randhawa went to drop a female friend at her residence. Jaskiran Singh, another friend of the deceased, went to drop the other two female friends. Situation could have been different in case Randhawa had not returned for Farid that morning, said police.

Sources said Shera again had heated arguments with Farid, following which Sidhu contacted the police control room at 4:30am, claiming that unidentified people were quarrelling outside his house. When police reached at the spot, Sidhu claimed that things were settled and he sought no action.

At 4:45 am, Sen went to the house of his friend Rajan Pupneja in Sector 18. Later, he decided to go back to Sector 9 and bring along Shera with him, thinking the group might quarrel again.

When Sen reached there around 5:15 am, Randhawa had already returned there. In what followed, the accused allegedly ran over Sen before fleeing.

Slept at common friends house

Sources said Farid told the police that after the alleged murder, they slept at a common friends house. Farid claimed Randhawa left before he woke. Farid, according to the sources, went to the airport and fled to Bengaluru. He got the news of Sens death there from a friend, following which he travelled to Goa, Gurugram and Delhi. Farid claimed he never contacted Randhawa after the incident.

Police also questioned Shera and Sidhu on Friday to join the dots in the investigation. Meanwhile, police are still investigating the allegation pertaining to deceaseds cousin Adamya Singh Rathore pointing gun at Randhawa.
Seventeen days after a complaint was lodged alleging flogging of a Class 4 student in Adarsh Public School in Sector 20, a child rights panel on Friday directed the school authorities to give one months salary of the accused teacher to the victim and take disciplinary action against her.

Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR) also asked the school to send action taken report along with the copy of the cheque given to the parents of the 9-year-old child. The principal of the school also has to sensitise teachers and children of the school against corporal punishment.

CCPCR member Pramod Sharma said canning needs to be taken seriously and only after taking such stern actions, lesson will be learnt.

After pursuing the statements of the accused teacher Reena Guleria and the parents of the student, it was established that Guleria gave the corporal punishment to the child, which was in violation of the RTE Act.

Victims father Ravi Kant, who lodged the complaint with the commission on January 31, had alleged that in spite of being a topper, his son was beaten with iron scale on his hands. However when Kant took up the issue with the principal, the teacher admitted that she had beaten the kid twice with iron scale assuming that he had got zero marks in a test where as it was some other student who had got zero marks.

However, the teacher in her statement had mentioned that by mistake she gave the punishment to Class 4 student with iron scale.

Father had even filed a complaint with the local police. However, the two sides reached a compromise following which Kant approached CCPCR.
With leaders of Haryana opposition party Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) announcing to restart construction of the controversial Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal on February 23 on the states border with Punjab, and at least two outfits declaring to confront them if they enter Punjab, the administrations on both sides are on their toes.

The focus is squarely on Punjabs Kapuri village bordering Haryana  the village where the foundation of the canal was laid  and the state government has decided to seal the border with Haryana from February 21 onwards. Punjab has also sought 20 companies of reserve forces from the central government, apart from deputing its own reserve battalions in Patiala, SAS Nagal and Sangrur to keep a tab. Security specifically in Kapuri and nearby areas has already been heightened.

The INLDs plan is to converge at the Ambala vegetable market, from where the cadres will move to the Punjab border to dig the canal. Radical organisations Dal Khalsa and All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) have announced to gather at Kapuri to challenge the INLD workers, to stop them from any type of construction in Punjab.

Kapuri couldnt care less At Kapuri, villagers said the latest round of confrontation is just another bout of political upmanship, and nothing will happen. The village was recently in focus as the Punjab government, after passing a bill in the assembly, had returned the SYL land to farmers. And the government also held a function here to give farmers papers of revenue records, which now show the farmers as owners of the land. Its another political gimmick. We are witnessing such events for the last 40 years. If the INLD was so serious, why had it not announced its agitation when elections were on? As the Punjab elections were completed, Abhay Chahutala has started statements of launching a movement. Its just put Haryanas BJP government on the back foot. Everyone knows they wont be able to enter Punjab, said Jagroop Singh, a Kapuri resident.

Patiala deputy commissioner Ramvir Singh has asked the police to ensure the sealing of the border from February 21 night onwards. Sources said the DC of Amabla had written to the DC of Patiala, asking him to increase vigil and seal the border.

Ramvir said, No one will be allowed to breach peace. Higher officials are keeping a close eye, and we are coordinating with the DC of Ambala to check any untoward situation. The borders will be sealed and no one will be allowed to enter Punjab near the SYL canal site.

The Supreme Court, which has ordered status quo on SYL canal, has fixed February 22 as next date of hearing of the SYL case. Punjab had urged that the case be heard after the March 11 results of the assembly elections, but the court rejected that plea. Haryana has filed the case for completion of construction of the canal which was started in April 1982, but work was stopped after outrage in Punjab over sharing of water from the Ravi and Beas. All principal political parties of Punjab have opposed the canal.

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Occupants of the car, believed to be 4-5 in number, escaped and the vehicle was found abandoned from near a hut at Bhadrali village during a search operation.

Pathankot police on Saturday launched a search operation after a car bearing registration number of Jammu and Kashmir allegedly tried to run over police personnel on patrol duty near Madhopur on the Punjab-J&K border.

The patrol party of the Pathankot police tried to stop the silver-coloured Maruti Alto K-10 at a check barrier but the occupants tried to run over the cops, Pathankot senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nilambari Jagdalay Vijay said. One cop was injured in the incident.

The SSP said the occupants, believed to be 4-5 in number, escaped and the vehicle was found abandoned near the hut of a shepherd, Billu Gujjar, at Bhadrali village during a search operation. A case under Sections 353 (using criminal force to deter a public servant from doing duty, punishable with imprisonment for two years) and 186 (deliberately obstructing government servant in discharge of his functions, punishable with a term of three months or a fine) has been registered against unidentified persons at the Sujanpur police station, said Nilambari, adding the police were questioning locals from where the car was found.

Addressing the media, superintendent of police (operations) Hem Raj Pushap said the police got a tip-off that some suspicious persons were trying to enter Punjab from J&K in an Aalto car (JK-02BC-6512) through the Ravi route.

He said the area was put on high alert and when an assistant sub-inspector and his team tried to stop the car at the checkpoint, the person behind the wheel tried to run over the cops. He sped away taking advantage of darkness, said the SP.

He said the police have arrested shepherd Billu and hunt had been launched to nab the car occupants. The police found a rope, a pair of ladies footwear, a burqa and some packets of eatables labelled in Urdu. He said the car is owned by some Gani of RS Pura in Jammu. Our counterparts in Jammu have been asked to trace the owner, the SP said.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the area.

Last year, occupants of a black Maruti Alto car had abandoned their vehicle near Bhagwal village in Pathankot, which is close to the Indo-Pak international border, and escaped on foot after the villagers had tried to stop the vehicle.

Terrorists had sneaked in from across the border and attacked the Pathankot airbase in January last year, while Dinanagar in adjoining Gurdaspur district was targeted by terrorists on July 27, 2015.

The Pathankot terror attack had claimed lives of seven security personnel, while four terrorists were killed in the incident.

Three heavily-armed terrorists wearing army fatigues had stormed a police station in Dinanagar town in Gurdaspur district killing seven persons, including a SP, before they were gunned down during a day-long operation.

(With PTI inputs)
A womans disapproval of a luxury watch gifted to her by her husband led to a prolonged tussle between a luxury watch retailer and a private bank.

It all started on March 31, 2013, when Alok Prabhakar, a US resident, purchased an Omega watch for Rs 1.68 lakh from the duty-free outlet of Ethos Ltd, Sector 8, Chandigarh, at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. The retailer received the payment two days later through credit card, and the transaction was concluded through Axis Bank as per conditions contained in Visa International Operating Regulations 2013.

On April 16, the customer, after reaching the US, sought replacement of the watch on the pretext that his wife did not like the gift. In an email to Ethos, he stated: I am not here to return the watch, I understand your position as well. Please see what is needed so that we can do the exchange and both of us get what we need. Most importantly, I bought this watch for my wife and if she is not happy, its going to be ugly. Please understand my position and help me.

The Ethos store reverted, claiming they could not replace the watch due to customs regulations at the duty-free store.

The customer didnt give up and made a chargeback request to the bank. The Axis Bank intimated the luxury watch retailer about the request and asked it to settle the matter. However, Ethos declined it, stating there was no promise made to the customer to return the watch if his wife didnt like it.

After Ethos received information about the claims closure, it filed a legal notice on April 21, 2014. As the bank failed to do anything despite assurance, the retailer filed a complaint with the district consumer disputes redressal forum-I, Chandigarh, but it was dismissed in October 2014.

Finally, the retailer filed an appeal before the Chandigarh state consumer disputes redressal commission. The commission observed that it was on record that Ethos did not receive a single penny for the watch sold by it. The amount credited to the account of the appellant had been charged back to the issuing bank and the watch is also in the custody of the customer. Stating that it wasnt a case of deficient services, the commission said the chargeback had been wrongly invoked by the bank.

The appellant had been put to total loss, observed the bank, adding that , At that stage, it was candid duty of the respondents bank, even if the charging back was made, to ensure that the customer returns the purchased watch to Ethos. Holding the bank responsible for creating the mess, the commission ordered its Sector-34 branch to refund the amount (Rs 1, 68, 404) to Ethos Ltd along with Rs 20,000 litigation cost within a month, failing which it will have pay an interest of 12% per annum. Also, the retailer has been given the liberty to claim return of the watch or its price from the customer, through the issuing bank.

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Main accused in the Nabha jailbreak, gangster Gurpreet Singh Sekhon and his aides were remanded in police custody for five more days (till February 23) on Saturday.

The police appealed for a seven-day remand and submitted that during investigation, they have discovered that Sekhon has kept arms and ammunition at a room in Indore (Madhya Pradesh). Also, the police have learnt that his cousin Manvir Singh Sekhons fake identity cards were at some place in Rajasthan and they need to interrogate the accused.

Also read | Nabha jailbreak: Gangster Gounder, three aides used stolen car to flee from Moga village

Another escapee, gangster Kulpreet Singh, alias Neeta Deol, was also arrested from Indore.

The defence counsel objected to the remand, especially of Manvir, by presenting a January 19 high court order which mandated the police to serve a notice one week in advance before arresting him.

Also read | Nabha jailbreak mastermind Sekhon, 3 aides held in Moga

The court summoned Nabha deputy superintendent of police Jaskeerat Singh, who submitted that Manvir was arrested with arms from Dhudike village (Moga) during an operation and was accompanying Gurpreet. The court rejected the plea.

The man who was arrested from Moga on Tuesday for allegedly selling a gun to Sekhon without following the registration procedures was also presented in the court. The police said he sold a gun to Sekhon and also gave him his personal pistol and borrowed a rifle from someone else for him. He was also remanded in five-day police custody.
In a major policy decision, the Punjab government has asked village panchayats across the state to use one-third of the village common land (shamlat land) for planting trees. The state has around 1.5 lakh acres of village common land, a large part of which is used for cultivation.

The policy notified on February 13 by the department of rural development and panchayats states that villages which have more than 10 acres of common land should use at least one-third of it for growing long-rotation, fruit-bearing or medicinal trees. The panchayats have been asked to procure saplings from the department of forest, Punjab Agricultural University or any other government agency.

The plantation would also generate employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The policy will be applicable to both shamlat deh (common land) and jumla mustarkan malkan (belonging to individuals but used for common purposes).

The plantation on the village common land will be exempted from the provisions of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The policy adds that every panchayat will have to send half yearly reports to the department through the district development and panchayat officer (DDPO) regarding the status and condition of plantations.

Though the policy is silent if it is bindings on all panchayats, principal secretary SR Ladhar, who is behind drafting this policy, said the panchayats will have to move individual resolutions in order to start implementing it. The panchayats which have less than 10 acres need not follow the policy, he added.

The aim is to increase the green cover in the state. Of the 1.5 lakh acres of common land in the state, if one-third is under tree cover, it will check declining ground table and also protect environment, said Ladhar. The policy, however, does not answer the question how these trees will be used after they are fully grown. The panchayats can sell the wood and earn money for common use, he added.

Punjab will be the second state in the country to encourage tree plantation on village common land. A similar effort was started in Gujarat in the 1980s but it met with only limited success. In Gujarat, two schemes were introduced in 1980. In the first, the forest department asked village panchayats to allow it to plant fruit trees and fodder on at least four hectares of village land called woodlots. In return, villagers were allowed access to these lands for fruit and fodder collection besides a 50% share of the net profit when the trees were cut. However, the scheme did well partially as villagers were concerned that the government would permanently appropriate the land given for planting.

In the other scheme, villages are encouraged to establish and manage their own plantations with technical assistance from the forest department. These self-help woodlots too did not elicit much of a response even though the panchayat had complete control of the plantation.

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Punjabi University managed to pay salaries to the employees on Friday, but the non-teaching employees refused to lift the protest till the university relieved all re-employed teaching and non-teaching employees.

The protesters blocked the Chandigarh-Patiala-Bathinda road for five hours, causing inconvenience to commuters, and forcing the state machinery to clear the payment to Punjabi University from the treasury to pay salaries.

After paying salaries, the registrar of the university also handed over a written assurance to the protesters that the university would retrench all re-employed employees by March 31, but protestors said that they wont lift the protest till the university implements this decision with immediate effect.

The registrar also said that the university has given an undertaking in this regard to the finance department of the Punjab government, and it has to approve it from the Syndicate to relieve all re-employed persons, but employees refused to budge.

Earlier in the day, non-teaching employees, led by their union leader, Rajinder Singh Raju, who is on hunger strike, blocked the highway at 11 am and lifted the dharna only when the university transferred the salaries in the bank accounts of employees. The protesters raised slogans against the vice-chancellor and other functionaries of the university.

On the other hand, the teaching community is terming the Punjab government conditions to release grants as an attack on the autonomy of the university. They are saying that the re-employment scheme is as per the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines and also implemented in Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. They said that the Punjab government cant force only Punjabi University to do away with the re-employment scheme, when other state-funded universities have implemented it.

Registrar Dr Devinder Singh said the university has given in writing to the protestors and even the Punjab government that all retired re-employed employees would be retrenched before March 31. A committee has also been constituted to curtail the expenses, so employees must lift the protest and join duty for normal functioning of the university.
Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das on Friday said that 172 of the 210 MoUs signed during the Global Investors Summit (GIS) will materialie in a year and the work at the ground level will begin within two years.

Addressing the concluding ceremony of the two-day summit, Das said the state only invited those companies to sign deals which were positive about initiating works on the ground.

Jharkhand will play a pivotal role in making India an investment destination. We, as Team Jharkhand, are ready to put in all possible efforts to contribute to the countrys industrial aspirations, Das said, thanking the representatives from 26 countries, four Union ministers and industry captains from across the world.

He also promised initiatives from the government in identifying and removing the hurdles that the investors face. For this, he said, the state will hold monthly meetings with investors and identify the problems they face in regular works.

Today we start a new journey towards development. It is our endeavour to end poverty and unemployment in Jharkhand, he said.

Union minister for information technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad lauded Jharkhands efforts towards the digital revolution and creating an investment-friendly atmosphere.

India received the highest investments in the world in the last two years. Jharkhands role in the achievement has been instrumental, said Prasad.

Nirmala Sitharaman, minister for state (independent charge) commerce and industry, said, Jharkhand has excelled in all parameters in last two years. Momentum Jharkhand is picking up and ready to fly. The state is going to make big turnaround.

MoS rural development, Ram Kripal Yadav said Jharkhand was a rich state with poor people, and it was time to work for holistic growth of people as well as the state.

It was time for Jharkhands people to be as rich as their state. Investments will bring the necessary changes for holistic growth of Jharkhand, Yadav said.

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A driving training institute, a unit of India International Skill Centre (IISC) and multi-skill training centre (MSTC) will be opened in Jharkhand to create an army of skilled manpower, said union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy on the second day of Global Investors Meet (GIS) in Ranchi.

Rudy said Jharkhand received an investment proposal of over Rs 3 lakh crore from 209 domestic and foreign companies during the GIS, which will generate five lakh direct and indirect jobs in days to come. Jharkhand will require huge skilled manpower to meet the demand.

We have proposed to set up an instructor training institute, a unit of IISC, in Jharkhand, which will require 23 acres of land. Once the land is finalised, we will begin the further procedure, said Rudy, minister of state (independent charge) skill development and entrepreneurship.

State human resources development (HRD) minister Neera Yadav said 25 acres of land is available in Khunti district, where the IISC unit could be set up.

Rudy said a driving training institute is also proposed for Jharkhand. We had sought the land availablity report from the state government. The state government has identified land in eight locations, Rudy said. He said that President of India Pranab Mukherjee is likely to visit Godda on April 2-3. If everything moves as expected, the President will lay the foundation stone for the driving training institute, he said.

Rudy said the government of India has also decided to multiskill training centre in all blocks, including in Jharkhand. The centres will be started in such block where there is no government or private industrial training institutes, Rudy said.

He added the government of India has decided to provide skill development training to one crore youths of the country in the coming fiscal.

Pointing at Jharkhands migration issue, Rudy said thousands of people from the state migrate for livelihood.

They work as domestic help or construction sites in different cities in poor remuneration. For the first time, we have approved a sector skill council for domestic help and migratory workers so that they could get better remuneration of their work, he said.

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Chief minister Raghubar Das on Friday urged the Centre to start a footwear design development institute in Jharkhand to train youths of the state.

Das, who was speaking at the valedictory session of the Global Investors Summit, said Jharkhand has immense potential to grow in textile and footwear sectors.

Textile, apparel and footwear sectors are expected to be second largest employers in Jharkhand after agriculture, said the investors and experts participating in the second day session of GIS.

At the technical session on textile and footwear on Friday, Dr Ajit Kumar Sinha, director, Central Tassar Research and Training Institute, said merely tassar culture has employed 1.80 lakh farmers and 30,000 weavers in the state. Jharkhand is progressing fast in tassar production. The states tassar production increased to 3,238 metric tonnes in 2016-19 from 143 metric tonnes in 2007-08, Sinha said, adding that byproduct of it generally go waste.

The byproduct of it could be used in making of various products such as cosmetic, biomedical items and fertiliser, which would not only fetch revenue but also generate large scale employment, he said.

Sudhir Dhingra, chairman and managing director of Orient Craft Limited, said the business captains on Thursday promised to invest lakhs of crore in Jharkhand. We may not invest such amount but can promise to generate lakhs of jobs in the state, Dhingra said, adding, garment and footwear are most labour intensive sectors.

We had started Orient Craft in 1972 with merely four people and investment of Rs 15,000. Now, over 32,000 people are working under the company, he said, adding, I see a great future of Jharkhand in garment and footwear sector, which will attract domestic as well as foreign buyers. Dhingra said that his company will invest Rs 3,000 crore and open six skill development centres.

Lauding the Jharkhand textile, apparel, footwear policy 2016, the investors said the state could contribute a lot in meeting the apparel and footwear demand of domestic as well as foreign markets.

Adesh Gupta, chief executive officer of Liberty Shoes Limited, said, India currently produces 125 crores shoes. Additional capacity of 400 crores will require in next 10 years, he said.

Jalandhar Giri, director of Shahi Exports Pvt Ltd, said the baby elephant-logo of Momentum Jharkhand would fly in Jharkhand. We have opened our units in nine states and recently started one in Odisha. We will soon open a unit in Jharkhand as well, he said.

Jharkhand minister Louis Marandi welcomed the investors to textile, apparel and footwear sectors. We want to assure the investors that they will face no trouble in setting up industry here, she said.

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A Popular south cinema actor was allegedly abducted in Keralas Kochi town and molested by a five-member gang who took pictures and videos before letting her off, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place when the actor was reportedly returning home from a film shoot. The gang forcibly boarded her car when it stopped near a traffic signal and molested her for almost two hours inside the vehicle, police said.

The 30-year-old actress lodged a police complaint later in the night.

The actor has worked in more than 75 films in several languages including Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. She made her acting debut when she was 16 years old.

Police arrested Martin, who was allegedly driving the actors car. After examining his call log, they found he was in constant touch with Sunil Kumar aka Pulsar Suni, now identified as the main accused.

We have identified five persons in connection with the case. The incident is suspected to be a conspiracy to blackmail the actress, said a senior police officer of Kochi. The actor later underwent a medical test.

Sunil Kumar, who has several criminal charges against him, was a temporary driver . She had complained about his rude behaviour previously.

After the attack, the accused fled in another car and the actor sought refuge in a director friends house.

In her complaint, she said she was physically assaulted, and gang members forcibly took photos and recorded a video, threatening to post them on social media if she went to the police.

A popular dubbing artiste, Bhagyalakshmi, said she tried contacting the actor after the incident but found her mobile switched off.

This is the first time that a Mollywood artist is facing such a situation. Its quite normal for stars like her to travel at ungodly hours after work, she told Malayayam Manorama, referring to a term used to describe the Malayalam film industry.

Its not the matter of a celebrity, its the matter of being a woman. This incident shows that our girls are no longer safe. Its a case of shame and shock, she added.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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President Donald Trump and his envoys are sending mixed messages about their support for an independent Palestinian state, confusing a world that has traditionally looked to America for leadership on one of the middle easts most intractable conflicts.

After Trump broke with decades of precedent by backing away from US insistence on a two-state solution, his envoy to the United Nations, Ambassador Nikki Haley, said we absolutely support a two-state solution. As Haley addressed reporters at the UN, Trumps nominee for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, was telling the Senate he would be delighted with such an agreement, while expressing skepticism that Palestinians were prepared to take the necessary steps to make such a deal possible.

To be sure, its somewhat a matter of semantics. The White House has argued theres no daylight between what Trump said before his meeting this week with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and what others in his administration have declared.

Read | US shift on two-state solution doesnt make sense: Palestinians

But this is the Middle East, where seemingly innocuous comments can be explosive and every word uttered by the United States, its leaders and diplomats becomes tortuously parsed by partisans on all sides.

All these phrases are loaded, and theyre going to take on a life of their own, said David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. It was not a good way to begin, because its going to distract everyone from the job at hand, which is to end the current impasse and engage the parties.

Until these last days, the US position had been rather clear. The last three presidents had advocated the emergence of an independent, sovereign Palestinian country in most of the territory that Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast War. Land swaps agreed to by both sides would allow some Jewish settlements built in east Jerusalem or the West Bank to become part of Israel. The existence of a recognized nation of Palestine would mean the end of Israels occupation.

Im looking at two-state and one-state and I like the one that both parties like, Trump, with Netanyahu at his side, said Wednesday.

There is no consensus about what a one-state solution means. A majority of Israelis and Palestinians oppose a single, binational state that would include both populations. Opponents say such an arrangement would eventually force Israel either to lose its Jewish majority or rule over millions of disenfranchised Palestinians lacking full rights, a scenario the Palestinians wouldnt willingly accept.

While Trump kept open the traditional, two-state idea as an option, he is likely to find that the Palestinians supporters in the region  which include key US allies in the fight against the Islamic State group  wont entertain anything short of Palestinian statehood.

The administrations lack of precision illustrated a broader challenge it is facing as dramatic policy shifts are announced from the Oval Office, sometimes after little coordination with other agencies. That has made it hard for Trumps government to speak with a single voice.

The State Department, which spearheaded Mideast peace efforts for past Republican and Democratic presidents, was caught off-guard when the White House, on the eve of Netanyahus visit, signaled its shift away from full-throated backing of the two-state solution. Officials then had to pivot after Haleys declaration of support for the previous US position on two states. Still, Haley echoed Trump by saying it was up to Israelis and Palestinians to come up with a workable solution.

The result for the world has been confusion. After meeting in Germany with new US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault lamented that the US position on Mideast peace had become vague and preoccupying.

Ayrault said he told Tillerson the two-state solution was the only option, and that another, unspecified idea Tillerson had floated wouldnt be fair nor equitable. That position was echoed from afar by UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres.

The Trump administration has been similarly ambiguous about other foreign policy matters, including the Iran nuclear deal. As a candidate, Trump vowed to renegotiate the accord. As president, he has continued deploring it. But EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Trumps team told her the US was committed to implementing the seven-nation deal. Frances Ayrault, however, said he got the impression from Tillerson that the US wanted to review it from scratch.
Handcuffed and bound with ropes, Lee Jae-yong, the heir of electronics giant Samsung, appeared for questioning Saturday over his alleged involvement in the corruption scandal currently engulfing South Korean President Park Geun-Hye.

Among other allegations, Lee is accused of paying nearly $40 million in bribes to a confidante of the impeached president to secure policy favours.

The conglomerates de facto head stared straight ahead as he was greeted by a horde of journalists and camera flashes upon his arrival at the office of special prosecutors investigating the case.

He kept silent as journalists fired questions at him, but the metal manacles could be glimpsed under the sleeves of his well-tailored, navy suit and white ropes around his arms and back. A badge on his chest bore his prisoner number.

During his first night at the Seoul Detention Centre, Lee was detained in a one-man cell instead of a six-person room -- a privilege reserved for dignitaries, local news reports said.

But the 6.27 square-metre dwelling was a far cry from his four-million-dollar home in Seoul.

Like all others awaiting trial, he spent his time in detention wearing an inmates uniform and eating prison meals -- rice, soup and three side dishes -- worth 1,440 won ($1.26), served on a plastic tray and slid through a small window in the cell door.

Food brought from outside is prohibited, the Chosun Ilbo daily said.

After meals inmates have to clean trays themselves and sleep on folding mattresses. A single-channel TV, whose programme is pre-selected and recorded by authorities, is allowed only during the day.

Other inmates at the detention house include Choi Soon-Sil, a close confidante of the president who is at the centre of the influence-peddling scandal, the former head of Parks presidential staff and her ex-culture minister. All are incarcerated in their own single cells.

Lee, the son of Samsung group boss Lee Kun-Hee, has been quizzed several times over his alleged role in the scandal.

The 48-year-old, described as a key suspect, narrowly avoided being formally arrested last month, after the court ruled there was insufficient evidence.

But prosecutors on Tuesday made a second bid saying they had collected more evidence in recent weeks, and Lee was later arrested.

The scandal centres on Choi, who is accused of using her close ties with Park to force local firms to donate nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations which Choi allegedly used for personal gain.

Samsung, South Koreas largest business group with revenues equivalent to about a fifth of the countrys GDP, was the single biggest donor to the foundations.

It is also accused of separately giving millions of euros to Choi to bankroll her daughters equestrian training in Germany.

Prosecutors are probing whether Samsung had paid Choi to secure state approval for the controversial merger of two Samsung units seen as a key step towards ensuring a smooth power transfer to Lee.

Since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014, Lee has effectively taken the helm of Samsung.

His arrest was seen as a blow to Park who is staging an uphill battle at the Constitutional Court to overturn her impeachment by parliament.
Blind sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the Egyptian-born cleric linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, died on Saturday of natural causes in a US prison facility, the Justice Department said. He was 78 years old.

Abdel Rahman was serving a life sentence on several terrorism-related charges at a Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina. His death came after a long battle with diabetes and coronary artery disease, the Bureau of Prisons said.

The sheikh was seen as a jihadist spiritual leader even after his conviction in 1995 for conspiring to bomb New York landmarks, including the United Nations, and assassinate the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Abdel Rahman, who sported a long gray beard and signature sunglasses, led the militant Al-Gamaa al-Islamiya group in Egypt before emigrating to the United States.

Born in 1938, he preached a radical brand of Islam and was seen as having inspired the 1993 bombing of New Yorks World Trade Center, which left six people dead and injured around 1,000 more.

His son Mohamed Omar was informed of the death and told AFP the family had contacted the American and Egyptian authorities to repatriate the late clerics body.

Abdel Rahman had been imprisoned in North Carolina since 2007. He was hospitalised in late 2006 in the state of Missouri after he began to spit blood and was given a blood transfusion.

In 2012, Egyptian Islamist President Mohamed Morsi called for Abdel Rahmans transfer to Egypt for humanitarian reasons, asking for a prisoner exchange with the United States.
China on Friday urged a resumption of six-party talks with North Korea on Pyongyangs nuclear programme, saying a negative cycle of nuclear missile tests followed by sanctions must end.

Today, what we see is nuclear test, sanction, nuclear test and then sanction again, said Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.

This negative cycle should not continue. Because the ultimate end result could be something that no one can bear. Its a situation where everyone loses, he said.

Wang stressed that UN Security Council resolutions -- including sanctions -- against Pyongyang should be fully implemented, but added: We cannot give up on seeking a resumption of talks.

On this point, the United States and North Korea ... must quickly come to a political decision, he said.

We hope and call on all parties to stop taking any action that would provoke tensions.

The North quit the now-stalled negotiations aimed at curbing its nuclear weapons programme in 2009, and soon afterwards carried out its second atomic test. The talks are hosted by China, and include South Korea, the United States, Russia, and Japan.

Beijing, the Norths main diplomatic protector and economic benefactor, wants to revive negotiations, although Washington, Seoul and Tokyo all insist Pyongyang must first take some tangible steps towards denuclearisation.

Earlier Friday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson used his first meeting with Wang to urge Beijing to help rein in North Korea after its series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

North Koreas latest missile was launched Sunday near the western city of Kusong and flew east about 500 kilometres (310 miles) before falling into the Sea of Japan (East Sea), South Koreas defence ministry has said.
European leaders on Friday fired a salvo of warnings against Washington, cautioning it against hurting EU cohesion, abandoning shared values and seeking a rapprochement with Russia behind the backs of its allies.

In a hard-hitting speech at the Munich Security Conference against President Donald Trumps administration, German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen urged the United States not to take transatlantic ties for granted.

Our American friends know well that your tone on Europe and NATO has a direct impact on the cohesion of our continent, the German minister told the Munich Security Conference.

A stable European Union is also in Americas interest, as is a strong and unified NATO, she said.

Polish President Andrzej Duda also stressed that the basis of our strength is our transatlantic bond. We must not recklessly put it into question.

We all realise that the consequence of a potential destabilisation on Europe will be felt on both sides of the Atlantic, he added.

Trumps praise for Britains decision to quit the EU, his criticism of NATO, and his softer approach towards Russia have rattled allies, prompting them to seek assurances from his lieutenants on whether long-standing US policies have indeed been scrapped.

As jittery partners wonder what foreign policy under Trump would look like, the White House has dispatched top generals to Europe this week to offer reassurances.

Vice-president Mike Pence is due to address the Munich conference Saturday, a day after US defense secretary Jim Mattis affirmed to the same forum that the bond between Europe and America is the strongest bulwark against instability and violence.

I am confident that we will strengthen our partnerships, confronting those who choose to attack innocent people or our democratic processes and freedoms, he told the gathering of security and defence experts.

Read | Pay up or we reduce support, Trump defence chief James Mattis warns NATO

Separately in Bonn, where foreign ministers of G20 nations closed a two-day meeting, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson made brief statements in which he stuck close to conventional foreign policy, including on North Korea and Russia.

With the White House embroiled in controversy over its ties to the Kremlin, Tillerson was cautious in his dealings with Moscow, despite Trumps pledges for closer ties.

Following his first sitdown with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, Tillerson said the US sought cooperation with Moscow only when doing so will benefit the American people.

In Munich, Germanys defence minister urged the US to cherish transatlantic ties, pointing out that allies should not be put on the same footing as Russia.

Von der Leyen also took aim at Trumps plan to ban migrants from majority-Muslim nations.

We should be careful that this fight (against terror) does not become a front against Islam and Muslims.

Otherwise we run the risk of digging ourselves into a deeper grave in which violence and terror only grow further. Rather, it is right to seek partnership with like-minded Muslim and Arab nations, she said.

Obsolete

Since taking office Trump has said he fully backs NATO, but called it obsolete while campaigning for election.

He has advocated waterboarding, repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and called for better cooperation with Russia, including in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria.

Read | US President Trump to meet NATO leaders for first time on May 25

Under Trumps predecessor Barack Obama, Washington insisted President Bashar al-Assad had to go as part of a political solution in Syria  an issue Trump has downplayed.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko warned that moving in the direction of appeasement with Russia would be naive, wrong and dangerous.

British foreign secretary Boris Johnson had a good word for the Trump administration.

Give these guys and give Donald Trump a chance. Yes its a new style of government, but dont underestimate a new approach to deliver results, Johnson said.
Malaysia performed a second autopsy on the estranged half brother of North Koreas leader because the first procedure was inconclusive, piling on the intrigue surrounding what appeared to be a well-executed assassination at an airport in Kuala Lumpur, an official said Saturday. Police arrested a fourth suspect, identified as a North Korean man.

The second autopsy clearly enraged North Korea, which has vowed to reject the results of any post-mortem and demanded that Malaysia turn over the body immediately. Speaking to reporters outside the morgue late Friday, Pyongyangs ambassador said Malaysian officials may be trying to conceal something and colluding with hostile forces.

A Malaysian official with knowledge of the investigation confirmed the second autopsy started Friday night and said that the results of the first one were inconclusive. He asked that his name not be used because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

The inconclusive autopsy results raise all sorts of questions about the mysterious death of Kim Jong Nam, but a lack of closure and a lingering sense of the unknown arent unusual when it comes to North Korea. While South Korea has blamed North Korea for a slew of notable assassinations or attempted killings in past decades, the North often denies involvement or simply doesnt comment.

The death of Kim Jong Nam, the exiled half brother of North Koreas powerful and mercurial ruler, has unleashed a torrent of speculation, tales of intrigue and explosive, unconfirmed reports from duelling nations.

A reporter holds up a local newspaper during his report in front of the morgue at Kuala Lumpur General Hospital where Kim Jong Nam's body is held for autopsy in Malaysia February 18, 2017. (Reuters)

Malaysia has arrested four people so far, the latest a man carrying an ID that identified him as 46-year-old Ri Jong Chol. He was picked up Friday night.

Authorities were still trying to piece together details of the case.

Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46 and had lived in exile for years, suddenly fell ill at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau. Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical. He died while being taken to a hospital.

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

Just for laughs?

On Friday, Indonesias police chief said an Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the killing was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank.

Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian, citing information received from Malaysian authorities, told reporters in Indonesias Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in Just For Laughs style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show. He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer, Karnavian said. She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents.

Malaysian police were questioning four suspects  Aisyah, another woman who carried a Vietnamese passport; a man they said is Aisyahs boyfriend; and the North Korean man.

N Korea breaks silence

North Korea broke its silence on the case Friday night. Speaking to reporters gathered outside the morgue in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the autopsy on Kim Jong Nam unilaterally and excluding our attendance.

We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem, Kang said, adding that the move disregarded elementary international laws and consular laws.

North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol addresses the media on February 18, 2017 at the main gate of the forensic wing at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, where the body of Kim Jong-Nam, the half brother of the North Korean leader, is being kept. (AFP)

Kang said the fact that Malaysia has yet to hand over the body strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us.

Malaysia is one of just a handful of countries to have full diplomatic ties with North Korea, with each country having an embassy in the others capital. Malaysia has also been a key place for quiet, semi-official track 2 diplomatic talks between North Korea and with the United States.

Malaysia said Friday it wants DNA samples from Kim Jong Nams family as part of the post-mortem procedure and that officials were not yet willing to hand the body over to the North Koreans. Although Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau, police in Malaysia say none has come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples.

If there is no claim by next-of-kin and upon exhausting all avenues (to obtain DNA), we will finally then hand over the body to the (North Korean) embassy, said Abdul Samah Mat, a senior Malaysian police official. He would not say how long that process might take.

Kim Jong Nam was estranged from his younger half brother, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.
China on Saturday announced it was suspending coal imports from North Korea in an effort to implement United Nations sanctions against the country.

The decision comes days after North Korea tested a ballistic missile, violating a UN ban on its nuclear programme, and will deprive the cash-starved Communist country of crucial foreign exchange.

Coal is the countrys main export and is used in Chinas steel industry.

The timing of the ban is also close to the mysterious killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, at a Malaysian airport.

Chinas ministry of commerce made the announcement in a short statement on its website. It said the ban will be effective till the end of December this year.

For enforcing the no.2321 resolution of the United Nations Security Council, and according to the foreign trade law of the Peoples Republic of China and the no.81 notice in 2016 of ministry of commerce and general administration of customs, import of the coal from North Korea will be suspended (including the coal of which customs has already accepted the declaration but has not gone through the formality of customs). This notice will be executed on Feb.19th, 2017, and valid by Dec.31st, 2017, the government notice said.

Saturdays announcement follows reports from earlier this month that China had stopped a North Korean coal shipment worth around $1 million.

In December, China had stopped coal imports from North Korea for three weeks, which were also in line with UN sanctions.

According to an AFP report, the UN Security Council passed the resolution on the international sanctions against Pyongyang on November 30 following the countrys September nuclear test.

It limits North Koreas coal exports next year to 7.5 million tonnes or just over $400 million, down 62% on 2015China imported 1.8 million tonnes of coal worth $101 million from North Korea in October alone, the report said, quoting figures from the Chinese Customs website.

Despite the ban, a Reuters report said in January that China had boosted imports of coal from North Korea.

Imports jumped to 2 million tonnes, up 13% from the same month a year earlier, and up from 1.9 million tonnes in November, the report said quoting Customs data.

For the whole year, China imported 22.5 million tonnes of North Korean coal, up 14.5% from 2015, it said.

On the killing of Kim Jong-nam, China has remained quiet even though reports have claimed that he had lived the under the protection of Beijing.

We are aware of relevant reports and will continue to keep an eye on any developments, foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing on Friday.

(eom)


The Afghan government summoned Pakistans ambassador on Saturday, hours after Islamabad reportedly launched strikes on militant bases in the neighbouring countrys eastern provinces, increasing tension between the two sides.

Afghanistans foreign ministry summoned ambassador Abrar Hussain in Kabul, where deputy foreign minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai sought an explanation but also conveyed his condolences for recent suicide attacks in Pakistan. In its protest, Afghanistan said at least two people were killed and two others wounded in the shelling. In response, Pakistan foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakarya told the media that Islamabad was gathering more information on this development and Pakistans embassy in Afghanistan has been contacted.

The Pakistan Army said it had information that terrorists from across the border were behind Thursdays suicide bombing at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Sufi shrine in southern Sindh that killed 88 people. Hours after the bombing, Pakistani security forces have launched a nationwide operation that, they say, has left more than 100 terrorists dead.

The army on Friday had summoned Afghan diplomats and handed them a list of 76 militants who, they say, were supporting terror activities in Pakistan. Immediately after the attack in Sindh, Pakistan claimed the attack was planned in militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan, in remarks that could renew hostility between Kabul and Islamabad.

Geo TV channel, quoting military sources, reported that strikes were launched on the militant bases on Afghan soil on Friday night. But there has been no official word on the strikes, which, if confirmed, would be the first such operation by the Pakistan Army.

The Pakistan army reportedly targeted a training camp of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar  the banned terror group which had claimed responsibility for the February 13 suicide bombing in Lahore and another suicide attack on the headquarters of the Mohmand Agencys political administration on February 15. Some reports said several militants, including the deputy commander of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Adil Bacha, were killed in the strikes.

Afghanistan has also protested the closure of the border from the Pakistan side on two crossings - Torkham and Chaman border. The army also said the Pak-Afghan border has been closed since Friday night due to security reasons.

No cross-border or unauthorised entry will be allowed into Pakistan from Afghanistan, read an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement issued on Friday, putting pressure on Afghanistan as trade had come to a halt.

According to the ISPR, a few hours before the attack was reported, army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had called Gen John Nicholson, commander of the USs Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, to protest continued acts of terrorism in Pakistan perpetrated from Afghanistan, saying they were testing Pakistans policy of cross-border restraint.

Bajwa had told Nicholson that recent incidents of terrorism in Pakistan had been claimed by terrorist organisations whose leadership is hiding in Afghanistan, and asked him to play his role in disconnecting this planning, direction, coordination and financial support.
Pakistani authorities on Saturday listed Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and four of his aides under the countrys Anti-Terrorism Act, imposing further restrictions on his movements and ability to speak to the media.

Saeed and his aides, who were placed in preventive detention or house arrest on January 30, were listed under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act by the government of Punjab province, Pakistani media reported.

According to Section 11EE of the act, persons who are involved in terrorism, members of an organisation that is banned or on the interior ministrys watch list or suspected to be involved with a group involved in terrorism can be included in the Fourth Schedule.

Saeed currently heads the Jamaat-ud-Dawah, which has not been banned but is on the watch list. The US and the UN Security Council have already declared the JuD and its sister organisation, the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, as fronts for the LeT.

The Express Tribune quoted an unnamed official of the Punjab home department as saying that action was taken against Saeed and his aides as they are active members of the JuD and FIF. A senior police officer told the Dawn newspaper that the Counter-Terrorism Department added their names to the Fourth Schedule on the orders of the federal interior ministry.

The Fourth Schedule imposes a wide range of restrictions on the movements and activities of a listed person. Such a person is not allowed to visit schools, colleges and other educational institutions, parks, hotels and public places, airports, railway stations, TV and radio stations or attend public rallies and meetings.

Under the provisions of this schedule, authorities can probe the assets and sources of income of the listed persons and their families to ascertain whether the assets are legitimate. These restrictions can be applicable for a maximum of three years.

Besides Saeed, the other JuD and FIF members against whom action has been taken are Abdullah Ubaid, Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Kashif Niazi. Saeed and 37 others have also been barred from travelling abroad as they were included in the interior ministrys Exit Control List.

Saeed and his aides have challenged their inclusion in the Exit Control List. The JuD has also said it will mount a legal challenge to his house arrest.

This powerful army has backed Saeeds detention, saying it was a policy decision taken in the national interest.

Saeed was also put under house arrest after the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, but he was freed within six months on the orders of the Lahore high court.

Critics have also pointed out that the interior ministry has done little to fully enforce the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act. A list of persons included in the Fourth Schedule that was drawn up by the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) last year contained the names of several persons who were dead or had even left Pakistan.

Leaders of the banned Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat included in the Fourth Schedule have attended rallies and even gone for the Haj pilgrimage.
Two Pakistani officials say a second key Chaman border crossing into Afghanistan has been closed, halting trade supplies to the neighboring landlocked country.

The border closure in Pakistans southwest Baluchistan province comes after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan that killed 88 people. It was seen as a tactic to pressure Kabul to act against militants who Pakistan says have sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani officials asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to brief the media on the record.

Read: Pakistan launches security crackdown as nation mourns Sufi shrine blast victims

Earlier, Pakistan closed a border crossing at Torkham, which connects Pakistan to Afghanistans Nangarhar province.

The Islamic State says it was behind the shrine attack and Pakistani security forces have launched nationwide operations that they say has left more than 100 terrorists dead.

Read: Pakistan kills over 100 militants in crackdown after Sufi shrine blast by IS
Republican Senator John McCain broke with the reassuring message that US officials visiting Germany have sought to convey on their debut trip to Europe, saying on Friday that the administration of President Donald Trump was in disarray.

McCain, a known Trump critic, told the Munich Security Conference that the resignation of the new presidents security adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russia reflected deep problems in Washington.

I think that the Flynn issue obviously is something that shows that in many respects this administration is in disarray and theyve got a lot of work to do, said McCain, even as he praised Trumps defence secretary.

The president, I think, makes statements (and) on other occasions contradicts himself. So weve learned to watch what the president does as opposed to what he says, he said.

European governments have been unsettled by the signals sent by Trump on a range of foreign policy issues ranging from NATO and Russia to Iran, Israel and European integration.

The debut trip to Europe of Trumps defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to a meeting of G20 counterparts in Bonn, went some way to assuaging concerns as they both took a more traditional US position.

But Trump is wrestling with a growing controversy at home about potential ties between his aides and Russia, which he dismissed on Thursday as a ruse and scam perpetrated by a hostile news media.

Mattis made clear to allies, both at NATO in Brussels and in Munich, that the United States would not retreat from leadership as the European continent grapples with an assertive Russia, wars in eastern and southern Mediterranean countries and attacks by Islamist militants.

US vice-president Mike Pence will address the Munich conference on Saturday with a similar message of reassurance.

Pence will say that Europe is an indispensable partner for the United States, a senior White House foreign policy adviser told reporters.

Mattis told a crowd that included heads of state and more than 70 defence ministers that Trump backed NATO.

President Trump came into office and has thrown now his full support to NATO. He too espouses NATOs need to adapt to todays strategic situation for it to remain credible, capable and relevant, Mattis said.

Mattis said the United States and its European allies had a shared understanding of the challenges ahead. Trump has alarmed allies by expressing admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mattis, however, has spoken out strongly against Russia while in Europe. After talks with NATO allies in Brussels on Thursday, he said that he did not believe it would be possible to collaborate militarily with Moscow, at least for now.

The Europeans may need more convincing that Washington stands with it on a range of security issues.

There is still a lot of uncertainty, Sebastian Kurz, Austrias foreign minister, told reporters. The big topic in Munich is looking to the USA to see which developments to expect next.

No illusions

European intelligence agencies have warned that Russia is also seeking to destabilise governments and influence elections across Europe with cyber attacks, fake news and propaganda and by funding far-right political parties.

We should be under no illusions about the step-change in Russian behaviour over the last couple of years, even after Crimea, British Defence Minister Michael Fallon said, referring to Moscows 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula.

We have seen a step-change in Russian military aggression, but also in propaganda, in misinformation and a succession of persistent attacks on Western democracies, interference in a whole series of elections including ... the United States.

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg held talks with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Munich, seeing progress on encouraging Moscow to be more open about its military exercises that the alliance says are unpredictable.

Russia says it is the Western alliance, not Moscow, that is destabilising Europe by sending troops to its western borders.

We have different views, Stoltenberg said of the crisis in Ukraine, where the West accuses the Kremlin of arming separatist rebels in a conflict that has killed 10,000 people since April 2014. Russia says the conflict is a civil war.

In the latest incident, Lithuanian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into a false report of rape by German soldiers stationed there on a NATO mission to deter Russia.

Mattis, without explicitly citing the case, rallied to the defence of German forces as he spoke in the German city of Munich. I have great respect for Germanys leadership in Europe  and for the ethical performance of your troops on the battlefield, he said.

US intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Trumps favour.

McCain acknowledged concern in Europe and beyond that America was laying down the mantle of global leadership and cited global trends he found disturbing, including hardening resentment toward immigrants and an unwillingness to separate truth from lies.

McCain urged the forum not to give up on the United States.

Make no mistake, my friends: These are dangerous times, but you should not count America out, and we should not count each other out, McCain said.
One month after the inauguration, the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of Donald Trumps White House still is a hard-hat zone. Skeletal remains of the inaugural reviewing stands poke skyward. Random piles of plywood and cables are heaped on the ground inside crooked lines of metal fencing.

The disarray outside the presidents front door, though not his fault, serves as a metaphor for the tumult still unfolding inside.

Four weeks in, the man who says he inherited a mess at home and abroad is presiding over a White House that is widely described as itself being a mess.

At a stunning pace, Trump has riled world leaders and frustrated allies. He was dealt a bruising legal blow on one of his signature policies. He lost his national security adviser and his pick for labor secretary to scandal. Hes seen forces within his government push back against his policies and leak confidential information. All of this has played out amid a steady drip of revelations about an FBI investigation into his campaigns contacts with Russian intelligence officials.

Trump says his administration is running like a fine-tuned machine. He points to the rising stock market and the devotion of his still-loyal supporters as evidence that all is well, although his job approval rating is much lower than that for prior presidents in their first weeks in office.

Stung by the unrelenting criticism coming his way, Trump dismisses much of it as fake news delivered by the enemy of the people  aka the press. Daily denunciations of the media are just one of the new White House fixtures Americans are adjusting to.

Most days start (and end) with presidential tweets riffing off of whatevers on TV talk shows or teasing coming events or hurling insults at the media.

At some point in the day, count on Trump to cast back to the marvels of his upset of Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November election and quite possibly overstate his margins of support. Expect more denunciations of the dishonest press and its fake news.

From there, things can veer in unexpected directions as Trump offers up policy pronouncements or offhand remarks that leave even White House aides struggling to interpret them.

In this February 16, 2017 photo, President Donald Trump hands the pen he used to sign H.J. Res. 38 to Kevin Hughes, General Manager, Murray Energy Corporation, second from right, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo)

The long-standing US policy of seeking a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Trump this past week offered this cryptic pronouncement: Im looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like. I can live with either one. His UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, the next day insisted, We absolutely support a two-state solution.

Trumps days are busy. Outside groups troop in for listening sessions. Foreign leaders call or come to visit. (Or, in the case of Mexicos president, cancel out in pique over Trumps talk about the planned border wall.)

After the president signed two dozen executive actions, the White House was awaiting a rush order of more of the gold-plated Cross pens that Trump prefers to the chrome-plated ones used by his predecessor.

Trump hands them out as souvenirs at the signing ceremonies that he points to as evidence of his ambitious pace.

This last month has represented an unprecedented degree of action on behalf of the great citizens of our country, Trump said at a Thursday news conference. Again, I say it. There has never been a presidency thats done so much in such a short period of time.

Thats all music to the ears of his followers, who sent him to Washington to upend the established order and play the role of disrupter.

I cant believe theres actually a politician doing what he says he would do, says an approving Scott Hiltgen, a 66-year-old office furniture sales broker from River Falls, Wisconsin. That never happens.

Disrupt Trump has.

But there may be more sound and fury than substance to many of his early actions.

Trump did select Judge Neil Gorsuch to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, a nomination that has drawn strong reviews from conservatives.

But the president is regrouping on immigration after federal judges blocked his order to suspend the United States refugee program and ban visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries, which had caused chaos for travelers around the globe. Some other orders on issues such as the US-Mexico border wall and former President Barack Obamas health care law are of limited effect.

Trump says his early actions show he means to deliver on the promises he made during the campaign.

A lot of people say, Oh, oh, Trump was only kidding with the wall, the president told a group of police chiefs recently. I wasnt kidding. I dont kid.

But the Republican-led Congress is still waiting to see specifics on how Trump wants to proceed legislatively on top initiatives such as replacing the health care law, enacting tax cuts and revising trade deals.

The messy rollout of the travel ban and tumult over the ouster of national security adviser Michael Flynn for misrepresenting his contacts with Russia are part of a broader state of disarray as different figures in Trumps White House jockey for power and leaks reveal internal discord in the machinations of the presidency.

I thought by now youd at least hear the outlines of domestic legislation like tax cuts, says Princeton historian Julian Zelizer. But a lot of that has slowed. Trump shouldnt mistake the fact that some of his supporters like his style with the fact that a lot of Republicans just want the policies he promised them. He has to deliver that.

Put Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in the camp of those more interested in substance than style.

Im not a great fan of daily tweets, McConnell said Friday, referring to the extra discussion that Trump likes to engage in.

But McConnell was quick to add: What I am a fan of is what hes been actually doing.

He credits Trump with assembling a conservative Cabinet and taking steps to reduce government regulation, and promised: We like his positions and were going to pursue them as vigorously as we can.

The challenge may be to tease out exactly what Trump wants in the way of a health care plan, tax changes and trade policy.

At his long and defiant news conference on Thursday, Trump tried to dispel the impression of a White House in crisis, squarely blaming the press for keeping him from moving forward more decisively on his agenda.

Pointing to his chief of staff, Reince Priebus, Trump said, You take a look at Reince, hes working so hard just putting out fires that are fake fires. I mean, theyre fake. Theyre not true. And isnt that a shame because hed rather be working on health care, hed rather be working on tax reform.

For all of the frustrations of his early days as president, Trump still seems tickled by the trappings of his office.

When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie visited the White House last week to discuss the national opioid epidemic over lunch, the governor said Trump informed him: Chris, you and I are going to have the meatloaf.

Trump added: Im telling you, the meatloaf is fabulous.
The US Supreme Court will decide three cases in coming months that could help or hinder President Donald Trumps efforts to ramp up border security and accelerate deportations of those in the country illegally.

The three cases, which reached the court before Democratic President Barack Obama left office, all deal broadly with the degree to which non-citizens can assert rights under the US Constitution. They come at a time when the court is one justice short and divided along ideological lines, with four conservatives and four liberals.

The justices will issue rulings before the end of June against the backdrop of high-profile litigation challenging the lawfulness of Trumps controversial travel ban on people travelling from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

The most pertinent of the three cases in terms of Republican Trump administration priorities involves whether immigrants in custody for deportation proceedings have the right to a hearing to request their release when their cases are not promptly adjudicated.

Read | Trumps travel ban: US prez says hell issue new immigration order next week

The long-running class action litigation, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of thousands of immigrants detained for more than six months, includes both immigrants apprehended at the border when seeking illegal entry into the United States and legal permanent residents in deportation proceedings because they were convicted of crimes. The case also could affect long-term US residents who entered the country illegally and have subsequently been detained.

The Trump administration has said it wants to end the release of immigrants facing deportation and speed up the process for ejecting them from the country. A decision in the case requiring additional court hearings could have very direct implications for the administrations plans, said ACLU lawyer Ahilan Arulananthan, especially since immigration courts currently have a backlog of more than 5,00,000 cases.

Read | White House official attacks court after legal setbacks on immigration

The ACLU estimates that up to 8,000 immigrants nationwide at any given time have been held for at least six months. A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement official was unable to immediately confirm data on length of detention but said that in fiscal year 2016, the average daily count of detainees was just under 35,000.

If Trump wants to put more people in deportation but does not increase the number of immigration judges, then people are going to have to wait longer and longer to get a hearing, said Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell Law School.

The Trump administration has pledged to sharply curtail illegal immigration, with initiatives such as building a wall along the U.S-Mexican border and hiring thousands of federal agents to police the border and arrest and deport immigrants who live in the United States but entered the country illegally. Trump has also threatened to withhold federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities that offer protections to immigrants who could face deportation.
As Malaysian police continue their inquiry into the death of Kim Jong Nam, the outcast half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, theres plenty of speculation surrounding what seems one of the stranger killings the world has recently seen.

Malaysia performed a second autopsy because the first procedure was inconclusive, piling on the intrigue surrounding what appeared to be a well-executed assassination at an airport in Kuala Lumpur. Police arrested a fourth suspect, identified as a North Korean man.

The second autopsy clearly enraged North Korea, which has vowed to reject the results of any post-mortem and demanded that Malaysia turn over the body immediately. Speaking to reporters outside the morgue, Pyongyangs ambassador said Malaysian officials may be trying to conceal something and colluding with hostile forces.

A rumour says North Korea killed Kim Jong Nam because he planned to create an exile government around defectors. Kim Jong Un was furious after learning about secret Chinese plans to enthrone his estranged sibling in Pyongyang if something happens to him, says another.

Or maybe Pyongyang wasnt involved at all. Perhaps, Kim Jong Nam, known for his carefree lifestyle and gambling habits, angered crime organisations over money problems and that got him killed, say some online arguments.

Some theories are more bizarre. South Korean newspapers have reported on rumours making rounds on the Chinese internet that impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who faces a court ruling on whether she should permanently step down over a corruption scandal or be reinstated, plotted Kims death to create a distraction.

South Koreas spy agency, which has consistently described Kim Jong Un as an irrational and unstable dictator, argues that he killed a non-threatening sibling out of paranoia. The fuming North Korean ambassador to Kuala Lumpur says the country will reject the autopsy results on Kim Jong Nam because Malaysian officials may be trying to conceal something and colluding with hostile forces.

While imaginations run freely, most South Korean experts think theres a straightforward explanation behind the alleged assassination of Kim, who appears to have been killed by two women at the airport on Monday in what has been suspected as a poison attack.

Kim Jong Un, who has executed or purged a slew of high-level officials since taking power in 2011, most likely made another move to remove a potential challenger to his power, the experts say. Kim Jong Nam had been the only member of the Kim clan who regularly talked to foreign journalists and sometimes went so far as to openly criticise the countrys hereditary power transfer.

North Korea has been seen as tightening control on its high-profile individuals overseas since the defection of Thae Yong Ho, a senior North Korean diplomat in London who arrived in South Korea last year. Theres also a possibility that Kim Jong Nam, who continued to stay in Macau and the Chinese mainland, was taken out because he disobeyed orders to return home, according to some experts.

A police officer stands at the morgue at Kuala Lumpur General Hospital where Kim Jong Nam's body is held for autopsy in Malaysia. (REUTERS)

But others find North Koreas involvement hard to believe. Both of the women arrested for suspected involvement in the killing were non-Koreans and some think their methods were too unorthodox and careless to be considered a North Korean hit job.

(The attack on Kim) was unbelievably sloppy, Kim Jongdae, a South Korean lawmaker, told a radio interview. He pointed out that one of the women reportedly got arrested by returning to the scene a day later with the same clothes.

Kim Jong Nam led a free-wheeling life, and loved to travel, and mingle with women ... He might have had problems with crime organizations. Or maybe this was a crime based on a love affair gone bad, he said.

Seo Jae Pyoung, a North Korean defector and anti-Pyongyang activist, thinks its unlikely that Kims death involved crime organizations. While Kim was believed to have profited from helping Chinese firms trade with North Korea when his father and the Norths second leader Kim Jong Il was alive, he probably stayed away from risky business activities after Kim Jong Un came to power, Seo said.

While some think the attack on Kim Jong Nam was careless, others see it as ingenious. Its possible that the women might have not even known they were part of an assassination attempt  one of the detained female suspects reportedly told police she was tricked into thinking she was part of a TV comedy show prank.

Whoever did it came up with a careful plan that effectively concealed criminal intent until the job was done, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seouls Dongguk University. That person had great understanding of how Western TV media works.

Getting foreigners to do the job, rather than directly using its own operatives, might have been a logical choice for North Korea because it will likely continue denying involvement.

North Korea used its own operatives when it set off a bomb meant for then-South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan during a 1983 visit to Burma. Although Chun narrowly escaped the blast, more than 20 people were killed, including several of Chuns Cabinet ministers and top aides. One North Korean agent was shot dead by police, a second one was sentenced to death and executed, and a third reportedly died in Myanmar prison in 2008.

Burma, now known as Myanmar, responded by cutting its diplomatic ties with North Korea, and relations between the countries werent restored until 2007. The costly experience of three decades ago might have ensured North Korea would use borrowed hands for the alleged assassination in Malaysia, which is one of its few diplomatic partners, Koh said.
US vice president Mike Pence on Saturday brought a message of support for Europe from Donald Trump, but failed to wholly reassure allies worried about the new presidents stance on Russia and the European Union.

In Pences first major foreign policy address for the Trump administration, he told European leaders that he spoke for Trump when he promised unwavering commitment to the NATO alliance.

Today, on behalf of President Trump, I bring you this assurance: the United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to this transatlantic alliance, Pence told the Munich Security Conference, offering greetings from the president.

But he also repeated US calls for more defence spending in return: As you keep faith with us, under President Trump we will always keep faith with you.

While Polands defence minister praised Pence, many others, including Frances foreign minister and US lawmakers in Munich, remained sceptical that he had convinced his allies that Trump would stand by Europe.

Read| Europe warns US against hurting cohesions, NATO values, and favouring Russia

Trumps contradictory remarks on the value of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, scepticism over the 2015 deal to curb Irans nuclear ambitions and an apparent disregard for the future of the European Union have left Europe fearful for the seven-decade-old US guardianship of the West.

After Pence spoke, former NATO deputy secretary general Alexander Vershbow, who is American, summed up the mood, telling Reuters: Many in this hall are still asking if this is the real policy.

Pence, whose meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel was described by German aides as very friendly, also marked out a divide on Iran, which the European Union sees as a business opportunity following the nuclear deal.

Pence called Tehran the leading state sponsor of terrorism, language never used by European officials. Pences strident vow to consign Islamist militants to the ash-heap of history also raised eyebrows, European officials said.

US Homeland Security secretary John Kelly defended Trumps directive suspending travel to the United States by citizens of seven mostly Muslim countries, since blocked by US judges, which was condemned by EU governments.

Kelly said he would produce a tighter, more streamlined version soon, saying: We need to find ways to vet in a more reliable way to satisfy us that people coming to the United States are coming for the right reasons.

Two US governments?

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault expressed disappointment that Pences speech did not mention the European Union, although the vice president will take his message to EU headquarters in Brussels on Monday.

I hope that we will have a clear response (in Brussels) ... because Donald Trump has said he was overjoyed by the Brexit and that there would be others, Ayrault said, referring to Britains decision to leave the European Union.

US senator Chris Murphy, a member of the opposition Democrats, said he welcomed Pences address but saw two rival governments emerging from the Trump administration.

Pence, Trumps defense secretary Jim Mattis and his foreign minister Rex Tillerson all delivered messages of reassurance on their debut trip to Europe.

But events in Washington, including a news conference in which Trump branded accredited White House reporters dishonest people, sowed more confusion.

I like a lot of what I heard from vice president Pence, Murphy told Reuters. Its just hard to square that speech with everything Donald Trump is doing and saying, citing an assault on the free press.

The resignation of Trumps security adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russia on the eve of the US charm offensive in Europe also tarnished the message Pence, Mattis and Tillerson were seeking to send, officials told Reuters.

US Republican Senator John McCain, a Trump critic, told the conference on Friday that the new presidents team was in disarray.

The United States is Europes biggest trading partner, the biggest foreign investor in the continent and the European Unions partner in almost all foreign policy, as well as the main promoter of European unity for more than 60 years.

Tepid Applause

Pence, citing a trip to Cold War-era West Berlin in his youth, said Trump would uphold the post-World War Two order.

This is President Trumps promise: we will stand with Europe today and every day, because we are bound together by the same noble ideals  freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law, Pence said.

Pence received little applause beyond the warm reception he got when he declared his support for NATO. His warning that the time has come to do more on military spending was met with an awkward silence.

The United States provides around 70 percent of the NATO alliances funds. European governments sharply cut defence spending after the fall of the Soviet Union but Russias resurgence as a military power and its seizure of Ukraines Crimean peninsula has started to change that.

Baltic states and Poland fear Russia might try a repeat of Crimea elsewhere. Europe believes Moscow is seeking to destabilize governments and influence elections with cyber attacks and fake news, an accusation denied at the conference by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Pences tough line on Russia, calling on Moscow to honour the international peace accords that seek to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, were welcomed by Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz. Lavrov said after a meeting with his French, German and Ukrainian counterparts that there would be a new ceasefire from Feb. 20.

Know this: the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found, Pence said.
An American doctor trying to plumb the depths of evil found a strange kinship instead.

In August 1945, an ambitious U.S. Army psychiatrist, Douglas M. Kelley, received a plum assignment: a rendezvous with the men widely regarded as the worst criminals of the century. His task was to maintain the mental fitness of the top Nazi captives, held at a military interrogation center in Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg, until their fates could be determined, and laterat a prison at Nuremberg, Germanyevaluate the mental fitness of the 22 men to face justice in the trial to come. Kelley, 33, arrived eager to probe the prisoners for signs of a characteristic common to Nazi leaders: the willingness to do evil. Did they share a mental disorder or a psychiatric cause for that behavior? Was there a Nazi personality that accounted for their heinous misdeeds? Kelley intended to find out.

The ruggedly handsome California-born physician later claimed to have devoted at least 80 hours to each of the 22 defendantsprobably an exaggeration, because that would have left him no time to do anything else at Mondorf and Nuremberg. But out of scientific obligation and by preference, Kelley spent the most time with Hermann Goring.

Kelley formed immediate impressions of the former World War I ace, Luftwaffe chief, and highest-ranking official of the Third Reich left alive. From his interactions with the other Nazi prisoners, Kelley recognized that Goring was undoubtedly the most outstanding personality in the jail because he was intelligent, as the psychiatrist wrote in his medical notes. He was well developed mentallywell roundeda huge, powerful sort of body when he was covered up with his cape and you couldnt see the fat jiggle as he walked, a good looking individual from a distance, a very powerful dynamic individual.

But having lightly touched on politics, the war, and the rise of Nazism during their initial cell-bound conversations, Kelley was not blind to Gorings dark side. The ex-Reichsmarschall displayed ruthlessness, narcissism, and coldhearted disregard for anyone beyond family and friends. Yet Goring was also a gregarious man, starved for social stimulation. He craved attention to improve his mood, the open ear of an intelligent conversational partner who could help establish his historical legacy, and the occasional favor. This combination of characteristicsthe admirable and the sinisterheightened Kelleys interest in Goring. Only such an attractive, capable, and smart man, who had smashed and snuffed out the lives of so many people, could point Kelley toward the regions of the human soul that he urgently wanted to explore.

In Gorings spare cellwith letters and framed photos of his wife, Emmy, and their young daughter, Edda, on his table along with packets of K ration sugar and a deck of American Legion playing cards, and sometimes bundles of laundry on the bed the men built a rapport and courted each other with mutual fascination. Each understood what the other said and how he felt, realized that he could more or less be himself when they were together, and enjoyed the others company.

As Kelley could see, Goring had embraced Nazism to satisfy his personal designs and craving for power. His loyalty to the party was not about Hitler, not about Germany, and least of all about preserving a supposed Aryan race. Goring wanted to advance Hermann Goring, and he had joined the Nazis to lead a rising party. His self-interest was notable even compared with other narcissists. The Nazi leader possessed the most undiluted self-centeredness Kelley had ever experienced.

The psychiatrist understood the tragedy of Gorings fate, at least as the Reichsmarschall saw it. Until the confusion and treacheries of the final days of the war, Goring, as Hitlers official successor, had nearly attained his dream of ascending to the supreme leadership of Germany to become the second Fuhrer. By the time Hitler killed himself, however, the cause was lost. He reached his goal too late, Kelley noted. At Nuremberg he was a Fuhrer without a country, a marshal without an army, a prisoner accused of waging aggressive war against peaceful peoples and of the deliberate murder of millions.

On the other hand, Goring wanted Kelley to know that he was not Hitlers stooge. He said that as the war went on, he had increasingly recognized Hitlers miscalculations and faulty judgments, and claimed to be one of the few Nazi leaders who had called them to the Fuhrers attention. Alone among the prisoners at Nuremberg, Goring said, he had argued with Hitler. But he also knew his limits. Mischievously, Kelley replied that Americans generally regarded all top Nazis, Goring included, as Hitlers yes men. That may well be, Goring said, but please show me a no man in Germany who is not six feet underground today.

If Kelley had been familiar with the work of Hervey Cleckley, the American psychiatrist who formulated the seminal definition of the psychopath in his book The Mask of Sanity in 1941, he might have applied that label to Goring. Psychopaths are characterized as individuals who carry on normally in public, seeming to conform to social norms while they conceal savage impulses and a dearth of empathy that appears only in private. But there is no evidence that Kelley had read Cleckleys book. Kelley never used the term psychopath to characterize Goring or any other Nazi prisoner, but his notes of his conversations with Goring describe classic psychopathic behavior.

During one talk, for example, while recounting his early years in the Nazi Party, Goring mentioned his 1920s collaboration with Ernst Rohm in establishing the SA, the partys army of brown-shirted storm troopers. Kelley saw that this difficult work, vital to the organizations survival, had bonded Goring and Rohm in friendship. Then, without making much of it, Goring related how he and Rohm later started competing for Hitlers attention. The rivalry ended tidily in 1934 when Goring pressed Hitler to have Rohm murdered during the bloody purge known as the Night of the Long Knives. Story over; Goring made it plain to Kelley that he was ready to move on to a new topic.

But how could you bring yourself to order your old friend killed? Kelley blurted. Goring sat silent and fixed his eyes on the American with a look of bewilderment, impatience, and pity. It was as if Goring were thinking, Dr. Kelley, I must have underestimated you. Are you an idiot? Years later, Kelley had not forgotten what Goring did next: Then he shrugged his great shoulders, turned up his palms and said slowly, in simple, one-syllable words: But he was in my way.

The shrug signified Gorings release from the responsibility of considering his comrades welfare and interests. What else could a man like Goring do? He had other concerns. Kelley sometimes let pass this sociopathic thinking, which seemed to bespeak neither sanity nor insanity, but a twilight region of social and cultural derangement. Psychopaths as we now know them, with their lack of interest in others and focus on advancing their own narcissistic goals, were not on Kelleys radar.

At other times, however, Kelley challenged Goring. When the Reichsmarschall declared that obedience to orders, even illegal ones, was justifiable to preserve social order and military discipline, Kelley countered, To hell with military discipline. With civilization hanging in the balance, weve got to put an end to militarism once and for all, and expend every effort to avoid another war, for the next one will spell the doom of mankind. The former Luftwaffe chief took that in stride. Yes, thats what I thought after the last war, he said. But as long as every nation has its selfish interests, you have to be practical. Anyway, Im convinced that there is a higher power which pushes men around in spite of all their efforts to control their destiny. The exchange inspired Kelley to take note of Gorings cynicism and mystic fatalism.

In similar fashion, Goring eventually shook off the discomforts of prison, informing Kelley that he felt relatively well behind bars because of the quiet environment. He also quoted scripture, a passage from Psalms 78:26 (He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven, and by his power he brought in the south wind), in which God miraculously provides food for the wandering Israelites. He wanted the psychiatrist to know that he was a survivor.

Goring, Kelley was learning, determinedly lived in the present. A realist, he adapted magnificently to change. He focused on responsibilities and pursuits that furthered his goals, and awoke each morning convinced that the day offered the rosy dawn of an always better future, Kelley observed.

That optimism enabled Goring to discover humor in confinement and become the cell blocks champion jokester. Kelley rarely found the jokes funny, but Goring, eyes sparkling, enjoyed them if nobody else did. Kelley was fascinated not by the tale, but by the teller, as when Goring delivered this routine:

If you have one German, you have a fine man; if you have two Germans, you have a Bund; three Germans together result in a war. On the other hand, if you have one Englishman, you have an idiot; two Englishmen immediately form a club; and when three Englishmen get together you have an empire. One Italian is always a tenor; two Italians make a duet; when you get three Italians, then you have a retreat. One Japanese is a mystery; two Japanese are a mystery. But three Japanese? They are a mystery, too!

Heaving with laughter, Goring could barely deliver the punch lines. He also enjoyed quoting from a notebook he kept of underground jokes mocking his foibles and those of Hitler and other Nazi leaders.

There was a purpose to Gorings acceptance of his condition. He had work to do. Although he strenuously denied the Allies had any right to try him and his colleagues for war crimes, he accepted the inevitability of the victors exacting punishment on the vanquished, and saw his trial as an opportunity. With the world watching, he could defend Nazi policies and resurrect his reputation. Those ends reduced his personal complaints and inconveniences as a prisoner to insignificance.

He spends all his time trying to discredit all the other party men, even Hitler, so that the history books will remember only him, Kelley told an interviewer a few months later. Like the rest, he shies away from any involvement with the atrocities he is completely innocent, according to him, even though it has been proven that atrocities did take place in the early days of the concentration camps from 1933 to 1935, when Goring was in command of them. Of course, the wholesale slaughter and murder did not develop until later, under Himmler.

Goring only complained to Kelley and other members of the Nuremberg jail staff when he found fault with the treatment of his family. He told Kelley that when he had surrendered to the Americans, the one consideration he sought was good care for Emmy and Edda. Goring devoted much of his epistolary energies to his wife and daughter, and he asked Kelley and Kelleys translator, John Dolibois, an army intelligence officer fluent in German, to track them down and deliver his letters to them.

The Reichsmarschall unleashed frustrations and expressed confidence in Kelley in a letter to Emmy in the first weeks of October 1945:

For three months I have been writing to you without receiving an answer. Today I can send you a letter direct: Major Kelley, the doctor who is treating me and who has my fullest confidence, is bringing it to you. You can also talk to him freely. The greatest torment of my soul was and is the fact that, up until now, I have not known where all of you were and how you were get ting along. You can send me an answer through Major Kelley, and you will understand how I long for it. I dont need to tell you what I am going through here. The hard fate of our fatherland and the tormenting worry about you and your future are the most difficult burdens for my soul. My dearest wife, I am so sincerely thankful to you, for all the happiness that you always gave to me, for your love and for everything. How is little Edda taking it all? Give Eddalein a kiss from her Pappi and greet everyone for me. You are embraced and kissed in sincerest love and longing by your Hermann.

Although Emmy Goring avoided contact with most Americans, she readily agreed to see Kelley. When she accepted her husbands letter from Kelley, she feared reading what she thought would be a final farewell. She passed the correspondence unread to her niece, who explained that it contained better news. Then Emmy read it. When she finished, she spoke with Kelley, whom she judged an honest and very humane man. She asked, How is my husband? Kelley replied, Hes behaving like a rock in a stormy sea.

On the spot Emmy wrote out a response that Kelley carried back to her husband:

Finally, finally a letter from you. I cant tell you how happy I am. My love and my thoughts are with you every second. We are fine, we have food to eat and we have wood. My only thought, my prayer every night is that you may be with us once more. Stay in good health. Thank God, Edda is still too young to share our worries. Hermann, I love you above all, keep faith and God will lead us together again. Everybody sends his love and we all embrace you. I send you all the kisses which I have given you in the past and which I want to give you in the years to come. I love you, always yours, Emmy

To which their daughter added a line: My dearest daddy, come back to me soon. I am longing for you so much. Many thousand kisses, your Edda.

Goring received Emmys letter with joy, but he also expressed stoicism and regret in his reply:

You can well imagine how inexpressibly happy I was over your dear letter. It was the first ray of light in this dark period. You will already know from the newspapers that my trial as so-called war criminal will begin on 20 November. We must be prepared for the worst. Nevertheless I hope by the Almighty that we can still meet again. I pray everyday that I may keep the strength to uphold our dignityfor it would be better to come to the end with dignity than to live on without honor I think only of you and only the worry over your welfare tortures me now. I have always known and felt how much I love you, but now the true depth of our love has been revealed to me for the first time. I thank you eternally for the great happiness that your love gave me. You must know how great my longing and homesickness is for you and Edda. Sometimes I actually think I will die of it. Why did it have to turn out this way? If we had even suspected this development, we would certainly have gone another way. Now we leave everything to Gods will. Never let Edda away from you.

On the back of this letter Goring added a postscript: Major Dr. Kelley, who is bringing this letter to you, is really an extraordinary gentleman. First Lieutenant [Dolibois], who accompanies him, is very warm and human and I have known both gentlemen for several months. You can trust them completely.

Goring later wrote again to Emmy: To see [Eddas] beloved handwriting, to know that your dear hands have rested on this very paperall that and the contents itself has moved me most deeply, and yet made me most happy. Sometimes I think that my heart will break with love and longing for you. That would be a beautiful death.

Goring didnt get his beautiful death. On October 1, 1946, the court sentenced him to death by hanging, which he saw as an indignity. Goring asked Allied authorities to allow him instead to face a firing squad. When that request was denied, he killed himself by biting on a glass ampule of potassium cyanide he had secreted or obtained in prison.

By then Kelley had left for California, feeling that his research was complete. But he hadnt found the answers he was looking for. The psychiatrist had hoped that his scientific study of these mens minds could identify a telling factor useful in preventing future Nazi-like regimes. But, with very few exceptions, Kelley found the Nazis were not special types, he wrote. Their personality patterns indicate that, while they are not socially desirable individuals, their like could very easily be found in America or elsewhere. Consequently, he feared that psychologically similar personalities could commit other holocausts and crimes against humanity. That somber revelation haunted Kelley until his deathby cyanide capsuleon January 1, 1958.

Originally published in the February 2014 issue of World War II. To subscribe, click here.
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It looks like Donald Glover will be playing Simba in the forthcoming remake of the 1994 classic film Lion King. On Friday night, the movies director, Jon Favreau, took to Twitter to announce that Gambino will be playing Simba, and James Earl Jones will retain his role as Mufasa.

For Donald, this marks just the latest acting gig hes landed in the past few months following the success of his FX series Atlanta. Glover will also be playing a young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Han Solo movie, dropping next year.

Theres no word yet as for when the Lion King remake will hit theatres, but when it does you know its going to do huge numbers & be another great look for Donald.

Donald Glover
Jay Z hosted a #TIDALXNOLA event Friday Night in New Orleans for All-Star Weekend. Kevin Durant and Jay Electronica were in attendance, and at one point Jay Electronica came up to take the mic and say some words. I appreciate you, dog. I love you, bro, he told Hov

Lets go put this album out, Hov responded.

Jay Electronica has famously never put out a project, despite having been signed to Roc Nation since 2010. Fans have accepted that Electronica may well never release an album, though he tries their patience from time to time  most recently, last July, when he suggested that he would drop Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn) within the next 40 days. (He did not.)

Check out highlights from the #TIDALXNOLA event below.

Jay Electronica
To catch you up to speed, Michael Bonner is a 2nd grade teacher out of Greenville, North Carolina, whos been getting attention lately for his implementation of dance moves & music into his teaching method. A couple months ago, Mr. Bonner released an educational take on OT Genasis hit single Push It called Read It, which has since gone viral & attracted the attention of Ellen.

Having already visited Ellens show last month, Mr. Bonner decided to return to her stage this week to debut a new remix of Read It, featuring help from rappers Big Sean, Migos, Ty Dolla $ign, & Ice Cube. Whats even better is that when Mr. Bonner & the kids linked up to record the video, Big Sean decided to make an appearance at the studio as well.

Reading helps us learn information for school, Sean raps. So we can answer questions and we can be cool.

Check out the awesome-moment (below).

Big sEan
BP is weighing plans to update as many as 200 of its U.S. wind turbines with higher-capacity equipment, a move that would represent the company's biggest investment in renewable energy since its last wind farm came online in 2012.

If the company green lights the project - a decision that could be reached by mid-year - it would represent about 400 megawatts of capacity.

Laura Folse, chief executive of BP Wind Energy, said the move would allow the U.K. energy giant to capitalize on production tax credits while optimizing operations at farms in Texas and Kansas. The company put an initial investment down in December in order to qualify for the full tax credit, which started scaling down this year.

The updates involve swapping out aging equipment such as gearboxes, drive trains and blades, while keeping existing towers and foundations. BP expects the upgraded technology to improve efficiency and reliability while increasing overall energy output.

"It's not a done deal, but it is very real," Folse said in an interview. "The newer technology and the improvements make it economic," Folse said.

With 14 wind farms - including one operated by another company in Hawaii - BP says it has the largest wind-energy business of all major oil companies. BP tried selling off its wind business in 2013, ultimately dropping the plan after failing to find a suitable buyer.

Folse said she was initially skeptical of the economics of replacing equipment at BP sites, including the 60-megawatt Silver Star Wind Farm near Dallas. But the company seized on the idea as a way to lower operating costs and make its wind more competitive against natural gas-fired power. That's especially important in Texas, where BP doesn't have long-term contracts in place to sell wind energy and must compete with the daily vagaries in the power markets.

Congress' renewal of the production tax credit in 2015 gave wind farm developers a powerful incentive to retrofit turbines, said Alex Morgan, a New York-based analyst for Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Thousands of turbines totaling 9,700 megawatts across the U.S. are between 10 and 20 years old, making them prime targets for upgrades, she said.

BP's last big investment in its renewable portfolio came with the installation of its Trinity Hills wind farm near Olney in 2012.
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WASHINGTON - Auto manufacturers, refiners and conservative groups, buoyed by Republican efforts to roll back climate change polices, are targeting fuel-efficiency standards that require the nation's car and truck fleets to operate on less gasoline and diesel.

The standards, toughened in the final days of the Obama administration, were part of a suite of rules designed to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and are expected to dramatically reduce demand for gasoline and other fuels produced by refineries like those along the Texas Gulf Coast in the decades ahead. Hoping for a receptive audience, lobbyists are pressing President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress to take a second look at fuel-efficiency regulations on both cars and heavy-duty trucks, which they say will raise prices on new vehicles and hurt workers in the auto and energy sectors.

"The previous administration jammed through a final determination on (fuel efficiency) standards more than a year before the deadline, circumventing full analysis and public debate," said Chet Thompson, president of the trade group American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers.

The push back comes after Gina McCarthy, the former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, announced a week before leaving office that she was carrying through on a proposal that would require car manufacturers to increase the fuel efficiency of their fleets to an average 36 miles per gallon by 2025 - 10 miles more per gallon than the today's average. The move caught many by surprise - the EPA had said it would render a final decision before April 2018.

No indication from Trump

But with Trump in the White House and Republicans in control of Congress, regulations governing everything from greenhouse gas emissions to banking are coming under attack.

On Friday, the Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt as the new head of the EPA. Pruitt, as Oklahoma attorney general, made a career of suing to block or overturn federal environmental regulations.

So far, Trump has offered no indication whether he would support reversing the Obama administration fuel efficiency standards. A White House spokesman did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

But any move to do so is certain to face keen opposition from environmentalists, who have made a priority of blocking Trump's attempt to upend Obama's climate change policies.

"Cars and trucks, after power plants, are the largest source of global warming pollution," said Luke Metzger, director of the advocacy group Environment Texas. "There are cars on the market getting 100 miles per gallon. There's no reason in a little less than a decade the auto manufacturers can't achieve what we think is a pretty modest goal. "

Fuel efficiency also is popular with American voters. A Consumer Reports survey released last summer found seven out of 10 people considering a new car planned to buy one that gets more miles per gallon that their current vehicle.

Trump has already signed into law legislation reversing Obama administration rules requiring oil companies to disclose payments to foreign governments and cracking down on water pollution by coal mines. Republicans are moving legislation through Congress that would overturn a rule limiting the flaring of methane at drilling sites on federal lands.

Threat to refining sector

Fuel efficiency standards pose a long-term threat to a refining sector that has seen U.S. gasoline consumption decline 1.5 percent since 2007, as cars became more efficient and more and more corn-based ethanol is blended into the fuel supply.

Industry lobbyists are rushing to target rules they believe ripe to be overturned. A paper circulated by Freedom Partners, the nonprofit funded by billionaires Charles and David Koch, lists 11 regulations that could be overturned in the first 100 days of the Trump presidency - including one requiring the development of more fuel-efficient medium and heavy-duty trucks. Koch Industries is one of the largest privately held companies in the country, with industrial operations that include oil refineries and chemical and fertilizer plants.

"We realized in meeting with folks on the Hill, everyone was very excited to roll back the Obama regulatory over reach," said Andy Koenig, vice president of policy at Freedom Partners. "They figured Trump could walk in with a eraser and get rid of a lot of these regulations."
HARDWICK, Vt. - A small Vermont weekly newspaper whose former owner tried to give away through an essay contest about the importance of local journalism was sold Friday to a Connecticut couple.

Last fall, Ross Connelly abandoned his plan to find a new owner for the Hardwick Gazette through a $175 essay contest because he didn't get enough submissions. But when returned the entry fee, he let it be known that he would still like to sell the paper.
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Statoil Gulf Services, a unit of the Norwegian oil major, spun off a new company last year in Houston to commercialize advances in hydraulic fracturing technology invented by its scientists and engineers. And to lead the research at the new company, Statoil named as chief technology officer the researcher who developed and patented many of the inventions.

But now Statoil claims that Matthew Dawson kept secret a breakthrough he made while working for Statoil, passed it on to his wife to patent and later launched his own company to commercialize it. Statoil sued Dawson and his wife, Jin, in U.S. District Court in Houston, alleging that they stole the trade secrets and patented technology that belongs to the company.

The case raises the questions of who owns inventions developed in corporate settings and how to determine whether the ideas percolated in the company lab or emerged independent of that work. The invention would clearly be company property if it was developed while on the company payroll, intellectual property specialists said, but complicating the case is Jin Dawson, who, like her husband, holds a doctorate in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That means Statoil would need to present evidence that she did not develop the technology, intellectual property specialists said.

"That seems like a difficult thing to prove," Joe Ahmad, a Houston trial lawyer who handles trade secret cases. "It would be different if she were, say, a plumber."

Statoil said it would not comment beyond the lawsuit. The Dawsons, who haven't hired a lawyer yet, declined to comment.

New technologies

Statoil Gulf Services, the U.S. subsidiary of Statoil, is an oil and gas exploration and production company and is one of the largest lease holders in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Matthew Dawson joined Statoil in 2012 as a principal researcher in hydrocarbons, the molecules that make up oil and natural gas.

During his time there, Dawson applied for several patents including ways to produce oil and gas through high-pressure water injection and measure the effect of fracturing on adjacent rocks for more efficient well placement, according to the lawsuit. Dawson assigned his patents to Statoil.

Dawson also developed technology to map underground rock formations and the pressure changes in adjacent wells. The techniques, which take account of natural pressure changes as high-pressure liquids are injected into subterranean rock, save drilling companies money because they don't have to drill as many wells, according to his patent applications.

His patents formed the basis for a trademarked product, "IMAGE Frac," which would be sold to improve hydraulic fracturing operations, and the new company, called Reveal Energy Services, spun off by Statoil, according to court documents. Dawson became Reveal's chief technology officer in April.

Statoil claimed in the lawsuit that Dawson, while working for Statoil and its subsidiaries, also developed proppant mapping technology, which uses surface pressure gauges to determine where to inject tiny particulates into the rock that prop open fissures for more efficient production. Typically proppants used in the oil and gas industry are ceramic particles or sand.

Statoil said in court papers that it believes Dawson passed on the technology to his wife, who then filed for a patent. Jin Dawson works as a technical patent advisor for a law firm in Houston that is not connected to the case, according to her LinkedIn profile and court documents.

'Breach of contract'

Statoil claimed in the lawsuit that Matthew Dawson tried to use his wife's patent application as leverage to obtain an ownership stake in Reveal. When Statoil refused, Matthew Dawson resigned as chief technology officer in mid-January, according to the lawsuit.

"A centerpiece of Dawson's scheme was claiming Statoil/Reveal's intellectual property as his own," Statoil's complaint said. The companies are alleging breach of contract against Matthew Dawson and misappropriation of trade secrets against both Dawsons.

The Dawsons have not yet filed a response to the lawsuit in federal court.

Since leaving Reveal, Matthew Dawson has launched his own venture, Axiom Genesis. Statoil accuses Dawson of meeting with Reveal's customers - current and potential - to poach business, including speaking at trade conferences, according to the lawsuit.
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Elizabeth Reyes awoke early on Feb. 1 to make the cross-town trek from her home in north Houston to Asiatown so she could be at the clinic just after the doors opened at 7:30 a.m.

The 5-foot-2 Cuban grandmother peered over the tall reception counter, straining for the familiar in a city she does not know, in a country where she had arrived only 45 days before.

"No hay alguna manera que podria ayudarme?" she asked. Is there any way you can help me?

Reyes just wanted to see a doctor. But behind her simple question lies a deeper one as America grapples with who should be allowed in and how much is owed to them once they get here.

Days earlier, President Donald Trump had thrown U.S. refugee policy into turmoil with an executive order barring entrance into the country by all refugees for 120 days and those from Syria indefinitely. That order has stalled in the courts, but the president has vowed to issue a new executive action any day.

Yet Texas had already begun quietly unspooling its own policy on refugees.

On Jan. 31, the state stopped administering the federal money that pays for a host of social service and assistance programs for refugees, including eight months of health coverage through the Refugee Medical Assistance program and the Medicaid program for unaccompanied refugee minors.

Although refugees have been promised seamless coverage through a third-party administrator, that did little to calm the confusion that gripped the clinic as January ended and February began. Dozens of people without appointments jammed the waiting room. Many clutched letters from the state saying their existing coverage was ending.

Maria Rodriguez was working the front desk at Hope Clinic, one of Houston's busiest community health centers serving the city's vast refugee community. She saw the fear in Reyes' eyes and promised to try to squeeze her in.

Rodriguez began the intake, sorting through the 53-year-old woman's history of ailments. High blood pressure. High cholesterol. Pre-diabetes.

"Do you have any medicine?"

"No."

"Do you have Medicaid?"

Reyes paused.

"Yo no se," she answered. I don't know.

She had applied as instructed when she arrived from Havana, but time ran out before her eligibility was determined.

It was the culmination of events set in motion four months earlier, when Gov. Greg Abbott pulled Texas out of the federal refugee resettlement program because he was not satisfied that the Syrian refugees headed this way had been vetted for safety.

Abbott informed the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement on Sept. 30 that Texas' Health and Human Services Commission would no longer shepherd the $120 million in federal funds going to refugees, including an estimated $62 million for health screening and medical services.

"Despite multiple requests by the state of Texas, the federal government lacks the capability or the will to distinguish the dangerous from the harmless, and Texas will not be an accomplice to such a dereliction of duty to the American people," the governor said in a statement at the time.

The governor's office did not comment for this story.

In the last fiscal year Texas resettled more than 7,800 refugees, second most in the nation after California, according to the U.S. State Department. That does not include thousands of Cubans, Haitians and others with special status who also get leg-up benefits like refugees.

Houston alone resettled 2,695 refugees, not including Cubans, the government statistics show. That's most in Texas and among the most in the nation.

"We are a country of immigrants and refugees. There is a will to continue our heritage both in Texas and in Houston," said Ali Al Sudani, director of refugee services at Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston, who came to this country from Iraq in 2009 and gained citizenship in 2014.

"We have a strong legal framework for refugees when they arrive and a path to citizenship," he said.

The tradition of welcoming and helping refugees is woven into American history. The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 ultimately allowed 400,000 Europeans to enter the United States from their war-torn nations.

The modern-day framework for refugee policy comes from the 1980 U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, which not only standardized the definition of a refugee but also directed the federal government to provide assistance as lives were restarted.

Over time the generosity of the health coverage has shrunk. For example, in the 1980s refugees were allowed three years of medical coverage.

The currently provided eight months is enough time, the theory goes, to get someone up to date on their immunizations and stabilize or treat any lingering or chronic conditions. After that they will be able to buy their own coverage or get a job that offers it.

Some refuges could also qualify for Texas' traditional Medicaid although the threshold is tough. Texas is tied with Alabama as having the strictest qualification criteria in the nation.

Abbott's decision last fall to pull out of the Office of Refugee Resettlement program grabbed national headlines but was, in fact, mostly symbolic. It did not actually stop refugees from being resettled in Texas nor did it turn off the federal money to help them.

It did, however, start a 120-day clock during which time the ORR scrambled to secure an outside third party to take over the state's role and administer federal refugee funds so benefits would not be disrupted.

Different cities in Texas use different organizations to administer the funds. In Houston all services but health care fall to the YMCA of Greater Houston, according to the federal Administration for Children and Families which oversees the ORR.

The health-care piece for adults went to a national nonprofit, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, which was selected in December.

That group then began working with Indiana-based Point Comfort Underwriters, which is not a traditional insurer but can process refugee medical claims.

A letter dated Jan. 17 was sent to refugees from Texas Health and Human Services saying "your medical benefits will end Jan. 31, 2017" and noting that recipients "are not entitled to appeal."

Six days later another letter, this one from USCRI, was also sent to refugees referring to the state notification. It, too, said existing coverage would end Jan. 31 but added "that does not mean you will lose your medical benefits." That letter said USCRI was partnering with Point Comfort.

But those on the front lines said they had no idea what was going on.

"Our patients were panicked," said Dr. Andrea Caracostis, CEO of Hope Clinic. About 20 percent of the 130 patients seen at community clinic each day are refugees. Her staff was equally frantic, not sure how to advise them since they knew little about the replacement coverage that was supposed to kick in.

"We would try to write prescriptions and order X-rays but none of the providers had ever heard of Point Comfort," said Kara Green, a nurse practitioner at Hope. "They still haven't."

Reyes, the Cuban grandmother, was prescribed $130 in medication at the end of her visit. But it was unclear if a pharmacist would accept Point Comfort. She paid for it out of pocket, taking it out of her already tight grocery budget.

Caracostis has been trying to contact Houston providers to explain the situation and reassure them they will be paid, just not by the state.

Betsy Brougher, president of Point Comfort, acknowledges the transition was rushed.

"There's been a lot of anxiety because the switch-over has been crazy," she said.

"The important thing it that no medical service has been disrupted and there's been no loss of benefits," she said, predicting that over time things will settle down.

Meanwhile, another clock is ticking in Washington, D.C.

Congress in December voted that all government spending would be funded by continuing resolution scheduled to run out the end of April. Many fear the Office of Refugee Resettlement could be a likely target for steep budget cuts considering the rhetoric surrounding refugees.

The Obama administration had authorized 110,000 refugees to enter the country. Trump has proposed slicing that number to 50,000.

All questions about the fate of the ORR were directed to the White House, which did not respond.

The fast-moving events are confusing and more than a little troubling to Hussein Alaawad. A medical school graduate in Baghdad, the 29-year-old went through four years of waiting and questioning before he was allowed into the U.S.

His plane touched down in Houston in August, his previous life condensed into two suitcases and a carry-on bag. Clothes, a fistful of photos, a Play Station 3. He also packed the brightly colored bracelet his friends had given him with handwritten slogans. One said "Dream Big."

He fled in part after being threatened with death in Iraq because when he was only a volunteer at the hospital he could not treat a militia member's child who later died. "You'll be sorry," he was warned.

So he went to Jordan and waited. The U.S. government questioned him closely and then questioned him again and again.

Once in Houston he was treated for a potentially serious skin condition and he tested positive for latent tuberculous. Then he got the letter in January saying his Refugee Medical Assistance was ending.

An appointment with a skin specialist, the one he had waited six weeks for, had to be canceled. He could not afford to pay out of pocket and was unsure when the new coverage would start. He was also running low on his medication to fend off tuberculous. He cannot afford the $102 price to refill it.

These days he spends his time looking for work and studying to become a doctor in the U.S. Someday he'd like to own a house, maybe have a wife and kids. In a year he can apply for a green card.

His family back home is afraid for him. One of the first things they told him to do was trim his beard so he would not stand out.

He'd like to visit them but fears if he leaves he will not be able to re-enter.

Still, he likes his life in his tidy one-bedroom apartment near Pearland. He has a girlfriend he met online and a car that has seen better days. Even with the turmoil of recent weeks he is grateful to be in America, where he sees all things possible.

"No regrets," he says, "but worries."
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Stinky Smalls, the Notorious C-A-T, wants to play.

The 7-month old feline couldn't care less about the interview you are trying to conduct with his owner. He wants to play, and he's got claws.

When Stinky snags your dress, his owner puts him in "jail" under the coffee table for about a nanosecond. You begin to think maybe Stinky deserves the daily insults his owner throws at him on Facebook.

Although really, that seems a small price for sharing Lynn Lane's two-story, 2,800-square-foot loft and studio space in Midtown, full of well-worn books, artful furniture and photography equipment.

Since returning to his hometown seven years ago from Brooklyn, N.Y., Lane seems to have settled into some kind of comfy bohemian dream.

He has made himself indispensable to Houston's arts community, becoming the go-to photographer for Houston Grand Opera, the Alley Theatre and numerous small dance companies. Recently, he's also been on stage himself, as the founder and impresario of the Transitory Sound and Movement Collective.

On the second Tuesday of each month, Lane conducts Transitory in an improvisational program at the Rec Room, a new 82-seat performance venue on the eastern edge of downtown that has quickly become an underground darling. Sitting at a table downstage, Lane creates electronic sounds in collaboration with an ever-changing ensemble of acoustic musicians and a dancer, against the backdrop of a cinema verite film.

During January's show, set against a film made at Times Square, 18 musicians squeezed onto the Rec Room's tiny stage, surrounding soulful dancer Annie Arnoult.

Last Tuesday's show, "Echoes of Solitude in Grand Central," featured soprano Julia Fox, Austin ballerina AJ Garcia-Rameau, bassoonist Ben Roidl-Ward, flutist Emily Nelson, violinist Emmy Tisdel, harpist Caitlin Mehrtens and a film by Ron Kiley, a New York friend.

They tend to perform with minimal rehearsal. Lane said he wants to keep it fresh and raw.

"It's not just free improv from a noise standpoint but free improv with a lot of virtuosity," he said. "These are top-level musicians. They play with different orchestras, teach at Rice."

Lane has cultivated a lot of friends, and the list is growing. He said people are now seeking him out, asking to participate.

Percussionist Brandon Bell, a Shepherd School Ph.D. candidate who played with Transitory in January, met Lane only last fall but calls him a tour de force.

"He's always got multiple irons in the fire," Bell said. "He's filling a void that's been missing."

Mehrtens, the harpist, also loves what Lane is doing.

"I've been in music school six years. He runs with a totally different crowd," she said. "What he's doing is really valuable, bringing people together from a lot of different places to have a conversation about art. It's very honest, real and relevant."

So far, all of the Transitory shows at the Rec Room have sold out.

Lane has given proceeds to the nonprofits Dance Source Houston and Nameless Sound, although going forward, he plans to split any profits after show expenses with the musicians, he said.

"It's not about making money. It's about exposing people in Houston to different art forms and what immersive work is. Taking people in the music world and exposing them to dance  this collective, hybrid world I'm creating," Lane said. "We could probably raise prices and still sell out, but I want to make it accessible. It's important for me just to build and support the arts and expose people to things like this."

Bell didn't seem to mind that he wasn't paid. He plans to perform again in April.

"We got pizza. That was good," Bell said. "Just to get the chance to work with artists from other disciplines, I jump at the chance to do that. At conservatories, free-form improv is not something we get a chance to do often. It opens you up to new ideas."

Lane appears to have as much energy, or more, than his cat Stinky. In addition to Transitory's monthly shows, he's performing at other venues and organizing frequent salon-style concerts at his studio.

It's like he knows he doesn't have time to waste.

The double whammy

Lane was living in Brooklyn on Sept. 11, 2001, just across the river from the World Trade Center. From the big studio where he and a partner had a furniture-design business, he watched the second plane come screaming down the island. He witnessed all that horror unfold - the buildings burning, people jumping, the buildings crumbling. He knew people who died.

He lived with white dust for weeks.

"We had all of it blowing in our houses. It was everywhere. You couldn't avoid it," he said. "And the jets flying over every night. There was a lot of stuff people didn't realize was happening. It was a whole other world."

For a while after that, Lane got involved with a real-estate management business. He also made films. He had studied architecture and landscape architecture at Texas A&M University before earning a degree in fine arts and film at the University of North Texas.

"I just have a lot of odd knowledge," he said.

Then came a double whammy in 2008: The real-estate market crashed, and Lane got a diagnosis of prostate cancer. He founded Voices of Survivors, a web-based organization that documents the stories of cancer survivors. But after nearly 20 years in New York, it was time to come home.

His mother still lives in Houston. He has a brother in Victoria and a sister in Tyler. And he felt at home with the city's art scene - it's the reason he became an artist in the first place.

Lane saw his first opera, ballet and plays at Miller Outdoor Theatre. At the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and the Menil, he saw how art could be something different than paintings on a wall. The multimedia shows he's creating now grew from those experiences.

His performances are rooted in his Quaker faith - an approach he compares to James Turrell's use of light in sky spaces inspired by the Quaker refrain, "We hold you in the light."

"My work is about consideration and space that happens between moments of someone coming in, like in improvisation," Lane said. "In Quaker meetings, we sit in silence, and if you're moved to say something, you stand up and say it. There has to be a consideration without a response. I tighten that up and blur the lines. That space that happens between each person's moment, coming into the improvisation, is as important as the moment that they're performing."

His pieces always end with a period of silence, a "prolonged pause" that allows "consideration of the experience," he said. "The audience is witnessing a conversation between all of us on stage."

'A whacky cat'

Stinky was batting at Lane for attention - the kind of moment, familiar to Lane's friends on Facebook, that's usually accompanied by some snide remark about the "stupid" cat.

That playfulness isn't as flippant as it looks.

Lane said he has 5,000 Facebook friends, and more than 2,000 of them have survived cancer. He uses his games with Stinky to help remind them that life goes on, and to get them to talk to each other.

"Part of why I mess with this cat is that there is an audience out there going through a really rough period, and it brightens their day," Lane said. "He plays fetch like a dog, and every morning he brings his ball and drops it by my head. He's a whacky cat, that's for sure."
Everything about Bosscat Kitchen & Libations appears grand.

For one, the space is huge  a burly, 6,900-square-foot food and drink emporium that can accommodate more than 220 anchored by a massive 30-seat bar.

The restaurant's clubby inner-sanctum Whiskey Room will house an enviable stash of more than 300 whiskey, bourbon and scotch selections with space for 40 private locker for VIPs to squirrel away their reserve riches. And when the patios are finished there will be an additional 40 seats on 2,000 square feet of outdoor space. Overall, it's a bold stamp on River Oaks.

Even the ambitions of the restaurant's team are outsize. How else to explain the fact that the owners (based in Newport Beach, Calif., the home of the first Bosscat) moved to Houston six months ago to get their second store open? In fact the company moved nine people full time to Houston.

That's how much they believe in Bosscat. And in the Bayou City's potential as a growth market.

Restaurant-goers will be able to see that level of commitment for themselves when Bosscat opens to the public on Feb. 22 at 4310 Westheimer at Mid Lane.

"We've always had a great affinity for the state of Texas," said co-owner John Reed, adding that Bosscat looked at Dallas, Austin and San Antonio before betting it all on Houston. "The opportunity was far greater here."

Reed opened the first Bosscat in 2014 with his partners Leslie Nguyen (the restaurant gets its title from her nickname) and Vinnie Capizzi. All three relocated to Houston as well as executive chef Peter Petro and bar director Matt Sharp. The Bosscat operations are, effectively, now run from Houston.

The partners, even after half a year in Houston, remain astonished at the city's friendliness, diversity and camaraderie within the food community.

"People here are a lot more engaging and inquisitive, and a lot more involved in the community," Nguyen said.

"And their appetite is so much more diverse," Reed said, adding: "I couldn't believe how neighborly the chefs are. All the chefs and restaurant owners we've met here are so gracious."

During more than a dozen trips to Houston (made before they physically moved here) the partners ate their way through the city. They hit a lot of restaurants to get the culinary lay of the land, including State of Grace, Underbelly, Pax Americana, B&B Butchers & Restaurant, Revival Market, Coltivare, Roost, Ritual and casual neighborhood joints such as The Breakfast Klub, Bernie's Burger Bus, Stanton's City Bites and Lankford Grocery.

"Houston has a very different way of eating," said chef Petro.

His menu, while almost unchanged from the original Bosscat menu he created in California, appears to be built for Houston tastebuds. Shareable appetizers include pork belly poutine; bourbon chicken flatbread; pulled pork hush puppies; cornbread Madeleines; and crispy buttermilk fried frog's legs. Two new additions were made to the starters lineup: pimento cheese presented with toasted bread and vegetables, and "pig candy," pork lacquered with rye whiskey caramel.

Sandwich options include the Bosscat Burger, barbecue porchetta sandwich, a Kentucky Hot Brown (open-face roasted turkey sandwich topped with mornay sauce), black-eyed pea sandwich (deep-fried black-eyed pea fritters), and a Cuban sandwich riff called the Bosscat Press made with barbecue pulled pork. Main dish options include Gulf shrimp and grits; 12-hour braised beef short rib with potato gratin; Cajun brick chicken with Charleston gold heirloom dirty rice; barbecue salmon with butter bean succotash; and an all-day breakfast option of a skillet pancake topped with a duck fat fried egg, bacon, and whiskey maple syrup.

"We're not trying to reinvent the wheel. I just want to make good food people enjoy," Petro said. "I know we have a place here and hopefully we'll stand out."

The menu is brief but packs a punch; created to marry well with whiskey pours and house libations including the Bosscat (Basil Hayden's, citrus, bitters and rosemary), 38 Special (Bulleit Bourbon, Aperol, Averna and citrus), and Kentucky Orange Blossom (Buffalo Trace, elderflower liqueur and citrus). The bar also will serve batched barrel-aged cocktails from an in-house barrel-aging program under Sharp's supervision.

Overall, the beefy decor is handsomely inviting with a moneyed post-frat boy look (think of an established energy exec who thinks nothing of spending $30 on a shot of whiskey). Exposed brick and reclaimed wood dominate, broken up by metal chairs and bar stools, banquettes of tufted black leather, stained concrete floors, and antiqued dining hall lamps. Design bonus: There are enormous garage-door windows that can roll up in good weather.

Reed isn't necessarily anxious about the restaurant opening. After all, they've been working on the project since last summer.

"The nerves are gone," he said. "Now we're just ready to make a splash."

Most likely in a very big way.

Bosscat Kitchen & Libations, 4310 Westheimer, 281-501-1187; bosscatkitchen.com. Operating hours are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (brunch service should begin in two months).
Harris County Jail

A Channelview woman will spend two years in state prison after her conviction in an arson case that sent a woman to the hospital, the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office said Friday.

Angela Cummings, 23, pleaded guilty earlier this week to a Jan. 31, 2015 house fire at an east Harris County home in the 1000 block of Meads Street, authorities said.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis' top advisers are rallying to his defense amid an unprecedented wave of conservative criticism that represents the biggest challenge to his mercy-over-morals papacy.

In an unusual gesture, the nine cardinals from around the world who advise Francis on running the church made a public show of support for the pope and his teachings last week after posters featuring a scowling Francis appeared around Rome. The posters referenced some perceived heavy-handed moves against conservatives and asked "Where's your mercy?"

And on Tuesday, the Vatican published a book by the Holy See's top canon lawyer fully endorsing Francis' controversial opening to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics - the main bone of contention between the pope and conservative and traditionalist Catholics.

The book's author, Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, said the Vatican bureaucracy and cardinals exist to help and serve the pope. "He knows we love him and we are with him," Coccopalmerio said in an interview with the Associated Press.

He called the anti-pope posters "odious" and "from the point of view of civility and manners, not nice and not condonable."

Conservatives and traditionalists have been wary of Francis ever since he emerged on the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica after his 2013 election without the red velvet cape of his predecessors. More recently, they have been alarmed by his takeover of the Knights of Malta sovereign religious order and the public sidelining of its conservative patron, Cardinal Raymond Burke.

But the conservatives' greatest complaint concerns Francis' 2016 document "The Joy of Love," in which he seemed to open the door to letting divorced and remarried Catholics receive Communion. This sparked debate and division within the Catholic Church and led to different interpretations from one parish to the next.

Four conservative cardinals, led by Burke, formally asked Francis to clarify certain questions, or "dubia," raised by the document, but Francis hasn't responded.

Coccopalmerio penned his 51-page book to help explain the text, though he said his was neither a formal response to his four fellow cardinals, nor an official document of the Vatican's legal office. However, his book was published by the Vatican's publishing house at the height of two years of tension over the issue, and was presented Tuesday at a press conference at Vatican Radio.

Church teaching holds that unless divorced and civilly remarried Catholics receive an annulment, or a church decree that their first marriage was invalid, they cannot receive Communion if they are sexually active. Citing Jesus' teaching on the indissolubility of marriage, some conservatives have insisted the teaching is fixed in the Gospel and that the only way these Catholics can receive Communion is to abstain from sex. Progressives have sought wiggle room to balance doctrine with mercy and look at each couple on a case-by-case basis.

In the book, Coccopalmerio repeats church doctrine and says Francis' text falls squarely within Catholic tradition. But he says sometimes these couples find abstaining from sex "impossible," even if they want to, and should not be denied the sacraments as a result.

The Rev. Robert Gahl, a moral theologian at the Pontifical Holy Cross University, said Coccopalmerio "has a very broad reading of impossibility" as far as abstaining from sex is concerned. And Gahl said the book, while contributing an authoritative legal voice to the debate, certainly doesn't answer the ambiguities in the pope's document, known by its Latin title "Amoris Laetitia."

"The developing debate will tell, but it seems that Coccopalmerio is advancing an open contradiction for how to read Amoris Laetitia," Gahl said. "And it's to resolve that contradiction that the four cardinals wrote the dubia."

American canon lawyer Edward Peters, an adviser to the Vatican's high court, was more direct. In a blog post, Peters said Coccopalmerio's book represented "more blows upon a swollen bruise" caused by the pope's original document and subsequent liberal interpretations by Maltese and German bishops.
Natsuyo Jaeke led her blind elephant into the River Kwai, just shoreward of the cool swift current that moved towards the mountains. The 58-year-old former Seattle banker side-stepped the elephant's feet and trunk, gently prodding her with a stick as she led her up the bank.

"I spent my entire career in banking, but I was one of those people who just wasn't passionate about my job," Jaeke said later. "I realized that what I loved was elephants."

Jaeke is one of a small but growing number of professional women who find working with the world's largest land mammal more rewarding than a traditional business career. Their passion echoes a rising awareness about elephants amid the general public: This winter, outcry against the misuse of elephants led to the recent closing of Ringling Bros. For Jaeke and at least a dozen other women caregivers, aiding elephants is the best use of emotional and management skills they have honed their whole lives.

Perhaps surprisingly, at least one business researcher thinks they're right.

"Sometimes we spend our lives acquiring more resources than we need, as we head in a direction we don't really want," said Scott Sonenshein, a professor at Rice business school and author of the new book Stretch: Unlock the Power of Less and Achieve More than You Ever Imagined. "People get on a career trajectory of moving on to the next thing of what is traditionally successful. It turns out not to be the life they wanted, but they continue to move towards the more impressive title and the bigger office."

Mary Lee Grant

As these Western woman mahouts know firsthand, it's possible to discover meaningful new work by simply taking advantage of leisure. Just slightly moving out of the familiar  even attending a conference in a new field -- can open new horizons.

But it takes putting a higher priority on leisure -- both individually and as a society. That doesn't seem to come easily. College-educated Americans have less leisure time than they did in the past, and actually spend fewer hours at recreational activities than those with only a high school education.

It was a serious approach to leisure, however, that inspired Jaeke to change her career, her life, and her home. Jaeke, who is Japanese-American, first began to visit Thailand on her vacations, volunteering at elephant sanctuaries.

Jaeke returned several times to Thailand as a tourist to hone her expertise in caring for and training elephants. Then, at a sanctuary called ElephantsWorld in Western Thailand, she fell in love, with a fragile, aging elephant named Lam Dam Duan that seemed to especially need her. Jaeke moved full-time to a nearby village, biking three miles each day to spend her time with the Lam Duan.

Mary Lee Grant

Another professional woman at ElephantsWorld already had made a similar choice. Agnes Tammenga, 56, grew up on a farm in the Netherlands. From the time she was a little girl, she dreamed of working with large wildlife, snipping pictures of tigers and elephants out of magazines. Though she married and pursued a career in the fast food industry, Tammenga never abandoned that childhood desire. In 2006, after decades of saving and planning, Tammenga moved to Thailand to help elephants abused by the tourist and logging industries.

Within weeks, she encountered an ailing elephant on a short chain, standing in the sun near the River Kwai. She organized a fundraiser to buy the elephant, whose name was Aun. Then she contacted Thai veterinarian Samart Prasitpon, who, she had heard, had begun to rescue elephants, too. She spoke no Thai, and he spoke no English. But somehow, they managed to launch a foundation.

"We did everything with volunteers," Tammenga said. "Everyone did what they could. Made a brochure, made a website. Every volunteer was a link in a perfect circle, and we could not have done it without them."

Renting land in a lush mountain valley near the Burmese border, the pair eventually were able to hire 25 mahouts to tend 26 elephants on 51 acres. Today, hundreds of visitors arrive every month, as well as 100 volunteers every year.

This, too, reflects a little-appreciated ingredient for success both in work and in personal life, Sonenshein says. In our specialized era, it's easy to assume that a Seattle banker or Dutch restaurant worker wouldn't know enough about elephants to contribute much to a wildlife sanctuary. We demand formal qualifications.

Often, that sort of thinking is a mistake.

"We have to ask 'How might someone with other worldviews completely change the ways we think about working with these animals?'" Sonenshein said. "There are significant limitations to being an expert. Part of it is tunnel vision."

In fact, the very improvisation with which Tammenga and Samart achieved their goals -- with few resources or even a common language -- may have led to greater success, Sonenshein says.

Displacement and challenge can also forge resourcefulness, another ElephantsWorld volunteer found. After graduating with an economics degree from Queen's College in Ontario, Canada, Victoria Duffield planned to go to law school. But she took a break first, traveling through Asia to volunteer at wildlife sanctuaries. When she came to ElephantsWorld, she began training as a mahout.

She soon became smitten with an elderly, blind elephant named Bow and became the elephant's caretaker for three years. Bow needed medical attention and sometimes help during the night, so Duffield moved to a thatched-roof house adjoining the elephant infirmary, sometimes even sleeping beside the elephant.

It took time to gain respect from the young male mahouts, many of whom had learned to ride elephants before they could walk and grew up with elephant stables attached to their houses. But soon, Duffield's hard work and advancing knowledge earned their respect.

"Sometimes I feel like Wendy and the Lost Boys," said Duffield, 27. "They are my brothers, and we play and laugh and joke, and we support each other totally."

When Bow would collapse, as she did occasionally as her health failed, it was all hands on deck to help Duffield get her back on her feet. When Bow died several months ago, the elephant was buried with a full Buddhist ceremony -- as are all elephants at the sanctuary. She was covered with blooming flowers and prayed over by chanting monks wafting incense into the hot jungle air.

Mary Lee Grant

Duffield found herself a long way from Ontario, Canada. Her life had revolved completely around Bow, and her next step was unclear. But she had found work she loved. She decided to stay on at ElephantsWorld and began to care for another blind elephant, Sri Tong. She is learning elephant foot care and says law school holds not a bit of interest. She plans now to apply to vet school, and perhaps start her own elephant sanctuary.

Mary Lee Grant is a freelance writer with a Ph.D. in comparative border studies. She completed the mahout training program at ElephantsWorld while teaching at the Hanoi University of Mining and Geology in Vietnam. She writes for Rice Business Wisdom.





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Sara Fitzgerald came to the Heights from Bellaire in 1975 because she heard a rumor: Someone was offering home loans to single women without a male cosigner - an uncommon practice then. She met with Marcella Perry at Heights Savings Association, one of the only banking institutions in Houston headed by a woman in the 1970s.

Perry granted her the home loan and the 30-year-old moved to the neighborhood where she soon fell in love with an old crumbling building built in 1918 by Polish immigrants. She eventually turned that White Oak Drive building into the landmark venue Fitzgerald's, earning her the crown of local music matriarch.

But now, at 68, she's being talked about not for her business acumen, but for what some are calling racist comments she made in an email conversation Feb. 7 with music producer Garrett Brown. The controversy has sparked calls to boycott Fitzgerald's, or Fitz to locals, threatening the standing of one of Houston's music institutions where thousands of artists have performed for countless fans since 1977.

Brown contacted the club owner to inquire about booking successful hip-hop act Starlito and Don Trip. After listening to one of the act's songs, Fitzgerald replied to Brown that she didn't approve of lyrics she considered misogynistic and that contained offensive racial expletives.

"Music fans that wear their pants with 18 inches of underwear showing ... buy little, tip little and create big disharmony - no thanks," read a portion of her email.

Fitzgerald said some of the email language that people are offended by are direct quotes from the artist's songs. Others have expressed anger about her comments regarding hip-hop audiences.

Since then, local musicians, producers and bookers have scrambled to find alternate venues in the city for shows originally scheduled at Fitz.

The public departure of artists is surprising to Fitzgerald. For decades little-known bands have sought out gigs at the club as a rite of passage. She takes pride in being the venue that will give an upcoming artist a chance, and always hopes to see them break into the mainstream.

Fitz hosted R.E.M. in the early 1980s while it was still a college radio band. She paid the band $100 and lost money on the show. And her roster of Blues acts includes B.B. King, Lightning Hopkins, Bo Didley and Etta James.

A dip in business

Fitzgerald said this week she's had some artists cancel on her, but others have called to take their slots almost immediately. Still, the last-minute cancellations have caused her to shut the doors on a few recent nights.

Despite the early dip in business and the deluge of social media backlash, Fitzgerald isn't exactly taking her words back. But she does think she could have expressed herself better when she declined to book the act, adding that she was exhausted and had just come off working "100 hours" at the club the night before.

"The language has been hurtful and that's not who I am," she said. "After my breadth of work for 40 years, being branded like this is hurtful."

However, a number of promoters aren't backing down from the boycott.

"Every show I've played there was a rap show with an audience that did not fit the description in that email," said Roosh Williams, a Houston artist who played his first show at Fitz in 2008. "I have no sympathy for any backlash she is receiving from her comments. How can you bash people who spend their money at your establishment?"

The conversation Brown made public on social media prompted Chris Wise to cancel four shows he had booked there. Wise, who grew up in Houston going to shows at the wooden two-story building, is a talent buyer with Margin Walker Presents.

"It's certainly unfortunate, but I don't hold any place so sanctimoniously with what was said," Wise said. "It wasn't a bartender. It's the owner of the club."

'Not a color issue'

Fitzgerald maintains her stance that declining to book the show wasn't racially motived. The "feminist in me came out," she said regarding some of the lyrics she found to be offensive to women.

"It's not a color issue. It's in rock 'n' roll too, and it's hard to filter," she said.

Drew Brown, a visiting scholar in African American studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at University of Houston, has studied race and popular culture. He said the type of language used in rap and hip-hop is heard in all popular music. Yet in rap as a genre, it comes from a group of people who have been marginalized and carry an attitude of resistance. The rejection of hip-hop by older generations is not a new phenomenon, he said.

"There's no looking past it (offensive language). There's just understanding the message and the culture," Brown said.

"People enjoy that music because it speaks to some of their realties. If you don't understand what those are in that music, then you're just not a fan of that music. That doesn't mean it's not good music."

Brown said it's unfortunate when people in positions of power criticize the genre because it affects how the music is perceived by those who don't understand it.

Still, some have stood by Fitzgerald through the controversy.

Mandy Parker, a former promoter who booked with Fitz and continues to do business through an alcohol brand she represents, said "I can only speak for me, as an African American female, that she's never come off as someone who is racist. I don't believe it was a racial attack."

Parker has known the club owner for three years and said she was disheartened by the words, but has talked with Fitzgerald over the years about different social issues.

"There's a mural on the back patio, and Sara's only request to the artist is that it included people of all backgrounds because that's what she felt Fitz is," Parker said.

The outspoken club owner said she will continue to book hip-hop artists without any qualms, but is concerned about the future of her nightclub.

"They were concerned I was being discriminatory towards kids with pants that hang low. ... The grandma in me came out. Did it hurt my business? Yes," Fitzgerald said.
To say Daniel James Hennessy's life was colorful is an epic understatement.

Hennessy, known to all as "Buster," hitchhiked and rode the rails to Baltimore when his father, George Hennessy, passed away. At the time, Buster was only 9 and living with his mother and sister in New Orleans. He became a horse jockey, and friends and relatives say he once beat Seabiscuit before the thoroughbred became a champion and the subject of a best-selling book and popular movie.

His years at the track were just one chapter in the life of a man who died Feb. 13. He was 95.

After taking off from New Orleans, Hennessy showed up at the home of Roger Bryson, a family friend, who owned the Bel Air Racetrack northeast of Baltimore.

"He spent quite a bit of time there. That's where he trained to be a jockey," said Gene Ulat, whose mother was Buster Hennessy's longtime companion.

Bryson's wife once asked Buster, then 12, what he had done with all the winnings he had accumulated.

"He takes a roll of cash, $32,000, out of his pocket," Ulat said Hennessy told him. "That was a lot of money back then."

Buster wanted to continue racing, but Mrs. Bryson eventually sent him back to his family in New Orleans.

When World War II had arrived, Buster like most other patriotic young men at the time wanted to do his part. He joined the Army Air Corps and became a pilot. Aviation was a bug from which Buster Hennessy never recovered.

"He was still flying into his 90s," said David Boothe, who for several years worked with Hennessy on the international committee at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

After the war, Hennessy moved to Houston and joined Pan American World Airways - better known as Pan Am - and became a captain.

Hennessy once told Gene Ulat that Pan Am president Juan Trippe asked him to take one of their cargo planes to South America to pick up a large pipe used in an oil field for a client. Buster flew down, collected the pipe and returned to Pan Am's home base in New York. He was about to head home when Trippe called him. The mechanics couldn't get the pipe out of the plane and wondered how he had managed to load it in the first place.

"He said, 'I took the windshield out and slipped it through the front,'" Ulat said. "He was very sharp and very mechanically inclined."

Hennessy tried new things even after he retired from Pan Am.

He was a businessman and entrepreneur who worked in the oil business and built ocean-going tugboats.

He also cared for his beloved sister, Margaret Smith, and was holding her hand when she died in October 2009. Also helping to care for her was Mary Beth Ulat, who became Buster's constant companion for almost a quarter of a century.

"He was very spontaneous. He'd say, 'Let's fly up to Dallas and have lunch,' " she said. "He had a very unusual and unique life."

Mary Beth Ulat was with Buster when he saw "Seabiscuit," the movie based on Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling book. She said he had been close friends with jockey Red Pollard, played by Tobey Maguire in the movie.

"He cried when he saw the movie. It reminded him of when he was young," Ulat said. The funeral for Daniel James Hennessy is Saturday at St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church, 6800 Buffalo Speedway.

Visitation will be at 10:15 a.m. with the funeral Mass scheduled for 11 a.m.
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Leticia Sosa has a plan, and a list of urgent tasks.

She must notarize a document ceding legal responsibility for her four youngest children to Erika, her dark-haired 18-year-old daughter who is studying to be a nurse.

The mother must obtain a passport for baby Martin, so that if she is deported, his godparents can take the baby to her in Mexico while Erika holds down their household in Alvin.

Leticia must explain the bills and their finances, though without her or her husband around, much likely will fall to the oldest girls to maintain.

"It's worrying for everyone," said the mother, who has been here illegally for more than two decades. "We want to make sure that the girls know what could happen."

It's the new reality for some 11 million immigrants here illegally as a series of expansive executive orders, sweeping raids and a leaked proposal Friday contemplating the use of the National Guard to deport them has escalated nationwide alarm to levels not seen in years. Lawyers and advocacy organizations say they are overwhelmed with calls from immigrants, those here illegally but even some with green cards, who worry about what the coming days might bring.

To handle the outpouring of concern and a crush at consulates, including Houston's, the Mexican government in the past week created a 24-hour hotline to answer questions. It has extended its hours of operation and offered some $50 million to help pay for lawyers fighting deportations.

"There's a level of anxiety higher than anything I've ever seen in a long time," said state Sen. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat. "Every day, it just seems that it grows and grows."

It's a fear that resonates particularly in Houston, where 1 in 4 residents is foreign-born and where the metro area is home to more than half-a-million immigrants here illegally, the nation's largest population after New York City and Los Angeles.

'Grows the speculation'

What drives the fear is only in part the seemingly daily barrage of frightening reports, that certain immigrants should defer travel in case they can't return, that nearly 700 were detained last week in raids across the country, that a domestic violence victim was arrested as she sought a protective order in a courtroom because she had previously been deported and convicted of several minor crimes.

It is also propelled by uncertainty. Though the Trump administration denied Friday that it seriously considered using National Guard troops as a deportation force, the very notion that it had been even a remote possibility was enough to fuel yet another hysterical round of telephone.

"You and I know that the proposal was only floated," Garcia said. "The average person doesn't. They hear it and start thinking that it's happening today or tomorrow."

Discerning between fact and fiction these days can, in fairness, seem challenging. A 23-year-old with a temporary work permit and protection from deportation was, for instance, detained last week in Seattle when federal agents went searching for his father. It sent chills through more than 750,000 immigrant youth across the country with such employment authorization who until now had assumed they were protected. The government said Daniel Ramirez admitted to having gang ties, but his lawyers have called the allegation false, noting that he twice passed background checks to qualify for the permit.

"This just adds on to that fear, the panic that people are already experiencing," said Cesar Espinoza, executive director of the advocacy group FIEL Houston. "This grows the speculation of what the president can do."

Such hysteria is fueled on social media, where one fake report of Border Patrol agents operating in Houston was shared more than 91,000 times this week. People posted street intersections where they said immigration agents were conducting check points, though none has emerged to be true.

"We're really battling these reports of raids. People say they are seeing Border Patrol all over the city," said Mary Moreno, a spokeswoman for the Texas Organizing Project, a local advocacy group. "People have this anxiety, and it's leading to them seeing things that aren't there."

Consul general urges calm

In the chaos, FIEL Houston is starting a so-called rapid response team for volunteers to verify reports of immigration operations. United We Dream, the nation's largest organization for immigrant youth, is expanding what it described as deportation defense teams to rally around those whom are detained. Lawyers have stepped up pro-bono work.

Mexico's consul general in Houston, Oscar Rodriguez Cabrera, said that to cater to the increased demand, his office now stays open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. He advised Mexican citizens who are here to keep their documents organized and updated, to respect U.S. laws, and to memorize telephone numbers for a trusted immigration lawyer and the consulate in case they are detained.

"But the most important message right now is to stay calm," he said.

Those supporting reduced immigration and favoring Trump's policies say the nationwide anxiety is fueled, manipulated and overexaggerated by advocacy groups for political gain.

"It serves their interest to try to portray this as some sort of massive crackdown," said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a national organization seeking to curb immigration. He argued that it was instead simply a welcome return to a more aggressive enforcement of immigration laws.

"If you're violating laws, you should have some concern that the law is going to be enforced," Mehlman said. "If people don't have that concern, the law becomes meaningless."

It seems certain that Trump will greatly expand the number of immigrants he deports, a promise at the very crux of his campaign. The executive order he signed in the first week of his presidency classifies practically every immigrant here illegally as a priority, without listing any guidelines for possible exemptions. Democrats who met this week with the acting director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said they are "deeply troubled" by the broad scope of the order.

As they wait to see how the administration acts, advocates counsel immigrants to prepare.

"People need to get ready," said Raed Gonzalez, a local immigration attorney with a Spanish-language radio show. "They can be deported. They have to have a plan of action."

Fear seeps into schools

That includes signing a power of attorney so that a designated guardian can assume responsibility of their children if they are detained, he said. They should appoint someone to manage their property, businesses and bank accounts in their absence.

Jill Campbell, an immigration attorney at BakerRipley, a Houston nonprofit formerly known as Neighborhood Centers, said clients are coming in droves for help in drawing up so-called safety plans.

But it's not just immigrants here illegally who are concerned, she said. Even some with green cards are afraid to leave the country in case they can't return or to sign up for government benefits in the event that is held against them.

"Every immigrant has some sort of anxiety about what's going to come next," she said.

Samantha Del Bosque, a staff attorney at Houston's Tahirih Justice Center, a nonprofit representing women and girls fleeing violence, said all of their clients, regardless of their legal status, have called hysterically in the past two weeks.

"It's difficult for us to respond," Del Bosque said. "We don't know what's going to happen."

For now, they have provided everyone with letters to carry around saying they have legal representation. They conduct training on what rights immigrants have when being questioned by police and federal agents.

Such fear is seeping into schools. At YES Prep Brays Oaks in southwest Houston, Oscar Romano, the director of student support, said children are flooding teachers with their worries.

"Sixth-graders are asking their teachers 'Does this mean I have to leave, does this mean my parents have to leave, what's going on?' " he said. "Our youngest students don't have the ability to process all of this."

To help, the school has organized information sessions with immigration lawyers and holds weekly small group chats to discuss the issue.

Leticia Sosa said her youngest daughter, 9-year-old Lupita, saw her grades drop from the 80s and 90s to the 60s. Her teacher called asking if something had changed at home.

"The only thing that has changed is this," she said.

But the mother said she tries to stay upbeat for the sake of her family, whom the Chronicle profiled in 2015.

"We need to carry on with our lives," she said. "If something happens, it's something we are going to have to survive."
Texas' law ensuring landlords may refuse to rent a home to those receiving federal housing assistance is unconstitutional and violates the Fair Housing Act, a Dallas-based advocacy group alleges in a federal lawsuit filed against the state this week.

The 2015 legislation barring cities from passing laws to ban source-of-income discrimination is viewed by housing policy experts as a barrier to integration and deconcentrating poverty - systemic issues in Houston and other Texas cities.

Specifically, the Inclusive Communities Project argues in the suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas that the law blocks Dallas voucher holders - who are predominantly black - from securing housing in white neighborhoods, thereby perpetuating racial segregation.

"By permitting the multifamily landlords in white areas to discriminate solely on the basis of participation in the voucher program, the statute excludes the predominantly black voucher households from white areas," wrote ICP, whose U.S. Supreme Court case two years ago affirmed that policies with a "disparate impact" on minorities violate the Fair Housing Act. "The statute segregates those households in minority concentrated areas that are marked by conditions unequal to the conditions in the areas from which they are excluded."

Governor Greg Abbott, named as the defendant in the lawsuit, did not respond to a request for comment, and the state attorney general's office said it does not comment on pending litigation.

Unpopular with owners

The state Legislature blocked local ordinances prohibiting discrimination based on a potential tenant's source of income shortly after Austin amended its Fair Housing Ordinance in 2014 to make it illegal for landlords to turn down rental applicants for that reason.

The local move was unpopular among apartment owners, and the Austin Apartment Association sued the following day, alleging the ordinance "requires property owners to bear an undue burden and suffer deprivation of property rights."

Texas now is thought to be the only state that prevents local source-of-income laws, according to Philip Tegeler, executive director of the D.C.-based Poverty and Race Research Action Council.

ICP argues the state law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment by intentionally singling out blacks for unequal treatment, while also defying the Fair Housing Act by "making housing unavailable because of race."

Its lawsuit cites the composition of Dallas-area voucher holders, who are 81 percent black and 10 percent non-Hispanic white. They live in census tracts that are an average of 74 percent minority, according to ICP.

"If the city of Dallas passed a voucher protection law and there was landlord compliance with such a law, there would be more units ... available in majority white non-Hispanic areas," the organization wrote.

ICP also points to the fact that the state law excepts local regulations regarding veterans' source of income. Sixty-seven percent of Texas veterans are non-Hispanic white, and 13 percent are black, according to ICP.

The makeup of Houston residents with a Housing Choice Voucher, also known as Section 8, is similar.

As of last year, 89 percent of the Houston Housing Authority's roughly 16,900 voucher holders were African-American; just 8 percent were white.

Ninety-five percent of those residents were living in majority-minority census tracts as of this month, according to an analysis by the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service.

"It is very prevalent that voucher holders trying to find an apartment have trouble because a large number of landlords say in their listing 'No Section 8,'" Houston Housing Authority President Tory Gunsolley said.

To qualify for a voucher, residents must earn less than 50 percent of the area's median income - $24,250 for an individual and $34,600 for a family of four - and they typically are required to put 30 percent of their earnings toward rent.

The voucher covers the gap - guaranteed income for a landlord - but still many apartment owners decline to rent to those receiving federal assistance.

'Guaranteed money'

Acres Homes resident Rosie McCutcheon, a 59-year-old African-American voucher holder, has confronted that problem over the last two months, after her landlord told her she needed to buy her house - an unaffordable proposition - or move out.

Staff at all four apartments McCutcheon looked at turned her down, she said.

Two cited past problems with delayed voucher payments; one said McCutcheon needed to make three times the rent without her voucher; and the last asked for first and last month's rent up front, which McCutcheon could not afford.

"I feel that it is so wrong, because there's guaranteed money. When you've got a housing voucher, that should be guaranteed money," said McCutcheon, who previously worked in airport security but now is on a fixed income of $375 a month in disability payments after five back surgeries. "They don't see it that way."

Gunsolley agreed with ICP that municipalities should have the choice to pass ordinances that block source-of-income discrimination, though Houston has not tried to do so.

"It should at least be a matter of local control," he said.
While much of the attention in the state capitol this session has revolved around bills involving bathrooms, so-called sanctuary cities, school vouchers and union dues, Doug Deason has taken up a decidedly less headline-grabbing cause: title insurance reform.

It may not have the sex appeal, but it certainly has the passion of the Texas title insurance industry, which has poured money into campaign coffers and lobbyists in a bid to halt Deason's quest.

The Dallas businessman and philanthropist says he simply wants to bring competition to the little-known title insurance industry. The argument he offers - more competition means better service and better prices for consumers - is the kind Republican politicians live on.

Making that argument, however, to a Legislature full of lawyers, some of whom do title work or own title companies, means Deason and the new nonprofit he chairs, Texans for Free Enterprise, have a heavy load to lift.

"We don't mean to imply this is some kind of evil industry," said Deason, whose business background is in commercial real estate. "They give a really good, quality service. The point is, it's not competitive. They claim to compete for service, but they should be giving great service at a great price."

At a cost that easily can run to over $1,000, title insurance is intended to protect homeowners and businesses from losses in a real estate purchase, such as unknown liens or unpaid property taxes. The job of the title insurance agent is to find defects in the title that need to be fixed before the deal closes. Although Texas does not mandate title insurance, lenders require it to protect their interests.

The seller traditionally pays for the buyer's policy in Texas, though that can be a point of negotiation.

For decades, the state Department of Insurance has set the premium rates charged by all title agencies. That, Deason said, has created a profitable enterprise that enables its supporters to make campaign contributions and deploy lobbyists at the Capitol. It also means Texans pay some of the highest prices in the country, he said, a contention disputed by the state's industry trade group.

Texans for Free Enterprise wants to allow title companies to propose their own rates for approval by the state.

Doing so, Deason said, would open the field to competition on prices, resulting in lower costs for consumers.

To press its case, Texans for Free Enterprise has hired four lobbyists, including ex-lawmaker Bill Hammond, the former chief executive officer of the Texas Association of Business.

Lawyer legislators

The trade group for the title industry, the Texas Land Title Association, is fighting Deason's efforts and is confident it will prevail. The group says Texas' rates are competitive with other big states that have similar real estate markets.

The group has warned legislators that Deason's proposal would cause many title agencies - which are in nearly all of the state's 254 counties - to close and "reward large corporations and well-heeled individuals at the expense of small business and average home buyers.

"Attempts to alter the title insurance market in Texas will result in less competition, increased risk, and a sharp rise in the cost of homeowners' title rates," said James Dudley, president of the land title association.

Previous efforts to deregulate title insurance pricing have failed because of intense lobbying by the title insurance industry. Another factor is that several lawmakers own title agencies, work for title insurance companies or are lawyers who do title work.

The Houston Chronicle analyzed personal financial statements filed with the state Ethics Commission. The analysis found that of the 181 legislators in the House and Senate, at least seven own title agencies, work for title insurance companies or are lawyers who do title work. They include Rep. Rodney Anderson, R-Grand Prairie; Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo; Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, and Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin.

At least 55 legislators are lawyers, but are not required to disclose their clients or list what types of law they practice. It is unclear how many of them do title work.

The Texas Constitution requires legislators to disclose any "personal or private interest in any measure or bill, proposed, or pending before the Legislature," and they are barred from voting on it.

However, legislators have interpreted that provision as requiring recusal only if a bill affects their interest more than every other legislator. As a result, lawmakers with financial stakes in the title insurance industry would not have to abstain on bills requiring price competition for title insurance.

Texas is an outlier

Texas and Florida are the only states with a fixed-rate system for title insurance.

In Texas, rates are based on the policy amount, typically the purchase price of the property. The price of a policy for a $150,000 home, for example, is $1,152.

Texans for Free Enterprise cites 2016 research by the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs that concluded Texas has significantly higher prices than states that allow more competition, adding up to $1,663 for the average purchaser of policies of $1 million or less.

Only the total title charges in California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York are higher than the total charges in Texas, the study found.

The Texas Land Title Association offers its own research comparing the total cost of title insurance and closing in Texas with five states similar in population and real estate volume. They are Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, and New York.

The trade group examined the costs a consumer has to pay for all the different functions of title insurance: labor to perform the legal search of the records, labor to conduct an examination and analysis of those records, time spent to clear any defects, production and issuance of the policy, the insurance underwriting process to assume the risk, the closing process and escrow.

"When the cost of all those functions are combined and compared, Texas has the least expensive out-the-door cost of the six states," the trade group said, putting the amount paid for title insurance for a $155,000 home in Texas at $1,850, and $3,327 in California.

Comparing states based on rates is difficult because premiums cover different things, said Birny Birnbaum, director of the Austin-based Center for Economic Justice.

In Texas, the title insurance premium covers the title search, abstract, policy and some closing work. In other states, the premium pays only for the policy and there are additional fees for the title search, abstract, and closing work, Birnbaum said. Birnbaum predicted that Texas residents and businesses would not see more competition or lower prices if lawmakers approve the bill backed by Texans for Free Enterprise.

He cited New Mexico, where the state in 2009 set a ceiling on rates but gave title agents the option to offer lower prices. In general, they have not done so.

Deason's campaign is the latest in an often-bitter battle over attempts to overhaul the title insurance industry in Texas.

In 2016, the Texas Association of Business and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an Austin-based conservative think tank, announced their support for "comprehensive reform" to the state's title insurance market.

Last September, however, title insurers and bankers who are members of the Texas Association of Business convinced the board of directors to remove the issue from its legislative agenda for this year's session.

Two months later, Justin Keener, a lobbyist who worked last year for the business association, filed the formation document for Texans for Free Enterprise with the state. The group hired Hammond as executive director.

Lobbying money

The intensity of the clash between Deason's group and the title insurance industry also can be found in campaign finance reports filed with the state Ethics Commission.

Deason has contributed $12,500 to Gov. Greg Abbott's campaign fund and $3,000 to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick since 2014. Deason's father, Darwin - a Dallas businessman - has contributed $200,000 to Abbott, $125,000 to Patrick, and $35,000 to House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, since 2013.

In the run-up to the legislative session, the political action committee of the Texas Land Title Association last September contributed $50,000 to Abbott. Previously, the group had given $29,500 to his campaigns for governor and attorney general dating to 2002, according to campaign records.

Last December, the title association PAC contributed $35,000 to Straus' campaign fund. The PAC also gave Straus $15,000 in February 2016. Before last year, the group had contributed $11,000 to him. The PAC also contributed $2,000 last October to Patrick, raising the total since 2006 to $30,500.

The land title association has 21 lobbyists.

In an op-ed earlier this month in the Austin Business Journal, Dudley referred to Texans for Free Enterprise as a "special interest group" that could put "our state's safe system" in jeopardy and shift higher costs to residential homebuyers.

Deason rejected that, saying he is confident that a majority of lawmakers will support a bill requiring price competition.

"The prices charged in Texas are higher across the board, from a $200,000 house to a $150 million resort," said Deason. "Competition will create better pricing across the board. It's going to be the guys who are lazy or don't understand how to provide quality service who are going to go out of business."
WASHINGTON - The day he was shot dead by a U.S. Border Patrol agent, Sergio Hernandez was either horsing around with friends or trying to sneak through a border fence between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez.

Accounts vary about the circumstances surrounding the death of the unarmed Mexican teenager, which happened in broad daylight on June 7, 2010, as a gathering crowd looked on from south of the border.

One thing, however, is not in dispute: The spot where the 15-year-old crumpled and died was at the foot of a railroad trestle on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.

His family's long and tortuous lawsuit against the agent, Jesus Mesa Jr., will go before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to decide one of the same questions that has come up in the court challenges to President Donald Trump's stymied immigration order: How to apply the U.S. Constitution to foreigners outside the nation's borders, even if just by a few yards?

Hernandez's death, one of a half-dozen fatal cross-border shootings in recent years, also comes at time of growing tensions between the U.S. and Mexico over Trump's plan to wall off an increasingly militarized border. Politically, the effects already have been felt on both sides.

The Mexican government, which supports the family's lawsuit, argues that throwing out the case could harm relations between the neighboring nations. The U.S. government, then under former President Barack Obama, filed briefs saying the family's case could insert the courts in "sensitive matters of international diplomacy," including national security.

Agent not extradited

Hernandez's parents, Jesus Hernandez and Maria Guadalupe Guereca Bentacour, originally filed suit in U.S. District Court, claiming that Mesa had violated his Fourth Amendment protection against unjustified lethal force and his Fifth Amendment right to due process of law.

Their case was dismissed after a judge ruled that those rights do not reach across the unmarked border that runs down the middle of the dry river culvert where Hernandez died. As a Mexican citizen on his home soil, Hernandez's death would have to be adjudicated in Mexico.

Mexican authorities did, in fact, indict Mesa for murder, but the United States has refused to extradite him.

That has sent Hernandez's family back across the border to seek justice. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans initially ruled that Mesa could be sued. That decision, however, was overturned by the full court, which called the incident "tragic" but upheld the original district judge.

That has left Hernandez's parents wondering if, as their lawyers argue, their son died in "a unique no-man's land - a law-free zone in which U.S. agents can kill innocent civilians with impunity."

Government reports show that cross-border use-of-force incidents like the one involving Hernandez are hardly a rare occurrence. A Police Executive Research Forum study documented 67 cases between 2010 and 2012, many of them failing to "meet the test of objective reasonableness with regard to the use of deadly force." The report also found "a number of concerns" in cases involving rock throwers and shots fired at vehicles.

The Hernandez shooting is an echo of that scenario, which is common in urban areas along the border. Mesa contended that he fired after several youths surrounded him and threw rocks as he sought to detain a suspected illegal border crosser. A video clip taken by a Mexican bystander shows the agent holding someone who appears to be kneeling. He then fires three shots at Hernandez, who appears to be running toward the Mexican side of the concrete culvert.

The agent's third shot, fired from about 60 feet away, struck Hernandez in the head, killing him instantly.

A Justice Department investigation concluded that "the shooting took place while alien smugglers, including Hernandez, unsuccessfully attempted an illegal border crossing and began to hurl rocks from close range at Agent Mesa while he was attempting to detain a suspect."

Mesa faced no charges in the United States. Authorities also noted that Hernandez had been arrested twice before for smuggling border crossers. As a juvenile, he had been allowed to voluntarily return to Mexico. His family questions that allegation, saying he could have been the victim of mistaken identity.

Family's account

The family's version of events is more innocent. In their account, Hernandez was one of a group of boys playing a game in which they dared each other to run up the culvert's northern embankment, touch the 18-foot barbed-wire fence at the top, and then scamper back down to the Mexican side.

The family also maintained that the investigation did not specifically accuse Hernandez of throwing rocks, and that, in fact, he appeared on video to be running for his life.

The Supreme Court will not be called on to decide which version of events is correct. Rather, the justices must decide whether any or all of the U.S. Constitution's guarantees apply to Hernandez. Past Supreme Court cases have come down in different ways in different circumstances.

"There's no bright line," said Robert Hilliard, a Corpus Christi lawyer who will argue the case for Hernandez's family. He cited an Arizona case that was decided on the basis of a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals - the same one that ruled against Trump's immigration order - that found that "the border of the United States is not a clear line that separates aliens who may bring constitutional challenges from those who may not."

One of the strictest interpretations comes from a 1990 case in which the Supreme Court held that the Fourth Amendment did not apply to the search and seizure of a Mexican citizen's property in Mexico while he was in U.S. custody.

Hernandez's family is leaning on a 2008 ruling on behalf of Guantanamo Bay detainees that found that the Constitution applies wherever the government has effective control, such as a U.S. prison overseas. Hernandez's family argues that would include a border culvert that regularly is patrolled by U.S. agents.

Mesa's lawyers countered that the United States and Mexico have a fixed border delineating the jurisdiction of each country's laws. "To hold otherwise," they wrote, "would create extraterritorial jurisdictional jurisprudence based on subjective determinations on where to draw the line."

Another touchstone of the case is that Mesa was in the United States when he fired the fatal shot, making his actions subject to U.S. courts. That, too, could have implications for the disputed travel ban, because Trump's critics argue that the case is as much about constitutional constraints on government officials as it is about the rights of foreigners abroad.

Ex-agents support suit

In seeking to restrict refugees from certain Muslim-majority countries, the government has argued that any person seeking entry into the U.S. for the first time "requests a privilege and has no constitutional rights."

Hilliard calls that a fallacy.

"It is not about who is being affected by it. It's about the conduct that we are constitutionally required to review," he said. In Mesa's case, he said, "the Constitution is the only law that's available to constrain his actions."

Whichever side prevails, a brief supporting Hernandez from a group of former U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials suggests that similar incidents increasingly are likely given the growing dangers on the border. Citing the alarming power of criminal organizations, along with a too-rapid build-up of the Border Patrol since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the ex-officials paint a dire picture of the future.

"Combined with inadequate field training on appropriate uses of force," their brief alleges, "these factors have led to an environment in which Border Patrol agents have unnecessarily employed lethal force on the U.S.-Mexico border."
In the past few decades, Houston has evolved from an indoor city that prided itself on its extensive tunnel system to - if not an outdoor mecca - at least a city that enjoys the outdoors. As a result, many Houstonians today are passionate about our parks.

Throngs of people pound the trails of Memorial Park and Buffalo Bayou Park even during hot summer months. Before a performance at Miller Theater, visitors wander around Hermann Park's stunning Mary Gibbs and Jesse H. Jones Reflection Pool, formerly known as the Mudhole.

It took a unique combination of political, philanthropic and civic leadership to spearhead this transformation and create a city on the verge of a becoming national model for efficient creation and management of open space.

Joe Turner, director of the Houston Parks and Recreation Department who announced his retirement last week, is among a handful of public officials and private citizens most deserving of credit for the progress made over the past decade in our parks' system.

The former fast-food executive has operated the parks efficiently under three mayors even as his budget has waned more often than waxed. Not one to be stopped by an insufficient funds notice from City Hall, Turner has wheedled $68 million in grants and donations for parks and related programs during his tenure.

Through political and civic leadership and lots of grassroots efforts, green space has grown exponentially since Turner joined the city in 2004. During his tenure, the city has acquired 18,286 acres of park land and has added or redeveloped 36 parks including Discovery Green, five fully accessible parks for the handicapped and four dog parks.

Although a funded and maintained, comprehensive open-space plan has become essential infrastructure for competitive 21st century cities, Houston continues to lag in funding for its parks. It provides $36 per person per year for parks versus $281 in Seattle and $76 in Dallas, according to the most recent City Park Facts issued by the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit.

Mayor Sylvester Turner should enact a world-wide search to find a leader who can capture the city's momentum and be creative in tight fiscal times. The next director doesn't necessarily need a parks background but should be a person with management and operations skills. That person also needs to be a good collaborator who has a deep interest in community engagement.

The last decade has seen a renaissance in Houston's major public parks, but there's a lot more to do. Fewer than 50 percent of Houston's residents have walkable access to park space, according to the Trust's report.

Greater access is needed not only for residents' health and enjoyment but also so that young people of all races and ethnicities will be inspired by the outdoors to grow up and become stewards of our green space. "Parks are one of the last truly democratic places in America where people can be in a public place without feeling obligated to buy a cup of coffee," Thomas Woltz, whose architecture firm has been engaged to re-design Memorial Park, aptly said.

Improving access isn't accomplished only by acquiring more parkland. Access also means building and maintaining sidewalks, developing clearly marked bike lanes and working with Metro to develop public transportation options. It can be about providing safe ways to surmount barriers such as railroad tracks and about helping clean up neighborhoods plagued by stray dogs. These functions aren't park issues, per se. But the mayor should give the new director authority to coordinate projects with the various city departments.

The new director also should be an innovator. In the past decade, there has been a growing recognition that infrastructure can also be park space. Witness the High Line project in New York City where a railroad line was converted to a highly successful park. The Bayou Greenways project - which makes use of public drainage areas and bayous - is a local example of the expanding notion of park infrastructure. The esplanades around the city and the various street and road construction projects underway provide additional opportunities to add green space in unexpected nooks and crannies of Houston.

Thirteen years ago, former Mayor Bill White hired Turner when Turner answered - "Customer service" to the question: "What's the mission of the parks?"

This remains the mission, and a strong leader can help complete Houston's transformation into a city renowned for its accessible parks.
So this is what America has come to? Apparently, we're now a nation where:

In Seattle, agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement take a 23-year-old Mexican man into custody despite his paperwork proving that he had been granted work authorization under the deferred-deportation program. Daniel Ramirez Medina was brought to this country at age 7 and twice qualified for the deferral program, known as DACA. "It doesn't matter, because you weren't born in this country," one of the agents told Ramirez.

An El Paso transgender woman goes to an El Paso courthouse seeking protection from an alleged abuser and is arrested by a half-dozen ICE agents in the courthouse and taken to a detention center. "In all our years, none of us can recall an incident where immigration authorities made their presence known inside a courtroom in this courthouse, and especially not in a courtroom that is reserved for victims of domestic violence," El Paso County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal told the El Paso Times.

The Trump administration, according to the Associated Press, is considering a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants living not only in the four border states but also in seven adjoining states. The Department of Homeland Security insists the 11-page draft memo is a "very early, pre-decisional draft that never made it to the secretary." Perhaps that's true, but it looks precisely like plans for the "deportation force" President Trump called for during his campaign.

We knew stepped-up raids and immigrant intimidation were coming; scapegoating immigrants was a Trump campaign centerpiece. Gov. Greg Abbott also has declared war this legislative session on undocumented immigrants and so-called sanctuary cities. Their combined efforts mean that Texas residents are in the cross-hairs of more ambitious ICE raids and are at risk of being turned over to ICE if they happen to get stopped for some minor traffic violation.

Both the White House and the governor are demanding that local law enforcement honor the federal-local partnership program known as 287(g). The program gives local police, sheriff's deputies and state troopers the authority to assist in detecting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally as a regular part of their law-enforcement duties.

So far, Abbott has tried to make an example of Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who announced in January that her office would not honor ICE detainer requests if the person in detention has not been accused of a serious crime. Abbott retaliated by terminating more than $1 million in state criminal-justice grants to Travis County. He also threatened to look for ways to remove Hernandez from office.

So far, the spotlight has been on Travis County, but soon the focus will shift to Harris County, where Sheriff Ed Gonzalez campaigned on the issue of terminating his office's involvement with 287(g). What's happened in Washington and in Austin has made it more difficult for the newly elected sheriff to honor that campaign promise, as his rambling response a few days ago to questions from KUHF-FM listeners underscored. He, in essence, said he wanted to end it, he had to consider all the stakeholders - the answer went on and on but reached no clear conclusion.

We encourage and fully expect Gonzalez to honor his campaign commitment. To do so may be costly, but to surrender to anti-immigrant hysteria is even costlier. Arresting people due to their immigration status would discourage victims or witnesses of crimes from cooperating with investigations. As Houston's new police chief, Art Acevedo, pointed out recently to the New York Times, "I would rather have my officers focused on going after violent criminals and people breaking into homes than going after nannies and cooks."

What's infuriating is that Trump's war against the immigrant, aided and abetted by the likes of the Texas governor, is unnecessary. Comprehensive immigration reform, including well-run guest-worker programs and a pathway to legal status for long-term, law-abiding residents, would solve the problems that so anger those who decry undocumented immigrants. Obviously, sensible immigration reform is not going to happen as long as Donald Trump occupies the White House.

Meanwhile, Houston and Harris County residents need to support local law enforcement, particularly Sheriff Gonzalez, who'll face tremendous pressure when and if he rejects 287(g). This city of immigrants is bigger and braver than that. We must not surrender to bullying and fear.
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Ironic reality

Regarding "City, county set to decriminalize pot" (Page A1, Thursday), I think it is reasonable to assume that one effect of this decriminalization will be an increase in the number of Houston and Harris County residents who choose to smoke marijuana. I find it ironic that in another front-page article that same day ("Repeal sparks concern about mental health access") concern is expressed about the loss of state funding for programs that support treatment for mental illness and substance-abuse.

On one hand we are implementing a program that will likely lead to substance abuse in some users, while on the other hand we are worried about how we will pay for their treatment.

Concurrently a bill has been introduced in the Texas Legislature to raise the age to buy tobacco products and electronic cigarettes from 18 to 21.

Will someone please pinch me? I must be dreaming that all this is happening.

Jim Robertson, Houston

Worried about schools

Regarding "Education pick ekes out confirmation" (Page A1, Feb 8), Texas Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn voted to confirm Betsy DeVos as U.S. secretary of education, a decision with which I disagree.

I went to Cruz's Houston office once, a total waste of time. I have called Cruz and Cornyn numerous times but could never get through. I have sent numerous emails, obviously to no avail, to express my opinion that it is a sad state of affairs when a position in the president's Cabinet can be purchased.

I am an 80-year-old retired teacher. I taught in Houston public schools for 31 years. I hate to see them ruined.

Nan McTeer, Houston

Texas injustice

Regarding "Grave injustice" editorial (Page A14, Friday), as a Texas resident, I am ashamed of the injustice meted out to Rosa Maria Ortega, sentenced to eight years and deportation after voting illegally in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott is apparently proud of this gross miscarriage of justice, given the tweet he posted.

Four young American children have now been condemned to living for eight years without their mother. The taxpayers will now be burdened with the cost of possibly caring for these children during their mother's incarceration, and taxpayers will have to bear the cost of housing a nonviolent person in prison for eight years.

Ortega's trial and sentence were a muscle-flexing exercise, designed to show the power and might of the state. Very Soviet.

June McIntosh, Houston
Texas once again finds itself in the middle of a debate on the future of public education. With competing budget proposals in the Texas Senate and House, the formation of a Senate committee to develop a new school funding system, and the lieutenant governor's continued support for vouchers in any school reform plan, the path forward in education looks increasingly unclear. The battle to improve education is as much about competing philosophies as it is about how dollars are spent. The challenge is embracing ideas that we don't agree with, in the hopes of building a larger solution.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's desire for a voucher system in Texas is no secret. Since first joining the Texas Senate as a member, and now serving as its presiding officer, he has consistently championed a voucher system that seeks to provide broad school choice for students. He is almost as passionate about school choice, as he is in his desire to reduce property taxes.

His counterpart in the House, Speaker Joe Straus, has been very clear that he doesn't see vouchers as a priority and has instead suggested modest increases to public education funding based on changes to the state's Robin Hood system that has increasingly placed pressure on more school districts.

Public education advocates and Democrats have advocated for an expansion of pre-K education in Texas and general increases to public education spending. Citing troubling data ranking Texas 38th in per-pupil spending and 43rd in overall educational quality, they have argued for significant investments in public education in Texas while opposing vouchers in any form.

Against this backdrop, the prospects for a compromise seem difficult. Many of the proposals are diametrically opposed, with little common ground.

The answer, however, requires compromise from all sides. Nothing should be sacred and everything has to be on the table.

For progress to happen - it's time for Texas to think about a grand bargain.

School funding in Texas is inextricably tied to local property taxes. It provides nearly half the resources for public education in Texas. With skyrocketing property taxes driven by automatic appraisal value increases, it is now the single most unpopular tax in Texas at any level - disproportionately hurting homeowners and forcing some to move. Any reform to school funding has to deal with reducing the burden of property taxes on homeowners.

Additionally, any changes to school finance will almost certainly because of politics have to be revenue-neutral; no new resources would be injected into the system. This position is unpopular to some, but it has to be the start point for a realistic bipartisan solution.

Because eliminating all local school property taxes would be nearly impossible, how they are reduced is critical. One of the more equitable options is to exempt the first $200,000 of property value from all residential property. This would in effect eliminate residential property taxes for most middle income homeowners, and reduce some property taxes for all homeowners. This "cut" would be offset by an expansion of the sales tax base to include services and the elimination of loopholes in the business franchise tax. The funds generated through this process should eliminate the need for recapture payments from local districts.

With data consistently pointing to the benefits of quality early education, there is a growing consensus that pre-K for all children would be hugely beneficial in helping improve education. The vast majority of pre-K services currently offered in Texas are by nonprofit or private entities - not public ISDs. A voucher system might make sense in this space - giving parents the choice to send their child to any accredited pre-K center in Texas, whether public, private or nonprofit. To fund these programs, all existing state dollars would be converted to a voucher, and local governments could be given the authority to seek voter approval for additional funds, letting local communities decide if they want to fund additional pre-K services.

Finally, an update to the "weighting system" used to allocate money to the state's public schools is desperately needed. The school finance formulas are in desperate need of updating, and recognition that students living in poverty need greater resources is needed. A fatal flaw of the current system is its reliance on district property wealth as the arbiter of school funding. It assumes a property-rich district is filled with "wealthy" students. While once true, it is no longer the case. Adjusting the formula weights to allow money to more readily flow to students based upon their economic status rather than which district they reside, has to be an important part of any reform.

Each of these broad policy ideas has deep flaws and shortcomings.

They are merely a start point for a larger discussion on the need for compromise in education policy and funding.

The only way to move forward is to embrace some of the ideas we may find anathema. What is certain, however, is that doing nothing is not an acceptable solution.

Aiyer is an assistant professor of political science and public administration in the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University where he teaches public finance and budgeting. Aiyer previously served as chief of staff for Mayor Lee P. Brown.
Charles Rex Arbogast/STF

When I was diagnosed with head and neck cancer, which was caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), the debate about the HPV vaccine became personal - not because the vaccine has been around long enough to save me a lot of pain (I am age 66 today and the vaccine is recommended for youths age 11 and older), but because I wouldn't want any other young Texan to one day walk down my path.

My life changed dramatically after I underwent chemotherapy and 33 radiation treatments. I have lost function in my saliva glands. My teeth need to be soaked in fluoride daily to save them, and have now become discolored. Radiation treatment has affected my taste buds so food has no flavor. Fibrous tissue has built up in my throat making it difficult to swallow and impairs my voice. I must have my carotid arteries checked regularly due to radiation damage. My heart valves must be checked on a regular basis, too, as well as my lungs, as those organs have also suffered tissue damage. I lost my hair, and my mouth is always dry from lack of saliva. This affects my sleep because I wake up every two hours to drink water to moisten my mouth. As a result, I live through a constant cycle of insomnia. Every four months, I receive a CT scan, and three weeks leading up to it I start to get nervous about any new lump.
Texas is an economic powerhouse. Not only that, if demographics are destiny then Texas has a dazzling future, because 1 in every 10 children born in the U.S. is born in our great state. Between these two positives, however, lies a great disparity. We need well-educated future workers to continue driving the engine of our economy. High quality pre-K produces a proven, well-researched return on all of our state's educational investments from kindergarten through college. The answer, then, to maintaining our high-performing economy is to put Texas first. We can do this by investing in high-quality pre-K.

This is why we join Gov. Greg Abbott in his call to ask the Texas Legislature to make good on its promises to support not just pre-K, but high-quality pre-K. This means more and better early education for low-income kids, kids in the foster care system and the children of our families serving in the military. But will the Legislature listen?

It is easy to identify hot-button issues at the Texas Capitol - just look for the fights. And, for the second session in a row, big battles are brewing around pre-K. In recent days, the rhetoric around pre-K funding has heated up, with the major political players proposing vastly different funding proposals ... or perhaps no funding at all.

Texas has the largest pre-K program in the United States with more than 200,000 children participating daily. Gov. Abbott campaigned on boosting pre-K quality in 2014, and in 2015 the Legislature passed a bipartisan bill to fund and improve pre-K. Now, that funding has been exhausted and the fight for our children's future has begun anew.

The governor, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Texas House Speaker Joe Straus all included funding for quality pre-K in this year's initial budget proposals. The thousands of parents, advocates, business people, clergy, philanthropists and so many others who had come to the Capitol to voice their support for pre-K had been heard. Or, so it seemed. In recent days, the Texas House of Representatives has backed off its proposed funding for the governor's pre-K initiative.

Our state's leaders must continue our state's commitment to high quality pre-K. This means a commitment to allocate $118 million per year for a total of $236 million to the high-quality pre-K grant program.

In a session that is focused on improving the state's foster care system, it is counterproductive to reduce the quality of the pre-K provided to prepare our most vulnerable children for school. In Texas, where self-reliance is considered one of the greatest virtues, it is wrong to rob children of the resources they need to grow into successful, autonomous adults. In a state that honors the sacrifices of our veterans, we need to be at the forefront of serving the families of those who serve.

Parents and taxpayers understand that higher quality pre-K in turn maximizes every dollar that is spent on further education. When we put Texas first, we ensure that in years to come, we will have educated and productive citizens ready to help expand our economy.

The Texas Legislature has a clear choice to make with respect to allocating $236 million to the High Quality Pre-K Grant Program. The choice it makes will determine whether Texans will remember the 2017 Texas Legislature for its divisions, arguments and ultimately, neglect, or as the year it started putting Texas first.

Sanborn, CEO of the Texas-based research and advocacy group Children at Risk, also is executive editor of the Journal of Applied Research on Children. Jones is CEO of Core Midstream LLC and serves on the board of Children at Risk.
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Anti-Islam protesters marched outside a downtown Toronto mosque Friday  as Muslims prayed inside  while holding signs denouncing a motion tabled in Parliament that condemns Islamophobia.

More than a dozen people, including members of groups including Canadians Against Islamization, Never Again Canada, and Suffragettes Against Shariah, attended the event.

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Toronto resident Uzair Khan posted photos of the protest on Facebook as it took place outside Masjid Toronto.

"They are very loud and are blocking entrances to the masjid," he wrote.

Tera Goldblatt, who works nearby, told CBC News she also saw protesters trying to block the mosque's entrances.

"It's awful and hateful and it shouldn't be allowed," Goldblatt said of the rally.

Toronto Mayor John Tory spoke out against the demonstration on Twitter.

Islamophobia has NO place in our city. I've visited Masjid Toronto many times & denounce all acts of hatred towards our Muslim citizens.  John Tory (@JohnTory) February 17, 2017

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The mosque reacted to the protest on Friday evening, by sharing photos of supportive messages left outside the building after the event.

"You belong here," one note read.

Mississauga-Erin Mills MP Iqra Khalid, who tabled the anti-Islamophobia motion last December, has been the target of hate speech. On Thursday, the Muslim MP read a list of racial slurs and threats shes received since introducing the motion in Parliament.

"Islamophobia is real," she told the House of Commons.

Another anti-Islam rally was held in Toronto this week by Rebel Media in opposition to the Liberal motion. It was attended by Conservative leadership candidates Kellie Leitch, Chris Alexander and Brad Trost.

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Tory MPs, including interim leader Rona Ambrose, have said they oppose the current version of the anti-Islamophobia motion. Instead, they have tabled a new motion that condemns "all forms of systemic racism, religious intolerance, and discrimination," but does not include the word Islamophobia.

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Head to Charing Cross Road, work your way through the buzz of people and languages, and then take a right just before you tail towards Trafalgar Square. Keep your eyes firmly on the lookout. Look carefully though. It's easy to walk straight past.

Right. Are you outside a pale stone Victorian building? Great. Long imposing windows? Brilliant. Head to the doorway. Does it say 'Public Library'? Awesome. Step over the threshold. You're there.

Welcome to Westminster Reference Library. One of London's hidden gems, it's a depository of English literature set right in the city's beating heart.

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This is where I found myself last week. There to write, but a little bored, fortunately the WRL is a pretty good place to be bored and pretending to know what I was looking for, I worked my way along the bookshelves. Auden, Brecht, Chekhov, even Grisham. After a brief period of literary wanderlust, I finally settled on my companion for the evening.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson. You'll recognise the name but likely think that you don't know his work. Wrong, I bet you do. Flicking through, two lines caught my eye.

Theirs not to reason why. Theirs but to do and die.

These are two lines in Tennyson's The Charge of the Light Brigade. The poem is a narrative description of the Light Cavalry Brigade's ill-fated charge during the 1854 Battle of Balaclava. One of history's great military blunders, 670 men were ordered to charge against some 25,000 Russian soldiers.

Written at a time when military success was intrinsically entwined with the national consciousness, the poem is an ode to patriotism and sacrifice, glorifying these men's unquestioning obedience in the name of King and country.

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A tragedy, absolutely. But that's not why I'm writing this blog. These two lines describe a certain form of power. It's top-down. If I hold the power, I say and you do, no questions please.

Irrelevant in modern society though, right?

Apart from in the military context, we do question why and we don't just submit. After all, since the mid-nineteenth century, we've had multiple structural, economic, and technological changes which mean that we're able to exert more autonomy over our own lives, produce the changes in society that we want, and also hold those in positions of power to account.

But then, what about President Trump?

In a modern era where elected officials are subjected to incredible levels of scrutiny, the President of the United States appears to be the exception. As Trump begins to impose his doctrine and act in unprecedented ways which tilt towards the autocratic, he seems incapable of doing anything that affects his popularity among his supporter base.

Take Trump and finance. He has failed to fully divest himself of his financial and business interests, and last week the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics filed a lawsuit claiming that Trump's business holdings violate the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Surely this is just the first of many like lawsuits. It's clear. Trump is likely to financially benefit from being President.

Likewise, take Trump and the judiciary. Tweeting that Judge James Robert was a "so called judge" who's "ridiculous" opinion "essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country", it seems that Trump has little regard for the notion of power separation. Let's hope that Judge Robert is more of an Instagram kind of guy.

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And then there's Trump and the language he uses. Unacceptable if coming from any other elected official (or any of your colleagues even), Trump's rhetoric not only seems to be inscrutable, but by the very virtue of being 'different', seems to form the basis of his popularity.

When it comes to President Trump, why have millions of Americans stopped scrutinising? In essence, why have they stopped reasoning why?

A problem that will surely ponder the minds of western political academics for a generation, a possible answer is that for many, Trump is just different. He's inscrutable because he's not one of them. Whoever they are.

He says things which others won't say, he does things which others won't do, and on this logic, Trump is seen as the man who might just achieve the things which others have failed to achieve. Latching onto some of America's deepest insecurities and prejudices, and proffering solutions to them all, for the forgotten American, Trump is their hope.

And what for this hope? A blind eye it seems. So when journalists and politicians rightly criticise his lack of business divestment, or his attacks on the judiciary, or his abhorrent language, their criticisms fall on deaf ears.

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63 million Americans have handed over the keys to the kingdom and averted their eyes in the hope that Trump really will be their purveyor of prosperity.
elilena via Getty Images

The Government must act to stop the jump in energy prices.

The price hike recently announced by Npower is a bitter blow to millions of families. It will add more than 100 a year to typical bills and other energy companies are sure to follow.

When people are struggling to make ends meet the rise of nearly 10% in Npower prices - one of the largest ever increases - is simply unacceptable. Fuel Poverty Awareness Day will put the national spotlight on an issue that concerns families across the country.

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I have been campaigning on energy prices for many years because many of my constituents struggle with their energy bills. Among the hardest hit are those with prepayment meters. The House of Commons Library has produced figures showing prepayment customers pay around 15% more on their gas bill than direct debit customers.

I launched a prepayment meter campaign last year and called on the Government to ensure fair tariffs for all. Following this campaign the Competition Markets Authority recommended that a cap on prepayment meters be implemented. This was a significant victory for my campaign as it will reduce the extra cost for prepayment customers. But it is not enough.

The price penalty on prepayment customers can be as much as 320. The cap will save prepayment customers around 80. That's good news of course, but the Government simply must do more.

One in five families are being hit by the prepayment penalty. They are often the just about managing families, many with young children, who cannot afford to heat their homes. This often leads to damp homes and it is reckoned that cold-related ill health costs the NHS 1.36 billion each year with the elderly and the young suffering the most.

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Fuel poverty is a massive problem. It affects over four million UK households and in my constituency of Brent Central one in eight households are classified as fuel poor, which is higher than the national average of one in ten.

Families are facing the agonising decision about whether to heat or eat, and we have seen a rise in the use of food banks as a result. Last year the first ever Fuel Bank opened in my constituency, to help residents on prepayment meters who are struggling to pay their energy bills, which meant that they could not heat the food they received from the food bank.

In response to Labour campaigning on energy prices, former Prime Minister David Cameron said that his Government would legislate to ensure that customers receive the "lowest possible tariffs" from energy companies. The Prime Minister Theresa May has failed to honour that pledge. Her promise to look after vulnerable people - which must include those in fuel poverty - is proving to be all talk.
Picture by: Jennifer Moo

Universities are supposed to be bastions of free speech and to offer a framework in which to confront students with open and challenging debate, yet just six per cent of UK universities offer such a free environment.

The 2017 Free Speech University Rankings reveal the worrying trend of rising censorship on campuses. Between ban-happy students' unions and restrictive university policies, students are being policed on everything from appropriate fancy dress costumes to how they speak about religion or gender.

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While it's easy to ridicule policies outlawing Pocahontas costumes and 'sexual noises', they speak to a wider, underlying problem of censorship on campus. Policies at universities and students' unions have become so far-reaching and pernicious that they seek to control not only students' public life on campus, but also their private relationships - a trend that can be seen most clearly in the springing up of creepy sex consent classes.

It would not be fair, though, to suggest this obsession for censorship comes only from overzealous students' unions' officials. This year's FSUR results show a troubling increase in restrictive policies from the universities themselves. At London South Bank University, the Code of Practice for Freedom of Speech says that inviting a speaker who is likely to 'commit blasphemy' constitutes an 'unlawful meeting'. Moreover 43 per cent of universities censor speech that might offend religious people. A key area in the fight for free speech was the right to criticise faith, and yet many universities seem keen to turn back the clock.

President of the National Union of Students Malia Bouattia wrote on Friday in the Huffington Post, that she and her fellow proponents of No Platform and Safe Space policies were 'true champions of liberty'. What a joke. She claimed that of 50 students' unions surveyed (by students' union network changesu), no bans on speakers were found. Well, that is less than half of the UK's students' unions. spiked's FSUR results found 21 students unions had banned speakers in the past three academic years. At the end of 2016, students' unions at City, Queen Mary and Plymouth universities banned the sale of the Daily Mail, the Sun and the Daily Express on campus. Bouattia complains students are being accused of 'closing our ears and shutting out the world', but that is exactly what students' unions are doing.

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The pro-Safe Space brigade always give the same defence for their restrictive policies, claiming that implementing rules on what language is acceptable and how people should interact, allow greater freedom of expression for marginalised, oppressed groups. The argument that more censorship equates to greater free speech is nothing short of Orwellian.

Student censor supporters often raise their opposition to the government's counter-terrorism Prevent policy as proof of their free speech credentials. But the truth is that insidious policies like Prevent could not be carried out without the framework for ever-expanding campus bureaucracy built up by students' unions and universities over the years. The government's 2011 Prevent strategy even praises the NUS No Platform policy as a 'largely effective' means of challenging extremism.

The NUS lists six organisations on its No Platform list, that may not seem like much, but the point is there should not be a list in the first place. In defence of No Platform policies for fascists, Bouattia writes: 'We know that if someone is allowed to freely espouse racist views without challenge, it can directly contribute to a culture where people from those oppressed groups and communities no longer feel safe.' Yet if you outright ban a speaker, then no-one gets the opportunity to challenge their views.

If students never encounter an extreme view, or even someone they disagree with, how will they cope in the real world when faced with such a situation? Instead of constantly trying to cosset and coddle the student population, university and student representatives should actively be encouraging their students to enter into challenging and robust debate on all topics and with all kinds of people. It is only by exposing bad ideas in the public realm, that you can really tackle them. And it is only by hearing those ideas that you learn how to finetune your arguments, win the debate, and, ultimately, develop as an adult with a keen political self.

Luckily there are pockets of students ready to stand up to the student censors and defend their right for no-holds-barred free speech. Hopefully this year's FSUR results will spur even more students' into action, out of their Safe Spaces and into the real world.

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Seriously, us British love everything referendum related right? Well, it's happening folks, the word referendum is doing the rounds again but this time it's not us at it again it's our Californian cousins disgruntled with the State of the Union in the good ' USA.

It's called Calexit, a bit like Brexit but pro-immigration and better weather.

I recently caught up with the California National Party, a political party that is advocating independence from the rest of the country. Who, on their own admission closely base themselves on the SNP to talk about the recent election of Donald Trump and working towards an independent platform.

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Obviously, the election of Donald Trump has angered enough of The Golden State to turn their back on Uncle Sam?

Not necessarily according to the CNP stating the same issues would exist under a Democratic administration and suggesting it's down to Californian tax money funding red states while their schools and roads crumble, in their words.

But there's no love lost for President Trump in the region stating the rest of the country elected "a bigoted and misogynistic racist as their president" while Californians "elected progressive candidates at every level."

Going on to suggest a social divide has been highlighting the "stark contrast the way America's values have diverged from California's values."

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Before we go on, a little bit of history.

Cali ancestors have already tasted independence back in 1846 when it rebelled against Mexican rule only for the military occupation of California by the United States during the Mexican-American War which ended in 1848.

So technically, whoever takes the potential presidential mantle of a New California Republic will be the country's second president.

They'd certainly be taking over a country that'll have some serious international clout with a population that is just bigger than Poland, an economy that has recently taken over the United Kingdom as the world's 5th biggest economy according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis and a real attraction for continued business investment.

California has seen some of the United States largest Anti-Trump demonstrations but coincidently the election of what some citizens consider their worst nightmare could give the independence platform the biggest opportunity to convey their message than ever before.

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There is a separate campaign in the state advocating independence called Yes California, again based on the SNP's referendum campaign who are championing a referendum due in Spring 2019.

If this becomes reality, Washington DC would have to play a very clever media campaign in favour of the Union to avoid giving representatives high profile platforms to talk about issues such as Cali federal taxes allegedly bankrolling other states and it's economic prowess to citizens mulling on which way to vote.

It'll be very interesting to see what role Trump would play in regards to convincing California to stay, which could have an insidious and detrimental effect on polling - I'm no polling expert but mass protests with a highlighted twinge aimed at independence in the news, would not make easy viewing for the administration's stay together campaign.

The local media could have a pinnacle role in swinging votes considering national media is widely seen as part of the establishment and one of Trump's biggest anti-rhetoric during his presidential campaign.

What could an independent California look like according to the California National Party? "The CNP advocates for a parliamentary system, with proportional representation, and local control so individual counties can set the policies that most make sense to them." A similar model that has been talked about by UKIP and The Green Party for the UK constitution.

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Whatever happens, this campaign could open a lot of new wounds with highlighting economic and social issues in an already volatile environment.

The campaign would have to learn a lot of lessons from Brexit and The Scottish Independence referendum, both of which have had reactions with the rise of xenophobia in the UK and the Conservatives becoming the main opposition to the SNP in Scotland, which would have seemed impossible five years ago - suggesting Scotland isn't as left wing as we think.
In the spring of 1902 the Hanoi governor was worried: a bubonic plague outbreak threatened to spiral out of control. The governor wanted to exterminate the city's rats but he lacked the necessary staff. After puzzling over his conundrum he had a brainwave: a bounty for every rat's tail handed in.

At first, his idea worked wonderfully - tails poured in. Hundreds each day in March, thousands in May, peaking on 12 June at a staggering 20,114.

But there was a problem. Despite the growing tail collection, there was no decline in plague victims. Nor was the rat population shrinking. In fact, if anything, there were more rats - but they were tail-less.

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The bounty had unleashed the entrepreneurial spirit of the populace. They were capturing rats, feeding rats, breeding rats and lopping the tails off rats. The one thing they weren't doing was killing rats. Rats were too valuable.

The target had encouraged the specific behaviour that was rewarded - handing in rats' tails - but it had a counter-productive effect on the underlying intention - a reduction in rats.

From a safe distance, this tale of unintended consequences seems farcical. But similar examples have been recorded with alarming regularity. It's so common that the German economist, Horst Siebert, coined the term 'the cobra effect', so called as the first recorded example was an attempt to cull snakes in Delhi that backfired.

Siebert discovered that whenever there is a sliver of difference between a metric and the objective then unintended consequences are unleashed.

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Marketing is a victim of the cobra effect

Advertisers, just like the governor, are trying to resolve complex problems with simple targets. Of course, the details are different - brands are grappling with unsatisfactory returns on investment rather than vermin infestations. But the consequences are equally perverse.

In order to boost campaign performance, digital advertisers set a range of targets. However, these metrics are almost invariably short term - visits, views or sales. That's not speculation. Peter Field's recent analysis of the IPA Effectiveness Databank found that the proportion of entries with a short-term goal had risen from 7% in 2006 to 33% in 2014.

Short-term metrics are popular as they're straightforward to collect and interpret. This ease appeals to marketers as they must manage more data than ever. Since time-pressured marketers crave shortcuts, they put their scepticism on hold and will themselves to believe that messy, complex reality can be captured with a simple metric.

Once measurements are added to a campaign they take on a life of their own. It feels remiss, unprofessional even, to ignore data, so plans are optimised to the metric being captured. To paraphrase Marshall McLuhan, we shape our metrics, then they shape us.

Once short-term metrics have been collected it's easy to generate improvements: dropping the worst performers quickly boosts results. In a world of uncertainty, that progress is addictive. In Martin Weigel's memorable phrase, short-termism is 'marketing crack'.

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But we're optimising to a sub-optimal position: what works best in the short term isn't ideal in the long term. Les Binet and Peter Field showed in The Long and Short of It, their earlier analysis of the IPA Effectiveness entries, that direct approaches outperform brand approaches by 50 per cent over one to two years. But brand approaches are six times more effective when judged on a three year-plus timescale.

The short-term focus creates an illusion of success. But illusions tend to end abruptly. Marketers are like the man in the old story who jumps from a skyscraper. As he's falling, as he passes each floor, he reassures himself: 'So far, so good,' he says, 'so far, so good.'

Unless marketers change, they're in for an unpleasant landing.

So what can we do?

First, insist on balanced metrics. If metrics are flawed because they give a partial view of the problem, then capturing a single type of data will be misleading. Instead, campaigns need to track a variety of genuinely different types of measurement.

Every digital campaign needs to complement short-term tracking with analysis of how longer-term brand metrics have been affected. The costs for exposed versus control brand tracking have dropped far enough now, that this aim is feasible.

Second, we need to recognise, as the sociologist William Bruce Cameron stated, that not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.

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No metric, or range of metrics, can fully capture a complex problem. So we should avoid giving undue deference to metrics. They need to be given the importance they deserve - but no more. Even in a world of limitless data there is a crucial role for human intuition and judgement.
Here are 5 takeaways from Kansas' 37-16 win against Oklahoma State

The Jayhawks are bowl eligible for the first time since 2008. Kansas just topped Oklahoma State for that pivotal sixth win.
After years of dedication to Special Olympics, Officer Darren Derby will fly to Austria to be part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg to help kick off the World Winter Games.

Pittsfield Officer to Carry Torch in Austria For Special Olympics World Games

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The job of a police officer means dealing with people on their worst days, day after day.

And it wears on the officers. Eight years ago, Officer Darren Derby started getting involved with the Law Enforcement Torch Run fundraising efforts for the Special Olympics. He's raised more than a half-million dollars in support of those athletes.

He does it because he feels those athletes do more for him than he could ever do for them. They give him a joy that gets torn away from officers on a daily basis dealing with the worst of the worst.

"The job itself brings a tremendous amount of stress. A lot us wonder 'is this the right job for us, is this the right career path?' I can honestly say that if it wasn't for Special Olympics and the athletes and the joy they bring us, I probably wouldn't still be in this profession. I think that's the harsh reality for a lot of us who are involved with the Torch Run program," Derby said.

"Our days are pretty much filled with everybody else's bad days. We come to work to help people out on their worst day. That puts a damper on our own personal life. Athletes, they don't see that in you. They care about your feelings but they don't care that you've had a bad day. They just care that they can make you have a good day. If you are frowning, they turn it upside down. If you are finding something to be a difficult path that you want to achieve, they are the answer to that."

It's become a passion for Derby as his fundraising efforts for Special Olympics has grown from one or two small events to a whole slate of fundraisers to reel in more than $100,000 annually.

That passion hits a pinnacle in a few weeks when Derby travels to Austria to carry the torch to start the Special Olympics World Winter Games.

For 10 days Derby will be on a team running through Austrian towns, stopping in each to perform ceremonies with the torch as it makes its way to the opening ceremony in Schladming, Austria.

"You are over there running for 10 days and I am excited about feeling the emotions of what myself and the other officers are going to go through within the 10 days, the struggles we are going to have. To be able to overcome that, I think, gives strength to the athletes as well," Derby said. "It is not that you are just over there going to run for 10 days and hit a total of 49 cities. You are going to impact hundreds of thousands of people. You are going to impact their lives and really spread the world about inclusion and what Special Olympics really is. It is not just sports, it is about the inclusion of our athletes in local programs."

Derby flies out of the United States on March 7 and the series of formal programs begins two days later. He'll be joining 125 other law enforcement officers in the run which goes through 49 cities and towns. The officers are split into teams, each with an athlete with them, and run through multiple towns a day.

"Every day for the 10 days you get up at 5:30 in the morning, you are usually ready to go by 6, 6:15, you are on the bus for 6:30 and you are probably running anywhere from 7:30 to 8 in the morning. You run in anywhere from a mile to three miles into the city, you have an hourlong ceremony, and then you run anywhere from a half mile to a mile out of the city," Derby said.

"You hop onto your transportation, whether it is a bus or a van, and your team heads to the next destination which can be anywhere from a half hour to four hours away."

The teams break apart and merge back together for larger ceremonies, four or five times a day. Derby will personally be involved in two dozen ceremonies. At the end, there is a large polar plunge. In total, he will travel 1,700 miles throughout the country bringing the torch to the opening ceremonies.

"I'm excited to be there. I am excited to experience a once in a lifetime thing to do. People can go anywhere in the world but to hit 20 something cities in 10 days with athletes and officers from around the world is, there is nothing better than that," Derby said.

He will be packing a suitcase full of mementos from the local program and area to which he'll be passing out in Austria. And at each ceremony, those involved are also given mementos from elected officials and communities there, so that suitcase will be filled back up before he leaves.

He plans to use his Instagram and other social media sites to help the local community experience the entire trip with him.

This is the second time Derby had been offered a chance to run in the opening ceremonies but he was unable to two years ago. He had been offered to participate in the Los Angeles summer games but had to turn it down.

"We are in this to make others lives better. When you are asked to do something, even when I was asked to go to LA, I was like really?" said Derby, who envisioned running over sunny beaches. "I was pumped. I was excited. I was kind of disappointed when I realized I couldn't go but I knew that there was always another chance."

His colleague John Bassi had participated in such a run in South Korea a number of years ago. Derby was chosen this time by the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Torch Run Committee because of his dedication to Special Olympics over the years. Bassi had started the local efforts and Derby jumped on board.

"John Bassi was a perfect fit for that because his son is autistic and an athlete. From there it has grown from two tip a cop events a year to now major events we hold throughout the year," Derby said. "In total, we are over the $600,000, close to $650,000. We are going into our eighth year, so in seven years."

From local polar plunges, to 5K road races, to Cop on Top, the local Law Enforcement Torch Run program has expanded from raising around $5,000 per year to now $100,000 per year. But Derby says the program is more than that, it also creates relationships between those in Torch Run program and the athletes and their families.

"They become family. No matter where you go there is always an athlete who will likely be smiling," Derby said.

At this year's Cop on Top Derby held a side fundraiser for the Austria trip. He teamed up with local businessman Ernie Weider to do a plunge in cold water every hour on the hour. Businesses and individuals contributed and sponsored the plunges. The goal started at $2,500  half of which stays with the local program and the other half stays in Austria. At that fundraising level, Derby will receive a torch, which he plans to frame as a memento.

But he hit $3,000 so he set his sights higher, saying if he can get a second $2,500 then he will get a second torch for Weider. They hit that. So, he set his sights on $7,500 so he could get a third to give to the local Special Olympics program.

"The torch we have is kind of old and what an amazing experience that would be for the athletes at some of these events to be able to hold a torch from the Austrian games," Derby said.

He hit that total. But he held back any other formal fundraising efforts because so many people already contribute to his other efforts.

"I've got a lot going on so it is hard to go back to the same pocket that's fed you and say 'can you give one more time,'" Derby said. "Instead I opened it up to the public and made it a publicized event."

Derby is excited for the experience, which is different from a typical vacation. He's excited to join the 125 other officers who don't stop when the badge is taken off at the end of the day. He is excited to be on a world stage with others who are fighting for inclusion and awareness of people with intellectual disabilities.

And in that fight, he is following the Special Olympics motto of "let me win but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
The Planning Board on Monday approved permits for a tiny house builder and landscaping for the Redwood project.

North Adams Planners OK Tiny House Builder



The newest permutation of the Redwood project that adds a restaurant and spa on the east end. The planners have asked the developers to submit permitting plans instead of updates to ensure the public also is kept abreast of the project.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The Planning Board approved permits for a tiny house manufacturer that is moving into the Windsor Mill.



B&B Precision Builders has been operating out of the former Berkshire Gas building on Old Columbia St. in Adams and is expected to move into a large section of the city-owned mill in the coming months.



The locally owned company was founded as a home builder by the late Michael Bresett of Adams and was re-established by his son, Mitchell Bresett, in New York State before returning to Adams. His partners include Jason Koperniak, also of Adams.



The owners said they needed the 15,000 square feet of space in the mill to expand and could employ up to 30 people in building tiny houses for a vacation rental company and their own designs by order.



They told the Planning Board they hope to be working with a Harvard business startup. This is presumably Getaway, founded by two Harvard classmates, which proposes to expand its tiny house vacation rentals from New England and upstate New York to 30 other states. Getaway was recently featured on ABC's "Shark Tank."



"It's really exciting ... I like making things and I like businesses that make things," said Planner Brian Miksic. "It's just great to see that kind of thing there and growing."



The board also approved a landscaping plan for the Redwood Motel project but, again, expressed their concerns about how the continuing changes in the project were being presented. Developer Benjamin Svenson and project manager Eric Kerns of the Beyond Place LLC had been asked in December to provide more concrete plans when they gave a preview of the landscaping.



On Monday, in addition to asking for approval of the landscaping, they were ready with preliminary discussions of a restaurant, tavern, inn and spa addition to the renovation and rebuild of the old motor court.



"I'm still thinking we're not in synch on the process for this," said Chairman Michael Leary. "My concern, again, that I expressed at the last meeting, is that the abuttors and the public have not had a chance to look at these. You're asking for approval in your letters, I'm not ready to approve of any of this yet."



Leary said the changes were significant compared to the original plans approved more than a year ago.



"I'm not saying any of it's bad  in fact, I think it's very good  but I think in fairness of those people who live around you who went to those first meetings ... I think we need to give them an opportunity to see the plans," he said.



Planner Kyle Hanlon questioned how the permitting process should move forward: as an amendment, as a new permit?


Program Coordinator Linda Cernik attended her first solid waste district meeting on Thursday.

Waste District Passes Budget, Welcomes New Program Coordinator



The commissioners voted a budget that adds a 4 percent increase to each town's assessment to cover a health insurance option.

ADAMS, Mass.  The 13-member Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District passed a fiscal 2018 budget that will see an increase of 4 percent in each town's assessment.



This represents a 10 cent increase per person in the district to a total of $2.87 per person.



Treasurer Terry Haig said the other option would only increase the budget by 1 percent per town but it would not fully fund insurance for the coordinator.



The commissioners felt it would be more responsible to fund the most expensive insurance option. Although new coordinator Linda Cernik does not use district insurance and they do not anticipate her leaving, they wanted to be prepared in case they hired someone who needed family insurance.



Any unused funds in that line item could be a buffer.



"It sounds like the most responsible option and we will have a buffer sitting there to use for hazardous waste or paint," Florida representative Neil Oleson said. "If we need it it will be there and if we have to use it we can tighten the belt somewhere else."



Williamstown representative Timothy Kaiser voted against the larger increase.



"I am just trying to be fiscally responsible for my town and my solid waste budget for operating our transfer station is well over $200,000 and this ends up being 10 percent of my budget," he said. "I am trying to scrape the dust off the dimes to get all the dust I can anywhere."



Thursday was Cernik's first meeting since being hired and she said she has hit the ground running.



"Everything is going well, and I am very busy," she said. "I jumped right in on the first day  I have learned a lot so far  there were a few glitches but other than that I am getting it."


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The Davis Museum at Wellesley College in Massachusetts has removed all of its work created or donated by immigrants that is currently on display.

In a move that is set to last through President's Day weekend, curators will instead drape black cloth over display cases and line the walls with labels that read: "Created by an immigrant."

The initiative is being called "Art-less" and is intended to make a statement about the impact immigrants have on America.

"We have removed or cloaked these works to demonstrate symbolically what the Davis Museum would look like without their contributions to our collections and to Wellesley College, and to thereby honour their many valuable gifts," the museum said in a statement.

One of the main works missing is a portrait of George Washington created by Adolf Ulrik Wertmuller, an immigrant who came to the US in the 1970s.

The painting was also donated to the Davis Museum by an immigrant family. The David Museum reports that approximately 20 per cent of its works were made by immigrants.

The strong statement was prompted after the furore over US President Donald Trump's three month immigration order.

Director of the Davis told blouinartinfo.com: "We wanted to respond to the situation of anxiety and concern raised by the immigration ban.

"We decided that an intervention in the galleries would be the best way to go because we have recently done a lot of research into not only specific objects within the collection, but also the donors who created the collection here over the years.

"We were able to kind of parse the works in terms of immigrant artists and immigrant collections. It turned out to be about 20 per cent of everything we have on view, which was astonishing."

Trump has promised a new order after a three-judge panel on the Ninth Cicuit of the Justice Department refused to lift a federal judge's temporary restraining order on his ban, which prevented foreign nationals from Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days.

 Jimmy Fallon impersonates Donald Trump to mock press conference

It also barred refugees from those countries for 120 days, and all refugees from Syria indefinitely.

On Friday a leaked memo drafted by Department of Homeland Security secretary John Kelly reportedly proposed using 100,000 National Guard troops to "round up" undocumented immigrants.

While the acting press secretary for the DHS told The Independent that the Department was "not considering mobilising the National Guard", it was not disputed that the memo had been drafted by Kelly.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called the report "despicable" and "unAmerican".
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Logan is a Marvel movie with a bit of soul and some true grit. Presumed to be the final outing for Wolverine, it plays more like a late period John Wayne western than it does like a conventional superhero film.

There is Johnny Cash music over the end credits and several references to classic old cowboy yarn, Shane.

Logan/Wolverine is played with considerable pathos by Hugh Jackman as a long in the tooth, Rooster Cogburn-like outsider, summoning up his old powers for one final battle.

The most surprising aspect of the film (and presumably the reason it is among the first superhero films to secure a berth in official selection in a festival like Berlin) is the attention it pays to character.

There is plenty of eviscerating action here, with Wolverine's scissor hands impaling enemies and tearing away at their flesh, but much of the movie is about his relationships with his father figure Charles/Professor X (a bedraggled Patrick Stewart who looks as if he has stumbled out of a Harold Pinter play) and the young mutant Laura who may be his daughter.

This is ostensibly a sci-fi yarn set in the near future but it unfolds in traditional western locations - across the border in Mexico where the professor is hiding out in the desert - and in North Dakota, where Laura dreams of finding an "Eden" for young mutants like herself.

Logan himself is in a very sorry way at the start of a movie. He has a dead-end job as a limousine driver.

He is a drunk, prey to extreme self-pity, has a bad cough and shambles along in a narcoleptic daze.

He has no desire whatever to be reminded of his past. If he is a hero, he is a very reluctant one.

Guys, seriously, you dont want to do this, he warns the petty thieves trying to vandal and steal his car.

Theres an old-fashioned pleasuree in seeing the tramp-like figure eventually stand up to the bullies.

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Jackman enjoys playing the jaded old cynic, someone who dismisses his old adventures when he sees them recorded in comic strips as fantasy fare, ice cream for bed wetters.

There are reasons why he doesnt like to display emotion. Bad shit happens to people I care about, he grumbles at one stage.

 Logan - trailer

There are two main villains here. The most obnoxious is Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook), a sadistic blond-haired cyborg with a very sarcastic wit. The most sinister is the horribly unctuous and politely spoken scientist Dr Zander Rice (Richard E. Grant), who oversees the Mengele-like experiments that are being conducted on the new line of young mutants.

Dont think of them as children, think of them as things, he instructs his underlings.

Comic relief of a sort is provided by Stephen Merchant as Caliban, the albino mutant who cant stand bright light.

Merchant plays him with a slight West Country accent which makes the character seem all the stranger.

The film develops into a road movie, with Logan, the mutant girl Laura (Dafne Keen) and the wheelchair-bound Charles travelling cross country. Thankfully, director James Mangold doesnt try to make the girl too appealing.

As played by Keen, she is feral and brattish, shop lifting sunglasses and refusing to talk. Only very slowly do we get a sense of what is driving her and why she behaves in the truculent way that she does.

Logan treats her with brutality but we quickly sense his affection for her.

Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Show all 12 1 /12 Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Marvel transforms supermodels into superheroes Adriana as She-Hulk Garage/Patrick Demarcheli Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Marvel transforms supermodels into superheroes Karlie as Black Widow Garage/Patrick Demarcheli Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Marvel transforms supermodels into superheroes Lexi as Captain Marvel Garage/Patrick Demarcheli Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Marvel transforms supermodels into superheroes Candice as Spider-Gwen Garage/Patrick Demarcheli Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Marvel transforms supermodels into superheroes Cuba as Thor Garage/Patrick Demarcheli Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Cuba as Thor Garage/Patrick Demarcheli Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Adriana as She-Hulk Garage/Patrick Demarcheli Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Lexi as Captain Marvel Garage/Patrick Demarcheli Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Adriana as She-Hulk Garage/Patrick Demarcheli Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Candice as Spider-Gwen Garage/Patrick Demarcheli Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Karlie as Black Widow Garage/Patrick Demarcheli Marvel turns supermodels into superheroes Lexi as Captain Marvel Garage/Patrick Demarcheli

Given the emphasis on family ties, there is a very high body count. Some of the most sympathetic characters are killed off in a trice.

The action sequences in which the mutants uses their other wordily powers to cause maximum death and destruction sit uncomfortably next to the more soulful scenes in which Logan and his fellow travellers reflect on their past lives and on what ties them together.

As if to underline that Wolverines biggest enemy is in the mirror, the filmmakers throw in extraordinarily vicious fight sequences between Wolverine and a younger, more psychopathic version of himself.

Inevitably, a certain mawkishness creeps in to the final reel that not even Wolverines razor sharp fingernails can scrape away.

The film has a self-consciously elegiac air.

Audiences looking for wham bang action may find Logan a little downbeat but theres more heart here than youll find in almost any other superhero movie.
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Chance the Rapper is reportedly turning down some very generous record label offers after he achieved a historic win at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

The New York Post reports that the Chicago MC has turned down offers worth up to $10 million, after he beat Drake and Kanye West to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

An insider allegedly told the Post: "Every label is still trying to get him. He's making too much on his own... He was turning down $5 million advances before, and now it's like $10 million."

 Chance the Rapper beats Drake and Kanye West for Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards

Despite not having a record deal, Chance's streaming-only album Coloring Book scooped Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance and Best New Artist at the Grammys ceremony.

In an interview with Vanity Fair he explained that he made his money from "touring and selling merchandise... and I honestly believe if you put effort into something and you execute properly, you don't neccessarily have to go through the traditional ways".

Chance is managed by Patrick Corcoran, aged 26, with former CAA agent Cara Lewis also assisting him with deals.

Corcoran expained that much of Chance's appeal to fans lies in his transparency, thanks to his solid presence on social media.

"People have a good understanding of artists these days," he told Billboard in an interview which took place after Chance was nominated for seven Grammys.

The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Show all 20 1 /20 The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Beyonce The Demands: 1 Large table for catering dressed with white tablecloths. Dressing room should be 78 degrees 4 Brand New White Towels in bathroom (2 face & 2 body) Hot Food: Juicy Baked Chicken: Legs, Wings & Breast only (Please season with fresh garlic, season salt, black pepper, and Cayenne pepper HEAVILY SEASONED!!) Steamed Garlic Broccoli Lightly Seasoned Green Beans Lightly Seasoned Steamed Spinach Beyonce can only have Pepsi products. 1 Case of Aquafina water (half cold, half room temperature) 1 Hot Tea Set up (Please have NEW Coffee Pot) Sliced Lemons Wedges Rose scented candles Lighter for candles CD player Getty The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Adele The Demands: 12 Small bottles still (non-carbonated) spring water (at room temperature) 1 Electric kettle for BOILING water 6 Large mugs for tea. All mugs should be new, washed and dried. 6 metal teaspoons 2 Squeezy bottles clear honey (not organic) 1 Bottle very best quality red wine (Italian, French or Spanish) 1 Assortment of chewing gum 1 Pack Marlboro Light plus 1 disposable cigarette lighter 1 Small selection fresh fruit, to include bananas, apples, grapes, fresh berries NO CITRUS FRUIT! 1 Small plate of assorted freshly made, individually wrapped sandwiches, to include chicken salad. Sandwiches must NOT contain tomatoes, vinegar, chili or citrus fruit PA The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Kanye West The Demands: 1 Tub Plain Yogurt for dipping 4 small Yoplait Yogurt 1 Bowl of assorted nuts 1 Bowl of Sunkist Salted Pistachio Nuts (No Red Coloring) 2 Packs of Extra Chewing Gum 1 Bottle of Hot Sauce (Tabasco, Caribbean Type) 1 Box of Toothpicks 1 750 ml bottle of Hennessey Liquor 1 750 ml bottle of SKY or Absolut Vodka 1 Bottle of Patron Silver Tequila 4 Six Packs of Heineken Beer Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty, David Parsons/iStock The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Rihanna The Demands: 5 AC power outlets Adequate lighting for a relaxed atmosphere White drapes to cover lockers and/or brick 1 Humidifier 1 Large throw rug  plush and animal print (Cheetah, Leopard)  must be CLEAN, as she will walk on it barefoot. Pipe and Drape the room in Dark Blue or Black drapes with Icy Blue Chiffon draped nicely on top 6 Candles  Archipelago Black Forest (if you can't get these, please let me know ASAP as we have a 2nd choice of candle for Ri). 4 Small, clear, square vases with White Tulips, no foliage (2nd choice: White Casablanca Lilies no foliage, 3rd choice: White Freesia, no foliage) The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Katy Perry The Demands: Arrangement of pink fresh flowers. White and purple hydrangeas, pink & white roses and peonies. If not available, seasonal white flowers to include white orchidsABSOLUTELY NO CARNATIONS. A box of Huggies baby nature care wipes 6 Vitamin waters zero, assorted flavors Bowl of whole fresh organic grown fruit (apples, bananas, oranges and grapes) Plate of fresh-cut Crudites (to include cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, snap peas, celery) w/ ranch dip Snyder's of Hanover Honey Mustard & Onion Pretzel Jar of Salsa Baked (blue corn if possible) Tortilla Chips Freeze dried strawberries 2 bottles of Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio Throat coat, Twinnings Chamomile PG tips and Mint medley tea. Fuze slenderize assorted flavors A jar of quality honey Plastic drinking straws AFP/Getty Images The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Paul McCartney The Demands: All lamps must be halogen floor lamps with dimmer switch. Only animal free materials (cottons, denims, velour, etc.) Do not provide furniture made of any animal skin or print. Do not provide artificial versions of animal skin or print either. No leather seating is allowed in the black stretch limousine either. Arrange for a dry cleaner before arrival. 6 Full and leafy floor plants, but no trees. We want plants that are just as full on the bottom as the top such as palm, bamboo, peace lilies, etc. No tree trunks! $50.00 - One large arrangement of white Casablanca lilies with lots of foliage. $40.00 - One long stemmed arrangement of pale pink and white roses with lots of foliage. $35 One arrangement of freesia. It comes in various colors so please mix them up. Freesia is a favorite. 20 dozen clean towels outside of the production office AP The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Mariah Carey The Demands: Each room must be draped. Black drapes are fine. The entry door should open into the living room space, not the dressing room. Temperature should be about 75 degrees. 1 Three Seat Couch  Plain Color, no busy patterns; black, dark grey, cream, dark pink are fine 12 1 Liters of Fiji Water 3 Bottles Chardonnay  Chilled 12 Coke 12 Diet Coke 12 Vanilla Protein Drinks 6 Sparkling Water (Pellegrino) 12 Melon Flavor Gatorade 6 Red Wine Glasses 6 White Wine Glasses 4 Joe Malone Vanilla Candles 2 Vases White Roses Fried Chicken (warm) 12 Small Bottles water (room temperature) 3 Whole lemons and honey Sugarless gum Getty The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Eminem The Demands: 25 pound dumbbells 24-Diet Coke 16oz plastic bottles 12 Diet Coke 12oz cans 6 Verner ginger ale soda (or Schweppes) 48 Daisani, Poland Spring 12oz bottles NO Evian 1 Loaf white bread 1 Loaf wheat bread 6 Lunchables snacks (3 turkeys & 3 ham with cheese) 6 Cans Red Bull 16 Cans Sugar-Free Red Bull Large fresh jumbo shrimps with cocktail sauce and plenty of lemons 1 Jar of banana pepper rings Getty Images The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Grace Jones The Demands: 6 Bottles of Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne 3 Bottles of French Vintage red wine (e.g. St Emilion, Medoc, Bordeaux) 3 Bottles of French Vintage white wine (e.g. Sancerre, Pouilly Fuisse) 2 Dozen Findeclare or Colchester Oysters on ice (unopened)(Grace does her own shucking.) 2 Sashimi and Sushi platters for 8 people 6 Fresh lemons 1 Bottle of Tabasco sauce 1 Fresh fruit platter for 8 people 6 Bottles of Coca Cola 12 Bottles of still and sparkling water 12 Bottles of fresh fruit juices Wine glasses, champagne flutes, tumblers (all glass, no plastic) Cutlery and sharp knife 1 Oyster knife 1 Make up mirror (no neon strip lighting, only opaque white bulbs) Fresh towels, clothes hangers, clothes rail 3-4 Bunches of flowersprefer lilys and orchids Sofa and arm chairs Andy Sturmey The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Drake The Demands: Four dozen natural-scented incense sticks Dr. Bronners peppermint soap Pork-free food E-Z Wider rolling papers and a pack of Dutch Master President cigars Pinot Grigio Heineken Bottles of Jack Daniels Patron Silver tequila Nivea chapstick A bottle of Hennesey or Courvoisier Grey Goose Andis T-Outliner trimmers Extra sets of speakers champagnepapi/Instagram The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Jack White The Demands: 1 dozen chicken wings (buffalo, teryaki, suprise us) 1 bowl of FRESH HOME-MADE GUACAMOLE 8 champagne flutes (real glass) 8 wine glasses (real glass) 8 highball glasses (real glass) 1 hummus & pita chips iPod player with sufficient volume control NO fluorescent lighting PLEASE NOTE: This is a NO BANANA TOUR. (Seriously) Getty The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Madonna The Demands: 200-person entourage 2o international phone lines Her backstage room must look exactly like her own home (that means she ships around her furniture) Special flower-scented fabric Actual flowers Personal chef who prepares only vegan foods Her own dry-cleaning service AP The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Alicia Keys Alicia Keys performs at the UEFA Champions League Final Getty The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Jay Z The Demands: 7 sets of metal silverware 1 Lighter 3 Glade Candles (French Vanilla, Rain shower, Wild Berry, Tangerine Ginger) 3 Cans of Chunk White Tuna 10 Nutri-Grain Bars (Blueberry, Cherry, Apple, Strawberry) 6 Individual Packets of Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal (Brown Sugar and Apple Cinnamon) 1 Assorted Fruit Platter with strawberries, seedless red grapes, bananas, mango, blueberries, cantaloupe and raspberries 2 Cases of beer (one imported and one domestic; brands preferred: Amstel Light, Corona, Bud, Bud Light or local beer) 3 menus for local seafood and Italian restaurants to order meals for Alicia Getty The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Mary J. Blige The Demands: 2 Humidifiers 10 medium prewashed bath sized towels NO DAIRY OR PORK OF ANY KIND!! 10 1.5 liter bottles of FIJI water (absolutely, positively must be FIJI) 6 cans of Diet Dr. Pepper 6 cans of Schweeps Ginger Ale 2 packs of Mentos  cinnamon fresh only 6 cans of Red Bull energy drink 6 bottles of Black Cherry Propells in sports bottle 8 sets of silverware 24 napkins 1 tub of clean ice Getty Images The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Lady Gaga The Demands: 2 Bottles of white wine with wine opener  Kendall Jackson or Robert Mondavi preferred 1 Pack of Straws 1 Cushioned office style chair TV with cable and a DVD player 1 Rolling clothing rack 4 Unscented candles Cool-mist humidifier 3 fans Tea kettle, organic ginger and lemongrass tea and honey are very important. 1 4 pack of Red Bull Light (on ice) 2 Bottles of Green Tea 1 Container of Guacamole Hot dogs (Yves veggie dogs eaten with toothpicks) A smoothie station (with frozen berries, fuze and whey protein or non-fat Greek yogurt) Blender needed 1 Plate of cheese (non-smelly, non-sweaty on ice) with whole wheat/healthy crackers A mix of assorted fresh fruit (cut and must have edible skin OR edible seeds OR citrus) Getty The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Cher The Demands: 1 Wig Room 1 Room for Dr. Stacey 1 bottle of fine red wine (No Kendall Jackson) 1 bottle of fine white wine (No Kendall Jackson) 4 Cokes 4 Diet Cokes 1 coffee table 1 end table for the phone to be placed on TV with VCR with a cable Hook up. Please make sure we can get the following channels: Turner Classic Movies or AMC The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Taylor Swift The Demands: If arriving before 11 a.m., the following from Starbucks: 1 Grande ICED Caramel Latte w/ 2 sweet-n-lows 1 Grande ICED Americano w/ 2 sweet-n-lows with soy milk 1 slice pumpkin loaf 1 Stick Butter 3 Boxes Kraft Macaroni/Cheese 2 Four Packs of Red Bull 1 12 Pack Corona Beer 1 12 Pack New Castle Beer 1 Bottle Welch's Grape Juice 1 Avocado 1 Bag of Twizzlers red licorice 1 Case of Smart Water 1 Pint Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream 1 Pint Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Brownie Frozen Yogurt The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Iggy Pop The Demands: A copy of USA Today that's got a story about morbidly obese people in it 6 bottles of Grolsch or decent local beer F loads of good red wines 6 large bottles of good quality sparkling water 3 cases x 12 oz bottles of still mineral water 6 bottles of alcohol free beer 1 case of big bottles of good, premium beer A bottle of vodka Cauliflower/broccoli, cut into individual florets and thrown immediately into the garbage. I f hate that Getty Images The 20 most ridiculous things superstar musicians have demanded at their concerts Van Halen The Demands: Nuts Pretzels M&MS (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES) 1 large tube of KY jelly 3 packs of Marlboro cigarettes (box) Herring in sour cream 2 gallons non-carbonated, bottled spring water 3 fifths Jack Daniels Black Label bourbon 2 fifths Stolichnaya vodka 1 pint Southern Comfort 2 bottles Blue Nun white wine Getty Images

"How you work with others, what your beliefs are. Lead that lifestyle and make good music, and you have to hope people care about you and root for your career."
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I know that a programme with the title Ross Kemp: Libyas Living Hell is an unlikely candidate for TV highlight of the week, but if you do steel yourself to get through it you will be glad you did so.

To be frank, the sheer scale of human suffering in the hour-long documentary transcends the usual absurdities of Kemps hard-man routine. You have to take him, and the genuinely brave work he has done here, seriously, following the most desperate migrants traversing desert and sea, evading gangs, suffering rape, beatings and theft, and being sickening exploitation by the people smugglers. We even get to meet a smuggler, awaiting trial in Libya, and see what lies behind the greed and cruelty.

As Kemp says in this powerful film, whatever your views on the rights and wrongs of migration, of rescuing migrants and the EU and UK immigration policy, we have a moral duty to at least acknowledge the full horror of what is unfolding in the Mediterranean and, much less appreciated, the vast distances of the Sahara, where the journey towards a better life and away from poverty or persecution can be even more dangerous than the sea crossing (if they get that far).

The sight of so pathetic and, frankly, doomed human beings is familiar from the news. Rarely to do we hear their voices at first hand, as we do here. Kemp and his team gained remarkable access to the gangs and their victims, most depressing of all in the detention camps run by what passes for the Libyan authorities. The one that is supposed to look after women is especially galling, with 200 women confined to one overcrowded shed, eating meagre rations, sleeping, suffering beatings, giving birth and dying in cramped unsanitary conditions, and with little contact whatsoever with their families or the outside world. They want to go home; their own countries dont seem interested in having them back.

Recommended Living in limbo in Libya

Libya, since the West abandoned it after its (Western-backed) revolution, has seen its economy collapse, with oil production, which promised to convert it into a regional superpower in Colonel Gaddafis time, at record lows. The average Libyan earns about 400 a month; a people-smuggler can profit to the tune of about 25,000 a week. Hence the trade.

Libya today has three governments, about 40 tribal fiefdoms, some Isis training camps and virtually no Western aid agencies or medical assistance. It is a failed state, and no wonder it is a humanitarian disaster. The voices of these pitiful people, the most miserable of all women sold into prostitution to pay for their own journeys, coming from Nigeria, Niger, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Sudan, Somalia and a host of other failing and failed states they give their different motives for taking such a huge risk  often to escape war or Boko Haram, but not always, many simply wanting a better life for themselves and their children. Kemp mostly stays off the politics, but he lays part of the blame on those Western governments that let Libya rot once Gaddafi was ousted, a sentiment that is hard to deny. Whether the EUs flotilla of search and rescue vessels are a pull factor or not in the migrant crisis is a debate for another day.

Alternative history  the what ifs that the past left behind  has always been absorbing, and no parallel universe more intriguing than the one where the Germans succeeded in occupying Britain in 1940. Len Deighton thought it so engrossing a scenario that he wrote a novel based on that very premise, the cover featuring Hitlers mug on a British postage stamp.

Weve had plenty of documentaries, books and the odd fictional treatment, but none come close to the period detail and stunning CGI work in SS-GB, a BBC dramatisation complete with a part-bombed out Buckingham Palace festooned with swastikas. There isnt, in truth, much mystery about what might have happened, broadly. Winston Churchill might have talked about a powerful guerrilla force taking to the hills to hit and run the Germans, and a doughty resistance being fought on every beach and street, but the experience of other countries and territories  even those, such as Yugoslavia or Norway that did summon up an effective resistance  was not like that. In most of their occupied territories the Germans were resented by most, tolerated by many, collaborated with by some, and fought by a few. In the Channel Islands, the only British home territory to be occupied by the Nazis, life went on, with some quiet heroism and some quiet betrayals. Even though fictional, Deightons copper working under SS auspices irresistibly puts the question in ones mind: what would you have done?

Once again I have to urge you to catch This Country, broadcast late on Saturday nights on BBC1, and available week by week on the iPlayer/BBC 3. The latest features some terrifying scenes of tattooing, coincidentally featuring an especially comical-looking rendition of Ross Kemp. And, with that, I have come full circle.
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Brunching out...

My problem with eating out is that when, after much deliberating, I settle on a choice, as soon as the plates are served Ill grow green with food envy. In an attempt to save my friendships, my fellow diner and I visited Firedog, the new Greek and Turkish-inspired all-day dining spot in Fitzrovia, London. Here the small plates trend has reached the breakfast table via their signature mezze brunch menu.

At 18 per head, you wont know where to start, or end for that matter. There are tomatoes with purple basil olive oil, hung cheese with sour cherry compote, wood-roasted tahini with caroub molasses, candied pumpkin yoghurt, grilled halloumi, feta and sujuk with charred spring onions, all presented on individually designed clay plates. The meal is served with a selection of flat breads with additional homemade jams, vanilla butter, lemon curd, clotted cream and organic honeycomb.

Crispy sujuk on sourdough with dill, mayo, tomato and fried egg

For those who dont like to share, there are a selection of meals using a combination of the mezze ingredients, from grilled halloumi with smoked tomatoes, butterbean hummus, fried egg, zaatar and flat bread, to sujuk hash with roasted onions, spinach and poached egg.

To drink we ordered the house special  siphon coffee. As beautiful as it is functional, there are two chambers. The first is filled with water and heated so the vapour pressure forces water to rise to the upper chamber, where it mixes with the coffee grinds. The mixed water is pulled back down into the lower chamber and through a filter, filling it with brewed coffee.

Food and drink news Show all 35 1 /35 Food and drink news Food and drink news Healthy living makes us more inclined to binge, research suggests Gluten-free breads, dairy-free milks and other plant-based products have been some of the most favoured foods in British supermarkets this year. However, while were busy filling our shopping trolleys with gluten-free goodness, were also jamming it with junk food and alcohol, new research suggests Getty/iStock Food and drink news Growing list of Vegan celebs Making the switch to veganism is a major lifestyle choice, one that many claim can improve energy levels, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and clear up any skin issues. Beyonce, Natalie Portman and Jessica Chastain are among the growing list of Hollywood stars who have eschewed animal products from their diets in recent years. Theres also been an increasing number of professional athletes who have gone vegan, such as boxing champions Mike Tyson and David Haye, thus debunking the myth that following a plant-based diet will leave you feeling weak and malnourished. AFP/Getty/NARAS/iHeartMedia Food and drink news McDonald's has announced the launch of a new vegan burger on its menu in Germany This will mark the first time the German franchise of the fast food chain has offered a vegan burger to its customers. The Big Vegan TS burger consists of a patty made from soy and wheat. It is served in a classic sesame seed bun, and contains salad, tomato, pickles and red onion. McDonald's Germany Food and drink news Drinking too many protein shakes could lead to an increased risk of obesity and a reduced lifespan, a new study has claimed Researchers from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre carried out an investigation to determine the impact excessive consumption of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) has on the body. BCAA supplements are often consumed in the form of powder, which is then added to water to make a shake. Published in journal Nature Metabolism, the study found that while BCAAs help to build muscle, they can also negatively impact an individual's temperament, cause weight gain and lead to a shortened lifespan Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Britain consumes more chocolate than any other country Most people love chocolate but it turns out no one does more than the Brits  with the average Brit found to have consumed 8.4 kg of chocolate in 2017, according to new data. Chocolate consumption around the world is on the rise, according to Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), which found that in the past year alone, Easter chocolate production has risen by 23 per cent Food and drink news 'Easter eggs should be banned for children under four' Dr Becky Spelman, chief psychologist at Harley Streets Private Therapy Clinic, is calling for Easter eggs to be banned for consumption for children under the age of four, claiming that giving them the opportunity to binge on chocolate so young will give them an unhealthy relationship with food later on. "This is a nightmare situation for parents of this generation as they have no idea how to teach their children to delay their response to cravings, she said, explaining that too many young kids binge on these chocolates because their parents dont know how to stop them. "Once a child starts overeating behaviour at a young age its very hard to turn things around for them in terms of food and their eating habits moving forward, leading to obesity from at very young age," she added PA Food and drink news Pineapple overtakes avocado as the UK's fastest-selling fruit According to Tesco, pineapple has overtaken avocado as the UKs fastest-selling fruit, with sales increasing by 15 per cent in 2017. In comparison, avocado sales rose by just under 10 per cent last year. The popular supermarket says the surge in popularity comes as shoppers buying the versatile fruit are beginning to use it as a main ingredient in everything from curries and barbecues, to juices and cocktails Getty Food and drink news Marks & Spencers launches stoneless avocados Rather than the result of genetic modification, the avocados are formed by an unpollinated avocado blossom. The fruit develops without a seed which in turns stops the growth, creating a small, seedless fruit. Whats more, the skin is actually edible, unlike a regular avocado. The flesh is much like that of a normal avocado - smooth and creamy, pale in colour and rich in flavour M&S Food and drink news Office teabags contain 17 times more germs than a toilet seat, reveals study The average bacterial reading of an office teabag was 3,785, in comparison to only 220 for a toilet seat. Other pieces of kitchen equipment also stacked up highly in their findings, with the bacterial readings averaging at 2,483 on kettle handles, 1,746 on the rim of a used mug and 1,592 on a fridge door handle Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New study shows drinking more coffee leads to a longer life There is good news and a final hope for coffee addicts and lovers. You will now be able to drink coffee for longer as new study shows its can lead to a prolonged life. Scientists showed that those who drank between two and four cups of coffee a day had 18% lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers. PA Food and drink news Coke Zero is replaced with Coke Zero Sugar Coca-Cola is pulling the plug on its Coke Zero. The much loved drink will be replaced with a new improved taste. The move, backed with a 10 million campaign, is said to come from Coca-Cola supporting people to reduce their sugar intake. Coca-Cola want people make this move while not sacrificing sugary taste of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola Food and drink news Starbucks introduce new avocado spread The avocado craze has grown from hipster brunch restaurants to Starbucks. Starbucks have introduced their new avocado spread earlier this year and it has the internet in debate. Some argue that it not a spread but guacamole while others question if there is any avocado in there at all. When buying the new spread you can also buy an optional toasted bagel. It is a must try for all avocado connoisseurs. Starbucks Food and drink news New Mars chocolate bar The iconic British chocolate bar is about to get its partner in crime. The new bar, named Goodness Knows, will replace the gooey caramel goodness of the mars bar with oats. It is said to be more like a Florentine biscuit with a thin dark chocolate bottom. While being moderately healthy Mars says that is has good intentions. One pack has 154 calories and will sell for about 90p. Mars Food and drink news Wine prices could increase because of Brexit Wine lovers across the UK might soon have to shell out close to a quarter more for their favourite tipple after Brexit, as a weaker pound and sluggish economy takes its toll, a new study shows Rex Food and drink news Chocolate may be good for the heart A new study, published in the British Medical Journal: Heart, found that moderate chocolate intake can be positively associated with lessening the risk of the heart arrhythmia condition Atrial Fibrillation Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Brits throw away 1.4 million bananas each year British families are throwing away 1.4 million bananas that are perfectly good to eat every day at cost of 80m a year, new figures have shown PA/Armin Weigel Food and drink news Rosemary sales spike over exam time There has been a surge a surge in sales of the herb rosemary after a recent study found it helps improve memory. According to high street health food chain Holland & Barrett, sales of the herb have increased by 187 per cent compared to the same time last year Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Gluten-free diets 'not recommended' for people without coeliac disease Avoiding wheat, barley and rye in the belief that a gluten-free diet brings health benefits may do more harm than good, according to a team of US nutrition and medicine experts Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Starbucks launches two new coffee-based drinks Starbucks is launching two new coffee-based drinks in the UK, as it strives to tap into consumers growing appetite for healthy beverages. The Cold Brew Vanilla sweet cream and the Cappuccino Freddo, will both be available in stores throughout the UK from the start of May Twitter/@SbuxCountyHall Food and drink news Cadburys Dairy Milk Tiffin is making a permanent comeback after 80 years The Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin, first produced in 1937, is making a permanent comeback to the UK. The raisin and biscuit-filled chocolate bar is being launched after a successful trial last summer saw 3 million chocolate treats  at the cost of 1.49 for each 95g bar- purchased by nostalgic customers Cadburys Food and drink news Pizza restaurant makes worlds cheesiest 'Scottie's Pizza Parlor' in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Facebook/Scottie's Pizza Parlor Food and drink news A pizza joint in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Why not eating before a workout could be better for your health A study published in the American Journal of Physiology by researchers at the University of Bath found you might be likely to burn more fat if you have not eaten first Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New York restaurant named best in the world A New York restaurant where an average meal for two will cost $700 has been named the best in the world. Eleven Madison Park won the accolade for the first time after debuting on the list at number 50 in 2010. The restaurant was praised for a fun sense of fine-dining, blurring the line between the kitchen and the dining room Getty Images Food and drink news Why you crave bad food when youre tired Researchers at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago recently presented their results of a study looking into the effects of sleep deprivation upon high-calorific food consumption. Researchers found that those who were sleep-deprived had specifically enhanced brain activity to the food smells compared to when they had a good nights sleep Shutterstock Food and drink news Drinking wine engages more of your brain than solving maths problems Drinking wine is the ideal workout for your brain, engaging more parts of our grey matter than any other human behaviour, according to a leading neuroscientist. Dr Gordon Shepherd, from the Yale School of Medicine, said sniffing and analysing a wine before drinking it requires exquisite control of one of the biggest muscles in the body Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news British dessert eating surges after people ditch healthy eating in February : In heartening news for anyone feeling guilty about quitting their New Year diet, it seems lots of us have given in to our sweet tooths once again. New data from nationwide food-delivery service Deliveroo reveals there was a surge in Brits ordering desserts in February compared to the first month of 2017 Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news US congress debates definition of milk alternatives A new bill has been created that seeks to ban dairy alternatives from using the term milk. Titled the DAIRY PRIDE Act, the name is a tenuous acronym for defending against imitations and replacements of yogurt, milk, and cheese to promote regular intake of dairy every day. It argues that the dairy industry is struggling as a result of all the dairy-free alternatives on the market and the public are being duped too Getty Images Food and drink news Cadburys launches two new chocolate bars UK confectionary giant Cadbury has launched two new chocolate bars, hoping to lure those with a sweet tooth and perhaps help combat some of the challenges it faces from rising commodity prices and a post-Brexit slump in the value of the pound.The companys new products will be peanut butter and mint flavoured. They will be available in most major super markets as 120g bars, priced at 1.49, according to the company Cadburys Food and drink news You can now get a job as a professional chocolate eater The company responsible for some of your favourite chocolate brands  think Cadbury, Milks, Prince and Oreo  have officially announced an opening to join their team as a professional chocolate taster. The successful candidate will help them to test, perfect and launch new products all over the world. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news MSG additive used in Chinese food is actually good for you, scientist claims For years, weve been told MSG (the sodium salt of glutamic acid) - often associated with cheap Chinese takeaways - is awful for our health and to be avoided at all costs. But one scientist argues it should be used as a supersalt and encourages adding it to food. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Lettuce prices are rising Not only are lettuces becoming an increasingly rare commodity in supermarkets, but prices for the leafy vegetables seem to be rising too. According to the weekly report from the Governments Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a pair of Little Gem lettuces had an average market price of 0.86 in the week that ended on Friday, up from an average of 0.56 in the previous week  thats an almost 54 per cent increase. Getty Images Food and drink news Do-It-Yourself restaurant To encourage more people to cook and eat together, IKEA has launched The Dining Club in Shoreditch  a fully immersive Do-It-Yourself restaurant . Members of the public can book to host a brunch, lunch or dinner party for up to 20 friends and family. Supported by their very own sous chef and maitre de, the host and their guests will orchestrate an intimate dining experience where cooking together is celebrated and eating together is inspirational Mikael Buck / IKEA Food and drink news Ping Pong menu with a twist Gatwick Airport has teamed up with London dim sum restaurant Ping Pong to create a limited edition menu with a distinctly British twist; including a Full English Bao and Beef Wellington Puff, to celebrate the launch of the airports new route to Hong Kong Food and drink news Zizzi unveil the Maamgharita Unique pizza art has been created by Zizzi in celebration of the Queens 90th birthday. The pizza features the queen in an iconic pose illustrated with fresh and tasty Italian ingredients on a backdrop of the Union Jack Food and drink news Blue potatoes make a comeback Blue potatoes, once a staple part of British potato crops, are back on the menu thanks to a Cambridge scientist turned-organic farmer and Farmdrop, an online marketplace that lets people buy direct from local farms. Cambridge PhD graduate-turned farmer, Adrian Izzard has used traditional growing techniques at Wild Country Organics to produce the colourful spuds, packed with healthy cell-protecting anthocyanin, which had previously disappeared from UK plates when post-war farmers were pushed towards higher-yielding varieties

As beautifully presented as it was delicious, Firedog is the perfect spot for the eternally indecisive diner. Mezze to share, with coffee, costs just under 50 for two.

Firedog, 92 Newman Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3EZ

Brunching in...

Baked pecan brioche French toast

In France they actually call French toast pain perdu (lost bread) and make it using stale, leftover bread. Well, we thought that sounded a bit sad so weve opted for brioche to help give this breakfast an added je ne sais quoi.

Serves 4

35 min, plus 12 hours of soaking

1 loaf of brioche, sliced fairly thickly

200g pecan butter, plus extra to serve

4 eggs

55g caster sugar

500ml almond milk

100g fresh blueberries, plus extra to serve

Icing sugar, for dusting

To serve:

Maple syrup

Natural yoghurt

Recommended How to prepare a butternut squash

The day before, spread one side of each brioche slice with pecan butter and arrange the slices in overlapping layers in a shallow ovenproof dish, with the nut butter sides facing down. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, caster sugar and almond milk until combined, then pour evenly over the brioche. Dot the blueberries all over the surface, cover the dish with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 175C/350F/ gas mark 4. Remove the cling film from the dish, place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed up, and no more liquid remains. Leave to cool a little to avoid burnt tongues, then dust with icing sugar. Serve with maple syrup, a spoonful of yoghurt, some more blueberries and pecan butter.

Pip & Nut: The Nut Butter Cookbook by Pippa Murray (Quadrille, 15), photography by Adrian Lawrence
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British restaurant delivery app Deliveroo celebrates catering to lazy foodies for four years this week. Chief executive Will Shu made his very first delivery in London on 18 February 2013.

The idea for the company was born out of Mr Shus experience of working long hours on Wall Street in the 2000s, where he said he relied on comfort food deliveries. Once transferred to London, getting food delivered at all hours of the day proved difficult and Mr Shu spotted a niche in the market.

Recommended The unwritten rules of your food delivery apps

Four years on, Deliveroo, which allows customers to order food from over 20,000 restaurants, this week said its worldwide sales grew by a staggering 650 per cent in 2016.

Here are 5 facts that you may not know about the fast food app:

1) How big is Deliveroo?

Deliveroo couriers say Emmanuel Macron's new labour laws will impact food delivery couriers with more job insecurity (Getty)

The company employs more than 1,000 full-time staff and works with over 20,000 restaurants in 130 cities around the world.

It partners with more than 8,000 restaurants in the UK, from large chains such as Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Wagamama, to small, independent outlets such as Tommis Burger Joint and The Secret Pizza Company.

2) CEO Mr Shu once upon a time did the deliveries himself

(Getty Images)

Mr Shu said that he delivered food himself nearly every day for the first 10 months of the companys history.

In an interview with Business Insider he said: I still do it on the weekends. Not every week, but I do it for fitness and because its fun.

3) Breakfast is getting popular

Deliveroo data shows that there has been a 15 per cent increase in people ordering breakfast during weekends in 2017, compared to weekends in 2016.

4) How much cycling is involved?

Couriers and other workers in the gig economy have been fighting for employment rights. (Getty)

Deliveroo riders have become part of Londons cityscape and have accumulated an impressive numbers of miles.

They collectively cycled around the world about 855 times in 2016, according to the company.

Food and drink news Show all 35 1 /35 Food and drink news Food and drink news Healthy living makes us more inclined to binge, research suggests Gluten-free breads, dairy-free milks and other plant-based products have been some of the most favoured foods in British supermarkets this year. However, while were busy filling our shopping trolleys with gluten-free goodness, were also jamming it with junk food and alcohol, new research suggests Getty/iStock Food and drink news Growing list of Vegan celebs Making the switch to veganism is a major lifestyle choice, one that many claim can improve energy levels, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and clear up any skin issues. Beyonce, Natalie Portman and Jessica Chastain are among the growing list of Hollywood stars who have eschewed animal products from their diets in recent years. Theres also been an increasing number of professional athletes who have gone vegan, such as boxing champions Mike Tyson and David Haye, thus debunking the myth that following a plant-based diet will leave you feeling weak and malnourished. AFP/Getty/NARAS/iHeartMedia Food and drink news McDonald's has announced the launch of a new vegan burger on its menu in Germany This will mark the first time the German franchise of the fast food chain has offered a vegan burger to its customers. The Big Vegan TS burger consists of a patty made from soy and wheat. It is served in a classic sesame seed bun, and contains salad, tomato, pickles and red onion. McDonald's Germany Food and drink news Drinking too many protein shakes could lead to an increased risk of obesity and a reduced lifespan, a new study has claimed Researchers from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre carried out an investigation to determine the impact excessive consumption of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) has on the body. BCAA supplements are often consumed in the form of powder, which is then added to water to make a shake. Published in journal Nature Metabolism, the study found that while BCAAs help to build muscle, they can also negatively impact an individual's temperament, cause weight gain and lead to a shortened lifespan Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Britain consumes more chocolate than any other country Most people love chocolate but it turns out no one does more than the Brits  with the average Brit found to have consumed 8.4 kg of chocolate in 2017, according to new data. Chocolate consumption around the world is on the rise, according to Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), which found that in the past year alone, Easter chocolate production has risen by 23 per cent Food and drink news 'Easter eggs should be banned for children under four' Dr Becky Spelman, chief psychologist at Harley Streets Private Therapy Clinic, is calling for Easter eggs to be banned for consumption for children under the age of four, claiming that giving them the opportunity to binge on chocolate so young will give them an unhealthy relationship with food later on. "This is a nightmare situation for parents of this generation as they have no idea how to teach their children to delay their response to cravings, she said, explaining that too many young kids binge on these chocolates because their parents dont know how to stop them. "Once a child starts overeating behaviour at a young age its very hard to turn things around for them in terms of food and their eating habits moving forward, leading to obesity from at very young age," she added PA Food and drink news Pineapple overtakes avocado as the UK's fastest-selling fruit According to Tesco, pineapple has overtaken avocado as the UKs fastest-selling fruit, with sales increasing by 15 per cent in 2017. In comparison, avocado sales rose by just under 10 per cent last year. The popular supermarket says the surge in popularity comes as shoppers buying the versatile fruit are beginning to use it as a main ingredient in everything from curries and barbecues, to juices and cocktails Getty Food and drink news Marks & Spencers launches stoneless avocados Rather than the result of genetic modification, the avocados are formed by an unpollinated avocado blossom. The fruit develops without a seed which in turns stops the growth, creating a small, seedless fruit. Whats more, the skin is actually edible, unlike a regular avocado. The flesh is much like that of a normal avocado - smooth and creamy, pale in colour and rich in flavour M&S Food and drink news Office teabags contain 17 times more germs than a toilet seat, reveals study The average bacterial reading of an office teabag was 3,785, in comparison to only 220 for a toilet seat. Other pieces of kitchen equipment also stacked up highly in their findings, with the bacterial readings averaging at 2,483 on kettle handles, 1,746 on the rim of a used mug and 1,592 on a fridge door handle Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New study shows drinking more coffee leads to a longer life There is good news and a final hope for coffee addicts and lovers. You will now be able to drink coffee for longer as new study shows its can lead to a prolonged life. Scientists showed that those who drank between two and four cups of coffee a day had 18% lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers. PA Food and drink news Coke Zero is replaced with Coke Zero Sugar Coca-Cola is pulling the plug on its Coke Zero. The much loved drink will be replaced with a new improved taste. The move, backed with a 10 million campaign, is said to come from Coca-Cola supporting people to reduce their sugar intake. Coca-Cola want people make this move while not sacrificing sugary taste of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola Food and drink news Starbucks introduce new avocado spread The avocado craze has grown from hipster brunch restaurants to Starbucks. Starbucks have introduced their new avocado spread earlier this year and it has the internet in debate. Some argue that it not a spread but guacamole while others question if there is any avocado in there at all. When buying the new spread you can also buy an optional toasted bagel. It is a must try for all avocado connoisseurs. Starbucks Food and drink news New Mars chocolate bar The iconic British chocolate bar is about to get its partner in crime. The new bar, named Goodness Knows, will replace the gooey caramel goodness of the mars bar with oats. It is said to be more like a Florentine biscuit with a thin dark chocolate bottom. While being moderately healthy Mars says that is has good intentions. One pack has 154 calories and will sell for about 90p. Mars Food and drink news Wine prices could increase because of Brexit Wine lovers across the UK might soon have to shell out close to a quarter more for their favourite tipple after Brexit, as a weaker pound and sluggish economy takes its toll, a new study shows Rex Food and drink news Chocolate may be good for the heart A new study, published in the British Medical Journal: Heart, found that moderate chocolate intake can be positively associated with lessening the risk of the heart arrhythmia condition Atrial Fibrillation Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Brits throw away 1.4 million bananas each year British families are throwing away 1.4 million bananas that are perfectly good to eat every day at cost of 80m a year, new figures have shown PA/Armin Weigel Food and drink news Rosemary sales spike over exam time There has been a surge a surge in sales of the herb rosemary after a recent study found it helps improve memory. According to high street health food chain Holland & Barrett, sales of the herb have increased by 187 per cent compared to the same time last year Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Gluten-free diets 'not recommended' for people without coeliac disease Avoiding wheat, barley and rye in the belief that a gluten-free diet brings health benefits may do more harm than good, according to a team of US nutrition and medicine experts Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Starbucks launches two new coffee-based drinks Starbucks is launching two new coffee-based drinks in the UK, as it strives to tap into consumers growing appetite for healthy beverages. The Cold Brew Vanilla sweet cream and the Cappuccino Freddo, will both be available in stores throughout the UK from the start of May Twitter/@SbuxCountyHall Food and drink news Cadburys Dairy Milk Tiffin is making a permanent comeback after 80 years The Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin, first produced in 1937, is making a permanent comeback to the UK. The raisin and biscuit-filled chocolate bar is being launched after a successful trial last summer saw 3 million chocolate treats  at the cost of 1.49 for each 95g bar- purchased by nostalgic customers Cadburys Food and drink news Pizza restaurant makes worlds cheesiest 'Scottie's Pizza Parlor' in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Facebook/Scottie's Pizza Parlor Food and drink news A pizza joint in Portland Oregon has created the worlds cheesiest pizza using a total of 101 different cheese varieties. Why not eating before a workout could be better for your health A study published in the American Journal of Physiology by researchers at the University of Bath found you might be likely to burn more fat if you have not eaten first Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news New York restaurant named best in the world A New York restaurant where an average meal for two will cost $700 has been named the best in the world. Eleven Madison Park won the accolade for the first time after debuting on the list at number 50 in 2010. The restaurant was praised for a fun sense of fine-dining, blurring the line between the kitchen and the dining room Getty Images Food and drink news Why you crave bad food when youre tired Researchers at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago recently presented their results of a study looking into the effects of sleep deprivation upon high-calorific food consumption. Researchers found that those who were sleep-deprived had specifically enhanced brain activity to the food smells compared to when they had a good nights sleep Shutterstock Food and drink news Drinking wine engages more of your brain than solving maths problems Drinking wine is the ideal workout for your brain, engaging more parts of our grey matter than any other human behaviour, according to a leading neuroscientist. Dr Gordon Shepherd, from the Yale School of Medicine, said sniffing and analysing a wine before drinking it requires exquisite control of one of the biggest muscles in the body Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news British dessert eating surges after people ditch healthy eating in February : In heartening news for anyone feeling guilty about quitting their New Year diet, it seems lots of us have given in to our sweet tooths once again. New data from nationwide food-delivery service Deliveroo reveals there was a surge in Brits ordering desserts in February compared to the first month of 2017 Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news US congress debates definition of milk alternatives A new bill has been created that seeks to ban dairy alternatives from using the term milk. Titled the DAIRY PRIDE Act, the name is a tenuous acronym for defending against imitations and replacements of yogurt, milk, and cheese to promote regular intake of dairy every day. It argues that the dairy industry is struggling as a result of all the dairy-free alternatives on the market and the public are being duped too Getty Images Food and drink news Cadburys launches two new chocolate bars UK confectionary giant Cadbury has launched two new chocolate bars, hoping to lure those with a sweet tooth and perhaps help combat some of the challenges it faces from rising commodity prices and a post-Brexit slump in the value of the pound.The companys new products will be peanut butter and mint flavoured. They will be available in most major super markets as 120g bars, priced at 1.49, according to the company Cadburys Food and drink news You can now get a job as a professional chocolate eater The company responsible for some of your favourite chocolate brands  think Cadbury, Milks, Prince and Oreo  have officially announced an opening to join their team as a professional chocolate taster. The successful candidate will help them to test, perfect and launch new products all over the world. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news MSG additive used in Chinese food is actually good for you, scientist claims For years, weve been told MSG (the sodium salt of glutamic acid) - often associated with cheap Chinese takeaways - is awful for our health and to be avoided at all costs. But one scientist argues it should be used as a supersalt and encourages adding it to food. Getty Images/iStockphoto Food and drink news Lettuce prices are rising Not only are lettuces becoming an increasingly rare commodity in supermarkets, but prices for the leafy vegetables seem to be rising too. According to the weekly report from the Governments Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a pair of Little Gem lettuces had an average market price of 0.86 in the week that ended on Friday, up from an average of 0.56 in the previous week  thats an almost 54 per cent increase. Getty Images Food and drink news Do-It-Yourself restaurant To encourage more people to cook and eat together, IKEA has launched The Dining Club in Shoreditch  a fully immersive Do-It-Yourself restaurant . Members of the public can book to host a brunch, lunch or dinner party for up to 20 friends and family. Supported by their very own sous chef and maitre de, the host and their guests will orchestrate an intimate dining experience where cooking together is celebrated and eating together is inspirational Mikael Buck / IKEA Food and drink news Ping Pong menu with a twist Gatwick Airport has teamed up with London dim sum restaurant Ping Pong to create a limited edition menu with a distinctly British twist; including a Full English Bao and Beef Wellington Puff, to celebrate the launch of the airports new route to Hong Kong Food and drink news Zizzi unveil the Maamgharita Unique pizza art has been created by Zizzi in celebration of the Queens 90th birthday. The pizza features the queen in an iconic pose illustrated with fresh and tasty Italian ingredients on a backdrop of the Union Jack Food and drink news Blue potatoes make a comeback Blue potatoes, once a staple part of British potato crops, are back on the menu thanks to a Cambridge scientist turned-organic farmer and Farmdrop, an online marketplace that lets people buy direct from local farms. Cambridge PhD graduate-turned farmer, Adrian Izzard has used traditional growing techniques at Wild Country Organics to produce the colourful spuds, packed with healthy cell-protecting anthocyanin, which had previously disappeared from UK plates when post-war farmers were pushed towards higher-yielding varieties



5) Whats the other side of the story?

Deliveroo workers will take the company to court, said the IWGB, if it imposes the new contract (PA)

Deliveroo has received criticism for being part of the gig economy where drivers get paid the minimum wage and receive no benefits.

Earlier this year, hundreds of riders for Deliveroo staged protests over changes that they fear could mean lower wages.

It comes after two drivers for Uber won a tribunal case last year in which they argued they were workers not contractors.

Deliveroo said it was committed to providing great opportunities.
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Scientists have demonstrated proof of principle that traumatic memories can be erased from the brain  as seen in the science fiction film Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.

Studies in mice demonstrated that fearful memories prompted by a sound associated with an electric shock could be turned off and on.

The researchers said attempting to do this in humans was full of ethical problems and was some way off.

But their studies suggest it will be possible at some point in the future, for example to treat people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or drug addiction.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, Professor Sheena Josselyn said they had been able to discover the specific brain cells where a particular memory was stored.

So we can target where in the brain a memory has gone, she said.

We can then decrease the activity in these cells  And it is as if we erase the memory.

After this was done, the mice were unperturbed when they heard the sound they had previously learned to associate with the shock.

Syrian refugee children learn to cope with trauma

Increasing the cells activity restored the memory of the shock  enough to be unpleasant but not to cause lasting harm  to the mice.

We can turn memory on and turn memory off, Professor Josselyn said.

It really does give us proof of principle. If theres a memory problem, we dont have to target the entire body or the entire brain.

Professor Josselyn, of Toronto University, said it was possible that in the future scientists could develop a heat-seeking missile or a heat-seeking drug that would somehow operate on just the cells important for this memory.

We can erase a fearful memory in mice, suggesting in people there might be a way of targeting just those cells that are important in just this traumatic memory, perhaps getting rid of this traumatic memory.

The spotless mind, interjected Professor Howard Eichenbaum, director of the Centre for Memory and Brain at Michigan University, who was taking part in the same briefing to the press at the meeting.

In the film, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, an estranged couple erase memories of each other after breaking up, but things do not go quite to plan.

Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests  but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty

Professor Eichenbaum cautioned that there were a limited number of brain cells involved in such memories and killing off one memory might damage others.

But he added: If this memory was particularly severe and was destroying your life, that might be a reasonable compromise.

Asked about the ethical considerations, Professor Josselyn said being able to target the potential treatment was a key issue, adding that she did not see a future in which brain cells would be killed off to remove memories.

The ethics are a really important question. I think we are the sum total of our memories, she said.

We all learn from our mistakes. If we erase the memory of our mistakes, what is to keep us from repeating them?

Recommended Scientists discover hard evidence to explain why we sleep

But she added: For something that really interferes with your everyday life, I think a treatment that targets just those cells could be appropriate.

In addition to removing fearful memories, the researchers have been able to get rid of memories associated with taking cocaine among the mice, suggesting this could lead to new ways of treating drug addicts.

Memories are stored in what is known as an engram, which consists of brain cells that fire in a particular pattern.

When something happens, the brain cells, or neurons, compete against each other to store the memory.

Professor Josselyn said: We showed that if two related events occur in a small time window  six hours  then the same neurons win the competition for allocation to both engrams.

This links the two related memories. If, on the other hand, two events occur more than six hours apart, non-overlapping populations of neurons are recruited and the memories are kept separate.

Our results suggest that this neuronal competition during memory formation is a mechanism that links or disambiguates related emotional memories.
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Human beings have a hidden, implicit bias against those who appear to be different that makes them prone to fearing large black men, thinking maths is a male subject or holding a number of other culturally defined prejudices, academics have said.

However, by recognising the problem and taking steps to address it, society can be transformed dramatically for the better.

For example, Georgia State University has been able to completely eliminate the gaps in academic performance based on race, ethnicity and poverty  attracting attention from academic institutions in South Africa, where the legacy of apartheid still resonates.

An online test has even been developed by Harvard University to enable people to discover just how implicitly biased they are.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, Professor Lydia Villa-Komaroff said the human mind was a marvellous machine.

But to make up for its limitations the brain had developed a number of shortcuts which could produce a cognitive illusion of knowledge which she described as a little bit like an optical illusion.

Many people, Professor Villa-Komaroff said, objected to the idea they might have any kind of implicit bias because they think it means they are prejudiced in some way.

But she said: Those shortcuts are used by all human beings. Implicit bias is not something limited to one sector of the population.

It is a human thing, all of us are subject to implicit bias that arises because of our evolutionary and cultural history.

So its not just a white man or woman who will associate a large black man with possible danger, a black man and a black woman will have that same reaction  in the American culture.

All of us, men and women alike, will tend to think that the man we see is going to be better at math than the woman that we see.

The shortcut to fear or distrust difference evolved because we grew up among lions and tigers and bears and people who wanted our property.

We are prone to think that, because of our necessity to survive, anything thats different might be threatening and that remains part of the human condition. So we tend to think of differentness as possibly dangerous.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

However, the situation is far from hopeless.

Professor Villa-Komaroff said: If we generally recognise this, we can actually ameliorate it. Human beings are very good at compensating for our weaknesses.

She said there had been a realisation within the education community that the US had not been utilising all the talent available to the country, but progress had been slow despite a lot of good efforts and well-meaning efforts.

However at Georgia State University academics appear to have discovered a way to eradicate differences in performance based on an individuals background.

Dr Timothy Renick, a vice-president at the university, said there had been an institutional bias against ethnic minorities from poorer families even if it had appeared to be a level-playing field.

This was because they tended not to have the same support network as wealthier students, which could help them from making mistakes like picking the wrong course, that might ultimately lead them to drop out.

Georgia State, which teaches 30,000 students, introduced an early warning system to flag up when students were having problems and arrange a meeting with an adviser. In the last 12 months, there had been 52,000 such meetings.

The results were remarkable.

The number of students graduating from the university rose by 30 per cent in four years.

The number of black men getting a degree in science, technology, engineering and maths increased by 100 per cent. Among Hispanic students, there was a 200 per cent rise.

Dr Renick said they were now carrying out a scientific study at 11 different academic institutions in the US to see if this early warning system could help other students.

The results have also attracted interest from universities in South Africa, where there are significant gaps in academic performance between black and white.
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Salmonella, the common food poisoning bug, can help fight cancer, according to scientists.

The bacteria can infiltrate tumours and allow the bodys immune system to target cancer cells.

Cancers are often left alone by the immune system because they are not seen as foreign to the body.

A strain of the bug has been engineered by researchers in South Korea and is a million times less potent than the version of the bug that causes food poisoning.

Animal tests have proven successful thus far and in mice with bowel cancer, more than half the creatures were cured without side effects.

The study was carried out at Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital in Jeonnam, South Korea.

Professor Joon Haeng Rhee from the University said: We believe that this was turning tumour-helping immune cells, Dr Jekyll, into tumour-killing ones, Mr Hyde.

This is the first time scientists have used the bodys response to salmonella to fight cancer.

The discovery was made from an unrelated study when it was uncovered that bacteria attacking shellfish produced a protein that triggers a strong immune response.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

The modified salmonella releases the same protein to spur the immune system into action.

Professor Kevin Harrington, from the Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: It has been known for some time that certain types of bacteria, including strains of salmonella, are able to grow in tumours but not in normal tissues.

However, until now, attempts to use bacteria as anti-cancer therapies have had limited success, both in the laboratory and in the clinic.

Press Association contributed to this report
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A leaflet accusing Christians who voted to remain in the EU of committing spiritual treason against almighty God and his kingdom has been shared at the Ukip party conference.

Produced by a group calling itself Christian Soldiers, its logo depicts a sword laid over a shield with a cross on it.

Shield of faith, sword of truth, it reads underneath.

A separate piece of text adds: Bible believing Christians who support Britains membership of the European Union (EU) are committing spiritual treason against the almighty God and his kingdom.

The dark, central aim of the EU project is to abolish our Christian nation state, our nationhood and the ancient laws and freedoms bestowed on us by God.

The illustrated sheet goes on to say that blind acceptance of the EU project is itself a pseudo-religious faith.

It adds that the EU project was built on Nazi ideology in 1942 and was put into place in case Germany and the Third Reich lost the war.

The leaflet was not produced or officially sanctioned by the party, but it was distributed at Ukips national Spring party conference at the Macron Stadium in Bolton.

A spokeswoman for the Christian Soldiers told The Independent: Nigel Farage gave us 100 per cent support and we are part of Ukip."

She added: Its a little fellowship for the Christian members of Ukip and there are a lot of Christians in Ukip. It is for those who believe in the holy Bible and take it literally. It doesnt do any harm and follows the teaching of Jesus to love one another but most of all to love God.

However, two years ago Ukip said it was distancing itself from the group after it distributed a homophobic newsletter which suggested that gay people could be converted from a state of vice.

At the time, a Ukip spokesman said the group was authorised but not official and that he newsletter was not of an acceptable standard to be associated with the Ukip brand.

But the Christian Soldier's spokeswoman told The Independent that at an annual general meeting of the party, the question was asked whether to cut ties with Christian Soldiers, the confident support of members towards Christian Soldiers was very clear.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

At this year's conference, the group reportedly organised an event at the party conference on the theme: Is Trump Right.

During the event, the speaker, who is believed to be a retired vicar, explained why Donald Trump is right to be a climate sceptic because carbon dioxide is good for us, Buzzfeed reporter Jim Waterson tweeted.

Rev Philip Foster, a patron of the Christian Soldiers and a long-term climate denier, was also reported to be at the conference.

The leaflet also accuses the EU of having chained young Christians, with chains forged in the fiendish fires of subversion by British Quislings and Traitors.

Asked to comment on the matter, a Ukip spokesman told The Independent that Ukip is a broad church. This group, like others, is entitled to its view  after all in Gods house there are many rooms.
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Ministers have been accused of sending desperate jobless and disabled people to food banks by stalling on a promised reform to cut the huge number of benefit sanctions.

A yellow card system, which gives claimants 14 days to challenge a decision to dock their benefits rather than imposing the punishment immediately, was pledged way back in October 2015.

A trial in parts of Scotland led to almost 500 people successfully explaining why they did not deserve the punishment after being accused of failing to meet commitments to actively look for work.

Yet the Department for Work and Pensions has refused to commit to introducing the early warning system across the country, insisting more research is needed.

Now Frank Field, the chairman of the Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee, has criticised the department for dragging its heels on a badly-needed change.

Mr Field said: The department has yet to act on one crucial finding which has already emerged from its interim evaluation work.

If the yellow card were to be applied in every job centre in Britain, thousands of vulnerable people could avoid wrongly having their income snatched away from them.

This alone could trigger a sizeable reduction in the numbers of people seeking help from food banks.

The harsh system of benefit sanctions has been fiercely criticised for plunging claimants into hardship and depression, often on flimsy evidence of wrongdoing  and with little proof that they work.

The National Audit Office, in a damning report last autumn, castigated the DWP for failing to monitor people whose benefits had been docked and suggested the system cost more money than it saved.

Mr Field highlighted two recent constituency cases to illustrate the desperate need for the yellow card system, which saw:

* A claimant sanctioned after suffering a seizure at a training session. The person was taken to hospital in an ambulance and kept in for three days  causing them to miss a job centre appointment.

* A claimant forced to rely on a food bank after being sanctioned because they missed a job centre appointment the person insisted they were not told about. The DWP failed to produce the letter allegedly sent.

The Labour MP welcomed the evaluation but suggested that, at the very least, the trial should be extended to one or two other areas while it was completed.

An interim evaluation of the trial in three Scottish districts was quietly released by the DWP just a few days before Christmas, with no publicity.

Over six months, around 6,500 claimants were given a yellow card, of whom 13 per cent provided evidence to challenge their potential sanction.

Of that 13 per cent, 455 then avoided being sanctioned  which means around half of the claimants who provided evidence made a successful challenge.

More than a million people must meet certain conditions, such as showing they are looking for work, to receive jobseekers allowance, employment and support allowance, universal credit and income support.

Typically, benefits are docked for four weeks  which can means a loss of 300 for a claimant over the age of 25  but a sanction can last for three months, or even a year.

The Independent revealed a sharp spike in the number of sanctions applied to disabled people receiving employment and support allowance (ESA) late last year.

In September 2015, the DWP cut ESA benefits as a punishment 988 times, but this soared to 1,545 times in the same month of 2016  a 56 per cent increase.

In a Parliamentary answer, Damian Hinds, the benefits minister, said claimants from the trial in Scotland were being interviewed to gain an understanding of how the new process affected claimant behaviour.

He added: The final report will be published around spring 2017. Findings from the trial will inform any decisions on future roll-out.
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Anti-Brexit campaigners have brought traffic to a crawl on the main road between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

A convoy of protesters staged a noisy motorway go-slow near Dundalk, Co Louth, on Saturday, using lorries and tractors to highlight the impact of predicted customs checks on the local economy.

As fears grow of a hard Brexit, the Irish government has begun contingency work to identify possible locations for checkpoints along the border with Northern Ireland.

The border in the island of Ireland has long been recognised as one of most problematic Brexit issues, with the potential to revive the tensions of the past.

During the Troubles there were only 20 crossings, but there are now thought to be as many as 250 after the peace settlement brought the reopening of huge numbers of roads.

Since the end of the conflict traffic has passed largely unimpeded between the neighbours on what would be the UKs only land border with Europe.

To highlight fears that a hard Brexit may stop such easy border crossings, a trailer-load of sheep going to market and passport-toting residents took part in a theatrical checkpoint staged to highlight the detrimental impact if new customs barriers were imposed.

A rusty Second World War-era bicycle placed alongside a mock customs hut reinforced the message that a hard border was a return to the past which Prime Minister Theresa May has been adamant she wants to avoid.

Traffic was brought to a near-standstill by the protest (Niall Carson/PA Wire ) (Niall Carson/PA Wire)

Local residents on the frontier between north and south said they were caught in the eye of a storm which could have a devastating impact on cross-border relations.

Kitchen maker and demonstration organiser for Border Communities Against Brexit, Declan Fearon, said: We are really in the eye of the storm of Brexit and we intend to make sure that this does not happen.

We never want to see this community going back to what it was before.

Mock border officers from the UK and Ireland wearing traditional greatcoats waved down traffic in front of a stage customs hut.

Horns blared, truck drivers in the queue pretended to pull their hair out and waved pieces of paper supposed to be travel documents.

Lines of people with placards had gathered.

Vintage signs proclaimed Stop: Customs.

(Niall Carson/PA Wire ) (pictures by Niall Carson/PA)

Mr Fearon added: The people here do not want to contemplate the reinstatement of spikes and roads being closed and of customs checkpoints and it looks like that is where we are going.

He said protesters were trying to make their voices heard in Westminster and Dublin.

Theresa May and Brexit Secretary David Davis have pledged no return to the heavily secured border of the past for Northern Ireland.

But Mr Fearon said: It seems as if Theresa May and the British Government have no intention of listening to us.

They would not contemplate any assurances or guarantees that the Good Friday Agreement would not be injured or changed in any way as a result of Brexit.

They dont seem to have any of our interests here along the border at heart and we want to make sure our voices are heard as far and wide as possible.
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A Ukip MEP has been compared to Donald Trump after she cited a police statement to claim hundreds of illegal immigrants are arriving in the UK every week, only for the police force in question to say the statement does not appear to exist.

Jane Collins, Ukips Home Affairs spokeswoman, said during a speech to the partys conference in Bolton that the hundreds of illegal immigrants were not being arrested when they are caught.

When later challenged about the claim, Ms Collins said her comment was a direct quote from Sussex Police.

However, a spokesman for the force told The Independent it had no records of this statement.

He added that the number of illegal immigrants found by police in the region had in fact significantly reduced in recent months, with just three recorded in the last 60 days.

The Ukip MEP told the party conference: There are hundreds of illegal immigrants arriving each week. And when we do catch them we let them go.

Her comment was later tweeted on the Ukip Twitter page and shared dozens of times.

Asking Ms Collins to back up the claims on the social media site, one user tweeted: Dont suppose you could back that statement up with any facts now, could you?

Another simply wrote: FAKE NEWS.

Responding to LBC journalist Chris Hemmings, who posted a tweet pointing out her lack of evidence, Ms Collins wrote: I quoted the statement directly from Sussex Police. Unlucky.

When Mr Hemmings subsequently asked her to provide the evidence, Ms Collins failed to do so.

A Sussex Police spokesman told The Independent the last public statement made by the force about illegal immigrants was in April 2016, when an officer said his unit had stopped 119 people in the previous six months.

The most recent reference I can find about this issue is when Chief Inspector Phil Nicholas, who was then with the roads policing unit, said in an interview with the local daily newspaper The Argus that his officers had stopped 119 illegal immigrants in the past six months, the spokesman said.

This was in April 2016 when there was a significant number of incidents in Sussex and other forces.

He added: A search of logged incidents for the last 60 days up to 18 February shows no reports of illegal immigrants being stopped by road policing officers.

There is one report of two asylum seekers turning up at a supermarket in Chichester on 12 January and another of a man handing himself in at Brighton police station on 11 January.

We certainly have not reported there being hundreds a week, or even a month.

Several hours after claiming her comments were attributable to Sussex Police, Ms Collins shared a Daily Mail on Twitter article along with the words: To those people accusing me of lying in my speech.

The article reported how five Iranian men had been detained on Sussex Beach after crossing the Channel in a dinghy, but did not cite anywhere that there were hundreds of illegal immigrants arriving each week.

Ms Collins has been approached by The Independent for comment.

Tim Farron, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, compared Ms Collins to US president Donald Trump.

Comments like this are just classic Trump tactics. Its nasty and just fans the flames of division. No-one can believe a word Ukip say on anything, Mr Farron told The Independent.

How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Show all 8 1 /8 How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Weetabix Chief executive of Weetabix Giles Turrell has warned that the price of one of the nations favourite breakfast are likely to go up this year by low-single digits in percentage terms. Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Nescafe The cost of a 100g jar of Nescafe Original at Sainsburys has gone up 40p from 2.75 to 3.15  a 14 per cent risesince the Brexit vote. PA How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Freddo When contacted by The Independent this month, a Mondelez spokesperson declined to discuss specific brands but confirmed that there would be "selective" price increases across its range despite the American multi-national confectionery giant reporting profits of $548m (450m) in its last three-month financial period. Mondelez, which bought Cadbury in 2010, said rising commodity costs combined with the slump in the value of the pound had made its products more expensive to make. Cadbury How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Mr Kipling cakes Premier Foods, the maker of Mr Kipling and Bisto gravy, said that it was considering price rises on a case-by-case basis Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Walkers Crisps Walkers, owned by US giant PepsiCo, said "the weakened value of the pound" is affecting the import cost of some of its materials. A Walkers spokesman told the Press Association that a 32g standard bag was set to increase from 50p to 55p, and the larger grab bag from 75p to 80p. Getty How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Marmite Tesco removed Marmite and other Unilever household brand from its website last October, after the manufacturer tried to raise its prices by about 10 per cent owing to sterlings slump. Tesco and Unilever resolved their argument, but the price of Marmite has increased in UK supermarkets with the grocer reporting a 250g jar of Marmite will now cost Morrisons customers 2.64 - an increase of 12.5 per cent. Rex How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Toblerone Toblerone came under fire in November after it increased the space between the distinctive triangles of its bars. Mondelez International, the company which makes the product, said the change was made due to price rises in recent months. Pixabay How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Maltesers Maltesers, billed as the lighter way to enjoy chocolate, have also shrunk in size. Mars, which owns the brand, has reduced its pouch weight by 15 per cent. Mars said rising costs mean it had to make the unenviable decision between increasing its prices or reducing the weight of its Malteser packs. iStockphoto

Liberal Democrat MP John Pugh described the claims as a spurious and shameless, saying: Once again Ukip are making spurious claims in a shameless attempt to spread fear and division.

This is a party that used posters to demonise refugees and now seems to be reading straight from the Trump playbook of lies and exaggeration. It really is the politics of the gutter.

Jane Collins should clarify where exactly she got these figures from and apologise if she can't back them up.

A spokeswoman for Mrs Collins has contacted The Independent to clarify that the reference to a Sussex police report was in connection to an example she had cited in her conference speech concerning five immigrants who had been stopped by the police on entry to the UK, but who had not been taken into custody.

In support of her contention that hundreds of illegal immigrants are arriving in the UK every week, Mrs Collins cites a BBC report from last summer, which found  through freedom of information requests  that more than 27,000 arrests for illegal entry to the UK were made between January 2013 and April 2016.

Mrs Collins argues that if an average of some 165 people were arrested per week, the number evading arrest was (and is) likely to be higher. We are glad to set out Mrs Collins' position.
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Jeremy Corbyn has criticised Tony Blairs call for Britons to rise up to halt Brexit, telling the former Prime Minister to respect the result of the referendum.

The current Labour leader echoed some of his MPs criticism of his predecessors high-profile appeal for the country to think again, saying: Its not helpful.

I would ask those to think about this  the referendum gave a result, gave a very clear decision on this, and we have to respect that decision. Thats why we didn't block Article 50.

Mr Corbyn added: The referendum happened, lets respect the result. Democracy happened, respect the result.

Speaking after addressing Labours local government conference at Warwick University, Mr Corbyn also dismissed Mr Blairs withering criticism that Labour is on its knees under his leadership  explaining the Brexit vote.

He said: I dont quite know what Tony means there. Our party membership has more than doubled, we had a big campaign to remain and reform the European Union.

We are now pursuing a policy which will try and protect jobs and conditions across this country but also maintain a good relationship with colleagues across Europe.

I think it would be helpful if people put their energies in the direction of building those good relations and ensuring we have a viable economy, not some offshore tax haven bargain basement, doing deals with Trumps America.

Mr Corbyn hit back after Mr Blair staged a major speech in London to argue Brexit is not inevitable and criticised the lack of effective opposition because of the debilitation of the Labour Party.

He was also forced on the defensive over the sudden resignation, on Friday, of his campaigns chief Simon Fletcher to pursue other projects and opportunities.

The Independent was told that Mr Fletcher had quit in frustration after clashes with other Corbyn aides over the direction of the party and a lack of clear decision-making.

But Mr Corbyn branded such claims nonsense and said Mr Fletcher would continue working with Labour, despite having stepped down from his official role.

He told reporters: Simon and I are great friends and will remain great friends. We had a good chat last night.

This is a party that is strong, a party that is going places and a party that is challenging this Government.

During his speech, Mr Corbyn claimed people are dying because of the Governments austerity policies, urging voters to use two crunch by-elections next week to send a message to Theresa May.

Ministers were guilty of disgraceful neglect which had led to an emergency in local services including social care.

Voters in Copeland and Stoke-on-Trent Central had the opportunity to demonstrate they have had enough of cuts when they go to the polls on Thursday.

We have a state of emergency in our social care system and the worst crisis in the history of our NHS, Mr Corbyn said.

He highlighted a report in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, which linked the crisis to 30,000 excess deaths in 2015, adding: People are dying because of the choices made by this Government.
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The BBCs Panorama documentary on HMP Northumberland recently put the problem of drug taking in prisons firmly under the spotlight. The terrible harms that psychoactive drugs create for both prisoners and prison officers were laid bare  secretly recorded footage showed prisoners overdosing on drugs, prisoners threatening an officer with a weapon, and one prison officer requiring hospital treatment after breathing in fumes from the psychoactive drug Spice (a synthetic version of cannabis).

Seen through the eyes of an undercover BBC journalist who joined the Prison Service as a prison officer, the chaos and harms of the privately run Sodexo jail were revealed for all to see. Concerns surrounding how psychoactive drugs are getting into prisons (via prison visits, but also prison officer smuggling and drones) are raised by the BBC journalist  who illustrates part of the problem himself by being able to smuggle a camera into the prison to record conversations and events.

It is little surprise that the media coverage following the Panorama programme has focused on the easy availability of drugs in prison and the apparent inability of prison officers to control the supply and their use by prisoners. It has also raised questions about the authorities control over the prison population more broadly.

But it is important that coverage also focuses on the demand for drugs in prisons and the need to reduce the harm of drug taking for all who live or work in them.

Chemical comforts

Drug taking in prison should be considered against two of the most painful harms of imprisonment: the conscious experience of time and the loss of personal autonomy. It is well documented that prison life is both highly regulated and filled with emptiness. Drugs distort time and prisons are all about the wasting and loss of time. Many prisoners attempt to suspend time and find ways to manage life in this meaningless and dehumanising penal abyss.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images 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 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male 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news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images

Drugs, especially cannabis, can be a means of controlling unstructured time by inducing sleep, thus making time consciousness much less evident. Psychoactive drugs, such as Spice, alter perception, mood and can even induce unconsciousness. That psychoactive drugs, including Spice, cause serious damage to health and impact negatively upon behaviour is weighed against the ways in which they ease the pains of confinement for the prisoner.

Taking drugs in prison can provide sanctuary and be a means of self-medication and self-help. Drugs can help mask the harsh realities of penal regimes and ease the consequences of being exposed to low levels of mental and physical stimulation. Prisoners often take drugs to alleviate physical or emotional pain. Drugs can become chemical comforts to deal with loneliness, trauma, isolation or alienation. Its not just about hedonism. Imprisonment is highly stressful and taking drugs can become a crucial coping mechanism to get through hard times and the mundane daily monotony of prison life.

Drug taking should be considered to be a direct consequence of the processes of penal confinement itself and as an important survival strategy for many prisoners. The problem of drug taking in prison is not new but something that has been present in prisons since the 1800s, albeit at that time the concern was around alcohol and tobacco and its relationship with prisoner violence.

Focusing only on supply and lapses in security misses the crucial point that prisons generate on a daily basis enormous demand for drug taking. We need to take the harms of psychoactive drugs seriously  as evidenced in the Panorama programme  but also acknowledge that a harm reduction approach is the most sensible strategy for moving forward.

Recommended Government to enshrine duty to rehabilitate prisoners into law

In fact, we need to acknowledge that the only effective way to reduce drug taking is to radically reduce the size of the prison population itself. About half of the prison population at any time (45,000 people) have regularly taken drugs prior to imprisonment. Promoting non-violent community alternatives to prison time that can meet the needs of people using illicit drugs, such as residential therapeutic communities, would remove from the system a lot of people who currently are needlessly incarcerated for drug offences.

A harm reduction approach would undoubtedly reduce, though not entirely remove, a number of the problems around both drug supply and demand. But it is also essential that there are moral education campaigns that raise awareness about both the harms of taking drugs and the inherent harms of prison itself. Only then will we be able to talk about dealing with drug taking in places of safety.

David Scott senior lecturer criminology, The Open University. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com)
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The "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel-Rahman has died in prison aged 78, according to US officials.

His son, Ammar, said he had been phoned by a US representative to say his father had died in prison in South Carolina.

The Egyptian leader was convicted of bombing the World Trade Center in New York in 1993 and sentenced to life in prison in 1996 at the age of 55.

He was one of six suspects in that car-bomb attack which killed six people and injured about 1,000 others.

The blind cleric was the spiritual leader of Islamic group Al-Gama Al-Islamiyya, which was suspected to be behind attacks such as the 1997 massacre that killed 62 people in Luxor, Egypt.

He also plotted to blow up the Holland Lincoln tunnels as well as other New York landmarks, like the United Nations and the New York headquarters of the FBI.

He was also involved in an assassination bid against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

In the 1990s, he pled not guilty to accusations that he, along with 15 other suspects, had been conspiring to "wage a war of urban terrorism against the United States".

At his sentencing he gave a statement that lasted over an hour and encouraged his followers to stand up to "infidel" America.

"America will go and be withered and this civilization will be destroyed," Abdel-Rahman said. "Nothing will remain. We will not kneel."

"The prosecution wants that we should kneel and be subservient to America and obey America," he added, "but we do not kneel to anyone, except to God."

Five years after he was sent to prison, terrorists from Saudi Arabia came to the US, learnt how to fly planes and bombed the Twin Towers again, killing more than 2,000 people.
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Donald Trumps approval rating a month into his presidency is at a historical low compared to past presidents, according to a new poll.

The US President currently has a 40 per cent job approval rating, the measure used to gauge a leaders public popularity during their time in office.

While most new US leaders enjoy a spike in popularity at the beginning of their term, Mr Trumps rating is 21 points lower than the average 61 per cent, according to the highly respected polling agency, Gallup.

He is also 11 points lower than any other US leader in history for readings taken in mid-February. The poll surveyed 1,527 US citizens.

Bill Clinton had previously held the record low for a president at the end of his first month in office at 51 per cent, however Ronald Reagan was the only other president with approval below 60 per cent at this stage of his presidency.

Mr Trumps initial approval rating upon taking office was also a record low at 45 per cent. He was the first president to take office with less than majority approval.

However, he is not the first leader to see a decline in his ratings during his first month in the White House.

Bill Clinton and Barack Obamas approval also decreased significantly during their first month in office, with Mr Clintons seven-point decrease representing the biggest decline on Gallup record.

John F Kennedy and Jimmy Carter both achieved solid approval ratings above 70 per cent at a similar stage in their presidencies.

45th President has lowest approval rating in history compared with previous presidents one month into their presidency (Gallup)

Mr Trumps plummeting ratings followed a tumultuous first month for his administration.

Many of the former real-estate moguls first actions as 45th President were poorly received, including his controversial executive orders on immigration that temporarily barred visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

The orders were subsequently overturned by the courts leading Mr Trump to launch a series of appeals, which were also defeated.

His national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after it was revealed he attempted to cover up conversations he had with the Russian ambassador, made before he took office, leading to questions over Mr Trumps ties to the Kremlin.

Recommended Donald Trump and the US media are in a fight to the finish

The Republican leaders approval ratings are also low in part due to very few Democrats - eight per cent - believing he is doing a good job.

Democrat support of the President is also at a record low with the previous lowest opposition rating being 24 per cent approval of Mr Clinton among Republicans, and the average being 43 per cent from the opposition party in mid-February after taking office.

Mr Trump is still managing to hold on to Republican support. His approval rating is four points higher than the 83 per cent average for previous presidents one month into their presidency, despite his overall approval among Republicans falling three points since his inauguration.

If Mr Trump loses one more point from his job approval rating, he will join Mr Clinton as the second president in history to fall below 40 per cent approval during his first year in office.
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Donald Trump often rails against violence in Chicago, but has stubbornly ignored crime in cities much closer to his Florida Mar-a-Lago estate.

At his first solo press conference since he took office, the President mentioned Chicago multiple times, describing it as "living in hell", to justify investing more authority in the police and raising minimum prison sentences.

"Theres one Chicago thats incredible, luxurious and all  and safe. Theres another Chicago thats worse than almost any of the places in the Middle East that we talk, and that you talk about, every night on the newscasts," he said.

"So, were going to do a lot of work on the inner cities."

Much closer to his gated "winter White House" in Florida is West Palm Beach, which had a violent crime rate in 2015 of 23 homicides in a city of close to 105,000 residents. The rate of violent crime, such as rapes and aggravated assaults, was nine for every 1,000 residents - the same rate as Chicago, a much larger city.

Mr Trump has not mentioned crime in Florida, and has instead railed against the birthplace of Hillary Clinton and the hometown of Barack Obama.

The President has been criticised for not being informed on how to tackle problems in inner cities, and for trying to appeal to voters of colour by asking them: "What the hell do you have to lose?"

When asked at the press conference this week if he would meet the Congressional Black Caucus, he asked the black reporter, April Ryan, if the CBC was "friends" of hers.

 How do the town where 93 per cent voted for Trump think he's doing after one month?

In West Palm Beach, the number of homicides dropped from 23 in 2015 to 10 the next year, although the total number of violent crimes rose from 924 in 2015 to 955 last year.

Mayoral spokeswoman Kathleen Walter told NBC that West Palm Beach has its problems, including a heroin epidemic, but so do a lot of cities.

"Are we getting some attention because we have a famous neighbour? For sure," she said. "But this has always been an alluring community and I think there are a lot of residents here who are happy."

The Presidents Florida estate is in Palm Beach, an affluent area with a very low crime rate.

FBI records show in the first six months of 2016 there were no murders, rapes or robberies and just one aggravated assault.

Mr Trump has repeatedly and incorrectly stated that there has been a rise in violent crime over the long term, rather than highlighting a small spike in the last few years.

The President has used incorrect data to justify his mission to give the police more authority, crack down on immigrants and refugees and implement harsher anti-drug laws which disproportionately target lower income families and people of colour.

Violent crime has actually significantly decreased over the last few decades.

New attorney general Jeff Sessions has also falsely stated that rising crime needs to be clamped down upon.

"We have a crime problem. I wish the rise that we are seeing and crime in America today were some sort of aberration or a blip," Mr Sessions said as he was sworn into office.

"My best judgement having been involved in criminal law enforcement for many years is that this is a dangerous, permanent trend that places the health and safety of the American people at risk."
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Two fighter jets flew at supersonic speed to intercept an unresponsive aircraft that flew close to Palm Beach, Florida while President Donald Trump was staying nearby.

The incident, which occurred around 7pm local time on Friday, caused a sonic boom for startled residents as the planes raced from their base in Homestead, near the President's Mar-a-Lago estate.

Several people are said to have called 911 but panic was alleviated for the aviation authorities once the two F-15 planes were able to establish contact with the unresponsive aircraft.

Recommended Trump takes Air Force One for first time as President

A statement from the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) said: The intent of military intercepts is to have the identified aircraft re-establish communications with local Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controllers and instruct the pilot to follow air traffic controllers' instructions to land safely for follow-on action.

This is not the first time a rogue aircraft in Mr Trump's vicinity has caused a security scare. Earlier this month, a private plane came closer than permitted to Presidential carrier Air Force One while flying over Florida.

The planes reportedly came so close together that the two pilots could see each other while flying on parallel routes.

New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Show all 27 1 /27 New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Ethnic Yemenis and supporters protest against President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban Men pray during a protest by ethnic Yemenis and supporters over President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen on February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. At least 1,000 Yemeni-owned bodegas and grocery-stores across the city shut down from noon to 8 p.m. today to protest the order. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People gather for evening prayer at a rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally with flags at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest US President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban People rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall as Yemeni bodega and grocery-stores shut down to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on February 2, 2017 in New York. Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner places a sign on the gate of his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 02: Yemeni business owner Musa closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty New York City bodegas strike to protest Trump's travel ban A Yemeni business owner closes the gate to his store February 2, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Across the city, Yemeni owned bodega and grocery-stores will shut down from noon to 8 p.m. to protest President Donald Trump's Executive Order banning immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. It is expected that over 1000 stores will be closed in protest with workers and owners participating in an afternoon rally in Brooklyn. Spencer Platt/Getty

Although the earlier incident is still under investigation by authorities, there was reportedly no risk of a collision and Mr Trump arrived safely at Palm Beach International Airport.

When the President is in flight, Secret Service agents work with FAA supervisors and monitors for threats. Other flights are often delayed or diverted to create extra space around Air Force One.
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US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday conveyed a message to jittery partners that the Trump administration will "hold Russia accountable" and maintain steadfast support for NATO, a military alliance the American commander in chief once dismissed as "obsolete".

In his overseas debut as vice president, Pence told the audience at the Munich Security Conference that the US would be "unwavering" in its commitment to NATO and that President Donald Trump would "stand with Europe." Pence pointed to their shared "noble ideals  freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law."

Addressing the violence in Ukraine, Pence said the US would demand that Russia honour a 2015 deal to end violence in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. He did not mention findings by US intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in last year's presidential election to help Trump win the White House.

"Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Pence's address and a series of one-on-one meetings with world leaders along the sidelines here sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression, including its annexation of Crimea. Many have been alarmed by Trump's positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pence's speech aimed to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist tendencies.

After his speech, Pence met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called for the maintenance of international alliances and told the audience, with Pence seated nearby, that NATO is in the American interest.

Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, told the conference after Pence's speech that Moscow wanted pragmatic relations with the US. He said he hoped that responsible leaders would choose to create a just world order, if you want you can call it a post-West world order.

European countries along Russia's border are rattled by the prospect of deeper US-Russia ties after Trump suggested sanctions  contrary to the opinions of Merkel and other world leaders  imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea could be eased in exchange for a nuclear weapons deal. The president referred to NATO as obsolete in an interview before his inauguration, but has since tempered his language and has stressed the importance of the alliance during telephone conversations with foreign leaders.

But mindful that the new US president often lashes out on Twitter, some attendees remained skeptical that the speech represented Trump's thinking and said his foreign policy moves would be closely watched.

We are waiting for actions, said Polish President Andrzej Duda. We only know what the media has reported and the statements that we've got. Now we are waiting for actions of the new government of Donald Trump.

Wrote US Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on Twitter: Looks like we have 2 governments. (at)VP just gave speech about shared values btwn US and Europe as (at)POTUS openly wages war on those values.

Michael Chertoff, a former Homeland Security secretary under US President George W. Bush, noted that Pence's comments about NATO and Europe echoed assurances given by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. They've all been consistent about the fact that there is a strong, deep and enduring commitment to Europe and to NATO and I think that message has been received, Chertoff said.

In his remarks, Pence also reinforced the Trump administration's message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

NATO's 28-member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. But only the US and four other members of the post-World War II military coalition are meeting the standard, Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, erodes the very foundation of our alliance.

Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfill this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more, Pence said.

In a day of meetings and photo ops, Pence was sitting down with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and separately with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko  countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion. The vice president also scheduled a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The former Indiana governor's stature within the administration was also under scrutiny after the recent dismissal of Trump's national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign Monday following reports he misled Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat. The vice president learned that he had been misled through media accounts about two weeks after the president was informed.

Pence also met with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the US remains embroiled in two separate wars. Trump has made clear his intention to defeat the Islamic State group. But he also said the US may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion that has been rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Trump's immigration and refugee ban has ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order, which is currently tied up in court, including Iraq  a close ally in the fight against IS. Trump has promised to issue a revised order, possibly as soon as next week.
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Vice President Mike Pence has told European leaders the US will be unwavering in its commitment to the Nato alliance.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in his first major policy address, Mr Pence said the Trump administration strongly supports the international military organisation, despite Donald Trump having formerly described the alliance as obsolete.

In an effort to reassure European leaders over Mr Trumps alleged closeness with the Russian government, Mr Pence also said the US would hold Russia accountable over the Ukraine crisis, even as the President seeks new common ground with Vladimir Putins administration.

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On the Nato alliance, the Vice President added that many of the countries within it were not paying enough in shared defence, stating that the time has come for allies to boost spending, with only five of the nations having met a commitment to spend two per cent of GDP on defence.

Addressing the conference shortly before Mr Pences speech, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the need to maintain international alliances and told the audience Nato was in the American interest.

Last year, prior to the primary elections, Mr Trump strongly condemned the Nato alliance, to which he said the US was paying too much money, calling it obsolete and insufficiently geared towards combating international terrorism.

Mr Pence also told the conference the Trump administration would hold Russia accountable over the Ukraine crisis, even as the President seeks common ground with Mr Putins government.

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

He said the international community must also demand that Russia honours a 2015 peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Moscow-backed separatists.

Know this: the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found, Mr Pence said.

The Vice Presidents trip to Germany comes amid concern among European leaders that Mr Trump may promote isolationist tendencies and not hold Russia accountable, following positive statements about Mr Putin.
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More than one million South American penguins have descended upon Argentinas Punta Tombo peninsula to migrate, according to local officials.

The gathering is a record high, they say, thanks to a recent abundant supply of fish.

What has become the worlds largest colony of Magellanic penguins will be quite a spectacle for the tens of thousands of people who visit the reserve every year.

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Officials say the small islets along the peninsula are ideal for the penguins to nest and feast on fish such as sardines and anchovies, and small crustaceans, near the shoreline. The warm-weather, flightless birds breed in large colonies in southern Argentina and Chile.

They migrate as far as Brazil between March and September, then come ashore in September or October so that males and females can take turns to look after their eggs and hunt for food.

Tourism experts advise visitors to come see the penguins after November, once the babies are born, although critics say that increased tourist activity can trigger stressful, psychological reactions in newborn chicks.

In pictures: Animal communication Show all 5 1 /5 In pictures: Animal communication In pictures: Animal communication Wolf The howl is often depicted as eerie; in fact it is a call by the pack when one of them goes missing  and is louder when the missing wolf is a close friend PA In pictures: Animal communication Humpback whale Their intricate songs have been described as the most sophisticated vocalisations in the animal kingdom. They were first recorded by US military listening out for Russian submarines AP In pictures: Animal communication Vervet monkey Many animals emit alarm calls, but vervet monkeys go one better. They have three different calls depending on the threat and the nature of the evasive response. A cough indicates an aerial predator, such as an eagle, and other vervets immediately seek cover under a bush. A leopard alarm sends vervets into the trees, while a warning of a snake causes the monkeys to stand on their hind legs AFP/Getty In pictures: Animal communication African bull elephant Their low-frequency rumble can be heard by elephants miles away but is inaudible to humans. Scientists think they transmit through the ground PA In pictures: Animal communication Skylark The birds song is composed of 300 syllables and marks a breeding pairs territory. Neighbouring pairs use similar sequences to promote harmony Getty

Penguin families mostly live under the shelter of bushes on the islets or make small burrows, but will walk across the shore to bring back food.

The birds stand about 50 centimeters (20 inches) tall, and they have a distinct small area of pink flesh on the face.

These penguins are also recognizable by their broad crescent of white feathers which extend from the eyebrow to the chin.

Despite the large gatherings every year, the species is threatened due to climate change, oil spills and the decline of fish populations, meaning that the birds have to swim much further to hunt.
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The woman whose high court battle led to the legalisation of abortion in the US has died at the age of 69.

Norma McCorvey, who was Jane Roe in the landmark Roe v Wade case heard at the Supreme Court in 1973, died of a heart condition in an assisted-living facility in Katy, Texas.

Her death was confirmed by Joshua Prager, a journalist currently working on a book Roe V Wade.

Ms McCorvey dramatically changed her views on abortion in her later life, becoming a born-again Christian and an active campaigner in the pro-life movement.

She was 22 years old, unmarried and living in poverty with addiction issues when she became pregnant in 1970, and in desperation took her fight not to have the baby all the way to the Supreme Court, where she won her case by 7-2.

Her victory was hugely significant for women in the US but largely an irrelevance to her own predicament, as the case dragged on for two and a half years, long after she had given birth and given up the baby for adoption.

She divided opinion then and now as the protagonist in an emotive story that goes to the heart of American culture, regarded as a heroine by some and as a harbinger of murder of the unborn by others.

When she filed her lawsuit, she was not seeking a landmark decision that would legalise abortion for all American women but simply for the right to end her own pregnancy safely and legally.

Since the ruling, it is estimated that around 50 million legal abortions have been performed on women in the US, although later court orders have imposed some restrictions on the availability of abortion.

In her home state of Texas, abortion was prohibited at the time except in cases where the life of the mother was at risk.

On January 22 1973, the Supreme Court handed down its historic ruling, written by Justice Harry A Blackmun, stating that the constitutional right to privacy should include the choice to terminate a pregnancy.

The ruling established a legal framework which pro-lifers have campaigned to overturn ever since.

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Although the wording was later modified, the ruling made Ms McCorvey as Jane Roe a figurehead in the on-going battle over reproductive rights.

She did not shed her courtroom anonymity until the 1980s, at first giving her name to pro-choice campaigners, but then in a stunning reversal, becoming one of abortions fiercest critics when she announced she had found God.

Ms McCorvey admitted that for years she had lied about the pregnancy, claiming it was the result of rape when in fact it resulted from consensual sex in a relationship that she thought was love.

She has been portrayed as the victim of abuse, financial hardship, drug and alcohol addiction and possible mental health problems, including in the 1989 film, Wade vs. Roe, starring Holly Hunter.

According to the many accounts written about her, she worked variously as a bartender, a maid and a house painter.

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

She found happiness with a lesbian partner, although that relationship reportedly ended acrimoniously after 35 years.

Other, harsher accounts have portrayed her as a compulsive liar and drug-user who craved attention and money, with abortion rights activists questioning her Damascian conversion to pro-lifer in 1994 after years as a poster child for abortion rights.

She revealed her new stance in a memoir written with Andy Meisler in 1994 entitled I am Roe, after living a mainly private life.

She described herself as a simple woman with a ninth grade education and said she was a victim of her lawyers, Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington, who she accused of exploiting her predicament for their own careers or ideological beliefs.

Until the landmark case, women with money seeking to terminate their pregnancies would travel to states or other countries which permitted abortion.

Poorer women had the option of either trying to perform abortions on themselves, seeking back street procedures, or continuing with unwanted pregnancies.

Ms McCorvey was not the first woman to challenge the abortion laws, but she was the first whose case made it all the way to the Supreme Court through the appeals process. The defendant, Wade, was the Dallas County district attorney, Henry Wade, responsible for enforcing the states abortion laws.

In interview, she expressed bitterness towards her lawyers for not helping her to get the one thing she said she really wanted at the time  an abortion.

Speaking about her lawyer Sarah Washington to the New York Times in 1992, she said: Sarah sat right across the table from me at Columbos pizza parlour, and I didnt know until two years ago that she had had an abortion herself.

When I told her then how desperately I needed one, she could have told me where to go for it. But she wouldnt because she needed me to be pregnant for her case.

She wrote another memoir, Won by Love, in 1997 with co-author Gary Thomas, founded the Dallas-based Roe No More Ministry and reportedly became a Catholic, participating in anti-abortion protests.

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She told a press conference in 2003 she was sorry she had ever taken her case to court because it had brought the holocaust of abortion and petitioned the Supreme Court again, this time to overturn the 1973 ruling.

Ms McCorvey was arrested in 2009 for disrupting the Senate confirmation hearing for pro-choice judge Sonia Sotomayors nomination to the Supreme Court.

Although she made some money from her books and interviews, according to an article in Vanity Fair, by 2013 she was relying on the kindness of strangers to give her free lodgings and food.

She is survived by a daughter, Melissa, and two grandchildren. Nothing is known of the child she gave up for adoption during her fight for an abortion.

She told the New York Times in 1994: I dont require that much in my life. I just never had the privilege to go into an abortion clinic, lay down and have an abortion. Thats the one thing I never had.
More than 117,000 visit mourning altars set up across Seoul for Itaewon victims More than 117,000 people paid their respects at mourning altars set up across Seoul for the victims of the Halloween crowd crush that killed at least 156 people in the city's night...

1 rail worker killed, another injured while working One railway worker was killed and another injured after being struck by a cargo train in Uiwang, just southwest of Seoul, officials said Sunday. The accident occurred at 8:20 p....
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A growing number of American politicians are reportedly raising concerns over Donald Trumps mental health.

At least three Democrat officials have publicly questioned the US Presidents health, with some calling for specific safeguards to be implemented to consider a leaders emotional or mental well-being while in office.

Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer called for a review of constitutional procedures to remove a president from office, stating it did not consider the mental or emotional health of a leader.

Its not normal behaviour. I dont know anybody in a position of responsibility that doesnt know if theyre being rained on. And nobody I work with serially offers up verifiably false statements on an ongoing basis, he told The Hill.

Minnesota Senator Al Franken told CNN a few Republican colleagues had also expressed their concern as to whether Mr Trump is mentally fit to hold office.

California Representative Ted Lieu has announced plans to introduce legislation that would require the presence of a psychiatrist or psychologist in the White House.

I think it is a legitimate issue to raise. I am not a mental health professional, so I dont know in terms of any sort of medical expertise on this. But I do see and hear the same things that other people see and hear, and a lot of people have concluded that whats going on is not normal. So what do I do with that as a member of Congress? he said.

Anyone who can launch 4,000 nuclear weapons in minutes absolutely should be questioned on any matter related to their physical and mental health.

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The question mark over Mr Trumps mental health has divided public, professional and indeed political opinion.

Many have suggested Mr Trump could be suffering from narcissistic personality disorder, however one of the professors who wrote the criteria for the disorder discredited this hypothesis as a stigmatising insult to the mentally ill".

Bad behaviour is rarely a sign of mental illness, and the mentally ill behave badly only rarely. Psychiatric name-calling is a misguided way of countering Mr Trumps attack on democracy. He can, and should, be appropriately denounced for his ignorance, incompetence, impulsivity and pursuit of dictatorial powers, Professor Allen Frances wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times.

In June, Atlantic published a psychologists findings that Mr Trump suffered from "narcissism, disagreeableness, grandiosity".

Mr Trump's well-documented "no holds barred" approach to the US presidency has led many to question his diplomatic suitability.

Concerns were amplified on Wednesday when in his first solo press conference, Mr Trump made a number of claims that were quickly proven to be untrue.

American Psychiatric Association (APA) protocol means medical professionals should not diagnose individuals they have not personally treated.

The so-called "Goldwater Rule" was brought in after Barry Goldwater, a Republican presidential candidate in the 1960s who sued Fact magazine for libel after it asked 12,000 psychiatrists whether he was psychologically fit to be president - 1,189 answered no.
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Donald Trump's administration is in "disarray" and has a lot of work to do, a senior Republican figure has warned at a high-level meeting of defence and security chiefs in Germany.

Senator John McCain, an outspoken critic of the US President, said Mr Trump was prone to contradicting himself and said his remarks should not be taken at face value.

His warning was significant as other US officials speaking at the Munich Security Conference had sought to reassure Americas allies that the apparent chaos in Washington was being overblown.

It followed a day after Mr Trump insisted his administration was running like a "finely-tuned machine", amid a furore over the resignation of Michael Flynn as national security adviser.

 Donald Trump denies 'ranting and raving', attacking media, Clinton, Democrats

"I think that the Flynn issue obviously is something that shows that in many respects this administration is in disarray and they've got a lot of work to do," Mr McCain said.

"The president, I think, makes statements [and] on other occasions contradicts himself. So we've learned to watch what the president does as opposed to what he says.

He acknowledged concern in Europe and beyond that America was "laying down the mantle of global leadership" and cited trends he found alarming, including anti-immigrant sentiment.

But Mr McCain urged those gathered at the summit not to give up on the United States.

"Make no mistake, my friends: These are dangerous times, but you should not count America out, and we should not count each other out," he said.

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

His comments follow remarks made by a senior Republican adviser who claimed there was something deeply wrong about Mr Trump, after watching his latest press conference.

"Something is deeply wrong with our president and the country is in danger," wrote Gabriel Schoenfeld, former adviser to Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential campaign.

"The danger will only be averted when the Republican leadership in Congress publicly acknowledges what they and the rest of the entire world already know: America's president is not wearing any clothes."
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China has announced it is suspending all coal imports from North Korea until the end of the year in a move which will deal a major financial blow to the Pyongyang regime.

The surprise announcement by the Chinese Commerce Ministry is a sign of Beijings increasing reluctance to prop up the North Korean regime if it carries out further nuclear tests.

Coal is North Koreas largest export item and it is believed to have been dependent on China for trade and aid since its economy collapsed in the late 1990s.

The Commerce Ministry said the move was China fulfilling its obligation to implement last Novembers UN Security Council resolution to impose further economic sanctions on Pyongyang after it detonated its fifth nuclear test of 2016.

Beijing has historically been more reluctant to impose sanctions on North Korea than other world powers because it is concerned about a power vacuum on its southern border if the regime is allowed to fail.

Previously China had agreed to partially restricted North Korea coal imports  saying it would make an exception for deliveries intended for the peoples well-being which were not connect to Pyongyangs nuclear programme.

But the day after the test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile last week it rejected a coal shipment from the Hermit Kingdom said to be worth around $1m (805,000).

North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone Show all 13 1 /13 North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP

China has felt increasing frustration over North Koreas most recent missile test and the assassination of Kim Jong Uns half-brother in Malaysia.

Kim Jong Nam had been living in China for many years so it his death is revealed to have been orchestrated by Pyongyang Beijing will view it as a direct slight.

Paul Haenle, the director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center in Beijing, told the Washington Post: China still places a premium on stability, but Xi Jinping is growing more and more frustrated with Kim Jong Un.

Beijing took the assassination as a direct affront to China. Xi is less willing to tolerate these provocations, he said. China is putting a squeeze on its economic lifeline to send a message to Pyongyang.

Beijing has also come under increasing pressure from other world powers as it is seen as the other country which can rein Pyongyang in.

US President Donald Trump said China had total control over North Korea during an interview with Fox & Friends before his inauguration last month.

He said: "China should solve that problem. And if they dont solve the problem, we should make trade very difficult for China."
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China is closely monitoring Donald Trumps plans to force US companies to bring home their overseas production and jobs but will not change its overall strategy, according to officials.

The countrys industry minister, Miao Wei, said they were looking closely at Mr Trumps promise to revitalise US manufacturing but it would not change their own plans for the expansion of the Chinese economy.

He said they would still encourage foreign companies to invest in the country and Chinese firms to go overseas.

Mr Miao said: "Regarding President Trump's efforts to revitalise US manufacturing and allow more US companies to move back to the United States, we are paying close attention to these policies but they will not affect the development of China's manufacturing industry.

"We will not change our goal of opening up to the outside world".

Mr Trump was frequently critical of Beijing through the election campaign and pledged to label China a currency manipulator on his first day in the White House.

He has not done this so far but cause outrage during the transition period when he accepted a call from the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen  Beijing considers Taiwan as part of China and does not recognise the Taipei government.

This week he officially reiterated US support for the One China doctrine, an agreement between Beijing and Taipei that China was one country even if they do not agree on which government controls it, in a phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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

But he has continued to call for greater protectionism and trade barriers  America First being the key rallying cry of his campaign  which could threaten the Chinese economy which is dependent on exports.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, Mr Xi called for other nations to resist the lure of protectionism.

He said closing a countrys borders to trade was like locking oneself in a dark room.

Wind and rain may be kept outside, but so are light and air, he added.

China's President Xi Jinping used his speech at the World Economic Forum to spurn protectionism (AP)

The premier explained the world was facing significant problems due to war, conflict and regional turmoil, not globalisation, and no one will emerge as the winner from a trade war.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, told the new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the two countries common interests outweighed their differences in their first face-to-face meeting.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement released after Mr Wang met Mr Tillerson on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers of the G20 top economies in the German city of Bonn, made no specific mention of where the two disagree.

Mr Wang said the Xi-Trump call was extremely important, and that the two countries should promote even better relations.

"China and the United States have joint responsibility to maintain global stability and promote global prosperity, and both sides' joint interests are far greater than their differences," the statement paraphrased Mr Wang as saying.

The two countries should increase mutual trust, deepen cooperation and ensure that under Mr Trump they make even greater contributions to global peace and prosperity, Mr Wang added.

The two also had a "deep exchange of views" on the North Korean nuclear issue, the statement said, without giving details.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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A fourth person been arrested in connection with the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns half-brother as a second autopsy is performed in Malaysia.

Malaysian authorities did not reveal the results of the postmortem on Kim Jong-nam, but North Korea said it would reject results.

The fourth suspect, identified as 46-year-old Ri Jong Chol was remanded in custody, Malaysian police said. He was in possession of a Malaysian i-Kad, an identification card given to foreign workers, they added.

Two women  one Indonesian and the other carrying Vietnamese travel documents  have already been arrested in connection with the alleged assassination.

A Malaysian man, said to be the boyfriend of one of the women, has also been detained but is reportedly not a suspect himself.

At least three other suspects are at large, according to Malaysian authorities.

Mr Kim, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, collapsed and later died at Kuala Lumpur airport.

South Korean security services have suggested that he was sprayed with an unknown poison. Along with US officials, they have claimed Mr Kim was assassinated by North Korean agents acting on behalf of the countrys leader.

Mr Kim had previously spoken out in the past against his familys dynastic control of isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea.

He is said to have written a letter to his brother begging him to spare his life following an alleged assassination attempt against him in 2012.

The latest arrest came as North Korea said it would categorically reject the autopsy report on the death of Mr Kim.

It also accused Malaysia of colluding with outside forces after its request for them not to carry out the autopsy and immediately release the body was ignored.

Inside the daily life in North Korea Show all 19 1 /19 Inside the daily life in North Korea Inside the daily life in North Korea People reading a newspaper at the metro station Inside the daily life in North Korea Thoughts of the leaders on the tram. They have about a dozen of these on every tram, all with different thoughts Inside the daily life in North Korea Young people training for a big upcoming festival Inside the daily life in North Korea People at the Pyongyang's annual marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea Many stars on one of the trolleys in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea An intimidating poster in a primary school in North Korea. Inside the daily life in North Korea Solar panels installed on a street lamp. Inside the daily life in North Korea A poster on the window next to one of the venues we visited in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Kids playing football next to the Arch of Triumph. After a while tourists were allowed to join, so some of us did Inside the daily life in North Korea Class in an educational center in Pyongyang (where people over 17 years old can attend any classes they choose after school, for free) Inside the daily life in North Korea People waving at me during the Pyongyang marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea People having a great time dancing at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea A metro driver in a metro station in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Fireworks to mark the birthday of the Eternal President Kim Il Sung on our last night in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea My wonderful tour guide at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea One of the parks in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea A person rowing some boats for the day at a river in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea The National War Museum Inside the daily life in North Korea Public park in Pyongyang

Speaking to reporters outside the hospital where the body of Mr Kim is being kept, the North Korean ambassador, Kang Chol, said: The Malaysian side forced the postmortem without our permission and witnessing. We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem.

Mr Chol added that the fact Malaysia has yet to hand over the body strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us.

The complex case threatens to weaken North Koreas ties with Malaysia, one of the few countries that has maintained good diplomatic relations with North Koreas capital Pyongyang.
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Angela Merkel has called on Europe and its allies to cooperate with Russia in the fight against Isis in spite of tensions over Syria, Ukraine, alleged cyber attacks and the propagation of fake news.

The joint fight against Islamic terrorism is one area where we have the same interests and we can work together, the German Chancellor told the annual Munich Security Conference.

The US Vice President was among world leaders in the audience for the speech, which came amid continued disputes over Russias alleged interference in elections in the US and Germany.

 Mike Pence claims there was no contact between Russia and Trump campaign

Ms Merkel was among the many critics of Donald Trumps attempt to ban immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, saying Islam itself was not a source of terrorism and targeted countries must be included in the fight against extremism.

The US-led international coalition and Russia are backing opposite sides in the Syrian civil war  even though both target Isis  while also imposing waves of sanctions and counter sanctions over the Kremlins involvement in Ukraine.

Russia has been accused of violating international law in both countries, annexing Crimea in 2014 and conducting indiscriminate bombing raids amounting to war crimes in support of Syrias autocratic President Bashar al-Assad.

Tensions have risen further over allegations that the Kremlin backed cyber attacks attempting to influence the US and German elections, as well as controversy over fake news spread by state-funded outlets including Russia Today and Sputnik.

We know that Russia communicates very openly that it views hybrid warfare as a form of defence, Ms Merkel said when questioned on the issue.

In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Show all 19 1 /19 In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrian boys cry following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian defense ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. Konashenkov strongly warned the United States against striking Syrian government forces and issued a thinly-veiled threat to use Russian air defense assets to protect them AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrians wait to receive treatment at a hospital following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Alepp Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov speaks at a briefing in the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia. Antonov said the Russian air strikes in Syria have killed about 35,000 militants, including about 2,700 residents of Russia AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Jameel Mustafa Habboush, receives oxygen from civil defence volunteers, known as the white helmets, as they rescue him from under the rubble of a building following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civil defence members rest amidst rubble in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A girl carrying a baby inspects damage in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members look for survivors at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members carry an injured woman on a stretcher at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Volunteers from Syria Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, help civilians after Russia carried out its first airstrikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria The aftermath of Russian airstrike in Talbiseh, Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Smoke billows from buildings in Talbiseh, in Homs province, western Syria, after airstrikes by Russian warplanes AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Air Forces carry out an air strike in the ISIS controlled Al-Raqqah Governorate. Russia's KAB-500s bombs completely destroy the Liwa al-Haqq command unit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia claimed it hit eight Isis targets, including a "terrorist HQ and co-ordination centre" that was completely destroyed In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A video grab taken from the footage made available on the Russian Defence Ministry's official website, purporting to show an airstrike in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A release from the Russian defence ministry purportedly showing targets in Syria being hit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia launched air strikes in war-torn Syria, its first military engagement outside the former Soviet Union since the occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. Russian warplanes carried out strikes in three Syrian provinces along with regime aircraft as Putin seeks to steal US President Barack Obama's thunder by pushing a rival plan to defeat Isis militants in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria, a thousand kilometres away. The targets include ammunition factories, ammunition and fuel depots, command centres, and training camps A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

If I could wish for one thing, it would certainly be very good to get this topic, for example, on the agenda in the framework of Nato-Russia talks.

The Russian government has denied involvement in hacking attempts and accused Nato and Western media in turn of conducting a propaganda war against it.

While repeatedly professing his admiration for Vladimir Putin and desire to improve relations with Russia, Mr Trump called Nato obsolete during his election campaign and questioned US funding for the alliance.

But on Saturday, his deputy Mike Pence told the Munich Security Conference the US would be unwavering in its commitment to the transatlantic military alliance.

Your struggles are our struggles, the Vice President said. Your success is our success. And ultimately, we walk into the future together.

Ms Merkel had pledged to do everything possible to hit Nato spending targets, with uneven contributions repeatedly targeted by Mr Trump, and appealed to the US to bolster international organisations like the EU and UN.

The Trump administrations approach to international affairs and the Presidents support for Brexit has sparked fears that he may have little interest in working in multilateral forums.
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Angela Merkel has called on Turkey to fairly treat a German journalist detained on terror charges amid a continuing wave of crackdowns against journalists and dissidents in the wake of a failed coup.

The Chancellor raised Deniz Yucels case with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on the sidelines of an international conference in Munich, her spokesman said.

She pointed out the importance of the German Embassy being given unrestricted consular access to Mr Yucel, Steffen Seibert told Reuters.

 Turkeys failed coup strains relations with the West

The Chancellor expressed the federal governments expectation that Deniz Yucel will be treated fairly and in accordance with the law.

The Turkey correspondent for Die Welt has been in custody for five days after reporting on a ministers hacked emails concerning media control and the use of fake Twitter accounts to influence the public in favour of the ruling AKP party.

Mr Yucel has been accused of being a member of a terrorist organisation, spreading terrorist propaganda and misusing information for reporting on the cache of almost 58,000 emails dating back 17 years.

Redhack, a Turkish activist group, allowed Wikileaks to publish Berat Albayraks emails after the Turkish government refused its demands to release imprisoned opposition politicians and activists, and then blocked access to its sites.

Mr Albayrak, a prominent businessman before entering politics, is the Turkish Presidents son-in-law and was made energy minister just five months after being elected to parliament in 2015.

He has denied alleged links with a company suspected of smuggling Isis oil into Turkey, while the leaked emails include discussions over plans made by Recep Tayyip Erdogans officials to employ pro-AKP trolls to influence Twitter during mass protests in 2013.

Mr Erdogan claimed he would resign if allegations about son-in-law's involvement in Isis oil trade were proven (AFP)

Hacked emails also appear to show Mr Albayrak lobbying to keep one of Turkeys largest media groups under the control of the government or an allied business, rather than returning it to its owners.

Mr Yucel, who holds both German and Turkish citizenship, visited a police station in Istanbul to answer investigators questions over the hack on Tuesday and was taken into custody.

The 43-year-olds apartment was searched, Die Welt said he was one of at least seven other journalists arrested in connection with the emails, of whom three have been accused of belonging to different terrorist groups.

Under expanded powers allowed by Turkeys ongoing state of emergency, he can be held in police custody for up to 14 days without a hearing before a judge.

Our correspondent Deniz Yucel does excellent work, said the newspapers editor-in-chief, Ulf Poschardt.

The Turkish government constantly stresses that Turkey is beholden to the rule of law. Therefore we trust that fair proceedings will prove his innocence.

In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters

Germanys foreign ministry said it was doing everything it could to support him, with a statement adding: We hope the ongoing investigation by Turkish authorities against Mr Yucel respects the rule of law and he is treated fairly, in particular with regard to the press freedom thats guaranteed by the Turkish constitution.

The incident threatened to worsen relations between Germany and Turkey, which have been damaged by ongoing tensions over Ankaras attempt to join the EU and gain visa-free travel in the Schengen zone.

But Mr Erdogan has refused to make required reforms to human rights protections, prompting a European Parliament vote to pause membership talks, and threatened to allow thousands of refugees into Europe by scrapping the EU-Turkey deal.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a press freedom group based in New York, at least 81 journalists were imprisoned in Turkey last year  the biggest number worldwide.

Many of the arrests came after Julys coup attempt, which prompted a government crackdown on alleged anti-government activists that included the closure of at least 100 news outlets and mass purges in politics, the military, civil service and judiciary.

Mr Erdogan accuses the Hizmet movement run by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen of fomenting the coup, although it denies the allegations and American authorities have refused to deport the Turkish preacher.

Critics accuse the Turkish government of using terror allegations and false links to Hizmet in attempts to silence all dissent, with the crackdown prompting warnings from the United Nations.
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A Danish man has been charged with ordering the sexual abuse of 346 Filipino children.

The 70-year-old from Brndy, a suburb of Copenhagen, allegedly ordered the abuse of children and had it streamed to his computer.

He is involved in what is thought to be the worlds biggest case of on-demand sexual assaults committed over the internet.

The indictment was delivered in a 119-page document which depicted details of the alleged acts of sexual abuse, according to The Local.

The man allegedly paid no more than 280 kroner (30) to have the children abused and in some cases paid parents to molest their own children, RT reported.

Flemming Kjrside of the Danish National Polices Cyber Crime Centre described the case as historic.

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. 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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

As far as I know weve never had a case in the whole world in which one person is charged with so many assaults, Mr Kjrside told news agency Ritzau.

The man was arrested in February 2016 and the hearings will begin on 28 February and a ruling is expected in June.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out increasing Nato defence spending less than a week after the Trump administration issued an ultimatum to members.

Ms Merkel said Germany would honour its long-standing commitment to increase defence budgets by 2024 but would not accelerate its plans.

It came as European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker urged Europe's leaders to resist US pressure to increase European defence spending.

Donald Trump has repeatedly called for Nato members in Europe to increase their defence spend, and his defence secretary James Mattis said the US would be ready to "moderate its commitment" to the alliance if other members did not pay their fair share.

Nato guidelines call for all 28 members of the collective defence alliance to spend two per cent of GDP on military budgets.

However, only five of those members do so in reality  America, Britain, Greece, Estonia and Poland.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, General Mattis warned of an "arc of instability" on Europe's periphery and called on Nato allies to contribute more.

"We all see our community of nations under threat on multiple fronts as the arc of instability builds on Nato's periphery and beyond," he said.

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

However, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Europe should not allow itself to be "pushed into this."

It has been the American message for many, many years, he said. I am very much against letting ourselves be pushed into this.

Mr Juncker argued the EUs development and humanitarian aid spending made up for any shortfalls in military financing, and echoed Ms Merkels sentiments that development and crisis prevention had to be areas of focus.

If you look at what Europe is doing in defence, plus development aid, plus humanitarian aid, the comparison with the United States looks rather different. Modern politics cannot just be about raising defence spending, he said.

"Europeans must bundle their defence spending better and spend the money more efficiently.
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French presidential candidate Francois Fillon has backtracked on a promise to quit the leadership race if he is placed under formal investigation over his wifes employment.

The Conservative politician said on Friday he would stay in the presidential race come what may, despite an ongoing investigation into whether his wife, Penelope Fillon, did real work in exchange for receiving 830,000 ($900,000) of taxpayer money as his parliamentary assistant.

My decision is clear: I am a candidate and I will continue until victory, he said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro.

The closer we get to the date of the election, the more scandalous it would be to deny the Right and the Centre of a candidate, Mr Fillon added.

The politician previously said he would step down as the Republicans candidate if he were put under formal investigation  a step that would be the decision of an investigating magistrate, but which could take months or years.

An initial investigation is already under way, but a decision on a more formal probe has yet to be made.

Mr Fillons campaign has been dogged by claims that his wife and two of his children were paid for non-existent parliamentary work.

He apologised for what he called an error of judgement, but has remained adamant his wifes work as a parliamentary assistant for over 15 years had been legal and genuine.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The Republican candidates status as favourite to win the presidency in May has evaporated in recent weeks, with two recent polls showing him being knocked out in the first round of the two-stage vote in April and May.

The first round of the election will be held on 23 April, with the second round run-off between two candidates two weeks later.

Polls tip Front National leader Marine Le Pen to win the 23 April first round but then lose to independent centrist Emmanuel Macron in a 7 May run-off vote. Mr Macron has been favourite to win the presidency since the Fillon scandal broke at the end of January.
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The populist far-right politician Geert Wilders kicked off his election campaign in Spijkenisse, a suburban town near the port of Rotterdam, on Saturday morning. His supporters struggled to catch a glimpse of the Freedom Party leader as reporters, many of them journalists for foreign media outlets, scrambled for access. Some of his followers were pushed to the ground by the swell of journalists and security forces.

Mr Wilders called his campaign historic and, in an echo of Donald Trump's successful US election campaign, asked his voters to make the Netherlands ours again. He reiterated a controversial statement on Moroccan immigrants to the Netherlands, calling them Moroccan scum  a subtle variation on the fewer, fewer Moroccans chant that saw him convicted of inciting discrimination late last year.

Once again not all are scum but there is a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who makes the streets unsafe, mostly young people, he said. If you want to regain your country, if you want to make the Netherlands for the people of the Netherlands, your own home again, then you can only vote for one party.

Ieg van Haperen, a 66-year-old former mailroom worker, said she recognised herself in his comments. I dont feel safe opening my own front door at night, the Spijkenisse resident explained, accusing young foreigners of making her feel uncomfortable.

Refugees fleeing genuine war were welcome, she said, but the people who are coming in now, they are not actually fleeing war. If you are not from a war zone, go back to your own country.

Mr Wilders harsh rhetoric has made many Turkish and Moroccan citizens feel unsafe. A study published by the Social Affairs Ministry last week found that up to 40 per cent of Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands do not feel they belong or are accepted. But Ms van Haperen could not comprehend why they felt unwelcome. People who are living here, they should stay I dont care if you are Moroccan or Turkish  if they are born here I dont hate them, I worked with some of them, they are great, she said.

Mr Wilders one-man Freedom Party or PVV pledges to ban Muslim immigration, close all mosques and take the Netherlands out of the European Union. The party leads opinion polls with 17 per cent, only a few points ahead of the Liberal VVD party led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

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

He distributed fliers up and down a 150-metre stretch, surrounded by security, whose main job was to keep the press at bay.

Mr Wilders has lived with round the clock protection since an Islamist murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004.

The Dutch Trump rarely gives press conferences. His press office hardly ever answers the phone, let alone permits interviews. That turned this event, announced as an occasion for Mr Wilders and his supporters to distribute fliers at a local market, into a media frenzy.

Shoppers continued buying groceries while tens of reporters, many from foreign media outlets, scrambled to get close. Menno Krikken was one of the few actual supporters who had turned out to see the campaign kick off. A tall, black-clad civil servant with short blue hair, he managed to push through the crowd to bag a selfie with the blonde far right leader. He has voted for the PVV since 2010.

Spooked by terrorist attacks in Belgium last year, he hopes Mr Wilders can restore security. We can invest in more police, close the borders, and we can reinstall border guards, he said.

A handful of protestors shouted Refugees Welcome and held up placards saying Dont allow yourself to be scared.

Even if Mr Wilders wins, he is unlikely to be able to form a governing coalition. Most Dutch parties have excluded the option of joining forces with the leader. Nevertheless, Mr Wilders said he hoped a victory would kick of a patriotic spring in Europe.

A dozen or so supporters handed out fliers. One of them was Caroline Kooman, at 25 the PVVs youngest candidate for parliament. I agree with everything  she said as she pointed to the flier, which contained Mr Wilders entire electoral platform. It fits onto paper and mainly focuses on de-Islamisation. But the 25-year-old pharmacy student from the southern province of Zeeland especially likes his promise to invest more in health care.

After Ms Kooman receiving a few no"s one man requested a stack of fliers. Definitely voting for Geert, he said.
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Russias foreign minister has called for a post-West world order while addressing global leaders at an international security conference.

Sergey Lavrov accused Nato of being a Cold War institution and accused its expansion of sparking unprecedented tensions in Europe as both sides expand military deployments and drills.

He said he hoped responsible leaders will choose to create a just world order  if you want you can call it a post-West world order.

 Donald Trump says a Russia-US conflict would be a nuclear holocaust 'like no other'

Mr Lavrov also denied allegations of attempted interference in elections in US and Germany, telling delegates: Whenever Russia gets blamed, there are no facts  Ive seen no facts, only accusations.

In a speech watched by the US Vice President, he said the Kremlin wants to have a pragmatic relationship with the Trump administration.

The Russian minister said his country wants mutual respect, understanding our special responsibility for global stability.

We have immense potential that has yet to be tapped into, and were open for that inasmuch as the US is open for that as well, he added.

Mike Pence had told delegates at the annual Munich Security Conference the US would hold Russia accountable on issues including the Ukrainian conflict and the Syrian war.

He also pledged Americas unwavering commitment to Nato following Donald Trumps labelling of the alliance as obsolete and questions over its funding during his campaign.

In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Show all 19 1 /19 In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrian boys cry following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian defense ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. Konashenkov strongly warned the United States against striking Syrian government forces and issued a thinly-veiled threat to use Russian air defense assets to protect them AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Syrians wait to receive treatment at a hospital following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Alepp Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov speaks at a briefing in the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia. Antonov said the Russian air strikes in Syria have killed about 35,000 militants, including about 2,700 residents of Russia AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Jameel Mustafa Habboush, receives oxygen from civil defence volunteers, known as the white helmets, as they rescue him from under the rubble of a building following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo Getty In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civil defence members rest amidst rubble in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A girl carrying a baby inspects damage in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members look for survivors at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Civilians and civil defence members carry an injured woman on a stretcher at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria Reuters In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Volunteers from Syria Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, help civilians after Russia carried out its first airstrikes in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria The aftermath of Russian airstrike in Talbiseh, Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Smoke billows from buildings in Talbiseh, in Homs province, western Syria, after airstrikes by Russian warplanes AP In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russian Air Forces carry out an air strike in the ISIS controlled Al-Raqqah Governorate. Russia's KAB-500s bombs completely destroy the Liwa al-Haqq command unit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia claimed it hit eight Isis targets, including a "terrorist HQ and co-ordination centre" that was completely destroyed In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A video grab taken from the footage made available on the Russian Defence Ministry's official website, purporting to show an airstrike in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria A release from the Russian defence ministry purportedly showing targets in Syria being hit In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Russia launched air strikes in war-torn Syria, its first military engagement outside the former Soviet Union since the occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. Russian warplanes carried out strikes in three Syrian provinces along with regime aircraft as Putin seeks to steal US President Barack Obama's thunder by pushing a rival plan to defeat Isis militants in Syria In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria, a thousand kilometres away. The targets include ammunition factories, ammunition and fuel depots, command centres, and training camps A TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

Mr Lavrov repeatedly hit out at the transatlantic military alliance during his speech, which follows years of worsening relations and increasing military encounters.

The tensions of the past years between the US, Europe and Russia are unnatural, he said.

Russia is not looking for a conflict with anyone but will always be able to protect its interests.

The US-led international coalition and Russia are backing opposite sides in the Syrian civil war  although both target Isis  while imposing waves of sanctions and counter sanctions over the Kremlins involvement in Ukraine.

Russia has been accused of violating international law in both countries, annexing Crimea in 2014 and conducting indiscriminate bombing raids amounting to war crimes in support of Syrias autocratic President Bashar al-Assad.

Tensions have risen further over allegations the Kremlin backed cyber attacks attempting to influence the US and German elections, as well as controversy over fake news spread by state-funded outlets including Russia Today and Sputnik.

The Russian government has denied involvement in hacking attempts and accused Nato and Western media in turn of conducting a propaganda war against it.
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A three-year-old boy has been killed and at least 15 people injured in a car bomb attack in south-eastern Turkey.

The bomb exploded near the homes of judges and prosecutors in the mainly Kurdish town of Viransehir, in Sanliurfa province, which borders Syria.

Sanliurfa governor Gungor Azim Tuna said that a young man parked the explosives-laden vehicle near the properties and later detonated it with a remote-controlled device.

The attack killed the three-year-old son of a court clerk, he said.

Around 15 people were taken to hospital but none of them was in a serious condition, Mr Tuna said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Turkey has suffered a series of violent attacks since 2015, carried out either by the Islamic State group or by Kurdish militants who have led a three-decade long insurgency and resumed fighting in 2015 after a ceasefire collapsed.

In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish tanks driving to the Syrian-Turkish border town of Jarabulus yesterday AFP/Getty In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish-backed gather on the outskirts of Jarabulus, Syria, ahead of an offensive on 24 August 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish army tanks make their way towards the Syrian border town of Jarabulus, Syria August 24, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish soldiers return from Syria to Turkey with tanks after a military operation at the Syrian border as part of their offensive against the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria, Karkamis district of Gaziantep, Turkey, 25 August 2016 EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish army tanks and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces move toward the Syrian border as pictured from Karkamis, Turkey, AP In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish tanks on their way to the Turkish-Syria border during an operation against Isis on 24 August 2016 EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Syrian opposition fighters being transported during preparations to enter Jarabulus in Karkamis, Turkey, on 24 August 2016. EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria An air strike hitting Isis-controlled territory near Jarabulus, near the Turkish border, on 24 August 2016. EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria A Turkish army tank and an armoured vehicle stationed near the border with Syria. Turkish media reports say Turkish artillery has launched new strikes at Isis targets across the border AP

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has targeted police or government lodgings with car bombs in the past. The group is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag condemned the attack on Twitter and said the government would not be deterred from its fight against terrorist groups.

"Our determined and forceful struggle will continue," Mr Bozdag wrote.

AP
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Vladimir Putin has signed an executive order granting visa-free travel to anyone living in self-declared separatist republics in eastern Ukraine and recognising all documents issued by militias.

A Kremlin statement said the order was guided by universally recognised principles and standards of international humanitarian law and in order to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals.

It gives birth, marriage and death certificates, identification, qualification, vehicle registration certificates and other documents issued by pro-Russian rebel authorities official recognition in Russia.

Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, claimed the recognition was afforded so Donbass residents can enter Russia legally, with thousands already fleeing over the border as asylum seekers.

Soldier among wreckage at the boarding hall of the Donetsk airport (Joao Bolan)

Mr Putins order was released hours after the American Vice President told an international conference the US would hold Russia accountable for its actions.

Donald Trump made a series of warm statements towards Mr Putin during his campaign and has dismissed allegations of Russian interference in the election, but has adopted a more combative tone in recent days following international pressure over Ukraine.

The President accused Russia of using force to take Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014, last week amid a fresh round of allegations over links between his administration and the Kremlin.

The Russian foreign ministry responded by calling the Black Sea peninsula our territory and declaring that it would not be returned.

Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, warned against any move to appease Russia on the issue.

I hear increasingly obsessive calls for at least some degree of appeasement toward Russias appetite, he said.

To move in that direction would be naive, wrong and dangerous  not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe and for the world.

 Mike Pence claims there was no contact between Russia and Trump campaign

Mr Putins latest order will be seen as another sign to the world that despite its repeated denials of backing Ukrainian rebels, it will not lessen its political support.

A Kremlin statement said it related to certain districts of Ukraines Donetsk and Luhansk, without specifically referring to the so-called Peoples Republics installed on the Russian border during the Ukrainian civil war.

They emerged after months of fighting between separatist rebels and the Ukrainian government following the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych, an ally of Mr Putins.

Russia has denied persistent allegations by Nato and the US and EU of arming rebels and sending its troops over the border, but has made no secret of its political backing for the Donbass republics.

They were created after referendums held in May 2014 that claimed to show strong support for independence in Donetsk and Luhansk, although no government officially recognised the result amid evidence of widespread fraud and voter intimidation.

The ongoing conflict, which has intensified in recent weeks, was a hot topic at the annual Munich Security Conference yesterday.

Mike Pence said the Trump administration would demand that Russia honours a 2015 peace deal agreed in Minsk, in efforts to end fighting in eastern Ukraine, which has been repeatedly violated by both sides.

Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know President Trump believes can be found, the Vice President said.

Russian military activity in Crimea Show all 11 1 /11 Russian military activity in Crimea Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian13-ap_1.jpg AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian9-ap.jpg AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian12-ap.jpg AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian11-rtp.jpg Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian10-afpgt.jpg AFP/Getty Images Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian7-rt.jpg Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian6-afpgt.jpg AFP/Getty Images Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian8-rt_1.jpg Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian-navy1-rt.jpg Reuters Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian4-ap_1.jpg AP Russian military activity in Crimea Ukraine-russian3-ap.jpg AP

The Russian foreign minister hit back by accusing Nato of Cold War-era expansionism and blaming the alliance for rising tensions and military deployments in Europe.

He later announced a fresh ceasefire brokered by Russian, Ukrainian, German and French negotiators to halt fighting between Kievs army and rebels from 20 February.

On 20 February the ceasefire regime will start, and withdrawal of heavy military hardware will also startfailure should not be allowed to take place, Mr Lavrov told reporters.

But the Ukrainian foreign minister, Pavlo Klimkin, said he was not at all happy with the result of talks.

Ukraines government has raised concern over an upsurge in fighting over the past month, seeing heavy artillery banned under the Minsk agreements hit residential areas including the frontline city of Avdiivka.

Thousands of people were left without electricity and water because of the battles, which saw rockets kill civilians attempting to shelter in their homes

The Ukrainian embassy in London describes rebels as Russian terrorist forces, while the separatists and Russian media frequently refer to government troops as Nazis.

Both sides accuse each other of ceasefire violations and war crimes in the conflict, which has killed more than 9,800 people since April 2014.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Isis business model is failing as jihadis lose their grip on territory and the vital oil and tax revenue it brings, a new report has found.

The so-called Islamic State is believed to be the richest terrorist group in the world, exploiting natural resources and looting antiquities seized in its lightning advance across Syria and Iraqi in 2014.

Civilians trapped under the militant groups brutal rule are subjected to punitive taxation, confiscations and fines, while millions of pounds are made in ransoms from kidnappings.

(Statista (Statista)

But research by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) at Kings College London has found that Isis revenue streams are starting to dry up as the group loses territory and international air strikes target its oil fields.

The groups true wealth is difficult to determine, but its annual revenue has plummeted from an estimated $1.9bn (1.5bn) in 2014 to $870m last year.

Peter Neumann, director of ICSR said that while the exploitation of vast territories has been lucrative for Isis, the bureaucracy entailed brings expenses.

It needs to fix roads, he told the Associated Press. It needs to pay teachers. It needs to run health services. It needs to pay for these things that al-Qaeda never had to.

The report found no evidence that rumoured donations from foreign supporters and governments continue to be significant, while taxation has become Isis main revenue source after its ability to make money from looted antiquities in new territory faded.

 Anti-Isis coalition explodes 283 oil trucks

Oil remains the groups second-largest money-maker, but Isis trade has declined rapidly since the start of a targeted air campaign by the US-led coalition.

Operation Tidal Wave II, launched in October 2015, aims to destroy oil transport and infrastructure to cut the groups funding, seeing oil wells and tankers repeatedly bombed despite concern for civilian workers.

On Thursday, US Central Command announced strikes that destroyed oil tankers, refinement stills and wellheads in Isis Syrian strongholds of Abu Kamal and Deir ez-Zor, while Russian strikes have also hit oil facilities.

The group has been forced to reduce salaries and perks for fighters, as well as increasing taxation and fees to make up the cash shortage, leaked documents from its Bayt Mal al-Muslimeen treasury show.

Estimated earnings from the looting and confiscation of artefacts from historical sites and abandoned homes across Isis territory is also on the decline.

A federal lawsuit filed in the US to recover four artefacts put up for sale by Isis showed it received at least 20 per cent of the proceeds of items excavated from archaeological sites under its control and taxed antiquities sold in its territories, even kidnapping a child to force one merchant to pay.

(ICSR (ICSR)

Isis coffers were also hit by the Iraqi governments decision to stop paying salaries to government employees living in its territories in August 2015, and efforts to reduce cross-border smuggling with Turkey and Kurdish-controlled areas in Iraq.

Mr Neumann compared Isis funding strategy as a pyramid scheme requiring constant expansion, which has now been brought to a halt.

The business model was also to constantly expand and to plunder the areas that were becoming part of the caliphate, he said.

Britain and other allies are training thousands of troops to fight Isis on the ground in Iraq and supporting the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces alliance over the border.

Ground operations, backed by international air power, have seen Isis driven out of key strongholds including Fallujah, Tikrit and Jarablus, with militants currently battling to hold Mosul as enemies close in on their de facto capital of Raqqa.

By November last year, the group had lost 62 per cent of its mid-2014 peak territory in Iraq and 30 per cent in Syria, according to coalition figures, leaving it fewer civilians and businesses to tax and less control over natural resources.

In pictures: Mosul offensive Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Mosul offensive In pictures: Mosul offensive A doctor carries an Iraqi newborn baby at a hospital in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi girls play at a yard of a school in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017alal Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A woman on crutches who is a relative of men accused of being Islamic State militants is seen at a camp in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq July 15, 2017. Picture taken July 15, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A displaced girl, who fled from home carries a doll at Hamam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq July 13, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi federal police members and civilians celebrate in the Old City of Mosul on 9 July 2017 after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he was in "liberated" Mosul to congratulate "the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory" AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken on 9 July 2017, shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. AFP In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of the Iraqi federal police raise the victory gesture as they ride on a humvee while advancing through the Old City of Mosul on 28 June 2017, as the offensive continues to retake the last district held by Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Smoke billows as Iraqi forces advance through the Old City of Mosul on 26 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district held by the Islamic State (IS) group. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi man wearing the green scarf of the Shi'ite faith kisses an Iraqi Army soldier on safely reaching the Iraqi forces position as Iraqi civilians flee the Old City of west Mosul where heavy fighting continues on 23 June 2017. Iraqi forces continue to encounter stiff resistance with improvised explosive devices, car bombs, heavy mortar fire and snipers hampering their advance. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken from the inside of an Iraqi forces armoured vehicle shows residents walking through a damaged street as troops advance towards Mosul's Old City on 18 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group. Military commanders told AFP the assault had begun at dawn after overnight air strikes by the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces. They said the jihadists were putting up fierce resistance. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi Army soldiers advance in a destroyed street after an Iraqi forces airstrike targeted an Islamic State sniper position 17 June 2017 in al-Shifa, the last district of west Mosul under Islamic State control. IS snipers, as well as car and suicide bomb attacks continue to hinder the Iraqi forces efforts to retake the final district. A series of airstrikes by Iraqi helicopter gunships attempted to hit multiple Islamic State sniper positions in al-Shifa. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier frisks a displaced Iraqi man at a temporary camp in the compound of the closed Nineveh International Hotel in Mosul on 16 June 2017 which was recovered by Iraqi troops from Islamic State group fighters earlier in the year. A screening centre set up in the compound's fairgrounds sees a constant stream of Iraqis fleeing the battle for Mosul, awaiting their turn to be checked by the Iraqi forces who are searching for suspected Islamic State (IS) group members. The small fairground lies at the end of a pontoon bridge across the Tigris recently opened to civilians that is the only physical link between the two banks of the river. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis staying at the al-Khazir camp swim in a river near the camp for internally displaced people, located between Arbil and Mosul on 11 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi government forces drive on a road leading to Tal Afar on 9 June 2017, during ongoing battles to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi policeman carries a poster bearing an image of Mosul's iconic leaning minaret, known as the "Hadba" (Hunchback), on 22 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis stand in line to receive food aid in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood on 7 June 2017, during ongoing battles as Iraqi forces try to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Living conditions in Mosul have again deteriorated since the start of the Iraqi government's offensive on the city in October in which they retook a large part of the west of the city. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced Iraqis carry lightbulbs and sacks as they evacuate from western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood as government forces advance in the area during their ongoing battle against Islamic State (IS) group fighters on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) flashes the victory gesture as he patrols in western Mosul's al-Islah al-Zaraye neighbourhood on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi army soldiers from the 9th armoured division on a truck flash the sign of victory as they drive back from Mosul to the town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya) Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of Iraqi forces flash the sign of victory on their vehicle as they advance towards Hammam al-Alil area south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi security forces gestures in Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi children, one flashing the sign of victory, greet Iraqi army's soldiers from the 9th armoured division in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Peshmerga forces look at a tunnel used by Islamic State militants near the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier takes a photograph with his phone as his comrade stands next to a detained man, whom the Iraqi army soldiers accused of being an Islamic State fighter, who was fleeing with his family in the Intisar disrict of eastern Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iranian Kurdish female members of the Freedom Party of Kurdistan (PAK) hold a position in an area near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families, who fled their homes in Hamam al-Alil, gather on the outskirts of their town Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced people walk past a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against jihadists of the Islamic State group to retake the city of Mosul, are seen gathering in an area near Qayyarah In pictures: Mosul offensive A boy who just fled Abu Jarbuah village is seen with his family at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi child eats a pomegranate upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive People who just fled Abu Jarbuah village sit as they eat at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A couple who just fled Abu Jarbuah village are escorted by Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Women carry a boy over a wall as civilians flee their houses in the village of Tob Zawa, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier and a civilian ride a motorbike as smoke rises behind them, on the road between Qayyarah and Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces, wearing a skull mask, waits at a checkpoint for people fleeing the main hub city of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier sits at a checkpoint in an area near Qayyarah Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi men prepare food portions for Iraqi forces deployed in areas south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi forces celebrate upon the arrival of vehicles bringing food to them Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi childen smoke cigarettes upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces distributes drinks to children in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty

The trend looks set to continue but the ICSR report, written in conjunction with the EY organisation, cautioned that the financial losses do not necessarily make the group less of an international threat.

While Isis Paris attack  their deadliest in Europe  was centrally organised and commissioned in Syria, the Nice lorry massacre and countless other atrocities were conducted by supporters at no cost to jihadi leaders.

In bombing attacks Isis favours triacetone triperoxide (TATP), an explosive that can be cheaply made following instructions issued in the groups propaganda from readily and legally available products found worldwide.

Almost daily bombings in Baghdad and recent atrocities in Pakistan, as well as numerous plots uncovered in Europe, demonstrate Isis continued ability to inflict bloodshed and carnage.

The decline in revenues may not have an immediate effect on the groups ability to carry out terrorist attacks outside its territory, the report cautioned.

While hurting Islamic State finances puts pressure on the organisation and its state-building project, wider efforts will continue to be necessary to ultimately defeat it.
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It looks as if the results of the two by-elections on Thursday will be the worst possible for Labour: it will hold both seats. That means Jeremy Corbyns leadership will be prolonged for a bit longer, and the damage to Labours image will be more serious.

When the dates for the by-elections were set, things looked more hopeful for the Opposition. I carried out a straw poll of Westminster journalists in the middle of last month and 18 out of 31 thought the Conservatives would win in Copeland, while 22 of the 31 predicted Labour would hold on in Stoke-on-Trent Central against Ukip. Naturally I was in the minority on both, predicting Labour would hold Copeland and lose Stoke, but I now think Labour will hold them both.

Since my survey, several things have happened. First, as expected, Ukip selected its leader, Paul Nuttall, to contest Stoke. Second, Nuttall began to self-destruct within minutes. Sometimes, these games of journalistic gotcha! with by-election candidates dont have much effect on the voters, but the confusion about whether Nuttall was at the Hillsborough stadium disaster and whether he knew anyone who died there has cut through.

Third, Theresa May visited Copeland. It is still unusual for a prime minister to campaign in a by-election and it made me think that she must be intending to unveil something like the Humber Bridge  the announcement of which was credited with winning the Hull North by-election for Labour in 1966. On the contrary, she insisted unconvincingly that the Moorside nuclear power station was going ahead despite doubts about its financing, and repeatedly dodged questions about a local NHS maternity unit.

 Ukip's Paul Nuttall launches by-election campaign in Stoke

Nuttall obviously thought he had a chance in Stoke, and May thought the Conservative candidate, Trudy Harrison, had a chance in Copeland. Perhaps the Prime Minister knows something we dont, but I think those chances were never good. Ukip has struggled in by-elections, except, before the EU referendum, where sitting Tory MPs defected. And the government party hasnt gained a seat in a by-election, except for a special case where the SDP split the opposition vote in 1982, since 1961.

Two other things have happened that might have a bearing on the by-elections. Ten days ago Corbyn led most Labour MPs into the Government lobby to pass the bill to give the Prime Minister the power to start formal talks on leaving the EU. The Labour candidates in Copeland and Stoke both supported remaining in the EU, but are now aligned with their leaders policy of supporting the start of the Article 50 procedure. That has reduced the scope for the Tories and Ukip to run campaigns, in two seats that voted to leave the EU, as votes for getting on with Brexit.

Then on Friday a Labour former prime minister who shall remain nameless made a speech saying it was his mission to change the minds of the British people about Brexit. Some Labour members who agreed with him nevertheless thought his timing was intended to embarrass the party in the week before the by-elections. Well, every little helps, I suppose, but I still think Labour will hold those seats.

Which means that Corbyn will carry on as leader for the time being. In fact, even if Labour loses one or both seats, he wouldnt go straight away, although it might shorten the fuse.

Key Faces of UKIP Show all 11 1 /11 Key Faces of UKIP Key Faces of UKIP Nigel Farage Getty Key Faces of UKIP United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) Migration spokesman Steven Woolfe addresses supporters and media personnel in central London Getty Key Faces of UKIP Robert Kilroy-Silk, former television presenter and newly elected member of the European Parliament for the UK Independence Party (UKIP), shows a placard against the European Constitution in front of the Houses of Parliament Getty Key Faces of UKIP Mark Reckless, Director of Policy Development addresses party members during the UK Independence Party annual conference at Doncaster Racecourse Getty Key Faces of UKIP Gerard Batten MEP poses with protesters outside parliament Creative Commons Key Faces of UKIP Diane James gives an address at the UKIP Autumn Conference in Bournemouth Getty Key Faces of UKIP Douglas Carswell MP speaks to party members and supporters during the UK Independence Party annual conference Getty Key Faces of UKIP Suzanne Evans, Deputy Party Chairman of UK Independence Party (UKIP) speaks during the launch of UKIP's election manifesto Getty Key Faces of UKIP Peter Whittle, the UK Independence Party Member of the London Assembly, is interviewed in central London Getty Key Faces of UKIP MEP Mike Hookem during a visit to Concept Metal Products & Co Ltd Getty Key Faces of UKIP Paul Nuttall, Deputy Leader of the UK Independence Party speaks at a Say NO, Believe in Britain debate at Carn Brea Leisure Centre in Pool near Redruthon Getty

And the former prime ministers speech exposed a problem for Labour that is more fundamental than Corbyns leadership. The question of the leadership is twofold: it is not simply a matter of finding someone with better leadership skills than Corbyn, but of deciding what the partys position on Brexit ought to be, as that is the subject that is going to dominate the next two years.

The paradox of the former prime ministers speech is that, while it was important and the opposite of undemocratic to have someone make that argument and to make it well, it is not obvious that it is the right argument for the official Opposition to make. Indeed, if a young Tony Blair were a Labour MP now I think he would have voted for the Brexit bill last week, and I think he would now be running for the Labour leadership on a platform of trying to make Brexit softer, rather than one of trying to reverse it.

Clive Lewis, the former shadow Business Secretary who resigned last week, has positioned himself in what looks like the Blairite zone of opposing Brexit. He may be vindicated in the long run, but if a vacancy for the Labour leadership arose now it is not clear that an anti-Brexit candidate would win it.

The vote to leave the EU in last years referendum has done deep and irreversible things to British politics. Whether Corbyn is the Labour leader for a few months or a few years more, the party is only at the very beginning of coming to terms with that change.
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On Sunday 26 February, the night of the Oscars, were transforming Trafalgar Square into Londons biggest cinema, says Sadiq Khan in a publicity video for the screening of Irans Oscar-nominated film, The Salesman.

I want to welcome people from all across the capital and beyond, the Khan adds  khan in Persian is aptly the daddy, godfather, don, the head of the village  to share in this celebration of London as an international hub of creativity and as a global beacon of openness and diversity.

But hold on  why is London doing this when Tehran is holding one of its citizens in jail over unclear charges and refusing her urgent medical care?

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratfliffe, the 38-year-old charity worker from north London detained arbitrarily last April, has suffered solitary confinement, gone on hunger strike, been threatened with losing custody of her two-year-old daughter who she refused to keep in prison, and was recently handed a five-year prison sentence. Movement in her arms and neck is restricted and a prison doctor has recommended she see a neurologist  but she is inhumanely being denied access to one.

 Benjamin Netanyahu urges Theresa May to back fresh sanctions for Iran

If there is one thing she is guilty of it is not being a panda  were she, by now she would be a household name and calls for her release would be as robust as they were for the UK sailors captured by the Ahmadinejad government in 2006. (The Blair government, for all its faults, rightly regarded Iran as a terrorist state and demanded their unconditional release.) And that is what is required now  Nazanin must be released.

If Theresa May and Boris Johnson are content to do nothing but have their subordinates limply raise the issue in the buffet queue at the next oil conference, it is Sadiq Khans moral duty to step up. With this in mind, Ive started a petition urging the Mayor to use his screening of The Salesman  which is expected to draw a crowd of 10,000 and is backed by the likes of Mike Leigh and Lily Cole  to demand Nazanins release. Sadly, though, City Hall has told Metro that this is not its job, its the Foreign Offices.

It remains a mystery why a director who is not British and whose film is not about Britain is a more pressing concern to the Mayor than one of his own citizens wrongly jailed in Tehran.

Oscars 2016 winners Show all 24 1 /24 Oscars 2016 winners Oscars 2016 winners Leonardo DiCaprio Oscar for Best Actor: "The Revenant" Oscars 2016 winners Brie Larson Oscar for Best Actress: "Room" 2016 Getty Images Oscars 2016 winners Mark Rylance Oscar for Best Supporting Actor: "Bridge of Spies" Oscars 2016 winners Alicia Vikander Oscar for Best Supporting Actress: "The Danish Girl" Oscars 2016 winners Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Oscar for Best Director: "The Revenant" Oscars 2016 winners Emmanuel Lubezki Oscar for Best Cinematography: "The Renevant" Oscars 2016 winners Mark Mangini (L) and David White Oscar for Best Sound Editing: "Mad Max: Fury Road" Oscars 2016 winners Margaret Sixel Oscar for Best Editing: "Mad Max: Fury Road" Oscars 2016 winners Lesley Vanderwalt (R), Elka Wardega (C) and Damian Martin Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling: "Mad Max: Fury Road" Oscars 2016 winners Colin Gibson and Lisa Thompson Oscar for Best Production Design: "Mad Max: Fury Road" Oscars 2016 winners Jenny Beavan Oscar for Best Costume Design: "Mad Max: Fury Road" Oscars 2016 winners Tom McCarthy (L) and Josh Singer Oscar for Best Original Screenplay: "Spotlight" Oscars 2016 winners Adam McKay (L) and Charles Randolph Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay: "The Big Short" Oscars 2016 winners (L-R) Steve Golin, Blye Pagon Faust, Nicole Rocklin, and Michael Sugar Oscar for Best Picture: "Spotlight" Oscars 2016 winners Jimmy Napes (L) and Sam Smith Oscar for Best Original Song: 'Writing's On The Wall' - "Spectre" REUTERS Oscars 2016 winners Ennio Morricone Oscar for Best Original Score: "The Hateful Eight" Oscars 2016 winners Laszlo Nemes Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film: "Son of Saul" Oscars 2016 winners Shawn Christopher Ogilvy (L) and Benjamin Cleary Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film: "Stutterer" Oscars 2016 winners James Gay-Rees (L) and Asif Kapadia Oscar for Best Documentary Feature: "Amy" Oscars 2016 winners Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject: "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" Oscars 2016 winners Pete Docter (R) and Jonas Rivera Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film: "Inside Out" Oscars 2016 winners Director Gabriel Osorio Vargas (L) and producer Pato Escala Pierart Oscar for Best Animated Short Film: "Bear Story" Oscars 2016 winners Andrew Whitehurst (R), Paul Norris (2nd L), Mark Ardington (L) and Sara Bennett Oscar for Best Visual Effects: "Ex Machina" Oscars 2016 winners Chris Jenkins (R), Gregg Rudolf (C) and Ben Oslo Oscar for Sound Mixing: "Mad Max: Fury Road"

In fact, why is it Londons responsibility to screen this film at all? Had Asghar Farhadi been banned from the US it would make sense, but Farhadi is boycotting the Oscars because he cannot countenance the ifs and buts that might accompany special provisions to ensure his presence in Tinseltown  he is choosing not to go.

How is that Londons business? If its a matter of championing Muslims, is there a shortage of talented UK Muslims? And why choose the relatively privileged Iranians over Somalis or Sudanese?

Nazanin is sadly a victim of the lefts hypocrisy. If the Mayor was to screen an Israeli film in the name of diversity, charged and angry protests would take place.

Irans human rights abuse is, like its filmmaking, world class  yet there is no BDS movement to hound Khans decision to, lets face it, roll out the red carpet for the new Saudis, despotic Islamists whose crimes we choose to ignore.

If the Mayor will not speak out for Nazanin he must surely, on behalf of Londoners, invite her husband Richard Ratcliffe to speak at the screening. Foreign Offices job? Do a John Bercow. If he fails to do so, I will be campaigning for Iranians, starting with Farhadi, to disavow this event, to boycott it.

Click here to sign the petition
A disused customs post on the border between Dundalk and Newry

A mock customs post is set up at Ravensdale, Co Louth

Anti-Brexit campaigners have brought traffic to a crawl on the main road between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

A convoy of protesters staged a noisy motorway go-slow near Dundalk in Co Louth using lorries and tractors to highlight the impact of predicted customs checks on the local economy.

Contingency work has begun to identify places where checkpoints could be set up once again, in preparation for the UK leaving the EU, the Government said.

Opponents of a hard Brexit have argued it could undermine peace process measures which helped transform a militarised zone pockmarked by the Troubles and overlooked by Army watchtowers and barriers into an invisible boundary.

While minor roads were once cratered and closed to control north/south traffic - and combat a thriving black market and IRA movement - since the end of the conflict people and goods have passed largely unimpeded between the neighbours on what would be the UK's only land border with Europe.

A trailer-load of sheep going to market and passport-toting residents took part in a theatrical "checkpoint" staged to highlight the detrimental impact of any such border on Saturday.

A rusty Second World War-era bicycle placed alongside a mock customs hut reinforced the message that a hard border was a return to the past which UK Prime Minister Theresa May has been adamant she wants to avoid.

Kitchen maker and demonstration organiser for Border Communities Against Brexit, Declan Fearon, said: "We are really in the eye of the storm of Brexit and we intend to make sure that this does not happen.

"We never want to see this community going back to what it was before."

Mock border officers from the UK and Ireland wearing traditional greatcoats waved down traffic in front of a stage customs hut.

Horns blared, truck drivers in the queue pretended to pull their hair out and waved pieces of paper supposed to be travel documents.

Lines of people with placards had gathered and vintage signs proclaimed "Stop: Customs".

Mr Fearon added: "The people here do not want to contemplate the reinstatement of spikes and roads being closed and of customs checkpoints and it looks like that is where we are going."

More than 20 years ago there were 270 crossings along the 300-mile long border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Mr Fearon said only 17 of them had clearance posts and many others were closed with roads deliberately made impassable and communities split in two.

A church near where he was standing is on one side of the border while its graveyard is on the other.

The UK Prime Minister has pledged no return to the heavily-secured border of the past.

Mr Fearon said: "It seems as if Theresa May and the British Government have no intention of listening to us.

"They don't seem to have any of our interests here along the border at heart and we want to make sure our voices are heard as far and wide as possible."
Tony Blair has urged pro-Europeans to "rise up" and persuade the British people they were wrong about Brexit.

The former British prime minister issued a rallying cry against the referendum vote, which he said was "based on imperfect knowledge".

Speaking at the headquarters of the Bloomberg financial news agency in London, Mr Blair said voters had backed leaving the EU without knowing the true cost and should have the opportunity to change their minds.

"I accept right now there is no widespread appetite to rethink. But the people voted without knowledge of the true terms of Brexit," he said.

"As these terms become clear, it is their right to change their mind. Our mission is to persuade them to do so."

The former Labour leader also questioned whether the referendum had given a mandate for "Brexit at any cost".

He warned that the path the British government was now pursuing meant the break-up of the UK was "back on the table", giving the SNP a much more credible case for Scottish independence.

"What was unfortunately only dim in our sight before the referendum is now in plain sight. The road we're going down is not simply hard Brexit. It is Brexit at any cost," Mr Blair added.

"Our challenge is to expose relentlessly what this cost is, to show how the decision was based on imperfect knowledge which will now become informed knowledge, to calculate in 'easy-to-understand' ways how proceeding will cause real damage to our country; and to build support for finding a way out from the present rush over the cliff's edge.

"I don't know if we can succeed. But I do know we will suffer a rancorous verdict from future generations if we do not try."

Mr Blair said that in the absence of an effective opposition, pro-Europeans needed to build a "movement" that reached across party lines.

He said that the institute which he was launching would play its part in developing the arguments to rethink the UK's position.

"The debilitation of the Labour Party is the facilitator of Brexit. I hate to say that, but it is true.

"What this means is that we have to build a movement which stretches across party lines; and devise new ways of communication," he said.

"These groups must find ways of concerting strategy and tactics effectively. We should begin to create informal links immediately and then build them into a movement with weight and reach.

"We need to strengthen the hand of the MPs who are with us and let those against know they have serious opposition to Brexit at any cost."

Mr Blair said Brexiteers had been the beneficiaries of a "propensity for revolt" which characterised the current state of politics, but that did not mean voters' views on leaving the EU were set in stone.

"They will say the will of the people can't alter. It can. They will say leaving is inevitable. It isn't. They will say we don't represent the people. We do, many millions of them and, with determination, many millions more," he said.

"This is not the time for retreat, indifference or despair; but the time to rise up in defence of what we believe - calmly, patiently, winning the argument by the force of argument; but without fear and with the conviction we act in the true interests of Britain."

Mr Blair's passionate speech came as UK retail sales showed how Brexit is hurting consumer confidence.

UK retail sales fell unexpectedly for a third month in January following on from December's dip.

Official figures, from the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS), showed retail sales volumes dropped by 0.3pc compared with the previous month, well below the 0.9pc rise expected.

The ONS said the data indicated the first signs of a fall in the underlying trend since December 2013. It said evidence suggested higher fuel and food prices were key factors.

Compared with January 2016, sales were up 1.5pc, the weakest performance since November 2013.
Earlier, Taoiseach Enda Kenny stressed that Europe needs to help Ireland deal with the fallout of Brexit (Stock photo)

Top European officials are confident they can find "creative" solutions to deal with the Border post-Brexit, a special adviser to the European Commission President has said.

But it will take time, Catherine Day, the former head of the Commission and now adviser to Jean-Claude Juncker, has said.

"They [officials] are really seized by the issue of the Border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland," Ms Day told the second all-island forum on Brexit, hosted by the Government in Dublin Castle. "They are, I think, confident that they can find creative solutions. But it will take time, and maybe it will not be what we will sketch out on paper today. Maybe they can come with a different solution that will work just as well."

Ms Day, who served as the head of the European Commission for almost 10 years, struck a positive tone about the outcome of the negotiations overall.

"I remain optimistic that we will hammer out something at the end of the day because that's my experience. Everybody wants it to work. They start by wanting it to work their way, and then they realise that it conflicts with everybody else's [way], and then they get into a way of finding it. The European Union is endlessly creative about solutions."

Earlier, Taoiseach Enda Kenny stressed that Europe needs to help Ireland deal with the fallout of Brexit.
The chief executive of Cavan insulation giant Kingspan, Gene Murtagh, has joined a chorus of support for the construction of high-rise buildings including offices in Dublin in order to make better use of land.

He said the capital's International Financial Services Centre and Docklands would be prime candidates for more intensive use of land.

"You've got relatively nondescript kind of territory down at those areas that could take high-rise and, frankly, it would enhance those areas, both in terms of residential and commercial," he told the Irish Independent.

"By any measure of progress in European and American cities, we're just not utilising the space in the sky like we could be. Density in Dublin needs to be addressed," said Mr Murtagh.

The chairman of Failte Ireland, former Ryanair deputy chief executive Michael Cawley, has also called for the law to be changed to allow high-rise hotels to be built in the capital.

Nama and the National Transport Authority have also previously called for the high-rise restrictions to be lifted.

Only in four specific locations in Dublin are buildings higher than seven storeys permitted. One of them is George's Quay, where Johnny Ronan has teamed up with Cardinal Capital to build the 22-storey Aqua Vetro Tower beside Tara Street Station on land owned by CIE. It will be the capital's tallest building when built.

Mr Murtagh was speaking as Kingspan released record results for 2016, with its profits jumping 33pc to 341m. Revenue at the group climbed 12pc to 3.1bn.

In its insulated panels business, revenue was up 17pc at 2.07bn. The unit made a 228m profit, 38pc higher than in 2015.

Kingspan's insulated boards division reported revenues of 688m, with profits rising 28pc to 78.5m.

The company's business in the UK performed strongly, despite June's Brexit vote.

But Mr Murtagh pointed out that as Brexit hasn't actually happened yet, it's impossible to know what the precise impact of the UK's departure from the European Union will mean.

"It's very difficult to call. The 'B Factor' hasn't come into play at all yet," he said.

About 28pc of Kingspan's revenues came from the UK last year.
Farming is, yet again, in crisis. Now where did I hear that before?

Probably since I first understood what adults were discussing. The only optimistic period I can recall was when we first joined the Common Market.

So why do we keep on farming? There is no rational answer to this other than the fact that many are slow to change the practices of a lifetime and if we are honest, we might admit that the money we earn is secondary to the pleasure we get from a farming life.

It might at times be a hard life, but it's a good one and if we are not struggling to rear children and have enough to get by on, job satisfaction then becomes the primary driver.

But if the aim is to get rich, then it is a different matter.

Most farmers are expert at growing crops and rearing livestock. He or she is skilled in a profession that contains some excellent practitioners but is being ground down to subsistence by the huge food processors and retailers.

So what are we to do? EU subsidies are declining and the demand for cheap food cannot be halted.

Different political systems have been tried throughout the world to improve the standard of living of rural dwellers. Most were found wanting and I will list them from an agricultural perspective:

Socialism. You have two cows. You give one to your neighbour and share what you produce for free. This ensures that everyone remains poor.

Communism. You have two cows. The State takes both, puts them in a collective State owned farm where there is no incentive to produce more milk so everyone remains poor. Even the Russians and Chinese gave up on that idea.

Fascism. You have two cows. The State takes both and sells you some milk. You are still poor.

Nazism. You have two cows. The State takes both and shoots you. Well at least that way your impoverished existence has ended.

Capitalism. You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, you open a butchers shop and the economy grows. You sell up and retire on the accumulated capital.

Competition

As we can see from this oversimplified example, capitalism appears to be the only system, so far, that actually works but it can be a hard taskmaster.

There is always competition which keeps us on our toes and in a free trade situation, the pressure on prices continues downwards, especially with so many goods coming in from abroad.

I have been racking what is left of my brains to discover what it is that the emerging young entrepreneurs in the farming community have to do to survive and took a look at what most successful people who own farms are actually doing.

Virtually all of them have diversified and rather than just selling milk or meat or corn to the current limited numbers of purchasers, they have concentrated on adding value before they part with their produce.

Many, such as the organic farmers who sell direct to the public, have become traders and buy in fruit and veg from abroad to add to their own range of goods.

Some farmers sold land and purchased house property to rent and started dealing in property. Those who seem to have fared best are the ones who trade rather than simply produce food for others to get rich on.

My own ancestors traded in cattle and sheep rather than producing them and lived by the rule that you must keep turning your stock over; once you stop trading you begin to lose money.

Throughout history, enterprising people grew wealthy from trade. Many travelled widely, buying and selling and were rarely involved in primary production.

This dates back to the time of the Silk Road when merchants took great risks to bring spices and silks across deserts and over mountains.

Nowadays huge cargo airplanes fly twenty four hours a day transporting food from one end of the earth to the other so that fresh fruit and vegetables are available throughout the year.

Vast tanker ships travel globally bringing hundreds of thousands of containers from port to port.

This is just a modern and gigantic version of the ancient traders with their camels and mules.

The competition among the world's farmers is cut throat. The only ones making real money are those who buy, add value and sell on.

The founder of one of Britain's largest companies started life as a barrow boy in East London and where better to learn the finer points of commerce.
Aryzta chief executive Owen Killian will no doubt be licking his wounds this weekend.

The boss of the Swiss-Irish food giant tendered his resignation this week, with his chief financial officer also heading for the door following a dismal couple of years for Aryzta.

And while hardly a silver lining, Killian's own Aryzta shares increased significantly in value in recent days.

On Friday last week, his 216,530 Aryzta shares were worth as much as 6.4 million Swiss francs (6m). Yesterday they were worth 7.04 million francs (6.6m), boosted by the reaction to the planned departures.

Shares in the company rose more than 20pc last Tuesday after the sweeping changes at the firm were unveiled.

Killian was forced to sell 16m worth of shares in the group last year, ditching the more than 426,000 shares at about 44.70 Swiss francs apiece. Mr Killian had to sell the stock because the weakness in the share price even then had impacted the collateral value of holding.

The blame for the lacklustre financial performance of the company, which has its roots in the Irish Agricultural Wholesalers Society (IAWS), has been laid squarely at the senior executives' feet, after they pursued the maligned 446m acquisition in 2015 of a 49pc stake in French frozen food company Picard.

That has been compounded by difficulties in North America, and Europe generally.

Aside from the executive changes, chairman Gary McGann has initiated a review of Aryzta's investment strategy in joint ventures.

It seems almost certain that the Picard stake will be sold.

The tumult has also raised the prospect of whether or not Aryzta could itself become a takeover target.

But analyst Ian Hunter at Investec thinks it's unlikely.

He points out that Aryzta has a market capitalisation of 2.7bn and an enterprise value - which includes debt - of 4.4bn. "It is a niche player," he said. "It does have very good contracts and does have very good clients (Subway and McDonald's among them) which international players would no doubt be happy to step in to.

"The difficulty at the moment though is Aryzta's debt levels," added Hunter.

"You're dealing with a business that throws off cash, but the top line growth is falling, margins are under pressure and you have a net debt to EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) ratio of 3.3 times, with management saying they have renegotiated their headroom to four times.

"The implication is that profits are going to be even weaker than we have pencilled into our numbers right now."

He said it's "difficult" to see Aryzta being sold to another public company.

"It could be an ideal candidate for private capital if they have that amount of money," said Hunter.

Meanwhile, he pointed out that Aryzta wasn't as strong as it used to be.

It also has idle capacity at its plants, while a power vacuum at the top creates additional uncertainty.

"There are three things to deal with: the underlying business, Picard, and debt.

"Management would have to be congratulated for everything they did from about 2010 to the middle of 2014," Hunter said.

Aryzta got a very good business positioning through "judicious acquisitions" that were integrated well. "They had a business that was growing stronger than the market and was at much higher margins than the market. They did that part well," said Hunter.

But he cautioned that it doesn't take much to clip margins if you've got either idle machinery and a labour force maintaining that.

"You've got the cost base still there and the revenue coming off and it probably doesn't take much to upset the balance, and that, to some extent, is what's happened."
An investment fund headed up by one of the country's highest profile accountants has been fined by the Central Bank over how it treated clients.

Kinsale Capital Management is chaired by Terence O'Rourke, who is chairman of Enterprise Ireland.

The low-profile firm was fined 275,000 for breaching rules on how it dealt with clients.

This is set to be an embarrassment for Mr O'Rourke, who is former managing partner of KPMG, and a board member of The Irish Times Limited. He is also on a string of other high-profile boards.

Mr O'Rourke is also board member, fellow and former president of the Chartered Accountants Regulatory Board.

He was appointed as a director to Kinsale Capital Management last September, with the breaches happening before his appointment.

The Central Bank said that after an on-site visit to Dublin-based Kinsale Capital Management it found the firm was providing investment advice to three retail clients in breach of its authorisation.

It is only supposed to advise professional investors.

The website for the firm describes it as a "global value equity fund" and mentions it was nominated for the Global Euro Hedge Awards in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

The firm made profits of 1.4m in 2015, Companies Office records show.

A statement from the Central Bank said it fined Kinsale Capital Management Limited 275,000 and reprimanded it for breaches of the European Communities (Markets in Financial Instruments) Regulations 2007 (MiFID).

The breaches in this case relate to:

 The firm's failure to carry out adequate assessments of certain clients who elected to be treated as professional clients between June 7, 2011 and July 31, 2015;

 The firm's failure to implement appropriate policies and procedures for client categorisation between April 6, 2010 and March 2015; and

 The firm providing investment services to three retail clients in breach of the terms of its authorisation between December 14, 2011 and July 31, 2015.

In a statement, Kinsale Capital Management said it fully accepts the Central Bank findings relating to its mis-categorisation of a small number of retail clients who elected to be treated as professional clients.

The firm took steps to address the breaches identified and to become fully compliant, it said. It is understood no clients lost any money.
The corporate giant behind hundreds of Ireland's biggest household brands has rejected a $143bn (134bn) takeover offer from its biggest rival.

Unilever rejected the surprise bid from US food company Kraft Heinz Co on Friday, saying it saw no reason to discuss a deal which it said had no financial or strategic merit.

But while Unilever, the maker of a hundreds of branded supermarket staples including Lyons Tea and Dove soap, said the $50-a-share offer undervalued it and recommended its shareholders take no action.

Kraft Heinz said it looked forward to "working to reach agreement on the terms of a transaction".

Analysts saw this as a sign Kraft will come back with a higher bid. Unilever shares jumped as much as 14pc to a record high.

They were up 13pc at 37.79 yesterday, but still short of the offer price.

A combination of the two multinationals would be the third-biggest takeover in history and the biggest ever acquisition of a UK-based company, according to Thomson Reuters data.

For Kraft Heinz a deal would catapult it out of the North American market, which accounts for about 80pc of sales.

Anglo-Dutch giant Unilever has a larger presence in Europe and in emerging markets, which were once the big driver of industry growth.

It is also feeling the after-effects of Britain's decision to leave the European Union - famously sparking a major upset last year when it tried to impose price hikes on supermarkets, including in the Musgrave Group in Ireland, after the pound plunged.

Neither company is a major employer in Ireland. Unilever owns iconic Irish brands like Lyons Tea and HB ice-cream, but shut its last manufacturing site here in 2006.

It has around 200 Irish staff who are focused on marketing and distribution.

In 2014 Heinz sold the Dundalk plant where its Weight Watchers frozen ready meals are prepared to Manchester-based The Authentic Foods Co in a deal that includes a three-year agreement to continue manufacturing here.

Although Kraft is smaller than Unilever, with a market value of $106bn as of Thursday, it is 50.9pc owned by billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital, the private-equity firm that also controls Anheuser-Busch InBev.

It has been widely expected to do a deal this year, given earlier reports that 3G had raised a new fund.

Private equity investor 3G has orchestrated a string of big deals, rocking the food and drink industry, including Anheuser-Busch InBev's takeover of SABMiller and the combination of Kraft and Heinz.

Unilever said Kraft's proposal represented an 18pc premium to its share price on Thursday, the day before news of the bid was announced in a stock market statement.

It said Kraft's proposal included $30.23 per share in cash, payable in US dollars, and 0.222 of a share in a new enlarged entity per Unilever share.

"This is cheap money meeting industrial logic," said Steve Clayton, a fund manager at Hargreaves Lansdown in London, which owns Unilever shares.

A deal would offer opportunities to combine marketing, manufacturing and distribution in addition to cutting costs.

"Kraft Heinz are attempting a massive push on the fast forward button ... to acquire the sheer scale of brands that Unilever represents through one-off acquisitions could take decades," Mr Clayton added. (Additional reporting Reuters)
You wouldn't get away with that sort of thing now.

A clip from an archived episode of RTE's Nationwide has become a massive hit on social media and turned an oblivious bystander into an overnight sensation.

RTE journalist Cian McCormack shared the Nationwide clip on Facebook called Single Women Scarce In Kerry which focused on the plight of single men in Kerry.

A particular scene, set in a bar in Ennistymon County Clare, sees a small baby sitting at the bar with what appears to be a pint of Guinness in his tiny baby hands.

As the video did the rounds on Facebook, it sparked one of the biggest mysteries of 2017.

Just who is Pint Baby?
(L to R) Seana Kerslake and Nika McGuigan in RTE Two dramedy Can't Cope Won't Cope

Al Porter has lived quite the interesting life - and it could be documented on film if RTE star Seana Kerslake has anything to do with it.

Seana, best known for starring in Can't Cope, Won't Cope, has teamed up with her boyfriend, actor Stephen Jones, for a film based on the comedian's life.

Al (24), who grew up not far from Stephen in Tallaght, cannot wait to meet the couple to discuss the project.

"Stephen and Seana are big fans of Al and they think his story could make a brilliant film," a source told the Herald.

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"The project started off as a play but when they started working on it, they realised it had the potential to be on screen."

The couple want to capture Al's journey from a young boy growing up in Tallaght to one of Ireland's most successful comedians.

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However, it still remains up in the air if Al will play himself in the drama.

It follows on from the success of Sky's one-off comedy show Al Porter in Ireland, part of its Comedy Bites series, which was made by Steve Coogan's production company Baby Cow.

"The finer details of the production are still to be worked out," said the source.

"But it's an exciting project to be working on. And Al certainly knows how to get the public talking. Just look at the Valentine's Day Late Late Show. People couldn't get enough of his and Linda's performance."

Al has had his hands full lately with his new presenting gig on Today FM.

He joined the station as a full-time presenter for the weekday lunchtime slot and had his first show last Monday.

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Station boss Dan Healy said Al left 2fm because Today FM could offer him a prime time slot while 2fm could not.

An industry insider revealed the comedian was "dissapointed" that things had not worked out with 2fm but decided that "Today FM was a better fit for him".

Despite no longer working with the station, Healy was the first person to call the radio host when it was announced he would be taking over the 12-2.30pm slot on the rival station.

"I respect Dan Healy, he gave me one of my first ever thing with Colm Hayes," said Al. "There's mutual love between us.

"He was the first one to ring me when I started on Today FM to wish me good luck. There's mixed feelings."

Al is keeping his fingers crossed his new radio show will grow to be a staple of the Today FM line up in the months to come.

"It's a really warm show. It's pleasant, it's meant to be smiley. It's meant to be very personable. I think it's promising so we'll see," he said.
Heart on his sleeve: Drake declared his love for Rihanna at the VMAs

As Drake rinses his hair, he stares at the bottle of Johnson & Johnson shampoo. "No more tears," it reads. He sighs. "Maybe one day."

This is the kind of joke in heavy rotation when it comes to Canadian artist Aubrey Drake Graham, better known simply as Drake. The 30-year-old's image as the oversensitive, self-important, yet mind-bogglingly earnest rapper from Toronto has made him the butt of many internet parodies and memes - not least because hip hop was a genre built, to some extent, on hyper-masculinity.

Only the other day he purportedly offered to help the police talk down a man who was standing on a bridge in Manchester (the offer was "declined with thanks"). It launched a whole discussion over whether Drake could possibly be more Drake.

But last year Drake became the most streamed artist of all time, with over 4.7 billion listens in 2016 alone. His song 'One Dance' is Spotify's most-listened-to track ever. Tickets for his two Dublin shows, taking place at the 3Arena this Sunday and Monday, sold out in minutes.

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So how did rap's biggest dweeb and sensitive soul become the current behemoth of pop?

Part of it, strangely, is entirely down to his embracing being a punchline. In the post-post-post-modern era, knowing how to be a meme is perhaps one of the best ways to ensure and consolidate fame.

When 'Hotline Bling' came out, he knowingly amped up his adorkable image with a video that starred him dad-dancing in a very orange puffer jacket. It was perfectly formulated to be chopped into short GIF videos and disseminated around the internet. By turning himself into a meme he told us he was laughing too, and by making a video that was sure to go viral, he assured that his music would do the same.

It's something he's traded on elsewhere too. In his rivalry with rapper Meek Mill, which came to a head last summer, Drake released a couple of 'diss tracks' attacking him right back - but crucially, he was also willing to laugh at himself.

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Their feud initially centred on Meek Mill's accusation that Drake didn't write his own raps. Drake responded by saying that music was sometimes a collaborative process: yes, he co-writes some tracks, others are all him. There has not been the backlash and dethroning Meek Mill might have hoped to induce. Ghostwriting remains a sensitive topic, but it's no longer completely taboo.

Drake's beef with Meek Mill was also deemed as iconic because of Meek Mill's then-girlfriend: one Nicki Minaj. Indeed, part of Drake's goofy image is his predisposition to be lovelorn.

He has spoken effusively of his adoration of Nicki in the past and he famously received a lap-dance from her in typically awkward fashion in the video for 'Anaconda'.

But his gushing, public proclamations of love didn't stop there. Somehow, Drake's declaration at the VMAs that he had been "in love with (Rihanna) since I was 22 years old" was endearing rather than uncomfortable.

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The two were dating - until they weren't, and he was spotted in snuggly Instagrams with none other than JLo. There's none of the bravado you might see from other male rappers: Drake makes his relationships fascinating by being so melodramatically heart-on-his-sleeve.

But none of this explains all those listens.

Musically, Drake has been most successful when amalgamating the most zeitgeist sounds from hip hop, R&B, and pop: though 'Hotline Bling' was accused of plagiarising a melody from trendy lesser-known rapper D.R.A.M, it helped make room in the Top 40 for the more cartoon-y sounds.

When Jamaican popular music dancehall seemed to be making a comeback, he featured on Rihanna's track 'Work', which was heavily influenced by those island sounds; the same was true of his phenomenally successful 'One Dance', which infused a beat from a 2008 UK dance song with vocals from Nigerian artist Wizkid.

Drake has an excellent ear for the sounds that wind their way into your head for repeat listening. Between that and his embrace of internet meme culture, he has become the pop star of a generation to whom a "personal brand" arguably means more than "authenticity".
One of Ireland's best-known clerics Fr Brian D'Arcy has said he would have been a far better priest if he had married.

Speaking on The Late Late Show on Friday night, the Passionist priest expressed regret that he had never had the chance to marry.

"Every choice you make in life rules out a series of other choices," he told host Ryan Tubridy.

"Nobody put a gun to my head and said you must be a priest. In fact, everybody said to me 'you shouldn't be a priest'. I choice to be a priest. But I would have been a far better priest had I married."

The cleric from Enniskillen was censured by the Vatican in 2012 for his views on issues such as the churchs handling of the clerical sexual abuse crisis, same-sex marriage, the ban on women priests, contraception and mandatory celibacy.

In the past he admitted that he had been in a relationship with a woman after he joined the priesthood in 1962 and although he decided to end his romance, it has had a lasting impact on him.

"Love is the greatest thing that happens in one's life and it changes one completely. Me particularly, it changed me completely," he told The Late Late Show audience.

"I have lovely friends in the ministry, Presbyterian, Church of Ireland, terrific friends. I see them with their wives and families and I think 'why can't we just cop ourselves on and do the same'?"
Hillwalking groups welcomed the overturning of a 40,000 award made to a woman who sued after injuring herself while hiking in the Wicklow mountains.

High Court judge Mr Justice Michael White overturned a decision by the Dublin Circuit Court which found that the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) was negligent for not maintaining a boardwalk in the Wicklow Way. He also dismissed Teresa Wall's claim for 40,000 in damages.

Mr Justice White said Ms Wall was "a genuine person" who had suffered injuries that affected her "active lifestyle".

However, when considering "the mechanism of her fall" the judge found there was a "high degree of negligence on Mrs Wall's part in that she was not looking at the surface of the boardwalk when she fell".

The decision has significant implications for Ireland's national parks and for the future of the Wicklow Way itself.

Had the Circuit Court's decision been upheld, there were fears that private landowners would withdraw their consent to allow walkers on their property out of fear of liability.

Last night Mountaineering Ireland, representing 12,000 hillwalkers and 185 registered clubs, welcomed the decision.

"The judgment will provide reassurance to hillwalkers and to many landowners, public and private, who permit access to their land," the association said.

"It reinforces the long-established principle that people engaging in outdoor recreational activities must take responsibility for their own safety."

Keep Ireland Open, a lobby group campaigning for greater public access to rural areas, also expressed relief at the ruling.

"If the NPWS had lost this case, it would have been used by landowners as yet another excuse to restrict Ireland's already dismal level of public access to the countryside," said spokesman Michael Carroll.

The court heard that Ms Wall, from Swords, Co Dublin had tripped and fallen when her foot got snagged in a hole in one of the old railway sleepers. The accident occurred in broad daylight on August 6, 2013, on the boardwalk linking the Sally Gap to Djouce trail near Roundwood.

Mr Justice White adjourned the matter for a fortnight to allow both parties to consider his decision before making any application over legal costs.
A chartered accountant who audited Anglo Irish Bank has admitted he did not tell directors they would be committing a criminal offence if they provided misleading information.

Professional standards say auditors may wish to give such warnings to company directors, but no such warning was given to the bank's board during the audit, the trial of former chairman Sean FitzPatrick has heard.

Mr FitzPatrick (68), of Whitshed Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow, has denied charges of misleading auditors at EY about the size of multi-million euro loans he had with the bank between 2002 and 2007.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard letters provided to the auditors by Anglo's company secretary, known as letters of representation, contained details of the aggregate amount of loans directors had with the bank at the end of each financial year.

Prosecutors claim Mr FitzPatrick reduced his borrowings through temporary refinancing arrangements around the time of audits during the years in question.

Under cross-examination, EY partner Kieran Kelly, who audited Anglo between 2002 and 2004, said the practice was to inform companies about their legal obligations in a letter of engagement at the outset of an audit. He admitted no subsequent reminder was given during the course of the audit.

"We didn't do it. We were engaged with experienced directors. Our letter of engagement had that reminder in it."

Defence barrister Bernard Condon said to Mr Kelly: "You don't think you should have told them there's a risk of going to jail? Is that your position?"

Mr Kelly said that it was.

Mr Condon told the court he believed there were problems with the wording of some of the letters of representation and asked Mr Kelly if he had raised these issues with Anglo.

Mr Kelly said he had not done so as he had access to other material and was satisfied there was no contradictory information.

The case continues.
A man was jailed for the manslaughter of his lifelong friend after he pulled the trigger on a pump-action shotgun as the drunken duo were "messing" with the weapon.

Trevor O'Gorman (45) wept as he was jailed for nine months for the unlawful killing of his friend, hunting enthusiast Diarmuid Byrne (41), on April 26 last at Plunkett Road in Ballyphehane, Cork.

The shotgun was discharged from virtually point-blank range in a bedroom of Mr Byrne's home - with Mr Byrne's left hand on the muzzle as it was held near his head.

Judge Sean O'Donnabhain in Cork Circuit Criminal Court was told that the pump-action single-barrel Beretta shotgun was legally held by Mr Byrne, who was a keen hunter.

"You cannot condone discharging a shotgun in a house in circumstances where somebody dies," said the judge, with the tragedy the result of "recklessness rather than intention."

The judge said that Mr O'Gorman, who had weapons training from the Naval Service, should have known better.

"To play with a gun, sober or not, is reckless. But to point a gun at anyone is phenomenally reckless."

He imposed a three-year prison sentence but agreed to suspend the final two years and three months.

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Mr O'Gorman, of Sarahville Place, Pouladuff Road, Cork, pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Sergeant Mark Canny said gardai found no evidence the duo had been engaged in any argument or any assisted suicide.

"At all times, he [Mr O'Gorman] said he believed the gun was not loaded," Sgt Canny said.

Forensic tests found the shotgun was loaded by the deceased.

Mr Byrne had a blood alcohol level of 237mg while Mr O'Gorman, who was only tested two and a half hours after the tragedy, was found to have a blood alcohol level of 287mg.

"There is evidence that they both had a history of alcohol abuse," Sgt Canny said.

Jim O'Mahony SC, for Mr O'Gorman, said his client was "shattered" by the tragedy.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Byrne's sister, Ber Lyons said: "This loss is only magnified by the way in which he died - too young and too soon."
Roscrea Cistercian College in Co Offaly, which is to close due to a shortage of pupils Picture: PJ Wright

Renowned boys' boarding school Cistercian College, Roscrea, is to close down due to a shortage of new pupils.

The closure announcement was made yesterday by the school's trustees and Abbot Richard Purcell, head of the Trappist community of Cistercian monks which has run the school since 1905.

Current annual school fees are 13,950 per pupil. Student numbers have fallen dramatically since the recession brought Ireland's Celtic Tiger boom to an end.

More than 300 boys were enrolled in 2009 in the Co Offaly school - just over the border from Tipperary - but numbers are down to just 167 at present. The economic recovery has failed to result in a hoped-for influx of new students. Only nine boys were enrolled in first year last September.

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The school's past pupils include former Taoiseach Brian Cowen, former Labour Party leader and Tanaiste Dick Spring, horse trainer Willie Mullins, and former rugby international Jim Glennon.

Despite depleted pupil numbers, the school's rugby team won the Leinster Schools' Senior Cup in 2015 and were beaten in last year's final.

The adjoining Mount St Joseph Abbey will remain open.

New enrolments will cease immediately at the school and the majority of teaching will end at the conclusion of this year's Junior and Leaving Certificate exams in June.

However, in an effort to minimise any distress to existing mid-cycle students facing the State examinations in 2018, the school's management will consider the continuation of Junior and Leaving Certificate cycles for current second and fifth year pupils, after consultation with parents.

"This is a very sad day for the staff, the students and their families, the many thousands of past pupils and of course the monks of Mount St Joseph Abbey. The decision to close was an extremely difficult one for the community to make," said Abbot Purcell.

He added: "The school has witnessed a 45pc drop in enrolment in the past 10 years. Clearly this is unsustainable and the school is simply no longer financially viable.

"We were sadly left with no option but to conduct what we anticipate will be a phased closure of the school over the next 16 months."

"I hope that the Benedictine ethos, 'that the strong have something to strive for and the weak are not discouraged', will live on in those that the College has influenced.

There are currently only five religious-run Catholic schools in Ireland that offer boarding facilities today, compared to more than 30 such schools in 1990. Cistercian College is currently one of two remaining boys' boarding-only schools in the country.

Bishop of Killaloe Fintan Monahan said he wished to express "sincere gratitude" to the monks and to the many other dedicated staff and students, who have carried out their work in the school since 1905.
A union has warned the government it will "inflame" a dispute over staff shortages if it refuses to give nurses a 1,000 pay rise for taking industrial action.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation's caution came after Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, said there would be "consequences" if "we get to a point that there is industrial difficulty".

Mr Donohoe indicated that a 1,000 pay rise that is due to be paid to all public servants from April may be withheld.

The wage increase had been due in September under the Lansdowne Road Agreement but was brought forward to compensate public servants who did not benefit from a 50m Garda pay deal.

Gardai got an extra 4,000 added to their earnings due to the deal that was offered in a Labour Court recommendation to avoid an unprecedented strike last November.

Mr Donohoe said the pay increase was "subject to the maintenance of industrial stability" and if an issue developed the parties should use the industrial relations mechanisms of the State.

He said the nurses' representative bodies are currently engaged with a Lansdowne Road Agreement Oversight Body and that was a condition for the wage increase being brought forward.

"They are now participating," he said.

"If we get to a point that there is industrial difficulty, there will be consequences for that. But if the process that we've outlined doesn't work, we'll deal with the consequences of that in a few weeks time."

The INMO is due to meet the health service employers next Tuesday to discuss contingency planning during the industrial action.

Earlier this month, the INMO rejected staffing, recruitment and retention proposals put forward by the HSE, describing them as "totally inadequate".

"The clear message received from INMO members is that their workplaces are now unsafe and dangerously overcrowded," general secretary Liam Doran said, adding the service was at "breaking point".

Meanwhile hospital support staff will begin an all-out strike in a dispute over the national public service agreements - on the same day as the nurses' industrial action.

Trade union Siptu announced that health service support staff voted by 94pc in favour of taking strike action, which will begin in selected hospitals on Tuesday, March 7.
Batman's cape may no longer be a work of fiction thanks to Irish mathematicians. Researchers in NUI Galway have worked out a groundbreaking new formula which could assist in developing artificial muscles, soft robotics and energy harvesters which generate electricity.

The research could also extend to 'smart clothes', to which Batman is privy.

"If you can remember the scene in Batman Begins where this huge bat cape emerges from a tiny folded piece of material, that's the kind of technology which is being developed currently in some labs around the world, especially in Harvard University and in China," said Professor Michel Destrade of NUI Galway. "It's the electric voltage that allows these special membranes to expand," he added.

The elastic material or dielectric membranes expand when a voltage is applied to it, the more voltage applied and the faster it expands. However if too much voltage is applied, the material malfunctions.

"Until now it was not fully understood how much voltage these membranes could sustain. If they thin out too much when they stretch with the voltage, it can lead to a a catastrophic breakdown. We hope our mathematical formula will help advance science in this area," said Prof Destrade.
An Irish man has died after he was stabbed in the neck at a house in Australia.

According to local reports emergency services were called to the home in west Sydney in the early hours of Saturday morning following reports of an altercation

Upon arrival police discovered the 30-year-old man outside the property with a stab wound to his neck.

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that he was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics, but died at the scene.

Police told the newspaper there were three women and a man at the home when a second man arrived at the property, leading to an altercation.

The women were not hurt in the incident while the second man sustained minor injuries.

A 35-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were arrested at the scene and taken to Bankstown Police Station where they were being questioned.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said they were aware of the case and are providing consular assistance to the family of the victim.

It is understood that the deceased is originally from Wexford.
Seizure of Heroin Ballymun on the 17th February 2017. Picture: Garda Press Office

A man has been arrested after heroin worth 140,000 was discovered at a house in North Dublin.

Gardai at Ballymun made the discovery during a search of a home on Friday afternoon.

A spokesperson said gardai also seized 2,000 in cash from the property.

An 18-year-old man was arrested at the scene and he remains in custody in Ballymun Garda Station under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 this morning.

The search was carried out by members of the Ballymun District Drugs unit as part of an ongoing operation to combat drug dealing in the area.

In a statement gardai said this ongoing operation has resulted in several arrests and seizures of heroin, crack cocaine, cannabis herb and cash over the past month.

Superintendent Finbarr Murphy said: "Gardai in Ballymun with the assistance of the Community leaders and the people of Ballymun. We will continue to clamp down on those involved in selling drugs and anti social behaviour"
A man has been stabbed to death at a house in Tallaght overnight.

Gardai said emergency services were alerted to the incident at a house on Deerpark Avenue early this morning and arrived at the scene at approximately 4.40am.

There they found an unresponsive man (32) with suspected stab wounds.

His body remains at the scene and the office of the State Pathologist has been contacted. The area has been sealed off and a full technical examination will be carried out over the weekend.

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No arrests have been made at this time, investigations are ongoing.

Gardai have appealed to witnesses who may have been in the Deerpark Avenue or may have heard a disturbance between 4am and 5.30am this morning to contact them at Tallaght Garda Station on 01 666 6000, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
Walkers taking part in the Take back the Night Walk from Shankill to Killiney

More than 150 people took part in a Take Back the Night march in a south Co Dublin suburb in response to a number of sex assaults in the area.

RTEs Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh, councillors and local men, women and young people walked a 5km circuit last night from Shankill Dart station, which included Rathsallagh, Killiney Hill Road and Shanganagh Road.

Take Back the Night is an international initiative intended as a protest against all forms of sexual and domestic violence.

Last nights march was organised by local woman Emily Lyon (23), who was joined by a team of volunteer stewards in marching in solidarity with the victims of attacks in the Shankill/Killiney areas in the past year.

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SOLIDARITY

It was a great success in its aim to bring the community together to stand in solidarity with the people who have been affected by these attacks and to reclaim a space in which community members should feel safe. Moreover, this walk stands in solidarity with everyone who has ever been affected by sexual violence, she added.

A public invitation to participants stated it was necessary for the community to stand up against sexual violence.

Fear and anxiety in the local population had been caused by attacks in the area and people, especially women and girls, had changed their daily routines because they did not feel safe walking at night, she said.

The walk was borne out of frustration at hearing about the different attacks. People felt threatened, said Ms Lyon.

She said walks and protests can be very effective in effecting change. Back in 1979, a major Reclaim the Night march in Dublin helped to prompt the opening of Dublins Rape Crisis Centre.

Sexual violence happens a lot in our society and is in no way limited to these local attacks.

I had loads of offers of support from men and women when this event was being organised, she said.

A number of members of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council took part in the event, including Cathaoirleach Cormac Devlin.

ATTACKS

As far back as a year ago, there were a number of reported attacks in the area. Investigations involved gardai deploying undercover officers to patrol the areas where the attacks were reported to have occurred.

Since December 2015, four assaults on women have been reported to gardai, while two suspicious approaches were also recorded.

On January 30, a woman in her 40s was also assaulted near the Bayview estate in the suburb of Killiney.

The victim managed to fight off her attacker but was left severely shaken by the incident.

Last month, an American woman suffered facial injuries when she was assaulted while waiting for a bus to the airport with friends near the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel.

There have been calls for additional garda patrols in the area following the incidents.

Ms Ni Chofaigh, who joined last nights walk, helped tackle a mugger in Dublin city centre last month. The thief was restrained and held by a number of women after he snatched a wallet from a tourist.
Fine Gael ministers have rounded on Transport Minister Shane Ross over his plans to automatically disqualify motorists for drink driving.

Mr Ross has been accused of pushing an "anti-rural agenda" by Cabinet colleagues as a result of the proposals to replace penalty points with a blanket ban.

Several Fine Gael ministers were vocal in their opposition to the move at this week's Cabinet meeting - even telling Mr Ross that he needs to produce "research" to justify the proposals.

The Irish Independent has learned some of Mr Ross's own Independent Alliance colleagues have deep reservations too over the zero tolerance proposals.

Mr Ross's plan centres around drivers caught with an alcohol limit of between 50mg and 100mg per 100ml.

At present, drivers who record this limit receive three penalty points and a 200 fine if it is their first offence.

Mr Ross wants to replace this penalty with a three-month mandatory ban.

Those who voiced serious concern over the proposals include Agriculture Minister Michael Creed, Regional Affairs Minister Heather Humphreys, Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan and Defence Minister Paul Kehoe. All four are based in rural constituencies.

Sources say there were tetchy exchanges at the Cabinet meeting as Mr Ross spoke of the needs to send out a "strong message" by closing what he described as a "loophole" in the law governing penalty points.

Fine Gael ministers challenged Mr Ross to produce evidence to show that cases that fall into the 50mg-80mg bracket actually result in road deaths. It was also stated that the laws do not address the most serious cause of road fatalities, which is speeding.

Fine Gael sources said there was concern the new laws would mean that drivers stopped the morning after they had been drinking could be put off the road.

"For us, this was a policy that was not thought through and we aren't going to back it," one Cabinet source said.

A second Fine Gael minister said there was a clear "Dublin-rural divide" in relation to the issue.

"A lot of people in Dublin when they go out drinking use public transport, that's not the case in Rural Ireland and Mr Ross seems to forget that."

Despite Mr Ross sending out a press release that stated that the legislation was "approved", several ministers said this was not the case.

They stated the bill has merely been sent for "pre-legislative scrutiny" - meaning that it won't be implemented for at least 12 months, if at all.

The stand-off is the latest to have occurred between Mr Ross and Fine Gael colleagues.

It comes as it emerged Mr Ross sought to delay the release of a statement by the Independent Alliance confirming its backing for the motion of confidence in the Government.

The TDs in the alliance were seen frantically discussing their approach in the Dail bar - as senior government ministers took questions about their knowledge of the Maurice McCabe/Tusla affair in the Dail chamber.
There are questions about how the allegation of serious sexual abuse against Sgt Maurice McCabe - which was wrongly recorded by a HSE counsellor - was discovered to be a clerical error months later.

The HSE counsellor had made the allegation to social services in 2013 after counselling a young woman who had been at the centre of an allegation of abuse by Sgt McCabe in 2006 as a child. That allegation that she was tickled inappropriately at a birthday party was investigated and dismissed by the DPP.

The counsellor, who had one session of therapy with the woman, made a clerical error in submitting the serious allegation in 2013, variously described as a "cut and paste blunder" or a "failure to delete".

Health Minister Simon Harris told the Dail last week that this error was discovered in 2014 after the counsellor was contacted by the young woman. But this is disputed by the woman's solicitors.

The HSE added to the confusion yesterday saying that it was now a matter for the tribunal of inquiry that would investigate the McCabe controversy.

A spokesman said that "the HSE is currently in the process of undertaking a comprehensive internal review of relevant records. Until this review is completed, it would be inappropriate to provide a response."

The tribunal will have to look at the extent of the contacts between the HSE counsellor, social services - which were still in a state of transfer between the HSE and the soon-to-be legally established Tusla - and gardai.

A memo from June 2014, which was in a Tusla file given to the McCabes, refers to the superintendent in the jurisdiction not being aware of the clerical error and being "asked to a meeting with the commissioner in relation to the case".

Throughout this time - from the point in 2013 when the wrong allegation was first made by the HSE counsellor to December 2015 - Sgt McCabe was unaware of the wrong information that was being shared at high level.

It was not until December 29, 2015, that he was first told he was being investigated for sex abuse. He had to wait until June 20, 2016, to be told a mistake was made.

The onus was on social services to instigate an investigation as soon as possible after the first false allegation was made in 2013 to determine the risk to children.

Under Children First Guidelines, a counsellor who is disclosed an allegation of retrospective sexual abuse by an adult client is obliged to report it to social services if they feel there is a potential current risk to children. Although it is good practice to tell the client this report is being done, there is no onus on the counsellor to share the information.

The young woman at the centre of this case is understood to have said she was unaware any report was being made in 2013.

Tusla, which was given legal status and its own budget from 2014, has already admitted it failed in the manner in which it processed the case.

A spokeswoman told the Irish Independent that its role was not to investigate the veracity of allegations, but rather to assess referrals received to establish whether a child has been, is or may in the future, abused or at risk or abuse.

Tusla said it was faced with ongoing challenges in recruiting social workers.

In 2016, Tusla ran a national social work graduate recruitment campaign to combat this and will go on in drive to Northern Ireland and the UK to fill posts this year.
Pat Deering has fixed the nearest thing we have to a timeframe. The Carlow-Kilkenny TD has said that he will table a motion of no-confidence at the weekly meeting of TDs, senators and MEPs at 5.30pm next Wednesday - unless Enda Kenny outlines the details of his departure.

"If Enda has not given an exit timeline before, or at next week's party meeting, then a very damaging all-out and ugly row will erupt," one seasoned backbencher, who has avoided the ranks of the awkward squad, summed up.

So far Mr Kenny has kept his powder bone dry on his intentions. After what was easily his most ramshackle week since being elected Taoiseach on March 9, 2011, he looked uncharacteristically tired and drawn.

There is a widespread assumption that he will stand down - and sooner rather than later. But assumptions are dangerously unreliable things in politics and we have heard nothing so far of the Taoiseach's intentions.

Expand Close Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the second All-Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit at Dublin Castle yesterday. Photo: PA / Facebook

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The obverse of the early departure assumption is the very real fear among some frustrated Fine Gael deputies, who believe it is past time their leader left, is that he is digging in for a fight. "If he did that, he could be hard to shift," says another Fine Gael insider.

Already, there have been warnings against reverting to the very bad old days described in the landmark television documentary 'Family At War'. Already, Senator Paul Coghlan of Killarney, has been on Radio Kerry warning that things were headed in that direction.

Senator Coghlan, a wily judge of politics, predicted that Pat Deering's no-confidence move would not succeed. It's a view widely shared - but it is early days yet as most denizens of Leinster House prepare for another week of waiting.

Mr Kenny's behaviour on Thursday night caused major alarm in Fine Gael. He refused to even acknowledge that there was a question about his continuing as party leader and Taoiseach. Instead he cited a long list of engagements in the coming weeks and put great stress on the need to advance lobbying on the Brexit issue.

Yet any way you look at things we are really discussing when and how Mr Kenny will go. Some within Fine Gael fear the Taoiseach may be keen to linger until the summer recess.

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A summer departure has been mentioned since the Fine Gael party had its pre-Dail meeting in Newbridge last September. It had a ring of truth to it until the debacle that befell Mr Kenny and his colleagues over the past week.

These events crystallised many Fine Gael TDs' thoughts. Mr Kenny is now doing them continuing reputational damage and a general election is only another stumbling crisis away. They cannot risk having to go to the hustings with him as leader.

For them the leadership change must be addressed and quickly. The impatient ones are looking at the recess around Easter which could allow them to complete a leadership election. Easter Sunday is on April 16 this year.

But you can pick from a clatter of other dates that are being cited for various reasons in all of this. There is the St Patrick's Day visit to the White House around March 17 and on March 9 he will have served six continuous years as Taoiseach. Then there is April 20 when he overtakes John A Costello's term as the longest-serving Fine Gael Taoiseach.

There is a bigger reality at play here. The Brexit issue, which has lingered as a persistent threat since the British referendum result on June 24 last, is now about to come to the boil.

British Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger the Article 50 exit process on March 9. We have to know what is happening about the office of Taoiseach and the leader of the largest political party as quickly as possible.

Anything less will foment continuing uncertainty in Ireland. Yes, the Taoiseach does have good personal contacts across the EU built back over the years.

But the heavy lifting in these crucial negotiations will be done by Irish diplomats. A new Taoiseach will have to begin cultivating his or her own EU relationships. Let's recall that the day after his own election as Taoiseach, Mr Kenny headed in to a crucial summit, his first ever, which dealt with Ireland's bank debt.

Mr Kenny is entitled to a dignified period to exit Government Buildings. A formal end just after the Easter recess would be acceptable. But hanging on until after April 20 for sentimental reasons is not acceptable and dragging this business up to the summer is unthinkable.

Indulging in an over-long "goodbye period" would cause far too many big problems for the country at a time we can ill-afford it. The public were already losing patience with the Dail fiasco as this past week ended. Their scarce stock of patience will be pushed too far by more delays.

Some see Mr Kenny's silent defiance as "mischievous", others see it as petulance.

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"After over 40 years in the Dail he's not about to be told what to do by some whippersnapper there a few wet weeks," one Fine Gael veteran says.

Whatever the Taoiseach's motivation, it is clear that his stance has hobbled the two succession frontrunners, Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney. Neither can be seen to be pushing Mr Kenny too hard and too fast to pack up and go. Both have with careful piety spoken of giving the Taoiseach time space and dignity. The threat of a backlash is more immediate in Leo Varadkar's case.

The outspoken ones expressing impatience are seen as "Leoites". He insists he has nothing to do with their "Enda go" statements and he may be right.

But it does not look great and there are those who fear it may alienate the party middle ground and Mr Kenny loyalists who might have been prepared to swing in behind Mr Varadkar. "This contest is still Leo's to lose - but we'll have to see if there is any negative blowback from the calls for Enda to quit," one TD says.

The contest is rapidly coming down to a straight battle between Varadkar and Coveney, with Varadkar perceived to have the advantage, but nobody is underestimating Coveney's battling powers just yet.

But the surreal part is that the contest cannot begin until Enda Kenny moves. That must change lest Fine Gael return to civil war.
With the chat drying up, we were reduced to the humiliation of searching for hidden messages. Rune stones, letters etched in the sand, the breadcrumbs dropped from Enda's pocket.

Any indication of intent would suffice. But the drawbridge had officially been pulled up - though the flag still fluttered defiantly from the top turret.

If Trump is looking for his wall, the Taoiseach has a handy mobile one that he won't be needing himself for very much longer, so it'll probably be up on DoneDeal after all this is over.

Flanked by hordes of people, he arrived at Dublin Castle for the All-Ireland Civic Dialogue on Brexit forum in the morning.

Surrounded by an equal shield of bodies as he arrived at Microsoft for a major jobs announcement in the afternoon, Enda was unreachable, a small dot at the cosy centre of the maelstrom.

He could have crowd-surfed like a rockstar over a sea of rabid fans without hitting the ground once.

We couldn't tell where all these people had materialised from. Were they extras from a casting agency?

They surely could not be all staff? Mind you, there were no less than two press secretaries - though Enda absolutely, adamantly wasn't answering any press queries from the centre of his living fortress.

Outside Dublin Castle, someone ventured a query about how he was feeling. "Absolutely fantastic," enthused Enda, waving an arm.

"Will your own backbenchers be as happy to see you next week?" asked a radio reporter on the way out of Microsoft. No answer - just another wave of an arm, more stentorian this time.

But look! Here was a message from Enda written in his own handwriting and displayed via software on a monitor at the computer giant's Sandyford HQ.

We perused it with unseemly eagerness:

"Welcome is Microsoft. Failte do Micro. Taimid ag deanamh e seo go tapaidh."

'We are doing it quickly' had to be code for a rapid transfer of power?

But no. Enda just meant he had completed the demonstration quickly. How disappointing.

There was plenty in the speech itself to be going on, as he welcomed the 500 new jobs, with Ireland selected by Microsoft to be one of four global Inside Sales Centres, servicing Europe, Middle East and Africa. An extra 100 jobs will be created across its existing operations. It was good news in a week when good news was pretty thin on the ground, politically speaking.

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Enda commended the "power and enthusiastic exuberance of the workforce here". The staff beamed at his praise at how they were "not merely thinking about the future but creating it".

He referred to the Spanish Armada, claiming some had stayed to marry Irish women, suggesting the company's staff from overseas might do the same.

"That's the way it is," he said with a comic shrug.

The workers laughed uproariously.

In short, they loved him.

Actually, Enda's message was loud and clear.

Not only is it business as usual, but it is business with added vigour and stamina.

Brexit and 1,540 jobs announced in the past week. The highs and the lows. No time to stop. Certainly no time to consider resignation.

A source said the Taoiseach is in "great form" and is determined to go out on a high.

"You have to look at who is driving this," said the source.

"It's anyone without a job. No minister is looking for him to go."

But the wheels were moving steadily.

Later, Alan Farrell, the Fingal TD, fired the first official shot across the bow, calling on him to "step aside and allow a new leader, with a fresh approach, to lead us into the future."

The minority Government has been shown to be a fragile one, he warned.

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They had come close to an election three times - and should be ready for an election "at any time".

As "the co-author of a recent internal party report", Mr Farrell suggested he was "very much in tune with the feelings and position of our membership right across the country".

Party insiders have called for Enda to be 'given space' but the movement is fast gathering space and is now an unstoppable force. First, they will have to wrestle the keys of Enda's human fortress from his unyielding hand.
Leo Varadkar has given his clearest signal yet that he expects Taoiseach Enda Kenny to set out a timeline for his departure as Fine Gael leader in the coming days.

As he faced allegations that he orchestrated attacks on the Fine Gael leader, Mr Varadkar told independent.ie: Everyone is waiting to hear from the Taoiseach.

The current situation is distracting and destabilising for the Government, the party and the country. I have full confidence in the Taoiseach to settle it, he added.

The ministers supporters welcomed Mr Varadkars comments and vowed to move on the Taoiseach by this Thursday if he does not announce when he plans to step down as leader at a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday.

If Kenny tried to stick it out we will move, a prominent rebel TD said.

Mr Varadkars closest advisers said Mr Kenny deserves the weekend to consider his position.

However, there was panic in the Varadkar camp after the minister was branded a judas by an unnamed Cabinet source in the Irish Independent.

Mr Varadkars backers blamed the Taoiseachs supporters for what they said was a smear on the Social Protection Minister.

However, a number of his supporters confirmed they were talking to Mr Varadkar about the events of the last week.

The Taoiseachs spokesman yesterday gave no indication of Mr Kennys plans when contacted by independent.ie.

The Taoiseach will do as he has always done which is to focus on the job in hand which he will carry out with continued dignity and dedication, he said.

Fine Gael Wexford TD Michael DArcy, an outspoken critic of the party leadership, urged members not to cannibalise each other during the leadership contest.

Foreign Affair Minister Charlie Flanagan warned an internal Fine Gael war could result in the party being bounced into an election they do not want. Fine Gael needs to keep calm and measured over the next few months or well catapult ourselves into a messy election that will play into the hands of Sinn Fein and loony Independents, Mr Flanagan told independent.ie.

Government Chief Whip Regina Doherty has called on her Fine Gael colleagues to desist from issuing ultimatums to Kenny over his future as Taoiseach and party leader.

He has done a tremendous amount for us in Fine Gael over the last 15 years and just because of that, if no other reason, he deserves the due respect, regard and space to talk to his friends and family, make his decisions and come back to us, Ms Doherty said on RTE Radio.
Leo Varadkar's prospects of becoming the next Taoiseach have suffered a setback after he faced accusations of spearheading a secret campaign to oust Enda Kenny.

A growing number of Fine Gael politicians believe Mr Varadkar has been orchestrating a behind-the-scenes plot designed to ensure Mr Kenny's swift removal as Fine Gael leader.

One Cabinet source said there was a "Judas Iscariot" element to the campaign being run by Mr Varadkar.

A second minister agreed, saying he believed Mr Varadkar was encouraging TDs to publicly express no confidence in Mr Kenny.

The allegations against Mr Varadkar began to surface on Monday, when Dublin North West Noel Rock became the first TD to call on Mr Kenny to announce his plans to step aside.

But the speculation that Mr Varadkar is actively campaigning to remove Mr Kenny grew after it emerged he despatched a prominent junior minister to distance himself from Mr Rock's comments in correspondence with journalists.

Read More

Sources close to the Social Protection Minister have rejected the charge of trying to oust Mr Kenny. The alleged approach taken by Mr Varadkar contrasts sharply with the strategy being adopted by Housing Minister Simon Coveney, who yesterday insisted Mr Kenny should be given ample time and space to step aside.

Mr Coveney believes that his prospects will be enhanced if he is seen as allowing Mr Kenny to decide his own fate. The Cork South Central TD has even told supporters within the parliamentary party to publicly declare their support for Mr Kenny ahead of a potential motion of no confidence. Mr Coveney's close supporters include junior minister Damien English and Dun Laoghaire TD Maria Bailey.

Meanwhile, supporters of Mr Varadkar last night expressed deep concern about the perception of him being responsible for the deep uncertainty that has engulfed Fine Gael.

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While the vast majority of TDs want Mr Kenny to step aside in the coming weeks, there is a strong view that he should be allowed to go on his own terms and after his visit to the White House.

In further developments yesterday, Dublin Fingal's Alan Farrell became the latest TD to say he has no confidence in Mr Kenny. And sources in the Varadkar camp said they expected other TDs to follow suit.

However, the party's vice-chairman Pat Deering is understood to be veering away from tabling a no confidence motion at Wednesday's parliamentary party meeting to allow Mr Kenny "space" to announce his own exit strategy.

The Taoiseach attended a Brexit forum in Dublin Castle yesterday - but didn't address the leadership issue.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan did, however, intervene, saying it could be weeks until a leadership change takes place. "There is no vacancy yet, as you know," he told reporters. "There's a long time before a new leader is selected..."

The move sparked anger among the Fine Gael ranks, with one Cabinet source saying: "Mr Noonan needs to realise he himself is toast."

Meanwhile, Education Minister Richard Bruton refused to rule out throwing his hat in the ring.

Sources say Mr Bruton is being encouraged by supporters to enter the race as a "compromise candidate".

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Speaking to the Irish Independent, Mr Bruton emphasised that Mr Kenny had indicated he did not intend to lead Fine Gael into the next election, but added: "I think he has earned the right to choose his time."

In an indication that the Fine Gael party is in trouble, Mr Bruton said: "I think people have acknowledged that we are vulnerable and I suppose that has to be a factor he [Mr Kenny] takes into account".

But he added: "I think it's the wrong thing to be doing to be putting down motions of no confidence ... in a Taoiseach that has served the country so well." Asked if he would contest the leadership Mr Bruton replied: "I'm not contemplating at this stage any of those issues."

Meanwhile, there is a growing view within Fine Gael that Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald will not seek the leadership and will back one of the two frontrunners. She is likely to have established she doesn't have the support to mount a real challenge.

Health Minister Simon Harris has told supporters that he is considering entering the race. Ministers Charlie Flanagan and Paschal Donohoe both withdrew.

Fine Gael chairman Martin Heydon last night emailed TDs and senators appealing for them to stop making comments about Mr Kenny. He told colleagues he was "greatly concerned" the Taoiseach "is not being shown the respect his service and his office deserve" and added: "Such comments ultimately hurt our party."

Deputy leader James Reilly warned rebel TDs they were "undermining" the work of the Government".
President Michael D Higgins at the Plaza de la Revolucion where he met with President Castro in Havana, Cuba. Photo: Maxwells

President Michael D Higgins welcomed the EU's human rights involvement in Cuba in a keynote address yesterday - having "skilfully and intelligently" brought up the issue with President Raul Castro earlier this week.

In the final speech of his Latin America tour, Mr Higgins said that both capitalist and socialist ideals had effectively failed.

Mr Higgins had been under pressure to relay concerns during his trip to Cuba - after being criticised for his statement following the death of Fidel Castro.

And sources close to the President explained that without being seen to be lecturing the brother of Fidel, President Raul Castro, he managed to get his point across on a number of human rights and freedom of speech issues.

During the address, Mr Higgins referred to the new relationship between Cuba and the EU. "I welcome the annual consultations that take place in the month of June in Havana and in Brussels on the human rights conditions," he said.

"The capitalist system, the so-called 'market economy', has sacrificed justice in the name of freedom, and the so-called 'real socialism' has sacrificed freedom in the name of justice. Beginning the new millennium, this is the challenge: we want justice and freedom, Siamese twins, living and walking together."

Prior to his speech at the Colegio San Geronimo in Havana yesterday, President Higgins met with descendants of Cuban revolutionary leader Che Guevara as he launched an exhibition on the Irish in Latin America.

Guevara - whose face is drawn on murals and T-shirts worldwide - has Irish blood, with his Argentinian-born grandmother, Ana Isabel Lynch, of Galway descent.

The President had previously met Guevara's daughter, Aleida, when she visited Galway.
Tesco blacked out a zebra crossing "to protect pedestrians" as a strike at the supermarket chain took a bizarre twist.

A spokesperson claimed it painted over the stripes on a crossing in Bray, Co Wicklow, after receiving a "high volume" of complaints from people who were concerned for their safety.

It said there was a "constant presence" of picketers on the crossing who were there to "obstruct traffic".

"It was also preventing the public from safely crossing outside our Bray store," said the spokesperson.

"As a result, the traffic crossing in our car park was removed and instead we have positioned two lollipop ladies and two security guards at the junction to ensure safe passage for both pedestrians and traffic."

Retail union Mandate described Tesco's claims as ridiculous and said the picketers were informing passers-by of the issues in the dispute over new contracts for 250 long-serving staff.

It said that drivers were stopping of their own accord.

Union spokesperson Dave Gibney said the painting over of the zebra crossing had caused extreme anxiety for people, particularly parents, as there are three schools nearby.

"We call on the company to remedy this as soon as possible as not only us, but parents, are raising the issue," he said.

"Zebra crossings are there for health and safety reasons. You don't get rid of one for health and safety reasons."

He said the paintwork had been applied during the night, as union members had found the crossing blacked out just after 7am yesterday.

Meanwhile, talks between management and the union were adjourned last night. Discussions between the two sides began before lunchtime at a hotel in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.

A further eight stores joined the industrial action that was already taking place at eight other stores yesterday.

Tesco said its stores will remain open over the weekend despite the industrial action.

Meanwhile, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has called for "a substantial increase" in the minimum wage.

It wants the 9.25 per hour statutory rate to increase to a 'living wage' rate of 11.50 per hour.

In a submission to the Low Pay Commission, it said there is widespread support for its demand and called on the commision to "reflect this consensus".

According to Congress official Liam Berney, there is strong evidence of upward growth in earnings and profits, while employment is also increasing.

"The Congress submission points out that the minimum wage applies to just 3.5pc of the workforce - therefore the impact of any increase in employment costs will be minimal," he said, adding that more than 73pc of those on the minimum wage are female.
The total has hit more than 700,000 euro and will allow the family to cover at least a year's potentially life-saving care

Ireland's newest millionaire is celebrating picking up a 1m EuroMillions prize this weekend.

The lucky punter purchased a ticket in Co Leitrim and won the Ireland only raffle.

It comes as another lucky couple are celebrating that Friday feeling after picking up a cool 250,000 Lotto win.

A married couple from Dublin picked up their cheque today, kicking off their weekend in style.

The pair purchased a Quick Pick in Tesco in Shankill and the woman who won explained that she checked a number of old tickets at once.

"I am usually very bad at checking my tickets and I would only every check them if I had heard of a big win in the area. By chance, I was in the local shop and I realised that I had a handbag full of lottery tickets which hadnt been checked," the woman said.

"When the shopkeeper scanned all of the tickets, she handed me a small slip of paper and told me to ring the National Lottery about one of them, she said.

"I assumed that the ticket was worth a few bob but I was completely dumbfounded when I was told that I had won a quarter of a million euro, she added.
It's been an insane week - even by Donald Trump's standards. He's lost a cabinet member, failed to get another nominee confirmed and may be facing his administration's first ethics investigation - over women's shoes. Add to this North Korea's provocative missile launch, as well as growing questions over whether Russia influenced Mr Trump's election, and it starts to look like a right old mess indeed.

Less than one month into office, the Trump administration seems permanently stuck in firefighting mode, and progress on key policy issues has shuddered to a halt.

His travel ban from seven mainly Muslim countries is about to be rescinded and replaced, changes to the Affordable Care Act have been long fingered for now, and the "new" relationship with Russia is looking as fraught as the old one. Even Mr Trump's determination to shake up Nato got buried in the fog as Defence Secretary James Mattis this week reaffirmed "full support" for the Western defence alliance.

But wait, that's just the media version of events. Where the press sees only missteps and chaos, the president sees a "fine-tuned machine" being hobbled by fake reporting, leaks and Democrats. Where journalists see news stories, Mr Trump sees fabrications and distractions. So where lies the truth?

Many analysts blame the early avalanche of executive orders for the current shambles. Mr Trump went to work in the belief that he need only issue a series of commands and everyone would fall in line. When the opposite happened, he and his inner circle had no back-up plan. Instead they blamed judges, the media and anyone opposed to the president's efforts on behalf of America.

Part of the difficulty is that Mr Trump's full team is still not in place. The task of getting huge government agencies moving again under a new boss has also been underestimated.

The president's own staff also did him no favours this week. Irish-American Michael Flynn caused the biggest embarrassment. Once Mr Trump's favourite general, he was originally tapped to lead a new campaign against Islamic terrorism. But the "pleasantries" he exchanged with Russia prior to the inauguration turned out to be a lot more.

While Barack Obama was slapping on new sanctions for alleged Russian interference in the presidential election, Mr Flynn was reportedly signalling to the Russians that Mr Trump might take a more benign view.

Like all political downfalls, it was not so much the initial mistake but the subsequent cover-up that sealed Mr Flynn's fate. He misled Vice President Mike Pence, who in turn misled the American public.

By the time Mr Flynn fully recalled his chats with the Russian ambassador, it was too late. The justice department and intelligence services had remembered them for him. The permanent government - or what 'Breitbart News' calls the "deep state" - had already moved against Mr Flynn.

With or without him, leaks suggest that the National Security Council is not a happy place. As the engine room of the administration, the NSC acts as clearing house for both national security and foreign policy briefs. Without its smooth running, nothing moves forward.

According to the 'New York Times', NSC staff have been told their single goal is to "make America great again". Briefing papers are to be no more than one page, with lots of graphics and maps. In case anyone doesn't get the message, Mr Trump appointees carry around "make America great again" coffee mugs. 'The Times' additionally noted that a group of career NSC staff had convened an off-site meeting in a Washington bar to discuss their deep unease at all of this.

Presidential counsellor Kellyanne Conway also opened herself up to a potential ethics violation this week. After Nordstrom's department store cancelled its contract for Ivanka Trump's shoe line, the normally sharp Ms Conway urged the public to "go buy Ivanka's stuff". The Office of Government Ethics had been waiting to pounce on the administration for such a conflict of interest, and Ms Conway gave them their opportunity.

Despite his latest attacks on "an out of control" media, Mr Trump clearly obsesses over how he is covered. To this end, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has bumped his daily briefing to the top of the TV ratings list. Mr Spicer's shaky start - when he coined the phrase "alternative facts" - seems to have done him no harm. Not only are his packed press briefings more entertaining than those of his predecessors, but his handling of journalists is more inclusive and better reflects the diversity of American media.

Nonetheless, with hundreds of reporters nosing around the White House, leaks are springing from all directions.

Mr Trump once openly urged Russia to leak Hillary Clinton's missing emails, now he says leaking is "very un-American".

But Washington thrives on well-placed sources. Without these there would have been no Watergate or Pentagon Papers.

Mr Trump's first four weeks in office have shown that the politicisation of intelligence is real. Frustrating the opposing side is part and parcel of the political game.

This internal partisanship is infuriating Donald Trump but tackling the perennial problem could monopolise the president's time and distract him permanently from his stated policy agenda.

Yet his crazy week was not all bad. The parade of foreign leaders to the Oval Office suggests the world wants to engage with him. Benjamin Netanyahu, Shinzo Abe and Justin Trudeau came with shopping lists, and Mr Trump deftly offered a hand of friendship while still hammering home his "America First" message.

The markets also seem to approve.

Stock values have reached an all-time high in the weeks since Mr Trump took office.

The president's business supporters ought to be very happy.

This weekend's novel presidential rally in Florida sees Donald Trump back on stage.

Like many before him, he feeds off adoring crowds. Mr Trump can't do this from inside the White House bubble.

After this crazy week it's no wonder he's heading back out on the campaign trail.

Carole Coleman is a former RTE Washington Correspondent

Twitter:@carolecoleman
Dundalk woman Frances Lynch-Kearney proves that it's never too late to learn, having been awarded a Doctorate from the University of Ulster last year. The mother of two fulfilled what she calls 'a simmering idea' when she went back to education in her forties.

Born in St Clement's Park, Frances lived in Cox's Demesne and then Ashbrook, and went to school at Dun Lughaidh .

'My mother was widowed at 33 with seven daughters, and although I had been offered a grant to go to University, I could not afford to go as I was needed at home - to contribute to the household.'

'My well-meaning careers' teacher reminded me that as my mother was a widow with a relatively large family, and irrespective of my academic ability, the chances of getting to University were slim,' Frances recalls.

'I remember thinking that someday I will return to education and get my degree.'

She went on to work in the ESB offices at Chapel Street for many years.

Fast forward to 2006 when she was living just across the border in Killeavy with her husband Eamon and two children. A leaflet about the Southern Regional College's programme was dropped through her letterbox, becoming the catalyst to her returning to education.

She enrolled in the college's a part-time Associate Bachelor's degree programme in English and History, which would lead to a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with Ulster University.

Before doing so, she discussed her return to education with my husband. 'I assured myself that I would be able to balance family and work commitments with the time needed for reading, seminar presentations, assignments and exams,' she says. 'I told family and friends after I had completed the first year, and they all give me the thumbs up.'

However, beyond that, she didn't broadcast the fact that she had returned to education.

'Overall, I kept my studying very private. This was due to my own circumspection from bewildered or curt remarks as to why (at my age) I wanted to do a degree, and to my acute awareness that my family commitments had to come first and how I may have to leave or defer my studies should any crises arise.'

On the course itself, she was among like-minded students and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, despite the dedication required and the prejudices which occasionally surface. Once she got her BA degree under her belt, her desire for learning continued and she embarked on a PhD on the American author Ernest Hemmingway.

'For the four years of my BA degree, there was great camaraderie among the students; the class profile was mainly female and ranged in age from twenty to sixty,' she says. 'However, over the course duration the class size reduced from about forty to about fifteen - reflective of the many factors that can infringe on completing studies as a mature student.'

'The process required serious discipline, effective time management and a total belief that my work would contribute something new to knowledge,; she says. 'I encountered some quite entrenched views as to why, as a mature woman, I would be bothered doing a BA, then comments on what would I gain from a PhD at my age? Ultimately, in my view, education is never wasted, it makes way for greater critical thinking and therefore greater understanding of others and their standpoints.'

The barriers which had prevented her from going to university as a seventeen year presented themselves in a different guise this time but she was able to surmount them,

'As a mature student it was difficult trying to overcome the more subtle comments and innuendos that education was somehow beyond the realm of the mature female. In terms of my doctoral research, the isolation, discipline and balancing of family and work due to the intense nature of the doctoral research process was challenging.'

As she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Arts, she proudly accepted it as Frances Lynch-Kearney 'as tribute to my decent and hard-working parents'. Frances certainly defies the stereotype that such academic work is the preserve of the young or the privileged.

During the course of her studies, she gained new confidence, travelled to the United States, guest lectured at New York Stage university on the invitation of Distinguished Professor H.R Stoneback (then President of the Hemingway Society), and presented conference papers in Venice, Kentucky, QUB, Trinity College, Dublin, and Ulster University. Her thesis was awarded a 2016 Ulster University Faculty of Arts Research prize. Now she is looking at the possibility of getting her thesis published and applying for post-doctoral research funding.
Kenneth Matthews (left), Deirdre Quinn, Peter Fitzpatrick TD and Jim Gonnelly at the launch of Fitzers 5k fun run which takes place at The Marshes Shopping Centre on Saturday 25th February in aid of the Maria Goretti Children's Respite and RehabCare Centre

There's still time to enter Fitzer's 5k Fun Run which takes place on Saturday February 25 at 11am, with proceeds in aid of the Maria Goretti Children's Respite and RehabCare.

As usual, the event is open to all, serious runners, joggers and walkers, as the aim of this 5k is to raise funds for these worthy charities which help so many in our community.

Since it was first organised by local TD and former Louth manager Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick, the event has become very popular as it caters for participants of all levels of fitness who want to be able to say they have completed a 5k as well as supporting the selected charity.

As usual, the race gets underway from The Marshes Shopping Centre and follows a flat course around town. Registration is open at www.runireland.com
Brendan McGahon, who died on Thursday following a short illness, was a firebrand politician who won many admirers for his plain speaking and courage, particularly in taking on the IRA, but he also garnered criticism for his often conservative views on social issues.

He was a proud Dundalk man who told his family and friends during his illness that there was no greater honour in life than to represent the people of Louth in Leinster House, and while he was outspoken and colourful in public, he was noted for his courtesy to people, including political opponents, in his one to one encounters.

Brendan served Louth as Fine Gael TD for 20 years from 1982 and came from a family that was steeped in politics. His grandfather, TF McGahon, a leading member of the Irish Parliamentary Party was one of the founder members of Dundalk Urban District Council, who also established the Dundalk Democrat newspaper.

TF McGahon's son, OB, succeeded him to the council, followed by his nephew, Hugh McGahon. The family joined Fine Gael in the 1930s and Brendan succeeded Hugh on the town and county councils at the 1979 local elections. He was elected to the Dail in November 1982 and held his seat for five elections, until his retirement in 2002.

The dynasty continued, with Brendan's son Conor elected to the council in 1991 to 1999. His brother, Johnny was a councillor until 2004 and Brendan's nephew, John, was elected to Louth County Council in 2014.

During his years in Leinster House, Brendan rose to national prominence with his controversial views, particularly on republicans and the IRA when the armed campaign was at his peak. For instance, he refused to close his newsagents shop in Dundalk during the funerals of the 1981 hunger strikers, and he also gave evidence in the High Court in support of the Sunday Times, who was being sued by Tom 'Slab' Murphy.

He also held strong views on other issues and voted against the abolition of the death penalty, stated that rapists and paedophiles should be chemically castrated and was against the decriminalisation of homosexuality. However, he was liberal on other issues, including divorce and banning hare coursing. He lived a relatively quiet life in political retirement, but remained interested in engaged with politics, canvassing with his nephew, John, ahead of the last local elections.

Brendan was predeceased by his wife, Celine (Lundy), and is survived by his children Robert, Conor, Adele, Keith and Jill; brother Johnny, sisters Anita Murphy, Mary Cotter, Julie McMahon and Marcella McBride.
An illustration of how the new ferry service slipway will look at Greenore on Carlingford Lough

The long awaited ferry service between Greenore and Greencastle, linking both sides of Carlingford Lough, will launch early this summer, the Argus can confirm.

'Construction work has commenced and we're planning to have the ferry service operational by the early part of the summer,' said Paul O'Sullivan of Carlingford Lough Ferries.

The project, which is estimated to have the potential to create 300 jobs directly and indirectly, was first mooted a decade ago but faced numerous delays due to objections, particularly on the northern side.

'It has taken eight or nine years to get to this point in time but we had two jurisdictions to deal with, so we had to double up on everything - planning applications, marine licences, environmental studies, as well as dealing with two sets of statutory bodies,' said Mr O'Sullivan.

Despite getting the go ahead from Louth County Council in 2014 and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council in 2015, the project suffered a set back last year when local residents and environmentalists from the Greencastle area lodged an appeal with the High Court in Belfast. This request for a judicial review was rejected in November, paving the way for construction work to start on both sides of the Lough.

'We have all of our consents in place and are well advanced with the marine construction work on the Greenore side while on the Greencastle side, we are doing extensive road widening and have the site set up and all the necessary piles delivered to begin construction work.'

He is confident that the work will be complete in time for the ferry service to launch in early summer, possibly as early as May.

The roll on/ roll off ferry service will take just 13 minutes to cross the Lough, opening the region up to tourism.

'We plan to begin the service in the month of May,' said Mr O'Sullivan. 'We are very optimistic about it and looking forward to it beginning.'

'We are confident that this will prove to be a very attractive service, linking the Cooley peninsula with the Mountains of Mourne,' he continued. 'It is something that the tourism agencies, Failte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Northern Ireland Tourism see as providing the ability to market the two regions together as one.'

He points out that an economic study carried out in 2013 indicated that the ferry service will create at least 300 jobs and bring in an average spend of 10million per annum. The ferry itself will employ 35 people with the others being created in the tourism sector.

A vessel already owned by Carlingford Lough Ferries, which also operates a ferry in the south east, is being upgraded to provide the daily service which will run all year round.

'Our schedule will run from 7am to 9.30pm during the summer months and from 7am to 7pm during the winter, from October to March,' said Mr O'Sullivan.

It will cater for all vehicles, except articulated lorries, as well as foot passengers.

'We are looking at the pricing and it will be affordable as we known that there will be people using it to cross the lough on a daily or weekly basis as well as tourists, so we will have a multiple trip ticket.'

'Brexit hasn't changed our plans, we are still moving forward.'
Blackrock woman Carmel McGuiness was among 150 people working across Ireland who were honoured recently in the GEM Awards, (Going the Extra Mile), which were presented by ISS Ireland, a major provider of outsourced site services.

Carmel from Greengates, works in The Authentic Food Company (formerly Heinz) and was nominated for the award after a manager saw her going the assistance of a fellow employee who became ill.

'A man took a turn in the canteen where I was working,' recalled the mother of eight. 'I stayed with him and talked to him until the medics arrived.'

'I didn't think I did an awful lot,' she said modestly. 'I was just comforting someone who was in discomfort.'

According to the judging panel: 'Her kindness and consideration toward the gentleman was acknowledged by both ISS Management who happened to be on site, along with her own colleagues. Carmel recognised that he was in distress and did everything she could to comfort him until assistance arrived.'

Carmel received her Going the Extra Mile award from by Richie Hogan, the popular Kilkenny Hurling GAA Star, who said he was delighted to participate in the event which recognises the hard work and dedication of frontline staff in the services sector.

The ISS Ireland GEM Awards recognise the valuable contribution of employees, both Irish and non-Irish nationals, who together bring a wealth of experience and energy to the services sector. ISS Ireland employees are involved in out-sourced operational and support services, such as catering, cleaning, security, maintenance, landscaping, post-room, reception, property management and pest control.

Carmel, who is married to Jim for 46 years, hopes to retire from next August.
The entire community of Cox's Demesne and the wider Dundalk area has been left deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden death of community worker John Kearney, who spent many of his 38 years caring for and inspiring the young people of the estate.

John, from Ashling Park, died on Wednesday and his passing sent shockwaves around the closely-knit community where he lived. Hundreds of people attended his wake, and funeral on Saturday morning, as they struggled to come to terms with the death at such a young age of a man who was deeply involved in helping to improve the lives of young people in the area he came from.

He won a volunteer achievement award in 2004 and had worked at The House project in Cox's Demesne for more than ten years.

YouthWork Ireland Louth paid tribute to their colleague online: 'Deepest sympathy is extended to the entire Kearney family on the untimely death of John. John will forever be remembered and held in high esteem by all his work colleagues and Board of Management in Youth Work Ireland Louth. May John rest in peace'.

In addition, Dundalk Youthreach also paid tribute. 'My very deepest sympathy to Keelan and all the Kearney family on the death of John.

'He was always such a pleasure to meet and he always had a kind word to say about everyone. No doubt he has left you all with very many happy memories which you will hopefully enjoy in time to come. May John have eternal peace'.

Neighbours and friends of John recalled a man with a 'heart of gold' who helped as many people as he could. In another online post, a friend wrote: 'in total shock can't believe it another life taken so young. Always supported and helped out the youths of Dundalk making them build future.

'He is in the arms of angels his life and memories he give to others will always remain by people sharing those memories and talking about his life and forever in their hearts. I had the pleasure of working with John he put a smile on your face no matter how you were feeling'.

John's funeral Mass took place on Saturday at the Church of the Holy Redeemer and was attended by hundreds of people. Burial took place afterwards to St Patrick's Cemetery.

He was predeceased by his dad Hubert (Boo) and niece Kenzie and is survived by his mum Attracta (nee Gray), son Keelan, brothers Jason, Fra and Dean, sisters Lorraine, Julie, Michelle and Samantha, brothers in-law, sisters in-law, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins, extended family relatives, neighbours and friends.
Louth's government TDs say they will support health minister Simon Harris as he tries to shine a light into the workings of the HSE in the wake of the waiting list scandal.

Fergus O'Dowd said 'shame' was a word that came to mind after watching the RTE Living on the List programme last week and he attacked the 'dysfunctional and appalling' HSE. Speaking in the Dail, Mr O'Dowd said: 'It is a shame what is happening in this country. The waiting lists are a shame. It is a shame that a year ago Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital was short 55 nurses and three anaesthetists.

'There were six people in the intensive care units and another six lined up outside, waiting to get in there. Only one made it inside that door. I am trying to find out what happened to the rest of those patients.

'There is a crisis in intensive care beds in this country. I only know these things because of the Freedom of Information Act 2014. The HSE is not accountable to me as a member of the Oireachtas, to anybody in this House or to the public and is hiding its accountability from the Minister. I welcome the Minister's commitment that heads will roll.

'It is not accountable to the public and it is hiding its accountability from the Minister. Heads must roll in this dysfunctional and appalling organisation, which from top to bottom is full of bureaucracy and lacking in accountability.

'I am ashamed that I have to stand up and say these things here. I support the government, the budgets and the minister. I believe he is the person to deal with the terminal crisis in the health service.

'The head of the HSE must roll and should roll now. Each of the three separate waiting lists is populated by people who are in pain and are suffering because they have been waiting for longer than they should be waiting for.

'What the hell are we going to do about it? The HSE claims that having multiple lists is standard international practice, but it is not the practice in England or in other countries. We should have one short list that is dealt with.

'We should not have the longest list in Europe. We should ensure we have the shortest list. I support the Minister in his intention to do that'.

His frustration about the HSE was echoed by his college, Peter Fitzpatrick.

He said: 'The health budget has never been higher, yet we have 3,500 less nurses in the system. This needs to be explained by the HSE.

'Time and time again in my dealings with the HSE, I have come up against a brick wall when it comes to trying to get someone to be accountable or indeed explain the reasoning to their decision making.

'I stand fully behind Minister Harris as we attempt to shine a light on the inner workings of the HSE'.
Tributes were paid to the late Brendan McGahon by his Fine Gael colleagues, including Louth TDs Peter Fitzpatrick and Fergus O'Dowd, who both said he was a good friend to them in politics.

Mr Fitzpatrick, who visited Brendan while he was in hospital in Dublin and later in Dundalk, said he 'was an exceptional public representative for County Louth, fighting five successful general election campaigns before his retirement in 2002'.

He said: 'When I first joined Fine Gael, Brendan welcomed me with open arms into the party. We shared a common love of sport and politics and he was a delightful person to have a conversation with. His wit and sense of humour were legendary.

'Since my own election as a TD, Brendan was always on hand to provide me with counsel and guidance. He will be sadly missed.

'I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to his family at this time'.

And his long-time colleague, Fergus O'Dowd, also paid tribute: 'Brendan was a friend and colleague for over 30 years and I am very sorry to hear the news of his passing.

"Brendan had a larger than life personality which made him a really popular TD. He was clear and outspoken in his views and was very well loved by the people of Louth, particularly in his home-town of Dundalk.

'Brendan was known to be fearless, hardworking and outstanding in his field. My condolences go to Brendan's family at this sad time'.

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said Brendan was 'fearlessly courageous in defence of the rule of law on the border in the bad times'.
District Manager Des O'Brien and Cllr Joe Behan crossed swords at last week's meeting of Bray Municipal District.

Under 'Any Other Business' at the end of the extended meeting, Mr O'Brien said that the integrity of the staff had been called into question. 'Any time that happens I will refute it,' he said.

Earlier, Cllr Joe Behan mentioned drawings in a presentation made on a previous occasion, and again that night, by engineer Marc Devereaux. Cllr Behan said that he had previously stated that he did not understand the drawings, asked for something clearer, and it was a presentation by the residents which eventually satisfied him. 'The staff get a wage, do their work, and don't have to be vilified at a public meeting,' said Mr O'Brien. 'If you want to have a go at me that's fine, but not the staff.'

'I won't be told by you how I conduct my public affairs here,' said Cllr Behan.
The local man who was the driving force behind tributes to the late Fran O'Toole has asked the council to install a plaque at the Fran O'Toole Bridge in Bray.

Peter Carroll led the charge to have the bridge renamed in honour of the musician, and a plaque installed at his former family home on Adelaide Road.

A day was held in his honour on July 4, 2015, including a Mass and a gig by the Miami Showband in the Mermaid.

Fran was just 29 when he and two of his band-mates Brian McCoy and Tony Geraghty were murdered in the Miami Showband massacre of 1975. The killings occurred when the men were travelling by minibus back to Dublin from a gig in Banbridge, County Down.

According to Peter, two designs of blue plaques were submitted by Fran's family, one for the house and one for the bridge.

While Peter said that the etching is fading away, and when it rains cannot be seen, the council said that this is not the case. A spokesman for Bray Municipal District said that the name is carved into the granite and is not fading.

The spokesman added that there is already a blue plaque in honour of Fran O'Toole at Adelaide Road.

Peter announced on social media that the council has told him that a plaque at that location would not be appropriate as the tragedy did not happen there.

A blue plaque is erected on buildings which are closely associated with the person in question.

'I am not looking for the earth,' said Peter. 'I am just asking for some common sense to prevail and the council to reconsider their decision not to erect a blue plaque on Fran O'Toole's own bridge.'
Residents of Shankill and Killiney plan to march between their Dart stations on Friday evening to 'Take Back the Night'.

Local woman Emily Lyons (23) has organised the walk in response to a number of assaults which occurred in the area over the past year.

'It is unacceptable that people have been attacked and that, as a further result of these attacks, people are altering their daily routines,' said Emily.

She said that people are avoiding exercising, walking to the shops at night, walking home from work or school, and they are generally fearing for their safety in the community.

'The walk intends to bring the community together to stand in solidarity with the people who have been affected by these attacks and to reclaim a space in which community members should feel safe,' said Emily.

'Moreover, this walk stands in solidarity with everyone who has ever been affected by sexual violence, as more often than not, individuals are sexually assaulted by someone known to them, in a context in which they feel safe.'

The gardai have been notified about the event.

The march follows an attack on a woman in her 40s at the Bayview estate on the evening of Friday, January 30. She fought off her attacker and suffered minor injuries.

At the end of December 2015 and during January and February 2016, there were four attacks in the area.

It is understood that in this instance, a man who was around six feet tall made his escape up Killiney Hill Road.

Shankill Garda Station can be contacted on (01) 6665900 or call the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
Tesco workers on strike outside the Vevay Road store in Bray on Tuesday

Staff from Tesco on the Vevay Road braved the elements yesterday morning for the start of their indefinite strike action.

The Bray store was one of eight to mount pickets from 7 a.m. with Mandate trade union workers engaging in an indefinite strike in a dispute over contracts.

The supermarket wants to move 250 staff recruited before 1996 onto different contracts. Mandate says that the change would adversely affect workers in terms of both pay and conditions.

Other stores, including Greystones, are set to join the strike on Friday.

The shop remained open in Bray yesterday morning, with staff picketing the main entrance.

Some motorists sounded their horns as they passed the protest. The occasional motorist driving past the picket would roll down their windows and explain that they were going to Costa for coffee or to the chemist, rather than into the supermarket.

Union officials said that by around 9 a.m. on Tuesday, very few people had gone into the supermarket itself.

Last year, Tesco wanted around 1,000 staff recruited before 1996 to transfer to a less favourable contract which has applied to all staff hired since then. Around 700 took redundancy but 250 staff continue to resist the move and have rejected a Labour Court recommendation on the row.

Tesco insists affected stores will remain open and has urged Mandate to accept the Labour Court recommendation.

'Terms and conditions nearly quarter of a century old do not take account of the growth of late night, weekend and online shopping and create unfairness as hours are not evenly spread out,' they said in a statement.

'Tesco is the only employer in the food retail sector to recognise trade unions, offering above market rates of pay, conditions, benefits and careers. We operate in an intensely competitive market against non-unionised retailers who Mandate does not attack,' they added.

'We are going to win,' said Mandate representative Keith Pollard. He added that while they had to picket at the front entrance, rather than on Tesco grounds, the union had no wish to affect the other businesses on the site.

Michael Meegan, divisional organiser for Mandate Trade Union said that the vast majority of Bray staff were picketing.

'There was a huge vote in the Bray store. At least 90 per cent voted in favour of the strike, with an 80 per cent turnout,' he said.

'We're just asking Tesco to commit to not changing the contracts of the pre-1996 people without consultation,' said Michael. 'That's all they have to do and this strike will be called off.'
The district engineer Liam Bourke gave members an update on traffic and transport.

'Push button upgrades have been carried out in 2016 from public realm discretionary funding,' he said.

'The programme was not completed as other signal deficiencies were identified for which additional funding is required. It was previously reported that the cabling and signal heads at Vevay Road/Putland Road require upgrading.

'The pedestrian signals on the Upper Dargle Road at Fassaroe Estate and James Everett Park are over 30 years old. Both sets have extensive faults and the power supply at the Fassaroe installation has inadequate protection. It is recommended that additional funding of 56,000 be allocated from Public Realm funding for upgrade of these signals.'

Funding is still in place to carry out required ducting works at Castle Street pedestrian signals, which was identified last year.

'Further deterioration of traffic movement has been noted throughout the town over the last few weeks,' said Mr Bourke.

'Dublin Bus have reported increased delays on the 145 route. The signals are all operating to provide maximum capacity on the main roads during peak periods. The closure of the Lower Dargle Road for road reconstruction work would be a minor contributory factor to increased delays. However, it primarily an increase in general traffic and particularly school traffic during wet weather that is the principal factor.'

He said that on the morning of Thursday, February 2, queues were noted extending back to the M11 from Wilford, across the M11 bridge on Old Connaught Avenue and for distances of 500m on the Upper Dargle Road from the Sunnybank junction and 900m on the Vevay Road from the Town Hall junction.

'As Access to Bray town centre is severely curtailed by the constraints of the existing road network, plans for alternative access to the town are required,' said Mr Bourke.

Members asked him about traffic being routed down Ravenswell Road accessing the Harbour area. It is not feasible in the short term, he said, because it is tied up by a right of way with Irish Rail. Also the bridge is only suitable for cars. 'It is something that could be considered,' he said. Meanwhile, they are looking at widening Seapoint Road and putting in a third lane at the Fran O'Toole Bridge.

'The place has ground to an absolute halt,' said Cllr John Ryan, who added that the councillors need to work together as eight and put a campaign in place regarding the N11.
Works are progressing and are on target across the nine water supply schemes in Co Wicklow that are on the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) Remedial Action List (RAL) which was published last week.

Irish Water confirmed it is investing in the nine Co Wicklow water supplies on the list, namely Roundwood, Aughrim/Annacurra, Avoca/Ballinclash, Enniskerry, Wicklow Regional Public Supply, Bray, Greystones/Windgates/Templecarrig, Kilmacanogue and Newton Newscastle Kilcoole.

The Avoca/Ballinclash, Enniskerry and Wicklow Regional Public Supply are on the list due to elevated Trihalomethanes (THMs) - chemicals formed by the reaction of naturally occurring dissolved organic material and chlorine which is used for disinfection in order to protect against pathogenic bacteria.

By 2021 the utility plans to reduce the number of schemes on the RAL to zero with an investment of 327 million in upgrading water supplies at risk from THMs.

To help remove eight of the water supplies from the RAL Irish Water is progressing plans to upgrade the Vartry Treatment Plant and to construct a new pipeline and additional structures for the transfer of treated drinking water from Vartry to Callowhill.

Planning permission for the construction of a new Vartry Water Treatment plant - including water treatment building, pumping station and sludge treatment facilities - was granted in November but this has been appealed to An Bord Pleanala. A decision is due on or before May 2.

Work has been carried out to upgrade the Avoca/Ballinclash water treatment plant. Final commissioning and process proving of the plant is under way. The new plant is due to enter production in the coming weeks, which will help with the removal of the plant from the RAL.

'The publication of the latest RAL update is a confirmation of the focus and dedication of Irish Water in ensuring the delivery of clean and wholesome water in the county,' said Irish Water's Regional Compliance Specialist Andrey Boylan.

'Significant improvements are being achieved year on year by this approach, including in Co Wicklow where the Arklow Water Supply was removed from the RAL last year and where there are no boil water notices in place.'
As someone who has lived most of his adult life in Tralee and Kerry, save for a few brief years of college in Limerick, it's safe to say that I know the town pretty well and if there is one name that I have consistently heard mentioned in a positive tone over the past few years, it is that of the town's very own resident multi-instrumentalist, talented musician, Gary Keane.

I sat down to chat with the now 30-year old Ballinorrig native this past week as he reflected on his musical journey, from first being introduced at a young age to the dulcet tones of the early Guns N' Roses era to that all-important moment when he first picked up his very own guitar at age 12; he admits that it's been an amazing and addictive ride and one that, by the sounds of his future goals, a ride that he plans on staying on for many years to come.

Gary has been a mainstay in the music world for the past number of years and even though he modestly describes himself modestly as a "jack of all trades and master of none", this writer, after seeing him play live in Tralee this past weekend, can atest that Gary certainly looks very much a master of his craft on stage, using his three preferred instruments, electronic keyboard, guitar and looping pedal to perfection on stage.

"I grew up in a musical family, my father was a professional musician when I was younger and my brother played guitar as well; there was a big age gap between him and I, about nine years, so you know, I obviously idolised him a little bit when I was growing up," said Gary, as he talks his own musical origins.

"He had a room down at the end of our house and he was in thick of this Guns N' Roses era and so I would always walk into the house to hear all this rock blaring out of his room and I just thought it was the coolest thing ever; so, when I decided to take up the guitar at the age of 12, there was huge support and nurturing for my music. My brother was always there to give me tips and my father was always playing as well, it was a great environment to grow up in."

Not content with both singing and playing, Gary says that the last few years have seen him extend his sphere of interest into the world of production, an interest which now sees him, in his own jesting words, being "dragged around the world" on tour, a life which he jokingly admits isn't the worst type of life.

"Right now, I'm doing a lot of production; I have a studio at home and I've been playing, recording and producing with an artist called Stephanie Rainey who's based in Cork. I've been working a lot with her over the past few months and I'm sort of being dragged around the world touring recently with her as part of her house band which has been absolutely great fun,"

"Stephanie was signed to the Warner label recently and she's definitely on the rise so I'm delighted to be working with her at the moment, I actually produced one of her songs which will coming out on her album so I've been kept pretty busy with all of this so far and other than that, I've been writing a fair bit of my own music aswell. I was in a band last called White Stripes and we released two singles which made it to the top three in iTunes which was amazing, the support of the people of Tralee and places like Radio Kerry who helped play our songs was immense so Tralee, aside from being where I'm from, it is a special place for me for the help it has given," he continued.

Speaking of that special connection to his hometown, Gary elaborated even further on his fondness for the town as he revealed that his one of his fondest memories of playing music came back in 2013, at the famous Rose of Tralee festival.

"I remember doing the Rose of Tralee, I think it was about three years ago now. I played just before 'Walking on Cars' on Denny Street and they just absolutely packed out the whole street; there were just thousands of people there. I remember getting out there and playing and I just was out there and it was just so special; there was so much support from the crowd, they were really behind me."

"They were all just screaming and shouting their support and it was just so magical. I would have a really strong connection to the festival; my mother was herself a Rose back in the day and my uncle was heavily involved in the organising committee as well so for me to play on Denny Street, it felt like this really special coming together of all of these elements, me, my own music and this festival that has been such a big part of my childhood and heritage," he added.

"To top that whole experience off then, I got to see Walking on Cars play, I actually went to college with the drummer, and then the fireworks went off afterwards, from top to bottom, it was without doubt one of my fondest and most vivid memories of playing; it's something that will stay with me for the rest of my life, I'm sure."

Gary, who has just finished a support slot with the increasingly popular band, Hermitage Green in Fabrik in Tralee this past Saturday night, says that he is delighted to be able to support the lads and that he is grateful for all the help that they have given him.

"The Hermitage Green guys are just a great bunch of lads. They're as down to earth as can be and what you see is what you get with them on stage, they're great friends with great chemistry and I think that this really comes across in their performances; I've been lucky enough to secure a good number of support slots with them and they have been very good to me with their support for my music so I was delighted to be able to play with them again in Fabrik on Saturday night, there was a great crowd there, I had a blast.

Now, after all is said and done, where does Gary himself see himself in the future? Well, you can guess yourself, it's definitely something music related!

"Man, music is a total addiction to me so it will most definitely be something along those lines," he laughed.

"At the moment, I'm busy getting my own EP release ready and I'm hoping to have this ready to go, maybe by the end of the year; I'm going to be going into the first stages of recording this in the next two to three weeks so that will be the start of the journey and it's something I'm really excited about."

"My whole musical journey has been a bit of a crazy ride so far; I like to keep things varied with music so at the moment, I'm really into my writing and my production and I'm just about to do this really funky sort of electric disco collabroration with this dj from Amsterdam so that's something to look forward to in the new year," he continued.

"It's an amazing time to be alive in terms of music and the tools that are available for us artists; I suppose my main goals for the year are just to climb further up the rungs of the industry and get my name out there even further. I'd love to maybe try and secure a record label for myself in the next year or two and maybe a little more unrealistically, I've always dreamed of winning a Grammy!" he chuckled.

"That'd be incredible but obviously that's something down the line and something which is up in the air for now, but that's a dream of mine," he finished.
Fair City: Niamh continues to toy with Paul, paying her `client' to turn down his offer in the most humiliating way possible. Meanwhile, Ciaran decides Heather needs to be silenced - for good.

Orla is shocked to discover her home has been put on the market, and Niamh considers further humiliation for a broken Paul. Plus, Ciaran crosses a line with Farrah.

Eastenders

Michelle is happy after the week's events, but not for long as she starts to struggle with her situation.

Later, Michelle attends an interview for a job as a teacher. Will she be successful?

Meanwhile, Shirley and Johnny approach Konrad, the owner of a local store, for help as they make plans for Polish Night at the Queen Vic.

Elsewhere, Shakil finally decides to talk to Bex, but he regrets it when he finds her with Travis. Madison and Alexandra also stir up trouble between Bex and Louise, prompting Louise to confront Bex for going after Travis.

Also today, Jack isn't pleased when Billy opposes his recent request, but Max and Stacey both try to make Jack see sense.

At the same time, the group of students are kicked out of Number 18, so Ben and Jay look at the property. As Kathy is helping out with the deposit, they decide to go for it.

Finally, Dot convinces Ian to go for his health check, but Jane receives some disappointing news at her own check-up.

Coronation Street

When Rosie overhears Brian complaining that someone dug over the allotments in the night, she realises with horror that it must have been Adam. Rosie confesses to Sophie how she told Adam about the drugs and suspects he's stolen them. Sophie listens in disbelief.

Later, Adam confides in Todd and suggests they set up in business together - how will Todd react? Adam also warns Rosie and Sophie that if anyone comes looking for the drugs, he'll pin the whole thing on them.xx

Meanwhile, having taken Sarah's advice and filmed a new video using her phone, Bethany is gutted to find out from Faye that she's being lambasted online as it's substandard compared to her earlier efforts. When Bethany explains to Sarah how her phone video was a total flop, Sarah urges her to return to the salon and make another professional one instead.

Emmerdale

Finn pays the price for his recent crazy behaviour when police officers arrive in the village to take him down to the station.

Later, someone sets fire to one of the Bartons' taxis and it's not long before the police find a hoodie belonging to Kasim close by. Ross suspects that the firestarter was actually Finn himself, but is he right?

Meanwhile, Vanessa worries about Pierce and Rhona's sudden rush to get married. When Vanessa shares her confusion with Rhona, they're both unaware that Pierce is listening in.

Elsewhere, Pearl puts herself forward as a co-writer for Tracy's racy novel.
Over the past few weeks, a number of local community groups have been busy with the planning of their yearly heritage projects, in light of the variety of heritage grant schemes currently available to the public.

From Cork County Council's Municipal District Grant Scheme to the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Irish Georgian Society Fund, there are a variety of opportunities available at present. The Municipal District Grant Scheme closes on Friday 17th February; the Georgian Society Fund on Friday 24th and the Built Heritage Investment Scheme on Tuesday 28th February. Good news is also expected shortly from the Heritage Council, with the 2017 Heritage Council Community Grant Scheme expected to open for applications in March 2017.

Speaking of March, there is much to look forward to from a heritage perspective. Seachtain na Gaeilge takes place from March 1st right up to March 17th, Saint Patrick's Day, and National Tree Week will be taking place from March 5th to 12th, inclusive. In relation to National Tree Week, a number of events are being organized all over the country, such as tree-planting workshops, wood-turning displays, talks, tree-climbing and competitions. Individuals, schools and community groups are invited to create their own events and a number of events have already been scheduled in County Cork including three events by Ted Cook.

With the kind assistance of the Tree Council of Ireland, Cork County Council's Heritage Unit has a number of saplings to distribute for Tree Week 2017. These include oak, rowan (mountain ash), birch and alder. For anyone interested in getting involved in National Tree Week this year and to avail of the trees on offer, further information can be obtained by contacting martinmillerick@corkcoco.ie or by phoning 0214285914.

Following on from the month of March, April is also set to be a busy one. As a legacy project of the 1916 Centenary Year, the country is embarking on a five-year Creative Ireland Programme. This will see communities throughout the country involved in cultural projects with one of the largest initiatives of the programme being the annual Crinniu na Casca - an annual Culture Day - where on Easter Monday, 16th April 2017, and on each Easter Monday henceforth, the country commemorates its heritage, history and culture on the one day. There will be many announcements on the Creative Ireland Programme and how same will relate to Cork in the coming weeks and months.

Another programme that will take centre stage in Cork, commences in May 2017. On the 4th of May, 1917, five US Navy destroyers arrived in Cork, using the county as a maritime base for World War One Operations. At the time, the US Navy had close to 10,000 personnel present in Cork and now, 100 years later, community groups throughout the county, with the support of the Port of Cork and Cork County Council, will be organising a range of commemorative events, to acknowledge this Irish-American connection and indeed the wonderful maritime heritage that the County of Cork has to offer.

One group very much involved with the county's maritime history and heritage is Meitheal Mara. Minister Simon Coveney recently launched the new Strategic Plan of Meitheal Mara, stating 'this is an ambitious plan with many potential benefits, not just for Meitheal Mara, but also for Cork City and Cork Harbour. The proposed development will provide opportunities to grow and integrate the maritime recreation and tourism sector within Cork City, and extend and integrate maritime activities from the city throughout Cork Harbour. For further information and to read the Strategic Plan itself visit http://meithealmara.ie.

As we cast our eyes on the heritage events ahead, there is plenty to look forward to. On Saturday 18th February in Kanturk Library, there will be an exhibition on the Buzzards of Kanturk. A talk on these birds of prey that are to be found in the wider Kanturk area will also take place in the Library on the day and further information is available by emailing events@corknaturenetwork.ie.

A few days later, on Monday 20th February at 8pm, there will be a talk in Ballincollig Rugby Club, entitled Ordinary Women in Extraordinary Times: Cork Women in the Revolutionary Years. The Muskerry Local History Society is hosting the talk, which will be given by Anne Twomey, who will document the role played by 10 Cork Women in the Revolutionary Years, including the Wallace sisters. To cover costs, a cover charge of 3 applies at each lecture. Alternatively, one can join the society for 10. All welcome.

On Thursday 23rd February, and with thanks to the Charleville Heritage Society, another wonderful heritage event will take place; this being a talk regarding the history of the Charleville/Ballyhea/Shandrum area of North Cork, since the 1700s. The talk, which will be given by Martin Millerick of Cork County Council's Heritage Unit, commences at 20:00 in the Charleville E-Centre. All are welcome to attend.
Last week, Jason Fitzgerald, chairman of the IFDL (Irish Farmers With Designated Land) along with Kenneth Fitzgerald, Treasurer went to Brussels as part of the Irish delegation of representatives of farming organisations to attend and take part in a LULUCF (Land Use, Land Use and Forestry) conference. Mr Fitzgerald gave his view and opinion on the meeting.

Ireland is attempting to increase its forest cover from 10% at present to 30% by 2030 to meet its commitments under the Paris agreement to reduce carbon emissions. In Ireland today afforestation means coniferous plantations which are the most profitable species available, but this is in conflict with some peoples' views of Biodiversity, which has led to the ban on afforestation and devastated the value of Hen Harrier SPA Designated land. Despite a commitment to allow afforestation in 2007 , when these lands were being proposed for designation.

It was irresponsible on behalf of the NPWS (National Parks and Wildlife Services) and the Forestry services not to introduce an alternative process in line with the agreement between Government and Farming Organisations which guaranteed Land devaluation would not accrue.

This agreement was drawn up in 1997 between the Department of Environment, Local Government and Heritage and Farming Organizations to protect farmers rights in the case of devaluation, forestry and Farming incomes. The forestry model that was proposed in Brussel is a lot different to what we are used to but is apparently just as profitable excluding premiums, traps plenty of carbon, but which will not impact on agricultural output, wildlife or rural communities is Agroforestry, where trees are planted alongside conventional crops and grazing land, which may soon become a reality. Agroforestry is a mix of agriculture and trees which can be seen more commonly in the Southern hemisphere, this system was used before artificial fertilizers were widespread.

It increases ground fertility, improves drainage and soaks up a huge amount of carbon dioxide.

As we are going to have to come up with new ideas to deal with carbon emissions, this was just one suggestion but certainly not for everyone but may suit Hen Harrier designated lands if proper forestry schemes are put in place to match existing schemes. In fact, a recent study has found that 35% of Europe's emissions could be offset without affecting farm productivity by adapting agroforestry. During the conference in Brussels EU Commissioner Artur Runge-Metzger hinted that Europe is willing to examine it more closely: "Sustainable forest management is one of the areas closest to heart of commission members."

At present, regulations classify land as either agriculture or forestry. This is just one preconception that will need to change. Another contribution was from scientist, Patrick Worms who described the possibility of incorporating agroforestry into our conventional agricultural practices, by stating that, "along with animal manure agroforestry was the main source of fertility worldwide until the introduction of inorganic fertilizers about a hundred years ago." Although there are possible alternatives to blanket afforestation, it is incumbent upon the EU commission and the related stake holders in Ireland to make this a reality by incorporating forestry schemes that are as financially beneficial as the current ones. Could this be a panacea for farmers in Hen Harrier designated areas? Probably not and it certainly will not be forthcoming soon enough to address the current fiasco but it may be something to work towards in the future.
The pivotal role played by Cork County Council in fostering growth and development across North Cork was underscored at an information breakfast briefing in Mallow last Friday.

A large cross-section of the business and community sectors from across the region joined local councillors. TDs and council staff from various departments for the early morning event at the Springfort Hall Hotel.

In his opening address the chair of the council's northern committee Cllr Ian Doyle, deputising for County Mayor Cllr Seamus McGrath, said the theme of the briefing was 'Let's Grow Together'. "As your are all aware the future growth of our economy continues to face challenges," said Cllr Doyle.

"However, there are significant signs of positivity and Cork County Council is pro-actively engaged in a range of measures aimed at future proofing our region in a manner that will set conditions to enable the future growth of Cork and Cork County," he said.

Cllr Doyle said the event was the third in a series of business and community breakfast briefings held by Cork County Council, the aim being to provide people with "information, support and messaging."

"A Major role of the council is to facilitate the conditions required for economic growth within our county. Your council is aligned and activated and you, as a community and a business community, need to who, how and what to do to influence our decisions," said Cllr Doyle.

He said that the main thrust of the briefing would be a presentation by James Fogarty, Cork County Council's Divisional Manager for North Cork, that would give a "broad overview of the organisation and some of the key achievements in North Cork."

"He will mention the key infrastructural developments within North Cork, put the region into perspective in terms of the national planning framework and speak about our Local Area Development Plan (LAP) development plan, which is near finalisation stage. He will also talk about the future economic opportunities and challenges faced by North Cork," said Cllr Doyle.

He said the key to a positive future for the regions was the enhancement of community development through local participation.

"This is where out municipal district officers have key role to play in terms of issues such as community/amenity grants and our Town Development Funds, which enhance and bring vibrancy back to our county towns," said Cllr Doyle.

"We as Municipal District Committee's and as a northern region are working continuously to help this region, socially and economically. We welcome your feedback and if there is anything else that we can do, we are here to listen," he added.

Councils five-year commitment to businesses and communities

33 million investment through:

6m Straregic Economic Development Fund.

5m Town Development Fund.

9m GMA - Community Supports.

2m Pay Parking investment.

4m Town Improvements/Town Approaches.

2m Public Lighting Investment.

5m Footpath Investment Programme.

Certainty on Cost to Business:

Fixed county 'rate' at 74.75 until 2021.

Harmonisation of the nine former town council's (including Mallow and Fermoy) over five years to 2020.

Rates Relief Scheme to operate over the same period.

Relief will graduate from 5% to 1% over next five years.

Rates cost to business are set with certainty to 2021.

65% of businesses will benefit from a 3% rates relief in 2017.

Protecting Business/Communities:

36m - Mallow Flood Relief Scheme (completed).

39m Fermoy Flood Relief Scheme (completed).

National priority list for flood scheme being drawn up.

Other protection project identified for further assessment by the OPW in:

Kanturk.

Freemount.

Rathcormac.

Charleville & Milford.

Maximising Tourism Potential: Growing Tourism in North Cork

Ireland's 'Ancient East'

18m invested in this brand by Failte Ireland in 2016.

Covers a significant part of North Cork.

County boundary signage, orientation signage at key visitor attractions plus advertising.

Council owned tourism facilities:

Mallow Castle (masterplan tender brief currently being prepared).

Mallow Tourist Office.

Bridgetown Abbey, Castketownroche.

Tourism infrastructure enhancement projects:

Beara Breifne Way - pedestrian Bridge over the Blackwater at Millstreet.

Mallow Castle - 80k River Walkway grant..

Avondhu Blackwater Way Walking Route - 5k annual maintenance grant.

Ballyhoura Way Walking Route - 5k annual maintenance grant.

North Cork Heritage Trail.

North Cork Regional Arts Centre - Mallow Town Hall.

Blueway feasibility study - 40k funding approved.

Mallow Town Walkway (with Avondhu/Blackwater Partnership).

Growing Tourism in Cork:

Submissions to Failte Ireland Grants Scheme for large tourism projects including the Buttevant National Heritage Experience - a 1km trail incorporating six national monuments.

60k provided to support 16 festivals across both Municipal Districts in 2016.

Council marketing supports provided for:

Mallow Racing Home for Easter festival.

Munster Vales.

Cork '20' International Rally, Fermoy.

Independence Music and Arts Festival, Mitchelstown.

Kanturk Arts Festival.

Scully's Traditional Music Festival, Newmarket.

Cork County Councils recent record of Housing Support and Activity

Social Housing Programme:

2015 target of 392 houses.

Achieved output of 469 units - 20% additional.

Three-year programme of 80.6m in govt action plan.

Accelerated programme of 130m being progressed.

Housing Estates:

Unfinished estates reduced from 280 to 84.

270 housing estates taken in charge in 2014/2015.

Direct build on Council lands:

The Council is at design stage for new housing schemes at:

Brigown, Mitchelstown - 6 units.

Bluepool, Kanturk - 16 units.

Construction:

Oliver Plunkett Hill, Fermoy - 10 units to be completed this year.

Turnkey Housing:

The Council is in negotiations with developers to provide turnkey housing developments in Fermoy (52 units) and Kanturk (25 units).

Acquisitions:

A total of 21 properties acqquired in North Cork during 2016, with a further 13 sales to close shortly.

Voluntary bodies:

A 48-house scheme at Duntahane, Fermoy currently at Part 8 planning stage.

HAP Scheme:

A total of 475 properties on the HAP Scheme in the North Cork area.

Operations:

37 vacant dwellings returned to productive use in 2016.

Choice Based Letting to 1,574 approved housing applicants.

316 energy efficiency upgrades.

158 planned maintenance upgrades in 2016.
A jury has recommended that legislation allowing gardai to confiscate cars from unaccompanied learner drivers be enacted after hearing how a North Cork mother and daughter were killed after their car was struck by an unaccompanied learner driver just days before Christmas.

The jury at the inquest into the deaths of Kilworth woman Geraldine Clancy (58) and her daughter, Louise (22) made the recommendation after hearing how the two died after their car was struck by a car driven by their neighbour and learner driver Susan Gleeson on December 22, 2015.

Ms Gleeson was driving just eight months and had just nine driving lessons when she collided with Ms Clancy's Ford Focus while driving on her own in her father's Opel Vectra at Ballyderowen on the main Fermoy to Ballyduff road in North Cork at around 11.05am on the day in question.

Ms Gleeson pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court last November to dangerous driving causing the deaths of Geraldine and Louise Clancy and was given a three year suspended sentence and banned from driving for 15 years, and the jury returned verdicts in accordance with those facts.

But they also recommended that Minster for Transport Shane Ross would amend the relevant road traffic legislation to empower gardai to seize any vehicle being driven by an unaccompanied learner driver in breach of current law that they should be accompanied by a fully qualified driver.

The inquest before North Cork Coroner, Dr Michael Kennedy heard Ms Gleeson deny that she was speeding but admit that she was driving too fast as, coming from Kilworth, she approached a junction on the main Fermoy-Ballyduff road, which is governed by a 'yield' sign.

She told the inquest that she was in second or third gear as she pulled out from the junction to turn left to head towards Ballyduff but she misjudged the junction and carried over to her incorrect side of the road, and collided with Ms Clancy's car, which was travelling towards Fermoy.

"It all happened in a split second. My initial thought was that it was not a strong impact and I did not fear for my life or the people in the (other) car," said Ms Gleeson as she told how the other car went through a gap in a stone wall and flipped upside down inside a field.

Ms Clancy's car ended up wedged upside down between the road and the bank of a drain which was flooded to a depth of 82cms. Rescuers were unable to open the car doors as they had no space to open them to get the two women out and they ended up drowning.

Cross-examined by counsel for Ms Clancy's husband, Noel, and other children, Declan and Fiona, Ms Gleeson agreed that it was possible the accident might have been avoided if she had been accompanied by a fully qualified driver and her advice to learner drivers was to never to drive alone. "I feel so sorry for the Clancy family. I know they are devastated. I wish I could turn back the clock and this never happened. I would do anything to replace their lives. I am devastated at what happened and I am attending counselling," she said.

Witnesses, Thomas Kennedy and Edmund Dick, who were travelling behind Ms Clancy's Focus in their own two cars, told how she was driving correctly at 80kph on her own side of the road when Ms Gleeson turned too wide onto the wrong side of the road and crashed into Ms Clancy's car.

PSV Insp Garda Kevin Connolly examined both cars after the crash and found that both cars were in good roadworthy condition before the crash.

Forensic Crash Investigator Garda Mark O'Connor said Ms Gleeson would have had a 200m line of sight to see cars coming from her left and that to exit the 70 degree junction safely she should have been travelling at between 17kph and 23kph.

Garda Connolly said he had examined Ms Gleeson's Vectra after the crash and the car was in third gear. He did not believe it would have been possible for her to exit on to the roadway at between 17kph and 23kph in third gear, which suggested she was driving at a higher speed.

Garda O'Connor said Ms Clancy's Focus was 1.8 metres wide and the drain was 2.4 metres wide at the top but tapering in at the bottom which meant that there was only 28cms either side of the car, which prevented rescuers opening the doors.

Both Ms Clancy and her daughter were pronounced dead at the scene after rescuers used two teleporters to get the car out of the drain. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said both died from acute cardio-respiratory failure due to drowning.
Some of the comments made by James Fogarty, Cork County Council's Divisional Manager for North Cork during his power point presentation at last Friday's breakfast briefing.

"In North Cork we have loads of attractions and we need to make the most of them tourism wise. The 'Ancient East' is where we are going to get money from for this region from Failte.'

"It will be up to the people in this room, including the council, to get visitors here and keep them here to spend money. They are good at it in Kerry and West Cork - we can do it here."

"The National Planning Spatial Framework is our play to get population growth into Cork and with population will come investment."

"Cork should be the second city and region in the country."

"Cork is a good place to live. Let's plan for the future and keep it that way."

"It is good that LEADER funding is flowing again. We are not pleased with the amount of money we have got out of LEADER. The council put 25% extra on the funding to bolster up the total."

"There are two things we need for economic development. We must have land zoned so we can build industrial type employment areas and you have to have land for housing. We do have good banks of land in most areas. Servicing them will be the issue."

"The fixed county rate will be 74.75 until 2021. Whether we think that is a good rate or not at least its steady. It is future proofed and very predictable."

"Brexit. We all know the potential in the UK market. If you are a small exporter it poses a significant challange. There is a programme of action being worked out, but we don't know what is going to happen so we can talk ourselves into a tizzy about this until the button is pushed. But we do know there are sectors that need help more than others."

"The M20 is up there in lights for us, but before that we must look at a northern relief road for Mallow. The M20 will cost around 800 million. We have to be honest, do the government have that money to put into one project? I don't think so. But we are working away, with money allocated this year for the preliminary design stage. Every step forward shows we are not standing still."

"Road strengthening and surface dressing should be done every 20-years. In fact, with the kind of monies we have, its once every 55-years for road strengthening and once every 39-years for surface dressing. You don't need to tell me that results in potholes. Having said that, we continue to bang the drum and if any monies become available, we are first in the queue."

"The Local Area Plan is there to zone the right amount of land in the right places for the right purposes".

Cork County Councils Critical Road Infrastructure

2016 Regional & Local Roads Budget 11.2m.

3.92m from CCC own resources.

5 bridge replacements 425k.

58.5km structural overlay works.

76.4km surface dressing works.

52 new public lighst erected 123k.

356 public lights retrofitted 322k. (50% energy saving).

2016 North Cork Footpath programme 225.838

275k on town preservation/verge cutting.

Buttevant streetscape project 6.3 million

Major Planned Works - North Cork:

650k - N202 Annabella roundabout upgrade works.

100k - N20 Old Cork Rd Charleville repair works (completed).

70k - Mallow Nth Relief Rd feasibility study report.

50k - Charleville pavement repairs.

Repairs to M20 Mallow/Blackrock (Blackwater) Bridge. (Allocation currently awaited).

Repairs to N73 Ballybamona Bridge. (Allocation currently awaited).

Repairs to N72 Downey's Bridge. (Allocation currently awaited).

Economic Development and Business Supports

Cork County Council Industrial Units:

Fermoy - 9 units (1 food).

Mitchelstown - 4 units (1 food).

Serviced Sites:

Mallow, Buttevant & Newmarket.

Mitchelstown & Charleville.

Development Land Bank:

Mallow.

Greenshoots Programme:

Funded by CCC Economic Development Fund.

E Centres:

Fermoy - Council Developed:

10 hot desks.

5 own door offices.

Training/conference rooms.

Charleville - Community Owned:

7 hot desks.

Training/conference rooms.

Millstreet - Millstreet Development Group:

7 hot desks.

Training room.

Beacon Retail Programme:

Spread across 81 retailers including Mallow, Fermoy, Charleville, Kanturk, Millstreet and Mitchelstown.

North Cork Local Enterprise Office (LEO):

395k in Micro Enterprise Grant approvals (2014-2016).

120k approved loan funding for micro enterprise via Mallow office.

25 training and networking events with 315 participants.

7 start-your-own business courses with 58 participants.

One-to-one business advice clinics provided to 180 small business owners.

Management development programmes.

Third level engagement through the Ignite Incubation Programme.

Critical role that North Cork Leader Group plays in fostering economic activity.

Cork County Councils Local Area Plans (LAPs)

LAP Key Dates:

November 2016 - Draft Local Area Plans Published.

February 2017 - CEO issues report on submissions to Cllrs.

April 2017 - Amendments to LAP's to be published.

CEO issues report on submissions received on amendments to Cllrs.

Key Visions Areas Across both Municipal Districts:

Establish an appropriate balance in the spacial distribution of future population growth.

Protect and enhance the natural and built heritage assets of urban centres.

Facilitate the sustainable development of villages.

Strengthen and protect rural communities by encouraging population growth and protecting agricultural infrastructure, while focussing employment development in urban centres.

Recognise the importance that Mallow plays as a 'hub' town.

Protect and enhance the natural heritage of the Blackwater catchment area.

Prepare new Town Centre strategies of core retail areas in all main urban centres.

Prioritise specific sites in need of regeneration under the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015.

Develop specific policy initiatives to support the development of the tourism product in North Cork.

Ensure that strategic infrastructure is both provided and maintained to maximise the true potential of North Cork.
Cork North West TD, Aindrias Moynihan, has said that it is simply inexcusable in 2017 that people across the county are unable to rely on broadband internet and work from home, if they so choose.

"The rollout of the National Broadband Plan has been nothing short of shambolic, and the Government are working at the speed of a 1990s dial-up connection", said the Fianna Fail TD.

Deputy Moynihan's comments come amid what he said are the increasing number of complaints he is now dealing with on the issue - and it's not confined to rural areas.

"This isn't a rural issue alone. There are parts of the county, close to the city, that just cannot get access to decent broadband.

"People living in Ballinora, Ovens and all the way out to Ballingeary are often left without decent broadband, or no broadband at all," he said. "In the Templemartin and Crossbarry areas, for example, many people would like to access quality broadband services so that they can work from home or even just access the internet to engage with various government departments."

"The Government expect farmers to submit many documents and forms to the Department of Agriculture online, but I'm being told of situations where halfway through the process, residents' broadband connections simply cut out."

"I've raised this issue with the Minister for Communications, and his answer is deeply frustrating," he added. "The Minister has informed me that Templemartin has been designated as an 'amber' area. This is supposed to ensure a special state intervention to ensure the provision of broadband. It is expected that homes and businesses within this area will have access to services of at least 30 mb per second when the new network is rolled out there," he said.

But even this target is too low: "30 mbps is woefully low as a target when the US government have already determined that anything less than 50 mbps cannot be classed as broadband.

"We need foresight from the Department of Communications. We need a realisation that due to the major delays in rolling out the NBP the standards set in 2011 or 2012 are now out of date.

"Without such forward planning, we will be many years behind our global competitors," said Deputy Moynihan.

Millstreet to host event on digital marketing

Marie Collins of DigiPulse Marketing will be delivering a workshop to small business owners and key personnel in Millstreet next month on improving digital strategies to enhance business - at the Millstreet eCentre on March 22.

"Facebook posts with visuals see 2.3 times more engagement that those without. Click-through rates and engagement see an uplift everywhere online where a strong visual is present. The human brain is wired to process visual data faster than text, which is why we use visuals to capture attention," Ms Collins said.

Graphic design programme Canva is the perfect fit for businesses in this area, she said. "It is an easy to use graphic design platform for non graphic designers. And the best part is that it's free."

In just one morning attendees will be confident in producing their own visuals for Social Media and their websites or blogs. More details can be had at bit.ly/Canva17

Marie Collins is a Digital Marketer who works with Canva every day.
The craft sector in Ireland is becoming a growth industry which enables people to combine their passion for creativity with the opportunity to make a living.

An indication of just how important it is to the Irish economy is the fact that Showcase 2017, hosted by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland in the RDS recently, attracted over 5,000 buyers from Ireland and more than 20 countries, including the UK, North America, Germany and Japan.

It was expected to reap over 20 million in sales orders expected as 450 Irish designers, manufacturers and craftspeople launched their latest collections.

Showcase is promoted internationally by Enterprise Ireland through their network of over 30 international offices, who brought international buyers, bloggers and journalists to the event.

'Our objective is to help Irish consumer retail companies with global ambition to win export orders from visiting buyers, sustaining and creating jobs in every region in Ireland,' said Stephen Hughes, Consumer Retail Manager, Enterprise Ireland.

The Local Enterprise Showcase, which occupied the balcony of the Main Hall at the RDS, featured products from emerging craft makers supported by their Local Enterprise Offices, including County Louth.

Among the 110 designers and craftspeople from around the country featured in the Local Enterprise Showcase were Celtic Valley Ceramics, Duinn Designs and Ogham Oils.

Other local craft makers and designers who took part in Showcase included Garrett Mallon Jewellery and artist Martina Scott, both Carlingford, whose work was featured in the Design Ireland section in the Main Hall, Orla Barry Art and Sarah McKenna Ceramics, who are based in Bridge Street Studios, Soilse Candles, Stamullen, Branigan Weavers, Drogheda, Edmund McNulty, Knitwear, Drogheda, and Corona Silver, Readypenny.
Louth Branch of Arthritis Ireland host Seated Exercise class every Monday at 7pm in Ballsgrove Community Centre.

Aqua Aerobics every Tuesday at 8pm and Thursday at 12pm in Energie Fitness Centre. Walking Group meets at 11am every Saturday in Oldbridge House. Suits all levels. If you would like further information on any of the above please call Marie on 087 6336580 or Eric on 086 8311882
The local St Vincent de Paul Society has been praised for its outstanding work in combating poverty in the region.

Mairead Mc Guinness , Vice President of the European Parliament, made the comments in a letter to Area President Joe Sweeney at last weekend's annual social night in Ozanam House, Mornington.

She praised all the volunteers for the trojan work they were doing in relieving poverty and need in our communities .The Area President spoke about the wide range of activities undertaken by the members and especially about the mighty effort put in over Christmas to ensure that no family was left short of food and gifts.

However he said that the reason they were able to respond so well to those in need was because of the continuous generosity of the wider community .Individuals, businesses, churches and schools all rowed in behind their efforts and for this they were very grateful.

Donations of money, food,toys and items for shops were terrific and the Society thanks all the subscribers.

The occasion began with Mass concelebrated by Fr. Phil Gaffney PP St. Mary's parish Drogheda and Fr. Noel Weir Mornington.

During his homily Fr. Phil praised the work of the Society and said that the many acts of charity and kindness carried out by members was true Christianity in action. He reminded all present of the early Church where members gathered to read the Scriptures, share communion and then go out to help those in their community who were in need.

The event, attended by Deputy Mayor Pio Smith, also included a meal and music.
Drogheda YouthBank wants to help you to raise awareness of mental and physical health.

The youth-led organisation provide grants for young people and community groups to run projects related to the theme of Mental and Physical Health.

'We decided to work with this theme due to our concerns regarding the high rate of mental illnesses and an increase in obesity in the country. So if you have an idea for a project, just fill out our application form and get it back to us by the closing date,' a spokesperson stated.

There are set guidelines that must be met in order for a project to be eligible for the grant. The guidelines will be attached to the application form which is available online at https://goo.gl/forms/ijqsgWIOs856LZhJ2. You can also email them at droghedayouthbank16@gmail.com or drop into the Boomerang Youth Centre & Cafe to pick up an application form.

Drogheda YouthBank has been established by Foroige and is running from Boomerang Youth Centre & Cafe, with the support of the Irish Youth Foundation and State Street Bank.

The closing date for the application form is midnight on the 28th February 2017. For more information you can contact Allen at allen.odonoghue@foroige.ie.

'For our YouthBank team, the organisation is not just about giving out grants, it is a personal development Programme, which will build our self-esteem and confidence and provide us with an opportunity to learn new skills in leadership, team-work, decision-making, communication and lots more. It is an island-wide initiative involving over 25 grant-making committees run by young people,' the spokesperson added.
Equal rights campaigner Brendan Fay has been selected as the 2017 Drogheda Grand Marshall for the annual St Patrick's Day parade.

Honoured recently by President Michael D Higgins, Brendan has expressed his delight at the honour and will miss the famed celebration in New York to march in his home town.

'He said he would be proud to accept the honour,' Isabel San Roma from the organising committee stated.

'Brendan has been a great voice for equal rights for all and we hope he'll really enjoy the day,' she stated.

He has been a member of the Irish gay rights group, the Lavender & Green Alliance, for many years and campaigned in New York to have the group included in the 'Big Apple' march. They marched for the first time last year.

Brendan Fay, a filmmaker, was a recipient of the 2016 Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish aboard, presented by President Higgins, at Aras an Uachtarain before Christmas.

The award recognised "sustained and distinguished service to Ireland and Irish communities abroad."

His family lives in the Drogheda area, while his mother was from Annagassan and his father from the Chord Road.

Brendan remarked at the awards ; 'I'm humbled to receive this award as a gay man and to return home to a transformed Ireland. '
A mother-of-two smashed the glass partition in the public office of Drogheda Garda Station with her fists because she wanted to be re-arrested, a court has heard.

Kathleen Stokes Mongan (34) was arrested on New Year's Eve outside the D Hotel as she was wrestling with door staff and was extremely aggressive and drunk. She was visiting family in Termonfeckin at the time, Drogheda District Court heard.

When she was released from custody at 4.40am, she used her fists to smash the glass partition and according to her solicitor Eleanor Kelly she did so 'out of fear.'

'She is from Belfast and had no idea where she was going upon release from custody as it was early in the morning so she broke the partition so she would be re-arrested,' explained Ms Kelly.

Stokes-Mongan, who has no previous convictions and with an address in Belfast, pleaded guilty to being intoxicated and using threatening and abusive behaviour at South Quay in Drogheda on 31st December 2016. She further pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage at Drogheda Garda Station on January 1st, 2017.

Ms Kelly said the defendant has an emotionally unstable personality disorder and has Tourette Syndrome.

She also said she has money to pay for the damage she caused.

Judge Flann Brennan said he would give the defendant 'one chance.'

'Don't ever do this again as I won't deal with you as leniently. I'll give you one chance,' said Judge Brennan and applied the Probation Act.
A Drogheda company has pleaded guilty in a health and safety prosecution after the death of an employee three years ago.

The prosecution against Premier Periclase on the Boyne Road, arose from a Health and Safety Authority investigation which was launched following the death of Patrick Lambe of Dawsons Demesne, Ardee and formerly of Killineer Cottages, on October 30th 2014.

The case was heard at Dundalk Circuit Court on Friday.

Managing Director Gerard Teeling as representative of Premier Periclase, pleaded guilty to one count of failing as an employer to ensure the safety, health and welfare at work of an employee, at or near Boyne Road, Drogheda by failing to provide systems of work in relation to the cleaning of limestone blockages in a pre-heater at the plant, in which cleaning was conducted, at a height and from a ladder, inside the pre-heater, where there was an on-going risk of being hit or struck by fallen material, as a consequence of which, Patrick Lambe suffered personal injury and died.

Judge Terry OSullivan adjourned sentencing to the next sitting of the court on the 25th April.
Frank Godfrey's group is calling for the derelict St. Jonh's Home at St. Peter's Square to be put to good use

Amazing how one story can lead to another.

Last week, local councillor Frank Godfrey staged a protest at St John's Home at the top of Peter Street, basically stating that it should not be lying idle at a time when the area is crying out for housing.

'Defenders of Drogheda's Heritage group' and Cllr Godfrey say that the home has been left in a 'shameful' state over the past decade. 'It is overgrown with weeds and trees, especially in the courtyard. It is sad to see this fine red-brick structure in the heart of Drogheda run down and lying idle when there are so many on the housing list who would really appreciate a town centre dwelling.'

The alcove of houses were built in 1816 and was once home to war widows.

While chatting to Frank I came across Paul O'Sullivan with a 'real life' story. Five of his children are on the housing list in town, one for six years and remarks that it is tough for people today who are trying to get a settled lifestyle.

And while the group protested, I then met a worker from the nearby Malta Services on Fair Street and she proposed something that should also be considered.

They cater for 100 adults at the centre, many of whom live with elderly parents. When they are no longer around, their children face a very uncertain future.

Her idea is that St John's Home should be turned into an accommodation centre for people with intellectual disabilities.

They could live there and walk across to their Fair Street base each day, a case of independent living in a central location.

So I wonder would the trustees of the home sign it over to the service to allow such a wonderful development to happen?

The location must be used in some way before it falls down and becomes a terrible eyesore.
We have seen many a political scandal in Ireland but few match the current cataclysm that has engulfed the Government.

It will be months, or possibly years, before we get some semblance of truth about what happened and who was involved in the grotesque series of events surrounding the smearing of Maurice McCabe.

The controversy enveloping the Gardai, Tusla, the HSE and the Government has frequently been compared to the GUBU saga in the 1980s.

In reality it is far more serious involving, as it does, allegations that agents of three powerful State bodies may have been involved in a deliberate attempt to destroy the reputation of a citizen.

As such it has the potential to put the MacArthur case in the shade and paint Haughey's notorious 'GUBU' administration as models of efficient government by comparison with Mr Kenny's current cabinet.

Given all that, it is entirely understandable that the McCabe scandal is at the forefront of people's minds - politicians and the press - in Leinster House this week.

However, amid all the justified outrage we have to remember that there is much more going on in Ireland right now than just the Garda/Tusla scandal.

Within weeks some 30,000 nurses and possibly 10,000 of their support staff are likely to go on strike, launching a work to rule that will add enormous pressure to an already overwhelmed health service.

In addition, it remains a distinct possibility that teachers in the ASTI will return to the picket line, potentially forcing thousands of schools to shut their doors for a second time in 12 months.

Further to this there is the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis; the looming Brexit talks; political uncertainty in Northern Ireland; the decimation of rural societies and the surge in serious crime in our cities.

With most senior politicians focussed on the fallout from the McCabe smear campaign - and the potential for a snap election - how much attention is being paid to these critical issues?

As well as reassuring the people that the gardai, the HSE and Tusla can be trusted, the government needs to let people know that there is a steady hand at the tiller in these deeply uncertain times.

The people need and deserve answers about the Garda scandal and Maurice McCabe and his family - who have endured a decade long nightmare - deserve justice.

At the same time, the people of Ireland also need and deserve to know that they have a fully functioning Government, something that has seemed lacking in recent days.

The McCabe scandal has rocked public confidence in the State and its agencies to the core. Confidence has to be restored and it has to be restored quickly.

A motion of no confidence in a government is one thing. A public with no confidence in their country is quite another.
A second concert at Malahide Castle this summer has been confirmed with Canadian band, Arcade Fire lined up to play the venue on Wednesday, June 14.

Last month, the Fingal Independent exclusively revealed that the Canadian rockers were in negotiations to headline a second date at the venue after British band, The 1975 were confirmed as the headliners for a June 17 concert at the castle.

On Monday, MCD made the news official and tickets for Arcade Fire will be go on sale from the usual outlets from Friday, February 17 at 9am, priced at 69.50 including booking fee.

Particularly delighted by the news is the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Darragh Butler (FF) who is a long-time fan of the Canadian outfit and now welcoming them to Fingal will be one of his final duties before he hands over the chain of office to his successor, this summer.

Cllr Butler said: 'I am delighted to have this confirmed. Arcade Fire are one of my favourite bands and one of the best live bands you will ever get to see.

'I'm really looking forward to this show and their new album and I'm delighted to have them come to our neighbourhood.'

A spokesman for Fingal County Council added: 'The return of concerts to Malahide is a positive development and another sign that the economy is picking up as the demand for outdoor concerts of this type has returned.

'Previous concerts in Malahide were very well run and the promoters will be working with all stakeholders over the coming months to ensure that all necessary plans are in place to ensure this summer's events are just as successful and there is minimum disruption to local residents.'

Rumours still abound of a third gig at the venue this summer, with local band, Kodaline in the frame to headline that date but as yet, there is no confirmation from the promoters.
Residents of the Burrow in Portrane feel that their homes could be washed away given the extend of coastal erosion in the area

Residents of the Burrow feel 'anxiety, anger and frustration' as they watch more and more of their community being washed into the sea a week after another dramatic erosion event on the Portrane coast.

Frank Mulville has lived in the area for 30 years but in recent years has seen the erosion at the Burrow accelerate with several dramatic event, the latest of which happened last week, bringing his own property ten metres closer to the high water mark overnight.

Frank told the Fingal Independent: 'We moved down here 30 years ago and at that stage, our front gate was 100 metres from the high water mark. Two weeks ago that distance was 60 metres but after the event last week, it was 50 metres.'

Last Thursday, the growing crisis at the Burrow was raised in the Dail by Deputy Brendan Ryan TD who challenged the Minister for State with responsibility for the OPW and flooding, to visit the area and was 'dumbfounded' by the Minister's assertion that the Burrow was a 'low risk' area for erosion and that 'no house was at risk' from the sea.

The Burrow residents believe otherwise, and Frank Mulville says the nearest house to the edge of destruction is now just 15 feet from the edge. He said it was 'very difficult to see the Minister's point of view'.

The local resident said there was 'anxiety, anger and frustration' among the residents over the failure to protect their coastline against the ravages of the sea and he said the latest erosion event was 'frightening'.

'I think there's a sense here of wondering what the council and the Government and the various agencies thing about the people living here - there is anxiety here, there is anger, frustration and primarily there is concern. There are people who have lived here for generations and they don't want to lose their community.'

Frank welcomed the establishment of a liaison group in the community, made up of council officials, local councillors and community representatives to bring a short-term, medium-term and long-term approach to the problem but he said action was now required and not just the further study, promised by the council.

Frank's son, Cllr Paul Mulville (NP) is part of that liaison group and a long-time campaigner for action at the council. He said he takes issue with the cost-benefit analysis that got in the way of the local authority taking physical measures to stem the tide at Portrane and said that the Minister for State's attitude to the problem was 'shocking'.

Deputy Brendan Ryan said he was left 'dumbfounded' in a Dail debate on Coastal erosion as the Minister of State Sean Canney stated that the Burrow in Portrane was considered area of 'low risk" and that 'no home is at risk'. Deputy Ryan invited Minister Canney out to Portrane to have a look at the crisis himself.

The Labour TD said: 'Are we going to wait until we are dealing with home's disappearing into the sea before we address this issue? Are we going to allow this situation to develop to a point of a catastrophic emergency?'

Deputy Ryan said he will be meeting the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council in the coming days to discuss this crisis further.
The self-employed will be entitled to claim Invalidity Pension and other new benefits by the end of this year, according to a Fingal senator.

Senator James Reilly (FG) has welcomed confirmation from his Government colleagues that the self-employed will now be entitled to claim Invalidity Pension as well as a number of other new benefits, previously denied to this sector of the working population.

Senator Reilly explained: 'I am delighted Minister Varadkar has confirmed to me that there will be major improvements in the services available to the self employed paying class S PRSI.'

The Fingal senator and former Minister for Health said: 'For the first time Self-employed contributors will be eligible for the Invalidity Pension from December 2017.'

He explained: ' This will give the self-employed access to the safety-net of State income supports if they become permanently incapable of work as a result of an illness or disability without having to go through a means test.

'This is a real advance in the level of cover available to the self-employed.'

Senator Reilly said a number of other benefits will also be opened up to the self-employed sector, this year.

He explained: 'Also from next month the self-employed will have access to the treatment benefit scheme which includes free eye and dental examinations, and contributions towards the cost of hearings aids.' He said further benefits will come on stream in October.
Over 200 artworks by 82 artists provide a feast for the eyes at an open submission exhibition in Greenacres Gallery in Selskar, Wexford.

Given that there is no selection or vetting process for the annual event and all entries received are displayed in the gallery, the standard is impressively high throughout.

'We invite each artist to submit four pieces of work and everything that we get we put up on the walls', said the gallery's art administrator Julie Barlow.

'It's open to everyone from artists starting out and working part-time to established artists.The standard is very good this year. There is great quality and some really nice pieces.'

Artists from the four corners of Ireland including several from County Wexford are represented in the exhibition which includes paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures. It will continue until March 25.

For some people it's their first time exhibiting in a gallery and it's a proud occasion for them, according to Julie who said the official opening by gallery proprietor James O'Connor was attended by a huge number of people including families and friends of the exhibitors.

Prices range from 120 for a pencil drawing to 4.900 for a mixed media sculpture of three dancers entitled 'Daisy Chains' in 23 carat gold leaf oils and granite by the artist Helen Merrigan Colfer of Wexford.

The work of the well-known Dublin-based sculptor Fiona Smith is also featured along with the Irish-based Russian artist Diana Pivovorava whose work sells well in Greenacres and the Cork-based artist Ann Brown who is originally from Wexford and has submitted large-scale portraits of famous musicians. Other Wexford artists include Marian Campbell, Deborah Stedman and Aileen Roice Murphy.
Several students from Gorey Community School are taking part in the Young Social Innovators competition.

One such group is entering under the moniker Pimp My Pavement and they have chosen to deal with the topic of homelessness because they believe it is a huge issue in Ireland.

When they set up their project at the end of October 2016, they started up a campaign called 'Knit a square to show you care. This campaign was a huge success with hundreds of people donating knitted squares which are being made into scarves and blankets for the homeless by the group.

Last Friday they held a bake sale in Gorey Community School to raise funds to make survival kits for the homeless. These kits will include food, water, a torch, clothes and toiletries.

The buns and cakes for the sale were sponsored by Stafford's Bakery and they also extended special thanks to Kia Ora Farm for adding an extra prize in the raffle which went down a treat.

On March 8 the 14 students will travel to Kildare to take part in the YSI Speak Out where they will be rocking t-shirts kindly made by Sprint Design, with their motto - Hope For The Homeless - on the back. You can like the group on Facebook: Pimp My Pavement, and follow them on Instagram @PimpMyPavement.

Two other groups from TY are also entering projects for YSI. The topics for their chosen projects are Consent and Human Trafficking. The three teams will participate at the Speak Out Event in Dublin in March. This event will celebrate the work of young social innovators teams from TY groups around Ireland.

GCS students will have a great opportunity to advocate and speak out about the issues related to their chosen topics.
All roads lead to Inch this weekend as Coolgreany Drama Society take to the stage with 'The Loves of Cass McGuire'.

The popular Brian Friel play will be performed in Inch Hall on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night at 8pm and is sure to be a winner.

In a strange twist of fate the group had intended on performing Love Letters again and taking this on tour on the competitive circuit. However with Hollywood royalty Ali McGraw and Ryan O Neal deciding to perform Love Letters as a professional production in the UK and in Dublin, all amateur rights were withdrawn.

Coolgreany Drama Society were forced to go back to the drawing board and having already agreed to compete in five drama festivals around the country they decided to revive The Loves of Cass McGuire.

However this decision is not without its headaches as the group will now have to travel with a cast of ten compared to the small cast of two in Love Letters. In addition they will also have a much more complicated and cumbersome set in tow.

The play centres on Cass Maguire who for more than 50 years has worked a block from Skid Row, among deadbeats and washouts - people who live in the past. This play deals with her return to Ireland and her genteel family's rejection of her. It follows her lonely struggle to re-discover the home she's dreamt of all her life and her eventual surrender to the makebelieve of Eden House.

Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 0894283762 or on the door.
Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae has hit back at comedian Oliver Callan over an article the comic penned for the Irish Times comparing the deputy and his family to the Trumps.

Last Friday The Irish Times carried an opinion piece by Oliver Callan headlined "Could Trumpism take off here? Yes, it already has." in which Callan drew direct parallels between the Healy-Raes and their supporters and Donald Trump and his backers in the US.

While many comments in the article angered Deputy Healy Rae it was statements about his late father that drew his strongest condemnation.

"Leaving aside for a moment his comments about myself and my brother Danny, I take grave exception to his comments about our late father and his funeral to which thousands of people turned up to pay their last respects," he said.

"Unfortunately my father is no longer around to stand up for his good record as a public representative for over 40 years. He proceeds to liken our reverence for our late father to Donald Trump's 'obsessive view' of his late father Fred. Well if holding your father in high regard is a crime, sure go ahead and shoot me now Mr. Callan," said Deputy Healy Rae.

"Mr Callan states that 'you cannot condemn those who elect the Healy-Raes'. Well I am sure that the 30,369 people in Kerry who gave us their first preference votes in Election 2016 will breathe a sigh of relief and will be delighted to hear that they are not going to be 'condemned' for exercising their democratic vote," said Deputy Healy Rae.
Moya Sheehan getting the word out about the Lego fundraiser for the Jack and Jill Foundation. Photo by John Reidy

St Joseph's Presentation Secondary School student, Moya Sheehan outlines here the reasons behind why she and her Transition Year peers are embarking on a 'Lego Appeal' in aid of children's charity The Jack and Jill Foundation.

"As part of St. Joseph's Presentation and St. Patrick Secondary School's Transition Year programme 2016-2017, our class has decided to run a fundraiser in aid of the Jack and Jill Foundation.

Earlier in the year the CEO, Jonathan Irwin, came to talk to us. He told us his story about how his child, Jack, was born perfectly healthy, but two days after he was born it was believed that he died and when he was resuscitated; his brain had been deprived of oxygen for too long.

His story shocked us all and made us realise that life can change in the blink of an eye and we decided that we needed to do something to help!

To support the Jack and Jill Foundation we are asking people to bring their unwanted Lego to either Presentation Secondary School or St. Patrick's Secondary School, so we can donate it all to the foundation.

Every 16 raised through this Lego appeal will provide one hour of home nursing care for a sick child. The collection will be taking place from February 15th to 17th in both schools.

We are asking you to please donate any Lego pieces you have to support this worthy cause.
SIPTU will ballot the psychiatric nurses it represents in Kerry for industrial action if the HSE fails to redeploy its members back into the county's mental health services, the union has warned.

It's a warning that comes amid protracted negotiations between the HSE, SIPTU and the Psychiatric Nurses' Association over the opening of the 40-bed Deer Lodge centre in Killarney - a facility built to the highest of standards in mental health care that has been lying idle for the past two years.

Also lying idle for two years is a four-bed 'intensive care unit' for mental health patients at University Hospital Kerry (UHK).

Both facilities could finally be opened at a stroke if the HSE would redeploy mental health nurses, SIPTU claims.

But if the health service fails to redeploy members who are currently working with patients with intellectual disabilities in the Cluain Fhionnain facility in Ballydribeen, Killarney, by May 31, the union says it will be left with no choice but to ballot members for industrial action.

Cluain Fhionnain is currently staffed by mental health nurses who should be redeployed back into the mental health service in the county, SIPTU argues.

Meanwhile, its members are also still working with the 30 plus residents of the O'Connor Unit at the rear of St Finan's Hospital - a unit deemed to no longer be fit for purpose.

"SIPTU has issued a deadline of May 31 by which time we want our members re-deployed. The HSE has already been afforded ample opportunity to complete this process," branch organiser Donie Doody said.

"It is our plan that the re-deployed nurses be used to staff the two new buildings currently lying idle.

"In the long-term this will save the HSE thousands of euros, provide an enhanced service to the people of Kerry and better facilities to service users accommodated in the new buildings.

"In the event our deadline is not honoured by the HSE, SIPTU has no option but to ballot its members for industrial action," Mr Doody said.

He added: 'It is appalling that the facilities we have waited so long for, now built, lie idle and still outside the grasp of those who need them most.'
Tesco staff on the picket line at Manor Shopping Centre in Tralee. Some of the staff have been working for Tesco for over 20 years. They replicated the scene at eight Tesco stores nationwide as members of the Mandate trade union commenced an indefinite strike in a dispute over contracts. Mandate says eight more stores will commence industrial action on Friday, with a further 22 stores to be balloted from Monday. Photo By Domnick Walsh

A number of Tesco employees formed a picket in front of the retail giant's Manor West store in Tralee on Tuesday as part of an official strike over contract issues staged in a number of branches nationwide.

On a morning that should have been about work as usual, strikers marched slowly past the store, occasionally chatting to customers they would normally be speaking to over the cash registers.

"We would appreciate if you would support the picket," strikers said as customers approached. Some shoppers stopped to chat and sign a petition in support before moving on. Others passed the picket without as much as glance in the workers' direction.

"It's frustrating that some people would pass a picket of industrial action but I suppose there's also many that haven't. It's not a place we want to be, but we feel we have no choice," said one worker.

The store was noticeably quieter and non-striking staff inside were busy stacking shelves as normal. But there was an awkwardness and little eye contact was made between those on the picket and the workers inside.

Staff are picketing because of Tesco Ireland's decision in 2016 to change the contracts of approximately 1,000 staff members nationwide who were recruited prior to 1996. The workers say Tesco are trying to change contracts without their consent.

Speaking on the picket line on Tuesday morning, Tesco employee Yvonne Donnelly claimed there was no negotiation regarding changes to contracts. "Workers were just told their contracts would be changed. People have built their lives and family routines around these contracts. What's a contract if they're going to change the terms," she said.

Matthew Healy, who has worked with Tesco for over two decades, said "they were changing our contracts, whether we liked it or not".

He felt that "loyalty was suddenly no good to the company after being here 28 years".

Willie O'Gorman, who started with Tesco in 2005 said the atmosphere had been uncomfortable following their union's notification of industrial action.

"The atmosphere wasn't great after the announcement," Willie said.

He added that there was also considerable concern among staff about the potential impact of the strike on social welfare entitlements.

In response to this claim, a spokesperson from Tesco's headquarters said a number of colleagues had asked the store manager what the impact of industrial action would be and the manager had directed them to the Department of Social Protection website for information.

Tesco also say a number of workers are worried about the action Mandate is taking.

Tesco workers rejected recommendations proposed by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and Labour Court, proposals, which were accepted by Tesco.

Mandate's Divisional Organiser for the Mid-West, Karen Wall, said the recommendations were rejected on the basis that changes to contracts should not be "imposed" on workers.

"It's absolutely disgraceful that they could put pressure on long-serving workers who are the face of Tesco Ireland. We want Tesco Ireland to stop and give a guarantee they will not push the changes ahead without the consent of the workers. There's absolutely no justification for it," said Ms Wall.

The Mandate official also claims a 2015 pay increase awarded by the Labour Court was withheld from pre-1996 workers for not signing up to the new contracts. However, Tesco refutes this assertion, stating that a proposed increase of 1.5 per cent wasn't applicable to those on pre-1996 terms and conditions as they already receive a five per cent bonus.
Rose of Tralee 2016 Maggie McEldowney and Kerry Rose Danielle O'Sullivan are among the 20-strong group of volunteers from the Festival shortly jetting off to Belarus to undertake vital work with Adi Roche's Chernobyl Children International.

The Rose party is travelling to a remote part of the country that was affected by the fallout from the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 to help care for over 170 children who are residents of the Vesnova Children's Mental Asylum.

Maggie, Danielle and their fellow Roses will be part of a group that includes nurses, care workers and teachers all travelling out to work with children ranging in age from 4 to 18 years. Most of the residents have lost their parents, with others abandoned by families no longer able or willing to care for their challenging needs. All suffer from severe illnesses and disabilities and require a high level of medical and nursing care.

One of the few consolations in their lives is the fact they reside in a facility supported by the charity since an Irish aid convoy discovered it while taking aid to victims of the disaster in the 1990s.

"We will never cease to be inspired by the generosity and kindness of 'Rose Ambassadors' who reach out and touch the hearts of the forgotten children in the Chernobyl regions," Adi Roche said this week, adding:

"These Roses and Escorts are such a highly skilled group, and we are very lucky to have them visit the children to help them grow and develop in an as safe and healthy environment as possible."

The trip marks the sixth year of a partnership between the Chernobyl Children International charity and the Festival of Kerry.
Minister for Defence Paul Kehoe has said the Defence Forces will be drafted in to track down, and kill if necessary, a large wild dog which has killed more than 50 sheep over recent weeks if an application is made to the Department of Agriculture.

The large hunting hound - believed to be a Belgian Shepherd - is being blamed for savaging more than 50 sheep in weekly attacks, despite being wounded by farmers attempting to defend their flocks. 'We went out with the gun after the first attack and got a shot at him,' said Patrick Lacey from Stokestown, New Ross, whose flock has been attacked several times by the vicious hound. 'He went down in a field of fodder-beet but by the time we'd made it over to finish him off he was gone,' said Mr Lacey, who runs a sheep, beef and tillage operation in partnership with his brothers Lorcan and Kieran and father Laurance just outside New Ross.

The first attack happened in the second week of January when 12 of Lacey's 350 store hoggets were killed, with 15 more killed during another attack a week later. The latest attack happened at the weekend before last with another 20 sheep found dead. Sheep were also killed on a nearby farm.

The brothers estimate that they have lost at least 40 sheep so far, worth 4,000, but with many more 'half-dead' from the terror of the episode. Local horse-breeders are equally worried that their valuable stock might be next to be attacked.

A party of up to eight locals armed with shotguns have failed to catch the dog during weekly searches of the locality. 'He's a very elusive and clever animal. Any sound at all and he's gone. He evaded the hunting crew by circling about two to three miles back behind them,' said local farmer Billy Moroney.

'He's also figured out how to navigate his way into fields with four strands of electric wire.'

A specialist hunter has even been hired to kill the dog. It is believed that the dog was lost by 'lampers' out hunting wildlife at night using headlights to startle animals. Mr Moroney has called for a ban on lamping to prevent this and related problems. 'My cattle are terrified into running through fences because of lampers. It has to stop,' he said.

The IFA has said a farmer is within his rights to shoot any dog worrying sheep on their land, but that it's not a policy they promote.

Wexford Irish Farmers Association chairman James Kehoe said he has contacted Deputy Kehoe due to the urgency of the situation.

Mr Kehoe has warned residents living in the Stokestown area near Dunganstown not to approach the animal.

The grey, lurcher German Shepherd cross dog has killed many, while several lambs are missing.

Mr Kehoe said: 'I have contacted Paul Kehoe about getting the Defence Forces down to do a sweep of the area. This dog has tasted blood and he has gone wild. Plenty of farmers have tried to capture the dog to no avail. I would urge the public to be very careful. We don't want anyone to be harmed or injured by him. He moves very quickly through an area. He is almost like a horse.'

He said the dog has been spotted in a backyard of a house.

'It can be friendly in some ways but when you see it he flees. It has escalated to a point where farmers are at the end of their tether and we need to get this resolved quickly. Whatever is necessary we will do to ensure farmer's flocks are kept safe.'

Mr Kehoe urged dog owners to ensure their dogs are not allowed to roam free during lambing season.

'Dog attacks can have a serious impact on the welfare of other sheep, some of whom may have to be put down following an attack.'

County Wexford dog warden Johnny Colfer said there have been numerous sheep kills in the Fethard-on-Sea, Ramsgrange and Taghmon areas over recent weeks. He said this grey dog is on a killing spree in Stokestown and cannot be found.

'There are 1,000 acres of land which includes forest where he could be. That's a lot of hiding space for a dog.'

16,000 dogs were processed by the dog warden in 2016 and Mr Colfer said if they weren't picked up, there would be no sheep left in the county. He said the danger is that this dog will be joined by another dog and a killer pack will form.
The first meeting of its kind between the district chairs of County Kilkenny's Pilltown, County Wexford's New Ross and Waterford's Tramore - City West electoral areas took place at City Hall in Waterford recently to discuss furthering the cause of achieving 24/7 cardiac care for the south east, based at University Hospital Waterford.

Cathaoirleach of New Ross Municipal District Michael Whelan attended the meeting representing Wexford councillors.

The meeting was held following a commitment made by councillors to the South East Patient Advocacy Group (SEPAG) to mount a cross party campaign to bring sufficient pressure to try and achieve the long sought 24/7 cardiac care in University Hospital Waterford.

Cllr Whelan said: 'This is an extremely positive move. It is the beginning of a truly cross county response to one of our region's most pressing needs. For many year's we have witnessed other regions around the country come together to drive home things that are in their communal interest and avoid breaking down on a parochial level. In my opinion there has long been a trend to divide and conquer people in the south east, most recently on 24/7 cardiac care by using services in Cork and Dublin to tempt the region's periphery leaving its core lagging behind on not only health services, but also economic development and jobs.'

For the last two years, quarterly workshops have been held with councillors and the executives of each of the 'border' areas throughout the south east. 'These revolve around Kilkenny working with Waterford on Ferrybank, Kilkenny working with Wexford on the New Ross area and Tipperary and Kilkenny on items of overlap.

'It is time to expand these to allow representatives from across the south east to meet for formal meetings to attempt to bring solutions through cooperation to many issues that can only be tackled by a coordinated response from all counties.

'Following the tri-county meeting it was resolved at the following district workshop to go ahead with plans and invite representatives of Waterford, Kilkenny, Wexford, Tipperary, along with members of the HSE and SEPAG to the next meeting. It is hoped that once invited, all will be in a position to attend.'
Residents of a housing estate located beside the new primary schools in New Ross have been feeling the strain of all the new traffic on their road, according to Cllr Michael Sheehan.

The Caislean Maol residents and school-run parents 'almost had a confrontation' outside the school, Cllr Sheehan said, having previously praised Executive Engineer Abraham Dunne for the works carried out by the council on the approach roads leading to the schools.

He said: 'I met a delegation from Caislean Maol because with the new school people are parking in their estate.'

Mr Dunne said the road at Caislean Maol is a public road. 'We will do an assessment to see what the situation is to see if the volume of cars going in is excessive but technically we can't stop someone going on it as it's a public road.'

He said the efficiency of the Irishtown traffic lights is being improved, adding that since the schools opened the delays haven't been as bad as expected and have only increased by a couple of minutes.
Back: Dr Ian Bond, executive director, International Center, TCSG; head of North American development at WIT Walter O'Leary, WIT head of international relations Sinead Day; and Consul General of Ireland Shane Stephens. Front: Gretchen Corbin, commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia and WIT president Prof Willie Donnelly

New Ross is at the centre of a new Savannah Axis Research Project which is being developed by Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT).

The project is a joint undertaking between Savannah's Historical Society, Georgia Southern University, the JFK Trust and WIT. The project has been instrumental in opening up a whole new area of research in relation to migration and economic activity between the south east and the port of Savannah. Currently WIT is in possession of almost 4,000 historical documents ranging from the 1820s to the 1920s, belonging to the Graves Shipping Company of New Ross which traded with Savannah during this period of time which lies at the heart of the initiative.

WIT recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the entire Technological College System of Georgia which represents 22 higher education institutions.

Representatives from WIT, accompanied by New Ross man Walter O'Leary, met with Technical Colleges System of Georgia in America recently to sign the Memorandum of Understanding.

Among the benefits flowing from the relationship built up between the two organisations, the south east region will continue to see a flow of US students who travel to WIT to study, engage in research, in addition to engaging in a range of cultural activities.

The signing of the memorandum of understanding is the culmination of a long process, involving detailed discussions, many meetings and visits by delegations of senior staff from both sides. WIT was represented by its president Prof Willie Donnelly who spoke of the benefits of the project; Head of International Relations, Sinead Day; and Head of North American Development, Walter O'Leary.
Concern has been expressed after a national report highlighted how New Ross has among the highest vacancy rates for commercial premises in the country.

Cllr Michael Whelan, Cathaoirleach of New Ross Municipal District, said action is needed in New Ross following the publication of the annual review of vacant commercial premises in 101 locations throughout Ireland.

New Ross ranks as the fourth highest rate of vacancy in the entire province of Leinster and the 14th highest in Ireland. 'Everyone is aware that New Ross has suffered from a high level of vacant commercial premises for years but the publication of this reports really brings home to us just how far behind other towns New Ross was,' Cllr Whelan said.

He said the municipal council has established a great working relationship with New Ross Chamber Of Commerce and are working hard to reverse this trend. 'The council have introduced the Vacant Premises Scheme and provide ample parking and other services in the town and the Chamber have offered great assistance to new business in the town with training and the Rising Tide business centre. The publication of this report must bring home the challenge to everyone with an interest in the future development of New Ross to work together to keep improving the town's development.'

Cllr Whelan said he will continue the process of revitalising New Ross town centre during his tenure as cathaoirleach and devote himself to turning many of these vacant premises into assets for New Ross. 'With the relief road on the way we need to stay focused on the positives in the town of New Ross. With recent investment announcements, new businesses coming to town, and winning national amenity awards, I believe with everyone pulling together New Ross can be a business friendly, people friendly, welcoming town.'
Close to one million euro was the cost of local democracy in County Wexford in 2016 to meet the cost of councillors' payments, expenses, committee allowances, phone, travel and conference fees.

In total 937,062 was spent for our elected councillors and former councillors James Browne, who gave up his seat when elected to the Dail, and the late Fergie Kehoe.

Each serving councillor gets a basic representational payment of 16,565.12 per year which relates to their gross annual pay. These payments are subject to PAYE, PRSI and other statutory deductions.

Conference and training fees are paid directly to conference and training organisers.

Conferences abroad fees include events held in Northern Ireland and outside the country.

The highest earning councillor last year was Fianna Fail Tony Dempsey from Barntown.

Cllr Dempsey received 44,925.26 including 16,565.12, along with a Wexford County Council chairman's allowance of 15,670, 253.53 for his phone allowance, 5,265.64 in expenses, while 7,752.50 was spent for Cllr Dempsey's conferences abroad (which includes Northern Ireland), 85.36 for his training, 207.73 for his confernces in the Republic of Ireland and 125 for his conferences and training fees.

The next biggest spender was current chairman, Fine Gael's Paddy Kavanagh, who was funded to the tune of 44,034.

The councillors who claimed the most expenses all hailed from North Wexford, meaning they travel the furthest distances to County Hall in Wexford.

Sinn Fein's Fionntan O Suilleabhain from North Wexford, had a bill of a whopping 8,490.87, followed by Gorey district Fine Gael Cllr Anthony Donohoe who spent 8,041.32.

Fianna Fail Cllr Joe Sullivan was next on the expenses list with a refund of 8,025.96, followed by Fianna Fail Cllr Barbara Anne Murphy from Bunclody who spent 7,100.28.

The total expenses bill incurred by Wexford County Council in 2016 was 210,936.22, up around 300 on the 2015 figure.

The highest earning New Ross councillor was Fianna Fail Cllr Michael Sheehan who received 37,682.45 minus taxes, which includes income from his role as a vice chairperson and chairman of a special policy committee group.

The highest earning Enniscorthy councillor was Cllr Paddy Kavanagh, who was paid 44,034 last year including 18,346.12 for being chairman of Wexford County Council.

The highest earning Wexford district councillor was Cllr Dempsey, who received 44,925.26 including 14,670.38 for his role as chairman of Wexford County Council for part of 2016, and the highest earning Gorey district councillor was Fianna Fail Cllr Malcolm Byrne who received 31,377.98 minus taxes which included 2,950.56 paid to him for being vice chairperson of the body.

The lowest earner was James Browne who received 4,408 for his eight weeks as a councillor last year, followed by the late Cllr Fergie Kehoe who received 9,610 and Cllr Lisa McDonald who was coopted on to the council in his place. Cllr McDonald received 9,765 in 2016.

Councillors' representational payments amounted to 558,390.17.

Special Policy Committee chairperson allowances of 6,000 were paid to Cllr Michael Sheehan and Cllr Larry O'Brien.

5,500 was paid to Jim Moore for his chairperson duties and 3,500 was paid to John Hegarty, whle 2,000 was paid to the late Fergie Kehoe.

Chairperson allowances for county and municipal district chairpersons were paid to the following councillors:

Frank Staples (5,901.12), Ger Carthy (6,131.89), Malcolm Byrne (2,950.56), Michael Sheehan (2,983.53), Michael Whelan (3,032.98), Oliver Walsh (3,082.43), Paddy Kavanagh (18,346.21), Pip Breen (3,065.94) and Tony Dempsey (14,670.38).

Kathleen Codd Nolan received 2,934.08 in 2016 for her role as vice chairperson of Wexford County Council and Cllr Michael Whelan from Ballycullane received 3,082.43 for his role as vice chairperson of the body.

Councillors' training fees came to 19,396.97, conference and training fees came to 8,925.85.

The cost for councillors to attend conferences in Ireland ran to 12,001.65 and 30,348.28 for conferences abroad.

The phone bill for our councillors came to 7,881.67 with the award for most loquacious and proactive councillor going to Fionntain O'Suillebhain whose bill for 2014 and 2015 amounted to 652.66.
Some 84% of her company's products are exported to the UK but far from sitting back and worrying about Brexit, Bernie Butler of Good4U which employs 43, is on a positive journey.

Her business, wholly owned by the Butler family has a plant in Tyrone and its headquarters in Sligo.

On the day the Brexit vote was carried she sat down and thought out new strategies. Some 52% of the company's raw materials were also being imported from the UK.

Ms Butler said she began to source potential suppliers from outside the UK and also looked to expand its international markets. the latter being fast tracked.

And, despite Brexit, sales by the food company had risen by 28% in the UK with new markets opened up with supermarkets such as ASDA and TESCO.

MEP Mairead McGuinness said any Irish issues arising from Brexit were also European issues and every effort will be made to address those.

"We are very much into an area not seen beforeand the timeframe is short for the delivery of the divorce settlement as it were.

"Things will change and we will try to ensure that there is no sharp, severe impact on our country.

"Issues with Brexit will be resolved in a European context," she said.

Earlier, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny met with campaigners who wish to see the CF drug orkambi sanctioned on a wide scale on his arrival at The Sligo Park Hotel.

The group had held a candlelit vigil in advance of Mr Kenny's arrival in freezing temperatures for over an hour.

Amongst the group was a mother from Longford who was with her daughter, (pictured above) a CF sufferer, and who was just two weeks out of Crumlin hospital and who may need a lung transplant. She spent eight months in hospital last year, her mother told the Taoiseach.

Mr Kenny spoke of the revised offer the HSE had made to the drug company involved and hoped for a positive outcome on this during this week.

He undertook to communicate in the matter with local campaigner Aisling Golden whose sister, Grainne passed away aged 21 in February 2016 having battled CF.
If anyone was under any illusion the impact Brexit will have on Sligo and the North West then a Fine Gael meeting on the topic which was attended by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Sligo on Friday night will leave no one in doubt of the enormity of the challenge ahead.

In clear terms, the message was spelt out by a number of speakers the massive changes expected, the many tariffs that could apply to our agri food exports, the real possibility of an end to free movement of people and trade between here and Northern Ireland and how uncertainty over the next two years as exit talks get underway for the UK will mean volatility in financial markets.

And, anyone expecting assistance from the Government will be left wanting with a signal emanating from the main Government party that it's very much a go it alone approach for companies.

Change now and look for further markets outside of the UK is what needs to be done well in advance of the formal leaving by Britain from the EU.

The starting point is quite stark and the Taoiseach said it a couple of times, all economic reports to date suggest that the impact of Brexit will be most keenly felt on Ireland and Northern Ireland.

"We have a real challenge here but we feel we are up for that challenge," he told the audience of about 300.

Getting other countries in the EU to recognise Ireland's difficulty could be one of the biggest hurdles. The Taoiseach said most people wouldn't be aware of the issues facing countries such as Estonia. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia and it was likewise for them in terms of Brexit.

A major task of informing these other member countries of Ireland's concerns such as the re-introduction of border controls had to be undertaken, he said.

The tone for the night was set by Deputy Tony McLoughlin who, in his introduction, saying Brexit was one of the biggest economic challenges to ever face the country.

Mr Kenny said he didn't like the Brexit referendum result but he had to accept it. Article 50, the formal process of leaving the EU will be triggered by the UK before the end of March and then starts two years of discussions on leaving before the UK actually does. He said Ireland would compete "hard and fairly" for business contemplating leaving the UK but wish to remain in the EU. He expressed the hope these kind of discussions can be done quickly rather than having them waiting around.

The Taoiseach said there would be no return to a hard border and both governments were agreed on this. He stressed how the relationship with the UK was very good. He conceded that it was "a real challenging time up ahead." And, in a hint that the UK's talks on leaving may not be as straightforward as it might be perceived he said it may well be said to Britain that it cannot be better off by leaving than by staying in the EU. Specific plans or strategies were in short supply but Mr Kenny told the gathering after a series of audience questions: "don't become obsessed with Trump or Brexit."
The Council has strongly rejected a motion by Cllr Michael Clarke to have alcohol removed from shops and supermarkets.

Cllr Clarke had also called for training for people to safely sell alcohol and to revitalise the traditional Irish pub industry.

The Dromore West publican said it was normalising alcohol to sell it beside milk and bread.

He congratulated Gardai for opposing a recent application from 5th on Teeling to allow patrons bring their own beer on to the premises.

"I have never lost anybody through drink driving because I always left everybody home," he said.

Cllr Seamus Kilgannon said "nobody knows for certain that removing alcohol from shops and petrol stations would remove the abuse of it."

"If I go into a supermarket at 10 o'clock at night looking for a whiskey I won't be sold it. I'll be told it's after hours," he said. Cllr Keith Henry said supermarkets were "heavily policed" when selling alcohol, "unlike some other methods."

"Prohibition didn't work and this wouldn't work," he said.

Cllr Tom MacSharry said if the motion succeeded a lot of small businesses would close.

"What we need to do is look at the bigger issues and pump resources into detox units as the services involved are under funded and under staffed. That's where the battle lies," he said.

Cllr Dara Mulvey said Cllr Clarke's "heart was in the right place" but he couldn't agree with him.

Cllr Sinead Maguire said "you don't see Spanish or French students falling around drunk. It's about education."

Cllr Rosaleen O'Grady said an Alcohol Strategy Forum had been put in place: "It's all about societal change in the way we do our drinking," she added. The motion was rejected by eight votes against to two for, with seven abstentions.
A Sligo farmer has launched an online petition to save Sligo Regional Veterinary Laboratory at Dunally from potential closure by the Government.

The Dunally lab is one of six labs nationwide being reviewed by the Department of Agriculture.

One of three options includes closing Sligo, Kilkenny and Limerick labs and forcing farmers to use Athlone, Celbridge or Cork labs.

It would mean North West farmers would have to make a lengthy round-trip journey to Athlone with carcasses or post specimens of diseased animals.

The online petition was launched by Dromard farmer Trevor Boland and can be found at www.gopetition.com.

Such a proposal "goes in the opposite direction to that of the Rural Action Plan launched by the Government some weeks ago in Longford," one Department source told this newspaper.

The Sligo Vet Lab sustains 15 jobs but if they go, it would have a knock on effect on local shops, garages, schools and services locally, say campaigners. It performed over 3,000 post mortems on cattle and sheep last year and tested nearly 30,000 samples from farmers.

It also examines all aborted foetuses free of charge.

The issue was also raised at this month's County Council meeting, with Cllr Margaret Gormley tabling a motion calling on the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to retain the Dunally Vet Lab.

"If this is allowed to take place it will have devastating consequences for farmers in Sligo for generations to come," warned Cllr Gormley.

"They're proposing people transport animals to Athlone - that's not going to happen," she said.

"It appears this Government doesn't want any services left in Sligo. They took 100 jobs from Tubbercurry, Fianna Fail in 2010 closed the Agricultural Office here, leaving Sligo the only county in Connacht without any office. It's time to call a halt," she said.

She was supported by Cathaoirleach Cllr Hubert Keaney and Cllr Marie Casserly.
The Council has secured 20,000 in funding to put in traffic calming measures along the main road through Geevagh village.

Cllr Dara Mulvey was told the news after he had sought an update on behalf of Geevagh Local Area Development Committee.

Cllr Thomas Healy also said he had handed in over 500 signatures from residents in relation to speeding through the village.

The Council has secured the money from the Department of Transport. A detailed design will be prepared and the work will be carried out later this year, according to the Council.
The Hawk's Well Theatre has been successful in securing 550,000 in capital funding. The news was announced by The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, yesterday (Monday).

Marie O'Byrne, Director of the Hawk's Well responded to this news by saying: "We are absolutely over the moon to receive word of capital funding from the Department of Arts this morning. We need this investment so much at this point in the 35 year history of the theatre to make the theatre accessible for all and to give our audiences a more comfortable experience when they visit.

"The project costs anticipated come to 1.1million and so this funding makes up 50%. We will be match-funding the remainder through a mix of funding from Sligo County Council, BIDs and our own fund-raising efforts. We are really grateful for the ongoing support Sligo County Council, local councillors and businesses continue to give us. We will also be putting a development fee of 1 on tickets for shows from May onwards in order to raise the essential funds required."

The plan to renew and regenerate the theatre will ensure its future for many years to come. The proposed improvements and redevelopment at the site will transform the theatre into a stunning arts centre, providing a visitor experience that is lively, accessible, authentic and interactive. It will have the potential to transform the theatre into an artist hub in the North West and will be a major attractor of visitors to Sligo, creating a coherent experience that is innovative, authentic and transformative.

It will help to strengthen the region's strategic positioning in Irish tourism markets and will highlight the wealth of the arts and cultural activity in the county. Key elements of the project that underpin this vision are: A landmark renovation of the existing theatre's entrance and foyer space to create an accessible and inviting building for one and all; An upgrade of the auditorium to bring it in line with modern day theatre standards; Implementation of essential flood prevention measures.

The Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Councillor Hubert Keaney welcomed the news: "It will enable the Hawk's Well Board deliver on their ambitious development programme; In a wider context this investment enhances Sligo's status as the cultural hub of the north-west."

Chief Executive Ciaran Hayes said: "The investment is excellent news for people associated with theatre and the arts in Sligo. The Hawk's Well Theatre enjoys a special place in our community and I would like to commend the people who prepared the funding submission."

The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon was allocated 128,500 and the North Leitrim Glens Centre will receive 50,000. Deputy Tony McLoughlin said:"This funding is testament to the hard work of these theatres' boards and the staff who made the successful application and who run the theatres on a daily basis. Creative Ireland, the Government's ambitious new 5 year strategy, aims to place culture and creativity at the heart of every community nationwide."
"The sea belongs to everyone," say a group of sailors hoping to attract high-spending yachts into Sligo.

'Metal Mariners' told Sligo County Council that Sligo is the only county without moorings to anchor boats on the Wild Altantic Way.

The life-long sailors and boaters have started the Sligo County Moorings Project to install 20 moorings along our coast.

In a presentation to the Council, they said the moorings would attract Sea-to-Land tourists, increase pontoon revenues, increase demand for fuel, services, yacht equipment, water and food, raise Sligo's profile in Europe and engage the local community in sailing.

"Sligo Port's commercial renewal would have huge benefit for Sligo's economy," said Brian Armstrong.

They estimate it would cost almost 60,000 to set up the moorings and over 8,600 a year to run.

They're anticipating the moorings would generate at least 30,000 a year in Sligo as a result.

The Irish Marine Federation values the Irish Marine Leisure Market at 800million a year.

Cllr Rosaleen O'Grady said the time was never more opportune to apply to the Department of the Marine for funding with Minister Simon Coveney himself a life-long sailor.

"For tourism it's hugely important because of the high-spend clients you have coming in. You're pushing an open door," she said.

Cllr Sinead Maguire said she had sailed long-distance and competitively and sailing was one of the things that convinced her to move to Sligo. "In the long term it's a hugely vital piece of marine infrastructure," she said.

Cllr Marie Casserly said it was "amazing" that Sligo was the only county on the Wild Altantic Way without moorings. "The whole region would benefit. It ties in nicely with the Armada and visitors. It would add to the tourism product we have," she said.

The Metal Mariners plan to install moorings at Pollaheeny and Aughris in West Sligo. Moorings planned for Sligo include Cullenamore/Portavaud and Coney Island.

In North Sligo the moorings are planned for Browns Bay (Raghly) and Milk Harbour (Dernish Island) Inishmurray and Mullaghmore.

Sailors will be able to book and pay online.

The Council must next apply for funding for the project to Failte Ireland and the Department of the Marine.
Arklow photographer Joe Tully will unveil his latest collection of work in a new exhibition commemorating a special year in Finnish history - the 100th anniversary of the country's independence.

The exhibition will be officially opened on Thursday, February 23 at 7pm and runs at Arklow Library from Monday, February 20 to Saturday, March 11.

'Over the past 10 years I have made several trips to Finland and have become absorbed by the country and its people. Known as a land of the 'midnight sun', there is so very much more to Finland than seemingly interminable summer days and equally long winter nights. The people, known worldwide for their reticence bordering on shyness, are warm and friendly and know how to let their hair down to a standard which even the Irish find difficult to match' explains Joe.

The body of work, 40 photographs in total, will demonstrate the variety of the Finnish landscape along with scenes of an architectural interest and receives the sanction of 'Suomi 100', the Finnish centenary celebrations committee.

'Photography is a technical craft, which in some hands, becomes an art form in its own right. It is all about image making and was never meant to be an exercise in technical discussion, nor in the perfection of technique in isolation from the completed image. I therefore make no effort to describe the equipment used in the production of my images, nor to go into the fine details regarding their production. After all, who would ever ask a painter to describe the size of the brushes used or the technical qualities of his paints,' Joe says.

'My images hang on the gallery wall, for what they are in themselves. If any one of them excites within you, emotions of happiness or surprise, tranquillity or unrest, joy or sadness, then in some small measure they have reached out to your 'soul' and I shall be content with that, for, is not this the task of the artist.'
Roland Mouret is returning to London Fashion Week after a decade of showing his clothes in Paris

Designer Roland Mouret has branded celebrity fashion collections "irrelevant" and compared Kanye West and Rihanna's foray into designing to Karl Lagerfeld or Miuccia Prada attempting to forge music careers.

Mouret, who has dressed women ranging from the Duchess of Cambridge to Victoria Beckham and Melania Trump, is celebrating his 20th anniversary as a designer.

He will return to London Fashion Week on Sunday after a decade of showing his clothes in Paris.

Asked how he felt about stars such as West and Rihanna venturing into his profession without any training, the Frenchman told the Press Association: " I would like to know if Karl Lagerfeld (the head designer at Chanel, Fendi and his own fashion label) did an album what it would sound like, or if Miuccia Prada decided to go on tour and sing half naked in a gig.

"We have a talent, I won't say whether these people are talented.

"I think it's a reality of the time we are living in, in a hybrid period where everything is bankable and it's about mass production and thinking that it works.

"It works for a time, it stops after."

Chart-topper Rihanna is a creative director at sportswear brand Puma and launched her first Fenty x Puma collection last September while West unveiled his fifth Yeezy collection at New York Fashion Week on Wednesday.

Mouret, who is responsible for the famous Galaxy dress worn by stars including Beckham, Beyonce, Cameron Diaz and Dita Von Teese, added: " It's the easy way to talk about the trend.

"It's a trend, it's irrelevant, it's depending on what you want in life.

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"I think if I talk for a young designer who is 10 years younger than me, I'm sure they want to be celebrated for 20 years or 30 years and that journey is serious, that journey is complex and that journey has to be with a sense of happiness and is no more or less than the relationship with a person.

"You can be on Tinder or Grindr every night or you can decide to be with someone for 20 years and I promise being with someone for 20 years is more challenging than a different person every night because you have to reinvent every time to surprise that person."

He continued: "We are living in a world where there are a lot of people doing things.

"Of course you are gong to have a quantity that are not good enough but the ones who are good and who learn to become good are because they have got something to talk about themselves and that is why we love them."

Mouret, 55, presented his first collection during London Fashion Week in February 1998 and has marked his return to the capital by designing a special window display at The May Fair Hotel.

Entitled The Look Of Love, he said the design is a declaration of love to the city where his career began.

He said: " I'm so lucky women have supported me through the years and wear my clothes.

"I was here when London recreated itself in the '90s when nothing was here and we came out, Lee McQueen, Hussein Chalayan and me.

"We were all that gang of young people starting in the kitchen, I never forgot it and I know where I started from."
Actress Lindsay Lohan has bucked the Hollywood trend by calling on Americans to support Donald Trump.

Lohan said the nation should now get behind the President, despite his sexist comments about her in 2004 when she was a teenager.

Look, I think always in the public eye youre going to be scrutinised, and he is the President, so you have to  you have to join him. If you cant beat him, join him," she said during a Facebook live interview with The Daily Mail.

The actress, who rose to fame in films such as The Parent Trap and Mean Girls before her well-publicised problems with substance abuse, spoke of her growing interest in Islam.

She called the religion beautiful, and did not rule out converting to Islam, saying: Anythings possible.

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She said she had been studying the Koran and that she was worried about returning to the US because of the current political climate and the executive order Mr Trump signed prohibiting citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering.

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I was scared to come here with everything going on because of my personal beliefs, she said.

Ms Lohan has recently spent time visiting Syrian refugee camps in Turkey, and urged Mr Trump to offer support to displaced people, in spite of his apparent determination to re-enforce his temporarily stayed travel ban.

The activist, who recently met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, said: Turkey really is doing a lot, and that's why I want to try and get the word out to Donald Trump to bring him over there, and have him see all the positive things that they're doing and how America can help as well.

And I think it would be a positive thing for America to show their care and support, and for him to experience what its like for these people and experience how giving Turkey has been to the refugees.

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When asked who she would like to bring together to discuss the refugee crisis, she suggested some unlikely bedfellows, including her Mean Girls co-star Rachel McAdams.

Angelina Jolie  Donald TrumpPutin  the more strong figures we have (the better)," she said.

Brad Pitt maybe someone like Rachel McAdams  the more the merrier in that situation.

In January, following Mr Trumps inauguration, Lohan took the high road when she had Mr Trumps 2004 comments played back to her.

I wish him all the best," she said.

"We live in a world of societies that consistently find fault in people. I think its a really scary factor. Taking someone else down is never the answer, and I think we all know that.

Mr Trump said of the then-18-year-old Lohan in the 2004 radio interview with shock jock Howard Stern: Shes probably deeply troubled and therefore great in bed.

How come the deeply troubled women, you know, deeply, deeply troubled, they're always the best: in bed?
Stormzy is nominated for best breakthrough artist at the Brit Awards

Grime star Stormzy has said police breaking down the door to his house was like a scene from a film.

The rapper said he was woken up on Tuesday by Metropolitan Police officers kicking the front door of his west London home down shouting "police, police".

Appearing on Channel 4's Last Leg, Stormzy said: " I was just sleeping and then 'bang, bang, bang' ... you know how it goes."

He added: "I thought I woke up in a movie. Literally banging on the doors, dogs, 'police, police'."

Asked if he thought the incident was racially-motivated, Stormzy, real name Michael Omari, said: " I'm not too sure. I'm new to the area."

The Big For Your Boots rapper initially revealed the news in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

He had written: "Woke up to Feds destroying my front door coz apparently I'm a burglar who burgles his own home. @metpoliceuk need your bank details still."

The Met Police's contact centre replied to the rapper on Twitter, writing: "Hi, if you wish to make a complaint please DM us so we can take some more details. Thanks."

Stormzy also spoke about next week's Brit Awards, when he is up for best breakthrough artist.

Asked if he would mirror Adele's Grammy appearance and snap an award in half if he won, he said: " Adele can do what she likes. I'm not breaking shit, that's mine I'm taking it home."
Melania Trump, above, has had her style compared with Laura Whitmore at the EE British Academy Film Awards REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Ralph Lauren came up trumps for her inaugural appearance as First Lady last month, and it seems US President Donald Trump's wife Melania is already having an impact in the world of fashion.

Elegant, structured and mono-coloured designs have been favoured by celebrities including our own Laura Whitmore and Amanda Byram for recent events, and one man who agrees that Melania's role as First Lady is inevitably influencing fashion is Irish designer Paul Costelloe.

Expand Close U.S. First Lady Melania Trump holds a fans as she tours the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens with Akie Abe, wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in Delray Beach, Florida / Facebook

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"I think as a First Lady, Melania is probably the most glamorous since Jackie Kennedy. She will set trends as First Lady. She likes strong colours that work well," he told the Irish Independent.

So far, according to Mr Costelloe, she hasn't put a foot wrong.

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"For the inauguration, I liked the colour of the Ralph Lauren number and I thought she looked comfortable in it," he said.

Earlier this week, Melania chose an exclusive design from fashion powerhouse Karl Lagerfeld (creative director at both Chanel and Fendi) for her first White House press conference, with some commentators stateside concluding that the white cashmere pencil skirt and jacket was a nod to purity, innocence and neutrality.

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That such close attention is even being paid to "colour psychology" and Melania Trump's wardrobe indicates that, like her or loathe her, like many first ladies before her, she's emerging as something of a fashion powerhouse.

For Mr Costelloe, Melania's confidence and ability to showcase a good outfit means many eyes in the fashion world are on her.

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"I think she definitely has her own individual style," he said. "Melania isn't the slimmest person in the world, but she wears everything very well. She was a model so she has good posture. She's certainly Donald's trophy wife, and she behaves accordingly."

Numerous American designers, however, are not keen on dressing her. Tom Ford, for example, certainly didn't mince his words when tackled on the subject, stating: "I was asked to dress her quite a few years ago and I declined. She's not necessarily my image."

Expand Close U.S. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) walk to pose for a photograph before attending dinner at Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 11, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria / Facebook

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Whatsapp U.S. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) walk to pose for a photograph before attending dinner at Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 11, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

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Carolina Herrera, however, predicted attitudes towards dressing the First Lady would change, saying: "In two or three months, they'll reach out. You'll see everyone dressing Melania."

Tommy Hilfiger is also all for dressing Mrs Trump, stressing that as far as he's concerned, her clothes have little to do with politics.

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Whatsapp President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump arrive with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Air Force One at the Palm Beach International Airport as they prepare to spend part of the weekend together at Mar-a-Lago resort on February 10, 2017 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

"I think Melania is a very beautiful woman and I think any designer should be proud to dress her," he said.
Cayla dolls, which a German watchdog claims could be used by hackers to target children

Germany has banned a talking doll that can connect to the internet over fears its technology could be exploited by hackers to target children.

The German telecommunications watchdog advised parents who have already bought the popular Cayla dolls to destroy them, but stopped short of ordering them to do so.

The doll, which was released in 2014, can interact with children and answer their questions.

It connects to the internet and uses a combination of voice recognition software and Google searches to provide answers. But the watchdog has ruled that the technology used to connect to the internet is unsafe.

Cayla uses an unsecured Bluetooth device inside the doll to connect to the internet via an app on a mobile phone. The watchdog says that technology could be exploited by criminals to target children.

"Without the parents' knowledge, conversations between the child and others can be recorded and forwarded," the watchdog said.

"A company could also use the toys to target the child or parents with advertising.

"Furthermore, if the radio link is not properly secured.. the toy can be used by nearby parties to eavesdrop on conversations."

Genesis Toys, which makes the dolls, has yet to comment on the watchdog's ruling.
Families should put down their mobile phones at the dinner table and engage in conversation, Pope Francis said yesterday, warning that a lack of dialogue between people and nations can lead to "war".

"When there's no dialogue at home, when we're at the table and instead of talking everyone is on their phoneit's the start of war, because there is no dialogue," the pontiff told students at a university in Rome.

He made the remarks during a 45-minute address in which he chastised politicians for failing to listen to each other, saying a lack of dialogue could lead to the outbreak of conflict.

"In the newspapers, we see this one insulting that one, that one says this about the other one," he said. He criticised televised political debates "where even before one finishes talking, he is interrupted. Where there is no dialogue, there is violence. Wars start in your heart."

The Pope did not specify which politicians or countries he had in mind, although his remarks come amid a toxic level of debate under the presidency of Donald Trump in the US. ( Daily Telegraph London)
Major General Michael Beary, who is in charge of the UN mission in Lebanon, with his son, Cadet Howard Beary (right), of the 93rd Cadet Class, during a parade in the Curragh Camp. Photo: Gerry Mooney

Songbirds flourished in the south Lebanese village of At Tiri during the 1980s and 1990s. At Tiri provided a sanctuary for the birds, which were a popular target for young boys in that strife-riven part of the country south of the river Litani and leading to the northern Israeli border.

But in At Tiri, most of the population fled the village after it was devastated by clashes between the warring factions, many in a hurry - as the shattered remains of the local school showed with lessons still chalked on the blackboard.

And, of those that were left, none was under the age of 65. Among the few facilities, there was a weekly clinic staffed by medical personnel from the Irish battalion of peacekeepers.

Kildare man Michael Beary served in south Lebanon as a captain and a commandant with three Irish deployments in 1982, 1989 and 1994.

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Now he is back there as a 60-year-old major general and current head of mission and force commander of Unifil (United Nations interim force in Lebanon).

Members of the Defence Forces have deployed there as peacekeepers with Unifil since 1978, with 47 personnel losing their lives during that period.

He is only the second Irish officer to be selected to command Unifil, a major military honour for a small country.

Much has changed in south Lebanon, which has enjoyed 10 years of peace, largely due to the influence of Unifil.

"We have 10-year-olds in south Lebanon who have never seen what war looks like," General Beary told the Irish Independent in an exclusive interview during a visit home.

"My intention and hope is that those boys and girls can become young parents at some stage and still not have seen what war looks like."

He described his appointment as a special honour for Ireland and for the Defence Forces, particularly.

"The Defence Forces have always been very actively engaged in peacekeeping.

"Even though our GDP spend on defence would be quite low, we are among the top three countries in Europe providing troops for peace-keeping missions."

General Beary has been in the hot seat at the mission headquarters at Naqoura, 3km north of the Israeli border, since July and is in charge of 10,500 troops with a budget that has recently been boosted to half a billion US dollars.

The mission involves troops from 40 countries, with Indonesia, Malaysia, Italy, France and Spain the biggest suppliers of personnel.

Unifil's area of operations covers 300sq km, running from the Litani river to the Blue Line, which was set up by the UN with the agreement of the Lebanese and Israeli authorities to mark out a border between the two countries.

The Blue Line is about 118km long and the Irish-Finnish battalion has responsibility for patrolling a portion of it.

"We mount up to 400 military operations daily to monitor the peace, ensure that south Lebanon is not used to launch attacks of any kind and prevent the two parties from coming too closely into contact.

"We have to operate very quickly to reduce tensions between the parties and do practical things to stop them pointing weapons and insulting each other.

"By doing that, we hope to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2006, resulting in a 34-day war which, very sadly, resulted in the deaths of 1,100 Lebanese, 120 Israelis and, of course, five UN peacekeepers."

General Beary said Lebanon was a very special country with 18 different religions and was now struggling to form a government after 29 months without a president.

"With the help of the UN, it is fighting to keep instability from coming into the country from the Syrian crisis.

"Lebanon is a country that is fragile but very resilient. The Lebanese people are very warm and welcoming and it is wonderful to think that they have had 10 years of peace. We hope that will continue to grow and in my contacts with both parties, neither the Lebanese nor the Israelis wants any return to violence."

Syria is a concern to Unifil. "It is a country that has had over five years of internal strife and is very fractured with a lot of instability.

"Lebanon is almost an oasis of calm. This is a very unusual role for Lebanon in the Middle East and south Lebanon is almost the calmest part of the country.

"It is a country very similar to Ireland with a population of between 4.5-5 million. It's about the size of Leinster, yet it has 400,000 Palestinian refugees in 12 camps - three of them in the mission area.

"On top of that, there are 1.1 million registered Syrian refugees. That's like the population of Dublin suddenly put upon a country with very limited resources. So Lebanon needs a lot of international support and is receiving it to retain its stability."

The general, who was born in Athy, Co Kildare, described the Lebanese Armed Forces (Laf) as Unifil's strategic partner in carrying out its mandate. "The Laf is one of the most trusted organisations in Lebanese society and it is in everybody's interest to build its capability and capacity to extend the government's remit into south Lebanon right down to the Blue Line."

The expectation was that around 15,000 Lebanese troops would be deployed in south Lebanon. But at the moment there are only 2,000 operating there because of major security concerns in other parts of the country, particularly along its eastern border with Syria and also in the north.

As a result, only 10 to 15pc of Unifil's 400 daily operations are carried out in close co-operation with the Laf.

"But we have a major partnership with them and we help to train them and build their capacity so that, at some point, they will take over responsibility for Unifil's duties in south Lebanon," he added.

Despite Israeli claims that Hezbollah is stockpiling thousands of rockets and anti-tank weapons in villages in south Lebanon, General Beary said Unifil had not found any evidence of a big arms cache and had not been supplied with any precise details that would allow for a joint investigation with Laf.

"We sometimes come across remnants left over from the 2006 war and they are taken away and disposed of by the Laf. It's not part of our mandate to search private properties and we have to exist in harmony with local communities.

"We have more than 55 posts in south Lebanon but have a good relationship with the communities and all of our troops carry out what we call market walks, where they go out and patrol through villages and talk to the locals.

"There is intensive induction training on our rules of engagement and also on sexual exploitation so we don't have any occasions where peacekeepers can be accused of exploiting in that manner. They are briefed that this is not acceptable."

He pointed out that while the Laf has only been operating in the south for the past 10 years, Unifil has been there for almost 40 years.

There are currently some national Lebanese working with the sons and daughters of Irish peacekeepers with whom they worked in previous battalions.

"The link has gone through generations. They know the parents of some of the peacekeepers, which is incredible."

Lebanon was very much in the DNA of Irish Defence Forces peacekeeping, he said.

"Many of the Lebanese came over here on holiday and my former interpreter from 1984 has even lectured here.

"I think it is important to see what instability can do to a country, not particularly Lebanon but the Middle East in general.

"We need sometimes to have a little reality check in Ireland to appreciate what exactly we have here, the freedom we enjoy, the ability to bring up our children, educate our children, go on foreign holidays, that's something that is denied in a lot of these very unstable countries."

Apart from its military duties, Unifil troop-contributing countries also engage in various projects, providing finance for utilities such as electricity and clean water, while the Irish battalion continues its decades-long involvement in an orphanage in Tibnin.

Lebanon is currently in transition. General Beary said there had been a lot of investment since the 2006 war but it had a weak economy and still needed help, with Unifil remaining a big employer in the south.

"The more you develop the economy in south Lebanon, the less likely it is to return to war," he says.

As force commander, General Beary does not have direct contact with Hezbollah's military front. But he has contacts with its political party with many of the mayors, or mukhtars, of the villages within Unifil's area of operation being members of Hezbollah.

One of his most important duties is to chair a monthly tripartite conference on the Blue Line with generals from Lebanon and Israel. "We sit in one room and work out a lot of the difficulties. It is a very useful format and the only forum where Lebanon and Israel can speak."

General Beary's appointment is for two years to allow him to initiate change.

"Permanent ceasefire is a term I hope to introduce because that's where we want to go," he says.
Donald Trumps presidency is likely to be the second shortest ever, a leading historian and author has claimed.

Professor Ronald L Feinman predicted that the former reality TV star will stay in the top job "between the 31 days of William Henry Harrison in 1841", who died pneumonia and the "199 days of James A. Garfield in 1881", who died 79 days after he was shot by an assassin "after terrible suffering and medical malpractice".

Even if his time in office is "dragged out", Professor Feinman predicted that Mr Trump is unlikely to last the 16 months and 5 days of 12th president Zachary Taylor, who died of a digestive ailment while Head of State in 1850.

The 20th century American history professor, who recently published a book about the unfortunate fates of US leaders, added that he thought the Pence Presidency was inevitable. He was referring to Mr Trump's Vice President, Mike Pence, who would take over if Mr Trump was to leave the leadership.

In a blog post, he added that he thought it was likely that Mr Trump will be impeached or forced to resign in a matter of weeks.

His prediction comes shortly after the White House admitted the President was told several weeks ago that his National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had not told the truth about a telephone call with a Russian diplomat.

The news fuelled broader concerns about his closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the role his country may have played in helping Mr Trump's election.

Professor Feinman, who teaches at Florida Atlantic University, suggested the businessman turned politician is more generally unsuitable for office.

Many foreign policy professionals are shaking their head at Trumps inappropriate behaviour and language every time he speaks in public, or issues a Twitter comment, and his instability and recklessness, he said, citing Mr Trump's decision to hold a security meeting over the North Korean missile test in a public space in earshot of other people as a sign of his failure to act responsibly.

The fact that Vice President Mike Pence played a major role in pushing Flynn out is a sign that Pence is already asserting himself with Trump he said, adding the vice President often appears uncomfortable with Mr Trumps freewheeling and careless behaviour.

No US president has ever been successfully impeached, although an attempt was made to Bill Clinton but he was acquitted by the Senate.

Richard Nixon also resigned before he could be impeached for serious wrongdoing in the Watergate scandal.
European leaders have hit back at Donald Trump's ultimatum that they increase defence spending or risk America scaling back its commitment to transatlantic protection.

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said her country would not accelerate plans to increase its military budget by 2024, despite America's demand this week that countries increase spending by the end of the year.

The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, also said countries must not cave in to American demands.

James Mattis, the US defence secretary, warned Nato this week that a new "political reality" after the election of Mr Trump meant it was no longer possible for allies to shirk their share of the defence burden.

Unless nations began spending more, he said Washington could "moderate" its commitment to them.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Mr Mattis, a retired US marine general, said yesterday that Europe now faced a "threat on multiple fronts as the arc of instability builds on Nato's periphery and beyond".

But Mr Juncker said he was "very much against" Europe allowing itself to be forced into an increase in defence spending. He added: "I don't like our American friends narrowing down this concept of security to the military."

Germany would lose its budget surplus if it increased defence spending to 2pc of GDP from 1.22pc, he said.

Mr Juncker went on: "If you look at what Europe is doing in defence, plus development aid, plus humanitarian aid, the comparison with the United States looks rather different. Modern politics cannot just be about raising defence spending."

Nato guidelines call for all members of the collective defence alliance to spend 2pc of GDP on military budgets. But in reality only five do - America, Britain, Greece, Estonia and Poland - while some, including Italy and Spain, spend half that.

Mrs Merkel said Germany would stick to its long-term commitment to raise defence spending by the middle of the next decade. "Germany is conscious of its responsibility" to spend more on arms, she said, but added that other issues are also important for global security.

Mrs Merkel said that Germany had increased defence spending by 8pc in this year's budget over last year.

She continued: "We must do more here, no question, but the matters of development aid and crisis prevention are also important."

Meanwhile, Robert Harward has turned down an offer to be Mr Trump's new US national security adviser in the latest blow to the administration.

The retired vice-admiral said that the Trump administration was "very accommodating to my needs, both professionally and personally".

He said: "It's purely a personal issue. I'm in a unique position finally after being in the military for 40 years to enjoy some personal time."

But asked whether he had requested to bring in his own staff at the National Security Council, Mr Harward said: "I think that's for the president to address." ( Daily Telegraph London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
The White House has denied a report it is considering mobilising as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorised immigrants, including millions living nowhere near the Mexico border.

An 11-page draft memo, obtained by the Associated Press, calls for the unprecedented militarisation of immigration enforcement as far north as Portland, Oregon, and as far east as New Orleans, Louisiana.

However, Sean Spicer, Mr Trump's spokesman, said the suggestion was "100pc false".

The proposal includes 11 states. Four of those border Mexico. They are California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

The other seven states are further north. They are Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Governors in all 11 states would have a choice whether to have their guard troops participate, the memo said.

The memo was written by Mr Trump's US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general.

Speaking on board Marine One, Mr Spicer denied suggestions the National Guard was being mobilised. He said: "That is 100pc not true. It is false. It is irresponsible to be saying this.

"There is no effort at all to round up, to utilise the National Guard to round up illegal immigrants."

It came as the Kremlin responded to Mr Trump's wild 75-minute press conference on Thursday by ordering state-owned television to stop broadcasting coverage of the US president. It was the latest signal that Russia is losing confidence that friendly relations could be established with the US under Mr Trump.

In the bizarre press conference, Mr Trump accused the media of undermining his attempts to establish friendly relations with Mr Putin.

He dismissed claims that he owed his election victory to Moscow's interference as he insisted: "Russia is fake news."

"If we could get along with Russia, that's a positive thing," he continued, claiming the press wanted him to get into a conflict over reports that a Russian surveillance ship has been loitering off the shore of New England, a Russian missile test and a recent encounter between a Russian plane and a US ship.

"The greatest thing I could do is shoot that ship that's 30 miles offshore right out of the water," Trump said.

"We had Hillary Clinton give Russia 20pc of the uranium in our country," he added.

"You know what uranium is, right? This thing called nuclear weapons, and other things. Like, lots of things are done with uranium, including some bad things. Nobody talks about that."

Mr Trump also suggested he would replace his controversial executive order temporarily barring travel from seven Muslim-majority countries next week with a new, revised order.

He said the rollout of the travel ban was "very smooth" despite legal challenges his administration has faced, and chaos at airports when hundreds of protesters voiced their disapproval.

Meanwhile, two Syrian rescue workers revealed that they plan to travel to next week's Oscar ceremony, where their documentary 'White Helmets' is nominated for an award, after weeks of uncertainty caused by the ban.

Raed Saleh, the leader of the White Helmets, and cinematographer Khaled Khatib have both obtained visas to travel for the ceremony in LA.

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and actress Taraneh Alidoosti, who stars in his foreign-language nominated film 'The Salesman', have said they will boycott the Academy Awards to protest Trump's travel restrictions.
A man believed to be Kim Jong Nam is pictured in February 2007 at Beijing airport, as Malaysia said it will carry out a second post-mortem (Kyodo News via AP, File)

A dispute over custody of the body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother is raging between Malaysia and Pyongyang as inquiries continue into his apparent assassination.

Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46 and had lived in exile for years, suddenly fell ill at Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau.

Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical, and he died while being taken to hospital.

Malaysian officials performed a post-mortem examination on Wednesday over the strong objections of North Korea, which asserted sovereignty over the body of its citizen and said it should have a say in what happens next.

Medical workers began a second examination on Friday night because results of the first one were inconclusive.

Senior Malaysian police official Abdul Samah Mat denied the second post-mortem test had taken place, however. "No such thing as a second post-mortem," he said when asked, adding that the results of the first test have not yet been released.

Meanwhile, North Korea vowed to reject the results of any post-mortem. Pyongyang's ambassador said Malaysian officials may be "trying to conceal something" and "colluding with hostile forces".

The intrigue over the case raises all sorts of questions about the mysterious death of Kim Jong Nam, but a lack of closure and a lingering sense of the unknown are not unusual when it comes to North Korea.

While South Korea has blamed North Korea for several notable assassinations or attempted killings in past decades, the North often denies involvement or simply does not comment.

The death of Kim Jong Nam, the exiled half-brother of North Korea's powerful and mercurial ruler Kim Jong Un, has unleashed much speculation and unconfirmed reports from the duelling nations.

Malaysia has made four arrests so far over the death, the latest involving a North Korean man carrying ID that identified him as 46-year-old Ri Jong Chol.

Authorities are still trying to piece together details of the case.

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

On Friday, Indonesia's police chief said an Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the killing was duped into thinking she was taking part in a comedy show prank.

Tito Karnavian told reporters in Indonesia's Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in a Just For Laughs-style hidden camera show stunt. He said she and another woman took part in a skit which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

"Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer," Mr Karnavian said.

"She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents."

Malaysian police are questioning four suspects - Aisyah, another woman who carried a Vietnamese passport, a man they said is Aisyah's boyfriend, and the North Korean man.

North Korea broke its silence on the case Friday night. Speaking to reporters gathered outside the morgue in Kuala Lumpur, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the post-mortem examination on Kim Jong Nam "unilaterally and excluding our attendance".

"We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem," Mr Kang said, adding that the move disregarded "elementary international laws and consular laws".

Mr Kang said the fact that Malaysia has yet to hand over the body "strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us".

Malaysia is one of just a handful of countries to have full diplomatic ties with North Korea, with each country having an embassy in the other's capital.

Malaysia has also been a key place for quiet, semi-official diplomatic talks between North Korea and the United States.

The country said it wants DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam's family as part of the post-mortem procedure and that officials are not yet willing to hand the body over to the North Koreans.

Although Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau, police in Malaysia say no-one has come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples.

Abdul Samah Mat, a senior Malaysian police official, said: "If there is no claim by next-of-kin and upon exhausting all avenues (to obtain DNA), we will finally then hand over the body to the (North Korean) embassy."

Kim Jong Nam was estranged from his younger half-brother, Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favour with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.
America's commitment to Nato is "unwavering", US Vice President Mike Pence has said.

In his first foreign trip as vice president, Mr Pence sought to address concerns raised by President Donald Trump's earlier comments questioning whether Nato was "obsolete".

Mr Pence told the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of diplomats and defence officials: "I bring you this assurance - the United States of America strongly supports Nato and will be unwavering in our commitment to our trans-Atlantic alliance."

"Your struggles are our struggles. Your success is our success," Mr Pence said. "And ultimately, we walk into the future together."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking before Mr Pence, told him and other leaders that "acting together strengthens everyone".

Her address came amid concerns among allies about the Trump administration's approach to international affairs and fears that the US may have little interest in working in international forums.

"Will we be able to continue working well together, or will we all fall back into our individual roles?" Mrs Merkel asked. "Let's make the world better together and then things will get better for every single one of us."

Mr Trump has praised Britain's decision to leave the 28-nation EU, and a leading contender to be the next US ambassador to the EU, Ted Malloch, has said Washington is "somewhat critical and suspicious" of the bloc and would prefer to work with countries bilaterally.

Mr Pence did not mention the European Union in his speech, something picked up on by French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault who wrote on Twitter: "In Munich, Vice President Pence renews America's commitment to the Atlantic alliance. But not a word on the EU."

Mr Pence did say, however, that the US was on a path of "friendship with Europe and a strong North Atlantic alliance".

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel also indicated scepticism about Mr Pence's pledges, saying that he agreed Europe needed to work with the US on the basis of common values.

But in a barely veiled reference to Mr Trump, he said "both countries must define their interests, and our foreign policies should not be driven by ideology.

"Ideologies lead to hostile concepts that might not be able to be overcome," said Mr Gabriel, who is chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Mrs Merkel's junior coalition partner.

He said Europeans "should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst".

In pledging the Trump administration's support for Nato, Mr Pence said the US expected all countries to live up to commitments to spend at least 2% of gross domestic product spending on defence.

"Europe's defence requires your commitment as much as ours," he said.

Mrs Merkel reiterated that Germany is committed to the 2% goal though Germany currently only contributes about 1.3%.

"We will do everything we can in order to fulfill this commitment," she said. "But let me add, however, that I believe while Nato is very much in the European interest, it's also in the American interest - it's a very strong alliance where we are united together."

Mr Gabriel suggested that development aid and humanitarian moves - such as in Germany's decision to take in nearly 900,000 refugees last year - should also be part of the consideration when looking at defence spending.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told The Associated Press, however, that both things were necessary.

"We need a comprehensive approach and of course development aid and funding for refugees is also very important," he said. "But there's no contradiction between being focused on development aid and security - actually the only way we can create development is to preserve the peace. We need security to be able to facilitate economic development."

US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told the security conference that Mr Trump is working on a "streamlined" version of his executive order banning travel from seven predominantly Muslim nations to iron out the difficulties that landed his first order in the courts.

Mr Kelly said that next time Mr Trump will "make sure that there's no one caught in the system of moving from overseas to our airports" during the travel ban.

The nations affected by the original ban were Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Mr Kelly mentioned "seven nations" again on Saturday, leading to speculation they will all be included in Mr Trump's next executive order on immigration.

AP
Caracas, Feb 18 (IBNS): Venezuela, for the second time, decided to delay the withdrawal of its 100 bolivar banknotes from circulation, according to media reports on Saturday.

In December, it was delayed for the first time by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro soon after the decision to get rid of the highest-denomination banknote was made.

In a tweeted message on Friday, Vice President Tareck Zaidan El Aissami said that the 100 bolivar banknotes will remain as legal tender until Mar 20 as per a decree signed by President Nicolas Maduro.

In December, Maduro ordered the government to withdraw the highest-denomination banknote from circulation as a measure against Venezuela's currency smuggling, mainly to prevent the notes which were being hoarded by criminals in neighbouring Colombia from returning to Venezuela.

Later, in January, an economic emergency was declared in the country, media reported.



Image: AIRNews Twitter
Counting of votes in seven assembly seats across six states underway, BJP leads in four | Twitter founder Jack Dorsey apologises to employees after mass lay off | Eknath Shinde visits Sharad Pawar in hospital | 'Had clear-cut objective to harm Hindus': Court on ex-AAP councillor's role in 2020 Delhi riots | Doctor booked for rash driving in Cyrus Mistry car accident case
BEIJING: Beijing claimed Wednesday that Australias intelligence agency questioned foreign correspondents working for Chinese state-run media, seizing computers and mobile phones in raids apparently linked to a billowing spy scandal.



The accusation, the latest scrap in a diplomatic falling-out that spans security, trade and media freedoms, follows an investigation by Beijing into Australian journalists based in China.



The last two foreign correspondents working for Australian media in China, Bill Birtles and Michael Smith, fled on Monday fearing arrest, while another  Cheng Lei, who worked as an anchor for Chinese state TV  is being detained under national security laws.



On Wednesday a spokesman for Chinas foreign ministry added a new layer to the intrigue, saying Australia-based journalists from Xinhua, China News Service and the China Media group were the target of raids by local intelligence agents in late June.



Four journalists were interrogated... on the grounds of a possible breach of Australias anti-foreign interference laws, Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing.



They were questioned and had their phones, computers and even their childrens tablets confiscated.



Journalists of the Chinese media in Australia have strictly observed local laws and regulations, he said.



Australias actions seriously interferes with the normal reporting duties of the Chinese media... and causes serious damage to the physical and mental health of the journalists and their families.



The four are thought to be back in China, he added.



The accusations are the latest saga to unspool between China and Australia.



Beijing is furious at Canberra for taking a leading role in calls for a probe into the orgins of the coronavirus, and has hit back with a battery of tariffs on Australian imports from beef to barley.



China is Australias biggest export market, but that has not deterred Canberras outspoken approach to sensitive issues ranging from human rights in the northwestern region of Xinjiang to questions over Chinas role in Australias 5G network.



The Australian intelligence activity against the four Chinese journalists is alleged to have taken place on June 26.



ASIO, Australias main intelligence agency, refused to confirm or deny the raids, while the Australian Federal Police said it had no comment to make on the matter.



But court documents show Australian intelligence and police officers raided the home and office of New South Wales state legislator Shaoquett Moselmane on the same day in June, as part of a months-long investigation into covert Chinese influence campaigns in Australia.



The documents also show the raids were related to the activities of a Moselmane aide, John Zhang, who is accused of collaborating with Chinas main spy agency.



It is believed that Zhang and Moselmane had a WeChat group with the journalists for state-run news organisations who were targeted by the alleged ASIO raids, as well as Chinese state-linked academics.



The group concealed from or failed to disclose to Mr Moselmane that they were acting on behalf of or in collaboration with Chinese State and Party apparatus, documents lodged with Australias High Court allege.



One of the academics in the chat group, Chen Hong  a professor at the East China Normal University and a prominent media commentator  told AFP on Wednesday that he had learned that his own Australian visa had also been revoked.



The email actually cited that the visa was cancelled because ASIO made an assessment that I directly or indirectly have a risk to Australias security, which I absolutely refuse to accept, of course, Chen said.



Both Zhang and Moselmane maintained the chat group was social in nature and have maintained their innocence.



There is no indication the Chinese journalists have been charged.



The timing of the allegations against Australian intelligence by Beijing coincided with a furore over the treatment of the two Australian correspondents in China, Birtles and Smith.



After midnight visits to their homes by Chinese police last week, the pair sought refuge in diplomatic compounds in Beijing and Shanghai.



They were allowed to leave the country only after days of diplomatic wrangling and an agreement that they would undergo questioning before departure.



Both men were quizzed about fellow Australian Cheng Lei, who has been detained in China since last month.



Their case has been seen another blow to press freedom in China and emblematic of rapidly deteriorating relations between Beijing and Canberra.



Several reporters for US media have had their visas revoked and been forced to leave the country  in what critics have interpreted as targeting of Western media outlets by the Communist Party.-AFP




According to the latest update, Tovino Thomas is all set to foray into Kollywood with a love story. Helmed by BR Vijayalakshmi, who has cranked the camera for several Tamil hits including Chinna Veedu, the movie's shoot is in full swing at Chennai.

Touted to be an unusual love story, the film is based on a true incident that happened in Brazil. Apart from Tovino, the film also has a stellar cast, details of which are under the wraps.

Tovino is currently in Chennai, busy with the shoot. The movie is expected to hit theatres by mid-2017. Stay tuned!
JMC Projects India secures new orders of Rs2,277 crore; Stock gains 2.6% JMC Projects (India) Limited (JMC), a leading Civil Engineering and EPC Company has secured new orders of Rs2,277 crores. The details are as follows: Water Projects in India of... November 04, 2022 | 04-11-2022 2:08 pm

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Noorjahan, 38, a resident of Shahpur, and her husband, Harshad, collected Rs 2.5 lakh to go to Saudi Arabia and live their 'gulf dream'. They sold their auto-rickshaw and the air-conditioner Noorjahan used at her beauty parlour, to collect the money.

politis/representational image

Their dream ended in a nightmare when Noorjahan learnt in Saudi Arabia that her job included having sex ('home service') with the master. Later, her husband was forced to borrow Rs 2.5 lakh in Saudi Riyals to secure her release from jail. Fourteen months after their arrival, he put her on a plane back to India but had to stay back himself to repay the loan he had taken.

Noorjahan recalls the day when she and her husband approached Nisar, a Mumbai-based immigration agent. The couple were promised jobs as beautician and driver respectively for a salary of Saudi Riyal 2500 (approximately Rs 44,700) each.

The nightmare began as soon as they landed at Dammam airport in August 2015. Here an agent took her husband to work in Riyadh while she was asked to work in Dammam.

thedailybeast/representational image

"It came as a shock as we were promised that we will stay together. I was sent to Zara, a local 'madam' running a beauty parlour. When my iqama (work permit) arrived after three months, it held another shocker  I was listed as a maid!" said Noorjahan.

She was told by Indian and Filipino women staying with her that the 'home service' she was supposed to do included sexual favours. It was only her marital status and repeated excuses of ill health that kept her from being sexually exploited.

"In March 2016, a girl from Hyderabad tried to cut her wrist to kill herself after repeated atrocities," recalled Noorjahan. "Humiliation was part of the job as we were treated like animals. I was beaten or dragged by the hair for making even a small protest."

She said she still has bruise marks on her forehead and elbow as souvenirs of those days.

therules/representational image

"The girl's suicide attempt was reported as an act to portray Saudis in poor light. It resulted in a jail term for the three of us  from April to October last year," she said.

The women kept a three-month roza in jail praying fervently to be united with their respective families.

"The jail term led to some good as my husband was informed about the case and he agreed to pay Riyal 14, 000 (approximately Rs 2.5 lakh) to free me of the contract," she said.

'City police didn't pay heed but Mumbai cops nabbed agent'

The family had a bitter experience with Ahmedabad police. "We gave applications to the offices of the DCP and CP, requesting them to look into a clear case of human trafficking and urged them to bring our sister back," Noorjahan's brother said. "But we never heard from them."

But the application to Mumbai police did fetch results. "Agripada police station arrested Nisar and Najma from their residence and also found around 150 passports, most of which belonged to women trying to go to the Gulf," he said.

Noorjahan is not sure about the future. "My husband is still there, repaying the sum he borrowed to get me released. We don't have anything now but I might work at a beauty parlour. I just want to tell other women not to be blinded by dreams of going abroad," she said.
Saying that the past couple of weeks have been tough for Sasikala will be an understatement.

BCCL

From just one step away from being the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, she saw a virtual coup within the party, then she was sentenced to four years imprisonment in disproportionate assets case.

After surrendering at the Parapan Agrahara jail in Karnataka, one by one all her requests from Jayalalithaa's former cell room, to home-cooked food and hot water were turned down.

The prisoner number 9,234 had sought A-class facilities in jail which would include a special room for prayers and yoga and an attached toilet-cum-bathroom. She has been denied that and has been allotted only a plate, a tumbler and a blanket for personal use.

BCCL

To make matters worse, Sasikala, the once most powerful person in Tamil Nadu is sharing the wall with a notorious killer.

Next to Sasikala's cell is 'Cyanide Mallika', a woman convicted in six murder cases. All her victims were women who she met at temples and had poisoned them for their gold.

PTI/File

The 46-year-old Cyanide Mallika who's real name is KD Kempamma is known as the first lady serial killer of India.

Started with small thefts at homes where she worked as a maid, Kempamma committed her first murder in 1999. Since then she killed five more women, most of them 'in distress' and fell for her con job of offering to pray for them.

Screengrab

She was arrested in 2006 and was awarded the death penalty in 2010. But it was commuted to life imprisonment in 2012, which she is currently serving at the Parappana Agrahara jail.

All is not that bad for Sasikala, apparently, Mallika is a fan of her mentor Jayalalithaa and wanted to meet her when the latter was a prisoner there in 2014.

According to reports, Malika has repeatedly tried to talk to Sasikala, but she did not respond on her first day in prison, but on Thursday, smiled at the other inmate.
A US think tank has found India doing miserably in terms of economic freedom, giving it 143rd rank, in an annual index. What is worse is that despite being the one of the most powerful regional states, India is behind its neighbours including Pakistan, as progress on market-oriented reforms has been uneven.

BCCL/representational image

The Heritage Foundation in its Index of Economic Freedom report said despite India sustaining an average annual growth of about 7 per cent over the past five years, growth is not deeply rooted in policies that preserve economic freedom.

Putting India in the category of mostly unfree economies, the conservative political thinktank said progress on market-oriented reforms has been uneven.

It said the state maintains an extensive presence in many areas through public-sector enterprises. A restrictive and burdensome regulatory environment discourages the entrepreneurship that could provide broader private-sector growth.

BCCL/representational image

Also, Indias overall score of 52.6 points is 3.6 points less than that of last year, when India was ranked 123rd.

Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand topped the index. Among South Asian countries, only Afghanistan (163) and Maldives (157) were ranked below India. Nepal (125), Sri Lanka (112), Pakistan (141), Bhutan (107), and Bangladesh (128) surpassed India in economic freedom.

The think tank, however, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with reinvigorating Indias foreign policy. It said Modi, who in June 2016 made his fourth visit to the US in two years, has bolstered bilateral ties, particularly in defence cooperation.

BCCL/representational image

India has technology and manufacturing sectors as advanced as any in the world as well as traditional sectors characteristic of a lesser developed economy. Extreme wealth and poverty coexist as the nation both modernises rapidly and struggles to find paths to inclusive development for its large and diverse population, it said.

India is a significant force in world trade, the report noted, but corruption, underdeveloped infrastructure, and poor management of public finance undermine overall development.

China with a score of 57.4 points - an increase of 5.4 points compared to previous year - was placed at 111 positions. The United States was ranked 17 with 75.1 points.

The world average score of 60.9 is the highest recorded in the 23-year history of the index.

Forty-nine countries - the majority of which are developing countries, but also including countries such as Norway and Sweden - achieved their highest-ever index scores.
Pakistan Army and intelligence have gone on a nationwide crackdown spree after one of the bloodiest weeks in the country.

AFP

According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) the media wing of the Pakistan Army, at least a hundred "terrorists" have been killed in intelligence based operations across the country in just 24 hours.

IBOs and combining ops across the country including Punjab. Over 100 Ts killed besides sizeable apprehensions during last 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/hVrzRFTSrr  Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) February 17, 2017

Despite the ISIS claiming responsibility for Thursday's suicide attack on Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sindh's Shewan, Pakistani authorities are blaming it on "foreign terrorists", implying anti-Pak outfits in Afghanistan.

AFP

Pakistan has handed over the list of 78 terrorists to Afghan officials and closed the Torkham boundary between the two countries as part of the crackdown.

Following the attack, which was targeted at the Sufi sect, both Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had pledged retribution.

AFP

"Each drop of the nation's blood shall be avenged and avenged immediately. No more restraint for anyone," Bajwa had said. The military operation is expected to continue in the coming days, however, it is still unclear if the military will launch a 2014 Operation Zarb-e-Azb like crackdown against the terrorist.

Pakistan's decision to go tough on terror groups comes after the country witnessed a week of a bloodbath.

Reuters

In this week alone there were six attacks targeting both civilians and security personnel. More than 110 people had lost their lives in these attacks.
Trump Plan For 100K Anti-Illegal Immigration Enforcement Force, Trump Denies Fake News Or White House Manipulation?



By Ben Shapiro February 17, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Daily Wire " - In yet another blow to the medias credibility, the Associated Press ran with a story on Friday morning that the Trump administration had circulated a draft memo that would delegate 100,000 National Guard members for rounding up illegal immigrants. Heres the AP report : The Trump administration is considering a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants, including millions living nowhere near the Mexico border, according to a draft memo obtained by The Associated Press. The 11-page document calls for the unprecedented militarization of immigration enforcement as far north as Portland, Oregon, and as far east as New Orleans, Louisiana.Governors in the 11 states would have a choice whether to have their guard troops participate, according to the memo, written by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general. Its worth noting that this was a draft memo, according to the AP. The report was quickly and strenuously denied by multiple members of the administration: WH's Sean Spicer on AP immigrant roundup report: "That is 100% not true. It is false. It is irresponsible to be saying this.  Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) February 17, 2017 This is not true. DHS also confirms it is 100% false https://t.co/MFIJci7XaU  Sean Spicer (@PressSec) February 17, 2017 But the Associated Press story openly states that requests to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for comment and a status report on the proposal were not answered. Join with over 100,000 people in more than 140 countries, who place people before profit Get Our Free Daily Newsletter So is the AP lying? Why didnt the White House just disown the proposal immediately upon request for comment? Nate Silver has a theory: Because then they can decry the press for reporting "fake news". White House has used this tactic several times already. https://t.co/e5OqmD63Uy  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) February 17, 2017 If the AP reported this story without actually seeking comment, thats fake news, obviously. But if the White House is manipulating the news  if the memo is real, and if the AP sought comment and was denied  then thats egregious stuff. Theres no excuse for going silent with the media simply in order to castigate their credibility for issuing factually true reports. No wonder nobody knows what to believe anymore. As far as the content of the memo, Trump went back and forth on the notion of a deportation force during the campaign. Hes been unclear on how he plans to expand enforcement against illegal immigration  just yesterday, he said he would use heart to deal with so-called DREAMers. This latest story just throws more confusion on top of policy chaos. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Here Is The "Leaked" Memo Directing The National Guard To Arrest Illegal Immigrants: PDF : Here Is The "Leaked" Memo Directing The National Guard To Arrest Illegal Immigrants
Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter The Western Roots of Middle-Eastern Terrorism



By Amir Nour



February 17, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Convinced that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes, is unacceptable and unjustifiable, member States of the United Nations were finally able to adopt, on September 8, 2006, a common approach within the framework of the United Nations global counter-terrorism strategy . But, ten years later, the international community has yet to agree on a consensus definition of the common enemy, which continues to grow and expand, thus inflicting devastation and untold misery, mainly to the States and the peoples of the Arab and Muslim world.



However, in a bitter irony, and in total defiance of established historical truths, these very victims and their majority religion -Islam- are accused by some of the crime of sponsoring transnational terrorism, hence jeopardizing international peace and security.



But who is really to be held liable for the birth and expansion of the phenomenon of violence in modern times, against the consequences of which a number of visionary thinkers like Malek Bennabi and Eric E. Hobsbawm had yet forewarned the world a century ago already?



The opinions exposed in this paper on this burning topic arent expressed by Muslim officials or thinkers. They are those of Westerners, at different levels of authority and moral and political responsibility, representing the obverse and the reverse of the terrorism medal, and pointing out the historical responsibility of some Western governments They are representative of a politically incorrect voice whose echo is barely audible in the middle of the media tumult skillfully orchestrated by the new self-righteous.



Terrorism, Islam and treason of the clerks



Recently, magistrate Vincent Sizaire, author of the book titled LImposture securitaire, explained[2] that the characterization of terrorism is more about political calculation than legal hermeneutics, since it is necessarily the result of a process of balance of power and political assessment, at the end of which the powers to be tend to apply it in a more or less discretionary manner to a particular criminal rather than another. Sizaire highlights how it is problematic, today, to use the same term to refer to activities undertaken by fanatical and obscurantist groups, and to actions of political opponents of authoritarian regimes.



Therefore, there can obviously be no question for the need to put forward a new definition of this concept, one less equivocal. Indeed, it should be pointed out that, to date, no one definition of terrorism has gained universal acceptance. Alex Schmid and Albert Jongman identify 109 different definitions[3]. The United Nations still cant find an agreed upon definition among its member States since December 17, 1996, date of adoption by the General Assembly of resolution 51/210, by which it was decided to create a special Committee to develop a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. Its so controversial a debate that, according to Oliver Libaw, even in the United States -where the Global War on Terror was launched in 2001- it turns out that no one is all that sure just what terrorism is[4].



Thus, the future still looks bright for the famous and often-cited claim that one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter[5]. Never mind! For one school of thought in the West, terrorism, barbarity and intolerance are consubstantial to Islam as a religion. Consequently, in the face of the crazy Muslim zealots who see progress as an evil, tolerance as a weakness and pacifism as a sin, and call for murder and destruction, resistance and relentless struggle are to be opposed within a long Fourth World War[6], akin to those waged by the Free World against fascism and nazism during the First and Second World Wars, and against communism during the third world war, presumably completed with the end of the cold war in 1989.



Nothing seems to shake the certainties of the proponents of this dominant thought often described as neoconservative, mainly conveyed by Western and Israeli think tanks, and relayed by their powerful mainstream media. And it would be pointless to remind them, for instance, that in the absence of a comprehensive international convention on terrorism-a result of the lack of a consensus definition that should be distinguished from the legitimate struggle of peoples for self-determination and which should include State terrorism- Arab and Muslim States have developed their own legal instruments within their regional groups; that in the 1990s, a country like Algeria fought alone against terrorism -before a suspicious international silence- that cost her more than 200,000 deaths and economic losses estimated at more than $ 30 billion; that 95% of lives lost to terrorist barbarity are to be found among Muslims[7]; that the highest official authorities of Islam have condemned without appeal both the ideology and actions of terrorist groups; and that the overwhelming majority of Muslim populations reject terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, as confirmed by statistics provided by Western survey institutes and agencies themselves.



In his time, Julien Benda denounced the betrayal of the clerks. More recently, Pascal Boniface pin the intellectual counterfeiters who bear a heavy responsibility in the place occupied by lies in the public debate. He targets in particular those who tend to equate Islam and terrorism by referring to fascislamism and contribute to nurture a neoconservative approach that thrives in the West since the 9/11 attacks.

Join with over 100,000 people in more than 140 countries, who place people before profit Get Our Free Daily Newsletter We have already addressed this issue of Islam as a mobilizing and unifying scarecrow in the West[8]. We have reported a dangerous semantic shift that we constantly observe since the fall of the Berlin Wall: from counter-terrorism actions, we jumped to war against Islamic terrorism, and then to the fight against Islamic extremism . And we have, inevitably, raised the following question: Are we soon going to abandon superfluous adjectives and hypocritical euphemisms to openly claim the war against Islam itself ?. Since then, time and events seem to have proved us right



Responsibility of the West regarding transnational terrorism



Some people believe that radical Islamism and jihadism are not an exclusive creation of the West. To think otherwise, they argue, would be to overestimate the Western influence in areas where many other local and international factors have contributed to their development over a long period of time. That is certainly right, and so is the fact that certain misguided policies pursued by Western powers, particularly by Anglo-Saxon countries, have greatly contributed to the emergence and expansion of these phenomena, especially since the iconic events of 9/11 and their disastrous by-products: the Afghan and Iraqi military expeditions.



Britains role



This view is shared by Mark Curtis, who documented in a book[9] the collusion of the United Kingdom with Islamism since the last century. Based on reliable documentation and government archives, he dissects an aspect of British foreign policy, which has remained curiously ignored or deliberately obscured by the mainstream media. This collusion, he says, has a long history which has contributed not only to the rise of radical Islam itself, but also to that of international terrorism, which the new strategy of national security of the UK Government has designated as the biggest threat to the country, and that the highest ranking officer of the British army has identified as the fight of our generation, maybe our Thirty Years War.



Curtis says that the share of responsibility of London in the emergence of the terrorist threat goes well beyond the impact its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have had on a few individuals. The most important fact in this story is, according to him, that the successive labour and conservative governments have, for decades, connived with radical Islamic forces, including terrorist organizations. They have, sometimes, trained and financed them in order to promote specific foreign policy objectives, with a view to desperately preserving what was left of British power and influence internationally, mainly in areas considered as sensitive but where it was no longer possible to impose their will and interests unilaterally or by relying on other local allies.



The role of the United States of America



In his book[10] published in 2005, Robert Dreyfuss meticulously documents the American role in this Devils Game. Drawing on archival research and interviews with policymakers and officials of the CIA, the Pentagon and the State Department, he analyzes the consequences of sixty years of misguided efforts on the part of the United States in order to dominate the economically and strategically vital Middle East region. Dreyfuss argues that Americas historic alliance with the Islamic right is greatly to blame for the emergence of Islamist terrorism. He concludes by stating that far from promoting democracy and security, this policy, which continues to this day, ensures a future of blunders and blowback.



Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nephew of the late U.S. President J.F. Kennedy, also considered the long history of the violent interventions of his country in the region. He explains in a long article[11] in Politico magazine why we should look beyond convenient explanations of religion and ideology and examine instead the more complex rationales of history and oil and how they often point the finger of blame back at our own shores. He also describes how over the past seven decades, the Dulles brothers, the Cheney gang, the neocons and their ilk have hijacked that fundamental principle of American idealism and deployed our military and intelligence apparatus to serve the mercantile interests of large corporations and particularly, the petroleum companies and military contractors that have literally made a killing from these conflicts.



Moreover, a Foreign Policy Journal article[12] tells us that the White House had made the decision to support the armed radical Jihadists in Syria (that would later emerge as ISIL and Jabhat Al-Nusra) despite the warnings of the intelligence agencies, which provided for the advent of the Islamic State. This amazing information was confirmed by former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Lieutenant General Michael Flynn after he resigned from his post in April 2014, much to everyones surprise- who was previously the Director of information for the Center of command of special operations and, in that capacity, had the main mission to hunt down Usama Bin Laden and dismantle Al-Qaeda.



It is worth noting that this piece of information and other related revelations have been reported in a documentary film[13] broadcast by ARTE-TV channel, which explains how, from Bush to Obama, America has left prosper the blind terror that Daesh took over. In this film, former members of the intelligence community, representatives of U.S. forces in Iraq, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and terrorism experts trace, with supporting evidence and archives, the thirteen years of the lost war on terror.



Last but not least, during the 2016 presidential campaign, the GOP nominee, Donald Trump, said[14] that he meant exactly what he had declared previously in Florida, when he called President Barack Obama the founder of ISIS. And when the conservative radio show host, Hugh Hewitt, tried to clarify Trumps position by saying he understood him to mean that he (Obama) created the vacuum, he lost the peace, D. Trump objected, declaring No, I meant hes the founder of ISIS. I do. He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way, Hillary Clinton.



Frances role



In his latest book[15], French philosopher Michel Onfray states that terrorist Islam was partially created by the bellicose West. Denouncing what he calls contemporary colonial wars conducted by some Western countries including France, he argues that Islamic regimes only started to threaten the West once, and only once the latter had indeed threatened them by brutal force.



For his part, Pierre Conesa, former senior official in the Ministry of defense, said[16] that his country is paying a high price for a war that is not its own. In this regard, he cites the example of the intervention in Libya where France has done on its own account what Bush did in Iraq, which is destroying a regime and leaving behind chaos it has no ability to manage.



In Syria, especially during the period when Laurent Fabius was the head of the Quai dOrsay, this dubious interventionist policy resulted in total support to the rebels fighting against Al-Assad regime. Believing that the departure of the latter is only a matter of weeks, Fabius said in August 2012 Bashar Al-Assad would not deserve to be on Earth. And in December of the same year, reacting to Washingtons decision to place Jabhat Al-Nusra on its list of terrorist organizations, he declared: All Arabs were fiercely against the American position because, on the ground, they (the elements of Al-Nusra) do a good job[17].



In conclusion, we would like to invite the public to ponder the wisdom of a thinker who once said that in the past weapons were manufactured to wage wars, but today wars are manufactured to sell weapons.



Yet unfortunately, it has to be recognized that the rhetoric on the clash of civilizations, constantly and tirelessly repeated by some since the end of the cold war and the subsequent disappearance of the indispensable enemy, seems to have achieved the objective assigned to it, chiefly by those who benefit from and pull the strings of the perpetuation of conflicts all over the world. This rhetoric has thus produced a dangerous clash of fundamentalisms, which is updating the notions of revenge of God, Crusades and Jihad, and adding new ones such as islamofascism. The consequence of this dramatic turn of events is illustrated, on the sought and obtained ground of confrontation, by a clash of barbarities.



In todays increasing international turmoil, nobody should be blind to the fact that the biggest danger associated with this change is that since the end of the second world war, the world has entered the age of the supreme weapon the atomic bomb- and other weapons of mass destruction, and that extremists on all sides are promising and fervently promoting a Cosmic War for the triumph of Good over Evil. For some of them, it is a religious war, the ultimate war prior to the Apocalypse or the end of the world, whose theatre of operations one party sets in Armageddon and the other in Dabiq, both places situated in the Levant, comprising Syria which is being today put to fire and sword



Isnt it insane to believe that our civilized world is unable to find a path other than the one leading toward Mutually Agreed Destruction?

(1) Amir NOUR is an Algerian researcher in international relations, author of the book LOrient et lOccident a lheure dun nouveau Sykes-Picot (East and West in time of a new Sykes-Picot, Alem El Afkar, 2014.

2 - In Le MONDE Diplomatique, Une notion piegee: quand parler de terrorisme ? (A Tricky notion: When to talk about terrorism?), August 2016.

3 - A. Schmid & A. Jongman, Political Terrorism, 1988.

4 - O. Libaw, How Do You Define Terrorism ?, ABC News Network, October 11, 2015.

5 - C. Friedersdorf, Is One Mans Terrorist Another Mans Freedom Fighter ?, The Atlantic, May 16, 2012.

6 - Norman Podhoretz, World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism, Doubleday, 2007.

7 - 2015 Global Terrorism Index report shows that terrorist attacks are concentrated in just five countries with a Muslim majority: Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria, totalling 78% of all deaths and 57% of all attacks; the West is remarkably safe from terrorism as 2.6% only of terrorist deaths occurred there since the beginning of the 21st century (excluding the 3,000 deaths from September 11, 2001, this proportion falls to 0.5%).

8 - In our book LOrient et lOccident, op. cit.

9 - M. Curtis, Secret Affairs: Britains Collusion With Radical Islam, Serpents Tail, 2010.

10 - R. Dreyfuss, Devils Game: How The United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam, Metropolitan Books, 2005.

11 - http://www.politico.eu/article/why-the-arabs-dont-want-us-in-syria-mideast-conflict-oil-intervention/

12 - B. Hoff, Rise of Islamic State Was a Willful Decision, 7 August 2015.

13 - Titled Du 11 septembre au Califat: lhistoire secrete de Daesh (From 9/11 to the Caliphate: The Secret History of ISIS), August 30, 2016.

14 - Tal Kopan, Donald Trump: I meant that Obama founded ISIS, literally, CNN, August 12, 2016.

15 - M. Onfray, Penser lIslam (Thinking Islam), editions Bernard Grasset, Paris, 2016.

16 - See: Les attentats sont la suite logique des bombardements (Attacks are the logical result of the bombings, Le Temps, July 16, 2016.

17 - See B. Collombat and J. Monins investigation: Daesh: Autopsie dun monstre (ISIS: Autopsy of a Monster), November 20, 2015. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Note to ICH readers - We are experiencing problem with our comment system, which is preventing visitors from posting. Please be patient we are working to solve the problem. Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section.
Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter Blood in the Water: the Trump Revolution Ends in a Whimper



By Mike Whitney February 17, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Counterpunch " - The Flynn fiasco is not about national security advisor Michael Flynns conversations with the Russian ambassador. Its much deeper than that. Its about Russia. Its about Putin. Its about the explosive rise of China and the worlds biggest free trade zone that will eventually stretch from Lisbon to Vladivostok. Its about the one country in the world that is obstructing Washingtons plan for global domination. (Russia) And, its about the future; which country will be the key player in the worlds most prosperous and populous region, Asia. Thats whats at stake, and thats what the Flynn controversy is really all about. Many readers are familiar with the expression pivot to Asia, but do they know what it means? It means the United States has embarked on an ambitious plan to extend its military grip and market power over the Eurasian landmass thus securing its position as the worlds only superpower into the next century. The pivot is Washingtons top strategic priority. As Hillary Clinton said in 2011: Harnessing Asias growth and dynamism is central to American economic and strategic interests Open markets in Asia provide the United States with unprecedented opportunities for investment, trade, and access to cutting-edge technology..American firms (need) to tap into the vast and growing consumer base of Asia The region already generates more than half of global output and nearly half of global trade. we are looking for opportunities to do even more business in Asiaand our investment opportunities in Asias dynamic markets.(Americas Pacific Century, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Foreign Policy Magazine, 2011) In other words, its pivot or bust. Those are the only two options. Naturally, ruling elites in the US have chosen the former over the latter, which means they are committed to a strategy that will inevitably pit the US against a nuclear-armed adversary, Russia. Trumps National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, wanted to normalize relations with Russia. He rejected the flagrantly hostile approach of the US foreign policy establishment. Thats why he had to be removed. And, thats why hes been so viciously attacked in the media and why the threadbare story about his contacts with the Russian ambassador were used to force his resignation. This isnt about the law and it isnt about the truth. Its about bare-knuckle geopolitics and global hegemony. Flynn got in the way of the pivot, so Flynn had to be eliminated. End of story. Heres a clip from an article by Robert Parry: Flynns real offense appears to be that he favors detente with Russia rather than escalation of a new and dangerous Cold War. Trumps idea of a rapprochement with Moscow  and a search for areas of cooperation and compromise  has been driving Official Washingtons foreign policy establishment crazy for months and the neocons, in particular, have been determined to block it. Though Flynn has pandered to elements of the neocon movement with his own hysterical denunciations of Iran and Islam in general, he emerged as a key architect for Trumps plans to seek a constructive relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Meanwhile, the neocons and their liberal-interventionist sidekicks have invested heavily in making Putin the all-purpose bete noire to justify a major investment in new military hardware and in pricy propaganda operations. ( Trump Caves on Flynns resignation , Consortium News) US foreign policy is not developed willy-nilly. It emerges as the consensus view of various competing factions within the permanent national security state. And, although there are notable differences between the rival factions (either hardline or dovish) there appears to be unanimity on the question of Russia. There is virtually no constituency within the political leadership of either of the two major parties (or their puppetmaster supporters in the deep state) for improving relations with Russia. None. Russia is blocking Washingtons eastward expansion, therefore, Russia must be defeated. Heres more from the World Socialist Web Site: US imperialism seeks to counter its declining world economic position by exploiting its unchallenged global military dominance. It sees as the principal roadblocks to its hegemonic aims the growing economic and military power of China and the still-considerable strength of Russia, possessor of the worlds second-largest nuclear arsenal, the largest reserves of oil and gas, and a critical geographical position at the center of the Eurasian land mass. Trumps opponents within the ruling class insist that US foreign policy must target Russia with the aim of weakening the Putin regime or overthrowing it. This is deemed a prerequisite for taking on the challenge posed by China. Numerous Washington think tanks have developed scenarios for military conflicts with Russian forces in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in the Baltic States and in cyberspace. The national security elite is not prepared to accept a shift in orientation away from the policy of direct confrontation with Russia along the lines proposed by Trump, who would like for the present to lower tensions with Russia in order to focus first on China. ( Behind the Flynn resignation and Trump crisis: A bitter conflict over imperialist policy , WSWS) Foreign policy elites believe the US and its NATO allies can engage Russia in a shooting war without it expanding into a regional conflict and without an escalation into a nuclear conflagration. Its a risky calculation but, nevertheless, it is the rationale behind the persistent build up of troops and weaponry on Russias western perimeter. Take a look at this from the Independent: Thousands of Nato troops have amassed close to the border with Russia as part of the largest build-up of Western troops neighbouring Moscows sphere of influence since the Cold WarTanks and heavy armoured vehicles, plus Bradley fighting vehicles and Paladin howitzers, are also in situ and British Typhoon jets from RAF Conningsby will be deployed to Romania this summer to contribute to Natos Southern Air Policing mission Kremlin officials claim the build-up is the largest since the Second World War. ( The map that shows how many Nato troops are deployed along Russias border , The Independent) Saber-rattling and belligerence have cleared the way for another world war. Washington thinks the conflict can be contained, but were nor so sure. The inexperienced Trump who naively believed that the president sets his own foreign policyhas now learned that thats not the case. The Flynn slap-down, followed by blistering attacks in the media and threats of impeachment, have left Trump shaken to the core. As a result, he has done a speedy about-face and swung into damage control-mode. On Tuesday, he tried to extend the olive branch by tweeting that Crimea was taken by Russia and by offering to replace Flynn with a trusted insider who will not veer from the script prepared by the foreign policy establishment. Check out this blurb on the Foreign Policy magazine website on Wednesday: President Donald Trump offered the job of national security advisor to retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward on Monday nightIf, as expected, Harward accepts the job today, he is likely to bring in his own team, from deputy on down, with a focus on national security types with some experience under their belts Harward also would work well with Defense Secretary James Mattis. When Mattis was chief of Central Command, Harward was his deputy. Mattis trusted him enough to put him in charge of planning for war with Iran. Mattis has urged Harward to take the NSA job. If Harward becomes NSA, Mattis would emerge from the Flynn mess in a uniquely powerful position: He would have two of his former deputies at the table in some meetings. The other one is John Kelly, now secretary for Homeland Security, who was his number two when Mattis commanded a Marine division early in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. ( A Mattis protege poised to take the helm of Trumps NSC , Foreign Policy) In other words, Trump is relinquishing control over foreign policy and returning it to trusted insiders who will comply with pre-set elitist guidelines. Trumps sudden metamorphosis was apparent in another story that appeared in Wednesdays news, this time related to Rex Tillerson and General Joseph Dunford. Heres a clip from CNN: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford meet face to face with their Russian counterparts Thursday, as the Trump administration evaluates the future direction of US-Russian relations.But even as Tillersons plane was taking off in Washington, the Pentagon announced the meeting between Dunford and his Russian counterpart Valeriy Gerasimov, which will take place Thursday in Baku, Azerbaijan. The military leaders will discuss a variety of issues including the current state of U.S.-Russian military relations Trumps envoys have been expressing positions more keeping with previous US policies.  Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, indicated the US would maintain sanctions on Russia for annexing Crimea in 2014. She condemned what she called the Russian occupation of the Ukrainian territory The US has deployed thousands of troops and tanks to Poland and Romania in recent weeks, while other NATO allies have sent troops to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. There is a common message from the President, from his security team, the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, that they stay strongly committed to NATO, he added. Lets summarize: The sanctions will remain, the tanks are on the border, the commitment to NATO has been reinforced, and Dunford is going to explain Washingtons strategic objectives to his Russian counterpart in clear, unambiguous language. There will be no room for Tillerson, who is on friendly terms with Putin, to change the existing policy or to normalize relations; Dunford, Haley, and Defense Secretary James Mattis will make sure of that. As for Trump, its clear by the Crimea tweet, the sacking of Flynn and the (prospective) appointment of Harward, that hes running scared and is doing everything in his power to get out of the hole hes dug for himself. Theres no way of knowing whether hell be allowed to carry on as before or if hell be forced to throw other allies, like Bannon or Conway, under the bus. I would expect the purge to continue and to eventually include Trump himself. But thats just a guess. The hope that Trump would bring an element of sanity to US foreign policy has now been extinguished. The so called Trump Revolution has fizzled out before it ever began. In contrast, the military buildup along Russias western flank continues apace. Mike Whitney lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition . He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com . The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Spies Keep Intelligence From Donald Trump on Leak Concerns: U.S. intelligence officials have withheld sensitive intelligence from President Donald Trump because they are concerned it could be leaked or compromised, according to current and former officials familiar with the matter. MCMULLIN: DUMP TRUMP AND PROTECT THE NATION | CNN NEWSROOM Join with over 100,000 people in more than 140 countries, who place people before profit Get Our Free Daily Newsletter Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Note to ICH readers - We are experiencing problem with our comment system, which is preventing visitors from posting. Please be patient we are working to solve the problem. Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section.
Trumps One-State Option

By Neve Gordon

February 17, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump declared that the US would no longer insist on a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Decades of US diplomacy were thus cast aside in an instant. Im looking at two-state and one-state formulations, Mr. Trump said during a White House news conference; I like the one that both parties like. Im very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one.

Although Palestinian representative Saeb Erekat was infuriated by Trumps proclamation, and Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the UN, immediately retracted the statement , averring that Washington absolutely supported a two-state solution to the conflict, Trumps pronouncement can actually be understood as a positive development.

Even though Trump does not appear to support Palestinian statehood or basic Palestinian rights, the abandonment of the two-state paradigm, which has informed years of political negotiations (from the Madrid conference in 1991, through Oslo, Camp David, Taba, and Annapolis), has the potential to bring about a new and long overdue kind of debate in the US and Europe.

On the ground, Israel currently controls the area between the Jordan Valley and the Mediterranean Sea, indicating that de-facto there already is only one state. Moreover, past negotiations based on the two state paradigm have allowed Israel to continue bolstering its hold on Palestinian land , where currently an estimated 600,000 Jewish settlers live. The two-state solution has become no more than a chimera used by Israel to sustain the status quo while fortifying its colonial project. In other words, the so-called two state solution has become an effective tool of domination.

By changing the paradigm, the parameters for discussion will also have to change. If within the two-state framework the major points of contention involve Israels full withdrawal to the 1967 border, Jerusalems status and division, and the acknowledgement of the right of return of all Palestinians, discussions revolving around the one-state framework willsooner or laterhave to focus on the shift from apartheid to democratization.

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Within the area controlled by Israel there are currently two legal systems operating, one for Israeli Jews and Palestinian citizens, and the other for the occupied Palestinian inhabitants. Such a situation, according to any reasonable definition, is apartheid. Consequently, only after the one-state paradigm is accepted will the important questions come to the fore and discussions about how to establish a form of power-sharing governance among Israeli Jews and Palestinians based on the liberal democracy model of the separation of powers finally emerge.

Unlike Jewish Israelis, many Palestinians have already come to realize that even though they are currently under occupation, Israels rejectionist stance will unwittingly lead to a bi-national solution. And while Netanyahu is still thousands of miles behind the current juncture, it is high time for an American and European Awakening, one that will force world leaders to support a viable democratic future for the 13 million Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. And while it is extremely unlikely that Trump himself will take the lead in such a move, he has, nonetheless, opened the door precisely to such a development.

Neve Gordon

is a Leverhulme Visiting Professor in the Department of Politics and International Studies and the co-author of The Human Right to Dominate .
More About Russia and Less About Flynn?





The leak has narrowed Trump's options for dealing with Putin.



By Philip Giraldi

February 17, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " American Conservative " - The story on the resignation of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn is somewhat like peeling an onion, with each layer revealing something new. To be sure, I am delighted to see Flynn gone, both because of his clearly expressed desire to confront Iran and his inaccurate characterization of Islam. But Flynns departure will no doubt be exploited by many to justify increased hostility toward Russia, which is neither justified by circumstances nor in Americas long-term interests.

Ironically, I am not even sure if Flynn was ever really on the same page as his boss regarding relations with Moscow. The former advisor considered Russia one of a number of states that would be useful allies in the global war against radical Islamic terrorism. But at the same time, Flynn has been focused on a post-ISIS situation in which a transnational alignment of Iran, Russia, China, and other states all join a grand conspiracy to challenge American military supremacy and ultimately destroy the United States.

To be sure, there are parts of the Flynn tale that just do not make sense. How is it that an experienced intelligence officer would not instinctively know that a long-distance telephone call between a man relaxing at a beach resort in the Dominican Republic and the Russian ambassador in Washington would be intercepted by the National Security Agency? And knowing that, why would anyone lie about it, even if it did include some kind of discussion relating to the current round of sanctions on Russia, which is pretty unsensational material when all is said and done? Flynn certainly had a number of other discussions with foreign-intelligence officers before the Trump inaugural, including those of Israel and most likely Britain, without any scandal being imputed even though the talks must surely have included discussion of substantive issues. The difference is clearly the involvement of Russia.

The motivation for the leak of the apparent transcript of the phone call (or a summary of it) to the media must be considered. There are (more or less) four theories currently floating around regarding what happened and why. First, that it was vindictive members of the intelligence community (IC) getting even for Trumps rude comments about them. Second, that it was a victory for the neoconservatives who want a national-security advisor who will be more openly willing to employ U.S. military power worldwide. Third, that it was honorable members of the IC acting as whistleblowers to expose the illegality and blackmail potential of Flynn discussing policy with a foreign diplomat before he was actually in office. Fourth, that it was carried out by Obama holdovers getting revenge.

I dont buy any of those explanations. In this case, the leak came out of the National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, or possibly the Central Intelligence Agency (or all three) with the intent of bringing down a key political figurethereby damaging a new White House and influencing policy formulation. It also appears to have involved multiple leakers, according to The Intercept . That goes beyond vindictive, vengeful, exposing illegality, worrying about blackmail, or wanting to change horses. This was a leak that had specific policy implications.

Which leads to the possibility that the story about Flynn actually has little or nothing to do with either him personally or his having been indiscreet. How it developed and where it is leading might actually be much more about Americas Russian policy. Taking down Flynn, whose actual views on foreign policy vis-a-vis Iran and Russia are pretty closely aligned with those of the neoconservatives and many in Congress and the media, would hardly appear to be a suitable objective but for the fact that his irascible demeanor made him an easy mark for discrediting the entire Trump project. Now that he has been dismissed over contact with a Russian, Flynn is the stick that will be used to beat Vladimir Putin.

Everyone who matters in the United States is now rushing to demonize Russia, even though Moscow was pretty much a passive player in what happened and has subsequently developed. The narrative that Moscow somehow influenced the outcome of the recent U.S. election has not completely gone away, largely fueled by Democratic Party rage over the final result even though no hard evidence has ever been produced to support the allegations regarding Putins interference. Some senators, including John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have always been prepared to respond dramatically to Russian initiatives. And the media has been on an anti-Putin binge ever since the fighting over Georgia in 2008.

Quite a lot of what is now taking place is feeding off of a shift in perception in Washington. Russia is no longer seen as an adversary or competitor but as an enemy. This was clear in the Hillary Clinton campaigns insistence on punishing Moscow, and it resonates in most mainstream-media coverage of any and all developments in Russia.

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Some suggest that the intelligence community is also on board with this sentiment, though that is often dismissively attributed to a desire for larger budgets and increased turf in Washington. But my own recent encounters with intelligence officers of the current generation has led me to believe something quite differentthat many people in the IC really have come to believe that Russia is a major and very active threat against the United States, just like in the old days with the Soviet Union. I assume they have come to that conclusion through their understanding of developments in Syria and Ukraine, but I nevertheless fail to understand how they have adopted that point of view given the real limitations on Russian power. Whatever the reason, they believe in their Russophobia passionately, and I have discovered that arguing with those who are fixated on Moscow as the fons et origo of global chaos is futile.

To my mind, this makes the officials who shared the phone transcripts much more dangerous than conventional leakers motivated by some personal grievance or desire to right a wrong. I fear that the current crop of Russia skeptics are true believers of the worst kind and will do whatever it takes to disrupt any moves toward rapprochement between Washington and Moscow. Exposing a highly classified sigint -derived phone call of a soon-to-be high U.S. official might reasonably be described as an extreme initiative.

So it seems that the destruction of Flynn, involving as it may have a number of leakers coming from all across the intelligence community, might be part of a coordinated effort to narrow the Trump White Houses options for dealing with Russia. Many in Washington do not want a comfortable working relationship with Putin in spite of the fact that a reset with Moscow should be the No. 1 national-security objective. There are already multiple investigations of Russia underway in Congress with calls for more, but exploiting the vulnerable Flynn might have been seen as providing the best opportunity to do something really disruptive before any change in the direction of foreign policy can take place.
US and Israel Join Forces to Bury Palestinian Statehood



Trump and Netanyahu are trying to push a more blatant and legalised form of apartheid on the Palestinian people.



By Daoud Kuttab

February 17, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Al Jazeera " - Thanks to the lovefest between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, ignoring the Palestinian national leadership seems to be back on the front burner.

During both leaders' first meeting since the new United States administration took office, Trump repeatedly talked about the need for the Israelis and Palestinians to make peace but avoided mentioning the Palestinian leadership.

Apparently fearing the repercussions of Washington's withdrawal of both support for the two-state solution and recognition of the legitimate Palestinian leadership, the US sent CIA chief Mike Pompeo to President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Tuesday, February 14.

By sending the CIA chief rather than a political figure to visit President Abbas, the US is prioritising security issues - including joint security cooperation with Israelis - over the need to recognise Palestinian political and national aspirations.

Trump also casually walked away from a long-standing US and international consensus on the two-state solution, which has been the foundation of Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

'Been there, tried that'

The US president's naive comment on the two or one-state solution - saying he "can live with either one" - means Washington is likely to prolong the status quo of occupation.

Ever since the 1967 occupation, the United Nations Security Council has repeatedly expressed the illegality of the occupation, as in the preamble of Resolution 242 "emphasising inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war". ( PDF )

By leaving the solution to the parties while, at the same time, politically bypassing the Palestinian leadership, the Trump administration is empowering the Israelis to dictate to the Palestinians any deal they want.

The sheer reality of the Israeli occupation and the absence of any political solution is a reflection of how Israel's current tactics have not been producing any results for decades now.

The problem is that Trump and Netanyahu's warm relationship and the former's withdrawal of support for the two-state solution further weakens the US' ability be an honest broker.

Hoping that Arab leaders will replace Palestinians and agree to make peace with Israel on behalf of Palestinians, is another mistaken proposal. As the saying goes, "been there, tried that".

In the past, Arab leaders as well as Israeli and US leaders have tried to find an alternative leadership for Palestinians and have failed miserably.

For instance, Egypt and Jordan resisted pressures from Israel and the international community on who should represent the Palestinians in the 1970s, and in 1974 the Arab summit recognised the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

Netanyahu and Trump's approach to the issue is pushing the region towards a more blatant and legalised form of apartheid in which the Palestinian majority in the occupied territories is stripped off their political rights while Jewish settlers enjoy full political and national rights.

After the 1967 occupation, Israel tried and failed to bypass the PLO by turning a blind eye to Islamic charities established by Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, and as a result Hamas was born in Gaza.

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A similar attempt to undermine the Palestinian leadership took place in the 1980s in rural West Bank with the creation of an alternative to the PLO called the "Village Leagues". This Israeli effort to alter the Palestinian leadership by appointing Palestinian collaborators also failed miserably.

The last time the US tried to bypass the Palestinians it backfired spectacularly. Former US President George HW Bush - working with Secretary of State James Baker - pushed non-PLO Palestinian leaders to represent their people within a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation during the 1991 peace conference in Madrid. In response Israeli and PLO officials reached a secret deal in Oslo without the knowledge of Washington in 1993.

'Permanent apartheid'

Netanyahu's conditions to accept a two-state solution expressed in the Bar Ilan speech in 2009 have now an added element which negates the idea of an independent Palestinian state.

Dropping the commitment to a two-state solution virtually means a permanent presence of Israeli troops within the entire Palestinian territory.

Unless four million Palestinians become avid Zionists overnight, it is unlikely that they will accept and recognise a Jewish state while agreeing to live without the same political rights granted to Jews.

Netanyahu and Trump's approach to the issue is pushing the region towards a more blatant and legalised form of apartheid in which the Palestinian majority in the occupied territories is stripped of their political rights while Jewish settlers enjoy full political and national rights.

The International Criminal Court describes this type of "institutionalised discrimination" as apartheid and sees it as a "crime against humanity".

Moreover, the idea of a "grand deal" that includes Arab countries would similarly fail. Former US peace envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Martin Indyk referred to the idea as an "outside-in" approach.

OPINION: Israel - An inspiration for Trump

Indyk's proposal includes the idea of President Trump convening the leaders of the four Arab countries, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, along with the Quartet, made up of the European Union, the US, the UN, Russia, to announce "a set of agreed principles that would serve as the terms of reference to direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiation to achieve a two-state solution".

Such a summit would certainly not produce the results that Netanyahu or Trump wants. The 2002 Arab peace plan is very clear that Arabs will only meet and normalise relations with Israel once Israel agrees to withdraw to the 1967 borders.

The Quartet - with the exception of US - would also reject Trump's casual idea of giving up on the two-state solution.

If Trump and Netanyahu's meetings are expected to produce a political breakthrough, they should bear one basic principle in mind: The art of a deal requires that the dealmaker is honest and neutral, and parties in the conflict recognise and involve with each other.

If what we saw in the White House press conference is an indication, this prerequisite doesn't exist in the current US administration.
NERMEEN SHAIKH : Were looking at the growing scandal over the Trump administrations alleged dealings with Russia before and after the November election. In early January, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show and suggested the intelligence community may try to get back at Donald Trump.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you. So, even for a practical, supposedly, hard-nosed businessman, hes being really dumb to do this.

AMY GOODMAN: That was the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, in January.

Some supporters of Trump, including Breitbart News, are now accusing the intelligence agencies of attempting to wage a "deep state coup" against the president. Meanwhile, some critics of Trump are openly embracing such activity, like Bill Kristol, the prominent Republican analyst who founded The Weekly Standard. He wrote on Twitter, "Obviously strongly prefer normal democratic and constitutional politics. But if it comes to it, prefer the deep state to the Trump state."

So, still with us, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept, speaking to us from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Glenn, explain what the deep state is, and respond.

GLENN GREENWALD: The deep state, although theres no precise or scientific definition, generally refers to the agencies in Washington that are permanent power factions. They stay and exercise power even as presidents who are elected come and go. They typically exercise their power in secret, in the dark, and so theyre barely subject to democratic accountability, if theyre subject to it at all. Its agencies like the CIA, the NSA and the other intelligence agencies, that are essentially designed to disseminate disinformation and deceit and propaganda, and have a long history of doing not only that, but also have a long history of the worlds worst war crimes, atrocities and death squads. This is who not just people like Bill Kristol, but lots of Democrats are placing their faith in, are trying to empower, are cheering for as they exert power separate and apart fromin fact, in opposition tothe political officials to whom theyre supposed to be subordinate.

And you gothis is not just about Russia. You go all the way back to the campaign, and what you saw was that leading members of the intelligence community, including Mike Morell, who was the acting CIA chief under President Obama, and Michael Hayden, who ran both the CIA and the NSA under George W. Bush, were very outspoken supporters of Hillary Clinton. In fact, Michael Morell went to The New York Times, and Michael Hayden went to The Washington Post, during the campaign to praise Hillary Clinton and to say that Donald Trump had become a recruit of Russia. The CIA and the intelligence community were vehemently in support of Clinton and vehemently opposed to Trump, from the beginning. And the reason was, was because they liked Hillary Clintons policies better than they liked Donald Trumps. One of the main priorities of the CIA for the last five years has been a proxy war in Syria, designed to achieve regime change with the Assad regime. Hillary Clinton was not only for that, she was critical of Obama for not allowing it to go further, and wanted to impose a no-fly zone in Syria and confront the Russians. Donald Trump took exactly the opposite view. He said we shouldnt care who rules Syria; we should allow the Russians, and even help the Russians, kill ISIS and al-Qaeda and other people in Syria. So, Trumps agenda that he ran on was completely antithetical to what the CIA wanted. Clintons was exactly what the CIA wanted, and so they were behind her. And so, theyve been trying to undermine Trump for many months throughout the election. And now that he won, they are not just undermining him with leaks, but actively subverting him. Theres claims that theyre withholding information from him, on the grounds that they dont think he should have it and can be trusted with it. They are empowering themselves to enact policy.

Now, I happen to think that the Trump presidency is extremely dangerous. You just listed off in your newsin your newscast that led the show, many reasons. They want to dismantle the environment. They want to eliminate the safety net. They want to empower billionaires. They want to enact bigoted policies against Muslims and immigrants and so many others. And it is important to resist them. And there are lots of really great ways to resist them, such as getting courts to restrain them, citizen activism and, most important of all, having the Democratic Party engage in self-critique to ask itself how it can be a more effective political force in the United States after it has collapsed on all levels. That isnt what this resistance is now doing. What theyre doing instead is trying to take maybe the only faction worse than Donald Trump, which is the deep state, the CIA, with its histories of atrocities, and say they ought to almost engage in like a soft coup, where they take the elected president and prevent him from enacting his policies. And I think it is extremely dangerous to do that. Even if youre somebody who believes that both the CIA and the deep state, on the one hand, and the Trump presidency, on the other, are extremely dangerous, as I do, theres a huge difference between the two, which is that Trump was democratically elected and is subject to democratic controls, as these courts just demonstrated and as the media is showing, as citizens are proving. But on the other hand, the CIA was elected by nobody. Theyre barely subject to democratic controls at all. And so, to urge that the CIA and the intelligence community empower itself to undermine the elected branches of government is insanity. That is a prescription for destroying democracy overnight in the name of saving it. And yet thats what so many, not just neocons, but the neocons allies in the Democratic Party, are now urging and cheering. And its incredibly warped and dangerous to watch them do that.

AMY GOODMAN: And The Wall Street Journal's report that says now intelligence officials are not giving President Trump all the information because they're concerned about what hell do with it, not to mention intelligence agencies of other countries deeply concerned about what Trump will do with it, and particularly concerned about what he might share with Russia?

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GLENN GREENWALD: Well, so, first of all, theres a media issue here, which is that if you look at The Wall Street Journal report, its pretty much exactly the same as every other significant report about Russia over the last six months, many of which have proven to be completely false. Its based on anonymous officials making extremely vague claims. Even The Wall Street Journal says, "We dont know whos doing this, withholding information. We dont know how much information is being withheld."

Secondly, the idea that Donald Trump is some kind of an agent or a spy of Russia, or that he is being blackmailed by Russia and is going to pass secret information to the Kremlin and endanger American agents on purpose, is an incredibly crazy claim that has been nowhere proven to be true. It reminds me of the kind of things Glenn Beck used to say about Obama while he stood at his chalkboard and drew thosethose unstable charts that he drew, these wild conspiracy theories that are without evidence.

We ought to have a serious, sober, structured investigation of the claims that Russia hacked the DNC and John Podestas emails and that there were improper ties between Donald Trump and the Russians, and that ought to be made public so that we can see the information. But this constant media obsession of leaking whatever someone whispers to them about Donald Trump and Russia, because they know it will get their reporters huge numbers of retweets on Twitter and tons of traffic by people who are being fed what they want to hear, is really feeding into the worst kind of hysteria and even fake news that the media says theyre trying to combat. These are really serious claims that merit serious investigation, and thats exactly what were not getting.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, in a recent piece in The Intercept by one of your colleagues, they write, "If in fact all of this is 'non-sense,' Trump has the power as president to make that clear immediatelyby declassifying all government intercepts of communications between Russian nationals and anyone in his orbit." So, do you think, Glenn, that Trump ought to be doing that?

GLENN GREENWALD: I mean, its an interesting point, because, for example, there have been lots of claims made about the communications that General Flynn had with Russian diplomats and what these transcripts supposedly reflect, and yet nobody has seen the transcripts. Weve seen little bits and pieces of them. We havent seen the whole transcript. We ought to see that whole transcript. And my colleague, Jon Schwarz, who wrote that piece, is absolutely right that its within President Trumps power to order it instantly declassified. Theres no review of that decision, and then it could be made public.

On the other hand, it is really bizarre, just as a reporter who has been in the middle of a controversy for the last four years about the leaking of classified information, to hear people suggest that the president now ought to take the most sensitive intercepts that the government is capable of obtaining, which is how they eavesdrop on Russian officials inside the Kremlin, and just toss them to the public like theres no problem at all with doing that. I think that what youre seeing here is this really disturbing double standard, that all weve heard since the war on terror is that classified information is sacred and anybody who leaks it is treasonous and satanic and belongs in jail for a really long time, and now classified information seems to be something thats just a plaything, like something that we just toss around for fun if it serves a certain agenda. And I think that thats one of the issues thats bothering me about the way this discourse is unfolding.
A -19 -year -old man, Ogunlusi Abass, on Friday was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment by an Osogbo Magistrates court in Osun State for stealing dry fish and seven pieces of noodles, with a tin of three crown milk. The police prosecutor, Inspector Fagboyinbo Abiodun, told the court that Abass committed the offence on January 28, 2017.

According to him, the stolen items belonged to one Rasheed Shakirat of Onibueja area of Osogbo.

He said Abass also stole 3 beverages and 3 pieces of golden Penny semovita, valued at N4,630.

He explained that the offence committed by Abass were contrary to and punishable under section 411 and section 390 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol II. Laws of Osun State of Nigeria; 2002.

The accused, however, pleaded guilty with deep remorse over his action.

Meanwhile his counsel, Mrs A Y Dada haD earlier asked the magistrate to temper justice with mercy as the accused was remorseful.

Chief Magistrate, Olusola Aluko, in his ruling thereafter sentenced Abass to six months imprisonment or a fine of N10,000.

Abass was, however, unable to meet the fine charge and was later led to Ilesha prison custody to serve his six months prison terms.

Source: Naijaloaded
A Chief Magistrates Court in Port Harcourt on Friday granted bail on grounds of health to one of 45 Biafra separatists standing trial.

The Chief Magistrate, Andrew Jaja, granted Emmanuel Nnamani bail in the sum of N50,000 after considering that he was almost losing one of his eyes.

Mr. Jaja and other 44 suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), are standing trial on a two-court charge of conspiracy to commit treasonable felony and display of unruly behaviour.

They were arrested in Port Harcourt during the IPOB solidarity rally for the inauguration of the United States President Donald Trump on January 20.

He was reportedly struck in his right eye by security agents before his arrest.

The chief magistrate also issued a hearing notice to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police or the state Attorney General to appear in court to explain reasons why the accused should not be granted bail.

Hearing notice would be served the Attorney General or the commissioner of police to come and show cause why the accused persons should not be released unconditionally pending the advice of the DPP (Director of Public Prosecution), Mr. Jaja said.

He explained that the attorney general or the commissioner of police would be given 10 days to appear before the court.

The accused were remanded in prison custody while the case was adjourned to March 3.

Earlier, the Counsel to IPOB, Inalagwu Adoga, had prayed the court to grant the accused persons bail since their case files had not reached the Department of Public Prosecution.

Mr. Adoga explained that it would be in the interest of justice for the court to grant the suspects bail.

He also prayed the court to grant Mr. Nnamani bail due to his worsening eye problem.

Speaking to journalists after the court session, Mr. Adoga called on the Federal and Rivers state governments to resolve the Biafra agitation amicably like that of the Niger Delta issue.

The Biafra situation started 51 years ago. It has been lingering on and on.

I have written to the Federal Government for a dialogue to end this matter before it gets out of hand.

I think it is time for the Federal Government to sit down and call on the leadership of IPOB to discuss the matter, he said.

Mr. Adoga appealed to the government to exercise caution.

Source: NAN
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), have reportedly picked up Chocolate City founder, Audu Maikori.

DAILY POST reached out Maikoris personal assistant, Edward Ayide over the phone and he refused to comment on the matter.

I cant comment, he simply said.

When pressed further, Ayide seemed to imply his channels of communications were being monitored.

I cant even send you a message. If you have noticed, I havent even been regular on my social media pages. Im sorry, I cant make any comments.

Two weeks ago, Maikori apologized to the College of Education in Gidan-Waya, Kaduna and the Kaduna State Government, for sending out false information about an attack on the school.

Maikori at the time claimed that six students of the school were killed by Fulani herdsmen, including his drivers younger brother.

The College of Education released a statement denying the incident and Maikori faced a lot of backlash on social media, with many saying he posted fake pictures.

He published a retraction on his Facebook page and claimed his driver, a certain Simon Joseph, misled him.

Source: Dailypost
Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Faysoe, has revealed that the Federal Ministry of Finance has reversed its decision over the N1billion Budget Support Facility for the month of January belonging to the State.

Fayose stated on Friday that he has received official communication from the Federal Ministry of Finance, releasing the States allocation.

He said: I dont want to join issues with anybody on the allocation; it is a statutory allocation for all the States, I can confirm to you here that by Tuesday next week, I will get the bank alert for the money; an official communication on the release was passed to me just yesterday (Thursday).

Fayose had accused the Federal Government of planning to cripple the state, over its refusal to pay Ekiti the allocation.

On Thursday, the Ministry said Ekiti State failed to comply with the conditions to get the facility which is a loan by the Federal Government to the states to cushion the impact of revenue shortfall from the federation account.

The statement said the ministry had written to the state government in August last year drawing its attention to the need to comply with the terms of the loans and that the state would be stopped from accessing the facility due to non-compliance.

Source: Dailypost
Founder of Chocolate City Audu Maikori has been arrested by police.

The lawyer was arrested after his tweets about a fatal attack on his relatives in Southern Kaduna turned out to be false, his lawyer said Friday, according to Premium Times.

After the news of his arrest broke out, Nigerians have been demanding his release. Several twitter users have been active raising the issue.

https://twitter.com/CitizenlnChief/status/832714500851671040

https://twitter.com/ChukkyEE/status/832713543845703681

https://twitter.com/CitizenlnChief/status/832718365114241025

https://twitter.com/YemieFash/status/832869619228692480
The treasurer of the Delta State branch of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, (NUT), Mr Titus Okotie has been kidnapped.

It was gathered that Okotie, was travelling with his daughter to Ughelli from Asaba when his vehicle was ambushed along the Kwale and Ozoro axis of the Ughelli-Asaba Expressway on Friday morning.

According to reports, the victim who is currently running for NUT Chairman in the State was forcibly whisked away by his abductors leaving behind his car and daughter.

Confirming the abduction, the Spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, said the a team of officers are already on the trail of the kidnappers.

He advised the family of the victim not to panic, that the Police will do everything possible to rescue him unhurt as soon as possible.
Authorities in California, USA said a man who stole a van from outside a mortuary returned it and stole another vehicle when he discovered a dead body in the back.

Riverside Police said a mortuary worker had parked the van outside the business about 1:30 a.m. Sunday and went inside, giving Bobby Joe Washington, 24, the chance to steal the vehicle.

He [the driver] had just picked up a decedent and returned to the mortuary to pick up some paperwork, Officer Ryan Railsback told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. He left the keys in the car but it wasnt on or anything.

Railsback said Washington returned the van to the mortuary about an hour later, after discovering the body in the back of the vehicle. He said the suspect stole a second van from the same business and tried to run over an employee who tried to stop him.

I dont think Ive ever heard of anything like this, Railsback told the Los Angeles Times. Out of all the bad decisions he made, he at least made one good one and brought back the deceased person.

The employee flagged down an officer investigating the first theft and the officer followed Washington for about 2-1/2 miles.

The suspect stopped the vehicle, but was initially uncooperative with police, Railsback said. He said Washington resisted until the canines got there, at which time he was arrested on charges of vehicle theft, assault with a deadly weapon, and evading a police officer.

Police said he was not charged with the theft of the body because it appeared to have been unintentional.

We dont think he knew it was in there at the time he stole it, Railsback said.

Washington was jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail.
A magistrate court in Osogbo, capital of Osun State today remanded a man in Ilesa prison for killing his mother in a village in the state.

A man identified as Ayoola Kazeem has on Friday, remanded in Ilesa prison by a magistrate court sitting in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, for killing his mother in a village in the state.

Police prosecutors told the court Ayoola killed his 85-year old mother, Taibat Ayoola on the 10th of February, 2016 in a village near Osu, the headquarter of Atakumosa West local government area of Osun state.

Ayoola had no legal counsel in court and his plea was not taken. But when allowed to address the court, Ayoola said his mother was making life difficult for him and he was relieved after her death.

My mother is responsible for all my misfortunes. I built three houses and burnt two because of her. I always feel like destroying things whenever she is around me.

On that fateful day, mummy came to meet me in my farm and started irritating me as usual. I decided to kill her once so that I will have peace of mind.

The presiding judge, Magistrate Habibat Basiru ordered that the accused be remanded at Ilesha prison and adjourned the case till 15th of March, 2016.
In new Oscars ad, popular American television host Jimmy Kimmel receives a pep talk that turns sour from actor Morgan Freeman.

James Jimmy Kimmel, a man on the precipice of hosting the Oscars, Freeman narrates while the late night host gets ready in front of a backstage mirror.

An opportunity to be the toast of the town or, a chance to bomb so fantastically, everywhere he goes people would say, Look at sucky sucko  he had his shot, and man, did he blow it in front of billions,' the actor continues.

Kimmel responds to Freeman standing right next to him, You know this is not really helping Morgan.

Well fine, do you your own damn pep talk, Freeman responds.

Kimmel is set to host the Oscars for the first time Feb. 26 inside the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The Sen. Ahmed Markafi-led, National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party said the party would appeal the Court of Appeal Judgement affirming Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff as chairman of the party.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Committee, Mr Dayo Adeyeye disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.

Adeyeye described the judgement as a big disappointment, travesty and miscarriage of Justice.

He said, The minority judgement is very sound in law, logic and fact. It gives us hope that we will have our day in the Supreme Court.

Whereas the lead judgement left out the main issues and laboured unconvincingly to work to a preconceived answer, the minority judgement thrashed all the issues and upheld the judgement of the High Court in Port Harcourt, delivered by Liman J on July 4, 2016.

We will certainly appeal to the Supreme Court. No re-conciliatory effort will stop it.

We need the Supreme Court to make a pronouncement on the issue, once and for all.

Apart from affirming Sheriff as the National Chairman of the PDP, the appellant court also nullified the partys National Convention held in the Rivers capital in 2016 and the National Caretaker Committee of the party constituted at the convention.

Two out of the three-member Appeal Court, Justice B.G. Sanga and Justice A. Gumel, in the judgment, said the Port Harcourt convention was an abuse of court process.

Delivering the lead judgment, Sanga said that PDP did not follow the provisions of Article 47(3) of its Constitution in the removal of the Sherrif-led National Working Committee.
Former aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Koyde has hinted on leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for embattled factional National Chairman of the Party, Sen Ali Modu Sheriff.

The former Presidential campaign spokesperson in a series of tweet on his twitter handle wrote: The C of A decision is absurd. It is time for us to gut the PDP, leave its carcass for the treacherous mole called Sheriff and form a new party.

Fani-Kayode, who dropped the hint while reacting to the Appeal Courts earlier ruling affirming Sheriff as PDP Chairman, has earlier described the ruling as victory for President Muhammadu Buhari.

Recall that the Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State had earlier today ruled in favour of the former Borno State Governor.

A three-man panel of judges in a unanimous decision agreed that the former Borno State Governor is the authentic National Chairman of the party.

Following the ruling, the Makarfis faction of the former ruling party disclosed that it would be heading for the Supreme court to contest the judgement.

Source: Naijaloaded
Firefighters in Idaho, USA helped pull a stranded horse out of a frozen pool in a residents back yard.

The Eagle Fire Department shared photos as fire crews and neighbours broke through the ice to pull Lucky, the 5-year-old horse, out of the frozen water.

Eagle Firefighters along with @AdaCoSheriff and neighbors rescue lucky the horse from a pool. pic.twitter.com/RbkP624eEc  Eagle Fire Dept (@Eaglefire_Dept) February 12, 2017

Thats really his name, Eagle Fire Battalion Chief Rob Shoplock told the Idaho Statesman. And he certainly is lucky.

An Ada County Sheriffs spokesman said a homeowner called to report the horse was trapped in the pool around 4:50 p.m. Saturday after Lucky and several other horses escaped from their nearby enclosure.

The sheriffs office said Lucky had been in the water for about an hour before firefighters and deputies arrived to cut through the ice with chainsaws and pulled him free.

When we starting moving him, he was not having it  he actually fell down under the water, Shoplock said of efforts to rescue the horse.

Lucky was checked by a veterinarian after being pulled from the icy water and appeared to be okay, according to officials.
The Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, on Friday matriculated 7,290 students admitted for the 2016/2017 academic session.

Speaking at the event, its Vice Chancellor, Abdullahi Zuru, said that the new students were admitted out of over 22,000 candidates who applied for admission into the institution.

Mr. Zuru explained that the figure represented an increase of about 40 per cent of admissions when compared to those admitted for the 2015/2016 session.

He said: The 2016/2017 admission had given priority to the sciences and science- related programmes with about 74 per cent.

The priority was in compliance with the Federal governments directive of according 60:40 ratio of Science to Humanity students.

This is also in our response to the federal governments desire to ensure rapid development of the country through advances in science and technology.

Every year, we witness an increase in the number of students seeking admission into the university.

 This is attributable to our track records of excellence, peace, high moral values and absence of cultism.

The Vice Chancellor disclosed that the National University Commission (NUC), had granted approval for the University to establish a Faculty of Engineering with effect from the 2016/2017 academic session.

He said, the faculty had taken off with five full time programmes, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Information and Communication Technology and Environmental Management and Resources.

This enables the University to key into the laudable determination of the present administration to industrialize Nigeria, within the shortest time possible, Mr. Zuru said.

He further called on the matriculated students to strictly adhere to the universitys rules and regulations.

This include personal discipline, high moral standards and respect for constituted authorities, the vice chancellor added.
A gang of suspected armed inter-state armed robbers which specialised in dispossessing victims of their cars and valuables has been arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of Oyo State Police Command. The gang, it was learnt, usually target female drivers.

The arrested suspects included Gbene Emmanuel (27), Akhigbe Andrew (35), Augustine Helen (27), said to be the gangs armourer, Godwin Ngozi (38), Ogedegbe Famous (23), Owolabi Adegoke (29), Adebayo Muyiwa (54), Pelemo Samuel (28) and Oni Niyi (35).

Speaking during a press briefing last week, the state Commissioner of Police, Sam Adegbuyi said that the gang attacked one Omobola (surname withheld) and attempted to snatch her Toyota Corolla ca at gun point as she was about to drive into her residence at Elebu area of Ibadan.

He said that the alarm raised by the victim attracted neighbours and SARS operatives on patrol, leading to Emmanuels arrest as he tried to escape with his gang member, Famous. Adegbuyi added that Emmanuel led the SARS operatives to other gang members in Ibadan and Akure, Ondo State, including their suspected armourers who were females.

During interrogation, they confessed to have snatched five cars and mentioned one Alhaji who used to receive the vehicles from them, the police commissioner stated.

Recovered from the suspects were two locally-made cut-to-size guns, two live cartridges, a Nissan Sunny car, an axe and a cutlass.

Saturday Tribune had an interview session with the suspects. Below are the confessions:

Gbene Emmanuel (27).

I am from Rivers State and an articulated vehicle driver, but I live in Ughelli in Delta State. I was arrested during an attempt to rob a woman of his vehicle. My friend, Famous, invited me and one Praise, saying that his friend in Akure said he should come to Akure for a robbery operation. I agreed to follow him because I needed money. I knew him in Delta State.

I started robbery with Praise who is at large. We operated in Delta State. Since I finished my Ordinary National Diploma in Computer Science at the Abia State Polytechnic in 2010, I have been a driver because I could not secure a good job. Those I worked with were always stressing me by not paying salary promptly or giving me faulty vehicles.

I discussed my desire to travel to Cyprus, Athens for further studies with Praise and he led me into his robbery gang. What I usually did was to drive away the vehicle the gang members snatched at gun point. The gun we used belonged to Praise but he bought an additional one when we were going to Akure to join Famous.

I was able to save about N450,000 from proceeds of robbery operations I did with Praise, but I have squandered it. Some of the receivers did not pay for the vehicles we gave them. I have joined others to snatch five vehicles.

I also have a friend, Matthew, in Ibadan whom I used to work with in Ibadan to snatch vehicles. I knew another friend, Andrew, through Matthew. When I was in Akure, I was speaking with both of them on phone and Andrew asked me to come to Ibadan to help him snatch a vehicle. He said he needed to pay some bills and was not having money.

Before the latest one, I snatched three vehicles with Matthew in Ibadan in 2016. We usually operated along Ring Road and environs between 7:00p.m. and 8:00p.m., and we usually targeted Toyota Camry vehicles driven by women. We used to trail them on motorcycles.

I always take the vehicles to Benin, Edo State, and the Alhaji that used to buy them would send someone to pick them. He was based in the North.

On the last operation, he said: We trailed a woman into a street and as she got to the gate to her house, she stopped. While she was on the phone, I got down from the bike, bent down so that she would not see me and tries to open her car door. The door was locked. She noticed it and I walked back towards the bike on which Famous was waiting. It was Andrew who brought the bike.

She reversed, beamed her headlamp at us, came to me and asked why I was trying to open her car door. I told her it was a mistake, but Famous was jittery so he sped off. That was how the woman raised the alarm.

Famous Ogedegbe (23)

I am from Afuze in Edo State. I was into stealing and burglary in Delta State. We dont have money in our family; that was why I started stealing. The Ibadan car robbery operation was my first time of doing such.

Augustine Helen called me for the business of trailing people who had money or who just left banks. But we needed a car to carry out our operations; that was what brought us to Ibadan. I knew Helen through a friend, Joe.

Andrew Akhigbe (35)

I live at Apata, Ibadan. I was into painting. I knew Emmanuel through my friend, Matthew, who lived with me at Odo Ona area of Ibadan. Later, Matthew went to Delta, saying he wanted to go and stay with his brother. He came back to Ibadan in August 2016 and I saw him with Gbene on a motorcycle.

Later, Matthew came to my house but he returned to Benin. He called me from there and informed me that he was coming to Ibadan to rob. He asked me to look for a motorcycle to work with, and I got him one.

Source: Naijaloaded
Some kids want to be astronauts, firefighters or chefs when they grow up but one little girl has her sights set on one of the biggest tech companies in the world.

A 7-year-old girl, Chloe Bridgewater, is currently trending online after she send a message to one of the biggest tech companies in the world  Google.

According to Dailymail, the little sent Google a handwritten letter noting her computer skills and expressing interest in working at a place that provides bean-bag chairs and go-karts for their employees.

The Google boss, CEO Sundar Pichai, replied telling Chloe that he looks forward to receiving her job application and encouraged the young girl to follow her dreams.

It was gathered that the little Chloe was inspired to write the letter after seeing images of Google offices filled with comfy bean-bags, go-karts and slides.

In Chloes letter, she tells Google CEO, Pichai, who she deems Google boss, that she enjoys using computers and plays a game on her tablet where she moves a robot up and down.

She also explained that her dad said if she continues being a good student and get good grades, she will one day have a job at Google. Chloe also noted that she wants to work in a chocolate factory and be an Olympic swimmer.

In a shocking surprise, the little girl received a response from Pichai, encouraging the little girl to keep working hard and follow her dreams.

Im glad that you like computers and robots, and hope that you continue to learn about technology, the Google CEO wrote.

I think if you keep working hard and following your dreams, you can accomplish everything you set your mind to  from working at Google to swimming in the Olympics. I look forward to receiving your job application when you are finished with school.

The Girls father shared the letter on his LinkedIn stating his daughter was knocked down by a car a few years back and the letter had a great impact on her.

She lost a great deal of confidence after being knocked down by a car a couple of years ago, he shared in a LinkedIn post.

However, to say she is delighted after receiving this letter signed by Sundar Pichai himself is an understatement. She is now even more eager to do well at school and work for Google.

Cant thank such a busy person enough to take time out to make a little girls dream become one step closer, although not sure shes fully aware that itll take more than riding go karts and sleeping in pods to make it with Google!
With each iteration of the iPhone, Apple seems determined to make its smartphone thinner and reduce the number of physical ports it has.

The latest speculation -- that the company may introduce wireless charging on the next iPhone -- indicates Apple may be considering cutting wires (and another port) all together.

Earlier this month, Ming-Chi Kuo, a financial analyst highly regarded for his accurate Apple predictions, asserted that the next iterations of the iPhone will include wireless charging.

And earlier this week, it was revealed that Apple in January joined the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), which promotes the Qi magnetic resonance charging specification.

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While Apple is often a technology follower -- preferring to let others push the envelope first before it moves into a market with its own advances -- it does have a history of changing user behavior through interfaces. That may mean wired charging could be missing completely on the next iPhone, said Rob Rueckert, the managing director at Sorenson Capital, a private equity and venture capital firm.

"They forced users into a different model with the wireless Earbuds [AirPods]," Rueckert said. "If you buy an iPhone 8, or whatever future versions they have, are they going to take it to the point where they only allow wireless charging?"

Creative Commons Lic. Apple's AirPods, which use wireless Bluetooth to connect to a mobile device, ushered in iPhones without analog audio ports.

While the WPC's version of magnetic resonance wireless charging requires a mobile device to be in direct contact with a pad, it's unlikely Apple would move in that direction and keep a hardwired charging cord.

The problem with allowing both wired and wireless charging, Rueckert said, is there's no benefit of one over the other; why would users pay for a separate wireless charging pad when the device still requires a wire to be plugged into an electrical outlet?

"If they still allow you to plug it in, users will have to decide if they want to buy the expensive charger -- a feature I don't find overly compelling," Rueckert said.

Plus, magnetic wireless charging requires an additional element in the mobile device: a copper receiving coil, which takes up valuable real estate inside the ever-thinner iPhone.

Rueckert believes if Apple does choose to roll out wireless charging with the next iPhone, it'll likely go all in.

"They've done it before. They've been bold movers in changing features, and because of the loyalty to the Apple brand, people will embrace it; it wouldn't surprise me," Rueckert said.

Broadly speaking, there are three types of wireless charging technologies the industry is pursuing: charging pads that typically use magnetic inductive or resonance technology, which Samsung has adopted in its devices; charging bowls or through-surface type chargers, which can charge from a few centimeters away and also use magnetic resonance charging technology; and WiFi-like wireless charging, which is typically known as uncoupled. It produces less charging power but has a longer range allowing users to move freely while a device powers up.

(Apple, according to MacRumors, has also been eyeing WiTricity, which licenses a magnetic resonance charging technology.)

While systems being demonstrated by companies like Energous and Ossia, according to Green use Wi-Fi-like charging, the new Dell/WiTricity tablet system announced at CES uses the the AirFuel Resonant specification; it works with charging bowls and through-surface charging, according to David Green, research manager for the Wireless Power & Smart Utilities Infrastructure Group at IHS.

"In terms of progress and industry readiness, charging pads have been shipping in volume since 2015, charging bowls/through-surface type are really just launching this year, and charging across a room is probably still at least a year away from commercial high-volume reality," he said.

Energous An illustration of how Enerous' WattUp ecosystem works. A Far Field transmitter embedded in the bezel of a TV or sound bar or mounted on the wall or ceiling, enables meshed-network coverage where linked transmitters cover larger spaces.

One thing is clear, Green continued, in 2017 users are not going to see "a device offering full-speed wireless charging across a room."

Even if Apple chooses magnetic resonance wireless charging for the iPhone, it will likely be a "baby step" toward an eventual changeover to the Holy Grail of wireless charging: charging over distance with a W-iFi-like connection.

Ossia and Energous have demonstrated wireless charging beyond 15 feet.

"I've used both. The technology works," Ruekert said.

Both Energous' WattUp and Ossia's Cota mobile device charging systems work much like a wireless router, sending radio frequency signals that can be received by enabled mobile devices, such as wearables and mobile phones. A small RF antenna in the form of PCB board, an ASIC and software make up the wireless power receivers.

Ossia Ossia's wireless RF charging router.

Another advantage of using radio frequencies to charge a mobile device is that a traditional magnetic charging coil is no longer needed. A mobile device's Wi-Fi receiver chip can simply be modified so that it receives both the wireless signal for communication and charging.

Whatever wireless charging method Apple chooses, if indeed it does so this year, there will likely be something proprietary added to it, Ruekert said.

Over the last decade, Apple has filed several patents on wireless charging.

In 2005, an Apple patent described technology for an iPod using zero-contact induction for not only charging but data transfer -- most likely to manage device charging.

Apple The Apple Watch, launched in 2015, uses a proprietary form of inductive wireless charging.

In a 2012 Apple patent filing, the company described a near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power supply "arranged to wirelessly provide power to any of a number of suitably configured devices."

Apple's patent description indicated a charging distance of about one meter, which could be projected out from a desktop computer such as the iMac to power peripheral devices such as a wireless mouse.

While "second guessing exact Apple product specifications is a fool's game," wireless charging is quickly on the uptake by most leading mobile technology providers, Green said.

In 2016, 200 million wireless charging-enabled devices shipped, with almost all of them using some form of inductive (charging pad) type design, Green said.

"If this was any other manufacturer, you would predict inductive charging pad-type technology as the start point," Green said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if they're looking at more than one method of wireless charging as part of the overall experience."

This story, "Apple may cut the (charging) cord completely with the iPhone 8" was originally published by Computerworld .
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On Sunday's all-new episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta  The ladies return to Atlanta after a dramatic end to their glamping getaway. Cynthia Bailey begins planning her Cargo Fashion Show, presenting momager Sheree Whitfield with an opportunity for her son Kairo to participate.

Porsha Williams wonders if her boyfriend Todd is ready for a serious relationship and decides to confront him with an ultimatum. Phaedra Parks hears major news concerning her divorce, while Kenya Moore gives Cynthia a special gift to help jumpstart her dating life post-divorce. Kandi Burruss and Porsha meet for the first time since the shocking rumors surfaced to see if they can hash out their unresolved issues. Watch a sneak peek preview below!





E! News, Kandi and her newfound nemesis Porsha Williams sit down for a chat after returning home from the disastrous glamping trip that outed Porsha's allegations about Kandi's supposed lesbian identity, prompting Kandi to accuse her accuser of having the dipped her toe in the exact same pond, if you catch our drift. And let's just say that time to reflect on the matter hasn't calmed anyone. In this exclusive preview clip via, Kandi and her newfound nemesis Porsha Williams sit down for a chat after returning home from the disastrous glamping trip that outed Porsha's allegations about Kandi's supposed lesbian identity, prompting Kandi to accuse her accuser of having the dipped her toe in the exact same pond, if you catch our drift. And let's just say that time to reflect on the matter hasn't calmed anyone.

"At the end of the day, it ain't no secret. I've hooked up with a chick before," Kandi tells Porsha. "It ain't never been a secret. I don't live my life like that. You do.""Have several seats," Porsha says in her commentary. "If you want to call me out and try to so-called put my life on front street, let's talk about yours." Um, isn't that what got us to this place, Porsha?!In this clip, Porsha wonders if her boyfriend Todd is ready for a serious relationship and decides to confront him with an ultimatum - either he gets a job or it's over.In this other clip, Phaedra confides with Porsha that her divorce with ex-husband Apollo Nida is finally finalized, however she claims that he is not happy with the news despite having a girlfriend.airs Sunday nights at 8/7c only on Bravo. For International TV ListingsSource/Photo Credit: Bravo
Update 10.40pm: Fianna Fail's Michael McGrath has warned that speculation over Enda Kenny's leadership is destabilising the Government.

The controversy continued tonight when an email from Fine Gael parliamentary party chairman Martin Heydon was circulated on social media, calling on members of Fine Gael to refrain from commenting any further about the Taoiseach.

Deputy McGrath is concerned that Fine Gael party politics is deflecting from the work of Government.

"This speculation about a General Election is coming about as a result of internal Fine Gael politics and if an election does arise it will be because of that. We don't think that it is necessary and we want to see the Government refocus, recommit to the issues that they were elected to deal with."

Fianna Fail's Michael McGrath says it's important the Government gets back on track and "it needs to get its house in order" pic.twitter.com/OyEIed7nn4  RTE News (@rtenews) February 17, 2017

Update 9.15pm: The chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party has tonight written to members asking them to stop calling for Enda Kenny's departure, writes Elaine Loughlin, Political Reporter.

Martin Heydon has emailed TDs and Senators stating he is "greatly concerned that the Taoiseach and leader of our party is not being shown the respect his service and his office deserve."

It comes after a number of Fine Gael members called on Mr Kenny to make clear in the coming days the date for his stepping down.

Mr Heydon continued: "I ask - in the best interests of a united Fine Gael and in the interests of common decency - that members of the parliamentary party refrain from making further public utterances about our party leader. Such comments ultimately hurt our party.

"Any comments should be kept for next week's parliamentary party meeting which will take place as usual at 5.30pm next Wednesday," he told members.

Update 4.40pm: Taoiseach Enda Kenny should be allowed to remain in power for up to 18 months to oversee the first stage of the formal Brexit negotiations, one of his party colleagues has claimed, writes Fiachra O Cionnaith.

European Affairs Minister Dara Murphy made the claim as he dismissed any talk of an immediate leadership change or heave against Mr Kenny next week as being "not in the interests of the country".

Speaking to the Irish Examiner after the All-Ireland Civic Dialogue on Brexit event at Dublin Castle, Mr Murphy said the coming months are "vital" for Ireland and that Brexit should remain the focus of all politicians.

And in a sign that Mr Kenny is being urged by his dwindling number of supporters to fight back against calls for him to resign now or within the next 12 weeks, Mr Murphy said he has told the Taoiseach he should remain until summer 2018.

"The next number of months are going to be vital for the country, and in my view it is not in the national interest to change leader and be distracted by a leadership contest.

"My strong preference is for Mr Kenny to remain for the first stage of Brexit negotiations. That begins next month and is at least six to eight meetings [of the EU Council].

"It [any deal] has to get to the European parliament within a two-year time-frame, so the first stage of negotiations will be at least a year to a year and a half long," he said.

Mr Murphy confirmed he has told Mr Kenny he wants him to stay, and claimed he was "heartened" by Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar's comments that he will not force Mr Kenny from power, despite a number of widely believed supporters of Mr Varadkar openly calling for Mr Kenny to step aside.

Asked if a short leadership race would remove the risk of distracting from Brexit as the issue would be resolved early in the negotiations, he said the "simple reality" is Mr Kenny has built up "personal relationships" with other EU leaders now vital to Ireland's post-Brexit future.

Speaking to reporters before the All-Ireland Civic Dialogue began, Mr Murphy repeated the view.

"To change the captain of our team before we run out of the dressing room is a ludicrous proposal.

"It is vital that all the people involved in the divorce process [Brexit] focus absolutely on the job in hand.

"The Taoiseach has been clear. He has a unique skill set. At this point for our country, the last thing we should be talking about frankly is leadership change.

"Some of the people in our party who want to have a cut should put the country first, and put our country before our party.

"It is not good to be dis-organised when the real negotiations start," he said.

LATEST 4pm: Foreign Affairs Minister Flanagan has said he is focused on his current role and he won't be throwing his hat in the ring to become the next party leader.

LATEST 2pm: Dublin Fingal Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell has said Taoiseach Enda Kenny's position as leader of Fine Gael is now "untenable", writes Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner Political Editor.

Mr Farrell said he no longer has confidence in Mr Kenny and has called on him to step down to make way for a new leader.

"Unfortunately, I no longer have confidence in the ability of Enda Kenny TD to lead Fine Gael and I believe his position is now untenable," he said in a statement.

"Fine Gael, as a party in Government, requires a leader who can manage the party in a manner which inspires faith amongst the Parliamentary Party, our local representatives and the wider membership," he said.

Mr Farrell then sought to pay tribute to Mr Kenny.

"I wish the acknowledge Enda Kenny's unwavering commitment to public service and to working in the best interests of our society and the Irish public."

Alan Farrell

"While I sincerely thank An Taoiseach for the work he has done in rebuilding our party since becoming leader in 2002 and even more so for his incredible stewardship of the country since 2011, I believe it is now time for him to step aside and allow a new leader, with a fresh approach, to lead us into the future," he added.

Mr Farrell said the party must be prepared to tackle the challenges which arise in society.

"In doing so we require a leader who can lead with confidence, and highlight how the values an principles of Fine Gael can best benefit our society and every community across our country," he added.

"Over the last number of days, we as a party have stumbled from one crisis to another, highlighting how fragile our arrangement as a minority Government is. Not only were we close to an election once, I firmly believe we came close three times. If anything should be learned from the events of the last few days it is that we must be ready for an election at any time," Mr Farrell said.

"In order to do that, we must have a new leader in place who will inject a new impetus and provide a new direction for Fine Gael," he said.

"As the co-author of a recent internal party report, I am very much in tune with the feelings and position of our membership, right across the country. A week does not go by that a further comment from another constituency arrives.

"In a democratic organisation, that is not healthy and thus, I reluctantly withdraw my support for the continued tenure of Enda Kenny TD as leader of Fine Gael," Mr Farrell said.

Mr Farrell's statement echoes the call for a new leader made by the party's vice chair Pat Deering, who has threatened to table a motion of no confidence at a meeting of the parliamentary party next week.

Update 1pm: One of the two main contenders for the Fine Gael leadership says he doesn't think Enda Kenny will be 'rushed' into making a decision on when to step down.

Simon Coveney has been attempting to calm backbenchers who want the Taoiseach to depart within days.

Speaking to Ocean FM in Sligo this morning, Minister Coveney said it is up to Enda Kenny to decide when that will be.

"Lots of people want to get the excitement of a leadership campaign and so on underway. I think Enda has been here before, I don't think he'll be rushed by other people.

"He'll think about this and he'll make up his mind. I think he'll share that with the party when he's ready.

"I don't think we should be trying to force that process. I think that would be wrong."

Update - 10.45pm: The Finance Minister Michael Noonan is predicting it will be a "long time" before a new leader of Fine Gael is elected.

Speaking to reporters in Dublin this morning, Minister Michael Noonan suggested there will not be a change of leader in the coming weeks.

He said: "I mean there is no vacancy yet, as you know.

"There's a long time before a new leader is selected, so it's a little premature to be selecting cabinets."

Update - 8.35pm: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe has said he will not put his name forward for the Fine Gael leadership position, if the position becomes vacant.

However, he told RTE's Morning Ireland that he may consider it in the future.

He added that he did wish to play a "leadership role" within the party, without specifying what that might be.

Minister Donohoe said he had been approached by colleagues urging him to consider contesting the leadership, but says he is happy with the job he has.

He told Newstalk Breakfast: "I'm aware of all the speculation that is underway at the moment, but my decision and my view on this matter is unchanged.

"I am very lucky to be where I am, I've a job that I want to keep the opportunity to keep on doing, and when the Taoiseach makes his mind up, I expect others to do the same too.

"But I am very clear about where I stand at the moment. I will not be a candidate."

It is understood Enda Kenny will be given time over the weekend to set a timeline for his departure or face a motion of no confidence.

Mr Donohoe said he wanted to play a leadership role within the party but he would not be putting himself forward for the position of leader.

He said Taoiseach Enda Kenny would continue to represent the best interests of the party and the people.

The Taoiseach has already indicated that he doesnt intend to lead Fine Gael into the next election. I want to make sure he has the space to make a decision, I believe he will include a wide set of circumstances when he is making that decision.

Mr Donohoe said Mr Kenny has done a fine job leading the party and country.

It is up to him to decide how and what he wants to do, he said on RTEs Morning Ireland.

The party will need the space and the opportunity to renew and plan for the future.

He said: Enda (Kenny) has always shown an ability to make decisions that are above his own interests.

I believe it is crucial to recognise the role of Enda as Taoiseach and leader.

It is crucial that all of this be dealt with in a careful and orderly way.

Mr Kenny has indicated he will not be standing aside as party leader in the coming weeks despite facing increasing pressure to outline his departure date.

Mr Kenny, defiantly, on Thursday night said he would fulfil commitments he has made as head of Government in the coming weeks.

Earlier: Taoiseach Enda Kennys closest allies within Cabinet face being wiped out once he leaves office, Elaine Loughlin and Daniel McConnell of the Irish Examiner can reveal.

Senior Fine Gael ministers including Frances Fitzgerald, Michael Noonan, Charlie Flanagan, and Richard Bruton face the axe from Cabinet once Enda Kenny steps down, Simon Coveney has told his supporters.

It is understood that Mr Coveney  who is seen to be neck and neck with Leo Varadkar to take over as leader once Mr Kenny resigns  believes a radical generational change is needed within the party to set them up on a steady footing for a general election.

But when pressed on his departure date, Mr Kenny last night remained defiant and said his main priority is Brexit negotiations. He indicated he does not intend on stepping down soon by detailing a number of international trips he will be taking as Taoiseach in the coming weeks.

However, privately Mr Kenny has admitted to senior colleagues that he is disappointed in himself and acknowledges he will not be able to stay on for as long as he intended.

The jockeying for support had already began around Leinster House yesterday, with lists being drawn up putting Mr Coveney and Mr Varadkar on between 25 and 30 votes each out of a total of 71 parliamentary ballots.

Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald is expected to remain in the leadership race, despite a dismal week during which she came under fire for her handling of the McCabe scandal. It is likely that Mr Bruton, who previously staged a failed heave against Mr Kenny, will also throw his name into the hat. While party insiders have not ruled out Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe who is viewed as a measured and steady hand.

As the two main contenders quietly begin seeking support from TDs and senators, the terms of reference for the tribunal into smears against Sgt Maurice McCabe and other garda whistleblowers passed through both Houses of the Oireachtas yesterday.

While all members of Fine Gael believe Mr Kenny must make clear his plan to step down, there is divergence amongst members as to how quickly this should happen.

It is understood that Mr Coveney and many of his supporters would like to give the leader space between this weeks crisis and his departure; others, mainly in Mr Varadkars camp want Mr Kenny gone almost immediately.

Mr Kenny acknowledged to senior Fine Gael members that it had been a bad week for both him personally and for his party after he was forced to admit a mea cupla for detailing a conversation with Katherine Zappone which never took place.

Mr Kenny has long maintained that he would remain in place until 2018, but would not lead his party into the next general election, but he has confided in colleagues that this cannot now happen.

Publicly, however, Mr Kenny refused to show signs of weakness. I am focusing entirely on a really busy and challenging time ahead and we have got lots of work for all of our party to engage themselves in, ministerial portfolios and programmes for Government to implement, thats what we will be about, he told reporters at an event in Dublin last night.

Despite a call from backbencher Pat Deering to make his intentions known on when he will stand down, or possibly face a vote of no confidence at the parliamentary party meeting next week, Mr Kenny maintained that it had been an ordinary working day.

Politics is a vocation, it draws you into stormy waters as well as calm.

Today for me was a very ordinary working day, we had a cabinet meeting at 7.30am where we approved and signed off on the terms of reference for the public inquiry into the allegations of a sustained smear campaign against Sergeant Maurice McCabe. Tomorrow is another ordinary working day, Mr Kenny said.

This story first appeared in today's Read More: Irish Examiner.
The strike at Tesco is set to continue across the weekend.

Talks between the Mandate trade union and Tesco Ireland adjourned last night without agreement.

Strike action is currently underway at 16 Tesco stores around the country in a row over some contracts

To see this post on Facebook, click here.

Mandate says next week workers in a further 23 Tesco stores will be balloted to join the dispute.

Tesco Ireland says all their stores will remain fully open throughout the weekend and the supermarket giant is again urging workers to accept a Labour Court recommendation to end the row.

Tesco stores on strike this weekend:

Kerry

Tesco, Manor West Retail Park, Ratass, Tralee, Co. Kerry

Longford

Tesco, Rear Main Street, Deanscurragh, Longford

Meath

Tesco, Navan Town Centre, Kennedy Rd, Dillonsland, Navan, Co. Meath

Offaly

Tesco, Tullamore Retail Park, Portarlington Road, Cloncollig, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

Monaghan

Tesco, Unit 9 /10, Monaghan Shopping Centre, Dawson St, Tirkeenan, Monaghan

Wicklow

Tesco, Kilcoole Rd, Rathdown Lower, Greystones, Co Wicklow

Wicklow

Tesco, Vevay Road, Bray, Co Wicklow

Dublin

Tesco, Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2

Tesco, Ballyfermot Rd, Ballyfermot Upper, Dublin 10

Tesco, Clearwater Shopping Centre, 11 Finglas Road, Dublin 11

Tesco, Artane Castle Shopping Centre, Kilmore Rd, Beaumont, Dublin 5

Tesco, Churchview Road, Kilbogget, Ballybrack, Co. Dublin

Tesco, Roselawn Shopping Centre, Roselawn Rd, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15

Tesco, 22A Drumcondra Rd Upper, Drumcondra, Dublin 9

Tesco, Phibsborough Shopping Centre, Phibsborough Road, Phibsborough, Dublin 7

Tesco, Park Shopping Centre, Prussia Street, Arran Quay, Dublin 7

Update 1.48pm: A Tesco representative said later: "All Tesco stores are open for customers today and throughout the weekend with colleagues in all 16 stores on strike coming in to work.

"Customers continue to cross the pickets and trade is good.

"We are grateful for the outstanding support of colleagues and of customers throughout this unjustified strike."
A second key Chaman border crossing from Pakistan into Afghanistan has been closed, halting trade supplies to the neighbouring country.

The border closure in Pakistan's south-west Baluchistan province comes after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan which killed 88 people.
French 10-year yields climbed two basis points to 1.03% in Paris, widening the spread over similar-maturity German bunds by six basis points. Frances CAC 40 fell 0.9%, led by bank stocks.

This is clearly not a positive for French bonds, said Kim Liu, a strategist at ABN Amro Bank. It increases the odds of a Le Pen victory, with French bonds already being very vulnerable to political risks.

Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon, now fourth place in polls, told France Info radio yesterday he had begun discussions on a united effort with Jean-Luc Melenchon, a former Socialist who now has fringe backing. Hamon also said he has reached out to the Green Partys Yannick Jadot about one candidacy.

What we need to discuss is the conditions under which we could come together and who in the end could  between Yannick Jadot, Jean-Luc Melenchon and myself  be best suited to embody the left in the second round of the French presidential race with a programme that could be shared, Hamon said.

The campaign twist was bad news for French bondholders: Polls suggest that a unified left bid would dent the chance of pro-market candidate Emmanuel Macron, the current front-runner, to advance to the May 7 decisive round.

That would leave voters a choice between Le Pen and either Hamon or Melenchon, neither of whom is seen as market-friendly.

It might also broaden support for the anti-euro, anti-immigration Le Pen. A runoff against either Hamon or Melenchon is the most favourable situation for Marine Le Pen to win, Bruno Jeanbart, an OpinionWay pollster, said in an interview.

For a candidate from the left to win he needs, at a minimum, to win as many votes from the right in the second round as Marine Le Pen. If its Emmanuel Macron a transfer of votes from the right is easy to imagine. If its a candidate much further to the left anchored in a radical programme, thats a different story.

As a result, French notes extended their slump, driving the yield difference between French and German 10-year bonds to the most in a week, while the nations stocks and the euro dropped.
Unilever said yesterday it rejected the $50 a share proposal, comprising about two-thirds in cash and a third in new stock. The approach fundamentally undervalues the company, Unilever said, adding that it doesnt see a basis for further discussions.

Kraft Heinz said earlier it would seek to gain an agreement on the terms of a transaction. Unilever shares surged as much as 15% to a record in London, valuing the maker of Hellmanns mayonnaise at more than 113bn (132bn).

The Anglo-Dutch companys stock gained as much as 12% in Amsterdam, while Kraft Heinz rallied more than 7% in New York.

The bid underscores consolidation among consumer-goods companies searching for profit-growth strategies as conditions become tougher across the globe.

Kraft Heinz itself was forged in a $55bn combination orchestrated by Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital, which had teamed up two years earlier on a buyout of HJ Heinz.

There had been speculation 3G would look to buy another food company and resume a cost-cutting cycle spearheaded by chief executive Bernardo Hees. Mondelez International, General Mills and Kellogg had been mentioned as potential targets.

Kraft Heinzs approach demonstrates the pressure on brand owners to consolidate in the face of international pressure on margins and constraints to organic growth opportunities, said Paul Hickman, an analyst at Edison Investment Research.

Kraft Heinz will not have led with its best offer and a protracted negotiation probably lies ahead, he said.

Berenberg analysts said such a valuation would imply multiples of three times sales and 21 times earnings, which strikes us as very low.

Putting together Kraft Heinz and Unilever would create a company with combined sales of $84.8bn last year. That would have ranked second among food and beverage companies, trailing Nestles $91.2bn.

The investors behind the Unilever bid, 3G Capital was founded by Brazilian executives Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles, Carlos Alberto Sicupira, Roberto Thompson and Alex Behring.

It has engineered a series of huge transactions in the food-and-drink industries. 3G also acquired Burger King Worldwide and in 2014 merged it with the Canadian doughnut firm Tim Hortons.
Under Department of Education plans, computer science is be offered as a Leaving Cert subject to fifth-year students from September next year. This follows rising demand from the IT industry and fears about skills shortages.

Presentation Girls Secondary School in Waterford began offering coding classes to transition-year students last year and at least a third of the students fell in love with the subject. Class projects included building a Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens galaxy using computer code. Principal Adrian Gibbs believes students should have the opportunity to try coding, as many will be surprised at how much they enjoy it.
For the first time in the associations history, it was allowed yesterday to put a case to the WRC.

PDforra general secretary, Gerry Rooney, said his association has reached an understanding with Department of Defence officials on equalising the wages of the post-2013 privates with those who entered the Defence Forces prior to that date  a difference of nearly 2,000 per annum.

To our immense surprise, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) has distanced itself from the understanding with Department of Defence, without explanation. This unexplained and unjust attitude of DPER is a major breakdown in the trust which should be an integral part of the negotiation process around the Lansdowne Road agreement, Mr Rooney said.

The young men and women affected by this dispute earn extremely low initial wages of 21,800 per annum. PDforra is determined to ensure that these fully trained and operational members are treated the same as other entry level public servants, he said.

PDforra has not signed up to the Lansdowne Road Agreement despite being willing to recommend its acceptance in a ballot of its membership.

Mr Rooney said it is PDforras position that the full terms of the Haddington Road Agreement (HRA) have not been applied to its members of private rank, who have joined the Defence Forces since 2013, and this has created a totally unjust two-tier pay structure.

He said that access to the facilitation services of the WRC is unprecedented for PDforra and will hopefully assist in reaching a satisfactory outcome on the restoration of pay under the Haddington Road Agreement: The WRC is particularly well placed to assist in our dispute because it concerns, in our view, the correct and just application of the terms of the agreement. Our recently recruited members are being wrongly treated as second-class citizens and its totally unacceptable.

An agreement was reached last November with the Department of Defence to pay a higher allowance to those who have served on migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea.

The matter was referred to DPER, but the crews are waiting to be paid 1,300 each.
They voted by three to one in favour of strike action, having become increasingly frustrated by what they say is county council managements refusal to recruit more workers.

In a second ballot, also counted in Connolly Hall, Cork yesterday, Siptu members also voted by more than four to one in favour of industrial action.

There was a massive turnout for this ballot, which has resulted in an overwhelming vote in favour of action in this long-running dispute.

Over many months there has been no progress at all in management moving to engage with the workforce planning process and start employing more staff, Siptu organiser Con Casey said.

He said managements stance had resulted in a situation where key sections of the council which deal with road maintenance and other essential services are now seriously undermanned.

This is due to management failing to replace workers as they retire, he said.

The running-down of the ability of the council to adequately provide services would unfortunately seem to be part of an agenda to increase the outsourcing of work to private for-profit companies, Mr Casey claimed.

This move towards outsourcing by Cork County Council management is being pursued in contravention to national agreements.

These agreements assert that the high standards of council services should be preserved by maintaining their delivery by directly employed council staff, he added.

County councillors have also expressed concerns recently about manning levels at the local authority.
He was in a micro-sleep when the accident happened.

Dublin man Anthony Handley, 64, of Whitethorn Grove, Artane, had pleaded guilty, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, to dangerous driving, causing the death of Olivia Dunne, 31, and serious bodily harm to Eabha Dunne, in Balbriggan, on January 17, 2014.

Gardai believe Handley drifted off to sleep momentarily, before his off-road SUV veered from the road and hit the two victims. He had no alcohol or drugs in his system.

Sentencing Handley to two years imprisonment on May 10, 2016, Judge Patrick McCartan said he was a good man with a blameless record, but that he should have been alert to his tiredness.

The Court of Appeal yesterday found a number of errors in the sentencing of Handley. He was given a new, two-year jail term, but had the balance suspended on conditions. His driving ban was unchanged.

Giving judgment in the three-judge court, Mr Justice Alan Mahon said Handley, who had had only four hours sleep overnight, was driving towards Balbriggan, shortly after midday, when he lost control of his car and swerved across the road, striking a young mother who was wheeling her child in a buggy. Eyewitnesses said Handleys car swerved suddenly across the road, without breaking.

Handley was unable to explain the accident. It was initially suspected that he suffered a mini-stroke and this was the subject of intense medical scrutiny. Ultimately, the medical evidence suggested otherwise and the only other rational explanation was that Handley had fallen asleep. This prompted him to plead guilty.

Ms Dunne was killed instantly and her infant daughter was significantly injured. Eabha wasnt expected to survive, but she defied the odds.

Sadly, she will grow up never having known her mother, Mr Justice Mahon said.

Olivia Dunnes sister, Caroline Clinton, described how her sister was a proud and content new mother, wife and teacher, whose life was complete.

Ciaran Dunne lost his young wife, is severely traumatised, has not returned to work, and cannot travel past the scene of the accident.

Handley is a father of three and a grandfather. He worked his entire adult life and had no previous convictions. Although separated from his wife for 10 years, he has moved back into the marital home to be her primary carer. She has a serious illness.

Mr Justice Mahon said the sentencing judge unfairly penalised Handley for the delay in pleading guilty; erroneously attributed to Handley a motivation to explore the depth of a technical or other defence; deemed his efforts to investigate the medical cause for the accident as reflective of diminished remorse and attached insufficient weight to the mitigating factors, particularly Handleys role as main carer for his estranged wife. Finally, Mr Justice Mahon said the custodial sentence of two years was unduly harsh.

Mr Justice Mahon, who sat with Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice John Edwards, allowed the appeal. Handley was resentenced to two years imprisonment, but the unserved portion was suspended.
Trevor OGorman, aged 44, of Sarahville Place, Pouladuff Rd, was sentenced to three years with the last two years and three months suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court for the manslaughter of Diarmuid Byrne, aged 41, at Mr Byrnes home at Plunkett Road in Ballyphehane on April 26, 2016.

Detective Sergeant Martin Canny said that one of OGormans first comments to gardai was: He told me to shoot him. I didnt know it was loaded. I thought it was going to be a joke.

The Platoon-style photographs of OGorman taken the day before the fatal shooting were found on the defendants phone.

Det Sgt Canny said Mr Byrne had been admitted to hospital two months earlier after trying to take his own life by an overdose.

James OMahony, defending, said OGorman had been drinking and his accounts across five interviews left the gardai not knowing what precisely happened.

Det Sgt Canny said: Ballistics tell us that Trevor OGorman fired the firearm, the barrel was close to the deceaseds head. From blood spatter examination the deceased was holding the muzzle end of the barrel with his left hand and his right hand was over his left hand.

Questioned about stating at one stage that Mr Byrne told him to shoot him, OGorman denied that and said there had been some banter.

Mr OMahony said there was no question of assisted suicide or anything like that, and that it happened in the moment of a lot of messing.

This was a devastating tragedy. This is a unique case. We have never come across a case of two adults playing with a shotgun in the bedroom of one of them both on the day and the day before. The accused did not load the gun and this crazy, totally unexpected thing happened.

There were two more cartridges loaded in the shotgun and Mr OMahony said that DNA suggested Mr Byrne had loaded them.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain said of OGormans role: He pulled the trigger when he had the gun pointed at someones head. That is what happened when you scale it all back and boil the skin off the onion.

The judge asked to see the shotgun, examining it during the sentencing hearing. OGorman wept when the gun was produced.

Mr OMahony said it was stupidity on OGormans part to do what he did. The judge disagreed: Stupidity would not account for it. Nobody who went inside the door of Collins barracks or the naval base (OGorman had navy training as a young man) would point a gun at anyone. This man was trained. That training never leaves you.

I accept what Mr OMahony says, that it was an absolute tragedy. A man is dead. His family are devastated. It happened in circumstances that are horrendous for them.

At all stages this was a case of recklessness. He never intended to shoot the deceased. What he did has to be viewed through the prism of recklessness.

This is a person who played and pointed a gun in a house in a bedroom and put it so close to another mans head and pointed it. The other man had his hands on the barrel. This was not a young man who never used a gun before. He was socially drunk. That is not an excuse.

He and the other man were playing with the gun the day before. I dont think there is anything malicious when it occurred. He called the guards. The accused has no relevant previous conviction. I dont believe he is a risk to society.

The judge imposed a sentence of three years with the last two years and three months suspended.

Mr Byrne, a single man, died instantly after he suffered a gunshot wound to the head from his legally held shotgun while in an upstairs room of his family home on the day in question.

Dr Margot Bolster, the assistant State pathologist, previously told an inquest that Mr Byrne died from severe cerebral trauma from multiple lacerations to the brain, including to the brain stem, due to a gunshot wound to the head.

Circumstances have added to our devastation

Victim impact statement by Diarmuid Byrnes sister, Ber Lyons:

On the 26th of April 2016, at the age of 41, our brother Diarmuids life was taken all too soon in what should have been the safe sanctuary of our family home.

We come from a family of seven siblings, with Diarmuid being the youngest. Words cannot express the larger-than-life personality that Diarmuid was. He was witty, charming, extremely hard working, and so full of life. Diarmuid was popular with friends, neighbours, and work colleagues alike. He was a fantastic friend to all who knew him and a generous man beyond measure.

On the 26th of April 2016 our lives were changed forever. To lose someone you love so suddenly is heart-breaking and to lose him under the circumstances that we did has only added to our devastation. Our family feels so empty without Diarmuids infectious spirit and tremendous heart.

Prior to Diarmuids unlawful killing we were a private family. Suddenly our lives were plunged into the public domain and our family home, where we all lived, loved, laughed, and played, became the place where Diarmuids life was taken. One of the most difficult things for us was going to the house afterwards knowing that this was where Diarmuid had died, imagining what had happened, how he felt, wishing that we could be there for him, that we could hold him and tell him how much we love him.

We are devastated that we will never get the chance to see Diarmuid or speak to him again. We miss him so much we cant help but think of the future and all that he wont get to see, the family events and friends lives that he will not be part of.

As his family, our joy and enthusiasm for life has been shattered and we struggle to deal with the loss of Diarmuid every day. This loss is only magnified by the way in which he died too young and too soon. We hope that we can find some peace of mind to move forward while keeping Diarmuids memory alive.

We pray that justice will bring peace and closure to us and to our families who continue to shoulder the burden of our struggles and heartbreak. Our only comfort now is that our beautiful brother Diarmuid is resting in the arms of our loving parents in heaven.
The trip marked the first time an Irish head of state visited Cuba while in office. The fact that it comes during a particularly turbulent time in world affairs, and during Cubas historic transition from a relatively isolated state to one cautiously opening itself up to globalisation, appeared all the more appealing to the president.

Michael D as he was affectionately referred to by those who had come to join in the carefully co-ordinated programme, is widely known to follow keenly, politics and culture of Latin and South America, the evolution of which he told the audience during his speech at the opening of the Irish in Latin America exhibition, is close to my heart.
A 35-acre site west of the city, on the northern banks of the River Lee at the Carrigrohane end of the Lee Road, has been identified to facilitate the grazing of up to 20 horses owned by 10 families.

It will be a grazing only project with no permanent structures on site.

The horse owners have formed a Traveller Horse Association and have agreed a strict set of rules and regulations governing the operation of the site which will be licensed for 11 months to the Traveller Visibility Group (TVG) and will be subject to annual review.

Residents will also be given a named contact for any issues which may arise.

A spokesperson for the steering group overseeing the project said the members of the Traveller Horse Association have a deep commitment to animal welfare.

The grazing site will be secure, well-fenced, well-run and monitored by CCTV, she said.

Horses in the project will be subject to ongoing review by the ISPCA and Department of Agriculture officials in accordance with their remit for all horse welfare.

This project will be very well maintained and all agencies involved hope to work with the local residents in making it a reality, and also in allaying any concerns they may have.

Plans for the project emerged from a horse seminar held in the city in March 2013 which heard evidence that such Traveller horse projects have reduced the number of impounded horses, reduced levels of anti-social behaviour, and reduced costs to local authorities of dealing with various horse issues.

The project has been developed by an inter-agency group which includes representatives of TVG, gardai, Cork City Council, the ISPCA, department of agriculture, Cork Healthy Cities Traveller Unit, the HSE and Cork City Partnership.

Earlier this week, they invited local residents to a public meeting on Monday to discuss the project, but it has been postponed following complaints about the short notice.
Mr Donohoe insisted yesterday that he would not contest the position, but confirmed he has been approached by colleagues to put his name into the mix for the leadership.

The news comes as Fine Gael descended into chaos yesterday with widely diverging views emerging as to what Mr Kenny should do.

Supporters such as junior minister Dara Murphy say that given the uncertainty brought about by Brexit, Mr Kenny should remain in office for up to 18 months. There was a growing sense Mr Kennys desire for a 12-week reprieve could be granted to allow him space to step down with dignity.

However, one backbench TD, Dublin-Fingal TD Alan Farrell became the first person to call outright for Mr Kennys departure, saying his position has become untenable.

Unfortunately, I no longer have confidence in the ability of Enda Kenny to lead Fine Gael and I believe his position is now untenable, he said in a statement.

His intervention has followed similar calls from TDs Noel Rock and Pat Deering, the latter has threatened to put down a motion of no confidence in Mr Kenny next week.

Mr Farrells intervention came in for strong criticism from one of the main contenders for the leadership, Housing Minister Simon Coveney.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner Mr Coveney said: I believe what Alan said is wrong. This is absolutely the wrong time for this type of intervention. The Taoiseach is his own person and I dont think he will respond to ultimatums. People who are demanding timelines by next Wednesday, I think, that represents a very small minority in the party.

Simon Coveney

The chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party was last night forced to write to members to warn them to stop calling for Mr Kennys departure as it is damaging to the party.

Martin Heydon emailed TDs and senators stating he is greatly concerned that the Taoiseach and leader of our party is not being shown the respect his service and his office deserve.

Mr Heydon continued: I ask - in the best interests of a united Fine Gael and in the interests of common decency - that members of the parliamentary party refrain from making further public utterances about our party leader. Such comments ultimately hurt our party.

Any comments should be kept for next weeks parliamentary party meeting which will take place as usual at 5.30pm next Wednesday, he told members.

Mr Donohoe restated comments he made to the Irish Examiner: I am very lucky to be where I am, I want to continue doing the job I love. I will not be a candidate.

Paschal Donohoe

But, the Irish Examiner has learned that there is a growing desire for Mr Donohoe to reconsider his stance and remain open to contesting the race. This view is held by Mr Kenny and Mr Noonan and others who feel Mr Donohoe would be best suited to steer the party into the future.

Mr Donohoe himself admitted he has been approached by colleagues about the leadership position: Yes, conversations like that have happened in recent months within the party. Colleagues and individuals have talked to me because while we have respected the work Enda has done, we are aware of the need to look to the future. I want to play a leadership role in Government. I dont want to put my name forward should a vacancy arise.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has also ruled himself out of the for the leadership of Fine Gael.

Responding to reports that a generational wipe-out would occur at Cabinet once the leadership changes, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said such talk was premature.
A recent headline suggested how, at the Golden Globes, the frocks had gone fully Barbara Cartland  frothy, frilly, sparkly  in a bid to banish reality.

That in response to Americas most recent inauguration, the lady movie stars of Hollywood had Disneyfied themselves, in a visual distancing from villainous reality.

So what will they be wearing at the Oscars? More of the same?

And really, do we care and does it matter, given how our world is being driven to hell in a handcart by the new president?

Do movies and music matter at the moment?

And how is mainstream culture reacting to Donald Trump in the White House?

The impact of the election on the broader culture goes from high profile opposition  Meryl Streeps Golden Globes speech, the #UnitedAgainstHate campaign signed by everyone from Jane Fonda and Kathleen Turner to Michael Moore, Lena Dunham, Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore and Dita Von Teese  to the less overt.

Hygge, says Elle Interiors, is replacing minimalism in our homes, because we want comfort blankets and squashy cushions to hug when we get home from the latest street protest.

Mass mobilisation has never been more widespread, because of social media. Its not just Trump who uses Twitter.

Like every aspect of this unlikely presidency, the result is polarisation  from mass protests to daft musicals.

While Trumps supporters took him seriously but not literally, the media took him literally but not seriously; now that he is actually in charge, we are reacting the way we always do when faced with the unacceptable  we simultaneously face it and run away from it.

We face it on the streets, on social media, and escape from it in the cinema and at home.

While political reaction to Donald Trump has veered from magnificent outrage (Senator Aodhan ORiordain, who quickly called the new American president a fascist) to Theresa May (who held his hand despite his ban on millions of people entering the US based solely on their birth place), the response from the world of arts and culture has been fairly uniform.

Utter horror.

The Queen made me a knight, said British Olympic gold medallist and national treasure Mo Farah, who was born in Somalia, but Trump made me an alien.

Musician Moby  famous for his uplifting dance tunes  has released a track of pure fury, Erupt and Matter, after writing in Rolling Stone how Trump is an actual sociopath. close to being a psychopath.

Before the election, Michael Stipe of REM tweeted, Go fuck yourselves, you sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little men. Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign.

Madonna has dreamed of blowing up the White House, Cher thinks hes a fucking idiot and Neil Young repeatedly banned him from using Keep On Rocking In The Free World.

Even corporate rockers the Rolling Stones refused to let Trump use their music.

Such is the contempt for him from musicians, he had to ask a TV talent show non-entity to sing at his inauguration. Musicians and performers have swarmed to express their opposition.

But what about the film industry? How has the most conservative establishment arm of performing arts  Hollywood  reacted to President Trump?

We tend to gravitate towards fantasy and escapism in times of war and turbulence. The Wizard of Oz was released the year World War II broke out.

The American movie industry has its own long-term unofficial bans in place  the non-youthful, non-white, non-generic tend to be at the back of the film star queue.

The hands which continue to hold power are white, male and middle aged.

In the upper echelons of Hollywood, little power is held by women, blacks, Muslims; in this respect, it both mirrors and maintain the conservative status quo.

Yet Hollywood likes to think of itself as liberal, and so in the face of President Trump, it has gone to La La Land. Quite literally.

As pointlessly pretty as the First Lady herself, La La Land  unlike Meryl Streep  appears massively overrated. It is, however, gaining Citizen Kane levels of award nominations  why?

Because it allows us to escape to somewhere as empty, shiny, and glittery as the interior of a Trump Tower lift? When the going gets tough, do the tough buy tickets to apolitical musicals and comedies?

The short answer is yes. We tend towards escapism when in the thick of it.

As fascism marched in the 1930s, one of the most fairytale movies of all time  The Wizard of Oz  was released the year war broke out.

The other movie giant of 1939 was Gone With The Wind, all frou frou frocks and a desperate longing for things to be as they once were.

Musically, swing soared in popularity during World War II, because it was so jolly and uplifting, even Hitler liked it. (Would punk and hip hop have happened during the deprivations of wartime, or did they need boredom and and inequality to boil over?)

During World War I, theatres played lots of comedies and farces. Anything for a laugh.

In Berlin, women played title roles in plays, reflecting the demographic of absent men, and on the stages of London and Paris, escapist musical comedies were as popular as La La Land.

When the war ended, the Roaring Twenties embodied a glorious exhalation and after party, filled with flappers, gin and manic dancing. As though it could never happen again.

In the era of mass pre-digital communication  radio and telly  state censorship did its best to steer culture towards the party line.

Actress Nicole Kidman at the Golden Globe awards on January 8, in Beverly Hills, California, wearing a dress in keeping with the prevailing fantasy, escape-from-reality theme. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

When the Cold War was in progress during the Fifties, the official American reaction was cultural oppression  McCarthyism  resulting in blackballing, career ruining, witch hunting, and some magnificent responses, like Arthur Millers The Crucible.

Protest became a cultural cornerstone during the American war on Vietnam; young people, still high from the Sixties, were appalled at the draft, at the killing, and the anti-war song came into its own.

John Lennons Imagine and Give Peace A Chance, The Doors Unknown Soldier, and Edwin Starrs War (What Is It Good For?) became protest anthems, with the Vietnam movie genre  Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket  arriving later.

Martin Scorceses 1973 film Taxi Driver was an early portrayal of the damaged Vietnam veteran  Robert De Niros psychotic Travis Bickle  while 1968s The Green Berets glorified the Vietnam war, and starred John Wayne, one of its most famous Hollywood supporters.

(Alongside, oddly, writers Jack Kerouac and John Steinback.)

When George Orwell wrote, in 1948, about perpetual war in his scarily prescient novel 1984, he could not have anticipated his accuracy. Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan.

The war in Iraq created a distinct genre of patriot rock, from Ted Nugent and Toby Keith to the hijacking of The Clashs Rock The Casbah, but also more protest songs from the Dixie Chicks (who got mauled for their trouble, being female and Texan), Neil Young, MIA, The Killers, Muse, and more.

Again, the movies  Jarhead, The Hurt Locker, Green Zone  came later.

And now President Trump.

Last year, US novelist Lionel Shriver published The Mandibles: A Family 2029-2047, set in a dystopian America, where the handcart has already arrived in hell.

For writers and film makers, the Trump era is a creative swamp waiting to be drained.

For the rest of us, its tickets to La La Land and a comfort blanket  but please, as well protesting, not instead of.
Apple has been rumored to not only release an anniversary iPhone this year, but to likewise refresh its iPad tablet line. It was said that since the 12.9 inch iPad Pro model is already more than a year old, now may be the perfect year for it to get a successor. The iPad Pro 9.7 is also turning one-year old in March, so if Apple doesn't get an iPad refresh within this year, its tablet series will be outdated pretty soon. Fortunately though, rumor has it that Apple may actually release the iPad Pro 2 in the coming weeks or months.

Apple iPad Pro 2 Rumors

According to Inquisitr, there have been a report that mentions about a March release for the iPad Pro 2. This actually makes sense as March isn't exactly an unusual release month for an Apple hardware. Take note that the company released the iPad Pro 9.7 and the iPhone SE at the said month.

Additionally, the first-gen iPad Pro is reportedly already low on stocks, as per Daily Star. This usually means that a new model is about to be released. As per the source, countries including US, Canada, Australia, UK and more are all having problems getting the iPad Pro 12.9 instantly. Apparently, notifications have been sent to buyers saying that the iPad model would be delivered in no less than two weeks. This means that stocks are low for the iPad Pro and this could be caused by the upcoming new model.

Apple iPad Pro Expectations

There are rumors saying that the iPad Pro 2 will come with a new design. Rumor has it that the said device will have borderless frame, embedded Touch ID sensor and a virtual home button. The iPad Pro 2 is generally expected to share some qualities that the rumored iPhone 8 has. There are even talks about the tablet getting some of the iPhones' distinct features. It was said that the iPad Pro 2 could boast of a dual lens cam system just like the iPhone 7 Plus, although of course, this rumor should be taken lightly considering that photography hasn't really been a primary focus for most tablets. It's worth mentioning though that the iPad Pro 9.7 had a camera on par with the iPhone 6S, so the above rumor isn't exactly impossible.
Health experts are terming indoor air pollution as the new "silent killer" as its adverse effects go undetected for a long time. Scientists have been wary of this kind of pollution, linking it to heart lung and heart diseases. Now, a new study from India that compares different factors of pollution finds that indoor pollution can be 40 times more harmful than outdoor pollution, such as the kind we usually experience while commuting in highly populated cities.

Sundeep Salvi, director of Chest Research Foundation in India, have been studying the effects of air pollution on health. "Lungs are the first organ to experience and process the polluted air we breathe. They can take a lot of abuse before manifesting any symptoms of bad health," he says. That's why lung problems are usually detected after the damage is done.

Salvi explains that indoor air pollution is primarily caused by lifestyle and socio-economic factor-based choices at home. These seemingly innocent domestic choices actually have a direct bearing on a person's health, affecting everyone at home. More alarming is the fact that it's difficult to determine if certain home product is causing any harm due to the non-presence of immediate symptoms, The Times Of India reports.

In Indian, biomass-fuelled stoves are one of the biggest factors of indoor pollution. In Britain and American, silent killers at home include scented candles and air fresheners. These products have been found to add toxic chemicals to the air which can cause a multitude of health problems, including cancer, the News Max reports.

In cold countries, much of indoor pollution is the result of keeping air shut in as a way to cut energy bills by insulating homes. However, the result is a toxic brew of chemicals that anyone inside the house constantly breathes. Indoor air pollution impacts health in many ways, causing lung and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, dementia, asthma, and cancer, as well as adverse effects on developing fetuses, British health experts say.
Marjorie Merriweather Post is an American socialite and the owner of General Foods, Inc. One of her many estates is Mar-a-Lago, a lavish home in Palm Beach, Florida. The castle on the sand was built in the 1920s for $8 million, and is now regarded as a National Historic Landmark. In 1973, it was willed to the U.S. Government as a retreat for Presidents and visiting foreign dignitaries.

Mar-a-Lago Was Sold To Donald Trump In 1986

According to Los Angeles Times, Post envisioned the house as a future "Winter White House." However, the estate stood vacant, and the annual maintenance bill of Mar-a-Lago is estimated at $1 million. In the past, there have been efforts to return Mar-a-Lago to the Marjorie Merriweather Post Foundation, but was unsuccessful, until 1980.

In 1986, the Foundation sold the property to Donald Trump. The estate has 126 rooms, and it also contains the Mar-a-Lago Club - a members-only club with guest rooms, a spa, and other hotel-style amenities. The Trumps maintain private quarters in a separate, closed-off area of the house and grounds.

Post's Vision Of Making Mar-a-Lago The Winter White House Has Been Fulfilled

But in 1990, Trump was reported to have offered the place due to personal financial crisis. In 1993, it was approved that the estate will be turned into a private club, and it remains until this day, Yahoo! News said.

Now, days before his inauguration, Donald Trump officially declared Mar-a-Lago his winter White House - thus fulfilling Post's vision. The President has spent the last two weekends there, and he recently hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the estate. Reports say that this weekend, Trump is planning to return to Mar-a-Lago.
If you are one of the avid fans of Matt Damon, you will be shocked as he dressed in ambiguously medieval fantasy warrior, slinging arrows at ravening green beasties with a set of eyeballs in their shoulder bones, then The Great Wall is the movie enough for you.

The Great Wall isn't that appallingyou might call it The Not-Bad-at-all. But this highlight for Damons versatile talents, and as a piece for the grafted Chinese director Zhang Yimou, this flashy mythical epic isnt quite the film it should be. It sure is far from handsome alone, throwing off a stately gleam. But thats most unlikely from owning actual majestic image.

Exploring The New Action-Fantasy Story

Damon stars as William, a European mercenary doing something-or-other in or nearby China. Apparently, hes been in China a long time, from the looks of his rangy, Middle Earth-style facial hair. Damon is almost identifiable at this point: Its hard to be certain of theres a star under all that coat.

One night, the campsite hes set up with his sidekick Tovar (Pedro Pascal) and few other lads is attacked by a rancorous, unseen creepy-crawly, which William kills. As the creature runs off its death, it leaves behind its enormous chopped-off claw, which William tucks in his bag, so somebody can tell me what I just killed.

The action scenes in The Great Wallincluding brave soldiers, and William, going in contradiction of those Tao Tei gangs  they are determined and colossal. Theoretically, what I guess is youd call them well scripted, but theres magic in them, save for a sequence including a troupe of women warriors known as the Crane Corps, lithe, caped Busby Berkeley-style tumblers sporting precast blue falcon-head helmets.

Held by cables, they lunge down from a formation of thorns over the wall and stab the green-gilled reptilian monster until it's dead. Its risky work, and some of the Crane Corps end up eaten. But this is one place where director Zhang gets to showcase his gift for mingling color, spectacle, and action.

The Great Wall Visual Effects Almost Similar To Lord Of The Rings

The Great Wall is a story of a white man who saves the world, though its not as if the role had been considered for an Asian actor only to be given to a white one. And as a white male, Damon, a highly likable persona, isnt a bad at all. But the controversy that bounced up around the picture is descriptive. In the world where hot new info about upcoming Hollywood projects tides into our brain daily, we know how exactly the movies are going to be before we even get to see them.

So many movies seem old news but today we get to experience them all. The big problem with The Great Wall isnt racism. Its simply that a production this strivingfeaturing a charismatic star and a host of tempting and in some cases stunning Chinese actorsshould just be better, something more than a Lord of the Rings want-to-be.
Six large UFOs appear to fly past the International Space Station (ISS) while NASA was filming a live feed. The live video goes dead right after the UFOs appear. Conspiracy theorists are again crying cover up, accusing the space agency to be hiding evidence of alien existence.

The unusual 31-second footage taken from the ISS live feed appears to show six large glowing orbs creeping past the space station. The footage then mysteriously cuts to the space station briefing room. Videos like this have been popping up the internet for some time now.

In the live video, the UFOs move from the right of the screen towards the left. Originally spotted by a UFO spotter know as Streetcap1, the clip was shared with a group of UFO experts called SecureTeam10. They then make an investigation using slow motion of the footage when the UFOs appear, and share their findings online.

The SecureTeam says that the video shows what looks like a fleet of unidentified flying objects moving in the distance behind the International Space Station."We have about six UFOs passing behind, and judging from the distance, I would guess that the size of these objects, whatever they are, would be fairly large," the team says. Tyler, one of the team members, elaborates that what they see in the video could not just be ice particles in space as how NASA usually explains these things away, the Daily Mail reports.

The UFOs look much larger. Tyler says that "we must be looking at icebergs". He also remarks on how NASA suspiciously cut the live feed and replaced it with footage from a camera showing the inside of a briefing room.

According to the Mirror Online, an ex-NASA employee, James Oberg, offers some insight in an article posted on Atlas Obscura. He saw the same phenomenon in 1996 when a NASA shuttle lost a satellite in space when its tether broke, leading to a strange sequence of cloud of ice crystals floating around the tether, which many thought were UFOs. So the recent video where UFOs appear might just be particles from space.
In their bid to understand how antibiotic-resistant bacteria or superbugs mutate to become resistant to powerful drugs, NASA are sending samples of MRSA superbugs to space for further study. The deadly pathogens will leave Earth on a trip to the ISS on Saturday, February 18, via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will launch from the Cape Canaveral pad. The study is led by a medical doctor and physicist, Dr. Anita Goel of biomedicine company Nanobiosym.

A profile of drug-resistant superbugs

The term "superbugs" is fitting considering the fact that deadly pathogens are becoming very drug resistant and a mounting frustration to pharmaceutical companies. Superbugs have been documented to kill more Americans annually than the combined actions of HIV/AIDS, homicide, emphysema, and Parkinson's disease. The most deadly among these drug-resistant superbugs is the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureaus or MRSA which is resistant even to powerful antibiotic methicillin among others, Gizmodo notes.

Why are they sending superbugs to space?

Since MRSA causes pneumonia, sepsis and other critical diseases, Dr. Goel is partnering with NASA to send strains of the bacteria to space in the hope that its mutation characteristics will be understood. Earlier studies have shown that MRSA mutate faster in microgravity or space, and understanding this quick mutation pattern will help researchers to develop stronger drugs faster than the mutation process. "If we can use microgravity as an accelerator to fast-forward and get a sneak preview of what these mutations will look like, then we can essentially build smarter drugs on Earth," Goel said.

Since the existing microgravity condition in space accelerates the reproduction and mutation of bacterial strains, Goel is confident that researchers will be a step ahead of this process in having effective drugs handy, the CNN wrote.

Bacteria strains have been taken to space before now

This is not the first time NASA researchers are taking bacteria strains to space for study. Microbiologist Cheryl Nickerson dispatched salmonella strains via the Atlantis Space Shuttle in 2006. Several strains of staphs, e.coli and Aerobacter aerogenes were taken to space in 1960 aboard a Russian satellite. And tens of bacteria DNA have been sequenced aboard the ISS for several years now.
There is a lot of pressure on Tesla to begin deliveries of its Model 3 this year, as promised by the company itself last year. But on top of the different logistical problems they face, a new unionization in California might add to the difficulties. Nevertheless, CEO Elon Musk is determined and sure that nothing will get in the company's way.

As The Los Angeles Times has reported, the pressure to timely produce the Model 3 has reached an all time high as the United Auto Workers union has arrived on the scene. The agency is trying to organize workers at the Tesla plant. Whether or not the UAW has solid support from its workforce, or just a few individuals are unknown.

Nevertheless, a union of any size is likely to get the attention of both Musk and the company as a whole. At this point in time, Tesla cannot afford any distractions. What makes it more difficult is that California's laws and regulations make it relatively easy for union organizers to solicit converts from within the workplace.

The issues began when an employee of Tesla's Fremont factory, Jose Moran, went public with a rant against the electric car manufacturer. He claimed that the employees were being mistreated, which includes preventable injuries, few promotions, bad ergonomics, long hours and some safety issues. Moreover, Moran said that complaints had gone ignored. But to make things worse, he threatened going to the UAW to organize the workers at the plant.

Musk then went on Twitter for his own public tirade. The executive claimed that Moran was "paid by the UAW to join Tesla and agitate for a union." To reiterate his point, he clarified again that "He doesn't really work for us, he works for the UAW." He called Moran's actions "morally outrageous."

The UAW has also gone on the record to claim that it is not paying Moran in anyway at all. Whether or not this is itself true is unclear at this point, as it has just been a battle between what one is saying and what the other is claiming. Although the publication has noted that the UAW has tried to penetrate the company in the past, but did not succeed overall.

Musk is evidently taking the issue seriously, but his statements indicate that there is no real threat at this point. If Tesla can quickly silence these union concerns, then the company can focus on a more vital project: The actual production and delivery of the Model 3. And according to Business Insider, the EV company does have the ability to produce as promised.

The publication noted that Tesla is scheduled to begin test production on February 20, which will allow the company to refine the Model 3 design and pick up on any quality control issues. It will also act as proof for whether or not the Model 3 can actually be produced with the same ease and efficiency as Musk initially reported. It is possible that some units will undergo road tests by March.
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Presidents Day or Washingtons Birthday?

SAM often gets questions about whether the holiday this coming Monday is actually Presidents Day or Washingtons Birthday. Technically, the federal holiday that is celebrated then is Washingtons Birthday.

George Washingtons birthday was actually on Feb. 11 in the Julian calendar, which was being used at the time of his birth, but under the adjusted Gregorian calendar that was adopted in 1752, his birthdate was Feb. 22. The commemoration of his birthday was first made a federal holiday in 1870, though at first that only applied to workers in the District of Columbia. In 1885, the holiday was extended to federal workers in all states.

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which fixed some federal holidays not to a specific date but to a particular Monday in order to create three-day weekends.

While the Uniform Holiday Bill was being debated, some people proposed renaming it Presidents Day, to also honor Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday, Feb. 12, was celebrated as a holiday by some states. That proposal failed, and the federal holiday remained as Washingtons Birthday.

But because the federal holidays are not binding in states, many states do have a holiday on the third Monday of February called Presidents Day. North Carolina doesnt have either as a state holiday.

Incidentally, tThe day is sometimes also called Presidents Day or Presidents Day. The Associated Press Stylebook, which the Journal uses, lists it as Presidents without an apostrophe, rather than being possessive or plural possessive.

Q: Why did they close Ruby Tuesday at Hanes Mall?

D.M.

Answer: The Hanes Mall location closed late last year. Ruby Tuesday announced that it was closing 95 underperforming restaurants, representing about 15 percent of its company-owned restaurants. According to a report at Nations Restaurant News (www.nrn.com), the company followed a rigorous unit-level analysis of sales, cash flows and other key performance metrics, as well as site location, market positioning and lease status.

The decision to close restaurants is a difficult but necessary step as we take aggressive actions to strengthen our organization, JJ Buettgen, the chairman, president and CEO of Ruby Tuesday said in a statement.

Q: What is the origin of the street name in Winston Salem Charlois Boulevard. The names of the streets around it seem to be proper names, Harvey, Olive ... Could it be that Charles and Lois lived there and it is a combination of their names?

T.M.

Answer: We have not found a definitive explanation of that street name, but Charlois is the name of a neighborhood in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, and also the last name of French astronomer Auguste Charlois, who discovered 99 asteroids in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

We have also heard a rumor that the name comes from a farm that used to be in that area that raised Charolais cattle, a breed from eastern France, but that name is spelled differently than Charlois.

Coin Show

SAM occasionally gets questions about nearby coin shows. The annual Winston-Salem Coin Club Show will be held on March 25 and 26 at Miller Park Recreation Center, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
Q: Why do big box churches have so many attending and more traditional churches so few?

Answer: In the past, families tended to stay in the same location, the same church, and the same job. Now many people do not follow that pattern.

Families moving into a new area seek churches that will fit the needs of their entire family.

Churches that did not maintain a growing membership are now facing aging congregations and losing members. These churches do not have the means to provide the services that can be offered by larger churches.

Small, traditional churches can be very meaningful in their purpose and practice, but they will not survive without an influx of younger members.

Up front, I would say that the size of the church should not be the important factor.

The value should include the power of the church members commitment to their faith, to each other, and to the community.

It is interesting to think about the role of the church in the community and the different needs and demands of the members.

People seek churches that are sanctuaries for prayer, music, and contemplation. At times, I think some people attend the churches that promise them what they want.

I have listened to ministers who avoid social problems and preach prosperity, health and joy as promises from God. These thoughts are uplifting, but they might not be realistic for all.

Some congregations do not want the leaders to address the serious problems facing people.

I have always felt that people of faith should reveal their beliefs by their actions in everyday life. If people of faith, understanding, and good will do not tackle social ills, then we give our world to people with power and harmful intentions.

For example, I can mention the Christian way that Christ enjoyed his companions, prayed and meditated, but he was a foot soldier for social justice and needs of people.

Perhaps the problems of the world seem too big to handle. If we cannot change circumstances in the hot spots of the world, we can address local issues of hunger, drugs and injustice. Also, we can start with sharing a healthy dose of decency and an even bigger gift of kindness.

Pope Francis has taken a stand concerning people who talk about religion but fail to consider the importance of good deeds.

He calls them Christian parrots. Pope Francis is quoted as saying, If I say I am Catholic and go to mass, but then dont speak with my parents, help my grandparents or the poor, go and see those who are sick, this does not prove my faith, theres no point.

Q: What did Jesus mean when he claimed to be one with the Father?

Answer: The church struggled with the meaning of this statement. I have mentioned the Council of Nicea, 325 A.D., many times. The council was called by the Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great. He was well aware of the different opinions in the church regarding the nature of Christ. He even feared it might threaten the unity of the Empire. So he called the Bishops of the church to Nicea to settle the issue. Some people believed Arius, a presbyter and priest, who argued that Jesus possessed a bit of the divine nature. Arius said that Jesus was created, not eternal and, therefore, not fully divine. Athanasius, a bishop of Alexandria, argued that if Jesus were not God, he could not forgive our sins. Athanasius won the argument, and the church declared Jesus, the Son, to be of the same divine substance as God, the Father, therefore, truly and fully divine. So, the Father and I are one statement came to mean of the same divine substance.

It is hard to imagine that Jesus had this discussion in mind. Such a word as substance was basically Greek terminology and came into usage as Christianity spread through the Greek-Roman Mediterranean world. It is not biblical. Jesus, so far as we know, never claimed to be God. He did claim to be one with God, but that could mean one in spirit and/or purpose, not substance. My answer, unorthodox, would be that Jesus was claiming a close connection with God, rather than claiming to be God. Just as he called us to be one with him and as a wedding couple may be declared to be one. But be clear, the church has said that he meant that he was divine, just as God the Father is divine.
WASHINGTON  In early January, Speaker Paul Ryan met on the issue of tax reform with a delegation from the president-elect. Attending were future chief strategist and senior counselor Steve Bannon, future Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, future senior adviser Jared Kushner, future counselor Kellyanne Conway and future senior policy adviser Stephen Miller. As the meeting began, Ryan pointedly asked, Whos in charge?

Silence.

It is still the right question. Former officials with deep knowledge of the presidency describe Donald Trumps White House staff as top-heavy, with five or six power centers and little vertical structure. The desire to be a big shot is overrunning any sense of team, says one experienced Republican. This will cause terrible dysfunction, distraction, disloyalty and leaks.

Trump has run a family business, but never a large organization. Nor has he seen such an organization as an employee. Trump, says another former official, is ill-suited to appreciate the importance of a coherent chain of command and decision-making process. On the contrary, his instincts run instead toward multiple mini power centers, which rewards competing aggressively for Trumps favor.

This seems to be the dynamic unfolding on the weekend political talk shows. These have traditionally been venues for an administration to communicate with media and political elites (whose religion dedicates Sunday morning to the gods of policy, scandal and pith). But Trump surrogates are clearly appealing to a different audience: An audience of one, who may well tweet them a nice pat on the back. The goal  as Miller demonstrated last weekend  is not to persuade or even explain. It is to confidently repeat Trumps most absurd or unsubstantiated claims from the previous week. This time it was electorally decisive voter fraud in New Hampshire (for which there is no evidence). Next weekend it could be the harm done by vaccination, or the possible murder of Justice Scalia (both of which Trump has raised in the past). It is the main function of Trump surrogates to restate Trumps alternative facts in a steady voice.

It is hard for me (or anyone outside the White House) to know exactly what is going on in the West Wing. Leaks may provide a distorted picture. But, in this case, there have been an awful lot of them, clearly from the highest levels. And they uniformly reveal a management structure and culture in which the highest goal is not to display competence or to display creativity but to display loyalty, defined as sucking up. The philosophy of competing power centers has, indeed, produced terrible dysfunction, distraction, disloyalty and leaks. Trumps failed and frightening executive order on immigration is exhibit A. But now the National Security Council (NSC) seems to be in a full-scale crisis of purpose, thoroughly demoralized and trying to discern American policy from presidential tweets. With the real NSC badly weakened by the travails of the national security adviser, it seems that Bannon is developing a shadow NSC to serve his well-developed nationalist agenda.

The president may thrive in chaos, but the presidency does not. A president needs aides who will give him honest information and analysis, not compete for his favor. This may even involve checking a presidents mistaken instincts. There will always be competing power centers in the West Wing. But the White House runs best when there is, according to a former White House official, a strong chief of staff, empowered by the president to exercise absolute control over all logistics, decision-making processes, and execution. He can have as many advisers as he wants, but until one person has full control over the process, chaos will persist.

What does it mean to have a president who seems so hungry for affirmation and so influenced by slights? I recall (from working in George W. Bushs White House) the briefing material that senior staff received before international visits. It always included detailed personality profiles of foreign leaders. Surely other intelligence services prepare the same way. Might Trumps impulsive (and perhaps compulsive) reactions be manipulated by enemies and allies, either to allay or enrage?

For whatever reason, Trump sees benefits in surrounding himself with a swarm of disorder and disruption. So far, that has helped produce relatively small, self-made crises. But what about the big ones caused by the relentless flow of events? The president will face challenges of amazing complexity that must be addressed in real time, without do-overs. Will the president be able to act swiftly, on the best information and the best advice?

Silence.
KEN BURCHESS, Winston-Salem

Priorities

You had the front-page story, New details in assault on homeless man (Feb. 15). You had four stories of violent attacks on A3 (Police: Man came through window, sexually assaulted juvenile; Juvenile assaulted and robbed walking home from school; Armed robbers take delivery drivers wallet, phone, pizzas; Authorities arrest Thomasville man on arson and theft charges). You had another story of a violent attack on A4 (Man pleads guilty to rape). And liberals are upset that President Trump is coming down hard on illegal immigrants and refugees from the Middle East?

We have problems to solve among our own. Lets concentrate on them.

***

CYNTHIA GOUGH NANCE, Clemmons

A disappointment

Sen. Richard Burr has been such a disappointment to the people of North Carolina for so long. He even sold out the children of North Carolina by supporting Betsy DeVos for secretary of Education  a totally unqualified person who made a large contribution to him.

Now with the revelations about former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, there is possible treason in the White House.

At what point does the safety and welfare of the country become Burrs priority? At what point does he seek the truth as opposed to confirming his political positions? Wouldnt he like to leave the Senate as a hero?

He is in a position to seek the truth. I implore him to please do so.

PEGGY TAYLOR, Winston-Salem

Open borders

Concerning the Hollywood snowflakes, how would these actors and entertainers feel if a radical Islamic terrorist appeared at one of their award ceremonies and mowed down about a hundred of them? Would they still support open borders for all immigrants?

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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

Showers with a possible thunderstorm this morning, then variable clouds during the afternoon with still a chance of showers. High 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.

Tonight

Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. Near record high temperatures. High 79F. Winds light and variable.
Mark Phillips | CLimate Diaries | CBS this Morning Video Report |  

A massive iceberg in Antarctica is poised to break away at a time of uncertainty over the U.S. governments policy toward climate change. Mark Phillips is aboard the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Explorer with scientists who are using thousands of photographs to monitor the changing environment.
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TeleSur |  

Pruitt, a suspected climate change denier, has expressed plans to roll back climate policies that regulate the fossil fuel industry.

The U.S. Senate on Friday confirmed Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, with support from 50 Republicans and two Democrats.

Pruitt, a suspected climate change denier, has expressed plans to roll back climate policies that regulate the fossil fuel industry. President Donald Trumps pick falls in line with his vision of massively downsizing the EPAs role, or at least leaving a little bit, as he said during a campaign speech.

News of Pruitts confirmation came hours after the release of a new study reporting that sea ice around Antarctica shrunk to its lowest monthly extent on record in January. The study, released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, adds that Antarctic sea ice extent averaged just 4.04 million square kilometers, 1.19 million square kilometers below the 1981 through 2010 average.

It doesnt stop there  Arctic sea ice had its smallest January extent on record, topping the previous record set last year, Science News reports.

Freaked out? Youre not the only one. Environmental activists and politicians were immediately alarmed by Trumps pick.

Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, predicted that Pruitt will be the worst, most dangerous administrator in EPA history, Common Dreams reports.

Well be drinking dirtier water and breathing dirtier air because of this disturbing decision, and our wildlife and climate will pay a terrible price.

Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.) tweeted that Pruitts confirmation shows once again that Republicans will deny climate change and protect the interests of Big Oil at all costs.

You dont have to look far to learn Pruitts views on the EPA and the environment.

His Oklahoma Attorney General bio page describes him as a leading advocate against the EPAs activist agenda. And in 2015, he sued the EPA for an unlawful clean power plan rule that threatens Oklahoma power reliability and affordability.

Pruitt has even been accused of collaborating with corporations and lobbyists to file lawsuits against federal regulations on air pollution and fracking, the New York Times reports.

The EPA was established by former President Richard Nixon in 1970.

Via TeleSur



Related video added by Juan Cole:

The Young Turks:  EPA-Hating Scott Pruitt Confirmed Head Of EPA
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

1. If you appoint yourself to carry out surveillance of a mosque congregation who have never given any evidence of being violent, you might be a white terrorist.

2. If you dont know the difference between gentle Sufi mysticism and violent extremism, you might be a white terrorist.

3. If you plot to burn down a mosque, you might be a white terrorist.

4. If you also plot to burn a school and a cafeteria, you might be a white terrorism.

5. If you plot to put together a militia to attack the mosque, you might be a white terrorist.

6. If you make phone calls to potential militia members discussing using assault rifles on Muslims at the mosque who put up resistance, you might be a white terrorist.

7. If the County Commissioner of your county posted a sign showing a cowboy pointing his rifle at the viewer with a caption, How to wink at a Muslim, you might be a white terrorist.

8. If despite organizing a terrorist attack and recruiting accomplices from other states, you still arent charged with terrorism you might be a white terrorist.

Robert Doggart has been found guilty on 4 counts of plotting to commit arson and violate civil rights. But he was not charged with terrorism.
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Jacob Eriksson | (The Conversation) |  

By the standards of his turbulent time in office, President Donald Trumps meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was relatively nondescript. In many ways, Trumps statements to the assembled press were characteristic of the colloquial, rambling, but above all vague, policy announcements made to date. His press conference with Netanyahu generated more questions than answers and the outlook for Israeli-Palestinian peace remains grim.

As has been widely acknowledged, Trump appeared to reverse 15 years of explicit (and decades of implicit) US support for a Palestinian state and a two-state solution. However, it was much more ambiguous than a direct disavowal. When it comes to solutions: I like the one that both parties like  I can live with either one. Trump failed to even express a preference.

He has also taken an ambiguous position on Israeli settlements. He blasted the Obama administration for abstaining on a UN Security Council resolution criticising settlement construction, thereby allowing it to pass. He reiterated this on Wednesday by rejecting unfair and one-sided action against Israel at the UN. His nominated ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is a known funder and ideological supporter of the settlement movement. Emboldened by their expectations of this duo, the Israeli government in January and February announced new wave of construction in Ariel, Maaleh Adumim, and elsewhere in the West Bank.

In response, the White House said it had not taken an official position on settlement activity, but urged all parties to refrain from unilateral actions. Trump also told Netanyahu: Id like to see you hold back on settlements for a little bit  well work something out. While this can hardly be considered a rebuke and is devoid of specifics, it adds a level of uncertainty.

Whats the policy here?

As with so many other areas of policy, Trump vacillates from one pole to another. In December 2015, he appeared to take a more even-handed approach to the conflict when speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC). His unusual refusal to call for an undivided Jerusalem elicited boos from the crowd. He has since made moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem a priority, and then prevaricated.

At that same RJC meeting, he said, Id like to go in with a clean slate, and just say, lets go, everybodys even, we love everybody and lets see if we can do something. In an interview a few months later, he asked a reporter to let me sort of be a neutral guy by not making pronouncements for one side or the other.

The problem is of course that in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, everybody is not even. The Palestinians live under Israeli occupation. This asymmetry means that not pushing back against settlement expansion or being coy about support for a Palestinian state is tantamount to a green light for Israel to continue its creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank.

No room for indecision

The one hint of what really a great peace deal would look like referred in thinly veiled terms to the wider Arab world: It would take in many, many countries and would cover a very large territory. Such a deal (referred to as an outside-in strategy) would aim to capitalise on the shared antipathy between Israel and Sunni Arabs towards Iran, and convince them to bring the Palestinians into line in order to more easily confront their common enemy.

While the principle of including the Arab world in negotiations is both old and correct, the notion that they will readily abandon the idea of a Palestinian state is overly optimistic. Moreover, the idea that most Palestinians would settle for anything less is practically delusional. Although Arab leaders are as frustrated as ever with the divided and failing Palestinian leadership, the issue is important on the street. After the turmoil of the Arab Spring, the regimes in Egypt, the Gulf, and elsewhere are not keen on provoking their citizens over the subject.

On the one hand, Trumps flexibility and bluster can be seen as the positive pragmatism of a deal-maker. On the other hand, it also suggests an astounding naivety and a lack of understanding of the details of the conflict. Policy seems to fluctuate depending on who Trump last spoke to. Reversal on the US embassy, for example, appeared to come after meeting King Abdullah of Jordan, who emphasised the possible negative implications.

While Trump seems to take a great deal of pleasure from being unpredictable, this does not augur well for peace in a chaotic region. Netanyahu is notoriously risk-averse, and often points to instability as a reason not to make any drastic peace overtures. The Arab states, for their part, have other issues such as Islamic State, Syria, Iraq and Yemen on their minds. As they wade into these treacherous diplomatic waters, Trump and his son-in-law turned negotiator Jared Kushner will soon discover why this conflict has bedevilled seasoned diplomats and experts for decades.

Jacob Eriksson, Lecturer in Post-war Recovery Studies, University of York

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Al Jazeera English: Palestinians react to Trumps statement on two-state solution
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By Max Friedman | (Foreign Policy in Focus) |  

The so-called Muslim ban has been compared to U.S. treatment of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. Its actually even more draconian.

The MS St. Louis, whose Jewish refugee passengers were turned away from the United States shortly before the Holocaust. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The specter of desperate refugees gratefully touching American soil for the first time, only to be sent back to the countries they were escaping, has naturally evoked comparisons to Jewish refugees who were turned away from the United States in the Nazi era.

In particular, many critics of the Trump admirations Muslim and refugee ban have invoked the German ocean liner the MS St. Louis, which was packed with more than 900 desperate Jews fleeing Hitler in 1939. After being denied entry to Cuba, it then tried unsuccessfully to enter a U.S. port, tailed by the Coast Guard. Entreaties to the highest levels of the Franklin Roosevelt administration were of no use. The St. Louis steamed back to Europe, where more than 250 of its passengers would perish in the Holocaust.

This comparison, however, is inexact, because those passengers didnt hold U.S. visas. In fact, what the Trump White House ordered is even harsher.

As my colleagues Richard Breitman and Allan Lichtman showed in FDR and the Jews, U.S. officials had leaned on Cuba to accept the St. Louis passengers, and expected them to find temporary asylum there. When Cuban officials canceled their landing permits and turned them away, Roosevelt didnt open U.S. ports to them because the passengersdidnt have visas to enter the United States.

The moral failings of this approach now seem clear. But its important to remember that there were no death camps in 1939. Though the level of persecution Jews faced in Germany and Austria was horrifying, it hadnt yet developed into mass murder. Nonetheless, Roosevelt had worked hard to get other countries to take in more Jewish refugees. Under his leadership the United States itself eventually accepted some 200,000 through a legal process he personally labored to expand.

Of course, it wasnt enough  there was a ten-year waiting list for U.S. visas  but Breitman and Lichtman argue that Roosevelt went as far as he thought the anti-immigrant Congress would permit without provoking it into shutting the gates entirely.

The refugees Trump has ordered turned away, on the other hand, do hold valid visas to enter the United States. The door to their salvation, opened after an extensive vetting process lasting more than a year, has been slammed in their faces. Some were detained or denied boarding at the airport. They face return to their countries of origin or degraded conditions in crowded camps.

Its as if the passengers on the St. Louis had been clutching U.S. entry visas as they sailed mournfully back to Europe, watching the lights of Miami disappear over the horizon. That would be unimaginable  and is why, as with so much else coming from the new administration, Trumps action is unprecedented.

A better historical comparison to Trumps order banning legitimate refugees would be the actions of the highest-ranking official dealing with European refugees during the war, Assistant Secretary of State Breckinridge Long. In 1940, Long personally authored an order making it nearly impossible for any more Jews to come to the United States  even if they were able to amass all the documents and sponsors necessary and persuade a consular officer of their bona fides. Long issued his order knowing it would cause a drastic reduction in refugees saved.

Long confided to his diary his feelings about Jews: They are lawless, scheming, defiant  and in many ways unassimilable Some are certainly German agents.

Long was wrong. Not a single Jewish refugee admitted to the United States ever spied for the Nazis. Like refugees fleeing the charnel house of Syria today, they were escaping persecution and violence, not spreading it. But Long ensured that even Jews legally eligible to immigrate to the United States were kept out, thereby becoming the chief villain of the U.S. response to the Holocaust.

Like Longs, Trumps action isnt a rational security measure, since vetted refugees who settle in the United States have killed zero Americans in terrorist attacks. Like the phantom Jewish refugees who supposedly worked for the Nazis, the charge of collaboration with the oppressors theyre fleeing is a canard. (Trump counters by pointing to Germany, but the few new arrivals who committed acts of terrorism there did not go through the extensive U.S. vetting process.)

From chief strategist Steve Bannons crusader talk to ex-National Security Adviser Mike Flynns blustery tweet that fear of Muslims is RATIONAL, from calling for a Muslim ban to preferential treatment for Christians, Trump has made clear what motivates his order. He should think about how history has judged Breckinridge Long. Tragedy ensues when policy is based on prejudice.

Max Paul Friedman is a professor of history at American University and a visiting fellow at the U.S. Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. Hes the author of Nazis and Good Neighbors (Cambridge University Press).

Via Foreign Policy in Focus



Related video added by Juan Cole:

AP:  Trumps travel ban brings anxiety to refugee haven
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] joined [press release, PDF] a whistleblower lawsuit [complaint, PDF] on Thursday against UnitedHealth Group [corporate website]. The suit claims that the countrys largest health insurer, and its affiliates, were overcharging the Medicare program millions of dollars. The suit also alleges that UnitedHealth Group was defrauding Medicare by claiming that their insurance members were treated for conditions they never were. Defendants are accused of violating the False Claims Act [text] using these risk adjustment [text] tactics. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2011 but was sealed while the DOJ completed its investigations. The DOJ now claims to have enough evidence against WellMed Medical Management [corporate website], a company acquired by UnitedHealth Group in 2011.

Healthcare has continuously been an issue in the US. In January a district court judge prohibited [JURIST report] the merger of two major health insurance companies, affirming the DOJ decision that the merger would inhibit competition and hurt consumers. In June California Governor Jerry Brown [official website] signed a bill [JURIST report] into law to allow undocumented immigrants to purchase healthcare plans. In November the US Supreme Court granted certiorari [JURIST report] to determine if healthcare companies are precluded from recouping reimbursements under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Act.
The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Cistrict [official website] on Thursday overturned [opinion, PDF] Floridas 2011 Firearms Owners Privacy Act (FOPA) [text], also referred to as the Docs vs. Glocks law. The law prohibited doctors from entering information on gun ownership into a patients medical record if it is not relevant to medical care or safety, prohibited doctors from asking about gun ownership to the patient or families, prohibited doctors from harassing patients because of owning firearms, and prohibited doctors from discriminating against patients for owning firearms. The plaintiffs argued that the law violated their First Amendment rights. The court found that the law was unconstitutional with the exception of the provision against discriminating against patients due to gun ownership. The court stated that patients are free to not answer any questions by the doctors or have to choose between counseling on health and safety or face civil sanctions for harassment. The dissent argued that the law was sufficiently narrowly drawn to not restrict the general speech of doctors on firearms.

Gun control [JURIST backgrounder] and the Second Amendment continue to be controversial national topics. In January, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh District struck down [JURIST report] a law which placed restrictions on the placement of gun ranges in Chicago. In March 2016 the West Virginia Legislature overrode [JURIST report] a governor veto to allow carrying of concealed weapons with a permit. In January 2014 a judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois struck down [JURIST report] a Chicago ordinance that banned the licensed sale of firearms in the city. In September 2013 the Illinois Supreme Court invalidated [JURIST report] certain provisions of the states Aggravated Weapon Use Law as unconstitutional.
According to Texas election officials, hundreds of people were allowed to improperly cast ballots [USNews report] in the recent presidential election, evading the states stringent voter ID law, by signing affidavits in lieu of showing their photo ID. State election officers are now contemplating whether to ask local prosecutors to bring criminal charges for the violations of the election laws. The Texas voter ID law, which required voters to show one of seven forms of identification to cast a ballot, was stepped back in August, allowing individuals to vote by signing an affidavit stating they faced an impediment to obtaining one of the seven forms of authorized identification. The lessened standard was implemented on the heels of an appeals court decision holding that the states voter ID law discriminated against minorities. Among those using this softened voting requirement were individuals who claimed to have ID, but refused to show it. One election official said [i]f we see that somebody blatantly says I have ID and refused to show it, were going to turn that over to the D.A.. While some perjury charges may be brought against those in violation of the law, it remains unlikely that much will come of the charges. Despite believing a large number of people broke the law, one county election official stated that it would likely not be proven in court without a serious investigation or a lot of legwork.

Voter fraud has been a hot button issue of late. Several states have enacted statutes to address the issue, often by setting a stricter requirement for what type of ID is necessary to be allowed to vote. Some have argued [JURIST commentary] however, that having stricter voter ID laws will not improve the integrity of elections. In April 2016 the Arizona Superior Court dismissed [JURIST report] a lawsuit alleging voter fraud during the 2016 primaries. In January the US Supreme Court refused to hear [JURIST report] a lawsuit about a Texas voter ID law, that would limit IDs that could be used to vote to seven specified government issued IDs.
Over 400 Juve fans were on hand to witness a jovial but no less intense workout from Massimiliano Allegris men, among them J|Members, Scuola Calcio juniors, an army of Club Doc members and of course Jay, the days pre-kick-off entertainer.

Just hours after cheering their heroes from the field at Juventus Stadium on Friday night, a lucky clutch of Bianconeri supporters got an even closer look at the reigning champions in Vinovo during Saturday mornings open training session.

Fittingly, with a return to continental competition just around the corner in the form of Porto next Wednesday, there was a distinctively international feel to proceedings with representatives from the Club Doc supporter associations of Hong Kong, London Bianconera, Cuore Juventino Morlanwelz, Malta Vero Amore, Oman, Sillicon Valley, Singapore and Stassernoven all present to give the Bianconeri a heros reception.

On the field, it was business as usual, with those involved in last nights resounding 4-1 win over Palermo undergoing a routine warm-down stretching session to one side, while the remainder of the squad gave their public plenty to enjoy with a series of shooting and quickfire possession drills.

A super Saturday in the sun was rounded off in traditional fashion with a bumper autograph and photo session, the staple of any Juve family gathering.
KEARNEY  From online poker and slot machines to daily fantasy sports, the Internet has made gambling accessible to anyone interested in logging on.

That easy access has changed the face of gambling, according to Deb Hammond, a provider with the state of Nebraska Gamblers Assistance Program. Hammond will be conducting a public forum in Kearney Saturday afternoon at First Baptist Church to raise awareness and spark a discussion about problem gambling.

What were seeing now is a different generation of gambling. Millenials are who are having problems. Theyre gambling on the phone  not casinos. Its a population that isnt going to a casino in another state anymore. They can gamble at anything they want on the Internet, Hammond said.

Gamblings shift from table games to tablets has made it harder to recognize the traditional problem signs, Hammond said. Thats why its important to open up a dialogue in forums where experts, community members  and, of course, gamblers  can collaborate.

The goal of Saturdays forum is to talk about how we can talk about this together, said Hammond. How can we open up a dialogue between political leaders, community leaders, problem gamblers and the gaming community? Its not the gaming communitys fault anyone loses control, but we should talk about how they can help.

The forum also will address how the Gamblers Assistance Program can help those who may be in over their heads. The program uses a portion of the proceeds from the Nebraska State Lottery to certify and train gambling counselors and pay for problem gambling counseling, making it easier for people with financial barriers to receive treatment.

Problem gambling is not isolated to just the gambler, Hammond said. Family members, employer and friends of problem gamblers can all be affected, and all are eligible for counseling services with the help of the program.

GAP is available, and its free to anyone whos affected by a problem gambler, Hammond said.

People need to figure out how to gamble responsibly, Hammond said. Were never going to get rid of gambling, and I dont think we should. Gambling isnt wrong or a moral issue, but it can get out of control, and we need to be sure to talk about that, and offer help when its needed.

There are three Gamblers Assistance Program providers directly serving the Kearney area as well as several in McCook, North Platte, Scottsbluff and Norfolk. All have certified gambling counselors.

The providers with the program are allowed to treat at no charge to the client whatsoever, according to Hammond. There are no limits to the amount of counseling sessions people can receive through the Gamblers Assistance Program, she said.

State Sen. John Lowe of Kearney is expected to attend, Hammond said.
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KEARNEY  A festival highlighting Japanese culture will draw hundreds to the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus this weekend.

Sponsored by the Japanese Association at Kearney, the annual UNK Japanese Festival at 6:30 p.m. today (Saturday) will be in the Ponderosa Room at the Nebraskan Student Union.

The festival is free and will feature traditional Japanese music, dance, martial arts, fashion and other activities. The Japanese Festival has become one of the most popular events involving international students on campus, according to a news release from UNK Communications. Nearly 500 people are expected to attend this years festivities.

UNK has 129 Japanese students, the most of any foreign country, on campus.
Readers, send letter writer Clarence Brunkhorst a dictionary, an obstetrical textbook on trimesters/definitive fetus gender recognition, and a copy of legal statutes.

Sherry Ruhs brilliant Hub-published letter on Feb. 11 was about the centuries-long, worldwide culture of patriarchy. Her sixth paragraph cites patriarchy. She warns generations that human rights must still be fought for.

Patriarchy 1950: Parents leaving the hospital with a new baby received a book from a prominent life insurance company. The book instructed parents on infant care. Baby is referred to with 152 printings of His, Him, Himself or He. Not once in the entire book is reference made to the baby as female.

Patriarchy 1960: Female nurses could be kicked out of my hospital program if they did not rise up from their chairs when a male doctor entered the room.

Patriarchy 1970: Male physicians seemed threatened by the possibility of a father in a delivery suite. Patriarchy. Expectant parents fought male pushback for the privilege.

Patriarchy 1980: Some women in Nebraska agriculture were not considered a person by agencies of government.

Both genders do work well together when there is mutual respect.

I have positive male role models. My Eagle Scout brother taught me good values for my advancement. My dad encouraged college. Ive since recognized patriarchy in some Kearney businesses.

Brunkhorsts letter is a perfect example of male pushback that Ruh warns her granddaughter about. Brunkhorsts knee-jerk male genocide-abortion suggestion shows a poorly informed, extremist mind-set for a guy to write.

Nebraskans, please recognize any patriarchy in spoken conversations, in our local institutions, in political candidates. Call patriarchy what it is. Then seek equality.

Someone, please recommend that Brunkhorst enroll in a class covering the analysis of essays such as Ruhs effective letter regarding challenging the status quo.

Kathy Campbell, Riverdale
A women places some money in a donation box as Winnipeg bus drivers gathered to support each other at a rally for Irvine Fraser, who was killed by a passenger, and to demand safety improvements on buses outside city hall in Winnipeg, Friday, February 17, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
Broadly speaking, American confidence in the U.S. economy soared after Donald Trump won the presidential election. It now appears that upswing wasnt shared by everyone.

One key measure, the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index breached a 15-year high in December. A separate measure, compiled by the University of Michigan, showed consumer sentiment was at a 13-year high in January. Both surveys cooled slightly in the month that followed, but not by much.

As economist Ellen Zentner noted in a report to clients earlier this week, it was middle-income households that saw the biggest uptick in confidence--and by quite a lot. But the surge in optimism, it appears, wasn't shared by America's richest households.

Confidence among households with annual income between $35,000 to $50,000 has risen 32 percentage points since the election. In contrast, households in the richest segment--those that earn $125,000 or more--increased only 7.8 percentage points.

(Related: KPMG CEO: This Is How We Close the Confidence Gap)

Nearly all other income levels saw similar single-digit increases. The survey is compiled by asking respondents about their outlook for business conditions, the job market, and the stock market, as well as their plans for future spending on autos, homes, major appliances, and vacations.

Separately, the University of Michigan data showed a 40-point confidence gap between among Democrats and Republicans. Republican sentiment was near a historic high, while that of Democrats was near its historic low.

"The takeaway from this is that the surge in post-election sentiment has been driven primarily by middle-income Republicans, not shared broadly," Zentner wrote.

Indeed, the market has been moving up on the idea that Trumps presidency alone will boost confidence enough to supercharge the economy. But the discrepancy in feelings means that the presumed economic roar from our collective animal spirits post-Trumps election may be end up being more like a peep.

Story continues

More evidence that the 1% many not be so optimistic about Donald Trump: While the overall consumer spending figures have beens strong lately, Zentner points out that luxury spending fell in the end of the year.

Perhaps middle-income Americans are looking forward to potential tax cuts and infrastructure spending touted by Trump. But since the richest Americans would benefit the most from the tax cuts, the lack of optimism for Trump is odd. Perhaps high income Americans are more concerned about the drag that could be felt from a slowdown in immigration or a possible trade war.

"We suspect that hopes have been raised a bit too much by the Republican sweep on Election Day, and reality could prove disappointing," Jim OSullivan, chief US. economist for High Frequency Economics, wrote in a note earlier this week.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
(2:50) - What is driving the Chinese economy?

(5:50) - China's ghost cities and currency manipulation

(11:45) - How to invest in China's marketplace

(17:20) - The growing influence of China's middle class on trading

(20:00) - KraneShares ETF: investing ideas

In a special edition of the Zacks Friday Finish Line, Content Writer Ryan McQueeney and Editor Maddy Johnson are joined by Brendan Ahern, the Chief Investment Officer at KraneShares.

KraneShares is a leading provider of China-focused exchange-traded funds and Chinese investment education. Brendan joined the hosts of the Finish Line for a special beginners guide to the Chinese economy and investing in China.

Together, we discussed what drives Chinas economy, detangled common misconceptions about the country, and learned about how American investors can invest in one of the worlds biggest markets.

For those investors who are interested in learning even more about Chinese investing, we urge you to check out KraneShares. The company currently operates five different China-related ETFs and hosts a wide range of research and data.

As a reminder, if you feel that we missed something, or if you want us to cover a different story, shoot us an email at podcast@zacks.com. Make sure to check out all of our other audio content at zacks.com/podcast, and remember to subscribe and leave us a rating on iTunes!

As always, thanks for checking out this weeks episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line, and make sure to check back next week for even more news from the investment and financial world!

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Did you know that several Caribbean medical schools provide postgraduate premed courses so students can complete their science requirements? At least one schools nearly year-long premed curriculum includes 8 hours per day of classroom work, rudimentary general chemistry and organic labs, and a physics lab with 40-year-old equipment. The fee is more than $30,000 cash, no loans. Thats a lot to pay for courses that are not accredited and credits transferable only to other Caribbean schools.

The goal of these premed programs is to prepare students to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). However, some schools require only that applicants take the MCAT but do not reject anyone on the basis of their scores.

A former student said, Little did I know that a [Caribbean school] acceptance was the equivalent of a lottery ticket. They actually attempted to weed us out of the small (and unaccredited) pre-med class! It took me a month to figure it out. One of his professors told him the administration said not to pass everyone in the premed course into the first year of medical school.

He struggled through the premed requirements and wound up at a different school. The dean at that school spoke to the students about USMLE testing and what to expect in the clinical years. Many times during the talk, that dean referred to the schools top students in a way which implied that only the best students were likely to match to a residency position.

Another school administrator told him that some residency programs would not even look at his application if there was an F on his transcript. While most program directors would probably verify that statement, it was not widely known among the students at his medical school. Some had even failed a course but were still planning to become surgeons.

Regarding his struggles in the second year of medical school, the student said the volume of material was overwhelming, everyone in his class was stressed, and approximately one-third had dropped out. He observed that students who were doing well were type A personalities who had some measure of prior academic successand could make it through any US or Canadian program with ease.

He barely made it through the first year with mostly C grades. During his second year, he dropped two courses and had to repeat them.

After eventually withdrawing from that school, he applied to another and was turned down.

He warned that those who are thinking about going to school in the Caribbean dont understand how many dont make it through.

Dropouts and accurate figures on what percentage of each graduating class passes all USMLE steps and matches to a residency program are unknown.

Meanwhile, tuition debt keeps accruing and doesnt go away. The student has over $200,000 to pay off and will be doing so without the benefit of a physicians income. He is now trying to get a job related to his undergraduate major: business.

Regarding the offshore medical school experience, the student had the following observations:

The schools accept many students who they know will not make it through to fill up the class and make a lot of money in the process. I didnt find the material in medical school to be all that difficult; its the volume of the material and the time constraints that are the problem. I could not figure out why my studying was only yielding Cs when some people were getting the As and Bs. Im starting to believe people are born smart. I am not a good test-taker. I make the process harder than it is. The right answer might stare me in the face but Ill always second guess it. I was informed that residency programs look at more than STEP scores. I was actually under the impression that no matter what red flags I had on my transcript, my STEP scores would decide my future, but I was told by other students that residency programs will look at pre-clinical grades and I even heard from one student that an IM program asked for college transcripts! If that is the case, I would never stand a chance. I wanted to be a primary care physician. Was all this stress worth it to go into primary care? I keep reading that the match will continue to get harder and harder.

I have blogged about the decreasing number of residency positions available for international medical graduates.

Despite the recent ban on immigrants from certain countries, I do not expect the situation to change much for US citizen IMGs.

If it comes to a decision about whether to attend an offshore school or not, do your homework. Talk to people who have been there. Its not all palm tress and sunsets.

Skeptical Scalpel is a surgeon who blogs at his self-titled site, Skeptical Scalpel.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
The closing date for people who were residents or workers in  or have specific knowledge of  the Thomastown County Home in County Kilkenny, to speak to a confidential Commission of Investigation is March 1.

The Commission of Investigation was established to investigate the experiences of mothers and children in 14 Mother and Baby Homes and a number of County Homes between 1922 and 1998, including the Thomastown County Home, St Columba's Hospital.

The confidential committee is continuing to meet with anyone who was resident in, or worked in, these homes between the above years, and with others who have specific knowledge of these homes.

The closing date for applications to meet the confidential committee is March 1, 2017.

If you were resident in, or have specific knowledge of the Homes being investigated, and if you would like to meet the committee, you can contact it in confidence on or before Wednesday, March 1. Freephone 1800-806688, email on info@mchcoi.ie, or by post at Mother and Baby Homes, Commission of Investigation, 73 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2 or PO BOX 12626, Dublin 2.
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 ...
Theres an old Chinese curse that translates roughly into may you live in interesting times. Americans today certainly are living in interesting times, but few investors feel cursed. A nearly eight-year-old bull market has sprinted to a series of new highs since the presidential election. Standard & Poors 500-stock index, which closed at 2351 on February 17, has surged 9.9% since the close on November 8, barely wobbling along the way. Thats a good years worth of appreciation in just a bit more than three months.

But increasingly stretched valuations and off-the-charts political uncertainty raise the possibility that recent stock market blessings could quickly morph into a curse in the form of a correction. Now is a good time to make sure your portfolio is not only poised for growth, but also prepared for a pullback.

That the stock market can ignore the mayhem emanating from Washington almost defies belief. Its crazy, says financial planner Michael Garry, of Yardley Wealth Management, in Newtown, Pa. More than anything the market hates uncertainty. Theres plenty of that to go around, with the first month of the new administration marked by controversial appointments and executive orders, as well as plenty of finger pointing and mass protests. But dont let your politics get in the way of your portfolio, says Garry. Be wary of investing based on ideological preferencesits just not effective, he says.

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Business confidence is up, boding well for corporate spending. Consumers are also feeling buoyant, and their spending drives two-thirds of the economy. Economic indicators, ranging from purchasing-manager surveys to unemployment claims, are flashing green. For the first time since 2009, we can confidently say that the economy is hitting on all cylinders, says Jim Stack, editor of market newsletter InvesTech Research.

Corporate profits are rolling in. Over the past four quarters, 71% of companies in the S&P 500 have reported quarterly earnings that beat expectations (in a typical quarter only 64% deliver pleasant surprises.) For 2017, analysts on average expect robust earnings growth of 11%. Trumps plan to cut taxes and roll back regulation could boost earnings further. The bullish scenario is that Trump fast-tracks tax cuts, tax reform, repatriated earnings and deregulation, says economist Ed Yardeni, of Yardeni Research. That would lift economic growth and could carry stocks to new highs in response to sharply rising earnings, he says.

But that scenario assumes that the combative spirit dominating politics at the momentworthy of an HBO dramawont derail everything. Alternatively, the Game of Thrones will intensify, with a lot more casualties, says Yardeni. If Washingtons ability to govern the country in a civil manner suffers, so will the stock market.

Moreover, the rally has stretched stock valuations to elevated levels. The S&P 500 trades at a bit less than 18 times expected earnings for the coming four quarters, according to FactSet Research, well above the 10-year average of 14.4. Since 1928, the S&P has traded this high relative to corporate earnings for the past 12 months only 10% of the time, according to InvesTech; make that 3% of the time if you take out the outlier periods of the tech bubble and the financial crisis. Indeed, the S&P 500 currently trades above a number of year-end forecasts, including ours. S&P Global sees the index ending 2017 at 2035, 13% below its recent close. Goldman Sachs strategists see the S&P hitting 2400 in the first quarter before fading to 2300 by year-end.

All of this suggests that the stock market may be due for a breather. The last bear market (a decline of at least 20%) ended in March 2009, and the last correction (a drop of 10% to 20%) ended in February 2016, following a drop of 15%.

The best course of action for investors might be to plan for the bestand the worst. Strategists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch are warning clients that policy uncertainty could cause wide market swings. They advise holding stocks that will benefit from economic growth, including financials, industrials, technology, energy and makers of non-essential consumer goods, as well as shares that tend to be more defensive, such as healthcare stocks, especially those that pay dividends. Stocks worth exploring include Home Depot (HD (opens in new tab) $143.07), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ (opens in new tab), $118.84), Northrop Grumman (NOC (opens in new tab), $243.58) and T. Rowe Price Group (TROW (opens in new tab), $71.10). (Prices are as of February 17.)

Its OK to lock in some profits after this strong rally. The best way to do that is to rebalance your holdings to make sure your portfolio still reflects your long-term goals, lightening up on assets that have appreciated the most and funneling the cash into laggards. Financial planner Garry says that small-company stocks with a value bent have ripped through the upper band of many of his clients desired allocation, while bond allocations and foreign-stock holdings are on the low side. Fidelity International Growth (FIGFX (opens in new tab)) and Baron Emerging Markets (BEXFX (opens in new tab)), both members of the Kiplinger 25, are two foreign funds worth exploring. Think of bond holdings mainly as a volatility dampener, says Garry, and stick with high-quality funds or issues with shorter-term maturities. Kip 25 member Vanguard Short-Term Investment Grade (VFSTX (opens in new tab)) fits the bill nicely.

Planners at the Planning Center, in Chicago, have recommended shifting some assets from stocks into short-term bonds. And some clients have beefed up cash positions. Thats designed to let them sleep at night, says planner Michelle Maton. We were telling clients long before the election that we were due for a correction, she adds.

Just dont go overboardyou should be tweaking your portfolio, not blowing up your long-term plan, says Jeremy Bryan, portfolio manager at Gradient Investments, in Arden Hills, Minn. Do things on the margin, he says, shifting your portfolio allocation by four or five percentage points, 10 points tops. After all, he says, If clients cant handle a stock market correction, we dont want them in there in the first place.
China has said it will halt all imports of North Korean coal for the rest of 2017, a decision it said was in line with UN sanctions (AFP Photo/Greg BAKER)

Beijing (AFP) - "(China) will temporarily stop its imports of coal from North Korea for the rest of this year (including coal for which customs applications have been made but not yet processed)," the commerce ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

The statement said the suspension was in accordance with existing UN sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programmes and would come in to force on Sunday and remain until the end of the year.

The decision came less than a week after North Korea's latest missile test, as tensions escalate over the reclusive state's defiance of UN resolutions.

The North's leader Kim Jong-Un has been trying to strengthen his grip on power in the face of growing international pressure over his country's nuclear and missile programmes.

China's announcement came as investigators in Malaysia probe the assassination of Kim's half-brother on Monday, which Seoul says was carried out by female agents on the orders of Pyongyang.

North Korea's launch came just after a conciliatory phone chat between US President Donald Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping of China -- the North's only major ally.

- Provocation -

That may indicate it was in part a North Korean attempt to sow division between China and the United States, which has pressed Beijing to bring more pressure on Pyongyang, said Wang Dong, an expert on Northeast Asian geopolitics at Peking University.

"So I think the provocative nature of that launch was very clear, that's why (China) has moved to register its opposition," Wang said.

"I think this can be viewed as a signal to North Korea that it has to restrain its behaviour."

Wang said he doubted the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam -- half-brother of Kim Jong-Un -- was a factor in Saturday's announcement by China since that crime was still being investigated by Malaysia.

The United Nations Security Council, which includes China, sharply castigated Pyongyang last Monday for the missile test a day earlier, describing it as a "grave violation" of UN resolutions and threatening "further significant measures".

Story continues

On Wednesday Pyongyang defended the launch and slammed the Security Council's condemnation.

The rocket launch was the first since Trump came to power and was seen as a challenge to the new American leader, who has vowed a strong response.

Trump has repeatedly called out China for doing too little to help stop North Korea's nuclear programme.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday used his first meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to urge Beijing "to use all available tools to moderate North Korea's destabilising behaviour".

Pyongyang is barred under UN resolutions from carrying out ballistic missile launches or nuclear tests.

North Korea blasted off a series of missiles and conducted two nuclear tests in 2016 in its quest to develop a weapons system capable of hitting the US mainland.

The latest rocket -- said by Pyongyang to be able to carry a nuclear warhead -- flew east for about 500 kilometres (310 miles) before falling into the Sea of Japan (East Sea), South Korea's defence ministry said.

The Security Council has imposed six sets of sanctions since Pyongyang first tested an atomic device in 2006.

Beijing traditionally ensured that UN Security Council resolutions on sanctions against Pyongyang included humanitarian exemptions, and had continued to purchase huge amounts of North Korean coal -- $101 million worth in October alone -- a crucial source of foreign exchange for Pyongyang.

But the latest resolution, passed in December, had no such clause and Beijing suspended purchases of coal from the North -- for three weeks to December 31.
North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol, speaks outside the mortuary of the Forensic Department of the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Feb. 18. / EPA-Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan

Malaysian police have arrested a North Korean man linked to the assassination of North Korean leader's half-brother Kim Jong-nam, according to the police Saturday.

The police's statement confirmed they arrested Ri Jong-chol, 46, at 9:50 p.m. on Friday night in Selangor state.

Ri is the fourth suspect arrested with connection to the murder of Kim Jong-nam on Monday. An "i-Kad" card, an identification card issued by the Malaysian government to registered foreign workers, was in possession of him.

Two officials from the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur reportedly visited the police station on Saturday, where Ri is presumed to be detained, and requested the Malaysian authority's permission to meet him. It has not been revealed whether they met him.

Oriental Daily News, a Chinese-language daily in Malaysia, said Ri has a 40-something wife, a 17-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter, according to Yonhap News Agency. Neighbors of Ri from his apartment said he was an "average father."

Three other suspects so far arrested by Malaysian authorities include two Asian women.

The eldest son of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and older half-brother of the current leader Jong-un, Kim Jong-nam was attacked by two women with some sort of poison at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Whether the military state ordered the killing has not been confirmed. Seoul's National Intelligence Service, however, said Wednesday Kim Jong-un issued a "standing order" to murder his sibling after he took control of the regime in late 2011.

A second autopsy on Kim Jong-nam was conducted Friday night because the first one's result turned out inconclusive, according to the Associated Press citing an unidentified Malaysian official.

A diplomatic disagreement between North Korea and Malaysia over Kim Jong-nam's body also erupted.

North Korean ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol demanded that Malaysia immediately hand over the body. He accused Malaysia of deceiving the North while colluding with "hostile forces" against Pyongyang.

Kang said North Korea "will categorically reject the result of the postmortem conducted unilaterally excluding our attendance," at the mortuary of Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian police chief, Inspector-General Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, dismissed North Korea's accusation that the Malaysian government was delaying the autopsy process to release Kim Jong-nam's remains, according to the Bernama.

Khalid said, "While in Malaysia, everyone has to obey and follow our rules and regulations. That includes North Korea," adding that the police must obtain a DNA sample from Kim Jong-nam's family members to conclude the investigation.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (left) and South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference. / TASS-Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan

South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-se met Russian and Chinese counterparts Saturday as part of the Munich Security Conference while the controversy over the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula remains brewing.

Yun met Russia's Sergey Lavrov and discussed key issues between the two countries including economic cooperation. He also met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a separate meeting.

Yun was expected to have discussed at the meetings about the controversial deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and clarified South Korea's stance on the weapon that the battery is only intended to protect the country from North Korea.

To South Korea, deployment of THAAD meant to better cope with North Korea's military provocations. Beijing and Moscow, however, have expressed concerns over the battery on the Korean Peninsula.

Yun was also expected to have expressed concern over China's visible pressure on Korean businesses and cultural products, which South Korea views as an apparent retaliation against Seoul's stance on THAAD.
(Adds background)

SHANGHAI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - China will suspend all imports of coal from North Korea starting Feb. 19, the country's commerce ministry said in a notice posted on its website on Saturday, as part of its efforts to implement United Nations sanctions against the country.

The Ministry of Commerce said in a short statement that the ban would be effective until Dec. 31.

The ministry did not say why all shipments would be suspended, but South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported last week that a shipment of North Korean coal worth around $1 million was rejected at Wenzhou port on China's eastern coast.

The rejection came a day after Pyongyang's test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile, its first direct challenge to the international community since U.S. President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20.

China announced in April last year that it would ban North Korean coal imports in order to comply with sanctions imposed by the United Nations and aimed at starving the country of funds for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

But it made exceptions for deliveries intended for "the people's wellbeing" and not connected to the nuclear or missile programmes.

Despite the restrictions, North Korea remained China's fourth biggest supplier of coal last year, with non-lignite imports reaching 22.48 million tonnes, up 14.5 percent compared to 2015.

(Reporting by Meng Meng and David Stanway; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
spark capital bijan sabet

For the last 11 years or so, Spark Capital has found success by investing in some of the hottest consumer technology startups around: Yahoo's Tumblr, Facebook's Oculus, Twitter, and Warby Parker are all Spark investments.

Now, says Spark Capital cofounder and General Partner Bijan Sabet, the firm is starting to turn its attention towards a new target  the rising tide of workplace apps that make work just a little bit more fun.

And Spark had a big victory in this regard just recently: Trello, a beloved work organization app with 19 million users, sold to Aussie software giant Atlassian for $425 million, after raising a relatively modest $10.34 million in venture capital in its lifespan. For Sabet, who sat on Trello's board from its early days, it was a personal victory, too.

Plus, Spark is also an investor in Slack, the $3.8 billion chat app that recently staked its claim to the Fortune 500-grade software market with Slack Enterprise Grid, a new product intended for larger teams.

Here's why Sabet thinks there's a huge "acceleration" in the market for startups that have more to do with your work life than your personal life  and why Spark is putting its money where its mouth is after years of having it the other way around.

'Goosebumps'

Historically, Sabet says, Spark's interest has really been in companies that combine cutting-edge technology with good design, because those are the products that people actually enjoy using. So it wasn't exactly that Spark was avoiding business software companies, Sabet says. It's that, historically, it was hard to find any that fit their criteria.

Trello was an early exception, but he says that even popular enterprise software like Salesforce is "not a very inspiring product." When Sabet looked at Salesforce for the first time, he says, "we didn't get goosebumps like we did when we saw Tumblr."

trello

Story continues

Furthermore, Sabet says, the way that business software was historically sold created "natural gatekeepers"  the IT department dictated what hardware and software could be used by employees, meaning that there weren't a lot of ways that even the scrappiest startup could compete.

There wasn't an easy way to try business software before you buy, Sabet says; we may be used to lots of web-based productivity tools having free-to-use services now, but that wasn't always the case.

"You literally had to take a meeting before you could get a trial version," Sabet says.

David vs. Goliath

The thing that changed, Sabet says, is the rise of Apple and the app economy. Suddenly, people were allowed and encouraged to bring iPhones and Android phones to work. And with that latitude came the opportunity for employees to figure out the best tools they need to get stuff done, choosing apps and services "naturally."

This was "liberating," Sabet says, because it meant that suddenly, those "gatekeepers" were listed. Companies could sell straight to their users, not the IT department. If a small team at a company uses Slack, and their coworkers see them, they're going to want to use Slack, too.

It's the same network effect that powers the growth of social networks like Snapchat or Facebook, Sabet says, and now it's starting to hit the workplace, too. And the really great companies, including Spark portfolio companies Trello and Slack, are the ones who are applying a similar relentless focus on the user.

Slack Threads

"We're seeing very creative founders," Sabet says. "They can actually innovate here."

Indeed, Sabet says, it's a "red flag" when startups come to Spark with a business model that's a little more old-fashioned, with revenue that comes from selling professional services like setup, installation, and training. The companies that he's most interested in are the ones that can grow in that new, direct-to-user kind of way.

And while Slack and Trello found success by focusing on a broad set of office workers, Sabet says that there's room for other companies, like Mark43  a Spark-funded tool for law enforcement officers  to find similar success in different industries.

As for fears that companies like Microsoft and Amazon could crush these work-focused startups with their own ever-growing rosters of apps and services, well, Sabet isn't worried.

"We're kind of big on David vs. Goliath here," he says.

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Two companies in Springfield, several state government agencies and three businesses in Branson will hold job fairs next week to try to fill open positions.

Springfield

Expedia, the online travel agency, has nearly 1,000 employees in the Springfield area and continues to grow! It recently expanded its space in the old terminal at Springfield - Branson National Airport and added 200 seats.

Expedia's career fair, at which it wants to hire more than 20 reservations specialists, is Wednesday Feb. 22, from 9 - 6. The old terminal is on the west end of Kearney Street, two miles past Interstate 44.

The next day, the Ozark Region Workforce Development Board and the Missouri Job Center will host a hiring event for several state agencies. It will be at the Job Center's main location, 2900 E. Sunshine St., from 1 - 4 on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Potential job applicants can learn how to apply for jobs with the State of Missouri and meet with agency representatives. Attending agencies include the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), Missouri Department of Transportation, Missouri State Parks, Missouri Department of Corrections, Department of Labor & Industrial Relations, Missouri Department of Social Services, and Missouri Public Service Commission.

The Job Center at 2900 E. Sunshine also will host a hiring event for US Security Associates on Tuesday, Feb. 21, from 11 to 1. US Security Associates will interview for full-time and part-time security officer positions.

Branson

The Branson Missouri Job Center will also host hiring events for three employers.

-- On Tuesday, Feb. 21, from 10 to 2, Branson Zipline will interview for retail sales and zip guides.

-- On Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 10 to 2, Honeysuckle Inn will interview for housekeeping and front desk positions.

-- On Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 1 to 3, Pointe Royale will interview for food service, maintenance, and greenskeeper positions.
European Union EU flag

 European Union ombudsman ruled against unpaid internships

 Recommendation could prove a blow against unpaid internships throughout all EU institutions

 Activists plan to strike against unpaid internships in cities in Europe and North America

EU ombudsman Emily O'Reilly released a ruling Friday recommending that the European External Action Service (EEAS) begin paying its interns, the EU Observer reported.

EEAS is the EU's foreign service and diplomatic corps. As Politico previously reported, the diplomatic service's delegations include as many as 600 unpaid interns annually.

Two years ago, one Austrian EEAS trainee filed a complaint about the organization's unpaid internships. Any EU citizen can file a complaint with the ombudsman, who investigates maladministration in EU institutions. The ombudsman's website says that if the ombudsman presents an EU institution with an official recommendation, that organization must enact the recommendation within three months.

According to a statement from the EU ombudsman's office, the EEAS argued that unpaid trainees benefitted from receiving a "significant stepping stone" in their professional development.

However, O'Reilly did not agree that the reasoning was enough to merit the unpaid internships.

"In the Ombudsman's view, unpaid traineeships may lead to a discriminatory situation since persons from less privileged backgrounds are likely to lack the financial means to undertake a traineeship," O'Reilly's statement said. "They will thus miss out on this valuable opportunity to enhance their qualifications and skills. Moreover, the practice of having unpaid trainees may be counterproductive in identifying the best suited candidates."

O'Reilly concluded by recommending that the EEAS begin paying all of its interns.

The Telegraph reported that 4,000 out of a total of 8,000 interns working in the EU "bubble" were unpaid, as of 2016. Bryn Watkins, managing member of Brussels-based NGO Bingo, said that the ombudsman's recommendation may change that.

Story continues

"Our aim is to end all unpaid graduate internships in the whole EU affairs sector," Watkins told Business Insider via email. "The ombudsman ruling on the EEAS will set a strong precedent against unpaid internships in all EU Institutions, and we will be pushing hard on this. This is also good for the wider 'Eurobubble,' because the institutions have a norm-setting effect on the whole sector."

Watkins said that unpaid internships within the EU "bubble" discriminate against those who cannot afford to work for free.

"That is bad for the legitimacy and decision-making of the whole European project, so we are also fighting for those missing interns: the young people who could never afford to come," Watkins said.

Intern activist David Leo Hyde agrees that the ombudsman's ruling could be a blow against unpaid internships in the EU. Hyde is helping to organize a series of strikes in Brussels, Geneva, Vienna, New York City, and D.C. to protest unpaid internships. Along with Nathalie Berger, he is also co-directing the film "An Unpaid Act," which focuses on unpaid internships.

In the US, unpaid internships are only allowed under specific conditions (such as educational experience), as Forbes reported. In some cases, interns at nonprofits can also be classified as "volunteers," according to the National Council for Nonprofits. In Europe, laws regarding internships vary greatly between member states, as one independent 2012 study found.

"The tide is very clearly turning on this issue, and it's thanks to the growing coalition of interns and young workers across the world who are standing against this worrying employment trend," Hyde told Business Insider in an email. "Employers better be making sure they're on the right side of history; not to mention the law."

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MUNICH (AP)  U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday conveyed a message to jittery partners that the Trump administration will "hold Russia accountable" and maintain steadfast support for NATO, a military alliance the American commander in chief once dismissed as "obsolete."

In his overseas debut as vice president, Pence told the audience at the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. would be "unwavering" in its commitment to NATO and that President Donald Trump would "stand with Europe." Pence pointed to their shared "noble ideals  freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law."

Addressing the violence in Ukraine, Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honor a 2015 deal to end violence in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. He did not mention findings by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in last year's presidential election to help Trump win the White House.

"Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Pence's address and a series of one-on-one meetings with world leaders along the sidelines here sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression, including its annexation of Crimea. Many have been alarmed by Trump's positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pence's speech aimed to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist tendencies.

After his speech, Pence met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called for the maintenance of international alliances and told the audience, with Pence seated nearby, that NATO is "in the American interest."

Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, told the conference after Pence's speech that Moscow wanted "pragmatic relations" with the U.S. He said he hoped that "responsible leaders" would choose to create a "just world order, if you want you can call it a post-West world order."

Story continues

European countries along Russia's border are rattled by the prospect of deeper U.S.-Russia ties after Trump suggested sanctions  contrary to the opinions of Merkel and other world leaders  imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea could be eased in exchange for a nuclear weapons deal. The president referred to NATO as "obsolete" in an interview before his inauguration, but has since tempered his language and has stressed the importance of the alliance during telephone conversations with foreign leaders.

But mindful that the new U.S. president often lashes out on Twitter, some attendees remained skeptical that the speech represented Trump's thinking and said his foreign policy moves would be closely watched.

"We are waiting for actions," said Polish President Andrzej Duda. "We only know what the media has reported and the statements that we've got. Now we are waiting for actions of the new government of Donald Trump."

Wrote U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on Twitter: "Looks like we have 2 governments. @VP just gave speech about shared values btwn US and Europe as @POTUS openly wages war on those values."

Michael Chertoff, a former Homeland Security secretary under U.S. President George W. Bush, noted that Pence's comments about NATO and Europe echoed assurances given by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. "They've all been consistent about the fact that there is a strong, deep and enduring commitment to Europe and to NATO and I think that message has been received," Chertoff said.

In his remarks, Pence also reinforced the Trump administration's message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

NATO's 28-member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. But only the U.S. and four other members of the post-World War II military coalition are meeting the standard, Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, "erodes the very foundation of our alliance."

"Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfill this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more," Pence said.

In a day of meetings and photo ops, Pence was sitting down with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and separately with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko  countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion. The vice president also scheduled a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The former Indiana governor's stature within the administration was also under scrutiny after the recent dismissal of Trump's national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign Monday following reports he misled Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat. The vice president learned that he had been misled through media accounts about two weeks after the president was informed.

Pence also met with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. remains embroiled in two separate wars. Trump has made clear his intention to defeat the Islamic State group. But he also said the U.S. may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion that has been rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Trump's immigration and refugee ban has ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order, which is currently tied up in court, including Iraq  a close ally in the fight against IS. Trump has promised to issue a revised order, possibly as soon as next week.

__

Associated Press writers David Rising and Geir Moulson contributed to this report.

__

On Twitter follow Ken Thomas at https://twitter.com/KThomasDC
United States Vice President Mike Pence, left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meet for bilateral talks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. The annual weekend gathering is known for providing an open and informal platform to meet in close quarters. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

MUNICH (AP)  German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told an audience including U.S. Vice President Mike Pence that she supports a "free, independent press" and that Germany has good experience with mutual respect between the government and the media.

Merkel was asked Saturday at the Munich Security Conference whether she doubts the quality of American newspaper reporting on domestic politics. The question came after President Donald Trump tweeted that "The FAKE NEWS media ... is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!"

Merkel, who didn't refer to Trump in her reply, said she largely reads German newspapers but "apart from that, I advocate a free, independent press and have high respect for journalists."

She added: "We have always had very good experience, at least in Germany, with mutual respect."
trump

President Donald Trump's brief time in office has been marked by an ample amount of controversy and criticism, much of it carried over from his campaign and post-election period.

Throughout that time, Vicente Fox, president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, has been stalwart in his excoriations of Trump's stated positions, particularly those regarding US relations with Mexico.

On Friday morning, Fox joined CNN and inveighed on Trump's handling of the US economy and of the country's international relationships.

The former Mexican president warned that attempting to undo or redo NAFTA would have outsize effects on some US corporations, as the greater integration the trade deal fostered in North America has benefited firms like General Motors and Ford.

"He has to learn," Fox said. "Someone from the corporate world must tell him, Youre wrong, Trump. Youre absolutely wrong. You dont know about this.'" He continued:

"And let me tell you, his dealing capacities that he showed so importantly [at a Thursday press conference], hes a cheap dealer. Hes a peddler. These three weeks, he has shown that he doesnt have any capacity to make deals. He didnt show it with Pena Nieto. He didnt show it with other, like Australia and the others." "And more so, hes a lousy, worse, bad businessman and manager, because he doesnt know what planning is all about. You need to plan before you shoot, with a machine gun, executive orders without any sense, without any documentation." "He doesnt know anything about team-forming. The team he attracted is only his friends, and he didnt even spend some time on integrating that team ..."

Trump's dealings with Mexico have been particularly fraught since he took office.

Early reports that he had disparaged the US's southern neighbor and suggested he could send troops to fight drug cartels have been downplayed, but the ongoing tension between two countries, as well as an apparent lack of communication, has left many on both sides of the border frustrated and confused.

Story continues

Former President of Mexico Vicente Fox attends a religious service of the late Lorenzo Zambrano in San Pedro Garza Garcia, on the outskirts of Monterrey May 14, 2014. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

Internally, Trump's White House appears to be grappling with clashing egos and struggles for influence in the Oval Office.

The Thursday press conference referenced by Fox has added a new element to the dismay that has surrounded Trump's nascent presidency.

During the 77-minute event, Trump alarmed many, and commentators afterwards described it as "wild" and as an "airing of grievances."

Kurt Bardella, a former senior adviser and spokesman for the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, told Business Insider that the press conference made clear Trump "lives in an alternate reality."

Fox said it made clear which reality Trump seemed to prefer.

"Yesterday, on the presser, I think he resigned or he renounced the presidency of the United States of America to go back to his old job, to be a showman," Fox said. "Thats his aspiration."

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PRESS RELEASE

Putin Charges that NATO Is Trying To Draw Us into a Confrontation

Feb. 17, 2017 (EIRNS)In public remarks at a Kremlin meeting yesterday with the board of the state security service (FSB), Russian President Vladimir Putin charged that NATO is

"provoking us constantly and are trying to draw us into confrontation. We see continued attempts to interfere in our internal affairs in a bid to destabilize the social and political situation in Russia itself."

Putin charged that the situation had worsened since the NATO summit last July in Warsaw Poland, where

"Russia was declared the main threat to the alliance for the first time since 1989, and NATO officially proclaimed containing Russia its new mission. It is with this aim that NATO continues its expansion. This expansion was already underway earlier, but now they believe they have more serious reasons for doing so. They have stepped up the deployment of strategic and conventional arms beyond the national borders of the principal NATO member states."

Nonetheless, Putin stated,

"it is in our common interests to restore dialogue with the U.S. intelligence services and with other NATO member countries. It is not our fault that these ties were broken off and are not developing."

Putin has stated on various occasions that he hope that this deterioration from the Obama years would be rectified under President Trump.

Russias ambassador to NATO, Alexander Grushko, had similar remarks in speaking with the press after he participated in the Brussels meeting of the Russian-NATO Council. Grushko noted that there seems to be some recognition in NATO of "the danger of having no communications channels with us," but so far not much has been achieved. He too slammed NATO provocations, saying that

"the decision to increase NATOs naval presence in the Black Sea is, in any case, yet another step towards escalating tensions in the regions of vital importance for Russia."

He added that Russia is reinforcing its forces in the south and in Crimea in response to NATOs increased presence. "We are rearming our group in Crimea. Naturally, we will take all necessary measures to duly ensure Russias interests in this regions."
PRESS RELEASE

First Meeting of a Trump Cabinet Secretary with a Chinese Minister Proposes a Good Partnership

Feb. 17, 2017 (EIRNS)U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met today with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for the first time, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting in Bonn, Germany. By all accounts, it was a productive working meeting, with Minister Wang telling Tillerson that the earlier conversation between President Xi and President Trump, was "very important."

The South China Morning Post says that the diplomats agreed that China and the U.S. "could become very good partners and should push forward bilateral relations." The report on the meeting by State Department spokesman Mark Toner, stressed the U.S. urging China to do more about North Korea.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, where they discussed increasing the cooperation of the BRICS countries.

"The sides exchanged opinions on stepping up cooperation within the BRICS and G20 formats, expressing their readiness to assist the strengthening of principles of tolerancdgce and openness in the global trade, forming relevant multilateral mechanisms,"

the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
PRESS RELEASE

Trump at Press Conference Forcefully Defends His Policy of Building Positive Relations with Russia, China, Japan

Feb. 17, 2017 (EIRNS)President Donald Trump, in a stormy 77-minute press conference yesterday, forcefully restated his policy towards Russia, China, Japan and other nations, that has the British Empire and their kiss-ass media apoplectic:

"If we could get along with Russiaand by the way, China and Japan and everyoneif we could get along, it would be a positive thing, not a negative thing."

The press conference as a whole was a raucous brawl, with the media outdoing themselves going after Trump and showing total disrespect. Trump was quite nasty in return, while forcefully restating his policy on Russia (among many other topics covered).

He explained that the media et al were trying to whip up the population to support a military confrontation with Russia, which he denounced as extremely dangerous:

"Nuclear holocaust would be like no other. They [Russia] are a very powerful nuclear country and so are we. If we have a good relationship with Russia, believe me, thats a good thing, not a bad thing."

He insisted that the whole "Russia thing" being whipped up by the media is "a ruse:"

"Im here today to tell you the whole Russian thing, thats a ruse. Thats a ruse. And by the way, it would be great if we could get along with Russia, just so you understand that. "Now tomorrow, youll say Donald Trump wants to get along with Russia, this is terrible. Its not terrible. Its good.... If we could get along with Russia, thats a positive thing. We have a very talented man, [Secretary of State] Rex Tillerson, whos going to be meeting with them shortly and I told him. I said: I know politically its probably not good for me. The greatest thing I could do is shoot that [Russian] ship thats 30 miles off shore right out of the water. Everyone in this countrys going to say oh, its so great. Thats not great. Thats not great. "I would love to be able to get along with Russia. Now, youve had a lot of presidents that havent taken that tack. Look where we are now.... "But I want to just tell you, the false reporting by the media, by you people, the false, horrible, fake reporting makes it much harder to make a deal with Russia. And probably Putin said you know. Hes sitting behind his desk and hes saying you know, I see whats going on in the United States, I follow it closely. Its going to be impossible for President Trump to ever get along with Russia because of all the pressure hes got with this fake story. OK? "And thats a shame, because if we could get along with Russiaand by the way, China and Japan and everyone. If we could get along, it would be a positive thing, not a negative thing."

Trump was then asked by a journalist: "Is Putin testing you, do you believe, sir?"

Trump responded:
PRESS RELEASE

Even Pro-Maidan Analysts Say Kiev Started Latest Violence in Donbass

Feb. 18, 2017 (EIRNS)In the midst of the continued hype about alleged Russian aggression in Ukraine, the Western press is ignoring what even pro-Maidan media in Ukraine admit: Kiev initiated the latest wave of violence.

On Jan. 26, just before the latest explosion of hostilities, the pro-Kiev Kyiv Post wrote that

"Ukrainian forces have staged what has become known as a creeping offensive to regain control over territory in the gray zonethe no-mans land that divides separatist and government forces in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk."

Then on Jan. 18, analysts at Radio Liberty, a U.S. government-funded outlet, reported that "pro-Kiev troops have sparked bloody clashes with their enemy." The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitors the situation on the ground, reported that Kiev was positioning military equipment in the areadespite the fact that the weapons involved were banned under the Minsk agreement.

Dont call it fake newscall it lies. The Russians arent on the offensiveKiev is.
Mortgage servicing giant Ocwen will pay $225 million in refunds and loan forgiveness to Californians, settling allegations that sloppy practices led to violations of state and federal mortgage rules over the past several years.

The California Department of Business Oversight, which announced the settlement late Friday, said an independent audit of the West Palm Beach, Fla., firms practices found hundreds of violations. Those included not sending important notices to some borrowers, sending other notices late and not complying with a federal rule that requires lenders to lower interest rates for some active-duty military personnel.

The alleged violations took place between 2012 and 2015. During that period, Ocwen serviced more than 500,000 California mortgages, but the department did not specify the total number of mortgage borrowers harmed by Ocwens practices.

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Ocwen will pay $5 million in penalties and fees to the state and $22 million in cash restitution to borrowers. It will also provide $198 million in loan forgiveness to borrowers over the next three years.

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When a pilot on a United Airlines flight from Austin to San Francisco launched into a bizarre rant last week over the plane intercom, the 120 passengers in the cabin were put in the awkward position of looking after their own safety.

The pilot, who rambled on about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and her own divorce, was ultimately replaced on the flight and United Airlines apologized to the passengers  but not until several passengers got up and demanded to be let off the plane.

The pilot, who has not been identified, has been relieved of her flying duties, United Airlines spokesman Charles Hobart said.

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The Federal Aviation Administration requires that pilots be clear of personality or mental disorders. However, the FAA does not have any regulations addressing what to do if a pilot or copilot appears to be mentally incapable of flying a plane. Instead, the agency leaves it up to the airlines to come up with a procedure for such a situation.

As for the passengers, Hobart and FAA officials say travelers who fear their pilot is acting strangely or worry that their safety is in jeopardy should immediately contact a crew member.

In the case of the flight from Austin to San Francisco, United Airlines placed passengers who got off onto another flight, with no charge for rebooking.

If there is a reasonable concern for their safety, we will work with them, Hobart said of passengers who want to get off a plane before takeoff.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
Fly suits on stage at the Mark Taper Forum. The eternal artistic optimism of a Hungarian refugee of war. And the British composer who is making L.A. his second home. Im Carolina A. Miranda, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, and Im here with your weekly update of all the best arts and culture stories:

Zoot Suit revived

The buoyant revival of Luis Valdezs Zoot Suit at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles couldnt be better-timed, reports Times theater critic Charles McNulty. The play was inspired by the sensationalized, racially charged Sleepy Lagoon murder trial of 1942 and stars Oscar-nominated actor Demian Bichir in the role of El Pachuco. It speaks so directly to the current political moment, McNulty writes, when fundamental constitutional values are being tested and law enforcement and racial justice appear to be at loggerheads. Los Angeles Times

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McNulty also took in a performance of the Kneehigh theater companys 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The story focuses on a petulant kid, a lost cat and life in a sleepy, rural English town during World War II. The nonstop cuteness can get overindulgent, writes McNulty, but the companys frisky heart is in the right place. Los Angeles Times

Plus: McNulty charts the bumpy road that theater productions must take in making the journey from California to Broadway. He follows Pam MacKinnons Amelie and Christopher Ashleys 9/11-themed Come From Away as they sharpen, tighten and rework productions in advance of their New York debuts. Los Angeles Times

Art in the face of fascism

The optimism of Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, writes Times art critic Christopher Knight, is staggering. The Hungarian artist  a polymath who dipped into art and design and the gray areas in between  survived social upheaval and two world wars. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art now has the largest, most complete retrospective of his work since the late 60s, and it is a large and fascinatingly beautiful show, reports Knight, capturing the artists curiosity, color, wry humor, excited trial and error [and] prolific innovation. Los Angeles Times

From Project Runway to ballet

Drawings and fabric swatches for Bradon McDonalds latest creations for Jessica Lang Dance. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

A portable plastic Kenmore sewing machine helped inspire the career of fashion designer Bradon McDonald. It started him down a path that took him from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising to Project Runway, then to costume designer for choreographer Jessica Lang and her namesake dance company (which is performing at the Ahmanson Theatre in L.A. through Saturday). Times culture writer Jessica Gelt paid a visit to his atelier to learn about his collaboration with Lang and her dancers. Los Angeles Times

The experience of internment

A new exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles tracks the history of Franklin Delano Roosevelts infamous Executive Order 9066, which condemned roughly 120,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps for the course of World War II. The actual executive order will go on view at the museum  its first time on view on the West Coast  along with numerous artifacts from the era. Curator Clement Hanami tells The Times Deborah Vankin, the exhibition will be quite powerful for people who are concerned about America today. Los Angeles Times

Architectural satire

Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne sorts through the great pyramid of books that cover his desk (I know, I sit next to him) and comes up with something unusual for this weeks Building Type column: Keith Krumwiedes Atlas of Another America, which lays out the history of an imaginary place called Freedomland, where a bucolic American landscape is amply studded with cookie-cutter McMansions idealized as places of collective living. Hawthorne interviews the author on why he thought super-homes made from the monster houses of the boom years were a good way of understanding the recession. Los Angeles Times

Historic Palmyra online

The tumult in Syria has left the ancient Silk Road settlement of Palmyra under siege as Islamic State militants and the Syrian Army have waged war amid at the graceful classical ruins. But even as structures are destroyed, the Getty Research Institute  which holds a trove of historic imagery related to the city  is preserving its memory. Curators last week unveiled an online exhibition featuring 19th century photographs of the site by pioneering photographer Louis Vignes, as well as the delicate illustrations of architect Louis-Francois Cassas that capture the site in the 18th century. The Getty Research Institute

A dance of death

Composer Thomas Ades conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The British musician Thomas Ades, the man behind the opera The Exterminating Angel, has become an essential composer, writes Times classical music critic Mark Swed. He is also now a part-time Angeleno and part of the Los Angeles Philharmonics extended family. Last week, Ades led the orchestra through a new work for cello and orchestra, as well as his startling and voluptuous orchestral piece Totentanz, the dance of death. Ades, Swed writes, has begun to show increasing command as a conductor as well as interpretive flair. Los Angeles Times

Swed also trekked up to Santa Barbara to take in a performance by violinist Leonidas Kavakos and pianist Yuja Wang at the Granada Theatre. Despite some fumbled page turns, the pair were firmly in the moment. In the Debussy, Wang emphasized the grave gorgeousness of the French composers harmonies, while Kavakos spun ever more exquisite silver, writes Swed. But Bartoks gripping, experimental, unsettled sonata became the vehicle where both players found themselves by losing themselves. Los Angeles Times

Taking on Salome

Soprano Patricia Racette, star of the Los Angeles Operas upcoming production of Salome, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Soprano Patricia Racette has been living, eating and breathing Salome, Strausss tragic opera about a beautiful princess. She has played the demanding title role in Pittsburgh and at New Yorks Metropolitan Opera in December. And now she is set to take it on at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with L.A. Opera music director James Conlon  the 12th time they have collaborated. Of the role, Racette tells Times contributor Catherine Womack: This, for me, is truly a theatrical feast. Los Angeles Times

In other news

Patricia Racette as Marie Antoinette in Los Angeles Operas 2015 production of John Coriglianos The Ghosts of Versailles at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

 In high-culture Grammy Awards news: The cast of the The Color Purple won for musical theater album. Los Angeles Times, And L.A. Opera took home two trophies for Ghosts of Versailles. Los Angeles Times Congrats all around!

 Hundreds of South Korean artists have sued impeached President Park Geun-hye for putting their names on a cultural black list that resulted in them being denied funds. (Idea for L.A. curators: a show of the blacklisted artists. Id see that.) Artforum

 The art stash of Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of a Nazi-era art dealer, is set to go on view at two European museums. New York Times

 The Museum of the Moving Image in New York has shut down Shia LaBeoufs anti-Trump artwork for public safety reasons. Hyperallergic

 Hammer Museum senior curator Anne Ellegood and independent curator Erin Christovale have been named curators for the next edition of the museums Made in L.A. biennial. Los Angeles Times

 The Hollywood Bowl has announced its 2017 summer lineup, and it includes everything from the ABBA musical Mamma Mia! to Solange to Beethovens Ninth Symphony. Los Angeles Times

 Geffen Playhouse artistic director Randall Arney will step down after 17 years with the company. Los Angeles Times

 In the age of the $10,000 Hamilton ticket: How theaters are cracking down on scalping. New York Times

 The hedge fund manager who scored Moonlight. Los Angeles Times

 CalArts has launched a new literary magazine called Sublevel. Los Angeles Times

 A Donald Judd-designed desk and chairs are reunited by a joint acquisition between LACMA and the Huntington. Los Angeles Times

 A walking tour of Compton architecture. Los Angeles Times

And last but not least

The terms and conditions for Apples iTunes rendered as comics. Much better. Creators

carolina.miranda@latimes.com

@cmonstah
The evening before he planned to cast his Oscar ballot, Samuel L. Jackson had no doubt as to who had his lead actor vote.

I dont think anyone did a better job than Denzel, Jackson said of Fences star and friend Denzel Washington, who vies for the Academy Award on Feb. 26. Thats a difficult role to play. Ive seen him do it onstage  and hes great.

For the record: An earlier version of this article misidentified the college Samuel L. Jackson attended as Morehouse University. He attended Morehouse College. It also reported that the Academy Awards ceremony would take place Feb. 24. It is scheduled for Feb. 26.

On a weeknight in Hollywood, Jackson sat backstage at the ArcLight Cinemas before a Q&A following a screening of Raoul Pecks I Am Not Your Negro, in which Jackson brings the words of the late author and social critic James Baldwin to life.

The film is nominated in the feature documentary category, and as Jacksons voice and Baldwins stirring words wafted through the walls of the Cinerama Dome, which was filled nearly to capacity, the actor gamely surveyed the Academy Awards field between puffs from a vape pen.

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I dont think anyone did a better job than Denzel.  Samuel L. Jackson on Fences nominee Denzel Washington

He digs Moonlight, director Barry Jenkins tale of an isolated black teenager growing up gay in Miami, which is nominated for eight Oscars including best picture, director, screenplay and supporting actor for Mahershala Ali.

I like the kids, he added, praising the trio of actors  Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes who play protagonist Chiron through three acts. Mahershala is great, but I like everybody who played that kid.

Manchester by the Sea is an interesting story, he said of filmmaker Kenneth Lonergans staid New England-set drama starring Casey Affleck as a brooding janitor, up to a point. But I want to see dude smile once about something. Something!

Jackson, whos been a member of the academy since earning his first Oscar nomination for Pulp Fiction in 1995, sees all the nominated movies, although he didnt quite make it through all of this years nominees. The movie everybodys so hyped on, I only made it through 20 minutes. I mean, I like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, he quipped with a sly smile, never once uttering the words La La or Land.

At 68, Jackson is one of Hollywoods top box-office earners and arguably its most versatile blockbuster star. But when Haitian filmmaker Peck approached him to narrate Baldwins unfinished manuscript Remember This House, about the legacies of the authors slain friends and activists Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Medgar Evers, Jackson agreed after one phone call.

He recorded his I Am Not Your Negro narration while on location in Bulgaria, where he was filming the action movie The Hitmans Bodyguard with Ryan Reynolds.

I made sure every single word was pure Baldwin, Peck told The Times earlier this month. It was not about how creative I am. It was about, how do I make sure it hits the people frontally, without any filter.

Jackson had read Baldwin as a student at Morehouse College, where he sparked to the Civil Rights Movement and, later, to acting. Baldwin, a gay African American who fled mid-century American prejudice for an expat life in France, had by then been publishing incisive condemnations of Americas racial malaise from abroad.

He was a shock to the system, said Jackson. I hadnt read anything like it that confronted the ideals of what America had presented.

Raised in segregated Chattanooga, Tenn.  what I now refer to as American apartheid, he says  the young Jackson found in Baldwin a voice for the feelings he hadnt been able to express.

To know that there was another way to fight aside from sitting in, or being confrontational with the powers that be of the dominant society, through literature, was really exciting for me, said Jackson, whose commanding readings make Baldwins words boom, surge and ache.

I spent my life reading and living in other worlds, escaping that life that I lived. I knew about throwing rocks at white kids on the bus when they yelled at you, or marching. But to have someone able to put into words the anger, the hurt, the understanding of society that I thought I had, gave me another sort of power.

In the stillness of the ArcLight green room, Lena Hornes rendition of Stormy Weather danced faintly through the air, and Jackson mulled the precision with which Baldwin targeted the roots of white American bigotry. Jackson would spend his weekends as a child devouring movies at his local cinema, wondering why black characters were always killed off or pushed to the wayside.

He plunged into the psyche of the dominant culture in such a way that you see what theyre trying to set up. So when you hear a phrase like, Make America Great Again, you know what that means, Jackson said. And you know what the psychological make-up of that again is.

To know that we havent traveled that far from that same general psychosis is amazing, he continued. As much as we think weve grown, we havent grown at all.

Sporting a knit cap emblazoned with the words Stay Up  POTUS 44 delivered, Jackson assessed President Trumps embattled new administration. It feels a little like the volatility in the air of the 60s, he said. I can feel the turmoil. Theres a lot of fear in the air too, because people are getting rounded up and sent out of the country while he distracts us with his bull  tweets.

Which is why, in a year in which the Oscar race and politics have dovetailed so acutely, a movie like I Am Not Your Negro resonates with power and immediacy.

As illuminating as 13th is, and as walk down memory lane as [OJ: Made In America] is, Jackson said of Negros documentary rivals, this is way more relevant to what were facing on a day-to-day basis in terms of people trying to change our lives and put us back into place.

Through a 45-year career in Hollywood, Jackson has witnessed major shifts in the representation of black life in mass media that Baldwin criticized.

Now, he said, television is richer in opportunities for minority performers, pointing to ABCs black-ish, WGNs Underground and OWNs Queen Sugar. Hes excited for Marvels long-in-the-works first black superhero movie, Black Panther, which is filming under Creed director Ryan Coogler, even if hes a little miffed his Marvel Studios bosses are making his character, Nick Fury, sit this one out.

Marvels finally coming out with Black Panther, even though theyre not letting [me] pass through there! he laughed. How do you have a black movie and you dont include the only black character thats been in your movies? 

I tried, he smiled, shaking his head. I had that conversation. No, weve got something else for you to do. OK, I guess Nick Furys still roaming the world trying to find out whats going on with Hydra.

But not everything has changed. Watching Viola Davis lead the supporting actress field for her commanding turn in Fences this season reminded Jackson of his own Pulp Fiction experience, when he was campaigned for supporting actor while John Travolta was pushed as lead.

He had his qualms at the time, given that the two have similar roles and screen time, but it didnt matter because it was Harvey [Weinstein], he shrugged. (Both he and Travolta earned nominations in their respective categories.)

I dont think an Oscar moves the comma on your check like it used to.  Samuel L. Jackson, Oscar-nominated for Pulp Fiction

Viola is great, Jackson said. But shes not a supporting actor. You dont get to make that choice. Thats bull  to me.

He is, however, supportive of this years inclusive best picture titles and pitched in to buy tickets for underprivileged youth to see Hidden Figures, the true tale of three unsung African American heroines who battled racism and sexism while helping launch the U.S. space program in the 1960s.

And hes mindful of what an Oscar win can, and cant, do to boost an actor or actress profile. I dont think an Oscar moves the comma on your check like it used to, he said, because its all about [people] in seats.

I remember doing a movie with an Academy Award-winner, he said with a glint in his eye, politely not naming names. I specifically had a clause in my contract that said I had to make a million more dollars than him because he doesnt put [people] in seats  I do. Its knowing who you are and what youre doing.

jen.yamato@latimes.com

@jenyamato

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After exploring 1960s alternate America, Stephen King and J.J. Abrams are teaming up again at Hulu to poke around a place familiar to King fans.

The parties behind the limited series 11.22.63, which revisits the Kennedy assassination, are joining forces for Castle Rock, an anthology series set in the fictional Maine town that has been the setting for several King stories.

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Castle Rock is featured in The Dead Zone, Cujo, The Body on which the film Stand By Me was based  and other novels and short stories, and is portrayed as a kind of all-American town unsettled by Kings supernatural events.

Abrams Bad Robot Productions made the announcement via the teaser above. (It mainly just ticks off iconic places, people and things from Kings novels as the image morphs into a map of Maine.)

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show will weave together characters and themes from those novels that use the Castle Rock location. The publication also said that Manhattan creator Sam Shaw will be involved in the series.

Castle Rock, which serves as a kind of retort to Netflixs similarly supernatural Stranger Things, does not yet have an air date or episode count.

Anthology series have gained currency in recent years with the likes of American Horror Story and Fargo, though it remains to be seen whether Castle Rock will include longer arcs like those shows or self-contained stories in the tradition of the anthology classic The Twilight Zone.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

steve.zeitchik@latimes.com

Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT
tonight show jimmy fallon donald trump press conference nbc

Jimmy Fallon reprised his impression of Donald Trump to reenact Trump's strange solo press conference  his first as president  on Thursday, which generated a lot of headlines.

"This is going to be a crazy one. Daddy came to play," said Fallon, sporting a Trump wig and over-the-top orange makeup, at the beginning of the sketch on Thursday's episode of NBC's "The Tonight Show."

Trump held the press conference to announce his new choice to head the Labor Department after his original selection, Andrew Puzder, withdrew from consideration following intense criticism over past controversies and statements. But the press conference went on for more than an hour in a performance CNN's Jake Tapper called "an airing of grievances" and "unhinged."

In less than three minutes, Fallon employed many of Trump's go-to responses to reporters, including cutting them off while they're asking a question, declaring several outlets "fake news," and denying that he and his administration had made any missteps in the month since Trump took office.

"We've made so much progress," Fallon's Trump said. "In fact, if you ask any American, they'll say that I've managed to make the last four weeks feel like four years. Four more weeks! Four more weeks!"

Aside from Puzder, Trump had another senior staffing issue he needed to address. Earlier this week, his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned after reports surfaced that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his discussions with a Russian official before Trump was inaugurated.

Fallon mocked Trump's seemingly circuitous logic about whether he was informed about Flynn's communications with the Russian official.

"Look, I knew that he knew that I knew, but he didn't know that I knew that he knew that I knew that he knew that I knew that he knew," Fallon's Trump said. "So now you know."

The host closed out the sketch with a roundup of Trump's most used terms with the help of a "Magic Trump 8-Ball."

Story continues

Watch Fallon's reenactment of Trump's press conference:

NOW WATCH: 'Sit down! Quiet!': Watch Trump's heated exchanges with reporters in his longest press conference as president





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In Crashing, a sweet new series created by and starring Pete Holmes, the comedian plays an earlier version of himself, a bottom-rung aspiring comic whose marriage breaks up when he catches his wife in bed with another man. Executive producer Judd Apatow directed the pilot, which premieres Sunday on HBO and revisits, in a less penetrating but no less loving way, the territory he portrayed in Funny People, maybe his best film, though certainly not his best loved.

Pete, a big, tall naif, is a clean-living, clean-talking Christian Candide who, but for an all-consuming need to do comedy, might have become a youth pastor. Holmes own later success retroactively certifies Petes ambition, but its hard to argue with soon-to-be-former wife Jess (Lauren Lapkus) that its killing their marriage. An elementary school teacher, she has been supporting him in the suburbs for an improbable decade, while he spends money on gas and drink-minimums in order to get a chance to play to empty rooms in New York City. His progress has been slow.

Its like a wife supporting a guy in medical school, Pete blithely tells Artie Lange, one of the many other comics (notably Sarah Silverman and T.J. Miller) who play versions of themselves through the series. They will lend him a hand or ask for a favor, criticize or encourage him, as broke and clueless, he tries to improvise a life in the big city.

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How is it like that? Lange replies. At the end of medical school, youre a doctor. You start at 900 grand a year.

Shows in which comedians play versions of themselves  even shows in which comedians play a version of themselves specifically in New York, and even a show whose hero, Jim Gaffigan, was a clean Catholic comic  have not been in short supply. (Indeed, self-portrayal has become both the default and quality mode for comic-starred sitcoms.) Nevertheless, Crashing has its own amiable tone, and Holmes  a nice guy in a state of arrested development  is something a little, not completely, different.

There is a lot of talk  practical and philosophical  about comedy, and Crashing is very good with the details of low-level nightlife. But what most makes the show entertaining are Petes episodic adventures with characters who will help form him, challenge him and wake him from his self-satisfied sleep into a better sort of happiness. It falls to the excellent Lapkus (a comedian and actress whose credits include Orange Is the New Black), sympathetic in a hard-edged way, to deliver the hardest truths.

Two lines about me maybe having a baby, she says, movingly, having had a glimpse at one of his journals, and then the next three pages are about how great Doug Stanhope was on Louie. 

The series manages both to question and approve Petes feeling that comedy is worth this sort of pain  its worth it for the winners, one might say. In the end, and like other Apatow projects, it mixes the madcap with the poignant, Hollywood structure with details drawn from life. Still, at bottom, its a fairy-tale journey, with Holmes the homeless Dorothy and Lange, Miller and Silverman as Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man, passing him along as he surfs from couch to couch with an eye on a gig in the Emerald City of his imagination  though Crashing is far less dark than The Wizard of Oz.

West Village, look at us, standin on a corner, eatin street food, he says with hopeful camaraderie to some other scuffling comedians with whom he has gone to pass out fliers in return for a shot at stage time. Were going to do a set tonight at a club in Manhattan.  Following the dream, were grinding it out.

Having done this before, they find him odd.

Crashing

Where: HBO

When: 10:30 p.m. Sunday

Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17)

robert.lloyd@latimes.com

Follow Robert Lloyd on Twitter @LATimesTVLloyd

ALSO:

Judd Apatow and Pete Holmes get real about comedy in HBO series Crashing

Netflixs Love embraces L.A.'s awkward, appealing dating scene -- while showing our city lots of love
Rigoberto Gonzalez, one of our critics at large, was raised in a family of immigrant farmworkers. Now he writes award-winning books. He tells his story and more this week in Books at the L.A. Times.

THE BIG STORY

In 1980, I arrived with my family to the U.S.-Mexico border from Michoacan with what little we could bring with us on the three-day journey by bus. Not long after, once more members of our extended family joined the migration, 19 of us moved into a tiny apartment in Thermal, Calif., where we didnt have much privacy or personal space for the next few years, writes Rigoberto Gonzalez. My brother and cousins took to the streets to claim that independence, but as the introvert among the group of 11 kids, I reached for the books. Read his essay here.

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Rigoberto Gonzalez is one of the L.A. Times critics at large and a professor who has published a dozen books. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

L.A. LOVES BOOKS

In bars and cafes, clothing stores and skate shops, you can find books all over Los Angeles in the least expected places. Christine Zhang explores the unexpected literary outposts of our city. With video.

Catcher in the Rye is a book-themed bar in Toluca Lake. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

REVIEWS

Next month the National Book Critics Circle will vote on its 2016 awards, selecting winners in six categories. Board member Kate Tuttle looks at the five nonfiction finalists: Evicted by Matthew Desmond, Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi, Dark Money by Jane Mayer, Nothing Ever Dies by Viet Thanh Nguyen and Writing to Save a Life by John Edgar Wideman. Each book, in its own way, speaks to our moment, a time of economic inequality, political shifts, and long-simmering conversations about race, history and violence.

BESTSELLERS

If youre aching for a cozy refuge from our wintry rainstorm, youre not alone. SoCal book buyers have put The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking into its third week on our bestseller list, where its at No. 8 in nonfiction. Hygge, a lifestyle trend, is the Danish philosophy of comfort, togetherness and well-being  think dinners by candlelight, warm socks and curling up on the couch with a blanket. A tip for being truly hip? Its pronounced hoo-ga.

OTHER BOOK NEWS

Did you hear about the daring book heist in London, where robbers cut through a skylight, rappelled 40 feet down, and then selectively took $2.5 million in antiquarian books? Or that Philip Pullman is returning to write three more books that run in parallel to his beloved His Dark Materials trilogy? How about that CalArts has launched a new literary magazine called Sublevel with some fascinating essays? Weve got book news daily for you online at our blog, Jacket Copy.

carolyn.kellogg@latimes.com

@paperhaus
Led by Vice President Mike Pence, the Trump administration is seeking to calm tensions among anxious allies at a high-level security summit in Germany after weeks of puzzling statements from Washington that threatened to reorder decades of U.S. foreign policy.

The annual Munich Security Conference represents a major opportunity for the fledgling administration to clarify U.S. foreign policy and security priorities to heads of state, foreign ministers and others worried about Trumps policy shifts toward Europe, Russia, China and the Middle East.

Although Defense Secretary James Mattis, who is here with Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly and several members of Congress, gave opening remarks on Friday, it will fall to Pence to allay concerns about Trumps freewheeling style and turbulent White House when he addresses the summit on Saturday.

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Pence also will sit down with several European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who have yet to meet senior members of a new administration that has been distracted by infighting and leaks, including details of Trumps phone quarrels with the leaders of Mexico and Australia.

The first theme is reassurance, said a senior White House foreign policy advisor. Were there to reassure Europes role both as our indispensable partner and the commitment to our allies.

Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to the United States who now runs the Munich summit, said Pences appearance was highly anticipated.

Were all hoping the American vice president will give a statement on ... all of these questions that we in the past weeks have wondered: What does America under Trump really want? 

The dismay of European leaders who have converged here is palpable, particularly from the Baltic states. They see an increasingly aggressive Russia on their borders, and are fearful of Trumps oft-stated admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin two years after his troops seized Crimea and began backing armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

His uncritical embrace of Putin, who most European Allies view as a thug who poses a grave danger to European security, is deeply disconcerting, said Ivo H. Daalder, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and current president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Alliances are based on trust, and that trust has been severely tested.

More than anything, European leaders are hoping for firm answers from a White House that has challenged the network of multinational alliances, including NATO, that has kept most of the continent at peace since World War II.

Without naming Trump, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen criticized the presidents support of Britains decision to leave the European Union  and prediction that other nations will follow  as well as his repeated criticism of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Our American friends know well that your tone on Europe and NATO has a direct impact on the cohesion of our continent, Von der Leyen said. A stable European Union is also in Americas interest, as is a strong, unified, determined NATO.

Leaders also are confused by the Trump administrations whiplash foreign policy declarations on an array of sensitive issues.

Weeks after calling the NATO military alliance obsolete, for example, Trump this month vowed strong support for the 28-nation military alliance, a position Mattis echoed at a meeting of NATO defense ministers this week in Brussels.

And weeks after taking a call from the leader of Taiwan and publicly questioning the one China policy, a bedrock of Sino-U.S. relations that recognizes Beijings position that there is only one Chinese government, Trump did an about-face in a call with the president of China and publicly affirmed the policy.

This week, Trump appeared to reject decades of U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East by saying the United States would no longer insist on creation of two states for two peoples to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The next day, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations clarified that Trump was absolutely committed to the two-state policy.

Beyond that, foreign leaders are concerned about the turmoil in Trumps national security team.

Trump this week dismissed his national security advisor, Michael Flynn, for being untruthful about his contacts with Russias ambassador, and has struggled to find a replacement, leaving the National Security Council adrift nearly a month into his presidency. High-level staffing gaps also have hampered operations at the State Department and other federal agencies.

At a rambling news conference Thursday, Trump blamed the growing concerns on Capitol Hill about alleged contacts between members of his campaign and Russian authorities during last years presidential race for thwarting his hopes of thawing relations with Moscow.

Trump argued that he would benefit politically if he got much tougher on Russia, mentioning reports of a Russian spy ship that has sailed up the East Coast in recent days. The ship was in international waters and its passage was routine, Coast Guard officials said.

The greatest thing I could do is shoot that ship thats 30 miles offshore right out of the water, Trump said.

Most of Europe now views Trump with considered wariness, prompting cautious engagement, said Joe Devanny, a research fellow with the International Center for Security Analysis at Kings College London.

He said leaders worry that further damaging revelations will emerge about the Trump teams contacts with Russia. These could beset and distract the White House for months, at a critical time in international security, he said.

In his remarks Friday, Mattis sought to reassure Europeans of Trumps adherence to traditional foreign policy goals, including the threats posed by Russia and terrorist groups.

We all see our community of nations under threat on multiple fronts as the arc of instability builds on NATOs periphery and beyond, Mattis said. The transatlantic bond remains our strongest bulwark against instability and violence.

Whether comments like those will be sufficient to calm European nerves isnt clear.

To a certain extent, this is mission impossible, said Derek Chollet, executive vice president at the German Marshall Fund, a transatlantic think tank. People will be very happy to hear the reassuring words, but they are still deeply worried. The question is, Do any of these people speak for Trump?

At least one of them promised to speak to the president.

In a separate trip to Germany, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met in Bonn with the foreign ministers of the G-20, the organization of the worlds top 20 economies. On Friday, the group discussed the civil war in Syria, and participants said they largely endorsed a continuation of Obama administration efforts to seek a political solution under a U.N. framework.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he welcomed a chance to work with Tillerson.

I believe it is important and absolutely instrumental to have a close dialogue with the United States on the Syria issue, he said.

Later after a bilateral session with Angelino Alfano, Italys foreign minister, Tillerson briefly entertained reporters questions.

Asked what he had accomplished in his debut trip as Americas top diplomat, Tillerson was characteristically terse. Met a lot of people, made a lot of new friends. It was a full schedule, he said.

He said he had many messages to deliver to Trump. Asked to describe one, he replied, Not until I share it with him.

william.hennigan@latimes.com

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

Hennigan reported from Munich and Wilkinson reported from Washington.

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With big storm coming, heres how to stay safe

With the big storm coming, here are some basic storm tips from the Los Angeles Fire Department:

Ensure that your drains, gutters and downspouts are clean and functioning properly. This is especially important for flat-roofed buildings.

Keep stormwater troughs, pipes and culverts on your property free of debris.

Move valuable or easily damaged items away from low-lying areas prone to flooding.

Secure trash containers, household waste, chemical spills and outdoor storage before they are swept away, spread contamination or block storm drains.

Closely examine windows, skylights and doors that may benefit from caulking or weatherstripping.

Inspect your attic for leaks of sunlight, or signs of previous water damage that may indicate where pre-storm repairs are needed.

Establish household supplies (bucket, mop, towel and tarpaulin) to minimize damage from a sudden leak or stormwater seepage.

Prepare your household to remain safe (battery powered lamps, no candles) and functional (fully charged cellphone, manual garage door operation) in the event of a storm-related power outage.

Review how to safely turn off your homes electric, water and natural gas service in the event of severe storm damage.

Put the Flood Safety and other free mobile apps from the American Red Cross on your smartphone.

Discuss your family emergency plan, including what every member of the family will do in the event of a flood or mudslide.

Prepare an emergency supply kit that includes food, water, medications, flashlight, battery-powered radio, rain gear and first aid supplies.

Gather and safely store important documents to take with you in case of evacuation.

Confirm out-of-state family contacts so that friends and relatives can determine your location and status.

Consider the safety of those with disabilities or access and functional needs.

Plan for the needs of pets at home and if you are evacuated.

Identify multiple safe routes from your home or workplace to high ground and practice your evacuation plan.

Have sturdy, sensible shoes with nonskid soles for use in a rainstorm. Pack an umbrella, small flashlight and rain coat.

Check your cars wipers, lights, tire inflation and tread wear to assure safe operation, and keep your vehicle fueled in case power is cut off to local fueling stations.

Be prepared to monitor local news for official warnings, evacuation orders and the status of streets, highways and transit systems.

Be aware of local driving laws, and how to operate your vehicle safely or use public transit in conditions altered by weather.

Lower the level of your swimming pool to prevent overflow and flooding.

Determine if your home is located in a flood hazard or landslide prone area.

Landscape slopes with plants that are fire retardant, water wise, suitable for erosion control and allow for smart water retention or reuse. Consider the temporary use of plastic sheeting on slopes prone to erosion.

Large trees that could threaten your home should be examined by a certified arborist. Confirm that any hillside on your property has been evaluated by a licensed soil engineer.

If necessary, consult an engineer or licensed contractor to design or build permanent water and debris control systems for your property.

Contact your insurance agent to assure that your flood and storm coverage is adequate and in effect. Confirm the 24-hour contact, policy and claim filing numbers for your insurer(s). Place that information in your mobile phone and keep a printed copy in the glove box of your car.

Keep sandbags, plywood, plastic sheeting, lumber, hand tools and other materials handy for addressing additional stormwater issues.
Real estate developer Townscape Partners scored a major victory at City Hall three months ago, winning approval of a Frank Gehry-designed development on Sunset Boulevard despite heated opposition.

After a lengthy back-and-forth between city officials and neighborhood groups over the projects height, the Los Angeles City Council allowed a portion of the residential and retail project to reach 178 feet.

Now, foes of the development say they have uncovered a major flaw in the citys decision: a decades-old covenant on the property that limited development on the site to no more than 45 feet.

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Fix The City, a nonprofit advocacy group suing over the project, said in legal documents filed this week that city officials failed to make the proper findings needed to lift the covenants height limit. Laura Lake, who serves on the groups board, said planning officials misled the public  and the citys elected officials  by saying the project site had no height limit.

Its one thing for a developer to misrepresent [whats required], she said. Its another thing for the city to not tell the truth.

Brian Lewis, a spokesman for Townscape Partners, declined to comment. Yeghig Keshishian, spokesman for the Department of City Planning, said the height restriction contained in the covenant applies only to the shopping center currently on the site.

Under the documents terms, the height restriction for the site ceases to exist when an application for a new project is filed  and the City Council determines that the new project complies with the planning rules, Keshishian said.

The city has been battered by lawsuits over development in and around Hollywood. Neighborhood activists have succeeded in overturning the approval of a Target shopping center, a 299-unit apartment building and the Millennium skyscraper project.

Three years ago, Fix The City persuaded a judge to strike down the Hollywood Community Plan Update, a document that allowed taller and denser buildings near transit lines. The group also succeeded in forcing the city to cast do-over votes on Mobility Plan 2035, which calls for hundreds of miles of new bicycle and bus-only lanes.

The council voted in November to approve the 229-unit Townscape project, which includes two residential towers, 65,000 square feet of commercial space and a pedestrian plaza.

Since then, several lawsuits have been filed over the development, which is near the L.A.-West Hollywood border and frequently referred to as 8150 Sunset. Those cases have challenged the projects environmental impact report and questioned plans for demolishing a midcentury modern bank building on the site.

Estevan Montemayor, spokesman for Councilman David Ryu, said his office had not been informed of the covenants existence during the approval process for 8150 Sunset. Ryu is now reviewing the legal documents submitted by Fix The City, Montemayor added.

Every step along the way, we were told by the planning department there was no height limit  and that there was nothing we could do about it, he said.

The covenant was recorded in 1986 as part of a shopping center development at the corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights boulevards. The document established restrictions on both the height and the square footage of the shopping center.

The covenant says that its development restrictions run with the land and shall be binding on future owners. But it also states that those limits shall cease to apply if a new or different project is filed with the city  and complies with various planning documents.

Lake, the Fix The City board member, acknowledged that the city has the power to void the restrictions in the covenant. But she argued that lawmakers did not take the proper steps to carry that out and failed to disclose the documents existence during the projects environmental review process.

To correct that error, the city would need to circulate a new environmental impact report  a process that could take up to a year  and conduct a new round of votes on the project, Lake said.

In its lawsuit, Fix The City also contends that the city did not accurately analyze traffic impacts or fire department response times in the area. The group also alleges the city also failed to follow proper procedures for turning over city property  and closing a portion of a public street  for the development.

A Townscape Partners representative did not respond to questions about those assertions.

david.zahniser@latimes.com

Twitter: @DavidZahniser
Thousands of activists marched through the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to oppose immigration enforcement raids and demand that local officials take concrete steps to thwart the deportation machine under President Trump.

David Abud, one of the organizers of the march, said the coalition of activists is demanding that Los Angeles city and county officials refuse to invest any resources in immigration enforcement.

Activists want to ensure that a new fund to provide legal assistance to immigrants wont exclude those with criminal convictions. They are also asking the city and the county to invest in programs that help immigrants, including day labor centers.

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We want the city and the county to not just declare Los Angeles a sanctuary city  which they have not  but to take these strong, concrete policies, said Abud, who works with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.

Shortly before noon, thousands of demonstrators who were gathered at Pershing Square spilled into the intersection of 5th and Hill streets. Latin music played on loudspeakers as the numbers grew from the hundreds to the thousands. Vendors sold shirts reading Not My President or food.

Rain that threatened the march had stopped earlier.

Large American, Mexican and LGBT flags dotted the scene. Many marchers held home-drawn signs, some with likenesses of the Statue of Liberty and President Trump. Other signs carried phrases like No human is illegal and Cut your own (expletive) grass!

Carmen Bermudezs sign was honest: I usually sleep in on Saturdays.

It was the Mexican immigrants first protest. She said she was lucky that no one in her family is undocumented, but that she felt she needed to support the entire immigrant community.

Vanessa Velasquez, 17, and her younger sister flipped bacon-wrapped hot dogs on carts at the northeast corner of Pershing Square. She said they work with their father every Saturday and had recently worked at four separate protests.

She said she likes working the protests because it allows her to lend her support. Her parents, both in the country illegally, immigrated from Guatemala 18 years ago.

Velasquez said her family has been scared since Trumps election. She said her mother works downtown and recently changed her driving route to avoid the immigration agents rumored to be stopping cars and checking for legal documents.

She worries her parents will be deported.

If they are and we stay here, were going to be by ourselves, she said of her and her sister. Its not fair how the president is treating people.

In a declaration posted on Facebook, organizers of the march wrote that local officials had shown a lack of urgency in protecting immigrants and argued that L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti had buckled to empty threats from the Trump administration to defund sanctuary cities.

Garcetti has called Los Angeles a city of sanctuary, but has argued in the past that there is no clear definition of a sanctuary city.

Garcettis spokesman George Kivork said in a statement Saturday that the mayor will keep fighting for all city residents, regardless of where they come from.

L.A. stands for freedom, justice, inclusion, compassion and equality for all people, Kivork said. Thats why Mayor Garcetti will never let anyone pressure our police into acting as a deportation force, worked to create the L.A. Justice Fund, will sign legislation to decriminalize street vending, and has committed his administration to bringing new resources to immigrants while helping them get on a path to citizenship.

The march began just after noon Saturday at Pershing Square and ended with a rally at Los Angeles City Hall that included a lineup of more than 30 speakers, many of them immigrants without legal status. Many groups supported the march, including Union Del Barrio, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and the National Lawyers Guild.

Moises Escalante marched with the support of a wooden cane. The 63-year-old former community organizer, who immigrated 43 years ago from El Salvador, wore a shirt that read, Who would Jesus deport?

We immigrants are the ones that built this nation, he said. Thats something we have to remind people about.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesEmily

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UPDATES:

4:20 p.m.: This article has been updated with new comments from activists.

12:30 p.m.: This article was updated with more details from demonstrators.

11:55 a.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from activists.

This story was first posted at 10:45 a.m.
Torrance firefighters are investigating the cause of a fire Saturday morning at the Torrance Refining Co. complex.

Three dozen firefighters were dispatched to the refinery about 6 a.m. after getting reports of an explosion. They extinguished the blaze within a half hour, said Torrance Fire Capt. Robert Millea. City officials later issued an alert saying that there was no offsite impact.

State and county health officials were also at the site, Millea said.

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There were no further details about what caused the fire. Millea said it was unclear whether an explosion had actually occurred.

A company spokeswoman could not be immediately reached for comment Saturday.

The former Exxon Mobil refinery on West 190th Street, now owned by New Jersey-based PBF Energy Inc., has been the site of several incidents over the years, prompting protests from residents over safety and environmental issues. The latest incident occurred on the two-year anniversary of a major explosion at the refinery that shuttered most of its operations for more than a year.

In that incident, a giant piece of pollution-control equipment called a precipitator blew up, filling the air with dust and debris. Federal regulators called the explosion a serious near miss that could have resulted in a potentially catastrophic release into surrounding communities.

As part of its ongoing investigation, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board released findings that one piece of equipment narrowly missed crashing into a tank in the alkylation unit. The tank contained tens of thousands of pounds of modified hydrofluoric acid.

If the projectile had hit that vessel, the agency determined, it could have released a toxic cloud with the potential to cause serious injury or death to many community members.

U.S. Rep. Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles) said he would urge the Chemical Safety Board to include Saturdays incident in its probe of the 2015 explosion. He commended the South Coast Air Quality Management District for proposing to phase out modified hydrofluoric acid at Southern California refineries.

Refineries are not supposed to have explosions, Lieu said, adding that God may not warn us again.

A local group called the Torrance Refinery Action Alliance had already been planning a rally and march to the refinery Saturday to demand safety improvements when residents were alerted to the fire. Refinery workers had been planning their own demonstration in response, according to the Daily Breeze.

Maureen Mauk, one of the founders of Families Lobbying Against Refinery Exposures, said the timing of the latest incident was ironic.

Every day it seems were getting another warning . What will it take for local, state and federal officials to realize what danger the community is in? Mauk asked.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

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UPDATES:

1 p.m.: This article was updated with new information about the response to the fire and remarks from U.S. Rep. Ted W. Lieu and refinery protester Maureen Mauk.

8:10 a.m.: This article was updated with additional background.

This article was originally published at 7:52 a.m.
When Norma McCorvey revealed on Dallas television station in 1984 that she was the Roe in the landmark case that led the Supreme Court to legalize abortion, she called it my law.

Fourteen years later, she told a U.S. Senate subcommittee that she would like nothing more than to see Roe vs. Wade overturned.

I am dedicated to spending the rest of my life undoing the law that bears my name, she said.

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The statements reflected the ever-twisting personal journey of a woman who lived a difficult life and who went from being an anonymous plaintiff to a symbol for both sides of the abortion debate.

When word spread that McCorvey had died Saturday of heart failure at age 69 in an assisted living facility in Katy, Texas, abortion rights proponents remembered her indispensable role in Roe vs. Wade; abortion opponents celebrated her efforts to reverse it.

Her tempestuous personal story  she had three children by three men  sometimes made her an imperfect fit for the aims of activists. In I Am Roe, one of her two memoirs, she described her years as a teenage runaway and reform school inmate, a high school dropout who drifted from job to job. She was an addict, a lesbian and a complete failure, she declared.

I am a rough woman, born into pain and anger and raised mostly by myself, she wrote.

In 1970, McCorvey was more than two months pregnant when she met lawyers Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee, who were preparing to contest the law that made it illegal to have an abortion in Texas, except by a doctors orders to save a womans life. The lawyers were looking for a plaintiff who wanted to terminate her pregnancy.

McCorvey signed the suit that contested the law, on the grounds that it violated the 9th Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees the right to free choice and privacy.

She used the alias Jane Roe to avoid public scrutiny, and the case moved slowly from Dallas District Court to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, McCorvey gave birth to her baby. She never had the abortion.

The Supreme Court announced its decision in January 1973, ruling 7 to 2 that making abortion illegal was unconstitutional.

For some years, McCorvey remained secretive about her role in the case. When she revealed her identity in 1984, it was to endorse the decision. But in interviews that followed, she began to describe her troubled life.

Baby Roe was her third child, a girl like the others. She gave each one up for adoption because she felt unfit to raise them, McCorvey said.

McCorvey went on to attend abortion rights protests, but she felt the movement never truly embraced her. She was never a poster child of the movement because poster people were supposed to look like suburban wives, said David Garrow, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Liberty and Sexuality: The Right to Privacy and the Making of Roe v. Wade. That lack of connection, he said, reflected homophobia as well as social class.

In reality, McCorvey truly was a representative plaintiff, Garrow said. It made perfect sense that a woman who needed an abortion in 1970 had a down-and-out life. If you had connections, you could get a safe abortion from a doctor.

After signing the affidavit that launched Roe vs. Wade, McCorvey had little more to do with it. She and her lawyers agreed that she would not be called on to give a deposition or appear in court.

Weddington argued before the judges that the 9th Amendment gives a pregnant woman, not the court, the right to decide whether she will terminate her pregnancy.

When Dallas court judges decided in favor of Roe, the defendant, Dist. Atty. Henry Wade, said he would appeal. In the meantime, he said, he would continue to prosecute doctors who performed abortions.

Once her baby was born, in the summer of 1970, McCorvey lost track of the case. She learned about the Supreme Court decision by reading about it in the newspaper.

Norma Leah Nelson was born Sept. 22, 1947, in Lettesworth, La., north of Baton Rouge. The family moved to Houston, where her father, Olin, repaired radios and televisions and her mother, Mary Mildred, worked as a waitress. The couple divorced when Norma was 13. She moved to Dallas with her mother and her older brother.

Starting at about age 10, she began running away from home and spent time in reform schools. It was there that she realized she was a lesbian, she later wrote.

At 16, she married Woody McCorvey, a sheet metal worker she met in Dallas.

When she got pregnant, he beat her and said the baby wasnt his. She went home to her mother, gave birth to her first baby and named her Melissa. Soon afterward, McCorveys mother took custody of the infant.

McCorvey got pregnant again during a brief relationship with a man she worked with at a Dallas hospital. When the baby was born, the childs father adopted her and cut ties with McCorvey.

Pregnant a third time, she left her job with a traveling carnival and went to live with her father. After a difficult birth, she saw Baby Roe once before the girl went home with her adoptive parents.

At her fathers Dallas apartment, McCorvey slid into a deep depression, took an overdose of pills and drank a bottle of bourbon. She was near death when he came home from work.

The incident left her searching for a reason to live. She found it in her alias. Jane Roe was her alter ego, the powerful woman she always wanted to be, the other woman, whose name was on the Supreme Court papers and someday, maybe, in the history books, McCorvey wrote in her autobiography.

Without Jane Roe, without a cause to fight for and a purpose for living, the original Norma would never have survived.

Several years after her suicide attempt, McCorvey was leaving a grocery store with her purse stuffed with stolen food. The store manager, Connie Gonzalez, caught her but didnt report her to the police. The pair began dating, and soon afterward McCorvey moved in with Gonzalez.

Connie has taken care of me in hundreds of ways, McCorvey wrote. I have taken care of her as best I can.

McCorvey settled into regular person status, she later said, but one day Weddington telephoned to say a Dallas reporter wanted to interview her. Among other reasons for agreeing, McCorvey said, she wanted public recognition for her part in the case.

Invitations to speak on college campuses and before womens groups followed, and she consulted on a television movie, Roe vs. Wade, that starred Holly Hunter as McCorvey and won two Emmy Awards in 1990.

But McCorvey wasnt prepared for the ways that the abortion controversy came to her front door. She received hate mail. She found doll clothes and trash scattered on her lawn. One dark morning in April 1989, she told reporters, someone shot out the windows of her house.

A few days later, she attended an abortion rights rally in Washington, D.C., organized by the National Organization for Women. She had been invited, but once she arrived, felt all but ignored. It was a familiar experience.

They never gave me the respect I thought I deserved, McCorvey said of abortion rights leaders in a 1995 television interview on Nightline.

A lot of McCorveys evolution from being a supporter of abortion rights to an opponent had to do with her feelings of being treated like poor, working-class, white trash, Garrow said.

Her doubts about legal abortion increased when she went to work at a Dallas abortion clinic. She met women who used the medical procedure for birth control. She worried about the lack of professional counseling at the clinic for women who were ambivalent about terminating their pregnancy. She alleged that one doctor performed an operation in bare feet.

McCorvey also complained that her lawyers never made it clear to her that the Roe vs. Wade case would probably take too long for her to benefit from a favorable verdict. In her view, they used her.

I felt increasingly alienated from the abortion rights movement, McCorvey wrote in a second memoir, Won By Love, in 1997.

Her doubts about Roe vs. Wade were tested when a leading anti-abortion group opened an office in the same strip mall as the clinic where she worked. At first, McCorvey exchanged snide remarks with abortion opponents and nicknamed their national president, the Rev. Philip Benham, Flipper.

Eventually, she and Benham began to talk. He baptized her in a Dallas swimming pool in August 1995, a religious conversion that made national news. Months later, she told the Washington Times that her relationship with Gonzalez had become platonic.

I am not a lesbian. Im just a child in Christ now, she said.

McCorvey quit her job at the clinic, joined Benham and formed a speakers bureau named Roe No More. She later burned the Supreme Court decision that bore her name at a protest in a church parking lot, and tore it up outside the Mississippi state Capitol.

She spent the better part of the last 25 years working to undo the terrible Supreme Court decision that bears her name, said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, who described her as a longtime friend. He added in an interview, As Christians, we understand that God allows you U-turns.

Abortion rights attorney Gloria Allred, who represented McCorvey before her religious conversion, called her a very complicated person who had continued to speak warmly with Allred throughout her life.

In her later years, McCorvey gradually drifted back to normal person status. But she was confident that her unusual story would be remembered. I do not fit many peoples idea of a historical role model, she said.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Rourke is a former Times staff writer.

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UPDATES:

11:30 a.m.: This article was updated with information about McCorveys cause of death.

This article was originally published at 11 a.m.
California is not the only place in the West confronting startling amounts of rain and snow.

Drought conditions have declined substantially across the region in recent weeks, with heavy storms replenishing reservoirs and piling fresh powder on ski resorts.

Yet there is one place where the precipitation has been particularly welcome and could be transformative: the Colorado River basin, which provides water to nearly 40 million people across seven states.

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Were in a really good spot as far as snow accumulations, said Malcolm Wilson, who leads the Bureau of Reclamations water resources group in the upper Colorado River basin.

In fact, if the Rocky Mountains continue to see substantial snowfall this winter, there is a chance that later this year, water managers for the Colorado could do something that seemed inconceivable just a few weeks ago: They could start giving water away.

Under federal guidelines that kick in when water flows reach certain volumes, the Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees the river basins largest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, could release enough water from the former to raise the elevation of the latter by 20 feet or more  providing a remarkable shot in the arm for a lake that has been declining steadily during a devastating drought that started in 2000.

The process  lowering one reservoir to lift another  is called equalization, and a few weeks ago, it was not even viewed as a viable option. Now, Wilson said, Its in the realm of possibility.

Even if that optimistic scenario does not play out  the region would need several more weeks of strong precipitation without a substantial warmup  there is still reason to savor a moment of relief on the Colorado.

For the last four years, it was all about where can we get extra water. Now, all of a sudden in the last six weeks, its a completely different mindset.  Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

As of last month, the bureau was forecasting about a 50% chance that, for the first time, the river and its reservoirs would not be able to fulfill the water demands of states that rely on it, beginning in 2018.

But this week, the bureau quietly updated that forecast, saying the chance was only about 34%. By the end of this year, it expects Lake Mead to be at least 3 feet above the threshold at which an official shortage would be declared.

Not only that, the bureau said the likelihood of a shortage through 2021 is no greater than 33%. Just a few weeks ago, the chances of shortages in that time frame were about 60%.

Still, no one is declaring this the end of a drought that has fallowed farm fields, depleted groundwater and even inspired a dystopian novel, The Water Knife, from 2015, which imagines the Southwest descending into crime and chaos as people fight over the shrinking Colorado.

While California has been climbing out of its drought  albeit the hard way, with brutal storms, mudslides and a mass evacuation ordered earlier below the damaged Oroville Dam spillway  the drought on the Colorado may never truly end.

That is because no matter how deep the snowpack may get one year  some drainages are seeing close to 200% of normal this year  the river itself functions at what its managers call a structural deficit. The amount of water to which cities, tribes, farmers and others have legal rights is larger than the amount that, on average, flows into the system. In addition, climate change models for the future show declining snowpack and rising temperatures, potentially leading to more evaporation.

That all means that delicate negotiations that have been underway to get the seven states which use the water  Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming  to increase the amount of water they conserve are still crucial.

The effort, called the drought contingency plan, has been going on for several years, though negotiations intensified in 2016. The idea is to add a layer of voluntary conservation measures to prevent Lake Mead from falling below 1,075 feet, the level that triggers more painful, involuntary conservation measures.

Water managers had hoped to reach an agreement by the end of the Obama administration but ran into challenges resolving concerns among agricultural and other interests within individual states, particularly in Arizona and California.

Now, some water managers worry they may face a new challenge: that the wet winter may reduce the sense of urgency to complete the drought contingency plan.

It potentially makes it harder, to tell you the truth, said Tom Buschatzke, the head of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, who is trying to build support for the plan among the states competing interests, because sometimes crisis mode drives outcomes.

Buschatzke noted that 2011 was also a very wet year, with strong snowpack, but less than four years later, water managers were again preparing for the possibility of a shortage. The Colorado provides 41% of Arizonas water.

We need to make sure the wet winter doesnt stop the momentum weve built, he said. Mother Nature does not bail us out.

Both the drought and the recent deluges demonstrate how the regions water issues are connected. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California relies on the Colorado for about 45% of its water on average, but during the drought, the Colorado has provided as much as 90% of the utilitys water.

The recent heavy rain in California has changed the balance again, allowing the utility to leave more water in Lake Mead, which helps the rest of the basin guard against a shortage.

For the last four years, it was all about where can we get extra water, said Bill Hasencamp, who manages Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District. Now, all of a sudden in the last six weeks, its a completely different mindset. Were storing as much water as we can in Lake Mead, storing it in our desert groundwater account, storing it in every reservoir account we have.

Hasencamp said the improvement in short-term forecasts for the Colorado could make it easier for California to approve the drought contingency plan, in part because the states water rights already make it least likely to suffer major cuts.

Besides, he noted, the plan is merely a temporary fix, one that may not have to be implemented if Lake Mead improves for a few years. The truly complex negotiations will begin in 2020 for what is supposed to be a long-term solution.

Lake Mead is like going to Vegas, Hasencamp said. You might win a couple of times. You might even hit a jackpot. But in the end, the odds are stacked against you.

william.yardley@latimes.com

@yardleyLAT

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A federal magistrate has refused to release from custody a 23-year-old Mexican immigrant whose case has drawn an international audience  first, because he has been accepted in a program that shields Dreamers from deportation, and now because his attorneys allege officials altered documents to make him look guilty.

Attorneys for Daniel Ramirez Medina also argue that federal agents lied about statements Ramirez made in custody and inaccurately described a tattoo on his forearm as a gang tattoo.

Judge James Donohue did not address those issues but ordered a bond hearing for Ramirez before an immigration court. Im not going to tell the immigration judge how to conduct his or her hearing, just that it must happen by one week from today, Donohue said Friday.

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The Mexican-born, California-raised Ramirez was taken into custody Feb. 10 and is being held in a U.S. detention facility in Tacoma, Wash., facing an immigration hearing and possible deportation.

He is suing in a separate federal court to prove that his arrest was unconstitutional and that he is legally protected from removal to Mexico under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, whose participants are called Dreamers. Immigration authorities say Ramirez admitted to associating with gangs  a charge he denies  and thus is no longer protected by DACA.

The program was created by President Obama in 2012 to assist certain young people brought illegally into the U.S. as children and raised here. Candidates have to pass background and crime-record checks, pay a fee and, if accepted, apply for renewal every two years. Those who fail are subject to revocation and expulsion.

Several dozen supporters and protesters waited outside the Seattle courthouse Friday, hoping to cheer Ramirezs release. Instead, the disappointed activists waded into the street and sat down in front of traffic. This sucks! said one.

According to Jeffrey Robins, an assistant director in the Justice Departments Office of Immigration Litigation, Ramirez admitted to federal immigration agents that he used to hang out with the Surenos [street gang] in California, that he fled California to escape from the gangs, and that he still hangs out with the Paisas in Washington state.

That was enough for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take Ramirez into custody  something that happens infrequently with Dreamers. About 1,500 of the countrys 750,000 qualified Dreamers have been deported since Obama created DACA through executive action.

Observers are watching the Seattle case for signs that President Trump might be quietly implementing the aggressive immigration enforcement he proposed during his campaign.

Candidate Trump promised to end the Dreamers program, though he recently said DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me  because you have these incredible kids.

New documents filed by Ramirezs attorneys include a note written by Ramirez seeking to be moved out of a section of the Tacoma immigration detention center reserved for gang members. Detainees there must wear orange uniforms. In the note, Ramirez wrote that he never belonged to gangs and had no criminal history.

The rest of the document is a subject of controversy.

Authorities have singled out a sentence that reads, I have gang affiliation with gangs so I wear a orange uniform.

Ramirezs attorneys say the first seven words of the sentence were erased to change a statement into an admission of guilt, and a photograph appears to show smudge marks left by an eraser. His attorneys say the full sentence reads: I came in and the officers said I have gang affiliation with gangs so I wear a orange uniform.

One of Ramirezs attorneys, Theodore J. Boutrous, said the government had launched a public campaign to smear Mr. Ramirezs reputation with a constantly shifting story of gang membership and criminal history. While the narrative has shifted multiple times in the last 48 hours alone, one thing has remained consistent: Their claims are all unsubstantiated and untrue.

According to Ramirezs detailed statement to the court, he awoke Feb. 10 in the small, barren suburban apartment he shared with family members suburban Des Moines, Wash., to find the room crowded with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

They came to arrest Ramirezs father, who has been deported and returned at least eight times, records show. The ICE agents also questioned Ramirez and his brother. They took Ramirez into custody but not the brother, who is also a DACA recipient.

Ramirez is the father of a 3-year-old son who lives with Ramirezs mother near Fresno. According to a statement by Ramirez in court documents, he said he was up to date with DACA requirements and had the papers to prove it.

But the agents kept asking about a tattoo, which spells out La Paz  BCS and includes a nautical star.

When I was 18, I really liked the way tattoos looked, like a lot of people do, Ramirez said in the statement. So he had a friend do one on his forearm, he added. La Paz is where Im from. BCS stands for Baja California Sur, where La Paz is. I decided to go with my hometown because I have seen a lot of people do that.

Mark Rosenbaum, lead co-counsel for Ramirez, said, We will continue to fight for Daniels immediate release as long as the government continues its unjustified and unlawful detention. We appreciate the courts directive that Mr. Ramirez be granted a timely bond hearing in immigration court, which will allow us another opportunity to request his release.

Anderson is a special correspondent.

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donald trump

MSNBC host, Joe Scarborough had some words for President Donald Trump after Trump unloaded on the press Friday.

"Only a FAKE PRESIDENT would declare the First Amendment to be the enemy of the American people," Scarborough tweeted.

Scarborough's comments followed Trump's earlier tweet against the news media in which he said, "The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!"

Trump's words  his harshest yet toward journalists and, by extension, the First Amendment  were viewed by some as autocratic in tone. It caps off what has been another tumultuous week for Trump, and marks the end of an equally stormy first month in the White House.

High-level resignations, reported upheavals within his administration, and ongoing US intelligence investigations have left Trump and his fledgling administration reeling.

The president as of Friday had a 40% approval rating according to Gallup. That's 21 percentage points below the historical average for presidents one month into their tenure.

NOW WATCH: 'Hes the underdog': We went to Staten Island to talk to people about Trump's first month





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To the editor: Everything I have been worrying about regarding California and its infrastructure vis a vis the Oroville Dam crisis was expressed by Victor Davis Hanson. Where did it all go wrong in our state? Between our underfunded pensions, the bullet train to nowhere and the burden of high taxes placed on those of us who pay them, this is not a sustainable model. (The Oroville Dam disaster is yet another example of Californias decline, Opinion, Feb. 14)

Many people assume having practically one-party rule is a good thing for California. It is not. I am neither a Democrat or a Republican, but I do know you cannot have all like minds in Sacramento. As with any any good executive team, diversity of thought and opinion is necessary to solve problems. We need diversity in our leadership like we need it everywhere else in life.

As the build-up to the near-collapse of the Oroville Dam auxiliary spillway shows, our leaders are fiddling while Rome burns. After a while, California will run out of other peoples money.

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Jan Slater, Irvine

..

To the editor: Hanson made great arguments about deteriorating infrastructure. I was sold on his points until he started to blame the infrastructure decline on the money spent on social programs.

Rather than solely blaming social programs, he could have also mentioned subsidies (a form of welfare) given by the state to big businesses. These cost California taxpayers hundreds of million of dollars annually.

Ive seen estimates that the cost to fix the Oroville Dam would be about $200 million. Businesses in California could forgo their subsidies for one year in order to fix a vital piece of infrastructure upon which they, along with the rest of the state, depend.

Mitchel Kadish, Venice

..

To the editor: Im confident the California Legislature can deal with grocery bags and bobcats at the same time it addresses deferred infrastructure issues (apparently, Hanson doesnt). Its not binary.

Hanson simply dislikes regulation.

Thomas Bliss, Sherman Oaks

..

To the editor: Hanson uses the Oroville Dam crisis to air the pet peeves of his conservative Hoover Institution. He criticizes environmental groups for stalling necessary infrastructure upgrades.

Actually, three environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and Friends of the River, filed a motion in 2005 arguing that the dams emergency spillway should be paved with concrete. Federal and state officials rejected their request.

So much for rewriting history.

Emil Lawton, Sherman Oaks

..

To the editor: It was refreshing to read Hansons article about the brilliance of Californias water system. At a minimum, it should be a must read for lawmakers.

Neil Cline, Los Olivos, Calif.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

MORE READERS REACT

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P-22, confined alone to Griffith Park, is miserable. He needs to be moved.
In any other administration, the president fielding questions from reporters would be barely distinguishable from any other day-to-day newsworthy events in Washington. But when President Trump stands in front of a camera and talks to journalists, readers pull up a chair.

For someone as ratings-obsessed as Trump (after his notoriously lackluster performance in his first debate with Hillary Clinton, he bragged about the event drawing a massive television audience), this might be a compliment. But since his news conference Thursday, dozens of letter writers have expressed their dismay at the presidents behavior toward the journalists he berated and his untruthful remarks.

Here are some of their letters.

Studio City resident Daniel Berez wonders about Trumps grasp on reality:

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Trump is in way over his head. The stress of his job will further exacerbate his unfitness for the presidency.  Daniel Berez, Studio City

So the dirty little secret is working its way out of the box: Trump lives in his own reality. He really does believe he won the popular vote and the electoral college by a greater margin than God. He really does believe journalists are dishonest. He says he inherited a huge mess. Hes not just saying it, he truly believes it.

Trump is in way over his head. The stress of his job will further exacerbate his unfitness for the presidency. He jeopardizes the country.

The whispers have begun in Congress: This is the most dysfunctional administration ever, and there is a reason for it. The reason is the president.

Jim Krause of San Pedro criticizes the people around Trump:

For the president to stand in front of a television camera, surrounded by reporters, and tell one lie after another shows he has become dangerous to the nation and the world. Yet cabinet secretaries continue to support him, and the congressional majority does virtually nothing.

Have these people not realized that their names will one day live in infamy?

Los Alamitos resident Terry Bales finds an antecedent to Trump in cinema:

The rantings and ravings of Trump in his news conference reminded me of a paranoid Captain Queeg as played to diabolical perfection by Humphrey Bogart in The Caine Mutiny.

All that bombast and denial made me hungry for strawberries.

Calabasas resident Jim Thompson also refers to film:

Watching Trump at his epic news conference saying the real story is not Russia but Clinton stealing the questions at a debate brings to mind a scene from Blazing Saddles.

In it, the character Gabby Johnson talks in authentic frontier gibberish, and an observer asks, Now who can argue with that?

Kymberleigh Richards of Van Nuys suggests a new way for Trump to get attention:

The president blames the media for every downturn, every roadblock, every negative in his brief administration.

As more people come to see his attacks on the media as background noise, I wonder what he plans to do to get attention next. If hes looking for suggestions, I offer resigning his office.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
The Laguna Beach Arts Commission is seeking artists for multiple competitions throughout the city.

For a bench project at the Mountain Road beach entrance, professional artists who are at least 18 years old and from California are encouraged to submit images of their previous installations and public art resume by March 25, according to the citys website.

The city wants a bench that seats four people and is made of durable materials, the website said. An independent panel will eventually recommend three finalists to the commission, Cultural Arts Manager Sian Poeschl said.

The commission is scheduled to review proposals May 22, according to the citys website. The honorarium for the bench project is $25,000.

Project guidelines and an application are available at lagunabeachcity.slideroom.com/#/login/program/35436.

Meanwhile, Orange County artists 18 years and older can register for the 15th annual Art Thats Small at City Hall exhibition, which will run from March 13 through April 20 at 505 Forest Ave.

Artwork, which could include oil paintings, acrylic, photos, watercolors and drawings, must be no higher or wider than 12 inches, including the frame, and no more than 3 inches deep.

Artists may submit only one piece. The entry fee is $15.

Artists can register online through March 7 and in person from 9 to 11 a.m. March 11 at City Hall. Applications are available atlagunabeachcity.net/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?blobid=16938.

The first-place winner will receive $500.

The commission is also accepting designs for banners celebrating summer that will attach to lampposts throughout the city from June through August.

Orange County artists at least 18 years old may submit one proposal measuring 4-by-16 inches, according to the citys website. Winning artists will be awarded $2,200 to paint their design on a provided banner.

City staff suggests artists use bright colors. Both sides of the proposed banners must be painted with acrylics or oils.

The deadline for proposals is March 13. For more information and an application, visit lagunabeachcity.net/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?blobid=16939.

The city may display banners at various times for seven years.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce
A Newport Beach plastic surgeon has been disciplined by the state Medical Board following accusations that he overprescribed Ambien, painkillers and anti-anxiety medication to patients for years after they underwent procedures.

Dr. Walton Montegut agreed this month to enroll in courses related to ethics, record keeping and prescribing drugs as part of his three-year probation, according to Medical Board of California documents.

Montegut, who has been licensed in California since 1996, was accused of gross negligence in his treatment of four patients from 2007 to 2014.

In a standard plastic surgery setting, a doctor should only prescribe narcotics as it is reasonably related to the type of procedure performed, according to a complaint filed by the Medical Board in July 2015. With each of these patients, [Montegut] wrongfully overprescribed.

Monteguts attorney did not return a call seeking comment Friday.

The complaint says Montegut prescribed controlled substances, including Vicodin, a painkiller; Ambien, a medication used to help people sleep; and Ativan, an anti-anxiety medication, to a 63-year-old woman.

Montegut had performed fat transfers, breast augmentation and other procedures on the woman from 2008 to 2011 and continued to prescribe medication for her through 2014. That amounted to about 60 to 100 pills per month for five years, according to the complaint.

Another patient, a 59-year-old woman, saw Montegut from 2007 to 2011 for botox treatments. She received refills from him twice a month of phentermine, an appetite suppressant, until 2014, according to the complaint.

The dosage of five to eight pills of phentermine daily was far larger than the accepted dosage of one pill twice daily, the complaint states. Phentermine is not indicated for long-term use.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
So your teen ended last semester with a B. Yes, a B, despite repeated assurances it would be an A.

They continually cited missing work, extra credit and the final exam score as tokens of inevitably that the needle would move back to A-land. Nonetheless, they ended with a B.

B, in this case, is for bubble.

Bubble grades occupy real estate in two separate, but neighboring, academic ZIP codes: 904-point-0 and 903-point-0. Neighbors yes, but each with their own unique onramp to post-secondary educational choices.

The big reveal was tense, rendered days after final exams had ended. And like a rose ceremony of academia unfolds, the results make more sense as the semester is reviewed and combed over in reflective detail.

So what steps can be taken to decrease the likelihood of this happening again?

Preface: There is nothing wrong with earning a B, if that B is an accurate reflection of ability and effort. This column confronts a B stemming from subpar effort and study habits clearly below a students known capabilities.

1.) Learn from, dont dwell on, the grade. Parents in this situation have the opportunity to frame this scenario as a blessing or a curse; I suggest the first option. Use the grade as the invitation it is to get reacquainted with the protocol and process pertaining to your teens education. Use it as a wake-up call and rein in an overzealous social schedule, or calibrate organizationally ignorant patterns of behavior. Itemize, categorize and prioritize actors that led to the bubble grade and create an action plan.

2.) Implement tangible and actionable goals. Rather than concentrating on the obvious goal of getting an A, instead look toward smaller actions that will lead to success. Establish the expectation that your student will meet with (if only for five minutes) each teacher weekly to ensure they remain on the same page. Many schools have intervention times or teacher office hours built right into their school day. Require that your student email their teachers to schedule appointments, ask clarifying questions or articulate their specific concerns. In time, your teen will develop self-advocacy skills that will pay dividends moving forward and into college.

3.) Establish (and stick to) a routine. Teens thrive in structure. Implement clear procedures at home; this will help reduce stress, meltdowns and all-nighters. Some kids use lists, some use planners, some use nothing, but most use a combination of all three. Get organized and focused by introducing a mandatory study hall of sorts. Conduct it in the same place, for the same length of time, daily, regardless of whether or not they have an assignment due the next day. Here, they will organize their life, calendar events, complete long-term assignments, draft correspondence and remain in touch with their various responsibilities. Structure should also consider meal time, bed time, technology-free time and family time as key factors in strengthening the overall wellness of your teen.

4.) Require student-teacher face time (over or in addition to student-tutor facetime). This is not a dig at tutors. Tutors can hold a valuable role within the educational support system for students. However, teachers are the professionals tasked with planning, teaching and grading units of study. Meeting face-to-face with teachers indicates (both verbally and non-verbally) the students commitment to his or hers own learning. And while final grades may not be rounded, as proven by the bubble grade, teacher-student relationships are built on countless subjective interactions that ultimately lead to a students opportunity (or lack thereof) to complete missing work, or test-corrections, or rewrite an essay and so on. The more time spent as an invested learner, the more likely students are to earn opportunities not otherwise advertised.

5.) Avoid the blame game. Identifying factors that contributed to a lackluster final outcome is important, but overemphasizing who is the most at fault is a waste of time and energy. Many students will attribute the bubble grade to their teacher. And if asked, the teacher would most likely attribute it to the student. There is no winner. Rather, working from a collaborative mind-frame will lead to more lasting and improved results. Even if you, as the parent, know 110% that it was someones fault, lead by example and work to coalesce your student and their teacher so they can move on into the next semester with a clean slate. Teachers are professionals, but they are also people, and people are less likely to want to help someone who they perceive to be gunning for them.

DANIEL PATTERSON, a former Newport-Mesa Unified administrator, recently launched Patterson Perspective Inc., a consulting company specializing in teenagers, education, college planning and parenting.
There arent many cancers that are preventable. Cervical cancer is one of them.

In fact, I look forward to the day this cancer will be a rare phenomenon in the United States.

Cervical cancer is a condition that can affect any woman, a message weve heard recently from Erin Andrews, sportscaster for Fox NFL, who was diagnosed last year. It is a slowly evolving cancer that starts in the cells lining the cervix. They begin as precancerous cells, which then turn into cancer. This change from precancerous to cancerous cells can take anywhere from less than a year to several years.

There are symptoms to watch for. Patients in the early stages of cervical cancer may experience abnormal vaginal bleeding, discharge or pelvic pain. In more advanced cases, there can be pain in the abdomen, swelling in one or both legs, heavy vaginal bleeding, or obstruction in normal bladder function or bowel movements.

The great news is that changes in the cells lining the cervix can be detected by regular Pap tests conducted every year, or at least every other year. Andrews cancer was discovered in just this way  through a routine checkup.

If a Pap test finds abnormal cells, a colposcopy is done, which magnifies the appearance of the cervix, allowing any abnormality to be biopsied for precancerous or cancerous cells. Precancerous tissue thats growing on the cervix can be shaved off, removing the cells before they become cancerous.

If the cells have progressed, early stage cancer can be treated with a radical hysterectomy, performed with a non-invasive surgery for rapid recovery. More advanced stages of cervical cancer (Stage 3 or higher) are treated with radiation and chemotherapy.

The message is clear: early detection means simpler treatment. But even better than treatment is prevention.

Fully 99% of cervical cancer is caused by HPV, short for human papillomavirus. The HPV vaccine, available for both females and males ages 9 to 26, is given as a series of three shots over a period of six months.

The HPV vaccine is effective in preventing HPV, which can cause not only cervical cancer but also vaginal, penile and anal cancer. One of the rising cancers found to be caused by HPV are head-and-neck cancers, for which the vaccine is also effective.

Thanks to the widely available Pap test, and the growing use of the HPV vaccine, cervical cancer in the U.S. has declined over the past 30 years. Im sad to say that there are still more than 10,000 cases of cervical cancer and 4,000 cervical cancer deaths in the U.S. every year.

These unnecessary deaths from an entirely preventable cancer strengthen my resolve to spread the word to women and men, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers: regular screenings and HPV vaccines save lives.

Dont wait. If you are a woman older than 21, make your appointment for a Pap test. If there are children or youth in your life who have not yet received the HPV vaccine, dont wait. Help me spread the word: lets make cervical cancer a thing of the past.

Dr. ALBERTO MENDIVIL practices gynecologic oncology at Hoag Hospital.
Michael Torres nailed it in his letter (Mailbag: Californians should return to the Republican Party, Feb. 12). I dont understand how we got to where we are in California. The California bureaucrats, led by Gov. Jerry Brown (hiring former U.S. Atty. Gen Eric Holder, really?), continue to take our state in the direction of a sanctuary state, which is troubling.

Hollywood, Silicon Valley and real estate can only take us so far. Sanctuary cities are applauded, violent extreme protests are like crack to the news media, free speech by any conservative is shut down. The infrastructure of our state is ridiculous. We havent upgraded much of our water infrastructure in decades. Government bureaucrats determining school curriculum, ridiculous health care costs, wasted taxpayer money, the list goes on.

Love or hate our current president, the idea of small government, the promotion of assimilation to new citizens, lower taxes, responsible spending of our taxpayer money should be enough to wake up any staunch Democrat to jump over to the other side. I dont even recognize the Democratic Party today. What happened to them?

Juli Hayden

Newport Beach

Immigrants and the Trump era

I would say Costa Mesa Councilman John Stephens should rethink the title for his commentary piece (Commentary: Costa Mesas immigrant community shouldnt fear President Trumps policies, Feb. 11). Although his thoughts seem to be of a concerned and aware representative, the title to his commentary sent shivers up my spine. I can only point to an article on the front page of the Los Angeles Times published on the very same day: ICE raids chill immigrant groups.

Steven Underwood

Huntington Beach

Costa Mesa challenges remain

Costa Mesa seems a busy mess when compared to Huntington Beach, which sits right next to Fountain Valley, such A Nice Place to Live. But on old Goat Hill, what in the world gives?

Commissioners dismissed with police few and far. Try taking Harbor at 5 in a car. Oh, Costa Mesa, the citys much ajar with long-term motels, liquor stores and bars. Sure theres the mall and arts to enthrall, but oh, Costa Mesa, can you be fair to all?

Ben Miles

Huntington Beach
Caltrans officials leading the rehabilitation of the Foothill (210) Freeway visited the Crescenta Valley Town Council Thursday night to address ongoing concerns from residents over public safety issues and traffic jams brought on by delays in construction.

The Freeway Pavement Rehabilitation Project is a three-year, roughly $143-million Caltrans effort to resurface a 9.7-mile stretch of freeway lanes from Dunsmore Avenue in La Crescenta to Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena. Along with other upgrades, the work is scheduled to complete by summer 2018.

Since its October 2015 start date, construction has been the source of routine traffic woes. Recently, however, the unanticipated simultaneous shifting of lanes going both eastbound and westbound  due to a delay in construction  has exacerbated congestion.

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The closures of the eastbound Pennsylvania Avenue on- and off-ramps have also caused commuters to flood surface streets as a way to avoid 210 traffic.

The council meeting began with a surprise visit by state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge) and state Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), and they asked Caltrans officials to consider the bevy of issues that have been brought to their attention.

Theres a lot of things I know [Caltrans] has to think about when you do these projects, Friedman said. But theres one thing I hope that you are thinking about more than anything else and thats public safety.

During a presentation, Caltrans project manager Reza Fateh said the agency has taken additional measures, such as implementing advance warning signage and an increase in California Highway Patrol presence, to address public concerns.

Fateh also proposed remedies to solve congestion on Foothill and Ocean View boulevards. Caltrans will use signage on Lowell Avenue to inform drivers earlier that Pennsylvania is closed as a means of encouraging traffic away from Ocean View.

For westbound congestion, Fateh said the agency will look at a detour route via Verdugo Boulevard as well as placing earlier warnings that Foothill is jammed with the hope of keeping drivers on the 210 Freeway.

Still, many residents at the Town Council meeting said that enough wasnt being done and, too often, what has been put in place is inadequate.

When we consistently have accident after accident at La Crescenta, at Pennsylvania... theres clearly something wrong, and Im wondering how long its going to take to fix that issue, said La Crescenta resident Robbyn Battles. Because when [other residents] say someone is going to die, someone is going to die.

---------------------

FOR THE RECORD

12/18, 12:34 p.m.: A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote to Robin Goldsworthy. The quote was spoken by Robbyn Battles.

---------------------

Residents also focused their concerns on what they said is poor visibility of old and new signage due mainly to the large number of semi trucks and construction equipment obscuring them. Several complained about dangerous merging conditions and a lack of coordination with local, unassociated street projects that further restrict traffic flow.

On Friday, Caltrans announced that Pennsylvania will reopen on Thursday and should relieve some traffic congestion. The same day, the eastbound La Crescenta on-ramp will close until spring.

--

Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda
Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday conveyed a message to jittery partners that the Trump administration will hold Russia accountable and maintain steadfast support for NATO, a military alliance the American commander in chief once dismissed as obsolete.

In his overseas debut as vice president, Pence told the audience at the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. would be unwavering in its commitment to NATO and that President Trump would stand with Europe. Pence pointed to their shared noble ideals  freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law.

Addressing the violence in Ukraine, Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honor a 2015 deal to end violence in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. He did not mention findings by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in last years presidential election to help Trump win the White House.

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Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know President Trump believes can be found, Pence said.

Pences address and a series of one-on-one meetings with world leaders on the sidelines here sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression, including its annexation of Crimea. Many have been alarmed by Trumps positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pences speech aimed to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist policies.

After his speech, Pence met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called for the maintenance of international alliances and told the audience, with Pence seated nearby, that NATO is in the American interest.

Sergey Lavrov, Russias foreign minister, told the conference after Pences speech that Moscow wanted pragmatic relations with the U.S. He said he hoped that responsible leaders would choose to create a just world order; if you want, you can call it a post-West world order.

European countries along Russias border are rattled by the prospect of closer U.S.-Russia ties after Trump suggested  contrary to the opinions of Merkel and other world leaders  that sanctions imposed after Russias annexation of Crimea could be eased in exchange for a nuclear weapons deal. The president referred to NATO as obsolete in an interview before his inauguration, but has since tempered his language and has emphasized the importance of the alliance during telephone conversations with foreign leaders.

But, mindful that the new U.S. president often lashes out on Twitter, some attendees remained skeptical that Pences speech represented Trumps thinking and said the presidents foreign policy moves would be closely watched.

We are waiting for actions, said Polish President Andrzej Duda. We only know what the media has reported and the statements that weve got. Now we are waiting for actions of the new government of Donald Trump.

Wrote U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Twitter: Looks like we have 2 governments. @VP just gave speech about shared values btwn US and Europe as @POTUS openly wages war on those values.

Michael Chertoff, a former Homeland Security secretary under President George W. Bush, noted that Pences comments about NATO and Europe echoed assurances given by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Theyve all been consistent about the fact that there is a strong, deep and enduring commitment to Europe and to NATO, and I think that message has been received, Chertoff said.

In his remarks, Pence also reinforced the Trump administrations message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

NATOs 28-member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2% of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. But only the U.S. and four other members of the post-World War II military coalition are meeting the standard, Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, erodes the very foundation of our alliance.

Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfill this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more, Pence said.

In a day of meetings and photo ops, Pence was sitting down with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and separately with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko  whose countries are all dealing with the threat of Russian incursion. The vice president also scheduled a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The former Indiana governors stature within the administration was also under scrutiny after the recent dismissal of Trumps national security advisor, retired Gen. Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign Monday following reports that he misled Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat. The vice president learned that he was not told the truth through media accounts about two weeks after the president was informed.

Pence also met with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. remains embroiled in two separate wars. Trump has made clear his intention to defeat the Islamic State group. But he also said the U.S. may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion that has been rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi.

Trumps immigration and refugee ban has ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order, which is currently tied up in court, including Iraq, a close ally in the fight against Islamic State. Trump has promised to issue a revised order, possibly as soon as next week.

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Ecuadoreans go to the polls Sunday to elect a successor to President Rafael Correa, the mercurial, charismatic leftist whose social welfare and highway projects earned him widespread support among the poor but whose authoritarian tendencies over a decade in power raised the ire of human rights and press freedom backers.

Leading the polls is Lenin Moreno, Correas former vice president, who uses a wheelchair and more recently was a U.N. delegate for the handicapped. Next in voter preference among seven other candidates are center-right bank chairman Guillermo Lasso and national congress member Cynthia Viteri.

Since no candidate is likely to garner the 50%-plus one vote needed to win outright, odds are that Moreno, whose voter preference numbers have ranged from 28% to 32% in recent polls, will face off against probably either Lasso or Viteri in a second, decisive runoff election on April 2.

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Correa was elected to three terms in 2006, 2009 and 2013. A populist who earned a doctorate in economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, benefited from the popular rejection in many Latin American countries of neoliberal policies of the 1990s that promoted open markets and privatizations of government assets and services.

Correa, who forged close ties to the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and with Bolivian President Evo Morales, pushed through an extensive public works program and built scores of schools, dams and hospitals. Money for the projects early in his administration came from exports of Ecuadorean oil.

But Correa also faced abuse of power charges for his attacks on the press and lawsuits against political opponents and for promoting large-scale mining projects on land claimed by indigenous groups. He earned the enmity of environmental groups by green-lighting oil drilling in the Yasuni National Park, one of the worlds most biodiverse reserves.

Although the path seemed clear for Correa to seek a fourth term after the National Assembly approved a measure in December 2015 permitting indefinite reelection of public officials, Correa in the end opted not to run, influenced perhaps by a 2016 recession worsened by declining oil prices and his plunging popularity. According to a recent poll, 62% of Ecuadoreans dont trust him.

Moreno, the former vice president and Correa ally, has tried to distance himself somewhat from the president by promising to be more inclusive. Moreno spokesman Andres Michelena said in an interview that Moreno, if elected, would arrive offering his hand to all sectors.

Perhaps in the past 10 years, a different style was needed to push through the reforms the country needed, but today what is needed is consensus, dialogue with the business community, the news media and social groups for the benefit of the country, Michelena said. Moreno would deepen commercial relations with the United States, he added.

Morenos best known initiative as vice president was spearheading a program under which 300,000 handicapped Ecuadoreans were given medical and financial support. He was paralyzed by a gunshot fired by an attacker during a robbery attempt before he began his political career.

Several months ago, Moreno enjoyed sky-high approval ratings and seemed a good bet to win the presidency in the first round. But his popularity has ebbed in recent months, due in part to the worsening economy and public perception of his patron Correa, while Lasso and Viteri have risen in the polls.

Lasso, of the CREO party, is chairman of Ecuadors second largest bank and ran for president against Correa in 2013. Viteri, who has been a member of the National Assembly since 1998, is a close ally of Jaime Nebot, the powerful mayor of Ecuadors largest city, Guayaquil.

Whoever wins will inherit an economy barely growing, depressed government oil revenues and a mountain of debt, much of it owed to China, which has extended loans to the Correa government in exchange for deliveries of oil.

Special correspondents Jaramillo Viteri and Kraul reported from Quito, Ecuador, and Bogota, Colombia, respectively.

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Col. Refaq Abdul Baqi paused for an instant at a cinder-block wall before darting across the alleyway. Safely through, he crouched low as he climbed the stairs to the roof of a dilapidated house on the edge of this citys Qubbah district.

This is the right bank of Mosul, said Baqi, gesturing toward the set of tranquil-looking hills just across the nearby Tigris River. Behind them stands the last redoubt of Islamic State jihadists, who for 2 years have ruled Mosul and made it a key center of their self-proclaimed Caliphate.

In January, the Iraqi government announced it had completely liberated the citys eastern half. But it had been a ferocious fight: The militants had dispatched waves of car bombs and suicide attackers, forcing government troops to halt their offensive on the edge of the Tigris, which bisects Mosul.

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Now, after almost a month of retooling, they are poised to begin a three-pronged assault for the citys western side.

On Friday, Iraqs Counter Terrorism Service, an elite U.S.-trained group also known as the Golden Division, began an intense mortar barrage on the right bank as engineering crews prepared to install pontoon bridges. (The U.S.-led coalition bombed the five bridges connecting Mosuls two sides during the initial assault on the city to restrict the jihadists movements.)

Meanwhile, emergency responders and federal police units have mustered in the village of Areyj. In an off-limits corner of the village, camera-shy American and Canadian special forces units operate reconnaissance drones from trucks bristling with antennae.

Once the signal is given, the forces there will begin the seven-mile trek to the Mosul airport on the southern edge of the city, in an advance that is expected to take one week.

The battle for the western districts promises to be even more challenging than the offensive for the eastern half, which took 100 days and reportedly produced to casualty rates as high as 50% for some units.

The right side is older, with buildings close together. Its a problem, said Abdul Baqi, rattling off names of neighborhoods with some of his subordinates.

Some of the alleyways are the width of a door. You cant bring in anything except infantry, while soldiers go on the rooftops to reconnoiter.

The jihadists have also had time to entrench themselves, said Col. Mohammad Wakaa, a spokesman with Nineveh Operations Command.

They have opened up holes from house to house so they can move undetected, he said, adding that most of the foreign fighters who have joined Islamic State from outside Iraq, thought to be among the movements most extreme adherents, have retreated to the western side.

We believe the die-hard combatants, those who wont give up, are roughly 400. We expect the others will run away, Wakaa said.

The United Nations warned Saturday that the estimated 750,000-800,000 people in western Mosul are at extreme risk due to dwindling food and fuel supplies, as well as acute shortages of drinking water and electricity.

People in the eastern part of the city had been terrorized before the offensive, yes, but they were not in the same dramatically dire circumstances that we believe those in the west to be, said Lise Grande, the U.N.s humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, in a phone interview Saturday.

Still unclear is how much support Islamic State militants still have around the Old City quarter, which the U.N. says is home to an estimated 400,000 people.

After Islamic States stunning blitz through Mosul in mid-2014, the citys mostly Sunni Muslim population appeared jubilant. They called the militants revolutionaries who had defended them against the Iraqi army, which many said had been transformed under former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki into Shiite death squads.

But the jihadists welcome soon morphed into fear after the group began to mete out atavistic punishments, such as amputations and beheadings, against those who violated its interpretation of Islamic scripture.

The Old City, where people are poorer, is historically known for its support of Al Qaeda and now Islamic State, said Maj. Gen. Thamer Ismail, head of the Emergency Response Division, in an interview Saturday.

Ismail said his troops had seen militants ferry civilians in the past few days to areas previously emptied of residents in a bid to use them as human shields.

In the aftermath of the offensive for eastern Mosul, aid agencies lauded Iraqi forces for their restraint. The troops relied mainly on small-arms fire and avoided needless destruction of property and killing of civilians.

If you look at the military pattern of the campaigns over the last year, every time, the populations fled. In Mosul, 550,000 people remained. It was unexpected, said Grande.

Almost 190,000 escaped the fighting to refugee camps set up around Mosul. Roughly 46,000 have already returned to the city, where many neighborhoods, especially those on its eastern outskirts, appear to be normal, save for the occasional grenade-dropping drone or mortar lobbed by Islamic State.

It was unexpected, and it has meant that the recovery process has gone much faster, Grande said.

That restraint, however, may be harder to maintain in the high-density areas of western Mosul. The assault could trigger an outflow of civilians that would overwhelm aid groups, Bruno Geddo, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Iraq representative, said in an interview Friday.

The liberation of Mosul is necessary but not sufficient. We have to get the humanitarian response correctly  only then can we counter the toxic narrative of ISIS, he said, using an acronym that refers to Islamic State.

Therefore, up to the last day, we have to be on guard, because if you get something wrong, then the whole thing will be perceived as a failure.

Special correspondent Haidar Abdul Ilah contributed to this report

Bulos is a special correspondent.

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Breast Cancer Survivors Created History: New York Fashion Week Unveils True Courage And Confidence

staff@latinoshealth.com By partha das Feb 17, 2017 03:51 PM EST

Modern medical science has achieved a significant progress when breast cancer survivors participate in a fashion show. Recently, a number of women took part in the New York Fashion Week.

Gulf News reported that a number of women who survived breast cancer just came forward to raise funds for the charity. They appeared with alternative lingerie and created an example of true courage and humanity. The only aim of this fashion show is to support the breast cancer patients.

Popular actress Mira Sorvino took the initiative to introduce this AnaOno Intimates show. The participants of the show suffered breast cancer and had the reconstructive surgeries. The highlight of this fashion show was the designs participants' lingerie.

The models participated in the show with full confidence and enthusiasm. With crocheted tops, boots and platform heels they created a history. It is a true fact that they had already experienced the pain of breast cancer and now their courage surprised all the audiences present at the show in lower Manhattan.

Famous designer Dana Donofree said that half of the participants have metastatic breast cancer. Every year 40,000 people die from this disease in the United States. Chiaro D'Agostino, a 45-year-old model, proudly said that she was feeling powerful after participating in this fashion show.

Doctors diagnosed the breast cancer of Chiaro D'Agostino in 2016. Interestingly designer Dana Donofree is the key founder of the brand and also a victim of the disease. The designer's own experience motivated her to become an important part of this show.

Dana Donofree was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 27. She lost her breasts. The best part is she designed all the lingerie of the show.

The popular fashion designer opined that the New York Fashion Week was very important for all the models. Each participant wanted to experience a new and fresh air as breast cancer had taken over their bodies. Dana Donofree also said that people should know that a huge number of women die from this disease.

BBC reported that cancer researchers have explored a crucial fact. The researchers discovered that one in the eight women in the U.S. will suffer from breast cancer in their lifetime. Currently, the disease is spreading rapidly in most of the areas in the world.

Doctors all over the world still searching for the most suitable treatment of Cancer, and when it is about the breast cancer, then the precautions are very high. The New York Fashion Week was a different and a new initiative to encourage other patients. Collective effort is the need of the hour to eradicate this problem.

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* North Korean man arrested, three suspects at large

* Malaysian police say autopsy not completed

* North Korea will reject autopsy report, demands body (Adds China coal import ban)

By Emily Chow and Liz Lee

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as a diplomatic spat over his body escalated.

Kim Jong Nam died this week after being assaulted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with what was thought to be a fast-acting poison. South Korean and U.S. officials have said he was assassinated by North Korean agents.

Malaysian police said the latest arrest connected with the murder was made on Friday night, and the suspect was identified as Ri Jong Chol, born on May 6, 1970. He was in possession of a Malaysian i-Kad, which is an identification card given to foreign workers, they added.

"He is suspected to be involved in the death of a North Korean male," read a statement.

The police chief for Selangor state, Abdul Samah Mat, said the suspect had been remanded in police custody.

Two female suspects, one an Indonesian and the other carrying Vietnamese travel documents, have already been arrested, while a Malaysian man has been detained. At least three more suspects are at large, government sources have said.

Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea.

South Korea's intelligence agency told lawmakers in Seoul that Kim had been living with his second wife in the Chinese territory of Macau, under China's protection.

He had been at the Kuala Lumpur airport to catch a flight to Macau when he was killed. An autopsy is being performed at a hospital in the capital city.

Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah told Reuters that the autopsy report was not complete yet. He dismissed media reports that a second autopsy would have to be conducted.

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DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION

North Korea said in the early hours of Saturday that it would categorically reject Malaysia's autopsy report on the death of Kim Jong Nam, and accused Malaysia of "colluding with outside forces", in a veiled reference to rival nation South Korea.

Malaysia hit back by saying the country's rules must be followed. The foreign ministry has yet to make any comment.

Health minister Dr S.Subramaniam told state news agency Bernama that Malaysia was waiting for the toxicology report to complete the autopsy.

He said the autopsy report would hopefully be released "within this week".

The case threatens to weaken North Korea's ties with Malaysia, one of the few countries that has maintained good diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.

North Korea's nuclear arms and weapons programmes have alarmed the West, most recently its test of a ballistic missile earlier this month in its first direct challenge to the international community since Donald Trump became U.S. president.

Pyongyang's main ally and trading partner is China, which is irritated by its repeated aggressive actions but rejects suggestions from the United States and others that it could be doing more to rein in its neighbour.

On Saturday, China said it had further tightened trade restrictions with North Korea by suspending all imports of coal starting Feb. 19, although it did not say why. Coal exports to China are a vital source of revenues for Pyongyang.

ROW OVER AUTOPSY

Kim Jong Nam was assaulted at the low cost terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday with what is believed to be fast acting poison before he could board a flight to Macau. He sought help but died on the way to the hospital.

North Korea demanded on Friday night that Kim Jong Nam's body be released immediately. It had earlier tried to persuade Malaysian authorities not to carry out an autopsy.

"The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing," the North Korean ambassador Kang Chol told reporters outside the hospital where the body of Kim Jong Nam is being kept.

"We will categorically reject the result of the post mortem ... "

He said Kim Jong Nam had a diplomatic passport and was under the consular protection of North Korea.

(Additional reporting by Meng Meng and David Stanway in Beijing; Writing by Praveen Menon and A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Michael Perry and Mike Collett-White)
Mark Cuban

Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban used Twitter on Friday to respond to President Donald Trump's wild Thursday press conference and discuss what he termed "The Trump Conundrum."

In an extended Twitter storm, the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks who stars on ABC's "Shark Tank" said the biggest dilemma facing the president was whether to lead the government "effectively" or "play to his base."

"Policies aren't his biggest issue," Cuban tweeted. "Every POTUS has detractors. No president makes everyone happy."

He then outlined what he believed to be Trump's "biggest issues."

"No self awareness, no situational awareness, can't admit mistakes, no leadership skills, can't stay focused," he wrote, adding, "No management skills, doesn't read, doesn't use tech and makes no effort to learn, only consumes analog media."

He then said Trump had "no attachments to other people (Ivanka=exception)." He added: "People are fungible to him. He doesn't care who stays or goes."

Asked why he decided to harp on those points by a Twitter user, who added that Trump "was elected despite these flaws," Cuban wrote he was doing so "because they matter to our country."

He did say Trump was "trying to do some things right," however.

"Taxes, lobbyists, bureaucracy, FCC, SEC," he wrote. "If he can get the changes passed, they are positives."

Still, he added that Trump was "making very wrong policy errors."

"Wall, legal immigration, diversity in cabinet, micromanaging job growth, ACA changes, EPA," he wrote.

Soon after Trump's Thursday press conference, Cuban said it was "a waste of time to try to turn Pinocchio into a real president."

Cuban, who was quieter on Trump after his electoral victory, has returned in recent weeks to hammering the president on social media and in TV interviews. Cuban took aim at Trump for his implementation of the travel ban, taking a more openly critical position than other prominent executives.

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"I've been crushing POTUS," Cuban wrote in late January in a tweet that has since been deleted. "He has earned it."

Cuban was warmer to the idea of a Trump presidency during the primary season, but he quickly soured on Trump after the Manhattan billionaire secured the nomination. He eventually endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and became a prominent supporter and surrogate for her in the general election.

Following a recent Twitter confrontation he had with the president, which came in the aftermath of a New York Post story about Cuban's potential 2020 presidential bid, the billionaire business mogul told Business Insider "we will see" when asked about a possible future White House bid.

NOW WATCH: 'The largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period': Trump press secretary disputes reports of low turnout at inauguration





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Its a parents job to advocate for their children, especially when they dont have a voice.

This is especially true for Amanda Kehoe, mum to three children, including eight-year-old Tadhg, who is non-verbal and negotiates life in a wheelchair.

Thats why I started writing. You are constantly fighting battles and breaking down barriers. I just wanted him to have a voice, and for others to see what life is like for him, said the Newbridge mum.

What started out as a few notes jotted on pages, ended up becoming a book. Impressed by the story, Amandas husband, Greg and her two other children, Emily (10), Dylan (5), encouraged her to send it to a publisher. Based in the UK, Austin MaCauley came on board in October.

It was in the summer of 2015, I just sat down and started to write. I wanted to let people know what Tadhg would like people to know about him, she said.

This Saturday sees the culmination of all the hard work as TJ and his Wheelable Chair will be launched in Newbridge library at 10.30am.

The books beautiful illustrations are sketches based on family photographs. The main character has close parallels with Tadhg. TJ cant walk or talk, but he still loves to listen and play with his friends. The book shows that disabilities are no barrier to a happy and fulfilling life.

Amanda recently visited Scoil Mhuire in Newbridge for a book reading.

It was brilliant. Tadhg came along and the pupils were asking loads of questions and the feedback was great. It was a really lovely experience and Tadhg loved being the centre of attention.

Amanda will also be traveling to schools in the UK for World Book Day to do some book readings. The book is available at Farrell and Nephew, Newbridge; Barker and Jones, Naas; Newbridge Silverware; Cafe Continental, Newbridge, the Book Depositary and WH Smyth in the UK.

Just recently the importance of putting Tadhgs viewpoint across was reaffirmed to Amanda.

I came home from holidays and I was really sad. The other children were over playing with a group of friends. They just went up to the other children and asked could they play. Tadgh cant do that. He has to be brought over by us. He really misses out. We wanted the children to know its okay to come over and ask him to play. Hed be delighted, she said.

Amanda and Tadhg Kehoe
Leitrim Deputy, Martin Kenny, has accused the Irish Government of failing to protect Garda whistle-blower Sgt Maurice McCabe.

The Government has failed to protect Sgt Maurice McCabe against the smear campaign unleashed against him. The man had the courage and integrity to stand up against corruption and incompetence and should have been honoured and protected, he pointed out.

Instead, he was bullied and isolated within the Gardai. Vile allegations were made against him with Garda knowledge and, it seems, the collusion of Tusla. All of the allegations have proven false, but that is cold comfort to Maurice McCabe and his family after years of tolerating this maltreatment.

Deputy Kenny said that the Minister for Justice and the Taoiseach had both failed to explain themselves over the weekend.

The Minister claims she knew nothing about Tuslas involvement until she saw it on television on Thursday night, he noted.

Meanwhile, Deputy Jim OCallaghan of Fianna Fail is telling us that he spoke to the Minister on Wednesday about the allegations concerning Tusla.

Deputy Kenny said if Deputy O'Callaghan knew the contents of the Prime Time programme why he did not bring them to the notice of the Dail, instead of having a quiet word with the Minister?

Deputy Kenny said that Sinn Fein has no faith in the ability of this administration to deliver truth and justice for Maurice McCabe or in its ability to resolve the wider issues of this controversy.

Those wider issues include issues in my own constituency which I have raised in the Dail, with GSOC and with Minister Fitzgerald directly, said Deputy Kenny.

Fianna Fail TDs cannot just shrug their shoulders and wait for a better time to pull down the Government based on their own narrow electoral interests. This matter goes to the heart of the integrity of this Government, insisted Deputy Kenny.
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - February 17, 2017) - Mission Ready Services Inc. ("Mission Ready" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: MRS) reports that, further to the news release dated January 4, 2017 announcing a non-brokered private placement financing of up to 11,000,000 units (the "Units") at $0.10 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to CDN $1,100,000 (the "Offering"), the Company has received conditional approval from the TSX Venture Exchange to close the Offering for a total of 4,660,000 Units raising gross proceeds of CDN $466,000.

Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Share") and one share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share in the capital of the Company (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.15 per Warrant Share until December 21, 2018.

The Units were sold on a private placement basis to persons who qualified as Accredited Investors or by other such exemptions available under applicable securities legislation in Canada and other jurisdictions determined by the Company. The securities offered are subject to resale restrictions of four months plus one day from the date of issue pursuant to the applicable securities laws.

The Company has paid cash commissions of $19,680 and issued 196,800 Broker Warrants to finders as compensation in relation to the Offering.

The close of the first tranche was reported in a news release dated January 11, 2017 and accounted for the aggregate total issued in connection with the Offering. The Company has opted not to accept any subsequent subscriptions following the first tranche close while the Company is in negotiations for the services of a large independent cross-border Corporate Finance advisory firm.

The Company has closed the Offering in compliance with the timelines stipulated in TSX-V Policy 4.1.

Mission Ready Services Inc.

(signed "Rod Reum")

Rod Reum,

President & CEO

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This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "forecast", "project", "budget", "schedule", "may", "will", "could", "might", "should" or variations of such words or similar words or expressions. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by Mission Ready Services Inc. as at the date of such information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Mission Ready Services Inc. to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable. Although Mission Ready Services Inc. 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 information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Mission Ready Services Inc. does not undertake to update any forward-looking information that is included herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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.
15 local volunteers are needed in Leitrim on Wish Day, which takes place on Friday, 31st March to celebrate and support the work of Make-A-Wish Ireland.

The call for volunteers is to support Make-A-Wish Irelands flagship fundraising day. Volunteers are simply asked to give a few hours of their time to sell wristbands and badges for 2 each in their local area.

Make-A-Wish is funded entirely through donations and fundraising. To support the ongoing happiness they give to children and their families from Leitrim and throughout Ireland, Make-A-Wish needs the help of volunteers in Leitrim to continue their important work.

Irene Timmins Head of Fundraising for Make-A-Wish said:

Last year in Leitrim we were able to make memories for a brave local child and their family. The value of these memories is truly immeasurable. Make-A-Wish offers positivity in an extremely dark and anxious time. Every child deserves that.

We are approaching our 2,000th wish for Irish kids which would not be possible without our volunteers. All we are asking is a few hours from the people of Leitrim on Friday 31st March to sell some of our wish bands and badges, which cost 2 each, with 100% of proceeds to Make-A-Wish.

Wishes make memories that last many lifetimes, but we cannot make them without our volunteers.

Wish Day will take place across Ireland on 31st March and Make-A-Wish volunteers will be located throughout Leitrim, including Ballinamore, Carrick-on-Shannon and Manorhamilton.

To sign up to volunteer visit www.makeawish.ie or contact Daragh on (01) 2052011 / volunteer@makeawish.ie
The blessed work of helping the world forward, happily does not wait to be done by perfect men; and I should imagine that neither Luther nor John Bunyan, for example, would have satisfied the modern demand for an ideal hero, who believes nothing but what is true, feels nothing but what is exalted, and does nothing but what is graceful. George Eliot

The only thing that has kept the race of men from the mad extremes of the convent and the pirate-galley, the night-club and the lethal chamber, has been mysticism  the belief that logic is misleading, and that things are not what they seem. GK Chesterton

We have been told a lot lately that recent political upheavals represent a revolt against the club of elites dominating western politics. On reflection, I wonder if it actually meant the opposite: the realisation elites are not very elite at all, but in fact every bit as flawed and tangible as ourselves, just as they always were in the days before television. I was thinking this, recently, wandering around the National Portrait Gallery transfixed by the mesmeric eyes of inane bully Henry VIII  and wondering if we have traded these faintly Tory myths, for the more dangerous oil paints of the Spectator butterfly.

George Eliots words from the 1850s are a double-edged sword. Writing in Scenes on clerical life she pointed out the great secret of progress, and good politics: normal people like ourselves. This is not always easy. It was, I think, one of the great joys of Coalition for many Liberal Democrats, one which we were too slow at times to appreciate, that we were actually changing quite a lot. With hindsight, I wonder if it felt hard to believe the strength of policies like the Pupil Premium and Shared Parental Leave, not because the Tories did it, nor even that Nick Clegg did it, but because we did it.

I wonder if we should consider this anxiety more because it is common. Despite coyness, most people, some of the time, feel vulnerable and need hope from connection with heroes who might be better than us.

George Eliot was an insightful but also well-connected woman. She was born in Nuneaton (2016: 66% leave vote) and died an established member of the liberal elite in a house in Chelsea recently bought by Mayor Bloomberg-billionaire and former NYC mayor. She came across Queen Victoria, Carlyle and Gladstone. However, she was in a minority which proved a rule: most peoples heroes had not been seen until they came on the TV, a century later. Now Nuneaton and Chelseas view of politics has converged in a number of ways.

It has been well-reported that in our post-deferential age that petty corruption is more transparent and that this has bred cynicism. As liberals, it is good that we have the internet, camera phones, the Tax Justice Network and Transparency International to expose slack behaviour. This, obviously, represents part of the difference in perception between the infidelity of, say, Presidents JF Kennedy and FD Roosevelt, compared to President Bill Clinton.

But I wonder if something spiritual has happened too, and fairly recently, with TV and the internet: semiconsciously, we can no longer delude ourselves with the hope our leaders might be gods  and thence use them as an emotional tap. Instead, we are left grieved by reality, which Eliots part contemporary Wordsworth feared in The Prelude:

to have a soulless image on the eye That had usurped upon a living thought That never more could be

And alongside this personal need for mysticism is an important social one under pressure.

According to Yuval Noag Hararis Sapiens  released in 2014- humans were able to climb from the middle to the top of the food chain about BCE 40,000, in part because we were able to form nations of thousands and millions around abstract myths rather than plain instructions which could only coordinate groups of a hundred:

Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens have thus been living in a dual reality. On the one hand, the objective reality of rivers, trees and lions; and on the other hand, the imagined reality of gods, nations and corporations.

Hararis recent words have an echo in the old conservative ideas of GK Chesterton who feared the void that would be created by the collapse in mainstream religion. Chesterton directly challenged the realistic fiction of Tolstoy  and by extension  Eliot.

Because we are such a rational bunch, liberals are not always great at empathising with the madness of others. Time has been kind to our and Eliots view over the past 150 years. Indeed, her very name is proof of progress: It seems bizarre that one of Britains greatest authors had to pretend she was a man in order to be considered a good writer. This is not coincidental: fortunes of Britains scapegoats have risen in tandem as material progress  driven by the trade in products and ideas- has allowed people to distract themselves with purpose in the real world from nasty spirits floating in the clouds. It is why, obviously, we must fight hard against a hard Brexit.

But though we must fight on against it, we might also reflect that material progress cannot occupy all of the people, all of the time. Without a secular god in Downing Street, people may now need a Brexit Butterfly  or Donald Trump, floating alongside in his eponymous jet. Eliot and Chesterton were both right.

Whilst one of these spirits might well mean the end of civilization  it is not necessarily the end of liberalism, yet. It is possible Emmanuel Macron can offer something for people to pin their hopes to, simply because no one knows anything about him. And we may need to re-appraise where the political angst is coming from. Not just away from croaked elites  who are, in fact, much less croaked than Henry VIII- but also away from the perceived bigotry of the electorate. I sense America missed out on the great presidency of Hillary Clinton not just because she was too female or too well educated but too like her voters, rather than Donald Trump who offered a skyborne fantasy. We might also speculate that not all Brexit voters were driven exclusively by xenophobia, but something just as dangerous: boredom with bland, competent sane politicians like Clegg, Cameron and all the Eurocrats, who were actually quite a lot like their voters.

In the meantime, by listing those who protest most against elites  oblivious to the privilege which shields them from their own chaos  we can be confident about where to focus our fire. And whether it is Steve Hilton or Bannon, Jeremy Corbyn or Daniel Hannan, I think their own supporters might feel the same, too. As Woody Allen famously observed in Annie Hall,insecure lovers squabble because the loathing they project on each other, is typically the repressed loathing they feel for themselves. Despite the vague schematics for post-Brexit utopia, the real reason Hannan et al are rebelling against the elite club, is the fact they dont want to join a club that would have someone like themselves as a member.

* Douglas Oliver is secretary of the Liberal Democrat History Group and is based in London.
Compare and contrast:

Less than a month ago, on 20th January, Donald Trump took this very solemn oath:

I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States

That constitution enshrines the rights of a free press and democracy.

Last night, 4 weeks after he took above oath of office, the President of the United States, the so-called leader of the free world, someone with more power than most others on this planet of ours, tweeted this:

What had got his goat this time was coverage of his bizarre press conference when he attacked the media. Its a pity that the media claims cant be verified with video footage of the entire 76 minute extravaganza.

The media is there to be a pain in the backside to those in power. Part of our problem here at the moment is that much of the media is cheerleading for the government rather than putting it under pressure. The rich, Brexiteer owners of our media, in whose interests it is to be out of the scope of EU regulations, are not sufficiently challenged.

What is worrying is that anyone who challenges the wishes of the powerful is denounced as an enemy of the people. Over here, we had the Daily Fail disgracefully demonise Supreme Court judges upholding the law in that fashion. Now we have Trump dismissing any media outlet that disagrees with him in the same fashion.

Who does he think he is? Vladimir Putin?

Tom Malinowski served in the Obama administration as Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. This is what he had to say about Trumps tweet:

As an American diplomat, I stood up to petty tyrants who call journalists enemies of the people. Guess thats not our policy any more. https://t.co/Osgrjb68fR  Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) February 17, 2017

He also retweeted this quote from JFK about the need for a free press:

JFK took a lot of shit in the press for Bay of Pigs. Heres what he said when asked if he still reads newspapers and magazines: pic.twitter.com/UywNeSFqm0  Downtown Josh Brown (@ReformedBroker) February 17, 2017

Of course, all of this is a massive distraction. We do need to be careful that we dont spend all our energy on Trumps Twitter rants. We need to look more carefully at what he might be trying to bury with them. The Washington Post, for example, has an article today pointing out the massive cost of keeping the new first family safe.

Nobody objects to paying necessary security costs, but surely there is an obligation on the part of the said first family to arrange their lives in such a way as to minimise those costs. Certainly, they should not be enriching themselves by ensuring that those looking after them dont have to pay a fortune to them to stay at their resorts.

The Post has had some very good articles, such as this one, on the utter chaos inside the White House and wider administration and is worth keeping an eye on.

Donald Trumps use of Twitter is going to shock and appal us in many ways for as long as he lasts in office. However, its always important to keep an eye on whats going on beneath the bravado and bluster on social media.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
MINISTER for Finance Michael Noonan has said that he expects to travel to Singapore for St Patrick's day to capitalise on potential gains for Ireland in the financial services sector post Brexit.

Speaking to the Limerick Leader, Minister Noonan is the first Cabinet minister, apart from the Taoiseach, to outline his travel plans, which to date have not been released by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The likelihood is that I'll be going to Singapore, Mr Noonan told the Leader. They have a big financial services industry out there, and we'd be hoping that with Brexit they'd express an interest in Ireland.

He said he expects to travel with a number of staff from his department, especially if he stays on beyond St Patrick's day. The Minister said he would be meeting with particular companies relevant to growing Ireland's economy, having earlier stressed that the UK cannot become 'Singapore-on-Thames' once it leaves the EU market.

Minister of State for Sport and Tourism Patrick O'Donovan said his travel plans have not been confirmed yet.

The most important thing from my point of view is I have a job to do with Tourism Ireland, and I'd imagine I'd be going into one of the existing or new and emerging markets - North America, and Europe primarily," he said.

With Brexit and everything else, the Taoiseach wants the maximum number of people to go abroad. This is the one day - and I know some people rail against it - but any country would give their right arm to have an opportunity where their Government representatives have access to the entire world for one day, and get high level access.

"From that point of view, it's more important that ministers would go abroad than be at home.

He stressed that these trips are necessary to promote Ireland Inc.

It doesn't do opposition parties and elements of the media to paint this as something as a jolly jaunt, when there's much at stake. Foreign direct investment and tourism played no small part in dragging us out of the economic depression. Mealy-mouthedness in relation to this doesn't do the State any service.

"People shouldn't use this as a cheap opportunity to undermine those going abroad to work on behalf of the State.
MARIE Hennessy, the 2016 Limerick Rose, will travel next week to a remote area of Belarus to help care for over 170 children who are residents of a childrens asylum.

The secondary school teacher and Newcastle West native will be travelling with a group of 21 volunteers from the Rose of Tralee, including 2016 reigning rose Maggie McEldowney.

The group also includes nurses, care workers and teachers, who will all spend a week at the Vesnova Childrens Mental Asylum, about 175km from Chernobyl.

The orphanage was discovered in the 1990s by an Irish aid convoy organised by the Adi Roche Chernobyl International charity.

We will never cease to be inspired by the generosity and kindness of Rose Ambassadors who reach out and touch the hearts of the forgotten children in the Chernobyl regions, said Adi Roche.

These roses and escorts are such a highly skilled group, and we are very lucky to have them visit the children to help them grow and develop in an as safe and healthy environment as possible, she added.

The children they will be working with range in age from 4 to 18 years. Most have lost their parents, others have been abandoned by families who could no longer care for them, and all of them suffer from severe illnesses and disabilities and require a high level of medical and nursing care.

Meanwhile, the search is on for escorts for the 2017 Rose of Tralee. Maggie McEldowney has challenged Limerick men to see if they have what it takes to be a Rose Escort at this years festival from August 16 to 22.

March 16 is the entry deadline, so young men will have one month to apply at www.roseoftralee.ie.

The festival takes its name from a 19th Century love song - fitting that Maggie and her escort John Slowey would choose Valentines Day to launch the search for lads aged 21 to 30 to take part one of the most famous international festivals in the world.

The primary role of the escort is to ensure that his roses time at the festival is a memorable and enjoyable experience.

The rose escort is comic relief - the heart and soul of the festival. They bring the laughter and energy to the next level, and their support and companionship during the very busy days is so appreciated by the roses, said Ms McEldowney.
SALESIAN Secondary College have beaten out more than 40 schools to emerge as the winners of the Compass Transition Year Schools Competition.

And addressing students at the event, All-Ireland winning manager and player Davy Fitzgerald described cyberbullying as the most cowardly assault on young people.

The Shannon Estuarys potential as a shipping corridor of international importance was recognised by students across the counties of Clare, Kerry and Limerick, and the Pallaskenry students were overall winners of the second biennial Compass competition last Friday.

The final of the Shannon Foynes Port Company competition was devised to give students a deeper understanding of the estuarys potential.

Its clear that the students put a lot of hard work and effort into the projects. They took ownership and showed initiative and in many instances consulted broadly outside their comfort zone, engaging with business leaders and representatives among others, said CEO of Shannon Foynes Port Company Pat Keating.

The winning suggestion involved a major transhipment centre at Ballylongford, with a rail link to Foynes. The deep waters at Ballylongford would ensure that the worlds largest ships could be accommodated, carrying larger loads and, as a result, delivering an environmental benefit with less ships having to sail.

The Pallaskenry students were presented their awards of a 2,000 cheque for their school, an iPad each and Compass gold medals by Davy Fitzgerald and MEP Sean Kelly.

Davy Fitzgerald called on the Government to lead an international response to cyberbullying, saying that anonymity online must be curbed.

The cowardly way that cyber bullies hide on anonymous forums is appalling. These are faceless people saying the nastiest things about young people and not caring at all what the effects are.

Why would you make fun of someone? Why would you laugh at someone? No one is perfect, we all have our flaws. No matter what you come from or where you come from, you are all worth the same in life.

If you come across bullying and might feel you are alone, you are not. Just talk to someone. And remember, there will be better days ahead without a shadow of a doubt, he added.
A LITHUANIAN man who was in the company of another man who was shot in the head by armed gardai in West Limerick last year has pleaded guilty to multiple theft charges.

Aurimas Petraska, aged 32, who has an address at Church Street in Rathkeale is due to be sentenced in April.

When arraigned at Limerick Circuit Court last Friday, the defendant pleaded guilty to five charges relating to offences which occurred in three different counties on various dates during 2015 and 2016.

The only one of the offences which happened in Limerick was a burglary at Isobels, Main Street, Adare on June 21, 2016.

The other offences occurred at locations in Cahir, County Tipperary and at three separate locations in County Cork.

Two of the charges relate to break-ins at commercial premises while a third other relates to the theft of registration plates from a parked car.

The defendant has also admitted the unlawful possession of a welded hammer tool at Belgooly, West Cork on October 21, 2015.

Judge Tom ODonnell adjourned sentencing to April 7, next to facilitate the preparation of a report by the governor at Limerick Prison where the defendant is currently being detained.

On the next date, the judge hear details relating to each of the offences before the court.

Mr Petraska was arrested after the car he was travelling in was stopped at a checkpoint between Ardagh and Shanagolden in the early hours of June 28, 2016.

Another Lithuanian national  Tomas Mikalajunas  who was also in the car on the night sustained gunshot wounds after the vehicle was stopped by gardai.

The 36-year-old, who spent several months in hospital afterwards, has denied any involvement criminal activity.

I was driving home with my friend. I saw the police with their lights and I stopped. One of the guards was shouting and screaming. I put my hands up and I was shot, he said in an interview with this newspaper late last year.

While it is believed the firearm discharged accidentally, the Garda Siochana Ombusman Commission (GSOC) is investigating the circumstances of the shooting incident after it was referred to it by the Garda Commissioner under the provisions of the Garda Siochana Act.

Meawnhile, the Limerick Leader has learned that Mr Mikalajunas, who was released from hospital recently, was arrested and questioned by gardai late last week.

While he was released without charge, it is understood a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
GRIEF knocks at all our doors but for children it has the power to last a lifetime.

One County Limerick nun and her team of volunteers have been at the forefront of making a difference in the lives of young people affected by loss.

Sr Helen Culhane, Croom, started the Childrens Grief Project in 2009, seeing over 900 children since then. It has now been renamed the Childrens Grief Centre as Sr Helen says it is no longer a project.

There is obviously a huge need for the work that we do, said Sr Helen, who along with 10 others volunteer their time.

Currently she says they have a funding crisis and are in desperate need of support to continue their good work. They provide a safe, non judgemental environment where grieving children and teenagers can express what they feel and learn that they are not alone. It is completely free of charge.

At the moment we have 120 on our waiting list and the wait is eight to nine months. We try to prioritise teenagers, explained Sr Helen, who thanked the Limerick Solicitors Bar Association who presented a very generous cheque to them for 2,000 last week.

To put the sum in context the only annual grant they get is 4,100 from TUSLA.

Sr Helen wanted to thank JP McManus for giving 15,000 to set up a database and Sr Peggy Collins, Provincial of South Central Province, and her team who have supported the centre financially and provided their premises at Westbourne, Ashbourne Avenue, SCR.

Seventy per cent of our parents are separated so they havent got the money. Sadly there are no services for children. We would have CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) referring children on to us and that is the State body. Isnt it very sad that they have to refer children on to us?

I had one woman, who is separated, come to me. Her daughter was acting up so she brought her to a psychotherapist, who charged her 65 an hour. She couldnt afford that. As somebody said to me children dont vote. I hear the Government going on about their concern for children and I ask where are all the services, said Sr Helen.

Recently they contacted the guardians of everybody on their waiting list.

Very few came off it and they were very excited to hear they were going to be offered an appointment. They dont mind waiting because to see a psychologist in the health board you would be waiting two years, said Sr Helen.

This time last year there were 44 on the waiting list so it has trebled in the space of a year. If she had extra funding the first thing the nun would do is hire a full-time person to see more children and teens.

Thirty per cent of those we see are bereaved. They have lost parents, grandparents, siblings - that is always heart rending. Seventy per cent we see, their parents are separated -the biggest thing they tell me about is being caught in the middle and used as pawns.

"One teenager told me his mum and dad separated when he was four, he was sick of being a pawn and cant take any more of it, said Sr Helen.

I always say to children your mum and dad have separated or divorced from each other but your dad will never divorce you and your mum will never divorce you, said Sr Helen.

Stephanie Power, president of Limerick Bar Association, said they are honoured to be associated with the Childrens Grief Centre.

As a profession we come into contact with families who are affected by bereavement, separation or divorce on a daily basis. Thanks to the Childrens Grief Centre the children of these families need not feel alone. They provides a forum for the children of these families to tell their side of the story and get the comfort and support that they need.

Our members are delighted to assist in some small way in bringing the great work of this centre to the attention of our clients, the profession, and the community at large, said Ms Power.
THEY are the faces frozen in time. Someones son, brother, husband, friend.

For nearly two decades eight Limerick families have suffered the torture of not knowing what ever became of their loved ones, who disappeared without trace around the turn of the new millennium.

But they have not given up their fight to seek answers, find closure or their hope to lay their loves ones to rest, if their remains are found.

Saturday last marked the 17th anniversary of the disappearance of Aengus 'Gussie Shanahan, who was one of three Dell workers in Limerick, who mysteriously vanished between 1998 and 2000, along with Des Walsh, and Martin Carroll.

His first cousin, Fr Aquinas Duffy, who serves in Cabinteely in Dublin, has pleaded for anyone to help the Shanahan family and bring their nightmare to an end.

Fr Duffy, the founder of Ireland's first missing persons website, missing.ie, which counts nearly 100 missing Irish people currently, said that the photos of the missing on the site are of faces frozen in time.

Gussie is still 20 years of age in that picture, and there is something very unreal about the whole thing. You have all these people frozen in time, because in a sense time stops for the families, he told the Limerick Leader.

I am absolutely convinced there are people, particularly in Limerick, who have information in relation to Gussie's disappearance. I cannot understand why people continue to remain silent, because for every second of silence it prolongs the nightmare.

I would again appeal to people, not just who have direct information, but their friends as well who may know something about what happened. I would ask them at this very late stage to come forward. I just beg them please to come forward, he said.

He said the anniversary of Gussie's disappearance and his birthday on January 23 are the two critical and difficult dates for the family.

There's a terrible frustration after all these years not to be any the wiser, he said.

Fr Duffy officiated at all three weddings of Gussie's older siblings - Roibeard, Reiltin and Grainne - and said his absence was always keenly felt, with a photo of him on the altar on their happy days, albeit days marred with a sense of loss.

He is never far from our minds, he added.

Formerly based in Tallaght and Templeogue, he explained that he started the website with just one page for Aengus 17 years ago and other families then approached him and asked if he'd put up a page for their missing love one as well.

Out of some 9,000 who go missing in Ireland every year, the majority are found but there are about 20 people every year who become long-term missing. There are really about 1,800 unsolved cases in Ireland. There are a lot of long-term missing people out there whose names aren't known, he said.

Sometimes, we do not hear answers to our prayers, only apparent silence. But within that silence, there is always more to be discovered, he added.

He and other relatives of missing people have used poetry to help them deal with their anguish in the event of a loved one disappearing.

Following Gussie's disappearance, Fr Duffy wrote The Great Eternal Silence, which includes, in part: Missing in the darkness, vanished without a trace, with only the memories and photographs, to fill an empty place.

Gussies mother Nancy died heartbroken in May last, without ever knowing what happened to her youngest child, who was last seen on February 11, 2000.

Before she passed away in the University Hospital in Limerick, she promised her husband Bob that she would look for Gussie in the afterlife.

It was her wish to know. It was the one thing she always wanted  just a word on where he was. She died utterly heartbroken, said widow Bob, from the Ennis Road in the city.

The father of four and retired bank manager is again urging anyone with information to come forward, to help end their agony.

They have long feared that Gussie was murdered, and he said it is their only wish to give him a Christian burial if his remains are ever found.

He was a lovely child, but he got in with the wrong people. Someone cant just disappear into thin air like that. And somebody out there knows something. Whether he is found dead or alive, we just want to know, he pleaded.

On the evening of his disappearance, Gussie went to Coopers bar on St Joseph Street with friends, whom he was due to stay with that night.

However, he left the bar on his own at 10.30pm and walked from there onto Old School House lane, which connects with Barrington Street. That is the last sighting of Gussie.

When he didnt return to work on Monday, February 14, 2000, his family reported him as a missing person to An Garda Siochana.

He is described as being 5ft 10ins in height, with a thin build, weighed 10 stone, pale in complexion, with fair hair, cut short.

Desmond Walsh, who worked as a security guard at Dell in the Raheen plant, has been missing since September 18, 1999  in the early hours of his mothers birthday, which serves to reinforce her grief.

It is every parents worst nightmare, said his mother Julia. Somebody, somewhere must know what happened to Des and we are appealing to them to come forward and pass on information confidentially.

What is done is done. All I want is closure. I just want to know, that will do me, said Julia, from Dromkeen, county Limerick.

Her husband, Thomas, passed away two years after Des disappeared.

My husband is buried in Pallasgreen and if Dess body was found we could give him a proper burial and I could visit the two of then together. I am appealing to anybody who may know something to make contact out of the goodness of their hearts. A lot of time has passed, she said.

Des was last seen by two nurses in the Works nightclub in Bedford Row at 2am.

He never came back. When the guards rang me at home to see if he was at home I couldnt believe it. I said Desmond would never disappear, she said.

One of the reasons she believes that her sons life was taken is that he was badly beaten up before he went missing, and came home black and blue.

This, she said, would have been completely out of character for Des, who was a very mild-mannered and personable, young man.

He was very outgoing and loved socialising. He loved music, he used to sing in Scor. He loved his guitar. Every place he worked they were mad about him.

The family of Matthew Carroll, from Southill, who was last seen leaving the Steering Wheel pub in Limerick's Roxboro Shopping Centre on June 8, 1998, also fear that he was murdered.

Dennis Walsh, who would now be 44, has been missing from the family home in Limerick since March 9, 1996.

He left the house one afternoon and never returned. There were some suspected sightings of Dennis, who is 6ft in height, in Limerick, Ennis and Dublin.

There was also a report of someone similar to him boarding the Isle of Man ferry at Belfast.

Tony Brosnan, an electrician from Bruff, has been missing since February 6, 2003.

At around 12 noon that day he was seen by a local man travelling from Lissycasey to Kilrush, and on the following morning a man fitting Tony's description was seen in Kilkee Church enquiring about the times of Masses.

The next sighting of him was on the following Sunday walking along Lahinch beach and then near Miltown Malbay.

Shane Moran, from Sexton Street, Thomondgate, has been missing since January 10, 2009. He was last seen near the Dock Road. Extensive searches of the river and the surrounding areas at the time yielded nothing to comfort his family. He would now be aged 29.

Twenty-two-year-old Patrick O'Donoghue, from Knocknacrohy, Abbeyfeale, was a fourth year student at the Limerick Institute of Technology, when he was last seen on January 9, 2000 at Whitethorn Drive, Caherdavin Heights, where he was renting accommodation.

Another Abbeyfeale man, Denis Cusack, of Cratloe West, was last seen on March 11, 2004, after leaving home in his white Peugeot van. The vehicle was later found by gardai, but Denis too was never seen nor heard from again.

Anyone with information in relation to any of the missing Limerick men is asked to contact Roxboro Road Garda Station on 061 214340, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
Apr 29, 2021, 7 PM

By Michael Baadke

Wendell Willkie, the Republican Party candidate for president in 1940, was born Lewis Wendell Willkie on Feb. 18, 1892, in Elwood, Ind. He earned his law degree from Indiana University, and joined the U.S. Army, serving in France during World War I.

Willkie became a successful corporate lawyer, moving to New York in 1929 to join the utility company Commonwealth and Southern Corporation, where he was named president in 1933. He was also active in the Democratic Party, and worked in the unsuccessful campaign of Newton D. Baker to secure the 1932 Democratic nomination for president. The party chose Franklin D. Roosevelt to run instead.

Although Willkie initially supported the new president, Commonwealth and Southern Corporation and other utilities opposed aspects of FDRs Tennessee Valley Authority project, which they felt unfairly competed against them. Willkie represented his company and the power industry in negotiations and court actions against the TVA.

His efforts brought him national notoriety, and he switched political parties in 1939, opposing some of Roosevelts New Deal policies that he described as bad for business. He was nominated by the Republicans as their presidential candidate, but lost the election, claiming 45 percent of the popular vote versus 55 percent for FDR.

After the election, Roosevelt and Willkie worked together as World War II dominated Europe. Willkie visited overseas and hand-delivered a letter from Roosevelt to prime minister Winston Churchill. However, Willkie suffered a series of heart attacks in 1944, and died at age 52.

The 75 Great Americans series definitive stamp honoring Wendell Willkie was issued Feb. 16, 1992, marking the statesmans birth centenary (Scott 2192).
Feb 18, 2017, 3 AM

This handpainted first-day cover by Linda and Fred Collins is a fitting memorial to Raoul Wallenberg, whose efforts in Budapest, Hungary, on behalf of the Swedish government during World War II saved thousands of Jews from extermination. Wallenberg was gi

By John M. Hotchner

In my Linns column of April 29, 1991, I called for the issuance of a United States stamp to honor Raoul Wallenberg in 1995, the 50th anniversary of his disappearance. Im sure I was not the only person requesting such a stamp.

A 32 commemorative was finally issued April 24, 1997. A beautifully done first-day cover for the stamp is shown nearby.

At the time of issuance, much was known of Wallenbergs heroism, but little was known of his last years and his death.

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He came to prominence as a figure in world history in 1944 when, as a 32-year-old diplomat, he was appointed as an attache in the Swedish mission in Budapest.

In that job, he spent the next year risking his life to save Hungarian Jews from the Nazis. He saved thousands by hiding them in homes he acquired on behalf of the Swedish crown. On the homes, he hung Swedish flags. He also issued false passports and identification papers to Jews who had been identified for deportation.

He was known to walk into groups of Nazis rounding up Jews to save individuals, and even took Jews from trains destined for concentration camps.

For his heroism, Wallenberg should have been honored after the war. In the West, he was. Unfortunately, he was not able to receive the honors because he was missing.

On Jan. 17, 1945, Wallenberg went out from Budapest to meet the oncoming Soviet troops. It was the last time he was seen.

While it was clear that the Soviets had detained him, the U.S. and Swedish governments, despite considerable effort, could get no reliable information from the Soviets about Wallenbergs fate.

For 12 years after his arrest, the Soviets didnt even acknowledge that they had taken him. After that they acknowledged the obvious, but claimed that he died of a heart attack in 1947. Sweden and the United States continued to demand an accounting.

In 1981, the U.S. Congress passed legislation making Wallenberg an honorary American citizen.

In 1989, the Soviets called the detention of Wallenberg a tragic mistake, but provided no additional detail about his fate.

The end of the story can now be told, courtesy of the granddaughter of Ivan A. Serov, the head of the Soviet KGB from 1954 to 1958.

In 2012, Vera Serova found her grandfathers diaries secreted in the wall of a country house she inherited from him. The diaries were published in 2016 in Notes from a Suitcase: Secret Diaries of the First KGB Chairman, Found Over 25 Years after His Death, and in them Serov had made clear, I have no doubts that Wallenberg was liquidated in 1947.

Serov said that he was ordered by Stalins successor Nikita Khrushchev to investigate what happened to Wallenberg. A half-dozen pages of his diary are devoted to his efforts, and the bottom line is that Stalin ordered the murder.

It is assumed that relevant documents still exist in KGB files, now managed by the FSB, which replaced the KGB after the downfall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Here we are, more than 72 years after Wallenberg disappeared, and those documents have not been released.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) - US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday led a chorus of reassurance for allies rattled by Donald Trump's policy stance but European leaders gave the pledges a lukewarm welcome.

Underlining US loyalty to its old friends, Pence told European leaders and defence experts: "The United States is and will always be your greatest ally."

"Be assured that President Trump and our people are truly devoted to our transatlantic union," he said at the Munich Security Conference.

Trump's criticism of NATO as "obsolete", his praise for Britain's decision to leave the European Union, and his softer approach towards Russia have unnerved Washington's allies.

But Pence and other members of Trump's administration -- Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson -- stuck largely to the foreign policy rule book in a major European diplomatic foray this week.

On Russia, the US would not relent in pushing it to honour the Minsk ceasefire accords with Ukraine, said Pence.

"The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," the vice-president said.

And Tillerson said the US would cooperate with Moscow but only when doing so "will benefit the American people".

On NATO, Mattis emphasised that America remained "rock solid" in its support of Article 5 -- the alliance's core "one for all, all for one" collective defence tenet.

- 'Not a word on the EU' -

In response, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said he "had no doubt that the American vice-president and the defence secretary will do everything to fulfil their commitments to NATO as in the past."

But pressed for his view on Trump, Gabriel was terse. "I can only say what I have spoken about with Mr Pence. And that I have done and on that I have no doubt."

Story continues

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was "struck that (Pence) had not at any moment mentioned the EU."

"I don't want to accuse Pence prematurely; he is going to Brussels on Monday and I hope that we will have a clear response on this question because Donald Trump gave the impression that he welcomes Brexit and that there would be more to come," said Ayrault.

"The future will give more clarity on all the issues ... I don't believe in everyone for himself, in solving questions through force or through deals," he said.

US politicians in attending the conference in Munich pointed to a chasm between what Trump's envoys and the president himself said.

"Looks like we have 2 governments," Democrat Senator Chris Murphy said in a tweet.

Pence spoke about "shared values between the US and Europe (but Trump) openly wages war on those values".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel made no direct mention of Trump in her address in Munich.

She however, championed a clear message of international cooperation rather than the feared isolationism of the president's "America First" strategy.

"In a year in which we see unimaginable challenges we can either work together or retreat to our individual roles. I hope that we will find a common position," she said.

- 'Post-West world order' -

Amid the turmoil, Russia stepped in to call for an end to what it called an outdated world order dominated by the West.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he hoped the world "will choose a democratic world order -- a post-West one -- in which each country is defined by its sovereignty."

The time when the West called the shots was over while NATO was a relic of the Cold War, he said.

In its place, Moscow wanted a relationship with Washington that is "pragmatic with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our common responsibility for global stability".

Moscow has been impatiently waiting for Trump to make good on his pledge to improve ties which plunged to a post-Cold War low as Barack Obama slapped on sanctions over the Ukraine crisis and Russia's alleged meddling in Trump's election.

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and voiced his willingness to work with him in fighting terrorism.

But in the face of growing controversy over its links to Moscow, Trump's administration appears to be backing off the warmer words used earlier for the former Cold War foe.
* Pence brings message to Europe from Trump

* Vice president promises "unwavering" commitment to NATO

* European allies sceptical, see mixed message (Updates with John Kelly, Ukraine talks)

By Roberta Rampton and Shadia Nasralla

MUNICH, Feb 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday brought a message of support for Europe from Donald Trump, but failed to wholly reassure allies worried about the new president's stance on Russia and the European Union.

In Pence's first major foreign policy address for the Trump administration, he told European leaders that he spoke for Trump when he promised "unwavering" commitment to the NATO alliance.

"Today, on behalf of President Trump, I bring you this assurance: the United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to this transatlantic alliance," Pence told the Munich Security Conference, offering "greetings" from the president.

But he also repeated U.S. calls for more defence spending in return: "As you keep faith with us, under President Trump we will always keep faith with you."

While Poland's defence minister praised Pence, many others, including France's foreign minister and U.S. lawmakers in Munich, remained sceptical that he had convinced his allies that Trump would stand by Europe.

Trump's contradictory remarks on the value of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, scepticism over the 2015 deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and an apparent disregard for the future of the European Union have left Europe fearful for the seven-decade-old U.S. guardianship of the West.

After Pence spoke, former NATO deputy secretary general Alexander Vershbow, who is American, summed up the mood, telling Reuters: "Many in this hall are still asking if this is the real policy."

Pence, whose meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel was described by German aides as "very friendly", also marked out a divide on Iran, which the European Union sees as a business opportunity following the nuclear deal.

Story continues

Pence called Tehran "the leading state sponsor of terrorism", language never used by European officials. Pence's strident vow to consign Islamist militants "to the ash-heap of history" also raised eyebrows, European officials said.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly defended Trump's directive suspending travel to the United States by citizens of seven mostly Muslim countries, since blocked by U.S judges, which was condemned by EU governments.

Kelly said he would produce a "tighter, more streamlined version" soon, saying: "We need to find ways to vet in a more reliable way to satisfy us that people coming to the United States are coming for the right reasons."

TWO U.S. GOVERNMENTS?

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault expressed disappointment that Pence's speech did not mention the European Union, although the vice president will take his message to EU headquarters in Brussels on Monday.

"I hope that we will have a clear response (in Brussels) ... because Donald Trump has said he was overjoyed by the Brexit and that there would be others," Ayrault said, referring to Britain's decision to leave the European Union.

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the opposition Democrats, said he welcomed Pence's address but saw two rival governments emerging from the Trump administration.

Pence, Trump's Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his foreign minister Rex Tillerson all delivered messages of reassurance on their debut trip to Europe.

But events in Washington, including a news conference in which Trump branded accredited White House reporters "dishonest people", sowed more confusion.

"I like a lot of what I heard from Vice President Pence," Murphy told Reuters. "It's just hard to square that speech with everything Donald Trump is doing and saying," citing an assault on the free press.

The resignation of Trump's security adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russia on the eve of the U.S. charm offensive in Europe also tarnished the message Pence, Mattis and Tillerson were seeking to send, officials told Reuters.

U.S. Republican Senator John McCain, a Trump critic, told the conference on Friday that the new president's team was "in disarray".

The United States is Europe's biggest trading partner, the biggest foreign investor in the continent and the European Union's partner in almost all foreign policy, as well as the main promoter of European unity for more than 60 years.

TEPID APPLAUSE

Pence, citing a trip to Cold War-era West Berlin in his youth, said Trump would uphold the post-World War Two order.

"This is President Trump's promise: we will stand with Europe today and every day, because we are bound together by the same noble ideals  freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law," Pence said.

Pence received little applause beyond the warm reception he got when he declared his support for NATO. His warning that the "time has come to do more" on military spending was met with an awkward silence.

The United States provides around 70 percent of the NATO alliance's funds. European governments sharply cut defence spending after the fall of the Soviet Union but Russia's resurgence as a military power and its seizure of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula has started to change that.

Baltic states and Poland fear Russia might try a repeat of Crimea elsewhere. Europe believes Moscow is seeking to destabilize governments and influence elections with cyber attacks and fake news, an accusation denied at the conference by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Pence's tough line on Russia, calling on Moscow to honour the international peace accords that seek to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, were welcomed by Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz. Lavrov said after a meeting with his French, German and Ukrainian counterparts that there would be a new ceasefire from Feb. 20.

"Know this: the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

(Additional reporting by Noah Barkin, Andrea Shalal, Vladimir Soldatkin, John Irish and Jonathan Landay; Writing by Robin Emmott; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Adrian Croft)
The powerful Hurricane Katrina, a Category-5 storm, is seen here in a satellite image from Aug. 28, 2005.

ATLANTA  As climate change proceeds, there will be more extreme weather events, and these events pose a threat to people's health, experts say.

The annual number of natural disasters appears to be increasing around the world, said Dr. Mark Keim, an emergency-medicine physician and the founder of DisasterDoc LLC. These include, for example, not only weather- and water-related disasters, but also geological disasters, such as earthquakes, and biological disasters, such as pandemics.

Data from the past 50 years show that 41 percent of all global disasters are related to extreme weather or water events, Keim said here on Thursday (Feb. 16), at the Climate & Health Meeting, a gathering of experts from public health organizations, universities and advocacy groups that focused on the health impacts of climate change. [5 Ways Climate Change Will Affect Your Health]

Experts in climate change predict that extreme weather events will increase in either frequency or severity, and these events are a very serious public health burden, Keim told Live Science.

Extreme-weather events fall into three categories: high-precipitation disasters (such as hurricanes and tornadoes), low-precipitation disasters (heat, droughts and wildfires) and sea-level rise disasters, Keim said. High-precipitation and low-precipitation disasters are currently affecting the United States, he added.

High precipitation disasters

High-precipitation disasters, which include storms, floods and landslides, can kill people in a variety of ways, Keim said. People can die from falls, electrocutions (from downed power lines), drowning (for example, during a hurricane) or asphyxiation (in a landslide), Keim said. In the United States, more deaths occur during the clean-up phase of hurricanes than during the actual storms, he added.

Data show that among people with any type of severe injuries, 50 percent die immediately, and another 30 percent of severely injured people die within the first hour, Keim said. (These data apply to any type of severe injury, from car accidents to hurricanes, he said.)

That means that 80 percent of all deaths from severe injuries occur within 1 hour of the event, which is deemed "the golden hour," he said.

But during a disaster, with winds blowing or the earth shaking, it's nearly impossible to reach victims within that golden hour, Keim said. So if doctors and experts want to reduce the number of deaths, they need to take a different approach: prevention, Keim said.

Deaths from tornadoes, for example, have decreased tenfold over the past 30 years, thanks to improved communication about storms and education, he said. Improved forecasting and early warnings allow people to get out of the area, he added.

Low-precipitation disasters

Low-precipitation disasters also threaten health, Keim said. These include heat waves, droughts and wildfires.

Kim Knowlton, an assistant clinical professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, who also spoke at the meeting, elaborated on the health risks posed by heat.

"There is a clear warming trend and that threatens health," Knowlton said. "Heat waves, which are extreme heat events that last several days, are the No. 1 cause of U.S. weather fatalities, on average, over the last 30 years," she said.

Extreme heat poses a problem because it disrupts the body's natural ability to regulate its temperature, Knowlton said. [Roasting? 7 Scientific Ways to Beat the Heat]

Normally, the body regulates its internal temperature via the heart and lungs, Knowlton said. When its hot out, the heart beats faster, we breathe faster and we sweat to cool off, she said. But in extreme heat, these functions can't rid the body of enough heat, and our internal temperature rises, she said.

This can lead to a range of heat-related illnesses, from mild ones, such as heat cramps and fatigue, to more serious ones, such as fainting and heat exhaustion, to severe ones, such as heat stroke, which is fatal in more than half of all cases, Knowlton said.

But extreme heat doesn't only kill people directly through heat-related illnesses. It can also increase the risk of death from heart disease, respiratory diseases, kidney diseases and other illnesses, because of its wider effects on the body, Knowlton said.

Many people are vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, Knowlton said. These include infants, children, the elderly, outdoor workers, athletes, people with medical conditions, pregnant women, the poor, the homeless and people who live in cities, she said.

In addition, certain drugs, such as blood pressure medications, antidepressants and allergy medications, make people more susceptible to heat, Knowlton said.

This means that people who are "already struggling to stay healthy will be more challenged as climate change and heat continues," she said.

Originally published on Live Science.
(Recasts, add quotes)

By John Irish and Andrea Shalal

MUNICH, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine agreed on Saturday to use their influence to implement a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from Monday in eastern Ukraine.

Fighting has recently escalated between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in the region, refocusing global attention on a simmering conflict that has strained relations between Russia and the West.

"On Feb. 20 the ceasefire regime will start and withdrawal of heavy military hardware will also start ... We have actively supported this decision and obviously expressed a conviction that this time, failure should not be allowed to take place," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with his Ukrainian, German and French counterparts in Munich.

The Minsk peace agreement, brokered by France and Germany and signed by Russia and Ukraine in February 2015, calls for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line and constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy.

But since the deal the sides appear stuck in a stalemate broken periodically by sharp resurgences of fighting that Kiev and the Kremlin accuse each other of instigating.

Since the end of January, shelling on both sides of the front line near the government-held town of Avdiyivka has been heavier than at any time since last summer.

"All parties will use their influence to implement the agreement of the trilateral contact group from Feb 15," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters, referring to a body comprising Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

"The aim is to have a ceasefire starting from Feb. 20 and to do what has long been agreed but never implemented: To withdraw the heavy weapons from the region, to secure them and enable the OSCE monitors to control where they are kept."

U.S. President Donald Trump's new administration has said that any sanctions imposed on Moscow following its annexation of Crimea and events in eastern Ukraine would not be lifted until there was progress on implementing the accords.

Story continues

Speaking to Reuters after the meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said he was "not at all" happy and lamented a lack of "powerful results."

Echoing those comments, Lavrov said there had been a lack of results, but that he believed Ukraine and rebels would abide by the Feb. 20 date.

Despite their differences, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said neither Moscow nor Kiev had offered any alternatives to the Minsk process.

"The meeting showed that Russians and Ukrainians had no other option, but to respect Minsk. They have no alternatives. We agree to meet quickly, perhaps in three weeks, to see if we can advance on the ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons and exchange of prisoners. We need a lot of patience, because we can see a lack of will on either side." (Reporting by John Irish, Andrea Shalal and Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Adrian Croft)
Close your eyes while Joey Alexander plays the piano and you can easily imagine an old man, a veteran of bebop who maybe grew up in the clubs of New Orleans, whos plunking away for the millionth time but never gets bored and always gives the show his all. In fact, Alexander is 13, and hes barely taller than the instrument he commands with a captains confidence. The Indonesian prodigy  I usually avoid this overused word, but let me just this one time  has lit up the jazz world like no one since the Pat Metheny Group in the 1980s. His playing, like the playing of any jazz great, embodies contradictions that complement rather than clash with each other. It's muscular yet subtle, deliberate yet relaxed, bright-eyed and vivacious like the young talent he is yet wistful and knowing, like a ghost.

It was no surprise that the audience at the Wortham Center Friday night  brought to Houston by the Society of the Performing Arts  was ecstatic. They cheered and yelled and clapped anytime they felt Alexanders big energy fill up the room. Drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. and bassist Dan Chmielinski were kings of the stage in their own right, spiraling out from Alexanders melodies and patterns like a rocket venturing beyond its orbit, then whipping back into recognizable, cathartic territory. And of course the crowd was with them.

But the night was Alexanders Houston debut, so there was an element of courtship as well. Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship? It was as if the audience was hungry for this young man theyve heard all about (Alexander, a Grammy nominee, has played with many of the best jazz players in the world) yet were still curious what he had to offer. Because they knew the stereotype of young virtuosos, the hotshot conservatory kind, who can play their brains out but forget to stop and ponder, those inexperienced faux-prodigies who are too obsessed with showing off to let the musics slow poetry marinate.

But Alexander doesnt have a chip on his shoulder. He has Monk, and friends. On Friday night, Alexander played tribute to old gospels, Thelonious Monk and real book standards of the swing era. Because each historical homage also contained moments of innovation  Alexander likes to treat time like taffy and stretch and savor it as he pleases  they blended lyrically with the more manic original compositions.

Soul Dreamer, off of Alexanders 2016 LP Countdown (Motema Music), for example, begins with a sorrowful, ambling introduction whose soft rubato crystallizes into harder-pressing grooves. Listen to his solos, and think of how young players typically choose to play more notes, in faster tempo, with predictable accelerandos that build up to a usual climax. Notice how Alexander instead makes deliberately light choices, evoking that old adage jazz is about the notes you dont play. To not show off in the way he knows he can is to have the maturity to put the music above the performer. This is the mark of an artist rather than a technician.

I dont know how Alexander reached the pinnacle of artistry which he now embodies, nor can I predict the heights he may reach in later decades. But to see him lead Countdown, performed as an encore to the voracious audience, with such precision and glee was to feel like being in the same room as history.

The piece was, like the entire concert, an evocation of past and present, a sizzling double-time tune that draws inspiration from both bebop and stranger, darker places. It begins with Owens Jr. on the snare with the rigid, cubic patterns of a marching band drum line, which builds itself up into a fiery, swing-y mess that invites hollers from the crowd. Then the batons passed to Chmielinski for a fierce and lyrical solo, and then to Alexander to guide the melodic vehicle to a soft landing.

What precision. The way the trio times its moments of unison feels almost whimsical. Can a group of three be spontaneous together without losing their sense of individuality? Modern jazz seems to be more and more about answering that question, and Alexander, bebop nerd though he may be, is entirely in tune with the current song-meets-improvisation vernacular.

The end of the concert didnt feel like a conclusion but a beginning. Where is Alexander headed now? With two albums under his belt, and a roster of collaborators to make any jazz artist envious  Larry Grenadier and Chris Potter just to name two  Alexander could seek to make jazz accessible the way Wynton Marsalis has, or perhaps to push it into new territory. Because even if he is a sensation, Alexander is not yet creating new music. The Friday night concert presented a zenith of execution, but not genre-challenging ideas. This challenge may matter later.

On Friday it wasnt the point. The point was simply to play some great music. But Joey Alexander may outdo himself yet.
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The Trump administration considered a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants, including millions living nowhere near the Mexico border, according to a draft memo obtained by The Associated Press.

Staffers in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said they had been told by colleagues in two DHS departments that the proposal was still being considered as recently as Feb. 10. A DHS official described the document as a very early draft that was not seriously considered and never brought to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly for approval.

The 11-page document calls for the unprecedented militarization of immigration enforcement as far north as Portland, Oregon, and as far east as New Orleans, Louisiana. The document can be accessed at http://apne.ws/2l1Dj0k

Four states that border on Mexico were included in the proposal  California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas  but it also encompasses seven states contiguous to those four  Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Friday the document was "not a White House document."

"There is no effort to do what is potentially suggested," he said. Spicer called the AP report "100 percent not true," adding that there was "no effort at all to utilize the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants."

Source: Associated Press

The AP had sought comment from the White House beginning Thursday and DHS earlier Friday and had not received a response from either.

Governors in the 11 states would have had a choice whether to have their guard troops participate, according to the memo, which bears the name of Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general.

While National Guard personnel have been used to assist with immigration-related missions on the U.S.-Mexico border before, they have never been used as broadly or as far north.

The memo was addressed to the then-acting heads of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It would have served as guidance to implement the wide-ranging executive order on immigration and border security that President Donald Trump signed Jan. 25. Such memos are routinely issued to supplement executive orders.

Also dated Jan. 25, the draft memo says participating troops would be authorized "to perform the functions of an immigration officer in relation to the investigation, apprehension and detention of aliens in the United States." It describes how the troops would be activated under a revived state-federal partnership program, and states that personnel would be authorized to conduct searches and identify and arrest any unauthorized immigrants.

If implemented, the impact could have been significant. Nearly one-half of the 11.1 million people residing in the U.S. without authorization live in the 11 states, according to Pew Research Center estimates based on 2014 Census data.

Use of National Guard troops would greatly increase the number of immigrants targeted in one of Trump's executive orders last month, which expanded the definition of who could be considered a criminal and therefore a potential target for deportation. That order also allows immigration agents to prioritize removing anyone who has "committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense."

Under current rules, even if the proposal had been implemented, there would not be immediate mass deportations. Those with existing deportation orders could be sent back to their countries of origin without additional court proceedings. But deportation orders generally would be needed for most other unauthorized immigrants.

The troops would not be nationalized, remaining under state control.

Spokespeople for the governors of 10 of the states either declined to comment or said it was premature to discuss whether they would participate.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said his state had not had any contact about the proposal, but added, "I would have concerns about the utilization of National Guard resources for immigration enforcement. I believe it would be too much of a strain on our National Guard personnel."

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said she was "glad to hear" that DHS said they never seriously considered the draft memo," according to her press secretary, Chris Pair. He said Brown will fight to keep Oregon "a welcoming and inclusive place for all Oregonians, regardless of heritage, religion, or immigration status."

The proposal would have extended the federal-local partnership program that President Barack Obama's administration began scaling back in 2012 to address complaints that it promoted racial profiling.

The 287(g) program, which Trump included in his immigration executive order, gives local police, sheriff's deputies and state troopers the authority to assist in the detection of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally as a regular part of their law enforcement duties on the streets and in jails.

The draft memo also mentions other items included in Trump's executive order, including the hiring of an additional 5,000 border agents, which needs financing from Congress, and his campaign promise to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The signed order contained no mention of the possible use of state National Guard troops.

According to the draft memo, the militarization effort was to be proactive, specifically empowering Guard troops to solely carry out immigration enforcement, not as an add-on the way local law enforcement is used in the program.

Allowing Guard troops to operate inside non-border states also would go far beyond past deployments.

In addition to responding to natural or man-made disasters or for military protection of the population or critical infrastructure, state Guard forces have been used to assist with immigration-related tasks on the U.S.-Mexico border, including the construction of fences.

In the mid-2000s, President George W. Bush twice deployed Guard troops on the border to focus on non-law enforcement duties to help augment the Border Patrol as it bolstered its ranks. And in 2010, then-Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced a border security plan that included Guard reconnaissance, aerial patrolling and military exercises.

In July 2014, then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry ordered 1,000 National Guard troops to the border when the surge of migrant children fleeing violence in Central America overwhelmed U.S. officials responsible for their care. The Guard troops' stated role on the border at the time was to provide extra sets of eyes but not make arrests.

Bush initiated the federal 287(g) program  named for a section of a 1996 immigration law  to allow specially trained local law enforcement officials to participate in immigration enforcement on the streets and check whether people held in local jails were in the country illegally. ICE trained and certified roughly 1,600 officers to carry out those checks from 2006 to 2015.

The memo describes the program as a "highly successful force multiplier" that identified more than 402,000 "removable aliens."

But federal watchdogs were critical of how DHS ran the program, saying it was poorly supervised and provided insufficient training to officers, including on civil rights law. Obama phased out all the arrest power agreements in 2013 to instead focus on deporting recent border crossers and immigrants in the country illegally who posed a safety or national security threat.

Trump's immigration strategy emerges as detentions at the nation's southern border are down significantly from levels seen in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Last year, the arrest tally was the fifth-lowest since 1972. Deportations of people living in the U.S. illegally also increased under the Obama administration, though Republicans criticized Obama for setting prosecution guidelines that spared some groups from the threat of deportation, including those brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

Last week, ICE officers arrested more than 680 people around the country in what Kelly said were routine, targeted operations; advocates called the actions stepped-up enforcement under Trump.

___

Read draft memo here: http://apne.ws/2l1Dj0k

The AP National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate@ap.org and https://www.ap.org/tips

Follow Garance Burke on Twitter at @garanceburke
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A woman has died from injuries she sustained Monday in a two-vehicle crash that killed a mother and daughter along Texas 359, Laredo police said.

Bertha Ortega de Negrete, 59, was the third passenger aboard a Toyota Tundra that crashed into a semitrailer that had veered into oncoming traffic, authorities said.

Ortega de Negrete had been in a San Antonio hospital in critical condition until her death Friday, according to police.

The crash also claimed the lives of Suleika Reyna Fonseca, 34, and her 2-month-old daughter Alessandra Garcia. They died Monday at Laredo Medical Center.

First responders were dispatched to the accident with injuries at 3:52 p.m. in the 7500 block of Texas 359. Fonseca, Garcia and Ortega de Negrete were on board the Tundra.

A preliminary LPD report states an 18-wheeler driven by Alfredo Gonzalez, 48, was traveling east and took evasive action to avoid colliding with vehicles traveling in the same direction.

Police said the action prompted the semitrailer to veer into oncoming traffic and hit the Tundra occupied by Fonseca, Garcia and Ortega de Negrete.

Garcia was thrown from the vehicle on impact, according to police.

Paramedics rushed a critically wounded Ortega de Negrete to a local hospital. She was later airlifted to San Antonio.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez was treated and released from Doctors Hospital that same day.
By Laurence Frost and David Milliken PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - The chief executive of Peugeot manufacturer PSA Group will meet British Prime Minister Theresa May to discuss his firm's planned acquisition of General Motors' Opel and Vauxhall operations, a government spokesman said on Saturday. Both Britain and Germany fear PSA will cut jobs if the takeover goes ahead, and British politicians are particularly concerned that the country's looming departure from the European Union does not damage its resurgent auto industry. Earlier on Saturday the Financial Times reported that British business minister Greg Clark had offered PSA similar guarantees on EU access and supply chains to those he gave to Japan's Nissan <7201.T> last year. But PSA subsequently said it now wanted to hold talks at the highest level of British government, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that she would do all she could to keep jobs in Germany. "(PSA Group CEO) Carlos Tavares has asked to meet Theresa May," the spokesman told Reuters. "It's the same approach that we've taken with the German authorities." A spokesman for May later confirmed that a meeting would go ahead, and the business ministry said it was likely to take place next week, with Clark attending as well. PSA, Europe's second-biggest carmaker and owner of the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands, also plans to have direct talks with union representatives in Germany and Britain on the deal, the group's spokesman said. Talks on a sale of GM's European arm to PSA were confirmed by both companies on Tuesday. Germany accounts for half of GM Europe's 38,000 staff, while there are 4,500 in Britain where the company operates under the Vauxhall brand. Two sources close to PSA said on Thursday that job and plant cuts were part of the tie-up talks, with the two Vauxhall sites in Britain in the front line. Clark went to Paris on Thursday evening to meet PSA, who he said had "stressed that they valued highly the enduring strength of the Vauxhall brand, underpinned by its committed workforce." "While discussions are still on-going, they made clear to me that in any deal these were strengths they would wish to build on," he added in a short statement on Friday. The FT reported on Saturday, citing a person with knowledge of the meeting, that Clark had also made commitments similar to those he gave Nissan <7201.T> last year before it announced it would build two new models in Britain. Clark promised Nissan that he would ensure more car part suppliers were based in Britain, support training and research into electric and low-emission vehicles, and push for "free and unencumbered" access to European Union markets for carmakers after Britain leaves the EU. Britain's business ministry declined to comment on whether Clark had made similar commitments to PSA. (Additional reporting by Mathieu Rosemain, editing by John Stonestreet and Adrian Croft)
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37,000 people across Co Longford will wake up this morning and spend their day drinking contaminated water.

Irish Water is currently endeavouring to eliminate the toxins in the water which include Trihalomethanes (THMs) - chemicals formed by the reaction of naturally occurring dissolved organic material and chlorine which is used for disinfection in order to protect against pathogenic bacteria.

The situation is now so serious that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed the four water systems in the county on its Remedial Action List (RAL). The four plants include the Ballymahon Water Supply, the Longford Central Supply Scheme, the Granard Water Supply Scheme and the Loch Gowna Water Supply Scheme.

Irish Water, meanwhile, says it is investing in on-going projects to address the different risks to the water supplies affecting over 37,000 people in the county.

Works carried out by Irish Water over recent years and months have seen a vast improvement in the quality of drinking water being delivered to the public in Longford, Irish Water said in a statement before pointing out that the local water supplies were on the RAL due to elevated Trihalomethanes (THMs).

Irish Water has put in place the first national THMs plan and a prioritised programme of investment to address all inadequacies in drinking water parameters including THMs.

By 2021 the utility plans to reduce the number of schemes on the RAL to zero with an investment of 327m in upgrading water supplies at risk from THMs.

Local area representative in the Longford Municipal District, Cllr Peggy Nolan (FG) said there was no words to describe the serious and scandalous nature of the unfolding water situation in Co Longford.

She has been endeavouring to have fluoride removed from the local water supply for the last 10 years, but to no avail.

And, while Irish Water says it is progressing with assessing and monitoring the raw water sources to the Abbeyshrule Water Treatment Plant which supplies the Ballymahon Water Supply, Cllr Nolan says that heads will roll at Irish Water if it becomes apparent that the drinking water in Co Longford became contaminated and the matter was not made public immediately. I have spoken publicly on many occasions about the safety element of our water and the chemicals being bucketed into it, she fumed, before pointing out that fluoride must be removed from the local water supply.

To hear now that there are even more dangerous chemicals in the water supply is just infuriating and why is this matter only being flagged now?.

Currently, Irish Water is carrying out works in Abbeyshrule and these works are expected to reach completion during the summer.

The progress there will then be monitored by the EPA for a certain period of time before the Ballymahon Water supply can be removed from the RAL.

Interim work on the Longford Central Supply Scheme including an upgrade of the disinfection process at the plant will also commence soon and Irish Water says it is currently dealing with the treatment plant at Lough Kinale which supplies the Granard area with its water.

Irish Water has commenced upgrade work at the plant which includes a disinfection programme and a raw water monitoring programme has been put in place, the statement said.

Installation and commissioning is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2017 and this programme will enable Irish Water to fully assess the performance of the treatment process at the plant.

Meanwhile, the Leader has learned that the Loch Gowna water supply, sourced from the Smear Water Treatment Plant will also undergo a disinfection programme.

A raw water monitoring programme has been put in place since March last year and will be carried out for a 12 month period, a spokesperson added, before pointing out that these programmes would enable Irish Water to fully assess the performance of the treatment process at the plant.

Meanwhile, Cllr Nolan said that water contamination had become a worldwide problem in recent years.

If this situation in Co Longford reflects negatively on the people that I represent then by God heads will roll, she fumed.

I am livid and if I find out that necessary information in respect of all this was not brought into the public domain when it needed to be, then there will be war.
On Jan. 19, the Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released 49 documents recovered in Osama bin Ladens compound. To date, only a few hundred documents from bin Ladens massive cache have been declassified. Still, the files that have been posted online reveal new details about al Qaedas complex international network.

For instance, one newly released missive discusses Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrebs (AQIM) support for Boko Haram. The letter was written by Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, an AQIM commander who was subsequently killed in Mali in 2013. It was authored in Aug. 2009 and is addressed to AQIMs emir, Abdelmalek Droukdel (also known as Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud).

Boko Harams men sought AQIMs assistance

Imam Abubakar Shekau, who assumed power of the Nigeria group after the death of Imam Muhammad Yusuf, sent three brothers to us, Abou Zeid wrote at the beginning of his letter.

Shekau (seen on the right) is the notorious leader of the organization commonly known as Boko Haram. Yusuf, who was killed in 2009, was Shekaus immediate predecessor as head of the group.

Abou Zeid identified the three brothers as Abu Muhammad Amir al Masir, Khalid al Barnawi, and Abu Rayhanah, adding that the trio previously lived with us in the Tariq Ibn Ziyad Battalion and we know them well and have close ties with them. The Tariq Ibn Ziyad Battalion has been one of AQIMs strongest fighting units.

The three want to have ties between their emir and the emir of AQIM and set up comms via Internet and phone, Abou Zeid continued. They want to have an intermediary who is based in Niger and request cooperation between us and them and mentioned having a big problem with weapons and money.

Abou Zeid explained to Droukdel that the trio wanted to take brothers out of Nigeria and bring them here for training and would like to consult regarding waging jihad in Nigeria.

The jihadis in Nigeria were desperate for weapons and money, Abou Zeid explained, and some of the brothers are despairing after their last major fight with government forces. He indicated that the three men had only a small supply of arms and were also having problems with explosives, including buying the materials. Many of their arms had fallen into enemy hands or were broken, and they had just 1000 detonators for explosives.

According to Abou Zeid, Shekaus comrades wanted to wage guerrilla warfare in Nigeria, but had suffered serious setbacks. Right now they are trying to avoid confronting the enemy except through martyrdom operations and IEDs [improvised explosive devices]. The three men told Abou Zeid that they have been waging jihad, trying to kill the biggest of the criminals, but have achieved nothing so far. Only once they have real bases in the mountains or the jungle could they launch sustained attacks.

Abou Zeid was willing to help rectify the seemingly dire situation. They have about 200 brothers they want to train here, the AQIM commander explained to his boss. They would come here for training and then return to Nigeria and then another group would come. Abou Zeid elaborated on the training, saying it was divided into two kinds: practical training, for which we cannot set a time limit, and theoretical training, which is less beneficial.

It should be easy to manage their request for an intermediary based in Niger, Abou Zeid noted, but it needs to be done in complete secrecy. [E]xperience has shown, Abou Zeid noted dryly, that the liaisons lifespan will be short.

Regarding communications, I told them it will be easy, it happens all the time, Abou Zeid added.

Despite Boko Harams generally weak position in Nigeria at the time, Abou Zeids letter hinted at a broader infrastructure from which they could draw new recruits and support. Indeed, after suffering losses in 2009, Boko Haram rebounded to become a major force in Nigeria, with its terror tentacles extending into the surrounding countries.

Abou Zeid asked about their centers, by which he meant locations for recruiting and indoctrination. They have a large center in Borno called Ibn Taymiyah, he wrote, referring to the mosque named after a medieval jihadi ideologue that served as Boko Harams headquarters. This center has a mosque, a house for the Imam, a university that teaches Shariah knowledge, and a library.

Abou Zeid listed 14 other centers, with about 5,000 students overall. The brothers set up these centers after running into some problems at mosques throughout the region. This is likely a reference to local Muslims resisting Boko Harams extremist brand of Islam.

Designations confirm AQIM provided training and other support to Boko Haram

My dear sheikh, we are waiting for your response, Abou Zeid wrote at the end of his letter to Droukdel. Please dont keep them waiting.

We dont know if Droukdel responded to this specific missive. If his reply was captured during the bin Laden raid, then it has not been released.

However, we know from other sources that AQIM did train Boko Haram fighters, just as Abou Zeid recommended. And AQIM wasnt the only al Qaeda branch to support Shekaus group. [See FDDs Long War Journal report, UN adds Boko Haram to al Qaeda sanctions list.]

In May 2014, the United Nations (UN) added Boko Haram to its terror designation list, noting that the group has maintained a relationship with AQIM for training and material support purposes. For instance, Boko Haram gained valuable knowledge on the construction of improvised explosive devices from AQIM. Interestingly, Abou Zeids letter specifically mentioned Boko Harams interest in using IEDs in its insurgency. A number of Boko Haram members also fought alongside Al Qaeda affiliated groups in Mali in 2012 and 2013 before returning to Nigeria with terrorist expertise, the UN reported.

The Boko Haram-AQIM connection has also been recognized in official US statements, even though the Obama administration initially declined to designate the organization. In 2012, the State Department designated three individual terrorists, including Abubakar Shekau and Khalid al Barnawi. State noted that Barnawi and another jihadi have ties to Boko Haram and have close links to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

In June 2013, the State Department offered a $7 million reward for information on Shekaus whereabouts. Foggy Bottom said that Boko Harams relationships with three al Qaeda branches  AQIM, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and Shabaab in Somalia  may strengthen Boko Harams capacity to conduct terrorist attacks. In November of that year, State finally designated Boko Haram, noting its links to AQIM. The US government has recognized these ties on other occasions as well.

The question of organizational affiliation

Al Qaeda never recognized Boko Haram as a formal branch of its organization, even though Shekau pursued the issue with bin Ladens lieutenants. Another letter recovered in bin Ladens compound, and previously released to the public, included Shekaus request for closer relations. [See FDDs Long War Journal report, Osama Bin Ladens Files: Boko Harams leader wanted to be under one banner.]

In his undated letter to al Qaedas senior leadership, Shekau wrote that he and his men had listened tothe tapes of al Qaeda and its sheikhs and wanted to learn about the system of the organization [al Qaeda] and how it is organized.

Shekau asked Allah to bear witness that we want to be under one banner and there must be a vision to begin with, because our religion is a religion of vision and knowledge.

With your permission, Shekau concluded his letter, I ask to speak with Osama bin Ladens deputy, may Allah protect him, because the group is loyal, which Allah will ask me about on the Day of Judgment.

We do not know how al Qaeda responded to Shekaus request to be under one banner. Al Qaeda may have determined that Shekau, who is known for his erratic behavior and wanton violence, was an unacceptable choice to serve as its emir in West Africa.

Interestingly, Abou Zeid himself asked the three jihadis who worked with Shekau if they were already an organization or if they wanted to join an organization. They responded that the Imam [Shekau] wants to talk about that himself, but he is ill due to wounds he received in the last war. The passage confirms that Shekau was likely wounded in 2009, when Nigerian authorities cracked down on Boko Harams networks. It also appears that Abou Zeid was probing to see if Boko Haram wanted to join AQIM, or directly join al Qaeda, a move that Shekau himself needed to oversee.

Ansaru: AQIMs allies reject Shekau

One of the three names mentioned in Abou Zeids letter  Khalid al Barnawi  is especially noteworthy. Although Barnawi and his two compatriots were allied with Shekau at the time, Barnawi would break away just a few years later. In early 2012, Barnawi and others formed Ansaru, a splinter group that objects to Shekaus policies, including his indiscriminate use of violence.

Khalid al Barnawis and Ansarus close ties to AQIM have been recognized by the US State Department. And it is possible that AQIM sought to bolster Ansarus hand at the expense of Shekau.

In Mar. 2015, Shekau declared his allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi and Boko Haram was rebranded as the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWA). However, the so-called caliphate quickly rejected Shekau as its chief leader in the region. In Aug. 2016, the Islamic State announced that another jihadist, identified as Abu Musab al Barnawi, had been named wali, or governor, of its West African province. [See FDDs Long War Journal report, Jihadists argue over leadership of Islamic States West Africa province.]

Ansaru continues to operate independently from both ISWA and Boko Haram. The leadership of all three groups has been repeatedly targeted by Nigerian government forces.

In Apr. 2016, the Nigerian military announced that Khalid al Barnawi had been captured. Security agents made a breakthroughin the fight against terrorism by arresting Khalid al Barnawi, the leader of Ansaru terrorist group in Lokoja, a Nigerian military spokesman said at the time, according to BBC News. He is among those on top of the list of our wanted terrorists.

Although it is difficult to judge how many members it has, Ansaru continued to fight on after Barnawis capture. And the group has also continued to critique Shekaus ways.

Earlier this year, the pro-al Qaeda online magazine Al Risalah published an interview with Ansarus Sheikh Usama al Ansari. Ansari blasted Shekau and his policies, which have alienated a large segment of the population.

Ansari is clearly concerned with building popular support for the jihadis cause, just as al Qaeda leaders are. But Shekau has undermined their strategy. Shekau and his followers transgressed by declaring the entire Muslim population disbelievers simply because they had not yet adopted the jihadis version of monotheism, Ansari complained.

According to Ansari, Shekau labeled most Muslims disbelievers because they sent their children to government schools and participated in democratic elections. Like al Qaeda, Ansaru denounces these practices, but stops short of saying that these Muslims may be killed because of them.

The result of Shekaus teachings was an evil outcome, according to Ansari. Shekau made it permissible to raid the wealth and sanctities of the Muslims and initiated a campaign of indiscriminate shedding of Muslim blood. Ansari also said that under Shekaus leadership the targeting of innocent Muslims in their homes and places of work, as well as at shopping markets, was to become the norm.

Indiscriminate attacks at markets and other public venues frequented by Muslims are a violation of al Qaedas guidelines for waging jihad. So, Ansaris criticism is entirely consistent with al Qaedas policies.

Ansari added a stunning charge, claiming that Shekau began killing the best of the mujahidin and even had his men fire on a car that was transporting Khalid al Barnawi.

Ansaru, Shekaus Boko Haram and ISWA are now in a three-way fight for control of the jihad in Nigeria. Only Ansaru and its leaders have clearly adopted al Qaedas ways.

In his interview with Al Risalah, Ansari praised members of al Qaeda residing in the Arabian Peninsula for funding and supporting efforts to revive jihadism in Nigeria during the early 21st Century. He also said that Ansaru consulted with the Algerian brothers in the Sahara  a likely reference to AQIM  before announcing the formation of their group in 2012.

We categorically declare that we are not [Boko Haram], nor are we with their emir Abubakar Shekau, Ansari said. It remains to be seen if Ansaru can grow into a significant force.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Race and religion will continue to influence regional elections in Jakarta despite the Indonesian capital's incumbent Christian Chinese governor narrow lead in the first round of polls , an analyst said.

Incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, was the first round front-runner with 43.08 percent of the vote, according to polling firm SMRC. Former education minister Anies Baswedan took second place with 40.14 percent while Agus Yudhoyono, the son of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, took just 16.78 percent of the vote.

A run-off election between Ahok and Baswedan is scheduled to take place in April.

"I think the surprise was that Ahok performed better than expected. Polls a fews weeks ago were painting him around 30, 35 percent," Roberto Herrera-Lim, Southeast Asia managing director at Teneo Intelligence, told CNBC's "The Rundown."

"It shows that although tensions have been inflamed by the rallies, by the anti-Christian (and) anti-Chinese sentiment, they've toned down a bit since then," he added.

Ahok is currently on trial for blasphemy after referencing a verse from the Koran while on the campaign trail.

While some experts say that the public is increasingly viewing the blasphemy charge as political in nature , others say that religion continues to play a part in the public sphere in secular Indonesia.

"Some Indonesians say they must have a Muslim, they must have an ethnic Indonesian as governor of Jakarta. That's going to inform a lot of votes still," Herrera-Lim said.

The challenge for Ahok and President Joko Widodo, whose political party the PDI-P has backed the Jakarta Governor for re-election, is to convince the electorate to make their decisions based on "merit" instead of race or religion, Herrera-Lim added.

Despite the massive protests that converged on central Jakarta last December over Ahok's blasphemy trial, Herrera-Lim said that it remained too early to draw broader conclusions over whether Indonesia has become more or less religiously conservative.

Story continues

"Ahok is what we call a double minority in terms of ethnicity and religion so it triggered passions about this  It's just a circumstance of having one really high-profile target and people who were on the extremes targeted him for that," Herrera-Lim said.

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Greece, known for historic landmarks, beautiful beaches and perennially contending for the Sick Man of Europe title, is back in the hot seat. If this were 2011, markets would be manic. Yet this time, while Greece's latest bailout standoff stirred some headlines, markets are rather calm. People are getting over Greece, and once this latest episode sunsets, uncertainty should fall further. This echoes the broader theme of falling uncertainty in Europe this year, which stocks should enjoy.

When Greece gets bailouts-three since 2010-the EU and IMF dole out aid in installments, contingent on Greece fulfilling various reform and deficit conditions. When a tranche is due, the suits descend on Athens to check progress and negotiate with Greek leadership, which is usually behind the pace and loath to cut more, lest they anger the (already angry) populace. Cue a stalemate, jawboning, "Grexit" threats and a ticking clock, before they ultimately kick the can.

Past deadline days fell in mid-summer, and while it's no different this year-Greece has a 6.3 billion payment due in July-the fireworks started earlier this round. Eurocrats want this all wrapped up soon, before the Dutch parliamentary election in March and ideally at a meeting this Monday. The EU reps want the IMF's support, too,[i] but as usual, all sides remain far apart.

The first[ii] major issue is debt relief. Both Greece and the IMF say the Hellenic Republic's debt load of 180% of GDP is untenable. However, Germany argues further reductions violate EU rules against fiscal transfers, as fellow governments own most of the debt. While they technically don't have to decide this now, Greek leaders want a win and the EU wants the IMF on board, so it's a hot issue.

The second bone of contention: whether to extend the "trigger mechanism"-which forces further austerity if Greece misses budget targets-past its current 2018 expiration. While Greek negotiators initially seemed amenable, new fears of missing targets have sparked refusals to accept "a single more euro of austerity." While the EU and IMF agree Athens needs more fiscal reforms,[iii] like broadening the tax base and cutting pensions, Greece isn't on board.

This drama is playing out like the typical Greek tragedy of recent past, with one critical difference: Markets have been rather unfazed. This isn't 2011, when euro collapse fears fueled a global correction and a bear market in Europe. Even when Greece defaulted twice in 2012, global markets had a banner year. Nothing about this seven-year saga surprises markets anymore, as evidenced by a similar ho-hum reaction to events last year.

Whether Greece kicks the can again or threefaults and finally bounces from the euro, stocks got over this a long time ago. With GDP of 175.7 billion, Greece comprises just 1.7% of the eurozone economy and 0.3% of the world.[iv] Moreover, the potential negative spillover from a Grexit would be minimal, as private foreign banks have little exposure to Greek debt. An orderly Grexit may even be cathartic, proving once and for all the fears were baseless. Ending the will-they-or-won't-they game could end uncertainty and allow everyone to finally move on.

This is emblematic of what we expect to be Europe's "year of falling uncertainty." Like America (presidential election) and Britain (Brexit referendum) last year, Europe has started 2017 nervous over elections in Germany, France and the Netherlands, along with this little Greek drama. However, as these events come and go, uncertainty should fade, giving investors a clearer view of Europe's solid economic fundamentals. This should allow sentiment to warm and markets to melt up, echoing the US and UK last year.
Get ready GDP fans-we have a data deluge for you! Though these backward-looking numbers say nothing about future economic growth, they're still relevant. The media's reporting shows the prevailing sentiment towards the global economy-useful information for investors. Here are some recent GDP reports, what the media is saying and how, in our view, an investor can best make sense of it all.

Note: All GDP figures are for Q4 unless otherwise noted.

Eurozone (19-member bloc): 0.4% q/q (second estimate), slower than preliminary estimate of 0.5%

Media's Take: Growth has been stronger than expected, but analysts worry about Brexit-implications; potential fallout from upcoming elections in the Netherlands, France and Germany; and rising energy prices, among others.

MarketMinder's Take: We're bullish on the eurozone. One major reason: falling political uncertainty. While concerns about anti-euro pols have stirred fears and a little volatility, some bumpiness before an election isn't abnormal. Uncertainty may weigh now, but markets are already pricing in the Dutch elections in March, France's presidential contest in April/May (along with June's parliamentary elections) and Germany's federal election in September. Similar to last year's Brexit referendum and the US presidential election, just knowing the outcomes, regardless of who wins, will let investors move on and focus their attention elsewhere-like the eurozone's overlooked growth streak. Overall, the bloc has been doing better than appreciated, and falling uncertainty should help more folks recognize it.

Germany: 0.4% q/q (1.8% y/y)

Media's Take: GDP picked up in Q4, but most pundits focused on the country's record-high 2016 trade surplus-especially after the White House publicly criticized Germany for purposely weakening the euro to boost exports.

MarketMinder's Take: Many discussions about Germany center on its trade surplus. However, for those who believe a trade surplus (more exports than imports) is a great positive and a trade deficit (more imports than exports) an anathema, consider: Germany had a record-high trade surplus and grew 1.8% in 2016. Sounds good! But the UK had a supposedly yuuuuge trade deficit (39.4 billion, or 8% of GDP) last year, yet grew 2.0%-faster than the major net exporter. Fun Friday fact: The US has had a trade deficit for 41 years, yet US stocks and economy have done just fine-so clearly, trade alone doesn't dictate economic prowess. Plus, Q4 German GDP accelerated from Q3 (0.1% to 0.4%) despite net trade's detraction, as imports outpaced exports. Though higher imports detract from GDP, they also mean domestic demand is up-a positive! While trade rhetoric drives the headlines, the numbers show a more benign reality.

Select Eurozone Countries

Other reporting euro members also grew, save one.

Italy : 0.2% q/q (1.1% y/y)

: 0.2% q/q (1.1% y/y) Portugal : 0.6% q/q (1.9% y/y)

: 0.6% q/q (1.9% y/y) Netherlands : 0.5% q/q (2.7% y/y)

: 0.5% q/q (2.7% y/y) Greece: -0.4% q/q (0.2% y/y)[i]

We aren't going to dive into specifics for each country, but Greece aside, growth is broad-based-a long underappreciated positive. As for Greece, the GDP contraction only fans the flames of the latest bailout/austerity standoff, which markets are brushing off.

Japan: 0.2% q/q, 1.0% annualized

Media's Take: Japan has now grown four straight quarters but remains dependent on exports-if trade relations with US get damaged, growth may suffer.

MarketMinder's Take: Japan's meager growth remains externally driven, as domestic demand is still tepid. However, sentiment toward Japan has been falling, and murmurs about rocky trade relations with the US could spook some investors into thinking Japan's only growth driver is at risk. This could significantly lower expectations toward the country, to the point that any positive news could surprise to the upside-something for globally minded investors to consider, as markets move on the gap between reality and expectations.

Norway: 1.1% q/q, 4.5% annualized

Media's Take: The oil-reliant economy broke out of its recent slump and GDP remains in line with central bank expectations.

MarketMinder's Take: This first estimate provides few details, but non-oil GDP grew only 0.3% q/q, so an oil rebound was indeed the primary contributor. While Norway's economy probably remains dependent on oil prices, rising Norwegian oil output is another pressure on global supply, likely keeping a lid on prices.

Eastern Europe

Czech Republic : 0.2% q/q (1.7% y/y)

: 0.2% q/q (1.7% y/y) Hungary : 0.4% q/q (1.6% y/y)

: 0.4% q/q (1.6% y/y) Poland : 1.7% q/q (2.7% y/y)

: 1.7% q/q (2.7% y/y) Romania: 4.7% y/y

Media's Take: Hey, some Eastern European countries grew, how about that?

MarketMinder's Take: For investors with Emerging Markets (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland) or Frontier Markets (Romania) exposure, Eastern Europe is worth monitoring. These EU members' economies have been chugging along, and as uncertainty falls in Western Europe, Eastern Europe may benefit from that sentiment boost, too, as their solid growth becomes more visible.

Asia

Indonesia : 4.9% y/y

: 4.9% y/y Taiwan : 2.9% y/y

: 2.9% y/y Malaysia: 4.5% y/y

Media Take: Indonesia just missed expectations of 5.0% growth, and there is growing concern reform is slowing down. Taiwan grew at its fastest pace in almost two years, but deteriorating trade developments may hurt its export-driven growth. The private sector drove Malaysian GDP, but growth expectations for 2017 are muted.

MarketMinder's Take: For Indonesia, government spending (-4.0%) drove the miss, though this is more a function of math. Q4 2015 was up big, setting up a tough year-over-year comparison. However, quarter-over-quarter, government spending rose nicely, and with fixed investment up 4.8%, President Joko Widodo's big infrastructure spend is still aiding growth. Plus, private consumption (5.0%) remains steady-a sign of solid domestic demand.

In general, broad sentiment toward Emerging Markets (EM) has been dour, as most investors tend to treat the category as one cohesive bloc. But they aren't-EMs include commodity-dependent economies (e.g., Brazil and South Africa), more advanced countries with solid services sectors (e.g., South Korea and Taiwan) and blends of both (e.g., Mexico and Malaysia). For investors with EM exposure, there are opportunities in overlooked areas growing at a solid clip.

While sentiment about the US economy has been picking up recently, it still remains down around the rest of the world. However, we expect this to pick up, especially in Western Europe as political uncertainty passes in the form of several major elections. As investors realize the world is actually doing much better than commonly believed, we believe they'll bid stocks higher and continue to fuel the almost eight-year old bull market.
Sophia Vergara files suit to prevent ex from gaining custody of pre-embryos.

Modern Family star Sofia Vergara has been fighting a custody battle involving two frozen pre-embryos and ex-fiance Nick Loeb for roughly the last two years. The 44-year-old actress created the embryos with her former fiance during the height of the pairs relationship, back in 2013. After Vergara and Loeb split, he filed legal documents asking the California court system to grant him full custody of the reportedly viable pre-embryos.

I want more!!!????Fascinante!Super recomendado! Gracias #guillermoarriaga #elsalvaje A post shared by Sofia Vergara (@sofiavergara) on Feb 16, 2017 at 12:32pm PST

Since his custody suit was filed, Glamour reports that Sofia Vergara has been fighting tooth and nail (and at a considerable financial cost) to prevent her ex from obtaining custody of the pre-embryos and having them implanted in a surrogate to be gestated. Last December, a California judge dismissed Sofia Vergaras ex-fiances custody case. However, the battle over the pre-embryos is still ongoing.

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The Flynn Fiascom, the Trump Revolution Ends in a Whimper

The Flynn fiasco is not about national security advisor Michael Flynns conversations with the Russian ambassador. Its much deeper than that. Its about Russia. Its about Putin. Its about the explosive rise of China and the worlds biggest free trade zone that will eventually stretch from Lisbon to Vladivostok. Its about the one country in the world that is obstructing Washingtons plan for global domination. (Russia) And, its about the future; which country will be the key player in the worlds most prosperous and populous region, Asia.

Thats whats at stake, and thats what the Flynn controversy is really all about.

Many readers are familiar with the expression pivot to Asia, but do they know what it means?

It means the United States has embarked on an ambitious plan to extend its military grip and market power over the Eurasian landmass thus securing its position as the worlds only superpower into the next century. The pivot is Washingtons top strategic priority. As Hillary Clinton said in 2011:

Harnessing Asias growth and dynamism is central to American economic and strategic interests Open markets in Asia provide the United States with unprecedented opportunities for investment, trade, and access to cutting-edge technology..American firms (need) to tap into the vast and growing consumer base of Asia The region already generates more than half of global output and nearly half of global trade. we are looking for opportunities to do even more business in Asiaand our investment opportunities in Asias dynamic markets.(Americas Pacific Century, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Foreign Policy Magazine, 2011)

In other words, its pivot or bust. Those are the only two options. Naturally, ruling elites in the US have chosen the former over the latter, which means they are committed to a strategy that will inevitably pit the US against a nuclear-armed adversary, Russia.

Trumps National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, wanted to normalize relations with Russia. He rejected the flagrantly hostile approach of the US foreign policy establishment. Thats why he had to be removed. And, thats why hes been so viciously attacked in the media and why the threadbare story about his contacts with the Russian ambassador were used to force his resignation.

This isnt about the law and it isnt about the truth. Its about bare-knuckle geopolitics and global hegemony. Flynn got in the way of the pivot, so Flynn had to be eliminated. End of story. Heres a clip from an article by Robert Parry:

Flynns real offense appears to be that he favors detente with Russia rather than escalation of a new and dangerous Cold War. Trumps idea of a rapprochement with Moscow  and a search for areas of cooperation and compromise  has been driving Official Washingtons foreign policy establishment crazy for months and the neocons, in particular, have been determined to block it. Though Flynn has pandered to elements of the neocon movement with his own hysterical denunciations of Iran and Islam in general, he emerged as a key architect for Trumps plans to seek a constructive relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Meanwhile, the neocons and their liberal-interventionist sidekicks have invested heavily in making Putin the all-purpose bete noire to justify a major investment in new military hardware and in pricy propaganda operations. ( Trump Caves on Flynns resignation , Consortium News)

US foreign policy is not developed willy-nilly. It emerges as the consensus view of various competing factions within the permanent national security state. And, although there are notable differences between the rival factions (either hardline or dovish) there appears to be unanimity on the question of Russia. There is virtually no constituency within the political leadership of either of the two major parties (or their puppetmaster supporters in the deep state) for improving relations with Russia. None. Russia is blocking Washingtons eastward expansion, therefore, Russia must be defeated. Heres more from the World Socialist Web Site:

US imperialism seeks to counter its declining world economic position by exploiting its unchallenged global military dominance. It sees as the principal roadblocks to its hegemonic aims the growing economic and military power of China and the still-considerable strength of Russia, possessor of the worlds second-largest nuclear arsenal, the largest reserves of oil and gas, and a critical geographical position at the center of the Eurasian land mass.

Trumps opponents within the ruling class insist that US foreign policy must target Russia with the aim of weakening the Putin regime or overthrowing it. This is deemed a prerequisite for taking on the challenge posed by China. Numerous Washington think tanks have developed scenarios for military conflicts with Russian forces in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in the Baltic States and in cyberspace. The national security elite is not prepared to accept a shift in orientation away from the policy of direct confrontation with Russia along the lines proposed by Trump, who would like for the present to lower tensions with Russia in order to focus first on China. ( Behind the Flynn resignation and Trump crisis: A bitter conflict over imperialist policy , WSWS)

Foreign policy elites believe the US and its NATO allies can engage Russia in a shooting war without it expanding into a regional conflict and without an escalation into a nuclear conflagration. Its a risky calculation but, nevertheless, it is the rationale behind the persistent build up of troops and weaponry on Russias western perimeter. Take a look at this from the Independent:

Thousands of Nato troops have amassed close to the border with Russia as part of the largest build-up of Western troops neighbouring Moscows sphere of influence since the Cold WarTanks and heavy armoured vehicles, plus Bradley fighting vehicles and Paladin howitzers, are also in situ and British Typhoon jets from RAF Conningsby will be deployed to Romania this summer to contribute to Natos Southern Air Policing mission Kremlin officials claim the build-up is the largest since the Second World War. ( The map that shows how many Nato troops are deployed along Russias border , The Independent)

Saber-rattling and belligerence have cleared the way for another world war. Washington thinks the conflict can be contained, but were nor so sure.

The inexperienced Trump who naively believed that the president sets his own foreign policyhas now learned that thats not the case. The Flynn slap-down, followed by blistering attacks in the media and threats of impeachment, have left Trump shaken to the core. As a result, he has done a speedy about-face and swung into damage control-mode. On Tuesday, he tried to extend the olive branch by tweeting that Crimea was taken by Russia and by offering to replace Flynn with a trusted insider who will not veer from the script prepared by the foreign policy establishment. Check out this blurb on the Foreign Policy magazine website on Wednesday:

President Donald Trump offered the job of national security advisor to retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward on Monday nightIf, as expected, Harward accepts the job today, he is likely to bring in his own team, from deputy on down, with a focus on national security types with some experience under their belts Harward also would work well with Defense Secretary James Mattis. When Mattis was chief of Central Command, Harward was his deputy. Mattis trusted him enough to put him in charge of planning for war with Iran. Mattis has urged Harward to take the NSA job. If Harward becomes NSA, Mattis would emerge from the Flynn mess in a uniquely powerful position: He would have two of his former deputies at the table in some meetings. The other one is John Kelly, now secretary for Homeland Security, who was his number two when Mattis commanded a Marine division early in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. ( A Mattis protege poised to take the helm of Trumps NSC , Foreign Policy)

In other words, Trump is relinquishing control over foreign policy and returning it to trusted insiders who will comply with pre-set elitist guidelines. Trumps sudden metamorphosis was apparent in another story that appeared in Wednesdays news, this time related to Rex Tillerson and General Joseph Dunford. Heres a clip from CNN:

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford meet face to face with their Russian counterparts Thursday, as the Trump administration evaluates the future direction of US-Russian relations.But even as Tillersons plane was taking off in Washington, the Pentagon announced the meeting between Dunford and his Russian counterpart Valeriy Gerasimov, which will take place Thursday in Baku, Azerbaijan. The military leaders will discuss a variety of issues including the current state of U.S.-Russian military relations Trumps envoys have been expressing positions more keeping with previous US policies.  Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, indicated the US would maintain sanctions on Russia for annexing Crimea in 2014. She condemned what she called the Russian occupation of the Ukrainian territory The US has deployed thousands of troops and tanks to Poland and Romania in recent weeks, while other NATO allies have sent troops to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. There is a common message from the President, from his security team, the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, that they stay strongly committed to NATO, he added.

Lets summarize: The sanctions will remain, the tanks are on the border, the commitment to NATO has been reinforced, and Dunford is going to explain Washingtons strategic objectives to his Russian counterpart in clear, unambiguous language. There will be no room for Tillerson, who is on friendly terms with Putin, to change the existing policy or to normalize relations; Dunford, Haley, and Defense Secretary James Mattis will make sure of that.

As for Trump, its clear by the Crimea tweet, the sacking of Flynn and the (prospective) appointment of Harward, that hes running scared and is doing everything in his power to get out of the hole hes dug for himself. Theres no way of knowing whether hell be allowed to carry on as before or if hell be forced to throw other allies, like Bannon or Conway, under the bus. I would expect the purge to continue and to eventually include Trump himself. But thats just a guess.

The hope that Trump would bring an element of sanity to US foreign policy has now been extinguished. The so called Trump Revolution has fizzled out before it ever began.

In contrast, the military buildup along Russias western flank continues apace.

By Mike Whitney

Email: fergiewhitney@msn.com

Mike Whitney lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com.

 2016 Copyright Mike Whitney - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

Mike Whitney Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




MARTINSVILLE  No award can fully express the gratitude that people feel toward firefighters and other emergency services personnel whose efforts save lives during medical assistance calls, according to Martinsville Fire Chief Ted Anderson.

Awards presented by the Martinsville Fire & EMS Department on Thursday to some of its firefighters and paramedics, as well as others involved in rescues, are a mere start toward showing that appreciation. Anderson said.

Saving a life, in itself, is the greatest award that anyone can achieve, he emphasized.

Theodore Green Jr. learned that the hard way.

Last April, paramedics responded when Greens mother, 69-year-old Jane Gaines, suffered breathing problems. According to Anderson, they arrived to find that Gaines did not have a pulse as Green was performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her with help provided over the phone by 911 Dispatcher Maria Lemons. Her instructions and advice were relayed to him by his wife, Helen.

When they arrived, paramedics took over CPR, performed advanced lifesaving skills on Gaines and gave her intravenous fluids, other medications and electrical therapies. She was revived and, although she had to be taken by helicopter to an out-of-town hospital, she is alive today, Anderson said.

Green and Gaines attended the ceremony and were recognized. Anderson credited Green, who had recently learned CPR, for his involvement in saving Gaines life.

He never thought hed use this (skill) two weeks after he took a class, let alone on his mom, said Anderson, who encouraged everyone to take a CPR course.

Im just grateful shes here, Green said after the ceremony.

If it wasnt for him, Id be dead, Gaines said, crediting God for allowing her son to be there for her.

The department presented Lifesaving Awards to Lemons, emergency medical services student Logan Peters and firefighters/paramedics James Hill, Billy Akers, Joe Haynes, John Kaczor and Keith Hudson in recognition of their involvement in saving Gaines life.

Other firefighters/paramedics were honored for their roles in saving lives in similar situations.

Lifesaving Awards also were presented to Chris Bouldin, Lamont Bryant, Scott Ramsdell, John Turner, Bobby Scott, Andy Phillips, James Hopkins and Dwayne Robertson and 911 Dispatcher Heather Strange.

The award is presented to people whose immediate actions, using specialized medical training, directly resulted in a life being saved, Anderson said.

Certificates of Meritorious Conduct were presented to Bryant and Chris Minor. Anderson said the certificates recognize exemplary actions performed in support of emergency operations.

Despite the rescuers individual efforts being lauded, Anderson said teamwork is crucial in providing emergency medical services and fighting fires.

Anderson mentioned an incident last May when EMS crews responded to another patient who was having trouble breathing. Two good Samaritans  one of whom already was performing CPR on the patient with help from a dispatcher  also were involved in the incident.

EMS personnel never have been able to find out the identities of those two people.

We would like to recognize these people, too, Anderson said.

Among other awards presented:

@ Todd Owen received a Medal of Merit, and Dale Davis, Mike Trail and Donald Lucado received Certificates of Meritorious Conduct, for fire and EMS department facility and equipment repairs and maintenance work they undertook on their own initiatives.

Their work probably saved the city thousands of dollars, Anderson said.

@ Turner received Education Awards for earning a bachelors degree in fire service administration and completing the Virginia Fire Officer Academy Program.

Minor also received an Education Award for completing the academy program.

@ A fire/EMS unit was presented a plaque for outstanding participation in an effort to develop and test a tactical high-rise rescue plan for Hanesbrand Corp. last year.

Unit members included Kaczor, Robertson, Haynes, Owen, Bouldin, Bryant, Turner, Lucado and Scott along with Dan Howell, Tony Beal and Brandon Hatcher.

@ Another unit was presented a plaque for completing tactical combat casualty care certification. Such care is provided in situations when there could be mass casualties, such as when violence has occurred  or someone is shooting at people  at a business, according to Anderson.

These are the guys who (would) go in behind the (police) SWAT teams and work to save the lives of the injured, he said.

Unit members included Hill, Hopkins, Haynes, Akers, Robertson, Bouldin, Minor, Bryant, Lucado, Kaczor, Hudson, Scott, Howell, Owen, Anderson, Trail, Andy Powers, Tim Jamison and Kris Shrader.

@ Firefighters were recognized for installing almost 1,000 smoke detectors donated by the American Red Cross in local homes that needed the devices in the past year.

In addition to firefighters already mentioned, Cory Haynes, Jimmy Ashworth, Greg Reeves and Wesley Brooks were among those receiving recognition for that effort.

Mickey Powell reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at mickey.powell@martinsvillebulletin.com.
DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / February 16, 2017 / Search Engine Optimization is unquestionably one of the top digital marketing strategies that has changed the way businesses compete with each other and has revolutionized the process on how they reach out to their target customers.

Nowadays, modern businesses don't go around without SEO as part of their digital marketing arsenal. According to research conducted by Ascend2, 82% of the surveyed marketers considered SEO as a more effective digital marketing strategy, with 42% stating that its effectiveness has increased significantly. Eighty-one percent of the survey's respondents revealed that their SEO efforts are at least above average.

SEO last year, as predicted by many industry experts, has been really more about innovations with Google, still the leading search engine.

This year, search engine optimization is expected to gain more popularity, as it has already become a staple in digital marketing. If you are one of those businesses who have already jumped into the SEO bandwagon, you should keep yourself updated with the latest trends that can impact on how you optimize your websites for search.

In 2017, these are the top trends that you should watch out.

The mobile domination

The steady rise of videos

The rise of AMP's popularity

Content quality is king

Backlinks getting sidetracked

Okay. You not only need to watch out, but must also focus on those ones that can bring impact on how you optimize your content for search engines. These trends are picked by experts based on their significance, relevance, and popularity among SEO practitioners in the industry.

1. Everyone Goes Mobile

The numbers on the screenshot above are enough evidence why mobile is on top of the trends. When 5 billion people are already on mobile, how could you pass up such gigantic opportunity?

John Lincoln, in his article in Business2Community.com, predicted that mobile will become more important. He foresees that more and more companies will adopt a "mobile first" strategy when it comes to SEO.

Story continues

Let's also not forget that Google is now moving to a mobile-only world. According to Gianluca Fiorelli in his article in Moz.com, mobile-first indexing has become an inevitable result of almost a year of changing the people's mindset from desktop to mobile.

Fiorelli added that in a mobile-only world, the importance of local search is even more crucial.

"In a mobile-only world, the relevance of local search is even higher. This seems to be the strategic reason both for an update like Possum and all the tests we see in local, and also of the acquisition of a company like Urban Engines, whose purpose is to analyze the 'Internet of Moving Things.'"

2. Video Marketing Still Reigns

In 2016, video has been predicted to rise more in relevance compared to text content. This year (2017), it is predicted that online video will account for 74% of all web traffic. This figure alone shows the potential impact video marketing can bring into your SEO campaign.

When 81% of people feature their video on their brand website, the need to optimize these pages to rank on top of the SERPs become more of a necessity. This is one of the major reasons why 93% of marketers will use video for online marketing, sales, and communication.

According to MerchantMarketingGroup.com (in 2015), 96% of B2B companies are planning to use video in their content marketing on 2016. So, from this alone, those who are using video this year might have already surpassed that figure.

Lastly, based from our observation, the rise of video marketing has been greatly affected by the steady rise of mobile. Video consumption nowadays shows people's fast-paced lifestyle. This should be put into perspective if you are strategizing how you can make your SEO more effective.

3. AMP is Becoming More and More Popular

AMP, or Accelerated Mobile Pages Project, is another technology launched by Google to create better mobile experience for online users. It was launched in 2015 but was integrated in the SERPs on the first quarter of 2016 (February).

According to SearchEngineWatch.com, one of the most successful AMP integrated websites in 2016 is Gizmodo. They got a 50% increase in impressions and 80% from their AMP pages are new traffic.

You will know if a website has an AMP integration when it shows up on mobile with the lightning icon on the upper right side (see screenshot above). This signals readers that they can instantly click that link and read the news article inside Facebook (for example). The biggest websites that used the AMP format include WordPress, Reddit, Bing, Ebay, and Pinterest.

AMP integration brings so much impact into your SEO these days because Google has already been prioritizing AMP pages to show up on top of the SERPs. Again, this technology is created to cater the rising demand of better mobile user experience. You should keep this in mind in doing SEO this year.

4. Content Quality is King

You might be familiar with the popular tag line "Content is King," but that is not the real deal these days. It's now "Content Quality is King." The quality of your content can predict the outcome of your digital marketing campaign, more specifically in SEO. There's no point in producing content that would only be thrown into the gigantic trash bin of the World Wide Web.

One of the factors that can add quality to a content is the incorporation of ideas from industry leaders. According to Demand Gen Report, 96% of B2B buyers demand content with more input from industry-thought leaders.

Ever since the inception of the internet, it's always been about content. But, if you want to compete and get an edge from your competitors, then you should prioritize quality all the time. No matter how good your SEO strategy is, if your content is subpar, it will never help you accomplish your goals.

5. Backlinks Are Not the Top Ranking Signal Anymore

This is not news to anyone who has been keeping a tab in the latest happenings in the industry. But, for those who are still not aware, backlinks have already continuously spiraled down in relevance through the years. Why is this happening and how can this bring impact on how you do SEO this year?

Of course, there are still many who don't agree on this. See here, Backlinko's study last year, wherein they said that backlinks are still the most important search ranking factor. But this is negated by Search Metrics. Their study revealed that backlinks have continuously lost their relevance and are no longer the ultimate factor in search ranking. Here's Search Metrics statement in detail:

"Whereas the importance of a well-established internal link structure of a domain can rarely be overestimated, backlinks no longer primarily determine search engine rankings. Depending on the topic, it is now sometimes possible for a website to achieve a high Google ranking even with far fewer links than its competitors."

Search Metrics further explained why this is happening.

"This is partly driven by the increase in mobile search queries, as URLs on mobile devices are often liked or shared, but rarely actively linked. The increasing prominence of apps and app rankings in organic search is also contributing to the decline of backlinks' importance."

This finding has also been seconded by Search Engine Journals and other experts in the industry.

Of course, despite all these, backlinks are still part of the major search ranking factors. It's just that compared to before, it is not the "supreme overlord" anymore.

Other trends that are also expected to affect how you do SEO this year include personal branding, prioritization of better user experience, the arrival of Progressive Web Apps (PWA), content optimization for Facebook search, and long form content.

Final Thoughts

If you put all these trends in perspective, there's one common denominator that always surfaces, and that is mobile. Every trend that can affect how you do this year is a necessity because they make mobile user experience better.

The "Mobilegeddon" that Google launched almost two years ago has now taken a full-swing effect, not only in SEO, but in all aspects of digital marketing. Almost everything now is created in major consideration on how they appear on mobile. Thus, if you are serious in optimizing your content for search, you should now put mobile optimization first before anything else. Good luck!

Source: http://news.oneseocompany.com/2017/02/14/top-5-important-trends-that-bring-impact-on-how-you-do-seo-in-2017_201702141552.html

SOURCE: Qamar Zaman via Submit Press Release 123
chris hayes robert harward

The top pick to be President Donald Trump's national security adviser, retired Adm. Robert Harward, reportedly declined the offer after seeing Trump air his grievances in a 77-minute press conference on Thursday.

MSNBC host Chris Hayes on Friday cited a former national security official familiar with Harward's decision who said Harward asked that several demands be met as a condition of accepting the offer:

A clear chain of command, reporting directly to the president.

Restoring the [National Security Council] structure of prior administrations ... so that political advisers like Steve Bannon would not have a seat on the Principals' Committee.

"Harward wanted to undo the fairly large changes the president had made to the NSC that had inserted Bannon into the process," Hayes reported.

Citing his source, Hayes said "The White House did not offer Harward sufficient assurances that he would have such autonomy." Harward wrote a letter declining the offer.

The White House reportedly sought to negotiate with Harward on the matter, which Harward was initially open to, Hayes said, but that changed a short time later.

"After watching the president's press conference [Thursday], he decided to stick with his decision to decline the offer," according to the source cited by Hayes.

Harward became deputy commander of US Central Command before he retired in 2013. He was said to be considering the national security adviser role after Gen. Michael Flynn resigned on Monday. Harward told the Associated Press on Thursday his decision was "purely a personal issue," saying "I'm in a unique position finally after being in the military for 40 years to enjoy some personal time."

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday night that Gen. David Petraeus, another one of Trump's candidates for the role, also withdrew himself from consideration over concerns about staffing within the National Security Council.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

Story continues

NOW WATCH: 'Sit down! Quiet!': Watch Trump's heated exchanges with reporters in his longest press conference as president





More From Business Insider
The Montana Veterans Upward Bound program is offering free college-prep classes for eligible veterans at Flathead Valley Community College this spring. Classes are designed to help military veterans refresh their academic skills so they can successfully complete post-secondary education.

The following classes will be offered:

Computer Quick-Start, 5:30  7:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays beginning February 27 and concluding March 8.

Intro to Computers, 5:30  7:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays beginning March 13 and concluding April 26.

Intro to College Math & Algebra, 5:30  8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays beginning February 28 and concluding April 25.

Intro to College Writing & Grammar Review, 5:30  8:30 p.m. on Thursdays beginning March 2 and concluding April 27.

Montana Veterans Upward Bound is a U.S. Department of Education program that has served more than 4,400 Montana veterans since 1992.

For more information or to register for classes, call 1-800-356-8387 or visit http://www.vubmt.com.
Within the startup realm, there is a big difference between having an innovative product versus an innovative business. Some startups have a new technology, but stick to a tried-and-true business model. Others take an existing product, and give it new life with a creative business model. The most competitive startups do both, all the time and every time.

In todays competitive world, with its accelerating rate of change, no competitive advantage lasts long. According to Josh Linkner, in his classic book "Disciplined Dreaming," we have entered the Age of Creativity, in which each incremental gain is zeroed out as global competitors quickly copy and adapt. The only sustainable competitive advantage is creativity.

Marty Zwilling

Full Story: http://blog.startupprofessionals.com/2017/02/7-rules-for-maintaining-creative.html
Red Wing, MN has been working diligently to share their small business business growth vision. This vision recently earned Red Wing a top-five finalist position with the Deluxe Small Business Revolution  Main Street. This short video tells their story perfectly (http://smallbusinessrevolution.org/main-street/season-two/finalist-red-wing-mn/).

"We are pleased Red Wing, MN has gained a spot as a Top 5 finalist in this years Small Business Revolution  Main Street," said Golden Shovel CEO Aaron Brossoit. Red Wing became a national finalist after beating out 14,000 town nominations from all 50 states. They need votes because the decision is put to the nation to decide who will receive $500,000 from the Small Business Revolution. Brossoit added, "I am happy to celebrate their success and to ASK FOR YOUR VOTE." (http://smallbusinessrevolution.org/main-street/season-two/).

Full Story: http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/leading-a-small-business-revolution-red-wing-mn-is-a-top-five-finalist-434540.php
Under the backdrop of state and local officials pointing fingers of blame for the loss of the Outdoor Retailer shows and their estimated $45 million economic boost, Gov. Gary Herbert signed a resolution that is at the heart of the trade groups decision.

Meanwhile, one local businessman who relies on work from the biannual gathering of the outdoor industry in Salt Lake laments the loss of income for his company, and an apparent lack of civility in the talks between the two sides.

By Jasen [email protected]

Full Story: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865673692/Impact-of-Outdoor-Retailer-departure-far-reaching.html

***

Governor Bullock wants large outdoor show in Montana http://www.matr.net/article-75580.html
According to the Pew Research Center, only 55 percent of rural Americans use broadband at home. Hopefully this is about to change, as the FCCs new Chairman Ajit Pai has some very big ideas about how to bring broadband access to rural America.

By Betsy Huber

Full Story: http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/technology/319984-ajit-pais-digital-empowerment-agenda-is-good-news-for-rural
Montana residents came out swinging during Sen. Steve Daines telephone town hall Thursday night, and they didnt let up over the next 90 minutes.

They called on the Republican to explain why he silenced Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on the Senate floor, his vote for Betsy DeVos for the secretary of education post and his plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Tiffany Aldinger , [email protected]

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2017/02/16/daines-talks-health-care-devos-vote-more-telephone-town-hall/98024698/

***

Daines featured speaker in Havre Feb. 23

Bear Paw Development Corporation recently announced its annual meeting for 2017, and that U.S. Sen. Steve Daines will serve as keynote speaker at the organizations annual meeting luncheon at noon Feb. 23 at the Best Western Havre Inn and Suites, 1424 Highway 2 Northwest in Havre. The topic of Sen. Dainess address will be job creation and economic growth in rural Montana.

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/money/2017/02/17/daines-featured-speaker-havre-feb/98064172/
As the digital transformation continues to stride across Africa, it is clearing the way and opening vast swathes of potential for its nations, businesses, and citizens.

The continent stands on the cusp of a tech explosion with several nations having achieved sustained growth in internet-driven GDP (iGDP)2  in many cases doubling from 1.5% to more than 3% since 2012. Some experts put the economic growth in Africa at US$180 billion, and if trends continue it could rise to US$712 billion by 2025.

The flow of trade into and out of the continent is integral to this growth, and as the African Continental Free Trade Areas (AfCFTA) effects begin to be increasingly felt, the amount of trade among African nations is set to double.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Africa currently accounts for 2.9% of the world production, and 2.6% of world trade. Intra-Africa trade stands at 15.4%. If the ease of regional and international trade improves, this figure could be significantly higher. For this potential to be realised, however, it is critical for governments to work together with businesses, in private-public partnerships (PPPs).

The Niger Example

The work the Nigerien government has conducted in conjunction with the countrys private sector stands as a testament to this. As a landlocked country, it depends on its neighbours infrastructure to import and export goods, which can lead to prohibitive costs.

It is for these reasons the Niger government has planned to build the Dosso dry port in conjunction with Bollore Africa Logistics (BAL) as a way of reducing costs, minimising risks for the countrys operators, improving and speeding up procedures, tightening security and increasing customs and tax receipts. This helped overcome a significant obstacle for the countrys economic development, and eased congestion at the seaports of Cotonou (Benin), Lome (Togo), Tema (Ghana), and Abidjan (Cote dIvoire).

The ease and efficiency of goods movement have been bolstered further by a PPP contract between the Nigerien government and Webb Fontaine, which saw the implementation and long-term management of the new government-owned Niger National Single Window project (NNSW). Deployed over four years, Single Window included the roll-out of a state-of-the-art Port Community System, created specifically for Niger as a landlocked nation.

With one single platform through which all stakeholders  international and domestic traders, banks, and various administrative government departments  have access, Nigers import/export processes have been streamlined and sped up. The platform digitises the approval of licenses and permits for imported/exported regulated products and provides payment platform for trade documents. Previously, the application for the flow of goods was a complicated process taking several days  or even weeks. Today, it can be accomplished in a matter of hours. This, in turn, has a knock-on positive effect on other areas of the import/export process  transportation of goods, for example, can also proceed more quickly.

This ten-year initiative is still paying dividends as it is constantly evolving to meet the needs of its stakeholders; the developers are cognisant that not every user of the platform is the same, and as new requirements or challenges in the supply chains are encountered, stakeholder feedback is listened to, considered, and applied where possible. Furthermore, the platform acts as a bridging entity between organisations that may not wish to share their inner processes, such as competing banks, for example. Single Windows developers have integrated payment gateways into the platform that enable the banks individual customers to transact securely, without having to reveal proprietary information to their competitors.

The success of public private partnerships such as these will help to ease the flow of goods across borders is not limited to Niger. It has already proven a success in other countries, such as Nigeria, Congo, Cote dIvoire, Benin and Guinea. As more governments collaborate with the private sector to make import/export easier, they will help to unleash the vast potential for economic growth that exists in Africa.

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The coal industry continues to fight a very difficult battle, with challenges being flung from all quarters, domestic and international. In the U.S., declining natural gas prices, stringent regulations and additional impetus to solar and wind power generation through the extension of tax credits are steadily luring away utility operators from coal.

Jittery developments in key global markets and higher production countries like Australia and Indonesia, and, importantly, a stronger greenback, are making the export market fiercely competitive for the U.S. coal players.

After the new Clean Power Plan, was unveiled in Aug 2015, utilities like NextEra Energy (NEE) and Dominion Resources (D) which were already investing to create a green energy generation portfolio have enhanced their emphasis to generate more electricity from clean fuel sources.

At present the fate of the Clean Power Plan is uncertain, given the Supreme Court ruling in Feb 2016 to stay the implementation of the Clean Power Plan, and if President Trump starts acting in accordance to his pre-election promises then that can provide an impetus to the ailing coal industry. However, even with uncertainty looming large on Clean Power Plan, new investments are being directed towards natural gas and renewable-based power production, due to the low cost of natural gas and tax credits provided to produce more electricity from solar and wind.

Failing to cope with the continuous fall in demand and declining prices of coal, some coal miners have filed for bankruptcy. The latest on this list is Peabody Energy, preceded by names like Patriot Coal and Walter Energy. Notably, these companies had tried all possible means to remain solvent, but the harsh reality is that coal demand is gradually going down.

In response to the anti-carbon drive, utility operators are shutting down coal-based power plants and are directing fresh investments toward constructing natural gas facilities and adding more renewables. U.S. coal production touched its lowest levels in 2016 to 739 million short tons (MMst) since 1978.

Story continues

Here are some of the severe headwinds that the coal industry is up against:

Environmental Legislations: Coal has been losing importance as a fuel source over the last few years, particularly in the U.S., in comparison with other sources that are less harmful to the environment. Concerns over the emission of greenhouse gases and global climate change have resulted in the formulation of new legislations and policies which emphasize the use of environment-friendly fuel sources, particularly in the power sector.

This has considerably slowed down the expansion of coal-fired capacity in the power sector, with utility companies now building new natural gas-fired plants and resorting to alternative sources of energy generation like wind, solar and hydro power.

The final version of the Clean Power Plan will ensure that coal consumption for power production in the U.S. will go down from the present level, unless the utilities invest more money to upgrade existing plants.

Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL) a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock has already reduced carbon dioxide emissions during power generation by around 22% since 2005. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Another American Electric Power Co., Inc. (AEP) has eliminated over 5,500 megawatts (MW) of coal-fired capacity from its generation portfolio.

Natural Gas Substituting Coal: A major substitute for coal in energy generation is another fossil fuel  natural gas. Coal is being dumped in favor of natural gas, which due to extensive exploration and production, and a shale gas boom in onshore U.S., is witnessing significantly lower prices than in the past.

Natural gas is an attractive choice for new generating plants because of its relative fuel efficiency, low emissions, quick construction timelines and low capital costs. This trend is encouraging power generating utilities to not only convert their existing plants to gas-fired ones but to build new units.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects natural gas to contribute to 32% of the total energy generation in 2017, while coal represents 31%. However, in 2018, the share of natural gas is expected to improve 33% while coals share will remain unchanged.

Besides power generation, natural gas is being utilized in new projects in the fertilizer and chemical sectors.

Competition from Alternative Energy Sources: Apart from natural gas, the coal industry has been losing a major share of its electric generation demand to renewable sources of energy.

The EIA report reveals combined electricity generation from conventional hydroelectric and renewable will reach 1.753 billion KWh per day in 2017, exhibiting growth of 5.9% from 2016 levels. The production from the alternate sources is anticipated to reach 1.845 billion KWh per day in 2018, reflecting growth of 5.2%.

These renewable additions will eat into coals share of electricity generation. Production of power from renewable sources is supported by most of the U.S. states though there is no national consensus regarding the percentage of renewables in the total energy mix. However, the Clean Power Plan will encourage energy conservation and efficiency plans, use of renewables and clean alternative technologies for lowering air pollution.

The extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar and Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind will drive expansion of renewable generation units at the cost of coal. Making use of the government support, NextEra Energy expects to bring on-line nearly 2,4003,800 MW of new wind projects over the 20172018 time frame.

Rising Competition & Stronger Dollar: Besides competition from renewables and natural gas, U.S. coal producers are also affected by rising export from Indonesia and Australia as well as a stronger dollar, which is making this commodity dearer in the international markets. International players enjoy the benefit of low mining and transportation costs, consequently making the coal cheaper than their American peers.

In Dec 2016, Indian energy giant Adani sated it will start construction at the $21.7 billion Carmichael mine in Australia by the middle of 2017. The company will mine coal and export the same to thermal plants of India, which is bound to increase competition for the U.S. coal exporters.

According to the EIA, weak coal demand, lower international coal prices and higher output of other coal exporters have jointly led to decline in coal exports from the U.S. In fact, in 2017, U.S. coal exports are anticipated to drop by 13.8% to 51.1 MMst and further in 2018 by 2.7% to 49.7 MMst.

Bankers Retreat: Capital-intensive coal projects are gradually losing favor among primary funders like banks and financial institutions. Banks are distancing themselves from coal projects and are rather getting involved in natural gas-based power projects.

To Conclude

In Coal Showing Signs of Turnaround, A Solid Long-Term Choice, we have focused on factors that can drive the industry forward.

Even though President Trump has made promises to revive the coal industry, it will be an uphill task for the new administration to repair the damage already caused to it. The new policies from the Trump administration might bring in temporary relief for the coal miners, but we are skeptical about the long-term viability of the new policies.

Billions of dollars are already invested to produce electricity from clean energy sources and more projects are being lined up for approvals, so the question arises in the policy makers mind will it be feasible to revive coal industry in the long run. Carbon emission is a serious threat for our future and we all agree to this basic fact.

At present, we will advise investors to stay away from SunCoke Energy Partners L.P. (SXCP), which not only carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), but has also registered negative earnings surprises in two of the trailing four quarters. Additionally, its 2017 estimates have gone down by 11.4% in the last 30 days to $1.78 per share.

To overcome the difficult times and remain viable, coal producers are idling coal mines, lowering headcount, delaying capital expenditure plans and even resorting to selling their mines. Despite these initiatives, coal producers are bracing themselves for an extended down-cycle, as demand for coal might improve marginally in near term but its share in fuel mix is going down over the long term.

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Donald Trump Boeing Dreamliner

On Friday, President Donald Trump paid a visit to Boeing's factory in North Charleston, South Carolina, to help unveil the latest version of the company's 787 Dreamliner.

The new 787-10  with capacity for as many as 330 passengers  is the largest version of the Dreamliner to date. The Dash 10 is capable of holding 14% more seats and can carry 15% more cargo than the current 787-9.

The 141-acre North Charleston facility is one of two assembly locations for Boeing's Dreamliner.

During his visit, Trump praised Boeing and its employees for the new jet and vowed to protect US manufacturing jobs.

"We want products made by our workers, in our factories, stamped with those four magnificent words: Made in the USA," Trump told Boeing workers and dignitaries in a speech.

However, while the plane is assembled in the US, the Dreamliner is actually a model of globalization, and Trump's policy proposals may threaten the way Boeing does business.

It's a flying symbol of an interconnected world economy  one with a network of global suppliers that would be hard to unravel with government policies, and a global group of customers waiting to buy the plans.

The Dreamliner is like the United Nations of planes:

Its wings and batteries come from Japan.

Its wing tips come from South Korea.

India is the source of its floor beams.

The front fuselage is made in the US and Japan.

The center fuselage and horizontal stabilizers are from Italy.

Landing gear and doors? France.

Cargo access doors are built in Sweden.

The wing/body fairings, which cover gaps on the body, are from Canada.

The movable trailing edge of the wings are from Canada, except when they're from the US or Australia.

Thrust reversers come from Mexico.

Its engines come from either General Electric in the US or Rolls-Royce in the UK.

Global Origins of Boeing 747 Blue

After all that, the components travel around the world before arriving at one of Boeing's factories in Washington or South Carolina, where they're assembled into finished planes. Then they're delivered to more than 60 airlines worldwide.

Story continues

The Trump administration's foreign policy and stances on trade and defense could have significant effects on how multinational companies do business. While a company such as Boeing supports a massive manufacturing presence in the US, it has cultivated a broad network of international partners  accounting for 30% of the Dreamliner's suppliers  that have invested decades and billions of dollars into relationships with Boeing. These partners have deep ties to their local governments and business communities, but the new administration's hardline stance on globalization threatens those bonds. And for Boeing, it could give its main rival, Airbus, a serious leg up.

NAFTA and the war on trade

As the Trump White House dials up the tough talk on trade, there are few companies as potentially affected by policies and changes as Boeing. This is especially true for the nondefense half of its business, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, which makes the Dreamliner.

First, take the North American Free Trade Agreement, that pact between the US, Canada, and Mexico that for more than two decades has created a free market in the region. While NAFTA was controversial leading up to its inception, the furor over it has died down in recent years  until being reignited by Trump, who has vowed to renegotiate or even scrap the agreement.

Boeng 787 Dreamliner in DC

Now, with NAFTA's future in doubt and Trump's plan to build a multibillion-dollar wall on the Mexican border  possibly paid for with a 20% tax on imports from Mexico  Boeing could suffer.

Those thrust reversers built in Mexico would instantly become a lot more expensive.

Customers are at stake, too. Mexico's flag carrier, Aeromexico, flies an all-Boeing fleet, while its two local rivals, Interjet and Volaris, are loyal customers of Airbus, the European giant. If Mexico were to retaliate against US tariffs by instituting its own border tax for goods coming into the country, Boeing planes could become a lot more expensive and lead Aeromexico to choose Airbus over Boeing.

"A 20% tax on the planes is huge and basically makes any Boeing product uneconomical for Mexican customers." Vinay Bhaskara, a senior business analyst at Airways, told Business Insider. "Boeing either becomes unprofitable in that market or they simply can't sell outside of the US."

For every Boeing plane, Airbus has an equivalent competitor. If you're thinking about buying a Boeing 737, you're also looking at the Airbus A320, for instance. They're generally priced similarly, too.

"If Trump's policies damage Boeing, Airbus would be the big beneficiary," Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at the aviation consulting firm Teal Group, told Business Insider.

China and the Middle East

Boeing believes China could buy as much as $1 trillion worth of commercial airplanes over the next 20 years. There's a lot of demand there for wide-body jets like the 787 Dreamliner.

China Southern Airlines Boeing 787

But Trump's policies and rhetoric toward China could put that at risk.

Trump has accused China of playing games with its currency, to the detriment of US business. He's openly challenged the One China policy that has maintained the fragile peace between China and Taiwan. He's criticized China for its artificial islands in the South China Sea. None of this pleases the people who hold the trillion-dollar market's purse strings  the Chinese government and its massive state-owned airlines.

"China is easily the biggest area of concern for Boeing," Aboulafia said. "China is very big, and they account for 20% to 25% of Boeing's output right now."

Iran and Iraq are also planning to buy a lot of Boeing airplanes. The Iraqi government has 18 Boeing 737-800s on order as well as 10 787-8 Dreamliners. In total, it's worth about $3.7 billion.

Boeing 787 Everett Factory

Boeing is also trying to complete a deal with Iranian leaders for an 80-plane order. That could be worth $16 billion, though likely less after negotiations.

But now Trump is president.

His executive order that temporarily barred people from seven majority-Muslim countries included Iran and Iraq, which responded with similar measures.

The Trump administration said it was putting Iran "on notice" after the country tested a ballistic missile, and relations between the nations  which are tenuous but seemed to have been improving since the nuclear deal  appear to now be worsening.

Iran has been formally PUT ON NOTICE for firing a ballistic missile.Should have been thankful for the terrible deal the U.S. made with them!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2017

As with China, these deals are at risk if the Persian Gulf governments feel aggrieved by the new administration's policies.

Made in America

Trump rode into office on a populist platform, promising to reinvigorate American manufacturing. As a candidate and as president, he has used his own bully pulpit  and Twitter account  to shame companies like Carrier with plans to move jobs to other countries.

But for Boeing, with its international supply chain, switching many of its internationally sourced components for aircraft such as the 787 to a new US supplier is "basically impossible," said Aboulafia.

That's because, unlike traditional supplier networks, many of Boeing's suppliers are full partners that have invested their own money in the development of the 787's parts with the idea that they would make money off their investments throughout the life of the program.

I think he thinks this is kind of like importing cement for casinos, where you can just switch your source for the cement.

"I think he thinks this is kind of like importing cement for casinos, where you can just switch your source for the cement," Aboulafia said. "Trump may have the idea that they can shift sources, but the airplane industry doesn't work that way.

"Contracts tend to run the life of the program rather than 'We feel like buying from X one year and Y the next year,'" he added.

Take the Dreamliner's Japanese-built wings as an example.

If Boeing were willing and able to disentangle itself from that complex international-supplier relationship, Aboulafia said it would require reimbursing the Japanese and other companies that invested in the development and production of wings. Instead of being paid over the lifetime of the 787 program  about 30 years  Boeing would have to fully pay back the supplier to the tune of billions of dollars. Then Boeing would have to find an American company willing to invest in creating alternatives, as there are no US companies producing equivalent parts.

Tweet Force One

Air Force One

A few weeks after Election Day, Trump posted a tweet that had a single target: Boeing.

"Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!" Trump wrote.

Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016

Boeing, blindsided by the tweet, was forced to quickly issue a statement that it's only "under contract" for $170 million to determine the capabilities of the new plane.

But the fact that companies can unexpectedly come into the president's crosshairs is the new reality for those doing business in the US.

And these tweets and statements can influence a company's perception among the public  and apply pressure to change how they run their businesses.

Thanks, Trump?

trump

That's not to say that the new administration is all bad news for Boeing and other multinationals.

"Most of the good Trump can do for Boeing comes from what's generically good for corporate America," Bhaskara said.

The Trump administration plans to cut corporate tax rates, and there's talk of making it easier to repatriate the money that companies like Boeing earn abroad.

And the president could come to Boeing's aid in its battle with Airbus, which has long enjoyed subsidies from European governments. Boeing contends that's an unfair advantage, and the matter is being litigated at the World Trade Organization.

"If there are specific things Trump can achieve in terms of reducing European subsidies to Airbus, then I would think that helps Boeing compete a little bit," Simon Lester, a Cato Institute trade-policy analyst, told Business Insider.

It is customary for presidents to help push for sales of major US industrial products while on foreign visits. In fact, President Barack Obama once said that he deserved a gold watch from the company because he was constantly selling Boeing products. If he so chooses, Trump, the consummate salesman, could be Boeing's best marketing tool.

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Wireless carriers are fighting tooth and nail to get your cash and thats good for consumers.

Over the past week, the four big US wireless carriers have made two things clear: Theyre easily spooked, and competition works.

From Feb. 12 through Feb. 17, a cascading series of rate cuts and service-plan liberalizations have seen the price of unlimited data plans tumble from a high of infinity to, at worst, $100.

Unlimited-data domino theory

The pricing battle started when Verizon (VZ) made a surprise announcement on Feb. 12 saying the company would start selling unlimited data plans for $80 for a single line without the kind of video streaming and hotspot limits T-Mobile (TMUS) imposed on its $70 unlimited plan.

T-Mobile then quickly responded by saying it would lift both of those restrictions, adding a 10 GB tethering allowance and letting subscribers stream high-def video.

The next two dominoes fell when Sprint (S) announced that it would also enable high-def video on its $60 unlimited plan and double its Wi-Fi tethering allotment to 10 GB. Then AT&T (T) said it would open its $100 unlimited plan to all subscribers instead of reserving it only for those who also pay for its DirecTV or U-verse TV services.

The carriers plans still have their individual downsides, of course. AT&T, for example, bans tethering on its unlimited plan, while Verizons offering requires that you give up any employee or educational discounts and enable autopay from a checking account or debit card to qualify for the lowest monthly price.

And all four carriers reserve the right to deprioritize your data  send it to the back of the digital line behind other users  if you use too much. AT&T and Verizon set that limit at 22 GB, while Sprint draws the line at 23 GB. T-Mobile starts to slow things down at 28 GB should the companys network becomes congested in your vicinity.

But overall, things are looking far more customer-friendly. And that didnt happen because AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon magically supercharged their networks or anything.

Story continues

Wireless customers can walk

One of the biggest reasons for the changes came last month, when Verizon announced that its quarterly earnings and wireless subscriber additions both fell below analyst predictions. One big factor: growing competition from T-Mobile and, to a lesser extent, Sprint.

All the signs for the complete return of unlimited were hiding in plain sight, said Recon Analytics founder Roger Entner, who pointed to the increasing capacity of Verizons network, as well as the shrinking gap between Verizon and T-Mobiles coverage areas as evidence for the change.

AT&T, meanwhile, couldnt just ignore Verizons moves considering Big Red is the companys closest competitor. When one does something significant, the other cannot fight the urge to respond in kind, Entner said. It just highlights how vigorous and intense the competition is in wireless.

Dont expect these lower unlimited data costs to rubber band back to their highs, either. In this four-company market, theres too much competition for any one carrier to expect others to follow suit if it raises rates.

The market didnt build that on its own

This isnt entirely a triumph of private enterprise, though. Imagine a wireless market in which you couldnt take your phone number from one carrier to another at will, something the Federal Communications Commission only issued a directive on in late 2003, years after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 mandated the move.

Then imagine a market in which AT&T had been allowed to purchase T-Mobile in 2011. If the Feds didnt quash that deal and free T-Mobile (armed with a $4 billion merger-breakup fee from AT&T) to blow up business as usual, we might still be stuck with two-year service contracts tying us to bloatware-riddled, carrier-crippled phones.

Its worth thinking about that as news circulates of Sprints corporate parent Softbank readying yet another bid to get its carrier merged with T-Mobile  in the latest chapter of of a story thats been simmering since 2014, Softbank is now signaling its willingness to have T-Mobile buy Sprint instead of the other way around.

We already know what a telecommunications market without sufficient competition looks like. For many American households, residential broadband remains a two-company proposition at best. In fact, in most cases, consumers have just one option after subtracting the phone companys sluggish digital-subscriber-line service.

Thats not to say home broadband represents some sort of American nightmare. Most of us have connections that seem fast enough, get faster every year and work most of the time. But if our Internet provider disappoints us, we cant fire it.

To put things another way, if wired broadband were half as competitive as wireless, do you think that the AT&T now selling unlimited mobile broadband would still impose data caps on its DSL and fiber-optic residential broadband?

Disclosure: Verizon is in the process of buying Yahoo Finances parent company, Yahoo.

More from Rob:

Email Rob at rob@robpegoraro.com; follow him on Twitter at @robpegoraro.
by Karlene Lukovitz @KLmarketdaily, February 17, 2017

Update: On Feb. 19, two days after the offer news broke and this article was posted, Unilever and Kraft Heinz issued a terse joint statement saying that Kraft Heinz had "amicably" withdrawn its merger proposal. "Unilever and Kraft Heinz hold each other in high regard," the release added. "Kraft Heinz has the utmost respect for the culture, strategy and leadership of Unilever." No explanation for the withdrawal was offered.

Friday mornings news that Kraft Heinz Co. made an unsuccessful bid to acquire Unilever PLC, while certainly noteworthy, was hardly a surprise in todays mercilessly competitive consumer product goods business.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the $143-billion proposal was rejected by Unilever, and its not certain that Kraft Heinz will make another formal proposal.

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U.K.-based Unilever replied that the offer fundamentally undervalued the company, and presented neither financial or strategic merit, from the perspective of Unilevers shareholders.

Unilever does not see the basis for any further discussions, the company told WSJ. Furthermore, even if the parties were to agree on terms, a deal would have to be approved not only by U.S. regulators but the U.K. and Dutch governments and antitrust authorities in numerous countries.

Still, Kraft Heinz stated: We look forward to working to reach agreement on the terms of a transaction.

The proposed creation of another mega-company encompassing many of the worlds largest food, personal care and home care brands would be another milestone in the worldwide consolidation occurring in the CPG industry.

Why would Kraft Heinz target Unilever at this juncture?

Many U.S. CPG companies are struggling and potentially vulnerable at this point, as a result of consumers shift toward clean foods and personal care products, and away from processed goods. In fact, just today, Campbell Soup Co., General Mills and J.M. Smucker all reported disappointing results for their most recent quarters, as WSJ pointed out.

Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital  which, with fellow Heinz majority owner Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway bought and merged Kraft with Heinz in 2015  might in theory have gone after those or other CPG companies to apply its now-renowned formula, notes David Stone, managing partner in The New England Consulting Group.

3G has determined that well-established brands can survive for three to five years without a lot of marketing or other support, says Stone. That means they can buy a company, sacrifice revenue growth in favor of massive operational cost-cutting, and dramatically raise margins and investor returns  before then going back and investing strategically in specific brands.

Unilever  the worlds second-largest CPG company, after Procter & Gamble  may have attracted 3G for a combination of reasons, notes Stone: Its not only potentially vulnerable because of slowing sales and disappointing stock performance in recent times, but would massively advance 3Gs global strategic objectives.

Furthermore, while Unilever owns several major food brands -- including Hellmanns, Lipton and Ben & Jerrys -- its largest business is the personal care category. Its Axe, Dove, Sunsilk, Rexona and Lux brands alone each generate more than a billion pounds in sales per year.

Unilever would expand Kraft Heinzs CPG footprint beyond food in a major way in a single strategic acquisition, Stone points out.
by Sara Guaglione , February 17, 2017

The Los Angeles Times will debut a new print magazine dedicated to architecture, art and design on May 21, called DesignLA.

The premium glossy will be delivered to Sunday LA Times subscribers, with a digital version available online. A second issue is planned for a fall release. DesignLA will be distributed to about 600,000 home-delivery subscribers with an estimated readership of 750,000.

Los Angeles Times director of communications Hillary Manning told Publishers Daily the city is having a transformative moment and experiencing a boom in development in areas of culture, art, design, fashion and architecture.

The magazine will focus on the landscapes and architecture of Southern California.

LA Times editor-in-chief and publisher Davan Maharaj stated: Our readers are very interested in the people who are making Los Angeles the center of innovation, design and architecture. That is one of the main themes DesignLA will explore.

Manning said the newspapers advertising clients remain very interested in print, and particularly in high-quality, glossy publications that readers keep for a long time. Based on our research, this is a great pairing of editorial coverage our subscribers value and an audience that advertisers want to reach.

The newspaper has had strong interest from its advertising clients and already has several commitments to run in DesignLA, but she was not ready to give specifics.

Chris Argentieri, LA Times SVP/GM, stated that he sees DesignLA as a companion to the Times regular Saturday, Hot Property and Image sections.

DesignLA will be a seasonal reference for visionaries, trends and style resources  that readers may return to throughout the year, on their coffee tables and in their bookshelves, he added.

Los Angeles Times subscribers and advertisers have a strong affinity for well-made print products, Argentieri said.

Michael Wollaeger has been named editor-in-chief of DesignLA. He was previously editor-in-chief of Interiors and Western Interiors and Design, and was executive editor of Architectural Digest for 15 years.

Content will come from a mix of LA Times staff writers and contributing editors.
* Anti-Muslim, anti-EU Freedom Party ahead in polls

* Shunned by mainstream, it would struggle to form government

* Surging economy boosts PM's pro-business Liberals

* French and Germans also vote this year, populism on rise (Adds further quotes, more details)

By Thomas Escritt

SPIJKENISSE, Netherlands, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Dutch anti-Muslim, anti-EU party leader Geert Wilders promised to crack down on "Moroccan scum" who he said were making the streets unsafe and urged the Dutch to "regain" their country as he launched his election campaign on Saturday.

Wilders was surrounded by police and security guards during a walkabout in Spijkenisse, part of the ethnically diverse industrial area surrounding the vast port of Rotterdam and a stronghold of his Freedom Party.

"Not all are scum, but there is a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who makes the streets unsafe," he told reporters, speaking in English. "If you want to regain your country, if you want to make the Netherlands for the people of the Netherlands, your own home, again, then you can only vote for one party."

Crime by young Moroccans was not being taken seriously, added Wilders, who in December was convicted of inciting discrimination for leading supporters in a chant that they wanted "Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!" Moroccans in the country.

Wilders - who has lived in hiding since an Islamist murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004 - pledges to ban Muslim immigration, close all mosques and take the Netherlands out of the European Union.

Many of his supporters at the Spijkenisse market, however, said they cared more about his social welfare policies.

"The most important thing for me is bringing the pension age back down to 65," said Wil Fens, 59, a crane operator at the port.

Wilders hopes a global upsurge in anti-establishment feeling that has already helped to propel Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency and to persuade Britons to vote to quit the European Union will propel him to power in the March 15 parliamentary election.

Story continues

A win for Wilders would boost French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and the Alternative for Germany party, both hoping to transform European politics in elections this year.

"Despite all the hate and fear-mongering of the elite both in Britain and Brussels, people took their fate in their own hands," he said. "I think that will happen in Holland, in France, Austria and in Germany."

Wilders' party leads in opinion polls with 17 percent, a whisker ahead of the pro-business Liberals of Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who has closed the gap by matching some of Wilders' anti-immigration rhetoric and received a boost from a surging economy.

But if he wins, Wilders will struggle to form a government, since most major parties have ruled out joining a coalition with him, viewing his policies as offensive or even unconstitutional.

The fragmented political landscape means a coalition government of four or more parties is all but inevitable.

A study published by the Social Affairs Ministry on Tuesday found that up to 40 percent of the Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands do not feel that they belong or are accepted.

(Editing by Kevin Liffey)
FILE - In March 17, 2015, file photo, New York real estate heir Robert Durst smiles as he is transported from Orleans Parish Criminal District Court to the Orleans Parish Prison after his arraignment on murder charges in New Orleans. Durst's close friend Nathan Chavin said Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, that it took seven months for him to come clean and tell prosecutors what the real estate heir said about killing their close friend. Chavin said he struggled during that time to balance his loyalties to two best friends before deciding to tell "the whole truth" about what he knew about Susan Berman's death. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP)  Robert Durst's close friend reluctantly admitted Friday that he had misled and lied to prosecutors for months before coming clean and saying that the real estate heir had confessed to killing their close friend.

A dogged defense lawyer finally got Nathan Chavin to say he was "lying" after he had deftly wielded an arsenal of weaker synonyms to explain what he said were efforts to avoid turning on his friend by telling the truth.

"I was covering up. I was withholding the truth," Chavin said. "Is that a euphemism? I was lying."

Evidence of Chavin's "waffling," a word he employed at one point, was used by Durst's camp to undermine the prosecution's star witness after he dropped two damning bombshells the day before.

Chavin said Berman, their mutual close friend, told him years ago that Durst confided in her that he killed his first wife, Kathleen Durst, who disappeared in 1982 and has never been found. Chavin said Durst told him outside a New York restaurant in 2014 what he took to be a confession to Berman's killing.

"It was her or me," Durst said about Berman, according to Chavin. "I had no choice."

Durst, 73, has pleaded not guilty to murder in the fatal shooting of Berman in her Los Angeles home. Authorities have long suspected he killed Kathleen Durst, but he's never been charged with any crime related to her disappearance.

Chavin's testimony came in a rare hearing to record witnesses who are elderly or fear the millionaire could have them whacked. The testimony that concluded Friday would only be used at a future trial if they are dead or couldn't appear for some other reason.

The defense said Durst poses no threat. He's frail, shuffles into court slowly and he's in jail where his phone conversations are recorded.

But prosecutors say that Durst killed Berman as she was preparing to speak with police who had reopened the investigation into Kathleen Durst's disappearance in New York.

Story continues

Chavin's identity was disclosed to the defense just two weeks before the hearing and he was on a plane to California that same day. He has been guarded by members of an elite division of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The battle over truth and lies played out against a backdrop of deeper themes: loyalty and betrayal.

Chavin said he struggled to balance his allegiances to two best friends before deciding to tell "the whole truth" about what he knew about Berman's death.

Berman had once found herself in that position, he said, after she learned that Durst killed his wife.

"Kathie's gone and we can't help her, we have to help Bob," Berman had said, according to Chavin.

Chavin had said Berman would do anything for Durst, and so would he.

In one recorded phone call played in court, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin asked if he thought Berman would have ultimately told the truth about Durst.

"I don't think she would have lied under oath," Chavin said.

"If that's the case it looks like Bob (Durst) made an intelligent decision," Lewin cracked. "It looks like Bob decided he had loose ends he couldn't have out there."

"That's certainly logical," Chavin said, though he denied knowing about Durst's involvement.

In the end, Chavin decided Berman deserved more of his loyalty than Durst.

"I had to consider my obligation to Susan," Chavin said. "I had a duty to protect her memory like she had to protect Bob."

Durst's lawyer suggested Chavin fabricated the so-called confession to curry favor with Douglas Durst, who ran the family's New York real estate development empire, feared his older brother and wanted him behind bars.

Chavin, an ad executive, told prosecutors he was making a major pitch to the firm and that his business depended on maintaining goodwill with Douglas Durst, who hates his brother.

He was asked by Lewin on one recording if his knowledge of a confession would put him in the good graces of Douglas Durst.

"It sure would," he said. "But it would make me a liar."

Durst was arrested in New Orleans in 2015 just before the final episode aired of the six-part HBO series, "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst."

After the arrest, Durst called Chavin from jail and said he regretted participating in the documentary that dredged up new evidence and ended with him muttering to himself on a live microphone: "You're caught! What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

On the jailhouse call, Durst said the filmmaker had put him behind bars.

Durst said it was "unbelievable how stupid I could be."

Chavin reminded Durst that he counseled him not to participate in the project.

Chavin said Durst had urged him to take part, but he declined.

"I thought it would be harmful to him," Chavin said.
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GREENLEAF TOWNSHIP  After years of infighting among residents and township officials, Bob DeLong believes that Greenleaf Township is headed in the right direction.

DeLong, the township supervisor who took office in November, said in an interview with the Tribune on Friday that he is proud of his rights as an American citizen.

He noted that when you speak of the word right, there are two elements that must be addressed: responsibility and respect.

Everyone has a responsibility to respect other peoples rights, he said.

And part of whats going on in the township is that, people dont respect other peoples rights, he added.

Thursday night, DeLong chaired his second meeting as supervisor.

The Greenleaf Township Board of Trustees accepted two resignations: Planning Commissioner Grant Toner and Board of Review member Christina Gibbard.

Toner said in his letter of resignation that township officials do not uphold the U.S. Constitution, the Michigan Constitution or township laws.

There are numerous buildings in Greenleaf Township that are not on the tax rolls and other properties that are grossly undervalued, Toner said in his letter, which was written Jan. 30, effective immediately.

Greenleaf Township leadership consistently benefits the selected few, he wrote. They use their positions to optimize self interest, not the best interest of all Greenleaf Township taxpayers.

He said that he cannot, in good conscience, remain a member of such an organization.

Township officials and residents have been embattled for the past couple of years over various issues, such as purchase of a new township hall.

The township has been hit with numerous lawsuits, and officials have been recalled.

DeLong refused to comment on the specifics of Toners letter.

Wed like to thank Mr. Toner for his service to the township, DeLong told the Tribune, and wish him luck in the future.

Bernadette Cain was appointed to the Board of Review, and Toners seat on the planning commission remains vacant.

DeLong said he doesnt know everything that needs to be done in the township, but that he is willing to work with as many as people as possible to accomplish whatever that is.

Were a group of adults. We need to act like adults, he said.

DeLong said that the township is still considering how to pay for a nearly $200,000 lawsuit won by a former supervisor, who alleged that the township had violated his constitutional rights.

Kirk Winters settlement with the township was $187,500. The township also owes Winters attorney fees, and has had its own legal costs.

DeLong said the township is considering a 15- to 20-year bond to be paid annually from the general ledger, rather than levying a tax to pay for the suit.

It would cause a lot less animosity in the township, DeLong said. If you put a tax on there, you keep that wound open until its paid off.

The township will make about $20,000 a year by renting space in the township hall to Agri-Valley Communications of Pigeon for storage, he said.

Meanwhile, the township faces another lawsuit by Gibbard and resident Shelly Cook, who say that they were assaulted at an October meeting.
CASS CITY  Although a study shows Novesta Township could be an area for wind development, there are no plans for wind farms there  yet.

We currently do not have any wind energy companies looking at Novesta Township, said Township Clerk Joann Peters.

They did a study several years ago and most of Novesta was found to be too low and wooded for windmills.

However, wind farms have been built in some townships surrounding Novesta, and plans are underway to develop more.

NextEra Energy Resources plans to develop Tuscola III, which is a $200 million wind-farm project proposed for the townships of Almer Charter, Ellington, and Fairgrove.

The township boards in Almer and Ellington each voted to slow down NextEra Energys proposed development of 52 turbines, and denied approving special use permits necessary for construction of the turbines.

Norm Stephens, who is an Almer Charter Township resident and not on a governmental board, attended the last Novesta meeting to share information on wind ordinances.

Also, attorney Jason Bitzer of Biddinger and Bitzer of Cass City attended the meeting by invitation of the board to discuss possible representation.

Bitzers firm currently represents Kingston Township and Village, Elkland Township and the Village of Cass City.

The legal firm does not charge a retainer. It charges a rate of $175 per hour, telephone calls are billed in minute increments, and there is no charge for travel time to and from or for attending monthly meetings.

The board approved switching the townships legal representation from Taylor, Butterfield, Howell, Churchill and Garner to Biddinger and Bitzer.

NextEra currently has two wind farms in the area. Tuscola-Bay Wind farm is primarily located in Gilford Township with a few turbines in Bay County. It started operation in 2012. Tuscola Wind II is located in the townships of Gilford, Akron, Fairgrove and Juniata. It became operational in 2013.

However, we do have solar energy interest. Several landowners have been contacted, Peters said.
To the editor:

Those of us who experienced 9/11 have some idea how it must have felt listening to the radio on Dec. 8, 1942, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the news of a direct attack on our nation. This attack made the already existing war personal to the people of the United States.

Retired Army Capt. George Humphrey Maines worked for the Flint Journal. He had a conversation with Gen. Pershing who suggested the idea of forming an organization comprised of mothers of military members. The general felt that it would be good for the morale of the troops and their mothers to do this. On Jan. 22, Maines placed a notice in the Flint News-Advertiser, asking for interested military mothers to gather and plan to make a military support group. The ad drew more than 1000 responses.

On Feb. 1, 1942, 358 mothers met at the Hotel Durant in Flint. The meeting was chaired by Capt. Maines and it was then decided that a permanent organization needed to be formed. A board was elected and that was the birth of Blue Star Mothers of America. On Feb. 6, the Blue Star Mothers of America was mentioned in the Congressional Record. Chapters quickly spread throughout Michigan, and on to Ohio, Wisconsin, Oregon, Iowa, Washington, Pennsylvania and New York. By the wars end there were chapters in every state and over half a million members.

Following World War II, we had Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, the Gulf War, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa  anywhere our troops are sent youll find us supporting them. We are made up of mothers of all shapes and sizes. Mothers of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Mothers of all different ideals and politics. We come together and set all of that aside to strengthen our one commonality. We are mothers of American military personnel. Our organization was congressionally chartered in 1960. Some of the things our original mothers did was they met the trains as they pulled into the railway stations bringing home the troops for a little R&R. They volunteered in hospitals. The troops suffered from the invisible wounds such as combat fatigue and shell shock. Some needed recovery time from the physical wounds. Many went to small camps that had lodges that were manned by Blue Star Mothers. One such lodge was on Indian Lake near Lake Orion.

Our mothers held scrap metal drives. The metal was salvaged to help in the war effort. It made the guns and the bullets, the tanks and the shells. It helped in making the helmets worn on their childrens heads. They gathered scarce commodities such as sugar that they could get with their ration cards and boxed it up to send overseas to our troops, who had less than the folks did back home. They sold poppies like the other organizations and the money went to the cause.

Today we do donation drives to gather items to send boxes overseas to our troops. Some chapters do similar drives only they help at the VA hospital or clinics when they have a stand down. In place of boxes, they hand out reusable cloth grocery bags filled with usable items for homeless veterans. Some chapters gather toiletries, clothing and blankets to help fill the closets of the veterans hospitals and homes with items needed there. The need is great and the Blue Star Mothers are doing their best to try to meet that need.

Today our mission is still much like it was 75 years ago. We support our troops and veterans, come alongside the families of our fallen and support each other. On Jan. 28, Blue Star Mothers of Michigan gathered at the Fred E. Richards VFW Post in St. Louis, Michigan, for an anniversary observation. Mothers from all over the state were in attendance and there were some guest speakers and a luncheon served. Also historical Blue Star Mother items from Michigan were on display.

Donations and/or military addresses can be submitted to Blue Star Mothers, Thumb Chapter MI 178, P.O. Box 64, Bad Axe, MI, 48413, or email BSMthumb178@hotmail.com for more information. The Thumb Chapter of the Blue Star Mothers meets at 6:30 p.m. the last Wednesday of every month (except for July and December) at the Franklin Inn in Bad Axe.

For more information, call 989-551-4528 or 989-551-2146.

Kathy Barnes

president of Michigan Blue Star Mothers of America Inc.
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...
EAST LANSING, MI - Six people have been charged with misdemeanor ordinance violations stemming from protests of speaker Milo Yiannopoulos, a self-proclaimed internet supervillain, Dec. 7 at Michigan State University.

It is alleged they failed to follow the university's law concerning "disorderly assemblages or conduct/unauthorized assembly" and "failure to obey a police officer," according to a Friday email from Scott Hughes, spokesman for the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office.

The prosecutor's office released one name, Seth Kalis, 24, of Lansing. He was ticketed Dec. 7, is accused of "unauthorized assembly" and has a pending case in East Lansing District Court.

Five others have not yet been arraigned, according to Hughes' email. In addition to the assembly offense, three of them also are charged with disobeying an officer.

The maximum penalty for the violations is 90 days in jail and a $100 fine.

Spartans for Free Speech brought the controversial Yiannopoulos to the campus late last year. A foe of political correctness, a fan of President Donald Trump and a Briebart News editor, the British provocateur is known for extreme views on rape culture, feminism, affirmative action, the Black Lives Matter movement and other topics.

The sold-out speech attracted a hoard of opponents. "MSU should protect against the presence of someone as hateful as Milo," one protester told a reporter.

Police warned them against blocking the event entrance and officers handcuffed multiple people for failing to follow orders. Fourteen people were arrested, officials earlier said.

The university's ordinance states: "No person shall, without authorization, assemble together anywhere on the campus for the purpose of creating any excessive noise or any disturbance, riot, or raid, or assemble in a manner which obstructs the free movement of persons about the campus or the free and normal use of university buildings and facilities or which prevents or obstructs the normal operations of the university."

A personality that clearly revels in attention and dissension, Yiannopoulos was banned from Twitter in July 2016 for what the social media site determined were abusive comments directed at comedian Leslie Jones, the target of a series of hateful tweets, and his profile since has only risen.

Recently, he was the subject of national news - and defended from the nation's highest place - when the University of California, Berkley canceled his appearance amidst violent protests, according to news reports.

If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2017

"If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?" Trump wrote on Twitter.

Friday night, Yiannopoulos is to appear on political commentator Bill Maher's HBO show, a booking generating much criticism and one guest boycott, various news agencies reported.
Legend has it, the Great Wall of China can be seen from space.

"The Great Wall"

opens with that long shot from orbit, zooming in, swooping over computer-generated Asian landscapes. The backdrop eventually transitions seamlessly to scenery of the type that exists in our recognizable reality, outside of screens and monitors, on brick-red rock formations flanking dark-brown desert sands, over which horses gallop, mid-chase, men on their backs.

Two of those men, scraggly Europeans, will soon find themselves tangled in a supra-historical legend of their own, where the Wall was built to keep out massive hordes of monsters. The Tao Tei - green-blooded reptilian goblin-man creatures with needle-toothed mouths resembling Jaws, times two - came to Earth on a meteor and a parable, the Chinese braintrust asserting that the creatures arrived to punish men for their ancestors' greed.

The Tao Tei consist of an endless supply of drone warriors, servicing a queen, who enjoys a burly royal guard shaped by evolution, for their skulls feature built-in shields perfect for deflecting arrows. These creatures enjoy at least some level of limited intelligence, because they organize their assaults on humankind, the drone-soldiers swarming in intricate patterns with unexplained strategic purpose. But on a base level, they somewhat resemble the phallic-headed monsters of the "Alien" series, driven by instinct to conquer and feed on weaker life forms.

FILM REVIEW

'The Great Wall'

2.5 stars (out of 4)

MPAA rating: PG-13 for sequences of fantasy action violence

Cast: Matt Damon, Tian Jing, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe

Director: Zhang Yimou

Run time: 103 minutes

This is a long way of saying that the greed-parable thing is baloney. It's more fun to wonder about the whats and hows of and whys of these beasts than to hear the humans in "The Great Wall" discuss them via stilted exposition. The film's pursuit of thematic depth is laughable in the face of its wafer-thin drama and characters; why can't it just be a visually stylish battle between persons and beasts? A wise man once said of the filmgoing experience, "Give me maximum direction and minimal story." To burden the narrative with a poorly realized and consummated treatise on the folly of humans is to distract from the film's strengths - eye-candy thrills, e.g., the launching of flaming cannonballs from massive trebuchets into throngs of insane creatures.

Two names rise above the title, star Matt Damon and director Zhang Yimou. I understand the desire to give Damon something to do besides fight monsters, but ultimately, he's miscast, his gifts of wit, charisma and screen presence lost in the melee of whirlwind action anchored by a leaden script. Those hoping to see a Matt Damon movie won't be seeing much of a Matt Damon movie.

Yimou is the gifted filmmaker of modern martial arts films, with a heavy emphasis on the "art" - his "House of Flying Daggers" and "Hero" continued the gospel of Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," by transforming chopsocky into ballet and telling fantastical stories within contexts that feel historically authentic. (The use of modern special effects in an ancient-Earth setting often seems like an entertainingly exotic anachronism.) In "The Great Wall," his camera floats and glides with both insistence and grace. His compositions burst with vibrant color and the carefully choreographed movement of his subjects, be they real or computer-generated. If every shot doesn't demand epic grandiosity, Yimou all but wills it to be so anyway. Even when his imagery is obviously and distractingly an artificial CGI creation, it is at least beautiful and elegant.

Damon's character, William, is a serial mercenary, fighting for whoever needs it at the time. He and his partner, a Spaniard named Tovar (Pedro Pascal), are questing across China for black powder, a mysterious, explosive substance that will make them rich if they ever make it back to Europe. They're captured by the Chinese army at the Wall, and prove themselves worthy warriors in the clashes with the Tao Tei. William is a skilled archer; throw a CGI ceramic bowl in the air and he'll pin it to a CGI pillar with three rapidly quivered and shot CGI arrows.

The plot stumbles into a pair of cliched thematic traps. Ballard (Willem Dafoe) is a weaselly Westerner long in the Chinese employ, and he, too, desires black powder - and knows where to get it. William befriends Commander Lin Mae (Tian Jing), leader of the army's all-female Crane Corps, who fearlessly bungee over fields of Tao Tei, stabbing the monsters with spears. The Tao Tei are getting stronger and smarter, and William senses a nobility in the Chinese peoples' plight, and perhaps a tugging guilt rooted in his materialistic motive for this adventure. Meanwhile, Ballard and Tovar plot to swipe their bounty and escape, leaving William conflicted: help his new friends, or save his own hide?

So what we have here is the old one-last-big-heist-before-we-retire plot crossed with the old narcissistic-Westerners-find-their-honor-and-dignity-in-the-East plot. Neither is executed particularly well. At least Yimou is an artist of the moving picture, whether being tacky (slo-mo flying arrows) or grandiose (the summoning thrum of war drums as the elaborately armored Chinese army amasses its legions). The truth is, in order to see the Great Wall from space, you need the clarity of a lens. Yimou's visuals are sometimes so vivid, one wonders if the naked eye could render them visible from orbit. One thing we certainly could see from that far away is the mundane conclusion to this movie, which is as ambitious as it is flat.
QUEENS, NY - Detroit rapper Big Sean has taken to social media to describe what happened when a fan attacked him at a CD signing.

According to Billboard.com, the incident happened during Sean's CD signing in Queens, NY on Friday, February 17, 2017. Sean is promoting his new number one album, "I Decided."

Sean sent out a series of tweets about the incident. He says the man did not hit him, but tried to. "Some guy waited in line in the cold since 10am, bought my CD, when I signed his CD n shook his hand he TRIED to hit me off guard. The dude was released from a mental hospital last week, has a long record of mental illness n was off his meds. Very serious issues."

Sean says he wanted to keep the CD signing going, but the store shut it down. The rapper released "I Decided" on February 3, 2017, the same day he opened up his pop-up shop in Detroit and three other cities. He kicks off his tour on March 17 in Houston with a stop in Detroit on April 1, 2017 at the Fox Theatre. You can see what other big concerts have been announced for 2017 in the link below.

Check out the merchandise from Sean's pop-up shops in the link below.

Here is a tweet from a fan of the aftermath of the attack on Sean.

The album so trash he wanted to smack him  RT @TrashCudi: Big Sean smacked by a fan at a meet and greet  pic.twitter.com/oFVvY4KYiS  40 (@40URTY) February 18, 2017

Here are all of Sean's tweets about the attack at the CD signing.

some guy waited in line in the cold since 10am, bought my CD, when I signed his CD n shook his hand he TRIED to hit me off guard  Sean Don (@BigSean) February 18, 2017

the dude was released from a mental hospital last week, has a long record of mental illness n was off his meds. Very serious issues  Sean Don (@BigSean) February 18, 2017

He claimed he had wrote songs for Michael Jackson, Jay Z n was wit Birdman etc. I'm hoping he's getting the proper treatment he needs.  Sean Don (@BigSean) February 18, 2017
11302015_umcolleges-5

The University of Michigan Law School.

(The Ann Arbor News file)

Jesse Enjaian

ANN ARBOR, MI - The man who shot at Oakland, Calif. residents and police officers was a University of Michigan Law School graduate.

On Friday, Feb. 17, Jesse Enjaian, 32, fired a high-powered rifle at police, leading to a standoff that ended after an officer shot him. He later died in the hospital, reports CBS San Francisco Bay Area News.

There were no reported injuries from Enjaian's shooting, the report states, although he did damage an Oakland Police car.

OPD patrol car struck multiple times by rifle rounds this morning. Suspect in custody and rifle recovered. pic.twitter.com/91pj41fKLs  Oakland Police Dept. (@oaklandpoliceca) February 17, 2017

Enjaian graduated from the University of California-Los Angeles in 2008 and the University of Michigan Law School in 2013, CBS News reported.

In 2011, UM Police investigated an allegation that he was stalking another student, said Diane Brown, UM Division of Public Safety and Security spokeswoman.

The Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office did not authorize an arrest warrant, and the criminal case was closed, she said.
ANN ARBOR, MI - The University of Michigan's Stamps School of Art & Design has opened a new gallery in downtown Ann Arbor, housed within the McKinley Town Centre on South Division Street.

On Friday, Feb. 17, the new gallery opened its doors at noon, showcasing its first exhibit, the 2017 Undergraduate Juried Exhibition, which runs through Feb. 24.

Mark Nielsen, exhibitions specialist for the Stamps School, said the new space is about 7,000 square feet and was designed to be flexible. The space can be arranged to meet the needs of the various exhibitions the art school hosts throughout the year.

Nielsen said the current undergraduate exhibit comprises a variety of art pieces, including work from freshmen students on up to seniors.

"It's nice to have it all in the same space," Nielsen said. "It shows the breadth of work from freshmen to senior and runs the gamut from more classroom-oriented stuff to more independent stuff."

Friday served as a soft opening for the new gallery. Nielsen said they had hoped to open earlier this month, but the space was not quite ready until this week.

A reception for the current exhibit is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 21.

The new Stamps Gallery is located at 201 S. Division St. Its public hours are noon to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.
BAY CITY, MI- The Knights of Columbus St. Stephen's Council #4102 held a fish fry, Friday, Feb. 17, to raise money for the Seminarians of the Diocese of Saginaw.

The group usually raises money for their own expenses with their Lenten fish fries, but in 2016, they decided to hold one before Lent and donate the proceeds to a cause close to the group's heart, the Catholic Church.

"We don't have many priests and we're trying to help them out with scholarship money," Chancellor of the Knights of Columbus #4102, Tom Bromberg, said.

Holding a fish fry is a common way to raise money in the Bay City area.

"If we have turnouts like we are today (for the rest of the fish fries,) we should be able to clear about 10 or $12,000," Bromberg said.

Those in the community like to support those they care about.

"We like to support the seminarians...one of the seminarians is our next door neighbor," Jennifer Maciejewski, of Bay City, said.

The events are also social gatherings for community members.

"I couldn't get through the door without seeing three or four different couples I knew," Carol Maciejewski, of Bay City said.

The Knights of Columbus St. Stephen's Council #4102 will hold their Lenten fish fries at 360 S. River Road, Bay City, on March 3, March 24, and April 14 in 2017, and the group is open to people of all ages who wish to volunteer to help.

They serve between 1,000 to 1,200 people and 700 to 800 pounds of fish including perch, cod and frog legs. The all you can eat style meal also includes baked beans, corn, potato salad, coleslaw, desserts and beverages.
OMER, MI - For two years after it was built in 1890, the tallest building in Omer, constructed at a staggering cost of $2,970 at the heart of the town, then-seat of Arenac County, stood empty. For the next 100, it was home to Freemasons.

Within a year of the two-story building's construction the county seat was moved from Omer to Standish, and the town's residents still haven't forgotten that decision.

"They kind of stole it from us," said Arenac County Historical Society member Mike McLavy. "But who's bitter?"

In 1892, local Freemasons with Omer Lodge No. 377 purchased the building for $500.

The Historical Society, co-chaired by each of its members but locally under the lead of former Omer Mayor Alice Sproule, is restoring the building, which fell into disuse after its Mason Lodge merged with Standish and sold the building in 1997.

The members banded together in 2007 to purchase the building for $86,000 with an uncertain plan on how to pay such a large mortgage. By 2013, it was paid off.

The society credits the generosity of Omer donors alongside the success of their own fundraising with giving them the financial security to restore the building.

A recent estate and rummage sale raised more than $17,000 for the cause. Yearly "Omer Baker" bake sales, with confections supplied by 80- and 90-year-old women in the town, raise thousands every summer.

The money raised by such efforts has helped to give the building a new roof and foundation, and money has already been set aside for all new windows and a new coat of paint slated for summer.

The Historical Society thanks the community by returning the favor with more than a dozen programs that dole out donations to charities both locally in Omer and in hospitals, schools and pantries as far away as Detroit.

Sproule credits society Secretary Phyllis Klender for her charity and donation connections, which often result in patrons of the courthouse donating the entire contents of their homes - antiques included - for charity and fundraisers.

An upcoming book sale on Sat. Feb. 18 and Sun. Feb. 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., one of several held every year, will also allow visitors a chance to tour the historic building and its upper floors, still preserved as a century-old Masonic Lodge.

The upper level of the building, once home to Omer Lodge No. 377, is being revived as the meeting place of Bowring Lodge No. 414, another century-old group that picked up many Omer Masons who wanted to remain in their hometown. The Bowring Masons now rent the upper floor of the Old Courthouse from the Arenac County Historical Society.

Bowring Mason Jess Young, the treasurer, sits at the right hand of the lodge's leader, known as the Worshipful Grand Master. Like many modern Masons, Young sees the group as a fraternal brotherhood - an opportunity to give back to his community through charity and community organizing. The secrecy associated with Masonry, he says, has had an adverse effect of membership.

"We kind of hurt ourselves with the secrecy," Young said. "The Anti-Masonry movement hit and in Detroit several of the lodges had to close."

In the velvet-curtained room on the building's second floor, Young gave Historical Society members a tour, showing off Mason artifacts, many of which bear the weight of more than a century of history.

A ceremonial sword belonging to the Lodge's founder hangs on the wall above a row of century-old, carved wooden pews. A Holy Bible sits on an altar, and atop it rest two of the symbolic Working Tools of Masonry - a metal compass and square.

On another wall hang a wooden square, plumb and level - three more of the nine total Working Tools, these donated by the Grand Lodge of Michigan in Grand Rapids.

At the front of the room, the Masons' most prominent symbol, the letter G, hangs carved in wood above the Grand Master's chair.

"Ask different people and you'll get different answers," Young says. "A lot of people say the G stands for God, and it does. It also stands for geometry, the simplest of the sciences... Masons have always been great champions of education."

Much of Masonry's mystique is derived from such secretive symbolism, which Young says serves the group's policy of members surreptitiously identifying themselves to other Masons to avoid persecution.

These days, the Masons are more open - the lodge is looking for members and Young hopes that offering tours, restoring the prominent building and partnering with the Historical Society on charity work in the coming year will help.

"It's been great," Young said of the Historical Society's purchase and restoration of the building. "We couldn't have asked for a better arrangement, from the Masonic perspective."

The Historical Society welcomes guests to visit the Old Courthouse, located alongside M-23 in the center of town, this weekend from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the hours of the book sale. The society also welcomes volunteers to help with building upkeep and contribute to a busy charity schedule.
FLINT, MI -- McLaren-Flint's president and chief executive officer says the state notified reporters about an order for the hospital to correct conditions before he received it himself.

Chad Grant, president and CEO of McLaren-Flint, said in a Thursday, Feb. 16, letter to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services that the hospital intends to cooperate with the agency as it has "throughout the Flint water crisis."

But Grant accused MDHHS of repeated public attacks on the hospital and denied the state's claim that McLaren's water system constitutes a public nuisance, is an unsanitary condition and a possible source of Legionnaires' disease.

Genesee County's Legionnaires' outbreak infected 90 patients in 2014 and 2015, 12 of whom died. Fifty of those cases had an association with McLaren, the state has said, and 10 of the 12 deaths were associated with the hospital.

As recently as this week, McLaren has said a switch in the city of Flint's water source -- from Lake Huron to the Flint River -- is the primary reason for the Legionnaires' epidemic.

DHHS Director Nick Lyon issued the order against McLaren on Feb. 14, something a DHHS spokeswoman said has never happened previously in Michigan.

Lyon ordered McLaren to turn over information related to Legionnaires' disease at the hospital, saying officials there had provided an "insufficient response" to previous requests.

Grant's letter says McLaren will not be able to respond to Lyon's order until March 10, and Angela Minicuci, a DHHS spokeswoman, said the department "will determine if the extension they are requesting is necessary considering we have been requesting this information since April of 2016, if not before."

"Public health professionals know that Legionella is found in many places," Minicuci said in an email to MLive-The Flint Journal. "Regardless of how Legionella potentially comes into a hospital system, hospitals are responsible for controlling their secondary water systems.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A middle school visited by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos just days after her confirmation isn't happy after she accused teachers there of being in "receive mode."

DeVos was interviewed by a columnist for the conservative digital publication Townhall and, according to a Thursday, Feb. 16 question-and-answer session, talked about her recent visit to a school.

Her comments prompted a serious of defensive posts on the Jefferson Middle School Academy Twitter account, claiming her observations are off-base. The school is in Washington, D.C.

DeVos, in the Townhall interview, gave accolades to teachers there for being "wonderful, genuine, sincere," but went on to say she believed they were in "receive mode."

"They're waiting to be told what they have to do, and that's not going to bring success to an individual child. You have to have teachers who are empowered to facilitate great teaching," she told the columnist.

The comments apparently drew the ire of Jefferson Middle School officials. They posted 11 successive Twitter messages the next day, with the first saying "We're about to take her to school..."

In the Tweets, school officials say the teachers work hard to help students learn and succeed and "aren't waiting to be told what to do."

JA teachers are not in a "receive mode." Unless you mean we "receive" students at a 2nd grade level and move them to an 8th grade level.  Jefferson Academy (@JATrojans) February 18, 2017

First, the secretary visited the classroom of Ashley Shepherd and Britany Locher, a dynamic co-teaching team that differentiates for the...  Jefferson Academy (@JATrojans) February 18, 2017

needs of students ranging from a first grade level to an eighth grade level in reading. They build amazing relationships with students and..  Jefferson Academy (@JATrojans) February 18, 2017

maintain a positive classroom environment focused on rigorous content, humor, and love. They aren't waiting to be told what to do.  Jefferson Academy (@JATrojans) February 18, 2017

Jefferson Middle School Academy is the same school where DeVos was confronted by protesters before she entered the school. The protesters, not affiliated with the school, were there to voice their displeasure with President Donald Trump's pick of DeVos for education secretary.

DeVos has been an advocate of schools of choice and her critics say she lacks commitment to the public school system.


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is now getting protection from the U.S. Marshal Service after an incident last week where protesters tried blocking her from entering a middle school, the Washington Post is reporting.

Marshals began protecting DeVos on Monday, Feb. 13, just three days after protesters met her outside Jefferson Middle School Academy in Washington, D.C.

A member of the Education Department security team helped her back to a government vehicle after protesters tried to stop her from entering the building. One person actually may have come in contact with DeVos.

The education secretary is normally protected or escorted by the department's own staff.

DeVos' nomination and eventual confirmation as education secretary was controversial. She gained confirmation after a Vice President Mike Pence broke a 50-50 tie in the U.S. Senate.
Area just east of I-75 near Detroit's Midtown. Eighteen of the 48 poorest ZIP Code areas in Michigan are in Detroit.

MLive file photo

Ranking Michigan's 48 poorest ZIP Codes

This slideshow features the 48 ZIP Codes in Michigan with the lowest average income reported on 2014 federal tax returns, which is the most recent data available from the Internal Revenue Service. Click here to see data for all Michigan ZIP Codes with at least 100 returns. Caveats on the data: The average tax is based only on returns with tax liability and the numbers are based on a sampling of returns.

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48. 49037 Battle Creek (Calhoun County)

$32,306: Average 2014 reported total income.

37%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

32%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

4%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

9,290: Number of tax returns.

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47. 49799 Wolverine (Cheboygan County)

$32,109: Average 2014 reported total income.

33%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

25%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

7%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

1,050: Number of tax returns.

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46. 49442 Muskegon (Muskegon County

$32,106: Average 2014 reported total income.

39%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

31%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

3%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

17,050: Number of tax returns.

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45. 49450 Pullman (Allegan County)

$31,772: Average 2014 reported total income.

42%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

33%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

3%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

1,180: Number of tax returns.

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44. 49921 Dodgeville (Houghton County)

$31,713: Average 2014 reported total income.

27%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

29%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

0%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

150: Number of tax returns.

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43. 48503 Flint (Genesee County)

$31,651: Average 2014 reported total income.

38%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

33%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

5%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

9,080: Number of tax returns.

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42. 49403 Covert (Van Buren County)

$31,632: Average 2014 reported total income.

46%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

31%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

5%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

870: Number of tax returns.

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41. 48089 Warren (Macomb County)

$31,577: Average 2014 reported total income.

36%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

31%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

3%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

14,280: Number of tax returns.

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40. 49507 Grand Rapids (Kent County)

$31,577: Average 2014 reported total income.

41%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

34%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

3%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

15,340: Number of tax returns.

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39. 48030 Hazel Park (Oakland County)

$31,206: Average 2014 reported total income.

32%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

25%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

3%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

7,690: Number of tax returns.

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38. 49440 Muskegon (Muskegon County)

$31,130: Average 2014 reported total income.

44%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

30%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

5%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

430: Number of tax returns.

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37. 48202 Detroit (Wayne County)

$30,977: Average 2014 reported total income.

35%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

35%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

4%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

5,640: Number of tax returns.

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36. 48506 Flint (Genesee County)

$30,971: Average 2014 reported total income.

35%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

30%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

4%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

11,100: Number of tax returns.

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35. 48456 Mount Morris (Genesee County)

$30,923: Average 2014 reported total income.

37%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

29%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

4%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

8,890: Number of tax returns.

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34. 49788 Kincholoe (Chippewa County)

$30,584: Average 2014 reported total income.

41%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

39%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

950: Number of tax returns.

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33. 48219 Detroit (Wayne County)

$29,639: Average 2014 reported total income.

38%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

39%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

3%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

18,720: Number of tax returns.

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32. 48215 Detroit (Wayne County)

$29,533: Average 2014 reported total income.

41%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

43%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

4%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

4,260: Number of tax returns.

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31. 48756 Prescott (Ogemaw County)

$29,270: Average 2014 reported total income.

39%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

29%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

3%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

1,530: Number of tax returns.

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30. 48235 Detroit (Wayne County)

$28,971: Average 2014 reported total income.

38%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

37%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

3%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

18,480: Number of tax returns.

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29. 48203 Highland Park (Wayne County)

$28,780: Average 2014 reported total income.

41%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

43%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

4%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

8,540: Number of tax returns.

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28. 48601 Saginaw (Saginaw County)

$28,528: Average 2014 reported total income.

42%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

38%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

3%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

14,670: Number of tax returns.

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27. 48340 Pontiac (Oakland County)

$27,914: Average 2014 reported total income.

39%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

35%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

10,450: Number of tax returns.

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26. 48529 Burton (Genesee County)

$27,768: Average 2014 reported total income.

37%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

33%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

4,050: Number of tax returns.

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25. 48109 Ann Arbor (Washtenaw County)

$27,756: Average 2014 reported total income.

44%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

0%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

0%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

180: Number of tax returns.

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24. 48141 Inkster (Wayne County)

$27,407: Average 2014 reported total income.

39%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

37%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

10,970: Number of tax returns.

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23. 48224 Detroit (Wayne County)

$27,226: Average 2014 reported total income.

40%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

47%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

3%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

15,810: Number of tax returns.

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22. 48933 Lansing (Ingham County)

$27,113: Average 2014 reported total income.

41%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

23%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

4%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

1,330: Number of tax returns.

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21. 48218 River Rouge (Wayne County)

$26,976: Average 2014 reported total income.

41%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

40%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

3,010: Number of tax returns.

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20. 48217 Detroit (Wayne County)

$25,979: Average 2014 reported total income.

38%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

35%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

3,010: Number of tax returns.

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19. 48504 Flint (Genesee County)

$25,979: Average 2014 reported total income.

40%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

41%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

10,780: Number of tax returns.

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18. 48227 Detroit (Wayne County)

$25,435: Average 2014 reported total income.

41%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

47%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

15,670: Number of tax returns.

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17. 48208 Detroit (Wayne County)

$25,405: Average 2014 reported total income.

39%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

43%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

3,080: Number of tax returns.

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16. 48229 Ecorse (Wayne County)

$25,242: Average 2014 reported total income.

42%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

38%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

3,750: Number of tax returns.

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15. 48206 Detroit (Wayne County)

$25,099: Average 2014 reported total income.

40%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

45%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

5,970: Number of tax returns.

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14. 48234 Detroit (Wayne County)

$24,355: Average 2014 reported total income.

41%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

45%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

2%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

12,760: Number of tax returns.

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13. 49642 Idlewild (Lake County)

$24,122: Average 2014 reported total income.

52%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

41%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

0%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

270: Number of tax returns.

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12. 48209 Detroit (Wayne County)

$23,982: Average 2014 reported total income.

45%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

37%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

1%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

9,300: Number of tax returns.

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11. 48204 Detroit (Wayne County)

$23,463: Average 2014 reported total income.

43%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

46%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

1%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

8,680: Number of tax returns.

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10. 48205 Detroit (Wayne County)

$23,351: Average 2014 reported total income.

41%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

53%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

1%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

13,480: Number of tax returns.

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9. 48342 Pontiac (Oakland County)

$23,178: Average 2014 reported total income.

43%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

45%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

1%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

7,180: Number of tax returns.

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8. 48228 Detroit (Wayne County)

$23,093: Average 2014 reported total income.

43%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

49%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

1%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

18,810: Number of tax returns.

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7. 48210 Detroit (Wayne County)

$22,996: Average 2014 reported total income.

47%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

43%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

1%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

8,060: Number of tax returns.

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6. 48607 Saginaw (Saginaw County)

$22,765: Average 2014 reported total income.

47%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

36%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

0%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

550: Number of tax returns.

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5. 48238 Detroit (Wayne County)

$22,338: Average 2014 reported total income.

43%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

48%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

1%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

9,700: Number of tax returns.

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4. 48213 Detroit (Wayne County)

$22,252: Average 2014 reported total income.

42%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

49%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

1%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

7,730: Number of tax returns.

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3. 48211 Detroit (Wayne County)

$21,980: Average 2014 reported total income.

46%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

53%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

1%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

1,770: Number of tax returns.

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2. 48212 Hamtramck (Wayne County)

$21,755: Average 2014 reported total income.

43%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

48%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

1%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

12,720: Number of tax returns.

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1. 48505 Flint (Genesee County)

$20,350: Average 2014 reported total income.

45%: Percent of returns with no tax liability.

48%: Percent of returns with refundable Earned Income Credit.

1%: Returns reporting over $100,000 in income.

7,780: Number of tax returns.

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This map shows the average income per return for Michigan counties; click on a county to see the underlying data. (Hint: You can drag the map away from the legend if needed.)

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JD.CONSUMERSENERGY6.JPG

The Consumers Energy headquarters in downtown Jackson.

(MLive file photo )

JACKSON, MI - Of the $13.5 million Consumers Energy and its employees gave to nonprofits in 2016, more than $1.2 million went to Jackson-area groups.

Consumers has more than 7,400 employees. They were not required to disclose their philanthropy.

"Our mission is to help Michigan to be a magnet state for residents to thrive and businesses to grow, providing access to world class cultural, educational and natural resources," said David Mengebier, Consumers Energy's vice president, in a press release.

The most common nonprofit was United Way, which received more than $1.7 million across 55 locations in Michigan.

Here's a list of the organizations based in Jackson that received funds from the company or its employees.
The Michigan State Police Jackson post provided the following log of activities for Thursday, Feb. 16, with troopers investigating 20 incidents and calls for service.

Fugitive:

Jackson County, Summit Township: Troopers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle. Contact with the driver, a 43-year-old Jackson man, revealed he had six warrants for his arrest for fraud, the possession of marijuana, and child support out of the Blackman-Leoni Township Department of Public Safety, the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, and the Albion Police Department. He was taken into custody and lodged at the Jackson County Jail.

Operating While Intoxicated:

Jackson County, Blackman Township: Troopers stopped a vehicle for lane violations. Upon contact with the driver, a 24-year-old Jackson woman, it was discovered that she was operating while intoxicated, driving on a suspended license, and had a warrant for her arrest out of the Blackman-Leoni Township Department of Public Safety.

Fugitive:

Jackson County, City of Jackson: Troopers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for defective brake lights. The driver, a 41-year-old Jackson woman, was found to have a shoplifting warrant for her arrest out of the Blackman-Leoni Township Department of Public Safety. She was arrested and lodged at the Jackson County Jail.

Fugitive:

Jackson County, City of Jackson: Troopers performed a traffic stop on a vehicle for a defective brake light. A passenger in the vehicle, a 21-year-old Jackson man was found to have a traffic warrant for his arrest out of the Michigan State Police Jackson Post. An additional passenger, a 38-year-old Jackson man, was found to have a traffic warrant for his arrest out of the Jackson Police Department. Both individuals were lodged at the Jackson County Jail.

Domestic Violence:

Hillsdale County, Jefferson Township: Troopers were dispatched to a domestic violence complaint. An investigation was conducted, and a 33-year-old Osseo man was arrested for domestic violence. He was lodged at the Hillsdale County Jail.

Additional activities:

Troopers apprehended a 28-year-old female from Albion that had three traffic warrants for her arrest out of the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office; she was lodged at the Jackson County Jail.

Troopers are investigating a report of welfare fraud in Jefferson Township, Hillsdale County.

Troopers are investigating an incident of the delivery of heroin in Amboy Township, Hillsdale County.
JACKSON, MI - It only took a few notes for the sold-out crowd at Michigan Theatre to start cheering.

They soon were singing with Travis Tritt as he crooned the chorus of his hit "Here's a quarter (call someone who cares)."

At the close, he tossed in an update.

"This is what I tell my kids: "Here's an iPhone, call someone who cares."

The Grammy-winning country music star had downtown Jackson buzzing Friday night for an act theater Executive Director Steve Tucker boasted was "big."

Maybe the biggest.

"It's awesome," said Lacy Ryal, 34, who came to Jackson with her husband and best friend from tiny Ovid, north of Lansing. "It's surreal to hear him live."

She's been a fan since she was a kid and attends many concerts. "This is far better than a lot of the big ones I've been to."

Lacking the long locks he sported in earlier days, Tritt sat alone on a stool with an acoustic guitar. He sipped from a glass set on a table to his right. Only beaming lights, alternating in color, and fog machines dressed the stage.

"I'm old school in case you haven't figured that out," Tritt told the crowd.

He used a dictionary app to look up "twerk," he joked, laughing loudly into the microphone.

"To be honest with you, I wished I never looked that s--- up in the first place."

He referred to himself as "this old country boy" and talked about his upbringing in metro Atlanta. "I've known bootleggers all my life. I still do."

Tritt then played a 1972 song made famous by country musician and guitarist Jerry Reed. He took time to "claw a while" and made a not-so-subtle jab at modern country music, shouting: "Eat your heart out, Luke Bryan."

The crowd clapped, whistled and held up their cell phones to take video of his more famous songs, such as "Help me hold on," a 1990 love tune among his first No. 1 hits.

"I like love songs," he said. "I've written a whole bunch of them."

In advance of the concert, Jackson restaurants and bars were busy with people.

The streets were bustling with cars and people from Jackson and elsewhere. Some were seeing the Michigan Theatre, opened in 1930, for the first time.

Nearly 50 volunteers were on hand to handle the visitors and assure all went smoothly for Tritt's show, one of many in his long career.

The 54-year-old started in the music business in 1989, performed in the Super Bowl in 1994 and has released seven studio albums.

He played before in Jackson, in 2009 at the Jackson College Potter Center.
This story has been updated with a comment from the homeowner.

SCOTTS, MI -- Firefighters were working Friday afternoon to determine what caused a fire that gutted a house in the 10000 block of Tomkinson Drive, near S Avenue and 29th Street.

Firefighters with the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority said the roof of the single-story house had caved in by the time they arrived shortly before 1 p.m. Friday.

No injuries were reported.

First responders said the house was unoccupied when they arrived. Firefighters did rescue a dog that is a family pet.

A column of smoke helped lead the way to the residential area, located on the west side of Pickerel Lake in Pavilion Township. The house sits back off Tomkinson Road but not on the lake itself and is surrounded by a section of woods and a field.

Neighbor Mark Manning suggested that may have allowed the fire inside to burn for some time before it was noticed by anyone.

Homeowner Anna Austin told MLive photographer Mark Bugnaski, "I'm just glad nobody was home."

She lives at the house with her husband and children and spoke as firefighters were still working to douse the blaze inside the structure.

She said she is lucky that if such a thing was going to happen, "that it happened during the day. Nobody got hurt. I think at nighttime our kids would have been traumatized."

She also said, "Things are replaceable. I'm sad about the keepsakes, the baby pictures. Those are not replaceable, but they're still things. They're not people."

Manning said by the time firefighters arrived, the roof had burned off and collapsed.

Firefighters from area communities helped shuttle water to the house, which is in an area not served by fire hydrants. Pumper trucks had to drive for several miles to the nearest water hydrants, which they said were located on Sprinkle Road.
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KALAMAZOO, MI - A year since Uber driver Jason Dalton allegedly gunned down six people and seriously injured two more in a mass shooting, there's still no trial date in the criminal case against him.

He hasn't been in court since May, when a judge ordered him to stand trial on 16 felonies, including six counts of murder, two counts of assault with intent to commit murder and eight felony firearm counts.

Dalton, 46, of Cooper Township, was found competent to stand trial in April following a psychological examination, which evaluated his ability to understand the nature of the court proceedings and to assist in his defense.

In June, Dalton's attorney, Eusebio Solis, filed a notice of intent to use an insanity defense. That prompted another delay in the case while Dalton underwent an evaluation for criminal responsibility at the state Center for Forensic Psychiatry. That exam, focused on whether he was criminally responsible or legally insane at the time of the crimes, has been completed, but the results will likely will only become public at trial.

Solis has filed notice he is seeking a second, independent psychological evaluation of Dalton's criminal responsibility.

Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said despite the delays, the case is continuing to move forward.

"The case is continuing to proceed as a case of this magnitude and complexity normally would," he said. "Although it is taking longer than a typical case, this is not a typical case."

The next scheduled court date is March 9, when Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Judge Alexander C. Lipsey will hold a hearing on a defense motion to suppress Dalton's statements to police. Lipsey is expected to set a trial date after ruling on that motion.

"We're hoping the case moves forward toward a trial shortly after that," Getting said.

Police reports say Dalton told investigators the Uber app on his cellphone had taken over his Chevrolet Equinox - and later his body - and said "things began to get really weird" Feb. 20 in the hours before the mass killing.

"Dalton then explains how when he opens up the Uber taxi app a symbol appeared and he recognized that symbol as the Eastern Star symbol, a detective wrote in a police report. "Dalton acknowledged that he recognized the Uber symbol as being that of the Eastern Star and a devil head popped up on his screen and when he pressed the button on the app, that is when all the problems started."

Solis in September filed notice that he would seek to have prosecutors barred from using Dalton's statements to investigators at trial. In it, the defense attorney says Dalton exercises his Fifth Amendment right under the Constitution against self-incrimination and his Sixth Amendment right to have an attorney present during questioning. Solis wrote that "detectives ignored the request and continued their interrogation" of Dalton following his arrest early on the morning of Feb. 21, hours after the shootings.

Dalton, who was arrested without incident at about 12:40 a.m., was questioned until 3 or 4 a.m. by Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety detectives. Then a Michigan State Police detective began interrogating him around 3 p.m., Solis wrote in the court document. Dalton again exercised his Constitutional rights, and the detective spoke to Dalton about unrelated matters, Solis wrote.

"After gaining the defendant's confidence the defendant indicates he will answer the detective's questions and the detectives attempt to remedy the violation of the defendant's Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights by taking a two- to five-minute break and then re-entering the room and Mirandizing the defendant a second time," Solis wrote.

He said Dalton's statements to police cannot be considered voluntary, knowing and intelligently given.

Getting said this week his office believes Dalton's statements should be admissible at trial. The prosecutor said he "absolutely" expects the trial to be held in 2017 in Kalamazoo.

"I don't have any reason to believe we can't seat a fair and impartial jury here in Kalamazoo," Getting said.

The six people killed the night of Feb. 20 included a father and son looking at cars in an auto dealership lot and four women who had just seen a show at Western Michigan University's Miller Auditorium and were preparing to split up and drive home.

Tyler and Rich Smith of Mattawan were shot in the parking lot of Seelye Kia on Stadium Drive in Kalamazoo at around 10 p.m., Feb. 20. Mary Lou Nye, 62, of Baroda; Mary Jo Nye, 60, Dorothy "Judy" Brown, 74, and Barbara Hawthorne, 68, all of Battle Creek, were killed as they sat in two different vehicles in the parking lot of the Cracker Barrel restaurant on South Ninth Street in Texas Township, after seeing the show at WMU.

Two people injured in the shootings survived. Tiana Carruthers, then 25, was shot in the parking lot of The Meadows townhomes in Richland Township, the first of the three shooting scenes, and Abbie Kopf, then 14, was shot in one of the vehicles at Cracker Barrel. Both continue to recuperate.

The victims, survivors and their families will be remembered and honored at a community-wide candlelight vigil Monday, Feb. 20, at Wings Event Center.
MUSKEGON, MI - Plumb, Inc. ceased operations as of Sunday, Feb. 12, after more than 80 years as a Muskegon-based business.

"Plumb's is done," said Jim Nader, former president of Plumb, Inc., and current president of L.M. Foods.

Renaming, remodeling and remerchandising are planned for the three former Plumb's stores, starting with remerchandising at the North Muskegon store next week, he said.

Nader declined to provide the new store name.

"We have exciting things coming," he said.

Plumb's assets were seized by its secured creditor, Menominee-based L.M. Foods LLC. The value of the seized assets did not satisfy the debts owed to the company, according to a letter from Plumb, Inc. to creditors.

L.M. Foods now owns all assets of the former Plumb company, and has taken over operation of its three stores in Muskegon, North Muskegon and Whitehall, Nader said.

All Plumb's employees - about 125 people - have been transferred to L.M. Foods, he said.

"We were able to save a lot of jobs," Nader said. "It's going to be really positive for Muskegon."

Plumb's stores in Newaygo and Norton Shores were closed during November. At the same time, Great Lakes Foods took over as the primary distributor for the three remaining locations.

Prior to the partnership with Great Lakes Foods, Plumb's shelves were depleted.

L.M. Foods owner Tom Kuber is based in Menominee, Michigan, but all employees are still based in Muskegon, Nader said.

Kuber also owns the Menominee-based Great Lakes Foods.

L.M. Foods was formed on Oct. 27, 2016, according to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).

On Dec. 21, 2016, L.M. "exercised its rights under applicable Michigan law to accept the personal property assets of Plumb in full satisfaction of the debt obligations owing to L.M.," according to the letter.

The letter continues: "Plumb will have no remaining assets from which to satisfy its obligations to its unsecured creditors. Consequently, no formal bankruptcy proceeding is planned for Plumb at this juncture."

Multiple attempts to reach Kuber and Plumb, Inc. attorney were unsuccessful.

During November, Plumb's stores had about 210 employees. The stores in Newaygo and Norton Shores that closed employed about 70 people.

Plumb's had 456 employees in 2007 when the stores changed ownership from Roger Eikenberry - sole owner and president from 1985-2007 - to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan that put four executives in charge of the company, including Nader.

The ESOP was set up to be 80 percent held by a 51-member non-union management team, and 20 percent held by the 4-member executive team that included Nader, Glenn Hartley, Dennis Pray and Roger Eikenberry's son Brian Eikenberry.

At that time, the company operated eight stores, including one Save-A-Lot. It has since closed the Save-A-Lot and Plumb stores in Hastings, Muskegon Heights, Newaygo and Norton Shores.

Plumb's has been a Muskegon company since 1936. It was founded by A.D. Plumb as Wolverine Spice Co. in Grand Rapids during 1871. The wholesaler of spices and specialty foods went into groceries in 1894 through the efforts of A.D. Plumb's son George A. Plumb.

The company expanded into Muskegon in 1936 with a store at Fifth Street and Thayer Avenue downtown. By 1941, a second store was built on Sanford Street in Muskegon Heights.

In 1948 and 1951, stores were added on East Laketon and Apple avenues. Growth continued in Whitehall, Ludington, Grand Rapids and Grand Haven.

The Plumb family owned the business until 1968 when the seven remaining stores were purchased by Vescio's, a Saginaw-based chain. Vescio's went into bankruptcy seven years later, and the Plumb's in Muskegon went up for sale.

Charles Carlton acquired the four Muskegon stores and the Whitehall store in 1975. He died suddenly in 1984, and Roger Eikenberry was made company president. Roger Eikenberry became sole owner in 1985.

Under Roger Eikenberry's leadership, Plumb's bought 15 stores and sold or closed 12.

At times, the company operated Piggly Wiggly and Save-A-Lot stores.
Saginaw NAACP offers 2017 State of the Community address

Jeff Schrier | MLive.comFrom left, Gilberto Guevara of the Latino Leaders for Enhancement, Advocacy and Development (LLEAD), Saginaw County Commissioner Amos O'Neal and Saginaw Board of Education Trustee Ruth Ann Knapp listen to speakers during the annual NAACP State of the Community address at Andersen Enrichment Center in Saginaw, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017.

(Jeff Schrier)

SAGINAW, MI -- A Saginaw-based organization will hold a free public forum to address recent reactions at town hall meetings across the nation to post-presidential campaign and election turmoil.

The Latino Leaders for the Enhancement of Advocacy and Development will host the forum from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at La Union Civica Mexicana, located at 2715 Wadsworth Ave. in Saginaw.

The forum will discuss immigration rights, concerns regarding the transition to the new presidential administration, racially charged incidents close to home and around the country and more.

"Our time is now, the time to act for the greater good is now," said Dalia Mendoza Smith, president of the Saginaw Latino Leaders for the Enhancement of Advocacy and Development. "More than ever, we need to combat the root cause of systemic racism. We recognize the increase of hate crimes and anti-immigrant feelings across the country as symptoms of a deeper malaise that is eating away at our country."

The main purpose of the forum is to bring community members and stakeholders together for an open discussion on multiple issues and solutions.

The keynote speaker of the event is Aida M. Cuadrado, who is the national reinvestment organizer for the Center for Community Change based out of Washington, D.C. She was raised in Saginaw and graduated from Arthur Hill High School and Delta College.

Cuadrado said she focuses on helping organizations build capacity and power in their communities so that they are able to establish economic and political power.

Representatives from Saginaw Public School District, Saginaw County Community Mental Health and more local organizations are expected to be at the forum.

The Latino Leaders for the Enhancment of Advocacy and Development's mission is "to bring together Latino communities in the state to exchange ideas on common issues so that Michigan Latinos can present unified solutions in resolving challenges confronted on the local, state and national levels.

The organization was formed four years ago and is headquartered in Lansing with chapters in Saginaw and Holland.

For more information, contact Smith at 989-860-7766 or Dan Soza at 989-780-2263.
SAGINAW, MI -The CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region will honor Judy Zehnder Keller of Frankenmuth as the 2017 Child Advocate of the Year. The award will be presented Thursday, Feb. 23, at Horizons Conference Center during the 24th Annual CAN Council Mardi Gras Auction.

Since 2000, the CAN Council's Child Advocate of the Year award has annually honored an outstanding individual or group for being extraordinarily committed to making the Great Lakes Bay Region a better place for children and families.

Judy Zehnder Keller is the president and owner of the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, Michigan, which she designed and built in 1986. Now in its fourth generation of active management, the Bavarian Inn Corporation is something Judy has been a part of since childhood. Judy has been a longtime supporter of the CAN Council.

For more information, visit CANcouncil.org or call (989) 752-7226.
SVSU.CampusVillageShooting.jpg

Police car lights flash and are reflected in a sliding glass door at Campus Village, 2207 Pierce in Kochville Township, on Sept. 11, 2016. Saginaw County Sheriff Deputies responded to a large party for reports of shots fired around 1:50 a.m.

(Josie Norris | MLive.com)

KOCHVILLE TOWNSHIP, MI -- Saginaw Valley State University is offering a mobile app intended to connect the school community to campus police during an emergency.

School officials this past week launched the "CrisisManager" app, SVSU President Donald Bachand said during his State of the University address on Thursday, Feb. 16.

Bachand encouraged those in attendance to download the free app and use it to immediately report an incident or emergency or send tips and photos to the University Police Department.

SVSU spokesman J.J. Boehm said he first met with Police Chief Leo Mioduszewski and others about the app "sometime ago."

"It's not a reaction to any one thing," Boehm said. "Since (Mioduszewski) came aboard [in January 2016], he's been looking at all these kinds of things. ... It's clear that we need more and more tools at our disposal when it comes to campus safety, as is evident in what you see going around on campuses across the country."

The app offers resources tailored specifically to the SVSU campus, Mioduszewski stated in an email to the campus community. That includes specific actions and procedures for defined emergencies, emergency personnel contacts and the ability to contact them with the app, and reporting tools featuring GPS technology.

"I would encourage those of you with mobile devices to download this app and explore its capabilities," Mioduszewski stated. "Those same capabilities may come in handy during the most critical of moments."

Following Bachand's address on Thursday, university officials handed a wallet card to those in attendance that explains how to report a sexual assault.

"As much training and information as we try to provide, in an emergency, you can forget some of that," Boehm said. "You hope it never has to get used, but if it does, we want to make sure it's available."
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business Bank GNPAs may rise to 16-17% of loans in 1-2 yrs: Credit Suisse At the end of Q3, a whopping 41 percent of corporate debt is with companies whose earnings are less than their interest outgo. Credit Suisse's MD and Head of Research Ashish Gupta shares his detailed analysis with CNBC-TV18's Latha Venkatesh on a special show - Indianomics.
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India set a new record on Wednesday when space agency Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched 104 satellites from 7 different countries in to orbit, beating its previous personal best of 20 satellites in one go.



PSLV-C37 / Cartosat -2 Series Mission Successfully Launched all 104 Satellites

 ISRO (@isro) February 15, 2017

Out of the 104 satellites, 96 were from US, 3 from India and one each from Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and UAE.

Prior to India, Russia held the record when it sent 37 satellites in a single launch in 2014.

The Indian space agency has been in the limelight for the past few years for its economical project execution and 100 percent success rate in foreign satellite launches.

ISRO's low cost services are attracting a lot of foreign customers as new private players like SpaceX are yet to improve their cost effectiveness.

While for a satellite launch, SpaceX will charge around USD 60 million, ISRO charged an average of USD 3 million per satellite between 2013 and 2015.

Launched in 2014, India's Mass Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called Mangalyaan cost around USD 74 million as opposed to NASA's Mars orbiter MAVEN, which had a total mission cost of USD 672 million.

Last year ISRO launched 10 Indian satellites and 22 foreign satellites. On the back of foreign satellite launches, the forex revenue for ISRO's commercial arm, Antrix Corporation, went up 204.9 percent in 2015. In FY16, commercial launches brought in Rs 230 crore.

As per available reports, the average annual revenue of international satellite market for nearly 4 years is close to Rs 13 lakh crore, of which, the launch services market is worth Rs 0.37 lakh crore. The launch capacity available with ISRO earned a revenue of around Rs 239 crore through commercial launch services, which is about 0.6 percent of the global launch services market. (Read)

ISRO has also signed a contract with an ambitious Indian start-up called Team Indus to carry its spacecraft to the moon on its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

The space agency also plans to revisit Mars and a trip to Venus in the coming years.
Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
An extinction burst  when negative behaviours intensify just before they end for good. This may apply to asshole cats and also the collapse of white supremacy.

My cat

I have a cat. Shes a bitch. I love her, but shes a bitch. In the first several months after we got her she had some bad behaviours, the worst of which was waking us up between 3 and 5 in the morning. My boyfriend Brooks consulted the Internet and figured out how to get the bad behaviours to stop. We had to completely ignore them and endure her pouncing on our heads at whatever awful hour. During the last week or two before she stopped, she acted like an intense asshole. We were warned that during this part of the process the behaviours would intensify right before they ended for good. This is called the extinction burst.

My cat.

When Obama was elected president and all the deep-seated, institutionalized racism, sexism etc. in American culture that hid in plain sight finally bubbled to the surface, I began to imagine the white male supremacists and their proxies gathering in their bunkers for their last stand. And then a day after Trumps election I finally had the terminology to describe what my anthropological brain was observing. White supremacy is experiencing its extinction burst.

My cat analogy ends there, though. Obviously Im not going to handle the extinction period of white supremacy by ignoring it. And it will definitely last longer than a week or two, and could last longer than four years for all I know. But years of studying monkeys and human behaviour as an anthropologist has stored terabytes of behavioural data in my brain, which gets automatically calculated and applied as I watch the world.

The probability that white supremacys dominating hold on our culture will become extinct in my lifetime is high.

My feelings

The hardest part of the elections outcome is sorting through all the cognitive dissonance. When it comes to people who arent my cat, I cant control anyones beliefs or actions in response to Trumps election. But, as Charles Darwin said, It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.

I have control over my beliefs and my actions, and I have decided to adapt.

I cant hate Trump supporters. Im too empathetic. Yeah, I think the rich and elite who support him have a nice warm place in hell waiting for them, but Im not going to concentrate my efforts on them. When it comes to the middle, working, and damn poor classes that support Trump, thats where I can act. A lot of people suffer from a lack of financial stability and education, even in the middle class. No one sits well with uncertainty, and knowledge defeats fear.

In Kentucky, there are a lot of great nonprofits that help feed and educate people, many of which are in Louisville and Lexington. Since those two counties were the only blue spots in the election, I decided to find an organization outside those cities. I chose to donate monthly to the Womens Crisis Centre in Covington, KY.

I was definitely complacent before the election. I was going to leave it to Bernie or Hillary to fix everything while I continued on with my life. But because Trump got elected, it placed the OVERWHELMING responsibility to work on the countrys problems on OUR  the peoples  shoulders. Its an intense weight that many of us feel crushed by right now.

My actions

Diversity is trending in the mainstream and the markets are capitalizing on it. In games, toys, and most products, people are working on including everyone. Where I currently work, many major companies are requesting online courses on diversity in the workplace and why thats important. In the writing field, the majority of agents and publications are searching for and accepting diverse authors and stories, specifically stating they are tired of the same old narrative. The counter force to Trump and his supporters is a living, healthy, progressive organism.

To keep the engines of change barrelling through white supremacys extinction burst, Ive decided to donate whatever I can spare to organizations that feed and educate people who are lacking these much-needed resources. I want to think carefully about how, as an individual, I can act in response to whatever shitty consequences occur during Trumps presidency. And of course, since I am a writer, I am going to write. A LOT.

My secret optimism

Ive been hiding my optimism. No one wants to see it right now, and I get it. People need time to process and determine their part in this progressive push through white supremacys extinction burst. Especially those who are surrounded by Trump supporters.

I shared my thoughts with someone recently who is on the same side of the election as me, and he said, I would like to believe you, but this is how Hitler came to power. I thought of my response too late. What I wanted to say is: Yeah, we may see history repeating itself, but since it already happened, we know the future and therefore can intervene to change it (like Doc Brown said in Back to the Future III).

Recently, a Trump supporter screamed fatphobic, misogynistic things in my friends face on the street and walked away. The woman next to her at the bus stop wished her well and another woman she didnt know hugged her. The data says thats two acts of kindness against one act of hate.

Good outnumbers hate, regardless of the most recent elections outcome.

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February 18, 2017 Elections In France - CIA Spies On Political Parties, NYT Claims "Russian" Interference New York Times Editorial, February 18, 2017: Keeping the Kremlins Hands Off Frances Elections With the United States engulfed in questions about Russias role in the 2016 presidential election, France is determined to head off any such meddling in its coming presidential election. Wikileaks, February 16, 2017: CIA espionage orders for the 2012 French presidential election All major French political parties were targeted for infiltration by the CIA's human ("HUMINT") and electronic ("SIGINT") spies in the seven months leading up to France's 2012 presidential election. The revelations are contained within three CIA tasking orders published today by WikiLeaks ...

bigger NYT: On Monday Richard Ferrand, the director of Emmanuel Macrons campaign, claimed that the Russians had unleashed hundreds and even thousands of hacking attempts against Mr. Macron, and that RT and Sputnik, government-controlled news outlets, are spreading fake news, as they were said to have done during the American election cycle. The stories about Mr. Macron range from allegations that he is engaged in a secret extramarital gay affair to accusations that he used state funds to pay for foreign travel. Marine Le Pen, the far-right National Front candidate, who has received Russian financing, is expected to win the most votes in a crowded field in the first round of voting, on April 23. Wikileaks: The espionage order for "Non Ruling Political Parties and Candidates Strategic Election Plans" which targeted Francois Holland, Marine Le Pen and other opposition figures requires obtaining opposition parties' strategies for the election; information on internal party dynamics and rising leaders; efforts to influence and implement political decisions; support from local government officials, government elites or business elites; views of the United States; efforts to reach out to other countries, including Germany, U.K., Libya, Israel, Palestine, Syria & Cote d'Ivoire; as well as information about party and candidate funding. NYT: France is wise to take steps now, though it is too early to know whether they will have much effect. Mr. Ayrault was absolutely right, however, when he stated on Wednesday what should be obvious to all democratic governments: After what happened in the United States, it is our responsibility to take all measures to ensure that the integrity of our democratic process is respected. At stake, he said, is our democracy, our sovereignty and our national independence. (For the record: In 2014 the National Front party of Marine Le Pen took out a regular loan from the First Czech Russian Bank registered in Moscow. This after French banks had rejected all loan requests by the party. On July 1 2016 the FCRB's license was revoked by the Russian Central Bank over other issues.) I agree with the NYT that "Ayrault is absolutely right" to take steps now. Those steps will hopefully prevent further U.S. interference in French elections which the NYT editors so blatantly ignore. It should also help to dismantle the stupid assertions that some slanted reporting by Russian news outlets, in contrast to completely faked "news" by the NYT, could somehow influence voter decisions in France or anywhere else. Posted by b on February 18, 2017 at 11:05 UTC | Permalink Comments
The former director of a homeless shelter in Morganton who was charged with embezzling more than $100,000 from the organization is out of jail after posting bond.

Jesse James Carswell, 37, of 1208 Cypress Blvd., 101A, Virginia Beach, Virginia, was charged Jan. 3 with embezzling funds from The Meeting Place One between March 5, 2015 and July 27, 2016, according to a true bill of indictment issued by a Burke County grand jury.

He had served as executive director for four years, according to a release from the Morganton Department of Public Safety.

Carswell was located on Jan. 31 by Virginia Beach Police and was extradited to Burke County on Tuesday where he was issued the charges and placed in the Burke-Catawba jail.

MDPS officers told WSOC-TV that they believe Carswell spent tens of thousands of dollars gambling at Harrah's Cherokee Casino over a 16-month period.

"There are several times he's been out there (Harrah's) and it is a significant amount of money," MDPS Sgt. Tim Corriveau told WSOC.

The Meeting Place One, located at 301 E. Meeting St., provides meals, shelter and resources to the homeless population in Morganton.

Multiple calls from The News Herald to Suzy Fitzgerald, The Meeting Place Board Chair, on Friday were not returned, however, Fitzgerald did make a post to the organization's Facebook page Friday afternoon.

"As chair of The Meeting Place Mission, I apologize for the seeming silence about the recent news concerning our organization," the post said. "I was unaware the News Herald was going to print anything, and I was out of town.

"We are very grateful for all the messages of support and appreciate very much the concern for our organization and the people we serve.

"Our former executive director, Jesse Carswell, has been indicted for embezzlement from our organization. We will not comment on the details of the case as it has yet to be heard in court. We are both saddened and outraged that a person we trusted, and who was trusted in our community for more than two decades has committed such a devastating act. Theft is always a harmful crime, and theft from such a fragile population even more so.

"Our decision to pursue legal action was something we felt obligated to, because actions must have consequences. Many (sic) non profit organizations choose not to pursue cases like this, because they feel it will damage their reputation in the community. We sincerely hope this is not the case. We have been responsible stewards since 2004, and have helped countless individuals and families break the cycle of homelessness. We felt it our responsibility to stand up to Mr. Carswells actions and to prevent him from preying on other good community efforts.

"Yes, lots of money was stolen, and those funds were desperately needed. We have however been able to recover and even move forward in the six months since this began. We are currently running all our programs at capacity and with success. Our hope is that the community will stand behind us as we make our efforts to find justice public."

House Manager Ayla Rutherford made a short statement regarding the matter when interviewed at The Meeting Place One on Friday.

We have a better team now  and we wont have any more problems, Rutherford said.

Still many people in the community are questioning how the apparent breakdown in financial oversight at the organization occurred.

"I wonder where the checks and balances were?" Gary Nance said in a post to The News Herald's Facebook page.

Another commenter called on the organization to share with the public what measures it has taken to protect its finances to restore confidence to donors.

" The Meeting Place needs to make a statement of how, in the future, the checks and balances they will put in place to assure us this will not ever happen again," Jeanne Schlumbohm said in a post. "I am sick that my monthly donations have been going to support this creep's gambling habit.

Editor Lisa Wall can be reached at lwall@morganton.com or 828-432-8939.

Staff Writer Jonelle Bobak can be reached at jbobak@morganton.com or 828-432-8907.
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2017 Arnold Countdown | In the Popcorn Gallery with Arnold & UMA

Written by Peter McGough

18 February 2017

IN THE POPCORN GALLERY WITH ARNOLD & UMA

2017 Arnold Countdown

The 2017 rendition of the Arnold Sorts Festival takes place on March 2 thru March 6 in Columbus, Ohio. In an upcoming story Ron Harris brilliantly charts the progress and growth of the event from its 1989 one day affair comprising two classes only (mens bodybuilding and womens to the present four day event involving 18, 000 athletes spread across 70 different events. At the heart of all is Arnold Schwarzenegger whose love for bodybuilding and fitness and his loyalty to his roots and the sport that made him, drives the weekend and its global franchise.

Ive had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Arnold, and heres a tale of a special evening I enjoyed in his company.

SACRAMENTO BOUND

On February 15, 2005,I was invited to spend a day with Arnold Schwarzenegger as he went about his gubernatorial duties in Sacramento, state capital of California. After attending his daily meetings the evening called for Arnold to host a cocktail party in his outer office prior to the premier of the movie Be Cool which would be unveiled later. Many of the stars of the movie, apart from John Travolta and Uma Thurman, attended the soiree. There was Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who looked leaner than Harpo Marx's vocabulary. As a rising action star of the time, he regularly sounded Arnold out for advice, and this night the twosome retreated for aquiet chat in the Governor's inner office.

The delightful and precocious 23-year-old Christina Milian caught the eye and Harvey Keitel was there with his wife and, for once, he keeps his clothes on. Vince Vaughn, who is really funny in the movie playing a character that for some reason reminded me of Paul Dillett (go see the movie), mixed engagingly with all attendees. Cedric the Entertainer didnt hear me (or perhaps he's tired of similarly uninspired salutations) introducing myself as Peter the Writer.

Arnold was in his element merging his former movie career with his then present political career. One staffer told me, "Wow! We never had nights like this with [former Governor] Gray Davis." No shit!

BE COOL

We made our way to the theater, where noisy picketers were demonstrating against the education reforms that had been on the governor's agenda earlier in the day. They did their best to disturb Arnolds entrance, but eventually we went inside, and after the main figures in the making of the film were introduced onstage, Arnold rose to give a short speech.

His theme was the need to keep film companies making movies in California instead of elsewhere. He told the packed theater, "Moviemaking has three great things going for it in California: location, light and Botox." He then addressed the recent See Arnold Runmovie starring Roland Kickinger as the young Arnold and Jurgen Prochnow as the contemporary Arnold running for governor. He complained that the film upset him. "What does it say for my acting? I mean, this is a movie about me, and they didn't even ask me to play me."

His closing anthem was that every time a movie is made in California, it means jobs for Californians. After thanking the producers for making Be Cool in California, he sat down right next to me in the front row and opened a tub of popcorn and asked, Do you want some popcorn  have at it.

The movie opened with a back shot of a gorgeous blond lying on a sun deck. Arnold nudged me and asked, Whos that? Perusing the seven-foot image I replied, Uma Thurman. My inquisitor nodded and then raised an eyebrow and glanced in my direction, clearly thinking how did I know that. I reminded him, I study bodies for a living. He smiled and then went back to the movie.

I first saw Arnold in 1969 when he was 22 and I was 20. At that time if someone had told me that 36 years later I as editor in chief of FLEX would be sharing popcorn with the Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, I would have responded, Theres as much chance of that happening as Michael Jackson turning white.

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Once a year Texas school districts are required to publically review and seek public comment on the preceding years Texas Academic Performance Report, also known as TAPR.

Much of this months regular school board meeting Thursday was taken up with that required review the TAPR and other reports. Following the presentation by Sharon Wright, executive director for curriculum and instructional services, Plainview ISD Board President Bryan Wood opened a public hearing over the 2015-16 TAPR. Moments later he closed the session since there were no comments or questions from the audience.

The key information from the annual report is that the district and all campuses earned a Met Standard rating, and several campuses earned distinctions in various areas.

--Plainview High School: Math, Closing the Gap, Post-Secondary Readiness

--Estacado Middle School: Student Progress

--College Hill Elementary: Science

--Edgemere Elementary: Student Progress, Closing the Gap, Post-secondary Readiness

--Highland Elementary: Student Progress

--Hillcrest Elementary: Science

The data in this report is older than what we currently are using, Wright explains. Our administrators and teachers spent time analyzing preliminary data before the school year began in August and used those results in planning for instruction and setting priorities for the professional development we would provide for staff during this school year.

We continue to assess and monitor student progress unit-by-unit throughout the school year so that we are using the most current data and can intervene quickly when greater mastery is needed, she added.

The annual report consisted of seven components. The first was TAPR.

--The PEIMS Financial Standard Report component reviews the 2014-15 Financial Actual Report for the district as well as each campus. A link to that report is online at http://www.plainviewisd.org/Page/2848

--The 2015-16 District Accreditation Status. The Texas Education Agency assigns each district one of four statuses to indicate current standing: Accredited, Accredited-Warned, Accredited-Probation, and Not Accredited-Revoked. Plainview ISD is an Accredited district, Wright reports.

--Campus Performance Objectives. According to the Texas Education Code, each campus is required to have a Campus Improvement Plan, which includes performance objectives based on data analysis and needs assessments for that particular campus. The Campus Improvement Plans for Plainview ISD campuses are posted online and routinely updated throughout the year. They can be viewed at http://www.plainviewisd.org/domain/53

--Report on Violent or Criminal Incidents on Campuses. This report is available for review at the PISD Central Office. It shows the number, rate and type of violent or criminal incidents that occurred and information on violence intervention policies and procedures the district is using to protect students. The 2016-17 Violence and Safety Report shows no instances of attempted murder, indecency with a child, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault on student, sexual assault or aggravated sexual assault against a student or aggravated robbery. There were four instances involving assault on a student.

--Student Performance in Postsecondary Institutions for each high school campus. Data compiled by the Higher Education Coordinating Board for 2013-14 high school graduates show the GPA earned by those graduates attending a public two-year or four-year institution of higher education during fiscal 2015. In the 2013-14 report  latest available  PISD students were at 59.4 percent, which was higher than both the state and area at that time. District officials expect to see high numbers in the future since the district has a heightened emphasis on college and career readiness, and the increasing number of seniors now applying for post-graduate programs of study.

--2015-16 TAPR Glossary. Definitions, methodologies and sources for each data point.

Additional information on the 2015-16 Annual Report is available on the districts website, http://www.plainviewisd.org, under the Assessment & Accountability heading.

In other action at Thursdays meeting the board:

--Recognized Plainview High School senior Claire Daily who has been selected to participate in the Texas All-State Choir which is one of the highest honors any Texas secondary music student can achieve. She performed as a Soprano 1, 5th chair, with the All-State Choir at the Henry Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio during the TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) Clinic/Convention Feb. 8-12.

--Approved an interlocal agreement to participate in the 2017-18 West Texas Food Service Cooperative through the Region 17 Educational Service Center. Being a part of the cooperative, particularly in the Commodity Processing section, allows the district to purchase food items at a reduced cost.

--Meet in closed session on an issue involving a specific public school student.

Two board members were absent at Thursdays board meeting  Sylvia De La Garza and Adam Soto.
AUSTIN -- Senate committees this week took up a number of significant bills, some that would regulate abortion practices and some that would answer Gov. Greg Abbott's emergency call for a constitutional convention. The latter bills are the last addressing four issues tagged as emergencies by Abbott in his State of the State address to be taken up by the Senate.

Abbott said in his January speech that the federal government has overstepped its bounds and called on the legislature to pass an official petition to call an Article V convention for the purposes of amending the U.S. Constitution. Thursday, the Senate State Affairs Committee took up two measures that would do that. SJR 2, by Granbury Sen. Brian Birdwell, would tell Congress that Texas wants to amend the nation's founding document to rein in the powers of the federal government, including term limits for federal elective offices, requiring a national balanced budget and strengthening state sovereignty. Birdwell says he believes this is the only way to restore the original intent of the Constitution. "For years we've watched as the executive, judicial and frankly the legislative branches have usurped more and more power from the states," he said. "It is my firm belief that the only way we will save this republic and federalism as a whole is to go about the process of the states taking control of the federal government that they created."
The Plainview/Hale County Crimestoppers Committee will pay a reward of up to $350 to anyone with information that will lead to the arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for the following crimes:

--On Feb. 13, someone took a toolbox containing several tools, Craftsman air compressor, several hard leathers, and other miscellaneous tools, from 3301 Quincy.

--On Feb. 8, someone entered a mobile home at 3017 Dimmitt Rd. and took a television and an Xbox game system.

--On Jan. 28, at about 11:38 p.m. the Plainview Police Department responded to a call of shots fired in the 1500 block of West 10th Street. Several rounds of gunfire struck a home, which was occupied by a family. The Plainview Police Department is also requesting anyone in the immediate area with surveillance video to contact them.

On Jan. 27, someone entered 606 Xenia and took an Xbox 1 game system and an assortment of games.

On Jan. 26, someone entered 807 Kokomo and took several items of clothes, belonging to children.

Fugitives: Crimestoppers will pay a reward of up to $250 for information that leads to the arrest of the following persons. A warrant has been issued for their arrest. Callers can contact the Hale County Sheriffs Office Warrants Division at 296-2724 or contact the Crimestoppers Hotline.

--Johnny Dedios Griego, 43, Hispanic male is wanted for tampering with evidence.

--Leonard Rodriguez, 35, is wanted for child support.

--Randall Keith Alexander, 26, black male is wanted for sexual assault.

--Erin Thompson, 34, white female is wanted possession of controlled substance.

--Robert Berlin Santiago, 20, Hispanic male is wanted for possession of controlled substance.

--Matthew Torres Ramirez, 29, Hispanic male is wanted for possession of controlled substance.

--Lucy Nicole Cortez, 28, Hispanic female is wanted for credit card abuse.

--Luis Gerardo Reyes Fuentes, 26, Hispanic male is wanted for sex abuse of a child continuous under 14.

--Ramon Esqueda Gonzales, 44, Hispanic male is wanted for indecency with a child sexual contact.

--Lorenzo Pineda Alvarez, 62, Hispanic male is wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

--Manuel David Cervantes, 33, Hispanic male is wanted for motion to revoke probation possession controlled substance.

--Pierre Chico Hawkins, 41, black male is wanted for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

--Arthur Larry Lewis Jr., 51, white male is wanted for aggravated sexual assault.

Anyone having information on the above crimes or any other crimes occurring in Plainview or Hale County can contact the Crimestoppers Hotline at 293-8477 (293-TIPS). All calls will be confidential.
In accordance with requirements set forth in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, the Plainview Police Department earlier this month submitted its 2016 Racial Profiling Report.

In his cover letter to Plainview Mayor Wendell Dunlap and the Plainview City Council, Police Chief Ken Coughlin explained that the local department is a Tier 1 reporting agency since there are video cameras in all departmental vehicles regularly used to make traffic stops. Since those interactions are automatically recorded on video, the amount of data required to be generated on each stop is decreased.

Coughlin in an accompanying PowerPoint presentation adds, The Plainview Police Department has been in compliance with the Texas Racial Profiling Law (SB 1074) since it was created in 2002. There has not been any complaint filed involving Racial Profiling since the beginning of this mandated reporting process.

He adds that the department has a comprehensive Racial Profiling Policy in place to prevent any type of police misconduct.

This policy was actually updated this year and is in compliance with the Texas Best recommended policies, Coughlin writes. The department also has a written complaint process in place to allow any citizen to file a complaint.

As a Tier 1 city, the Plainview Police Department is required to:

--Have a policy in place that prohibits racial profiling

--Must train officers in racial profiling

--Must report to its governing bodies and to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) racial profile data

--Must maintain video recording of traffic stops for a minimum of 90 days

--Must maintain videos of traffic stops involving complains for racial profiling until complaint is resolved.

During the entire calendar year of 2016, Plainview police reported a total of 1,977 traffic stops, including 1,566 which resulted in citations only being issued and 411 with arrests only being made. The racial breakdown on those traffic stops included 61 percent Hispanic, 31 percent Caucasian, 7 percent African American and 1 percent all others.

That general corresponds with the racial makeup of the community, based on the 2010 Census, which is 60 percent Hispanic, 34 percent Caucasian, 5 percent African American and 1 percent others. The racial makeup of Plainview ISD in 2016 was 78 percent Hispanic, 4 percent African American, 16 percent white and 2 percent all others.

The racial diversity of sworn officers in the Plainview Police Department is 44 percent Hispanic and 56 percent Caucasian.

Racial profiling, according to Coughlins report, is defined as, A law enforcement initiated action based on an individuals race, ethnicity or national origin rather than on the individuals behavior or on information identifying the individual as having engaged in criminal activities. Racial profiling pertains to persons who are viewed as suspects or potential suspects of criminal behavior. The term is not relevant as it pertains to witnesses, complainants or other citizen contacts.

Specifically, law enforcement officers may not use racial or ethnic stereotypes as factors in selecting whom to stop and search, one section of the report explains.
Daly City and Pacifica residents might want to keep their Chihuahuas and kitties indoors for a while. Danger may be lurking behind potted plants.

Stacy Perez of Daly City's Serramonte neighborhood was surprised to find a pair of soulful eyes staring back at her Thursday from behind a jade plant on the side of her home near the back entrance. There was no mistaking the critter  it was a small coyote.
With forecasters predicting heavy rains at the end of the weekend, some reservoirs around Northern California were inching toward capacity as dam managers worked frantically to maintain safe water levels, officials said.

Near the Oroville Dam, an evacuation advisory was still in place as residents in the area were told to be on alert in case the incoming storms set Lake Oroville rising again, said Capt. Dan Olson with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and acting spokesman on the spillway incident.

We just ask folks to have a little more heightened sense of whats going on, and if they stay ready then they dont have to get ready, Olson said of potential evacuations.

The inflow of water into the reservoir was about 36,700 cubic feet per second as of noon Saturday. The inflow had jumped over 20,000 cubic feet per second since midday Friday. The outflow over the spillway was just below 70,000 cubic feet per second.

The reservoirs level stood 45 feet lower than the level during the emergency on Feb. 12, when the overflow damaged the emergency auxiliary spillway forcing about 200,000 people to flee due to fears that the spillway could collapse.

Nearly 5 inches of rain is expected to soak Oroville, starting Sunday night and lasting through the week, said Brooke Bingaman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

This is a significant storm, and its a strong atmospheric river storm. We are seeing a lot of runoff whenever these storms come. Be ready for this thing, said Bill Rafch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

In Santa Clara County, the Anderson Dam was at capacity for the first time in nearly 11 years.

We are getting more (water) coming in still than whats coming out, said Marty Grimes, a spokesman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, adding that the water is about 6 inches over the top of the spillway and the incoming storm could bring more.

Despite the overflow, Grimes said the dam was inspected last year, and he doesnt anticipate any problems with the use of the spillway.

The Don Pedro Reservoir in the San Joaquin Valley may have to use its spillway as the Tuolumne River continues to rise dangerously close to the maximum.

As of 10 a.m. Saturday, the elevation of the reservoir was about 826 feet above sea level, about 3 feet below the spillway, said Herb Smart, a spokesman for the Turlock Irrigation District.

Should water levels continue to rise during the storm, Smart said the dam has three 45-foot-wide gates that will be opened to allow water to flow into the spillway.

The last time the spillway was used was in 1997.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
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Pacific Gas and Electric Co. says it will not appeal its felony convictions for violating safety laws and obstructing a federal investigation of the deadly San Bruno gas pipeline explosion, a step the utility calls part of its renewed commitment to public protection.

The announcement brought the criminal proceedings to an end and represented a turnabout for Californias largest public utility, which previously had hotly contested prosecutors accusations that it put profits ahead of safety.

In August, a jury in San Francisco convicted PG&E of five charges of failing to properly inspect and repair its aging pipelines and a sixth charge of interfering with the federal investigation of the September 2010 explosion that killed eight people, injured 58 and destroyed 38 homes in San Brunos Crestmoor neighborhood.

The blast was caused by a defective seam weld in a transmission pipeline that PG&E records had depicted as seamless. Current and former PG&E employees testified at the trial that the company had used low-cost inspection methods that its managers knew could not detect flaws inside the pipelines.

Jurors also found that PG&E had obstructed the federal investigation by trying to conceal its practice of pumping gas through the lines at pressures up to 10 percent above legal limits.

The state Public Utilities Commission fined PG&E a record $1.6 billion for the explosion, and the company has agreed to pay $565 million in announced settlements, and additional amounts in confidential settlements, to victims and their survivors.

PG&E fought the criminal charges in a six-week trial, in which it was acquitted of six additional charges of knowingly failing to keep accurate records. The company then asked U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson to throw out the convictions, arguing that the federal safety standards were unclear and that employees had done their best to comply.

But Henderson ruled in November that there was ample evidence PG&E had ignored or concealed hazards and had known of the dangers of its cost-cutting practices.

Facing only a modest fine of $3 million, after Henderson excluded evidence prosecutors needed to support a potential $562 million penalty, PG&E changed its stance and negotiated most of the terms of the sentence that the judge imposed on Jan. 26.

Besides the fine, the sentence included an independent monitor of PG&Es safety practices, 10,000 hours of community service by employees  including at least 2,000 by high-level officials  and newspaper and television advertisements in which the company must acknowledge its guilt and describe its plans to avoid future wrongdoing.

PG&E lawyers said at the sentencing hearing they would not appeal the five pipeline-safety convictions. This week, the company said it would not appeal any of the convictions or the sentence.

We want San Bruno and all of the communities we serve to know that we at PG&E have committed ourselves to a goal of transforming this company into the safest and most reliable energy provider in America and to re-earning their trust through our actions, the company said in a statement Thursday. Of course, words are not enough, and we expect to be judged through our actions.

San Bruno City Manager Connie Jackson said Friday she was encouraged but would remain watchful.

It has been our experience too many times over the last 6 years that the actions fall short of the representations, Jackson said. Were committed to supporting and encouraging PG&E in the direction that their statement says theyre going.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
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In the first big hit to the Bay Area from the Trump administration, newly minted Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has put the brakes on $647 million for Caltrain to go electric  and in the process pretty much killed hopes for high-speed rail coming to San Francisco anytime soon.

It puts the (electrification) project in serious jeopardy, Caltrain spokesman Seamus Murphy said Friday.

Caltrain carries about 60,000 riders a day between the South Bay and San Francisco, but its diesel-driven trains are both costly to operate and slow. Officials see electrification as a way both to increase ridership and save money on operating costs.

Going electric would also allow the Peninsula line to be the final link in the high-speed rail system that Gov. Jerry Brown wants to stretch from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The Obama administration embraced the idea, but California Republicans have long portrayed it as a boondoggle and sought to kill it.

In a Jan. 24 letter to Chao, all 14 Republicans in the states congressional delegation called for the Caltrain money to be put on hold until a full audit is done on high-speed rail. On Friday, Chao obliged  the Federal Transit Administration, which she oversees, said a decision on the $647 million federal grant needed to keep the project going would be delayed.

More for you Will Donald Trump support high-speed rail in California?

Matthew Welbes, the agencys director, told Caltrain officials in a letter that the delay would allow the grant to be considered in conjunction with President Trumps upcoming budget proposal for fiscal 2017-18.

The delay doesnt kill the project by itself. But officials of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which runs Caltrain, say it all but derails electrification.

Thats because Caltrain has already selected contractors for the electrification project. We have a March 1 deadline to start issuing contracts, Murphy said.

After that, Caltrain will have to start the bidding process all over again  which could result in a much costlier set of contracts.

And of course, theres the huge question of whether Trump will even put the Caltrain money in his budget.

I never imagined that the electrification of a train would be subjected to such brutal, partisan politics, Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, whose district includes several Caltrain stations, said in a statement. This is not a Democratic project nor is it a Republican project. It is about the modernization of an outdated commuter system that is the spine of the transportation system of the Peninsula and the Silicon Valley region.

Eshoo added that Caltrain electrification is a shovel-ready project which would create thousands of jobs in the Bay Area and employ thousands in other states. It would be built by American workers and built with American products.

In his letter, Welbes said federal officials were aware of Caltrains March 1 deadline, but that Washington needed additional time to complete review of this significant commitment of federal resources.

Caltrain has already spent $150 million on planning to go electric, but without the federal and matching funds, the overall $1.98 billion project will go into limbo.

As for high-speed rail, a $64 billion (and counting) endeavor that is still not fully funded, its viability would take a big hit if bullet trains went no farther north than the South Bay.

The state High Speed Rail Authoritys chairman, Dan Richard, had little to say about the federal action Friday beyond, We are evaluating our options.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross normally appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
As a few dozen protesters braved the wind and rain along San Franciscos Embarcadero Friday night to decry President Trumps policies, one man aimed his projector at the iconic Ferry Building.

As he balanced the $300 projector by hand, somewhat sheltered from the rain by an umbrella held overhead, the beam emblazoned a series of images on the buildings clock tower, the latest example of innovation from protesters who have long pounded the citys streets.
In a statement released Saturday, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy recognized Feb. 19, 2017 as Japanese-Americans Day of Remembrance in Connecticut.

The day marks the date in 1942 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order targeting persons of Japanese heritage, the majority of whom were U.S. citizens, according to the National Archives.

On this day, 75 years after these internment camps were created, we should take time to reflect on the responsibilities and covenants of individuals, societies, and governments, Malloy said in a statement.

We must ensure the failings of our nation are not repeated in the future, his declaration said.

Known as Executive Order 9066, the directive paved the way for the imprisonment of some 117,000 Japanese-Americans during World War II. The Supreme Court upheld the order, while granting release to at least one plaintiff in 1944, shortly before the wars end.

This Day of Remembrance provides the citizens of Connecticut and our nation an opportunity to remember the victims of the Japanese-American internment camps and reflect upon our own humanity and the need to respect all peoples, Malloy said.
1 Bomb plot: A Florida man is accused in a plot to blow up several Target stores in an attempt to acquire cheap stock if the companys market value plunged after the explosions. Mark Charles Barnett, 48, was charged in a complaint Thursday with possession of a firearm affecting commerce by a previously convicted felon, according to prosecutors. Barnett, a registered sex offender, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. A team of federal, state and local officials arrested Barnett on Tuesday in Ocala. According to an affidavit, Barnett offered to pay another man $10,000 to place at least 10 explosives disguised in food-item packaging on store shelves from New York to Florida.

2 Officer charged: An Amtrak police officer has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a man outside Chicagos Union Station, prosecutors said Friday. LaRoyce Tankson is charged in the Feb. 8 shooting of Chad Robertson, 25, who died Wednesday, the Cook County States Attorneys office said. Tankson, 31, surrendered to police Thursday. Robertson was taking a bus from Memphis to Minneapolis and was on a stopover in Chicago when the shooting occurred. Robertson and two friends went to Union Station to stay warm while they waited for their onward bus, Robertsons sister, Nina Robertson, has said. Officers confronted and searched them, Robertson ran, and one of the officers opened fire. Police said they found cash and narcotics on Robertson, but no weapon.
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A Pasadena City Council member has asked Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan's office to investigate allegations that the city's economic development corporation's board had conducted secret meetings.

In a written complaint, Councilman Sammy Casados referred to claims that the Pasadena Second Century Corp. board violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by meeting twice with a Pasadena-based contractor on Nov. 28 without giving public notice.

Another council member, Ornaldo Ybarra, said that given the possibility of an investigation and the nature of the allegations, he is calling for the Second Century board to be replaced with new members.

In his formal complaint to Ryan's office, Casados wrote: "According to (Second Century) chairman Roy Mease, the PSCC board of directors held two separate meetings on the same day. In an attempt to avoid having a quorum (or a majority), half of the members were instructed to attend an early meeting and the other half were instructed to attend a second meeting later that same day.

"Neither the City Council nor any members of the public were made aware of the meetings," he wrote.

Casados first brought allegations of an illegal meeting to a Feb. 7 council meeting during discussion related to an emergency measure in which the council approved a $1 million loan to keep Second Century from being dissolved.

After that Feb. 7 meeting, Mease said that engineers from Civil Concepts had made a presentation to board members at meetings held Nov. 28 at the convention center.

To avoid violating state open meetings laws, Mease said he had scheduled two meetings for half of the board members to attend each.

But Second Century board member Emilio Carmona, also speaking after the Feb. 7 meeting, said that some EDC board members from the first gathering on Nov. 28 had stayed for the second.

Mease has since declined to comment about the allegations.

Douglas Ray of Ryan's office said claims of such potential violations are often brought to his office to determine if an investigation is warranted.

"The Harris County Attorney's office is always very concerned when they receive information that there have been violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act," he said.

Ybarra said he thinks that replacement of Second Century board members is warranted.

"This is a significant violation and these allegations should be taken very seriously," Ybarra said.

Matthew Festa, an attorney and professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston, condemned any strategy to split a board into separate meetings as an obvious attempt to circumvent open meetings laws.

"If they accidently have too many people attend the second meeting, well that's a clear violation. But even if they didn't, it could be an improper attempt to skirt the public's right to know about meetings with government business," he said.

Bill Aleshire, former Travis County judge and a member of The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, said of members on governmental boards:

"It is their responsibility to also know what the law is, to not be in the room or in a situation that could involve an illegal meeting.

"Every entity governed by the Texas Open Meetings Act recognizes that the public has a right to know what they're doing and that we don't allow secret government," Aleshire said.
A former East Coast Marine drill instructor was indicted Valentine's Day for allegedly sharing multiple photos and at least one video of child pornography.

Keith Knight, 26, a Marine drill instructor from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina, is facing two second-degree felony counts of promotion of child pornography.

Knight had been chatting with a 28-year-old woman on an internet instant-messaging app in November 2016, though the "woman" was really an undercover investigator from the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable's Office, court documents show. Knight sent a nude photo of an infant, according to the affidavit. As the conversation went on over a few days, Knight allegedly sent the investigator multiple photos and a video depicting young children performing sexual acts.

Working with Homeland Security Investigations through the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, investigators tracked Knight down in South Carolina and executed a search warrant on the Marine base there, prosecutors said in a previous Courier article.

Knight also allegedly messaged the investigator showing interesting in coming to Texas to watch the purported 28-year-old woman perform sexual acts with a 5-year-old girl, court records show.

Knight was one of 36 men arrested in an online child sex crime sting in December 2016. A conviction could land him in prison for up to 40 years, and he could face a possible fine up to $10,000 for each felony charge.

Montgomery County grand jury indictments for Feb. 14:

Donald Burleson, online solicitation of a minor

William Valdez, retaliation

Gustavo Sanchez-Jimenez, assault public servant

Jimmy Key Jr., DWI  third or more

Angel Park, assault family strangulation

Thomas Crenshaw, possession of controlled substance

Pedro Lozano-Sanchez, forgery

Carlos Rueda Jr., DWI  third or more

Rodolo Hernandez, possession of controlled substance

Anna Burchell, theft

Sean Lebherz, possession of controlled substance

David Nieves, DWI  with a child

Kelly Wessel, possession of controlled substance

Hollie McDonald, DWI  with a child

Robert Hines, DWI  third or more

Keith Gay, possession with intent to deliver/manufacture controlled substance

Felicity Bess, possession of controlled substance

Brian Dineen Jr., evading arrest detention with previous conviction

Jason Scott, possession of controlled substance

Shamane Lewis, unauthorized use of motor vehicle and unlawful restraint

Jordan Bakare, possession of controlled substance

Ariel Kaufman, possession of controlled substance (x2)

Fernando Gomez, possession of controlled substance

David Erazo, possession of controlled substance (x2)

Manuel Reyna, assault family strangulation and possession of controlled substance

Dillon Goar, aggravated assault with deadly weapon

Christopher Guzman, failure to report change of address

Damon Kirk, assault causing bodily injury family enhanced

Robert McMullen, indecency with a child

Bryce Pizzonia, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
A Maryville police officer, who was involved in a high-speed chase and a shootout, was recognized at an annual law enforcement award ceremony.

Patrolman Justin Krausz was given the Southern Illinois Police Chiefs Associations Medal of Valor award at the 25th Annual Awards Banquet, held in January.

This award may be awarded to law enforcement personnel who distinguish themselves with bravery or heroism above and beyond the normal demands of police service, said Maryville Police Chief Rob Carpenter.

Krausz was given the award for an incident that took place on June 25, 2016.

Krausz responded to a call put out by the Collinsville Police Department in reference to a stolen vehicle that police were trying to stop. The broadcast stated the stolen vehicle had struck one police vehicle and fled the scene.

Patrolman Krausz observed the stolen vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the village limits of Maryville. When he attempted to stop the vehicle. a high-speed pursuit ensued with Krausz chasing the suspect onto I-55.

The suspect exited the highway onto Route 40 and left the roadway into a field.

At this time the male subject, later identified as Christopher D. White, exited the stolen vehicle while it was still in motion. Patrolman Krausz exited his patrol car and ordered White to stop.

White then produced a handgun and fired two shots at Krausz. Krausz returned fire, wounding White, who fled into a wooded area and was apprehended a short time later.

White was charged with numerous felonies including Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Felon, Fugitive from Justice and Aggravated Fleeing and Attempting to Elude a Police Officer.

He remains in the Madison County Jail in with a $200,000 bond. He is scheduled for trial on March 6.
North Charleston, S.C.

President Donald Trump, seeking to reset his stumbling presidency, hit the road for a photo op and returned to the simple economic message that got him elected, telling aircraft factory workers Friday that "we're here to celebrate jobs."

The president toured a sprawling Boeing complex here, right next to the airport, en route to a weekend in Florida that includes a stay at his resort in Mar-a-Lago and a Saturday rally in Melbourne. Both are the kind of campaign-style events Trump has often turned to for a political and personal jolt in times of turmoil.

"We're going to fight for every last American job," said Trump, adding that his "focus" was on jobs.

He spoke after slowly walking in front of a new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner at a slickly produced event that erased the lines between corporate and political branding.

"God bless Boeing," Trump said after offering a similar benediction for the nation.

Swerving from the script loaded into the teleprompter, he joked with Boeing's chief executive, Dennis Muilenburg, about continuing negotiations over the cost of building a new fleet of Air Force One jets (the current models are more than three decades old).

"What can look so beautiful at 30? An airplane," he said, as the audience guffawed.

Trump, fresh off his raucous news conference in the East Room of the White House on Thursday, seemed thrilled to escape the marble political prison of the executive complex  and to break free from a narrative of chaos and infighting that has characterized his rocky and eventful presidential debut.

He left Washington after a week of humbling setbacks that included the forced withdrawal of his choice for labor secretary and the firing of Michael T. Flynn, his national security adviser, in the wake of reports that Flynn misled investigators and Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Russia's ambassador to Washington.

The president's trip came hours after the man he chose to replace Flynn, retired Vice Adm. Robert S. Harward, turned him down. He has plans to meet with other candidates this weekend in Florida.

Trump's appearance at the manufacturing complex, in a state he won by 15 points in November, vividly illustrated the second side of his split-screen presidency. It was a disciplined drumbeat of events, including meetings with labor and business leaders intended to demonstrate his commitment to ensuring working-class economic security. That was the pledge that moved skeptical swing state voters to his cause.

"There's the palace intrigue story about them not being very well coordinated, that the White House isn't ready for prime time, that he's still setting things up," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a frequent Trump critic. "There's a lot of cracks in the armor. And then you have the whole Flynn situation."

"But you have a very disciplined president when it comes to economic messaging," said Graham, who was in Washington on Friday with the Senate in session. "How can that be? I just think he's more comfortable talking about how we are going to make America a better place for jobs than he is at articulating foreign policy."

Trump, a president obsessed with optics, could not have chosen a more impressive backdrop to emphasize his commitment to preserving jobs. His advance staff spent about a week prepping for his visit to the facility, a six-story factory hangar with four massive Dreamliners under construction, cowlings peeled back to expose the inner workings of the engines, signs affixed to their bodies to indicate their purchasers, in one case, Aeromexico.

The visit came two days after Boeing workers in the state rejected an attempt by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers to unionize the production line.

South Carolina is a right-to-work state, with a low level of union participation. Since it began production in South Carolina in 2009, Boeing has hired 7,500 employees spread around several facilities, investing more than $2 billion in land and infrastructure, while spending about $355 million each year on local suppliers and vendors.

"This is our house, and our house is going to remain union free!" Joan Robinson-Berry, one of plant's managers, said to the applause of about 2,000 employees and local officials who gathered for the president's visit.

But that was about it for substance or controversy.

Trump has criticized Boeing for what he suggested was an overpriced Air Force One replacement. On Friday, he repeated that "the price is too high" but also noted that "we're negotiating."
Washington

Making his debut on the world stage, Vice President Mike Pence will seek to reassure skeptical allies in Europe about U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump, who has made his "America First" mantra a centerpiece of his new administration.

Pence's trip to Germany and Belgium, his first overseas trip as vice president, is aimed at reassuring European and Middle Eastern partners about the U.S. commitment to multinational institutions like NATO and the European Union, White House advisers said ahead of the trip. The visit comes amid concerns in Europe about Russian aggression, and amid lingering questions about Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and whether the new president may promote isolationist tendencies.

The dismissal of Trump's national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn, has also put Pence and his stature within the administration under new scrutiny. Flynn was forced to resign Monday following reports he misled Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat.

Pence was arriving in Germany on Friday to attend the Munich Security Conference, where he will deliver a speech Saturday and then meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Pence is also scheduled to sit down with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko along with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

"These are pretty blunt-spoken people and they are very nervous. Pence is looking like an adult," said James Jeffrey, a U.S. ambassador to Iraq during the Obama administration and a distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "The question is will Trump listen to him?"

Pence was also expected to meet with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. is embroiled in two separate wars. In the earliest days of his presidency, Trump declared his intention to fight and defeat the Islamic State group. But he also remarked that the U.S. may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who will be meeting with Pence.

Trump's immigration and refugee ban has also ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order currently tied up in court, including Iraq  a close ally in the fight against IS.

The American allies will be seeking clues from Pence as to how the Trump administration plans to deal with Russia in the aftermath of Flynn's departure, U.S. inquiries into Russia's involvement in the presidential election and Trump's past praise for Putin.

European countries along Russia's border were rattled about deeper U.S.-Russian ties after Trump suggested sanctions imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea could be eased in exchange for a nuclear weapons deal and the president referred to NATO as "obsolete" in an interview before his inauguration.

Pence will travel to Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday for meetings related to NATO and the European Union. His Monday itinerary includes face-to-face meetings with EU Council President Donald Tusk, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
Washington

Republicans will repeal and replace the health care law and overhaul the tax code without Democratic help or votes, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday.

"It's clear that in the early months it's going to be a Republicans-only exercise," the Kentucky senator said at a news conference before lawmakers left for a weeklong President's Day recess. "We don't expect any Democratic cooperation on the replacement of Obamacare, we don't expect any Democratic cooperation on tax reform."

McConnell has condemned Democrats for passing Obamacare in the first place, in 2010, without any Republican votes, claiming the partisan exercise set the law up to fail. "The mess to come was inevitable," McConnell wrote in his memoir last year.

But now he's promising the same approach himself, in a sign that the partisanship and polarization dividing the country and Congress under President Donald Trump will not end anytime soon.

"Clearly this is not one of those bipartisan 'Kumbaya' moments, and so we, as Republicans, expect that both of those issues will be will have to be tackled Republican-only," McConnell said.

A strictly partisan approach on major legislation is a departure in the Senate, where most significant bills require involvement by both parties. Republicans plan to use a parliamentary maneuver to get health care and tax legislation through the narrowly divided Senate as part of a budget bill that requires only a simple majority to pass and can't be blocked by Democrats.

But McConnell said the polarization in Congress is Democrats' fault because they haven't come to terms with the fact that Trump won the election.
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Some concerns are rising over a proposed $57 million Texas 75 widening project between Conroe and Willis.

While those concern are not about the project specifically, residents were curious about funding, noise and safety along the potentially widened road.

About 20 people attended a two-hour long come and go public hearing Thursday evening at the Willis High School cafeteria for the Texas Department of Transportation project that would change the rural two-lane road from FM 3083 to FM 2432 (4.9 miles) to a four-lane road with a raised curb, raised median, and dedicated left turn lanes at select intersections and cross streets.

Houston District Public Information Officer Deidrea George said TxDOT representatives received mixed preliminary feedback. Some people are interested and happy about the widening, she said while others noted a raised median could limit mobility for drivers carrying trailers.

"That has been a concern," she said. "But we are doubling the capacity, we are introducing shared lanes and one portion of the project will allow cars as well as bikes to use that path. Overall, I'd say we've had more positive feedback. The only negative is that it is not funded."

The project would start once funding is available. The plan includes either a 12 ft. shoulder lane or 15 ft. shared lane; the construction of 5 ft. sidewalks, and a design speed of 45 mph. Right-of-way needs include approximately 9 acres that will have to be acquired, according to the TxDOT plans.

Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council Chair of Properties Committee Van Martin and representatives are not opposed to the widening due to the need. However, the representatives expressed concerns regarding highway speeds, camp and girl scout safety near the traffic, the potential to lose land in the future, and possible drainage issues near Stewarts Creek.

The 912-acre eastern girl scout camp property was established in 1944 along Texas 75 between Silver Spring and League Line Road, Martin said. The expansion of League Line Road affected Stewart Creek by narrowing the flow and removing wetlands over by the bridge, according to Martin and the representatives.

"It (the League Line Road expansion) has caused problems with flooding in our camp (including $100,000 to $200,000 in damage to the camp that was not covered by insurance)," he said. "So anything that is done with the bridge and anything around Stewart Creek here, if they make it more narrow, it could cause even more of a backup."

Martin described TxDOT as cooperative and willing to take comments and concerns.

"They said they would be addressing them," Martin said. "So far that is positive."

George said studies will be conducted to look at potential issues such as drainage. TxDOT will also be addressing a potential issue for Conroe resident and billboard owner Ernest Butler who said he may lose his sign.

Hunter's Glen resident, Colleen Ellis, whose house is located along Texas 75, asked questions about traffic noise and lighting.

"I'm just not crazy about it because it is already loud," Ellis said. "I've lived there for 11 years and Conroe has grown so much. I think it is a needed project, I hate to say it, but I think it is."

City officials are welcoming the project with open arms.

"I think it is going to be great if they can ever get it built," said Willis Councilman Thomas Luster who attended the hearing. "I think it is exactly what we need the way every-thing is growing this direction. I look forward to seeing it."

The next steps in the process include evaluating public comments, finalizing environmental review, acquiring right of way and relocating utilities and completing final design. A public hearing also will be later in the process.

Comments must be submitted to TxDOT by March 3. Those comments can be submitted in writing at the public meeting Feb. 16, by mail to the Director of Project Development at P.O. Box 1386, Houston, TX 77251; or by email at hou-piowebmail@txdot.gov. For reference, the project numbers are 0110-03-078, 0110-03-079 and 0110-03-080.

For more information, call the TxDOT Houston District Public Information Office at 713-802-5076 or visit http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/houston/sh75-montgomery-county.html.
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Two brothers named after famous outlaws were arrested in Lubbock last weekend for an alleged drunken night out on the town, according to media reports.

The Lubbock Avalanche Journal reports 22-year-old Jesse James Gomez and 25-year-old Billy Kidd Gomez were charged Sunday with public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Jesse James Gomez was arrested also for unlawfully carrying a weapon. The two men have since been released on bond.
Everyone is frustrated with the problems at Child Protective Services and looking for a solution. If a doctor misdiagnoses what ails a patient, though, and consequently prescribes the wrong remedy, you can end up killing the patient. We may be on the verge of doing just that.

Texas legislators are discussing bills that 1) misdiagnose what ails CPS; its a lack of funding, and 2) prescribe the wrong medicine, privatization.

Properly funded, CPS can do the job. Gov. Greg Abbott and the Legislature are moving to provide adequate funding. We just need to give CPS time to deploy these new resources. If instead we privatize CPS, things will only get worse.

Heres how privatization works: CPS still investigates child abuse. After CPS takes a case to court, however, if the court names the state as the guardian of a child (called conservatorship), the state delegates its responsibility as guardian by contract to a nonprofit corporation.

The contractor is then in charge of prosecuting the ongoing civil court case against the childs parents for termination of parental rights, as well as making decisions about where the child lives and what services the family gets.

At the same time, the contractor is making more or less money depending on what decisions it makes about the child and family, creating a serious financial conflict of interest. After all, the bottom line governs nonprofits just as with for-profits.

While the state would monitor minimum operating standards through licensing and contract compliance through quality assurance, CPS would have no authority or the ability to override individual decisions regarding the best interest of the child or the legal rights of the family, eliminating a critical check and balance.

Texas has had some very bad experiences with privatization in other areas. States that have privatized CPS  for example, Florida  have had bad experiences, too. After recently finding that Floridas privatized system is underperforming in critical areas, the federal government gave that state 90 days to produce a plan to improve its care of foster children. Florida has three times the rate of child maltreatment in foster care as Texas and three times the rate of re-entry into foster care.

Privatization is also expensive. Once a state awards the initial private contract and dismantles its public workforce, when its time to negotiate the next contract, the state is at the mercy of the few contractors that do this work  what economists call an oligopoly. An honest fiscal note for privatization would be staggering.

We wont save money by reducing duplication. Although contractors have case managers, they are coordinating foster care and treatment services, not providing case planning or legal services. If the state were to privatize, the private contractor would still need two people doing these different tasks, each a heavy load by itself.

Although some tout privatization as community based, in fact, the private contractor is as likely to be from Tampa as Texas. The nonprofits able to bid on these contracts are largely out of state.

Contractors also would be free to impose whatever polices they wish without public notice or comment, as long as they didnt violate the law or their contract, and would not be subject to open meetings or open records laws.

Even moving as fast as possible, privatization would take years to implement. In the meantime, most children and families would remain in the public system. Deciding that we are going to privatize, however, would derail public improvement efforts and throw our public workforce into turmoil just after we have taken steps to stabilize the workforce by raising salaries and lowering caseloads.

Texas already has a project called Foster Care Redesign to give private providers a greater role in finding homes for children, coordinating family treatment plans and engaging local communities. CPS has asked the Legislature to rapidly expand and fully fund Foster Care Redesign. We should do that. At the same time, we should keep a public caseworker making decisions based on the childs best interest regarding his/her future and family.

F. Scott McCown is a clinical professor of law and director of the Childrens Rights Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin.
In our fractured times, the idea of a judge acting as an umpire  and not as a partisan  is rejected by many on both sides of the political fence. And the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court seat that was occupied by Antonin Scalia serves as proof.

The presidents constitutional power to nominate judges of the Supreme Court, and the Senates power to give its advice and consent to such nominations are intensely political acts.

President Donald Trump fulfilled a campaign promise by nominating to the court one of the judges on a list published before his election. The Senate now has its turn. Pending disclosure of some information, the Republican-majority Senate will likely confirm the nominee.

The political battle to confirm Gorsuch will have some long-term adverse effects on one  and possibly both  of the political parties; which party suffers most by its actions in the next several months is impossible to predict.

The Constitution requires all judicial officers to swear or affirm to support this Constitution. The duty to support the Constitution has come to mean upholding the rule of law. The rule of law is based on the idea that our government is one of laws, of reason rather than arbitrary action.

The responsibility to uphold the law, as Chief Justice John Roberts stated in his nomination hearing, means a judges duty is to call balls and strikes, to serve, in this metaphor, as an umpire, not as a player or partisan.

This is what makes judges different from politicians: Judges are duty-bound to follow the rule of law, even when that duty may be contrary to the judges political views.

No such duty exists for politicians, including senators. They are permitted to vote yes or no for any or even no reason. There is one catch: Senators look more senatorial if they can arguably claim their vote is not solely political but made in the greater interest of the country.

To limit the options of senators of the opposing party, presidents of both parties for at least 25 years have made nominations to the court using the same template: They have emphasized the nominees acceptance of this duty to the rule of law, largely by highlighting the nominees educational background and judicial experience.

This template was used in the selection of Gorsuch as Trumps first nominee. Gorsuch has an impeccable educational background. He received his bachelors and law degrees from Ivy League schools (Columbia and Harvard), and earned a doctor of philosophy degree from Oxford University. His experience includes service as a law clerk, including as a Supreme Court clerk; as a lawyer in private practice and in the Department of Justice; and, for the past decade, as a federal appeals court judge.

Gorsuchs last job had been a requirement for nomination, with Justice Elena Kagan, a former U.S. solicitor general, breaking the pattern. Since 1975, every nominee had judicial experience when nominated to the high court. Before Kagan, the last justice to lack federal judicial experience when nominated was Sandra Day OConnor, who was a state appellate court judge when she was nominated in 1981.

This was historically not the case. Earl Warren was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1953 after serving as a district attorney, California attorney general and governor of California. The last justices to move from the practice of law to the high court were Lewis Powell and William Rehnquist, both of whom were confirmed in 1971.

The criterion of federal judicial experience has become an apparent necessity solely for political reasons. Though federal court of appeals judges often must interpret federal statutes, which state appeals court judges rarely do, this difference is legally irrelevant. How a judge interprets statutes will remain the same, no matter which lawmakers adopted the statute.

The political necessity of federal appeals court experience is that it allows the president to argue that the judge is in the judicial mainstream and not a threat to the freedoms enjoyed by ordinary Americans.

Most Americans know little about how judges make and justify legal decisions, and on most issues theres little reason why they should take the time to learn. Unfortunately, when hot-button political controversies become legal disputes, those on both sides who care about such issues want to know whether the judge will support their political view. This desire, of course, is one a judge committed to upholding the rule of law cannot fulfill.

No judge seeking to uphold the rule of law would commit himself in advance to a particular vote; that would be pre-judging a case  prejudice of the worst kind.

But convincing a politically divided nation that a judge will embrace his role as an umpire rather than a political actor seems an impossible task.

The template used to mainstream the nominee is thus designed to limit the options of the opposition party (in this case, the Democratic Party). The Republican argument is that Gorsuch may be politically conservative (he is), but as a judge he will simply interpret the law (and the Constitution) as an umpire. Therefore, if Democrats oppose this nominee, they are engaged in a political witch hunt.

For Democratic senators, the Republican decision to refuse to give a hearing in 2016 to Merrick Garland, President Barack Obamas nominee to the seat opened after Scalias death, may lead to an effort to stall the Gorsuch nomination.

The Senate currently has a rule that bars a vote on any nominee to the Supreme Court unless 60 senators agree otherwise. Republicans have 52 seats. This rule may be abolished by a majority vote.

How both parties navigate the continuing existence of this filibuster rule will have cascading effects. Republicans could win the battle (confirm Gorsuch) but lose the war (attempting to confirm another nominee to the court who would alter its balance). Democrats could lose both the battle and the war.

Both parties are already assessing how their approach will affect their chances in the 2018 and 2020 elections. The fracturing of America is likely to continue  indeed, to accelerate.

Michael S. Ariens is a professor at the St. Marys University School of Law and an expert in constitutional law.
The claims are different from those in a Texas case on gerrymandering, but a Wisconsin case that could make it to the U.S. Supreme Court bears watching.

In fact, a ruling affirming a lower court could change the entire landscape for constitutional challenges to redistricting maps nationwide.

The high court has been reluctant to rule definitively on whether gerrymandering for partisan purposes  to unfairly benefit Republicans or Democrats  is unconstitutional.

The Wisconsin case, however, does rest on claims of partisan gerrymandering  a matter ripe for Supreme Court review. One problem is the difficulty in measuring what constitutes egregious partisan gerrymandering.

Challengers to the Texas case claim racial gerrymandering  that the states maps have intentionally failed to reflect the booming growth in minorities in the state population. That growth has been largely Latino, and this lapse means voters have been robbed of their preferred representation.

Federal courts have ruled on racial gerrymandering: Where it is found, it is unconstitutional.

But what is clear in Texas is that racial gerrymandering is, in effect, partisan gerrymandering. And Texas maps are crafted to aid Republicans.

In Wisconsin, a panel of three federal judges ruled in November that the states 2011 Assembly maps were redrawn to favor Republicans.

The results will be familiar to voters in many states where partisan gerrymandering is common. In Wisconsin, Assembly candidates won less than half of the statewide vote but  surprise!  won 60 of the bodys 99 seats in 2012.

Actually, thats no surprise at all, since Wisconsin maps were drawn to divide Democratic neighborhoods so that Democrats could not be the majority in affected districts, or they crammed Democrats into fewer districts to diminish the number of districts in which they could be competitive.

The result was more Democratic wasted votes than such Republican votes. The Wisconsin panel of judges found this violated the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause.

Those challenging Texas latest racial gerrymandering have been awaiting a ruling from a three-judge panel in U.S. District Court in San Antonio for more than two years  much too long since three election cycles have passed. The plaintiffs recently pressed the judges for a ruling, which they declined to do.

The Wisconsin case appears on a faster track.

Whats intriguing here is that were Texas maps to be examined on whether they were strictly partisanly gerrymandered, the Lone Star State would likely be a more blatant case than Wisconsin.

Texas, with larger minority populations, has a long history of racially polarized voting, in which minorities substantially vote Democrat and whites Republican. In other words, partisan gerrymandering is largely indistinguishable from racial gerrymandering.

They have the same effect in Texas.

Yet a high court ruling affirming the federal judges in Wisconsin might not mean much for those challenging Texas congressional and state House maps on the grounds of racial gerrymandering. Nonetheless, a high court ruling affirming the Wisconsin case because of partisan reasons ultimately could still benefit Texans. Eventually, it could mean voters have a better chance of choosing their representatives rather than the other way around  legislators being allowed to choose the voters likely to re-elect them.

Democrats do the same when they are in power, but Republicans, with legislative majorities in more states, are the more frequent offenders these days.

Ultimately, the solution is to take redistricting out of the hands of legislators in Texas and in other states.

This should be the job of independent commissions that seek to join communities of interest in districts, that dont do racial or partisan gerrymanders, and that view competitive districts in the public interest.

Texas has long needed such a commission. It doesnt even appear to be on the radar in this legislative session and likely wont be until the U.S. Supreme Court acts. Our hope is that it affirms the Wisconsin judges to hasten this day. Justice Anthony Kennedy has reportedly indicated an interest in ending partisan gerrymandering, so even a court without a ninth member  as the Senate considers President Donald Trumps nominee, Neil Gorsuch  could decide this case.

Partisan gerrymandering should be as unconstitutional as when it is done to deny minority voters.
Re: For success, Texas must elevate education, Greg Abbott, Other Views, Feb. 7:

Would you please fact-check Gov. Abbotts article? I have been unable to find evidence that Texas has superior education.

Thank you.

Daniel Scroggins

Widening the divide

Re: A dis to the office, Your Turn, Feb. 4:

The letter writer declares Democrats showed disrespect by boycotting the inauguration.

Republicans showed disrespect to the office when the Senate refused for nearly a year to hold even a hearing on President Barack Obamas nominee, Merrick Garland, for the Supreme Court.

This wound goes very deep, especially with the almost 3 million more voters who voted against Donald Trump. The president has proffered nothing to help heal, only divide.

Pamela Wessel

Solomonesque

I wish somebody in Washington would call me; Ive got the answer to the logjam about Supreme Court appointments:

All parties agree to the appointment of Neil Gorsuch, an acknowledged conservative with impeccable credentials. At the same time, an ironclad agreement is established that when and if the next vacancy occurs, the tweeter in chief nominates Barack Obamas choice, Merrick Garland, a centrist with equally impeccable credentials.

Everybodys happy. One Trump appointee, one Obama appointee. No leaning too far in either direction, no nuclear option to confound future debates. (The one for lower court judges should be abolished.)

Get on with it!

Al Ely

Art and politics

Re: How art influenced the election, Gene Elder, Another View, Feb. 6:

I fear Mr. Elders imagination is working overtime; he believes the voters were subliminally influenced by Hollywood.

He finds the shows House of Cards and The Walking Dead particularly influential. I watch both shows, and I dont believe I received any subliminal messages about how devious, controlling and self-serving the Democrats are. Unlike Mr. Elder, I do not identify the Harwoods, the truly evil characters on House of Cards, as Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Does Mr. Elder view everything through the lens of his own personal political biases? I think it is far more likely that more than 50 percent of Americans saw very clearly how devious, controlling and self-serving Donald Trump is in real life, not through a make-believe series, hence his loss of the popular vote.

President Trump is very lucky we have the Electoral College. The American people, not so much.

Debbie Brigham

Beware, bear friend

I am writing out of concern for the safety of my friend, Ben. He has dark brown fur, with tinges of gray (he is quite old) and weighs about 1,500 pounds (hes also overweight). You see, hes been missing for a few days now (hes also partially blind).

Its just that Ive heard that Betsy DeVos has threatened to shoot any grizzly entering any classroom shes in.

Please, Ms. DeVos, hold your fire, if an overweight grizzly enters a classroom. He will be wearing a collar with his name on it, and hes really very gentle. I may have no need to be alarmed, since youve never been in a classroom. But Id rather be safe than sorry because I really love the big guy!

Carl Lloyd

Buck? What buck?

President Harry Truman said, The buck stops here. President Donald Trump seems to be saying If anything happens, itll be somebody elses fault.

How times have changed.

Lou Houck, Boerne

Better tax plan

Re: GOP border adjustment tax could get strange, Michael Taylor, Business, Feb. 5:

This column was well written but incomprehensible. How could anyone understand what it was about? He mentioned a proposal by Speaker Paul Ryan about a destination-based cash flow tax with border adjustment.

What? Repeat that. What we need now is a tax code even more strange (as if anyone would know it)?

The emphasis by our leaders today is to simplify the tax code. That is a contradiction in terms. There is no way to simplify the income tax. When it comes to collecting federal revenue, there is a better way. A national retail consumption tax on only new goods and services, more specifically, the Fair Tax Act of 2017. This would replace the income tax, payroll tax, corporation tax, estate and gift taxes, and the IRS as we currently know it.

Try it, youll like it.

Howard Monroe, Garden Ridge

Bon voyage

Whatever happened to all those people who consider themselves celebrities? They said they would leave the United States if Donald Trump won the presidency. I have bouquets of flowers for them and a farewell sign.

Michael B. White

Raising the banner

I hear the Slander Machine cranking up again and aiming its mud at Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. She was silenced and rebuked for just trying to read a letter written by Coretta Scott King at the confirmation hearing of Jeff Sessions.

This goes beyond the typical Trumpian and Republican ploy to squelch any dissent. I fear for the future of the First Amendment under Donald Trump and his henchmen.

The next day, Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., was allowed to read the same letter at the hearing. He was asked, What do you have that Sen. Warren does not? The senator graciously said it was a case of selective enforcement.

Without being flip and stating the obvious, could it not also be gender bias? We know how deep misogyny runs in the Republican Party and the Trump administration.

I can see many more fights and slights to Sen. Warren, a la Hillary Clinton, in an effort to marginalize her as a potential presidential Democratic nominee should she decide to run. I can also see her valiantly picking up the banner and relishing the challenge!

Jo-Ann D. Elmo
1 Congo killings: Congos government said Saturday that it is investigating a video that shows uniformed soldiers shooting at apparent militia members who are armed with sticks, and that a commanding officer has been arrested. The video, which has been widely shared on social media, could not be immediately verified. It emerged just days after the United Nations expressed grave concern about reports of more than 100 people killed in the past week in clashes between soldiers and fighters with the same militia who were armed with machetes and spears. The vast Central African country is home to multiple militias vying for control of rich mineral deposits, and human rights groups have long expressed concern over reported abuses by the military in the fight against them. The footage shows uniformed soldiers firing repeatedly, then inspecting bodies.

2 Gambia politics: Thousands gathered Saturday for a ceremony marking the inauguration of Gambias new president as the small West African nation celebrates wider freedoms after a tense political standoff with its former leader. Several heads of state attended the event for President Adama Barrow. He first took the oath at Gambias embassy in neighboring Senegal in January as former leader Yahya Jammeh refused to cede power. International pressure, including the threat of a regional military intervention, led Jammeh to finally accept his December election loss and fly into exile in Equatorial Guinea.
Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact - the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental and financial benefits.Palladium is a child-safe organisation, and screens applicants for suitability to work with children. We also provide equal employment to all participants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran or marital status.The Palladium Group develops and delivers solutions that create positive impact for communities, businesses, societies and economies. We transform lives and create enduring value by working with governments, corporations and non-profit organisations. We create positive impact through more than 100 current projects with more than 2000 employees operating in over 90 counties.The Maternal, New-born and Child Health Programme (MNCH2) is a country led programme which aims to reduce maternal and child mortality in Northern Nigeria and it is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID). The MNCH2 programme is being implemented in six states in northern Nigeria: Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Yobe and Zamfara States.OVERALL RESPONSIBILITY:He/She will assist with incoming telephone calls, distribution of mails and general deliveries in a timely manner.He/She will greet and offer general assistance to staff and visitors in a professional, friendly, and courteous manner.The Office Assistant maintains office operations by receiving and distributing communications; maintaining supplies and equipment; picking-up and delivering items; receiving and serving guest and as well managing the store.In addition, he or she will serve as a resource to staff regarding general office information, maintaining logs and files, assisting with secretarial duties, and providing information on meeting locations.Receives all incoming calls and visitors and directing them accordingly or attending to their needs or appointment requirements.Maintains and distributes the MNCH2 internal telephone list.Ensures that all messages and mails are forwarded to the relevant staff.Provides a general office support function by performing various office duties when requested, e.g. filing, stock taking, and arranging transport.Receives and sends all documents via courier services and maintain appropriate registers.Monitoring of stationery levels ensuring regularly used items are kept in stock while at the same time ensuring stationery levels are economically low.Collecting and filing stationery request forms from staff members prior to issuing of stationery.Accepts and logs all deliveries, checks auto notification and verifies that contact was notified and package was picked up.Ensures that all common copiers and printers in the office are full of paper at the start of each day.Responsible for the appearance of the reception area.Logs all telephone/extension problems.Logs all problems for repairs with various stakeholders.Assists in sourcing quotations for procurement.Assists in planning and providing support for meetings and other special events.Assists various MNCH2 with data entry needs.Light typing and secretarial duties as required.Coordinates/controls distribution and issuing of stationeryAny other duties as assigned by supervisor.A Bachelors Degree in Administration or equivalentA minimum of two years relevant administrative experience in supporting work group.Fluency in spoken and written English essential.Strong administrative, organizational, and written and verbal communication skills.Highly organized and able to work well under pressure.Ability to carry out independent work, to take initiative, and to use good judgment.Strong PC skills to include knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, internet research and database use.Familiarity with Microsoft Outlook desirable.Ability to interact with professionals at all levels located in different parts of the worldKnowledge of DFID and other similar organizations.In Return We OfferA friendly and team-based working environmentOpportunity to work with national and international colleaguesVital contribution to improving maternal and newborn services in Northern NigeriaThe opportunity to truly ?make a difference?A competitive salary with benefits3 March, 2017
Gallery of Londons urban foxes BoingBoing (resilc)

This Raccoon Riding on a Garbage Truck Is the Only Thing in DC That Makes Sense Vice (resilc)

Biologists find weird cave life that may be 50,000 years old Associated Press (martha r)

The Rise of the Weaponized AI Propaganda Machine Scout. Chuck L: This is positively frightening. One implication: you either need to stay off Faceborg OR use a buddys account to access the few times you must OR mess up your profile in a big way, such as liking things that dont represent you and dont go together, like Hello Kitty, Nascar, fine dining somewhere you dont live and never go, high end cruises and Dollar Store-ish sites, PETA and pro-meat lobbying groups. Readers, can you add specific suggestions for underming Faceborgs understanding of you? Please circulate this article and encourage friends and family to corrupt their Faceborg profile deliberately and see what fun results!

Brexit

Marmite takeover bid could make toast of Mays industrial strategy The Times. The headline is a little arch for those not in the UK. The FT is more straightforward: Unilever rejects $143bn Kraft Heinz takeover bid Tony Blair calls for fight against Theresa Mays Brexit plan Financial Times. Help me. Aside from the fact that Blair continued the Thatcherite policies that led to the backlash, my recollection is hes piped up only once before after the vote. Making noise at this late hour is mere virtue signaling. The UKs Brexit bill: could EU assets partially offset liabilities? Bruegel. Im not sure this is at all sound legally, since my understanding is much if not most of the ~50 billion that the EU says the UK owes are actual hard dollar payments that they were required to make and still owe. And let us not forget that European operate in a civil law framework and so go by the language of statutes and treaties.

Why Putin shouldnt want Le Pen to become Frances president Bloomberg

Housing market slumps The Times

Now That Cuba Is Open, Americans Arent Going Bloomberg. I had two friends who went there when it was illegal to do so who both said they liked it. But marketing it as a Caribbean destination is off. I was told it has great music and clubs, as well as good art.

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

German parents told to destroy Cayla dolls over hacking fears BBC (Dr. Kevin)

Trump Transition

Daily chart: Murder rates in 50 American cities Economist. UserFriendly: Trump wasnt lying, he was just psychic. lol. Mind you, this is a shift after a long period of decline, most convincingly attributed to the lagged effect of getting lead out of gas. But as the Grantham post yesterday pointed out, high levels of inequality is strongly correlated with lousy social indicators, like murder and violent crime. From the top of the article:

Over the past two years America has become more murderous. After steadily falling for a quarter-century, the national homicide rate jumped by 11% in 2015. Last year, an escalation of gang violence in Chicago increased the number of killings there from 485 to 764. Donald Trump, Americas president, has threatened to send in the feds if Chicago doesnt fix the horrible carnage. But whether the crime increase in the Windy City is merely an isolated event or reflects a wider trend remains unclear. To help resolve this debate, The Economist has gathered murder statistics for 2016fully eight months before they are released by the FBIfor 50 of Americas most violent cities. These areas contain 15% of the countrys population and around 36% of its murder victims. Our numbers show that homicides rose in 35 of them. Since urban trends tend to track national ones, this suggests that the overall murder rate is indeed rising at its fastest pace since the early 1970s. However, todays violence still needs to be set in historical context. Across all 50 cities, the homicide rate was lower in 2016 than it was in 2007, and for the 26 years before that.

Trumps $189 Suit Vanishes Online But the Smell of Success Lingers Bloomberg (furzy)

NSA Split From Cyberwar Command Inevitable, Says Former Official. Intercept (martha r)

I Dare You To Elect Tom Perez, DNC. Do It. Do It And Watch What Happens. Newslogue (UserFriendly)

The DNC needs an Organizer in Chief, not a Fund-raiser in Chief CT Viewpoints (martha r)

Ellison tells DNC members that DNC chair rival is trying to skew race Washington Post. UserFriendly: I hate the smug framing of this.

Dem senator: I may face 2018 primary from Tea Party-esque progressives The Hill. More proof the Dems would rather continue hippie-punching progressives, who actually represent majority positions on policy issues, than cross their corporate benefactors.

Cohen: Elizabeth Warren the liberal darling to the rescue? Poll says no Boston Herald (UserFriendly)

DNC candidates will take stage at CNN debate CNN

New FBI Docs Reveal Shadow Government Protected Hillary in Email Investigation AntiWar (UserFriendly). The headline is an overstatement but the material is pretty bad.

Obamacare

As a Christian, I defended Obamacare. But I really support single-payer. Washington Post. This is great! The woman in the video that went viral gets an op-ed. Key section flagged by martha r (emphasis original): But the truth is that I do not actually believe that the ACA is the best way to insure people. In fact, I am ashamed and afraid that this video might have done more harm than good. In my view, Christians shouldnt be satisfied with health-care policy that leaves anyone out, especially those who need care most but can afford it least. Christians should support a universal, single-payer system. Five GOP Health Care Buzz Phrases You Need to Inoculate Yourself Against OurFuture (Glenn F) Be sure to read the entire piece.

Single-Payer Health Care Bill Introduced In California Senate California Healthline (furzy)

California lawmakers introduce single-payer health care plan today Mercury News (Bill C)

The Senate Revolution in North Dakota Will Not Be Televised Inside Elections (UserFriendly)

Storm to dump heavy rain and snow on U.S. West Reuters (EM)

Deadly storm slams Southern California CNN (furzy). Landslides in LA coming!

NoDAPL

Dakota Access Pipeline Secret Documents: The U.S. Trustee is not Trustworthy Indian Country Media Network (martha r)

Fake News

Banks drawn in as Cigna and Anthem square off Reuters (martha r)

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. Tomtom: This flying squirrel loves dining at our squirrel-proof bird feeder every night.

And a bonus video (Robert H):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Rehearsals are well underway down at the White Memorial Theatre in Clonmel where St. Mary's Choral Society is preparing to present Sweeney Todd, its 121st production from Sunday 23rd April to Saturday 29th April.

Unanimously acclaimed by the critics as one of Stephen Sondheim's most powerful scores, this black comedy concerns the homicidal career of Sweeney, falsely imprisoned by a Judge who covets his wife.

Cheated of his revenge against the Judge, Sweeney - with the aid of his razor - exacts a far more terrible revenge, cheerfully helped by Mrs. Lovett who is delighted to give new life to her flavourless meat pies!

This will be the first time Sweeney Todd has been staged in Clonmel, although its neighbouring society of Carrick-on-Suir staged the musical a few years ago to great success.

The production is being produced and directed by Michael O'Donoghue, the musical director/chorus mistress is Laura Cotter, set design is by Diarmuid Vaughan and the assistant to the director is society stalwart Margaret O'Sullivan.

Auditions were held recently for the many parts in this wonderful musical and the line-up of principals is as follows: Diarmuid Vaughan, winner of the 2011 AIMS Best Actor Award will play the title role of Sweeney Todd/Benjamin Barker. Making a very welcome return to the stage in the role of Mrs Lovett will be Olwyn Grogan and the role of Tobias Ragg is being played by Luke Gibson, who is making his debut with St. Mary's Choral Society.

Emmet Donlan reprises the role of Anthony, which he played with Carrick-on-Suir Musical Society a few years ago; Sinead O'Donovan plays Johanna, David Hughes plays Judge Turpin, James Sweeney is Beadle Bamford, Michelle Smith plays the Beggar Woman, James O'Donovan plays Pirelli, Ricky Dunne is Jonas Fogg and the Bird Seller is being played by David Hogan. A host of familiar faces will make up the supporting cast of aristocrats, people of London, street people etc.

Booking will open on Monday 10th April at Marian's, O'Connell Street, Clonmel, tel. (052) 6123813. Put the date in your diary as tickets for this wonderful production will surely sell out quickly once booking opens.
The Chicago Federal Home Loan Bank experienced a significant jump in mortgage originations in 2016 due to a "re-introduction" of its traditional Mortgage Partnership Finance loan product.

The bank purchased $3.1 billion in mortgage loans in 2016, up 78% from the year prior. And 40% of the increase was due to traditional MPF products.

"The re-introduction of the MPF traditional products contributed to this substantial increase," the bank said in a letter to its members.

The increase in demand is primarily due to a successful marketing campaign that helped the bank net new members last year, according to a spokeswoman for the bank. She also credited attractive pricing and servicing income that members can earn as helping the increase.

Alex Pollock, the then-president of the Chicago bank, launched it in 1997 to create a secondary mortgage market for members of the Home Loan Bank system. But the Chicago bank stopped offering the program in 2008 in the midst of the housing crisis due to a large concentration of mortgage products on its balance sheet.

With home prices rising again, delinquency rates falling and banks looking for additional sources of fee income, the MPF traditional products was re-introduced in 2015.

"As the bank's members seek ways to increase their non-interest income, the volume in the traditional MPF products has continued to grow as well," the Chicago Home Loan Bank said in an Oct. 27 summary of its third quarter financial results.

Under the traditional MPF program, the originating member sells the loan to the Chicago bank and the seller earns a fee for providing a credit enhancement based on the performance of the loans.

"In creating MPF, we put the member in the role of Fannie Mae. Instead of paying Fannie Mae a guarantee fee, the member bank provides the credit enhancement and receives the guarantee fee," said Pollock, who is now with the R Street Institute, in an interview.

During 2016, participating FHLB members earned $2 million in credit support income. "It gives them a strong interest in originating high-quality loans. And they are getting non-interest income in the form of enhancement fees," Pollock said.

For some time, the Chicago FHLB experienced an erosion of its MPF portfolio as MPF mortgage balances paid down. In the third quarter, MPF loan volume helped "offset" the paydowns.

MPF loans held in portfolio increased to $5 billion by yearend 2016 compared to $4.8 billion in 2015, the Chicago FHLB reported, as "new MPF loan purchases began to outpace paydown and maturity activity."
(Natural News) It seems that Barack Obama is no longer officially president, but he is the mastermind behind a large, well-funded effort to operate a shadow government whose primary goals are a) undermining President Donald Trump, and b) preserving Obamas awful, job-killing, freedom-smothering Alt-Left agenda.

There are many fronts in this war to delegitimize Trump, and that includes battles to silence the alternative media networks and outlets that have consistently come to the presidents defense with truthful, honest reporting that the discredited establishment media is incapable of. (RELATED: Sleeper Cell Obama Running Shadow Government Op To Discredit Natural News And Other Pro-Trump Independent Media)

And these battles will begin with several organizations that were part of that Obama legacy, built over the final years he spent in office, with the singular goal of ensuring Trump fails and his Marxist far-Left agenda survives and moves forward.

As The National Sentinel reported last week, the operation was exposed by Hoover Institute media fellow, author and investigative journalist Paul Sperry, who said Obama has issued orders to his troops to swing into action:

When former President Barack Obama said he was heartened by anti-Trump protests, he was sending a message of approval to his troops. Troops? Yes, Obama has an army of agitators  numbering more than 30,000  who will fight his Republican successor at every turn of his historic presidency. And Obama will command them from a bunker less than two miles from the White House.

Sperry, writing in the New York Post, said that Obama was working to establish what will essentially be a shadow government to ensure that Trumps American First agenda is thwarted (and this guy was an American president?).

Hes doing it through a network of leftist nonprofits led by Organizing for Action. Normally youd expect an organization set up to support a politician and his agenda to close up shop after that candidate leaves office, but not Obamas OFA. Rather, its gearing up for battle, with a growing war chest and more than 250 offices across the country.

One of these groups is Media Matters, an out-there far-Left media watchdog organization run by David Brock that is gearing up to spend millions to wage war on the truth, the American people who believe in Trump and support him, and the system of government that has held our country together for more than two centuries.

Revealed in this confidential memo, Media Matters master plan is called, Democracy Matters, Strategic Plan for Action, and it involves:

 Attack the alternative media (including Natural News founder/editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, who was threatened with reputation destruction just last week) in a relentless attempt to discredit us as right-wing propagandists

 Specifically, the Alt-Left group pledges to weaponize our research products to understand and take action against the changing media ecosystem and the extremists seeking to manipulate it. Key alt-right figures will lose credibility and influence in response to our research and pressure

 Use social media to assault conservative voices and reputations while defending and promoting big government, authoritarianism pushed by the Democratic Party

In order to pull this off, Media Matters has assembled a budget of $13.4 million to hire 34 people to research Trump supporters in the media and elsewhere and attack them. (RELATED: Trump Calls Out Press For Sabotaging His Efforts To Improve Relations With Russia)

Liberty-minded independent media are already well aware of what were up against.

Several intelligence insiders have come forward over the past few days to describe a shadow government of Obama holdovers leaking information to derail the Trump presidency, with National Security Adviser Mike Flynns resignation their first great success, reports Breitbart News.

There are even allegations that former President Barack Obama himself is actively involved, citing his establishment of a command center in Washington and continuing involvement with activist organizations.

Never prone to conspiracy theories, even talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh has begun to discuss the plotting and scheming of the deep state  the embedded federal bureaucracy that is pro-Obama, pro-big government and pro-globalism, but anti-America-first and definitely anti-Trump.

However, discrediting us wont be as easy as Media Matters or the Obama machine think. After all, despite Hillary Clinton winning a majority of votes (thanks solely to the state of California), Trump won the vast majority of the country. Also, most Americans dont trust the mainstream media that Media Matters will have to rely on to get its message out. And using social media is no guarantee of success, either, as conservatives also use it.

Nevertheless, the battle lines have been drawn. Trumps election has brought together what remains of the Alt-Left. They wont give up and theyre not going away. Neither, it seems, is the 44th president.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

TheNationalSentinel.com

Breitbart.com

Gallup.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) In Hunterdon County, New Jersey, there are increasing numbers of parents who are saying NO! to the recommended immunization schedule from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). As reported by the Press of Atlantic City, in the 2009  2010 school year, 3,865 children opted out. In the 2015  2016 school year, the parents of another 9,500 children refused routine school required vaccinations. Thats an increase of over 50% within a six-year time span. The majority of parents from were reported to have used the religious exemption, which, along with a medical exemption that New Jersey also allows, eliminates the childhood requirements that are mandatory for kids to attend daycare or childcare, public and private schools.

In many states, as reported by the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), the pressure has been mounting to eliminate personal, philosophical and religious exemptions, and New Jersey is no exception. Parents have already been stripped of this choice in California, West Virginia and Mississippi. When New Jersey legislators introduced measures to make obtaining a religious exemption more difficult, it failed. Weighing in on this matter with hope that both religious and philosophical exemptions will be completely eliminated is well-known vaccine pusher Dr.Paul Offit, who now runs a Vaccine Education Center while employed at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia as an attending physician.

This is the same Dr. Paul Offit who, in 2008 was interviewed by Sharyl Attkisson and quoted then as suggesting babies can tolerate 10,000 vaccinations at once.

Many parents have come to understand that the pharmaceutical industry is a vaccine creating, chemical pill pushing, money making machine. And when ingredients like aluminum phosphate, formaldehyde, polysorbate 80, ethanol, detergent, thimerosal, human albumin and a host of other adjuvants and toxins are going to be injected into their children to keep everyone safe, it gives pause and rightly so.

Dangerous ingredients are one thing. Dr. Alex Vasquez, DO, DC, ND, FACN, who runs the International College of Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine (ICHNFM) in Barcelona, Spain, goes further. Dr. Vasquez questions the paradigm of how a vaccine works. The idea that an antibody response to a vaccine is proof of clinical immunity is completely absurd, he says.

Robert Kennedy, Jr. and Robert DeNiro recently offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who identifies a peer  reviewed scientific study that demonstrates that mercury in vaccines is safe. The pharmaceutical companies are shaking in their boots due to Trumps possible assignment of Kennedy to head a commission on autism. As reported by The American Conservative, Trump is in favor of vaccines, but has said that massive combined inoculations and simultaneous vaccinations may be producing a wave of doctor-inflicted autism. This is a dramatic and bold change from the previous administrations who have turned a blind eye to the vaccine issue. In particular, when President Ronald Reagan pushed through the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act in 1986, it gave vaccine makers legal protection from civil product liability. Since that time, vaccine injured litigants have had to file for compensation from an arduous federal program that pays, if they win, with taxpayer dollars.

As many have done in the past, the families of young children in New Jersey are questioning the force fed vaccine paradigm. Parents are under enormous pressure to research and balance the potential risks of each individual vaccine on their loved ones. It is a complex issue fraught with contention. But with sold out shills like Dr. Paul Offit and the tremendous lobbying influence of the pharmaceutical industry, it is imperative that all families have the freedom and the inalienable right to just say no.

Sources:

NbcPhiladelphia.com

CbsNews.com

Science.NaturalNews.com

YouTube.com

Ichnfm.org

TheAmericanConservative.com

WorldMercuryProject.org
Recent developments in artificial intelligence shows that the U.S. may no longer top the list when it comes to the technology.

While the Pentagon is planning to incorporate AI technology in its operations, reports reveal that China also has some tricks in its sleeves. The country has been asserting its position in the AI arms race by developing intelligent weapons.

To maintain its lead, the U.S. is planning to pursue a new military strategy founded on the assumption of its continued superiority in robotics and artificial intelligence. This "Third Offset" strategy, as first announced by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, provides a formula for maintaining a military advantage in the face of a renewed rivalry with China and Russia.

However, according to The New York Times, as consumer electronics moved to Asia, both Chinese companies and the nation's government laboratories are also making major advancements in the field.

For instance, Microsoft's AI specialist Qi Lu left the company last year to become the chief operating officer at Baidu, where he will oversee the company's project in becoming the leader in AI.

Technology Review noted that just last year, Tencent, the developer of WeChat and a Facebook competitor, created an AI research lab and began investing U.S-based AI companies.

This shows that it may only be a matter of time before countries like China begin developing their own "intelligent" weapons. China Daily previously reported that China has embarked on the development of a cruise missle system with a "high level" of artificial intelligence. The said missile could be a response to a missile the US Navy is expected to deploy in 2018 to counter a growing Chinese military influence in the Pacific.

Aside from this, China is showing fast progress against U.S. and European AI developers. For instance, Gansha Wu, former director of Intel's laboratory in China, left his post and assembled a team of researchers from Intel and Google to build a self-driving car company. Their product, Uisee Technology, made a demonstration at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas just after nine months.

Since the 1970s, the U.S. has had a military advantage based on its technological advancement on nuclear weapons as well as the emergence of showed Silicon Valley tech such as computer chips and artifiical intelligence. However, the balance of power is slowly shifting as companies themselves are starting to be more advanced than their own governments.

Recent developments so far are already staggering in the field. According to the New York Times, Microsoft has previously announced that the company has created software capable of matching human skills in understanding speech. Google's own DeepMind AI have begun defeating humans in their own "games," such as Go and poker, and is starting to exhibit "behavior" depending on certian situations.
Tom Frantz has been growing almonds near Bakersfield, California most of life, like his father and grandfather before him. Hes concerned about what is known as produced water.

Were not using it on my land, he says.

Tom Frantz

Produced water comes from the Kern River Oil Fields a few miles to the east. Its a byproduct of extracting oil. To extract one barrel of crude out of the earth, oil companies use between 10 and 100 barrels of water. That water is then filtered through tanks that contain crushed walnut shells, which adhere to the oil. The water then travels into ponds where it is skimmed to remove oil from the surface. If necessary, the water returns once again to the filtering process before being blended with fresh water. It then travels down canals where it is delivered to about 90 farms in the Bakersfield area. Farmers in the area are using more than 20 million gallons of this water each day. Oil companies and the Cawelo Water District have tested the water and assured the farmers that the water is safe. Those farmers sell their produce to the Bay Area and throughout the country, sometimes as organic products.

While there are regulations that require companies involved in fracking to reveal the chemicals in their operations, no such rules exist for traditional oil extraction. Last year, the Central Valley Water Board ordered the oil companies to reveal the chemicals they are using. The companies responded with a list of 173 chemicals. Sixty-six of those chemicals are proprietary trade secrets.

From a food safety perspective, the thing were most concerned about, says Seth Shonkoff, is whether these chemicals are going to migrate from the water into the plant, and particularly into the edible portion of the plant.

Shonkoff and a team of scientists from UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley Labs and PSE, an Energy Science Institute  have recently completed a report that identifies the chemicals and their toxicities. While they couldnt analyze the chemicals classified as trade secrets, with respect to the rest of them, Shonkoff says, Forty percent of those rise to the chemicals of concern category.

A total of 10 chemicals from the list were classified as either carcinogenic or possibly carcinogenic in humans by IARC, the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

NBC Bay Area

Back in Bakersfield, Scott Smith has been taking water samples in the canals that feed oil waste water to the fields. Smith works for Water Defense, a non-profit group devoted to clean water. As he shows the Investigative Unit a pond that holds some of the waste water, he says, Smell this  thats like a kerosene smell, thats oil! You see that steam coming up  thats hot oil wastewater. Smith has cleaned up after oil spills all over the world, but hes shocked by what he has seen here in the Central Valley. We detected chromium, he says, they did not. We detected nickel. We detected light hydrocarbons, they didnt even test for it. You cant find what you dont look for.

Neither Smith nor Shonkoff have data that says the water is not safe, but they are convinced that more testing is needed before this practice continues. You should care about whats going on here if you eat almonds, grapes, tangerines, lemons, citrus, if you shop for organic food, says Smith. What is happening in the Cawelo Water District in Kern County is coming into your home every night at your kitchen table and your dining room table.

In fact, food from the Central Valley is shipped all over the United States, producing eight percent of the nations agriculture.

The Chevron Corporation declined requests for an interview, but gave NBC Bay Area News a statement:

Protecting people and the environment is one of Chevrons core values.

Cawelos blended produced water supply met all applicable regulatory standards for agricultural use and showed no cause for concern.

The Cawelo Water District says they are continuing to do monthly and quarterly tests of the oil waste water and that so far - all tests show that its safe for irrigating crops.

Blake Sanden is an irrigation engineer in the Bakersfield area. Hes been working with produced water, and says hes convinced that any chemical contaminants are at very low levels. He says, The analyses that Ive seen in many cases shows a detection of those materials but quite often, even below drinking water standards.

But Tom Frantz, the longtime almond farmer, isnt convinced: All they can say it hasnt been proven definitively to be dangerous yet, so lets continue. Thats what theyre saying. Theyre telling us: prove its dangerous and we might stop.
A huge Pacific storm that parked itself over Southern California and unloaded, ravaging roads, opening sinkholes and leading to the deaths of at least three people, eased off Saturday. But it was only a temporary reprieve as new storms took aim farther north.

More showers and thunderstorms were possible Saturday morning, with a chance of rain in the afternoon. A flash flood watch was still in effect in Los Angeles County through the morning. In Orange County, the watch is in force through the afternoon.

The storm feeding on an atmospheric river of moisture stretching far out into the ocean was at its most fierce late Friday afternoon, dropping over 8 inches of rain in one area, and was expected to last until Saturday afternoon.

The region appeared to dodge any major disasters, but in the desert town of Victorville, several cars were washed down a flooded street, and one man was found dead in a submerged vehicle after others were rescued, San Bernardino County fire spokesman Eric Sherwin said.

And in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles, a man was electrocuted when a tree falling in heavy rain downed power lines that hit his car.

Later in the same neighborhood, a sinkhole swallowed two cars, the second on live TV as viewers watched it teeter on the edge before plunging in. Firefighters rescued one person from the first car, and the driver got out of the second before it fell. No one was injured.

Inland at the Cajon Pass, the shoulder of Interstate 15 crumbled and sent a parked firetruck spilling over the side, but three firefighters managed to escaped the engine before it fell.

There were several traffic deaths on slick and flooded roads also, but it was difficult to say which were a direct result of the storm.

Other forms of travel were tough too. Amtrak canceled its rail trips for a long stretch of the state's southern and central coast, and more than 300 arriving and departing flights were delayed or canceled at Los Angeles International Airport.

Winds gusting to 70 mph or more lashed parts of the region. Heavy rains turned creeks and rivers into brown torrents and released slews of mud from hillsides burned barren by wildfires.

"At one point the wind was so strong I'm surprised it didn't blow my windows out," retiree Phoenix Hocking said from Carpinteria. "I now have a pond in my patio. And my dog is starting to grow flippers so he can go out and do his business."

Several stretches of freeways and highways were closed by flooding, including very busy arteries like Interstate 5 and Interstate 10.

"It's crazy," said Robin Johnson, an academic adviser at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "It's just pouring down rain. The wind is just going nuts."

In LA's Sun Valley, 10 cars were trapped in swift-moving water on a roadway and 15 people had to be rescued, the Fire Department reported.

Using ropes and inflatable boats, firefighters rescued seven people and two dogs from the Sepulveda basin, a recreation and flood-control area along the Los Angeles River. One person was taken to a hospital with a non-life threatening injury.

Hundreds of trees and dozens of power lines had toppled in the Los Angeles area and about 150,000 customers were without electricity across the region.

Another tree smashed a carport and vehicles in the Santa Barbara suburb of Goleta.

On Saturday, searchers found the body of a man who was swept down a rain-swollen gully in Thousand Oaks a day earlier. The teen's body was found in Arroyo Conejo Creek. Three other people stranded by the water were rescued.

By evening, Ventura County and northern Los Angeles County had seen 24-hour rain totals of up to 7  inches, with the San Marcos mountain pass in Santa Barbara County receiving nearly 8  inches.

The city of Duarte, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of Los Angeles, ordered evacuation of about 180 homes below a burn scar.

NBC4 Los Angeles staff and AP writers John Antczak and Mike Balsamo contributed to this report.
San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin is demanding an apology from Mayor Ed Lee over what he believes was a hurtful and crass attack.

In a private group text, Lee used the word gestapo to describe legislation backed by Peskin, a Jewish-American. The legislation in question sought to make witnesses testify under oath before the Government Audit and Oversight Committee. Perjury could result in criminal punishment. It failed 7-4.

On Friday, Peskin said he takes the message very personally, especially in recent unsettled, racially tinted times.

When things like this happen, you have to say it like it is, he said. When the mayor is talking about a Jewish-American person and using Nazi terms, it chills me to my core.

When asked about the text message that was sent to six people, NBC Bay Area received a statement from the mayors spokesperson, Deirdre Hussey.

It read in part: "Mayor Lee apologizes for inappropriately and insensitively using the word Gestapo to describe Supervisor Peskin's failed legislation.

It goes on to talk about the concerns the mayor has with that particular legislation, calling it McCarthyesque. The letter also says that Lee has reached out to Jewish faith communities to apologize for the inappropriate word usage.

Peskin says he's tried to reach Lee by phone, text, email and letter, but says he hasn't heard a word  or apology  from the mayor. San Francisco leader's need to stand together and be beacons of hope, tolerance and unity, he said.

I welcome his call and I'm hoping we can move forward together for the betterment of San Francisco, Peskin added.
Last fall, Karen Doan and her husband booked a trip to Mexico.

We wanted to relax on the beach and get some sun, said Doan.

But a routine doctor appointment quickly changed their plans.

The nurse comes out and says Its positive, and I look at her and go, Are you sure? said Doan.

She was sure alright - Doan was pregnant. Once the surprising news settled, Doan realized she had to cancel her upcoming trip.

We realized we couldnt go to Cabo anymore because of the Zika virus, said Doan.

The Centers for Disease Control warns women not to travel to coastal Mexico, saying, Infection during pregnancy could cause serious birth defect.

Doan says the hotel and tours she booked understood that, and have her full refunds. But United Airlines wasnt as generous.

Doan used miles to purchase her tickets. And United agreed to refund her miles with restrictions -- she had to use the miles within a year and pay a $200 penalty per ticket.

Everyone gave us a refund, happily gave us a refund, except United Airlines, said Doan.

Uniteds decision for Doans mileage ticket seems to contradict its Zika policy for paid tickets thats posted on its website. There, it says, Consumers who are advised to avoid the affected regions based on CDC guidance may change their destination or travel date without a change fee or may choose to receive a refund.

Doans doctor even wrote a letter on her behalf, saying she couldnt travel. But United didnt budge.

I just didnt think it was fair because the situation was very unusual, said Doan.

So Doan reached out to us for help. We contacted United and the airline deposited Doans miles back to her account - with no fee and no restrictions.

I was very happy, said Doan.

Doan is now looking forward to her new baby, and says shell plan another trip to Mexico someday.

We might have a little one running around when we go, said Doan. Thats OK  the more the merrier.

United told us it offered Zika-related refunds for travelers who purchased tickets prior to March of last year. It said beyond that date, travelers had plenty of warning about Zika.

As for unexpected situations like Karens, United said it makes those decisions on a case-by-case basis.
San Jose police officers are investigating two bizarre instances of men being shot by mysterious blowgun darts on Thursday.

One said that he was struck in the area of Meridian and Hillsdale avenues around 7:30 p.m. as he walked out of a restaurant with his family.

The second man was hit at about 8:20 p.m. while he rode a bike near Meridian Avenue and Ridgewood Drive. Police found a dart lodged in the mans jacket.

Neither mans injuries are considered life-threatening, police said, and the suspect or suspects remain unidentified and at large.

The owner of Nick the Greek on Meridian Avenue said on Friday that is he worried about his workers and his customers.

I think it's going to put us on a little higher alert - I mean keep us on our toes - so we know what's going on and make sure our customers know to watch out, Komiel Mohsen said.

Diners who learned about the attacks were at a loss and couldnt understand why anyone would act that way.

Its very bizarre, weird, said customer Nick Cigars.

The darts look very similar to the ones used in the random shootings on the Golden Gate Bridge almost exactly year ago, but police say there is no connection between the two incidents.
The Anderson Reservoir, which has hovered around 99 percent of its maximum capacity for the past few days, began to spill over early Saturday morning for the first time in nearly 11 years.

As the Morgan Hill dam's water level rages, people who live along Coyote Creek could be under risk of flooding. So officials opened the spillway on Saturday to relieve pressure on the reservoir and make room for more water from the approaching storms.

"I think its amazing. Its never been so full," said Nick Smith of Morgan Hill.

During a years-long historic drought in California, the reservoir's water level dipped so low that homeless encampments cropped up in the area and trees began growing in the middle of San Jose's Coyote Creek. However, after a storm-drenched winter, the dam has become something of a tourist destination. Many have flocked to Anderson Reservoir, watching transfixed as millions of gallons were released into the creek below.

"It's pretty awesome," said Kelly Truman of Morgan Hill. "We rarely get this much water and we got our show."

However, Marty Grimes, a spokesman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, warned of potential flooding as a string of storms make a beeline for the Bay Area in the coming days.

Homeowners near the dam arent at high risk for flooding, but downstream in San Jose, there are a few low-lying vulnerable spots. One is the Golden Wheel Mobile Home Park in the Berryessa neighborhood, he said.

The Anderson Reservoir sits in an earthquake zone and the dam, which was built in 1950 when seismic standards were not as strict as they are today, could be damaged by a 7.25 magnitude or greated earthquake, according to water district spokesperson Marty Grimes.

Until the dam is seismically retrofitted, the water district is required to keep the reservoir level below 68 percent capacity. To that end, officials have been releasing about 400 cubic feet of water per second for the past week, but that's not been fast enough to keep up with relentless rain.

At the current pace that the Anderson Reservoir is taking on water, Grimes estimated that it could take between four and nine weeks to reduce the water level so the dam is compliant with seismic regulations.

"Thats the physical reality," Grimes said. "We opened this release valve in January when the reservoir was only half full, in anticipation of that."

Officials have been developing a plan to retrofit the dam since 2009, but the soonest the water district would commence construction would be in 2020.

The $400 million seismic retrofit project, which would partially be paid for by a parcel tax and increased water rates spread out over 30 years, would likely take at least four years to complete, according to Grimes.
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says the lawmakers will consider a plan to sell the Thompson Center government office building in downtown Chicago.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has been interested in selling the large, glass-paned office building since he took office two years ago. The governor even mentioned the idea during his annual budget address on Wednesday.

The Chicago Tribune reports Madigan said Friday that a House panel will examine the proposed sale, saying it's his "intention to work with the governor on developing a course of action for the Thompson Center that best serves the interests of the people of Illinois."

Architect Helmut Jahn designed the 17-story, 980,000-square-foot building, which opened in 1985 at a cost of $172 million. Rauner has estimated the state could net $200 million selling the building.
A suspect has been charged in the shooting that killed two people, including a 2-year-old boy, and wounded a pregnant woman on Chicago's West Side, authorities announced Saturday.

Devon Swan, 26, was arrested overnight and charged with first degree murder for his role in the shooting that occurred on Feb. 14 in the city's Lawndale neighborhood, Chicago police said in a release. Additional arrests are expected. [[414156883, C]]

The shooting happened around 1:30 p.m. in the 2300 block of S. Kenneth Ave., authorities said.

The toddler, later identified as 2-year-old Lavontay White, was killed along with his uncle, 26-year-old Lazarec Collins, of the 2300 block of S. Kostner Ave.

Collins was a documented gang member, according to police, who believe he was the intended target of the attack "which stemmed over a dispute between Collins and a group of individuals."

A 20-year-old woman, identified as Lavontay's aunt, also suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach. She was several months pregnant, officials said, and she and the unborn child were expected to survive. [[413776073, C]]

She was streaming video on Facebook Live at the time of the shooting, according to police. All three victims were in a vehicle in an alley when another car drove past and someone got out and opened fire, authorities said.

"As is the case, time and time and time again, the offender, 26-year-old Devon Swan is no stranger to CPD or the criminal justice system," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a news conference announcing the charges Saturday afternoon.

"He's a convicted felon who has been arrested nine times, including previous gun arrests for unlawful use of a weapon, armed robbery, escape from custody and numerous narcotic arrests," Johnson added. "He's also a documented gang member who's been identified by the department on our strategic subject algorithm to be at higher risk as an offender or victim of gun violence." [[238427591, C]]

Rev. Michael Pfleger was "instrumental" in the investigation, authorities said, helping "identify individuals that provided detectives with the information they needed in the case."

"The community came forward with information for me and what I do all the time is say, 'Are you willing to talk with the police?'" Pfleger said at Saturday's news conference. "They said they were willing to if I was there and we would talk, and we then called the police and from that point went forward and brought the information, and the people willing to bring the information were willing to go all the way forward with it."

"People say a lot of times the community doesnt respond because they're afraid, I get that," Pfleger added. "But we're just as afraid if that killer is still on the street. So we have to take the initiative to say we're gonna become safer as a community when we take people who are killers off the streets, so your faith has to be greater than your fear."

Swan did not contact police, according to Commander Brendan Deenihan, who said the investigation remains "very active" as police continue to search for more suspects in the shooting.

"Regarding the offender who did get charged last night, detectives were able to speak with several witnesses who cooperated with us, and these witnesses, you know, basically told us that this offender had made incriminating statements," Deenihan said.

"We were able to locate this offender, we placed him into custody, then during his interview with the detectives, he made an incriminating statement which ultimately led to him being charged," he said.

"There's a couple different motives that the detectives are working on," Deenihan said, adding that Swan said "they were seeking revenge for a prior incident," but "other people have brought different motives" for the shooting to police.

Lavontay was the third child to be fatally shot in Chicago in the last week. On Saturday evening, 11-year-old Takiya Holmes and 12-year-old Kanari Gentry-Bowers were both shot in the head in unrelated shootings less than a half hour apart on Chicago's South Side.

Takiya died Tuesday morning, and 19-year-old Antwan Jones was charged with first-degree murder after turning himself in late Tuesday evening, according to police.

Kanari died Wednesday evening, a spokesperson for her family said. No one is in custody in connection with the shooting.

"I think it's important that we dont let the names of these children be forgotten," Johnson said Saturday. "Lavontay White. Takiya Holmes. Kanari Gentry-Bowers. Remember those names and burn them into your memory. Let their lives and death be a reminder of how we need to come together as a city to reduce the gun violence in these neighborhoods."

"We need those names to be said out loud to encourage community members to provide information to us when they know it and have it," Johnson said. "Those names need to be spoken out loud to our state legislators, who hold a key part to making out streets safer by holding repeat gun offenders accountable."

"It's far too easy to go back in the same routine after the dust settles but if we remember those names and what they represent, we can come together to finally make a stand and not let their lives be lost in vain."
As her loved ones mourn their loss, one Ohio woman found a source of comfort in her own passing  by taking a shot at President Donald Trump in her obituary.

Elizabeth "Liz" Smith died Monday at the age of 87, surrounded by her family, who then made her political views well known.

"Liz is smiling now, not to be living during the Trump presidency," her obituary reads.

A member of Huron County Democratic Party and a poll worker, Smiths daughter told the Sandusky Register that her mother "doesnt like the man, she never has."

"She had seen that in somebody elses obituary and kind of made a note of that," said Deborah Lucal.

Smith was a lifetime member of Girl Scouts USA and an avid volunteer, as well as an active member of her church and a travel enthusiast.

Despite Smiths preference for blue when it came to her politics, Lucal told the Register that her mother requested everyone wear red to her funeral, in celebration of her life.

Smith was hardly the first to make a political statement in her departure.

A Pennsylvania chiropractor who passed away in Jan. 2016 at the age of 70 had just one request for his mourners: "In lieu of flowers, please don't vote for Donald Trump."

His son told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he and his brother decided to include the line after seeing a New Jersey womans obituary the previous August, asking loved ones not to vote for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Though commentary came from both sides of the afterlife aisle, one Virginia womans obituary broke with the partisan trend in her post-mortem political plea.

"Faced with the prospect of voting for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, Mary Anne Noland of Richmond chose, instead, to pass into the eternal love of God," her May 2016 obituary said.
A man has been charged with setting a garage fire last fall that left a 59-year-old man dead on Chicago's West Side.

Thomas Stafford, 23, faces counts of first-degree murder and aggravated arson for the Sept. 16, 2016, blaze in the 2100 block of West 21st Street, according to Chicago Police.

Firefighters found Venancio Veracruz Benitez dead after they extinguished the fire that tore through a garage in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood about 3 a.m., according to fire officials and the Cook County medical examiners office.

An autopsy at the time didnt immediately rule on Benitezs cause or manner of death, but authorities determined he died of smoke inhalation and announced in November that it had been deemed a homicide.

The fire that killed Benitez was among seven that night in his neighborhood that were intentionally set in garbage cans or near garage walls, authorities said. [[393720921, C]]

One extra-alarm fire at 2272 S. Blue Island Ave. spread from the back porch of a home and adjoining building, leaving 39 people homeless.

More than 100 firefighters were called to the series of arsons, sending one to a hospital with minor injuries, authorities said.

Stafford was arrested a month after the fatal fire and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle in an unrelated case, court records show. He was convicted in December, and was serving a three-year sentence at the Lawrence Correctional Center in downstate Sumner when he was charged with murder and arson on Thursday.

Stafford, of the 1700 block of West 18th Place, remains jailed on a $750,000, records show. His next court date is March 9.
Connecticut state police have arrested a Lisbon man accused of having a sexual relationship with his girlfriends 11-year-old daughter while living in their Stafford apartment.

Timothy A Miceli, 27, was arrested Friday and faces charges of first-degree sex assault and risk of injury to a minor.

According to the arrest warrant, the investigation began on Feb. 10 when the victim reported to her therapist that she was having a sexual relationship with her mothers live-in boyfriend that had been going on since around August 2016.

After telling her therapist of the relationship, the victim was taken to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center, where a sexual assault evidence collection kit was completed and she was evaluated. Police also interviewed her mother, who told them shed been dating Miceli since August 2016 and after two weeks of dating he moved in with her and her daughter. She also told police when she was at work Miceli would watch the victim.

The victims mother also noted that her daughter had been to the pediatrician several times over complaints that her private area was itchy, but nothing came of those visits.

The warrant states that the victim told investigators that the relationship started when she asked Miceli how to kiss. The victim said that Miceli first told her verbally, but eventually showed her physically. The victim said it happened when her mother wasnt around and developed into sex. The victim reported that she and Miceli had been having sex for about three weeks and that he told her not to tell anyone because he could get his private part chopped off going to jail and that he would kill himself.

When officers first met with Miceli he denied knowing anything about a sexual assault and agreed to leave the apartment and move back in with his mother so police and the Department of Children and Families could conduct their investigation.

Investigators said that when they interviewed Miceli a week later, he admitted to having sex with the victim in the apartment multiple times . He told police the victim pressured him into showing her how to kiss and that he ended up kissing her. He said the victim then began asking him to have sex.

Miceli was issued a $750,000 bond and is expected to appear in court on Feb. 21.
After the announcement that UConn Health Center was shutting down its fire department, some are raising concerns about whether the Town of Farmingtons fire department can pick up the slack.

In a press release, Town Manager Kathleen Eagen stated the town did not initiate nor does it encourage the idea of shutting UConns department down, though she said the town is committed to providing the same high level of service to the UConn Health Center as it does to the rest of the town.

A retired UCHC Fire Department chief tells NBC Connecticut the eight full time Farmington firefighters and 140 volunteer firefighters aren't equipped to handle the UCHC.

"They're good people but right now they don't have the training or equipment in order to effectively respond," retired Chief Carmine Centrella said.

According to a letter from the UCONN Health Center CEO, the Fire Dept. is shutting down June 1st due to "ongoing fiscal pressure."

"There's always been this belief of people wanting to save money off the backs of public safety," Centrella added.

The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters dug up old public safety reports from 2002 and 2013.

In one, Kathy Eagen told investigators if this department were eliminated it'd be impossible for the volunteer fire department to handle every emergency at the Health Center.

The campus is complex, Carmine explained, with anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 people here at any given time, the campus should remain 24/7 with first responders.

"Unless you have certain skills and training you're waiting for a crew to show up and then you have to make the drive and get into the building. That's not something a volunteer. We're on duty 10 hours a day - 14 at night."

In another public safety report, Farmington's Director of Fire and Rescue Services Mary Ellen Harper stated "we are in no way capable of handling the health center the way it needs to be handled."

Another in a different report it said the fire companies that service Farmington ill prepared to provide primary fire services to the campus."

Despite being named in the CEO's letter, West Hartford fire, which provides mutual aid to Farmington and UCONN Health, their Chief had not seen a copy of the letter and also voiced concerns.

"We've had no discussions or meetings of what this means. I haven't received a copy of the letter," West Hartford Fire Chief Gary Allyn told NBC Connecticut.

Allyn added, "the people there are trained to be in that particular environment and how they chose to address that going forward there's got to be a plan, and I dont know what that is or when being released."

UCHC firefighters said they are just hoping for the best regarding their future.
Connecticut state police are investigating after several mailboxes were set on fire in North Stonington early Saturday morning.

Police said the incidents occurred on Wintechog Hill Road and were reported to police around 10 a.m. Anyone with information on this crime is asked to contact Trooper Abely at Troop E in Montville at 860-848-6500, or the North Stonington Resident State Troopers Office at 860-535-1451.
People taking to the streets in New London said theyre concerned they might slip and fall since parts of the sidewalks are still covered in ice.

New London Mayor Michael Passero said its up to the building owner to clean up their walkway since the city doesnt have the manpower to pick up the slack.

The sidewalks clear halfway up the road here and then almost half the way down here. But over here, its nothing but ice, said Dustin Tantaquidgeon, of Uncasville, about the sidewalk on State Street in downtown New London.

If it snows and then if its also been where its melted, it rains again and it gets super slick, said Joel Ryan, of Groton.

I slipped not too long ago, said New Londons Joseph Peterson.

The problem mainly exists in front of vacant buildings. One on State Street was still causing a problem for walkers Friday.

If you got stuff in your hands and youre just walking, you can just easily slide and fall, Tantaquidgeon said, while catching himself after slipping.

At this point in my life Im scared to death because it just takes one slip on the ice and Im out of work, said Charlotte Hennegan, who owns Thames River Greenery and Thames River Wine and Spirits on State Street.

A city ordinance mandates building owners to clean the sidewalk in from of their properties.

Hennegan said shes lost business because of her neighbor, an absentee landlord.

I have customers that pull up and say, Charlotte, I couldnt get in, the ice was too much, she said.

Mayor Passero said the city simply does not have the funds, resources nor staffing to clear all city sidewalks. Hes said hes been calling landlords personally, asking them to clean up the ice.

Friday afternoon, Public Works employees sanded and shoveled in front of the vacant State Street Property.

The city will bill the landlord for labor and resources, Passero said. Police said they will also dole out $100 fines to landlords and homeowners who dont comply.

A representative for the City of New London said already theyve handed out 10 written warnings. No one has been fined, yet.
As if you needed more proof that we are knee deep in flu season, Texas is now one of the states where activity is high, the worst category to be in.

So far this season, 29 children across the country have died from the flu. The current vaccine has been shown to work about half the time.

Hospitals like John Peter Smith Hospital are seeing a steady rise in flu cases.

The Tarrant County Health Department says the flu is widespread and happening more than average for this time of year.

That includes two reported outbreaks in Tarrant County schools, leading the Azle school district to new levels of disinfecting.

If love were enough, no child at Eagle Heights Elementary would ever get sick. Nurse Heather Lee has evidence all around her office of the children she's helped heal.

"These might make me cry," Lee said as she pulled out a box of handwritten thank you notes from students.

A sampling:

"Dear Nurse Lee, I love when you help me when something is wrong."

"Thank you for the itching medication that you put on my arm, thank you for everything you have done."

"You are the best of all the nurses."

But when it comes to the flu in an elementary school, love is not enough.

"When those kids cough or sneeze, even speak, those droplets of germs travel about six feet away from where they're standing, said Lee. That's much more surface than just a child's desk."

So Azle ISD is bringing in the big guns. It's not Ghostbusters, but germ busters, a disinfecting e-mist spray that coats everything in a room at a rate of 8,000 square feet an hour.

"We could come in and treat an entire campus in a weekend or evening if we felt there was an outbreak," said Todd Smith, Director of District Operations for Azle ISD.

The e-misters are made by a Fort Worth company and Azle is now the first school district to have one in every campus with a simple goal.

"Keep kids in school, Smith said. We want kids to come to school. We want kids to learn in school and same with our teachers. We want our teachers to be here."

Hoping to keep visits to Nurse Lee more about arts and crafts than coughs and sneezes.

While Tarrant County Health says flu cases are above average, they say it's not off the charts like in some years past and point out there are other illnesses out there crowding doctors offices, as well.

They also say its still not too late to get a flu shot, even if you have already gotten sick, the shot can protect against other strains of the flu.
College students are already paying high tuition bills, so theyll want a cell phone plan that keeps rates low.

Consumer Reports also recommended using WiFi networks that are already available on most college campuses.

According to Consumer Reports, Ting Wireless may be a good option. It offered one of the cheapest deals out there and is compatible with about 80 percent of phones.

For six dollars a month, you get unlimited calls and texts when you're using WiFi. When youre not on WiFi, cellular prices are still reasonable.

Best of all, your bill is based on how much service you used in the previous month.

If you're looking for a plan to cover your whole family, Consumer Reports said youll want one thats highly customizable with low rates and top-notch customer service.

For that, CR said check out Consumer Cellular. Its one of their top-rated services that offers plans and smartphones ranging from cheap to premium.

The downside is there are fewer phone models to choose from compared to bigger carriers.

If you often travel out of the country, using your smartphone can be expensive, but there are ways to save.

For world travelers, we recommend Google Project Fi.

It relies on WiFi for service to keep costs low.

When WiFi isnt an option, rates are still affordable. One drawback for Googles Project Fi is it offers only three modelsGoogles new Pixel smartphone and older Nexus phones, the 6P and 5X.
A Dallas man will spend 188 months in federal prison for one count of transporting and shipping child pornography, according to a press release by the office of U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of Texas.

31-year-old Rafael Almeida Zapata was sentenced Friday morning by U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater.

Zapata pleaded guilty to the charges in August of last year, after a search warrant served in July of 2015 unveiled a child pornography video downloaded on an IP address linked to Zapata.

Officers showed Zapata still images of the video and Zapata recognized them, also admitting to possession of more than 600 images of child pornography. Some of the images depicted masochistic and sadistic content including children.

The FBI and Dallas Police Department worked together to investigate the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted.

This case is part of a larger initiative led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices and the criminal division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity section called Project Safe Childhood. This initiative combines federal, state and local efforts and resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals and organizations sexually explointing children. It also serves to identify and rescue victims.
Dallas police say gangs are causing big problems on city streets.

So much so that crime is the worst it's been in years.

Now, the interim police chief has devised a plan to combat it.

Interim Dallas Police Chief David Pughes says South East and South Central Dallas are the epicenters of gang activity in the city.

Officers say they have seen rampant criminal activity recently and now every officer will go through specific training to deal with it.

Residents in the Mill City and Owenwood neighborhoods just south of Fair Park say gangs are a part of everyday life.

These communities are just some of the areas that police say are notorious for drug dealing, burglaries and vandalism.

With an uptick in crime, Pughes says all of his officers will now cross train in the Gang Unit.

The department is bringing everyone to the table including SWAT, Traffic, K-9 units and the Fugitive Apprehension Team.

Pughes says the concentration of enhanced enforcement will hopefully result in an eventual decline of violence that parents like Victoria Benjamin see every single day.

"I heard about a young man getting shot not too far from here and it really hurt me because I have a son myself," said Benjamin. "I mean, the crime rate, the guns they have over here, it's unacceptable."

Benjamin says she welcomes the enhanced gang enforcement.

It's something Pughes says will happen despite the rapid decline of personnel in the department.

The department says the initiative will not take away from daily response to calls because officers are being trained one at a time.
Parents at a west Dallas elementary school are scrambling for answers after learning that their kids may be moved to a new school.

The Dallas Independent School District is considering a proposal that would send students from Amelia Earhart Learning Center to nearby Martinez Elementary School.

Students at the Dallas Environmental Science Academy would move into Earhart Learning while their building and Carver Elementary School next door, are torn down.

The site would become the future home of Pinkston High School.

"We didn't know that we were even in the plans for Pinkston. We didn't know there was another school that was going to replace our students," said Chelsea Manley, a PTA member at Earhart Learning Center. "We shouldn't be uprooted."

Pamela Lear, Dallas ISD's deputy chief of school leadership, said the proposal was put forward due to the declining enrollment at Earhart Learning Center, which is projected to be about 140 students next year.

"When we decline in enrollment, we don't have the resources that are necessary to provide for our students," said Lear. "Anytime a community is moved out of their current location that they've been at many years, it's challenging."

Parents are also asking questions about transportation.

Many students live close enough to the school to walk, but Martinez Elementary is more than a mile away.

The district hopes to iron out those details as the process unfolds.

There were mixed reactions to the plan at two community meetings Tuesday night.

"It's a bad idea, but I understand there's low attendance here," says Dr. Pat Stephens, who attended the parents' meeting at Earhart Learning Center.

"To me it's a step to an end  the end being that we need to build a new high school," said Raul Reyes, who attended the same meeting. "So if it means we have to do some shifting around, because of the way DISD has it structured, that's just what we have to do."

Some parents who left a similar meeting at Martinez Elementary, which would gain students under the plan, left concerned about the increased class size.

"They were saying if the students come in, there would be approximately 22 students in each class," said Claudia Puga. "I think they're doing pretty well, the teachers, on having 16, 14 students, because if one student gets behind they have more chance of helping them and not letting more students get behind for one student."

School board members are expected to hear more about the plan Thursday night, and could vote to approve it then.

"I would anticipate the board would listen to staff on the rationale for the movement and support that," Lear said.
Two women boarded a flight to Havana with U.S. Immigration and Customs officials Friday, becoming the first Cuban nationals to be deported since the immigration policy known as "wet foot, dry foot" ended last month.

ICE officials told NBC 6 the women, who were seeking asylum in the U.S., were placed on a morning flight back to the island nation Friday morning. Their identities were not made public.

The Obama administration announced the end to the 'wet foot, dry foot' policy, which granted residency to Cubans who made it to the U.S., just days before President Donald Trump took office.

Wilfredo Allen, an attorney for one of the women, said they had arrived at Miami International Airport with European passports. The women requested asylum and were detained.

"They asked for political asylum as Cubans, what happens is the world has changed," Allen said.

Allen asked for them to be released so they could return to Cuba on their own, but the U.S. government denied the request and said they would be deported, sources said.

"I think part of the reason why they're being deported is to send a message that they will enforce the law, they will enforce it severely," Allen said.

President Trump has not established what, if anything, will change regarding U.S. Cuba policy. Press secretary Sean Spicer told NBC 6's Jackie Nespral earlier this month that the administration is reviewing its position with Havana.

"There will be no more paroles issued at the airport for people who seek asylum with a Cuban passport or with a European passport," Allen said.
California's Salinas Valley is referred to as the "salad bowl of the nation," best described in iconic pages when John Steinbeck, American author and son of the Monterey County community, put pen to paper in most of his classic writings.

It's here in this region of sprawling fields about 100 miles south of San Francisco where Japanese immigrants found their American dream after World War II in the cut flowers business, evident even today.

"A lot of these houses are Japanese-style houses," said Alicia, a cannabis properties realtor.

With California's law legalizing marijuana poised to go into effect next year, Salinas enters a new chapter in its agricultural history. It could become the cannabis capital of the state.

Alicia agreed to show us around the valley on the condition we don't share her last name. She specializes in the new green that's growing here, pointing out farms she says are now cannabis farms.



"Look. Barbed wires, cameras," she said.



Alicia works to sell, buy or manage what used to be properties housing the booming flower market, properties that have since fallen apart due to various free trade agreements over the years.



She says ever since California legalized marijuana, there's new life breathing into the valley and sucking dry the idea of continuing with the cut flowers business, when owners can sell their properties for millions.



"It wouldn't make sense to grow flowers, you know, at $5 million," she said.



Under new California law, cannabis cultivators are banned from building new greenhouses, unless they are built in the footprint of old ones. So any "green" house in the state has the potential to evolve into a "grow" house.



"California cannabis is its own brand, no different than California wine or anything else," Michael Williamson, the director of operations at Harborside, a leading cannabis grower and distributor in Northern California.



He says his hairnet, white jumpsuit and gloves are a way to keep the product pure and free from human interaction.



"When you look at our product and our plants, it's really not that different than a lot of the cut flowers market," he said. "Which makes this valley kind of the potential to be the Sonoma Valley of cannabis."



Williamson wouldn't say how much Harborside makes on its product, adding that for now, it's grown solely for medical purposes.



He said the company is eyeing Los Angeles for what's to come.



"Our moral compass is always the same," he said. "We want to create a safe, consistent and hopefully potent cannabis."



Growers in Monterey County say they take pride in more than just their product, but also what the industry is doing for the local workforce: the general contractors, green house manufacturers, security companies, fence installers, security camera installers and providers.



"We feel that cannabis could be a $1 billion crop within the next 24 months in Monterey County," said Mike Bitar, the cofounder of Grupo Flor, a company that's been actively seeking out empty greenhouses to manage. "These greenhouses are getting a second life. Right now there are no empty greenhouses in Monterey County. They've all either been leased up or purchased in the last six months."



The numbers are already massive.



According to Arcview market research, a company specializing in the marijuana market, California accounted for 31 percent of the legal cannabis market in the U.S. last year. Locally that's only for medical use. Compare that with Colorado at 19 percent and Washington at 11 percent, where marijuana is legal for recreational use.



"This industry has grown by leaps and bounds," said Daniel Yi, a spokesman for Medmen, a cannabis management and investment firm based in Los Angeles. The company has a cultivation site in Sun Valley and also runs a dispensary in West Hollywood.



"LA plays a huge role in terms of what we've learned over 20 years of regulation, what we've learned in techniques and cultivation. We have a lot of experience and a lot of demand," he said.



Yi says research is showing as states legalize marijuana for recreational use, more and more users are opting against the flowery buds for smoking and turning to products that come from extracting the oils from pot plants.



"There are edibles, there are extracts, there are vape pens," he said.



And with much of the state's demand coming from LA, it leaves the smaller towns up north with dreams of what that could do for them.



"It'll be a pretty phenomenal crop going to LA, I'm sure, because their numbers are big," said Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter, adding his city is actively working to become a model for others in how to regulate the industry.



"We have to embrace it because it's coming."



For many, though, it's been here for decades.



"Our industry has been testing cannabis, has been labeling cannabis and has been concerned to consumer safety long before the California legislature woke to this monster," said Salinas attorney Gavin Kogan who made cannabis law a specialty.



But there's one thing that's keeping cannabis from growing greener across the country: the stigma of the drug the feds still say is illegal.



"We're chipping away at it," Yi said.
A 55-year-old man died Friday after coming in contact with downed power lines in Sherman Oaks during a powerful storm, authorities said.

The incident was reported about 12:43 p.m. in the 5300 block of north Sepulveda Boulevard, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. A large tree crashed down on a vehicle, bringing power lines with it.

The man suffered an electrical shock and was taken to a hospital in serious condition. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, the LAFD said.

His identity was not released.

On Friday, firefighters responded to nearly 150 911 calls of downed power lines between noon and 4 p.m., the LAFD said.
If you've ever broken out the old-timey phrase "what a day for ducks!," you were likely referring to soggy or damp weather, the kind of weather we imagine waterfowl might be excited about.

Ducks, let it be said, haven't yet been interviewed on this particular topic, as far as we know, so a final determination is still outstanding.

Soggy weather has arrived in Southern California, though, on the very day when one of the biggest bird-focused events around officially begins. It's The Great Backyard Bird Count, and people around the world will head outside from Friday, Feb. 17 through Monday, Feb. 20.

Not only will they be enjoying some fresh air, but bird buffs will be taking a look up in the trees, the sky, and all around, all to assist scientists in knowing more about those feathery, on-the-wing wonders who flit about our homes.

You don't need a degree in ornithological research to participate, however. "You can count from any location, anywhere in the world, for as long as you wish!," says the online HQ for The Great Backyard Bird Count.

The count, which was started by National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab for Ornithology, will turn 20 in 2018.

How to get your wings flapping on this project? Best register first  it is a brief set-up  and then commit to just 15 minutes of bird-counting. And that's not 15 minutes each day of The Great Backyard Bird Count, should that seem like a big time commitment.

Rather, you can choose your day, any part of the day, and count for just half of a half hour. (Though organizers do note you can, of course, spend more time observing during the long weekend.)

Just know that you'll be joining scores of sky watchers doing the very same thing you're doing. Some 160,000 people participate in the count, share the organizers.

Many people around our region have volunteered with "citizen scientist" programs through the Natural History Museum and other organizations. If you've wanted to participate in something that connects you with the natural world just beyond your front door, this birdly celebration is a good start.

What will you see, Southern California? A spotted sandpiper, dashing along the sand outside your window? A cactus wren perched upon the prickly pear near your kitchen? A crow holding court on the lightpost down the street?

One good thing to know, among many good things to know: Despite the catchy name, you don't have to stick to your home's immediate environs. A park is okay, or your favorite stretch of beach. Chirp your way over the FAQ so you can stick your beak into all of the helpful must-knows.

Ready to join avian enthusiasts the world over, all during the Presidents Weekend? Give 15 minutes and help science know more about those cherished sky soarers, our bird friends.

Yes, and lake- and stream-dwellers, too. It may be a day, or weekend, for ducks, but finding a few feather-rocking wonders around SoCal may be as easy as looking out your front window.
About 680 Cubans have been returned to the island from various countries since then-President Barack Obama ended a longstanding immigration policy that allowed any Cuban who made it to U.S. soil to stay and become a legal resident, state television reported Friday.

Cuba's government had long sought the repeal of the "wet foot, dry foot'' policy, which it said encouraged Cubans to risk dangerous voyages and drained the country of professionals. The Jan. 12 decision by Washington to end it followed months of negotiations focused in part on getting Havana to agree to take back people who had arrived in the U.S.

Cuban state television said late Friday that the returnees came from countries including the United States, Mexico and the Bahamas, and were sent back to the island between Jan. 12 and Feb. 17. It did not break down which countries the 680 were sent back from.

The report said the final two returnees arrived from the United States on Friday "on the first charter flight especially destined for an operation of this type.''

Florida's El Nuevo Herald newspaper reported that the two women were deemed "inadmissible'' for entry to the United States and placed on a morning flight to Havana.

Wilfredo Allen, an attorney for one of the women, says they had arrived at Miami International Airport with European passports. The women requested asylum and were detained.

The repeal of the "wet foot, dry foot'' policy was Obama's final move before leaving office in the rapprochement with the communist-run country that he and Cuban President Castro began in December 2014. The surprise decision left hundreds of Cubans stranded in transit in South and Central America.

Before he assumed the presidency on Jan. 20, Donald Trump criticized the detente between the U.S. and Cuba, tweeting that he might "terminate'' it.
We all remember the deadly airport attack that happened here South Florida last month-- and officers from all over responded. Among them was an agency that isn't always talked about the Federal Air Marshal Service, adding a layer of security to keep you safe.

"The highest proficiency of marksmanship standards of any law enforcement agency," said Ernest Delgrosso. "37,000 feet, 500 miles per-hour, there's no opportunity to miss.

The Federal Air Marshal Service is tasked with protecting American travelers chances are you could be sitting next to one your next flight and never know it.

"Hopefully you won't know we're there and what's we strive for," Delgrosso said.

Ernest J. Delgrosso is the assistant special agent in charge out the agency's Miami office.

"The mission of the Federal Air Marshal Service is to detect, deter and defeat any hostile acts targeting the nation's civil aviation," he said.

NBC 6 was given an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how air marshals keep us safe.

They've have been around for more than 50 years but fewer than 50 air marshals existed on 911 that changed following the attacks.

"After September 11th, the air marshall service became what it is today," he said.

Today there are thousands of men and women in the agency who quietly cris-cross the skies everyday.

"Our primary focus is to remain in that sort of anonymous capacity... until that time comes," Delgrosso explains.

That time has only come once, according to officials here in South Florida, when air marshals shot and killed a man at Miami International Airport who claimed to have a bomb and ignored commands to get on the ground.

"The air marshal serves as that critical layer of security that will ensure that, you know, our loved ones do make it to where they want to go," he said.

Delgrosso said the agency, which is now part of TSA, is more intelligence based than ever working closely with other federal and local law enforcement.

There are also highly visible teams positioned in airports.

It's a thankless job where men and women ready to respond any threat, even explosives at a moments notice.

"As long as there are people and groups out there to continue to target our nations aviation systems, the federal air marshals will always be there and we won't rest until this job is done, however long that takes."

The Trump administration has called for federal law enforcement hiring it's unclear yet if that will translate into more federal air marshals.
A pair of Air Force F-15s caused a 'sonic boom' Friday night as they rushed to intercept an unresponsive general aviation aircraft near Palm Beach County.

Federal Aviation Administration officials say the fighter jets departed from the Homestead Air National Guard Base at supersonic speeds, which shook residents in portions of Broward County, to get to the unresponsive aircraft where they were able to establish communications.

As a result of the loud boom, panicked residents started calling 911 and social media lit up. City officials had to put out alerts saying that there is no danger or emergency.



"Loud bang over Weston- military planes observed- likely broke sound barrier. President is in South Florida and is escorted by military," wrote City of Weston in a tweet.

Loud bang over Weston - military planes observed - likely broke sound barrier. President is in South Florida and is escorted by military.  City of Weston (@CityofWeston) February 18, 2017

Broward Sheriff's Office was only able to say that the deafening noise was military planes heading to Palm Beach County and did not pose any threat to the public.

According to Federal Aviation Administration sources, an aircraft was flying 100 miles north of Palm Beach County traveling rapidly towards the Trump no-fly zone. At least one jet was scrambled from the Homestead Airbase towards that plane, which was potentially violating the air space. The F-15 fighter was the plane that caused the sonic boom.

It is unclear if the 30 miles radius of the no fly-zone was violated. FAA and military are investigating the incident.

"People running with their kids in their strollers thinking this is the end," said Evanan Romerio.

We spoke to the team at Performance Edge Dance Studio in Weston who were so frightened that they briefly went on lockdown.

"All of a sudden you know, the whole room just shook like an explosion went off and you know our lights everything started swinging," said studio owner Jennifer Peruyero. "The glasses impacted. I shut down the lights back here. I put them all in the front and we went on a lockdown until we heard what was going on."

The dancers are happy it was a false alarm-- but they definitely don't want to relive this experience.

"Hopefully that never happens again because I had a lot of scared little girls," Peruyero said.

Many were thankful it wasn't worse, but are still shaken up over this loud noise in their normally quiet neighborhood.
SpaceX aborted a launch mission Saturday seconds before their Falcon 9 rocket was supposed to lift off from the launch pad used to send Americans to the moon and shuttle astronauts into orbit.

The mission was called off with 13 seconds to spare just after 10:00 a.m. Saturday.

"Standing down to take a closer look at positioning of the second stage engine nozzle," the company tweeted after the failure.

They noted Sunday would be the next possible time for a launch.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More

Saturday morning's planned launch was scheduled to be SpaceX's first from Florida's Launch Complex 39A since a devastating rocket explosion at a neighboring pad last summer. The accident prompted SpaceX to whip 39A into shape sooner than anticipated under its lease with NASA. The pad wrecked in the Sept. 1 accident remains unusable.

The complex is the same pad where Americans flew to the moon almost a half-century ago, and where the shuttle program ended in 2011.

"I can tell you it's an extra special launch .... maybe extra nerve-wracking," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell told reporters Friday just outside the pad fencing.
Your "growth rate" is because the bottom totally fell out of your economy a decade ago and you've spent all of that "growth" time returning to where you used to be. Click to expand...



No wonder the local beavers bite off their wotsits: Why one man won't be joining the rush to move to Canada

What do you make and export, besides whiskey and tea cups, that anybody wants or cannot get somewhere else for a better price and quality? Click to expand...

Not a very reliable way of measuring wealth.The growth rate is because of the British people and the economic policies enacted by Thatcher and other PMs since.World's best education systems:1. South Korea; 2. Japan; 3. Singapore; 4. Hong Kong; 5. Finland; 6. UK; 7. Canada; 8. NetherlandsBy Philip Delves Broughton30th June 2008Daily MailThe pitch is boringly familiar: Come to Canada! Voted best country to live in by the United Nations four years in a row! Tolerant! Cheap! Great free health care! Lots of space!That final element should be the giveaway. Despite being larger than its southern neighbour, the United States, it has around one tenth of the population, 33million to America's 300million (its population is also around half that of Britain's, despite Britain being much much smaller).Despite banging its own drum for decades, calling on the world to gather on its shores, Canada still looks like one of those poor young girls at a trade show, thrusting flyers at disinterested passers-by.It is the big, earnest, empty restaurant which can't understand why the scrappier joint next door is hopping. People just do not want to go.The late newspaper columnist, June Callwood, summed up Canada's status compared to its great English-speaking rivals: 'The beaver, which has come to represent Canada as the eagle does the United States and the lion Britain, is a flat-tailed, slow-witted, toothy rodent known to bite off its own testicles or to stand under its own falling trees.'And yet, for Britons considering the latest blandishments to move to the Land of the Maple Leaf, the argument tends to go like this: Why carry on hacking away in the UK, paying a monstrous mortgage on a house, battling through traffic and public transport while being taxed within an inch of my life when I could be making the same money, living in a much bigger house, getting lots of fresh air and at least getting good schools and health care for my high taxes?On the surface, of course, this makes a lot of sense.But as someone who, in the course of my reporting duties from North America, has visited Canada on more occasions than I care to remember, I should warn you that there are a number of other factors to consider before you wave goodbye to Blighty.First, the climate makes Britain's look positively Mediterranean. The winters drag on for months, with temperatures well below freezing. The nights are interminable. And in summer you have a choice between extremely humid and dry and windless. You're either sitting in a steam room or a sauna.In Toronto, an entire subterranean network of passages and shopping malls has been built for its inhabitants to scurry around all winter. London feels like Nassau by comparison. And don't think for one moment that there will be enough diversions indoors to distract from the climate.Culturally, Canada does not hold a candle to Britain. Its museums and orchestras are resoundingly second tier, though it may have an edge in country music festivals.This is, after all, the home of Shania Twain, whose full-throated warblings make Dolly Parton sound sophisticated.In the dramatic arts, Canada's greatest recent contribution - unless you include Jim Carrey and Pamela Anderson - is the incomprehensible, semi-nude contortion act of Cirque du Soleil. And as for its newspapers, they are lifeless and hobbled by the provincialism which divides the country.Sure, Canada has been through a food revolution similar to Britain's, but still the way to a Canadian's heart is not through fancy Newfoundland oysters, but with ' poutine' - chips smothered with cheese curds and gravy. It makes a chip butty look like the healthy option.Then there's its politics. However tawdry and disappointing the British politicians may sometimes seem, the Canadian version is no better. Canada now has a conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, but for most of the 20th century it was run by the Left-of-centre Liberal Party which created a culture of big government and high taxes.As the Canadian poet Irving Layton once said, the Canadian political and intellectual communities' have a tendency to regard ' cowardice as wisdom, philistinism as Olympian serenity and the spitefulness of the weak as moral indignation'.As for the economy. Britain's prospects may stink at the moment, but the notion of Canada as some Shangri-La is false. Yesterday a report was published saying that Canada was suffering from endemic complacency.'In almost every major category of socio-economic performance studied, Canada's performance is slipping, causing it to fall behind countries that are its peers, partners and competitors,' said the report issued by The Conference Board of Canada, an independent thinktank.The economic problems, the report said, were only being concealed by the surging price of the commodities being dug out of Canada's rich soil. When prices fall back to earth, Canada will be in deep trouble.Move there now to grab one of the jobs sitting vacant, and you may soon be sitting on a fast-deflating bubble.Canada's hiring pirates are especially keen on carrying off British construction workers and mining specialists, technology experts and most depressingly of all, doctors and nurses.They believe that the restructuring of the National Health Service will force many British doctors and nurses overseas where their services are actually valued and properly rewarded.These doctors and nurses should be warned, however, that their work, to quote the America humourist P.J. O'Rourke will mainly involve 'treating hockey injuries and curing sinus infections that come from trying to pronounce French vowels'.Ah yes, hockey. If you thought British sport was becoming crude and violent, try watching two teams of toothless brutes sliding around on ice and pausing every few minutes to beat the daylights out of each other. It makes the Premiership look like synchronised swimming.However bad Britain may seem, trust me, moving to Canada is not the answer. Why not try somewhere more appealing. Siberia, for example.Hardly any difference at all.The United Kingdom is the 9th largest export economy in the world and the 11th most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI). In 2014, the United Kingdom exported $472B and imported $663B, resulting in a negative trade balance of $191B. In 2014 the GDP of the United Kingdom was $2.99T and its GDP per capita was $40.2k.The top exports of the United Kingdom are Cars ($46B), Gold ($37.4B), Crude Petroleum ($23.1B), Refined Petroleum ($22.1B) and Packaged Medicaments ($19.6B), using the 1992 revision of the HS (Harmonized System) classification. Its top imports are Cars ($47.3B), Crude Petroleum ($34.1B), Refined Petroleum ($27.7B), Packaged Medicaments ($21.5B) and Computers ($16.9B).The top export destinations of the United Kingdom are the United States ($51B), Germany ($46.5B), the Netherlands ($34.2B), Switzerland ($33.6B) and France ($27B). The top import origins are Germany ($100B), China ($62.7B), the Netherlands ($50.7B), the United States ($44.4B) and France ($41.5B).The United Kingdom borders Ireland by land and Belgium, Germany, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Norway by sea.
The Nassau County Sheriff has pulled out of negotiations with a health care company seeking to treat sick inmates in the county jail.

The company, Correct Care Solutions, won the bid to replace a medical firm that is being relieved of its duties after a series of high profile inmate deaths.

In response to an I-Team inquiry about the impending deal with CCS, Capt. Michael Golio, a spokesman for the sheriffs department, said in a email announcing contract talks had recently failed and that the county terminated negotiations with CCS on Feb. 15.

According to Golio, the reason talks failed was that CCS sought higher reimbursement fees than the company had originally proposed in their initial bid to win the contract.

A spokesman for Correct Care Solutions did not immediately respond to the I-Teams request for comment.

The failed contract negotiation leaves Nassau County back at the proverbial drawing board, and still doesn't have an immediate replacement for Armor Correctional Health, the embattled company that has been providing jail healthcare since 2011.

In 2015, the I-Team began reporting on a series of inmate deaths and accusations of medical neglect under the care of Armor personnel. In one exclusive report, a former Armor nurse accused the company of cutting costs by skimping on medicine and refusing to send inmates to the hospital when they need more advanced treatment.

Last summer, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued Armor, accusing the company of failing to provide proper medical services. Three months later, Schneiderman settled the lawsuit. As part of the settlement, Armor did not admit wrongdoing but did agree not to bid on jail medical contracts in New York for the next three years.

At the time Yeleny Suarez, an Armor spokeswoman, said the company remains proud of its quality of care.

Throughout the NY AGs inquiry, Armor provided the NY AG with clinical data that clearly supported the enhancement of patient care to an extremely acute patient population, Suarez told the I-Team.

With Armor unable to bid on the next jail contract, Nassau County Sheriff Michael Sposato began looking for a new medical provider and quickly landed on CCS. But it was not to be.

In the statement announcing CCS would no longer be considered for the job, the sheriffs department only cited cost considerations. But like Armor, CCS has also faced accusations of medical neglect and low quality care behind bars. Last month, the I-Team reported on a Westchester County lawsuit in which family of inmate Rashad McNulty accuse CCS of ignoring obvious signs of cardiac distress. After McNulty died, the New York State Commission of Correction issued a report concluding he might still be alive had CCS staff provided proper care.

Citing the pending nature of that litigation, a CCS spokesman declined to comment on the McNulty case.

With CCS now out of the running, Golio said the Sheriffs Department would shift its focus away from for-profit companies that specialize in jail medical care.

The County will issue a new RFP, with emphasis toward attracting hospitals, in the coming weeks, Golio said.
What to Know Five first responders  three FDNY and two NYPD employees  died from 9/11-related illnesses this week

Since September 2016, 55 first responders have died from 9/11-related illnesses, according to first responders nonprofit founder John Feal

A massive granite memorial in Long Island lists 800 names of first responders who have died on or since 9/11

Five first responders  three FDNY and two NYPD employees  have died from 9/11 related illnesses within the last week.

Each of these heroes selflessfly rushed to the twin towers in 2001 to help with the rescue and recover effort. Now, years later, that action of bravery cost them their lives.

"Every time someone passes away, a part of me dies because I have the job of researching it and collecting data on these passing," said John Feal, founder of the FealGood Foundation. "I have been to 159 wakes and funerals."

Feal is the founder of the FealGood foundation, a nonprofit organization that assists first responders who have been injured in the line of duty. His group raised money for a massive granite memorial on Long Island. Each etched name represents a first responder who died from a 9/11-related illness.

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"Most poeple remember two buildings coming down and people low to senseless violence. But now, here we are 16 years later and thousand of people here in New York and across the country are sick and dying from their heroic actions."

The memorial lists about 800 names and was last updated in September 2016. Feal says since then, 55 more NYPD and FDNY heroes have died, including the five taken this week. Many have died from cancer.

Among those who succumbed to cancer is veteran firefighter Robert Newman, who spent his entire 39-year career working from a Lower East Side firehouse. Bunting has been draped in his honor.

The memorial on Long Island with the flag that will forever fly at half-staff is Feal's way of saying thank you.

"Thsi was built so history is not distorted," he said. "So that no one can take away from the heroic sacrifices these men and women did for their city and their country."

Of the five that passed away over the last week, most of them have been laid to rest. EMT Rose Scott will be buried next week.
Omar Abdel-Rahman, the so-called Blind Sheik convicted of plotting terror attacks in New York City in the decade before 9/11 and spiritual guide to a generation of Islamic militants, has died in a federal prison. He was 78.

Abdel-Rahman, who had diabetes and coronary artery disease, died Saturday at the Federal Correction Complex in Butner, North Carolina, said its acting executive assistant, Kenneth McKoy. The inmate spent seven years at the prison medical facility while serving a life sentence.

"We are saddened by your departure, father," the cleric's daughter, Asmaa, tweeted in Arabic.

Abdel-Rahman was a key spiritual leader for militants and became a symbol for radicals during his decades in U.S. prisons, where his captivity inspired plots, protests and calls for violence. The only person charged in the U.S. in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Zacarias Moussaoui, had said he was training for a mission to fly a jet into the White House if the government refused to free Abdel-Rahman.

Blind since infancy from diabetes, Abdel-Rahman was the leader of one of Egypt's most feared militant groups, the Gamaa Islamiya, or the "Islamic Group," which at its height led a campaign of violence aimed at toppling that country's onetime president, Hosni Mubarak.

Abdel-Rahman fled Egypt to the U.S. in 1990 and began teaching in a New Jersey mosque. A circle of his followers were convicted in the Feb. 26, 1993, truck bombing of New York's World Trade Center that killed six people  eight years before al-Qaida's suicide plane hijackers brought the towers down.

Later in 1993, Abdel-Rahman was arrested by authorities who accused him and others of conspiring to bomb the United Nations and other New York landmarks, including the George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln and Holland tunnels. Those attacks were never carried out.

Since his imprisonment, Abdel-Rahman's influence had been seen as more symbolic than that of a practical leader. His Gamaa Islamiya, which led a wave of violence in the 1990s against Western tourists, Egyptian police and Coptic Christians, was eventually crushed, and its leaders  jailed in Egypt  declared a truce.

Abdel-Rahman's activities pre-dated Osama bin Laden's formation of al-Qaida in the late 1990s. But he was an influential figure in the generation of Islamic extremists that emerged from Egypt in recent decades.

He shared an ideology with another prominent group at the time, Islamic Jihad, that rejected the governments of Egypt and other Arab countries as infidels that must be brought down by force.

Throughout his militant activities, however, Abdel-Rahman was faced by rejection by some fundamentalists, who argued that Islamic law forbids a blind man from being a commander.

Born in the Egyptian Nile Delta village of al-Gamalia in 1938, Abdel-Rahman was blind by the age of 10 months. Still, he said in his autobiography that he memorized Islam's holy book, the Quran, by age 11.

He attended Cairo's Al-Azhar University, a center of Islamic scholarship and then began preaching as an imam in a mosque in the oasis of Fayyoum, an agricultural area just south of Cairo.

He quickly ran into trouble as he turned toward a radical interpretation of Islam that holds that those who don't follow a strict version of Islamic Sharia law are infidels.

After the death of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel-Nasser in 1970, he told followers not to pray for the soul of the leader of secular Arab nationalism because he was an infidel. That got him eight months in prison.

After the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat by Islamic militants, Abdel-Rahman was jailed and accused of sanctioning the killing. He was later acquitted. He escaped several later scrapes with the courts  acquitted in 1984 of plotting to overthrow the government and in 1989 of sparking anti-government protests in Fayyoum.

In 1989, after Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini called for the death of British writer Salman Rushdie, Abdel-Rahman issued a similar fatwa ordering the death of Egyptian Nobel-winning novelist Naguib Mahfouz for writings some Muslims considered blasphemous. Mahfouz, who died in late 2006, was stabbed in 1994 by a radical who said he was following Abdel-Rahman's edict.

Before moving to the U.S., Abdel-Rahman travelled to Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he became a spiritual leader for the mujahedeen, then fighting Soviet troops with help from the Central Intelligence Agency.

Even though Abdel-Rahman was on a list of suspected terrorists and thus banned from the U.S., he managed to enter the country in 1990 because of a bureaucratic blunder. He was given permanent residence status under the name Omar Ahmed Ali.

Efforts to free him gained new strength when Islamist Mohammed Morsi was elected as Egypt's president and vowed to free the blind sheik in 2012. Before Morsi was ousted a year later, Abdel-Rahman's supporters staged a series of sit-in protests outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo demanding his release.

Since Morsi's ouster by the military in July 2013, Egyptian authorities have taken an uncompromising stand on Islamists, and hundreds have been killed in street clashes in 2013 and 2014 and thousands jailed.

No information was immediately released on burial plans.

Any possible effort to repatriate the body to Egypt and hold a funeral there would likely draw thousands of mourners, mostly Islamists, thus raising the specter of clashes with the police.

Egypt has effectively banned street demonstrations since November 2013 and security officials said contacts were already underway with leaders of the revived Gamaa Islamiya to ensure Abdel-Rahman's burial and funeral are peacefully held.

Abdel-Rahman had two wives and 13 children.

One of his sons, Ahmed, was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2011 in Afghanistan, where he was fighting U.S. and NATO forces.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday conveyed a message to jittery partners that the Trump administration will "hold Russia accountable" and maintain steadfast support for NATO, a military alliance the American commander in chief once dismissed as "obsolete."

In his overseas debut as vice president, Pence told the audience at the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. would be "unwavering" in its commitment to NATO and that President Donald Trump would "stand with Europe." Pence pointed to their shared "noble ideals  freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law."

Addressing the violence in Ukraine, Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honor a 2015 deal to end violence in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. He did not mention findings by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in last year's presidential election to help Trump win the White House.

"Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Pence's address and a series of one-on-one meetings with world leaders along the sidelines here sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression, including its annexation of Crimea. Many have been alarmed by Trump's positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pence's speech aimed to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist tendencies.

After his speech, Pence met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called for the maintenance of international alliances and told the audience, with Pence seated nearby, that NATO is "in the American interest."

Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, told the conference after Pence's speech that Moscow wanted "pragmatic relations" with the U.S. He said he hoped that "responsible leaders" would choose to create a "just world order, if you want you can call it a post-West world order."

European countries along Russia's border are rattled by the prospect of deeper U.S.-Russia ties after Trump suggested sanctions  contrary to the opinions of Merkel and other world leaders  imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea could be eased in exchange for a nuclear weapons deal. The president referred to NATO as "obsolete" in an interview before his inauguration, but has since tempered his language and has stressed the importance of the alliance during telephone conversations with foreign leaders.

But mindful that the new U.S. president often lashes out on Twitter, some attendees remained skeptical that the speech represented Trump's thinking and said his foreign policy moves would be closely watched.

"We are waiting for actions," said Polish President Andrzej Duda. "We only know what the media has reported and the statements that we've got. Now we are waiting for actions of the new government of Donald Trump."

Wrote U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on Twitter: "Looks like we have 2 governments. @VP just gave speech about shared values btwn US and Europe as @POTUS openly wages war on those values."

Michael Chertoff, a former Homeland Security secretary under U.S. President George W. Bush, noted that Pence's comments about NATO and Europe echoed assurances given by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. "They've all been consistent about the fact that there is a strong, deep and enduring commitment to Europe and to NATO and I think that message has been received," Chertoff said.

In his remarks, Pence also reinforced the Trump administration's message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

NATO's 28-member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. But only the U.S. and four other members of the post-World War II military coalition are meeting the standard, Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, "erodes the very foundation of our alliance."

"Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfill this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more," Pence said.

In a day of meetings and photo ops, Pence was sitting down with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and separately with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko  countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion. The vice president also scheduled a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The former Indiana governor's stature within the administration was also under scrutiny after the recent dismissal of Trump's national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign Monday following reports he misled Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat. The vice president learned that he had been misled through media accounts about two weeks after the president was informed.

Pence also met with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. remains embroiled in two separate wars. Trump has made clear his intention to defeat the Islamic State group. But he also said the U.S. may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion that has been rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Trump's immigration and refugee ban has ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order, which is currently tied up in court, including Iraq  a close ally in the fight against IS. Trump has promised to issue a revised order, possibly as soon as next week.
Of all the potentially dangerous situations for police in Newtown, Bucks County, this traffic stop wasn't so baaaaaaad.

Officers in Newtown Township Police Department found an escape goat roaming the neighborhood on Eagle Road about 6 a.m. Friday. They returned to the police station with the animal.

In an effort to find the goat's owner, Newtown Police posted a photo of the officers with the goat on their Facebook page -- which prompted a "caption contest" of the baaaaadest goat puns.

"I don't even know how I goat here," wrote a Facebook user.

"Just two officers working the bleat," commented another user.

Newton Police managed to track down the goats owner -- who came and picked up the goat Friday afternoon.

Jean Tanner, executive assistant to the police chief, said the department occasionally receives calls about wandering animals.

"A lot of people [in this area] have several acres of land with farm animals, so we occasionally have animals escape and wander," she said.
Three police officers were taken to the hospital after they were sprayed with mace at a large protest on Broad Street that turned violent for a time Friday evening. Four men were taken into custody following the incident.

Organizers for the demonstration said they were protesting "police terror in the era of Trump's law and order policies." On their Facebook page, the organizers also criticized Mayor Kenney for not ending Stop and Frisk, referenced a police officer with a tattoo that some believe was similar to a prominent Nazi German symbol, and referenced the recent scandal involving Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams.

"It's time to keep the pressure on the PPD, the DA, the FOP, and the entire system of policing that's increasing with the displacement of our people and communities through gentrification and the prison industrial complex," the organizers wrote.

Police say a crowd of protesters ran to 1600 N. Broad Street around 6:50 p.m. Friday night in front of the Bank of America where Philadelphia Bike Teams were blocking the entrance. The protesters allegedly sprayed 12 officers with black spray paint and pepper spray. They also vandalized the bank, investigators said.

Three of the officers who were sprayed suffered injuries and were taken to the hospital where they are expected to be released, officials said. Police also arrested four protesters. They have not yet revealed the specific charges against them.

One organizer denied that protesters lashed out first. She told NBC10 that police were the aggressors.

We were attempting to continue our protest, continuing to assert our rights to protest and police did not want us to go certain places and they decided they were going to stop us by being violent, Megan Malachi of the Black Resistance March said.

"Once you elect to spray police officers with a caustic substance, you are no longer involved in protest activity, you are involved in criminal activity, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan said.

The mace incident wasnt the only conflict. SkyForce10 caught police and protesters scuffling as officers tried to get around demonstrators on bicycles at Broad and Cecil B Moore Avenue.

Witness video also showed police and protesters clashing. The reason for that fight wasnt clear.

There is no such thing as a peaceful protest when police are present," Malachi said.

Demonstrators started the march from City Hall walking north on Broad Street. A group in the front held letters that spelled out Ungovernable.

The crowd of about 100 stopped periodically along Broad Street for leaders to make speeches. One such stop happened at Broad and Girard Avenue. SkyForce10 hovered overhead as participants started a fire at the intersection. The group later threw an American flag onto the blaze.

Police were still looking at evidence to decide what, if any, charges would be filed against those taken into custody.

Protests wrapped up near Temple University on Broad Street by 9 p.m.
The San Diego County Crime Stoppers and FBI are searching for a robber dubbed the deposit slip bandit after a series of bank robberies in the San Diego and Chula Vista area.

Since Nov. 28, the deposit slip bandit has robbed or attempted to rob four banks, with the most recent one at the Banner Bank, off F Street in Chula Vista on Feb. 16.

The other robbery locations include a Wells Fargo on Garnet Avenue on Nov. 28, a US Bank on Federal Boulevard on Jan. 3, and a Wells Fargo on Scripps Ranch Boulevard on Jan. 11.

In each instance the man slips a note to a bank attendant stating he has a gun and demanding the money in the cash drawers, according to the San Diego Crime Stoppers.

The suspect has worn a jacket or sweatshirt, dark sunglasses and a hat during each robbery, and was seen fleeing the scene on foot each time. He is described as 23 to 27 years old, with a medium build and approximately 120 to 140 lbs.

Anyone who can help identify the suspect or the suspects location is asked to call Crime Stoppers Anonymous at 248-580-8477 or the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force at 858-580-8477.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in this case. Anonymous texts and emails may also be sent to www.sdcrimstoppers.org, according to San Diego Crime Stoppers.
Today

HomeStore, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 701 E. Dodge St., Fremont. The HomeStore sells donated items at discounted prices. Proceeds support the mission of Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity.

38th Annual Elkhorn Valley Rifle Club Gun Show, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Christensen Field, Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Free Family Flicks featuring Storks, 10:30 a.m., Main Street 7 Theatres at Fremont Mall. Doors will open at 10 a.m. Seating is first-come, first-served. No advance ticketing is available. Admission is free. The theatre will be collecting new or gently used children books. (Suggested donation is one book per person.) The books will be donated to a local organization.

Storytime, 11-11:30 a.m., Keene Memorial Library auditorium, Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous womens heart to heart group, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous open meeting, 7:30 p.m., United Faith Church, 218 W. Gardiner St., Valley.

Narcotics Anonymous Lie Is Dead Group, 8 p.m., Care Corps, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10:30 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Sunday

Knights of Columbus Council 10412 pancake, biscuits and gravy feed, 8:30 a.m. to noon, St. Francis Borgia Church, 2005 Davis Drive, Blair. This event encourages fellowship among the public, as well as to gather freewill donations to benefit the community, youth and parishioners.

Alcoholics Anonymous Happy Sober Sunday Group, 9 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

38th Annual Elkhorn Valley Rifle Club Gun Show, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Christensen Field, Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Cedar Bluffs High School Junior class post prom pancake feed, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cedar Bluffs Auditorium. The cost for all-you-can-eat pancakes is $5 for adults and students ages 12 and up, and $3 for children ages 3 and under. The proceeds will help the junior class host post prom.

Free Family Flicks featuring Storks, 10:30 a.m., Main Street 7 Theatres at Fremont Mall. Doors will open at 10 a.m. Seating is first-come, first-served. No advance ticketing is available.

Admission is free. The theatre will be collecting new or gently used children books. (Suggested donation is one book per person.) The books will be donated to a local organization.

Narcotics Anonymous Seekers of Serenity Group, 10:30 a.m., Care Corps, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont.

Reformation Hymn Festival, 3 p.m., Sinai Lutheran Church, 950 E. Eighth St., Fremont. This event is part of a dedication series for Sinai Lutheran Churchs new Juget-Sinclair organ. The program also commemorates the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, featuring David Schack, Paul Westermeyer, Sinai choirs, and Palladium Brass. The concert series is entirely supported by freewill offerings and generous donations.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Point of Freedom Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Education Building, west of the church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont. Enter through the rear door.

Alcoholics Anonymous Sunday speaker, 7:30 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Monday

TOPS Club (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), 9 a.m., First United Methodist Church, 850 N. Broad St., Fremont. Weigh-ins begin at 8 a.m. Visitors (preteens, teens and adults  male and female) are welcome. The first meeting is free. For more information, call Janet Bloemker at 402-721-8952.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Crazy 8s Club, 4-5 p.m., Keene Memorial Library, Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Fremont Night MOPS group, 6:30-8 p.m., Fremont Alliance Church, 1615 N. Lincoln Ave. For more information, contact Fremont Alliance Church at 402-721-5180 or Cindy Slykhuis at 402-708-1561.

Narcotics Anonymous basic text study, 6:30 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Education Building, west of the church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont. Enter through the rear door.

American Chronic Pain Association Support Group, 7 p.m., Health Park Plaza Conference Room 1, Fremont.

Celebrate Recovery, 7-9 p.m., Sanctuary Church, 1640 W. Military Ave., Fremont. Childcare is available.

Celebrate Recovery, 7 p.m., Fremont Church of the Nazarene, 960 Johnson Road.

Alcoholics Anonymous 12x12 meeting, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.
A destructive Pacific storm is parked over Southern California and expected to stay that way until Saturday afternoon.

Heavy rain ravaged roads, opened sinkholes and led to the deaths of at least two people.

The storm feeding on an atmospheric river of moisture stretching far out into the ocean was at its most fierce late Friday afternoon, dropping over 8 inches of rain in one area.

Two vehicles fell into a 20-foot sinkhole in Studio City Friday and firefighters had to rescue one woman who escaped her car but was found standing on her overturned vehicle.

in the Inland Empire, three firefighters managed to safely escape before their fire engine fell down 50 feet off the side of the freeway Friday.

Authorities in San Bernardino County say a motorist has been found dead after a car was submerged on a flooded desert road in Victorville.

Fire Department spokesman Eric Sherwin says another person was rescued by helicopter from the roof of a car that was swept downstream during the fierce storm.

It's the second confirmed storm-related death from the powerful storm that has lashed Central and Southern California Friday.

Earlier, a 55-year-old man was electrocuted in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles when a fallen tree downed power lines and fell on a car.

In San Diego, several giant eucalyptus trees fell on State Route 163 just north of downtown, crusing the hood of one car. The driver escaped injury but the route was closed for hours inorder to remove the trees.

In what may be one of the most memorable moments of the storm Friday, a big rig driver navigated a flooded patch of Interstate 5 in Los Angeles.
Scattered showers lingered across San Diego County Saturday after the brunt of a powerful storm swept Southern California Friday evening and overnight.

NBC 7 Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh said Saturday began with light, scattered showers at the tip of San Diego's mountains. Scattered rain was expected to persist throughout the day.

The good news is, the winds -- which were very strong Friday, causing damage across the county -- had died down by Saturday morning.

[G] February 2017 Storm Damage

[Today will be] nothing like what we saw yesterday and last night, Kodesh explained, adding that the heavy rain is now being pushed east of San Diego.

Kodesh said a pocket of air to the north of San Diego will keep things cool Saturday and bring light showers down the coastline.

"This air pocket is why the chance of rain continues today," she added. "But the wind will not play a role today."

Take your coat, take your umbrella, put on a smile, said Kodesh. Were finally through with the hardest part of yesterdays storm.

Kodesh said there is a slight chance of thunderstorms in the county through 3 p.m. If you hear thunder, head indoors.

A flash flood watch is in effect in San Diego County through Saturday afternoon. One of the problem areas after heavy storms is the San Diego River and surrounding roads near Fashion Valley mall. NBC 7s Ramon Galindo reports.

On Saturday, the NWS said a flash flood watch was in effect for San Diego County through Saturday afternoon in coastal areas, valleys, mountains and deserts. According to the NWS, the following communities were included in this alert: Oceanside; Vista; Carlsbad; Encinitas; Chula Vista; National City; San Diego; Escondido; San Marcos; El Cajon; La Mesa; Santee; Poway; Julian; Pine Valley; Borrego Springs.

Friday evening brought intense, heavy rainfall, strong winds and high surf to San Diego. With the storm, came a bevy of weather warnings issued for the county.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a high surf warning through 10 p.m. Sunday. Along the San Diego coast, potentially damaging surf is expected Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. Waves could reach 10 to 15 feet; The highest tides were expected at 2:10 a.m. Saturday and 3:25 a.m. Sunday.

As seen in this raw footage from NBC 7, high surf pounded San Diegos beaches during the storm. A high surf warning is in effect until 10 p.m. Sunday.

Not only will there be the potential for damage to piers and other structures along the coast but the waves will top jetties and other rocks. Anyone going to the coast to take a look should be aware of the potential to be swept out into the water.

The County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health (DEH) issued a General Advisory for the coastal waters of San Diego County due to the rainfall. Swimmers, surfers and others are warned that urban runoff that goes into ocean and bay waters, especially near storm drains, creeks, rivers, and lagoon outlets may have high levels of bacteria.

On Saturday, the DEH said a water contact closure was in effect for these shorelines: the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge; Imperial Beach; Silver Strand. To get updates on beach closures, call this 24-hour hotline at (619) 338-2073.

Due to the winds Friday, communities experienced damage to trees and power lines, and power outages.

If you listen closely, you can hear the hum of electricity as the live power line sparks. NBC 7's Megan Tevrizian is on Dawes Street in Pacific Beach with more information.

Cleaning Up the Aftermath

On Saturday, crews were busy across the county cleaning up the aftermath of the storm.

In Encinitas, residents of the Pacific Pines apartment complex dealt with major cleanup after strong winds caused a tree to topple onto their building. A gas line was ruptured and residents were told to evacuate. Fortunately, no one was hurt in this incident.

NBC 7s Steven Luke speaks with Krista Dwyer, a resident of the Pacific Pines apartment complex in Encinitas, where a pine tree toppled during the peak of the storm, causing damage to the building and rupturing a gas line.

Krista Dwyer, who lives at the complex, spoke with NBC 7 Saturday morning and said there are many pine trees around the building and residents feared another one could fall.

Marcy Harold, also lives at Pacific Pines. When the tree toppled, it fell onto her balcony. She was grateful that she wasn't hurt in the incident.

"That was pretty lucky for me," Harold said.

She said it's sad to see old, historic pine trees fall.

"I think its unfortunate and I think its sad, because the trees are a big part of this community  they are 100 year old historic pine trees. I think this is a statement on our local drought issue, so I think [this] is a big message about the environment. We need to pay closer attention, she added.

In Scripps Ranch, a crew spent much of the morning removing a 120-foot-tall tree that had fallen through two homes, creating a huge hole in the roofs.

Part of that tree fell on top of Sarah Schneewinds home. She has lived there since 2005. On Friday, while she was at work, her husband called to tell her the tree had toppled onto their house.

Schneewind said her neighbor thought they home and came over to check on her and her husband.

I was really grateful for that. He called the cops, so by the time my husband got back from the grocery store the firemen were already here, checking out making sure nobody was hurt, she told NBC 7.

Schneewind works in the history department at UC San Diego. She said this incident reminded her of whats important: that no one was hurt.

I teach Chinese history, and when Confucius came home one day he was told, The stables burned down! and what he asked was, Was anyone hurt? He did not ask about the horses, which of course were just property. So, thats what we got to focus on; nobody got hurt, she added.

Schneewind said she had been worried about that tree falling.

I sit out back a lot, I love it and Im looking at this big tree and I know its going to fall. I know its going to fall  just a question of when. Thats what these trees do, they fall. They get full of water, and then a big wind comes, she said.

Scripps Ranch is also a community thats known for its trees, and Schneewind said dangers like this come with the territory.

I believe in having trees in the neighborhood, I think that makes our neighborhood what it is and having them fall is a part of the risk that comes along with that, she explained. My view is that when a tree comes out, for whatever reason, because its unsafe, you got to put in another tree. It doesnt have to go in the exact same place but you got to keep the trees up. Thats our job as stewards for our future and the next generation.

We just heard this big crack and that was the tree breaking over there, Martin Finchman, who lost power in Normal Heights overnight Friday, tells NBC 7. It started raining just a bit earlier . We watched the pole come down , saw the sky just light up, big flash of light as the transformer hit the ground over there. Instantly the power just went out.

Meanwhile, Caltrans crews repaired a sinkhole that had formed in a bike lane on State Route 54 (Jamacha Road) and Brabham Street.

Repair work on sinkhole on westbound SR-54 (Jamacha Road) at Brabham Street. #CAstorm pic.twitter.com/2uXKoVpbzX  Caltrans San Diego (@SDCaltrans) February 18, 2017

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said flooding had caused some road closures around the county. Police released this updated list of road closures at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Update on flooded areas as of 1pm: pic.twitter.com/GrFGbGix88  San Diego Police Department (@SanDiegoPD) February 18, 2017

SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman said she was proud to see the city pulling together during the storm.

While working storm last night, I saw neighbors helping neighbors and strangers helping strangers why I love @CityofSanDiego #onecity  Shelley Zimmerman (@ChiefZimmerman) February 18, 2017

"While working the storm last night, I saw neighbors helping neighbors and strangers helping strangers," Zimmerman said.

Two people were killed at the height of Friday's storm, both in crashes on Interstate 15. In one crash, a woman was killed and her husband was injured in a multi-car collision on southbound I-15 at Mira Mesa Boulevard. In the other accident, on northbound I-15 just north of Interstate 805, one person was killed.

NBC 7's Artie Ojeda is at the scene of a multi-vehicle crash that started with a car that hydroplaned on the highway.

Meanwhile, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) said Friday that heavy rain, flooding or storm damage could potentially impact bus and trolley operations over the weekend  plus special service planned for the Monster Jam show this weekend in downtown San Diego. MTS advised passengers to plan ahead and prepare for delays.

StormRanger 7 will be driving around San Diego County today to help provide the most cutting-edge technology in our storm coverage.

The mobile radar truck is a one-of-a-kind vehicle that has a live, high-powered radar that enables NBC 7 to get out ahead of a storm.

Travis Mackenzie, NBC 7

Download the NBC 7 app for access to StormRanger 7 radar.
Six professors from UC San Diego have been named Sloan Research Fellows for 2017 -- recognized as being among the nation's future leaders in the fields of science and technology.

The chosen professors were among 126 researchers from 60 colleges recognized by the foundation. Their backgrounds range from the biological and physical sciences, as well as engineering fields.

The recipients from UC San Diego are: Kamil Godula, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Tarun Grover, assistant professor of physics; Daniel M. Kane, assistant professor of computer science and engineering; Sergey Kryazhimskiy, assistant professor of biology; Siavash Miarab, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; Jeremie Palacci, assistant professor of physics.

Each of the professors will receive $60,000 from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to further assist their research.

Previous Sloan Research Fellows include famed game theorist John Nash, whose life inspired the film, "A Beautiful Mind," as well as physicists Richard Feynman and Murray Gell-Mann. Forty-three former fellow recipients have received a Nobel Prize in their respective fields.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed to the United States and others on Saturday to support and bolster multilateral organizations such as the European Union, the United Nations and NATO, an alliance to which U.S. Vice President Mike Pence pledged America's commitment was "unwavering."

Merkel told Pence and other world leaders, diplomats and defense officials at the Munich Security Conference that "acting together strengthens everyone."

Her address came amid concerns about the Trump administration's approach to international affairs and fears that the U.S. may soon have little interest in working in multilateral forums.

"Will we be able to continue working well together, or will we all fall back into our individual roles?" Merkel asked. "I call on us, and I hope we will find a common position on this. Let's make the world better together and then things will get better for every single one of us."

Pence sought immediately to address concerns raised by President Donald Trump's comments questioning whether NATO was "obsolete."

Pence told the group: "I bring you this assurance: The United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to our trans-Atlantic alliance."

"Your struggles are our struggles. Your success is our success," Pence said. "And ultimately, we walk into the future together."

Merkel conceded room for improvement in multilateral structures, saying that in many places they are not efficient enough.

"I am firmly convinced that it is worth fighting for our common international multilateral structures, but we must improve them in many places," she said.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel expressed skepticism about Pence's pledges, saying that he agreed Europe needed to work with the U.S. on the basis of common values. But in a barely veiled reference to Trump, he said "both countries must define their interests, and our foreign policies should not be driven by ideology."

"Ideologies lead to hostile concepts that might not be able to be overcome," said Gabriel, who is chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Merkel's junior coalition partner.

Going ahead, he said Europeans "should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."

Merkel reiterated that Germany is committed to the official NATO goal of putting 2 percent of gross domestic product into defense spending  Germany currently contributes 1.3 percent.

"We will do everything we can in order to fulfill this commitment," she said. "But let me add, however, that I believe while NATO is very much in the European interest, it's also in the American interest  it's a very strong alliance where we are united together."

Pence added bluntly that the U.S. expected that all NATO members would meet the 2 percent goal.

"Europe's defense requires your commitment as much as ours," he said.

Gabriel suggested that development aid and humanitarian help  such as in Germany's decision to take in nearly 900,000 refugees last year  should also be part of the consideration when looking at defense spending.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told The Associated Press, however, that both were necessary.

"We need a comprehensive approach and of course development aid and funding for refugees is also very important," he said. "But there's no contradiction between being focused on development aid and security  actually the only way we can create development is to preserve the peace. We need security to be able to facilitate economic development."

Europeans are also worried about Trump's enthusiastic endorsement of the British "Brexit," or decision to leave the 28-nation European Union. Pence did not mention the EU, but did say that the U.S. was on a path of "friendship with Europe and a strong North Atlantic alliance."

Stoltenberg told the gathering that NATO and the EU defense initiatives complement one another.

"A strong Europe cannot mean Europe alone, just as I don't believe 'America first' means America alone," he said.

Merkel, who met with Pence one-on-one following their speeches, acknowledged that Europeans couldn't fight global issues like Islamic extremist terrorism alone.

"We need the military power of the United States," she said.

She renewed a call for Islamic religious authorities to speak "clear words on the demarcation of peaceful Islam and terrorism in the name of Islam."

Merkel pledged to continue working for better relations with Russia, but also stressed the importance of sticking to the 2015 agreement she helped broker in Minsk, Belarus, aimed at ending fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.

"The Minsk agreement is the only thing we have at the moment to move forward talks and the possibility of solving the problems," she said. "When we don't have anything else, I am against throwing something away that may still carry hope."
A man trusted to teach dance to children is accused of having inappropriate relationships with girls as young as 13 years old and having sex with a 14-year-old, police say.

Fairfax County police said 19-year-old Chase Clark Peklo, of Sterling, Virginia, has been under investigation since Feb. 6, when the owner of Adrenaline Studio in Vienna alerted police that an alleged sexual offense happened between an instructor and a student.

According to police, Peklo inappropriately communicated with a 13-year-old and two 14-year-old girls from December 2015 to November 2016. Peklo is also accused of having a sexual relationship with one of the 14-year-old girls.

Peklo was arrested Thursday and charged with carnal knowledge of a child between 13 and 15 years old and five counts of child pornography.

Adrenaline Studio fired Peklo when the investigation started. They issued a statement.

"19-year old Chase Peklo, a student and part-time instructor at Adrenaline Studios, was arrested and is facing charges based upon an inappropriate relationship with another student at our studio and inappropriately communicating via his phone with two others. He was a dance student affiliated with Adrenaline Studios for 6 years and beginning this season, he recently served as a part-time assistant-instructor since graduating from high school last year. These allegations are a complete shock to the Adrenaline family and our hearts are breaking for the young women involved and their families.

"Based on what I was told by Fairfax County detectives, none of these activities ever occurred on our premises or at any Adrenaline sponsored events. We are confident that nothing occurred on premises because: (1) we have had cameras in place in our studios since the day we opened along with windows on every door: (2) he was never in a position to be alone with any individual student (either as a student or part-time assistant instructor; and (3) the layout of our studios and the constant presence of parents and other instructions is simply not conducive to the alleged activities taking place here.

"On Monday, February 6, a student came forward and I (owner of Adrenaline Studios) was first informed of text messages sent by Chase Peklo to that student. I believed them to be inappropriate and, because the safety of our students comes first, I immediately contacted the mother of the student and together we contacted the Fairfax County Police. Within an hour and a half of being notified of these messages, the three of us had a meeting with a Fairfax County Police Officer. At that point, Fairfax County Police took over.

"Although I only had limited information, I called the Fairfax County Police because I wanted to ensure that this matter was investigated thoroughly. He was terminated immediately, he was interviewed by Fairfax County detectives and I served him with a no trespass notice which provided for his immediate arrest if he were to ever step foot on Adrenaline property.

"Within two days, parent meetings were held for the parents of the students in our All-Star competition program (approximately 125 students) because Chase was a member of that program and well known to the other dancers and parents. I explained to them what we knew at that time and told them he was terminated and served a no trespass notice.

"While we initially contacted police based on the text messages alone, detectives later informed us of the other charges that were filed because of information they learned during their investigation.

"Note that although he recently served as a part-time assistant-instructor here, he did not coach or teach any of the young ladies identified.

"We have a very family-like atmosphere here with parents that are incredibly involved. Our lobby is constantly filled with parents waiting for their kids to finish class so this came as a huge surprise to all of us and we are heartbroken on so many levels.

"We continue to put the safety of our students first - that is why we have tried to be as transparent as possible with the parents at our studio while going to great lengths to maintain the privacy of the young women involved and ensure that their identities remain protected.

"We will continue to cooperate with the authorities and have asked that any other students that may have been affected to please come forward."

Jennifer Koonce, Owner, Adrenaline Studios

Peklo previously taught dance at Stage Door in the 7200 block of New Market Court in Manassas, police said.

Police believe there could be more victims and asking people with more information to call (703) 246-7898 or Crime Solvers by texting TIP187 plus your message to CRIMES(274637) or by calling 1 (866) 411-TIPS (8477), or call Fairfax County Police at (703) 691-2131.
Fairfax County police believe the young murder victim whose death sparked a wide-ranging investigation into gang ties -- an investigation that uncovered another teen's murder -- was lured to his death.

The first victim was Christian Sosa Rivas, who was killed in Prince William County in January. A search warrant filed in court revealed that Sosa Rivas had styled himself as a leader of a local clique of the gang MS-13 -- a claim that didn't sit well with other gang leaders.

"Local MS13 clique leaders began contacting the victim and questioning his rank," the search warrant reads.

Police believe those leaders then used the social media accounts of female associates in an effort to lure out unsuspecting victims like Sosa Rivas.

According to the search warrant, police believe Sosa Rivas was lured away from his normal surroundings, and murdered.

Police are concerned about a growing gang threat in the greater Washington, D.C. area, including at area schools.

We are seeing a lot of increase in recruiting in high school and middle schools, which is alarming to us," said Jay Lanham, director of the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force.

Police do not believe random students are being targeted. But, they said, whats being discussed in schools and online is helping investigators track gang activity.

We have school resource officers," said Fairfax County Police Sgt. Jonathan Perok. "Youd be surprised how much information is gathered just by having that officer in the school.

Sosa Rivas' murder has now been tied to the murder of 15-year-old Damaris Alexandra Reyes Rivas. Investigators working on Sosa Rivas' case found Reyes' body last Saturday near Lake Accotink in Springfield; she had been missing for two months.

A total of 10 suspects have been charged in connection with the girl's abduction and death, the majority of the suspects are juveniles. Police believe everyone involved is acquainted or affiliated with one gang, Fairfax County Police 2nd Lt. Brian Gaydos said.

Reyes' family members have identified that gang as MS-13.

Police began to unravel Reyes' murder while attending a multi-jurisdiction briefing Jan. 25 led by Prince George's County Police, said Fairfax Police Chief Edwin Roessler during a press conference Thursday.

During the January event, authorities determined that two missing juveniles from Fairfax County were "indirectly linked by association" to Sosa Rivas' death, Roessler said.
A math teacher in Falls Church, Virginia, has been charged for the sexual battery of two students, police say.

Jose Daniel Estrada, 36, was arrested Friday. Estrada had been placed on leave at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School on Jan. 17 after Falls Church City Public Schools learned of allegations involving two girls, the school system said in a press release.

Police did not provide further information about the allegations.

Estrada, of Clifton, began working for the school system in July 2015, a spokesperson said.

He is being held at the Arlington County Jail.

Police think there could be other victims and are encouraging anyone with information to call them at (703) 248-5327.
What to Know Haris Qamar, 26, of Burke, was arrested in July. He promoted the Islamic State on Twitter.

He will serve 8 1/2 years in prison and then another 20 years on supervised release.

A Northern Virginia man was sentenced Friday to 8 1/2 years in prison -- and another 20 years of supervision -- for trying to help ISIS.

Haris Qamar, 26, of Burke, was arrested in July. He admitted in federal court in Alexandria in October that he used the handle "newerajihadi" on Twitter to promote the Islamic State.

Prosecutors say Qamar worked with a government informant to film and photograph landmarks in the D.C. region, including the Pentagon, for use in propaganda videos to encourage lone-wolf attacks.

He also told the informant that he found the "extreme violence" associated with ISIS to be exciting, and that he "loved the bodies, blood, and beheadings," according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Dana Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia.

"Qamar said he recalled watching a video of a Kurdish individual being slaughtered, and he liked the cracking sound made when the individuals spinal cord was torn," the press release said.

On Wednesday, Soufian Amri, 32, of Falls Church, and Michael Queen, 28, of Woodbridge -- both acquaintances of Qamar -- were arrested and charged with obstructing justice and conspiring to provide material false statements to the officers who were investigating Qamar.

In July, Qamar's parents told News4's Julie Carey they were deeply upset and disappointed their son wasted his education and turned to ISIS.

Qamar told an undercover FBI informant that he bought a plane ticket to Turkey but his parents prevented him from leaving. The informant reportedly asked Qamar if he would join ISIS if his father gave him his passport. If that happened, "I'm done, I leave," Qamar said, according to federal prosecutors.
A woman is dead after two motorcycles crashed in Virginia and that alcohol and speed were factors in the crash, police say.

Police in Prince William County say the crash happened early Saturday in Woodbridge. The driver of one motorcycle braked to turn and that the second driver, who was following behind, was unable to stop, police said. The motorcycles then crashed.

Police said 53-year-old Nellie Rae Sacra of Woodbridge, the motorcycle driver who was unable to stop her motorcycle in time to prevent a crash, was taken to the hospital and died of her injuries. The driver of the first motorcycle, 53-year-old Robert James Potts, sustained minor injuries, police said.

Potts was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

Police said the motorcyclists knew each other.
Get ready to finally peel yourself off of that bar stool youve been stuck on since the 90sZima is making a comeback to coolers in the U.S.

Zima was discontinued in America in 2008, according to Crains, but its Chicago-based producer says its returning after the success of MillerCoors Henrys Hard Soda line. [[414109233, C]]

"If you're one of the zillion fans who have missed Zima, the answer should be clear," MillerCoors said in a statement.

Murmurs of the fabled 90s-era malt liquor, with its quirky and memorable commercials, began last fall, Crains reports, compounded by a MillerCoors Michigan distributor posting a photo of the beverage on Instagram.

Zima is expected to be back in stores and watering holes sometime this year, according to Crains.

The company aims to compete with other malt beverage brands, like Smirnoff Ice and Mike's Hard Lemonade.

[NATL] Wildest Food Crazes: Emotional Support Chicken
A Somali man trekked 21 hours as temperatures hovered around 0 degrees Fahrenheit to make it across the northern U.S. border into Manitoba, Canada, CBC, a Canadian news agency reported.

The freezing and exhausted man shared his story with a CBC news reporter at about 4:30 a.m. Saturday.

"I have a problem. America is [the] problem now," he said, according to the report.

He was eventually picked up by Canadian police who brought him to get medical care.

The man is one of several Somali refugees who have fled into Manitoba since Donald Trump took office, CBC reported. Concerned about their legal status in the U.S., they've braved freezing temperatures on exhausting treks to make it over the northern border.
President Donald Trump continued his tirade against the media Friday, calling the press "the enemy" of U.S. citizens on social media.

"The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People," the president wrote on Twitter.

Before that tweet, he sent a similar tweet saying "The FAKE News media (failing @nytimes, @CNN, @NBCNews and many more) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American people. SICK!" That tweet was deleted immediately.

During his Thursday news conference, he bashed the "fake news media" while praising one example of an organization he believes is doing it right.

"I watched this morning a couple of the networks. And I have to say, 'Fox & Friends' in the morning, theyre very honorable people. Theyre very  not because theyre good, because they hit me also when I do something wrong. But they have the most honest morning show," Trump said. "Thats all I can say. Its the most honest."

Trump also addressed what he perceived to be a constantly negative tone in the media coverage about his administration.

"The tone is such hatred. Im really not a bad person, by the way. No, but the tone is such  I do get good ratings, you have to admit that  the tone is such hatred."

Addressing a reporter from CNN, a frequent target, Trump lambasted the network yet again.

"You look at your show that goes on at 10 oclock in the evening. You just take a look at that show. That is a constant hit. The panel is almost always exclusive anti-Trump. The good news is he doesnt have good ratings. But the panel is almost exclusive anti-Trump," he said. "And the hatred and venom coming from his mouth; the hatred coming from other people on your network."

Trump also had a tense exchange with NBC News' Peter Alexander, who challenged the president on his false claim that he had the biggest Electoral College victory since Ronald Reagan.

After some back and forth, Trump said: It was a substantial victory, you do agree with that?

Youre the president, Alexander responded.

Despite his constant criticism, Trump did admit to being a faithful CNN viewer.

"I watch it. I see it. Im amazed by it. And I just think youd be a lot better off, I honestly do. The public gets it, you know. Look, when I go to rallies, they turn around, they start screaming at CNN," he said. "They want to throw their placards at CNN."

At the same time as Trump was lambasting the media, CNN President Jeff Zucker said that his network's brand "has been as strong as it has ever been," The Associated Press reported.

He said an internal study he ordered to find out if Trump's "fake news" label had sticking power found that less than a third of 2,000 Americans surveyed believed CNN's Trump coverage was unfair.

Trump did make one concession during the news conference. He would stop addressing the media as "fake news."

"Im changing it from fake news, though," he said. "Very fake news."

On Thursday, the Trump campaign released a "Mainstream Media Accountability Survey." The statement accompanying the survey said "You know that I dont trust the media to report on anything we achieve."

"You are our greatest asset in helping our movement deliver the truth to the American people. Which is why I need you to take the Mainstream Media Accountability Survey to do your part to fight back against the medias attacks and deceptions."
Three employees at a YMCA Learning Center in Wallingford will no longer be working with children at the facility after the parents of a 3-year-old girl said their daughter was alone and locked inside the daycare, according to the center's executive director.

We are committed to ensuring that our parent community is comfortable with the handling of this situation and have informed them that the three individuals primarily involved in Tuesdays incident will not be working with their children at any of our sites, Sean Doherty, the executive director of the Wallingford YMCA, told NBC Connecticut Friday in an email.

It was not immediately clear if the employees were fired or if they continue to work for the YMCA under a different department.

Friday the daycare held a meeting for parents to discuss what happened Tuesday.

Bernadette Sorbo, the mother of 3-year-old Aubrie, said her daughter is picked up at 6 p.m. every day. But on Tuesday, the doors were locked and the building appeared to be closed when Aubries dad went to pick her up at YMCA's Learning Community at Choate Rosemary Hall, so he called Sorbo to get a code to enter the building.

Sorbo said she was only a few minutes away when she received the calls so she drove to the daycare and the pair found their daughter in the bathroom, covered in feces.

The father said no employees were at the daycare when he arrived, but the lights were on and he saw his daughter's coat and lunch bag inside. Sorbo said her daughter was left alone for at least 45 minutes. The couple called police.

While Sorbo said shes relieved to hear the news about the employees involved, she said theres still more that needs to be done.

I know people makes mistakes but that is something that is careless and could have potentially endangered my daughter, she said.

Sorbo said that she was unsure if she could trust any day care after the incident and for now shes taking her daughter with her to work.

The daycare reported the incident to the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood and the agency is investigating.

Wallingford police have said the situation, while alarming, is not criminal in nature.
An investigation is underway after a veteran of the Portland Police Department shot and killed a man outside of a strip mall on Saturday in Maine.

The Portland Police Department responded to 911 calls at the Union Station Plaza strip mall on Saint John Street around 11 a.m. The officers received reports of a man walking through the parking lot screaming and pointing a gun at cars. When they arrived, the officers discovered 22-year-old Chance David Baker of Portland, waving a gun in the air.

Witnesses told the Portland Press Herald that Baker had purchased a BB gun at Coastal Trading and Pawn then went outside and pointed it to the sky. Allegedly, Baker dropped the BB gun when police arrived. Officers warned him not to pick it up, but when Baker did not listen, witnesses say the officer fired.

Officials say they heard conflicting reports as to whether or not the weapon was a shotgun, rifle, or a BB gun. The Portland Police Departments investigation later confirmed Bakers weapon was a rifle style pellet gun with a wooden stock and scope.

Portland police have identified Sergeant Nicholas Goodman as the officer responsible. A fourteen year veteran of the department, Sergeant Goodman is a supervisor assigned to the patrol division. He has been placed on administrative leave and the Maine Attorney Generals office is investigating the incident. Additionally the Portland Police Department is conducting a separate internal investigation that will focus on whether the officer acted within department policy. This is the second time Sergeant Goodman has used deadly force in his career. In 2008, Sergeant Goodman shot and killed 48-year-old Albert Wayne Kittrell when he struck and dragged him over 300 feet. This was later declared a justified use of force.

The Portland Police Department released a statement saying, we are saddened by the loss of life and send our condolences to the friends and family of Mr. Baker.

This was the third police-involved shooting of the year in Maine, according to the Attorney Generals Office.
A man was struck and killed by a commuter rail train Saturday morning in Brockton, Massachusetts.

Transit Police responded to the MBTA's Brockton Commuter Rail station on Commercial Street at about 7:15 a.m. after receiving a radio call.

Transit Police said based on preliminary information, 75-year-old John Hamilton was walking over the tracks when he was struck by an outbound train. Hamilton was pronounced dead as a result of his injuries.

Police said the crossing warning system, including flashing lights and horns, were working properly at the time of the incident.

The 37 passengers on board the train were transferred to a Brockton area transit bus while the scene was cleared.

Police said foul play is not suspected but the facts and circumstances remain under investigation by both Transit Police and the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office.
Granby police are investigating after someone rearranged the letters on a Granby school sign into a racist message.

Someone rearranged a message on a sign at the Granby Memorial School campus off Route 10 to include the racial slur which was spotted by Anna Rogers, of Middletown, who driving through town around noon Saturday. Rogers snapped a photo and called police. Rog told NBC Connecticut when she drove by again about a half hour later, the slur had been removed.

Capt. William Tyler confirmed that police were informed of the message and that the situation is under active and vigorous investigation.

Residents were surprised by the news and said hateful speech isn't what they expect from their town.

I think Granby is a welcoming town and a very tight town. So I dont know if its some kind of prank. But I think its concerning the rise of racist things weve seen across the United States, said Granby resident Katie Dunnington.

I usually think of Granby like nothing bad ever happens here, said Hannah Council, who is a sixth-grader in Granby.

Granby Superintendent of Schools Alan Addley released the following statement:

This is certainly disturbing and disappointing for many reasons, but most importantly because it doesnt represent the values of the school community or the values of the town of Granby.

Anyone with information on this should contact Granby police at 860-844-5335.
Colleen Flanagan, a 37-year-old little person, manages to navigate Boston streets pretty well. She easily lifts her wheelchair into her hatchback and nimbly moves into the driver's seat. But when she comes to some handicapped parking spots, winter in the city presents a problem.

The Jamaica Plain resident often becomes frustrated and has to move on, sometimes just going back home.

"To dump the snow in literally the only space I can use, it sends a strong message that I'm not worth much here," she said.

Flanagan is using Facebook to document the snow issues impacting the disabled community, from snow piled up on handicapped parking spots to ramps for wheelchairs not being cleared out properly.

"So many people have commented on my Facebook to say that they're experiencing the same thing all over the place," said Flanagan. "Not just in Boston, but in Worcester, in Malden, in Medford, in many, many cities."

"It's a massive problem," said Olivia Richard, a disability rights advocate who says she's hearing complaints on a daily basis. "It's not malicious. It's a lack of understanding of the importance of these spaces to people who need them."

For Colleen Flanagan, she just hopes public and private snow removal crews will keep people like her in mind.

"It's a shame that when the snow comes all of a sudden we forget about accessibility," said Flanagan.

The city of Boston says if drivers notice problems like these, make sure to report it to the city's 311 service.
A judge has allowed a student to return to a New Hampshire prep school, months after his mother alleged the school wrongfully expelled him after he had sex with another student.

Both sides reached an agreement signed by a federal judge Friday to reinstate the boy full time at Phillips Exeter Academy.

The boy had sex with a female student in January 2016. Both were 15. She reported the encounter to the campus health center. Exeter decided he had violated their sexual misconduct policy. A lawsuit filed by his mother alleged Exeter first said the boy would be placed on leave, but could return after seeking therapy. Instead, he was withdrawn.

A jury found Exeter liable for breach of contract.

A judge temporarily reinstated the boy in December. The agreement said he's been attending Exeter "with no adverse effects."
Republicans control Congress so President Donald Trump's pledge to boost the Pentagon budget by tens of billions of dollars should be a sure bet.

It's not.

Trump faces skeptical Democrats whose support he'll need and resistance from fiscal conservatives opposed to repealing a 2011 law that set firm limits on military and domestic spending. Unless the president figures out a way to mollify the disparate camps, he'll have a tough time delivering on a signature campaign promise to rescue the armed forces from a festering financial crisis.

Senior U.S. commanders have flatly warned that the spending caps set by the Budget Control Act are squeezing the armed forces so hard that the number of ready-to-fight units is dwindling. That means beating powers such as Russia or China is tougher than it used to be as aging equipment stacks up, waiting to be repaired, and troops don't get enough training.

Gen. Daniel Allyn, the Army's vice chief of staff, startled many lawmakers when he testified recently that just three of the service's 58 active-duty and reserve brigade combat teams are ready to fight at a moment's notice.

Allyn and other four-star officers pleaded during separate hearings in the House and Senate for the spending limits to be repealed, clearing the way for the bigger budgets they say are needed to stop the military's readiness for combat from decaying further.

"We need to act now before it's too late," said Gen. Stephen Wilson, the Air Force's vice chief of staff.

The average age of Air Force aircraft is 27 years, according to Wilson, who added that more than half of the service's inventory would qualify for antique vehicle license plates in Virginia. On top of that, the Air Force is short 1,500 pilots and 3,400 aircraft maintainers, he said.

The Navy and Marine Corps are experiencing the same turbulence.

Trump, speaking at a White House news conference Thursday, said he's ordered a plan for a "massive rebuilding" of the armed forces. He didn't disclose how much he expected his blueprint to cost.

National security hawks in Congress have suggested a defense budget of $700 billion in 2018  more than at any point during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The total, which includes $60 billion for overseas combat operations, is $91 billion over the mandatory spending cap.

That's just a down payment to begin digging out of a readiness problem the Pentagon's top brass says will take years to fix. GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has envisioned annual increases of between 3 percent and 4 percent, culminating with an $800 billion budget for the armed forces in 2022.

Securing these sizable and sustained increases will require repealing the Budget Control Act. Trump, however, has proposed to eliminate only the budget limit on defense. That's a nonstarter for Democrats, who have long demanded parity between the two board categories of federal spending.

They've argued that Trump's approach will continue to restrict the budgets of the departments of State, Treasury and Justice, all of which play essential national security roles.

"We've always insisted, on our side of the aisle, that as long as the caps are in place, there should be equal relief," said Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services readiness subcommittee.

Trump will need at least a handful of Democrats on his side: It'll take 60 votes in the Senate to undo the budget law and Republicans hold 52 seats.

Republicans hold a larger majority in the House, but the party's deficit hawks are a significant obstacle. They see the caps as blunt yet effective tools to curb federal spending and prevent the national debt from spiraling further out of control.

"We're walking into a financial train wreck that is going to have implications not just in terms of national security but in terms of everyone's financial security," said Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C. "It would be disastrous to simply abandon the caps with no other alternative in place."

But not everyone is convinced that the Pentagon is struggling so mightily.

Lawmakers such as Rep. Jackie Speier, a liberal California Democrat and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, contend the current defense budget of $611 billion is already more than China and Russia spend on their militaries combined.

On top of that, money is being wasted on bases and installations that are no longer needed but remain open because the GOP-led Congress has so far refused to allow a new round of base closures.

"No one wants to see bases close," Speier said. "But we have a certain pot of money and we've got to use it smartly."
Facility set to open in spring 2018

A NEW 1.7m arts centre and cafe will open at Greenham Business Park in spring 2018.

The state-of-the-art facility will be funded by Greenham Common Trust (GCT) in partnership with the Corn Exchange and will replace the ageing New Greenham Arts building, which is no longer fit for purpose and would cost more than 1m to repair.

The existing former airbase building was built as a temporary facility more than 40 years ago.

Located by the entrance to the business park, the trust hopes the new arts centre will become a hub, providing a home to some of the finest artists and makers in the country.

The purpose-built visual arts and craft complex will allow GCT and the Corn Exchange to establish a new destination venue for the district.

In addition to this new facility, the Corn Exchange will also launch a dedicated Learning Centre for its participatory arts programme in Newbury town centre.

It says it will increase the range of arts activities for the community and that its central location will provide easier access for residents and those taking part.

The Learning Centre will be launched in September 2017 with an extended programme of cultural and creative activities, enabling the Corn Exchange to work with more than 18,000 people every year.

The centre will include new activities for under-fives, as well as providing a dance space and home base for the venues Ageing Creatively programme for people aged 55 and over.

Were delighted to be able to offer financial support for these exciting new projects which will benefit those living in Newbury and the wider community, said the trusts chief executive Chris Boulton.

The town centre development will allow the Corn Exchange to seek significant national funding in order to support the increased activities provided by the venue.

This is good news for residents, artists, community groups and for local businesses as we attract more visitors to our town.

It will put Newbury firmly on the map as one of the UKs leading visitor attractions for the arts.

Owing to the closure of New Greenham Arts, the New Greenham Tandoori Restaurant will be given a six-month notice period to vacate its premises in line with its current tenancy agreement.

GCT will seek a commercial operator to run a cafe in the new arts centre, which will be open to the public.

For those artists who are currently resident at New Greenham Arts, the Corn Exchange has committed to helping them form a co-operative to secure their future.

Co-directors of the Corn Exchange, Grant Brisland and Katy Griffiths, said: The makers studios will support nine visual artists and craft makers from a range of disciplines.

It will create an ethos of open working and engaging visitors in the art-making process, as well as providing regular pop-up exhibitions, courses and classes.

This is a hugely exciting opportunity and Greenham Common Trusts support and vision for this development will secure the future of visual arts and crafts locally.

Commenting on the closure of New Greenham Arts, they added: These exciting developments are tinged with sadness, as New Greenham Arts has played a hugely- important part in the Corn Exchanges success over the last 15 years.

The New Greenham Arts building was built more than 40 years ago and was only ever intended to be a temporary facility.

The extent of the repair and renovation that would be required to continue to use it as a professional arts venue would require investment of more than 1m, which does not represent value for money for either Greenham Common Trust or the Corn Exchange.

Regular users of New Greenham Arts, including artists and makers who currently have studios there, were informed of the developments last week. The chairman of the West Berkshire and North Hampshire Open Studios scheme, John Brazendale, said: These are exciting times for the visual arts.

The very idea of having a purpose-built facility at Greenham Business Park is both forward-looking and reassuring at a time when there is so much uncertainty elsewhere.

It is wonderful news.
By PTI

KOLKATA: Union Minister of State for MSME Giriraj Singh today said "lack of innovation" in Hindustan Motors was the reason behind the selling off of the iconic Ambassador car brand to European auto major Peugeot.

"Hindustan Motors' Ambassador went to others due to the lack of innovation," Singh said at the Bengal Chamber awards for MSME event.

Owners of C K Birla group inked an agreement with Peugeot SA of Europe earlier this month to sell off the Ambassador brand.

The manufacturing of Ambassador was discontinued in 2014.

Stressing innovation in the field of agriculture and MSME sector, he urged people to come forward to form a policy framework on it.

Singh also highlighted the Centre's policies in infrastructure sector and raising the limit for collateral free loans among others.

Asked about Rajiv Bajaj's comment that 'Made in India' as 'Mad in India' after his company faced hurdles in launching new products, the union minister said "One single person does not make India."

KOLKATA: Union Minister of State for MSME Giriraj Singh today said "lack of innovation" in Hindustan Motors was the reason behind the selling off of the iconic Ambassador car brand to European auto major Peugeot. "Hindustan Motors' Ambassador went to others due to the lack of innovation," Singh said at the Bengal Chamber awards for MSME event. Owners of C K Birla group inked an agreement with Peugeot SA of Europe earlier this month to sell off the Ambassador brand. The manufacturing of Ambassador was discontinued in 2014. Stressing innovation in the field of agriculture and MSME sector, he urged people to come forward to form a policy framework on it. Singh also highlighted the Centre's policies in infrastructure sector and raising the limit for collateral free loans among others. Asked about Rajiv Bajaj's comment that 'Made in India' as 'Mad in India' after his company faced hurdles in launching new products, the union minister said "One single person does not make India."
M Rajendran By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Insurance repositories will soon start servicing the health and motor-vehicles insurance policies, which will not only reduce the time for policy holder to get claims, but also reduce the premium cost, in addition to higher transparency and security for insurance firms.



Insurance repositories are entities that maintain the data of insurance policies in electronic form on behalf of insurers. Now, repositories cater to only the life insurance space.



The government held discussions with the insurance firms recently and asked them to improve the customer service using the IR services... the government is keen to promote digital system and it is a step in that direction, a senior official in Department of Finance Services in Ministry of Finance told Express.

Policy holders will now pay fewer premiums with authenticity and transparency, says S V Ramanan, CEO of Chennai-based CAMS Insurance Repository Services.



Electronically issuing policy reduces the cost, time and physical presence to assign (pledge the policy for loan or any other transaction). The move will help policy holders, with more and more insurance companies offering lower premium and discounts for safe driving (Bajaj General) and joining gym and health management spas (Cigna TTK).



In Sri Lanka, if an accident happens the policy holder can take a picture and send it to the insurance firm to seek claims and does not need to wait for a surveyor. Such possibilities can happen in India if policies are serviced electronically, says Ramanan.



Currently about six lakh life insurance policies are serviced by four IRs CAMSRep, Karvy, NSDL and CDSL. The six lakh life policies in electronic format is a fraction of 37 crore policies with various insurance companies.



Notably, no public sector insurance firm has a tie-up with any of the four operators. While all 23 private insurance firms offering life policy products have signed up with the four IRS. The discussions are on with them but no final decision has been taken, a senior official in Life Insurance Corporation told Express.

NEW DELHI: Insurance repositories will soon start servicing the health and motor-vehicles insurance policies, which will not only reduce the time for policy holder to get claims, but also reduce the premium cost, in addition to higher transparency and security for insurance firms. Insurance repositories are entities that maintain the data of insurance policies in electronic form on behalf of insurers. Now, repositories cater to only the life insurance space. The government held discussions with the insurance firms recently and asked them to improve the customer service using the IR services... the government is keen to promote digital system and it is a step in that direction, a senior official in Department of Finance Services in Ministry of Finance told Express. Policy holders will now pay fewer premiums with authenticity and transparency, says S V Ramanan, CEO of Chennai-based CAMS Insurance Repository Services. Electronically issuing policy reduces the cost, time and physical presence to assign (pledge the policy for loan or any other transaction). The move will help policy holders, with more and more insurance companies offering lower premium and discounts for safe driving (Bajaj General) and joining gym and health management spas (Cigna TTK). In Sri Lanka, if an accident happens the policy holder can take a picture and send it to the insurance firm to seek claims and does not need to wait for a surveyor. Such possibilities can happen in India if policies are serviced electronically, says Ramanan. Currently about six lakh life insurance policies are serviced by four IRs CAMSRep, Karvy, NSDL and CDSL. The six lakh life policies in electronic format is a fraction of 37 crore policies with various insurance companies. Notably, no public sector insurance firm has a tie-up with any of the four operators. While all 23 private insurance firms offering life policy products have signed up with the four IRS. The discussions are on with them but no final decision has been taken, a senior official in Life Insurance Corporation told Express.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: A 27-year-old cab driver in Bengaluru was abducted by a gang of unidentified men and stabbed after the police were alerted.

The incident took place at Mahalakshmi Layout Friday night. The victim, Avinash is recovering in the KC General hospital in Malleswaram.

Local police said Avinash was walking towards his home near the Kempegowda arch around 9.30 pm when a nine men drove up in two cars and kidnapped him. He was taken to the Bellur cross toll gate and beaten up.

Passersby who noticed Avinash getting beaten up alerted the police who rushed to the spot. When the police arrived, the assailants stabbed the cab driver in the neck and fled the scene. But the police managed to arrest four of them.

The exact motive for the kidnap is yet to be ascertained but it was apparently a money-related crime. Efforts are on to nab accused who are absconding.

BENGALURU: A 27-year-old cab driver in Bengaluru was abducted by a gang of unidentified men and stabbed after the police were alerted. The incident took place at Mahalakshmi Layout Friday night. The victim, Avinash is recovering in the KC General hospital in Malleswaram. Local police said Avinash was walking towards his home near the Kempegowda arch around 9.30 pm when a nine men drove up in two cars and kidnapped him. He was taken to the Bellur cross toll gate and beaten up. Passersby who noticed Avinash getting beaten up alerted the police who rushed to the spot. When the police arrived, the assailants stabbed the cab driver in the neck and fled the scene. But the police managed to arrest four of them. The exact motive for the kidnap is yet to be ascertained but it was apparently a money-related crime. Efforts are on to nab accused who are absconding.
Sangeeta Bora By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Fire on Bellandur lake has now become a common scene for residents nearby. Thursdays fire was the third instance in the last three years and locals are not surprised if it erupts again.

Despite previous incidents of fire and repeated requests to tackle the issue of froth at Bellandur lake through emails, WhatsApp messages and physical interactions by residents and experts, neither the civic authorities nor the state has come forward to take any steps to implement the recommendations of the lake expert committee.

Plumes of smoke covered the area after a fire at Bellandur lake on Thursday; (above) in May 2015, froth on the lake surface caught fire

Following the fire at the lake on Thursday, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) chairman Lakshman visited the spot on Friday and promised a notice will be sent to BWSSB for failure in preventing the fire.

Seema Sharma, a resident, said, We have seen such visits before. Earlier too, KSPCB made recommendations after a fire incident at the lake but there was no action. Last time, the fire went on for five days. We knew this was coming, hence we tried our best to reach out to KSPCB through emails, but in vain.

The lake catches fire because of phosphorus and oil collecting on the surface. Elaborating on the current scenario, Sonali Singh from Bellandur said, The lake is filled will toxic chemicals and, of late, Bellandur lake has turned into a dumping yard. Labourers employed by sub-contractors of BBMP are often seen dumping garbage or debris into the lake and even lighting them on fire. This is what happened in the recent case. The chemicals collected in the lake caught fire from the garbage and debris that were already set on fire.

Even after repeated incidents of the froth on the lake catching fire, civic agencies are yet to take ownership of the lake and the blame game between BBMP, BDA and BWSSB continues.

When I called BBMP officials to inform them about the fire, he said it is in the middle of the lake which does not come under the purview of BBMP, hence BDA should be contacted. BDA, on the other hand, passed the buck to BWSSB. Why are they still sleeping on the recommendations of the lake expert committee? It has been over six months since the committee submitted its report to the government, she said.

Sridhar Pabbisetty of Namma Bengaluru Foundation said, The national water quality monitoring programme and the Environment Protection Act gives enormous power to KSPCB to protect our lakes and environment. They should swing into action and conduct tests to ascertain the cause and nature of the fire and direct the authorities concerned to take action.

A BWSSB official said, We are building four STPs in and around Bellandur and Varthur lakes to solve the issues. However, it will take at least 2-3 years for the work to be completed.

BENGALURU: Fire on Bellandur lake has now become a common scene for residents nearby. Thursdays fire was the third instance in the last three years and locals are not surprised if it erupts again. Despite previous incidents of fire and repeated requests to tackle the issue of froth at Bellandur lake through emails, WhatsApp messages and physical interactions by residents and experts, neither the civic authorities nor the state has come forward to take any steps to implement the recommendations of the lake expert committee. Plumes of smoke covered the area after a fire at Bellandur lake on Thursday; (above) in May 2015, froth on the lake surface caught fireFollowing the fire at the lake on Thursday, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) chairman Lakshman visited the spot on Friday and promised a notice will be sent to BWSSB for failure in preventing the fire. Seema Sharma, a resident, said, We have seen such visits before. Earlier too, KSPCB made recommendations after a fire incident at the lake but there was no action. Last time, the fire went on for five days. We knew this was coming, hence we tried our best to reach out to KSPCB through emails, but in vain. The lake catches fire because of phosphorus and oil collecting on the surface. Elaborating on the current scenario, Sonali Singh from Bellandur said, The lake is filled will toxic chemicals and, of late, Bellandur lake has turned into a dumping yard. Labourers employed by sub-contractors of BBMP are often seen dumping garbage or debris into the lake and even lighting them on fire. This is what happened in the recent case. The chemicals collected in the lake caught fire from the garbage and debris that were already set on fire. Even after repeated incidents of the froth on the lake catching fire, civic agencies are yet to take ownership of the lake and the blame game between BBMP, BDA and BWSSB continues. When I called BBMP officials to inform them about the fire, he said it is in the middle of the lake which does not come under the purview of BBMP, hence BDA should be contacted. BDA, on the other hand, passed the buck to BWSSB. Why are they still sleeping on the recommendations of the lake expert committee? It has been over six months since the committee submitted its report to the government, she said. Sridhar Pabbisetty of Namma Bengaluru Foundation said, The national water quality monitoring programme and the Environment Protection Act gives enormous power to KSPCB to protect our lakes and environment. They should swing into action and conduct tests to ascertain the cause and nature of the fire and direct the authorities concerned to take action. A BWSSB official said, We are building four STPs in and around Bellandur and Varthur lakes to solve the issues. However, it will take at least 2-3 years for the work to be completed.
S Bachan Jeet Singh By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The cash-strapped Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has sought budgetary allocation of Rs 2,018 crore from the state government for the year 2017-18. The civic bodys demand is an effort to bail it out from financial instability.

For the current year (2016-17), the government-sanctioned Rs 70 crore towards payment of property tax on government buildings, taxes on vehicles, profession tax and octroi etc to the corporation. However, nothing was sanctioned for implementation of new schemes and projects including the double bedroom houses for urban poor, Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) and other projects.

For 2016-17, there were no major budget allocations made by the state government to the corporation. Presently, GHMC is reeling under severe financial crisis and finding it difficult to pay salaries to its staff.

Meanwhile, GHMC officials told Express that the corporation has submitted budget proposals to the state government a few weeks ago and hoped that government would allocate adequate funds for the financial year 2017-18.

HYDERABAD: The cash-strapped Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has sought budgetary allocation of Rs 2,018 crore from the state government for the year 2017-18. The civic bodys demand is an effort to bail it out from financial instability. For the current year (2016-17), the government-sanctioned Rs 70 crore towards payment of property tax on government buildings, taxes on vehicles, profession tax and octroi etc to the corporation. However, nothing was sanctioned for implementation of new schemes and projects including the double bedroom houses for urban poor, Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) and other projects. For 2016-17, there were no major budget allocations made by the state government to the corporation. Presently, GHMC is reeling under severe financial crisis and finding it difficult to pay salaries to its staff. Meanwhile, GHMC officials told Express that the corporation has submitted budget proposals to the state government a few weeks ago and hoped that government would allocate adequate funds for the financial year 2017-18.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: Eleven senior students of Government Polytechnic College, Kalamassery, were suspended for alleged involvement in the ragging of first-year students in the college hostel.

According to principal C K Mohanan, the action was initiated after 14 first-year students submitted a complaint against the seniors.

On Friday, I received a complaint signed by 14 first year students. After conducting a preliminary probe, we suspended 11 senior students of the college pending inquiry, he said. The suspended students are, Vishnu Vijay, Ajay R, Ajil Raj, Anu R Pillai, Shivaji P, Akhil S P, Joyalmon Joy, Arjun K S, Saransasi, Jins P N and Mithunlal.

Mohanan said a report based on the complaint filed by the junior students will be handed over to the police for taking further action. College authorities said a detailed probe into the allegations would be conducted by a committee.

The mens hostel has been closed. Some junior students had complained of severe ragging in the hostel. They were even paraded naked around the hostel. Of the 30 first year students who were allotted rooms at the beginning of the academic year, only less than 10 are currently staying there. The rest of the students had vacated their rooms allegedly after the ragging.

Earlier on Friday, a scuffle broke out between the senior and junior students in the college leaving several of them injured.

Three have been admitted to Government Medical College, Kalamassery. Police said they have booked eight students in connection with the incident but no complaint regarding ragging was received.

It is not a case of ragging. We registered a case against the students over a brawl in connection with the youth festival. The accused include both senior and junior students, said Kalamassery CI S Jayakrishnan.

IPC Sections 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) have been invoked against the students.

KOCHI: Eleven senior students of Government Polytechnic College, Kalamassery, were suspended for alleged involvement in the ragging of first-year students in the college hostel. According to principal C K Mohanan, the action was initiated after 14 first-year students submitted a complaint against the seniors. On Friday, I received a complaint signed by 14 first year students. After conducting a preliminary probe, we suspended 11 senior students of the college pending inquiry, he said. The suspended students are, Vishnu Vijay, Ajay R, Ajil Raj, Anu R Pillai, Shivaji P, Akhil S P, Joyalmon Joy, Arjun K S, Saransasi, Jins P N and Mithunlal. Mohanan said a report based on the complaint filed by the junior students will be handed over to the police for taking further action. College authorities said a detailed probe into the allegations would be conducted by a committee. The mens hostel has been closed. Some junior students had complained of severe ragging in the hostel. They were even paraded naked around the hostel. Of the 30 first year students who were allotted rooms at the beginning of the academic year, only less than 10 are currently staying there. The rest of the students had vacated their rooms allegedly after the ragging. Earlier on Friday, a scuffle broke out between the senior and junior students in the college leaving several of them injured. Three have been admitted to Government Medical College, Kalamassery. Police said they have booked eight students in connection with the incident but no complaint regarding ragging was received. It is not a case of ragging. We registered a case against the students over a brawl in connection with the youth festival. The accused include both senior and junior students, said Kalamassery CI S Jayakrishnan. IPC Sections 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) have been invoked against the students.
Pramod Thomas By

Express News Service

KOCHI: A historical role reversal is taking place in the spices sector in the state. Known as the land of spices for ages, Kerala now has to depend on imports to meet its needs. A whopping 40,811 tonnes of spices -- the highest quantity in three years -- landed in the state through Cochin Port in 2016. Import figures have been on the rise since 2014. Over the three years, import figures rose by 31.69 per cent.

On the flip side, export of spices via Cochin Port dwindled and touched an all-time low last year. Experts say the availability of spices at cheaper rates outside the country may have fuelled the increased imports to the state. Climatic changes have caused a decrease in production and productivity of many spices not only in Kerala, but in all of South India as well, they say.

The demand for spices has been increasing in the country over the years, said Gulshan John, chairperson, All-India Spices Exporters Forum.

Whatever is produced domestically is consumed by us, he said. The global prices have been cheaper of late when compared to the Indian price. This may have boosted imports. Value-addition is done to most of the imported spices before they are exported. However, this does not mean low-quality spices can be dumped into the state. If sold locally, sellers have to pay taxes as high as 70 per cent on the imported spices. Chances of low-quality spices being dumped here are slim. Around 40 spice items -- raw produce as well as powdered -- have reached the shores of Kerala through Cochin Port. Of these, predominant ones are cardamom, chilly, ginger, pepper and turmeric. The spices are being imported to Kerala from Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, China, Indonesia and Grenada.

Dip in exports

In 2014, the quantity of spices exported was 72,213 tonnes. This increased to 81,966 tonnes in 2015. But this fell by 13 per cent and touched a three-year low of 71,300 tonnes last year.

The drop in exports is due to the fact that spice exporters have opened their manufacturing facilities outside India, said P J Kunjachan, Chairman and Managing Director, Arjuna Natural Extract Ltd. Another reason is the recent taxation by the Central Government. If an exporter pays for a clinical trial or to participate in a trade fair overseas, he has to pay a service tax of 15 per cent on it. Owing to this, exports have become non-competitive now, he said.

KOCHI: A historical role reversal is taking place in the spices sector in the state. Known as the land of spices for ages, Kerala now has to depend on imports to meet its needs. A whopping 40,811 tonnes of spices -- the highest quantity in three years -- landed in the state through Cochin Port in 2016. Import figures have been on the rise since 2014. Over the three years, import figures rose by 31.69 per cent. On the flip side, export of spices via Cochin Port dwindled and touched an all-time low last year. Experts say the availability of spices at cheaper rates outside the country may have fuelled the increased imports to the state. Climatic changes have caused a decrease in production and productivity of many spices not only in Kerala, but in all of South India as well, they say. The demand for spices has been increasing in the country over the years, said Gulshan John, chairperson, All-India Spices Exporters Forum. Whatever is produced domestically is consumed by us, he said. The global prices have been cheaper of late when compared to the Indian price. This may have boosted imports. Value-addition is done to most of the imported spices before they are exported. However, this does not mean low-quality spices can be dumped into the state. If sold locally, sellers have to pay taxes as high as 70 per cent on the imported spices. Chances of low-quality spices being dumped here are slim. Around 40 spice items -- raw produce as well as powdered -- have reached the shores of Kerala through Cochin Port. Of these, predominant ones are cardamom, chilly, ginger, pepper and turmeric. The spices are being imported to Kerala from Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, China, Indonesia and Grenada. Dip in exports In 2014, the quantity of spices exported was 72,213 tonnes. This increased to 81,966 tonnes in 2015. But this fell by 13 per cent and touched a three-year low of 71,300 tonnes last year. The drop in exports is due to the fact that spice exporters have opened their manufacturing facilities outside India, said P J Kunjachan, Chairman and Managing Director, Arjuna Natural Extract Ltd. Another reason is the recent taxation by the Central Government. If an exporter pays for a clinical trial or to participate in a trade fair overseas, he has to pay a service tax of 15 per cent on it. Owing to this, exports have become non-competitive now, he said.
Aditya Shrikrishna By

Express News Service

Running Shaadi, directed by Amit Roy, co-written by him along with Navjot Gulati has a first half that resembles a highlights package. It works in patches. It is great in establishing the dynamics between Ram Bharose (Amit Sadh) and his boss's daughter Nimmi (Taapsee Pannu). We are dropped right in the middle of what has been a complicated long term relationship. Are they friends or are they more than friends? The treatment makes it apparent that they are as clueless as we are. Nimmi comes to him for a most personal situation and in a few frames Roy establishes what's the deal between them. This falls apart when we get to the plot part of Running Shaadi. Out of job and out of luck in his personal life, Roy collaborates with his geek friend Cyberjeet (Arsh Bajwa) to create a website that is anti-shaadi.com. The dot com is important and not only because the real shaadi.com filed a case against the producers of this film for allegedly disparaging their brand and customers, and using or mentioning their domain name. The other reason is that they are not against marriages. They want to help couples who cannot help themselves. Be it against parents, society and everything in between.



Bharose and Cyberjeet create a website to help couples elope and get married. It is an idea that sounds great in the head but flimsy when it comes to actual execution. It makes you doubt the conviction of the Cyberjeet character who worships Zuckerberg and Jobs, quite literally. We are shown that he is a geek in the most perfunctory manner - by the t-shirts he puts on. That's the problem with the other highlights package. When it comes to how the website works, we see only montages and case numbers as the film never gets into the little details. It is hard to believe that Bharose and Cyberjeet get away with 49 successful cases and the ones where they get into trouble, some divine intervention saves them.



Running Shaadi, the website, hits half century predictably with Nimmi's case but with an unpredictable twist. That's when you realize that the film really wants to concern itself with this one case and not about the website and its functioning. It's not always fun. Taapsee is good, with her accent and firebrand attitude, and Arsh Bajwa tries really hard but Running Shaadi's unevenness doesn't allow it to become more than the sum of its parts. Sometimes it is satisfied with its emotional registers only cracking the surface while other times it wants you to deeply invest in its characters. It reminded me of another film from 2016 with a runaway bride that got right almost everything Running Shaadi guns for here - the setting and atmosphere as characters, the humor never getting out of hands reach and most important, never taking itself too seriously. Mudassar Aziz's Happy Bhag Jayegi. Maybe every hinterland film must hire Anand L. Rai as a consultant.



Running Shaadi, directed by Amit Roy, co-written by him along with Navjot Gulati has a first half that resembles a highlights package. It works in patches. It is great in establishing the dynamics between Ram Bharose (Amit Sadh) and his boss's daughter Nimmi (Taapsee Pannu). We are dropped right in the middle of what has been a complicated long term relationship. Are they friends or are they more than friends? The treatment makes it apparent that they are as clueless as we are. Nimmi comes to him for a most personal situation and in a few frames Roy establishes what's the deal between them. This falls apart when we get to the plot part of Running Shaadi. Out of job and out of luck in his personal life, Roy collaborates with his geek friend Cyberjeet (Arsh Bajwa) to create a website that is anti-shaadi.com. The dot com is important and not only because the real shaadi.com filed a case against the producers of this film for allegedly disparaging their brand and customers, and using or mentioning their domain name. The other reason is that they are not against marriages. They want to help couples who cannot help themselves. Be it against parents, society and everything in between. Bharose and Cyberjeet create a website to help couples elope and get married. It is an idea that sounds great in the head but flimsy when it comes to actual execution. It makes you doubt the conviction of the Cyberjeet character who worships Zuckerberg and Jobs, quite literally. We are shown that he is a geek in the most perfunctory manner - by the t-shirts he puts on. That's the problem with the other highlights package. When it comes to how the website works, we see only montages and case numbers as the film never gets into the little details. It is hard to believe that Bharose and Cyberjeet get away with 49 successful cases and the ones where they get into trouble, some divine intervention saves them. Running Shaadi, the website, hits half century predictably with Nimmi's case but with an unpredictable twist. That's when you realize that the film really wants to concern itself with this one case and not about the website and its functioning. It's not always fun. Taapsee is good, with her accent and firebrand attitude, and Arsh Bajwa tries really hard but Running Shaadi's unevenness doesn't allow it to become more than the sum of its parts. Sometimes it is satisfied with its emotional registers only cracking the surface while other times it wants you to deeply invest in its characters. It reminded me of another film from 2016 with a runaway bride that got right almost everything Running Shaadi guns for here - the setting and atmosphere as characters, the humor never getting out of hands reach and most important, never taking itself too seriously. Mudassar Aziz's Happy Bhag Jayegi. Maybe every hinterland film must hire Anand L. Rai as a consultant.
A Sharadhaa By

Express News Service

Looks like the dusky lass Amala Paul is in love with the camera. The actress says that she has been in and out of shoots and has seven projects lined-up, which are keeping her busy round the clock.

Luckily, I am doing something I love the most, she says.

The actress says that anything new is always exciting and the same is the case with her Sandalwood debut Hebbuli. Amala says that it was a mail sent by the Hebbuli director, S Krishna, which caught her attention.

The director had detailed my characterisation and how he wants to portray me. I felt there was a sincere attempt from his end, she says. He didnt want me in the film because I am popular in other langauges but wanted me for the actor that I am. I was impressed at the very first meeting and signed up.

Amala is also ready to work in Kannada because she has close friends living in Bengaluru. For all of us, Bengaluru islike Vegas, she says. I studied in a convent school in Kerala and our gang visited the city often on weekends. I have lived half of my life in Bengaluru and it has always been warm. My best friends there wanted me to do a Kannada film and were the happiest when I agreed to do this film.

The actress says that the film as a whole also won her over. The story carries an interesting message and it is a big film, she says. Krishna will do full justice to the script and in fact there were improvisations done on the location with Sudeep around. With the changes, my character only got bigger and better, Amala adds.

After starting her movie career with a Tamil film Mynaa, Amala feels she is heading the right way.

I have experimented with different chraacters very consciously, she says. Except for one Telugu film, I havent done movies that sees me running around trees or behind a hero. If I go to the sets and have no work to do, I get very depressed. I connect with my characters and films emotionally, and that is what keeps me going.

Looks like the dusky lass Amala Paul is in love with the camera. The actress says that she has been in and out of shoots and has seven projects lined-up, which are keeping her busy round the clock. Luckily, I am doing something I love the most, she says. The actress says that anything new is always exciting and the same is the case with her Sandalwood debut Hebbuli. Amala says that it was a mail sent by the Hebbuli director, S Krishna, which caught her attention. The director had detailed my characterisation and how he wants to portray me. I felt there was a sincere attempt from his end, she says. He didnt want me in the film because I am popular in other langauges but wanted me for the actor that I am. I was impressed at the very first meeting and signed up. Amala is also ready to work in Kannada because she has close friends living in Bengaluru. For all of us, Bengaluru islike Vegas, she says. I studied in a convent school in Kerala and our gang visited the city often on weekends. I have lived half of my life in Bengaluru and it has always been warm. My best friends there wanted me to do a Kannada film and were the happiest when I agreed to do this film. The actress says that the film as a whole also won her over. The story carries an interesting message and it is a big film, she says. Krishna will do full justice to the script and in fact there were improvisations done on the location with Sudeep around. With the changes, my character only got bigger and better, Amala adds. After starting her movie career with a Tamil film Mynaa, Amala feels she is heading the right way. I have experimented with different chraacters very consciously, she says. Except for one Telugu film, I havent done movies that sees me running around trees or behind a hero. If I go to the sets and have no work to do, I get very depressed. I connect with my characters and films emotionally, and that is what keeps me going.
G Parthasarathy By

China has generally reacted to Agni missile tests by India by either ignoring or responding in a measured manner to these tests. Tests of Agni I missile, with a range of 750 km, commenced in 1989. This missile was designed primarily to target Pakistan. But, with time, Agni II and Agni III missiles had ranges to target parts of western China as well. Agni IV missile, with a range of 4,000 km, operationalised by our Strategic Forces Command earlier this year, can target even coastal cities like Shanghai. What has, however, triggered Chinese concern is the fourth flight test of Agni V, with a range of 5,000-8,000 km, which can target cities across China. Agni Vs test has cleared the way for it to be operationalised.

Even as India was commencing its missile programme, China, which had earlier provided Pakistan with designs for nuclear weapons, commenced a programme of supplying Pakistan short-range missiles. This was followed by the supply of Shaheen I missiles, with performance akin to Indias Agni I. Then came the supply of Shaheen II and III missiles, with ranges of 2,000 to 2,750 km. These missiles are variants of Chinese Dongfeng missiles. China has now gone to the extent of transferring designs and know-how to Pakistan for missiles with multiple warheads and even sea-launched missiles, recently tested by the latter. Interestingly, the multiple warhead missile was tested by Pakistan after China issued dire warnings/threats to India after the last test of Agni V.

Following the fourth test of Agni V, China chose to accuse India of violating explicit UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution, by its test. UNSC Resolution 1172 was merely a Chapter 6, non-binding resolution, issued after nuclear weapons tests by India and Pakistan. It called on both countries to virtually dismantle their nuclear weapons programmes and end development of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The Global Times, Chinas government mouthpiece, warned after Indias Agni V test that the range of Pakistans missiles will also see an increasesignalling Chinas support for further enhancing Pakistans missile capabilities. The US and other champions of nuclear non-proliferation ignore these actions by China. And strangely it is China, the worlds primary nuclear and missile proliferator, that pontificates to India over its eligibility to be a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group!

It is a sad reflection of our indecision and weakness over dealing with China. For the past three decades, India has not mounted a serious diplomatic initiative to expose the dangers posed by Chinese missile and nuclear weapons proliferation to Pakistan. The Chinese, who are supreme realists, obviously see this as a manifestation of diplomatic weakness on Indias part. Equally astonishing is the fact that this is an issue which has not been raised or seriously discussed in our Parliament. Unlike the Clintons tenure and to a lesser extent the Obama regime, the Trump administration has been bluntly realistic about China. It needs to be sensitised about the impact and dangers of the Chinese-Pakistani nuclear and missile nexus.

Not too long ago, a group of Islamists from Pakistan Navy hijacked a warship with the aim of attacking US vessels in Arabian Sea. The attempt failed. But, this is the time when the world also viewed the dangers, which could be posed by the takeover of Pakistani tactical nuclear weapons by similar rogue elements. China surely cannot be absolved of its responsibility in transferring designs of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons and missiles to its all-weather friend Pakistan. Nor can it be absolved of its responsibility when Pakistan irresponsibly talks of using nuclear weapons against India.

G Parthasarathy

Former diplomat

dadpartha@gmail.com

China has generally reacted to Agni missile tests by India by either ignoring or responding in a measured manner to these tests. Tests of Agni I missile, with a range of 750 km, commenced in 1989. This missile was designed primarily to target Pakistan. But, with time, Agni II and Agni III missiles had ranges to target parts of western China as well. Agni IV missile, with a range of 4,000 km, operationalised by our Strategic Forces Command earlier this year, can target even coastal cities like Shanghai. What has, however, triggered Chinese concern is the fourth flight test of Agni V, with a range of 5,000-8,000 km, which can target cities across China. Agni Vs test has cleared the way for it to be operationalised. Even as India was commencing its missile programme, China, which had earlier provided Pakistan with designs for nuclear weapons, commenced a programme of supplying Pakistan short-range missiles. This was followed by the supply of Shaheen I missiles, with performance akin to Indias Agni I. Then came the supply of Shaheen II and III missiles, with ranges of 2,000 to 2,750 km. These missiles are variants of Chinese Dongfeng missiles. China has now gone to the extent of transferring designs and know-how to Pakistan for missiles with multiple warheads and even sea-launched missiles, recently tested by the latter. Interestingly, the multiple warhead missile was tested by Pakistan after China issued dire warnings/threats to India after the last test of Agni V. Following the fourth test of Agni V, China chose to accuse India of violating explicit UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution, by its test. UNSC Resolution 1172 was merely a Chapter 6, non-binding resolution, issued after nuclear weapons tests by India and Pakistan. It called on both countries to virtually dismantle their nuclear weapons programmes and end development of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The Global Times, Chinas government mouthpiece, warned after Indias Agni V test that the range of Pakistans missiles will also see an increasesignalling Chinas support for further enhancing Pakistans missile capabilities. The US and other champions of nuclear non-proliferation ignore these actions by China. And strangely it is China, the worlds primary nuclear and missile proliferator, that pontificates to India over its eligibility to be a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group! It is a sad reflection of our indecision and weakness over dealing with China. For the past three decades, India has not mounted a serious diplomatic initiative to expose the dangers posed by Chinese missile and nuclear weapons proliferation to Pakistan. The Chinese, who are supreme realists, obviously see this as a manifestation of diplomatic weakness on Indias part. Equally astonishing is the fact that this is an issue which has not been raised or seriously discussed in our Parliament. Unlike the Clintons tenure and to a lesser extent the Obama regime, the Trump administration has been bluntly realistic about China. It needs to be sensitised about the impact and dangers of the Chinese-Pakistani nuclear and missile nexus. Not too long ago, a group of Islamists from Pakistan Navy hijacked a warship with the aim of attacking US vessels in Arabian Sea. The attempt failed. But, this is the time when the world also viewed the dangers, which could be posed by the takeover of Pakistani tactical nuclear weapons by similar rogue elements. China surely cannot be absolved of its responsibility in transferring designs of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons and missiles to its all-weather friend Pakistan. Nor can it be absolved of its responsibility when Pakistan irresponsibly talks of using nuclear weapons against India. G Parthasarathy Former diplomat dadpartha@gmail.com
Mohan Das Menon By

Consonant with diplomatic principles, Delhi has formally issued a demarche yet again to Beijing for its sustained blocking of a combined move by the US, UK and France to proscribe an established Pakistani terrorist perpetrator with a pronounced India focus, Maulana Masood Azhar, under UNSC Resolution 1267. One of the Pak establishment-endorsed terror supremos, who maintains a discreet operational liaison with the higher channels from among the Pakistan Army, is said to have recently met some Chinese embassy officials in Islamabad to touch upon common interest areas related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, structured largely on the premise of dynamic Sino-Pak intelligence synergy.

This is not the first time or the last occasion for Beijing to signify its close brotherhood status to its closest strategic ally, Pakistan, which openly finances and conducts terror operations against India. One of Indias most wanted terrorists, Hafiz Saeed (co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba [LeT]), whom Interpol has sanctioned, is running a business and social empire of sorts in Pakistan. Is it not far from the truth that if Pakistan is a state-sponsor of terrorism, that specifically targets India and Afghanistan, China is its proven diplomatic sponsor in form, shape and conduct within the UN fold and outside as well?

Beijing had earlier put on technical hold an Indian request to interrogate Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, responsible (alongside Saeed) for 26/11 terrorist action in 2008 that took 165 lives in Mumbai, on his release from jail in Pakistan. Again in 2008, China had stalled an American proposal for UN sanctions against four ISI mentors, including its former head Lt Gen Hamid Gul, for alleged links to terror activities. India was also prevented from adding Hizbul Mujahideens Syed Salahuddin to the formal list of international terrorists through a Chinese interdiction. While UNSC banned LeT, it had enough inside information and, accordingly, had prepared the groundwork to transmute itself to Jamaat-ud-Dawa, for helping the poor and the needy!

Although during PM Narendra Modis visit to Beijing in May 2015, the two sides had decided that, all countries and entities need to work sincerely to disrupt terrorist networks and their financing, and stop cross-border movements of terrorists, such resolves evidently carry little relevance in the parlance of diplomatic execution, as Chinese actions prove to the world at large. In fact, given the Chinese sense of acquiescence over refined and well-rehearsed Pakistani methodologies to use terror as a tool of coercive diplomacy within and around its border, it is surprising that India continues to invoke hope and confidence in diplomatic exchanges with Beijing on the issue. Given the clear signals that emanated out of Beijing over the past few decades, Delhi needs to be more circumspect in making any leading requests that have strategic connotations for India.

If it is a trade deal that is in the offing, Beijing can be expected to host and toast and conduct proceedings animatedly while interfacing its Indian interlocutors. But where Indias strategic concerns are involved, China would continue to be an obstructionist. The Chinese position on terrorism on Indian soil may appear alarming and irrational, but India must learn to accept this harsh reality. As the worlds third largest arms supplier, China today provides more weapons to Pakistan than any other country and has helped the latter build and maintain its nuclear reactors. Recently, declassified CIA files testify to the depth of the Pak-China military relationship built over decades.

India must make it clear to Beijing that its trade with China cannot prosper unless it changes its adamant support to Pakistan-based terrorists operating against her. It must insist that China discharge its liability as a permanent member of the UNSC to play a positive role against terror outfits operating from Pakistan, or pay the price, both economically as well in terms of loss of credibility as a world power.

New Delhi must also convince Pakistan that state-sponsored terrorism has run its course and is in the danger of causing an implosion in the region. After its increasing association with terror, it is at risk of being branded a pariah state.

US President Donald Trump has asked the CIA to be ready for a war against Islamic terrorism. This sets the stage for greater convergence and deepening of Indo-US military and intelligence ties. The US may increasingly marginalise Pakistan and pressurise it to take out terrorist groups. If India conducts any surgical strikes, Trump is likely to welcome them.

That security in the region of South and Central Asia and the fight against terrorism featured in the first conversation between Modi and Trump after he assumed office, indicates that the new US President is likely to be more supportive of Indias counter-terrorism measures against Pakistan. Given his somewhat anti-China stance, Trumps support can also help India check Chinas growing influence in the region.

Mohan Das Menon

Former additional secretary, Cabinet Secretariat

mdmenonconsulting@gmail.com

Consonant with diplomatic principles, Delhi has formally issued a demarche yet again to Beijing for its sustained blocking of a combined move by the US, UK and France to proscribe an established Pakistani terrorist perpetrator with a pronounced India focus, Maulana Masood Azhar, under UNSC Resolution 1267. One of the Pak establishment-endorsed terror supremos, who maintains a discreet operational liaison with the higher channels from among the Pakistan Army, is said to have recently met some Chinese embassy officials in Islamabad to touch upon common interest areas related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, structured largely on the premise of dynamic Sino-Pak intelligence synergy. This is not the first time or the last occasion for Beijing to signify its close brotherhood status to its closest strategic ally, Pakistan, which openly finances and conducts terror operations against India. One of Indias most wanted terrorists, Hafiz Saeed (co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba [LeT]), whom Interpol has sanctioned, is running a business and social empire of sorts in Pakistan. Is it not far from the truth that if Pakistan is a state-sponsor of terrorism, that specifically targets India and Afghanistan, China is its proven diplomatic sponsor in form, shape and conduct within the UN fold and outside as well? Beijing had earlier put on technical hold an Indian request to interrogate Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, responsible (alongside Saeed) for 26/11 terrorist action in 2008 that took 165 lives in Mumbai, on his release from jail in Pakistan. Again in 2008, China had stalled an American proposal for UN sanctions against four ISI mentors, including its former head Lt Gen Hamid Gul, for alleged links to terror activities. India was also prevented from adding Hizbul Mujahideens Syed Salahuddin to the formal list of international terrorists through a Chinese interdiction. While UNSC banned LeT, it had enough inside information and, accordingly, had prepared the groundwork to transmute itself to Jamaat-ud-Dawa, for helping the poor and the needy! Although during PM Narendra Modis visit to Beijing in May 2015, the two sides had decided that, all countries and entities need to work sincerely to disrupt terrorist networks and their financing, and stop cross-border movements of terrorists, such resolves evidently carry little relevance in the parlance of diplomatic execution, as Chinese actions prove to the world at large. In fact, given the Chinese sense of acquiescence over refined and well-rehearsed Pakistani methodologies to use terror as a tool of coercive diplomacy within and around its border, it is surprising that India continues to invoke hope and confidence in diplomatic exchanges with Beijing on the issue. Given the clear signals that emanated out of Beijing over the past few decades, Delhi needs to be more circumspect in making any leading requests that have strategic connotations for India. If it is a trade deal that is in the offing, Beijing can be expected to host and toast and conduct proceedings animatedly while interfacing its Indian interlocutors. But where Indias strategic concerns are involved, China would continue to be an obstructionist. The Chinese position on terrorism on Indian soil may appear alarming and irrational, but India must learn to accept this harsh reality. As the worlds third largest arms supplier, China today provides more weapons to Pakistan than any other country and has helped the latter build and maintain its nuclear reactors. Recently, declassified CIA files testify to the depth of the Pak-China military relationship built over decades. India must make it clear to Beijing that its trade with China cannot prosper unless it changes its adamant support to Pakistan-based terrorists operating against her. It must insist that China discharge its liability as a permanent member of the UNSC to play a positive role against terror outfits operating from Pakistan, or pay the price, both economically as well in terms of loss of credibility as a world power. New Delhi must also convince Pakistan that state-sponsored terrorism has run its course and is in the danger of causing an implosion in the region. After its increasing association with terror, it is at risk of being branded a pariah state. US President Donald Trump has asked the CIA to be ready for a war against Islamic terrorism. This sets the stage for greater convergence and deepening of Indo-US military and intelligence ties. The US may increasingly marginalise Pakistan and pressurise it to take out terrorist groups. If India conducts any surgical strikes, Trump is likely to welcome them. That security in the region of South and Central Asia and the fight against terrorism featured in the first conversation between Modi and Trump after he assumed office, indicates that the new US President is likely to be more supportive of Indias counter-terrorism measures against Pakistan. Given his somewhat anti-China stance, Trumps support can also help India check Chinas growing influence in the region. Mohan Das Menon Former additional secretary, Cabinet Secretariat mdmenonconsulting@gmail.com
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Founder PDP member and former Lok Sabha MP Tariq Hameed Karra, who joined the Congress today, termed as "politically motivated" the statement of army chief General Bipin Rawat on "tough action" against those supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

"As far as the army chief's statement is concerned, I feel it is a politically motivated statement. It is very unfortunate that a force like the army, which has been deputed to save the nation's sovereignty, is politicised," he told reporters soon after his formal joining at the AICC headquarters.

Karra accused the Prime Minister of "politicising" an independent institution like the army, saying he was using the army chief's statement.

The former PDP leader also sought to backtrack from his statement later saying, "I am saying that it is an unfortunate thing if army is brought into politically motivated things".

He said, "I linked the Prime Minister with the army chief's statement. I linked the army chief's statement with Mr Modi who is exploiting the same thing. He (Modi) is politicising and his ministers are politicising for the sake of the party. Unfortunately, our Prime Minister for him the party is paramount not the national interest".

Asked if the Congress supported Karra's remarks, party general secretary and in charge of Jammu and Kashmir affairs Ambika Soni sought to downplay his remarks and accused the BJP of politicising the army chief's statement.

"Army chief's statement has been politicised by the BJP and Jitendra Singh and we agree with him on this. It is wrong and unfortunate for the ruling party to politicise things connected with the army and involving the armed forces organisation in these politics," Soni said.

She said, "I don't think Mr Karra said his statement is politically motivated. The army chief's statement was being used politically by Dr Jitendra Singh. When Jitendra Singh tries to politicise and accuse Congress of supporting those involved in terrorist activities, they are deliberately trying to politicise".

Soni said the Congress party has always stood against terrorism and has sacrificed its top leaders to terrorism. "To accuse us, no one will believe such wrong statements," she said.

"Not once but many times, Congress has repeatedly said that Congress party has zero tolerance to terrorism in any way in any form and the best people to handle this are the members of the armed forces," she added.

Karra earlier said "it is an unfortunate thing if the army is brought into politically motivated things".

He said army is an institution which should neither be politicised nor should any such things be said that its morale goes down.

The former PDP leader accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "hell-bent" on "politicising" the army which was an independent body.

Hitting out at Modi, he even dubbed him as one "not capable" of holding the Prime Minister's post and was "a small person sitting on a big chair".

The army chief's statement of taking "tough action"

against those helping terrorists flee during operations, has snowballed into a major controversy with BJP and other parties indulging in the political slugfest.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar came out in support of the army chief, saying those creating hurdles for security forces in Kashmir are trying to protect terrorists and government has given a free hand to the army to carry out anti-terror operations.

BJP accused the Congress of speaking the voice of separatists and politicising the army for "lowly political gains" as it defended army chief's statement on tough action against locals hampering counter-militancy operations.

Singh, who hails from Jammu & Kashmir, attacked Congress leaders for criticising General Rawat's statement as he claimed that what the army chief said was not a warning but concern expressed by him over civilians' safety.

Congress, on its part, hit back at BJP asking whether the morale of jawans was not affected when 188 were killed in terror attacks in last 30 months and when Prime Minister Modi feasted with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

Regional parties like National Conference has dubbed as "tragic" the army chief's warning of tough action against stone-pelters and said the government needs to engage politically with the "alienated" youth of the Valley.

NEW DELHI: Founder PDP member and former Lok Sabha MP Tariq Hameed Karra, who joined the Congress today, termed as "politically motivated" the statement of army chief General Bipin Rawat on "tough action" against those supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. "As far as the army chief's statement is concerned, I feel it is a politically motivated statement. It is very unfortunate that a force like the army, which has been deputed to save the nation's sovereignty, is politicised," he told reporters soon after his formal joining at the AICC headquarters. Karra accused the Prime Minister of "politicising" an independent institution like the army, saying he was using the army chief's statement. The former PDP leader also sought to backtrack from his statement later saying, "I am saying that it is an unfortunate thing if army is brought into politically motivated things". He said, "I linked the Prime Minister with the army chief's statement. I linked the army chief's statement with Mr Modi who is exploiting the same thing. He (Modi) is politicising and his ministers are politicising for the sake of the party. Unfortunately, our Prime Minister for him the party is paramount not the national interest". Asked if the Congress supported Karra's remarks, party general secretary and in charge of Jammu and Kashmir affairs Ambika Soni sought to downplay his remarks and accused the BJP of politicising the army chief's statement. "Army chief's statement has been politicised by the BJP and Jitendra Singh and we agree with him on this. It is wrong and unfortunate for the ruling party to politicise things connected with the army and involving the armed forces organisation in these politics," Soni said. She said, "I don't think Mr Karra said his statement is politically motivated. The army chief's statement was being used politically by Dr Jitendra Singh. When Jitendra Singh tries to politicise and accuse Congress of supporting those involved in terrorist activities, they are deliberately trying to politicise". Soni said the Congress party has always stood against terrorism and has sacrificed its top leaders to terrorism. "To accuse us, no one will believe such wrong statements," she said. "Not once but many times, Congress has repeatedly said that Congress party has zero tolerance to terrorism in any way in any form and the best people to handle this are the members of the armed forces," she added. Karra earlier said "it is an unfortunate thing if the army is brought into politically motivated things". He said army is an institution which should neither be politicised nor should any such things be said that its morale goes down. The former PDP leader accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being "hell-bent" on "politicising" the army which was an independent body. Hitting out at Modi, he even dubbed him as one "not capable" of holding the Prime Minister's post and was "a small person sitting on a big chair". The army chief's statement of taking "tough action" against those helping terrorists flee during operations, has snowballed into a major controversy with BJP and other parties indulging in the political slugfest. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar came out in support of the army chief, saying those creating hurdles for security forces in Kashmir are trying to protect terrorists and government has given a free hand to the army to carry out anti-terror operations. BJP accused the Congress of speaking the voice of separatists and politicising the army for "lowly political gains" as it defended army chief's statement on tough action against locals hampering counter-militancy operations. Singh, who hails from Jammu & Kashmir, attacked Congress leaders for criticising General Rawat's statement as he claimed that what the army chief said was not a warning but concern expressed by him over civilians' safety. Congress, on its part, hit back at BJP asking whether the morale of jawans was not affected when 188 were killed in terror attacks in last 30 months and when Prime Minister Modi feasted with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif. Regional parties like National Conference has dubbed as "tragic" the army chief's warning of tough action against stone-pelters and said the government needs to engage politically with the "alienated" youth of the Valley.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: Convicted criminal-turned-politician and former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin was on Saturday shifted from Siwan jail in Bihar to Tihar Central Jail in Delhi amid tight security as per the order of the Supreme Court.

Shahabuddin, the dreaded 50-year-old politician convicted in eight criminal cases and awaiting trial in over 30 others, was first taken out of Siwan jail early in the morning and brought to Beur Central Jail in Patna amid tight security. He was taken out of the Beur jail at 4 PM and taken to Rajendranagar railway station in Patna, where he boarded Sampoorna Kranti Express train along with a posse of police personnel to be taken to Delhi.

A large number of supporters of the former MP had gathered at Patna Junction railway station as word had got around that he would board a train from there. But the authorities brought him to Rajendranagar station to avoid inconvenience and security risks.

The authorities tried to keep the entire operation out of the medias attention. Efforts were taken to ensure that there is no repetition of the scene of September 11 last year, when the don turned politician's emergence from Bhagalpur jail on bail was greeted with a huge gathering of his supporters.

During Beur jail transit, Shahabuddin was seen greeted by two notorious criminal-turned-politicians  Mokama MLA Anant Singh of the ruling JD (U) and Ritlal Yadav of RJD, an ally of JD (U).

Singh and Yadav were very happy to know Shahabuddin was in this jail and they came out of their cells to offer their respects to the Siwan leader. The trio chatted for some time, said a jail official.

Nearly 100 of Shahabuddins supporters had gathered outside Siwan jail since 2 AM after learning of the district administrations plans to shift him out. When the cavalcade of jail and police vehicles carrying Shahabuddin started off the jail, the supporters followed in nearly 20 SUVs and other cars, besides about 50 motorcycles. The authorities stopped these vehicles at one place on the way and snatched the keys of at least ten cars, thus causing an argument with some of Shahabuddins supporters, said an official.

He (Shahabuddin) is being shifted to Tihar jail in obedience to the order of the honourable Supreme Court. He was brought to Beur Jail from Siwan jail this morning, said inspector general (prisons) Anand Kishore. Except the district magistrate and SP of Siwan and three senior officials including the inspector general (STF), nobody else knew about the shifting plans of Shahabuddin to ensure smooth operational procedures, he added.

The Supreme Court, acting on petitions filed by a man in Siwan whose three sons had been killed allegedly by Shahabuddins henchmen, had on February 15 directed the Bihar government to shift Shahabuddin to Tihar jail in a week to ensure free and fair trial in the cases lodged against him. Trial of the pending cases, the top court directed, would be conducted through video conferencing.

PATNA: Convicted criminal-turned-politician and former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin was on Saturday shifted from Siwan jail in Bihar to Tihar Central Jail in Delhi amid tight security as per the order of the Supreme Court. Shahabuddin, the dreaded 50-year-old politician convicted in eight criminal cases and awaiting trial in over 30 others, was first taken out of Siwan jail early in the morning and brought to Beur Central Jail in Patna amid tight security. He was taken out of the Beur jail at 4 PM and taken to Rajendranagar railway station in Patna, where he boarded Sampoorna Kranti Express train along with a posse of police personnel to be taken to Delhi. A large number of supporters of the former MP had gathered at Patna Junction railway station as word had got around that he would board a train from there. But the authorities brought him to Rajendranagar station to avoid inconvenience and security risks. The authorities tried to keep the entire operation out of the medias attention. Efforts were taken to ensure that there is no repetition of the scene of September 11 last year, when the don turned politician's emergence from Bhagalpur jail on bail was greeted with a huge gathering of his supporters. During Beur jail transit, Shahabuddin was seen greeted by two notorious criminal-turned-politicians  Mokama MLA Anant Singh of the ruling JD (U) and Ritlal Yadav of RJD, an ally of JD (U). Singh and Yadav were very happy to know Shahabuddin was in this jail and they came out of their cells to offer their respects to the Siwan leader. The trio chatted for some time, said a jail official. Nearly 100 of Shahabuddins supporters had gathered outside Siwan jail since 2 AM after learning of the district administrations plans to shift him out. When the cavalcade of jail and police vehicles carrying Shahabuddin started off the jail, the supporters followed in nearly 20 SUVs and other cars, besides about 50 motorcycles. The authorities stopped these vehicles at one place on the way and snatched the keys of at least ten cars, thus causing an argument with some of Shahabuddins supporters, said an official. He (Shahabuddin) is being shifted to Tihar jail in obedience to the order of the honourable Supreme Court. He was brought to Beur Jail from Siwan jail this morning, said inspector general (prisons) Anand Kishore. Except the district magistrate and SP of Siwan and three senior officials including the inspector general (STF), nobody else knew about the shifting plans of Shahabuddin to ensure smooth operational procedures, he added. The Supreme Court, acting on petitions filed by a man in Siwan whose three sons had been killed allegedly by Shahabuddins henchmen, had on February 15 directed the Bihar government to shift Shahabuddin to Tihar jail in a week to ensure free and fair trial in the cases lodged against him. Trial of the pending cases, the top court directed, would be conducted through video conferencing.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Former Nagpur MP and firebrand leader Jambuwantrao Dhote, who always stood for the cause of separate Vidarbha, passed away on Saturday morning at Yawatmal following a massive heart attack.



Dhote suffered a massive heart attack and was rushed to a nearby private nursing home where he died during the course of treatment, his family member said.



Dhote was 78 and is survived by wife, Vijaya and two daughters, Kranti and Jwala.



Popularly known as Lion of Vidarbha, Dhote was also a legislator for two terms from Yavatmal district. An ardent disciple of Subhash Chandra Bose, he started his political career with the Forward Bloc and later moved to the Congress in the late 70s before joining the Shiv Sena.



After being elected to the Assembly in 1962, the firebrand leader was suspended after he threw a paper-weight at the Assembly speaker, after being prevented from putting forth the issue of Vidarbha statehood.



Former advocate general of the state Shirhari Aney, who lost his job for airing his views regarding separate Vidarbha, expressed deep grief over the loss of the leader. We have lost the lion, just while the possibility of his dream of separate Vidarbha coming true have increased, Aney said.



Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Raosaheb Danve, MPCC chief Ashok Chavan too have expressed grief over the demise of the leader.

MUMBAI: Former Nagpur MP and firebrand leader Jambuwantrao Dhote, who always stood for the cause of separate Vidarbha, passed away on Saturday morning at Yawatmal following a massive heart attack. Dhote suffered a massive heart attack and was rushed to a nearby private nursing home where he died during the course of treatment, his family member said. Dhote was 78 and is survived by wife, Vijaya and two daughters, Kranti and Jwala. Popularly known as Lion of Vidarbha, Dhote was also a legislator for two terms from Yavatmal district. An ardent disciple of Subhash Chandra Bose, he started his political career with the Forward Bloc and later moved to the Congress in the late 70s before joining the Shiv Sena. After being elected to the Assembly in 1962, the firebrand leader was suspended after he threw a paper-weight at the Assembly speaker, after being prevented from putting forth the issue of Vidarbha statehood. Former advocate general of the state Shirhari Aney, who lost his job for airing his views regarding separate Vidarbha, expressed deep grief over the loss of the leader. We have lost the lion, just while the possibility of his dream of separate Vidarbha coming true have increased, Aney said. Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Raosaheb Danve, MPCC chief Ashok Chavan too have expressed grief over the demise of the leader.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Indian navy has inked a Rs. 200 crore deal for procurement of over two dozen surveillance radar. The deal is signed with Tata firm subsidiary Nova Integrated Systems Limited is the first such contract by an armed force under the Buy and Make category, prescribed in the updated Defence Procurement Procedures.

A contract between Nova Integrated Systems Ltd and Indian Navy for procurement of surface surveillance radars (SSR) has been concluded on Friday, a navy statement said. It said the deal is in line with the governments Make in India initiative.

Acquisition of these surface surveillance radars (SSR) is part of the navys plan for modernisation of its fleet and these systems will also be installed on board ships under construction.

This contract marks the entry of Indian private industry in production of hi-tech sensors for Indian Navy, the statement said. Nova Integrated Systems Ltd is a fully owned subsidiary of Tata Advanced System Ltd and it will indigenously manufacture these radars in collaboration with Terma of Denmark.

It said the governments drive to modernise the armed forces and build an Indian defence industrial base with participation of the private industry has got a major boost with the signing of the contract. Under the deal, over two dozen radars will be procured at a cost of Rs200 crore. This is the first contract concluded under the Buy and Make category, it added.

NEW DELHI: Indian navy has inked a Rs. 200 crore deal for procurement of over two dozen surveillance radar. The deal is signed with Tata firm subsidiary Nova Integrated Systems Limited is the first such contract by an armed force under the Buy and Make category, prescribed in the updated Defence Procurement Procedures. A contract between Nova Integrated Systems Ltd and Indian Navy for procurement of surface surveillance radars (SSR) has been concluded on Friday, a navy statement said. It said the deal is in line with the governments Make in India initiative. Acquisition of these surface surveillance radars (SSR) is part of the navys plan for modernisation of its fleet and these systems will also be installed on board ships under construction. This contract marks the entry of Indian private industry in production of hi-tech sensors for Indian Navy, the statement said. Nova Integrated Systems Ltd is a fully owned subsidiary of Tata Advanced System Ltd and it will indigenously manufacture these radars in collaboration with Terma of Denmark. It said the governments drive to modernise the armed forces and build an Indian defence industrial base with participation of the private industry has got a major boost with the signing of the contract. Under the deal, over two dozen radars will be procured at a cost of Rs200 crore. This is the first contract concluded under the Buy and Make category, it added.
By PTI

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to ensure timely action is taken on State Vigilance Commission's reports.

"Governor N N Vohra in a letter to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has noted with regret that for the past several years there has been continuing failure in timely action being taken on the reports furnished by the SVC," an official spokesman said here.

The Governor has also observed that no action has so far been taken on the recommendations made by the SVC on amendments to the provisions of the Vigilance Commission Act, 2011.

He suggested an urgent review meeting at the Chief Minister's level and asked that directions be issued to ministers and administrative secretaries to ensure that all reports and recommendations of SVC are dealt with without delay.

The Governor said the SVC was established with the objective of promoting honest functioning of the administration and there can be no acceptable basis for the its reports not being given full and timely attention.

Earlier this month, the state Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Kuldeep Khoda, had twice met the Governor, who had asked the officer to inform him about significant recommendations made by SVC and the state government's action thereon.

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra today asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to ensure timely action is taken on State Vigilance Commission's reports. "Governor N N Vohra in a letter to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has noted with regret that for the past several years there has been continuing failure in timely action being taken on the reports furnished by the SVC," an official spokesman said here. The Governor has also observed that no action has so far been taken on the recommendations made by the SVC on amendments to the provisions of the Vigilance Commission Act, 2011. He suggested an urgent review meeting at the Chief Minister's level and asked that directions be issued to ministers and administrative secretaries to ensure that all reports and recommendations of SVC are dealt with without delay. The Governor said the SVC was established with the objective of promoting honest functioning of the administration and there can be no acceptable basis for the its reports not being given full and timely attention. Earlier this month, the state Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Kuldeep Khoda, had twice met the Governor, who had asked the officer to inform him about significant recommendations made by SVC and the state government's action thereon.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: Police in Kashmir on Saturday said it busted superstructure of militants' overground sympathizers and recruiters in North Kashmir. It said militants were trying to recruit local boys by influencing them with malicious propaganda.

A police spokesman said police arrested a militant Irshad Ahmad Shah of Seelu, Sopore in Baramulla. "He was a murder accused and with his arrest, police has been able to bust a huge network who were spearheading militant activities and recruitment of local boys in Baramulla and Sopore in North Kashmir."

He said arrested militant was active with Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit for over two years. He along with two other absconders are involved in the killing of one civilian.

"With his arrest, police, Army and CRPF in Sopore has been able to lay hands on network of overground activists of Hizb, who were aiding and abetting militancy, besides luring young boys towards militancy.

The spokesman said in a series of raids conducted in Sopore and adjoining areas in North Kashmir, security forces have arrested nine persons, who were influencing young and innocent boys to join militancy.

The police spokesman said a militant Azhar Khan of border district of Kupwara, who was killed along with another associate in an encounter on February 4 was a radical ideologue of Hizb.

He said both the slain militants were active in Sopore and Baramulla and with the help of over ground superstructure sympathisers, which has been busted now, were luring young boys from Sopore and Baramulla for militancy.

The spokesman said during questioning of arrested people and further investigations, some boys who were being recruited for militant activities were counselled by security forces and handed over to their families thus saving their lives.

DIG North Kashmir Nitish Kumar appealed the parents to keep watch on their children and not to let them fall into the trap militant propaganda.

SRINAGAR: Police in Kashmir on Saturday said it busted superstructure of militants' overground sympathizers and recruiters in North Kashmir. It said militants were trying to recruit local boys by influencing them with malicious propaganda. A police spokesman said police arrested a militant Irshad Ahmad Shah of Seelu, Sopore in Baramulla. "He was a murder accused and with his arrest, police has been able to bust a huge network who were spearheading militant activities and recruitment of local boys in Baramulla and Sopore in North Kashmir." He said arrested militant was active with Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit for over two years. He along with two other absconders are involved in the killing of one civilian. "With his arrest, police, Army and CRPF in Sopore has been able to lay hands on network of overground activists of Hizb, who were aiding and abetting militancy, besides luring young boys towards militancy. The spokesman said in a series of raids conducted in Sopore and adjoining areas in North Kashmir, security forces have arrested nine persons, who were influencing young and innocent boys to join militancy. The police spokesman said a militant Azhar Khan of border district of Kupwara, who was killed along with another associate in an encounter on February 4 was a radical ideologue of Hizb. He said both the slain militants were active in Sopore and Baramulla and with the help of over ground superstructure sympathisers, which has been busted now, were luring young boys from Sopore and Baramulla for militancy. The spokesman said during questioning of arrested people and further investigations, some boys who were being recruited for militant activities were counselled by security forces and handed over to their families thus saving their lives. DIG North Kashmir Nitish Kumar appealed the parents to keep watch on their children and not to let them fall into the trap militant propaganda.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: As electioneering picks up pace in Indias most populated and politically crucial state, Uttar Pradesh, the people are looking forward to a government which is corruption-free, preaches and practices transparency and sincere in improving law and order.

The issue has come to the centre stage after almost all top leaders of different political parties vociferously flagged and raised it on a priority basis and put incumbent Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on the defensive. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not the only one raking up the issue of the poor standard of law and order, especially when it comes to women, in his recent rallies and speeches. Other star campaigners too are highlighting the jungle raj under Samajwadi Party rule in the state through various platforms and mediums, including social media. Lambasting the Akhilesh Yadav-led government over the alleged failure of the law and order machinery in the state, BJP Chief Amit Shah has repeatedly reiterated his goal to save girls from eve-teasers.

Terming eve-teasers as Romeos, Shah said, In Uttar Pradesh, every college would be provided with an anti-Romeo squad. Our girls would be safeguarded. These anti-Romeo squads would allow the girls to study without fear in college campuses. Commenting on what he called Goonda Raj in Uttar Pradesh, Shah said 24 rapes, 13 murders, 33 kidnappings, 19 riots and 136 thefts occur daily in the state, and if other illegalities are taken into account, the total number of crimes per day in the state works out to 7,650. "UP has become the country's crime capital. The morale of criminals is so high in the state, that even police personnel dont feel safe, let alone the common man. The way incidents of crime against the common man have risen under the Akhilesh Yadav government, an atmosphere of fear and terror prevails in the state.

The party MPs had also raised the issue in the last session of the Lok Sabha, shouting slogans like 'Akhilesh ka haath goonda-gardi ke sath' (Akhilesh is with goons). Responding to the charge, Akhilesh asked as to why leaders of the BJP always raise the issue of law and order in the state and not talk about the development works carried out by his government. BJP people are saying that there is no law and order in Uttar Pradesh. They have no other issue to talk about, they dont talk about development, he said. Going on the defensive, the Samajwadi Party has promised a special alertness programme for women security and assured apt action on crimes related to women, Dalits and other minorities.

Police reforms have dominated the agenda in Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's speeches in his election rallies, where he has been trying to defend his government's track record as far as law and order in Uttar Pradesh is concerned. "We have introduced the best police practices in the state, including Dial 100 and will continue doing that once we are re-elected," said Akhilesh in one of his rallies. Akhilesh Yadav has also tried to counter the BJP by claiming that law and order was poorer in BJP-ruled states. "Data and surveys by agencies are proof that crime, law and order are much bigger issues in BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan," he added.

In 2016, the state government itself informed the Uttar Pradesh Assembly that 1,012 cases of rapes and 4,520 cases of women harassment besides 1,386 of loot and 86 cases of dacoity were reported from March 15 to August 18. Responding very late to the situation, a few months ago, Akhilesh Yadav directed state police officials to adopt "zero tolerance" on law and order related issues to avoid any "communal incident" in the state, and said, "There are two basic problems at the police station level, first that cases are not lodged and second is the bad behaviour of the police. A marked difference is being seen in this area with the launch of Dial-100 scheme.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, has mocked the 'Dial 100' scheme of the UP government, meant to offer prompt response to any distress call to the police helpline, saying it only highlights the worsening crime graph and that the Rs. 2,000 crore spent on it could have been used for boosting police infrastructure.

The BJP has promised to have the FIR registered against the accused within 24 hours without any discrimination on the basis of caste or creed and special women police task force to monitor the feminine genders safety besides setting up 100 fast track courts to take care of their woes. The BJP has also been citing the issue of migration of families (346) from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh due to threats pertaining to "increase in crime" and "deterioration" of law-and-order situation there.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has also raised the issue of the crime rate in her campaigns and categorically stated that In Uttar Pradesh, law and order has collapsed totally. If the BSP comes to power, there will be complete law and order and all the goons will be jailed. Addressing a rally in Moradabad recently, BSP Supremo Mayawati had also attacked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government and said, that if Centre is not able to handle law and order in the capital then how will the BJP be able to manage it in Uttar Pradesh. Jab kendra sarkar Delhi ki qaanoon vwayastha nahi sambhal pa rahi hai to UP ka kaise sambhal paayegi, she said. Reality Check!! As per the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for 2015, the crimes against women increased by 34 percent over the last four years in the entire country. As per the data, Uttar Pradesh with 35,527 cases reported most crimes against women in 2015.

According to the NCRBs 2014 report, while India recorded an increase of 65 percent rape cases from 2010 to 2014, Uttar Pradesh recorded an increase of 121 percent from 2010 (1,563) to 2014 (3,467). On the same note, as per the statistics of the Uttar Pradesh State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), rape cases in the state spiked thrice between 2014 and 2015. The NCRBs crime data of 2015 also brings to our notice that Uttar Pradeshs overall crime rate is 1,293, which is more than 10 times of its IPC rate. The data show that while a majority of states registered more crimes under the IPC, Uttar Pradesh relied more on special and local laws (SLL) such as the Arms Act, Goonda Act and Motor Vehicles Act. As against 2.41 lakh IPC cases, the state registered 25.49 lakh SLL cases in 2015. However, the Uttar Pradesh Police have in its defence said that the high number of SLL crimes was due to inclusion of traffic violations in the crime data and the large number of Goonda Act cases.

Dalit Atrocities

Reportedly, there were over 30,000 cases of atrocities against Dalits registered between 2008 and May 2011, and 30 percent cases of Dalit killings in the country were reported from the state during her tenure. However, the sole question that arises in the wake of the increasing incidents of crime is whether the electoral promises made by the leaders of various political parties will in true sense be fulfilled or remain a mere poll gimmick as almost all political parties have fielded several candidates with criminal record. A recent report by Delhi-based ADR said that out of 813 candidates analyzed, 110 (14 percent) have declared criminal cases against them. It added that 82 candidates have declared serious criminal offences, including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, crimes against women etc. The report further says that among party wise candidates with criminal cases, 21 from BJP, 21 from BSP, 5 from RLD, 13 from SP, 5 from Indian National Congress and 13 independent candidates have declared criminal cases against them in their affidavits. Leaving the history behind and eyeing a better future, voting is on in Uttar Pradesh for the remaining five phases giving another chance to the voters to elect a government of their own choice,

NEW DELHI: As electioneering picks up pace in Indias most populated and politically crucial state, Uttar Pradesh, the people are looking forward to a government which is corruption-free, preaches and practices transparency and sincere in improving law and order. The issue has come to the centre stage after almost all top leaders of different political parties vociferously flagged and raised it on a priority basis and put incumbent Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on the defensive. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not the only one raking up the issue of the poor standard of law and order, especially when it comes to women, in his recent rallies and speeches. Other star campaigners too are highlighting the jungle raj under Samajwadi Party rule in the state through various platforms and mediums, including social media. Lambasting the Akhilesh Yadav-led government over the alleged failure of the law and order machinery in the state, BJP Chief Amit Shah has repeatedly reiterated his goal to save girls from eve-teasers. Terming eve-teasers as Romeos, Shah said, In Uttar Pradesh, every college would be provided with an anti-Romeo squad. Our girls would be safeguarded. These anti-Romeo squads would allow the girls to study without fear in college campuses. Commenting on what he called Goonda Raj in Uttar Pradesh, Shah said 24 rapes, 13 murders, 33 kidnappings, 19 riots and 136 thefts occur daily in the state, and if other illegalities are taken into account, the total number of crimes per day in the state works out to 7,650. "UP has become the country's crime capital. The morale of criminals is so high in the state, that even police personnel dont feel safe, let alone the common man. The way incidents of crime against the common man have risen under the Akhilesh Yadav government, an atmosphere of fear and terror prevails in the state. The party MPs had also raised the issue in the last session of the Lok Sabha, shouting slogans like 'Akhilesh ka haath goonda-gardi ke sath' (Akhilesh is with goons). Responding to the charge, Akhilesh asked as to why leaders of the BJP always raise the issue of law and order in the state and not talk about the development works carried out by his government. BJP people are saying that there is no law and order in Uttar Pradesh. They have no other issue to talk about, they dont talk about development, he said. Going on the defensive, the Samajwadi Party has promised a special alertness programme for women security and assured apt action on crimes related to women, Dalits and other minorities. Police reforms have dominated the agenda in Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's speeches in his election rallies, where he has been trying to defend his government's track record as far as law and order in Uttar Pradesh is concerned. "We have introduced the best police practices in the state, including Dial 100 and will continue doing that once we are re-elected," said Akhilesh in one of his rallies. Akhilesh Yadav has also tried to counter the BJP by claiming that law and order was poorer in BJP-ruled states. "Data and surveys by agencies are proof that crime, law and order are much bigger issues in BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan," he added. In 2016, the state government itself informed the Uttar Pradesh Assembly that 1,012 cases of rapes and 4,520 cases of women harassment besides 1,386 of loot and 86 cases of dacoity were reported from March 15 to August 18. Responding very late to the situation, a few months ago, Akhilesh Yadav directed state police officials to adopt "zero tolerance" on law and order related issues to avoid any "communal incident" in the state, and said, "There are two basic problems at the police station level, first that cases are not lodged and second is the bad behaviour of the police. A marked difference is being seen in this area with the launch of Dial-100 scheme. The Bharatiya Janata Party, has mocked the 'Dial 100' scheme of the UP government, meant to offer prompt response to any distress call to the police helpline, saying it only highlights the worsening crime graph and that the Rs. 2,000 crore spent on it could have been used for boosting police infrastructure. The BJP has promised to have the FIR registered against the accused within 24 hours without any discrimination on the basis of caste or creed and special women police task force to monitor the feminine genders safety besides setting up 100 fast track courts to take care of their woes. The BJP has also been citing the issue of migration of families (346) from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh due to threats pertaining to "increase in crime" and "deterioration" of law-and-order situation there. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has also raised the issue of the crime rate in her campaigns and categorically stated that In Uttar Pradesh, law and order has collapsed totally. If the BSP comes to power, there will be complete law and order and all the goons will be jailed. Addressing a rally in Moradabad recently, BSP Supremo Mayawati had also attacked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government and said, that if Centre is not able to handle law and order in the capital then how will the BJP be able to manage it in Uttar Pradesh. Jab kendra sarkar Delhi ki qaanoon vwayastha nahi sambhal pa rahi hai to UP ka kaise sambhal paayegi, she said. Reality Check!! As per the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for 2015, the crimes against women increased by 34 percent over the last four years in the entire country. As per the data, Uttar Pradesh with 35,527 cases reported most crimes against women in 2015. According to the NCRBs 2014 report, while India recorded an increase of 65 percent rape cases from 2010 to 2014, Uttar Pradesh recorded an increase of 121 percent from 2010 (1,563) to 2014 (3,467). On the same note, as per the statistics of the Uttar Pradesh State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), rape cases in the state spiked thrice between 2014 and 2015. The NCRBs crime data of 2015 also brings to our notice that Uttar Pradeshs overall crime rate is 1,293, which is more than 10 times of its IPC rate. The data show that while a majority of states registered more crimes under the IPC, Uttar Pradesh relied more on special and local laws (SLL) such as the Arms Act, Goonda Act and Motor Vehicles Act. As against 2.41 lakh IPC cases, the state registered 25.49 lakh SLL cases in 2015. However, the Uttar Pradesh Police have in its defence said that the high number of SLL crimes was due to inclusion of traffic violations in the crime data and the large number of Goonda Act cases. Dalit Atrocities Reportedly, there were over 30,000 cases of atrocities against Dalits registered between 2008 and May 2011, and 30 percent cases of Dalit killings in the country were reported from the state during her tenure. However, the sole question that arises in the wake of the increasing incidents of crime is whether the electoral promises made by the leaders of various political parties will in true sense be fulfilled or remain a mere poll gimmick as almost all political parties have fielded several candidates with criminal record. A recent report by Delhi-based ADR said that out of 813 candidates analyzed, 110 (14 percent) have declared criminal cases against them. It added that 82 candidates have declared serious criminal offences, including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, crimes against women etc. The report further says that among party wise candidates with criminal cases, 21 from BJP, 21 from BSP, 5 from RLD, 13 from SP, 5 from Indian National Congress and 13 independent candidates have declared criminal cases against them in their affidavits. Leaving the history behind and eyeing a better future, voting is on in Uttar Pradesh for the remaining five phases giving another chance to the voters to elect a government of their own choice,
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has spelt out that his party will not prop up the BJP government of Devendra Fadnavis should the Shiv Sena leave its alliance with the ruling party in the Maharastra Assembly.

We are ready to give it in writing that we will not support the government if the Shiv Sena decides to withdraw. We are ready to give a letter in this respect to the governor. But we also expect the Shiv Sena also to give such a letter to the governor, Pawar said in reply to a query during a media conference at his party headquarters on Saturday.

Having another election after two and a half years is not a big deal. Maharashtra can afford it, Pawar said, predicting the possibility of a mid-term poll in the state. We had offered support to the government to avoid elections in 2014. But now there is no need to do so, he said.

The bitterness between the Shiv Sena and the BJP, which has been evident in the past fortnight in the campaigning for the Mumbai municipal elections will definitely benefit the NCP, Pawar said.

The NCP boss said the municipal poll campaign has shown that the BJPs coffers are rich. I would like the BJP to explain how its financial has suddenly skyrocketed after demonetization. No political party except the BJP has any money to spend.

MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has spelt out that his party will not prop up the BJP government of Devendra Fadnavis should the Shiv Sena leave its alliance with the ruling party in the Maharastra Assembly. We are ready to give it in writing that we will not support the government if the Shiv Sena decides to withdraw. We are ready to give a letter in this respect to the governor. But we also expect the Shiv Sena also to give such a letter to the governor, Pawar said in reply to a query during a media conference at his party headquarters on Saturday. Having another election after two and a half years is not a big deal. Maharashtra can afford it, Pawar said, predicting the possibility of a mid-term poll in the state. We had offered support to the government to avoid elections in 2014. But now there is no need to do so, he said. The bitterness between the Shiv Sena and the BJP, which has been evident in the past fortnight in the campaigning for the Mumbai municipal elections will definitely benefit the NCP, Pawar said. The NCP boss said the municipal poll campaign has shown that the BJPs coffers are rich. I would like the BJP to explain how its financial has suddenly skyrocketed after demonetization. No political party except the BJP has any money to spend.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: In the race for the chief ministers chair, former Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio has managed to bring more than 40 of the 60 MLAs in the state to his side but the rival camp in his Naga Peoples Front (NPF) claimed that the party was still intact and that nothing would go wrong since we still hold the trump card.

A Tamil Nadu-like drama unfolded in the state when a whole bunch of the ruling party MLAs sneaked out of the state and lodged in some resorts in the wildlife reserve of Kaziranga in Assam on Friday night.

The development followed a purported patch up between chief minister T R Zeliang and Rio, who is set to take over as the CM as part of a deal struck in New Delhi with the mediation of BJP. NPF is an ally of BJP and both are constituents of ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN). Rio on Saturday reached Nagaland but Zeliang was still in Delhi.

On Wednesday night, 42 MLAs--33 of them from NPF--had thrown their weight behind NPF president Shurhozelie Liezietsu for chief minister. Hours later on Thursday morning, Zeliang and Governor P B Acharya rushed to Delhi. Despite the governors absence, the DAN legislature party on Friday submitted a letter to Raj Bhavan in Kohima, in support of the MLAs for Liezietsu to be the next CM.

Left to lick his wounds following the dramatic turn of events, Liezietsu on Saturday comforted his party functionaries saying that nothing could go wrong since the party organisation is intact.

Some of our legislators have gone to Kaziranga but they are still NPF legislators and we are in touch with many of them, he said. He claimed that changes in our favour will take place in a day or two.

The NPF claimed the present Kaziranga episode would flop like the failed coup of 2015 when majority of NPF MLAs were compelled to return to party-fold. Last year, Rio and some NPF MLAs were suspended by the party in the wake of a rebellion against Zeliang.

Borgos is one of the resorts where the MLAs who are loyal to Rio, are lodged. Calls made to two ministers repeatedly on Saturday went unanswered. A staff of the resort said the MLAs booked 11 rooms and most of these were shared by them. He said they would stay there for a day or two. Rio was scheduled to visit the resort on Saturday night.

Hailing from the Zeliang Naga tribe, T R Zeliang had started as a minister in the state and rose to be a Rajya Sabha member. In 2014, when the then CM Rio chose to go to Parliament and vacated the CMs position, Zeliang took over. When Rio wanted his chair back upon being denied a ministerial berth in Delhi, the doors back home were closed.

Many in the ruling dispensation have sniffed Rios hand in the ongoing social unrest in the state, triggered by Zeliang governments decision to go ahead with civic polls with 33 per cent reservation for women despite protests by some tribal organisations.

GUWAHATI: In the race for the chief ministers chair, former Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio has managed to bring more than 40 of the 60 MLAs in the state to his side but the rival camp in his Naga Peoples Front (NPF) claimed that the party was still intact and that nothing would go wrong since we still hold the trump card. A Tamil Nadu-like drama unfolded in the state when a whole bunch of the ruling party MLAs sneaked out of the state and lodged in some resorts in the wildlife reserve of Kaziranga in Assam on Friday night. The development followed a purported patch up between chief minister T R Zeliang and Rio, who is set to take over as the CM as part of a deal struck in New Delhi with the mediation of BJP. NPF is an ally of BJP and both are constituents of ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN). Rio on Saturday reached Nagaland but Zeliang was still in Delhi. On Wednesday night, 42 MLAs--33 of them from NPF--had thrown their weight behind NPF president Shurhozelie Liezietsu for chief minister. Hours later on Thursday morning, Zeliang and Governor P B Acharya rushed to Delhi. Despite the governors absence, the DAN legislature party on Friday submitted a letter to Raj Bhavan in Kohima, in support of the MLAs for Liezietsu to be the next CM. Left to lick his wounds following the dramatic turn of events, Liezietsu on Saturday comforted his party functionaries saying that nothing could go wrong since the party organisation is intact. Some of our legislators have gone to Kaziranga but they are still NPF legislators and we are in touch with many of them, he said. He claimed that changes in our favour will take place in a day or two. The NPF claimed the present Kaziranga episode would flop like the failed coup of 2015 when majority of NPF MLAs were compelled to return to party-fold. Last year, Rio and some NPF MLAs were suspended by the party in the wake of a rebellion against Zeliang. Borgos is one of the resorts where the MLAs who are loyal to Rio, are lodged. Calls made to two ministers repeatedly on Saturday went unanswered. A staff of the resort said the MLAs booked 11 rooms and most of these were shared by them. He said they would stay there for a day or two. Rio was scheduled to visit the resort on Saturday night. Hailing from the Zeliang Naga tribe, T R Zeliang had started as a minister in the state and rose to be a Rajya Sabha member. In 2014, when the then CM Rio chose to go to Parliament and vacated the CMs position, Zeliang took over. When Rio wanted his chair back upon being denied a ministerial berth in Delhi, the doors back home were closed. Many in the ruling dispensation have sniffed Rios hand in the ongoing social unrest in the state, triggered by Zeliang governments decision to go ahead with civic polls with 33 per cent reservation for women despite protests by some tribal organisations.
YATISH YADAV By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The printing presses in Lahore and Karachi owned by the Office have returned with fake Rs.2000 note that was launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to curb terror financing and

also eliminating black money through an almost two-months long arduous demonetization drive.

The Office is code word for Pakistan ISI Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) production unit that runs various clandestine printing presses using sophisticated technology to destabilize India's financial system. What is more worrying for intelligence officials is that Rawalpindi based ISI headquarters has activated Bangladeshi network headed by Amanulla and Khaliq to pump in newly manufactured fake Rs.2, 000 bills via Dubai.

A recent intelligence input suggested that Khaliq's hired mules had smuggled fake Indian currency in Rs.2000 bills to Dhaka via Dubai. They flew to Dubai from Karachi by flight No. 334 and took another flight No. 583 for Dhaka. The Bangladeshi capital is one of the major drop-off points for office, which has self-sustaining network at 7 other places including UAE, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Malaysia.

Sources said close associates of fake currency smuggler Abdul Rehman, who was arrested by Bangladeshi authorities in July 2014, are also involved in smuggling of fake new currency from Pakistan. A resident of Gazipur, Bangladesh, Rehman was recruited by ISI and he was provided with a Pakistani passport AA9151822- for seamless travel between Dhaka and Karachi.

All the ISI detachments in Lahore region is known to be involved in circulation of fake Indian currency largely through indirect routes-third country- where launching pads are facilitated by ISI modules. The Pakistani network was able to match at least 8-9 features though newly designed currency with 17 security features is distinctly different from the old series in color with base in Magenta, size and theme.

The quality and volume just may go higher in the future, sources said adding that counter-FICN operation in several countries have been successful in the past, but Pakistani ISI is always coming up with new ways to smudge the economy.

According to Intelligence sources, ISI has another strong FICN smuggling network in Bangladesh, which is being controlled by Imran while an underworld operative Irshad handles its Dubai operation in coordination with Bilal and Aslam in Pakistan.

For intelligence officials, Malda-Nepal connection is another major challenge. An intelligence dossier on fake currency operators reviewed by this newspaper revealed that a well-oiled network of fake currency smugglers operates from Malda and Siliguri with the help of modules active in Kakarbhitta in Nepal.

Sources refused to divulge the details of a transporter, who is being grilled for smuggling fake Rs. 2000 bills, suspected to have been produced in ISI-controlled printing presses. They also fear that Pakistan ISI may come up with fake Rs.500 bills that also have 17-security features w - 12 on the front and 5 on the reverse- with stone grey as base color.

Since Pakistani embassies abroad were also found to be helping fake currency peddlers, the government while announcing the withdrawal of around 90% high-value currency from circulation had expected the move to counter fake currency menace that was creating a parallel shadow economy to help terror outfits.

Fake currency booming business for Pakistan

The RBI had introduced major changes to high-valued currency with micro printing of Rs 2000 along with 16 other security features that were supposed to be difficult for counterfeiters to reproduce. However, sources said that technology procured internationally, ISI has managed to imitate at least 50% features of new dark pink notes within two months.

Just months before the demonetization drive, FICN coordination group note had observed; aPakistan has created self-financing criminal networks in West Asia, South-East and China, which is one of

the most organized fake currency operations. The primary objective in infusing FICN is to finance terror groups, use the network for espionage purposes and to attempt economic destabilization.

We had requested the international bodies including financial action task force to take action against Pakistan government, but so far the response has not been very satisfactory. In fact the

network may further escalate the operation in future. To keep ahead of counterfeiters, the only option is to keep changing security features with even more sophisticated ink and designs, intelligence officials further added.

The Finance Ministry after demonetization announcement had said that till September 2016, various agencies had detected 574176 pieces of fake high value notes worth approximately Rs. 30 Crore.

NEW DELHI: The printing presses in Lahore and Karachi owned by the Office have returned with fake Rs.2000 note that was launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to curb terror financing and also eliminating black money through an almost two-months long arduous demonetization drive. The Office is code word for Pakistan ISI Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) production unit that runs various clandestine printing presses using sophisticated technology to destabilize India's financial system. What is more worrying for intelligence officials is that Rawalpindi based ISI headquarters has activated Bangladeshi network headed by Amanulla and Khaliq to pump in newly manufactured fake Rs.2, 000 bills via Dubai. A recent intelligence input suggested that Khaliq's hired mules had smuggled fake Indian currency in Rs.2000 bills to Dhaka via Dubai. They flew to Dubai from Karachi by flight No. 334 and took another flight No. 583 for Dhaka. The Bangladeshi capital is one of the major drop-off points for office, which has self-sustaining network at 7 other places including UAE, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Malaysia. Sources said close associates of fake currency smuggler Abdul Rehman, who was arrested by Bangladeshi authorities in July 2014, are also involved in smuggling of fake new currency from Pakistan. A resident of Gazipur, Bangladesh, Rehman was recruited by ISI and he was provided with a Pakistani passport AA9151822- for seamless travel between Dhaka and Karachi. All the ISI detachments in Lahore region is known to be involved in circulation of fake Indian currency largely through indirect routes-third country- where launching pads are facilitated by ISI modules. The Pakistani network was able to match at least 8-9 features though newly designed currency with 17 security features is distinctly different from the old series in color with base in Magenta, size and theme. The quality and volume just may go higher in the future, sources said adding that counter-FICN operation in several countries have been successful in the past, but Pakistani ISI is always coming up with new ways to smudge the economy. According to Intelligence sources, ISI has another strong FICN smuggling network in Bangladesh, which is being controlled by Imran while an underworld operative Irshad handles its Dubai operation in coordination with Bilal and Aslam in Pakistan. For intelligence officials, Malda-Nepal connection is another major challenge. An intelligence dossier on fake currency operators reviewed by this newspaper revealed that a well-oiled network of fake currency smugglers operates from Malda and Siliguri with the help of modules active in Kakarbhitta in Nepal. Sources refused to divulge the details of a transporter, who is being grilled for smuggling fake Rs. 2000 bills, suspected to have been produced in ISI-controlled printing presses. They also fear that Pakistan ISI may come up with fake Rs.500 bills that also have 17-security features w - 12 on the front and 5 on the reverse- with stone grey as base color. Since Pakistani embassies abroad were also found to be helping fake currency peddlers, the government while announcing the withdrawal of around 90% high-value currency from circulation had expected the move to counter fake currency menace that was creating a parallel shadow economy to help terror outfits. Fake currency booming business for Pakistan The RBI had introduced major changes to high-valued currency with micro printing of Rs 2000 along with 16 other security features that were supposed to be difficult for counterfeiters to reproduce. However, sources said that technology procured internationally, ISI has managed to imitate at least 50% features of new dark pink notes within two months. Just months before the demonetization drive, FICN coordination group note had observed; aPakistan has created self-financing criminal networks in West Asia, South-East and China, which is one of the most organized fake currency operations. The primary objective in infusing FICN is to finance terror groups, use the network for espionage purposes and to attempt economic destabilization. We had requested the international bodies including financial action task force to take action against Pakistan government, but so far the response has not been very satisfactory. In fact the network may further escalate the operation in future. To keep ahead of counterfeiters, the only option is to keep changing security features with even more sophisticated ink and designs, intelligence officials further added. The Finance Ministry after demonetization announcement had said that till September 2016, various agencies had detected 574176 pieces of fake high value notes worth approximately Rs. 30 Crore.
Dr BM Hegde By

This interesting heading caught my attention in a recent issue of Time magazine:  How a war on science could hurt US. The lengthy article was about how US President Trumps policies on the science of global warming and the science of vaccination could kill this world and so on and so forth! Ever since Trump got elected, in fact, even long before that, the US media wanted him to be defeated. Not a single paper supported him, including the ones owned by the Republicans! Why do people spend so much effort and money to spread falsehoods and mystery in the name of that holy word science to denigrate any effort to question the western scientific establishments beliefs? Science, in essence, is trying to understand Nature.

Logically, science is only a never-ending search for the truth! While the truth always eludes us, we discover a truth at a time. Naturally, science is fallible and needs continuous efforts by honest scientists to unravel the mystery. Vaccination and global warming are both based on the wrong foundation of reductionist science unravelled by our five senses only. With the advent of the new world view of quantum physics, today we can comprehend much more than what we could grasp with our five senses. Western science, therefore, is only an enterprise and is illogical to the core. Any humble scientist, not connected with the trillion dollar business of science, should welcome any war on science as it gives him an opportunity to convince the world that his theory is either right or needs further refining. Why blame President Trump for that? It is like blaming PM Modi for anything that goes wrong in this country as some people never wanted to see him as a prime minister.

The science tells us that any germ infection provokes either permanent or short lived full immunity against that particular germ infection. But there is no sound science which says that we could mimic that situation artificially by vaccination, however sophisticated that method is. The establishment that has vested interest in the business of vaccination has produced enough scientific studies, mostly epidemiological, to say that vaccinations work. To know that the authenticity of those studies is dubious, one only has to see the wonderful work of John Ioannidis of Stanford University where he has shown that more than 95 per cent of the establishment funded medicalscience research cannot be trusted, vaccination studies included!

A news item in the Economic Times on 9th February made me sit up and take note of it. It read: The Centre has shut the gate on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on a critical national health mission and possible conflict of interest issues arising from the foundations ties with pharmaceutical companies is one of the reasons. All financial ties of the countrys apex immunisation advisory body, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), with the Gates Foundation have been cut off. Nothing could have been better news for Indias future generation. Years ago, The Lancet, a leading medical journal, made a detailed study of Bill Gates efforts in healthcare and published a report under the headline: Bill Gatesa philanthrope or a commercial opportunist? The conclusion was that he was the latter! GAVI alliance which pushes the vaccine agenda in India had to face the Indian press in 2012 (after the media) reported that some 47,500 children had been paralysed as a direct result of the polio vaccination campaign that had swept through their populous country. Indias National Polio Surveillance Project found that a sharp rise in the cases of non-polio paralysis correlated with areas where doses of oral polio vaccine were also increased. Worse, children afflicted with polio vaccine-derived non-polio paralysis were at more than twice the risk of dying than with wild polio infection, wrote Aaron Dykes in Truth steammedia in 2013.

Al Gores agenda of global warming, abetted and aided by some of our crooked scientists is another area that needs further scrutiny. What is wrong if President Trump does not believe in the establishment science? A humble and honest scientist should be happy that there is a healthy debate in the world about the established facts. Debate is good for science. When you oppose any debate there is always suspicion of some hidden agenda to keep the status quo. Oral polio vaccine should not be given to malnourished children as the vaccine virus will mutate in the childs gut and become a deadly P2-P3 variant to produce polio in other children spreading from the vaccinated childs excreta! This has come to medical textbooks now but that was what was done in our polio campaign some years ago? When I expressed this view at that time, I was pressurised to change my opinion by the then government, which I did not.

One interesting feature in the US is that drugs and vaccines are directly advertised through electronic media and the consumer can sue the drug company for any side effect but cant sue the vaccine company for any vaccine damage! This is strange and smacks of vaccine company pressure on the government. I am reminded of the definition of advertisement in a good book by John Kenneth Galbraith written in 1956, Affluent Society. He defines advertisement as, not trying to tell the consumer about the product but to entice the consumer to buy the product when s/he does not need it. Now see advertisements for vaccines and drugs in that light.

Though Trump is hated by many I think he is trying to do good work. With the GAVI out, the Centre is also doing wonderful things. In conclusion, debate is very healthy for good science. It is not a war against science.

Dr BM Hegde is a Cardiologist and former vice-chancellor of Manipal University

Email: hegdebm@gmail.com

This interesting heading caught my attention in a recent issue of Time magazine:  How a war on science could hurt US. The lengthy article was about how US President Trumps policies on the science of global warming and the science of vaccination could kill this world and so on and so forth! Ever since Trump got elected, in fact, even long before that, the US media wanted him to be defeated. Not a single paper supported him, including the ones owned by the Republicans! Why do people spend so much effort and money to spread falsehoods and mystery in the name of that holy word science to denigrate any effort to question the western scientific establishments beliefs? Science, in essence, is trying to understand Nature. Logically, science is only a never-ending search for the truth! While the truth always eludes us, we discover a truth at a time. Naturally, science is fallible and needs continuous efforts by honest scientists to unravel the mystery. Vaccination and global warming are both based on the wrong foundation of reductionist science unravelled by our five senses only. With the advent of the new world view of quantum physics, today we can comprehend much more than what we could grasp with our five senses. Western science, therefore, is only an enterprise and is illogical to the core. Any humble scientist, not connected with the trillion dollar business of science, should welcome any war on science as it gives him an opportunity to convince the world that his theory is either right or needs further refining. Why blame President Trump for that? It is like blaming PM Modi for anything that goes wrong in this country as some people never wanted to see him as a prime minister. The science tells us that any germ infection provokes either permanent or short lived full immunity against that particular germ infection. But there is no sound science which says that we could mimic that situation artificially by vaccination, however sophisticated that method is. The establishment that has vested interest in the business of vaccination has produced enough scientific studies, mostly epidemiological, to say that vaccinations work. To know that the authenticity of those studies is dubious, one only has to see the wonderful work of John Ioannidis of Stanford University where he has shown that more than 95 per cent of the establishment funded medicalscience research cannot be trusted, vaccination studies included! A news item in the Economic Times on 9th February made me sit up and take note of it. It read: The Centre has shut the gate on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on a critical national health mission and possible conflict of interest issues arising from the foundations ties with pharmaceutical companies is one of the reasons. All financial ties of the countrys apex immunisation advisory body, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), with the Gates Foundation have been cut off. Nothing could have been better news for Indias future generation. Years ago, The Lancet, a leading medical journal, made a detailed study of Bill Gates efforts in healthcare and published a report under the headline: Bill Gatesa philanthrope or a commercial opportunist? The conclusion was that he was the latter! GAVI alliance which pushes the vaccine agenda in India had to face the Indian press in 2012 (after the media) reported that some 47,500 children had been paralysed as a direct result of the polio vaccination campaign that had swept through their populous country. Indias National Polio Surveillance Project found that a sharp rise in the cases of non-polio paralysis correlated with areas where doses of oral polio vaccine were also increased. Worse, children afflicted with polio vaccine-derived non-polio paralysis were at more than twice the risk of dying than with wild polio infection, wrote Aaron Dykes in Truth steammedia in 2013. Al Gores agenda of global warming, abetted and aided by some of our crooked scientists is another area that needs further scrutiny. What is wrong if President Trump does not believe in the establishment science? A humble and honest scientist should be happy that there is a healthy debate in the world about the established facts. Debate is good for science. When you oppose any debate there is always suspicion of some hidden agenda to keep the status quo. Oral polio vaccine should not be given to malnourished children as the vaccine virus will mutate in the childs gut and become a deadly P2-P3 variant to produce polio in other children spreading from the vaccinated childs excreta! This has come to medical textbooks now but that was what was done in our polio campaign some years ago? When I expressed this view at that time, I was pressurised to change my opinion by the then government, which I did not. One interesting feature in the US is that drugs and vaccines are directly advertised through electronic media and the consumer can sue the drug company for any side effect but cant sue the vaccine company for any vaccine damage! This is strange and smacks of vaccine company pressure on the government. I am reminded of the definition of advertisement in a good book by John Kenneth Galbraith written in 1956, Affluent Society. He defines advertisement as, not trying to tell the consumer about the product but to entice the consumer to buy the product when s/he does not need it. Now see advertisements for vaccines and drugs in that light. Though Trump is hated by many I think he is trying to do good work. With the GAVI out, the Centre is also doing wonderful things. In conclusion, debate is very healthy for good science. It is not a war against science. Dr BM Hegde is a Cardiologist and former vice-chancellor of Manipal University Email: hegdebm@gmail.com
Shankkar Aiyar By

There is a certain kind of predictability about some ideas. No matter how emphatic the rejection, they make a comebackit is almost as if bad ideas have a homing device embedded in them.



One such bad penny has made a comeback in paragraph 105 of Budget 2017. We propose to create an integrated public sector oil major, which the government believes will be able to match the performance of global and local private players. It is unclear as to what the logic of the new persuasion is for the government to readmit an idea rejected twice.



The lure of big is bountiful has seduced and haunted governments in India every decadein 1998, 2005 and now in 2017. It made its first appearance in 1998 during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In fact, Santosh Kumar Gangwar, then MoS Petroleum told Rajya Sabha that merger would be advantageous, will enhance efficiency and competitiveness and total optimality.



The idea was examined by a group of ministers under Yashwant Sinha. It concluded that the merger of oil PSUs would result in a monopolistic situationin distribution of essential goods like motor spirit, LPG and kerosene.

The Vajpayee regime, for good reasons, opted to promote choice for consumers. Indeed, it also chose to promote competition by liberalising the entry of private players in retailing of fuel.



The bad penny returned six years later during the UPA regime. The idea was packaged in M&A jargon scale drives efficiency and can be leveraged to compete for global oil fields. It caught the imagination of the Singh Parivar. To examine the idea, Manmohan Singh set up a committee under V Krishnamurthy with policy pundits G V Ramakrishna, Gopi Arora, Vijay Kelkar, B C Bora and U Sundararajan as its members.



The committee, after examining diverse opinion, rejected the idea for merging oil PSUs. It observed in its 35-page report the need for enabling competition to strengthen energy security, and that any mega entity dominating the energy market has ambiguous implications and is not advisable. The merger proposal was summarily junked.



Rejection though has not detained the idea. Deja vu, it would seem, has multiple entry visa into Indias policy discourse. The idea this time is a vertically-integrated mega corporation. The government is reportedly looking at a mega mergerof ONGC, OIL, GAIL, IOC, HPCL and BPCL. This would create an entity with a market capitalisation of `6.6 lakh crore and with revenues of around `8.5 lakh crore.

Hypothetically, the merged entity could figure in the top 10 oil companies by market capitalisation and top 15 by revenues. It is being argued that the merger will enable size and deliver financial heft.



So how do the numbers stack up? Well, the merged entity will have revenues of $125 billion and market value of around $100 billion. To get a perspective, consider the global players: Exxon Mobil has a market value of $340 billion. Other petro pashas such as the Royal Dutch Shell, PetroChina or Chevron are all in over the $200-billion mark.



Size does matter. So does context. Adequacy of heft is defined by context and need. The question that must be addressed is whether lack of size dented Indias quest. Fact is, India has since 2000 invested over $19 billion in 25 countries to acquire share of gas/oil output. And indeed, if lack of heft had been a hurdle, what stops PSUs from coming together? After all, there is also such a thesis as synergy in common ownership. Remember that the investments by PSUs are backed by sovereign, well, heft.

The idea for merger is also backed by the promise of efficiency through synergy. But this req

uires rightsizingpresumably the job losses have been factored. There is also the key question whether mergers deliver? The jury is out, but those at AT&T, AOL, Time Warner, Bank of America and others will tell that a lot depends on cultures, constants and variables. It could turn into a slippery slope of debt and destruction of shareholder value.



The 2005 Krishnamurthy Committee, which met with M&A experts, quotes that barely 29 per cent of mergers deliver returns. The Indian experience is not very different from that of global players. Yes, there have been mergers of banks. But remember, many were preceded by near-death encounters triggered by scams or scandal and driven by the need to survive.



Budget 2017 states that the purpose is to improve the performance to match those of global and Indian private players. Its a laudable thought. It is important to realistically assess expectations from synergy in the Indian context, to review recent history.

The merger of Indian Airlines and Air India was also about synergy, optimality and performance. And if mergers do deliver optimality, why stop at oil PSUswhy not merge insurance companies, PSUs in the power sector?



The merger will kill competition, deny choice. It will also unveil new risks. The merged entity will host over a lakh of employees. Unions will follow and so will vulnerabilitythreats of disruption to production and in distribution. Countries such as Mexico, for decades, suffered the consequences of monopolistic conditionsthe leverage of pay or else enjoyed by unions.

To appreciate the possibility, think 1970s and 1980sthe railways, telecom or airlines! Is the private sector large enough to countervail a disruptive strike say in production/distribution of motor spirits, LPG or kerosene?



The Vajpayee and the Manmohan Singh regimes took on board these factors. The clincher, above all of these factors, was the concern about the political risk. The merged entity, with revenues of over `8.5 lakh crore, will be a state within a stateif it were to be a state it would be ranked fourth among states.

There are the unions and then the many MPs and MLAs, owners of pumps and dealershipsinfluential and affected parties. Interrogation of recent history, particularly in Brazil and Venezuela, is useful to appreciate the spectrum and potential of political risks.



It is well-established that the biggest reason for failure of mergers is lack of strategic rationale. The criticality of energy security in the aspiration for growth demands a review of the idea. Let not notions masquerade as strategy.shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com

There is a certain kind of predictability about some ideas. No matter how emphatic the rejection, they make a comebackit is almost as if bad ideas have a homing device embedded in them. One such bad penny has made a comeback in paragraph 105 of Budget 2017. We propose to create an integrated public sector oil major, which the government believes will be able to match the performance of global and local private players. It is unclear as to what the logic of the new persuasion is for the government to readmit an idea rejected twice. The lure of big is bountiful has seduced and haunted governments in India every decadein 1998, 2005 and now in 2017. It made its first appearance in 1998 during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In fact, Santosh Kumar Gangwar, then MoS Petroleum told Rajya Sabha that merger would be advantageous, will enhance efficiency and competitiveness and total optimality. The idea was examined by a group of ministers under Yashwant Sinha. It concluded that the merger of oil PSUs would result in a monopolistic situationin distribution of essential goods like motor spirit, LPG and kerosene. The Vajpayee regime, for good reasons, opted to promote choice for consumers. Indeed, it also chose to promote competition by liberalising the entry of private players in retailing of fuel. The bad penny returned six years later during the UPA regime. The idea was packaged in M&A jargon scale drives efficiency and can be leveraged to compete for global oil fields. It caught the imagination of the Singh Parivar. To examine the idea, Manmohan Singh set up a committee under V Krishnamurthy with policy pundits G V Ramakrishna, Gopi Arora, Vijay Kelkar, B C Bora and U Sundararajan as its members. The committee, after examining diverse opinion, rejected the idea for merging oil PSUs. It observed in its 35-page report the need for enabling competition to strengthen energy security, and that any mega entity dominating the energy market has ambiguous implications and is not advisable. The merger proposal was summarily junked. Rejection though has not detained the idea. Deja vu, it would seem, has multiple entry visa into Indias policy discourse. The idea this time is a vertically-integrated mega corporation. The government is reportedly looking at a mega mergerof ONGC, OIL, GAIL, IOC, HPCL and BPCL. This would create an entity with a market capitalisation of `6.6 lakh crore and with revenues of around `8.5 lakh crore. Hypothetically, the merged entity could figure in the top 10 oil companies by market capitalisation and top 15 by revenues. It is being argued that the merger will enable size and deliver financial heft. So how do the numbers stack up? Well, the merged entity will have revenues of $125 billion and market value of around $100 billion. To get a perspective, consider the global players: Exxon Mobil has a market value of $340 billion. Other petro pashas such as the Royal Dutch Shell, PetroChina or Chevron are all in over the $200-billion mark. Size does matter. So does context. Adequacy of heft is defined by context and need. The question that must be addressed is whether lack of size dented Indias quest. Fact is, India has since 2000 invested over $19 billion in 25 countries to acquire share of gas/oil output. And indeed, if lack of heft had been a hurdle, what stops PSUs from coming together? After all, there is also such a thesis as synergy in common ownership. Remember that the investments by PSUs are backed by sovereign, well, heft. The idea for merger is also backed by the promise of efficiency through synergy. But this req uires rightsizingpresumably the job losses have been factored. There is also the key question whether mergers deliver? The jury is out, but those at AT&T, AOL, Time Warner, Bank of America and others will tell that a lot depends on cultures, constants and variables. It could turn into a slippery slope of debt and destruction of shareholder value. The 2005 Krishnamurthy Committee, which met with M&A experts, quotes that barely 29 per cent of mergers deliver returns. The Indian experience is not very different from that of global players. Yes, there have been mergers of banks. But remember, many were preceded by near-death encounters triggered by scams or scandal and driven by the need to survive. Budget 2017 states that the purpose is to improve the performance to match those of global and Indian private players. Its a laudable thought. It is important to realistically assess expectations from synergy in the Indian context, to review recent history. The merger of Indian Airlines and Air India was also about synergy, optimality and performance. And if mergers do deliver optimality, why stop at oil PSUswhy not merge insurance companies, PSUs in the power sector? The merger will kill competition, deny choice. It will also unveil new risks. The merged entity will host over a lakh of employees. Unions will follow and so will vulnerabilitythreats of disruption to production and in distribution. Countries such as Mexico, for decades, suffered the consequences of monopolistic conditionsthe leverage of pay or else enjoyed by unions. To appreciate the possibility, think 1970s and 1980sthe railways, telecom or airlines! Is the private sector large enough to countervail a disruptive strike say in production/distribution of motor spirits, LPG or kerosene? The Vajpayee and the Manmohan Singh regimes took on board these factors. The clincher, above all of these factors, was the concern about the political risk. The merged entity, with revenues of over `8.5 lakh crore, will be a state within a stateif it were to be a state it would be ranked fourth among states. There are the unions and then the many MPs and MLAs, owners of pumps and dealershipsinfluential and affected parties. Interrogation of recent history, particularly in Brazil and Venezuela, is useful to appreciate the spectrum and potential of political risks. It is well-established that the biggest reason for failure of mergers is lack of strategic rationale. The criticality of energy security in the aspiration for growth demands a review of the idea. Let not notions masquerade as strategy.shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com
P Ramdas By

Express News Service

KOCHI: She went missing in 2003. Unaware of her status, she continued with her life for 13 years.

Now that she has been tracked down by the CBI, this woman will have to prove to the court she is the same person who had gone missing in the first place.

Little did Anita Nair know when she left Kerala her father would lodge a man-missing complaint at Palakkad. Many life events happened to Anita in the intermediary period -- two marriages and subsequent name changes and a child. She is now the principal of a school. But on February 28, as per an Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate court directive, she will have to prove she is still the same Anita Nair. The statement by Anita, which Express has accessed, reveals she left her husband and son and went to Mumbai in 2003. The decision was taken by me on my own. I got a job at the school I currently work with in August 2015. I was not aware my father Achuthan Nair of Ongalloor had filed a missing complaint, she deposed before the CBI.

Anita made it clear she is the person mentioned in the man missing case re-registered by CBIs Chennai unit in 2006. The case being probed by Pattambi police was handed over to CBI based on a High Court order. Though the CBI had filed a final report in February 2012, referring the case as untraceable, the court had asked it to conduct further investigation.A report of the CBI stated Anita had been traced from Surat where she was working as the Principal of a CBSE school, Samithi English Medium School, Udhna. The report said she was married to

Bhagawan Dass Kotwani and had changed her name to Anita Kotwani.

Anita said in the statement she had to leave because of a rift with her first husband. She then married a Sri Lankan national named Gamagoda Gamage Vindana Suranga working in the Maldives. With him, she had a girl child. After the birth of the child, she and Suranga went to Sri Lanka in November 2006. She had obtained a passport in the name Gamage Anita Suranga. But her second marriage did not last as it was not accepted by her in-laws.

She came back to India on May 26, 2010, and worked in different parts of the country as a teacher before marrying Kotwani. CBI had produced her before Additional Executive Magistrate, Surat. Now it has sought the Ernakulam CJM Court to pass an appropriate order in the case.

KOCHI: She went missing in 2003. Unaware of her status, she continued with her life for 13 years. Now that she has been tracked down by the CBI, this woman will have to prove to the court she is the same person who had gone missing in the first place. Little did Anita Nair know when she left Kerala her father would lodge a man-missing complaint at Palakkad. Many life events happened to Anita in the intermediary period -- two marriages and subsequent name changes and a child. She is now the principal of a school. But on February 28, as per an Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate court directive, she will have to prove she is still the same Anita Nair. The statement by Anita, which Express has accessed, reveals she left her husband and son and went to Mumbai in 2003. The decision was taken by me on my own. I got a job at the school I currently work with in August 2015. I was not aware my father Achuthan Nair of Ongalloor had filed a missing complaint, she deposed before the CBI. Anita made it clear she is the person mentioned in the man missing case re-registered by CBIs Chennai unit in 2006. The case being probed by Pattambi police was handed over to CBI based on a High Court order. Though the CBI had filed a final report in February 2012, referring the case as untraceable, the court had asked it to conduct further investigation.A report of the CBI stated Anita had been traced from Surat where she was working as the Principal of a CBSE school, Samithi English Medium School, Udhna. The report said she was married to Bhagawan Dass Kotwani and had changed her name to Anita Kotwani. Anita said in the statement she had to leave because of a rift with her first husband. She then married a Sri Lankan national named Gamagoda Gamage Vindana Suranga working in the Maldives. With him, she had a girl child. After the birth of the child, she and Suranga went to Sri Lanka in November 2006. She had obtained a passport in the name Gamage Anita Suranga. But her second marriage did not last as it was not accepted by her in-laws. She came back to India on May 26, 2010, and worked in different parts of the country as a teacher before marrying Kotwani. CBI had produced her before Additional Executive Magistrate, Surat. Now it has sought the Ernakulam CJM Court to pass an appropriate order in the case.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Condemning the murderous attack on senior leader Pratap Sarangi, the State BJP on Friday demanded strong action against the culprits to ensure a free and fair election.

In a memorandum submitted to the State Election Commission (SEC), a delegation of the BJP including senior leader Sajjan Sharma demanded that security should be provided to the BJP leaders as BJD workers are resorting to violence after the partys poor performance in the first two phase polls.

Citing several other incidents in which BJP workers were attacked, the delegation alleged that BJD activists attacked the BJP candidate by entering her house at Sindhekela. Similarly, there were several incidents of attack on BJP candidates in Kalahandi and Bargarh districts, the memorandum said and demanded that the SEC should direct the administration to ensure a free and fair poll.

The BJP also submitted a memorandum to Director General of Police (DGP) KB Singh and demanded strong action against the culprits.

Meanwhile, the BJD also submitted a memorandum to SEC on Friday alleging that all the petrol pumps, gas agencies and their employees as well as owners are being utilised for election campaign by the BJP. Alleging that this is a violation of the model code of conduct, BJD spokerperson Sashi Bhusan Behera said this has defeated the very purpose of a free and fair election. BJD MLA Priyadarshi Mishra and BYJD general secretary Bijay Nayak were part of the delegation which submitted the memorandum.

Addressing a media conference, Behera admitted that the number of seats won by the BJD in the ZP polls has reduced compared to the poll in 2012, but it has not affected the popularity of the party. Describing the BJPs surge as a temporary thing, Behera criticised the BJP for taking the help of chief ministers of neighbouring States and Union ministers to campaign for the party candidates in panchayat polls.

BHUBANESWAR: Condemning the murderous attack on senior leader Pratap Sarangi, the State BJP on Friday demanded strong action against the culprits to ensure a free and fair election. In a memorandum submitted to the State Election Commission (SEC), a delegation of the BJP including senior leader Sajjan Sharma demanded that security should be provided to the BJP leaders as BJD workers are resorting to violence after the partys poor performance in the first two phase polls. Citing several other incidents in which BJP workers were attacked, the delegation alleged that BJD activists attacked the BJP candidate by entering her house at Sindhekela. Similarly, there were several incidents of attack on BJP candidates in Kalahandi and Bargarh districts, the memorandum said and demanded that the SEC should direct the administration to ensure a free and fair poll. The BJP also submitted a memorandum to Director General of Police (DGP) KB Singh and demanded strong action against the culprits. Meanwhile, the BJD also submitted a memorandum to SEC on Friday alleging that all the petrol pumps, gas agencies and their employees as well as owners are being utilised for election campaign by the BJP. Alleging that this is a violation of the model code of conduct, BJD spokerperson Sashi Bhusan Behera said this has defeated the very purpose of a free and fair election. BJD MLA Priyadarshi Mishra and BYJD general secretary Bijay Nayak were part of the delegation which submitted the memorandum. Addressing a media conference, Behera admitted that the number of seats won by the BJD in the ZP polls has reduced compared to the poll in 2012, but it has not affected the popularity of the party. Describing the BJPs surge as a temporary thing, Behera criticised the BJP for taking the help of chief ministers of neighbouring States and Union ministers to campaign for the party candidates in panchayat polls.
By Express News Service

PARLAKHEMUNDI/DHENKANAL: IN the wake of BJPs strong performance in the third phase panchayat election on Friday, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan came down heavily on Naveen Patnaik-led BJD Government for failing in all sectors including health, education and agriculture. In the last 16 years, Odisha has only remained backward without any sign of development, he said.

Addressing an election rally at Mohana on Friday, Pradhan said if voted to power, the BJP, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, will ensure development at panchayat level.

The BJD-run State Government is corrupt and voters have already realised the inefficiency of the party which is evident from the results of first and second phase polling.

Dana Majhi and issues like malnutrition deaths, Japanese Encephalitis hit the headlines last year. BJD leaders are involved in chit fund and other scams and looted the hard earned money of poor people, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, district president of BJP, G Venkat Ravana, said Gajapati district saw no development under the BJD rule. There have been gross irregularities in implementation of welfare schemes in the district, he alleged, while appealing to people to vote for BJP candidates in the rural election. Apparently, the BJP has won just two of the nine zones in the district in the last three phases of polling. The party retained both the ZP zones in Rayagada block of Gajapati. The ZP zone of Nuagada went in favour of Congress and BJD has won three seats in the last three phases.

Dhenkanal: Pradhan also campaigned for the fourth phase panchayat election in Dhenkanal on Friday. Speaking at a public gathering in Siminai under Odapada block, he said resentment against BJD is evident in the ongoing election.

People of Odisha are poor due to poor leadership of BJD Government for 16 years. Mass resentment is being reflected in the ongoing panchayat election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested enhancement of funds for the panchayati raj system by 42 per cent in order to facilitate development at the grassroots, but the BJD Government is not willing to accept the proposal, Pradhan alleged.

He said the BJD Government has been hoodwinking people by claiming that it provides them rice at `1 per kg from its own resources. For subsidised rice, the Centre provides `29 per kg whereas the State Government contributes only `2, he said.

Though coal production of the undivided Dhenkanal district has met more than 50 per cent of Indias coal demand, coal workers, who are also beneficiaries of various government schemes, have to bribe officers to get benefits of the schemes, he said, adding that the poor has remained poor under the BJD rule.

Earlier in the day, the Union Minister addressed public gatherings in Parjang block and Bhapur in the district.

PARLAKHEMUNDI/DHENKANAL: IN the wake of BJPs strong performance in the third phase panchayat election on Friday, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan came down heavily on Naveen Patnaik-led BJD Government for failing in all sectors including health, education and agriculture. In the last 16 years, Odisha has only remained backward without any sign of development, he said. Addressing an election rally at Mohana on Friday, Pradhan said if voted to power, the BJP, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, will ensure development at panchayat level. The BJD-run State Government is corrupt and voters have already realised the inefficiency of the party which is evident from the results of first and second phase polling. Dana Majhi and issues like malnutrition deaths, Japanese Encephalitis hit the headlines last year. BJD leaders are involved in chit fund and other scams and looted the hard earned money of poor people, he said. Speaking on the occasion, district president of BJP, G Venkat Ravana, said Gajapati district saw no development under the BJD rule. There have been gross irregularities in implementation of welfare schemes in the district, he alleged, while appealing to people to vote for BJP candidates in the rural election. Apparently, the BJP has won just two of the nine zones in the district in the last three phases of polling. The party retained both the ZP zones in Rayagada block of Gajapati. The ZP zone of Nuagada went in favour of Congress and BJD has won three seats in the last three phases. Dhenkanal: Pradhan also campaigned for the fourth phase panchayat election in Dhenkanal on Friday. Speaking at a public gathering in Siminai under Odapada block, he said resentment against BJD is evident in the ongoing election. People of Odisha are poor due to poor leadership of BJD Government for 16 years. Mass resentment is being reflected in the ongoing panchayat election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested enhancement of funds for the panchayati raj system by 42 per cent in order to facilitate development at the grassroots, but the BJD Government is not willing to accept the proposal, Pradhan alleged. He said the BJD Government has been hoodwinking people by claiming that it provides them rice at `1 per kg from its own resources. For subsidised rice, the Centre provides `29 per kg whereas the State Government contributes only `2, he said. Though coal production of the undivided Dhenkanal district has met more than 50 per cent of Indias coal demand, coal workers, who are also beneficiaries of various government schemes, have to bribe officers to get benefits of the schemes, he said, adding that the poor has remained poor under the BJD rule. Earlier in the day, the Union Minister addressed public gatherings in Parjang block and Bhapur in the district.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Direct international flights from the State will soon be a reality. The State Government on Friday signed MoU with AirAsia Berhad for operating direct flights between Bhubaneswar and Kuala Lumpur. While the modalities of the operations have already been discussed, the flights are likely to start from the first week of April.

On behalf of the Government, Director of Tourism Nitin Bhanudas Jawale signed the MoU while AirAsia was represented by the companys Chief Executive Officer (CEO)Aiereen Omar. The administrative, financial and commercial aspects of the operations were discussed in the meeting.

Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, who chaired the meeting, welcomed the maiden international operations and said the process took an effort of around five years to materialise.

AirAsia was selected through an international bidding process. In the first phase, two flights will operate in a week between the two cities. The Government will provide a viability gap funding for a span of one year to AirAsia for the operations, sources said.

Speaking to mediapersons Jawale said Odisha has a traditional connect with South East Asia which will be strengthened by the direct connectivity. Smart City Bhubaneswar has become an educational hub of Eastern India which attracts many foreign students every year, said Jawale.

Frequent flyers to SE Asian countries would have an option to fly from the city. The States tourism, trade, hospitality sector and cultural exchange will witness a surge owing to the international connectivity, he added.

The State Government had allowed a subsidy support of `1.7 lakh per round trip for starting air services from Bhubaneswar to Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Besides, the value added tax (VAT) on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) has been reduced to zero per cent for direct international flights from the State.

Among others, Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan, Special Secretary of General Administration and Civil Aviation Ashok Kumar Meena, Industry Secretary Sanjeev Chopra, MSME Secretary LN Gupta and senior officials were present.

BHUBANESWAR: Direct international flights from the State will soon be a reality. The State Government on Friday signed MoU with AirAsia Berhad for operating direct flights between Bhubaneswar and Kuala Lumpur. While the modalities of the operations have already been discussed, the flights are likely to start from the first week of April. On behalf of the Government, Director of Tourism Nitin Bhanudas Jawale signed the MoU while AirAsia was represented by the companys Chief Executive Officer (CEO)Aiereen Omar. The administrative, financial and commercial aspects of the operations were discussed in the meeting. Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, who chaired the meeting, welcomed the maiden international operations and said the process took an effort of around five years to materialise. AirAsia was selected through an international bidding process. In the first phase, two flights will operate in a week between the two cities. The Government will provide a viability gap funding for a span of one year to AirAsia for the operations, sources said. Speaking to mediapersons Jawale said Odisha has a traditional connect with South East Asia which will be strengthened by the direct connectivity. Smart City Bhubaneswar has become an educational hub of Eastern India which attracts many foreign students every year, said Jawale. Frequent flyers to SE Asian countries would have an option to fly from the city. The States tourism, trade, hospitality sector and cultural exchange will witness a surge owing to the international connectivity, he added. The State Government had allowed a subsidy support of `1.7 lakh per round trip for starting air services from Bhubaneswar to Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Besides, the value added tax (VAT) on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) has been reduced to zero per cent for direct international flights from the State. Among others, Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan, Special Secretary of General Administration and Civil Aviation Ashok Kumar Meena, Industry Secretary Sanjeev Chopra, MSME Secretary LN Gupta and senior officials were present.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The DMK on Friday formalised its decision to vote against the confidence motion that will be moved by new Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy in the State Assembly on Saturday. However, sources said the strategy could be revisited depending on the situation in the House on Saturday.

DMK working president and Leader of Opposition M K Stalin made the announcement after a 50-minute meeting of the partys legislators at Anna Arivalayam.

In order to show our opposition to the AIADMK government, all our 89 MLAs will vote against the confidence motion, he told reporters.

He also stated that ally Congress was on the same page. The Congress has eight members while the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is represented by a lone member of the Assembly.

The party and its allies have a combined strength of 98. However, given his frail health, DMK president M Karunanidhi will be absent, sources said.

In the meeting, Stalin was learnt to have informed his partys legislators that the floor strategy could change depending on the situation in the House.

When dethroned chief minister O Panneerselvam raised a banner of revolt, the DMK toyed with the idea of supporting him in order to scuttle the chances of V K Sasikala becoming the chief minister. However, the OPS faction failed to muster the strength to capture power.

CHENNAI: The DMK on Friday formalised its decision to vote against the confidence motion that will be moved by new Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy in the State Assembly on Saturday. However, sources said the strategy could be revisited depending on the situation in the House on Saturday. DMK working president and Leader of Opposition M K Stalin made the announcement after a 50-minute meeting of the partys legislators at Anna Arivalayam. In order to show our opposition to the AIADMK government, all our 89 MLAs will vote against the confidence motion, he told reporters. He also stated that ally Congress was on the same page. The Congress has eight members while the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is represented by a lone member of the Assembly. The party and its allies have a combined strength of 98. However, given his frail health, DMK president M Karunanidhi will be absent, sources said. In the meeting, Stalin was learnt to have informed his partys legislators that the floor strategy could change depending on the situation in the House. When dethroned chief minister O Panneerselvam raised a banner of revolt, the DMK toyed with the idea of supporting him in order to scuttle the chances of V K Sasikala becoming the chief minister. However, the OPS faction failed to muster the strength to capture power.
Protests against President Donald Trump, some peaceful and others destructive, continue to be celebrated by the media.

The most recent ones are protests against Trumps travel restrictions on several countries dominated or infiltrated by radical Islam. The courts ruled that Trumps travel restrictions do not meet legal requirements. However, street protesters claim that Trumps travel restrictions are anti-Islam, or racist, or pro-fascist or pro-Nazi, or all of above.

For analysis of such claims lets go to recent history.

Throughout the Cold War (1946-1988), the United States had entry restrictions on refugees from communist countries. Refugees were white, Christians, anti-socialists, and politically incorrect. The vetting process of issuing visas was time intensive and averaged about two years.

Candidates for visas had to prove they were not members of the communist party or any communist dominated organization. In addition, each and every candidate had to have a sponsor to guarantee the candidate would not be on welfare programs.

Unlike the refugees and street protesters today, the immigrants from Eastern Europe and Russia, as well as the American public, appreciated this vetting process. Most of refugees considered the entry to be a privilege rather than a right. No one wanted a few comrades to slip into the United States.

Moreover, the refugees from communism adjusted to the life in America. For example, the entire order of the Cistercian Priests came from Hungary to Dallas in 1956. Within two years, they started a college prep school, which is one of the best in the region.

Throughout the Cold War years, no public protests against restrictions on the entry of refugees from the East occurred and no claims were heard of travel restrictions being anti-Christian or anti-white, or anti-Russian, or anti-Polish, etc.

Entry restrictions from communist-controlled countries yesterday and those at risk for radical Islam today have the same objective: to protect U.S. citizens from terrorism and to safeguard our formal and informal institutions from alien doctrines. Still, we observe a difference in public reaction.

I conjecture that the rise of political correctness in the U.S. is a major cause of those differences. Political correctness has roots in the three movements that dominated Europe in the last century: communism, fascism and Nazism. Like those movements, political correctness tolerates no disagreements and shows disdain for the rule of law.

From communism, political correctness absorbed the usefulness of naming all people who hold different political and social views as fascists. Indeed, a major trait of public protesters is the character assassination of those who disagree with them. From fascism, political correctness learned the importance of incorporating all pro-collectivist groups, by force if necessary, into a rule by men.

Thanks to political correctness, the likes of Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have hijacked the party of Truman and JFK.
By ANI

CHENNAI: Expressing absolute resentment over the victory of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy in the floor test, former Tamil Nadu chief minister O. Panneerselvam said the people of the state have been betrayed by the MLAs, adding that at the end Ammas rule will be established.

Once we go back to our constituencies we will get to know the truth. The voters have been betrayed by MLAs, said Panneerselvam, while addressing the media here.

Panneerselvam assured that late J. Jayalalithaas rule will be established to save democracy.

Family thrown out from the party by Amma again came into picture with Sasikala's intervention. It won't last. Amma's rule will be established, he said.

For three hours, DMK MLAs on repeating their request to save democracy. Now in absence of all of us, vote was passed. We doubt its validity, he added.

Stating the decision to be wrong, Panneerselvam said if needed, they will apprise the Governor of the same.

We have time to prove this. At the end only dharma will win. If need be, we will meet the Governor, he said.

We had kept two demands before speaker, one was to send MLAs to their constituencies, but the speaker didn't agree to them, he added.

Panneerselvams loyalist Pandiarajan, while showing strong negation, said things would have been different if the assembly had resorted to secret ballot.

There were constant threats, abusive language was used. Things would have been different if secret ballot was done, he said.

Amid the uproar in the Tami Nadu Assembly during Saturdays much-anticipated floor test, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy won the vote of confidence with 122 MLAs supporting him.

The floor test took place in Block Two of the Tamil Nadu assembly.

Earlier, the Congress staged a walk out from the assembly, while Speaker P. Dhanapal ordered the assembly police to evict the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLAs from the house as soon as the assembly resumed functioning after getting adjourned following an uproar over the secret ballot process.

"You tore my shirt and insulted me. I am doing my work abiding by the law," Speaker Dhanapal was quoted, as saying to the MLAs.

However, DMK working president M.K. Stalin alleged that his shirt was torn off when the assembly police forcefully evicted his party MLAs and the Speaker tore of his shirt himself and blamed the MLAs of the DMK for it.

We were told that assembly will reconvene at 3 p.m., but at 2 p.m. police came and tried to forcefully evict us. My shirt was also torn, Stalin said.

The assembly was adjourned twice on Saturday, once at 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m.

Papers were torn and chairs thrown during the ruckus in the house.

The assembly was facing its first floor test in 30 years, and there was a debate over the ballot, with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League expressing mixed views about the confidence vote.

DMK's M.K. Stalin questioned the haste with which the ballot process was being done. He also emphasised upon the importance of democratic means in the state.

"Democracy will be fullfilled, only when the secret ballot voting is done. Floor test should be done on another day. Why the hurry when the governor has given 15 days time?" Stalin said.

Ahead of the crucial floor test, Panneerselvam appealed to AIADMK MLAs to vote against Palanisamy. "MLAs should be given time to hear the views of their constituency people. Time should be given till then," he said, during the assembly session.

Palanisamy took oath as Tamil Nadu's 13th Chief Minister on Thursday. A total of 31 other All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs were also sworn in.

CHENNAI: Expressing absolute resentment over the victory of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy in the floor test, former Tamil Nadu chief minister O. Panneerselvam said the people of the state have been betrayed by the MLAs, adding that at the end Ammas rule will be established. Once we go back to our constituencies we will get to know the truth. The voters have been betrayed by MLAs, said Panneerselvam, while addressing the media here. Panneerselvam assured that late J. Jayalalithaas rule will be established to save democracy. Family thrown out from the party by Amma again came into picture with Sasikala's intervention. It won't last. Amma's rule will be established, he said. For three hours, DMK MLAs on repeating their request to save democracy. Now in absence of all of us, vote was passed. We doubt its validity, he added. Stating the decision to be wrong, Panneerselvam said if needed, they will apprise the Governor of the same. We have time to prove this. At the end only dharma will win. If need be, we will meet the Governor, he said. We had kept two demands before speaker, one was to send MLAs to their constituencies, but the speaker didn't agree to them, he added. Panneerselvams loyalist Pandiarajan, while showing strong negation, said things would have been different if the assembly had resorted to secret ballot. There were constant threats, abusive language was used. Things would have been different if secret ballot was done, he said. Amid the uproar in the Tami Nadu Assembly during Saturdays much-anticipated floor test, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy won the vote of confidence with 122 MLAs supporting him. The floor test took place in Block Two of the Tamil Nadu assembly. Earlier, the Congress staged a walk out from the assembly, while Speaker P. Dhanapal ordered the assembly police to evict the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MLAs from the house as soon as the assembly resumed functioning after getting adjourned following an uproar over the secret ballot process. "You tore my shirt and insulted me. I am doing my work abiding by the law," Speaker Dhanapal was quoted, as saying to the MLAs. However, DMK working president M.K. Stalin alleged that his shirt was torn off when the assembly police forcefully evicted his party MLAs and the Speaker tore of his shirt himself and blamed the MLAs of the DMK for it. We were told that assembly will reconvene at 3 p.m., but at 2 p.m. police came and tried to forcefully evict us. My shirt was also torn, Stalin said. The assembly was adjourned twice on Saturday, once at 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m. Papers were torn and chairs thrown during the ruckus in the house. The assembly was facing its first floor test in 30 years, and there was a debate over the ballot, with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League expressing mixed views about the confidence vote. DMK's M.K. Stalin questioned the haste with which the ballot process was being done. He also emphasised upon the importance of democratic means in the state. "Democracy will be fullfilled, only when the secret ballot voting is done. Floor test should be done on another day. Why the hurry when the governor has given 15 days time?" Stalin said. Ahead of the crucial floor test, Panneerselvam appealed to AIADMK MLAs to vote against Palanisamy. "MLAs should be given time to hear the views of their constituency people. Time should be given till then," he said, during the assembly session. Palanisamy took oath as Tamil Nadu's 13th Chief Minister on Thursday. A total of 31 other All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs were also sworn in.
By AFP

MEXICO: Thousands of Mexicans linked arms on Friday to form a "human wall" on their country's border with the United States, protesting President Donald Trump's plan to build a massive barrier between the countries.

The protest, organised by local authorities and Mexican advocacy groups, brought together people armed with flowers, including politicians, social leaders and crowds of students to the border town Ciudad Juarez -- which already is separated by extensive fencing from its American neighbor city El Paso.

Protesters hurled slogans at Trump, whose plans to build the wall to keep undocumented immigrants out of the US -- and make Mexico foot the bill -- has enraged many people here.

"The wall is one of the worst ideas," said Carolina Solis, a 31-year-old student. "It won't stop anything -- not drugs or migrants."

"It's just a symbol of Donald Trump's hatred, the president's racism."

Under the watchful eye of US Border Patrol officers, protestors -- among them El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser -- formed a human barrier of nearly 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles).

Many people on both sides of the border cross it daily, calling one country home while going to work in the other.

"Ciudad Juarez and El Paso are one city -- we will never be apart," said Leeser, who was born on the Mexican side of the border.

His Ciudad Juarez counterpart Mayor Armando Cabada vowed to help resettle migrants deported from the US.

"Trump only generates fear in our US compatriots. We must show solidarity with them and tell them that they have our support," he said.

"If they are deported, we will welcome them with open arms."

Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested some 680 people across the United States as part of a crackdown by the new administration on the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Officials insist the raids targeted known criminals but rights advocates say people with no serious criminal records were also detained.

A similar protest was planned on Mexico's Pacific coast, at the border between the city of Tijuana and its US neighbor San Diego.

MEXICO: Thousands of Mexicans linked arms on Friday to form a "human wall" on their country's border with the United States, protesting President Donald Trump's plan to build a massive barrier between the countries. The protest, organised by local authorities and Mexican advocacy groups, brought together people armed with flowers, including politicians, social leaders and crowds of students to the border town Ciudad Juarez -- which already is separated by extensive fencing from its American neighbor city El Paso. Protesters hurled slogans at Trump, whose plans to build the wall to keep undocumented immigrants out of the US -- and make Mexico foot the bill -- has enraged many people here. "The wall is one of the worst ideas," said Carolina Solis, a 31-year-old student. "It won't stop anything -- not drugs or migrants." "It's just a symbol of Donald Trump's hatred, the president's racism." Under the watchful eye of US Border Patrol officers, protestors -- among them El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser -- formed a human barrier of nearly 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles). Many people on both sides of the border cross it daily, calling one country home while going to work in the other. "Ciudad Juarez and El Paso are one city -- we will never be apart," said Leeser, who was born on the Mexican side of the border. His Ciudad Juarez counterpart Mayor Armando Cabada vowed to help resettle migrants deported from the US. "Trump only generates fear in our US compatriots. We must show solidarity with them and tell them that they have our support," he said. "If they are deported, we will welcome them with open arms." Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested some 680 people across the United States as part of a crackdown by the new administration on the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Officials insist the raids targeted known criminals but rights advocates say people with no serious criminal records were also detained. A similar protest was planned on Mexico's Pacific coast, at the border between the city of Tijuana and its US neighbor San Diego.
By Associated Press

MUNICH: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is offering assurances that the United States strongly supports NATO and "will be unwavering in our commitment to this trans-Atlantic alliance."



Pence says the US will "hold Russia accountable" even as President Donald Trump searches for new common ground with Russia at the start of his presidency.



Pence says at the Munich Security Conference in Germany that with regard to Ukraine, the international community must hold Russia accountable and demand that it honor a 2015 peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

He says President Donald Trump "will stand with Europe."

Pence is addressing the Munich Security Conference in his first overseas trip as vice president.

The vice president's speech was aimed at reassuring skeptical allies in Europe about American foreign policy under Trump along with U.S. willingness to maintain international partnerships.

Pence's trip to Germany comes as Europeans are skittish that Trump may promote isolationist tendencies and not hold Russia accountable.

MUNICH: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is offering assurances that the United States strongly supports NATO and "will be unwavering in our commitment to this trans-Atlantic alliance." Pence says the US will "hold Russia accountable" even as President Donald Trump searches for new common ground with Russia at the start of his presidency. Pence says at the Munich Security Conference in Germany that with regard to Ukraine, the international community must hold Russia accountable and demand that it honor a 2015 peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. He says President Donald Trump "will stand with Europe." Pence is addressing the Munich Security Conference in his first overseas trip as vice president. The vice president's speech was aimed at reassuring skeptical allies in Europe about American foreign policy under Trump along with U.S. willingness to maintain international partnerships. Pence's trip to Germany comes as Europeans are skittish that Trump may promote isolationist tendencies and not hold Russia accountable.
By Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR (MALAYSIA): North Korea said it will reject the results of an autopsy on its leader's estranged half brother, the victim of an apparent assassination this week at an airport in Malaysia. Pyongyang's ambassador said Malaysian officials may be "trying to conceal something" and "colluding with hostile forces."

Indonesia's police chief, meanwhile, said an Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the death of Kim Jong Nam was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank.

Speaking to reporters gathered outside the morgue in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the autopsy on Kim Jong Nam "unilaterally and excluding our attendance."

Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46 and had lived in exile for years, suddenly fell ill at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau. Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical. He died while being taken to a hospital.

"We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem," Kang said, adding that the move disregarded "elementary international laws and consular laws."

Kang said the fact that Malaysia has yet to hand over the body "strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us."

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

North Korean diplomats in Malaysia objected to an autopsy and had requested custody of Kim Jong Nam's body, arguing that he had a North Korean passport. Malaysian authorities went ahead with the procedure anyway, saying they did not receive a formal complaint.

The autopsy could provide some clarity in a case marked by speculation, tales of intrigue and explosive, unconfirmed reports from dueling nations. Authorities were still awaiting the autopsy results.

Malaysia said Friday it wants DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam's family as part of the post-mortem procedure and that officials were not yet willing to hand the body over to the North Koreans. Although Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau, police in Malaysia say none has come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples.

"If there is no claim by next-of-kin and upon exhausting all avenues (to obtain DNA), we will finally then hand over the body to the (North Korean) embassy," said Abdul Samah Mat, a senior Malaysian police official. He would not say how long that process might take.

Malaysian police have arrested three people in the investigation but have released few details.

Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian, citing information received from Malaysian authorities, told reporters in Indonesia's Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in "Just For Laughs" style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show. He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

"Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer," Karnavian said. "She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents."

Karnavian's comments come after a male relative of Aisyah said in an Indonesian television interview that she had been hired to perform in a short comedy movie and traveled to China as part of this work. Indonesian Immigration has said Aisyah traveled to Malaysia and other countries it did not specify.

Investigators were still trying to piece together details of the case, and South Korea has not said how it concluded that North Korea was behind the killing.

Malaysian police were questioning three suspects  Aisyah, another woman who carried a Vietnamese passport, and a man they said is Aisyah's boyfriend.

Kim Jong Nam was estranged from his younger half brother, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Yoji Gomi, a Japanese journalist who wrote a book about Kim Jong Nam, said he criticized the family regime and believed a leader should be chosen "through a democratic process."

Gomi said he met Kim Jong Nam by chance at Beijing's international airport in 2004, leading to exchanges of 150 emails and two interviews in 2011  one in Beijing and another in Macau  totaling seven hours.

Kim Jong Nam appeared nervous during the interview in Macau, Gomi said.

"He must have been aware of the danger, but I believe he still wanted to convey his views to Pyongyang via the media," Gomi said. "He was sweating all over his body, and seemed very uncomfortable when he responded to my questions. He was probably worried about the impact of his comments and expressions. The thought now gives me a pain in my heart."

KUALA LUMPUR (MALAYSIA): North Korea said it will reject the results of an autopsy on its leader's estranged half brother, the victim of an apparent assassination this week at an airport in Malaysia. Pyongyang's ambassador said Malaysian officials may be "trying to conceal something" and "colluding with hostile forces." Indonesia's police chief, meanwhile, said an Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the death of Kim Jong Nam was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank. Speaking to reporters gathered outside the morgue in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the autopsy on Kim Jong Nam "unilaterally and excluding our attendance." Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46 and had lived in exile for years, suddenly fell ill at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau. Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical. He died while being taken to a hospital. "We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem," Kang said, adding that the move disregarded "elementary international laws and consular laws." Kang said the fact that Malaysia has yet to hand over the body "strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us." South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi. North Korean diplomats in Malaysia objected to an autopsy and had requested custody of Kim Jong Nam's body, arguing that he had a North Korean passport. Malaysian authorities went ahead with the procedure anyway, saying they did not receive a formal complaint. The autopsy could provide some clarity in a case marked by speculation, tales of intrigue and explosive, unconfirmed reports from dueling nations. Authorities were still awaiting the autopsy results. Malaysia said Friday it wants DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam's family as part of the post-mortem procedure and that officials were not yet willing to hand the body over to the North Koreans. Although Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau, police in Malaysia say none has come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples. "If there is no claim by next-of-kin and upon exhausting all avenues (to obtain DNA), we will finally then hand over the body to the (North Korean) embassy," said Abdul Samah Mat, a senior Malaysian police official. He would not say how long that process might take. Malaysian police have arrested three people in the investigation but have released few details. Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian, citing information received from Malaysian authorities, told reporters in Indonesia's Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in "Just For Laughs" style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show. He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water. "Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer," Karnavian said. "She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents." Karnavian's comments come after a male relative of Aisyah said in an Indonesian television interview that she had been hired to perform in a short comedy movie and traveled to China as part of this work. Indonesian Immigration has said Aisyah traveled to Malaysia and other countries it did not specify. Investigators were still trying to piece together details of the case, and South Korea has not said how it concluded that North Korea was behind the killing. Malaysian police were questioning three suspects  Aisyah, another woman who carried a Vietnamese passport, and a man they said is Aisyah's boyfriend. Kim Jong Nam was estranged from his younger half brother, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland. Yoji Gomi, a Japanese journalist who wrote a book about Kim Jong Nam, said he criticized the family regime and believed a leader should be chosen "through a democratic process." Gomi said he met Kim Jong Nam by chance at Beijing's international airport in 2004, leading to exchanges of 150 emails and two interviews in 2011  one in Beijing and another in Macau  totaling seven hours. Kim Jong Nam appeared nervous during the interview in Macau, Gomi said. "He must have been aware of the danger, but I believe he still wanted to convey his views to Pyongyang via the media," Gomi said. "He was sweating all over his body, and seemed very uncomfortable when he responded to my questions. He was probably worried about the impact of his comments and expressions. The thought now gives me a pain in my heart."
By Associated Press

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani officials say a second key Chaman border crossing into Afghanistan has been closed, halting trade supplies to the neighbouring landlocked country.

The border closure in Pakistan's south-west Baluchistan province comes after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan that killed 88 people. It was seen as a tactic to pressure Kabul to act against militants who Pakistan says have sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani officials asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to brief the media on the record.

Earlier, Pakistan closed a border crossing at Torkham, which connects Pakistan to Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

The Islamic State says it was behind the shrine attack and Pakistani security forces have launched nationwide operations that they say has left more than 100 "terrorists" dead.

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani officials say a second key Chaman border crossing into Afghanistan has been closed, halting trade supplies to the neighbouring landlocked country. The border closure in Pakistan's south-west Baluchistan province comes after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan that killed 88 people. It was seen as a tactic to pressure Kabul to act against militants who Pakistan says have sanctuaries in Afghanistan. The Pakistani officials asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to brief the media on the record. Earlier, Pakistan closed a border crossing at Torkham, which connects Pakistan to Afghanistan's Nangarhar province. The Islamic State says it was behind the shrine attack and Pakistani security forces have launched nationwide operations that they say has left more than 100 "terrorists" dead.
By Associated Press

BARCELONA: Thousands of protesters marched Saturday in Barcelona to demand that Spain's conservative-led government increase its efforts to take in refugees from war-torn countries like Syria.

Spain has taken in just 1,100 refugees of the over 17,000 it has pledged to accept.

Marchers held a large banner and signs with the slogan "Enough Excuses! Take Them In Now!" as they made their way through the city center to the Mediterranean coast.

In Sept. 2015, Spain's government pledged to bring 17,337 refugees in within two years: 15,888 from camps in Italy and Greece and 1,449 from Turkey and Libya.

A group of 66 refugees 65 Syrians and one Iraqi who arrived in Madrid on Thursday raised the total number of refugees Spain has taken in to just 1,100.

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau joined the march. Colau, a former anti-eviction activist, has pushed Spain's government to let her city accept more refugees. She also criticized the federal government's stance toward refugees in December at a Vatican conference on Europe's refugee crisis.

In contrast with Spain, fellow European Union member Germany took in 890,000 asylum-seekers in 2015 and another 280,000 in 2016. Germany decided last year on more than 695,000 asylum applications. Nearly 60 percent of the applicants were granted either full refugee status or a lesser form of protection.

BARCELONA: Thousands of protesters marched Saturday in Barcelona to demand that Spain's conservative-led government increase its efforts to take in refugees from war-torn countries like Syria. Spain has taken in just 1,100 refugees of the over 17,000 it has pledged to accept. Marchers held a large banner and signs with the slogan "Enough Excuses! Take Them In Now!" as they made their way through the city center to the Mediterranean coast. In Sept. 2015, Spain's government pledged to bring 17,337 refugees in within two years: 15,888 from camps in Italy and Greece and 1,449 from Turkey and Libya. A group of 66 refugees 65 Syrians and one Iraqi who arrived in Madrid on Thursday raised the total number of refugees Spain has taken in to just 1,100. Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau joined the march. Colau, a former anti-eviction activist, has pushed Spain's government to let her city accept more refugees. She also criticized the federal government's stance toward refugees in December at a Vatican conference on Europe's refugee crisis. In contrast with Spain, fellow European Union member Germany took in 890,000 asylum-seekers in 2015 and another 280,000 in 2016. Germany decided last year on more than 695,000 asylum applications. Nearly 60 percent of the applicants were granted either full refugee status or a lesser form of protection.
Express News Service

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan government ministers who met representatives the families of 32,000 missing Tamils here on February 9, sent them back with yet another promise that their grievance will be attended to after the return of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe from Australia.

The families had met Ministers State Minister of Defense Ruwan Wijewardene, Minister of Law and Order Sagala Ratnayake, Minister of Justice Wijedasa Rajapakshe and Minister of Rehabilitation D.M.Swaminathan, at the Prime Ministers Office. The Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara was present.

During the 30 year war, the abduction of Tamils for security reasons (also referred to as forced disappearance) was common. After the war, there was a clamor for tracing the missing men and women, and the government set up a commission to assess the problem. But till date no executive action has been taken to trace the disappeared. Therefore, a section of the affected families sat on a fast unto death in Vavuniya on January 25. It was called off only when State Minister of Defense Ruwan Wijewardene called on them on January 27, and gave, in writing, an assurance that a solution will be found in a weeks time.

Since the promise was not kept, the families decided to meet ministers of the government but without the Tamil National Alliance or any other political party acting as an intermediary and politicizing the issue. The government saw this as a good opportunity to interact with the affected party directly, and fixed a meeting for February 9.

When TNA MPs M.A.Sumanthiran and Selvam Adaikalanathan came for the meeting at the Prime Ministers office, the assembled families asked them to leave. After an altercation which lasted for about half an hour, the MPs left.

The Ministers tried to assuage the feelings of the families by saying that the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) will address the problem. But the affected families pointed out that the OMP has not been set up yet. And at any rate, the OMP has no teeth. It can only collect information and share it with the concerned families. It cannot prosecute and punish the abductors. It is no different from the Commission on Forced Disappearances which collected basic information and compiled a report.

If the OMP will take time to take off, why cannot the government release the Tamil political prisoners and militant suspects since the war ended eight years ago, the families asked. To this, the Ministers said that a decision on this issue can be taken only at the level of the Prime Minister and that he will be apprised of the families demand when he comes back from his Australian tour.

Asked what the families propose to do now, their legal advisor K.S.Ratnavel told Express that it is too early to say. The group is expected to meet next week to take stock of the situation and take a decision.

There is little hope that this issue will be addressed earnestly as Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has already made a public statement saying that the missing persons issue is intractable because many of the disappeared may have left the shores of Sri Lanka.

The earlier government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa had said that it was difficult to trace the missing because foreign governments which might know about their whereabouts were not forthcoming with information.

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan government ministers who met representatives the families of 32,000 missing Tamils here on February 9, sent them back with yet another promise that their grievance will be attended to after the return of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe from Australia. The families had met Ministers State Minister of Defense Ruwan Wijewardene, Minister of Law and Order Sagala Ratnayake, Minister of Justice Wijedasa Rajapakshe and Minister of Rehabilitation D.M.Swaminathan, at the Prime Ministers Office. The Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara was present. During the 30 year war, the abduction of Tamils for security reasons (also referred to as forced disappearance) was common. After the war, there was a clamor for tracing the missing men and women, and the government set up a commission to assess the problem. But till date no executive action has been taken to trace the disappeared. Therefore, a section of the affected families sat on a fast unto death in Vavuniya on January 25. It was called off only when State Minister of Defense Ruwan Wijewardene called on them on January 27, and gave, in writing, an assurance that a solution will be found in a weeks time. Since the promise was not kept, the families decided to meet ministers of the government but without the Tamil National Alliance or any other political party acting as an intermediary and politicizing the issue. The government saw this as a good opportunity to interact with the affected party directly, and fixed a meeting for February 9. When TNA MPs M.A.Sumanthiran and Selvam Adaikalanathan came for the meeting at the Prime Ministers office, the assembled families asked them to leave. After an altercation which lasted for about half an hour, the MPs left. The Ministers tried to assuage the feelings of the families by saying that the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) will address the problem. But the affected families pointed out that the OMP has not been set up yet. And at any rate, the OMP has no teeth. It can only collect information and share it with the concerned families. It cannot prosecute and punish the abductors. It is no different from the Commission on Forced Disappearances which collected basic information and compiled a report. If the OMP will take time to take off, why cannot the government release the Tamil political prisoners and militant suspects since the war ended eight years ago, the families asked. To this, the Ministers said that a decision on this issue can be taken only at the level of the Prime Minister and that he will be apprised of the families demand when he comes back from his Australian tour. Asked what the families propose to do now, their legal advisor K.S.Ratnavel told Express that it is too early to say. The group is expected to meet next week to take stock of the situation and take a decision. There is little hope that this issue will be addressed earnestly as Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has already made a public statement saying that the missing persons issue is intractable because many of the disappeared may have left the shores of Sri Lanka. The earlier government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa had said that it was difficult to trace the missing because foreign governments which might know about their whereabouts were not forthcoming with information.
By Associated Press

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka police have arrested an army officer and two soldiers over the abduction and assault on a prominent journalist nine years ago.

Police spokesman Priyantha Jayakody says the suspects were arrested on Saturday for their role in the abduction and assault on Keith Noyahr in 2008. They are expected to appear before a judge.

The abduction was one of the high profile attacks on journalists under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, when dozens of reporters were killed, abducted or left the country.

At the time, Noyahr was an associate editor of the English language weekly The Nation and was critical about the civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels and security situation.

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka police have arrested an army officer and two soldiers over the abduction and assault on a prominent journalist nine years ago. Police spokesman Priyantha Jayakody says the suspects were arrested on Saturday for their role in the abduction and assault on Keith Noyahr in 2008. They are expected to appear before a judge. The abduction was one of the high profile attacks on journalists under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, when dozens of reporters were killed, abducted or left the country. At the time, Noyahr was an associate editor of the English language weekly The Nation and was critical about the civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels and security situation.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: The White House distanced itself on Friday from a Department of Homeland Security draft proposal to use the National Guard to round up unauthorised immigrants, but lawmakers said the document offers insight into the Trump administration's internal efforts to enact its promised crackdown on illegal immigration.

Administration officials said the proposal, which called for mobilising up to 100,000 troops in 11 states, was rejected, and would not be part of plans to carry out President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration policy.

If implemented, the National Guard idea, contained in an 11-page memo obtained by The Associated Press, could have led to enforcement action against millions of immigrants living nowhere near the Mexican border. Four states that border on Mexico were included in the proposal  California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas  but it also encompassed seven states contiguous to those four  Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Despite the AP's public release of the document, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said there was "no effort at all to utilize the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants." A DHS official described the document as a very early draft that was not seriously considered and never brought to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly for approval.

However, DHS staffers said on Thursday that they had been told by colleagues in two DHS departments that the proposal was still being considered as recently as Feb. 10. DHS spokeswoman Gillian Christensen declined to say who wrote the memo, how long it had been under consideration or when it had been rejected.

The pushback from administration officials did little to quell outrage over the draft plan. Three Republican governors spoke out against the proposal and numerous Democratic lawmakers denounced it as an overly aggressive approach to immigration enforcement.

"Regardless of the White House's response, this document is an absolutely accurate description of the disturbing mindset that pervades the Trump administration when it comes to our nation's immigrants," said U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.)

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he would have "concerns about the utilization of National Guard resources for immigration enforcement," believing such a program "would be too much of a strain on our National Guard personnel."

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert would have serious concerns about the constitutional implications and financial impact of activating the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants, the governor's office said in a statement.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval questioned the legality of the plan described in the draft memo and said it would be an inappropriate use of guard resources.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), said, "This administration's complete disregard for the impact its internal chaos and inability to manage its own message and policy is having on real people's lives is offensive."

The AP had sought comment from the White House beginning Thursday and DHS earlier Friday and had not received a response from either. After the AP released the story, Spicer said the memo was "not a White House document" and said there was "no effort to do what is potentially suggested."

Governors in the 11 states would have had a choice whether to have their guard troops participate, according to the memo, which bears the name of Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general.

At a maximum, approximately 100,000 Army National Guard and Air National Guard personnel would be available for stateside missions in the 11 states, according to statistics and information provided by the National Guard Bureau.

While National Guard personnel have been used to assist with immigration-related missions on the U.S.-Mexico border before, they have never been used as broadly or as far north.

The memo was addressed to the then-acting heads of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It would have served as guidance to implement the wide-ranging executive order on immigration and border security that President Donald Trump signed Jan. 25. Such memos are routinely issued to supplement executive orders.

Also dated Jan. 25, the draft memo says participating troops would be authorized "to perform the functions of an immigration officer in relation to the investigation, apprehension and detention of aliens in the United States." It describes how the troops would be activated under a revived state-federal partnership program, and states that personnel would be authorized to conduct searches and identify and arrest any unauthorized immigrants.

If implemented, the impact could have been significant. Nearly one-half of the 11.1 million people residing in the U.S. without authorization live in the 11 states, according to Pew Research Center estimates based on 2014 Census data.

WASHINGTON: The White House distanced itself on Friday from a Department of Homeland Security draft proposal to use the National Guard to round up unauthorised immigrants, but lawmakers said the document offers insight into the Trump administration's internal efforts to enact its promised crackdown on illegal immigration. Administration officials said the proposal, which called for mobilising up to 100,000 troops in 11 states, was rejected, and would not be part of plans to carry out President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration policy. If implemented, the National Guard idea, contained in an 11-page memo obtained by The Associated Press, could have led to enforcement action against millions of immigrants living nowhere near the Mexican border. Four states that border on Mexico were included in the proposal  California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas  but it also encompassed seven states contiguous to those four  Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Despite the AP's public release of the document, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said there was "no effort at all to utilize the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants." A DHS official described the document as a very early draft that was not seriously considered and never brought to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly for approval. However, DHS staffers said on Thursday that they had been told by colleagues in two DHS departments that the proposal was still being considered as recently as Feb. 10. DHS spokeswoman Gillian Christensen declined to say who wrote the memo, how long it had been under consideration or when it had been rejected. The pushback from administration officials did little to quell outrage over the draft plan. Three Republican governors spoke out against the proposal and numerous Democratic lawmakers denounced it as an overly aggressive approach to immigration enforcement. "Regardless of the White House's response, this document is an absolutely accurate description of the disturbing mindset that pervades the Trump administration when it comes to our nation's immigrants," said U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he would have "concerns about the utilization of National Guard resources for immigration enforcement," believing such a program "would be too much of a strain on our National Guard personnel." Utah Gov. Gary Herbert would have serious concerns about the constitutional implications and financial impact of activating the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants, the governor's office said in a statement. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval questioned the legality of the plan described in the draft memo and said it would be an inappropriate use of guard resources. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), said, "This administration's complete disregard for the impact its internal chaos and inability to manage its own message and policy is having on real people's lives is offensive." The AP had sought comment from the White House beginning Thursday and DHS earlier Friday and had not received a response from either. After the AP released the story, Spicer said the memo was "not a White House document" and said there was "no effort to do what is potentially suggested." Governors in the 11 states would have had a choice whether to have their guard troops participate, according to the memo, which bears the name of Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general. At a maximum, approximately 100,000 Army National Guard and Air National Guard personnel would be available for stateside missions in the 11 states, according to statistics and information provided by the National Guard Bureau. While National Guard personnel have been used to assist with immigration-related missions on the U.S.-Mexico border before, they have never been used as broadly or as far north. The memo was addressed to the then-acting heads of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It would have served as guidance to implement the wide-ranging executive order on immigration and border security that President Donald Trump signed Jan. 25. Such memos are routinely issued to supplement executive orders. Also dated Jan. 25, the draft memo says participating troops would be authorized "to perform the functions of an immigration officer in relation to the investigation, apprehension and detention of aliens in the United States." It describes how the troops would be activated under a revived state-federal partnership program, and states that personnel would be authorized to conduct searches and identify and arrest any unauthorized immigrants. If implemented, the impact could have been significant. Nearly one-half of the 11.1 million people residing in the U.S. without authorization live in the 11 states, according to Pew Research Center estimates based on 2014 Census data.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: Blind sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the Egyptian-born cleric linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, died Saturday of natural causes in a US prison facility, the Justice Department said. He was 78 years old.

Abdel Rahman was serving a life sentence on several terrorism-related charges at a Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina. His death came after a long battle with diabetes and coronary artery disease, the Bureau of Prisons said.

The sheikh was seen as a jihadist spiritual leader even after his conviction in 1995 for conspiring to bomb New York landmarks, including the United Nations, and assassinate the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Abdel Rahman, who sported a long gray beard and signature sunglasses, led the militant Al-Gamaa al-Islamiya group in Egypt before emigrating to the United States.

Born in 1938, he preached a radical brand of Islam and was seen as having inspired the 1993 bombing of New York's World Trade Center, which left six people dead and injured around 1,000 more.

His son Mohamed Omar was informed of the death and told AFP the family had contacted the American and Egyptian authorities to repatriate the late cleric's body.

Abdel Rahman had been imprisoned in North Carolina since 2007. He was hospitalized in late 2006 in the state of Missouri after he began to spit blood and was given a blood transfusion.

In 2012, Egyptian Islamist President Mohamed Morsi called for Abdel Rahman's transfer to Egypt for "humanitarian reasons," asking for a "prisoner exchange" with the United States.

WASHINGTON: Blind sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the Egyptian-born cleric linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, died Saturday of natural causes in a US prison facility, the Justice Department said. He was 78 years old. Abdel Rahman was serving a life sentence on several terrorism-related charges at a Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina. His death came after a long battle with diabetes and coronary artery disease, the Bureau of Prisons said. The sheikh was seen as a jihadist spiritual leader even after his conviction in 1995 for conspiring to bomb New York landmarks, including the United Nations, and assassinate the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Abdel Rahman, who sported a long gray beard and signature sunglasses, led the militant Al-Gamaa al-Islamiya group in Egypt before emigrating to the United States. Born in 1938, he preached a radical brand of Islam and was seen as having inspired the 1993 bombing of New York's World Trade Center, which left six people dead and injured around 1,000 more. His son Mohamed Omar was informed of the death and told AFP the family had contacted the American and Egyptian authorities to repatriate the late cleric's body. Abdel Rahman had been imprisoned in North Carolina since 2007. He was hospitalized in late 2006 in the state of Missouri after he began to spit blood and was given a blood transfusion. In 2012, Egyptian Islamist President Mohamed Morsi called for Abdel Rahman's transfer to Egypt for "humanitarian reasons," asking for a "prisoner exchange" with the United States.
Just a week ago, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to give the go-ahead for President Trumps executive order temporarily blocking refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

Both the ruling, as some legal experts have warned, and the order itself are wrought with dangerous precedents, but the courts decision has helped abate the hysteria surrounding the action, while the Trump administration determines its response.

Still, the controversy continues to divide Americans and the politics are bleeding into our sacred spaces, churches included.

This month, a pastoral letter in response to the presidents policy from Bishop Michael Olson was read during all Masses in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas.

Much of the letter discussed the need for compassion and openness to immigrants, and it reminded listeners of the scriptural texts that teach us to love and serve the least of these.

Church leaders are right to appeal to the better angels of their parishioners, especially when the issue is within the realm of church teachings.

The letter also opined on the policy content of the executive order, calling it both radical and draconian. In so doing, the bishop stepped into the murky territory where religion and politics meet.

The reception for Olsons letter was mixed.

In some Masses, applause; in others (I am told by friends), parishioners walked out.

There is room to debate the wisdom of the bishops strong denunciation of national security policy.

But the letter raises another question: What is the responsibility of faithful Catholics during the Trump era?

Many Catholics voted for Trump, however reluctantly, based on his promise to restore religious liberties eroded by the Obama administration.

To that end, the Supreme Court nomination for Neil Gorsuch, whose jurisprudence indicates he will be a strong defender of religious liberty, not only fulfills a promise but justifies their vote.

Similarly, Catholics who supported Trump solely on his perceived position on abortion have been vindicated by his first weeks in office.

Days after his inauguration, Trump reinstated the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits nongovernmental organizations that receive U.S. funds from providing or promoting abortions overseas.

But as my progressive Catholic friends remind me (and as I have written before), being pro-life means more to Catholics than denouncing abortion. It means, among other things, caring for the immigrant and the refugee.

While strong national security policy is not exclusive of a generous refugee policy, the ill conception and poor execution of Trumps order further muddies the waters for many Catholics who find themselves elated by some of Trumps decisions and morally burdened by others.

In fairness, such a conundrum is hardly new.

Devout Catholics who vote for Democratic candidates tend to look the other way on issues like abortion and traditional marriage if other agenda items suit their beliefs. Indeed, Obama won the Catholic vote in both 2008 and 2012.

But Obamas failure to provide support for Syrian rebels (as recommended by the majority of Obamas own national security team) or to set up safe zones in the surrounding regions cost thousands of innocent lives and significantly contributed to the refugee crisis that created the environment for Trumps executive order and his election.

Why then, were so many of the Catholic voices now vocally opposed to the refugee policy silent when Obama allowed Syrias Bashar Assad to commit a genocide on his own people?

Where was the homily about the crossing of the now infamous red line Obama imposed warning Assad against using chemical weapons?

Does our Catholic moral responsibility not extend beyond our nations borders? Or, are these actually foreign policy and national security questions where the moral choices are extremely complicated and not always clear?

The coming years will present our nation with many moral quandaries.

Catholics should act according to our faith. Welcome the refugee with love, but understand they would prefer not to be a refugee in the first place.
By Associated Press

BANJUL: Gambia's new president thanked his nation and promised greater freedom, an improved economy and better education as thousands attended a ceremony Saturday marking his inauguration after a tense political standoff with the country's former longtime leader.

"This is a victory for democracy. It is a victory for all Gambians," President Adama Barrow said to a packed stadium near the capital that included dignitaries and several African heads of state.

The day, he said, was symbolic because it also marked the day in 1965 when the small West African nation declared its independence from Britain and the year in which the 52-year-old Barrow was born.

Saturday's ceremony was held to let Gambians witness a swearing-in that echoed the official one last month. Barrow first took the oath of office at Gambia's embassy in neighboring Senegal in January as former leader Yahya Jammeh refused to cede power.

International pressure, including the threat of a regional military intervention, led Jammeh on Jan. 21 to finally accept his December election loss and fly into exile in Equatorial Guinea. Hundreds of thousands welcomed Barrow's return to Gambia days later.

Barrow has pledged to reverse many of the actions that Jammeh took during his more than two decades of power. Barrow has promised to stay in the International Criminal Court, rejoin the Commonwealth, and free political prisoners.

Barrow arrived at Independence Stadium on Saturday to fanfare, waving from his vehicle in flowing white robes. Gambians also cheered Independent Electoral Commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai, who had to flee to Senegal during the political crisis after standing by the election results that showed Barrow's win.

After hours of ceremony, including a marching band, Barrow addressed the nation. He thanked Senegal for hosting him and promised improved relations, adding "we want the relationship between the two countries to be a model for African integration."

He thanked Allah, the Gambian people, the African Union, United Nations and regional leaders from the West African bloc ECOWAS for undertaking mediation efforts, including Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was in attendance.

"Gambia has changed forever. The people are fully conscious that they can put a government in office as well as remove it," he said, noting many challenges ahead as the country emerges from rule under Jammeh, who imposed a climate of fear with an administration that detained and sometimes tortured and killed opponents.

"We inherited an economic decline," Barrow said, adding that the political impasse saw businesses shut down, more than 50,000 people flee and over 126,000 become displaced internally. He promised improved employment opportunities, food security and export growth, sanitation and access to clean water.

"Under my presidency, we will try to ensure the sovereign protection and development of all children" and will work to make free education a reality, he said.

The coalition party which backed his candidacy was formed, Barrow said, "to ensure that we'll be one Gambia, one nation, one people."

The international community has warmed to Barrow's approach, with the European Union announcing an $80 million package of support after breaking off assistance amid tensions with Jammeh.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Barrow on Tuesday, saying: "We are here to help."

Senegal's President Macky Sall was among the honorary guests at the ceremony protected by ECOWAS troops. The regional force has secured the country during the transition, which has remained peaceful.

Sall said Gambia and Senegal, a regional power that surrounds the tiny country except for its coast, must strengthen economic and other relations. Many Senegalese live in Gambia.

"We are the same people, and we remain the same people," he said.

Others attending included the heads of state of Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Ghana, and the U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

BANJUL: Gambia's new president thanked his nation and promised greater freedom, an improved economy and better education as thousands attended a ceremony Saturday marking his inauguration after a tense political standoff with the country's former longtime leader. "This is a victory for democracy. It is a victory for all Gambians," President Adama Barrow said to a packed stadium near the capital that included dignitaries and several African heads of state. The day, he said, was symbolic because it also marked the day in 1965 when the small West African nation declared its independence from Britain and the year in which the 52-year-old Barrow was born. Saturday's ceremony was held to let Gambians witness a swearing-in that echoed the official one last month. Barrow first took the oath of office at Gambia's embassy in neighboring Senegal in January as former leader Yahya Jammeh refused to cede power. International pressure, including the threat of a regional military intervention, led Jammeh on Jan. 21 to finally accept his December election loss and fly into exile in Equatorial Guinea. Hundreds of thousands welcomed Barrow's return to Gambia days later. Barrow has pledged to reverse many of the actions that Jammeh took during his more than two decades of power. Barrow has promised to stay in the International Criminal Court, rejoin the Commonwealth, and free political prisoners. Barrow arrived at Independence Stadium on Saturday to fanfare, waving from his vehicle in flowing white robes. Gambians also cheered Independent Electoral Commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai, who had to flee to Senegal during the political crisis after standing by the election results that showed Barrow's win. After hours of ceremony, including a marching band, Barrow addressed the nation. He thanked Senegal for hosting him and promised improved relations, adding "we want the relationship between the two countries to be a model for African integration." He thanked Allah, the Gambian people, the African Union, United Nations and regional leaders from the West African bloc ECOWAS for undertaking mediation efforts, including Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was in attendance. "Gambia has changed forever. The people are fully conscious that they can put a government in office as well as remove it," he said, noting many challenges ahead as the country emerges from rule under Jammeh, who imposed a climate of fear with an administration that detained and sometimes tortured and killed opponents. "We inherited an economic decline," Barrow said, adding that the political impasse saw businesses shut down, more than 50,000 people flee and over 126,000 become displaced internally. He promised improved employment opportunities, food security and export growth, sanitation and access to clean water. "Under my presidency, we will try to ensure the sovereign protection and development of all children" and will work to make free education a reality, he said. The coalition party which backed his candidacy was formed, Barrow said, "to ensure that we'll be one Gambia, one nation, one people." The international community has warmed to Barrow's approach, with the European Union announcing an $80 million package of support after breaking off assistance amid tensions with Jammeh. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Barrow on Tuesday, saying: "We are here to help." Senegal's President Macky Sall was among the honorary guests at the ceremony protected by ECOWAS troops. The regional force has secured the country during the transition, which has remained peaceful. Sall said Gambia and Senegal, a regional power that surrounds the tiny country except for its coast, must strengthen economic and other relations. Many Senegalese live in Gambia. "We are the same people, and we remain the same people," he said. Others attending included the heads of state of Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Ghana, and the U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
By AFP

HAVANA: More than 680 Cubans have been deported back to Cuba since the United States ended its decades-old policy giving them preferred immigrant status in January, state media reported Saturday.

According to official Cuban reports, 683 people have been sent back to the Caribbean island from the United States, or from Mexico, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, where they were crossing in a bid to reach the US border.

On January 12, then-president Barack Obama scrapped with immediate effect a 1995 policy that had given Cubans near-automatic entry to the United States if they managed to set foot on American soil, regardless of their visa status. Cubans attempting to enter the country by sea had been turned back.

The end of the so-called "wet-foot, dry foot" policy was part of the broader normalization and warming of US-Cuban relations after a half-century of hostility that Obama helped engineer in 2015 along with Cuban President Raul Castro.

Now, overland Cuban migrants are treated like those who have attempted to cross into the United States by water and can be sent back to Cuba -- unless they can convince US officials that they fear persecution or have valid humanitarian reasons to be let in.

Obama's action came just days before President Donald Trump took office on January 20. The Republican property tycoon has vowed to fight illegal immigration and also criticized the US-Cuban normalization deal.

Cuba's Communist government had opposed the "wet-foot, dry foot" policy on grounds that the special treatment encouraged illegal migration and human trafficking.

Cuban media reported Saturday that the United States had deported 40 Cubans on commercial flights and 75 by boat. Another two deportees arrived in Cuba on a charter flight Friday, according to the newspaper Granma and website Cubadebate.

Mexico deported 264 Cubans and turned away 144 who were trying to illegally enter the country through airports. The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands deported a combined 156 people.

A total of 50,082 Cubans entered the United States in 2016, according to the Office of Field Operations of the Customs and Border Protection Service. Of those, 38,310 arrived illegally, while 11,772 had a visa.

Last year's numbers exceeded the 36,700 Cubans who fled the island in 1994 in makeshift boats headed for the US coast some 90 miles ( 145 kilometers) away, during the so-called "raft crisis."

That was the second-largest mass exodus from Cuba since 1980, when 125,000 people fled to Florida on boats launched from the port of Mariel, in an incident known as the Mariel boatlift.

HAVANA: More than 680 Cubans have been deported back to Cuba since the United States ended its decades-old policy giving them preferred immigrant status in January, state media reported Saturday. According to official Cuban reports, 683 people have been sent back to the Caribbean island from the United States, or from Mexico, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, where they were crossing in a bid to reach the US border. On January 12, then-president Barack Obama scrapped with immediate effect a 1995 policy that had given Cubans near-automatic entry to the United States if they managed to set foot on American soil, regardless of their visa status. Cubans attempting to enter the country by sea had been turned back. The end of the so-called "wet-foot, dry foot" policy was part of the broader normalization and warming of US-Cuban relations after a half-century of hostility that Obama helped engineer in 2015 along with Cuban President Raul Castro. Now, overland Cuban migrants are treated like those who have attempted to cross into the United States by water and can be sent back to Cuba -- unless they can convince US officials that they fear persecution or have valid humanitarian reasons to be let in. Obama's action came just days before President Donald Trump took office on January 20. The Republican property tycoon has vowed to fight illegal immigration and also criticized the US-Cuban normalization deal. Cuba's Communist government had opposed the "wet-foot, dry foot" policy on grounds that the special treatment encouraged illegal migration and human trafficking. Cuban media reported Saturday that the United States had deported 40 Cubans on commercial flights and 75 by boat. Another two deportees arrived in Cuba on a charter flight Friday, according to the newspaper Granma and website Cubadebate. Mexico deported 264 Cubans and turned away 144 who were trying to illegally enter the country through airports. The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands deported a combined 156 people. A total of 50,082 Cubans entered the United States in 2016, according to the Office of Field Operations of the Customs and Border Protection Service. Of those, 38,310 arrived illegally, while 11,772 had a visa. Last year's numbers exceeded the 36,700 Cubans who fled the island in 1994 in makeshift boats headed for the US coast some 90 miles ( 145 kilometers) away, during the so-called "raft crisis." That was the second-largest mass exodus from Cuba since 1980, when 125,000 people fled to Florida on boats launched from the port of Mariel, in an incident known as the Mariel boatlift.
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The American College of Physicians (ACP) applauds Thursday's federal appeals court decision that overturned a Florida state law that barred doctors from counseling patients about reducing injuries and deaths from firearms.

"This is a huge victory for patient safety, and for physicians' First Amendment rights" said Dr. Nitin Damle, MD, MS, MACP, ACP's president. "It clearly establishes that physicians have the right under the Constitution to freely discuss with their patients ways to prevent injuries and deaths, including those associated with having unsecured firearms in their home."

The ruling of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit said that doctors could not be threatened with losing their licenses for asking patients if they owned guns and for discussing gun safety because to do so would violate their free speech. ACP strongly opposed Florida's Firearms Owners Privacy Act and joined eight other medical specialty societies in signing an Amicus Brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to uphold a lower court decision that ruled the law unconstitutional. The plaintiffs, including the Florida Chapter of the American College of Physicians, individual Florida doctors, the Florida Pediatric Society/Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, Florida Chapter, sued the state of Florida for its unconstitutional intrusion on physician's constitutional right to speak freely to patients about the risk of unsecured firearms in the home; the national ACP joined in an amicus brief to the court supporting the plaintiff's case.

"The Florida Chapter is delighted with the 11th Circuit's ruling, which upheld the principal that the government should not interfere in the doctor-patient relationship," said Jason M. Goldman, MD, FACP, governor of the Florida Chapter of ACP. "While the Chapter does not wish to impinge on the rights of gun owners, it has fought this legislation in the Legislature and in the courts because it is essential that physicians and patients have the right to an open dialogue, free from government restrictions. Yesterday's ruling is a victory for patients and the profession."

Dr. Goldman also cited past-chapter Governor Stuart B. Himmelstein, MD, MACP, who he said "has made a mission of protecting the First Amendment rights of both physicians and patients and who has been a leading advocate in this battle over the past six years."

The court's decision will help save many lives, said ACP. According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence:

* in 2010, unintentional firearm injuries caused the deaths of 606 people;

* from 2005-2010, almost 3,800 people in the U.S. died from unintentional shootings; and

* more than 1,300 victims of unintentional shootings for the period 2005-2010 were under 25 years of age.

Additionally, a June 17, 2014 article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine said, it is estimated that each year, firearms kill more than 33,000 people in the United State. These deaths include homicides, suicides, and unintentional fatalities. The number of non-fatal firearm injuries in the United States is more than twice the number of fatal firearm injuries, with 73,883 non-fatal firearm injuries documented in 2011.

ACP has long recommended that physicians ask about gun ownership as a normal part of screening patients, including it on a long list of health questions about drug and alcohol use, smoking, exercise and eating habits.

The College believes that constitutional issues addressed by the court decision are much bigger than guns. It affirms a basic constitutional principal that the government should not be allowed to tell physicians what they can and can't discuss with their patients, consistent with evidence-based standards of care.

In 2014, ACP underscored a list of nine recommendations on firearms-related violence and included preserving the rights of doctors to counsel their patients on preventing deaths and injuries from firearms. In this regard, state governments must also do their part, by not imposing restrictions on engaging such discussion with their patients, as Florida attempted to do.
Of all racial minorities, Native Americans have the most dramatic health inequalities in the U.S., including significantly higher rates of cardiovascular disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes and substance abuse. Melissa Lewis, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the MU School of Medicine, led the first project in the nation to develop a mandatory medical school curriculum about indigenous health.

"Given the breadth of health inequality for this group, I believe health care providers would benefit from learning how to effectively work with indigenous patients and communities," Lewis said. "I suggest medical schools embrace and gather knowledge from their local underserved communities on the content that should be included in their curricula to improve the health of their minority populations."

Lewis, a former professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School's Duluth campus, recognized Minnesota's unique position to better serve indigenous populations, a racial group with the highest mortality rates in the state. Lewis defines indigenous populations as people who are the first people of that land, sometimes called Native Americans, First Nations, Aboriginals, and Alaskan and Hawaii natives. She said that indigenous people represent the largest minority group in some rural regions of Minnesota.

In 2013, Lewis organized a retreat with first- and second-year medical students, medical school faculty and leaders from the indigenous community to discuss the development and implementation of the new curriculum. In addition, the retreat attendees were asked to complete a survey on what should be included in the curriculum. Outcomes from the project included the addition of indigenous content for first-year, first-semester students taught primarily by indigenous faculty from a variety of fields.

University of Minnesota Medical School's Duluth campus implemented the new curriculum for medical students in 2014. Lewis recently gave an update on the success program and recommendations for other universities attempting to update their curricula to include similar content, in a new blog post by Academic Medicine.

While Lewis' project focused on tailoring medical school curriculum to the indigenous population, she said that all medical schools could follow her model for developing curricula tailored to the local minority population in their respective states.
The 2016 Zika virus outbreak, along with recent outbreaks of SARS, bird flu, H1N1 and Ebola, underscore the importance of being prepared for and responding quickly to infectious diseases. Zika, in particular, poses unique challenges, since its associated birth defects and lack of preventive treatment currently threaten over 60 countries.

During pandemics, scientists must race to investigate infection mechanisms, facilitate early detection and apply effective mitigations. Resources and policies for scientific, clinical and technical advances must be coordinated to enable rapid understanding of all aspects of an outbreak in order to minimize damaging impacts.

Eva Lee, professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech and director of the Center for Operations Research in Medicine and Healthcare, has developed a biological-behavioral-operational computer model to help policy makers choose the best intervention strategies to rapidly contain an infectious disease outbreak. Her analysis covers the dynamics of disease transmission across different environments and social settings. The modeling system gives on-the-ground policymakers critical information about how to mitigate infection, monitor risk and trace disease during a pandemic.

Lee presented findings and policy implications from her research on Feb. 16, 2017, in a briefing at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, Mass. The research has been sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Lee's presentation gave the results for Zika using her model, described by public health experts as "a digital disease surveillance and response" tool. The tool, ASSURE, can use many types of data, including biosurveillance, environmental, climate, viral, host, human behavior and social factors. If genetic information for the disease carriers are available, they also can be incorporated. Lee explained how the modeling system provides the ability to predict disease spread, assess risk and determine effective containment methods. In addition, it can help public health leaders optimize deployment of limited resources to help prevent and reduce the extent of future outbreaks.

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"The containment of pandemics is fundamental to preventing a global epidemic," said Lee. "ASSURE is a computational modeling tool designed for real-time support. By accepting real-time data, the model produces predictions that are customized to reflect a specific environment, policy and human behavior on the ground."

Referring to data related to the Zika outbreak in Brazil, Lee discussed which containment approaches are most effective there. Her model shows that the easiest and most productive way to contain the outbreak in Brazil is to the reduce the biting rate of mosquitoes by using insect repellents/mosquito-wristbands, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and employing air conditioning and window/door screens to keep mosquitoes out. The result is practical. For example, the model demonstrates that only 20 percent compliance can reduce the total infection by half. This strategy is more successful than just widely applying insecticide and lasers to kill mosquitos. The model offers policymakers a decision-support framework to estimate the cost-effectiveness of each prevention measure.

The modeling system also underscores the importance of early intervention by revealing the timing of different interventions and associated outcomes. "Knowing when to respond and how it affects the outcome is essential," Lee said.

Lee has shared some of these findings with federal officials, who recommended implementation of her resulting policies and strategies for Puerto Rico. She is also working with public health leaders in Houston, Texas, to identify high-risk areas and to optimize local surveillance and intervention.

Lee's system can be applied to help contain a wide variety of epidemics, including not only Zika but also dengue, Ebola, and many other types. "The modeling framework accommodates various transmission mechanisms. This allows public health officials to adapt rapidly to changing disease environments and different emerging epidemics," said Lee. As part of a continuing research effort, Lee is working with vaccinologists on vaccine immunity prediction to permit faster design and evaluation of new and emerging vaccines and to identify individuals either most likely or least likely to be protected by a vaccine.
Vaccine developers have successfully protected mice against Zika by injecting synthetic messenger RNA that encodes for virus proteins into the animals. The cells of the mice then build parts of the virus, training the immune system to recognize a future infection. The research, published February 17 in Cell, follows a February 2 Letter in Nature (doi:10.1038/nature21428) that showed similar positive results for a messenger RNA vaccine for Zika in mice and monkeys.

"We measured virus in the blood, virus in the brain, virus in the spleen, virus in the uterus for the female mice, and in one group of our vaccines we saw no viral replication at all in 95% of the mice," says study senior co-author Michael Diamond, infectious disease researcher at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Instead of training the immune system with weakened viruses or viral fragments, RNA vaccines trick cells into building pieces of virus, much the way viruses coerce cells into building more viruses. "Zika viruses inject their RNA into the cytoplasm and then they hijack the cell's translation machinery to produce their antigen," says study co-senior author Giuseppe Ciaramella, the Chief Scientific Officer at Valera LLC, a Moderna Venture focusing on the development of therapeutic approaches for infectious diseases. "With our vaccines, we direct cells to do exactly the same."

While viruses inject RNA instructions to build an entire virus, the vaccine contains RNA with instructions for just two Zika proteins. When the vaccine RNA enters the mouse cells, the ribosomes pick it up, build the protein, and release it. The two proteins can't infect any other cells, but they're enough for the immune system to learn to recognize Zika and build immunity.

Researchers have been hesitant to use weakened viruses of Zika to immunize against the virus, because Zika viruses can enter the brain. Even with weakened Zika, some scientists are concerned that attenuated viruses might still cause some damage in the brain. However, with RNA vaccines, cells quickly uptake the RNA, which never reaches the brain.

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Another key advantage of using RNA vaccines is their adaptability. Biologists have had a lot of practice at altering RNA strands, making it easier to customize the vaccine.

The researchers demonstrated the vaccine's flexibility by addressing one possible concern in the Zika vaccine development community. Zika virus looks an awful lot like its close relative, the dengue virus. In fact, they look so much alike that the immune system's antibodies against Zika might latch onto dengue viruses without actually killing the dengue virus. If that occurred, anti-Zika antibodies might worsen dengue infections. However, slightly modifying the RNA in the vaccine allowed the researchers to induce a Zika-killing antibody that minimized its ability to bind to dengue.

The researchers stressed that there haven't been epidemiological studies reporting especially vicious dengue infections in people who have had Zika. "It is a theoretical concern. We do not know yet if it's going to be a major concern or not. Because you need to have Zika first and then get dengue," says Diamond. Lots of people have gotten dengue first and later caught Zika, but since Zika is a relatively new addition to most locales, there haven't been enough Zika-first, dengue-second cases to lay the concern to rest. "We just don't know yet," says Diamond.

Next steps for the Zika RNA vaccines include a human clinical trial (which is currently recruiting) and mouse studies that test whether the vaccine can prevent mother-to-fetus transmission.
A group of Russian and Swedish scientists just published a breakthrough paper, reporting results of a joint study by Lomonosov Moscow State University and Stockholm university. The article was published in the US journal Aging.

The major goal of the study was to investigate the role of intracellular powerstations -- mitochondria -- in the process of ageing of organism. Importantly, scientists made an attempt to slow down ageing using a novel compound: artificial antioxidant SkQ1 precisely targeted into mitochondria. This compound was developed in the Moscow State University by the most cited Russian biologist professor Vladimir Skulachev.

Experiments involved a special strain of genetically-modified mice created and characterized in Sweden. A single mutation was introduced into genome of these mice resulting in the substantially accelerated mutagenesis in mitochondria. This leads to accelerated ageing and early death of the mutant mice. They live less than 1 year (normal mouse lives more than 2 years). The mutation promotes development of many age-related defects and diseases indicating that the major defect of these mice is indeed ageing.

Starting from the age of 100 days one group of mutant mice was treated with small doses of SkQ1 (approx. 12 micrograms) added into their drinking water. Per scientists' hypothesis, the compound must protect animal cells from the toxic byproducts of mitochondria -- free radicals (reactive oxygen species). Another group of animals served as a control group receiving pure water.

Differences between the two groups became obvious starting from the age 200-250 days. Animals in the control group aged rapidly as expected. They were losing weight, their body temperature decreased, severe curvature of the spine (as a result of osteoporosis) and alopecia were developing, their skin became thinner, and in case of females estrus cycle was impaired. Finally their mobility and oxygen consumption were decreased. The development of all these typical traits of ageing was dramatically decelerated in the group treated with SkQ1. Some of the ageing traits did not appear in that group at all.

Professor Vladimir Skulachev, the creator of SkQ1 molecule design and co-author of this study, says: "This work is quite valuable from both theoretical and practical points of view. First, it clearly demonstrates the key role of mitochondrially produced reactive oxygen species in the process of ageing of mammals. At the same time our study opens the way to the treatment of ageing with mitochondrially targeted antioxidants. We are also very honored to cooperate within this project with such prominent Swedish scientists as prof. Barbara Cannon who has such title as the President of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in her CV and prof. Jan Nedergaard, Head of Wenner-Gren institute".

Prof. Skulachev's project is now developing a set of pharmaceuticals based on SkQ1 molecule. The first drug -- Visomitin eye drops -- is already approved and marketed in Russia, it also passed phase 2 clinical trials in US. The next pharmaceutical product in project's pipeline is an oral form of SkQ1 (similar to the one used in the aforementioned experiments). It is now in the process of clinical trials in Russia. In case of positive results of these trials, such "anti-ageing" drug can be approved for systemic indications in 2-3 years.
The University of Connecticut has joined the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute as a partner for the purpose of sharing its revolutionary human tissue and limb regeneration technologies.

The institute, which is headquartered in New Hampshire, aims to speed the growth and use of engineered human tissues and organs to meet the increasing health needs of the nation and its citizens, especially soldiers.

"We need to develop 21st-century tools for engineered tissue manufacturing that will allow these innovations to be widely available, similar to how a 15th-century tool - the printing press - allowed knowledge to spread widely during the Renaissance," said the chairman of ARMI, inventor Dean Kamen.

ARMI is the 12th Manufacturing USA Institute, a national network of public-private partnerships intended to nurture manufacturing innovation and accelerate commercialization.

With public-private investment funding approaching nearly $300 million, ARMI brings together a consortium of nearly 100 partner organizations from across industry, government, academia, and the non-profit sector to develop next-generation manufacturing processes and technologies for cells, tissues, and organs.

"We are excited to collaborate with ARMI to lend our expertise to our country and push our regenerative engineering discoveries and breakthroughs closer to the bedsides of soldiers and Americans in need of vital medical care," said Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, an internationally acclaimed surgeon-scientist who is chief executive officer of the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS) at UConn, and director of the Institute for Regenerative Engineering and The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical, and Engineering Sciences at UConn Health.

UConn is currently working toward regenerating a human knee within six years and an entire limb by 2030. Laurencin's brainchild is the HEAL Project - Hartford Engineering A Limb - which was launched in November 2015 and is the first international effort for knee and limb engineering. Laurencin, whose laboratory research successes include the growth of bone and knee ligaments, is known as a pioneer in the field of regenerative engineering and material sciences.

At UConn, collaborators making the partnership with ARMI possible include innovative regenerative engineering scientist Lakshmi S. Nair, known for her research advances in growing musculoskeletal tissue at the Institute for Regenerative Engineering at UConn Health. The new ARMI initiative at UConn benefits from strong support by Dr. Bruce T. Liang, dean of the UConn School of Medicine, Kazem Kazerounian, dean of the UConn School of Engineering, and Jeff Seemann, UConn's vice president for research.

"In joining ARMI, UConn will contribute to the program's mission to bring together the country's most talented researchers to accelerate the advancement of tissue bioengineering and regeneration discoveries, while helping bring these promising, much needed breakthroughs to patients in their clinical care," said Seemann.
A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered the mechanisms that the Zika virus uses to alter brain development. These findings are detailed in Stem Cell Reports.

There are currently 70 countries and territories reporting active Zika transmission, according to the World Health Organization. While a Zika infection typically results in mild or symptom-free infections in healthy adults and children, the risk of microcephaly in the developing fetus is an alarming consequence that has created a worldwide health threat.

Babies with microcephaly can have a wide array of problems including a small brain and head, developmental delays, seizures, vision and hearing loss and feeding difficulty. Scientists are trying to determine how a Zika infection triggers these defects.

Neuroscience eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

Since a normal brain develops from simple cells called stem cells that are able to develop into any one of various kinds of cells, the UTMB team deduced that microcephaly is most likely linked with abnormal function of these cells.

There are two main lineages of the virus, African and Asian. Recently, the UTMB team found that only the Asian lineage has been linked with microcephaly. So, what is it about this particular form of the virus that inflicts such damage?

The researchers established a method of investigating how Zika alters the production, survival and maturation of brain stem cells using cells donated from three human fetal brains. They focused on the impact of the Asian lineage Zika virus that was involved in the first outbreak in North America in late 2015.

"We discovered that the Asian lineage Zika virus halted the proliferation of brain stem cells and hindered their ability to develop into brain nerve cells," said Ping Wu, senior author on the study and UTMB professor in the Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology. "However, the effect that the Zika virus had on the ability of stem cells to develop into specialized cells differed between donors. This difference seems to be linked with a Zika-induced change in global gene expression pattern, it remains to be seen which genes are responsible.

Wu further stated, "the unique system containing stem cells from three donors will allow us to dissect molecular mechanisms underlying Zika virus-induced brain malformation."

Senior author and UTMB associate professor in the Department of Pathology Nikos Vasilakis said that they discovered that two weeks after the cells had developed into a certain type, the Zika infection was mainly found in glial cells, which provide support and insulation for the brain.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the National Regulatory Authority of India (NRA) and affiliated institutions meet the WHO Global Benchmarking Tool requirements for a functional vaccine regulatory system.



Some of the affiliated institutions include the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) and the Central Drugs Laboratory.



The decision was arrived at after a WHO-led team of international experts conducted a comprehensive review -- performed every couple of years -- from February 13 to 17.



The team that performed the review called it a "great achievement for India".



"This is indeed a great achievement and we would like to congratulate the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and its affiliated institutions," said Alireza Khadem, WHO Team Leader for the NRA Re-benchmarking, Group Lead, Regulatory System Strengthening Team.



One of the requirements to become eligible and retain the prequalification status is to have the NRA assessed as functional against the WHO Global Benchmarking Tool. Safety, efficacy and quality are three basic parameters of assessment of vaccines.



The WHO has established global standards and benchmarks for assurance of vaccine quality by developing tools and guidelines, benchmarking of the NRA and prequalification programme of vaccines.



"India is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of vaccines worldwide; this development further deepens our resolve to maintain the highest quality and efficacy of the products that are manufactured within our country and in this context, we look forward to strengthening our collaboration with WHO," said Health Secretary C.K. Mishra.



Henk Bekedam, WHO Representative to India, said: "It will go a long way in re-affirming India's role in global health, including the strength of its pharmaceutical sector and drug regulatory capacity."



The WHO had scaled up its technical support to the India's national regulatory authority over the past several years, said Bekedam, adding: "This success is a culmination of intensive effort by the Health Ministry."




Police sources said a contingent each from police, army and paramilitary cordoned off the village this morning after information about militant being spotted came in. As they were moving in, villagers from Warwun and its adjoining localities gathered around the encounter site and tried hampering the operation against the hiding militants

: In the backdrop of Army chief Bipin Rawat's warning to people to stay away from encounter sites, a large number of youth on Saturday pelted stones at security forces who had launched an anti-militancy operations in South Kashmir.A police official from Pulwama admitted that a huge mob raised slogans and pelted stones at security forces who had begun an anti-militancy operation at Warwun-Newa village in Pulwama."Yes, we were conducting an operation but had to withdraw when an irate mob of nearly hundred people threw stones. We fired smoke shells to scare the people," the officer said, refusing to elaborate further.Rajesh Kalia, Srinagar based defence spokesman said, "Based on information, a joint operation was launched. Search was carried out and the operation was called off. However, while the security personnel were de-inducting, a mob resorted to stone pelting which was dispersed by the Jammu and Kashmir police."The Army statement was brief and clearly avoided any details about the nature of operation or if there was any specific information about militants or any hideout.In a way, the joint forces team adhered to no different drill or SOP - standard operating procedure - that they always have been doing.While the Army and SOG - crack team of police - often focus on the trapped militants throwing an immediate ring around them, the police and paramilitary deal with the mob on the outside of this "core" ring.Since 2015, there have been numerous instances when people have come rushing down to encounter sites distracting army SOG teams and helping militants to flee in some cases but it is the police and paramilitary and not army which takes them on.The forces lobbed tear smoke shells to disperse the mob but when the situation turned ugly, they terminated the operation, apparently to avoid a serious confrontation with people.Saturday's incident comes in the wake of the recent statement by Army chief General Bipin Rawat warning people who come to the rescue of militants during gunfights of "tough action".General Rawat had told media on Wednesday that people who will try to hamper operations against militants will be treated as 'Over Ground Workers' and those displaying Pakistani and IS flags will be dealt as "anti-nationals". He even cited the "distraction" as a prime cause of soldiers taking casualties in recent encounters.A day after army chief's remarks, the Mehbooba government renewed advisories asking people to back off three kilometres from encounter scenes. Police said, henceforth, it would invoke Section 144, to discourage people from assembling near live encounters.
Washington: Getting a tattoo is painful, and so could be creating one. While perching on low stools, leaning forward, and craning their neck to keep their eyes close to the tattoo they are creating - sometimes for hours at a stretch - the artists stress their upper back and neck muscles much more than they should, says a study.



Researchers at the Ohio State University in the US measured the muscle exertions of 10 central Ohio tattoo artists while they were working, and found that all of them exceeded maximums recommended to avoid injury.



One of the main problems is that the industry does not have specialised seating to support both the artist and the client, said one of the researchers Carolyn Sommerich.



"There's no such thing as an official 'tattoo chair', so artists adapt dental chairs or massage tables to make a client comfortable, and then they hunch over the client to create the tattoo," Sommerich noted.



Adding to the problem is the fact that many tattoo artists are independent contractors who rent studio space from shop owners, so they're not covered by workers' compensation if they get hurt on the job, study co-author Dana Keester said.



The researchers observed the artists who agreed to work while wearing electrodes that precisely measured their muscle activity.



Though a single tattoo session can last as long as eight hours depending on the size and complexity of the tattoo, the sessions used in the study lasted anywhere from one to three hours.



In addition, the researchers used a standardised observational assessment tool to assess each artist's posture every five minutes and took a picture to document each observation.



All 10 tattoo artists exceeded recommended exertion limits in at least one muscle group.



Most notable was the strain on their upper back muscles that connect the shoulder blades to either side of the neck, a common site for neck/shoulder pain.



Some exceeded limits by as much as 25 per cent, putting them at high risk for injury.



Publishing their findings in the journal Applied Ergonomics, the researchers also offered some suggestions on how tattoo artists can avoid injury.



Artists could experiment with different kinds of chairs for themselves, and try to support their back and arms.



They could change positions while they work, take more frequent breaks and use a mounted magnifying glass to see their work instead of leaning in, the researchers said.



They can also consider asking the client to move into a position that is comfortable for both the client and the tattoo artist, Sommerich added.




Running Shaadi opens with so much promise. Amit Sadh, playing Ram Bharose, a Bihari migrant employed at a garments shop in Amritsar, has been silently carrying a torch for his boss daughter Nimmi (Tapsee Pannu). This feisty young girl, aware of Bharoses feelings for her, has made it a habit to rely on him for everything, including, on this occasion, help with an unwanted pregnancy. ((pause))But Running Shaadi has very little interest in negotiating the complicated dynamics of their relationship. The film is fashioned as a romantic comedy, and humor is mined out of scenarios that arise after Bharose and his friend Cyberjeet (Arsh Bajwa) set up a company that helps couples in love to elope and marry. ((pause))Its another interesting idea, but the films director Amit Roy and writer Navjote Gulati never let a good thing be. The stakes are raised again when Nimmi and the two young men find themselves hotfooting it all the way from Amritsar to Dalhousie and then to Patna, although by now the script has become unnecessarily convoluted. To be fair, the Patna portions are the best in the film, thanks in no small part to the excellent Brijendra Kala who plays Bharoses uncle, a small-time local videographer who has committed his nephews hand in marriage to the daughter of a Doordarshan official. The idea being that the father of the bride will pass his pilot when the couple is married. ((pause))There are several moments of ingenuity and laugh-out-loud humor in Running Shaadi, including one in which the family of a bride-to-be urges their daughter to demonstrate her singing skills to the grooms family who have come visiting. Another is a scene in which a pair of lovers disguised in burkhas, is spied upon by our protagonists, whore also disguised in burkhas. In addition to the comedy, Roy captures the texture of small town India with a sharp eye. Tapsee Pannu makes a big impression as a young woman who knows what she wants, and isnt shy of making a play for it. ((pause))But the film is ultimately weighed down by its choppy editing and inconsistent screenplay. The very conceit of the eloping business set up by Bharose and his friend is quickly abandoned, never to be mentioned again. Also, much of the film is in impenetrable Punjabi which needs subtitles to be understood. And Bharoses sidekick, the tech-genius sardar with the Facebook logo on his turban, gets way more screen time than he deserves. ((pause))In the end Running Shaadi is amusing, but only in fits and starts. Frankly the only ones running will be you towards the exit door when the lights come back on in the end. Im going with a generous two out of five.Rating: 2 / 5Write your review of Running Shaadi?What did you think of Running Shaadi?
Hajipur/Patna: Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his government's 'non-cooperative' attitude towards Bihar.



The Prime Minister had announced a special package for the state during Assembly polls but it (Bihar) did not get even a word's mention in this year's Budget, the Deputy Chief Minister said while dedicating a pontoon bridge, constructed parallel to the dilapidated Mahatma Gandhi setu, to the people of state.



Addressing the public at the inaugural function, the Deputy Chief Minister who is also the Road Construction Department Minister, said that "The pontoon bridge has been built and dedicated to the public within a short span of time keeping in mind the dilapidated condition of Mahatma Gandhi setu and the frequent jam on it."



Yadav, who was accompanied by Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav, dedicated the bridge at a function held at Chhaukia village under Terasiya panchayat which falls under his Raghopur Assembly constituency in Vaishali district.



Four under construction bridges, across the state being constructed on the river Ganga, would be completed within four months, he said.



In order to further ease off the traffic pressure on the Mahatma Gandhi setu, the minister announced that road deck of the Digha rail-cum-road bridge and Ara-Chapra bridge would be dedicated as a gift to the public on June 11, the birthday of RJD president Lalu Prasad.



The pontoon bridge, whose overall length including approach road from both sides is around 6 km, has been opened for our-wheelers and three-wheelers from Hajipur side to Patna from 6 am to 6 pm.



Motorcycles would be allowed to ply to and fro, official sources said.



The actual length of the pontoon bridge is around 2 km comprising 157 pontoons constructed on the river Ganga, a Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Ltd (BRPNNL), an agency entrusted with job of constructing the pontoon bridge, official said.



The bridge has been built at a cost of Rs 89 crore.



"Initially, it was decided that light motor vehicles and three-wheelers would be allowed to pass through the pontoon bridge from Hajipur to Patna side between 6 am to 6pm while traffic from Patna to Hajipur will be allowed to ply between 6 pm to 6 am.
New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Speaker P Dhanapal has expelled all the 88 MLAs of DMK complaining they insulted and manhandled him. As this copy gets published, Assembly Marshals are evicting them one by one from the floor of the House. The upshot is that the house-strength will now come down from 228 to 140 members giving Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami  who is seeking a Trust vote  a clear edge. So, was it a smart strategy by the DMK or did they play into the hands of Camp Palanisamy? Experts feel the matter is now headed straight to the court but ace Supreme Court lawyer Mohan Parasaran argues it will be difficult to challenge the speakers decision in a court of law.



Experts seem divided on this just as the MLAs inside the assembly.



Kalyan Arun, Senior Journalist



This matter might end up in the court of law to decide, which is the official faction of AIDMK. In either way, here the speaker has only expelled the members and have not suspended them. If the speaker conducts the floor test without the DMK, then it will be unconstitutional and illegal. Only if the members were suspended by the speaker and the house was called again in session to propose the motion of confidence then the floor test will be valid.



Sundararajan Murali, Senior journalist



DMK strategy is simple and clear so that the house cannot function and Palanisamy cannot form the government. But here DMK chief MK Stalin is correct to hold that the vote could be deferred as the governor himself had given a 15 day window, then why this mighty hurry? What will happen is Congress will also walk out leaving only Palanisamy and his supporting MLAs in the assembly and a floor test will make him victorious. Since the party proceedings have been recorded, the governor will send a report to the Home Ministry about the conduct, and if the Home Ministry feels that the floor test was undemocratic, then the ruling government can be dismissed. But today the speaker will decide the final outcome and he cannot be challenged. Governor will take note of this.



A R Venkatachalapathy, Professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies



The speaker has the absolute right to decide what happens in the assembly today. Today Palanisamy may form government, but this can be taken to the courts and is open to judicial scrutiny. But the court part comes at a later stage as no one questions a speakers decision when the assembly is in session. The government has to function and they are trying to hold together by hook or crook. But personally I feel, such a floor test cannot happen because the strength of the government has to be tested in a calm atmosphere with all the members and when such a thing is not followed, it is in the courts domain to decide its legality.



Senior Advocate Mohan Parasaran, Former Advocate General



It will be difficult to challenge the speaker in the court of whatever he decision he takes in the assembly.


Haasan, who has been taking a lot of interest in the political developments of the last two weeks, went on to ask voters to send emails to the Governor if they are unhappy with the current 'state' of affairs.

The anger was also visible on the streets with reports coming in of people shouting slogans at cars that were ferrying the MLAs back to the Golden Bay Resort after the oath taking.

"Stability in these conditions will not be easy. Like they say at each meeting of the Alcoholics Anonymous, the EPS government will take it one day at a time, " says RK Radhakrishnan, political analyst who has seen many upheavals of this sort.

When superstar Kamal Haasan tweeted after the trust vote on Saturday "People of Tamizhnadu, Welcome your respective MLAs with the respect they deserve back home," he drew a plethora of responses. The key word "respect" being up for all kind of interpretation.While one said "surely they will have to face chappal," another follower of his said these MLAs better not go back to their constituencies, they should just return to the Golden Bay resort  since they can't possibly face the voters.With huge popularity in this southern State, the 'Nayakan' hero has probably voiced the concern of lakhs of others in the State.Just two hours after Edapadi Palaniswami was invited to form a government on Thursday, mobs of supporters who were at former chief minister O Panneerselvam's home were trying to barge into the home of his neighbour CV Shanmugam, who took oath as law minister in the Palaniswami cabinet."Where are these missing MLAs? Why do they spend time, dancing and relaxing at the taxpayer's cost? Ask them to come out," screamed one woman, restrained by police from laying siege to Shanmugam's home. Another questioned why the police was stopping them from meeting their minister. "Is this the way you treat a party worker? What happens to people then?" she asked.One onlooker Nizam Mohammed said the anger is because Tamilians are used to different endings in films. "We have been trained to romanticise that the bad guy is supposed to lose in the end. But in this case, even after the bad guy got convicted by the Supreme Court and sent to prison, the bad guy seems to have won. And there doesn't seem to be an end to this nightmare," he said.When Mylapore MLA R Nataraj  one of those MLAs who have tried his best to be impartial but finally threw in his lot with the OPS faction  visited his office on Friday, he was greeted by voters asking him to stay away from the 'resort crowd.'Panneerselvam, too, called upon people in all constituencies to go out and tell their elected representatives what they think of them. This also reflected in his stand in the Assembly before the vote of confidence began, that the AIADMK MLAs should visit their constituencies before they decide on who they want to vote for in the floor test. When the Governor had given them all of 15 days to prove their majority, what was the hurry to hold the session on the second day, the Opposition argued.Doubtless, a public backlash is brewing under the heat and dust of Chennai's streets. The public has been watching: how for two weeks MLAs shuttered themselves out of the very people who put them on that pedestal; how a CM was not elected at a party or government office but at a beach-side resort; how a trust vote was held behind doors as closed as the ones at the resort.Even on the street that leads to now-confirmed Chief Minister Edapadi Palaniswami's home, one can see torn posters of AIADMK with VK Sasikala's face on them. Incidentally, the other posters seem to have been left alone: not something that augurs well for a two-day old government still trying to find its bearings.The uneasy majority of just five MLAs above the halfway mark of 117 MLAs needed to win the trust has already got the AIADMK Edapadi faction pussy-footing its way around.MLAs didn't even stop to greet people outside the Assembly as they whizzed past them, on their way to pay tributes at Jayalalithaa's grave site. Perhaps they were hoping time, and some freebies, will heal all.Even their behaviour within the House was unusual in the face of the commotion that the Saturday session saw with the DMK hurling mics and usurping the Speaker's chair. Having brought in directly from the resort to the Assembly, they were quiet and subdued, as if waiting for the whole session to get over as soon as possible, like sitting in a dentist's chair."Like all Tamil politicians, the AIADMK MLAs also are known to shout and scream and challenge the Opposition to fist fights. I've been witness to several such instances over the past few decades. Even if we grant that the AIADMK MLAs were today there with the single-minded goal of getting EPS a majority, their unusually calm behavior suggests they are under some kind of stress," says Radhakrishnan.So despite his triumph in the House, Chief Minister Palaniswami will be looking over his shoulder every step along the way, wondering if he can be secure in the 'confidence' he enjoys or someone  either in his party or the 'family'  is waiting to pull the rug from under him.This government, then, will be wrought by insecurity and instability. People have already begun taking Kamal Haasan's advice and sending missives to the Governor.No wonder then that Haasan's parting advice to his fans was: be civil in your complaints to the Governor! For, to be anything else, will lead to chaos.Well, Amen to that.
Still wondering who was the girl who shared dais with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi on Friday in Rae Bareli? Priyanka who was making her first major appearance in Uttar Pradesh in the run up to the state Assembly polls was seen laughing out as she took to the microphone in an animated fashion.She is Aditi Singh, daughter of Rae Bareli strongman Akhilesh Singh, once the nightmare of Congress in this family pocket borough.Aditi is the Congress candidate in Rae Bareli. A Masters in Management Studies from Duke University, USA, she returned to India to take the baton over from father Akhilesh, a five-time MLA from Raebareli. If Congress grapevine is to be believed, the 29-year-old is one of the closest to the elusive Priyanka.Rae Bareli is considered as a Congress bastion. Winning election here is more than just adding numbers to Assembly seats. Its a matter of prestige here for the Indian National Congress. Last time, party strongman Akhilesh had defected from Congress, yet managed to win.Listening to people's problems in her Rae Bareli office approximately 81 Kms from the state capital, Aditi promises to write a new chapter in the history of UP Politics. Talking exclusively to Network18 with the hint of an American accent, Aditi says, My father has been five-time MLA from Rae Bareli and he has been my role model. It was he who motivated me to join politics, and because of his grassroot level work even I was always fascinated towards politics since I was a kid. Ive seen my father always available for his people, and I would like to become just like him.But will it be difficult for Aditi to change the image of daughter of a Bahubali to a local MLA? She answers quickly, First of all my father is not a Bahubali, he is a normal person. I dont know why his image has been made like this; he is a very helpful man instead and never lets down anyone who seeks any kind of help from him. People have voted him to power for last 25 years, and that is just not possible by pointing a gun at someones head. He has worked a lot for the people of Rae Bareli and that is why he was elected five times.But what was it exactly that prompted Aditi to join Congress; she could have fought elections as an independent candidate just like her father Akhilesh Singh. The main reason behind me joining Congress is Priyanka Gandhi. I was in constant touch with her all this time. A few months back when I met her in Delhi, she asked me to join Congress and I agreed. She is very down to earth and I hope she comes to Rae Bareli to campaign for me, says Aditi, as she dons dupatta on her head and gets ready to go for a public meeting in her constituency.Keeping her views on the Congress-Samajwadi alliance Aditi says, The alliance is beneficial for both the parties. Akhilesh Yadav has really done a lot of development in the state and thats why people are going to vote for him.But what about the slogans like 27 Saal UP behaal? Well, such slogans were given before the alliance. Now the alliance has been done on the basis of development as Congress has always worked for development, replied Aditi.The Robinhood of Rae Bareli and Aditis father, Akhilesh Singh, has been five-time MLA from Rae Bareli Sadar seat, but still basic amenities like road, electricity and water are the issues. So whats the daughters defence? My father has served the people of Rae Bareli that is why he has been elected five times consecutively. A lot of development work has been done like NIFT and other factories. If you talk about roads, then I would say that they all will be addressed soon. Development is a work in progress; you just cannot stop at one point. It is a continuous process and I will ensure maximum work for my constituency. I will start a new chapter in UP politics."
New Delhi: Chaos erupted in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Saturday after Speaker P Dhanapal refused to allow a secret ballot in the trust vote and said that voting would be conducted via voice vote. DMK, the main Opposition party in the assembly, demanded a secret ballot and protested in the house by gheraoing the speaker. Soon, chairs and microphones in the house were broken and the speaker had to be marshalled away to safety.



Chaos and violence, however, are not new phenomenon in Indias Legislative Assemblies. Below is a list of a long history of ruckus inside the assembly



Tamil Nadu, 1988:



After the death of AIADMK stalwart MG Ramachandran, a political tug-of-war ensued between J Jayalalithaa and Janaki Ramachandran. Janaki, who was just sworn in Chief Minister, was asked to prove her majority on the floor of the house. Five Congress MLAs rebelled against their party line when they learnt that Rajiv Gandhi had opposed the motion and that led to violence in the assembly. The violence went on for an hour till the police were called in to lathicharge MLAs. Over a 100 microphones were broken and 20 legislators were injured.



Tamil Nadu, 1989:



A year later, violence returned to the assembly when the DMK was in power. During Karunanidhis budget speech, a Congress MLA got up to claim that Jayalalithaa was being harassed by the police. Jayalalithaa, the leader of Opposition at this point, substantiated the MLAs claims and violence began even before Karunanidhi could respond. The situation soon worsened as Karunanidhis sunglasses were broken in the chaos and an MLA even tried to disrobe Jayalalithaa. The image of Jayalalitha holding up her torn sari became iconic and helped shift public sympathy in the AIADMKs favour during the 1991 elections.



Uttar Pradesh, 1997:



In September 1997, Kalyan Singh of the BJP was sworn in as Chief Minister for the second time after support from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). By November, however, the BSP withdrew support and Singh was asked to prove his majority on the floor of the assembly. While Kalyan Singh survived the trust vote, the incident became infamous for the violence that preceded it. Pramod Tiwari, the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader, demanded a lobby division of votes and that led to an ugly brawl in the house. A group of angry BSP MLAs hurled a small loudspeaker at the speaker and soon, MLAs were throwing microphones, glass, paperweights and chairs at each other. Several legislators were injured in the fighting.



Jammu & Kashmir, 2015:



Engineer Rashid, Awami Itihad Party MLA, was in the news after he organized a beef party to protest against a proposed bill to ban the sale of beef in the state. On October 8, 2015, Rashid was attacked on the floor of the house by a BJP MLAs.



Tripura, 2016:



The Tripura assembly erupted in chaos in December after allegations were raised against Forest Minister Naresh Jamatiya. Opposition MLAs stormed the well, shouted slogans and demanded a statement from Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. Trinamool Congress MLA Sudip Roy Burman then approached the speakers desk, took the speakers mace and fled the house with it. Soon, however, he returned the mace when the house was adjourned.






New Delhi: Move over Tamil Nadu, 'politics of resort' is also on in another state of India.



Around 40 rebel MLAs of Nagaland, belonging to the Naga People's Front have been camping in a luxury resort in Kaziranga, Assam, from early this morning. This even as the leadership crisis in the state has reached its climax, with current Chief Minister TR Zeliang on the verge of resignation and party president Shurhozelie Liezietsu who was supposed to take over the Chief Minister's mantle now sidelined. These 40 MLAs are likely to extend support to Neiphiu Rio.



In a 60-member Assembly, 40 means comfortably past the half way mark. This development came about after an apparent patch up between chief minister TR Zeliang and his predecessor Neiphiu Rio. Both the leaders were camping in Delhi and will reach Dimapur on Saturday.



Politics has been on the fast track ever since the Nagaland Tribal Action Committee (NTAC), began their agitation demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister. On Wednesday, 42 MLAs chose party chief Liezietsu as the chief minister-designate. On Thursday, both Zeliang and Governor Acharya moved to Delhi. On Friday, there was a meeting between Minister of state PMO, Dr.Jitendra Singh, BJP leader Ram Madhav and Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio in Delhi. Sources close to the NPF say it is in this meeting that the deal was sealed.



The timeline of the Governor's Delhi visit becomes interesting as he left for the capital around the time when Liezietsu was all set to become the Chief Minister and has returned when the tide has turned in favour of former Chief Minister Rio.



The ruling alliance of the state is called Democratic Alliance of Nagaland, which comprises 48 NPF , 4 BJP and 8 independent MLAs. It appears that former Chief Minister Rio's takeover bid has the blessings of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Earlier, on Thursday, Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang had appealed to the agitating tribal groups to give him 'two-three more days' to step down to ensure smooth transition of power.



Nagaland is in turmoil since January, after the NPF-led government decided to hold local body elections where 33% of the seats were reserved for women. The NTAC is a coalition which has been at the forefront of the protests against the move to introduce 33 per cent reservation for women in the states urban local body (ULB) elections, the polls were later declared null and void due to the tribal unrest.



The tribal organisations demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister and branded him as a 'killer' after two persons were allegedly killed in police firing on February 1, to prevent protestors from entering the chief ministers private residence in Dimapur.


Lucknow: Muslims have so many children since they had no other work to do, Uttar Pradesh's Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohd Azam Khan said on Friday -- courting yet another controversy.



Known for his controversial statements and caustic remarks against opponents, Khan at an election rally in Allahabad said a large number of Muslims were unemployed and it was for this reason that they gave birth to more children.



"Had Badshah (Emperor) Modi paid more heed to give Muslims employment, the Muslims would not have produced so much," he said.



"Sitting idle, Muslims have no work but to give birth to more children" he added.



Reacting sharply to the statement, Bharatiya Janata Party state General Secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said Azam Khan should know that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been at the helm for a little over two years.



"Azam Khan should ask this question to the Congress, whom they have supported in the past and have formed an alliance with on why Muslims are still unemployed," he said.






Mumbai: NCP President Sharad Pawar on Saturday asserted that his party will not bail out the BJP Government in Maharashtra if it is reduced to the minority and dared the Shiv Sena to withdraw support to it.



"We are willing to give a letter to the Governor, saying the Devendra Fadnavis Government will not have NCP's support if Shiv Sena withdraws from it. But Uddhav Thackeray should first give a letter to the Governor withdrawing support to the Fadnavis government and also make the letter public," Pawar said at a press conference in the city.



Replying to questions on Uddhav's remark that he doesn't trust the NCP when it says it will not support the BJP government if Shiv Sena pulls out, Pawar said he does not require a certificate of trust from him.



Uddhav, which has snapped ties with BJP for the February 21 civic polls, has said he will take a decision on continuing in the Maharashtra government after election results are announced on February 23.



The Maratha strongman said two years ago his party had announced support to BJP (which won maximum seats) since no party had got a majority and NCP did not want political instability immediately after the 2014 Assembly polls.



"The BJP had formed Government for the first time and people thought the party should be given a chance to perform.



But after two years, people have realised that BJP is no good.



Hence, there is no question of supporting the Government," Pawar said.



The former Union Minister claimed the BJP will not have an upper hand in the civic polls and alleged the central leadership of the party has been "plotting" to weaken the Shiv Sena.



Pawar said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' poll campaign is centred around personal attacks on Uddhav, "the Shiv Sena had to retaliate. If this continues and the Shiv Sena withdraws support, there will be mid-term polls. But, there is no clarity yet on the Shiv Sena stand."



He said Sena's demand for loan waiver to farmers in the state is nothing but an "escape route" to avoid quitting the over two-year-old dispensation.



"I don't think Fadnavis will have a problem in announcing sops for farmers to keep his Government stable," the NCP chief said.



Pawar said he had predicted two years ago that the Sena-BJP alliance will hit a rough patch during the Mumbai civic polls and "we are facing a similar situation now".



He said the NCP has a limited presence in Mumbai and hence will not benefit from the Sena-BJP fight in the state capital.



"NCP support is mostly among farmers, rural masses and Marathi-speaking people. In Mumbai, the Marathi space is already with the Shiv Sena. We need more time to create a space for ourself in the city," he added.


New Delhi: The larger political crisis in Tamil Nadu may be far from over but Chief Minister Edapadi Palaniswami has won the trust vote and has a chance now to entrench himself into the system. Over 90 governments in India have been dismissed since Independence, but several CMs like EPS have survived. News18 looks at CMs who weathered political storms to survive the trust vote.



C. Rajagopalachari, Madras, 1952

Tamil Nadu experienced its first tryst with a constitutional crisis as early as 1952, when the first elections of independent India were held. While the Congress was sweeping elections across the political landscape of the country, in Tamil Nadu, then known as Madras State, it was reduced to a minority. With 152 MLAs out of 375, the party was nowhere close to the magic figure of 188 needed to form government. Though, it was still the single largest party in newly-elected Assembly.



It was at this point that Governor Krishna Kumarsinhji faced a tough choice  invite the single largest party to form the government or impose Presidents Rule. After days of indecision, the Congress party looked to a 73-year-old stalwart who was in retirement  C Rajagopalachari. The Governor nominated Rajagopalachari, or Rajaji as he was colloquially known, to the Legislative Council and on April 1, 1952, invited him to form the government. Ten days later, he was sworn in as Chief Minister but he did not have to take the floor test for another three months. This gave Rajaji enough time to engineer defections in the non-Congress front called United Democratic Front (UDF) and by July, he had 200 MLAs supporting him. Thus, Rajaji became the first Chief Minister to survive the trust vote.



Janaki Ramachandran, Tamil Nadu, 1988

When the death of J Jayalalithaa threw Tamil Nadu into turmoil this year, a sense of deja vu gripped the AIADMK. The death of party icon MG Ramachandran in December 1988 had resulted in a similar tug-of-war between Jayalalithaa and MGRs wife Janaki Ramachandran. Thirty three of the 131 AIADMK MLAS had thrown their weight behind Jayalalithaa. The Congress, with 61 MLAs, decided to stay neutral and 16 of DMKs 24 MLAs stood suspended. Five Congress MLAs rebelled against their party line when they learnt that Rajiv Gandhi had opposed the motion and that led to violence in the Assembly. The violence went on for an hour till the police was called in to lathi-charge at the MLAs. Over a 100 microphones were broken and 20 legislators were injured. The trust vote soon resumed, which Ramachandran eventually won. The victory, however, lasted only 24 days since the Centre, then led by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, suspended the state government. Fresh elections were held in 1989 and the DMK rode to power. Jayalalithaa, who had gained control of the AIADMK by this point, was the new leader of Opposition.



Kalyan Singh, Uttar Pradesh, 1997

In September 1997, Kalyan Singh of the BJP was sworn in as Chief Minister for the second time after support from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). By November, however, the BSP withdrew support and Singh was asked to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly. While Kalyan Singh survived the trust vote, the incident has become infamous for the violence that preceded it. Pramod Tiwari, the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader, demanded a lobby division of votes and that led to an ugly brawl in the house. A group of angry BSP MLAs hurled a loudspeaker at the Speaker and soon, MLAs were throwing microphones, glass, paperweights and chairs at each other. Several legislators were injured in the fighting. Around noon, the Opposition was evicted from the House and Mayawati joined several Opposition leaders in a protest outside Raj Bhawan. Meanwhile, the trust vote continued inside the House, which Kalyan Singh won comfortably.



Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi, 2014

Barely a year old, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) decided to contest its first ever elections in Delhi in December 2013. Defying expectations, the AAP won 28 seats, just three less than the BJP which was the single largest party with 31 MLAs. All parties, however, fell short of a majority in the 70-member House and this resulted in a hung House. Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung first invited the BJP to form the government but they refused, claiming they couldnt cobble together a majority. Jung then invited AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal to form the government. Kejriwal wrote to both Rajnath Singh and Sonia Gandhi, seeking clarifications on 18 issues before seeking their support. The AAP also sought public opinion on whether they should form the government. The BJP did not reply to the letter and Congress agreed to 16 of the 18 demands. On December 28, Kejriwal was sworn in as CM and asked to prove his strength on the floor. On January 2, a trust vote was held in the Delhi Assembly, which Kejriwal won by a margin of 37-32 with outside support from Congress. The government was short-lived as Kejriwal resigned after 49 days. In 2015, fresh elections were held in which AAP recorded a historic win by sweeping 67 of the states 70 constituencies.



Nitish Kumar, Bihar, 2015

In 2014, after Bihar CM Nitish Kumar exited the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) post Narendra Modis elevation as the Prime Ministerial candidate. In the Lok Sabha elections that followed, the JD (U) faced a drubbing and could only manage to win two seats out of 40. Kumar took responsibility for the debacle and quit as CM, appointing his colleague Jitan Ram Manjhi as CM. Soon, however, Manjhi lost favour with Nitish and was asked to step down. Manjhi refused and this led to a political crisis in the state. Nitish was elected as the JD(U) Legislative Party leader, a development that was stayed by the Patna High Court. He demanded a floor test and paraded 128 MLAs in front of Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. The Governor asked Manjhi to prove his majority on the floor of the House on February 20. Despite BJPs pledge of support, Manjhi quit as CM just hours before the trust vote. Nitish Kumar was then invited to form the government. In March, the BJP staged a walkout during the floor test and Kumar won the vote with a margin of 140-0.



Harish Rawat, Uttarakhand, 2016

The Constitutional crisis in the hill state of Uttarakhand began in March last year when nine Congress MLAs, including former CM Vijay Bahuguna, rebelled against the party and demanded the dismissal of the Harish Rawat government. Governor KK Paul took cognizance of the MLAs demands and asked Rawat to prove his majority. Meanwhile, the nine Congress rebels were suspended under the anti-defection law as the state prepared for the floor test. Just days before the trust vote, however, the Centre imposed Presidents Rule in Uttarkhand. The Congress termed the Centres move as murder of democracy as Harish Rawat moved the Nainital High Court against Presidents Rule. On April 21, the HC ruled in Rawats favour and set aside Presidents Rule, criticizing the Center in terse terms. The Centre then appealed against the HC verdict. On May 6, the SC upheld the Nainital HC verdict and ordered a trust vote on May 10. With the rebel MLAs suspended, the total strength of the house came down to 61. After months of political turmoil, Rawat finally emerged victorious in the floor test and was reinstated as CM. On February 15, the people of Uttarakhand voted in fresh elections and the results will be announced on March 11.




Chennai: Finally, Edapadi K Palaniswami sailed through a trust vote despite all the uproar in the State Assembly. Violence was never new in the State Assembly proceedings. Today was no exception.



After all the 122 loyalists voted in favour of Edapadi K Palaniswami, Dissolve TN Govt started trending on Twitter. It is not just the public anger against the latest developments but also celebrities who are unhappy with the political turmoil in the state.



Actor Siddharth was the first to react. He took a jibe at both the Edapadi K Palaniswami faction and the DMK. In a series of tweets, Siddharth said, "Is there any hope left for #TamilNadu or are we destined to see only this low level politics and zero conscience leadership?



Reacting to the commotion inside the Assembly, he tweeted: "'Indha naadum naattumakkalum naasama pogattum' (Let the State and people of the State go to hell) This is what we all feel right now. Well played #dmk As opposition you owe the people this! And later he went on to say this:"Let even children see, hear and learn what is happening in the assembly in #TN. Make them understand. Shameful days for democracy!"



Siddharth did not stop with this. He also indirectly hinted at the fact that the new govt should not waste the taxpayers money. In his tweet, he said: "Give #Sasikala a laptop in jail. Save transport cost (our money) for #EKP and his gang for 4 years. Time to put more salt in our food #TN."



He is not the only celebrity to publicly voice his views. Kamal Haasan, who is known to be vocal about his political views, also lashed out at the recent political developments. He came up with a pun on democracy after the over five-hour drama came to an end. He tweeted: "There you go. Seems like we have another CM. Jai de-mockcrazy."



Arvind Swami too had tweeted his views when there was political uncertainty in the state. Today too, he opined the fact that MLAs stayed in the resort and partied and did not go in favour of what their voters wanted. In a tweet, he said: None will accept a vote of confidence if the MLAs don't represent the ppl's views. For that they have to meet people, not party in a resort. He also said : "In my opinion, The only solution that is acceptable under the circumstances is a re- election. This is not the people's mandate. He also spoke about the undemocratic manner in which things panned out today. In his tweet, he said: If true democracy can be protected in an undemocratic manner, are we to feel happy or sad? Is the million $ question. Opinions pl."



Actor Suriya Sivakumar used one of the memes on O Panneerselvam and tweeted saying: Now, it is we the people of the state who are eating Mixture, Friends O Panneerselvam was called Mixture Mamawhen Jallikattu protests took place.



Joining the chorus was also Chinmayi Sripaada. She spoke to CNN-News18 and said: "Annus horriblis continues in TN. Tragedy after tragedy. I hope elsewhere and all across India people will learn from the people of TN - not being participative in a democracy will lead to the mess we are in. Question. Get involved. There is strength in truth and numbers."



One thing seems clear: most people in Tamil Nadu are not happy with the current state of affairs. They feel that today is the sad day for democracy.




Patna: Congress on Saturday announced its candidates on two out of the four seats of Bihar Legislative Council that will see voting on March 9 notwithstanding presence of RJD nominees on both the seats, a decision which indicated widening of rift within the ruling Grand Alliance.



Peeved over denial of a seat out of the four, state Congress chief Ashok Choudhary announced names of two candidates for Gaya Graduates and Gaya Teachers constituencies at a press conference here.



While Ajay Singh will be Congress candidate from Gaya graduates, former MLA Hriday Narayan Singh Yadav will fight from Gaya teachers constituency, Choudhary said.



Within Grand Alliance, JD(U) and RJD had distributed two seats each among them with Congress drawing a blank. RJD has 80 MLAs, JD(U) 71 and Congress 27 in the ruling coalition.



The two seats of Gaya Graduates and Gaya Teachers are being contested by RJD of Lalu Prasad and announcement of candidates by Congress meant the two allies would be face-to-face along with NDA nominees on the two seats.



JD(U) of Nitish Kumar are contesting Saran Graguates and Supual Teachers seats.



February 20 is the last date of filing of nomination for the four seats.



For the past few days, Congress has been indicating its annoyance over the two bigger parties of the Alliance ignoring it in the Council poll by not giving it any seat.



Choudhary was, however, cautious while announcing names of two nominees.



"This is not a general election. These are candidate-based poll and hence fielding our candidates should not be seen as conflict within the Grand Alliance," Choudhary flanked by another minister Awdesh Kumar Singh said.



"While Nitish Kumar is heading the Alliance, Lalu Prasad is guardian of the three parties coalition...there is no fight among us," he added.



"Like other parties Congress also has to strengthen its position in the state and hence we have decided to contest on two seats," he said.



Ajay Singh, Congress MLC from 1999-2005, will give fight to Council Chairman Awdesh Narayan Singh (BJP) who is seeking re-election for third time to the seat and RJD's Puneet Singh.



Ajay Singh is son of veteran Congress leader and Cooperative strongman Tapeshwar Singh.



Murmuring is not confined to Grand Alliance only, but also in the NDA camp where LJP of Ramvilas Paswan is determined to field its candidate on Gaya teachers seat against ally RLSP.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has won the vote of confidence, minutes after DMK Working President MK Stalin told media that his party members were beaten up and forcefully evicted from the house. Palaniswami garnered 122 yes votes, while members voted against him. Earlier, while showing his torn shirt, Stalin told media,We repeatedly appealed to the speaker for a secret ballot, but he refused to address our plea. We are heading to the Governors office to intimate him of all the events.

As it happened.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
A vote of confidence or a vote of conscience? This is the question running in the minds of the seven and a half crore people of Tamil Nadu, as they await the crucial floor test in the Legislative Assembly on Saturday.Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy, who took oath of office on Thursday, will face the first test of his ability to hold his flock of MLAs together when he moves a vote of confidence in the Assembly's special session. The session has been convened after a nearly 19-day impasse on who will rule over this southern state for the next four years.It's a 235-member Assembly, where there are 134 members belonging to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The main Opposition is the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam headed by M K Stalin. DMK has 89 members. The Congress has eight while there is one nominated member and one from the IUML.Also Read: After Guv, Spotlight Shifts to Speaker as TN Assembly Holds Trust Vote The halfway mark to win majority is 118 members. The AIADMK faction led by Edappadi claims the support of 123 members, though it has invited all other MLAs who have identified themselves with the O Panneerselvam faction to vote for them (barring OPS himself, who is not on the invitee list).A vote of confidence can be done in as little as ten minutes. Or, if debates are allowed, can take many hours -- though that is really unlikely in Tamil Nadu where everyone has been in such a hurry this past week.Will it be a secret ballot, as sought by former CM OPS? Again, unlikely, since the AIADMK has undoubtedly issued a whip to party men to fall in line. An open ballot (by headcount or electronic voting) will identify MLAs who have defied this whip, and could be disqualified under anti-defection laws (and 'conscientious MLAs like R Nataraj of Mylapore and MA Foi K Pandiarajan may be flirting with exactly this scenario).The DMK has already made clear they will vote against Chief Minister Palanisamy.There is one vacant seat -- that of J Jayalalithaa, whose sudden death in December led to this complete disarray in Tamil Nadu politics.M Karunanidhi, patriarch of the DMK, who has been ill for some time, is unlikely to vote on Saturday. So the magic number is 117 (235 - 2 = 233. Divided by two is 116.5, so 117)Of the 134 MLAs, one is the Speaker. The Speaker has voting rights ONLY if there is a tie, with Palanisamy getting exactly 116 votes.The same 123 MLAs will continue to go with Palanisamy, the other 11 dissidents are disqualified and will be forced to face a by-election in six months.Palanisamy may face more people daring to vote against him than he thinks, and if there are even seven more dissidents, he loses the vote of confidence. In that case, the Assembly is kept in suspended animation and President's Rule imposed for six months. In those six months, if no one is able to muster up numbers and prove majority in the Assembly, Tamil Nadu will be headed for another full-fledged Assembly election.If less than 117 MLAs vote for Palanisamy, but MLAs from other parties cross-vote in his favour, he will still retain his chief ministership, though at the mercy of these dissident MLAs of other parties (and they could face disqualification from their own parties).This special session is being held at a time when questions are still being raised over whether Palanisamy will actually be able to carry off his chief ministerial stint for all of four years. Remember, until Tuesday evening, nobody, not even Edappadi K. Palanisamy himself, thought he was going to be sitting in the chief minister's throne.The one vacant seat of RK Nagar constituency will probably be sorely missed. Will Amma's atma (spirit) guide the honorable legislators?
Chennai: What happened in Tamil Nadu Assembly on Saturday was the worst in recent memory and it essentially shows a thumb to the voter, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi told News18.



Will voters memory be short or long? Is their vote a transaction or for transformation? Who is the voice for the non-aligned? Bedi asked.



When asked if she was saying this in the specific context of Tamil Nadu, she said that her comments were applicable across the country.



But Tamil Nadu is an immediate provocation for this expression of anguish, Bedi told this reporter.



I have said it all. It's of course the recent worst. Again as I say public memory is short. I recall certain Assemblies earlier too witnessing such kind of mayhem. But we have forgotten and forgiven...perhaps elected back those who broke the law with impunity. Which is why doing so is showing a thumb to the voter. We are yet to mature in our democracy. The voters are not realising the value of their vote. And the responsibility behind it. A promise of cheap or freebies, even a free wifi is enough to entice him to vote for someone he does not really know. He does not understand he will repay it with compound interest. And in more demanding conditions. Nothing is free. We all pay for everything, poor or rich equally. And poor more for they cannot afford to, she said.



Bedi, an anti-corruption crusader and one of the founding members of India Against Corruption, has been outspoken in her recent stint as the LG of Puducherry.




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Caricom and crime

The challenges more than likely would have been among the most arduous that confronted the regions heads of government at their inter- sessional meeting in Guyana this past week. Yet, they cannot afford to throw up their hands in the air and leave Georgetown in despair.

Caricom nations share so much in common in lifestyle, culture, values, history, geography and economy that collaborations can surely be invoked against the crime menace. This can be at the level of white-collar crime, street crime and the social factors that create predispositions to youth criminality.

While Caricom Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque recently urged a regional solution to crime, we say that at the very least certain models of best practice can be shared from one territory to another, such as templates for anti-money laundering legislation.

Caricom has been highly successful in areas of functional cooperation such as health and education. The creativity displayed, for instance, in containing the HIV/AIDS epidemic must be brought to bear on the initiatives to curb crime, said to be out of control in territories including Trinidad and Tobago, whose Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, is coordinator of Caricoms crime control efforts.

As a fillip to these discussions, Dr Rowley can speak with authority on some of the precursors to the inexorable increase in crime in TT.

For example, many murders in TT are due to the drug trade, largely spurred by this countrys position as a transshipment point between the producer South and the consumer North. Gang wars are fuelled when a portion of drugs being transshipped is retained for sale on the local market as payment to the transshippers, who are also supplied with lethal firearms in the shipment to protect their cargo.

Law enforcement must clearly play its role, yet to stem the multi-faceted menace of crime further factors are needed. Caricom would do well to mull a recent World Bank report, Stop the Violence in Latin America: A Look at Prevention from Cradle to Adulthood.

Despite the regions economic and social gains in the last decade, high levels of crime and violence take a heavy toll on development and human lives, said a statement accompanying the report. The authors urged a more inclusive social fabric with more equality of opportunities, plus policies to cut school dropout rates and provide good jobs for youth. Insecurity is the result of many factors  from drug trafficking and organised crime, to weak judicial and law enforcement systems that promote impunity, to a lack of opportunities and support for marginalised young populations. The statement said a well-aimed mix of initiatives can greatly reduce violent acts and criminal behaviour.

The report underscores that theres no magic formula or single policy to fix the problem, and it emphasises that relying only on greater police action or greater incarceration is not enough. The statement said policies that are not overtly anti-crime measures can greatly reduce crime, such as early childhood development, education, and poverty reduction measures.

The best measures are those that reduce the likelihood that children will run away from home, get arrested or convicted, and those to discourage youngsters from dropping out of high school. Even health policies can prevent crime, violence, and aggression, such as better nutrition and mental health treatment. The report remarked that crime prevention works best where institutions such as the police or the judicial system are trusted.

So, based on this report, the message is that in addition to the usual hard policing measures, Caricom leaders must consider the softer measures of alleviating social ills such as youth delinquency to prevent them contributing as causes of crime
Do not deface the Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms, designed by a committee in 1962, illustrates the national birds, colours and images from the nations history, which represents Trinidad and Tobago in the best manner. However a photo of the altered Coat of Arms has been spreading across several social media platforms.

Instead of the national birds, there is a drawing of two women gyrating on either side of a shield. Rather than the words together we aspire, together we achieve, which is the nations motto, there is a banner that reads, just hold dem and wuk dem, at the bottom of the coat of arms - the catch phrase to MX Primes road march contender Full Extreme.

The security ministry yesterday reminded the public that national emblems like the coat of arms are too important to Trinidad and Tobagos identity, to be mutilated or defaced.

A release stated, It is generally observed that during the Carnival season, revellers engage in displaying these emblems in a manner that is not usually in keeping with the highest regard associated with their use. Citizens are encouraged to cherish and respect our symbols of Nationhood within our communities and in Cyberspace. The security ministry was not alone in warning about defacing the Coat of Arms.

In a recent release, attorney Fareed Ali said that altering the Coat of Arms could be in breach of provision 7 of the National Emblems of Trinidad and Tobago (Regulations )Act.

Ali said: This provision of the law clearly underlines that, any person who mutilates, cuts or tears or in any way defaces the Coat of Arms or the National Flag whether by writing, printing or stamping thereon or otherwise without lawful authority or excuse, is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $750, or imprisonment for six months.
CARILED ends in TT

The four-year project, which began locally in 2012, and was first accommodated in the Chaguanas borough, was done in partnership and with funding from the Canadian government.

Speaking at the Final Knowledge Sharing Event yesterday at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre, Rufelds said the lessons shared at yesterdays event, which also included a panel discussion, will highlight the important role that local government plays in the development of your nation. With the current phase of the project at an end, she expressed the hope that lessons learned, exchanges on best practices, and networking, have had a positive and lasting effect on human lives in TT and across the Caribbean.

The aim of the project, she said, was to help organs of local government work better with constituents to contribute to economic development.

In Tobago, training in business development among medium, small and micro-enterprises was done. Support in the form of equipment was provided to the Tobago Agro Processors Association (TAPA) to support their processing capability.

Good work is going on there in Tobago, she said, and TAPA was working closely with the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

Among those sharing their experiences and how their entities benefited were chairman of the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation Henry Awong, entrepreneur and president of TAPA Darilyn Smart, and local economic development officer, Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, Stacy Ramroop.

Rufelds said over the past four years the Ministry of Local Government and the THA have worked closely with CARILED.

Some of the notable areas of collaboration, she said, had been the advancement of the national policy environment, particularly in terms of rural development, local government, and local economic development.

There has also been significant institution creation and capacity-building at municipal levels. That is extraordinary, she said.

Municipal capacity development, she said, was done through various training sessions, study tours to Canada and participation in global conferences such as the United Cities and local government-organised forums.
Dont drink and drive campaign launched

TTBAA Chairman, Dr Patrick Antoine, reminded that in December 2012, the TTBAA co-signed the Charter on Road Safety for TT, together with the Ministry of Transport.

In May 2014, we participated in the International Road Federation Third Caribbean Regional Congress, in keeping with the UN International Decade of Action on Road Safety (2011  2020).
Here Are the Most Overrated

Tourist Spots in the US
In a modern world full of variations on parenting, the social network Modamily introduced a less-than-traditional way to co-parent: The site allows couples to meet with the sole intention of finding someone with whom to have and raise a child, but out of two households and without the intention of becoming romantically involved. In its coverage of the then-new site in 2012, The Stir described it as "basically a cross between a sperm bank and an online dating service," and quipped that it "has disaster written all over it." But some five years post-launch, the CBC looks at a set of parents who found success with the site.

Tatijana Busic, a straight woman, and Brendan Schulz, a gay man, met through the US-based service in Toronto in 2014. They say they "knew right away" that having a child together was going to work, and after artificial insemination at home, Busic got pregnant and had their son. (The site notes users can go to a fertility clinic or rely on at-home insemination using an artificial insemination kit.) Without an attorney, they developed their own working contract on how they'll approach finances, health, education, and more. Seven months after having Milo, Schulz seems pleased: "We get time together, we get time on our own, so it's a really great balance." (See what a judge just told an elderly woman in a "wretchedly unhappy marriage.")
A St. Louis County police sergeant alleges in a lawsuit against the department that he was told to "tone down" his gayness if he wanted a promotion, the AP reports. Sgt. Keith Wildhaber, a 22-year-old veteran of the department, also alleges he was passed over for promotions and reassigned after he filed a discrimination complaint in April 2016, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Wildhaber said in the lawsuit that nearly all of his peers were promoted even though he ranked third in promotions tests and received "superior" ratings in all categories in performance reviews. "(The department) believes plaintiff's behavior, mannerisms, and/or appearance do not fit the stereotypical norms of what a 'male' should be," according to the lawsuit.

The sergeant alleges that John Saracino, a member of the department's civilian police board in 2014, told him that his being gay was a problem. "The command staff has a problem with your sexuality. If you ever want to see a white shirt (get a promotion), you should tone down your gayness," Saracino allegedly told Wildhaber. Saracino denied that allegation. Wildhaber filed a discrimination complaint in April 2016 with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Missouri Commission on Human Rights. He said a short time later he was reassigned from afternoon shifts to midnights in a precinct about 30 miles from his home. (Read more discrimination stories.)
The kids have known about "Salt Bae" since seasoning first hit elbow on Instagram last month. But now that celebrities and professional athletes like Travis Kelce and Usher are getting in on the action, the media is catching up. The Wall Street Journal has a major profile on Salt Bae, whose real name is Nusret Gokce, a 34-year-old butcher and restaurateur from Turkey. Gokce went viral in January after posting an Instagram video of himself in sunglasses erotically preparing a steak and then pulling off his signature move: cocking his hand back and sprinkling salt down his forearm and off his elbow. "The angle is important," Gokce explains. "Also, it's important to have muscle."

Since blowing up online and inspiring thousands of tributes, Gokce has salted meat for Leonardo DiCaprio and been featured on a shirt worn by Rihanna, Refinery 29 reports. Olympic champion Simone Biles even had her Valentine's Day meal "salted by the one and only." Gokce, who is preparing to open restaurants in New York and London, says he's now the "most talked about person in the world"besides President Trump. However, Eater believes Salt Bae has already "jumped the shark," and it can pinpoint the exact moment: a "bizarre" dance Gokce performed with a lamb carcass and flowers to an EDM cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." Eater says that with just one ill-advised Instagram video, Salt Bae became a "parody of himself." (A school employee lost her job after going viral on Twitter.)
President Trump wants small businesses to thrive, but his frequent Mar-a-Lago visits have flight schools and other companies at a nearby airport in a financial nosedive, the AP reports. The Secret Service closed Lantana Airport on Friday for the third straight weekend because of the president's return to his Palm Beach resort, meaning its maintenance companies, a banner-flying business, and another two dozen businesses are also shuttered, costing them thousands of dollars at the year's busiest time. The banner-flying company says it has lost more than $40,000 in contracts already. The airport is about 6 miles southwest of Mar-a-Lago, well within the 10-mile circle around the resort that's closed to most private planes when Trump is in town.

The Lantana owners are pushing compromises they say will ensure Trump's security while keeping their businesses open. They involve letting pilots fly in a closely monitored corridor headed away from the resort until they are outside a 10-mile ban around Mar-a-Lago and a 30-mile zone where flying lessons are restricted. Pilots, planes, and cargo would undergo preflight screening by TSA agents. The airport and its 28 businesses have an economic impact of about $27 million annually and employ about 200 people full-time, many of them making about $30,000 a year. They don't get paid when the airport is closed. The airport is already losing a helicopter company, which is moving rather than deal with the closures. That will cost it $440,000 in annual rent and fuel sales. (Read more Mar-a-Lago stories.)
It seems Cuba isn't the hot-spot destination US airlines thought it was going to be when they started offering flights to the communist nation for the first time in half a century last year. It started in November when American Airlines announced it was reducing its service to Cuba, the Miami Herald reports. According to Bloomberg, American Airlines cut total flights to Cuba by 25% and switched to smaller planes for some of its remaining flights. Silver Airways followed suit in December. Now JetBlue has announced it will be using smaller planes for its Cuba flights, reducing capacity by 300 seats per day. Meanwhile, so many British tourists are flocking to Cuba they're swamping the country's infrastructure, the Telegraph reports.

So why aren't American tourists doing the same? First, it remains technically illegal to go to Cuba solely for tourism under the US embargo still in place. Most Americans who now visit do so under "people-to-people" exchanges, one of several allowed categories. The restrictions put pressure on would-be tourists to mislead the US governmentthough travel experts tell Bloomberg that enforcement isn't strictand has made airlines nervous about advertising Cuba as a destination. And after US flights to Cuba were announced, prices on the island skyrocketed, making everything from hotels to taxis unusually expensive. Finally, because of the ongoing embargo, visitors to Cuba can't use American credit cards, meaning they have to carry thousands of dollars in cash to pay for hotels and everything else. (Here's the first Cuban export to the US.)
A huge Pacific storm parked itself over southern California and unloaded Friday, ravaging roads, opening sinkholes, and leading to the deaths of at least two people. The storm feeding on an atmospheric river of moisture stretching far out into the ocean was at its most fierce late Friday afternoon, dropping over 8 inches of rain in one area, and was expected to last until Saturday afternoon, the AP reports. The region appeared to dodge any major disasters, but in the desert town of Victorville, several cars were washed down a flooded street, and one man was found dead in a submerged vehicle after others were rescued.

In the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles, a man was electrocuted when a tree falling in heavy rain downed power lines that hit his car. Later in the same neighborhood, a sinkhole swallowed two cars, the second on live TV as viewers watched it teeter on the edge before plunging in. Firefighters rescued one person from the first car, and the driver got out of the second before it fell. No one was injured. The National Weather Service says it could end up being the strongest storm to hit southern California since January 1995. Hundreds of trees and dozens of power lines were toppled in the LA area and about 150,000 customers were without electricity across the region. (Read more California stories.)
President Trump stepped up his attacks Friday on the news media, which he declared to be an "enemy of the American People." The Washington Post reports that afterTrump initially named the New York Times, NBC, and CNN and described them as "SICK," a revised tweet added ABC and CBS to the list and removed "SICK." The tweetwhich came the day after Trump campaign websites and the GOP posted a "Mainstream Media Accountability Survey"was condemned by journalists including Carl Bernstein, who told the New York Times reports that Trump is "demonstrating an authoritarian attitude and inclination that shows no understanding of the role of the free press."

In a follow-up tweet, Trump slammed the "FAKE MEDIA" for disagreeing with Rush Limbaugh's assessment of his Thursday press conference as one of the most effective he'd seen. Trump also visited a Boeing plant in South Carolina Friday before heading to Florida for the weekend, where he plans to hold a big rally Saturday, the AP reports. The Guardian reports that while critics attacked Trump's description of the media as an "enemy of the people" as language reminiscent of tyrants like Chairman Mao, his remarks were welcomed by Beijing. An editorial in the state-run Global Times described Trump as "less concerned" with human rights and said his "war with mainstream media makes it difficult for Trump to ally with the media" against China "on the ideological front." (Read more President Trump stories.)
Mike Pence promised NATO allies Saturday that they had the "unwavering" support of the US, while also making it clear that the administration considers most of them to be freeloaders. The vice president, speaking to European leaders at the Munich Security Conference, said European countries are failing to "pay their fair share" on defense, the BBC reports. Pence said only four other NATO countriesthe UK, Greece, Estonia, and Polandmet a commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense. "The time has come to do more," Pence said, echoing President Trump's campaign rhetoric. Pence said the US plans to boost military spending and will "hold Russia accountable" for its actions in Ukraine.

"Peace only comes through strength," Pence said, per the Wall Street Journal. "President Trump believes we must be strong in our military might." German Chancellor Angela Merkel also addressed the conference and said Germany will increase its spending to meet NATO's target, but it won't be rushed into it, the Guardian reports. She added that it would be a mistake to believe that defense spending is the only way to boost security. "Security is ensured just as much by increasing ones development spending," she said. Merkel said the US was a valuable partner in the fight against terrorism, along with Islamic nations who can show "that a misguided Islam, rather than Islam itself, is the cause of terrorism." (Read more Mike Pence stories.)
Dictators have a notoriously firm grasp on power, but this is ridiculous. The AP reports the wife of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabewho turns 93 next weeksays he should still run for president even if he dies before the next election. "If God decides to take him, then we would rather field him as a corpse," Grace Mugabe, 51, said during a rally Friday. She said Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, should run for president as a dead man to "prove that people love him," according to News24. Mugabe has said he wants to live to 100 and plans to rule for life. His wife apparently has bigger plans. Last year, Grace Mugabe told supporters her husband will be their leader ever after he's "in the grave." (Read more Robert Mugabe stories.)
A California man who posed as a modeling agent to extort nude photos from young girls across America has been sentenced to almost 40 years in prisontwice as long as he has been alive. Cesar Mauricio Estrada-Davila, 20, pleaded no contest this week to 38 felony counts, including 16 counts of possessing child or youth pornography, and was sentenced to 39 years and 8 months, CBS reports. Prosecutors say that for several months in early 2015, Estrada-Davila reached out to young girls he found on social media websites. He told them he could make them famous and asked for photos of them in their underwear, then threatened to show the underwear photos to their families and friends if they didn't send him nude photos.

Estrada-Davila was charged in connection with 21 victims between the ages of 12 and 17 in eight states. Police say he was arrested after a 14-year-old California girl told her father about his demands, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports. Cops searched his Los Angeles County home and found more than 26,000 pages of text and online conversations between him and his victims. Before a plea deal was worked out, Estrada-Davila faced more than 150 charges, enough to send him to prison for life several times over. (Oregon recently handed down its first sentence for revenge porn.)
The man known as the "blind sheikh," who was convicted of plotting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and other terrorist attacks in New York City, died Saturday in a North Carolina jail, CBS News reports. According to the AP, Omar Abdel-Rahman, born in Egypt, had been blind since he was an infant due to childhood diabetes. He became a leader of the militant group Gamaa Islamiya and, Reuters reports, was the "face of radical Islam" during the 80s and 90s. Despite being on a State Department list of people with terror connections, Rahman arrived in the US on a tourist visa in 1990 then received a Green Card and permanent resident status. The CIA may have pulled some strings for him.

In 1993, a truck bomb exploded under the World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring a thousand more. Rahman was sentenced to life in prison in 1995 for planning that attack and an expanded "war of urban terrorism" that would include the bombings of New York City bridges and the UN. Rahman sought to end the US' support of Israel and Egypt. He continued as a leader for radical Muslims while in prison. Osama bin Laden had even vowed to free him at one point. Officials say Rahman died of natural causes following a history of coronary artery disease and diabetes. He was 78. (Read more Omar Abdel Rahman stories.)
Norma McCorvey, whose legal challenge under the pseudonym "Jane Roe" led to the US Supreme Court's landmark decision that legalized abortion but who later became an outspoken opponent of the procedure, died Saturday. She was 69. McCorvey died at an assisted living center in Texas, journalist Joshua Prager, who is working on a book about McCorvey told the AP. He said she died of heart failure. McCorvey was 22, unmarried, unemployed, and pregnant for the third time when in 1969 she sought to have an abortion in Texas, where the procedure was illegal except to save a woman's life. The subsequent lawsuit, known as Roe v. Wade, led to Supreme Court's 1973 ruling that established abortion rights.

Decades later, McCorvey underwent a conversion, becoming an evangelical Christian and joining the anti-abortion movement. A short time later, she underwent another religious conversion and became a Roman Catholic. "I'm 100 percent pro-life. I don't believe in abortion even in an extreme situation. If the woman is impregnated by a rapist, it's still a child. You're not to act as your own God," she said 1998. Prior to that, though, she was an ardent supporter of abortion rights and worked for a time at a Dallas women's clinic where abortions were performed. Her 1994 autobiography included abortion-rights sentiments along with details about dysfunctional parents, drug abuse, alcoholism, an abusive husband, an attempted suicide, and lesbianism. (Read more Norma McCorvey stories.)
Thousands of immigrants stayed home from work Thursday, shuttering restaurants and slowing other industries, for the national "A Day Without Immigrants" protest. Now it appears many were asked not to come back. In Oklahoma, a dozen workers at I Don't Care Bar and Grill were fired after missing work Thursday; most had been working at the restaurant since it opened, KTUL reports. "You and your family are fired," their boss said in a text message. "I hope you enjoyed your day off and you can enjoy many more. Love you." According to WLTX, 21 workers at Encore Boat Builders in South Carolinamost of them long-term employees with young kidswere fired after taking part in A Day Without Immigrants.

Meanwhile in Tennessee, 18 workers at Bradley Coatings were fired after informing their supervisors they planned to participate in the protest, NewsChannel5 reports. They say it was "unfair after working for them for so many years," especially because they were going to make up the time missed on Sunday. In a statement, Bradley Coatings says it has "always celebrated diversity and supported the immigrant community," but it "had no choice" but to fire the workers. According to WTVD, two employees at a North Carolina packing warehouse were suspended for missing work Thursday. Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina are right-to-work states, which means employers can terminate employees with few restrictions. (Read more immigrants stories.)
Pakistan Army eliminates over 100 terrorists from the country

Islamabad : Over 100 militants have been eliminated from Pakistan within 24 hours of Islamic State claimed shrine attack that killed nearly 80 people and injured more than 200.

The suicide bomber attack is one of the deadliest ever Pakistan has faced in history. Soon after the attack on the famous Sufi shrine in Sindh, army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa pledged, "Each drop of the nation's blood shall be avenged, and avenged immediately. No more restraint for anyone."

According to a report by Times of India, the soldiers launched search-and-strike operation and eliminated nothing less than 100 terrorists from the country.

Of the 100-odd terrorists killed on Friday, 46 were accounted for, according to the army's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) release on Friday.

Paramilitary Sindh Rangers claimed to have killed 18 terrorists in overnight operations in the province. Of these, seven were killed in a shootout on a highway near Kathor when troops were returning from Sehwan.
The need for food banks has increased significantly over the last year. At River Bend Food Bank in Davenport, that has translated to an increase by an estimated 1 million meals--prompting both problems - and action - from the food bank and its partners at area high schools.
River City Storage, the newest self-storage facility in Mason City, opened shortly before Christmas after a year-and-a-half of planning and construction. It is located at 785 15th St. SW.

There are 134 units in 30,000 square feet and expansion is planned. The units are 5-by-10 and 10-by-20. Outside storage will be offered for RVs, campers, trailers, cars and others.

Co-owners are Julie Reindl and Matthew Reindl, mother and son, both making administrative decisions with Julie handling paperwork and permits and Matthew being in charge of the site and the construction. A grand opening is in the works for spring and will include food and music.

They are new to real estate development and the self-storage business, although Julie has been a real estate agent with Hildebrand Real Estate for about 15 years and has experience working with people who are starting a business. Matthew also owns two other businesses in Mason City, starting with Custom Concrete Construction. He handled the concrete for the units. Julie started out as a social worker and then her brother encouraged her to go into real estate. She enjoys helping people find their dream home or start a business.

Plans include additional storage buildings offering a climate-controlled environment, using solar power. The "guts" of the solar system are installed and await construction of the climate-controlled buildings to add the solar panels. Being environmentally responsible to them, and they want to be known as the "green" storage facility with the "red" roofs.

Julie points out that Matthew, 27, embodies the American entrepreneurial spirit, and insisted on her signing a work permit when he was 14 so he could work at Culver's. Upon graduating from high school, he bought his first house to flip. He lived well below his means and saved his money, Julie said, adding that he has always been very driven to work.

For his part, Matthew says he can't think of a better role model than his mother. She is driven and focused, going full steam ahead and getting the ball rolling.

A self-storage business was chosen because all the others in Mason City were at capacity, so they "saw a need here in town." Matthew added, "I wanted to create something that would be long lasting and impact the community in a positive way."

Construction started in May and was finished in December. The facility opened a week before Christmas. Cedar Crest Construction of Elma, Iowa, did the construction as well as the ground preparation. The firm was chosen based on its reputation for fast, quality work, and their estimate fit the time frame and budget, Julie said. "We just started as soon as they were done."

Matthew points out that they have had a super response, are already leasing out units.

Julie and Matthew have mobile offices, Matthew at 641-420-5493, and Julie at 641-420-0914.

They are also available at rivercitystorage.net.
Gurugram:

A man has been arrested here for allegedly selling costly cars like Audi and Fortuner on OLX after obtaining them on rent from their owners using forged documents, police said on Friday.

The accused, Ajay Dabas, a resident of Jhajjar in Haryana, was arrested from Basai village last evening following a tip-off that he was hunting for client to sell two luxury cars, the Crime Branch police said.

The carsan Audi and a Fortunerhave been recovered from Dabas, a notorious cheater, they said.

Dabas was actively reselling such cars after taking real cars owner in confidence. He hired cars on rent for running them in private MNCs from the owners on the pretext of giving them good amount in return and gave them agreements on his fake identity card such as Adhaar card, voter card, cheques of forge bank accounts.

After obtaining cars, he would switch off his phone numbers, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Crime Sumit Kumar said.

He then used to sell them on OLX, a popular classifieds portal, to get easy money. He has sold many cars in Noida, Mumbai and Delhi through the marketing website, Kumar said.

On questioning, Dabas told police that he was actively involved in this crime from last year to live lavish life and to spend lakhs of money on his girl friend, the DCP said.

He has a good knowledge of computer and has studied till class XII. He made forge documents on the basis of scanner, police said.

He was earlier arrested by Gurugram police in a share market cheating case.
New Delhi:

Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal, who is quite excited about his upcoming movie 'Aankhen 2', has revealed that the movie will be a bigger heist drama.

The movie happens to be the second instalment of the 2002 release successful heist drama 'Aankhen', and Arjun will be seen reprising his role of a blind man in the movie.

During his recent interview, the 'Rock On' actor gave a hint about the story, saying 'Aankhen 2' will revolve around the thefts in casinos across South Africa.

"It's a heist that takes place at casinos. How these blind men carry out the robbery is what the film is about. I have spent time with blind people during my college days, they calculate and do things. They never make mistakes. I tie a band on my eyes at home and I practice with this... we will be able to bring authenticity," Arjun was quoted as saying.

Also Read | Aankhen 2: Anil, Arshad, Ileana join Big B and Arjun Rampal

Interestingly, 'Aankhen 2' will have some changes in the cast, as Akshay Kumar won't be a part of the sequel. On the other hand, while Amitabh Bachchan will play a crucial role in the sequel, Anil Kapoor and Arshad Warsi will be the fresh addition to the cast.

While Arjun admitted that he would love to have Akki in the movie, he also asserted that the 'Rustom' actor is busy with his professional commitments

"I don't think Akshay will be there. He is busy and doesn't have dates. We wanted him in the film. I like Akshay and the kind of work he is doing. He has grown so much as an actor. We would have loved to have him in the film. But we have a wonderful team, there will be new generation of actors," Rampal said.

According to the media reports, 'Aankhen' 2 will hit the floors soon and will be shot in South Africa.

Arjun Rampal is, indeed, having high hopes with this sequel and is confident that the sequel will be more riveting than the original.

"'Aankhen' was a special film in my career. People talk about this film even today and it means a lot to us. I am very excited about "Aankhen 2" and we are planning to take the film ahead. Recently "Kaabil" had come and people liked it. The challenge is not to compete with anybody but to raise the bar," he added.

Currently, Arjun is busy with his next release 'Daddy' in which he portrays the role of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli.

"It will come out soon. We will lock our dates soon. I am happy with the film. The editing is on, the post production is on. The film will come out in April or May," said Arjun.

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Los Angeles:

Actor-director Mel Gibson has confirmed that he is in negotiation with Warner Brothers to helm the second Suicide Squad movie.

The 61-year-old star was asked during a screening of his latest directorial "Hacksaw Ridge" that if it is "close to a deal", reported AceShowbiz.

To which Gibson replied, "Its kind of a first date."

If the director inks the deal, he will replace David Ayer, who is now moving on to an all-female DC villain movie "Gotham City Sirens" starring Margot Robbie.

Talking about 'Suicide Squad', the movie told the story of such villains as Deadshot, Harley Quinn, the Joker, Captain Boomerang and Killer Croc, who are forced into the service of the government in exchange for lighter sentences.

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New Delhi:

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday came out in support of Army Chief Bipin Rawat whose comments that those obstructing anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir will face tough action, triggered a political slugfest.

Parrikar said those creating hurdles for security forces in Jammu and Kashmir are trying to protect the terrorists and that the government has given free hand to the army to carry out anti-terror operations.

At the same time, the Defence Minister said government does not consider that everyone is on the other side and the officer leading the raids or operations will have to take a call based on the ground situation.

Those who obstruct the operations are trying to protect the terrorists and his (General Rawats) comment is based on that. In these matters, the decision to act will be the commanding (officer) or the officer who is on the spot. It cannot be generalised, Parrikar told India Today TV.

He said the government has given a total free hand to the army to carry out anti-terror operations where local police and CRPF are also involved.

Asked whether he was worried that Rawats comments may lead to alienation of the people in the Kashmir Valley, Parrikar said he told the Army Chief to bring the youths who are on wrong track back to the mainstream.

We do not consider that everyone is on the other side. But in that particular situation, if there is obstruction, the officer who is heading the raid or operation has to take a call, he said.

Acknowledging that the hostile conduct of locals was causing higher casualties in the Kashmir valley, Rawat on Wednesday had warned those attacking security forces during anti-militancy operations of tough action.

In a stern warning, Rawat had said people indulging in stone throwing, people indulging in supporting the terrorists and helping them escape will be treated like over ground workers of the terrorists and will be dealt with accordingly.

The Army chiefs warning had come after four soldiers, including a Major, were killed in two separate encounters in Kashmir.

In criticism of the Army chiefs remarks, Congress said restraint should be adopted by security forces while dealing with people in the state.

The BJP accused the Congress of speaking in the voice of separatists and politicising the Army for lowly political gains while defending Rawats statement on tough action against locals hampering counter-militancy operations in Kashmir.

Rawat had also said people creating hurdles during anti-terror operations and displaying flags of Pakistan and ISIS in Jammu and Kashmir will be dealt as anti-nationals and will face harsh actions.

The Army Chief had said security forces in Jammu and Kashmir were facing higher casualties due to the manner in which the local population was preventing them from conducting the operations and at times even supporting the terrorists to escape.

Asked why infiltrations, as well as terror attacks, are taking place in Kashmir despite the surgical strike, Parrikar said the LoC was quite silent and specific operations are carried out based on intelligence inputs.

Without giving details, he said many operations take place and that one of the operations did not go off as planned, adding terrorists holed up in villages are often neutralised.

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New Delhi:

Delhi police seized counterfeit currency worth over 6 lakhs in Rs 100 currency note that were brought from Nepal on Saturday. According to initial information, Pakistans ISI has pumped these fake notes into the country, from neighbouring country Nepal.

Delhi police have arrested two persons with Rs 6 Lakhs counterfeit currency. This is the first time that police have busted counterfeit currency that reached India via Nepal route.

Cases of fake currency have spurted post demonetisation drive by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8.

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Dhaka:

The first container ship from India has arrived in Bangladesh's Panagon river port under the Coastal Shipping Agreement signed in 2015, allowing direct cargo vessel movement between the two countries.

The ship, 'Shonartori Nou Kalyan-1' reached the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal at Keraniganj on Friday with 65 containers on board, reported news website.

At an event to mark the arrival of the ship, Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said that cargo ships will now reach and depart from Pangaon to India every 15 days. He said there was progress in the field of river transport.

With this, the Coastal Shipping Agreement signed in 2015, comes into effect, paving way for direct cargo vessel movement between the two neighbouring countries.

Bangladesh Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Indian envoy to Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina's advisor Salman F Rahman also attended the ceremony. The link between the Pangaon terminal and India will save time and money, said Minister Khan.

"The shipping ministry is in the process to procure 36 more ships to boost the use of this network," he said. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh in 2015, the two countries signed the Coastal Shipping Agreement.

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Indore:

Expressing disappointment over the absence of Pakistan from South Asian speakers conference in Indore, the IPU President on Saturday said even if countries stop talking, parliamentarians should engage in the dialogue process.

Although, Pakistan in not here on this occasion but we are hopeful that it will participate in upcoming events of this very warm platform in near future, Inter-Parliamentary Union chief Saber Hossain Chowdhury said.

Let me refer to a disappointment that we dont have Pakistan or someone from Parliament of Pakistan with us. Of course it is not unusual for governments to have differences but we at the IPU believe that political dialogue is absolutely critical".

Even if the governments dont talk or when (they) stop talking, parliamentarians should continue to engage in dialogue process, he said while speaking at the inaugural address of the South Asian Speakers Summit in Indore.

Pitching for further enhancement of cooperation between parliamentarians of different countries, the MP from Bangladesh said a possibility should be explored of establishing joint parliamentarians groups of South Asia for working together on the common challenges.

Hinting that South Asian speakers forum can play a better role than SAARC, he said its participants want to create a platform which helps member countries in achieving their respective national objectives.

If you look at it politically...Im not here to discourage the work of SAARC, but I think SAARC despite its huge potential has not lived up to the expectations. It is in many ways a promise that is not being kept, he said.

Whereas, we as representatives of people want to create a structure, want to add value to the ongoing discourse and through the sustainable development goals so that to give people the future which they desire, the MP from Dhaka said.

For this the platform is very critical and a functioning political mechanism within the region is needed to help achieve respective national objectives, he added.

There is a need to establish a functioning political mechanism which helps and complements each other in achieving national goals as well, Chowdhury said.

He also mentioned that unlike South Asian speakers, nowhere else in the world do speakers come together to discuss sustainable development goals.

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New Delhi:

Violent protests broke out in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Saturday ahead of the crucial vote of confidence by Edapady Palanisamy government. The Opposition members stalled the proceedings as they turned violent.A

DMK members broke the chairs, threw microphones and one of them even sat on Speaker P Dhanapalas chair in protest. Going berserk, the DMK MLAs reportedly tore Speakeras clothes following which the assembly marshals were ordered to evict them.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palanisamy, a loyalist of VK Sasikala, on Saturday movedA motionA for the vote of confidence in Tamil Nadu assembly. Meanwhile, the DMK members were seen supporting O Panneerselvam in Tamil Nadu assembly, while AIADMK MLAs (Palanisamy supporters) raised slogans against DMK.

The AIADMK MLAs of Panneerselvam camp also raised slogans demanding a secret ballot.

Here are the live updates -

#8:40 PM

DMK workers protest in Coimbatore over alleged mistreatment meted out to MK Stalin in Assembly; later detained by Police

#6:20 PM

Request TN Governor to restore democratic values and order Assembly postponement for conducting secret voting on Confidence Motion: MK Stalin in letter

#6:18 PM

Speaker's agenda is to announce CM's success in getting confidence vote in DMK's absence; it's unconstitutional: MK Stalin in letter to TN Guv

#5:15 PM

Stalin, scores of protesting DMK MLAs detained by police at Marina Beach

#5:07PM

DMK leader MK stalin sits on protest at Marina Beach; asks all those who want to 'remove' the 'anti-democratic' government to converge at Marina.

#5:04PM

Leader of Opposition MK stalin alleges he was manhandled in TN Assembly, his shirt was torn; says will take up the matter with Governor

DMK working President MK Stalin alleges that his shirt was torn off when assembly police forcefully evicted his party MLAs. #floortest pic.twitter.com/LYbt0CTFha a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#4:59 PM

Everybody watched how rival faction (OPS camp) worked against Amma's govt; this day brought forward real Amma supporters: TN CM Palanisamy

#4:17 PM

CM Palanisamy pays tribute at Jayalalithaa Memorial after winning floor test in Tamil Nadu Assembly

CM Palaniswami pays tribute at #JayalalithaaMemorial after winning #floortest in Tamil Nadu Assembly pic.twitter.com/YCYerLLPmW a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#4:16 PM

TN CM E Palanisamy, AIADMK Ministers and MLAs pay tribute at Jayalalithaa memorial at Marina Beach

#4:14 PM

DMK Working President MK Stalin will hold a protest at Chennai's Marina Beach

#4:06 PM

DMK Working President MK Stalin met Governor C.Vidyasagar Rao after floor test in Tamil Nadu Assembly

Chennai: DMK Working President MK Stalin met Governor C.Vidyasagar Rao after #floortest in Tamil Nadu Assembly pic.twitter.com/XH00xT6FOv a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#4:05 PM

We condemn the thrashing of MLAs; this is murder of democracy and can't be accepted in any form: DMK MP Tiruchi Siva

#4:04 PM

After adjournment made by Speaker, how did vote take place? All MLAs were scared to cast votes in favour of trust vote: TKS Elangovan, DMK

#3:55 PM

Family thrown out from party by Amma again come into picture with VK Sasikala's intervention; it won't last, Amma's rule will be establshed: OPS

#3:52 PM

DMK MLAs for 3 hrs kept on repeating their request to save democracy, now in absence of all of us, vote was passed; we doubt validity: OPS

#3:50 PM

There were constant threats; abusive language was used. Things would've been different if secret ballot was done: Pandiarajan(OPS camp) on floor test

#3:49 PM

We had kept 2 demands before speaker, one was to send MLAs to their constituencies, but Speaker didn't agree to them: O Panneerselvam

#3:48 PM

We've time to prove this but at the last 'dharma' only will win: O Panneerselvam

#3:48 PM

We have time to prove this, at the end only dharma will win. If need be will meet the Governor: O Panneerselvam

#3:44 PM

Once we go back to our constituencies will get to know the truth, the voters have been betrayed by MLAs: O Panneerselvam

#3:40 PM

DMK members evicted; Congress & IUML walk out in protest before voting was taken up in Tamil Nadu Assembly

#3:33 PM

Visuals from outside Raj Bhavan where DMK workers are protesting alleging that party MLAs were forcefully evicted from TN Assembly

Chennai: Visuals from outside Raj Bhavan where DMK workers are protesting alleging that party MLAs were forcefully evicted from #TNAssembly. pic.twitter.com/NpqiCvnYni a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#3:30 PM

122 MLAs in the assembly voted in favour of CM Palanisamy

#3:25 PM

After all 6 divisions of MLAs in Tamil Nadu Assembly vote in favour, CM Palanisamy wins vote of confidence

#3:16 PM

Floortest has started in block 2 of Tamil Nadu assembly



#3:15 PM

CM Palanisamy's vote of confidence: Voting begins in Tamil Nadu assembly



#3:10 PM

Congress stages walk out from Tamil Nadu Assembly



#3:05 PM

Even though I was manhandled and shirt was torn, I reconvened house. The house will function only acc to rules: P Dhanapal, TN Speaker



#2:58 PM

Speaker tore of his shirt himself and blamed MLAs of DMK. We reiterate our demand for a secret ballot: MK Stalin



#12:31 PM

Tamil Nadu assembly adjourned till 3 PM



#12:30 PM

Earlier visuals of broken tables and torn pieces of paper near Speaker's chair #floortest pic.twitter.com/dGcF0HMRok a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#12:26 PM

DMK MLAs to sit on dharna inside Tamil Nadu assembly premises



#12:25 PM

DMK MLAs protest in assembly demanding secret ballot, tear and throw paper #floortest (earlier visuals) pic.twitter.com/oxhOKVH2tu a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#12:21 PM

Tamil Nadu assembly Speaker P Dhanapal orders assembly police to evict DMK MLAs



#12:20 PM

You (DMK MLAs) tore my shirt & insulted me, I am doing my work abiding law: #TamilNadu assembly Speaker P DhanapalA



#12:06 PM

#WATCH DMK MLAs scuffle with TN Assembly speaker, protesting DMK MLA Ku Ka Selvam sat on speaker chair #floortest (Jaya TV) pic.twitter.com/CkMQY9FfQx a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

DMK protest in TN assembly earlier today, MLAs snatch Speaker's mic and throw paper #floortest (Jaya TV) pic.twitter.com/3pGfUpAF3G a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#12:05 PM

Tamil Nadu Assembly proceedings begin again



#12:46 PM



An injured official being taken to hospital following massive ruckus in the assemblyA



#12:45 PM



Assembly proceedings have been temporarily halted following huge uproar. An ambulance has been brought inA



#12:39 PM

Meeting underway between CM Palanisami and senior ministers



#12:25 PM

Proceedings on Vote Of Confidence stalled in Tamil Nadu Assembly



#12:27 PM

Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal leaves the House escorted by marshals.



#12:18 PM

Ku Ka Selvam DMK MLA sat on Speaker's chair in protest



#12:16 PM

Tamil Nadu assembly has been adjourned till 1 pm after uproar



#12:15 PM

Police move towards Assembly premises after huge uproar inside by DMK and other parties demanding secret ballot #floortest pic.twitter.com/l1l1VCpzBn a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#12:12 PM

DMK protest in assembly: Table in front of Speaker's chair has been broken, Microphones being thrown, reports ANI



#12:11 PMA



DMK MLAs tear paper, throw chairs in assembly demanding secret ballot, reports ANI



#12:10 PM



DMK MLA Poongothai Aladi Aruna climbs on bench and raises slogans demanding secret ballot



#12:02 PM

DMK MLAs gherao Assembly Speaker Dhanapal, demanding secret ballot

#12:06 PM

MLAs should be given time to meet people and know their views: R Natarajan A AIADMK MLA



#12:06 PM

Uproar again in Tamil Nadu assembly



#12:00 PM

Indian Union Muslim League too demands secret ballot voting in Tamil Nadu assembly



#11:58 AM

Audio speaker kept in Tamil Nadu assembly press room (allocated for accredited reporters and cameraman) has been disconnected



#11:53 AM

Nobody can interfere in my decision on how to vote: Tamil Nadu assembly Speaker P Dhanapal



#11:51 AM

Congress demands to go for a secret ballot



#11:50 AM

MLAs should be given time to hear the views of their constituency people, till then time should be given: O Panneerselvam

#11:41 AM

I urge to go for a secret ballot: O Panneerselvam floor test



#11:40 AM

P Dhanapal TN Assembly Speaker rejects request of DMK asking to postpone floor test to another day



#11:38 AM

People's voice should be heard and then only the floor test should be done in the assembly: O PanneerselvamA



Everyone knows that MLAs were kept in koovathur: O Panneerselvam



#11:37 AM

Democracy will be fulfilled, only when secret ballot voting is done: MK Stalin, DMK

#11:34 AM

Floor test should be done on another day. Why the hurry when the Governor has given 15 days time?: MK Stalin,DMK



#11:24 AM

All doors shut in Tamil Nadu assembly premises



#11:21 AM

I assure that the MLAs will be given adequate security: P. Dhanapal, Assembly Speaker



#11:20 AM

AIADMK MLAs (O Panneerselvam camp) raise slogans in assembly demanding a secret ballot



#11:12 AM

Arguments break out between media persons and Police after Police denies media entry into TN assembly premises pic.twitter.com/2DfVmoyXHy a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#11:10 AM

AIADMK Presidium Chairman Madhusudanan(OPS camp) appointed S Semmalai as chief whip in assembly



#11:07 AM

AIADMK MLAs (Palanisamy supporters ) raise slogans against DMK in assemblyA



#11:05 AM

MLAs are being brought to the Secretariat like prisoners: MK Stalin



#11:02 AM

DMK raise slogans in Tamil Nadu assembly supporting O Panneerselvam



#11:01 AM

CM Palanisamy moves motion for the vote of confidence in TN assembly



#10:45 AM

DMK Working President MK Stalin walked to the Tamil Nadu assembly in protest alleging his car was searched at the entrance



#10:33 AM

Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami pays tributes to labour leader Singaravelar on 158th birth anniversary



#10:26 AM

Congress to vote against the confidence motion in Tamil Nadu assembly's special session today Floor Test



#10:12 AM



DMK Working President MK Stalin has reached state assembly to attend special session



#10:10 AM



Congress MLAs reach Tamil Nadu assembly ahead of the floor test



#10:00 AM



I strongly appeal, atleast speaker should permit secret ballot. To some extent, MLAs will be free to exercise their franchise: BV Acharya

Governor should hv brought in President's rule for at least 2-3 mnths so that normalcy prevails,& MLAs are free not under threat: BV Acharya

They're not given opportunity, huddled together in a resort with other MLAs.Where is the chance of any free thinking,deliberation?: BV Acharya

You can't say it is a vote exercised by them (MLAs who stayed in resort) out of their free will: BV Acharya, special PP in Sasikala DA case



#9:55 AM

DMK Working President MK Stalin has reached state assembly to attend special session



#9:50 AM:

Visuals from #TamilNadu assembly's entrance, #floortest to take place today at the special session pic.twitter.com/yuEF8wXU72 a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#9:45 AM:

DMK Working President MK Stalin leaves for assembly to attend special session



#8:55 AM:

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami reaches Secretariat



#8:35 AM:

#TamilNadu: Barricading, Heavy police deployment outside TN secretariat ahead of floor test. pic.twitter.com/tytdpOBmC0 a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#8:32 AM:

Amma's legacy rests on abled shoulders of OPS, this will be driving force to vote, not temporary confinement of brainwashing: M Pandiarajan

#8:30 AM:

We don't think we are in single digit. We believe 135 people should vote for us: M Pandiarajan,Former TN Minister & OPS supporter



#8:20 AM:

AIADMK Party MLAs leaving Kuvathur's Golden Bay resort say "we will win, heading to the assembly" #TamilNadu #FloorTest pic.twitter.com/JBeJRPblpG a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#8:16 AM:

We have to safeguard our party, symbol and the Government. Will work with Chinamma: AIADMK MLA leaves Kuvathur resort



#8:15 AM:

Whip issued for all party MLAs, we will vote accordingly: Thoppu N D Venkatachalam, AIADMK MLA leaves Kuvathur resort



#8:14 AM:

AIADMK party MLAs leaving Kuvathur's Golden Bay resort, will attend special session of the Tamil Nadu assembly #FloorTest pic.twitter.com/R8myWTH8BZ a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#8:02 AM:

#TamilNadu: Security at Golden Bay resort in Kuvathur where AIADMK MLAs are staying,will leave for state assembly to attend special session pic.twitter.com/h87mLpMVij a ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

#8:01 AM:

Crucial floor test in the special session of Tamil Nadu Assembly to take place today to decide the fate of CM Edappadi K Palaniswami



#8:00 AM

New Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palanisamy to seek trust vote today

Earlier, with the matter coming to a head, Speaker P Dhanapal came out of the assembly escorted by marshals shortly after the House assembled to facilitate the floor test.

The proceedings were stalled amid the pandemonium, where some opposition members demanded secret voting.

Palaniswami, who was sworn in as Chief Minister two days ago, has opted to prove his majority on Saturday itself though he was given 15 days time by Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao.

Earlier in the day, the rebel O Panneerselvam camp got a boost when Coimbatore North MLA Arun Kumar announced his decision to abstain from voting after yesterdayas decision by Mylapore MLA and former DGP R Natraj to vote against the government.



With the decision of the two, the Palaniswami camp is left with 122 MLAs in the 234-member House with one vacancy.



Ailing DMK supremo M Karunanidhi was not present in the House.



In another development, the Panneerselvam camp appointed Semmalai as the party whip in the assembly and sent a letter to the Speaker to this effect.A

(With inputs from agencies)

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Chennai:

DMK Working President M K Stalin on Saturday was detained after he sat on a protest at Marina beach in Chennai against the alleged attack on him and his party MLAs during the trust vote in the state Assembly.

Terming today as a "black day" for democracy, the senior DMK leader urged all those who wanted to "remove" the "anti-democratic" AIADMK government to join him. After alleging that he was manhandled in the Assembly by the marshals on the day of the vote of confidence, which the Palaniswami government won with a comfortable margin of 122-11, Stalin sat on a protest at the Marina along with his MLAs.

However, police detained the protesting MLAs including Stalin. "It is a black day for democracy. This anti-people(AIADMK) government must be removed. Insisting that a peaceful protest is underway at the Marina. Those who want to remove this anti-democratic government should converge at the Marina," he said in a statement.

Incidentally, the Marina had witnessed a week-long pro-jallikattu protests in January where scores of people, mainly youngsters had converged at the sands of the famous beach and agitated before it turned violent.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami wins crucial trust vote, gets support from 122 MLAs

Meanwhile, several DMK workers blocked vehicular traffic and indulged in stone-pelting in different places in the state to protest the alleged attack on Stalin, police said.

In Tirupur, stones were hurled at the Avinashi office of state Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, police said. DMK supporters staged protests in more than 10 places in and around Coimbatore. Reports from Cuddalore said, government buses were damaged in stone-throwing incidents at Chidambaram, Virudachalam and Veppur in the district, in which two persons sustained minor injuries.

In Puducherry, the DMK cadres staged a road roko at near the bus terminus and raised slogans condemning the attack on Stalin. Thanjavur reports said, around 300 persons including former Union Minister TR Balu were arrested for burning the effigy of Dhanapal. Similarly, picketing was reported from several places in Erode district, including Bhavani, Gobichettipalayam and Sathyamangalam.

Also Read: Kamal Haasan takes potshots at TN political situation, says it 'Jai de-mockcrazy'

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Imphal:

A militant of proscribed United National Liberation Front (UNLF) has been arrested during a search operation conducted by a combined team of Manipur police and Assam Rifles in Manipurs Thoubal district.

The girl was arrested after the teams conducted a search operation at Heirok Ngarouthel Leikai, according to a press release issued by PRO, Manipur police.

A case has been registered in this regard and investigation is on, the release added.

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Palmer amaranth, new herbicide technology and a grain market outlook will highlight the annual meeting of the North Central Iowa Research Association. The annual meeting will also feature an update of research at the Iowa State University Northern Research Farm at Kanawha.

The annual meeting of the North Central Iowa Research Association and educational program of the ISU Northern Research Farm will take place on March 16 at the Heartland Museum meeting room in Clarion.

Registration and refreshments will be at 9 a.m. and the meeting will start a 9:30 a.m. The meeting will adjourn at 2 p.m. The North Central Iowa Research Association board of directors will at the conclusion of the annual meeting.

There is no cost to attend. Persons who are attending are encouraged to pre-register by March 10. Please call the Hancock County Extension office at 641-923-2856 or the Wright County Extension office at 515-532-3453 to register.
New Delhi:

RJD strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin has been shifted to Siwan jail to Patna amid tight security in the wee hours of Saturday morning. He will be transferred to the high-security Tihar Jail in New Delhi after the order by Apex court.

The criminal-turned-politician was escorted out Siwan jail around 2:40 a.m., flanked by security personnel and police. However, the supporters of Shahabuddin got wind of the developments and gathered outside the jail from midnight onwards to get a glimpse of their leader.

Carrying on with their operations, the Siwan administration escorted Shahabuddin to a white Tata Sumo, where he was lodged between two armed security officials.

Supreme Court orders shifting of RJD leader Shahabuddin from Siwan jail to Tihar

From Patna, Shahabuddin will be taken to the national capital via rail or airway and then moved into Tihar jail.

Supreme Court on Wednesday had ordered shifting of controversial RJD leader Mohammad Shahabuddin, now facing trial in 45 criminal cases, from Siwan Jail in Bihar to Tihar Jail in New Delhi within a week, saying an accused cannot be allowed to jettison the basic fundamentals of trial.

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Islamabad:

Two Pakistani officials say a second key Chaman border crossing into Afghanistan has been closed, halting trade supplies to the neighboring landlocked country.

The border closure in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province comes after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan that killed 88 people.

It was seen as a tactic to pressure Kabul to act against militants who Pakistan says have sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani officials asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to brief the media on the record.

Earlier, Pakistan closed a border crossing at Torkham, which connects Pakistan to Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

The Islamic State says it was behind the shrine attack and Pakistani security forces have launched nationwide operations that they say has left more than 100 "terrorists" dead.

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Chennai:

The crisis in the AIADMK, which has been split into two factions after the demise of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, has deepened. The situation now appears similar to the recent tussle between Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav, when a tug of war broke out between two factions as to whose Samajwadi Party will be the real.

The round two will now be fought within the party as the Panneerselvam faction of the AIADMK has moved the Election Commission challenging the election of Sasikala as general secretary of the party, saying she was elevated in violation of the norms. Acting quickly, the EC has sent a notice to Sasikala.

A 12-member delegation of the faction had met Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and other top officials, and submitted a memorandum demanding that it decline approval to her elevation to the top party post.



In its 42-page petition, the delegation claimed Sasikalas election was violative of the party constitution as she was chosen by the general council of the party and not the primary members.



It said the general council was empowered to frame policies and programmes, and not elect someone as general secretary.

Panneerselvam, the outgoing Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, expelled from AIADMK by Sasikala, has claimed she lacked necessary powers to sack him. He also said in Chennai on Friday that his fight against Sasikala and her family will continue till the time "J Jayalalithaa's regime is restored".

"Let us all together stop the party and government from going into the hands of a single family again. Let us form a people's government again in sync with the aspirations of people and till then this struggle will continue," he said.

On Friday, the Election Commission asked V K Sasikala to respond to a petition filed against her challenging her appointment as AIADMK interim general secretary by the O Panneerselvam camp.

The EC made it clear that if she fails to answer, it will be presumed that she has no comments to offer and it will proceed in the matter accordingly.



The Commission has send the notice to Sasikala currently lodged in the Parappana Agarhara prison in Bengaluru and has sought her response by February 28.



The Commission issued the notice just a day after the Panneerselvam camp led by Rajya Sabha MP V Maitreyan submitted two petitions against Sasikalas elevation.



While forwarding her copies of the petition, the Commission asked her to respond by February 28 failing which it will be presumed that you have no comments to offer and the Commission will take appropriate action in the matter.

When the AIADMK MLAs gathered at Raj Bhavan for the swearing-in ceremony, O Panneerselvam, who revolted against AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala, suddenly found himself alone with only a handful of MPs standing with him.

Live updates | Tamil Nadu assembly trust vote: Palaniswami faces floor test; claims he has support of 124 MLAs

He was confident that after Sasikalas conviction in DA case, party MLAs will switch to his camp. But his takeover plan did not succeed as not even one crossed over, at least so far.

Panneerselvams house was stoned by men suspected to be supporters of the rival camp when Edappadi Palaniswami was sworn in as Chief Minister.



In first remarks after the Governor invited Palanisami to take charge, Panneerselvam said: We will win this struggle with the support of Ammas followers.



ALSO READ | O Panneerselvam urges MLAs to vote against confidence motion

On Wednesday, Sasikala was sent to jail after she surrendered before a trial court, a day after the Supreme Court restored her conviction in the disproportionate assets case.

The Panneerselvam-Sasikala battle also brings back the memories of the split between Jayalalithaa and MG Ramachandrans wife Janaki after his demise in December 1987.

Now, the question is who will get the hold of AIADMK  Sasikala or Panneerselvam?

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

An FIR was filed against Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prajapati on Saturday in connection with cases of alleged gang rape and attempt to rape a woman and her daughter.

The action against Prajapati was taken a day after the Suprem Court issued an order in this regard.

The apex court also directed the police to inquire and file an action taken report regarding the incidents in eight weeks in a sealed cover.

The apex court's direction came on a PIL filed by a woman who has alleged repeated gangrape by Prajapati and others and has sought the court's direction for lodging of an FIR.

Advocate Mehmood Pracha, appearing for petitioner, said the police has not taken any action on the complaint which was given to the Director General of the state police.

Counsel appearing for Uttar Pradesh said since it was currently election time in the state, the petition has been filed. He said the state government has said in the affidavit that the alleged incident cannot be ascertained and there was a delay in filing of the complaint.

Pracha contended that the petition was filed before the elections were announced and the apex court had issued notice on November 25 last year. He said the fundamental and civil rights of an individual cannot get suspended when elections are announced and the Uttar Pradesh police should have lodged an FIR in this regard.

Narrating the incident, he said the alleged incident had first taken place in October 2014 and continued till July 2016 and when the accused tried to molest the minor daughter of the petitioner, she decided to lodge a complaint. Pracha said she had given in writing to the DGP in October 2016 but no FIR was lodged. She subsequently moved the apex court seeking justice. He further said while issuing notice to state government and others, the apex court had directed Delhi Commissioner of Police to provide security to the petitioner.

To this, the apex court asked the state's counsel why was there a delay in lodging of FIR and directed that it should be lodged immediately. Prajapati was sacked by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav from his cabinet in 2016 during the family feud with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Yadav but was later reinstated in the council of ministers.

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New Delhi:

Commuters in Delhi-NCR on Saturday had some relief when they were able to book cabs even as the striking union of Ola and Uber drivers claimed their strike was still on.

However, fares were higher than normal during morning and evening hours. The waiting time for hiring cab was also far away from the normal.

Cabs were available on Ola and Ubers apps throughout the day in the national capital.

In the evening, Ola started sending a notification to its costumers saying We are back in full strength.

Sarvodaya Drivers Association of Delhi (SDAD), who claims to represent 1.5 lakh of drivers in Delhi-NCR, claimed although around 70 per cent of cabs plied in the morning, a major section of drivers in evening were off the capitals roads.

SDAD vice-president Ravi Rathore, who is currently admitted at RML Hospital after his condition deteriorated as he was at hunger strike since Friday, said, We have so far not called off our strike. It will continue till our demands are met. Hundreds of drivers are still on dharna at Jantar Mantar in favour of their demands.

Rathore said that there was still no fresh communication from either Ola, Uber or the Delhi government.

Pinky Sharma, a resident of Gurugram, said that in morning, she was charged Rs 679 by an app-based cab aggregator for a ride to her office in New Delhi, but during normal days, the fare used to be around Rs 350.

Thousands of drivers are on strike since February 10 in Delhi-NCR demanding an increase in fares from the existing Rs 6 per km and also want the 25 per cent commission the app-based aggregators charge on every booking to be discontinued.

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Allahabad:

Describing the Samajwadi Party as protector of rapists, Union minister Smriti Irani on Saturday said its five-year rule will be remembered only for crimes against women.

She was referring to an FIR filed on Saturday against tainted senior SP minister Gayatri Prajapati in connection with cases of alleged gangrape and attempt to rape a woman and her minor daughter.

It is a disgrace that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had in his cabinet a person like Gayatri Prajapati who has been accused of rape. That the court had to intervene and order that an FIR be lodged against the minister proves that SP is a protector of rapists. No wonder under its rule, women of UP have never felt safe, Irani said while addressing a series of election meetings in Allahabad.

The Supreme Court had on Friday directed the police to book the minister, who is a senior leader of the ruling Samajwadi Party.

Irani, who is a former national vice-president of the BJP, said the five-year rule of SP will be remembered only for the high incidence of crimes against women, land grabbing and a free rein to marauding gangsters.

She also lambasted the discredited Congress for its truck with the SP and claimed voters will teach a lesson to their opportunistic alliance.

That the Congress has been discredited across the country is evident from its drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls followed by its losing state after state in assembly polls.

Congress, SP and BSP therefore stand no chance of coming back to power in UP, whether they fight separately or in coalition, she said.

She claimed that the people of UP have become fed up with SP and BSP which have alternately ruled the state for more than a decade.

Amid this gloomy situation, the people are looking at the BJP with hope. Their hopes have only been strengthened by the example of development-oriented Narendra Modi government, she said.

The party, once it comes to power in UP, will root out corruption, take lawbreakers to task and help the state realise its full potential. The people will definitely vote for us and teach a lesson to the opportunistic alliance of SP and Congress, Irani, who holds the Textile portfolio, added.

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New Delhi:

On Saturday another incident on violence inside state assembly has taken everyone by surprise, violent protests broke out in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Saturday ahead of the crucial vote of confidence by Edapady Palanisamy government. The Opposition members stalled the proceedings as they turned violent. DMK members broke the chairs, threw microphones and one of them even sat on Speaker P Dhanapals chair in protest. Going berserk, the DMK MLAs reportedly tore Speakers clothes following which the assembly marshals were ordered to evict them.

Here is a throwback of several instances where MLAs go berserk and resorted to violence inside state assemblies.

Delhi Assembly

In June 2016, Delhi Assembly witnessed huge ruckus with ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP legislators entering into logjam.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta stood on the bench and started yelling, following which CM Arvind Kejriwal lost his cool.

Uttar Pradesh Assembly

There are quite a number of instance when Uttar Pradesh state assembly went berserk, In 1997, during the BJP government, congress Legislative Party leader Pramod Tiwari demanded the division of the House, he was followed by a group of Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs, one of whom allegedly threw a small loudspeaker at the Speakers chair. MLAs threw microphone stands, paperweights, glass shards and furniture to attack each other.

In February, 2016, another incident shocked everyone when MLAs took off their clothes and raised slogans against Akhilesh Yadav government. BSP and RLD members raised anti- government slogans and holding protests during governor's address to the joint session. As soon as the proceedings of the joint house began, the BSP members climbed on their benches displaying banner and placards, and raised issues from law and order to farmers plight.

Jammu and Kashmir assembly

In January 2017, in Kashmir Assembly, members threw tables, furniture, and mikes were thrown. Chairs were thrown; papers were torn as anti-government slogans were raised. The ruckus happened over killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani.Some of the opposition leaders were also sporting black bands.

Manipur Assembly

Trinamool Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman and other members of the opposition raised the issues of an alleged sex scandal involving state forest minister Naresh Jamatia as well as Agartala Municipal Corporation councillor Mrinmoy Sens involvement in a molestation case. After Speaker Ramendra Chandra Nath didnt allow them to continue, opposition members from Congress and Trinamool Congress stood up to protest and trooped into the Well.

Roy Barman went a step ahead and suddenly lifted the Speakers mace and ran away. He later gave it to Marshal Arun Das. Amid the ensuing pandemonium, Nath adjourned the House till 2pm and all the opposition MLAs staged a walk-out.

Tamil Nadu assembly

January 1988, a month after M.G. Ramachandran passed away, the Tamil Nadu assembly witnessed uproar when Jayalalithaas supporters, who was then a Rajya Sabha MP and supporters of his widow, Janaki clashed with chief minister. There some MLa also tried to tear late Jayalalithaa clothes.

In 2014, there was a pepper spray attack by three MPs in the Lok Sabha, following a ruckus over the introduction of the Telangana Bill. 16 Andhra Pradesh MPs were suspended as a result of the violence.

West Bengal

In February 2017, heated discussion regarding Property Damage Bill lead to violence in Bengal Assembly. The opposition wanted amendments to the Bill but they were overruled by the speaker. Speaker suspended senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Abdul Mannan. He refused to leave the house a ruckus ensued when marshals tried to force him out . Later, a scuffle erupted leading to hospitalisation on Abdul Mannan.

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Tripura:

Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy on Friday refused to read out some portion of his written speech having criticism of the Centre, in the Assembly on the opening day of the budget session, which led to uproarious scenes.

While reading the written speech, the Governor said I have read out two pages and now I would read out after para 95.

On which the Opposition Trinamool Congress members led by Sudip Roy Burman asked the Governor, Why should you not read out the total speech? We are not opposing you. This is not the convention.

The MLAs then rushed to the well of the house and shouted slogans like shame, shame.

The ruling Left Front members, however, did not react. The governor read out the rest of his written speech and left the Assembly House.

The governor did not read out the portion which stated, Communal situation in the country is tense. Minorities and Dalits are under attack and intolerance is increasing. This is what is causing harm to peace, tranquillity, and sense of integrity which is very important for the advancement of the country.

Dismantling the erstwhile Planning Commission has caused financial constraints to special category states, more particularly small, North Eastern states like Tripura with limited internal resources, the written speech said.

Due to non-functioning of the consultative mechanism between the centre and states, the trend of one party rule is increasing. Thus, the federal structure in the country is virtually under jeopardy, it said.

Farmers are not getting remunerative prices of their produce; as a result suicide among farmers have been increasing for the past three years, it added.

Demonetisation has paralysed the financial transactions, as over 85 per cent of currency in circulation has been rendered in one stroke. It has caused immense hardship to the common people, the speech said.

CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar declined to comment saying that he is not a member of the House.

Roy Burman said, What astonished me is the silence of the ruling party members. They kept mum because the government led by Manik Sarkar did not want to annoy the Modi government because the Centre is well aware about corruption of this government and its involvement in chit fund scams.

What was the reason for the decision? The reason is that in the governors speech, the role of the NDA government was sharply criticised, so, he skipped that portion, the TMC leader said.

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Mexico:

Thousands of Mexicans linked arms to form a human wall on their countrys border with the United States, protesting President Donald Trumps plan to build a massive barrier between the countries.

The protest on Friday, organised by local authorities and Mexican advocacy groups, brought together people armed with flowers, including politicians, social leaders and crowds of students to the border town Ciudad Juarezwhich already is separated by extensive fencing from its American neighbor city El Paso.

The Protestors hurled slogans at Trump, whose plans to build the wall to keep undocumented immigrants out of the USand make Mexico foot the billhas enraged many people.

The wall is one of the worst ideas, said Carolina Solis, a 31-year-old student. It wont stop anythingnot drugs or migrants.

Its just a symbol of Donald Trumps hatred, the presidents racism.

Under the watchful eye of US Border Patrol officers, protestorsamong them El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeserformed a human barrier of nearly 1.5-kilometers (0.9 miles).

Many people on both sides of the border cross it daily, calling one country home while going to work in the other. Ciudad Juarez and El Paso are one citywe will never be apart, said Leeser, who was born on the Mexican side of the border.

His Ciudad Juarez counterpart Mayor Armando Cabada vowed to help resettle migrants deported from the US. Trump only generates fear in our US compatriots. We must show solidarity with them and tell them that they have our support, he said.

If they are deported, we will welcome them with open arms.

Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested some 680 people across the United States as part of a crackdown by the new administration on the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Officials insist the raids targeted known criminals but rights advocates say people with no serious criminal records were also detained. A similar protest was planned on Mexicos Pacific coast, at the border between the city of Tijuana and its US neighbor San Diego.

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Cathy Kruse, Marble Rock, was named to the Ozark National Life Insurance $100,000 club for 2016. She is the No. 1 agent for Ozark National Life and NIS Financial Services with the most life insurance in force during the lifetime of the company. Kruse was honored at the company's recent national convention in Atlanta.

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Aaron Wagner was promoted to business and ag banker at Security Savings Bank. In his role, Wagner will providing advice and financial expertise that will help customers meet financial goals and achieve business growth. Wagner is a Wright County and started his banking career at Security Savings Bank as an ag credit intern. He joined the bank full-time as a junior lender.

Wagner, who holds an degree in agricultural business from Iowa State, works out of Eagle Grove.

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Connie Knuth has joined the real estate firm of McQuaid Agency as an agent serving North Central Iowa. Knuth has more than four years of industry experience and has held other positions in economic development and fitness/wellness.

Knuth, a member of local, regional, state and national Realtor groups, works out of the Clear Lake office.

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Michael Morris, director of business development at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee, Minnesota, was named one of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journals 2017 40 Under 40 honorees. Morris is a Mason City native and graduated from Mason City High School in 1997.

Recipients include 40 leaders under the age of 40 in the Twin Cities area who have demonstrated outstanding professional accomplishments in their industries and communities. Morris, also a Shakopee resident, has served in this role at St. Francis since 2007.

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Stellar Industries, Inc. announced this week that it intends to purchase the assets of American Crane, Incorporated and Tire Trucks International. All three companies are located in Garner.

ACI and TTI are owned by John Collins. A release from Stellar indicated the company "allows Stellar to capitalize on (Collins') industry contributions and his reputation."

We have had an ongoing relationship with John over the years and we are pleased that he has chosen us to acquire his businesses," said Dave Zrostlik, president of Stellar. John has been very instrumental to the tire service industry, and we look forward to building upon his legacy as he begins his transition into retirement.

Closing and integrating operations is expected to take place within 90 days.

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Mason City-based Century 21 Preferred was awarded the Quality Service Pinnacle Award for 2016 and the President's Award.

The Pinnacle Award is based satisfaction levels over at least two consecutive years on customer surveys. The President's Award honors offices that earn Pinnacle and Centurion Awards in the same calendar year. The Centurion Award recognizes staffs who achieve or surpass sales production goals.

In addition to the Mason City office, Century 21 Preferred has branches in Clear Lake and Northwood. It is owned by Dodie Wilkins.

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The Joseph Company Inc., received a top award from the Minnesota/North Dakota Associated Builders and Contractors for its work on the Austin Utilities Central Service Facility. The Austin-based company delivered the $16 million project on schedule and $1 million under budget.

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The deadline for grant applications for the Build with Bags program is March 30. The Iowa Grocery Industry Association awards grants of up to $2,000 for purchases of picnic tables, park benches, planters and playground equipment made of recycled plastic bags.

For more information, visit iowagrocers.com/build-with-bags-grant-application.cfm.
Republicans this week completed a massive rewrite of Iowas laws that govern how public employees collectively bargain for wages and benefits.

The legislation was dramatic in its scope, significantly weakening employees bargaining posture moving forward. The bill was 46 pages long and essentially re-wrote a law that was first authored in 1974.

And it was signed into law a mere 10 days after it was introduced.

Thats a relatively quick shelf life for any piece of legislation, much less one this significant. And that drew the ire of many of the bills opponents.

Statehouse Democrats, union leaders and many other people who opposed the bill were sharply critical of Republicans for fast-tracking it through the legislative process.

Republicans defended the process, saying they followed all procedural rules and gave the bill ample time for debate in the Iowa Capitol.

As with anything, there are two sides to this debate and both have some merit.

Republicans are accurate when they say they followed all legislative rules that govern how a bill moves through the Iowa Capitol, from being introduced, to being passed by committees and then the full chambers before going to the governors office for his signature. They also held a public hearing on the bill, giving Iowans a chance to voice their concerns directly to lawmakers at the Capitol.

That said, the bill moved through the Capitol just about as quickly as is allowed. A typical bill will take weeks, even months to move through the legislative process.

Not that there are no exceptions, even regarding significant legislation: Earlier this year the K-12 public school funding bill was signed into law nine days after it was first introduced, and in 2015 a contentious bill that increased the state gas tax by 10 cents per gallon was signed into law just 14 days after it was introduced. Legislators can move quickly, when so motivated.

But, the argument went, something like the collective bargaining bill deserved more time in the sun before it was signed into law.

Democrats were similarly upset over the length of time spent debating the bill, especially when Republicans in the majority on Thursday implemented a seldom-used deadline to cut off debate over the bill and force final votes.

Debate spanned three days at the Capitol  exceedingly long for the vast majority of legislation that passes through the chamber. Very few are debated even over the span of two days, much less three.

And by my unofficial count, debate lasted 27 hours in the Senate (including one overnight session) and 14 hours in the House. Those figures, too, are exceptionally high. And Republicans spent very little time speaking during debate in either chamber, so Democrats had plenty of time at the microphone.

The other argument made was the public did not have sufficient time to weigh in. Legislators were face-to-face with their constituents for only one 90-minute public hearing and one weekend back home in their districts.

Shortly after the bill passed the House, I asked Republican Speaker Linda Upmeyer if she felt the public was given sufficient time to provide feedback on the bill to legislators.

Weve had, as weve talked about here, phone calls, emails. I cant tell you the number of members that have come back and said, Hey, Ive got a school teacher, superintendent, board member, a county supervisor that wants to know how this will work. We went and found out, got the answer to them, Upmeyer said.

So during this whole time  and weve been talking about this since we started session and before  this conversation was going on. We were reaching out to people and getting feedback from people. The bill changed based on what we heard. We listened. ...

So I think its not a number of days that youre in the district doing forums as long as you have opportunities, phone calls, emails, that kind of thing. Its a combination of all of that.
H John Voorhees III / H John Voorhees III

The Ridgefield League of Women Voters will host a discussion on civility in politics at the Ridgefield Library this Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.

Todd Brewster, an author, journalist and TV and film producer, will lead the talk, which is entitled Civility in PoliticsHave We Lost Our Way?
TORONTO, Feb. 17, 2017 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell is presenting the 2016 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards recognizing individuals, groups and communities for exceptional contributions to conserving Ontario's cultural and natural heritage.

Recipients of the 2016 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards include:

55 young people receiving Youth Achievement Awards for exceptional voluntary contributions to heritage conservation by youth age 24 and under.



Two individuals receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for volunteer contributions to the conservation of community heritage over a period of 25 years or more.



Five conservation projects receiving the Excellence in Conservation Award.



One community receiving the Community Leadership Award for exemplary leadership, commitment, creativity, positive impact on community and good conservation practices.

Among the Youth Achievement Award recipients are two individuals, each receiving a $2,000 post-secondary scholarship, jointly funded by the Ontario Heritage Trust and Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life  sponsors of the Trust's Young Heritage Leaders program.

QUOTES

"In this 150th anniversary year of Confederation, I am delighted to recognize these exceptional individuals, communities and organizations working to conserve Ontario's rich heritage. On behalf of a grateful province, I congratulate these winners of the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards and thank them for their dedication to conserving our collective patrimony for future generations."

 The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

"I'd like to congratulate the recipients on their outstanding achievements and thank them for their commitment and dedication to conserving Ontario's cultural and natural heritage. As we celebrate Ontario's 150th anniversary this year, it's especially important to recognize the individuals whose tireless conservation work helps keep our history alive for future generations."

 The Honourable Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport

"Each year, the Trust recognizes the outstanding work being done across the province to conserve our cultural and natural heritage through the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards. The creativity, commitment and excellence of these remarkable individuals, communities and organizations is an inspiration and deserving of our highest praise."

 Thomas H.B. Symons, Chair of the Ontario Heritage Trust

"The Ontario Heritage Trust's Young Heritage Leaders program provides well-earned recognition for young Ontarians who are preserving local heritage, protecting the environment, and demonstrating their leadership. We've supported the program for many years because we see so many inspirational young people engaging for the well-being of their communities."

 Helen Kasdorf, Senior Vice-President & CFO, Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life

QUICK FACTS

Established in 2007, the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards are annual juried awards administered by the Ontario Heritage Trust to recognize exceptional achievements in heritage conservation.





In addition to these awards, this year another 98 youth are being recognized at the community level through the Trust's Young Heritage Leaders program, which recognizes hundreds of young volunteers each year for contributions to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.





heritage. The Trust`s Young Heritage Leaders and Youth Achievement Awards are sponsored by Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life.

LEARN MORE

Read the backgrounder about the 2016 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award Recipients





about the 2016 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award Recipients Submit a nomination to the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Awards and Young Heritage Leaders





Watch this video about the Young Heritage Leaders program and scholarship

The Ontario Heritage Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.

Aussi disponible en francais

Ontario Heritage Trust

@ONheritage

heritagetrust.on.ca

SOURCE Ontario Heritage Trust

For further information: Kimberly Murphy, Ontario Heritage Trust, 416-325-5074, [email protected]; John Gross, Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, 416-325-7786, [email protected]; Tim Oracheski, Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life, 204-946-8961, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.heritagetrust.on.ca


MONTREAL, Feb. 17, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - La Coop federee will hold its 95th Annual General Meeting on February 22 and 23 at the Quebec City Convention Center. It will unveil its record breaking financial results and will present its strategic positioning in a changing market.

There will be a press conference on February 23 at noon in room 202 of the Quebec City Convention Center. Messrs. Ghislain Gervais, President, Gaetan Desroches, CEO, and Paul Noiseux, CFO will present the detailed results for each sector and their growth vision to face the many challenges of the industry.

Messrs. Rejean Nadeau, President and CEO of Olymel, Pascal Houle, CEO of Groupe BMR, and Sebastien Leveille, Executive Vice-president of La Coop federee's agri-business division will also be availaible for interviews.

La Coop federee is the leading agri-food enterprise in Quebec and the only pan-Canadian agri-food cooperative. It gathers 90,000 members and employs more than 12,000 people in its three Divisions: Olymel S.E.C (Olymel, Flamingo, and Lafleur), Agri-business (La Coop and Elite), and Groupe BMR (BMR, Unimat, Agrizone, and Potvin & Bouchard). It is the 16th largest employer in Quebec and has joined the Aon Employers of Canada in 2016.

Key information :

Press conference, Thursday, February 23, 2017, at noon.

Room 202, Quebec City Convention Center, 900 Boulevard Rene-Levesque E, Ville de Quebec, QC G1R 2B5

SOURCE La Coop federee

For further information: To confirm your attendance or for more information, please contact: Pamela Champagne-Cote, E [email protected], T +1-418-476-1674, C +1-418-906-2160

Related Links

http://web.lacoop.coop/fr/


SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell confirmed today that SpaceX is now targeting the year 2020 for the Mars trip, a move that will allow the company to better focus on its other ambitious projects. Spacex will focus more heavily on their crew program and their Falcon Heavy program.

Trips to Mars are best launched every 26 months, when the planet aligns with Earth on its orbit.

NASAs next Mars rover is supposed to launch in 2020, as well as the rover for the ExoMars mission  a joint project between Roscosmos and the European Space Agency to look for signs of life on the planet. The United Arab Emirates plans to send an orbiter to Mars in 2020 as well, and even China has expressed a goal of reaching Mars by the end of the decade.

SpaceX is planning an unmanned mission to Mars using the Dragon V2 rocket  starting in 2020 and launch a rocket to Mars every 26 months. The plan is for the first manned Mars mission in 2024 or 2026.

The plan for 2020 is for a sample return Mars rover to be delivered to the Martian surface while also testing techniques to enter the Martian atmosphere with equipment a human crew could eventually use

NASA expects to spend on the order of $30 million helping SpaceX send the capsule to Mars.

A modified Dragon V2 capsule may perform all the necessary entry, descent and landing (EDL) functions in order to deliver payloads of 1 tonne (2,200 lb) or more to the Martian surface without using a parachute; the use of parachutes is not feasible without significant vehicle modifications.

It is calculated that the capsules own aerodynamic drag may slow it sufficiently for the remainder of descent to be within the capability of the SuperDraco retro-propulsion thrusters. 1900 kg of propellant would provide the v required for soft landing.

This approach should make it possible to land the capsule at much higher Martian elevations than could be done if a parachute was used, and with 10 km (6.2 mi) landing accuracy. The engineering team continues developing options for payload integration with the Dragon capsule. Potential landing sites would be polar or mid-latitude sites with proven near-surface ice.

A study of a potential 2021 Red Dragon mission suggested that it could offer a low-cost way for NASA to achieve a Mars sample return for study. The Red Dragon capsule would be equipped with the system needed to return samples gathered on Mars, including a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV), and hardware to transfer a sample collected in a previously landed rover mission, such as NASAs planned Mars 2020 rover, to the ERV. ERV would transfer the samples to high Earth orbit, where a separate future mission would pick up the samples and de-orbit to Earth

There was a two page JPL proposal on a 2018 Mars Spacex mission. Red Dragon-MSL Hybrid Landing Architecture for 2018. M. R. Grover, E. Sklyanskiy , A. D. Steltzner , and B. Sherwood, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Hybridizing a variant of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft (as a Mars lander) with a hypersonic guidance strategy based on the JPL MSL mission (Mars Science Laboratory), the proposed architecture opens a Pathway to commercially provided landing of heavy payloads on Mars with 10-km landing accuracy. The architecture relies on SpaceX SuperDraco engines for supersonic retropropulsion that would decelerate the Dragon-variant spacecraft from supersonic speed to a soft landing on the surface of Mars, thus demonstrating a keystone enabling technology for human exploration. Landed payloads (e.g., surface science packages) that could take advantage of this capability are open to further study by the science community based on Planetary Science Decadal Survey priorities.

Mission Architecture: A potential mission for the 2018 Mars opportunity would send a Dragon variant to Mars, supported by the SpaceX Dragon trunk module during cruise. The Dragon-variant spacecraft would perform a direct entry into the atmosphere at 6.0 km per second and utilize entry guidance during both hypersonic and supersonic phases of flight. Unlike MSL, the spacecraft would not deploy a parachute decelerator, but rather would transition directly from atmospheric flight to powered descent at Mach 2.24.

A high-thrust, powered descent phase would rapidly slow the vehicle to 2.4 meters per second 40 meters above the surface. From that height the vehicle would descend at a constant rate of 2.4 meters per second, performing a soft landing at the same velocity.

The Dragon-variant spacecraft would land on a legged subsystem as illustrated in SpaceX vehicle concepts.

The Spacex Falcon Heavy is need to launch the unmanned Mars mission. A Falcon Heavy could send 7200 kg on to Mars with significant

margin.

Performance: The Red Dragon-MSL Hybrid landing architecture would be capable of landing a 1000-kg payload on Mars.

There was another two pager on leveraging Spacex capabilities for Mars missions.

SOURCES- Spacex, Elon Musk, JPL, Nasa, CNBC, Wikipedia
DES MOINES | Gov. Terry Branstad moved swiftly Friday, signing into law sweeping changes to Iowa's collective bargaining law that unions representing public employees vow to fight in court.

Branstad signed House File 291 into law less than a day after majority Republicans in the House and Senate used extraordinary measures to end a protracted floor debate and expedite action to pass the bill in both chambers and send it to the governors desk.

The bill passed the Iowa House 53-47 with six Republicans joining 41 Democrats who opposed the measure. The Republicans in opposition were Clel Baudler, Greenfield; Mary Ann Hanusa, Council Bluffs; Dave Heaton, Mount Pleasant; Shannon Lundgren, Peosta; Andy McKean, Anamosa and Tom Moore, Griswold.

It cleared the Iowa Senate, 29-21, with 20 Democrats and one independent voting no.

Im very pleased to sign this bill into law, said Branstad, a six-time GOP governor who voted as a legislator against a collective bargaining law that has been in place since 1974.

These necessary reforms to our antiquated 43-year-old public employee collective bargaining law bring fairness for Iowa taxpayers and flexibility to public employees, Branstad said in a statement. This bill also gives local governments, schools and state government greater freedom in managing their resources with the opportunity to reward good public employees.

Over objections, legislative Republicans ended debate spanning more than three days by passing time certain cutoffs Thursday that expedited final votes on a 68-page measure that scales back the rights public-sector workers have had to negotiate over wages, benefits and working conditions.

House File 291 will limit most public-sector union contract negotiations to base wages, while eliminating such issues as health insurance and supplemental pay as mandatory items for bargaining.

The law it replaces allowed about 184,000 public-sector workers for the state, counties, cities and school districts to bargain for wage, benefits, and other workplace issues with impasses resolved by binding arbitration in exchange for employees give up the right to strike.

The bill covers public employee matters such as collective bargaining, educator employment, personnel records, settlement agreements, city civil service requirements and health insurance.

Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds also applauded the changes, saying: Im excited about the long overdue reforms that have been put in place today. My experience as county treasurer for 13 years gave me a firsthand look at how out of balance the system had become.

Finally, Iowa taxpayers have a seat at the table and local governments are empowered to make decisions in the best interests of their communities and school, Reynolds added in a statement. These changes will improve our educational system by giving local districts the ability to recruit and retain the best teachers in every classroom across the state. This new, balanced system is something all Iowans can celebrate.

After Thursdays rapid closure on the bill, the leader of the states largest public employees union said he expected his organization would file a lawsuit as early as Monday challenging the constitutionality of legislation significantly reducing its members' bargaining rights.

This battle is not over. This war is not over, AFSCME Local 61 President Danny Homan said Thursday after the Iowa House and Senate approved changes in Iowa public employee collective bargaining law that pits employees within state government against each other by treating police and firefighters differently than other public employees.

Its extremely unconstitutional, he said about House File 291.

Hogg, a Cedar Rapids attorney, said he believed the unions had a good chance in seeking injunctive relief from the courts in challenging provisions of the bill that make unconstitutional distinctions between classes of public workers by treating some public safety employees differently.

The Cedar Rapids Democrats said he senses that the way the collective bargaining issue was handled by Republicans has awoken a sleeping giant of workers, teachers and average Iowans upset by the bill was rushed through the process that shut out Iowans and stepped on the rights of minority legislators.

This is the worst thing Ive seen in 15 years. They just rammed this thing through and the way they did it, I think theyve really poisoned the legislative process, Hogg said Friday.

If they had wanted an Iowa solution they would have worked with cities and school boards and counties to come up with some minor reforms of the collective bargaining system, which is what they promised they were doing, he added, but instead they went the dark money route and really gutted collective bargaining and I dont think Iowans are going to stand for that. It will lead to the revival of democracy of this state.
NORTHWOOD | Questions on the need for recently approved overhaul of the state's collective bargaining law highlighted a Saturday morning forum attended by North Iowa lawmakers Sen. Waylon Brown (R-St. Ansgar) and Rep. Jane Bloomingdale (R-Northwood).

A crowd of about 50 packed the Northwood City Hall and peppered the Des Moines rookies on House File 291, which was signed into law Friday by Gov. Terry Branstad.

Union to file lawsuit over 'unconstitutional' Iowa collective bargaining changes DES MOINES | Gov. Terry Branstad moved swiftly Friday, signing into law sweeping changes to 

Brown and Bloomingdale are participating in their first legislative sessions after winning election in November.

Asked about the need for and the pace of the debate on the bill, both deferred to GOP leadership decisions, allowable legislative timelines and repeated the party's recent stance on updating the 43-year-old law.

When the pair hesitated answering a question about who authored the bill, answers came from different corners of the room in rapid succession: Wisconsin, ALEC, and Branstad. "This was a going away present for Branstad!" said one man.

That was followed by applause.

Republicans send major labor law rewrite to Branstad DES MOINES  Majority Republicans used a time certain procedural move Thursday to expedite

Branstad is awaiting confirmation by Congress to be the next ambassador to China under President Trump.

The lawmakers also heard concerns on water quality, school vouchers, municipal funds for road maintenance, minimum wage and concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs.

House File 291 limits most public-sector union contract negotiations to base wages capped by the cost of living while eliminating such issues as health insurance and supplemental pay as mandatory items for bargaining. Iowas 1974 collective bargaining law allowed public workers to bargain for wage, benefits, and other workplace issues with impasses resolved by binding arbitration in exchange for employees give up the right to strike.

The next forum involving North Iowa lawmakers is 10 a.m. Friday at Clear Lake Bank & Trust in Clear Lake. Iowa House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, and State Sen. Amanda Ragan, D-Mason City, are scheduled to participate.
The president of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, ICC, Sidiki Kaba welcomes the decision of the newly-elected government of The Gambia not to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC.

This important decision signals the renewed commitment of the new authorities of The Gambia to the ICC, and to the shared values of all States Parties, of prosecuting the most serious crimes that shock the conscience of humanity, said President Kaba.

President Kaba invited all States Parties to continue their support of the Rome Statute system and to encourage other States to ratify the treaty in order to achieve universality as soon as possible.

I am convinced that the continued support of the international community and the cooperation of States remain necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the ICC, the President stated.

On 10 November 2016 the Islamic Republic of the Gambia notified its decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to the secretary-general of the United Nations, as depositary of the treaty.





Following the election of a new president, Adama Barrow, on 10 February 2017, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of the Gambia to the United Nations notified the annulment of its former decision with immediate effect.
Alhaji Muneer Bankole, the Managing Director, Med-View Airline Limited, said on Friday that the company would expand its operations to three of the French speaking countries of West Africa in April.Bankole, speaking with journalists in Lagos, said the airline would expand its operations to Senegal, Guinea (Conakry) and Cote DIvoire.He added that the company would be floating an Initial Public Offering in the next three months to give investors the opportunity to buy into the airline to make it raise additional funds.The company listed a total of 9.75 billion shares of 50k at N1.50 per share each on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.Bankole said: We are in the market not to do anything extraordinary, but to let Nigerians know that there is something to grow together.This is a private entity that started from zero level.The durable, profitable and safest business you can do is transport.He said the airline would connect all the West African countries before expanding to Europe and America.According to Bankole, the airline will also commence Lagos-Dubai route in April, which he said had been in the pipeline for over two years.He said: Also, the airliner will commence its international flights to Baltimore and Washington DC in United Sates soon.We are increasing our financial capacity in the area of growth. We are discussing with partners to acquire more aircraft that we will bring back home to increase our capacity.Before now, we have to go to Benin Republic to travel to USA. You can see the sufferings, before the end of the year; we will start transporting passengers to the US.Bankole promised that the company would improve its performance on domestic and regional routes as well as stablilise its international operations.He added that the company would enhance its services to passengers going to either Saudi Arabia or Jerusalem.
LAKE MILLS | A Lake Mills man accused of bilking investors for four years has been arrested.

Randall Finer, 53, was arrested Friday for one count of felony ongoing criminal conduct. He was released later that day after posting a $25,000 cash bond.

The Winnebago County Attorney's Office said in a statement that Finer solicited more than $800,000 from community members for investment purposes from 2011 to 2015, and issuing promissory notes equal to the amount of the loan, plus a guaranteed rate of return.

He allegedly made payments to investors and portrayed that money as interest from well-performing stocks when, actually, the investments were losing money.

Finer diverted 52 percent of the money into his own accounts for living expenses, according to the Winnebago County Attorney's Office.

No one answered a phone number listed for Finer in online records on Friday afternoon.

His arrest Friday was the result of a two-year investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Previously, Finer had been ordered to pay civil restitution to some of his investors.

The Iowa Insurance Commission also ordered Finer to stop selling securities and banned him from offering investments in Iowa.

He faced disciplinary action for allegedly not being licensed to sell securities or act as an investment advisor.

Finer denied the allegations in a 2015 letter to investigators, saying he always made it clear the money was for a personal loan and not an investment.
North Central

The Commands Public Relations Officer, DSP Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the development to the reporters, on Friday in Ilorin.He said the Commissioner viewed the camp as illegal, hence the shut down.Okasanmi explained that there was no information to the effect that a camp will open in Offa to train anyone.We were not officially informed about any camp in Offa and we dont have any information about any organization organising any camp there.There should be no training or camping of any organization without the knowledge of the police.No organization has secured any clearance to organize any camp in Offa.When we got information that there is a camp going on somewhere in Offa and since no one informed us about any, we had to close the camp.Doing this, we considered the security situation of the country because we dont know the pedigree of the organization conducting the camp.Our action was to just ensure there is no breakdown of law and order.If we have a directive from Abuja that any camping will hold, there is no problem because we dont have any issue with anyone Okasanmi said.Reacting to the incident, the Kwara Adjutant of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, Dr. Folorunsho Peter, denied the police allegation that his command did not inform it of its orientation camp.He explained that there were some applicants who had not paid their dues to qualify to take part in the orientation process who wanted to forcefully partake in the camping.Some persons came and wanted to partake in the training and they have not paid their dues and met resistance from our officers on ground.The police came in and said the issue has not been properly resolved and that we did not obtain clearance to operate.We have properly informed them of our plans, we served them our time table for the orientation camp.We even invited the police commissioner to come and deliver lecture, as well as DSS, NDLEA and some other organizations.The camp Commandant came to Ilorin to see the Commissioner of Police, though I was not with them but was told they had a positive discussion Peter said.Peter said they had allowed participants to go off camp, so as not to have any confrontation with the police.He said applicants have been told to report to the Commands headquarters in Ilorin on Monday, Feb. 20, and that camping will resume again by Tuesday, Feb. 21.Founded by Dr Dickson Akoh, on the 10th of July 1998, in the Kaduna, Northern Nigeria. Peace Corps of Nigeria, in its commitment to National Creativity, Peace and Youth Development is registered in Nigeria under the Company and Allied Matters Act of 1990, Part C.It was reported that the National Assembly had in November 2016 passed the bill establishing the Peace Corps of Nigeria and it is currently awaiting presidential assent.Also, Senate President Bukola Saraki had said the passage of the bill would institutionalise the corps that had been in existence for several years as a voluntary organisation in the country.About 5, 000 applicants from across the country came for the orientation in Offa.
Following intense backlash from Nigerians and human right groups, the Nigerian Police Force has released Chocolate City boss, Audu Maiko...

Following intense backlash from Nigerians and human right groups, the Nigerian Police Force has released Chocolate City boss, Audu Maikori whom it arrested yesterday over alleged inciting comments on the killings in Southern Kaduna. Maikoris lawyer, Mark Jacob who confirmed the news said Maikori was released on bail on Saturday.Earlier, the police had confirmed his arrest, noting that he was being investigated for false information capable of causing religious and communal crisis.Though the officer declined to disclose the exact department that made the arrest, he however said the Police has a duty to ensure investigation of allegations and petitions made by Nigerians especially one that is capable to threatening peace and stability in any part of the country.According to reports which had flooded the social media, the arrest was allegedly on the orders of the Kaduna state Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai who took to the offensive following Maikoris advocacy wherein he was condemning the killings in Southern Kaduna.
A Chief Magistrates Court in Port Harcourt on Friday granted bail on grounds of health to one of 45 Biafra separatists standing trial.

A Chief Magistrates Court in Port Harcourt on Friday granted bail on grounds of health to one of 45 Biafra separatists standing trial.The Chief Magistrate, Andrew Jaja, granted Emmanuel Nnamani bail in the sum of N50,000 after considering that he was almost losing one of his eyes.Mr. Jaja and other 44 suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), are standing trial on a two-court charge of conspiracy to commit treasonable felony and display of unruly behaviour.They were arrested in Port Harcourt during the IPOB solidarity rally for the inauguration of the United States President Donald Trump on January 20.He was reportedly struck in his right eye by security agents before his arrest.The chief magistrate also issued a hearing notice to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police or the state Attorney General to appear in court to explain reasons why the accused should not be granted bail.Hearing notice would be served the Attorney General or the commissioner of police to come and show cause why the accused persons should not be released unconditionally pending the advice of the DPP (Director of Public Prosecution), Mr. Jaja said.He explained that the attorney general or the commissioner of police would be given 10 days to appear before the court.The accused were remanded in prison custody while the case was adjourned to March 3.Earlier, the Counsel to IPOB, Inalagwu Adoga, had prayed the court to grant the accused persons bail since their case files had not reached the Department of Public Prosecution.Mr. Adoga explained that it would be in the interest of justice for the court to grant the suspects bail.He also prayed the court to grant Mr. Nnamani bail due to his worsening eye problem.Speaking to journalists after the court session, Mr. Adoga called on the Federal and Rivers state governments to resolve the Biafra agitation amicably like that of the Niger Delta issue.The Biafra situation started 51 years ago. It has been lingering on and on.I have written to the Federal Government for a dialogue to end this matter before it gets out of hand.I think it is time for the Federal Government to sit down and call on the leadership of IPOB to discuss the matter, he said.Mr. Adoga appealed to the government to exercise caution.
Justice Baraka Wali of Katsina State High Court, on Friday struck out a suit filed by the Trustees of the Evangelical Church Winning All (...

Justice Baraka Wali of Katsina State High Court, on Friday struck out a suit filed by the Trustees of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) and Stefanos Foundation against the conversion of a girl, Habiba Ishaku, to Islam.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the girl had eloped, converted to Islam and married Jamilu Lawal in Wawarkaza village of Kankara Local Government Area, Katsina State.Her father, Ishaku Tanko, Stefanos Foundation and the Church, went to the court seeking to annul the decision, saying the girl is a minor.Respondents in the case were the Katsina State Government, Katsina Emirate Council and the girls husband, Jamilu Lawal.NAN also reports that the girl had, however, written a letter to the court to disassociate herself from the suit purportedly instituted on her behalf.She denied being a minor and put her age at 18 as at the time she embraced Islam and got married.During the Friday proceedings, Justice Wali, struck out the case while ruling on a notification letter of discontinuation of the suit sent to the court by the plaintiffs counsel, Bawa Yakubu.She said that the letter indicated an amicable settlement of the matter between all the parties involved following the intervention of Gov. Aminu Masari.An applicant has right to file a case or withdraw it, she said, and ordered the applicants to pay N10,000 cost to Jamilu Lawal, for withdrawing the suit.The judge, however, turned down the prayer of counsel to Habibas husband, Bako Nasir, which asked the court to issue a proactive order that would prevent police from arresting and intimidating his client in connection with the case.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has assured the people of Bayelsa that the East-West Road will soon be com...

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has assured the people of Bayelsa that the East-West Road will soon be completed. He also said funds will be provided by the Buhari administration for the completion of Kolo, Okaki roads. The Minister stated this when he visited Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa, at Government House Yenagoa, on Friday.He urged the contractors to go back to work, as the federal government is ready to pay them their outstanding balance, as soon as possible. Fashola, assured the government and people of Bayelsa that the federal housing estate that was started by the past administration will be completed soon. In his remark, Governor Dickson, said Bayelsa is a state of good people, from where the story of oil and gas started.He told Fashola that if there is any minister I will like to take round Bayelsa, it is you, because you have the capacity to handle the ministries under your care. The state government supported the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), Shell Petroleum Development Commission, (SPDC) with N3 billion in the Nembe Road which has been completed. Bayelsa is ready to collaborate with the federal government in any form, because we have been left behind in terms of development, he said.He appealed to the minister to link the three senatorial roads in the state, as that will attract development to the rural people.
In a sad twist of events yesterday, Chocolate City boss Audu Maikori was arrested over tweets he made to bring to light the tragedy happening in Southern Kaduna.He had tweeted a story told by his driver he believed to be true. At that time, there were even 'photos to prove' it. Even when he realised the story was false, after the stories were denied, Audu wasted no time apologizing and explaining what happened. However, he got arrested yesterday.#FreeAudu is trending on Twitter right now and Nigerians are demanding Audu be released because his tweets about the SouthernKaduna killings aren't the problem. The killings are!Celebrities Banky W, MI and more are all on the #FreeAudu campaign. Tweets are all below:
The Nigerian Governors Forum may send some governors to the United Kingdom to visit President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Nigerian Governors Forum may send some governors to the United Kingdom to visit President Muhammadu Buhari.It was learnt that the plan to send a delegation to the President was part of the discussion at the last governors meeting in Abuja, which ended in the early hours of Thursday.A source privy to the meeting said, We will visit the President if he doesnt come back in the next one week. We decided to do this after the leaders of the National Assembly led by the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki visited the President.It was a decision supported by all of us, including members of the Peoples Democratic Party, which is the main opposition party in the country.
The Buhari Charity Organisation (BCO), a non-governmental organisation, has urged Nigerians to celebrate the achievements recorded in th...

The Buhari Charity Organisation (BCO), a non-governmental organisation, has urged Nigerians to celebrate the achievements recorded in the anti-corruption war President Muhammadu Buhari. Mr Suleiman Modibo-Masaka, Chairman, Board of Trustee of the organisation made the call on Saturday in an interview with journalists in Keffi.He said that there was Nigerians must own up the anti-corruption war, to save the country from a select few bent on fleecing the country. He added that records have shown that many corrupt persons have been charged to courts while some of their assets have been seized. Modibo-Masaka said that corruption, insurgency and other negative tendencies had negatively affected the lives of many Nigerians and the countrys socio-economic development. He said there was the need for all hands to be on deck in order to tackle corruption and insecurity in the country.Modibo-Masaka explained that the organisation was formed to promote peace, unity and progress of Nigeria and also assist widows, orphans and the needy in the society.That is why, we are assessing every government and now we discovered that President Muhammadu Buharis anti-corruption war is yielding positive results,he said. He noted that since the coming on board of Buhari, corruption has reduced drastically in the country. Madibo-Masaka called on Nigerians to pray and give their maximum support and cooperation to Buhari to enable him succeeds in delivering the much needed dividends of democracy.For Nigeria to achieve speedy development people must do away with sentiments, corruption, injustice, abuse of office among others. The chairman restated the organisations commitment to continue to support government policies that have direct bearing on the lives of Nigerians.
Former Minister of Education, Madam Oby Ezekwesili, has revealed that Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, was planning to take A...

Former Minister of Education, Madam Oby Ezekwesili, has revealed that Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, was planning to take Audu Maikori to court on Monday before she intervened.Ezekwesili, in a series of tweets posted on Saturday, also said she had pleaded with El-Rufai to accept Maikoris apology for posting false information about the Southern Kaduna crisis online.She wrote: I urged the @GovKaduna to get @Audu out & he replied that his policy of Consequences was important for stemming killings in #SouthernKaduna.The @GovKaduna stated that the actions for which @Audu apologized inflamed the#SouthKaduna conflict more & so the law taking its course.I asked the @GovKaduna to consider @Audu s apology and his unfortunate arrest as a TEACHABLE MOMENT for both the Government & everyone.People already know how stridently I insist on EVIDENCE-BASED ADVOCACY. WE all must take a LESSON from this. @GovKaduna @Audu. #LESSONTheres no basis for a Govt clamp down on Citizens FACT-BASED advocacy on ANY ISSUE. So @Audu admitted he was WRONG. Accept it @GovKadunaI told @GovKaduna that it was best to FREE @Audu & use this as the Govts POLICY MOMENT to get its MESSAGE of CONSEQUENCES thru to Public.@GovKaduna stated that he had personally reached out asking @Audu to not post those particularly untrue stories but he had continued.I pressed on the NECESSITY for@GovKaduna to act to FREE @Audu and allow all sides to LEARN the RIGHT LESSON from this painful episode.At the end of our discussion,@GovKaduna agreed to ACT and FREE@Audu quickly and end this unfortunate development. WILL WATCH OUT FOR IT.@GovKaduna had stated that @Auduwould be charged to court on Monday. I urged that since he already apologized,Police can CAUTION & RELEASE.Upon release today, I very much hope that @GovKaduna and @Audu can find points of COLLABORATION on#SouthernKaduna after this sad episode.All folks on the two sides of the divide baying for blood really must know that Nigeria CANNOT SURVIVE a Religious War. Shield YOUR SWORDS.On Friday, Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), picked up Chocolate City founder, Audu Maikori.Two weeks ago, Maikori apologized to the College of Education in Gidan-Waya, Kaduna and the Kaduna State Government, for sending out false information about an attack on the school.Maikori at the time claimed that six students of the school, were killed by Fulani herdsmen, including his drivers younger brother.The College of Education released a statement denying the incident and Maikori faced a lot of backlash on social media, with many saying he posted fake pictures.He published a retraction on his Facebook page and claimed his driver, a certain Simon Joseph, misled him.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has called on those labelling him a liar to provide evidence of one lie he ha...

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has called on those labelling him a liar to provide evidence of one lie he has told to warrant giving a different meaning to his first name.Mohammed said in as much he was ready to answer different names based on the nature of his job, one thing he did not get himself prepared for was the pure hatred he was getting from the opposition.The Minister was speaking in an interview with the Sun in Lagos, where he noted that he did his job while in opposition with clear mind and did not attack any individual.Mohammed, who was the All Progressives Congress, APCs mouthpiece, noted that the opposition will always attack him no matter what he did, since he played a major role in their downfall.His words, I think anybody who occupies a public office should know that this sort of thing goes with the terrain. But probably what I was not prepared for was the viciousness, and the pure hatred, and the lack of objectivity and divisiveness that now accompany it.As a spokesperson for the opposition political party, I was always very factual, I was very objective, and I didnt go personal. And I keep saying, that I challenge anybody to come out and say this is one lie you told when you were spokesperson for the oppositionI challenge these people and I say fault me on facts, and not on emotions. Most of the things you see are purely emotional. Many of them believe that, because I played such a major role in the downfall of PDP, no matter what I do, they would criticize it.I want them to criticise me fairly. I want them to be objective; Im ready to take them on. Take for instance, one of them went back and said on December 22nd 2009, I issued a statement that the minister of information should give daily bulletin on the health of YarAdua and I said youre mixing things up.Number one, Mr. President is not ill; he is not in the hospital. So, there would be no need for me to give a bulletin. Two, Mr. President complied with the constitution when he was leaving. He wrote a letter to the national assembly that he was leaving on a vacation.But during his vacation, he would take the opportunity to do some medical check-ups and while hes away, the Vice-President would be acting president. So, I do not see the situation as the same.So, to you my answer is very simple, it is that today, what we have is the politics of hatred, politics of grievances and politics of prejudice. And this would divide the polity.But Im not afraid of being challenged; in fact I love being challenged because I wont go out without my facts. But when you start to quote me out of context, out of share hatred for whatever reason, you go personal, and you are not objective, that doesnt slow me down. But it makes one sad that this country can be reduced to this level, and that politics can be reduced to pure hatred, divisiveness, prejudice and grievances.
MASON CITY | The goal was to get North Iowans and Mason City residents on the front end of planning for the future.

So far, it's working, according to Chad Schreck, head of the North Iowa Corridor EDC.

The Mason City and Clear Lake chambers of commerce and the Corridor EDC are working with TIP Strategies of Austin, Texas, a consulting firm to put together a workable, meaningful strategy for the future in North Iowa.

Once a plan is developed, TIP representatives have pledged to work with local officials to implement it, to make sure the results don't end up in a study that nobody uses.

And the planners want to start with the people. They are asking North Iowans to complete a survey that can be found at www.visionnorthiowa.com.

"We've received about 200 so far," Schreck said Friday. "TIP thought that was really good for being out less than week. "I personally want to blow that number out much larger."

He said another survey will be coming. "From there, we will develop a more specific rating/ranking multiple choice type survey to drill down on some of the key points to further specify the areas the public deems most important," he said.

Shreck said it's too early to draw any conclusions from the surveys. But EDC personnel and TIP consultants conducted nine focus groups in Mason City and Clear Lake in the past week.

"We hit about 100 people in these more personal small-group settings. It was a great way for open discussion and to dive into detail on what people thought," he said.

Schreck said strengths that were pointed out include the area being a regional hub with great recreational opportunities and a low cost of living, strong health care and strong work ethic.

"The big common concern that came up in every group is the need for attracting people to the region for jobs, which then led to discussion on need for amenities and things to do, and then need for housing, the need to keep our youth here," he said.

Schreck said TIP personnel will be back in late March or early April. "That visit will include several more opportunities for public input," he said.
Remo Omokri, former special assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on new media, has stated that Acting President, Professor Yemi Osi...

Remo Omokri, former special assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on new media, has stated that Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, is better than President Muhammadu Buhari in governing Nigeria.He also likened Osinbajo to the late Major General (rtd) Tunde Idiagbon.Idiagbon, as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, was second in command to President Muhammadu Buhari when the latter was military head of state between 1983 and 1985.Idiagbon formulated, enforced many of the government policies and spearheaded the national campaign called the War Against Indiscipline (WAI).In an article on Saturday titled Yemi Osinbajo: When an Acting President acts well, Reno commended Osinbajo for his handling of state affairs in the absence of Buhari.He said: His approach to the Niger Delta challenge is an approach of intelligence and diplomacy and will achieve far more than President Buharis shock and awe approach!The man approached the region with compassion and understanding, not with threats and bluster as his boss did when he had the chance. He physically visited and toured the region whereas his principal made promises to visit but chickened out when the time came to implement his promises.Professor Osinbajo spoke kindly and respectfully to the governors of the region and praised them for their efforts, even giving one of them the pet name, Mr. Projects.Is it any surprise then that oil production has continued to rise and militancy has waned in the period that Vice President Osinbajo has been acting?The man speaks to Nigerians as a leader should. He does not talk at us like the President. He talks to us.I may have issues with what he said to the protesting labour leaders but I am still impressed that he met them, listened to them and was courteous to them.And look at his Kennedyesque response to the #IStandWithNigeria protesters: To those who are protesting, WE HEAR YOU loud and clear. He sounded like JFK in Berlin on June 26, 1963 saying to the oppressed people of that iron-curtain enclave, Ich bin ein Berliner!You see, he is a remarkably poised Acting President! Even if you do not like him, you must respect Vice President Osinbajo.President Buhari can stay back in London or any foreign city that catches his fancy, all he wants  waiting for tests and taking phone calls. With Osinbajo acting for him, Nigerians do not miss him!In fact, he can turn his vacation into a sabbatical if he so pleases. We have tasted civility and are in no hurry to return to the barbarity meted out to the Shiites, IPOB protesters, Rann Internally Displaced Persons and sundry other protesters in the recent past.From his actions since President Muhammadu Buhari travelled to London this January, there is no doubt in my mind that Vice President Osinbajo knows the whereabouts of all his academic certificates!Even when President Muhammadu Buhari returns, I would advise him to make Vice President Osinbajo the face of his government in just the way that the late Major General (rtd) Tunde Idiagbon was the face of his first incarnation.Recall that Nigerians so loved Idiagbon and that it was when Idiagbon travelled that that regime collapsed, proving the point that he was the legs that held up that table!With Vice President Osinbajo, President Buhari does not need his disastrous and fallacious minister of information who has caused credibility issues for his government.
A 56-year-old pastor, Jones Nwaeze, was on Friday arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates court in Lagos for allegedly chasing worshipper...

A 56-year-old pastor, Jones Nwaeze, was on Friday arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates court in Lagos for allegedly chasing worshippers with sticks and threatening to burn down his church. Nwaeze, a resident of Oba Akinjobi Road, Ikeja, Lagos, is being tried for breach of peace and assault before Magistrate Mrs Y.O. Ekogbule. The prosecutor, Insp. Clement Okuoimose, said the accused committed the offences on Feb. 12 at No. 95, Tina St., Ojodu, Lagos.He said that the accused, a pastor of Minister of Gospel of God Church, conducted himself in a manner likely to cause breach of peace by chasing away other worshipers with stick and fuel. The prosecutor said the accused invaded the church during Saturday morning prayers, disrupted the service and assaulted some of the worshipers.He said that the security man attempted to prevent the accused from gaining access into the church premises because it was not the first time he (accused) was disrupting church service.He (pastor) hit the security man with a stick on the head, dragged him on the ground and the security man sustained injuries. One of the worshippers alerted the police who rushed to the scene, the prosecutor said. Okuoimose said the accused claimed ownership of the church saying had invested heavily on it by bringing coverts and he needed his share. The prosecutor said the offences contravened sections 166 and 171 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.Section 171 states that if found guilty, the accused will serve three years jail term. The accused however pleaded not guilty to the offences leveled against him. The Magistrate granted him bail in the sum of N20, 000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till March 13.for mention.
Nigeria's Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has implored PDP members and supporters not to worry about the victory of A...

Nigeria's Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has implored PDP members and supporters not to worry about the victory of Ali Modu Sheriff at the Court of Appeal.The Court, holding in Port Harcourt on Wednesday affirmed Modu Sheriff as the legitimate National Chairman of the PDP.There is no cause for alarm," Ekweremadu said. "The party leadership will meet as soon as possible to take a decision on the best way forward.I enjoin party faithful to remain steadfast as we will surely emerge stronger from the present challenges. Those dreaming about the death of the opposition in Nigeria will have to sleep much longer, and still wake up to meet us much stronger because a vibrant opposition is the beauty of democracy.
The victorious Senator Ali  Modu Sheriff, has described the judgement by the Port -Harcourt Court of Appeal on Friday, as a victory for...

The victorious Senator Ali  Modu Sheriff, has described the judgement by the Port -Harcourt Court of Appeal on Friday, as a victory for the party.However, he said that the interest of the party supplants his office as the National Chairman.I am willing to relinquish the position for the party to move forward into achieve its goals. He said. Speaking with journalists in Abuja over the weekend, he said I consult other leaders of our party to see how we can organise our national convention, to stop our division and leadership tussle.
A FORMER Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George has picked holes in the Court of Appeal verd...

A FORMER Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George has picked holes in the Court of Appeal verdict that authenticated Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the partys national chairman.The PDP leader described the judgement as a bad day for the nations democracy. Addressing newsmen, yesterday in Lagos, Chief George expressed displeasure over the judgement saying we cannot afford to ride another dark period in the democratic history of the country, it was a bad decision.He said: I was shocked, I think the word shock is minimal, it is worse than being shocked. My immediate conclusion is that this is the voice of Jacob and the hands of Esau.For our National Convention, from what we were told was set aside. The National Convention decision set aside. Well, I leave that to the pundits, political pundits to analyse that, but for whatever it is, it is a very bad day for democracy. It is very sad day. The party that was in government, very well established, that is even called most populous political party in the whole of Africa, being decimated, being reduced to Sheriff as the chief manager.He just came to the party, democracy is not about one party-state or one-party man, democracy is about aligning all voices, majority, minority to have a say and I am still very sad. I am not young any more and am still not that old and I expected at this time, the nation would be close to the first line of developed country.Decrying that there is a grand plan to muzzle the opposition in the country, he said this is nothing but a complete muzzling of majority decision, we will await the full decision of the court, we would also await the decision of other managers of the party from Abuja, but if nothing can be seen clearly or be decided in positive manner in nearest future, I cannot see myself playing any political role, I dont deceive myself.My spirit has never been this low as it is today. I am talking personally for myself, whither Nigeria, where do we go from here? A lot of people expected a vibrant opposition, now they have taken the opposition vibrancy to be an appendage to the ruling party. I cry for our beloved country.Its an all round victory- Sheriffs counsel Also reacting,counsel to the national executive, which is the appellants in the case, Prince Ajibola Oluyede, has described the ruling as an all round victory for justice and truth. Oluyede said it is expected that the PDP will take the ruling as a clean slate to rebuild a party that can stand the test of time.According to him, Justice Abang of the Federal High Court has been vindicated in his view that the Makarfi led Caretaker Committee is illegal and cannot act on behalf of the PDP.Our preliminary objection raised before Liman J. which he rejected has now been upheld by the court of appeal and Liman J.s judgement set aside in a unanimous decision.One can only hope that the PDP will take this as a clean slate to rebuild a party that can stand the test of time.
The Ali Modu Sheriff- led Peoples Democratic Party has described the Court of Appeal Port delivered in his favour as the confirmation of t...

The Ali Modu Sheriff- led Peoples Democratic Party has described the Court of Appeal Port delivered in his favour as the confirmation of the will of the people.Cairo Ojougboh, the Deputy National Chairman to Mr. Sheriff, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Abuja.Mr. Ojougboh said the Sheriff-led National Working Committee of PDP was still ready to dialogue with the Ahmed Makarfi-led group irrespective of the judgement.To us the judgment is no victory, no vanquish.Irrespective of the judgement our door is open to our brothers who unfortunately are in the other group.We promised not to victimise anybody but work together to reunite the party, he said.Mr. Ojougboh added that following the judgement, Mr. Sheriff was ready to organise a credible National Convention of the party as soon as possible.The will of the masses is that the party should be handed over to the people and that is what the Sheriff has come to do and he will never be distracted in achieving that.The PDP Chairman, Sheriff has directed me to assure our party members that the PDP National Working Committee would as soon as possible organise a national convention that would lead to the election of credible leaders of the party, he said.He, however, added that should Makarfi-led group appeal the judgement, Sheriff-led NWC would also be ready to meet them in the Supreme Court.All of us had earlier pledged to accept whatever is the outcome of the court judgment and I hope the Makarfi-led group will still respect that.Should they say they will proceed to the Supreme court to appeal the judgment, we are also ready to meet at the Apex Court, but I expect them to respect their promise.Mr. Ojougboh, who commended the party members and supporters for keeping faith in Mr. Sheriff, urged them to keep supporting him and his effort to return the party to the grassroots.
Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vowed yesterday to have nothing to do with Alhaji Ali Modu Sheri...

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vowed yesterday to have nothing to do with Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff moments after the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt reinstated him as the rightful chairman of the party.The partys Board of Trustees (BoT) led by Senator Walid Jibrin is similarly not disposed to doing business with the former Borno State governor as party chair.The Appeal Court, by a split decision, yesterday dismissed Senator Ahmed Makarfi as chairman of the caretaker committee of the Peoples Democratic Party and nullified the partys national convention in Port Harcourt that established the caretaker committee.The process that led to the creation of the caretaker committee ,it said, was an abuse of court process.Senator Sheriff was restored as the rightful national chairman of the party.Reaction from the PDP Governors Forum to the court verdict was swift in coming.Its chairman and ardent opponent of Sheriff,Governor Ayodele Fayose Reacting on behalf of the PDP governors in Abuja, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State said the judgement was an assault on the will of the people.If the people truly symbolize what a party is, then the machinations of ydetractors and the anti-democratic forces will not prevail at last, Fayose said.yThe governors however commended the minority judgement on the issue and expressed the hope that truth would prevail.Thank God we have another opportunity to seek justice at the Supreme Court, which I believe will not be delayed or denied.The party will appeal the judgement as we believe in the ability of the judiciary to do justice.On his part,Jibrin said the party was making high level consultations over the judgment and that the various organs of the party would come out with a statement on Tuesday.This judgement is not a threat but rather it is going to put us together. I appeal strongly to every member of the PDP to remain calm, not to panic, ynot to move to any other party as all efforts are on to ensure that PDP remains strong.Those who are crying today will laugh; those who are disturbed and worried will smile, Jibrin declared.The BoT chair expressed the hope that the matter would soon be resolved by the partyBut Sheriff, flushed by the verdict, vowed to restructure the party such that characters like Wike and Fayose cannot find a way through to attain any position of prominence in our party in the future.He was referring to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State both of whom initially backed his ambition to lead the party only to back out a few hours to the commencement of the botched Port Harcourt convention.The two governors, he said in his first reaction to the courts ruling,  have brought shame and agony through the application of their crude and godless politics which is at variance with the principles upon which our founding fathers built our great party. We must find a way to sieve things so that only men of character and integrity can come through for positions of responsibility at all levels of our political engagement in the country.Makarfi in his own reaction at a press conference in Kaduna described the court ruling as a temporary setback.He said the PDP would overcome the set back politically and legally and would come out of it strongery and bigger.We have utmost respect for the judiciary. So we are not going to take the laws into our hands. We might not agree with the judgement but there is a process and procedure if you did not agree with something, he said.Counsel to his faction of the party,Mr.Oladeji Lamikanra (SAN) said his clients would head to the Supreme Court on the issue.Two out of the three members of the Appeal Court panel  Justices B.G Sanga and A.B Gumel  said the Port Harcourt convention where Makarfi was picked as caretaker committee chairman of the party was in contravention of a court order and the court would not close its eyes to such illegality.They thus upheld the judgment of Justice Ibrahim Buba and set aside the judgment of Justice Muhammed Liman of Port Harcourt Federal High Court which had pronounced the convention as legal.Sanga who read the lead judgement said that PDP convention of 21 May 2016, did not follow the provisions of Article 47(3) of the partys constitution in the removal of the Sherrif-led National Working Committee.For instance, he said no vote of confidence was passed on Sheriff or the committee as provided by the said article, and the national working committee was not put on notice.He stated that Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, held in error when he said that the appellant committed abuse of court process by postponing the PDP convention.Justice Gumel, who is also the Presiding Judge of the court aligned with Sanga.He said that the preliminary objection filed by the PDP was incompetent.He held that Sheriff and his executive could not be removed until August, 2017, except the party held an election.Gumel described the originating summons in the suit at the Federal High Court as over-reaching, and ordered the parties to maintain the status quo.The judges said that the convention disobeyed a court order and that the court would not close its eye to such illegality.They upheld the judgment of Justice Mohammed Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, and set aside the judgment of Justice Mohammed Liman of Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, which upheld the convention and its outcome.The court awarded N100, 000 to Sheriff, to be paid by the nullified national caretaker committees Chairman, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Inspector-General of Police and Department of State Service (DSS).However, Justice T.S. Orji-Abadua, in his dissenting rulingt, upheld Justice Limans judgment, saying that the Port Harcourt convention was legal.According to her, the PDP national convention was in line with the 2012 amended Constitution of the party and not an abuse of court process.The judge held that Ali Amodu Sheriff had no powers to cancel the partys national convention.She said that Sheriff was only appointed in an acting capacity, pending election.Justice Orji-Abadua said going by Article 33(3) of the PDP Constitution, Sheriff does not possess overriding powers over the PDP National Executive Council and therefore, had no right to unilaterally cancel the May 21, 2016, convention.She said that Sheriff erroneously and unwittingly absented himself from the May 21 convention after being screened, which prompted the party to invoke Article 31(1) of its Constitution and set up a caretaker committee.She also held that Article 47 did not make it mandatory for the PDP to pass a vote of confidence before removing its officers and therefore, upheld the outcome of the convention and the caretaker committee.Orji-Abadua stated that Sheriff had no powers to cancel PDP national convention.She awarded a cost of N100, 000 against Sheriff.Speaking to reporters later,counsel to the Makarfi faction, Mr. Laminkanra (SAN) said his client would go to Supreme court to appeal the judgement.Ali-Modu Sheriff said in his reaction that he will urgently steer the ship of PDP clear of the path of infamy which Wike and Fayose has brought our party. That is the urgent task we have. We cannot continue to advertise thug brand and expect Nigerians to take us seriously.Senator Makarfi ,speaking in Kaduna said: as an individual, I cannot decide for the party until the party stakeholders meet and take a definite decision.The party will meet on Monday to take a decision of the Court of Appeal Judgement. Every person concerned has been notified. The governors, members of the National Assembly, members of the Board of trustees and Party officials.He asked party members to remain calm.He added: We will not allow opposition to be killed. We must strive to ensure that we survive for the sake of democracy and the country. Asked whether the Sheriff faction would allow him to use the PDP national Secretariat on Monday,Makarfi said he is not in a position to tell the world what Sheriff will do.But he said he would be surprised if security agencies will allow him Sheriff access to the party secretariat.When a court ruled in our favour sometime ago, we were not allowed to occupy the secretariat. So, we are going to see what happens this time around he said.Counsel to Sheriff,Prince Ajibola Oluyede said ysetrdays judgement is a vindication of an earlier ruling of Justice Abang of the Federal High Court on the illegality of the Makarfi faction.He said: Our preliminary objection raised before Liman J. which he rejected has now been upheld by the court of appeal and Liman J.s judgment set aside in a unanimous decision.It is an all round victory for justice and truth.One can only hope that the PDP will take this as a clean slate to rebuild a party that can stand the test of time.Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, asked PDP members and supporters not to worry over the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, on the lingering party leadership tussle.Ekweremadu stated this while reacting to the Court judgment which declared Ali Modu Shariff authentic chairman of the PDP.Ekweremadu said,There is no cause for alarm. The party leadership will meet as soon as possible to take a decision on the best way forward.I enjoin party faithful to remain steadfast as we will surely emerge stronger from the present challenges. Those dreaming about the death of the opposition in Nigeria will have to sleep much longer, and still wake up to meet us much stronger because a vibrant opposition is the beauty of democracy.Former Aviation Minister Femi Fani- Kayode said on his Twitter handle that Its time for us to gut the PDP, leave its carcass for Sheriff and form a new party.He also tweeted :The decision by the Court of Appeal in PH to recognise Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the Nat. Chairman of the PDP is a victory for @MBuhari.
Mr Ikechukwu Anyene, President, Nigeria Union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Pretoria, South Africa, that the ...

Mr Ikechukwu Anyene, President, Nigeria Union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Pretoria, South Africa, that the attacks began at 4.00am.He said that the union had reported the incident to the Nigeria mission and South African police.  As we speak, five buildings with Nigerian businesses, including a church have been looted and burned by South Africans. One of the buildings is a mechanic garage with 28 cars under repairs, with other vital documents, were burned during the attack.  Also, the pastor of the church was wounded and is in the hospital receiving treatment, he said.Anyene said the union had informed Nigerians in South Africa to be vigilant in the face of renewed xenophobic attacks. According to him, the union received information that there will be xenophobic attacks against foreigners on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23.  We began taking precautionary measures when the incident took place today. The attack in Pretoria West is purely xenophobic and criminal attack because they loot the shops and homes before burning them, he said. Anyene called on the Federal Government to persuade its South African counterpart to protect Nigerians in their country.  These attacks should not be allowed to continue because it is a big setback, he said.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr Chris Ngige, has charged the Agriculture and Allied Employees Union of Nigeria (AAEUN) to sup...

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr Chris Ngige, has charged the Agriculture and Allied Employees Union of Nigeria (AAEUN) to support the Buhari-led administration in its bid to rejuvenate the economy. Ngige stated this at the 3rd National Quadrennial Delegates Conference of AAEUN in Dutse on Saturday.According to him, the Federal Government (FG), under President Muhammadu Buhari, is committed to creating jobs for the teeming unemployed through agriculture.We are also concerned with good governance and increased productivity in the work places. We believe this could only be achieved through social dialogue among social partners who are the catalyst for maintenance of industrial peace and harmony in work places. This will, in turn, lead to increase in productivity; a sine qua non for socio-economic growth of the country, he said.Ngige said that the frequent mobilisation of union members for protests and strikes had become antiquated; a weapon of trade unionism he described as inimical to the growth of the economy. He, therefore, charged the members to always use social dialogue in pressing home their demands, instead of being confrontational. While giving his welcome address, Governor Muhammad Baderu of Jigawa said the conference was an opportunity for members, as professionals, to assess his achievements, particularly in relation to agriculture.Baderu, represented by his deputy, Ibrahim Hassan, said AAEUN could use the opportunity to assess the support given by the state government to agriculture, not as a tradition or a social sector, but as a business. The governor described agriculture as the only business capable of helping the country to diversify its economy, reduce dependence on food importation, create jobs and revive the rural areas. Earlier in his speech, the unions National President, Mr Simon Anchaver, called on Nigerians to see agriculture as a way out of the present frustration being faced by the people due to the economic challenges.Anchaver commended the Jigawa governor for the supply and distribution of Bio-fortified varieties of seeds to farmers, the distribution of motorcycles to extension workers and the procurement of fertilisers to farmers. He also appreciated the state government for its cluster farming programme, rice farming project and the prompt payment of salaries and pension to serving and retired civil servants respectively, amongst others. The national conference had in attendance delegates from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
MONTVALE -- The Syrian-born mayor of this North Jersey borough will not declare his municipality a sanctuary for immigrants, he said this week.

Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali.

Mayor Mike Ghassali wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday that he will not sign an executive order declaring the borough a sanctuary city like other municipalities in the state.

"Our law enforcement officers are hired to keep us safe and to enforce local, state and federal laws," said Ghassali. "I will not be signing any executive orders that will ask our employees to defy federal laws."

Ghassali signed the post by saying he was a "Syrian Immigrant." In another post, he said that a third of borough residents were foreign-born.

Earlier this month, another Syrian-born North Jersey Mayor, Mohamed T Khairullah of Prospect Park, declared the borough a sanctuary city.

"As elected officials, each one of us interprets the law as we see it and I saw it as unlawful and unconstitutional," Khairullah said Saturday. "That's the beauty of the United States, we could all have a difference of opinion."

Khairullah said he maintains a cordial relationship with Ghassali despite their opposing views on the Syrian regime.

Khairullah's order came one week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring refugees from seven majority-Muslim countries, including Syria, from entering into the U.S.

"No one should be threatened because we are not a Sanctuary city," Ghassali wrote in response to a comment criticizing his stance. "Montvale is not a Sanctuary City under this administration."

Trump has signaled plans this week that he

for deportation, which included using the National Guard.

Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
MASON CITY | The fishing is getting real good Mason City's East Park.

Steve Ibarra, of Mason City, pulled a 37-inch northern pike out of the Winnebago River in the park Friday morning.

It weighed 12.44 pounds.

Ibarra, who regularly fishes the park, said the northern struck about 8 a.m. while he was casting with a Rapala-brand lure.

He knew it was big.

"It bent my pole pretty good and it swam around in the water," said Ibarra, who brought the fish to the Globe Gazette's office Friday afternoon. "Right away, it went into the current, so I started pulling it really hard and I was able to play it out and land it."

Ibarra says he's had good luck fishing in East Park in recent years.

He chalks the success, in part, up to the efforts of Mason City staff who maintain the park and the oversight of the City Park Board and City Parks and Recreation Department.

"It's a lot nicer to fish since they cleaned it out in the last few years," he said. "So, it's made it a very good fishing area."

Iowa Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Scott Grummer said this spring is shaping up to be particularly good for fishing in the park, thanks to lower river levels and relatively calm water.

He said the fishing isn't as good when heavy snowmelt causes high water levels and turbid, or churned up, water in the river.

"It's been real good fishing conditions," Grummer said. "The spring we had last year and so far this year gives anglers a better opportunity."

The DNR stocks the Winnebago River with 3-inch fingerling northern pike and walleye each year. The pike are usually released in mid-May and the walleye in the latter half of June.

Ibarra regularly catches both species, as well as smallmouth bass.

There's also catch channel catfish, bullheads and carp, he said.

Ibarra, who showed the northern to Grummer, plans to apply for an Iowa DNR Master Angler award. The program recognizes sizable fish catches of different species.

At 37 inches, his fish qualifies because it surpasses the 35-inch minimum for the northern pike. Requirements for the award vary by species.

Grummer estimates the northern was 8 to 12 yearsold.

Although Ibarra says he caught the fish along the Winnebago River, he politely declined Friday afternoon to reveal the exact location of his fishing hole.

"Well, let's just say everybody can fish everywhere in East Park," he said. "Good luck. Get out there and try all the spots!"
MEDFORD LAKES -- The ex-South Jersey resident accused of posting an online death threat against former President Barack Obama is not competent to stand trial -- a fact his family has argued all along given the man's decade-long mental health struggle.

William Peterman, 33, formerly of Medford Lakes. (Photo provided)

According to a Feb. 6 order in U.S. District Court, in Pennsylvania, 33-year-old William Peterman's evaluation required by Magistrate Judge Carol Sandra Moore Wells found that he "at the current time he is not competent to stand trial."

"He requires further assessment, observation and treatment as necessary in an inpatient facility," Pogos H. Voskanian, M.D., wrote following a Jan. 30 assessment of the South Carolina resident who most recently worked as an accountant.

A U.S. District Court spokesman did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Peterman, a former Medford Lakes resident, had been charged with threatening to kill the president, the U.S. Secret Service announced last month. On Dec. 18, 2016, Peterman allegedly wrote on Facebook, "Barack Hussein Obama, II gave to me by speech via television permission to kill him; I accept such permission."

Based on Voskanian's report, the court found that Peterman "is presently suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent" and that he must be admitted to a psychiatric facility for further examination until he attains the "capacity to permit the proceedings to go forward."

In a recent interview with NJ Advance Media, sister Tracy Lube explained the years-long struggle she and family have had with Peterman as forced medication and stints in mental facilities across New Jersey failed to address the man's diagnosis of asognasia paranoid schizophrenia, which means he lacks insight and isn't aware of his illness.

Lube contends that the family has "hit road blocks at every intersection" trying to get help from police, doctors and the courts as Peterman was repeatedly released after evaluations or short stays in facilities.

"He has never harmed anyone before, but that's not to say it wouldn't happen," Lube said, adding that her brother was interrogated by the Secret Service not long before his arrest, but was released.

Citing the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting, Sandy Hook school massacre and wounding of then-U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, Lube said the gunmen involved in these incidents and others were mentally ill or received treatment that never resolved their issues.

"He did well with the programs and stayed on his [medication] for quite awhile then there were some hiccups," Lube said of her brother, who has dealt with mental health struggles since college.

Asked about Peterman's 2015 stay at the state-run Ancora Psychiatric Hospital, Nicole Brossoie, a state Department of Human Services spokesman, said HIPAA and confidentiality laws "prohibit the department from identifying or confirming any consumers or clients"

In response to an inquiry about how patients come and go from such facilities, Brossoie said that people who end up in New Jersey's psychiatric hospitals are geneally "admitted by court order and released by court order."

While Lube doesn't condone her brother's actions, the online threats against the president came at the tail end of Peterman's most recent episode and worsening schizophrenia.

"Ultimately, my family and I would like to see the laws changed and mental health system assessed and addressed properly. This is a medical condition just in the brain and needs to be addressed before more violent incidents happen," she said.

"Constant up and down battles," Lube lamented when asked what the past 10 years have been like. "It's worse today."

Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
CAMDEN -- A federal grand jury has indicted a former New Jersey attorney and his father for taking part in a $13 million Ponzi scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Michael Kwasnik, 47, of North Miami Beach, Fla., and William Kwasnick, 68, of Marlton, N.J., were indicted on Thursday on wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering conspiracy and money laundering charges.

Michael Kwasnik

The statement said the two operated the scheme through the Cherry Hill and Philadelphia offices of Michael Kwasnik's law firm and William Kwasnik's insurance company in Lakewood and Cherry Hill, the release said.

According to court documents, the alleged scheme ran between October 2008 and November 2011, with more than 40 clients from the law firm defrauded. The two Kwasniks moved funds from clients' trust accounts to themselves and then laundered the money through different entities, including William Kwasnik's insurance company.

Michael Kwasnik was also charged with eight other counts of transacting in criminal proceeds.

The two men will appear in front of a judge on Feb. 21.

Rajeev Dhir may be reached at rdhir@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @googasmammoo. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Most wanted feb 17.jpg

James Thomas and Heather Wildermuth (submitted photos)

BRIDGETON -- The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office would like your help in finding two of their most-wanted fugitives.

James Thomas, 40, is being sought on four Superior Court of New Jersey Family Court warrants for failing to pay $78,562.11 in child support payments. Thomas is described as a black male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 230 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. He has a tattoo on his left forearm of a cross and a tattoo on his right forearm "BABY J". His last known address was Coombs Drive in Fairfield Township.

Heather D. Wildermuth, age 25, is being sought on one Superior Court of New Jersey Criminal Court warrant for failure to appear. Wildermuth is described as a white female, 5 feet 3 inches tall, 180 pounds, with green eyes and blonde hair. She has a tattoo on her abdomen "ANDREW". Her last known address was Elmer Street in Vineland.

Sheriff Robert A. Austino asks anyone who comes in contact with these individuals to call the police immediately. You should contact state or local police, or the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department TIP-LINE at 856-451-0625.

If you know the whereabouts of this individual, share this information anonymously by downloading the CCPOTIP App at the Android or iPhone Store and choosing Cumberland County Sheriff's Department, submitting an anonymous tip via text to 847411 with CCSONJ and your tip in the message line or going to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Facebook page and clicking "submit a tip" and submitting a tip to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department.

Citizens are reminded not to approach, confront, or detain these fugitives.

Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Jersey City cannot get enough Krispy Kreme.

The chain's new doughnut shop on Christopher Columbus Drive has been packed since its debut ten days ago, and even the co-owner admits he has been taken aback by the response.

"The craze of the first ten days has now gone into an hourly demand,'' says Karl Halligan. "We had a great opening week and we look forward to serving Jersey City for the next 20 years.'

That's how long the lease is, anyway, for the new Krispy Kreme shop, which occupies the former PNC Bank space, steps from the Grove Street PATH station.

The store makes a staggering 65,000 doughnuts daily. Krispy Kreme fanatics are even streaming in from New York City to pick up just-made doughnuts; the city's lone Krispy Kreme shop, in Penn Station, gets its doughnuts from Pennsylvania.

The Jersey City location is Krispy Kreme's only "factory'' store in New Jersey; a "fresh'' store is in Collingswood. Factory stores make doughnuts from scratch; fresh stores get doughnuts made elsewhere - in the Collingswood store's case, Delaware - and finish them off on premises.

There's an ordering system in Jersey City: One person takes your order and rings you up, while "expeditors'' at the end of the counter fill orders.

If you want right-off-the-conveyor-belt doughnuts, tell the staffer at the register you want your doughnuts "hot.'' The average check so far in Jersey City is about $12; a dozen Original Glazed goes for $9.99, while a dozen assorted is $10.99. About 60 percent of doughnut sales so far are Original Glazed; the other 40 percent, assorted.

Halligan and business partner John Mondry - the two also co-own Liberty Prime steakhouse in Jersey City - thought doughnuts when it came time to broaden their investment portfolio.

"We like to do something different instead of what everyone else does,'' Halligan explained. "We have great love and desire for Krispy Kreme and always wondered why they weren't in New Jersey.''

Tour new Krispy Kreme in Jersey City Go behind the scenes at Krispy Kreme Jersey City. Reporter Pete Genovese tours the busy new doughnut spot. Posted by NJ.com on Friday, February 17, 2017

Krispy Kreme opened a store in Brick in 2003 but it later closed. There are about 300 shops in 41 states, and overall 1,000 shops in 25 countries.

Halligan has identified at least five distinct types of customers at the Jersey City location - a mid-morning "mom and pop'' clientele, a lunch crowd, an after-school crowd, an after-work crowd, and a "chill out night crew.''

The store opens at 5 a.m. Monday-Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closing time is 11 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 p.m. Sunday. Beginning March 1, customers can get their doughnuts even when the store is closed via a walk-up window.

Halligan is proud of his barista station where customers can order lattes, espressos, and in the near future, nitro coffee.

He and Mondry hope to open more stores in North Jersey, but there is no timetable; Edgewater or West New York are possibilities.

Krispy Kreme was started by Vernon Rudolph, who bought a doughnut shop in Paducah, Ky., and with a secret yeast-raised doughnut recipe he had acquired in New Orleans, opened shop.



Rudolph later moved the operation to Nashville. In 1937, he and two partners left Music City in a Pontiac, with $200 in cash, several pieces of doughnut-making equipment, and the secret recipe.



The doughnuts -- just-made ones are heralded with stores turning on their "Hot Doughnuts Now'' signs -- have achieved cult status among their fanatical followers.



"The Appalachian love child of the souffle and croissant" is how Melissa Schoor described an Original Glazed doughnut in GQ magazine. "As warm as a June night in Tennessee, as sweet as a blonde belle, it tumbles effortlessly to the bottom of your stomach."

Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram.
Stop us if you've heard this one before: A waiter, a trucker and an actress walk into a bar...

It's dark and stuffy in the basement of the Stress Factory, where this trio is among nearly 25 comics who will try their hand at coercing a few laughs out of a small crowd gathered for open-mic night. Among the mix tonight are folks young and old, male and female, of various races and backgrounds. Whether any of them will become household names in the months and years to come remains an unanswered question.

Local comedian Reggie Parker performs at open-mic night at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick in July 2016. (Marisa Iati | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

For many New Jerseyans who pay to see a show at the popular New Brunswick venue, comedy is a diversion, a chance to escape the grind of another work week.

For hundreds of comedians who work the open-mic circuit in hopes of earning coveted paid performance slots, though, it's an important part of a very unusual work week.

Comedic hopefuls from the region hone their acts at open-mic nights, mostly in New York City, before advertising themselves for jobs at established clubs. Performing as a billed act at New Jersey's comedy hot spots, like the Stress Factory or Bananas Comedy Club in Hasbrouck Heights, stands as a prize to be won through persistence and raw talent.

It's a demanding system that turns the luckiest and most skilled up-and-comers into national acts, like famous Jersey natives Bill Maher, Jay Mohr and Richard Lewis.

Pittsburgh-raised comic Von Decarlo is one such hopeful. She dabbled in stand-up for years, before recently re-committing herself to the craft. She now spends many nights on stages across North Jersey and New York City as she works her way up the comedic ladder.

As a multiracial female comic, Decarlo brings all aspects of her identity to this very personal and raw art form. At the Stress Factory's open-mic night last summer, she was testing material about race, dating younger men and raising a rebellious teenage daughter.

Weeks later, she's on a different stage. A packed room claps enthusiastically as Decarlo takes the microphone at Bananas Comedy Club to warm up the crowd for well-known New York comic Goumba Johnny.

"I can tell by the applause that y'all don't watch BET," she riffs to the New Jersey crowd. "To be honest, people don't identify me as a Black woman when they see me. Because I'm half Black, half white -- which is just a fancy way of saying that I'm Black. Except, of course, here in New Jersey, New York area, where somehow being half Black and half white makes me Puerto Rican?"

And she's off.

Three minutes to glory

"Making it" in stand-up requires going on stage night after night to practice the same material until the delivery is smooth and every joke lands. It also involves climbing, rung by rung, a well-established ladder.

Comics usually start out at open-mic nights, where audiences are mostly other green performers and more experienced comedians looking to test new material.

The Stress Factory's open mics are "bringer" shows, which require comedians to bring paying guests with them in order to even get on the stage. Performers are called from a list of names at the bar, and each person gets three minutes.

When comics have nailed down at least 20 solid minutes of material, they might get to be a "host," or the first act for a show. The next step up is being a "feature" act, which means a little more time on stage preparing the crowd for the "headliner," the evening's main event.

How much money comics net per show depends on how big of a draw they are. Hosts can make as little as $25 per set, while headliners can net several thousand dollars for a performance.

Comics find their way to paid performance slots in different ways, said Arlene Jamison, co-owner of Bananas Comedy Club. Some send videos of prior performances, while others are recommended by a fellow comedian or pitched by an agent.

Their paths are different, but Jamison said one thing binds them: They have to be funny. It's a competitive industry, and mediocrity doesn't lead to much success.

Pittsburgh-raised comic Von Decarlo is among hundreds of people using New Jersey's comedy clubs to try to climb the stand-up ladder. (Courtesy photo)

Climbing the stand-up ladder is serious business for Decarlo, who said she approaches the craft with an athlete's mentality.

"Stand-up comedy consumes my mind," Decarlo said before her Bananas performance. "Every situation is a story. Every situation can be comedy. You have to write constantly."

At the show, Decarlo weaves her way through a series of jokes that often draw raucous laughter -- "If he didn't want to get married, he could've just told me," she says of her fiancee dying a month before their wedding. Other moments, however, fall flat.

It's a mixed bag for her, but it's just one performance. Tomorrow morning she'll wake up, watch her set, look for ways to tighten it up, and catch up on current events she can work into her comedy. Most days, she'll be back on stage that night.

Even still, it's a long road to financial viability. Most comics you see at open mics have day jobs, and Jamison estimates only 1 or 2 percent are ever able to make comedy a full-time profession.

"You are constantly fixing and writing, and fixing and writing," said Decarlo, who is also an author and the manager of a company for the name and likeness of late comedian Patrice O'Neal. "I'm always looking at different angles. Is this the best way I can say this? Is this the shortest, quickest way I could say this?"

The comic glass ceiling

On stage, Decarlo confronts her lived experiences as a multiracial woman and employs them for humor. She does a bit about her "Black side" and her "white side" competing to determine how she disciplines her daughter, and she points out double standards that label women, but not men, "loose" for sleeping around.

Despite the success of many minority and female comics, like Gabriel Iglesias and Leslie Jones, stand-up is still largely populated by white male performers.

As a result, Decarlo stands out. Audiences sometime take in her appearance and decide they know what her perspective will be. She once said the word "cops" at a show and was greeted by immediate booing.

"Because I'm a Black woman, (they were) assuming a perspective, but ... what was about to come out of my mouth was, 'I don't hate all cops,'" Decarlo said of the incident.

Khadijah Costley White, a Rutgers University media studies professor who teaches about humor, said it's impossible for comics to escape the visible aspects of their identities. The most successful ones, she said, use those traits to point out power dynamics and inequalities.

"Even just the way you look affects the way that the audience accepts your humor, accepts your jokes, responds to them," White said. "I think the strongest performers use it to play to their strengths."

Vinnie Brand, a comic and the owner of the Stress Factory, and comic Dom Irrera pose for a photo at the New Brunswick-based club in 2014. (Courtesy of the Stress Factory)

The core of good comedy, in Decarlo's eyes, is having a unique perspective -- sharing stories from the comic's lived experience. On stage, she talks about being a mom, her political views ("usually very shallow," she says) and lying about her age.

Decarlo said mining her real life for comedy makes it hard for anyone to steal her material or accuse her of making easy, cheap jokes. Some of her set may be considered edgy or make a few audience members uncomfortable, she said, but it's meant to be relatable and real.

"For stand-up, I think the beauty about it is you're expected to be yourself," Decarlo said. "Stand-up is you. There are some character stand-up comics where ... they are completely putting on an act, and they do well with it. But the majority of stand-up comedians are being themselves or a version of themselves."

Even with all that work, Decarlo warned, every comic will inevitably bomb sometimes. She said she's constantly reminding herself that not every performance will be perfect and to push through the failures.

"If you get afraid of the silence, you won't recover," she said. "If something doesn't work, don't get afraid. Paint your picture, do your thing, the whole way through."

There's no blueprint for succeeding in stand-up. It's a messy career path, one that twists and turns more than the average profession. Decarlo said when the stage lights are off and no cameras are rolling, pursuing comedy can be more arduous than glamorous.

"I think a lot of people still believe in the fantasy of, 'I'll just be discovered because I'm sitting here and I look pretty or something,'" she said. "I don't know where that came from or who that worked for."

She added, "You have to love the process of comedy more than your end goal."

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Authorities in upstate New York said Friday they are searching for a Newark woman who was accused in a drug trafficking scheme that moved heroin from New Jersey to Syracuse.

Lisa Hawk, 54, was previously arrested with more than 500 bundles of heroin at the Regional Transportation Center, a bus and train station in Syracuse, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.

Hawk faces new charges of conspiracy, the sheriff's office said. She is described as a black woman, 5-foot-10, 330 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts was asked to call the Onondaga County Sheriff's Fugitive Task Force at 315-473-7625. Authorities did release details about the charges.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- An Orange man was sentenced Friday to 23 years in state prison for the fatal shooting of a Newark man whose frozen remains were found in a driveway, prosecutors said.

Fateem Moses, 36, pleaded guilty in December to aggravated manslaughter and unlawful possession of a handgun stemming from the Feb. 14, 2016 slaying of Omar Faines, 31, of Newark, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced.

Moses shot Faines, of Newark, in a car and dumped his body on Rose Terrace in the city's South Ward, according to Assistant Prosecutor Adam Wells, who handled the case. The victim was found the following morning.

"Mr. Faines was brutally killed and dumped like trash in a driveway by a man who was close to him and his family,'' Wells said in a statement. "That man will now spend more than two decades in a New Jersey State Prison for his crimes."

Prosecutors said a motive for the killing was unclear but Moses was close with the victim's family.

Moses must serve 85 percent of his prison term before being eligible for parole under the state's No Early Release Act, Wells added.

He was arrested in March and initially charged with murder, according to authorities. Moses has a history of convictions for drugs-related offenses, theft and assault that spans Georgia, West Virginia and New Jersey.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. held a roundtable discussion on Saturday in Newark with health care leaders and residents to discuss the impacts of repealing the Affordable Care Act. (Karen Yi| NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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NEWARK - Repealing the Affordable Care Act would be "devastating" for New Jersey residents and put hospitals at risk, too, health care leaders said Saturday during a roundtable discussion organized by U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr.

"We are very concerned that at the end of the day that 30 million Americans who have benefited from this Affordable Care Act will find themselves without health care once again and that is frightening," said Payne (D-10th). "This is not just an urban, underserved, uninsured issue, this is an issue across my district."

Payne said he was one of more than 80 Democratic members of the House of Representative who held discussions with their constituents across the nation on Saturday on the impact of repeal and ways to oppose it.

Healthcare workers said they worried about their patients and whether they would have access to the same level of treatment. Hospital leaders said any Medicaid rollbacks would put them at financial risk. And residents worried about how family members with pre-existing conditions or who receive no insurance from their jobs would find affordable coverage.

"We keep hearing repeal and replace. Why not keep and improve?" asked Montclair resident Phoebe Del Boccio. "That's the direction we should be going in."

The uninsured rate in New Jersey dropped to 4.3 percent from 12.3 percent, said Tatiana Castrillon, a patient care advocate manager for Alliance Community Healthcare/Horizon.

"The American people need this, they want this," she said. Repealing Obamacare "is going to bring down the overall well being of our community."

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center had about 20,000 more Medicaid patient visits in 2016 than 2014, said Chief Financial Officer Douglas Zehner. States were allowed to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

"What does having access to Medicaid mean? It means access to doctors, it means access to care," he said, adding: "40,000 people in Newark alone could be affected if it's repealed."

Industry leaders and even residents acknowledge the law had its flaws - like raising premiums for some. But they agreed those areas could be fixed, rather than the whole system overhauled.

"We have seen the premiums go up for us and it totally sucks," said South Orange resident Susan Hyon. "But I feel like it's important and we're willing to take a hit for the team by dealing with higher premiums."

Payne agreed and said Democrats would fight repeal, especially because the GOP had not proposed a detailed replacement plan.

"If you've railed against something for eight years you would think you would have some idea of what you want to do," Payne said. "Anything of this size or magnitude is going to have problems. It is a system that is supposed to evolve over time and become part of the fabric of this country."

During his weekly news conference, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Republicans would introduce a replacement bill for Obamacare once lawmakers return from next week's break.

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- Winter took a break today as hundred of residents took to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop's re-election campaign rally, where he was joined by State Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack for a rare endorsement.

Fulop's re-election campaign rally kicked off Saturday afternoon outside of Stack's state legislative office on Palisade Avenue, with the Jersey City mayor telling the crowd of his goal to "win big, with record numbers" in his attempt at a second term in November.

"I'm doing something today I've really never done before in Jersey City, and that's make an endorsement -- whether it be an incumbent or someone coming in," Stack said to the large audience. "Not only am I endorsing him, but we're going to work extremely hard together.

"We'll be down here every night working on his re-election," said the state senator, who has been the mayor of Union City since 2000 and state senator since 2007. His 33rd Legislative District includes large swaths of the Heights and Downtown areas, as well as an area of the West Side and some of Journal Square.

Stack told the Jersey Journal he's endorsing Fulop because Fulop is an honest man who is easy to work with.

A number of public officials were in attendance alongside the two Hudson County mayors as well, including Councilwoman Joyce Watterman, Assemblyman Raj Mukherji and Councilman Danny Rivera.

In sunny, 60 degree weather, residents cheered for both Hudson County mayors, holding signs reading "Steven Fulop 2017" and "Hispanic Women support S. Fulop 2017."

"I'm out here to support (Steven Fulop) and I think it's great Stack is out here too," said Patrick Ambrossi, 22, of Jersey City. "When you look at the city -- it hasn't been perfect -- but overall when you look at the programs that have been put out there, it's a step forward. Give him another four years and we'll see what he does with it."

Fulop cited his economic and social rights programs as successes for the city.

"For the last three and half years, we have led the state here in Jersey City on virtually every economic front," he told the audience. "Whether it's new housing, building affordable housing, dropping unemployment -- while at the same time doing a lot on socially progressive policies that I think move families forward."

He also told the audience the city would be "at the forefront" of fighting Donald Trump's immigration policies, citing Jersey City's status as the most diverse city per capita in the county.

"We here are not going to be a part of breaking apart families and tearing homes apart," he said to rousing applause. "That's not what we're made of here."

This year will be the first time Jersey City has held its quadrennial mayoral and City Council races in November instead of May, after voters approved the switch last year.

Fulop is being challenged by Charles Mainor, a former state assemblyman, and Bill Matsikoudis, an ex-corporation counsel.
Darrelle Revis mugshot

Darrelle Revis has turned himself into police (Pittsburgh Police)

A day after Darrelle Revis was charged with four felonies and one misdemeanor, the Jets' cornerback turned himself in to authorities and has been arraigned.

Revis received a non-monetary bond, but has to appear at all hearings and cannot have any contact with the alleged victims and witnesses, per ESPN. He has 72 hours to submit his passport. His next court date will be next Thursday.

The following video was captured by ESPN's Coley Harvey:

Darrelle Revis just arrived at the Pittsburgh Municipal Courts building, turning himself into police. #Jets pic.twitter.com/59ECEMXnEq  Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) February 18, 2017

Revis, 31, faces two counts of felony aggravated assault, one count of felony robbery, one count of felony conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and one count of misdemeanor making terroristic threats. These charges stem from his involvement in an apparent street fight Sunday morning.

At this time, it's not entirely clear what happened on the South Side of Pittsburgh, just that something did. According to Revis' attorney Blaine Jones, Revis is the victim. He was assaulted by a heavily intoxicated man, and defended himself after things turned volatile. He then fled the scene.

Pittsburgh Police paint a far different picture. The following is from a statement released late Thursday night:

The male began recording the interaction on his cellphone and continued following Revis. At some point, Revis snatched the cellphone away and attempted to delete the video. Another 21-year-old male from Ross Township attempted to help the 22-year-old retrieve the cellphone. Revis then tossed the phone onto the roadway. A verbal argument followed. A male came to assist Revis. Both the 22-year-old and the 21-year-old state they were punched then remember waking up to talk to police. Witnesses state the two were unconscious for about 10 minutes.

As of Thursday night, police hadn't questioned Revis to hear his side of the story, Jones said. A second Pittsburgh defense attorney told NJ Advance Media Revis shouldn't expect to serve jail time.

"He's likely looking at anything from probation to a relatively low state prison sentence upon conviction of the most serious charges," David Zuckerman, of the Pittsburgh-based Zuckerman Law Firm, said.

"Those charges are going to be hard to prove. Did he have the intent to cause serious, permanent injury to those individuals? I could see this resolving in a simple assault. If he has no record, it could very well end up going into a diversionary program on misdemeanors."

Connor Hughes may be reached at chughes@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connor_J_Hughes. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
MASON CITY | Construction is expected to begin in May on a STEM Center remodeling/construction project at North Iowa Area Community College.

The cost of the project is estimated at $8.5 to $9.5 million, which doesn't include architect engineering fees.

The project will be funded entirely through the $15 million Keeping NIACC First capital campaign, according to Steven Schulz, president of the college.

The science wing in McAllister Hall is still using equipment donated by Mason City High School in 1979.

That equipment had been used at the high school for a number of years before NIACC got it, and is now 50 years old, according to Schulz.

"It's time to update it (the science area) and bring it up to today's standards," he said.

The STEM Center will include a 15,000 square foot addition to the south end of McAllister Hall, plus remodeling of the building's current math and science area.

A flexible learning space is included in the construction plan along with updated science labs that include updated safety features and more efficient learning spaces.

All that's left is the STEM: Most NIACC capital campaign projects complete MASON CITY | Most of the projects at North Iowa Area Community College being funded by a $15

"We are very, very excited," said Nikae Perkinson, a chemistry instructor at NIACC.

She said the project will benefit students because they will be working in the kind of facilities they will encounter when they transfer to a four-year college or university.

Bergland & Cram of Mason City is the architectural firm for the STEM Center.

NIACC will begin advertising for bids on the project in early March.

Depending on the bids, the construction plan also could include remodeling of the Beem Center to create a better testing area and expand the Student Learning Center, where NIACC provides tutoring, one-on-one learning experiences and developmental education.

"This is really where we help students build their skills and be successful, Schulz said.

A public hearing on the project is set for 4 p.m. April 13 at the NIACC Administration Building.

Construction is expected to begin in early May, right after graduation.

The targeted completion date is August 2018. A grand opening is planned that fall of that year in conjunction with the kickoff of the college's 100th anniversary celebration.
The garbage truck driver who fatally stuck a pedestrian in Bayonne earlier this month has been charged with a number of offenses, including causing a death while being an unlicensed driver.

Authorities say Daniel Peek, 44, of Union City had no commercial driver's license when he struck and killed Caleb Serrano, 32, on Feb. 3 at Avenue C and 55th Street.

Peek is also charged with failing to observe a traffic signal, being a driver with no valid commercial driver's license, careless driving and reckless driving, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office confirmed.

Authorities previously said that Serrano was hit at the intersection's crosswalk as Peek's truck was making a left turn onto Avenue C from 55th street.

Serrano is survived by a son, Elijah, 11; father, Jose; mother, Enid; brother, Josue; and sister, Nini. Following Serrano's death, his family created a GoFundMe page to raise money to help pay for his funeral services, which were held last week. As of last night, nearly $9,400 had been raised.

"Caleb was a young man with a heart of gold," the page reads.

Peek did not respond to a request for comment from The Jersey Journal.

The 44-year-old was operating a truck for Suburban Disposal Inc. of Fairfield. The sanitation company did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment yesterday.
By Caitlyn Stulpin | NJ.com

Having been settled in the 1600s, New Jersey has many historic homes, properties and buildings throughout its 21 counties. As many New Jersey residents made their fortunes, castles were built for them to reside in to show off their wealth and stature. Although not all of these lavish residences remained homes, some becoming fixtures at notable college campuses or community buildings, they're still standing.

Here's a look at 12 of New Jersey's notable castles.

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Steven's Castle Gate, 1835

Stevens Castle, located in Hoboken in Hudson County, was built in 1854 but was demolished nearly a century later in 1959, according to the Steven's Institute of Technology website. The gate house remained standing and is the welcoming spot for students of the institute.

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Take a peek inside Iviswold Castle at Felician College in Rutherford, N.J. We're sure it looks familiar (and completely restored!) to FDU's Rutherford grads. Posted by Fairleigh Dickinson University on Friday, March 22, 2013

Iviswold Castle, 1869

Iviswold Castle is home to Felician College's Rutherford Campus administrative offices in Lodi, Bergen County. However, the castle was originally built as a house in 1869. David Ivison bought the home and converted it into a castle in 1887. After his death, the castle was taken over by Rutherford National Bank. In 1997 Felician College got hold of the building and converted it to what it is today, according to the Felician Univeristy website.

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Stronghold Castle, 1886

Stronghold Castle, located in Bernardsville, Somerset County, is a castle estate currently for sale for $11.8 million. According to previous reports by NJ.com, the property is owned by fashion designer Marc Ecko and was once the home of Charlotte Drayton, daughter of William Astor. Years later, the castle was home to Senator John F. Dryden and then became part of the Gill St. Bernard's school. It has remained a private residence since 1995.

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Lambert Castle, 1893

Lambert Castle's sits on Garret Mountain overlooking Paterson. The castle was built in 1893 by Catholina Lambert who made a fortune in the Paterson silk industry, according to the Lambert Castle website. After he died, the castle was sold to Paterson in 1925 and it was used as a tuberculosis hospital. In 1934, the Passaic County Historical Society established a museum and library in the building, which are still operational today.

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Take a look at Breidenhart Castle decorated for the holidays as part of The Cooks Tour. Click on the photo below to see the photos. Posted by Lutheran Crossings at Moorestown on Friday, December 9, 2016

Breidenhart Castle, 1894

This Moorestown Castle was built in 1894 for Samuel Leeds Allen, inventor of the Flexible Flyer Sled. In 1920, the property switched hands to Eldridge Johnson, inventor of the Victor Talking Machine, according to the NJ Historic Trust website. In 1947, the castle switched hands again and became the Lutheran Home for Elder Care where it offers rehab and health care to seniors to this day in Burlington County.

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Caitlyn Stulpin | For NJ.com

Blair Hall, 1897

Blair Hall is a dormitory at Princeton University and was a gift from John Insley Blair, a trustee of the University, in 1897, according to the Princeton website. The castle was designed by Cope and Stewardson firm which was the first firm to use Tudor Gothic style to American dorms.

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Kip's Castle, 1902

Kip's Castle, built in 1902, is on the border of Montclair and Verona. Frederic Ellsworth Kip, a textile inventor, used the castle as a private residence until Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh purchased it in 1980. The building was purchased by a law firm, and then sold to Essex County in 2007 for $5.6 million. It's operated as a cultural and educational center by the Essex County Parks System, according to the Essex County Parks website.

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Caitlyn Stulpin | For NJ.com

Glynallyn Castle, 1913

Glynallyn Castle is a historic 66-room mansion in Morristown. The castle was built between 1913 and 1917 by George Marshall Allen, a businessman from New York who made a fortune from color printing patents and investments he made in utilities and whiskey distilleries. He spent roughly $500,000 constructing the castle on what was then called Millionaires' Row. The castle features 15 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms when it was on the market for $5,700,000. It was purchased in 2014 by a Morris Plains couple who planned to fix parts of the mansion and add a swimming pool and tennis court, according to a report by NJ.com.

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TBT MERRIWOLD CASTLE in Highland Park, NJ across the river from New Brunswick that was built by one of the Johnson brothers of Johnson & Johnson. Posted by New Jersey Memory Page on Thursday, November 6, 2014

Merriwold Castle, 1926

Johnson & Johnson founder J. Seward Johnson built Merriwold Castle in 1926 for his family, according to Rutgers Rarities. The Highland Park property became home to Kirk Douglas, who stayed with his sister-in-law, who married a Johnson. Now, the castle is a nursing home with the main building being offices.

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Gingerbread Castle, 1930s

Gingerbread Castle was a popular fairy-tale attraction and centerpiece of a Hamburg amusement park for New Jersey children from the '30s to the '80s, according to the Preservation New Jersey website. The idea for the castle came from Fred Henry Bennett who was inspired by fairy tales. The castle itself if a three story concrete structure with circular towers decorated to appear as if they were covered in icing. The Sussex County park closed in the '80s but the abandoned castle is still on the ground and residents are fighting to have the castle restored and reopened.

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Hanging with the girls today. Stopped by to see Pax Amicus Castle Theatre.

Shopping & movie later! #NJ Spring Break pic.twitter.com/JwVTME8vtz  Sharon Phillips (@MuseumSharon) March 10, 2015

Pax Amicus Castle, 1940

The Pax Amicus Castle started as a Morris County Jewish community center in the 1940s. It then became a Knights of Columbus hall but was then bought in 1977 by the Pax Amicus theater group from Budd Lake. The group added the turret and battlement creating the signature castle-like appearance, according to the Pax Amicus website.

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Caitlyn Stulpin | For NJ.com

Medieval Times Castle, 1990

This Lyndhurst castle has never been a residence but is the most authentic looking castle in New Jersey. It was built in 1990 and modeled after an 11th century Spanish Castle, according to history documented from the Medieval Times website. The castle is used for hosting medieval style parties, gatherings and events.
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Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman speaks during a press conference held in his Jersey City home in this 1995 file photo

(Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger)

BUTNER, N.C. -- Up to the moment he was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to "wage a war of urban terrorism," that led to the bombing of the World Trade Center 1993, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman continued to rail against the United States' policies toward the Middle East and Muslims.

The revered leader of the Al-Salaam Mosque in Jersey City, Abdel-Rahman, after his arrest and conviction, became an early symbol of America's complicated relationship with Muslims in its attempt to protect residents against terrorism.

After serving more than two decades in a federal prison from which he still preached his radical religious messages, Abdel-Rahman died behind bars. He was 78.

"I have not committed any crime," Abdel-Rahman, convicted on 48 of 50 charges, declared through an interpreter at the time of his 1996 sentencing. "It is impossible for me to build a bomb."

Born in Egypt, Abdel-Rahman rose from a life of poverty to become the spiritual leader of a radical Islamic group. He was charged in his native country with ordering the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. After being acquitted, Abdel-Rahman moved to the United States in 1990, first settling in Brooklyn where he led a mosque.

The blind cleric, who suffered from diabetes and other physical ailments, later became the head of the Jersey City mosque with devoted followers.

His arrest, along with nine others accused in the terror plot, led to hard feelings against the federal government by many Muslims in the area who said at the time they were unfairly being portrayed and viewed as villains.

Federal prosecutors accused Abdel-Rahman of giving the orders for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six people and injured more than 1,000 others.

He was also convicted of approving plans to bomb the United Nations, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the George Washington Bridge and other landmarks in what was supposed to be a day of synchronized bombings around New York City.

Authorities have said Abdel-Rahman was mistakenly granted a tourist visa to enter the United States and was facing deportation when the bombing occurred.

Fighting for an Islamic government in Egypt, Abdel-Rahman called for the death of those who opposed that goal. Along with planning the terror plot, Abdel-Rahman was convicted of planning to kill Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a visit to New York City in 1993.

At his trial, which lasted nine months, Abdel-Rahman did not put on a defense, but he delivered a fiery 90-minute speech before U.S. District Judge Michael Mukasey sentenced him in Manhattan to life in prison on Jan. 17, 1996.

Prison officials said Abdel-Rahman, who was being held at a federal prison compound in Butner, NC, died of natural causes.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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Bryan Carolus is continually learning and teaching, both at home with his wife, Amy, and kids  Nick, Hannah, Gabriel and Maria  and at work helping patients to identify and modify risk factors that contribute to heart disease.

I enjoy encouraging people to take control of their modifiable risk factors and congratulating them on their personal victories as they move toward better heart health, he said.

Bryan enjoys following his kids activities as well as listening to and playing guitar and piano.

Another thing he enjoys is promoting activities that get people up and moving. Thats why Bryan is looking forward to the Methodist Jennie Edmundson Dance to the Beat fundraising event Feb. 24. The event will feature a live band, raffles, appetizers and drinks. Dancing to the band will definitely get people up and moving.

Proceeds will benefit Jennie Ed cardiovascular patients who need help paying for medications and other expenses. Supporting this event has personal significance for Bryan and his family.

My family members and I have been affected by cardiovascular problems, such as blocked coronary arteries, stroke, kidney disease, and high blood pressure, he said.

Bryan wants the people of southwest Iowa to know that he considers it an honor, blessing and privilege to work with the patients and staff at the Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center.

For more information about the Dance to the Beat fundraising event, call (712) 396-6040 or visit jehfoundation.org.
The Rev. Paul Monahan was sentenced Friday to a suspended prison sentence and ordered to register as a sex offender for all five counts of invasion of privacy after he turned down a deferred judgement.

Associate Judge Gary Anderson sentenced Monahan, 83, to a suspended sentence of 30 days in jail per each count to be served concurrently, a year of informal probation and to register as a sex offender for 10 years. A minimum fine was also suspended.

After the year of probation, Monahan will have be supervised for 10 years on special parole.

Monahans attorney, Dan McGinn, said his client plans to file an appeal over the conviction.

In December 2016, Monahan was found guilty after a bench trial of invading the privacy of five male high school students who said the retired priest looked at their genitals in a public restroom.

Monahans actions led to the judges conclusion Monahan intentionally violated the privacy rights of the boys, Anderson wrote in his decision.

In Iowa, invasion of privacy is an aggravated misdemeanor, which carries a maximum two-year prison sentence and/or a fine between $625 and $6,250.

Monahan is the former principal at St. Albert High School and a veteran priest in southwest Iowa. He did not take the stand during his trial, which was in November 2016.

During the trial, the students testified that while at a track meet at Treynor High School on April 4, 2016, Monahan had entered the restroom nine times and took a position at the urinal next to one of the teens despite others being open. They said he then stepped back and intentionally looked down at their genitals.

Monahans physician testified at the trial that his frequent visits to the restroom were because of a medical condition rather than any sexual desire. Monahans attorney, Bill McGinn, said during the trial that his client often looked down because of a crick in his neck.

Geoff Greenwood, a spokesman for the Iowa Attorney Generals Office, which prosecuted the case, could not be reached to comment on the sentencing. Dan McGinn declined to comment on the sentencing.

The Diocese of Des Moines issued a statement on the verdict Friday evening. The statement notes that Monahan was not required to undergo sex offender treatment and suggests the appeal could take at least a year.

Bishop Richard Pates called for "heartfelt prayers for all who have been affected by these proceedings."

"We remember in these prayers the alleged victims, as well as Father Monahan, who is enduring severe stress, and any others who may have been affected," Pates said in a statement. "For the benefit of all, we pray that the matter be resolved fully in minimum time."

- Assistant Managing Editor Scott Stewart contributed to this report, which has been updated since publication in the Saturday Nonpareil.
A Denison man spent his 21st birthday in court after failing to appear at two previous hearings on meth and weapons charges.

Bond for Cory Beyer, 21, is now set at $10,000. He was arrested Thursday and attended his preliminary hearing Friday, which was also his birthday, stemming from a 2015 arrest north of Neola.

Beyer was initially arrested on June 1, 2015 after Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Office deputies pulled him over for speeding near the 32000 block of Railroad Highway.

According to the police report, Beyer was observed to have a meth pipe sticking out of his pocket and a knife between the seat next to him.

The deputy asked for Beyer to give him the meth pipe, which he did, the report reads.

Beyer was found to have a barred Iowa drivers license. Officers asked him if there were any drugs in the truck, which Beyer admitted to possessing, they said.

Investigators found meth in the dashboard of the truck plus another meth pipe, among two bags full of collector coins and books of collector coins.

They also found a stun gun on the floor of the drivers seat, they said.

When deputies asked Beyer where the coins came from, he said he had recently picked them up from a friend at a storage unit in Clarinda.

However, Beyer said he could not remember which storage unit or what his friends name was, according to the report.

While speaking with Cory, I detected complete deception, the deputy wrote.

Beyer was booked for carrying weapons, driving while barred and possession of methamphetamine. He was taken to the Pottawattamie County jail and bonded out, later pleading not guilty on July 6, 2015.

At his Nov. 17, 2015, jury trial, he failed to appear. A warrant was issued for his arrest, which returned him to jail on Nov. 28, 2015. Beyer bonded out on $5,000 and later failed to appear again on Jan. 31.
All six former employees of the Glenwood Resource Center wanted in connection to an investigation of neglect and abuse have been arrested.

Ryan Belt, 35, of Malvern, Darrel Case, 49, of Tabor, and Ayla Yates, 25, of Glenwood, are in custody, according to the Mills County Sheriffs Office. Case and Dana Case, 42, of Tabor, turned themselves in on Thursday, while officers arrested Tyler Palmer, 28, of Glenwood, and Kayla Stevenson, 23, of Council Bluffs that day. Belt and Yates turned themselves in Friday morning.

Authorities opened an investigation on Nov. 23, 2016, into alleged assaults by staff against clients at a group home at 253 Indian Hills Drive on the Glenwood Resource Center property. The center works with clients with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are admitted because of significant behavioral challenges or medical conditions that require intensive, complex active treatment.

The resource center serves about 230 clients and employs more than 770 people.

Police said the investigation determined that several clients were assaulted over a period of several months at the home.

Darrel Case is charged with five counts of wanton neglect of a health care facility resident and is free on a $10,000 bond. Dana Case is charged with one count of wanton neglect of a health care facility resident and is free on a $2,000 bond.

Palmer, Stevenson and Yates are all charged with one count of wanton neglect of a health care facility resident and are free on $2,000 bond. Belt is charged with one count of wanton neglect of a health care facility resident and dependent adult abuse and is free on $3,000 bond.

In the wake of the police and Iowa Department of Human Resources investigations into the abuse and neglect, the center fired six employees in January, while another six resigned. Dana Case, Darrel Case, Belt, Stevenson and Palmer resigned, while Yates was fired, according to the Iowa Department of Human Services.
Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds are supporting an effort to get more high school seniors to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid  FAFSA  before seniors head off to college.

Completing the FAFSA is a critical step to enrolling in college or career training after graduation because it is the gateway to most financial aid, said Branstad in a release.

Filing a FAFSA can help students receive state and college-based financial aid.

Almost half of Iowans who file a FAFSA qualify for federal Pell Grants, and the average Pell award in Iowa for 2015-16, was $3,448. However, only 63 percent of high school seniors filed the application for 2015-16. Efforts like the Iowa College Aids FAFSA Completion Initiative are helping to provide support to area schools to encourage students and families to fill out the lengthy and sometimes complicated application.

Joining the FAFSA Completion Initiative gives counselors great tools to make enrolling in college or career training a reality for more high school students, Reynolds said in the release. We hope every high school in the state will sign on.

Located on the campus of Iowa Western Community College, the nonprofit Iowa College Access Network is working with students and families to navigate the murky waters of college assistance applications free of charge.

Our major mission is to help students, families and schools navigate the whole college process on financial aid and college planning at no cost, Student Success Advisor Steve Irvin said.

First launched in 1998, the nonprofit started as a college planning center in Des Moines before evolving into the organization it is today. While the organization is a member of a larger national College Access Network, it remains unique by reaching into 99 percent of Iowa high schools either through presentations or educational materials, Irvin said.

We have 13 staff members located all over the state on college campuses, Irvin added. We go out into every high school in Iowa. We have a very hands-on relationship with them.

Irvin said he usually completes between 400-500 applications per year, but he expects to process even more after the government recently changed the guidelines to allow students to submit the FAFSA on Oct. 1 instead of Jan. 1. New guidelines also include changes to the way filers submit their estimated income, which determines how much money a student should be awarded. Instead of filers estimating their income for the current tax year  as required by past guidelines  families can now use income tax data from the prior tax year.

Were very committed to that goal of increasing the FAFSA completion rate, Irvin said. Its kind of frightening the number of students and families not filing and leaving thousands of dollars that could help them.

Families interested in receiving more information on completing and filing the FAFSA can make an appointment with Irvin by calling (515) 402-4209 or by emailing sirvin@ICANsucceed.org.

We really try to smooth out the whole road of post high school education so it goes a lot easier for people, Irvin said. This office is really important in Council Bluffs as the high schools are working to get an increase on the number of students choosing to go onto post secondary education.
An Ohio man is facing a felony assault charge after authorities said he threw a milk carton of reportedly HIV-infected urine on a detention officer in Council Bluffs.

Charles Perkins, 52, of Youngstown, Ohio, is charged with assault by inmate with bodily fluids or secretion, a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison if convicted.

His preliminary hearing was Friday, and his bond is set at $10,000.

According to the police report, which did not detail why Perkins was already in the Pottawattamie County Jail, on Feb. 8 deputies responded to an assault call at the jail.

Investigators said Perkins told them he had an incident with another inmate earlier in the day, the report reads.

Perkins advised he had filled a milk carton with urine and was going to try to throw it on the other inmate through his tray slot in his door, the deputy wrote.

When Perkins saw the inmate coming, he executed his plan but erred in his aim, hitting the detention officer on accident, reportedly getting urine all over the officer.

The alleged victim, a detention officer, said he had the tray pass door open to give out medication to the cell Perkins was in, when Perkins threw the carton of waste matter onto him.

Perkins is HIV positive, the detention officer said, and the officer had to be evaluated for HIV exposure.

An employee with the Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Office said no one could comment on if the detention officer contracted HIV as a result of Perkins alleged actions, although HIV cannot be transmitted through urine.

Online court records indicate Scott Strait has been assigned as Perkins public defender. Strait declined to comment.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story failed to indicate that HIV could not be transmitted through urine. Accordingly, the line including Iowa's criminal statute regarding HIV infection has been removed from this story.
PHOENIX, Feb. 17, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

FlexPrint, the nations largest privately held Managed Print Solutions provider, will be participating in the 2017 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition on February 1923, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. This event is the largest and most important healthcare IT conference in the United States, bringing together 40,000+ health IT professionals, clinicians, executives and partners from around the world. Exceptional education, world-class speakers, cutting-edge health IT products and powerful networking are hallmarks of this industry-leading conference.

Healthcare CIOs are continually faced with pressures to drive change, implement new technologies that improve patient care, and ensure security with good governance with tightened budgets and IT talent shortages. Its more important than ever to find great partners that can be relied on to overcome these challenges. FlexPrints Healthcare team will be available for one-on-one sessions on the Show Floor at Booth 1089 throughout the conference. They will also be in attendance at the 2017 CHIME-HIMSS CIO Forum being held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando just prior to 2017 HIMSS Annual Conference.

About FlexPrint Managed Print Solutions

FlexPrint was founded in 2005, and has become the nations leading privately-owned enterprise for Managed Print and Technology Services. FlexPrints managed solutions and expertise streamlines business workflow for corporate, regional, and remote locations under a single national service level agreement. This blend of consultative service and solutions encourages client growth through consistent workflow with proactive customer service, a boost in employee efficiency, and driving costs out of business operations. For additional information, please visit www.FlexPrintInc.com.
California lifts the acquisition ban on mortgage servicing rights in California



Terminates engagement of independent auditor

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb. 17, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocwen Financial Corporation (NYSE:OCN) (Ocwen or the Company) today announced a comprehensive settlement and termination of the January 2015 Consent Order between Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC and the State of California Department of Business Oversight (DBO), without admitting any wrongdoing.

Under this settlement, the DBO will lift its prior restriction on Ocwens ability to acquire mortgage servicing rights associated with California properties, and will terminate the engagement of the independent auditor, which has been in place under the prior Consent Order in California.

In addition, Ocwen has agreed to pay a cash settlement of $25 million to the DBO. As previously communicated, the Company has reserved for this settlement as of September 30, 2016. Ocwen will also provide an additional $198 million in debt forgiveness through loan modifications to existing California borrowers over a three year period, as permitted under various servicing agreements.

Ocwen is pleased to have reached a comprehensive settlement with the DBO related to matters the agency raised, and we will quickly move forward to implement all terms associated with this agreement, commented Ron Faris, President and CEO of Ocwen. The settlement resolves claims between Ocwen and the DBO without the Company admitting to any wrongdoing, and will allow us to focus on our business going forward, while reducing a significant expense by terminating the engagement of the independent auditor.

Ocwen is recognized as the national leader in responsible home retention through foreclosure prevention. Since January 1, 2008, Ocwen has granted a total of more than 720,000 loan modifications, many that included a principal reduction throughout the United States.

Since 2008, Ocwen has helped more than 91,000 California homeowners avoid foreclosure through loan modification programs, added Mr. Faris. A homeowner whose loan is serviced by Ocwen has a much better chance of avoiding foreclosure than if their loan is serviced by other large mortgage servicers. This has been confirmed by numerous independent third-party studies, which consistently find that Ocwen has a superior record helping borrowers bring their payments current, stay current, and repay their mortgage.

About Ocwen Financial Corporation

Ocwen Financial Corporation is a financial services holding company which, through its subsidiaries, originates and services loans. We are headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, with offices throughout the United States and in the U.S. Virgin Islands and operations in India and the Philippines. We have been serving our customers since 1988. We may post information that is important to investors on our website (www.Ocwen.com).

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains 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 forward-looking statements may be identified by a reference to a future period or by the use of forward-looking terminology.

Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Our business has been undergoing substantial change which has magnified such uncertainties. Readers should bear these factors in mind when considering such statements and should not place undue reliance on such statements. Forward-looking statements involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. In the past, actual results have differed from those suggested by forward-looking statements and this may happen again.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: our servicer and credit ratings as well as other actions from various rating agencies, including the impact of downgrades of our servicer and credit ratings; adverse effects on our business as a result of regulatory investigations or settlements; reactions to the announcement of such investigations or settlements by key counterparties; increased regulatory scrutiny and media attention, uncertainty related to claims, due to rumors or otherwise, litigation and investigations brought by government agencies and private parties regarding our servicing, foreclosure, modification and other practices, including uncertainty related to past, present or future investigations and settlements with state regulators, the CFPB, State Attorneys General, the SEC, Department of Justice or HUD and actions brought under the False Claims Act by private parties on behalf of the United States of America regarding incentive and other payments made by governmental entities; any adverse developments in existing legal proceedings or the initiation of new legal proceedings; our ability to effectively manage our regulatory and contractual compliance obligations; our ability to contain and reduce our operating costs, including our ability to successfully execute on our cost improvement initiative; the adequacy of our financial resources, including our sources of liquidity and ability to sell, fund and recover advances, repay borrowings and comply with debt covenants, including the financial and other covenants contained in them; volatility in our stock price; the characteristics of our servicing portfolio, including prepayment speeds along with delinquency and advance rates; our ability to successfully modify delinquent loans, manage foreclosures and sell foreclosed properties; uncertainty related to legislation, regulations, regulatory agency actions, government programs and policies, industry initiatives and evolving best servicing practices; as well as other risks detailed in Ocwen's reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and its current and quarterly reports since such date. Anyone wishing to understand Ocwen's business should review its SEC filings. Ocwen's forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, we disclaim any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Investors: Media: Stephen Swett John Lovallo Dan Rene T: (203) 614-0141 T: (917) 612-8419 T: (202) 973 -1325 E: shareholderrelations@ocwen.com E: jlovallo@levick.com E:drene@levick.com






Latvian English

Riga, 2017-02-18 05:30 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ELKO Grupa AS

112/2016 highlights:

Revenue 1,460 mUSD ( 1,319 mEUR), up by 1 5 .5% y-o-y

Gross profitability 3. 8 %

Gross profit 55 mUSD ( 50 mEUR)

Net profit 8.5 mUSD ( 7.7 mEUR)

In 2016 ELKO Group has achieved revenue growth by 15.5% year-on-year, thanks to focus on growth segments and progress strengthening a position in the market.

Growth in revenue is observed in all markets:

CEE - up by 29%, reaching 496 mUSD (448 mEUR)

CIS - up by 11%, reaching 856 mUSD (773 mEUR)

Baltics - up by 2%, reaching 108 mUSD (98 mEUR)

Supporting the growth, ELKO Group has increased investments in human resources, thereby administrative and distribution expenses are higher comparing to prior year reaching 6 mUSD (5 mEUR).

Higher financing costs explained with high Russian ruble financing costs, increase of cost on loans from European banks as well as by effect of high yield bond issuance.

ELKO Group finished the year with 8.5 mUSD (7.7 mEUR) of net profit, due to above mentioned that is decrease comparing to exceptionally high net profit of 21.8 mUSD (19.7 mEUR) in 2015.

About ELKO Group

ELKO Group was founded in 1993 and is one of the largest IT product wholesalers and IT solutions and services distributors in Eastern Europe, now also actively expanding to Central Asian market. ELKO represents more than 120 IT vendors and sells their goods to more than 6500 retailers, local computer producers and system integrators. ELKO offers more than 20 000 product titles from the most famous vendors - Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell, HGST, Intel, Kingston, Lenovo, Microsoft, Seagate, Supermicro, Western Digital and others. At the moment, more than 700 people are employed with ELKO. ELKO Group belongs to several legal entities and investment fund Amber Trust.

Further information: http://www.elkogroup.com
Family of vulnerable adults need to be vigilant, says co-owner of Home Instead

Vulnerable senior citizens face a plethora of scams that try to take advantage of them. It can be difficult to discern who is offering honest services and who is not.

On Feb. 10, a local man was approached by two men offering to do some landscaping work for him.

They went to my dads house  hes almost 91 and has dementia and Alzheimers  and they asked if they could do some lawn work and clean up the gutters, said Cindy Hall, of North Platte. They quoted him $550.

Hall and her husband were out of the state at the time.

They wanted the money up front, and my dad got in the car with the two men and they took him to the bank, Hall said. They waited in the parking lot while my dad went in and withdrew the money.

Hall said she has her dads account flagged, but apparently the bank overlooked the flag and gave the money to Halls father.

However, the bank was suspicious and wrote the license plate number down and gave me that information, Hall said.

Hall called one of the men and asked for at least half the money back. He refused, saying they had done the work. Hall then called the police.

The police investigated but said that because Halls father had agreed to pay the men for the work, it was not a criminal matter. It could be a civil matter, police said.

Two men requested to trim an elderly mans tree and do some other work like cleaning the gutters, Investigator John Deal wrote in an email. The man agreed, and once the work was completed he paid the men $400. The officer that took the report indicated that there wasnt likely $400 of work done.

The $400 was for work done the first day; the men were to return to do more the next day for an additional $150.

No contracts were signed, Deal wrote in an email.

It did appear to be shady business practices by the two men, but it would be in the gray area between criminal activity or something that would need to be settled in small claims court, Deal said. We havent had any other reports in the past several weeks of similar instances occurring.

The police instructed the two men not to return to the property.

Friends and family of vulnerable adults need to be vigilant, said Steve Chatelain, co-owner of Home Instead in North Platte, which cares for Halls father.

I think the first thing is to have a plan on how to handle the finances and checkbook, Chatelain said. Thats always a bit of a touchy subject with families, but if there are any concerns about decision-making abilities of the senior, the family needs to talk about if someone else needs to be involved with signing checks.

Chatelain said discussion among family members is vital.

If you just let it go, youre putting somebody at risk if theyre not able to make sound decisions, Chatelain said. If you sense your loved one is vulnerable, it would be a good idea to visit with the bank and also with the neighbors about keeping their eyes open.

Home Instead offers an educational pamphlet on protecting vulnerable adults from fraud.

A 2011 MetLife study on elder financial abuse estimated the annual financial loss to victims at $2.9 billion or more. Those cases include financial abuse by family, friends and neighbors as well as strangers.

AARP issued an email alert on Thursday about investment fraud.

A new survey by the AARP Fraud Watch Network finds that the most susceptible typically exhibit an unusually high degree of confidence in unregulated investments and tend to trade more actively than the general investor population, according to the AARP email. Based on these findings, the AARP Fraud Watch Network has launched a campaign to warn consumers about the inclinations and activities common to investment fraud victims.

Despite the fact Hall had arranged for someone to watch over her father while she was gone, he was taken advantage of by someone who apparently knew when to approach him at a most vulnerable time.

This is someone who is only on Social Security, Hall said. The scary thing is he got into the vehicle with these men.
Employees at NebraskaLand National Bank in North Platte and Kearney have pledged approximately $90,000 since the inception of the My Fair Share program in 2004.

I want to say how fortunate I am to be the CEO of this organization, said Mike Jacobson, CEO and president of NebraskaLand National Bank. I couldnt be more proud of the people who work here that make our bank what it is, but also make the effort to help our community become a better place to live.
The Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team would like to thank everyone who supported our banquet on Feb. 4. It was a huge success this year and continues to grow. This year marked our fourth year having it at the Holiday Inn Express; 240 seats were set up and every table was full.

The proceeds from this fundraiser go toward scholarships the Wrangler Boosters give each semester: $1,000 to the high point man or women who also maintains a minimum of a 3.0 GPA. It is called the Dual Excellence Scholarship, because they show excellence in both the arena and in the classroom. Furthermore, with some of the proceeds we are purchasing a bucking machine that serves as practice for the rough stock athletes.

Again, we want to express our sincerest gratitude to everyone who came to the banquet, donated or bought items at our auctions, or purchased a raffle ticket for the quarter of beef. Without the support from the community with making this such a great banquet and fundraiser, our program couldnt grow the way it has. Thank you all!

MPCC Rodeo Team

Coach Dustin Elliott

Coach Garrett Nokes

Wrangler Booster Committee
As CEO of Bruckman Rubber, I understand that there are lots of variables beyond our control that impact growth in manufacturing. However, income tax relief is a real way the state of Nebraska can encourage investment by business and become more competitive in talent recruitment.

Ninety percent of businesses in Nebraska pay individual income tax, so income tax relief means business owners have more to reinvest, expand and hire.

Income tax relief can help grow Main Street across the state from Falls City to Hastings to Scottsbluff.

I believe Gov. Pete Ricketts and state Sen. Jim Smiths plan to lower income tax rates is thoughtful and will incrementally bring the top rate down over a number of years, but only if state revenue grows at 3.5 percent or more.

This will help protect the state budget and ensure that we can continue to invest in K-12 schools and higher education, which are important components of workforce development for industries like manufacturing.

I urge the Legislature to adopt the governors Nebraska-style tax plan.

Jack Schreiner

Hastings
CHICAGO  A recent study by global market research firm Market and Markets found advanced-high strength steel accounted for $14.27 billion in sales worldwide in 2015, which is expected to grow to $21.17 billion by 2021.

Northwest Indiana steel mills have been cranking out more of the stronger metal so automakers can make lighter cars that release fewer emissions. Market and Markets forecasts an 8.2 percent compound annual growth rate over the next half decade.

The higher-value product has been supplanting traditional steel more and more, said Jody Hall, vice president of the automotive market for the Steel Market Development Institute, which recently sent a delegation to promote steel at the Chicago Auto Show. For example, the body structure of the new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is made with 72 percent advanced high-strength steel.

Advanced high-strength steel provides superior performance, Hall said.

"It has the highest strength," she said. "So it provides mass reduction for the vehicles. It provides excellent durability and other performance characteristics and it has the highest value to the consumer. It's also the most sustainable."

Advanced high-strength steel and the steel industry generally face competition for automotive market share from aluminum and other alternative metals. The best-selling Ford F-150 recently switched to an aluminum body, and a Ducker Worldwide study found more than 75 percent of new pickup trucks may end up having aluminum bodies in the future.

The trade group Drive Aluminum estimates the use of aluminum sheet in vehicle bodies could skyrocket to 4 billion pounds over the next decade, up from 200 million pounds in 2012.

Steelmakers have been trying to preserve market share since automakers are some of their biggest customers. The American Iron and Steel Institute estimates the automotive market accounts for about 27 percent of overall steel use in the United States. Steelmakers have been developing stronger grades of advanced high-strength steel and touting it as stronger, cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
A steelworker who taught himself how to paint will be displaying his art this month at the Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts, 540 S. Lake St.
Even as housing markets continue to recover at different rates around the country, the American Dream of homeownership remains strong. In fact, an overwhelming four out of five Americans believe that owning a home is a good investment, according to a recent poll commissioned by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Most Americans believe that owning a home remains an integral part of the American Dream and that policymakers need to take active steps to encourage and protect homeownership.

The survey responses highlight the many benefits of homeownership, including the solid investment opportunity. Indeed, 82 percent of respondents rate a home for you to live in as a good or excellent investment (the highest of six choices), far ahead of the second option, retirement accounts, at 67 percent. They recognize the fact that homeownership is a primary source of net worth for many Americans, and is an important step in accumulating personal financial assets over the long term.

And, contrary to some concerns about Millennials rejecting the idea of homeownership, 81 percent of 18-29-year-olds want to buy a home. Some Millennials may be taking longer to purchase a home as they work to overcome the primary hurdles to homeownership.

Among those polled, 55 percent said the biggest obstacle to buying a home was finding a home at an affordable price, followed by 50 percent who cited insufficient savings for a down payment and 41 percent who reported difficulty getting approved for a home loan.

Perhaps that is why 72 percent of respondents support the government providing tax incentives to encourage homeownership. Tax benefits, particularly the mortgage interest deduction, which has been included in the tax code for more than 100 years  have been key in developing the American Dream and supporting the aspirations of countless families at all income levels who want to become established home owners.

This article is provided by the Home Builders Association of Northwest Indiana, a not-for-profit trade association of builders and associated industry professionals dedicated to promoting the American dream of home ownership. Phone (888) 812-9099 or visit hbanwi.com.
VALPARAISO  The Broncho John collection has fascinated Porter County Museum visitors since the artifacts were donated to the Porter County Museum by John Sullivan more than half a century ago. On Saturday, from 1-4 p.m., the museum will unveil updates to this permanent exhibit, featuring newly discovered photos, fresh research and intriguing stories about the life of Broncho John.

At 2 p.m., learn more about this Wild West showman, veteran, storyteller and citizen from Porter County Museum Foundation Board member Helen Arvidson. During her talk, Arvidson will share her insights into Broncho Johns character, and discuss some of the unique pieces that make up the Porter County Museum Collection.

Do you remember Broncho John? Visit the museum between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday to share your stories of one of Porter Countys most notable figures!

Admission is free. The museum is at 153 S. Franklin St. in downtown Valparaiso.
CROWN POINT  A juvenile court judge will decide in April whether 15-year-old Chastinea Reeves should be tried as an adult in her mother's slaying.

Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter said Friday his office would charge Reeves with murder if the case is tried in adult court.

Reeves is being held at the juvenile center on allegations she participated in the killing of 34-year-old Jamie M. Garnett, who was found stabbed to death at her residence early Monday morning in the 4400 block of West 23rd Place in Gary.

The girl was located by Gary police on Tuesday afternoon and the death remains under investigation.

Carter said he could not discuss the specifics of the case, but he explained in general the process by which a child is adjudicated as an adult.

He said when a juvenile is accused of a crime, that child becomes a ward of the juvenile court, which is responsible for making decisions that are in the best interest of that child.

However, the prosecuting attorney may request that child instead be tried in adult court.

Carter said a prosecutor will decide whether to make such a request based on the severity of the offense and the age of the child.

For a murderous act, a child of at least 12 years old can be tried as an adult, according to state law. For other felony acts, the child must be at least 14 years old.

Carter said the ability of the child to understand and make a moral decision also is important  a 15-year-old is better able to discern right from wrong than a 12-year-old.

Finally, the prosecutor must prove that there is probable cause to charge the child with the offense, as is required for all criminal offenses.

If a juvenile court judge finds in favor of the prosecutor, the court shall waive its jurisdiction.

Geneva Brown, a law professor at Valparaiso University, said the state's juvenile courts only retain jurisdiction over a delinquent child until he or she is 21 years old, which in the case of a serious offense, such as murder, means the child could be released from custody only a few years after the crime.

Brown said the Indiana Department of Child Services will create a report for the juvenile judge on Reeves' background, which can include family life, mental illness and past delinquent behavior.

Carter said it was not uncommon for his office to request a juvenile be tried in adult court, but it's rare that the offense is murder.

Carter noted the 1985 killing of Ruth Pelke, a 78-year-old Bible school teacher stabbed to death in her home in Gary. Paula Cooper, then 15, was convicted of murder in adult court and sentenced to death, but it was overturned in 1989 by the Indiana Supreme Court.

Reeves is expected to appear in juvenile court April 12.
CROWN POINT  A 63-year-old Merrillville woman was sentenced Friday to 12 months in Lake County Community Corrections for the neglect of her two former foster children.

Marilyn J. Tyler was charged in August 2015 with four felony counts of neglect of a dependent after a concerned citizen told police Tyler forced the children, a 10-year-old girl and her 6-year-old brother, to consume cups of water as a form of punishment.

The witness told police Tyler also beat the children for no reason and made one child lay face down on a urine-stained mattress after she wet the bed.

A Merrillville police detective reviewed medical records for the children and discovered the boy was airlifted to a Chicago hospital in 2014 after he suffered a coma resulting from water intoxication. Doctors noted in the records the child had bruises on his buttocks and thighs.

Tyler pleaded guilty Nov. 18 to two counts of neglect of a dependent.

Tyler told Judge Clarence Murray at Friday's sentencing hearing she raised the children how she thought they should be raised, but she was wrong.

I consider myself old school, Murray said, but he said he did not remember such abusive punishment in his youth.

Defense attorney Deidre L. Monroe said the children were currently in the custody of their grandmother in California.
A string of drug overdoses in LaPorte County during the past 24 hours has left two dead, according to a news release from the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office, LaPorte County Drug Task Force and LaPorte Police Department have begun investigating five suspected heroin overdoses since Friday afternoon, according to the release.

The most recent fatal overdose was discovered Saturday morning on Montrose Street in LaPorte, according to the release. It resulted in the death of a 19-year-old man, LaPorte County Police Capt. Mike Kellems said.

At approximately 6 p.m. Friday, a 58-year-old woman was found unresponsive after an apparent heroin overdose on the 7800 West block of U.S. 6 in LaPorte County, according to a news release. She was transported to Porter Regional Hospital in critical condition and died overnight, Kellems said.

"With this frequency of overdoses, we feel it would be prudent to let the public know so that steps can be taken to stop any further potential loss of life or harm," LaPorte County Sheriff John Boyd stated in the release.

Shortly following Saturday morning's fatal overdose, emergency responders were sent to the 900 block of Jackson Street for a reported overdose, the release stated. The woman was revived with the overdose-reversal drug Narcan and transported to LaPorte Hospital.

At approximately 2 p.m. Friday, a 24-year-old man and 18-year-old woman were found suffering what was believed to be heroin overdoses on the 100 block of I Street in LaPorte, according to a LaPorte County Sheriff's release from Friday night.

On Thursday, another overdose case was discovered near the Union Mills area, according to the release.

"We typically hold the cards close on narcotics investigations; however, this rate of cases is cause (for) alarm," Drug Task Force Supervisor Sgt. Andy Hynek said in the release.

Boyd encouraged anyone who has a loved one struggling with heroin addiction to take every available step to protect them from harm.

"We've seen spikes in overdose cases around Indiana and the rest of the United States, and it appears as though we are suffering the same fate as many other communities," Boyd said in the release. "We encourage anyone that knows of a person struggling with a heroin addiction to watch over them closely, seek whatever assistance is available to you and monitor them every minute of the day."
HAMMOND  A Crown Point man accused of strangling two Calumet Township women a year ago has launched a novel challenge to his murder case.

James A. Lohnes, 45, of Crown Point, mailed a handwritten Writ of Habeas Corpus, to U.S. District Court here in which he is representing himself without the apparent help of a lawyer.

Lohnes claims Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter has violated his constitutional rights and is demanding release from the Lake County Jail where he has been in custody the last 11 months.

Lohnes is pleading not guilty to the murder of Velia Val Taneff, 86, a veteran Democratic party activist and local radio personality and her daughter, Lana Taneff, 63.

Police found their bodies Jan. 17, 2016, in their home and adjacent rental property in the 2300 block of West 44th Avenue in unincorporated Calumet Township.

Lohnes public defender, John Maksimovich, declined to comment on his client's federal pleading.

Maksimovich did ask Lake Criminal Court Judge Samuel L. Cappas in Crown Point last month to have court-appointed psychiatrists examine Lohnes to determine if Lohnes is mentally competent to stand trial.

The judge has named two doctors to complete their examination of Lohnes by next month.

Lohnes claims in his federal papers that the Criminal Court murder charge against him is invalid, because the state prosecutor didn't present any evidence against him before a state grand jury for their decision on whether to indict him.

Carter said Friday state law gives him the option of filing a murder charge, in a form known as an information, without the need of a grand jury proceeding.

Lohnes argues in his federal papers, "I did not commit the crime. I know the state has no actual evidence, because I didn't do it. I believe the State of Indiana does the information thing because their cases are weak with little or no evidence, and that is how the state gets away with charging people through information."

The state alleges Lohnes worked periodically as a handyman for the Taneffs. Investigators found his DNA under one of Velia Taneff's fingernails. The state says surveillance video camera captured him walking with Velia Taneff hours before her death.

Lohnes also is charged with stealing Taneff's 2003 Cadillac at the same time and driving it east to Montpelier, Ohio, where an Ohio state trooper found him parked along the side of the road and arresting him on suspicion of drunken driving.
CROWN POINT  Two people were charged Friday with reckless homicide, among other offenses, in the two-vehicle crash Wednesday in Hammond that killed a 13-year-old Whiting girl and injured her grandmother.

Donnell Howard Jr., 31, of Highland, and Jessica S. Pichon, 27, of Danville, Illinois, also were charged in Lake Criminal Court with three felony counts and one misdemeanor count of resisting law enforcement on allegations they caused the high-speed police chase that killed the girl after stealing a case of beer from an East Chicago grocery store.

Virgilene Austin, Howard's mother, said Friday she wanted to offer her condolences to the family of the teen, Julianna Chambers, and her grandmother, Theresa Paramo.

"I really want them to know how sorry I am," Austin said. "I don't condone my son in any way."

She said she has repeatedly spoken to her son and his girlfriend, Pichon, about straightening out their lives, but police could have stopped the chase and obtained an arrest warrant.

"I don't believe that little girl had to lose her life because they were tired of dealing with Donnell and Jessica," Austin said.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said Thursday he thinks mistakes were made. He, too, offered condolences to Chambers' and Paramo's family.

An East Chicago police officer was dispatched at 4:33 p.m. Wednesday to Strack and Van Til, 4725 Indianapolis Blvd., in East Chicago, after receiving reports of an attempt to shoplift, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The officer spotted a woman exiting the store with a case of beer and ordered her to stop, but she instead jumped into an SUV and ordered its driver to flee, the affidavit states.

The officer attempted to remove the woman from the vehicle's passenger side, but instead became trapped behind the passenger door as the driver reversed the vehicle, according to the affidavit. The officer had to hold on to the door to evade being struck and possibly pinned between the Durango and another car. The officer let go of the door and the driver then sped south onto Indianapolis Boulevard, according to the affidavit.

The officer and a second patrolman began a pursuit as the vehicle first turned south on Magoun Avenue and then west onto 150th Street, the affidavit states.

The vehicle zigged and zagged west toward Hammond until it reversed course on Michigan Street and headed back east toward Calumet Avenue, the affidavit states. It eventually crashed head-on into a silver-colored SUV at Columbia Avenue and Gostlin Street in Hammond.

Chambers, the 13-year-old passenger of the silver-colored SUV, was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Paramo was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois in critical condition. As of Friday night, Paramo remained in critical condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Howard and Pichon were arrested as they attempted to flee the scene on foot, the affidavit states.

Pichon told police the couple smoked crack-cocaine earlier in the day and had attempted to steal the beer to get money for more drugs, according to the affidavit.

She said she tried to tell Howard to stop the vehicle, but he did not listen, the affidavit states.

Austin, Howard's mother, said her son and Pichon are homeless and have had multiple contacts with police in East Chicago and Hammond over the years.

Lake County court records show Howard has faced at least four misdemeanor charges, including several counts of conversion, domestic battery and invasion of privacy, since 2013 in East Chicago and Hammond. Pichon also has been charged with at least four similar misdemeanors in both communities during the same time period.

Austin said Howard should be held responsible for his actions, but she questioned why police needed to continue chasing him. They were familiar with Howard and Pichon, Austin reasoned, and simply could have found them later.

"Her life was worth more than any case of beer," Austin said.

While she understood Howard may have hit an officer with his vehicle, by the time he crashed into Paramo's car police should have known no officers actually were down.

"They're not hardened criminals," Austin said. "They're petty thieves."

The Times has submitted a public records request with the Lake County E-911 Center for recordings made during the pursuit.

Asked by reporters Friday if he questions the decision made by his Police Department not to terminate the pursuit sooner, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland said hes waiting on results from the state police investigation before commenting on the judgment call.

I can tell you its under investigation and I am waiting on the results of the investigation. But my heart  goes out to (the family) and theyre in our prayers, Copeland said. I am awaiting the investigation that will produce the facts that will give me a reason to never second-guess but truly, we owe the family the truth and nothing but the truth.

Copeland's comments came during a media availability session following Gov. Eric Holcombs visit to the city to discuss the citys lead contamination crisis.

Times Staff writer Lauren Cross contributed to this report.
CROWN POINT  Lake County Commissioners said they are setting high standards for towing firms working in the future with the sheriff's department.

Commissioners are taking over from Sheriff John Buncich the job of selecting towing companies working with county police to remove vehicles from public roads and property.

They voted this week to invite all towing firms in the county to apply for a contract and set rules for which ones would be eligible for serious consideration.

It comes three months after the U.S. Attorney filed bribery and fraud charges alleging Buncich chose towing firms to work with county police based on how much money they paid him in campaign contributions. Buncich is pleading not guilty and awaiting trial.

The Lake County Council last month passed an ordinance taking towing contracts away from the sheriff and restoring them to commissioners to award in the future.

John Dull, the county attorney, said the new guidelines for electing firms are modeled on those the Indiana State Police use.

They state eligible towing firms "shall be reputable and in good standing with any and all regulatory agencies," open 24 hours per day and seven days a week, have been in been in business for at least five years, must have a business address in Lake County.

Eligible towing firms must make it their goal to respond to towing calls within 30 minutes, have enough marked towing trucks to be able to respond to three calls simultaneously, must have a secured storage lot and employees available to release towed or stored vehicles any day of the week.
EAST CHICAGO  Gov. Eric Holcombs visit Friday was filled with optimism and promises of more aid for residents living in the lead- and arsenic-contaminated USS Lead Superfund site and a cash-strapped city grappling with crisis.

"We will bring all there is at our disposal ... I feel like when we come out of this on the other end and get this right, we will be in a better place," Holcomb said Friday at a roundtable with state legislators, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland, along with other local officials and representatives from East Chicago community groups.

Holcombs visit comes a week after issuing an emergency declaration Feb. 9 providing 30 days of enhanced state assistance to help relocate the remaining 86 families from the West Calumet Housing Complex, secure money to demolish the complex, seek funding to replace lead water service lines and other aid.

'Man-made catastrophe'

The order also authorizes state agencies to coordinate an emergency response, petition EPA to provide grant money for the replacement of lead pipes, engage the new federal administration for greater assistance and provide more blood testing.

His predecessor, now-Vice President Mike Pence, was heavily criticized for leaving office without issuing such a declaration.

The Rev. Cheryl Rivera, executive director for the Northwest Indiana Federation of Interfaith Organizations, thanked Holcomb for the declaration.

We want to thank you for acknowledging the cries of the people because we knew the city did not have all the resources needed to address this man-made catastrophe, she said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added the 322-acre site to the Superfund list in April 2009, but it wasn't until this past summer that the city told more than 1,000 residents at the West Calumet Housing Complex  located in the first of three residential cleanup zones  they had to move out after sampling revealed soil in some areas contained more than 200 times the EPA's allowable limit for lead.

Residents living at more than 1,000 properties in zones 2 and 3 have not been told to relocate, and the EPA began excavating contaminated soil from their yards in October.

The governors visit was welcomed Friday by community leaders and affected residents, but many of their questions  centered on urgent needs of homeowners, such as water filters, and how to address long-term health effects of those exposed to these toxins decades before the crisis came to light last summer  went unanswered.

Asked by reporters, Holcomb shied away from fully committing to providing state funds for water filters in light of EPA finding elevated lead levels in some homes drinking water last year. He did say hes keeping an open mind and is in talks with federal officials about options.

Mayor Copeland said he is working with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to conduct comprehensive testing of the city's entire water supply.

City eyes March 31 move

As part of Holcombs declaration, U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, said he is working closely with HUD and local officials in securing emergency funds to demolish West Calumet.

Holcombs declaration, issued Feb. 9, provides for 30 days of enhanced state assistance for residents who have yet to relocate from the lead contaminated West Calumet Housing Complex, as well as other lead-impacted citizens in the affected area.

Holcomb told The Times he will re-evaluate the situation at the end of the 30 days to see if an extension is necessary.

Holcomb also ordered state agencies to seek federal approval for more lead testing sites throughout the city, promote the development of new, affordable rental housing in East Chicago and create a one-stop website for residents to keep up with federal, state and local progress reports. In addition, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security is empowered to obtain any services needed on an emergency basis from any level of government.

A total of 86 of 340 families remain at the West Calumet Housing Complex, where people were told last summer they had to relocate because of lead and arsenic contaminated soil. Housing Authority officials want residents out by March 31.

East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland told reporters Friday the city is rehabbing public housing units in the North Harbor area to relocate families that remain at West Calumet beginning March 31.

Under a civil rights agreement reached by the East Chicago Housing Authority and a Chicago-based housing justice watchdog in November, the local housing authority can temporarily relocate the remaining families starting March 31, but the emergency transfer is subject to HUD review of vacancies.

Akeesha Daniels, a mother of three who remains at West Calumet, argued at Fridays roundtable that there are too few housing options available to move out by March 31. She fears moving her three sons to the Harborside area due to gang tensions between the two communities.

Ive looked at over 40 properties on my own without no help, Daniels said. I havent been successful in finding a place to move to.

Lingering effects of industry

After Superfund homeowners laid out serious health ailments potentially caused by long-term lead exposure, East Chicago Health Commissioner Gerri Browning said the heavily industrialized community has long suffered an inordinate amount of health problems, questioning elected officials immediate focus on relocation and demolition.

What about the health of all the people who lived in the area all of these years? he said. Its well known to us, both anecdotally and factually, that East Chicago has its fair share of disease. Its no secret that our people who are either black, brown or poor, are living in these industrial areas  and weve suffered health-wise because of that.

Holcomb said while a tall order, alleviating the crisis in East Chicago is achievable.

"Hoosiers help Hoosiers. We're going to prove it, he said.
VALPARAISO  As a business owner and parent, Candace Shaw wants to live in a community that is welcoming to all. However, recent actions concerned Shaw to the point she felt she had to do something.

One of the organizers of the March for a Welcoming Valparaiso on Saturday, Shaw said participants were not going to entertain hate today. Were going to show what it means to be a welcoming community.

Several hundred people, many carrying signs, marched from Valparaiso University to City Hall for a series of speakers.

Shaw said she has heard from local people, including first-generation immigrants, who are afraid and have been told to leave this country.

I firmly believe in the principles on which this country was founded, Shaw said. All people are created equal, and all means all  no exclusions.

Although organizers said the march and rally were not specifically targeting President Donald Trumps recent executive orders, many people spoke against those actions. On Jan. 27, Trump issued an executive order temporarily banning travel to this country from residents of seven Muslim-majority nations.

Haajar Shaaban, a Crown Point resident whose parents came here from Egypt, has many friends who came from the banned countries.

Im here as an American, the graduate student said. Its not right keeping people out.

Ferass Safadi, a Merrillville educator whose father came from Syria, said immigrants left everything they know to start from zero. His father, a doctor, is among the 25 percent of Northwest Indiana physicians who are immigrants.

Jose Espinoza, a Valparaiso University student and lifelong area resident, commented, Its important we are out as a community. Not everything said in the media or the administration reflects the heart of this community.

Lakshmi Radan, who came from India, cited the growing number of local immigrants from the Far East.

Ignorance is not a good thing at this time, the academic adviser said. This march shows we are all people.

Outside City Hall, the Rev. Cheryl Rivera of the Northwest Indiana Federation of Interfaith Organizations said, We cannot allow fear and indifference to separate us and disempower us.

Recalling how an infant Jesus fled persecution, the Rev. Timothy Leitzke, from Trinity Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, added, If God is with us, we look to refugees, because every single one of them has God in them.

Shaw encouraged rally participants to continue to promote a welcoming attitude.

This (rally) is not the ending, she said. This is a beginning.
VALPARAISO  A 58-year-old Syrian woman has arrived in Chicago nearly three weeks after she was sent back on a plane to Saudi Arabia when President Donald Trump enacted a travel ban.

Sahar Algonaimi passed through gates at O'Hare International Airport on Friday to meet her family from Valparaiso. She previously tried to travel to the U.S. to help care for her sick mother, Isaaf Jamal Eddin, on Jan. 28 but was sent back to Saudi Arabia where she works as a teacher.

On Saturday, Algonaimi's sister, Nour Ulayyet, said her sister is "very happy" to be in the U.S. to visit her cancer-stricken mother as she continues recovering from her surgery.

Ulayyet said the outpouring of support has been overwhelming. U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., and U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, both wrote letters to the U.S. Embassy in support of Algonaimi's renewed application for a visit visa in early February.

"I can tell you she was delighted. Speechless. She's here only for one week, but all this week, she's sleeping in the same room as my mother. She is not leaving her side. They are very close," Ulayyet said. "The look on my mom's face was priceless. It was worth every phone call, every email, every minute spent researching."

Algonaimi had visited last year and still had a U.S. visa good until June 2018.

Trump's order last month created outrage across the country, with travelers detained at airports, families searching for relatives and protesters lining up at airports. The ban temporarily barred people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering into the U.S., and indefinitely barred those from Syria.

Ulayyet said she is closely watching the news to see what Trump does next. Trump is expected to announce soon a streamlined version of his previous travel ban to iron out the difficulties that landed his first order in the courts, according to the Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
VALPARAISO  Retired OB/GYN Frank Behrend said it has been painful for him to see the increasing animosity in this country toward refugees.

He thought it cold-hearted when former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence blocked a fully-vetted Syrian family from entering the state during the fall of 2015 and was pleased to see the courts step in recently to stop President Donald Trump from enacting a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries.

"To me, the world should take care of refugees," he said. "The world has room for them."

The issue strikes close to home for the 78-year-old, who was considered a stateless refugee as a very young child after being forced out of his native Germany because of his Jewish cultural roots. He, his parents and grandparents fled to Shanghai, China, and spent seven years in a sort of limbo before immigrating to the United States in 1947 with the help of family members already in the country.

His experience as a young refugee was much different than others are now facing in this country.

"There was no animosity as far as I could see against immigrants," he said.

Behrend was born in 1938 in Berlin and though his family had been Christians for a couple of generations by that time, they were forced out of Germany.

"Hitler had taken away our citizenship," he said.

One of his aunts was not so lucky and wound up dying at the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp, he said.

Behrend said his family journeyed to Shanghai and was forced to live in a mile-square area with 20,000 others. There he and others were taught English.

"No one had any intention of remaining in Shanghai," he said.

The family immigrated to the United States in 1947 when Behrend was 8 and landed in San Francisco, where they received help from Jewish charity groups with housing, money and finding work.

His father learned of a organist position at the Salem Lutheran Church in Rockford, Illinois, and the family picked up and moved. Behrend attended college and medical school in Illinois, completed his residency at Cook County Hospital and moved to Valparaiso in 1970, where he practiced medicine until retiring in 2000.

"We are a country of immigrants," he said.

Behrend referenced the famous 1939 letter written by immigrants Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard warning President Franklin Roosevelt that Germany might be developing atomic bombs and suggesting the United States should start its own nuclear program. That prompting led to the Manhattan Project and the development of the first atomic bombs.

"Immigrants have contributed enormously to the safety and prosperity of the United States," he said.

Behrend dismissed much of current concern over refugees as being uninformed.

"It's easier to believe than to know," he said. "Thinking is hard. Believing is easy."
As wind and water raged outside Friday, California Highway Patrol Officer Jon Latosquin stayed warm inside the Orange County Transportation Management Center in Irvine, acting as an eye in the sky with 250 cameras on local highways in what forecasters said was the most powerful storm to hit Southern California in recent memory.

The deluge had triggered major traffic problems on roadways across Southern California, as it toppled trees, overturned trucks and submerged freeways. An array of monitors kept eyes trained on a number of incidents around the county, verifying information coming in from callers.

As phones rang off the hook, Latosquin worked with the CHP and Orange County Transportation Authority personnel to ensure any accidents caused by the storm were dealt with quickly and efficiently.

Most people dont have an inkling of what we see here on a daily basis, Latosquin said. Californians have an issue with driving fast in the rain. The chances of more crashes occurring when it rains is just crazy.

In Garden Grove, the storm brought down more than 20 large trees and flooded some areas, prompting the city to activate its emergency operation around 4 p.m. Led by the fire chief, the citys department heads coordinated police, fire and public works officials to help shut down deluged streets, distribute sandbags, clear channels of debris and remove trees from streets.

Its fun said Steve Tauanuu, one of 20 Garden Grove Public Works employees called in on a day off to manage the fallout from the storm. But its also difficult. You get wet and its slippery. And youre working fast and hard.

By 4:30 p.m., Tauanuu and his team had removed more than a dozen trees.

This is an easy job, said Rigoberto Mendez, working alongside Tauanuu. The last storm was worse. The water was coming up the driveways.

Rich Gosselin, supervisor for Garden Groves tree-removal and flood-control teams, said that during a major storm, workers sometimes spend 18 hours on the clock.

We think we can handle it, he said. But its not like you can sleep at night  peoples safety is at stake.

In Huntington Beach, flooding closed all southbound lanes of Pacific Coast Highway at Warner Avenue as winds and heavy rains triggered mounting problems on area roadways. It was still closed as of 11 p.m.

Other road closures and downed trees reported include:

Aliso Viejo: A tree and power pole fell down on westbound Aliso Creek Road between Westwing and El Toro Road, police said.

Crews were working to remove five fallen trees blocking traffic on northbound Alicia Parkway between Hollyoak and Laurelmont. They also removed a tree from Enterprise west of Aliso Viejo Parkway.

Costa Mesa: Heavy winds knocked over a large tree  an estimate says it was 60 feet tall  onto a house on East 20th Street and Raymond Avenue.

Fountain Valley: The city has numerous tree branches down and a tree fell on Newland Street south of Talbert.

Garden Grove: A tree landed on top of a car on Lampson Avenue, east of Brookhurst Street.

Huntington Beach: An approximately 40-foot tree fell onto a BJs Restaurant & Brewhouse, a CBS reporter tweeted.

Laguna Beach: The city has requested that residents stay inside and off the roads. The city also requested that downtown businesses install flood gates immediately.

There were reports of a tree that toppled onto a car in Laguna Beach, tree branches blocking part of the transition from the southbound 5 onto the northbound 133 and a downed tree blocking the offramp from the southbound 73 at El Toro Road.

The intersection of Park Avenue and Wendt Terrace was closed for a fallen tree. Traffic was backing up at Legion Street and South Coast Highway because of downed power lines and trees.

Newport Beach: City officials said theyve closed Back Bay Drive to all users until further notice between San Joaquin Hills and Eastbluff. City officials are also reporting a large tree is down on Grove Lane in the Dover Shores area. Crews have responded to cut it up and remove it. Another large tree fell against a building on Avocado Avenue at San Miguel.

Mission Viejo: A tree is down temporarily blocking traffic on Preciados Drive.

Santa Ana: A car flipped over in the 500 block of South Main Street was blocking traffic.

A tree and a pole fell down, damaging parked cars in the 1300-1400 block of West 6th Street. A female pedestrian was struck and was treated by paramedics, Santa Ana Police said in a tweet. She is expected to be OK.

Other fallen trees were at Occidental and Spruce, 3100 S. Bear St., 800 E. Wakeham Ave., and into a onto a house in the 500 block of South Birch.

Seal Beach: A tree fell over on Lampson Avenue between Seal Beach Boulevard and Valley View, near Candleberry Avenue. Drivers got out of their cars and helped push the tree to the side to clear a lane, while the second lane remained blocked.

Tustin: A tree fell at Walnut Avenue and Tustin Ranch Road, a city councilman reported.

110 Freeway: Flooding shut down all lanes of the 110 Freeway at Slauson Road in Los Angeles, a SigAlert said and media reports said.

The No. 1 lane of the westbound 22 near the 405: The lane is expected to be closed through Sunday morning due to dangerous potholes in the roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Northbound 15 through the Cajon Pass: A fire engine fell into a crater on the southbound I-15 in the Cajon Pass as the roadway collapsed underneath it, KABC7 reported.

Also, high winds apparently blew over a FedEx truck traveling northbound on the 15 through the Cajon Pass, triggering a SigAlert and serious delays, according to a CHP report. The agencys website said witnesses saw wind pick up the truck before throwing it back onto the highway, leaving it blocking several lanes of the road that much of Southern California takes to Las Vegas as a holiday weekend approaches.

Victorville: A person was found dead inside a completely submerged vehicle late Friday, the Victor Valley Daily Press reported. Two cars were caught in swift water at Pebble Beach and La Paz drives around 6 p.m. One person was rescued atop a car, but the other driver in the underwater car did not survive.

Lake Arrowhead: The CHP reports a power pole was leaning at a 45-degree angle over a roadway in Lake Arrowhead. Multiple power outages are popping up across Southern California, with Southern California Edison investigating the causes.

Heavy rain and winds are expected to continue into the evening, with safety officials reminding drivers to avoid running water, keep high-profile vehicles parked and stay off the roads altogether if at all possible.

Staff writers Brooke Edwards Staggs, Grace Wyler, Scott Schwebke and Shane Newell contributed to this report.
The nationwide debate over free speech and safe spaces on college campuses has taken a bizarre turn in Costa Mesa. Orange Coast College (OCC) suspended a student for a full semester because he recorded his professor calling Donald Trumps election an act of terrorism and posted the video online.

In one clip published by The Register, Olga Perez Stable Cox, a human sexuality instructor at OCC, tells her class the election of President Trump means, We have been assaulted, its an act of terrorism. The people who committed the assault are among us, its not some stranger coming in from another country coming in and attacking our sense of what it means to be an American.

The student, Caleb ONeil, claims the professor also said she would no longer tolerate any person who voted for Trump. ONeil, who campaigned for Trump, says he was afraid his instructor would retaliate against him so he recorded her comments and shared them with school administrators. A week later, he went public with the recording, which quickly went viral. The professor received a torrent of abusive messages from Trump supporters, forcing her to temporarily move out of her home.

The college says ONeil violated the student code of conduct, as well as Coxs syllabus, which prohibits students from recording class proceedings. Unauthorized recording is a serious violation of the Student Code of Conduct, wrote Interim Dean of Students Victoria Lugo in a letter to ONeil.

To be allowed back into school, ONeil must write an apology letter to Cox and letter explaining why he shared the video publicly, the damage to Orange Coast College students, faculty and staff, and how he will prevent this from happening again.

Does the university have the right to punish ONeil? Its a little complicated. Most states permit the recording of private conversations, as long as one of the parties involved consents. But some states, including California, require two-party consent. There are exceptions, however. Statements made in public might not be protected since a speaker in a public setting doesnt necessarily have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Whether a university classroom counts as a public setting is legitimately debatable, as far as I can tell.

But its important to note, ONeil isnt being charged with violating the law  hes accused of violating university policy and the class syllabus. ONeil is appealing his suspension and his lawyer, Bill Becker, turned up the rhetoric by saying the schools actions are an attack by leftists in academia to protect the expressive rights of their radical instructors at the expense of the expressive rights of conservative students on campus.

Thats his argument. The schools argument is professors should have the right to declare their classrooms a zone of privacy, and ONeil very clearly violated Coxs.

The notion that a public university can compel a student to write an apology for publicizing his professors political statements is a bit worrisome. Students should generally be protected from compelled speech. But, while I find the punishment a bit harsh, Im also having a hard time coming up with a reason to excuse ONeils behavior.

Coxs anti-Trump statements might have been over the top, but as a professor at a public college who enjoys robust free speech protections, she had every right to make them.

ONeils contention that he feared retaliation sounds sadly similar to claims made by leftist students who say certain kinds of non-liberal expression make them feel unsafe and require safe spaces. Indeed, I worry that conservative students are increasingly embracing the campus victim narrative and assuming political statements they dont like are targeted acts of intolerance.

When college students hear something from a professor that makes them uncomfortable, they ought to ask questions and challenge it. Students, conservative and liberal, need to learn how to think critically, defend their points of view, and listen to ideas  even the ones coming from professors they completely disagree with. Lets leave college administrators out of those conversations.

Robby Soave is associate editor at Reason magazine and Reason.com.
Anand Nallathambi, the CoreLogic chief executive who oversaw the property data firms spinoff from First American Finance Corp., is is taking a medical leave of absence, the company announced in a regulatory filing.

Chief Operating Officer Frank Martell, 57, will step in as president and CEO during Nallanthambis absence, which the CoreLogic board approved on Monday.

The company filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission didnt disclose the reason for Nallathambis leave or how long hes expected to be away from his $6 million-a-year job.

Irvine-based CoreLogic is one of the nations biggest real estate data firms, with 3.3 billion records covering 99 percent of U.S. properties over the past 40 years.

Nallathambi, who is in his mid-50s, has been at the helm of CoreLogic since it broke away from First American in mid-2010. He served in executive positions at First American since 2009 and had been with that firm for 18 years prior to the split. He earned an economics degree in his native India and came to the United States at 20 to get his MBA from California Lutheran University.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7734 or jcollins@ocregister.com
The Bear Flag, which first appeared as the symbol of the short-lived Bear Flag Republic in 1846, was made the official flag of California in 1911. The flag displays a California grizzly bear which, in a bit of irony, is extinct in California with the last sighting taking place in 1922.

Without any disrespect to what was a magnificent animal, perhaps it is time for a new emblem that more accurately reflects the current state of the state. Lets consider the Oroville Dam as a more appropriate symbol. Its large, not functioning well, parts are crumbling and it is putting the lives and property of thousands of Californians in jeopardy. To top it off, for over a dozen years, officials have been ignoring warnings that the now eroding emergency spillway was vulnerable to heavy rains.

Since the dam came on line in the late 1960s, and especially beginning with the first terms of Gov. Jerry Brown, California has shifted from a state that prioritized infrastructure improvement to one that focuses on entitlement programs, public employee compensation and environmental policies that stifle economic growth.

Now that the bill is coming due for their failure to address infrastructure needs, the political class  like Nero  is fiddling while Rome burns. The governor and many lawmakers and local officials would prefer to put their energies into fighting the Trump administration on immigration policy. When it comes to infrastructure, the governors one contribution seems to be a slavish devotion to spending as much as hundred billion dollars on a bullet train that will serve few. This is serious money that would go a long way to improving Californias highways, bridges, dams, airports and public buildings.

The only solution to the infrastructure crisis that Sacramento seems to be able to come up with is to raise taxes on a population that is already bearing one of the heaviest tax burdens in the nation. Prioritizing spending is not in their vocabulary.

Meanwhile, the politicians are thumbing their noses at President Trump, who is on record as wanting to invest billions of federal dollars into new and improved infrastructure. This is akin to telling ones brain surgeon that their spouse is ugly 10 minutes before surgery.

The political class likes to tout that if it were a country, California would be the seventh largest economy in the world. But it isnt a country  it is a state within a country, subject to the guiding document written by our founders more than 200 years ago.

Some who are suffering the most extreme cases of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) are going so far as to suggest that the state should go it alone and, in effect, secede from the union. Given that this issue was settled by the costliest war in American history fought in the 1860s, this question of California independence is wholly academic.

While America may appear to be hopelessly divided right now with both sides looking for opportunities to inflict harm on their political enemies, Californians have a right to demand that their leaders rise above this nonsense and focus on the pressing, immediate needs of all Californians.

Lets not let the long-neglected Oroville Dam become our symbol. Its time to roll up our sleeves, meet with the Trump administration and start the work of rational governance. Everything else is a waste of time and energy.

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
SANTA ANA  A 20-year-old Anaheim man was convicted on Friday for throwing an object that damaged a police car and inciting protesters to riot at a Donald Trump presidential campaign rally in Costa Mesa last year.

Luis Fernando Alarcon pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count each of vandalism with damage of more than $400 and inciting a riot, according to the Orange County District Attorneys Office.

He was sentenced to a year in county jail, which was suspended upon completion of three years of informal probation.

On April 28, Alarcon was with a crowd protesting against Trump along the 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa when he ran toward a California Highway Patrol officer, shouted a profanity, prosecutors said; he then hurled an object from his pocket at the officers car.

The officer heard a thud and saw an object that looked like a rock or roof tile fall to the ground. The vehicle sustained $500-plus in damage.

Alarcon returned to the front of the crowd and continued to yell at CHP officers, inciting the protesters as rocks were thrown at the officers, prosecutors said.

Contact the writer: kpuente@ocregister.com
What about the teacher?

I was saddened, and at the same time outraged, reading your article today, OCC student who recorded instructor suspended [News, Feb. 15]. Singling out and punishing the student, Caleb ONeil, for his behavior, while ignoring the equally inappropriate behavior of the instructor, Olga Perez Stable Cox, is, in my opinion, simply outrageous and wrong.

For more than 30 years, I taught at OCC. From the initial Faculty Guild until 2010 when I retired, I was a staunch faculty rights advocate. I gave my time freely to the faculty union and served on all contract negotiation teams during that tenure, tenaciously and unyieldingly working to protect the rights of faculty. As union business, I was frequently involved with grievances brought against faculty by both students and administrators. Happily, the far greater proportion of these grievance resolutions found the faculty member without fault. However, in a few actions, the faculty member was found culpable. In my well-experienced opinion, Ms. Olga Perez Stable Cox wears the stain of culpability for instigating this entire unfortunate situation. I find it impossible to believe her inflammatory classroom actions and comments were in either her syllabus or her lesson plan. This saddens me, but the question remains: Should the Coast Community College District punish or reprimand Ms. Cox for her unprofessional behavior, as they have the student?

This is a tough call, as both faculty and student rights are paramount, in my opinion. So lets approach this from a cause-and-effect position. Had Olga Perez Stable Cox stuck to her syllabus and not strayed into her political biases of the moment, would Caleb ONeil have committed the infraction he is accused of? Objectively, no, of course not; no cause, therefore, no effect.

I strongly suggest that the administration of the college district immediately rescind and retract the needless and harmful punishment upon Caleb ONeil. It is unfair, injurious, uncalled for and poorly thought through. Mr. ONeil has already signaled his intent to seek remedy through the courts. If the Coast Community College District fails to immediately reverse its decision to punish Mr. ONeil, the effect will result in many tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees incurred by the district to defend itself as Mr. ONeil pursues legal remedy. This scenario, although probable, is not only ludicrous but lame-brained as well.

What about Ms. Cox? I fully believe Ms. Cox has had enough feedback to understand that her behavior was unacceptable. I do not believe Ms. Cox needs, or deserves, any additional injury or pain for her to understand the effect of her misjudgment.

The decisions for the future monetary and emotional costs of this unfortunate occurrence are now firmly in the hands of the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees. With all certainty, unquestionably, it is they who will decide the costs to Ms. Cox, Mr. ONeil and, ultimately, the College District itself.

 Stephen Robinson, Costa Mesa

Who is the bully?

Orange Coast Community College administrators need to educate themselves regarding bullying. The definition of bullying, according to Wikipedia, is a subcategory of aggressive behavior characterized by the following three minimum criteria: 1) hostile intent, 2) imbalance of power and 3) repetition.

The teacher in question appears to meet all three criteria:

 Her intent was to single out and intimidate students with whom she disagreed regarding the election of our current president.

 As the teacher, she has a built-in power position.

 According to student witnesses, she was a repeat offender.

Shockingly, rather than refer the teacher for help in remedying her bullying, the OCC administrators instead are penalizing the targeted student. In an attempt to protect himself, the student recorded the teachers unprofessional behavior. Only after administrators failed to respond to his legitimate complaint did he put the video online.

These excruciatingly politically correct administrators are attempting to manipulate the already victimized student into writing an essay on the ensuing damage to OCC students, faculty and staff. These people need to look in the mirror; they are the ones who initially failed to respond to the students complaint, which left him no choice but to post the video. The administrators themselves are further damaging the reputation of OCC by attempting to force the victimized student to apologize for standing up to a bully.

 Connie Brewer (retired professor of sociology at CSUF and CSULB), Whittier

Passion, not panic

Re: Teachers in a panic over school choice. [Opinion, Feb. 12]: The Register has confused passion with panic. If teacher association members had been interviewed (sadly, they were not), they would have acknowledged they are justifiably angry that an individual, Betsy DeVos, has been confirmed to lead the U.S. Department of Education despite a razor-thin resume with no leadership experience or background in schools  ever. Other than her decades-long attempt to channel tax dollars to religious, private and voucher institutions in Michigan, she has no qualifications for the position she now holds.

And, despite private, for-profit schools cherry-picking top students and requesting parents of those challenged with disabilities to sign away their legal rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Act, private schools still perform no better than their public school counterparts. Michigan has now given away over $20 billion of its citizens taxes to for-profit corporations who have little accountability to provide quality education for all students.

Last year, the for-profit online school, K-12 Inc., was forced to return $168 million in California tax revenue for inconsistencies in calculating average daily attendance. These are the same corporations that exploit the absence of regulation or accountability, and whose agenda is to undermine the public schools which ensure quality education for all Americas children.

As a professional educator, I ask that you do what we ask every student to do before drawing conclusions: Do your homework!

 Therese Sorey, president, Irvine Teachers Association

Call the marketing pros

Re: The Democratic Party needs a 12-step program [Opinion, Feb. 9]: My party doesnt need a boost from Alcoholics Anonymous, as John Phillips wrote in his column. No, it needs a marketing plan.

The reason Republicans control the White House, Senate and House now is because millions of Democrats stayed home last November. In other words, they werent buying what was being offered.

Having served as a corporate marketing executive, as well as a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in Washington, I think Im on solid ground when I say that, until and unless Democrats figure out a way to solve that problem, its going to be very hard for them to win big in 2018 or 2020.

I took a lot of heat from fellow Democrats when I urged Hillary Clinton to fire her campaign brain trust six weeks before the election. It wasnt personal. It was professional. In my opinion, the presidential contenders inner circle wasnt serving her well. Among other things, heres what I wrote in the Register on Sept. 19:

According to Gallup, Clintons negatives were 57 percent in July, compared to 45 percent two years ago. The way Hillarys confidantes botched her recent overheating incident at the 9/11 ceremony in New York City, Im bracing for another decrease in her all-important favorability category. Given this backdrop, let me be blunt: If Clinton was a commodity on a grocery store shelf, I wouldnt trust the Mook/Podesta team to handle the marketing. At this point, I would have fired all of them by now.

Harsh words for sure. But guess what? I think they turned out to be more right than wrong.

Democrats have fine candidates serving in Congress, state houses, city halls and on school boards. I dont expect that to change. What does need to change is how they are marketed to the public. I hope both Phillips and my partys leadership will remember no amount of money can change this fact: You cant make good wine from bad grapes.

Be smart, people. Its time to call in the marketing pros.

 Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach

What about Prado Dam?

Re: Flooding fears [Focus, Feb. 16]: Flood danger all over California is important, but what about the Prado Dam  the one thats right here? Are we in any danger?

 Linda Rosenthal, Huntington Beach
There are times when government isnt boring.

For instance, there was that time the president got angry over a court decision.

I may not know much about law, he thundered, but I do know one can put the fear of God into judges.

That is not a leak from the Trump White House. It was President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905, furious over the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Lochner v. the People of the State of New York.

Joseph Lochner, who owned a bakery, was convicted of violating a New York state labor law that said bakery employees could not be required or allowed to work more than 60 hours in one week.

The Supreme Court said that law was unconstitutional. Justice Rufus Wheeler Peckham wrote for the court, The general right to make a contract in relation to his business is part of the liberty of the individual protected by the 14th Amendment of the Federal Constitution.

President Roosevelt didnt see it that way, and sure enough, the liberty of contract doctrine had a very short life.

Whos in charge when the president and the courts disagree about the meaning of the law or the Constitution? What if the courts interpret the law to mean the opposite of what Congress wrote? What if the president defies the courts?

You might be surprised at the tools that are available to repair a broken government.

One is the Exceptions Clause. Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution gives Congress the power to make exceptions to the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. In other words, lawmakers can strip the federal judiciarys power to review certain types of cases.

The American people would have to be pretty angry about a court ruling before Congress would actually pass a law under the Exceptions Clause, although there have been a few attempts.

Some people on the left were angry over the 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. There was talk of stripping the Supreme Court of jurisdiction over campaign finance law. Some people on the right were angry over state court rulings upholding same-sex marriage. In 2004, the House voted to deny the federal courts jurisdiction to hear some cases about the Defense of Marriage Act.

But not enough people were angry to get either of those court-stripping laws enacted.

The Exceptions Clause is not the only emergency brake installed by the framers in our Constitution. Theres impeachment, and not just for the president. Congress also has the power to impeach federal judges and all civil officers of the United States.

Another way to control the government is by amending the Constitution. The framers gave us two methods: one thats initiated by Congress, and one thats initiated by the states in case Congress is part of the problem.

For example, if the American people wanted to amend the Constitution to put term limits on Congress, but Congress refused to do it, an amendment can be proposed by two-thirds of the states. If three-quarters of the state legislatures approve it, the amendment becomes part of the Constitution whether anyone in Washington, D.C., likes it or not. They have no role in the process.

Our rarely used emergency brakes have one thing in common  they only work with overwhelming public support.

That could be why President Trump repeats the message that a particular judge or court is biased, unfair or political.

Maybe he knows what Teddy Roosevelt knew.

Susan Shelley is a columnist for the Southern California News Group. Reach her at Susan@SusanShelley.com and follow her on Twitter: @Susan_Shelley.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia  North Korea said it will reject the results of an autopsy on its leaders estranged half brother, the victim of an apparent assassination this week at an airport in Malaysia. Pyongyangs ambassador said Malaysian officials may be trying to conceal something and colluding with hostile forces.

Indonesias police chief, meanwhile, said an Indonesian woman arrested for suspected involvement in the death of Kim Jong Nam was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank.

Speaking to reporters gathered outside the morgue in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the autopsy on Kim Jong Nam unilaterally and excluding our attendance.

Kim Jong Nam, who was 45 or 46 and had lived in exile for years, suddenly fell ill at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday as he waited for a flight home to Macau. Dizzy and in pain, he told medical workers at the airport he had been sprayed with a chemical. He died while being taken to a hospital.

We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem, Kang said, adding that the move disregarded elementary international laws and consular laws.

Kang said the fact that Malaysia has yet to hand over the body strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us, and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us.

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.

North Korean diplomats in Malaysia objected to an autopsy and had requested custody of Kim Jong Nams body, arguing that he had a North Korean passport. Malaysian authorities went ahead with the procedure anyway, saying they did not receive a formal complaint.

The autopsy could provide some clarity in a case marked by speculation, tales of intrigue and explosive, unconfirmed reports from dueling nations. Authorities were still awaiting the autopsy results.

Malaysia said Friday it wants DNA samples from Kim Jong Nams family as part of the post-mortem procedure and that officials were not yet willing to hand the body over to the North Koreans. Although Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau, police in Malaysia say none has come forward to claim the body or provide DNA samples.

If there is no claim by next-of-kin and upon exhausting all avenues (to obtain DNA), we will finally then hand over the body to the (North Korean) embassy, said Abdul Samah Mat, a senior Malaysian police official. He would not say how long that process might take.

Malaysian police have arrested three people in the investigation but have released few details.

Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian, citing information received from Malaysian authorities, told reporters in Indonesias Aceh province that Siti Aisyah, 25, was paid to be involved in Just For Laughs style pranks, a reference to a popular hidden camera show. He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water.

Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer, Karnavian said. She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents.

Karnavians comments come after a male relative of Aisyah said in an Indonesian television interview that she had been hired to perform in a short comedy movie and traveled to China as part of this work. Indonesian Immigration has said Aisyah traveled to Malaysia and other countries it did not specify.

Investigators were still trying to piece together details of the case, and South Korea has not said how it concluded that North Korea was behind the killing.

Malaysian police were questioning three suspects  Aisyah, another woman who carried a Vietnamese passport, and a man they said is Aisyahs boyfriend.

Kim Jong Nam was estranged from his younger half brother, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Yoji Gomi, a Japanese journalist who wrote a book about Kim Jong Nam, said he criticized the family regime and believed a leader should be chosen through a democratic process.

Gomi said he met Kim Jong Nam by chance at Beijings international airport in 2004, leading to exchanges of 150 emails and two interviews in 2011  one in Beijing and another in Macau  totaling seven hours.

Kim Jong Nam appeared nervous during the interview in Macau, Gomi said.

He must have been aware of the danger, but I believe he still wanted to convey his views to Pyongyang via the media, Gomi said. He was sweating all over his body, and seemed very uncomfortable when he responded to my questions. He was probably worried about the impact of his comments and expressions. The thought now gives me a pain in my heart.
Some have never been politically active, like 56-year-old Patti Jo Kiraly of Aliso Viejo. Others are lifelong activists, like Costa Mesas Linda Clough, 80. They are Democrats and independents and even some Republicans. There are men but more women; working people and retirees, most middle-aged and older.

They parade to GOP Congressional offices in Orange County each week, as many as a hundred at a time, fueled by worries over President Donald Trumps policies and appointments, his temperament and competence.

Theyre demanding their voices be heard, insistently calling for town hall meetings with their Congress members. And theyre turning the county into a key battleground of a national resistance movement aimed at blunting ambitions of the new administration.

Im terrified by where Trump is taking this country, said Placentias Debra Brunner, a 48-year-old speech pathologist who, like many, lists health-care coverage, deportations and the travel ban among immediate concerns.

The movement materialized virtually overnight.

The Womens March, the day after Trumps inauguration, attracted hundreds of thousands nationwide and an estimated 20,000 in downtown Santa Ana. That energy has continued unabated, following a strategy outlined online by the anti-Trump project Indivisible and attracting a host of individuals and interest groups.

Weve never seen this before, said Raphael Sonenshein, who heads Cal State Los Angeles Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs. It bypassed the traditional media and organization models. The tea party movement didnt get moving this quickly. Opposition to the Iraq War, to the Vietnam War didnt mobilize this quickly.

I think people underestimated the impact Trump would have on the general population.

The 23-page online Indivisible Guide, put together by progressive former congressional staffers, analyzes the tea partys successes against Barack Obama and details how to use those lessons against Trump. It explains how to get the attention of congressional representatives and provides tools for organizing by congressional district.

Thats especially taken hold in Orange County, where there are Indivisible groups in the four GOP congressional districts  each with scheduled weekly visits to the members local offices.

The groups also have specially arranged visits, such as Valentines Day stops at three of the offices where cards were delivered asking for town halls. Sample: Town Hall Meeting! Quit Stalin and just say yes. The pink-and-red card was fringed with hearts and featured a photo of former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

So far, none of the four  Reps. Ed Royce, Dana Rohrabacher, Mimi Walters and Darrell Issa  has consented to a town hall. But the county is attracting national attention and the pressure from Trump foes shows no sign of diminishing.

All four were reelected in November  but their districts all favored Hillary Clinton for president. There are just 23 such split-vote districts nationwide and all are being targeted by the deep-pocketed Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Orange County is really the front line, said UC Irvine sociologist David Meyer, author of The Politics of Protest: Social Movements in America. This is where the future of #resistance is going to be written.

AstroTurf?

Fred Whitaker, chairman of the Orange County GOP, is among many Republicans who dismiss the Indivisible-based movement as a manufactured product of Democratic insiders.

Its more of a professional operation, more AstroTurf than grassroots, Whitaker said. I think our (Congress) members are smart enough to know that these people dont represent their districts.

Meyer called such dismissals ridiculous.

Thats a real common thing to say about protesters you dont like, Meyer said. They said that about the Tea Party.

Meyer and Sonenshein agree that while there are professional organizers and special interests involved, grassroots activists are fueling the nationwide effort.

Indivisible is right in the middle between a massive grassroots movement and the hidebound Democratic establishment in Washington, Sonenshein said. Theyre smart. Theyre making a very unique contribution.

Beside Indivisible activists, participants in the protest movement include Planned Parenthood, immigrant-rights groups and environmentalists. Additionally, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is funding state parties to hire organizers in targeted congressional districts and those organizers often coordinate with local grassroots activists.

Certainly, if we hear about protests happening, were going to shine a light on them, said Robin Swanson, spokesperson for the California Democratic Party. When people call and ask what they can do, we point them in the right direction. But the fire is coming from the grassroots.

Well-heeled labor unions are also getting in on the action. Service Employees International Union, the nations largest union with 2.2 million members, has scheduled a town hall for Feb. 21 in Vista with the hope that Issa will accept its invitation to appear.

That event is being coordinated with a dozen other groups, including Indivisible, Planned Parenthood, three other unions and several community groups.

Town hall dilemma

Orange Countys GOP Congress members are unlikely to find encouragement to hold town halls if they consider recent events sponsored by Republican colleagues elsewhere in the country.

Among the most publicized of the contentious affairs was that of Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, on Feb. 9.

Several police officers stood near the stage while Chaffetz spoke, his words often drowned out by booing and shouting from people who filled nearly all of the 1,000 seats in the auditorium, according to a Washington Post account. More officers were outside the school, controlling the large crowd that did not get in.

Concerns with unruly crowds werent cited by spokespersons for Orange Countys four Republican members, but they emphasized other ways constituents could make their voice heard.

Issas office said he could not make the union event because of a previous commitment to visit a homeless shelter. Spokespersons for Issa, Royce and Walters have said they welcome constituent comments by phone, email and letter. They added that they will be holding private meetings with constituents in the upcoming week, when the House has a recess.

It is unclear whether they will be meeting with any of the activists, although the Indivisible group in Royces district plans to visit the office daily with the hope of gaining an audience.

Activists visiting the offices of Issa in Vista and Royce in Fullerton have said they have met with staffers. Those visiting Walters office in Irvine and Rohrabachers in Huntington Beach have said they have found the doors locked and no one available to talk to.

A Valentines Day visit to Rohrabachers office resulted in a scuffle when the locked door was suddenly opened, knocking the daughter of an activist to the floor. There was then a brief tug-of-war, with an activist trying to keep the door open and Rohrabacher aide Kathleen Staunton falling in the scrum.

Staunton, 71, got to her feet then but later fainted, according to Huntington Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer Marlatt. She declined paramedic transport to the hospital, but was later taken there by a friend, Marlatt said. She was released from the hospital the same day.

These holier-than-thou obstructionists will be held responsible for this outrageous assault, Rohrabacher said in a press release.

The GOPs Whitaker backed the decision of Rohrabacher and others not to hold town halls.

The only reason they want town halls is to shout members down, he said. Theyre not going to be productive.

Activist Brunner acknowledged that concern but said her group was sincere in its desire to have a dialogue. She said the tallies Royces office keeps of constituent communications to the office is insufficient.

We want to ask specific questions about where he stands and share with him our personal stories, Brunner said.

Some Democrats, meanwhile, see an opportunity to meet with largely like-minded constituents. Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, has scheduled a town hall for Feb. 24.

Measuring success

The resistance movements longevity and energy will be key to its success or failure, sociologist Meyer said.

If they can keep doing it for a while, it gets harder and harder (for Congress members) to dodge, he said.

Activists persistence may allow Democrats to peel off Republican votes on key issues, especially among GOP representatives in districts that voted for Clinton, Meyer said, pointing to aspects of Obamacare as an example.

Representatives across the country are going to have a hard time voting for things that will hurt their constituents, he said.

The movement could also give members cover to vote their conscience rather than the party line, Meyer said, pointing out that Walters said in 2012 that she was opposed to a ban on Muslims entering the country. It could also accelerate any trend of Republicans turning against Trump.

And if Republican House members stick by Trump, it could help Democrats recruit strong candidates in the next election cycle and appeal to a broader swath of voters.

But with Republicans 45-seat advantage in the House, most tangible gains could be delegated to the margins. Sonenshein said the movement will likely be more effective in unifying Democrats than breaking apart Republicans.

But Clough, the 80-year-old lifelong activist from Costa Mesa, said that does nothing to dampen her goals when she makes the weekly visits to Rohrabachers office.

The things he disagrees with us on  well either change his mind or well get a new representative, she said.

Contact the writer: mwisckol@scng.com
For thousands of desperate sub-Saharan Africans, it is a foreboding but tantalizingly close passage to a better life: A 20-foot-high fence guarding the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, one of only two land borders between Europe and Africa.

Early Friday morning, as many as 600 African migrants stormed a gate in the 5-mile-long barrier that separates Morocco from the seaside city of Ceuta on the tip of Morocco  some of them cutting themselves on the fences barbed wire or fracturing bones.

Even though some of the migrants were exhausted, bloodied and bruised as they gathered near a short-term immigration center in Ceuta, a city of about 85,000 people, they were jubilant.

More than 300 managed to reach the city, Spanish news reports said, instantly exposing them to a world suffused with Spanish culture and peppered with picturesque beaches, tapas bars and palm trees.

The others were pushed back by Moroccan security forces. The Associated Press reported that at about 6 a.m., surveillance cameras near the border had captured 600 people making their way to the fence, some of them gripping tools and clubs to breach the gate in a bid to reach the Spanish territory.

The AP said that two migrants and three civil guards had been injured and hospitalized after a clash along a part of the fence, while at least 10 members of the Moroccan armed forces had also been hurt. Hundreds of others who were injured were treated by Red Cross workers in Ceuta, news reports said.

The crossing on Friday was just the latest by migrants determined to enter Ceuta. On New Years Day, about 1,100 sub-Saharan migrants tried to jump a high double fence between Morocco and Ceuta. During the violent crossing, the migrants tried to breach the fence with iron bars and wire cutters. Five Spanish policemen and 50 members of the Moroccan forces were injured, including one guard, who lost an eye.
If youre a classical music fan who lives in Orange County, then you probably know the name Beulah Strickler, whose long and fruitful life ended Feb. 3 at 98.

A consummate pianist and harpsichordist and respected music teacher, Strickler is best remembered as the founder of Fullerton Friends of Music, which is now in its sixth decade. Along with programming the free series, she often served as a performer in its early days.

Our house was filled with music  live music, recalled Michael Strickler, one of Beulahs three sons. She was always playing, always practicing for the next concert. We had this parade of great musicians who would come by to rehearse. She also had a full schedule of private lessons  as many as 20 students. She was so busy she would send me and my brothers away in the afternoons.

Blessed with an incisive and inquiring mind in addition to her musical talent, Beulah Friedman grew up in an intellectually stimulating household, her son said. In her family were very educated people. Her parents were high achievers. Her mother came from a long line of scholars and rabbis in Russia. Two of her brothers went to Harvard. There were a lot of bright people in her orbit.

Though she was born in New Hampshire, Friedman grew up in Brooklyn. Showing musical aptitude at an early age, she began her piano studies at the Manhattan School of Music. She graduated from Hunter College with a B.A. in music, received a masters degree in music from New York University and a teachers credential from Columbia Teachers college.

My mom grew up in New York at a time when you could just look in the paper and say, Im going to hear Rachmaninoff tonight, or Heifetz or Rubinstein, Mike Strickler said. She loved it.

After briefly teaching high school in New York, Friedman decided to live and work in Los Angeles for a year. There she met the man who would become her husband, Cal Tech scientist Allen Strickler. They moved back to New York and married in 1946. Two years later, Allen was offered a job at Beckman Instruments and they returned to Southern California. She moved to Fullerton from Burbank in 1954.

Yearning for classical music of quality in her community, Strickler founded Fullerton Friends of Music in 1959, and she remained its artistic director until 2002. Through membership fees and donations, it managed to present some of the best chamber musicians and ensembles on the circuit without charging its audiences.

Strickler was a student as well as a teacher in midlife. She studied harpsichord in L.A. with Alice Ehlers, who was a student of Wanda Landowska, Michael Strickler recalled. Stricklers teaching career became more high-profile, too. She taught piano at Chapman College, where the music department was growing under the leadership of her boss, choral conductor William Hall.

Strickler also founded and performed with the Liberty Consort, which specialized in historical American music and made its debut in 1976, and the Renaissance Players, an early-music group that performed at the Getty Museum and the Huntington Library among many other venues. Both ensembles performed for thousands of elementary and high school students in Orange County.

Though Stricklers involvement with music faded in the last few years, she was not forgotten. She was awarded the Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award for lifetime achievement by Arts Orange County in 2013.

Over the years, Fullerton Friends of Music has presented Grammy Award-winning ensembles and soloists free of charge to an eager audience of music lovers, said Arts OC board member Pat Poss, who presented the honor to Strickler. Beulah Strickler remains a beloved figure in Fullerton and in the music world.

Strickler is survived by her three sons, Daniel, Robert and Michael; her daughters-in-law Alisa, Linda and Chung; and her granddaughter Emma. Sundays concert of the Fullerton Friends of Music will be dedicated in Stricklers honor; a private reception will follow. The family will be in attendance.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@scng.com
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trumps rejiggered executive order restricting travel to the United States will face a serious legal challenge no matter what his lawyers and political counselors craft.

While some revisions could be straightforward in the new order expected next week, like a clarification that legal permanent U.S. residents arent restricted, any continued targeting of majority-Muslim countries will confront a wall constructed in part by Trumps own words.

The net result will be ongoing scrutiny, continued uncertainty and possible naysaying from the very judges whose legitimacy Trump has repeatedly questioned.

If theres still a focus on majority-Muslim countries, and theres still a travel ban, there will still be challenges, Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Unions Immigrants Rights Project, said in an interview Friday.

Issued quickly Jan. 27, Trumps initial executive order temporarily banning travel to the United States by citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries lost repeated court battles. Most emphatically, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Feb. 9 unanimously upheld a temporary restraining order blocking the ban from taking effect nationwide.

On Thursday, Trumps Justice Department said in a court filing that instead of continuing an appeal of the courts order, the White House would soon offer a new and improved executive order.

We are issuing a new executive action next week that will comprehensively protect our country, Trump said in a news conference Thursday.

Trump managed to cloud the waters, by simultaneously asserting that we are appealing the 9th Circuit loss and well be going along the one path and hopefully winning that at the same time we will be issuing a new and very comprehensive order to protect our people. Through the confusion, though, shone the consistent idea of a rewritten executive order.

Unlike with his first executive order foray last month, Trump now has Attorney General Jeff Sessions in place to help with the framing.

It appears there are a lot of unaddressed issues that will be addressed, attorney Herbert W. Titus, who filed a legal brief on behalf of groups supporting the executive order, said in an interview Friday, and who knows how long that will take.

The president and his team could be on sound legal footing, even if they catch political heat, if they stick with the original orders overall cap of 50,000 refugee admissions in fiscal 2017, down from the current 110,000 set by former President Barack Obama. Judges who have ruled against the original order largely have not dealt with this across-the-board reduction.

A targeted, temporary ban on admitting Syrian refugees might likewise be carried over from the initial order.

The 9th Circuit analysis didnt really apply to refugees, so its entirely possible that the replacement might proceed with the temporary suspension of the refugee programs, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who served on Trumps transition team, said in an interview Friday.

Some specific revisions, on the other hand, appear inevitable, based on the court proceedings to date.

The hastily written initial order, notably, appeared ambiguous in its treatment of legal permanent U.S. residents. Seeking to impose clarity several days after the order was issued, White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn II issued Authoritative Guidance asserting that the travel ban did not apply to legal permanent residents.

The 9th Circuit panel said that wasnt enough, despite McGahns use of capital letters.

In light of the governments shifting interpretations of the executive order, we cannot say that the current interpretation by White House counsel, even if authoritative and binding, will persist past the immediate stage of these proceedings, the appellate panel stated.

Because of the appellate courts strongly voiced skepticism about whether the White House counsel is empowered to issue an amended order superseding the executive order, Trump himself almost certainly will explicitly exclude legal permanent residents from whatever limitations the next order imposes.

The Trump administration, moreover, has already lost two crucial threshold fights, which at least in the initial stages could turn out the same way in the next round of challenges. The administration argued that the states of Washington and Minnesota lacked the legal standing to sue and that courts could not review the presidents action.

The 9th Circuit panel bluntly rejected both arguments, observing that the travel restrictions hurt the states universities and declaring that there is no precedent to support this claimed unreviewability, which runs contrary to the fundamental structure of our constitutional democracy.

The government could keep repeating these arguments, but the executive order might require significant rewriting if the government is to get a different judicial conclusion, at least in certain courts.

Trump could have equal difficulty in calibrating the initial orders focus on certain countries. The Jan. 27 order banned admissions to the United States for 90 days of citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. It suspended the admission of Syrian refugees indefinitely and all other refugees for 120 days.

Any continued focus on majority-Muslim countries will confront the same problem that undermined Trumps initial order. While the president cited national security concerns, the judges who have ruled against him have cited his campaign rhetoric about Muslims and the fact, as U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema noted Monday, that the Muslim ban was a centerpiece of the presidents campaign for months to rule that the order was illegal.

These same campaign statements remain ready to pop up again in any future challenge to the presidents motivations.

No matter what he does, its not going to erase the statements that hes made, said Gelernt, of the ACLU.
OAKLAND  Officials say a gunman who fired numerous shots Friday morning in east Oakland near the zoo has been disarmed and is in police custody.

Officers were called to a neighborhood near the Oakland Zoo for a report of a man armed with a rifle and shooting in the neighborhood, police spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson said.

When officers arrived, the suspect was in the street and began shooting at the officers.

Police returned fire and the suspect was hit. He remains hospitalized in serious condition, Watson said. His name and age were not released.

Officers found a rifle with a scope at the scene.

No other injuries were reported.

A nearby stretch of eastbound Interstate 580 has reopened, and a shelter-in-place order for the area has been lifted. Some closures in the area remain, including two freeway off-ramps, Watson said.
DANA POINT Two parks  one based on the citys origins as the spot the surfing industry was born and another dedicated to California history  are moving ahead.

While recent rainstorms have delayed the progress, city officials said Friday that sculptures and artwork planned for both parks are being created and landscapes and custom pieces could be in place as early as June.

Among the first pieces to go up will be a monument to Hobie Alter  creator of the foam surfboard and the Hobie Cat. The monument will be the centerpiece of the surf park across from Doheny State Beach and sit atop shell-embedded pavers that replicate the beachfront on Copocabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.

Life-sized sculptures of other local surfer legends will be created by artist Bill Limebrook, who grew up on Beach Road, where many of the surfers lived. Those pieces will be installed in four-month increments following the Hobie installation, said Ursula Luna-Reynosa, the citys director of community development

A model of the monument, which has Hobies likeness riding a Hobie Cat, was debuted two weeks ago at a groundbreaking ceremony at Doheny for the 168-unit South Cove luxury condo project. Encinitas-based developer Zephyr donated the land for the two parks.

Doheny Beach is surfing, Mayor Debra Lewis said following the Jan. 26 ceremony. It began here. The two are inextricably linked. Nothing will remind people of the fact better than the life-sized Hobie Cat with Hobie at the helm.

Phil Edwards, the first surfer to ride the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii and to have a signature model surfboard released with his name on it, made a surprise appearance. Edwards, who shaped boards with Alter in his Dana Point surf shop, will be one of the local surfers memorialized with a statue in the new surf park.

In too many ways to mention, the stars have aligned on this project, said Luna-Reynosa, who is coordinating the surf park project with notable local surfers like Dick Metz.

She said she was pleased that Zephyr selected Limebrook as the sculptor for the statues.

He grew up with many of the subjects and has personal stories about his interaction with some and his admiration for all, she said. Its like hes part of the story and I dont think you can get any more authentic than that.

Dana Point officials say the parks will help reclaim the citys surf ranking among other such notable towns as Huntington Beach and Santa Cruz, which have waged legal battles over the claim to Surf City.

Alter first shaped and sold boards in Dana Point. Surfer magazine was born there. And it was the home of Killer Dana, a right-breaking wave just off the headlands that was famous for producing huge surf until construction of the Dana Point Harbor in 1966 stopped the break.

The city is also working with surf industry stakeholders to move the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center  now in an industrial park in San Clemente  to Dana Point. Programs and the size of the museum are being evaluated.

Chris Beucler, chief operating officer for Zephyr, calls the Dana Project the most exciting private-public partnership hes worked on in 35 years. This is the companys first Orange County development.

The parks will be a forever landmark, he said. The surf park is as relevant with my 14- and 16-year-olds as it is with 70-year-old surfers from the area. Its neat when we can say that about our project.

Zephyr bought the 9-acre site in 2015 for $50 million. The location was a old trailer park.

The first time I looked at it, I said well make this a barefoot community, Beucler said. Where else can you live and walk to the beach and never have to cross the street. You tie in the surf community, you tie in the history of Dana Point and you tie in Hobie. Everybody gets excited about surf because its Southern California.

Models for South Cove are expected to open this summer. Homes will range from one to three bedrooms and from 883-2,341 square feet. Prices will be $800,000 to $1 million.

Homes will have attached garages, balconies and rooftops decks. Residents will have immediate access to Doheny State Beach via the Pacific Coast Highway pedestrian bridge and access to walking and biking paths along the San Juan Creek Bike Trail, Beucler said.

Ten of the homes will have a live and work component with storefront opportunities along Pacific Coast Highway, he said. And 17 will be affordable housing.

Beucler and city officials said the two parks will be a big draw for residents, tourists and anyone traveling down Pacific Coast Highway.

The history park will present Dana Points history in California, including a topographic map of the states surf spots from Trestles to Mavericks in Northern California. Interpretive signs and a timeline will depict the history of Highway 1. Another sign will explain the California Coastal Act, which regulates coastal development and public access.

In the surf plaza, a panel will tell the story of the famed Killer Dana surf break. And current world-class surfers, such as Capistrano Beachs Rachel Tilly, who took first place in China a year ago, will be recognized. A real-time feed from Surfline will update visitors with water temperatures and surf conditions.

When I first saw the images, theyre not just cool, theyre life-sized and fantastic, Beucler said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@scng.com or on Twitter:@lagunaini
OROVILLE  California officials further slowed the release of water Friday from a lake behind the nations tallest dam so crews can remove debris from the bottom of the structures damaged spillway.

Officials had been releasing 100,000 cubic feet of water, or enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool, each second from the lake since Sunday, when the sheriff ordered an immediate evacuation for towns downstream from the dam.

The amount being released was reduced to 80,000 cubic feet of water per second late Thursday, and further reduced on Friday. By Saturday, dam managers expect to be releasing 60,000 cubic feet per second, said Bill Croyle, acting director of the Department of Water Resources.

With less water careening down the crippled spillway, construction crews can move in to remove debris that is causing water to pool at the base of the dam.

Clearing debris protects Oroville Dams power plant and will allow for it eventually to be restarted, officials have said.

The level of the reservoir has been reduced by 40 feet to accommodate inflow from upcoming storms. Rain fell in the area Friday, with more storms forecast for early next week.

We have generated a large volume of flood storage space, to the extent we can take on a very large storm, Croyle said.

Two trails near the damaged spillway remained closed, but the lakes boat ramps were open.

Nearly 580 inmates hastily evacuated from the Butte County Jail during Sundays evacuation are expected to return early next week, Sheriff Kory Honea said. Officials are drawing up plans to securely transport the inmates from the Alameda County Jail, where theyre being temporarily held.
Scientists are deliberately downplaying the risks that earthquakes and tsunamis pose to San Onofre at the behest of Southern California Edison, some activists charged this week.

The criticisms came as Neal Driscoll, professor of geosciences at UC San Diegos Scripps Institution of Oceanography, unveiled the latest research on the deformations lurking near the shuttered nuclear plant, where millions of pounds of radioactive waste are expected to languish for decades.

Driscoll illustrated ocean-side blind-thrust faults and segmented strike-slip faults with colorful maps at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point on Thursday night, detailing years of work by his team of scientists. What they discovered puts some fears to rest, but stokes others.

Skeptics felt that Driscolls team spent too much time examining known hazards  like the Newport-Inglewood fault off the coast  rather than searching for unknown threats that may lurk beneath the waves.

There was one thing most everyone could agree upon, however: Nuclear waste should be moved off the bluff as soon as possible, to avoid any mischief Mother Nature may have in store.

Findings

Researchers were able to map the fault structures offshore to an unprecedented scale, Driscoll said. They found no evidence for an ocean-side blind thrust fault, which theoretically could set off quakes on the Newport-Inglewood fault about 5 miles offshore of San Onofre. That eliminates one set of worries.

Their mapping of that Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, however, raised more questions. This strike-slip fault runs from Newport Beach to La Jolla and is broken into four segments separated by step overs that are not large enough to inhibit a fracture along its entire length. Theoretically, it could rupture from La Jolla to Newport Beach, with a maximum earthquake of 7.3 or 7.4, Driscoll said.

San Onofre was designed to withstand a magnitude 7 quake 5 miles away  or peak ground acceleration of 0.67 Gs (as in, G-forces). The dry storage systems that will remain on-site for many years are more than twice as robust, designed to withstand peak ground acceleration of 1.5 Gs, officials said.

The data show that the central segments off San Onofre havent ruptured in some 10,000 to 13,000 years, and that all the offshore segments have never ruptured simultaneously. But theoretically, its possible, Driscoll said.

Tsunamis are possible as well. The ocean floor is a complex series of underwater mountains and valleys, and when distant, or far-field, tsunamis approach the shore, energy builds up over the shoals and collapses in the valleys, Driscoll said. That blunts the energy.

Theres no evidence of large underwater failures triggering a closer near-field tsunami  but that doesnt mean it cant happen in the future, he said.

Skeptics

Many skeptics were not comforted. Quakes of magnitudes that exceed sciences expectations are common, and studies provide an illusion of safety that does not exist, they said.

Geologist Robert Pope and Charles Langley, both of Public Watchdogs in San Diego County, prepared a written counterpoint. When California was ceded to the United States in 1848, the area was marked Bahia De Los Tremblores on Spanish maps  Earthquake Bay, they said.

The area has seen minimal seismic activity in the last 170 years, making it pregnant with the probability of earthquakes to come.

They, and several speakers Thursday night, questioned the safety of the dry-cask storage system now under construction, where all the waste now cooling in spent fuel pools will be put to rest by 2019. The fuel will be inserted into steel canisters and the canisters placed inside a concrete bunker just yards from the beach. It will remain there until the federal government fulfills its contractual obligation to permanently dispose of it  something that was supposed to happen in 1998.

While Edison and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission say that this Holtec UMAX dry-storage system is robust, Pope and Langley maintain its not designed to withstand significant seismic activity.

With the current trajectory of engineering solutions and public policy, a radioactive release at San Onofre State Beach Park is unavoidable, they said.

Forward

Officials do not agree. Driscoll defended the science as rigorous, peer-reviewed and published; Edison defended the dry storage system as safe and able to withstand ground movement beyond any earthquake projected for the area.

The one thing skeptics and scientists alike can do is push the federal government to fulfill its promises, said David Victor, chair of San Onofres Community Engagement Panel, which hosted Thursdays lively session.

One thing that is clear is that worst-case scenarios for risks at the plant dont seem to be well-founded in science, Victor said. Nonetheless, the safest option is to get the fuel into the canisters because the ISFSI (independent spent fuel storage installation) is heavily-engineered far beyond the worst-case seismic scenario. It is also essential to work as diligently as possible to get the canisters removed from the site ASAP.

Bills in Congress propose a variety of temporary and permanent nuclear waste storage solutions, which would ease the burden for 116 million people living near nuclear plants nationwide. In Southern California, 8 million live near San Onofre.

The central goal is to raise the odds that new legislation will be adopted and to make sure that all the spade work is done within the state and other levels of government, to make sure that we can transport the canisters safely and that the (San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station) spent fuel is ready to go when the option becomes available, Victor said.

Contact the writer: tsforza@scng.com
Harry Belafontes Sankofa Enlists Raphael Saadiq & More For 17 EP Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When

Harry Belafontes Sankofa has released a visual EP.

Titled 17, the 19 minute visual EP features contributions from Raphael Saadiq (The Answer), Elijah Blake (Hanging Tree), Ty Dolla Sign (No Justice) and Mali Music (Drama). The tracks accompany visuals that tells the story of a 17-year-old black teenager by the name of Jacobi Nelson. Nelson is considering going to college, but a run in with police results in a tragic outcome. Nelsons narrative is divided into different chapters with titles such as Innocence, Daydream, Twilight and Resist.

Artists are the gatekeepers of truth and have a unique opportunity to instruct as well as entertain, Belafonte said in a statement. 17 is a powerful visual meant to shift the paradigm of racial bias and illuminate the prolific issue of the carnage besieging black and brown communities all across this country.

17 serves as an introduction to an upcoming album that will feature artists such as Sting, John Legend and Andra Day. The project was made in honor of Black History Month, as well as the five year anniversary of Trayvon Martins death in 2012.

Trayvons parents are considering running for political office some time in the foreseeable future.

In an interview with USA Todays Capital Download, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton said that their desire to run for political office stemmed from the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, and how they feel his presidency will affect any progress that has come about for racial justice in America.

Since Trayvons death, we saw how divided the country is on these issues and we saw how the country can come together, Martin said. You have those that are for uniting the country and you have those that want to be apart. And what this new presidency does, it takes those that want to be apart and it puts them right in the position where they can say, Well change the laws, and well make it tougher.'

Check out the video below.
ELMWOOD, Neb.  Stay too long and your brain will convince itself: Theres something strange happening here.

This place, with the eerie background track and stale air, is the Museum of Shadows, a newly opened business in Elmwood filled with supposedly haunted items in a supposedly haunted building.

Enter through a doorway between blackened windows into a dimly lit room. Pass through a gift shop  with crystals, sage, ghost-hunting equipment and holy water  and sign a waiver saying you wont take photos or video and waive the right to sue for bodily or psychological harm. Then you can start perusing the museum.

Odd, weathered items are affixed to the walls, each with its own creepy backstory.

There are weapons, bolted into place, from murders a century passed. Theres an old-timey bassinet, armor from fallen soldiers and a burnt crucifix. In the second room of the museum, dolls hang from the ceiling in the most attention-grabbing showcase: the Island of Dolls.

All the dolls are just creepy; theyre stuck in my head, said 36-year-old Randy Morton, who visited the museum in October, shortly after it first opened.

Of course, this place could just be a hoax. The laminated signs, with backstories and home cities for every keepsake, could all be made up.

But when you pay the $15 admission and sign the waiver to come in, theres a part of you that wants to believe. Certain items have a presence about them, whether thats in your head or in a spiritual realm.

The creepiest of the bunch: Ayda, the doll with the scratched-out eyes.

Ayda is said to have come from an anonymous donor in Saunders County. All the items in the Museum of Shadows came from donors, most of whom wanted the items off their property and out of their lives.

Aydas owners said they tried to throw her in the dump. She crawled back, legend has it, dirty and with clawed-out eyes. The family threw her in the trash again, mortified. The next time they came outside, she was sitting on the ground, outside the trash can.

They called the museums co-owner, Nate Raterman, who owns Tri-City Research and Investigation of the Paranormal (TRIP). He says hes developing a TV series co-starring his wife, Kaleigh, a clairvoyant, but cant reveal any more details without the networks consent. If its greenlighted, Ratermans would join a host of other paranormal shows in an ever-expanding genre, including Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Witness, A Haunting, Celebrity Ghost Stories and Paranormal Lockdown.

Raterman, 32, took Ayda to a building in Gretna where he takes all these donated items.

There, he put her in quarantine to make sure the spirit attached to her wasnt malicious. He filmed the item alone in a soundproof room in quarantine, then ran the footage through 36 pieces of software to rule out lens flares and other technological phenomena.

When an item proves to be active and isnt malicious, it goes into the museum or into storage while Raterman and his wife find a home for the item. They add several items to the museum each week.

When an item proves too malicious, it goes into a storage locker with others like it. The worst Raterman ever saw was a dark apparition in quarantine. You can see, like, a horn, he said. One horn.

As Raterman drove Ayda past mowed-down cornfields and weather-worn water towers on the highway back to the museum, he noticed the bag moving. He left Ayda  whose name means the one who returns or comes back  on the museums floor to go fetch some rope to tie her down, as the donor requested. He said that when he returned, Ayda had moved halfway across the museums floor.

Honestly, Raterman said, she creeps me out.

Shes not alone. Several times, alarms have gone off at the museum in the middle of the night, with Raterman finding no burglars, no damage and nothing  or at least nothing alive  on surveillance tapes. Sometimes the activity is on the main floor, where the museum and gift shop are located. Other times its in the basement, which housed an embalming business for more than 60 years.

When the Ratermans, who live in Gretna, scouted for a place to create a museum, they wanted somewhere haunted, and they wanted it in a community they could support and that would support them. They found that in Elmwood.

The museum will bring other people to our community who may also visit other community businesses and tour the (Bess Streeter Aldrich) home and our veterans museum as well, said Pat Wray, Elmwood Village Board chair.

Elmwood hosts many activities throughout the year, and if we become a designated stop for others, that will certainly be a boost for not only the Ratermans but the community as well, Wray said.

The museum drives in about half of its traffic for evening ghost hunts in three- or seven-hour blocks on-site. The Ratermans explain their ghost-hunting equipment and use it to try to communicate with spirits without provoking or taunting them.

Morton went on one of those first hunts.

The Ratermans killed the lights. They used a device that they say allows spirits to try to make words.

All the sudden it starts making crazy beeping noises, then stops working for the rest of the night, Morton said. Ive been back twice since, and that hasnt happened.

On subsequent haunts, his girlfriend, Trisha Hart, felt a tap on her head. Then Morton felt a tap on the back of his, with noticeable force.

Stories like this are spreading. Already, the museum is drawing visitors from across the U.S., and in a few cases, other countries, who want to see if this place and its items really are haunted.

A few of the towns pastors had the same curiosity.

As the Ratermans prepared to open the museum in October, a pair of pastors swung by to shake our hand and make sure were normal people, Kaleigh Raterman said. They realized were just like any married couple.

Museum of Shadows

What: A museum of haunted items in a supposedly haunted building that used to house an embalming business in the basement

Where: 116 N. Fourth St., Elmwood, Nebraska

Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Admission: $15

Ages: Mature audiences only; use discretion

Ghost hunts: 3-hour sessions from 7 to 10 p.m., $25 per person; 7-hour sessions from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., $60 per person including refreshments
I'm approaching the end of an era. After four years as a single mother to my two boys, my boyfriend and I are talking about next steps. By this time next year, I could be living a very different life as part of a blended family.

To celebrate our time as a family of three, I decided to take my boys, ages 6 and 7, on what I thought might be our last hurrah. A vacation for just the three of us, tailored to our interests and needs. A trip that was uniquely us.

As we flipped through a travel magazine, they whooped when they saw an ad for Prince Edward Island, Canada's tiniest province. This little island, with a population of approximately 146,000, wasn't on my radar, but it quickly became the only place in the world my boys wanted to travel.

I decided to go all out.

I reserved a room at the Holman Grand Hotel, located in the center of Charlottetown, the capital city. I booked exciting adventures: lobster-trapping, clam-digging, a farm adventure. I even scheduled a professional family photo shoot on a beach with sand dunes and a lighthouse.

Somehow, taking this trip felt poignant. It seemed to symbolize the end of one chapter and the start of a whole new book.

Yet according to Noah Rubinstein, a licensed family and marriage therapist and founder of goodtherapy.org, my approach may have been all wrong if I wanted to blend our family soon.

"Commemorating the end of single parenthood in a big way can have the potential to backfire," says Rubenstein, who is based in Olympia, Wash. "If you believe you're about to undergo a momentous change, it will be a momentous change. What we fear generally happens. If you focus on it being easy, it will be."

He advises single parents to celebrate their bond with their children every day. That could mean family dinners, creating photo books, telling stories and expressing love daily. "If you want to take a trip or do something special, don't make too big a deal about it or tell your kids this is the last trip," says Rubenstein. "Make it a happy, fun time. Kids pick up on our feelings of anxiety."

While it's important to do things as a new family, parents and their children should continue to have special time together, even after remarrying.

"We talk about blended families and have a vision of becoming one, but that's not reality," says Papernow. "If you act as if becoming 'blended' is the goal, you can set yourself up for feeling like you're failing."

The goal should be for the couple to become a team  a team that can talk about their many differences in ways that are caring and understanding so they can handle the glitches along the way. And there will be many glitches. "Combining families is challenging," she says. "Successful stepfamilies know it may take years to build trust in new relationships."

As I frame photos and make photo books from our trip to Prince Edward Island, I now appreciate the significance of our vacation differently. Whether I'm a single mom or part of a new family, this adventure with my boys wasn't necessarily the last, but perhaps just the first of many.

***

Erin Silver is a writer and blogger based in Toronto. Visit her at erinsilver.ca.
For Kimberly Milius, the Friday arrest of a suspect in Michael Brinkmans slaying comes as a relief. But she still doesnt feel safe in the southwest Omaha home where her partner of 18 years was fatally shot on Dec. 23.

The memories of that evening are too fresh: The knock at the door around 5:30 p.m. The two men in clown masks pushing past her. The barrel of a gun in her face, then trained on the couples 16-year-old son, Seth. The echo of her own screams. The gunshots. Finding Brinkmans body in the bedroom.

It was absolutely horrific, said Milius, 45. Those two men broke up my family.

Brinkman was 50 years old, and also the father of a 26-year-old daughter from a previous marriage and one granddaughter.

One suspect, LeAndre Jennings, 29, was arrested Friday on an arrest warrant on suspicion of first-degree murder, use of a weapon to commit a felony and possession of a weapon by a prohibited person. The arrest was made by Omaha homicide detectives and officers from the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force.

Jennings served two years for operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest and shoplifting. He was released from prison in 2011.

The second suspect in Brinkmans killing is still at large and is considered armed and dangerous, police said.

Milius said she didnt know Jennings and didnt recognize the white Dodge Durango SXT that a neighbors surveillance camera showed leaving Brinkmans Millard home after the shooting.

Shes still unable to answer the question she said she pleaded of the two men that December night: Why? Why are you here?

They told her that they wanted money. Police said it was an attempted robbery.

I would have given them whatever they wanted if it could have meant saving (Michael), she said.

When they left, it felt like they got what they came for. I just still dont know what that was.

That night was supposed to be a nice night out: The family had 6:30 p.m. reservations at Brother Sebastians Steak House & Winery.

Brinkman had just finished a shower before the knock on the door.

It all changed, Milius said. I wouldnt wish this on anyone in this world. It has been really tough.

Jennings family was caught off guard. His aunt Denise Prince of Omaha said such a horrible accusation did not square with the person she knew: a fun, outgoing man who liked to be with his family.

Hes just not that kind of person to go do something like they claim he did. I just dont believe it, said Prince, 63. I think they got the wrong person. I really do believe that. ... Im thinking he might be being set up.

Since the shooting, Milius said she and Seth have been staying with a friend. She doesnt know if shell ever be able to return to the home near 180th and Q Streets.

I dont know when well feel safe again, she said. Maybe that will come with a second arrest. Maybe that will bring closure.

For now, shes trying to find peace in the little things. She wears a necklace with an imprint of Brinkmans thumbprint so she can keep his touch close. Shes planning a trip to Idaho to spread his ashes over the mountains he loved. Brinkman had just sold his roofing company, Xcel Roofing, and the couple were planning to move to Idaho once Seth graduated from high school.

I thought we were going to be together forever, she said.

She still finds herself expecting Brinkman to walk through the door, returning from an extended hunting trip.

The couples German shepherd looks for him too  waiting at the window and jumping in the back of his truck, Milius said.

We all just keep wanting him to come home.

Anyone with information related to this homicide or the second suspect is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 402-444-STOP or the Omaha Police homicide unit at 402-444-5656. Crime Stoppers will pay up to a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of suspects in this case.

World-Herald staff writer Andrew J. Nelson contributed to this report.
The plane carrying her mother and niece arrived an hour and a half late, but Amina Mohamed wasnt complaining.

Were it not for the federal court decision blocking parts of President Donald Trumps executive order on refugees, the Somalis relatives wouldnt have landed in Omaha at all.

So, so excited; Im so happy, Mohamed said early Friday after embracing her mom and niece in long hugs.

But despite that happy reunion and the recent court stay, Trumps order is nonetheless poised to significantly ratchet down refugee resettlement in Nebraska. And its already having a major impact on the finances and operations of the agencies that settle refugees here, including employee layoffs.

Many overlook that the court decision did not block one of the most significant provisions of Trumps order: slashing the number of refugees admitted into the United States during this federal budget year from the planned 110,000 to 50,000. That reduced cap means resettlement agencies have already settled the vast majority of refugees they will see between now and when the budget year ends Sept. 30.

In response, Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, the states largest refugee resettlement agency, announced Friday it is cutting the jobs of 15 refugee resettlement workers, seven of whom will be reassigned to other jobs within the agency.

The Refugee Empowerment Center has already laid off two workers, declined to fill a third open position and expects additional layoffs. Its board is currently looking at a revised budget that will be down one-third from the one it had a year ago.

Both agencies rely on the federal dollars that come with each refugee settled to fund the vast majority of their refugee operations.

With the new limit of 50,000 total refugees, the numbers will have to drop to a trickle very soon, said Kathy Bigsby Moore, interim director of the Refugee Empowerment Center in Omaha.

By early March its estimated some 39,000 of the 50,000 refugees allotted for this year will already have been admitted. That means that in the final seven months of the budget year there will be about 11,000 slots remaining.

The impacts are likewise being seen across the nation. On Wednesday, World Relief, an evangelical relief and redevelopment agency that is among the nations largest refugee resettlement agencies, announced it was laying off 140 U.S. staff members directly due to the order. World Relief said Trumps order would damage U.S. refugee resettlement infrastructure and expertise that has been built up over decades.

America is now less able to help those around the world who need our help the most, said Tim Breene, CEO of World Relief.

Its arguable no state will see more impact from the cut than Nebraska. The state during 2016 settled 1,782 refugees  more for its size than any other state, and three times the national rate.

Nebraska has long been a preferred landing spot for refugees in part because of its stable economy and available entry-level jobs.

Lincoln-based Catholic Social Services of Southeast Nebraska has a small refugee resettlement staff which at this point is not affected by the refugee cut.

We will have to see what happens come Sept. 30, said J.D. Flynn, a spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln. We are committed to supporting immigrant and refugee families here and who are still able to come to Nebraska.

Trumps executive order is part of his America First agenda  necessary, he has said, so that radical Islamist terrorists do not enter the United States.

The Jan. 27 order suspended all refugee resettlement in the United States for 120 days, indefinitely suspended any Syrian refugees, banned for 90 days all travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority nations and slashed total refugee numbers by nearly 55 percent.

I hereby proclaim that the entry of more than 50,000 refugees in fiscal 2017 would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and thus suspend any such entry until I determine that additional admissions would be in the national interest, Trumps order said.

As president, Trump has broad powers to control the number of immigrants and refugees admitted into the country.

A federal judge in Seattle a week later struck down the travel ban and the provisions suspending refugee resettlement but didnt impact the 50,000 limit.

That decision reopened the door for those families who had seen their travel plans canceled by the order, including the family of Amina Mohamed.

Mohameds family had fled the violence of Somalias civil war in 2007, spending nearly a decade living in a tent city in Kenya. The conflict claimed the life of her father, and her sister went missing  the reason her niece came to live with her and her mother.

Mohamed landed in the United States in December, and she was looking forward to the arrival of her mother, Halimo Hassan, and 12-year-old niece, Nimo Abdikadir. Then they became among the first casualties of the travel ban. Their flights were canceled.

Mohamed said she understood the presidents desire to protect the country. But she said the refugees from her country who have spent all those years living in tents have not been waiting there for a chance to destroy America. Theyre looking to start a new life in a place where they will be safe.

In the end, with the judges stay, Trumps order had the effect of delaying the arrival of Hassan and Nimo for 15 days.

After greeting her mother and niece just after midnight early Friday, Mohamed said she was looking forward to helping them settle in Omaha, which she has found to be a very nice place. Omahas people, she said, have been very welcoming.

Moore, of the Refugee Empowerment Center, said every refugee arrival is special. But the one early Friday was especially so given that two weeks ago it was unclear when Mohamed would be reunited with her family.

This is a really, really, special night, said Moore, whose agency greeted the new arrivals with signs reading Soo dhowow, which means welcome in their native tongue. They arrived tonight and are all back together, forever.

But even as they celebrated the new arrivals, Moore and her agency were staring at the new realities that come with Trumps cut in overall refugee numbers.

As Moore sees it, if her agency receives only 45 percent of the refugees it had originally contracted for this year, the total will be 157. The agency has already settled 129, meaning it would receive only 28 more between now and Sept. 30.

The agency does not yet know exactly how many refugees it will receive. But it currently has no new arrivals scheduled after next Thursday.

Funding appears poised to dry up. Most of the agencys dollars come from the $2,000 of federal funds that go along with each refugee, dollars that also must pay for the refugees first three months of housing and other direct needs.

Moore said the agency is seeking to raise additional funds privately. But all its 19 remaining staff members are aware of what could lie ahead.

Weve talked to all the staff. They know we are doing what we can to protect their positions, she said. But if the funding stops, the work stops.
Norma McCorvey, who was 22, unwed, mired in addiction and poverty, and desperate for a way out of an unwanted pregnancy when she became Jane Roe, the pseudonymous plaintiff of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade that established a constitutional right to an abortion, died Saturday at an assisted-living facility in Katy, Texas. She was 69.

The Washington Post reported her death was confirmed by Joshua Prager, a journalist currently at work on a book about Roe v. Wade. The cause was a heart ailment.

McCorvey was a complicated protagonist in a legal case that became a touchstone in the culture wars, celebrated by champions as an affirmation of women's freedom and denounced by opponents as the legalization of murder of the unborn.

When she filed suit in 1970, she was looking not for a sweeping ruling for all women from the highest court in the land, but rather, simply, the right to legally and safely end a pregnancy that she did not wish to carry forward. In her home state of Texas, as in most other states, abortion was prohibited except when the mother's life was at stake.

On Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court handed down its historic 7-to-2 ruling, written by Justice Harry A. Blackmun, articulating a constitutional right to privacy that included the choice to terminate a pregnancy.

The ruling established the trimester framework, designed to balance a woman's right to control her body and a state's compelling interest in protecting unborn life. Although later modified, it was a landmark of American jurisprudence and made Jane Roe a figurehead  championed or reviled  in the battle over reproductive rights that continued into the 21st century.

McCorvey fully shed her courtroom pseudonym in the 1980s, lending her name first to supporters of abortion rights and then, in a stunning reversal, to the cause's fiercest critics as a born-again Christian. But even after two memoirs, she remained an enigma, as difficult to know as when she shielded her identity behind the name Jane Roe.

She admitted that she peddled misinformation about herself, lying about even the most crucial juncture in her life: For years, she claimed that the Roe pregnancy was the result of a rape. In 1987, she recanted, saying that she had become pregnant "through what I thought was love." Although the details of her account were legally unimportant, abortion foes pointed to the lie to discredit McCorvey and her case.

According to the most sympathetic tellings of her story, she was a victim of abuse, financial hardship, drug and alcohol addiction, and personal frailty. For much of her life, she subsisted at the margins of society, making ends meet, according to various accounts, as a bartender, a maid, a roller-skating carhop and a house painter. She found a measure of stability with a lesbian partner, Connie Gonzalez, but even that relationship reportedly ended in bitterness after 35 years.

Harsher judgments presented McCorvey as a user who trolled for attention and cash. Abortion rights activists questioned her motives when McCorvey decamped in 1994, after years as a poster child for their cause, and was baptized in a swimming pool by the evangelical minister at the helm of the antiabortion group Operation Rescue.

The minister, Flip Benham, told Prager, who profiled McCorvey in Vanity Fair magazine in 2013, that he had come to see McCorvey as someone who "just fishes for money."

By her own description, she was "a simple woman with a ninth-grade education." She presented herself as the victim of her attorneys, Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington, whom she accused of exploiting the predicament of her unwanted pregnancy to score a victory for the abortion rights cause.

Roe v. Wade, which became a class-action suit, was a watershed for women in general but irrelevant for McCorvey in particular. After an initial court victory for her, Texas mounted an appeal that dragged on long past McCorvey's due date. By the time the Supreme Court announced its decision, her baby was 2 1/2 years old. She had given the child up for adoption and learned of the ruling in a newspaper article.

Norma Nelson  her middle name was variously spelled Lea, Leah and Leigh  was born in Simmesport, Louisiana, on Sept. 22, 1947. Her father, a television repairman, was largely absent from her life.

She grew up in Texas, spending part of her adolescence in a Catholic boarding school and at a reform school for delinquents. Her mother told Prager that she beat her daughter in fits of rage over the "wild" behavior that included sexual promiscuity with men and women.

In her teens, Norma began a short-lived marriage to a sheet-metal worker, Elwood "Woody" McCorvey. Her mother raised their daughter, Melissa. McCorvey's second baby, born out of wedlock, was adopted by another family.

She said she became pregnant with the Roe baby during a relationship in Dallas. An adoption lawyer referred her to Coffee who, like Weddington, was a recent law school graduate seeking a plaintiff to test the constitutionality of the Texas abortion law.

At the time, many well-to-do women seeking abortions traveled to states or countries where the procedure was legal or easily available, according to Leslie J. Reagan, a historian and the author of the volume "When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United States, 1867-1973."

Women like McCorvey, who did not have money to travel, had several undesirable options. They could entrust themselves to abortion providers who were not medical professionals or attempt to perform abortions on themselves - decisions that frequently resulted in infection or death - or they could obtain no abortion at all.

McCorvey was not the first plaintiff to challenge a state abortion law, but Roe v. Wade was the first such case to work its way through the appeals process to the Supreme Court. She used the pseudonym Jane Roe to protect her privacy. The defendant, Wade, was the Dallas County district attorney, Henry Wade, an official responsible for enforcing Texas abortion laws.

Years later, McCorvey expressed bitterness at what she described as her attorneys' unwillingness to help her find what she needed - an abortion, even an illegal one.

"Sarah sat right across the table from me at Columbo's pizza parlor, and I didn't know until two years ago that she had had an abortion herself," McCorvey told the New York Times in 1994. "When I told her then how desperately I needed one, she could have told me where to go for it. But she wouldn't because she needed me to be pregnant for her case."

"Sarah saw these cuts on my wrists, my swollen eyes from crying," she continued, "the miserable person sitting across from her, and she knew she had a patsy. She knew I wouldn't go outside of the realm of her and Linda. I was too scared. It was one of the most hideous times of my life."

After the Supreme Court ruling, McCorvey did not live in total anonymity, as has been erroneously reported, but lived a mainly private existence before revealing herself in interviews and then in a memoir written with Andy Meisler, "I Am Roe" (1994). She worked in abortion clinics, "trying to please everyone and trying to be hardcore pro-choice," she told Time magazine.

"That is a very heavy burden," she said. Moreover, she said that her social background as a poor high school dropout made her ill at ease among the largely upper-class and well-educated activists who helped make abortion a matter of urgent national importance in the 1960s and 1970s.

"I wasn't good enough for them," she once said. "I'm a street kid."

Her conversion came about when Benham, the head of Operation Rescue, opened an office near one of McCorvey's clinics and befriended her. She announced that she opposed abortion rights except in the first trimester - a position that put her in fundamental conflict with other antiabortion activists, who opposed abortion in all circumstances. Nevertheless, her defection was hailed as a victory for their cause.

Weddington looked suspiciously on McCorvey's conversion and once described her former client as a person who "really craved and sought attention." McCorvey attributed her philosophical reversal to her being "worried about salvation."

She wrote another memoir, "Won By Love" (1997), with co-author Gary Thomas, founded the Dallas-based Roe No More ministry and reportedly became a Catholic. She participated in antiabortion protests and was arrested in 2009 for disrupting the Senate confirmation hearings on Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court.

Gloria Allred, the women's rights lawyer who for a period represented McCorvey, told the Times in 1995 that McCorvey was justified in feeling abandoned by the women's movement.

"She was shut out of many national pro-choice celebrations. She attended but for the most part she was not invited and it was a very hurtful experience," Allred said. "When she did speak ... she was really very eloquent, not well-educated but speaking from the heart, and I think she had a lot of common sense in what she was saying about choice."

But neither did McCorvey find a comfortable home among conservatives in the antiabortion movement, many of whom regarded lesbianism as immoral.

"Neither side was ever willing to accept her for who she was," the historian David J. Garrow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and the author of "Liberty and Sexuality: The Right to Privacy and the Making of Roe v. Wade," said in an interview.

McCorvey supported herself in part through honoraria, book royalties and other income she generated from her role in the abortion debate. By 2013, according to Prager's article in Vanity Fair, McCorvey was relying on "free room and board from strangers."

Survivors include her daughter Melissa and two grandchildren. Nothing is publicly known of the two children McCorvey gave up for adoption, according to Prager.

"I don't require that much in my life," McCorvey told the Times in 1994. "I just never had the privilege to go into an abortion clinic, lay down and have an abortion. That's the only thing I never had."
Amit Shah to chair two-day 'Chintan Shivir of Home Ministers'; Mamata to skip the meet

In India terror down by 34%, civilian deaths by 90% since Art 370 scrapped: Shah

Only those from political families can eye a CMs post in Congress: Amit Shah

Akhilesh Yadav has conceded defeat: Amit Shah

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Reiterating that the Congress-Samajwadi party tie up for the Uttar Pradesh elections as an 'unholy alliance', BJP chief Amit Shah on Saturday said state Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had conceded defeat.

Exuding confidence that BJP will win the assembly elections, Shah said, "I am confident that BJP will win 2/3rd majority in Uttar Pradesh."

Akhilesh Yadav apni haar maan chuke hain. SP-Congress gathbandhan apavitra gathbandhan hai: Amit Shah in Gorakhpur pic.twitter.com/nmkI5IcEio  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 18, 2017

The BJP is going all guns blazing at the Congress-SP alliance and Akhilesh Yadav during its UP poll campaign.

Shah had on Monday said that the Akhilesh-led government had not made proper use of the funds beings granted by the Centre for UP's development.

BJP leader Sudesh Verma had earlier told news agency ANI that the alliance was the last ditch effort by the 'two dynasties' to remain relevant.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday said that alliance would continue beyond assembly polls, adding that it would continue for 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 12:28 [IST]
Hafiz Saeed placed under Anti-Terrorism Act by Pakistan

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In a surprise move Pakistan on Saturday listed Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and four of his aides under the Anti-Terrorism Act. This would impose further restrictions on his movements. Saeed is currently under house arrest.

According to Section 11EE of the act, persons who are involved in terrorism, members of an organisation that is banned or on the interior ministry's watch list or suspected to be involved with a group involved in terrorism can be included in the Fourth Schedule.

Saeed is the chief of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and its financial wing Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The JuD is banned by the US and the US. A senior police officer told the Dawn newspaper that the Counter-Terrorism Department added their names to the Fourth Schedule on the orders of the federal interior ministry.

The Fourth Schedule imposes a wide range of restrictions on the movements and activities of a listed person. Such a person is not allowed to visit schools, colleges and other educational institutions, parks, hotels and public places, airports, railway stations, TV and radio stations or attend public rallies and meetings.

Indian officials have wrelcomed the move. However officials say that action would be considered real if Saeed is brought to justice in the Mumbai 26/11 attack case. Some officials also say that this entire exerymay be an eye-wash. Similar action has been taken against Saeed in the oast as well. This was however to protect him from action from the United States of America.

OneIndia News
How goat milk helped this spy get defence secrets!

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

He would sit with the guards of the Border Security Force in the bordering areas and offer them goat milk and tea. Unsuspecting guards would get into a conversation with him and speak about work. This was the modus operandi adopted by Pakistan spy Haji Khan who was arrested in Kishenganj, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan on February 11.

Haji would spend most of his time in the border areas. He had made friends with several guards who allowed them near him. He would closely watch the guards' movements and then report it to his handlers in Pakistan, ongoing investigations have revealed.

Several agencies have been questioning the spy and details regarding his modus operandi are gradually being revealed. He told his interrogators that he was paid Rs 15 lakh in several installments.

The money would be deposited in his wife's account in Pakistan. There was also a chunk of cash that was deposited with his cousin through a hawala transaction.

He also revealed the code words that he would use to pass on information to Pakistan.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 12:22 [IST]
If governor feels TN trust vote was unfair, he can call for another

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Following the chaotic trust vote that was held in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly, leader of the opposition M K Stalin met Governor Vidyasagar Rao. He has complained that the trust vote was not favour as the entire opposition was evicted from the floor of the house. He has also complained that the request for a secret ballot was rejected.

The governor has several options before him. If he is satisfied with the complaint that the floor test was an unfair one, then he can order an investigation into the matter. The governor can call for the video footage and also summon the speaker and question him about the floor test.

If the governor is satisfied that the test was not conducted in a fair manner and the proper rules were not followed, he can always ask the chief minister to take another test. This time around the governor would send two observers to the legislative assembly to oversee the process. The votes would be cast on a ballot and would be handed over to the observers. It would be the observers who would report the result to the governor following which the same would be announced.

It may be recalled that a similar situation had arisen in Karnataka when B S Yeddyurappa was the chief minister. Yeddyurappa had taken the floor test amid chaos after the independents had pulled out of the government. A night before the floor test, the speaker suspended the independent MLAs which meant they were unable to vote.

After a brief court battle, the trust vote was held amid violence and chaos. The then governor of Karnataka, H R Bhardwaj had called for a report. He said that the rules were not followed and hence he directed Yeddyurappa to take another floor test. The floor test was held under the supervision of the governor's observers. Yeddyurappa, however, won the test.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 16:17 [IST]
Is J&K govt's soft approach encouraging stone pelters?

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat made an appeal to the youth of Kashmir to stop supporting terrorists. Youth have been coming out in large numbers and pelting stones at the Indian armed forces personnel in the midst of an encounter with terrorists.

Despite appeals, the scenario has not changed. Who is to blame in such a scenario? Army officials say that law and order is a state subject. "Stone-pelters are pardoned by the state government and there is no stringent action that is ever taken. This has encouraged to come back on the streets. Moreover when militant funerals are held, scores of people gather -- yet no action is taken. The government should stop backing such elements and stand by the army," the officer who sounded furious said.

The disturbing trend of the locals attending militant funerals in the valley does not seem to die down. An officer in the valley says that the people tend to attend such funerals in large numbers especially when the militant is a local. There is no logic or justification, but it continues to happen. Moreover, in the midst of an operation, locals gather around the encounter site and pelt stones at the security forces. The police too are helpless. They have clear instructions from the government not crack down on these youth. When such instructions are issued, then the hands of the police personnel are tied.

/india/separatists-have-taken-valley-back-stone-age-2161326.html

Moreover there have also been several instances when cases are not filed against these youth who pelt stones, vandalise property, give gun salutes to slain terrorists.

Giving them a chance:

The Indian Army always gives local militants a chance to surrender. There have been several such instances when a militant is holed up he is given a chance to surrender. When the militant has refused to surrender, the army brings the family members in a bid to coax him to give up arms.

However, some militants refuse to surrender and the security forces have no option but to engage them in battle. The killing of Burhan Wani (/india/why-killing-hizbul-terrorist-burhan-wani-was-absolutely-necessary-2149598.html)became the reason for the Kashmir unrest that began on July 9 2016. Since then it has become a trend for locals to attend militant funerals.

Take the case of Raees Ahmad Dar, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant who was gunned down in Kakpora last year. Crowds had come in large numbers and even raised pro-azadi slogans. The death of Abu Qasim, the dreaded LeT militant also witnessed similar scenes. The man with a reward of Rs 20 lakh on his head was given a hero's good bye by the people of Kulgam. Thousands in all age groups turned up at his funeral and mourned his death. Women were wailing and the impression that one got after witnessing this was that a terrorist had been turned into a martyr.

Qasim's case is even more ironic, considering he was a Pakistani.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 11:25 [IST]
J-K: Cops bust Hizbul Mujahideen terror module

India

oi-PTI

Srinagar, Feb 18: Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday claimed to have busted a module of Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit with the arrest of a militant and nine others who were 'influencing' young and innocent boys in Baramulla district to join militancy.

"With the arrest of one militant Irshad Ahmad Shah of Seelu village of Sopore in Baramulla, police has been able to bust a huge network who were spearheading militant activities and recruitment of local boys in Baramulla and Sopore. A total of nine persons were arrested so far," a police official told PTI in Srinagar.

He said Shah alias 'Tanveer', who along with two other absconders are involved in killing of a civilian Eidul Amin Mir of Behrampora, has been active with Hizbul Mujahideen for more than two years. The conspiracy to kill Mir was hatched in the house of overground Hizb worker Azhar Imtiyaz of Behrampora who was also arrested, the officer said, adding that efforts are on to arrest two other militants involved in the killing.

He said Shah's arrest led to the busting of the network of overground activists of the outfit who were aiding and abetting insurgency besides luring young boys towards militancy.

"In a series of raids, police assisted by security forces has arrested nine persons from different parts of the district," the spokesman said and identified the arrested persons as Mudasir Ahmad Ganie and Abdul Majeed Dar of Ladoora village, Ajaz Ahmad Shah of Shangergund, Azhar Imtiyaz of Behrampora, Ghulam Mustafa Lone of Thagund, Showkat Ahmad Mir and Aejaz Ahmad Bhat of Bomai and Mohammad Yasin Tantray and Abdul Majid Shah of Wadoora Payeen.

Referring to the killing of two hardcore militants of Hizbul Mujahideen in an encounter in Baramulla on February 4, the officer said the investigations revealed that one of the slain militants - Azhar Khan of Trich village in Kupwara - was a 'radical ideologue' of the outfit who with the other killed militant had gone to Pakistan on passports and received arms training there.

"Both these militants were active in Sopore and Baramulla and with the help of this busted overground superstructure were enticing young boys from Sopore and Baramulla for militancy," the officer said.

"Based on the information which was generated during the course of these investigations, some boys who were being recruited for militant activities were counselled and handed over to their families thus saving their lives," the officer said, appealing parents to watch over their children and not to let them 'fall into the trap of militant propaganda'.

PTI
Kejriwal donates Rs 50,000 to Irom Sharmila's party

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Feb 18: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday donated Rs 50,000 to Irom Sharmila's party Peoples Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRAJA) and also urged the people to donate generously and support her.

"Please donate generously to Irom Sharmila," Kejriwal tweeted. "I am donating Rs 50,000 as my small contribution to her (Irom Sharmila) and appeal to everyone to support her," he said in another tweet.

Sharmila had last year ended a 16-year fast in protest against alleged army atrocities in Manipur and had said that she would contest elections to continue her movement politically.

--IANS
Nagaland Guv meets Prez; briefs him about situation in state

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Feb 17: Nagaland Governor P B Acharya on Thursday met President Pranab Mukherjee and apprised him about the situation in the state where normal life has been crippled for a fortnight due to protests against local bodies polls.

During the 20-minute meeting, Acharya also briefed the President about the steps taken to bring back normalcy, official sources said. Chief Minister T R Zeliang is also camping in the national capital to meet the central leadership to brief them about the situation in Nagaland. However, Zeliang has not been able to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh yet as both of them were busy in electioneering in Uttar Pradesh, the sources said.

The chief minister may get the appointments in a day or two, they added. Zeliang arrived in Delhi yesterday in an apparent bid to save his chair after 42 of 49 MLAs of his party, the Naga People's Front (NPF), switched support to Shurhozelie Liezietsu as the next chief minister.

Unrest in Nagaland continues as indefinite bandh called by several organisations demanding Zeliang's resignation continues. A statement issued by the Chief Minister's office yesterday said Zeliang and Acharya, who arrived in Delhi in the backdrop of certain political developments, "are more alarmed with the likelihood of imposition of President's Rule by the Centre, which will not solve the social unrest that the State is going through right now".

Normalcy has been affected across the hill state due to a daily 9-to-5 bandh called for an indefinite period by the Nagaland Tribes Action Committee (NTAC) and Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), both of which have demanded resignation of Zeliang. The two bodies have held Zeliang responsible for the recent incidents of violence and death of two youth in protests against the government's attempt to hold urban local bodies' elections with 33 per cent reservation for women.

PTI
Why is the DMK continuing to oppose the imposition of Hindi? - 50 years of struggle and the truth!

Ruckus in TN assembly: Is DMK a violent and an anti-national party?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Chennai, Feb 18: On Saturday, once again we witnessed how low our politicians could stoop when it comes to 'grapping power'. Violence and chaos loomed large in the Tamil Nadu assembly during the special session called upon to conduct the trust vote for the newly-appointed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy.

According to media reports, pandemonium in the assembly started after the leaders of the opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam protested. In fact, the legislators went ahead and broke the table in front of the speaker's chair. Later on microphones were being thrown at each other by the members of the House.

"The DMK MLAs tear papers and throw chairs in assembly demanding secret ballot," tweeted ANI. The police was asked to intervene to control the situation. "Police move towards assembly premises after huge uproar inside by the DMK and other parties' members demanding secret ballot," added ANI. In fact, one policeman was injured in the melee. Later on, Speaker Dhanapal adjourned the House till 1 pm.

Commenting on the entire situation, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy slammed the DMK for resorting to violence. "The DMK is a violent and an anti-national party. Whatever she is, Sasikala Natarajan is much better than the DMK," Swamy told ANI.

Echoing similar sentiments, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "It's unfortunate that such incidents took place in the TN assembly. Whatever the speaker decides should be accepted by all."

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Story first published: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 13:38 [IST]
Shifting Aero India venue to Goa: Political or logical?

India

oi-Anusha

Bengaluru's Yelahanka Air Force Station has played host to the biennial Aero India show ever since its inception in 1996. The venue is much loved and the crowd as enthusiastic as ever, however, over the last two editions talks of shifting the venue for Aero India has disappointed many. Time and again, references to shifting the Aero India Show to Goa have been made and that has not gone down too well with either the government or the people. The fact that it is more political than anything has come as a dampener.

It was ironical that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who has time and again suggested that the venue be shifted to Goa was invited to inaugurate the 11th edition of Asia's premiere aero show. As if to add to the speculation Parrikar in his inaugural address said that the space at Yelahanka Air Force Station was becoming insufficient for the show. He said that despite increasing the access area by 10 percent, aircraft were falling short of space. It may be noted that his statement of the venue not having enough space comes at an edition where the numbers of display aircraft as well as participating firms have seen a dip. The

statement reeked of hints that Yelahanka is not the ideal venue according to him.

In January earlier this year, Parrikar didn't bat an eyelid when he suggested that Aero India could be shifted to Goa if Goans wanted it. He justified his statement by claiming that Goa had successfully hosted the Defense expo and hence both events could be held at the same place. The Goa government in 2016 tabled a bill on the floor of the House revealing that the state had already passed a resolution to give land in Quittol (Betul) on a permanent basis to host the two mega events.

The Goa government had identified land on the request of Manohar Parrikar. In 2016, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in a letter to Goa Chief Minister, Parsekar had requested to allot land in Goa for the Defence Expo and Aero India shows. Their argument was that since Goa is a tourist destination, such shows will be an added advantage. "Government of Goa may consider allotment of about 150 acres of land on the coastline which can accommodate 10,000 feet runway along the coast so that a permanent venue for conducting Def Expo and Aero India Show can be set up," Parrikar had said in 2016.

Bengaluru is home for HAL, BEL, BHEL, BEML, all the firms that continue to supply equipment, technology etc for the armed forces. Bengaluru has become synonymous with the Aero India being identified as the aeronautical capital of the country and a push to shift the venue to Goa is being looked at by stakeholders including the Karnataka government as unfair and merely political.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 17:56 [IST]
TN crisis: No live telecast, transistor disconnected

India

oi-Anusha

With no live transmission of the proceeding of the Tamil Nadu assembly where Chief Minister Palanisamy moved the confidence motion, journalists are dependent on a transistor to keep track of what is happening behind closed doors.

Mikes flung, chairs hurled: TN assembly adjourned after speaker walks out

Reports from the assembly claim that phones are not being allowed inside the assembly and hence they are forced to resort to the press room. In the media room, all they have is a transistor to convey to them the audio of assembly proceedings.

Some journalists took to social media to complain of audio to the transistor being cut off. Behind closed doors, with no cameras to telecast what really is happening in the assembly and those inside having no means to update news on the proceedings it is a long wait. Within minutes of the special assembly session began, reports of drama inside the house emerged.

Earlier, arguments broke out between journalists and security personnel deployed at the secretariat after the former were denied entry into the assembly premises. The deliberate attempt by the government to cut off all means of communication to journalists reporting on the assembly proceedings has received massive backlash.

OneIndia News
'BJP will be trapped in traps it laid for us': Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren ahead of trust vote

TN trust vote: BV Acharya demands secret ballot for free and fair voting

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Chennai, Feb 18: Senior advocate BV Acharya demanded a secret ballot for a free and fair trust vote in the Tamil Nadu assembly scheduled on Saturday. Acharya served as the special public prosecutor and special counsel in the disproportionate assets case involving Late Jayalalithaa and AIADMK general secretary Sasikala Natarajan.

Recently, the Supreme Court convicted Sasikala and three of her accomplices in the case, thus vindicating Acharya's stand on the 21-year-old long corruption case.

"I strongly appeal for a secret ballot when the motion of confidence is moved in the TN assembly. At least, the speaker should permit secret ballot. To some extent, MLAs will be free to exercise their franchise," Acharya told ANI.

I strongly appeal, atleast speaker should permit secret ballot. To some extent, MLAs will be free to exercise their franchise:BV Acharya  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

Acharya added that Governor Vidyasagar Rao should have declared President's rule in the southern state. "The governor should have brought in President's rule for at least two-three months, so that normalcy prevails and MLAs are free and not under threat," Acharya told ANI.

"They (MLAs) are not given opportunity. They are huddled together in a resort with other MLAs. Where is the chance of any free thinking and deliberation?" Acharya questioned.

"You can't say it is a vote exercised by them (MLAs who stayed in resort) out of their free will," he added.

Earlier, former TN CM O Panneerselvam's camp has also demanded a secret ballot on Saturday when the motion of confidence is moved in the assembly. S Semmalai of Panneerselvam camp said a group of them, representing the former CM's camp, have urged the Speaker for a secret ballot to decide on the confidence motion.

The trust vote in the assembly will decide the fate of newly-appointed CM Edappadi K Palanisamy government. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the state is currently fighting an internal battle of supremacy as the party is divided into two camps. The results of the internal war will be decided in the floor test in the TN assembly on Saturday. Both the camps--one lead by Palanisamy and the second by Panneerselvam--are confident of victory.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 11:29 [IST]
UP polls: Did Priyanka manage to outdo PM Modi as a star campaigner?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Lucknow, Feb 18: On Friday, Priyanka Gandhi made her debut as a campaigner for the Congress for the ongoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2017. She and her brother Rahul Gandhi addressed an election rally at Rae Bareli, which is also the parliamentary seat of their mother Sonia Gandhi.

As expected, Priyanka decided to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi in her address to the voters. "Does UP need an adopted son?" Priyanka asked. Her remark was clearly a reference to PM Modi's recent statement that he was the 'adopted son' of UP.

"Krishna was born in Uttar Pradesh, but made Gujarat his karma bhoomi. I was born in Gujarat, but Uttar Pradesh has adopted me. It is a privilege for me. Uttar Pradesh is like 'mai-baap'. I am not a son who would ditch his mai-baap. I will always care about Uttar Pradesh," PM Modi said, stressing that he would not let down the people of the state. "Despite being an adopted son, it is my duty to develop Uttar Pradesh," PM Modi said at an election rally in UP's Hardoi recently.

During her short speech at the rally, Priyanka urged the voters that the state did not need to adopt an 'outsider'. "The PM has said that 'Varanasi adopted me'. It came to my mind, does UP need to adopt someone from outside. Are there no young men in UP who can take the state forward? There are two young men, Rahul ji and Akhilesh ji, who are in front of you."

"Every young man in the state can become a leader and work for the development of UP," she continued, urging the crowd to ignore those "who have lied to you and broken their promises" and to vote for the alliance.

Seasoned campaigner versus novice

It was PM Modi who lead the campaign of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party during the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. The entire BJP campaign depended on him and the PM came out with flying colours by winning the elections 'brilliantly'. This assembly election season also the PM is campaigning aggressively, especially in UP.

By now, he has attended more than a dozen rallies across UP. In most of his rallies he targeted the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance. He vociferously spoke against the 'misdeeds' of both the opposition parties, highlighting issues of corruption and crime cases that took place under their rules, both at the Centre and UP.

Why Priyanka should campaign more

If Priyanka and vice president of Congress Rahul want to give a tough competition to Modi, then they need to attend more such election rallies. Moreover, both the Gandhi scions should regularly interact with voters to install confidence among the masses, say political pundits. In the long-drawn UP election battleground, we have to wait and watch till the election results are out to see who has won the support of the people.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 8:02 [IST]
Why are Palanisami's relatives under agencies scanner?

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

As Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisami gets set to face the trust vote in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly on Saturday, in some quarters allegations are being levelled against some of his relatives. While wishing the chief minister luck, Arappor Iyakkam, a Non-Governmental Organisation, has said that there were several leads during a Central Bureau of Investigation probe that led to the relatives of Palanisami.

The case relates to a mining baron which is being probed by the CBI. A large chunk of money seized during the raids conducted in December belonged to powerful politicians in Tamil Nadu, the NGO has revealed. It alleges that there there are leads suggesting that relatives of the TN CM are connected with the case. The NGO says that a Madurai-based firm called Balaji Toll Ways, belongs to Sekar Reddy, a relative of EPS. He is a partner in this firm. The NGO also states that Chandrakant Ramalingam, who was arrested by the CBI in connection with a currency exchange case is also a relative of Palanisamy, the NGO further alleges.

Central agencies such as the CBI and Enforcement Directorate are probing into this case, say that there are several names of Tamil Nadu politicians which have cropped. A diary comprising 80 names are under the scanner. "We are also probing the alleged links between the relatives of several ministers, said an officer. When the officer was asked if the links between Palanisamy and his relatives would be probed, he said that it part of the investigation. "We will get to everyone involved in it," he said.

"The evidence is being built up and once a solid link crops up, we will get to it as well," he said. The officer however did not divulge the names in the diary saying that it would hamper the probe. "We assure that no one will get away however high and mighty he is," the officer added.

In addition, officials from the state environment impact assessment authority, the state revenue intelligence and some other bureaucrats are also under the scanner. Sekar Reddy was arrested for allegedly possessing over Rs 130 crore in cash and 177 kgs gold bars. More leads in this case were built after a handwritten diary was seized by the Income Tax Department during a raid conducted on the properties of Chandrakanth Ramalingam of Ramalingam Construction Company in Bengaluru.

Ramalingam, according to investigators is related to top politician in TN. It is suspected that the politician is Palanisami. The diary has 80 more names which include five TN politicians and government contractors in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, investigating officers tell OneIndia. Probe agencies are also checking if there is a nexus between the top politician from TN and several contractors. This came to light after two bureaucrats were arrested in Bengaluru.

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Story first published: Saturday, February 18, 2017, 9:53 [IST]
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Yashwant Sinha urges Centre to begin dialogue on Kashmir

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Feb 18: Voicing concern at the 'deteriorating situation' in the Kashmir Valley, former union minister Yashwant Sinha on Saturday asked the Centre to begin the process of dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir by involving all the stakeholders.

"We are deeply concerned at the deteriorating situation in the Kashmir Valley. The loss of lives in the recent incidents was unnecessary and avoidable," said Sinha and members of the Concerned Citizens Group.

"The issue of Jammu and Kashmir is a political issue and demands a political solution," they said in a statement.

"The present bloodshed must come to an end, and dialogue alone will achieve this," it added.

Sinha, in December 2016, led the Concerned Citizens Group, a team of eminent members -- Wajahat Habibullah, Sushobha Barve, Bharat Bhushan and retired Air Marsal Kapil Kak, to Kashmir and held dialogue with the stakeholders.

They also released a report with recommendations for restoring peace in the valley.

The visit was aimed at finding ways to restore peace in Kashmir, which was witnessing widespread unrest and violence after the killing of militant Burhan Wani in July 2016.

IANS
Are you awake?: EAM Jaishankar recalls when he got a call from PM Modi at midnight

Afghanistan urges Pak to act against all terror groups

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Kabul, Feb 18: The Afghanistan government on Saturday again called on Pakistan to implement the Peace Quartet commitments on eliminating all terror groups without any discrimination.

The Afghan Presidential Palace, in a statement, stressed that regional countries, particularly Afghanistan and Pakistan, must jointly fight terrorism, Tolo News reported.

The statement came in reaction to Thursday's suicide attack on the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Pakistan's Sindh province in which over 80 persons died and nearly 250 were injured.

Pakistan has blamed the Afghanistan based Jamaat-ul-Ahrar terrorist group for the suicide bombing. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar had in 2015 sworn allegiance to the IS.

Kabul expects Islamabad to take immediate action against the terrorist groups active in Pakistan who threaten Afghanistan.

Afghanistan regards the Peace Quartet agreement as a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism and emphasised that now the time has arrived for Pakistan to implement the provisions of the document.

The Quadrilateral Coordination Group of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and China on the Afghan Peace and Reconciliation process in January 2016 called on the Taliban to enter into talks with the Afghan government in order to resolve differences politically.

This followed the QCG's second meeting to draw up the roadmap for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

"The members are commitment to a robust effort to eliminate all forms of terrorist groups, regardless of their national origin, operating in their respective territories," a QCG statement had said.

IANS
Malaysia: Fourth suspect in Kim Jong-nam's killing nabbed

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Kuala Lumpur, Feb 18: The Malaysian police have detained a fourth person in connection with the killing of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, authorities said on Saturday.

The person was arrested on Friday night in Selangor and, according to his travel documents, is a North Korean citizen named Ri Jong-chol, born on May 6, 1970, the police said in a statement.

"He is suspected to be involved in the death of a North Korean male on February 13, 2017," the official note added, without giving any more details.

The Malaysian police had also detained a 29-year-old Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Huong, on Wednesday and a 25-year-old Indonesian woman, Aishah, along with a Malaysian man, separately on Thursday, Efe news reported.

The two women allegedly poisoned Kim Jong-nam at the departure terminal of the Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday, from where he was scheduled to take a flight to Macau.

The two women appear in the airport's security camera footage, accompanied by four men being hunted by the police.

The Malaysian detainee is apparently the Indonesian woman's boyfriend and seems not to have played a major role in the crime.

Kim Jong-nam's body is at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, awaiting a DNA test before it is handed over to his family.

The forensic examination is complete and the identification has been confirmed with the help of a fingerprints test.

Also on Saturday, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar dismissed North Korea's allegation that the country was purposely delaying the release of Kim Jong-nam's remains.

Abu Bakar said that as long as DNA from Kim Jong-nam's family had not been obtained, the investigation could not be completed, The Star daily reported.

Khalid was commenting on North Korean ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol's statement accusing the Southeast Asian nation of purposely rejecting the Pyongyang's claim for the remains of Kim Jong-nam.

Kim Jong-nam was born to the dictator Kim Jong-il and actress Song Hye-rim.

He had been considered best placed to replace his father as the head of the North Korean regime until he fell out of favour in 2001, when he was detained at Tokyo airport with a false Dominican passport, which he was allegedly using to enter Japan and visit Disneyland.

Since then, Kim Jong-nam had been living in China without holding any official position in the North Korean government.

IANS
Malaysia rejects N.Korea's allegation over Kim Jong-nam's body

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Kuala Lumpur, Feb 18: Malaysian police on Saturday dismissed North Korea's allegation that the country was deliberately delaying the release of Kim Jong-nam's mortal remains. Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, was killed in Malaysia on Monday.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said that as long as DNA from Kim Jong-nam's family had not been obtained, the investigation could not be completed, The Star daily reported.

North Korea, he stressed, must abide by the provisions of the law set by Malaysia, and should seek advice from its lawyers if it disagreed with the action by the police.

"Their lawyers can advise them. We have rules in Malaysia. While in Malaysia, everyone has to obey and follow our rules and regulations ... that includes North Korea," he told Bernama news agency on Saturday.

Khalid was commenting on North Korean ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol's statement accusing the Southeast Asian nation of purposely rejecting the Pyongyang's claim for the remains of Kim Jong-nam.

Kang Chol made the statement to the media in the compound of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine Hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, Selangor police chief Abdul Samah Mat said priority to claim the body was accorded to close family members to assist in identification.

However, to date, only the North Korean embassy has come forward to claim the remains.

Kim Jong-nam, was allegedly killed by two women who splashed his face with a chemical at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday. He was about to leave for Macau.

IANS
Ukraine grain deal: UN says shipments are still going out

Modi to attend UN Vesak Day celebrations in Sri Lanka

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Colombo, Feb 18: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed his participation in the UN Vesak Day celebrations in Sri Lanka in May, a Sri Lankan minister was quoted as saying.

"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed his participation in UN Vesak Day celebrations which will be conducted in Sri Lanka this year," Minister of Justice and Buddha Sasana Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said, the Colombo Page reported.

"We are going to celebrate the thrice blessed day on a grand scale," Rajapakshe added.

The UN Vesak Day will be observed in Sri Lanka to mark the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha who founded Buddhism.

This is the first time Sri Lanka has been given the opportunity to host this festival.

Many world leaders have been invited to the first ever United Nations' Vesak Day celebrations to be held in in Sri Lanka on May 12 this year.

Over thousand representatives from India, China, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia and other countries where Buddhism is practiced are expected to participate in the event.

Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit, Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar is paying a visit to Sri Lanka from February 18 to 20, during which a wide range of bilateral issues will be discussed.

"The visit will continue the tradition of close exchanges with Sri Lanka that has gained momentum in the last two years," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in a briefing in New Delhi earlier.

"He will interact with the Sri Lankan leadership for discussions on possibilities of collaboration and cooperation in a number of sectors, including power, highways, airport, hydrocarbon sector, etc," he said.

"The visit would help in taking stock on various decisions taken during the meetings between the two leaderships," he said.

The Indian Foreign Secretary's visit comes as a team from the Export-Import Bank of India was in Sri Lanka to monitor the progress of projects under India's Lines of Credit (LoC) scheme, particularly in the railway sector.

The team visited sites of the Northern Railway Rehabilitation Project, including Kankesanthurai Railway Line, Omanthai-Pallai railway line, etc., apart from evaluating the signalling and telecommunication systems installed under the LoC, the Indian High Commission said in a statement.

The Line of Credit (LOC) is a financing mechanism through which India's Exim (Export-Import) Bank extends support for export of goods and services from India. Between 2008-15 Exim Bank has disbursed $11,678 million as LOCs for various development related and capacity building projects across continents.

India has provided concessionary credit facilities amounting to about $800 million to Sri Lanka to undertake the Northern Railway Rehabilitation Project. Engineering and construction company IRCON International implemented the project, including track upgradation and setting up of signalling and communication infrastructure.

The Exim Bank team also called on Sri Lanka Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva and senior officials in several Sri Lankan ministries of such as Railways, Department of External Resources, Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, etc.

The Indian High Commission said it remains committed to strengthening its bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka through closer economic ties, enhancing connectivity and continued development partnership.

--IANS

vgu/rn
Threat of terrorism will be defeated: Trump

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Feb 18: The threat of terrorism must be confronted and defeated, US President Donald Trump has said, exuding confidence that his administration would be able to achieve this goal.

"The threat of terrorism  and believe me it is a threat that must be confronted and defeated and we will defeat it," Trump said in his weekly radio and web address to the nation on Friday.

Trump said earlier this week he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he assured America's commitment to Israeli security.

"It was an honour to welcome my friend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House," he said, adding that the US reaffirmed its unbreakable bond with its 'cherished- ally' Israel.

"I affirmed to Prime Minister Netanyahu, America's commitment to working with Israel and our allies and partners toward greater security and stability," he said.

"We share with Israel a deep conviction that we must protect all innocent human life," he added.

Trump said that in the first few weeks, his administration has taken major steps to remove wasteful regulations and get people back to work.

"I have been saying I was going to do that for a long time. This week I signed two pieces of legislation to remove burdens on our economy, continue to keep my promises to the American people and so much more," he said.

This week he signed House Joint Resolution 38, which eliminates an anti-coal regulation in the country.

"Our coal miners have been treated horribly, and we are going to turn that around - and we are going to turn it around quickly. We are going to fight for lower energy prices for all Americans as part of the deal," he said.

Trump said he also signed a resolution to eliminate a costly regulation Dodd-Frank imposed on American energy companies. By stopping this regulation, we are able to save American companies and workers millions and millions of dollars in job- killing compliance costs, he said. But to truly succeed as a country, one must realise the full potential of women.

"That is why I was thrilled to host the White House's women's business leaders roundtable, very exciting, great women," he said.

Trump said as President, he is committed to ensuring that women entrepreneurs have equal access to the capital, markets, and networks of support that they need.

"This is a priority for my administration. I campaigned on helping women in the workforce, and we are going to deliver on that promise, believe me," he said.

PTI
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Germany Buys Time From China

The news that China has become Germany's largest trading partner merits a closer look.

Germanys economy has avoided the problems besetting most export-dependent countries in the last two years. In 2015, Germany accomplished this by compensating for decreased demand from China by substantially increasing its exports to the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2016, the situation was reversed. Exports to China increased while exports to the U.S. and the U.K. declined significantly. The most important geopolitical question in Europe this year is whether Germany can stave off a decline in its exports for a third consecutive year. Geopolitical Futures has forecast that German exports will fall in 2017 , and the most recent trade data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) both supports and challenges the thought process behind that forecast.

To understand the significance of the change in German trade patterns , it is necessary to go back a few years. 2015 was the first time in 54 years that a country other than France was the top destination for German exports. German exports to the U.S. increased by 18.7 percent in 2015, or approximately 18 billion euros ($19.4 billion). For the year, German exports to the U.S. represented 9.5 percent of total German exports. Meanwhile, German exports to the U.K., the third largest destination for German goods, enjoyed a similarly meteoric rise. German exports to the U.K. increased by 12.8 percent in 2015, approximately 10.1 billion euros. For the year, 7.5 percent of total German exports went to the U.K.

A Volkswagen Passat and Golf 7 car are stored in a tower at the Volkswagen Autostadt complex near the Volkswagen factory in March 2015 in Wolfsburg, Germany. In 2015, Germany increased its total exports to the United States and the United Kingdom to compensate for decreased demand in China. Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

The growth in German exports to the U.S. and the U.K. represented just under 40 percent of the total growth in value of German exports in 2015. This was important because Germany saw major declines in exports to two important trading partners in 2015: China and Russia. The decline in exports to China was somewhat modest, with a drop of 4.2 percent, or about 3.2 billion euros. The decline in exports to Russia was more stark, declining 25.5 percent from the previous year, or roughly 7.4 billion euros. The increase in exports to the U.S. and the U.K. absorbed the blow of the unexpected (to German companies) decline in demand from China and Russia.

The problem for Germany was not necessarily the absolute figures themselves. Even without the growth in exports to the U.K. and the U.S., German exports increased enough to cover the loss. This was due primarily to demand from other European countries. The deeper problem was that China and Russia were both important markets that German companies had bet would increase demand for German products. Exports to China had been steadily increasing since 2001, with a slight hiccup in 2012. Before the 2014 revolution in Ukraine and the 2015 drop in oil prices, Russia was considered one of the top potential growth markets for German products. Exports to the U.K. and the U.S. stabilized the situation, but a serious question remained: Could Germany depend on exporting to the U.S. and the U.K. at similar levels for a sustained period?

The most recent available data from Destatis covers January to November 2016, but even so, it provides a clear answer to that question: The 2015 level of U.S. and U.K. imports of German goods was unsustainable. German exports to the U.K. declined by 3.1 percent in the first 11 months of 2016; German exports to the U.S. declined by double that figure, or 6.2 percent. Germany saw exports in the first 11 months of 2015 increase by an impressive 6.5 percent. In January to November 2016, growth in German exports was just 0.8 percent. There is one significant bright spot for Germany in the data. German exports to China rebounded in 2016, increasing by 3.6 billion euros, or 5.5 percent year-on-year.

This development recently has been trumpeted as a changing of the guard in both the German and Chinese press. Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported that the chief economist for the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry said on Jan. 27 that China had become Germanys top trading partner. The story was subsequently picked up by the Peoples Daily, and both stories made a point of emphasizing that the U.S. had fallen to Germanys third largest trading partner. Both stories buried the fact that even with a 6.2 percent decline, the U.S. remains the largest destination for German exports. German exports to the U.S. in 2016 were worth 66.9 billion euros more than German exports to China. Considering that 46.8 percent of Germanys GDP comes from exports, the importance of the U.S. to Germanys export machine should not be underestimated.

The rise in Chinese demand for German exports is slightly surprising considering that Chinese imports have been decreasing steadily since 2011 and that Chinese imports of German goods declined in 2015. This decline was in part due to the decline in global commodities prices. The volume of Chinese imports increased even as prices fell from 2011-2014. This, however, began to change in 2015. A study published last May by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) noted that the volume of Chinese imports decreased by 0.7 percent in 2015, and that both commodity and non-commodity items contributed to this decline. The latter category is the important one from the German perspective: The bulk of German exports to China are not raw materials like iron ore but finished products like cars and various machinery. Non-commodity imports declined by 8 percent in 2015, 35 percent of which was attributed to a fall in imports of the types of products Germany exports.

The IMFs conclusion also fits with the decline in German exports to China in 2015. The most recent data available from Chinas General Administration of Customs showed that Chinese import growth in 2016 fell by 5.5 percent in terms of value. It was not just Chinese imports that fell, however. Chinese exports also decreased by 7.7 percent year-on-year. This is important because a significant portion of Chinese imports are not meant for Chinese consumption. They are parts that are used in goods that China assembles and then exports. Whether it is demand for the raw materials or parts involved in production, or just the financial health of the state-owned enterprises involved in exports, a decline in Chinese exports puts further pressure on Chinese imports. This in turn is bad news for a country like Germany hoping to increase exports to China.

The other thing to keep in mind is that China relied once again on stimulus to meet its GDP growth targets for the year in 2016. The stock market collapse at the beginning of 2016 and the subsequent crisis in confidence necessitated significant stimulus from Beijing, but those monetary polices continued throughout the entire year, long after the stock market stabilized. China did take steps last year toward cutting oversupply in some of the most pressured sectors in the country, particularly coal and steel. Even so, China continued to pump money into the system, prioritizing growth over efficiency.

Much of this economic growth was dependent on construction or investment in the real estate market, which has resulted in fears of a potential bubble in the housing market that China is now actively seeking to rein in. Meanwhile, corporate debt in China has increased to 169 percent of Chinas GDP, according to the Bank of International Settlements, and the specter of non-performing loans is casting a long shadow once more on Chinas books.

The high levels of debt in Chinas system because of unending stimulus already make the Chinese economy unstable. On top of this, the U.S. is getting tough on China and holds many of the cards in the economic relationship. China will likely have to make concessions to the U.S. that will be less than beneficial for Chinas economy. Herein lies somewhat of a silver lining for Germany. Every year China is concerned about maintaining political stability, but in 2017, the need for political stability is going to be particularly acute. Chinese President Xi Jinping will aim to solidify his control over the government for at least the next five years at this falls Communist Party of China Congress, and to do that he needs to avoid domestic unrest. That means more stimulus and more maintenance of growth numbers no matter the cost. That in turn should continue to prop up Chinese imports, which is what Germany needs from China.

The problems, however, are greater than the silver lining. Chinas solutions are ultimately stopgaps, and steady Chinese demand for German goods is unreliable at best. There are limits to how much Germany can increase its exports to the U.S. and the U.K. 2015 demonstrated that this was possible in the short term, but it is also a stopgap. German trade data also emphasize just how dependent Germany is on the rest of Europe. If not for the 2 percent rise in exports to European countries in January to November 2016, German exports would have declined last year. Considering Europes sluggish growth and regional inequalities, the fact that 23 of 31 European countries (as defined by German statistics) increased imports of German goods is impressive. Germany needs those European imports, and it needs the EU. This is a reality that must be kept in mind as the drama over the U.K.s withdrawal from the EU soaks up more headlines in coming months.
Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.

Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.

Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
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Why Millennials Will Reject Trump

.





NEW YORK  The key political divide in the United States is not between parties or states; it is between generations. The millennial generation (those aged 18-35) voted heavily against Donald Trump and will form the backbone of resistance to his policies. Older Americans are divided, but Trumps base lies among those above the age of 45. On issue after issue, younger voters will reject Trump, viewing him as a politician of the past, not the future.

Of course, these are averages, not absolutes. Yet the numbers confirm the generational divide.



According to exit polls, Trump received 53% of the votes of those 45 and older, 42% of those 30-44, and just 37% of voters 18-29. In a 2014 survey, 31% of millennials identified as liberals, compared with 21% of baby boomers (aged 50-68 in the survey) and only 18% of the silent generation (69 and above).

The point is not that todays young liberals will become tomorrows older conservatives. The millennial generation is far more liberal than the baby boomers and silent generation were in their younger years. They are also decidedly less partisan, and will support politicians who address their values and needs, including third-party aspirants.

There are at least three big differences in the politics of the young and old. First, the young are more socially liberal than the older generations. For them, Americas growing racial, religious, and sexual plurality is no big deal. A diverse society of whites, African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians, and of the native-born and immigrants, is the country theyve always known, not some dramatic change from the past. They accept sexual and gender categories  lesbian, gay, trans, bi, inter, pan, and others  that were essentially taboo for  or unknown to  their grandparents (Trumps) generation.

Second, the young are facing the unprecedented economic challenges of the information revolution. They are entering the labor market at a time when market returns are rapidly shifting toward capital (robots, artificial intelligence, and smart machines generally) and away from labor. The elderly rich, by contrast, are enjoying a stock market boom caused by the same technological revolution.

Trump is peddling cuts in corporate taxes and estate taxes that would further benefit the elderly rich (who are amply represented in Trumps cabinet), at the expense of larger budget deficits that further burden the young. Indeed, the young need the opposite policy: higher taxes on the wealth of the older generation in order to finance post-secondary education, job training, renewable-energy infrastructure, and other investments in Americas future.

Third, compared to their parents and grandparents, the young are much more aware of climate change and its threats. While Trump is enticing the older generation with one last fling with fossil fuels, the young will have none of it. They want clean energy and will fight against the destruction of the Earth that they and their own children will inherit.

Part of the generational divide over global warming is due to the sheer ignorance of many older Americans, including Trump, about climate change and its causes. Older Americans didnt learn about climate change in school. They were never introduced to the basic science of greenhouse gases.

That is why they are ready to put their own short-term financial interests ahead of the dire threats to their grandchildrens generation.

In a June 2015 survey, 60% of 18-29 year-olds said that human activity was causing global warming, compared with just 31% of those 65 and older. A survey released in January found that 38% of American survey respondents 65 and older favored fossil-fuel expansion over renewable energy, compared with only 19% of those 18-29.

Trumps economic policies are geared to this older, whiter, native-born America. He favors tax cuts for the older rich, which would burden the young with higher debt. He is indifferent to the $1 trillion overhang of student debt. He is reprising the 1990s NAFTA debate over free trade, rather than facing the far more important twenty-first-century jobs challenge posed by robotics and artificial intelligence. And he is obsessed with squeezing a few more years of profit out of Americas coal, oil, and gas reserves at the cost of a future environmental catastrophe.

One might attribute Trumps backward-looking mindset to his age. At 70, Trump is the oldest person ever to become president (Ronald Reagan was slightly younger when he took office in 1981). Yet age is hardly the sole or even the main factor here. Bernie Sanders, certainly the freshest mind of all the 2016 presidential candidates and the hero of millennial voters, is 75.

The young are enchanted with Pope Francis, 80, because he puts their concerns  whether about poverty, employment difficulties, or vulnerability to global warming  within a moral framework, rather than dismissing them with the crass cynicism of Trump and his ilk.

The main issue here is mindset and political orientation, not chronological age. Trump has the shortest time horizon (and attention span) of any president in historical memory. And he is utterly out of touch with the real challenges facing the young generation as they grapple with new technologies, shifting labor markets, and crushing student debt. A trade war with Mexico and China, or a tragically misconceived ban on Muslim migrants, will hardly meet their real needs.

Trumps political success is a blip, not a turning point. Todays millennials, with their future-oriented perspective, will soon dominate American politics. America will be multiethnic, socially liberal, climate conscious, and much fairer in sharing the economic benefits of new technology.

Too many observers remain fixated on the traditional party divides in the US Congress, not on the deeper demographic changes that will soon be decisive. Sanders nearly captured the Democratic nomination (and would likely have triumphed in the general election) with a platform appealing powerfully to the millennials. Their time is coming, most likely with a president they support in 2020.
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The Midwifes Tale (At Home in Trinity Book #1)

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Martha Cade comes from a long line of midwives who have served the families of Trinity, Pennsylvania, for generations. A widow with two grown children, shes hopeful that her daughter will follow in her footsteps, but when Victoria runs off, Marthas world is shattered.

Worse, a new doctor has arrived in town, threatening her job, and she cant remember a time when her faith has been tested more. Still determined to do the work she knows God intended for her, Martha is unprepared for all that waits ahead. Whether its trying to stop a town scandal, mending broken relationships, or feeling the first whispers of an unexpected romance, she faces every trial and every opportunity with hope and faith.

Praise for The Midwifes Tale

Fans of Jan Karons Mitford series should love Parrs work.Philadelphia Inquirer

This story has every good thingbelievably flawed characters, romance, humor, and even a bit of mystery.Julie Klassen, bestselling author of The Secret of Pembrooke Park

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This book has plot twists that are rarely predictable and yet always plausible. Compelling.Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
The late, great Bill Cunningham's personal effects have been donated to the New-York Historical Society, and select items will be on display there later this spring.

The NYHS has announced that the possessions of the celebrated NY Times fashion photographer and iconic New Yorker, who died at the age of 87 last June, are now a part of their permanent collection.

Donated by John Kurdewan, Cunninghams right-hand man, and Louise Doktor, longtime friend and muse, the objects include Cunninghams personal library of more than 200 booksstuffed with clippings, notes, inscriptions from authors, marginal annotations, and photographsas well as the Biria bicycle Cunningham rode around the streets of New York, the Nikon camera he used to snap photographs of fashionable New Yorkers on the street and at society events, and his trademark blue jacket, among other items.

The items join "Facades," Cunninghams collection of 88 photographs featuring historic settings, which were previously donated to them by Cunningham in the 1970s.

Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New-York Historical Society said in a statement, "His death was deeply felt by all of us who knew him and respected his work, so it is with great pride that the New-York Historical Society becomes the new home for his earthly belongings. We feel extremely privileged and grateful that Bills longtime friends John and Louise have chosen to share their bequests with us. These objects will join Facades in our permanent collection, allowing scholars and admirers the opportunity to remember Bills legacy for years to come.



Bill Cunningham at work in March 2016 (Scott Heins/Gothamist)

Among the items are "a custom-made bicycle helmet, given to Cunningham in 2005 by Bergdorf Goodman in a hat box covered with colorful images from his New York Times column; his pewter Living Landmark presentation plate from 2009, made by Cartier; the Medal of Excellence, presented to Cunningham in 2012 by Carnegie Hall, his longtime residence; and his millinery supplies from his time as a designer, including two hats in the process of being styled, his tools, and a collection of feathers."

Details about when the items will be on display have not been released yet. And if you haven't watched the documentary on Cunningham yet, Bill Cunningham New York , you can do so right here.
In her final state of the city address on Thursday, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito pledged her commitment to ensuring free birth control for every woman in New York City, despite efforts in Washington to repeal the Affordable Care Actand with it, the right to copay-free contraceptionas well as President Donald Trump's commitment to anti-abortion Supreme Court judges.

"The Council will work to provide all women in New York City with free access to birth control, including City workers who are currently in 'grandfathered' plans," her office announced. "The Council will also continue its support of a stand-alone fund for birth control."

The speaker's plan targets women who slip through the cracks of the already imperiled ACA: those who are uninsured, undocumented, or have old "grandfathered" insurance plans that don't adhere to ACA guidelines. It could also offer an alternative to women who don't feel comfortable using a family plan for contraceptives.

The concept is to expand an existing City Council fund for IUDs and other long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) instated last year, following a 2016 proposal from Mark-Viverito's Young Women's Initiative. The speaker is going to push for this money to be "baselined and expanded," her office said. IUDs, an alternative to oral contraception, are no small investment without insurance. The total cost of the medical exam, IUD insertion, and followup visits ranges from $500 to $900, according to Planned Parenthood. Removal can cost up to $300.

Emily Kadar, who manages government affairs for the National Institute for Reproductive Health, told Gothamist that she believes that the speaker's proposal is a strong and attainable one, considering that insurance policy is decided at the State level. But she added that it would hardly cover the city's demand if the ACA were to be repealed.

Legislation currently pending at the state level would likely make up the difference. The Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act, recently passed by the Assembly, would require insurers in New York to provide copay-free coverage for all FDA-approved contraceptives. Emergency contraception like Plan B, which typically costs at least $50 without a prescription, would be covered over the counteran expansion on the ACA. Male contraceptives would be covered, as well.

But the CCCA also has to pass the Republican-majority state Senate, where it stalled last year.

Governor Andrew Cuomo added his two cents late last month, drafting an insurance code regulation that would require insurers to provide most contraception and abortion services without a copay or deductible. But the draft regulation has a significant exception for "religious employers and qualified religious organization employers": the logic upheld in the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision.

Cuomo's regulation is still pending, and could go into effect next month following a 45-day comment period.

A spokeswoman for the governor didn't immediately comment on the decision to include a religious exception.

The State Assembly has also passed, for the second time, the Reproductive Health Actlegislation that would codify Roe v. Wade at the state level, protecting, and expanding, the right to abortion in New York in the face of conservative Supreme Court appointments.

It, too, has historically been shut down in the Senate. Mark-Viverito has pledged to lobby for the RHA, calling it "more important now than ever."

[UPDATE 5 p.m.]: "The regulations put forward ensure access and coverage for all contraceptive drugs and devices for women in New York," said Cuomo spokeswoman Abbey Fashouer in a statement, adding that the religious exemption "simply mirrors federal law" and requires the insurer to provide coverage if an employer opts out.
Hundreds of New Yorkers gathered in Washington Square Park on Friday afternoon as part of a nationwide general strike in opposition to the Trump administration. The rally, one of hundreds of strike events taking place across the country, was meant to show solidarity with other workers, while also providing a forum for New Yorkers to begin organizing against Trumps anti-labor policies, according to organizers.

At 1:00 p.m., protesters convened at the Garibaldi statue on the eastern side of the park, and quickly began chants of No ban/no wall and All nations/every race/punch a Nazi in the face. American flags and socialist red flags waved side-by-side, along with signs expressing support for immigrants, women, and the working class.

Some in the crowd had taken off from work or school for the occasion, like Emilio Rodriguez, 46, an attorney from Westchester. I told [the practice] yesterday that I was coming to the rally and I wasn't going to be going in, said Rodriguez, adding that hed never before attended a protest, but was galvanized by his wifes participation in the Womens March. The president is trying to overexert the power of the executive branch, and as an attorney I really believe in defending the constitution, the independent judiciary.

Others in attendance were not on strike themselves, but said they were there to represent those unable to take off work. We're in a state where a lot of people cannot afford to [strike], which is great for capitalism, said Dana Francisco, 30, a freelancer from Brooklyn and member of the Freedom Socialist Party. Francisco spoke about the importance of connecting workers' rights with the struggles of other marginalized groups. I think that anti-capitalist ideologies are starting to grow, and I think as that grows, people really start to see the umbrella it's above nicks off a lot of other issues.

At 1:35 p.m., organizer Andrew Thornebrooke delivered a speech outlining the importance of building a network of activists that could quickly activate for planned actions in the future. In addition to yesterdays Day Without Immigrants labor protest, another nationwide strike will take place on March 8th, this one coordinated by the organizers of the Womens March. Though a planned speaking program was scheduled to take place after Thornebrookes speech, that did not happen, and those in attendance soon returned to their anti-Trump chanting.

Barry Denny, a 75-year-old poet from Stuy-Town, said that Fridays strike seemed a bit premature, noting that the action was a far cry from the five-week labor stoppage he participated in while working for the New York State Welfare Commission in the 1950s. Denny also said that it was clear to him that labor rights were threatened under a Trump administration, particularly in the face of the very sad deterioration of unions.

But I also see virtually every issue at a greater risk under the Trump administration, Denny added. I actually see the possibility of, not a classic fascist state, but an authoritarian state. I think it's a real possibility, and that's partly why I'm here.

With Scott Heins


EDITORS NOTE  OWI means operating while intoxicated. DWLS means driving while license suspended. (MC) is for Judge Michael D. Carpenter. (L) is for Magistrate Gerald Ladwig. (SC) is for Circuit Judge Stephen P. Carras. (B) is for Circuit Judge Michael J. Beale. Sentences may vary based on previous offenses committed by the defendant. Some sentencings include other fees imposed by the state.

Bay City

James Ray-Thomas Martin, 29, fail to pay sex offender registration fee within 90 days on Jan. 1, 2015, 15 days in jail with credit for two days, $125 fines and costs (MC).

Benjamin Wesley Yeoman, 28, DWLS on Dec. 13, 21 days in jail with credit for time served (MC).

Clare

Jessica Renee Tanner, 31, DWLS and no proof of insurance on Oct. 6, $320 fines and costs (MC).

Farwell

Amber Marie Wright, 31, no license on person on Dec. 15, $200 fines and costs (MC).

Gladwin

Lindsey Elora Couturier, 26, allowing DWLS on Jan. 2, $200 fines and costs (L).

Harrison

Eric Joseph Martin, 37, OWI on June 12, 19 days in jail with credit for five days, $375 fines and costs (MC).

Hemlock

Danielle Lou Young, 39, operating with a high blood alcohol content on Oct. 22, 180 days in jail with all but two weekends held in abeyance and credit for one day, $975 fines and costs, nine months probation, vehicle immobilized for 90 days, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Hope

Amanda Kari Dewitt, 26, no proof of insurance on Dec. 13, $210 (L).

Merrill

Price Roguel Lauer, 45, attempted third-degree retail fraud on Aug. 29, 10 days in jail with credit for one day, $125 fines and costs, $15.99 restitution (MC).

Midland

Melissa Margaret Allen, 43, Homer Road, OWI on Oct. 23, 93 days in jail with all but two weekends held in abeyance and credit for one day, $775 fines and costs, one year probation, vehicle immobilized for 90 days, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, to be monitored by an alcohol tether for six months (MC).

Renee Danielle Brandt, 31, Jefferson Avenue, no proof of insurance on Dec. 13, $210 fine (MC).

Taylor Nicole Cochran, 21, West Sugnet Road, no license on person on Oct. 22, $250 fines and costs (MC).

Benjamin Ira Linton, 27, Amy Lane, unregistered vehicle and no proof of insurance on Dec. 29, $410 fines and costs (MC).

Jessica Leigh Fraley, 26, Adelaide Street, second-offense second-degree retail fraud on Jan. 24, $125 fines and costs, $7.94 restitution (B).

Kimberly Renee Hardy, 45, McDonald Street, domestic violence on Nov. 2, 93 days in jail with all but 21 days held in abeyance and credit for six days, $450 fines and costs, one year probation, not to be involved in any assaultive, threatening, intimidating, violent, aggressive, disorderly or abusive behavior toward any person, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Brandon Dale Hopp, 23, Castle Drive, DWLS on Jan. 2, $300 fines and costs (L).

Patricia B. Hornby, 58, Blairmont Street, no proof of insurance on Nov. 7, $210 fine (L).

Michael Joseph James, 30, Ashman Street, operating with a high blood alcohol content on Dec. 6, 180 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for two days, $975 fines and costs, nine months probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, to be monitored by an alcohol tether for 90 days (MC).

Deborah Kay Langin, 52, East Ashman Street, attempted third-degree retail fraud on Oct. 11, 46 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for two days, $450 fines and costs, six months probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars or Kroger, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Anthony Nelson Liscumb, 23, Baker Road, third-degree retail fraud on Jan. 11, 27 days in jail with credit for time served, $125 fines and costs (MC).

Mark Edward May, 30, Burlington Street, impaired driving on Oct. 16, one day in jail with credit for time served, $775 fines and costs (MC).

Jeffrey Brian McCann, 55, South Homer Road, DWLS on Dec. 2, $500 fines and costs (MC).

Daniel Richard Morrison, 50, East Reardon Street, impaired driving and marijuana use on Oct. 28, 93 days in jail with all but three weekends held in abeyance and credit for two days, $1,250 fines and costs, 18 months probation, driver license suspended, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Brian Jay Murdoch, 45, Longview Street, disorderly person on Sept. 11, $200 fines and costs (MC).

Brittney Layne Sanchez, 26, Alyse Lane, impaired driving on Aug. 15, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for four days, $775 fines and costs, nine months probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars except for work, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Bailey Raye Sian, 19, South Meridian Road, marijuana possession on Oct. 27, 75 days in jail with credit for 45 days, $125 fines and costs, driver license suspended for six months, attend programs while in jail (MC).

Shane Anthony Terwillegar, 30, Gerald Court, assault and battery on Sept. 6, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for six days, $450 fines and costs, one year probation, not to be involved in any assaultive, threatening, intimidating, violent, aggressive or abusive behavior toward any person, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Chase Daniel Toland, 22, Settlers Passage, OWI on Sept. 9, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for one day, $975 fines and costs, six months probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Kyle James Tomasi, 29, Abbott Road, OWI on Oct. 21, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for one day, $875 fines and costs, six months probation, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed, to be monitored by an alcohol tether for 90 days (MC).

David Michael Vick, 29, Cleveland Avenue, third-degree retail fraud on Jan. 28, 30 days in jail with credit for 10 days, $125 fines and costs (MC).

Shannon Florence Waldie, 18, East St. Andrews Road, attempted third-degree retail fraud on Sept. 23, 15 days in jail with credit for time served, $125 fines and costs (MC).

Mount Pleasant

Tamara Marie Stack, 24, fail to stop at the scene of a traffic accident, second-offense DWLS and false identification on Jan. 23, 15 days in jail with credit for time served, $550 fines and costs (MC).

Saginaw

Diane Elizabeth Hammond, 50, allowing DWLS on Jan. 8, $300 fines and costs (L).

Branden Lee Morse, 36, second-offense DWLS on July 29, 32 days in jail with credit for one day, $125 fines and costs (MC).

Sanford

Harry Randall Merryman, 58, allowing DWLS on Jan. 4, six days in jail with credit for one day, $125 fines and costs (MC).

Shepherd

Chadwick Allan Rhode, 33, second-offense DWLS on Jan. 27, 30 days in jail with credit for six days, $125 fines and costs (MC).

Elsewhere

Humberto Guadal Garcia, 21, Macomb, impaired driving and allowing DWLS on Aug. 27, 93 days in jail held in abeyance with credit for one day, $1,075 fines and costs, nine months probation, attend substance abuse program, may not use or possess drugs or alcohol, subject to random drug and alcohol screening, may not enter bars, attend counseling as directed (MC).

Detoya Desean Ham, 32, Farmington Hills, allowing DWLS on March 13, 2015, $200 fines and costs (MC).

Joshua Clayton Kroll, 31, Oakley, DWLS on Jan. 3, $400 fines and costs (L).

Sara Jaie McGill, 33, Ithaca, allowing DWLS on Jan. 2, $200 fines and costs (L).

Domingo Rafael Salazar, 29, River Rouge, DWLS on Jan. 4, $400 fines and costs (L).

Anthony Daniel Wellesley, 56, Lake City, improper plate and allowing DWLS on Nov. 23, $350 fines and costs (MC).
Flowers like dianthus, freesia, lilies, jasmine and roses gives us the sweet aromatic perfumes that loft through the air when they are in bloom. The flower is saying to the world, I am ready to transfer male pollen from my anthers to the female stigma that leads to the ovary.

These flowers are using smells to entice insects to fertilize their flowers. They are directing pollinators towards the sweet reward of nectar and pollen.

What the flower smells like and when it flowers can be good indicators of what will pollinate it. For instance, flowers pollinated by bees and flies have sweet scents, whereas those pollinated by beetles have strong musty, spicy or fruity odors. Bees and butterflies pollinate flowers that are super smelly during the day and moth-pollinated flowers intensify their aromas at night. A flower pollinated by birds does not need to have a scent because birds do not smell. Scents from flowers are emitted from the petals or scent glands. The aroma is a complex chemical compound produced by the flower.

While floral scent is an attractant, nectar is a sweet reward that makes pollinators fly from flower to flower. Nectar is produces by nectaries and is tucked away in its blossom to navigate the pollinator to fertilize the plant. Although nectar is sugary sweet, it also includes additional compounds such as vitamins, oils, amino acids and others. The quality of nectar can depend on species of flower, temperature, age of flower and precipitation.

Pollen is released slowly, so repeat visits are necessary for pollination. Therefore, nectar is replenished and the more it is used, the more nectar will be produced. If you completely covered some of these nectar-producing flowers, you actually might see nectar overflowing.

Flowers differ in the amount, concentration and composition of the nectar they produce. Species adapted for hummingbird pollination produce more nectar that is more diluted and with a higher sucrose ratio than flowers that attract bees.

We know we eat honey and bees make honey by collecting nectar. Beekeepers will sometimes label their honey by the flower that was in bloom at the time it was made. Sweet clover or alfalfa produces a light, mild honey. Tupelo trees produce a darker, stronger honey and the darkest honey is produced by buckwheat. Black locust trees produce a sweet, fragrant honey favored by beekeepers.
Much of our country will celebrate Presidents Day on Monday in honor of Washington, Lincoln and all U.S. presidents.

You may remember from history class that Washingtons birthday is Feb. 22 and our own Abraham Lincolns birthday is Feb. 12. I call the 16th president our own because, after all, this is the land of Lincoln.

Illinois was the fertile growing ground for the man believed by many to be the greatest president in U.S. history. He lived his life in the towns and counties we call home. Yet its easy for us today to forget the leader who uttered the famous words, With malice toward none, with charity for all, once walked the same streets as you and I.

Lincoln was an Illinois attorney for nearly 24 years, and in those early days, he and his friend, Judge David Davis, made a three-month circuit of 14 counties in the Eighth Judicial Circuit. They traveled by horseback and buggy, staying in dozens of towns, including my hometown Pontiac.

A well-traversed landmark in Pontiac is the Mill Street Bridge crossing the Vermilion River. Near the bridge is a marker identifying the spot where, in 1840, two young attorneys engaged in a lively debate. Those two men were none other than Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.

On May 18, 1840, Lincoln and Douglas faced each other in a makeshift courtroom in a cabin owned by a Pontiac settler. Thirty-one-year-old Lincoln served as attorney for William Popejoy Jr., who was seeking $2,000 damages from Isaac Wilson, represented by 27-year-old Douglas. Popejoy claimed Wilson had publicly accused him of stealing meat. Wilson pleaded innocent, but later withdrew his plea and Popejoy remitted the amount.

After the hearing, Lincoln and Douglas walked to the spot along the river to debate issues of the day. A crowd gathered. According to an eyewitness account by a Fairbury judge, the two debaters stood atop a dry goods box.

Pontiac was just a few houses on the prairie then, but many pioneers made the journey to hear the debate. The marker describes it, Little could they realize they were witnessing the birth of an historical era where two thoughtful men would grow in their opposing belief on the morality of slavery and their ability to persuade others to accept those beliefs. As they gathered that evening by the river, they could not have possibly envisioned that just 18 years in the future, 1858, these same two men would be vying to represent Illinois in the United States Senate, and in 1860 would be the Republican and Democratic candidates for the presidency of the United States. Nor could they have foretold the Lincoln-Douglas debates would continue to be studied and enacted by historians in centuries to come.

Pretty impressive history for a patch of grass I have trodden thousands of times without stopping to consider its significance.

A friend of mine, Wally, is a knowledgeable resource on the topic of Lincoln. All of us in Central Illinois, he says, experience Lincoln in our daily lives and may not even realize it.

Lincoln is imprinted all over our towns, he said. Just Lincolns legal work alone  drawing up wills, clearing titles on the sale of land and handling hundreds of cases, has had a lasting impact on this area.

On Monday, as the country honors our presidents, we might take a moment to reflect on the influence Lincoln had on his own state, our state. And on us.

The world knows the tragic events of April 15, 1865, when Lincoln died from an assassins bullet. At Lincolns bedside, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton declared, "Now he belongs to the ages.

But as Wally likes to remind me  before Lincoln belonged to the world and to the ages, he belonged to us.
It's not easy to find a public bathroom in this city, as we've pointed out in the past. The good ones are all fiercely guarded by baristas and hostesses, while the free ones tend to look like something you'd find at the end of a Saw film. But one intrepid New Yorker has done the hard work of finding and rating public bathrooms all over town, and he's helpfully compiled them into an Instagram account for locals and tourists in need.

Andrew Paul Maksymowicz, a 31-year-old Williamsburg resident, launched the Pooper's Guide in October, an effort that culminated in a decade's worth of local restroom research. "I've been a public bathroom critic for NYC for 10 years now," Maksymowicz told Gothamist. "In college I knew the best bathrooms to go to when I wanted to skip class or go between classes. I have family in New York, so I brought those skills of knowing the best bathrooms around campus to the city, as I wandered around Times Square by myself, needing to go to the bathroom and thinking, why is there nowhere good to go?"

Maksymowicz put together a 26-page ranking of restrooms in a (never published) book, and last year he decided to make his work more accessible to the publichence the Instagram account. He assesses bathrooms based on accessibility, amenities, size, comfort, and cleanliness, and includes an age-ranking so parents know where to find a changing table or other kid-friendly appendage. "I look inside cabinets, if there's a cabinet. I look for something that adds to the experience of using the bathroom, like does it have the amenities I'm looking for, smelly soap or hand-dryers," Maksymowicz said.

He also likes to check to see how easy it is for a layperson to walk into the bathroom, without having to purchase something from the establishment. "As a connoisseur of bathrooms, I can get into any bathroom anywhere, due to my skills, if i may, whether it's talking to the hostess or just walking in and blending in," he said. "But I look at an establishment before I enter and i think, would anybody be able to just walk in off the street, and if they're not confident enough to ask, just use the bathroom?"

Maksymowicz has ranked over 40 bathrooms on Pooper's Guide so far, with entries including Henry's End in DUMBO, Andaz 5th Avenue, the New York Public Library's main Manhattan branch, and the Plaza Food Hall. He has a few of his own favorites, too. "The Ace Hotel is awesome," he said. "They have great bathroom stalls upstairs that are cozy and private-feeling, and then downstairs in the lobby, they have great restrooms in general, with large stalls." He's also a fan of the restrooms at Felice restaurant on Gold Street, and Nordstrom Rack in Union Square. "It's not glamorous by any means. The seats are a little too high off the ground," He said. "But if you're in the area, it's usually fairly easy to get in and out. Not many people use it."

He is not, however, into the bathrooms at the Burlington Coat Factory near the Financial District, where he's "seen people cleaning up at the sink and shaving." Irving Coffee on the Upper East Side "didn't particularly strike me as anything besides kind of bland, and awful decorwise and comfortwise." And though we heralded the bathrooms at the Port Authority Bus Terminal way back when, Maksymowicz says those babies are "highly avoidable."

As for the worst thing Maksymowicz has ever seen in a public bathroom: "One deli bathroom I went to in Times Square was used as a storage closet for employees, so there were coats piled up everywhere," he said. " The place looked clean when you walked into the deli part, but then you go use the bathroom and there's a pile of coats. I was like, what the hell is going on right now?"

Keep your eyes peeled for a Pooper's Guide app, which Maksymowicz hopes to launch next month.
After redoing our 10-year-old yard with new plants and patio, we added the icing on the cake  bird feeders for our feathered friends.

After planting eastern red cedars, hollies and other bird-attracting plants in the natural area out back, we visited several birding stores to select a feeding system.

In the past, we built our own systems. Our favorite was a 10-foot-long, 4-by-4-inch post cemented in the ground, and outfitted with squirrel- and raccoon-deterrent baffle and four 12-inch, vinyl-coated hooks. Caged feeders fend off squirrels and nuisance birds.

This time, we purchased an advanced feeder pole system and feeders from Wild Birds Unlimited in Virginia Beach, Va., part of a national franchise of stores.

Feeder poles 101

I have had feeder poles before and disliked them because they twisted, turned and leaned in soft wet soil. It's mainly why we did the 4-by-4 post and cement  nothing short of an earthquake was going to move that contraption.

The advanced pole system, however, looks sturdy, thanks to a stabilizer that slips onto the pole and into the ground. Installation is simple and straightforward  twist the 48-inch base pole 16 inches into the ground and then slide the stabilizer onto the 48-inch section. Several months later, the pole still stands straight, despite gusty winds and drenching rains.

Snap-on, snap-off extensions give you a pole as tall or as short as you want. A double-crook arm provides hangers for two feeders; add a second arm for four feeders. Accessories such as a decorative finial, side-dish feeder, decorative branch perch and suet cage with bracket attach easily. Because the pole is located in the middle of the lawn, close to a window where I can watch birds as they feed, I placed a Yard Tuff mulch tree ring on the ground around the pole; the ring makes it easy for the mower and trimmer to go around the feeder system.

Nuisance-proof feeders

I am a longtime, diehard fan of caged bird feeders because they, along with a baffle, keep out squirrels, raccoons and unwanted birds like grackles and common blackbirds. Successful caged feeders have a wide, wide space between the feeding tube and the outside cage so paws and beaks can't reach through and sneak a snack.

Easy-clean feeders are another good way to go. Some brands like Duncraft feature a pull-and-slide feature that frees all the feeding ports so you can scrub and rinse them, then reassemble the feeder without much effort. Other brands have bottoms that release and feeding ports that snap out for easy access, too. These feeders will cost you more than one-piece units but the price is worth it.

Homemade bird treats

Here are some easy-to-do bird treats, courtesy Cole's Wild Bird Products  http://coleswildbird.com.

Pinecone feeder. You need one large pine cone, string or ribbon for hanging, smooth or crunchy peanut butter and bird seed. Tie a piece of string or ribbon around the large pine cone, leaving about eight inches to wrap and tie around the tree branch or large shrub limb. Spread peanut butter all over the pine cone, and be sure to fill the crevices. Then roll the peanut butter-coated pine cone in birdseed. Hang high from a tree branch! Great winter craft project for kids.

You need one large pine cone, string or ribbon for hanging, smooth or crunchy peanut butter and bird seed. Tie a piece of string or ribbon around the large pine cone, leaving about eight inches to wrap and tie around the tree branch or large shrub limb. Spread peanut butter all over the pine cone, and be sure to fill the crevices. Then roll the peanut butter-coated pine cone in birdseed. Hang high from a tree branch! Great winter craft project for kids. High-energy homemade suet for winter. You need one cup of vegetable shortening, one cup of peanut butter (smooth or chunky), two cups of quick-cook oats, one-third cup sugar, and one cup white flour. Melt shortening and peanut butter together until well blended, and then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Pour mix into a square container about 2 inches deep. Allow the mix to cool. Cut into squares, bag and place in freezer. Squares can be stuck on tree branches easily.

You need one cup of vegetable shortening, one cup of peanut butter (smooth or chunky), two cups of quick-cook oats, one-third cup sugar, and one cup white flour. Melt shortening and peanut butter together until well blended, and then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Pour mix into a square container about 2 inches deep. Allow the mix to cool. Cut into squares, bag and place in freezer. Squares can be stuck on tree branches easily. Bring on the bacon. Save the grease from your breakfast bacon to make a good winter treat for birds. Mix one cup of bacon grease with one cup of peanut butter and two cups cornmeal. This treat can be spread right on a tree trunk!

Save the grease from your breakfast bacon to make a good winter treat for birds. Mix one cup of bacon grease with one cup of peanut butter and two cups cornmeal. This treat can be spread right on a tree trunk! Fresh fruit feast. Apples, cut in half and skewer onto tree branches to attract robins, blue jays, bluebirds, woodpeckers, gray catbirds, and others. Oranges, cut in half and skewer onto tree branches to attract orioles, woodpeckers, thrashers, tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and others. Grapes, hang bunches of grapes from tree branches to attract robins, mockingbirds, bluebirds, towhees, woodpeckers, and others.

Apples, cut in half and skewer onto tree branches to attract robins, blue jays, bluebirds, woodpeckers, gray catbirds, and others. Oranges, cut in half and skewer onto tree branches to attract orioles, woodpeckers, thrashers, tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and others. Grapes, hang bunches of grapes from tree branches to attract robins, mockingbirds, bluebirds, towhees, woodpeckers, and others. Birds and berries. Collect bunches of red berries from holly, spicebush, or dogwood. Tie each bunch tightly with a string, leaving about eight inches to wrap around a tree branch

Collect bunches of red berries from holly, spicebush, or dogwood. Tie each bunch tightly with a string, leaving about eight inches to wrap around a tree branch String popcorn and cranberries. Just like people do to decorate a Christmas tree, hang the natural garland of popcorn and cranberries on a tree or bush outdoors  fun craft for kids!

Just like people do to decorate a Christmas tree, hang the natural garland of popcorn and cranberries on a tree or bush outdoors  fun craft for kids! Indian corn. Tie a string tightly around a bunch of Indian corn, leaving 8 inches to wrap and tie it all tightly to a tree branch.

Seeds birds like

February is National Bird-Feeding Month, a time to put out seed and suet that will bring birds to your backyard feeders where you can watch them intently.

Here's what birds like best, according to National Bird-Feeding Society at www.birdfeeding.org/nbfm.html, Cornell Lab of Ornithology at www.birds.cornell.edu and Cole's Wild Bird Feed at (http://coleswildbird.com).
PEORIA  Former Peoria-area congressman Bob Michel will be remembered for his bipartisanship and ability to work deals through compromise, said many who commented following his death Friday at 93.

But he also will be remembered for his courage, caring and singing voice, said those who knew him personally.

Bob Michel treated his staff like family, said Ray LaHood of Peoria, who served as Michel's chief of staff for 12 years, then succeeded him in Congress from 1995 to 2009. He treated everyone with respect and was a very good listener.

LaHood said Michel really represented the gold standard for public service, the gold standard for leadership and getting many, many important things accomplished, not only in Washington but in Central Illinois.

Michel was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956 and served 19 terms. He became House minority leader in 1980  the same year Ronald Reagan was elected president  and continued as minority leader until he retired in 1994, just before Republicans gained control of the House.

Michel's ability to work with members of both parties helped Reagan gain approval for tax cuts and foreign policy initiatives, said LaHood.

He worked with President (Bill) Clinton to pass NAFTA, which was great for Central Illinois, said LaHood, who served as secretary of transportation during President Barack Obama's first term. Bob Michel never thought 'compromise' was a bad word.

He said, People should look at Bob Michel's legacy and see how the country moved forward and good things were accomplished through compromise.

Darin LaHood, who now serves in the congressional seat once held by his father and by Michel, said Michel's death is a tremendous loss for Peoria and all of Central Illinois.

Two things I'll remember are his uncommon decency and his Midwestern values that he never forgot, said Darin LaHood. I used to mow his grass growing up. He always had the biggest smile on his face. He was a kind, gentle soul.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, a Republican from Taylorville, recalled seeing Michel at an event, struggling to stand as he fought health problems, yet powerfully singing the national anthem.

Bob Michel taught me that bipartisanship matters and working together to get things done is even more important in the polarized environment we have today, said Davis. That's where Bob Michel excelled.  That's the legacy I'm going to remember.

Among the advice Davis said he received from Michel was be yourself and always do what you think is right for your constituents and don't be afraid to go home and explain why you voted the way you did.

Both Davis and Darin LaHood described Michel as a mentor.

We need more people like Bob Michel in public service, said Darin LaHood.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Springfield, also praised his former colleague from the floor of the Senate on Friday. Noting that they represented neighboring congressional districts for 14 years, Durbin said they remained friends despite campaigning for each other's opponents and disagreeing on many issues.

You couldn't help but be a friend of Bob Michel, said Durbin.

He said that when Michel left Congress, it marked the end to an era of civility. Congress has never been the same.

On a personal note, Ray LaHood recalled talking to Michel, a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, the day after the Cubs became world champions.

He stayed up to 2 in the morning to watch the Cubs win the World Series, said LaHood, noting how happy Michel was. He never though he'd live long enough to see the Cubs win the World Series.

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Channahon, was among several who also noted Michel's military service in World War II, during which he received two Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart.

A war hero, a distinguished public servant and the proud son of Illinois  Bob Michel was a selfless, principled leader who served for love of God and country, Kinzinger said in a statement. Our country is better for having the courage, patriotism and leadership of the Honorable Bob Michel  and I, like many others, will continue to be inspired by the legacy he leaves behind.

Michel was born in Peoria on March 2, 1923, and graduated from Bradley University, which named its student center in his honor in 1999.
As a fellow elected official representing the good people of Central Illinois, I'm insulted by the implications of U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis's refusal to meet face-to-face with his constituents.

Here's what I know about the people we serve in common: they are hard-working people of goodwill who care deeply about their communities and their country, and they deserve better from their congressman. His commentary about why he will not meet with those he represents calls into question their motives and integrity. They deserve better. If lobbyists and special interest groups get more than a tele-meeting, so should the people of the 13th Congressional District. In fact, they deserve better than a tele-meeting.

Davis has said that he cant be in two places (the district and D.C.) at once, and obviously no one is asking him to do that. We are asking him to do something much simpler than time travel or teleportation. We are asking him to prioritize time when Congress isn't in session to meet with constituents in the 13th Congressional District so that he can represent them effectively when it is.

No matter your party or how you voted, its important to civically engage with those who represent you in Washington. It's vital to our democracy, and we should celebrate it, not politicize it. Congress is in recess from now through Feb. 26. It's time for Davis to put more effort into doing his job than worrying about who wants him out of it. Again, the 13th Congressional District deserves better.

Carlo Robustelli, Bloomington

The writer is a member of the McLean County Board.
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In Q3 2016 Patently Apple posted a report titled "Oppo Flies to top Smartphone Vendor in China for Q3 with Apple landing in Fifth Spot." With Apple releasing their new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus with a cool new dual lens camera it was expected to see Apple rebound in China in Q4 2016. While Apple had a record breaking quarter for the iPhone, it didn't even make a dent in China as a report by Canalys shows that Apple remains in the cellar of the top five smartphone vendors in China as noted below. Though to be fair, the more reliable IDC statistics placed Apple solidly in fourth spot.





The Canalys report noted that "While Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi are all in the process of adjusting their strategies in China, Huawei took the opportunity to consolidate its position in the tier-one and tier-two cities. Canalys Research Analyst Jessie Ding noted that, meanwhile, 'Huawei also began attacking Oppo and Vivo's backyard in the tier-three and tier-four cities, through its 'thousands of towns,' targeting open channels.' Conversely, Oppo and Vivo started to move upscale to target consumers in the tier-one and tier-two cities through heavy investments in branding.

Ding added, 'In 2017, competition between Huawei, Oppo and Vivo will become much more intense, while their increasing scale and bargaining power within the industry will have a larger impact on device strategies of operators and open channel partners. This will leave very little room for smaller brands to increase share. Moreover, among these three vendors, it will be difficult for one of them to capture more than 20.0% market share and be a clear leader under current competitive conditions.'"

Apple's CEO talked about the Chinese market during Apple's financial results Conference Call for Q1 2017 starting at 29:05 minute mark of their audio replay. Cook said that out of the decline of 12%, 4 points of that was currency related so that they were really down about 8%. Cook pointed to the iPhone 7 being the number one smartphone in China for the quarter.

But in the bigger picture, Cook stumbled in trying to talk about China, shifting to Mac sales and iPad sales up or that they did well on Alibaba. But in truth, China's smartphone vendors are beating Apple fair and square with quality designs and much lower prices. Something Cook didn't want to admit outright. He just said that they have challenges. Yes, the challenges are Oppo, Vivo and Huawei.

During Apple's last Financial Conference Call, their CFO noted that even though sales were down in China in Fiscal Q4, Apple would return to growth in China in the December quarter. That didn't happen.

Will the anniversary iPhone model be able to reestablish their lead in China, or has the ship just sailed out of their reach going forward with Chinese smartphone vendors now in total control?

There's no doubt that hot innovation and advanced features could be the way Apple regains their leadership in China in Q4 2017, but lower prices have clearly become the weapon that is currently winning the day and that's unlikely to change short of the iPhone being reinvented. And one of Apple's 2017 models may do just that.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
Saturday Link Love is a new feature where I collect and post links to various articles Ive come upon over the past week. Feel free to share any interesting articles youve come along as well! The more the merrier.

Why can 12-year-olds still get married in the United States? on Washington PostMichelle DeMello walked into the clerks office in Colorado thinking for sure someone would save her. She was 16 and pregnant.

With Fake News, Trump Moves From Alternative Facts To Alternative Language, on NPRAnyone who has followed the news knows this isnt what fake news meant just a few months ago.

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Iran's Supreme Leader Cements Hardline Position by Rejecting Offer of National Reconciliation

02/18/17

Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran

Some Conservatives Side With Reformist Leader Khatami



Reconciliation

(cartoon by Hamid Mosayyebi, Etemad daily)



Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's refusal of an offer to achieve "national reconciliation" in Iran by ending the six-year extrajudicial house arrests of three opposition leaders has crushed hopes that the state's crackdown on dissidents, which intensified in response to the nationwide protests against the results of the disputed 2009 election, would finally end.

Embracing national reconciliation would have helped current President Hassan Rouhani fulfill his 2013 presidential campaign promises of freeing political prisoners, ending the house arrests, and holding up the rule of law, which was severely eroded after hardliners forced the country into a heightened state of security following the 2009 protests.



President Rohani launched Iranian Citizens Rights Charter in December 2016

(source: Shahrvand)



By slamming the door shut on any kind of compromise on the issue of the house arrests, Khamenei has made the prospect of reform in Iran highly unlikely.

During a February 7 speech, four days before the 38th anniversary of Iran's 1979 revolution, former President Mohammad Khatami (1997 to 2005) suggested that releasing presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard would allow the Islamic Republic, which has been in a state of internal conflict and political polarization since 2009, to move towards unity and stability.

Khamenei dismissed Khatami's offer by offering a revisionist version of the country's recent history.

"What do the people want reconciliation for?" he said during a speech televised on state TV on February 15. "Are they in conflict with each other? There's no conflict."

"But of course the people do have an axe to grind with those who desecrated the day of Ashura in 2009 by atrociously and shamelessly ripping the clothes off young Basiji militiamen in the streets and beating them up," he declared. "The people will never reconcile with [the attackers]."

Ashura, the holiest religious day in Iran on December 27, turned into one of the bloodiest days of 2009 when at least seven protesters including Beigi were killed and hundreds were arrested during continued protests against the election and the state's violent response.

However, according to Khamenei's version of events, the armed aggressors, including the paramilitary Basij, were the real victims.





Ayatollah Ali Khamanei



Iran's supreme leader-the country's ultimate decision-maker-is supposed to avoid taking sides in political disputes so he can serve as a neutral arbitrator when conflicts arise.

Khamenei broke with this tradition in 2009 when he backed former hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's violent crackdown on the protestors, and completely destroyed it this month by not only refusing to compromise with his critics, but also trying to paint the victims of the crackdown as the victimizers.

Khamenei has in fact solidified his links with hardliners, especially the Revolutionary Guards.

In late 2016, he strengthened his alliance with them by appointing ultra-conservatives to key military positions.

On December 7 he named Gholam-Hossein Gheibparvar as the new commander of the Basij, and on December 26 placed hardline Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Nejat as the new head of its Intelligence Organization, which is responsible for most of the arrests of political and civil rights activists.

"Questioning the validity of the election was just an excuse," said Khamenei in his speech, indirectly referring to anyone and everyone who disputed the results of the 2009 election-the irregularities of which led to nationwide protests. "Their real target was the revolution's very foundation, but they are few in number; only a drop compared to the vast and vital ocean that is the nation of Iran."

"When it comes to Islam, Iran, independence and resisting the enemy, the nation of Iran will stand firm and united," he added. "Naturally, a couple of people might have a different point of view about some political issues, but that's not anything important."

Khatami's Offer

"Anyone willing to live within the framework of the Constitution should have freedom of action and enjoy all the rights and freedoms granted to citizens," said Khatami during his speech.





Mohammad Khatami

"Now is the best time to bring about national reconciliation and pave the road for solidarity among all political factions because we need to face something more real and that is the need to unite everyone who cares about the sate and confront outside threats and verbal attacks of those who fundamentally oppose Islam, the revolution and Iran," he added.

He continued: "What I'm saying is that none of us should be stuck in the past. Let's all look to the future. Those who are under house arrest or in prison have deep sympathy for the revolution and the country and oppose foreign threats and they certainly care more about issues than many of those who claim to be revolutionaries."

"We must take advantage of this opportunity and prepare the ground for national reconciliation and wisely move towards defending Islam, the revolution, the country and the interests of the people," said Khatami. "I'm optimistic about making national reconciliation and domestic solidarity a reality, but the foundations must be laid by the country's rulers."

Rouhani indirectly welcomed Khatami's idea during his speech on February 11 at a rally in Tehran's Azadi Square.

"We want to build a free, prosperous and independent Iran and we will follow the great supreme leader towards national solidarity and reconciliation," he said.

Conservatives Respond

Khamenei's televised rejection of Khatami's offer of national reconciliation was unusual in that it was bound to spark public debate in a country where the mainstream media are forbidden from mentioning Khatami's name or publishing his photo.

Many hardliners responded to the offer by claiming that Khatami, Rouhani and their allies have been weakened by the recent death of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani-the only member of Iran's political elite who supported them-and are scrambling to become relevant again.

Others embraced the idea of moving the Islamic Republic into a less volatile state.

On February 12, the ultra-conservative editor of Kayhan newspaper, Hossein Shariatmadari-while refusing to mention Khatami by name-accused those offering national reconciliation of being agents of the US, Israel and Britain "on a new mission to incite another sedition (protests)... and infiltrate decision-making quarters with the objective to change the country's [revolutionary and anti-Western] policies."

"If the opponents of the outcome of the 2009 election want to repent, they can join the faithful in the mosques and pray to God, but they should know that shoe thieves will not become pious leaders overnight," declared Vatan Emrooz, a news daily closely affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, on February 11.

Hardline Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani meanwhile claimed that the only problem Iran has is the people who refuse to follow hardline policies.

"Some have said that the judiciary chief is against national reconciliation," he said on February 13." I am in no way opposed to reconciliation, peace and fraternity, but right now there's no issue that would require national reconciliation. The people are not cross with each other, so what do we need national reconciliation for?"

"During the 2009 sedition, some separated themselves from the people," he added. "That's their problem, not the people's. They should come back and rejoin the people instead of siding with (foreign) enemies. The way to come back is to accept their mistakes."

"Sometimes individuals become stubborn and don't want to say they were wrong," he continued. "If those who abandoned the people really want a fair outcome, the door is open for them to take the first step. They should stop plotting and admit their mistakes."

At the same time, some conservatives advocated for the merits of Khatami's offer.

"National reconciliation and strengthening domestic pillars is everyone's wish," said conservative pundit Abbas Salimi-Namin in an interview on February 12. "Gathering all our existing capabilities against those who wish ill for our country can have a wide impact."

"The precondition to national reconciliation is to end the house arrests of Mousavi and Karroubi," he added.

Even a close confidant of Ahmadinejad, the combative former president at the center of the unrest in 2009, said he supports the idea of national reconciliation.

"Conditions in the country make it necessary for the various factions to be on good terms," said former Vice President Mohammad Aliabadi on February 11. "Differences are inevitable, but national reconciliation is a must."
US Hesitates to Confirm Sanctioned Iran's General Soleimani Visited Russia

02/18/17

By Michael Lipin, VOA

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration says it cannot confirm that an Iranian general barred from foreign travel by the U.N. Security Council visited Russia this week, despite a prominent U.S. congressman and news outlet saying he had made the trip.





"Revolutionary Diplomacy"

Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani

(source: Cover of Iranian magazine Mosalas)



In an emailed response to a VOA Persian query Friday, a U.S. State Department official who requested anonymity said the administration is aware of media reports about recent travel to Russia by General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the special operations Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

"We're not in a position to confirm the travel ourselves at this time," the official said. "As with previous reports of similar travel, the U.N. travel ban on Soleimani remains in effect, so such travel, if confirmed, would be a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and, thus, a serious matter of concern to the United States and members of the U.N. Security Council."

Congressman doesn't hesitate

Republican Congressman Ed Royce, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed no such hesitation when speaking about Soleimani on Thursday to U.S. television network Fox News. He said the Iranian general "was just caught in Moscow violating existing sanctions on his travel."

A day earlier, a Fox News online report cited "multiple Western intelligence officials with direct knowledge of (Soleimani's) visit" as saying that the Iranian general "arrived in Terminal A of Vnukovo airport outside Moscow on February 14 on Mahan Air WD084 at 12:13 p.m. local time and was scheduled to remain in Russia for a few days for meetings."

Royce said "it is the third time" that Soleimani has visited Russia since the U.N. Security Council approved resolution 2231endorsing Iran's nuclear deal with world powers July 20, 2015.

A spokesman for Royce did not respond to a VOA email asking for the source of the lawmaker's information about the Iranian general, whom the lawmaker accused of being responsible for the deaths of about 500 U.S. military personnel in Iraq by leading a Quds Force effort to supply weapons to anti-American Iraqi Shi'ite militants.

The UN resolution

Section 6 (e) of resolution 2231's Annex B calls on all states to "take the necessary measures to prevent the entry into or transit through their territories of individuals" designated by the council as having engaged in illicit activities - a designation it had given to Soleimani in the past.

Western media have quoted sources as saying Soleimani visited Russia July 24, 2015, days after resolution 2231's adoption, and made a second trip April 14, 2016.

Jeffrey Feltman, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, notified the Security Council last July of "possible foreign travel" by Soleimani "contrary to the provisions" of resolution 2231.

Congressman calls for sanctions

Royce said he had obtained photographs of Soleimani's previously reported visits to Moscow and criticized the Obama administration as being weak for not confirming that the trips had happened and that the U.N.'s travel ban had been violated.

He called on the Trump administration to respond to Soleimni's latest reported Russia trip by imposing new sanctions barring companies from doing business in Iran.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced its first sanctions against Iran since taking office in January. It froze any property or funds held by 13 Iranian individuals and 12 companies under U.S. jurisdiction, in retaliation for Iran's January 29 ballistic missile test that Washington criticized as undermining regional security and putting American lives at risk.

There has been no word from the White House of any additional Iran sanctions under consideration.

Fox News reported that Soleimani was in Moscow this week to express displeasure with Russia's recent military and economic overtures to Saudi Arabia and other Arab states that Iran sees as rivals for regional influence.

But former U.S. intelligence officer Paul Pillar, now a security studies analyst at Georgetown University, told VOA Persian it is incorrect to presume that Soleimani was in Moscow to communicate Iran's resentment about Russian relations with Arab nations.

"The focus (of the trip) obviously would be on events in Syria, where both Russia and Iran, especially the IRGC headed by General Soleimani, are heavily involved in the effort to shore up the position of the Assad regime," Pillar said.

The Iranian defense ministry's news agency published photos of Soleimani attending a ceremony in Tehran on Thursday, two days after his reported arrival in Moscow. The website's homepage initially said it had posted the photos "in response to U.S. claims" about the general, but it later removed that language.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a VOA request to confirm or deny that Soleimani was in Moscow this week. Russia and Iran both have denied the previous reports of Soleimani traveling to Moscow.

Additional reporting by Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Steve Herman, Hooman Bakhtiar of VOA's Persian Service and Mehdi Jedinia of VOA's Extremism Watch Desk.



About the author:

Michael covers international news for VOA on the web, radio and TV, specializing in the Middle East and East Asia Pacific. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_Lipin
Iran's carpet exports to U.S. go from zero to millions

02/18/17

Source: Tehran Times

TEHRAN- About $69 million worth of Iranian carpets were exported to the United States during the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year, ended on January 19, while the figure was zero in the entire preceding year, ISNA quoted Hamid Kargar, the head of Iran's National Carpet Center, on Wednesday.







As Kargar elaborated, addressing the opening ceremony of a carpet exhibition in the northeastern province of Golestan, following the implementation of the nuclear deal in January 2016, Iran restarted exporting its carpets to the U.S. after about five years.



During the said time, Iran could manage to export $275 million of carpets to 80 countries across the globe, registering 19 percent increase in comparison with the same time span in the previous year, he said.



The exported carpets weighted 4,400 tons, showing 10 percent rise, the official added.



The U.S. imposed a ban on carpet imports from the Islamic Republic, among other products, in September 2010. It was Iran's major market for Persian rugs and the sanctions caused total carpet exports to drop by 30 percent - the embargo meant no American could buy, sell or import Persian rugs, even if they were purchased outside of the Islamic republic.



But with many of the west's sanctions lifted after Tehran reached a historic nuclear deal with western powers last year, the industry has been enjoying a boom and sales to America have increased.
On the two-year anniversary of a massive explosion that crippled the then-ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, the plant now owned by PBF Energy was hit with another explosion and fire today.

Torrance Assistant Fire Chief Steve Treskes said the explosion was reported at 6 a.m. Saturday, but three dozen firefighters had the blaze knocked down within a half-hour. For a while, though, flames shot 40 feet into the air.

No injuries were reported and there were no evacuations.

Theres no immediate word on what caused the explosion.

The former ExxonMobil refinery was rocked by an explosion in February 2015 that injured several contractors and shut down the refinery for more than a year, leading to soaring gas prices in Southern California.

The force of the blast sent a 80,000-pound piece of equipment hurtling toward a tank containing 50,000 pounds of potentially lethal hydrofluoric acid. If the chemical had escaped, thousands could have died or suffered serious injury.

California regulators fined ExxonMobil more than $500 million for workplace violations related to the blast.

Del Amo Boulevard was shut down for a brief time, according to Torrance fire Capt. Robert Millea.

Problems at the refinery have galvanized grass-roots groups pushing for a ban on hydrofluoric acid and other safety improvements.

A grass-roots protest and march is planned today to mark the two-year anniversary of the 2015 explosion. Activists will gather at 10 a.m. at Columbia Park on 190th Street in Torrance and march to the refinery, where a rally will be staged.
Just because Carol Fishburn is 70 doesnt mean she has given up.

In fact, she found love at a weekly dance held every Wednesday in the Hemet West clubhouse.

And at the dance after Valentines Day, Steve Russell, her boyfriend of four months, proposed.

Fishburn grabbed a microphone and screamed, Yes!

The couple met in October at a Roaring 20s-themed ladies choice dance at which dance coordinator Kathy Perry encouraged Fishburn to ask Russell to dance.

After the proposal, the couple danced to Save the Last Dance for Me, one of the songs they dance to on the night they met.

We get along so well and were always laughing, Fishburn said. We want to spend the rest of our lives together.  We feel like teenagers again.

More than 100 senior citizens make a habit of attending the weekly dances. On Wednesday, nearly 140 donned red attire and celebrated Valentines Day.

Fishburn and her beau Steve Russell arent the only ones to find love at the dances. Eight other couples who had met at previous dances were highlighted the day after Valentines Day.

Theyre dancing fools! Perry said.

Its a nice way to bring people together, she said. I get enjoyment from seeing people happy.

Perry, who has been volunteering to coordinate the dances for five years, facilitates opportunities for seniors to make friends and often begin relationships.

Henrietta Glasson and Jack Flanagan, friends of Fishburn and Russell, also met each other at the Hemet West dances. The couple met in 2012, have been engaged for three years and attend the dances nearly every week.

Theyre very nice people, Flanagan said of Russell and Fishburn.

Glasson and Flanagan said they like to dance to waltzes and country music and look forward every week to spending time with the friends they have made at Hemet West. They said if they ever miss a week, they get a personal call from Perry.

Married couple of 65 years Bill and Jackie Martin enjoy the music. They met in sixth-grade band class in Paul, Idaho, where he played brass and she played percussion, and got married when he was 18 and she was 16. The couple still spend much of their time performing together in several different bands and go to two dances a week.

Its the best to do, Bill Martin said. This is our kind of music.

The next dance will take place Feb. 22 and will be Mardi Gras-themed. Hemet West is at 5001 W. Florida Ave., and the dances last from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

For more information, call Perry at 951-692-0891.

Contact the writer: community@pressenterprise.com
Two adults were displaced Friday night, Feb. 13, when their homes roof collapsed because of the heavy rain, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

The damage happened about 8:30 p.m. to a doublewide at the Caballero Mobile Home Park in the 15000 block of Van Buren Boulevard in the Woodcrest neighborhood south of Riverside.

No injuries were reported.

The American Red Cross assisted the residents, and a Southern California Edison crew disconnected the power.

Cal Fire estimated the damage at $20,000 to property worth $50,000, a news release said.

Photos from our #VanBurenIncident roof collapse last night in Woodcrest. Photo credit to CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department pic.twitter.com/UCye1ab5As  CAL FIRE Riverside (@CALFIRERRU) February 18, 2017

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A fugitive from Arizona was jailed Friday, Feb. 17 for allegedly engaging in lewd behavior in a Stater Bros Market parking lot, according to a San Bernardino County sheriffs news release.

Deputies arrested Steven Michael Williams, 32, of Tucson about 12:30 p.m. Friday on suspicion of performing lewd acts, indecent exposure, obstruction and possessing a billy club weapon, the news release states.

Williams had been reported masturbating in a parked vehicle in a parking lot in the 25600 block of Barton Road in Loma Linda. When deputies approached him, he appeared to be reaching for an object and refused to follow deputies commands to stop reaching, the news release states.

Nonetheless deputies quickly removed and detained Williams, after which they found a baton-type weapon in the location where he appeared to have been reaching.

Deputies learned Williams had been in the parking lot of the location observing young females and masturbating in public while looking at the females, the news release states.

Williams was booked into the Central Detention Center, where he is being held without bail. Pima County, Arizona placed a hold on him as he is a fugitive from their jurisdiction.
At least four people are dead in the wake of the most powerful storm to slam Southern California in years, as officials assess the damage Saturday morning and scramble to fix sinkholes, restore power and reopen closed highways.

The giant storm created when a low-pressure system collided with a Pineapple Express-style plume of moisture out of the Pacific was a factor in San Fernando Valley, High Desert and San Diego deaths, authorities said.

Saturday broke much more quietly  and its expected to stay that way. The National Weather Service in Oxnard predicted a cool and showery weather pattern will continue through Saturday night and on throuh Sunday, as the low-pressure system slowly moves out.

Thats not to say showers couldnt coalesce somewhere and trigger a downpour and flooding. But forecasters said that chance is low  5 percent to 10 percent  and isnt high enough to warrant a flash flood watch.

Sunday is forecast to be dry. But dont put away the umbrellas. Wet weather is expected to return early next week as a series of low-pressure systems move ashore, the service said.

RELATED: Powerful storm to wind down Saturday for Inland valleys, but rain still likely

Just how big and bad was the storm that raged Friday and trickled into this morning? The system was estimated to be 150 miles wide and it unleashed 5 inches of rain on parts of urban Southern California. And it was blamed for a sinkhole in the Studio City area of Los Angeles that swallowed two cars, and for a collapse of pavement on I-15 in the Cajon Pass that threw down a giant fire truck as if it were a childs toy. No one was injured in either incident, both of which occurred Friday night.

That was not the case in Victorville, where cars were caught in roaring flood waters Friday night.

San Bernardino County firefighters plucked one person from atop a partially submerged vehicle but another person died, during a series of swift-water rescues, authorities said. The victim was found in another vehicle that was fully submerged.

In Sherman Oaks, a 55-year-old man was electrocuted Friday after a tree branch fell onto power lines and landed on a vehicle and he walked around the car, authorities said.

And in separate fatal accidents on San Diego freeways Friday evening, two people were killed.

The first accident occurred on northbound I-15 near Mira Mesa Boulevard when a vehicle hydroplaned across the freeway, crashing into multiple vehicles, San Diegos 10News reported. One person died and three others were injured.

The second accident occurred on the 15 near I-805. In that one, too, a car hydroplaned out of control across lanes, 10News reported. The vehicle slammed into a construction truck parked on the side of the highway, killing a passenger.

Air travel also has been widely disrupted.

Dozens of flight cancellations were reported at all of Southern Californias major airports. And more than 300 arriving and departing flights were delayed or canceled at Los Angeles International Airport alone.

Winds gusting to 70 mph or more lashed many parts of the region. Heavy rains turned creeks and rivers into muddy brown torrents, melting hillsides that were torched by wildfires a few months ago.

Mud removal on Hwy 138 heading into West Cajon Valley @sbsun @RickSforza pic.twitter.com/EfVSIFeblI  Sarah Alvarado (@sarahalvarado) February 18, 2017

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Several stretches of freeways and highways were closed by flooding, notably the 110 freeway at Slauson Avenue in Los Angeles and the 101 at La Conchita north of Ventura. Storm water flooded the 110, while several feet of mud spilled onto the 101.

In San Bernardino County, a 20-mile stretch of Highway 138 in the vicinity of last summers Blue Cut fire closed as well.

And the San Bernardino County rescue at Victorville was hardly the only example of people caught in swift-running water.

In Sun Valley, 10 cars were trapped in swift-moving water on a roadway and 15 people had to be rescued, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

Using ropes and inflatable boats, firefighters rescued seven people and two dogs from the Sepulveda basin, a recreation and flood-control area along the Los Angeles River.

And did we mention trees? Hundreds of trees were toppled like matchsticks all over Southern California, as the storm packed monster winds alongside monster amounts of moisture.

Perhaps nowhere was that more clear than in a neighborhood near UCLA, where a 75-foot tree fell onto an apartment building, narrowly missing student. A total of 16 college students had to be evacuated.

And, of course, falling trees meant downed power lines.

At one point, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported that more than 60,000 customers across the nations second largest city were without electricity. And Southern California Edison spokeswoman Sally Jeun said 57,000 Edison customers throughout Southern California  including 22,000 in Orange County  lost their power.

Of course, the storm carried benefits.

Enjoying their best winter in years, the regions mountain resorts rejoiced. For example, Snow Valley Mountain Resort Running Springs received 8 inches of snow, spokesman John Brice said, and was expecting more Saturday. Mount Baldy reported 2 feet of snow.

Rain totals were off the charts, too, according to Saturday morning updates from the National Weather Service.

Some examples: Crestline, 5.5 inches; Mount Baldy Village, 5.04 inches; Canoga Park, 4.84 inches; Malibu Canyon, 4.83 inches; Agoura Hills, 4.6 inches; Woodland Hills, 4.19 inches; Sepulveda Cayon, 3.51 inches; Laguna Hills, 2.93 inches; Long Beach, 2.77 inches; Pasadena, 2.74 inches; Lake Arrowhead, 2.62 inches; Claremont, 2.28 inches; Whittier, 2.22 inches; Yorba Linda, 1.81 inches; Huntington Beach, 1.69 inches; Lake Mathews, 1.51 inches; Ontario Airport, 1.49 inches; Norco, 1.3 inches; Riverside Airport, 1.26 inches; Yucaipa Regional Park, 1.14 inches; and Temecula, 1.1 inches.

The storm is, so far, the punctuation the point for a very wet winter following five years of drought.

And it sort of fits, suggested Bill Patzert, climate scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

There are three seasons in California, Bill Patzert said. There is drought, followed by fire, followed by deluge.

RELATED

VIDEO: Firefighters escape engine before it falls off I-15

Friday brought deadly storm, damage to Inland area

Storm causes roof of mobile home to collapse near Riverside

1 dead, another rescued from swift waters in Victorville

City News Service and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
If you have not read Ron's book then you do not have the whole story about what I have been doing to try to get my clients out ofGuantanamo. Ron kept up with my activities and even followed me around on occasion to get the full story... then he weaved my story in with the stories of other individuals who are concerned with the direction of the United States. I recommend the book to all of you out there who also care about the direction that the US has gone these past eight years and want to work to change things.
A number of places in Riverside County have or had names based on food or drink.

Today, we will look at five of those names and how they came to be.

Wine, grapes

In early 1901, the Riverside Vineyard Co. began planting many acres of grape vines in the area now known as Mira Loma. It was announced in a local newspaper that the company was beginning to make wine with its grapes in September 1904. The post office serving the area was called Stalder, after a resident in the area in whose home the first post office was established. A nearby train siding was given the same name.

However, after a train wreck in 1905 that was partially blamed on the confusion between the names of two train sidings  Stalder and Streeter, it was decided to rename the Stalder siding. It appears that Riverside Vineyard had some influence in deciding the new name, and the post office and siding were renamed Wineville in late 1905 or early 1906.

The areas name changed again in the 1920s, but Wineville Avenue is still in that community, hearkening back to its earlier name.

Cherries

The Los Angeles-based Cherry Valley Land and Water Co. began selling land in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains in summer 1885. At the time, the development was 4 miles north of the town of Beaumont. The land was at an elevation of about 3000 feet, which made it perfect for growing cherries, and the land was marketed for that purpose. Soon Cherry Valley, which started as the name of a subdivision, was truly a place where cherry trees dominated the landscape.

Chocolate

The delicious-sounding Chocolate Mountains, located in Riverside and Imperial counties east of the Salton Sea, were named 160 years ago, in January 1867.

At that time, the U.S. War Department sent a party to explore the Colorado River. Lt. Joseph C. Ives, with Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, observed from his ship in the river a range of chocolate-colored mountains with sharp, rough peaks.

Somehow, the name stuck and the mountains have been known ever since by a name that sounds like it comes straight from the childrens game of Candyland.

Strawberries

Wild strawberries are common in the mountains of Southern California, growing in shady damp areas between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. Early settlers in the San Jacinto Mountains named Strawberry Creek, Valley and Flats for the wild strawberries they found there when the area was settled in about 1865.

Fruitvale

Fruitvale was a school district west of Hemet. According to Jane Davies Gunther, it was established in 1896 and named for its location in the midst of a large acreage of fruit orchards.

Fruitvale Avenue and Fruitvale Elementary School in Hemet use the name of that early school district.

If you have an idea for a future Back in the Day column about a local historic person, place or event, contact Steve Lech and Kim Jarrell Johnson at backinthedaype@gmail.com.
At least one person died and another was rescued from swift waters on Friday evening, fire officials said.

Additionally, several vehicles had been swept downstream, the San Bernardino County Fire Department tweeted.

About 6:30 p.m., the San Bernardino County Fire Department tweeted several high swift water rescues near Pebble Beach and La Paz drives in Victorville.

About 6:45 p.m., the Fire Department a San Bernardino County sheriffs helicopter had rescued one person from atop a partially submerged vehicle  and several other cars had been swept downstream.

Another vehicle was reported fully submerged and contained the victim who died.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, joined a group President Donald Trumps early congressional backers who met the president at the White House on Thursday, Feb. 16 for a listening session.

Hunter, who represents most of Temecula, was one of the first congressman to publicly endorse Trump. He introduced himself during Thursdays meeting but said nothing else, according to a White House transcript of the event.

An Oval Office photo of the group tweeted out by Trump with the hashtag #MakeAmericaGreat Again includes Vice President Mike Pence Hunter, who is pictured third from right behind Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

With the exception of Blackburn, everyone in the photo is a white male, something not lost on Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.

The lack of diversity in this photo is unfortunately no longer astounding. We must do better. https://t.co/3oIMSAn6CG  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 17, 2017

The photo gave rise to a Trump Caucus meme used to mock the gathering via Twitter.

when applebees announces a new skillet sensation pic.twitter.com/T1rtbhogXO  Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) February 17, 2017

At Trump Used Auto we will get you the best prices in the industry, guaranteed! Come on by and meet our experienced team today! pic.twitter.com/pO3rc2UX7j  Eric Koch (@EricDKoch) February 17, 2017
Hemets Valley Restart Shelter has helped thousands of families get back on their feet and into new homes.

Now it is looking for a little help.

The shelter is hoping to upgrade its facilities, and board member Marv Nottingham has reached out to USC, his alma mater, for some assistance.

After Nottingham read an article about fellow alum Suzanne Dworak-Peck making a $60 million gift to endow and name the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, he wondered if the local shelter could benefit.

So Nottingham shot off a letter to USC President Max Nikias with a proposal: Nottingham would donate a portion of his net worth to the shelter if USC would give $3 million to the project.

They said it is a unique letter, and they came out to visit, Nottingham said.

Asha Jayasinghe, executive director of individual giving and alumni engagement at the school of social work, made the visit and said the university has made no commitments.

Our conversations have been about engaging the USC alumni in the Hemet area and with the help of the school bringing attention to the important work Valley Restart Shelter provides, Jayasinghe said.

Nottingham, 92, a retired educator and one-time Hemet High principal, has been on the shelter board for over 15 years.

His dream is to rebuild the shelters facility on Menlo Avenue, just east of State Street, and hes started a fundraising campaign to help to buy its property outright, sending donor cards throughout the community.

Homelessness is a hot-button issue in Hemet, where there is a large and varied homeless population.

Restart mostly serves those recently made homeless, Restart Executive Director Linda Rogers said.

The property dates to the 1940s, when it provided homes for migrant field workers. It was later home to the Hemet-San Jacinto YMCA, which closed in 1994.

Valley Restart was founded in 1990 and moved to the property in 1995.

Using the same 1940s-era building, Restart usually has for 35 residents  limited to five single men, five single women and eight families.

Rogers says the average stay is 45 days, but residents can stay up to 90, as long as they follow strict guidelines.

Weve been full and had a waiting list for two years, she said.

Meals and showers are available for the homeless who dont live at the shelter, as long as they pass a background check.

The shelter survives primarily on donations and grants. Churches buy and prepare meals and other food comes from food banks. Scouts and other volunteers have refurbished the facilities.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9086 or cshultz@scng.comTwitter: @PE_CraigShultz
The last big storm to hit Southern California in January was a test for 3M Corona.

The plant makes specialty roofing granules for asphalt shingles. A couple of years ago, faced with stepped-up state regulation of stormwater runoff, 3M decided to exceed Californias requirements to report rainwater runoff and build catch basins large enough to not have any, according to Roberta Reed, environment health and safety manager.

It was close, but we contained all of our stormwater. We didnt have runoff from our site, she said in a phone interview.

3M Corona is far ahead of many businesses in Southern California. Since the states Water Resources Control Boards new requirements for Industrial General Permits kicked in on July 1, 2015, compliance has been slow.

Engineer Tory R. Walker likened the situation to speeders on a freeway, forging ahead but always looking behind for enforcement to pull up.

Walkers Vista-based company, Tory R. Walker Engineering, Inc., provides consulting in water resources.

He recently led a workshop in Temecula that he plans to repeat this spring in Riverside and San Bernardino.

The session began with instructions on how to sign up with the state to file stormwater permit documents, suggesting many businesses havent even started.

The new regulations require more businesses to monitor runoff from their property into waterways and test for chemicals, minerals or microbes that are polluting them.

Some of the requirements can be challenging, especially to small busineses. They include:

 Taking water samples during early hours of a storm four times a year, twice from July 1 to Dec. 31 and twice from Jan. 1 to June 30.

 Getting refrigerated samples to a lab quickly for analysis.

In the case of pH testing, doing analysis yourself within minutes of taking the sample.

Supplementing sampling with monthly inspections.

Keeping records online, where they will be available for the public to peruse, including environmentalists and lawyers looking to file lawsuits.

Its called the Storm Water Multiple Application and Report Tracking System  SMARTS for short.

Once businesses are registered, failure to understand documentation and sampling can lead to costly mistakes.

One of the best ways to collect water is through the sheet flow sampling method, which requires containers of sand, rubber gloves, a tool like a shovel handle or plastic dustpan, and several zip-lock bags.

Testers use the items to trap and bag water running over a gravel or impervious surface.

Water obtained this way will be freer of contaminants that could show up in lab testing than standing water. But many businesses opt for the latter.

You get that answer probably three out of five times, said Jason Dorney, one of the speakers at Walkers event. Thats our discharge point, but right here is a pothole, and thats where I take the water from because its deep enough for me to put the container. If youre doing that, stop!

Dorney is with Filtrexx, which makes compost-filled tubes intended to filter out pollutants in water. They are an alternative to silt fences, which can trap and pool water but often dont filter it.

How many people here use straw wattles? Dorney asked Everybody, right? Theyre cheap, huh? You get what you pay for.

Monthly monitoring with a visual inspection log is a good way to prepare for sampling, said Ariel Lewis, who is a qualified stormwater practitioner, or QISP.

Take photos and keep them on a thumb drive to document when you fix problems, she advised.

What some litigators like to do is say its been out of compliance for the last four years.

People get confused in record-keeping about the destination of runoff. In southwest Riverside County, it might be San Marcos Creek. Elsewhere in the Inland Empire, it might be the Santa Ana River.

A really common issue we see is people will put discharges to the Pacific Ocean. Unless you are a harbor or involved with the Coast Guard, youre not directly discharging to the Pacific Ocean. What they want to see is water bodies that lead to the Pacific Ocean. If a creek is impacted and it goes to the ocean, well worry about the creek.

The goal of many businesses is a no exposure certification, which is why companies like 3M Corona build catch basins.

The California philosophy for many years on stormwater was get it out of our way as quickly as possible. Build a big catch basin, concrete line it  better yet, get it to the ocean faster, said Reed. Not the right answer for the climate we have here.

My opinion is  and I dont know how were going to do it  but the state needs to contain our water, have a better ability to do groundwater recharge, and deal with the issues when we do have these droughts, which were going to continue to have.

Understanding the purpose can help people reach the goal, said Dorney.

Keep your facility clean. If you do that youre going a long way toward helping yourself.

Contact the writer: fbuck@scng.com or 951-368-9551.
Mantrac Ghana Limited, the authorised dealers of Caterpillar products and services in Ghana has announced the graduation of the first batch of Eight (8) students for the Caterpillar Technicians for Africa Project  Ghana Edition. This comes at a time Mantrac Ghana is celebrating its 80years of dealership in Ghana.



Technicians for Africa Project, is a free online program for Africans seeking a new and exciting career as service technicians. It is sponsored by Caterpillar, the global leader in construction and mining equipment in collaboration with its dealers across Africa as part of its corporate social responsibility.



In Ghana the program was launched in November 2016 and currently has over 350 students enrolled in the program with the first set of 8 students receiving certification to begin their career as Service Technicians.



In a matter of three to six months trainees can achieve Foundational Certification and begin an exciting journey towards a possible career as a well-paid and highly valued service technician in the automotive, trucking or heavy equipment industry.



According to Mantrac Ghanas Product Support Manager, Graham Dickinson, the training is an opportunity for technicians who wish to work with Mantrac Ghana to go through this process to equip them for deliver satisfactory services.



Behind every car, truck or heavy equipment is a service technician who keeps that vehicle running. Service technicians work inside mechanic shops, auto dealerships, heavy equipment dealerships and other garages to diagnose and repair equipment, he said.



Since the Caterpillar Dealership in Ghana was formed in 1937 we have developed the skills of thousands of Technicians. The Technicians who graduated from our training school have strengthened the overall technical knowledge within the Ghanaian Power Generation, Construction and Mining industries he added.



Mr Dickinson indicated that the construction and mining industries continue to grow throughout Africa, with its attendant opportunities and urged people to avail themselves of the opportunity presented by Mantrac Ghana to enhance their skills to make themselves marketable. .



He said it is also an opportunity for the Ministry of Education to empower the newly upgraded Technical Universities to better prepare its graduates for the job market.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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FIRST Lady Grace Mugabe yesterday brewed a shocker when she suggested that even if a dead President Robert Mugabes corpse is put on the ballot paper, people will still vote for him.



Grace made the stunning claim while addressing thousands of Zanu PF supporters at St Johns Primary School in Buhera, where she blasted unnamed Zanu PF bigwigs for allegedly plotting to dislodge her husband from power.



The First Lady has in the past made numerous controversial suggestions regarding Mugabes 37-year rule, and at one point claiming Mugabe, who turns 93 next week, will rule Zimbabwe from the grave or from a wheelchair.



She said Mugabe was one of Zanu PFs biggest strengths.



Our first strength is in President Mugabe. Even if we go anywhere people will respect him, she said, adding even children were aware of his importance. Grace said it was surprising to hear people saying she must tell Mugabe to leave office.



You hear people accusing me of still wanting to continue as the First Lady of this nation, saying that is why I dont want to tell the President to retire. I am not the only one who voted for him.



Only a fool will say that. We will field a candidate of a corpse on the ballot if God takes Mugabe and people will vote for him just to show how much the President is loved, she said amid thunderous applause from the Zanu PF supporters.



Grace added: Lets wait for Gods time when He decides that Mugabe should stop and then we enter into the race. But one thing you must not forget is that if you dont have Mugabes support it will be difficult for you.



She also blasted factionalism within Zanu PF, saying leaders in the party were giving lip service to people. Zanu PF has been embroiled in factional fights pitting Graces loyalists in the G40 faction against supporters of Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, popularly known as Team Lacoste. Without mentioning names, the First Lady said such people, who have been with her husband since 1980, were not electable and would lose any election even to chickens.



We are divided because of factionalism. We are divided and down with that. Whoever is engaging in factionalism must stop forthwith. Stop it. We dont want that because it doesnt yield anything, she said.



Grace said for those who want to lead must introspect and vet themselves first. The First Lady said some were just pushing for factionalism because they did not have qualities to lead.



There are people, who know that if they stand for election, even with a chicken, they will lose. A cock can win against a person who was given dominion over everything and lose, she said.



I am the First Lady because you elected the President of this nation. Some will be saying Mugabe is old and he must leave. I am the one who must say Mugabe should leave so that I take over because I didnt start with him in 1980. I dont want to be told by anybody else that the President has overstayed yet they started together in 1980.



Many will regard this as taking potshots at Mnangagwa, who has been in government since 1980 and is often criticised for being unelectable.



Grace said all Zanu PF leaders, who started with Mugabe at independence in 1980, had no right to say the veteran politicians was now too old as they were equally old.



In Zanu PF, we have an upper hand, but sometimes we dont see it. We want to throw away talents we received from God. We have our talent in our leader President Mugabe, the iconic leader, she said



That man is irreplaceable. That is the truth whether we like it or not. What is in him came from heaven. If you go and vote for Mugabe you will not know that it is God who is instructing you to do that.



Grace claimed when MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai won the first round of the 2008 presidential elections against Mugabe, God wanted to teach Zimbabweans a lesson.



Grace also took a dig at Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) leader, Joice Mujuru, mocking her as Queen Bee.



She said a queen bee always mates in the open with several male bees fighting to mate with it.



Grace said Mujuru squandered an opportunity to apologise to Mugabe and be pardoned so that she would be buried at the National Heroes Acre.



Throughout her long speech filled with insults targeting Mujuru, Grace threatened to expose corrupt activities that were done by the ZimPF leader during her time in Zanu PF.



Grace also gave a stern warning to Cabinet ministers, who are lining their pockets at the expense of ordinary people.



She said politicians must not take people for granted and should must always be in contact with them and respect them so that Zanu PF remains in power.



Despite the government always saying it was improving the operational business environment, Grace admitted that her Gushungo business empire in Mazowe was facing several challenges but vowed to keep it for the sake of employees.



Several ministers among them Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere, Energy minister Samuel Undenge, Information minister Chris Mushohwe and Womens Affairs minister Nyasha Chikwinya attended the rally where Grace donated several items including rice, maize, cooking oil and second-hand clothes to Buhera villagers.

Source: newsday.co.zw









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The new Gambian president Adama Barrow will be formally inaugurated today, February 18, at the Independence Stadium in the capital, Banjul.



The official swearing-in of President Barrow has also been tied to The Gambias 52nd Independence Day celebration.



Reports also indicate that presidents from about 20 African countries are expected to grace the event.



While US Department of State, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield will also be at the event.



Barrow was sworn in last month at a ceremony at the Gambian embassy in Senegal when long-time ruler Yahya Jammeh had refused to step down despite his electoral defeat.



He was sworn-in by the head of The Gambian bar association.



This second oath will be administered by the new Chief Justice, Justice Hassan Jallow.



President Barrow who is only the third president in the history of The Gambia assumed office on January 19, after an election where he was declared winner against Jammeh.



He has promised a new dawn for the country, which was ruled with an iron fist by Yahya Jammeh.



The former president Jammeh was voted out in December but he only agreed to step down when regional powers sent in troops ready to remove him by force.



Barrow returned to the country four days after Jammeh agreed to go into exile in Equatorial Guinea.

Source: NAIJ









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The special ad-hoc committee investigating the alleged bribery case against members of the Appointments Committee on Friday sat for less than an hour and adjourned sitting, asking witnesses to stand by on Monday.



Mr Joseph Osei- Owusu, First Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Appointments Committee, was the first to testify on Wednesday, when the public hearing on the alleged scandal began.



Mr Joe Ghartey, the Chairman of the bribery probe committee, had indicated at its first sitting on Wednesday that, four witnesses would be called; Mr Osei- Owusu, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, the Minority Chief Whip, MP for Asawase, Mahama Ayariga, MP for Bawku Central and Mr Boakye Agyarko, the Energy Minister.



However, the committee has admitted to hear Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu, whom Mr Osei-Owusu had told committee that he Mr Ablakwa had said the alleged bribery was to equalise and or spread allegations of corruption against former President Mahama for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to feel the heat of being tagged with corruption.



Mr Ablakwa, through a counsel and personal approach has requested for the transcript and recording of the first sitting at which his name was mentioned.



Mr Ghartey, a former Second Deputy Speaker; and MP for Essikado Ketan and Minister for Railways Development, said the adjournment was to grant Mr Ablakwas request for the transcript and recording of the first sitting, where the First Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Parliaments Appointments committee, Joe Osei-Owusu appeared.



Mr Ghartey further threw an invitation to other Members of Appointments Committee, to come forth if they wished to give evidence, as well as MPs who were not members to witness proceedings as friends of the committee.



We have agreed to oblige that request. We are taking steps to give him a copy and a transcript of the proceedings of that day, and when he receives it, he will be in a position to come before us, Mr. Ghartey said.



Mr Ghartey said justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done to all the witnesses who will appear before the committee.



He also directed the Clerk of Parliament to within four hours serve all the witnesses to appear before the committee on Monday.



Mr Ablakwa, along with two other members of the minority on Appointments Committee Alhassan Suhuyini and Mahama Ayariga alleged that some monies were paid to them after the vetting of Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko to help facilitate his approval.



Mr Osei-Owusu and Minority Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed were named as conduits of the alleged payment.



Mr Osei- Owusu, in statement on the floor had threatened to go to court to redeem his image, but that request was stood down for the special Joe Ghartey Committee.



Members of the committee are Ben Abdallah, MP for Offinso South; Mr B T Baba, MP for Talensi, Mr Magnus Kofi Amoatey, MP for Yilo Krobo; and Madam Ama Pomaa Boateng, MP for Juaben, who was replaced with Abena Durowaa Mensah, MP for Assin North, but has since returned from ECOWAS Parliament assignment.



The three MPs subsequently petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Oquaye to investigate the allegations.



Mr Ablakwa, Mr Ayariga and, Mr Alhassan Suhuyini, MP for for Tamale North have also petitioned the Speaker for an inquiry into the bribery allegation.

Source: GNA









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An amount of money, thought to be in the thousands of Ghana Cedis, which was in one of Mr Kofi Adams two SUVs that were seized, has been stolen, the NDC National Organisers Aide Yahya Ibrahim has said.



One of the SUVs had its windscreen cracked, one of the cars too has been ransacked, he [Kofi Adams] had some few monies in his car and some other logistics in the vehicle, which have all been taken away, but according to the police, when they brought it and they took inventory, those things were not in the vehicle, Mr Ibrahim told Moro Awudu on Class91.3FMs Executive Breakfast Show on Friday, 17 February when he was asked about the condition of the five cars after the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, in whose custody the vehicles were, returned them on Thursday.



The vehicles include two Toyota Land Cruiser V8s with registration numbers GS 7451-12 and GN 7796-16, respectively and three Nissan Hardbody Pick-Ups with registration numbers GM 842-16, GM 823-16 and GM 846-16, respectively.



On 1 February, 15 armed men dressed in military fatigues, suspected to be army personnel, stormed the private residence of Mr Adams and seized all his vehicles in the company of four alleged National Security officers and personnel from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).



According to Mr Adams, who said he was in Dubai during the incident, the soldiers ransacked his Tema Gulf City home and drove away the five cars.



The cars, according to the soldiers, were suspected to belong to the state and were taken to the Flagstaff House.



National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah later called Mr Adams to apologise to him saying the action was not sanctioned by officialdom. Mr Kan-Dapaah ordered the return of the cars but Mr Adams insisted they be taken to the police for inspection and an inventory taken before he could take them back. The CID, however, held onto the cars until Mr Adams was compelled to write to the IGP to demand his vehicles back.



The Pick-Ups are in the name of Japan Motors while the two Land Cruisers are in the name of Mr Adams.



Mr Adams aide told Moro Awudu he suspects those who stormed his boss home for the cars, stole the alleged money, even though he refused to disclose the exact amount.



Indeed, they are responsible because things were in the vehicles that are missing as we speak and we are going to lodge a formal complaint to the police and well pursue it legally, we will not leave it in the hand of the police to say they are going to prosecute them, no, we will pursue it legally, he said, adding: The one who took it knows the money does not belong to him so when we go to court he will refund it.



Also, Mr Ibrahim said: The military man involved, Captain Adjei Tandoh, we are going to pursue him legally and take the Ghana Armed Forces on in the coming days.



He added that one of the Pick-Ups has also been damaged.  Im sure when they were reversing, they did not reverse well so it hit something, so, there is a small damage at the back of which we notified the police.

Source: classfmonline.com









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President Nana Akufo-Addo and former President John Dramani Mahama will today [Saturday], be in The Gambia to attend the inauguration of President Adama Barrow.



The ceremony will take place at the main stadium in the countrys capital, Banjul. This comes after President Barrow was sworn into office as The Gambias third President in The Gambian Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, following long-time ruler Yahya Jammehs refusal to step down despite his electoral defeat. Yahya Jammeh eventually stepped down under pressure from ECOWAS and the AU, and is in exile in Equatorial Guinea. President Barrows inauguration today also coincides with the 52nd Independence Anniversary of the small West African Country.

Former President John Mahama was an ECOWAS Co-Mediator in the efforts towards resolving the election dispute that followed the December 01, 2016 election.















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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There was total chaos at the Ashaiman NPP youth office at Tulaku, a suburb of Ashaiman when a group of young men angrily stormed the office and started braking tables and chairs.



The action of the angry youth was aimed at disrupting a press conference which was about to be held at the youth office.



The youth are alleged to be loyalists of the failed NPP 2016 Parliamentary candidate Alhaji Yakubu Labarran.



They broke and kicked the chairs and tables arranged for the scheduled press conference.



The youth also heckled and manhandled some of the organisers of the programme and almost attacked journalists who were there to cover the event.



They have vowed never to allow anybody or group of persons organize any programme with the intention of endorsing any candidate in Ashaiman ahead of the MCE nomination except it is in favour of the failed Parliamentary candidate, Alhaji Yakubu Labarran.



"We shall not allow anybody in Ashaiman to organize any press conference anywhere in Ashaiman because it is an agenda to promote other former MCE Albert Okyere. The people of Ashaiman want Alhaji Labarran so we will not allow anybody to come and thwart our effort"



They angrily chanted that "Alhaji has done a lot for the party and we shall not allow his efforts to go waste"



They further noted that they will only agree for another person to become the MCE for Ashaiman if Alhaji Labarran is given another appointment elsewhere.



"If Alhaji will not get the appointment, then the party must give him a different appointment before announcing the name of the new MCE or else...No Alhaji, No MCE"



They warned the party against the selection of a one time former MCE Albert Okyere as the suitable nominee since they shall fiercely oppose his nomination.



"We don't want Okyere anywhere close to the Assembly because the immidiate past NDC MCE is his close ally and he cannot come and investigate his corrupt administration. If the Party dare brings Albert Okyere, we shall create total chaos in Ashaiman"they threatened



The disrupted press conference which was organized by a group called Concerned Grassroot Members of the NPP in Ashaiman sort to appeal to the party hierarchy not to be intimidated to nominate an unqualified candidate as MCE for Ashaiman.



The press statement which was made available to the media stated that "We here believe that, in the selection of who becomes the MCE for Ashaiman, the party hierarchy must not just select anyone for the sake of it, but with all humility consider the inputs of those of us the downtrodden, the foot soldiers and the polling station executives since we are also stakeholders of our great Party the NPP"



It continued that "We as Concerned Grassroot Supporters of the NPP in Ashaiman have heared of several names that are flying about in the constituency as potential MCE'S. But we are of the view that the party should not be in haste in its declaration but must try and do due diligence and consultation ahead of the selection in order not to lost touch with the grassroots and floating voters by announcing the wrong nominee.



Among the names we have heard, there are some who have been with the party from its inception, some who have been with the party through thick and thin, some who have really suffered for the party and gone through the ranks and have helped to boost the image of the party in this constituency and continues to do so.



All these people deserves worthy of naming as MCE, but above all, we think the party must nominate a unifier who has worked with the party and can highly identify and recognise the grassroot members who also played diverse roles in the victory of the party"



The group argued that the selection of the MCE is not about self interest, but about service to the people of Ashaiman and adding to the infrastructure base of Ashaiman"



They appealed to the party to be guided by competence, hard work, dedication and loyalty to the party as they choose who should become the MCE for the area.

Source: Prosper Agbenyega/Ghanaian observer









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The bilateral relations between Ghana and Morocco have been strengthened with the visit of the Moroccan King, Mohammed VI to Ghana.



The Moroccan King decorated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo with the countrys highest national award  the Grand Collar of Wissam Al-Mohammadi  at the Flagstaff House yesterday as part of his official visit to Ghana.



It was in reciprocation of the award earlier conferred on him by President Akufo-Addo, who honoured King Mohammed VI with Ghanas highest national honour  The Companion of the Star of Ghana.



About 27 agreements were signed between the two countries in the areas of agriculture, trade and industry, energy, foreign affairs and regional integration, as well as education and also 20 other private sector organisations.



Tight Security



Security at the presidency had been raised to a high-level following the visit of the Moroccan King.



Long before his arrival at the Flagstaff House at about 1:30 pm, there was high security presence with both military and police men positioned at vantage points and on high alert.



Some of them were seen on rooftops wielding guns to foil any possible intrusion.



Movement to certain areas at the presidency was curtailed to aid the free movement of President Akufo-Addo and his guest, thereby causing a lot of inconvenience for especially anxious journalists, who wanted to capture every bit of the planned activity for the day.



Photo and videographers were seen almost falling over one another to capture the two leaders amidst the tight security.



Some frustrated journalists, especially the local reporters, had to retreat to their holding office to avoid possible brushes with the security guards.



The place had almost become a no go area for especially visitors, who did not have any prior appointments with officials and key staff of the place.



But matters got worse when the Moroccan King arrived. Instead of using the usual route behind the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), his convoy was made to go through the front gate of the presidential palace [the part overlooking the Revolution Square].



Security was tight to an extent that a group of local actors and actresses, including Kalybos, Nana Ama Mac Brown, Joselyn Dumas and many more who had come to pay a courtesy call on the president had a tough time gaining access to the place.



Guard Of Honour



On arrival at the presidency, the King was made to inspect a guard of honour mounted by the Ghana Air Force after which he proceeded to exchange pleasantries with President Akufo-Addo.



Later at a ceremony, the president conferred on the Moroccan King the Companion of the Star of Ghana (honorary division) for his commitment to social justice and peace.



Decorating him with the honour, President Akufo-Addo said Ghana has enjoyed closer collaboration with Morocco in the areas of education and science under the rein of King Mohammed.



Nana commended him for his continuous commitment to democracy and peace.



The Moroccan King is expected to depart Ghana to his country sometime tomorrow.

Source: Daily Guide









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For anyone still keeping up with the pit of utter, howling despair that is Rob Kardashian and Blac Chynas relationship, there are reports out of LA that the pair have broken up once again, apparently for real this time.

The on-again off-again couple started dating in January of last year, and amid their many Instagram quarrels and awkward public appearances, they collaborated on an infant, Dream Renee, who was born last November.

Per reports in People, the couple have called off their planned wedding, and split a while ago  the absence of publicity and suspicious lack of social media noise around this latest break-up suggest they might be serious.

Said a source close to Rob: They are both trying to be mature about it. It was less dramatic this time.

The Kardashian family apparently has more leaks than the White House, because another source told rival publication US Weekly that Rob thinks this breakup is the right decision.

Chyna has disappeared for days at a time without communicating or providing any updates, the source continued. This wont end well.

Robs last Instagram post is a cute-AF family photo:

Stealing hearts mama ?? A post shared by ROBERT KARDASHIAN (@robkardashian) on Feb 14, 2017 at 2:35pm PST

Chynas latest, from several hours ago, is some #sponcon for a body shaper, that makes no mention of Rob. Savage.

Source: People / US Weekly.

Photo: Gabe Ginsberg / Getty.
Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

Why spend President's Day at home, when you can explore Philadelphia's history for free?

That's right, FREE.

Here's a list of places you can visit in the city on Feb. 20 without spending a dime. Some of these are free year round, others are making the exception for President's Day. Either way, it's a win for you.

Don't Edit

Photo provided by the National Constitution Center.

Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

National Constitution Center

The Presidents authority is dictated in the United States Constitution, so Presidents Day is a perfect chance to explore it, and our government, more thoroughly (and in a fun way!). Special Presidents Day programs include a chance to go inside a real voting booth, a Presidential Costume Contest for kids 12 and under as well as a chance to hang out with Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Admission is free at the center on Presidents Day thanks to TD Bank.

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Photo by Flickr user Bev Sykes

Liberty Bell Center

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 20. 526 Market St., Philadelphia. nps.gov

Liberty and justice for all are words that have defined the American culture since they wer e written in our Pledge of Allegiance. Learn about our countys history of freedom and the stories of those who fought for it long after the American Revolution at the Liberty Bell Center. You also see the Liberty Bell, obviously.

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Photo by Matt Rourke, AP

National Museum of American Jewish History

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 20. 101 S. Independence Mall East, Philadelphia. nmajh.org

The museum dives deep into the relationship of Jewish Americans and the office of the President in its special Presidents Day programming. Itll feature a special talk on the topic every hour between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. An original letter by George Washington to the Jewish Community of Newport, Rhode Island will also be on display and visitors will be givne a chance to write their own letter to the President with a quill pen. For those who have never visited the museum before, be sure to catch a highlight tour -- there are two on Presidents Day, at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Littler ones will enjoy presidential arts and crafts, story times and play zones at the museum.

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Photo by Flickr user Tom Ipri

Independence Hall

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 20. 520 Chestnut St., Philadelphia nps.gov

What better way to celebrate Presidents Day than in the very building that gave birth to our nation? Tour the room where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were signed.

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Benjamin Franklin Museum

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 20. 317 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. nps.gov

He may not have been a president, but Benjamin Franklin was a vital part in the making of the United States of America. Learn all about the inventor, writer, diplomat and statesman by touring this museum. Its free on Presidents Day (admission is normally $5 for adults).

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Photo by Flickr user Norman Maddeaux

The President's House

7 a.m.-10 p.m. Feb. 20. 6th and Market streets, Philadelphia. nps.gov

Both President George Washington and President John Adams lived on this site in Philadelphia, but it isnt the presidential stories this exhibit tells. Instead it focuses on the nine slaves who served Washington during his stay here. Its a powerful exhibit.

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That's it for that list, but here are some stories you may enjoy
Target Settlement

In this Dec. 19, 2013 file photo, shoppers arrive at a Target store in Los Angeles.

(Damian Dovarganes)

Mark Barnett, of Florida, has been charged with plotting to place 10 explosive devices inside Target stores along the East Coast, beginning in the Syracuse area. (Police mug shot)

A Florida sex offender went to a restaurant on Valentine's Day and pored over his plot to plant bombs in Target stores up and down the East Coast, according to federal agents.

Mark Charles Barnett had stashed 10 bombs in boxes of pasta, breakfast bars and stuffing, federal agents said in court papers. He wanted a co-worker to place the bombs in the Target stores, starting with one in Syracuse, New York, agents said in court papers.

"Start at Syracuse and work your way down," Barnett advised his coworker, according to a criminal complaint filed in a Florida court. "Put one in each state, I guess."

But there was something Barnett didn't know: The person he considered his lackey was wearing a wire.

Barnett, 48, of Ocala, Florida, was arrested this week and charged with possession of a firearm (destructive device) affecting commerce by a previously convicted felon, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Documents filed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in a Florida federal court detailed how agents believe Barnett planned to make money by bombing 10 Targets. In the nine-page criminal complaint, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Senior Special Agent Dewane L. Krueger also explained how Barnett was caught.

Krueger said two factors helped foil the plot: a confidential source and a GPS ankle monitor.

The confidential source occasionally worked for Barnett, Krueger said in the court papers. They are both on probation and had known each other since July 2016, he said.

The co-worker is on probation for burglary, the agent said. Barnett is on probation for kidnapping and sexual battery.

Barnett first tried to entice his acquaintance to join his plot last month, Krueger said. Calling the job "easy money," Barnett offered to pay the source $10,000 to deliver packages to Florida, New York and Virgina, he said.

Assuming Barnett was talking about drugs, the source refused, Krueger said.

Barnett eventually told the person he had come up with a plan to make money off of Target stocks, Krueger said. Barnett again claimed his co-worker could make money by delivering the packages, he said.

Barnett stopped by the source's Marion County home on Feb. 1 and claimed the source could "make Target Corporation stock drop" by delivering the packages, Krueger said. A few days later, the source saw a tub of gunpowder in Barnett's shed, he said.

Then, on Feb. 9, the rest of the plan was revealed.

Barnett showed up at the source's home with a cardboard container filled with 10 boxes of food, Krueger said. The agent said Barnett gave the source a warning: If the boxes bounced, they would explode.

The co-worker being hired to plant the packages asked if the boxes were deadly.

"No," Barnett replied, according to the agent. "They'll just take your hand off."

After putting the box into a work trailer on the source's property, Barnett told the source he messed up two of the 12 bombs he made, Krueger said. That left Bartnett with 10 battery-powered bombs composed of a model rocket igniter, flash powder, black powder and pyrotechnic stars, he said.

Barnett told the source to put the boxes on the shelves of Target stores across the East Coast, Krueger said. All the source needed to do was remove a rubber-band trigger, he said.

"Once the boxes had detonated inside of Target stores, Barnett theorized that the company's stock value would plunge, allowing him to cheaply acquire shares before an eventual rebound," Krueger said.

Barnett gave the source a box of gloves, a mask and a license plate cover, Krueger said. A day later, Barnett paid the source $280 to cover travel expenses, he said.

The trip never happened.

The source reported Barnett's plans to a probation officer, Krueger said. On Monday, the source then turned the bombs over to the ATF and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, he said.

An ATF explosives enforcement officer examined the bombs. The officer determined the devices would create "violent" explosions capable of causing serious injury or death, Krueger said.

Barnett - a registered sex offender - was required to wear a GPS ankle monitor, so probation officers used data from the monitor to confirm he spent 14 minutes at the source's home on Feb. 9, Krueger said. A photographic lineup and Barnett's cellphone number also backed up the source's story, he said.

Wearing a hidden recording device provided by investigators, the source met with Barnett inside a Florida restaurant on Tuesday, Krueger said.

The source told Barnett four of the bombs had been placed in Target stores north of Florida, Krueger said. Barnett urged the source to "get as far north as you can go" -- supporting a plan to plant one of the boxes in Syracuse, he said.

Why Syracuse?

"We didn't want to make it a localized thing," Barnett explained, according to the agent.

When the recorded meeting came to a close, Krueger said federal and state agents executed a search warrant at Barnett's home. He said agents recovered M-5000 explosives, rocket motor ignitors and battery sources "consistent" with the batteries found in the food-box bombs.

Barnett is being held in the Marion County Jail in Florida on state charges accusing him of violating probation.

Barnett spent nearly 21 years in prison over a 27-year period dating back to 1990, according to Florida Corrections Department records. He was last released from prison in February 2013.

His longest time in prison was 20 years for kidnapping, sexual battery and grand theft for the abduction and attack of a college professor in 1992, Florida state records show.
A man with a knife stayed on a rooftop for almost six hours after a fight with a relative on Friday afternoon, according to police in Lebanon.

Juan Ortega-Suarez, 30, of Lebanon, has been charged with simple assault for the incident that started just after 3:30 p.m. at a home along the 400 block of North 13th Street, police said.

Man on roof, N. 13th St. in Lebanon. Police, EMS, fire crews in the area. He may have injured himself with a knife, according to authorities pic.twitter.com/kvqwDru6wV  Chris Asroff (@casroff) February 17, 2017

Ortega-Suarez saw the police officer approaching and ran into the home. He then grabbed several knives, went on a second floor porch and then climbed up on the third floor roof, police said.

"Ortega caused minor injury to himself with the knives while on the rooftop and refused to come down from the roof. He threatened to kill police officers if they came onto the roof to remove him," police said.

Ortega-Suarez eventually agreed to come down from the roof at about 9:30 p.m., a ladder truck from the Lebanon City Fire Department was used to help him, police said.

He was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his wounds. Bail information was not immediately available.
Two shoplifters intentionally started a fire inside a Walmart in Franklin County then tried to walk out of the store with several items, according to state police.

The incident occurred just before 2 a.m. Saturday at the Walmart along the 1700 block of Lincoln Way East in Guilford Township, police said.

The two men set a small fire in the toy aisle of the store in an effort to distract employees, police said.

The suspects are described as black men who drove away from the area in a gray sedan, according to troopers.

Police said no injuries were reported and that fire crews were not called to the scene.

No arrests have been made. Police said they are continuing to investigate.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police at 717-264-5161.
Harbor Springs women reflect on Ukraine war after time with refugees

Julie Bacon and Sujo Offield of Harbor Springs went to Poland in March to help refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
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MISSOULA  A legislator known for supporting motorized access to public lands has introduced a resolution asking Congress to undesignate Montanas wilderness study areas.

MISSOULA -- Rep. Kerry White, R-Bozeman, submitted House Joint Resolution 9 on Friday. It calls for dropping nearly 1 million acres from possible federal wilderness consideration. Wilderness study areas in Montana exist mainly on U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management public lands.

If enacted, the resolution would ask Congress to enact legislation to release all wilderness study areas identified and specified in the Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977.

It also asks Congress to manage those places according to the Forest Management Act of 1897 to improve and protect the forest  for the purpose of securing favorable conditions of water flows and to furnish a continuous supply of timber for the use and necessities of citizens of the United States.

In the resolutions justifications, White claimed in the resolution that Montanas economy was hurt by recent management policies, resulting in the closure of 22 sawmills since 1990 and causing the loss of over 2,100 primary industry jobs and over $50 million in wages. He added that Congress inaction was wasting forest assets, reducing forest road construction and severely (harming) agriculture, timber harvesting, and multiple-use interests.

White did not return phone messages requesting comment on his measure. A longtime leader of Montanans for Multiple Use, White recently represented the American Lands Council on a tour promoting the return of federal lands to state management or ownership.

Joint resolutions must be passed by both the state House of Representatives and Senate, but do not need the governors signature. They express an opinion of state government, but do not have any force of law.

Of the roughly 1 million acres designated as wilderness study areas, White specifically mentioned seven. They were 151,000 acres in the West Pioneers, 61,000 acres in Blue Joint, 94,000 acres in the Sapphire Mountains, 34,000 acres at Ten Lakes, 81,000 acres on the Middle Fork Judith River, 91,000 acres in the Big Snowy Mountains, and 151,000 acres of the Hyalite-Porcupine-Buffalo Horn.

The resolution drew harsh responses from groups favoring wilderness.

"Rep. White's resolution is more than a radical wish-list; it's an affront to all Montanans who have worked for years to find collaborative, place-based solutions to public land management issues across the state, Montana Wilderness Association conservation director John Todd wrote in an email. Montanans know the best way to resolve our treasured wilderness study areas is by working together, not by issuing top-down edicts out of Helena."

Outdoor gear sales representative Chris Ennis added the move would be bad for the states recreation industry. Recent studies show the states outdoor economy supports 64,000 jobs and $6 billion in economic activity.

Bills like this are a direct threat to that livelihood, said Ennis, a member of the industry group Montana Outdoor Alliance. I see two problems. First, its not the states business to do this  these are federal designations. And second, getting rid of all wilderness study areas is as stupid as saying we want all these areas to be wilderness. We need to complete the studies.

White in his justifications noted that the 1977 federal law creating the study areas called for those reviews to be completed within five years. That has led to lawsuits over what uses are appropriate, burdens on court systems and wide swings in executive branch philosophy regarding the administration of these lands  costing the public millions of dollars as forest assets burn and deteriorate and as investments in forest road construction and improvements are being deliberately destroyed.

The legislation has its first hearing on Monday.
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Max Channon explains the difference between a Parking Charge Notice and a Penalty Charge Notice - and how you can avoid paying

A couple of years ago I received a parking 'fine' for 100 after parking in a poorly-lit car park which I erroneously believed was free after 8pm.

I refused to pay, but did send the parking firm a postal order for 20, which would have more than covered their potential losses of 1 for the period I was parked - and instructed them to either accept that payment, which was made without admission of liability, or take me to the small claims court.

They rejected my payment and for months I received repeated demands for full payment of the 100, plus additional fees, via a debt collection company.

I never paid - and they never took me to court.

Parking 'tickets' issued by private companies in private car parks are often referred to as fines  but they are not. They are little more than an invoice requesting payment.

In general, only councils have the power to issue parking fines  or Penalty Charge Notices. These powers are granted by legislation passed by Parliament and cover various parking misdemeanours, such as breaching the terms and conditions of parking in council-controlled car parks and parking spaces.

Private landowners and car parking firms have no such legal power. They cannot issue 'Penalty Charge Notices', and so they issue 'Parking Charge Notices', which often look and read like the legitimate fines issued by authorities  and both are abbreviated to 'PCN', which adds to the confusion.

So what, exactly, is a 'Parking Charge Notice'?

Unfortunately, to understand this you'll need to know a few basics of contract law, the law which applies to most private car parking agreements. I'll try to keep this as brief, simple and painless as possible - but I can't promise not to make it interminably dull, because it's law, and law is interminably dull.

Anyway for a contract to form, three main elements must be present: there must be an offer, an acceptance of that offer, and a thing called consideration - something of benefit or value for all the parties involved in, or privy to, the contract.

In a private 'pay and display' car park, by parking you accept the car park owner's 'offer' of parking at an agreed fee. The 'consideration' you receive is the benefit of parking your car, while the consideration received by car parking firm is the fee you pay for the privilege.

Failing to pay this fee is a breach of contract and the car parking firm can take you to the small claims to court to recover their losses.

These losses, perhaps a couple of quid for a couple of hours parking, are usually far less than the excess parking charges  often between 60 and 100 - which people wrongly think of and refer to as 'fines'.

These charges, which are clearly an attempt to prevent the motorist from breaching contract, could constitute a 'penalty clause' - a term or condition in a contract which demands an excessive financial charge be paid if one party breaches the contract.

Under contract law, courts cannot and do not enforce 'penalty' clauses: In plain English, this means a court will not order you to pay a 'penalty' clause.

This begs the question, are Parking Charge Notices penalty clauses and, therefore, unenforceable in the courts?

After doing much research I could no find any evidence of this argument ever being tested in court in relation to 'Pay and Display' car parks  and, two years later, the parking firm I was in dispute with has still not to taken me to court to test this argument.

If they lost, the ruling would potentially set a legal precedent which undermines the private car parking industry's ability to demand money from motorists.

It's important to note this argument potentially only applies to 'pay and display' car parks, as case law shows that it does not apply to car parks offering free parking for a set number of hours, which are often found at supermarkets and retail parks.

If you're in a dispute with car parking firm, chances are they will cite the case of Parkingeye v Beavis as evidence courts uphold Parking Charge Notices and force motorists to pay them. In the 2015 Beavis case, the Supreme Court ruled that Parking Charge Notices were not penalty charges, and consequently could be enforced by the courts.

The Supreme Court's 57,000 word judgment, which ran to a War and Peace worthy 212 pages, effectively rewrites the law regarding of 'penalty charges'.

In essence, the court held that a clause will not be regarded as a penalty if it 'serves a legitimate purpose' and is not 'manifestly excessive'.

The Supreme Court judges ruled: "ParkingEye and the owners had a legitimate interest in inducing Mr Beavis not to overstay in order to efficiently manage the car park for the benefit of the generality of users of the retail outlets."

This appears to effectively give parking firms the power to issue 'penalty' charges that will by upheld and enforced by the judiciary.

So why haven't the car parking firm taken me to court?

Aside from the obvious answer of 'they couldn't be bothered with the hassle, despite taking other people to court', I believe I had three arguments - which I outlined in the numerous letters that went back and forth between us - that made their case against me weaker than Bambi.

The signs detailing charges were unilluminated and not clear  consequently there was no 'offer' for me to accept, and so no contract formed.

The parking firm rejected payment that more than covered the cost of parking and consequently they failed to mitigate their losses, potentially rendering any claim for contractual damages void

Parkingeye v Beavis potentially does not apply to Pay and Display car parks

Does Parkingeye v Beavis apply to pay and display car parks?

Firstly, it's important to note the Beavis case related to a 'free parking for three hours' car park at a retail site, and not a 'pay and display' car park. Consequently a judge potentially has the the ability to distinguish between the two scenarios, as the facts of the cases would be materially different, and could decide to not to follow the precedent set in Beavis.

My argument, which as far as I am aware has not been tested in court, centres around consideration  one of the three essential elements of a contract explained earlier, during the interminably dull part of this article most people either skipped or fell asleep reading.

If you didn't, here's some more interminably dull legal argument for you... In pay and display car parks, the parking fee is the 'benefit' offered to car parking firm, which means the 'excess' charge can only be a penalty. In the free parking car parks, like the one in Beavis, the only 'consideration' is the charge for over-staying, so it cannot be a penalty charge as it is the agreement to pay it is only 'consideration' offered by the motorist.

After more than a year of arguments and letters back and forth with the parking firm, and the debt collection firm they tasked with collecting the money they claimed I owed, I have now heard nothing for nearly a year  and not since I pointed out the actions of the debt collection firm, which sent multiple letters using different company names, were potentially fraudulent.

In one of their final letters to me, the debt collection company implied it, rather than the car parking firm, would begin legal action imminently if I did not pay up.

Privity of contract rules entitle the parties of a contract to sue each other for damages  but prevent third parties from doing so. If a contract for parking existed, the parties involved would be myself and the car parking firm.

The debt collection firm are a third party, and therefore cannot take legal action  and implying they can is a false representation of law and fact.

Dishonestly making a false representation you know is, or might be, untrue or misleading, with the intent to make gain for yourself or another, is a criminal offence contrary to section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006.

I politely pointed this out to the debt collection company - and have not had a request for payment for the Parking Charge Notice since.

Want to contest a Parking Charge Notice?

Simply respond that you are refusing to pay. DON'T say you are appealing the ticket, as this legitimises the ticket. Also write "Without Prejudice" on the letter  then no information in the letter can be used against you.

If you wish to dispute the ticket, then you have 28 days in which to dispute after the firm that issued the ticket has rejected your appeal.

What next?

If the company rejects your dispute, then you can escalate to the firm's trade member association. You must have an official reference number from the company and their reasons for rejecting your dispute. They may refer you to a body such as POPLA, the Independent Tribunal for Parking Fines. Around 40% of appeals are upheld in the favour of the public.

However,while organisations such as POPLA cliam to be independent, they are funded by the car parking industry.

I elected not to ask POPLA adjudicate. I simply refused to pay, stated my argument why - and asked the parking firm to take me to court.

If you do not pay, then their next step is to recover the money. To do this they must take legal action against you.

Most fines will go to the Small Claims Court. However, the firm may threaten/use the County Court. If handled through the Smalls Claims Court, you will be required to pay the fine but not the company's costs. Prior to the Beavis case, only around 2-5% of cases went to court per year. This is likely to have risen, with parking firms being emboldened by the decision in Beavis.

How did they get hold of my personal details?

Accredited parking companies (members of either the British Parking Association or the Independent Parking Committee) are able to access your details from the DVLA.

Want to contest a Penalty Charge Notice?

If you are going to dispute, then you should collate as much evidence as possible to support your case. Take photos of where you received the ticket.

Grounds for dispute

Get all the evidence you can

Look out for:
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After Trump declared the press the enemy of the people, MSNBCs Joe Scarborough unloaded on Trump by claiming that the president has lost his sh*t, and he suggested that Donald Trump is a fake president.

Scarborough responded to Trumps statement that the press is the enemy of the people by tweeting:

Only a FAKE PRESIDENT would declare the First Amendment to be the enemy of the American people. https://t.co/ZFZvlTf8Az  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) February 17, 2017

It's not even Saturday morning and someone is already losing his shit. https://t.co/ZFZvlTf8Az  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) February 17, 2017

This president attacks the judiciary's legitimacy, the intel community, and calls press outlets critical to him "the enemy of the people."  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) February 17, 2017

Conservatives, feel free to speak up for the Constitution anytime the mood strikes. It is time. https://t.co/0mfHUQ03yO  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) February 17, 2017

I am not one to agree with Joe Scarborough, but he is one hundred percent on the money. No person who took the presidency seriously would ever declare the media to be the enemy of the people. What Trumps attacks on the media are really about is that when Donald Trump doesnt like the message, he shoots the messenger.

What America is witnessing is a president is the midst of a public tantrum.

Scarborough was also correct that it has been disgraceful that so many Republicans who claim to love the Constitution have kept their mouths shut and sat on their hands while Trump has trampled a document that they claim to cherish and defend. The left has been shining a light on Trumps treatment of the Constitution from day one. Its time for conservatives to step up and join the fight.

Trumps need for validation and legitimacy have forced him over the edge. As Joe Scarborough said, Trump is losing his sh*t over the fact that he is failing as the president.
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Senate Democrats have found the perfect tactic to prevent Trump and the Republican Congressional majority from accomplishing anything. By using all of their time to review each Trump nominee, Democrats have slowed down the Senate to the point where Trump may not get his full cabinet or any legislation to sign.

Politico reported on how Democrats have gummed up the Senate:

Republicans  including Trump  are furious that Democrats have strung out debate on a series of Trumps nominees for as long as they can, occasionally letting through less controversial figures like Small Business Administration chief Linda McMahon or Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin. The effect has been that Trumps agencies have been rudderless for weeks  and that the Senate floor has been tied in knots.

..

But there are literally hundreds more nominees that must be confirmed to staff Trumps administration: Agriculture Department nominee Sonny Perdue, undersecretaries, ambassadors and members of organizations like the National Labor Relations Board. If Democrats keep stringing this out, it could become impossible to both pass a legislative agenda and confirm everyone that Trump needs to run his administration.

Republicans and Trump are enraged, but they dont have any recourse. The only way that they could speed things up would be to work more hours, and we all know that Republicans have done nothing, but cut back the House and Senate work schedules since they took over.

For those on the left who are screaming at Democrats to do something, this is what they are doing. Senate Democrats are using the rules to their advantage to leave Trump with an understaffed administration, and Senate Republicans unable to get legislation through Congress.

This should look very familiar because it is what Sen. Mitch McConnell did to Barack Obama for most of his presidency.

Democrats have found a way to keep Trump, Ryan, and McConnell in check, and if this keeps up, Republicans will have nothing to run on with their jobs on the line in 2018.
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Yesterday, Donald Trump called the press the enemy of the American people.

Today, without using a word of her own, J.K. Rowling, as she does so often, explained the facts about a free press to Donald Trump and his Republican supporters.

All she had to do was quote President Theodore Roosevelts words that To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President right or wrongis morally treasonable to the American public.

From 'SEDITION, A FREE PRESS, AND PERSONAL RULE May 7, 1918' by President Theodore Roosevelt #NotTheEnemy pic.twitter.com/9NMeBSV1xC  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 18, 2017

If Donald Trump, a draft dodger, thinks he is entitled to more esteem  and greater latitude in the exercise of his powers  than a war hero like Theodore Roosevelt, who put his life on the line for his country, then he has a lot to learn.

The free press is enshrined in the Constitution. The presidents unlimited, unquestioned powers in the words of Stephen Miller, are not. That is because the Constitution does not grant the president unquestioned powers. His word is not law. He is subject to the law just like every other American.

Donald Trump seems to be confusing democracy, where political power derives from the will of the people, with Adolf Hitlers Fuhrer Principle, where the Fuhrers word is literally the law, and where dissent is treason.

Of course, this is exactly what Donald Trump said when he called the media the enemy of the American people. A sentiment right out of the Fuhrers mouth. Or that of any Russian dictator. Trumps pal Vladimir Putin comes to mind.

As Trump ghostwriter Tony Schwartz told The Independent last year:

On day one he would end a free press. In any way that he could, he would use the government to shut down a free press, and listen, he has plenty of precedents for doing that, including his hero Vladimir Putin.

And so he has, with barely a murmur of protest from Republicans, eager to push through that long-delayed conservative agenda.

It is understood that certain members of Trumps administration seem more comfortable with Hitlers model, but it should not be left to an English author to explain this very American principle to an American president.

Trump has been spanked publicly yet again, and a very shameful thing it is.
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Donald Trump made a big splash in the muddy waters of that swamp of his when he declared the mainstream media the enemy of the American people in a tweet that was quickly deleted.

Here's the tweet Trump deletedhe's seriously calling the media "the enemy of the American people" pic.twitter.com/TxhnjuNL7q  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 17, 2017

CBS News John Dickerson examined Trumps tweet, pointing out that it wasnt the media that lied to Vice President Pence. The media only uncovered that fact:

John Dickerson on President Trump's tweet Friday that called the media "the enemy of the American people" https://t.co/POAFHALchI pic.twitter.com/aXWx7bfJEc  CBS News (@CBSNews) February 18, 2017

National security columnist John Schindler made a striking observation in response to Trumps claim:

On Planet Trump, the MSM is the enemy of the American people, but Russia  which hates us & has thousands of nukes pointed at us  is not.  John Schindler (@20committee) February 18, 2017

It is no wonder, as Schindler and others have told us, the U.S. intelligence community is terrified of Donald Trump and what he means to the national security of this country. If Trump wanted to further push the so-called Deep State away from him, this was the proper way to go about it.

Soledad OBrien tweeted,

It feels very odd to be called an enemy of the American people in my 30th year of reporting.  Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) February 18, 2017

Conservative columnist S.E. Cupp referred back to the Constitution Donald Trump has apparently never read:

I love that part of the 1st Amendment that declares the press the enemy of the American people. #TrumpsAmerica  S.E. Cupp (@secupp) February 18, 2017

Sopan Deb, culture writer for The New York Times, who covered the Trump campaign last year for CBS, reacted with humor:

As a journalist, I'm not the enemy of the American people, other than the ones who think Season 2 of the Wire isn't any good.  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) February 17, 2017

MSNBCs Chuck Todd tweeted,

I would hope that our leaders would never believe that any American desires to make another American an enemy. Let's dial it back.  Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) February 17, 2017

To which NBCs Brad Jaffy responded,

Austin Statesman editor Gabrielle Munoz quipped,

When I was a little girl and people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always responded "the enemy of the American people." https://t.co/Aw7c6tobOY  Gabrielle Munoz (@gabrielle_munoz) February 17, 2017

Donald Trump quickly deleted the tweet, but it cannot be known if he understands what he has done by posting it at all. That act alone displays a man who is not in control of his emotions, the very thing he accused Hillary Clinton of.

As Rolling Stone op-ed writer Jesse Berney put it, Its really bad. Its really, really, really bad. And it is.

Trump has already called the press the opposition party and has demonized and delegitimized them at every turn. When Chief White House Strategist Steve Bannon said of the press last month,

They dont understand this country. They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States.

It was Steve Bannon showing that it is he, and his boss in the Oval Office, who do not understand this country, its institutions or the fact that there are limits even on the presidents power.
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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*

It would be important to define what a pathological liar is, including detailing their affliction and how it is manifested, but its all been done before. But if anyone needs to know what a pathological liar is, they can look at a picture of Donald Trump. Trump has spent the past months claiming he has no business in or with Russia, or the Russians, and repeated the claim at his recent press conference-turned-lie-fest. However, in 2008 his son told a different story.

During a real estate conference in 2008 Don Jr. boasted that the Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia. As it turns out, Trump the younger likely made the greatest understatement of his rich privileged life and debunked daddy Dons enormous lies.

According to a fairly detailed and lengthy report, a human rights lawyer, Scott Horton, who has worked in the region for decades defending the likes of Andrei Sakharov and several other Soviet dissidents made some fact-based conclusions about Trump being saved from bankruptcy and total business collapses with funds from Russian crime lords; the conclusions are stark.

Mr. Horton studied a series of three comprehensive reports in the Financial Times that reveal not only Trumps abject failure at business, but that he was lying again on Thursday when he said he has no business connections to Russia.

First it is worth a couple of words explaining the state of the Trump Organization prior to the massive, and conspiratorial, influx of what is thought to be at least in the hundreds of millions of dollars to save Trumps failed business. Even though Trump has always touted his business acumen as worthy of deification, his organization was a hollow shell and Trump was bankrupt before being saved by Russian criminals.

It was that successful business genius farce that served as a screen behind which criminal activity between Trump and Russian mobsters could be carried out on a massive scale. It is noteworthy that Trump desperately needed the Russians to bail him out because his credit and access to funds was non-existent; its the product of six bankruptcies by an alleged brilliant business mind.

Thanks to Scott Hortons deep research into the Financial Times studies, including comparing them with a report by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), there is a very clear picture of Trumps deep ties, and frightening financial dependence, on Russian oligarchs and crime bosses despite his claims to the contrary.

According to Mr. Horton:

Hortons evaluation of this material, in coordination with the declassified DNI report, is that despite Trumps persistent lies that he has no connections, business or otherwise, with the Russians, he did in fact actively work with and more importantly; he worked for the Russian interests in a massive money-laundering scheme.

This may well be part of the dirty secrets the Russians hold over the Trump to blackmail him with when Putin wants America to do his bidding. It is dirty laundry, by the way, that the intelligence community Trump assailed again on Thursday has ready to release now that Trumps war on the media has officially expanded to include the powerful intelligence community.

It is a war the lying Trump will live to regret ever starting because as this author has been told more than once by family in the intelligence community; it is a seriously stupid individual, president or not, that makes enemies of the IC and goes to war with them; a war he has already lost. It is not a revelation to state categorically that the IC has enough material on Trump to put an abrupt end to his administration and likely his freedom.

The three Financial Times reports are just too involved to copy and paste in an opinion column, but there is a pattern that emerges portraying the Trump-Russian mobster connection that is fairly easy to understand; money laundering. Apparently the way the Trump avoided completely being broke as an astute business operator is through the use of anonymous LLCs on both sides; the Trump side and the Russian crime bosses side. It goes something like this. One anonymous LLC (Russian mobsters) forks over a monumentally bloated wad of millions for another anonymous LLC (Trumps) property like an apartment worth considerably less than the selling price. As the FT notes, Trumps organization is an ideal means of laundering Russian criminals dirty money because:

Real estate has an arbitrary value. Is that apartment worth $1 million? Two million? Why not $3 million for a buyer who really wants it? When the whole transaction is just one LLC with undisclosed ownership paying another LLC with undisclosed ownership, its even neater than hiding the money in an offshore account. And while some businesses require due diligence in looking at the source of funds, real estate is a bit more  flexible.

As Mark Sumner reported at Daily Kos, American laws regulating real estate deals are nearly non-existent. Although it is true there are provisions within the Patriot Act obliging mortgage lenders to conduct know your customer research, criminals from Russia, like all money launderers, pay in dirty cash; it is precisely how Trump and the Russian criminals easily avoided prying eyes of regulators.

The idea of converting the Russian mobsters stolen cash from overseas into Trumps properties in the U.S., and Russian cash deposited into an account of a Trump LLC listed as anonymous, was a dirty win for both the criminal oligarchs and the criminal Trump. The only thing Trump was required to do was just ignore deal and never pay any attention whatsoever to its particulars; something he has brought to the Oval Office for all to see.

It is not a stretch to believe that Donald Trump would do anything to increase his wealth, but prior to the gross infusion of Russian mobsters and oligarchs cash, he was on the verge of losing what little wealth he claimed. As Mr. Sumner noted, when Trump started attaching his name to every phony scheme and con job in existence it wasnt a strategy, it was a fire sale on Trumps respectability. Its why there were Trump steaks, Trump water, Trump vodka, Trump airlines, and even a fake Trump university. The idea was that whomever was willing to pony up the cash would earn the right to slap Trumps name on it. Because by the 2000s Donald Trump wasnt just broke, he had absolutely no assets left to pawn. Even though he was no informed individuals idea of a successful businessman, he got to portray one on a television reality show making his [contrived] image more valuable than his real estate or business portfolio.

As calls for a comprehensive investigation into Trumps conspiring with Putin to award him the White House become deafening and lead to an all-inclusive independent investigation, all of this illegal money laundering for Russian criminals will become common knowledge. It is why Trump is attempting to sully the media as dishonest and that any reporting on his deep ties to the Russians is fake news in hopes the public will ignore the truth in reporting as it develops going forward; and it is going to develop going forward. The IC will see to that and a fed up at being labeled dishonest media will do its part.

Trumps terror at being exposed as a Russian collaborator is also why Trump continues to demean the intelligence community. He knows for a fact that the IC has mountains of devastatingly incriminating documentation that he does, in fact, have very deep ties to the Russians and is heavily indebted to them. The good news is that Trump has made very public claims, including on Thursday at his bizarre press conference, that in no possible way does he have now, or has ever had, any business relationships or ties to the Russians.

That latest rash of lies will be a damning piece of evidence that Trump lied on national television about something that is becoming such common knowledge that even congressional Republicans will have difficulty pretending there is no impeachable offense. They cant cover up Trumps lies any more without implicating themselves in a conspiracy involving the criminal in the White House and crime bosses and oligarchs in Russia. Those Russian mobsters saved Trumps businesses with dirty money he gladly aided them in laundering because like every common criminal on the planet, Trump will do anything for money; including jeopardize the security of the United States of America for the nation that earned his devotion and allegiance with dirty money, Russia.

**The above article contains links to studies with commentary by R Muse**
MISSOULA -- A recent audit found that state agencies did a poor job of documenting more than 3,500 raises awarded in 2015, violating rules intended to document why pay changes are made.

Rep. Randy Brodehl, the Kalispell Republican who chairs the Legislative Audit Committee, said the report highlighted poor management by the Department of Administration that makes it difficult to know whether flexible pay plans are used appropriately to hire and retain the most qualified staff.

I certainly believe theres bad documentation, he said. But I believe that were at high risk to have given pay raises outside of the legislative authority.

In 2001, legislators created the broadband pay plan, which allowed agencies more discretion in setting pay and allowed differences between workers with the same titles based on factors such as performance. The law directed the Department of Administration to oversee the plans. But Sen Mary McNally, D-Billings, noted that a state pay taskforce in 2008 directed the department to back off, perhaps contributing to the lack of oversight and wide variation in practices between state agencies detailed in the report.

According to the audit, the department had not reviewed the agency pay plans in years to determine if they followed state rules, did not review discretionary pay increases to see if agencies provided adequate documentation to support the decisions, and found that the states central HR database was flawed because the number of reasons for raises allowed in state law did not match the options available for clerks to enter into the system. The audit also found that agencies sometimes used pay raise options for which they had not set internal rules or had given increases without adequate documentation of reason.

The audit reviewed 3,566 discretionary pay adjustments that added up to an increase of $9.5 million beyond the $25 million in minor pay raises to more than 11,100 employees approved by the 2015 Legislature. In a sample of 200 discretionary raises, auditors found that 86 percent were not properly supported or improperly classified, which led to the wrong kind of supporting documents.

Jeremy Verhasselt, who led the audit, said the report was not designed to determine if those raises were illegal or without merit, just whether the paperwork was complete and fit agency reporting rules.

The report was released last week, and Republicans have used details from it to ask pointed questions of agency heads at confirmation hearings.

For instance, Sen. Dee Brown, R-Hungry Horse, asked Montana Department of Transportation Director Mike Tooley why 82 percent of his department received a pay raise in 2015 when the average number of such adjustments across all departments was 12 percent. He explained the department had not done a market analysis and adjustment since 2006, so small raises were given to most employees to bring them up to the midpoint.

Brown also had asked about an employee she thought had his pay double to almost $200,000, which Tooley denied. The senator later learned the states online transparency website had inaccurate pay information about that job. Nonetheless, she thought her questions about the number and volume of increases were important to ask given the audits findings.

We really havent given good parameters to how we should do the broadband pay, she said. And it really showed in that audit because there are huge discrepancies between state agencies.

Brown, like Brodehl and others, worry that without better tracking of pay raises, that the base-level budgets of agencies might be ballooning because of discretionary pay increases or that agencies are unable to fill all open positions because they have to use their current personnel budget to cover such raises.

I think thats a huge question for legislators, Brown said.

Gov. Steve Bullock pushed back on Republicans, saying the critiques of agency raises were blown out of proportion and politically motivated. He defended discretionary raises as an appropriate tool for agencies. He noted that the raises in 2015 amounted to an overall pay increase of just 1.1 percent.

He also said the audit had been released sooner than usual and asked reporters to question why. Although it is unusual for legislators to discuss audits so publicly before a hearing, it is common for them to be released a few days in advance so the public has an opportunity to read the findings and attend the meetings to make public comment.

John Lewis, who became director of the department last month, emphasized what the report did not find during a hearing Thursday night.

There has been noise about this audit and I want to clear up some things, he said. This audit did not review whether pay increases were appropriate to do. It also does not find that the broadband system is a faulty pay system. It finds that it needs to be administered more carefully with more controls for consistency to be in place and more oversight of the process.

He promised to act on four recommendations for improvements made by auditors, noting some of that work is already underway.

Lewis also noted a bill carried by Rep. Janet Ellis, D-Helena, that would clarify parts of state law about the pay plan. Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, also is expected to introduce a bill about the same issues.
"We're not part of your machine," thumps the hook on MisterWives' evocative new single, "Machine." The barbed rallying cry, as they group calls it, feeds into the musical uprising which sprung across this fair nation upon the shocking election of President Donald Trump. In so many words, they take on the patriarchy head on, lambasting a system which marginalizes great portions of the population and suppresses creative and independent thought. "Don't feel like having a computer sing this phrase. Not looking for a hired name to write a song for me that sounds the same," lead vocalist Mandy Lee delivers in her unique and incredibly expressive way, "as everything fed to our brain's, rammed down our throats with no complaints. Maybe I'm a dying breed, but I believe in individuality."

If the message wasn't clear, it comes into focus later and drives into the chorus. "Oh, I am tired of abiding by these rules, causing me to second guess my every single move. You don't know who I am or what I have been through, no. So, don't dare tell me what I should and shouldn't do 'cause...not here to lose, not here for you to choose how we should be."

Says the band on the new track, "'Machine' is a rallying cry to stand against a world that suppresses individuality and diversity. This song embodies the movement of celebrating our differences, staying true to ourselves, and always sticking it to the Sith Empire (insert middle finger emoji)!"

The feverish bridge goes one step further. "Told to look and act a way, as if I'm just a ball of clay that you can just mold into whatever. I assure you that's not clever. See now, fads don't last forever; they are fleeting like the weather, and we will stand our ground while you will sink and drown," Lee preaches, the lyrics spinning from her tongue, "'cause I'm a tough girl, I run my own world, and if you don't like it there's the door. If you haven't heard, I ain't got no interest in your business. Just here for the music and there's nothing else to this bullshit..."



This new droplet of music follows their Popdust-approved debut album, 2015's Our Own House.

"Machine" is out now on iTunes.





Take a listen below:

Next Friday (Feb. 24), MisterWives hop aboard Panic! at the Disco's headlining tour. Check out the dates below:

2/24 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena (sold out)

2/25 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center (sold out)

2/26 Portland, ME Cross Insurance Center (sold out)

2/28 Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center (sold out)

3/2 New York, NY Madison Square Garden (sold out)

3/3 National Harbor, MD The Theater at MGM National (sold out)

3/4 Worcester, MA DCU Center (sold out)

3/7 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center

3/8 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center at CSU

3/10 Auburn Hills, MI Palace of Auburn Hills (sold out)

3/11 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena (sold out)

3/12 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Entergy Center (sold out)

3/14 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena (sold out)

3/15 Omaha, NE Baxter Arena

3/17 Denver, CO Pepsi Center (sold out)

3/18 Orem, UT UCCU Center (sold out)

3/19 Boise, ID Taco Bell Arena

3/21 Seattle, WA WaMu Theater (sold out)

3/22 Portland, OR Moda Center

3/24 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center

3/25 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena (sold out)

3/26 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena

3/28 Inglewood, CA The Forum (sold out)

3/29 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena

3/31 Allen, TX Allen Event Center (sold out)

4/1 Houston, TX Toyota Center (sold out)

4/2 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center

4/4 Tulsa, OK BOK Center

4/5 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center

4/7 Birmingham, AL BJCC Arena (sold out)

4/8 Memphis, TN FedEx Forum

4/9 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center

4/11 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum

4/12 Duluth, GA Infinite Energy Center

4/14 Orlando, FL Amway Arena (sold out)

4/15 Sunrise, FL BB&T Center

READ MORE ABOUT MUSIC...

Premiere: The Band Ice Cream's aggressive, '90s-influenced new song "Sick Over You"

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Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. High 81F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
ST PAUL  Some neighborhood-based car-sharing services are asking the Legislature for an exemption from Minnesota's car rental taxes. But the idea has run into resistance  from other rental companies.

Minnesota's taxes and fees on car rentals can exceed 20 percent, even more on cars picked up at the airport. Car-sharing services pay the same taxes, although they argue they serve a different market. HourCar, Car2go and ZipCar cater to people who need temporary transportation to run errands, commute to work or go places not easily served by other transit options.

Car2go recently pulled out of the Twin Cities market, citing high rental taxes. That led to a bill from state Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis to shield such services from the state's 9.2 percent rental tax and a separate 5 percent rental fee. Only the standard sales tax still would apply.

"I'm interested in folks in our community who need a car for an hour, a couple of hours," Dibble said. "I think that is a different sort of service than the more-traditional, multiday rental car."

Dibble's bill cleared the Taxes Committee on a voice vote and heads next to a Senate transportation panel. But lobbyists representing traditional car rental firms have vowed to fight it. A companion bill has yet to advance in the Minnesota House.

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Car2go stopped serving Minneapolis and St. Paul at the end of last year, taking its 400 vehicles with it and leaving 29,000 members to pursue other options. Unlike a rental car company, members paid a sign-up fee. The company had varied pricing, 41 cents per minute or $10 per hour or a daily rate between $59 and $79. That covered insurance, parking and maintenance costs.

The potential tax break appeals to car share lovers such as Minneapolis resident Paul Stewart. He told the Senate Taxes Committee Wednesday it's a vital alternative to personal car ownership. One by one, Stewart pulled out his transit passes, a key to a public bike locker and proof of the various car services he belongs to, including Car2go. He sold his car in 2009 but joked his wife lets him use her car for errands.

Traditional rental car companies, however, have lined up against the break for ride share services, arguing it gives those services a competitive advantage.
CYBERSECURITY

Small businesses are lagging behind larger companies in preparedness for attacks on their websites or computer systems. That's the finding of a survey by Hiscox, an insurance company whose target market in the U.S. is small business.

The survey released last week found that small businesses are less likely to make changes to their cybersecurity systems after an attack. Twenty-nine percent said they did nothing after being attacked, compared to 20 percent of larger companies. Small companies are almost as likely to be attacked  68 percent of small businesses reported at least one in 12 months, compared to 72 percent of larger businesses.

Two key reasons are behind small businesses' lack of preparedness: money and time. Many small businesses can't afford to have employees dedicated to information technology including cybersecurity, and the more sophisticated an anti-cyberattack system is, the more it costs. Owners who focus on getting and working with customers may keep putting off tasks such as ensuring their companies can deter or recover quickly from cyberattacks.

Their lower revenues also mean a cyberattack can be proportionately more expensive for a smaller business. The survey found that smaller companies had costs of $41,334 connected to their largest cyberattack. For companies with 250 or more workers, the costs were $81,322. But a larger revenue stream made it easier for larger businesses to absorb those costs.

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Companies that track cyberattacks report the number of website invasions and computer hackings is continually growing. Symantec, which makes security software, counted more than a million attacks per day in 2015 against people who visited websites. Phishing attacks targeting employees, in which emails were sent with harmful links or documents, rose 55 percent.

The Hiscox survey questioned 1,000 companies, 70 percent of which had fewer than 250 employees. It was conducted in November and December.

ONLINE MARKETING

Business owners who want to build a bigger online brand and use social media as a tool can learn more about the steps involved during two online seminars sponsored by SCORE, the organization that gives free advice to small companies.

Building a brand will be the subject of a seminar Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. You can learn more and register at http://bit.ly/2kbZj9U.

Social media will be the focus Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 12: 30 p.m. Learn more and register at http://bit.ly/2lzgzD4.
A couple of months ago, I got an email message from a gal named Megan, who told me she likes to purchase Hummels, Precious Moments and just recently had found a November birthday Josef Original. She asked if I could tell her a little about her piece.

Well, Megan, I am doing a column to give you a bit more information and to share where you can find a few more pieces.

Originals history

Josef Originals was created by Muriel Joseph George, a southern California jewelry maker, and her husband, Tom George, in 1945. During World War II, Muriel was unable to obtain the materials necessary to make her jewelry, so she turned to designing figurines. She loved mice and used them in in her work, engaging them in all sorts of activities. Muriel also developed several other popular series, including Little Pet, Doll of the Month and, the most popular, the Birthday Girls.

All the pieces were made in California until 1960 when, due to competition from Japanese imports, Muriel and Tom decided to take on a partner, George Good, and they opened a factory in Japan. Muriel continued to design her figurines until her retirement in 1981. In 1982, George Good bought the company, but in 1985, he turned around and sold it to Southland Corporation. Today, Josef Originals is owned by Applause Inc. and continues to sell copies of many of the original designs.

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Where to find

I have found some at flea markets, Goodwill, Salvation Army and thrift shops and online shops selling from $3.95 for a Josef Original from the birthday month series in a porcelain bisque from the month of April, with the girl in a yellow dress and umbrella marked "George Good Corporation (c) 1974," to a Josef Original, dated 1960, which is the figurine "The Flirt," from the Sweet Sixteen Series, made in Japan, selling for about $150.

Recently on a trip, I came across Josef Originals with Chris Rand Kujath, owner of Old River Valley Antique Mall, Stewartville.

"I have a vendor that has pieces priced from $12 on up," Kujath said. "The more expensive ones are the older and rare ones. The larger lady figurines are usually more around $180. We do have a large selection of Josefs, including the animals, trains, birthday, Madonnas and the larger lady figurines. Stop in and see us this weekend, Feb. 18, while visiting the Cabin Fever Flea Market from 8 (a.m.) to 3 (p.m.) at the Stewartville Civic Center."

Another antique mall in the area is the New Generations of Harmony, outside of Harmony, with Joan Thilges, owner. She says, "We have a number of Josef collectors that visit the mall. The birthday girls are very popular."

Identifying collectibles

This information, courtesy of Kovels.com, states that most collectors like and prefer the pieces from the Muriel and Tom George era and are willing to pay from $20 to $150 for pieces in good condition.

Originals can be identified according to eye color, which is black, the paint is glossy. Labels on the pieces that show any origin other than "California" or "Japan" is not so collectible, as they are considered cheap imitations, and those marked as early pieces were sometimes signed and/or had a circled "C" etched on the base.

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Also by chance, do you wonder about the name Josef, and why it is not spelled Joseph? It's because of a printer error and was left as such.

For more history information, identifying these pieces and their value, check out "Josef Originals: Charming Figurines with Revised Price Guide," by Dee Harris, Jim and Kate Whitaker, 1999. It's one of several books on the market.

Also I found these interesting websites: Josef Originals by Leon Carlson at www.misterfindit.com/josef-originals and a beginner's guide to collecting Josef Originals at tinyurl.com/zl5qvyh .
There are times when guys need more elbow room. Come fall, it's shoulder space.

"We've been through the uber-tight, skinny moment," Joseph Abboud says. "It's time for something new."

That something is a broader shoulder in men's blazers, suits and overcoats, seen at various runway shows during the recent New York Fashion Week: Men's, the biannual glimpse of what designers are planning for fall.

Abboud calls this fuller silhouette his "Traced Fit"  with slightly broader shoulders, edging in at the waist, then flaring out at the bottom (again, just slightly). We're not talking '80s shoulder pads  just a slight exhalation of the current obsession with lean, lean, lean.

"For the American man, it's a particularly good look," says Abboud, who ought to know. This year marks his 30th anniversary in the industry.

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As for pants, expect slightly fuller and drapier options than the sleek, stovepipe trouser legs guys have gotten used to. Not that the skinnier styles are going away. The trend pendulum just seems to be heading back in the other direction.

The overall take-away of this new look? It's more grown-up, Abboud says, and should "help men feel more like men  not schoolboys."

This is signature Billy Reid territory  the Alabama-based designer is known for his suits with roomier shoulders and slightly more voluminous pants.

The slightly relaxed silhouette also felt right on everything from sleek double-breasted jackets (Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Todd Snyder) to edgy, drop-shouldered sweaters (Raf Simons).
GIG HARBOR, Wash.  Disco. Feathered hair. Tight shiny shirts. Some things have stayed in the 1970s and deservedly so. But macrame is back in a big way, thanks to new materials, boho-loving millennials and creative artists who think way beyond brown jute owls and plant hangers.

People like the boho look, with lots of plants and things, says Mandy Morrison. I think thats why its popular right now.

Morrisons Gig Harbor home isnt exactly a New York loft, but theres one thing that stands out against the white-and-gray color scheme, baskets and snake plants: macrame. A weaver and macrame artist who sells on Etsy as Paige & Roy, Morrisons living and dining room walls are almost three-dimensional with textured rope and string, knotted together on artsy driftwood like finely sculpted sand dunes.

My mom did macrame back in the 70s, says Morrison, who has young children of her own. I was weaving for about three years and using Instagram a lot for business. I found a lot of other fiber artists using knots and macrame.

So, a year ago, Morrison tried her hand at the knot-based fiber art that many folks over 40 remember from school craft days. She learned some knots from her mother and studied books and YouTube for the rest, finding online sources for materials and exploring what was possible.

The result hangs on the walls in her home and in the Tacoma, Wash., homewares shop Evolve. Three-foot-long hangings that drape with layer over layer of loose knots and vertical strings. Tiny hangings of tight square knots that clip to purses. A hanging from two deer antlers that Morrison found at a thrift shop, with four layers scooping downward like V-necks, combed out at the ends like a beard and combining into an abstract face. Inverted Christmas-trees made of knotted string. A dreamcatcher on metal rings, loosely woven at the top and ending in a zigzag of knot lines. Delicate plant hangers showcase glass terrariums.

And offset perfectly on a deep teal wall, a 4-by-4-foot hanging thats as much art as macrame: a patterned Buddhist mesh of square knots, draping loops of tight clove hitches outlining texture fields of mesh, verticals or loose weave, and occasional outbursts of fringe, like some kind of exotic shaggy pet.

A portable clothes rack holds Morrisons work-in-progress.

I used to draw it all out at first, but I change my mind so much now that I just kind of go, says Morrison, about how she comes up with the designs.

In case you were still picturing those thick, prickly macrame hangings from the 70s, millennial macrame is a very different animal. First, the materials: forget that brown jute thats rough on your hands and sheds thousands of tiny fibers. Morrison uses packing twine for smaller, delicate hangings and three-ply rope for bigger ones. Either way, its 100 percent cotton, in a calm, creamy ecru that fits with trendy minimalist decor and with the 21st-century passion for the natural, textural and organic.

Then there are the horizontal supports. Morrison sources smooth, straight driftwood from the beach, but is also exploring woods like cholla from a recent visit to Joshua Tree, Calif., and out-of-the-box ideas like the antlers. Others weave or attach feathers, beads and more driftwood, using colored twine or even dip-dyeing hangings in indigo or tan.

Finally, there are the designs. Macrame can be as small as two strands of string or as big as a room. Modern Macrame, an online Portland company, recently completed an installation for Ralph Lauren that transforms a ceiling into an upside-down forest of textured strands. Other artists such as Miriam Ragan of Newcastle, Australia, use thick rope for chunky, sculptural strands across an entire wall.

In Tacoma, Evolve pairs Morrisons hangings with a gray wall and a plant-filled interior. Proctor shop Compass Rose recently showcased elaborate macrame lanterns, some 4 feet long, with a window display of twine diagonals from floor to ceiling interwoven with branches for a wintry look. Satori and Urban Exchange, both on Pacific Avenue, stock and display weavings and macrame, including vintage 70s hangings.

The boho-70s trend is making a huge comeback, says Evolve store manager Cindy Hickly, who first noticed Morrisons work on Instagram last fall.

One thing that hasnt changed since the 70s is the basic knots.

The technique is exactly the same, says Morrison. All the how-to books are from the 70s.

Basic macrame starts by cutting strands of string (Morrison starts with around 4 feet), looping them in half, then looping them over the horizontal support in a larks head knot (pull the free ends under and through the looped end to the front.) After youve done a few of these, you can start tying them together in square knots. More strands can be looped onto existing strands in the same way to use up scraps. Learn a couple of extra knots (clove hitch, half-hitch) and youre on your way. When youre ready, tie off the strands, unwind the string or rope, and comb out the ends with a basic hair comb.

Morrison stands to work, watching Netflix as she does the hours and hours of looping and knotting.

Macrame is very meditative for me, explains Morrison. I not only love the look of finished work, but the process itself is calming. On a bigger scale, Ive met so many amazing artists because of macrame, and they are very inspiring.
Authorities are investigating a data breach at Family Services Rochester.

Family Services Rochester has notified individuals that portions of its computer systems that contained personal information had been compromised.

On Jan. 26, Family Services Rochester discovered some of its files were encrypted with ransom ware. Authorities were notified immediately, and an investigation started, according to a news release.

The organization works with families with serious child welfare and/or family violence concerns.

It was discovered there was unauthorized access through a user account from Dec. 26 to Jan. 25. Family Services Rochester now is notifying individuals affected and has offered one year of free identity protection services through AllClearID. Letters are being processed and will be mailed next week.

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The information potentially accessed may have included Social Security numbers, date of birth, addresses, names, driver's license numbers, insurance identification numbers and medical information. A notice will be mailed to each affected individual and will include specific categories of information potentially accessed.

"FSR takes the privacy and security of its clients' personal information very seriously and is taking additional steps to ensure the security of its systems," a statement reads.

Those possibly affected can obtain more information by calling 885-471-8393, or visit the FSR website at www.familyservicerochester.org.
What is it about certain people that makes them mosquito magnets? In this episode of NewsMD's "Health Fusion," Viv Williams checks out a new study that may have an answer as to why the stinging pests find some people irresistible.
MANTORVILLE  Jean Allen remembers when she and her brothers Bill and Mark would act as her dad's eyes and hands while he supervised from his wheelchair.

Whatever new project he'd come up with, "His mind did it, and our hands and eyes helped him," she said Thursday evening after an emotion-packed day. Earlier in the day, family, friends and law enforcement officials gathered at the Government Services Building to honor Allen's father, former Hayfield Police Chief Douglas Eugene Claassen.

On Thursday, his death was officially recognized as a line-of-duty death by the state of Minnesota with a proclamation from Gov. Dayton that was hand delivered by the state Commissioner of Public Safety, Mona Dohman.

Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose also read a letter notifying the family that Chief Claassen's name would be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., on May 13.

In 1977, a suspect injured Claassen's spinal cord during an altercation. He lost his career in law enforcement, his mobility, and his pain-free days.

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"But the law enforcement family never forgot us," Allen said.

The Dodge County Sheriff's Posse built a wheelchair ramp for the family's home in Hayfield and they made Claassen a lifetime member of the posse.

In turn, the Claassens kept their home open to deputies patrolling in the Hayfield area if they needed a break or a cup of coffee.

Claassen's wife, Kathy, bravely kept the family together, Allen said. Before she headed to work, she'd get Doug's drinks for the day ready and leave them by his chair along with a sandwich wrapped in waxed paper.

"He could open that with his teeth," explained Allen. Plastic wrap was too hard to unwrap with one hand.

Neighbors would drop by throughout the day to check on him.

Kathy worked for 37 years at the Dodge County Sheriff's Office, where she helped develop the county's first 24-hour dispatch service.

On Thursday, the petite Kathy was dwarfed by the deputies who came to pay their respects.

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Allen said Kathy was "so happy" and overwhelmed by how many people came to the ceremony.

The room was filled with well-wishers; every seat was taken and full-dress law enforcement officers lined the front of the room. In the back, people stood three and four deep to get a glimpse of the solemn presentation of a folded American flag from the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association honor guard to the widow.

Allen had her first child, D.J. just two weeks after Claassen died in 1999. She remembers the family coming together to be around the new addition. The family still remarks that D.J. has Doug's eyes and his ability to wiggle his ears.

Allen remembers that when she got engaged, her dad swore he would walk her down the aisle. He had lost much of the use of his arms but could still walk a little.

"If this awful thing hadn't happened to him, would we have been so close and had such a great relationship? I don't know," she mused. "So there was a silver lining to that tragic day."

Claassen will be remembered each year during the 24-hour Law Enforcement Memorial Day, which falls on May 14-15 this year.

And Rose unveiled the new decals that will be applied to each squad car in the sheriff's fleet. The decals now include four shields for the four officers who have lost their lives in Dodge County in the line of duty.

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A liquid propane fuel cell exploded inside a maintenance garage at First Student bus company in northwest Rochester on Friday, blowing overhead garage doors off their tracks and sending one worker to the hospital.

Maintenance workers were inside the garage working on a school bus when the explosion occurred.

The blast shook nearby buildings and sent dark, inky smoke billowing into the afternoon sky. Inside the garage, firefighters worked to extinguish fires in multiple areas within the building caused by the detonation and the spraying of propane, said Rochester Fire Deputy Chief Steve Belau.

There were five people inside the First Student building at 2021 32nd Ave. N.W., at the time of the explosion; three in the maintenance shop and two in an office. There were no other injuries.

The cause of the explosion remains unexplained. As firefighters worked to suppress the fires, police closed off a section of road on 32nd Ave. N.W. south to 19th Street N.W. At least four Rochester fire trucks responded to the blast.

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The injured First Student employee was taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital - Saint Marys Campus. A condition report was unavailable.

Five buses were inside the facility at the time of the explosion, and all sustained severe damage. A preliminary assessment put damage at more than $250,000, officials say. Parts of the corrugated metal-sided building and roof bulged as a result of the explosion.

Terry Throndson, owner of Throndson Oil & Gas Co., arrived on the scene after the fires were put out. Because of his knowledge of LP and contacts within the industry, he was allowed access inside the garage. Throndson declined to speak in any detail about the explosion but was emphatic about the safety of LP.

"Something was done that shouldn't have been done, and it was not the LPs fault other than you had an LP leak and this is what came of it," Throndson said.

One injured and heavy damage after explosion at First Student bus garage in #rochmn pic.twitter.com/hAdIqFATPQ

 Andrew Link (@alinkphoto) February 17, 2017

Managers and workers at nearby businesses said the explosion sent rumblings throughout the area.

"The whole building shook," said Carissa Darcy, manager of LTS Brewery, just south of First Student.

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"I was working on the computer when the explosion happened. And all the customers looked around like, 'What just happened?' We went outside to see if there was something on the roof or someone had crashed into the building."

Employees from nearby businesses such as Edward Jones and TruStar Energy were also drawn out into parking lots and streets by the blast.

"We looked up and saw the smoke coming from the garage area," Darcy said.

First Student is Rochester's largest school bus contractor. The company runs about 130 school routes in the area.
MINNEAPOLIS  While adverse health events reached a new high, accidental hospital deaths saw a precipitous drop in 2016, according to the 13th annual report compiled by Minnesota Department of Health.

Minnesota facilities reported 336 adverse health events between Oct. 7, 2015, and Oct. 6, 2016, according to the 101-page report. That number had not been higher than 316 since 2008.

However, the number of reported deaths dropped to four, which matches the number from 2009; the average number of accidental hospital deaths between those years was 12. An additional 106 serious injuries also occurred, including 10 at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester.

Despite some progress at the state and local level, Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler, Mayo's patient safety officer, said he was "disappointed" with the latest report.

"We want that number to be zero," Morgenthaler said. "We have as our goal to be the safest place on the planet to be a patient."

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Morgenthaler cautioned there's a "double aspect" of the MDH reports, which are now focusing on details that previously may have been overlooked. That's prompted health care facilities across the state to improve standards, even if that isn't necessarily being reflected in MDH's numbers.

"You'd like to believe that we're getting safer and safer," Morganthaler said. "I know within Mayo Clinic and other organizations across the state, there's an awful lot of work being done to improve patient safety. We all take those numbers very seriously  and I'm hopeful that we're starting to see the fruits of those efforts."

Among the positive developments highlighted by the study:

 Fall-related deaths were the lowest since 2011.

 Neonatal death or serious injury associated with labor and delivery in a low-risk pregnancy declined to two events.

 The suicide/attempted suicide/self-harm event category saw zero deaths for the first time since 2011.

"More than 15 years after the publication of the Institute of Medicine's landmark report on patient safety, 'To Err is Human,' it is more clear than ever that the health care system's journey toward zero instances of preventable harm has led to both significant progress and learning about why serious events happen and how to prevent them  and a recognition that there will always be more work to do," reads the report's executive summary.

Mayo's mixed numbers

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Mayo Clinic's numbers ticked up in 2016 but not in an egregious way. Mayo Hospital in Rochester reported 38 adverse health events that caused zero deaths and 10 serious injuries. That number is up from 31 in 2015 but down from 44 in 2014.

Of the 10 serious injuries, eight were caused by falls. Morgenthaler said falls have been addressed by Mayo's enterprise fall reduction group by turning it into a system focus.

Another serious injury was caused by "failure to follow up or communicate laboratory, pathology, or radiology test results," and the final one was caused by the misuse or malfunction of a device.

Additionally, the Rochester facility performed three surgeries/invasive procedures on the wrong body part and five times performed the wrong surgical/invasive procedure. Those eight events represent a minuscule percentage of mistakes during Mayo's 332,021 surgeries or invasive procedures that were performed during the study period.

The Rochester facility reported 538,077 patient days during the study period, which is by far the most reported by a single facility reviewed in the study. Only the University of Minnesota Medical Center reported even half that many patient days.

The most common issue reported across the state was pressure ulcers, or bed sores, with 129 events. Mayo reported 14 of those incidents at its Rochester facility.

Morgenthaler said most of those were from ICU patients on breathing or feeding tubes from early in the study period, which prompted Mayo to seek advice from skin care experts to learn new techniques.

"We've actually had remarkable improvement," Morgenthaler said.

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Mayo Clinic employs all 115 best practices recommended by the Minnesota Hospital Association and received several Save Our Skin awards in 2013. Every Mayo care unit is staffed by nurses who are skilled at recognizing and responding to symptoms. When pressure ulcers are reported, Mayo teams thoroughly investigate to uncover causes and address them through systems improvements.

MCHS lags behind

Mayo Clinic Health System reported 13 adverse health events in 2016, up from eight in 2013. Those incidents included five that caused serious injuries, according to the report.

The bulk of those issues were reported at Mayo's Mankato facility, which had nine adverse health events and two serious injuries. One injury was suffered during a fall, while the other was due to "retention of a foreign object in a patient after surgery or other procedure."

Mankato also performed four surgeries or invasive procedures on the wrong body part. That's equal to once every 9,295 times, making it roughly 11 times more likely to occur than the state average of about once per 103,000 procedures.

"We recognize that's not a good trend to see," Morgenthaler said of Mankato. "Some of those (issues) happened early on in the year, and there has been scrupulous attention to universal protocol and (post-procedure) debriefs. We're hopeful that we'll be looking a lot safer next year."

Mayo's Austin facility reported two serious injuries in 2016. One was the result of a fall, and the other was "due to medication error."

Cannon Falls suffered one serious injury due to a fall, and Albert Lea also reported one serious injury due to "failure to follow up or communicate laboratory, pathology, or radiology test results."
BROOKLYN CENTER  The head of the FBI in Minneapolis says authorities might never be certain about what led to the stabbing attack that left 10 people wounded at a Minnesota mall five months ago.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Rick Thornton said getting into Dahir Ahmed Adan's electronic media has been an ongoing effort, and authorities might never know exactly what he was thinking.

But he said he'd still characterize the attack as one in which Adan, who had expressed a recent interest in Islam and asked some victims if they were Muslim, may have been radicalized.

Thornton touched on the mall stabbing in a recent wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press. Here are some highlights:

MINNESOTA MALL STABBING

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Adan, a 20-year-old Somali-American, was wearing a security guard uniform and armed with two steak knives when he went to a St. Cloud mall on Sept. 17 and stabbed 10 people. He was killed by an off-duty officer.

Thornton said in October that Adan's behavior and actions suggested he had been radicalized, either through the influence of others or on his own, and investigators were looking at his social media accounts and trying to unlock his iPhone. Thornton recently told the AP that he could say little more about the case, but the FBI is still investigating and the "exploitation" of Adan's electronic media is an "ongoing effort."

"In this era of encrypted communications and encrypted devices and so forth, I think it's going to be an increasingly common outcome where we may not have absolute clarity on what was in people's minds. If you aren't seeing all of their communications, there's always the potential for a gap," Thornton said.

He said in cases like that, investigators can put together a "substantially complete" picture of what happened, but that isn't the same as absolute certainty.

ISLAMIC STATE RECRUITMENT

Over the last decade, roughly three dozen people have left Minnesota to join militant groups in Somalia or Syria, and nine Minnesota men were sentenced last year on federal charges of conspiring to join the Islamic State group.

Thornton said the Minneapolis FBI office will be investigating issues surrounding terror recruitment and potential travelers for the foreseeable future.

When asked if there have been any recent travelers from Minnesota, Thornton said he couldn't provide specifics. But he said there continues to be an interest in the Islamic State group or other militant organizations and that last year's trial likely drove some recruitment temporarily underground.

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Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the U.S., and the community has been a target for terror recruiters. Thornton said the FBI will continue to engage with the community and play a role in community-led efforts to keep people from becoming radicalized.

HATE CRIMES

While there's been a public perception that bias crimes have increased in recent months, Thornton said Minnesota hasn't seen a statistically significant increase in what the FBI would categorize as hate crimes.

Thornton said sometimes speech considered hateful or harmful is protected by the First Amendment. Typically, the FBI would get involved if there is a threat or act of violence. He said the FBI also becomes concerned if speech escalates, becoming more aggressive over time.

He urged those who feel they've been targeted by hate crimes to report it to the FBI or local authorities, to let them determine if a crime was committed.

"Let us make that decision, because sometimes  these are close calls," he said.

POLICE USE OF FORCE

The FBI is rolling out a new initiative to bring local law enforcement and community leaders together to talk about police use of force.

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Thornton said his office came up with the idea after the November 2015 shooting of Jamar Clark, a black man killed by a Minneapolis police officer after a struggle in which authorities say Clark tried to grab another officer's gun. Thornton said the idea behind the meetings was that the FBI is in a unique position to bridge the gap between law officers in local communities and those who are impacted when force is used.

After a test meeting in the Twin Cities, one session was held in St. Cloud and another is planned for Rochester this spring. Thornton called the dialogues a "healthy process" and said it's been exciting to see citizens and law enforcement share perspectives and learn from each other.
DECATUR  Sixteen days after Abraham Lincoln was nominated as a candidate for president in Chicago, leaders of the Republican Party asked an accomplished photographer to create new pictures for his campaign.

Lincoln said he was too busy to make the trip to Chicago, so Alexander Hesler packed up his box camera and made the trek to Springfield, where he snapped four photos of the beardless politician in the Old State House.

Of the portraits Hesler produced from that sitting on June 3, 1860, Lincoln said, That looks better and expresses me better than any I have ever seen; if it pleases people I am satisfied.

A 30-by-40-inch framed digital reproduction of this well-know image will be hanging in courtroom 3B of the Macon County Courthouse.

The portrait is a gift of Mark Sorensen, past president of the Illinois State Historical Society. The society owns positive plates that historians believed were made from the original negative glass plates used by Hesler, considered one of the finest portrait photographers of his day.

A.G. Webber IV, presiding judge for Macon County, told the audience in the courtroom gallery at the presentation ceremony Friday afternoon that when Sorensen called him to offer him the portrait, he thought about it for about a millisecond.

Although many people like to claim a connection to Lincoln, the residents of Macon County can rightfully claim him as their own, Webber said, adding that his character was formed while he practiced law on the Eighth Circuit, which included the Decatur courthouse.

I think it altogether fitting and proper that we should honor him by hanging his picture in the Macon County Courthouse, Webber said.

Dressed in his typical dark suit coat, vest and bow tie, Lincoln is pictured with a solemn expression, peering slightly to his left past the camera lens. He has a cord across the front of his white shirt, which Sorensen explained was attached to his reading glasses.

The prints that Hesler made were so popular that about 10,000 of them were sold during Lincoln's campaign.

William Herndon, Lincoln's law partner and close friend, was also pleased with Hesler's portraits. He said that no other artist ever caught that the peculiar curve of the lower lip, the lone mole on the right cheek, and a pose of the head so essentially Lincolnian, according to a magazine article by Sorensen.

Historians believe the original glass plate negatives were sold to another Chicago photographer, George Ayres, in 1865. In the 1880s Ayres made glass plate positives from those plates. The negatives changed hands several times, and were broken in transit in 1933.

The positive plates were found in 1952 by an Illinois Lincoln collector, King Hostick. When he died in Decatur in 1993, he left them in his will to the Illinois State Historical Society.

The society has begun a campaign to place one of those portraits in every courthouse in Illinois. Macon County is the second or third courthouse to receive one.
ST. PAUL  At first, it was just the man's sign that caught Eric Reetz's attention.

"Veteran 10 yrs Army," William Tentis, 64, had written on a piece of cardboard. "God Bless."

Reetz, who is a sergeant first class in the Minnesota National Guard and a St. Paul police officer, could not just walk by as he headed into the Xcel Energy Center to watch a Minnesota Wild game, the Pioneer Press (http://bit.ly/2jyXxOX ) reported. They talked briefly and Reetz gave Tentis, who is homeless, a $20 bill.

"I didn't think that we'd ever cross paths again," said Reetz, 40.

But over and over again, the men began running into each other in St. Paul. Then they started looking for each other. They're a generation apart, though they've bonded over the military service that they both hold close to their hearts.

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In December, Tentis kept trying to find Reetz and he contacted the police department, hoping to reach him. When Reetz heard of his efforts, he thought it was because Tentis was sick or needed help. But when he found out the real reason, he nearly cried.

Tentis had Christmas gifts for him  nice winter gloves, a T-shirt and identification holders for "all the trips you go on," Tentis told Reetz. And Tentis wrote him a note, saying Reetz had made "footprints on his heart."

"Here's a guy that has no home and sleeps outside and HE is giving ME something," Reetz posted on Facebook. "(B)eing nice to EVERYONE, even in the smallest of ways, or smallest gestures can have such an impact on lives."

Without him, 'I'd be dead'

To thank Tentis, Reetz recently invited him to his home for dinner. Reetz picked him up in downtown St. Paul on a frigid afternoon and they stopped by Morelli's to get steaks. As Reetz grilled the meat, Tentis prepared mashed potatoes and chatted with Reetz and his 14-year-old son.

"If it wasn't for people like Eric and the other people that help me out, I'd be dead in the water, there'd be no doubt about that," Tentis said. "How am I going to survive?"

While some people pass Tentis without reading his sign, there have been others who have taken him under their wing.

One gave him the nickname "Sir William," which is what everyone calls him now.

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"There are people that have been helping me for years  the same people," Tentis said. "If I'm not out there, they say, 'Where have you been, Sir William? Are you OK?' There's a lot of beautiful people in the world."

Tentis does not call what he does panhandling because his sign doesn't ask for money, but people do end up helping him.

Reetz first noticed Tentis and his sign more than a year ago.

"What made you come and talk to me, Eric, when we first met?" Tentis asked Reetz when he was at his house.

"It was the sign. It was the veterans sign," Reetz said. ". I just wanted to make sure that the veteran status was actually real. ... That's what it's all about is making sure that someone's not impeding on a veteran's status."

Proof is in the papers

Reetz and Tentis said they've run into people pretending to have served in the military because it tugs at people's heartstrings. When they first met, Tentis assured Reetz he was a veteran by showing him his Army discharge papers.

The next time Reetz went to a Wild game, there was Tentis again  sitting on a fire hydrant outside Xcel Energy Center. He recognized Reetz and showed him receipts from Aldi, saying he'd used the money that Reetz had given him to buy groceries.

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At first, they would chat for two or three minutes at time; this week, they spent hours talking at Reetz's house.

As Reetz prepared steak, garlic bread, green beans and more on Wednesday, Tentis asked Reetz's son, "So what's going on there, Ethan, in your life?"

"A lot of homework," said Ethan, 14.

"I'm not your mom, I'm not your dad," Tentis said. "You don't have to lie. No kid sits at home and does a bunch of homework. Not nowadays."

"I have to," said Ethan. He's a freshman at White Bear Lake Area High School, which is where Tentis happened to go to school. Tentis grew up in White Bear Township, graduated high school in 1971 and immediately enlisted in the Army.

Tentis said he was stationed in South Korea for three years during the Vietnam War and then served as a military police officer for seven years.

Back in Minnesota, Tentis graduated from Lakewood Community (now Century) College, settled in his hometown and had a family. Tentis said he had good jobs working for Honeywell and then the Soo Line Railroad and Canadian Pacific Railway, but he made a decision to go live in the woods after he got divorced and moved out of his house.

"I was tired of society," Tentis said. ". Every time I turn around, I'm getting ripped off, I'm getting lied to." He said he built a shanty in an area that was wooded near Interstate 35E and Pennsylvania Avenue in St. Paul and lived there for nearly 17 years.

In the last couple of years, Tentis has realized he's too old to live out in the cold and has stayed on and off with a daughter or others who have taken him in. He said he hasn't been able to get the full disabled-veteran benefits that he believes he should.

When Tentis was in Korea, he said he and three other men were loading a huge missile when one let go of an end, causing it to smash his knee and shoulder. Tentis gets cortisone shots for his injury at the VA Medical Center, but is still in constant pain.

'It only takes one person'

Tentis' visit to Reetz's place in White Bear Township on Wednesday was the first time he'd been back in years.

At dinner, Tentis said grace and then he, Reetz and Ethan tucked into their food, finishing the meal with apple pie.

"My motto is it only takes one person to make my day," Tentis said, but on Wednesday, it wasn't only Reetz and his son who accomplished that.

In addition to dinner, Reetz gave Tentis a care package. His former co-workers at the Stearns County sheriff's office had sent it for Reetz to give to Tentis after they read his Facebook post about him. Another friend sent $100 for Tentis, and others donated money for an Aldi gift card.

After dinner, Reetz showed Tentis the bar he had built in the basement and pointed out two photographs hanging on the wall.

"That's Josh Hanson and that's Greg Riewer," Reetz said. He told Tentis that they were friends who were killed when they were serving in Iraq in 2006 and 2007.

"See, that would bother me to look at that every day," Tentis told him, saying eight of his friends hadn't come home from the war. ". I'd be crying every day, if I had a wall to put them on. . I couldn't do that."

'This is Janelle'

Then, Reetz showed him another photo. "This is Janelle," he said.

Wednesday was the first time that Reetz had told Tentis about his wife, who died of a heart attack when she was 35. They met when he was a Litchfield police officer and she was a Meeker County dispatcher. Janelle's death in 2008 left Reetz a single dad: Ethan was 6 and Andrea was 15.

"I couldn't even imagine losing a wife at that age," Tentis told Reetz.

But in spite of tragedies, Reetz said he's been able to stay focused on the positive in life. He told Tentis that he sees the same quality in him.

"You've always got to look forward, right?" Reetz said.

"Oh, yeah, yeah. . there's certain things that you're never going to get out of your mind, so you have to just deal with it," Tentis said.

Tentis also believes: "What goes around, comes around" and he said he wanted to do nice things for Reetz after seeing his kindness.

First, Tentis gave Reetz a pin with a cross and an American flag on it. Next, Tentis presented Reetz with a "Kindness" coin that says, "Thank you for being so kind today . You've brightened my world in a lovely way!"

"I felt Eric was the one who deserved it," Tentis said.

Reetz mentioned to Tentis that he keeps the coin on his night table.

"I was thinking about this. . it's my turn to give you a coin," he continued, as they stood in Reetz's kitchen.

When Reetz became a St. Paul police officer in 2014, one of his academy classmates had commemorative coins made. Reetz's coin bears his badge number in the center, 802, and he handed it to Tentis, who stared at it.

"You can't do that, Eric," Tentis said, but Reetz assured him that he had a handful of extras. He only gives them to people who've been a positive force in his life.

"That's yours now," Reetz said.
MINNEAPOLIS  Volunteers are scrambling to find homes for hundreds of wild horses in South Dakota that were spared a possible trip to the slaughterhouse but then were suffering through a harsh winter.

The horses, some of them blind, were once kept at a troubled South Dakota sanctuary. Now a small group of volunteers from across the country is working 10 hours a day to feed and care for the animals, using rented plows to carve paths through 15-foot snowdrifts. In a nearby hotel room, other volunteers are sorting through adoption applications and networking through social media, desperately trying to find homes for the horses before they are forced to leave the property next month.

"We are working to get the whole herd out of the 15-foot snow. Some are blind and are walking out right over the fences. It's really hard to work with so many horses with so many problems," said Elaine Nash, director of horse rescue organization Fleet of Angels , who is spearheading the operation. "Every time we get over one hurdle there's another one waiting for us."

Some 500 horses have already been placed in sanctuaries and ranches across the country, from Arizona and Oregon to California and Minnesota. But the effort near Lantry, in northern South Dakota, isn't done.

The remaining 300 wild horses could be more difficult to sell or have adopted, Nash said. Nearly 200 are stallions that need gelding before anyone will want them. Dozens are old and have health problems. Others are blind from what Nash suspects was toxic farm runoff in their drinking pond.

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But Nash was grateful for the response so far to the neglected herd. Many of the less desirable horses have already found homes, and Nash is hopeful that most will be out of South Dakota by their deadline.

When Nash first spread the word in October, This Old Horse rescue in Hastings, agreed to take two older mares.

They wound up taking seven stallions, all blind, instead.

"I don't know how it happened," joked Nancy Turner, board president of This Old Horse. "Elaine is really good at convincing people."

Turner said it's not easy. The horses are wild, after all, and need special handling and transportation. Most have never been inside a barn or trailer.

"But part of it for me is that these aren't poor needy horses," Turner said. "They are magnificent. I thought that we could celebrate them rather than see them as poor things that should probably be put down."

More than 800 horses were impounded in October at the nonprofit International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros after a state veterinarian found they were being neglected and a former ranch employee said they were being starved to death. All but 20 were eventually surrendered by their owner.

By mid-December, a third of the horses had been adopted or sold while the other 550 or so were being held as collateral by county officials seeking reimbursement for the cost of caring for the horses. When it didn't come, the counties started planning to auction off the rest to recoup the cost, making animal rights groups fear many of the horses would be brought to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico.

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Fleet of Angels and other animal rights groups raised the $78,000 still owed to the counties and stopped the auction. They then assumed the costs and responsibility of caring for the horses.

The group is now gathering, microchipping, collecting blood samples and trimming the feet of the remaining horses and gelding the stallions. Meanwhile, they still need financial support to feed and care for a herd burning through $1,000 in hay each day.

Nash said horses won't be euthanized unless they have broken bones or serious conditions  even horses that might be difficult to adopt.

"We know that someone will come forward and give them good homes. People care about these horses and about making this mission a success," she said.
The Standing Rock/Dakota Access Pipeline protesters are becoming the Meryl Streep of leftist protests, winning multiple awards for Worst Performance in a So-Called Protest. We awarded them a coveted Power Line Green Weenie a couple weeks ago for leaving so much trash around that it had become an environmental threat to the very same river they claimed to be trying to protect.

The story deepens. Heres the latest from The Daily Caller:

Abandoned Vehicles At Dakota Protest Pose Huge Environmental Threat To River By Chris White Officials cleaning campsites used by the Dakota Access Pipeline protests believe abandoned cars at the makeshift site could pose an enormous environmental threat. There are roughly 200 vehicles down there at last count, ranging from cars and pickups to rental trucks, George Kuntz, vice president of the North Dakota Towing Association, told reporters Tuesday. Sanitation crews are working night-and-day to clean up hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash from the DAPL construction site. The debris needs to be removed from the city-sized campsite before spring thaw floods the area. . . There are definitely abandoned vehicles there, but the hard part is trying to determine the count, Rob Keller, an official with the Morton County Sheriffs Department told reporters. Youve got oil leaking out, youve got gas, Keller said.

But here is my favorite single sentence of the story:

Relevant personnel are combing the site for dead bodies rolled up in tarps, as well as weapons that could be used against Morton County police officers. They are using bulldozers and earth-moving equipment to scrape the area clean of debris.

It usually comes to this, doesnt it?

More from ABC News:

Local and federal officials estimate theres enough trash and debris in the camp to fill about 2,500 pickup trucks. Garbage ranges from trash to building debris to human waste, according to Morton County Emergency Manager Tom Doering.

Looking for an explanation for this? I suspect this story out of Europe comes close:

Study: 92% of Anti-Fascist Protesters in Europe Still Live With Their Mom An overwhelming majority of violent Antifascist protesters still live with their mom, according to a new study. Research found that 92% of those suspected of violent crimes at Left-leaning demonstrations still share their home with their parents. The study was carried out with data from Germany, and published in the German tabloid BILD  so results may vary compared to other Western activists. Nonetheless  the findings ring true:

84% are male

72% are aged 18-29

90% are single

34% are unemployed

Young males who live at home are used to having their mothers pick up after them. Especially when theyre off protesting. Now theyll have an extra Green Weenie statuette to pick up.
After three months, the Democrats still refuse to accept the result of Novembers electionan idea they denounced when they thought they were going to win. Now, as Byron York notes, many Democrats are scheming to remove President Trump from office. How to do it, though, is a knotty problem.

They could impeach him, only the Republicans control the House. Speaker Ryan hasnt scheduled any impeachment hearings, last I knew. And no one has plausibly suggested what high crimes or misdemeanors Trump has committed in the last month. Then, too, for Trump to be removed from office, 67 Senators would have to vote for removal, and the Democrats only have 48 senators.

So talk has shifted to the 25th Amendment, which provides procedures for temporary or permanent replacement of a president who becomes disabled. Specifically, Democrat Congressmen like Jackie Speier and Earl Blumenauer are focusing on Section 4 of the amendment, which says that if the vice president and a majority of the cabinet transmit a written declaration that the president is unable to discharge the duties of his office, the vice president becomes the acting president.

The idea that Vice President Mike Pence and a majority of Trumps cabinet will declare Donald Trump unable to perform the duties of the presidency is, of course, insane. It is rather ironic that the 25th Amendment schemers, not Donald Trump, are the ones who display signs of being disconnected from reality.

Meanwhile, what is the evidence that Trump cant discharge the duties of his office? There is none, obviously. If the Rasmussen survey is believed, 55% of likely voters think he is not only performing his duties, but performing them wella much higher approval rating than Congressional Democrats. Congresswoman Speier struggles to explain why she thinks Trump is somehow disabled:

Do you believe he is incapacitated? asked anchor Brianna Keilar. Well, I think that we have got to be very careful, Speier said. He needs to start acting presidential. He needs to start recognizing that as president you dont go around and shoot down the media, as if its some kind of a game youre playing. You dont take on people saying nasty things about them. You dont take foreign leaders and hang up the phone with them or besmirch them, as he has with some of the European leaders. I mean, he has got to get a grip.

I think it is Ms.Speier and many of her fellow Democrats who need to get a grip.

The remarkable fact, however, is that it isnt only frustrated Democrats who are making noises about the 25th Amendment. David Frum and Jennifer Rubin, both of whom are conservatives of a certain stripe but also fervent Never Trumpers, as well as David Brooks, who is no kind of conservative, have similarly made noises about using the 25th Amendment to remove our president from office.

That is why I titled this post Has Washington Gone Crazy? rather than Have the Democrats Gone Crazy? The atmosphere in Washington has become so bizarre that members of both parties (to be fair, mostly Democrats) have gone off the deep end. They need to get out more. President Trump is doing an excellent job so far, and at this point, he is a good bet to be re-elected. Democrats can keep up the crazy, but Republicans should relax and enjoy the show.
The great Harvey Klehr is best known as a groundbreaking historian of the Cold War, having authored or co-authored over a dozen books on the subject of American Communism. He was one of the first researchers to get into the Venona Papers after the fall of the Soviet Union. His dive in the archives produced Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America in 1999. (These were the Soviet documents that proved once and for all that Alger Hiss had indeed been a Soviet agent.) Other titles include In Denial: Historians, Communism and Espionage; Early Cold War Spies: The Espionage Trials That Shaped American Politics; and Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America. His co-author for all four of these books was John Earl Haynes, an equally worthy historian and truth-teller.

Now Professor Klehr reunites with John Haynes and is joined by David Gurvitz to tell a story that takes the reader on an improbable journey into history, politics and popular culture. One of the KGBs most important American agents fled the country in 1945 and continued his espionage work in Europe. Disillusioned by Stalins anti-Semitic campaign, he moved to Israel, abandoned spying, and became a fervent Zionist. In a twist of fate stranger than fiction, in the late 1960s, he worked on the James Bond films, helping craft the popular image of a spy so at odds with the real-life version he had once lived. The bizarre saga of Joseph Katz, who died a millionaire, is told in The two worlds of a Soviet spy. You wont want to miss this one.
The Trump administration has decided not to continue litigating over its executive order on travel. Instead it will issue a new order that addresses the main concerns expressed by the Ninth Circuit. What changes will this entail?

Jacob Sullum at Reason identifies the three changes he expects to see. First, he says, the new order will explicitly exclude lawful permanent residents from the travel ban. The key word here is explicitly. Sullum explains:

The Supreme Court has said green-card holders have a right to due process if the government tries to stop them from re-entering the country after traveling abroad. The Trump administration concedes that point but says the travel ban should not be interpreted as covering lawful permanent residents (LPRs), even though officials at the White House and the Department of Homeland Security initially said it did.

Expect the new order to end any ambiguity on this score.

Second, Sullum thinks the new order probably will exclude [from its scope] people who do not have green cards but are already legally living in the United States. The Ninth Circuit took the view that people from the seven banned countries who are legally working or studying in the U.S. on non-immigrant visas have due process rights when the government decides to revoke their visas.

The Trump administration disagrees and is, in my view, correct. However, it will likely back off on this question and focus on aliens who have never entered this country and have no connection to it. Even the Ninth Circuit (assuming that this where the challenge to the new order ends up on appeal) would be hard-pressed to find that such individuals have constitutional rights, though anything is possible with that court.

Third, Sullum believes the new order will clarify that it has no impact on asylum applications. The Ninth Circuit noted that refugees have a statutory right to seek asylum once they have arrived in the United States.

This means they have potential due process claims if they are summarily ejected from the country. The new order will likely make clear that it does not violate this principle.

Sullum doubts that the new order will alleviate another of the Ninth Circuits concerns  that the travel ban encounters due process difficulties because it applies to foreign nationals who have a relationship with a U.S. resident or an institution that might have rights of its own to assert. The Trump administration isnt likely to back down on this; to do so would truly undermine the travel ban.

This issue, then, is likely headed to the Supreme Court. In addition, I expect that the Ninth Circuit would find additional defects in the order that it didnt deem necessary to rule on the first time around.

For example, the Ninth Circuit panel took seriously the argument that the original order violates the Establishment and Equal Protection Clauses because it was intended to disfavor Muslims. As evidence of such intent it cited, ridiculously, statements made by Donald Trump when he was running for president. However, it reserve[d] consideration of these claims.

If the Ninth Circuit rules on the new order, it might well find a violation of the Establishment and/or the Equal Protection.

So the new order is unlikely to satisfy the Ninth Circuit. But if the matter goes to the Supreme Court, the order will be on an even firmer footing than the last one was. In addition, some of the key Justices may be favorably influenced by the fact that the Trump administration took most of the Ninth Circuits concerns seriously and, indeed addressed them, before forcing the Supreme Court to become involved.
Peace Academy Costa Rica has launched a crowd funding campaign to help raise funding for new youth leadership programs and to establish a scholarship fund to provide more opportunity for more youth to realize their goals.

PR-Inside.com: 2017-02-18 07:35:52

Press Information

Peace Academy Costa Rica

#8 El Jardin Commercial Centre





Jaco, Puntarenas, Costa Rica



Bassam Shmordok

Director of elective education

506 86824475

email

http://www.peaceacademycostarica.com



Published by

Bassam Shmordok

50684726552

e-mail

http://peaceacademycostarica.com







# 308 Words

#8 El Jardin Commercial CentreJaco, Puntarenas, Costa RicaDirector of elective education506 86824475Bassam Shmordok50684726552

Peace Academy Costa Rica (PACR), a North American accredited full-service educational institution based out of Costa Rica, determined to provide an alternative education to the textbook and test approach typical in the Central American region, this week officially launched an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign for garnering widespread support and financial backing for making their diverse program developments a reality.Borne from a passion for integrating world awareness, peaceful cultivation, and leadership training into an educational facility in Costa Rica, PACR today has students from around the globe who are embracing the learning process through customized learning programs, unique to each of them.We are an educational team from Canada who selected Costa Rica as our school destination due to their view towards peace, said Tonia Shmordok, Founder and Owner of PACR. Here in this peaceful safe haven is where we are teaching our students about world awareness and becoming leaders and peace ambassadors in their respective communities, and regions. Intent on expanding their educational resources and impact on students both at PACR and abroad, the educational facility is seeking crowdfunding support to develop new awareness projects, peace program initiatives and establish a scholarship fund.Anyone who donates to the campaign will help welcome new students to the PACR community through scholarships, help develop quality peace programs both in Costa Rica and abroad, help complete awareness campaigns, and help design a student-created documentary about the best ideas and programs from around the world.We want anyone interested in our educational venture to share their passions and ideas with us, said Tonia. This is a collaborative effort, and we are always open to learning about the latest educational developments. Spread the word on the launch of our crowdfunding campaign, and head on over today to watch a video about our amazing school. For more information, visit: https://igg.me/at/pacr
DECATUR  When a 20-year-old parolee fled from Decatur patrol officer Jeffrey Klebe on foot, to evade arrest on several outstanding warrants, the officer noticed something unusual protruding from the suspect's pocket.

He observed what appeared to be a stack of $100 bills hanging from the pants pocket of Albert E. Tillman, said a probable cause affidavit by Klebe. The bills fell from his pocket after Tillman got off the ground at the end of the pursuit.

When the police seized the 25 bills, Tillman denied any knowledge of the bills, even though they were observed falling from his pocket, Klebe wrote in his statement.

Police discovered the bills were fraudulent motion picture bills, which closely resemble genuine currency, manufactured for use in the film industry.

Klebe wrote that there have been numerous reports that similar cinematic bills have been used to defraud businesses and others in the Decatur area.

Tillman is not known to be involved in the motion picture industry, the affidavit said.

He was arrested about 11:20 a.m. Feb. 11 in the 1200 block of North Edward Street, and booked into the Macon County Jail, where he was being held on $10,000 bond. He was arraigned on one felony count of forgery and a misdemeanor count of resisting a peace officer.

Tillman, who has an extensive criminal history, was released from prison Nov. 25, 2015, after serving part of a four-year sentence for possession of a stolen motor vehicle. He was convicted Feb. 7 of resisting a peace officer in a 2016 case, for which he served three days in jail.

He is due in court March 8 for his preliminary hearing in his most recent case.
Nigeria is to license a new oil and gas free zone in Delta state, the Managing Director, Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority, Umana Umana, said on Friday.

Mr. Umana, who disclosed this at the end of an inspection visit to the proposed free zone to be located in Okitigbo in Warri North of Delta State, said he was impressed with the level of physical development of the proposed free trade hub.

The OGFZA boss said he was equally excited at the enthusiasm and demonstration of readiness by the promoters of the new free zone, Awaritse Nigeria Limited, to acquire an oil and gas free zone status for the state.

He however told the promoters of the proposed free zone to be ready to comply with a set of requirements from OGFZA to enable it forward a recommendation to President Muhammadu Buhari for the final approval of an operational license.

Commending Awaritse Nigeria management for keying into the federal governments vision to promote free zones as a vehicle to attract foreign direct investments into the country economy, Mr. Umana said the proposed free zone would be for both upstream and downstream oil and gas industry activities.

The OGFZA boss, who said the project was a 100 per cent Nigerian initiative, expressed the hope the Koko Port, located near to the proposed site, would be integrated into the zone in the near future.

The Secretary and legal adviser to Awaritse Nigeria board, Desmond Dudu, said the proposed free zone, which covers a land area of about 87,044 hectares, has space to accommodate a future expansion by another 80,000 hectares.

He said based on discussions with prospective foreign investors interested in coming to the zone, when licensed, the project would attract more than $100 million in foreign direct investments in the first instance.

When completed, he said the free zone would generate about 2,170 direct and indirect jobs to Nigerians.

Acting managing director of Awaritse Nigeria, Emmanuel Ebosa, who led the OGFZA management team on a facility tour of the proposed free zone, showed them round the jetty, tank farm, fabrication yard where a barge was under construction, site for a modular refinery and security infrastructure.

When approved by the President, the proposed free zone would be the fourth to be established by the new management at OGFZA since assumption of office late last year.

Although Onne is the biggest free zone in the country so far, Mr. Umana said last week, apart from similar zones established Warri and Brass, the Authority was working on establishing three more in Ibaka, Ibeno and Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom state.

We are determined to ensure that Nigeria would benefit maximally from free zones as veritable tools to drive economic growth and development in Nigeria, Mr. Umana told PREMIUM TIMES in his office.

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has for months paid to maintain the retail pump price of petrol at N145 per litre, government sources say.

The Federal Government had in May 2016 through the petroleum products pricing regulatory agency, PPPRA, announced a new petrol price regime, which reviewed retail pump price band from between N86.50 kobo and N87 to between N135 and N145.

The adjustment was at a time global crude oil prices at the international market crashed to an average of $43.21 per barrel at the international oil market.

With crude oil prices per barrel improving to above $50, PPPRA sources put landing cost of petrol at about N160 to N165 per litre.

The elements of the landing costs in the PPPRA pricing template include freighting costs, lightering expenses, Nigeria Ports Authority charge, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency charge, financing, jetty thru put charge and storage charge.

Apart from the landing cost, there are distribution margins, including those for retailers, transporter allowance, dealers, bridging fund, maritime transport average and administration charges, also added for conveying the products to the filling stations for retail to consumers.

With the retail pump price current at between N135 and N145 and landing cost at an average of N160 and N165 per litres, there is an outstanding of between N20 and N25 per litre.

The News Agency of Nigeria quoted an unnamed official of the NNPC as saying the national oil company had for several months been offsetting the difference between the landing costs and the pump price of petrol to sustain uninterrupted supply of the commodity.

The landing costs of petrol currently hovers around N160 to N165 per litre, the official said. The petroleum products marketers buy from us (NNPC) and so the government bears the full cost of the extra cost as subsidy, because it feels it will be unfair to make the consumer pay the difference.

With the current recession in the economy, the government will not want to burden the people with a fuel price hike.

The source said the NNPC and the government were also concerned by the recent upsurge of smuggling of petrol across the Nigerian borders to Chad and Niger.

Although the official noted the negative impact of scarcity of foreign exchange as a big issue in the fuel importation programme, he said no marketer had any right to divert fuel to any destination, as the NNPC sells virtually everything it imports to the marketers.

NNPC is paying the difference just because it wants every Nigerian to have easy access to the white products. The fluctuating foreign exchange has not helped matters. But even the marketers cannot complain, because government bears the brunt of the whole thing, the official said.

He however expressed concern that government may soon find itself overburdened by the subsidy overhang as the economy remained in recession.

Soon the government may not be able to pay the price difference again, because it runs into billions of naira, the official told NAN.

Recently, a senior official of the NNPC told PREMIUM TIMES governments subsidy exposure was about N90billion so far.

The official, who would not want to named, because of the sensitive nature of the information, said the NNPC has continued to bear the burden, because President Muhammadu Buhari does not want to hear anything about subsidy payment any more.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted NNPC spokesperson, Ndu Ughamadu, for clarification on Saturday, he said whatever cost the NNPC was paying was part of its roles as supplier of last resort and social supplier.

I am not aware the corporation has ever told anybody that it was paying subsidy on fuel, Mr. Ughamadu said. NNPC, as you are aware, is a supplier of last resort. One of its primary objectives is to ensure that the nation is wet with (petroleum) products at all times.

However, he pointed out that members of the Major Oil Marketing Association of Nigeria, MOMAN) and their Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, were not currently involved in the importation of petroleum products into the country.

Only the NNPC is bearing the whole burden. And the NNPC has been dipping its hands into its lean purse to continue to provide for this important service to the economy, he said.

Although he did not say how much the NNPC was drawing from its lean purse to support importation of petroleum products into the country, Mr. Ughamadu was quick to point out that the extra expenses were not referred as subsidy, as it was part of its roles.

We have two principal roles to play in the fuel supplier chain  as supplier of last resort and in a way social supplier, to ensure that no matter the situation the nation as not dry with products at all times, Mr. Ughamadu explained.

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North Korea on Friday said it would categorically reject the result of a post-mortem carried out to determine the cause of death of Kim Jong Nam.

Nam was the estranged half-brother of leader Kim Jong Un, who died under mysterious circumstances in Kuala Lumpur this week.

The Malaysian side forced the postmortem without our permission, North Koreas ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol, said outside the hospital mortuary.

We will categorically reject the results of the post mortem conducted unilaterally, excluding our attendance.

Malaysian police said they would not release the body until his family comes forward with DNA samples.

We want to establish the conclusive identification of the body for the DNA test, Selangor state police chief, Datuk Abdul Samah Mat, said.

We will keep the body until certain period, the police chief added when asked what would happen if Kims next of kin does not come forward in the days or weeks to come.

Kim Jong Nam, the eldest of former dictator Kim Jong Ils three sons, was due to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Macau, when he was apparently attacked at the airport with poisonous substances.

He suddenly fell ill at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and died enroute to hospital on Tuesday.

Three suspects have arrested in connection to the death.

Police say they are looking for four other men believed to be connected to the killing.

Forensics department is also carrying out tests to determine the poison that caused Kim Jong Nams death. (dpa/NAN)

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A realignment of political forces has begun in the South-east geo-political zone ahead of the 2019 general elections.

In the last few months, some prominent politicians in the zone have quit the Peoples Democratic Party to join the All Progressives Congress.

Among the defectors are a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; a former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu; a former governor of the old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo; and a former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Eugene Odo.

Others are a serving senator, Andy Uba; former Senators Ifeanyi Ararume, John Nwanunu, Nkechi Nwaogu, Fidelis Okoro, Chris Agboti; and a member of the House of Representatives, Tony Nwoye.

Businessmen, Emeka Offor and Ifeanyi Uba as well as the owner of Peace Mass Transit, Sam Onyishi, have also identified with the APC.

For the APC, the biggest catch has so far is Mr. Nnamani. Imo States Rochas Okorocha, the lone APC governor in the zone, was so excited at the defection of the former senate president that he declared him the leader of the party in the zone.

Ben Nwoye, who chairs the party in Enugu State, Mr. Nnamanis home state, said with the defection of the former senate president to the party, change had begun to manifest.

Mr. Nnamanis journey to the APC on January 22 had long been predicted. He left PDP in February 2016, claiming the party had abandoned the path of its noble vision and values. He did not state his next destination.

A year later, he said he joined the APC in the interest of the Igbo. The South-East has a role to play in our nation; we cant play that role from outside. We have to be inside to pay our role in Nigeria, he said.

Even if we want to ask that imbalances in the country should be corrected, we have to ask for that from inside. You cannot criticise, it is not about being confrontational.

He said the manner the Yoruba voted in 2015 should be an eye-opener.

They voted both sides but the South-east put their eggs in one basket, he said. I am not of the view that everybody should be in APC but those who have seen the need should do so.

The moves by the defectors have significant political implication for 2019, no doubt. Already, the zonal chapter of the APC is packaging a grand reception for the defectors.

But the PDP, Nigerias main opposition party, says it is not losing sleep just yet.

Austin Umahi, its national vice chairman (South East), said those leaving his party have no electoral value and are only rushing into the APC to look for what they will eat.

I dont lose sleep over that. Im not bothered because all those leaving have no electoral value. Can they win election in their places? So why should I bother about it? Mr. Umahi told PREMIUM TIMES by phone.

Insisting the PDP remains the dominant party in the zone, Mr. Umahi, who is Ebonyi governor, Dave Umahis brother, said They (defectors) will regret their actions soon.

The National Vice Chairman of the APC in the zone, Emma Eneukwu, disagrees.

He told PREMIUM TIMES that the performance of the APC at the federal level is the attraction for Igbo politicians.

The (federal) government is working, it is performing. We are the in-thing. The main business in Nigeria is government and this government is performing, Mr. Eneukwu said. If you want to buy something from the market, is it the person coming from the market that you will send or the person going to the market. APC is the one going to the market.

Fairly good ride

At present, APC only controls Imo in the South-east. The PDP controls Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi while the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has Anambra State.

While this appears its moment of greatest test, PDP, for more than a decade, has had a fairly good ride in the region.

Upon restoration of democracy in 1999, the party swept the governorship polls in the five states. In 2003, the party, which was also in power at the federal level, repeated the feat.

However, soon after, Chris Ngige, who had won the governorship election on the platform of the PDP in Anambra State was ousted by the court in 2005, paving the way for Peter Obi of APGA, which has since retained control of the state.

In 2007, Mr. Kalu, who was rounding off his second governorship term in Abia, floated the Progressives Peoples Alliance, PPA, on whose platform his successor, Theodore Orji, won the election. Mr. Orji, now a senator, later defected to the PDP.

His Imo state counterpart then, Ikedi Ohakim, who had won on the same platform also joined the PDP, thus giving PDP control of four of the South Eastern states. Ebonyi and Enugu have been ruled by the PDP since 1999.

In 2011, Mr. Okorocha won the governorship election on the ticket of APGA but later took a section of the party to join the opposition parties that formed APC.

The PDP has also won virtually all the National Assembly seats in the zone since 1999.

For instance, in 1999, except the senatorial seat of Imo West won by Arthur Nzeribe, Enugu North, won by Hyde Onuaguluchi and Abia Central won by John Nwanunu, all of the defunct All Peoples Party, APP, the remaining 12 senatorial seats in the zone were won by the PDP.

However, midway into his tenure, the court sacked Mr. Onuaguluchi, a catholic reverend, and installed Ben Collins Ndu of the PDP as the senator for the district.

All subsequent senatorial elections in the zone were won by the PDP, except in 2011 when Mr. Ngige won on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, to represents the Anambra Central senatorial district.

The House of Representatives, state assemblies and council chairmanship seats in the zone have always been dominated by the PDP.

In 2015, the PDP won in the three of the four states where governorship elections were conducted. The states were Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi. The APC won in Imo. Wille Obiano had succeeded Mr. Obi on the ticket of APGA in Anambra State in 2014.

In 2015, all the 15 senatorial seats were initially won by the PDP. The APC was later to clinch the Imo North senatorial seat when a bye-election was conducted in that district last year.

Of the 41 House of Representatives seats, the PDP won 38 leaving only three for the APC. The main opposition party also swept majority of the seats in the five state Houses of Assembly.

The PDP also swept the presidential election in the zone. Its candidate, former President Goodluck Jonathan, polled a total of 2,464,906 votes in the zone. His main challenger, Muhammadu Buhari, got a paltry 208,248 votes.

A repeating pattern

The current gale of defections is hardly strange.

At the formation of political parties in 1998, the PDP ran neck and neck in the South-east with the APP, which later became All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP.

Prominent Igbo politicians in the APP then were Ken Nnamani, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu; former Imo Governor, Sam Mbakwe; Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; Arthur Nzeribe, Ben Obi; former Minister, Ihechukwu Maduibuike; Joy Emordi; Max Ndaguibe; Josiah Odunna (the partys national secretary); Prince Arthur Eze; and Gbazuagu Gbazuagu.

Others were former Senate President, Evan Enwerem; Hyde Onuaguluchi; Ezekiel Izuogu; and current Science and Technology minister, Ogbonnaya Onu.

But steadily, many began turned to the PDP after the December 1998 council polls.

Except notably Messrs. Onu, Ojukwu and Mbakwe, many defected to the PDP, thus making it the dominant party in the zone.

Mr. Ojukwu moved to the newly-formed APGA while Mr. Onu remained in the ANPP until it fused into the APC.

In the Alliance for Democracy, AD, were Third Republic Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Arthur Nwankwo, and Udenta Udenta.

Former senator, Offia Nwali, was in the Movement for Democracy and Justice.

After the 1999 elections, the PDP members from the zone at the outset were former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, Chuba Okadigbo, Mr. Nwobodo, Sylvester Ugoh, Christian Onoh, Polycarp Nwite, Orji Uzor Kalu, Achike Udenwa, Chimaroke Nnamani, Sam Egwu, Ojo Maduekwe, and Edwin Ume-Ezeoke.

Mr. Ume-Ezeoke decamped to the ANPP where he became the national chairman. Mr. Okadigbo also went to the ANPP and became the partys vice presidential candidate in 2003. Mr. Kalu formed the PPA in 2006.

More to defection

While the defection in those years could be attributed to the desire of the politicians to pick up appointments and remain politically relevant, the current one, ahead of 2019, may go beyond that.

Many believe it is a move by some defector to escape the anti-corruption hammer of the APC-led federal administration.

Ifeanacho Oguejiofor, the Director of Publicity of APGA, believes so.

Some of those people defecting are federal government contractors and political harlots, Mr. Oguejiofor told PREMIUM TIMES.

They are people who want to use the federal might to rig elections. They are not politically relevant. They are people who rig elections every time. The people are not with them.

They want to be in any party that is in power because they want to loot and embezzle the peoples money. They move to the government in power so that EFCC will not come after them.

For a regime that has been repeatedly accused of lopsided prosecution of the corruption war, this may not be far from the truth.

For instance, Mr. Nwobodo, who was also a senator, is currently under investigation by the EFCC for receiving N100 million from the former NSA, Sambo Dasuki, who allegedly diverted $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase, to politicians.

But Osita Okechukwu, the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, says it is strictly about APCs appeal.

I think the surge of eminent sons and daughters of Ndigbo into our great party, the APC is worth celebrating; worth celebrating in the sense that it gazettes the indomitable and entrepreneurial spirit of our people, Mr. Okechukwu told this newspaper.

It shows that my people appreciate the infrastructural development element in the cardinal programme of President Muhammadu Buhari regime. We are aware that in the fullness of time Nigeria is going to overcome the current hardship, despair and despondency.

The VON DG further said the president has promised to address the imbalance in the federal appointments and provision of infrastructure, which he claimed would also favour the Igbo.

Secondly, we are looking ahead on how best to harvest the age-long aspiration for president of Igbo extraction in 2023.

Indeed, some of us reason that going by the zoning convention, it is faster and better assured to produce a president of Igbo extraction if President Buhari is to do two terms of eight years.

Whats for 2019

Mr. Eneukwu said with the caliber of people joining his party, the electoral fortunes of the party is assured, beginning with the November governorship election in Anambra State.

Obviously, we are winning more states. Mind you, some of the governors are definitely coming into the APC. At the end of the day, the little structure remaining in the PDP will be insignificant and that will be the end of the PDP.

Mr. Eneukwu said the victory of the APC will begin in Anambra.

Were winning Anambra. All the strong people in the PDP are moving into the APC. APGA cannot win in Anambra again.

Reminded that some of those politicians do not share APCs philosophy, Mr. Eneukwu said Politics is about power and service to the people and therefore when they get into power they will implement the partys policies.

But Mr. Oguejifor disagrees. It (defection) will not affect anything in Anambra State. Anambra is APGA. They cannot change the electoral outcome in November, he said.

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The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, has signed into law Pension Rights of Judges (Amendment) Act, 2017, and six other bills passed by the National Assembly.

This is contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang.

Mr. Osinbajo is acting on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on an extended medical vacation in the United Kingdom.

While the acting president has carried out several presidential duties since Mr. Buhari travelled, it is the first time he is reported to have assented to National Assembly bills.

Mr. Enang listed other bills signed by the Acting President as: Oaths(Amendment) Act, 2017; Defence Space Administration Act, 2017; Veterinary Surgeons(Amendment)Act, 2017, and National Film and Video Censors Board(Amendment)Act, 2017.

Others are- Nigeria Institute of Soil Science(Establishment, etc.) Act, 2017, and Mortgage Institutions(Amendment)Act, 2016.

He noted that the Acts, other than Defence Space Administration Act and Institute of Soil Science Act, were mainly amendments to the principal Acts, intended to bring them in conformity with current realities.

Mr. Enang explained that the Oaths Amendment Act enlists courts that were not in existence when the Oaths Act was passed into law.

He added that the Amendment Act enlists courts which came into being upon amendment of the constitution, creating such courts as the Federal High Court, FCT High Court, National Industrial Court, among others.

Defence Space Administration Act establishes the Defence Space Administration, to develop satellite technology and ensure security of the nations cyber activities.

Veterinary Surgeons (Amendment)Act reduces the membership of the Veterinary Council.

National Film and Video Censors Board(Amendment)Act reduces the membership of the governing board and empowers the board to regulate the import and export of movies.

Pension Rights of Judges(Amendment) Act expands the meaning of a judicial officer.

This is to cover offices of Chief Judge or Judge of the Federal High Court, President or Judges of National Industrial Court and Chief Judge or Judges of High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.

Nigeria Institute of Soil Science(Establishment, etc) Act establishes the Nigeria Institute of Soil Science ,which is charged with the responsibility of regulating the profession of Soil Science.

Mortgage Institutions (Amendment)Act reviews the prescribed penalties, he said.

(NAN)

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Guardians of the French language were up in arms on Friday after the French national Olympic committee adopted an English slogan to back Frances bid to host the 2024 Games.

The slogan Made for Sharing was adopted by the French Olympic Committee to back the bid for the 2024 Summer Games.

The Academie francaise, official custodian of the language of Moliere, said it was no better than a pizza advert.

Paris, Los Angeles, and Budapest are vying to host the 2024 games, and the committee has said it chose the English slogan to broaden its appeal for the wider world.

Another group whose aim is the defence of French usage said the choice was an insult to the French language.

It proposed instead the rallying cry of Venez partager! (Come and share!).

Both groups said they would lodge an official appeal against the adoption of the English slogan.

The Academie francaise, expressing its disapproval, said the slogan had already been widely used in publicity campaigns, mainly for selling pizzas and sweets.

Bernard Pivot, widely known for defending French culture, was also unhappy.

French-speaking countries are going to be surprised and indignant that Paris, capital of the francophone world, bows down before a language that is not only that of Shakespeare but that of Donald Trump, he said.(Reuters/NAN)

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The Nigerian Army has warned against a campaign of calumny by suspected disgruntled personnel.

Sani Usman, a Brigadier General, gave the warning on Saturday in a statement.

Mr. Usman said they had been making spurious and unfounded allegations bordering on payment of troops operations allowances, rotation in the North East and comparing troops pay to what obtains in neighbouring countries.

The fabricators are most probably being sponsored by the categories of people that frustrated themselves out of the army and political self-defeatists.

They are clearly sentimental and lack knowledge of the Nigerian Army of today, he said.

Mr. Usman, however, said investigation was ongoing to determine the full identity and source of the mischief and all those found connected with it.

He vowed that they would be dealt with in accordance with the extant provisions of the military justice system.

We wish to reiterate that the Nigerian Army is a voluntary Service.

We are not running a conscript Army, all those not satisfied are at liberty to apply for voluntary retirement or discharge as the case may be.

We cannot afford to have disloyal or disgruntled elements in the system.

Anybody caught to be involved in this ignominious campaign would have himself or herself to blame.

According to him, the Nigerian Army of today cannot be compared with that of any other period.

So much has been done in the areas of operations, training, general administration, logistics and general welfare of troops and their families, he said.

The army spokesman also said that the families of fallen colleagues were being given adequate attention commensurate with the established terms and conditions of service.

He said that in addition, concern on troops welfare had been extended to their families through the creation of the Barracks Investment Initiative Programme (BIIP).

Mr. Usman said that under the programme, officers and soldiers families and dependents actively participate.

The Nigerian Army has an elaborate exit plan for all officers and soldiers involved in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists in the North East this year, subject to operational exigencies.

That is why all efforts must be geared towards mopping up the remnants of the desperate terrorists still bent on causing mayhem wherever they can.

Any soldier who is not satisfied with the professional drive of the Nigerian Army and that of the government can do himself a world of good by voluntarily discharging from the Nigerian Army.

Otherwise all must desist from rumour mongering and outright falsehood which are unprofessional and have no place in todays Nigerian Army.

Fifth columnists will not succeed in their mischief as they will be fished out and dealt with, he said. (NAN)

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The Nigerian Community in South Africa has confirmed attacks and looting of Nigerian-owned businesses in Pretoria West on Saturday.

Ikechukwu Anyene, president, Nigeria Union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Pretoria, South Africa, that the attacks began at 4.00 a.m.

He said the union had reported the incident to the Nigerian mission and South African police.

As we speak, five buildings with Nigerian businesses, including a church have been looted and burned by South Africans.

One of the buildings is a mechanic garage with 28 cars under repairs, with other vital documents, were burned during the attack.

Also, the pastor of the church was wounded and is in the hospital receiving treatment, he said.

Mr. Anyene said the union had informed Nigerians in South Africa to be vigilant in the face of renewed xenophobic attacks.

According to him, the union received information that there will be xenophobic attacks against foreigners on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23.

We began taking precautionary measures when the incident took place today.

The attack in Pretoria West is purely xenophobic and criminal attack because they loot the shops and homes before burning them, he said.

Mr. Anyene called on the Federal Government to persuade its South African counterpart to protect Nigerians in their country.

These attacks should not be allowed to continue because it is a big setback, he said.

(NAN)

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Constellation will seek extensions for its operating license for the Clinton Power Station until 2047 and two reactors at the Dresden Generating Station in Morris until 2049 and 2051.
A Chief Magistrates Court in Port Harcourt on Friday granted bail on grounds of health to one of 45 Biafra separatists standing trial.

The Chief Magistrate, Andrew Jaja, granted Emmanuel Nnamani bail in the sum of N50,000 after considering that he was almost losing one of his eyes.

Mr. Jaja and other 44 suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), are standing trial on a two-court charge of conspiracy to commit treasonable felony and display of unruly behaviour.

They were arrested in Port Harcourt during the IPOB solidarity rally for the inauguration of the United States President Donald Trump on January 20.

He was reportedly struck in his right eye by security agents before his arrest.

The chief magistrate also issued a hearing notice to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police or the state Attorney General to appear in court to explain reasons why the accused should not be granted bail.

Hearing notice would be served the Attorney General or the commissioner of police to come and show cause why the accused persons should not be released unconditionally pending the advice of the DPP (Director of Public Prosecution), Mr. Jaja said.

He explained that the attorney general or the commissioner of police would be given 10 days to appear before the court.

The accused were remanded in prison custody while the case was adjourned to March 3.

Earlier, the Counsel to IPOB, Inalagwu Adoga, had prayed the court to grant the accused persons bail since their case files had not reached the Department of Public Prosecution.

Mr. Adoga explained that it would be in the interest of justice for the court to grant the suspects bail.

He also prayed the court to grant Mr. Nnamani bail due to his worsening eye problem.

Speaking to journalists after the court session, Mr. Adoga called on the Federal and Rivers state governments to resolve the Biafra agitation amicably like that of the Niger Delta issue.

The Biafra situation started 51 years ago. It has been lingering on and on.

I have written to the Federal Government for a dialogue to end this matter before it gets out of hand.

I think it is time for the Federal Government to sit down and call on the leadership of IPOB to discuss the matter, he said.

Mr. Adoga appealed to the government to exercise caution.(NAN)

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A former junior minister of Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, on Friday lost out in a defamation suit he filed against PREMIUM TIMES and Sahara Reporters.

Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of the Ikeja Division of the Lagos High Court ordered Mr. Obanikoro to settle the matter against the media organizations at the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) within seven days.

This is a case of defamation and the parties involved should settle at the ADR within seven days and give this court a progress report on the next adjourned date, said Mrs. Ipaye.

The judge adjourned the matter to April 7.

Mr. Obanikoro had sued the two news organizations, as well as Punch newspapers; Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters; and Festus Owete, General Editor at PREMIUM TIMES, for their reports implicating him in the Ekiti State governorship election rigging scandal.

The former minister claimed that the defendants had published defamatory articles that caused him political and personal losses and sought damages amounting to N1 billion.

In his suit, Mr. Obanikoro sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from publishing defamatory, damaging, offensive, or degrading statements against him.

He further sought an order of the court compelling the media houses to retract all the damaging articles against him by publishing an apology in their respective media.

He also filed a similar suit against Sahara Reporters in New York where the companys headquarters is located, accusing the medium of harming his reputation in Nigeria and the United States.

Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court of the state of New York dismissed the defamation suit, directing that the matter be resolved in a Nigerian court.

Last year, Mrs. Ipaye delivered a ruling describing the former ministers application in his suit at the Lagos High Court as lacking in merit.

There is nothing before the court that shows the applicant will suffer more harm if the injunction is not granted, Mrs. Ipaye said in April 2016.

It is an error to seek to restrain a publisher of an article on the grounds of libel if there is no proof before the court that such material is libelous.

I am persuaded that this application has no merit and an injunction is not appropriate in the circumstance.

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President Muhammadu Buhari was not the first African leader called by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The American leader spoke with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, on January 23, three days after his inauguration and three weeks before calling Mr. Buhari and South African President Jacob Zuma on February 13.

News reports from the United States and Egypt said Mr. Trump discussed bilateral issues bordering on terrorism and extremism with Mr. El Sisi.

This contradicts claims by presidential media aides that Mr. Trumps call to Mr. Buhari was the first to any African leader since being sworn in a month ago.

At least two media aides to the president, Garba Shehu and Tolu Ogunlesi, made the misleading assertion while propping it as a major foreign policy success for the administration.

Mr. Shehu told Channels Television on February 14 that Mr. Trumps call to his principal was not entirely surprising given Nigerias place in Africa, especially in areas of diplomacy and politics.

It shouldnt surprise anyone that President Trump made the choice of making the first African call to the Nigerian President, he said.

The night before, Mr. Ogunlesi, who handles digital communication for Mr. Buhari, had made the same assertion in a Twitter update shortly after news broke that the call did take place between the two leaders.

Nigeria and SA take first and second places on POTUS (President of the United States) Africa call list. As they should, really. Also not surprising BH (Boko Haram)/terror main focus of Nigeria call, Mr. Ogunlesi said.

But he later clarified his statement, saying he was referring to sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr. Shehu has yet to withdraw his claim. He did not respond to calls and text messages from PREMIUM TIMES about it Saturday afternoon.

Channels Television appeared to have relied on the information passed by the media aides, in also incorrectly making the same claim.

Now, the conversation between both presidents is the first U.S. President Donald Trump will be having with an African leader, so what impact would this have on U.S.-Nigeria relations, the station said in its 10:00 p.m. bulletin February 13.

Mr. Trump telephoned Mr. Buhari in London. The Nigerian leader is on medical vacation in the city.

The American leader assured Nigeria of U.S. readiness to cut a new deal in provision of military weapons to combat terrorism.

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The national chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali Sheriff, has said that he will work to restore the lost glory of the party.

Mr. Sheriff was declared the authentic chairman by the Court of Appeal, in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

He defeated a factional chairman and former governor of Kaduna state, Ahmed Makarfi.

The PDP was factionalised after its national convention which also held in the Rivers state capital last year.

Mr. Sheriff had announced the suspension of the convention citing Court orders, however, the party, led by its elected governors went ahead with the convention and appointed a caretaker committee under Mr. Makarfi.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Saturday, Mr. Sheriff said the judgement of Court of Appeal on Friday, does not call for merriment or mourning. In my candid view, there was no victor and no vanquished.

The former governor said the judgement is an opportunity for a sincere renewal of a sense of unity and fraternity within the ranks of party members.

No doubt, we have come a long and tortuous road, wherein some of us have been bruised or out rightly wounded and are hurting. I understand also, that for some of us, our ego has been agitated.

Yet, I dare say that we can put all of that behind us and come together with one accord and move our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, forward, he said.

Mr. Sheriff said he would do everything within his powers to bring lasting peace to the PDP.

It is not about me or any ambition, it is about the survival of our great party

On this score. I can assure you that I shall be willing to make any sacrifice that can guarantee peace in our party.

Let us be certain about this, no person or group, no matter how powerful can do it alone. We need all hands on deck to rekindle the winning fire in PDP.

Divided, we can achieve little or nothing. But united, we can stand like the impregnable Glam Rock and no weapon fashioned against us can prevail, he said.

Mr. Sheriff said the PDP, which was in power for 16 years before losing to the APC in 2015, still has a great future and he will work towards.

I see a very great future for our great party, PDP. Our people are already looking forward to the return of the glorious days of a PDP government, when the net worth of life was worthy of human dignity.

We cannot afford to disappoint the teeming majority of Nigerians who are looking up to us at this despondent hour of our politics and economy.

How can we meet their expectations if we remain fragmented and disunited? We must therefore, rise to the occasion and come together as one strong united family, he said.

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A former military administrator of Rivers State, Sam Ewang, says the crisis within the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Akwa Ibom State is traceable to John Udoedehe.

Mr. Udoedehe, a former minister of state for the Federal Capital Territory, recently expelled from the party, is fighting back against the APC leadership in the state.

He has repeatedly said that he helped build the foundation of the opposition party in the state, and therefore nobody could push him out.

Mr. Ewang, a member of the APC BOT, from Akwa Ibom State, told PREMIUM TIMES, Tuesday, that the struggle to edge out other politicians from the party is like a circle and that it was started by Mr. Udoedehe.

Udoedehe started the problem. What is happening now is what he did before, he said.

When he (Udoedehe) came in he used people from outside and made sure that he had the structure of the party. That is why he (Mr. Udoedehe) can afford to tell people that he owns the party, Mr. Ewang said, apparently referring to how the former minister hijacked the entire APC leadership in the state when the party was newly formed four years ago.

The APC was formed as a result of an alliance in 2013 between the three leading opposition political parties then  the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP.

In Akwa Ibom, Mr. Ewang led the now defunct ANPP into the APC, while Mr. Udoedehe led the ACN.

In order to hit back at the current APC leadership in the state for daring to expel him, Mr. Udoedehe has proclaimed the dissolution of the state Exco of the party and also appointed Mr. Ewang to replace a former petroleum minister, Don Etiebet, as the chairman of the party caucus in the state.

But it appears Mr. Ewang is not interested in being the caucus chairman.

For now, all I am interested in is that there must be peace in the party, Mr. Ewang told PREMIUM TIMES in the interview.

I am here to make peace between the warring factions so that we could prepare the party for the (2019) elections.

Asked if he had accepted to take over from Mr. Etiebet as the caucus chairman, Mr. Ewang quipped in, For now, I have accepted to be the peacemaker.

He said further, Let me tell you, Don Etiebet is an old boy of the Holy Family College, Abak. He is a senior old boy. And I am an old boy of the Holy Family College, a place that we revere too much.

I cant insult Don Etiebet for any reason, neither will I allow anybody to insult him. Don is a senior citizen.

Mr. Ewang, however, rejected the expulsion of Mr. Udoedehe from the APC, saying that such action would not stand.

Udoedehe was the one who made Amadu Attai (the APC chairman in Akwa Ibom). So, who is Amadu Attai? He (Mr. Attai) cannot expel Udoedehe.

I am in touch with everybody in the party, and we are working out ways to resolve the conflict, he said.

When contacted for his response, Mr. Udoedehe said what happened between him and Mr. Ewang was in the past, and that he doesnt want to go back to it. I have made peace with Sam Ewang. And for me, that is what is important, he said.

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- We are waiting for US President Donald Trump's first steps, we hope that he will conduct a balanced policy of a US guardian of peace and order in the world, just as it used to be for decades - Polish President Andrzej Duda said in Munich on Saturday.

President Duda told reporters on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference on Saturday that all his meetings with world leaders showed that "everybody - not only in Europe but also outside Europe - are waiting for moves taken by the new US Administration". May be of interest to you President speaks at the panel "The future of the West: Downfall or Comeback?"

- Let me repeat this again: only the steps since we have heard often distorted information published by mass media. President Donald Trump was a businessman, now he is a politician. Let him peacefully start his work - President Duda said.

The Polish head of state also expressed conviction that President Trump would conducted a balanced policy. - There have always been pressures, and they will always be there, it's obvious in politics - said Polish President Andrzej Duda.

- For us the most important thing is realization of our national interest, namely the security of Polish people - Polish President Andrzej Duda said in Munich on Sat. He added that obvious political pressures had always been there, and they were here to stay.

Asked what pressure US Senator John McCain's was speaking about when he said that Poland could be one of the countries subjected to "a certain level of pressure", President Duda admitted that after a panel debate he had held a face-to-face conversation with John McCain but refused to reveal its contents.

- Different pressures are being exerted, all of us know that such pressures exist, and that they come from different sides. Such pressure for us, politicians, who are aware of when and how they work to implement Polish interests - which are most important for us - is nothing new (...), this is obvious in international politics - the Polish head of state told reporters on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference.

According to President Duda, the most important thing is to implement national interests, and above all interests of one's compatriots since it is them before whom politicians are responsible for their work.

- The lifting of sanctions imposed on Russia is out of the question when Russian troops are attacking Ukrainian units in the Donbas - Polish President Andrzej Duda said after a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Porohsenko in Munich on Saturday.

The Polish head of state told reporters that he was informed by President Poroshenko about the current situation in the Donbas. - I was told that regular Russian troops were operating in the region. (...) This is in fact the Russian Army attacking Ukrainian units - President Duda went on.

President Duda stressed that in connection with this, "one cannot even think about the lifting of sanctions until the Minsk Agreements have been implemented".

According to the Polish head of state, Europe and the international community should exert pressure so that the Minsk Agreements have been implemented. - What is needed here is the pressure of the community, both the European and world one - the Polish president said.

President Duda declared that he had assured his Ukrainian counterpart of Poland's firm support regarding these matters. - If there is to be peace in the world - and we are above all interested in peace in our part of the world - international laws must be observed - he stressed. - And today international laws are being constantly broken - President Duda stressed. (PAP)
Classes for parents and discussion about a copier/printer contract were among the topics discussed at the recent Dearborn Public Schools board meeting.

Trustees heard a presentation about parent engagement at Fordson High School, which includes offering technology classes for parents, said Principal Heyam Alcodray.

The high school also has two parent meetings a month to talk about things like the School Improvement Plan and how Title 1 funds are used, Alcodray said.

Fordson also has arranged for a special meeting with new immigrant parents to help explain how public education works while also holding meetings for parents of new ninth grade students, she said, in addition to offering evening classes for parents who want to learn English.

Science teacher Klodia Saad said a team of 21 teachers and support staff also offer technology sessions for parents.

Lessons have focused on such topics as blogs, Facebook, Parent Connect, creating an email account, and even online banking and search engines, Saad said.

Most importantly, these sessions are an opportunity to build those relationships, Saad said. Parents who take a class feel a stronger connection to the school.

Fordson also offered childcare during the classes so younger siblings could watch a movie or play board games while parents learned.

So far, 41 parents have attended a class, Saad said.

Fordson promotes the classes through flyers, automated calls and through the middle and elementary schools that feed into the high school, Alcodray said.

Board President Mariam Bazzi praised the idea of offering sessions to parents.

I do think the technology can be overwhelming, Bazzi said. She added it would be even more difficult for parents also dealing with a language or cultural barrier, or those who may have immigrated from places where computer access was uncommon.

In a separate issue later in the meeting, Trustee Hussein Berry questioned changes to the districts contract for copiers and printers.

The proposal before the board was to authorize adding up to 150 new copier/printers over the next two years. At least 79 would be added this year, at a cost of $16.67 more per month. Any added next year would cost $20.33 each month per unit.

Berry said the contract was now worth more than $700,000 and wondered why it was extended by six years last fall instead of rebid.

Tom Wall, executive director of business and operations, said the contract was renegotiated before it was extended. The companys technology is compatible with the districts network, which would make it difficult to have an open bid.

The latest request will allow the district to replace aging classroom printers with new ones that also scan and copy, Director of Technology Troy Patterson said. Some of the new printers are needed because the district continues to grow, he added.

The price goes up next year because the company has less time to earn back what it costs to buy each printer, Wall said.

Wall also clarified that proposal did not extend the contract any longer.

Trustees voted 5 to 1 for approving the additional printers, with Berry voting against. Trustee Mary Lane was absent.

Other items also came up during the February school board meeting.

* Dearborn is projecting its fund balance will grow by $4 million this year, although some of that might be pulled back out next year. Supt. Glenn Maleyko said about $2.4 million of the additional savings relates to the sale of the former Howe School. Trustees have indicated the sale money is needed for additional building work, including steps to ease overcrowding at two of the high schools.

* Trustees also approved donations to the district. The Dearborn Education Foundation provided more than $10,450 in grants to various schools for different programs. Michigan Fuels also donated $8,500 to several schools. The company gave $1,500 to Fordson High School and $1,000 each to Stout Middle, McDonald Elementary, Oakman Elementary, Becker Elementary, Maples Elementary, William Ford Elementary, and Edsel Ford High.

Katie Hetrick covers Dearborn Public Schools. She can be reached at katie_hetrick@hotmail.com.
DECATUR  There are still no Medicaid Managed Care Organizations at Decaturs two major hospital groups, but there are options to keep Medicaid patients from going without coverage.

Those options, though, arent without problems.

After Macon County, like much of the rest of Illinois' counties, was designated as a managed care county, the countys more than 32,000 Medicaid patients were asked to switch from state-run Medicaid  the Department of Health and Family Services (HFS) Medical Card  to Managed Care Organizations (MCOs).

Managed care counties, by state regulation, are supposed to have at least two MCO choices. But one of those choices, Health Alliance, dropped out of the Medicaid business as of Jan. 1. Molina Healthcare is still available, but Hospital Sisters Health System, the parent company of HSHS St. Marys Hospital, ended its relationship with Molina on Jan. 1, and Decatur Memorial Hospital will terminate its contract with Molina as of March 23.

Patients with Molina, though, are technically still insured. According to Cathy Harvey, president of Molina Healthcare of Illinois, patients with Molina can continue to receive care at DMH and HSHS properties 90 days after the effective termination date: until March 31 at HSHS and May 23 at DMH.

Harvey said Molina also will execute single case agreements with noncontracted providers to ensure that our members health is not compromised and they can continue to receive the vital services and treatment they need.

Those enrolled with Molina or who had been enrolled with Health Alliance also can switch back to traditional Medicaid.

State Sen. Andy Manar, whose district includes Decatur, said his office has received many calls about the loss of managed care Medicaid.

Were getting calls from working parents and expectant mothers who are in limbo because theyre unaware of their coverage status, said Manar, D-Bunker Hill. I want to be clear: No one who qualifies for Medicaid is going to lose coverage. The law clearly states that if there are no MCOs in place, those individuals are to be enrolled in traditional Medicaid.

Manar said while there are other places in the state struggling to maintain multiple MCOs, Manar said Macon Countys is the most amplified.

Were at a critical point that has been evidenced by what is happening in Macon County, Manar said. Were seeing some of the short-term and long-term challenges we face with this system, and weve seen what happens when there are no choices or when relationships are soured between health care providers and the Managed Care Organizations, and also the Department of Health Care and Family Services.

When the system doesnt work, it affects everyone  health care providers and Medicaid recipients and their families. We dont get better outcomes, and we end up spending more money.

Manar acknowledged that the states budget impasse has contributed to the problem.

The states budget woes, because of structural imbalances, have complicated what is already a complicated transition (to a managed care Medicaid system), Manar said. But, right now, Medicaid payments are being prioritized to be expedited.

Not as good

While those who had Molina and Health Alliance are able to sign up for traditional Medicaid, some Medicaid patients say the coverage isnt as thorough.

Daphne Wood of Decatur signed up for Medicaid as part of the Illinois Managed Care Program a year ago. She had choices and picked the one that was right for her family.

Woods husband, Anthony, had several conditions, including fibromyalgia, that limited his ability to work and forced the family of five to sign up for Medicaid. Daphne chose Health Alliance.

My husband has a lot of doctors appointments he has to go to and is on a lot of medications, Wood said. When we had Health Alliance, there wasnt a co-pay. But on straight Medicaid its anywhere from $3 on up, depending on the medicine and what doctor or specialist you see.

Right now, we have to choose what we can afford. There are prescriptions were declining and appointments hes not going to.

Tiffany Olbrias of Decatur is a patient at Crossing Healthcare and plans to keep Molina as long as she can, though she worries about what would happen if she was in an accident and taken to a local hospital. She said $3 for a prescription may not sound like much, but shes on eight regular medications that she receives monthly.

When youre working part time, taking care of three children and trying to pay the rent and bills, it adds up quick month after month, Olbrias said.

Debbie Rohde is a residence service coordinator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Her job is to help seniors living at The Woods and Oxford House in Decatur remain living independently. Rohde said while most of her patients are on Medicare, she has residents with Medicaid to cover what Medicare doesnt pay.

My head spins when people come into my office and talk to me about insurance, Rohde said. They have to get out of Molina because they want to keep their doctor at DMH. Supposedly all they have to do is call HFS, disenroll from Molina and sign up for traditional Medicaid.

But the problem is you cant get though. I was on the phone for an hour and a half, and finally someone got on there and said theyd call me back. That was for one of the residents. I doubt theyre going to let me talk about all four in one call.

Its so frustrating. It's a nightmare."

Manar acknowledged getting people switched over has been a problem, but that hes spoken to HFS Director Felicia Norwood, and shes addressed it.

The department (HFS) has been a little slow on that, and Ive been critical of that, but I believe the department is handling it now, Manar said.

Lack of specialists

Two area Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)  Crossing Healthcare in Decatur and Central Counties Health Centers in Jacksonville and Springfield  still accept Molina.

Rohde said some of her patients have switched to Crossing. But while FQHCs are good options for primary care, lab work and prenatal services, they dont have many specialists.

Thats a major issues for Tanya Andricks, executive director at Crossing. While she said Molina has paid Crossing according to the terms of their contract and has no problems with Molina as an MCO, DMH and HSHS ending their relationships with Molina leaves her patients without local options for specialists.

They do not have an established adequate network for my patients, Andricks said. When my staff has tried to make referrals to specialists such as cardiologists or neurologists for Molina patients, no local specialists would accept these referrals.

My staff has spent a considerable amount of time calling providers across the region to find specialists willing to accept Molina. To date, this is very difficult and many of our patients dont have adequate transportation to keep appointments in outside communities.

Fix on the way?

HSHS released a statement last month saying its patients could sign up with Meridian Medicaid Managed Care, but John Hoffman, HFS director of communications and public affairs, said while HFS is negotiation, Meridian is not a health plan option in Macon County at this point.

Manar said the state Senate is planning to reconstitute its Medicaid managed care oversight committee as early as this week.

There was a joint hearing of the Senate Human Services and Senate Appropriations committees scheduled for Feb. 8 that would have included testimony from representatives of HSHS, DMH, Crossing, Molina and HFS regarding the network adequacy issue, but it was canceled.

Between the time the hearing was scheduled and the day it was supposed to take place, there have been meetings and continuing positive conversations that have given me the confidence that the department is going to address these issues in a timely manner, Manar said.

Moving forward, we hope to have these things worked out so we can get back to the system that was designed to work and have other options as well.
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP  The twisted fragments of a faded stained-glass window in Wendel Whites camera lens tell a violent tale of an Alabama church bombing and four young lives cut short. A lock of hair on fading paper ushers forth a story of social reform and the great orator of the head it once belonged to.

These mementos of black history and culture are relics, but Whites ongoing Manifest Project suspends them in time.

Glass from the Birmingham church bombing in 1963, Frederick Douglass hair, a mirrored casket from the Ferguson protest, Malcolm Xs tape recorder and a door labeled with an ominous X that marked a Hurricane Katrina casualty share in a collective history.

Together, the photographs are tales of triumph, tragedy and resistance. Some, their stories unknown.

White, a Stockton University visual arts professor, has traversed libraries, museums and private collections nationwide.

In September, he photographed the archives of the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C., for Smithsonian magazine.

On an unseasonably warm February day, White walked past the universitys lake toward its art gallery. White says all the photographs are personal to him, but sometimes, its the emotion of the idea.

One such object, a deed to a slave, conveys the ownership of another human was nothing more than a business transaction. Others, like an unknown high school class ring with the lost owners portrait on it, strike him in other ways.

Manifests story begins during Whites 13-year project, Small Towns, Black Lives, capturing the portraits of residents and structures. Boling Cemetery, a graveyard of African-Americans on a small triangular patch nearby in Port Republic, led him to research the stories of the community that had settled there in the National Archives.

At that point is when I started really going into archives and researching and coming into contact with all of this archival material that had to do with black lives, White said.

White began to realize there were stories, and a history to the communities, that couldnt be told with just a photograph and began scanning additional documents to accompany them.

Everything about Boling Cemetery and its African-American community that settled the area was interesting to White. Yet, it was the haunted quality of the landscape that guided him toward Manifest, he said.

I thought there was this fascinating sense of this presence of the past, in the present, he said.

White was on a sabbatical at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, where he thought he might work on a project about the NAACP, originally the Niagara movement, but had the opportunity to photograph Douglass hair.

The photo launched the project and White began to use a black background as a way to tie them together. White said it suspends them in an ethereal place, though he notes one colleague described them as a reliquary.

Though his project is equal parts historical, anthropological and sociological, White said hes cautious of making sure he doesnt approach those disciplines as a professional.

As an artist, though, I feel what Im doing is taking bits and pieces of what are sort of available to me, he said. I may become fascinated with something that any historian will tell you is not that remarkable. And I might not be that interested in something any historian or anthropologist would tell you is terribly important, because as an artist, Im also concerned with how to respond to something I see visually.

Manifest is far from over. White has other items and collections he hopes to photograph. Hes interested in learning more about African-American experiences in the military, as well.

Beyond preservation, Manifest gives viewers an ability to think of the story in new ways, said White. While some may be powerful, other, more ordinary objects, carry their own weight.

Its also critical to see those quotidian things, those everyday kind of objects that we all maybe have some connection to, White said. If it was only about extraordinary people, it wouldnt mean anything. It has to also be about ordinary lives.
MAYS LANDING  Greg Kears Jr. stood outside in the 20-degree cold Wednesday night, supporting himself with two forearm crutches.

He and a group of people gathered outside the office of U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, for the fourth consecutive week with signs and shouts for the congressman. A poster board hung from around Kears neck that read, I walk today because of the ACA and Medicaid expansion #savetheACA.

Kears, 33, of Millville, was in between jobs last year when he suffered a delayed spinal burst after rock climbing. Emergency surgery and immediate enrollment in Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act expansion saved him thousands of dollars in treatment and recovery.

He is now among more than a half-million New Jersey residents who fear they will be left without, or with limited, coverage if President Donald Trump and Republican legislators succeed in repealing the ACA, also known as Obamacare, without replacing it with a plan that offers similar or better health insurance coverage.

If it wasnt for the expansion, I couldnt have gotten the surgery costs covered or get rehabilitation, he said. But people eight months from now may not be as lucky as I was. And I need ongoing rehabilitation, so if I lose this, Ill probably be stuck in a wheelchair.

ACA repeal without replacement could cost N.J. billion dollar cuts New Jersey health care providers are bracing for deep costs and financial burdens as some ex

Multiple national news outlets reported that officials at the federal Department of Health and Human Services pulled advertising for Obamacare during the final week of open enrollment, when insurance experts say many people make last-minute signups through the HealthCare.gov marketplace.

Despite the lack of advertising through former President Barack Obamas signature health care program, there was an increase in the number of plans selected through the ACA by New Jersey residents.

Preliminary data show a total of 295,067 new and renewed ACA plans were chosen by state residents from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Enrollment was up nearly 6,500 plans from last year.

Local health experts previously said those plan selections should provide coverage at least through the end of the year, but uncertainty and debate over repeal and replacement in Washington, D.C., has made residents doubtful their coverage will last that long.

Chrystal Harris, 35, of Millville, said she and her family got better health coverage after the ACA debuted in 2010. She suffered a heart attack since then, and she has children that need medications for attention deficit disorder, dental work and eyeglass prescriptions.

Her insurance with N.J. FamilyCare, accessed through the states Medicaid expansion, was the best way for her family to get affordable health care, she said.

I think its always some people who have good health insurance that want to take it away from people who they think dont deserve it, Harris said.

New Jersey residents could sign up for plans on the states ACA exchange with two insurance carriers, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and AmeriHealth New Jersey, but people could also get coverage via other plans through the states Medicaid expansion.

About 479,480 people were covered in 2016 by the expansion, according to a New Jersey Policy Perspective report. That many people are at risk of losing coverage should legislators repeal the ACA without an immediate replacement plan.

The argument has focused on whether components such as pre-existing conditions, birth control, mandatory coverage laws and penalties, health savings accounts, Medicaid state block grants, coverage limits and dependent coverage to age 26 should be included in the new federal health plan.

Kears, Harris and others gather outside LoBiondos office every Wednesday night to show their support for the ACA and opposition to a repeal in the hopes of raising awareness and grabbing the attention of their local representatives.

I work two jobs, and I have pretty good health care coverage from it, said Michael Blaszczyk, president of Communications Workers of America Local 1085. But Im here to speak for those who dont, for those who cant come out because theyre older or sick. We need to be a voice for those people.

How health-care politics affects more than 500,000 in N.J. President-elect Donald Trump and many Republicans say they want to repeal and replace the Af
ATLANTIC CITY  The shuttered Revel, now known as TEN, remained closed Monday despite claims by owner Glenn Straub it would be open Presidents Day Weekend.

Glenn Straub said he wont open this weekend unless it obtains liquor licenses its owner wants.

Who wants to stay in a hotel and eat at a restaurant that doesnt have liquor? Straub, the owner, said Friday in a telephone interview from Florida. Once we get that, we can open within 24 hours. The state is holding up everything. We are waiting on them.

Straub has said in the past that the property would open Presidents Day weekend, but that is now on hold because the property doesnt have the ability to sell liquor.

For months, Straub has blamed state rules and regulations for holding up the reopening of the more than 6 million-square-foot property. Last year, Straub claimed TEN would be reopened by June 15, but he missed that deadline.

State officials said they do not comment on pending applications.

As of Friday morning, the property still needed a mercantile license and health inspections for its restaurants, spas and pools, said Dale Finch, city director of licensing and inspection.

Revel players card advertisements are still featured above the Boardwalk entrance to TEN. The doors remained boarded up, and fences prevented people from accessing the property. Despite touting TENs opening, rooms werent listed on hotel booking sites including Hotels.com and Booking.com.

In August 2015, Straub bought the once $2.4 billion Revel for $82 million in bankruptcy court. In October, the property received its temporary certificate of occupancy from the city.

Last week, the state Casino Control Commission ruled Straub must have a gaming license despite leasing casino operations to a third party. Straub has vowed to challenge the ruling in court, a move that could further delay the return of gaming to the property.
Lots of people think of their favorite South Jersey beach town as their favorite summer place  and only a summer place.

But to Bob and Sandy Williams, the shore is worth the drive of almost three hours from their home in Kingston, Pennsylvania at any time of year. So they were happy to come down for this three-day President's Day holiday weekend.

Its a change of pace, the husband said, as they took a quick break in their exercise walk down the Atlantic City Boardwalk shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday.

Theyre not only regulars on the boards when they visit their daughter in Ventnor, Sometimes were out here twice a day, Sandy Williams added.

Sea Isle City plungers prepare for Polar Bear Plunge Weekend SEA ISLE CITY  For Janet Halasek, plunging into the freezing Atlantic Ocean on Presidents D

Dan Smith lives in Ventnor, and he was expecting a lot more company on the boards than he normally gets on a February weekend.

From all indications, it looks like there are a lot of people in town, Smith said, stopping with his regular Boardwalk buddy, Kathy Sharp of Northfield. Places will be opening, and it should be a good weekend for everybody, especially with the weather.

The National Weather Service was predicting a high of 51 degrees Saturday, slightly cooler than in earlier forecasts. But by Sunday afternoon, the federal forecasters still say the shore temperature should get into the 60s.

Those warmer-than-normal February temperatures should be especially welcome in Sea Isle City, where thousands of people are scheduled to take a dip in the ocean Saturday afternoon as part of the 23rd annual Polar Bear Plunge weekend. At 9 a.m. Saturday, the official ocean temperature in Atlantic City was 39.6 degrees.
Ara Oskanian, son of Armenias foreign minister Vardan Oskanian, was arrested yesterday on charges of kidnapping a man called N. Berberyan who owed him 1.5 million AMD.

According to a statement released by Armenias Investigative Committee, Ara Oskanian and a friend, H. Siradaryan, confronted Berberyan on February 16 in Yerevan and demanded payment.

The two then hustled him into a car and drove to the town of Abovyan, where they threatened to beat him if he didnt pay.

Berberyan, according to the Investigative Committees statement, filed a complaint against the two alleged kidnappers.

Ara Oskanian and Siradaryan are said to have refused to talk to police and have been charged with Article 133, Part 2, of the Criminal Code - Illegal deprivation of freedom.

Police have launched an investigation into the matter.

Vardan Oskanian is set to run for parliament in the April 2 election on the ORO (Ohanian-Raffi-Oskanian) ticket.
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.




TORONTO, February 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

BMO Financial Group will announce its first quarter 2017 financial results and hold its investor community conference call on Tuesday, February 28, 2017. Financial results will be issued in a news release at approximately 6:45 a.m. EST.

Investor Community Conference Call

Time: 2:00 p.m. EST

The conference call will be available in a listen-only mode: via telephone at: 1 (888) 789-0089 or (416) 695-9753 ( Toronto area) via the Internet at: http://www.bmo.com/investorrelations



Presentation material referenced during the conference call will be available at http://www.bmo.com/investorrelations.

Conference Call Rebroadcast

A rebroadcast of the investor community presentations will be available until midnight EDT, May 23, 2017, by calling 1 (800) 408-3053 or (905) 694-9451 and entering passcode 5740558#.

The webcast will be available at http://www.bmo.com/investorrelations until Tuesday, May 23, 2017.

For News Media Enquiries: Ralph Marranca, Toronto, ralph.marranca@bmo.com, +1(416) 867-3996; Frederic Tremblay, Montreal, frederic1.tremblay@bmo.com, +1(514) 877-1873; For Investor Relations Enquiries: Jill Homenuk, Toronto, jill.homenuk@bmo.com, +1(416) 867-4770; Christine Viau, Toronto, christine.viau@bmo.com, +1(416) 867-6956; Internet: http://www.bmo.com, Twitter: @BMOmedia

SOURCE BMO Financial Group
By Grisha Balasanyan, Davit Banuchyan, Edik Baghdasaryan

Armineh Arakelyan, a human rights defender in Armenia who was fired upon on February 15 while returning to her home in the town of Ashtarak, complains that the police arent doing much of anything to find the culprits.

Unknown assailants opened fire on Arakelyan, a founder of the Human Rights and Democracy Institute, as she entered the yard to her house.

The shots missed Arakelyan but killed her pet dog.

Arakelyan says police never even bothered to remove the dog from the yard to perform a ballistics test on the bullets lodged inside the animal. Arakelyan says that she had to convince police to even register that the dog had died from a bullet wound.
ZHENGZHOU, China, Feb. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 2017 ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge (ASC17) held its opening ceremony at Zhengzhou University and hundreds of supercomputing experts and team representatives from worldwide attended the opening ceremony. A total of 230 teams will challenge the world 's fastest supercomputer Sunway TaihuLight, artificial intelligence application, Gordon Bell Award nomination application, and compete for top 20 places in the finals.

The number of teams registered ASC17 Challenge has reached a new high, up 31% compare to the last year. The competition platforms and applications have been designed to reflect the leading-edge characteristic: Sunway TaihuLight and the most advanced supercomputer in Henan province, located in the middle of China, will perform different competition applications. Baidu's AI application, intelligent driving traffic prediction and a high-resolution global surface wave simulation MASNUM_WAVE, a 2016 Gordon Bell Prize finalist will give teams the opportunities to challenge the "Super Brain" and the "Big Science". Meanwhile, ASC17 finals will select top 20 teams, compared to 16 teams in previous years.

Endong Wang, initiator of the ASC challenge, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chief Scientist at Inspur, said that one key objective of hosting an annual ASC Challenge is to help students understand the deep learning algorithms, acquire the knowledge relating to big data and cutting-edge computing technologies, and cultivate supercomputing talent for the future.

The ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge is initiated by China, and supported by experts from industries and institutions worldwide. The competition aims to be the platform to encourage young supercomputing talents to share ideas with other participants from different countries and regions It also aims to be the key driving force in promoting technological and industrial innovations by improving the standards in supercomputing applications and research.

SOURCE Inspur Electronic Information Industry Co., Ltd
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Americans United for Life Acting President and Senior Counsel Clarke Forsythe expressed his condolences on Saturday on the passing of Norma McCorvey, who first became known as "Jane Roe" in the infamous abortion case Roe v. Wade. "Norma McCorvey became a pro-life champion as she dedicated her life to overturning the Supreme Court's disastrous decision in Roe v. Wade, the 1970 abortion case filed on her behalf to overturn the nation's abortion laws," said Forsythe. "She joined the efforts of millions of pro-life Americans, fighting to address the destruction caused by the fatally-flawed Supreme Court case begun in her name, and tragically she has died nearly 12 years to the day (Feb 22 2005) after the Supreme Court refused to hear her motion to reopen her original case."

From legal perspectives across an ideological perspective, Roe has been harshly criticized. For example, James Simon, a liberal law professor, called Roe v. Wade "the most controversial decision of the modern Court era." A 2005 book edited by another liberal law professor, Jack Balkin, went farther, calling Roe simply "America's Most Controversial Decision." After retiring, Justice Lewis Powell, who voted to approve Roe, referred to Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton as "the worst opinions I ever joined."

"Since the days of Roe v. Wade, countless women have been harmed and infants lost to the devastation of abortion. The case was decided without a trial record, without medical evidence, without reliable medical data. I and many others have been touched by Norma's courage and humility as she spoke on behalf of life. She will be greatly missed, and Americans United for Life mourns her passing."

Clarke Forsythe is Acting President & Senior Counsel at Americans United for Life (AUL) and author of Abuse of Discretion: The Inside Story of Roe v. Wade (Encounter Books 2013). For more information go to www.aul.org For interviews, e-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Americans United for Life

Related Links

http://www.aul.org


WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate an alleged call to violence against American Muslims during a meeting of hate groups in North Carolina.

According to media reports, a "consortium of tea partiers, patriot groups and other conservative activists" met Thursday at a restaurant in Kernersville, N.C., to hear a presentation on "a supposed Muslim plot to conquer the United States."





The presentation on the "Islamization of America" included "frequent interruptions about supposed Muslim treachery paired with testimonials about preparedness for violent confrontation and even expressions of readiness to kill Muslims."

One meeting participant allegedly asked the presenter for recommendations about how to stop "Islamization," then added, "Because my only recommendation is to start killing the hell out them." That same person allegedly stated: "I'm ready to start taking people out." He replied, "Shed some blood, too," in response to the presenter's call to "shed some light" on the issue.

SEE: Local Conservative Activists Prepare for Violent Confrontation with Islam (Includes Audio of Presentation)

https://triad-city-beat.com/2017/02/local-conservative-activists-prepare-violent-confrontation-islam/

In response to the reported call to kill Muslims, a member of the hate group ACT for America allegedly stated: "I can understand that. But we're not there yet ." ACT for America's anti-Muslim bigotry was highlighted recently in a Washington Post expose.

SEE: This group believes Islam threatens America: 'It's a spiritual battle of good and evil.'

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/this-group-believes-islam-threatens-america-its-a-spiritual-battle-of-good-and-evil/2017/02/16/3e5108c2-ed57-11e6-9662-6eedf1627882_story.html

"Calls to violence against members of any minority group warrant a criminal investigation by state law enforcement authorities and the FBI," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "We call on President Trump to repudiate the growing bigotry in our nation targeting Muslims, Hispanics, immigrants, refugees, and other minority groups."

He said CAIR has noted an unprecedented spike in hate rhetoric and bias-motivated incidents targeting American Muslims and other minorities since the election of President Trump.

Last month, CAIR condemned a terror attack on a Canadian mosque by a suspect who had expressed anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments on social media. Six worshipers were killed in the attack and 17 others were wounded.

SEE: CAIR Condemns Terror Attack on Canadian Mosque, Urges U.S. Muslims to Take Security Measures

https://www.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/14070-cair-condemns-terror-attack-on-canadian-mosque-urges-u-s-muslims-to-take-security-measures.html

Hooper noted that, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, The number of anti-Muslim groups in the United States tripled between 2015 and 2016.

Report: Anti-Muslim Groups Triple in U.S. Amid Trump Hate Rhetoric

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/02/15/report-anti-muslim-groups-triple-us-amid-trump-hate-rhetoric/97914684/

The Washington-based Muslim civil rights group is asking Muslim community members to report any bias incidents to police and to CAIR's Civil Rights Department at 202-742-6420 or by filing a report at: http://www.cair.com/civil-rights/report-an-incident/view/form.html

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

La mision de CAIR es mejorar la comprension del Islam, fomentar el dialogo, proteger las libertades civiles, capacitar a los musulmanes estadounidenses, y construir coaliciones que promuevan la justicia y la comprension mutua.

Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational

Subscribe to CAIR's Email List

http://tinyurl.com/cairsubscribe

Subscribe to CAIR's Twitter Feed

http://twitter.com/cairnational

Subscribe to CAIR's YouTube Channel

http://www.youtube.com/cairtv

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Related Links

http://www.cair.com


SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Crown Bioscience, a wholly owned subsidiary of Crown Bioscience International (TWSE: ticker 6554) and a global drug discovery and development services company providing translational platforms to advance oncology and metabolic disease research, has enhanced its digital engagement strategy with the release of OncoExpress, an innovative oncology data search engine.

CrownBio soft launched the OncoExpress web application in the second half of 2016 and is today able to offer an improved user experience thanks to more powerful search and analysis capabilities that enhance its speed and stability, a newly designed, intuitive interface, as well as enhanced data and graphical display.

Data volume has been expanded, to include integrated genomic, pharmacological, and histopathology data for patient-derived and cell line derived xenografts, in addition to syngeneic, HuGEMM, and MuPrime immuno-oncology models.

OncoExpress has also become available as a mobile app for both Apple and Android operating systems to enable users to access high level model data from their mobile devices "on-the-go".

"The enhancements to the OncoExpress technology platform demonstrate our commitment to help scientists extract value from our oncology model data," said Laurie Heilmann, SVP of Global Strategy, Business Development and Marketing. She continued, "We will endure in our efforts to build groundbreaking toolsets that help our customers advance their research and will be offering more enhancements to existing platforms throughout 2017."

To drive the digital strategy CrownBio has also hired Gavin Cooper as Executive Director of Marketing. Cooper will lead the corporate marketing group and will be responsible for the ongoing development of the platform. Cooper joins the company with more than 12 years' experience of creating positive brand experiences through digital engagement.

OncoExpress can be accessed from oncoexpress.crownbio.com. The mobile app can be downloaded from Google Play , and the Apple Store.

For more information on CrownBio's commitment to furthering the field of oncology and metabolic disease drug discovery, visit https://www.crownbio.com

About Crown Bioscience Inc.

Crown Bioscience is a global drug discovery and development solutions company providing translational platforms to advance oncology and metabolic disease research. With an extensive portfolio of relevant models and predictive tools, Crown Bioscience enables clients to deliver superior clinical candidates.

About OncoExpress

OncoExpress is an intuitive search application enabling access to scientific data held in CrownBio's three proprietary oncology databases, HuBase, MuBase, and XenoBase. The search engine returns model data that includes, tumor growth curves, response to standard of care, biomarker identification, gene expression, and mutation analysis.

SOURCE Crown Bioscience Inc.

Related Links

http://oncoexpress.crownbio.com


MIAMI, Feb. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ELLKAY, LLC announced today that it has completed the acquisition of predominantly all of CareEvolve's assets including its platform, connectivity, and customers. CareEvolve, a division of OPKO Health, Inc., was founded in 1999, to serve the laboratory and hospital connectivity market.

As ELLKAY has continued to grow, CareEvolve will strengthen ELLKAY's presence in the regional and hospital outreach markets with its full portfolio of solutions targeting these markets. The CareEvolve portal and interfaces power routine clinical, advanced pathology, genomics, toxicology, and other types of laboratories, providing the electronic clinical workflow support between the point of care and laboratory. CareEvolve provides its laboratory customers with a broad range of features supporting the needs of physician offices, hospital clients, long-term-care facilities, prisons, and patient-service-center workflows.

"We're extremely excited to welcome the CareEvolve team and customers to ELLKAY," said Lior Hod, President of ELLKAY. "We already share customers and partners in the laboratory industry and are now able to offer these great companies a more tightly integrated offering."

"ELLKAY is an exemplary company in the healthcare connectivity market," Richard Faherty, EVP Administration, BioReference Laboratories, Inc., remarked. "They have been a great partner to BioReference and CareEvolve for many years and will ensure our long-term customers receive the highest levels of service and an active product roadmap of comprehensive and innovative solutions. We will continue to partner with ELLKAY in providing BioReference solutions through our own BioPortal and we look forward to leveraging their excellent connectivity solutions."

Integrating solutions and interoperable technologies are fundamentally altering and simplifying laboratory, hospital, and practice workflows. The combined teams and technologies will strengthen ELLKAY's platforms by providing laboratories and EHR vendors with one partner to service all of their outreach and connectivity needs.

Since 2002, ELLKAY's 'client-first' focus has positioned ELLKAY as one of the most respected healthcare IT companies in the nation. Together with the CareEvolve team, ELLKAY will continue to empower customers with innovative solutions that are on the leading edge of healthcare technologies.

ELLKAY will exhibit in booth #4973 at the 2017 HIMSS Conference & Exhibition in Orlando FL from Feb. 1923, 2017. Call (201)-791-0606 or email [email protected] to schedule a meeting with ELLKAY's team during the 2017 HIMSS Conference & Exhibition.

About ELLKAY

ELLKAY is a recognized healthcare connectivity leader, providing solutions and services nationwide. With 15 years of industry experience, ELLKAY empowers diagnostic laboratories, EMR/PMS companies, ACO and HIE companies, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations with cutting-edge technologies and solutions. With over 40,000 practices connected, ELLKAY's system capability arsenal has grown to over 550+ EMR/PMS systems across 900+ versions.

Contact: Shreya Patel, 201-808-9185

SOURCE ELLKAY, LLC

Related Links

http://ellkay.com


OCALA, Fla., Feb. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that Chewy, an online retailer of pet food and products in the United States, will locate a new fulfillment center in Marion County. The new facility will create 600 jobs and a $31 million capital investment in the region.

Governor Scott said, "I am proud to announce that Chewy will be building a new facility in Ocala and creating 600 new jobs for Florida families. While Chewy is a Florida-based company, they could have chosen to invest in any of their locations across the country. Instead, they decided to create hundreds of new jobs in Florida because of the hard work of Enterprise Florida and local economic development organizations, and our unrelenting focus on making Florida the best place for business. I am proud to celebrate Chewy's expansion today and look forward to continuing to bring more jobs wins to our state."

Ryan Cohen, CEO of Chewy said, "We are pleased to expand our workforce and bring fulfillment operations to our home state. As a Florida-based company, we recognize the importance of driving economic opportunities in the region and we appreciate the partnership of Enterprise Florida and the CEP as we work to invest in the Ocala community through the creation of 600 new jobs. In addition to job creation, we look forward to the opening of this fulfillment center helping to better serve Chewy customers with even more efficient and faster delivery times."

Chris Hart IV, president and CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc. said, "Not only is a great Florida company continuing to grow, but Chewy has chosen to grow in their home state. Florida continues to shine as a national leader for job creation, and companies like Chewy are a big part of our success as a state. I commend them on their success and look forward to seeing their continued growth."

Cissy Proctor, executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said, "Chewy's expansion in Marion County is great news for Central Florida's economy and I am proud that the company is continuing to invest in Florida. The 600 new jobs Chewy's is bringing to the area will provide new opportunities to local job seekers and a chance for more Florida families to live their American Dream."

Carl Zalak, Chair of the Marion County Board of County Commissioners, said, "We are excited about bringing another great company to our community. Bringing Chewy to Marion County is great news for our county. This project means more jobs, investment and momentum to our community and we couldn't be more excited about the future."

Brent Malever, Ocala City Council President, said, "On behalf of the Ocala City Council, we are incredibly excited to welcome Chewy to Ocala/Marion County. In addition to creating nearly 600 jobs, this is another great investment to keep Ocala moving in the right direction."

Ken Ausley, Chairman of the CEP Board of Trustees, said, "This announcement represents a partnership between Chewy, the City of Ocala, Marion County, Duke Energy, CareerSource CLM, Ocala 489 LLC, Enterprise Florida, and the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership."

About Chewy

Chewy is the #1 online retailer of pet food and products in the United States with a leading share of the e-commerce market. Founded in 2011 by entrepreneurs, Ryan Cohen and Michael Day, Chewy set out to disrupt the existing pet industry by offering pet parents the expertise and service of a local pet store with the convenience of online shopping. Chewy delivers on that promise with its dedication to 24/7 customer service, creation of cutting-edge software and technology to enhance the user experience, and commitment to sourcing high quality products. Headquartered in Dania Beach, Florida, Chewy currently employs more than 3,700 pet lovers both in their home office and fulfillment centers in Pennsylvania, Indiana and Nevada. For more information, visit www.chewy.com.

About Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI)

Enterprise Florida, Inc. is a partnership between Florida's businesses and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for Florida. EFI facilitates job growth through recruitment and retention, international trade and exporting, promotion of sporting events, and capital funding programs to assist small and minority businesses. EFI launched "Florida  The Future is Here" to promote the state as the nation's premier business destination.

About The Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership

The Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP) was formed to create a one-stop approach to business retention, attraction and creation efforts. Moving Forward is our charge and it reflects our desire to be a unified voice and catalyst for the business community. By working together with our partners and community investors, we will continue to improve our quality of life and build a strong base for economic development in Marion County.

Contact: Governor Rick Scott Communications Office Email: [email protected] Phone: (850) 717-9282

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com.

SOURCE Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP)

Related Links

http://ocalacep.com


PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovaccer Inc., a Silicon Valley- Headquartered Healthcare analytics company, will be at HIMSS 2017 in Orlando, Florida to accelerate improvements in the value-based ecosystem with its revamped proprietary product, Datashop - the operating system that powers healthcare.

Innovaccer to Impact and Improve Population Health With #Connect4Care at HIMSS'17

Innovaccer's revamped platform Datashop will have built-in Referral Management, Advanced Chronic Care Management, Patient Engagement, and MACRA solutions on top of the pre-existing holistic Population Health Management suite. The Innovaccer team will be there at HIMSS'17 to share the success of its customers and what all Datashop helped them achieve, as well as talk about the company's journey thus far in delivering better clinical and financial outcomes.

"Value-based reimbursements are the new watchwords in healthcare and this is where our major focus continues to be - in improving outcomes in all health care organizations. We are working to accelerate the transition to value-based care and help our clients fill the identified gaps across their acute, ambulatory, skilled nursing and home care setups," said Abhinav Shashank, CEO, and Co-founder at Innovaccer. "HIMSS has always been a great place to connect and learn about industry trends, share ideas, and contribute to making healthcare an affordable and equitable space," says Abhinav.

Sandeep Gupta, Co-founder & COO at Innovaccer will be presenting Datashop functionalities at a session on "7 Stages of Value-Based Reimbursement" with one of the company's marquee clients, Mr. Mark Anderson, COO & VP of Operations of East Texas IPA. Mr. Anderson as a Healthcare Futurist with over 1,000 conference appearances on the needed improvements in healthcare will share his unique perspective on Value Based Reimbursement (VBR) system and his insight on what level of technology is required to navigate through the 7 different Stages of VBR successfully. The session will be held at 10:30 AM on February 20th, at Population Care Management Center in HIMSS'17.

"I have been in the healthcare industry for over 40 years now, and clearly understand the challenges we face creating real-time knowledge and wisdom from numerous non-connected silos of information. We have moved to a Value-Based ecosystem with advanced tools offered by Innovaccer for measuring and quantifying - quality of care, outcomes, and costs. With Datashop, we were able to measure our performances and build best practice care plans, have truly coordinated care, and engage with the patients and their families to ensure we can all meet and exceed clinical and financial guidelines," said Mark Anderson.

#Connect4Care

Innovaccer is putting a concerted effort into improving population health and achieve comprehensive value in care. In this pursuit, Innovaccer is going to donate $5 to Red Cross, Children International or Watsi or Save the Children or any other NGO of a visitors' choice so that underprivileged get better care. Innovaccer with its future-proof technology, is committed to making lives healthier through its #Connect4Care initiative and invites everyone to be a part of this commitment that will create impact at scale in improving population health.

Visit Innovaccer at Booth # 6179-31 in Population Care Management Center.

To learn more about Datashop's offering, schedule a personal demo.

About Innovaccer

Innovaccer Inc is a Silicon Valley-headquartered, Healthcare analytics company. Innovaccer's aim is to simplify complex data originating from all points of care, streamline the information flow and help organizations make powerful decisions based on the key insights and predictions from their data. Its proprietary product, Datashop enables organizations to use data as a source of innovation and has been deployed across 15 countries at academic institutions, governmental organizations, and several corporate enterprises such as Catholic Health Initiatives, Stratifi, Catalyst, MLK Community Hospital, El Paso HIE, Sonic Healthsystems, Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and Wolters Kluwers.

For more information, please visit innovaccer.com or follow us on Twitter @innovaccer.

Press Contact

Sachin Saxena

Innovaccer Inc

650-479-4891

[email protected]

Related Links

Website

Innovaccer at HIMSS - Booth 6179-13

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE Innovaccer

Related Links

http://www.innovaccer.com


The Company and its board have evaluated each of the Short Seller's claims and believe they are unfounded, contain numerous errors and unsupported speculation and demonstrate a lack of understanding of the Company's business. The Company will consider and vigorously pursue any and all actions and remedies available to it to protect the interest of its shareholders.

Summarizing the Short Seller's Claims

The Short Seller, Kerrisdale, would apparently have you believe that Pebble, as one of the world's largest deposits of copper and gold, is worthless despite the fact that mining companies are profitably mining lower grade ore within a few hundred miles of it as well as at other operations around the world. The Short Seller would apparently have you believe that Anglo American, a major mining company which spent some US$600 million on Pebble, but was ultimately unwilling to spend the full $1.5 billion required to earn a 50% interest in Pebble, thinks the project is "worthless". The Short Seller would apparently have you believe that Pebble's challenges from the US Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") are deserved, or that it is the first mining project to face regulatory challenges, despite what has been described by the Wall Street Journal as the EPA's regulatory "lawlessness" which they based on "sham" science (January 23, 2017, WSJ). The Short Seller would apparently have you rely on anonymous hearsay, supposedly from employees of Anglo American, who are making comments at odds with the public statements of the major mining company's own senior executives.

Investors who read the Short Seller's report should consider the following:

Kerrisdale stands to realize significant gains in the event that the price of the Company's stock declines.

Kerrisdale is not a mining company and does not disclose any record of success in mining investments or issuing mining valuation or investment reports. On the contrary, Kerrisdale has a track record of aggressive short selling and activism. In contrast, Northern Dynasty's Pebble team has extensive experience in mining and a formidable track record of success in developing and operating mines internationally.

Kerrisdale relies on anonymous co-authors whose mining credentials, if any, Kerrisdale has not disclosed and who likewise may hold or have held short positions in Northern Dynasty. Specifically, Kerrisdale has not disclosed if these anonymous authors have any requisite technical qualifications or practical mining experience to substantiate the claims of the short report. In contrast, Northern Dynasty publicly files technical reports which have been certified by named, independent, experienced and reputable Qualified Persons (as defined by securities laws) who have certified the accuracy and completeness of these reports. An internationally recognized engineering firm conducted and compiled an extensive and independent Preliminary Assessment (also referred to as a Preliminary Economic Assessment, or "PEA") of the Pebble Project on behalf of Northern Dynasty. This PEA, published in 2011, showed the project possesses significant value. While the analyses of this assessment now require updating, it remains a source of much useful information and is available for download at www.sedar.com. The PEA shows the large mineral endowment and potential of the Pebble Project.

Kerrisdale's short report purports to develop a zero value thesis without requesting or having had access to the necessary and extensive technical, analytical, geological and economic information that Northern Dynasty's Qualified Persons used. No Kerrisdale personnel have visited the Pebble Project or had discussions with Northern Dynasty's technical team or executives.

Kerrisdale is apparently a troubled organization, which has recently been in the news for major client and staff defections and alleged senior staff personal misconduct.

Consider the Reaction to the Short Seller's Report by Independent Analysts2:

From TD Securities:

Following the election of President Trump, [NDM] shares have outperformed the broader base metal market on the view that the EPA will withdraw its preemptive objections to Pebble, allowing the project to go through the formal NEPA permitting process. It is important to note that even prior to Trump's election, the company had announced planned mediation discussions with the EPA to resolve its dispute over the FACA case. Our view is that EPA will withdraw its objections, allowing the project to proceed to permitting by late-2017 or early-2018.

In terms of the project economics, the Short Seller's report cites that work completed by Anglo American and third-party engineers indicated that the upfront capital cost of Pebble would be roughly US$11-13bln. Importantly, no context around the project's size and scale was provided with the estimate, which we view as misleading. The estimate compares with the US$4.7bln in upfront capex outlined in Pebble's 2011 PEA for a 200,000tpd operation. We assume US$6.5bln of capex, with a 10%NAV estimate of US$1.24bln.

Assuming a resolution with the EPA in H1/17, the next critical step, in our view, will be the re-establishment of a partnership, which management is confident can be achieved this year. We expect the establishment of a partnership to be followed by the publication of a PFS, which could target a smaller higher-grade mine development scenario reducing both the capex and permitting objections.

We maintain our C$5.00 target price and upgrade our rating to SPECULATIVE BUY from Hold to reflect our return-to-target of 49%.

- Craig Hutchison, P. Eng, TD Securities Inc. February 16, 2017

From Stansberry's Investment Advisory:

Kerrisdale offered no new technical or scientific evidence. On the call, they labeled themselves as market generalists with no background in the mining industry. They made vague references to engineers, but would not disclose their names or credentials.

One of their main arguments is that mining giant Anglo American and other large miners walked away from the project because Northern Dynasty's resource is worth nothing. We disagree.

We think investors should be very skeptical of investment research that's published by any entity whose business depends on promoting a position (long or short) after establishing one  whether it's a hedge fund manager with a history of drug abuse or an established industry titan. The fact is that having a bunch of money on the line (like Bill Ackman with Herbalife) tends to warp investors' judgement.

- Stansberry's Investment Advisory. February 2017

From Very Independent Research:

The short seller report was neither a mining technical report nor very much new.

- John Tumazos Very Independent Research, LLC. February 15, 2017

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Pebble is One of the World's Largest Undeveloped Copper and Gold Resources

The Company will continue this discussion by reconfirming that the Pebble Project is one of the world's most important mineral resources, when measured by aggregate contained metals. The current estimate of these mineral resources at a 0.30% copper equivalent (CuEQ)3 cut-off grade comprise:

6.44 billion tonnes in the combined Measured and Indicated categories 5 at a grade of 0.40% copper, 0.34 g/t gold, 240 ppm molybdenum and 1.66 g/t silver, containing 57 billion pounds of copper, 70 million ounces of gold, 3.4 billion pounds of molybdenum and 344 million ounces of silver; and

at a grade of 0.40% copper, 0.34 g/t gold, 240 ppm molybdenum and 1.66 g/t silver, containing 57 billion pounds of copper, 70 million ounces of gold, 3.4 billion pounds of molybdenum and 344 million ounces of silver; and 4.46 billion tonnes in the Inferred category at a grade of 0.25% copper, 0.26 g/t gold, 222 ppm molybdenum and 1.19 g/t silver, containing 24.5 billion pounds of copper, 37 million ounces of gold, 2.2 billion pounds of molybdenum and 170 million ounces of silver.

How does this compare to other similar assets?

The Short Seller's contention that Pebble is a "low grade" deposit is not supported by the data. Pebble has an average CuEQ grade of 0.71%. Figure 1 shows Pebble in comparison to other major producing and non-producing copper projects. It shows that Pebble is in the top quartile of these deposits when ranked based on CuEQ grade.4

Further, the sheer scale of this immense copper/gold asset has attracted major mining company interest and continues to do so. Pebble is the world's largest undeveloped copper and gold resource in terms of contained metal. The deposit hosts the 9th largest copper resource and the 2nd largest gold resource in the world, as shown in Figure 2. The contained metal of this one deposit matches the reported reserves of many of the largest mining companies in the world. Bringing Pebble into production will be transformative for its shareholders.

Mine Planning and Economic Assessment

Like many large mining projects, the Pebble Project has had various owners, partners and major investors over the years such as Teck Resources, which owned Pebble before the big exploration successes at Pebble in 2004 to 2007 massively expanded the resource. Teck Resources continues to hold a royalty interest in part of the deposit after its 2002 sale of Pebble. With each such party came different priorities and interests, including with respect to mine development, timelines, scale and approach. What has never been denied is the potential and quality of this unique asset, nor Northern Dynasty's full commitment to work with interested parties to develop it.

Northern Dynasty's 2011 PEA demonstrated based on certain assumed mining design parameters (mine plan, mill through put etc.) that Pebble has a potential net present value measured in the billions of dollars and a mine life of 40 to 80 years. This long-lived mining project did not even deplete the full Pebble resource. The PEA was prepared by Wardrop Engineering Inc., now an affiliate of Tetra Tech Inc., an internationally recognized engineering group. The PEA showed that the commercial potential of a mine at Pebble is good at many commodity price and cost assumptions. Like all resource extraction projects, commercial viability is largely dependent on the outlook for the price of the commodity. This is especially true where the outlook has to span a period measured in decades due to the immense size of the mineral deposit. Northern Dynasty believes in the long-term demand for copper and gold and is highly confident that Pebble's viability will be demonstrated when it files the final mine design (as it evolves through the iterative permitting process) after the permitting process has been completed.

Contrary to the Short Seller's report, no mine planning scenario with a US$13 billion capital estimate was ever finalized, approved or adopted by Northern Dynasty or Anglo American as its 50% partner in the Pebble Limited Partnership ("Pebble Partnership"). In fact, Pebble Partnership staff, led by secondees from Anglo American, recognized the flaws with this work and continued studying development alternatives. Further, a review of a preliminary draft US$13 billion mine planning scenario by an independent engineering firm commissioned by Northern Dynasty identified issues with that study and identified savings that reduced the preliminary capital estimate by US$4 billion. As is well-understood by those with technical knowledge of the industry, there are a large amount of analyses conducted on very different assumptions of mine scale and costs to test development scenarios. The conclusions to be drawn from such work are used to inform mine planning and design and such work is not intended to represent the "most likely outcome" case for a mine. It is important to note that the Pebble Partnership has considered hundreds of preliminary mine design scenarios with different design components, operating parameters and scales.

The 2011 PEA is the only formal published report of the Pebble Project which assesses economics at a preliminary level.

The 2011 PEA was based on an internal Pebble Partnership study, known as the 2010 Value Seeking Phase study ("VSP") that used similar mining parameters as the PEA. The PEA projected Pebble to have significant asset value. Based on the development alternatives identified in that study, Anglo American, following completion of the VSP, continued to invest some US$320 million between 2010 and 2013 in Pebble until its withdrawal from the project in 2013.

Anglo American's Termination

During the 2013 mining downturn, Anglo American announced that it was reconsidering its development project pipeline in light of market conditions and was unwilling to invest another $900 million to earn a 50% interest in the Pebble Project and therefore terminated its earn-in option. At the time, Anglo American faced well-known capital constraints as a result of the commodity downturn and negative capital market conditions. In regards to that termination, newly appointed CEO Mark Cutifani cited a need to manage capital investment on its pipeline of long dated projects, while publicly referring to Pebble as "a deposit of rare magnitude and quality".

Even after its decision to withdraw from the project, Anglo American maintained a positive outlook on Pebble. "Our views on Pebble as a mining project are unchanged.  We wish the project well, and express our thanks to those who have supported Pebble. our decision to withdraw from the project is the result of an internal prioritisation of the many projects that we have in our portfolio," Anglo American spokesperson James Wyatt-Tilby told Bloomberg on September 30, 2013.

The Short Seller also claims that the Pebble Project was "pushing the boundaries" of engineering. That is simply untrue.

While the scale of Pebble engenders a significant, multi-component project, the scale and the engineering concepts incorporated in its development are not unique and are based on multiple similar mine developments around the world. Pebble sits at approximately 1,000 feet above sea level in rolling terrain, 60 miles from tide water that is ice-free 11 months of the year. After more than a decade of detailed investigation and analysis, no critical engineering issues have been identified with mine development, ore processing, and infrastructure. Thus, in fact, the conditions at Pebble are far less challenging than that faced by mines successfully developed in South America (high elevations, precipitous valleys, limited water supply), the Canadian Arctic (temperature extremes and severe logistical challenges), southeast Asia (massive precipitation and excess water balance conditions), and in northwest Alaska (permafrost, logistics challenges due to short shipping seasons and temperature extremes). The 2011 PEA work was based on customary and proven mining technologies.

Permitting the Pebble Project

Every mining project has opponents. However, Pebble enjoys considerable support for its efforts to advance the Pebble Project in Alaska today, including among elected officials, business interests, and regional and Alaska Native communities. The Short Seller tries to focus attention on the project's opponents while deliberately neglecting to mention the significant support the Pebble Project has had in Alaska, including opposition to what has been widely regarded as unfair efforts by the EPA to stall the project. Importantly, the State of Alaska was a co-plaintiff in PLP's 'statutory authority' case against the EPA.

Permitting and developing Pebble will be a multi-year process with multi-decade or multi-generational payoff. We are entirely committed to advancing the political and public consensus necessary to support a positive permitting outcome. The Company is advancing a comprehensive strategy to address EPA actions and stakeholder concerns through potential changes in project design, enhancing strategic partnerships with key constituencies and ensuring the project delivers significant benefits to the people of Bristol Bay and Alaska. What is absolutely clear is that many Alaskans are concerned about the EPA's pre-emptive actions, and they want the project to be fully but fairly evaluated through a comprehensive federal/state permitting process under the US National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA").

The Company believes it will have the opportunity to appropriately respond to concerns raised by regulators, and to demonstrate that its final design will satisfy all federal and state environmental regulations and permitting requirements.

The EPA

Northern Dynasty and its technical advisors will provide full support to the lead federal regulatory agency to ensure that the Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") completed at Pebble will be a rigorous scientific assessment of the environmental impact of a mine design that will incorporate robust engineering and environmental approaches and technologies. This will clearly demonstrate to the agencies and stakeholders that Pebble meets and exceeds all relevant federal and state environmental standards.

The Short Seller has no basis to predict that any future Democrat administration would seek to veto the Pebble Project, before or after the Pebble Project has received a positive Record of Decision following a comprehensive EIS process.

Northern Dynasty's financial position

Northern Dynasty is in a strong financial position having recently completed a C$47 million oversubscribed bought deal financing, contrary to the claim by the Short Seller.

The Company believes that its Pebble Project has a high likelihood of success. The Company further believes the Short Seller report is misleading as it contains numerous misstatements, comments attributed to "anonymous sources" and deliberate inaccuracies. It demonstrates that the Short Seller has no understanding of or experience in the mining industry or the development process of a mining project.

As typically results after a short report, various law firms have announced investigations into, or lawsuits against, Northern Dynasty. Management believes any such suits will prove equally baseless and they will be vigorously defended against.

Endnotes 1. Short selling is the practice of selling borrowed shares and subsequently repurchasing them. In the event of an interim price decline, the short seller will profit, since the cost of repurchase will be less than the proceeds which were received upon the initial short sale. 2. Permission to quote from the reports was neither sought nor obtained. The Company does not necessarily adopt the statements and opinions set forth by the analysts, and investors should review all information available to them. 3. Copper equivalent (CuEQ) calculations use metal prices of US$1.85/lb for copper (Cu), US$902/oz for gold (Au) and US$12.50/lb for molybdenum (Mo), and recoveries of 85% for Cu, 69.6% for Au, and 77.8% for Mo in the Pebble West zone and 89.3% for Cu, 76.8% for Au, 83.7% for Mo in the Pebble East zone. Contained metal calculations are based on 100% recoveries. The estimate includes 527 million tonnes of Measured resources grading 0.33% Cu, 0.35 g/t Au, 178 ppm Mo and 1.66 g/t Ag and 5.9 billion tonnes of Indicated resources grading 0.41% Cu, 0.34 g/t Au, 245 ppm Mo and 1.66 g/t Ag. David Gaunt, PGeo., a Qualified Person who is not independent of Northern Dynasty is responsible for the estimate. For further details see the December 2014 Technical Report which is available at www.sedar.com. 4. Resource and reserve data informing this chart, which is for illustrative purposes only, is based on public and third party sources believed to be accurate but this cannot be warranted, and it may contain information which in some cases may be several years old. Where available, proven and probable reserve grades have been used to calculate copper equivalence values. For those projects which have not declared a reserve, measured and indicated grades have been employed. Copper equivalence has been calculated by summing the revenue for all payable metals and dividing this figure by the revenue of 1% copper. Commodity prices used in this calculation are: Cu = 2.88/lb, Au = 1200/oz, Ag = 18/oz, Mo = 10/lb (all prices in US$). 5. Notes on Mineral Terminology: Mineral Resources and Reserves are defined terms derived from Canadian Institute of Mining definitions. Similar terminologies are in use in elsewhere and are being considered for adoption in the United States. Mineral resources do not have demonstrated economic viability, but have reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction. They fall into three categories: measured, indicated and inferred. Measured and indicated mineral resources can be estimated with sufficient confidence to allow the appropriate application of technical, economic, marketing, legal, environmental, social and governmental factors to support evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. For measured resources: we can confirm both geological and grade continuity to support detailed mine planning. For indicated resources: we can reasonably assume geological and grade continuity to support mine planning. Mineral reserves are the economically mineable part of measured and/or indicated mineral resources demonstrated by at least a preliminary feasibility study. The reference point at which mineral reserves are defined is the point where the ore is delivered to the processing plant. Mineral reserves fall into two categories: a) proven reserves: the economically mineable part of a measured resource for which at least a preliminary feasibility study demonstrates that economic extraction is justified; and b) probable reserves: the economically mineable part of a measured and/or indicated resource for which at least a preliminary feasibility study demonstrates that economic extraction is justified. Northern Dynasty does not classify any of its mineralized material as reserves at this time. United States investors are advised that while "Measured" and "Indicated" resources are recognized and required by Canada and other countries, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize them. United States investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of Measured or Indicated Mineral Resources will ever be converted into Mineral Reserves.

Qualified Persons

Stephen Hodgson, P.Eng., is an executive of Northern Dynasty and the Qualified Person who assumes responsibility for the scientific and technical discussion in this document.

About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset is the Pebble Project in southwest Alaska, USA, an initiative to develop one of the world's most important mineral resources.

For further details on Northern Dynasty and the Pebble Project, please visit the Company's website at www.northerndynasty.com or contact Investor services at (604) 684-6365 or within North America at 1-800-667-2114. Review Canadian public filings at www.sedar.com and U.S. public filings at www.sec.gov.

On behalf of the Board of Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

Ronald W. Thiessen

President & CEO

Forward Looking Information and other Cautionary Factors

This disclosure document contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively referred to as "forward-looking information"). The use of any of the words "expect", "plan", "update" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information or statements. These statements include expectations about the size, nature and/or ultimate economics of the Pebble Project, the success of the Company's multi-dimensional strategy to address the pre-emptive action of the EPA, the ability of the Company to proceed with permit applications for the development of the Pebble Project and the ability of the Company to obtain the necessary federal and state permits for the development of the Pebble Project. Though the Company believes the expectations expressed in its forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are subject to future events and third party discretion such as regulatory approval. For more information on the Company, and the risks and uncertainties connected with its business, Investors should review the Company's home jurisdiction filings at www.sedar.com and its filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

No securities regulatory authority assumes any responsibility for the contents of this disclosure.

SOURCE Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Parallax Health Management, Inc. ("PHM"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Parallax Health Sciences "Parallax" (OTCQB:PRLX), has entered into a distribution and sales agreement with TeliVita, a leading Durable Medical Equipment (DME) supplier and technology provider to cross market and sell TeliVita and PHM products and services. Through the agreement, PHM will receive 14% of TeliVita's gross aggregate sales on DME and incontinence products. We believe that TeliVita provides PHM with the highest quality products and through its purchasing power, will provide PHM significant pricing and margin advantages. Further, it is anticipated that TeliVita's cross marketing will enhance the ability for selling PHM's remote patient monitoring technology and services.

"TeliVita understands our business and how our remote patient monitoring systems generate the highest quality communication channels directly to patients in their homes," said PHM President, Nathan Bradley. "PHM has a powerful partner in TeliVita in that we can meet more of our end-users' needs and our partnership has already yielded significant wins and forward momentum for both companies."

PHM brings the key components of systems integration to the telehealth market together by utilizing best in class hardware and software components combined with its own proprietary technologies. PHM systems are hosted on the Microsoft Azure Cloud offering the best in security and scalability and have been integrated with TeliVita's Compliance 1st Technology. The technology enables manufacturers and healthcare organizations to control, manage, track, sell and invoice consigned DME products directly to patients at hospitals and other healthcare facilities. TeliVita's offering now includes PHM's remote patient monitoring offering known as the QOLPOM Hub.

"Our partnership with TeliVita opens up a follow-on sales model to our remote patient monitoring business through the use of the Domtar and Drive Product lines. We anticipate that this partnership will dramatically enhance what we can do for patients in their home," said Michael Redmond, CEO of Parallax Health Sciences. "In the next phase of our build out of Parallax Health Management, we intend to connect our Pharmacy through TeliVita which represents a natural progression of our complete in-home healthcare products and services."

"We are thrilled to have partnered with Parallax. The combined offerings further exhibit the collective desires to revolutionize the Home Healthcare space. The integration of services verifies our commitment to reduce Home Healthcare costs and provide improved patient outcomes," stated Joe McGovern, CEO TeliVita

ABOUT PARALLAX HEALTH MANAGEMENT

Parallax Health Management's (PHM) services are predicated on delivering the most state of the art, up to date tele-monitoring programs, devices and systems integration services. The key is to customize services to meet the unique needs of individual clients and their families. PHM is building software, technology and support infrastructure for the coming home healthcare revolution, and has access to the highest quality products and customizable monitoring operations that deliver quality of life for its users and peace of mind for those who care for and about them. PHM operates out of Tucson, Arizona and its monitoring center is located in Tempe, Arizona. Please visit www.parallaxhealth.net .

ABOUT PARALLAX HEALTH SCIENCES, INC.

Parallax Health Sciences, Inc., with offices in Santa Monica, CA, is a fully reporting Nevada corporation (PRLX ). Parallax is focused on personalized patient healthcare with its Pharmacy and Infertility business through its Beverly Hills, CA based RoxSan Pharmacy and RoxSan Fertility Group operations, and through Parallax Diagnostics, which has rights to a line of point of care diagnostic tests on a single proprietary platform. Please visit www.parallaxhealthsciences.com, www.roxsan.com and www.roxsanfertility.com

ABOUT TELIVITA

Telivita will be your "BRIDGE TO HOME". We incorporate smart technologies including our Compliance 1st Consignment Closet and Remote Patient Monitoring combined with traditional DME products and supplies. We will be there for your patients to purchase very competitively priced, non-reimbursed DME products and receive the critical delivery service, including how to properly set up the right equipment and learn how to use it in their home setting. Please visit www.telivita.com.

ABOUT DOMTAR

Domtar is a leading provider of a wide variety of fiber-based products including communication, specialty and packaging papers, market pulp and absorbent hygiene products. With approximately 10,000 employees serving more than 50 countries around the world, Domtar is driven by a commitment to turn sustainable wood fiber into useful products that people rely on every day. Domtar's annual sales are approximately $5.3 billion and its common stock is traded on the New York and Toronto Stock Exchanges. Domtar's principal executive office is in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Please visit www.domtar.com.

ABOUT DRIVE MEDICAL

Drive Medical is one of the largest fastest growing global manufacturers of durable medical equipment carrying a complete line of DME including mobility products, beds, bariatric products, wheelchairs, sleep surfaces, and pressure prevention products, respiratory equipment, CPAP products, self-assist products, power wheel chairs and rehabilitation products.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

ALL STATEMENTS, TRENDS ANALYSIS, AND OTHER INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE INCLUDING WORDS SUCH AS "ANTICIPATE," "BELIEVE," "PLAN," ESTIMATE," "EXPECT," AND "INTEND" AND OTHER SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION, CONSTITUTE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RISKS, AND PHM'S ACTUAL RESULTS OF OPERATIONS MAY DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE CONTAINED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS.

SOURCE Parallax Health Management, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.parallaxhealth.net


Houston, TX auction on Feb. 15  16 sets new site records for bidders (5,100+) & sellers (595+)

HOUSTON, Feb. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Ritchie Bros. conducted its first multi-day auction of 2017 in Houston, TX this week. More than 4,400+ equipment items and trucks were sold in the February 15  16 auction for US$42+ million.

The two-day unreserved public auction attracted 5,100+ people from 57 countries to register to bid, including 3,250+ people registering to bid onlineboth of which are new Houston site records. Approximately 91 percent of the equipment in the auction was sold to U.S. buyers, including 51 percent sold to buyers from Texas, while international buyers purchased 9 percent. Online bidders purchased US$22+ million of equipment (53 percent).

"We saw record crowds here in Houston this week, including a record number of new bidders on site," said Alan McVicker, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. "As a result of the massive crowds we saw strong equipment pricing with incremental increases in pretty much every category compared to our auction in November 2016. It's great to see such positive momentum leading into our massive five-day Orlando auction next week and our two-day Fort Worth auction next month."

Equipment was sold in the auction for 595+ ownersa new site record. Highlights included 260+ truck tractors, 80+ excavators, 75+ skid steers, 50+ cranes, 35+ dozers, 20+ agricultural tractors, 175+ aerial work platforms, 55+ telehandlers, and more.

Specific sales highlights:

A 2008 Terex HC165 165-ton self-erecting crawler crane sold for US$620,000

A 1995 Manitowoc M250 Series 1 & 2 300-ton self-erecting crawler crane sold for US$580,000

A 2013 Grove TMS9000E 110-ton T/A T/A hydraulic truck crane sold for US$560,000

A 2009 Grove RT9130E 130-ton 4x4x4 rough terrain crane sold for US$500,000

A 1995 Liebherr 360-ton 14x8x10 all-terrain crane sold for US$460,000

A 2013 Peterbilt 367 Quad/A w/ National NBT40 40-ton boom truck sold for US$227,500

A 2013 Peterbilt 367 Tri/A w/ Altec AC38-127S-SWS 38-ton boom truck sold for US$200,000

A 2014 John Deere 850K WLT crawler tractor sold for US$147,500

2006 Vermeer T855 crawler trencher sold for US$117,500

A 2008 Caterpillar 140M VHP motor grader sold for US$107,500

Auction quick facts: Houston (February 2017)

Gross auction proceeds  US$42+ million

US$42+ million Amount sold to online bidders  US$22+ million

US$22+ million Total registered bidders (onsite and online)  5,100+

5,100+ Online registered bidders  3,250+

3,250+ Number of lots sold  4,400+

4,400+ Number of sellers  595+

Ritchie Bros. has dozens of upcoming auctions on its calendar at rbauction.com, including its massive five-day auction in Orlando, FL (rbauction.com/Orlando) next week (Feb. 20  24). Upcoming Texas auctions will be held in Fort Worth on March 15  16 and Houston again on April 19  20. Anyone interested in selling equipment in either of the upcoming Texas auctions should contact the sites directly at: 817.237.6544 (Fort Worth) or 713.455.5200 (Houston).

About Ritchie Bros.

Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world's largest industrial auctioneer, and one of the world's largest sellers of used equipment for the construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, mining, forestry and other industries. Ritchie Bros.TM asset management and disposition solutions include live unreserved public auctions with on-site and online bidding; EquipmentOneTM, an online auction marketplace; Mascus, a global online equipment listing service; private negotiated sales through Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty; and a range of ancillary services, including financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. Ritchie Bros. has operations in 19 countries, including 44 auction sites worldwide. Learn more at rbauction.com, EquipmentOne.com, mascus.com, rbauction.com/privatetreaty and rbauction.com/financing.

Photos and video for embedding in media stories are available at rbauction.com/media.

SOURCE Ritchie Bros.
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OROVILLE, Calif., Feb. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Severe weather is expected to hit Oroville as hundreds of thousands of residents return to their homes. MetLoop (a Texas-based technology company) is helping people living in the affected areas by donating its Weather Alarm app for use. The app uses military-grade technology that is able to pinpoint adverse weather conditions (at any specific location/address) while providing its users with advanced notice. The end result: residents will receive warning before devastating weather strikes and be able to safeguard themselves and their homes ahead of time.

"We will provide our Weather Alarm app - free of charge - to every resident in the Sacramento area to be able to determine any severe weather that will affect their home. Our app will give them advanced warning so they can take action to protect loved ones and, to the extent possible, avoid calamity." --- David Carlson, CEO of MetLoop.

"At times like this access to accurate and reliable information is critical," added MetLoop CTO, Richard McGee. "The app is our way of getting weather information to people in real time."

MetLoop currently works with local government agencies and first responders, and is reaching out to those personnel in the affected areas to offer its services and provide accurate weather intelligence. Jim Messerly, the founder of VIJILIS and 31-year veteran of the Arizona Highway Patrol says:

"The technology will greatly aid in emergency management efforts. First responders and evacuees alike depend on the earliest warning for changing weather conditions -- having this information is critical for successful evacuation and the allocation of resources to support disaster mitigation."

The app is available for Sacramento (and nearby residents) by visiting www.metloop.com/Oroville.

Contact: Lauren Burgoyne

Phone: 480.290.1867

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE MetLoop

Related Links

https://www.metloop.com


"As we run out the clock on Moore's law, performance enhancements will increasingly be driven by improvements in data access times that come from faster storage media and networks, innovative data access approaches and the improvement of algorithms that interact with data subsystems," said Satoshi Matsuoka, Professor, Ph.D., of the High Performance Computing Systems Group, GSIC, Tokyo Institute of Technology.

The IO infrastructure of TSUBAME3.0 combines fast in-node NVMe SSDs and a large, fast, Lustre-based system from DDN. The 15.9PB Lustre* parallel file system, composed of three of DDN's high-end ES14KX storage appliances, is rated at a peak performance of 150GB/s. The TSUBAME collaboration represents an evolutionary branch of HPC that could well develop into the dominant HPC paradigm at about the time the most advanced supercomputing nations and consortia achieve Exascale computing.

DDN and Tokyo Tech have worked together, starting with TSUBAME2.0, the previous generation supercomputer at Tokyo Tech, which debuted in the #4 spot on the Top500 and was certified as "the Greenest Production Supercomputer in the World."

"Our collaboration with Tokyo Tech began more than six years ago and has spanned several implementations of the TSUBAME system," said Robert Triendl, senior vice president of global sales, marketing and field services, DDN. "What is exciting about working with Satoshi and his team is the clear vision of advancing research computing from systems that support tightly-coupled simulations toward a new generation of data-centric infrastructures for the future of research big data but also AI and machine learning."

Tweet this: [email protected]_limitless and @tokyotech_en build forward-looking #AI and #BigData computing infrastructure - http://bit.ly/2lRnbvK

Operated by the Global Scientific Information and Computing Center at Tokyo Tech, the TSUBAME systems are used by a variety of scientific disciplines and a wide-ranging community of users. Tokyo Tech researchers  professors and students  are the top users of the system, followed by industrial users, foreign researchers and external researchers working in collaboration with Tokyo Tech professors.

"Tokyo Tech is very pleased with our DDN solution and long-term partnership, and we are looking forward to teaming with DDN on future storage technologies for new application areas, such as graph computing and machine learning," added Matsuoka.

Supporting Resources

About DDN

DataDirect Networks (DDN) is the world's leading big data storage supplier to data-intensive, global organizations. For more than 18 years, DDN has designed, developed, deployed and optimized systems, software and storage solutions that enable enterprises, service providers, universities and government agencies to generate more value and to accelerate time to insight from their data and information, on premise and in the cloud. Organizations leverage the power of DDN storage technology and the deep technical expertise of its team to capture, store, process, analyze, collaborate and distribute data, information and content at the largest scale in the most efficient, reliable and cost-effective manner. DDN customers include many of the world's leading financial services firms and banks, healthcare and life science organizations, manufacturing and energy companies, government and research facilities, and web and cloud service providers. For more information, go to www.ddn.com or call 1-800-837-2298.

Media Contacts:

DDN

Michael King, 408-419-2892

Sr. Director of Marketing

[email protected]

IGNITE Consulting, on behalf of DDN

Linda Dellett, 303-439-9398

Kathleen Sullivan, 303-439-9365

[email protected]

2017 All rights reserved. DDN Storage, DDN and ES14KX are trademarks owned by DataDirect Networks. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE DataDirect Networks (DDN)

Related Links

http://www.ddn.com


WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

OH, CANADA

Profile America  Saturday, February 18th, February 18th. Although Canada has been self-governing since 1867, it wasn't until this date just 90 years ago that the U.S. established formal diplomatic relations through recognition of a Canadian ambassador in Washington. Until that date, the Dominion of Canada's foreign relations remained under the control of London. The relations since have been sterling, as Canada is our second greatest trading partner, narrowly trailing China. In 2015, more than $575 billion of goods passed one way or the other across the effectively undefended border. There are about 6.8 million foreign-born residents out of Canada's population of 36 million. America's population of around 322 million includes 43 million foreign-born residents, with about 806,000 from Canada. Profile America is in its 20th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:

History/accessed 12/2/2016: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/80310/British-North-America-Act#ref157836

Recognition of Canada/accessed 12/2/2016: http://history.state.gov/countries/canada

Trading partners and value/Foreign Trade:

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/top/top1512yr.html

Border/accessed 12/2/2016: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%E2%80%93United_States_border

Canadian population/accessed 12/2/2016: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/160928/dq160928f-eng.htm

Foreign born in Canada/accessed 12/2/2016: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130508/dq130508b-eng.htm

U.S. Population/ American Community Survey:

http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B01003

Foreign-born population/American Community Survey:

http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B05006

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotion of the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics and accounts drawn from cited non-Census sources are employed for illustrative or narrative purposes, and are not attested to by the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Audio" in the "Library" pull-down menu).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

Related Links

http://www.census.gov


NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The US Navy Veterans Mesothelioma Center says, "If your US Navy Veteran husband or dad just died of confirmed mesothelioma before the financial compensation claim was able to start please call us as soon as possible at 800-714-0303 because we can try to help. When we say help, we mean nearly instant and direct access to the nation's most skilled and qualified mesothelioma attorneys.

Asbestos Warning Sign US Navy Veteran

"As we would like to discuss, frequently US Navy Veterans who have mesothelioma are initially misdiagnosed with pneumonia. Because it is the holiday season, the Veteran is not able to be treated by medical doctors as easily as they could during other times of the year. By the time the doctors or hospital figures out the Veteran has mesothelioma, which is a very rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure, as opposed to pneumonia, time runs out for the Veteran and the family is left not knowing what to do - because their loved one has died.

"If you husband or dad has just passed away from mesothelioma and you did not have an opportunity to talk to some of the nation's most experienced mesothelioma attorneys for US Navy Veterans who have this cancer, please call us anytime at 800-714-0303 so we can try to pick up the pieces and provide very meaningful assistance. Our only catch is the death had to have occurred within the last year. When it comes to US Navy Veterans with mesothelioma, our number one goal is seeing to it that the Veteran for their family receive the very best possible financial compensation." http://usnavymesothelioma.com/

Vital tips for the families of a Veteran who has recently died from mesothelioma before attorneys could be contacted to start the compensation process from the US Navy Veterans Mesothelioma Center:

"The fulltime mesothelioma attorneys we suggest not only get the best possible financial compensation results for their US Navy Veteran clients - they also only charge 33.3% of the gross settlement amount even if a trial is required. Many to most law firms now charge 40% + expenses for a mesothelioma compensation claim for a US Navy Veteran - especially mesothelioma marketing law firms."

The US Navy Veteran's family should make a list of everything they know about their loved one's service in the US Navy. This includes what type of job they had on board a ship or submarine, if their loved one was forced to stay on a US Navy Ship in a shipyard during a retrofit or overhaul, as well as shipmates they may have stayed in contact with over the years. This is incredibly vital information for the lawyers working on the Veteran's mesothelioma financial compensation claim.

As the US Navy Veterans Mesothelioma Center would like to explain to a family that has just lost a loved one to mesothelioma anytime at 800-714-0303 - "If you want the best possible mesothelioma financial compensation, please call us for direct access to the nation's most skilled, experienced and capable mesothelioma attorneys." http://USNavyMesothelioma.Com

The states indicated with the highest incidence of mesothelioma include Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Louisiana, Washington, and Oregon. However, a US Navy Veteran with mesothelioma could live in any state.

For a listing of all former and current US Navy ships please refer to the US Navy's website that addresses these topics. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/our_ships.asp

Media Contact:

Michael Thomas

[email protected]

800-714-0303

SOURCE US Navy Veterans Mesothelioma Center

Related Links

http://usnavymesothelioma.com


LAS VEGAS, Feb. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental Who's Who recognizes Zia U. Khan, M.D., FACC, FSCAI, as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member in recognition of his contributions to the Healthcare field.

As an Interventional Cardiologist at Desert Cardiovascular Consultants, Dr. Khan brings extensive expertise to his role. He has been in the medical field for 17 years and since Medical School felt that cardiology was his calling.

"I chose cardiology because the heart is such a vital and physically active organ," Dr. Khan said, "In this field there are true life threatening emergencies and a rapid intervention means the difference between life and death."

Dr. Khan did his Medical schooling from the University of Cincinnati. He also completed his Residency at the University of Cincinnati and then went on to do two fellowships; one in Cardiology at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and the other in Interventional Cardiology at the University of Louisville. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology through the American Board of Internal Medicine.

To further his professional development, Dr. Khan is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology as well as the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. He is a member of the American Medical Association. He has done extensive philanthropic work, heads a charitable foundation and supports just causes anywhere in the world.

In recognition of his work, Dr. Khan was been awarded numerous awards. He was voted a Las Vegas Top Cardiologist in 2016. Also in 2016 he was a recipient of the OCA Asian American Pacific Islander ICON Award. He was honored with the Man of the Year Award in 2007 by Catholic Charities of Nevada.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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Saharanpur/New Delhi, Feb 13 : As the battle for ballot in Uttar Pradesh shifts to 67 second-phase seats, including those in Rohilkhand and the Terai region, much seems at stake for the Samajwadi Party (SP), which had done well in many of these constituencies in 2012 elections.

This time round, the party is facing a tough challenge to its bid to maintain its lead in the area from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

The 67 second-phase seats across 11 districts of Uttar Pradesh, where balloting will be held on Wednesday, have a sizeable population of Muslims. In some districts, including Rampur, Moradabad and Bijnor, their population is over 40 per cent.

The SP's alliance with the Congress is expected to work to advantage of the two parties amid a vigorous push by the BSP for minority votes.

The BSP has given more tickets to Muslims than it did in 2012 elections and party chief Mayawati has been striving hard to build a rainbow coalition based on consolidation of Dalit and Muslim votes.

Both the BSP and the BJP have also been attacking the SP over law and order situation in the state. The case registered by the police on Monday against SP's legislator Arun Verma has spelt fresh trouble for the state's ruling party.

The legislator was booked after a woman, who had accused him of rape, was found dead under mysterious circumstances.

However, Verma, contesting from Sultanpur, has denied any role in the death of the 21-year-old, who was found dead on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his rally on Monday at Lakhimpur-Kheri, sharply attacked the SP government, saying that women in the state did not feel safe.

In 2012 elections, the SP had won 35 of the 67 constituencies falling in the second phase polls now. It had finished second in 18 others. The Congress had won three and finished second in eight.

The campaigning for the second-phase polls ended on Monday. The state is having seven-phase elections for 402 of the 403 assembly seats (election to one seat has been countermanded) and results will be declared on March 11.

Top leaders of all parties, including SP chief and state Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, have held rallies in the second-phase constituencies.

The SP leaders said the party would improve on their 2012 performance.

"Our performance will be better this time, as we are in alliance with Congress. 'Cycle' (election symbol of the SP) with 'Hand' (the poll symbol of the Congress) will increase their pace from the second phase and race till the last phase," Samajwadi Party MP from Badaun Dharmendra Yadav told IANS.

"We are expecting to win over 50 seats this time (in second phase) compared to 35 we won on our own in 2012," he added.

Another party leader, Naresh Agarwal said that increased voting percentage in the first phase was a good sign for the party.

"We are confidant of winning 300 seats (overall). We are banking on our development work. Demonetisation is a big issue for us," Agrawal told IANS.

The BJP could win only 10 of the 67 second phase seats in the 2012 elections and finished second in 15. However, it vastly improved its position in the second-phase assembly segments in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Apart from appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP is banking on support of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), which have a sizeable population in several constituencies.

The party is also trying to woo the agricultural community, which faced problems due to demonetisation, and has promised loan waiver to small farmers, apart from time-bound payment to sugarcane farmers.

BJP leader and Union Minister Santosh Gangwar said the atmosphere was in favour of the party.

"People are fed up with SP and BSP. Law and order situation is at its worst. There is a wave in favour of BJP as people see it as the only option. We will win the polls. In Bareilly district, we will win seven out of nine seats," he said.

The 11 districts going to polls in the second phase are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Bareilly, Amroha, Peelibhit, Lakhimpur-Kheeri, Shahjahanpur and Budaun.

In the 2012 polls, the BSP had won 18 seats and finished second in 22 others. BSP's Rajya Sabha member Veer Singh said that the party might not be getting too much play in the media, but it did well in the first phase too.

"We will perform much better in the second phase. There is anti-incumbency wave against the ruling Samajwadi Party and law and order situation is bad."

"People are also angry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he has not fulfilled promises. Demonetisation has ruined their life. People of Uttar Pradeh will take revenge. For them, BSP is the only option," Veer Singh told IANS.

The constituencies going to elections include those in the Terai belt bordering Nepal and the Rohilkhand region. There are 721 candidates in the fray, including 69 women. The polls will test influence of several leaders, including BJP's Maneka Gandhi and Varun Gandhi, SP's Azam Khan, and gthe Congress' Jitin Prasada.

(Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at brajendra.n@ians.in, and Prashant Sood at prashant.s@ians.in)
Washington, Feb 14 : Several gurdwaras in Sacramento, California's capital city, have come forward to offer meals and shelter to the evacuees of Yuba City, which consists of a sizable number of Indian-Americans, following fears of Oroville Dam collapsing.

Some 188,000 residents, including around 20,000 Indian-Americans, in the River Valley below the Lake Oroville Dam, 65 miles or about 104 km north of Sacramento, were ordered to move away from their homes on Sunday when one of two damaged spillways appeared in danger of imminent collapse from severe erosion, American Bazaar online reported on Monday.

Yuba City has an estimated population of 13 per cent Punjabi-Americans and evacuation was ordered for parts of Yuba County, including Hallwood, Marysville, Olivehurst, Linda and Plumas Lake.

Yuba County Office of Emergency Services posted an evacuation order on Facebook: "Yes, an evacuation has been ordered. All Yuba County on the valley floor. The auxiliary spillway is close to failing. Please travel safely. Contact family and friends. Help the elderly. Take only routes to the east, south, or west. DO NOT TRAVEL NORTH TOWARD OROVILLE!!!!!"

Operators of the dam prepared on Monday to shore up a crumbling emergency spillway with bags of rock while bleeding off excess water from the rain-swollen Oroville Lake to ease the threat of inundating the northern California communities under evacuation orders downstream.

Several hours later, the situation appeared less dire as water levels subsided behind the dam, which ranks as the tallest in the US, and the weakened unpaved hillside spillway beside it remained largely intact.

"Sikh temples in Sacramento offering Food & Shelter. They are open for ALL people evacuated from Yuba City #OrovilleDam #OrovilleSpillway," tweeted social activist Harjinder S. Kukreja.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg tweeted that people could take shelter in gurdwaras situated around the area and there are arrangements for meals too.

Dr Gurtej Singh Cheema, a physician and a local Sikh activist, said that they were prepared to help the residents evacuating the Yuva County area. "We're well prepared," Cheema told the Huffington Post.

The gurdwara is one of the closest for residents leaving Yuba City. "We have meals, shelter. We can accommodate at least 50 people here," he said.

Cheema said that they have already received three families and several more called to apprise of their arrival.
Paris, Feb 15 : While the New York Fashion Week continues to push for diversity on the runway, Vogue Paris is making its own statement by featuring its first transgender model on the cover of the fashion magazine's March issue.

Photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, the model Valentina Sampaio was seen on the cover wearing a bold metallic dress and donning a smokey eye look, NBC news reported.

Translated from French, the cover reads "Transgender beauty: How they're shaking up the world."

The cover of the March issue, which will hit the stands on February 23, was revealed in an Instagram post by Vogue Paris captioned: "This month we are proud to celebrate transgender beauty and how models like Valentina Sampaio, who is posing for her first ever Vogue cover, are changing the face of fashion and deconstructing prejudice."

In the issue's editorial note, Vogue Paris Editor-in-Chief Emmanuelle Alt describes the moment Sampaio arrived at the studio, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, as stunningly beautiful as any Vogue beauty.

"She is the absolute equal of Gisele, Daria, Edie or Anna. Apart from one small detail: Valentina, the femme fatale, was born a boy," Alt wrote.

Alt's decision to put a transgender model on the cover of the March issue of Vogue is meant to send a powerful message about the importance of human rights, which Alt told Holgate "aren't going in a good direction".

Though this kind of visibility is a step forward for both Vogue Paris and the fashion industry, Alt finished her editorial note by reminding readers that there is still a great amount of progress to be made.

"Only when a [transgender] person poses on the front cover of a fashion magazine and it is no longer necessary to write an editorial on the subject will we know that the battle is won," she concluded.
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New Delhi, Feb 15 : Pakistan has decided to boycott a key meeting of South Asian Speakers to be held in India later this month.

The two-day meet begins on February 18 at Indore in Madhya Pradesh. It will discuss poverty, development, environment and gender concerns in South Asia, home to more than 25 per cent of the world population.

Pakistan has decided to give it a slip in an apparent tit-for-tat over India's refusal to attend a Saarc summit in Islamabad in November last year that got axed after many other member countries too pulled out.

"No delegation is coming from Pakistan," a source in Pakistan's High Commission here told IANS.

The source said Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had received an invite from India but "it was decided not to participate because the atmosphere is not conducive" between the two countries.

In 2015, India boycotted a Commonwealth Parliamentary Union (CPU) meeting in Islamabad to protest against Pakistan's decision not to invite the Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.

Tension between India and Pakistan escalated after the September terror attack on an army base Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army accused militants who crossed over from Pakistan for the strike that killed 19 soldiers.

Days later, the Indian Army hit back and destroyed some terror launch pads in Pakistan, killing terrorists and their sympathizers.

The two countries also expelled each other's diplomats after accusing them of spying.

Pakistan attended a conference on Afghanistan India hosted in December, triggering hopes of an end to their tensions and resumption of bilateral talks.

But Pakistan's decision to skip the Speakers' conference indicates that the tensions between the two countries are yet to ease.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will inaugurate the Indore meeting on achieving sustainable development goals -- organised jointly by the Indian Parliament and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a global organization for multilateral political and legislative discussions.

An official of the Lok Sabha Speaker told IANS that the presiding officers of Afghanistan, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka have confirmed their participation. The Saarc also includes Bangladesh.
Imphal, Feb 17 : Human rights activist Irom Sharmila plans to get married after the upcoming assembly elections in Manipur in March.

Sharmila made the announcement while speaking to reporters here on Thursday.

Sharmila had launched her fast-unto-death on November 4, 2000, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.

Desmond Coutanho, an NRI originally from Goa, and Sharmila have been in love for a long time. He used to rush to Imphal to be with her whenever she was presented before a local court where she was tried for attempting to commit suicide.

On one occasion, Coutanho was beaten up by the angry women activists on the court campus after he was seen holding Sharmila's hand inside the courtroom.

One woman activist said: "In Manipur it is socially not acceptable." Since then Coutanho had stopped coming here.

Manipur has been demanding the implementation of the Inner Line Permit system to restrict the entry and stay of non-locals.

Some sections questioned Coutanho's presence and also how Sharmila was provided cell phone and laptop inside her prison room and why.

After his manhandling in the court complex, Coutanho has been critical of journalists, human rights activists and many others who were extending helping hand to her during the protracted campaign.

Sharmila on Thursday apologised for Coutanho's rude behaviour.

She said: "On behalf of Desmond, I tender my apology and seek forgiveness."

Vitriolic attacks by Coutanho were posted in the social media which are expected to affect the upcoming polls here on March 4 and 8.

Sharmila is contesting the polls, among others, against Chief Minister Okram Ibobi. She has said that she plans to become the Chief Minister to repeal the AFSPA.

When Sharmila ended her fast on August 9, 2016, she had no place to stay here, as the womenfolk, including her mother, did not welcome her. In fact, she had to return to her "home" for 16 years -- the security ward in a hospital here.

There are no signs to suggest that the powerful women activists in Manipur have forgiven her.
Washington, Feb 17 : US President Donald Trump launched a ferocious attack on the "fake news" media while defending his month-old administration and lamented the "mess" he inherited from his predecessor.

He also dismissed reports that his campaign officials were constantly in contact with Russia, and vowed to crack down on the leaking of classified information, at a news conference on Thursday that lasted for an hour and 15 minutes.

The US President displayed a sense of anger and grievance rarely vented by a President in public, CNN reported.

"I have never seen more dishonest media, frankly than the political media," Trump said, later slamming leaks to the press from the intelligence community -- some of which led to the resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. His replacement, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, also turned down the post.

"The leaks are real. The leaks are absolutely real. The news is fake because so much of the news is fake," Trump said at the press conference.

Trump was repeatedly pressed on whether his campaign staff had been in contact with Russia, as a widening drama over his alleged connections with Moscow dominates news coverage.

"Nobody that I know of. How many times do I have to answer this question? Russia is a ruse. I have nothing to do with Russia. Haven't made a phone call to Russia in years," Trump said.

"I own nothing in Russia, I have no loans in Russia, I don't have any deals in Russia," Trump said. "Russia is fake news".

Trump accused the media of distorting what he has done since taking office and failing to accurately cover his administration. "I see stories of chaos, chaos, yet it is the exact opposite," he said. "This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine, despite the fact that I can't get my Cabinet approved."

He claimed it is serving not the people but special interests profiting from a broken system. "The press has become so dishonest that if we don't talk about, we are doing a tremendous disservice to the American people... the press honestly is out of control."

The acrimony, according to the New York Times, grew so sharp at one point that a journalist told Trump, "Just for the record, we don't hate you." But that did not assuage Trump. He further asked an ultra-Orthodox Jewish reporter, "Are you a friendly reporter?"

Trump said his administration has also been working hard to address problems he inherited from his predecessor, Barack Obama. He cited companies moving jobs overseas, instability in the Middle East and the threat posed by North Korea.

The President went on to say: I'm here again to take my message straight to the people... To be honest, I inherited a mess. It's a mess. At home and abroad, a mess."

Trump also predicted how his animated and unorthodox news conference will be interpreted in the press. "Tomorrow, they will say: 'Donald Trump rants and raves at the press,'" he said.

"I'm not ranting and raving. I'm just telling you. You know, you're dishonest people. But -- but I'm not ranting and raving. I love this. I'm having a good time doing it."

Trump also signalled he will issue a new immigration order next week and criticised the federal circuit court that blocked his marquee order banning Syrian refugees and temporarily halting travel to the US from seven majority Muslim countries.

This is not the first time when Trump has bashed the US media. He had earlier lashed out at the media as 'shameful and wrong' over "wrong" inauguration crowd reports and recently, accused them of dishonest coverage after the Washington Post had published transcript of his telephonic conversation with Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull earlier this month.
Washington, Feb 18 : US President Donald Trump on Friday slammed the country's five major media organisations by calling it "the enemy of the American people".

"The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American people!" he tweeted after arriving at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday.

However, he quickly deleted the tweet and posted a slightly different version which omitted ABC and CBS. He also included the word "SICK!" at the end of the original post, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Trump's tweet was a striking escalation in his attacks on the news media," a New York Times report commented.

Earlier on Friday, US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said at a press conference: "I've been pretty candid with him and all of you that I'm not a fan of the daily tweets."

The President's latest tweet came a day after his first solo news conference in the White House, where he criticised the US media as "very fake" and "out of control", while denying news reports over alleged possible contacts of his administration with Russia.

After the lengthy press conference, Trump's team sent out an email survey asking people to respond with how they feel about the media.

"Instead, you -- the American people -- are our last line of defence against the media's hit jobs," one line in the email read.

Steve Bannon, Chief White House Strategist, called media people the "opposition party" in an interview with the New York Times last month, asserting that "the media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while".

"They don't understand this country," Bannon said in the interview, "They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the President of the United States."

Echoing Bannon's remarks at the time, Trump said in a TV interview that "the media is the opposition party in many ways".

Since the November 8 presidential election, Trump has frequently exchanged fires with many US mainstream media groups especially the New York Times and CNN.

Many local analysts regards the anti-media rhetoric as a key part of his anti-elite and anti establishment strategy.

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds earlier last month that 48 per cent of all Likely US voters believe that most reporters are biased against Trump.

Only 12 per cent thought they were biased for Trump, while 31 per cent feel most reporters try to be fair and balanced.
Canberra, Feb 18 : Australian national park rangers on Saturday issued a "major" warning for tourists to be careful after catching a large saltwater crocodile.

Rangers in the Northern Territory (NT) pulled the 3.7-metre crocodile out of a baited trap in a gorge in the Nitmiluk National Park (NNP), only 30 km from Katherine, one of the territory's most popular tourist attractions, Xinhua news agency reported.

It was the sixth saltwater crocodile caught in the gorge since 2009 and was in the average size range, Andrew McPhee, acting district ranger for the NNP said.

"He's big enough to cause problems," McPhee told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday.

The NT has experienced a substantial wet season which has caused river levels to rise, creating perfect conditions for the lethal predators to navigate their way into waterways.

"You always know at this time of year when the river rises, especially when it starts to settle and slow down, it makes it an easy path for any size saltwater crocodile to move up from downstream into the gorge system,"McPhee said.

"We've probably been more surprised in the last few years that we haven't caught any."

Despite being closed during the wet season, some tourists still manage to enter the gorge system to canoe or swim.

Once the wet season finished, rangers spend up to a month surveying the area to ensure it is safe to re-open.
Kuala Lumpur, Feb 18 : The Malaysian police have detained a fourth person in connection with the killing of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, authorities said on Saturday.

The person was arrested on Friday night in Selangor and, according to his travel documents, is a North Korean citizen named Ri Jong-chol, born on May 6, 1970, the police said in a statement.

"He is suspected to be involved in the death of a North Korean male on February 13, 2017," the official note added, without giving any more details.

The Malaysian police had also detained a 29-year-old Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Huong, on Wednesday and a 25-year-old Indonesian woman, Aishah, along with a Malaysian man, separately on Thursday, Efe news reported.

The two women allegedly poisoned Kim Jong-nam at the departure terminal of the Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday, from where he was scheduled to take a flight to Macau.

The two women appear in the airport's security camera footage, accompanied by four men being hunted by the police.

The Malaysian detainee is apparently the Indonesian woman's boyfriend and seems not to have played a major role in the crime.

Kim Jong-nam's body is at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, awaiting a DNA test before it is handed over to his family.

The forensic examination is complete and the identification has been confirmed with the help of a fingerprints test.

Also on Saturday, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar dismissed North Korea's allegation that the country was purposely delaying the release of Kim Jong-nam's remains.

Abu Bakar said that as long as DNA from Kim Jong-nam's family had not been obtained, the investigation could not be completed, The Star daily reported.

Khalid was commenting on North Korean ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol's statement accusing the Southeast Asian nation of purposely rejecting the Pyongyang's claim for the remains of Kim Jong-nam.

Kim Jong-nam was born to the dictator Kim Jong-il and actress Song Hye-rim.

He had been considered best placed to replace his father as the head of the North Korean regime until he fell out of favour in 2001, when he was detained at Tokyo airport with a false Dominican passport, which he was allegedly using to enter Japan and visit Disneyland.

Since then, Kim Jong-nam had been living in China without holding any official position in the North Korean government.
Patna, Feb 18 : Two days after the Supreme Court ordered for shifting of RJD strongman Mohd. Shahabuddin from Siwan jail to Delhi's Tihar jail, he is being taken to Delhi from Patna by Sampurna Kranti Express amid tight security, officials said on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, he was brought to Patna and kept in local Beur Jail for nearly 10 hours before starting for the national capital by the evening train.

Initially, the state police officials had informed that Shahabuddin would be taken to Delhi by the Rajdhani Express, but instead he was taken by Sampurna Kranti Express, probably because Rajdhani trains do not have Sleeper coaches.

The criminal-turned-politician is locally known as "Bahubali". He faces 35 criminal cases, including those for murder, extortion and kidnapping, and has been convicted in seven.

"Process to shift Shahabuddin from Siwan jail to Tihar Jail began on late Friday night, as a team of Special Task Force (STF), along with top district administration officials, brought him to Patna on way to Delhi," a district police officer said.

Hearing the petition of Asha Ranjan, wife of slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, the apex court on Wednesday ordered shifting of Shahabuddin from Siwan to Tihar.

Asha, a contractual teacher in a government-run school in Siwan, in her petition feared threat to her life if Shahabuddin remains in Siwan jail.

Rajdeo Ranjan was the Siwan Bureau Chief of Hindi newspaper "Hindustan" -- part of the Hindustan Times Media Ltd. He was shot dead in May last year.

Chandrakeshwar Prasad, father of the three sons allegedly killed by Shahabuddin's men, expressed happiness over the development.

Last September after spending 11 years behind bars, Shahabuddin was released from Bihar's Bhagalpur jail. He had called Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav his leader.

After the Patna High Court granted bail in a case related to the killing of a murder witness, he was finally released from prison.

But after 19 days, Shahabuddin surrendered in a court in Siwan district soon after the Supreme Court cancelled his bail and was taken into custody and sent to the local jail.
Chennai, Feb 18 : Pandemonium reigned in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Saturday as Speaker P. Dhanapal was heckled by the opposition DMK members, after Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami proposed a confidence motion. The Speaker adjourned the House till 3 p.m.

The Speaker sent out legislators belonging to DMK for creating ruckus, before adjourning the House.

Earlier, chaos reigned when the House resumed after a brief adjournment following ruckus in the assembly with opposition parties demanding secret ballot to decide the fate of Palaniswami, who was sworn in on Thursday.

In the morning, soon after the assembly began, Palaniswami moved the confidence motion, which was followed by heated arguments started by DMK supremo and Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin urging Speaker Dhanapal to allow secret ballot.

The Speaker, who belongs to the faction of AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala, stood his ground and said that legislators could not interfere with his powers.

He also questioned the need for urgency in seeking a confidence vote when Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao had given 15 days time to Palaniswami.

As the AIADMK lawmakers supporting Chief Minister Palaniswami remained silent, the DMK legislators surrounded Dhanapal shouting slogans.

They tore the assembly agenda papers and some flung the mikes and chairs.

When the marshals tried to escort Dhanapal out, DMK members pulled him back to his chair. One DMK MLA sat on the Speaker's chair in protest.

Dhanapal first adjourned the House till 1 p.m. and later till 3 p.m.

Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam also demanded secret ballot.

In the morning, Palaniswami's AIADMK faction suffered a second blow when Arun Kumar, a legislator from Coimbatore North, jumped ship.

Speaking to IANS over the phone from Coimbatore, Arun Kumar said: "I left the beach resort... I was not held back."

He said party cadres and the people were not happy with the current leadership.

On Friday, AIADMK legislator representing Mylapore constituency and former Director General of Police (DGP) R. Nataraj said he would vote against Palaniswami.

The AIADMK led by General Secretary Sasikala commands the support of 123 legislators, including the Speaker, while the breakaway group led by Panneerselvam has 11 legislators.

The opposition includes the DMK with 89 members, Congress (eight) and Indian Union Muslim League (one), while one seat is vacant.

The DMK, Congress and IUMl have said they will vote against the Palaniswami government. The tally against Palaniswami stands at 108.

DMK President M. Karunanidhi is unwell.

If there is some cross-voting of 8-10 legislators from Sasikala's camp then it could be curtains for Palaniswami.

The assembly has a total strength of 234, with one seat vacant.
Los Angeles, Feb 18 : "No Bed of Roses", a film said to be loosely based on late Bangladeshi writer and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed, starring and co-produced by Indian actor Irrfan Khan, has been banned in Bangaldesh. Irrfan has expressed surprise.

Helmed by Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, the movie is said to be about Ahmed, who divorced his wife of 27 years and married an actress 33 years his junior. But the filmmaker has denied that it's a biopic.

According to variety.com, the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation's (BFDC) Joint Venture Preview Committee approved the script of the movie on March 8, 2016, after which the film went into production. The completed film was previewed for the BFDC on February 12, 2017 and received a No Objection Certificate on February 15.

But just a day later, the BFDC sent the production a letter stating that the certificate had been cancelled due to a letter from the Bangladesh Information Ministry.

Irrfan said: "I am really surprised to know that the government of Bangladesh has blocked the film. This is a humane story that deals with complex male and female relationships in a subtle and balanced way. What harm will it cause to the society if seen?"

The actor, acclaimed for his work in Indian films like "The Lunchbox", "Paan Singh Tomar" and "Piku" and known in Hollywood for being a part of movies like "Jurassic World" and "Inferno", Irrfan plays the lead role in "No Bed of Roses".

The variety.com report claims they have had access to the film and it starts with a disclaimer that the film has no resemblance to any real life characters alive or dead.

"No Bed of Roses" is a co-production between Bangladesh's Jaaz Multimedia and India's Eskay Movies with Irrfan's IK Company as co-producer.

Farooki, who is known in Bangladeshi cinema for works like "Television" and "Ant Story", is now taking the matter to court.

BFDC Managing Director Tapan Kumar Ghosh told variety.com that it is not the BFDC's prerogative to issue the certificate and it was up to the Bangladesh Film Censor Board to issue it.

However, Variety has copies of all the letters issued to the production from the BFDC and they are all on the organization's official letterhead. In reality, international co-productions cannot approach the Censor Board without the BFDC certificate.

"We have been blocked at the first gate," said Farooki.

"As the order does not explain any reason, I don't know why they thought screening of the film would be inappropriate. Yes, my film handles a so-called taboo subject but it doesn't show anything explicit and hence doesn't violate any censor code. This goes against the freedom of expression," he added.
Washington, Feb 18 : Donald Trump had been forced to fire his top security adviser. One of his cabinet picks had withdrawn due to opposition from within his own Republican Party. Judges in four states had halted his controversial travel ban from seven nations.

And on top of it the media had gone to town with stories of chaos at his new digs -- the White House -- with the Wall Street Journal claiming that his spies and spooks were withholding sensitive intelligence from the President lest it be leaked or compromised.

"Chaos! Yet, it is the exact opposite. This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine," thundered an angry president as he came out to "whip" the media for pedalling "fake news" based on "real leaks" by previous Obama administration "people."

The New York Post called it the "Wildest Show on Earth" that sent TV ratings rocketing sky high. Rival tabloid New York Daily News dubbed it "The Wrath of Don."

The Los Angeles Times labelled the 77-minute performance a "Rowdy Rebuttal" and "Express." A Washington Post publication headlined its story, "I'm not ranting and raving" in a slight variation of his prediction.

A pundit on CNN, now upgraded to "very fake news" called the president "unhinged" and an opinion piece writer at the "failing New York Times" wondered, "Is It Time to Call Trump Mentally Ill?"

Even as Trump pilloried the Journal and the Times for its as "disgraceful" story about his campaign aides having repeated contacts with Russian intelligence, he sought to slip in a bit of his own fake news.

His was "the biggest Electoral College win since Ronald Reagan," Trump claimed. Not true by a long chalk as all but one of the four presidents that followed Reagan had much larger margins of victory.

When challenged, he first claimed that "I was given that information" before adding without batting an eyelid, "But it was a very substantial victory. Do you agree with that?"

It was a typical Trump ploy to provide a distraction from the firing of his National Security Adviser Mike Flynn for talking about sanctions with the Russian ambassador during transition in violation of an obscure 1799 law.

"The whole Russian thing -- that's a ruse. That's a ruse," said Trump asserting that Flynn was simply "doing his job." And alll the stories about his campaign's contacts with "Russia is fake news."

"If leaks are real, then how can the stories be fake?" asked a reporter. And how come he now wanted to plug the leaks when he loved WikiLeaks revealing information about Hillary Clinton's campaign?

"Well, the reporting is fake," Trump asserted pointing out that WikiLeaks was not giving out classified information. It was only "giving stuff" about "Hillary cheating on the debates," he said before launching a tirade against his vanquished rival.

Outside the White House and across the country immigrants shuttered their shops as Trump mulled a brand new travel ban tailored to the "bad judgement" against the first and immigration agents rounded up hundreds of illegal aliens.

The Trump tirade distracted some attention from his "significant accomplishments in less than a month" - from rebooting two oil and gas pipelines to easing rules of business -- as the Time magazine reluctantly acknowledged But it also avoided scrutiny of his other controversial moves. Upending decades of US policy on Israel-Palestinian conflict, he told the Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu that he "could live with" either a one state or a two state solution "that both parties want."

And in line with another campaign promise, his defence secretary Jim Mattis told 27 NATO defence ministers to start increasing defence spending by year's end or the Trump administration will "moderate its commitment to them."

Meanwhile, as his diehard supporters stayed true to him amid the turmoil, Trump could not help taking another dig at the media with his favourite instrument of torture: a tweet.

"The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!" he posted.

Impressed by his "epic rant" a Twitter storm suggested that Trump should fire his press secretary Sean Spicer and appoint himself in his place. "Mental hospitals will be full," tweeted one - hopefully before Obamacare is scrapped!

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
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Beijing, Feb 18 : China reiterated its strong opposition to official exchanges and military connections between the US and Taiwan, amid recent reports that American Marines would be posted in a non-profit organisation in Taiwan, the media reported.

"China consistently and firmly opposes the US and Taiwan engaging in any form of official contact or military connection," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a daily news conference in Beijing on Friday.

Geng was responding to reports that Stephen Young, former director of the American Institute in Taiwan said US Marines would be posted at the new site of the organisation, the China Daily reported.

In a conference held by a Washington think tank on Wednesday, Young said he had pushed strongly for a US Marines detachment to protect the organization, and the new compound would include a "Marines house", which would be "a symbolic expression" of the US commitment to Taiwan, according to a report in the Taipei Times.

On February 10, President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump had a telephone conversation, during which Trump said the US government would adhere to the one-China policy.

"China hopes the US will observe the one-China policy and the principles of the three joint communiques between China and the US, and that it will handle the Taiwan-related issue prudently and properly," Geng said.

Geng said he had noted reports on the possible deployment and needed to gain more information on the situation.

The US posts Marines in its embassies and consulates to guard their security.

Since 1979, when the US established diplomatic ties with China, there have been no US Marines stationed in the American Institute in Taiwan.
Washington, Feb 18 : Republican Senator John McCain has slammed Donald Trump's worldview and brand of nationalism without mentioning the US President's name even once, a media report said.

During a speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday, McCain suggested the Western world is uniquely imperiled this year -- even more so than when Barack Obama was President -- and proceeded to question whether it will even survive, The Washington Post reported.

"In recent years, this question would invite accusations of hyperbole and alarmism; not this year," McCain said. "If ever there were a time to treat this question with a deadly seriousness, it is now."

"But what would alarm them most, I think, is a sense that many of our peoples, including in my own country, are giving up on the West, that they see it as a bad deal that we may be better off without, and that while Western nations still have the power to maintain our world order, it's unclear whether we have the will," he added.

Trump has repeatedly suggested a desire to pull out of or scale back on international involvement and agreements including the NATO which Trump has suggested the US is getting a bad deal on and has flirted with not enforcing, the daily added.

McCain, in his speech also invoked some of those close to Trump.

"I know there is profound concern across Europe and the world that America is laying down the mantle of global leadership. I can only speak for myself, but I do not believe that that is the message you will hear from all of the American leaders..."

"That's not the message you heard from Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis. That is not the message you will hear from Vice President Mike Pence. That's not the message you will hear from Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly. And that is certainly not the message you will hear tomorrow from our bipartisan congressional delegation," the senator said.

McCain then concluded with another direct shot at Trump.

"I refuse to accept that our values are morally equivalent to those of our adversaries," he said.

"I am a proud, unapologetic believer in the West, and I believe we must always, always stand up for it. For if we do not, who will?"
Kolkata, Feb 18 : The transformation of the nearly 250-year old Barrackpore Trunk (BT) Road -- one of India's oldest metalled roads -- from an ancient neighbourhood to a modern one has been documented in a new coffee table book.

"Reinvention" captures the dramatic transformation of the BT Road that was built in the year 1775. It connects Barrackpore, in the suburbs, to Kolkata.

"We do books on countries, we do books on cities but we don't do books on neighbourhoods. The BT Road is passing through a dramatic transformation from a legacy, ancient neighbourhood to a modern one. And transformation doesn't mean that you will obliterate the ancient relics," Mudar Patherya, director TrisysCommunications, the agency responsible for writing and designing the book, told IANS.

The route was once used by the British Empire to travel from their capital Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Barrackpore (the oldest Indian cantonment of the British).

"Trucks are getting off the road and decongestion is happening. So there is a need to rebrand it. The new is not taking over at the expense of the old. There is a co-existence," Patherya said referring to the book.
Kohima, Feb 18 : In a major political twist in Nagaland, legislators of the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) on Saturday extended their support to the state's lone Lok Sabha member, Neiphiu Rio, as the new legislature party leader, to replace embattled Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang.

The political development came after more than 50 legislators, including Independent members of the 60-member Nagaland Assembly, "signed a letter of support" in favour of Rio.

The NPF legislators along with the Independent legislators are camping in a resort at Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Zeliang and Rio are expected to meet the legislators later to discuss the transition of power.

"More than 50 (NPF and Independents) legislators have decided to support Rio as the new legislature party leader," Public Health Engineering Minister, Tokheho Yepthomi told IANS.

"There will be a formal meeting later in the evening to complete the formality and then meet the Governor to stake claim and form the new government," he added.

Earlier, on Wednesday 42 of the 49 legislators had unanimously supported NPF supremo Shurhozelie Liezietsu as their new legislature party leader to break the deadlock between the agitating groups and the government.

However, a group of nearly 20 legislators, including some cabinet ministers, were against 84-year-old Shurhozelie as their legislature party leader.

In the 60-member assembly, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland coalition government, comprises 48 NPF legislators, including suspended legislator Imkong Imchen, four of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and eight Independents.

In fact, Rio and Zeliang met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh late Friday night in New Delhi, and finalized change of guard to break the deadlock between the agitating tribal Naga groups and the minus any opposition Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government over the issue of 33 per cent reservation for women in civic elections.

"I have heard about the political development but let me meet the legislators before I comment on anything," Rio, a three-time Nagaland Chief Minister, told IANS after landing at Dimapur airport in Nagaland.

Governor P.B. Acharya, Zeliang and Rio reached Nagaland from New Delhi.

Nagaland has been on turmoil since January, after the NPF-led government decided to hold local body elections in 12 towns across the state with 33 per cent reservation for women.

Agitating tribal groups -- under the banner of NTAC and Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) -- have been demanding the resignation of Zeliang over his decision to conduct civic bodies' elections with 33 per cent reservation for women.

The government continued to shut down internet and mobile data service to stop the spread of rumours through social networking sites. It later declared the civic elections as "null" and "void".

Three persons were killed and many injured following clashes between the police and the public, who were opposing the civic polls.

NPF legislator Neiphrezo Keditsu had resigned as Chairman of Nagaland State Mineral Development Corporation Limited on moral grounds since one of the persons killed in the Dimapur police firing was from his village.

Nagaland has never elected a woman legislator since it gained statehood in 1963. The lone woman MP from the state was Rano M. Shaiza, who got elected in 1977.

In the 2013 Assembly elections, two women candidates -- one fielded by BJP and an Independent candidate -- contested unsuccessfully.
Hardoi (Uttar Pradesh), Feb 18 : Since 1989, the Agrawals - father Naresh and son Nitin - of Samajwadi Party have never lost any election from Hardoi constituency, a key seat in central Uttar Pradesh which is also the ancestral home district of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan.

But Sunday's election does not appear to be easy for the two leaders. The BJP is making a determined effort to cut into influence of Agrawals in Hardoi constituency and other seven seats in the district and the Bahujan Samaj Party is also making efforts to build on its committed voter base.

Naresh Agrawal has won Hardoi seat seven times. His son Nitin Agrawal, who won the 2012 polls as Samajwadi Party candidate, is in the fray again and is facing a challenge from Raja Bux Singh of Bharatiya Janata Party and Dharmveer Singh of Bahujan Samaj Party.

Regarded as a citadel of Agrawals more than that of Samajwadi Party, Hardoi will vote in the third phase of Uttar Pradesh elections to 69 seats on Sunday. The result is likely to have an impact political future of Nitin as well as his father, who sided with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in the family fued of UP's ruling Samajwadi Party.

The Agrawals are leaving nothing to chance with their prestige at stake and have organised a public meeting of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, as also a big road show. They have also held rallies and done door-to-door convassing across the semi-urban seat.

Bux Singh had contested the last poll as a BSP nominee and lost to Nitin Agrawal by over 40,000 votes. This time he hopes to make it to the assembly on a BJP ticket.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rally here on Thursday to improve prospects of BJP candidates on all eight seats in the district. Modi said the rally had four times as many people compared to his rally here in 2014 and spoke of farmers and "poor" law and order situation in the state.

Locals said that the fight on Hardoi was mainly between the SP and BJP with many giving the state's ruling party a slight edge.

Dheerendra Singh, a farmer in Hardoi, said that Nitin Agarwal will get a good share of minority community vote and the SP's alliance with Congress will also help him.

"Nitin will also get a good share of votes from the Dalit community which will further brighten his prospects," Dheerendra Singh told IANS.

He said about one lakh of total 3.4 lakh voters in Hardoi seat belonged to the Dalit community and around 33, 000 voters were from the main minority community.

"This time fight is close. Modi's rally drew a huge response. But my gut feeling is that Nitin will make it due to goodwill among people for his father," he said.

Singh said Naresh Agrawal is seen as a "go-getter" and a leader who commands a lot of influence in corridors of power in the state.

Ram Dutt Verma, a retried government employee, termed Naresh Agrawal as "the face of Hardoi."

"He is a powerful leader in state politics and is able to get work done. The BJP nominee is not so well known," Verma said.

Hardoi has been a tratitional seat of Agrawals since 1974. Naresh Agarwal's father Shrish Chandra Agrawal contested the seat in 1974 as Congress candidate.

Naresh Agrawal has fought seven elections from the seat since 1980 and never lost. He fought in 1980 from Congress and in 1989 as an independent. He returned to Congress and fought the polls in 1991, 1993, 1996. In 2002 and 2007, he fought the polls as a Samajwadi Party nominee.

In his chequered political career, Agrawal has also floated his own party and briefly joined BSP. He was a minister in the Mulayam Singh Yadav government from 2007.

Some voters said that Nitin Agrawal will face some anti-incumbency and there were also concerns against SP govenrment over women's safety.

Pawan Prajapati, a government employee, said there was talk of change, specially among the educated sections.

"We have tried SP, Congress and BSP but there's not been proper development. BJP is ruling at the centre and if it forms the government in Uttar Pradesh too, it will help speeding up development of the state," Prajapati told IANS.

BSP has run a relatively low profile campaign in Hardoi. Residents said that sizeable presence of Dalits will work to the advantage of its candidate Dharmveer Singh but it may not be enough.

Anuj Singh, a banker, said there were chances that Naresh Agrawal's citadel may fall this time.

"Modi has appeal across sections. The poorer sections in Hardoi are keeping their counsel. There may be an undercurrent in favour of BJP," Anuj Singh said.

Rajiv Dwivedi, a farmer, said the farming community was unhappy with the state government.

"SP government did not waive off loans and did not give adequate compensation for crop loss due to natural factors," he said.

(Ashish Mishra can be contacted at ashish.m@ians.in)
Nagpur (Maharashtra), Feb 18 : Former MP Jambuwantrao Dhote, one of the earliest and oldest protagonists of the separate Vidarbha state movement, passed away at his home in Yavatmal on Saturday following a massive cardiac arrest, his family said.

He was 78 and is survived by his wife Vijaya and two daughters, Kranti and Jwala.

Known as the 'Vidarbha Simha' (Lion of Vidarbha), Dhote complained of severe chest pain around 1 a.m., and was rushed to the Vasantrao Naik Hospital where he breathed his last during treatment around 4.30 a.m.

Dhote was the son-in-law of veteran Congress leader, the late barrister Ramrao Adik who was a former deputy chief minister.

During his political career spanning over five decades, Dhote passionately followed the revolutionary leader Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and espoused the case of a separate state of Vidarbha to be carved out of Maharashtra with Nagpur as its capital.

He had won the Lok Sabha elections twice and was also an MLA for five times from different parties including the Forward Bloc, Shiv Sena and Congress.

At the height of the Janata Party rule at the centre, Dhote entered into a strategic political and electoral alliance with the Congress in 1978, then headed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

In the ensuing Assembly elections his party, Forward Bloc reaped the benefits of the alliance with Congress by bagging 22 seats from his bastion Vidarbha, which comprises 11 districts of eastern Maharashtra.

In 1980, Dhote formally joined the Congress and was elected MP from Nagpur, and several years later, he quit the Congress to flirt briefly with the Shiv Sena and later launched his own party, the Vidarbha Janata Congress in September 2002.

Condoling Dhote's demise, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid tributes to his long stint as a legislator and parliamentarian when he always raised the issues pertaining to the people of Vidarbha.

"He was an inspiring force for the people and farmers of Vidarbha, the progress and development of the entire region, which he had made a mission of his life," Fadnavis, himself hailing from Nagpur said.

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet: "The 'Lion of Vidarbha' J. Dhote passes away. My heartfelt condolences on his demise."

State Congress President Ashok Chavan mourned the death of Dhote and described him as "a staunch leader of the farmers and backward sections of society who fought for them inside the legislature and outside."

Congress Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said in a tweet that the state has "lost a dedicated leader who fought for the farmers".

Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti President Kishore Tiwari said he was "the first leader of masses from Vidarbha" and said the real tribute to Dhote would be to create a separate Vidarbha state forthwith.

Dhote's last rites will be performed in Yavatmal on Sunday morning.
New Delhi, Feb 18 : Pakistani actress Saba Qamar, who is in the news for an old video footage in which she branded Bollywood star Salman Khan a "chhichhora" (indecent), says she loves the Indian film industry and finds the "Dabangg" star humble.

In a two minute-plus long video from an old episode of Pakistani show "Good Morning Zindagi", Saba comments on Hrithik Roshan, Emraan Hashmi, Ranbir Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh and Salman, when the host asks Saba to say 'no' to them under hypothetical situations -- and explain why.

The reasons she gave -- including one where she claimed she wouldn't like to work with actor Emraan Haashmi for the fear of mouth cancer -- got newfound attention on social media earlier this week.

Clarifying her stance, Saba said in a statement on Saturday: "'Good Morning Zindagi' is a fun show where they ask you fun questions about Bollywood stars. Whatever I said about each of the actors was said just for fun at that moment. I love and respect the Indian film industry specially Salman Khan is such a huge star and so humble."

The actress is making her debut in Bollywood with the upcoming Irrfan Khan starrer "Hindi Medium".

On Friday, IANS had contacted Saba, and she had said over phone that "it was a fun show".

"'Koffee With Karan' mein kya kuchch nahi hota (What all does not happen on 'Koffee With Karan')," Saba asked.

In the video, when the host asks Saba if Hrithik asked her to marry him, how would she say no, Saba said: "Don't want a father of two... He is not my cup of tea."

Next was Bollywood's 'serial kisser' Emraan Hashmi, whom she rejected because she didn't want "mouth cancer". This comment hasn't gone down too well with his fans as Emraan's son has fought cancer and the actor has been doing his bit for cancer awareness.

Saba rejected Riteish because since she is an "A-grade actress" in Pakistan, she would want to work only with other A-grade actors, even in India.

The host then showed a photograph of Ranbir, whom she could not reject.

"'Of course darling, I am ready for you'," Saba said looking at the actor's photograph. But on insistence by the host, she finally turned him down because he "had a 'chakkar' (affair) with Indian actress Deepika Padukone."

Finally, the photograph of Salman was shown, and Saba turned him down for being 'chhichhora' (indecent), and for not knowing how to dance.

Saba's video appeared during ongoing tension between India and Pakistan after the Uri army camp attack in September last year, and at a time when Pakistani artistes are not being entertained in India due to a ban imposed by certain right-wing outfits.

Saba, who made her acting debut with the PTV Home drama "Main Aurat Hoon" in 2004, is popular in Pakistan for essaying leading roles in hit dramas "Dhoop Mein Andhera Hai", "Jinnah Ke Naam" and "Uraan".
Manila, Feb 18 : Student protesters here on Saturday accused Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte of bowing down to US interests, as they called for a defence pact between the two countries to be scrapped.

Dozens of protesters, led by the League of Filipino Students (LFS), marched to the US Embassy to demand an end to the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which allows the US to rotate troops into the Southeast Asian country for extended stays and build and operate facilities on Philippine bases, Efe news reported.

Amid a heavy police presence, the students held up placards bearing slogans such as "US troops out now" and "Junk EDCA", as they criticised Duterte for failing to follow through on his anti-America rhetoric.

The protesters also burned a mock US flag.

"After several months of being in power, Duterte has proven that he is all bark and no bite," LFS national spokesperson J.P. Rosos said.

"His anti-US pronouncements during the campaign period and his early weeks as president have now become a distant memory of the past. Little by little, he is being tamed by (the) US to allow favours for the imperialist power," he added.

In October, Duterte said he wanted US troops to leave the country, possibly within two years, and would be willing to scrap defence pacts with Washington if necessary.

But students at Saturday's protest said the president had not proven that he was committed to following through on such threats.

"Duterte's anti-US pronouncements and rhetoric are empty and meaningless. He hasn't done anything to end the presence, incursions, impositions, and domination of imperialist US," Rosos added.
Mexico City, Feb 18 : Hundreds of people, many carrying white roses, gathered at the Mexico-US border and formed a human wall in protest against the policies of US President Donald Trump, the media reported.

The protest took place on Friday in the border city of Ciudad Juarez.

Organisers said it was also intended as a symbol of unity among Mexicans and of friendship and solidarity with the people of the US, the Mexico News Daily reported.

The protest was called by Chihuahua Governor Javier Corral.

"In the face of the intention of Donald Trump to build a wall we cannot bow down, because bowing down will mean things will go worse for us," the governor said before the event.

He said Mexicans, in the face of hostility, would reaffirm their bonds of friendship with the people of the US.

Oscar Leeser, the mayor of El Paso, Texas, appeared to be the lone politician in attendance from the US side of the border.

Leeser called for unity and pointed out that Juarez and El Paso are the same city and the same community.
Washington, Feb 18 : At least 680 illegal migrants were sent back to Cuba following the end of "wet foot, dry foot" immigration policy by former President Barack Obama in January, the media reported on Saturday.

A total of 979 illegal migrants returned to Cuba from neighbouring countries this year after a new US immigration policy took effect on January 12, Xinhua news agency reported.

So far, 115 Cubans have been returned from the US and 246 were deported from Mexico.

The long-standing policy granted residency to Cubans who arrived in the US without visas. The special US immigration treatment for Cuba was in place for around 22 years.

After the new policy came into effect, thousands of Cubans have been stranded in countries in Central America and the Caribbean in their attempt to reach the US.

US President Donald Trump has not made any statement regarding the new policy, only saying that his administration is reviewing the thawing ties with Cuba.

The US has pledged to grant at least 20,000 visas for Cubans every year to come to the country legally.
Fabu, Madisons former poet laureate, is a consultant in African-American culture and arts. She writes a monthly column for The Capital Times. fabu@artistfabu.com
Indore, Feb 18 : Afghanistan on Saturday dubbed Pakistan's absence from the South Asian Speakers Summit as "unfortunate" and said Islamabad has adopted terrorism as its policy which would prove a serious threat for it.

"It is unfortunate that Pakistan is not attending the summit. We don't know the reason, perhaps they can say it better. Being the neighbouring country we would have been happier if Pakistan would have attended the summit," Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi, Speaker of National Assembly of Afghanistan, told IANS.

Dubbing terrorism as a serious threat to South Asia, Ibrahimi said that Pakistan has adopted terrorism as it policy.

"Terrorism remains a threat to the South Asian countries, including Pakistan but unfortunately rulers of Pakistan have always supported terrorism. This policy of Pakistan is not in the interest of the South Asian region. In the future it is going to be a big threat to Pakistan," he said.

Ibrahimi also said that terrorism is a very serious threat to Afghanistan.

"We invite cooperation from India towards improvement in people's life, security and political areas in the region. We believe that this is in the interest of the people of South Asia," he said.

Lauding India for its approach towards Afghanistan, the Speaker said, "India is a big country and is an effective and influential power in the region. India has been a brotherly friend to Afghanistan and in the last 15 years it has supported Afghanistan with more than $2 billion aid."

"What we want from India is this relation to be further improved and developed. We want improvement in security and also enhanced relations between both countries. Hopefully it will continue in the future," he added.

Afghanistan has several times in the past voiced concern over terrorism emanating from Pakistan, and accused its neighbour of harbouring the Taliban in the border areas. India and Afghanistan, joined by South Asian neighbours Bangladesh and Bhutan, had boycotted the Saarc summit in Islamabad in November, leading to its deferment.

(Brajendra Nath Singh can be reached at brajendra.n@ians.in)
Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi, Feb 18 : A popular Malayalam film actress was abducted for a while on her way from Thrissur to Kochi on Friday night by some people, who reportedly took pictures of her to blackmail her, police said on Saturday.

Her former driver is a suspect in the case and has been taken into custody, police said While the victim's statement has now been recorded before a magistrate, the police probe team has zeroed down on six others who were in the gang, of which three have been already identified, while three others are yet to be identified.

Earlier in the day, Kerala Police chief Loknath Behra said they have identified those behind the 'kidnap' of the actress near Kochi.

Speaking to the media in the state capital, Behra said that a joint investigation team has been formed to track down those behind the crime.

"We know who are behind this and we will very quickly arrest all of them and get to the bottom of the truth," said Behra.

The probe team is being supervised led by ADGP B. Sandhya, with IG of Police Dhinendra Kashyap as the key investigation officer.

Nedumbassery police have registered a case relevant sections for kidnapping and molestation.

According to police, her former driver is believed to be part of a gang of six behind the incident.

The hugely popular actress after a shoot on Friday night was on way from Thrissur to Kochi to take part in the dubbing of her new film directed by director and actor Lal.

While on way, a car hit her vehicle from behind, following which an argument erupted. The passengers of the other car forcefully entered her car and drove off with the actress.

She was held hostage for two hours when the gang took pictures of the actress to blackmail her for money, reports said.

"The gang behind the incident is from the film industry and involved in various production jobs," police said.

Police, after tracing the call list, have zeroed down on the actress' former driver, who was thrown out after she came to know of his criminal background. He is believed to be the main culprit.

After being held hostage by the criminal gang, the actress managed to reach the home of Lal, who informed police.

Speaking to reporters, Lal said he has been advised by the police probe team not to speak about the incident as it would hamper their investigation.

The actress for some time was not having the best of relations with a group in the Malayalam film industry, and the group had scuttled a few good roles that she was offered, according to reports.

Police are looking into all aspects of the incident and will probe if this was a planned move against the actress.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is currently in Delhi, told reporters there that police are doing their job and will certainly arrest those responsible.

Lok Sabha member Innocent, President of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, told reporters that he had tried to get in touch with Vijayan over the incident.

He said police chief Behra had assured him that all behind the incident would be arrested.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala, currently on a day-long protest at his home constituency near Alappuzha over the "sudden deterioration" of the law and order situation in the state, expressed shock over the incident.

"If this is the plight of a celebrity, what can one say about ordinary people? This is really shocking," said Chennithala, a former state Home Minister.
Kolkata, Feb 18 : A four-year-old boy was burnt to death when fire broke out in a small tile roofed house in South Kolkata, police said.

Kaustav Roy, who was alone in the Behala area house on Friday, was rushed to a hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

Two fire engines managed to douse the flames after two hours.

The child's father -- a lorry driver -- and the mother, who works as a maid, had left the child at home.

The cause of fire was yet to be ascertained, police said.
Colombo, Feb 18 : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed his participation in the UN Vesak Day celebrations in Sri Lanka in May, a Sri Lankan minister was quoted as saying.

"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed his participation in UN Vesak Day celebrations which will be conducted in Sri Lanka this year," Minister of Justice and Buddha Sasana Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said, the Colombo Page reported.

"We are going to celebrate the thrice blessed day on a grand scale," Rajapakshe added.

The UN Vesak Day will be observed in Sri Lanka to mark the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha who founded Buddhism.

This is the first time Sri Lanka has been given the opportunity to host this festival.

Many world leaders have been invited to the first ever United Nations' Vesak Day celebrations to be held in in Sri Lanka on May 12 this year.

Over thousand representatives from India, China, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia and other countries where Buddhism is practiced are expected to participate in the event.

Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit, Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar is paying a visit to Sri Lanka from February 18 to 20, during which a wide range of bilateral issues will be discussed.

"The visit will continue the tradition of close exchanges with Sri Lanka that has gained momentum in the last two years," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in a briefing in New Delhi earlier.

"He will interact with the Sri Lankan leadership for discussions on possibilities of collaboration and cooperation in a number of sectors, including power, highways, airport, hydrocarbon sector, etc," he said.

"The visit would help in taking stock on various decisions taken during the meetings between the two leaderships," he said.

The Indian Foreign Secretary's visit comes as a team from the Export-Import Bank of India was in Sri Lanka to monitor the progress of projects under India's Lines of Credit (LoC) scheme, particularly in the railway sector.

The team visited sites of the Northern Railway Rehabilitation Project, including Kankesanthurai Railway Line, Omanthai-Pallai railway line, etc., apart from evaluating the signalling and telecommunication systems installed under the LoC, the Indian High Commission said in a statement.

The Line of Credit (LOC) is a financing mechanism through which India's Exim (Export-Import) Bank extends support for export of goods and services from India. Between 2008-15 Exim Bank has disbursed $11,678 million as LOCs for various development related and capacity building projects across continents.

India has provided concessionary credit facilities amounting to about $800 million to Sri Lanka to undertake the Northern Railway Rehabilitation Project. Engineering and construction company IRCON International implemented the project, including track upgradation and setting up of signalling and communication infrastructure.

The Exim Bank team also called on Sri Lanka Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva and senior officials in several Sri Lankan ministries of such as Railways, Department of External Resources, Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, etc.

The Indian High Commission said it remains committed to strengthening its bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka through closer economic ties, enhancing connectivity and continued development partnership.
Chennai, Feb 18 : Tamil actors such as Kamal Haasan, Siddharth and Arvind Swami among others have reacted strongly over Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami's winning the confidence vote in the state assembly on Saturday.

Palaniswami, who was sworn in on Thursday as Chief Minister, won by 122 voice votes on Saturday.

He belongs to the AIADMK faction led by party General Secretary V.K. Sasikala, who is currently serving a four-year jail term in Bengaluru in disproportionate assets case.

Commenting on the concept of confidence votes, "Roja" actor Arvind Swami tweeted: "None will accept a vote of confidence if the MLAs don't represent the people's views. For that they have to meet people, not party in a resort."

Swami also demanded re-election.

"In my opinion, the only solution that is acceptable under the circumstances is a re-election. This is not the people's mandate," he wrote.

Siddharth, without mincing his words, reacted very strongly.

"Give Sasikala a laptop in jail. Save transport cost (our money) for Edappadi K. Palaniswami and his gang for four years. Time to put more salt in our food," he tweeted.

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan slyly described the current political climate as a mockery of democracy.

"There you go. Seems like we have another CM. Jai de-mockcrazy," Haasan wrote.

Actor Suriya, in a tweet shared in Tamil, said people are the real fools now.

Actress Radikaa Sarath Kumar tweeted: "Disgrace. Governor should act."
New Delhi, Feb 18 : Indias Achanta Sharath Kamal pulled off a nerve-wracking 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 13-11 victory over sixth seed Paul Drinkhall of England to surge into the semi-finals of the 2017 ITTF World Tour India Open at the Thyagaraj Stadium here on Saturday.

The seven-time national champion and World No. 62 had to pull out his prime defensive game to outwit and outlast Drinkall, a multiple medal winner in the last two Commonwealth Games.

It proved to be a battle of nerves and patience as Drinkall slowed down the pace of the contest, keeping the ball short while also loading it with devastating spin. He wasn't allowed to play his natural, attacking game and had to rely on each other's errors to win every point.

Sharath began on a strong note, racing away to a 11-4 win in the opening game. But Drinkhall quickly got his game together and frustrated and stunned Sharath with his well thought out tactics. He won the next two games 12-10, 11-9 to put the pressure entirely on the Indian, who had the full backing of a heavily invested crowd.

The 34-year-old Sharath began to look for openings to attack from that stage, and came back strongly to win the next two 12-10, 11-9.

He jumped to a 3-0 lead in the next game but allowed Drinkhall to catch up with him. He again went up 6-4 but then conceded four points to lose the psychological advantage. Drinkhall rode on the momentum to take the sixth game and place the match on the edge.

By now, the crowds were on the edge even though he made a strong start in the decider, going up 2-0 and 3-1. But Drinkhall fought back and took a commanding 8-5 lead. Sharath continued to attack and it helped him get stay in the contest. He saved two match points and a couple of forehand drives saw him emerge triumphant.

He will take on Japan's 14-year-old sensation Tomokazu Harimoto, who beat the eighth seeded Robert Gardos of Austria 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6 earlier in the day.

Earlier in the day, top seed Ovtcharov Dimitrij of Germany survived a scare to advance into the semi-finals after a gruelling 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 4-11, 6-11, 12-10 victory over Yuya Oshima of Japan.

The World No. 5 German who came into the match without dropping a game in this tournament, could not get the desired start and lost the opening game 7-11. He regained his composure to win the next three games 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 to move into a strong position.

Down 1-3 and staring at the bottom of the barrel, the 39th ranked Japanese upped the ante to take the next two games 11-4, 11-6 to restore parity.

With the scores tied, both the players displayed great tenacity and got involved in a neck-to-neck battle. However, it was the German who prevailed 12-10 to move into the last four stage.

He will now take on the third seeded Koki Niwa of Japan who sealed his berth in the semis by registering an easy victory over qualifier Tianyi Jiang of Hong Kong.

In the women's singles competition, eighth seeded Wing Nam NG of Hong Kong beat Goergina Pota of Hungary 11-9, 11-6, 12-10, 8-11, 11-3 to set up a semi-final clash against sixth seeded Sakura Mori of Japan who beat Tze Wing Mak of Hong Kong 11-6, 13-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7.
Kolkata, Feb 18 : A cluster of films based on the biodiversity-rich Nagaland, showcased at the seventh National Science Film Festival, have kick-up a debate on hunting practices and conservation in northeast India's tribal communities.

Revolving around the Yimchunger tribe of Nagaland in the state's remote Fakim village, the 30-minute film "Point and Shoot" clinched three awards at the fest that concluded on Saturday.

"It explores the relationship of the hunting community with animals and birds found in the forests around Fakim. My film documents the pros and cons of hunting versus conservation. It is debate for you to figure out what you would choose," director Harsimran Kaur Anand told IANS.

Set in the same village, Savyasachi Anju Prabir's "Miilelam Miiyoh" captures a "perceptive account of the changes in the tribe's relationship with nature".

In the same vein, Sesino Yhoshu's award-winning "The Pangti Story" is about the Pangti village's residents who transformed from hunting Amur Falcons to saving them.

Amur Falcons, the longest travelling raptors in the world, fly from Siberia every fall to roost in Pangti, a small village in Nagaland. In 2012, Nagaland made global news when thousands of these raptors were mercilessly hunted.

The film explores the "transition of an entire village from one that slaughtered hundreds and thousands of the winged visitors to their most fervent preservationist".

The festival-competition was organised by Vigyan Prasar, Department of Science & Technology (DST) and and National Council of Science Museums. A total of 67 films were screened.

According to DST officials, the aim is to help India make a mark in the global science film festival scenario by encouraging students and enthusiasts to develop acumen for science films.
Munich, Feb 18 : US Vice President Mike Pence told anxious European political and security leaders on Saturday that "the United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to this trans-Atlantic alliance."

But while offering that assurance to European partners alarmed by Trump's rise, along with some tough words on Russia and Ukraine, Pence also warned that Europe must increase its defence spending in a dangerous world, saying that "as you keep faith with us, under President Trump we will always keep faith with you."

The NATO treaty demands not only collective defence but a vow to "contribute our fair share to our common defence", Pence, making his first overseas trip as Vice President, said at the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Germany.

"That pledge has gone unfulfilled for too many for too long, and erodes the very foundation of our alliance," Pence said, echoing an early theme of Trump, who has said that he believes that America's allies have taken advantage of US largess and not paid their fair share, the New York Times reported.

"Europe's defence requires your commitment as much as ours," Pence said. NATO allies have promised to reach the goal of spending two per cent of gross domestic product on defence by 2024, but only five countries currently meet that figure, according to the report.

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, who spoke before Pence, had argued that increases in military spending must be gradual to be efficient and effective.

Merkel said that spending on other matters - like development aid, education for girls and women, and caring for refugees - also contributed to mutual security, as do stronger multilateral institutions like the EU and the UN, which Trump had criticised.

Europe needs the support of the US in the face of Islamist terrorism and Russian ambition, Merkel said, promising to continue to spend more to meet NATO goals. "We need the military strength of the US," she said.

However, she warned against nationalism, without mentioning Trump's "America First" philosophy.

A senior White House Foreign Policy Adviser, on anonymity, said that Pence wanted to send a message of reassurance as well as obligation, both here and in Brussels, where he will meet with European Union and NATO officials on Monday.

Pence vowed that the US will "hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which, as you know, President Trump believes can be found."

He said the US would hold Russia to its commitments in the Minsk accords to reach a permanent ceasefire in eastern Ukraine so that political reforms there can proceed.

Pence was scheduled to meet on Saturday the leaders of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. He would also be meeting Ukrainian President Petro O. Poroshenko and Turkish PM Binali Yildirim.
Chennai, Feb 18 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday comfortably won the vote of confidence in the state assembly, with the proceedings marred by pandemonium that saw the opposition DMK evicted by the Speaker, and the Congress too walked out.

Palaniswami, who was sworn in on Thursday as Chief Minister, won with 122 votes in favour and 11 votes against. The 11 opposing votes were cast by the rival AIADMK camp led by former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.

Palaniswami belongs to the AIADMK faction led by party General Secretary V.K. Sasikala.

The end came tamely after DMK's 88 members, who were present were ordered to be evicted by Speaker P. Dhanapal after they indulged in a ruckus.

After that Congress legislators walked out in protest, dashing Panneerselvam's hopes.

The AIADMK camp led by Sasikala was obviously happy and distributed sweets.

"The traitors were defeated," A. Navaneethakrishnan, part of Sasikala camp told reporters here.

After winning the confidence vote, a happy Palaniswami went to the memorial of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Marina beach and paid homage to her.

Speaking to reporters he said: "The people of Tamil Nadu are happy."

He said party General Secretary V.K. Sasikala's vow here couple of days back has come true.

Panneerselvam alleged that the floor test was conducted after the eviction of Opposition members and went against democratic norms.

"Dharma has been momentarily eclipsed but it shall win finally," he said.

The chaos of the assembly proceedings spilt over to Marina beach where DMK party chief M.K. Stalin had moved along with his party legislators to protest against the manner in which the DMK legislators were evicted from the state assembly.

Stalin, along with party MLAs, sat on protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Marina beach.

Police later took the DMK MLAs into custody. DMK supporters blocked the police vehicles at the venue.

Earlier, Stalin met Tamil Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao and lodged a complaint against the happenings in the assembly.

Speaking to reporters after he and his party legislators were evicted from the assembly, Stalin said the party had demanded secret ballot to decide on the motion of confidence moved by Chief Minister Palaniswami.

The DMK leader said he sat in protest inside the assembly to press his demand.

Stalin alleged he was forcibly evicted by the marshals and suffered injuries while his shirt was damaged.

He also alleged that the party legislators were assaulted by the marshals while ev In the morning, soon after the assembly began, Palaniswami moved the confidence motion, which was followed by heated arguments started by DMK supremo Stalin urging Speaker Dhanapal to allow secret ballot.

The Speaker, who belongs to the Sasikala camp, stood his ground and said that legislators could not interfere with his powers.

He also questioned the need for urgency in seeking a confidence vote when Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao had given 15 days time to Palaniswami.

As the AIADMK lawmakers supporting Chief Minister Palaniswami remained silent, the DMK legislators surrounded Dhanapal shouting slogans.

They tore the assembly agenda papers and some flung the mikes and chairs.

When the marshals tried to escort Dhanapal out, DMK members pulled him back to his chair. One DMK MLA sat on the Speaker's chair in protest.

Dhanapal first adjourned the House till 1 p.m. and later till 3 p.m.

Former Chief Minister Panneerselvam also demanded secret ballot.

Ahead of the vote, Palaniswami's AIADMK faction suffered two jolts when Arun Kumar, a legislator from Coimbatore North, jumped ship, and AIADMK legislator representing Mylapore constituency and former Director General of Police (DGP) R. Nataraj said he would vote against Palaniswami.

On DMK's strategy in the assembly former MP R. Thamarai Selvan of the party told IANS: "We tried for secret ballot or at least an adjournment of the session. Without a secret ballot there is no possibility of any cross voting by the members of Palaniswami camp."
Jammu, Feb 18 : Police in winter capital Jammu on Saturday seized fake currency notes of Rs 3.90 lakh face value and arrested two people in this connection, police said.

S.D. Singh Jamwal, Inspector General of Police (IGP) - Jammu zone, told reporters that the fake currency notes were seized in Simbal Camp area of Jammu district.

The IGP said that two persons -- Amarjit Singh and Ramesh Kumar -- have been arrested in this case and more arrests are likely as investigations into the case progress.

This is the first case of fake currency notes seizure in Jammu district.
Chennai, Feb 18 : The inaction on the part of former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam in carrying out some acts that would have aroused public support and also attracting the legislators in the opposite camp were the main reasons for him to lose the plot, experts said.

"The plot was lost by Panneerselvam. He was not able to attract more than 10 legislators (excluding himself) to his camp. He was not able to infuse confidence to back him in the legislators in the opposite camp," Professor of Political Science at the University of Madras Ramu Manivannan told IANS.

"Further in the absence of secret ballot the Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami would have won the confidence vote even if DMK, Congress and Indian Union of Muslim League (IUML) had stood together with Panneerselvam's camp and voted against," former MP of DMK R. Thamarai Selvan told IANS.

"Only three legislators came to Panneerselvam's camp soon after he revolted against AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala. The remaining came to his fold over a long period of time," Selvan added.

He said Panneerselvam was the acting Chief Minister since Feb 5 and revolted against Sasikala on Feb 7.

"For nearly 10 days he was the acting Chief Minister. However he failed to do anything that would have attracted huge public support or create a comfort level in the legislators belonging to Sasikala camp, which was housed in a beach resort," Selvan added.

Selvan, Manivannan and couple of other AIADMK members to whom IANS spoke to, were of the view that Panneerselvam would have gained a massive public support if only he had ordered closure of liquor shops as ordered by Supreme Court.

"This is not a policy matter that an acting Chief Minister could not do. The Supreme Court has ordered closure of liquor shops on the highways. In order to comply with the court order he can order closure of liquor shops," former IAS officer and social activist M.G. Devasahayam told IANS.

Another view is that Panneerselvam was closeted in meetings and was always at his residence than being a man of action like going to the party office and functioning from there.

"Similarly Panneerselvam could have approached the High Court for a secret ballot in the case of confidence vote," Selvan added.

According to Selvan, the only way now to remove the government is imposition of President's rule going by the occurences in the assembly like eviction of DMK members.
Chandigarh, Feb 18 : With Haryana's main opposition party, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) adamant on starting digging work of the controversial Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal on February 23, Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, and the Congress on Saturday warned them against any misadventure on this issue.

The Akali Dal urged political parties from neighboring Haryana "not to indulge in activities that provoke the people of the Punjab on the SYL issue".

INLD secretary general Abhay Chautala has announced that thousands of INLD supporters will march from Ambala in Haryana on February 23 to the Shambhu barrier, on the boundary of Haryana and Punjab, and start digging of the SYL canal.

"The Akali Dal will never let the (SYL) project to be completed as it would deprive the farmers of the Punjab from their own waters. The issue of the SYL is dead, once and for all, as the Punjab Assembly has passed resolutions for restoration of the land acquired for the project," Akali Dal secretary and Punjab Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema said.

The Akali Dal leader said: "It is most unfortunate that the political parties of the Haryana, including the INLD, are resorting to provocative actions by issuing statements on digging of canal. Such statements will lead to tension in both the states and contribute towards inciting violence among the neighbours which is not in favour of anybody."

Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh asked the government at the Centre and in Haryana to take all necessary steps to prevent any violation of Punjab's borders by the INLD activists.

Terming the INLD actions as "provocative", Amarinder sought action by the Haryana government against the INLD "to prevent the eruption of an inter-state crisis".

"Chautala's inflammatory statement has the potential of further escalating the tension already triggered by the ongoing Jat agitation in Haryana," Amarinder pointed out.

The INLD, whose leadership was once close to the Akali Dal in Punjab, had snapped ties last year on the SYL issue.

Refusing to accept a ruling of the Supreme Court given in November last year which held the termination of water sharing agreements as "unconstitutional", the Punjab government has pitted itself to confront the court verdict.

The Presidential reference was sought after the Punjab assembly, in 2004 during Congress rule, passed the controversial 'Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Bill' to end all water-sharing laws with other states.

Haryana claims to be a water deficit state and has stated that it has been deprived of more than half of its legitimate share of 3.50 million acre feet (MAF) of surplus Ravi-Beas water, which has led to reduction in agriculture production.

The Supreme Court had earlier accepted its petition for early hearing on the issue of the SYL canal, on which the Presidential Reference was pending for the past 11 years. The apex court verdict has given a clear opinion to the President in favour of Haryana.

Both states are in the midst of a political and legal war over water sharing through the SYL canal, which has remained at the centre of controversy for four decades without a drop of water actually flowing in the canal.

The SYL Canal, that was to link two major rivers (Sutlej and Yamuna) in Punjab and Haryana respectively, was planned and major portions of it were even completed in the 1990s at a cost of over Rs 750 crore at that time. It is entangled in a political and legal quagmire with Punjab and Haryana unwilling to give up their respective stands.
Ahmedabad, Feb 18 : A three-day "Beti Bachao Yatra" by the Congress party in Gujarat to highlight the "gang-rape" in Kutch involving four local BJP leaders met with resistance on Saturday, when members of a new outfit "Kutch Asmita Manch" clashed.

The opposition party launched this 550-km rally to corner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the issue of Naliya gangrape case in which four BJP leaders were allegedly involved. The rally was expected to end on Monday in Gandhinagar, when the assembly's budget session starts.

The Kutch Asmita Manch members gathered in various towns from where the Congress march was scheduled to pass, including Naliya, Anjar and Gandhidham, waving black flags.

They were condemning a recent statement by Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela, who equated Kutch with Bangkok, after names of some local BJP men appeared in an FIR.

The Manch activists and the Congress workers came to blows following an altercation. Reports of skirmishes and mild lathicharge by police to control members of the Manch as well as the Congress workers also came in from Gandhidham.

According to the FIR filed by the 24-year-old victim with Kutch police in early January, she had been raped by 10 persons on different occasions. She alleged that the accused were running a sex racket in the Kutch district and forced victims to have sex with numerous persons after blackmailing them by making a video of their immoral act.
Kohima, Feb 18 : Hours after he was deserted by his party legislators, who had earlier backed him as the next Nagaland Chief Minister, ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) supremo, Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Saturday exuded confidence that the MLAs will return to the party fold.

Liezietsu's statement is significant when majority of the legislators, who had backed him on Wednesday night to replace Zeliang, switched sides on Friday night and threw their weight behind state's lone Lok Sabha member Neiphiu Rio.

"The party (NPF) organisation is intact and that nothing would go wrong since we still hold the trump card," Liezietsu said addressing an emergency meeting of the NPF Central Executive Council and the Central Office Bearers, along with the Division Presidents, on Saturday evening at his residence here.

On Wednesday, 42 of the 49 legislators had unanimously supported NPF supremo Liezietsu as their new legislature party leader to break the deadlock between the agitating groups and the government.

However, a group of nearly 20 legislators, including some cabinet ministers, were against 84-year-old Liezietsu as their legislature party leader.

In the 60-member assembly, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland comprises 48 NPF legislators, including suspended legislator Imkong Imchen, four of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs and eight Independents.

The NPF legislators, along with the Independent legislators, are camping in Borgoch resort close to Assam's Kaziranga National Park. Rio is scheduled to meet the legislators later to discuss the transition of power.

However, Liezietsu promised his party workers that changes will take place in his favour in a day or two.

"Some of our legislators have gone to Kaziranga, but they are still NPF legislators and we are in touch with many of them. Changes in our favour will take place in a day or two," the 81-year-old NPF supremo told his party workers.

Public Health Engineering Minister Tokheho Yepthomi told IANS: "More than 50 (NPF and Independents) legislators have decided to support Rio as the new legislature party leader."

"There will be a formal meeting later in the evening to complete the formality and then meet the Governor to stake claim and form the new government," he added.

In fact, Rio and Zeliang met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh late on Friday night in New Delhi and finalized change of guard to break the deadlock between the agitating tribal Naga groups against 33 per cent reservation for women in civic elections.

"I have heard about the political development but let me meet the legislators before I comment on anything," Rio, a three-time Nagaland Chief Minister, told IANS after landing at Dimapur airport in Nagaland.

Governor P.B. Acharya, Zeliang and Rio reached Nagaland from New Delhi.

Nagaland has been in turmoil since January, after the NPF-led government decided to hold local body elections in 12 towns across the state with 33 per cent reservation for women.

Agitating tribal groups -- under the banner of NTAC and Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) -- have been demanding the resignation of Zeliang over his decision to conduct civic bodies' polls with 33 per cent reservation for women.

The government continued to shut down internet and mobile data service to stop the spread of rumours through social networking sites. It later declared the civic elections "null and void".

Three persons were killed and many injured following clashes between police and the public opposing the civic polls.

NPF legislator Neiphrezo Keditsu had resigned as the Chairman of Nagaland State Mineral Development Corporation Ltd on moral grounds since one of the persons killed in the Dimapur police firing was from his village.
New Delhi, Feb 18 : India may be able to meet all its energy requirements from resources on the moon by 2030, a scientist associated with the ISRO said on Saturday.

Sivathanu Pillai, a distinguished professor at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said here that India's all energy requirements can be met through Helium-3 mined from the moon.

"By 2030, this process target will be met," Pillai said while delivering the valedictory address at the three-day ORF-Kalpana Chawla Space Policy Dialogue, organised by Observer Research Foundation.

Pillai, a former chief of BrahMos Aerospace, said mining lunar dust, which is rich in Helium-3 is a priority programme for the ISRO.

According to an ORF release, Pillai said other countries are also working on the project and there is enough helium on the moon, which can meet the energy requirements of the world.

"In a few decades, people will be going to the moon for honey-moon," Pillai quipped.

Lt. Gen. P.M. Bali, Director General, Perspective Planning, Indian Army, said the launch of GSAT-7, India's first dedicated military satellite, is a testimony to the country's outlook towards using the outer space for national security.

He noted that India possesses one of the largest constellations of communication and remote sensing satellites covering Asia Pacific.

Lt. Gen. Bali said although India continues with a civilian orientation to its space programme, the changing regional and global realities require it to also develop military assets in space and on ground as an emerging regional and global power.

He said there is a need for a dedicated military space programme with adequate resources at its disposal because of "the changing realities in our neighbourhood".
New Delhi, Feb 18 : The BJP on Saturday hit out at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her poll campaign in Rae Bareli, saying they are not with the people of Uttar Pradesh but "with those accused of rape and murder and those who protect them".

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s National Secretary Shrikant Sharma referred to the rape charge against Gayatri Prajapati, Transport Minister in the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government in Uttar Pradesh and SP candidate Arun Verma, booked for murder of a woman who had accused him of raping her, and alleged that Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have not spoken on the allegations.

"She (Priyanka) and Rahul Gandhi are not with the people of Uttar Pradesh but with those accused of rape and murder and those who protect them," he alleged.

Sharma also referred to Priyanka Gandhi's attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her rally in Rae Bareli.

"It is unfortunate that Priyanka and Rahul targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi but have not said anything on the serious charges against Verma," Sharma said.

Priyanka said that the people of Uttar Pradesh do not want to "adopt him (Modi)", as there is no dearth of leaders in the state.

Referring to Modi's Thursday speech in Barabanki, where he had said he felt honoured to be the "adopted son of Uttar Pradesh", Priyanka said that "Uttar Pradesh does not want to adopt an outsider".

Sharma attacked the SP government in the state for crimes in the state, including those against women.

The BJP leaders in Lucknow also lashed out at Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for not acting against Prajapati, who is contesting the assembly polls from Amethi.
Africa is such a special place but not many people ever get to experience it.

Living Passages, a Christian inspirational tour company and Answers in Genesis entertainer Buddy Davis are leading a Big 5 intensive Christian family safari to South Africa, June 13-22, 2017. Davis, a public speaker and performer, who works with creation ministry Answers in Genesis at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, has a national reputation, having recorded more than 20 albums and reaching as high as the top 15 in the national charts.

This trip has been a vision of mine for some time, says Rhonda Sand, the owner of Living Passages. Africa is such a special place but not many people ever get to experience it. Our creation safari will offer families the chance to see the African wildlife in their natural habitat. But more than that, the amazing teachers who will be traveling with us.

The tour is high touch, from interacting with giraffes in the camp where guests stay, to participating in tracking on a Big 5 game drive, with an opportunity to spend a morning walking with lions and spending an afternoon personally touching and playing with elephants. Along with Buddy Davis, the tour will also be joined by apologetics speaker and a former Captain in the U.S. Marines, Mike Riddle. Riddle, the president of Creation Training Initiative, is an international educator and specializes in training others on how to speak on the topic of creation. For Rhonda Sand, Davis and Riddle together are the perfect team to lead an African Safari Tour where the topic is creation according to the Bible.

Buddy and Mike are doing such great work. I wanted to include them in this opportunity and let them share their message with an audience eager to listen. What a great time to unplug with our families and be open to Gods story. It is the type of experience that multiple generations will remember forever, together, said Sand.

With a starting price of $3,699 per person (for children) and $3,999 for each sharing adult, the Living Passages Creation Safari will be a remarkable expedition. The tour will be 10 days in all with much of the time being spend at the UNESCO Waterburg Savannah Biosphere Reserve. The itinerary is filled with game drives and visits to animal sanctuaries around South Africa. The trip is scheduled for June 13-22, 2017 and for those who book before March 25, 2017, a Lion Walk (where participants take a guided walk with African lions) is included.

Living Passages specializes in small, luxury, Bible focused tours and private cruises. They can be reached at 888 771 8717, tours(at)livingpassages(dot)com or at 208 765 7500.
ArtsPRunlimited, Inc. announces When Irish Eyes (aren't) smiling (Prose) for 3/16 @ 7pm at Landmark Tavern, NYC. Daniel P Quinn will be doing talk and book signings for his work for cultural exchange with Lyons. This experience is documented in a full-length chapter in his book Exits+Entrances: Producing Off-Broadway, Opera + Beyond (http://www.Amazon.com) or (Barnes+Noble.com). As an ongoing part of our season for this Lyons-Paterson project, ArtsPR will also offer group(s) Spring tours on-demand as Paterson history tours. ArtsPR has also completed work on a 16 page booklet on the relationship of Paterson and Lyons. Books and tours will be available for donors of $100 or more. Contact: 862-208-0151. Donors of $25- or more would received a signed copy by Mr. Quinn.

Other footprints of France in Newark, NJ, include a gift of 20,000 Francs to build St Johns Parish Church nearby NJPAC in the 1840's. Daniel P Quinn has worked at LaScala for Claudio Abbado, the Park Theatre where he produced and staged Hector Berlioz' L'Enfance du Christ; the Teatro Trianon in Rome, premiered Edward Bond's play "Derek" at Mitzi Newhouse Theatre (Lincoln Center) and Rutgers University in Newark, NJ.

In prior seasons, Daniel P Quinn's ambitious large scaled projects included several Irish Music Festival's at Snug Harbor, The Great George Festival in Paterson, and the Black Jesus PASSION PLAY as co-director. Mr. Quinn's has received The Irish Institute Award; Short Play Festival and OBIE Awards in NYC. ArtsPRunlimited's commitment to this high standard remains as we continue to focus on the Arts and Intercultural history.

Help support ArtsPR at http://www.Fracturedatlas.org and make a charitable contribution. ArtsPRunlimited, Inc., acknowledges with gratitude: Matching Gifts: PSEG Company; American Endowment Foundation (aef); The Prudential Foundation and donations from 40 individual donors and additional in-kind support.

ArtsPR has new initiatives for 2017-19 including a showing of the Nikon Award winning film JE SUIS TUNISIEN 2045 by honoring the Nobel Prize for Tunisia in Newark and focusing on the mass emigration issue in our time. A Video program on the 90th anniversary of the death of SACCO & VANZETTI in 1927-2017. A new project Italy Yesterday, Today, and Domani with work by Antonio Masini via his Art in Basilicata, and Tom dePoto photo's on Venice.

We also have other French projects that includes music by New Orleans composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk and a French Opera Recital. The recital would be dedicated to Maria Jeritza who retired after her Met Opera, Vienna opera, career in Newark, NJ. Jeritza premiered TURANDOT and was the favorite TOSCA by Giacomo Puccini, as well as the first JENUFA for Leos Janacek.

You can help us achieve these cultural and historic relationships this season and next year. They are all ideally multi-year projects that includes the emigration struggles from the turn of the century to today via the Arts and history.

Awards:The Irish Institute, Short Play Festival, an OBIE Award as co-producer, and Making History !.

Daniel P Quinn as playwright is also attending rehearsals of QUEEN V (The Rise + Fall of Gloria Vanderbilt) from his "American Trilogy" at Theatre for the New City. Media exposure: The Montclair Times (4/3/08) + The Record (9/5/04). Irishecho.com / Irish Echo (9/4/12) / P. 20 Echo Arts. Scholarship + Certification from Nonprofit Executive & Emerging Leader Institute at Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (2015). We need you to donate and help ArtsPRunlmited, Inc with http://www.fracturedatlas.org and help us expand our outreach for 2017-19
The evening will feature emcee and keynote speaker Rosalind Wiseman, internationally recognized author and educator whose book inspired the movie Mean Girls. Rosalind will share her message on supporting the emotional and physical wellbeing of children and teens. We always talk about it takes a village to raise a child but sometimes that can seem like just a slogan. PEN's partnership with BVSD and our larger community is the village in action. For that reason, it is imperative to support PENs critical role and contributions in our community.

PEN will honor Stanley Garnet, District Attorney for Colorados Twentieth Judicial District, as this years community hero. In addition to being a longstanding supporter of PEN, Mr. Garnet works to create a safe community through his juvenile diversion program and proactive stance on ensuring immigrant safety. He is an inspiration and it is truly an honor to acknowledge his commitment to the health and safety of our community.

The organizers hope to bring additional understanding of the organizations programs and inspire attendees to make a difference in their community. Shelly Mahon, Ph.D. and Executive Director shared, Our work is about providing education, support and resources that help parents face the normal and challenging aspects of raising children. We create a context for conversations around important issues to take place. There is nothing that really compares to the love and deep desire parents have for their child to be healthy and happy.

This is an event to bring together businesses, schools, community organizations, professionals, and parents who believe that families need the support and resources we provide. As our primary fundraiser this year, those who attend and sponsor this event make a big impact on the lives of families, said Paula Nelson, founder of PEN.

Current event sponsors include Premier Members Credit Union, Centennial Peaks Hospital, Then Nelson Family Foundation, Girls Leadership Institute, Victoria Hamilton, Left Hand Brewery, Upstart Kombucha, and Idella Wines, and Hazels Beverage World. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Visit http://www.ParentEngagementNetwork.org to learn more.

Tickets to Theres No Place Like Home are $125 per single seat or $1000 per table of 10. To register for the event visit http://www.pengala-2017.eventbrite.com.

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With almost 16 years of experience serving 31,000 Boulder County parents in raising happy and healthy youth, PEN's mission is to engage, educate, and empower parents. Originally a grassroots parent organization, PEN became a non-profit in 2009. While PEN secures 100% of its own funding, they have a strong and thriving partnership with the Boulder Valley School District. The goal of this partnership is to increase parent engagement in schools, protect children from risks, and build youth up to meet their full potential. PENs strengths are in building foundational parenting skills in areas such as personal awareness, child and adolescent development, communication and relationship building, and more by promoting the social, emotional and mental well-being of youth and families. They train volunteers and parent leaders to assist families in being positive and resourceful. Visit http://penbv.org for more information.
Since the crash in 2008, the banks arent interested in the little guy anymore. Our clients know that if their proposal makes sense, then Henley Finance is here for them

Founder of Henley Finance Richard Butler Creagh, 53, has announced his company has had the most successful year in business since it was founded. Richard, who started the bridging finance company in 2013, has seen it reach the 100-account milestone under his leadership. Henley Finance, based in Henley on Thames lends between 50,000 and 1 million making them the biggest in the area.

The Henley Finance Founder has attributed the companys performance to his introduction of non-status loans with record speed completion. With its in-house valuers and underwriting team, property can be valued and placed in the hands of solicitors in the same day for an expedited service. Bridging loans are designed to help people complete the purchase of a property before selling their existing home by offering them short-term access to the necessary funds. Henley Finances unique approach to offering its loans has paid off and the company now a solid base of new clients and repeat business and are set for their best year ever.

After a 20-year career in residential development, Richard Butler Creagh, who is married with two children, was well acquainted the need for short-term finance in business. He realized that he was perfectly placed to understand the needs of the professional developer and so moved to set up his own bridging finance company in 2003. When asked what his vision for the coming year was he commented;

Companies like Henley Finance are now bridging the gap between where the banks used to be and business owners. Since the crash in 2008, the banks arent interested in the little guy anymore. Our clients know that if their proposal makes sense, then Henley Finance is here for them.

Henley Finance Ltd is a specialist lender providing bespoke short and medium-term funding solutions to the residential and commercial property markets.They offer Mezzanine Finance, auction purchases, working capital for developments, and provide fast completion on property purchases with funds available to client in three to five working days, if approved. Bridging loans can be arranged for sole traders, limited companies, partnerships and private individuals. If you are interested in their services please contact Richard Butler Creagh through the Henley Finance website.
A Mauston woman faces four charges, including second-degree recklessly endangering safety, after being arrested on Jan. 14.

Linda M. Heyroth, 55, also faces charges for substantial battery, carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct. For the first offense, Heyroth could face a $25,000 fine, imprisonment of no more than 10 years, or both. For the substantial battery charge, Heyroth could be fined $10,000, or be imprisoned no more than three years and six months, or both. The concealed weapon charge carries a possible $10,000 fine, or imprisonment of not more than nine months, or both, while the disorderly conduct offense carries a $1,000 fine, imprisonment of no more than 90 days, or both.

According to the criminal complaint, on Jan. 14, officers from both the Mauston Police Department and the Juneau County Sheriffs Office responded to a report of a male having been assaulted at a residence on Remington Road. The man had a 1 and a half inch laceration on his hairline/forehead and a clump of hair had been removed.

The man told police Heyroth came to the residence and he asked her about alleged rumors she was spreading about him being a child molester. He told Heyroth he was going to sue her. They began to argue and Heyroth allegedly called him a child molester, grabbed an object from her pocket and struck the male on the forehead. The man told police he grabbed Heyroth around the neck and tossed her to the ground.

Officers went to Heyroths residence to speak with her. She said the man began choking her after throwing her down and she hit him with her fists in self-defense. She denied using an object. Officers did noticed red marks on Heyroths neck and photographed them for evidence.

A witness told police Heyroth came over to the mans residence twice that morning and got into an argument the second time. According to the witness, Heyroth hit the man repeatedly on the head with brass knuckles. After denying that she used brass knuckles, Heyroth finally admitted she did as a means of self-defense from a man.

Both the alleged victim and Heyroth denied medical transport, but the victims injuries were treated by ambulance staff. Heyroth was transported to the Juneau County Jail in Mauston without incident. She is no longer being held in the jail.

Heyroth is scheduled for a pre-trial conference in the district attorneys office on March 8 at 9 a.m. She will have a plea hearing on April 4 at 12:45 p.m. at the Juneau County Justice Center.
Today, Zoom Connects, a Chicago based Internet Service Provider, and Cumulus Technologies Group, an IT Service Provider officially announced a partnership in which they will be able to offer their customers both high bandwidth Internet services, ranging from 1Gbps to 10Gbps and up, and IT/Cloud services.

Chad Morris, Founder and Partner at Cumulus, said:

Finally, with our partnership, we can offer our cloud and co-location customers a reliable and extremely cost effective alternative for their Internet provider. With Zoom Connects robust fiber optic network and infrastructure, our customers dont have to worry about paying unfair pricing on capped bandwidth for their applications running in the data center as well as back end office IP services. 

Jeff DeRose, Manager of Business Development at Zoom Connects, said:

The minds behind both companies have been working together for years, and are extremely excited to be able to work with each other again via this partnership. Our customers are very excited to be able to layer this cloud offering onto our high speed bandwidth.

The two companies also plan on having several joint networking events in 2017, so keep an eye on their websites for details.
Chelle Neff, Owner of Urban Betty Our editors recognize that strong business leadership requires the mastery of a number of different best business practices, said Stacey Soble, editor-in-chief of SALON TODAY. The salons named to the SALON TODAY 200 for 2017 not only proved they excel

The magazines 20th annual SALON TODAY 200 issue profiled the selected salons in its January 2017 edition. The 200 salons were honored for their best business practices from applications submitted by SALON TODAY readers, who represent the 20,000 top-producing salons and spas in the country.

The magazine honored applicants in 11 different best practice categories, including, Compensation & Benefits, Customer Service, Employee Education, Inventory Management, Philanthropy, Planned Profitability, Retail & Merchandising, Retention & Referral Programs, Salon Culture, Technology and Growth. Urban Betty was honored in the following: Growth, Retention & Referral, Salon Culture, Inventory Management and Technology.

For a salon to be named to the SALON TODAY 200, it had to meet the following criteria: 1) The salon or spa opened on or before January 1, 2014. 2) The salon is a provider of professional salon services including one, or more, of the following: hair care, nail care, skin care, body care or spa treatments; 3) The salon or spa generated annual service and product sales revenues of at least $250,000 per year since 2014) The owner provided statistical information about his or her business and completed at least one of the Best Practice category essay sections. The applicant submitted documentation to verify financials if he or she competed in the growth or planned profitability categories.

In the commemorative January/February 2017 issue, SALON TODAY profiled 200 individual salons, although these salons could be honored in more than one category. The 2017 SALON TODAY 200 honored 101 salons in Growth; 25 salons in Compensation & Benefits; 42 salons in Customer Service; 42 salons in Employee Education; 36 salons in Inventory Management; 46 salons in Philanthropy; 18 salons in Planned Profitability; 32 salons Retail & Merchandising; 31 salons in Retention & Referral Programs; 50 salons in Salon Culture; and 35 salons in Technology.

Salon Today is a division of Modern Salon Media, which is owned by Bobit Business Media in Torrance, California.
Preferred Healthcare Staffing, a leading employment agency for therapy and allied health professionals, announced today they have won Inaveros Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and job seekers. Presented in partnership with CareerBuilder, Inaveros Best of Staffing winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based completely on the ratings given to them by their clients and the permanent and temporary employees theyve helped find jobs. On average, clients of winning agencies are 2.5 times more likely to be completely satisfied and talent of winning agencies are 3.6 times more likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies.

Focused on helping to connect people with the right job openings at healthcare facilities, Preferred Healthcare Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their clients and 66.7% of their talent, significantly higher than the industrys average.

Our team is composed of an extraordinarily dedicated group of individuals, whose tireless efforts and perseverance have resulted in this great honor. We strive to deliver the highest quality of service, and it takes true teamwork and a positive work environment to make that happen. Preferred Healthcares President and COO, Barry J. McDonald said.

"Staffing firms are giving top companies a competitive advantage as they search for talent in North America," said Inavero's CEO Eric Gregg. "The 2017 Best of Staffing winners have achieved exceptionally high levels of satisfaction and I'm proud to feature them on BestofStaffing.com."

About Preferred Healthcare

Preferred Healthcare Staffing is a leading provider of therapy and allied health professionals. Since 1994, we have strived to meticulously select only the most distinguished professionals, then carefully match their skills and desires to the needs of the nations top healthcare facilities. Our collaborative approach is designed to provide cost effective, timely staffing solutions for our clients; and offer some of the finest positions in healthcare to our talent. Preferred Healthcare has a long, successful track record and reputation in placing Travel, Per Diem, and Permanent placement, particularly in California.

About Inavero

Inavero administers more staffing agency client and talent satisfaction surveys than any other firm in the world. Inaveros team reports on over 1.2 million satisfaction surveys from staffing agency clients and talent each year and the company serves as the American Staffing Associations exclusive service quality partner.

About Inaveros Best of Staffing

Inaveros Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based completely on the ratings given
Type Nine available now for iPhone and iPad

After two long years in the making, worldwide fans of Porsagers must-have productivity app Type Nine Keyboard  as well as iPhone and iPad users that have yet to discover why the app is hailed as the ultimate iOS keyboard  can now head to the App Store and download the latest and by far the greatest version.

Version 2.0 of Type Nine Keyboard is the worlds very first keyboard app that combines t9 keypad layout with swiping. Once users get familiar with the movements  and it only takes a little practice  theyll be amazed at how much faster, easier and more accurately they can type. Editing is a breeze thanks to the seemingly magical swipe cursor move and swipe deletion functionality (by the sentence, word or letter).

The app also has full support for VoiceOver, which is an Apple-developed accessibility feature (a11y) for blind, low vision, and visually-impaired users. When this feature is enabled, users will hear which key their finger is on, and can type accordingly.

In addition, Type Nine Keyboard offers built-in support for 34 different languages. As a result, users dont have to switch keyboards when they need to type in a different language or alphabet. They also get automatic word suggestions in their target language, and can add new words to the dictionary in seconds. The app also constantly gets smarter and ensures that the most frequently typed word is always suggested first.

Other Type Nine Keyboard special features that include:



A selection of easy-to-change themes to suit each users mood and preference.

Full access to all iOS emojis and smileys, which are automatically sorted from most used to least used.

The ability to re-size the keyboard for one-handed typing  which is ideal for users with an iPhone 6 plus or iPad.

Easy-to-follow tutorials that make it simple to get started and take advantage of the various tools and functions.

Plus, the latest version 2.0 is 8x faster than previous editions, and is designed with a re-imagined interface that is crisp, colorful, and intuitively lays out information and buttons.

We worked extremely hard on this new version, and with several game-changing improvements and enhancements, were confident that its going to set a new standard for keyboard apps! commented Rasmus Porsager.

Type Nine Keyboard, the worlds first keyboard app that combines t9 keypad layout with swiping, is available now from the App Store at https://itunes.apple.com/app/typenine-ultimate-t9-style-keyboard/id926008509.

As noted above, Type Nine Keyboard currently supports 34 languages, including: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, German, Danish, French, Turkish, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Greek, Romanian, Bosnian, Catala, Czech, Basque, Finnish, Irish, Croatian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Slovak, Slovene, Albanian, Swedish, Serbian latin, Serbian cyrillics, Bulgarian, Scottish Gaelic, Galician, and Manx. Users are invited to contact the developer to request new languages.

For additional app details, including a demo video, visit https://www.typenineapp.com.

For all other information or media inquiries, contact Mark Johnson on behalf of Rasmus Porsager at +1 408 757 0156 or press (at)appshout(dot)com.

About Porsager

Based in Denmark, Rasmus Porsager is an inventor, designer and app developer who focuses on creating solution that improves peoples lives, and enables them to enjoy more fun and freedom.

View the full Press Release in the appshout! Newsroom at: http://d.pr/Kfo2
PropertyUP PropertyUP Announces New Unique School Search Tool

One of the most important factors people consider when searching for a home for sale by school attendance zone. Even people without children are concerned with this detail because it can greatly affect resale.

PropertyUp, a real estate brokerage in Barrington, IL, is excited to roll out a one-of-a-kind Illinois school search portal which allows buyers to search by school attendance zones.

While some national search portals provide searching by school attendance zones, the difference is that they do not have all of the available homes for sale on the MLS and their updates are not done frequently. The PropertyUp search portal is refreshed every 15 minutes and is combined with school boundary areas provided straight from the Board of Education, which guarantees their accuracy.

The PropertyUp school search portal also uses school data provided by the Department of Education and data provided directly from the MLS, combining the best of both worlds for the most complete information possible. Most school searches are reliant upon the general information provided by the listing Realtor. This generally includes the school district, but often does not include the actual school a student would be attending. The PropertyUp search tool provides the specific school.

One thing people are often interested in is if the home they are considering might be in an "open enrollment" zone, our search tool also provides this information. This is an area where people can select the school they would like their children to attend. These open enrollment opportunities are somewhat rare, and can change from one year to the next, so it's always important to verify this information by calling the schools or districts directly. School boundaries can also change although usually not drastically, however if a home is located on the edge of a zone it could be rezoned the following year.

The goal at PropertyUp is to try and provide the most helpful and completely functional tools that give homebuyers the information they want. "Making educated decisions makes a homebuyer feel more confident and comfortable with their choices and makes them feel up to date on current market conditions," explains PropertyUP portal developer Alina Herman. "It is our hope that by allowing users to search for homes not just by specific cities, but also see homes as they relate to individual districts and individual schools, will be helpful in their search."

The portal is designed so that buyers can also save their searches so that they can be notified of any new homes that come on the market which meet their search criteria.

The design is extremely user friendly. Buyers can reach the "school search" by clicking on the "Schools" link from any page on the PropertyUp.com website or by going directly to propertyup.com/elementary-schools, propertyup.com/middle-schools, or propertyup.com/high-schools. Here they will find an alphabetical list of all schools, and an a-z navigation tool. A click on any school name will give more info about the school. By clicking on the "view homes for sale" bar users will see a list of all homes available. There is also a quick search bar that lets the buyer type in any school district or school name. This will bring up all homes that meet a buyer's criteria, surpassing the limitations of a "city search." Normal city searches may not bring up everything in a school district.

By clicking the "view on map" icon the boundary lines of the school will come up with homes pinpointed for sale within the area.

John Herman managing broker at PropertyUp feels this is a great tool for buyers. "We believe that this is the best, most thorough, most accurate and most user-friendly school search portal available. We hope that our PropertyUp buyers find it helpful in finding the perfect home, with exactly the schools they are seeking. If schools are the most important factor to a buyer, this tool will provide the information they need."

About PropertyUp Inc

PropertyUps mission is to create efficiency in the real estate market with use of technology and creative solutions.

In addition to providing services for conventional buyers and sellers of real estate in Northern Illinois. PropertyUp offers services for sellers who is under water (upside down in there mortgage), seller financing, and lease to sell properties.

PropertyUp may offer qualified sellers cash for their home, or they can lease the sellers home to a qualified tenant-buyer, enabling the seller to move to a new home.

PropertyUp has a network of professionals and can bring qualified contractors to repair a home or to stage and/or get the best price possible.

John Herman is a managing broker of the PropertyUp, has been providing superior service to clients in the Chicagoland area since beginning his real estate career in 2002.

John Herman has been recognized as one of Trulias top 1% Realtors and has been a recipient of the Five Star Professional Top Producer Award 6 years in a row. This prestigious award is given to just 2% of the Realtor population in the greater Chicago area (approximately 700 out of the 42,000 Realtors in Illinois). This award are based on customer satisfaction from past clients.

John says We pride ourselves on a fast response; we answer calls and e-mails 7 days a week 12 hours a day. We have unique home marketing program that extensively markets property beyond MLS.

John has a bachelors degree, a Masters Degree, an Accredited Home Buyer Representative Certification along with Short Sale and Foreclosure expert. John Herman is a published author of multiple real estate books that help buyer and sellers navigate real estate market.

Location Information:

18-5 E Dundee Rd., Suite 200

Barrington, IL 60010

Contact:

Alina Herman

847-847-4711

alina(at)propertyup(dot)com

Website:

http://propertyup.com

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/PropertyUp

https://www.youtube.com/c/PropertyUp

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Propertyup/posts

https://www.pinterest.com/propertyup/

https://twitter.com/PropertyUp
The Bloomer School District has settled lawsuits brought last year by two former employees, Jondrea Metcalf and Kaleena Vetterkind. The suits were dismissed Feb. 10 in federal court in Madison.

The School District of Bloomer acknowledged no wrongdoing in either case. All of the settlement amount was paid by the districts insurer, with no cost to the district, the district said in a press release Thursday.

Besides the district, the lawsuit named Superintendent Mary Randall and Joshua Hartman, the elementary school principal, as defendants.

Randall said she was prohibited from commenting on the terms of the settlement beyond the press release.

Vetterkind, from Elk Mound, and Metcalf, from Bloomer, lost their jobs with the school district in 2015. Vetterkind and Metcalf said they had reported alleged abuse and neglect cases to the district.

Vetterkinds lawsuit said: After exercising her right to free speech and expression, plaintiff Metcalf was retaliated against by, among other things, being removed from her classroom, being offered a position with less pay, less hours and less benefits, and ultimately, being terminated from her employment position.

The school district denied the claims made in the lawsuits.

The school district of Bloomer regards safety as its top priority. The district is and has been committed to providing a respectful, responsible and safe environment for all children in accomplishing their mission of challenging and empowering all children to achieve success, the districts press release said.

The lawsuits had been filed in Chippewa County Court and were later moved to federal court.
This years Association of Writers and Writing Programs annual conferenceheld in Washington, D.C., at the Washington Convention Center and the Washington Marriott Marquis from February 8 to 11was, unsurprisingly, a highly politicized event. There were protests, vigils, and marches, in addition to the usual panels about writing, literary publishing, and academics.

The book fair and main conference events began Thursday, February 9, though the snow that pummeled the Northeast caused delays for some participants and attendees. AWP director of conferences Christian Teresi said, however, that the effects of the snow were minimal.

Friday was the day that the first of several major protests took place during the conference. The Friday protest began with a march from the conference hotel to the Capitol building, where a rally planned by the poet D.A. Powell and the organization Write Our Democracy took place. At the Capitol, a number of speakers addressed the crowd, including Powell, who said, This is a time when we need to be visible and make our voices heard with our legislators. From there, some protestors went into the Capitol to meet with their elected representatives, a political action that had been in the works for weeks through a Facebook group called Writers Resist Trump. A spontaneous demonstration occurred on Friday morning, when attendees linked arms in a human chain around the convention center.

At the close of the meeting on Saturday night, the Washington, D.C.based organization Split This Rock held a candlelight vigil in front of the White House. Split This Rocks executive director, Sarah Browning, told the assembled crowd of more than 1,000 people, This is a freedom of speech issue, a freedom of expression issue, this is a writers issue.

With the Trump administration believed to be looking to cut funding for the National Endowment for the Artswhich provides funding to scores of publishers and writers attending the conferencea social media campaign, #ThankYouNEA, drew lots of support. The campaign was brought to the conference by Copper Canyon publicity director Kelly Forsythe, who took photographs of publishers and conference participants holding a whiteboard that featured messages for the NEA and shared them on Twitter.

The keynote speech on Thursday by Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, was a conference highlight, drawing a crowd of roughly 1,500 people. The author decried the censorship of artists in her native Iran and warned against looming tyranny in the U.S. under President Trump. A Friday-evening reading and conversation between writers Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Ta-Nehisi Coates, moderated by literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller, drew a crowd twice as large as the previous nights.

This unprecedented political activity is unsurprising when 12,000 writers and educatorsthats AWPs official countdescended on the U.S. Capitol less than a month into the tenure of a president who has attacked the media, enacted a controversial immigration restriction, and threatened the NEA.
For an island nation of 23.5 million people, Taiwan has a surprisingly high publishing output: about 100 active publishers offer approximately 40,000 new titles annually. But market conditions supporting such impressive title output have been deteriorating. Between 2012 and 2015, Taiwans total book sales dropped 46%, from $1.14 billion to $617.9 million, although sales seems to have stabilized in the past year. Much of the decline is due to bookstore closures and had little to do with e-books, which account for less than 4% of the market.

The number of registered bookstores went from 2,603 in 2007 to 2,192 in 2015. Last year, only 1,492 were still in business. The ongoing disappearance of bookstores raised an alarm that went all the way up to the islands Ministry of Culture. Until then, the government had paid scant attention to the book retail business beyond collecting taxes.

The ministry, set up four years ago, is now looking into ensuring a thriving and healthy indie book retailing and publishing industry, said Yingliang Liao, chief executive of the Taiwan Association for Independent Bookshop Culture. One major goal, I think, should be to stop further store closures and put an end to the domino effect.

TAIBC is a four-year-old nonprofit organization whose joint presence at the 2017 Taipei International Book Fair with the Indie Publishers Association was partially funded by the ministry. The 60-member association, according to Liao, is not about profit or self-interest. He added, Our members are bookshop owners as well as individuals who love books and want to see a vibrant and thriving indie bookselling community.

Currently, new titles in Taiwan are typically offered at a 21% discount off list price; older books have lower discounts. Taiwanese booksellers and publishers have been talking about fixed book pricing, a strategy to prevent large retailers from driving indie bookstores out of business, since 2007, and the ministrynew to the issuehas conducted several polls to gauge public sentiment. But for Liao the introduction of fixed prices would need to come with a campaign to educate the public about the benefits of such a change. For now, the government has not set any specific deadline for fixed book price laws to be passed.

Gi Liu, chairman of the 31-member Indie Publishers Association of Taiwan, said that the public needs to be shown that price is not the only reason to buy a book. Fixed pricing to stop heavy discounting and price wars is going to be beneficial for publishers, ensuring fairer competition and a more stable book market. However, with the long history of heavy discounting, price is now the index in book purchase. So we need to change this perception, to make sure that a book is measured not by its price tag but by the intangiblesthe content, value and impact to the reader.

This, according to TAIBCs Liao, may be a challenge. Our examination-based educational system needs to be revamped to encourage more reading for knowledge and leisure. Reading habits should be a personal choice, and not something coerced in order to pass exams, Liao said, adding that this could be accomplished by getting the public in the habit of visiting bookstores, which requires a higher concentration of bookstores throughout the island. More stores would provide accessibility, proximity, and awarenessthree factors that Liao believes are crucial to promoting visiting bookstores.

There must be more space for bookstores in public areasbus terminals, train stations, museums, for instance. Legislating lower rental fees, as it is done in many European countries, would go far in helping a bookstore to continue operating and to incentivize new store openings, added Liao, pointing out that indie booksellers also need to tweak their operational model with innovative ideas and activities, including more opportunities for author-reader interaction. Driving traffic and keeping consumers in the store is crucial.

For Liu, the indie publishers associations monthly pop-up book fair is one way to get closer to the reading public. But we are still shaping our identity as an association, and defining the meaning of indie. We currently consider a five-person publishing operation an indie, or when a publisher specializes on unique topics such as LGBTQ [issues]. What we offer collectively, which is the most important aspect, is a wide-ranging list that provides nonmainstream reads to enrich and widen reader perspectives. 

The government, added Liu, is considering tax exemption for indie publishers, which is certainly helpful. Scrapping the 5% GST [goods and services tax] on book purchases would be even better for the whole community. As an association, he noted that we have a lot to learn from the U.S., for instance, where its indie publishing community is thriving with significant market influence, and is able to reach the public without relying on chain stores. But first, we have to make reading exciting and attractive again in the midst of massive social media distraction.
Despite looming uncertainty over future relations between Cuba and the U.S., the second U.S. Publishing Mission to Cuba, organized by Publishers Weekly and Combined Book Exhibit, returned to Havana last week with a new set of publishing professionals and nearly 400 titles by American publishers to display at the Havana Book Fair.

Organized in partnership with the Book Institute of Cuba, the U.S. Publishing Mission to Cuba is an effort to prepare for future business relations between the book industries of the two countries. This year the mission featured several new faces, among them Judith Curr, president and publisher of the Atria Publishing Group at S&S; Ted Adams, CEO and publisher of indie graphic novel house IDW Publishing; and literary agents Amy Berkower of Writers House and Kim Witherspoon of Inkwell Management.

Due to the economic embargo against the Castro regime, the 400 American titles in the U.S. Pavilion were only for display and not for sale (they were donated to the Book Institute of Cuba when the fair ended February 19). The impact of the embargo on life in Cuba, let alone book publishing, is pervasive. In opening remarks to the publishing mission, Juan Rodriquez Cabrera, president of the Book Institute of Cuba, hailed the American publishers who worked with PW in supporting the lifting of the embargo on books after last years mission. We want to tell the American publishers who sent a letter [to Congress] asking to lift the blockade, that we consider it a sign of solidarity with Cuban publishers, Cabrera said. The blockade means we will have fewer opportunities to read American writers. We must change this.

This year the publishing mission included about 31 American publishers and publishing professionals who gave the mission and the Havana Book Fair high marks. IDWs Ted Adams said: Havana is a vibrant city and the Havana Book Fair draws hundreds of thousands of people who love books. The citizens of Cuba would love to read our books and I know Id love to publish their books. I hope our governments can continue to work together to normalize conditions between our countries. Its time for these economic walls to come completely down.

Combined Book Exhibit has put together this video compilation of the 2017 U.S. Publishing Mission to Cuba, an official contingent of American publishers and publishing professionals that traveled to Havana Cuba to meet their Cuban publishing counterparts. The video compilation is record of the missions activities at the Havana Book Fair, at the Imagine II conference, and of travels around the Cuban capital.

Alex Correa, president of the Spanish-language book distributor Lectorum, cited the books of Cuban publisher Editorial Gente Nueva, noting that most of their titles could very well be sold in the U.S. They are nonpolitical and deal with childrens themes that are universal.

Lorraine Shanley, president of Market Partners International said: The Cuban publishers were eager to soak up as much information as they could, especially when it pertained to rights and translation. The other valuable experience was spending time with the range of entrepreneurs who were participating in the U.S. Publishing Mission trip. There was a lot of curiosity and energy in the group.

The mission is as much a cultural exchange as it is a business meeting. The American group toured the National Museum of Fine Arts and the National Library (which included a meeting with its director) and there were dinners and cultural performances.

The final night in Havana (organized by Cultural Island Travel, which partners with PW and CBE to set up cultural events) featured a dinner catered at a contemporary art gallery in Old Havana, along with performances of traditional Cuban danceupdated with a contemporary pop sensibilityby a troupe of young, stylish Cuban dancers. And a virtuoso performance by Jorge Luis Pacheco, a young and justifiably acclaimed Cuban jazz pianist, and his trio, brought the house down.

Despite concerns about the future of U.S.-Cuban relations, the U.S. Publishing Mission to Cuba ended this years visit on an optimistic note, with both Cuban and American publishers vowing to continue to work to somehow bring the two industries closer together.
BETTENDORF  Suzanne Mooney, of Bettendorf, is preparing to teach English in South Korea.

The daughter of Randy and Jayne Mooney, of Bettendorf, Ms. Mooney is an elementary major at Iowa State University. She formerly studied one semester in South Korea taking Korean culture and language courses, including classes in Korean calligraphy.,

Currently student teaching in the Quad-Cities area, she plans to return to South Korea after graduation in May and, for at least one year, teach English.

Language is something that interests me," she said. "And written language is such an interesting thing, as everyone has their own way of using written language, even within a language.

"But to me, it is even more fascinating that so many different marks across the world can express the same idea, she said.

Miss Mooney said the Korean alphabet and writing system consist of symbols grouped to show syllables, which creates a beautiful, pattern-like visual when written, especially since grammar is shown using written symbols in formal language, not just implied like in English, which to me, is even more brilliant.

"Handwriting is something that differs from person to person as well," she said. "Everyone has his or her own way of making marks on paper  regardless of language  that is unique.

"The combination of a written language that already is beautiful  with the added beauty of the handmade mark of ink on paper in a style unique to the maker  is something that I believe anyone could find beautiful, she said.

Ms. Mooney said her interest in art began in childhood.

"Art was always my favorite part of the school week," she said. "I had an idea of growing up to be a teacher, veterinarian or an artist when I was younger and, as I grew older, it came down to a teacher or an artist.

She said that, while at Bettendorf High School, she realized she did not have to make a choice and could combine the two.

I had an interest in teaching math or English," she said. "But since math was an area of need, I chose math."

She said she changed her specialization to English as a Second Language when she began working with ESL students in the classroom and took linguistics and a grammar course. Both, she said, reminded her of her interest in the English language, its composition and how it's learned.

That all led me to where I am today  finishing my major in elementary education with specializations in art and English as a Second Language," she said.

Her interest South Korea stems back to her childhood.

"My grandfather and great-uncle were Marines in the Korean War," she said. "So, as a child, I had a bit of interest in the country and culture but didnt think much of the possibility of going to the country at that time  just that it was interesting.

She said her childhood memories include a trip with her grandfather to an anniversary of the Korean War.

"There were beautiful cultural performances that had me in awe as a child," she said.

When she began classes at Iowa State, Ms. Mooney enrolled in taekwondo, a Korean martial art, through the Cyclone Martial Arts Club as a way to get involved and stay active. Her involvement in the club deepened her interest in South Korea, in its language and culture.

Having met others who studied there and loved it, I decided to look into going there myself, as I had always wanted to travel abroad but could never decide where to begin, she said.

She said she began researching programs and found she could arrange her schedule to have only one online class during one semester, freeing her up to study abroad. Her South Korean experience, she said, was amazing.

"Exploring the culture, food and country, while also meeting amazing people along the way  (South) Korea is a beautiful country full of incredibly kind, hard-working people," she said. "I look forward to going back to see friends, further learn the language, continue to explore the country and do what I love  teaching.

Ms. Mooney said after she completes her first year of teaching English in South Korea, she will stay longer if the opportunity arises and if it feels right." If not, she plans to return to the U.S. and find a teaching job.
Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Urban affairs, investigations, consumer help ("SOS") Follow Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Wisconsin state Rep. Ron Tusler on Tuesday said the citizens of rural Wisconsin are waiting for their government to take action to help them with a number of challenges that come with living outside urban and suburban areas.

What he didnt say is that maybe waitings the problem.

Tusler was speaking at a news conference for the Rural Wisconsin Initiative, an effort by more than 20 Republican representatives from mostly rural districts to improve access to technology, decent education, health care and employment outside the states major population centers.

On Tuesday, the focus was on a bill to put $15.5 million into improving broadband access in rural areas, and other past and continuing efforts.

Its not that RWI hasnt identified bona fide rural concerns, or that their proposals lack merit or waste money.

Its the notion of rural folks  traditionally considered a self-sufficient, up-by-the-bootstraps lot  waiting for the government to help them, and the party of get government out of the way and individual responsibility swooping in to do just that.

Playing against type wouldnt be so bad if Tusler hadnt taken a few subtle shots at the people whom Republicans for years have been accusing of relying a little too heavily on government assistance  and of electing people happy to encourage that reliance.

While I drive downtown on a main street or up and down an old country road surrounded with trees and crops ... I get a sense of this is America. This is a big part of what being an American is. I think its a sense of homeland, he said, adding that rural folk are some of the most hard-working, family-oriented, Christian, patriotic people that our country has.

Unlike us lazy, misanthropic, devil-worshipping subversives here in Madison or out in Milwaukee?

I get a sense that theyre waiting, Tusler said of rural people.

Theyre waiting for their turn, for the focus of government to focus on some of their problems, he said. Now, theyre waiting without rioting, without yelling in somebodys ear. Theyre waiting patiently for us to focus on the issues that they have.

Unlike all those loud, obnoxious and impatient Gov. Scott Walker protesters in Madison and President Donald Trump protesters, well, everywhere?

Tusler told me his experience is that rural Wisconsin folk want low taxes and a minimum of government interference, but also have legitimate concerns about issues such as broadband connectivity.

There are certain services that really need to be provided to the entire state, he said.

And it wasnt his intention to disparage the urban and protest classes by pointing out that small towns are doing a great job and theyre worth fighting for.

Fair enough.

But he cant have it both ways:

Either government has a major role to play in making peoples lives better, and people get to demand that it fulfill that role  even in loud, obnoxious and impatient ways.

Or government has much less impact and Republicans should remember Ronald Reagan, who once called the statement Im from the government and Im here to help the nine most terrifying words in the English language.Contact Chris Rickert at 608-252-6198 or crickert@madison.com, as well as on Facebook and Twitter (@ChrisRickertWSJ). His column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
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The implementation of the next-generation ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard is expected to bring significant advantages to medium- and large-market television stations in the US, including more ad revenue, television viewership and management of digital competition.

A BIA/Kelsey report examining the conversion to the ATSC 3.0 standard from a business perspective concluded that larger stations that are considering implementing the ATSC 3.0 standard would be recouped within three years.ATSC 3.0 will change the business of broadcasting into a next generation wireless communications business, said Mark Fratrik, chief economist and SVP, BIA/Kelsey . This new technology will give broadcasters the ability to pursue multiple new business models which will significantly diversify their current revenue mix.At the core of broadcasters ATSC 3.0 expectations is the ability to offer a new IP platform to better satisfy the changing needs of consumers and advertisers. One of the top business objectives is maintaining or increasing viewership by offering superior service to their viewing audience, including the delivery of a higher quality experience, more programming options and ongoing innovation to accommodate expected (and unexpected) abrupt and hard-to-predict changing viewing patterns.Broadcasters also want to raise advertising revenue through increased viewership, better ad targeting, dramatically expanded and more accurate viewership tracking, and a capability to better integrate multiplatform campaigns; and theyre interested in growing non-advertising revenue through the development of new IP-based broadcasting and non-broadcasting business models.As the business of television broadcasting morphs into a broader content distribution service, many new service offerings will evolve, the report noted.The report also covers concerns related to the ATSC 3.0 conversion, which include overall capital cost, providing uninterrupted service to their existing audience and determining the relevant time frame for transition.The biggest opportunities around the implementation of ATSC 3.0 are that it will give broadcasters a new opportunity to grow and address their major concerns like reversing recent local television station viewing trends, explained analyst Mark Fratrik. In our report, we present the business model for implementing ATSC 3.0 based upon our assumptions of the speed of introduction and acceptance by consumers, advertisers and other players in the media ecosystem and overall its quite positive for the vast majority of local television stations.The FCC recently said it was fast-tracking ATSC 3.0 rollouts
Shortly after British forces surrendered in Singapore on 15 February 1942, the Japanese military began operation Kakyou Shukusei [a] or Dai Kenshou [b], known in the Chinese community of Singapore as the Sook Ching ("Purge") [c], in which many local Chinese were massacred.[1] Although the killings have been investigated extensively by scholars in Malaysia and Singapore, this article draws on Japanese sources to examine the events.

Chinese inspected by Kempeitai following the capture of Singapore

The first point to be considered is why the massacre took place, and the second is how the massacre has been presented in postwar Japan. Although even ex-Kempeitai officers involved have admitted that the killings were inhumane and unlawful, little attention has been paid to the episode in Japan. While there has been valuable research carried out on the Japanese military administration of Malaya and Singapore, no detailed Japanese study of the killing has appeared. Moreover, while the Singapore Massacre is well known to scholars, similar killings in the Malay Peninsula only came to the attention of the Japanese public in the late 1980s after I discovered documents relating to the Japanese military units involved.

Why did the Japanese Military Massacre Chinese in Singapore?

On the night of 17 February 1942, Maj. Gen. Kawamura Saburo, an infantry brigade commander, was placed in charge of Japan's Singapore Garrison. The next morning, he appeared at Army Headquarters and was ordered by 25th Army commander, Lt. Gen. Yamashita Tomoyuki, to carry out mopping-up operations. He received further detailed instructions from the chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Suzuki Sosaku, and Lt. Colonel Tsuji Masanobu. Kawamura then consulted with the Kempeitai commander, Lt. Col. Oishi Masayuki. The plan to purge the Chinese population was drawn up in the course of these meetings. Under this scheme, Chinese males between the ages of 18 and 50 were ordered to report to mass screening centers. Those deemed anti-Japanese were detained, loaded onto lorries, and taken away to the coast or to other isolated places where they were machine-gunned and bayoneted to death.[2] My survey of official documents of the Japanese military revealed two sources that specified the number massacred. One is Kawamura's diary that shows the figure as 5,000.[3] The other is an issue of the Intelligence Record of the 25th Army (No.62, dated 28 May 1942) prepared by the staff section of the 25th Army.[4] This secret record states that the number missing as a result of bombing and the purge was 11,110. This second record is important because it was drawn up as a secret document shortly after the purge took place. However, it includes both bombing and purge casualties and offers no basis for the figure.
Seventy years ago, on February 15, 1942, Lt. Gen. A.E. Percival, head of the United Kingdom's Malaya Command, surrendered Singapore to the Japanese Imperial Army. The defeat of the so-called Gibraltar of the East was an even bigger shock to the British than Pearl Harbor was to the Americans just two months previously. Singapore was the cornerstone of the British Empire in Asia and its surrender, the largest in British history, marked the effective end of Britain's colonial era there. The fall of Singapore still holds some lessons, even in a time of peace, and should serve as a cautionary tale for any power, such as the United States, playing a dominant role so far from home.

The first lesson is that a rising regional power will seek to displace an external status quo power. While intra-regional competition among established and new powers is common (as witnessed by centuries of European history), the position of a foreign status quo power in any given region is particularly vulnerable. It was relatively easy for the British to rule various divided territories in Asia since the East India Company first set up shop in Madras in 1639 and began spreading eastward. But the emergence of a cohesive, ambitious, and aggressive imperial Japan ultimately set up a clash between a Britain seeking to preserve its exposed position and a Japan bent on rewriting the regional security order. In fact, the British failure to renew its alliance with Tokyo in 1921 helped speed Japanese expansion in Asia, by ending cooperation between the two and removing restraints on Japanese ambitions. Ultimately, American sanctions on Tokyo threatened to derail its military strength, and Japan's leaders decided to gamble on attacking all Western powers in Asia in a bid to secure vital raw materials and destroy European colonial holdings.

The second lesson is that miscalculating an adversary's operational intentions (or misreading his doctrine) can lead to early and insurmountable reverses. Japan's surprise attack on Singapore and its unorthodox strategy was crucial in knocking the British off balance and preventing them from effectively regrouping, even though they outnumbered the Japanese forces they faced. The British had long assumed that any Japanese attack, if it came, would be from the sea, and Singapore's great guns were all emplaced facing out over the water. Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, who would be executed for war crimes in 1946, devised a brilliant plan to neutralize Singapore by capturing British Malaya first, then invading the island fortress from the north. He launched his invasion on December 8, 1941 and his force of approximately 30,000 combat troops took just two months to reduce the peninsula, before advancing on Singapore in a pincer movement. Fighting in Singapore itself lasted just a week before the smaller Japanese force captured over 80,000 British, Australian, Indian, and Malayan troops.
A federal judge on Friday sentenced a former Madison man to 10 years in prison for a terrorism-related conviction, expressing doubts that the man has changed enough from the one who posted statements about killing Americans, traveled to Turkey and tried to join the Islamic State terrorist group in 2015.

U.S. District Judge James Peterson said he was looking for some hint of positive transformation in Joshua Van Haften  who pleaded guilty last year to attempting to give material support to a terrorist group  but was having a difficult time finding it.

Now, when you say you never meant to hurt anyone, that is very hard for me to believe, Peterson said. I have to look at what you did compared to what youre telling me now, and Im having a hard time believing.

In statements to Peterson before he was sentenced, Van Haften, 36, said that he wrote a lot of things he didnt mean on social media and in other, more private, communications as he prepared to join IS. Among them was expressing praise for the beheading of American journalist James Foley in the comments section of a video of that August 2014 incident.

I said a lot of things, Van Haften said Friday. I didnt mean to take full action on everything that I expressed.

The comments on the Foley video, he said, were made only to gain acceptance to get into that area.

Asked by Peterson whether he still felt committed to the principles of the Islamic State, Van Haften answered, I do not, sir.

Van Haften said that as a Muslim, his only intention in trying to go to Syria was to go and see what will happen, and to be among people who would accept him.

Van Haften traveled to Turkey in August 2014, intending to cross in to Syria. U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil said Van Haften also made plans in October 2014 to meet Leon Davis, who was planning to travel from Georgia to Turkey, so that the two could travel into IS-controlled territory. Davis was arrested at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta as he attempted to leave for Istanbul.

Davis pleaded guilty to the same crime as Van Haften, and in July 2015 was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

After attempting to get into Syria, Van Haften was arrested in Istanbul and spent time in Turkish custody before he was sent back to the U.S. He was arrested at OHare International Airport in April 2015.

Vaudreuil asked for a 15-year sentence, maintaining that Van Haften would remain a danger for years to come. He said Van Haftens case wasnt simply a case of Facebook muscles, in which he only talked tough, but one in which he acted to join a terrorist group.

Dr. Michael Spierer, a psychologist who examined Van Haften, said he was raised in abuse, and as an adult was driven by anger and isolation, in part because of a sexual assault conviction as a young adult, and his subsequent placement on the states sex offender registry for life.

The impact on him has been incalculable, Spierer said, as its made it hard for him to work or form relationships with others.

Van Haftens lawyer, Joseph Bugni, asked for a five-year sentence, arguing that Van Haften wasnt acting rationally when he traveled to Turkey, or in some of the statements he posted on social media. He argued that it wasnt necessary to imprison Van Haften for a long time, because he would not be a threat if properly supervised.

Peterson ordered that Van Haften remain under federal supervision for the rest of his life after he is released from prison. His sentence will likely be shortened by about two years, as credit for the time he has spent in custody since his arrest in 2015.
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Loveland, CO based Hexmag, LLC recently announced their move into pistol mags. They tell us they'll be available in Spring this year. Heres what they had to say about their new Glock compatible pistol magazines.

These robust new lightweight (1.4 ounces) magazines feature a 17-round capacity for the Glock Model 17 and are also compatible with Glock 17C, G26, G34 and G17L models. Hexmag will follow launch of the 17-round magazine with a 10-round version for California residents and a 30-round version for those who need a super-high capacity magazine. Hexmag's Glock compatible magazines are available in either Black or Flat Dark Earth (FDE) matte finish and come with Hexmag's patented gripping surface and a textured front-side training pattern for fast and easy indexing when reloading.

Constructed of Hexmag's high-impact UV stabilized PolyHex2 Advanced Composite, these are tough magazines designed for hard work. Hexmag uses a proprietary Fusiform heat-treated stainless steel spring set at OEM tension for reliable feeding even after long-term storage when kept fully loaded. We listened closely to the market, says Hexmag's marketing director Dave Smith, and saw the need for an alternative polymer Glock compatible magazine that was affordable, lightweight and as tough as our AR-15 and AR-10 magazines  and then refined and upgraded the design by integrating the classic hexagonal pattern for enhanced grip and indexing reference points. It gets better! These new pistol magazines feature Hexmag's industry-first pistol identification system, the HexID Color Identification System perfected on its AR-15/AR-10 magazines. The base plate can be easily removed without tools and the follower and base latch plate color changed to designate which ammunition/bullet is in the magazine for quick identification. MSRP: $16.99 Hexmag pistol and rifle magazines are made in the USA and come with Hexmag's Lifetime Warranty!

You can find Hexmag online right here, Facebook here and Instagram here.
The two-year, $30 million renovation of the Madison Municipal Building will be delayed and could be scaled back after bids from two general contractors came in as much as nearly 50 percent higher than expected for construction.

City officials said Friday that they plan to rebid the project next month after the citys Board of Public Works on Feb. 8 rejected a $29.6 million bid from Miron Construction and a $32 million bid from Tri-North Builders.

The city had budgeted $20 million for the construction phase of the project, while $10 million has been earmarked for design fees, city staff time and environmental remediation projects, including asbestos removal.

Its unclear how long the project will be delayed but in November, nearly 200 city staff and a half dozen offices were moved out of the building into leased space at various Downtown locations. A delay in the renovation will likely mean more lease costs for the city.

Mayor Paul Soglin said late Friday that engineers are researching options that could include scaling back some aspects of the work but the project will need to be rebid.

I had hoped the bidding piece of the project was behind us, Soglin said. Obviously, weve got a lot of work to do to close the gap. It will take staff time to do it.

Soglin said the delay would not impact the adjacent $170 million Judge Doyle Square project, which will include a 250-room hotel, retail and commercial space, housing and more than 1,000 parking spots on blocks that now hold the Madison Municipal Building and Government East parking garage.

The Municipal Building, located across Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from the City-County Building, was constructed in the 1920s and purchased by the city in 1979.

Engineers say that most of the exterior limestone is in good condition, and the structure is sound, but the building has major maintenance problems and wasnt designed for its current use.

They say the boilers, cooler, chilling tower, fire alarm system, main electrical service and upper-floor wiring are beyond life expectancy and there is no sprinkler system.

The Municipal Building is home to key city services including planning, the Community Development Authority, Community and Economic Development divisions, building inspection, real estate, traffic engineering and zoning.

City Council President Mike Verveer, 4th District, said Soglin plans to have a meeting next week to discuss the project and consider options, one of which could be breaking up the renovation into smaller projects to encourage more contractors to bid without taking on so much risk.

I was bracing for bad news knowing that we didnt really have much interest from general contractors, Verveer said. It means the project is delayed and time is money, unfortunately.

Bryan Cooper, an engineer and architect for the citys Department of Engineering, said if the city puts the project out to bid in March, it could have an accepted bid in April but the city wont accept a bid that isnt at, or very close to $20 million.

Thats kind of the limit we can go to, Cooper said.

City officials said there were several reasons for the higher bids, including a shortage of companies that can do the work required, combined with Madisons hot construction market that has kept contractors busy on commercial and residential projects throughout the county and beyond. In addition, the citys desire to restore the building to its original design also added to the cost.

Roofing bids were $500,000 higher than expected, but the biggest increase came from mason restoration and historic window restorations that were $4 million over what the engineering bid had estimated.

There are not a lot of folks who do that kind of work and there is a lot of that work being done around the world, Cooper said. So people see this as an item that they could handle, but at a cost obviously.

One way to reduce costs while still meeting preservation requirements is to repair, rather than replace, most of the windows, Cooper said. A minimal approach would include only replacing broken windows or windows altered by air conditioners, he said.

I think by repairing a lot of those other windows, we arent going against the grain of preservation goals, Cooper said.

Verveer said while its unclear how long the renovation could be delayed, he is hopeful it will be only a few months.
This State Journal editorial ran on Feb. 15, 1917:

The state Senate Committee on Corporations has just buried in the legislative graveyard Sen. Bennetts bill to take legislative employees from under the civil service and to make them perquisites of the legislators.

Surely in the face of the obvious efficiency, service and reduced cost of the civil service method, no intelligent group of men would return to the annoyance, bickering and time-consuming efforts of legislators giving these $3- and $5-a-day jobs to constituents or relatives. No public-spirited group of men would saddle the increased cost of such methods upon the state. ...

It is practically the universal experience in legislative bodies under the patronage system. It always results in increased number of jobs, in the creation of useless jobs and in increased compensation for these jobs.

The Missouri instance, which was quoted at the hearing, is only a spectacular infiltration of the general tendency of legislative spoils:

Each of 26 senators had eight clerks, and in addition, they had 42 janitors and 13 pages. This was almost two janitors for each senator.

Congratulations, senators of the Corporations Committee. We look forward to some good work from you in the public interest.

Your report on the Bennett bill makes us hopeful.
But, neither were the big companies interested in growing inorganically nor were the smaller ones ready to offer themselves for sale.

The insurance sector is growing at a rapid pace, particularly in the non-life segment. A recent focus on crop insurance would add to the momentum for three years at least, senior sector executives said at the Business Standard Insurance Round Table on Friday.

Consolidation is inevitable. But, neither were the big companies interested in growing inorganically nor were the smaller ones ready to offer themselves for sale, the panelists said.

This was because growth was so healthy that consolidation could be a distraction from reaping what was available naturally.

The panel comprised G Srinivasan, chairman and managing director of New India Assurance; Arijit Basu, managing director and chief executive officer of SBI Life Insurance; R M Vishakha, managing director and chief executive officer of IndiaFirst Life Insurance; Bhargav Dasgupta, managing director and chief executive officer of ICICI Lombard General Insurance; and Sanjay Kedia, chief executive of Marsh India Insurance Brokers and also president of the Insurance Brokers Association of India.

The sector is growing at 30 per cent annually. The crop insurance product has been an ace up the industrys sleeve.

The government wants crop insurance cover to improve from 22 per cent of farmers to 50 per cent in two years.

This, said Srinivasan, would reduce incidents like farmer suicides; farmer miseries would be eliminated to a great extent.

As a general insurer, we are immensely benefited as this year the industry is growing at more than 25 per cent and a large part of the growth is led by crop insurance. If this is going to move up to 40-50 per cent, I see the industrys growth at 30 per cent-plus in the next three years.

The premium collected has crossed Rs 1 lakh crore and the thrust on crop insurance would mean the premium collected could touch Rs 1.80 lakh crore in the next few years.

Crop insurance was part of our miscellaneous segment. Today, crop insurance is the largest, after motor and health, said ICICI Lombards Dasgupta.

Life insurance, too, has seen a boost, growing 12 per cent in 2015-16. This financial year has been particularly good, said Basu, head of the largest private life insurer in the country, SBI Life. Demonetisation had had no impact on SBI Life, he said.

December is usually a good month for life insurance companies. The prospects looked brighter in the medium term as a lot of savings has come into banks and customers are looking for opportunities.

The outlook is good mainly because we are able to to newer segments, Basu said.

Vishakha of IndiaFirst said demonetisation seemed to have had a positive effect across sectors.

We dont have statistics to prove it, but I think demonetisation is doing a lot of good. I believe moving all savings into a formal channel (is) leading to an increase in demand. Otherwise, you dont see this sudden surge of demand in all industries. We have not seen any other external factors, so you really dont have any other option but to bring it down to demonetisation. It could be a base effect, because there was de-growth last year, but its also moving from informal to formal channels.

Kedia of Marsh India was cautious.

Overall numbers have been good, but are we growing in all the segments? Some of the segments could have been better, he said, pointing to the stagnant growth rate in home insurance and corporate premium. But the overall growth should be celebrated. The executives also defended the notion that the sector had not moved effectively to a digital platform.

The nature of insurance is such that customers would want advice from someone before buying a product. Digital is not a given even in mature markets as a lot of verification has to be done before selling an insurance product, they said.

Vishakha suggested using social media websites to collect information about a customer. But those practices were yet to be accepted fully, she said.

We cant expect insurance policies to be bought like train tickets, Srinivasan countered. Experience all over the world is that the customer would like to do lot of research online but when they want to actually buy, they would like to touch and feel the insurance product.

Kedia objected to the regulation that for reinsurance, product preference should be given to General Insurance Company-RE and then to a few multinationals.

That obviously is highly monopolistic and restrictive as an approach. The industry is hoping that the regulation is not implemented, he said.

However, the rest of the panelists suggested that the regulator wont do anything that would harm the consumers.

We have realised that the intention of the regulation is do not ignore the Indian market. None of us has problems with that, said Srinivasan, adding 93 per cent of the premium stayed within the country and the regulator probably wanted to protect that.

The industry is getting crowded, said panelists. As many as 15 companies have less than two per cent market share. Consolidation is inevitable.

There could be some large national players and then niche specialists and even geography specialists. But you will see some consolidation, said Bhargav.

Basu of SBI Life ruled out any consolidation for two years.

Srinivasan said the insurance regulator should temporarily freeze entry to the space, as it was getting crowded.

Illustratation: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com.
Units employing up to 49 workers are not required to list themselves with the government.

States are again jumping ahead of the Centre to bring about crucial labour reforms.

In a move that industry thinks will make doing business easier, the Maharashtra government has allowed factories employing fewer than 50 contract workers to function without registering themselves with the authorities concerned. The threshold was 20 earlier.

The law department, according to a notification, has changed the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act to make it applicable to establishments in which 50 or more workers are employed. This means units employing up to 49 workers will not be required to list themselves with the government.

The change has been done to bring down regulatory complications. So that big investments can come to the state and create employment opportunities, we will ensure strict compliance with the law, said Shweta Singhal, deputy secretary, labour.

As the Centre is dithering on changing labour laws, an initial promise of the Narendra Modi government, before stiff resistance from trade unions, Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have been persisting with it.

A labour ministry official said the Centre was unlikely to take a major step on labour reforms because initiating such measures at state level was much easier.

States need to understand that such changes will be favourable to them for creating jobs. Cooperative federalism is always positive, the official said.

According to reports, the Centre has made changes to the draft of the Factories Act, 1948, to allow states to take the call on the threshold on the number of workers to be covered under the law.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview to a foreign publication, said that big-ticket reforms would be driven by states.

Rajasthan took the lead by relaxing the provisions of the Factories Act, Industrial Disputes Act, Apprentices Act and Contract Labour Act.

Similarly, Madhya Pradesh has amended at least 20 labour laws, including the Industrial Disputes Act, Factories Act, and Shops and Establishments Act.

Gujarat, another BJP-ruled state, has amended the Labour Law (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2015, which prohibits strikes in public utility services.

Trade unions say they see no positive impact of labour law reforms on the job market.

Have we seen the job situation improving in those states? No. Have we seen vigilance going down? Yes. These are attempts to snatch away the fundamental rights of workers. We took to the streets in Rajasthan, and we will oppose this too, Brijesh Upadhyay, general secretary of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, the trade union wing of the BJP, told Business Standard.

Experts say while the central government is stuck on labour law reform, it is nudging state governments, which are in competition to attract investment.

If the Union government is unable to introduce comprehensive investor-friendly labour laws at national level due to political resistance, it will remain incumbent on states to decide if they want to take the political risks to enact difficult reforms such as deregulating labour laws, said Owen Jolie, researcher with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

Image used for representational purposes only.
In a first, Opposition-ruled states on Saturday got the Centre to delete from the records three minutes of the last GST Council meeting that provided for tweaking of agreed criteria for division of taxpayers under the Goods and Service Tax regime.

The all-powerful GST Council, headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising representatives of all states, had in its last meeting on January 16 agreed that 90 per cent of tax assessees below Rs 1.5 crore annual turnover will be assessed by states and the remaining 10 per cent by the Centre.

For taxpayers with over Rs 1.5 crore turnover, the split was 50:50 between the Centre and states.

But the minutes of that meeting, which came up for approval at the 10th GST Council meet in Udaipur on Saturday, gave states the leeway to split the assessees in a different ratio in consultation with the Centre.

This was strongly opposed by Opposition-ruled states like Delhi, West Bengal, Kerala and Karnataka which felt the reported 'minutes of the meeting' do not reflect the decision taken at the GST Council.

This, along with two other minutes, was dropped in the meeting, a minister of an Opposition-ruled state told reporters.

"The 90:10 division (of assessees with turnover below Rs 1.5 crore) and 50:50 (for assessees with over Rs 1.5 crore turnover) was decided but it was not decided that any one state can sit with the Centre and decide to rework (the division) on its own," he said, adding that it was not discussed in the last meeting.

The minister further said that BJP-ruled states had at the last meeting stated that they don't want control over small businesses and the states today said that it shouldn't be made part of the council minutes.

The Centre was originally not in favour of a horizontal split of control of assessees under the dual control or cross empowerment but had to give in to states' demand in the last meeting.

The minister said now the Centre, by tweaking the minutes, was trying to keep the issue open ended "so that later they can exert pressure through taxmen and CBI and ask other states to also give up their powers".

"This is a political gimmick to increase the Centre's powers by turning 90:10 into 50:50. What is the role of the GST council then if the states individually come and decide," he added.

Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal, Aam Aadmi Party-governed Delhi, Congress-ruled Karnataka and Left-ruled Kerala were most vocal in their opposition.

"They (these parties) vehemently opposed it," he said claiming that central tax officers were pulled up and told that if they cannot make the minutes of meeting properly they should take the help of state officials.

The minister also said the minutes stated that new registrations of assessees would be divided 50-50 between the Centre and states.

"It wasn't discussed in the last meeting," he added.

Another issue which was contested was on import-export, he said, adding that the Centre had taken the powers to decide in any dispute.

"If goods and services are imported, it is the customs that decides, but in case of exports, states decide. So they wanted to take that power and give them to the Centre," he added.

"We have got the three minutes deleted. It is for the first time ever that this has happened," the minister said.

"The worst part is that since the beginning of the GST council, instead of discussing how to reduce the burden of the taxpayers, we have been talking about how to accommodate tax officials.

The minister further said the states pulled up central tax officials for being biased towards the Centre while drafting the minutes.

"The central officials were told if they cannot draft the minutes of the council meeting properly, they should take help of state officials," he said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addressing a press conference at Parliament House after the Goods and Services Tax bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha in New Delhi in August 2016. Photograph: Shirish Shete/PTI Photo.
'The scope of cordon and search operations has changed drastically.'

'Operations are now more focused, intelligence driven and involve very small cordons with minimum inconvenience to the people.'

'This has been the humanisation of conflict.'

It has come to be institutionalised in the army's concept.'

'General Rawat has been schooled in this thinking and when he makes a statement it is with full consciousness of the institutionalised concept,' says Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd), the former GOC 15 Corps in Srinagar and the officer acclaimed as the 'People's General'.

IMAGE: Soldiers conduct search operations, February 12, 2017, after four terrorists, two army personnel and a civilian were killed in a fierce gunfight in a village in south Kashmir. Photographs: Umar Ganie

The Army Chief's remarks at a recent wreath laying ceremony are too well known to reiterate. Yet a brief backdrop to the same will help.

In three terror-related incidents in the Kashmir Valley, senseless interference by flash mobs at encounter sites resulted in the diversion of focus from the ongoing operations, leading to the loss of six lives of soldiers against eight terrorists killed.

In an environment surcharged by separatist propaganda this phenomenon has been happening since 2015; a new found tactic to protect terrorists and enable their getaway, an adaption of the street protests to the advantage of the terrorists.

In 2015 I did predict that it would finally come to a head, someday. In the interim the army, CRPF and JK police had found temporary answers through some well-crafted SOPs but this could not last.

The Army Chief, a veteran of many encounters in Sopore and Baramula, in empathy with the challenges his officers and men face, and made no bones about the fact that the army would no longer accept such interference by mobs and would take tough measures against those who indulged in acts which were not in support of the security forces.

Neither was this an intemperate remark nor a sanction for freedom to his troops to be indiscreet. It wasn't even a warning, just a message that the army may not stand still next time it is targeted.

For those less initiated on these issues the Army Chief's remarks cannot be taken at face value, but given the sharp political divide perceptions will be taken as per convenience.

From the utterances on one side of the divide it appears as if the Army Chief just gave a license to his officers and men to go berserk, be inhuman and generally act the rogue most armies do in such circumstances.

Perhaps to understand the Army Chief better it is best to explain the Indian Army's concept of operations and the separatist methodology, to get a measure of what the status of the current environment in Kashmir really is.

The Indian Army has progressively softened its operations as the strength of the terrorists dwindled.

IMAGE: Soldiers conduct combing operations in Kashmir after the Uri attack, September 2016

The concept still revolves around strong counter infiltration at the LoC belt, search and destroy in rural and jungle terrain, precision intelligence based counter-terrorist operations in semi urban and urban areas, secure lines of communication and most importantly, conduct of people friendly operations.

The last is the most important. As the situation improved over the years the scope for people friendly operations increased as did the leeway for restoring dignity to the people.

The scope of cordon and search operations has changed drastically. Operations are now more focused, intelligence driven and involve very small cordons with minimum inconvenience to the people.

The change has even gone to the extent that collateral damage in the conduct of such operations is minimised even at some risk.

Attempts are made to flush the terrorists out and not raze houses to the ground with help of rocket launchers and explosives as was done in the past.

This has been the humanisation of conflict. It has come to be institutionalised in the army's concept.

General Rawat has been schooled in this thinking and when he makes a statement it is with full consciousness of the institutionalised concept.

Since 2015 the Indian Army's Victor Force in South Kashmir in particular had observed the change of tactics by the terrorists which were obviously under the guidance and supervision of sponsors from across the LoC.

Temporary solutions to this were found through joint coordination between the army, CRPF and JK police. Only minor casualties were suffered due to the efficacy of the SOPs established.

However, in the three recent encounters, which have all been in North Kashmir, there appeared a pattern of very intense disturbances by flash mobs resulting in fatalities suffered by the army.

It is the army which does the close in and flushing out operations, hence its casualties.

From 2008 the army has witnessed mobs; some of its vehicles have even been burnt.

In 2010 when S A S Geelani threatened to gherao army camps it was the threat issued by the GOC 15 Corps which stood him down and the mob violence ended that year.

In 2016 the army itself did not suffer much damage although its operations were severely affected due to the impact on the police. In stray incidents army vehicles were targeted and it killed at least three civilians in one incident near Qazigund.

IMAGE: Troops take positions to neutralise terrorists at Langate, Kashmir, October 2016.

In September 2016 when the decision to induct two brigades into South Kashmir was taken I wrote a piece of advice. It was on the lines that the one thing the army could not afford was the loss of its moral high ground; it was always correct in its approach to the conflict.

The soldiers did not disappoint me as I had reports of stone throwing in Shupiyan town while the army was conducting a medical and vet camp for the local people three km away at their camp at Balapur.

This is the moral high ground I referred to. However, this can all be upset by intemperate behaviour of the locals instigated by leaders who have no qualms about the effects on the lives of ordinary Kashmiris.

None of what the Army Chief has said will adversely affect any of this moral high ground. The army will continue doing all this and even more just as right through the current most adverse winter in 25 years, it has kept its tempo of engagement activities with youth and others at a high pitch.

What it will definitely do is that along with the CRPF and JK police it will get to be much more pro-active in offsetting disturbances by detention of rogue leaders who instigate mobs.

The army will still rescue women in the family way from remote villages, help victims of accidents or natural calamities; none of it will change because the concept of operations remains the same, the Army Chief hasnt said he is changing any of that.

So what is the hullabaloo about?

It is all about the convenience of interpretation. The only mistake General Bipin Rawat made was that he did not organise a lecture on the concept of army operations, for political leaders and the media in Kashmir, to educate them. There is no doctrinal change either.

The army chief's words have given a little more freedom to the field commanders to make their operations a little more 'mob proof.'

How will that be done?

Perfectly situational, as the commanders on the ground will assess, ideate upon and come to their deductions; just as they did earlier in South Kashmir.

So the perfect storm raised is only due to political reasons and for the purpose of a little rabble rousing by the separatist ideologues and their supporters.

The 'experts' who love to advise the Indian Army and deeply suspect its military intellect are most upset because apparently the Army Chief's words have conveyed as if the entire Kashmiri awam is its freshest target.

The traditional army baiters and bashers were at it on the television channels and all those who have a practical orientation to operations and outreach in the valley were the targets.

One could almost hear the Pakistanis snigger at the plight of the Indian Army. Democratic India perceives that the best demonstration of democracy is to demonise its army.

People who have never seriously looked at the domain of information as a weapon are suddenly telling the army that its chief must be temperate while its field commanders can say and do anything.

Honesty and straightforwardness has a price. Those who say that the army's casualties haven't been even a small percentage of those suffered in the 1990s must surely be living in cocoons.

In a world driven by social media and the information revolution thank God the army at least is mindful of its casualties, others could be damned.

Having said all the above, the bottom line has to be the fact that the army needs to recover from the successful onslaught of negative propaganda unleashed by unthinking quarters.

It needs to redouble its outreach the way only it has an understanding to do so.

Its knowledge of the sensitivity of the Kashmiri people is beyond doubt and only it can lead the programme to educate the youth that what they do is against their own interest.

Instead of stones there must be books in their hands.

Instead of the skill in aiming stones they must have the skill to work technical equipment and repair it when needed.

Instead of organising endless protests they must have the ability to experiment with their entrepreneurship.

In short, they must be the masters of their destiny to a better life shorn of hatred.

The Indian Army will stand by them in their ventures; they and everyone in the valley know that well enough.

Only it is a little difficult to acknowledge which side their interests lie.

Lieutenant Syed Ata Hasnain (retd), former General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, is now associated with the Vivekanand International Foundation and Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.

MUST READ General Hasnain's earlier columns in the RELATED LINKS below.
'General Rawat's unambiguous stand has acted as a much needed confidence booster to the troops -- young officers and soldiers at the cutting edge -- who were often left wondering if they were doing the right and necessary thing in combating the terrorists, many times paying with their own lives,' says Nitin A Gokhale.

There was one section -- and I don't want to call them intellectuals -- which pays lip service to the fauj, but in reality stands against everything that the army seeks to protect and defend.

This group has variously dubbed the army chief's remark as an 'intemperate statement,' 'belligerent stand,' and 'declaration of war against Kashmiri youth.'

This group of people have sought to create an impression that the army chief has ordered his troops to kill and maim indiscriminately.

This is nothing but deliberate distortion of an emphatic assertion by a professional entrusted with the security of the country. But more of that a little later.

General Rawat's unambiguous stand has acted as a much needed confidence booster to the troops -- young officers and soldiers at the cutting edge -- who were often left wondering if they were doing the right and necessary thing in combating the terrorists, many times paying with their own lives.

In the wake of elimination of Burhan Wani, a local youth-turned terrorist leader last year and the subsequent turmoil in the Kashmir valley, abetted in no small measure by the Pakistani Deep State through selfish and self-centred separatist leaders, politics had dominated the discourse on J&K.

It was conveniently forgotten that irrespective of his origin (as a Kashmiri youth), Burhan Wani was after all a terrorist whose days were numbered once he took up arms against the Indian State.

His killing in an encounter with the security forces should have been treated as just that -- neutralisation of a terrorist.

Instead, a narrative was sought to be built, blaming the security forces for doing their job and doing it professionally.

The months of unrest that followed Burhan Wani's death often hampered the movement of the security forces, disrupted their logistics chain and disturbed a well laid out security grid.

The successful surgical strikes by the Indian Army's special forces against terrorist launch pads located in Pakistan occupied Kashmir was preceded and followed by two setbacks for the Indian Army at Uri and Nagrota respectively.

The army can take the setbacks in its stride and learn lessons from them, but what demoralises the soldiers are the barely concealed barbs by ill-informed critics who do not have the faintest idea about the difficulties and constraints under which the troops have been operating in the unending war in J&K for over a quarter century now.

No army in the world has maintained the relentless tempo of operations as the Indian Army has done since 1990.

It is to the credit of the Indian Army's leadership over the years that the troops have retained the highest degree of motivation despite mounting odds.

However, the unwarranted criticism about strategy and tactics and the contempt that some of our prominent opinion makers hold against the army had begun to affect the soldiers on the ground.

A slight hesitation had started to creep in in their approach to counter-insurgency and counter-terrorists operations.

Fortunately, the army chief's statement would have removed any lingering doubts the soldiers may have had about the necessity of their job and their role.

At another level, the army chief's warning to those hindering operations and the support extended to him by the political leadership over his stand should send the right message to those fishing in Kashmir's troubled waters.

The separatists cannot use unsuspecting young men and women as cannon fodder for their own agenda and get away with it.

The Kashmiri awam must question the separatists: How long are you going to fire from the shoulders of ordinary Kashmiris?

There have been suggestions that the Centre must reach out to the youth of Kashmir.

Perhaps the time has come to do just that and ignore the usual suspects, but before that the youth must begin to understand the difference between mindless protests and legitimate demands.

Politics apart, Kashmiri parents must also begin to ask the question to themselves: Why allow the young to be used as a smoke screen for political objectives?

Perhaps the stern warning that those who hamper legitimate army operations will not be spared should spur families in Kashmir to ask that question sooner than later.

So for all those who outrage against the army chief's statement: hold your thoughts. He is not seeking any impunity for his troops.

All that he is asking for is the right of the Indian Army to exercise its legitimate powers given under the very Constitution by which you claim to swear.

Nitin A Gokhale is the Editor-in-Chief, BharatShakti.in and a long-standing Rediff.com columnist.

MUST READ columns in the RELATED LINKS below.

IMAGE: Indian Army soldiers during an encounter in Bandipore, Jammu and Kashmir, February 4, 2016. Photograph: Umar Ganie
'Having a voice at the table means the other side has to show up to listen. It became clear that wouldn't happen,' says actor Maulik Pancholy, one of the 10 members who resigned this week from the US president's advisory commission on Asian Americans.

'As the son of immigrants, as a person of colour, and as a married gay man,' he tells Rediff.com's Monali Sarkar, 'I feel like so many of the hard won rights that so many people have fought for -- for decades -- are at the risk of being dismantled.'

IMAGE: Actor Maulik Pancholy was sworn into the US president's advisory commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in 2014. Photograph: Kind courtesy Maulik Pancholy/Twitter.com

In the wake of United States President Donald Trump's policies, the president's advisory commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), which works to improve the quality of life and opportunities for AAPIs by facilitating increased access and participation in federal programmes where they remain under served, received a significant blow on February 15.

Ten members of the commission, including the chair and co-chair, submitted their resignations to Trump, saying, 'Although the commissioners' term ends 9/30/17, we can no longer serve a President whose policies aim to create outcomes that are diametrically opposite to our principles, goals, and charge.'

Six other commissioners -- including Indian-American Democratic political activist Shekar Narasimhan -- had resigned in January. This leaves the commission with only four members for now.

The Letter

In the letter to Trump, the commissioners noted that they had earlier written to Trump 'stating the goals and principles that defined our work as Commissioners', but had received no response.

They said that under Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama, the commissioners had been responsible for helping the federal government better serve AAPIs.

They said that the principles fundamental to their work were protecting the civil rights of all those living in 'our country, including the most vulnerable; respecting the unique attributes of all individuals and communities; promoting family values by keeping families together and reuniting those separated by immigration; and ensuring linguistic, cultural, and financial access to health care as well as economic and educational opportunities for all.'

'Since your Inauguration,' the commissioners told Trump, 'the Executive Orders you have issued and policies you promulgated have greatly impeded the ability of the federal government to serve all who live here.'

They listed the 'deleterious consequences' of Trump's actions 'for AAPIs and for all Americans' -- the proposals to cut federal resources to sanctuary cities, bans on refugees and those coming from the seven predominantly Muslim countries, the idea of building a wall between Mexico and the US, and repealing the Affordable Care Act, which has benefitted 20 million previously uninsured AAPIs.

They also objected to Trump's 'portrayal of immigrants, refugees, people of colour and people of various faiths as untrustworthy, threatening, and a drain on our nation.'

'Among the Commissioners,' they said, 'there are immigrants, refugees, and descendants of those who have experienced systematic discrimination. We, and the communities that we represent, have worked diligently to make America great and have fought to keep it free. We have and will always strive to ensure that America, our America, will never go back to the days of exclusion, segregation, and internment -- all policies which have severely impacted AAPIs.'

Among those who resigned this week were Indian-American actor Maulik Pancholy, who starred in 30 Rock and Weeds, and will soon be seen on Star Trek: Discovery.

'Protecting civil rights and fighting against bullying were pillars of our commission's work. We cannot serve under an administration that seeks to exclude members of our society or take away their rights, especially the Muslim community, which is very much part of our AAPI community,' he said in a statement.

Pancholy, who was appointed to the commission in 2014, had stayed on the commission after the first round of resignations in recognition of the importance of having a seat at the table to bring up issues 'important to our community.'

In an email interview with Rediff.com, he explains why he no longer wants to sit at that table, why the AAPI advisory commission was so important for immigrants, and why, as things stand, he will be able to do more from the outside.

IMAGE: Donald Trump -- flanked by Vice-President Mike Pence, left, and Defence Secretary James Mattis, right -- signs the executive order on immigration, January 27, 2017. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters.

It has been a tough few months since November 8. As a son of immigrants, as a person of colour, as a man who was able to marry the man he loved thanks, in part, to the policies of the earlier administration, what have you felt, what have you gone through in these past few months?

Personally, it's been quite an emotional time.

I remember feeling cautiously optimistic after Trump's very first meeting with Obama, where he seemed tempered.

But since then, most everything I feared has come to the foreground in terms of his cabinet picks, his push to repeal the ACA, the Muslim ban, his negative characterisations of immigrants, the anti-abortion executive order, and the deeply worrying things that are coming out in terms of LGBT rights, including the potential for a 'religious freedom' executive order. And I could go on.

As the son of immigrants, as a person of colour, and as a married gay man, I feel like so many of the hard won rights that so many people have fought for -- for decades -- are at the risk of being dismantled.

What drew you to the President's Advisory Commission on AAPIs?

What was it about the commission that made it so important to you, that makes it so important for immigrants?

The Commission was an incredible opportunity to be of service and to give back to our communities.

It was the chance to take people's concerns to the federal government, relay ways the government was already meeting needs and make sure our communities had access to those programmes, and to fill in the gaps where the government could be doing better.

Our role as commissioners was, in a way, to bring the federal government to the people, and bring the voice of the people back to the federal government.

Commissioners came from all over the country, from all different career backgrounds, and represented the large Diaspora of AAPIs.

I believe in a government that is, as President Lincoln famously said 'of the people, by the people, and for the people.'

This was an opportunity to put that into practice, and I was grateful for it.

As an example of how this worked, I focused a great deal on anti-bullying and youth during my time on the commission.

We heard from several groups on the ground (The Sikh Coalition and The Asian American Legal Defence and Education Fund as just two examples) about the high rates of bullying among AAPI kids.

So, we conducted 29 listening sessions around the country to hear from young people, parents and teachers first hand what was really going on.

We formed an AAPI Bullying Prevention Task Force, out of which multiple departments at the White House came up with recommendations and commitments for what the government could be doing better.

We created a public awareness campaign called #ActToChange which brought existing resources such as stopbullying.gov to our communities, as well as making those resources more accessible to our communities by translating materials into multiple languages, spreading awareness on social media, engagement with AAPI celebrities, etc.

We also tried to address the areas in which AAPI kids were being bullied around religion, language proficiency, immigration status, physical appearance, LGBT issues, etc that needed to be dealt with in a way that was unique to our communities and wasn't already being met with existing materials.

Can you tell us about your experiences on the commission till January 20 and what came after -- not just in terms of Trump's policies, but also in terms of dealing with his administration?

Prior to January 20th, I feel like we had the means to make progress in areas such as civil rights, immigration, health care, language access, and cultural awareness.

Post January 20th, from my perspective, I haven't been able to effectively work from the inside.

We requested meetings with folks from the administration and have not received any response.

Further, the policies and rhetoric coming out of the White House are diametrically opposite to the views of the commission in a way that approaching our communities as a representative of the White House no longer aligns with my goals. And honestly, does not seem to align with the needs of my communities.

After six other commissioners resigned on January 20, you said that you stayed on 'to have a seat at the table to be able to bring up the issues that are important to our community.'

I am sure you knew it would not be easy. Even knowing that, were there things you encountered that left you shocked/shaken?

For me what has been shocking has been the lack of regard for vulnerable communities, the lack of respect for the equality of all individuals, the spike in hate crimes that we have seen, the fear and anxiety we are seeing around the country, and frankly all the lies that continue to come out of the White House.

The handling of the press has been horrifying.

The commission is an extremely tight group, and I know we will continue to be so.

Our differing perspectives is also our greatest strength.

Six of us felt, prior to the inauguration, that they wanted to resign their posts.

Now, 10 more of us feel like we can work more effectively to help our communities by being outside of the White House.

And four have stayed on to continue to try to work with the administration.

I have equal respect and admiration for every single one.

In the end, we all stay committed to fighting for the needs of our communities.

The decision to resign was obviously a result of various factors, but was there one thing/one incident that turned the tide for so many of you together?

For me, it's been an ongoing series of one thing after another that continued to go against my values, and the realisation that having a voice at the table means the other side has to show up to listen.

It became clear that wouldn't happen.

In my work on anti-bullying, I came to a point where I realised that I can no longer go to my community and ask how the federal government can help when the policies and rhetoric coming out of the White House have in fact made people distrust the government and created a culture of hate.

So, now I feel my work is best done fighting against those policies.

IMAGE: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers conduct a targeted enforcement operation in Atlanta, Georgia, February 9, 2017.

'If federal resources are cut to sanctuary cities... can you imagine the kind of hate and tension that could breed,' asks Maulik Pancholy.

'How does one know who was born here, who became a citizen later, who isn't a citizen now?'

Photograph: Bryan Cox/ICE

You were still on the commission when the immigration ban came into effect. What did you see around you? What were you feeling?

I live in Brooklyn close to the courthouse where Judge Donnelly initially blocked the ban.

So, what I saw was the incredible gathering of people of all colours, faiths, ages, genders and sexual orientations, coming together to stand up for what is right.

People rallying outside the courthouse for the beliefs this country was founded on.

I was proud to be a Brooklynite and a New Yorker that night.

In the following days, I witnessed and was a part of several other rallies, and I can tell you, it strongly influenced my decision to now work outside the government.

There is real power in the groups on the ground and a real need to stand up for the right things.

Among other things, the commissioners' letter to President Trump states that 'proposals to cut federal resources to sanctuary cities will fuel tensions between native-born Americans and immigrants -- regardless of their status.'

Can you please explain how it could even hurt documented immigrants?

I think part of it is perception.

I know post 9/11, many of my brown friends who were born in this country and are as patriotic as can be were targeted for the colour of their skin, or a perception that they were somehow just like the terrorists.

How does one know who was born here, who became a citizen later, who isn't a citizen now?

If federal resources are cut to sanctuary cities, and cities suffer as a result, can you imagine the kind of hate and tension that could breed?

And who might be targeted for the perception that they are the reason that funding has been cut?

A lot of your work at the commission focussed on anti-bullying initiatives. Do you see the actions of the present administration undoing that work?

Do you fear for children of colour, children of immigrants in schools?

Well, this is part of the reason I am no longer a commissioner.

I think I can better continue that work through groups on the ground and through state and local governments.

We have moved the #ActToChange campaign out from the umbrella of the White House so we can continue that resource as a grassroots effort supported by more than 60 diverse organisations.

We recently worked with the NYC department of schools to promote #ActToChange and make sure AAPI kids had the resources they needed during the NYC Schools Respect For All Week.

That's just one model of ways we're looking at to continue helping young AAPI kids dealing with bullying.

Where do you go from here in terms of organising outside the White House?

All of the commissioners are continuing to engage in discussions about how we can stay connected and how we can be effective, and we are all committed to continuing to work for our communities.

Due to the rise of the far right, not just in America, but across the world much has been said about the liberals finding a way to talk to the conservatives, find a middle ground.

What is your take on that? Do you think it is possible, and if so how?

I do think it's possible. I think it's necessary.

I think, for everyone out there reading this, it can happen on a very personal level -- human beings connecting to each other and working to really understand each other. We need that now more than ever.

But I've also realised that there's a danger with this administration of waiting for a seat at the table.

There's a danger in normalising behaviours we've seen in this President -- the lies, the media bashing, the policies against immigrants, and let's not forget about the words he spoke that his own cabinet picks said constituted sexual assault.

I no longer want to wait to sit at that table.
Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar checks out the mood at the AIADMK headquarters in Chennai.

IMAGE: Former Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam addresses a press conference at his Chennai home. Photograph: R Senthil Kumar/PTI Photo

Hours before the trust vote in the Tamil Nadu assembly, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam headquarters in Royapettai, Chennai, is deserted. A Mercedes Benz is parked in the compound, announcing one leader's presence.

To the left of the main building is a stage where party cadres normally assemble to chat. Being lunch time the office is empty, they said, but it was full of party workers in the morning. But no ministers and MLAs had come by.

The ministers are holed up with Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami at his home and the MLAs are in Koovathur.

"OPS is a a backstabber, you just see after the trust vote, they will all die of a heart attack inside the assembly itself," spat out one angry cadre sporting a photograph of J Jayalalithaa and V K Sasikala in his shirt pocket.

"It's all the work of two tea sellers who have planned to destroy our party and they are working hard at it," he added.

"Who is the other tea seller?" a lady wanted to know, puzzled.

"Don't you read the papers?" the first one asked. "Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Didn't you see them hugging and crying at Amma's funeral? This is all his doing, he has encouraged OPS to revolt and split the party."

"The BJP thinks it will win if the elections are held again," he guffawed as if at the absurdity of what he had just voiced.

"We have to be careful as the only person who will benefit if elections are held again is crooked mouth and nobody else," the first man continued.

The lady looked puzzled again. "But who is crooked mouth?" she wanted to know.

The man sighed deeply. "This is why we have problems in our party, as no one reads, looks, watches, observes. If the AIADMK loses, then who wins?" he asked the young lady.

"The DMK," she replied.

"Yes, so who is the leader of the DMK now?" he asked again.

The lady started giggling at this. "Yes! You are right, I know what you mean now."

"We will win easily on Saturday, there is no doubt. How many fellows does that traitor have?" the first man asked his neighbour. "Eleven, counting the Mylapore MLA who crossed over this morning. Seems like his people told him to support OPS."

"Since when have MLAs started listening to people! They earlier listened to Amma, and now must listen to Chinnamma," he said.

Another party man, a little older than the others, piped in. "But let us not forget that Amma chose OPS not once, but twice to be her dummy chief minister. She did not choose Chinnamma or EPS."

"So what! Did Amma choose him to split the party? Even Chinnamma first chose him. Only when she realised that he was a traitor did she made him resign," the first man said.

As all this was going on a man wearing a striped lungi approached the group to say he was hungry. Someone gave him a 50 rupee note and said, "The canteen lunch costs Rs 40, so please return the 10 rupees to me, that's my bus fare to go home."

The man returned the balance before heading to the canteen, returning in a while looking visibly happy.

So the party did look after its own everywhere, not just in Koovathur where Sasikala has gathered the AIADMK MLAs loyal to her.

"We will win or it will be President's rule," declared the first party cadre.

"Yes, they have the numbers to defeat us, but not form a government on their own," said another.

"OPS will not be chief minister, and that was Chinnamma's sabatham (vow)."
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Working President M K Stalin was on Saturday detained after he sat on a protest at Marina beach in Chennai against the alleged attack on him and his party MLAs during the trust vote in the state assembly.

Terming Saturday as a "black day" for democracy, the senior DMK leader urged all those who wanted to "remove" the "anti- democratic" All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government to join him.

After alleging that he was manhandled in the assembly by the marshals on the day of the vote of confidence, which the Palaniswami government won with a comfortable margin of 122-11, Stalin sat on a protest at the Marina along with his MLAs.

However, police detained the protesting MLAs including Stalin.

"It is a black day for democracy. This anti-people(AIADMK) government must be removed. Insisting that a peaceful protest is underway at the Marina. Those who want to remove this anti-democratic government should converge at the Marina," he said in a statement.

Incidentally, the Marina had witnessed a week-long pro-Jallikattu protests in January where scores of people, mainly youngsters had converged at the sands of the famous beach and agitated before it turned violent.

Meanwhile, several DMK workers blocked vehicular traffic and indulged in stone-pelting in different places in the state to protest the alleged attack on Stalin, police said.

In Tirupur, stones were hurled at the Avinashi office of state Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, police said.

DMK supporters staged protests in more than 10 places in and around Coimbatore.

Reports from Cuddalore said, government buses were damaged in stone-throwing incidents at Chidambaram, Virudachalam and Veppur in the district, in which two persons sustained minor injuries.

In Puducherry, the DMK cadres staged a road roko at near the bus terminus and raised slogans condemning the attack on Stalin.

Thanjavur reports said, around 300 persons including former Union Minister TR Balu were arrested for burning the effigy of Dhanapal.

Similarly, picketing was reported from several places in Erode district, including Bhavani, Gobichettipalayam and Sathyamangalam.

In the letter to the Governor, the DMK complained about their eviction from the assembly and sought postponement of the session to enable a secret voting.

"The agenda of Speaker (P Dhanapal) is to go ahead with voting and announce that the Chief Minister has succeeded in getting the confidence of the House, in the absence of the DMK members. This is totally foul play and unconstitutional," it said.

"Therefore, we request the Governor to restore democratic values and order postponement of the Assembly session for conducting secret voting on the Confidence Motion," it said.

However, the assembly was adjourned sine die after the confidence vote.

Stalin noted that the party insisted on secret voting in the Assembly in view of the "fact that a number of AIADMK legislators were held as hostage in a resort."

He alleged "they were brought for voting under tight security and threat and that they will not be able to exercise their voting according to conscience and free will."

He said that the DMK also 'pleaded' with the Speaker to postpone voting to a future date but that he had not obliged.

"The Speaker did not listen to us and tried to carry on with open voting. He adjourned the House twice. Therefore, we resorted to dharna in a very peaceful manner, but the Speaker ordered expulsion of all the DMK members en bloc," he said.

"The police entered into the Assembly Hall and removed us by using force, presumably under the instructions of the Speaker. Many of our members have sustained injury," he claimed.
A look back on all of our reporting of the Delphi murders since 2017
A woman suspected of taking part in the assassination of the half-brother of Kim Jong-Un changed her appearance and her hotel several times before she was arrested, hotel staff said Friday.



Meanwhile, Indonesian officials said a second woman in Malaysian custody, Indonesian national Siti Aisyah, was duped into helping carry out the hit by being told she was participating in a reality TV prank filmed with hidden cameras, according to reports.



Details of the two main suspects emerged Friday as Malaysian police pursued their investigation into the sudden death on Monday of Kim Jong-Nam, the half-sibling of Pyongyang regime leader Kim Jong Un.



Kim died en route to hospital after reportedly telling medical personnel that a woman had attacked him with a chemical spray at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) as he was waiting to board a flight to Macau that day.



Malaysian officials have yet to release an autopsy report stating the cause of death. South Korea has pointed the finger at North Korea, citing a "standing order" from Kim Jong Un to kill his sibling and a failed assassination bid in 2012 after he criticized the regime.



In a tirade outside the Malaysian morgue where the body is being held, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol lambasted officials on Friday for refusing to release it and said Pyongyang would not accept the result of a post-mortem conducted by Malaysian authorities.



Armed with a teddy bear



Malaysian police said both women had been positively identified from CCTV footage taken at the airport around the time of Kims death. A Malaysian man described as Sitis boyfriend was also arrested, and police were searching for at least four other male suspects.



Vietnam has not commented on reports that the first suspect arrested in the case was carrying a passport identifying her as 28-year-old Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam.



She had checked into three hotels in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Sepang  not far from the airport  between Feb. 11 and Feb. 15, when she was arrested, employees at the hotels said.



She changed her appearance and was seen wearing a surgical mask, according to interviews with hotel receptionists. At one of the hotels, the woman borrowed a pair of scissors from staff that she used to cut her shoulder-length hair down to a bob.



Staffers said she checked in carrying bags and a stuffed animal half her size.



She came in with a very big teddy bear, and two bags, said an employee of one of the hotels.



She stayed at the first hotel from Feb. 11 to 12, at the next one from Feb. 12 to 13  the day of the killing  and the last one from the 13th to the 15th, according to interviews with receptionists.



A supervisor at the third hotel, who asked not to be identified, said the woman changed her contact lenses color every day and covered her face indoors with a surgical mask, which she took off when she went out in the evenings to get food.



The supervisor described the woman as tall and pretty.



I thought she was Korean until she produced her passport, the supervisor said.



No laughing matter



The Vietnamese passport holder was wearing a white shirt emblazoned with LOL when she was caught by a CCTV camera at the airport terminal on the day of the killing.



On Friday, Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian told reporters that Siti Aisyah was a victim of people who fooled her into taking part in the assassination.



Citing information relayed by Malaysian police, Tito said Siti had been paid along with another woman to pull off several pranks  which called for ambushing a man and spraying water in his face  for a show similar to Just for Laughs, a popular TV program that uses concealed cameras, the Associated Press reported.



Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong-Nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer, Tito said, according to AP.



Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla backed up the claim that Siti had been duped.



Kalla said Siti was a victim of manipulation.



Kim  [was] a victim of a victim because Aisyah was also a victim, Kalla told reporters in Jakarta, brushing off allegations that she was a North Korean operative.



If she were an agent, I think she would have disappeared without a trace, he said, adding that the Indonesian government would provide her with legal aid.



Siti is a divorced mother of a 7-year-old boy who lives with his paternal grandparents in Tambora, West Jakarta, according to her former father-in-law, Lian Kiong.



Lian Kiong defended her over the reports, denying that she could have been involved in such a cloak-and-dagger crime.



I dont believe it, he told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.



He described his former daughter-in-law as polite and a good person. He last saw her on Jan. 28, when Aisyah came with her mother to visit her son, and she seemed normal, he said.



If you saw her, shed just smile, a former neighbor, Damayanti, told BenarNews about Siti, who once worked at a garment factory in Tambora, ironing and folding jackets.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
It's been three years since Ukraine's Euromaidan protesters took the streets of Kyiv to demand the resignation of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service has returned to locations in the Ukrainian capital that saw some of the fiercest clashes. Between February 18 and 21, 2014, protests descended into deadly violence as government forces fought brutal street battles with antigovernment demonstrators. (RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has told European leaders that the United States "is now and will always be your greatest ally," seeking to assuage concerns about Washington's commitment to transatlantic ties under President Donald Trump. Speaking on February 18 at the Munich Security Conference, Pence said the United States will "hold Russia accountable" for interference in Ukraine even as it seeks "common ground" with Moscow, which he said Trump believes can be found. (Reuters)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for the immediate release of two staff members abducted during an ambush in northern Afghanistan last week that killed six workers.



The aid workers were in a convoy carrying supplies to areas hit by avalanches when they were attacked in the northern province of Jowzjan on February 8.



"We call on the abductors' sense of humanity and request the immediate, safe and unconditional release of our colleagues and to avoid taking any action that could endanger their lives," Monica Zanarelli, ICRC chief in Afghanistan, said in a statement released on February 18.



"We do not want the agony and heartache of this tragedy to deepen," she added.



No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but provincial Governor Mawlawi Lutfullah Azizi said he suspected Islamic State (IS) gunmen were behind it.



IS militants have made limited inroads in Afghanistan, but have carried out increasingly deadly attacks.



The killings come after a Spanish worker of the ICRC was abducted in northern Afghanistan in December and released less than a month later.

Neither the ICRC or Afghan officials said how he was freed or who was behind the abduction.



After the attack, the ICRC, which has been working in Afghanistan for three decades, said it was putting its nationwide operations on hold, although it added there were no plans to withdraw staff.

With reporting by AFP
Serbia has criticized Bosnia-Herzegovina's bid to appeal a 2007 United Nations court ruling that cleared the government in Belgrade of genocide during the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told state TV on February 18 that the move was "very dangerous" and could cause destabilization of not only Bosnia-Herzegovina but the entire region.

Bakir Izetbegovic, the Muslim Bosniak member of the county's tripartite presidency, said on February 17 that the legal bid would be submitted before the 10-year deadline for an appeal expired on February 26.

The decision could ignite a political crisis in Bosnia, as Bosnian Serb legislators plan to boycott parliament to show their opposition to the action.

Izetbegovic leads Bosnia as part of a three-member presidency along with his Bosnian Croat and Bosnian Serb counterparts.

The International Court of Justice in 2007 exonerated the Belgrade government of direct responsibility for killings, rapes, and "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia during the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

It did rule, however, that Belgrade failed to prevent genocide related to the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica, where 8,000 Muslims were killed by Bosnian Serb forces.

Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat leaders have opposed Izetbegovics move, saying it would violate the constitution and cause a political crisis in the country.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
NATO members Croatia and Albania are warning that Serbia poses an increasing threat to Kosovo's security as well as stability across the wider Balkans.

In a joint letter this week to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg ahead of the Munich Security Conference, the defense ministers of the two countries called on the military alliance to "revise" its peacekeeping mission in Kosovo in light of the increased threat.

Tensions between Serbia and its former province Kosovo escalated after Belgrade last month sent a train painted with the slogan "Kosovo is Serbia" toward Kosovo, and Kosovo police stopped it at the border.

Serbia's president since then has accused Pristina of wanting to start a war, while his Kosovar counterpart has warned that Serbia might try to annex the predominantly Serb-populated northern part of Kosovo just as Russia annexed Crimea.

The letter to NATO from neighboring Croatia and Albania decried the "nationalistic rhetoric from Serb politicians and concrete actions on the border" that have raised tensions to be point that they threaten security and stability.

Aides said Albanian Defense Minister Mimi Kodheli and her Croatian counterpart, Damir Krsticevic, in particular wanted to focus NATO's attention on the threat to Kosovo.

The ministers told Stoltenberg that they would support transforming Kosovo's Security Force, which is lightly armed and engages in crisis response, civil protection and ordnance disposal, into a full-fledged army.

But to create such an army, Kosovo would need the support of its Serbian minority in parliament, and their representatives likely would oppose the move.

Majority ethnic Albanian Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence in 2008, a decade after a war with Serbian forces.

Serbia has refused to recognize the move, although Kosovo is recognized by 110 other countries. Still, until recently Serbian leaders had taken part in European Union-sponsored talks aimed at normalizing ties with Kosovo.

Both states are seeking to join the EU, and their integration into the bloc is seen as a way to guarantee peace in the region. But while Kosovo also seeks to join NATO, Serbian leaders have said they want to maintain ties with Russia and stay neutral.

NATO deployed peacekeepers in Kosovo after a 1999 air campaign that ousted Serbian forces fighting pro-independence ethnic Albanians. The 1998-99 conflict claimed 13,500 lives.

After receiving the letter, NATO officials said the alliance remained committed to continuing its mission in Kosovo "for as long as necessary."

At the start of its mission, NATO sent some 55,000 soldiers to Kosovo, but its contingent currently has dwindled to around 4,500.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
Pakistani authorities have shut down a second key border crossing into Afghanistan in the aftermath of a deadly suicide bombing that killed dozens of Sufis worshiping at a popular shrine.

The closing late on February 17 of the Chaman border crossing in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan Province is seen as an effort to pressure Kabul to act against militants who Pakistan says have safe haven in Afghanistan.

A February 16 attack at the Lal Shahbaz Qalander shrine in the city of Sehwan killed 88 people and wounded more than 100. The bombing was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.

Pakistan closed the border at the Torkham crossing hours after the bombing, a senior army official said.

Torkham connects Pakistan to Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province and Chaman is located near Spin Boldak in Kandahar.

Pakistani security forces have launched nationwide operations against alleged terrorists since the shrine bombing and claim to have killed more than 100 in that effort.

Media reports say Pakistani troops have targeted camps belonging to Jamaat-ul Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, near the Afghan border.

In Kabul, the Afghan government on February 18 summoned Pakistani Ambassador Abrar Hussain to protest recent shelling by Pakistani forces in Afghanistan's eastern provinces.

Kabul reportedly expressed concern over the closure of the Torkham and Chaman border crossings and requested that they be reopened.

Based on reporting by AP and DunyaNews
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the "post-Cold War order" has come to an end but that Cold War thinking persists among some leaders in the West.

In a brief statement at the Munich Security Conference on February 18, Lavrov repeated Russian accusations that the enlargement of the NATO alliance has created tension in Europe.

But he called for the resumption of military cooperation between Russia and NATO, saying that political meetings were pointless without it.

He said Russia wanted relations with the United States that are "pragmatic" and marked by mutual respect and acknowledgement of a shared responsibility for global stability.

Lavrov said the badly strained ties that existed now were "unnatural" and the two countries had huge potential for cooperation.

Lavrov spoke a few hours after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the United States would "hold Russia accountable" for its interference in Ukraine while also seeking common ground with Moscow, which Pence said U.S. President Donald Trump believed can be found.

Lavrov rejected the blame Kyiv and Western countries have placed on Russia for continuing war in eastern Ukraine, accusing Ukraine of failing to meet commitments under the 2015 Minsk cease-fire deal.

He said a quarter-century after the Cold War, the world was neither "West-centric" nor "less dangerous," and that a "unipolar world" -- meaning in which the United States is dominant -- cannot last long.

Addressing allegations that Russia meddled in the U.S. presidential election in 2016 and is seeking to influence elections in Europe this year, Lavrov claimed that no proof of such interference had been provided.

"Show us facts," he said.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia used hacking, leaks, and other methods to interfere in the U.S. election in an effort to undermine U.S. democracy, discredit presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and tilt the November vote toward Trump.

With reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and TASS
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the United States will not agree to cooperate with Russia's military in Syria until Moscow recognizes that not all Syrian opposition groups are terrorists, European allies say.

During a meeting with his counterparts from France, Germany, Turkey, and other countries on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Bonn on February 17, Tillerson said the Trump administration supported UN efforts to forge peace in Syria through negotiations that are set to resume in Geneva on February 23.

Diplomats at the meeting said Tillerson stressed that Moscow's alignment with the Syrian government, which labels all Syrian rebel groups as "terrorists," would make military cooperation between Washington and Moscow difficult.

"He made it clear that there would not be military cooperation until the Russians accepted that not all the opposition are terrorists," one diplomat told Reuters.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the exchange with Tillerson was useful.

"We ask the Russian backer of the regime to put pressure on it so it stops considering that all the opposition are terrorists," Ayrault said. "Otherwise, there will be no discussion in Geneva."

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
MUNICH, Germany -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he received a "very strong message supporting Ukraine" in a meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and recent talks with other top U.S. officials.



Poroshenko spoke to reporters after talks with Pence on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 18.



Asked whether he was concerned that U.S. President Donald Trump and members of his administration were sending mixed signals on Ukraine, Poroshenko dismissed that notion.



"There is no difference" of opinion, he said, citing the meeting with Pence and recent phone conversations with Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.



Trump suggested during the election campaign that he would consider lifting sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama administration in response to its seizure of Crimea from Ukraine and support for separatists in the country's east.



But senior U.S. officials have taken a tougher stance in recent weeks, saying that Russia must return Crimea and de-escalate violence in eastern Ukraine.
MUNICH, Germany -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has told European leaders that the United States "is now and will always be your greatest ally," seeking to assuage concerns about Washington's commitment to transatlantic ties under President Donald Trump.

Speaking on February 18 at the Munich Security Conference, Pence said the "enduring bond" between the United States and Europe was built not only on "strength of arms" but on shared values and principles "that we cherish: freedom, democracy, justice, and the rule of law."

He said he brought a message from Trump: "The United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering" in its support for the alliance.

At the same time, Pence forcefully repeated Trump's calls for European allies to shoulder their share of the financial burden, saying that only five NATO members had reached a target set in 2014 of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense within a decade, and that several had no clear path to that goal.

"It's time to do more," Pence said.

He said the United States will "hold Russia accountable" for interference in Ukraine even as it seeks "common ground" with Moscow, which he said Trump believed can be found.

Russia must uphold the 2015 Minsk cease-fire and peace deal signed in Belarus, starting by de-escalating violence in eastern Ukraine, Pence said.

Turning to broader issues, Pence said that the United States was committed to ensuring that Iran cannot obtain nuclear weapons, and to fighting "radical Islamic terrorism" as well as threats from "rogue nations" and other "new adversaries" he said had emerged following the end of the Cold War a quarter-century ago.

The focus on this year's edition of the prominent annual security conference in Munich has been fears that Trump might loosen U.S. ties to Europe, withdraw or reduce U.S. backing for NATO, and sacrifice the interests of countries from Ukraine to Western Europe in the name of a new "reset" with Russia.

Those worries stem from comments from Trump, who in the past year has expressed enthusiasm for Britain's exit from the European Union, called NATO "obsolete," voiced admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested he might scrap sanctions imposed on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine.

"Know this: the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Lavrov Rejects Blame On Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected the blame placed on Moscow for the continuing conflict in eastern Ukraine, where the fighting between Kyiv's forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 9,750 people since it erupted in April 2014 -- shortly after Russia seized control of Crimea from Ukraine.

Lavrov accused Ukraine of failing to meet its commitments under the Minsk agreement and suggested that the remarks of Western officials about the conflict reflected a Cold War mind-set that he said persists in the West.

In a pointedly short statement a few hours after Pence spoke, Lavrov repeated Russian accusations that the enlargement of NATO to include former Soviet republics and satellites has created tension in Europe -- rejecting the alliance's position that it is Russia's aggressive actions that are to blame.

Lavrov said that the "post-Cold War order" had come to an end and that he hoped "responsible leaders" will choose to create a "democratic and just world order -- if you want you can call it a post-West world order."

Lavrov was speaking 10 years after Russian President Vladimir Putin used the Munich Security Conference as the stage for a sriking denunciation of the United States as a dangerous hegemon that was ignoring state borders, violating international law, and "plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflicts."

While repeating Kremlin criticism of the West and its military alliance, Lavrov called for the resumption of military cooperation between Russia and NATO, and said Moscow wanted relations with the United States that are "pragmatic" and marked by mutual respect and acknowledgement of a shared responsibility for global stability.

Lavrov said the badly strained ties that existed now are "unnatural" and the two countries have huge potential for cooperation.

Pence, for his part, did not go into much detail about the prospects for "common ground" between Washington and Moscow.

Focusing on the transatlantic relationship, he painted a powerful picture of what he suggested were the historical affinities between the United States and Europe, using anecdotes about two previous visits to Germany to make his point.

During the Cold War, he crossed from a Western Europe seeking to rebuild after World War II into drab communist East Germany, he said -- then traveled to Germany again after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and saw flowers and other signs of mourning and solidarity.

"Europe stood tall with the United States" at that time, Pence said, adding that "the American people will be forever grateful."

But he warned Europe that "peace only comes through strength" and that "Europe's defense requires your commitment as much as ours."

"The United States will be strong -- stronger than ever before," he said, stressing that Washington plans to spend more on its military.

Merkel Backs Minsk Pact In Ukraine

Pence addressed the conference just after German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said she was committed to meeting the defense-spending goal set by NATO in 2014, and the two met for talks later in the day.

Merkel said Western states must protect the principle of territorial integrity, calling it a crucial foundation of the post-World War II order, and that NATO needed to strengthen its eastern flank following Russia's interference in Ukraine.

Merkel said that there was "great anxiety" about the situation in eastern Ukraine and that Russia's interference in Ukraine "highlighted" the importance of NATO. Stressing the need to maintain international alliances, Merkel told the audience -- with Pence seated a few meters away -- that NATO was "in the American interest."

Merkel said she was committed to seeking a political solution to the conflict and supported the Minsk agreement, which she called "the only thing we have at the moment to move forward talks and the possibility of solving the problems. When we don't have anything else, I am against throwing something away that may still be useful."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told other leaders at the Munich conference on February 17 that they must not "appease" Russia by lifting sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union for seizing Crimea and stoking conflict in eastern Ukraine.

"It would be a mistake to think that Russia's appetite is limited" to Ukraine.

After talks with Pence in Munich on February 18, Poroshenko said he received a "very strong message supporting Ukraine" in that meeting and in phone calls with Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the last two weeks.



Pence also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the security of the Baltic countries in a meeting with the presidents of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Pence's office said he noted the Trump administration's support for the collective defense of NATO allies -- a crucial concern for the Baltic states, which are wary of Russia's intentions.



Pence held separate meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and Masud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. U.S. officials said he thanked both for committing to fight the extremist group Islamic State (IS) and encouraged close cooperation between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan regional government.



Meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Pence voiced U.S. support for Afghanistan's national unity government, and officials said the two affirmed the importance of continuing what they called the "strategic partnership" between the United States.



And Pence met with Bono, the Irish rock star and social activist.



Also on the sidelines of the security conference, the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, and mediators Germany and France agreed to press for implementation of the existing and much-violated cease-fire in eastern Ukraine starting on February 20.



"All parties will use their influence to implement the agreement of the trilateral contact group from February 15," referring to a body comprising Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).



"The aim is to have a cease-fire starting from February 20 and to do what has long been agreed but never implemented: To withdraw the heavy weapons from the region, to secure them and enable the OSCE monitors to control where they are kept," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters.

Merkel, meanwhile, said she wanted good relations with Russia and believes it is in the common interest of Russia and the West to fight international terrorism.

She also said that Western countries had a "responsibility to bear" in accepting refugees and tackling the root causes leading people to flee their countries.

Merkel called for countries to work together, saying they must do so if they are to be strong. "Will we be able to act in concert, or will we fall back into parochial policies...? Let us stand together and make the world a better place," she said.

Speaking after Pence, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said all allies must contribute their share in funding the alliance and stressed that NATO's "bond remains essential" on both sides of the Atlantic.

"Europe needs North America and North America needs Europe," he said.

"I don't think America First means America alone," Stoltenberg said, referring to a policy Trump set out in his inaugural address on January 20.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa, Interfax, and TASS
Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged heavy artillery fire in multiple locations, officials in both countries said, as Russian-appointed officials continued evacuating people from the west bank of the Dnieper River amid a mounting Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Ukraine's national grid operator, meanwhile, said on November 5 that it would increase rolling blackouts in Kyiv and seven other regions as the countrys national grid remained severely damaged by weeks of Russian air strikes.

Electricity consumption is rising across Ukraine as the weather turns colder, and energy providers have raced to do repairs, ordering planned power cuts to avoid overloads.

Ukraines General Staff said that its troops thwarted Russian attacks a day earlier in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The military also claimed that Ukrainian air defenses shot down multiple Russian and Iranian drones and two Kalibr cruise missiles. The claim could not be immediately verified.

The head of the Vynnytsya region, Serhiy Borzov, said the central region was hit overnight by Russian kamikaze drones.

Russian troops have been actively using Iranian drones in recent weeks to attack critical civilian and infrastructure objectives.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the fiercest fighting over the last week had taken place around Bakhmut and Soledar in Donetsk and that Ukrainian forces are holding their positions there and elsewhere.

He also spoke of "good gains" in the south, praising infantry and artillery brigades for destroying enemy equipment, Russian manpower.

The claims of battlefield success could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian forces have been mounting a slow, incremental counteroffensive in the southern Kherson region for weeks now, moving closer to directly threatening the Dnieper River port of Kherson, which was captured early after Russias February invasion.

In response, Russian authorities have been evacuating civilians and military troops to the opposite bank of the Dnieper.

Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russia-installed administration in the Kherson region, announced a 24-hour curfew on November 4, saying it was necessary to defend it from an expected Ukrainian attack.

The Russian military said "more than 5,000 civilians" were being evacuated daily to the east bank of the river. And Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 4 called for civilians to be moved out from Kherson.

Those who live in Kherson must now be removed from the zone of the most dangerous hostilities, Putin said in remarks broadcast on state television. The civilian population should not suffer from shelling, from the offensive, counteroffensive, and other measures related to military operations.

Russias Defense Ministry said on November 5 that troops had repelled Ukrainian attacks in in the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson regions. In the Kherson region, which the Kremlin last month declared had been annexed, authorities reported the heaviest artillery fire in days.

Ukrainian officials have likened the departures of Kherson residents to Soviet-style deportations, though its unclear to what extent the departures are forced or voluntary. Russian officials said people were being moved to safety from the path of the Ukrainian advance.

Ukraines counteroffensives in Kherson and the northern Kharkiv region have been powered in large part by powerful Western weaponry. On November 4, the U.S. Defense Department announced another $400 million shipment of weapons and other equipment, including refurbished tanks, surface-to-air missiles, new coastal defense boats, and other items.

The announcement came around the same time that the U.S. national-security adviser, Jake Sullivan, made an unannounced visit to Kyiv to meet with top Ukrainian officials.

At a news conference later, Sullivan sought again to calm Ukrainian jitters about whether U.S. weapons would continue after the upcoming midterm U.S. congressional elections.

Polls show that Republicans are poised to take control of one, or possibly both, chambers of Congress, and a small but vocal number of Republicans have voiced misgivings about the amount and duration of U.S. aid for Ukraine.

There will be no wavering, Sullivan said at a news conference. Im confident U.S. support for Ukraine will be unwavering and unflinching.

Asked about the prospect of peace talks with Russia, Sullivan repeated what U.S. officials have said in the past: "Nothing is discussed about Ukraine without Ukraine."

"For me, the main question about these negotiations is what a just peace looks like and how it can be achieved, Sullivan said. If you look at Russian accusations, Russian actions, in particular regarding the annexation of [Ukrainian] territories, it does not really encourage negotiations.

With reporting by RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, Reuters, dpa, and AP
We Southerners should know better than anyone the danger of just making things up. The Confederate States of America reversed the worldwide tradition of the victors writing the history. The CSA lost, but many of its leaders and those who followed still wrote the history, teaching generations to come that slavery was not the main cause of the Civil War. Instead, they taught that the war was waged over economics and states rights, a sick and slick euphemism for slave labor and the right to own those slaves.

Just a few long generations later, we remain mired in fake news. The CSAs big lie and all the lies Jim Crow perpetuated were but a deadly bedrock for our current era nationwide, as a new book by my friend Tim Tyson, who teaches at Duke University, makes clear.

This is a story for our times.

The book from Simon & Schuster is The Blood of Emmett Till. Its a scathing re-examination of the slaying of Emmett, a 14-year-old Chicago boy who, while visiting relatives in Mississippi, was killed by white terrorists for allegedly committing the heinous crime of flirting with a white woman while black.

The world has long known the story: of Emmetts mother insisting that his coffin be open at his Illinois funeral to show the world her sons bludgeoned face, and how those images, flashed worldwide, helped start in earnest the civil rights movement.

Tysons book makes it all new and relevant. He makes clear that the open coffin was an astounding and courageous act for a black woman, and how the act mobilized the formidable Chicago black power structure and, then, the rest of America.

And he repeatedly emphasizes the lies upon which the Jim Crow South was built, ultimately making us confront how much those lies still figure in the killings of young black men nationwide.

Tyson is an academic, but hes also a good investigator, and yes, even an instigator. But first, the investigative part. He leads off with an exclusive interview with the woman Emmett was killed for talking to, Carolyn Bryant Donham. She serves my friend pound cake and tells him, Nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him.

Boom.

Tyson moves on, unraveling the lies as easily as a journeyman cook peels an onion, forcing us to look at all the ugly bruises  in this case lies  along the way, including how from the very beginning the white power structure joked about Emmetts death. His badly beaten body was tossed in a river, sunk with a fan from a cotton gin. Tyson writes, A quiet joke went around: Isnt that just like a nigger to try and swim the Tallahatchie River with a gin fan around his neck?

Tyson puts it all in the broad historical context of much other abuse, making clear that the losers who killed Emmett were but the latest in a long line of pawns used by rich whites who winked at the violence from which they removed themselves, just as many rich whites had done in the Civil War. And always, the lies, most notoriously, that whites are superior and blacks are inferior, too ignorant to be trusted with voting rights no matter how smartly and bravely they fought for them.

Tysons book celebrates courage: most notably, that of the Rev. Moses Wright, the black man from whose house Emmett was kidnapped by his killers. With amazing guts for his place and time, Wright testified against the killers in a Mississippi courtroom. The defendants were, of course, acquitted. But the story resonates to this day. Tyson writes:

The ancient lie remains lethal. It shoots first and dodges questions later. White supremacy leaves almost half of all African-American children growing up in poverty in a de-industrialized urban wasteland. It abandons the moral and practical truth embodied in Brown v. Board of Education and accepts school resegregation even though it is poisonous to the poor. Internalized white supremacy in the minds of black youth guns down other black youth, who learn from the media images of themselves that their lives are worth little enough to pour out in battles over street corners. White supremacy also guides the hands of white law enforcement officers and vigilantes who seem unable to distinguish between genuine danger and centuries-old phantoms.

I dont agree with all of the above thoughts. There are bad cops. But I know plenty of good white cops and good black cops. I do take from Tysons book one big lesson: that of using facts to confront and kill the lies that still smother us and threaten our democracy, just like Rev. Wright did in that Mississippi courtroom all those years ago.
BEDFORD  A Bedford County judge on Friday dismissed an obstruction of justice charge against a sister of Richard Welch, named a person of interest in the Lyon sisters abduction and murder case.

Prosecutors asked for the charge against Gladys Stangee of Bedford to be dismissed, saying she cooperated with authorities.

Richard Welch has not been charged; his nephew, Lloyd Lee Michael Welch Jr., faces two counts of first-degree murder in the case, with a jury trial set for April.

Lloyd Welch is accused of abducting and killing Sheila and Katherine Lyon, sisters who vanished during a trip to a Wheaton, Maryland, shopping mall in 1975. Sheila was 12 and Katherine 10.

Investigators claim after killing the girls, Lloyd Welch disposed of their bodies in Bedford County.

Stangee was one of three Welch relatives accused in September 2015 of impeding the investigation into what happened to the girls.

Stangee appealed her conviction on the obstruction charge, a misdemeanor, in Bedford General District Court in November 2015.

Commonwealths Attorney Wes Nance said Friday she since has cooperated with authorities, leading to the dismissal motion before Judge James Updike Jr.

Nance noted she had no criminal history prior to the misdemeanor charge.

Since her original appeal from General District Court in November 2015, she has remained of good behavior, and she has cooperated with the commonwealth and investigators, he said.

Stangee was represented in court by Bedford County Public Defender Webster Hogeland.

Its our position that Ms. Stangee was not guilty of anything, he said after Fridays hearing. Shes cooperated from the very beginning of this investigation, and she continues to cooperate.

This is the second time in as many months an obstruction charge was dropped against one of the Welch relatives.

In January, Updike dismissed the same misdemeanor charge against a relative of Welch, Amy Ann Johnson, also citing her cooperation.
Pictures from the scene show the train derailed and a wagon lying beside the track. Emergency services were quick to arrive at the scene of the crash, which happened at 12:20 GMT. They have evacuated about 50 passengers, the railway operator said.The victim who died, was not on the train, Leuven mayor Louis Tobback told to the media. He was found crushed underneath. Condolences to victims and family members of the train accident in Leuven. Thanks to the emergency services for rapid intervention, Belgiums Prime Minister Charles Michel said on Twitter, en route to the scene of the crash site. All train traffic in and out of Leuven, 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Brussels, was interrupted, including some trains heading to the airport. The cause of the derailment was not immediately known.
Buzz!

Skyharbor announces tour as direct support to heavyweights Deftones on all European shows as part of 2017 Gore tour.

Most bands share common dreams, worldwide, the list could look like this:

1. We are going to be a touring band in America, Europe, Asia

2. We are going to play on the biggest stage with a sea of people in front of us.

3. We are going to open for one of our favorite and the biggest bands in the world.

Skyharbor just checked all of these above as they go on tour with the Deftones as direct support on all European shows as part of 2017 Gore tour. It is known how a full-fledged touring band with members from around the world formed over the internet  Skyharbor have defied convention every step of the way. The debut album Blinding White Noise was released worldwide in 2012 to critical acclaim and earned the band a dedicated fan following across the globe. This new development seems promising to be taking the band to the next big level!

We spoke to producer, guitar player Keshav Dhar about this very exciting upcoming tour:

RSJ: First, congrats! This is just awesome and hopefully going to inspire so many in the Indian music scene. Tell us how this came about?

Keshav: Thank you! After our last tour, we realised that we had done enough of headlining slots and now needed to find a larger audience and that could only happen with supporting bigger bands. We werent sure but we just wanted to try and see if we could manage to get on with some big names out there and with the support of our awesome agency, we reached out to some. In most cases, we had sort of missed the bus as these bands had already planned their tour way in advance and things were already in place. Deftones guitar player had heard our music and after the band went through everything, they agreed to take us on!

RSJ: So how are you guys feeling really? This is a big one, perhaps the biggest for any musician in a band from India?

Keshav: Well honestly, the pressure is mounting as this is quite different from what we have done so far. Even in terms of the size of stage and audience, we cant afford to go wrong anywhere. We are excited nonetheless but given this opportunity now, we have to prove ourselves being totally worth it.

RSJ: Are you preparing any differently than what you have done so far?

Keshav: Oh yes, we have to! As you know we are situated in different parts of the world. For us, rehearsals are very important and the limited time we get to do so makes it quite challenging. However, this time we have a good crew and are investing a lot of our time and finances to ensure a good amount of rehearsal time. Anupam Roy is going to travel with us for sound tech as he is the only guy we trust. Basically, this needs different planning and we are ready for it.

RSJ: How does this work financially for Skyharbor as a band?

Keshav: Well we wont break even on the financials and hence looking at it as more of an investment. See the numbers with this one are very different on every aspect. We are fortunate to have a good team and they are working the details out to the best possibilities. However, we know that this particular investment will get us more than the desired mileage we need as a band.

Following are the dates as released by Skyharbor today:

APR 18 Vienna, Austria

APR 19 Munchen, Germany

APR 20 Zurich, Switzerland

APR 21 Milan, Italy

APR 23 Offenbach, Germany

APR 24 Tilburg, Netherlands

APR 25 Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

APR 27 Berlin, Germany

APR 28 Hamburg, Germany

APR 29 Groezrock, Belgium

MAY 01 Koln, Germany

MAY 02 Paris, France

MAY 03 Paris, France

Watch and listen to Skyharbor below:
Canadian stocks nudged lower Friday, ending an eight-day win streak that led to record highs for Toronto's main index.

With financials taking a breather after a significant uptrend, the S&P/TSX Composite Index was down 25.54 points, or 0.16 percent, to 15,838.63.

Gold shares struggled throughout the session, while weakness emerged in the energy sector as crude oil remained stuck near $53 a barrel.

Data from Baker Hughes Friday revealed that the number of active U.S. rigs drilling for oil rose by 6 to 597 rigs this week, for the fifth weekly increase in a row.

Looking at corporate headlines, Saputo Inc. (SAP.TO) issued a nationwide recall of certain gouda cheese products due to listeria worries. Shares were up fractionally.

Air Canada (AC.TO) reported a bigger quarterly loss as its load factor fell. The airline says margins will be tight this quarter due to rising fuel costs. Shares fell 8.5 percent.

Pipeline giant Enbridge Inc. (ENB.TO) reported a 3.4 percent fall in fourth-quarter profit on restructuring charges. Shares slipped 0.9 percent.

Enbridge has bought a 49.9 percent stake in EnBW's 1.8 billion euro North Sea offshore park.

Sherritt (S.TO) is considering a full exit from its Madagascar mine project to reduce debt, Globe and Mail reports. Shares tumbled 9.9 percent.

Bombardier (BBD.B.TO) had its price target raised from $2.50 to $2.75 at CIBC, after reporting its quarterly loss narrowed. Shares rose 1.2 percent.

Crescent Point (CPG.TO) jumped 7.7 percent after a report of activist interest.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
The is flying high - a development that was confirmed by a slew of data points released this week. Would that mean that Fed can now go about with a measured pace of rate increases? Notwithstanding a robust recovery that is hard to ignore, the Fed is playing its cards close to the chest. The central bank has been holding firm to a dovish stance. Quite expected, given the composition of the voting members of the FOMC, which has a dovish majority.

However, with Daniel Tarullo, one of the Fed governors, opting to resign to pave the way clear for Trump to deregulate the banking and financial services industry, the dove-hawk balance will see a slight change, shifting to a more neutral stance.

Among the economic reports released this week, Fed Chair Janet Yellen's semi-annual monetary policy testimony revealed that the Fed is in no mood to accelerate rate hikes. Yellen reassured the Street that the new administration's stimulatory fiscal policies may not necessarily result in rate hikes. Ironically, Yellen defended the central bank's independence, which the Trump-led Republicans are looking to curtail.

Retail sales rose a robust 0.4 percent month-over-month in January and there was a meaty upward revision to the December number as well. The gains were across the board, with vehicle sales rising notably.

Among the manufacturing surveys of the week, manufacturing activity in the New York region accelerated to the highest level in 2-1/2 years in February, while the Philadelphia region saw its manufacturing activity exploding to its highest level since January 1984, two separate surveys showed.

The housing market readings were also buoyant, with housing starts and building permits beating expectations, while the results of the National Association of Home Builders showed confidence slipping slightly, although after a post-election surge.

The upcoming week is abbreviated on account of Monday's Presidents Day holiday, and has only a few numbers that may move the . Nevertheless, traders may still seek out the data for additional confirmation on the economy's strength.

CLICK HERE for some of the highlights on next week's calendar

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Chief Minister ' title='Tamil Nadu Chief Minister '>Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday won the vote of confidence in the state assembly.

Palaniswami, who was sworn in on Thursday as Chief Minister, won with 122 votes for the motion, while 11 votes were cast against the confidence vote by the rival AIADMK camp led by former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.



Palaniswami belongs to the AIADMK faction led by party General Secretary V.K. Sasikala. The end came tamely after DMK's 88 members, who were present were ordered to be evicted by Speaker P. Dhanapal after they indulged in ruckus.



After that Congress legislators walked out in protest, dashing the hopes of Panneerselvam. The AIADMK camp led by Sasikala were obviously happy and distributed sweets.



"The traitors were defeated," A. Navaneethakrishnan, part of Sasikala camp told reporters here.



In the morning, soon after the assembly began, Palaniswami moved the confidence motion, which was followed by heated arguments started by DMK supremo and Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin urging Speaker Dhanapal to allow secret ballot.



The Speaker, who belongs to the faction of AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala, stood his ground and said that legislators could not interfere with his powers.



He also questioned the need for urgency in seeking a confidence vote when Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao had given 15 days time to Palaniswami.





As the AIADMK lawmakers supporting Chief Minister Palaniswami remained silent, the DMK legislators surrounded Dhanapal shouting slogans. They tore the assembly agenda papers and some flung the mikes and chairs.



When the marshals tried to escort Dhanapal out, DMK members pulled him back to his chair. One DMK MLA sat on the Speaker's chair in protest.



Dhanapal first adjourned the House till 1 p.m. and later till 3 p.m. Former Chief Minister Panneerselvam also demanded secret ballot.



Everything seemed to be in favour of Panneerselvam and Chief Minister Palaniswami was seen to be doing a tightrope walk till Saturday morning.



Ahead of the vote, Palaniswami's AIADMK faction suffered two jolts when Arun Kumar, a legislator from Coimbatore North, jumped ship, and AIADMK legislator representing Mylapore constituency and former Director General of Police (DGP) R. Nataraj said he would vote against Palaniswami.



But the situation changed course in the assembly with the DMK indulging in ruckus forcing the Speaker to throw them out. Speaking to reporters here after he and his party legislators were evicted from the assembly, Stalin said the party had demanded secret ballot to decide on the motion of confidence.



He said the party demanded adjournment of the house for a week so that legislators can go back to their constituencies and seek the people's views before they come back to vote on the confidence motion.



The DMK leader said he sat in protest inside the assembly to press his demand. Stalin alleged he was forcibly evicted by the marshals and his shirt was damaged.



The AIADMK led by General Secretary Sasikala had the support of 123 legislators, including the Speaker, while the breakaway group led by Panneerselvam has 11 legislators.



The opposition includes the DMK with 89 members, Congress (eight) and Indian Union Muslim League (one), while one seat is vacant. The DMK, Congress and IUML had said they will vote against the Palaniswami government. The assembly has a total strength of 234, with one seat vacant.
DMK Working Stalin ' title=' President M.K. Stalin '>President M.K. Stalin on Saturday sat in protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Marina beach against the manner in which he and his party legislators were evicted from the state assembly.

Earlier, he met Tamil Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao and lodged a complaint against the happenings in the assembly.



Speaking to reporters after he and his party legislators were evicted from the House, Stalin said the party had demanded secret ballot to decide on the motion of confidence moved by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.





He said the party demanded adjournment of the House for a week so that legislators can go back to their constituencies and seek the people's views before they come back to vote on the confidence motion.



The DMK leader said he sat in protest inside the assembly to press his demand.



Stalin alleged he was forcibly evicted by the marshals and suffered injuries and his shirt was damaged.



He also alleged that his party legislators were assaulted by the marshals while evicting them.


Chief Minister ' title='Tamil Nadu Chief Minister '>Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday comfortably won the vote of confidence in the state assembly, with the proceedings marred by pandemonium that saw the opposition DMK evicted by the Speaker, and the Congress too walked out.

Chief Minister ' title='Tamil Nadu Chief Minister '>Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday comfortably won the vote of confidence in the state assembly, with the proceedings marred by pandemonium that saw the opposition DMK evicted by the Speaker, and the Congress too walked out.



Palaniswami, who was sworn in on Thursday as Chief Minister, won with 122 votes in favour and 11 votes against. The 11 opposing votes were cast by the rival AIADMK camp led by former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.



Palaniswami belongs to the AIADMK faction led by party General Secretary V.K. Sasikala. The end came tamely after DMK's 88 members, who were present were ordered to be evicted by Speaker P. Dhanapal after they indulged in a ruckus.



After that Congress legislators walked out in protest, dashing Panneerselvam's hopes. The AIADMK camp led by Sasikala was obviously happy and distributed sweets. "The traitors were defeated," A. Navaneethakrishnan, part of Sasikala camp told reporters here.



After winning the confidence vote, a happy Palaniswami went to the memorial of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Marina beach and paid homage to her.



Speaking to reporters he said: "The people of Tamil Nadu are happy." He said party General Secretary V.K. Sasikala's vow here couple of days back has come true.



Panneerselvam alleged that the floor test was conducted after the eviction of Opposition members and went against democratic norms. "Dharma has been momentarily eclipsed but it shall win finally," he said.



The chaos of the assembly proceedings spilt over to Marina beach where DMK party chief M.K. Stalin had moved along with his party legislators to protest against the manner in which the DMK legislators were evicted from the state assembly.



Stalin, along with party MLAs, sat on protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Marina beach. Police later took the DMK MLAs into custody. DMK supporters blocked the police vehicles at the venue. Earlier, Stalin met Tamil Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao and lodged a complaint against the happenings in the assembly.



Speaking to reporters after he and his party legislators were evicted from the assembly, Stalin said the party had demanded secret ballot to decide on the motion of confidence moved by Chief Minister Palaniswami.





The DMK leader said he sat in protest inside the assembly to press his demand. Stalin alleged he was forcibly evicted by the marshals and suffered injuries while his shirt was damaged. He also alleged that the party legislators were assaulted by the marshals while ev



In the morning, soon after the assembly began, Palaniswami moved the confidence motion, which was followed by heated arguments started by DMK supremo Stalin urging Speaker Dhanapal to allow secret ballot.



The Speaker, who belongs to the Sasikala camp, stood his ground and said that legislators could not interfere with his powers. He also questioned the need for urgency in seeking a confidence vote when Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao had given 15 days time to Palaniswami.



As the AIADMK lawmakers supporting Chief Minister Palaniswami remained silent, the DMK legislators surrounded Dhanapal shouting slogans. They tore the assembly agenda papers and some flung the mikes and chairs.



When the marshals tried to escort Dhanapal out, DMK members pulled him back to his chair. One DMK MLA sat on the Speaker's chair in protest. Dhanapal first adjourned the House till 1 p.m. and later till 3 p.m. Former Chief Minister Panneerselvam also demanded secret ballot.



Ahead of the vote, Palaniswami's AIADMK faction suffered two jolts when Arun Kumar, a legislator from Coimbatore North, jumped ship, and AIADMK legislator representing Mylapore constituency and former Director General of Police (DGP) R. Nataraj said he would vote against Palaniswami.



On DMK's strategy in the assembly former MP R. Thamarai Selvan of the party told IANS: "We tried for secret ballot or at least an adjournment of the session. Without a secret ballot there is no possibility of any cross voting by the members of Palaniswami camp."
Over 1,500 Congress activists including party's senior leaders were arrested on Friday after they participated in a civil disobedience movement in support of their 12-point demands.

"Around 15,000 Congress workers and leaders were arrested in different parts of the state. Police arrested them when the Congress men defies the police barricade," a police official said here.

The arrested leaders include Tripura Congress chief Birajit Sinha and state Youth Congress President Sushanta Choudhury. They were later released by police.

Six policemen also sustained minor injuries when the agitators clashed with the security personnel.

The opposition Congress organised the civil disobedience movement in support of its 12-point charter of demands, including withdrawal of demonetisation of high-value currency notes, probe by the CBI into collection of deposits from the people by the unauthorised chit fund companies and providing at least Rs 5,000 as monthly allowance to the unemployed youths of the state, among others.

A huge contingent of police and other security personnel, along with elite Tripura State Rifles troopers, were deployed in all the eight districts to prevent any untoward incident in connection with the civil disobedience movement.
The third phase of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held for 69 seats across 12 districts on Sunday.

The third phase of polling for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on Sunday will see voting for 69 seats across 12 districts and are being viewed as a crucial test of popularity for Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.



The ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) held 55 of these 69 seats across 29 constituencies in the 2012 polls.



Of the remaining seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) held six, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) five and Congress two. One seat was won by an independent.



Some 2.41 crore voters, including 1.31 crore men, 1.10 crore women and 1,026 voters from the third gender will decide the fate of 826 candidates on February 19.



The 12 districts where polling is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. are Farrukhabad, Mainpuri, Hardoi, Kannauj, Kanpur rural, Kanpur city, Unnao, Lucknow, Barabanki, Auraiyya, Sitapur and Etawah (Akhilesh Yadav's native).



Prominent among those whose fates are at stake are Nitin Agarwal, son of SP leader Naresh Agarwal; Tanuj Punia, son of Congress leader P.L. Punia; BSP turncoat Brijesh Pathak from Lucknow (central) and Congress turncoat Rita Bahuguna Joshi from Lucknow Cantt on BJP ' title=' BJP '>BJP tickets.



Bahuguna is pitted against SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav. The patriarch's brother and SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav is also a key figure to watch out for as he contests from the Jaswantnagar seat in Etawah.



Ministers Arvind Singh 'Gop', Fareed Mehfooz Kidwai, Vijay Bahadur Pal, Abhishek Mishra, Nitin Agarwal, Narendra Verma, Rajeev Kumar Singh are also in the fray on Sunday.





Other than Etawah, Mainpuri where Tej Pratap Yadav is an SP MP and Kannauj where Dimple Yadav, wife of the Chief Minister is an MP is also crucial for the ruling party which has formed an alliance with the Congress.



The SP is contesting from 61 while the Congress is contesting from 14 seats.



The BSP has fielded candidates in all 69 seats while the BJP ' title=' BJP '>BJP is contesting from 68 seats. The Rashtriya Lok Dal has fielded candidates for 40 seats. Most seats will see a triangular contest between the BJP, BSP and SP-Congress alliance.



The key issues on which the elections are being fought include farmers' plight, poor law and order, unemployment, issues of women's safety and demonetisation.



There are 16,671 polling centres and 25,603 polling stations in this phase.



The maximum number of candidates in fray are from Etawah (21), while the least number is in Haidergarh (3) assembly constituency of Barabanki, neighbouring the state capital here.



Lucknow Central and Lucknow West have 17 candidates each, while Farrukhabad and Bhojpur have 20 each.



Following the ugly power struggle over the past few months in the state's first family and the ruling party, Mulayam Singh Yadav has kept himself away from campaigning for the party which he founded 25 years ago.



Sullen at his unceremonious ouster by son Akhilesh Yadav in January from the post of national president, Mulayam Singh has only sought votes for his younger brother Shivpal Yadav and daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav.
Amit Shah ' title='BJP President Amit Shah '>BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday said that all-round development will be ushered in Uttar Pradesh after March 11, as his party will form the government with a full majority.

Addressing a press conference here, Shah said people in the state have "made up their mind to vote for a BJP government" and claimed that opposition parties -- the BSP and the SP-Congress alliance will bite the dust.



"Under the SP government their is utter chaos in UP for the past five years and with their newly forged alliance with the Congress they are on their way out of power," the BJP leader said.





He also took on the Mayawati ' title=' BSP chief Mayawati '>BSP chief Mayawati for doing nothing but lip service for Dalits.



Claiming huge support in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the first and the second phase of polling in the state, Shah further stated that the indication was clear that a BJP government was "on its way in UP".



In the rounds to come, he added, be it Poorvanchal, Bundelkhand or central UP, the BJP will make huge gains.
Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar has proposed creation of G20 working group on terrorism and called for a people-centric approach by the grouping for Africa.

Akbar, who was on a three-day visit to Germany starting Feb 15 to attend G20 foreign ministers' informal meeting, discussed issues relating to rule-based international order.

A press release from the Indian Embassy in Berlin said that the ministerial meetings are being convened by the German G20 presidency for holding deliberations in various areas.

It said the themes of the meeting were 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, maintaining peace in a complex world and cooperation with Africa.

"They exchanged views on crisis prevention, addressing global imbalances and poverty, and help build peaceful, fair and sustainable world order. The need to reform institutions of global governance like the United Nations to reflect the contemporary realities was also discussed. (The) Minister proposed creation of a G20 Working Group on Terrorism," the release said.

Akbar said focus of countries should be on the 'African' rather than on Africa only.

He called for a people-centric approach for Africa by G20, and concentrating on education, skill development and gender empowerment as priorities.

On the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, the minister said that the key question was the crisis of poverty.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made poverty elimination rather than poverty-alleviation as the principal goal of governance.

The minister also held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 meeting.
Dear Editor,

Re: Is Samoa a Christian nation?

I am a Christian and I totally agree with everything that has been said by Orlando Huaman. If I were in Samoa I would come and learn from him.

Any organised religion (Christian included) is a brainwashing exercise from young age to adult-hood.

Yes you have been brainwashed from a young age. Try breaking away from your church and see what happens to your mind. I did break away and I was messed up internally.

I thought I was going to burn in hell. I thought my world was going to end. I thought I was going to be lost. None of these things happened. In fact I found freedom. Freedom is such a wonderful thing once you have experienced it. But there was a big hole left within my mind and soul that needed to be filled. I could not gain Peace of mind.

There were lots of questions in my mind that needed to be answered.

Questions like: Does God exist? How do I know? Is Jesus Christ real? Did He really come to Earth 2000 years ago? Is Jesus Christ the Son of God? Is Jesus Christ coming back to Earth? I searched the answers to all these personal questions while being free from organised religion.

So yes I had freedom but I did not have peace of mind. I then came across the works of Edgar Cayce (1877 to 1945) All the questions were answered and also more. I began to have a direct personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ. I did not need a middle-man (pastor/priest/etc)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

The Bible became my personal soul story. The Bible is about me and my soul journey until I achieve perfection like Jesus Christ did. The Bible is the story of my creation as a soul in the beginning in Genesis to my eventual death hear on Earth.

I am still on my soul journey on earth. I want to help all my Christian brothers and sisters understand what the Bible says.

Here is an example:

Yes, the Bible is about my soul journey but more importantly the Soul Journey of Jesus Christ on Earth.

Jesus was Adam the first son of man and son of God.

Jesus was Enoch. Genesis 5:18-24 which concludes, And Enoch walked with God: and he was not, for God took him.

Jesus was Melchizedek the king of Salem and priest of the most high God who shares bread and wine with Abraham in Genesis 14: 18-20.)

Jesus was Joseph (12 brothers/12disciples) There are many parallels between the life of Joseph and Jesus.

Jesus was Joshua, the warrior who led the Israelites into the Promised Land. Hebrews 4:8-10 identifies Jesus as a better Joshua

Jesus was Jeshua a high priest who helped organize the return from exile and the rebuilding of the temple (as recounted in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah) who also translated the books of the Bible.

Jesus was the man who attained complete at-one-ment and human-divine unity and therefore became the Christ. Joshua, Jeshua, and Jesus are really the same name. The name Jesus is a Latinization of the Aramaic Jeshua or Yeshua which is in turn taken from the Hebrew Joshua. So the name Jesus refers to many heroes in the Hebrew Bible.

The Christ-soul will walk the Earth again as the Messiah and usher in the Throne of David (i.e., the kingdom of heaven) on Earth as revealed in Revelation 11:15. The Second Coming of Christ means two things: an internal, psychic event within the individual seeker (see Book of Revelation), and the actual return of Jesus Christ.

I encourage every Christian brother and sister in Samoa to do some personal seeking. Remember what Jesus said Seek and You shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.

Keith Alderson
A Cabinet appointed Tribunal to investigate the suspended Director of the National Prosecution Office, Mauga Precious Chang, and her associate, Muriel Lui, starts on Monday.

This was confirmed in a statement issued by the Manager, Community Relations Services of Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Yonita Tuia, yesterday.

The National Prosecution Office Act Tribunal established under the Cabinet Directive FK (16)37 will hold its first public hearing on Monday 20 February 2017 at 10 am, at the Office of the Legislative Assembly, Tuanaimato, the statement said.

The Tribunal consists of Sir Robert Grant Hammond, as Chairperson, Tuiloma Neroni Slade and Alalatoa Rosella Viane Papalii as members.

At the beginning of the year, the Tribunal was scheduled to start on 20 January 2017. This was confirmed by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi at the time.

Contrary to reports that the Tribunal had been delayed, Prime Minister Tuilaepa said this was not the case.

No it wasnt delayed, he said. It was just finding the time when they are available.

Ordered by Cabinet last year, the Tribunal is answerable to Prime Minister Tuilaepa.

Mauga was suspended by Cabinet last August following a Police investigation and review by an independent prosecutor of charges filed against her.

Her suspension was for an initial period of three months while her case underwent standard judicial process. The charges against her have since been dismissed but the decision is being appealed.

In her absence, Acting Director, Muriel Lui assumed the responsibilities and duties of the Director of the National Prosecution Office.

However, in October last year, Ms. Lui was also suspended by Cabinet. The suspension of the Acting Director was in pursuant to sections 11(4), 11 (7) and 11(8) of the NPO Act 2015.

At the time, the N.P.O. is brought back under the Attorney General, Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff, where it remains today.

Cabinet has noted the continued refusal of the suspended Acting Director of N.P.O and suspended Director of N.P.O to properly perform powers and duties to uphold the rule of law and objectivity of the criminal justice system, a statement from Cabinet said.

Cabinet acknowledges that the actions of Ms. Lui and Ms. Chang have created unnecessary conflicts between government departments while diminishing public confidence in law enforcement processes and the justice system in Samoa."

Furthermore, the validity of the establishment of the National Prosecution Office will also be reviewed to ensure the Statutory responsibilities and powers are treated with greater transparency, accountability and respect."

The Tribunal will be appointed on the grounds that Ms. Chang and Ms. Lui have not used the Statutory powers given to them in an appropriate manner and they have breached Civil Service Values and Code of Conduct under the Public Service Act 2004, as applied to them under section 15 of the N.P.O Act 2015.
The Samoa Qualifications Authority (S.Q.A) welcomes anyone with a plan to set up Post School Education Training (P.S.E.T) in Samoa.

However, there are procedures that must be followed.

So says the Acting Chief Executive Officer of S.Q.A, MaposuaMoseAsani.

He was responding to questions from the Weekend Observer about the establishment of a third University in Samoa by one Christopher Gounder.

As you are aware, we have a lot of children in Samoa who need help to develop their skills and knowledge especially on how to do work at the different workplaces in Samoa,Maposua told the Samoa Observer.

He confirmed that S.Q.A has been approached by Mr. Gounder with regards to the establishment of his University.

Weve already explained to them the process of how to register as a formal University in Samoa. There is a S.Q.A Act 2010; and it has all the guidelines and processes of what to do if they want to set up a University in Samoa.

Maposuasaidthey need to work with Mr. Gounder so that the University can be recognised as a formal institute of education in Samoa.

SaveaFitiTausisi, S.Q.As Principal for the Quality Assurance Division, also confirmed that he has talked to Mr. Gounder twice.

We have explained to him everything he needs to do in order for him to set up a University in Samoa, Savea said.

There are requirements to meet. For instance, they need to make sure they have a Board and policies if they want to set up a University."

They also need to register their University under M.C.I.L.

Savea supports Maposua in saying that the S.Q.A is happy to assist anyone who wants to set up a P.S.E.T. in Samoa.

We support the idea that there is another University in Samoa. But the thing is, they need to make sure that they follow the right process and right procedure, so that they can recognize as a formal education."

There is no boundary, and we allow and welcome any idea. We are more than happy to help them set up the schools they want.

Ive sent him (Mr. Gounder) emails as well, to follow up and to see if they need any help. The only thing we care about is for them to follow the right process and to make sure that they follow the right procedures."

If they want to register, we are more than happy to assist them.

However, given that Mr. Gounder hasnt registered his University under S.Q.A, Maposua said there is no law to prohibit him from setting up a University.

The only institutions which have been registered with S.Q.A are the National University of Samoa (N.U.S), University of the South Pacific (U.S.P) and the Oceania University of Medicine (O.U.M).

We dont know if his (Mr. Gounder) University has also been established as a business in Samoa."

Under the legislation we have now, S.Q.A has no power to stop anyone who wants to start a University in Samoa."

But we are working at the moment to improve that and include that. Our board members are working on regulations to include some of the criteria to improve our service for the benefit of our people.

Acting A.C.E.O for the Quality Assurance Division, MerinaGaee-Afoa wants to assure the public that even though there is no law to prohibit setting up Universities in Samoa, there are other ways to solve issues such as this.

This is not the first time we have a case like this, said Mrs. Afoa.

But this is the first time someone has gone out to the media and made the announcement about establishing another University. But over the years, a number of people have approached us asking and wanting to know the process of setting up a University in Samoa."

And for most of them, once we tell and explain to them the process, they never get back to us. I think this can also be good for our people to be aware."

Setting up a University isnt something that you plan overnight. There are certain things to do and achieve before establishing it. We have a right process for them to follow."

Our main concern is our children. We need to protect our learners."

We are happy to assist anyone with the dream to set up another University in Samoa, to help the students of Samoa, but we need to make sure that it is done properly and in the right way.
Thursday night was an evening full of fun and laughter at Sails Restaurant and Bar at Matautu where musicians with amazing abilities entertained.

The Nuanua O le Alofa (N.O.L.A.) band played to raise funds for the 5th Pacific Regional Conference on Disability at the end of the month.

Two weeks ago, the band, made up of all members with disabilities, rocked Sails Restaurant and Bar.

The owners, Seiuli Ian and Lyvia Black were so impressed they invited the group back. They even donated the venue to help with N.O.L.As fundraising efforts.

Setu Tiatia said the main purpose of their fundraising is to help Samoa host the conference.

N.O.L.A is working in partnership with SENESE and Loto Taumfai to make the conference a success.

This is the second time our Band has performed here, the first time was two weeks ago, said Mr. Tiatia. Its all because we want to get more money to provide for the meeting.

They netted close to $2,000 during their first performance.

All the proceeds go to N.O.L.As account for the meeting.

But the band will continue even after the meeting.

They will be used to help N.O.L.A with its other activities throughout the year.

Mr. Tiatia thanked all their sponsors and supporters, including the Ministry of Women and Social Development, the government of Australia and Eveni who donated a uniform for the band to use.
The United States Embassy in Samoa is throwing its support behind Filet685 Productions first official Community Youth Drama Workshop.

The company is a new production house and one of the eight organizations that received funding through the U.S. Embassy Apias 2016 Public Diplomacy Small Grant Scheme.

Through this funding and partnership, Filet685 is running its first official Community Youth Drama Workshop. It was opened on Thursday night.

I am adamant that this will be beneficial for youth and young adults of Samoan Communities.

We are extremely happy to sponsor this project, said the Charge dAffaires, Angelina Wilkinson at the opening.

The U.S. Embassys partnership with Filet685 enables these professionally trained drama educators to conduct interactive drama workshops sharing their knowledge, experience and training with local youth.

With financial support from the Embassy, Filet685 Production hopes to not only provide an avenue of expression for local youth, children and aspiring actors; but also encourage youth to explore the telling of stories of Samoan people, whether it be through theatre, film, television or radio.

For all of the aspiring actors in the room today, Id like to offer you a quote from the acclaimed and experienced Hollywood actress Meryl Streep, Acting is not about being someone different. Its finding the similarity in what is apparently different then finding myself in there.

I take this to suggest that acting doesnt mean you simply pretend to be someone else.

Although, the age group targeted is 16-25 years of age, exceptions for younger children with a penchant for the performing arts are being made.

Creative husband and wife team Naea Asolelei Toalepai and Fiona Collins-Toalepai are excited about the three day workshop and sharing their knowledge, experience and training with the local youth.

Their prior work in Samoa have included various stage plays (aloFA, Where We Once Belonged, Peles Stars, Frangipani Perfume), a seven-episode radio drama (Faatino Lou Valaauina) and several pantomime childrens pieces (Little Red Riding Hood, Three Little Pigs, Magic Moments).

A vital part of this new production house is that their productions and vision pertains to the education and development of local youth and children with classes and workshops that allow growth, learning and progression of skills.
Have you ever wished that there was an easy way available to provide you with the latest weather updates every day?

Well you dont have to worry anymore.

There is now a weather app available just for you so you can prevent yourself making a trip across town to be updated about the weather.

This follows the launching of a new weather app by the Samoa Meteorology Office and is now available on goggle play, by searching Samoa Weather.

And with just one click, you will be able to get all the weather updates, anytime, anywhere and any day.

According to Luteru Tauvale of the Meterology Office, the availability of various smart phones and tablet devices with 3G capabilities was the reason they developed the app.

This will enable users to stay in touch with the latest weather conditions regardless of their current condition.

The App was developed to make use of the available smart phones, to receive weather and meteorological information, said Mr. Tauvale.

It targets people with Smart phones, to make use of the available technology (mobile phones), so that meteorological information which includes weather forecasts, warnings etc can be easily received by people.

The Management team at the Met Office initiated the plan.

It was one of the subjects that has been discussed in regional and international meetings, as part of our efforts to improve and provide a more effective early warning system.

It only took them a few months to develop the app with the help of an I.T. Specialist Volunteer from Japan.

So how can this benefit you?

Meteorological information especially weather forecast will be easy to receive by mobile users who will download the app, he said.

So if every single family has a family member with the App, I believe, every family will receive weather information faster than before, especially in time of severe weather events (cyclones).

How does it work?

Very similar to other mobile app, said Mr. Tauvale.

You just download it and when you have it, you can just click on the App Icon, then latest weather forecast will pop up.

Once there is a warning, we will notify everyone and everyone with the app will immediately get the notification on their phones.

However, the app is only available for android phones at the moment.

We are working on having the same for apple phones and devices at the moment.
Some might have been wondering why the Samoa Observer was not represented at the Media Council Meeting last week, where members of the council were appointed, and their photograph was subsequently published in this papers edition yesterday.

Let me tell you why.

Back in August 2003 when the Samoa Observer celebrated its 25th anniversary, Samoas relatively new Prime Minister at the time, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, made the suggestion that perhaps the press should consider introducing a code of practice to regulate itself.

That suggestion of his, as it turned out, caused some concern since at the time, a press code was already in place, it had been adapted by the Journalists Association of Western Samoa (J.A.W.S.) from a U.S. model some years previously, and at that point it was operational right here in Samoa.

Still, down the line J.A.W.S. executive decided it was time to have its own code of ethics with a self-regulatory Media Council to adjudicate upon alleged breaches of it, which was when a request to The Thomson Foundation of the U.K. for assistance, was made.

Later, with support from the Commonwealth Media Development Fund, and in partnership with The Thomson Foundation, the media expert named Ian Beales, was sent over to help get the job done.

His was a two-part assignment.

First, he was to establish whether there was support for such a Code of Ethics, and if there was, what form should it take if it were to command the full support of the industry, as well as the respect of the public.

The understanding was that when he returned home, he would draft a Code to reflect Samoas needs and aspirations, which would then be sent to all interested parties for consultation, and if the final Code was broadly acceptable to the industry, it would then be adopted and introduced.

Second, if there was general agreement on the Code he was proposing, he would return to Samoa to investigate if there would be enough support for a self-regulatory Media Council, find out whether it was desirable, practical, workable and what form it would take, and finally what possible funding would be needed.

Mr Beales spent 13 days in Samoa.

Later, when he was back in the U.K., he wrote: I am extremely grateful for the time, patience and unfailing courtesy, wisdom and hospitality, which I received throughout my stay, and I offer my warmest thanks to all those who contributed to it.

Still, there were some difficulties along the way, he wrote, especially in funding and so forth, and yet with goodwill they can usual be overcome.

He then explained that the removal of such stumbling blocks would form a major part of the second stage of this project, and he then revealed one of the stumbling blocks he was talking about was.

He wrote: One very senior media figure questioned the political wisdom of the media pursuing self-regulation to such lengths while at the same time, seriously anti-media legislation are still in place.

He also wrote: Such anti-media legislation are Criminal Defamation and The Publishers and Printers Acts.

They remain on the Statute book as a major threat to media freedom in general, and investigative journalism in particular.

He then pointed out: This is a very real concern and it will need to be addressed.

And so, Criminal Defamation and the Publishers and Printers Acts, what are they?

Briefly, they were described then as archaic laws that some governments had used in the distant past to punish hardened criminals, and yet here in Samoa at the time, they were being used by our government leaders to punish unsuspecting journalists.

Incidentally, the law of Criminal Libel which carried the jail term of six months, was used at that time by Samoas prime minister in an attempt to punish the editor of the Samoa Observer by putting him in jail.

The prime minister was apparently angry with the editor for allowing a story that he claimed had tarnished his reputation, to be published in the paper.

And yet, as far as the editor was aware, his job was to tell the truth, and nothing but the battered, naked truth. That was all he cared about, he said.

Luckily for him though, the Attorney General at the time, Brenda Heather, submitted to the court for the matter be discontinued, and in response, His Honour, Chief Justice, Patu Falefatu Sapolu, accepted.

Subsequently the claim was withdrawn.

Said the story on the trial that was published in the paper the next day: In his ruling, His Honour agreed that the defendants constitutional rights were at the risk of being breached under criminal libel, but then he ruled that the hearing of the charge should proceed anyway.

The defendants were sued for criminal libel over the publication in Samoan of a letter from a Samoan living in New Zealand, Misatauveve Joseph Hollywood.

They could have been jailed for up to six months if convicted.

In an accompanying editorial comment headlined Thank you, Samoa, the editor wrote: The discontinuation of criminal libel proceedings against the Samoa Observer by the Supreme Court yesterday, was the best news this newspaper has heard for a long time.

It also said: Thank you Samoa for your support.

Still, that was then.

Today, the questions that are still aching for some answers are:

What has become of the anti-media laws called the Criminal Defamation Bill and Publishers and Printers Act?

Indeed, has the government repealed those sinister laws as itd said it would?

We have no idea.

All we know is that when the former Attorney General, Aumua Ming Leaug Wai, was asked for a comment while he was still in office, he told the Samoa Observer the government was indeed in the process of repealing the laws in question.

We have not heard about whats become of them since.

And so, perhaps thats something for the newly-appointed National Media Association of Samoa  or is it J.A.W.S.* whatever that silly acronym stands for - to find out.

And lastly, dont you think those who are accused of fraud and embezzlement should not be allowed to have anything to do within the governing board, of the National Media Association of Samoa?

Its just a thought anyway.

Have a peaceful Samoa, God bless.

*J.A.W.S. stands for Journalists of Western Samoa.
Dear Editor,

Both the government and Coin Save need to be upfront about the Vaitele Market tender. I believe the business has some key connections in there.

Is this not the same company that was barred from Rarotonga and other pacific islands?

Now Im asking Minister Lautafi, PM Tuilaepa and this H.R.P.P govt to tell the public exactly how much the lease is.

What happened to this market at Vaitele, will happen to all these white elephant buildings that cost the people of this nation $100s Millions and they generated zero income for the people.

PM Tuilaepa and H.R.P.P will give these buildings to a Chinese investor for less than half price and those Chinese investors will turn these buildings into hotels for the 30,000 Chinese he promised to bring into the country, and the people of Samoa will still pay off 100% of the loan.

Again, our $1.7+ Billion loan was created by PM Tuilaepa to create jobs and assets for the Chinese people and for themselves and the people are paying for it. The lease from this $5.7 Million Vaitele Market will still not be able to pay the loan off the people are paying today.

Can you imagine this $5.7Million invested on genuine farmers and their products and crops exported overseas?

Not only will it create jobs for our people, it will pay the $5.7 MIllion off and our people will continue to benefit from it for 10s of years. That will not happen under PM Tuilaepa and H.R.P.Ps leadership as they are only in office to serve themselves.

Moleula
Cabinet has moved to stop the waste of public monies used to pay government officials who are suspended while being investigated for wrongdoing.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaois administration has changed the rules with regards to the benefits received by any government employee who is suspended pending an investigation.

The change was confirmed in a Cabinet decision leaked to the Sunday Samoan, which highlights the concerns about thousands of taxpayer dollars being wasted every year on the issue.

The decision was made during a special Cabinet meeting on 9 December 2016 where Cabinet agreed to the following conditions for Heads of departments who are facing suspension.

There must be a decision by Cabinet to confirm the suspension, the Cabinet paper reads.

An official can receive their full pay for a month starting from the date when Cabinet makes a decision to suspend."

An official can only use their government assigned vehicle for one month from the date when Cabinet makes a decision."

After a month, the payment of the salary will cease and the government vehicle must be returned to the Ministry.

According to Cabinet, after the investigation, if the official is allowed to resume his/her duties, they are entitled to back pay, depending on however long they were suspended for.

However, if the allegation is proven and the officials services are terminated, he/she will not be eligible to any benefits.

The same rule applies to all public servants.

The decision follows years of calls from Members of Parliament who were concerned about the public monies being wasted every time senior government officials are suspended.

In the not too distant past, some senior government officials were suspended for as long as six months and they were still entitled to the benefits including the use of government vehicles.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has downplayed questions of conflict of interest in the transfer of two prime land properties owned by the Samoa National Provident Fund (S.N.P.F.) at the Vaitele industrial area.

This is what I call a storm in a tea cup, Tuilaepa said.

Everything has been done in accordance to procedures. So whoever wrote the letter, should have gone to investigate properly. I dont know if its jealousy its jealousy. You see jealousy is a very bad thing.

Tuilaepa made the point in response to questions raised in a letter titled Alleged conflict of interest or nepotism? sent to the Samoa Observer. The letter questioned the decision by S.N.P.F. to authorise the transfer of such properties to a member of the Board.

Tuilaepa said he has looked into the matter.

The allegation is that it has been awarded to someone on the board. So I wanted to find out more, he said.

I have been told that one of the estates was advertised and tendered. It was tendered three or four times. Even Women in Business tendered for it. I knew because I was copied in on the correspondence and W.I.B.D.I. had the lease but I was told they changed their mind.

At that point, Tuilaepa said the Chief Executive Officer thought that they are wasting their time going through the process of advertising so many times only to get people with no money.

So they went back on the bidders and there was this one guy who had missed out on a couple of occasions. The management thought were not going to waste time on advertising for it anymore so they decided to offer it to this man who has been bidding a few times but missed out. So thats the man who was successful.

Tuilaepa said the lease was signed some three years ago.

Ive heard its been three years since the lease was done but his mistake was that he had married this girl. The girl is the daughter of this man who sits on the board. They just got married yesterday. So that was his mistake.

Referring to the bidder, Tuilaepa said the bugger comes from somewhere close to Aana while the girls father owns a cattle farm."

He comes from the village of Falevao.

The Prime Minister said the government policy on these matters is quite clear and that is to put to tender.

Its important to tender because the government will get a good return on it. The government is not a banana trunk; its a government that belongs to all of us.

But there are factors to consider.

Its not just a good price its also whether you can get your business off the ground right away.

He referred attempts to development Taumeasina island which started in 1970s. Many attempts failed because they had no money.

With these public tenders, there are many cases where people just bid and yet they dont have any money, Tuilaepa said.

So when it gets to that stage where you have been told you won and you are asked to front up with money and you reject so it was like that with the land in question.

Last week, the Chief Executive Officer of the Samoa National Provident Fund (S.N.P.F.), Faumuina Esther Poutoa, denied any wrongdoing in the matter.

In a letter, she also reassured that the S.N.P.F Board takes extreme care to address issues of conflict of interest (C.O.I.) with such transactions as per N.P.F. Act 1972.

The procedure regarding lands that have been identified to be leased is that these lands are advertised publicly; once the bids are received they will be reviewed by S.N.P.Fs properties division for a decision and subsequently awarded to the winning bidder, she wrote.

The decision to award which could be made by the Board or Management is based on criteria which include the current financial position of the bidder, the ability to service the lease and the bid price."

Certain properties are not part of the lands put aside for leases as they are either part of land already leased or any other reason. If there is a request to lease such land by any member of the public, Management has the discretion to make a decision regarding such request on a case by case.
Think a minute Neil Vanderbilt was spoiledbut he could afford to be. Starting at age 16, he had worked his way to the top and built one of the largest transportation empires in history.

As one of the richest men in the world, Vanderbilt frequently ate at an expensive restaurant called the Moon Lake Lodge where many wealthy, powerful people went for fine dining.

Back in that era there was a new food from France called French Fries that was popular among rich Americans.

One night Vanderbilt ordered some at the Moon Lake Lodge. But the cook, George Crum, had not yet learned how to make French Fries, so he cut them too thick. Vanderbilt complained and the waiter returned the fries to George telling him that Vanderbilt demanded that he cut the potatoes thinner.

To keep his rich customer happy, George made some more. But Vanderbilt sent them back again with the same complaint that they were still too thick.

By now, George the chef was angry. So he decided he would teach his spoiled, demanding customer a lesson! He grabbed his sharpest knife and sliced the potatoes so thin they were like paper.

Next he dipped them into boiling fat and poured heaps of salt on them. Then George himself personally served Vanderbilt these extremely thin, overcooked, over-salted potato pieces.

But to his surprise, Vanderbilt liked them! In fact, Georges overcooked revenge on Vanderbilt later became a popular snack around the world: the potato chip.

Even if you get off to a bad start, its how you finish that counts. A successful man says: Try fast.

Fail fast. Learn fast. The great car manufacturer, Henry Ford, put it this way: Mistakes are simply the opportunity to start again with more knowledge and wisdom.

Jesus can help you turn your frustrations and failures into success.

But you must first ask Him take charge of your way of living. Just like you cannot expect a doctor to help you if you do not do what he says and take the right medicine as he directed.

It is not until you start living Jesus way every day that He can start working everything in your life, even your mistakes, for your good and benefit.

Just think a minute
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a $4.7 million supplemental grant to a UC San Diego-led research consortium to develop therapies to eradicate malaria.

The 3-year grant is led by Elizabeth Winzeler, professor in the pediatric division of host-microbe systems and therapeutics at UCSD School of Medicine.

The supplement grant is meant to expand the research originally funded in 2012. It includes new partners, such as Pennsylvania State University and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the United Kingdom.

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Existing malaria drugs are inadequate, and are also losing their effectiveness as the four species of Plasmodium parasites that cause the disease develops resistance. The consortium seeks to find the drugs through examining the parasites genome.

In 2012, the Gates Foundation awarded Winzeler and colleagues a four-year, $3.5 million grant to develop new antimalarial compounds less likely to provoke resistance, UC San Diego said in a Feb. 17 statement.

In 2013, Winzelers team published research in Nature demonstrating that an enzyme used by the parasite as it develops in its vertebrate host is a likely drug target. This enzyme is used even when the parasite enters a dormant stage, lodging in the liver and not circulating in the blood, where malaria drugs can more easily reach them.

Winzeler said that to date, the consortium has produced more than 200 clones of the P. falciparum parasite to use for testing potential drugs. Also, 12 new drug targets have been identified, she said in the UCSD statement.

In addition, the consortium has developed a robust bioinformatics pipeline through which researchers can share data and findings; discovered new alleles (alternative forms) in known drug-resistant parasite genes and discovered new drug-resistant genes, UCSD said.

Science Playlist  On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds

bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1020
San Diego Gas & Electric still hasnt whipped its customer billing problem.

Due to what the utility has called technical complexities, some 15,000 residential and commercial business customers have not been receiving monthly electric bills. That represents about 1 percent of SDG&Es customer base.

We extend our apologies to those customers who have been impacted, said Scott Crider, SDG&Es vice president of customer relations. We are committed to fixing this problem quickly and we understand this can be a burden on some of our customers and we stand ready to work with them.

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Crider said the company is making strides, saying that at its peak last summer, about 40,000 customers were getting their bills delayed.

Once customers eventually receive their bill, they are responsible to pay for it. However, under California regulations, customers can only be back-billed for three months worth of expenses.

What, specifically, is causing the billing delays?

Crider cited a series of technical issues that include transitioning to time-of-use rates, net metering rules, regulations that reduced the rate structure from three tiers to two and electric vehicle rates.

Weve added a lot of new complexity and made a lot of changes in an extraordinarily short amount of time, said Crider.

The Union-Tribune first reported on the problem in late September 2016. At the time, SDG&E officials predicted theyd have the problem solved by the end of the year.

On Friday, Crider did not offer a target date for eradicating the delays. Were committed to fixing the problem, Crider said. The situation is my No. 1 priority. We will get this resolved.

The utility said it has nearly doubled its billing staff to tackle the problem.

For five months in 2016, Lemon Grove resident Katie Dexter did not receive her residential electric bill.

When I first realized I wasnt getting a bill, I called SDG&E and they said, oh, theres a glitch in the system, Dexter said. Then there was still a glitch and theyre working on it. And Im thinking, well this has been about four months and you cant figure this out?

One commercial customer contacted the Union-Tribune last week and said the company had not received its bill for the past eight months.

Its very strange that it has gone on for all this time, said Mindy Spatt, communications director at The Utility Reform Network, a consumer group based in San Francisco. And its also very troubling for the customers who are living in fear that when they do receive a bill it will be gi-normous.

Crider said SDG&E is happy to work with customers to make any sort of payment arrangements in order to alleviate this burden.

The utility, Crider said, contacts customers automatically to let them know if theres a delay with their bills.

Everyday were making a little bit more progress and were going to continue at it very aggressively until we get resolution, Crider said.

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rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski
Sometime next year, the most populous state in the nation will let licensed recreational pot sellers start cashing in on a multibillion-dollar industry.

But even though California voters approved these businesses in passing Proposition 64 in November, a major unresolved issue remains that will force a large portion of the states legal cannabis community to continue to operate in the shadows: banking.

Because marijuana is still illegal under federal law, it is also illegal for banks to work with any marijuana-related businesses.

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While the Obama administration in 2014 issued stringent guidelines that allow banks to serve marijuana-related businesses that are following state laws, most banks have not been willing to risk the lingering threat of criminal prosecution or to spend the resources it takes to comply with the extra rules.

Bankers have said that in the current environment, with the enforcement and examiners looking at everything bankers are doing, they arent really predisposed to take on anything risky, said Rob Rowe, vice president and associate chief counsel of regulatory compliance for the American Bankers Association. And banking a marijuana business is risky.

The medical marijuana industry has grappled with this for years in California and elsewhere. Now, entrepreneurs and conglomerates going after a slice of lucrative recreational pot sales will have to confront the banking challenge.

If you cant keep your money in the bank, where do you put it? And how do you pay operating expenses, if you cant write a check?

No banking access means paying employees, bills and taxes in cash. It means no credit or debit card payments from clients. No small business loans or real estate mortgages. No services from mainstream armored car companies that also contract with the federal government. No official records to build credit or establish a financial identity.

And it means a lot of cash  cash that must be stored somewhere and makes marijuana businesses an even greater target for crime.

They have tens of thousands, if not millions, of dollars, said Michael Julian, CEO and president of MPS Security, which caters to marijuana-related businesses. And its not as secure in a vault in their establishment, in a closet at home, in their mattress, in the trunk of their car, whatever.

Like a pirate

Hezekiah Allen, who grew up off-the-grid in rural Humboldt County and tended a small medical marijuana farm in Northern California, hid his cash the same way many cannabis business owners in his situation do.

I buried everything. I had three different safes buried on a 200-acre parcel, Allen said. Fifteen steps from the oak tree, a lot like a pirate. I had a little map. Pretty inconvenient and not the best cash management system.

And moist earth is not a friend to paper.

Bankers on the north coast talk about mildewy money. They can tell its been buried, Allen said.

Allen has left his growing operation to serve full time as an advocate for marijuana farmers, and now works to get their profits out of the ground and into banks.

We dont want to lie anymore, we dont want to have to hide what we are doing, said Allen, executive director of the California Growers Association. We want to be open and transparent about what we are and want to do. (Banking) is an area where there are some really bad behaviors being reinforced.

A recent survey by the growers association found 75 percent of its members dont have a bank account, and the ones who do have had three or more accounts closed in the course of doing business.

A 2015 survey by Marijuana Business Daily of more than 400 cannabis professionals nationwide also found 70 percent of businesses that deal directly in marijuana operate without traditional banking services. As for firms that support the business but dont handle the plant, 49 percent dont have bank accounts.

The conflict between banks and the cannabis industry began when California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, and it ratcheted up when recreational pot sales started in Colorado and Washington in 2012.

With California entering the recreational market, the banking problem will be magnified.

Massachusetts, Nevada, Maine, Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia have also legalized recreational marijuana. Adding in the states that allow medical marijuana brings the total to 28 states, plus D.C., with cannabis laws on the books.

The only real fix to the conflict, experts say, is for Congress to remove marijuana from the list of Schedule I narcotics, putting the drug on par with an FDA-regulated medicine rather than heroin.

Until that happens, state-legal marijuana-related businesses are treated under the letter of the law the same as cartels trafficking methamphetamine. And that makes banks nervous.

Marijuana memos

In 2013, the Obama administration said it would generally not prosecute marijuana businesses that were following state law and didnt engage in certain activities, such as selling to children, crossing state lines or funding criminal organizations. That guidance is spelled out in whats called the Cole Memo, after then-Deputy Attorney General James Cole.

In a separate memo months later, the administration made it easier for banks to conduct business with state-legal operations with guidelines from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, the federal agency that monitors banks for fraudulent activity, such as money laundering.

But banks were also reminded that marijuana remains illegal under federal law and is subject to prosecution.

Under the guidelines, banks serving marijuana-related businesses are told they must file suspicious activity reports, or SARs, so the transactions are transparent and can be tracked by the government. There are three types of reports: Marijuana limited SARs indicate the business is following state law and no red flags suggest it is breaking any other laws; marijuana priority indicates the business may not be following other laws and may be involved in suspicious activity; and marijuana termination alerts to a bank account that has been shut down for suspicious activity.

The marijuana limited reports are filed when an account is opened and then quarterly after that, listing every single transaction that has been made.

Banks are also told to investigate and track marijuana businesses they are serving, making sure they are what they are and not violating any Cole Memo guidelines.

This is a level of scrutiny that is far beyond what is expected of any normal banking relationship, the American Bankers Association said in guidelines posted on its website.

Because of the standards in place, if we do this we have to have someone almost embedded in the customer 24/7, and were not 100 percent certain we saw everything we need to see, said Rowe of the association. Weve got to have such close tabs and use so much resources to closely monitor everything with these businesses, its just not economical.

According to data from FinCEN, some banks have taken on the risk of working with marijuana-related businesses.

In the first six months that the FinCEN guidelines were in effect in 2014, banks nationwide filed 502 suspicious activity reports marked as marijuana limited, according to statistics obtained by Dynamic Securities Analytics. During the same period, FinCEN received 123 marijuana priority SARs and 475 marijuana termination.

Banks keeping quiet

But if banks are knowingly servicing marijuana-related businesses, they arent talking about it. Nor are the businesses.

Bankers will say that we know someone who is (serving a marijuana business), but it is the exception to a general policy, a one-off thing, Rowe said. Ive heard from dispensaries that say we dont want to call attention to it because we had trouble getting an account and dont want to lose what weve got.

Two credit unions in Washington state  Salal Credit Union and Numerica Credit Union  appear to be the exception, with dedicated webpages advertising their services to marijuana businesses. Data from FinCEN suggest credit unions are most welcoming to serving the cannabis industry.

The Washington Department of Financial Institutions advised its banks how to go about working with a marijuana business. The recommendations include consulting with an attorney on the risks and benefits, considering the banks staffing and expertise in SARs and money laundering, and evaluating whether serving marijuana businesses would harm the banks reputation.

Several banks in San Diego County would not say whether they worked with medical marijuana businesses. About a half dozen banks that were called or emailed did not respond to the inquiry or declined to comment, except for one.

California Bank & Trust said in a statement: CB&T has been monitoring the banking needs of the marijuana industry over the years and, even with the recent changes in California law, there continues to be compliance and administrative requirements that create challenges. Well continue to monitor this as the industry starts to mature; both in terms of evolving clarity on banking regulations and also more defined banking needs from the marijuana industry.

Medical marijuana businesses in the county also didnt want to talk about their banking practices, afraid of advertising their cash-handling procedures or harming their delicate relationships with banks.

And heres where the situation gets really touchy.

One way marijuana businesses do manage to secure bank accounts is by setting up limited liability corporations that are management companies providing a list of services, from payroll to accounting to bookkeeping to property management. The money from the marijuana business flows to the company  usually with a nondescript name that doesnt disclose its ties to marijuana  and is deposited in the companys bank account.

Its technically money laundering, and its illegal. But some companies have found success with the tactic, while others are being busted by banks and their accounts are promptly closed.

Michael Cindrich is a San Diego medical marijuana attorney. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)

When you start doing something that looks like money laundering, funneling cash from a nonprofit to something that looks like an LLC, now someone is looking at felony charges, said Mike Cindrich, an attorney who represents marijuana-related businesses and is executive director of the local chapter of NORML, a marijuana advocacy group. I sternly advise against it.

Yet Cindrich sees how marijuana operators feel like they are being backed into a corner by the government. Theyre not leaving the cannabis community with many options here, he said.

Its a complete nightmare for these businesses, Cindrich continued. People who dont want to be legitimate, its very easy for them to not report this cash. If we want legitimacy and for these businesses to come out into the light, then we should allow full banking because it allows this money to be accounted for, taxed, tracked, traced. If this is something the feds really want to keep an eye on theyd change the banking laws altogether and make this happen.

A cash heavy industry

On a recent afternoon, Zach Lazarus showed off the massive walk-in safe installed at A Green Alternative, the medical marijuana dispensary he cofounded in an Otay Mesa shopping center near the Mexican border.

The dispensary is one of 15 granted licenses by the city of San Diego. When the shop was being designed in 2014, the safe was so imposing that it had to go in first so the interior walls could be built around it.

The extreme security measures go further to include a security guard with a metal-detecting wand outside, a locked entry, bulletproof walls and glass, and surveillance cameras.

For Lazarus, the actions have so far kept robbers at bay.

Zach Lazarus, co-founder of A Green Alternative in Otay Mesa, talks about his walk-in safe to store cash and product. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Allen of the growers association said other business owners havent been as lucky. Lots of members have been robbed, been victims of home invasions. The concentration of cash is a sponge for violent crimes.

Thats where businesses like MPS Security in Murrieta come in. The company offers corporate and executive security, fraud detection and loss prevention. In 2013, CEO and President Michael Julian saw the opportunity to serve cannabis industry, especially in Colorado.

In many cases, good security is a requirement of state or city licensing.

For new clients, Julian will write up a security plan, usually 30 to 40 pages long, that goes over everything from cameras to guards to cash transportation to opening and closing procedures. The plan is tailored to licensing requirements, including whether a city requires an armed guard on site during business hours.

When he started catering to marijuana businesses, he bought two armored vehicles, painting a marijuana leaf on the sides. He soon realized that most businesses appreciated a covert approach for cash transport. Most dispensaries use plainclothes drivers in unmarked cars. MPS drivers are often ex-military or ex-police, armed and trained in evasive driving, Julian said.

Most people dont realize that cash is being handed off.

It looks like a customer walking in and out, he said.

Sometimes, he has to convince dispensary owners of their vulnerability.

Its kind of foolish and asking for trouble if you have your 23-year-old front desk girl take $25,000 from the store to a closet and you trust her because shes your niece, but youre putting the whole family and the girl in jeopardy.  Its foolish to put employees in harms way, Julian said.

Kristi Kelly, executive director of the Marijuana Industry Group, Colorados oldest trade association for licensed cannabis businesses, said many dispensary owners avoid keeping marijuana cash in homes.

There are people who go to great lengths to vary their routine, who dont deposit or pick up cash the same day, switch out delivery personnel running the cash, who take specific protective measures to minimize the risk of exposure in the event someone is actually casing them, Kelly said.

What lies ahead

The cannabis industry has eyed the election of President Donald Trump with suspicion and anxiety, waiting to see if the new administration will address the growing legal marijuana market and how it conflicts with banking laws.

Trump has voiced support for legalization but brought up some concerns about the drug during his campaign. He did not make it a major issue, so the industry doesnt think it will be as Trump focuses on bigger priorities  terrorism, immigration, the border wall.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Alabama Republican who once said good people dont smoke marijuana, is a bigger worry.

As head of the U.S. Department of Justice, Sessions has control over how the government enforces federal law and could upend the Obama administrations willingness to look the other way as long as dispensaries followed state law.

Sessions has said he will review the Cole Memo.

He also has said he would commit to enforcing federal law with respect to marijuana, although the exact balance of enforcement priorities is an ever-changing determination based on the circumstances and the resources available at the time.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions (Susan Walsh / Getty Images)

The banking conflict has become a priority for California Treasurer John Chiang, who has convened a Cannabis Banking Working Group made up of representatives from law enforcement, banks, local government, regulators and taxing authorities to find solutions.

A possible fix for Californias banking troubles is to create a state-run bank for the cannabis industry. But even state banks need permission from the federal government.

Colorados attempt to create a state bank for the marijuana industry failed when the Federal Reserve refused to sign off on the plan. The state had chosen a credit union that would follow the stringent rules required of marijuana businesses, but the Fed said in a court filing that it wouldnt act because the drug is illegal under federal law. The case was argued on appeal in November to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and an opinion is forthcoming.

Rowe, of the banking association, said states have been pressuring Congress as the huge revenues from the marijuana business become apparent.

We may be at a tipping point, Rowe said.

Colorado industry advocate Kelly said it has taken time for banks in her state to get comfortable with the idea of legal marijuana, and perhaps that will also happen in California and spread to other states.

California has a greater appetite for progressive thinking than other places, she said.

Correction

An earlier version of this story incorrectly said cocaine, like marijuana, was a Schedule I drug. It is a Schedule II drug.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
One of non-fiction writer Tracy Kidders first books, The Soul of a New Machine, was about computers. It won a Pulitzer Prize.

A half-dozen books later, he returns to the world of computing with A Truck Full of Money, about Paul English, a restless, generous internet genius who co-founded the travel website Kayak and suffers from bipolar disorder.

Kidder, who lives in Massachusetts and Maine, will be at Point Loma Nazarene University Thursday at 7 p.m. as part of the annual Writers Symposium by the Sea. (The symposium, which starts Tuesday, also includes appearances by former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky and Shauna Niequist.)

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Q: Why did you want to write again about computers?

A: The biggest problem Ive had in my time as a writer is figuring out what to do next, which suggests a rather privileged life, I think. I was just casting about. I made a few false starts, actually spent quite some time on one thing and it just occurred to me, why dont I look into computers again?

I knew this guy, Paul English, because hes a member of the board of Partners in Health, Paul Farmers organization. (Farmer was the subject of Kidders earlier book, Mountains Beyond Mountains.) He offered to show me around, and he did that for a while, and at some point I thought my guide ought to be my subject. He just interested me.

Q: What were you hoping it would say about the world of computers?

A: For one thing, that world has gotten so much larger than when I was first looking at it in the early 80s. When I wrote Soul of the New Machine, I was writing largely about hardware engineers. Software now is just king. I was looking for a window on this world and as often happens with me, I found the window more interesting than the view.

I have to say, as much as I liked Paul English, I found myself kind of appalled by this world of the commercial internet. Im 71 now, I was in my late 60s when I started this, and that may have something to do with it, but it strikes me as deeply silly, so much of it. It wasnt what I expected, but it rarely is. I didnt have a team of people racing against a deadline trying to build something new, as I did with the earlier book. I had something quite different, a guy trying to find his way through the wilderness of mental illness. He does a pretty good job of it, all things considered.

Q: Is there a thread that connects all the people you have written about?

A: Maybe the best way to say this is if you wake up in the morning and you read the newspapers as I do, you can start to feel the world is governed by chaos and violence. And to know that there are some people out there who are fighting in the other direction, on the other side as it were, with a certain amount of effectiveness  it just makes me feel better.

Its not that I am convinced they are going to win; in fact, they almost certainly wont. It just makes life seem more meaningful to me. And we are social creatures. I dont care what ones political ideology is, I think its an important part of who we are as a species.

With my first few books, I was really interested in craftsmanship and the work that people do, which is not often enough of a subject that people write about. I was really interested in the question of whether industrial America could accommodate craftsmanship. So I wrote about computer engineers and I wrote about house builders and about a schoolteacher. I still think back fondly on that.

Just when I was getting a little too old and fussy and addicted to my comforts, I started hanging out with the likes of Paul Farmer. That was exhilarating. For me, its just been looking for something interesting and finding the right person or people. I want to bring the people alive on the page and alive in the readers imagination, more like what I guess a novelist tries to do.

Q: How much time did you spent with Paul English?

A: I spent about three years with him. In general, my life divides into research and writing, but never neatly. There have been some occasions when I do a lot of writing and then go back and do more research and kind of toggle between them. But generally I do the research and then I write.

I was hanging out with Paul for most of three years and thats generally what it takes me. But it depends. I had to be sure he was willing to do this. Hes a private person for most purposes and what I do is invade peoples privacy. I had to find out what areas if any were prohibited and see if those were acceptable to me. It sometimes feels like I am trying to talk the person out of letting me do this.

The one thing you really dont want is to spend a whole year doing research and then have the person say, Gee, I shouldnt have done this. Its not what I expected. Thats much worse than someone saying at the start, No offense, I just dont want to do this.

With Paul, boy did he keep his part of the deal. He was so open. I think there were times with him when he wasnt even really aware I was there. Its like I was a piece of furniture. And thats a great position to be in.

Q: When do you know its time to start writing?

A: Sometimes I just feel it. I want to write. Sometimes I sit down to write to find out if something is as interesting as I thought it was. Sometimes I do it after quite a bit of research to see if I really want to write about this person, this subject. I did that before I happened onto Paul English. I was writing about someone else, and what I wrote, it just didnt come alive. The person is wonderful but it just didnt go anywhere for me.

Q: It sounds as if the element of surprise is important to you in both the reporting and the writing.

A: I think it is. I got a really nice review once (in The New York Times) from a fellow named Ron Suskind. I try not to read reviews anymore, but I read that one. He talked about the willingness to be surprised. I think thats really important. Its not a bad idea to go into something with lots of pre-existing ideas  if you are willing to accept that you are wrong. It can be exhilarating to learn that its not the obvious thing. That its not what you thought. Thats really cool. When I was much younger, I dont think I was as happy about that as I am now.

Q: Ive read all your books and I dont remember you ever using photographs in them. Why not?

A: Thats true. I think photos are unfair competition for writers. Theres a little more to it, and there is a photo of Paul Farmer with a little boy in the front of the paperback edition of Mountains. But did you ever see Gregory Peck in Moby Dick? I remember this vividly, thinking, Thats not Captain Ahab!

I like the way the mind can form pictures on its own out of words. I think thats powerful. And while I do like seeing pictures of people in books, I havent done it and maybe I should. It never seemed necessary to me.

A Truck Full of Money: One Mans Quest to Recover from Great Success, by Tracy Kidder, Random House, 288 pages.

john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-2236
If 2.5 Minute Ride is Shana Wrides first time performing a solo show, maybe she should try some other daunting debut pursuits as well: alligator wrestling, the running of the bulls, the running of the government.

As writer-actor Lisa Krons alter ego in this deeply personal one-woman play, Wride is giving a beautifully attuned, funny and lay-it-all-on-the-stage performance at Diversionary Theatre, 21 years after the works world premiere across town at La Jolla Playhouse.

Wride is an accomplished San Diego actor-director and a veteran of many demanding roles, but until now had never carried a show by herself. Here, in a tricky piece that conjoins stories of a family trip to an amusement park with recollections of a visit to (yes) a concentration camp, her work feels completely natural and, above all, movingly human.

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Granted, an actors first job is more or less to disappear into a character, but even at that, Wrides authentic connection to the confessional material may well have you believing these poignant and raw and comical things actually happened to her.

Much credit also goes to director Rosina Reynolds, who herself did memorable work in a recent solo show (Goldas Balcony in 2016 at New Village Arts Theatre), and clearly has created a comfort level for Wride to take on this 80-minute, intermission-free emotional roller coaster.

2.5 Minute Ride

When: Performed in rotation with Well. 7 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays; plus 7 p.m. Feb. 27 and March 6. Through March 19. (Check with theater for specific dates on each play.)

Where: Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights

Tickets: $15-$45 (discounts available; special pricing for seeing both plays)

Phone: (619) 220-0097

Online: diversionary.org

That last cliche is too easy but, in this case, also too true: A climactic moment of the show takes place on the thrill ride of the title  an experience Lisa (as the character is identified) shares with her dad, a Holocaust survivor and coaster enthusiast.

2.5 Minute Ride was Krons first major work in a career that has taken her most recently to major Broadway success with the musical Fun Home, for which she won two Tony Awards in 2015 as writer and lyricist.

Diversionary is doubling down on her work by staging 2.5 Minute Ride in rotating repertory with Well, Krons 2006 Broadway debut, which centers on her bond with her ailing mom.

But the central concern of 2.5 Minute Ride is Krons relationship with her aging dad. That story unfolds through vivid accounts of an annual trip to Ohios Cedar Point amusement park with her quirky and exasperating extended family.

At one point, Lisa intones with a note of dark secrets being revealed: The sad truth is that my family comes to the Cedar Point amusement park for the food. (Cut to an image of an aunt eating cold sausages out of her purse.)

Those stories are woven together with much more fraught tales (although often witty in their own way) of accompanying her German-born father on his first visit to Auschwitz, where his parents perished.

The pretense is that Lisa is showing us a slide show of her family history while describing the making of a video about her father with her then-girlfriend, Peg. (The playwright drops in several amusing lines about family reaction to her lesbian identity.)

The slides are actually blank  squares of light projected on Sean Fannings spare, curved-space set  but through detailed description we see images of dusty, rutted Polish roads and gaudy theme-park scenes. (Melanie Chens subtle but evocative sound design is first-rate throughout.)

The sometime breeziness of the narrative, which also covers the pending wedding of Lisas brother, takes its own white-knuckle turn when, recalling a scene from Auschwitz, she finally confronts her dads suffering, and his mortality.

That riveting, angry moment is leavened by the tenderness of Lisas feelings toward her father, whose vision is so bad that when he looks at her, he sees what looks like a flower where her head should be.

Plenty else blooms beautifully from appalling loss in this worthy show.

Twitter: @jimhebert

jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com
The local ACLU chapter on Friday joined the Military Religious Freedom Foundation in publicly accusing Marine leaders of discriminating against Jews and other non-Christian recruits  an allegation the Corps officials deny.

At issue is the creche erected during each years Christmas season on the grounds of Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego to commemorate the birth of Jesus. In December, the lighted display was located near the base chapel and featured statues of the Three Wise Men bearing gifts to the newborn.

On Jan. 17, the New Mexico-based foundation petitioned Marine Brig. Gen. William Jurney  commander of the boot camp and the Western Recruiting Region  to let troops of other faiths put up religious displays near the creche. The foundation said it represents 27 active-duty, retired and veteran Marines affiliated with the depot.

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Twenty of those individuals are Jewish and want to place a Hanukkah menorah on the depots grounds each December, the foundation said. The group also said seven Marines who are Christian or dont worship any deity joined the petition, contending that the Corps appears to promote Christianity over other faiths at the depot.

On Feb. 10, Jurneys staff judge advocate general, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Munoz, told the foundation in a letter that such concerns were premature because theres no longer a creche on the MCRD grounds and the (next) holiday season is months away.

Munoz said the Corps is in full compliance with the U.S. Constitution and federal, state and local laws, and that the service would never endorse any religion over another.

Compliance with the law is a matter that we take seriously and adhere to scrupulously.  All service members and civilian employees aboard this installation are free to practice their religion as provided for in law and regulation, Munoz wrote.

On Friday, David Loy, legal director for the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, entered the fray. He wrote to the Corps alleging that Munoz was trying to sidestep the issue  an effort that he described as at best evasive and at worst thinly veiled discrimination.

Loy urged the Corps to immediately grant permission to the Jewish Marines in question so they could start planning a Menorah display for the 2017 holiday season.

On the same day, depot spokesman Capt. Matthew Finnerty said the Corps declined to elaborate beyond what we already provided in Munozs letter to the foundation.

In 1971, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case of Lemon v. Kurzman concluded with a ruling that a government policy violates the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment if its purpose isnt secular, primarily advances or inhibits religion, or fosters an excessive entanglement of the government with a faith.

This isnt just about a Marine Corps that says your constitutional rights are premature. These sorts of actions by the Marines destroy unit cohesion and ruin morale, said Michael Mikey Weinstein, a former Air Force officer and the foundations creator. These Marines shouldnt have to be like the tarantula on a wedding cake, afraid to go up the chain of command. They should be protected because the Bill of Rights exists not for the convenience of the majority but to prevent the tyranny of the majority.

Weinstein said his organization used to rely on Glen Doherty, a former Navy SEAL and member of the foundations board, to solve religion-related problems with the Corps before they escalated into the public arena. Doherty, a guard at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was killed during the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the diplomatic compound by Islamic militants loyal to Ansar al-Sharia, a terrorist organization.

He handled the area for a very, very long time, both San Diego and Twentynine Palms. But he was tragically killed, Weinstein said.

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
Its become a Sunday ritual at Tijuanas busy El Chaparral Port of Entry: Protesters waving Mexican flags and hand-made signs make an appearance at the vehicle inspection lanes  and authorities move to shut down traffic.

For the past six weekends, the presence of demonstrators  typically anywhere from several hundred to a couple dozen  has led Mexican customs officials to close the port. At Mexicos request, the California Highway Patrol has been pitching in, diverting the thousands of southbound drivers heading from San Diego to the Otay Mesa Port of Entry as the weekend comes to a close.

If many in Mexico applaud the protesters causes, the uncertainty and inconvenience surrounding the closures of one of Mexicos busiest ports has worn increasingly thin  and Mexican federal officials are coming under growing pressure to take action.

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Its a complicated issue, thats difficult to understand, said Jorge Boy Espinosa, Mexicos customs administrator in Tijuana told members of the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce on Friday. Boy said his office has instructions to close the port when there are conditions of national security not met for the inspection of merchandise being introduced into the country.

Northbound traffic at the San Ysidro Port of Entry has never been affected, and U.S. authorities say they simply are responding to a call for help from their Mexican counterparts as they move to divert southbound traffic. Were assisting a situation that exists on the Mexican side of the border, said Sally Carrillo, assistant port director at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, calling on Mexican authorities to give her agency and the CHP more lead time.

Business leaders both sides of the border insisted this past week that the status quo at the Mexican port cannot continue. They say it is harming the economy of a binational region whose well-being depends on the steady flow of traffic in both directions.

Jesus Navarro waves at cars entering Mexico on Jan. 8 during a protest at the El Chaparral Port of Entry. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Port closures have not only caused San Ysidro shops to lose customers, they have also led to cancellations of hotel and restaurant reservations in Baja California, they say. A sign of the times: Baja Californias tourism secretariat has begun providing updated information on its website about demonstrations  at the border and elsewhere.

We are asking for authorities to apply the law, said Humberto Jaramillo, president of the Tijuana business umbrella group, Consejo Coordinador Empresarial. We cant have small groups of demonstrators finding it so easy to shut down customs operations.

Jason Wells, executive director of the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber is preparing to ask Tijuana municipal officials to step in, as federal officials have shown no desire to fix it.

At this point its not the closure itself, its the uncertainty if its closed or not, Wells said. People are saying, Im not going to go.

The closures date to early January, when protests erupted across Mexico against President Enrique Pena Nietos administration following a hike in gasoline prices on Jan. 1. On Saturday, Jan. 7, the first swarm of demonstrators made its way to El Chaparral. Unable to continue inspecting vehicles, customs inspectors left their posts, and the demonstrators waved vehicles through for several hours  until U.S. authorities diverted traffic and Mexican customs officials were able to close the port.

The protesters returned the following day, as drivers passing through honked in support and offered thumbs-up signs. Though their numbers have declined, the protesters have returned for several Sundays, expanding their demands to such issues as corruption at all levels of government. On one Sunday  Jan. 29  the protesters apparently didnt show up at all, but the customs officials closed the port as a preemptive measure.

After six consecutive Sunday closures, Tijuanas Consejo Coordinador Empresarial this past week publicly demanded a different approach. The group issued a statement saying it did not understand the indifference of the responsible authorities in preventing demonstrators from staging their actions by the international border  at one of the busiest border crossings in the world.

Boy said his agencys mandate is to conduct inspections  and negotiating with any protesters or forcing them to leave El Chapparal is a task for other Mexican agencies. Mexicos federal police and its military are the ones who must come to an understanding and resolve the problem with the protesters, he said. Officials with Mexicos Interior Ministry, he said, should talk to the demonstrators  so that they dont demonstrate or prevent customs from operating.

Boy added the issue is not just a federal one, but a problem for all three levels of government.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

@sandradibble
For many cross-border commuters, northbound waits are part of the routine. But in recent weeks, growing numbers say they have been facing lengthy southbound waits as well.

Crossers such as Tijuana resident Mara Camacho, whose children attend school in Lemon Grove, complain of maddeningly slow southbound traffic when returning to Mexico  the result of intensified screenings by U.S. Customs and Border Protection of drivers preparing to leave the United States.

Theres more of a problem getting into Mexico than getting out of Mexico, said Camacho, a U.S. citizen who works as a realtor in Tijuana.

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While the family is able to cross fairly quickly to San Diego in the SENTRI lanes for crossers who have undergone background checks, they are coming to expect long lines to get back home. On weekday afternoons, my kids are doing an average of 50 minutes of border wait, Camacho said.

She is not alone: Complaints about southbound waits have been appearing repeatedly in recent days on Facebook pages where border commuters communicate about the border lines in both directions.

While President Donald Trump has vowed to increase border security, CBP officials say these outbound inspections are not the result of any directive from the new administration. The southbound screenings are just business as usual, said Sally Carrillo, assistant port director at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

Were always doing them, its part of our routine enforcement, Carrillo said. Were looking for weapons, were looking for money thats going out of the country, were not going to stop that.

Critics of the southbound screenings such as Jason Wells, executive director of the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce, question their benefits. We think that its unnecessary and repetitive. We dont ask Mexico to pre-inspect what comes northbound.

Wells said the timing was terrible...with the administration change, sentiments are just all over the board, why would you heighten inspection during that time?

Unlike northbound inspections, which screen every crosser, the southbound inspections are occasional and unannounced. We call it pulse and surge, Carrillo said Thursday during a breakfast meeting on Thursday hosted by the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce.

Drivers have remarked that the CBP inspections lead to the closing of three lanes leading toward Mexico, creating a traffic bottleneck, even if officers are not inspecting vehicles. Carrillo said the aim of closing off lanes is so that people will slow down and afford us the opportunity to conduct inspections.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a statement that reads: We do not comment on the number, frequency, or timing of outbound inspections.

The statement adds that the outbound inspections are conducted when resources permit, and that they have successfully stopped child abduction, interdicted criminals fleeing prosecution, interdicted illegal contraband such as controlled substances, precursor drugs, and arms, and uncovered myriad other violations involving currency reporting requirements, stolen vehicles, trade, and immigration.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

@sandradibble
A day after a longtime friend of Robert Durst testified that the multimillionaire confessed to a years-old Los Angeles murder, Dursts legal team played a recording that could haunt one of the prosecutions key witnesses if the case goes to trial.

On the call, prosecutors confronted Nick Chavin about conflicting accounts he had given about whether Durst had confessed.

Im a liar, Im a professional liar  I work in advertising, Chavin, 72, said in the 2015 interview.

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Chavin told the court this week that Durst admitted a few years ago in New York City to the 2000 killing of his longtime confidant, Susan Berman. Chavin also claimed Durst told Berman he had killed his first wife, Kathleen, who vanished in New York in 1982.

Dursts lead attorney, Dick DeGuerin, seized on a number of recorded phone calls between Chavin and Los Angeles prosecutors in court Friday, dismissing Chavins testimony as a story. DeGuerin pointed to instances where Chavin told prosecutors that Durst had not confessed. The attorney even hinted that by testifying against the real estate heir, Chavin might be trying to curry favor with Dursts brother, Douglas, as the two siblings openly despise one another.

Chavin appeared irked by DeGuerins suggestions, insisting that he hid the truth during earlier interviews with prosecutors, in part, because of his long friendship with Durst.

Everything Im saying is based on my wanting to cover up the truth at that time. I didnt want to admit it, Chavin said when pressed about the calls.

Durst, 73, is charged with murder in the execution-style slaying of Berman, who was shot in the back of the head inside her Benedict Canyon home in December 2000. Prosecutors allege that Durst targeted Berman because he was afraid she would talk to investigators about what had happened to his missing wife.

Berman, a Las Vegas-born writer whose father was a mob boss, had acted as an informal spokeswoman for Durst, fielding media inquiries that followed Kathleens disappearance.

Even though a trial in Dursts case likely wouldnt take place until 2018 at the earliest, Chavin was questioned in court this week because of fears raised by the prosecution that he might die or be killed before the case reaches a jury.

The 72-year-old advertising executive was hustled into the Los Angeles Airport Courthouse on Wednesday as a secret witness, whose identity was withheld from the defense for several weeks and from the public until the moment he took the stand. As he arrived in the courtroom, Chavin was flanked by LAPD officers, who have kept an eye on him from the courtrooms jury box.

Durst has stared ahead, expressionless, during much of the testimony, only occasionally whispering to his attorneys.

A preliminary hearing for Durst is scheduled for October, and both sides will return to court in April to litigate several issues and question four more witnesses. The identity of one of those witnesses is also being withheld.

Chavin, who said Durst was one of his best friends, told the court on Thursday that Durst asked him to meet for dinner in 2014 to discuss Berman and Kathleen Durst. The topic didnt come up, however, until the two men exited the restaurant, he testified.

You wanted to talk about Susan? Chavin recalled asking Durst as the men left. The question, he said, prompted a chilling reply.

I had to. It was her or me, Durst said, according to Chavins testimony. I had no choice.

But DeGuerin  who successfully defended Durst in a 2003 murder trial in Texas and has repeatedly said Durst had nothing to do with Bermans killing  pointed to another recorded 2015 interview with prosecutors in which Chavin said the confession didnt happen.

We were out on the sidewalk saying goodbye, Chavin said in the interview. I reminded him that he wanted to talk to me about it ... and he said, Next time. 

DeGuerin harped on the differing accounts given by Chavin, who initially insisted he hadnt lied to prosecutors but was simply dodging their questions because he wasnt under oath at the time.

During the afternoon session, however, Chavin said he had initially lied to prosecutors when he denied that Durst had confessed to him.

I was lying, he said. I was covering up. I just didnt want to tell the truth.

Dursts attorneys then played a recording from one of the 2015 interviews in which Chavin  responding to prosecutors questions about why his wife had told them that Durst had confessed to Chavin  said he had lied to his wife. In that recording, Chavin described himself as a professional liar, referring to his work in advertising. The remark drew a smile from one of Dursts attorneys as the recording was played in court.

On the call, Chavin later told prosecutors he was being facetious.

DeGuerin also grilled Chavin over comments he made during interviews with prosecutors in which he appeared to suggest that testifying against Durst would help his business relationship with the defendants brother, Douglas. The two siblings are estranged and openly hostile to each other. Douglas now controls the Durst Organization, a premier Manhattan real-estate group that Chavin has done work for.

Im in the middle of a really big pitch, for one of the big  biggest jobs in the city for Douglas Durst, he told prosecutors during the interview. Douglas is, you know, scared to death of Bob and certainly wants to see Bob put away. It could only help me.

DeGuerin asked Chavin if he had meant that saying something incriminating about Robert Durst would be beneficial to his business interests. Chavin denied that interpretation but didnt offer an alternative one.

In another call with prosecutors, Chavin said of Robert Durst, My business depends upon goodwill with his brother, who hates him. I want to do everything in my power to  have Douglas Durst feel the best about me.

Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lewin followed up during the phone interview, asking, If that were true, then, you would have  then, you would have been telling us, from day one, Oh yeah, Bob confessed to me,  because according to your theory, that would put you in good graces with Doug Durst.

It sure would, Chavin responded. But, it would make me a liar.

marisa.gerber@latimes.com

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow us on Twitter: @marisagerber and @JamesQueallyLAT

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UPDATES:

7:50 p.m.: This story was updated with additional details from the court hearing.

3:40 p.m.: This story was updated with additional details from the court hearing.

This story was originally published at 3:00 p.m.
Several teachers at Rubidoux High School in Jurupa Valley were placed on paid leave after they took to social media to put down students who participated in Thursdays Day Without Immigrants boycott.

The Facebook posts have been deleted, but, according to the Riverside Press Enterprise, at least five teachers and one counselor celebrated the fact that so many Latino students missed class.

The newspaper reported that science teacher Geoffrey Greer started the thread Thursday afternoon. He said having 50% fewer students in school proves how much better things might be without all this overcrowding. Greer said students who boycotted used the occasion as an excuse to be lazy and/or get drunk. Best school day ever.

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Others staff chimed in:

Art teacher Robin Riggle said having 50 absences was a very pleasant day.

Science teacher Allen Umbarger wrote that most of those missing were failing students.

Agriculture teacher Rhonda Fuller and science teacher Chuck Baugh said the students left in their classes were less disruptive. Baugh said such days should be done more often.

Guidance counselor Patricia Crawford wrote that the cafeteria was much cleaner after lunch and there were no discipline issues. More please.

Officials at at the school said Friday that the posts did not reflect the views of administrators and workers.

We want to express that we are deeply concerned and distressed about the postings, Superintendent Elliott Duchon wrote in a statement posted on the Jurupa Unified School Districts website. We will investigate further and will take appropriate action in this matter.

The Riverside County school has about 1,600 students, and more than 90% of them are Latino.

Officials planned to hold a forum with students in the school gymnasium Friday afternoon to discuss the issue. Rubidoux High School principal Jose Luis Araux urged students to express their feelings.

Remember, we truly are a community, he said in a video posted on the districts site. We truly are a family and as such, we will work together to heal from this together.

esmeralda.bermudez@latimes.com

@LATBermudez

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Investigators with the state Parole Board said they could substantiate some statements that a top aide to District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis made in 2015 about the killing of a San Diego police officer, even though a retired judge who prosecuted the case contended they were false.

However, the final report on the months-long investigation into comments made by Jesse Navarro also said some key figures in the case refuted what he said at a parole hearing for the killer of San Diego police Officer Archie Buggs. Navarro, a public affairs officer for Dumanis, is a former San Diego police officer who was friends with Buggs.

The investigation and its conclusion will likely be discussed Thursday when Buggs killer, Jesus Cecena, 55, is up for another parole hearing.

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At his last two hearings, the board recommended Cecena be paroled  decisions Gov. Jerry Brown overturned, keeping him in prison.

Cecena was 17 when he shot Buggs to death during a traffic stop on Nov. 4, 1978. He was convicted in San Diego Superior Court about a year later and has been serving a life sentence ever since.

Navarro told the board at the most recent parole hearing in 2015 that Cecena had repeatedly threatened to kill him and Buggs during numerous contacts they had with him in the weeks before the fatal shooting.

San Diego police Officer Archie Buggs, left, is shown with his partner, Jesse Navarro, a former police officer and now aide in the District Attorneys Office. Buggs was fatally shot in 1978. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune)

But the prosecutor who convicted Cecena, retired San Diego Superior Court Judge Allen Preckel, challenged Navarros statement. In a sharply worded letter last year to the governor, Preckel  who was known as a meticulous lawyer and judge  said the statements were absolutely false.

He said he would have used evidence of prior threats at the trial, but that no such information surfaced during the case.

Brown ordered the board to conduct an investigation. A 42-page report obtained by The San Diego Union-Tribune concluded it is possible that Officers Navarro and Buggs had contact with Inmate Cecena prior to the date Officer Buggs was murdered.

But the report further said there was evidence to suggest this information was not provided to Judge Preckel during the investigation and prosecution of Inmate Cecena.

In an accompanying letter to Preckel, the boards executive officer said the investigation could corroborate several of the statements made by Officer Navarro. It did not specify what statements those were.

The investigation was sparked by this statement Navarro made to the board:

I will tell you that time and time and time my friend, my partner Archie Buggs, had a lot of confrontations with the inmate in regard to his violent demeanor, Navarro said, according to a transcript of the hearing. We ended up having to detain him and arrest him. And I will  I couldnt count the number of times that the inmate made a threat and made a promise to Archie and to myself that one of these days, one of these days I will kill both of you.

Preckel told the Union-Tribune last year that when he read that statement he was shocked because it never came up in prosecuting the case. He said such information would have been critical because it would have helped prove a key point  that the killing was premeditated.

He wrote to the governor to set the record straight, he said.

Navarro did not respond to a request for comment on the report from the Parole Boards investigation.

Dumanis said she read the report and was not surprised by its conclusion. I think they thoroughly vetted it, and thats what they came up with, she said.

Dumanis had forcefully rebutted Preckels charge, submitting a lengthy package of materials to the board defending Navarro. It included declarations from Navarro and his longtime friend, Assistant District Attorney Jesse Rodriguez, insisting that Navarro had long told others of the threats Cecena made.

Navarro said he cant specifically recall telling Preckel of the Cecena threats, adding that he was under orders not to volunteer any information unless I was asked.

Preckel said it was ludicrous to think a police officer would not provide such information. When asked about the report on the investigation, the retired judge didnt back away from his assertion that Navarro made false statements to the board.

It defies common sense to believe that Navarro would not provide that information, Preckel said. He didnt because it never happened.

The report showed investigators interviewed a dozen people whose recollections varied. Robert Madruga, a lawyer who defended Cecena at the trial and later became a deputy district attorney in San Diego who worked with Navarro before retiring, said if Cecena had made prior threats to the officers Preckel surely would have used it.

Investigators wrote: When questioned about Officer Navarros statements involving the prior threats made by Inmate Cecena towards Officers Buggs and Navarro, Mr. Madruga stated he found Officer Navarros assertions questionable and stopped short of describing them as untruthful statements.

A retired San Diego homicide sergeant who supervised the team that investigated Buggs killing also said he was never told of any threats made by Cecena.

But another retired detective who worked on the investigation said Navarro did report at the time that Cecena had made threats. He could not recall specifics.

Rodriguez from the District Attorneys Office again supported Navarro when interviewed by investigators in July.

Most police records that would document any encounters between Cecena and the officers have been destroyed, if they existed. Navarro said that back then most interactions between police and juveniles were handled informally  meaning no written record was made and that the juveniles were taken home to their parents.

However, Parole Board investigators reviewed a San Diego police juvenile record for Cecena that listed six contacts with police from 1974 through 1978 for offenses such as vandalism, burglary and possession of a knife.

That record does not list the names of officers involved. It does say the incidents occurred on the beat that Navarro and Buggs were assigned to and took place during the graveyard shift, which the two often worked.

While the report concluded there was some evidence it was possible Cecena had interacted with the officers before the shooting, it also said that information was not provided to Preckel for prosecution of the case.

Cecenas parole lawyer did not respond to a request for comment on the report.

Twitter: @gregmoran

greg.moran@sduniontribune.com
San Diego Unified School District is considering layoffs, early-retirement incentives and pay cuts to board members and the superintendent as solutions to balance a budget with a projected $124 million deficit.

Superintendent Cindy Marten has said cutbacks to balance the $1.3 billion budget would begin at the top and made in a way to protect school stability and class size.

Chief public information officer Andrew Sharp said Friday that the single biggest cut would come at the central office, with layoffs to leaders of major divisions.

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The district also will negotiate early-retirement incentives with each bargaining unit to save an unspecified amount of money. The incentives would be withdrawn if too few employees sign on, however.

The district also will negotiate with bargaining units a reduction of 14 days in the work year. Sharp said that reduction would not affect the classroom year.

Some vice principal positions also may be eliminated at schools at every level, but people affected would be offered teaching positions.

Classified reductions will include employees in confidential staff and members of Administrators Association of San Diego, Operational Support Services, Office Technical and Business Services and paraeducators, which includes teacher aides and classroom assistants.

In other cuts, Martens salary would be reduced 5.6 percent, or $15,400 of her current $275,000 salary.

The boards compensation would be cut by 5.4 percent. Each board member is paid $1,500 a month, and the cut will reduce their compensation by $81 per month for an overall savings to the district of $4,860 annually.

In posts Marten wrote earlier on the districts Facebook page, she vowed that students would continue to have access to the International Baccalaureate, dual-language, arts and other vital programs, and all teachers and classified staff would be treated with dignity and respect.

Finally, the cuts we make now will improve the long-term financial stability of the district, so families understand they can count on their schools for the future, she wrote.

Tuesdays meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m., in the Eugene Brucker Education Center Auditorium, 4100 Normal Street, San Diego.

The board meets again Feb. 28 to vote on the proposed budget solutions.

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
While President Donald Trump sought to address many of his immigration platform campaign promises through executive orders during his first weeks in office, his pledge to turn off the jobs and benefits magnet for unauthorized immigrants has yet to see action.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has influenced Trumps immigration platform, has pushed for requiring all employers to use a program called e-verify, a digital tool for employers to make sure their new hires are allowed to work in the United States.

Previous presidents have used workplace raids and audits to pursue both unauthorized workers and their employers. Trump has shown public support for the e-verify program, and some think the law-and-order president may also bring back other types of enforcement.

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The Center for Immigration Studies, an organization that promotes lower immigration rates and has guided much of Sessions and Trumps policies on immigration, is calling for the new president to renew workplace enforcement and audits.

Efforts to crack down on employment of unauthorized workers ebbed and flowed under the Obama administration. The numbers of criminal arrests associated with worksite enforcement dropped to 239 nationwide in 2016 from a peak of 713 in 2011, according to data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The number of employer audits peaked under Obama in 2013 with 3,127 nationwide. By 2016, these decreased by 59 percent to 1,279 audits.

A leaked draft of an executive order that has not yet been signed indicated Trump was considering moving forward with increasing the use of e-verify. In his Arizona campaign speech on immigration, he promised to expand use of the program.

Immigration law doesnt exist just for the purpose of keeping out criminals, Trump said in the speech. It exists to protect all aspects of American life  the work site, the welfare office, the education system, and everything else.

Peter Nunez, a former U.S. attorney for Southern California, said that it is difficult in the current system to investigate and prosecute workplace immigration violations, and he hopes that Trump will change that.

Were convinced that mandatory e-verify by itself is the single best thing you can do to reduce illegal immigration, Nunez said. Jobs are the primary reason why most people come here illegally.

If you start to prosecute these illegal aliens and employers and you made it clear this was your policy, you would make a dramatic impact on illegal immigration, Nunez added.

He said there have been only a handful of employers prosecuted in San Diego, even since the beginning of Republican President George W. Bushs administration.

Special interests that profit from illegal immigration have prevented the government from doing simple stuff, Nunez said. This isnt rocket science. We have this problem not because we dont know how to solve it  we just never had the political will to do it. Hopefully now that will change.

Stephen Zolezzi, president of the Food & Beverage Association of San Diego, said between trying to follow anti-discrimination laws and dealing with potentially forged and stolen documents, employers in his industry struggle.

Its a challenge for everybody in business to be able to get the job done as well as we want to, Zolezzi said.

When asked about what kind of impact increased enforcement on employers in the restaurant industry would have, Jot Condi, president and CEO of the California Restaurant Association said in an emailed statement, The restaurant industry may be the most ethnically diverse industry there is, in large part because of immigrants who have brought culture, food, and flavor to our communities and neighborhoods. When these immigrants are hard-working, tax-paying, productive, law-abiding individuals, we should help them succeed by providing a path to legalization.

While e-verify is required for federal contractors, California passed a law in 2011 that says private employers have a right to choose and cannot be forced to participate in e-verify by the state or any jurisdiction in the state.

With gusto

ICEs San Diego office had a worksite enforcement case early in Obamas presidency that gained national attention.

Agents raided The French Gourmet, a restaurant in Pacific Beach, in 2008 and arrested 18 workers. The restaurants owner, Michel Malecot, and manager and pastry chef Richard Kauffmann faced charges in 2010 for employing unauthorized workers.

The government pushed for Malecot to forfeit the restaurant building in addition to facing potential jail time and hefty fines.

When the federal government goes after somebody, they do it with gusto, said Eugene Iredale, the attorney who represented the restaurant, by telephone. They do it in a way that is designed to win the case.

Malecot did not respond to interview requests for this story.

In the end, Malecot was able to keep his restaurant, which is still in operation today, and paid nearly $400,000 after pleading to a misdemeanor charge.

Judge Thomas Whelan placed Malecot on probation for five years instead of sending him to prison because Malecot hadnt taken advantage of his workers, according to Union-Tribune archives.

Iredale said he doesnt think Trump will pursue enforcement against employers.

Trump is essentially on the side of the employers, Iredale said. I doubt very much whether there is any desire to have evenhanded enforcement of the law. I would be willing to bet money that the focus of Trumps enforcement policy is to go after undocumented immigrants and undocumented immigrants alone.

David Garcias, president of the Service Employees International Union chapter in San Diego, cautioned against certain kinds of workplace enforcement.

Immigrant workers are an integral part not just of our neighborhoods and communities, but of Californias thriving economy, Garcias said. Disrupting workplaces with sweeping, indiscriminate raids will undermine Californias prosperity, create a climate of fear and uncertainty, and increase the exploitation and abuse of hard-working immigrants.

The fence case

San Diegos first big worksite enforcement case happened before Obama took office and involved Riverside-based Golden State Fence Company, which had worked on several government projects  including a border fence in Otay Mesa, according to Union-Tribune archives.

ICE performed a series of audits on the company in 1999 and 2004 and informed the company that some of its workers Social Security numbers didnt match the names on their I-9 forms, the documents used to verify work authorization. When some of those employees were still visibly working at the company in 2005, agents searched its offices in Riverside and Oceanside, arresting 16 employees.

In 2006, according to court records, the companys president, Melvin Kay, and vice-president, Michael McLaughlin, were charged with a felony  knowingly hiring at least 10 unauthorized immigrants. They ended up taking a plea deal and avoided prison time. The company had to pay $4.7 million to the U.S. government, its president had to pay a $200,000 fine and the vice president a $100,000 fine. They were also placed under house arrest for six months and probation for three years.

Its all well and good to say were not going to employ the undocumented, but a lot of these people are doing the work that others in the country dont want to do, said Richard Hirsch, the Los Angeles attorney who defended Golden State Fence Company, by telephone. Its short-sighted to say were going to start deporting everybody and cracking down on companies and wiping out their workforce. I dont know where this all leads, to be honest with you.

Kay did not respond to interview requests for this story.

The focus of worksite enforcement, according to ICEs website, is companies that use unauthorized immigrants to cut corners on costs and mistreat their workers. According to Union-Tribune archives, neither the judge nor the prosecutor thought Golden State Fence was an example of such a company.

It wasnt one of these places where they grab people and put them to work, Hirsch said. It was really a model company, and they paid them top wages. It was not in any sense of the word a fly-by-night company that was employing undocumented workers.

Golden State Fence joined the e-verify program while the case against it was being processed, Hirsch said.

Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate
An Escondido family has been split in two after a mother was deported to Mexico, leaving her twin 18-year-old daughters without a parent.

Just before lunchtime on Feb. 7, Maria Robles-Rodriguez said she was with a female friend parked in a car outside of a home where the U.S. Border Patrol was conducting an investigation. She said a family member of her friend lived in the house.

Robles-Rodriguez said that plain-clothed law enforcement officers approached the car and knocked on the window. She said they never identified themselves and took her into custody.

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They asked us, what are we doing there, who are we going to see, Robles-Rodriguez said in an interview from Tijuana this week.

Robles-Rodriguez, as well as immigration organizations working on her behalf, said she does not have a criminal record. I never had any problem, I lived for my daughters and worked, she said, speaking in Spanish.

The Border Patrol later confirmed there was an investigation going on at the Escondido home and that their agents contacted Robles-Rodriguez and a second person, Silvino Hernandez-Aguas. The agency made no reference to a woman with Robles-Rodriguez as she described in her account.

In a statement, the Border Patrol said, During the course of their investigation, agents encountered Silvino Hernandez-Aguas and Maria Robles-Rodriguez. After conducting interviews, the agents established that both individuals were residing in the U.S. illegally and placed them under arrest.

The statement did not include details of the investigation.

David Loy, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties, questioned whether Robles-Rodriguezs civil rights were violated.

If they werent the target of the investigation at the house, Loy said agents would need probable cause to detain Robles-Rodriguez and Hernandez-Aguas

Why was Border Patrol scrutinizing them? Why was Border Patrol detaining them? Why was Border Patrol focusing on them at all if they were not the targets of the investigation, Loy said.

He added that It raises questions about whether they are running targeted enforcement or a dragnet that targets an entire community.

Robles-Rodriguez originally entered the United States before her daughters births on a tourist visa and has since supported the family as a single mother by cleaning houses and selling used items such as toys, clothes and shoes at swap meets. She continued returning to Mexico, and was in Tijuana as recently as a month ago, she said.

After the officers took them into custody, Robles-Rodriguez said that she and her friend waited hours for someone to take her friends two-year-old child before they were driven to the Otay Mesa Detention Center. The Border Patrol made no mention of a child. A sign on the wall said she could make a phone call, but she was not afforded the opportunity. I made signs with my hand that I would like to make a call, she said, but the guard shook his head to say no. She was also given a voluntary departure form that officials told her to sign, but she didnt fully comprehend the document. She said she was never told if she could speak with an attorney.

A spokesman for the Border Patrol said procedures were followed.

As with any foreign national apprehended by our agency, Ms. Robles-Rodriguez and Mr. Hernandez-Aguas were advised of their privilege to speak with the consulate of their country of citizenship. Attorney privileges did not apply to these individuals because they did not face criminal charges, Supervisory Agent Mark Endicott said in the statement.

At 6:30 p.m., Robles-Rodriguez was deported to Tijuana. Shes staying with her daughters paternal grandmother.

The expediency of the deportation is alarming and might violate due process rights, including rights to a hearing, Loy said.

Robles-Rodriguez had a right to speak with an attorney even if she wasnt detained on a criminal charge, and its insulting that Customs and Border Patrol described access to an attorney as a privilege, he said.

Thats an outrageous violation of due process, Loy said. Maybe the government doesnt have to pay for that attorney, but they cannot deny you the right to call your own attorney at your own expense.

It left her children, American citizens, in the lurch, and the loss of their mother has put them on the verge of homelessness, Greg Anglea, the executive director of Interfaith Community Services said.

There are a lot of deportations that happen all the time, on a daily or weekly basis. This may well be par for the course. he said. It is particularly heartbreaking given this particular family situation.

Anglea said his organization is trying to get the teenagers assistance.

Recent deportation actions across the country have heightened concern among immigrants and their representatives that the federal government is stepping up enforcement after pledges by President Donald Trump of increased crackdowns.

Immigration agency officials have denied any relation, though the president has lauded what he called stepped up activity.

On Jan. 25, Trump signed executive orders that began the process of building a wall at the United States border with Mexico and to enhance efforts to track and deport people who are in the country illegally.

While the Trump administration said he would focus on criminal aliens, his order directed immigration officials to focus on people who had not only been convicted of a crime, but also people who have done something that might be considered a crime.

Media reports show that people without criminal records have been deported in increasing numbers. An article in USA Today said that 74 percent of the 678 people who were detained in 12 states last week had been convicted of a crime, while 90 percent of people detained in 2016 during the Obama administration had records.

RELATED

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Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1841
Power outages across San Diego left thousands of utility customers without power and forced Point Loma Nazarene University to cancel classes Friday.

One power outage hit 1,463 customers around Point Loma and Ocean Beach about 3 p.m., according to San Diego Gas & Electric Co.

As a result, Point Loma Nazarene University sent an alert to students and staff to notify them classes were cancelled through the night.

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Power in the area was restored to most customers by 6:30 p.m.

Another outage was reported about 3:20 p.m. and left 1,616 customers without power around Balboa Park, Golden Hill, Logan Heights and Lincoln Park, according to SDG&Es website. About 500 customers remained without power around 7 p.m.

In Pacific Beach, 1,242 customers were left in the dark about 4:40 p.m. Repairs were estimated to last three hours.

About the same time, about 852 customers were left without power in the Kensington and Talmadge neighborhoods. SDG&E estimated to have repairs done by 8 p.m.

Around University Heights and North Park, 540 cutomers were hit by a power outage about 5 p.m. Repairs were estimated to last until 6 a.m. Saturday, SDG&E said.

Breaking News

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez

UPDATES:

6:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details. This article was originally published at 3:35 p.m.
Large trees downed in a windy storm caused minor damage to homes and blocked a number of roads and freeways in San Diego Friday.

At least two large eucalyptus trees fell across both lanes of north state Route 163 and landed on the hood of a car south of Robinson Avenue in Hillcrest about 3:45 p.m. The female driver was got out and was unhurt, authorities said.

Northbound traffic was diverted off at Quince Street for four hours until the freeway was cleared, the California Highway Patrol said.

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Shortly before 4 p.m., a tree toppled on a duplex, causing minor damage, on Caminito Rio Brancho near Appaloosa Road in Scripps Ranch, San Diego police said. No one was injured.

Earlier in Scripps Ranch, a tree estimated at 100 feet long and three feet around was blocking the road at Business Park Avenue and Willow Creek Road in Scripps Ranch about 2 p.m., police said.

In Point Loma, San Diego fire crews found a 70-foot palm tree fell on a house, causing minor damage, on Kellogg Street near San Antonio Avenue around 2:30 p.m. The street, a cul-de-sac, was closed off until the tree could be removed.

Another tree fell onto a house, also causing minor damage, on Maryland Street near Monroe Avenue in University Heights about 5 p.m. No one was hurt.

One 60-foot tree fell over on Wilbur Avenue and another tree crashed down at Carmel Mountain Road and Sundevil Way in Rancho Penasquitos.

Yet another tree blocked the end of La Cuenta Drive in Tierrasanta, north of Clairemont Mesa Boulevard.

Police said there were a number of other instances around the city and some cars were damaged by fallen limbs.

Elsewhere, a palm tree took out power lines on Palm Avenue, west of Washington Street, in Lemon Grove mid-afternoon, a sheriffs official said. The San Diego Gas & Electric Co.s website did not indicate that any customers lost power because of it.

UPDATES:

4 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details. This article was originally published at 2:35 p.m.

6:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details. This article was originally published at 2:35 p.m.
A pizza restaurant near San Diego State University was robbed at gunpoint around closing time early Saturday morning, police said.

The robber entered Woodstock Pizza on El Cajon Boulevard near College Avenue shortly after 1 a.m., pointed the gun at employees and demanded money, according to San Diego police. He escaped with an unknown amount of cash.

The six employees who were present at the restaurant were forced to the ground, though none were harmed, said Matt Cascone, the restaurants general manager.

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Police described the robber as a slender black man, between 25 and 40 years of age, wearing a ski mask and a black hoodie.

Woodstock Pizza resumed normal business hours on Saturday.

jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruin
Interested private developers of affordable housing are supposed to get first crack when San Diego sets out to sell city-owned land.

For at least the past decade, no such developers have been offered that opportunity.

Property records show only one of the dozens of surplus city parcels put up for sale or lease since 2007 has been turned into affordable homes.

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State law requires cities and counties to tell other local agencies and interested developers when it plans to sell a property. The statute, known as the California Surplus Land Act, says that future low-income housing construction should be prioritized in making decisions on who to sell to.

The law does not require cities to notify for-profit developers of surplus land sales unless officials receive a written request to do so.

San Diego officials said they received no such requests from developers and made no attempt to contact the builders themselves. A group representing some of the developers said it had no idea they were supposed to formally request a notice of the listings.

Since 2007, the city has sold off more than 50 acres deemed in excess of its needs, including land already zoned for housing uses. Some parcels became parking lots, landscaping and office space. Others were part of access easements granted to builders of upscale housing in Otay Ranch. Still others remain vacant.

San Diego netted at least $12.3 million through the sales. A diverse group of dozens of municipalities, companies and agencies  such as Sempra Energy, San Dieguito River Park and the San Diego County Fair  were notified about the listings.

Most of the deals were finalized while San Diego operated under a self-declared housing state of emergency.

One affordable housing developer was on the list when the city sent notices about surplus land  the city-backed San Diego Housing Commission. The commission turned down each opportunity to buy and develop surplus land.

Commission spokesman Scott Marshall cited concerns over the size of the parcels. He said the commission typically needs more than one acre to build on, and most of the parcels were smaller than that.

Some of the citys surplus parcels have been larger.

Last month, the city sold off a 15-acre lot to San Diego Gas and Electric Co., which plans to use the parcel as an open space buffer for its adjoining mission control facility west of Qualcomm Stadium.

City spokeswoman Katie Keach said she was not aware of any private sector affordable housing developers that sought notice about a San Diego land listing. She did not answer a question about whether the city had ever considered reaching out to developers anyway.

The Housing Commission also did not pass along to private developers information it received about pending sales. Marshall said the commission did encourage them to get on the citys surplus land mailing list.

Stephen Russell  who heads the San Diego Housing Federation, which counts more than a dozen affordable housing developers among its members  said his group didnt know it had to contact the city in order to be notified about city-owned land listings. The city has never contacted him about the parcels, he said.

Mary Carlson, an asset manager with San Diegos Real Estate Assets Department, said theres not a master database that would allow her to reach interested builders.

We feel like were following the law, she added. Im not trying to exclude a legitimate agency.  If theres agencies that want to be on the list, they can get on the list.

Even when a project involving the housing crisis is a city priority, officials dont necessarily see municipal property as the solution.

San Diego on Monday sought bids for contractors to build a homeless intake center as promised by Mayor Kevin Faulconer during last months State of the City address.

That solicitation says the city is looking for a building that is not city-owned and not in use, a decision that baffled homeless housing advocates.

Bob McElroy, who serves as President and CEO of the nonprofit Alpha Project, has long pushed for a new shelter on a 7.2-acre city-owned and operated logistics building and lot at 20th and B streets. Until recently, he thought city officials liked the idea.

They give huge mixed signals, he said. Weve been working on 20th and B for the past year.  The mayor said 20th and B is totally in play and (homeless czar) Stacie Spector said its in play.

So we have a lot of questions about it.

Businessman David Malcolm, an investor behind McElroys proposal, figured he must have misread the bid requests language.

If you read it literally, theyll never get anything, Malcolm said. I believe were reading it too literally, because Ive had more than a dozen face-to-face meetings with the mayor and hes made very clear hes looking at all options.

Faulconer spokesman Craig Gustafson said the mayor remains open to looking at all reasonable options that will get services up and running as quickly as possible.

While the preference is to not to use a city-owned property, we would accept ideas that use city facilities, Gustafson wrote in an email Friday. As you can imagine, using a city facility that is currently operational will increase the overall costs and likely delay the project due to the complexity of relocating operations and staff.

Affordable housing advocates and City Council members last month criticized the city over millions of dollars they said officials could spend to build long-awaited low-income units.

In November, some of the same critics spoke out about 10,000 such units the city OKd to be demolished, converted or otherwise removed from the housing stock since 2010.

San Diego still owns almost 37,000 acres with no or unknown land use restrictions, according to data found on the citys website. Another 14 acres are now advertised for sale on the citys real estate assets division webpage, land that includes a pair of historic homes in Bankers Hill valued at around $2.7 million.

Thats in addition to 17 surplus properties, valued at $38.3 million, the city first authorized the mayor to sell in 2007. One of those properties, a high-rise office building at 1250 6th Ave., is now Connections Housing, a 223-bed homeless and transitional housing development opened in 2013. Seven of the 17 properties are zoned for residential uses that could include affordable housing.
Exactly 75 years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order in the name of national security. The order authorized the removal of all persons deemed a threat to national security from the West Coast to various relocation centers.

Some government officials argued there was no national security rationale or justification for the order, but their voices were silenced and their dissent suppressed. Nearly 120,000 American citizens and legal residents of Japanese decent were rounded up and forcibly removed to 10 concentration camps located in the interior of the United States. Most spent the duration of the war living in these camps. Many lost their homes, businesses, personal possessions, agricultural land and commercial property. They had to rebuild their lives from scratch after the war. The last camp closed in March 1946, four years after President Roosevelt signed the order.

The legality of the detentions was challenged immediately, but the Supreme Court, in Korematsu v. United States (1944), ruled that the executive order was constitutional. Government lawyers had suppressed evidence showing that Japanese-Americans posed no threat to national security. Decades later, as a result of a sustained grass roots campaign, American courts and a succession of presidents acknowledged the injustice suffered by the internees and the blot on American history their treatment represented. Americans eventually saw the executive order as a shameful episode, but few had the courage and foresight to oppose it in 1942. Scholars today agree the origin of the order was irrational fear and racial anxiety, not national security.

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Recently the new American president issued an executive order barring legal residents, visa holders and refugees from seven countries in the Middle East and Africa. During the election campaign, in an unusually carefully written speech, Mr. Trump promised a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. In the same speech, he conflated 1.7 billion Muslims, or more than 20 percent of the Earths population, with terrorism, and he denounced anyone who did agree with his assessment as morally unfit to serve as president.

Mr. Trump claimed warning signs were ignored because political correctness has replaced common sense in our society.

As president, Mr. Trump immediately sought to implement his ban, but has been stymied by the courts, which have acted more boldly than in 1942. Made aware of its likely unconstitutionality, he claimed his exclusion order does not target Muslims. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits discrimination, including by religion, against any person within the jurisdiction of the United States.

Mr. Trump has dispensed with the euphemism of George W. Bushs failed Global War on Terror, and refocused the collective fear and panic on Islam. Declaring war on abstract nouns has been a notably unsuccessful strategy, but Mr. Trump appears ignorant of much of recent U.S. history and politics. His awareness of the rest of the world appears even more scanty.

The problems with the Muslim ban resemble the problems with Roosevelts order 75 years ago. It punishes the innocent, lumps millions of ordinary people with a tiny number of criminals, complicates international relations, business, commerce and international education, and overturns U.S. constitutional guarantees and American traditions of humanitarian generosity. No one from any of the seven countries has been involved in a terrorist attack or mass shooting in the United States. Tens of thousands of foreign-trained physicians providing care in the poorest American communities come from the seven countries, and may be barred from their essential work.

Like the executive order of 1942, Mr. Trumps ban is the product of irrational fear and ignorance, and its sad irony is Trumps claim of a moral duty to overturn almost a century of American international leadership, abandon refugees to their fates, bar lawful visa holders, and residents, and exclude law-abiding people based on their religion.

America is at its best when we live up to our ideals, inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, of generosity, fairness, responsibility, and hospitality to immigrants, and especially to refugees who need the benefit of our common decency and humanity most of all.

Man teaches modern U.S. history and Provence teaches modern Middle East history at UCSD. They are among four UCSD scholars who will conduct a free public discussion of Trumps ban and earlier discriminatory executive orders in American history on Feb. 21 at UCSD.
Nearly 25 years ago, my family and I fled war-torn Somalia and sought safe haven in the U.S. I had left one of the most homogeneous societies on the planet and came to a country that is one of the most diverse. I quickly learned that what binds Americas amalgamation of cultures is a sincere belief that the people who make up this society are one nation, under God.

I realized the ideals I learned in school  democracy, equality, justice, and freedom  were not merely historical anecdotes but principles deeply held and defended by Americans. Throughout my childhood, people were mostly welcoming and friendly. And while xenophobic strains have always existed in America, the xenophobia I encountered growing up in the 1990s did not usually exceed ignorance or disrespect.

Related: Trump right to protect nation with travel ban

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At a young age, I discovered that if a person got to know me, any preconceived notions they held about Somalis or Muslims were overruled by their direct experience in getting to know me. But today, bigotry toward immigrants, particularly Muslim immigrants, has intensified and accelerated to include vandalism, violent hate crimes and wholesale support for anti-immigrant public policies.

The Founding Fathers advocated for a radical idea, that a nation could be built on democracy, equality, justice and freedom for its citizens. As I came of age in the U.S., I became fixated, even radicalized, with the founding principles of our nation. This radicalization culminated on the day I became a naturalized citizen. While adjusting to life in America, my family and I began the extensive process of citizenship: lengthy forms, biometrics, background checks, medical exams, interviews, an English language test and a civics exam  until finally we took the Oath of Allegiance. In short, we, like millions of immigrants, earned our citizenship. My commitment to the Oath of Allegiance did not stop at my naturalization ceremony, like most immigrants turned citizens, I took it to heart. This commitment led me to study political science at University of California-Berkeley and later earn a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis with a focus on civil and human rights.

As a law student, I took my American values back to Somalia and contributed my legal expertise to strengthening the rule of law in Somalia. I had deep discussions with people who witnessed some of the worlds most egregious human rights atrocities. I found Somalis are primarily concerned with achieving a better life. I was constantly asked about life in America, more specifically about the American Dream. They are attracted to the radical notion that a poor immigrant could relocate to America and build a successful life while enjoying equal rights and freedom. I proudly told them that, if youre going to be an immigrant, the best country to immigrate to is the U.S. It pains me that I can no longer boast about Americas receptiveness to immigrants under the Trump administration.

Donald Trumps executive order banning immigration from seven Muslim majority countries is an assault on our American ideals. The Trump administration reasons that by banning Muslim immigrants, America will be protected from the possibility of a radical jihadist terrorist inflicting harm on Americans. The benefit of hindsight disproves this theory, as no immigrant from the seven banned countries has carried out a fatal terror attack within the U.S. in more than four decades. Allowing Muslim immigrants into the U.S. is far more likely to produce a radical American constitutionalist than a radical Islamic terrorist.

Muslim immigrants continually contribute to this country by establishing businesses that create jobs, setting up charities, engaging in civic duties, and abiding by the law and paying taxes. Moreover, naturalized citizens passionately defend the Constitution as members of the armed forces, law enforcement, civil rights advocates, public officials, and activists. Like millions of Muslim immigrants, I am the successful product of a compassionate and inclusive immigration policy.

The Founding Fathers would be appalled at the notion of banning immigrants based on their faith. They would argue its unconstitutional, immoral and un-American. The Muslim ban betrayed my American ideals, insulted my religion and degraded my country of origin.

I am proud of the numerous ways my fellow Americans resisted the Trump Administrations attack on our civil liberties. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to not reinstate the ban was very commendable, but it is a temporary relief. We are long overdue for an honest and open dialogue regarding long-term progressive immigration policy. In an effort to foster understanding, I urge anyone who supports, or is indifferent, to the Muslim ban to do something radically patriotic  get to know one of the millions of Muslim immigrants already living here. You will find that they are just as American as you.

Barre, a recent law school graduate, is a San Diego resident.
Critics have objected to President Trumps executive order to temporarily ban travel to the U.S. by refugees from seven Middle Eastern countries, alleging 1) their human rights are compromised, and 2) this ban is a Muslim ban.

As an Iraqi-American, I would like to comment on both allegations through my own experience of coming to America as a refugee more than four decades ago. But first let me mention some facts.

The United States of America is a sovereign country and the worlds superpower. The events of Sept. 11, 2001, illustrated how radical Islamic terrorism is the clear and present danger facing America.

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Mr. Trump has no one to apologize to for his immigration doctrine for the simple reason that coming to America is not a right but a privilege, a privilege that is earned by waiting in line for however long it may take to reach America. Americans are therefore consoled by his position that the fundamental duty of the government is protecting Americans from all enemies foreign or domestic by maximally securing the homelands borders and, if necessary, also by extremely vetting certain individuals.

Related: How a Muslim immigrant became radicalized in the ways of America

In 1973, I left Iraq for Lebanon ultimately wanting to seek political asylum in the U.S., as Saddam Hussein was rising to power in Iraq. While in Lebanon, the Civil War started and tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians got stuck for years, enduring unemployment, poverty and dangers of war. Yet most refugees were thankful to stay in Lebanon while tolerating such conditions for the purpose of reaching America. Most of us waited not for three months but for three years; I know a family who waited 15 years. Ultimately it all paid off when in 1976 the U.S. resettled these Iraqi refugees in the land of the free and home of the brave.

Being delayed as a refugee is not a new thing. All the previous administrations, since President Carter, delayed numerous refugees and migrants not only for months but also for years. If Americans really believed that coming to America was a universal human right, I assure you that by now the U.S. population might have reached 3 billion, instead of only 325 million.

Lady Liberty has stood tall for decades both representing American values and welcoming immigrants and refugees to America. But, if America is to accomplish her historic vocation by offering her values to newcomers, she must first herself be safe, prosperous and stable. No nation can offer its citizens that which she does not possess.

Bishop Bawai Soro in St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Church in El Cajon. He says that President Trump has no one to apologize to for his immigration doctrine because coming to America is not a right but a privilege. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)

If America needs to build a wall and vet refugees, then it must be so. If a simple house is to be secured, doesnt the owner of the house lock the doors at night? What happens if thieves know the door is unlocked? Open borders and easygoing immigration policies are what could inflict the U.S. with the fire that has been burning in the Middle East for centuries. American politicians cannot play with such fire because the losers will be the American people everywhere. Even Bashar Assad, the president of Syria, said recently that there definitely are terrorists who sneak into asylum countries from Syria pretending to be refugees. Securing the U.S. border and vetting refugees brings no damage to Americans in any sense of the word. Todays Europe is a good lesson to America.

This executive order is applied to refugees coming from those seven countries, whether Muslim, Christian or Jew. This is not a Muslim ban; especially because 90 percent of the worlds Muslims are not included.

If the experience of terrorism on 9/11 was caused by Chinese people, the ban would have been imposed on China; if it were South Americans coming from South America, the ban would have been on South American nations; again, if it were Africans coming from Africa, the ban would have been on African countries. But it is an established fact that since the mid-1990s almost all terrorists were radical Muslim jihadists from the Middle East. More importantly, the seven countries are nations presently undergoing internal wars and have lost bureaucratic control of their populations rendering American consulates unable to check the background of refugees, verify and properly vet every claim made to come to America; jihadists cannot be slipping in our land.

In caring for Americas safety, I am not against refugees, since I was one myself. Being prudent about security and caring for human rights are not mutually exclusive. America shall remain the land of the free and home of the brave, as long as she is secure and safe.

Soro is a bishop with St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Church in El Cajon.
President Trump and his top aides dont seem to be on the same page when it comes to his promised immigration crackdown. To wit, Trumps now-suspended travel ban on incoming residents of seven majority Muslim nations appears to have been implemented, as CNN reported, at the behest of White House advisers Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, without input from Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. This led to two days of infighting over whether it should apply to the legal U.S. residents from those seven nations who hold green cards, as Bannon and Miller wanted. Kelly won that fight.

Now theres another public fight over how far the crackdown should go, this time over whether to end President Obamas executive order giving some legal protections to more than 1 million young immigrants known colloquially as Dreamers who have clean or relatively clean legal records and are currently in school, have a GED or high school degree, or have served in the military. The president has repeatedly sounded sympathetic to them, including calling them these incredible kids on Thursday.

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Less than a day later, however, the Associated Press revealed it had obtained a copy of a draft of a shocking but quickly disavowed Homeland Security memo calling for the use of up to 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants. Was this leaked to remind Trump of how tough he talked on the campaign trail? Or was it leaked to discredit the proposal?

No one can be sure in our chaotic capital. But the leak cant help but inspire fear in immigrant communities, including among the Dreamers Trump admires. Thats unfortunate. When Trump finally decides on Obamas order, heres hoping his humane instincts come to the fore.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: UTOpinion
Regarding Protest called to highlight migrants (Feb. 16): What is the point of the protest?

America has no problem with migrants who are here legally. The majority of Americans are migrants or offspring of migrants.

America has a problem with illegal migrants who sneak across our borders and disrespect our laws and with migrants that have not, and cannot, be vetted.

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If the protests are in support of these individuals, they are protesting on deaf ears.

Dave Dowler

Valley Center

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy.

E-mail letters@sduniontribune.com

Mail: Andrew Kleske, Reader Outreach Editor San Diego Union-Tribune P.O. Box 120191 San Diego, CA 92112-0191.

You can also leave a comment below

I just finished reading San Diego enters fray over Trump travel ban (Feb 15). I wish the city attorney would have brought a list of potholes or stadium solutions before the council instead of national politics.

I feel sorry for the immigrants with their problems, but if I wanted my council person to represent me in Washington, D.C., I would have voted him into Congress.

I do not want this to be a sanctuary city and would like to have the person I voted into city office represent me in my city. He should do his job and earn his pay. He may have a short time left on the council.

John Beaulieu

Clairemont

* * *

The leftist-dominated San Diego City Council has decided to join the far-left California state lawmakers in opposing President Trumps temporary pause in admitting immigrants from seven countries designated (by the previous administration) as havens and training grounds for terrorists.

It is certainly reassuring to know where the priorities lie for our local and state governments. It is not for the safety of American citizens. It is to continue Barack Obamas policies of America last.

Robert V. Tate

Carlsbad

* * *

Ill bet that protesters on both sides of the travel ban have no idea what the ban actually says. In my opinion, its pretty simple, needed at this time and temporary. Take a look.

Duane Ericson

Oceanside

* * *

Regarding Reports of raids heighten anxiety (Feb. 11): Working as a school social worker, I can attest to heightened anxiety and fear felt from immigrant families and children.

Immigrants (documented or undocumented) all over our country are concerned about what will happen to them and possibly who will take care of their children. Parents feel more isolated and hesitant to reach out for needed resources schools provide, such as food and mental health services.

This is concerning because schools have worked endlessly to gain parent trust to increase involvement. Childrens educational performance improves when parents are involved, but with increased raids, parents fear deportation and the possibility of administration reporting to authorities.

Thus, parents no longer see school as a safe haven. Schools must work even harder to maintain trust and relationships with immigrant parents. Accurate communication and awareness related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement protocols for schools to share with parents could be beneficial.

Jessica Morales

Vista

* * *

As one continues to read about the troubling immigration crackdown and the numerous objections to the proposed wall on our southern border, it seems imperative to try another approach to the immigration issue. In this regard, it is instructive to notice that there is no proposal to build a wall on our northern border, because our neighbors in Canada enjoy an economic lifestyle comparable to our own and, hence, dont feel the need to come here.

This suggests that we should help people living in Latin America, particularly those in Central America, countries from which many of the immigrants come, achieve better living conditions. To accomplish this, what should be proposed instead of a wall is a Marshall-type plan.

Although Mexico wont help build the proposed wall, it is possible it would help in such a socially constructive undertaking as a Marshall Plan for Central America.

Frank R. Tangherlini

San Diego

* * *

According to Websters Dictionary, an immigrant is a person who migrates to another country. I did not migrate to America from another country so I am not an immigrant. Having been born in the United States, I am an American.

I, like President Trump, want first, foremost and exclusively what is best for Americans and our invited legal guests. Nothing could make me happier than a lifetime without an (illegal) immigrant.

Vincent Dornisch

San Carlos

Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.
President Donald Trump says he has directed the Department of Justice to investigate criminal leaks that have shaken his administration so much that at least one high-level aide has resigned as a result.

Heres a brief history of some of the most high-profile leaks that are causing aggravation at the White House.

First some quick background about a whirlwind week.

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It began on Monday with Michael Flynns resignation as National Security Adviser, days after sources spoke anonymously to The Washington Post and The New York Times, raising questions about his improper communication with a Russian diplomat about U.S. sanctions imposed by the Obama administration last year.

And it ended on Friday with the Associated Press publishing a leaked 11-page memo suggesting the federal government might use as many as 100,000 U.S. National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants living in the United States, a policy approach the White House quickly dismissed as not happening.

Flynns resignation  which the White House chalked up to an erosion of trust with the president  attracted the most attention this week, but Trump repeatedly tried to switch the subject to the leaks.

Leaking, and even illegal classified leaking, has been a big problem in Washington for years. Failing @nytimes (and others) must apologize!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 16, 2017

Heres a list of the five biggest leaks so far, in reverse chronological order.

1. National Guard immigration roundups

Leak recipient: The Associated Press

The gist: On Friday, the Associated Press published an internal 11-page memo that suggests the Trump administration could use as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to assist immigration enforcement agents to roundup unauthorized immigrants in 11 states.

Who leaked it: No individuals were specifically named in the leak but the Associated Press said the document came from the Department of Homeland Security and was written by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

The White House response: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the document was not a White House document and said the report is 100 percent not true.

2. Intelligence withheld from Trump

Leak recipient: The Wall Street Journal

The gist: On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. intelligence officials have withheld sensitive intelligence from Trump due to a concern that such information could be leaked or compromised.

Who leaked it: The Wall Street Journal doesnt name its sources or which agency they belong to but says they are current and former officials.

The White House response: A White House official was quoted saying, there is nothing that leads us to believe that this is an accurate account of what is actually happening, the Wall Street Journal reported. Trump also blasted the media and intelligence agencies for leaking information.

The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by "intelligence" like candy. Very un-American!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017

3. Michael Flynns Russian communication

Leak recipients: The Washington Post and the New York Times

The gist: Last week, The Washington Post broke a story saying Flynn spoke privately with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and that the two discussed the U.S. sanctions on Russia ordered in December by President Obama for Russias interference with the U.S. presidential election. Flynn denied the accusation and misled Vice President Mike Pence about those conversations.

The New York Times published a separate story corroborating the details in the Washington Post story.

Who leaked it: Neither the Washington Post or the New York Times name their sources but they cite them as current and former officials, some coming from intelligence agencies.

The White House response: Spicer said Flynns resignation was the result of eroding level of trust and a series of other questionable instances. The day after Flynn resigned, Trump tweeted that the real story here is the many leaks coming out of Washington.

The real story here is why are there so many illegal leaks coming out of Washington? Will these leaks be happening as I deal on N.Korea etc?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2017

FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2017

4. Telephone disputes with world leaders

Leak recipient: The Associated Press and the Washington Post

The gist: On Feb. 2, the Associated Press published leaked transcript excerpts of a call between Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. In the call, according to its sources, Trump told Pena Nieto that the U.S. would send troops to stop bad hombres down there unless the Mexican military failed to do so. That same day, The Washington Post reported on a call between Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that turned tense and ended abruptly with the president quoted saying this was the worst call by far.

Who leaked it: The Associated Press does not name the source of the leaked transcript and The Washington Post says senior U.S. officials spoke anonymously.

The White House response: The White House responded to the Associated Press report by saying that the call with Pena Nieto were part of a discussion about how the United States and Mexico could work collaboratively to combat drug cartels and other criminal elements, and make the border more secure. Asked about the Australian call, Spicer called it a cordial conversation.

5. Executive order to revive CIA prisons

Leak recipient: The New York Times

The gist: On Jan. 25, The New York Times reported on a leaked draft of an executive order that proposed to revive CIA black site prisons for terrorism suspects. The draft of the order reportedly circulated among National Security staff members.

Who leaked it: The New York Times did not name the source of the leak but it says three administration officials confirmed the circulation of the draft memo.

The White House response: During a press briefing, Spicer said the document was not a White House document, adding that he had no idea where it came from.

Have some thoughts to share?

Join me in a conversation: Shoot me a private email with your thoughts or ideas on a different approach to this story. As always, you can also send us a tweet.

Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @RunGomez
The design of an apartment complex for adults with special needs and a proposal to install solar energy systems at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts and Fire Station No. 3 will occupy the City Council on Tuesday night.

Villa de Vida proposes to build a two-story, 54-unit project on about 2 acres at 12341 Oak Knoll Road. The non-profit is partnering with Mercy Housing California and received initial city approval in October. Tuesday nights council review of specific design plans is the last step needed before the applicants enter into competition for a possible allocation of about $17 million in federal tax credits. Construction is projected to cost between $24 million and $27 million, with funding coming from both government and private sources. Much of the balance will come from donations raised through Villa de Vida.

Submitted plans call for 51 one-bedroom units, including one for the on-site manager, and three two-bedroom units. Because the renters will mostly not be licensed drivers, the project calls for 32 parking spaces rather than the 83 spaces the city would normally require. City codes allow such a concession.

The units would be rented to low- and moderate-income disabled adults who would live in what is called a permanent supportive housing environment. Rents would range from $458 to $764 per month, depending on income. By comparison, the average market-rate rent in the county is $1,768 per month, Villa de Vida Executive Director Ashley Kim told the council last year.

An agreement approved by the City Council in October establishes that the city will turn over the property, currently owned by the citys housing authority, to Villa de Vida and will provide $500,000 in construction loans. The property, valued at $2.1 million and zoned for commercial use, was purchased in 2011 by the citys now-defunct redevelopment agency and assigned an affordable housing zoning overlay. The city would receive credit toward its regional fair share affordable housing allocation with completion of the project.

The council will also consider approving solar power purchasing agreements (PPAs) for the construction of solar energy systems on the west side parking lot of the PCPA and on vacant land near Fire Station No. 3, off of Pomerado Road. The PCPA system is projected to generate nearly all of the power needed to run the center and will save the city and school district $125,804 per year. A staff report prepared for the meeting does not estimate annual projected savings to be achieved with the fire station site, but estimates the worth of first-year solar production at $455,022, which will be applied toward both the fire station and additional city structures to cut energy bills.

The council meeting will begin a 7 p.m. in the council chambers on Civic Center Drive.

Email: editor@pomeradonews.com
Sweeping gracefully across ocean and sky, supported by 30 arch-shaped towers, the Coronado bridge is one of San Diego Countys most iconic structures. And among its deadliest.

Since its opening in 1969, about 300 people have committed suicide there, tragedies that ripple through families and friends, those who witness the fatal 200-foot jumps, and those who recover the bodies.

Hundreds of other people over the years have gone to the bridge to die and changed their minds or been grabbed before they could go over the side. Suicide-related traffic delays are a regular occurrence for those who live or work on Coronado.

All of which is prompting a group of local residents to explore whether its feasible to put some kind of barrier on the bridge that will deter people from leaping off it.

It feels irresponsible not to at least take a look at the possibilities, said Jennifer Lewis, a college professor and co-founder of the Coronado Bridge Collaborative, which includes nurses, mental-health professionals and relatives of people who have committed suicide off the bridge.

Would you support a barrier to prevent suicides on the San Diego-Coronado Bridge? Yes 43% (602) No 57% (812) 1414 total votes.

Theyve been sharing notes with a similar group in San Francisco that pushed through a $76 million plan to put a net on the Golden Gate Bridge, the most frequently used spot for suicides in the world. More than 1,600 have died there since it opened in 1937.

Approval in San Francisco came after decades of debate about whether a barrier would be effective, whether it would mar the beauty of the bridge, and whether it would be worth the money. The net, 20 feet below the bridge and painted in the familiar International Orange, is expected to be in place by 2019.

Lewis said her group anticipates similar debates here. Theyve already met with the Coronado City Council, winning an endorsement to explore the barrier idea. Theyve met with Caltrans, which owns the bridge and at this point has no plans to modify it, according to a spokesman.

Lewis said the group wants to do a feasibility study, which would probably cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Shes exploring a grant with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to use Coronado as a test site for developing a protocol that could be used by other communities interested in barriers.

Theres a particular urgency in San Diego County, where suicide-prevention specialists have been working to understand and reverse a trend that has seen the rate of suicide here outpace both state and national averages.

Last year, 420 people killed themselves in the county. Sixteen jumped from the bridge.

Why bridges?

Dr. Mel Blaustein is a psychiatrist in San Francisco and co-author of a 2009 American Journal of Psychiatry paper about suicides at the Golden Gate Bridge.

He said iconic bridges can become suicide magnets for several reasons. One is that the bridges are easily accessible. Another is that they are often in beautiful surroundings. Theres a lot of romanticism, he said.

And theres also a misconception that falling into water will be a clean, painless death, he said. (In fact, falling 200 feet means youll be traveling about 75 mph at impact.)

Blaustein works at a hospital in San Francisco and has interviewed dozens of people who either threatened or tried to kill themselves by jumping off the bridge. He said the most persistent myth about bridge suicides is that people turned away by a barrier will simply go somewhere else and jump.

Thats not what happens, he said.

He pointed to a study done by Richard Seiden, a now-retired professor at UC Berkeleys School of Public Health. Seiden tracked 515 people who had been stopped from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge between 1937 and 1971.

By 1978, he found, 94 percent were either still alive or had died from natural causes. Six percent had committed suicide or died in accidents that might have been suicides.

Once the impulse is gone, they often dont go on to harm themselves, Blaustein said.

More recently, researchers in Australia analyzed nine studies done on the effectiveness of suicide barriers at bridges and cliffs in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C., Maine, Switzerland, and Canada.

They concluded that there was an 86 percent reduction in suicides at the various sites. Suicides by jumping increased 44 percent at nearby sites, but overall, there was a 28 percent reduction in all jumping suicides in the cities studied, according to the report, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology in 2013.

Suicide Prevention Resources San Diego Access & Crisis Line, 888-724-7240 Its Up to Us San Diego, up2SD.org American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, afsp.org National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255

Bridge barriers fit into a broader strategy  reducing access to lethal means  that has been adopted by agencies trying to combat suicide. Research shows that people planning to kill themselves often have settled on a specific manner and place. If either is disrupted, the person may delay trying, and in that delay might get help.

Its one of the things that we know works, said Carolyn Skiljan, co-chair of the San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council.

When England stopping using coal-gas for cooking (deadly if breathed in enclosed spaces), the suicide rate dropped 25 percent. When Sri Lanka banned the use of a half-dozen pesticides (fatal if ingested), suicides fell 50 percent in 10 years.

If you restrict the access, youll have fewer suicides, Blaustein said.

Hes still haunted by the story of one person who left a note on the ground before jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Why, the note read, do you make it so easy?

Feasibility study

The first fatal plummet off the Coronado bridge was in 1972, and it wasnt a suicide. Jewel Hutchings, 52, was forced to jump at gunpoint by her husband, who was convicted of manslaughter.

Since then, there have been about 300 suicides, according to figures from the county Medical Examiners office compiled by the Coronado collaborative. From 2000 through 2014, there have been 66.

When you live over here, youre attuned to how often it seems to be happening, said Lewis, the groups co-founder. It feels like there are two people on the bridge every week.

This isnt the first time someone has proposed some kind of barrier, but the idea has never gotten far. Edward Cartagena, a Caltrans spokesman, said, There are no plans to study any kind of suicide-prevention measures for the Coronado bridge.

However, he also pointed to what happened in San Francisco, where the Bridge Rail Foundation spearheaded the campaign for the Golden Gate Bridge. If we are presented with information as part of a feasibility study, we would be happy to take a look at it, Cartagena said.

Such a study would explore, for example, whether the bridge is strong enough to support the additional weight of a fence on top of the current 34-inch-high barrier. Or whether a net would interfere with Navy ships passing underneath.

In San Francisco, more than a dozen alternatives were considered before a net was chosen. It will be 20 feet below the roadway, and extend out 20 feet over the water. The net will be stainless steel cable that collapses slightly, and will be angled to make crawling out of it difficult.

The project is patterned after a similar setup at the Muenster terrace, part of a Medieval cathedral in Bern, Switzerland. In the late 1990s, to deter suicides there, a net was installed. No one has jumped since.

Paul Muller, president of the Bridge Rail Foundation, said if someone goes off the Golden Gate Bridge, the 20-foot fall will probably incapacitate the jumper  dislocate a shoulder, break an ankle. A specially trained fire rescue crew will pull them from the net.

Other bridges in California have been modified with fences. Three years ago, Caltrans put a $3 million fence thats almost 10 feet high on the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge in Santa Barbara County, where more than 50 people had committed suicide. There have been two apparent suicides there since (neither was witnessed) and officials arent sure how they got around or over the barrier.

Lewis said its soon early to know what kind of modification, if any, would work on the Coronado bridge, or whether there will be community support for it.

If a barrier isnt feasible, we will move on to something else, she said. The problem isnt going away.
The American multinational technology company, Microsoft, recently announced that E3 would reveal the most awaited Project Scorpio. The hint that was shown is the company used the same motherboard image featured in the teaser trailer of Scorpio.

This revelation may mean that people will finally get to see more of the puzzling next-generation console during Microsoft's orientation.

According to the Digital Trends, Microsoft has told XBox fans to brace themselves for their big news at the E3 event this June in Los Angeles, signing that the company is planned to give a revelation for it's upcoming 4k-capable Xbox console, code-named as the "Project Scorpio."

The forthcoming release swore to shed light on many hardware-specific details that have remained covered in the puzzle since the console was first announced. Project Scorpio is an upgraded version of Microsoft's current-generation Xbox One console as announced at E3 last 2016.

It was said that Microsoft's Project Scorpio is "the most powerful console ever." Microsoft unveiled that it will support all existing Xbox One games and accessories, in addition to 4K displays and virtual reality technology as reported on The Next Web.

Since E3 is not open publicly, gamers might get to see the Microsoft's Scorpio personally though tickets are almost sold out. Xbox Scorpio will cost more than the previous Xbox One S.

Sony previously released a similar upgrade for it's PlayStation 4 console that updates selected games with a higher-resolution texture and 4k resolution support. The PlayStation 4 Pro boasts an upgraded GPU and a faster CPU clock speed.

Microsoft's Scorpio assures to follow the same path, as shown in a single teaser image released that features an Xbox logo with the text "4K." Xbox's E3 briefing will be on screen Sunday, June 11 at 2 pm ET this year at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
The scientists found evidence of organic materials on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres. This makes the dwarf planet along with Mars, Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus possible places that could harbor life, according to scientists.

The Dawn's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIR) detected the organic materials found on the dwarf planet. The researchers examined these data and discovered that they are positive for organic materials. NASA stated that the organics discovery adds to Ceres' attributes associated with ingredients and conditions for life in the distant past.

Spacecraft spots organic molecules  carbon-containing building blocks of life as we know it  on dwarf planet Ceres https://t.co/Tvk9YjouFm pic.twitter.com/ZTSLc7kR9T  CBS News (@CBSNews) February 18, 2017

The findings of the discovery were printed in the journal Science. It was led by Maria Cristina De Sanctis of Rome's National Institute of Astrophysics and other colleagues, according to New Scientist.

De Sanctis said that this is the first clear detection of organic molecules from orbit on the main belt body. She further said that the combined presence on Ceres of ammonia-bearing hydrated minerals, salts, carbonates, water ice and organic material suggests a very complex chemical environment, indicating favorable environments to prebiotic chemistry.

The team found organic compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen bonds in the Ernutet crater. They also discovered organic compounds in some smaller areas about kilometers away from the crater. Organic material refers to compounds made chiefly of carbon bound to hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. Life relies heavily on these compounds, according to Forbes.

The scientists think that the organic materials did not come from an interstellar source like a comet or asteroid hitting Ceres. As theorized, the planet Ceres may have an ocean of liquid water below its surface, water ice and other molecules.

Michael Kuppers, an astronomer at the European Space Agency said that this opens the possibility that primitive life could have developed on Ceres itself. The group is now examining the discovery and trying to figure out why the organic compounds are densely concentrated in such a small area.
The heat in Oklahoma is just soaring high with 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) temperature despite winter in the United States this February. This is all because climate change is real and happening.

Nicholas Kusnetz reports for Inside Climate News said that Mangum, Oklahoma, broke a daily record when the thermometer hit 99 degrees on Saturday. He further said that last week, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin issued an emergency burn ban in response to the extreme weather. However, a grass fire broke out anyway in Oklahoma City Prompting authorities to ask some residents to leave their homes.

This hot temperature in usually cold months may upset the ecosystems. The trees may bloom after this and then suffer frost damage when cold weather is back. The flowers may blossom and molt their petals before the bees pollinate them. It is quite a destabilization and may have the impact on flora, fauna and other industries, according to Think Progress.

The scientists are uncertain of what causes these extreme weather events. On the other hand, they know that climate change is happening all around the globe.

Science Alert reports that just last week, Australia was hit by the intense heatwave, in which west of Sydney has 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) on Saturday. Likewise, in the Arctic, temperatures soar above average for the third time in the past months. In the North Pole, it reached about 36 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) above average in December 2016.

As of January, the North Pole has lost a Wyoming-sized area of the ice. Mark Serreze, the director of National Snow and Ice Data Center, said that he has been looking at Arctic weather and climate for 35 years and he has never seen anything like the warming conditions they have been seeing this winter. The truth is climate change is real and impacting places and ecosystems all around the world.
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has been far too long accused of acquiring alien technology. Though nothing has been proved yet, it does not stop conspiracy theorists from making the allegations. It seems these speculations have again picked up pace after the officials revealed that the U.S. Air Force's secret X-37B space plane has no intentions of returning back to Earth anytime soon.

The U.S. Air Force's secret X-37B space plane was launched off Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 20, 2016. This was the fourth plane that was sent to space under the USAF X-37B program. The previous one returned after spending 675 days in space, so no one expected the present X-37B to return any sooner.

However, discussions on its return were stirred after NASA SpaceFlight.com posted an update. It stated that the Shuttle Landing Facility of spaceport Florida is preparing to host the end of mission landing of the USAF X-37B space plane.

Later, the USAF officials clarified that the preparations are a part of a test exercise. Also, the space plane will not be making its landing that soon, The Sun reported.

Regarding what the U.S. Air Force's secret X-37B space plane is actually doing up there is known only to the USAF officials. There are many speculations regarding the same, most of which state that the plane is engaged in testing novel space hardware and technologies, just like the Hall-effect thruster. It was kept a secret from the rest of the world until the launch of the space plane, Foxtrot Alpha reported.

While some say that it is meant for surveillance purposes and setting up mini satellites in space, some others are of the opinion that the U.S. Air Force's secret X-37B space plane is specifically designed for autonomous spaceflight software testing and dropping high- altitude bombs on targeted countries. Nonetheless, nobody knows the truth for sure.
During their stay in the International Space Station (ISS), the astronauts risk exposure to high-energy cosmic radiations, which can damage their cells and alter their genetic material for generations to come. Space agencies have been and are working on extremely weird phantom experiments that can estimate the nature and impact of these radiations. The Phantom Torso experiment and the recently launched radiation protection experiments by the German and Israeli space agencies are a few of them.

Being an astronaut is very cool. Getting launched in rockets, living in zero gravity, traveling in space, all looks extremely chic. But most often people forget about the potentially dangerous and life-threatening conditions the astronauts are exposed to. Exposure to high-energy cosmic radiations is one of the most potential dangers that the astronauts in space are exposed to. NASA has been trying to study the nature and intensity of the radiations emitted during solar flares to access the impact on the astronauts.

In one such experiment, the NASA Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope started monitoring the levels of high-energy gamma rays in space, National Geographic reported.

Other experiments that can estimate the exact impact of the radiations on human body have already been or are on the pipeline to be launched. One of the oldest of such experimental approaches is the Phantom Torso Experiment launched in 2001. A limbless dummy model, with 350 sensors fitted inside its torso or placed adjacent to it was stationed inside the U.S. Destiny Lab of the International Space Station. The sensors helped in finding out that neutrons are the most potentially dangerous particles in the cosmic rays, which can damage human cells and tissues, Curiosity reported.

According to DLR, one of the most recent approaches towards the radation protection program for astronauts in space was initiated after the German Aerospace Center and the Israeli Space Agency signed an MoU in the recently held 12 International Ilan Ramon Space Conference. The project involves the production of a radiation protection vest for the astronauts in space, which will be tested on human phantom doll named "Matroshka."

The Matroshka doll wearing the vest will be sent to space in unmanned Orion spacecraft mission in 2018. It is to further test the efficacy of the vest in providing radiation protection.
While the world is slowly accepting the stay at home work culture, most often people tend to ignore the amount of emotional stress that people with work from home jobs face. Though it is true that they do not have to face the traffic and the pressure of making it to multiple meetings on time, it is also true that working from home mixes personal life with professional responsibilities. Most people with work from home jobs often work extra hours for which they are not paid for.

Though earlier studies indicated that working from home increased the productivity of employees, what was not noticed in those studies was that these people often lose track of time allotted for recreational activities, which are highly necessary to maintain a healthy mental status, The Japan Times reported.

The United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) that functions for the betterment of workers and employees across the world addressed the issue. It conducted a worldwide survey on the possible health discrepancies faced by people working outside office. These include working from home as well as the people who work in mobile lots across various locations and also those who have to split time between office and various other sites.

The survey included data obtained from 15 countries including India, Japan, United States of America, Brazil and some European countries. The results of the survey indicated that advancement in technologies have made working for home more easy. However, it also increases the vulnerability of such people to experience mental stress and suffer from depression and insomnia. NDTV quoted that work from jobs often result in "the encroachment of work into spaces and times normally reserved for personal life."

In lieu of the data obtained, the ILO urged government organizations to formulate new employee-friendly policies that should also consider the challenges faced by people with work from home jobs. The ILO also recommends the implementation of the "right to disconnect" policy, especially during designated rest times and holidays.
Update: The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch was scrubbed Saturday morning and another attempt will be made on Sunday (Feb. 19) at 9:38 a.m. ET. The scrub in the final seconds of countdown will allow the company to "take a closer look at positioning of the second stage engine nozzle." Musk elaborated via Twitter: "All systems go, except the movement trace of an upper stage engine steering hydraulic piston was slightly odd. Standing down to investigate."

Original: With passenger spaceships in development and plans for settlements on Mars, Elon Musk's SpaceX has been uncharacteristically nostalgic this week as it prepares to launch its 30th Falcon 9 rocket.

The reason for the sentimentality is the rocket's launch pad, a historic site originally built in the 1960s to fly Americans to the moon. At the end of the Apollo program, the pad was refurbished for NASA's space shuttles, which flew for 30 years. The last launch from the pad was in July 2011.

Now, Launch Complex 39A, located at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is in the hands of SpaceX, which has spent millions preparing the site for its Falcon rocket fleet. The first Falcon launch from the pad is targeted for this weekend.

"I never get nervous speaking in front of a crowd and my heart is pounding to come out here today. Not because you guys make me nervous, but because I've got a vehicle on this extraordinary pad behind me," Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX, told reporters at the launch pad on Friday.

RELATED: SpaceX Falcon 9 Starts Its Engines for the First Time at Historic Launch Pad

"It's a historic pad. We've taken good care of this pad during the refurbishment and the rebuild. We've saved precious things that needed to be saved. We've upgraded things to make them usable in the contemporary era here today. It's hard to express how excited I am to be here," Shotwell said.

"This pad would have just sat here and rusted away in the salt air had we not had the... agreement with SpaceX," added Kennedy Space Center director Bob Cabana, a former astronaut who flew four times on the space shuttle.

SpaceX in 2014 signed a 20-year lease on the pad, which will be used for Falcon 9 and planned Falcon Heavy rockets.

It has taken SpaceX almost three years to get 39A operational.

"There's nothing in particular that gave us a hard time. The whole thing is just a huge effort," said Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX vice president of mission assurance.

RELATED: SpaceX Must Still Prove That It Can Safely Launch Astronauts Into Space

Putting the pad into service became a top priority after a September 2016 rocket explosion damaged what had been SpaceX's primary launch site just a few miles away. Repairs to that pad, located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station just south of the NASA spaceport, are underway. Shotwell said the company is aiming to resume flights from Pad 40 this summer.

With a backlog of more than 70 missions, SpaceX wants multiple launch sites for operational flexibility. The company plans to use 39A for NASA missions, such as the cargo run to the International Space Station that is scheduled to blast off at 10:01 a.m. EST Saturday. In less than two years, SpaceX also plans to be flying crew to the station.

The other job for 39A will be to launch Falcon Heavy, with first flight slated for this year.

SpaceX also launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, which is suitably positioned for polar and high-inclination orbits, and is building a fourth launch site in Texas.

Image: The SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon vehicle verticle at Pad 39A on Thursday night (SpaceX)
In February, Romania quietly passing a controversial executive order that would make it difficult to convict officials for corruption and abuses of power. This anti-corruption bill sent shockwaves throughout the country and thousands of Romanians protested. The executive order was quickly rescinded in response.

This was the largest uprising in nearly 30 years, but Romania has a long and storied history with battling corruption. The country, along with most of Eastern Europe, aligned with the Soviet Union and adopted a centralized economy, meaning price controls and all production was controlled by the state. This system is highly corruptible, as businesses were only able to function by offering bribes and kickbacks to politicians.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, many countries adopted democratic institutions, but they failed to get rid of corrupt individuals and practices. So does communism breed corruption?

Learn More:

DW: Romania decriminalizes official misconduct amid mass protests

RFERL: Corruption Is The New Communism

New York Times: In Romania, Corruption's Tentacles Grip Daily Life
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It was a cold November day and San Francisco fifth-grader Mariah Bess was riding the bus home from school, past homeless people on the street.

She was just learning how to knit and had an idea.

She said, I want to knit scarves for homeless people, can I start a knitting club? recalled her John Muir Elementary School teacher, Joe Mannarino.

How could he say no?

You dont, he said. You go out and buy knitting needles.

Mariah hung up a sign in her school hallway advertising the knitting club, with meetings Thursdays at lunch in Mannarinos classroom.

The students at Muir arent wealthy  more than 75 percent come from low-income families, and some are homeless themselves. Mannarino wasnt sure how many kids would want to spend their lunch recess knitting scarves. He thought maybe a few would come and hang out.

He was wrong.

About a dozen boys and girls are skipping foursquare for a ball of yarn, with some using sharpened pencils to knit scarves for the homeless because there arent always enough needles to go around.

Mariah and the other more experienced knitters, who learned to knit in large part by watching YouTube instructional videos, help those who are still learning.

Now, its not unusual to see a student walking down the hall and knitting, said Principal Shawn Mansager.

Its a little more than just making scarves for homeless families, he said. Its also about building empathy and also creating strong relationships among (the students).

Fifth-graders can sometimes get caught up in adolescent emotions and turmoil, but knitting seems to help alleviate that, Mannarino said.

Theres never any drama in here, he said as he watched the students hunched together, one helping another. They can just come in here and be themselves  or just be.

Its the kind of activity than can soothe kids who are frustrated or overwhelmed by something that is happening at school or at home, the teacher said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

What I like about knitting is it makes me feel calm, said fourth-grader Terrence Hubbard, who joined the group. If youre feeling irritated, you can just knit.

Researchers back up Terrences belief in the emotional benefits of knitting. The repetitive motion can be like meditation, pulling the brain away from daily stressors, experts say.

Its relaxing, Mariah said, and refreshing.

Personal benefits aside, the lunchtime knitting circle is looking forward to a field trip to bring the finished scarves to their new owners. Mariah thinks the homeless recipients will like them.

Theyll think theyre warm, she said. And theyll think somebody gave it to them out of the kindness of their heart.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: jilltucker
Courtesy photo/Marin Parks

The body of a missing man washed up on the shore of McNears Beach in San Rafael Friday morning, police said.

The man had been identified by the county coroner, but the Marin County Sheriffs Office did not release his name pending notification of his family.
Rarely does a San Francisco housing development receive the kind of love that 1028 Market St. got when it breezed through the Planning Commission with unanimous approval late last month.

Artists spoke in favor of it. So did leaders of the Tenderloins transgender community, affordable housing builders, environmentalists and youth workers. Even Zach Sharpe, a stand-up bass player with the Alabama Bow Ties, testified that the Bay Areas bluegrass musicians were squarely behind the project. They liked it because the developer, Tidewater Capital, had created a real hub for bluegrass during the two years the existing building has been used as a pop-up food hall.

This project is good on every level, Planning Commissioner Dennis Richards said.

Yet despite the lack of opposition, the 186-unit project took more than three years to get through the approval process. Now, with the six to 12 months it will take to get final sign-off at the Department of Building Inspection and the two years it will take to build, the project is set for a late 2019 opening.

Its six years from cradle to grave for a project without opposition that would provide badly needed housing while causing zero displacement, said Craig Young, managing partner of Tidewater Capital. There is something wrong with that system.

The project is among several the city hopes will help revive the long-struggling stretch of central Market Street between Fifth and Seventh streets. Others are 950 Market St., which will have a 232-room hotel plus 242 condos, and 1066 Market, set to hold 304 apartments.

While all three are set to start construction in 2017, the fact that all three took more than three years to win approvals has slowed Market Street improvements, which Mayor Ed Lee has made a central goal of his administration. Retailers who were banking on the added foot traffic have foundered. Restaurants like Bon Marche, Oro and Cadence have opened to high expectations only to close because of a lack of business.

Matt Semmelhack, a pioneering Mid-Market restaurant owner whose Mercer Restaurant Group owned AQ and Bon Marche, said the pace at which developers and investors expected change to come to Mid-Market has not come to fruition.

We are not even halfway to reaching the number of units, and the foot traffic that goes along with it, that most people expected, he said.

San Francisco Planning Director John Rahaim said his department is doing everything it can to expedite applications. The amount of time it takes for a project to be assigned an environmental planner is now six months, down from the year it took in 2013. We are constantly struggling for ways to reduce the process, with varying degrees of success, Rahaim said. Ill be frank about that.

But there is only so much planners can do in a system that is driven by neighborhood politics. While 1028 Market St. had to undergo a full-blown environmental study because its part of a historic district, the developers of both 1066 Market St. and 950 Market St. spent months hammering out affordable housing deals with neighborhood groups. In the end both developers ended up buying separate Tenderloin parcels and donating them to the city for low-income housing. Those deals required months of negotiations with city staff.

These three projects are really important as far as generating activity on the street, said Rahaim.

Even as it delayed badly needed housing and hurt the Market Street renaissance, the frustratingly long entitlement process was not all bad for Tidewater Capital.

Knowing that approvals would take a while, Tidewater spent $850,000 to activate the existing, two-story building with an interim use: a food court. The Hall, as its known, has served more than 300,000 customers in the 28 months it has been open. It has become an ad hoc Mid-Market community center, with a full calendar of concerts, art exhibits, fundraisers, lectures and neighborhood meetings.

Altogether, 11 small businesses operated out of the Hall. There have been 125 musical performances, and more than 30 jobs were created  Young even hired two men who had been dealing drugs outside.

In late January when the 1028 Market project finally got to the Planning Commission for a vote, the goodwill the Hall had built up was obvious. Many of the dozens of supporters who testified in favor of the project said they had frequented the Hall.

They have been very intentional about integrating into the existing culture and enhancing it with things like the Hall, said Mid-Market resident and artist Cameron Moberg.

Still, the Hall has not made a profit, a fact that Young attributed to the fact that housing planned for the Mid-Market corridor has been so slow to rise.

How can you operate a sustainable retail business if you have to close at 7 or 8 at night, and on weekends, because there are so few residents in the neighborhood? Young said.

Part of the sense that Mid-Market has stalled could come from unrealistic expectations. From 2011 to 2015 the strip of Market Street from Fifth Street to Van Ness was on fire. Twitter moved into the old San Francisco Furniture Mart building at 1355 Market St., which also became home to four new restaurants and an upscale food market. Other tech companies followed, and the 754-unit luxury apartment tower NEMA opened at 10th and Market, while other towers popped up at 55 Ninth St. and 100 Van Ness Ave.

But since the initial frenzy of activity, key projects have lagged. Two hotel projects at Market and Seventh streets, Proper and Yotel, have taken upward of two years longer than expected, although both are set to open this year. The $150 million, six-story retail building near of Sixth and Market, now called 6X6, is nearing completion but has yet to land a tenant.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

While political fights over development are common in San Francisco, Housing Action Coalition Executive Director Todd David said the city needs to figure out how to streamline projects that have widespread support.

Uncertainty is not good for housing creation, David said. It adds to the cost of housing, which isnt in anybodys best interest.

But for all the delays, the housing production is revving up again on Market Street. Excavation recently started at 1554 Market St., where 109 units will rise. And at 1075 Market St. work is under way on a 90-unit condo development, which will be Mid-Markets first project with for-sale units. Developer Robert Huggins of Encore Capital Management said the foundation has been poured and youll see it coming out of the ground pretty quick.

He said that he has been a little concerned about delays and failed retail along Market Street, but believes in the long run Mid-Market will be a success.

Everything has taken longer than expected, and were probably not going to hit the market when we wanted to, Huggins said. But we are not too nervous about it. We are still bullish.

And demolition is scheduled to take place this spring on 950 Market, with 1066 Market St. about six months behind. While Semmelhack has been closing Mid-Market restaurants this year, that doesnt mean he no longer believes in the neighborhood. In fact, Semmelhack, who also managed the Hall, said he is in negotiations to open a new spot nearby.

Were looking at a project on that block as we speak, he said. Were still very invested in Mid-Market.

This time he hopes his timing will be better.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen
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Even before Lake Oroville reached a crisis point last weekend when it swelled to its brim and saw both of its spillways badly damaged, operators of the nations tallest dam were concerned about drawdown capacity  their ability to make adequate downstream releases of water at the reservoir.

Not only were a set of outflow valves taken out of service after a near-fatal accident eight years ago, records show, but also managers of the massive state-run reservoir wanted additional ways to release water from the lake.

While its unclear if expanding the lakes discharge capacity would have averted the recent problems  which included the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people from downstream communities on the Feather River  the records highlight the ongoing and complicated safety demands of the nearly 50-year-old dam.

You never know when you need more options on the table, said Greg Reis, a hydrologist at the San Francisco-based Bay Institute, who has studied other dams in Californias Sierra Nevada foothills.

The near-disaster at Lake Oroville began unfolding last week when the reservoirs main spillway cracked open amid pounding winter storms. Four days later, with the discharge channel crippled, water began flowing over the dams emergency spillway, essentially a bare hillside that had never been used for releases.

The hillside unexpectedly eroded, causing concern it might collapse and send a wall of water downstream. That prompted the mass evacuations.

With the two spillways failing, dam operators with the state Department of Water Resources had two other options for getting water out of the reservoir. However, both of those were also compromised.

The dams hydroelectric station, where water is discharged when the turbines are running, was shut down last weekend. Debris from the cracked main spillway caused water to pool up near the plant and back-pressure threatened to damage power equipment, officials said. The station remained offline Friday with no immediate plans to reopen.

Meanwhile, release valves near the power station known as the river outlet  which were taken out of service for several years after a 2009 accident  also remained inoperable Friday as pooling water covered the outtakes. State officials say the river valves have finally been refurbished after years of work since the accident but have less capacity now.

Recent dam inspection reports indicate that the state was beginning to evaluate whether it could expand the release capacity of the reservoir.

Adequate and reliable reservoir drawdown capacity is important for dam safety, read a September report by the state Division of Safety of Dams.

A year earlier, inspectors wrote, The owner is currently developing a plan to assure adequate reservoir drawdown capacity for dam safety purposes.

While state officials did not detail their plan, Department of Water Resources spokesman Ted Thomas said the goal is not necessarily to discharge more water when the lake is near full, as it is now, but to make releases during the dry months when the lake is too low to push water out the main spillway.

As DWR was considering the river valve system after the 2009 accident, engineers recognized that modifying the river valve system would be the most feasible, expeditious way to also increase the ability to draw water out of the lower levels of the reservoir, Thomas wrote in an email.

Currently, the river valves can release 2,000 cubic feet of water per second, according to state officials, a relatively small amount compared with the 150,000 cubic feet of water that can come off the main spillway when it is in working condition.

The river valves, however, were built to handle 5,400 cubic feet of water per second, state records show. But restoring them has been a slow-moving project since the 2009 accident, which occurred when dam workers were directed to open the lines to full capacity. The pressure within caused a wall to collapse, injuring five people, one who spent four days in a hospital.

An investigation by the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health found the valves were operating without a key piece of equipment, and the Department of Water Resources was fined for poor safety practices.

The valves have not been regularly used since, according to state officials. While their capacity is limited, some have suggested that operating the outlet well before the reservoir peaked last weekend could have helped lower water levels enough so that the backup spillway wouldnt have been needed.

I dont know why they didnt use it, but had it been available maybe it could have made some difference, Reis said.

The hillside erosion that prompted the evacuations happened as a maximum of 12,600 cubic feet of water per second cascaded over the emergency spillway.

Dam operators have since increased releases on the main spillway to as much as 100,000 cubic feet per second, despite its 200-foot-long fracture, which has eased the threat of downstream flooding and allowed evacuated residents to return home.

Bill Croyle, acting director of the Department of Water Resources, said Friday that the emergency spillway is not expected to be pressed into use again anytime soon.

At a news briefing, Croyle said the reservoirs level stood at 861 feet at midday Friday, or 40 feet lower than the level during Sundays emergency.

The release over the main spillway was being decreased to 70,000 so heavy equipment crews could start clearing concrete sediment that had fallen from the main spillway, part of an effort to restore operations at the power plant. The hydroelectric station can discharge about 14,000 cubic feet of water per second.

The ability to discharge water will be critical as dam operators plan how they will fix the two spillways in coming months. They are also investigating what caused the failure of the main spillway.

The river outlets and power plant will be needed to keep the reservoir from filling again and meet fishery flow requirements when they have to close the radial gates in the dry season to begin to reconstruct the main spillway, said Ronald Stork, senior policy director for the nonprofit Friends of the River, in an email.

Jay Lund, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis, said dam managers everywhere have been looking for ways to boost water releases in order to add operational flexibility, whether water levels are high or low.

In more modern thinking about reservoirs over the last 50 years or so, weve started to think about reasons to have more withdrawal capacity, he said. Any competent, thoughtful dam engineer that looks at a dam is going to come up with a long list of things theyd like to see improved. It doesnt necessarily mean that everything is worth doing.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Kevin Fagan contributed to this report.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
A Santa Rosa man was sentenced to 10 years and four months in prison Friday after being found guilty of savagely beating his 74-year-old mother with a cast iron pan, officials said.

Robert Churich was found guilty of a slew of charges at trial in Sonoma County Superior Court in December, stemming from the Oct. 5, 2015 attack on his mother that began when she asked the 58-year-old to move out of her house, according to the Sonoma County district attorneys office.

Churich prevented his mother from calling police, then struck her in the head with a cast iron pan so forcefully the pan broke, the district attorneys office reported. He then hit her again with a second and third cast iron pan, both of which also broke.

Despite her injuries, the mother managed to flee her home seek help, officials said.

The attack left the her with a concussion and other injuries spanning her whole body, including her scalp, arms, legs, and torso. She still suffers distressing effects from the attack over a year later, she testified at trial.

With his mother fled the home for her life, Churich stole her car, drove her dog to a nearby shopping center, where he removed the collar and released the pooch into the parking lot, officials said.

He was arrested a day after the attack by Sonoma County Sheriffs Detective Jesse Hanshew, who spotted Churich driving his mothers vehicle, according to the district attorneys office.

Churich was convicted of physical abuse of an elder, preventing a witness from contacting assistance, assault with a deadly weapon, vehicle theft, unlawful use of victims debit card, and an additional enhancement for personally inflicting great bodily injury.

The woman has since gotten her dog back, according to Joe Langenbahn, a spokesman for the Sonoma County district attorneys office.

Filipa A. Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi
The near-disaster at Lake Oroville last week shows once again why homeowners and renters might consider buying flood insurance, even if their lender does not require it.

Anyone with a federally backed mortgage is required to have flood insurance if they live in a high-risk zone known as a special flood hazard area. However, the vast majority of the nearly 200,000 people evacuated downstream from Lake Oroville do not live in high-risk zones.

A standard homeowners or renters policy does not cover flood damage. It must be purchased separately, usually from the National Flood Insurance Program, which sells policies through insurance agents.

Between climate change and aging infrastructure, more floods are occurring in areas not considered high risk, said Amy Bach of consumer group United Policyholders.

People outside of high-risk flood areas file more than 20 percent of all national flood insurance claims and get one-third of federal disaster assistance, the program says.

Our dams, levies are problematic. If I am relying on one for protection, if I can get flood insurance pretty cheap, Id probably buy it, said Robert Hunter, director of insurance with the Consumer Federation of America.

And thats what many people were doing last week in the three counties that were evacuated after problems with the Oroville Dams primary and auxiliary spillways threatened to flood towns along the Feather River.

Insurance agents from Oroville to Yuba City were inundated with calls from clients asking about flood insurance.

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Bill Edick, owner of a self-named insurance agency in Yuba City, sold about 75 flood policies last week. I dont think we ever wrote that many in such a short period of time, he said. Even though there is a 30-day waiting period before flood insurance takes effect, customers are worried about the Oroville situation and potential local river flooding, he said.

Sushil Kumar Kairam was in Edicks office Friday buying flood insurance for two homes, two duplexes and a liquor store, at a total cost of $3,400 per year. All are in Yuba City, but none is in a high-risk zone.

Although the California Department of Water Resources has said the Oroville Dam itself was and remains structurally sound, Kairam is not sure he believes that. Better to be safe than sorry, he said.

George Selland, president of the Rose Insurance Agency in Yuba City, said he had fielded 600 to 700 phone calls from people inquiring about flood insurance last week. Maybe one-third to 40 percent are buying, he said. Many of his customers already had flood insurance, but many others had let them expire due to the drought.

At Buttes Insurance Agency in Live Oak (Sutter County), about 20 miles south of the dam, its been absolutely crazy, owner Robert Coe said. I think weve written 75 or 80 flood policies this week. Most were purchased over the phone. Even though the mandatory evacuation order was lifted Tuesday, It was so difficult getting out of town that a significant number (of clients) are still staying with relatives, he said Friday.

If the dam were to collapse, 50,047 single- and multifamily residential homes in six counties could be damaged, with an estimated construction cost of $13.3 billion, property analytics firm CoreLogic said in a report last week. Only 12 percent of those homes are in high-risk zones where flood insurance is mandatory for homes with government-backed mortgages.

Only three of the counties  Sutter, Butte and Yuba  had areas under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders last week. In these counties 12,055 housing units, or 7.5 percent of all units, have national flood insurance, according to data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

The standard homeowners flood policy covers up to $250,000 in damage to the building. You can pay extra for contents coverage up to $100,000. Deductibles range from $1,000 to $10,000. The policies do not cover basement improvements or additional living expenses if you are evacuated or forced to move out of a flooded house.

In high-risk areas, the cost of flood insurance varies widely, depending on the homes location, elevation and other factors, but annual premiums of $1,200 to $2,000 are common. Jim Hollingsworth, a State Farm agent in Oroville, said he was surprised last week when a quote for a customer came in at $3,200.

Outside of high-risk areas, premiums are much lower and consistent. Agents in Oroville and Yuba City say they are usually about $450 a year for an owner-occupied residence.

A few private insurance companies sell excess flood insurance, which provides coverage above the national flood policy limit. These policies might include additional living expenses.

Homeowners policies issued by CSAA Insurance Group offer a benefit known as Flood Emergency Assistance. Even if a person with an AAA homeowners policy doesnt have flood insurance, if a flood makes his or her home uninhabitable, this will cover up to $3,000 in additional living expenses.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender

Online

To learn more about the national flood insurance program: www.floodsmart.gov
WASHINGTON  Donald Trumps nominee to run the Environmental Protection Agency, a climate change skeptic who has for years been an ardent critic of the department he will now lead, got final Senate approval Friday after a prolonged assault from environmentalists.

The nomination of former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt for the post has been one of the most bitterly fought since Trump took office last month, pitting a crusader for fossil fuel interests who has sued the agency 14 times against an environmental movement that is scrambling to preserve what it can of actions President Barack Obama took to curb climate change and protect natural resources.

Democrats held the Senate floor overnight into Friday urging colleagues to join them in opposing Pruitt  or at least to support their efforts to delay the vote. Their pleas came as a judge in Oklahoma issued an order for Pruitt to turn over thousands of email exchanges with oil and gas companies he has long kept secret. Those documents are to be made public Tuesday.

But Republican leaders would not delay the vote, which was 52-46. Pruitt was later sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

Republicans were eager to confirm Pruitt swiftly, following the collapse of Trumps nominee to run the Labor Department, Andrew Puzder, and the political fallout lawmakers endured from the rocky confirmation proceedings of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. The DeVos fight had caused the Capitol switchboard to light up with an unprecedented number of angry phone calls from constituents.

Democrats had spent the night detailing all of the ways Pruitt had worked to undermine mainstream climate science and crusade on behalf of the oil and gas industry. They paraded into the Senate chambers with charts and other presentations that detailed the effects of climate change. By Friday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., declared that Pruitt personified what he declared to be the worst Cabinet, I think, in the history of America. Certainly in my lifetime.

Evan Halper is a Tribune Co. writer.
As the autonomous cars of the future zip around, the same sensors they use to see their surroundings will collect data on roads, traffic, weather, accidents, obstacles and construction.

Digital-mapping company Here intends to use that data to update the highly detailed charts that self-driving cars use to navigate the world.

We will deliver the first-ever self-maintaining map, said Sanjay Sood, Heres vice president of highly automated driving, speaking at the Berlin companys downtown Berkeley office. Were deep in R&D work with several (carmakers) now, collecting data from their prototype autonomous vehicles to maintain the high-definition map.

At the same time, Here wants to collaborate with other mapping companies  competitors include Google and Hollands TomTom  on the premise that everyone will benefit from a unified standard.

Although its name (meant to evoke the You are here sign on maps) defies Web searches and the company mostly keeps a low profile, Here is a leading player in digital maps. It provides the underlying data for 80 percent of car navigation systems in North and South America and western Europe.

Formerly Nokias digital mapping unit, Heres sale in 2015 sparked a bidding war in which German carmakers Audi, BMW and Daimler paid $2.8 billion to beat out rivals that reportedly included Uber, Facebook, Chinas Baidu and private equity firms. Intel recently bought a 15 percent stake in Here. Another 10 percent was snapped up collectively by Chinese digital mapping company NavInfo, Chinese Internet giant Tencent and Singapores sovereign wealth fund GIC.

Heres history stretches back to the mid-1980s, when its predecessor company, Navteq, installed kiosks at car rental companies that let drivers enter their destinations and receive printed directions. Over three decades, Here has amassed a treasure trove of data about much of the globe.

Now, Here finds itself at a lucrative nexus. As the world approaches a future in which cars drive themselves, the need for precise, intelligent digital maps is paramount  which is why both carmakers and tech companies are lining up to invest in and partner with Here.

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Autonomous cars have to be able to understand the environment around them, said Doug Davis, senior vice president and general manager of the automated driving group at Santa Claras Intel, which is making a big push into powerful processors and artificial intelligence for cars, connectivity and the cloud. Intel will invest $250 million in companies in the field. It did not disclose how much it invested in Here. Highly accurate maps are a critical ingredient to enable those cars to know exactly where they are at any point in time.

Heres Sood said as much. The first day an autonomous car rolls off the lot, it needs a map to drive, he said. Our HD maps will help (self-driving) cars understand where they are in the world and position themselves.

The maps will also draw on dynamic data to help cars know whats around the next bend in the road. HD maps will help cars anticipate whats in the next lane, whats coming up around the corner, Sood said. If the self-driving cars cant see that, they would have to drive very slowly.

Here already has most of the world mapped. Now its working to create high-definition, 3-D overlays. Instead of just showing the road, its HD map will show all the lane markers, the guardrails, poles and other road furniture at an 8-to-12-inch level of accuracy. Current maps are accurate within 98 to 164 feet.

Basic navigation is not enough for automated cars, said Ugur Demiryurek, associate director of the Integrated Media Center at the University of Southern California. Robots need granular data on every curve, elevation and deviation. It has to be extremely precise, almost like brain surgery.

Here will have 310,686 miles of HD maps by year end, covering all the major highways in North America and Western Europe. By 2020, its HD maps will cover 2.49 million miles.

Here employees worldwide drive some 400 mapping cars (Here called them terrestrial capture units) topped with 4-foot high rigs bristling with sensors to collect the HD data. The high level of precision comes from $70,000 lidar scanners. Lidar, commonly used in self-driving cars as well as mapping vehicles, is a type of laser radar.

For both regular and HD maps, Here collects data from municipalities to stay abreast of construction projects and other road changes. It also has a crowdsourced site called MapCreator that draws about 100,000 visitors a month who contribute updates on their neighborhoods. Here automatically extracts data from various sources such as trucking fleets and mobile phones.

Even before robot cars hit the road, Here is working on better information for human drivers. It is now pooling anonymized real-time data from hundreds of thousands of newer cars (2014 and later) from the three German carmakers that own it. If several cars turn on their windshield wipers, its system will know that theres rain ahead, for instance. It will use that data for a new service called Lighthouse to give drivers dynamic updates on road conditions: traffic, hazards, parking and changing speed limits.

While the 105-person Berkeley office is just one small offshoot of a global company with a workforce topping 7,000, engineers and programmers in the East Bay location play key roles in creating the HD digital maps. Other Here workers get even more hands-on to assemble the rigs for the mapping cars at a garage on Gilman Avenue.

After being built in Berkeley, the rigs are shipped to Here locations worldwide to be mounted on cars for mapping runs. Each rig takes about a week to put together, with a day or so of test runs in Berkeley and San Francisco.

These are some of the most well-mapped cities anywhere, said Cyrus McGuire, production lead. People see us and wave, thinking theyll get to be in a map, but dont realize were just testing.

Besides Google and TomTom, USCs Demiryurek sees Uber as a Here rival. Uber bought mapping comany enCarta and some of Microsofts Bing mapping technology, both in 2015. Uber is in a position to collect data continuously, since they have drivers all over the world, he said.

Uber hasnt disclosed whether it will license the maps it is creating for its future self-driving taxis.

The world changes, Intels Davis said. A city may rip up a street and the barriers move around as construction is under way. We think Here has the footprint, the technology and the approach to optimize the kind of maps automated cars will need.

Heres Sood put it even more simply.

Building a map is hard, he said. Keeping it up to date is equally challenging.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
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Norma McCorvey, the Texas woman behind the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, died Saturday morning at an assisted-living facility in Katy. She was 69.

After three years of deteriorating health, she died of heart failure following a brief stay in the ICU, according to a close family friend.

"She was very much at peace at the end," said pro-life advocate Karen Garnett.

McCorvey was 22, unmarried and struggling with a life of addiction and poverty when she unwittingly gained national fame as the pseudonymous lead plaintiff in the watershed Supreme Court ruling that allowed women to seek abortions in the first two trimesters of pregnancy.

"I'm really kind of just saddened by this," Linda Coffee, the Texas attorney who represented McCorvey in the high-profile case filed in 1970 told the Chronicle Saturday.

"For so long there's been three people when you think of this case. You think of Sarah Weddington, and Norma McCorvey and me."

Weddington, Coffee's co-counsel, said she was "so sorry" to hear the news - but also offered a more biting take on the controversial woman at the center of one of the most contentious court decisions in history.

"One thing I've learned is that around Norma you have to know you can't believe almost anything she says," Weddington said from her Austin home Saturday.

Although McCorvey's lawyers pursued the groundbreaking legal action under the pseudonym Jane Roe in order to preserve their client's anonymity, McCorvey later shed her Roe mantle and eventually came out as an abortion foe and born-again Christian.

"I'm 100 percent pro-life. I don't believe in abortion even in an extreme situation. If the woman is impregnated by a rapist, it's still a child. You're not to act as your own God," she told the AP in 1988.

After her passing, anti-abortion groups stepped up to mourn.

Texas Right to Life President Jim Graham called McCorvey - who never actually had an abortion - a "beautiful soul who transformed her life."

"Texas Right to Life was blessed and honored to befriend and to work closely with Norma for decades, and her contributions to the Pro-Life movement are too great to be estimated," he said in a statement.

National Director of Priests for Life Father Frank Pavone praised McCorvey's conversion to Christianity and offered condolences.

"I'm sorry she won't be here to celebrate with me when we finally abolish legal abortion in this country, but I know she will be watching," he said.

Garnett, former executive director of the Catholic Pro-Life Committee of North Texas, described her as "passionate" and "fiesty."

"She did not have any idea what actually would follow from that case when she was first involved in it," Garnett told the Chronicle.

"She was so sorry that so many millions of children's lives were lost over the last 44 years and yet she came to a place of tremendous peace through the grace of God."

RULE BLOCKED: Judge keeps ban on fetal burial rule in place

Born in 1947 in a small village in Louisiana, McCorvey lived in Houston and Dallas, before her family shipped her off to reform school in the North Texas town of Gainesville.

At 16, she married Woody McCorvey, then left while pregnant and came out as a lesbian.

"My mom screamed, 'What did a lesbian know about raising a child?' I lost my child, and my home," she said in 1988, claiming her mother took custody of the baby.

She gave a second child up for adoption and was pregnant for the third time when an adoption attorney put her in touch with lawyers Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington.

The three women met up in a Dallas diner and decided to make McCorvey their lead plaintiff - although the lawyers had their doubts.

"I was worried about taking the case because she looked so far along," said Coffee.

But to make their case, the two young attorneys only needed their client to be pregnant when the case started.

In the end, Coffee and Weddington were satisfied that McCorvey could be the plaintiff they needed, though Weddington expressed some retrospective doubt about the fateful decision.

"I was too young to know that your clients lied," said Weddington. "It would have been nice if I'd picked somebody else."

But, despite the troubled client, ultimately the case - a class-action suit naming Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade as the defendant - made it to the Supreme Court and scored an overwhelming victory on the national stage.

"It's meant a lot to many women around the nation," said Weddington.

Justice Harry Blackmun - appointed by President Richard Nixon - wrote an opinion declaring the Constitution's right to privacy "broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy."

"The detriment that the State would impose upon the pregnant woman by denying this choice altogether is apparent," Blackmun wrote.

After the Jan. 22, 1973 decision - issued long after McCorvey had already given birth and offered the baby up for adoption - the troubled woman at the center of the case made her identity public.

For a few years, she stayed out of the spotlight.

But in the 1980s she became a pro-choice activist and for a time worked at an abortion clinic in Dallas.

And though she initially claimed the pregnancy that sparked the high-stakes legal wrangling was the result of a rape, she later recanted.

In 1994, she put out a tell-all autobiography, offering gritty details on her dysfunctional family, reform school, history of petty crime, struggle with alcoholism and an attempted suicide.

Then the following year she did an about-face with a televised baptism performed by abortion foe Rev. Philip "Flip" Benham.

After finding her faith, McCorvey abandoned her long-time lover, Connie Gonzalez, decrying homosexuality as a sin.

In 1998, she put out a book detailing her evangelical conversion, but by the end of the year she'd converted again to Catholicism.

She later called her involvement in Roe v. Wade "the biggest mistake of my life" and publicly disparaged her attorneys as "self-interested" women who "exploited" her. In 2003, she embarked on a failed bid to have the case overturned.

"She lives for the day that Roe v. Wade will be reversed," her lawyer Allan Parker told the Chronicle at the time.

But Weddington, now 72, has her doubts.

"I have never been sure if she was really against abortion," she said, describing McCorvey as someone who was "always looking for money."

But as the controversial, ever-changing activist's legacy is put to rest, the women of her erstwhile legal team worry about what's ahead for the decision that bears her name.

"All of us who want to be sure that women can continue to make their own choices are very concerned about what the future is," Weddington said. "If you look at what's the future, it just depends on who's on the Supreme Court."

If the court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion rights would be decided on a state-by-state basis.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.

>>>Scroll through the gallery to see the long, complicated history of Texas and the issue of abortion
After watching the 90-minute press conference, I find it pathetic that President Trump finds his conduct becoming as president of the United States. Its interesting how he has no problem with publicly humiliating anyone who questions his actions, yet seems totally comfortable in protecting the secrecy of his future plans, along with the denials of his actual past.

With complete confidence, Trump states facts that are completely wrong (i.e. largest electoral victory ever, etc.). When rightfully challenged, Trump is totally unable to accept responsibility for the misstatement, instead choosing to blame others. It is totally understandable why this ego-centered president does not like the media. To Trump, the media represent an approaching pride of lions. My advice to President Trump is to accept the fact that you won the election, albeit not the popular vote. You are now the president of the United States, so quit whining.

Your job is to represent all Americans. So stop with furthering the divide. Our government is composed of many other members of our government that are ready to assist you in your difficult job.

Donald Scrivner, Belmont

Confusing message

Trump blasts U.S. intelligence agencies again (Feb. 16) quoted several of President Trumps Feb. 15 tweets. After reading them, I applied some simple logic to these communications. On Feb. 15, a tweet describes reports about inappropriate conversations between Trumps staff and Russia as conspiracy theories and blind hatred, apparently concocted by fake news media such as MSNBC and CNN.

Other tweets on the same day castigate the NSA and FBI for illegally leaking this information to the press: The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by intelligence like candy. Very un-American! and Information is being illegally given to the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost by the intelligence community (NSA and FBI?). A thoughtful, sane person would not suggest that a story reported in the news was illegally leaked by the NSA and/or FBI and at the same time that these stories are fabricated by those who are publishing them. Both cannot be true. As I contemplate statements which are logically mutually exclusive, I become aware that the president of the United States is not cognitively up to the job.

Bob Stern, San Rafael

Unaffordable city

Regarding How S.F. compares with peers (Feb. 17): While our city might give itself high marks in air quality, water usage, library visits and park maintenance, one metric missing from this benchmark report is homelessness.

A recent U.S. Housing and Urban Development report shows that San Francisco ranks eighth highest in major metropolitan areas for people living on the streets. Mayor Ed Lee has been more concerned with attracting high-tech companies and real estate developers of expensive condominiums to the city than with resolving the continuing problem of homeless residents. Sadly, the once-easily walkable and affordable city by the bay is now becoming a densely populated and unaffordable playground of the rich.

Lillian Hermann, San Francisco

Immigrant support

The Day Without Immigrants was a chance for workers, students and community members to acknowledge the crucial role played by immigrants, both documented and undocumented, in our economic, cultural and political lives. Among the many who stepped forward in the Bay Area to assist in that effort were Joe and Sara Hargrave, owners of the successful Tacolicious restaurants, which employ 400 people in San Francisco, San Jose and Palo Alto.

In a letter to their employees, they made it clear that they support any employee who chose to strike or stay home. Beyond that, the Tacolicious team announced to their family that they were donating 100 percent of their profits for the day to the American Civil Liberties Union in the hope that they will promote real change in the way we treat immigrants. Like many others in California, their business depends on immigrant workers, and they want their hard-working staff to enjoy the fruits of their labor without fear of persecution. Please patronize progressive businesses like Tacolicious and others in the Bay Area that employ, mentor and promote employees without regard to national origin.

Jim Autry, Modesto

No rewards

Regarding Throwing a curve at Lombard visitors (Feb. 16): San Francisco has become the Disneyland of Northern California. In response to the article, just like the epic amusement park with its Fastpass, visitors may soon have to make a reservation or pay a toll to drive down the ride that is iconic Lombard Street. And just like the Happiest Place on Earth when it reaches capacity, Vista Point at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge is closed to drivers on major holidays due to resulting overcrowding and, surprise, traffic backups on the bridge.

It is commonplace now for visitors and residents to purchase and print tickets in advance for the Academy of Sciences, the ice rink on Union Square at the holidays or coveted restaurant tables to avoid waiting in line. It is so sad that you can no longer enjoy being spontaneous in the city because of the infrastructure that punishes drivers and rewards no one.

Claudia Angeli, San Francisco

Pay the full cost

GOP must keep Caltrain on track (Open Forum, Feb. 15) expressed predictable, if not understandable, urgency for federal assistance to modernize Caltrain. Federal assistance returns tax dollars to the area, but it also perpetuates a strange policy perception that taxpayers in underperforming areas of the country should also effectively help pay for infrastructure improvements needed here in the wealthiest region of the country. Wouldnt it make more sense for the Silicon Valley Leadership Groups members, who are enjoying extraordinary financial gains, to fully pay the actual cost of their success rather than expect less fortunate regions to subsidize our infrastructure improvements?

It is primarily because of our regions success that most of this infrastructure modernization is necessary. Congratulating ourselves about how much we contribute to these needs and the jobs created in other places is pretty hollow if we are asking less fortunate regions of the country to subsidize the balance. If the group believes in the capitalism that many of us do, then they should have the decency to pay the full cost of the products and services they produce rather than going to others with hat in hand expecting them to contribute by way of federal handouts.

Dan Potash, Berkeley

Lessen the traffic

While less scenic, harder to find and paved in concrete rather than bricks, Vermont Street between 20th Street and 22nd Street is actually steeper and more crooked than Lombard Street. Perhaps this should be more emphasized in guidebooks with an aim to lessen the traffic on Lombard Street.

Barbara Tetzlaff, San Francisco
WASHINGTON  Nearly a month into the Trump presidency, a whirlwind of presidential tweets, executive orders and White House controversies have all but swamped House Democrats and their leader, Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, in their ability to respond effectively.

Even scandals struggle for air time. Only the most shocking break through the din, such as the hawking of Trump daughter Ivankas merchandise from the White House press briefing room, or the fallout from the resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with the Russian government.

Others, such as first lady Melania Trumps libel suit claiming $150 million in damages for harming her ability to cash in on her newfound role, last for a day or so before getting overtaken by other news. And there are other controversies, like a memo reportedly drafted by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly that indicated the Trump administration was considering using up to 100,000 National Guard troops to round up undocumented immigrants, reported by the Associated Press on Friday and promptly knocked down by the White House as false.

Democrats are trying everything short of being like Buddhist monks and lighting ourselves on fire in front of the Capitol, said Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord.

Still, nothing has galvanized Democrats like President Trump. They are borrowing Tea Party strategies to harness voter anger. And as Trumps performance emboldens the partys progressive wing, House Democrats from the Bay Area are pushing a new economic message based on Californias growth model.

Evan Vucci/Associated Press

We need a bold, visionary message on the economy, said Ro Khanna, a freshman Democrat from San Jose. For his part, Khanna said he is urging colleagues to tap into the big thinkers among progressive economists to learn how to rewrite the rules of modern capitalism, which have favored concentrated economic power at the expense of ordinary Americans.

By shattering the rules of political combat and escalating his attacks on the integrity of the judiciary, the media and other democratic institutions, Trump, they say, has pushed boilerplate partisan opposition into genuine alarm.

This is how fascism starts, said former East Bay Rep. Ellen Tauscher, a Democrat who served as undersecretary of state for arms control in the Obama administration. You question the truth. You degrade peoples ability to understand what is real and not real. You destroy institutions that people depend on. You get people to question everything. And part of it is to get people completely exhausted to the point where they start to ignore things. They cant keep track of the one snowflake theyre supposed to pay attention to, because theyre in a blizzard.

Thats how you get people to become inactive, and thats what they want.

Democrats objective is to recapture the House in 2018. For that, they need a net gain of 24 seats, a steep climb  especially in a gerrymandered body. But with Republicans in control of the White House and Congress, House Democrats have almost no power. They cannot hold hearings, set the legislative agenda or even block bills without ample GOP support. Their own bills seldom see the light of day.

Yet, even if all they have is a microphone, Youve got to fight. Its all you can do, said Marylands Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, as he exited a news conference Pelosi held Tuesday to respond to the Flynn scandal. If you don't give any pushback, you wont have a democracy.

Where itll lead, we don't know, but youve got to push back.

Every day, the presidents morning tweets set the days news cycle. Whether they distract from a White House stumble or stomp on Trumps own message, they attract attention. In response to blistering news coverage this week of potentially wider Russian links to his administration and campaign, Trump blasted out a tweetstorm shifting the focus to the source of the leaks rather than the substance of the allegations.

His tweets are strategic, said George Lakoff, a professor emeritus of cognitive linguistics at UC Berkeley.

Pelosi and her party are well aware of Trumps diversionary tactics, and they have attempted to redirect attention to more favorable political turf, such as the benefits of the Affordable Care Act or Russian meddling in the election. Pelosi is keeping us focused, said Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin.

Fighting the president on his own turf would be a waste of time, Swalwell said. As soon as you put heat on him, he moves the pot to a different burner, he said.

Pelosi, who has said she and Democrats will fight this administration, every day with every fiber of our being, is fighting hard against GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Polls show the health care law is growing in popularity, as Republicans struggle to come up with a replacement. She has also adopted what she called a roots-up strategy to encourage action from the rank and file.

DeSaulnier has begun holding meetings across the country with a handful of House colleagues, including some from the Midwest, to listen to Rust Belt voters. He is also tapping university research on labor market changes and developing what he calls a concrete legislative action plan to reach working-class voters who back Trump.

In California weve learned a lot about how to achieve high economic growth in tandem with strong worker and environmental rules, DeSaulnier said. Its undeniable that we do the things in the Bay Area that progressives believe in, and its benefiting our economy. He described his effort to spread those ideas sort of my lifes work right now.

Khanna plans a March 13 trip to Appalachia to help announce a program created under an Obama initiative for new software jobs for the sons and daughters of coal miners.

Pointing to Bernie Sanders presidential run, Khanna said the partys energy lies now in its populist wing, which he believes can offer a forward-looking alternative to what he calls Trumps backward-looking populism, captured in his Make America Great Again slogan.

With the 2018 elections in mind, Khanna said he also wants his party to run on a platform to expand Social Security, provide debt-free college and Medicare for all  the opposite of where the GOP stands on social programs.

Its better to run on a vision and a bold agenda, and make us the party of economic populism but also the party of the future, Khanna said.

Democrats say they were fortified by the Womens March on Washington last month and other protests since Trump took office.

What Democrats have to do is listen to this incredible grass-roots movement shaping up all over the country organically, said Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. These are our people and communities. Theyre engaged like never before. They are going to lead us in ways it will be important to follow.

Drawing on Tea Party strategies, a group of former Democratic congressional staff developed an online guide called Indivisible to show liberals how to organize an effective resistance to the congressional Republicans who provide vital backing for the White House. These have already paid off in GOP town hall meetings, where angry constituents have rattled lawmakers.

That stuff theyre doing at town hall meetings couldnt be better, Cummings said.

Midterm elections such as 2018 favor opposition parties, which makes House Democrats well positioned as a fulcrum of the Trump resistance, said Theda Skocpol, a Harvard University sociologist.

Thats the place where Democrats will be able to make gains, if they can pick up support from a broader array of people, Skocpol said. That and the governors races are the really critical turning points.

Carolyn Lochhead is the San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead
The French Laundrys most recent evolution began modestly enough four years ago. Chef Thomas Keller wanted to remodel the wine cellar.

Fast-forward about 1,460 days and the Yountville fine-dining destination is nearing the end of a multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion, anchored by a new state-of-the-art kitchen.

The projects price tag has surpassed $10 million, and the overall scope of the work encompasses a 2,120-square-foot annex, 9,000 square feet of landscape design and a rebuilt wine cellar capable of housing 16,000 selections.

Further portions of the revamp, such as the entrance, will not be finished or unveiled until the spring, according to the French Laundry team. But Saturday, Feb. 18, will be the restaurants first dinner service, with a $310 tasting menu, since the kitchen was completed.

All it took was four years and, according to general manager Michael Minnillo, some patience.

Were in our 23rd year, and were still that same group that wants to drive this profession, he said.

Keller collaborated on the project with Snohetta, an architecture and design firm with Norwegian roots and offices in Austria, New York and San Francisco. The joint effort led to aesthetics that showcase a sleek, stylish yet minimalist concept.

Prior to the French Laundry, Snohetta spearheaded the $305 million expansion of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Kellers new digs are steeped in functionality. For example, the restaurant is moving away from the walk-in refrigerators seen in most restaurants and toward smaller, more efficient coolers. The counters are elevated so kitchen staff wont have to stoop their shoulders while using a cutting board.

The improvements were the result of research. The Snohetta team spent time in Kellers kitchen, learning the needs of high-level chefs. The kitchen not only has more natural light and better acoustics for communication among team members, but its also lined with windows so guests can see the inner workings of the French Laundry operation.

Minnillo, who has been with the restaurant since the 1990s, said a key characteristic of the design is efficiency. Everything from the spacing of work stations to the height of cabinets plays a role, he said.

Executive pastry chef Elwyn Boyles, who oversees the dessert menus for both the French Laundry and New York sister restaurant Per Se, reiterated Minnillos sentiments  functionality is key.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

The old kitchen was great but we outgrew it as a staff, Boyles said.

Snohettas design increased the size of the kitchen by about 25 percent, according to the company.

The ceilings are reminiscent of flowing table cloths, both for aesthetics and practical use, as they obscure equipment on the kitchens ceiling.

The renovation, while planned years ago, is being completed at a unique time for both the French Laundry and the Bay Area dining scene, as storied dining destinations are no longer surviving on reputation alone.

Keller has said in the past he doesnt plan to distance the restaurant from its roots. The menu still changes daily and remains an amalgamation of French tradition and high-quality ingredients. Still, the project is wrapping up less than a year after New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells stripped Kellers Per Se of its perfect rating, instead describing a slow creep of mediocrity. In the aftermath, Keller expressed a renewed vigor for righting the ship.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

While the conversations about French Laundry are layered with story lines, Minnillo said outside influences have nothing to do with whats happening on the Yountville property. The changes are the result of progressive thinking, the heartbeat of French Laundry over the decades, he said.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Were constantly changing everything everyday, Minnillo said. I tell the team all the time, were trailblazers. We have to do it for the profession. Were always cutting-edge, from concepts to food to designs.

Justin Phillips is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
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A man died after losing control of his sedan while driving along the Oakland estuary on rain-slicked roads Friday morning, an official said.

The man went off the road around 8 a.m. while headed north on Doolittle Drive just before Langley Street, near Oakland International Airport, said Battalion Chief Tracey Chin of the Oakland Fire Department.

Four people reportedly witnessed the crash, officials said.

The mans name was withheld by the Alameda County coroners bureau, pending notification of next of kin.

Along with the Fire Department, the Alameda County Sheriffs Office, the Oakland Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard went to the scene to assist in the recovery effort, Chin said.

The response included two rescue swimmers from the Oakland Fire Department, one rescue swimmer from the Coast Guard, and a Coast Guard rescue boat from the San Francisco station, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Loumania Stewart.

Drivers reported seeing the car plunge into the estuary, but the sedan had sunk below the surface of the water by the time first responders reached the scene, Chin said.

At 9:51 a.m., the car was located, a towline was attached, and the car was dragged from the water, Stewart said. All doors were closed, the windows were raised, and the driver was found inside and pronounced deceased.

It was the second such crash in a little more than a month on the same stretch of roadway. A San Leandro cab driver went into the estuary and died in early January in similar wet weather.

The stretch of roadway doesnt have a guardrail, but its not clear whether that would have made a difference in either case. The Oakland Police Department was conducting an investigation into the cause of the accident.

As with any wet weather driving, the big thing is to definitely proceed with caution, Chin said.

Filipa A. Ioannou and Michael Bodley are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com, mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi, @michael_bodley
Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

A man who apparently wandered onto Interstate 80 in Berkeley on Friday evening was struck and killed by a motorist, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The collision occurred shortly before 8 p.m. near the eastbound Gilman Street offramp, where the driver of a blue Hyundai struck a pedestrian who was standing or walking in the slow lane. Despite attempts to revive him by CHP personnel, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Wallets can be lost, stolen or forgotten, but most people today would not be caught dead without their phones.

Banks understand, and are grabbing on to that trend. Customers who do not want to fumble around in their wallet for their ATM card  or who have misplaced it for the umpteenth time  will soon be able to unlock cash dispensers coffers by using their phone.

JPMorgan Chase, which has more ATMs in the United States  18,000  than any other bank, has activated this technology on a few hundred machines in four test cities, including San Francisco and Miami. Six thousand more are upgraded and ready to go.

Bank of America and Wells Fargo plan to introduce cardless options to all their machines by the end of the year. And while swiping an ATM card may not exactly seem onerous, bankers think going card-free will be a hit with consumers.

Its about having the choice, said Jonathan Velline, Wells Fargos head of ATM and branch banking. If youve lost your card or left home without your wallet, chances are you still have your smartphone in your hand.

But of course, any new financial technology brings with it new security holes.

For decades, banks have battled skimming, in which criminals sabotage ATMs to steal the information off a card and use it to clear out peoples accounts. The replacement of magnetic stripe cards with chip cards significantly reduced that problem, but mobile access brings in new worries.

One Chase customer recently had $2,900 stolen from her account through the banks new cardless system  which she had never used. A thief got her online banking user name and password, installed the Chase app on a phone, and used it to withdraw cash. Unlike most cardless systems, Chases does not require customers to enter a four-digit PIN at the cash machine.

Chase refunded the customers lost money and immediately made security changes. Weve put safeguards in place to protect our customers, said Michael Fusco, a Chase spokesman. The banks system still does not require PINs, but Chase is confident it can detect and prevent similar attacks, he said.

Other banks have fared better, and say their fraud rates on mobile ATM transactions are significantly lower than those for traditional card-swipe withdrawals.

Wintrust Financial, which operates community banks in Illinois and Wisconsin, added cardless access to all its 250 cash machines nearly three years ago. Thanks to multiple layers of security, there has been no fraud so far, said Thomas Ormseth, a senior vice president at the bank. (Knock on wood, he added.)

How the mobile systems work varies from bank to bank  and sometimes, even within one bank.

Most of the major banks are using a technology called near-field communications (known as NFC), which enables devices to exchange information wirelessly over short distances. Modern smartphones usually contain an NFC chip, which is used for many mobile payment systems, including Apple Pay and Android Pay.

At Bank of America, customers with compatible phones and a digital wallet app can tap their phone on the cash machines wireless pad to authenticate their identity. From there, customers enter their personal identification numbers and carry out transactions in the usual way.

Wells Fargo is also testing NFC and adding the hardware it requires to all of its cash machines. But in the meantime, it has a simpler approach: one-time access codes. Customers can log in to Wells Fargos mobile app and request one, which is good for 30 minutes. At the 900 Wells Fargo ATMs that are set up to accept the codes so far, the customer types in the code and then their PIN to withdraw cash.

Mobile ATM transactions are usually at least a little bit faster than traditional ones, banks say  sometimes significantly so. Wintrusts system, which lets customers set up their withdrawal in advance on their phone and simply scan a QR (quick response) code when they get to the machine to get their cash, cut its average transaction time to about 10 seconds from 45, Ormseth said. Around 17 percent of the banks customers have used the technology at least once.

Some banks have gone further and let customers ditch even their phones. With biometrics, a unique body part is enough to unlock cash.

At Banco Bradesco, one of Brazils largest banks, customers can gain access to an ATM by tapping their palm on a scanner, which reads the pattern of their veins. (The system handled more than 700 million transactions without any reported fraud, according to Fujitsu, which built the technology.) Banks in Japan, India and elsewhere have used fingerprints for authentication.

Citibank experimented two years ago with an iris-scanning ATM, showing off a prototype at a trade show. The reaction was everything the bank had hoped for: Peoples jaws dropped, said Mark Gilder, Citibanks director of ATM distribution in the United States. They thought it was magical. You just had to look at the machine, and money would come out.

Then reality set in. A compromised bank card can be reissued. If a hacker figures out how to imitate someones eyeball  which has been done in laboratory settings  it cannot be replaced. For that and other reasons, Citibank shelved its iris scanner, for now.

It is also taking a wait-and-see approach to cardless ATMs.

We want to be ready when people no longer carry cards and leave their wallets at home, but that timeline is developing more slowly than perhaps we thought it would a few years ago, Gilder said.

This year, though, could be a tipping point.

About 2.5 percent of the 425,000 ATMs in the country are set up for cardless access, according to an estimate from Crone Consulting, which researches the payments industry. By the fall, it expects that number to rise to 25 percent.

As with mobile wallets, technical hurdles may hamper customer enthusiasm. People will generally need to install their banks mobile app on their phone, and each major bank is setting up access for only its own customers. So, for example, a Chase customer will not be able to pop into a Bank of America branch and withdraw money using a mobile phone.

That is likely to change eventually. In the early days of ATMs, networks were independent and isolated; now customers take it for granted that their cards will work at nearly any machine.

The biggest opportunity in cardless access will come as it expands to financial services beyond traditional bank accounts, said Richard Crone of Crone Consulting.

Think of things that dont have cards issued against them, like money market accounts or Venmo, he said. Unlocking cash access to those accounts would be a really big deal.

Venmo, the digital payment system of choice for many Millennials, is owned by PayPal. Giving PayPal and Venmo customers direct access to their money through ATMs is not in the works, but it isnt something I would rule out, said Chris Gardner, product head for PayPals mobile wallet software.

Even if mobile wallets finally take off and phones replace debit and credit cards, there are still times  even for Millennials  when only old-fashioned cash will do.

Stacy Cowley is a New York Times writer.
If you believed the Trouble Brewing beers sold at Walmart are truly craft beers, instead of private-label beers produced at a large industrial brewery in Rochester, New York, you're not alone. But one Cincinnati beer drinker is so mad that he's suing the world's largest company over what he's calling the "wholesale fiction" around the ales, seeking compensatory damages "in an amount to be determined at trial."

A class-action complaint filed in the Hamilton County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas on behalf of Matthew Adam "and all others similarly situated," alleges that Walmart used a "fraudulent, unlawful, deceptive and unfair course of conduct" to market and sell its four Trouble Brewing beers as craft beers, and because of this, "Members of the public were fraudulently induced to purchase Defendant's Craft Beer at inflated prices."

Ragan Dickens, Walmart's national director of media relations, said in an email statement, "We hold our suppliers to high standards and are committed to providing our customers the quality products they expect. While we have not yet been served with the complaint, we take this matter seriously and intend to defend ourselves against the allegations." Adam's attorney did not respond to email or phone messages seeking comment.

The 12-page complaint, published online by Consumerist, reiterates most of the facts laid out in a story this reporter wrote last month, down to quotes from a senior buyer for Walmart's adult beverage team: The four Trouble Brewing beers were created for Walmart by WX Brands, a company that "develops exclusive brands of wine, beer and spirits for retailers around the world."

Though the cans say the contents were "brewed by" Trouble Brewing in Rochester, New York, no American brewery with the name Trouble Brewing actually exists. They're actually produced at Genesee Brewing, makers of Genesee and Genesee Cream Ale, on a contract basis. Genesee is owned by North American Breweries, a subsidiary of Costa Rica-based Florida Ice and Farm, which includes breweries among its holdings.

These "statements and omissions were material to the transaction at hand," the complaint says, "as Plaintiff would not have purchased [the Trouble Brewing beer] otherwise."

Beyond the issue of where the beer is made, the lawsuit is partly based on the fact that it's not craft beer, a claim that Trouble Brewing never makes outright on its label, though Teresa Budd, a senior buyer for Walmart, told me, "We were intentional about designing a package that conveyed a look and feel you'd expect of craft beer."

The Brewers Association, a national trade group for small brewers, defines craft brewery as being small (under 6 million barrels produced per year); independent (less than 25 percent owned or controlled by a non-craft brewer) and traditional (making traditional beers, not flavored malt beverages, alcoholic sodas or other products). Further, Julia Herz, the Brewers Association's craft beer program director, told me last month that "we do not classify contract companies as brewers because they don't have a brewers' notice from the Tax and Trade Bureau."

This is not the first lawsuit filed by a consumer who alleges being misled into thinking that a product made by a large company is in fact produced by an artisan brewery or distillery, and it certainly won't be the last. The problem is that the track record of these lawsuits isn't very good. Last June, for example, a federal judge dismissed a case brought by a California beer lover who claimed that Blue Moon, which is owned by Coors, was marketing itself as a craft beer produced by the Blue Moon Brewing Company. The judge found that "a reasonable consumer was not likely to be deceived" by Blue Moon's packaging or website.

In 2015, a federal judge dismissed several lawsuits against Tito's Handmade Vodka from consumers who complained that the vodka was not, in fact, handmade as the label asserted; Maker's Mark had similar suits dismissed the same year.

But Templeton Rye Whiskey settled a 2015 class-action lawsuit in which a man from Iowa claimed Templeton was "deceptively marketing" its whiskey as a small-batch spirit distilled in Iowa using a "Prohibition-era recipe." In fact, it was made at the large MGP Ingredients distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and then blended with flavoring agents before being bottled in Templeton, Iowa. Consumers who had bought bottles of Templeton Rye between 2006 and 2015 were eligible for a refund of $3 per bottle, or $6 if they kept original receipts, according to the Chicago Tribune.

(c) 2017, The Washington Post
The front desk manager or housekeeper may epitomize the hotel employee, but the hospitality industry is increasingly dependent on tech workers, vacuuming data scientists, Web designers and other experts into its ranks.

More than ever, guests look to their phones and computers to research, book, stay in and communicate with hotels. That translates to critical technology needs in information security, mobile development and systems integration.

Inside hotel operations, data analysis can help find new customers, make a dining room more profitable or provide information to executives making business decisions.

Kate Walsh, interim dean of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell, says she is seeing more companies coming on campus to hire students who are specializing in areas like digital marketing and business analytics. They want foodies who code, she said.

Glassdoor, a Mill Valley company that amalgamates listings from job-posting sites around the Internet, has noticed an increase in tech hospitality listings as well. All companies are becoming technology companies to some degree, and this is especially true in the hospitality industry, said Scott Dobroski, who works in corporate communications for Glassdoor.

Michael Leidinger, chief technology officer with Hilton Hotels and Resorts, said his department had added 140 positions in just the last two years. The department manages the core technology for the hotel chain, including data centers, websites around the world, mobile apps and information technology support.

While many college students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math are attracted to the household-name tech companies in Seattle and Silicon Valley, Leidinger said he tells them, If youre really into technology, theres a revolution happening in hospitality, and as part of a smaller team, you can drive, innovate and take ownership.

One project for Hilton tech employees is keyless entry, which allows guests to use their phones instead of plastic key cards to unlock room doors. Of Hiltons 4,800 hotels, 750 now offer keyless entry, and the company hopes to install the service in 2,500 hotels by the end of this year.

There are also technical job openings at the hotel level, where employees at individual properties manage social media, on-site Wi-Fi and the integration of systems like retail, parking and food sales.

Mamie Peers, senior digital, social and e-commerce director at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, an independently owned and operated hotel, said she had been expanding her team and putting its members in office space in the hotel.

Technology integrates with everything, she said, so it makes sense to give the new team access to the casino employees, chefs, all the experts in each area, so they can work together.

The hotel had been relying heavily on an external technical consulting agency, but it is now shifting toward doing more of its own technology development. Were developing our own in-house talent to innovate, test new ideas and learn from them, Peers said.

Peers said she looks for employees who can understand technology and also explain it. Even her marketing team gets tech questions. And they have to hustle, she said, to keep up with the fast-paced environment.

The trend is global. The Taj hotel group, which is based in India and operates hotels on four continents, embarked a year ago on a digital transformation journey, according to Chinmai Sharma, its chief revenue officer. The company, which is more than 100 years old, has been hiring more digital experts and statistical analysts, he said, especially in the past nine months.

The effort has been especially critical in his home country. Mobile use in India is going through the roof, Sharma said. Our population is young, and we need to meet them on the platform they are using.

Data science is another area of growth for the industry  finding, for example, where customers are online, how they make decisions and how hotel resources are used. We need data scientists to make sense of what is going on so we can compete against online travel agents like Expedia and maximize revenues, Sharma said.

While hotel chains say that automating processes like check-in frees their employees to interact in other ways with guests, the use of technology also allows the hotel to hire fewer people.

Bart Selman, a Cornell professor of computer science and artificial intelligence who studies how technology affects the workplace, said a service that scans all social media postings to develop a sentiment report showing how customers feel about a hotel brand, for example, has replaced people who do that kind of monitoring.

These types of services are also getting better at discerning the meaning of customer messages and posts on social media, and can respond to them appropriately, so fewer people are needed for that task.

There are definitely jobs that we thought we couldnt automate five years ago that we are automating now, using technologies like natural language processing and voice recognition, he said. A lot of the motivation is cost driven. So if companies can get away with using a technology, they will do it more and more.

Digital keys on phones could, in turn, be replaced with hallway cameras and facial recognition software to unlock guest room doors, he said.

Technology, of course, will not eliminate the human touch completely. A new Skift.com report on travelers and the travel industry found that meaningful personal experiences are more likely than efficient transactions to lead to customer loyalty.

The travel brands should strive to understand how the experiences they provide make travelers feel, the report said.

High tech has become the norm, said Albert Herrera, senior vice president for global product partnerships at Virtuoso, a company whose website connects travelers with luxury travel advisers. Hotels need to embrace it and manage it, but not forget why they are there.

Sometimes, he added, theres no substitute for a real person who delivers their expertise.

Julie Weed is a New York Times writer.
Almost two years after it was created in a megamerger, the Kraft Heinz Co. is going shopping again. And it is aiming high.

On Friday, the company said that it had offered to buy British conglomerate Unilever in a $143 billion deal that would potentially combine some of the worlds best known brands. If it were to happen, Unilever staples like Dove soap, Hellmanns mayonnaise and Lipton tea would join forces with Kraft Heinzs Oscar Mayer meats, Heinz Ketchup and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

Kraft said that its offer had been declined, but that it will continue to work to reach agreement on the terms of a transaction.

Unilever, however, said that the proposal fundamentally undervalues the company, and that it sees no merit, either financial or strategic for the deal. It said there is no basis for further discussions.

The main benefits from such a deal would be major cost reduction as head offices and regional management could be merged, said John Colley, a professor of practice in strategy and leadership at Warwick Business School. There would also be some purchasing benefits from increased buying power.

Market power would be much increased as the major supermarkets would have little choice but to buy from the merged business.

Consumer-goods companies are being squeezed by fluctuating currency rates, such as the strong dollar in Kraft Heinzs case, and higher prices for staples used in their products.

It would also mark further consolidation in the sector as companies push for more space in shopping carts.

The offer came just over a week after British company Reckitt Benckiser, which makes Durex condoms and Air Wick fresheners, agreed to buy Mead Johnson Nutrition, the maker of Enfamil baby formula, in a $16.6 billion deal.

Kraft Heinzs offer follows speculation late last year that it may make an offer for Mondelez International, the maker of Oreos and Ritz crackers.

Unilever is the fourth-largest seller of packaged food worldwide  behind Nestle, PepsiCo and Mondelez  and Kraft Heinz is the fifth, according to Euromonitor International. Unilever also is the second-largest consumer-goods maker behind Procter & Gamble based on sales.

Kraft offered to pay $50 per share in cash and stock, representing an 18 percent premium to Unilevers closing price on Thursday, Unilever said.

The proposal is for $30.23 per share in cash, payable in U.S. dollars, and 0.222 in shares in the combined company.

Under British takeover rules, Kraft would have until March 17 to announce its firm intention to make an offer for Unilever or walk away.

Unilevers shares rose more than 13 percent in London on Friday after the announcement.

Nearly two years ago, 3G Capital and Warren Buffett combined Kraft with Heinz in a deal worth more than $80 billion. Buffett and 3G acquired Heinz in 2013 and together own about 51 percent of Kraft Heinz.

On Thursday, Kraft Heinz, based in Chicago and Pittsburgh, reported net sales of $26.5 billion, while saying it would continue its efforts to cut costs, seeking a savings of $1.7 billion by the end of this year.

It employs people in more than 40 countries worldwide.

Unilever, which is based in London but traces its roots to the Netherlands in the late 1800s, has about 400 brands in the food, personal care and home-care markets that it says are used by 2 billion people daily.

These include Axe body spray, Ben & Jerrys ice cream, Colmans Mustard, Surf detergent and Vaseline.

In January, the company reported about $56 billion in 2016 sales.

Chad Bray is a New York Times writer.
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A series of swastikas and a reference to an infamous Nazi physician who tortured and experimented on Holocaust victims were spray painted on a garage door in San Franciscos Marina neighborhood, police said Friday.

The vandalism outside the apartment building in the 1900 block of Jefferson Street, which was being investigated as a hate crime, was reported Friday, said Capt. John Jaimerena of the San Francisco Police Departments Northern Division.

Citing the ongoing investigation, Jaimerena declined to say when investigators suspected the vandalism occurred or elaborate on possible suspects.

It was reported by a caller Friday, and police were combing the neighborhood for possible other instances, he said. They did not immediately find any.

We take hate crimes very seriously, Jaimerena said. These types of crimes dont target an individual. They rather target a whole community.

In a post on the crowd-funding site Razoo, the woman who lives at the apartment who reported the graffiti to police, Ghazal Vaghedi, wrote that the display of racism took her to a dark place and pierced a hole in my heart.

Vaghedi wrote that at age 10, she emigrated with her family from Iran to Denver.

The transition was not always easy, she wrote, adding that adapting to a new language and other kids who werent always friendly was challenging.

Vaghedi went on to write that she eventually adopted America as her own country. She started the fundraiser to donate proceeds to the Southern Poverty Law Center, trying to get some good to come out of the vandalism, she said.

The page had exceeded its goal of $1,000 by late Friday afternoon.Vaghedi works for Razoo in community and business development.

My goal was to ultimately channel the energy in a positive way as it is a painful incident for me personally, but also I wanted to address the larger issue of hate crimes occurring across the country and support a cause that works to that end, Vaghedi said in an email.

Zack Bussin, 25, who lives on the same block on Jefferson Street, said he came home from work around 2 p.m. and paused when he spotted police clustered outside the apartment, then did a double-take when he saw what they were examining.

Along with the poorly drawn swastikas in green spray paint, the garage door read Joe Mengele, an apparent reference to Josef Mengele, the Nazi known as the Angel of Death.

At Auschwitz, Mengele was perhaps the most notorious of dozens of physicians who performed cruel medical experiments on their captive subjects, often maiming or killing them in the process.

Bussin, who is Jewish, said hed never seen anything like it over the last two years living in the neighborhood  or in his lifetime living throughout the Bay Area.

Many in the neighborhood are assuming the vandalism is some sort of prank, especially given the sloppy handwriting, but thats besides the point, he said, because that just shouldnt be done.

I never expected anything like this to ever happen around here, Bussin said.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on Friday announced that her department is restoring and "updating" a resource website for parents and teachers of students with disabilities, which has been down almost three weeks.

"IDEA.ed.gov has been repaired and moved to a new server to ensure it's available to parents and educators who rely on it," DeVos said in one of a series of tweets.

The education secretary had come under pressure from Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. The senators sent DeVos a letter last week asking that the site be restored fully and immediately, and for an explanation of why it was down.

DeVos struck a partisan note, in what has seemed to be a Trump administration strategy: Blame Obama.

She said the federal Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA) website was "neglected for nearly four years." This, she said, is "unacceptable" and "an example of complacency I won't accept, and I will remain committed to improving the department and its services."

In the Washington Post, on Friday, DeVos was quoted as saying critics "want to make my life a living hell."

Murray, a trenchant critic, said in a statement that the point is not political blame, but providing information to students and educators, particularly about citizens' rights under the federal disability law.

"I heard from parents who had been impacted by the absence of this critical resource, and I pushed Secretary DeVos to get it back up, to explain what had happened, and to make sure nothing like it happened again," Murray said.

"I am glad that the website appears to be back online, but I am going to continue monitoring this issue and working to make sure that the Department of Education is doing everything possible to protect every student and make sure they have every opportunity to learn."

Sen. Cantwell, late Friday, voiced approval that the controversy is over -- for now..

"On behalf of Washington students and parents, I am pleased the site is back on line," she said. "I am committed to ensuring that Secretary DeVos and the Trump administration fulfill their obligation to support the learning of all students, including students with disabilities."

Long before Murray was part of the Senate's Democratic leadership, she was a preschool teacher and a member of the Shoreline School Board.

She led the opposition to DeVos' confirmation as ranking Democrat on the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. A Republican mega-donor and advocate for school vouchers, DeVos was confirmed by a 51-50 vote -- with Vice President Mike Pence breaking a tie vote in the Senate.

DeVos hasn't responded to the Murray-Cantwell letter, which asked for "a detailed plan for restoring the information previously available" and particularly information about citizens rights under the disability act.

But DeVos had plenty to say in restoring the site.

"The restored IDEA.ed.gov site has been moved to a new server, and I've instructed department staff to begin working with stakeholders to build a new and improved site," she said in a statement.

On Twitter, DeVos added: "We are now working with stakeholders on updating these #IDEA resources to be even more useful and user friendly."

The Education Secretary's postings had the air of someone who has just received a crash course in disability law. During her lone confirmation hearing, DeVos was in Murray's words "confused about the federal law protecting students with disabilities."

Murray and Cantwell indicated that they will be watching. The "gentle ladies from Washington" have already gone on record asking DeVos that "this website will not be stripped down in any way during your tenure."

The Department of Education invites parents, educators and individuals with any issues with the website or questions about the Individuals With Disabilities Act to call 1-800-USA-LEARN.
In 2011, the Florida state Legislature passed a law called the Firearms Owners Privacy Act. The act prohibited Florida doctors from asking routine questions about their patients gun ownership, unless that information was deemed relevant to patient care or the safety of others.

It also barred physicians from making a record of whether a patient owned guns. Patients, too, could report doctors for unnecessarily harassing about guns. The law was a reaction to a handful of highly publicized cases, including an incident in which a health professional privately asked children if their mother owned guns and an Ocala pediatrician who, in 2010, dropped a patient after she called his query about her gun ownership an invasion of privacy.
Hyderaad Feb 18 : TS Police Constable Results : Today Telangana State Level Police Recruitment Board (TSLPRB) has Issued the result of TS Police Constable Mains Examination 2016 on the official Portal. About 5 lakh candidates who are looking for the police jobs appeared for the examination. Candidates who had written the exam are eagerly waiting for the results. TSLPRB declared Telangana Constable Mains Results 2016. Candidates can get the results from the direct link provided below.

The applicants, who have appeared for the main exam for the post of police constable, are now eager to know their Telangana police constable main exam result 2016. The applicants Can Check constable main exam result 2016 uploaded on the official website.n. On 31-12-2015 night, process of recruitment has been taken up for filling up of 11,281 posts of SCT PCs (Civil/AR) (Men & Women), SCT PCs (SAR CPL/TSSP) (Men), Constables (Men) in SPF and Firemen in TS DR & Fire Services dept. Out of 81,357 qualified for PMT/PET, 81,070 candidates appeared for the final written examination.

TS Police Constable Results 2016 & Cut Off Marks

ogin to the official website  tslprb.in

On the homepage, click on the link Police Constable (Civil/AR/ SARCPL/TSSP/ SPF/Fireman) Results flashing under the new section

A pdf file will open

The results will be displayed on the screen.

Check the results and save it for further reference

The candidates who have cleared the examinations successfully will be hired for the posts of Constable

bout Telangana State Level Police Recruitment Board (TSLPRB): The Telangana State Police looks after the law and order situation ofthe state of Telangana in India. It has ten districts under its jurisdiction and it was created when the Telangana state was formed from Andhra Pradesh. The board conducts different examinations for the recruitment in various police posts in the state.
UPDATE: Two Top Execs Exit As SoundCloud Begs Investors For Cash

UPDATED: SoundCloud's COO and VP of Finance both have left the music streamer. Their exit comes just weeks after the company admitted in financial filings that it could run out of cash in 2017 and amidst a new report that it's "begging" investors to help.

____________________________________





Chief Operating Officer Marc Strigel and Vice President of Finance Markus Harder have both left their positions at SoundCloud, the music streamer confirmed to the Financial Times. They joined the company in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

In January, UK financial filings showed that SoundCloud's net losses had accelerated 31% to $52 million in 2015, even as revenue grew 21.6% to $22 million. All of this was prior to the launch of its paid streaming platform, which while offering new revenue opportunities, also brings growing payments to labels and artists.

In those filings, SoundCloud co-founder Alexander Ljung wrote (bold added):

Whilst the directors believe that the Group will have sufficient funds to continue to meet its liabilities through 31 December 2017, the risks and uncertainties may cause the company to run out of cash earlier than that date, and would require the Group to raise additional funds which are not currently planned. These matters give rise to a material uncertainty about the Groups ability to continue as a going concern.

"Begging For Money"

Last summer, SoundCloud raised $100 million including $70 million from Twitter. Its now desperately in search of a buyer or new investment. SoundCloud is begging for money, but I wouldnt give them any right now, one German financier told the Financial Times. They need to rethink their valuation and settle for a down round.

To date, SoundCloud has raised $193.32 million in 6 Rounds from 10 Investors. It is actively for sale, with Google rumored to be the latest company somewhat interested. Twitter eyed SoundCloud, but chose to invest instead, and a flirtation with Spotify ended after that company decided that it should not take on additional obligations prior to its own IPO.

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Heres one thing Californians might not have to worry about from the Trump administration: interference in the states annual $7 billion cannabis industry.

While there has been speculation about how the month-old administration, particularly cannabis-shaming Attorney General Jeff Sessions, will deal with the marijuana business, insiders and industry advocates are cautiously optimistic that Trump doesnt have it in for weed.

Trump is not an ideologue, thats the good news  hes very transactional, Washington, D.C., public policy consultant Nathan Daschle told participants Friday at the International Cannabis Business Conference in San Francisco. The only people who are really left that are opposed to this come from an ideological point of view.

Added Joe Hunter, who has worked for various GOP campaigns, Sessions and Donald Trump are not sitting in the Oval Office wringing their hands over cannabis.

And because of Trump and Sessions strong belief in states rights, making it more unlikely they would interfere with states whose voters have approved legalization laws, National Cannabis Industry Association Deputy Director Taylor West said, Were cautiously optimistic.

Even so, uncertainty hangs over the industry, thanks to the legal no-mans land between federal and state law that is chilling for cannabis businesses, confusing for consumers and a potential risk to the $1 billion in weed-related tax revenue expected for California in 2018.

The disconnect: Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but medicinal cannabis is legal in 28 states and eight others plus Washington, D.C., have OKd it for adult recreational use. As long as the federal government considers marijuana to be illegal, banks are reluctant to accept money from cannabis businesses.

Its very urgent to have clarity, California state Treasurer John Chiang said, especially as the sale of recreational cannabis becomes legal next year. You cant have an industry that doesnt know how to proceed.

Chiang was recently in Washington with other state treasurers who asked an administration official for clarity, particularly on banking issues. Chiang said they were told the administration was still formulating its policy.

But like officials in states that have legalized weed, Chiang is taking his own steps. He recently helped form a state Cannabis Working Group that brings together industry leaders, bankers, politicians and law enforcement officials to try to figure out how the industry can function without federal blessing.

This week the U.S. House Cannabis Caucus was formed. Its charter members include two of the Houses most liberal members  Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.  and two of its most conservative  Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., and Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. Their common bond: Their states have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use.

But in Washington, the person to watch is Sessions, no fan of cannabis. Last year, when he was in the U.S. Senate, he said, Good people dont smoke marijuana.

But Sessions seemed more benign during his Senate confirmation hearings earlier this year, saying that when it comes to bridging the federal-state marijuana divide, I know it wont be an easy decision, but I will try to do my duty in a fair and just way.

Since 2013, many in the weed business have relied for guidance on whats colloquially known in the trade as the Cole memo. The 2013 Department of Justice memo, authored by Deputy Attorney General James Cole, said federal authorities werent going to be as focused on states and local governments that have enacted laws legalizing marijuana in some form and have strong and effective regulatory and enforcement systems.

Industry advocates were somewhat hopeful that Sessions views now seem more in accordance with that guidance.

While in California recently to testify at a California state Senate hearing, Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, whose voters voted to legalize cannabis in 2012, said he would be very disappointed if the new attorney general came in and just stamped everything down and started sending in the federal troops everywhere.

Every indication is that President Trump, he knows what he wants, hes got his own value system and that hes going to try and run the show, Hickenlooper said. Were optimistic that he is going to let the experiment continue.

Presumably California is on safer footing than before the Legislature passed regulations on medical marijuana in 2015, advocates say, as regulators race to have cannabis regulations in place by 2018, when recreational sales begin. But uncertainty remains.

In a report this week, the states nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office said, We find that there is significant uncertainty regarding the resource needs for departments to regulate and tax medical and nonmedical cannabis because of the future federal stance toward states legalizing cannabis use.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last year led the statewide ballot measure to legalize adult recreational use, reminded those at the cannabis business conference Thursday night to remain vigilant.

A few years ago, this moment (legalization) was an extraordinary moment, Newsom said. Dont take it lightly, and dont take it for granted. If we dont take this moment seriously ... we dont have a lot of friends right now in Washington, D.C.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
GILROY (BCN)

Police in Gilroy have arrested a suspect in connection with 10 vandalism incidents of downtown businesses with a permanent marker.

Nathaniel Luna, 19, was arrested on suspicion of several crimes including felony vandalism, according to the Gilroy Police Department.

On Thursday at 1 a.m., officers with the Gilroy Police Department responded to the downtown area to a report by a citizen a man was vandalizing several downtown businesses with a permanent marker.

Officers contacted the suspect, later identified as Luna, in the area of Monterey Road and Sixth Street.

Police said Luna ran from officers and physically resisted as he was placed into custody.

He was found in possession of the same type of markers used to vandalize several businesses, and his hands were covered in ink, police said.

Police identified 10 downtown businesses that were vandalized with either "NECK MF" or "MF NECK" in permanent marker.
SPRINGFIELD - Taxpayers unhappy with Democrats who've signed onto a bill making every school, church and medical facility in the state of Illinois a "Safe Zone" for illegal aliens are planning a rally at the State Capitol Saturday, February 25.

Event organizers at Illinois' Minutemen Project are inviting like-minded folks to join them at the Capitol at noon to voice opposition to HB 426, a bill that passed a House committee last Wednesday.

Simply implementing the measure could cost taxpayers over $5 million annually, representatives from the state's Department of Human Services told lawmakers in committee last week. That would be the bare minimum each year to train personnel in schools, churches and medical facilities on how to handle situations when illegal aliens seek sanctuary.
Peggy Grande was the featured speaker with a presentation on her new book, "The President will See You Now." She was Reagan's executive assistant for ten years after he left office. She told some great stories about the former president. To find out more, you are going to have to buy the book.

Americans for Prosperity is a grassroots organization with over 2.8 million activists nationwide who advocate and promote limited government, lower taxes, and more freedom. They have over 93,000 activists across the state of Illinois who are taking action every day on behalf of the free market movement and influencing decision makers.

Americans For Prosperity hosted a birthday celebration last week for our 40th president, Ronald Reagan (1911-2004). The event was held at the Vine Martini & Wine Bar in Grayslake, Illinois.

It was a fun night for me as I feel a connection with President Reagan. He was the first president I voted for at the age of 20 in 1980. My mom worked for Doctor Loyal Davis for several years in Chicago. He was Nancy Reagan's dad and Ronald's father in law.

I got to see President Reagan twice while attending Drake University in Iowa. I drove in his motorcade as a volunteer with the College Republicans. He sent me a nice letter on White House stationary. Ronald Reagan was born in Illinois, attended Eureka College, and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. I was a member of TKE also, so we had that bond.





My dad work as a chemical engineer for a trade magazine in Chicago. He was invited with a group of 150 industrial editors to have lunch with the president at the White House in 1987. My dad who was a honorary member of TKE shook hands with President Reagan giving him the "secret fraternity handshake." The president said, "I'm surprised I still remember the handshake." My dad passed away in 1994 but I would dare say he was President Reagan's biggest fan.

After the presentation by Peggy Grande, she opened it up for some Q & A. There were lots of sentimental questions and comments from people here who had fond memories of him. There are several questions comparing Reagan with President Donald Trump. I asked about the intense media scrutiny of Trump and how I recall the same took place with Reagan. Some media said Reagan was just an "actor" yet Grande reminded us that he was a great governor of one of the biggest states.





The media also mocked Reagan for being in a film with a monkey called "Bedtime For Bonzo." They said the monkey was smarter then him.

Of course, the media was wrong as Ronald Reagan became one of our greatest presidents. Time will tell is President Trump will be able to follow in his footsteps. Reagan had a sense optimism which many are feeling again today under President Trump. Just don't ask a Democrat.
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Ninety-one presidential historians do not agree with President Donald Trump's low opinion of his predecessor.

According to a C-SPAN survey of the historians, Barack Obama ranked as the 12th best president, getting good grades for his vision and setting an agenda, managing the economy, public persuasion, "pursuing equal justice for all" and "moral authority." Only Ronald Reagan had an overall higher ranking a month after leaving office.

Obama was docked for his diplomatic record, judged below-average in handling international relations. His marks for "relations with Congress" would have earned him an F  only a handful of presidents scored lower.

The above gallery ranks the 12 best and 12 worst presidents in U.S. history, as determined by 91 historians.

Now Playing: President Trump addresses the nation after a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Video: White House

As for Trump, history will not be kind to his presidency if a panel of presidential scholars assembled by Vanity Fair last year are correct. While there is still plenty of time for Trump to change their minds, here's what some of them had to say about his term so far:

Jon Meacham:

"From his confounding man crush on Vladimir Putin to his nuclear saber-rattling with North Korea, Trump has created more fear than hopeand hope is an essential element of presidential leadership."

Robert Dallek:

"Eight months into Donald Trump's presidency, it is impossible to imagine him unifying the country behind his leadership."



Stacy Schiff:

"Donald Trump seems to believe himself exempt from history. He may prefer to skip, snarl at, scorn, and scramble the past, to occupy a sanitized present, scrubbed of context and consequence. You only get to hold the truth hostage for so long, however."



Garry Wills:

"Trump openly loves himself as much as Nixon secretly loathed himself."
John McCain is increasingly mad as hell about President Donald Trump. And on Friday, he went after Trump - hard.

During a speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, the Republican senator from Arizona delivered a pointed and striking point-by-point takedown of Trump's worldview and brand of nationalism. McCain didn't mention Trump's name once, but he didn't have to.

And even considering the two men's up-and-down history and the terrible things Trump has said about McCain, it was a striking display from a senior leader of a party when it comes to a president of the same party.

In his speech, McCain suggested the Western world is uniquely imperiled this year - even more so than when Barack Obama was president - and proceeded to question whether the Western world will survive.

"In recent years, this question would invite accusations of hyperbole and alarmism. Not this year," McCain said. "If ever there were a time to treat this question with a deadly seriousness, it is now."

In case there was any doubt that this was about Trump. Here's what followed:

--"[The founders of the Munich conference] would be alarmed by an increasing turn away from universal values and toward old ties of blood and race and sectarianism."

--"They would be alarmed by the hardening resentment we see toward immigrants and refugees and minority groups, especially Muslims."

--"They would be alarmed by the growing inability, and even unwillingness, to separate truth from lies."

That's Trump, Trump and Trump.

McCain continued: "But what would alarm them most, I think, is a sense that many of our peoples, including in my own country, are giving up on the West, that they see it as a bad deal that we may be better off without, and that while Western nations still have the power to maintain our world order, it is unclear whether we have the will."

Trump has repeatedly suggested a desire to pull out of or scale back on international involvement and agreements. His slogan is "America first," after all. And it's not just on free trade: It's also when it comes to things like NATO, the transatlantic military alliance that Trump suggest the United States is getting a bad deal on.

Then McCain invoked some of those close to Trump and emphasized that his message won't square with theirs:

---

I know there is profound concern across Europe and the world that America is laying down the mantle of global leadership. I can only speak for myself, but I do not believe that is the message you will hear from all of the American leaders who cared enough to travel here to Munich this weekend. That is not the message you heard today from Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. That is not the message you will hear from Vice President Mike Pence. That is not the message you will hear from Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly. And that is certainly not the message you will hear tomorrow from our bipartisan congressional delegation.

---

McCain then saved the biggest hit on Trump for the end.

"I refuse to accept that our values are morally equivalent to those of our adversaries," he said. "I am a proud, unapologetic believer in the West, and I believe we must always, always stand up for it. For if we do not, who will?

Two weeks ago, you may recall, Trump suggested the United States didn't exactly have the moral high ground on Russia. Asked by Fox News host Bill O'Reilly about wanting good relations with a "killer" like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump demurred.

"There are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers," Trump said. "Well, you think our country is so innocent?"

Ever since, it seems, he and McCain have been on a collision course. McCain didn't fight back when Trump questioned his war-hero status long ago - perhaps because both men were trying to win elections - but the battle between McCain and the White House is picking up steam.

And on Friday, McCain traveled across the Atlantic to deliver a calculated, planned attack on Trump's entire system of beliefs.
Set on the top level of a condo building on the southeastern corner of Liberty and Church streets, a three-bedroom penthouse down the block from Dolores Park needs a new owner.

Its a city dwellers dream location. You can walk to the vibrant Valencia Corridor, Mission Dolores cafes and restaurants, Castro and Noe Valley, Dolores Park and J-Church Muni line, said Derek Schreiber of Zephyr Real Estate, who is co-listing the home with Debra Christoffers for $1.695 million.
1 Afghan assault: The Islamic State began an attack on Afghan security posts, killing 17 soldiers, an Afghan official said Friday. Ahmad Ali Hazrat, chief of the provincial council in the province, said the attack Thursday night took place in the Dih Bala district in eastern Nangarhar province. Hazrat said Islamic State fighters attacked Army security posts from three directions and after several hours of heavy fighting, 17 army soldiers were dead. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said soldiers killed 21 militant fighters.

2 Airport assassination: Malaysia performed a second autopsy on Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half brother of North Koreas leader, because the first procedure was inconclusive, piling on the intrigue surrounding what appeared to be a well-executed assassination at an airport in Kuala Lumpur, an official said. Police arrested a fourth suspect, identified as a North Korean man. The second autopsy clearly enraged North Korea, which has pledged to reject the results of any postmortem and demanded that Malaysia turn over the body immediately. Malaysia has arrested four people so far, the lastest a man carrying an ID that identified him as 46-year-old Ri Jong Chol. He was picked up Friday night.
MANILA  Thousands of Catholics joined a march with church leaders in Manila on Saturday in one of the largest shows of opposition against President Rodrigo Dutertes deadly crackdown against illegal drugs and attempts to revive the death penalty.

Police estimated that at least 10,000 people joined the Walk for Life march and rally starting at dawn at Rizal Park, carrying placards that read Choose life and No to death penalty. Organizers gave a larger estimate of the crowd.

Its the latest sign of the Roman Catholic Churchs increasing activism against a government crackdown that has left thousands of drug suspects dead and efforts by pro-Duterte legislators to reimpose capital punishment as early as next month.

Catholic bishops expressed their deep concern over the drug killings in a recent statement read in churches across the country.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas, who heads the countrys bishops, said no civilized country should allow such illegal actions to continue unabated. They ought to be judged by the court of law and never by the extrajudicial means, Villegas said in a statement, where he also hit at efforts by legislators to reimpose the death penalty.

Duterte, a longtime city mayor before being elected to the presidency in May on an anticrime platform, has asked Congress to revive the death penalty, preferably by public hanging. That, along with his pro-birth control stance and threats to kill criminals, has put him on a collision course with the church in Asias largest Catholic nation.

Execution is murder, Villegas said. We cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing those who kill.

Duterte has been antagonistic to the influential church, once calling it the most hypocritical institution and lashing out at some local bishops he accused of corruption and sexual abuse.

Sen. Leila de Lima, one of the most vocal critics of Dutertes bloody antidrug campaign, joined Saturdays rally. State prosecutors charged her in court Friday for allegedly receiving bribes from detained drug lords, an allegation she has staunchly denied.

Bullit Marquez is an Associated Press writer.
MUNICH  Germanys defense chief on Friday hit President Trumps dismissive attitude toward Washingtons European allies, giving a frosty reception to U.S. envoys at the largest conclave of U.S. and European officials since the inauguration.

Speaking to a packed hall that included Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen hammered Trumps attitudes toward Russia without ever mentioning the U.S. leader by name.

There can be no policy of equidistance between allies on one side and those who on the other question our borders, our values and the principles of international law, von der Leyen said to applause at the Munich Security Conference, where Europes senior security leaders were gathering to figure out how to respond to Trump.

We must pursue finding a reliable coexistence with Russia together instead of going over our partners heads in a bilateral relationship, she said.

Trump has offered the most direct challenge to the trans-Atlantic security alliance in its post-World War II history, calling NATO obsolete, welcoming Britains decision to split from the European Union and holding back from criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who in 2014 redrew European borders by annexing Ukraines Crimean Peninsula.

In comments shortly before his inauguration, Trump equated his relationships with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he would start off with open minds to both of them, then re-evaluate based on how they treat him.

Mattis and Kelly have been dispatched to Europe this week to reassure nervous allies about Trumps policies, even as they reaffirmed some of his toughest messages on the need for greater European defense spending. Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Munich Friday, and is set to deliver a speech Saturday.

But many European leaders are responding to Trumps push by agreeing to spend more while also saying that all Western allies  including the United States  must not abandon the basic values that helped create a Western security backbone in the years since 1945.

On Friday, Mattis continued his warnings to European partners, even as he assured them that NATOs mutual defense agreements are a bedrock commitment.

Michael Birnbaum is a Washington Post writer.
Our numbers became visible to 9-year-old Theo when we reached the Santa Fe Plaza. Before then, he couldn't see the size of our local Women's March on Washington crowd over so many heads or through narrow streets.

Wow, he said, taking in the thousands in front of us on one side of the Plaza and thousands behind us on the other. I feel powerful.

Why? I asked.

There are so many of us!

Womens marches were dismissed by some as whining, but our experience was a positive lesson in democracyin the power of collective voices, as Theo observed. This is why I brought my children with me last month. Sylvia, 6, was a reluctant activist, more interested in string-cheese and cocoa; but Theo held high his homemade sign.

Neither is completely new to civic engagement. Theo first walked at a call center during the 2008 election; he perched on my hip at a City Council microphone; both kids join me at polls and stick I Voted! stickers on their bikes and my car windows.

I bring them because, well, childcare ... But, more importantly, I want them to know its a privilege and a responsibility to participate in representative government. I want them to know their voices are vital, if they use them.

This is especially true when we inaugurate someone who rejects every value of compassion, integrity and responsibility I try to teach my children.

Theres nothing revolutionary here: These values correlate with empathetic, assured children and thoughtful, engaged adults. They headline everything from classroom character counts campaigns to Disney movies to the basic moralities of major religions and secular humanism.

Theyre grounded in parables that affirm the bully never winsor that, if he does, he does because he stops being the bully. So, whenshocker!the bully wins but continues bullying, how do we parents navigate the territory between our reality and our childrens?

I dont want my kids day-to-day to mimic mine. The least I can do is try to protect their childhoodswhich means filtering the news, big time. My children do not need a news feed.

I wake them to the Sing soundtrack instead of NPR, and I usually switch to music with them in the car. Our family doesnt watch much television. We explain The Economist cover art in the simplest terms.

My desire to be informed is at odds with my desire to be sane, says a circulating cartoon. Its not new, but its dilemma is timely, what with legislatures in session and Donald Trump weeks into a presidency that, were it the reality programming its emulating, I would censor for my kids.

"Right?!" I yell in solidarity with my laptop. "So, then? What do we do?"

The computer responds with dire headlines culled from 10 major news outlets, five long-form essays on autocracy and climate science, 52 activist emails and an endless Facebook feed detailing how to fight tyranny. Amid outrage and gratitude for people of principle, I feel bewildered, quashed and exhaustedand remiss in registering my voice.

I dont want my childrenor meto feel this way. But getting over it and gracefully hushing my moral and democratic values isnt appropriate, either. There is no one resolution to this dilemma. Our answers reflect our roles in our families and communities, and they must be the opposite of whining.

To repair the damage [Trump] will have done, Americans must give particular care to how they educate their children, not only in love of country but in fair-mindedness; not only in democratic processes but democratic values, writes Eliot Cohen for The Atlantic.

Our children must learn that honoring citizen voices is the essence of patriotismthat speaking up against power does not constitute whiningthat the "fourth estate" of solid journalism isn't "the opposition" any more than more checks and balances. They should know protest is an American tradition, but that we start with dialogue and diplomacy.

For now, I ask them about school, things that interest them or a conflict they face. I want to hear about books they read, projects, field trips, forts. If we value their thoughts, they learn to value their ideas. If we talk with them, they learn to engage others. If we honor their questions, I hope they keep asking more.

Pure villains and saviors are rare in anyone's reality. Integrity, however, cuts through everything. Integrity means being honest; being true to the things we think are important; standing up. We can teach our children this even if our leaders do not exhibit it. It's a valuable lesson: Ultimately, leadership and integrity come from us.

My husband did, in fact, open the US Constitution recently to instruct us in Articles I and II while the kids built kingdoms under chair legs and I folded laundrybut our household isn't usually a running civics lesson. I fly our heraldic flag of baseline success if most of us get to work/school on time.

Are the kids all right? Probably. Theyre likely better than we are. A friend, worried her post-inauguration tension was affecting her 10-year-old, was set at ease: Im fine, her son said, but I think youre stressing out the dog.

In civically productive moments, I contact elected officials. I teach. I read well-regarded news sources. I also visit echo-chamber sites, obsessively hide in crosswords, and respond to my news feed with animation incommensurate with my actions.

We are parents and citizens both. They inform each other in our quest to raise mindful, responsible adults. Often, we prioritize the former to raise the latter with some sanity.

We read stories, sing lullabies and kiss our children goodnight. We impart fundamental truths: We love them more than anything, were proud of them, they delight us, they are safe.

We teach them our values by how we live them. And we hope, with this footing, that they come to know how powerful they can be when they choose to speak up.

Santa Fe Reporter
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Today's archive page is from May 6, 1957.

The United States officially sets the date for the first tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) during the Cold War-inspired arms race with Russia.

The military hardware referred to as the "ultimate weapon" will be launched out of Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The missile will fly over a fleet of Navy destroyers that have the dual mission of keeping an eye on the missile and also looking out for Russian submarines in the area.

The missile is said to have a projected range of over 5,000 miles and is believed to travel at over 10,000 miles per hour.
UPDATE: Police have just confirmed that both suspects have been apprehended and taken into custody.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police are in pursuit of alleged burglars, who ran over a police officer's foot leaving the scene of a traffic stop in Annadale, according to police.

At about 4:36 p.m., a police officer had his foot run over by the operator of a black Nissan Maxima near the corner of Stafford Avenue and Carlton Boulevard, according to an FDNY spokesman.

Two males then fled from the vehicle on foot, according to police on scene.

The police officer was transported to Staten Island University Hospital, Prince's Bay, with a minor injury, added the FDNY spokesman.

Police have Carlton Boulevard roped off with police tape, as dozens of units search the area for the alleged suspects.

An NYPD chopper can be seen flying overhead in hopes of locating the individuals.

A police spokeswoman described the alleged suspects as two black males, one with a yellow and gold shirt, the other shirtless.

As of 7:15 p.m., police confirmed that both suspects who fled the scene were apprehended and taken into custody by authorities. One suspect was taken without incident; the other suspect experienced a medical complication, according to an NYPD source with knowledge of the investigation.

This is a breaking news story. Check back to silive.com for updates.


Kim Jong Nam

This May 4, 2001, file photo shows Kim Jong Nam, exiled half brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, escorted by Japanese police officers at the airport in Narita, Japan.

(AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysian police announced the arrest Friday of a fourth suspect, a North Korean, in the death of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.



A police statement said the man identified as Ri Jong Chol was arrested in Selangor near Kuala Lumpur.



It gave no other details.



Two women, one of them Indonesian and the other traveling on a Vietnamese passport, and a boyfriend of one of them, were arrested earlier on suspicion of involvement in the death of Kim Jong Nam.

South Korea has accused its enemies in North Korea of dispatching a hit squad to kill Kim Jong Nam at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, saying two female assassins poisoned him and then fled in a taxi.



Meanwhile, a senior Malaysian official said a second autopsy will be carried out on Kim Jong Nam because the results of the first autopsy were inconclusive. He said the second one will take place Saturday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.



Earlier, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Malaysia conducted the autopsy "unilaterally and excluding our attendance." He said his government will reject any findings.
Mira Wassef | mwassef@siadvance.com

Report: 5 Mexican immigrants detained on Staten Island amid ICE raids this month

total of five Mexican immigrants have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials after several raids across Staten Island in February, according to Make The Road New York, a community organization with an office in Staten Island.

"Confirmed: 5 New Yorkers taken in #ICERaids on Staten Island," read a tweet by the organization at 5:29 p.m. "Stay tuned for community mobilization. #HeretoStay."

Daniel Altschuler, a community organizer with Make The Road New York, told the Advance that all five of the Mexican immigrants detained were males, originally from Mexico -- four of whom have families with children that are U.S. citizens.

The immigration status of the individuals could not be confirmed as of Saturday night.

"Five of these people were picked up outside their homes and outside the courthouse," he said, "in areas of the North Shore and Mid-Island."

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'He was very sorry' -- Midland Beach man settles bill in check-skipping incident

Last week, the Midland Beach man who allegedly left a South Beach restaurant without paying the hefty bill on New Year's Eve went to the eatery and paid the outstanding balance, said Herman Herskovic, the manager at Chinar Restaurant.

"He said he was very sorry many times," Herskovic said. "He was really embarrassed and said he didn't know what came over him. I don't know what the story was. I just wanted my money."

On Feb. 7, Dorean Vayspiter, 52, was arrested for skipping out on the approximately $645 bill and charged with failing to pay, police said.

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Mira Wassef | mwassef@siadvance.com

Cops: New Dorp man had drugs, knife and son, 3, in car after traffic stop

A New Dorp man was found with drugs and a knife in his car after cops pulled him over in West Brighton Saturday night, police allege.

Christopher Orlando, 23, allegedly had heroin and a gravity knife after cops stopped him for driving through a steady red light on Castleton Avenue at around 8:35 p.m., the criminal complaint said.

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Mira Wassef | mwassef@siadvance.com

North Shore man accused of raping, sodomizing girl, 13

A North Shore man raped and sodomized a 13-year-old girl on Wednesday, police allege.

William Rivera sexually assaulted the victim inside his Corson Avenue apartment, said police.

The incident occurred around 3:25 p.m., and Rivera was arrested five hours later, online state court records show.

The defendant is charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual act, which was formerly classified as sodomy, and single counts of first- and second-degree rape.

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Mira Wassef | mwassef@siadvance.com

Assistant principal rejects plea offer in alleged love-triangle stabbing, says lawyer

Five years? No, thanks.

The public school assistant principal from Great Kills accused last year of stabbing another man purportedly having an affair with his wife has been offered a five-year prison sentence in exchange for pleading guilty to felony assault, his lawyer said Thursday.

Attorney Joseph Mure Jr. said his client, Vincent Scotto, isn't biting.

"He continues to deny the allegations, and, at this point, he plans on trying the case," Mure said after a pretrial conference in state Supreme Court, St George. "The D.A. has a complainant who's not a very reliable individual."

The case was adjourned to April 7 for another conference.

Scotto, 44, did not address the court during the brief proceeding.

Prosecutors declined comment on the plea offer.

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Staten Island Advance/Paul Liott

Source: 41-year-old man stabbed by wife's son

A 27-year-old man has been arrested for the stabbing and wounding of a 41-year-old man in Mariners Harbor, according to police.

The assault by the son of the man's wife occurred during a domestic dispute on Monday evening, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

The 41-year-old victim is likely to recover from his injuries that resulted from being stabbed three times, including once in the right upper arm and twice in right side of his abdomen. He was transported in stable condition to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, according to a spokesman for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

Newton Ortiz, 27, of Grandview Avenue, has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon and assault, according to the police spokesman.

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Mira Wassef | mwassef@siadvance.com

Woman accused of toll evading at Goethals

A 28-year-old New Jersey woman with 74 toll violations totaling nearly $5,000 was arrested at the Goethals Bridge, according to Port Authority Police.

When she was apprehended on Wednesday, Elizabeth Pena-Perez, 28 of New York Avenue in Union City, N.J., allegedly was driving an Acura owned by a person who owed $16,951 in tolls and fines, according to Joseph Pentangelo, a spokesman for the Port Authority Police.

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Mira Wassef | mwassef@siadvance.com

NYPD: Weapons suspect caught hiding in freezer at Berry Houses

The NYPD put the freeze on a 27-year-old weapons suspect in the Berry Houses in Dongan Hills on Monday night.

Police found Troy Mc Glaughlin, 27, hiding in a freezer in the housing complex, where he also lives, according to a spokesman for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

The suspect was wanted on an open warrant for criminal possession of a weapon and menacing dating from Sept. 8, 2016, when Mc Glaughlin allegedly pointed a black firearm at and threatened a girlfriend inside 30 Dongan Hills Ave., the police spokesman said.

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Mira Wassef | mwassef@siadvance.com

DSNY: Drunk Manhattan man arrested for illegally dumping air conditioner in Port Richmond

spokesman for the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) said a 51-year-old Manhattan man was arrested in Port Richmond Wednesday for allegedly dumping an air conditioning unit, and was found to be driving under the influence.

Two officers, including Staten Island's only sanitation officer, Anthony Rizzo, allegedly saw Keith Lewis, of 145th Street, dumping an air conditioner in front of 121 Park Ave. at approximately 11:09 a.m.

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N.J. woman accused of stalking ex, scratching his new girlfriend's car

Police arrested a New Jersey woman on harassment and stalking charges after she allegedly showed up at her former boyfriend's Annadale home, threatened him and keyed his new girlfriend's car, according to criminal complaints and a source with knowledge of the investigation.

On Friday, Feb. 10, police arrested Valerie Orlando, 30, of Bayonne, in connection with the alleged incidents, which occurred between Feb. 3 and Feb. 7.

The victim had a Family Court order of protection against Orlando that was valid until Feb. 28, according to the complaint.

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NWS Norma McCorvey

In this 2013 photo, Janet Morana, executive director of Priests for Life; Norma McCorvey, Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life. (Courtesy of Priests For Life)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Norma McCorvey, who was responsible for the landmark decision that legalized abortion -- but later became an opponent of the procedure -- died Saturday at age 69.

McCorvey, who died at an assisted living center in Katy, Texas, made many trips to Staten Island after she became Roman Catholic, according to Priests for Life.

"Norma has been a friend of mine, and of Priests for Life, for more than 20 years," said Rev. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life.

Rev. Pavone confirmed McCorvey in 1998. They maintained their friendship throughout the years, and she traveled to Staten Island in 2013 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Rev. Pavone's ordination.

"Norma McCorvey was a woman who allowed herself to be manipulated when she was at a low point, but she rose above that. ... I am proud to have called Norma my friend, and I will miss her," said Janet Morana, executive director of Priests for Life.

Morana hosted McCorvey in her New York home and stayed with McCorvey in her Dallas residence. The two women remained close even as McCorvey's health declined in recent years.

"Just prior to the March for Life this January, Norma told me to greet all the pro-life activists in her name, and tell them to keep strong in the battle for life, which we are winning," Rev. Pavone said.

ROE-VS-WADE

McCorvey was 22, unmarried, unemployed and pregnant for the third time in 1969 when she sought to have an abortion in Texas, where the procedure was illegal except to save a woman's life.

The subsequent lawsuit, known as Roe v. Wade, led to the Supreme Court's 1973 ruling that established abortion rights. However, McCorvey never actually had an abortion; she gave birth and put her daughter up for adoption.

Decades later, McCorvey underwent a conversion, becoming an evangelical Christian and joining the anti-abortion movement. A short time later, she underwent another religious conversion and became a Roman Catholic.

Associated Press material was used in this report.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While car thefts have decreased over the last month, police have been continuing to issue summonses for cars left running.

From Jan. 15 to Feb. 12, there was a 27-percent decrease in car thefts compared to the same time last year, police said.

According to CompStat data, there were 16 car thefts during that month, compared to 22 during the same month in 2016.

The number of summonses issued for running cars was not available.

"The chief says thank you, but please continue to secure your cars, keys and property," warned NYPD Assistant Chief Edward Delatorre, the borough commander.

Overall, there has been a 13.3-percent drop in grand larceny auto incidents this year.

Through Feb. 12, there have been 26 car thefts, which is four less than during the same time period last year, police said.

In December, police warned Staten Island residents that there was a spike in car thefts and advised motorists to secure their keys and not to leave cars running.
Donovan.jpg

Republican Rep. Daniel Donovan took questions on a tele-town hall Thursday night. (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As critics of Rep. Daniel Donovan have denounced his lack of town hall meetings, the congressman held a telephone town hall Thursday night, speaking to 14,000 constituents and taking questions from 18 of them on topics ranging from Obamacare, immigration and entitlement programs, to climate change and President Donald Trump's travel ban.

Last week, a group of protestors interrupted a Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce meeting where Donovan was speaking, shouting him down as he attempted to speak. Several were escorted out by police.

Since then, some of those people and others have criticized Donovan for not holding a town hall meeting. He and his spokespeople have said they welcome any constituents to call his office and set up a meeting.

Not hosting any town halls since being elected in May 2015, the congressman doesn't have any plans to hold one now, as protestors are expected to turn it into a shouting match, not a forum for productive debate, his spokesman has said.

However, Donovan has held telephone town halls in the past, his spokesperson said, and will hold more in the future.

During the hour-long call Thursday, paid for with Donovan's campaign money, he answered questions in a controlled environment -- callers could ask questions, but couldn't ask follow-up questions or press Donovan on his answers, with the exception of one caller who suggested two-way tolling be brought back to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and another who asked about immigration and private school vouchers.

In the nine minutes before taking his first question, Donovan noted the hostile political atmosphere and asked participants to be respectful.

"Frankly, I think the disruptions we have been witnessing -- the shouting, the name calling -- is rude and unproductive, and it won't be tolerated on this call," he said.

He noted the "fake news" that people spread, specifically in the borough.

There was "misinformation being spread about the immigration enforcement agents' recent actions on Staten Island," Donovan said. "A group with an obvious political agenda put out a press release to the media, saying agents were raiding peoples' homes, arrested five people and were tearing families apart. This ended up being nonsense."

He noted the Advance story, that cited Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as having arrested two men who were convicted of committing violent crimes.

"Now, we can debate about immigration policy, but who is going to disagree that those violent criminals, who are not citizens of the United States, should have the right and privilege to stay in this country?" he asked.

TRAVEL BAN

Addressing the travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries before several people asked questions, Donovan said, "Let me be clear: I do not support a ban of people based on religion, Muslim or otherwise. I said that during the campaign and I'll say it again. In fact, I drafted a letter and sent it to every mosque in our community saying so."

"But we are also a nation of laws ... our number one duty is to protect our homeland and the citizens of this country," he said. "If that means taking a 90-day period to evaluate a system that the FBI and the CIA are telling us is inadequate, and we know that terrorists are trying to infiltrate, or that we take steps to seal the gap along our southern border where drugs and people are being trafficked, well, that's good old fashioned common sense if you ask me."

The call went out to 55,000 people selected from a list of registered voters in the district, both on Staten Island and in Brooklyn. About 14,000 people answered and connected to the call. Donovan's staff included the phone numbers of people who have been pressing the congressman to hold a town hall.

People on the call were directed to press *3 to ask a question.

OBAMACARE



Responding to one question about repealing and replacing Obamacare, Donovan repeated his stance of wanting to maintain coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and keep those under 26 on their parents' plan.

"Anyone who has health insurance now, the rug is not going to be pulled out from underneath them," he said.

People asked about Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, concerned that benefits would be cut, money would run out, and people would get less coverage.

MEDICARE

On Medicare, Donovan, who will turn 61 this year, said, "I'm going to make sure that everybody older than me and those right behind me have Medicare, because we've all been paying into it for a long time."

He has repeated that since his campaign, but hasn't said what changes he supports to keep the program afloat, like raising the age in the future or increasing payroll taxes.

MEDICAID



Donovan's answer on Medicaid didn't clearly show where he stands. Noting the unsustainable rate at which Medicaid spending increases, the congressman said it needs to be "corrected," adding states should be able to choose who they will cover under Medicaid and how they will pay for it.

But he said, "We have to protect the Medicaid system. We have many residents in Staten Island and Brooklyn that depend on that and it's something that as your representative, I'm going to make sure people don't get hurt by it."

Several callers, including two with questions about how to appeal high home assessments that drive up their property taxes, were instructed to call his office the following day for assistance.

People can request to be included in future telephone town halls by filling out this form on Donovan's website.
Germany Security Conference

United States Vice President Mike Pence, left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meet for bilateral talks during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. The annual weekend gathering is known for providing an open and informal platform to meet in close quarters. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

(Matthias Schrader)

MUNICH (AP) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has met separately with the leaders of Iraq and its Kurdistan region, thanking both for committing to fight the Islamic State group.

The White House says Pence also commended Iraq's security forces for their battlefield success during his meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (HY'-dahr ahl ah-BAH'-dee). Officials say both leaders underscored the importance of continuing progress in the fight against IS, as well as on Iraq's economic recovery and to free the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group.

In the meeting with Masoud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Pence thanked Barazani and said the U.S. continues to support a unified, federal and democratic Iraq.

The White House says Pence encouraged close cooperation between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan regional government.

2 p.m.

The White House says Vice President Mike Pence expressed support for Afghanistan's national unity government during a meeting with Ashraf Ghani, the country's president.

The leaders met on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich. They talked about ways to improve relations between their countries and advance mutual interests, particularly on counterterrorism cooperation and economic development.

The White House says they also affirmed the importance of continuing the "strategic partnership" between the U.S. and Afghanistan.

Pence is also scheduled to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (HY'-dahr ahl ah-BAH'-dee).



1 p.m.:

The White House says Vice President Mike Pence and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have committed to continue close cooperation on a range of global issues.

The leaders met after separately addressing a security conference in Munich.

Pence and Merkel also discussed the need for NATO member countries to meet their "burden-sharing" commitments. The White House says they also agreed that the alliance must continue to transform itself to meet 21st century threats.

Pence thanked the chancellor for leading on Ukraine and expressed appreciation for Germany's contributions in Afghanistan and to the coalition fighting the Islamic State group.



11:15 a.m.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are meeting along the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The two leaders retired behind closed doors after both addressed the Munich Security Conference of foreign diplomats and security officials.

Pence said the US would hold Russia accountable and offered reassurances that the U.S. strongly supports NATO.

Merkel pointed to the need to preserve and strengthen multilateral partnerships such as the European Union, NATO and the United Nations.



10:15 a.m.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is reinforcing the Trump administration's message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

NATO's 28 member countries promised in 2014 to commit to spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. Pence says in remarks at a security conference in Germany that only the U.S. and four other NATO members are meeting the standard.

President Donald Trump has also called on NATO members to spend more on their militaries.

Pence says the "time has come" for allies to boost spending because the dangers they all face are growing and changing every day.

He adds that failure to meet the spending commitment undermines the alliance's ability to come to each other's aid.



10 a.m.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says the United States will "hold Russia accountable" even as President Donald Trump searches for new common ground with Russia at the start of his presidency.

Pence says at the Munich Security Conference in Germany that with regard to Ukraine, the international community must hold Russia accountable and demand that it honor a 2015 peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

He's offering assurances of the U.S. commitment to NATO and the European Union in remarks at an international conference of foreign diplomats and defense officials.

Pence's speech comes amid concerns in Europe about Russian aggression and Trump's positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin.



9:50 a.m.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is offering assurances that the United States strongly supports NATO and "will be unwavering in our commitment to this trans-Atlantic alliance."

He says President Donald Trump "will stand with Europe."

Pence is addressing the Munich Security Conference in his first overseas trip as vice president.

The vice president's speech was aimed at reassuring skeptical allies in Europe about American foreign policy under Trump along with U.S. willingness to maintain international partnerships.

Pence's trip to Germany comes as Europeans are skittish that Trump may promote isolationist tendencies and not hold Russia accountable.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Dr. Louis Grecco, a highly revered obstetrician and gynecologist, who also distinguished himself as a accomplished artist, died Thursday. His age was 81.

Born in Brooklyn, Dr. Grecco earned a bachelor of science degree in medicine from New York University, a doctor of chiropractic degree from New York Chiropractic College, a master of science degree in bacteriology from Long Island College and a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Rome.



He served his residency at the former Staten Island Hospital, Tompkinsville, and in 1980 joined the practice of OB-GYN Associates in Grant City. He retired in May of 2000, after delivering 3,500 babies.

It was the custom for parishioners of Regina Pacis R.C. Church in Brooklyn to visit three churches on the feast of Holy Thursday -- the religious tradition that would lead to Dr. Grecco meeting the former Genevieve Perna.

After a courtship of several years and an eventual engagement, the couple married on Aug. 17, 1957, in the church where it all began.



The Greccos lived in Brooklyn after their marriage and relocated to their current home in the hills of Stapleton 35 years ago, one that was dubbed, "A Roman-inspired oasis" in an Advance story in 2006.

An environmentalist activist, he spearheaded the society's efforts to determine if the Fresh Kills and Brookfield landfills caused birth defects and whether air pollution played a role in Staten Island's high respiratory disease rate.

He assisted in investigations by the Federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and as a member of the scientific advisory panel overseeing the city Health Department's concluded Staten Island Cancer Incidence Study.

As a physician he testified before several governmental bodies to heighten awareness of links between pollution and illness and raised concern that the carbon monoxide released from the landfills could have a detrimental effect on the fetuses in pregnant women, already exposed to car emissions and cigarettes.

Former President George H.W. Bush honored Dr. Grecco with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Award for his volunteer efforts in 1992.

Dr. Grecco was a longtime chairman of the Richmond County Medical Society's Public Health Committee and was honored by his peers in 1996 at the Harbour Club in Bayley Seton Hospital, Clifton.

In 1998, Dr. Grecco was the recipient of the Physician Recognition Award from the Academy of Medicine of Richmond, the educational arm of the Richmond County Medical Society.

For his dedication to the field of medicine, in June of 2000, Dr. Grecco received a citation from President Bill Clinton recognizing him for 30 years of service to his profession and to the community of Staten Island.

Dr. Grecco, who painted everyday, has had his work exhibited at Snug Harbor's "Doctors as Artists."

He also was the fleet surgeon at the Hudson River Yacht Club in Brooklyn.

Alexa Grecco, Dr. Grecco's granddaughter confided, several months ago her grandfather asked her to describe herself in three words. She couldn't supply an immediate answer, but stated she'd prefer that others decide for themselves.

But in describing her grandfather, three words easily came to mind:

"Heroic: "A man who dedicated his life to bringing human beings into the world. Smart, and private."

She continued: "I could say intelligent but that would be too corny. My grandfather was a smart man. And as much as he was out in the world being charming and lovable, he was always very to himself about a lot of things. He was selective in his sharing."

"I aspire to be as lovable and as valued as he was one day. He changed lives in so many ways. The older I get, the more proud I grow to be a product of his legacy. He is a huge part of the reason I get to live the life that I do and I will always be grateful. There are not enough thanks in the world to express that," she added.

Dr. Grecco's daughter Lisa Grecco-Velandres of Concord, noted: "There will never be anyone to fill my dad's shoes. Not now or ever."

And his son, Gary Grecco of Sunnyside, explained: "My dad was the best man at my wedding and he really was the best man in the world."

In a conversation with Dr. Grecco on the occasion of his 80th birthday, he gushed that he's truly a lucky man.

"I've done everything in my life that I set out to do," he said. "I became a chiropractor and then a medical doctor, after studying for five years in Rome. I got married, had two terrific children. And I'm a grandfather and great-grandfather."

In addition to his daughter Lisa and son Gary, Dr. Grecco is survived by his wife, Genevieve (Gene) Grecco of 59 years; four grandchildren and a great-granddaughter, nieces and nephews and extended family members.

Funeral arrangements include a wake Sunday and Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. in Matthew Funeral Home, Willowbrook.

A funeral mass will be on Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church, West Brighton. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Pleasant Plains.
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Seattle City Councilwoman Lorena Gonzalez, who attended the hearing, said afterward that she was disappointed but was glad for an expedited bond hearing. "The faster we can resolve this, the better for Daniel and his family and the 750,000 dreamers that are currently living in limbo across the country," she said.
A Carwoola resident described the aftermath of the fire as "like a war zone" on Saturday morning, as residents returned to their homes to survey the damage for the first time.

The Lindley family was lucky to escape with their lives, their home of 19 years was burnt to the ground.

Kevin Lindley walks among the ruins of his property. Credit:Jay Cronan

Kevin Lindley said he thought he was prepared to fight the blaze. That was until he saw the flames towering over his machinery shed at twice the height.

"Prepared? Most definitely," he said.
The same property listed at its true location in Florida on US real estate site realtor.com. Credit:realtor.com Complaints last year had tripled since 2015, when there was $65,000 reported lost to these scams. ACCC deputy chairwoman Delia Rickard said consumers should never make a payment outside the official Airbnb website. Bondi or Florida? An image taken from the fraudulent Airbnb listing, which has been removed. "Anytime you are asked to pay via a wire transfer or gift card, anything that is difficult to trace, that should tell you it's a scam," she said.

"If you have been scammed you should report it to Airbnb and also to the ACCC's ScamWatch service." Bondi or Florida? Another listing for the Florida house which was used in a fraudulent Airbnb listing. Ms Rickard said home-sharing platforms such as Airbnb would be wise to conduct reverse Google image searches on property listings. "These image searches are one of the things we encourage dating sites to do on all profile pictures. We certainly encourage online booking sites to do something similar." ACCC deputy chairwoman Delia Rickard says the sharing economy has a responsibility to maintain "appropriate safeguards" for consumers.

In the case of the Bondi "luxury villa," the first warning bells rang for this reporter upon reading the property's description. "PLEASE do not book before you contact me! All the bookings made without prior contact will be canceled! [sic]," it read. A response to a further inquiry stated that payment could be made through the Airbnb app, but not before personal details such as a full name, address, ID and utility bill had been provided. In another example seen by Fairfax Media, an Australian consumer was also urged to email a property owner to make a booking, instead of using the app. This led to the consumer mistakenly using a wire transfer service to send more than $5000 to an identity masquerading as the property host of a European ski chalet, after receiving highly realistic emails purportedly from Airbnb.

The consumer later discovered the property's true address was in another country to that advertised. An Airbnb Australia spokeswoman said its global Trust and Safety team "worked 24/7" to respond to issues raised by guests and hosts and prevent fraud. "Airbnb will never ask you to pay the cost of a reservation off-site or through email. The bottom line is when you book a reservation through our secure platform, you receive the benefits of Airbnb's global trust and safety team," she said. "More than 150 million guests have had safe, positive experiences on Airbnb and negative incidents are extremely rare. We proactively educate our new guests on the importance of keeping their bookings strictly on the Airbnb platform..." The home-sharing platform would not comment on how many fake property listing reports it had received in the past year, nor whether it conducted Google reverse image searches.
In the past fortnight, I've been reminded of "Comical Ali", Iraq's former information minister, Mohammad Saeed al-Sahhaf, whose broadcasts and media conferences denied the presence of US troops and tanks in Baghdad even as they could be seen behind him. The delusional in denial.

What reminded me of him, of course, were all the climate-change deniers spouting their nonsense while high-temperature records were broken and bushfires raged across the country.

America's tanks are in Baghdad. The climate has already changed. But still they want to open new coal mines and build new coal-fired power stations.

How do you explain it? Perhaps we're looking at these people the wrong way. We assume they don't think climate change is happening, therefore it's fine to continue to mine and burn coal. But it seems to me that it's the other way around. They first want to continue to make money by mining and burning coal (or receive donations from those who do) and therefore they must deny that climate change is happening, even in the face of overwhelming evidence and appalling economic and health costs.
Just one week ago the territory was warned about a level of complacency in the community over the threat of bushfires in the region.

As temperatures climbed to 40 degrees and total fire bans remained for the ACT and surrounding area it was timely for a reminder of the danger.

And now tragically we are again dealing with the aftermath of a devastating fire in the region.

We see yet again how quickly one spark can lead to a raging inferno and threaten lives and homes.
Descending east from Jerusalem into the Rift Valley, the landscape turns decidedly hostile, and that's just the start of it.

The Number 1 freeway first arcs up from the Holy City's eastern flank towards the Mount of Olives before cutting underneath the world heritage site to emerge in what quickly becomes another country, a different land.

Jerusalem's ancient hills delineate one of the world's sharper rain shadows.

Yet as discriminating as the rains are, they are egalitarian compared to the political economy  dictated by birth as Arab or Jew.
Defence Minister Marise Payne has said Australia "will consider" co-operating with Russia in the fight against the Islamic State terror group in Syria as its ally the United States wrestles with its own internal doubts over the fraught question.

Underscoring the awkward position that US allies such as Australia find themselves in as the new administration in Washington crystallises its thinking on some of Donald Trump's more controversial proposals, Senator Payne said the Turnbull government would weigh its options but declined to go into detail.

Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne with the US Secretary of Defence James Mattis.

She was speaking as the Pentagon prepares a plan to ramp up the international effort against the terrorist group, which Senator Payne stressed she did not want to pre-empt.

Asked how comfortable she felt about co-operating with Russia, Senator Payne said in an interview with Fairfax Media: "As matters advance in Syria, these are matters the government will consider but I'm not going to make any further comment on that at the moment."
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he has turned down an offer by his New Zealand counterpart to take 150 refugees from Australia's offshore detention camps, opting to concentrate on its pending deal with the US.

"This offer from New Zealand has been available for some time," Turnbull said on Saturday in Queenstown, New Zealand.

"It is one we appreciate but our focus is on completing the arrangements with the United States."

Prime Minister Bill English revealed the longstanding proposal remains on the table after his first formal catch-up with his counterpart.

US President Donald Trump earlier this month criticised the plan Australia signed with the Obama administration to send more than 1,000 refugees to the US for resettlement. Trump in a late-night tweet said he would study the "dumb deal."
You've got to hand it to the talented team behind the burgeoning Bodega and Porteno empire. They repeatedly create the hottest eateries of the moment, each with its own personality and without any obvious replication. Bodega 1904, at the restored Tramsheds in Forest Lodge, is surrounded by stiff gastronomic competition for bums on seats but has wasted no time in rising to the top of a quality pack.

Other than the name, Bodega 1904 shares little with its older sibling. Yes, the music is loud and the staff are tattooed, bandannaclad and easy on the eye. But it feels a little more sophisticated, and the food is divine.

Bodega 1904. Credit:Jennifer Soo

Arguably the best seats in the house are the aqua leather stools at the bar, where you can watch the slick bar crew do their thing. It's a great spot for a glass of wine and a tapas plate or two: pickled green tomatoes, perhaps, or slivers of Polish salami served with pickled chillies, or a glorious grilled queso fresco with charred leeks and lime vinaigrette.

After that taster, chances are you'll want to stay (or return) for a longer culinary adventure. That might include beef tartare, handchopped to order, sprinkled with a peppery chiffonade of rocket, salty bottarga and crunchy fried eschalots, which is best slathered onto thick chunks of the darkly crusted house-baked bread.
My grandfather was the most optimistic man I've ever met. He was always looking towards the future and its possibilities. His motto in life was "no regrets". At the age of 29, he emigrated from Egypt to France, just an Arabic man with a suitcase, and never looked back. He made a life in Paris that was rich and full, and at his funeral, Edith Piaf's Je Ne Regrette Rien boomed through the crematorium. That is how we remembered him.

My grandfather was bedridden for the last three years of his life and spent them mostly alone in his apartment  my parents had moved to Australia long before  surrounded by memories of a life that had once been mobile and adventurous. Despite staring at the ceiling all day long, he laughed often.

In the end, believing in the impossible was all her grandfather had.

I went to live with him in Paris for a while before starting university in Sydney, and that year I'd also planned to spend the summer with three of my girlfriends at his apartment in Spain.

That Spanish unit was his pride and joy  a mark of my grandfather's successful career in France. I can still picture him sitting on the balcony there, tanned and content with a glass of ouzo in his hand. "This place is a gift from the gods," he'd tell the setting sun.
Norma McCorvey campaigning against abortion in 2003, after becoming a born-again Christian. Credit:AP According to the most sympathetic tellings of her story, she was a victim of abuse, financial hardship, drug and alcohol addiction, and personal frailty. For much of her life, she subsisted at the margins of society, making ends meet, according to various accounts, as a bartender, a maid, a roller-skating carhop and a house painter. She found a measure of stability with a lesbian partner, Connie Gonzalez, but even that relationship reportedly ended in bitterness after 35 years. Harsher judgments presented McCorvey as a user who trolled for attention and cash. Abortion rights activists questioned her motives when McCorvey decamped in 1994 after years as a poster child for their cause, and was baptised in a swimming pool by the evangelical minister at the helm of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue. Norma McCorvey at her home in Dallas in 1995. Credit:AP The minister, Flip Benham, told Prager, who profiled McCorvey in Vanity Fair magazine in 2013, that he had come to see McCorvey as someone who "just fishes for money".

By her own description, she was "a simple woman with a ninth-grade education". She presented herself as the victim of her attorneys, Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington, whom she accused of exploiting the predicament of her unwanted pregnancy to score a victory for the abortion rights cause. Norma McCorvey speaks on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005, petitioning the court to reverse its decision in Roe v. Wade. Credit:Travis Lindquist Roe v Wade, which became a class-action suit, was a watershed for women in general but irrelevant for McCorvey in particular. After an initial court victory for her, Texas mounted an appeal that dragged on long past McCorvey's due date. By the time the Supreme Court announced its decision, her baby was two and a half years old. She had given the child up for adoption, and learned of the ruling in a newspaper article. Years later, McCorvey expressed bitterness at what she described as her attorneys' unwillingness to help her find what she needed - an abortion, even an illegal one. "Sarah sat right across the table from me at Columbo's pizza parlour, and I didn't know until two years ago that she had had an abortion herself," McCorvey told The New York Times in 1994. "When I told her then how desperately I needed one, she could have told me where to go for it. But she wouldn't because she needed me to be pregnant for her case."

"Sarah saw these cuts on my wrists, my swollen eyes from crying," she continued, "the miserable person sitting across from her, and she knew she had a patsy. She knew I wouldn't go outside of the realm of her and Linda. I was too scared. It was one of the most hideous times of my life." After the Supreme Court ruling, McCorvey did not live in total anonymity, as has been erroneously reported, but lived a mainly private existence before revealing herself in interviews and then in a memoir written with Andy Meisler, I Am Roe (1994). She worked in abortion clinics, "trying to please everyone and trying to be hardcore pro-choice," she told Time magazine. "That is a very heavy burden," she said. Moreover, she said that her social background as a poor high school dropout made her ill at ease among the largely upper-class and well-educated activists who helped make abortion a matter of urgent national importance in the 1960s and 1970s. "I wasn't good enough for them," she once said. "I'm a street kid." Her conversion came about when Benham, the head of Operation Rescue, opened an office near one of McCorvey's clinics and befriended her. She announced that she opposed abortion rights except in the first trimester - a position that put her in fundamental conflict with other anti-abortion activists, who opposed abortion in all circumstances. Nevertheless, her defection was hailed as a victory for their cause.

Weddington looked suspiciously on McCorvey's conversion and once described her former client as a person who "really craved and sought attention". McCorvey attributed her philosophical reversal to her being "worried about salvation". Gloria Allred, the women's rights lawyer who for a period represented McCorvey, told the Times in 1995 that McCorvey was justified in feeling abandoned by the women's movement. "She was shut out of many national pro-choice celebrations. She attended but for the most part she was not invited and it was a very hurtful experience," Allred said. "When she did speak ... she was really very eloquent, not well-educated but speaking from the heart, and I think she had a lot of common sense in what she was saying about choice." But neither did McCorvey find a comfortable home among conservatives in the anti-abortion movement, many of whom regarded lesbianism as immoral. "Neither side was ever willing to accept her for who she was," historian David J. Garrow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and the author of Liberty and Sexuality: The Right to Privacy and the Making of Roe v Wade, said in an interview.
Illustration: John Shakespeare Unfortunately for investors, Employee Ownership Australia, which created the index, will not reveal the identity of the 52 companies. EOA chief executive Angela Perry says the reason for secrecy is the researchers had access to confidential information. She's hopeful companies on the index might be willing to be identified in the future. Meanwhile, Perry says investors can find out whether a listed company has an employee share scheme by looking at the annual report. What they won't know from the public record is the participation rate. Interestingly she said the study looked at all listed companies but there were far fewer small and mid-cap companies with broad employee ownership than inside the ASX 200.

Currently the EOA index tracks performance by looking at the share price. It might be more useful to investors if it also looked at a true measure of financial performance such as return on equity. Perry says this may happen in the future. EOA index companies are also twice as likely to show clear evidence of equal opportunity systems, and outperform or match the ASX 200 on social sustainability factors. Employee Ownership Australia is an organisation that works with companies implementing employee ownership schemes, so you would be right in thinking it had an interest in promoting employee ownership. However, similar indices overseas have found comparable results. I ran it by organisational psychologist Dr Phil Harker who said the findings made sense  though not for the reason you might think. It seems obvious: employee ownership gives employees a financial motivation to help the company succeed.

Indeed, economists have traditionally believed - dating back to Adam Smith in the 18th century  that people work for only money. If employees are motivated by the carrot of pay and the stick of unemployment, surely employee shares are just a modern carrot? Yet, more recent research has upended the traditional economists' view of work. Barry Schwartz in his 2015 book Why We Work demonstrates that money makes little difference to whether someone enjoys their job, nor to how well they do it. A good job is much more about whether you have autonomy over how you do your work, and can achieve a level of mastery in the skills required. In fact, Schwartz argues financial incentives can have a contrary effect and de-motivate people. The reason is that if you focus your mind on the financial reward, it distances you from the non-financial purpose of your work and you can lose intrinsic motivation. Harker agrees some financial incentives are damaging. For example, he argues bonuses tied to company profitability are damaging because they're arbitrary rather than being within the employee's control. Bonuses can also create unhealthy competition with colleagues.

Multi-million bonuses for executives are even more harmful because it's so much money that it diminishes intrinsic motivation. Harker says in some organisations employees actually have higher engagement than management. "A reward once given becomes a right," Harker says. "Even though it's a bonus, if the next year it goes down, it feels like a kick in the teeth." So if money can dampen motivation and enthusiasm, why would employee ownership help companies succeed? Harker says it works because it gives staff a sense of ownership in the company. While they do get financial ownership, the important thing is that they get psychological ownership. Employee share schemes might work for companies but are they good for the workers? It increases your reward if things go well, but it also increases your risk if they don't, because you don't just rely on it for a job but also for your wealth creation strategy.

It's not so much about how much of the company you own, but rather how much of your personal wealth is tied up in one company and one industry. Of course the fact that money can have unexpected effects doesn't mean you can stop paying people. In the 1960s behavioural psychologist John Stacey Adams developed the Adams' Equity Theory, which is still used today. The idea is that employees lose motivation if their inputs (hard work, skill level, acceptance, enthusiasm, and so on) outweigh what they get back in salary, benefits, intangibles such as recognition, and so on. Daniel Pink in his 2009 book Drive concludes companies need to pay people enough to take money off the table, but not so much that it becomes the primary motivator. How much you require to take money off the table will vary by person, and it comes down to both personality and skill set.

I know someone who works at a start-up and is enrolled in the employee share option scheme. I asked him how it affected his motivation. He says he doesn't think about salary or share options on a day-to-day basis. What drives him is a "quest for self improvement"  that is, getting better at what he does or what Schwartz and Pink call "mastery". But he is also aware that he has skills that are in demand and a work ethic any employer would dream about, so he thinks about his salary package from time to time to make sure he's not selling himself, and his family, short. Loading
Australia marks the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin on Sunday but for generations the country was kept in the dark about the true dimensions of the Japanese attack.

At 9.58am on February 19, 1942, just four days after the supposedly impregnable British garrison in Singapore collapsed, Japanese bombers escorted by Zero fighters appeared in the skies above Darwin.

The first wave attacked the CBD and harbour infrastructure, and sank 11 ships either at anchor or berthed. A second wave came for the RAAF base.

By noon, 243 people  including 53 civilians  were dead, 400 wounded. The wharf was cut in two, 30 aircraft were destroyed and the post office levelled; postmaster Hurtle Bald, his wife Alice, daughter Iris and six post office workers died when a bomb hit their slit trench.
"If I don't get an ATAR of 90 plus I'm dead, my mum will honestly run me over, no joke she will."

Angela Zhang stared down the barrel of the camera in January last year and delivered that assessment as the pressure of year 12 competition at her Sydney high school ratcheted up.

"Asian parents expect a 99.95 ATAR from their kids, even when that is physically impossible," she said.

More than 1200 kilometres away in Keith, South Australia, 18-year-old Charlie Watts said he was stuck in a "stupid town" and "hated his parents," while trying to explain to his friends why he had been filming himself for five minutes every day.
It's 8.15am at Cabramatta Public School and an exuberant gaggle of children bound towards a fold-out table laden with oranges, watermelon, carrot, celery and rice pudding.

A few of the older students hang back, waiting for the wholemeal pancakes sizzling on the BBQ and being dutifully flipped by volunteer parents.

"When we started these breakfasts most of the children only wanted the pancakes. They were not keen on the fruits and vegies at all," says Ben Chahola, a community development officer at South West Sydney Local Health District.

"Now we go through several kilos [of fruit] every morning," he says.
Telecommunications giant Optus has won a legal battle against a trainee call centre worker who was nearly thrown from a roof top balcony by a colleague while attending a course in Sydney's upper north shore.

Glenn Wright, then 20, was attending a training course at Optus premises in Gordon in March 2001 when a co-worker he had only just met attempted to murder him, later saying that he had a desire to kill someone and had settled on his victim the previous night.

Mr Wright successfully sued Optus Administration Pty Limited, a subsidiary of Optus, for $3.9 million in damages. Credit:Robert Rough

Mr Wright managed to escape but suffered a blow to the head and later developed chronic severe post-traumatic stress order as well as anxiety, depression and social phobia.

Although he was employed by a labour hire company at time, Mr Wright successfully sued Optus Administration Pty Limited, a subsidiary of Optus, for $3.9 million in damages in 2015.
Convicted gang rapist ring leader Bilal Skaf - sentenced to a maxium of 55 years jail. M cannot be identified because he was 17 when he raped two girls in 2000, one a 13-year-old bound with tape and forced to have oral sex in a Greenacre park. The second assault of a 14-year-old on a train at Punchbowl was committed with one of nine males responsible for a series of gang rapes across Sydney in 2000 led by Bilal Skaf. A judge described the Skaf attacks as "worse than murder" and "what you hear or read about only in the context of wartime atrocities". M was described by a judge as having an exaggerated sense of entitlement and being highly likely to reoffend.

It's believed that M and a Skaf gang rapist, known as H, both participated in an intensive sex offenders' program led by Ms Senior in Parklea around 2010 to 2011. Ms Senior struck up a relationship while treating H, whose identity was also suppressed during the Skaf trials due to his mental and intellectual disabilities. She organised a special birthday party for him in prison, took on his surname, moved in with his mother and obtained a passport and false phone numbers with her new name and used it to visit H in prison 24 times without authorities realising she was an employee. In one call, the pair had phone sex and Ms Senior let H call her "a slut". The relationship with H, who is now 33 and on parole, ended in 2012, the same year she was suspended from Corrective Services and started a relationship with M.

She was struck off in 2015 by the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) for the "reprehensible" relationship with H. Forensic psychologist Luke Broomhall told a HCCC hearing in 2014 that H's use of "slut" demonstrated a power play to exert dominance over Ms Senior and objectify women. Given his history of rape, it would have significantly impaired his rehabilitation, he said. Ms Senior provided a statement to the hearing. In a fact only now revealed, she was married to M at the time. She told the HCCC she had been burnt out, exhausted and depressed and that prevented her from being aware of escalating "transference and countertransference" with H. "This has led to what I can only describe as being self-defeating and compromising behaviour, and that such actions on my part are completely out of character," she said.

Countertransference is the redirection of a therapist's feelings towards a client and is often a reaction to transference, a phenomenon in which the client redirects feelings for others onto the therapist. Forensic psychologist James Ogloff, who has written reports on similar cases, said they are not uncommon and usually snowball after an emotional connection is made. "In my supervision of people, I always say a psychologist's needs must never be met in the relationship. It is a one-sided relationship," he said. "That can change at a period of time when the psychologist is emotionally vulnerable. At times of stress, divorce, a bad relationship." He said prisoners often have manipulative personalities and the element of "forbidden attraction" usually plays a role. A Corrective Services spokeswoman declined to outline safeguards in place to detect inappropriate relationships.

"All CSNSW staff are required to abide by a strict code of conduct and must declare any association with an inmate or offender," she said. The spokeswoman confirmed that M's parole was never revoked for continual breaches and refusals to give information about his wife. In his parole notes, the Bankstown Community Corrections Office said his conduct was "unsatisfactory, characterised by non-compliance with reasonable directions" and "intentionally deceptive behaviour". In one instance, he brought his wife to a parole meeting but she refused to take her burqa off or say who she was. He came under police attention for several Child Protection Registry breaches.

He was detected speeding on the M5 at 1am in Ms Senior's car, which he had failed to list with police. He claimed he was driving at that time to attend a 24-hour donut outlet at the airport. Corrective Services said he was charged with a criminal offence in December 2013 and returned to prison until he was found not guilty in 2014 and released. His parole expires on Sunday. It's believed Ms Senior is not working and may be studying while raising children. After first telling Fairfax Media that she was not Joanne Senior, she declined repeated requests for comment. Do you know more? rolding@fairfaxmedia.com.au
A safe house in Sydney's west had just been raided and 29-year-old Alina Antal was not happy.

It was the second time police had stormed the rented unit in Fairfield where runners for the unsuspecting figure sorted and bagged cannabis and gathered the proceeds of drug sales.

They were allegedly part of a lucrative drug syndicate, directed by Ms Antal and her jailed lover and Assyrian gang associate, Oliver Merza.

"These c---s don't understand," the petite, blond-haired woman said as she reprimanded the boys responsible for running the drugs and maintaining the safe house.
Artist Fintan Magee with some of his work from his Water World exhibition inspired by the Brisbane floods. Credit:Joe Armao "In a way it was a strengthening quality to my practise but at the same time, to come from Brisbane is not necessarily the best position when you're entering New York that is financially and culturally different." Artist Fintan Magee, whose murals can be found throughout Australia and the world, said the restrictions he faced in Brisbane gave him a do-it-yourself mentality that was important for his development. An Anthony Lister portrait painted in Elizabeth Street was later destroyed by the council. Credit:Anthony Lister "It was impossible to get permission to paint walls," he said.

"In the beginning we were mostly breaking into abandoned buildings and painting in there. We were also always working on shoestring budgets and stolen paint. Street artist Drapl creating a piece at the Old Brisbane Skate Arena as part of Brisbane Street Art Festival. Credit:Lara Roche "It was good for us because it gave us a sense that if you ever wanted to achieve anything you had to go out and do it yourself." Residing in Sydney, Lister said Brisbane was "oppressive" towards artists who used graffiti as a medium. A Lister artwork on a building at Enoggera, one of many examples of the acclaimed artist's work that can be found around Brisbane. Credit:Wendy Hughes

"It is overall quite restricting to not have a place to call your own and I don't mean that in any material way, I mean it in a cultural way and I talk about that in the sense of not being able to make artwork in skate parks for example, even drawing in a gutter," he said. "To draw in a gutter will get you fined and potentially stop you from travelling the world if you don't have access to lawyers, I think there is something quite oppressive about that." Lister was found guilty in Brisbane last year of wilful damage for painting a mural on private property. The charges were brought by Brisbane City Council which had first sparked Lister's interest in street art when it commissioned him to paint the city's traffic signal boxes in 2000.

He said graffiti was a buzz word that Brisbane leaders needed to try to reframe to open up opportunities for the city's youth. "They have defamed the word, it is a scary word," he said. "It comes down to a matter of permission, material possession and ownership. "I am a believer in public spaces being for public people, I am a believer in freedom of individual speech. "I would like the freedom to remove some advertising from my landscape in same way that graffiti removal teams feel they are entitled to remove beautiful artworks."

He said more needed to be done to give children the freedom to create their environment and monitor it. "By not doing this, the leaders of these communities are basically cutting off their nose to spite their face because they don't know the potential of creativity of youth around them," he said. "There should be graffiti zones, there should be places where people are allowed to paint. That just makes sense, right? "It is going to be an even more bland future for Brisbane if it continues to have a stiff hand approach to graffiti." On his next visit to Brisbane, Lister hopes his work from his last trip will still be there.
The Sunshine Coast's local paper, the Sunshine Coast Daily - among APN papers state-wide - on December 23, 2016, carried a story with the headline, Where's Timmy? Opposition Leader missing in action, based on comments from two un-named Opposition MPs. Their comments that Mr Nicholls was "missing in action" in late 2016 were vigorously denied as "absolute rubbish" by LNP spokesmen. A party spokesman confirmed that Mr Nicholls would be visiting the Sunshine Coast next week. "He was there just a few weeks back and will be there again next week," the spokesman said. "The LNP never take a single vote for granted and is the only party that can fix Labor's mess."

Ms Stevens said voters were very aware of the slow pace of Bruce Highway upgrades and the stalled rail projects between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. She said the Sunshine Coast now had two large master-planned developments; Caloundra South's Aura development and Palmwoods' Harmony underway, but well away from long-promised, but never-progressed rail connections. Ms Stevens  who was stuck in Brisbane to Sunshine Coast highway traffic on Friday - said infrastructure was still the number one priority for MPs on the Sunshine Coast. "I think what the Sunshine Coast needs most is infrastructure; road and rail," she said. "There is a very strong pro-rail group that lines up every election."

Ms Stevens however said she did not sense a mood for a pro-Labor swing in either Steve Dickson's seat of Buderim or Mr Wellington's seat of Nicklin at the next state election. "I guess the question is, if Steve will actually hold his seat." Ms Dickson said the low vote received by both Labor and The Greens made it unlikely they would challenge the LNP, particularly if the LNP exchanged preferences with One Nation. One Nation candidates were "a fly in the ointment" on the Sunshine Coast, but no clear mood for change was yet emerging, she said. She felt voters were very much aware of the disappointment of businessman Clive Palmer as an independent federal MP, outside the major political parties.

Caloundra Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Michael Shadforth said the Sunshine Coast business was looking for MPs who "represented the region", not individual cities, nor political parties. Mr Shadforth said the soon-to-open $1.1 billion Sunshine Coast University Hospital was a good example of parties supporting an important regional project. While the Labor Party had first raised the concept of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, it was the LNP who had "bought funding forward" to get the project underway. The hospital is now being finalised under the Labor state government. "So they need to represent the region together, not just for themselves," he said.

Mr Shadforth said the Sunshine Coast business community had not yet formed an overall view of Mr Dickson's decision to leave the LNP and join One Nation. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the seat of Nicklin could attract another independent. "I'm quite sure Labor will field a candidate there but who knows, there may be another independent candidate," Ms Palaszczuk said. "Nicklin does have a very strong history of having a very strong independent. "I think Peter's shown that an independent who has strong courage and convictions can hold a seat for two decades."
In the letter, Mr Morgan, who chairs key Liberal fundraising body the Cormack Foundation, warns Mr Kroger that the state branch should not budget for a $500,000 payment this year.

While the dispute, outlined in an extraordinary letter leaked to The Age, is ostensibly about the financial safeguards at Victoria's liberal party headquarters, it also represents a challenge to Mr Kroger's authority as the all-powerful state party president.

Two leading figures in Victoria's political and business establishment, Hugh Morgan and Michael Kroger, are locked in a dispute in which $500,000 in donations have been withheld from the Liberals' state branch and claims of serious governance failings made.

The money is needed for the smooth operation of the state branch and senior Liberal figures say that the party is danger of "not being able to keep the lights on".

The Cormack Foundation is one of the party's biggest donors and over the past 18 years has contributed over $40 million to Liberal branches across Australia  it has recently made payments to Family First and the Liberal Democrats for the first time.

The foundation has eight listed shareholders, who are also the company's directors. They include Mr Morgan, Rupert Murdoch's brother-in-law John Calvert-Jones and former ANZ chairman Charles Goode.

In his December 20 letter to Mr Kroger, Mr Morgan outlines concerns that Mr Kroger's dual role as both party president and the chair of the finance committee is not "in accordance with current good governance practice".

"There are fundamental gaps in the implementation of appropriate governance provisions which would be in accordance with almost universal modern practice for any significant public institution," Mr Morgan's letter states.
A Mornington man has been arrested over eight armed robberies in four days on service stations in Melbourne's south.

The 43-year-old is being questioned by detectives over robberies committed at knifepoint in Mornington, Frankston, Berwick, Dromana, Moorabbin, Langwarrin and Carrum Downs between Wednesday and Saturday.

A 43-year-old man is being questioned by police over eight robberies in Melbourne's south. Credit:Rohan Thomson

One store, in McMahons Road, Frankston, was robbed twice: just after 2am on Thursday and about 8.15pm on Friday.

The suspect was arrested in Mornington at 9.45am on Saturday, about half an hour after the latest robbery on a store in Frankston-Dandenong Road, Carrum Downs.
A man has been rushed to hospital for treatment to life-threatening head injuries after the car he was a passenger in crashed into a pole in Melbourne's south-east.

Police say a car travelling on Springvale Road, in Springvale South, crashedabout 5.15am.

Police will close off a section of Springvale Road while they investigate the car crash.

The car was travelling north on the major arterial between Westall and Paterson roads.

Paramedics rushed the 20-year-old passenger to the Alfred hospital with head injuries.
More than 20 people were taken to hospital after overdosing at a Melbourne music festival.

Ambulance Victoria treated 25 people at the Electric Parade Music festival, taking 21 of them to hospital. It is believed they took the synthetic drug GHB at the Myer Music Bowl.

Many of those treated were described as being in a critical condition.

"The majority of those treated by paramedics had overdosed on GHB," Ambulance Victoria State Health Commander Paul Holman said.
A teenager who was riding in the back of a ute has died after the vehicle flipped on a property in the Yarra Valley, east of Melbourne.

The driver of the ute, a 20-year-old Gladysdale man, was arrested at the scene and released without charge.

Credit:Cathryn Tremain

Police allege the 16-year-old boy died when the Nissan utility rolled on a private property in Hazeldene Road, Gladysdale, about 7.30pm on Saturday.

A number of other people are understood to have been travelling in the rear of the ute at the time.
A motorcyclist has become the third person to die on Victoria's roads in less than 24 hours.

Two people died in separate single car crashes on Friday night.

Police at the scene of the single car crash in Davanzo Avenue, Clarinda. Credit:Patrick Herve

The first collision happened about 8.30pm in Cobram, just south of the Victorian and New South Wales border.

Leading Senior Constable Paul Turner said police believe a Toyota utility was travelling south along Campbell Road before it veered to the right and rolled over on the west side of the road, just south of the Murray Valley Highway.
New York: A second consecutive day of protests against US President Donald Trump's month-old administration appeared to lose momentum on Friday, with rallies in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York attracting small yet enthusiastic crowds.

Activists had called for a "general strike" a day after thousands of immigrants across the United States stayed home from work and school during "A Day Without Immigrants" to highlight the contributions of foreign-born workers to the American economy.

A restaurant closed for the day as a show of support for the national "Day Without Immigrants" protest in the Mission district of San Francisco on Thursday. Credit:New York Times

Strike4Democracy, one of the groups organising Friday's strike, said more than 100 public protests were expected around the country.

In New York, more than 16,000 people responded to a Facebook page set up for a rally at Washington Square Park in Manhattan, but fewer than 200 protesters were at the park an hour after the posted start time.
Bangkok: Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has told Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi Australia is "deeply concerned" about atrocities on Rohingya Muslims documented in a United Nations report.

"I have expressed my concerns about the situation in Rakhine State to Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi," Ms Bishop said, referring to the Noble laureate by her official title.

"I have expressed my concerns about the situation in Rakhine State": Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Ms Bishop made the comments after unprecedented condemnation of Myanmar's government, including from Pope Francis, and the passing of a motion in the Australian Senate on Thursday urging the Turnbull government to consider calling for a UN commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in the Buddhist-majority country.

The motion, initiated by Greens foreign affairs spokesman Scott Ludlam and passed without division, followed a series of reports by Fairfax Media on the atrocities.
"They threatened me and my children. They said they would burn my house down": Rosemary Dzuvichu, head of Nagaland University's English department. Credit:Amrit Dhillon "Men are scared of us. They think we should be happy with the scraps they throw us," chuckles Sano Vamuzo, the 83-year-old association president. The crux of the matter is whether Naga women can be given a leg-up to help them start participating in public life. India has a national affirmative action policy for women aimed at chipping away at centuries of powerlessness. Every locally elected body has to reserve 33 per cent of seats exclusively for women candidates. It is one of India's rare success stories. Women have risen to participate in making decisions and play a role in public life, giving them a new confidence. Rosemary Dzuvichu, right, and colleagues discuss a press statement by the Naga Mothers' Association. Credit:Amrit Dhillon But Nagaland has never brought in this policy because of opposition by tribal bodies. Yet if any state needs affirmative action for women, it is Nagaland. The state assembly has never had a single woman legislator. Nagaland has only elected one woman to the national Parliament  in the 1970s.

In January, Chief Minister T. R. Zeliang announced that elections to urban municipal bodies would be held on February 1, this time with 33 per cent reservation. Tribal bodies erupted in anger, warning women candidates that they would be excommunicated from their tribes. Instead of upholding the law in the face of street violence, Zeliang postponed the poll on January 30. Posters put up by tribal groups accusing the state's Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang of attacking Naga culture by championing political rights for women can be seen all over Kohima. Credit:Amrit Dhillon The war cry of the tribal bodies is "Naga culture in danger". "In Naga society, a woman is not equal to a man. We give women all respect but they cannot make decisions. Even in our village councils, women speak only if they are invited to give their opinion to the men. Giving women equality will destabilise our society and our ancient customs," says Hokiye Sema, president of the Central Naga Tribal Council. Naga tribesmen cite an article of the Indian constitution which permits them to preserve their distinctive identity in defence of women's exclusion from politics. Credit:Amrit Dhillon

In their defence, the tribesmen cite an article of the Indian constitution which permits the Nagas, as a proud and independent ethnic group, to preserve their distinctive identity and frame their own laws accordingly. Even the British handled the warrior Nagas with care. True, the missionaries converted them to Christianity. Baptist churches  plain buildings with huge wooden crosses  dot the skyline of this bustling town, sprawled out on the hillside. Nagaland is one of three small states in India's far east where the population is predominantly Christian. Credit:Amrit Dhillon But the British took care not to subjugate the Nagas totally, letting them live their own life, perhaps unnerved by the Naga tradition of headhunting and preserving the heads of their enemies as trophies. Even today, tribesmen wear skulls in their headgear, albeit those of animals rather than humans. On the streets, youths from the Angami tribe stand at traffic intersections. Dressed in jeans, black leather jackets and daffodil-yellow Angami necklaces, they stop government vehicles from passing. "We won't let the government function 'til this rule has been withdrawn," says one youth.

Naga men wearing yellow necklaces, a symbol of the Angami tribe, wait to block government vehicles in the streets of Kohima. Credit:Amrit Dhillon Another young man, Matthew Yhoma, a stocky and rubicund 28-year-old, is a government employee in the rural affairs department and a father of two young children. He needs a lift to another part of Kohima. During the journey, he explains his opposition to equality. "For us, affirmative action is actually an insult given the high standing and respect that Naga women already enjoy. They don't need special policies. Nagaland is not like other parts of India. We have no custom of dowry, no female foeticide. Boys and girls are equally loved," he says. "The only women demanding change are spinsters and divorced women": government employee Matthew Yhoma. Credit:Amrit Dhillon Warming to this theme, he goes on: "The only women demanding change are spinsters and divorced women. Other women accept our system in which decision making is done by men.

"Women can only take kitchen decisions. We take the big ones," Yhoma adds, in all seriousness. 'With no access to resources, how can women function as full citizens?': Rosemary Dzuvichu. Credit:Amrit Dhillon The fact is, as Dzuvichu points out, Nagaland's special status has allowed unfettered discrimination in the name of "culture". Naga women have no power: village councils are dominated by men. Naga women have no resources; Naga women cannot own land. "With no access to resources, how can women function as full citizens?" she asks. Dzuvichu's father was different. He educated her and her four sisters. "He gave us all property and a large paddy field, which we share. I was only able to raise my children because of my family's support. But other women don't have such support. Naga society has demarcated roles for men and women in which women are at the mercy of men. It was only after my divorce and everything I went through that I realised how everything is stacked against them," she says. "It makes me hang my head in shame": Neidonu Nuh, left, and a friend discuss women's rights in Nagaland at a Kohima cafe. Credit:Amrit Dhillon

The editor of the Nagaland Page, Monalisa Changkija, says Naga men fear that allowing women to participate in the urban civic bodies will destabilise the social dynamic between men and women. "Men feel this could percolate to the villages, which in turn could upset how Naga society has functioned for centuries, with men being in control," she says. In the congested and polluted city centre, some young women are enjoying chicken fried rice at Dream Cafe. Like most young Naga women, they are made up, fashionably dressed and immaculately groomed. Women elsewhere in India admire women from this region for their effortless chic. In Kohima, all the young women look distinctly Westernised. Dream Cafe's TV is showing the latest Benetton commercial. Against images of Indian women at work and play, the narrator talks of how they want "half the world, half the jobs, half the decision making". The women exchange wry looks. "This ad should be shown to Naga men. India is behind the rest of the world on women's rights and Nagaland is behind the rest of India. It makes me hang my head in shame," says Neidonu Nuh.
Islamabad: Hundreds of protesters - enraged, inconsolable and demanding justice - converged outside a revered shrine in southern Pakistan on Friday, a day after an Islamic State suicide bomber killed more than 80 people in the country's deadliest attack in years.

As families held the first funerals for the victims, many of them women and children, protesters clashed with the police and set fire to a car before officials dispersed the crowds using tear gas and batons.

People protest in Peshawar against the attack on the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. Credit:AP

In protests in other cities, people demanded the government eradicate terrorism, as analysts and officials raised fears that IS has become emboldened in Pakistan, aided by an army of homegrown militants benefiting from hideouts in neighbouring Afghanistan.
As St. Maarten prepares for yet another Carnival,I would like to remind people, not to trust Mr. Yee this Carnival and for sponsors and potential sponsors of his Troupe to understand who he is and BE AWARE, he is very deceitful.

In February 2016, Players Troupe Anguilla contracted Mr. Gordon Yee, originally from Trinidad, but who have for several years lived and worked in St. Maarten, to make and ship carnival costumes to them in Anguilla, by 20th July 2016.

From February to July, Mr. Yee was paid money (in installments agreed upon) to purchase material and for labour of the costumes. the last payment to Mr. Yee was made on 22 July 2016.In total Mr. Yee received US$16,620.00 from Players Troupe.

Mr. Yee failed to deliver the costumes and is not responding favorably to the management of Players Troupe to compensate them for their lost.

Players Troupe is owned and managed by two young ladies, ages 27 and 31. The money that Mr. Yee stole from the troupe was earned by over five years of fundraisers and troupe participant registration fees.

After Mr. Yee failed to deliver the costumes, Players Troupe management incurred IMMEDIATE debt of over US$9,000.00; Public disgrace, and distrust; failed to meet obligations to sponsors and disappointed over two hundred troupe participants.

Players Troupe has signed documentations and electronic conversations as proof of the money transactions.

We would like for Mr. Yee to compensate us IMMEDIATELY, so that Players Troupe would be able to pay its outstanding debts from 2016 and take part in Anguilla Grand Parade of Troupe 2017.

Click here to read Players Troupe Contract
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Noie: That's what it all should look like in Notre Dame Stadium

First-year head coach Marcus Freeman kept insisting it was going to happen if Notre Dame kept working. On Saturday, it finally happened for the Irish
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Chennai, Feb 18 (IBNS) : A trust vote of the E Palaniswamy government was halted and ruckus and violence forced the adjournment of the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Saturday.

The Speaker walked out of the House as DMK lawmakers resorted to violence breaking chairs and tearing papers. They were demanding secret ballot.

The floor test to prove the majority of the E Palaniswamy Government was underway in the Tamil Nadu Assembly when the ruckus broke out after the Speaker denied request for secret ballot voting, reports said.

M K Stalin, Leader of the Opposition DMK and members of AIADMK's Paneersselvam camp demanded that there should be arrangements for secret ballots and until that is done the trust vote should be put on hold.

"The floor-test should be done on another day. Why the hurry when the Governor has given 15 days time?" Stalin was quoted in media saying, adding "Democracy will be fullfilled, only when secret ballot voting is done."

Stalin also alleged that legislators were brought to House like prisoners.

However, Speaker P Dhanapal refused to accept the demand, ordering a division vote will be held in six segments.

This irked the Opposition members and they kicked up a persistent uproar as the voting was in progress.

The result of the voting will be decided on head count of 230 members present.

Palaniswamy needs to prove the support of at least 117 legislators in the 234-member state assembly.

Media reports said if six lawmakers choose to cross vote, he would lose.

Members of the rival faction, led by O Paneerselvam, had met Speaker P Dhanapal on Friday.

The Paneerselvam group had ten MLAs on their side.

Sasikala-loyalist Palaniswamy, who took oath as Chief Minister along with 30 other members of his ministerial council, was asked by, Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to prove his majority through a confidence vote on the floor of the House.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon space capsule rests on Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 17, 2017. This is SpaceX's 10th cargo resupply mission for NASA.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  The private spaceflight company SpaceX is counting down to the launch of a landmark delivery flight for NASA today (Feb. 18), a mission that will leave Earth from the same site used by the first Apollo moon landing crew. If all goes well, SpaceX will also land its rocket booster at another pad nearby.

Today's liftoff, which is scheduled for 10:01 a.m. EST (1501 GMT), will be a historic one for sure. It is SpaceX's first Falcon 9 rocket flight from the historic Launch Pad 39A here at the Kennedy Space Center under a lease the company has with NASA. Pad 39A is best known as the launch site for the Apollo 11 mission, which sent the first humans to the surface of the moon, as well as numerous space shuttle missions.

You can watch the SpaceX launch live here, courtesy of NASA TV. Live webcast coverage will begin at 8:30 a.m. EST (1330 GMT). [In Photos: NASA's Historic Pad 39A from Apollo to SpaceX]

"This pad would have just sat here and rusted away in the salt air, had we not had the use agreement with SpaceX," Bob Cabana, a former NASA astronaut and current director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center said during a news conference.

"What an awesome use of a great American asset," he explained. "I've got to admit, I'm a little partial Pad A. All four of my flights went off this pad."

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon space capsule rests on Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 17, 2017. This is SpaceX's 10th cargo resupply mission for NASA. (Image credit: Glenn Benson/NASA)

The NASA cargo is packed up in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which will be launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The cargo capsule is loaded with nearly 5,500 lbs. (2,500 kg) of crew supplies and science investigations, including a batch of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (aka MRSA), which will be used to help scientists develop new medicines to treat antibiotic resistant organisms. The cargo capsule is also carrying a crew of live mice, "mousetronauts" if you will, that are part of a study on how microgravity affects wound healing.

The Dragon's unpressurized trunk is carrying it's largest payload to date, Dan Hartman, the International Space Station's deputy program manager, said at the news conference. The trunk's cargo haul includes two Earth-observing instruments  the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) instrument and the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS).

On Friday afternoon, SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell confirmed at the briefing that SpaceX is investigating a small helium leak in the second stage spin system. The leak involves a redundant system that is involved in deorbiting the rocket's second stage. By late Friday, the issue appeared to have been resolved.

"Looks like we are go for launch," SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk wrote in a Twitter post late Friday. "Added an abort trigger at T-60 secs for pressure decay of upper stage helium spin start system."

Following liftoff, the Falcon will race skyward as the first stage burns for approximately 2.5 minutes, before it begins to drop back down to Earth and  if all goes according to plan  gently lands upright on a designated landing pad. If the booster sticks the landing, it will mark the first daytime landing at the company's Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1). The first stage should touch solid ground just eight minutes after launch.

Today's launch will employ an upgraded flight termination system (FTS)  which is designed to terminate the flight by exploding the rocket should something go awry and the rocket veers off course. Previously, a human operator would decide if the flight needed to be terminated.

"This is the first flight [for which] the new technology will be the primary system. We've flown it on several missions in shadow mode," Shotwell said during the news conference.

When asked how he felt as an astronaut about making the launch termination system completely autonomous, instead of relying on a human making the call, Cabana said during the news conference, "If it's done correctly, the autonomous safety system is actually safer."

Today's launch will be SpaceX's second launch of 2017. On Jan. 14, the company successfully launched 10 satellites for the Virginia-based company Iridium from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This will also be the company's second launch following the explosion of a Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad on Sept. 1, 2016.

SpaceX's next launch is expected to take place no earlier than Feb. 28, also from Pad 39A.

Editor's note: This story was updated on Feb. 20 to correct the quote attributed to Bob Cabana, NASA's director of the Kennedy Space Center. A Feb. 18 edit added the comment from Elon Musk on the Falcon 9's status.

Follow Amy Thompson @AstroGingerSnap. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Any nation that hopes to have a space program needs to be able to keep an eye on its orbiting assets at all times. This means that Australia has become a key link in the global chain of ground-based tracking stations.

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a deep space tracking facility at Tidbinbilla in the ACT, managed by the CSIRO, and the European Space Agency (ESA) has one in New Norcia, Western Australia.

The New Norcia station plays a further role as it picks up and tracks the ESA launches from French Guiana as they curve across the Indian Ocean on their way to Earth orbit or beyond.

This means that Australia plays a critical role in many other countries' space programs. Right now, about 40 space missions  including deep space planetary explorers, Mars rovers, solar observatories and astronomical space observatories  are routinely downlinking their data through radio dishes on Australian soil.

This uniquely acquired data is then piped out of the country to the eagerly waiting US and European scientific communities, bypassing our own.

If Australia is to capitalise on its strengths in space tracking as well as space science, and is to get on board with the burgeoning commercial space industry, it's time that we considered forming a space agency of our own.

A space agency serves several roles. First and foremost is the creation of coherence across a complex sector. In particular, the agency would need to coordinate and drive the development of homegrown space technologies.

It can develop collaborative space missions with partner agencies, operate and manage diverse space platforms, engage in the establishment of space protocols, and participate in the exploration of the Solar System and the study of the Universe. It can also oversee the management of the Australian landmass, oceans and atmosphere, and help provide sovereign security.

The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, located at Tidbinbilla, just outside Canberra, is one of three Deep Space Network stations around the world providing continuous. two-way radio contact with spacecraft exploring our solar system and beyond. (Image credit: Robert Kerton/DSIRO, CC BY)

Beyond the horizon

Australia's vital role was established on the back of the Apollo space program, as celebrated in the movie The Dish. This is a direct consequence of Earth's rotation and the need for continuous communications, particularly during critical phases such as launches, landings and flybys.

These downlink facilities are now being actively "geared up" for the global push to Mars, with the recent addition of two new dishes at Tidbinbilla and the likely addition of a new dish at New Norcia.

Even with these planned expansions, the demand for further capacity is clear. NASA's next flagship mission in planning is the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, a deep space near-infrared imager 100 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope. This requires an additional dish in Australia, or the redeployment of an existing Australian facility.

This ongoing expansion is driven by a need to manage the rapidly growing fleet of active spacecraft, as well as higher download rates coming from more complex in-flight instruments.

The space industry, like space itself, is expanding. Next-generation astronomy facilities are moving into space, there are plans to mine asteroids, and planetary probes are becoming more ambitious. There are also fledgling plans to send a crewed mission to Mars.

Indeed, the commercial sector may well reach the mineral-rich asteroids first, and will need powerful radio dishes at Australian longitudes to navigate those landings, launches and eventual returns.

Australia does have its own leading radio observatories, highly skilled radio engineers and radio astronomers, but has so far managed to avoid any deep collaborative engagement with the space sector.

No one is suggesting that the data we receive on behalf of NASA or the ESA should be held to ransom, but it is worth asking whether we should be doing more to capitalise on our lucky longitude, and gradually transfer the downlink burden from NASA and ESA to Australia.

In return, Australia could obtain direct collaborative involvement in existing and future missions, as well as assistance in kick-starting our own fledgling space capabilities.

ESA's deep-space tracking dish at New Norcia, in Western Australia, about 120 km from Perth. (Image credit: D. O'Donnell/ESA)

Within NASA and ESA there does appear to be an appetite for deeper engagement. Operating these facilities from afar is not ideal. Indeed, the operations contracts are managed through third party organisations, with CSIRO for NASA and the UK-based Inmarsat for ESA. However, these organisations act mainly in a service and support capacity and while CSIRO is involved in the development and construction of the radio technologies, the engagement in terms of space collaboration and as a science beneficiary is lacking.

Economically, the arguments have been laid out before. It is simply a fact that space is a rapidly growing sector presenting superb opportunities for financial and economic prosperity, as well as the expansion of human knowledge and endeavour.

Joining this industry as a meaningful player at this late stage is not going to be easy, but is undoubtedly critical for our economic and scientific future and our security.

Building on our unique longitude legacy could provide the bedrock on which we can establish ourselves at the heart of NASA and ESA endeavours. Even better, this opportunity opens the door to space, through government investment in Australian-based construction projects and Australian-based operation centres.

We simply need an Australian Space Agency to manage the process.

Simon Driver, Professor of Astrophysics, University of Western Australia

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates  and become part of the discussion  on Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Space.com.
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Kolkata, Feb 18 (IBNS): A privately-run school was allegedly destroyed by a local promoter and his men in the wee hours of Saturday at Doshdron area under the Baguiati police Station area in Kolkata.

According to reports, workers of the local promoter, Mijanur Rehman, bought the property from the school's owner and started dismantling the school building.

When the head-teacher of the school, Kaushik Bhattacharya, tried to prevent them from dismantling the building that was undertaken without any notice, he was allegedly beaten up by the promoter's men.

Protesting the incident, guardians of the school's students reportedly blocked Rajarhat Road nearby, disrupting traffic for hours.

Later a heavy police force rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.



(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha, Image: ABP Ananda TV Grab)
Kolkata, Feb 18 (IBNS): An elderly man, who was being treated at AMRI hospital in Kolkata's Salt Lake area, committed suicide by jumping from the privately-run hospital's sixth floor window on Saturday morning, reports said.

According to reports, the deceased has been identified as Durgaprasad Chatterjee, a resident of southern Kolkata's Purva Jadavpur area.

Police from Bidhannagar Police Station went to the scene and recovered his body.

The man was suffering from cancer, according to hospital reports.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)

Key words: Kolkata,AMRI,AMRISaltLake,hospitalsuicidePatient commits suicide in Kolkata private hospital

Kolkata, Feb 18 (IBNS): An elderly man, who was being treated at AMRI hospital in Kolkata's Salt Lake area, committed suicide by jumping from the privately-run hospital's sixth floor window on Saturday morning, reports said.

According to reports, the deceased has been identified as Durgaprasad Chatterjee, a resident of southern Kolkata's Purva Jadavpur area.

Police from Bidhannagar Police Station went to the scene and recovered his body.

The man was suffering from cancer, according to hospital reports.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Brussels (Belgium), February 18, 2017 (SPS) - The Western Sahara Intergroup in the European Parliament will soon address the European Commission to request the effective implementation of the Court of Justice of the European Unions ruling without equivocations or political detours, said Friday the Sahrawi Deputy Minister for Europe Mohamed Sidati.

The intergroup will address the European Union to request the elaboration of a roadmap that will enable the effective implementation of the Courts ruling without equivocation or political detours, Sidati told APS.

In its ruling of 21 December, the EUCJ concluded that the association and free trade agreements between the EU and Morocco do not apply to Western Sahara, as it is a distinct and separate territory , in accordance with the United Nations Charter.

Reaffirming the determination of the Sahrawi authorities to carry out the implementation of this ruling, Sidati called on the European Union to get closer to the Frente POLISARIO in order to engage frank negotiations and reach an agreement to make the presence of European companies in Western Sahara legal because no activity is possible without the consent of the Frente POLISARIO.

Following the EUCJ ruling, the European companies no longer have any legal framework to stay in Western Sahara, he recalled.

In this regard, he underlined the need for the European Union to work for a just solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, warning against increasing tensions in the region that could affect Europe. SPS

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Federal immigration raids like those conducted in the Hudson Valley earlier this month arent happening in Connecticut - yet - but that doesnt mean undocumented immigrants in the community arent starting to worry.

Some are afraid to go to work, send their children to school or travel away from their homes for fear of being deported, local advocates say. And while some of those fears may be exaggerated, at least in Connecticut, things could change in a moments notice.

Whats really crazy about this is that nobody knows whats going to happen next, said David McGuire, executive director of the ACLUs Connecticut chapter. Weve gotten calls from green card holders who are afraid to travel out of the country for business, and those are very real concerns. The landscape is changing so quickly that one day could be different from the next.

McGuire said the ACLU has yet to receive any complaints about federal raids in Connecticut or about police officers rounding up immigrants purely because of their undocumented status, but they remain on high alert. Membership in the states ACLU chapter, he added, has nearly doubled since the election, owing in large part to President Trumps tough approach to the immigration issue.

One concern, he said, is that its up to local police departments in the state to decide how to enforce federal policy when they come into contact with an undocumented immigrant.

We have this patchwork of police departments throughout the state where some undocumented communities are more protected and respected than others, McGuire said. Whether to work with federal immigration officials is largely a town-by-town decision.

Advocates say Connecticut has more protections than other states for undocumented immigrants, thanks to legislation passed three years ago that limits what police departments can do when there is a federal immigration detainer for someone in custody.

The TRUST Act, passed in 2013, states that no police department can act on a federal immigration detainer unless the individual has been convicted of a felony, has an outstanding arrest warrant, has been identified as a known terrorist or gang member or is the subject of an existing final deportation order.

It was a real win for the immigrant community in Connecticut, said Ingrid Alvarez, the state director for the Hispanic Federation, a national nonprofit that supports Latino families and institutions. Laws like the TRUST Act start the conversation and dialogue about the parameters for local law enforcement to understand their role.

The state law also sets a 48-hour limit on how long police can hold someone on a federal detainer.

Monroe Police Chief John Salvatore, who also serves as president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, said most departments abide by the act, and undocumented immigrants are rarely detained for federal agents.

When federal agents are called, Salvatore said, in all likelihood they indicate they are not going to come and pick them up.

As long as we are done with the local offenses, the person is released back into community, Salvatore said.

Danbury immigration attorney Cynthia Exner added that getting in touch with federal immigration agents isnt as easy as some might think.

Its like trying to talk to someone at the IRS, she said. There are only a few agents in Connecticut, and they have to come down from Hartford.

By and large, Exner said, she has had an excellent relationship with local police departments.

We dont really worry about them calling federal officials unless its a very serious crime, she said. Fortunately, Connecticut is a very civilized state, and the police departments are very professional. We try to work together while keeping humanity in mind. But that being said, you still just dont know what could happen in this current environment.

Exner said she has been getting frequent calls from fearful clients wondering what they can do if their workplace or neighborhood is raided. Undocumented immigrants with children who are U.S. citizens are already setting up care for their children in case they get deported, she said.

I have Yemeni refugees who used to be high-level members of the countrys government before it got overthrown, she said. Even though some are citizens, they are afraid to even fly to Las Vegas for business.

One reason for that worry was President Trumps executive order banning refugees and some travelers from entering the U.S. from seven predominantly Muslim nations, including Yemen. Federal courts have put the order on hold, but Trump has promised to issue a revised order this week.

We dont always know what to tell our clients because everything is changing from day to day, Exner said. The biggest problem right now is how unsettling this is.

Exner noted that undocumented immigrants who are the victims or witnesses of crimes, particularly in domestic violence cases, can apply for a U Visa that allows them to stay legally in the United States while the case is pending.

While requests for such visas can take as little as week, Exner said, some citiies, such as Danbury, are so backed up with requests that it could take more than six months.

These are people who are cooperating with the police and are helping to protect the community, Exner said. Whatever people think about immigration, I think we can all agree that its in everyones best interest for undocumented immigrants to work with local police departments.

She added, however, that some immigrants are growing concerned that applying for such visas could put them at risk.

Some of those fears, at least at this point, are unfounded, Salvatore said.

Its understandable that these fears are being generated, but in reality there arent any massive efforts that we are involved with to deport illegal immigrants, he said. Trump has only been in office four about a month, but at this point we have no information about proceeding any differently than normal.
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Lawyers from the Radice Law Firm filed a federal class action lawsuit on Friday against Stamford-based Conair Corporation on behalf of consumers who were affected by the recall of 8 million Cuisinart food processors.

The company recalled riveted blades on 21 food processor models in December 2016, after more than 30 people were injured by metal shards breaking off into their food.

Cuisinart asked affected customers to call the company for free replacement blades or fill out a form on its website. But it took more than two months for the company to update all customers who registered for new blades.

The lawsuit, filed in the Federal District Court for the District of New Jersey, alleges that the recall has diminished the resale value of the food processors and rendered them useless for chopping tasks.

The main plaintiff in the case, Ellen Chepiga from Mercer, New Jersey, hasnt used her food processor since Conair announced the recall. April Lambert, a lawyer who is representing Chepiga, said her client is still waiting for her replacement blade.

The machine sits useless on the kitchen counter, said Lambert. They sent several emails saying that they will send the blade but each email pushes it out longer and no blade has come.

The class-action lawsuit seeks at least $5 million in compensation to eligible customers. If the lawsuit moves forward, it would apply to all customers who purchased and still use any of the Cuisinart food processor models affected by the recall. Injured customers can also contact their own lawyers and file separate lawsuits, Lampert said.

The complaint also alleges that Cuisinart prioritized its own profits by selling the new blades instead of providing them to customers subject to the recall.

There still are food processors available for sale that have different chopping blades in them, said Lampert. The company is making more money off of the new machines instead of fixing the old problem.
Guwahati, Feb 18 (IBNS): At least 40 legislators of Nagaland People's Front (NPF) are believed to have held a secret meeting at a resort in Assam, according to reports on Saturday.

Probably taking a leaf out of the Tamil Nadu political drama, the rebel legislators of NPF met at a resort in Assam's Kaziranga National Park to select the next Chief Minister of the state.

A top source from the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN), a coalition founded by te NPF, said that former Chief Minister and present Lok Sabha member Neiphiu Rio is likely to be the next CM of Nagaland instead of incumbent CM T R Zeliang.

The source claimed that there has been a patch up between Zeliang and Rio.

The camp of 40 MLAs including Independents in the 60-member house led by NPF president Shurhozelie Leizietsu reportedly reached Kaziranga on Friday night.

Meanwhile, Nagaland Governor PB Acharya is likely to return to Kohima on Saturday after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi following the current political stalemate in the state.

Rio and Zeliang, both also camping in Delhi, are likely to return to Kohima on Saturday.

On February 15, 33 MLAs out of 42 from NPF had dramatically thrown their weight behind Liezietsu, who they said should be the new CM.

The following day, Zeliang and Acharya rushed to Delhi.

But a new twist was added to Nagaland's political drama on Friday evening after the rebel legislators reached Kaziranga.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
R acist posters have been put up at a Pakistani community centre and other buildings in Manchester, police said.

The offensive material was also posted through doors of houses and taped to the centre in Longsight, south Manchester, as well as the local library and St Luke's Primary School in nearby Ardwick.

Police believe the posters were distributed on Thursday afternoon and are treating the matter as a hate crime, but have not said what was on the posters or the nature of the racism.

They have released a CCTV image of a young man they want to speak to in connection with the incidents.

Superintendent Dave Pester from Greater Manchester Police said: "I am determined to find out who is responsible for these despicable crimes.

"Hate crime has no place in our community, and I would ask that anyone with information contacts the police.

"I am keen to identify a young man who was seen near to St Luke's Primary School on the Coverdale Estate in Ardwick around 12.45pm on Thursday February 16.

"If you have had similar material posted through your door, please get in touch with police."
A young man who was allegedly caught in the grounds of Buckingham Palace last summer has been charged with trespass.

William Hayes-Collins, 24, of Croydon in south London, is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday, March 3.

The suspect was allegedly stopped within the palace grounds at around 4.15am on August 9.

Scotland Yard confirmed a man was charged with trespass on a protected site.
A man is fighting for life in hospital after being attacked near the O2 Arena in the early hours of the morning.

Police were called at around 3.25am on February 12 to Peninsula Square  the walkway from the O2 Arena  following reports of a disturbance involving a large number of people.

They found an unconscious man with a serious head injury who was rushed to a central London hospital in an ambulance.

Police officers in Greenwich have now released three images of a man they wish to question in connection with the alleged assault.

He has a distinctive hair cut with the top slicked back and the sides shaved. He is described as being olive-skinned, aged in his mid 20s and was wearing black clothing on the night.

Two men, both aged 21, were arrested at North Greenwich Underground station in connection with the incident.

Anyone who recognises the man in the image released, or anyone who has any information about the incident, are urged to contact police in Greenwich via 101, or by tweeting @MetCC.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.
A builder whose heart stopped beating after he collapsed in the street has thanked two police officers for bringing him back to life through CPR.

David Wilson, 40, suffered a heart attack while alone in Kingston, having travelled down from his home in St Albans for his sisters wedding.

Two police officers were called to reports of an unconscious man on Castle Street and quickly discovered he was not breathing and had no heartbeat.

They began CPR, with one doing chest compressions and the other delivering air through a face mask.

They continued the exhausting task to no avail until suddenly, after the 120th chest compression, Mr Wilson took a deep breath and woke up.

He was rolled into the recovery position by the police officers while they waited for paramedics to arrive.

The incident happened in Castle Street, Kingston / Google Streetview

Speaking after a full recovery, he told the Standard: The last thing I remember was stumbling through the streets trying to get back to somewhere I knew, where my sister was.

I just collapsed on to the street and blacked out. I was dead for a minute.

When paramedics arrived on the scene, he was rushed to Kingston Hospital where he made a full recovery.

I didnt have a clue what was going on when I woke up. Even at the hospital I still didnt really know what had happened, he said.

The police officers spoke to me and explained what had happened, they were really, really good.

He added: They literally brought me back to my life; its like something you see in a film.

Mr Wilson was staying with his sister Kirsty in the run-up to her wedding on Friday, a week after his heart attack.

She said the day was even more special after the fear of losing her brother.

We are so close. He came down because I was getting married and pregnant and I needed support, said the 29-year-old.

I was so shocked when they said he was dead for a minute and I was panicking. Im so relieved he can make it to the wedding now. Its so special because he is all I have got.

Mr Wilson is set to meet the two police officers to personally thank them for bringing him back to life.

I cant wait to meet them and thank them for saving my life. It would be an honour, he said.

"I feel okay now, but its still a bit scary more than anything. Sometimes I get a bit jumpy and don't feel myself."

Kingston police spokesman Seb Ellis said the force was called to reports of a seriously injured person at around 5pm on February 9.

He said the officers were doing all they could but there was no positive reaction from the man for some time.

We are glad to report that he was discharged from hospital after making a full recovery! We are proud of our officers, their quick thinking and perfect first aid skills, he added.
N ewham has the highest proportion of takeaways requiring major hygiene improvement of any London borough, analysis by the Standard shows

Almost one in three takeaways and sandwich shops in the east London borough, home to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, have a zero or one-star hygiene rating from the Governments Food Standards Agency.

This means urgent or major improvement is required in terms of food storage, preparation and cooking.

The second worst borough for takeaway hygiene is nearby Havering, where 23 per cent of the places inspected needed major improvement.

Food safety officers give 1-5 star hygiene ratings to all businesses inspected

Overall, 11.3 per cent of takeaways in London have one or zero star hygiene ratings.

London boroughs with highest proportion of 0/1-star takeaways Newham 31.7% Havering 23% Enfield 18.2% Wandsworth 18.2% Islington 17.2% Hounslow 16.9% Ealing 15.8% Croydon 15.2% Waltham Forest 14% Bromley 13.9%

Westminster was found to be the capitals most hygienic place to pick up a takeaway, with not one outlet receiving fewer than two stars for hygiene.

The City of London, Haringey and Bexley were the other three authorities to boast below five per cent of takeaways requiring major action.

The FSAs ratings are based on three aspects; how hygienically the food is handled, the condition of the building and how the business manages and records its hygiene procedures.

London boroughs with lowest proportion of 0/1-star takeaways Westminster 0% City of London 3.9% Haringey 4.2% Bexley 4.2% Redbridge 5.3% Barking and Dagenham 6.6% Barnet 7% Merton 8.8% Southwark 8.8% Kensington and Chelsea 8.9%

The guidelines state that zero-star rated takeaways are very likely to be performing poorly in all three elements and are likely to have a history of serious problems.

Food establishments in Wales and Northern Ireland are required to display their rating, with England to follow suit from 2019.

The Food Standards Agency operates the hygiene rating scheme in partnership with local authorities.

The Standard has approached Newham Council for comment.
D onald Trump has been president of the United States for one month now, so anyone worrying William Henry Harrison might lose his main claim to fame as the shortest serving president in history can rest easy.

It has been a turbulent first month for the new president despite his claims of smooth rollouts and fine-tuned machines.

President Trump has signed a dozen executive orders in this time, and promises another new travel ban order in the coming days.

For the sake of comparison, Barack Obama signed 16 in his first month as president, but his successors orders have sparked worldwide protests.

On January 27 Trump signed an order titled Protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the US which effectively banned all nationals from seven Muslim majority countries in the Middle East.

Critics of this policy called it a Muslim ban and protests took place outside various airports in the US over that weekend and following week.

The same day that order was signed, British Prime Minister Theresa May visited the White House and Trump accepted her invitation of a state visit to the UK.

'Special relationship': Donald Trump and Theresa May hold hands 1 /17 'Special relationship': Donald Trump and Theresa May hold hands US President Donald J. Trump holds hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May EPA US President Donald J. Trump holds hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May EPA US President Donald J. Trump holds hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May EPA US President Donald J. Trump holds hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May AP Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump walk along the White House Colonnade PA British Prime Minister Theresa May laughs during a news conference with President Donald Trump AP Prime Minister Theresa May meeting US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office PA President Donald Trump reaches out to shake hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May AP Prime Minister Theresa May with US President Donald Trump during their joint press conference PA Prime Minister Theresa May meeting US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House PA Prime Minister Theresa May meeting US President Donald Trump by a bust of Sir Winston Churchill in the Oval Office PA Prime Minister Theresa May meeting US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House PA White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer posted this photo on Twitter. PA

This prompted more protests in the UK and a petition was started to have the state visit cancelled. Nearly two million people signed the petition, though the government has said the visit will go ahead.

The start of February saw US District Judge James Robart suspend the travel ban, prompting the president to fire off several tweets accusing the so-called judge of putting American lives at risk.

The Trump administration appealed to have the ban reinstated, but that was rejected by a US Federal Appeals Court.

Days later during a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump and his guest had to deal with a North Korean missile test. They both condemned the launch, after appearing to discuss the events in the crowded members dining room at the presidents Mar-a-Lago club in Florida; his Winter White House.

President Trump has also seemingly dropped the USAs commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, complained about Alec Baldwins portrayal of him on Saturday Night Live, appointed his chief strategist Steve Bannon to the National Security Council by accident, and regularly accuses the media of being dishonest.

Watch the video above for a 90-second summary of Donald Trumps first month in office.

For more video features, visit the Evening Standard YouTube channel.
A senior German minister has suggested Britain should not be treated harshly in Brexit negotiations.

The country's Foreign Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, warned Germany's own interests would be damaged if the UK was punished too harshly for the vote to leave the EU.

He said: "We should resist the temptation to treat Britain overly harshly, not out of pity, but in our own interest.

"We need Britain, for example, as a partner in security policy, and I'm also convinced that Britain needs us."

Olive branch: Sigmar Gabriel / REUTERS

The comments by Mr Gabriel, who is also vice chancellor of Germany, will be welcomed by Downing Street.

Other EU leaders, including French President Francois Hollande, have called for stringent conditions to be placed on Britain post-Brexit.

Prime Minister Theresa May has responded to the warnings by vowing that the UK would be willing to quit the EU with no trading deals in place if the terms are overly harsh.

In a major speech last month, the PM said: "No deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain.

"There are some voices calling for a punitive deal that punishes Britain and discourages other countries from taking the same path," she said.

"Britain would not - indeed we could not - accept such an approach."


F ormer Manchester United star Dwight Yorke says he was made to feel like a criminal after being blocked from entering the US.

The striker was about to catch a flight from Qatar to Miami when airport officials stopped him boarding because of an Iranian stamp in his passport.

They said without getting a Visa in advance he would simply be deported back to Qatar upon arrival.

I couldn't quite believe what was happening, Yorke told the Sun.

I have lost count of the number of times I have been to America, I love the country, yet I was being made to feel like a criminal.

I had bought my ticket and checked in and was about to get on the flight when I was stopped by two officials. I thought "what is happening here?".

They told me there was a visa problem and a red flag had come up against my name because of an Iranian stamp in my passport. I went there to play in a legends match to open a stadium and didn't even stay overnight.

The two officials told me if I got on the flight I would simply be deported back to Qatar once I arrived in the States. I tried to explain I didn't even live in Qatar and was just trying to get to my home in the Caribbean.

In January, US President Donald Trump sparked international outrage when he introduced an executive order suspending entry to anyone from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

But Yorke was barred under a previous law which requires anyone from the same seven countries to obtain a Visa before entering the US.

Yorkes Iranian stamp dates back to 2015 when he played in a star-studded charity match in Tehran alongside Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo.
T he mastermind behind a plot to blow up landmarks in New York has died in prison aged 78.

Blind Egyptian cleric Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman was sentenced to life in prison after his 1995 conviction for his advisory role in a plot to blow up landmarks, including the United Nations, and several bridges and tunnels.

Kenneth McKoy, of the Federal Correction Complex in Butner, North Carolina, said Rahman died on Saturday after a long battle with diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Rahman had been a key spiritual leader for a generation of Islamic militants and became a symbol for radicals during a decade in American prisons.

The cleric, who had been blind since infancy from diabetes, was the leader of one of Egypt's most feared militant groups, the Gamaa Islamiya, which led a campaign of violence aimed at bringing down ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

He fled Egypt to the US in 1990 and began teaching in a New Jersey mosque.

A circle of his followers were convicted over the February 26 1993 truck bombing of New York's World Trade Centre that killed six people - eight years before al Qaida's suicide plane hijackers brought the towers down.

Later in 1993, Abdel-Rahman was arrested for conspiracy to carry out a string of bombings against the UN, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the George Washington Bridge and other New York landmarks.


Chennai, Feb 18 (IBNS) : Edappadi Palaniswamy, who was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Thursday, won a ruckus-marred Trust vote in the Assembly on Saturday, but the rival group within the ruling AIADMK said the "crusade" against him will be on.

The eventful day that witnessed the House being adjourned twice amid violence by DMK members, who demanded secret ballots, augured well for Palaniswamy, a Sasikala loyalist. But former Chief Minister O Paneerselvam, who leads the rival camp within the faction-ridden AIADMK, described the Trust vote as 'invalid.'

Paneerselvam said the MLAs who have voted against him have actually betrayed the people, who will not forgive them, thus making clear that knives drawn in the intra-party feud in the post-Jayalalithaa era will remain open.

In the Trust vote, 122 of AIADMK's 134 MLAs voted for Palaniswamy, while 11 voted for O Panneerselvam. The majority needed was 68.

The day also witnessed DMK leader MK Stalin hog the limelight as he led his brigade to a rampage plunging the Assembly into a chaos and lawlessness.

They were finally evicted by marshals and police following an order by the Speaker, but Stalin alleged that he was attacked.

He led his MLAs to the Raj Bhavan and met Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to lodge a complaint about the democracy being "murdered."

Stalin said he will hold a rally in the Marina beach to apprise the people of what took place in the Assembly.

After the Trust vote results were announced, Panneerselvam criticised the manner in which the Opposition DMK had been evicted from the House by the Speaker, who rejected the demand for secret ballots.

A close aide of AIADMK' late matriarch and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, Paneerselvam leads the rebel camp within the AIADMK that first opposed VK Sasikala becoming Chief Minister and then took on her hand-picked man Palaniswamy after she was sentenced to jail.

Paneerselvam, who had all along been claiming that many legislators said to be belonging to the Palaniswamy camp were actually with him, said that the MLAs who had 'betrayed' would now have to answer to the people.

Whether MLAs will be able to enter their constituencies after this is the question. The voters have been betrayed by MLAs."

When Amma (Jayalalithaa) had expelled the members, she had said that she would never allow them into the party. This dispensation does not represent Amma, the former CM claimed.

He said that the family which Jayalalithaa had thrown out was now back in the picture thanks to Sasikalas intervention. .

AIADMK MLA Pandiarajan, who is in the OPS camp, said that if a secret ballot had been held, MLAs who voted for E Palanisamy would have voted against him.

He warned that even if the battle had been lost, the crusade is still on.

The Dharma Yudh will continue. The issue will again come up in the Assembly again.

What happened in the Assembly drew sharp reactions from the state's celebrities, including actor Kamal Hassan, who tweeted : "here you go. Seems like we have another CM. Jai de-mockcrazy Media'll have to use less hyperbole.We have seen worst things happen in TN assembly. .Why are lazy couch revolters (incld. I)so shocked now?"

Film director Arvind Swamy said,"If true democracy can be protected in an undemocratic manner, are we to feel happy or sad? Is the million $ question.It's a pity that there is a media blackout of the assembly sessions and only selective footage is released. Ppl have a right 2 c proceedings. None will accept a vote of confidence if the MLAs don't represent the ppl's views. For that they have to meet people, not party in a resort"

"Let even children see, hear and learn what is happening in the assembly in #TN. Make them understand. Shameful days for democracy!: actor Siddharth said.

Palaniswamy became the second party leader to become the Chief Minister of the state after the death of J Jayalalithaa on December 5 last year.

O Panneerselvam, who was immediately sworn-in as state CM after her demise, could not garner the much-needed support to win the floor test in the state Assembly.

Earlier, DMK and Congress supported the demand of a secret ballot by O Panneerselvam fraction. However, Speaker P Dhanapal rejected the demand.

MK Stalin, who was allowed to speak ahead of the trust vote, said that the floor test should be postponed.

The House was adjourned twice as protesting DMK MLAs heckled the Speaker.

After the session resumed for the second time at 3 pm, the Congress MLAs staged a walkout from the Assembly. The session was resumed after DMK MLAs were expelled from the House.

Prior to this, the state witnessed a tussle between Panneerselvam and Sasikala over the post after former claimed that he was forced to resign from the position and was ready to withdraw his resignation if the public demanded.

However, Sasikalas conviction in a disproportionate assets case by the Supreme Court blocked her chances, though she managed to score a victory over the rival camp by making Palaniswamy the Legislature Party Leader with the support of majority MLAs, thus propping him as the Chief Ministerial candidate.

After Governor C Vidyasagar Rao invited Palaniswamy to form Government, he gave him 15 days time to prove majority,
S eth Rogen has shared hilarious messages to Donald Trumps son trying to persuade his father to give up the presidency.

The American actor noticed Donald Trump Junior followed him on the social media site and sent him a public tweet saying: "Yo! @DonaldJTrumpJr! I noticed you follow me on Twitter. Please ask your dad to resign before he destroys the planet. Thanks dude."

However, receiving no reply, he decided to privately message him, a feature only available if two users follow each other.

He posted screenshots of the lengthy messages to his 5 million followers with the caption, "let's see if this works!"

Donald Trump Jr with his mother Ivana Trump, the president's first wife / Jemal Countess/Getty Images

In the messages, which appear to go unanswered, he says he doesnt want to come across as a weirdo, adding: Ive just realized I could message you so I thought I would.

The first reads: Hey man! Its Seth. Your father is trying to discredit our media, collude with Russia, and destroy the environment. It would be super cool of you to be like, "yo, dad, why don't you stop all this and go back to being just a guy on TV." The majority of the world would be pretty psyched. Thanks!!!

Receiving no reply, he adds: Also, please tell your dad that this guy Jason Chaffetz, you know the dude with the awesome Twitter handle @jasoninthehouse should probably investigate Flynns connection to Russia because he got fired over it. Thanks man! Have a good one.

So, maybe, ask your dad to investigate if his campaign was in talks with Russia leading up to the election? Or maybe just have someone investigate Flynns ties to Russia? Or maybe just ask your dad to go to hosting game shows? I bet he would prefer that. He doesnt seem to like this. Thanks dude! Peace!!!

Donald Trump Jr, 39, is the presidents oldest son and works alongside his brother Eric in their fathers business empire.

The president is a regular user of Twitter, posting regularly about the mainstream media and what he calls "fake news".
U S vice president Mike Pence has insisted that the country will be unwavering in its support for Nato.

Donald Trump repeatedly cast doubt on the USs commitment to Nato during his election campaign.

But in his first major foreign policy address, Mr Pence told European leaders at the Munich Security Conference that the US will stand with Europe every day.

He insisted that the US will "hold Russia accountable" - even as Mr Trump searches for common ground with Vladimir Putin's administration.

And Mr Pence said that the international community must also demand that Russia honours a 2015 peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Moscow-backed separatists.

His speech comes amid concerns in Europe about Russian aggression and US president Mr Trump's positive statements about his Russian counterpart, Mr Putin.

Mr Pence declared: "Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which, as you know, President Trump believes can be found."

Nato questions: Donald Trump / AFP/Getty Images

Mr Pence also reinforced the Trump administration's message that Nato members must spend more on defence.

The 28 member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2% of their gross domestic product on defence within a decade. But only the US and four other members of the post-Second World War military coalition are meeting the standard, Mr Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, "erodes the very foundation of our alliance".

The US vice president added: "Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfil this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more."

Mr Pence will meet German chancellor Angela Merkel later.

She addressed the conference just before the US vice president, stressing the need to maintain international alliances and saying that Nato is "in the American interest".

Mrs Merkel appealed to the United States and others to support and bolster multilateral organisations such as the European Union and United Nations, as well as Nato.

Mrs Merkel told the gathering of other world leaders, diplomats and defence officials that "acting together strengthens everyone".

Her address came amid concern about the Trump administration's approach to international affairs and fears that it may have little interest in working in multilateral forums.

Mrs Merkel asked: "Will we be able to continue working well together, or will we all fall back into our individual roles?

"I call on us - and I hope we will find a common position on this - let's make the world better together and then things will get better for every single one of us."
A white DJ has sparked controversy in South Africa by claiming she is too black to fit in.

Anita Ronge, who mostly plays South African house music, has been accused of cultural appropriation for wearing traditional African clothing and jewellery in photoshoots.

She wrote on social media: I get rejected for not being "black enough" and being "too black" to be white...

The 26-year-old added that she is proud to be kasi mlungu  which means a white person from a suburb with a predominantly black population.

Her comments have triggered outrage across South Africa.

Journalist Gaopalelwe Phalaetsile wrote: Being a black person is not an outfit or attire white people can wear when they see fit, its the hardest thing I myself have ever had to be.

Blackness comes with socioeconomic circumstances.

But the DJ has defended herself in a series of media interviews, explaining: When I was at school I got backlash from white people for having black friends and a black boyfriend. I felt like I had to hide who I was.

But Im not that 15-year-old girl anymore and I can be who I want. This country needs to sort itself out. Its 2017  we should be celebrating each other.
Chennai, Feb 18 (IBNS): Tamil Nadu opposition leader MK Stalin was arrested by Chennai Police following agitation by the lawmaker and his men after chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami's win in the floor test, reports said.

Earlier, in a ruckus marred day, Stalin stole the lime light as he led his brigade to a rampage plunging the Assembly into a chaos and lawlessness.

They were finally evicted by marshals and police following an order by the Speaker, but Stalin alleged that he was attacked.

He led his MLAs to the Raj Bhavan and met Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to lodge a complaint about the democracy being "murdered."

He was arrested from Marina Beach, where he sat on a hunger strike in front of the Gandhi statue.

Following Stalin's arrest, violence swept across the state as DMK workers protested the move from police.

Angry workers also burned effigy of Speaker P Dhanapal in several parts of the state.



images: web.facebook.com/pg/MKStalin
Image: Google Maps

Guwahati, Feb 18 (IBNS): The Assam unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) landed in fresh trouble after a sex tape of its legislator went viral, reports said.

The alleged video showed BJP MLA of Morigaon, in middle Assam, Ramakanta Deori, in a compromising position with a woman.

The sex tape has unleashed a huge political storm in the state.

The opposition Congress party has demanded the ruling party in Assam to sack the legislator from BJP with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, the BJP MLA had refuted all allegations and said that, it is a political conspiracy against him.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)


Image: Google Maps

Guwahati, Feb 18 (IBNS): Security forces apprehended a self styled sergeant of NSCN(IM) from Khonsa area in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday, officials said on Saturday.

Kohima based Defence PRO Colonel Chiranjeet Konwer said that, the Khonsa Battalion under the aegis of DAO division conducted a successful operation in Khonsa town on Friday evening and nabbed the NSCN(IM) cadre.

Jenhu Tinlom, self styled Sergeant of NSCN (IM) was apprehended based on specific intelligence about presence of cadre trying to terrorize and carryout extortion in Khonsa town," he said.

Security personnel also recovered a pistol and live ammunition in possession from him.

Post spot interrogation he admitted allegiance to NSCN(IM) and further divulged that he had joined the outfit in Aug 2016 and had also undergone training in a NSCN camp in Dimapur for three months as an active cadre, the Defence PRO said.

The security forces has been carrying out aggressive operations in the South Arunachal Pradesh and this apprehension has struck a blow to the extortion activities being carried out by the underground cadres of the group in the area, Konwer added.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
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Guwahati, Feb 18 (IBNS): Security forces apprehended two Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militants and recovered arms and ammunition in two separate operations in Lower Assamas Goalpara district, officials said.

According to the reports, Assam police of Red Horns Division of Gajraj Corps had jointly launched an operation at Gandimpathar in the Lower Assam district along the bordering area with Meghalaya and nabbed a cadre, identified as Ajay Momin.

Security personnel have recovered one factory made pistol with magazine and three rounds of live ammunition in possession from him.

Security forces also apprehended another GNLA militant in a separate operation in the same district.

The nabbed militant was identified as Polning Sangma and security personnel recovered one Country made pistol, 70 rounds of live ammunition, one mobile phone and three GNLA demand notes from the individual.

A top police official said that recovery of the weapons and apprehension is a major setback to the chances of the banned Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) to regroup and will further diminish their capability to carry out subversive activities in the near future.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
WASHINGTON  After Nordstrom dropped Ivanka Trumps fashion line in early February, President Donald Trump quickly tweeted his disapproval. A day later, the president was the target of venom from Meghan McCain, angry over Trumps criticism of her father, Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Different circumstances, the same lesson: Dont mess with political dads and their daughters.

For Trump, getting involved in the Nordstrom situation wasnt without risk. His tweet that Ivanka had been treated so unfairly  later retweeted from the official presidential account  drew the ire of ethics experts who questioned the use of his platform to comment on a family business.

But when it comes to his kids, Trump is known to be protective.

Ivanka Trump has not publicly commented on the situation. A person close to her said she did not ask him to do this and she is staying out of it because she takes seriously her pledge to separate from her business.

The president reiterated his support for his daughter in another tweet Feb. 11.

I am so proud of my daughter Ivanka, he wrote. To be abused and treated so badly by the media, and to still hold her head so high, is truly wonderful!

The Trumps werent the only father-daughter duo showing support this past week.

Meghan McCain sprang to her fathers defense after Trump slammed the Republican lawmaker on Twitter. The president accused McCain, a decorated veteran and former prisoner of war, of emboldening the enemy for disputing the administrations insistence that a deadly U.S. military mission in Yemen was a success.

The senator did not weigh in, but his daughter tweeted: Trump has never served. My father cant bend one of his knees or lift one of his arms above his head. I am done with this today.

These are just the latest examples of political families fighting for each other.

Before Twitter was available, President Harry Truman backed his daughter the old-fashioned way. Truman sent an angry letter to a Washington Post music critic who wrote a less than favorable review of one of Margaret Trumans concerts.

After the concert, Paul Hume wrote that she cannot sing very well. Truman responded by sending a note to him on White House stationery, dated Dec. 6, 1950, calling it a lousy review. He added: Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens youll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below!

Katherine Jellison, head of the history department at Ohio University, asked: If Twitter had existed in those days, would Harry Truman have tweeted the critic instead of writing a letter?

While he was in the White House, President Bill Clinton defended his familys decision to send his daughter, Chelsea Clinton, to a private school.

At a town hall meeting in 1993, Clinton said his daughter was not a public figure. He continued that she does not like getting a lot of publicity. And frankly, she has more privacy and more control over her destiny where she is than she would if she were at the public school that she was also interested in attending.

Several years later, Chelsea Clinton gave a silent show of support for her father when, at the height of her parents public marital problems in 1998, she was photographed walking between them holding both of their hands. To many, it looked as though she was holding the family together.

At other times, presidents have supported their daughters silently. When Jenna and Barbara Bush drew some unwanted headlines for underage drinking during his time in the White House, President George W. Bush did not weigh in publicly.

These family political bonds sometimes even extend to furry friends.

In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a campaign speech that touched off a Republican attack that he had sent a Navy destroyer to pick up his dog Fala in the Aleutian Islands.

I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself, Roosevelt said. But I think I have a right to resent, to object to libelous statements about my dog.
Mumbai, Feb 18 (IBNS): Jet Airways has announced the availability of a new pre-paid aJet Global Passa that will allow travellers to travel on the airlineas entire network of 66 domestic and international destinations.

An official release claimed that this is first-of-its-kind initiative in the Indian aviation space,

The pre-paid Jet Global Pass - available as booklets with sets of four pre-paid coupons each, has been designed and made available for both Economy and Premiere travel at price points of INR 52,673 and INR 119,312 (excluding taxes) respectively.

The one-fare Global Pass will be specially advantageous for travellers who maintain flexible travel itineraries and for those whose itineraries are firmed up at the last minute, as it will insulate them against higher available bucket fares or peak fares which generally prevail closer to the date of travel.

The Jet Global Pass will even aid frequent travellers beat seasonality since the Pass offers tickets in fare classes that hold significant inventory and are therefore mostly available.

Travellers holding the pass also get to make substantial savings via incremental advantages in terms of a higher baggage limit of 20 Kg. on domestic sectors as well as a zero cancellation (cancellation without charge is allowed up to three hours prior to departure) charge and a zero date change penalty.

Flyers using the Global Pass need only pay the fares printed on the coupon, independent of any price fluctuations or seasonality.

The Pass will offer guests immense flexibility in planning their travel, allowing them to fly any time to any of the airlines direct destinations with valid coupons.

Being pre-paid, the coupons in the Pass can also be gifted or transferred to family and friends, further aiding flexibility of travel.

Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said, The Jet Global Pass is another industry-first for Jet Airways in India and part of our focus to enhance convenience and choice for our guests. The Pass has great benefits for both corporate and leisure guests, allowing them to travel seamlessly throughout our network."

"The Global Passes are also transferable to friends and family, which gives them the freedom and flexibility to manage their individual travel needs. The Jet Global Pass together with our world-class traditional Indian hospitality and global network, give our guests more value and personalization of their Jet Airways experience, he added.

To book their tickets, travellers can either redeem individual coupons or combinations, thereof while travelling to any destinations across the airlines network.

Jet Airways has divided its entire network into four distinct zones depending on the distance being travelled.

For example, most domestic destinations can be easily accessed via a single coupon, while tickets for short haul destinations such as Bangkok, Dubai and others will require two coupons to be redeemed.

Similarly, a one-way tickets to London and Amsterdam will use three coupons, while a trip to Toronto in Canada, will require all four coupons to be redeemed for a one-way ticket.

The Jet Global Pass is valid for a period of six months from the date of issue and can be currently be bought directly from the airlines offices, airport reservation counters, Contact Centre via IVR or through travel agents.

As a special inaugural offer, the airline is offering validity extension for an additional three months at an small, additional charge.
The March 7 mayoral primaries offer St. Louisans a basic choice: Maintain an unacceptable status quo or take a chance on a substantially new direction. Democratic voters best option to put our city on a better course is to choose 21st Ward Alderman Antonio French.

We remind readers that this newspaper isnt in the business of predicting winners or losers. Our job is to interview the candidates and advise the public on the best choice based on their answers, temperament, experience and preparedness.

French, 39, stands out by far among the top tier of candidates for the energy and leadership qualities St. Louisans should demand in their next mayor.

The Republican lineup is listed below, but the citys sustained voting pattern makes clear that Democratic primary voters will choose the next mayor. The April 4 general election will merely ratify that choice.

Six other Democrats are running: Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed, 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, 28th Ward Alderman Lyda Krewson, Treasurer Tishaura Jones, elected school board member William Haas, and former 27th Ward Alderman Jimmie Matthews.

What most impresses us is Frenchs clarity of vision and ability to articulate exactly how he would use the mayors office to make much-needed improvements, particularly in minority-dominated, low-income parts of the city that have gone neglected for far too long. On that score, his goals and ours are the same.

To be a successful mayor, French would have to modulate his tone. The mayor doesnt represent just one segment of the city but all residents. French has had some tense exchanges with city police officers, and significant fence-mending efforts would be necessary to ensure their cooperation with his plans to fight crime and improve enforcement in the citys 15 most troubled neighborhoods.

French says that under Mayor Francis Slays 16-year tenure, development tended to focus on making the city a tourist attraction and playground for outsiders. But at some point, weve really dropped the ball on tending to the citys neediest areas.

The central corridors growth has masked the spread of blight and depopulation of the most troubled north and south St. Louis neighborhoods, French adds. He has a point, but he must be careful not to vilify those investors who took big risks in areas such as Cortex and midtown.

Major new opportunities beckon with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agencys move to a new $1.75 billion headquarters in north St. Louis. The next mayor must be a champion of efforts to exploit that development for a much broader north St. Louis revitalization.

The high number of abandoned buildings, poverty, crime and low-performing schools speak to a level of neglect that has to stop. They look like places no one cares about, French says.

Other candidates expressed a desire to place more city resources into improvements and address growing blight. But where French offers specificity, others offer fuzzy ideas and half-baked solutions. When pressed for details, most struggled to go deeper than a few rehearsed talking points.

One other candidate, Boyd, 53, did offer a smart and realistic vision of change based on a revitalization effort he spearheaded in his ward. Boyd proposes to start small, focusing efforts on fixing only three struggling neighborhoods. French offers a much more expansive and ambitious program.

And French is the only candidate making this pledge: If he hasnt reduced the level of violent crime  measured, in his words, by the number of people being gunned down  by the end of his first term, he wont seek re-election. He also is the only candidate to volunteer a report-card style of governance. He sets the goals, and every six months, we grade him on his performance.

The mayor, like all government officials, needs to be held accountable. So I welcome the idea of a report card measuring both my performance as mayor and our citys success at turning the tide on the things that have been driving people out of our city for decades: crime, schools, jobs, racial division, he told us.

In a perfect world, race wouldnt matter. Lets not fool ourselves: Its on everyones mind, especially in the post-Ferguson era. St. Louis needs a mayor who can reach out to underserved African-American residents and inspire broader community activism to help fix whats wrong, especially in current times of tight budgets.

The long list of tax-increment financing deals will cramp revenues and constrain the next mayors maneuvering room. Community-based initiatives will be key in revitalizing the citys most-troubled areas, and the new mayor must be in a position to encourage and empower residents to help themselves.

French has that credibility, mainly because he walked the streets during Ferguson protests, posted his own videos of confrontations and wound up being arrested himself during one of them. None of the other candidates have taken risks and immersed themselves to that extent.

Krewson, the front-runner, has the endorsements of Slay and the St. Louis Police Officers Association. She seems earnest, capable and qualified, but Krewson, 64, also represents continuation of the status quo. Her role in the effort to transform the Delmar Loop was important, but her ideas on tackling crime and addressing a growing budget imbalance are vague and incomplete. She seems more disposed to learn on the job rather than arrive prepared for action.

Reed, 54, has had more than enough chances to demonstrate leadership at the helm of the Board of Aldermen, yet his record is unimpressive. We pressed him for details on his ideas to stimulate investment, fight blight and reduce crime. Like Krewson, he was vague and sometimes answered questions with questions.

Jones, 44, has demonstrated consistently bad temperament and judgment, disqualifying her to represent the city. Jones deserves credit for modernizing the citys parking system and creating college savings accounts for children.

But where French promises to bridge the racial divide, Jones has sought to exploit it. That attitude would drive business investors away. Jones also seems to view elective office as a personal bag of perks for her to exploit and enjoy. She canceled an interview with us 15 minutes before it was to start, having a city staffer deliver a letter that accused the editorial board of racism, apparently for our criticism of her spending habits.

Haas, 72, also has major problems with temperament and judgment. Matthews, a perennial candidate for office, canceled our phone interview when we asked for his age.

On the Republican side, there is a distinct lack of seriousness about this election. Candidate Andrew Karandzieff, owner of Crown Candy Kitchen, said hes running to promote his business. James Osher, 55, owner of a north St. Louis granite fixtures business, said he wants to use the campaign to educate himself about local issues. The third candidate, Andrew Jones Jr., could not be reached.

Of the three, Karandzieff, 52, offers the best mix of experience and political awareness. Both he and Osher have longtime business experience in the area most heavily affected by the NGAs new headquarters and could offer insights into improvements to attract business investment there. Its too bad they treat candidacy as a sort of hobby.

Also running are Libertarian pizza deliveryman Robb Cunningham, 50; the Rev. Larry Rice, an independent; and Green Party candidate Johnathan McFarland.
What has happened to our powers of discernment and our ability to see these people for what they are, which is that they care nothing for us?
New York, Feb 18 (Just Earth News): Amid ongoing rebel activity in and around Bambari in strife-torn Central African Republic, the United Nations mission a known as MINUSCA a said on Friday that it has reinforced its presence in the city with the arrival of additional troops, including a quick reaction unit and Special Forces.

This reinforcement makes it possible to better protect Bambari and its inhabitants, as, for the time being, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission is the only legitimate authority mandated by the Government to control the city. As Mission chief Parfait Onanga-Anyanga recalled: Bambari should not belong to armed groups.

In a news release, the Mission stressed that the FPRC (Front Populaire pour la Renaissance de Centrafrique)s coalition and UPC (Mouvement pour lUnite et la Paix en Centrafrique) represent a threat for civilian populations and that UN peacekeepers will respond in case of violence.

However, discussions are ongoing and a UN civilian-military delegation will soon meet with the leader of one of the armed groups. The MINUSCA stressed that Bambari must be free of armed groups in the coming days.

And the UN Mission on Friday also welcomed the nomination of Toussaint Muntazini Mukimapa as Special Prosecutor to the CARs Special Criminal Court.

Clashes between the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition and anti-Balaka militia, which are mostly Christian, plunged the country of 4.5 million people into civil conflict in 2013. According to the UN, more more than half the population is in dire need of assistance. Despite significant progress and successful elections, CAR has remained in the grip of instability and sporadic unrest.

In December 2018, the Mission supported a new dialogue between 11 of the 14 armed groups, as part of an ongoing effort to disarm the factions.

UN Photo/Catianne Tijerina

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Islamabad, Feb 18 (IBNS) : Pakistani security forces have claimed to have killed more than 100 terror suspects in couirse of the sweeping country-wide raids following Thursday's bombing of the shrine in southern Sindh province.

According to a Geo News report, security forces have made headway in the investigations of recent terror attacks across Pakistan, identifying four terrorist organisations with direct links to the attacks that have claimed over 100 lives.

In an ongoing crackdown, security forces had killed over 100 terrorists till Friday night with an addition of 3 more killed during an operation in Dera Ismail Khan, the report said.

Security forces have intensified search and combing operations across the country. During operations in Abbottabad, Rawalpindi, Hafizabad, Chiniot and Sialkot, 53 suspects were detained while in Ittehad town in Karachi 7 suspects were taken into custody. Many Afghan nationals are among the detained.

The report said evidence of direct involvement of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JA), Daesh and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) have been found in the recent attacks. Sources add, that the heads of these banned organisations are operating from Afghanistan.
Pakistan will start the export of seafood to the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region using a land route that China will use to ship oil and natural gas from the Middle East.

Frozen seafood will depart Pakistans Gwadar Port on the shores of the Arabian Sea in container trucks and enter China via the Khunjerab Pass, a land port in southern Xinjiangs Kashgar prefecture, a more than 1,500-kilometer journey, the China Daily reported.

After a successful trial last month, regular shipments are to start on April 1, according to Mufeng Biological Technology, which will ship products from its cold-storage distribution center near Khunjerab, a seasonal port open eight months of the year.

It takes about 10 days for the seafood to be transported and cleared by customs on the land route, said Chen Haiou, company chairman.

Normally, it takes more than 30 days to transport seafood by sea from Pakistan to ports in South Chinas Guangdong province.

Last month, the company shipped 7.46 tons of seafood, including squid, shrimp, pomfret and bonefish, from Khunjerab to be sold at markets in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, as well as Beijing and Shanghai. We will focus on importing seafood that is in highest demand in Xinjiang, Chen said. The wholesale price of those products will drop by 10 to 20% after the shipments become regular.

China is Pakistans biggest seafood importer, with about 75% of the countrys shrimp products sold to China, he said, adding that his company is also considering shipping live seafood.

China Overseas Port Holding Co took over management of the deep-sea Gwadar Port from the Port of Singapore Authority in 2013. The takeover was viewed as a move by China to seek an alternative to the Strait of Malacca, through which more than 80% of the countrys imported oil passes.

To further enhance the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor along the land route, China will provide about $1 billion in loans for three new road projects along the western route of the corridor, connecting the shortest route from Gwadar to China.
The United States is not yet ready to cooperate militarily with Russia, Pentagon chief James Mattis said on Thursday after Moscows defence minister called for better ties.

We are not in a position right now to collaborate on a military level, but our political leaders will engage and try to find common ground or a way forward, Mattis told reporters at a Nato summit in Brussels.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said earlier in Moscow that he was potentially ready to restore cooperation with the Pentagon, and President Vladimir Putin called for Russian intelligence agencies to bolster contacts with US counterparts in the counter-terrorism fight.

The back-and-forth remarks come as President Donald Trump faces a crisis over ties between Russia and members of his campaign team.

The new president has repeatedly praised Putin and called for better cooperation with Russia, including in the fight against the militant Islamic State group in Syria.

But Mattis, a former Marine general, said Russia must first prove itself and follow international law before the US and Nato can consider closer military ties.

The point about Russia is they have to live by international law just like we expect all nations on this planet to do, Mattis said.

Currently, the US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria and the Russian military, which is operating nearby in support of President Bashar al-Assad, do not cooperate but hold regular phone calls to avoid mid-air mishaps.

Mattis added he had very little doubt Moscow interfered in several elections, though he did not specifically mention the United States.

US intelligence agencies say the Russian government was involved in hacking Democratic Party communications and releasing files embarrassing to Trumps rival Hillary Clinton.

The new Pentagon chiefs Nato visit, his first trip to Europe, was closely watched by jittery partners concerned over the potential Kremlin-White House ties and Trumps past comments showing disdain for the alliance.
The head of Irans delegation to the Syria talks in Astana has underlined the importance of the diplomatic process in Kazakhstans capital, saying the discussions are aimed at facilitating intra-Syrian dialogue.

Iran believes that the most important task for the Astana talks is to facilitate Syrian-Syrian negotiations with the aim of restoring peace and security to Syria, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari said in the Astana summit on Thursday.

The efforts made by Iran, Syria and Turkey to mediate the Astana talks was no replacement for the previous efforts by the international community to help end the Syria crisis, but rather serve as a supplementary initiative, he noted.

Jaberi Ansari further said the Astana event has taken initial steps in the path of resolving the crisis, urging redoubled efforts for the peace process to bear fruit.

Major achievements have been made to contain the Syria crisis during the two rounds of the Astana talks, the Iranian diplomat stressed.

He reiterated the Islamic Republics commitment to efforts aimed at ending the Syria conflict, adding that Tehran backs Syrias territorial integrity and national sovereignty as well as the Arab nations right to determine its fate.

Read more: Fresh round of Syria peace talks held in Astana

He also called on all Syria groups to join peaceful talks with the Damascus government.

The second round of the Astana talks began earlier on Thursday.

The first round of the discussions, which was similarly mediated by Tehran, Moscow and Ankara, took place in January and brought together representatives from the Damascus government and opposition groups for the first time during nearly six years of conflict.

Speaking at a press conference in Astana, Syrias Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari said that the fresh round of Astana talks paved the way for the upcoming talks on the Syria crisis scheduled to be held under the United Nations auspices in the Swiss city of Geneva on February 23.

We look forward to having Astana track continued and be successful to the effect of serving the hopes and aspirations of the Syrian people in having security and safety restored all over Syria, Jaafari said.

He also noted that the meetings held between the Syrian government delegation and the Russian and Iranian officials were fruitful and contributed a great deal to the convening of the Astana talks.

Syria remains committed to the terms of a nationwide ceasefire in the country, but it maintains the right to respond to any breach of these arrangements by the armed terrorist groups, the Syrian official pointed out.

Also read: Syria talks delayed due to unexplained technical reasons: Kazakhstan

He further stressed that Syria will continue its efforts to liberate every inch of its territory from the control of the terrorist groups.

Jaafari lashed out at Turkey for its failure to commit to controlling its border with Syria and facilitating the entry of tens of thousands of terrorists from all corners of the world into Syria.

Turkey cant play both roles of causing a fire and fighting it at the same time, he said.

Syrian army soldiers and allied fighters have been fighting against different foreign-backed militant groups wreaking havoc in the Arab country since 2011.
China-Lanka tariff plan needs extreme caution: Local industry By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

While professionals and businesses have been focusing attention on the alleged, ill-effects of the proposed trade and services pact with India, unknowingly the pendulum has swung quickly in favour of China with a trade agreement close to be finalised.

The Business Times reliably learns that China wants to fast-track the deal, before India, with a visit by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to Beijing in May being part of that initiative.

While the fifth round of negotiations with China on finalising the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) concluded last month, certain agreements reached at the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) meeting on the FTA has irked local manufacturers.

An agreement reached under Sri Lankas Tariff Liberalisation Programme (TLP) to cover 90 per cent of both tariff lines and trade value with 10 per cent negative list and reach liberalisation of 90 per cent within a 20 year-period would be highly unfavourable for the country as China has a huge trade bargaining position with economies of scale in producing cheaper goods, several leading industrialists warned.

If tariffs are to be removed on 90 per cent of tariff lines and trade volume, covering substantially all trade, then no one would be able to stop cheaper Chinese-made products flooding the market, hurting not only local industry but also resulting in job losses, they stressed.

It is reliably learnt that the CCEM recently directed the Ministry of Commerce to submit a proposal on these concessions to the Cabinet of Ministers for its approvaly.

The CCEM has also agreed to the proposal of phasing out and removal of CESS over a 5 year-period from the fifth year the FTA comes into force, a letter sent to the Secretary to the Ministry of Development Strategies and Economic Management by the Prime Ministers office, revealed.

The Department of Commerce has been directed to undertake a comprehensive sector-wise analysis to identify affected industries, their exports, employment, turnover and volume of production.

An economic expert, who declined to be named, told the Business Times that Sri Lanka should be cautious of its tariff liberalisation with China and not identify sectors in the economy to be opened out, which would adversely affect vulnerable industries.

He noted that it is essential to enact legislations on anti-dumping and protective measures to safeguard local industries against unfair trading practices and a surge in cheaper Chinese imports.

Sri Lanka has already tabled the tariff reduction modality at the 5th round of China-Sri Lanka FTA negotiations concluded on January 19.

Initially 3380 items have been proposed for the inclusion in the negative list of China aimed at protecting its domestic industries. Several vegetable products, animal and vegetable fats and oils, prepared food, chemicals, wood products; pulp and paper, and textile categories are protected by China. In almost all of the agreements, China has placed pulp and paper in its negative list.

Sri Lanka has a comparative advantage in 566 products, out of which China does not import 24 products from the other countries in the world, Of the 542 potential exports to China; Sri Lanka already exports 243 products.

The other 299 products with trade potential to China are currently not exported by Sri Lanka to China but are imported by China from the rest of the world.
Mahindra enters 3 new businesses in Sri Lanka View(s):

Indias Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd last week announced its entry into three new businesses in Sri Lanka with the debut of Truck and Bus, Construction Equipment and Powerol businesses. The company will set up these three new businesses in partnership with M/s Ideal Motors Ltd, its long standing partner of over eight years, a company media release said.

Under the Truck and Bus category, Mahindra launched the Blazo 49, Traco 40, Torro 25 Tipper, Loadking Optimo and Cosmos range of Buses. The range of Construction Equipment will include one of the most efficient backhoe loaders, the Mahindra Earthmaster SX 4WD and Mahindra Powerol will offer a range of 7.5 kVA  200 kVA Diesel Generators (DG). This is part of the companys strategy to enhance its presence in the country.
Northern Coop farmers group gets Fair Trade Certification View(s):

After five years of operations, the Vavuniya North Fruit Growers Cooperative Union continues to grow and increase profit.

Over 10,000 metric tons of Red Lady papaya have already been exported and over US$2 million (Rs. 300 million) earned by farmers in export earnings, according to a media statement by ILO Colombo, the foster-father of projects to help northern farmers.

In recent weeks, the cooperative achieved a major milestone by becoming the first cooperative in Sri Lanka and probably the first organisation in South Asia to be Fair Trade Certified for Red Lady papaya. The certification process was carried out by the Global Certifying Body for Fair Trade- FLOCERT.

Fair Trade certification is the first social, economic and environmental standard that directly benefits growers and workers. As the name implies, it is about building market systems that provide improved and more equitable returns to producers and workers. The certification opens up new and expanding markets for growers and provides a competitive advantage for small rural framers.

The advantage of certification is that the farmers obtain a guaranteed price for their produce which is generally much higher than the non-certified open market price. However, as according to a spokesperson for the LEED project, It takes time and a lot of effort on all sides. The time factor is critical, real development cannot be achieved in a two or three year project. It is a process that evolves, adapts to changing demands and really never ends.
Seminar on shipping matters and needed laws View(s):

The Company of Master Mariners of Sri Lanka (CMMSL) a professional organisation of

Sri Lankan Ship Captains, jointly with the Organisation of Professional Associations of

Sri Lanka (OPA) held a seminar in Colombo last week on the theme IMO Conventions and Maritime Regulations in Sri Lanka.

There were two presentation of which one by Capt. Upul Peiris, currently a government ship surveyor of the Merchant Shipping Secretariat. He pointed out there are six new important conventions the country is expected to accede to in the near future  Air Pollution (MARPOL Annex 6), Ballast Water Management which restricts discharge of seawater water carried in Ballast Tanks by ships during ballast voyage (no cargo voyage) from one port to another introducing invasive marine species, Limitation of Liability on Maritime Claims, Bunker Conventions on marine fuel supplies, Oil pollution Prevention Response and Control and Hazardous Noxious Substances protocol, according to the organisers who issued a media release on the seminar.

The other speaker Chandaka Jayasundera, a specialist in Commercial Law with special emphasis on Maritime Law Transport Law and Intellectual Property law, suggested the need for a New Maritime Regulatory Regime in Sri Lanka to deal with ship regulations, which the country is lacking for a very long time since the time the Merchant Shipping Act no 52 was enacted in 1971.

He pointed out that although the country has signed as many as 20- odd IMO conventions and some more to be signed, hardly any of them are properly legislated in the country to be law.

Except in one convention related to seafarers training and certifications, no regulations are ever promulgated to execute the required provisions of those conventions even if they were made laws in the country. He also revealed that the Director General of Merchant Shipping is making a lot of effort to bring in the required maritime laws and promulgate regulations the country has lacked in the last 46 years but apparently is still encountering difficulties.
Making of a new constitution for Sri Lanka: Let wiser counsel prevail View(s):

By Tassie Seneviratne

The talking point throughout the country these days is about the making of a new constitution for Sri Lanka.

Principles of democracy as enunciated by the USA and accepted in most democracies and relevant to constitution making, are as follows:

On the surface, the principles of majority rule and the protection of individual and minority rights would seem contradictory. In fact, however, these principles are twin pillars holding up the very foundation of what is meant by democratic government.

Majority rule is a means for organizing government and deciding public issues; it is not another road to oppression. Just as no self-appointed group has the right to oppress others, so no majority, even in a democracy, should take away the basic rights and freedoms of a minority group or individual.

Minorities  whether as a result of ethnic background, religious belief, geographic location, income level, or simply as the losers in elections or political debate enjoy guaranteed basic human right that no government, and no majority, elected or not, should remove.

Minorities need to trust that the government will protect their rights and self-identity. Once this is accomplished, such groups can participate in, and contribute to their countrys democratic institutions.

Among the basic human rights that any democratic government must protect are freedom of speech and expression; freedom of religion and belief; due process and equal protection under the law; and freedom to organize, speak out, dissent, and participate fully in the public life of their society.

Democracies understand that protecting the rights of minorities to uphold cultural identity, social practices, individual consciences, and religious activities is one of their primary tasks.

Acceptance of ethnic and cultural groups that seem strange if not alien to the majority can represent one of the greatest challenges that any democratic government can face. But democracies recognize that diversity can be an enormous asset. They treat these differences identity, culture, and values as a challenge that can strengthen and enrich them, not as a threat.

There can be no single answer to how minority-group differences in views and values are resolved  only the sure knowledge that only through the democratic process of tolerance, debate, and willingness to compromise can free societies reach agreements that embrace the twin pillars of majority rule and minority rights.

Constitution making in Sri Lanka has become a highly contentious issue. The problem lies in the challenge to democracy, arising from the polarization of the two main ethnic groups  the Sinhalese and the Tamils  and the mistrust that has been simmering since Independence culminating in the Vaddukoddai Resolution in 1976.

Looking for causes of this polarization, one has to examine the Tamil claim of discrimination and denial of their rights, especially in regard to devolution of power,vis-a-vis the Sinhala apprehension of Tamil plans for secession and that the devolution package as demanded by the Tamils is only a spring-board to secession. This apprehension has been aggravated by the experience of the Tamil Eelam war. Whose mistrust came first is like the question, which came first  the chicken or the egg? In the case of the chicken and the egg, it is a circle of natures beauty. In the case of mistrust between the two ethnic groups it is an ugly and vicious circle given motion by unscrupulous politicians driven by political expediency. The motion of this circle has to be put on reverse mode until we get back to the days when there was ethnic and religious harmony and humanity prevailed.

This reversal can be achieved by adhering to the principles of democracy as laid out above. It is for the majority to be magnanimous enough and start the process of tolerance, debate, compromise and trust for mutual good.

In this matter of constitution making in Sri Lanka the majority too is divided. There is a racial minded group on the one hand raising alarms causing mistrust and on the other hand a group working towards harmony among all ethnic and religious groups, with a view to bring back the good old days when we enjoyed the fruits of diversity.

What we all must bear in mind is that direct democracy has an inherent weakness in majority rule. That is why the principles of democracy as laid down above have to be adhered to, in order to avoid tyranny of the majority where the majority places its own interests above, and at the expense and to the detriment of, those in minority, whereby that detriment constitutes active oppression comparable to that of a tyrant or despot. Through tyranny of the majority, a disliked or unfavoured ethnic, religious, political or racial group may be deliberately targeted for oppression by the majority acting through the democratic process and the minority driven to revolt violently against such tyranny.

Let us examine the sequence of major events that precipitated the Vaddukoddai Resolution in 1976 and the Eelam war that followed.

After gaining independence in 1948, English continued to be the official language of Sri Lanka. With passage of time sections within the Sinhalese community began to campaign to make Sinhala the official language of Sri Lanka. At the parliamentary elections in 1956, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) leader SWRD Bandaranaike (SWRD) formed the coalition Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) and campaigned to make Sinhala the official language of Sri Lanka. With the support of extremist Sinhalese figures,SWRD won the election and became Prime Minister (PM). He made it his priority to follow up on his promises related to the language issue, and introduced the Official Language Act (commonly known as the Sinhala Only Act) in June1956.Tamil people vehemently opposed this and staged hartals in parts of the country. The Federal Party (FP) led by SJV Chelvanayakam demandedthe establishment of a new constitution on Federal principles, with the creation of one or more Tamil states enjoying autonomous powers along with several other demands. The Federal Party vowed that if their demands were not met, they would engage in direct action to achieve these objectives. At the same time Sinhalese extremists complained about the delays in enforcing the Official Language Act.

Fearing that violence would break out if an agreement between the leaders of the two communities was not reached, PM SWRD reached out to the Federal Party leadership, and after several meetings and discussions reached a successful agreement which came to be known as the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam Pact.

For the first time a political agreement was reached between the two leaders of the two main ethnic groups. Both sides made concessions  Chelvanayakam accepting less than Federalism, and SWRD agreeing to give Regional Councils substantial powers. With this agreement the Government was able to prevent the campaign threatened by the Federal Party across the country.

The Pact however, was opposed by Sinhalese nationalist leaders. The main opposition came from the opposition United National Party, headed by J R Jayewardene. Following their defeat in the 1956 elections, the UNP used the communal bogey to re-enter active politics.

With the opposition to the Pact growing in intensity, there were other factors that caused increased tensions between the two communities. In 1957, with a view to appease the Sinhalese chauvinists, the Government introduced the Sinhalese Sri character on number plates of vehicles. This was strongly opposed by Tamil People, and the FP organized an anti-Sri campaign. Participants of the campaign in the North went around applying tar on the Sri character of vehicles. This was met with anger among the Sinhalese community, who painted tar over Tamil characters on Bill Boards around the rest of the country.

Amid the growing opposition to the pact, PM SWRD made genuine efforts to convince the people of the country that the pact was the best solution to the communal problems of the country. He even equated the Pact to the Middle Way doctrine of Buddhism. However the opposition to the pact continued and came to a head on April 9th 1958 when approximately 100 Buddhist monks and 300 Sinhalese nationalists staged a protest on the lawn of the PMs Rosmead Place residence. They demanded that the PM abrogate the agreement he signed with Chelvanayakam. The PM was pressurized by the mob to publicly tear the agreement into pieces and upon their insistence he also gave them a written pledge that the pact would be abrogated. Thus what prevailed was Rule of the Mob.

Try as much as he did,ultra nationalist Sinhalese leaders refused to be convinced,and the Government faced anti-government strikes organized by the Leftist parties. In May 1959, the Leftist members of SWRDs administration quit the Government and joined the opposition. Riots broke out across the country and SWRD was struggling to keep his party in power when on 25th September 1959 he was shot by a Buddhist priest in his residence at Rosmead Place at point blank range with a pistol he had concealed in his robes as the PM was paying obeisance to the priest. SWRD succumbed to his injuries the next day. Investigations revealed that the Buddhist priest had been manipulated by the rabid forces SWRD had unleashed to come to power.

After the breakup of the MEP coalition the SLFP went it alone. The SLFP reached out to the FP and promised to revive the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam pact if the FP helped the SLFP to form a Government. At the July 1960 General Elections, the SLFP headed by SWRDs widow, Sirimavo Bandaranaike achieved a convincing victory with the help of the FP. This enabled the SLFP to form a Government on its own, and it cast aside the agreement with the FP and later introduced legislation to make Sinhala the Official language of the Courts of the Country. Felix Dias Bandaranaike, a nephew of SWRD, was the strong man in Sirimavos Government who called the tune. The reason given for letting down the FP was that it would have given the UNP an opportunity to incite the Sinhalese extremists as they had done in 1957.

At the General Elections on 22nd March 1965, the UNP led by Dudley Senanayake, failed to obtain a majority but was able to form a Government with the help of the FP,entering a pact known as the Dudley Senanayake-Chelvanayakam pact, which was signed on 24th March 1965, with a view to ensuring a stable Government. The terms of the agreement were:

(1) Action will be taken early under the Tamil Language Special Provisions Act to make provision of the Tamil Language to be the language of Administration and of Record in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Mr Senanayake explained that it as the policy of his party that a Tamil-speaking person should be entitled to transactbusiness in Tamil throughout the island.

(2) Mr Senanayake stated that it was the policy of his party to amend the Language of Courts Act to provide for legal proceedings in the Northern and Eastern Provinces to be conducted and recorded in Tamil.

(3) Action will betaken to establish DistrictCouncils in Ceylon vested with powers oversubjects to bemutually agreedupon between two leaders. It was agreed, however, that the governmentshould have power under the law to give directions to such councils under the national interest.

(4) The Land Development Ordinance will be amended to provide that citizens of Ceylon be entitled to the allotment of land under the Ordinance.

Mr Senanayake further agreed that in the granting of land under colonization schemes the following priorities be observed in the Northern and Eastern province

(a) Land in the Northern andEastern provinces should in the first instance be granted to landless persons in the district.

(b) Secondly, to Tamil-speaking persons resident in the Northern and Eastern provinces

(c) Thirdly, to other citizens in Ceylon, preference being given to Tamil residents in the rest of the island.

Sgd.Dudley-Chelvanayakam 24.3.65

FP member M Thiruchelvam was appointed Local Government Minister to steer the District Councils through. The SLFP and a ginger group of 16 UNP MPs opposed the pact. Dudley Senanayake lost the nerve to go through with the District Councils Bill and the same fate as what happened in 1957 came upon the country.

At the General Elections in 1970, Sirimavo B came back to power and in1972 adopted a new constitution known as the Constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka.

Many features of the new Constitution were seen as being discriminatory, especially by the Tamils. The FP, the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, and other Tamil organizations reacted collectively and in May 1972 formed the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) and agitated for reforms. The Government carried on regardless using emergency regulations.

The broken promises of respective Governments led to the watershed in the history of Sri Lankas major communal problem  the Vaddukoddai Resolution. Among the reasons given for this resolution is: Whereas, all attempts by the various Tamil political parties to win their rights, by co-operating with governments, by parliamentary as well as extra-parliamentary agitations, by entering into pacts and understandings with successive Prime Ministers, and in order to achieve the bare minimum of political rights consistent with self-respect of the Tamil people have proved to be futile;

We can now take a look at the Vaddukoddai Resolution of 1976 in the light of above developments. The resolution speaks for itself.

At the Vaddukoddai Convention of 14th May 1976, the TULF unanimously endorsed the Vaddukoddai Resolution that articulated inter-alia, theviewthat theminority Sri Lankan Tamils needed separation from the rest of Sri Lankato resolve their political problems, and resolved to, restore and reconstitute the State of Eelam in order to safeguard the existenceofthe Tamil Nation in this country. The Resolution also went on to state. This convention directs the Action Committee of the Tamil United Liberation Front to formulate a plan of action and launch without undue delay the struggle for winning the sovereignty and freedom of the Tamil nation: and

This convention calls upon the Tamil Nation in General and the Tamil Youth in particular to come forward and throw themselves fully into the sacred fight for freedom and to flinch not till the goal of a sovereign state of Eelam is reached.

With that, the hitherto moderate leadership that was campaigning for the Tamil cause lost control and militant youth who took over the leadership resorted to terrorism as a means to obtain their goal. Several militant groups espoused violence but rifts and skirmishes took place between them till Velupillai Prabhakaran eliminated not only all rival militants but also moderates who did not toe his line, and eventually appointed himself as the sole representative of the Tamil people.

The country thus moved steadily to the Eelam War that we have experienced over three decades.

It is a fact that the ultimate goal of some Tamil nationalist leaders has been a separate state. There is nothing wrong in ambition. It is human to be ambitious. We all have ambitions.

Ah! But a mans reach should exceed his grasp,

Or whats a heaven for? -Robert Browning.

However, in the circumstances prevailing in Sri Lanka, the Tamils in general have been prepared to accept autonomy within a unitary state.

Respective Sinhalese leaders have been missing this opportunity and playing into the hands of Tamil nationalist leaders, giving them cause by not honouring the pacts.They have been hoodwinking the people, and their intransigence and greed for power at the expense of communal harmony, is showing.

In the making of a new constitution, the above mentioned factors have to be taken into consideration, with a view to cure the causesthat led to war.

In regard to the bogey of secession,- A good intelligence service is a cheap substitute for war. It is not only the Northern secessionists that have to be watched. We have seen several JVP insurrections too, and therefore Sinhalese nationalist extremists too have to be watched.

United we can fulfill our aspirations and become the Paradise as immortalized by W.S. Senior:

But most shall he sing of Lanka

In the brave new days to come

When the races all have blended

And the will of strife be dumb.

(Tassie Seneviratne is a Retired Senior Superintendent of Police)
By Press Trust of India: Kolkata, Feb 18 (PTI) Union Minister of State for MSME Giriraj Singh today said "lack of innovation" in Hindustan Motors was the reason behind the selling off of the iconic Ambassador car brand to European auto major Peugeot.

"Hindustan Motors Ambassador went to others due to the lack of innovation," Singh said at the Bengal Chamber awards for MSME event.

advertisement

Owners of C K Birla group inked an agreement with Peugeot SA of Europe earlier this month to sell off the Ambassador brand.

The manufacturing of Ambassador was discontinued in 2014.

Stressing innovation in the field of agriculture and MSME sector, he urged people to come forward to form a policy framework on it.

Singh also highlighted the Centres policies in infrastructure sector and raising the limit for collateral free loans among others.

Asked about Rajiv Bajajs comment that Made in India as Mad in India after his company faced hurdles in launching new products, the union minister said "One single person does not make India." PTI BSM AYP

--- ENDS ---
The Bar must not get involved in judicial appointments View(s):

Amidst the welter of conflicting reports over the recent appointment of a Batticoloa lawyer as a Northern High Court judge by President Maithripala Sirisena, certain facts are crystal clear. First, the involvement of the unofficial (private) Bar in judicial appointments is not a healthy precedent in any sense of the word.

The reasons are obvious, including the danger of perception that such appointees may be seen as being beholden to particular interests of the Bar following their elevation to the Bench

Unfortunate context of these questions

Secondly even if the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) or elements within BASL as the letter by the Judicial Services Association to the President protesting against this appointment puts it, wishes to advance a particular candidate for consideration, it would surely have been more appropriate to approach the Chief Justice rather than the President who is the political authority?

Under the Constitution (Article 111(2), it is the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) headed by the Chief Justice, which is constitutionally vested with the duty of recommending appointees to the President where High Court judges are concerned. The JSC is obliged to consult the Attorney General. There is absolutely no role for the Bar to play.

It is unfortunate that this fracas has arisen in regard to this particular judge, by all accounts a competent professional who had overcome formidable challenges in his personal circumstances to make a name for himself at the Bar. Untrue allegations leveled against him regarding lack of capacity may be disregarded.

Bemused and bewildered onlookers

And the chest beating of the former Minister of Justice GL Pieris and the motley Joint Opposition over this appointment should be treated with supreme contempt given their disgraceful part in the utter deterioration of the judicial institution under the Rajapaksa regime.

Nonetheless, it is useless for the BASL or others to thunder that the process of judicial appointment has been politicized when the behavior of its own officers appear to have been monumentally indiscreet, even to the most charitable mind.

The JSAs challenge to the BASL was to disclose exactly what part the Bar played in the impugned appointment. This was on the basis that the BASL had no business to be informally lobbying without the seal of its executive body, either per se or on behalf of another interested party, for a particular judge to be appointed.

The recommendation that never was

But the BASLs flippant response to the JSAs challenge has only made the situation worse. In a letter signed by its Secretary and released to the public by civil action groups this week, it was clarified that no official recommendation had gone out from the Bar Council nor the Executive Committee of BASL on the appointment.

Rather, the incumbent President of the Bar Association had forwarded a letter by the Batticoloa Bar supporting the appointment of this particular Batticoloa lawyer as a High Court judge to President Maithripala Sirisena. This was given the scarcity of Tamil speaking judges in those provinces.

What is considerably intriguing is the somewhat garbled last paragraph of the letter. The first part of that paragraph refers to a past practice of consultations between the executive and the leaders of the Bar, in these instances. As worrisome as that claim is, this contradicts the last part of that very paragraph where it is said that in the history of the Association, the Bar Council and the Executive Committee have not considered recommendations for judicial appointments.

A distinction without a difference

In other words, the inference is that when the President of the Bar Association formally forwards a request regarding the appointment of a particular judge (presumably on the official letterhead), he or she is doing so as a leader of the Bar and not as the President of BASL? This appears to be a distinction without a difference.

Hence we have the natural confusion of both the Chief Justice and the President who had apparently succumbed to the understanding that the BASL had made a recommendation for judicial appointment, which is in any event, not constitutionally sanctioned.

Making the confusion worse confounded was the allegation that a certain political party was behind the appointment. Bemused and bewildered onlookers became aware only later that this reference was to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), when the TNA took upon itself to vehemently deny that charge.

Opaque practices need to be avoided

But more importantly, the BASL letter fails to mention twists in the tale which reportedly came from the President himself recently. In media reports that have since not been denied, the President had said that initially he had not responded favourably to the BASL request. However he had then been visited by a delegation of the Association. In a veritable mea culpa, he said that it was only after this visit that he had gone ahead with the appointment

All this is omitted from the BASL response to the JSA. So one is confronted with the question as to who is engaging in a terminological inexactitude as Winston Churchill classically described, decades ago. Or in other words and to be brutally clear, who is lying or at best obfuscating? Was there a visit to the President by a BASL delegation or not?

Certainly these are opaque and unsatisfying practices that need to be corrected if the Bar is to conform to norms of good governance that it so loudly espouses. Even on the most innocent of explanations, the leaders of the Bar (as they call themselves) must refrain from bringing about situations where a disturbing lack of clarity arises in regard to precisely where the formal role of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) ends and where their individual identities as legal professionals begin.

Adhering to principled positions

It is to no avail to ponder the virtues of a new Constitution or quote Dicey on the Rule of Law in one donor supported discussion after another, if basics are not adhered to in the first place.

Indeed, Sri Lanka may well learn from the fascinating real life drama of democratic checks and balances being played out now in the United States where, at least for the moment, an aggrandizing US President has been checked by the courts amidst wickedly satirical humor. Outstandingly principled positions have been taken by lawyers, academics and judges.

This is no doubt, eminently illustrative for us.
MAS Childrens Programme in Jaffna View(s):

This years MAS Childrens Programme outreach events continued in Jaffna and for the first time travelled to Killinochchi for concerts in two schools there. The outreach roadshow featured the renowned Indian storyteller Jeeva Raghunath who had the students and teachers enthralled for all of her highly interactive and hilarious sessions.

Students were also treated to performances by The Music Project Student Orchestra made up of students from nearby areas. For the first time the Illangai Thamizhanz brought their uplifting conscious Tamil hip hop show into schools.

Topping all that off was Indias hottest magician, Neel Madhav who kept audiences on their toes with his signature brand of street magic. Malika Booker from the UK, focused on poetry and joined these presenters in an engaging teacher training on Storytelling in the Classroom.
Frangipani at Engendering Yahapalanaya film festival View(s):

Recently released Frangipani Visakesa Chandrasekarams film will be screened today at Engendering Yahapalanaya, a film and literary festival at Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute in Colombo.

Organised by the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka, the festival aimed at highlighting that gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights are also good governance issues.

On Sunday two other films Vidiyum Munn (9.00 AM 12.30 PM) and Indias Daughter (1.30 PM 3.30 PM) will also be screened.

Frangipani (4.00 PM and 6.30 PM) presents a story of two young men and a woman entangled in a lustful love triangle tabooed in their rapidly changing community. Frangipani speaks out of gay peoples right to love without taking an antagonistic approach to be critical of the local cultural practices while focusing on innate human emotions that make people smile and cry, and make them pursue for the ultimate joy of love.

Vidiyum Munn, a 2013 Indian Tamil thriller film directed by Balaji K. Kumar staring Pooja Umashankar as Rekha, a sex worker trying to rescue a 12-year-old girl from being forced into engaging in sex work. The journey takes us through the brutality that surrounds us, which we deliberately choose to ignorebroken homes, abuse, unfulfilled dreams, manipulation and hopelessness.

Suffragette Indias Daughter pays tribute to the remarkable short life of Indias Daughter (Jyoti) and documents the brutality of her gang-rape and murder in Delhi in December 2012. It also examines the mindset of the men who committed the rape with exclusive interviews and  perhaps most importantly  it tries to shed light on the patriarchal society and culture which not only seeds but may be said even to encourage violence against women.

Admission for the screening is free and tickets can be reserved by calling FPA on 075099899.

The festival has been taking place in Colombo from February 17 to 19 and would be followed by several mini-festivals which would take place across the country in the subsequent weeks.
Sing a long with Sam View(s):

A Sing a long party will come alive with Sam the Man at the Lotus Ballroom of the Grand Oriental Hotel, on March 4th commencing at 7.30 p.m.

This Sing a long party is a presentation of the Centenary Group of the Old Boys Association of S. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia.

The Centenary Group comprises students who were in College in the year 1951, when the school celebrated its 100th Anniversary. It is the most vibrant group of the Old Boys Association which has undertaken many projects for the Development of

the College.

Sam  when he was performing at the Royal-Thomian Dance in London was invited to the Royal Albert Hall for a sing along conducted by Max By graves. It was here that he got the idea of having a similar show here in Colombo.

The very first Sing Along was conducted by Sam at the Galle Face Hotel in 1997 sponsored by the Ys Mens Club. It was a resounding success and thereafter the sing a longs became the order of the day.

Sam in his own inimitable style has developed the sing along to suit international standards. Perhaps this is one reason his presentation has an appeal both here and the international arena.
Treat your taste buds and feast your eyes By Shakya Wickramanayake View(s): View(s):

The work week can be stressful as we all know, and more often than not, in the mad morning rush we miss out on breakfast. But theres always time to enjoy lifes little pleasures like an indulgent breakfast or an expertly brewed cup of tea. Why not make that morning meeting a working breakfast? Or trade in working at home on your laptop for a pleasanter ambiance and a healthy meal to motivate you and keep you inspired?

Tea Avenue, one of the many restaurants in Colombos crowded food scene is located at No. 55 Barnes Place, Colombo 7, nestled at the junction where Barnes Place meets Wijerama Mawatha. It is open early  from 6.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and up until 1a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Tea Avenues new breakfast menu available from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. every day of the week we found has something for everyone.

We started off with the Waffle Eggs Benedict, served with smoked chicken, and the other with Avocado. I for one have always been a little sceptical of avocado as a savoury, but my doubts were soon dispelled.

Tea Avenue slightly departs from the Classic Eggs Benedict, serving it on waffles instead of the usual halved Muffin, and sans bacon, thus being halal- friendly. Topped off with smoked chicken/avocado and poached eggs, with a generous serving of hollandaise sauce and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds, the beautiful presentation ensured that if not a treat for your taste buds, it was at very least a feast for your eyes.

The poached eggs were cooked to perfection, and when broken, the golden yolk cascaded over the waffle. The richness of the Hollandaise sauce made the dish an indulgent one, but this was mildly countered by the burst of freshness provided by the pomegranate seeds. The creaminess of the avocados added to the richness of the dish.

This was paired with the Chai Latte, which was light and fragrant, tasting predominantly of cinnamon and nutmeg, and perfectly juxtaposed with the richness of the Hollandaise sauce in the Eggs Benedict.

Next, we tried a customer favourite, the English Breakfast and the Standard 36 Milk Tea. Once again Tea Avenue has got creative- with the usual English Breakfast, substituting the bacon for halal- friendly chicken sausages. The sausages were succulent, and the sunny side up eggs were well cooked and cast in perfect circles. The hash brown, though quite oily, was delicious, and we couldnt stop munching on it. But the highlight of the dish was Rosemary and olive oil infused toast, which was so good, it seemed sacrilegious to eat it with butter and mask its taste. Interestingly the Rosemary bread is baked in-house.

The Standard 36 Milk Tea was an elevated homage to the standard Milk Tea served in every Sri Lankan home but set apart by its gourmet taste attributable to Tea Avenues specific brewing process. Fans of the Standard 36 Tea will be excited to know that packed Standard 36 tea leaves will soon be available for sale at Tea Avenue, enabling you to have your favourite cup of tea, even at home.

Finally, we tried the whole wheat bread with Avocado with the added optional poached eggs. It was served on rather large slice of toasted whole-wheat bread and garnished with tomato and onion cubes. It was a light and guilt-free yet delicious, dare we say healthy breakfast item. Coupled with the Standard 36 milk tea, it was a perfect meal, you could afford to eat every other day.

We also sampled the hot chocolate with cream, which was one of the more indulgent items on the menu. The chocolate was thankfully not too sweet, but the cream was rich and filling. If you dont have a big appetite, this beverage alone can fill you up.

Though we didnt sample it, their Breakfast Menu also offers several sweet dishes, including the blueberry waffles with cream.

The ambiance is one of elegant lounge with the interior being a modern twist on the classical colonial style.

The seating arrangements vary from high-backed lounge chairs and low coffee tables, to outdoor seating, and dining tables and booths, thus accommodating most social gatherings, be it group meet-ups, a casual date or business meeting.

They also offer facilities such as private meeting rooms that can be booked in advance. This coupled with their wifi facilities and ample parking, makes it an ideal location for a business meeting or brainstorming session.
A,B,Cs of beating exam stress View(s):

Too many hours spent on cramming and tuition and too little sleep and relaxation are making students sick with anxiety, warns Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Gihan Abeywardena

By Kumudini Hettiarachchi

It may be around six months more to the next General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level (A/L) examination due to be held in August, but already there are numerous children seeking treatment from Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Gihan Abeywardena attached to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital.

I simply cant remember anything I study, is a common complaint, while my mind goes completely blank even at the term tests is another. This, they claim, is after poring over their books for as long as seven to eight hours each day, with hardly any sleep in addition to attending school and numerous tuition classes.

Most of these students are not depressed, but very anxious, says Dr. Abeywardena who is now doing the rounds of the schools advising A/L students on basic examination preparatory skills. He was at Trinity College, Kandy this week.

Before getting down to meticulous details on how to prepare for a major examination like the A/L not only by studying effectively but also having adequate sleep and leisure time, he talks to them of the Nine A Syndrome.

Securing 9 As at the Ordinary Level (O/L) examination is very easy, according to him, and many students get swollen-headed. Sometimes, these very same students fail all three subjects at the A/Ls, for the A/Ls are much more difficult.

Comparing and contrasting the O/Ls and the A/Ls, he is quick to point out that the O/Ls test the knowledge of facts. Teachers have spoon-fed O/L students who have more or less memorized all that and just spew forth (vamaranawa) the information at the exam. At the A/L, students are tested on concepts and principles and their analytical ability and application of these concepts/principles. Those children who have not performed too well at the O/Ls should also not get upset because the real exam is the A/L.

Tuition classes, Dr. Abeywardena deals with next. Students are bombarded by tuition, both by their parents and their peers. Do you know that many A/L students attend three tuition classes per subject making it nine tuition classes in addition to school-time. This leaves no time even to read, let alone digest what they have been taught. They are exhausted because all this eats into their precious and essential sleep-time.

Students from Matale assume that the classes held there are not good enough, so they either come to Kurunegala or Kandy. Some Kurunegala children go to Colombo and even vice versa. A students day starts very early and ends very late, it is learnt.

Select your tuition classes intelligently. It should be one class per subject and only two per subject if there is a dire need, for everyone has a limit or capacity, he says, adding, never go for tuition from morning to night as it is counter-productive.

Pointing an accusing finger at tuition teachers, he says that they hold lengthy classes, sometimes as much as 4 hours at a stretch, with only a tiny break. They do it for money and the students cave in due to the herd mentality strongly prevalent in the country. Another trend is for non-teachers such as engineers and doctors to make a quick buck by giving tuition.

Select your tuition teachers with care, urges Dr. Abeywardena, suggesting that the best would be teachers who go in for paper correction or those who are involved in curricula development. Remember, all others who are very quick to display large posters with huge photographs of themselves in film-star stance are not teachers. They may have the subject knowledge, but they are not trained and skilled at teaching, to impart knowledge.

Reiterating that stress is essential in life but the secret lies in managing your stress without becoming highly anxious, he then moves onto how a student should get about with his lessons, when preparing for the A/Ls.

A good way to learn material is SQR3, MediScene understands:

S  skim or survey the study material

Q  make your own questions on the subject matter that you have skimmed or surveyed

3Rs  Read: Then find answers to your own questions through more in-depth reading; Recite: Read aloud your answers to yourself or your parents or teach somebody else; Review: Summarize and re-read

Conceding that the A/L syllabi are very vast, Dr. Abeywardena says that students should develop the ability to write their own short-notes. Critical of the new trend set by bookshops of selling short-notes, he tells students that it will not be good for them. Your picture memory is better than your factual memory. So your own short-notes should be a flow chart with a few words, small cartoons, mnemonic signs, in song or verse form (like the Periodic Table in chemistry with Little Betty..). Then it gets fixed or implanted onto your brain well.

Sometimes, girls tend to colour-code their books  marking in red the very important sentences, in orange and yellow in diminishing order of importance. That may be okay, but better to have a word or two to jog your memory outside the book, he says.

He also recommends that students should study in small groups otherwise the stress levels could reach unbearable levels. The study group should be two or three who are at the same level and not more than that as beyond that would be a crowd and a distraction. In a small group, three books would be open, with one student asking a question and the other two answering, followed by arguments and debates. It would be very easy to recall such a scene when a similar question is seen on the examination paper, helping the right answer to come quickly. It would also help the students to realize that others are in the same plight.

There is also a need to answer past papers and model papers, without re-studying the content of a subject over and over again.

Tips for A/L studentsVery specific are Dr. Gihan Abeywardenas suggestions to A/L students who are hoping to sit the examination in August 2017.

Follow the EFT Principle of Time Management  an effective method of managing your time with regard to any activity (assignments, exams, work, etc.)

E Exploration 60%

F Fixation 30%

T Testing 10% He divides the 170 days left up to August 7 thus:

Exploration  from today to May 29

Fixation  from May 30 to July 20

Testing  from July 21 to August 7

Explore and gain information and knowledge about a topic  Work through your curriculum; complete your assignments; do additional reading in the library; discuss with others in the field; contact fellow students to sort out problems; make summaries for intensive study later; identify questions you have to answer; and identify & clarify difficult concepts. Intensive study phase (fixation)  Consolidate everything you need to study; make meaningful summaries; and memorize the work which needs to be memorized! Test yourself  Ask yourself & answer questions which cover the study material; use the study material to formulate questions; use old exam questions to practise; and have group study sessions How to beat academic anxiety

This Consultant Psychiatrist deals with the symptoms of academic anxiety, what you experience when you are anxious about your academic work and then shows students how to relieve them.

Physical symptoms  Headache and/or muscle pains when studying/writing your exams; excessive sweating (hands and face); fast or irregular breathing; fast or irregular heartbeat; overeating or lack of appetite; disturbed sleeping patterns; and stomach problems such as indigestion, diarrhoea and butterflies in the tummy. Intellectual symptoms  Problems remembering & recalling newly learnt material and problems with logical thinking and problem-solving.Emotional symptoms  Feelings of panic, especially that there is not enough time to complete an exam and feeling inadequate, with negative thoughts such as: Im a bad student, Im stupid and worthless. What is needed is Positive Thinking, says Dr. Abeywardena:

As soon as you find yourself starting a negative line of thought and becoming tense, say to yourself: Stop it! I am playing with fire. I must start thinking more positively!

Practise this strategy as soon as you feel yourself becoming tense.
Make TV time family time View(s):

By Dr. Udena Attygalle

Starting with a snort and ending with laughter, Peppa Pig, her friends and family are everywhere, and they are not the only ones. Ben 10, Princess Sofia and characters from Frozen are also there. From birthday cakes to bed sheets, the marketing gurus of cartoons know their job! However, with social media being abuzz about whether Peppa Pig is good for your child or not, it seemed an opportune time to write about how cartoons affect children, and also parents.

However the controversy whether Peppa Pig causes autism appears to be unfounded when considering that autism is a condition with a high but complex genetic risk and watching Peppa Pig (or any cartoon for that matter) does not come into the known list of risk factors for autism! Nonetheless, screen time in general for young children and its merits is a subject of much debate.

It is now not an uncommon sight to see toddlers watching T.V or playing with their parents smart phones. But how good is this? The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) at one point recommended that children under 2 years do not watch any TV and that those older than 2 watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of good quality programming. However, this recommendation appears to have been not practical in todays world. Even so, the first 2 years of life is an important period of brain growth, and time spent staring at a screen can interfere with the time that the child has to explore his world, feel and understand sensations and also time to interact and develop attachments to parents. Currently there still appear to be limited evidence of benefit of media for children under 2 years. The AAP in its most recent recommendation suggests that families develop a media plan that suits their family.

For preschool children (those in the 3-5 age group) it has been found that well designed programming can improve a range of skills. It has been found that cognitive, social, and literacy outcomes are all improved. However, the recommendations go on to state that even these well designed programmes are not the best medium to teach other skills such as higher-order thinking skills, task persistence, impulse control, emotion regulation, and creative, and flexible thinking. These are all best taught through unstructured and social play, as well as parentchild interactions.

Other issues associated with watching television for long hours include such diverse issues such as childhood obesity (possibly driven by lack of exercise, eating while watching television and even food advertisements!). There is also evidence of screen time affecting sleep time in children. Arousing and exciting content and the light of the screen is thought to disturb the sleep cycle and sleep pattern of children.

It is also well known that parents watching television distracts them from interacting with their children. It is also known that parent media use is a strong predictor of child media habits. Therefore setting an example in how we use media ourselves may help our children pick up healthier habits. So having rules for children on television watching and not having them ourselves is less likely to work, thus the importance of a family media plan.

There is also a body of evidence that suggests that watching violent acts on television can contribute to aggression in real life. Given just how much violence kids see on TV, and the advent of Satellite TV in Sri Lanka making foreign programming freely available, one wonders how much of violence on T.V a Sri Lankan child is witness to. Statistics in the U.S show that on average a child will witness around 200,000 violent acts on television by the age of 18. It is probable that the situation in Sri Lanka is not that different.

Another aspect that is relevant to how television affects children is how commercials or advertisements affect them. Two main issues in this regard are, when can children differentiate between advertising and normal programming, and when can they understand the content. It is likely that very young children will have difficulty in both these issues, especially when their favourite characters are also involved!

So what can parents do to help children navigate todays world of commercial T.V? One approach is to try to have an ongoing conversation about what children see on T.V. Talking to them about the advertisementstheir purpose and content would be valuable. Pointing things out and helping them experience things in the real world that may be different to what is advertised will help put things in perspective. Some parents may also do their own advertising directing children to better options using their childrens favourite characters and staging a play of sorts.

Another option would be to use DVDs for recorded programming where there are no commercials and you know the content in advance for the younger children. Sitting down with your children to watch TV together, will give an opportunity to do something together as a family and also an opportunity to discuss the content of the programmes so that they get a different perspective to that given in the programme.

While there are many online apps to assist families in making media plans for themselves, some suggestions that may help are limiting the time spent watching the TV, turning it off during meal times, keeping it away from bedrooms and having specific times when the whole family views the television together. The programme content to watch can be selected beforehand so that you are not suddenly surprised. It would also be very important for the parents to set a good example by keeping to the rules themselves.

Limiting TV time can free up time for both the parents and child, and parents should make sure there are alternative activities that the child can engage in  games, books, crafts, playing outside and play time with parents. Thus, with the right guidance watching television can become both an enjoyable and useful activity for your children.

(The writer is Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Teaching Hospital Karapitiya)
View(s):

Ports Ministry wants ownership of artificial island in HambantotaA proposal by Ports Minister Arjuna Ranatunga that the Sri Lanka Ports Authority retain the ownership of an artificial island built with soil dug out during the construction of the Hambantota port is to be taken up during talks with the Chinese company vying to take over its management.

The issue was raised at a meeting with China Merchants Port Holdings Company (CMPort) last week. Minister Ranatunga, who accompanied Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on his official visit to Australia this week, had pointed out that the island was not funded by a Chinese loan. Therefore, it did not need to be part of any privatisation effort aimed at offsetting the heavy debt incurred by Sri Lanka in building the port.

CMPort had countered that if the 45-hectare island were to be taken out of the equation, it would lower its investment in the privatisation. The Ministry contended that the Government should then look at the second Chinese party  China Harbour Engineering Company  that had also bid for the Hambantota Port. The issue is being hammered out in ongoing discussions.

At the February 9 meeting, CMPort had also wanted to adhere to the original framework agreement that grants it comprehensive control over Hambantota port, including internal security. That document was signed in December between CMPort and the Secretaries of the Ministries of Finance, Ports and Shipping, and Development Strategies and International Trade. It is also up for further negotiation.

The Concession Agreement  a negotiated contract between a company and a government that gives the company the right to operate a specific business within the governments jurisdiction, subject to certain conditions is yet to be signed. The Framework Agreement provides for the setting up of a joint venture (JV) company between CMPort and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority in which the Chinese company will hold 80 percent of shares and SLPA 20. The term of the lease and concession period is 99 years.

The Chinese-led venture is set to gain authority over pilotage (directing ship movement) service, navigation service, tug service, berthing service, port security service, lighterage (use of lighters in loading, unloading and transporting ships) service, shipping and transshipping, warehousing, mooring service, wharfage, supply of water, fuel and electricity, bunkering and inner anchorage service.

The Chinese also gain control of diving and ship repair including underwater ship repair service, handling petroleum, petroleum products and lubricating oils to and from vessels and between bunkers and depots, and any other service incidental to all services stated above.

The JV will acquire or lease (as the case may be) all operational assets and common user facilities, including container terminals, multi-purpose terminals and oil terminals with fuel storage and supply facilities, the manmade island, sea channel, breakwater, access road, turning basin, navigation, cofferdam and common user terminals.
Asleep three-wheel driver hits lorry causing fatal fall of child (3) View(s):

A three-wheel driver responsible for an accident leading to the death of a three-year-old child, had fallen a sleep during a long distance trip from Bandarawela to Colombo, a Coroners court inquiry was told.

The 24-year-old driver, Sena Maddumage Sanjeewa said his vehicle collided with a lorry, after he fell asleep, in the Getahetta area in Ratnapura on February 5.

The child was thrown out of the three-wheeler for the impact and rushed to Avissawella hospital and thereafter, to the Colombo National hospital where the child succumbed to its injuries.

The driver of the lorry, W. Bulathsinhala, 38, said he was proceeding to Kahawatta when he noticed the three-wheeler coming in the opposite direction, heading towards his vehicle.

The Coroners court had earlier ordered to produce the two drivers before courts.
Attack on Noyahr: Three army men remanded, shocking details emerge View(s):

Criminal Investigation Detectives yesterday arrested an Army officer and two Sergeants over the May 2008 attack on journalist Keith Noyahr. The arrests came after the trio were summoned to CID headquarters on Friday and interrogated. The trio are Major Prabath Bulathwatte, Sergeant Duminda Weeraratne and Sergeant Hemachandra Perera. The formal arrests were made yesterday after interrogation overnight. Two more soldiers from the Armys Military Intelligence are now being interrogated.

Probing the case was a CID Task Force that has been investigating a string of incidents  murders, abductions and assaults on media personalities. They included the killing of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickremetunga, the disappearance of Lanka E-news journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda and the attack on Rivira Editor Upali Tennekoon.

The three suspects were produced before the Additional Magistrate A.T.N. Fernando at her residence yesterday by Inspector Nishantha Silva. He told the Magistrate that the evidence collected through mobile phone records corroborated the accounts given to CID detectives by witnesses including family members. He also told the Magistrate that Mr Noyahr, then Associate Editor of the Nation and now domiciled in Australia, was followed for hours by his abductors before he was seized from his Dehiwala residence.

Inspector Silva said that the suspects had taken Mr. Noyahr to a Military Intelligence hideout in Dompe and tortured him. They had wanted to know the sources of the stories he had revealed in his newspaper. He said the suspects had planned to kill Mr. Noyahr but had brought him back to a location near his home after a telephone call came from a VIP.

Counsel who represented the three Army personnel submitted that their clients were being politically victimised since Mr. Noyahr was not even in the country to testify. They said their clients should be produced in courts so they will receive a fair hearing. Additional Magistrate remanded the suspects till March 3 but directed the CID that they be produced in Courts on February 23 in keeping with the request by the counsel.

CID sources said the three suspects were all members of a secret military intelligence platoon operating out of a camp at the Tripoli market in Maradana during the previous regime. A further three suspects are now being interrogated at the CID headquarters over this incident and other attacks. CID sources said more arrests were to follow.

Military spokesman Brigadier Roshan Seneviratne confirmed to the Sunday Times that the Army Major and two others had been arrested. He said all three were attached to Military Intelligence. He said the Army would render any assistance the Police would seek on the matter.
By Press Trust of India: Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 18 (PTI) A BJP worker who was allegedly attacked by CPI(M) activists today died at the government medical college hospital here.

Ravindranath (58) was the president of Kadakkal panchayat in nearby Kollam district.

A retired police official, he had suffered severe head injuries during a clash between CPI(M)-BJP activists at Kanjirathumoodu in Kadaykkal two weeks ago.

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He was undrgoing treatment at the medical college here since the attack, but succumbed to injuries this morning, party sources said.

As a mark of protest over his death, BJP has called for a dawn-dusk hartal in Kollam district tomorrow, partys district president G Gopinath said.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said law and order situation had worsened in the state and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should relinquish the Home portfolio currently with him. PTI LGK ROH ASV

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Enforced disappearance: Bill holds superiors also accountable for the crime By Chandani Kirinde View(s): View(s):

The Bill, to be enacted shortly, to give effect to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, provides for the sanctioning of superiors who, by commission or omission, are party to such crimes.

The Law also provides for the extradition of a person, including those holding citizenship of other countries with which Sri Lanka has extradition treaties and are signatories to this Convection, to stand trial for acting in violation of the provisions of this Act.

The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance Bill was published in the Government gazette on the order of the Prime Minister this week, and comes just ahead of the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) where Sri Lanka is on the agenda. The Council will meet from February 27- March 24, with Minister for Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera slated to address the Council on February 28.

The provisions of the Bill are in keeping with the recommendations of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances which, in its report, submitted to the 33rd session of the UNHRC last July, after its visit to the country, recommended that the Government adopt comprehensive legislation on Enforced Disappearances without delay.

It recommended that the Government make Enforced Disappearance a separate offence consistent with the definition contained in the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and punishable by appropriate penalties that take into account its extreme seriousness.

Under the provisions of the Act, any public officer or, anyone acting with the authorisation, support or acquiescence of the State, arrests, detains, wrongfully confines, abducts, kidnaps, or, in any other form, deprives any other person of such persons liberty, refuses to acknowledge such action or, fails or, refuses to disclose the present whereabouts of such other person, shall be guilty of an offence. The Bill also prohibits the holding of any person in secret detention with all detainees having the right to communicate with and be visited by his relatives, an attorney or, any other person of his/her choice.

The law enforcement authorities and the Sri Lanka HRC will also have access to the places where persons are kept in confinement without their consent.

The Colombo High Court will have exclusive jurisdiction to try those charged with offences under this Act.

Punishment upon conviction by the High Court, of an offence under this Act, will range from imprisonment of up to 25 years, as well as payments of fines of up to Rs 1 million, as well as liability to pay up to Rs 500,000 as compensation to the victim.

Sri Lanka signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance in December 2015, and ratified it in May 2016. The Bill will give legal effect to Sri Lankas obligations under the Convention.
College of Journalism: Apply before Feb. 28 for the 2017 diploma course View(s):

The Sri Lanka College of Journalism (SLCJ) has begun registering students for its 13th intake.

The diploma is a full-time one-year course, the College said.

The four core subjects of the diploma are print, television, radio and social media. During the course, internships are provided at recognised media institutions as part of the curriculum, a press release from the college said.

The diploma is in the three language streams and the college will use the experience and talents of senior journalists to conduct sessions. Applicants should preferably have three passes at the GCE Advanced Level and be in the age group 18 to 25. Those who have passed the GCE Ordinary Level will also be considered.

The deadline for applications is February28, 2017 and applications should be sent to the Sri Lanka College of Journalism, No.96, Sir Bernard Soysa Mawatha (Kirula Road) Colombo 5 or info@slcj.lk. For more information applicants can contact Asha on 5353635.

The only industry-driven journalism institute in the country  the Sri Lanka College of Journalism endeavours to change media from within, by imparting skilled training and education to journalists in Sri Lanka. The SLCJ is equipped with all facilities to teach both print and broadcast journalism.

It was established following the Colombo declaration of media freedom and social responsibility and is an operational arm of the Sri Lanka Press Institute and the Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka.
Dispute between UDA and PCs goes to President View(s):

President Maithripala Sirisenas intervention is being sought to resolve the tussle over the Urban Development Authority (UDA) now exercising some functions of the Provincial Councils.

This has become necessary as there is a clear dispute and a solution has to be found, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapa told the Sunday Times. As minister in charge of the subject, I do not want to deliver verdicts. However, I do want to find a solution by consulting the President, he said.

Minister Musthapa was commenting on the front page lead story in the Sunday Times last week. It said a constitutional crisis was in the making over the Government move to vest in the UDA some key functions exercised by provincial and local councils. He did not give details but Ministry officials said issues had arisen over the wording of the Concurrent List in the Provincial Councils Act.

UDA Chairman Jagath Munasinghe admitted in a statement to the Sunday Times that the UDA had withdrawn only a portion of the powers delegated to the Local Authorities by them in 1985. He said these were powers vested in the UDA Law which came long before Provincial Councils were established.

He pointed out that original powers vested with the UDA and the functions carried out by it remained intact.

Therefore, he claimed, in that sense, this action by UDA has not affected the functions exercised by Provincial Councils. Nevertheless, he argued, the building permits and development clearances are not the key functions of local authorities.

However, Western Province Chief Minister Isuru Devapriya said the powers vested with the Provincial Councils had been delegated to the local councils.

Now the UDA is taking them away. That is why all Provincial Councils are opposing the move, he told the Sunday Times.

Southern Province Chief Minister Shan Wijayalal de Silva said he believed the Gazette notification giving new powers to the UDA was against the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
Drought-bungling and graft-cries rise from a desperate million By Kevin Akash Widanapathirana View(s): View(s):

People in many more districts are facing ruin because of the unprecedented drought, while farmer groups are insisting that the government pay Rs 50,000 for every acre destroyed. Farmers charge that government incompetence and corruption has made the situation worse.

Some estimates suggest that at least a million Sri Lankans are desperate.

Government officials say money has been made available to provide drinking water and rice is being imported.

Latest data from the Disaster Management Ministry show 845,343 people in 16 districts are suffering in the drought. In the Western Province alone, with a 298,848 are badly affected.

Gampaha and Kalutara are the worst affected. In Gampaha, 101,516 have been identified as victims, while in Kalutara there are 197,332.

Gampaha, Assistant District Secretary, Prasad Indika, said out of 13 divisional secretariat areas, eight have been badly affected.

The situation is terrible. Dompe was added recently to the list. The conditions are becoming worse, he said.

In the district, 252 water tanks have been placed for the collective use of the public. These tanks are being filled by using 9 water tankers operated under the District Secretariat with the assistance of Pradeshiya Sabhas.

It is challenging to supply water to 23,845 families with only nine water tankers. We have requested a few more from the army. If the situation worsens we might have to seek the support of non-government organisations as well, he said.

The Attanagalu Oya flowing across the district is in danger of drying out, said T D Wijesuriya, divisional irrigation engineer in the Gampaha district.

The meter reading of the Attanagalu Oya was -0.22 m (according to a reference scale) on Friday. This is a severe stage.

He warned of a possible severe drinking water shortage by mid-March. Water pumped from the Attanagalu Oya was distributed to mitigate the drinking water scarcity. If this also dries up, it will be serious, he said.

In the Northern Province people are desperate. According to the Disaster Management Centre, 14 divisional secretariat areas have been affected in Jaffna district. Relief operations are not functioning in certain parts of the province.

The Disaster management officer of the Polonnaruwa district, Upul Nanayakkara said that at the moment the recent rains have helped to ease the drinking water shortage.

All the paddy lands have been cultivated except in Kawudulla and Girithale. Discussions are underway with the Ministry of Agriculture to pay compensation to the farmers in the two areas, he said.

However, other sources said 50,000 acres of paddy lands out of 150,000 acres that are usually cultivated have been abandoned.

The Director General of the National Disaster Relief Service Centre, Chaminda Pathiraja, said: The government has granted Rs 50 million through the Treasury to provide drinking water facilities. Another fleet of 100 tractor bowsers and more 1,000 litre water tanks will be bought. The government has provided funds for overtime payments, fuel, hire more bowsers and to buy water.

Pathiraja also said 25 metric tonnes of rice from Pakistan will be imported and another 5,000 metric tonnes will be shipped from Indonesia. These would be available in the market by March.

Officials are gathering data about drought affected farmers to grant relief. Discussions are underway to provide compensation to the farmers. There are proposals to employ them in development projects but a final decision has not been made, he said.

He said that non-government organisations could assist and all foreign donations could be coordinated via the External Affairs Ministry.

The Department of Meteorology said although light rain can be expected from time to time it wouldnt be enough to ease drought conditions.

On 18 and 19 evening showers may occur in most parts of the island except in the Northern Province. In mid March a change in the dry weather will start to occur and by May the drought will totally be over, predicted duty meteorologist Srimal Herath.

The Assistant Commissioner of the Agrarian Services Department, M L M Sandamali, said the damage to paddy lands is being estimated to calculate compensation.

A significant decline in the yield is visible in cultivations during this harvesting period. We were able to dig irrigation wells and to pump underground water with the help of the irrigation department for cultivation. In Gampaha district we recovered 3,600 hectares of paddy this way, she said.

The national organizer of the All Ceylon Farmers Federation, Namal Karunarathna, charged that mismanagement and government corruption were responsible for the crisis. The government says that the reason for this drought is the low rainfall last year. Thats not the truth. Last year also we received the usual rainfall but the there was a slight difference between the time periods. The problem is the inability to store that.

He also said the Maha cultivation has failed for the first time in four decades.

The officials didnt release water properly last year. The harvest was low as a result. The Padaviya Tank had not been renovated since 1950s, he said.

Renovations and de-silting of tanks should be done and new tanks should also be built. The so-called experts have no idea about the technology in irrigation systems as our ancestors had. For example, the Minneriya tank had 62 small tanks known as kulu wewa to control the water flow in the main tank, Karunarathna said.

The farmers have lost their livelihood completely. Their paddy, vegetable, and corn cultivation have been devastated. We demand the government pay Rs 50,000 for every acre of damaged cultivation and to pay other cultivations according to the damage, he stressed. The government cannot refuse that. This is the first compensation farmers have demanded in 40 years for a Maha season.

UN WFP to help overcome drought related hardshipThe UN World Food Programme (WFP) has come forward to assist Sri Lanka to overcome difficulties faced by the public due to the severe drought prevalent islandwide.The WFP will conduct this programme in partnership with the ministries, non-government organisations and the private sector. As per the requests made by the Ministry of Disaster Management and the External Resources Dept, for drought related support, WFPs technical experts conducted a preliminary drought assessment and a report submitted to a ministerial Sub Cabinet meeting on the drought. In February, the WFP and the Government will lead a joint emergency assessment of the impact of the drought on household food security and livelihoods. Meanwhile, the WFP is assisting 14,000 farming families in the Mahaweli River Basin, while 72 small tanks will be rehabilitated this year under a Climate Change Adaptation Project. The WFP has also highlighted the food and nutrition insecurity due to the increased frequency of natural disasters such as floods and droughts. The WFP noted that the heavy rains received in late January did irreversible damage to the Maha season crops, which resulted in the 2017 harvest being considered the worst in the last decade.
Foreign job industry at stake View(s):

Minister seeks revision of budget decision on minimum salaries for migrant workers

By Sandran Rubatheesan

With a significant decrease in the number of Sri Lankans going overseas for jobs, the Foreign Employment Ministry is to seek Cabinet approval to reverse a budget decision on a minimum salary for skilled and unskilled Sri Lankan workers, a senior official said.

Ministry Secretary G.S. Withanage told the Sunday Times that a Cabinet paper was being submitted by Minister Thalatha Athukorala, showing the possible repercussions on Sri Lankas economy if this decision was implemented. Last year Sri Lanka earned a revenue of US$ 7.2 billion (Rs. 1.12 trillion) from the remittances of migrant workers, making it the biggest source of foreign revenue.

Earlier this month, a circular was issued by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) to all licensed foreign employment agencies over the revision of the minimum salary of Sri Lankan migrant workers. Accordingly, the minimum salary of an unskilled worker should be at US$ 350 a month and a skilled worker at US$ 450.

The circular was issued in keeping with a proposal in the National Budget for 2017. It specified that new salary scales applicable shall not include any allowance, overtime or other benefits and refers only to the basic salary. The Secretary said the minister would inform the Cabinet that Sri Lanka could not expect the revenue of US$ 7.2 billion if the decision was implemented.

Realising these possible negative outcomes, we are seeking Cabinet approval to suspend the decision till we develop the skills of our migrant workers, Mr. Withanage said. He said the original budget decision was taken by the Treasury without consulting the Foreign Employment Ministry or the Bureau.

An SLBFE official said that since the new circular was issued early this month, the number of migrant workers going to West Asia went down significantly though exact figures were not available immediately.

The Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA), a collective body of foreign employment agencies, expressed serious concerns over the new circular saying it would be the end of the foreign job sector if the government implemented the circular.

Our industry is already unstable due to the crisis in West Asia with the plunging oil prices. As a major voice in the industry we were not asked for our opinions or proposals. Many have started to leave the business also, ALFEA General Secretary Wijaya Undupitiya said.

He said there were many other countries in South Asia ready to supply domestic workers at lower salaries.
Horana tyre factory: Legal tangle over land ownership View(s):

By Namini Wijedasa

A land transaction between the Board of Investment (BOI) and controversial businessman Nandana Lokuwithana has become more complicated. Mr. Lokuwithanas Rigid Tyre Corporation (Pvt) Ltd is tipped to receive 100 acres of land from the gazetted BOI industrial zone at Wagawatta in Horana. The deal was negotiated by the Development Strategies Ministry which proposed a 99-year lease to Rigid Tyre at well below the BOIs base price for lands in that area.

But the Land Reform Commission (LRC) has now claimed ownership to the property and there are concerns that the BOI may not even be authorised to lease it out to Rigid Tyre. The LRC has already conveyed this to the relevant authorities. We made our submission with regard to the ownership of the land last week, its legal officer said. The LRC is reported to have transferred the property to the Janatha Estates Development Board (JEDB) which then handed it over to the BOI. The terms of those agreements were not immediately clear and are now being delved into by lawyers, said LRC Chairman Sumanatissa Thambugala.

Meanwhile, the Development Strategies Ministry has asked President Maithripala Sirisena to delist the 100 acres in Wagawatta from the BOIs list of gazetted industrial zones. This would allow the ministryto grant the land to Mr. Lokuwithana at the rates the Ministry has agreed to, overriding BOI objections.

The President has expressed concern about the deal. It is not known whether he will agree to such a delisting; or whether it can be done in view of new snags related to land ownership. It is technically not possible to transfer the property to the company without first sorting out who it belongs to, legal sources said, requesting anonymity.

The BOI this week sought the Attorney Generals advice on the ownership tangle. The investment agency had leased out lands in Wagawatta to other investors before Mr. Lokuwithana made a pitch for a plot.

The foundation stone for the tyre factory was laid on January 5. Its management started clearing the land soon after, even before the lease agreement with the BOI was signed. In late January, President Sirisena ordered work to be stopped till the terms of the proposed deal were re-examined. He also sent a note to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management warning about the loss to the BOI and highlighting the need for a level playing field for all investors.

Mr. Lokuwithana has pledged an investment of US$75 million or Rs. 11.2 billion and employment for between 1,000 and 3,000 people. His company is also to receive a 12-year tax holiday, approval to release 40 percent of production to the local market and a nominal annual rental for the plot.
Presidential Secretariat suspends BIA tender, initiates inquiry By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

The Presidential Secretariat, following complaints of irregularities in a tender award pertaining to the upgrading and construction of a new aircraft refueling facility at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, on Saturday suspended the award and called all concerned parties for an inquiry.

Informed sources said some of the other bidders who had objected to the tender being awarded to a Greek company, on grounds it was inexperienced in such work and didnt meet the prescribed criteria set out in the tender announcement, had complained direct to the Presidential Secretariat.

In a letter dated February 7 and signed by an Assistant Secretary, the Presidential Secretariat had informed one of the complainants to be present on Saturday (18), to investigate the allegation of tender irregularities. No details were available of yesterdays meeting.

The tender related to the upgrading of the Aviation Refueling Terminal and the existing Fuel Hydrant system by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC).

The development of this facility at the BIA should be carried out by a company with considerable experience and technical expertise, as an unintended spark can ignite the fuel vapour, causing a major fire, an aviation expert told the Sunday Times.

The criteria for selection includes submitting proof that a bidder has carried out fuel terminal construction to the magnitude of US$ 25 million, say CPC unions.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, other bidders who participated in the tender opening, alleged that, members of the Cabinet Approved Procurement Committee (CAPC) and the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) had not properly scrutinised the bid documents and their expertise in handling US$ 25 million-size projects.

In a letter to the CPC Chairman, trade unions noted that the same tender had been called twice- on June 18, 2015 and on April 29, 2016.

The first tender was cancelled by the same CAPC and TEC without any valid reasons.
Remove PM, SF if statements on Trinco port are false: NJC View(s):

The National Joint Committee (NJC) has called on President Maithripala Sirisena to remove Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Minister Sarath Fonseka from their posts, if they are found to have made false statements with regard to alleged negotiations on handing over the Trincomalee Port to India.

In a letter sent to the President, the NJC has drawn his attention to media reports last month, attributed to Minister Sarath Fonseka, telling Indian journalists that the Sri Lanka Government was negotiating with India to hand over the Trincomalee Port. This report, we believe, has to be taken seriously because, it was reported a few days later that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has also echoed similar intents by the Government, it notes.

The letter stresses that the NJC is unaware of any decision taken by the Cabinet of Ministers to negotiate with India on the port. If this is so, any negotiation in this regard, pursued by any authority or individual, is ultra vires (beyond ones legal power or authority).

If it is found that such a negotiation had been initiated without proper approval, the organisation has urged President Sirisena to take stern action against those responsible.

However, if what Minister Sarath Fonseka has mentioned, and reportedly reiterated later by the Prime Minister, is incorrect, you would have no other alternative than removing them from their respective offices for making false statements regarding the executive action of this Government.
Rice not boiled but set ablaze View(s):

Rice has been part of Sri Lankas civilization for thousands of years and our plate of rice still carries a degree of sanctity. Therefore it was shocking , if not sacrilegeous, to see how Consumer Protection Authority officials set ablaze more than 2,400 kilos of rice in Polonnaruwa. This came after a court ordered the destruction of this stock of rice because it was not fit for consumption. The trader had used dye to sell white rice as red Nadu. Pic by Gamini Obeysekera
All for the little ones By Randima Attygalle From SMILES to Alipencha, Shigeko Babas service of three decades in the country has been for underprivileged children View(s): View(s):

Seeing some of the little ones in underprivileged areas of the country taking their school books to school in sirisiri bags broke Shigeko Babas heart. I just could see the pain written all over their little faces especially when they were ridiculed by their better-off counterparts, remembers Shigeko who initiated the educational foster programme  SMILES which provides underprivileged children school materials including bags, shoes and stationery. This foster programme is supported by donors and each donor receives a letter and art work from the sponsored child.

SMILES is just one of the many efforts that Japanese educationist Shigeko Baba has been responsible for in her 30-year association with Sri Lanka. Shigeko first arrived here in 1987 as a JAICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) volunteer and served Yoshida Pre-school in Sapugaskanda and later Surangani Pre-School in Peliyagoda, which she set up with a group of friends. For her the stay opened vistas beyond a volunteers stint and took her life on a path of helping the children of this land.

Alipencha (Little Elephant) is a small picture book library contained in a wooden display box on wheels. These portable library boxes contain 25-30 high quality picture books in each. We distribute these books to remote village preschools where access to reading material is limited. Alipencha project enables children to bring a picture book home every weekend and thereby promote family interaction through story-telling and sharing, notes Shigeko who remembers the generous contribution of well known writer and illustrator Sybil Wettasinghe to this project. Sybil nenda has done some masterpieces for us with so much love, says Shigeko whose three-decade association with the country has made her master the vernacular. The project not only focuses on literacy but also develops creativity and confidence in children notes the educator who discourages formal literacy instruction in early childhood development.

Shigeko Baba was 36 years old when she enrolled herself at the Asia University in Tokyo to read for her degree. Feeling quite at home with her fellow batchmates who were almost half her age, Shigeko specialized in International Relations. When others were quite thrilled over a cancellation of a lecture so that they could be frolicking, I was quite disappointed that I was missing a class, smiles the soft-spoken lady recollecting her undergraduate days. She adds, For me parties held no interest at that age and what excited me was the fact that life had offered me a chance to learn, learn and learn.

I wanted to return to Sri Lanka to be of better service and I thought that an academic qualification would enrich me more although I had practical teaching experience behind me at this time. This is what drove me to earn my degree even as a mature student. Shigekos zest for learning later took her to the University of Pennsylvania where she read for her Masters in Education Leadership.

Shigeko established Surangani Voluntary Services (SVS) here in 1992, named after the pre-school she established after her volunteer days in Peliyagoda. Rendering a silent service, SVS has evolved into an organization committed to improving the quality of preschool teaching and nurturing better learning environments for children. Today SVS works with nearly 400 pre-schools in several districts including Colombo, Ratnapura, Ampara, Mannar, Moneragala, Galle, Batticaloa and Trincomalee, touching the lives of around 6000 children. SVS also works closely with community resource persons and Grama Niladhari officers who facilitate networking at community level.

For Shigeko, the best part of SVS is the people she works with. Taking immense pride in her committed staff, Shigeko adds, all of us take pride in what we do.

Along with SMILES and Alipencha, SVS also runs The Little Tree and Preschool Teachers Diploma Course. The Pre-School Teachers Diploma Course assisted by JAICA and accredited by the Childrens Secretariat, is designed to equip teachers to deliver quality pre-school education and activities.

The positive and progressive thinker she is, Shigeko or Baba-San (San is a Japanese term of respect) as she is referred to with love and respect by her students and staff, believes that every child has a part to play in society. The Sri Lankan education sector is still evolving in terms of catering to children with special needs and this becomes even more challenging in the rural set up, observes Shigeko who initiated The Little Tree Special Needs Childrens Centre in Buttala in 2011 with assistance from Japan Postal Savings For International Voluntary Aid and the Japanese Embassy in Sri Lanka. Many children with special needs who used to languish at home with no basic education, have been nurtured into happy children under the shade of The Little Tree.

The visionary educationists commitment for Lankan children does not end there. Concerned over the employment prospects of children with special needs, Shigeko turned the tables once more initiating the Little Tree Peanut project, (affiliated to The Little Tree Special Needs Childrens Centre) in Buttala, capitalizing on the areas staple crop- rata kajuor peanuts. The factory which produces packeted roasted peanuts is a stable source of income for the parents of children with special needs. It also provides employment for young adults with special needs. As Shigeko points out, the product which is popular in Buttala and the volunteer network of SVS is also sold at the Good Market at Race Course Grounds in Colombo. To meet the growing demand for the product, they hope to enhance their manufacturing volume and expand the distribution network.

W. NalinVipulendra, National Representative, SVS says that 25 fruitful years with SVS had made him a matured personality with a whole new perspective on life. Baba-San has inspired us to lead and help others grow, says Nalin who goes on to note that instead of running their own pre-schools, SVS believes in reaching out to any preschool in need of mentoring.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, one of Shigekos earliest students at Yoshida Pre-school in Sapugaskanda, W.D.L. Saubhagya, presently the Assistant Director, Childrens Secretariat remarked that the best lesson Baba-San has cultivated in her is self-confidence. She helped us overcome stage fear and I still remember vividly how she used activity-based tools to develop personality in us, says Saubhagya who is mother of a young child herself and a professional committed to child welfare in the country. She set the example by doing things herself. The empathy she displayed as a warm and a caring teacher is exceptional.

Endorsing Saubhagya, are the volunteers who come to the SVS office in Nawala and keep themselves productively engaged making an assortment of items including teaching material and greeting cards. Mayumi, Kazuke and Ms. Nemoto were among them who consider themselves to be bridges between Japan and Sri Lanka. Either career commitments or marriage had brought them all here and now they find Sri Lanka their second home. I find volunteering at SVS a rewarding experience, to be part of the selfless work Baba San is doing for Lankan children, says Mayumi Isafahani, a Japanese-English translator who comes from Wellawatte regularly to be part of SVSs work. Baba Sans commitment is a fine reflection of healthy relations between the two countries and this exercise is purely a labour of love, Mayumis words seemed to aptly encapsulate the inventive educationists vision for the underprivileged children of this land.
By Press Trust of India: Los Angeles, Feb 18 (PTI) Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farookis "No Bed of Roses", starring and co-produced by India actor Irrfan Khan, has been effectively banned in Bangladesh.

Speculation has been rife in the Bangladeshi and Indian media that the film is a biopic loosely based on late Bangladeshi writer and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed who divorced his wife of 27 years and married an actress 33 years his junior. Farooki has denied that the film is a biopic.

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According to Variety, the film begins with a disclaimer that the film has no resemblance to any real life characters alive or dead. Irrfan plays a filmmaker named Javed Hasan who leaves his wife and marries an actress who was his daughters classmate in school.

"I am really surprised to know that the government of Bangladesh has blocked the film. This is a humane story that deals with complex male and female relationships in a subtle and balanced way. What harm will it cause to the society if seen?" Irrfan said.

The film is a co-production between Bangladeshs Jaaz Multimedia and Indias Eskay Movies with Khans IK Company as co-producer.

The Bangladesh Film Development Corporations (BFDC) Joint Venture Preview Committee approved the script on March 8, 2016 after which the film went into production.

The completed film was previewed for the BFDC on February 12, 2017 and received a No Objection Certificate on February 15.

On February 16, the BFDC sent the production a letter stating that the certificate had been cancelled due to a letter from the Bangladesh Information Ministry.

When BFDC Managing Director Tapan Kumar Ghosh was asked about the reason for the revocation of the Certificate, he said that it is not the BFDCs prerogative to issue the certificate and it was up to the Bangladesh Film Censor Board to issue it.

However, all the letters issued to the production from the BFDC are all on the organizations official letterhead.

In reality, international co-productions cannot approach the Censor Board without the BFDC certificate.

"We have been blocked at the first gate. As the order does not explain any reason, I dont know why they thought screening of the film would be inappropriate.

"Yes, my film handles a so-called taboo subject but it doesnt show anything explicit and hence doesnt violate any censor code. This goes against the freedom of expression," said Farooki.

Farooki is now taking the matter to court. PTI JCH JCH

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Await a feast for your eyes By Tarini Pilapitiya Noeline Fernando, Royden O. Gibbs, Michael Anthonisz, G. Wathuwalagedara and Amaresh Perera to hold joint art exhibition View(s): View(s):

It is not often that five artists of the calibre of Noeline Fernando, Royden O. Gibbs, Michael Anthonisz, G. Wathuwalagedara and Amaresh Perera, each well known in their own right hold a joint exhibition. But thats what art lovers can look forward to come March.

The five artists gathered last week at the Sapumal Foundation in Colombo to speak on the exhibition, which has not been given a title yet. They will present close to 60 works, all striking examples of their distinct individual styles. All good friends, Noeline tells us that they are respectful of each others work, encouraging each other and working together to make a memorable exhibition for their viewers. We paint for pleasure and for the sake of art, Noeline says.

The idea proposed by Wathuwalagedara was received with delighted responses from his fellow artists. They didnt go looking for sponsors and were happy when Kite Surfing Lanka promptly offered to sponsor the event.

First up, Noeline Fernandos warm and lively personality made us almost forget that we were sitting down for an interview and not an art class. An artist and teacher, she has devoted her life to art. Her portfolio reveals the care she takes over her work  one of a woman in solitude clutching a simple Araliya flower in her hand in muted colours speaks volumes showing the light or the solace she finds in the inanimate object. I always go in for emotions, Noeline says.

Her paintings range from the routine tasks of daily life to the Kalpitiya beaches, a place dear to her. A self-proclaimed beer-girl she is also exhibiting a collage of magazine scraps of Bombay Gin, Carlsberg and Lion Beer advertisements with a female representation.

Veteran artist G. Wathuwalagedara is in pursuit of excellence and is described by his colleagues as someone who paints and paints. His work he says simply, comes from deep inside. Wathuwalagedara has had a vast amount of exposure and education which makes him the creator he is today. He has a wider vision and is not overly concerned with mundane things. He aspires for his art to have a Universal appeal and when sitting down in front of a canvas or sketch pad says he has no preconceived idea of what he is going to paint he only knows that he is done when he is thoroughly satisfied. He tries not to compartmentalize his work and doesnt care to preach or tell a story.

With an ambition to justly present the homogenous Sri Lankan culture to his viewer, Kandy artist Amaresh Perera has elements of Freudian philosophy and fluid movements of martial art embedded in his paintings. His pieces such as Enlive depict a juxtaposition of light and dark, much like most of his portfolio of work. His knowledge and experience with low country drumming and martial arts find expression in his fluid brush strokes. Exposing a homogenous colour palate Amaresh passionately states that art is a medium which he can communicate his ideas.

Wanderlust has never left him and Royden O. Gibbs can be seen travelling through the outskirts of a jungle or vanishing into places most of us wouldnt dream of entering to capture a picture of the place in his minds eye. Im a bit of a sentimental guy, Gibbs tells us. The love to paint draws me to these places. He chuckles that if he sees something that captures his attention he whisks out his sketch pad and starts recording it. I love this country, he says with passion and his paintings record landscapes and buildings that might not be there as time goes by. A daredevil and risk taker his work only reflects the pains he takes to capture the beauty that most of us overlook. Royden motivates himself with No pain no gain to pursue these journeys.

You would be sure to stop and turn back to Michael Anthoniszs side of the gallery. With simple lines on a blank canvas this artist shows his dexterity in bringing out mind-stimulating imagery. With years of work unfolded in this exhibition he displays his multi  dimensional personality through his art.

Their Exhibition of drawings and paintings will be open to the public on March 4 and 5 at the J.D.A Perera Gallery from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entrance is free.
Yalpanam comes to Colombo By Randima Attygalle The Jaffna Food Festival at the Cinnamon Grand, while dishing out true flavours of the north also showcases a unique culture and emphasises the empowerment of women View(s): View(s):

Jaffna Cal thosai with Nandu (crab) curry anyone? How about Paalappam (coconut milk hoppers) or Palakkottai curry (jakfruit seed curry) with steamed red rice and vilai meen kulambu (mullet fish curry)? Rava Laddu or panipinatu for dessert? More than a gastronomic delight, Jaffna Festival which opened at the Nuga Gama of the Cinnamon Grand last Thursday is a slice of Yalpanams vibrant culture, replete with craft, dance and music.

Traditional Jaffna cuisine known as Yarlpana Samayal known for its blend of aromatic spices and sweet temptations, plays on what Jaffna folks believe to be the six senses of taste aru suvai-sweet, salty, bitter, sour, astringent and pungent. The Yalpanam feast at the Cinnamon Grand has over 70 dishes on offer an array of main dishes, vegetable, seafood and meat dishes, fried items and a range of authentic Jaffna desserts and best of fruits from the peninsula. Prepared by some expert Jaffna cooks based on age-old recipes, brinjal sambal, Point Pedro dry fish with onion and red chilli and shark mallum among many more promise to tantalize the taste buds. The ten-day Festival which concludes on February 26 offers a traditional Jaffna dinner at Cinnamon Grands Nuga Gama premises on weekdays and both lunch and dinner over the weekends.

The Jaffna Festival is an attempt to celebrate a way of life authentic to the region. It is also a means of celebrating the talent and skill behind the food, dance and music featured here, said Tharika Goonathilake, Assistant Vice President and Head of Marketing Communications, Cinnamon City Hotels. The hotel has teamed up with Jaffna Palmyrah Handicraft Ltd and Katpaham (affiliated to the Palmyrah Development Board) and Punkudutivu Food Manufacturers (PFM) for the event. Our trips to the region unearthed stories of inspiring women and the festival also aspires to empower them further, added Tharika.

With just Rs. 8000 in hand, P. Jamunadevi and K. Pushpamani set up a spartan cottage industry producing roasted red flour and spices in 2003. The lack of machinery which was beyond their means did not deter these two courageous women who chose to do their work the traditional way. A benevolent regular customer made a donation to expand the enterprise. As the demand for their spice brand grew, Jamunadevi and Pushpamani went from house to house and then to shops to hand-deliver the spices. Around this time the UNDP came forward to assist them to acquire machinery and a new premises. Today the Punkudutivu Food Manufacturers, provides livelihood for over 200 families. Im happy that the simple business I helped establish has helped supplement the income of many families, especially those managed by single parents, says Jamunadevi who adds that the best part of the Jaffna Festival is that it has brought the best quality Jaffna produce including spices to city folks.

Fuelled by her zest for empowerment, Jamunadevi went on to establish Jaffna Palmyrah Handicraft Ltd a few years ago. A non-profit organisation, it empowers women, largely war-widows. To fine-tune the skills of the artisans and find an export market for these products, Sarvodaya and the UNDP have stepped in, says Jamunadevi. The quality palmyrah products in intricate designs adorn the Jaffna Food Festival. Proceeds from the sale of palmyrah items at the festival will go directly to the artisans.

Giving guests a window into Jaffnas rich cultural legacy is the dance troupe Nakkappu Gramiya Kalai Kulu that performs a popular form of folk dance dating back over 250 years . Known as Nattu Koothu it includes Keelu Kudure a dance form where the movements of a horse are mimicked by dancers using a contraption that resembles a horse. Other dance forms including Bommalattam performed by men dressed up to look like life-sized dolls, Mayilattam or the peacock dance and Bharata natyam are also on display.
National Day Celebrations in Abuja View(s):

Sri Lankas 69th National Day was celebrated at the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Abuja, Nigeria. High Commissioner Thambirajah Raveenthiran addressed the gathering on the significance of the occasion and requested the Nigerians to visit Sri Lanka to enjoy its scenic beauty. He thanked the Sri Lankan community and Nigerian friends for their support and contribution in making the celebrations a great success.

The event was covered by the popular Silverbird Television and Nigerias prestigious dailies. Documentaries on Sri Lankas tourism and investment opportunities were screened at the event which concluded with a recention where traditional Sri Lankan cuisine was served.
A Kerala-based actor, best known for her appearances in Malayalam films, was abducted and molested last night in Kochi. The police have, so far, arrested one.

By India Today Web Desk: A Kerala-based actor, best-known for her appearances in Malayalam films, was abducted by a group of unidentified men and molested last night in Kochi.

As of now, one man has been arrested and police has begun search for the remaining culprits.

The gang stopped and forced themselves into the actor's car near Athani and Angamaly. Then they molested her till the car reached Palarivattom. The police have taken the actor's driver into custody. The actor reported that her former driver was a part of the gang that entered her car.

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The culprits reportedly took videos and photos of the young actor as well. After getting off at Palarivattom, the gang escaped in another car. According to Manorama News, Sunil Kumar AKA Pulsar Suni is the main culprit in this case.

The actor then took shelter in a film director's house in Kakkannad. The director informed the police after which the cops arrived at the place and took down the actor's statements. The police reportedly have got a lead on those absconding.

ALSO READ: Manju Warrier to play Kamala Das in the latter's biopic, not Vidya Balan

ALSO READ: Baahubali to The Ghazi Attack, why is the South doing high-concept films better?

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The 'Bombay-style' restaurant is dying a slow death in the city of its birth, with stalwarts like Dhobi Talao's Bastani & Co. and Brabourne already gone and others like Kyani and Sassanian barely limping along. But elsewhere around the country, slick faux-Bombay-style diners are booming-giving a new twist to Irani favourites like brun maska and keema pao, along with Mumbai street food classics like dabeli and bhelpuri. Even in London and New York, joints like Dishoom, Talli Joe and Paowalla are taking a bite of the 'schmaltz-y' pie.

Cafe Irani Chai, Mumbai

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The first new Irani restaurant to open in Mumbai in 50 years, this modest caf sits along a tiny lane in Mahim. It's a shiny, new portal into a moth-eaten era, with its glass countertop bearing egg trays and glass jars of bull's eye peppermint candy and Parle G biscuits. The Irani zereshk polow and mutton paya soup are best washed down with a Pallonji brand ginger or masala soda, or, better still, a piping hot (chipped) mug of Bournvita!

Rustom's, Delhi

A smallish Parsi mom-n-pop eatery gone a wee mod. Run by former food writer and bawi, Kainaz Contractor and former hotelier Rahul Dua, Rustom's claims to go beyond the ubiquitous dhansak and salliboti offerings of most so-called Parsi restaurants.

Soda Bottle Opener Wala

An early entrant, Soda Bottle Opener Wala (SBOW) has now sprung up in several Indian cities, with the newest being readied, ironically, in the Irani caf stronghold of South Mumbai's Colaba neighbourhood.

Gymkhana 91, Mumbai

A place that has an 'Old Boys' Club' feel without being stuffy. Sip a vodka-based Rustom nu soda and snack on the whimsically named Parsi-style Rati Aunty's chutney edupattice or Byculla's chicken Russian cutlets.

The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai

A real heart beats beneath the Parsi-style terracotta tiles here, thanks to Cardoz's innovative takes on the utchi dabeli bada pao sandwich and seafood bhelpuri.

Dishkiyaoon, Mumbai

Here, Chef Clyde Comello takes on classic favourite vada pav and transforms it into a deconstructed vada pav salad, while the beer-bar staple chakna becomes chanachur garam, complete with micro greens.

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By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Feb 18 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan today said the cancellation of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis rally in Pune was an "indication of the changing political scenario" in the state.

"People are fed up with the repeated lies being told by the BJP at election campaign rallies. Cancellation of the Pune rally is an indication that the scenario is fast changing against the BJP," he said in a statement issued here.

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Chavan claimed that the rally was cancelled since there was no crowd.

"Even though Fadnavis has clarified that the rally was cancelled due to miscommunication of time, there are no takers for this excuse," he said.

"The incident is an indication that the people have lost trust in the chief minister and the defeat of BJP is imminent," Chavan said.

Fadnavis was to address a poll rally at the New English School Ground on Tilak Road in Pune at 2 pm as part of his last phase of campaigning for the February 21 Pune Municipal Corporation polls.

The chief minister, after reaching the venue, found that very few people had turned up and most of the chairs were empty.

Fadnavis, who left the venue for adjoining Pimpri-Chinchwad without addressing the rally, later tweeted, "I have cancelled my public meeting at Pune due to miscommunication of time of rally. I regret for the same. Heading towards Pimpri Chinchwad." PTI MR RMT RC

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By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Feb 18 (PTI) UP politician Aman Mani Tripathi had allegedly killed his wife Sara Singh by strangulating her, CBI has claimed in its charge sheet filed today.

The CBI has alleged Aman Mani staged a road accident of his car Hyundai i10 at Firozabad to claim that Sara had died of fatal injuries but she was strangulated in a nearby field and her body was placed in the car.

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"During investigation, it was found that after her marriage with the accused, Sara was allegedly being subjected to physical torture and cruelty by the accused," CBI spokesperson R K Gaur said.

The agency has levelled IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, murder and dowry torture against Aman Mani.

The spokesperson said Aman Mani had killed Sara with a "premeditated plan" to get rid of her on July 9, 2015.

He allegedly framed a fake road accident and presented the same as cause of death of Sara, Gaur said.

Aman Mani, son of former UP minister and murder convict Amar Mani Tripathi, is contesting assembly elections as independent candidate from Nautanwa constituency in Gorakhpur.

Earlier, he was given ticket by Samajwadi Party but after Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav took reins of the party his nomination was cancelled and Munna Singh was declared new candidate from the constituency.

Giving details of the charge sheet, CBI sources said Sara was already dead when was shifted from the nearby field to the car and later on the Tata Magic vehicle in which she was taken to district hospital, Firozabad.

"It was the (dead) body of Sara Singh and not injured Sara Singh who was transported from the accident spot to district hospital," the sources said.

They said the claim of Aman Mani, that he and his wife met with an accident while trying to save a cycle-borne girl crossing the road, was found to be incorrect.

The sources said the agency is looking for other accomplices in the murder case and also the material used to strangulate Sara.

The agency has slapped charges for criminal conspiracy, murder and anti-dowry against Aman Mani.

"The Central Bureau of Investigation has today filed a charge sheet against an accused (husband of deceased) under section 498-A, 302, 201 and 120-B of IPC in the Court of Special Judicial Magistrate, CBI Cases, Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) in a case relating to alleged murder of his wife Sara Singh," Gaur said.

He said the CBI had registered the case on October 19, 2015 on a request from the Uttar Pradesh government.

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He said she was allegedly murdered on July 9, 2015 with a "premeditated plan" by Aman Mani to get rid of her.

Aman Mani was arrested on November 25, 2016 and is in judicial custody.

Aman Mani is the son of influential politician Amar Mani Tripathi and Madhu Mani Tripathi, both convicted in the murder of poetess Madhumita Shukla in 2007 and serving life terms.

Amar Mani Tripathi who had stints in the Congress, BJP, SP and BSP was a minister under Rajnath Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav-led governments in Uttar Pradesh. PTI ABS KUN

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The Cholamandal Artists' Village, on the outskirts of Chennai, is celebrating its 50th year anniversary with an exhibition of paintings and sculptures from the largely forgotten Madras Movement, begun in the late 1950s. Spearheaded by the late K.C.S. Paniker, who also founded the artists' village, the regional art movement consisted of students from the Madras School of Arts & Crafts, where Paniker was principal, and led to the discovery of "new premises for contemporary Indian art", according to art historian Josef James. Opened February 6 and running through March 20, the exhibition chronicles the 50-year desi Bohemia created in 1966 by artists including K.M. Adimoolam, V. Viswanadhan, C. Dakishnamoorthy and K. Jayapala Paniker. "The idea was to create awareness about the movement and about the village," explains M. Senathipathi, president of the Cholamandal Artists' Village.

When the village first came up, the artists built their own huts with thatch and bamboo, surviving without electricity and little food. But they were fired by Paniker's exhortation to be open to western art while drawing sustenance from tradition. Today, that rustic appeal has disappeared from the bustling village of concrete houses. The latest addition is the Cholamandal Cultural Centre, with studios and apartments for visiting artists, a gallery of contemporary art, and a gallery that artists can rent. Bohemia still, but with a gentle corporate face.

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Company is ranked as a Top Employer for 2017 among 59 certified companies in Belgium

This marks the fourth consecutive Top Employer accolade for TCS in Belgium, and builds on additional country recognition across Europe



BELGIUM | MUMBAI, FEBRUARY 17, 2017: Tata Consultancy Services (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, has been recognized as Belgiums Top employer for 2017 by the Top Employer Institute.



This latest certification makes it the fourth consecutive Top Employer accreditation for TCS in the country, where the company was recognized for its excellence as a place to work from amongst 59 other employers.



The rankings are finalized following in-depth research into 8 key HR criteria: Talent Strategy, Workforce Planning, On-boarding, Learning & Development, Performance Management, Leadership Development, Career & Succession Management, Compensation & Benefits and Company Culture.



Established over 25 years ago, the Top Employers certification is designed to identify the worlds leading organizations in the field of HR management and employee conditions  providing the optimum environment for employees to develop, both professionally and personally.



Jipson Mathew, Country Head, TCS Belgium: As one of the largest IT and digital employers in Belgium, were delighted to be recognized as the countrys top employer for the fourth year in a row. Were passionate about providing an environment that fosters innovation and develops peoples talent, so this is a wonderful honor and milestone that showcases the commitment we have to nurture our teams for the long term.



Steven Van Raemdonck, Country Manager for Belgium at Top Employers Institute added: Our comprehensive independent research and auditing revealed that TCS provides an exceptional employee experience, nurturing and developing talent throughout all levels of the organization. It has demonstrated its status in the HR environment, striving to optimize its employment practices and to develop all its teams skills.



This recognition builds on TCS previous accolades from the Top Employers Institute where it won the Top Employer in Europe for the second year running in 2016, as well as individual accolades in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and The Netherlands.



TCS established its presence in Belgium in 1992, and works with leading Belgian organizations, including several BEL20 companies, helping them adapt to the challenges of the digital economy.



To learn more about the Top Employers Institute and the Top Employers certification visit: www.top-employers.com.



About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that delivers real results to global business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT, BPS, infrastructure, engineering and assurance services. This is delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model, recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata group, Indias largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 371,000 of the worlds best-trained consultants in 45 countries.The company generated consolidated revenues of US $16.5 billion for year ended March 31, 2016 and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com

To stay up-to-date on TCS news in Europe, follow @TCS_Europe.

For TCS global news, follow @TCS_News.
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Streaming video has given us the ability to more or less watch whatever we want, whenever we choose. Because this newfound freedom also extends to traditional pay-TV, rarely will you find a shortage of quality content to consume.

My fiancee and I recently started HBO's Westworld after giving up on Australian paranormal series Glitch several episodes in (it was too similar to ABC's Resurrection). We also enjoyed Stranger Things although I'm not quite sure it lived up to the Internet hype (Westworld is off to a much better start) and look forward to season three of Better Call Saul come April. The first season of The Grand Tour from Amazon also delivered.

With this week's open forum, we're curious, what are you currently watching? Without giving away any spoilers, is there anything specific you'd recommend or suggest to avoid? Feel free to share in the comments section below.
What this evidence of live birth from a 250-million-year-old fossil of the long-necked relative of dinosaurs found in China tells us?

More than an evidence of live birth, the discovery has its profound effect on the present knowledge about the reproductive biology among Archosauromorphs.

The fish-eating Dinocephalosaurus fossil, an archosauromorp, thrived during the Middle Triassic Period in the shallow regions of South China Sea.

The researchers were "excited" when they discovered the pregnant fossil, according to Prof. Jun Liu, lead researcher from Hefei University of Technology in China.

The animal may have been three to four meters long with a neck that is about 1.7 meters long.

Reproductive Biology Re-written

"Live birth is well-known in mammals, where the mother has a placenta to nourish the developing embryo" Prof. Jonathan Aitchison, head of the University of Queensland School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said.

This mode of reproduction, however, has not been known among the third major group of living land vertebrate, crocodiles, and birds until recently.

The evolution of live birth happens independently among mammals and bigger groups of lizards and snakes, based on an article published in Nature Communications on Feb. 14. However, it was not known among Archosauromorphs, represented today by crocodiles and birds.

Live birth  technically known as viviparity  among scaled reptiles has evolved at least 115 times despite the complex process of the transition. This transition from egg-laying  or oviparity  to live birth involved the changes of the mother's form and structure, internal organs, and behavior leading to the feeding of embryo by the mother through a placenta.

It was thought that live birth was common only among lizards and snakes but not among the wider group living land vertebrate composed of crocodiles and birds.

Not until the discovery of the pregnant fossil. The embryo, measured about half a meter long, was inside the rib cage of the adult Dinocephalosaurus fossil.

At first, the researchers were not certain if the smaller fossil was the animal's last meal or unborn baby. Upon closer inspection and analysis, it was established that the fossil inside the adult animal was indeed the unborn baby.

Genetic Sex Determination

Professor Chris Organ, a fellow researcher from Montana State University, said analysis of the evolution had shown the live birth, in this case, was due to genetic sex determination.

"Some reptiles today, such as crocodiles, determine the sex of their offspring by the temperature inside the nest," he said.

The recent findings have shown that "Dinocephalosaurus, a distant ancestor of crocodiles, determined the sex of its babies genetically, like mammals and birds."

Liu said the discovery "pushes back evidence of reproductive biology among Archosauromorphs" by around 50 million years.

The discovery of the 250-million-year-old fossil has furnished "information on reproductive biology of archosauromorphs before the Jurassic Period," Liu said

Importance Of The Discovered Fossil

Archosauromorphs was one of the three large groups of land-based vertebrates. Each of the three groups numbered around 10,000 species.

The recent finding shows that the long-necked animal could achieve live birth.

Prof Mike Benton, co-author from the University of Bristol, told BBC News that palaeontologists would now be "looking very closely" at other fossils of animal group whose information on how they reproduction is not yet known.

One target is the group of aquatic crocodile, Benton said.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Rumors have been around for a long time that Microsoft is in the process of developing a new tablet, alleged to be the successor of the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. The upcoming device has been dubbed the Surface Pro 5 and has leaked yet again, suggesting its launch is imminent.

An alleged image of the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 has surfaced online on a French website which may belong to Microsoft. The official-looking render carries the title "win10-feature-surface-pro-5-z". There has been no confirmation so far that the website on which the image has been posted is an official Microsoft website page in French.

The leaked image on the website shows the rumored Surface Pro 5, alleged successor of the Surface Pro 4, bearing a Type cover with the Surface Pen lying in front of it. Interestingly, this image was posted by a Gilbert Kassab in March 2016 per the listing.

Apart from the leaked image, the name of the device has also been spotted on a Microsoft employee's LinkedIn profile. The name Neon has also been mentioned. Neon is the code name that has been assigned to Windows visual design language and will be incorporated on different platforms..

Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Rumored Specs

Recent leaks and rumors state that Microsoft is planning to deploy a 12.5-inch, 4K display screen on Surface Pro 5. Microsoft may use IPS touchscreen over Super AMOLED screens to give a great cinematic experience to the users of the device.

It was hinted that Microsoft Surface Pro 5 may house Intel's seventh-gen Kaby Lake Processor and may come in three different variants.

Customers have the option to purchase the Surface Pro 4 with 128 GB internal storage. Rumors hint that the Surface Pro 5 could be available with 512 GB on-board storage capacity as well. Speculations are also rife that the Surface Pro 5 may also support memory expansion of 512 GB to 1 TB via a microSD card.

The rumored device is expected to run on the Windows 10 Redmond 3 version and may also come with USB Type-C port with version 3.1 Thunderbolt.

The Surface Pro 4 is available with maximum 8 GB of RAM. A variant of the Surface Pro 5 may include 16 GB of RAM. The device may house an improved camera, as well as offer support for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Rumored Price And Release

Microsoft released the Surface Pro 4 tablet in October 2015. Since the company did not refresh the line in 2016, it is assumed that rumored Surface Pro 5 is likely heading for a March 2017 release.

However, doubts have been raised on the availability of the Kaby Lake processor, as the Intel chipset may not be available before H2 2017. In such a scenario, Microsoft may have to delay the release of the upcoming tablet yet again.

Microsoft Surface Pro 5's base model is expected to be priced at $899. Currently, the Surface Pro 4 is available for purchase at a $200 discount on Microsoft's online store.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The approval of of the Huawei Honor V9 from Chinese regulatory body TENAA hints at the impending launch of the new smartphone. Huawei announced that Honor V9 will be launched in its home country China on Feb. 21.

According to the latest rumors, China is not the only country to benefit from the handset, as Huawei may have now decided to launch the smartphone in the U.S. and other international markets under the name Honor 8 Pro. Going by the trademarked name it is safe to assume that the handset would likely be the successor of Honor V8 in the Honor series.

The source of this rumor is a Russian tech site named Hi-Tech.Mail.Ru. The site reveals that a company insider has revealed that Huawei will make this particular announcement at its Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 event to be held in Barcelona, Spain.

Honor V9 and Honor 8 Pro Difference

Although Huawei Honor V9 and Honor 8 Pro are said to be the same device, the Russian tech site states there is only one notable difference between the two smartphones. Apparently, one of the smartphones does not sport the logo of Honor on its back cover.

Honor V9 Rumored Specs

According to previous leaks, the Honor V9 is likely to boast a 5.7- inch QHD display and may house a Kirin 960 processor. The device may probably come pre-loaded with Android 7.0 Nougat along with Huawei's customized Android skin EMUI 5.0.

The upcoming smartphone may come in two variants, one having 4 GB of RAM, while the other model will house 6 GB of RAM. Even the on-board storage is likely to vary between 64 GB to 128 GB and it will come with an option for memory expansion via a microSD card.

The impending smartphone is expected to feature a dual-camera setup, with 12MP and 2MP primary cameras. The impending smartphone may also have an 8MP front-facing camera.

There is a possibility of fingerprint reader likely being embedded in the smartphone. Additionally, rumors also suggest that the smartphone is likely get a 3,900 mAh battery.

Launch Date And Price

Although there has been no official confirmation regarding the specs of the smartphone, it has been officially declared that Huawei Honor V9 will launch in China. However, latest rumors reveal that the Honor V9, under the name Honor 8 Pro, is expected to be unveiled for the international market at MWC 2017. The Huawei press event is slated for Feb. 26.

There is no official word regarding the price of Honor V9, but it is expected that the smartphone may be priced between $350 to $430.

Photo: Karlis Dambrans | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Our planet is teeming with life which can often be found hiding secretly in the remotest of corners and in the least expected places.

Scientists have now discovered crystals that are trapped in a Mexican cave. That is not all  trapped in these giant crystals are 50,000-year-old microbial life forms. The discovery has given a new dimension to the history of microbial life forms on Earth.

According to a NASA researcher, the trapped microbial life forms found deep inside the Mexican caves are most probably new to science. The organisms  which were found in caves in Naica mine  are able to survive on iron, manganese and other chemicals.

According to the researchers, even though they have been sleeping for several thousand years, the organisms are still active.

"These organisms have been dormant but viable for geologically significant periods of time, and they can be released due to other geological processes," shared Penelope Boston, the director of the NASA Astrobiology Institution.

She also mentioned that the findings of the microbes may lead NASA to think about exploring other planets in the solar system.

"This has profound effects on how we try to understand the evolutionary history of microbial life on this planet," added Boston.

Boston made the announcement of the recent findings at the conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

What The Research Revealed

When the researchers were working on their project to draw out lead and silver from the Cave of Crystals or Naica mines, they had to pump out the groundwater from the underground caverns.

It was during this activity that the researchers unearthed a "labyrinth of massive mily-white crystals," which supposedly extended to around 30 feet lengthwise.

For the unfamiliar, the Naica caves are an abandoned zinc and lead mine which are nearly half a mile deep. The crystals line the cave's walls and it is so hot inside that scientists were required to wear makeshift space suits to avoid contamination. The researchers also had ice packs on their body.

From 2008 to 2009, Boston and her team took samples from the trapped crystals. The researchers were able to successfully "wake up" the sleeping microbes that were trapped in the fluids inside the crystals. They used this to grow cultures.

The researchers' analysis has revealed that these microbes are unlike anything that are known to scientists. They found that even though the organisms were akin to microbes found on volcanic terrains and caves, they were genetically unique when compared with all the other organisms found on Earth.

According to previous data, the oldest crystals in the Naica caves were half a million years old. Based on these assumptions, coupled with the calculations for the rate of growth for crystals, Boston and her team of researchers conclude that the microbes found may have been inside the shimmering cocoons for around 10,000 to 50,000 years.

The findings have not yet been published and are yet to undergo the peer-review process, which is considered the authentic first step in verifying the findings.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Huawei Honor 8 Pro To Be Launched on February 26 | TechTree.com

Chinese smartphone vendor Huawei is readying to launch Honor 8 Pro at the Mobile World Congress 2017 (MWC) event in Barcelona, Spain, on February 26. The rumored device is expected to be the premium variant of its predecessor Honor 8 and its pricing in India places it in direct competition with the OnePlus 3.

A report by Hi-Tech suggests that the Honor 8 Pro will be the international version of the Honor V9, which was showcased in China previously and is going to be an high-end version of the Honor 8 and Honor 8 Lite.

The Honor 8 Pro is expected to be powered by an octa-core 2.4 GHz Kirin 960 processor and a 5.7-inch Quad HD display. The device will run Android 7.0 Nougat. It will feature 6 GB of RAM, while the memory unit can be expanded up to 128 GB via a microSD card. It will sport a dual 12MP rear camera, while it will fit an 8MP selfie shooter at the front.

It will also come backed by a 3900 mAh battery and will pack a fingerprint scanner at the back of the device.



TAGS: Huawei, Honor 8
By Press Trust of India: Bhopal, Feb 18 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today donned the role of a teacher and went back to his alma mater, where he taught students different subjects and also exhorted them to become ideal citizens.

Chouhan taught at the Sanjay Gandhi Middle School, where he had studied from Class VI to VII, as part of a day- long mass teaching event, `Mil Banchey (lets read together), organised by the State Government.

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The Chief Minister gave lessons in maths and Hindi language with students listening to him in rapt attention.

Going beyond books, he spoke on the issue of patriotism and called upon pupils to become ideal citizens and serve the nation.

The Chief Minister underlined the need for developing confidence among students and asked them to always tread the path of truth. The BJP leader cited instances from the life of Mahatma Gandhi and highlighted qualities which made him a great soul.

"Always respect your parents and teachers," he told them.

Chouhan also revealed he wasnt comfortable with mathematics while in school and spoke softly, and said his guru helped him in overcoming academic hurdles.

Besides Chouhan, his Cabinet colleagues, MLAs and thousands of volunteers, including doctors and engineers, taught students at 1,12,073 schools across MP during the event.

Rajay Shiksha Kendra Commissioner Lokesh Jatav told PTI that the mass teaching event got an overwhelming response.

He said the programme was aimed at promoting community involvement in schools and developing reading habits among students.

Around 1.40 lakh volunteers, including engineers, doctors and public representatives, took part in the programme, he added. PTI LAL RSY BAS

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By Press Trust of India: Gandhinagar, Feb 18 (PTI) Around 50 delegates from 32 African countries today attended an awareness meet at Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) to learn about advanced forensic technologies available at the institute.

"The delegates wanted to see Indias capabilities in the field. They want to train their police officials, judicial officials, students, and also want our help to set up forensic laboratories in their respective countries and to strengthen the existing ones," GFSU director general J M Vyas said.

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GFSU is the countrys first university dedicated to forensic science.

Representing African countries was dean of African mission in India, Alem Tsehaye Woldermariam of Eritrea.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, "Use of advanced forensic technology is a must to effectively administer criminal justice delivery system. GFSU is here to help African countries with advanced forensic technologies."

Countries which participated at todays programme are Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Congo, Egypt, Cote DI Voire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Zambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Niger, Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Gambia.

Additional chief secretary of state home department, M S Dagur appealed to the delegates to take maximum advantage of the facilities available at GFSU.

The delegates visited various GFSL institutes, including Ballistic Research Centre, cyber lab, among others and expressed interest for signing MoUs with the University. PTI KA RMT PTP

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Arce stressed that "this table has a vital importance to continue giving certainties and solutions, above the whims, subway agreements and political calculations". | Read More
By Press Trust of India: Fatehgarh Sahib, Feb 17 (PTI) Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee executive today granted extension till March 7 to a panel probing the alleged violation of Akal Takht edict by Sikh leaders who sought support from Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda during the Punjab Assembly elections.

The meeting of the executive was held at Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib under SGPC president Prof Kirpal Singh Badungar.

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On January 28, Sikh leaders made a beeline at Dera Sacha Sauda to seek favours from its followers.

Some leaders reportedly announced to facilitate the organisation of dera congregations on Punjab soil if voted to power.

Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was held guilty of impersonating Guru Gobind Singh in 2007 by Akal Takht which had pronounced an edict to the Sikh community not to have any kind of social or political relations with him.

On February 6, Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh had directed SGPC to scrutinise the matter and submit a report within three weeks.

The SGPC had then formed a three-member panel comprising senior vice-president Baldev Singh Kaimpur, general secretary Amarjit Singh Chawla and executive committee member Gurcharan Singh Garewal.

The panel had submitted preliminary report to the SGPC but sought more time to reach a conclusion.

Prof Badungar said it was a sensitive issue pertaining to the faith of the Sikh community and they did not want to take any decision in haste.

On the insistence of the panel, we have taken into consideration its request for reviewing their preliminary investigations before finally submitting it to Akal Takht Sahib, he said.

He said the issue does not only pertain to the Sikh leaders of SAD but also of other parties so extension of panel was granted and now it will submit its report till March 7.

He said panel was not given extension in wake of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee elections. PTI COR VJ TIR

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A thief who went to Poland to become doctor but instead became a thief. He stole expensive bikes and sold it online.

By Tanseem Haider: A team of Delhi Police arrested accused Sarfaraj Ahmed from Bindapur. He had stolen several costly bikes and scooties which he sold on web portals like OLX, Quikr, Clickindia etc.

A special team of cops was formed to nab Sarfaraj after the alarming number of two-wheelers went missing in the district.

The team analysed several number plates. Many people were interrogated after they came under the team's scanner. The team found out that educated and qualified youth are also involved in the theft for easy money.

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THE BUST

On February 18, the police team came to know about a young man with a stolen bike. The team laid a trap to bust the boy near MCD Primary School Matiala, Uttam Nagar.

The suspect was stopped by police who spoke in English fluently and after being interrogated, he told the police that he's a highly qualified doctor.

The police searched the young man and two fake driving licenses were found which were stolen from Prasad Nagar area in Delhi.

He was soon arrested and several fake number plates, SIM cards, fake IDs and vehicle registration certificates along with a laptop and printer were recovered from his possession.

As many as 18 costly motorcycles and scooties were recovered. He has already sold more than 50 stolen motorcyles on OLX, Quikr and Clickindia, etc during the last two years.

Further investigation is in progress and total of 25 cases have been solved already. However, role of his doctor wife still remains a mystery.

FROM DOCTOR TO THIEF

During the interrogation he told the police that he from Raipur, Chhatisgarh. He went to Warsaw, Poland to pursue MBBS but could not complete his medical education.

It was there he met his wife who was pursuing the same course. Sarfaraj even hired a separate room in Matiala and used it as the storage place for stolen motorcycles.

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Expanding early childhood education dominated the discussion Tuesday night at a rare joint meeting of the Metro Council and the East Baton Rou
By Press Trust of India: Chandigarh, Feb 18 (PTI) With the INLD announcing that its activists will start digging the SYL canal from February 23, Punjabs ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today warned the Haryana-based party not to provoke Punjabis.

"The SYL issue is dead once and for all as the Punjab Assembly as well as the SAD-BJP government in the state have passed resolutions for restoration of the land acquired for the project," state minister and SAD spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said in a statement.

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He added that the land acquired for the project had been restored to its original owners and it was now in the possession of the farmers of Punjab.

The statement said the SAD will never allow the completion of the project as "it would deprive Punjabs farmers of their own waters".

Cheema said the Sutlej Yamuna Link canal issue was "more of life and death for not only the farmers of Punjab but for all Punjabis" as the state was already witnessing a depletion of the water table in the recent years.

He added that it was most unfortunate that the political parties of neighbouring Haryana were resorting to provocative actions by issuing statements regarding digging of the canal.

"For Haryana, it may be a case of water. But for Punjab, it is now a case of life and death. Such statements will lead to tension in both the states and also contribute towards inciting violence between the neighbours which is not in anybodys favour," the Akali leader said.

He said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal have announced many a times that the SAD is committed to safeguard the waters of Punjab and it would go to any length, including sacrificing their own lives, for the safety and security of Punjabis in general and farmers in particular.

Cheema urged the Indian National Lok Dal and the other parties from Haryana to desist from indulging in such activities which may prove to be detrimental to the interests of the people of both the states.

Senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala has announced that his party workers will gather at Ambala and then march towards the Punjab border on February 23 to dig the SYL canal.

"SYL is the lifeline of Haryana...even the Supreme Court has given its verdict in Haryanas favour," he said yesterday.

He claimed that neither the ruling BJP nor the Congress in Haryana were serious about the construction of the canal.

The SYL is a 214-km-long canal project to interlink the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers and defines water-sharing between Punjab and Haryana. The project has been suspended due to a dispute between the two states and the matter is now before the Supreme Court. PTI SUN AKA RC

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From my office window I can see young men at Christian Life Academy playing baseball on their nice, well-manicured green field of dreams. Some
By Press Trust of India: Nagpur, Feb 18 (PTI) Jambuwantrao Dhote, a former Lok Sabha MP and a stalwart of the separate Vidarbha movement, passed away today in Yavatmal following a cardiac arrest, his family said.

He was 83 and is survived by wife and two daughters.

"My father had heart ailments. He felt uneasy at around 3 AM and alone went to the Government hospital in Yavatmal. But he suffered a cardiac arrest in the hospital and passed away while undergoing treatment," Dhotes daughter Kranti told PTI.

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Dhote was a firebrand leader and known as Lion of Vidarbha for aggressively championing the cause of statehood to the region in Eastern Maharashtra.

He started his political career in home district Yavatmal, where he won the Nagar Parishad elections before entering in the state -level politics.

Dhote was elected to the Maharashtra Assembly five times and won his first Lok Sabha election in 1971 as a Forward Bloc candidate.

However, in 1977 he lost the Lok Sabha elections from Nagpur to Gev Awari. He made a successful comeback in 1980 when he was again elected to the Lower House of Parliament from Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra, as Congress (I) candidate.

However, Dhote, who had supported former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during Emergency, resigned from Congress in 1983.

He founded Vidarbha Janta Congress (VJC) on September 9, 2002 to focus on the statehood demand.

Dhotes funeral will take place at his family farm at Pimpri Lakhina in Yavatmal tomorrow. PTI CLSNRB RSY NRB

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Members of Weston Creek Community Council will raise concerns about a roundabout planned to link the Canberra Brickworks precinct to a busy thoroughfare at this week's meeting.

The roundabout plan was submitted in October last year as the best option for a new access road connecting the brickworks precinct to Dudley Street.

The roundabout would be built at the arrowhead in the concept image.

Under the feasibility and concept design report prepared for the Land Development Agency by Cardno, it was recommended the roundabout be built close to Dudley Street's intersection with Cotter Road.

The $7.5 million concept, which included a right-turn-only lane into the new access road from Dudley Street westbound, was preferred over a tee intersection.
The Coalition government has launched a brazen scare campaign, based on recent power outages in South Australia, over energy. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's team is, if you will, playing base politics with baseload electricity, shamelessly seeking to paint the opposition's push for increased use of renewable energy as a route to stratospheric power prices and chronic unreliability.

Mr Turnbull and his increasingly shrill and histrionic colleagues  a Treasurer using a chunk of coal in Parliament is unbecoming and gormless  indeed have a recent political blueprint. Tony Abbott, the man Mr Turnbull tore down by promising, well, to not be anything like Tony Abbott, won government in part by running a similarly ridiculous and untrue campaign. Mr Abbott's was centred on misrepresenting as a "great big carbon tax" Julia Gillard's Labor government's policy of putting a price on carbon emissions, one of the key causes of dangerous global warming and a big by-product of coal-fired electricity generation.

``Dear Lord, please, please, please let them all be shocked and scared.'' Credit:Andrew Meares

Pretty much everyone who knows anything about this issue  including Mr Turnbull and his Environment Minister, Josh Frydenberg  knows a price on carbon emissions is a crucial element of any system to reduce emissions sufficiently to ameliorate one of the greatest risks and challenges facing humanity. Curiously, the government's politicians never cease to use the interests of future generations to justify difficult budgetary and other policy decisions, but won't do so on this existential intergenerational issue, even though then prime minister John Howard, a revered figure among conservatives, took a market-based carbon price to the 2007 election.

Should anyone doubt Mr Abbott's campaign scare campaign was without foundation, Peta Credlin, his former chief of staff and now TV commentator, made it clear last week. She said: "It wasn't a carbon tax, as you know ... but we made it a carbon tax. We made it a fight about the hip pocket and not about the environment. That was brutal retail politics."
Tristan Ewins, Box Hill North THE FORUM Labels back to front Reading about the Political Personas project I found myself puzzled by the nomenclature. Those who adhere strictly to the conventional wisdoms of the metropolitan Elite are labelled "Progressives". Those fighting against elite privilege are dismissed pejoratively as anti-establishment "Firebrands". Surely this is all back to front. Surely the metropolitan elitists  the main beneficiaries of the postmodern economy  should be labelled "conservative". As time goes by we might even start to call them "Traditionalists". Those fighting establishment privilege should surely be labelled "Progressive".

Like elites throughout history, the postmodern elite seek to weave a cloak of virtue around them to conceal the nakedness of their self-interest. Like elites throughout history, they seek to demonise any who threaten that self-interest. Stephen Morris, Coorparoo, Queensland The reason for lying Donald Trump says he doesn't have a problem with what Michael Flynn did, but that he lied about it. The reason Flynn lied was because Trump should have had a problem with it. Stuart McArthur, Fitzroy North

Many faces of addiction Swimmer Grant Hackett may be the current face of alcohol and drug addiction, but for the past decade my son has been that face in our family. Hackett may have the finances to access the private rehabilitation system, but he will find that while it is keen to accept his many readmissions to inpatient programs, the vital missing link is the discharge planning and community support. As a psychiatric nurse who is now retired, I know there is no financial incentive to provide outreach support. Addiction causes many problems; currently I am supporting my son through "airbnb" accommodation as that does not require a bond. Just another hidden aspect of the homelessness crisis. Name and address withheld Gratuitous analysis

So Grant Hackett was in hiding? Not to worry. The national media came to the rescue, putting out an All Points Bulletin. Find Hackett, he's out there somewhere. Why would he hide? Oh, he's got problems  let's broadcast some gratuitous health and personality analysis, well meant or not, based on hearsay. That should help him. Just get the public  those vicarious devourers of his achievements as a superb athlete  to flush him out. And they can get to enjoy the humiliating spectacle. Anyway, who does he think he is, a private individual? He gave that up long ago, wouldn't you say? Michael Wold, Parkdale Not a good look, Jeff Jeff Kennett and the board of Seven West Media went public on the deal struck with Amber Harrison because they believed it favoured their case. They'd hardly endorse the release of deals with former employees who were treated unfairly. Kennett says the previous board was generous partly because it had Ms Harrison's welfare in mind. Now, given the release by Kennett of so much detail of the case, it would appear there has been a breach of confidentiality and a disregard for Ms Harrison's welfare. It is not a good look for the chairman of Beyond Blue  playing the corporate bully.

As for CEO Tim Worner ... A true professional would not be having relationships with employees. End of story. Gavin Butler, Eaglehawk We are played for fools They take energy away from Australians and sell it overseas for greater profit. Then they claim prices are rising because we have a shortfall in energy. (And reducing consumption doesn't make much difference to the bill. Ever tried it?) Then they say we need more fracking and coal-fired power, regardless of the damage done to our health or the environment. Rich corporations and individuals, commentators and most politicians are playing us for idiots. Pamela Manikas, Ivanhoe

Beyond the party room While I agree with Vivienne Player that we need politicians of vision (Letters, 12/2), I believe the problem is that we don't choose our elected representatives. The only federal MP I know of who is chosen by her electorate is Cathy McGowan in Indi. The major parties put up candidates from the toadies hanging around party leaders or dodgy union officials. There is a lack of respect in Parliament both to each other and to the people generally on both sides, which makes people reach out to those newcomers who they believe will make a difference. Michael Nolan, Capel Sound A leader for our times Just when it appeared that the state government and the AFL had separately but finally and completely sold out to gambling interests all that remained of their integrity, along comes Premiership captain Easton Wood to inject some reason, integrity and balance ("Top Dog takes a stand on betting", 12/2). Our city and our AFL appear to be, more than ever before, in the hands of the self-interested money men whose influence is steadily destroying our social fabric. Easton Wood, you are a leader for the ages.

Ian Haines, Hawthorn East Diversion works Conservative commentators and politicians should read Farrah Tomazin's brilliant article "Building bridges for troubled youth" (News, 12/2), which tells the story of a young man becoming trapped in criminal lifestyle. Fortunately, he took part in YMCA's Bridge Project, which provides intensive support, training and job opportunities and it changed his life. Jesuit Social Services provides many other programs such as diversion and bail housing services, all designed to stop young people getting caught up in the criminal justice system. Tomazin makes the telling point that "such programs are often drowned out by tough-on-crime rhetoric underpinning Victoria's law-and-order debate". Sadly that's so true. Shock jocks don't want to hear that properly funded rehabilitation and diversion programs work. Father Kevin Burke, Eltham

Vengeful public Youth crime plummets, but a vengeful public and knee-jerking pollies want it to get worse. Ruth Hudnott and Richard Polkinghorn point to two examples (Letters, 12/2). Force under-25s to go without welfare for four weeks, force out an innovative educator, and offer insufficient assistance to damaged, mentally ill and marginalised kids. History clearly shows there is likely only one outcome  increased crime. Get serious, hold an independent evidence-based inquiry, and do what needs to be done to actually reduce crime. Lex Borthwick, Burwood Money down drain It seems that spending $40 million to prop up the ASH sawmill in Heyfield is pouring money down the drain (News, 12/2). We've known for a long time that the logging industry is reliant on a finite resource, so why waste scarce funding on delaying the inevitable? Let's invest now in a long-term, sustainable future  creating the Great Forest National Park could be a tourism boon to the area, create 750 new full-time jobs and even bring in $70 million revenue each year. It's a no-brainer!

It seems clear there are more jobs and a stronger economic and environmental future created by protecting our forests than logging them. Violette Snow, Preston Skilled bushmen How many baristas does it take to put out a forest fire? How many ecotourism workers will be fighting the next inevitable major forest fire? Forestry workers and their machinery have always played a significant role in fighting fires. Without forestry workers, the forests north of Toolangi would have burned in February 2009, as would have much of Melbourne Water catchments east of Warburton. Without the skilled bushmen operating machinery built for forest work, we would be expecting Forest Management Victoria to fight the next major forest fire with one arm tied.
People get terribly upset when politicians endorse products. About half the English-speaking world, for instance, lost its mind recently when White House spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway took some time out of her busy day to advise Americans to take a look at Ivanka Trump's modest line of accessories for the humble working mom (to which list of accessories was later added, consternatingly, "The Oval Office Desk", when Ivanka posed sitting behind it).

Ivanka's dad chipped in, denouncing the department store Nordstrom for discontinuing her product line in their stores.

Philosophically, of course, the problem is evident. A political leader should never use the heft of his or her office to augment the fortunes of some retailer of snake oil.

Practically, however, is it possible that we've got this argument arse-about?
The fashion world was accused of "bullying" this week when a number of editors refused to be seated next to US President Donald Trump's second-youngest offspring, Tiffany Trump, at New York Fashion Week.

If Trump's angry Twitter outburst at Nordstrom for dropping Ivanka Trump's brand was anything to go by, we all waited with bated breath for the former Apprentice star to jump to the 23-year-old's defence.

But it seems his 77-minute long rant against the media tired him out, so it was Whoopi Goldberg to the rescue instead.

Surprising everyone, the actor, 61, who has been a vocal opponent of Trump, 70, offered to sit next to Tiffany at future shows.
Scott Barry Kaufman, from America's Imagination Institute, says getting children to recognise there are multiple responses to any problem will set them up for greater resilience. Credit:Getty Images "The old model is that you're born and you go to school and you go to university and you get a job and you retire after 35 years with a gold pen," said Jan Owen, chief executive of the Foundation for Young Australians. In November the FYA released its latest report, The New Work Mindset, which will make grim reading for any young jobseekers expecting the linear work trajectory that was the norm for their grandparents. Students from Frankston High School's 2015 cohort with their recycled hardwood chopping boards. The report says today's teenager can expect to hold 17 different jobs across five industries in their working life.

And in an analysis of 2.7 million job ads the report found that across seven job clusters the likelihood of surviving automation varies dramatically. Jan Owen, chief executive of the Foundation for Young Australians. You cannot give career advice to a 15-year-old today who will have 17 jobs in five different industries. You have to have skills in career management...it's kind of a build your own adventure. Jan Owen "Carers" (e.g. GPs, social workers), "informers" (e.g. teachers, economists) and "technologists" (e.g. programmers, web developers) have the most bullish prospects while "artisans" (e.g. electrical engineering techs, mechanics) and "co-ordinators" (e.g. bookkeepers, receptionists) have the bleakest outlook in the face of automation. And an earlier FYA report, released in April, suggests that as traditional occupations die out the ability to pivot between jobs will hinge on a critical set of skills.

A crucial question for educators is what kind of intelligence we should be fostering in children today. Credit:Stocksy "Our New Basics report analysed 4.2 million job advertisements in Australia to look at what employers were asking for, particularly for young people with under five years experience. They were asking for a set of enterprise skills," said Owen. The FYA has found those enterprise skills, including problem-solving, creativity, digital skills, teamwork, communication skills and critical thinking are not only a common requirement across jobs clusters but translate to hard cash, garnering up to $9000 more in annual income. "Career advice is outdated," said Owen, who is a keynote speaker at the upcoming Future Schools Conference in Melbourne. "You cannot give career advice to a 15-year-old today who will have 17 jobs in five different industries. You have to have skills in career management...it's kind of a build your own adventure."

A crucial question for educators is what kind of intelligence we should be fostering in children to give that adventure a happy ending. If you think intelligence is fixed for life the question itself might seem otiose, but the research of James Flynn, Emeritus Professor at the University of Otago, suggests intelligence is indeed a flexible trait that can, like a muscle, be strengthened with exercise. And the kind of exercise it gets relates closely to the cognitive demands of the age. "In 1900 practically no one drove a car, in 1950 about everyone did and today they're bringing in automatic guidance systems," said Flynn. "Map reading abilities for driving a car were nil in 1900, at their peak in the 1950s and today they're declining again because you don't need them anymore. It depends on the demands your society makes," he said.

Flynn is famous for showing that IQ scores increased substantially across generations in the 20th century. The so-called "Flynn Effect" results, he argues, from the spread of formal schooling giving people the "scientific spectacles" necessary to solve the kinds of problems asked on IQ tests, often involving logic or abstract reasoning. The brainteaser now is what cognitive demands will be made by the new machine age. The short answer is that children should think seriously about adding a pair of creative spectacles to their school uniform.

A 2015 report by British think tank Nesta concluded that creative roles, including architects, IT professionals and artists, are more future-proof to computerisation. It makes sense that creativity is a bulwark against the march of robots into the work place because it's one of the few things the bots haven't mastered. Yet. And as Owen points out, in a perpetually disrupted work space employers will be looking for people who can confront unforeseen hurdles with flexibility and innovation. Her own organisation encourages entrepreneurship with $20 Boss, a program that gives school students $20 in start-up cash to create a business. One of her favourites came from a group of students in Frankston.

"They went around their community and literally picked up rubbish, particularly wood off-cuts, and started creating these beautiful pieces. Then they used the $20 to take it to a market," said Owen, who bought breadboards from the students as Christmas presents. Indeed, the demands of the so-called "creative economy" could lead to a wholesale rethink of what it means to be intelligent. Scott Barry Kaufman is scientific director of the Imagination Institute, a Philadelphia-based organisation that in 2015 awarded nearly $3 million in grant funding to projects aimed at improving imagination. Ultimately, the aim is to be able to measure imagination with an IQ test  that's "IQ" for "Imagination Quotient".

"Standard IQ tests do a good job at testing the ability to learn 'what is'," said Kaufman. "The Imagination Quotient will test for a set of imagination-related skills that take us to the realm of 'what could be'. Those skills can involve the ability to construct narratives and to mentally simulate futures that don't currently exist." The projects, due for completion mid-year, include studies of how "imagination experts" such as artists and musicians produce their work and whether transcranial brain stimulation can boost creativity. Kaufman, who will be a visiting scholar at Geelong Grammar in August, is also an adviser to The Future Project, a US non-profit that embeds school students in "dream teams" to complete passion-driven projects. One project called "Got Beauty" recruited 240 students to combat poor body image by writing messages of self-love on mirrors across the school.

"I think that imagination is tied up with hope," said Kaufman. "If we can get kids in the mindset that, whenever they reach a road block, there are multiple responses to the problem, we will set them up for greater resilience and greater perseverance." But the kind of intelligence we might want to imbue in the coming generation is complicated further by the fact that we've all got a supercomputer in our pockets. "Intelligence has always been in the tools," said Daniel Araya, a researcher at Brookings Institution and editor of the forthcoming book Augmented intelligence: Smart systems and the future of work and learning. "Whether it's communication and the use of language, or the ability to be a settled agricultural society that can manage food production, or a more knowledge-driven civilisation that leverages digital tools to provide answers to questions.

"AI is a kind of tool we've never had before, a kind of god tool." Augmented intelligence is the idea of a notional human-AI hybrid or "centaur" with an intelligence exceeding that of either alone, a model that sees AI as something to be embraced not feared. And as we see more centaurs wandering around, traditional IQ tests could start to look positively quaint. "I think a lot of these IQ-driven challenges will become moot. You will have access to almost any answer to any question, so what would be the point?" said Araya. The fact that machine-enabled humans can look up when Columbus sailed the ocean blue and calculate pi to infinite decimal places also looks like an argument against traditional "chalk and talk" pedagogy and another reason to be leveraging students' creativity.

But Araya sees education as something of a laggard in the face of the creative economy, and is sympathetic to the views of US academic Richard Florida, who he interviewed for his doctorate. "Schools are an institution built for the Fordist era. They are modelled on factories to churn out young workers for an industrial era," said Araya, referencing the Model T production line. "But we're not living in that era, we don't need Fordist workers. The problem is we're trying to retool the factory school because we think that is what a responsible adult should do to benefit the future economy. "The reality may be we need a different kind of incubator for human development that doesn't look like a school."

Araya favours a journeyman model where students with given talents are mentored by successful professionals in that field. His solution aims at the middle ground between old school teaching that stifles innovation and an ultra liberal approach that could see lots of children navel gazing and large skills disparities across the system. But Flynn points out that in the obsession to steer students to future economic success we risk ignoring a critical dimension of the function of intelligence. "There is still the task out there of being a human being," said Flynn. "Intelligence is really just a set of mental skills. There is the skill of being able to take a car apart and there is the skill of reading the history of the Middle East and understanding it. Some skills get an automatic pecuniary reward and others just make you a more autonomous human being.

"There are certain skills that are primarily beneficial to a person who wants to be a good citizen and a good judge of his government." In an era dominated by the West's response to the Middle East, Flynn's comments suggest the syllabus could sacrifice some creativity for a compulsory history lesson. And Araya points out another reason to be wary of creativity as a panacea. "Just because you are creative it doesn't guarantee economic prosperity. Especially in the world of filmmaking and the arts it's generally a winner-takes-all space," he said. It's a similar story in the tech sphere where nine out of 10 start-ups go belly up  Araya sees the elite Silicon Valley knowledge worker as a cautionary stereotype, cashing in where others with even above average talent fail.
The Women's March in Washington DC the day after Donald Trump's presidential inauguration. Ali Hirsi declined to attend. Credit:Getty Images "We need to hold President Trump accountable for his promise that he was going to go after Islamic terrorism," she told Fairfax Media. "We should not be distracted by disagreements on very small slices of policy, like the 90-day ban. Ninety days is not a long time. The problem of Islamic extremism is a huge one. It is one of the biggest threats facing the globe, not just the United States." Linda Sarsour (right) and Carmen Perez, co-chairwomen of the Women's March on Washington. Ali Hirsi alleges Sarsour supports Sharia law. Credit:AP Hirsi Ali is a prominent campaigner against female genital mutilation, arranged marriages and other outrages against women, particularly in the developing world.

Among many honours, in 2008 she was awarded the Simone de Beauvoir Prize in recognition of her work for women's freedom, and in 2015 she was the recipient of the Lantos Human Rights Prize, named in honour of the late Tom Lantos, Democrat senator and Holocaust survivor. Suzi Jamil of Think Inc says Hirsi Ali's views might come off as severe "but it's an important discussion and a very timely issue". Credit:Peter Rae It may seem slightly surprising, therefore, that she chose not to be one of the estimated half a million people who gathered in Washington DC in January, the day after Donald Trump's inauguration, for the Women's March  the largest female-led protest in history. There were two reasons for her non-attendance, she says. The first was brutally pragmatic. The late Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who made the 2004 film Submission with Ayaann Hirsi Ali and was murdered after its release. Credit:AP

"I cannot really march; I can't go to places where large numbers of people are gathered. My movements are limited." This is because there are people who want her dead  a concern that is grounded in fact rather than paranoia. In 2004 Hirsi Ali, at that stage a frontbench member of the parliamentary coalition governing the Netherlands, made a short film, Submission, with writer-director Theo van Gogh. The film used verses from the Koran to portray violence against women in Islamic society. After its release van Gogh was murdered  shot eight times and partially decapitated. Pinned to his body was a death threat against his collaborator. She has been in hiding ever since. Hirsi Ali, however, dates the time her life came under threat to two years earlier, when she made a public and prominent break from the faith of her birth.

"My biggest fear is coming from Islamic extremists who want to kill me, so I am surrounded at all times by men carrying guns," she says. "I haven't felt safe since 2002." Being an assassination target is surely reason enough for not standing in a crowd of people in the US capital, but Hirsi Ali has a second one. And it is here that the complexities start to multiply. "I did get invited, and I explained to my friends why I couldn't go," she says. "But I also pointed out that there are radical Muslim extremists inside the United States that will try to hijack the feminist cause to promote their own ideas." The reference is pointed and particular, aimed at Brooklyn-born Palestinian Linda Sarsour, prominent head of the Arab American Association of New York, high-profile Bernie Sanders supporter, and one of the co-chairwomen of the organising committee for the Women's March. Hirsi Ali alleges Sarsour is a supporter of Sharia law, a statement the latter denies. The pair has been at loggerheads for years. In 2011, Sarsour tweeted (sarcastically, supporters suggest) that Hirsi Ali was "asking 4 an a$$ whippin' " and should have her vagina removed.

The tweet was revived by Fox News this month and Hirsi Ali invited to respond to it. She called Sarsour a "fake feminist"  a term she returned to in this interview. "She really is a vocal defender of Islamic law," she says. "She's what I call a fake feminist, and the serious and sincere feminists who really care about the equality between men and women should not be seen with these fake feminists. "They should not let the cause of feminism be hijacked by people who are defenders of Islamic law. There is no principle more demeaning, degrading and dehumanising than Islamic law to women." Even if Sarsour is guilty as charged (and the charge is contested), it's reasonable to ask why the beliefs of just one of the organisers  one among hundreds of thousands of participants  are sufficient to condemn the whole event. But Hirsi Ali is a densely woven tapestry: she writes books of acknowledged nuance and sophistication, but also has a politician's gift for the attention-grabbing sound bite. Brietbart loves Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and joyously repeated her "fake feminist" line. Interestingly, in 2015 the news service also carried her criticism of then-candidate Donald Trump's proposal for a Muslim travel ban. "I think it's a bad idea," she said at the time.

Last week, when the chaos of the real travel ban hit, it became clear that her position had changed. "Trump's immigration ban was clumsy," she tweeted, "but he's right about radical Islam." Indeed, talking to Fairfax Media, she suggests that the ban does not go far enough. She refers to a pre-election Trump speech in which the candidate compared radical Islam to totalitarian systems such as nazism, fascism and communism. "That was of course very welcome, because that's exactly what it is," she says. "Because it's an ideology, and you need many, many tools to try to persuade people to adopt other ideas. The immigration freeze is a small bit of it. For the people who really understand what an ideological conflict is, we all understand that only immigration tools are just not enough.

"I point out that the list does not have Saudi Arabia on it, or Pakistan, or several of the North African countries, or Turkey." She adds that she understands the "geopolitical calculation" that governs such omissions and goes on to criticise the wording of the executive order that catalysed the ban, because it made no mention of "the path to citizenship". This was not a reference either to Green Card holders caught up in the mayhem, nor a concern for traumatised refugees wishing for a way to ultimately achieve safe haven. "Many of the people who plot terrorist attacks inside the United States are citizens," she says. "They are either born here or were raised here and became naturalised, or they are converts. So there's a lot here immigration alone can't solve." There is a certain irony to her concerns that refugees might be dishonest and act against the interests of their host nation.

Hirsi Ali sought and was granted asylum in the Netherlands in 1992. In her application, she claimed she was fleeing war in Somalia as well as a forced marriage, and that members of her family were intent on killing her. In 2004  by which time she had been a parliamentarian for a year  a current affairs program presented evidence to the effect that she had lied about her name, age and circumstances in making her application. Far from living in a war zone, the program asserted, she had been ensconced in a comfortable middle-class life in Kenya for 12 years. She had consented to the marriage, then asked for a divorce and been granted it. There was no tradition of honour killing in Somali society. The revelations generated a furore in Holland. Eventually Hirsi Ali admitted to falsifying details on her asylum application, but said she had explained everything in her books. In 2006 she resigned from Parliament. Vigorous debate ensued about the legitimacy of her citizenship; ultimately, the government of the day decided it remained valid. Hirsi Ali then declared she had resigned her seat under duress  an accusation that eventually led to the collapse of the cabinet and a period of minority government instability.

By that time, however, she was living in the United States. During her time in Parliament she was a member of the right-wing People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). While there, she teamed closely with fellow VVD member Geert Wilders, making statements about the need to restrict Muslim immigration. Both were placed in protective housing. In 2004 Wilders, who compares the Koran to Mein Kampf and was once banned from entering Britain, formed his own party. He is a key player in the Dutch Parliament and regarded as a far-right populist. His name will be familiar in Australia because of the political storm that arose in 2012 when he applied for a visa to give lectures as a guest of the anti-Islam Q Society. Calls were made for a visa to be refused on the grounds that the parliamentarian traded in hate speech. He had been charged with racial vilification in 2011, but acquitted. Then-Immigration Minister Chris Bowen eventually decided against the ban, and his visit went ahead amid tight security. (In 2016 Wilders was charged a second time and found guilty of inciting discrimination against Dutch Moroccans. No sentence was recorded.)

"As far as I know I am still a member of the VVD," Hirsi Ali says. "Mr Wilders decided that he was going to become anti-establishment. He didn't think that the establishment was going to address the issues of Islamic extremism, immigration, and Europe. "That's the history of how Geert Wilders came to found his own party. He's now the largest party, and to me anti-establishment parties, anti-establishment individuals, gain ground on the issues of Islam and immigration because the establishment parties avoid those extremely important issues. "People are learning the lessons the hard way. If the host society is impacted negatively by immigration, and the perception is that the government is indifferent to our needs, then the host society tends to vote for anti-establishment ideas. Think about Brexit. Think about Donald Trump. Think about Marie Le Pen  that is really a fascist party." When you think about it, this is not exactly a ringing and strident disendorsement. There is, however, one perhaps crucial difference between her visit to Australia and that of her former colleague. Wilders was sponsored by an overtly political group for an overtly political campaign. Hirsi Ali is coming as a guest of an events company called Think Inc, which specialises in organising speaking tours for prominent intellectuals, including scientists such as US cosmologist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Think Inc co-owner Suzi Jamil says the decision to organise the tour reflected prominence, not politics. "Her story is a heroic story," she says. "She has an amazing story to tell and she is a very gracious woman. Her views might come off as severe or strong, but I think it's an important discussion to be had  and a very timely issue. "We're not for or against anything our speakers say. We merely provide a platform. We believe Ayaan Hirsi Ali has a really important voice, and her position in this debate is a vital one  and that's why we chose to bring her to Australia." And so here is the question her forthcoming visit raises. Geert Wilders was the subject of loud and passionate opposition when he came here. Will Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who advocates pretty much identical positions, formed at least in part in the same crucible of rightist Dutch politics, generate the same level of protest? And if not, surely that difference can't be ascribed to something as shallow as the fact that Wilders seems the archetypal privileged European white man while Hirsi Ali is a stateless-to-powerful African black woman?
A man is fighting for life after being shot in the head at Tatura near Shepparton in northern Victoria on Saturday.

Armed Crime Squad detectives say a 43-year-old Shepparton man was shot during a dispute with another man at a property in Ferguson Road about 1pm.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said the injured man was taken to hospital in Shepparton with a head injury.

He was later flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he remains in a critical condition.

A 54-year-old Tatura man is in custody assisting police with their inquiries.
Police have released a digital image of a man who tried to abduct a 10-year-old girl off the street at Springvale in Melbourne's south east this month.

Detectives say the girl, who was with a friend, was approached by the man near Springvale Rise Primary School on Springvale Road about 3.30pm on February 1.

A digital image of a man police want to speak to after a 10-year-old girl was grabbed in Springvale. Credit:Victoria Police

He told the girl that if she went with him, he would buy her anything she wanted.

When she refused, he grabbed her ponytail and pulled her towards him.
Factional tensions in the Victorian Liberal Party have reignited over a failed attempt by a group of 'Young Turks' to oust an MP aligned with Opposition leader Matthew Guy.

At a preselection battle for the rural seat of Narracan on Saturday, 65-year-old incumbent Gary Blackwood fended off a challenge by 25-year-old rival Stephanie Ross, a conservative pro-life campaigner and the partner of controversial Liberal numbers man Marcus Bastiaan.

Preselection candidate Stephanie Ross, Brighton Liberal James Newbury, and party numbers man Marcus Bastiaan. Credit:Twitter

The result is a victory for Mr Guy, who went to significant lengths to shore up support for Mr Blackwood  including announcing plans, one week before today's contest, to build a new West Gippsland hospital should the Liberals win government at the next election.

However, some view it as yet another failure by the Liberals to embrace the gender targets Mr Guy himself set last year, and a blow to the party's attempts to renew and regenerate ahead the 2018 Victorian election.
Speaking to India Today, DIG North Kashmir Nitish Kumar, "In the last fortnight, we have carried out raids in which 9 people have been arrested for inciting youths to indulge in stone pelting and terror activities."

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Only a few days after Army chief General Bipin Rawat issued a stern warning to stone pelters coming in the way of counter-terror operations in the Kashmir Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir police in a major crackdown has busted a terror module of Hizbul Mujahideen, arresting 9 people for aiding, abetting and luring young boys to join their terror network.

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Speaking to India Today, DIG North Kashmir Nitish Kumar, "In the last fortnight, we have carried out raids in which 9 people have been arrested for inciting youths to indulge in stone pelting and terror activities. The busting of this module is a huge boost to the morale of security forces in the region."

HIZBUL TERRORIST's ARREST KEY TO BUSTING MODULE

The police was able to bust this huge terror network following the confession of arrested Hizbul Mujahideen militant Irshad Ahmad Shah in Sopore, Baramulla. This terror network was perpetrating militant activities and recruiting local boys in Baramulla and Sopore for the same. Irshad Shah had been active with the Hizbul-Mujahideen outfit for more than 2 years and is alleged to have been involved in killing of one civilian.

Also read | J-K: Army to get tough with those blocking anti-terror ops, troops asked to stick to guns instead of lathis

Sources in security establishment say that they were further able to unearth the network when Kupwara resident Azhar Khan was killed along with his other associates in an encounter on February 4. Khan was the radical ideologue of the outfit, who with another militant now killed, had gone to Pakistan and received terrorist training there. Both these militants were active in Sopore and Baramulla.

DIG North Kashmir Nitish Kumar (Centre). DIG North Kashmir Nitish Kumar (Centre).

Based on the information received during the course of these investigations, some boys who were being recruited for militant activities were counseled and handed over to their families, thus saving their lives. Police is urging parents to keep a watch on their children and not let them fall into the trap of militant propaganda.

--- ENDS ---
Racist tirades on public transport, bigotry in schools, and discrimination in the rental market face a crackdown as part of a state-wide push to counter the rise of the far right in Victoria.

Amid concerns the community has reached a tipping point, the Andrews government will today launch a new campaign to reframe the debate on multiculturalism in the wake of events such as Brexit, the rise of Donald Trump and the growth of One Nation.

An ad from the Andrews government's new anti-racism campaign.

"I see this in part as a struggle between fear and hope," said Multicultural Affairs Minister Robin Scott, who will unveil the strategy with Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday. "It's important for the future of our community that hope wins."

The campaign begins on Sunday night with a television ad featuring Victorians from diverse backgrounds, and an underlying message of shared values and common goals.
Guayaquil: Ecuador's lead opposition candidate is offering a sharp break with ten years of leftist rule in the Andean country, vowing to remove Wikileaks founder Julian Assange from the nation's London embassy, speak out against Venezuela's socialist government, and likely renegotiate debts with China.

Conservative former banker Guillermo Lasso is the opposition's frontrunner in Sunday's presidential election.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange speaks from the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has lived since 2012. Credit:Getty Images

Polls suggest ruling party candidate, paraplegic former vice-president Lenin Moreno, 63, will win but fall just short of enough votes to avoid an April run-off against Lasso, 61.

In an interview Mr Lasso vowed that within a month of taking office in May he would remove Mr Assange from Ecuador's embassy, where the Australian has been holed up since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over rape allegations.
February is of course, the month of romance! Millions of people around the world treat their special ones with love and affection on Valentines day and so weve decided to try and find some of the most beautiful and romantic languages in the world! We teamed up with language translation company Morningside Translations to discover more. After travelling the world for the last 10+ years were happy to present what we believe are five of the most beautiful languages in the world.

SPANISH  Te quiero

The Spanish are well known for their passion for life, for music, for food, for partying and for romance. Any association with Spain conjures up images of dinners for two on a sun-kissed balcony with a deep bottle of red and the beautiful sound of the flamenco guitar. This romantic imagery isnt far from the truth in a country steeped in passion and culture. Its no wonder the Spanish language has a sensual reputation.







IRISH  Taim i ngra leat

Irish is a language (and an accent) which can send women crazy with passion and can reduce men to their knees! Any woman in the world who has seen P.S I Love you will have fallen in love with both the Irish accent as well as Gerard Butler! With its ancient origins, the Irish language symbolises a wholesome, traditional almost wild imagery from the Emerald Isle. The language is perhaps best showcased and epitomised in the many traditional Irish folk songs about love, loneliness and the beauty of Ireland. The English-speaking Irish in the North and South of the country are also famed for their purring Gaelic accents which express romance in a beautiful manner.







FRENCH  Tu es lamour de ma vie.

The French way of life captures the romance of this beautiful language which is encompassed by its romantic capital, Paris. An evening stroll down one of the cobbled, windy streets of Montmartre should fill your heart with as much love and romance as possible in this wonderful city. The French are a hedonistic bunch in their love of food and life which can be heard through the euphoric tones of the French language. Ooh la la! We visited beautiful Paris for our first anniversary a few years ago and it truly was one of the most romantic getaways weve ever had!







JAPANESE  

The most beautiful languages in the world do not exclusively originate from the typical romantic European languages. We see this as we look further east to what is considered to be one of the most exotic languages of the world; Japanese. The Japanese language is as impressive as it is beautiful with a full range of expressions and complex levels of communicative abilities all adding to the allure of Japan and the Japanese language.







ITALIAN  Ti amo

Last but certainly not least is without doubt the language which I think is the most beautiful in the world! One of the worlds most romantic languages comes from the heart of culture, passion, food and civilisation; Italy. Thanks to the Roman conquest of Europe, Latin was successfully spread across the lands giving us the basic of all the romantic languages you hear today; French, Italian and Spanish to name a few. Italy was central to this distribution of romantic languages and it is, therefore, no surprise that its own language blossomed into a beauty. Intertwined in poetry and operas it is the rhythmic buoyancy of Italian which satisfies our ears the most.





What do you think is the most romantic language in the world? x

This post is brought to you in collaboration with Morningside Translations.

Our opinions are as always, our own.
Remembering Bill Baker - Jaguar Land Rover

MAHWAH, NJ - February 17, 2017: All of us at Jaguar Land Rover and in the Land Rover community were saddened today with the loss of dear friend, automotive enthusiast and industry leader Bill Baker.

Land Rover was born on a beach in 1948, but didn't take root in the United States until 1986 when a small band of employees, including Bill Baker and many fine people still working with the brand today, committed to a new British "SUV" Invasion. Who knew 40 years later, SUVs would be all the rage, and Land Rover in the U.S. would set a new all-time record passing 70,000 sales in 2016. Everything we do today is informed by the vision and hard work of those Land Rover pioneers such as Bill Baker.

And within the PR Community, we can only look at Bill's work in defining the Land Rover brand on these shores and be inspired, and challenged, to reach higher and create new magical moments for today. Bill was a friend to many and his legacy lives on and off road. He will be missed, but in our fond memories.

Stuart Schorr Vice President, Communications & Public Affairs

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
2017 Chicago Auto Show Wrap-up







LEARN MORE: 2017 Chicago Auto Show Complete Press Pass Coverage

2017 Chicago Auto Show Wrap-up; The largest automotive exhibition in North America

By Thom Cannell, Michigan Bureau

and Larry Nutson, Chicago Bureau

The Auto Channel

The Chicago Auto show bills itself as the most attended auto show in North America, and the largest as it now covers 1.2 million square feet. Its also a great show for potential new car buyers and that was reflected in the number of special editions announced at the show: cars, trucks, and CUVs that weve seen, but with different trim and accessories.

True news at auto shows has become increasingly rare; Chicago was no exception. That doesnt mean it isnt, or wasnt fun and worthwhile.

Prior to official opening, Nissan launched its Midnight Edition vehicles, Murano, Rogue, Pathfinder, Maxima, Sentra and Altima with special features like black wheels, black spoiler, black mirror caps and available special floor mats and additional equipment added by model. The company says they deliver up to $1300 of extras for cost that vary from $490 for the modestly changed Sentra SR, to $1195 for Pathfinder and Murano which include Midnight 20 wheels.

Thursday morning Ralph Gilles, FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) design chief led off the annual Midwest Automotive Media Association breakfast for show officials, auto dealers, public relations professionals and journalists. Two comments were of special interest, that FCA has made only one concept vehicle since 2008, the Portal Concept for advanced mobility, and that there could be a Fiat truck in the offing, the Fiat Toro popular in South America. The later comment was swiftly explained as merely reflecting the great interest shown in South America. Hmmm.







Hyundai brought a new Elantra model to follow Eco and Sport, the GT. This is a hatchback built in Korea in two versions, one with a direct injected 2.0-liter motor, the other a 1.6-liter turbo. Either has a standard 8 touch screen, advanced Hyundai BlueLink features that include the ability for your Amazon Alexa device to start the car, and 6-speed manual or dual-clutch transmissions.

Elantra GT has the latest corporate styling, multilink rear suspension, larger brake rotors inside 18 wheels on some models, and full LED lighting: tail lights, DRL, and headlights.

Nissan brought more news, the final part of their truck puzzle, the king cab. Previously Nissan had delivered the Titan XD with Cummins diesel followed by a gasoline XD, both with crew cabs. That was followed by their half-ton Titan in crew cab and single cab, so the king cab has been long awaited. Their lineup is complete (for now) and covers 85% of the market, according to the company. Why the long time before delivering the popular single and king cabs? According to Fred Diaz vice president and general manager of light trucks and commercial vehicles, it was to ensure a slow rollout to dealers in order to prevent unforeseen problems tarnishing the brand.

Titan XD and Titan king cabs use clamshell doors that open 170, offer a choice of no rear seat for the commercial market or fold-up rear seat and rear area tie-downs. That brings seating capacity up to six, with a 6.5-foot bed for all king cab models: S, SV and PRO-4X.

Nissan also brought two trucks that fall into the concept arena though they are available; all the extra parts, like a 2 and 4 lift kit are available from Nissan Genuine Parts. Items like the LED replacement grill or laser-carved light support bar are notyet. Oh, they brought the RPM Productions NV Cargo 4x4. While originally a rough-and-tumble off road project, dont be surprised if Nissan doesnt make something like it available at their commercial truck dealers.

Toyota also brought special models to Chicago, the Tundra TRD, Sport Sequoia TRD Sport, and RAV4 Adventure. All are modifications to existing vehicles; trim packages. The Sequoia features: Black accented wheels, grille and mirrors, smoked taillights, and TRD Sport badging. Similarly, the Tundra TRD Sport includes: color-keyed mirrors, bumpers and hood scoop; a mesh grille, smoked LED headlights, and TRD Sport graphics.

The RAV4 Adventure accents the popular CUV with enlarged black over-fenders and black 18-inch wheels. Headlight, grille, roof rails and mirrors are darkened and lower body guards are contrasted in gray. The package adds roof rails, while the interior adds carbon fiber-like finishes, a power outlet, cargo mats, and of course Adventure badging.

Ram Truck brought a limited edition Ram 1500, the Ram 1500 Copper Sport. Painted an exclusive Copper Pearl outside, the interior uses accent stitching and color matched anodized trim.



Elsewhere Dodge unveiled its high-performance 2018 Dodge Durango SRT - the brand's fastest SUV in its class. The powerful three-row sport utility vehicle - called the "Dodge Charger of the full-size SUV segment" - touts a 6.4-liter HEMI V8 engine that delivers 475 horsepower, 470 lb.-ft. of torque and features an 8,600-lb. towing capacity. The National Hot Rod Association certified SUV is capable of 0-60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds and has a quarter-mile time of just 12.9 seconds.

Ford introduced their all-new full-sized Expedition SUV a few days in advance of the show. While it is similar in appearance, it is completely new and includes the corporate shift to an all-aluminum body on a full-sized steel frame. Expedition includes new connectivity features like wireless charging, Wi-Fi hotspot, upgraded audio with SYNC3 now adding Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, four 12-volt power outlets and 6 USB chargers plus a 110-volt outlet. The premium audio system in Expedition is from Bang & Olufsen, the 12-speaker B&O Play.

As a full-sized SUV, Expedition seats eight with the third row in use and the third row folds flat with the push of a single button. Width between wheelwells fits a standard 4x8 piece of sheet goods.

Expeditions new 10-speed transmission offers multiple settings to offer better management of torque at the driven wheel. These include normal, sport, tow/haul, eco for better fuel mileage, grass/gravel/snow for loose surfaces, sand for low traction surfaces, and mud/rut to deal with uneven surfaces.

Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars, Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA North America spoke about the wheelchair-modified minivan, The all-new Chrysler Pacifica is proving to be a lot of things to a lot of people, and now equipped with the BraunAbility technology, it is also the perfect tool to help our customers gain freedom to stay active in their everyday lives.

The BraunAbility Chrysler Pacifica is, according to FCA, The most spacious wheelchair-accessible vehicle in the industry. BraunAbility adds patent-pending AccessAbility technology. As you can see in our photo, this adds an aerospace-inspired sliding door extension and the industrys widest side-entry ramp. The modifications expand interior cabin space and maximize space for obstruction-free maneuverability for all sizes and types of wheelchairs.

At the 2015 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, Chevrolet introduced the concept Red Line vehicles, all designed in-house. In Chicago, Chevy fleshed out the line with nine production variants: Cruze LT in sedan and hatchback , Malibu LT, Camaro LT/SS both coupe and convertible, Trax LT, Equinox LT, Traverse Premier, Colorado LT and Silverado Double Cab LT Z71, Crew Cab LTZ Z71.

With so many vehicles, listing each feature would be an endless task. So, in general theres satin graphite painted mirror caps and larger wheels, the wheels hash marked in red. Red accents are the Red Lines signature, of course. There are red fog light bezels on some, performance additions like lowered suspension and bigger brakes on some, and dark taillamps on others. Oh, dont forget the custom floor and cargo mats, red bowtie logos and black grille.

Chrysler's Mopar parts division is celebrating its 80th anniversary with a limited edition run of hand-painted customized 2017 Dodge Challengers that incorporate many Mopar speed parts. The Mopar '17 Dodge Challenger comes in one of two color schemes, an understated Pitch Black/Billet Silver combination, or a striking Pitch Black/Contusion Blue two-tone. They are building 80 cars in each color scheme, to honor Mopar's 80th. Details like the "392" fender badging are hand painted and for the purists, the 485 HP Mopar Challenger is only offered with a six-speed manual.

The new Outlander Sport trim package from Mitsubishi made its debut with black-painted wheels and black mirror caps. The new Outlander Sport also gets Limited Edition badging, foglights, red stitching accents on the interior, and a multimedia system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

The 2017 Chicago Auto Show has nearly 1,000 vehicles from approximately 40 exhibitors for car shoppers to see and feel. The show featured two additional indoor test tracks this year, swelling the total number of indoor riding opportunities for attendees to five. Returning were Camp Jeep, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles multi-brand track and Toyota's RAV4 & Highlander Experience. New for 2017 is a Ram proving ground and Mercedes-Benz' "Iron Schockl." Named after a mountain in Austria, it features the Mercedes-Benz G-Class climbing and descending a 45-degree incline. Not for the faint of heart.

 2017
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
By Adila Matra: In 1882, Norwegian playwright Hernik Ibsen's play, Ghosts, sparked a controversy that would be discussed and debated in the years to come. Incest, euthanasia, sexual transmitted diseases--Ibsen was way ahead of his time. Centuries later, the play's Hindi adaptation directed by film artist KK Raina and scripted by Ila Arun is surprisingly relevant in present India.

Ibsen's thought has evolved in the consciousness of connoisseurs and has gone through varied facets of responses ranging from disgust to liberation. How Raina and Ila Arun treat the complicated concepts that arose in Ibsen's mind is definitely something that many would like to find out.

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In Ibsen's version, widow Helene Alving hides the profanity of her late husband to maintain her status in the society while in Raina's adaptation, Peecha Karti Parchhaiyan, widow of the late Maharaja Kunwar Viraj Bhanupratap Singh, battles similar demons of society.

Raina's play is set in Cooch-Behar, a state inhabited by Rajput families from Nepal and Rajasthan, many of them still living on their past feudal glories, clinging on to old traditions and decrepit lifestyles. Says Raina, "We performed this play for the first time at the 3rd International Ibsen Theatre Festival in Mumbai. I was surprised to see how relevant Mrs Alving is to the psyche of the modern women in India. Though I have tweaked the characters and language to fit the Indian scenario, the plot remains the same. Ibsen was a man of words and I had no intention to make the play abstract and secretive."

Donna Munshi, Rahul Bagga and Gaurav Amlani play major roles. Picture courtesy: Mail Today

Ila Arun doubles up as the scriptwriter as well as the lead character Yashodhara, the widow. She says, "The play is about how she invokes her inner strength to deal with the ghosts of her past that dictate her life. My engagements with Rajput families prompted me to see a real connect to adapt it in that context. Note that this is not a literal translation. The play was set in in that cultural ecosystem, drawing from the language register, variations, mannerisms etc. relevant to the community, and deeply reflecting communities grapple with modernity and the changing times. If you look around one finds so many families caught up in this situation."

Rahul Bagga plays the syphilis infected son who lives in Paris and according to Arun, gives a "striking performance". "Wherever we perform, the audience connects. The real life resemblances are met with amazement most of the time," Arun says. Well, Delhi can't wait.

--- ENDS ---
Bill Mahers decision to have Milo Yiannopoulos on his program was not without controversy.

When the political satirist announced he was hosting the hateful Breitbart editor on his HBO show Real Time, scheduled panelist Jeremy Scahill, an accomplished journalist whos reported in war zones and is one of the co-founders of The Intercept, chose to back out of his appearance. Scahill released a note on Twitter explaining how he felt lending Yiannopoulos the popular platform would legitimize his hateful agenda, and potentially be used to incite violence against immigrants, transgender people, and others at a time when the Trump administration is already seeking to formalize a war against some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Maher, meanwhile, defended the decision, writing, If Mr. Yiannopoulos is indeed the monster Scahill claimsand he might benothing could serve the liberal cause better than having him exposed on Friday night.

Well, Yiannopoulos came on Real Time and, far from being exposed, was handled with kid gloves by Maher.

But first, a little context. Milo Yiannopoulos (birth name: Milo Hanrahan) is a 32-year-old British provocateur and college dropout. Online, he flirted with neo-Nazism, going by the handle Milo Andreas Wagner, donning a Nazi iron cross necklace and posing with Hitler tomes, before making a name for himself as a contrarian voice in the #Gamergate controversy and popular voice of the alt-rightthe trendy moniker for white nationalism. Yiannapoulos is also a wealth of contradictions. He is openly gay, yet appears to despise gay people; tan and camp, yet just a few years ago was unkempt and far less theatrical. In opposition of gay marriage, he once wrote, [Gay people] see themselves as faulty, so they exaggerate their imperfections in the company of others they see as similarly defective. Ironically, its precisely that profound feeling of being somehow broken that means a gay mans sexuality often comes to be the defining characteristic of his personality. Who wouldnt want to protect a child from a path that leads to such destructive self-loathing?Yiannapoulos is also transphobic, singling out and harassing individual trans students during his controversial college speaking gigs; helped launch a racist online harassment campaign against Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones that got him booted from Twitter; and is an avowed misogynist, penning piece after trolltastic piece for Breitbarta website which former exec Steve Bannon characterized as a platform for the alt-rightmocking feminism, including the piece: Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy. His campus speaking gigs have provoked protests, most recently by an outside anarchist group at UC Berkeley that turned violent.

Which brings us to his appearance on Real Time. The self-proclaimed troll, who is currently promoting a book, came on during the pre-panel interview portion where he was greeted with open arms by Maher, who proclaimed, Im gonna start with an open mind. Look, I think youre colossally wrong on a number of things, but if I banned everyone from my show who I thought was colossally wrong I would be talking to myself.

Maher then tried to address Yiannopouloss contradictions, including that he is gay yet regularly speaks out against the LGBT community and has said he doesnt hire gay people. Oh, no! You cant trust them to show up to work on time. Too much drugs, too much sex, theyre always making excuses, said Yiannopoulos, to a chorus of boos from the crowd. He then turned to the audience and quipped: Im just kidding. Youre easy. Youre very easy. Very easily triggered. Its pathetic.

Maher had nothing. Instead of pressing Yiannopoulos on his vile treatment of the LGBT community, or his bizarre claim that the radical gay editorials that are saying interesting things about gays are now being published by Breitbart, the HBO host instead segued to a topic they both seem to agree on: free speech. We have both been disbarred at Berkeley, said Maher, addressing how Yiannopoulos apparently makes liberals crazyfor that part of liberalism that has gone off the deep-end.

Youre literally the only good [liberal], replied a toadying Yiannopoulos. Your side has gone insane. The Democrats are the party of Lena Dunham. These people are mental, hideous people. The more that America sees of Lena Dunham, the fewer votes the Democrat Partys ever going to get.Lets not pick on fellow HBO stars, said Maher.Yiannopoulos then singled out Amy Schumer and Sarah Silverman as people who used to be funny before they contracted feminism, before Maher, instead of pressing his guest, decided to change the subject again.

Lets talk about your humor, said an extraordinarily accommodating Maher, because I think a lot of people do miss your humor. And Im a guy who always defends jokes, right up to the point where they pointlessly hurt people. No, I hurt people for a reason, replied Yiannopoulos. For sure. No, I like to think of myself as a virtuous troll.

Again, no follow-up by Maher. No challenging of statements. Yiannopoulos, who can be rather cunning, played to his hosts vanity, complimenting Maher on his various stances (Youre very good on Islam, he said, Thats true, thanks, replied Maher), and constantly shifting the focus of their chat back to political correctness and freedom of speech, with the two in agreement that the left is wrong to want to police humor.

Towards the end of their discussionwhich played more like a back-slapping sessionMaher finally almost pressed Yiannopoulos, saying: The one area where Im a little concerned is where you go after people individually. Like I said, if its in the cause of a greater truth, if people are hurt as collateral damage, Ill go there. But, like, I didnt understand the Ghostbusters thing. First of all, who gives a fuck about Ghostbusters? He was talking about Yiannopoulos siccing his online troll army on Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones, who was subsequently sent a rash of racist memes and ultimately hacked, with her perpetrators posting stolen naked photos of Jones on her personal website.

Maher, once again, refused to challenge Yiannopouloss far-fetched claims that he merely wrote a bad review of a movie and said she looked like a dude and said shes barely literate. Later on, Maher said to Yiannopoulos, Some people would say you have incited [violence], and when his guest responded with Well, they would be idiots, he was met with more silence.

Instead, Maher closed out the Real Time lovefest by calling both liberals and his guest names.

Stop taking the bait, liberals! exclaimed Maher. The fact that they all freaked out about this little, impish, British fag? You fucking schoolgirls. You schoolgirls. Right? When all was said and done, one thing was clear: the only one who took the bait tonight was Maher.
A 19-year-old Honduran immigrant detained this week said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told him he would be deported despite receiving legal protection from an Obama-era program.

Josue Romero of San Antonio, Texas, was arrested by police while exiting a park where he had been skateboarding Tuesday night. He was held on a charge for marijuana possession before being transferred to ICE custody. Though hes since been released, his case leaves open the question about how long protection for Dreamers will stand under the Trump administration.

Last week, immigration authorities in Seattle detained a 23-year-old DACA recipient asleep in his fathers home. Daniel Ramirez Medina has no criminal record, and has had his work visa renewed twice, but ICE officials have publicly alleged that Ramirez is a gang member, as evidenced by a tattoo. Ramirezs attorneys deny this and are challenging his detention in federal court.

Romero called his family from jail early Wednesday morning to tell them he had been arrested. He was charged with a misdemeanor of marijuana possession.

I went with his aunt to pay the $800 bond, and they said hed come out in two hours, but he hasnt been released, Romeros father told a Univision affiliate.

Instead of getting out of jail, Romero was handed over to ICE.

Adelina Pruneda, a public affairs officer for ICE, told The Daily Beast in an emailed statement before the release:

On Feb. 16, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer with Bexar County Jail on Josue Romero-Velasquez, from Honduras. He was later transferred to ICE custody. Romero-Velasquez was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge Dec. 3, 2004.

Further requests for comment were declined.

Romero told The Daily Beast that ICE told him he would be deported.

They told me within the next week I would be flying to Honduras, he said. I was hoping until that point I would be able to fight my case, and thought Id have a good chance. Even when I asked about DACA, they told me there was nothing I could do, that there were no second chances with Trump. ICE declined to comment on these allegations other than to state Romero had been released.

In some circumstances, DACA status can be revoked for drug charges involving trafficking or distribution. Romero was charged with possession of two ounces or less of marijuana, a misdemeanor in Texas punishable by 180 days in jail or a maximum fine of $2,000. According to Romeros attorneys, he does not have a previous criminal record.

Romero was put in a van with other detainees for transportation to an ICE detention facility in Pearsall, Texas.

At that point I had lost hope, he said. I didnt think there was anything to do but wait. It was incredibly depressing.

Then he was released mid-way through the trip.

I was the only one taken off that van. They took off my shackles and handcuffs and told me I was being released.

According to advocates, this is the first time a DACA recipient has been detained by ICE in Texas during the Trump administration.

This is the first case that has come to my desk, said Jonathan Ryan, the executive director of the Refugee and Immigration Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). He continued, Theres no legal precedent set by this case, but its clear ICE and the administration are attempting to send messages through these enforcement actions, and we do not intend to let their messages to stand unanswered. Ryan and RAICES will provide legal counsel to Romero, and initiated an advocacy campaign to get him released.

Romero moved to the United States at age 4 and is protected under President Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

The young people, often referred to as Dreamers, are immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. DACA applicants must fulfill several requirements. The applicant must have been under 31 as of June 15, 2012, come to the U.S. before their 16th birthday, lived continuously in the U.S., studied in high school, not been convicted of a felony or had certain misdemeanors, consult an attorney, and be able to pay the $465.00 fee, among other requirements. The process takes several months. If they gain DACA, students in 18 states are allowed to apply for in-state tuition rates, and are granted work permits. Over 750,000 young men and women have acquired DACA protection so far.

President Donald Trump has said that he will deport 3 million undocumented immigrants with criminal records, and has considered revoking DACA. The immigrant community is on edge after Trump signed an executive order which broadens who ICE can target for deportation.

Immigration authorities released a public statement on Monday from Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, touting more than 680 arrests of undocumented immigrants during a week-long operation. They provided footage of some of the arrests in a link.

Romero is a second-year student at Southwest School of Art, and an employee at a woodshop for SAY Si, a San Antonio after-school program.

Romeros voice shook with relief as he recounted his reunion with family, and his surprise over the community support, I enjoyed the comfort of being able to sleep in my own bed. It feels good to home.
Revolutions can start anywhereharbors. fruit markets, smoky cafes. So why not from the bed, too? That, I suppose, is the premise of Arianna Huffingtons obsession with sleep, embodied in last years book The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time and by much of the content on her new wellness site, Thrive Global.

Huffingtons response to most everything that ails us mimics the title of Adam Mansbachs book Go the Fuck to Sleep. Feeling burned out and stressed about your life? Go the fuck to sleep. Need a simple life hack to make you ten times more productive? Go to sleep. How to fix Donald Trumps nightmare administration? As Huffington told CNBC at Davos, it would all be OK if he just got a little more shut-eye: [Trump] is the poster child of sleep deprivation.

Maybe if he got more sleep hed know not to ask his NSC advisor if a strong dollar is good for the economy:

There is ample evidence of course that Huffington is correct, at least about sleep. Study after study has shown (and as any couple with young children knows) the positive effects of a solid nights sleep are only equaled by the deleterious shitshow to which sustained sleep deprivation leads. Sleep allows the brain to recharge. Sleep allows the brain to slough off useless memory. Sleep allows for increased cognitive performance and better self-control. So yay for sleep. But for me at least, to frame it in revolutionary terms in these revolutionary times, and especially considering the source, this prudent and reasonable message rankles.

First the source. As anyone even tangentially related to the media knows, Huffington Post, the website founded by Huffington in 2005 and sold to AOL in 2011 for $315 million, operates on a business model in which many, though not all, of its contributors are unpaid. The basic exchange here is self-promotion and exposure for content. Far be from me to critique such an arrangement; both parties are consenting and informed. But it does merit notingand as someone who tangoed for petty cash with plenty of cheap reapers of content, to this I can attestthat self-promotion and exposure do not pay the rent. And even if you could find a place to sleep, you wouldnt have time to anyway since this model all but depends on fervid constant output. [The effects, by the way, do not stop with Huffington Post. In fact, this model of content creation or contributor networks has spread its bullshit contagion far and wide to the detriment of both contributors and readers.]

So this late realization on the part of Huffington that perhaps sleep and wellness and life balance are things to be valued comes only after shes ridden on the hunched over backs of the sleepless blogging minions. Their nightmare scrounging bought the high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets on her no doubt queen-sized bed; their debt collection notices stuffed her pillows and from the ground-down nubs of their burned-out selves, she makes her Bulletproof morning coffee.

That might be a tad over the top. More alarming than the sins of the messenger are the implications of Huffingtons implorations to slumber. If this were a world without injustice; if this were a time when the foundations of our democracy werent being actively gnawed upon by a cabinet of corporate termites and corpulent tyrants; if, perchance, all of us werent being used as the canvas for Trumps unconstitutional Jackson Pollockian executive ejaculate, well, then sure, lets all take a nap.

But these are terrifyingly fast moving times when the entire apparatus of public and private life must be leveraged to fight for our freedoms and not just our freedoms but for the life and liberty of those across the world endangered by the Madman of 1600. Now is a time to be awake, not asleep. I dont impugn Huffingtons motives in offering content like a deep dive into what Claire Underwoods sheath dress tells us about leadership, a contemplation whether stretching is the new spinning and an inside look at BJ Novaks morning routine. Clearly if a good nights sleep, less digital distraction, and Rachel Zoes life hacks make you a better person, better people make for better activists.

If self-love is the stepping stone to increased empathy and renewed action, go ahead, spend your days reading Marie Kondo and eight hours a night dreaming of her. Give yourself permission to have an unstructured day. But has our society ever really had a problem focusing on ourselves? Is that truly something that we need build into a feel-good empire complete with pillows embroidered with Huffingtons words of wisdom like Sleep your way to the top and travel kit with lavender oil and a cute $100 little bed to tuck your smartphone into? Or is, as I fear, the patina of wellness a disguise for more self-obsession at a time when we might cut directly through ego with direct action for others? Huffington would better serve the public not by advocating through her ecourses and empire that people sleep more but that they wake up. The possibility is dim but the hope lives on. Hey, a guys gotta dream.
When Donald Trump berated CNNs Jim Acosta during Trumps first press conference as president-elect, it proved to be a bellwether for the way he would wield language against his media critics. As a candidate, Trumps political speech was cynical, reckless, and frequently peppered with falsehoods, but nine days before his inauguration, there remained a chance Trump would turn, as he once promised, so presidential you wont believe it. But Trump refused to let Acosta talk. Not you, he scolded, as Acosta shouted a question. You are fake news.

Ever since, conservatives have hurled the term fake news around with relish, typically aiming it at news they consider biased, but also at stories that make mistakes or that simply dont support their viewpoint. Trump has led the way. Last week he tweeted that a New York Times story was major FAKE NEWS because it didnt mention a phone call hed had with Chinas Xi Jinping (the call had only been made public late the night before). Trump also attacked CNNs interview with Sen. Richard Blumenthal as FAKE NEWS! because Trump thought Chris Cuomo didnt ask Blumenthal about his non-existent Vietnam service (it was the first question). And at his combative press conference on Thursday, Trump repeatedly fired off the term, directing it again at CNN, but also at any reporting on his Russia ties, which he described as all fake news.

Far-right media were among the first to weaponize the term, and Trump may have adopted it from them. In December, after the U.S. intelligence community agreed that Russia attempted to hack our election, Breitbart News labeled the charge left-wing fake news. Around the same time, Rush Limbaugh said fake news is the everyday news. But it wasnt until Trumps hammering of Acosta that the term became a conservative talking point. Its been used widely on social media ever since, and by an increasing number of Republican pols. When hearings were set to debate Trumps travel ban, Sen. Thom Tillis posted on Facebook: Dispense with the fake news. Listen live to oral arguments Rep. Mo Brooks last week dismissed a Washington Post article about his voter fraud claims as a fake news hit piece.

But none of this is actually fake news, of course. Fake news, you might remember from the campaign, is news in which the thrust of the story is intentionally and completely false, written by unknown people for a faux-newspaper site in order to garner page views. It was so ubiquitous before the election that Facebook has since cracked down on it. An analysis of these stories showed that while they were aimed at both right and left, twice as many were designed for a conservative audience. Charlie Sykes, the conservative radio host, has blamed Republicans embrace of fake news for polluting the discourse on his show (he eventually quit) as his listeners began assigning greater credibility to unsourced conspiracy theories than to New York Times articles. Sykes said his listeners accused him of being a sellout for not repeating these stories I know not to be true.

This is the big irony in the rights efforts to co-opt the term. Real fake news, if youll pardon the oxymoron, has been far more rampant on the right than the left. The most famous fake news story is PizzaGate, which claimed Hillary Clinton was running a child sex ring out of a D.C. pizzeria. The story caused a man to travel hundreds of miles to self investigate and then fire his assault rifle into the kitchen.

In November, NPR tracked down a fake news creator named Jestin Coler, a Democrat, who said he was stunned by how easily conservatives believed the fabrications. He tried to write fake news for liberals, he said, but it never takes off. Sykes, in a recent Times op-ed, discussed the rights hijacking of the term. Mr. Trump and his allies in the right media have exploited our post-factual political culture to turn the term against its critics essentially draining it of any meaning. Now, he added, any news deemed to be biased, annoying or negative, can be labeled fake news.

As Sykes has also noted, however, the mainstream media has done its share to erode its own credibility. When Trump deems unfavorable polls to be fake ones, he can point to all the pre-election polls that predicted his loss (though they got the popular vote correct, something Trump never acknowledges). A Time reporter mistakenly wrote that Trump removed an MLK bust from the Oval Office, allowing Trump to cite it as more evidence of the dishonest media. And when all else fails, there is always WMD to prove the MSM is fallible.

But while some skepticism is healthy, rejection of the MSM is not. But rejection is sure what Trump is hoping for. In creating an equivalency between fake news and critical news, the president is attempting to further delegitimize the press and create a climate where objective facts dont exist, just opinions. In such a climate, it becomes his word versus everyone elses, and thus easier to propagate outlandish claimslike crime is at its highest rate in 47 years (not even close), the media is ignoring terrorist attacks (ridiculous), or that three million illegal immigrants voted in the election (no evidence of this). In making these assertions, Trump is using the oldest trick in the demagogues playbook: attempting to scare people into handing him more power.

In Mark Thompsons recent book, Enough Said: Whats Gone Wrong With the Language of Politics?, Thompson offers a rationale for why conservatives may be more susceptible to conspiracy theories. Increasingly, our two parties are drawn to different styles of political speech: Liberals lean toward what he calls rationalists, and conservatives toward authenticists. The split hasnt always been by party, but Trumps perceived authenticity was his biggest selling point. Authenticists prize simplicity of language, Thompson writes, because they associate simple expression with honesty of emotion. Where rationalists venerate facts, almost to a fault, authenticists often find them suspect, denigrating them in order to distinguish them from the bigger truths they prefer to promote.

Coler, the fake news creator, bolstered this point when discussing one of his biggest successes: his phony story about the mysterious murder-suicide of an FBI agent suspected of leaking Clintons emails. Nothing about the story was true, yet it garnered 1.6 million views because it matched the rights narrative that Hillary Clinton was evilKillery to many on the right. The people wanted to hear this, Coler told NPR, and after he posted the piece to several pro-Trump Facebook groups, it spread like wildfire.

To authenticists, Thompson declares: What matters most is not argument but story The facticity of a given claim matters less than its fit with the narrative. If something feels true, then in some sense it must be true.
Watching Donald Trumps bizarre 77-minute press conference this week, in which the reality show crank who is also President of the United States rambled and whined, declared hed be the medias biggest fan if wed just do nice stories about him; shut down a Jewish reporter for insulting him with a perfectly reasonable question about the uptick in anti-Semitism around the country; and presumed that an African-American reporter, April Ryan, could set up a meeting between him and the Congressional Black Caucus because  well  shes black; it occurred to me: what must this spectacle look like from Moscow?

After all, Trumps utility to the Russians has never been in his wackiness. Its been in the potential for him to deliver, as President, a different U.S. foreign policy; one that de-emphasizes the traditional Western alliances and frees Russia to operate in the European theater as it pleases, with lifted sanctions and a few lucrative bilateral oil deals to boot.

But Trump as President hasnt shown any inkling of the kind of competence or political skillor the political capitalto do any of that. Even his Secretary of State, Exxons Rex Tillerson, has sounded a dubious note about the extent to which the United States will allow Moscow to flex its muscle around the world, which had to be a great disappointment to his good friend, V. Putin, as Trump labels him in tweets, using the common Russian nomenclature.

The Trump administrationa claque of former ironic California high school racists, Pepe-the-fascist bloggers and neo-Crusader race conspiracistsplus Trumps blank-staring son-in-law (when hes not trying to buy the Miami Marlins) and a couple of beleaguered veterans of the RNChas proven itself to be as bungling as it is malevolent. None of Team Trumps shock and awe Big Ideas have been executed without extreme folly; not the totally not Muslim travel ban, not the immigration raids, and not the wall Mexico wont pay for. And for Russia, that cant be good news, unless what they truly wanted from a President Trump was sheer American chaos, not policy change.

Russian leaders seemed palpably freaked out when Gen. Michael Flynn, clearly seen as Moscows main man in Washington, was forced out of the Trump administration amid revelations that he conducted secret foreign policy on the phone with the Russian ambassador over Christmas, then lied to the vice president about it. Its pretty difficult to imagine that Flynn acted without the direction, or at least the approval, of his boss, the then-incoming president.

But more alarming than the phone calls was the fact that Flynn was considered potentially compromised by a foreign power, by the Director of National Intelligence, the acting attorney general of the United States, Sally Yates, and others, and that the White House was told as much and still waited to act. Now, the Kremlin has reportedly ordered Russian media outlets to dial back their glowing Trump coverage, amid uncertainty about what comes next.

There are even reports that some Russian Trump enthusiasts are beginning to experience the first pangs of buyers (well, hackers) remorse.

From Russias point of view, the rank incompetence of the Trump administration in handling everything from the Flynn situation to the poorly written travel ban executive order to their failure to conduct the kind of rudimentary vetting that keeps embarrassing things from happeninglike a half dozen proposed administration appointees failing their FBI background checks or Flynns preferred replacement, former Navy SEAL, Vice Admiral Bob Harward, turning down a job he considered a shit sandwichhas to give some pause. So must Trumps dismal approval ratings, which hover at a historically low 39 percent in the latest Pew Research poll. Is this the man who can deliver an historic shift in U.S.-Russian relations?

However loyal his hardcore base, can a president who is quickly losing support from everyone elsewho has declared his own countrys press corps to be the enemy of the people and who seems to need to be out on the campaign trail holding rallies and absorbing the love and adulation of his fans in order to function; and who with every day appears more erratic, more desperate for acknowledgment, and more disconnected from realitypossibly deliver on the big foreign policy stage?

More ominously, what happens if Moscow decides that he cant? If Donald Trump ceases to be seen as useful to the people who were so eager for his election they risked sanctions and the wrath of a president Hillary Clinton should she have won despite their meddling; what do the Russians do then?

Little by little, parts of the infamous MI-6 dossier are being confirmed by journalists here and abroad. If indeed the Russians have something on the American president, one wonders if and when it gets used, and to what end.

The bottom line is that Mike Flynn wasnt the only vulnerable member of the Trump administration. Trump himself has a long history of strange affinity for Russia. And he has few friends in Washington, despite the exaggerated sycophancy of the Beltway GOP, which fears his tweets because they fear his voters, and who now spend their time dodging reporters questions about Trumps antics while quickly approving his barely vetted Cabinet nominees on party line votes.

But fear and fealty are two different things. And clearly, the Pence wing of the Republican Party would think nothing of sticking a political shiv in Trump if it meant getting his zealously evangelical, reliably Republican veep in his place. The only question is how far Trumps poll numbers have to fall, and how absurd his behavior must become, before the Pence-Ryan axis throws him under the bus. (A good barometer: once hes signed their most unpopular ideas, like privatizing Medicare and Social Security, selling Yellowstone Park to the oil companies or ending Obamacare.)

Democrats, meanwhile, are sharpening their knives for an administration that has alienated every possible group by gathering into the White House a cadre of white nationalists and ideologues no sane politician (or general) could stand proudly beside, but who now get to share the principals table at the National Security Council.

Trump likely has a few more months to put his administration on a glide path to sanity. Otherwise, he may find himself fighting a new enemy he thought was a friend (Russia) with only a paltry Washington rear guardthe diehards like Jason Chaffetz and Devin Nunes and probably not much morestanding behind him.
Bill Maher may have treated Milo Yiannopoulos with kid gloves, but Larry Wilmore was not here for the alt-right trolls transphobic nonsense.

The former Daily Show correspondent and Nightly Show host, who now serves as the executive producer of ABCs Black-ish and co-creator of HBOs Insecure, was one of the panelists on Friday nights edition of Real Time, and during the Overtime segmentthat aired exclusively onlinehe squared off against Yiannopoulos.

After being asked by Maher why he singled out a transgender student for ridicule during a recent speech at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Yiannopoulos intentionally referred to the former student as a he (she is a she), saying, He had already left the university. And I make no apologies for protecting women and children from men who are confused about their sexual identity. The Breitbart editor continued: I did it on purpose. I misgendered this person I think women and girls should be protected from having men who are confused about their sexual identities from their bathrooms. Thats not unreasonable, said Maher, who once again agreed with Yiannopoulos.

Then Wilmore stepped up to the plate. I just think its sad, because the same arguments that were used against gay people, treating them like aliens who wanted to fuck anything that moved and thats why we should avoid them at all costs, are being used [against the trans community].

Yiannpoulos tried to interrupt, but was shot down by Wilmore: Well, let me finish my thought, please. No, Its terrible. Theres a difference without a distinction, because its using the type of arguments. Its like when people try to compare gay and black. Yeah, theyre not the same thing. We shared invisibility. People didnt see us in society, and gay people hid out from society, but there were a lot of the same issues that you have to deal with when youre marginalized. You can always find an extreme person that becomes the object of your attack to assign that to everybody, he continued. So if you say, well that person is weird or they want to commit sexual assault, then people think all transgender people want to do is commit sexual assault.

Then, as is his wont, Yiannopoulos shot back with, Well, they are disproportionately involved in those kinds of crimes Thats not a controversial statistic, and frankly, youre suggesting these people are the victims of some kind of discrimination, well Im saying to you this is a psychiatric disorderlike identity disorder or like sociopathy.

Here, Yiannapoulos is correct: transgender people are disproportionately involved in sex crimesas the victims. According to the Office of Justice Programs, One in two transgender individuals are sexually abused or assaulted at some point in their lives. Some reports estimate that transgender survivors may experience rates of sexual assault up to 66 percent, often coupled with physical assaults or abuse. This indicates that the majority of transgender individuals are living with the aftermath of trauma and the fear of possible repeat victimization.

So Wilmore, seemingly aware of Yiannapouloss faulty logic, responded, This is what I said: [its] the same argument we used against gay people. You should do your homework. Homosexuality was called a disorder. It was [called] a psychological disorder. Maybe it is. I feel really disordered, replied Milo, trolling Wilmore.

Maybe you are, but most homosexuals are not, offered Wilmore. No, I think most gays have a long road, actually, to coming to terms with their sexuality, countered Yiannopoulos. Yeah, because of the way society treats them! exclaimed Wilmore. If society said were fine with gay people and its 1890, do you think in 1990 people are going to have an issue with it?

After being confronted by another panelist, former U.S. Navy officer and cryptology expert Malcolm Nance, Yiannapolous turned to Maher and quipped: You always invite such awful people on your show! Theyre so stupid!

That really set Wilmore off. First of all, hold on, Bill: You can go fuck yourself, Wilmore said to Yiannopoulos. If your argument is that these people are stupid, you didnt hear a word this man [Nance] said earlier in the segment, because he can talk circles around your pathetic, douchey little ass from England, alright?

Then, Wilmore addressed the comments Yiannopoulos made earlier in the night against SNL and Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones, whom he called barely literate. And one last thing: Leslie Jones is not barely literate. Go fuck yourself again for that one, OK? said Wilmore, matter-of-factly. She is a very thoughtful person, and very friendly.
By Press Trust of India: Srinagar, Feb 18 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir police today claimed to have busted a module of Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit with the arrest of a militant and nine others who were "influencing" young and innocent boys in Baramulla district to join militancy.

"With the arrest of one militant Irshad Ahmad Shah of Seelu village of Sopore in Baramulla, police has been able to bust a huge network who were spearheading militant activities and recruitment of local boys in Baramulla and Sopore. A total of nine persons were arrested so far," a police official told PTI here.

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He said Shah alias "Tanveer", who along with two other absconders are involved in killing of a civilian Eidul Amin Mir of Behrampora, has been active with Hizbul Mujahideen for more than two years.

The conspiracy to kill Mir was hatched in the house of overground Hizb worker Azhar Imtiyaz of Behrampora who was also arrested, the officer said adding efforts are on to arrest two other militants involved in the killing.

He said Shahs arrest led to the busting of the network of overground activists of the outfit who were aiding and abetting insurgency besides luring young boys towards militancy.

"In a series of raids, police assisted by security forces has arrested nine persons from different parts of the district," the spokesman said and identified the arrested persons as Mudasir Ahmad Ganie and Abdul Majeed Dar of Ladoora village, Ajaz Ahmad Shah of Shangergund, Azhar Imtiyaz of Behrampora, Ghulam Mustafa Lone of Thagund, Showkat Ahmad Mir and Aejaz Ahmad Bhat of Bomai and Mohammad Yasin Tantray and Abdul Majid Shah of Wadoora Payeen.

Referring to the killing of two hardcore militants of Hizbul Mujahideen in an encounter in Baramulla on February 4, the officer said the investigations revealed that one of the slain militants - Azhar Khan of Trich village in Kupwara - was a "radical ideologue" of the outfit who with the other killed militant had gone to Pakistan on passports and received arms training there.

"Both these militants were active in Sopore and Baramulla and with the help of this busted overground superstructure were enticing young boys from Sopore and Baramulla for militancy," the officer said.

"Based on the information which was generated during the course of these investigations, some boys who were being recruited for militant activities were counselled and handed over to their families thus saving their lives," the officer said, appealing parents to watch over their children and not to let them "fall into the trap of militant propaganda". PTI MIJ TA KUN

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In 2010, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai opened its doors and accepted the title of tallest building in the world amid a dazzling display of fireworks and light shows.

The towering pyramid of glass and steel stretched up toward the sky to reach a towering 2,717 feet, or twice the height of the Empire State Building.

While this incredible feat of engineering and human mastery over gravity is breathtaking even through the filter of photographs, its only a shadow of a building that was planned over 60 years ago, one that many say the Burj Khalifa owes a huge debt of gratitude.
If youd been loyal to Queeg, do you think all this would have come up? Lt. Greenwald asks Lt. Maryk in their confrontation at the close of the classic 1954 movie of The Caine Mutiny.

Lt. Maryk answers sheepishly, It probably wouldnt have been necessary.

Here is where I lean close to watch for the lesson in leadership that is missing these days in the typhoon of resistance and disregard directed at the Trump administration.

Greenwald turns again to the drunken Caine officers who have been celebrating their vindication by the court-martial board after they turned against Humphrey Bogarts Captain Queeg, whos crumbled into self-damning paranoia on the witness stand trying to account for how he lost his crew.

You dont work with the captain because of his hairstyle, Greenwald tells the silent mutineers. You work with him because hes got the job, or youre no good.

He finishes, in disgust: The case is over. Youre all safe.

Watching the movie, I ask myself: Are we today witnessing a slow-motion national mutiny against the duly elected president?

There are warrants to worry that the daily ad hominem attacks on the president and his counselors are not commonplace partisan dissent by those out of power but instead a mounting cry for regime change well before 2021.

Just as the Caines know-it-all, Lt. Thomas Keefer, says of QueegHas it ever occurred to you that our captain might be unbalanced?those accusing Trump suggest his leadership is so perilous that it must be blocked by extraordinary means.

The Caine crew list of those suggesting something must be done to Trump grows longer and bolder weekly, with much attention to the favorite plot device of White House fiction, the 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, which permits the vice president and a simple majority of the Cabinet to remove a president who is unable to discharge the powers and duty of his office.

Eliot Cohen, director of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Studies, former Bush official, prognosticates in the Atlantic: It will not be surprising in the slightest if his term ends not in four or in eight years, but sooner, with impeachment or removal under the 25th Amendment . The sooner Americans get used to these likelihoods, the better.

The Georgetown Law professor Rosa Brooks, former Obama official, writing in Foreign Policy, also points to the avenue of the 25th Amendmentand then tops everyone with speculation on a scenario that until recently I would have said was unthinkable in the United States of America: a military coup, or at least a refusal by military leaders to obey certain orders.

The New Yorker correspondent John Cassidy observes that the Republican Congressional leadership either could stop Trumps illiberal proposals or could use the 25th Amendment. Then again, Cassidy does note that the overwhelming likelihood is that the Republicans will do nothing of the kind.

The Georgetown Law Center professor David Cole, an ACLU official, writing in the New York Review of Books, agrees that the Republican Congress is unlikely to hinder or to remove its own partys leader; and so he proposes the cryptic, If the Constitution is to be enforced, it will have to come at the insistence of the people.

Significant elected officials are joining in the calls for dramatic events. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks ominously of impeachment demands: When and if he breaks the law, that is when something like that will come up.

Democratic Governor of Washington Jay Inslee also speaks forebodingly about Trump to Politico, The nation needs checks against a president whos prone to rogue behavior, and governors will assume a more important place in the democratic system. Inslee then went on to mention a subterranean alliance with Republican governors.

Washington Post conservative Republican columnist Kathleen Parker joins in rooting for the 25th Amendment to dislodge Trump; however, there is also a back-up plan that predicts the Democrats will sweep back into power in Congress in 2018 and ignite impeachment hearings for a trial by the Senate as soon as Speaker Pelosi wields the gavel.

If you regard the scenarios above as improbable, consider that polling already shows 40 percent of the American people approve of impeachment, and that London bookmaker Ladbrokes has 11/10 odds that Trump will leave office by impeachment and conviction or by resignation in the first term.

The bookmakers do not give odds on the 25th Amendment; and why not?

Perhaps because the amount of explanation needed to convince a wagerer that the 25th is a credible device while President Trump is walking around the White House requires excessive magical thinking.

Perhaps because the whole exercise of imagining Trump will vanish before the 2020 presidential canvas is an illustration of fooling some of the people all of the time.

Or perhaps because my colleagues in the national media do not recall an unhappy lesson of The Caine Mutiny that can be applied spookily today to the contest between the president and his doubting critics.

Queeg was arbitrary, devious, relentlessly petty, overwrought, unsympathetic.

Queegs behavior before the court, rolling the ball bearings in his pocket and lashing out about fake news of stolen strawberries, remains a mesmerizing portrait of man going over the edge.

And yet Queeg, at the moment of his betrayal, was the captain of a warship in a storm-tossed sea. To usurp his duly-sworn authority on the basis of collective opinion was far more reckless than anything Queeg could have doneeven foundering the Caine.

There are protocols to rescue the crew of a ship in distress. There are no protocols to rescue mutineers.
The whooping started just as we were all seated, with moments to go before the curtain rose on Wednesday evenings performance of Sunset Boulevard.

The applause and cheering were not yet for Glenn Close, back on Broadway 22 years after winning the Tony for playing Norma Desmond. She was reprising the role, having played Norma in London last year.

The audiences cheersraucous, keenly felt, and loudwere for Hillary Clinton, who was taking her aisle seat in the Palace Theatres orchestra section, close to the stage. She had just come from dinner with actress Kate McKinnon, who is perhaps most famous for portraying the former secretary of state on SNL.

The audiences rousingly warm welcome went on for so long that one wondered if Close would ever get the opportunity to take to the stage as Desmond in this Andrew Lloyd Webber productionbased on the 1950 Billy Wilder filmwhich originally began life in Londons West End in 1993 with Patti LuPone in the lead role.

With two divas in the house, who would get the biggest cheers? The audience cheered for them bothroared, more accurately.

There was an added poignancy to watching Sunset Boulevard that night. Clinton and Desmond are far from mirror imagesalthough Clintons fiercest foes may accuse her of similar delusions of grandeur and ambition as Desmond possessesbut each is an iconic, accomplished woman forced to confront the crumbling of her ambition and dreams, having attained so much success, and still possessed of so much determination and charisma.

Closes performance is, of course, goosebump-enducing and electric. An actress of her talent playing Desmond, the silent movie star left behind by the era of talkies, brings focus to Norma Desmond, the warped and wondrous personality.

Here is a movie star at once grand and detached from realitywho thinks nothing of spending thousands of dollars on Joe (Michael Xavier), the object of her affectionsand who is commanding and sharp when she wants something, fierce when crossed, and child-like and needy when rejected.

Joe, a screenwriter she is both in love with and banking on to help make her a star again, is both seduced by Normas riches and revolted by what he is becoming, and Xavier evokes him without edge.

It is Joes connections with Hollywood, and his frustrated love affair with Betty (Siobhan Dillon) that form a kind of time-filling blanket in the show (although a moving duet of theirs is sung with feeling).

All the surrounding ballast of singing and dancing in the showthe songs about Hollywood and its venal, sanity-shredding waysis a slickly executed pleasure to watch; and similarly Xaviers appearance in a pair of tight swimming trunks, his body wet, produced a number of happy whoops.

But these moments do not feature Glenn Close, and therefore, brutally, feel a little redundant. Any moment without Close on stage starts to feel like a frothy musical about those ye-gads crazy kids trying to make it in Hollywood.

Normas fantasy life of fameespecially the production of troves of fan lettershas been the responsibility of her mysterious majordomo Max (Fred Johanson), whose protection of her borders on the creepy and fanatic.

The real action is not on the sound-stages glimpsed occasionally by the audience, but Normas mansion of faded glories on Sunset Boulevard, with its winding staircase and chandeliers piled up one on top of the other.

James Noones set design of scaffolds and perches ingeniously doubles as both mansion and movie studio. Via projections on a screen, there is also wonderful use made of silent movies, and footage of old Hollywood. My theater buddy loved the cars effect (people holding two lights, whizzing about); I did not.

Closes voice, as has been noted elsewhere, is not conventionally smooth, but then her expansive-yet-cornered Norma is far from smooth herself. The occasional talk-singing is entirely appropriate to her characters anguish and insanity.

The Sunset Boulevard showstopper, Normas As If We Never Said Goodbye, sung as she goes once again to Cecil B. DeMille (Paul Schoeffler) to restart her career and a spotlight is once again trained upon her, is intensely moving because it is a harking back to a golden age, while every note of it has the rasp of desperationNormas delusion that she can have all the fame and glory again.

Her consummate acting skills mean Don Black and Christopher Hamptons book and lyrics are not just vividly bought to life, but also with all kinds of light and dark shading, pathos and wit, and comedy and tragedy, that only Closehere at her most powerful and charismaticcan marshal believably.

Of course, the insanely dramatic outfits by Anthony Powell (bejeweled head scarves, black suits with white fur sleeves, evening gowns of shimmering excess) and the crazy diva holed up in the Hollywood mansion deliver implicit camp pleasurebucketfuls of itbut Close does not play up to that, or play it for that. By not making Norma a caricature, we see, all too painfully, her fractured reality.

Talking to Matt Lauer on Today, Close said she had delved down to try and understand Desmonds behavior, on today and in that journey of discovery you always find a place to love them.

The 22 years of aging that had elapsed between Normas had enriched her performance, Close said. The Hollywood studio system of now was just as punitive to older actresses as Norma endures in the play, she added.

Just as watching Swanson play Desmond was piercing because Swansons stardom herself was rooted in the pre-talkie era (and Swanson-as-Desmond watched Swansons Queen Kelly in Wilders movie), so Closes own Hollywood status bleeds over on to the stage.

Closes habitation of Norma is ultimately tragic and triumphant; her final appearance, as she prepares to face law enforcement believing them to be her beloved cameras, is wrenching and ridiculous, as she descends that grand staircase like a nervous crab suddenly becoming a jaunty flapper girl.

As throughout, the genius here is in Closes phrasing, which first gently declares that she will never desert DeMille again (even though he is the one doing the deserting), thensung slightly harderthat this is her life and always will be, thenshe almost spits outThere is nothing else, just this, to suddenly softly invoking those wonderful people out there in the dark, the cinema audiences, who have given her, quite literally, life.

The night our audience saw it Clintons presence bought an additional charge and layer to the emotion. At the interval, she graciously received many peoples thanks, requests for photographs, and participatory selfies. They queued, and crowded around her. One woman put her hand gently to her chest, and thanked Clinton for all she had done.

There was more applause and cheering and shouted support for Clinton before act two, and then at the end of the show she was hustled discreetly backstage with minimal fuss to meet Close, who had herself just left the stage after multiple ovations, which will no doubt be repeateddeservedlythroughout the run.

But there was only this one performance where at least elements of Sunset Boulevardnot Normas self-delusion, but rather the diminishment of a powerful woman, painfully, in front of her own eyes; and her determination to survive in the face of thatthat may have echoed quite so piercingly within Hillary Clinton, sitting watching Sunset Boulevard from the stalls.

Sunset Boulevard is at the Palace Theatre, 1564 Broadway, until June 25. Book tickets here.
By Press Trust of India: Ranchi, Feb 17 (PTI) Jharkhand has received investment commitments of a whopping Rs 3 lakh crore during the two-day maiden global investment summit here, according to state Chief Minister Raghubar Das.

"We have signed more than 209 MoUs during Momentum Jharkhand Summit. These MoUs have been signed across the sectors...total investment through these MoUs is to the tune of Rs 3.04 lakh crore, most of which will be realised on the ground by 2018," Das said today.

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It is estimated to create 1.92 lakh direct employment opportunities and 2.70 lakh indirect employments, he said.

"I assure you that my government will start working from today itself towards the implementation of the MoUs that have been signed during this Summit during the stipulated time-frame," he said.

Adani Group led by Gautam Adani is examining possibility to invest Rs 50,000 crore in coal to polymer complex and exploring 5 locations for this, an official said, adding it is looking for coal linkage.

Some of the other large investment commitments include Rs 5,000 crore each from Aditya Birla Group and Vedanta Resources, while Jindal Steel and Power and Adani Group proposed investment of Rs 20,000 crore each.

The chief minister said that investments would help develop industries, create employment opportunities, boost construction of high quality, link remote villages by expansion of network.

Moreover, these would help build education, health and transport sectors, Das said.

"We have received several proposals in power and energy sectors; we are committed to reach out to illuminate each household through the effective implantation of these proposals," he said.

Appreciating the efforts of Jharkhand in terms of ease of doing business ranking, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the state has been able to improve its ranking in a very short period of time.

It shows the resolve of the state which has gathered momentum, she said, adding it has lots of potential for growth in identified sectors.

IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it is heartening to note the kind of investment proposals Jharkhand has got in its maiden effort and it has long way to go.

He also promised all the required support in boosting investment in IT and IT-enabled sectors in the state.

The government of Jharkhand has also signed Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft India to enhance citizen services with cloud and mobile technologies.

"Microsoft will work with the Government of Jharkhand to support the development of cloud and mobile-based solutions and support the use of machine learning and advanced visualisation to help solve challenges in the fields of agriculture and education," Umesh Prasad Sah, Director - IT, Department of IT and e-governance, said in a statement. PTI DP MBI CS MKJ

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By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Feb 18 (PTI) Former Lok Sabha member of PDP Tariq Hameed Karra today joined Congress and said the move was necessitated as the PDP-BJP alliance was only implementing the "RSS agenda" in Jammu and Kashmir.

61-year-old Karra met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi here and was welcomed by them into the party.

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Founder member of PDP along with late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, Karra had submitted his resignation from the Lok Sabha in September last year protesting against the alleged excesses being committed by security forces in quelling widespread protests after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani.

The resignation was accepted by the Lok Sabha secretariat in November last year.

"Basically after PDP backed an agenda of BJP which is dictated by the RSS, the political dynamics of the state changed. People in the state never accepted the inroads made by the RSS into the state politics using PDP-BJP alliance as a tool," Karra told PTI here.

"The alliance between PDP and BJP had necessitated need for realignment of political forces in the state. Kashmir issue has been put in a deep slumber by the ruling alliance," he said.

Karra, whose uncle G M Sadiq was the first Congress chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said there was an urgent need for secular parties to come together to fight the "fascist forces in the state". PTI SKL AAR SC AAR

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Charles Hamilton adds The Isles to its range

The Isles has been added to the regional malt and grain whisky range at Charles Hamilton. The new release extends the Speyside, Highland, Islay and Lowland regional spread.

Each region is presented in its own distinctive colour scheme. The Isles version is distinguished by its striking 'coral tinted' cylindrical carton and bottle labels.

The Hamiltons range is aimed at the drinker who is looking for the opportunity to try whiskies from the regional areas of Scotland. The packaging for each expression describes the product concerned and the characteristics of the highlighted region with geographical illustrations, a whisky map of Scotland and individual tasting notes.

Duncan Baldwin, regional director, states: The Isles release is a great addition to the range and compliments the main classified regions very nicely.

18 February 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor
Nearly 60 clergy from Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi gathered for a retreat in New Braunfels this week. Pastors, chaplains and ministers from the South Central Conference of our denomination, the United Church of Christ, met for only 25 hours to talk about the present and future of the Church, to meditate on the stories of Jesus, and to worship the God of us all.

Who said retreats were for rest? Especially these days, when the sacred paints of neighborliness and truth run in a messy blur down the canvas of our human condition, there is seldom rest for those who vow "to accept the joy and the cost of discipleship" (taken from the UCC's Statement of Faith).

At the conclusion of the retreat, we gathered to worship. Among these ministers of different ages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, disabilities and backgrounds, one stood up and read aloud from the Gospel of Matthew: "While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers stood outside trying to speak with him. Someone said to him, "Look, your mother and brothers are outside wanting to speak with you." Jesus replied, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" He stretched out his hand toward his disciples and said, "Look, here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, sister and mother."

It was a comforting reminder that we modern-day disciples of Christ following in the Way of the Jesus Movement are one another's family, simply because, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, we "just want to do God's will."

The Bible reveals that will to be about liberation, inclusiveness, equality and an overall restoration of relationships between God, humankind and the Earth itself. God demands for those oppressed by societal evils to be set free. Orphans, widows and immigrants are to be defended and treated with utmost care. The land and its resources are to be released from any form of manipulation where some have much at the expense of many who have little. Through the teachings of Christ, we learn that it is imperative to advocate for the poor, to treat the stranger with relentless hospitality, and to bring children forced to the margins of our public narrative to the middle.

We can go round and round about what God's will is, but hopefully we all know what it is not. It is never God's will for human beings -- made in God's image -- to be dehumanized by labels: illegal, criminal, etc. It is never God's will for families to be torn apart, for children to worry about their wellbeing, or for "the least of these who are members of my family," as Jesus says, to be dismissed. It is never God's will for territorialism and apathy to dictate our society. These injustices go against the very heart of our Creator, which is why social justice is an articulation of God's will.

Recently, there have been raids carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The immigrant community -- our neighbors -- are being "rounded up" to be deported. Those being targeted are people who have been convicted or even accused of a crime (for example, an unpaid parking ticket), and those with expired visas. This affects 40 percent of the immigrant population. Plus, even if you're not being targeted, you can still be detained.

Husbands and fathers are going to work at the construction site and not coming home. Children get home from school to find their mother gone. Couples are taking two cars to church on Sunday in case one parent gets picked up, so the other will be able to stay and care for the kids and ailing parent. These injustices offend the will of God. This is why social justice is needed to reclaim the moral center of our faith that has somehow drifted so far off course as to enable many of us Christians to justify dehumanizing and hating our neighbor under the guise of maintaining civic peace.

Thursday night, I attended a meeting of the Austin Sanctuary Network. People from different religions and Christian denominations discussed what they could do about the raids threatening undocumented immigrants in their community. It was the highest attendance the group had seen yet. This pastor from Aggieland was humbled just to be in the room.

A microphone went from person to person so people could express what gave them hope. Everyone spoke in English until the microphone reached a young Latina woman who, by the look on her face, wasn't expecting to talk. With an empowering smile, she said, "Soy indocumentado, y tengo esperanza por la labor que esta haciendo y porque hay tantos de ustedes aqui. (I'm undocumented, and I have hope because of the work you're doing and because there are so many of you here.)"

People working for social justice are reclaiming the moral center of Christianity by simply striving for the will of God that always places humanity over legalism. These days social justice is tiring work. But don't give up. You're not alone. You've got a big family that, by God's grace, is getting bigger every day.

 The Rev. Dan De Leon is the pastor of Friends Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, College Station.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Feb 18 (PTI) Former PDP Lok Sabha member Tariq Hameed Karra today joined the Congress in the presence of Rahul Gandhi and vowed to fight the RSS and other "divisive" forces to "save the social fabric" of the country.

Karra said his decision was necessitated as the PDP-BJP alliance government was pursuing the "RSS agenda" in Jammu and Kashmir after joining hands with the so-called fascist forces.

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The founder PDP member also termed as "politically motivated" the statement of army chief General Bipin Rawat on "tough action" against those supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

"As far as the army chiefs statement is concerned, I feel it is a politically motivated statement. It is very unfortunate that a force like the army, which has been deputed to save the nations sovereignty, is politicised," he told reporters soon after his formal joining.

Welcoming him into the party fold, Congress vice president Gandhi said, "I am very happy that someone of his stature is joining us. I had met Karra ji in the Lok Sabha and we had some discussions. I welcome him into the Congress party and look forward to working with you". Karra said, "We will strive, will try our level best to save the social fabric of India".

He accused the PDP of pursuing RSS agenda in the state and said, "My conscience did not allow me to carry on any further and I resigned from PDP as well as from the membership of Lok Sabha". "We sought votes against BJP so that BJP does not get space in the corridors of power and rest is history and in 2016 when the unrest started in J&K especially Kashmir Valley when both PDP and BJP in connivance with each other maimed people of J&K, mishandled the situation of J&K, jailed people which was against the conscience of Indian polity, blinded people there, killed children of the age of 5 and 8 years," he alleged. "Basically after PDP backed an agenda of BJP which is dictated by the RSS, the political dynamics of the state changed. People in the state never accepted the inroads made by the RSS into the state politics using PDP-BJP alliance as a tool," Karra also told PTI. "The alliance between PDP and BJP had necessitated need for realignment of political forces in the state. Kashmir issue has been put in a deep slumber by the ruling alliance," he said.

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Party general secretary incharge of Jammu and Kashmir Ambika Soni said Karra has been the "conscience keeper" in PDP and had time and again warned it of going on a wrong track and rectify its course. "When he saw no light at the end of the tunnel, he was compelled to leave the ranks of the PDP and we are very happy to welcome him.

"He has his own positive views of what the roadmap should be and how we can bring the processes into the mainstream of national politics and how alienation process which has set in can be reversed and can be an integral part of the Indian main stream," Soni said. Karra earlier in the day met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi who welcomed him into the Congress party. PTI SKC SKL KUN

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Irom Sharmila's party People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) has taken to online crowdfunding to raise funds and campaigning on cycle to reach out to the masses.

By Kaushik Deka : Within 16 hours of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal donating Rs 50,000 to rights activist Irom Sharmila's party, it has seen a huge surge in crowd sourcing.

Irom Sharmila's party People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) had Rs 5 lakh in the account till yesterday. The amount as recorded today afternoon at 12 am is Rs 11 lakh.

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The party has taken to online crowdfunding to raise funds and campaigning on cycle to reach out to the masses.

Kejriwal while donating Rs 50,000 to Irom Sharmila made an appeal to people on Twitter to help her while sharing the link.

I am donating Rs 50,000 as my small contribution to her and appeal to everyone to support her. https://t.co/9uEXT1uMn6 Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 18, 2017

"I am donating Rs 50,000 as my small contribution to her and appeal to everyone to support her," he tweeted while urging people to donate generously to her.

Aam Aadmi Party's Punjab leader Bhagwant Mann followed Delhi's chief minister and donated his one month salary.

As a member of parliament m donating my one month salary to Irom Sharmila who is fighting against corrupt system n injustice in Manipur... Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) February 19, 2017

According to reports, the lawmaker gets a compensation, including constituency and office staff allowances, of nearly Rs 2 lakh a month. His basic salary is Rs 50,000.

WHAT IS PRJA

PRJA is the first regional party in Manipur which has resorted to crowdfunding to finance the poll expenses in the state.

According to PRJA sources, online crowdfunding with a slogan "Ten For a Change" is an idea in order to involve more people, bring in transparency in election funding and reach out to the masses. The PRJA so far has collected Rs 4.5 lakh through crowdfunding.

"The online crowdfunding is in line with the partys call for accountable governance. When we started the party there was a lot of need for funds.

"Online funds are transparent and normally political parties face a backlash because they dont have transparency in their funds," PRJAs convener, Erendro Leichonbam said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Korean poet and novelist Han Kang has been an esteemed literary figure in her homeland for decades. In 2007, she published a slim tripartite story about a woman who decides, to the mystification and then anger of her husband, to forgo meat because she'd "had a dream". It's a novel of extreme violence, both physical and psychological, but also deep sensual pleasure. In 2010, it became an acclaimed film, and five years later, was translated into English as The Vegetarian, winning the Man Booker International prize in 2016. In Han's hands, a woman's ordinary, if sudden, decision to become vegetarian becomes an allegory for refusal, anger, control, subversion, death and desire. The translation by Deborah Smith, a young British woman who admitted to picking Korean on a whim, is both vivid and beautiful.

Human Acts, also translated by Smith, addresses a central event that occupies Han's writerly conscience. In May 1980, in the city of Gwangju, students had demonstrated against Chun Doo-hwan, a general who had seized power in a coup. The rebellion was suppressed and hundreds were tortured or killed. Han writes: "When my gaze fell upon the mutilated face of a young woman, her features slashed through with a bayonet... some tender thing deep inside me broke. Something that, until then, I hadn't even realised was there."

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Leistikow: Hawkeyes uncover much-needed star in Kaleb Johnson

After a 200-yard day, Johnson seems as surprised as anybody that he has a starring role for the Hawkeyes down the stretch.
NORWALK  The Norwalk community is invited to a swearing-in ceremony to welcome the fire departments first female firefighter on Wednesday.

The swearing-in and promotional ceremony takes place on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Norwalk Fire Department, 121 Connecticut Ave.
Known as ' Vidarbh Kesari' or the Lion of Vidarbha, Jambuwantrao Dhote passed away this morning in Yawatmal following a heart attack.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Crusader of a separate state of Vidarbha, and former Member of Parliament from Nagpur, Jambuwantrao Dhote passed away this morning in Yawatmal following a heart attack. His last rites will be held on Sunday in Yawatmal.

Known as ' Vidarbh Kesari' or the Lion of Vidarbha, Dhote has been associated with the cause of separate statehood of Vidarbha for several decades.

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ALL ABOUT DHOTE

Dhote was elected as Member of Parliament twice from Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency. He was first elected as an MP in 1971. In 1978, he joined the Congress (I) party and was elected for second time from Nagpur in 1980.

Dhote was also elected as the member of Maharashtra Assembly for five terms. In 1962 and 1967 elections Dhote was elected MLA as a Forward Bloc candidate and in 1978 as Congress member.

Dhote was the first MLA whose membership was suspended in the history of Maharashtra legislature. His membership was cancelled in 1964 when he stunned the house by throwing a paperweight in the direction of the Speakers chair. The firebrand leader also came under criticism when he advocated taking help from naxalites, if needed, for the formation of a separate state of Vidarbha. In 2013, Dhote was arrested in Nagpur for beating up a policeman on duty.

After quitting Congress he founded his own Vidharbha Janta Congress (VJC) Party in 2002. Dhote was the son-in-law of veteran Maharashtra Congress leader Barrister Ramrao Adik.

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DANBURY - In May, when Danbury was identified as the fastest-growing city in Connecticut, Mayor Mark Boughton said the challenges of growth were preferable to the challenges of decline, but they were still challenges.

A new report appears to bear that out, revealing growing pains in a city that is noted for its low crime rate, its low unemployment rate and its affordable housing.

A first-of-its-kind report, created by Fairfield Countys Community Foundation and a New Haven nonprofit, gives Danbury poorer scores than Connecticut and Fairfield County as a whole in seven out of 12 categories that measure community wellness.

The report gives Danbury low scores for having a high percentage of pre-kindergarten kids who are not enrolled in school readiness programs, a high percentage of low-income children, a high percentage of people without bachelors degrees, a high percentage of people who feel financially insecure and a high percentage of part-time workers seeking full-time work  the underemployed.

These more sensitive and nuanced measures of well-being include how people are doing on a daily basis, how they function in the world, and how they generally perceive their lives and their communities, writes Mark Abraham, executive director of the New Haven nonprofit DataHaven, in the reports introduction. Attention to well-being is particularly useful when analyzing ... perceptions of safety, certain environmental factors, access to community resources, and general optimism about the future.

Boughton, the citys longest-serving mayor and a likely GOP candidate for governor in 2018, called the report predictable, and therefore unhelpful.

To compare us in the same field with some of the wealthiest places in the United States is absurd, Boughton said, referring to gold coast towns such as Greenwich, Darien and Westport. If you want to compare us against cities our size such as New Britain or Bristol or Meriden, fine, but this data tells us something we already know: If you have more wealth, you have better health care, and if you have more college degrees, you have better jobs and more financial security.

Of the citys scores the one that most concerns a leading developer of social service programs in Danbury is the number of preschool age kids who are not enrolled in school readiness programs. The report ranks Danbury last in Fairfield County with only 53 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds going to pre-Kindergarten classes, compared to 60 percent in Stamford, 62 percent in Bridgeport and 72 percent in Norwalk.

I am very concerned about that, said Kim Morgan, the chief executive officer of United Way of Western Connecticut. The child care subsidy has been cut significantly, and it is only going to get worse with the (state) budget crisis. If we start to see problems with kindergarten readiness, that is a huge issue.

The reports researchers spent 2015 and 2016 interviewing 5,000 Fairfield County residents and another 16,000 Connecticut residents statewide, incorporating the responses with state and federal data.

The results are meant to help cities such as Danbury identify regional solutions to social problems.

One of the values of looking at this information across the region and the state is to identify needs that cant be addressed on the local level, said Nancy von Euler, the vice president for programs at Fairfield Countys Community Foundation. Part of the power of this study is bringing together people across the region whose fates are tied together.

DataHaven and the Community Foundation had planned the first public presentation about the report last week in Danbury, but the event was postponed because of bad weather. The next presentation is planned for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Stamfords Ferguson Library.

The 70-page report includes data showing

Fairfield Countys population is getting older and more diverse.

Stamford, Danbury and Bridgeport continue to outpace state and national trends for foreign-born residents.

Fairfield County has the largest income inequity of any large metropolitan area in the country.

Beyond numbers

The report attempts to understand the how conditions in the community affect people every day.

Telephone surveys asked people questions such as How happy did you feel yesterday? and How satisfied are you with your life nowadays? and How anxious did you feel yesterday?

Combining those responses with health and economic data, the study tried to show the relationship between quality of life, healthy lifestyles and economic competitiveness.

The score for Danbury was better only than Bridgeport and Stratford when it came to the reports index of personal wellbeing. Connecticut and Fairfield County as a whole scored higher, the report said.

The score for Danbury on the separate community index was better only than Bridgeport among Fairfield County communities, the report said.

The community wellbeing index was based on 12 categories that ranged from health to economic security.

One category where Danbury scored low was called walkability - a measure of how close people are to stores and cultural attractions and how well sidewalks and bike trails are kept.

Boughton observed that a downtown merchants group called CityCenter has been working to bring life back to Main Street by encouraging shops to appeal to broad customer bases. He added that the city recently received a $250,000 grant to study ways to improve foot traffic downtown.

The report also gives Danbury a low score for its share of adults with four-year college degrees. Danburys 30 percent is second to last in Fairfield County, ahead of Bridgeports 16 percent.

We do have an educated workforce trained to work in light manufacturing and high tech, but that doesnt mean that everyone has a four-year degree, said Boughton. We are not hearing complaints about the quality of our workforce, but one of the things we are hearing is companies want our graduates with two-year degrees to have more engineering skills, so that is something we are working on with Naugatuck Valley Community College and Abbott Technical High School.

The mayor said he would he would investigate why the report showed the city with the highest percentage of pre-school kids not attending a school readiness program.

I think we have more pre-K programs that are free than any city in the state, he said. That number just doesnt seem right.

Meanwhile, the United Ways Morgan said the organization is working with partners to secure a major grant for programs to help residents with language skills, child-care costs and finding transportation to work.

Danbury is a fantastic community to live and work in, and it should be our strength that we are diverse, Morgan said. While it bring challenges, these are our opportunities to be creative, because we all have a responsibility to make every neighborhood the best place to live that it can be.

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342
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GREENWICH  The Greenwich Hibernian Association is hoping the second time is the charm.

Town resident Cathy Lavaty, selected to be the grand marshal for the 42nd annual Greenwich St. Patricks Day Parade last year, lost her chance when the parade was canceled because of expected bad weather.

This week, the Hibernians again asked her to lead, this time the 43rd annual parade set for March 19.

A lifelong resident of Greenwich, Lavaty has spent 38 years in the news industry at NBC, first as program manager for the nightly news, then on the Today Show and finally for Dateline NBC.

I feel very honored by this, Lavaty said. It was incredible to be chosen in the first place and then they showed no hesitation to bring me back again this year, so I am very happy and proud.

The parade is set to start at 2 p.m. from Town Hall, proceed up Field Point Road, along the Post Road to Greenwich Avenue and then down Greenwich Avenue.

Lavaty joked she was nervous about the weather because she didnt know whether lighting would strike twice. She said she hoped all the snow Greenwich received Thursday meant there wouldnt be any issues when the parade comes in March.

James Dougherty, publicity chairman for the Hibernian Association, said the organization wanted to make sure Lavaty got her chance to be honored.

More Information Other St. Patrick's Day events The Greenwich Hibernian Association is holding several events around the St. Patrick's Day celebration, starting with the annual St. Patrick's Dinner Dance, set for 7 p.m. March 4 at Redmen's Hall on East Elm Street. Cathy Lavaty will be formerly installed as the grand marshal. "It's not only an opportunity for a lot of Irish-Americans to get together in town, but it also helps raise funds for the organization and for the parade," James Dougherty, publicity chairman for the Hibernian Association, said. "A lot of people don't realize how expensive it is to put on the parade. We need to raise money each year for it." The annual St. Patrick's Day parade can cost between $12,000 and $14,000. On March 17, the actual date of St. Patrick's Day, there will be a special Mass celebrated at St. Mary's Church on Greenwich Avenue followed by the Greenwich Hibernian Association gathering outside Town Hall at 9 a.m. for the ceremonial raising of the Irish flag. More information is available at greenwichhibernians.org. See More Collapse

Cathy was born in Greenwich and went through our local schools and had a very successful career in New York, Dougherty said. She is retired now and she does a lot of charity work and she is very involved with her church. Shes someone who quietly does a lot of good work and is a good person. We feel she will be a great representative for us as grand marshal.

Last years parade was canceled  the only time in recent memory  because of the number of units marching and the logistics of informing everyone if the expected bad weather arrived too close to the start time.

But Dougherty said this year, not only are they ready to go ahead no matter what the weather is, everyone is eager to make up for the lost year.

It was one of those unexpected things, Dougherty said. We never had to deal with the threat of weather like that before and we honestly werent prepared to deal with it properly. We didnt have contact information for all the parade people. We werent sure how much lead notice the town needed.

Based on it being such a bad forecast, we decided the smartest thing to do was cancel, he said, and it turned out it would have been a nice day for a parade.

With that experience under their belts, the Hibernians will let the show go on.

Weve pretty much decided that rain, snow or shine, were going to go ahead with the parade no matter what, Dougherty said. And now in case there is an emergency, we have a better system to deal with it where we can get people coordinated and know how to reach people faster and more efficiently.

Dougherty said people are looking forward to the annual parade.

We hope this year we can put on a great parade and make them happy, Dougherty said. It is practically a year-long effort to put all of this together for the organization and a lot of work, time and effort go into it. So we really do appreciate that people look forward to it and are so enthused about it.

With a month yet to go, plans are in place to showcase local marching and bagpipe bands, balloons and clowns and local police and fire departments from Greenwich, Port Chester and other Westchester municipalities.

Were hoping to have a really good community representation in the parade, Dougherty said.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
WESTPORT  Given the increase of sightings, one resulting in a dead dog, residents gathered this week to learn more about coyotes from Laura Simon, a wildlife ecologist who spent years working for the U.S. Humane Society.

At a Monday talk, Simon presented a breadth of facts about coyotes  many dispelling fearful notions of the animal  including why the mammals are so common in urban areas and what to do about them. Every year, nationwide, there are less than 10 coyote bites of humans, compared to 4.7 million dog bites, Simon said.

Westport police sent out a statement regarding the increase in sightings at the beginning of February after the killing of a pet dog by a coyote in the Coleytown area.

Ranging from 25 to 35 pounds, coyotes are the third-fastest mammal in North America and can live in a wide range of areas. Simon highlighted the intelligence and adaptability of coyotes in two arresting images: One where a coyote was riding the Seattle light rail as a means of transportation, and another from Chicago, where a coyote lay down in a stores cooler on a hot day.

He learned he could take this train from one place to another. ... I mean, that is a smart animal, Simon said about the coyote in Seattle.

Simon said coyotes are in Westport for a variety of reasons, including plenty of habitat and space, food such as mice and rats, pet food left outside, messy bird feeders and intentional feeding of coyotes.

Usually hunters of small rodents, coyotes will attack unattended pets. Smaller pets, like cats and petite dogs, are vulnerable to coyote encounters. Larger dogs are at risk for conflicts with coyotes during coyote mating season, which runs from December to March, because they are seen as a threat to their mates.

Always attend to your pets when youre outdoors. Use leashes. Keep them inside at night. Dont let the coyote come between you and your pet, Simon said.

Simon discussed hazing, a way to get coyotes out of an area effectively. According to the Humane Society, hazing is a method that uses deterrents to move an animal out of an area or discourages an undesirable behavior or activity. Examples of hazing consist of: yelling and waving ones arms, using noisemakers like whistles or bells, using projectiles like sticks and rocks and other repellents like hoses and water guns. Making oneself loud and large is crucial to deterring a coyote.
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NORWALK  It's a Long Way to Tipperary for Ollie ONeill, co-owner of ONeills Pub & Restaurant on North Main Street in SoNo.

But the distance to the Irish town to which the World War I-era song refers will seem a lot shorter next month when ONeill, who has born in Tipperary, serves as the grand marshal in the Norwalk Police Emerald Societys 2nd Annual St. Patricks Day Parade.

They offered the grand marshal role to me, and I was like, Dont you need to be old to be a grand marshal? said ONeill, who is 41. I was honored, for sure. I didnt see it coming at all. I guess its for our contribution to Irish culture in Norwalk.

Unanimous choice

For the Norwalk Police Emerald Society, ONeill was an obvious candidate to lead this years parade.

Ollie, who as you know is Irish, is a longtime business owner and has always been involved with different charitable events in the community, said Norwalk Police Lt. Terrence Blake, speaking on behalf of the Emerald Society. Back in December the parade committee unanimously chose Ollie to be this years grand marshal and he graciously accepted.

The parade will take place Saturday, March 11, starting at 11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park. The parade will cross the Stroffolino Bridge and proceed along Washington and North Main streets before ending on Pine Street near ONeills Pub.

This is an event where everyone in the community can come together and celebrate, Blake said.

ONeill plans to wear green pants and a white sport jacket, both with shamrocks, as well as an Irish cap and a sweater, which was made by his mother, in case the weather is cold. The rain date for the parade is St. Patricks Day, Friday, March 17.

Summer visit

When ONeill came to the United States in 1995 to visit his brother, Michael, in Stamford, he had planned to stay only for the summer. That soon changed.

I started bartending immediately down there at Fiddlers Green, and then from Fiddlers Green I bounced around to a lot of different Irish pubs before we opened our own, ONeill said.

In 1999, the brothers opened ONeills Pub & Restaurant at 77 North Water St. in SoNo. The business proved so popular that they moved and expanded it, settling into 93 North Main St. in 2008.

ONeill, one of nine children, said he still visits his siblings in Ireland each year. But he paused when asked if he considers himself an Irishman, an American or an Irish-American.

I just crossed the threshold where Ive actually been in America longer than Ive been in Ireland, ONeill said. So Im well settled in, married, two kids. Im living in Weston and dont plan on going anywhere.

The big parade

On March 11, look for ONeill at the head of the Emerald Societys 2nd Annual St. Patricks Day Parade, followed by the Norwalk Police and Fire departments, Norwalk Hospital EMS, Norwalk veterans, a Diageo float, 95.9 The Fox and others.

ONeill is encouraging all to participate in the parade, regardless of their heritage.

For the ones that are Irish-American, its a nice thing to celebrate their Irish roots, ONeill said. But I think its just a fun day to party. Its a fun event. Its also, I think, the timing of it: the end of winter, the beginning of spring.

The Emerald Society, Greenwich and Fairfield Gaelic Pipe bands will provide music. Two groups of Irish dancers also will perform in the parade, according to Karen Doyle Lyons, a former Norwalk councilwoman and Emerald Society member.

We have a number of antique vehicles and we have banners, said Doyle Lyons, who is Irish. And everyone who is Irish  which means the whole world  is invited to participate and wear a bit of the green and come with their Irish on.

The Emerald Society, a nonprofit charitable organization, launched the parade last year. The flag of Ireland hung in front of the Norwalk Police headquarters as Officer Brendan Collins, president of the Emerald Society, addressed a sea of green-clad attendees gathered on the plaza in advance of the parade.

Mayor Harry W. Rilling, Norwalks former police chief, served as the grand marshal in the inaugural parade last year.
WILTON  The Wilton Volunteer Ambulance is hosting an Emergency Medical Technician Course from March 7 to June 30. The EMT program covers techniques in first aid, CPR, AED, basic life support, patient assessments, extrication, communication, HAZMAT, terrorism awareness, and various other concepts to prepare a student to become an Emergency Medical Technician.

The class is held at Comstock Community Center, 180 School Road in Wilton, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6-10 p.m., and one Saturday per month from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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WILTON  Erin Bronner, a senior at Wilton High School, first joined Girl Scout Troop 50153 in Wilton in second grade.

She quickly grew fond of the camping activities and service projects, accumulating many badges and awards as she moved through the ranks  recently earning the Gold Award, which is the highest honor in Girl Scouting.

Her mother, who leads Girl Scout Troop 50153, was the first Girl Scout in Michigan to receive the Gold Award in the 80s.

I feel so incredibly honored, Bronner said. My love for the organization grew ten-fold, when it was already so strong.

The Gold Award recognizes an individual's accomplishments, leadership, creativity, and personal effort in trying to make the world a better place, according to the Girl Scout website, and requires the completion of a 100-hour project that identifies and addresses a community issue.

Bronner came up with the idea for her project proposal her freshman year, when she was confirmed at the Old Lady Fatima Parish. She noticed that the educational confirmation video was outdated and thought an updated version would get the message across more clearly, she said.

So I asked my parish pastor, Father Reggie, if I could create an updated video to replace our outdated one, and he said, By all means, definitely,

And so, Bronner took a video production course and started gathering footage her sophomore year about how teens applied confirmation in their lives  interviewing peers she met during her 10-day volunteer pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, to members of Our Lady Fatima Teen Choir and Catholic friends in Wilton.

What resulted was a 16-minute video created with a by teens, for teens feel.

It was just so interesting to see the connectedness that resulted from everybody who contributed to the project, she said.

Bronner uploaded the video, Confirmation, The Holy Spirit, and You, to YouTube in Oct. 2016 and has already received requests to show the video in several youth groups and ministries.

She did a fantastic job with her Gold Award project, said Paula Fromm, adviser for the Girl Scouts of Connecticut who served as Bronners mentor. Everybody was impressed with it, and to be a mentor for her was easy.

In addition to her involvement in the Girl Scouts of Connecticut, Bronner is a member of the National Honor Society, a recipient of numerous medals for excellence in Greek and Latin and the recipient of the Denison Book Award for academic achievement, service and interest in English.

She is also active in the high schools a cappella, improv and theater program, and sings in the Bridgeport Diocesan Youth Choir and Our Lady of Fatima teen mass.

In the future, she hopes to major in English and has an interest in pursuing a career in print or broadcast journalism.

SKim@hearstmediact.com; 203-354-1044; @stephaniehnkim
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Feb 18 (PTI) A man was today arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here for allegedly using a cancelled ticket to gain entry into the international terminal area of the airport to see off a friend.

The incident was reported at about 4:30 AM when a man, identified as Sukhjit S, was noticed roaming suspiciously in the terminal by CISF security personnel, officials said.

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Sukhjit, a resident of Ludhiana in Punjab, was apprehended. He confessed that he used the cancelled air ticket to Bahrain to get into the terminal area of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) to see off his friend, they said.

The airline also confirmed to CISF staff that the said ticket was cancelled and was not valid.

The man was later handed over to police as entering the airport using an invalid ticket is a criminal offence, the officials added. PTI NES SRY

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A Glen Carbon landmark has been chosen to receive a special recognition by the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century organization.

At the last regular meeting of the full Board of Trustees, Diane Rasplica Jones made the request to the board to accept the honor.

It is my honor to inform you that the Yanda Log Cabin has been selected to be marked with a historical recognition plaque from the National Society Colonial Dames XXVII Century, she said.

Linda Mizell, president elect of the Illinois Chapter of the organization, said one of the objectives of the group is to honor local places.

They dont have to be colonial, she said. They just have to have important historical significance to a local area.

Mizell said as a representative of Illinois, she thought it was important to recognize a local landmark.

My roots are in the area, and the Yanda Log Cabin came to mind as a local place that as the president I would like to recognize, she said.

The National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century is an organization of more than 11,000 members who are lineal descendants of an ancestor who lived prior to 1701 in one of the original 13 colonies. The group is active in 46 states and has seven chapters in Illinois with close to 200 members.

The organization has recognized other historic places in Illinois including Fort Massac in eastern Illinois, the Pierre Manard Home in Ellis Grove and the Father Pere Marquette Statue in Grafton.

Mizell said the organization would work with the village on the marker.

We would work with the board and the Historical Committee on the wording for the marker, she said. The society would be responsible for the cost of the marker and the installation.

Mayor Rob Jackstadt said he thought it was a wonderful idea and another way to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the village.

The board unanimously approved the item.

In other business, the board approved the rules and regulations governing the use of the Yanda Log Cabin.

The new rules, effective February 2017, state the cabin is available for use by the local community for events of a historic or educational nature.

Reservation forms may be obtained from the Glen Carbon Heritage Museum or the Village Clerks office.

Once the request forms are returned, the villages Historical and Museum Commission will either confirm or deny the request.

Any group that is denied use of the cabin can appeal the decision to the full board of trustees.

There is a $100 deposit fee for the use of the cabin. Village residents will receive full refund upon Historical and Museum Commission approval. Non-residents will receive $50 upon approval. The refund is at the sole discretion of the Historical and Museum Commission and the Village.
The chief minister said, "The insurgent groups that are demanding restoration of the pre-merger status of Manipur and those that are demanding homeland must know that their demands are not practical."

By Manogya Loiwal : Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has said that if the demands being made by the hill and valley-based rebel groups are practical, his government would implement them.

Singh was speaking at the flag-hoisting ceremony of MLA of Chingai Assembly Constituency in Ukhrul and Deputy Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly MK Presho Shimray held at his residence at Laipham Khunou in Imphal.

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The chief minister added, "The insurgent groups that are demanding restoration of the pre-merger status of Manipur and those that are demanding homeland must know that their demands are not practical. If they feel they can get what they want by resorting to killings, they are mistaken. What are they going to gain by killing Congress workers, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh asked, adding that it would be in the best interest of all the people to come up with a solution through dialogue.

Also read | Ahead of polls, Centre close to cracking deal between Nagas, Manipur govt to end economic blockade

Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, MLA of Phungyar Assembly Constituency Victor Keishing, INC candidate in Tadubi AC, RS Henry and many others participated in the event.

Candidate Presho Shimray said, "It is very unfortunate that some people are issuing threats that deprive others of their human rights." Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam said, "Tamenglong district has become the most underdeveloped district in the state since youths of every household here were recruited into the movement of the rebel outfits. After nine people who were hired by the rebel groups were killed in Churachandpur district, the area has remained underdeveloped. This will not yield anything good."

FRAMEWORK PACT TO NOT AFFECT MANIPUR: BJP

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson O Joy has said that the framework agreement between the Government of India and the NSCN-IM will not affect the state in any way as it was signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in keeping with the ideals of secularism and integrity of the Constitution of India. He was speaking at the flag-hoisting ceremony of BJP candidate of Sekmai assembly constituency Heikham Dingko today. He said, "Congress has been making political mileage out of the framework agreement."

BJP leaders. Photo credit: Jit Ningomba.

General Secretary (Administration) of BJP, MLA Th Biswajit, North East Co-ordinator Prashant Arora and many party leaders also attended the flag-hoisting ceremony. Speaking at the event, party spokesperson N Biren said, "Despite efforts being made to undermine the party, they won't gain anything. Gone are the days when people's rights could be bought during elections. Biren appealed to the people to have faith in BJP for a changed and developed Manipur.

LDF CALLS FOR A NON-BJP, NON-CONGRESS GOVT

Convenor of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Dr M Nara has called for people's support in trying to form a government other than the one of the Congress or the BJP. He was speaking at the daylong political conference held in connection with the flag-hoisting ceremony of Heisnam Kulachandra, NCP candidate of Thanga assembly constituency.

Left Democratic Front Convenor Dr M Nara. Photo credit: Jit Ningomba. Left Democratic Front Convenor Dr M Nara. Photo credit: Jit Ningomba.

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The political conference was held at the candidate's residence at Thanga Heisnam Leikai. S Sarat, state secretary of CPI-M and many other party leaders attended the conference. Dr M Nara appealed to the residents of the constituency to support the party and help bring about positive change in the constituency.

NCP candidate H Kulachandra alleged that BJP had a nexus with NSCN-IM and together they were trying to break the territorial integrity of Manipur. Congress and BJP have been busy criticising each other instead of having the economic blockade lifted, the NCP candidate added.

(WITH INPUTS FROM JIT NINGOMBA)

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin Evi Mariani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 18, 2017

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has finished its Jakarta election real count and theres good news: Voter turnout in the capital increased to 77.1 percent.

According to KPU data, turnout in the 2014 presidential election reached 72.3 percent in Jakarta alone, while in the first round of the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election, turnout hovered at 63.5 percent.

The turnout in 2017  in which Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, and Anies Baswedan competed  surpassed the 70 percent target set by KPU Jakarta.

I checked KPU data and compared voter turnout in 2017 with 2014 in subdistricts, some known as Chinatowns like Glodok and Mangga Besar. I also randomly checked non-Chinatown subdistricts such as Gedong in Pasar Rebo and Pulo Gebang in Cakung, East Jakarta. The increase occurred across the board, not only in neighborhoods with many Chinese-Indonesians  whose political participation draws more interest as they have traditionally shunned politics since the New Order.

This year, however, anecdotal evidence indicates changes: Video of Chinese-Indonesians making a bee line in a polling station showed some were adamant to vote. A rare sight indeed.

Samples from KPU data confirmed rising participation among Chinese-Indonesians. For example, in 2014 voter turnout in Glodok, West Jakarta, was 67.9 percent and in 2017 rose to 75.2 percent (where Ahok gained 89.7 percent and Anies 6.7 percent). In Mangga Besar it was 64.1 percent in 2014 and 76 percent in 2017 (Ahok 73.4 percent and Anies 18.1 percent). In Pluit it was 71 percent in 2014 and 76.8 percent in 2017 (Ahok 77.8 percent and Anies 14.4 percent).

In non-Chinatowns like Gedong in Pasar Rebo, East Jakarta, it was 75.6 percent in 2014 and 84.3 percent in 2017 (Anies 41 percent, Ahok 39.7 percent). In Pulo Gebang, it was 74.5 percent compared to 78.5 percent in 2017 (Anies 39.4 percent, Ahok 37 percent). This shows the increase did not happen only in neighborhoods with high numbers of Chinese-Indonesians, but what interests me more is the rising participation among Chinese, Indonesians, because of personal reasons.

I am a Chinese-Indonesian and I have been political since I went to the School of Social Political Sciences at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

In 1998 I distributed my own publication, made using Rp 500,000 of my own savings. Named Langkah Bergerak (Steps in Motion), it was a modest black and white newsletter and the cover story was titled Waiting for the Awakening of Chinese Indonesian Young Generation. Inside was an interview with Alexander Irwan, who had just finished his PhD in the United States. The title of the Q&A was his quotation: Political education for Chinese Indonesians urgent.

The publication was a success (in small circles) except for the one distributed among my own confused friends in my hometown, Bandung. One said: We are Chinese, Indonesians, dont talk politics, its not for us.

Twenty years later, my ex-high school friends frequently share memes about Ahok, a Christian and Chinese-Indonesian governor, in our WhatsApp group.

The high voter turnout was just one facet of participation because I learned that apparently many voters, including Chinese-Indonesians, went to the polling stations on Feb. 15 bearing only their ID without first checking whether their names were on the final voter list; and if they were not on the list and did not get an invitation letter to vote, they should have obtained a document from the KPU. So many went to the polling stations without caring about the process behind it.

Sharing political memes and showing up on voting day is a good sign of ethnic Chinese political participation. However, what I had in mind about our political participation 20 years ago was not quite the same as idolizing a politician, even if he is Ahok; and not the same as voting without ensuring the election goes smoothly by volunteering some of your precious time to at least care about the process, flawed or perfect.

Political participation means you are involved and if the system is flawed you criticize it and offer a solution. Showing up on voting day is only a small part of political participation.

In our interview on the elections with a political scientist, Dirga Adiansa from the University of Indonesia, he said there was nothing substantial about promoting your own politician on social media. Democracy, he said, should be about mapping common problems, aggregating citizens interests and demanding them to our leaders. In short, be critical.

So whats next? Should we celebrate rising voter turnout among Chinese-Indonesians? Not just yet.

I checked my modest publication from 20 years ago. Opinionated, idealistic and naive, I had written on the back of Langkah Bergerak: Stop being a victim! No one is free as long as there is oppression, toward anyone, Chinese [Indonesian] or not.

Chinese-Indonesian political participation should move beyond the interests of only Chinese-Indonesians. It should be about justice for all, regardless of ethnicity.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Sat, February 18, 2017

Dick Bruna, the Dutch "spiritual father" of Miffy, the white rabbit who enchanted millions of young children around the world for more than half a century, has died at age 89, his publisher announced Friday.

Decades before Instagram made square images immensely popular, illustrator and artist Bruna understood their power. For years, his Miffy books were printed in a square format.

"He thought that size was really good for two little children's hands, and he loved the visual impact, too," longtime friend Marja Kerkhof, of his Dutch publisher Mercis, said in a telephone interview.

Bruna "passed away peacefully in his sleep" Thursday night in the central Dutch city of Utrecht, Kerkhof said.

The simplicity of Bruna's characters drew adoration not only from children, but also from adult art lovers. Amsterdam's venerable Rijksmuseum put on a show featuring his work in 2015.

People put flowers at Miffy's statue outside the Nijntje Museum, or Miffy Museum in Utrecht, central Netherlands, Feb. 17. Dutch Dick Bruna, the creator of the white bunny passed away Feb. 16 aged 89. (AP/Peter Dejong)

He wrote and illustrated a total of 124 books, but Miffy, known in the Netherlands as Nijntje, a contraction of the Dutch word for rabbit, was far and away his most popular and best known character.

Bruna created 32 books about the rabbit, which were translated into more than 50 languages and sold more than 85 million copies, Kerkhof said. The man his publisher described as Miffy's "spiritual father" stopped drawing in 2011.

Miffy, who turns 62 this year, is a merchandising juggernaut, featuring on stationery, toys and children's trinkets sold across the world as part of a multimillion-euro (dollar) business.

"He was very much loved around the world. I remember traveling with him to Australia, to New Zealand, to Asia, to Japan. Wherever he would go, people would queue up for signing sessions of his books," Kerkhof said.

She said the public's affection for both Bruna and Miffy stemmed from the illustrations' simplicity.

"It is very clear pictures, almost like a pictogram, and the fact that he leaves so much out  he goes to the essence of things  and of course his very strong, powerful primary colors," she said. "Even today, if you see it in a store you would think, 'hey this looks different to a lot of other things out there.' There is no clutter, it's all very clear."

A museum in Utrecht dedicated to Miffy tweeted: "Today the sad news reached us that Dick Bruna has died." The message appeared above a simple but emotionally powerful black-and-white drawing of the famous rabbit, arms behind her back and a single tear below her left eye.

Utrecht municipality said flags on city hall would fly at half-mast Friday and Saturday as a sign of respect for one of the city's most famous sons.

The 2015 show at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum put Bruna in his historical context, showing his drawings and book covers  he was the son of a Dutch publisher  alongside artists who influenced him like Henri Matisse and Fernand Leger.

Curator Caro Verbeek said the simplicity of Miffy was an illusion. Verbeek said she had other curators at the museum draw Miffy's head, with its dots for eyes and "X'' shape representing both nose and mouth.

"They did not succeed," she said. "It is incredibly difficult. But the fact that it seems so simple proves that he is a true genius."

Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.
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Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 18 2017

The Jakarta administration aims to provide affordable apartments for low-income residents in the capital that are integrated with markets or bus terminals.

These apartments, however, will be set aside for low- to middle-income people, Jakarta Government Buildings and Settlement Agency head Arifin told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The plan would adopt the concept behind an existing pilot project for integrated low-cost apartments (rusunawa) in Pasar Rumput, South Jakarta, which is currently being carried out by the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry in coordination with the Jakarta administration.

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Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 18, 2017

The Jakarta administration aims to provide affordable apartments for low-income residents in the capital that are integrated with markets or bus terminals.

These apartments, however, will be set aside for low- to middle-income people, Jakarta Government Buildings and Settlement Agency head Arifin told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. The plan would adopt the concept behind an existing pilot project for integrated low-cost apartments (rusunawa) in Pasar Rumput, South Jakarta, which is currently being carried out by the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry in coordination with the Jakarta administration.

Following the pilot project, the administration last year planned to realize similar projects at 11 other markets, like Pasar Minggu Market in South Jakarta, Sunter Market in North Jakarta and Blok G Market in Central Jakarta.

With a nicer apartment concept, Arifin explained, officials wanted to build housing facilities that were spacious and affordable for low-income people whose economic situations had improved, in addition to young people with middle incomes.

The administration must also provide housing facilities for evictees in the capital amid a lack of rusunawa.

We need to empty the apartments so they can be used by evictees who have yet to own houses, said Arifin, adding that there were still a lot of evictees who have not been relocated. However, he failed to provide exact figures.

According to Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) data, 113 evictions occurred in Jakarta in 2015 alone. The incidents affected 8,145 families, as well as 6,283 businesses.

Meanwhile, within the first six months of 2016, at least four mass evictions were carried out for various reasons ranging from flood mitigation to public order and tourism, increasing the number of evictees in the capital by hundreds.

However, it has been reported that not all evicted residents were relocated, amid issues including a lack of rusunawa.

The administration recently discussed the idea in relation to Senen Market, Central Jakarta, given that the market will soon undergo renovations following a fire that damaged around 1,000 kiosks last January.

Jakarta secretary Saefullah said the administration planned to rebuild the burned sections of the market and integrate them with new apartment blocks.

The housing facilities, he said, would be prioritized for low-cost apartment residents who wanted to move to nicer buildings.

[However,] other citizens will also have a chance by applying to the administration, he added.

Separately, PT Jaya Konstruksi Manggala Pratama, which is responsible for the Senen Market construction, said the company had yet to decide whether the market would be rebuilt with apartments.

We have yet to make such a plan as the police are still investigating the cause of the fire, said PT Jaya Konstruksi Manggala Pratama president director Sutopo Kristanto. Moreover, we are still prioritizing providing relocation sites for the vendors.

Sutopo said the police were expected to finish their investigation by the end of the month.

In March, the company will conduct an internal examination of the building s structure and technical utilities in cooperation with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).

The examination with ITB may be finished by the end of March. After that, we will discuss the plan regarding Senen Market. We are yet to know whether it will be renovated or rebuilt or redeveloped, Sutopo said, refuting Saefullahs statement.
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Linkedin (The Star/ANN) Kuala Lumpur  Sat, February 18, 2017

One of the four men sought by police over the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam has been detained.

It is learnt that the suspect was arrested after police raided a condominium in Jalan Kuchai Lama at about 11pm on Friday.

The 47-year-old suspect was found to be holding a North Korean passport at the time of arrest.

Three more men are being hunted by police in the investigation into Jong-nam's murder.

On Thursday, Indonesian Siti Aisyah was arrested at a hotel in Ampang at 2am.

Police said she was identified based on CCTV footage at the airport and was alone at the time of arrest.

Her boyfriend was also picked up by police to assist with investigations

On Wednesday, the first suspect, who holds a Vietnamese passport bearing the name Doan Thi Huong, was arrested at KL International Airport 2 as she was preparing to board a flight to Vietnam. She had taken a taxi from a hotel in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi to the airport that day.

Jong-nam, 45, was killed by two women who splashed his face with a chemical at the KLIA 2 departure hall at about 9am on Monday. He was about to leave for Macau.

This article appeared on The Star 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  Sat, February 18, 2017

PT Freeport Indonesia announced on Saturday the immediate resignation of Chappy Hakim as its president director, only three months after his appointment as the mining giant's top executive.

In a press release, Freeport Indonesia did not specify when Chappy, a retired air chief marshal, would officially step down. However, it said he would move to an advisory role with the company.

Serving as Freeport Indonesia president director involves an extraordinary commitment of time. I have decided it is in the best interests of Freeport Indonesia and my family to step down from my duties as president director while continuing to support the company in an advisory role, Chappy said as quoted in the release.

(Read also: Freeport seeks to dodge piling problems)

Chappy's resignation occurred as the company, a subsidiary of United States-based Freeport-McMoRan, fights against complying with the governments latest mining policy, which stipulates that miners must convert their current contracts of work (CoWs) into special mining permits (IUPKs) in exchange for permission to continue exporting certain mineral ores and concentrates.

Freeport has repeatedly said it would not agree to the contract conversion unless the government provided assurance of long-term investment stability, consisting of fiscal and legal certainty, in accordance with its CoW signed in 1991.

Freeport-McMoRan CEO and president Richard C. Adkerson thanked Chappy for his contributions to the company.

We understand that this was a difficult decision for Pak Chappy to make. We appreciate his service to our company and his support. We look forward to his continued advice and counsel, he said.

Chappy, also known as an aviation industry expert and prolific writer, was appointed as Freeport Indonesias top executive in November. The company previously appointed retired military officer Air Vice Marshall (ret.) Maroef Sjamsoeddin as president director. (hwa)
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Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Banjarmasin  Sat, February 18, 2017

Indonesia will declare its commitment to combat plastic debris in marines on Feb. 23. Studies indicate that the country may be the second-biggest contributor to marine plastic debris worldwide, with an estimated 1.3 million tons originating from the archipelago annually.

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said on Saturday that Indonesia is among 10 countries committed to combating the problem.

A young crocodile in an estuary has a plastic rope trapped in its mouth in Palu River in Central Sulawesi on Jan. 23.(Antara/Mohamad Hamzah)

"Indonesia has received special attention because we are one of 10 countries, including Brazil, committed to cleaning up waste in the ocean," she said during the commemoration of National Waste Awareness Day in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

Siti added that the government would officially declare the commitment on Feb. 23.

Indonesia is also scheduled to present a national action plan during the fourth World's Ocean Summit in Bali from Feb. 22 to 24.

In January 2016, a World Economic Forum report concluded that with the current trajectory, there would be more plastic than fish measured by weight in the worlds oceans by 2050. A previous study by APEC estimated that marine pollution cost member economies US$1.3 billion. Moreover, 95 percent of the value of plastic packaging material, worth $80-120 billion annually, is lost to the global economy. (evi)
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Linkedin Haeril Halim and Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 18, 2017

An indictment in relation to a bribery case implicating a businessman and a tax official has revealed the major role the brotherin-law of President Joko Jokowi Widodo allegedly played in pulling off the plot.

In its indictment against Indian citizen Ramapanicker Rajamohanan Nair, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) indicated how Jokowis in-law, Arif Budi Sulistyo, allegedly brokered a deal to clear the tax dues of PT EK Prima Exports Indonesia  a local unit of the Abu Dhabi-based retail giant LuLu Group International.

Nair was arrested by the KPK on Nov. 21 after he allegedly attempted to hand over a bribe to mid-ranking tax official Handang Soekarno, who allegedly put Arif in touch with tax office chief Ken Dwijugiasteadi to allegedly clear the path to wipe out the tax dues.

Arif is married to Jokowis youngest sister, Titik Relawati, and is the operational director of PT Rakabu Sejahtera  the flagship company of Jokowis extended family, including cousins, inlaws and nephews. Arif was also Jokowis family spokesman during the 2014 presidential election campaign.

According to the indictment, a copy of which was recently obtained by The Jakarta Post, the case came to light when Nair, the country director of EK Prima, challenged a request on June 30 last year by the foreign investment tax office to settle unpaid taxes worth Rp 59 billion (US$4.40 million) for the proceeds the company received from the export of cashews in 2014 and 2015.

The company filed a tax amnesty application on Sept. 6 to have the tax dues cleared, but it was rejected after the tax office found the company had other unpaid taxes of Rp 51 billion (US$38.2 million) in 2014 and Rp 26 billion in 2015.

The tax office then launched an investigation into the company for its failure to settle the taxes.

On Sept. 22, Nair sought help from his business partner Arif, who later asked Jakarta Special Tax Office head Muhammad Haniv to facilitate a meeting with tax chief Ken through the help of Handang, who is known to be Kens confidant.

Ive known Arif for some time and I am aware he is the Presidents brother-in-law, Haniv told the Post on Friday.

From what I know, Arif is Nairs business partner and he contacted me to put him in touch with the tax chief.

Arif then allegedly met with Ken and later submitted the required documents needed to resolve the problems to Handang.

(Read also: KPK zooms in on role of Jokowis brother-in-law in bribery case)

According to the indictment, Arif told Handang via WhatsApp, Whatever decision is made by the tax office, I hope it is the best one for Mohan [Nair]. Thanks. Handang then replied by saying that he would meet with Ken again to speed up the process.

On Oct. 4, Haniv, acting on behalf of Ken, was said to have asked the head of the foreign investment tax office, Jhonny Sirait, to clear the tax problems of EK Prima.

Nair then received confirmation that his tax problems had been cleared, and reportedly promised to give Rp 6 billion to Handang and Haniv for their services.

Handang allegedly went to Nairs house to collect Rp 2 billion of the pledged fee in Jakarta, where he was arrested along with Nair by KPK investigators on Nov. 21.

Haviv denied he bent rules to clear EK Primas tax dues.

The decision [to wipe out the tax dues] was based on professional judgement without any intervention or promises of money, said Haniv.

Despite Arifs major role in the plot, the KPK has yet to name him a suspect. The agency has been criticized for keeping the identity of Arif confidential until an investigator leaked the information to the media on Monday night.

Jokowi said on Thursday that he respected the ongoing investigation by the KPK and pledged he would not intervene.

Whoever does something wrong should be processed under the law, Jokowi said.

Jokowi said he had repeatedly instructed all ministers and heads of state agencies to ignore any demands for assistance fielded by the Presidents family members.

Trisakti University criminal law expert Abdul Fickar Hajar criticized the KPK for failing to act sternly against Arif.

He feared the case would end with the investigation into Nair and Handang, letting Arif off the hook since Nairs indictment did not include a clause on collective crime and continuous crime.

The clause would have served as a legal basis for the KPK to continue prosecuting individuals found to have allegedly helped Nair, such as Arif, Ken and Haniv.

Handang acknowledged that he had known Arif for years. Yes, Ive known him for a long time, said the suspect after being questioned at KPK headquarters late on Thursday. (dan)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 18, 2017

Febri Diansyah, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesperson, said on Friday that the KPK would remain professional in investigating Arif Budi Sulistyo, President Joko Jokowi Widodos brother-in-law, over a graft case that implicated a middle-ranking tax official and a businessman.

We will continue the legal proceedings [of the case]. The KPK focuses on how to handle the proceedings in a rightful and professional manner, he told the press during a briefing on Friday.

President Jokowi said on Thursday that he urged the KPK to continue with the investigation.

The KPK named Ramapanicker Rajamohanan Nair, the director of EK Prima Exports Indonesia, and Handang Soekarno, a tax official in the Directorate General of Taxation, as suspects in this case.

Handang allegedly accepted bribes from Nair, who wanted the former to influence higher ranking tax officials to erase Rp 78 billion from his companys tax bill.

Arif, who is married to Jokowis youngest sister, Titik Relawati, was questioned by the KPK in mid-January, but the media was kept in the dark until his name was mentioned in Nair's trial on Monday.

Febri emphasized that further clarification on Arifs role in the case will be made in the court as the legal proceedings are ongoing. (mrc/evi)
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Linkedin Farik Zolkepli (The Star/ANN) Kuala Lumpur  Sat, February 18, 2017

The fourth suspect detained by police over the assassination of Kim Jong-nam has been identified as North Korean citizen Ri Jong Chol.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the 47-year-old suspect was detained at about 9.50pm on Friday.

Based on the i-KAD in his possession, the suspect was identified as Ri Jong Chol, born on May 6, 1970, a citizen of the Demoractic Peoples Republic of North Korea, he said in a statement on Saturday.

The suspect was arrested after police raided a condominium in Jalan Kuchai Lama on Friday.

Three more men are being hunted by police in the investigation into Jong-nams murder.

Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was allegedly killed by two women who splashed his face with a chemical at the KL International Airport 2 departure hall at about 9am on Monday. He was about to leave for Macau.

On Wednesday, the first suspect, who holds a Vietnamese passport bearing the name Doan Thi Huong, was arrested at KLIA2 as she was preparing to board a flight to Vietnam. She had taken a taxi from a hotel in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi to the airport that day.

On Thursday, Indonesian Siti Aisyah was arrested at a hotel in Ampang at 2am.

Police said she was identified based on CCTV footage at the airport and was alone at the time of arrest.

Her boyfriend was also picked up by police to assist with investigations.

This article appeared on The Star newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
By Press Trust of India: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Feb 18 (PTI) The media is an "enemy of the American people", US President Donald Trump has said, stepping up his attack on newspapers and channels that have been critical of his presidency.

"The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!" Trump tweeted.

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His scathing attack on the media came a day after he asserted that his administration is "running like a fine-tuned machine" and there is "no chaos" inside the White House as being reported by the "dishonest" media.

The 70-year-old Trump had said he resented picking up newspapers and turning on the television to hear reports that his White House was in chaos.

Trump, who has prolifically used the medium of Twitter and Facebook to convey his views and react to news stories, had said that a lot of people are happy about his administration and its performance since his inauguration on January 20.

However, his political opponents and the media is not that happy, he said at his fourth news conference in a week during which he displayed a sense of anger and grievance rarely vented by a President in public.

Trumps latest tweet criticising the media went viral as within a few hours it was retweeted more than 28,000 times, forwarded 53,000 times and liked by 85,000 people.

In reference to the news conference, Trump in another tweet said, "Thank you for all of the nice statements on the Press Conference yesterday. Rush Limbaugh said one of greatest ever. Fake media not happy!" .

"One of the most effective press conferences Ive ever seen! says Rush Limbaugh. Many agree. Yet FAKE MEDIAcalls it differently! Dishonest," he said.

Meanwhile, Fox News in an opinion poll said voters, albeit by a slim margin of 45 to 42 per cent, find the White House more truthful than the media. PTI LKJ ASK ASK

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin M. Kumar (The Star/ANN) Kuala Lumpur  Sat, February 18, 2017

North Korea has accused the Malaysian Government of being in cahoots with Pyongyang's enemies over the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Ambassador Kang Chol told reporters that North Korea would reject the outcome of the postmortem conducted on its citizen without permission.

This is a violation of the human rights of  our citizen, he said outside the Hospital Kuala Lumpur mortuary on Friday night.

Jong-nam was killed at KL International Airport 2 (KLIA2) on Monday.

In a statement distributed to the media, Kang also accused Malaysia of refusing to hand over Jong-nams body despite earlier agreeing to release it after the proper paperwork had been submitted.

We have submitted it but the Malaysian side did not answer.

This strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something and deceive us and that they are colluding with the hostile forces who are desperate to harm us, he alleged.

Kang urged the Malaysian Government not to become entangled in a political plot and to release the body and the results of the postmortem immediately, failing which Pyongyang would take the matter to the International Court of Justice.

Here is ambassador Kangs statement in full:

Malaysian side initially informed our embassy that a DPRK citizen was dead due to a heart attack while he was on the evacuation to the Putrajaya Hospital and requested us to confirm that he is a DPRK citizen. We confirmed it.

Then they claimed a postmortem on him that we rejected because he is a diplomatic passport holder and our citizen who is under the consular protection of the DPRK.

But, the Malaysian side forced the postmortem without our permission and witnessing, we will categorically reject the result of the postmortem conducted unilaterally excluding our attendance.

This is the culmination of the violation of the human rights of and infringing upon our citizen disregarding the elementary international laws and the consular laws.

After concluding the postmortem the Malaysian police side said that they would release the body which they didn't need any more if we submit a document through Wisma Putra (MFA) and Wisma Putra too requested us to do it and we did it.

But Malaysian side did not answer after one day passed since then.

Today I met with the high officer of the Malaysian Police and strongly demanded him to release the body without further delay but he rejected our demand raising the issue which has nothing to do with clarification of the cause of death.

This strongly suggests that the Malaysian side is trying to conceal something which needs more time and deceive us and that they are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us of malice.

We doubt whether the Malaysian side was asked to do like this by someone else.

The South Korean puppet authorities are desperate to escape from their miserable state of the largest ever political scandal.

They are distorting the public opinion resorting to the tricky plots to defame the image of the DPRK with this incident.

The public opinion of the South Korean people, too, are suspicious that the conservative forces might mop up this incident to save the Park Geun Hye regime and to find out an excuse to force the "THAAD" deployment which has been strongly opposed within and without.

That's why we strongly urge and demand the Malaysian side not to be entangled in a political plot of the hostile forces and to release the body and the result of the postmortem to us without further delay.

We don't see this incident simple, further we will not tolerate at all the attitude of the Malaysian side in collusion with the hostile forces towards our Republic.

We will respond strongly to the moves of the hostile forces towards us with their intent to besmirch the image of our Republic by politicising this incident and sue file this to the International Court.

This article appeared on The Star newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 18, 2017

Voter turnout in the first round of the Jakarta gubernatorial election on Feb. 15 reached 77.1 percent of 7.2 million registered voters, according to the real vote count conducted by the General Elections Commission (KPU), which was completed on Friday night.

This is the highest voter turnout recorded in Jakarta since the capital first held direct gubernatorial elections in 2007. It is also the highest turnout in any election in the country since 2004.

KPU Jakarta chairman Sumarno said on Friday the high voter turnout was good for democracy. He said a number of factors had generated the high participation, including the massive media coverage of the election and the profiles of the candidates.

Voters liked the candidates. Only 23 percent did not cast votes, which is still good, Sumarno told reporters in Jakarta.

Voter participation in the capital had shown a declining trend in previous elections. During the 2007 race, voter turnout only reached 66 percent, worrying observers that the quality of democracy was eroding in the city.

Voter turnout decreased to 65 percent in the first round of the 2012 gubernatorial election and then climbed slightly to 68 percent in the runoff election, which saw now-President Joko Jokowi Widodo emerge victorious.

KPU Jakarta commissioner Dahlia Umar predicted the second round of this years gubernatorial race would record an even higher turnout than the first round. She promised the commission would improve services to ensure that those who could not vote in the first round due to technical glitches would be able to vote in the second round.

The election on Wednesday changed many politically apathetic Jakartans, said Adi Prayitno, a political observer at the Islamic State University Syarif Hidayatullah.

Many of the voters used to be people who stayed away from politics. In this election, however, voters shifted and became enthusiastic about the democratic process, he added.

This is because of the magnitude of the candidates, Adi told The Jakarta Post.

According to Adis observations, several ethnic groups who were apolitical in the past suddenly became aware of politics.

The Post previously reported that some Jakartans staying abroad had intentionally returned to vote and those who had planned to travel canceled their plans in order to vote.

He said more people turning up at polling stations to cast a vote, regardless of motivation, indicated a healthy democracy. And there was no significant conflict on the day, he said.

Masykurudin Hafidz, the national coordinator of the Peoples Voter Education Network (JPPR), an NGO that educates voters on the importance of elections, echoed Adis opinion.

The majority of voters voted because they are rational. They voted on the programs offered by the candidates. Sectarianism did not really matter, he told the Post.

Masykurudin said sectarianism had, to some extent, contributed to the increase in voter participation this year, but it was not a significant factor.

During the campaign period from late October last year to early this month, the Jakarta election was marred by sectarianism, especially after Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian and a Chinese-Indonesian, was accused of blasphemy.

Jakartas voter turnout was slightly above the 77 percent national voter participation target set by the KPU for all 101 regional elections.

The real vote count in many regions is still ongoing, but some regions are showing a lower voter turnout than the KPU target.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 18, 2017

The research report on the environmental, social and economic effects of the Northern Jakarta reclamation project should be made open to the public as the project threatens fishermen and other people in Jakarta, an environmental lawyer and plaintiff in the case said during the hearing session on the Central Information Commission (KIP) in Jakarta on Thursday.

"It is not only about the fishermen who live in North Jakarta, but also about people who live across Jakarta," plaintiff Rayhan Dudayev said.

Earlier reports said the reclamation project in Northern Jakarta would affect the catches of fishermen and increase their fuel expenses. The project would also do nothing to help prevent land subsidence, which has threatened the land of Jakarta for many years.

Rayhan was in the hearing session because he filed a request last October, demanding to see the full report of research done by a special committee formed by the government comprising several ministries. The government rejected his demand last September and gave him documents of recommendations instead.

KIP commissioner Evy Trisulo Dianasari became the head of the panel of judges during the first hearing session. The agenda was to hear the chronology of the plaintiff's requests.

The government's legal representation team was not able to comment on the session because they could not show the assignment letter from the minister as required by the court.

The next hearing session is scheduled for Feb. 24 with a possibility to be rescheduled as "the commission has to deal with another case next week," Evy said. (kkk)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Hotel Sheraton Surabaya and Hotel Mulia Jakarta  Sat, February 18 2017

Canada recently hosted an education fair called EduCanada in Hotel Sheraton Surabaya, East Java, and Hotel Mulia Jakarta on Feb. 11 and 12, respectively.

The exhibitions in both cities, which were open to the public from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., were opened by the Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia Peter MacArthur. The education fair provided Indonesians in both cities with an opportunity to meet and have discussions with representatives from 26 Canadian higher education institutions.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Tanjung Priok Port, North Jakarta  Sat, February 18 2017

The Italian Navys FREMM (European multi-mission Frigate) Carabiniere anti-submarine warship (ITS Carabiniere) will visit Jakarta next month to enhance cooperation between the Italian and Indonesian navies, the Italian Embassy in Jakarta announced recently.

The warship will dock at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Kapuas, Center Kalimantan  Sat, February 18, 2017

The police have named three suspects for allegedly slaughtering, cooking and eating an orangutan after the endangered species was caught wandering around in an oil palm concession in Kapuas regency, Central Kalimantan.

Kapuas Police chief Sr. Comr. Jukiman Situmorang said on Friday that after 10 people had been taken in for questioning on Tuesday, investigators had decided to name three plantation workers, identified by their initials AY, 30, EMS, 39 and ER, 23, suspects.

They [allegedly] killed the orangutan just to consume its flesh, said Jukiman, adding that the police would not detain the suspects because the maximum penalty for the offense was not more than five years.

The case is believed to have occurred at an oil palm concession owned by PT Susantri Permai, part of Malaysian conglomerate Genting Group, in Tumbang Puroh village, on Jan. 28.

The incident reportedly began when a worker was harvesting fruit before encountering and being chased by an agitated orangutan.

The worker later told the story to AY who then went out to hunt down the animal, where he purportedly killed it with an air rifle and machete. The animal was then taken by AY and his two colleagues EMS and ER to a nearby camp to be dined on.

(Read also: 10 held for slaughtering, cooking, eating orangutan)

Theyre just like pigs or deer, the orangutan was skinned, chopped up and cooked, said an eyewitness who works at the plantation as a fruit harvester but refused to be named for safety reasons, on Tuesday.

Jukiman said the perpetrators could face up to five years in prison if found guilty under the law on biodiversity conservation.

Orangutans are under grave threat from their shrinking rainforest habitat due to illegal logging, land conversion and forest fires, as well as from poaching and climate change.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has adjusted its status for the species from endangered to critically endangeredone category before extinction.

The IUCN estimates that the number of Bornean orangutans has dropped by nearly two-thirds since the early 1970s and will further decline to 47,000 by 2025.

As orangutans keep losing their habitat, they are forced to roam into plantation areas in search of food, which can lead to them being killed.

Thats why orangutans enter oil palm plantations [because these areas] used to be part of their habitat, said Yaya Rayadin, an orangutan researcher at Mulawarman University in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, on Tuesday.

Orangutans are often deemed disruptive by palm oil companies as they like to eat leaves and young palm fruit bunches.

According to research in 2006, an orangutan can destroy 30 to 50 oil palms in a day.

They are forced to eat [the fruit bunches] because they have no other options, said Yatim, an environmental activist from Muara Wahau, East Kalimantan.

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar was said to be enraged upon receiving the report and said the ministry would work closely with the police to ensure the perpetrators faced justice.
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Linkedin Words Aulia R. Sungkar Photography Private Collection of Petty Elliott (The Jakarta Post)  Sat, February 18 2017

Street food rules

Indonesian chef and food writer Petty Elliott is no stranger to Indonesias culinary world. With more than 16 years of gastronomic prowess under her belt, she has achieved remarkable milestones in her career, including her participation in the BBCs MasterChef competition, her venture in a boutique private dining service and her role as a guest chef at various culinary events and with many famous F&B establishments in Jakarta and Bali.

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Linkedin Severianus Endi (The Jakarta Post) Singkawang, West Kalimantan  Sat, February 18, 2017

Chinese-Indonesian Tjhai Chui Mie and her running mate Irwan are set to be declared the new mayor and deputy mayor of Singkawang in West Kalimantan after the official vote count had them leading with 42.6 percent.

Chui Mie will be inaugurated as the first female mayor since Singkawang became an autonomous region in 2001.

Women must be equal with men. Sorry guys, women have more advantages than men. We can deal with all types of issues from domestic matters to governing a city administration, the former Singkawang Legislative Council speaker jokingly said on voting day on Wednesday.

Backed by the nations ruling party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), as well as the NasDem, Democratic and Hanura parties, Chui Mie-Irwan defeated another female Chinese-Indonesian candidate Tjhai Nyit Khim and her running mate Suriyadi.

Nyit Khim, also known as Malaika Fitri, is wife of mayor Awang Ishak. The Nyit Khim-Suriyadi ticket, which was backed by the Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI), came third with 13.5 percent or 12,217 votes.

The pair with the second-most votes was incumbent deputy mayor Abdul Mutalib and running mate Muhammadin.

Backed by the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Gerindra Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), they received 26.7 percent of the vote.

The independent ticket Andi Syarif-Nurmansyah came last with 17.13 percent.

During her campaign, Chui Mie promoted her program dubbed Great Singkawang, which focused on bureaucratic reform.

We want to eradicate corruption and illegal levies. [Bureaucrats] are paid by the state, so why remain corrupt? she said.

Known for its large ethnic-Chinese population, Singkawang was declared Indonesias third most tolerant city by the Setara Institute in 2015. Other significant ethnicities in the city include the Malay and Dayak.

But Wijaya Kurniawan, the chairman of the Singkawang chapter of the Chinese Customary and Culture Council (MABT), said the new mayor must remain alert for potential conflicts.

Diversity can be sensitive but communication is the key to remain united, Wijaya said.

Dayak Customary Council (DAD) Singkawang head Aloysius Kilim, meanwhile, called on Chui Mie to treat all Singkawang residents fairly, including those who did not vote for her.

The chairman of the Singkawang chapter of the Malay Customary and Culture Council (MABM), Edy R. Yacoub, called on the people in the city to accept the election result and remain united while continuing to respect diversity and tolerance.
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Linkedin Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, February 18, 2017

For those who have met Siti Asiyah, the notion that the 25-year-old woman from Serang, Banten, might have been capable of allegedly taking part in a vicious plot to murder a high-profile figure in a foreign country is hard to swallow.

Siti, who is believed to have been arrested in Malaysia for her alleged role in the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has been described by her neighbors and relatives as a quiet and innocent girl.

Siti once lived in a house located in a small alley in the densely populated quarters of Tambora district, West Jakarta. There she resided with her former husband Gunawan Hasyim and former father-in-law Liang Kiong, known as Akiong.

To her neighbors, Siti is just one of millions of Indonesians looking for job opportunities in neighboring Malaysia.

She rarely mingled with others. [But] Im sure that it is her. I recognize her from the picture and I had seen her often back then, said one of the neighbors named Anisa Fitri as quoted by Antara news agency. She is a quiet and innocent person from the region, she added.

Halimah, another neighbor who has lived in Tambora since 1969, was stunned by the news, saying that [Siti] is poor; its a pity that she has been dragged into the case. She once lived next door to me before she moved [to her then father-in-laws house], she said.

The last time Akiong, who runs a home-based clothing business, saw Siti was on Jan. 28 during Chinese New Year, when she stopped by from Serang before she went to Malaysia.

It is impossible [for her to be involved in the murder case]. I know her; she holds Javanese traditional values and was a nice daughter-in-law and wife, Akiong said.

According to Akiong, Siti is just a junior high school graduate who speaks poor English and once worked in Batam as a clothing vendor. Akiong could not recall when his son married Siti, although he remembered when the two divorced in 2012 following a request from Siti, who, according to Akiong, considered his son to not be a good husband.

Meanwhile, Indonesian authorities have been struggling to attain more information about Siti, including on whether she is really the woman arrested by Malaysian authorities along with a Vietnamese woman and a Malaysian man, who is said to be Sitis boyfriend.

As of Friday afternoon, the Directorate General of Immigration was still waiting for formal validation of Sitis passport by the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, immigration spokesperson Agung Sampurno told The Jakarta

Post. Although formal validation is pending, the passport shows her last exit from Indonesia was to Johor Baru, Malaysia, through Batam, on the morning of Feb. 2.

The National Police, through their representative at the embassy in Kuala Lumpur, have also been trying to meet with Siti.

We want to confirm identification because it is still possible that she is not Indonesian. If she is indeed Indonesian, we need to know her movements in Jakarta, National Police spokesman Martinus Sitompul said.

(Read also: Indonesian caught up in murder case of North Korean prominent figure)

Officials in Jakarta have said Indonesia will not meddle with Malaysias investigation into Siti, but Deputy Foreign Minister AM Fachir ensures Siti is getting legal assistance from the embassy.

Fachir claimed he had yet to receive information that Siti was a North Korean spy.

The Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) said Sitis name was not on the list of Indonesian migrant workers living in Malaysia, however many Indonesians work in Malaysia illegally.

It is unclear whether Siti is a foreign agent, but many Indonesians, including Vice President Jusuf Kalla, seem to believe that, like many Indonesian migrant workers, she has been framed and therefore is a victim in the case.
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Sumba preparing to host sandalwood horse parade, tenun ikat festival

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According to police reports the girl was gangraped by her neighbour and his three accomplice.

By Manjeet Sehgal: In another shocking case from Punjab's Abohar, a minor Dalit girl was on Thursday gangraped by her neighbour and his five accomplices.

The girl was thrown out of the car near Civil Lines on Hanumangarh road in a serious condition on Thursday night. A watchman later raised an alarm and informed the police. Adding insult to the injury the Police officials who were informed by the locals rather admitting the girl to the hospital handed over her to the family.

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"The girl has been admitted to the hospital in a serious condition. The prime accused is a neighbour who had come with three others in a car. She initially resisted the neighbour who tried to abduct the girl forcibly. Later, two motorcycle borne men came and forcibly put her in the car and fled," victim's mother said.

The poor girl works as a domestic help and had lost her father last year.

"The victim is not in a position to give her statement. We will only be able to take action after she becomes stable," SHO, Police Thana 2 Darshan Singh said.

--- ENDS ---
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Linkedin Julie M. Aurelio (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) Manila  Sat, February 18, 2017

An estimated crowd of 10,000 Catholic religious and lay people participated in the Walk for Life, the Churchs show of force against the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.

In its first show of force under the Duterte administration, some 10,000 Catholic religious and lay people gathered to oppose the death penalty and the spate of extrajudicial killings.

Priests, bishops and lay people mostly clad in white shirts walked around the vicinity of the Quirino Grandstand, praying the Rosary as they wielded their placards and tarpaulins.

Thousands of Roman Catholics carry placards in a "Walk for Life" march around Manila's Rizal Park to oppose the revival of the death penalty by the Philippine Congress as well as the killings of drug users and drug pushers in the so-called war on drugs by President Rodrigo Duterte at dawn Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017 in Manila, Philippines. The Catholic Church expressed alarm over the killings of more than 7,000 people so far since President Duterte assumed office June 30 of last year. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)(AP/Bullit Marquez)

Manila auxiliary bishop Broderick Pabillo was one of several prelates who attended the Walk for Life prayer rally, which was organized by the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas.

I am very surprised and pleased with the outcome I hope that the voices of the people against the killings will reach the government, said the chairperson of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on the Laity.

Pabillo called the prayer rally as the Churchs show of force on the controversial issues of the death penalty and extra-judicial killings.

Asked if President Rodrigo Duterte would listen to the voice of 10,000 Catholics, the prelate said: If he is a logical person, he will listen.

CBCP president and Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop Socrates Villegas, for his part, said the crowds numbers was not that important as what was more material was the quality and not the quantity of the prayers.

We are confident that God will heed our prayers today in our Walk for Life, Villegas said when asked if the President would listen to their calls.

Aside from the death penalty and the extra-judicial killings, the three-hour activity also highlighted the Churchs stand against abortion, corruption and illegal drugs.

Religious and lay people walked around the vicinity of the Quirino Grandstand before dawn for almost an hour, reciting the Rosary with each step.

The participants came from 13 dioceses and archdioceses, including Manila, Cubao, Imus, Malolos, San Jose in Nueva Ecija, Balanga, Urdaneta, Legaspi, and Bontoc-Lagawe.

Caloocan bishop Pablo David said the Walk for Life is also in support of the peace initiatives between the government and the communist rebels, which has been called off.

Personalities like anti-death penalty advocate and actress Cherry Pie Picache, Sen. Leila de Lima, and former Commission on Human Rights chairperson Etta Rosales were spotted at the prayer rally.
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Amnesty now! says SWP candidate in LA

VAN NUYS, Calif.  Oh, I already met Dennis when he came to my door in Highland Park and I got a subscription to theand some books, Favi Castro told me at the Feb. 12 protest here against recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Dennis Richter, Socialist Workers Party candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, was marching in the action that day too.

Government agents arrested 161 people from the Los Angeles area.

As Castro left the protest, she told Richter, Ill be staying in touch so we can discuss more politics.

Chants of Stop the deportations were nearly drowned out by horns honking in support from people driving. Some found a place to park and joined in. Numerous people complimented Richter on his sign that said, Stop the Raids! Amnesty Now!

The day before, Richter joined a rally of over 100 union members fighting for a contract in front of an AT&T wireless store in Los Angeles. Protests were held in San Diego, Bakersfield, San Francisco and around the country. The contract covers technicians as well as retail and call-center workers employed at AT&Ts wireless division. (See article.)

Dozens of AT&T workers from the companys traditional wired phone business joined the rally as did many of those working at DirectTV, recently acquired by AT&T. The contract for 17,000 wireline workers in California and Nevada expired last April.

Richter offered his solidarity and raised the need for the labor movement to fight for unity between native-born and those without papers accepted by the government in Washington.

We call for amnesty for all immigrants in the U.S. today, Richter told rally participants. There are 1 million immigrants without papers in the Los Angeles area. If we organize them with the same rights, think what we could accomplish in building strong unions.

We need an amnesty plan like they had under Reagan, Nathan Atchison, a wireline worker, told Richter.
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Actions defend womens right to choose abortion

Militant/Betsey Stone

ST. PAUL, Minn.  Thousands of people rallied at the Planned Parenthood offices here Feb. 11 in response to coordinated protests across the country attacking womens right to abortion and demanding defunding of the organization. The action opposing abortion here drew about 500 people.

At 8 a.m., an hour before the opposing rallies were scheduled to start, the streets around the clinic were beginning to fill with hundreds of supporters carrying signs saying, I stand with Planned Parenthood, Keep abortion legal and other slogans lettered on handmade placards.

A coalition of anti-abortion groups initiated more than 200 actions across the country Feb. 11, calling for the federal government to end Medicaid reimbursement to Planned Parenthood for birth control, cancer screenings and other health care. President Donald Trump has said he would support such a measure. A ban on federal funding for nearly all abortions has been in place since 1976, renewed every year by Congress.

Trump has reinstated a ban on U.S. government funding to international organizations that provide abortions or information on how to obtain one. As governor of Indiana, Vice President Mike Pence was in the forefront of promoting state laws chipping away at womens access to abortion.

In many cities, defenders of womens right to choose abortion outnumbered those at the anti-Planned Parenthood rallies, in some cases as many as 10 to 1.

Its important for everyone to stand up against any attacks on womens rights, Robyn Sellman, a 25-year-old member of the National Organization for Women from East St. Paul, told the Militant here. Its awesome so many people came together to act on this. It shows what we can do when we organize to defend our rights.

The rally here was built by word of mouth, on social media, and through organizations such as NOW. Students from womens groups at area colleges met on their campuses and traveled together with their signs on public transportation to join the rally.

David Rosenfeld, Socialist Workers Party candidate for mayor of Minneapolis, took part in the action. The labor movement and all working people have a vital stake in fighting against the attacks on Planned Parenthood and the myriad of state laws restricting womens access to abortion, read the statement he and supporters distributed.

In New York, some 300 people rallied across the street from the Planned Parenthood clinic in Manhattan chanting. Their body, their choice, Fund Planned Parenthood, and Abortion is health care, health care is a right. About three dozen opponents of abortion rights rallied on the opposite corner.

Many counterprotesters then joined a rally of a few thousand people in defense of Planned Parenthood at nearby Washington Square Park. Clinic representatives had urged supporters to rally away from the clinic, saying they didnt want patients to see chaos outside.

The right to choose abortion, to control our own bodies, is a requirement for womens equality. It has been attacked by both Democratic and Republican party administrations from the moment it was decriminalized in 1973, said Sara Lobman, a rail worker and member of the Socialist Workers Party, speaking at the rally outside the clinic. The Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling based it on the rights of the doctor. But its the right of a woman, and should be protected by the 14th Amendments guarantee of equal protection under the law, she said to applause. We need to be in the streets to defend womens rights in every state, not look to the Democrats.

In San Jose, California, thousands lined the street near the Planned Parenthood clinic in an impressive show of support for womens right to abortion. Waving signs and cheering as passing cars honked in support, they dwarfed the group of opponents of legal abortion picketing outside the clinic.

No woman can call herself free who cannot choose the time to be a mother or not, said one of the handmade signs held high at the march and rally that followed the protest near the clinic.

Speakers focused on the important heath services offered by Planned Parenthood to working people and youth, who would not have access to health care without it.

The action was organized by STAND San Jose. We know that statistically speaking, making abortion illegal does not make women not have abortions  it ends safe abortions, Rosa Warren, a founder of the group, told the San Jose Mercury News.

At actions in nearby Redwood City and San Francisco, demonstrators who supported legal abortion also outnumbered opponents.

There were similar actions backing womens right to abortion and defending Planned Parenthood in well over 100 cities across the country.

Naomi Craine in New York and Betsey Stone in California contributed to this article.





Related articles:

Protesters discuss how to defend womens rights

Defend abortion rights, state by state!







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Havana book fair pays tribute to Fidel Castros leadership, example

HAVANA  The 2017 Havana International Book Fair, which opened here Feb. 9, has been marked by book presentations, panel discussions, photo and art exhibits, and other events paying tribute to Fidel Castros historic leadership of the Cuban Revolution.

Tens of thousands of people have been pouring into the book fair. This 26th annual event is a giant cultural festival that unfolds for 10 days in Havana and then travels to every province across the island, concluding April 16 in the eastern city of Santiago. This year Cuban publishers have available for sale 4 million copies of some 700 new titles, a significant increase over last year. Publishers from 46 other countries are participating  including Canada, this years country of honor.

There is no other book fair in the world like this one, because it is a product of the Cuban Revolution, noted Fernando Gonzalez at a special program on Fidel and Culture. Gonzalez, one of five Cubans who spent more than a decade and a half in U.S. prisons for their actions in defense of the revolution, pointed to the high level of literacy and interest in reading among the Cuban population, of which the book fair is a visible expression.

This years fair is dedicated to Armando Hart, one of the historic leaders of the Cuban Revolution who as Cubas first minister of education directed the revolutions monumental literacy drive, and served for 20 years as the countrys minister of culture. Today he heads the Office of the Jose Marti Program. Daily events honor Harts revolutionary record, and new collections of his writings are being presented.

Revolution expands access to culture

Education has been one of the highest priorities of the revolution, said Juan Rodriguez, president of the Cuban Book Institute, at the book fairs opening ceremony. From the beginning, he said, Fidel Castro led the efforts to expand access to culture in Cuba. This included, in 1961, the yearlong campaign that brought literacy to some 700,000 adults.

These themes were developed in a two-day book fair program on Castros political leadership. The biggest cultural development in Cuba was the revolution itself, said historian Rolando Rodriguez in one panel discussion. Thanks to Fidels leadership we transformed ourselves, from a subjugated country with an inferiority complex  always looking to the North for direction  into a free, sovereign, independent nation.

Rodriguez gave many examples of Fidels leadership in transforming education and the broad cultural level in Cuba. Fifty years ago, Rodriguez noted, the Cuban leader asked him to head up the newly founded Cuban Book Institute, part of an effort that established new publishing houses and printing plants.

One day, he said, Castro learned of plans to build a large new printing plant in Santiago de Cuba. He contacted Rodriguez and proposed it be built in Guantanamo instead. Rodriguez argued with Castro, saying it would be much more expensive to build a large industrial project in Guantanamo. It simply wasnt possible because Guantanamo  one of the poorest and most underdeveloped provinces in the country before the revolution  lacked the necessary infrastructure and trained workforce. Thats precisely why we need to build the plant in Guantanamo, Fidel answered, and why you are going to help me do it, Rodriguez said.

Also on the panel were Fernando Gonzalez, as well as Gerardo Hernandez, another of the revolutionaries known worldwide as the Cuban Five. Gonzalez is today vice president of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). Hernandez is vice rector of the Higher Institute for International Relations (ISRI).

Huge turnout to honor Fidel Castro

Gonzalez highlighted the massive turnout by ordinary Cubans at events paying tribute to Fidel Castro after his death Nov. 25. Especially significant was the large participation by youth, he said, because many in these generations  unlike my generation and previous ones  never had direct experience with our commander in chief in the leadership of the country: orienting, educating, persuading.

There is perhaps no figure in the world against whom the imperialists have invested greater resources to denigrate and attack than Fidel Castro, Hernandez said. Yet Fidels image remains untarnished among millions around the world.

Hernandez told of his discussions with fellow inmates in U.S. maximum security prisons, where he served more than 16 years. There were quite a few who could not locate Cuba on a map but they knew who Fidel was. A frequent comment was, I dont know much about politics, but Fidel really stood up to the American government.

For revolutionaries and rebels around the world, Hernandez concluded, Fidel will always be an example.

Since the opening day of the book fair, communist workers at the Pathfinder Press stand have talked with many students, workers and others who recounted how they took to the streets to pay tribute to Fidel after his death. We were responding to the international press that said the revolution doesnt have support among young people, Yessica Pugh, one of a group of University of Havana students at the fair, told the Militant.

Many who visited the Pathfinder booth said proudly that they were among the 6 million Cubans across the island who signed a pledge to continue defending the revolution.

The fair in Havana continues through Feb. 19.





Related articles:

Interest builds in joining May Day brigade to Cuba

Cubas internationalism was born with revolution

Castro: Ours is a more just society and we believe in it







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(front page)

Oscar Lopez back in Puerto Rico! Faces restrictions until May 17

In another victory in his fight for freedom, Oscar Lopez Rivera returned to Puerto Rico Feb. 9 to live with his daughter Clarisa, part of a transition to freedom from 36 years in U.S. prisons.

But in a sign of the U.S. rulers concern about the support for Lopez in Puerto Rico and the boost his return gives to the working-class struggle there, he remains under strict conditions of home confinement, including a ban on making any public statements, until his official release date of May 17. He is required to wear an electronic bracelet.

Lopez was imprisoned on frame-up charges, primarily of seditious conspiracy, because of his activities in support of independence for Puerto Rico, a U.S. colony since 1898. He was accused of being a leader of the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), which took credit for bombings of businesses in the U.S. that operated in Puerto Rico. Lopez was never charged with any act of violence.

Under the mounting pressure of the broad support in Puerto Rico and the U.S. for Lopezs release, then President Barack Obama commuted his sentence Jan. 17.

Lopezs daughter, his lawyer Jan Susler, U.S. Congressman Luis Gutierrez, and Alejandro Molina, co-chair of the National Boricua Human Rights Network, greeted him outside the Terre Haute, Indiana, prison gates. They were later joined by Oscars brother Jose Lopez, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz and New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

At a press conference in San Juan that evening, Clarisa Lopez urged those in Puerto Rico who are anxious to see and speak with her father to be patient. We cant do anything that could give the U.S. Bureau of Prisons an excuse to return him to federal custody, she said.

On May 17 the big party starts, she said. While still in prison, Oscar Lopez made plans to visit every municipality in Puerto Rico to thank people for their support and promote the fight to end the islands status as a U.S. colony.

The U.S. government refuses to admit that it has any political prisoners, Susler told the press. But the way Lopez has been treated proves thats not true, including his more than 12 years in solitary confinement. After his sentence was commuted, prison officials insisted Lopez keep reporting to guards every two hours, she said.

Lopez was turned over to the custody of Gutierrez, on the condition that they make no stops in Chicago and that there be no organized welcome for him in Puerto Rico. When other Puerto Rican political prisoners were released earlier  including Lolita Lebron, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Oscar Colazo and Carlos Alberto Torres  they spoke to sizable rallies in Chicago.

When the delegation arrived at the prison to pick him up, Lopez was holding a Puerto Rican flag, surrounded by guards armed with rifles, his daughter said.

Im not even allowed to say thanks to you in the name of my father, she said at the press conference, referring to the conditions of silence Washington has imposed. So let me say thanks from me.

Jose Lopez described how his brother first became involved in a wide variety of struggles in Chicago. He moved there from Puerto Rico when he was 14 years old. He was later drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Vietnam.

Oscar came back to Chicago in 1967, the year after one of the largest, if not the largest, rebellion of Puerto Ricans in the United States, the 12, 13 and 14 of June 1966, Oscars brother said. Puerto Ricans said they were no longer going to accept being completely marginalized from all aspects of what an ordinary citizen deserves in a society.

Oscar said that going to Vietnam was a mistake, to fight against a people who were fighting against colonialism, while in this city the police and national guard were shooting at Puerto Ricans, Jose said.

Although Oscar Lopezs fight for release was supported across the political spectrum in Puerto Rico, not everyone on the island is pleased with his return.

Carmelo Rios, spokesperson in the Puerto Rican Senate for the ruling New Progressive Party, currently the majority party, criticized those he charged were exalting someone who doesnt deserve it. They have forgotten those of us who didnt go underground to see how we could undemocratically overthrow a government we dont agree with, he said.

Workers on the American Airlines flight to San Juan had a different attitude. One of the flight attendants came up to Oscar as we were about to land, San Juan Mayor Cruz told the press. She gave him a wing pin and said Bienvenido a su casa [Welcome home].

Then the head of the flight attendants crew came up and said, Its an honor to have you with us, sir. Cruz added.





Related articles:

Thousands in Puerto Rico protest anti-labor measures







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(feature article)

Cubas internationalism was born with revolution

MARY-ALICE WATERS: At a mass rally in the city of Matanzas, Cuba, on July 26, 1991, Nelson Mandela, leader of the South African freedom struggle, paid tribute to the Cuban people. Mandela had been released from prison only a year earlier, after some twenty-seven years behind the bars of the white-supremacist apartheid regime.

Let me begin by reading a few paragraphs of what Mandela said to the tens of thousands of Cubans assembled in Matanzas, and to the world:

It was in prison when I first heard of the massive assistance that the Cuban internationalist forces provided the people of Angola, on such a scale that one hesitated to believe, when the Angolans came under combined attack of South Africa, CIA-financed FNLA, mercenary, UNITA, and Zairean troops in 1975. We in Africa are used to being victims of countries wanting to carve up our territory and subvert our sovereignty. It is unparalleled in African history to have another people rise to the defense of one of us. We know also that this was a popular action in Cuba. We are aware that those who fought and died in Angola were only a small proportion of those who volunteered. For the Cuban people, internationalism is not merely a word but something we have seen practiced to the benefit of large sections of humankind.

Pombo, you were one of the Cubans who led that unparalleled action spanning sixteen years, from 1975 to 1991. During those years, more than four hundred thousand Cuban men and women went to Angola as internationalist volunteers. They not only helped the Angolan people defend their independence against invading forces of the white supremacist regime. They helped the people of Namibia win their independence from South Africa. And their actions added to the massive revolutionary upsurge of the South African people that put an end to the apartheid regime.

In short, as Nelson Mandela declared in Matanzas in 1991, these victories made possible by Cuban solidarity changed the course of history in Africa and the world. Today, however, this history is little known among working people and youth in the United States. It is little known among several generations of youth in Africa, and even here in Cuba the memory is fading.

How did Cubas participation in Angolas liberation struggle begin?

HARRY VILLEGAS: We have to place the Cuban mission in Angola within a broader framework. As Fidel has said, for us internationalism is paying our debt to humanity. Many of us in Cuba are of African descent. Thousands of Africans and their descendants participated in our struggles against slavery and for independence.

Cuban internationalism in Africa begins with the first years of the Cuban Revolution. It begins in Algeria. In 1961, when the Algerian people were fighting for independence from France, Cuba sent them a shipload of weapons.

Independence was won in 1962. The first thing we did was to send volunteer doctors and other medical personnel. That was in 1963.

Later that same year, when the Moroccan regime, backed by the US, attacked Algeria, we sent soldiers and military equipment to defend the newly independent government. We didnt have to fight there; our strategy was deterrence. When the Moroccans saw we were in Algeria, they pulled out. Later, when we withdrew our troops, we left our tanks with the Algerians for their defense.

Mission in Congo, 1965

WATERS: Ten years before Cubas internationalist mission in Angola, revolutionary leader Ernesto Che Guevara led a column of 128 Cuban combatants to the eastern Congo to help independence forces fighting the pro-imperialist regime in that country. You were one of them, and served on the general staff.

VILLEGAS: In early 1965 while on a tour of several African countries Che visited Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. There he met with leaders of the Congolese revolutionary movement. It was agreed that Cuba would send instructors to support that movement. Che led the column, which fought alongside those forces for several months, from April to November 1965.

A few weeks earlier Che had visited Congo-Brazzaville, where he met with Agostinho Neto and other leaders of the MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola). Angola was still a Portuguese colony at the time. They reached agreement that Cuba would give military training to MPLA cadres in their independence struggle.

A column of Cuban combatants was sent to Congo- Brazzaville in 1965. It was led by Jorge Risquet; the military commander was Rolando Kindelan. That unit helped defend the government of Congo-Brazzaville, which was threatened by the proimperialist regime in the Congo of Mobutu Sese Seko. It also trained the guerrilla fighters who subsequently became the Peoples Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA). 

ROGER CALERO : How do you assess the experience of Ches column in the Congo?

VILLEGAS: The Congo was a tremendous experience for all of us. We went there in April 1965 not to lead the war but to train and advise Congolese combatants in the liberated zones in the eastern part of the country. Fighting alongside them, we took part in ambushes and several important battles.

It was a complex situation, however. The Congolese leaders werent there with their troops; they were living in other countries. In the end, they decided to end combat operations. We left in November 1965.

WATERS: In his book Episodes of the Revolutionary War: Congo, Che explains that before arriving there, he and the rest of the Cuban leadership knew very little about the economic and social conditions of the Congo. He says, for example, that they werent aware that in much of central Africa land was not private property. Unlike Cuba and the rest of Latin America, peasants fighting for land to cultivate werent a driving force of the class struggle.

VILLEGAS: Yes, as Che pointed out in his diary, there was no concept of land ownership in the Congo. The mode of production and relations among families were different from Cuba and elsewhere in Latin America. Tribalism existed. A big part of the population looked to their tribe, and to the divisions colonialism had created, rather than to a nation. All these things have to be looked at concretely. Theres no single script for the whole world and for all moments in history.

Che concluded that the economic, social, and political conditions didnt yet exist in that part of Africa to carry out a revolutionary struggle against imperialism  and might not for another twenty years.

In fact, a little more than two decades after Che made the commitment to help the MPLA, a historic victory was won when the invading South African army was defeated at Cuito Cuanavale in 1988, securing Angolas independence. So, when Cuba responded to Netos request in 1975 to send Cuban combatants to Angola, we already had a ten-year history of working with the MPLA. We had already been in Angola helping their independence struggle.





Related articles:

Havana book fair pays tribute to Fidel Castros leadership, example

Interest builds in joining May Day brigade to Cuba

Castro: Ours is a more just society and we believe in it







Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home




By Press Trust of India: Colombo, Feb 18 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Sri Lanka in May for a United Nations programme marking a major Buddhist festival, a media report quoted a Sri Lankan minister as saying.

Minister of Justice and Buddha Sasana Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said Modi has confirmed his participation in the first-ever UN Wesak Day celebrations in Sri Lanka, the ColomboPage reported.

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UN Day of Wesak is celebrated annually in Buddhist countries. Devotees pay homage to Lord Buddha during the festival celebrated on the Sunday closest to Mays full moon.

This is the first time Sri Lanka is hosting the festival and has invited several world leaders for the celebrations on May 12.

More than a thousand representatives from India, China, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia and other countries where Buddhism is practiced are likely to attend, the report said. PTI ABH AKJ ABH

--- ENDS ---
Theres been no escaping Valentine's this week. What with La La Lands universal brainwashing effect, the endless dine-in-for-2 commercials clogging up the advert breaks, and window displays flaunting lingerie sets provocative enough to make any girl cringe, Valentines day is just one of those annual events you really cant escape without hiding under a very rough-and-uncrystallised rock.

This year, I forced myself into some Valentine's fun with this weeks What I Wore...

Outfit 1: Always the dreamer

Ginger Ninja Clothing Romance is always more exciting in my mind than it turns out in reality - its a dreamer's curse. Last week, slogan tees spoke out at New York fashion week, inviting us all to become a little more vocal with our clothing. Vocal isnt really my thing, but I sure can dream so this tee fromsuits me right up to the clouds.

Denim is also set to make a comeback in the SS17 season, this time in jacket form. Mine is a classic cut from GAP, but if you dont already have this particular season staple, theres no shame in scavenging your mum's wardrobe for an authentic 60s throwback!

Outfit 2: Pretty-in-pink

sigh*. Now anyone who knows me, knows that I am NOT a pink person. So much so, that getting me into a pink grad-ball-gown became the ultimate (and dismally unsuccessful) challenge amongst my third year uni flatmates. But the trends have spoken, and pink is most definitely this season's colour *

Midi-skirts are also looking to be a hot trend in the spring season, so I paired this pleated pink midi (Topshop), with plain black top to complete my Valentine's Day look.

The simple camel mac is also making a comeback. Mine is an unashamed Burberry look-alike from Banana Republic. Light wearing for the (hopefully) warmer spring months, while being both waterproof a classically stylish.

The Mini Disk bracelet Also featured with this outfit  because no girl should have to face Valentine's Day without a bit of sparkle  are two gorgeous pieces of rose-gold jewellery from Alexi London.(50), pictured on the far right is delicate and understated, studded with 35 individual cubic zirconia stones to make you look as expensive as you feel! This delicate bracelet is also available in gold and silver; I just have soft spot for rose.

Outfit 3: Dirty dancing

Yes, I did have the time of life on Valentine's night, curled up watching Dirty Dancing with a bottle of champagne!

Whats being referred to as the modern 60

s trend is currently on the rise with denim jackets appearing among the spring season staples, while high-rise jeans (mine are Cheap Mondays jeans from Urban Outfitters) and bodysuits (also from Urban) seem to have stuck. This spring, its about the big hair and bold eyeliner  bringing back Baby!
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In an exclusive interview, Mulayam Singh Yadav said that Congress had no footing in Uttar Pradesh, until now.

By India Today Web Desk: In an exclusive interview with India Today, Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav today said that it is the Congress that stands to benefit from the alliance for Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, not his party.

"Congress had no footing in Uttar Pradesh. This alliance has revived their chances to win some seats. The contest was otherwise between the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)", he said.

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Talking about the 2012 Assembly elections, Mulayam reassuringly said that he did not regret making Akhilesh the chief minister. But added, "I made Akhilesh the chief minister because I knew if I did not, he would never become the CM."

Refuting rumours of an ongoing turmoil in the family and the party, he said that those who did not get the ticket were still angry, but there was no rift in the party as such.

Also read: Uttar Pradesh: Polarisation could scupper Rahul-Akhilesh alliance in assembly elections

Also read: Uttar Pradesh polls: Akhilesh Yadav promises 1 lakh jobs in police force without interview

On being asked to rate Akhilesh Yadav and his governance on a scale of 1 to 10, he scoffed, "Why are you bringing him up again and again? Ask the people to rate him. Elections are ongoing, ask me about campaigning or issues that common man in state is facing."

He chose not to comment on Mayawati or Bahujan Samajwadi Party's campaigns but conceded that BJP was a strong party and added, "SP's members know Uttar Pradesh better and are far more experienced."

Also read: UP elections: Mulayam Singh campaigns against Akhilesh Yadav; seeks vote for Lok Dal in Etawah

When asked whether he would contest for the Prime Minister's post, Mulayam, who had once harboured that ambition, said, "I only want to work for the Samajwadi Party now. That was a thing of the past."

Lauding his ministers for achieving all their poll promises, he claimed, "The party fulfilled all promises it made to the people of Uttar Pradesh within the first three years only. This is our biggest achievement."

On the issue of demonetisation, he said the Modi government's so-called bold decision has hit the farmers and small businessmen.

--- ENDS ---
A senior party member of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN), a coalition founded by NPF and other national political parties, said that former Chief Minister and present Lok Sabha member, Neiphiu Rio, is likely to be the next CM instead of the present CM, TR Zeliang.

By Manogya Loiwal : A Tamil Nadu like political drama is unfolding in the northeast too. At least 40 rebel legislators of the ruling Nagaland People's Front (NPF) have gathered at a resort in Kaziranga National Park in Assam for a crucial meeting to select the next Chief Minister of Nagaland.

A senior party member of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN), a coalition founded by NPF and other national political parties, said that former Chief Minister and present Lok Sabha member, Neiphiu Rio, is likely to be the next CM instead of the present CM, TR Zeliang.

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Interestingly, both Zeliang and Rio have not been on the best of terms from the past few years, but there seems to have been a probable patch up being worked out between the two to save the alliance in the state.

Also Read: Nagaland women shocked by protests against reservation for them in local body election

The group of 40 MLAs including Independent MLAs in the 60-member house led by NPF president Shurhozelie Liezietsu had reached Kaziranga on Friday night.

Meanwhile, Nagaland Governor PB Acharya is likely to return to Kohima on Saturday evening after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi following the current political stalemate in the state. Rio and Zeliang too were camping in Delhi and keeping a close watch on Kohima.

But with this a new twist has been added in Nagaland's political drama and many more dramatic turns are expected every day.

Also Read:

EXCLUSIVE: As Nagaland simmers, insurgent groups threaten to violate ceasefire, demand CM Zeliang's ouster

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Feb 18 (PTI) Nepal is offering "preferential" policies to Chinese companies for large-scale investments, Nepalese envoy here has said in the wake of Chinas strategic push into Nepal through road and rail links.

"Nepal is offering preferential policies to Chinese companies which want to invest in the country, though challenges remain such as limited public land and power supply, slow Internet speed and language barriers," said Leela Mani Paudyal, Nepalese Ambassador to China.

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Chinese enterprises are encouraged to cooperate with Nepalese firms to develop products and services, relocate their manufacturing bases to Nepal, Paudyal said at a seminar yesterday here.

The Nepalese government has rolled out different corporate income tax rebates based on the types and locations of industries, Binod Prasad Acharya, Economic Minister at the Nepalese embassy, said at the seminar.

"For example, there is a 100 per cent exemption for 10 years and 50 per cent exemption in the following five years in the field of energy, and a 100 per cent exemption for five years in the tourism industry when investing more than 2 billion Nepalese rupees," he said.

In addition, 100 per cent foreign investment is allowed in almost all industries, and technology transfer is possible in all industry sectors, he said.

In terms of investment volume, China became Nepals second-largest investor in 2016, after India.

China had invested in 1,121 projects by the end of 2016, totalling 3.79 billion yuan (USD 552 million), the daily report said.

China and Nepal signed a landmark transit treaty last year to reduce dependence on India for supplies.

Beijing is pressing ahead with its investment push into Nepal with rail and road connectivity through Tibet despite fall of Oli government which was replaced by Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda who observers say is trying to follow a more balanced policy between India and China.

"As most of the countrys land is private, you have to negotiate with many people. We suggest Chinese investors establish an industrial zone here, for which we will provide land and other facilities. This will also help other investors," Paudyal said.

In addition, Nepal has an insufficient supply of power, but this is also a potential area for investment by Chinese companies, he said.

Chinese investors may need professional interpreters to overcome language barriers, but the problem may be alleviated in the coming years, as the country has sent many students to China to learn Chinese, including 200 in Beijing, Paudyal said.

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The ambassador also suggested foreign investors find a reliable local business partner in Nepal to help them understand the laws and culture of the country. PTI KJV UZM ASK UZM

--- ENDS ---
AirAsia to launch Phuket-Pattaya direct, daily flights

PHUKET: Thai AirAsia from March 30 will fly daily direct flights connecting Phuket with Pattaya in a push to connect Thailands two main foreign tourist beach resort destinations.

tourismtransportRussianChinese

By The Phuket News

Saturday 18 February 2017, 12:53PM

AirAsia will start flying direct Phuket-Pattaya flights from March 30. Photo: Aero Icarus

Starting March 30, Flight FD1101 will depart Phuket International Airports Domestic Terminal at 12:50pm daily, touching down at U-Tapao, about 40km from Pattaya by road, at 2:10pm.

From Pattaya to Phuket, Flight FD100 will depart U-Tapao at 10:55am daily and land in Phuket at 12:55pm.

The Phuket-Pattaya launch comes as Thai AirAsia also launches direct direct daily flights connecting U-Tapao and Ubon Ratchathani, also starting March 30.

Santisuk Klongchaiya, Director of Commercial for Thai AirAsia, said that the two new direct-flight services support the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) policy of stimulating cross-regional travel.

Regional connections in Thailand are a strength of Thai AirAsias ever expanding network and part of its policy to create new travel opportunities for all the countrys regions, he said.

AirAsia currently operates regional flights from six airport hubs: Bangkok (Don Mueang), Phuket, Chiang Mai, Krabi, U-Tapao and Hat Yai. Together the hubs offer 11 regional connections via 16 flights daily which averaged a load factor of 85% in 2016.

The Phuket-Pattaya ana Pattaya-Ubon Ratchathani services were launched at Thailand International Travel Fair 2017, currently underway at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok. A special satellite roadshow edition is being held in Phuket Town this weekend. (See story here.)

Promotional fares for U-Tapao-Phuket flights have been launched, starting at B790 (one way, including airport tax and other duties, but excluding fuel excise tax). Flights must be booked before next Tuesday (Feb 26) for travel March 30 through Feb 6, 2018.

Sujitra Jongchansittho, TAT Deputy Governor of Domestic Marketing, said that the government has policy to elevate the countrys economy under the Thailand 4.0, Economy 4.0 concept.

TAT has drafted its own Tourism 4.0 framework, which seeks to strengthen the country internally before connecting it to the global economy, Ms Sujitra said.

The plan focuses on basic tourism, constant innovation and the Regional Travel Challenge project, an effort to stimulate regional tourism by creating new and stimulating experiences based on local offerings, she noted.

The goal of the framework is to spread travel income across the country and TAT welcomes AirAsias support in enhancing travel between regions, Ms Sujitra added.
Brexit: The Way Forward

PHUKET: Those seeking a comprehensive argument of why to support Brexit and looking to hear first hand an expert view on the current situation and the potential fallout in the long run got one on Monday night (Feb 13) from former UK MP Michael Weatherley.

economics

By Chris Husted

Saturday 18 February 2017, 11:00AM

Former Conservative MP Michael Weatherley delivered a strong argument supporting the UK exiting the European Union.

Mr Weatherley was guest speaker at the British Chamber of Commerce of Thailand (BCCT) Phuket Business Dinner event at the Amari Patong hotel, where his mandate for the evening was to deliver his appraisal of Brexit  Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.

Noting that the Brexit debate was divisive  even amongst families  Mr Weatherley opened his appraisal focusing on two key aspects: ideological and economic, and quickly dismantled rationales for remain in the EU along both lines of thinking.

Making short work of the ideological argument, Mr Weatherley decried the EU as bureaucratic, unelected and wasteful. One key example cited was the legally binding requirement for members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to convene in Strasbourg once every four weeks simply because it was written into the original treaty.

I am not sure everyone here realises this happens, but every one of the 751 MEPs, every support staff, every translator  the lot  all decamp 440 kilometres costing the tax payer at least 144 million euros (B5.35 billion) per year  some even estimate it is over 400mn euros p.a. The EU has the figure at officially 3.5 billion euros (B130bn) so far in the EU history and I can assure you it is much higher when taking into account the building upkeep, catering transfer and so on, he said.

Worse, MEPs themselves have voted against the requirement, but yet it stays.

I mentioned this to the PM (Prime Minister David Cameron, at the time) and his reply was, Yes, Mike, we all know that is wrong, but there is nothing we can do about it.

And my reply was, Right there PM, you know something is wrong, 99% of Europe doesnt want to do it, but we cant change it? The EU project is doomed to failure if we cant even be adaptable to change that one small, obvious thing., Mr Weatherley said.

The EU also failed as a functioning democratic institution, he added.

In my capacity as Intellectual Property adviser to the PM, I made frequent trips to Brussels. Not to see the democratically elected MEPs to lobby for a particular law  there is almost no point in doing that. The real power lies with the Commissioners and the Directors of the various Directorates, he explained.

These officials are not elected by the people, but are appointed by the individual Governments getting together and deciding who they would like. And quite often these Commissioners are failed politicians who are given favours by their party  Kinnock and Mandelson spring readily to mind. But all parties do it. They control 23,000 Civil servants split into various Directorates. Run by a senior civil servant that basically has a job for life.

And when meeting these Commissioners, or Directors, for anyone who has watched Yes Minister it is 100 times worse. If they dont agree, you cant lobby to get them deselected, outvoted or anything. It is the most frustrating political accountability experience, and I havent even started on the Council set up and other departments, he said.

On the Economic front, Mr Weatherley admitted, if it makes financial sense, then all those other things could be overlooked. Maybe.

Yet that, too, faltered, he said.

The EU share of worldwide GDP in 1973 was 37%. In 2025 it is forecast to be down to 22%. And when I look at how groupings such as Asean is coming together it fills me with horror as to how the EU collectively will slip even further.

I was the Chair of the All Party Asean Group and no matter how hard I tried to impress on everyone the economic long term growth from this region, people were incredibly blinkered, he said.

In his opinion, the EU is too introspective, and consequently missing out on trade deals with non-member countries simply because it takes not just all member states to agree, but even constituencies within EU nations.

To his he cited the example of Canada, after 12 years of negotiations, bowing out of a major trade deal because of one province in Belgium that diasagreed.

Further, he added, In fact, the officers of our Parliamentary Asdean Group had regular meetings with the 10 Asean Ambassadors in London who expressed their enduring frustration at their long-standing attempts to do trade deals with the UK Government only to be rebuffed with replies that we are a member state of the EU and the deal needs to be done with them. A deal that is thus far a long way from completion. Its been 10 years in the making so far. Although Singapore did sign an agreement in 2014, he said.

Other issues included the EUs lack of accountability for its own finances, The EU accounts have not been accurate since 1995  the rules were changed to not allow a negative auditors opinion but they did at last however give a clean opinion in 2007 and all years since  but also noted material errors in every single year. Its a mess, Mr Weatherley pointed out.

Among the threats, Mr Weatherley recognised that UKs financial district might be a problem in the initial stages as the UK is heavily dependent on financial services as export revenue.

HSBC has moved to France, but I am very familiar with French labour law, and if they want to do that then thats up to them. I do not see others following, he said.

Also, the rule of English law is well respected around the world, and this will remain a key attraction for financial services to stay, he added.

Responding to the question, So, what exactly has changed so far? Mr Weatherley replied candidly, Right now, nothing. Nothing will change until the EU agrees the terms of Britains exit.

The explanation lent itself to questions about the current low currency value, this week trading at 43 baht to the pound.

In my opinion the pound was overvalued anyway and this was bound to happen, but kind in mind that this is good for exports. We have come out of a recession on an export-led recovery, and could well do so again.

However, I do not see any major changes soon, not until the UK starts signing trade deals, and that includes with the EU, he said.

Mr Weatherley noted that it was unthinkable to have no trade between the UK and the EU even after Brexit, and its deadline two years from now.

The EU exports to the UK 50 billion euros net a year, which they would not want to lose, and the Lisbon Treaty actually specifies that any country leaving must be given a trade deal. So all this talk that the UK will be cut out of a trade deal with the UK actually goes against what was included in the treaty in the first place, he said.

I think the whole EU project needs to be broken up and we need to start from scratch. Yes, I believe in close cooperation with our European neighbours. And I think there is lots we can do that will be in our collective interest. But it cannot be done under the current set up, he concluded.

The BCCT welcomes suggestions for topics, and expert speakers, for the Business Dinner Series. Email Greg@BCCThai.com The Phuket News is a proud sponsor of the BCCT Phuket Business Dinner series.
Krabi coal-fired power plant gets go-ahead

BANGKOK: The government decided on Friday (Feb 17) to proceed with a planned 800-megawatt coal-fired power plant in the southern province of Krabi, overriding vigorous and widespread objections.

economicstourismpollutionenvironment

By Bangkok Post

Saturday 18 February 2017, 09:51AM

Police hold back protesters trying to enter Government House after the prime minister's energy policy committee decided to go ahead with a coal-fired power plant in Krabi province. Photo: Bangkok Post

The projects opponents vowed to expand their protests after approval was announced, and tried unsuccessfully to enter Government House.

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand plans to build the plant in Nua Khlong district of Krabi.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the Energy Policy and Planning Committee he chaired resolved to go ahead with the power plant. Authorities had already shelved it for two years to explain its benefits to the public. Now it was time to implement it as the South had need of a secure power supply, he said.

I ask opponents not to create conflict, Gen Prayuth said.

The South consumes more power than other regions, but has fewer power plants than other regions. More plants will be developed, with the principle of cost effectiveness, safety and benefits to local people.

The South has experienced blackouts. The longest was three hours.

Energy Minister Anantaporn Kanjanarat said the coal-fuelled power plant would use clean and safe technology.

The South was depending on 400-500MW of electricity generated from other regions. Without a new electricity generating plant, power-saving measures would be necessary there.

Twarath Sutabutr, director-general of the Energy Policy and Planning Office, said the South's demand for electricity had risen by 4.7% in the past decade. Provinces facing the Andaman Sea had a power problem because local plants could not meet the local demand. He referred to Krabi, Phang Nga, Phuket and Trang provinces.

The new power plant in Krabi would meet the demand, he said.

The decision to go head with the project upset about 200 opponents who rallied outside Government House awaiting the decision. They vowed to continue their rally there until the government changes the decision.

Representatives of protesters in the lower South said they would stage bigger rallies in the South and in Bangkok. There was no truly clean technology for coal-fired power plants. Pollution from the plant would affect local tourism and people's livelihoods.

Protesters in Bangkok tried to walk into Government House, but police stopped them.

Read original story here.
Phuket expat calls for help to curtail Rawai petty crime spree

PHUKET: An expat in Rawai is appealing to the public for help in apprehending a thief who broke into his home and stole B3,000 while his wife and 6-month-old baby were still sleeping in the bedroom.

crimepolice

By The Phuket News

Saturday 18 February 2017, 01:36PM

The expat, who asked to be identified only as Felix, reported the break-in to the police, who he says have yet to make any progress in the case.

Felix was still sitting at the computer late when the thief broke into the home in Soi Sylvia, in Samakee 2, Rawai, at about 2am, Wednesday (Feb 15).

Of course, Im very concerned about my familys safety now, he told The Phuket News.

In the five years that I have lived here there has not been one single incident in the whole neighbourhood, and now in a few months there have been multiple incidents, he said.

Two months ago the police arrested somebody who stole a wheel from one of our motorbikes parked outside, so I feel like there is something going on that needs to get brought to attention, he added.

The break-in on Wednesday was caught on CCTV at the home, which is activated and records by motion detection. The footage shows a young man wearing a white T-shirt and wearing glasses pulling up outside the home on a motorbike and entering the home by climbing over the gate.

In the house were my two dogs. The dogs heard him pretty soon and started barking, so he escaped soon after. Basically its safe to say the dogs saved us, Felix said.

When I ran outside he was just escaping with his motorbike, which was a red Honda Click, he added.

It shouldnt be too hard to find the guy who made that tattoo as there are only so many tattoo shops on the island - it seems very unique, Felix told The Phuket News.

In the footage you can see that the guy knew exactly where he wanted to go. All we know is that the break-in was targeted, he added.

Chalong Police Chief Col Chukiet Imjaitham played down the incident, saying crime in his area was decreasing, while at the same saying that Chalong Police Station receives break-in reports every Tuesday.

Also, in response to the crime apparently decreasing, he added, We have patrols in Chalong and Rawai 24 hours a day, and patrol officers can be at the scene in five minutes.

Col Chukiet urged people to report crimes by calling the national police hotline 191 or Chalong Police Station directly. However, he was unable to recite the stations number. It is 076-381930.

If the Chalong Police Station line is not answered, the line will be automatically transferred to Phuket Provincial Police, who will contact Chalong Police directly by radio, he said.

Readers who believe they have any information that may help Felix identify or apprehend the thief are urged to email butter_cookie_4ever@hotmail.com
Phuket NACC ordered to probe corruption

PHUKET: National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Secretary-General Sansern Poljeak has ordered the NACC Phuket office to investigate eight areas of alleged corruption as identified by Phuket Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan this week.

corruptioncrimepolice

By The Phuket News

Saturday 18 February 2017, 03:51PM

NACC Secretary-General Sansern Poljeak has ordered the NACC Phuket office to investigate eight areas of alleged corruption as identified by Phuket Governor Chockchai Dejamornthan this week. Photo: NACC

Governor Chockchai on Tuesday called an emergency meeting of top police, law enforcement officials and department heads on the island to order them to investigate a slew of corruption allegations against officials, mostly branches of the Royal Thai Police, and to report to him by yesterday (Friday, Feb 17).

At the meeting he identified eight key areas to be investigated for corruption, as alleged by the National Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand. (See story here.)

The reports due yesterday have yet to be made public.

You do not have to wait to receive complaints from people to launch investigations. This is your job, Mr Sansern told national news web portal Spring News. (See story here.)

If your initial investigations find any evidence of corruption or wrong doing, you can launch a formal inquiry yourself, he added.

Mr Sanern said the public can report corruption or file specific complaints by calling the NACC hotline 1205 or by informing the NACC Phuket office directly.

The NACC Phuket office is located at Phuket Provincial Hall.

Tel: 076-680054-55

Fax: 076-210405

Email: area55_nac@nacc.go.th

Website: NACC_Phuket

Facebook: phuket.anticorruption
Phuket police seize 1,300 meth pills on bus from Malaysian border

PHUKET: Police conducting a random check on a bus arriving in Phuket from Su-ngai Kolok on the Malaysian border Narathiwat yesterday evening (Feb 17) seized 1,398* methamphetamine (ya bah) pills heading onto the island.

drugscrimepolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Saturday 18 February 2017, 04:49PM

Narathiwat native Rpeesee Ya, 26, now faces charges of possession of a Category 1 drug with intent to sell. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The haul was netted at the Tha Chatchai Checkpoint, at the northen tip of the island, at 7:30pm.

Officials randomly check buses and vehicles entering Phuket, said Lt Col Thawat Tansakun of the Tha Chatchai Police.

We found one passenger on the bus, Rpeesee Ya, 26, acting suspiciously, so called him off the bus for questioning and searched his belongings , he added.

Rpeesee, a Narathiwat native, now faces charges of possession of a Category 1 drug with intent to sell, Col Thawat confirmed.

* 1,398 pills as in the photo, not 1,938 pills as mistakenly typed. The error is regretted.
Phuket tourists rescued after speedboat slams submerged mooring block

PHUKET: A total of 44 Italian and French passengers departing Phuket were rescued from a sinking speedboat after the boat slammed into a concrete mooring block 500 meters from shore off Koh Siray yesterday morning (Feb 17).



By Eakkapop Thongtub

Saturday 18 February 2017, 10:53AM

The tour speedboat started taking on water after it rammed a submerged mooring block off Koh Siray, east Phuket. Photo: Thanphon Phongphetwiset

The tour speedboat started taking on water after it rammed a submerged mooring block off Koh Siray, east Phuket. Photo: Thanphon Phongphetwiset

The tour speedboat (left) started taking on water after it rammed a submerged mooring block off Koh Siray, east Phuket. Photo: Thanphon Phongphetwiset

The tourists boarded the boat, the Al Ja Sira 1002, at Leam Pub Pa, a pier at the sea gypsy village nearby, at about 10am.

Boat captain Thawit Lakkoh told Phuket Marine Office officials that he did not see the mooring block, even though it was marked with a buoy.

I tried to drive the boat carefully but the boat hit the mooring very hard. Water started coming into the oat. Luckily, it started sinking only 500 meters from shore, he said.

Another boat, the Anurak 9, rendered assistance in getting the tourists safely back to shore.

Surat Sirisaiyat, Chief of Marine Office Region 5 in Phuket, ordered officials to begin salvage operations today.
Prawit confirms B13.5bn sub order

BANGKOK: The procurement of the first B13.5-billion Chinese-made submarine will take place as scheduled this year, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has confirmed.



By Bangkok Post

Saturday 18 February 2017, 10:28AM

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon. Photo: Bangkok Post

Gen Prawit, who is also defence minister, yesterday said the Yuan Class S26T, the first of three Chinese-manufactured submarines Thailand wishes to buy, will be purchased in accordance with the procurement time frame.

The terms of reference (ToR) will be drafted after receiving approval from the Cabinet, he said.

Gen Prawit said he believed the Royal Thai Navy will submit the purchase proposal to the ministry soon and it will be forwarded to the Cabinet for approval.

It is expected the first vessel would be ready to enter service in six years time, sources said.

Gen Prawits comment followed criticism the submarine purchase was being dragged out and that a purchase proposal had not been forwarded to the cabinet for approval yet.

If the navy does not obtain the green light for the procurement within the next month, the purchase would be delayed as it would come under next year's fiscal budget, critics said.

Gen Prawit said the navy has secured B13.5 billion to purchase the first boat.

Part of the cost has been included in the Royal Thai Navy's allocation in the 2017 Budget Bill already approved by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), he said.

Further payments will be stretched out over the next seven years. Payment for the other two boats should be completed within 11 years.

Also, the cabinet has acknowledged the project would be going ahead since August last year, he said.

A navy source said the purchase of the Yuan Class S26T, the first of three submarines which the navy intends to acquire at a total cost of 36 billion baht, should be made sometime this year.

All three submarines are expected to be in service within 11 years.

If all goes to plan, Thailand will have its first submarine in service since the early 1950s.

One submarine will be stationed in the Gulf of Thailand, another in the Andaman Sea, while the third will replace one of the other two vessels that are undergoing maintenance.

According to the navy, procurement of the first submarine will be conducted in a government-to-government deal after the cabinet gives its final approval.

The Chinese S26T craft has a submerged displacement of 2,600 tonnes and is equipped with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system that allows the submarine to stay under water for up to three weeks at a time, according to the navy.

This first submarine will cost considerably more than the other two -- which will be purchased later -- because the 13.5 billion baht will also cover weapon system costs, training courses for the crews, visits by Chinese personnel and various maintenance costs.

Read original story here.
By Srijani Ganguly/Mail Today: Ever since he picked up the guitar at age three, Guthrie Govan has had an adventurous life. He spent those early years learning to play the instrument on his own, getting enamoured by the works of Jimi Hendrix and AC/DC, and then decided to drop out of Oxford University to dedicate himself fully to the art of music.

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His gamble paid off. For now, 42 years after he began to play the guitar, the British musician can proudly claim to have worked with the likes of Hans Zimmer, Steven Wilson and Dizzie Rascal over the years. Govan has also worked in solo capacity, as well as part of bands (his current project being The Aristocrats).

These days, the guitarist is on a tour of India. Having played in Pune and Mumbai this week, he'll be heading out to the Capital next week to perform live with drummer Gino Banks and bassist Mohini Dey at Hard Rock Cafe.

"We'll be playing a selection of songs from my Erotic Cakes album, adapted and extended for a live format. There might perhaps be a couple of surprises as well," says Govan, adding, "After India, we are heading to Dhaka and Japan. Post that, I will be touring with Hans Zimmer in Australia."

During all his live performances, be it with Hans Zimmer or The Aristocrats, Govan considers communication to be the most important thing. He adds, "I like to feel some kind of connection, both with my bandmates and with the audience. I feel that the whole point of live music is to facilitate an exchange of energy - to create and share a unique moment."

"The most important thing," he continues, "is to enjoy what you're doing, and to remember that your progress as a musician is a journey rather than a destination. You never actually "get there", and that's half of the fun!."

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: Karachi, Feb 18 (PTI) Pakistan authorities today were left embarrassed after body parts of some of the victims of the suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine which claimed 88 lives were found dumped in a garbage, sparking protests from relatives.

Chief Minister of Sindh province Syed Murad Ali Shah vowed to take strict action against those responsible for desecrating the bodies of the people who were killed in a suicide bombing at the famed Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan area of southern Sindh province on Thursday night.

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"I am already aggrieved and do not increase my agony

. Those response will be dealt severely. Whoever is responsible for behaving inhumanely and desecrating body parts will be dealt with very strongly. I have ordered an inquiry into the matter," he said.

He ordered Directing Commissioner Hyderabad Qazi Shahid Pervez to launch an inquiry into the incident and find out the people responsible for the negligence.

Protested erupted after private news channels showed officials retrieving some body parts of the victims from garbage and taking them for proper burial. The news spread on the social media.

The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party came under severe criticism for its handling of the tragic incident as angry relatives and friends complained of inadequate medical treatment to the injured.

At least 88 people were killed and over 200 injured in the deadly suicide attack claimed by the ISIS.

Two sanitary officials were suspended and further investigations are on, said Syed Asif Shah, Municipal official Sehwan.

Angry protesters forced Deputy commissioner of Jamshoro who had come to the town today to inquire about the injured people to leave without doing any work.

Qadir Jatoi, Senior Superintendent of police in Jamshoro who had reached the spot to control the situation, said the initial investigations confirmed that there had been security lapses at the shrine when the attack took place.

"We are yet to identify or locate the facilitators with the suicide bomber but body parts found at the site confirm he was a man and he entered the shrine wearing a burqa," Qadir Jatoi said.

Pakistan has been hit by a series of terrorist attacks since Afghanistan-based terrorist group Jamat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) announced its Operation Ghazi.

On February 13, a suicide bomber had struck a protest in Lahore, killing 13 and injuring 85. The attack had happened outside Punjabs Provincial Assembly and was claimed by JuA. PTI SH/CORR MRJ AKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Feb 18 (PTI) Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, who is under house arrest, has now been listed under Pakistans anti-terrorism act, a tacit acknowledgement of his links to militancy.

Dawn News reported that the Punjab government has included names of Saeed and one of his close aides, Qazi Kashif, in the fourth schedule of the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA).

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Three other men were also added to the list -- Abdullah Obaid from Faisalabad, and Zafar Iqbal and Abdur Rehman Abid from the Markaz-i-Taiba, Muridke.

Saeed and the four men added to the fourth schedule of the ATA were also placed under house arrest on January 30 in Lahore amid an angry uproar from his party and political allies.

The five men were identified by the Interior Ministry as "active members of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i- Insaniyat (FIF)," the report said.

The ministry directed the Counter Terrorism Department to "move and take necessary action" against them.

The names ofSaeed and 37 other JuD and FIF leaders had earlier also been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), barring them from leaving the country.

The Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 empowers the government to mark a person as "proscribed" and to place that person on the fourth schedule on an ex-parte basis.

The mere listing of a person in the fourth schedule of the ATA shows that he is linked with militancy in some way, the report said.

Those listed face a barrage of legal consequences like travel bans and scrutiny of assets etc.

Any violation of provision of the fourth schedule may result in imprisonment of up to three years and fine or both.

The action against Saeed was taken after the country was hit by at least eight terror attacks which killed more than 100 people.

"Detention of Saeed shows that army supported the step by the civilian government, and it was viewed by many as a sign of changing security priorities," the daily said.

Saeed was also put under house arrest after Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 but he was freed by court in 2009.

Saeed also carries a reward of USD 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities. PTI SH ASK AKJ AKJ

--- ENDS ---
How many people have already voted absentee in South Dakota ahead of Election Day?

elections
By Press Trust of India: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Feb 18 (PTI) Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has been listed under Pakistans anti- terrorism act by the provincial Punjab government, a tacit acknowledgement of his links to militancy.

Dawn News reported that the Punjab government has included names of Saeed and one of his close aides, Qazi Kashif, in the fourth schedule of the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA).

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Three other men were also added to the list -- Abdullah Obaid from Faisalabad, and Zafar Iqbal and Abdur Rehman Abid from the Markaz-i-Taiba, Muridke.

Saeed and the four men added to the fourth schedule of the ATA were also placed under house arrest on January 30 in Lahore amid an angry uproar from his party and political allies.

The five men were identified by the Interior Ministry as "active members of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i- Insaniyat (FIF)," the report said.

The ministry directed the Counter Terrorism Department to "move and take necessary action" against them.

The names ofSaeed and 37 other JuD and FIF leaders had earlier also been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), barring them from leaving the country.

The Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 empowers the government to mark a person as "proscribed" and to place that person on the fourth schedule on an ex-parte basis.

The mere listing of a person in the fourth schedule of the ATA shows that he is linked with militancy in some way, the report said.

Those listed face a barrage of legal consequences like travel bans and scrutiny of assets etc.

Any violation of provision of the fourth schedule may result in imprisonment of up to three years and fine or both.

The action against Saeed was taken after the country was hit by at least eight terror attacks which killed more than 100 people.

"Detention of Saeed shows that army supported the step by the civilian government, and it was viewed by many as a sign of changing security priorities," the daily said.

Saeed was also put under house arrest after Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 but he was freed by court in 2009.

Saeed also carries a reward of USD 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities. PTI SH ASK AKJ ASK

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By India Today Web Desk: Pakistani media has reported that the country's military carried out strikes in neighbouring Afghanistan hours after Thursday night's suicide bombing at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in southern Sindh province. The attack, for which ISIS claimed responsibility, killed scores and was one of the deadliest terrorist strikes to target Pakistan in recent years.

There is no official confirmation of the strikes, which would be the first such operation launched by the Pakistan Army on Afghan soil.

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Geo TV, quoting military sources, reported that the strikes were carried out on Friday. The report came soon after the military claimed to have killed more than 100 militants in 24 hours in operations across the nation. The army, however, did not provide details on how and under what circumstances the militants were killed.

Also read: Pak army says it killed 100 militants in crackdown, demands Afghanistan take action against terrorists

AF-PAK BORDER SHUT

In remarks that could strain ties between Kabul and Islamabad, Pakistan said militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan were responsible for Thursday's deadly attack. The statement blaming elements within Afghanistan came hours after bombing and was accompanied by the Pakistan military announcing that the Af-Pak broder would be shut with immediate effect.

The Inter-Services' PR wing later said the Pakistan Army chief had called Afghanistan Embassy officials to the army's headquarters and handed the diplomats a list of 76 terrorists against whom Islamabad wanted Kabul to take immediate action.

(With inputs from PTI)

Also watch: Deadly suicide attack targets Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Pakistan

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DMK's Stalin, PMK founder S Ramadoss, CPI-M state secretary G Ramakrishnan and BJP have all in one voice called the day's developments in Tamil Nadu Assembly as a black day in democracy.

By India Today Web Desk: Tamil Nadu opposition parties on Saturday expressed concern over the incidents of violence and ruckus in the state Assembly during the trust vote sought by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, calling the voting undemocratic and unconstitutional.

While Palaniswami managed to scrape past the majority mark by winning 122 votes, the eviction of DMK leaders from the Assembly and the ill-treatment of their working president MK Stalin (his shirt was torn) got him to call for the removal of the AIADMK government, which he termed anti-people.

OPPOSITION's VOICES IN 10 POINTS Stalin said, "It is a black day for democracy. We insist that a peaceful protest is underway at the Marina Beach. All those interested in removing this anti-democratic government must converge at the Marina." In a letter to the Governor, the DMK leader urged that democratic values be restored and the postponement of the Assembly be ordered for conducting secret voting on confidence motion. Attacking Asembly Speaker P. Dhanapal, he said, "Speaker's agenda is to announce CM's success in getting confidence vote in DMK's absence. It's unconstitutional." The BJP on its part said while there were all-round expectations of a healthy scenario in politics, "in Tamil Nadu it has ended with a scuffle." Tamilisai Sounderrajan, chief of BJP's Tamil Nadu unit, said, "Whatever may be (the end result), everyone desires to see a government without any scam taint. Let's wait and see, whether this is a government for the people. Else, we will boycott it." "People want a stable government, not a shadow government," she said. Meanwhile, CPI-M state secretary G Ramakrishnan said that democracy could not be upheld by violence. "The incidents that took place have brought shame and humiliation to Tamil Nadu and democracy", he said, adding that it was strongly condemnable to see elected representatives causing damage to public property (in the Assembly). PMK founder S Ramadoss said "Assembly democracy and ethos have been buried" due to such shameful incidents. In Coimbatore, Puthiya Tamizhakam chief K Krishnasamy demanded that the Assembly be dissolved, claiming that the floor test was held in "an undemocratic and unconstitutional" manner after evicting the Opposition members. He said that the Governor must reject the outcome and dissolve the Assembly and recommend fresh election.

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Also read | E Palaniswami wins trust vote in Tamil Nadu Assembly with 122 MLAs voting in favour, 8 against

WATCH VIDEO

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The transformation of the nearly 250-year old Barrackpore Trunk (BT) Road  one of India's oldest metalled roads  from an ancient neighbourhood to a modern one has been documented in a new coffee table book.

"Reinvention" captures the dramatic transformation of the BT Road that was built in the year 1775. It connects Barrackpore, in the suburbs, to Kolkata.

"We do books on countries, we do books on cities but we don't do books on neighbourhoods. The BT Road is passing through a dramatic transformation from a legacy, ancient neighbourhood to a modern one. And transformation doesn't mean that you will obliterate the ancient relics," Mudar Patherya, director TrisysCommunications, the agency responsible for writing and designing the book,said.

The route was once used by the British Empire to travel from their capital Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Barrackpore (the oldest Indian cantonment of the British).

"Trucks are getting off the road and decongestion is happening. So there is a need to rebrand it. The new is not taking over at the expense of the old. There is a co-existence," Patherya said referring to the book.
Paving way for direct cargo vessel movement between India and Bangladesh, the first container ship from Kolkata arrived at Dhaka's Panagon river port, media reports said.

The 'Shonartori Nou Kalyan-1' reached the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal at Keraniganj upazila on Friday with 65 containers on board, bdnews24.com reported.

With this  the bilateral 'Coastal Shipping Agreement' signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in 2015, which allows direct movement of ships at sea between the two countries  came into effect.

It has helped in improving connectivity between the two neighbours by reducing shipping time from 30-40 days to 4-10 days.

The inauguration of unloading 65 containers from the ship was witnessed by Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid and other dignitaries.

Ahmed said that cargo ships will now reach and depart from Pangaon to India every 15 days, adding that buyers from home and abroad would be benefited from the operation of the Pangaon container terminal.

Welcoming the arrival of the container ship, Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla in a message said: "For the first time a ship carrying cargo has sailed from Kolkata to Pangaon which is just over 20 km from Dhaka."

"Today's event is significant as so far, the movement of ships was limited between seaports like Chittagong and Visakhapatnam," the Daily Star quoted Shringla as saying.

For his part, Bangladeshi Shipping Minister Khan said that the link between the Pangaon terminal and India will save time and money. "The shipping ministry is in the process to procure 36 more ships to boost the use of this network."
A team from the Export-Import Bank of India was in Sri Lanka to monitor the progress of projects under India's Lines of Credit (LoC) scheme, particularly in the railway sector, media reports said.

The team visited sites of the Northern Railway Rehabilitation Project, including Kankesanthurai Railway Line, Omanthai-Pallai railway line, etc., apart from evaluating the signalling and telecommunication systems installed under the LoC, Colombo Gazette cited a statement by the Indian High Commission here.

The Line of Credit (LOC) is a financing mechanism through which India's Exim (Export-Import) Bank extends support for export of goods and services from India. Between 2008-15 Exim Bank has disbursed $11,678 million as LOCs for various development related and capacity building projects across continents.

India has provided concessionary credit facilities amounting to about $800 million to Sri Lanka to undertake the Northern Railway Rehabilitation Project. Engineering and construction company IRCON International implemented the project, including track upgradation and setting up of signalling and communication infrastructure.

The Exim Bank team also called on Sri Lanka Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva and senior officials in several Sri Lankan ministries of such as Railways, Department of External Resources, Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, etc.

The Indian High Commission said it remains committed to strengthening its bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka through closer economic ties, enhancing connectivity and continued development partnership.
The demonetisation move has resulted in a huge decline in revenues of various states and the worst affected sector is the real estate space. According to recent data compiled by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) from 13 states, the total stamp duty collection is down by Rs.2,015 crore during November and December 2016 compared with the same period a year ago. This indicates a combined average fall of 20 per cent in 2016 against 2015.

The real estate sector had been witnessing a slowdown for the past three years, but the slowdown induced by demonetisation has halted deals. Apart from lower demand of housing due to high prices, most transactions involved in this space are in cash (in the black-white ratio). In the absence of cash, the construction companies' sales came to a grinding halt.

Maharashtra is the largest property market in the country because of the financial hub Mumbai and other metro cities like Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad. During the two-month period (November and December), stamp duty tax collection income of the state in 2016 has declined by 25 per cent to Rs 3,067 crore. The fall of Rs.1,036 crore in stamp duty collection in Maharashtra contributes roughly to a 51 per cent fall in all states.

With inventories piling up, developers have deferred their plans to launch new projects. Moreover, they have put on hold all construction activities at the site as they are unable to pay daily wages to labour due to cash shortage.

Smaller places like Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Punjab have also suffered a major setback. Stamp duty collection is down by 41 per cent in Punjab followed by 39 per cent in Bihar, 26 per cent in Andhra Pradesh and 24 per cent in Chhattisgarh.

Arvind Subramanian, chief economic adviser, in the Economic Survey 2017-18, defended demonetisation, stating that the aim of the entire move was to bring down real estate prices.

Real estate you do see a blip in prices, sales and launches and of course some of it may be adverse to the economy but in the long run, some of that could be good because aim of demonetisation is to bring down real estate prices, Subramanian said.
Tata Steel is looking at building a distribution network and its brands in the Business to Consumer (B2C) markets in Bangladesh and Myanmar, a company official said on Saturday.

"We have great success in developing brands and distribution network in B2C markets in India. Bangladesh and Myanmar are the two B2C markets which have similar profile as India. We are seeing opportunities there to build the brand and distribution network," said company's MD (India and South East Asia) T.V. Narendran.

Speaking at an event 'Metals 2017: Current Dynamics of steel in India' organised by Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry' here, Narendran said the country's steel industry has been spending less towards research and development (R&D) compared to global standards.

"Most industries and countries spend about two per cent (of the revenue) towards R&D but as an industry we are under-spending. Indian steel industry is spending less than 0.5 per cent on it. The government is providing incentives to the industry to invest more in R&D," he said.

"R&D expenditure is not about spending the money but having the right projects," he added.

The Managing Director also mentioned that steel processing facilities in India have not been keeping up for the high-end requirements of steel products in the automobile sector.

"As the steel industry invests to increase the capabilities to service the high-end requirements of the auto industry, the steel processing sector also needs to improve. Largely, steel processing sector is volume play than the value play," he said.

Speaking about anti-dumping measures, Narendran said, "All the countries have the policy in place to deal with anti-dumping. The government looks at the products. If they see the product is being sold in India at a price lower than in their home markets, the government then takes a call."
Traders dealing with poll materials were badly hit by the ongoing economic blockade in Manipur and demonetisation due to dearth of raw materials.

"Every time during the elections, we bring in lot of raw materials for making poll materials but this time we could not do it firstly due to the blockade and secondly due to demonetization. we were short of cash initially so we could not buy poll materials," a trader dealing with poll material in Imphal said.

"Not only political parties wait for the poll season, but also traders dealing with campaign material eagerly wait for elections as it is a boom time for them. But demonetisation and dearth of raw materials due to the ongoing economic blockade have affected the traders who are in the business of campaign materials", another trader said.

Unlike in the previous elections, both orders and delivery of campaign materials have seen a great decline. Campaign materials like posters, flex, paper posters, flags, printed with party symbols have been top draws in elections.

In addition to demonetisation woes, business in the state was affected badly as traders could not get raw materials due to the economic blockade.

"The blockade started from November 1 but after the effect of demonetisation became quite normal in January, we could not get the raw materials due to the blockade," Melam, a trader, said.

Cutting across political lines, parties have also squeezed poll spending in this upcoming election following economic blockade and strict supervision of Election Commission.

(With inputs from Agencies)
As many as 1,09,520 candidates out of 1,42,970 applicants were offered jobs at week-long fairs organised by Gujarat government across 12 clusters, a senior official said on Saturday.

A total 2,184 job providers, including Indian and multi-national companies, participated in job fairs organised across 12 clusters covering 33 districts, chief secretary JN Singh told reporters here.

"To pass on job opportunities created following investments which came into the state through 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit' to youth, mega job fairs were organised in 12 clusters between February 11 and 17," Singh said.

"As many as 2,184 job providers participated in the mega fairs and offered jobs to 1,09,520 candidates out of 1,42,970 applicants," he said.

Job offers were made by companies from various sectors including automobiles, textiles, engineering, construction, pharmacy, food and beverages, power, cement, marketing/sales, banking, finance, hospitality, health care management, tele communications, among others, he said.

Among major job providing companies were L&T Limited, Ford India Limited, Suzuki Motors Gujarat Pvt Ltd., Honda Motors, Tata Motors, Vodafone, Pepsico, Adena Power, Essar Power, Reliance Industries, Welspun India Ltd., Arvind Mills, Sandhi Cement, Ambuja Cement, Eureka Forbes, Torrent Power, Tata Chemicals, Syntex Pvt. Ltd., Aegis Limited, Singh added.

"These companies offered jobs to skilled and semi-skilled workers, supervisors, engineers, managers, and customer care representatives, among others. As many as 1,09,520 youths, including 88,503 men and 21,017 women, were offered jobs through these fairs.

"As many as 144 differently-abled persons were also offered jobs. Of those who were offered jobs, many candidates were from SC, ST, and SEBC categories," the Chief Secretary said.

A further breakup shows that 56,742 candidates were offered jobs in manufacturing sector and 52,778 candidates were offered jobs in services sector.

As many as 5,555 apprentices including 384 women candidates were offered jobs by municipal corporations, municipalities, and different industrial units, Singh said.

Twelve clusters where job fairs were organised are Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Godhra, Jamnagar, Morbi, Vapi, Mehsana and Gandhidham.
Efforts to financially strengthen electricity distribution companies received a setback as the government reversed the decision to raise electricity tariff on agricultural connections. The decision has arrived just before the state government is to present its budget in the assembly. The populist move is estimated to burden the government with Rs.500 crore.

"On the feedback of party workers and representatives we have decided to withdraw the rise in charges, those to have submitted bills will be adjusted the excess amount in future bills," Energy Minister Pushpendra Singh briefed the media over the government decision.

The issue of electricity charges impacts nearly 11 lakh farmers in the state, many of these have denied to deposit electricity bills in protest and threaten to besiege the assembly. Forced to revoke the decision, the ruling party was seen patting its back on the change in circumstances.

"The government is sensitive towards the need of farmers and thus have decided to extend them benifit," state BJP president Ashok Parnami.

Meanwhile, the electricity companies do not see a financial respite soon. The companies are already under a financial burden of over Rs.70,000 crore and the attempts to raise revenue face protest at all levels. The opposition has blamed the state government for the poor state of electricity companies.
In a major political development, legislators of the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) in Nagaland gave a new twist on Saturday extending their support to Neiphiu Rio as the new legislature party leader, to replace embattled Chief Minister TR Zeliang.

The move came after more than 50 legislators, including Independent members of the 60-member Nagaland Assembly, "signed a letter of support" in favour of the state's lone Lok Sabha member Rio.

"More than 50 (NPF and Independents) legislators have decided to support Rio as the new legislature party leader," Public Health Engineering Minister, Tokheho Yepthomi said.

42 of the 49 legislators had unanimously extended support to NPF chief Shurhozelie Liezietsu as the new CM on Wednesday to break the deadlock between the agitating groups and the government. However, a group of nearly 20 legislators, including some cabinet ministers, were against Shurhozelie.

In the 60-member assembly, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland coalition government comprises 48 NPF legislators, including suspended legislator Imkong Imchen, four of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and eight Independent legislators.

In fact, Rio and Zeliang met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on late Friday in New Delhi, and finalized change of guard to break the deadlock between the agitating groups and government over the issue of 33 per cent reservation for women in civic elections.

The state has been on turmoil since January, after the NPF-led government decided to hold local body elections in 12 towns across the state with 33 per cent reservation for women.

Agitating tribal groups  under the banner of NTAC and Joint Coordination Committee (JCC)  have been demanding the resignation of Zeliang over his decision to conduct civic bodies' elections with 33 per cent reservation for women.

Internet and mobile data service has been scrapped in the state to stop the spread of rumours through social networking sites. The government later declared the civic elections as "null" and "void".

Three persons were killed and many injured following clashes between the police and the public, who were opposing the civic polls.

NPF legislator Neiphrezo Keditsu had resigned as Chairman of Nagaland State Mineral Development Corporation Limited on moral grounds as one of the persons killed in the Dimapur police firing was from his village.

Nagaland has never elected a woman legislator since it gained statehood in 1963. The lone woman MP from the state was Rano M Shaiza, who got elected in 1977.

In the 2013 Assembly elections, two women candidates  one fielded by BJP and an Independent candidate  contested unsuccessfully.

(With inputs from Agencies)
War destroys, divides homes, hearts, and relationships. The world today is in the throes of various conflicts and crisis, which has rendered hundreds of millions homeless and also virtually robbed them of a decent future. Women and girls are among the worst affected, often used, abused or left behind to pick up the pieces. Yet, when it comes to having a stake  and say  at the peace table, they are completely sidelined. Recently, resolute female voices from different strife-torn regions came together at the Jaipur Literature Festival to share some agonising experiences and ideas on building peace.

During the session Women Waging Peace feminist activist Ruchira Gupta led the discussion that included Assamese writer and head of the Assam Sahitya Sabha, Dhruba Jyoti Borah, Kashmiri poet Naseem Shafaie and Dr Ornit Shani, a well-known political historian and lecturer at the University of Haifa, Israel.

Sharing her observations on Israeli womens participation in the peace process in what can only be described as one of the most violent regions in world Dr. Ornit Shani said, The interesting thing about our movement is that it is successfully bringing closer women of all ages and ethnic and religious backgrounds  Palestinian-Jewish, orthodox-secular, Muslim-Christians, Russians, grandmothers, daughters  from the margins of the peace discourse to the centrestage. We are training women [to have a voice] like never before.

According to Dr. Shani, the idea behind having all the different voices on the peace table is to be able to change the approach with which the entire process is dealt. Our mission is to transform the discourse in two waysby highlighting the fact that the world wants peace and focusing on security. Here, security is measured on the scale of not how many missiles or aircrafts one has amassed but in terms of social security, personal security and economic employment security, she asserted.

Recalling her stint in the UN where she worked in conflict-hit areas for over a decade, Gupta stated that one of the reasons why women are the worst sufferers of war is because they are forced to grant sexual favours to soldiers, often referred to as sugar daddies, who are actually supposed to ensure their safety. Moreover, its not uncommon to find women being trafficked from these areas or brothels coming up in absolutely normal looking households. The very purpose of creating a UN Gender Task Force was to deal with such adverse situations and pay special attention to women and ensure that they are have a stake in peacekeeping. Creating such platforms is crucial as very often womens voices are neglected and negotiating peace remains the job of men. As mothers, wives and daughters, women have a longer term interest in peace, she pointed out.

In 2000, the United Nations Security Council had acknowledged the need for womens participation in negotiating peace, which resulted in the creation of Resolution 1325 to address the impact of war on women and the significant role they need to play in conflict management and achieving peace. As the mother of an 18 year old in active military service, I publicly went on television to question my governments decision to embark on a military operation, especially entering into Gaza in the summer of 2004. More than 2,000 people were killed in just a few weeks. Many more thousand Palestinians were rendered homeless. At the time, in retaliation, 4,000 rockets were fired from Gaza. Such mindless violence didnt make sense to me as a woman and as a mother so I launched an initiative, Mothers Asking, Dr Shani shared.

On the heels of her intervention, other womens groups, too, came up with similar projects. During an interaction of a group of Israeli Palestinian and Jewish Israeli women, it became clear to everyone that there was no choice but to fight for peace. So jointly decided to set up a movement, Women Waging Peace, she added.

Incredibly, the March of Hope these women conducted, initially in November 2014 after the war and later on in October 206 from the north of Israel to Jerusalem was a resounding success. It was extraordinary to witness the determined women trudge 240 kilometres to demand peace. We are out there, doing what it takes, to change the political language to usher in peace, she revealed. At the time, Dr Shani had contemplated embarking on a hunger strike to make a point and she was deeply moved when a Palestinian woman (whose son was in Gaza) expressed her wish to join her.

Only mothers who lose their children know how war ruins lives and households, reiterated Gupta, Jumping into bunkers, shifting from here to there leads us nowhere.

The Middle East has been living through an inter-generational crisis brought on by a fight for land and identity, something that states in north east India are only too familiar with. Dhruba Jyoti Borah has seen from close quarters the devastation unleashed by over two decades of ethnic insurgencies and armed struggle. One girl from Udalguri district in Assam, who was sexually assaulted during ethic clashes and whose parents were shot dead, joined a rival insurgent outfit. She became a very tough instructor, training soldiers of hate. However, after facing many ups and downs, she realised that violence can never be the answer and she gave up that life. Instead, she became an entrepreneur, employing 200 women. These days, shes become a very important part of the peace negotiation process between the state administration and the insurgent groups. She is a remarkable example of the kind of change that women are capable of bringing not just in themselves but in their community as well, he narrated.

As someone who has grown up in the shadow of war Kashmiri poet Naseem Shafaie has used a creative medium to give vent to her feelings. Shafaie, who has been a teacher, recalled how her journalist husband was shot five times. He survived that vicious attack but life generally gets derailed by such experiences, she said. Fortunately, she found solace in poetry. For her, it can play an important role in creating peace and keeping the hope of peace going.

Women may largely be ignored by political establishments and their efforts towards peace may remain unknown and unsung but that has never stopped them from trying to join hands and find a common ground to put an end to bloodshed and war mongering. Whether in Assam or Kashmir in India or Haifa in the Middle East, they have shown how words and gestures of peace will definitely outlast the guns.

womens feature service
Attending the programme, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said that the contribution of naval sector in economic growth is increasing. He also said, cargo ships will now reach and depart from Pangaon to India every 15 days.

By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: Cargo vessel movement between India and Bangladesh using internal river ports under coastal shipping agreement has started. The first cargo vessel Shonartori Nou Kalyan-1 with 65 containers on board arrived at Dhaka's Panagon river port from Kolkata on Friday.

A programme was arranged at the Pangaon Port marking the offloading of goods from Shonartori. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Indian envoy to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina's adviser Salman F Rahman attended the ceremony.

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Attending the programme, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said that the contribution of naval sector in economic growth is increasing. He also said, cargo ships will now reach and depart from Pangaon to India every 15 days.

On the occasion, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan said, the link between the Pangaon terminal and India will save time and money of the businessmen from two countries.

Despite the fact that Pangaon is not an international port, direct cargo vessel movement between India and Bangladesh started to pave the way under the 'Coastal Shipping Agreement' signed in 2015.

The 'Shonartori Nou Kalyan-1' reached the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal at Keraniganj on Friday with 65 containers on board. During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in 2015, the two countries signed the Coastal Shipping Agreement.

The Shipping Minister said, "The ministry is already in the process to procure 36 more ships to advance the use of this network which almost come to an end."

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There was a moment when it seemed everyone was about to release a movie about martial arts teacher Ip Man, his student Bruce Lee or Apple founder Steve Jobs. That seems to have died down, but biographical pictures, or biopics in short, are going strong as a genre. The release of The Founder, the story of Ray Kroc, who shaped McDonalds into a fast-food giant marks a point in this direction.

It seems obvious why studios churn out biopics  the publics appetite for celebrity information is insatiable, so there is a clear monetary reason to make a movie about Lee or Jobs.

But why would a studio want to produce a portrait of Kroc, a businessman whose name has zero ticket-selling power? The answer is this: More than any other kind of movie, films based on the lives of real people win awards.

On this years list of Best Picture nominees at the Oscars, three of the nine pictures in the running are based on real events. The three nominees (Lion, Hidden Figures and Hacksaw Ridge) are part of a trend years in the making. Biographical movies nabbed the Best Picture prize in 2015 (Spotlight), 2013 (12 Years A Slave), 2012 (Argo), 2010 (The Kings Speech) and 2009 (The Hurt Locker). Go further back and there are Gandhi (1982) and Amadeus (1984).

These movies win not because Academy voters adore non-fiction. They win because voters value artistic merit, dismissing works they consider cheap or exploitative. This bias eliminates horror, comedy and action movies, leaving only dramas and the rare fantasy and science- fiction work.

As a by-product of such filtering, biopics, which tend to be sober and dramatic, become over-represented on the nomination lists. And if the story is about a person involved in a civil or social rights battle, the chances of it getting shortlisted shoots up because voters also love movies that can make a change in the real world.

One example is the feature based on the lives of black women who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the United States. Hidden Figures is up for three Oscars (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer).

Last years Best Picture winner Spotlight described the work of reporters writing about child sex abuse by Catholic priests. Nominees in the same category in 2015 included The Imitation Game, The Theory Of Everything and Selma. The first two depicted researchers fighting though their mental and physical shortcomings, while the third was based on a famous protest march led by Martin Luther King Jr and other leaders.

In a self-reinforcing cycle, prestige biopics  the sort that win awards, not the ones that cash in on celebrity  attract brand-name actors looking for a meaty role and another feather in the cap.

The Founder features Michael Keaton in the role of the ruthless tycoon who built a corporation spanning the globe. After Tom Hanks turned down the part of Kroc, producers went on a search.

In an interview with USA Today, director John Lee Hancock said he courted Keaton mostly because of the actors attention-getting Oscar- nominated performance in Birdman (2014). Birdman made it an easy choice, he said.

Keaton jumped in immediately.

Other actors eager to be in prestige biopics include Jonah Hill, who not only begged to be in the Jordan Belfort biopic The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013), but also agreed to a minimum-wage fee of US$60,000, rather than his usual millions. George Clooney took home a measly US$120,000 for directing and co-writing Good Night, And Good Luck (2005), a portrait of journalist Edward R. Murrow. It would go on to get six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Directing for Clooney.

Biopics, however, come with their own set of legal problems in the areas of defamation and copyright. Some are based on sources authorised by the subject. Lion, the story of Indian orphan Saroo Brierley, is based on his autobiography. Hacksaw Ridge, about non-violent war hero Desmond Doss, relies on a documentary about him.

But The Founder, which portrays Kroc as a ruthless man, is based on unauthorised writings. So is Jackie, about Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of former US president John Kennedy. While no member of the Kennedy family seemed to have objected to the film Jackie, and the same goes for The Founder, their scripts were almost certainly thoroughly checked for anything that might trigger legal action because studios want films to generate money, not lawsuits.

But stories need villains and the simplest solution is a name change. This strategy does not always work. A former employee of the pump and dump brokerage at the centre of The Wolf Of Wall Street had sued the films makers, despite his name not appearing anywhere in the picture. His lawyers claim there are enough indirect details to identify him.

Mr Jerry Heller, former manager of rap group N.W.A., slapped a US$110-million (S$155.5-million) suit on the producers of Straight Outta Compton (2015) for what he considered a defamatory portrayal. In the film, Paul Giamatti played Heller.

Other high-profile court actions include the one launched by the widow of fishing boat captain Billy Tyne, who died in the hurricane depicted in A Perfect Storm (2000). The film implied that he was incompetent, the widow alleged. She lost, but the court battle lasted years.

These days, social media gives disgruntled relatives an effective platform to take down a film they hate.

Lees daughter Shannon made a Facebook post calling unauthorised biopic Birth Of The Dragon (2016) a travesty on many levels. Fans shared the post nearly 2,000 times, which generated 580 comments, nearly all supporting her message.

Shannon Lee would envy the power musicians have over their life stories. If musicians or their families want to cripple a biopic, they only have to say no to song rights requests. Imagine the Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line (2005) without his iconic tunes Folsom Prison Blues or Ring Of Fire or the Ray Charles story Ray (2004) without I Got A Woman or Georgia On My Mind.Some film-makers are brave enough to do it anyway. The John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy (2009) got around the rights problem by using rock hits from other artists. The Jimi Hendrix film, Jimi: All Is By My Side (2013), used the same trick, but the lack of Hendrix songs in a movie about Hendrix did not go unnoticed and it tanked.

The next time you look at the label based on a true story, think about what it took to bring it to the screen  the awards strategy, the legal fees, the rights clearances  and it might make you see the movie in a new light.

The Straits Times
Very recently, the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised its second edition The Calcutta Talks at its premises to complement the Calcutta Gallery that has put together with rare and heretofore little-viewed photographs of the city. The pictorial display, housed in the iconic building, largely traces the industrial and business history. It has been methodically arranged under heads such as diversification of East India Companys business, banking and insurance, the Howrah Bridge, the airport, port and railways, the service industry, etc.

For its second edition, acclaimed international artist Gerry Judah was the keynote speaker. Born in Kolkata his works are adorned in all major museums in Europe and the US. He has offered to set up his installation in his birthplace, which will be his first installation in India. At the age of 10 his family moved to London but Kolkata keeps coming in his artistic journey. Indias dramatic landscapes, its ornate architecture and theatrical rituals have all been profound influences on his work. He has created sculptures for Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, etc.

I look forward to creating a unique and impressive installation, for which the Bengal Chamber will be coordinating with the state government. This work of art is to commemorate the Jewish community, the population of which has dwindled down to 22 in the city. It will provide a global statement to the citys diversity and inclusive plural culture, said Judah.

Amongst a number of commissions from public museums and institutions, he was asked by the Imperial War Museum in London to create a large model of the selection ramp in Auschwitz- Birkenau. Returning to his fine art beginnings he began to make art born of his reflections on historical and contemporary events creating a body of large three-dimensional paintings. His art installations, many of which included cars of big brands are a sense of motion and speed about it, lending a dynamic movement to the static sculpture. I constantly discover all the time. I know what I want to do and love challenges, said Judah.
There is something special, almost sacred about watching a cinematic masterpiece and woe betide the poor soul who dares interrupt the visual treat.

Arguably the most effective medium today despite having first been introduced eons ago, films are meant to evoke emotions, sometimes just the one or at times a plethora of them.

And a testament to a great film is that long after its release, the plot, the motives of the protagonist and the antagonists are discussed into the wee hours of the night.

With so many good flicks propping up every year, it seems inevitable that one will lose and the other will triumph at the annual Academy Awards glitzy ceremony. This article is a feature on the best films The Statesman feels were unlucky to have missed out on an Oscar gong due to varying reasons.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Orson Welles was the Leonardo da Vinci of Hollywood at that time for he produced, wrote, directed and starred in one of the most influential films of all time. A dramatic two-hour affair loosely based on media baron William Hearts life, this monochrome masterpiece was way ahead of his time. Perhaps for that reason, and despite being nominated for nine Academy Awards, it won just one golden lady for Best Writing (Original Screenplay).

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

The gruffly handsome Clint Eastwood in the starring role with Italian maestro Sergio Leone at the helm, makes The Good, The Bad and the Ugly a sure shot winner at the Oscars, right? Wrong, for it didn't even get nominated, not the first and certainly not the last, glaring oversight by the Academy. Shot superbly with the legendary Ennio Morricone providing the score, the final instalment of the Dollars Trilogy would influence the likes of Quentin Tarantino in the years to come.

Taxi Driver (1976)

Martin Scorcese and Robert De Niro are no strangers to blockbusters, having made many critical and commercial successes over the years. In fact, De Niros portrayal of the disturbed ex-US Army Marine Travis Bickle who after the Vietnam War plies his trade is still talked about today. His iconic dialogue You talkin to me? on its own is enough to warrant a digital download.

The Vietnam War was a highly unpopular one in the States those days (still is, till date) and Scorceses film bravely broached the topic of depression in young healthy men at a time when it was considered taboo. With four Academy nominations that year, how it managed to win zilch remains a mystery unanswered till date.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

A victim of his own groundbreaking success arguably was Francis Ford Coppola. His war-film had some of the biggest stars of that era, including the likes of Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall and Martin Sheen. The Vietnam War was a hot-topic in those days and hot-topics generally warrant scores of films. The fact that Apocalypse Now is considered among the finest, if not the finest film ever made, speaks volumes. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, it won only two, for Best Sound and Best Cinematography.

Goodfellas (1990)

Another time the Scorcese-De Niro duo failed to win big on Hollywoods biggest night of the year. The biographical gangster film was also notable for the fact that Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci (He won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor) are forever etched in public memory for their meaty roles in this masterpiece that was based on Nicholas Peggis book, the Wise Guy. A classic example of how humour can be used to even out what is essentially a dead-serious film, Goodfellas deserved to convert more of its six nominations into wins than the sole one the it got for Pesci.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Chances are you have seem Samuel L Jackson in an Afro pointing the gun and saying the words  I dare you, no I double dare you, say xxx one more time motherf***r on a meme somewhere on the internet. Well, that dialogue came from Pulp Fiction, a film which may not be for family viewing, but almost every cinephile family must have watched a dozen times at least

Hollywood doesn't do more iconic than Quentin Tarantino and he doesn't do more iconic than Pulp Fiction (Okay, maybe he does, but what the heck). Shooting up had never looked more dope (pun intended) than when John Travolta did it in his top-down Chevy Malibu. Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson completed this eclectic cast for this neo-noir film that not only set the benchmark for future films, but redefined the genre. Nine nominations, none were converted into the Golden Statues and perhaps the jury thought this was a film that had too much of a negative impact on the youth?

Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Tim Robbins finest performance till date, with the evergreen Morgan Freeman supporting in a breathtaking tale of mans redemption, this is rightly regarded as one of the best films of all time. Not just because it is the number 1 film on many all-time lists, this adaptation of a Stephen King novel evokes a plethora of emotions whether you are watching it for the first time or the 100th.

Running close to two hours and a half, it was nominated for nine Academy Awards, yet director Frank Darabont and his team came home empty-handed.

City of God (2002)

This Portuguese-language film, focusing on the sorry tale of Rio de Janeiros infamous favelas and their downtrodden inhabitants, revelled in its unabashed narrative which forms an integral part of the film. The protagonists plight can be felt and one weeps as tragedy strikes, something people living in plush homes may not empathise with, but many who aren't as fortunate will agree. Based on Paulo Lins novel of the same name, this film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund has cult status in Latin America and rightly so. Nominated for four Oscars, including Best Director City of God somehow managed to win none and in a criminal oversight, failed to be nominated for best Foreign Film that year.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

A stop-motion animated film based on the delightful novel of the same name by the hugely popular writer Roald Dahl, The Fantastic Mr Fox has to go down as one of Wes Andersons finest efforts. The quirky director and writer, spun a fun tale into a something much more, ably supported by a fine voice cast that included the likes of George Clooney and Meryl Streep. The reason that it didn't win best Animated Feature is pretty simple and for once there are no conspiracy theories. Fantastic Mr. Fox went up against a once-in-a-generation film like Up and just had to lose for no fault of its own.

American Sniper (2015)

Clint Eastwood was and is an excellent actor but his prowess behind the camera outstrips his prowess in front of it, hands down. And thats saying something, but then the Oscar-winning director is known for hard-hitting films that send a message which is loud and clear. Inspired from a true story based on the life of Chris Kyle, a US Navy Seal sniper who was credited with over 225-confirmed kills, American Sniper doesn't just glorify war, rather explores the repercussions. There is no such thing as a perfect victory, for even if your body is unscathed, a part of your mind is scarred forever. Winning just one Oscar for Best Sound Editing despite being nominated for six, seems a travesty.
The Congress has asked the Election Commission to take action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for hosting a public rally in Uttarakhand without permission.

Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay on Saturday dispatched a letter to the Election Commission, terming Modi's 10 February public rally unauthorised and an open case of model code of conduct violation.

Very recently a case was registered, on the direction of the Election Commission, against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat for not concluding the roadshow till allotted time and continuing it till midnight.

Although Returning officer Jaibharat Singh has sent notice to Haridwar unit of BJP for the 10 February rally, the Congress wants the EC to act against Narendra Modi.

While the EC considers the Rahul Gandhi-Harish Rawat road show a violation of model code of conduct, in the Narendra Modi case they are yet to register a case. I request the Election Commission to register a case against Modi and the BJP for this, Kishore Upadhyay said.
DMK Working President MK Stalin on Saturday said he would meet Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao and complain about the happenings in the state assembly.

Speaking to reporters here after he and his party legislators were evicted from the assembly, Stalin said the party had demanded secret ballot to decide on the motion of confidence moved by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

He said the party demanded adjournment of the house for a week so that legislators can go back to their constituencies and seek the people's views before they come back to vote on the confidence motion.

The DMK leader said he sat in protest inside the assembly to press his demand.

Stalin alleged he was forcibly evicted by the marshals and his shirt was damaged.
Condemning terrorism of all kinds, India on Friday deplored the attack on the Sufi shrine in Pakistan in which at least 80 persons were killed and about 200 injured.

"India has always condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We strongly deplore the terrorist attack at the shrine of Lal Shebhaz Qalandar yesterday (Thursday) that resulted in the loss of a large number of innocent lives," said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.

The bomb blast on Thursday occurred in the shrine of Lal Shehbaz Qalandar, a revered 13th century Muslim saint, in Sehwan town of Sindh province. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed his participation in the UN Vesak Day celebrations in Sri Lanka in May, a Sri Lankan minister was quoted as saying.

"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed his participation in UN Vesak Day celebrations which will be conducted in Sri Lanka this year," Minister of Justice and Buddha Sasana Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said, the Colombo Page reported.

"We are going to celebrate the thrice blessed day on a grand scale," Rajapakshe added.

The UN Vesak Day will be observed in Sri Lanka to mark the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha who founded Buddhism.

This is the first time Sri Lanka has been given the opportunity to host this festival.

Many world leaders have been invited to the first ever United Nations' Vesak Day celebrations to be held in Sri Lanka on May 12 this year.

Over thousand representatives from India, China, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia and other countries where Buddhism is practiced are expected to participate in the event.

Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit, Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is paying a visit to Sri Lanka from February 18 to 20, during which a wide range of bilateral issues will be discussed.

"The visit will continue the tradition of close exchanges with Sri Lanka that has gained momentum in the last two years," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in a briefing in New Delhi earlier.

"He will interact with the Sri Lankan leadership for discussions on possibilities of collaboration and cooperation in a number of sectors, including power, highways, airport, hydrocarbon sector, etc," he said.

"The visit would help in taking stock on various decisions taken during the meetings between the two leaderships," he said.

The Indian Foreign Secretary's visit comes as a team from the Export-Import Bank of India was in Sri Lanka to monitor the progress of projects under India's Lines of Credit (LoC) scheme, particularly in the railway sector.

The team visited sites of the Northern Railway Rehabilitation Project, including Kankesanthurai Railway Line, Omanthai-Pallai railway line, etc., apart from evaluating the signalling and telecommunication systems installed under the LoC, the Indian High Commission said in a statement.

The Line of Credit (LOC) is a financing mechanism through which India's Exim (Export-Import) Bank extends support for export of goods and services from India. Between 2008-15 Exim Bank has disbursed $11,678 million as LOCs for various development related and capacity building projects across continents.

India has provided concessionary credit facilities amounting to about $800 million to Sri Lanka to undertake the Northern Railway Rehabilitation Project. Engineering and construction company IRCON International implemented the project, including track upgradation and setting up of signalling and communication infrastructure.

The Exim Bank team also called on Sri Lanka Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva and senior officials in several Sri Lankan ministries of such as Railways, Department of External Resources, Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, etc.

The Indian High Commission said it remains committed to strengthening its bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka through closer economic ties, enhancing connectivity and continued development partnership.
Two days after the Supreme Court ordered the shifting of former RJD strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin from Bihar's Siwan jail to Delhi's Tihar Central Jail, he was brought to Patna on Saturday amidst tight security.

He will be taken to Delhi by the Rajdhani Express on Saturday evening, the police said.

Shahabuddin, is a criminal turned politician and locally known as 'Bahubali'. He faces 35 criminal cases including murder, extortion, kidnapping and has been convicted in seven.

"Process to shift Shahabuddin from Siwan jail to Tihar jail began late Friday night with a team of special task force (STF) along with top district administration officials brought him to Patna on way to Delhi," a district police officer said.

According to police officer here, Shahabuddin has been kept in Beur jail under tight security.

Hearing the petition of Asha Ranjan, wife of slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, the apex court on Wednesday ordered shifting Shahabuddin from Siwan to Tihar jail.

Asha, a contractual teacher in a government-run school in Siwan, in her petition feared a threat to her life if Shahabuddin remains in Siwan jail.

Rajdeo Ranjan was the Siwan Bureau Chief of Hindi newspaper Hindustan, which is part of the Hindustan Times Media company. He was shot dead in May last year.

Chandrakeshwar Prasad, father of three brothers allegedly killed at the instance of Shahabuddin, voiced his happiness at the development.

Last September after spending 11 years behind bars, Shahabuddin was released from Bihar's Bhagalpur jail and termed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad as his leader.

After the Patna High Court granted bail in a case related to the killing of a murder witness, he was finally released from prison.

But after 19 days, Shahabuddin surrendered in a court in Siwan district soon after the Supreme Court cancelled his bail, and was taken into custody and sent to Siwan jail.
These are dark days for Hong Kong. Its freedom index has just been further downgraded by Washington-based Freedom House to 61 points out of 100, continuing the downward spiral of recent years  a result of increasing interference by Beijing in the territorys domestic affairs despite Chinas promises of autonomy.

The abduction of Chinese billionaire Xiao Jianhua from his residence in the Four Seasons Hotel on the eve of Chinese New Year is a sign that, despite global criticism over the kidnapping of Hong Kong booksellers in 2015, Beijing continues to take actions that recklessly jeopardise Hong Kongs status as an international financial center, damaging Chinas own interests in the process.

After all, Hong Kong is still a big asset for China, for example, in helping in the internationalisation of the Chinese currency. Beijing likes to say that whats good for China is good for Hong Kong. But it is equally true that whats good for Hong Kong is good for China.

Many people these days are speaking up for Hong Kong. A group of China specialists, led by Orville Schell of the Asia Society and Susan L. Shirk, who served as deputy assistant secretary of state during the Clinton administration, has prepared a report on U.S. policy toward China, with recommendations for the new Trump administration.

Where Hong Kong is concerned, the task force recommends that the U.S., while recognizing Hong Kong as part of Chinas sovereign territory, should also reiterate the importance it places on the full and faithful implementation of the letter and spirit of the Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration guaranteeing Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy within the One Country, Two Systems, formula."

The policy recommendation says: "The United States also should publicly call attention to the concerning trend of encroachment by Beijing on Hong Kongs autonomy and should increase cooperation with the Special Administrative Region government of Hong Kong in various functional domains that can reinforce its promised degree of autonomy. The U.S. Congress should continue its tradition of issuing annual reports concerning political developments in Hong Kong and its changing relationship with Beijing."

Meanwhile, Chatham House in London issued a research paper, "The Critical Transition: Chinas Priorities for 2021"  the year marking the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

In a thoughtful chapter, Tim Summers sees Hong Kong facing serious challenges with even the survival of the handover deal itself in question.

"The centre of political gravity in Hong Kong is shifting away from the mainland at the same time as their economies are increasingly intertwined," Summers argues. "The contradictions this brings will unsettle Hong Kong society further, and anti-Beijing sentiment in Hong Kong is likely to grow."

Concern about Hong Kong is also voiced by a third group, PEN America, an organization of writers, editors and publishers that supports free expression. Its lengthy document, "Writing on the Wall," examines in detail the abductions of Hong Kong booksellers in 2015, in particular, that of British national Lee Bo in Hong Kong and Swedish national Gui Minhai in Thailand.

In its conclusion, the organization asserts that "the threats to the civil and political rights of Hong Kong residents after 1997 are abundantly documented" and recommends vigorous action by various governments to publicize Chinese violations of international law.

Of course, abductions by Chinese governments did not begin with the communists. Sun Yat-sen was kidnapped in London in 1896 and imprisoned in the Chinese legation; luckily, he was rescued by British friends before he was shipped off to China to be executed. Paradoxically, Hong Kong historically provided sanctuary to dissidents and independent thinkers, from China and elsewhere. Philippine nationalist Jose Rizal, Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh and even underground Chinese communist party members all sought, and found, refuge under the British colonial flag.

The provision of haven continued even after 1997 because of "one country, two systems." The policy recognized that Hong Kongs value to China lay in it being different from the mainland, despite the inherent tension that is implied. After all, Chinas 1.3 billion people dont need another Chinese city. China should realize that relentless suppression is not a wise policy. A little breathing space to provide an outlet for pent-up emotions, which Hong Kong represents, is good for the country. That is to say, doing right by Hong Kong is also a plus for China. Allowing criticism  and critics  to exist in Hong Kong won China plaudits for the last two decades. Continued tolerance will gain goodwill for China, not least from Hong Kongs many friends around the world.

China post/ann.
It was almost as funny to listen to the experts on US channels trying to summarise Donald Trumps ravings on the Middle East as it was to listen to his original gobbledygook at his press conference with Bibi Netanyahu. Unable to understand what the Presidents inanities actually meant, the lads and lasses of the satellite channels were telling us that he was not as committed as his predecessor to the twostate solution but might favour a one-state solution  yet wasnt ruling out a two-state solution. Oh yes, and hed like Bibi to hold back on settlements.

Most of the experts chose to leave out the pathetic Trump addendum  for a little bit  because they had no more idea than Trump what this actually meant. The most lamentable quotation looks even worse on paper than it did when first uttered opposite a clearly nonplussed Israeli Prime Minister:

So Im looking at two states and one state. And I like the one that both parties like. Im very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one. I thought for a while that two states looked like it may be the easier of the two. To be honest, if Bibi and the Palestinians, if Israel and the Palestinians are happy  Im happy with the one they like the best. After the second sentence, most transcripts  and you could hear it clearly at the Washington press conference  inserted the word LAUGHTER.

Indeed there was laughter. Not because this was an intended joke by Donald Trump, but because his words were so flippant, so careless, so ignorant, so utterly deplorable, that laughter was the only psychological human release available to sane men and women after such tragic frivolity. An entire Arab people, a future Palestine  I notice the word itself was actually avoided  lies under the longest military occupation in modern history and the best the President of the United States could do was say that, heck, hed go along with one state or two states  or maybe three, for all we knew.

The idea that one state might either be a secular Israel/West Bank state for Jews and Arabs with an Arab majority  goodbye Israel  or one state for Jews only but including a non-voting Arab majority  apartheid Israel  was simply neither here nor there. No wonder Bibi  how charming the old reprobate seems now beside Trump, almost moderate you might say  kept his mouth shut for longer than usual in the press conference. Trump has some nasty antiSemites among his supporters, and Netanyahu preferred to keep his throwaway hygienic gloves on during this particular performance.

Trump waffled on about Palestinian hate, and the hatefilled Palestinians (poor Hanan Ashrawi, Saeb Erekat and the rest) later preferred to take Trump more seriously, which  given that their homes might soon be stolen from them in their entirety by love-filled Israelis  was only to be expected. But it was instructive to recall beyond all this nonsense just how the very foundations of any modern discussion of an Israeli-Palestinian solution have for decades been built on a pile of journalistic and political semantic trash  which has now become so normal a part of the Palestine story that we have come to accept it as genuine. We all invented alternative facts in the Middle East when Trump was still at school.

Lets start with settlements, the one word which both the sane Bibi Netanyahu and the insane Donald Trump felt happy to use. And theres a problem here. Because there are no such objects as settlements on the Arab-Palestinian West Bank. They are colonies for Jews and Jews only on Arab land, stolen  immorally, as well as illegally under international law  from their rightful owners.

The Jews who live on them are colonialists. This word is forbidden by all parties  especially journalists  for obvious reasons. Which is why Bibi, more anxious about the encroachments of the anti-Israel boycott campaign than he cares to admit, was waffling on about how Jews are called Jews because they come from Judea (the Israeli name for the occupied West Bank) and thus Jews are not foreign colonialists in Judea.

Alas Palestinians are called Palestinians because they come from Palestine  and that part of Palestine which the Israelis call Judea is not within the border of the territory of the internationally recognised Israeli state (of which Bibi is Prime Minister). But this is far, far too much to grasp for Donald Trump.

Better keep to those friendly settlements and the hate-filled Palestinian communities who  in some reports  surround the settlements. Weve long ago settled on a vocabulary of lies to support these alternative facts. Media reports often speak not of settlements, but of Jewish neighbourhoods  as if these examples of land theft are modern versions of Milton Keynes, harmless little state-sponsored suburbs whose Jewish people just want to live in peace with their neighbours (the hatefilled Palestinians) whose territory they have stolen. Similarly, the wall  mercifully unmentioned by Trump and Netanyahu  is still often referred to as a security fence, or even just a fence.

The late Ariel Sharons alleged purpose in building this monstrosity was to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers from entering Israel  or Israel Proper, as we have taken to calling it, to distinguish it, I suppose, from Israel Improper, which is the bit to the east of Israel inhabited by settlers but also by the hatefilled Palestinians. I might be more persuaded to accept Sharons explanation if it was not for the fact that the so-called fence  higher and longer than the Berlin Wall  encroaches on Palestinian territory which does not belong to Israel; and thus is part of the Israeli land-grab from the Arabs.

The story, needless to say, goes on and on. Talk of occupied territories  in other words, the West Bank (we shall speak not here of Golan)  is an absolute no-no these days in all respectable Western/American/Israeli conversation because the occupied territories, filled with hatefilled Palestinians, cannot be occupied if they are the lands of the Jews who are not (ergo Bibi) colonialists. And thus we have devised another phrase: they are disputed territories. This expression has two advantages. Firstly, it avoids  as it did for Trump and Netanyahu  all talk of occupation. Secondly, dispute suggests a little local disagreement about land deeds, something which might be resolved over a cup of coffee or a chat between two lawyers.

Anyone who tries to resolve such a dispute by throwing stones or protesting must therefore obviously be generically violent  which accounts for all those hate-filled Palestinians. And thereby we have to conclude. Pack them all into one state, Israel and the West Bank  both Israel Proper and Israel Improper  and youve got an Arab state. The Peacock, Gaddafi of Libya, almost as cracked as Trump, once proposed to call this Israel-tine. Im not sure what it would be called if all its people had equal human rights. But it wouldnt be Israel. Then theres the Jewish state called  I suppose  Israel, with no rights for the Arab majority and therefore an apartheid state, though one not much different from other Middle East nations in which minorities rule over majorities.

So Im looking at two states and one state, Trump told the world. And I like the one that both parties like  I can live with either one. The trouble is that the Israelis and the Palestinians cannot live with either one. But Im happy with the one they like the best, quoth Trump. Cue: LAUGHTER!
By Press Trust of India: Indore, Feb 18 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today called upon the South Asian countries for peace in the region, saying it is essential for sustainable development.

"There should be peace, peace, peace...Then only there would be development," she said while delivering the inaugural address at South Asia Speakers Summit which was skipped by Pakistan.

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The two-day summit on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is being attended by speakers and delegates from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal.

"India and its Parliament are committed to working with the international community to craft an ambitious, comprehensive and equitable development agenda with poverty eradication at its core," she said.

Pitching for inclusive economic growth to reduce the widening gap between the rich and the poor, Mahajan said development at the cost of culture is not sustainable.

Quoting BJP ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay, she said integral humanism is the basis for development as it espouses indigenous economic model that puts the human being at the center stage.

"First and foremost is the citizen. No development is possible and sustainable unless it has a human face," Mahajan said.

The Lok Sabha Speaker said India is expected to incur an expenditure of about USD 565 billion per annum approximately in the next 15 years to achieve SDGs.

"This would require help from all possible quarters, including the developed countries and international institutions," she added.

"There is little doubt that we have overcome many political, social and economic challenges in the past century and are marching towards a better future," she said adding, "However, resource limitation is a challenge all of our respective governments are grappling with."

The SDGs have set global priorities for progress of humanity and emphasis on achieving balance between the three pillars of economic growth, social development and environmental protection, she said.

Stressing on the role of parliamentarians as the bridge between people and their government, the eight-time MP said, "As elected representatives, it is our duty to ensure that our respective governments take concrete measures for realising these sustainable development goals."

On the issue of discrimination against girl child, she said there is an urgent need for continuous efforts to promote the welfare of the girl child.

Elimination of child marriage, access to reproductive healthcare facilities and overall emphasis on hygiene and personal care of women are some of the critical areas which are needed to be focused on, she added. PTI JTR NAB AAR

--- ENDS ---

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As with a welter of other issues, Donald Trump has now effected a policy shift towards the Middle East and in the company of Israels Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. In the net, he appears to have jettisoned US dealings with the region, spanning several decades. He has been explicit on the point that the US is not committed to a two-state solution, generally perceived to be the bedrock of regional stability. He has at the threshold come through as a President with less than a firm grasp over Middle East geopolitics, to use the language of understatement. In a single sentence, and with little or no elaboration, he has rather casually discarded decades of US diplomacy ~ pursued by both Democratic and Republican administrations ~ on the Middle East peace process. While he has corrected his deviation from the traditional China/Taiwan construct, West Asia is a wholly different kettle of fish. He has accorded short shrift to the two-state solution, indeed one of Washingtons guarantees in international relations. He has made it plain that he is not concerned over whether negotiations should be geared towards that end, leaving it to the Israelis and Palestinians to sort out what he calls the ultimate deal. Im looking at two-state and one-state and I like the one that both parties like, Trump said. Clearly, the US Presidents presentation was rather dodgy. He has stopped short of spelling out a firm preference, let alone a policy according to his lights. I can live with either one. I thought for a while it looked like the two-state might be the easier of the two; but honestly if Bibi, if Israel and the Palestinians are happy, Im happy with the one they like the best, was Trumps assurance, engaging in the cordial informality of addressing Netanyahu by his nickname.

Yet unmistakable was the caveat addressed to the Palestinians, almost an echo of the Israeli governments stand. For all the hedging over the twostate solution, he did mention the threat of Iran, incitement in Palestinian schools, and the Palestinian need to recognise Israel as a Jewish state. The Israeli Prime Minister has echoed the US Presidents view that there will be no daylight on issues such as settlements and the Iran deal. Ergo, the contentious issues that have festered for decades will remain intractable for some time yet. Trumps remarks reinforced the inherent asymmetry between Israel and Palestine. Israel has a powerful military and is a technological power. Most importantly, it is the occupier of Palestinian territories, an occupation that has now entered its 50th year and has been marked by the almost relentless construction of Jewish settlements. The conflict simmers between an occupying body and an occupied body. Has Donald Trump opted for a classic case of fence-sitting?
The Oxford dictionary has decided to anoint post-truth as the word of the year 2016. The dictionary defines this as relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion or popular beliefs. The usage of the word increased dramatically after the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and the election of Donald Trump as the Republican nominee in the US presidential election in the summer of last year. Two canonical examples cited by the liberals as post-truth are the claim of the Brexiteers that 350 million pounds that the UK contributes to the EU budget every day would be used to improve the National Health Service if the UK withdrew from the EU, and the other was the deliberate silence of Donald Trump when asked about the innuendo that Barack Obama was actually born outside the US, and therefore became the US President illegally.

These were just two of a series of statements by politicians to circumscribe obvious facts by appealing to prejudices of the electorate to achieve their goals and the post-truth world became a full-fledged reality in the West. Since India lies beyond the radar of the western intellectuals and analysts, they failed to realize that the post-truth world was actually born two years earlier in India with the campaign of the BJP during the parliamentary election of 2014.

After Oxford dictionarys decision to term post-truth as the word for 2016, numerous articles appeared in major international media around the turn of the calendar year on this topic. Cheap philosophical discussions ensued, with Plato and Nietzsche taking the centre stage. Platos theory of forms was portrayed as conceptualizing the truth, the first attempt towards a theory of knowledge. Eminent philosophers since then developed their own versions of the theory of knowledge, which finally led to Immanuel Kants revolutionary idea that we never could know things-in-themselves, but only refected through causality, possibility, necessity etc that he called categories. The Plato-Kant paradigm was to know the truth as an eternal and unchangeable concept. This illylic idea was shattered by Frederische Nietzsche when he argued that truth was a function of power ~ the power to dominate the thinking of others. Coupling truth with power changed the western philosophy forever. The key concept was contingency, and Nietzsche argued that truth was relative to the perspective of the truth-seeker. This meant, in essence, that there were many truths, and the concept of one truth was a fiction. The fractured truth put the idea of God on a shaky foundation and morality lost its moorings in the West. This actually excited Nietzsche, as he thought that this would work against the herd mentality of people and they would have to create their own morality.

Nietzsche dominated western philosophy, both from the right and from the left, throughout the last century. Then towards the turn of the century the American philosopher Richard Rorty developed a theory of an ideal society where multiple truths was the norm. The key is intellectual humility and the need of conversation to reach a consensus. He argued that the political and intellectual elite are still trapped in the Enlightenment mindset and think that we can discover the truth, provided we use our reason the right way. Whoever does not manage to get at the truth simply hasnt been using their God-given intellect the right way, and therefore needs to be Enlightened. Rorty predicted catastrophic consequence of this attitude in the post-Enlightenment world of Nietzsche. He argued in Achieving Our Country that ordinary people not sharing the truth of the political and intellectual elite would elect a strongman and all the political correctness the academic left had been trying to build for decades would come flooding back as discrimination, stronger and ruder than ever.

It took only eighteen years for his prophecy to become reality with the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States. In fact, it was already realized two years earlier with the overwhelming victory of Narendra Modi in India. The fragmentation of truth was atomized with the advent of social media like Facebook and Twitter and the post-truth world became the reality in India, even before it took decisive hold in the West during the unstoppable election campaign of Donald Trump.

Now post-truth is threatening Europe as three major national elections are coming up there within the next eight months. Let us start with the election in the Netherlands, a small but significant country situated between Germany and the United Kingdom. The Dutch have a liberal tradition going back for centuries and they were a founding member of the European Union. In a way, they are the bridge between the Continental Europe and the Anglo-Saxon world. They had traditionally three major parties, the center-right Liberal Party, the centrist Christian Democrats and the center-left Labor Party. A decade ago the exterme right of the Liberal Party split under the leadership of Geert Wilders with the same isolationist and rabid anti-Muslim message as that of Donald Trump long before he came to the political scene. The Netherlands has parliamentary democracy and proportional representation. Coalition is a must to form a government there. As per convention, the Queen asks the party with the largest percentage of votes to start the coalition deliberation. With the Christian Democrats and Labor Party steadily losing their support, despite veering to the right, the PVV party of Geert Wilders has now become the largest party in the Netherlands in all opinion polls. At first it was considered the voice of protest in between two elections. The belief was that at the polling booth the level headed Dutch would still refrain from voting for PVV. This time it is different. With Brexit and victory of Donald Trump, Wilders support has solidified and there is real panic among the traditional political parties. There are behind the scene campaigns for supporters of all center/center-left parties, including the Greens, to vote for the Liberal Party just to thwart Wilders from getting the highest perccentage of votes. The whole of Europe is watching.

(To be concluded)
It was indeed refreshing that the Vice-President unshackled himself from the customary police/military perception of security, and emphasised the oft-overlooked reality that the roots of any security system lay in the happiness or satisfaction of the people. It was all the more significant that Mr Mohammed Hamid Ansari took that social angle when honouring the memory of the doyen of Indian strategic analysts, K Subrahmanyam. Sure, everybody will assert that there is no military solution to unrest ~ be it in the Kashmir Valley or the red zone in central India ~ but Mr Ansari went even deeper: trouble arose when the rule of law did not prevail, discontent and frustration festered. In recent times the President has slammed increasing intolerance, Mr Ansari preferred to highlight religious majoritarianism and cultural nationalism as key challenges confronting the nation. And so the approach to internal security needed an adjustment.

Issues of individual liberty and societys security often appeared at odds with each other, but the fact was that the framework of traditional security was as important as human security at individual and community levels. Stressing the principles enshrined in the Preamble to the Constitution, the Vice-President said these go beyond the framework of traditional security to create conditions in which citizens can endeavour to bring forth the desired fruits of their labour.

It was clear that the prevailing security situation raised concerns, seven decades after Independence there was widespread unrest, discontent and conflicts. There are threats emanating from regional and social imbalances which have given rise to, and fuel, insurgencies, terrorism, subnationalism and communalism. While propriety prevented the Vice-President from any apportioning of blame, it was obvious that he was talking in terms of the collective failure of the political system, and the short-sighted approach of the current leaders who thrived on the vote-bank politics that made the divide-and-rule tactics of the colonial era appear rather benign. Mr Ansari also highlighted economic disparities, urban unrest, rural upsurge and the disenchantment of youth.

The quality of life in rural and urban areas, except for the affluent, has deteriorated and the gaps between have and have-nots have widened he said in what was actually a scathing attack on sustained misgovernance. And none dare dispute his demand that the negative trends in internal security require to be addressed through well directed actions in the political, socio-economic and security fields. The trouble is who will bell the cat? The Vice-Presidents caution will attract as little attention as the apex courts condemnation of political corruption as articulated in its recent order that stymied ambitious moves in the deep south. Who will win in UP is of greater importance to those who make pretence to leadership.
India may be able to meet all its energy requirements from resources on the moon by 2030, a scientist associated with the ISRO said on Saturday.

Sivathanu Pillai, a distinguished professor at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said here that India's all energy requirements can be met through Helium-3 mined from the moon.

"By 2030, this process target will be met," Pillai said while delivering the valedictory address at the three-day ORF-Kalpana Chawla Space Policy Dialogue, organised by Observer Research Foundation.

Pillai, a former chief of BrahMos Aerospace, said mining lunar dust, which is rich in Helium-3 is a priority programme for the ISRO.

According to an ORF release, Pillai said other countries are also working on the project and there is enough helium on the moon, which can meet the energy requirements of the world.

"In a few decades, people will be going to the moon for honey-moon," Pillai quipped.

Lt. Gen. P.M. Bali, Director General, Perspective Planning, Indian Army, said the launch of GSAT-7, India's first dedicated military satellite, is a testimony to the country's outlook towards using the outer space for national security.

He noted that India possesses one of the largest constellations of communication and remote sensing satellites covering Asia Pacific.

Lt. Gen. Bali said although India continues with a civilian orientation to its space programme, the changing regional and global realities require it to also develop military assets in space and on ground as an emerging regional and global power.

He said there is a need for a dedicated military space programme with adequate resources at its disposal because of "the changing realities in our neighbourhood".
Although it crossed $1 billion in revenue in 2016 within the first two years of its operations in India, Xiaomi  once touted as the "Apple" of China  has slipped to fourth spot back home as the demand for its smartphones declined 22 per cent annually  eventually taking it to seventh spot in the global smartphone ranking with a 16 per cent drop in sales.

The decline came even as Hugo Barra, Xiaomi's high-profile head of international operations, left the company in January and joined Facebook to lead its virtual reality (VR) project.

According to the experts, the key reason for this decline is Xiaomi's rivals racing ahead with key features, better innovations, bigger marketing budgets and wider online and offline distribution channels.

"Until 2016, Xiaomi relied only on online channels for smartphone sales which contributes approximately 30 per cent of the total smartphones sales in China, leaving a huge chunk of the market untapped. Its competitors invested heavily in building strong offline channels, expanding their reach to tier-2 and tier-3 cities and moving ahead of Xiaomi," Shobhit Srivastava, Research Analyst, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems at market research firm Counterpoint Research, told IANS.

Another reason for Xiaomi's slipping growth is the rising average selling price (ASP) of the maturing China smartphone market, experts noted.

"Bulk of the sales in China is coming from upgrades where Huawei, OPPO and Vivo are gaining market share while Xiaomi remains in the below-$150 category. Xiaomi also lacks in research and development unlike its Chinese counterparts which are vertically integrated," Srivastava added.

An email sent to the company for its reaction to the decline in global smartphone sales didn't elicit any response.

Xiaomi's main markets have been China and India which combined get more than 95 per cent shipment share. While performance in India improved in 2016, the company lost market share in China resulting in the decline of overall global smartphone ranking.

Huawei, Oppo and Vivo have emerged as clear winners with Oppo and Vivo registering significant growth in China.

Shipping 44.9 million iPhones to China, even Apple has beaten Xiaomi that shipped 41.5 million smartphones in 2016, market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) revealed earlier this month.

According to IDC's "Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker" report, Apple dropped from 58.4 million iPhones in 2015 and Xiaomi from 64 million Mi phones  drops of 23 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively.

Amid the global gloom, it is the Indian smartphone market that has helped Xiaomi gain profits.

"They (Xiaomi) have already established their presence in India with a revenue of more than $1 billion in 2016 in the country. They will keep going as they have a strong management team," Jaideep Mehta, Managing Director, IDC South Asia, told IANS.

"On Barra, I would say that a senior executive has just moved on. Of Course, he will be missed, but the company is bigger than one individual," he added.

Coincidently, Xiaomi is not going to showcase any product at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's largest event, in Barcelona, Spain, later this month. There are reports that Xiaomi doesn't have new devices to showcase during the MWC show.

This indicates there is something wrong somewhere and the company needs to plug the problem fast before its global presence plunges further.

"To recover and sustain growth, Xiaomi will have to focus on building strong offline channels as it will open up a significant market for the company. It needs to concentrate more on its R&D and come up with a device in the higher-mid end segment for the increasing Chinese middle-class population with higher disposable incomes," Srivastava emphasised.
The Kerala tourism department will be organising a four-day-long travel and tourism event in Abu Dhabi from February 22, to promote the 'God's Own Country' in the Middle East tourism market.

India Tourism Dubai office, Tourism India and Brand Kerala Magazines are also part of the event, titled as 'Explore Kerala @ Abu Dhabi."

Official logo of 'Explore Kerala' was unveiled by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the presence Ashraf Ali MA, Lulu Group Executive Director, Nandakumar, Chief Communication Officer, Biju Kottarathil, Media Secretary and other officials recently, a release said here today.

The event, organised in association with global retailer Lulu group, will be held from February 22 to 25 at Mushrif Mall in Abu Dhabi.

Several leading Hotels & Resorts, including The Raviz Hotels & Resorts, Uday Samudra Kovalam, Vythiri Village Wayanad, Somatheeram Ayurveda Resort and two leading tour operators, Gateway Malabar Holidays and The Blue Yonder from the state will showcase their products along with Kerala destination presentation, it said.

A colourful cultural performance showcasing the state's art forms including Kathakali, Mohiniyattom, Theyyam and Thayambaka will also be the part of the four-day event, it said.

"Keralites have always considered UAE as their second home and Kerala tourism identified the potential of the ever growing UAE tourism market.

Considering tourist arrivals to Kerala from the Middle East, UAE is the second biggest market after Saudi Arabia and followed by the Oman and Kuwait," state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said.

"In 2015, there were 71,500 tourists from Saudi Arabia (65048 in 2014 and 48,346 in 2013), 20,000 plus ( 18,264 in 2014 and 17,475 in 2013) from the UAE and 17,924 from Oman, who visited the state.

From the Middle East alone, we have more than one lakh visitors," he added.

The event would be officially inaugurated by Sultan Hamad Al Mutawa Al Dhaheri, Executive Director of Abu Dhabi Tourism.

Indian Ambassador to UAE, Navdeep Suri, Etihad Airways Senior Vice President, Harib Al Muhairi, India Tourism Director IRV Rao and many dignitaries would also be present during the function, the release added.
China reiterated its strong opposition to official exchanges and military connections between the US and Taiwan, amid recent reports that American Marines would be posted in a non-profit organisation in Taiwan, the media reported.

"China consistently and firmly opposes the US and Taiwan engaging in any form of official contact or military connection," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a daily news conference in Beijing on Friday.

Geng was responding to reports that Stephen Young, former director of the American Institute in Taiwan said US Marines would be posted at the new site of the organisation, the China Daily reported.

In a conference held by a Washington think tank on Wednesday, Young said he had pushed strongly for a US Marines detachment to protect the organization, and the new compound would include a "Marines house", which would be "a symbolic expression" of the US commitment to Taiwan, according to a report in the Taipei Times.

On February 10, President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump had a telephone conversation, during which Trump said the US government would adhere to the one-China policy.

"China hopes the US will observe the one-China policy and the principles of the three joint communiques between China and the US, and that it will handle the Taiwan-related issue prudently and properly," Geng said.

Geng said he had noted reports on the possible deployment and needed to gain more information on the situation.

The US posts Marines in its embassies and consulates to guard their security.

Since 1979, when the US established diplomatic ties with China, there have been no US Marines stationed in the American Institute in Taiwan.
Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man over the assassination of Kim Jong-Un's brother, as relations between Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur nosedived in a battle for his body.

A 46-year-old was arrested on Friday evening with documents that identified him as North Korean citizen Ri Jong Chol, a police statement said, making him the first person from the North to be detained over the case.

Kim Jong-Nam died after an as-yet unidentified liquid was sprayed in his face at Kuala Lumpur international airport on Monday, in an attack Seoul says was carried out by female agents from Pyongyang.

Local officers have already arrested a woman with a Vietnamese passport and a Malaysian man, as well as an Indonesian woman who foreign police said could have got involved in the murder thinking it was a reality TV prank.

Jong-Nam's body has been held in a Kuala Lumpur morgue since an autopsy on Wednesday, the results of which are still pending, according to Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah Mat.

After Malaysia ignored demands to return the remains, Pyongyang accused the Kuala Lumpur of conspiring with its enemies and said it would reject whatever results came from the post-mortem.

"The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing. We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem conducted unilaterally excluding our attendance," the North Korean ambassador told reporters gathered outside the morgue shortly before midnight on Friday.

The comments were the first official remarks from the country since the killing, but ambassador Kang Chol stopped short of identifying Jong-Nam or touching on his cause of death.

North Korean state media has remained silent on the murder.

The ambassador had met with Malaysian police, demanding the release of the body without success, according to an English transcript of the envoy's comments distributed by an aide.

"They are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us of malice," the transcript said, suggesting South Korea was trying to defame the North in a bid to distract from a corruption scandal at home.

Today Malaysia's police chief said Pyongyang would have to wait for the investigation to be completed, which would include a family member sending a DNA sample to identify the body.

"While in Malaysia, everyone has to obey and follow our rules and regulations that includes North Korea," Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar told national news agency Bernama.
Thousands of Mexicans linked arms to form a "human wall" on their country's border with the United States, protesting President Donald Trump's plan to build a massive barrier between the countries.

The protest yesterday, organised by local authorities and Mexican advocacy groups, brought together people armed with flowers, including politicians, social leaders and crowds of students to the border town Ciudad Juarez  which already is separated by extensive fencing from its American neighbor city El Paso.

Protestors hurled slogans at Trump, whose plans to build the wall to keep undocumented immigrants out of the US  and make Mexico foot the bill  has enraged many people here.

"The wall is one of the worst ideas," said Carolina Solis, a 31-year-old student. "It won't stop anything  not drugs or migrants."

"It's just a symbol of Donald Trump's hatred, the president's racism."

Under the watchful eye of US Border Patrol officers, protestors  among them El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser  formed a human barrier of nearly 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles).

Many people on both sides of the border cross it daily, calling one country home while going to work in the other.

"Ciudad Juarez and El Paso are one city  we will never be apart," said Leeser, who was born on the Mexican side of the border.

His Ciudad Juarez counterpart Mayor Armando Cabada vowed to help resettle migrants deported from the US.

"Trump only generates fear in our US compatriots. We must show solidarity with them and tell them that they have our support," he said.

"If they are deported, we will welcome them with open arms."

Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested some 680 people across the United States as part of a crackdown by the new administration on the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Officials insist the raids targeted known criminals but rights advocates say people with no serious criminal records were also detained.

A similar protest was planned on Mexico's Pacific coast, at the border between the city of Tijuana and its US neighbor San Diego.
The man behind Queen Bey's magical look at the Grammys is the one prepping up our very own desi girl, Priyanka Chopra.

By India Today Web Desk: It couldn't be that Priyanka would NOT be a part of New York Fashion Week this year. In fact, she made her first appearance was at Prabal Gurung's show a few days ago, looking breezy-chic in a pair of fur boots and separates from Gurung's Fall 2017 collection--an embellished top and an asymmetric hem skirt with a thigh-high slit.

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For her second appearance, however, PeeCee has gone a bit more glamorous--she wore a blue faux fur coat and off-white pussy-bow top by Marc Jacob, for Marc Jacob's show.

But that was not the highlight of the evening. The highlight was her bronze makeup, which was done by none other than Sir John, the same makeup artist who got Beyonce ready for her magical performance at the Grammys this year.

Just glammed up my babe @priyankachopra for @marcjacobs today. She makes my job so easyyyyy????? Hair: @loveandhairgrease ??? @danasupnick ???@Chanchal_dsouza A post shared by S I R J O H N (@sirjohnofficial) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:55am PST

A renowned makeup artist, Sir John is credited with spreading his magic on big names like Beyonce, Serena Williams, Chrissy Teigen and Naomi Campbell.

And this is not the first that he has got our desi girl all glammed up. He had PeeCee over a few weeks ago as well, and did a wonderful job on her back then too!

Up early with this beauty today ???. #NoComplaints #BadGal ???? #PriyankaChopra A post shared by S I R J O H N (@sirjohnofficial) on Jan 23, 2017 at 7:37am PST

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Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has been listed under Pakistan's anti- terrorism act by the provincial Punjab government, a tacit acknowledgement of his links to militancy.

Dawn News reported that the Punjab government has included names of Saeed and one of his close aides, Qazi Kashif, in the fourth schedule of the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA).

Three other men were also added to the list  Abdullah Obaid from Faisalabad, and Zafar Iqbal and Abdur Rehman Abid from the Markaz-i-Taiba, Muridke.

Saeed and the four men added to the fourth schedule of the ATA were also placed under house arrest on January 30 in Lahore amid an angry uproar from his party and political allies.

The five men were identified by the Interior Ministry as "active members of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i- Insaniyat (FIF)," the report said.

The ministry directed the Counter Terrorism Department to "move and take necessary action" against them.

The names of Saeed and 37 other JuD and FIF leaders had earlier also been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), barring them from leaving the country.

The Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 empowers the government to mark a person as "proscribed" and to place that person on the fourth schedule on an ex-parte basis.

The mere listing of a person in the fourth schedule of the ATA shows that he is linked with militancy in some way, the report said.

Those listed face a barrage of legal consequences like travel bans and scrutiny of assets etc.

Any violation of provision of the fourth schedule may result in imprisonment of up to three years and fine or both.

The action against Saeed was taken after the country was hit by at least eight terror attacks which killed more than 100 people.

"Detention of Saeed shows that army supported the step by the civilian government, and it was viewed by many as a sign of changing security priorities," the daily said.

Saeed was also put under house arrest after Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 but he was freed by court in 2009.

Saeed also carries a reward of USD 10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities.
Afghanistan on Saturday dubbed Pakistan's absence from the South Asian Speakers Summit as "unfortunate" and said Islamabad has adopted terrorism as its policy which would prove a serious threat for it.

"It is unfortunate that Pakistan is not attending the summit. We don't know the reason, perhaps they can say it better. Being the neighbouring country we would have been happier if Pakistan would have attended the summit," Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi, Speaker of National Assembly of Afghanistan, told IANS.

Dubbing terrorism as a serious threat to South Asia, Ibrahimi said that Pakistan has adopted terrorism as it policy.

"Terrorism remains a threat to the South Asian countries, including Pakistan but unfortunately rulers of Pakistan have always supported terrorism. This policy of Pakistan is not in the interest of the South Asian region. In the future it is going to be a big threat to Pakistan," he said.

Ibrahimi also said that terrorism is a very serious threat to Afghanistan.

"We invite cooperation from India towards improvement in people's life, security and political areas in the region. We believe that this is in the interest of the people of South Asia," he said.

Lauding India for its approach towards Afghanistan, the Speaker said, "India is a big country and is an effective and influential power in the region. India has been a brotherly friend to Afghanistan and in the last 15 years it has supported Afghanistan with more than $2 billion aid."

"What we want from India is this relation to be further improved and developed. We want improvement in security and also enhanced relations between both countries. Hopefully it will continue in the future," he added.

Afghanistan has several times in the past voiced concern over terrorism emanating from Pakistan, and accused its neighbour of harbouring the Taliban in the border areas. India and Afghanistan, joined by South Asian neighbours Bangladesh and Bhutan, had boycotted the Saarc summit in Islamabad in November, leading to its deferment.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said she will directly oversee work on a new law to tackle domestic violence amid concerns that victims were being let down by the legal system, the media reported on Saturday.

Domestic violence prosecutions and convictions have started to improve in recent years, however, the premier said on Friday: "No stone will be left unturned in delivering a system that increases convictions, and works better for victims", the BBC reported

"Domestic violence and abuse is a life shattering and absolutely abhorrent crime. There are thousands of people who are suffering at the hands of abusers  often isolated, and unaware of the options and support available to them to end it."

"Given the central importance of victim evidence to support prosecutions in this area, raising public awareness  as well as consolidating the law  will prove crucial."

Downing Street said work on the legislation would be co-ordinated by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice.

Charities and groups supporting victims welcomed the plans.

Women's Aid chief executive Polly Neate said there was "scope to make the legal framework surrounding domestic abuse clearer and more comprehensive", while the NSPCC, UK's leading children's charity, called for the needs of affected children to be prioritised.

Mark Brooks, chairman of the ManKind Initiative charity, called for a "real step change" in supporting and recognising male victims of domestic violence, saying they made up a third of all victims.

Victims' Commissioner Baroness Newlove said: "These long awaited changes will ensure those vulnerable victims and survivors are listened to and that they feel able to come forward and speak out against their abusers."


Pointing out that government residences should not be used as private property, Thackeray said that so many builders are finding plots to build highrise, but they failed to find a plot for Balasaheb's memorial.

By Mustafa Shaikh: In his last rally for the upcoming civic polls Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray slammed rival Shiv Sena for not finding an appropriate site for a memorial of Balasaheb Thackeray.

Pointing out that government residences should not be used as private property, Thackeray said that so many builders are finding plots to build high-rise, but they failed to find a plot for Balasaheb's memorial. If he would be alive he wouldn't have used a public place to be taken away.

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AGAINST METRO SHED AT AAREY

Metro shed eating away green space of Mumbai has been a big issue with residents who are opposed to the metro car shed at Aarey colony. Supporting their cause Raj Thackeray asked that the shed should be made at Mumbai Port Trust land which is lying without use.

"They want that land to go in the pockets of businessmen hence they are not touching that land," he said.

In the last BMC election MNS had won all the seats in the erstwhile Sena bastion, Dadar. Addressing a rally outside Dadar station, Raj stopped people from going towards the station insisting that they should go after his speech. He ordered from the dias that access should be blocked.

TAKING A DIG AT CM FOR EMPTY CHAIRS AT RALLY

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devandra Fadnavis' rally was cancelled due to some miscommunication and empty chairs were seen at the rally.

"The chairs were not empty. No one was seen sitting on them because there was no transparency (pardarshita)," Thackeray said as a sarcastic comment on CM's transparency in functioning of BMC.

To add insults, Raj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn't even see Uddhav during the inauguration of Shivaji memorial in the sea.

"He (Uddhav) should have made an exit from the government after that insult or jumped from that boat in the sea," he stated.

On work done in Mumbai, he said, "No work in Mumbai since 25 yrs. Hoardings fail to highlight work done. We have built a Thackeray memorial in Nashik. Not a single corruption charge in Nashik corporation in last three years. Roads made by us don't have potholes."

"We have made roads measuring 510 kilometers in Nashik. Sena takes cut and commission in making roads," he added.

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But the tribe has a long way to go
By Press Trust of India: From Yoshita Singh

New York, Feb 18 (PTI) Pakistans envoy to the UN has alleged that the "denial" of the right to self-determination to the Kashmiris led to the recent "flare-up" which threatened regional peace and security.

"Denial of the right of self-determination" to the people of Kashmir through an "independent plebiscite, promised to them by various Security Council resolutions was at the heart of the current flare up, which threatened regional peace and security," Pakistans Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi said here.

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Lodhi, addressing an event to mark Kashmir Solidarity Day at the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations, said Pakistans "moral, political and diplomatic support" to the Kashmiri peoplein their "struggle" for their right to self-determinationwill continue until Kashmir is "liberated".

Lodhi said that on behalf of her government, she is actively pursuing the Kashmir issue at various fora of the United Nations, raising the issue during meetings with the UN leadership as well as the President of the Security Council, who had then briefed the Security Council on the issue at Pakistans request, a statement issued by the Pakistan mission here said yesterday.

The Pakistani envoy also spoke about her meeting with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein to press for the countrys demand to send a UN mission to investigate alleged "human rights violations" in Kashmir. PTI YAS ASK AKJ ASK

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Soon after Sasikala's proxy Edappadi K. Palanisamy won the trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Assembly after high drama and bedlam, Kollywood took to social media to express its protest.

It all began with Kamal Hassan, when he said, There you go. Seems like we have another CM. Jai de-mockcrazy. The veteran actor mocked the MLAs for their action in the assembly and urged people to receive their respective MLAs "with the respect they deserve back home".

There you go. Seems like we have another CM. Jai de-mockcrazy  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) February 18, 2017 People of Tamizhnadu, Welcome your respective MLAs with the respect they desrve back home  Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) February 18, 2017

Aranmanai 2 and Ayutha Ezhuthu fame actor Siddharth quipped saying Sasikala now needed a laptop in jail so that the transport cost of EPS and his gang could be saved. He also called it a shameful day for democracy.

Give #Sasikala a laptop in jail. Save transport cost (our money) for #EKP and his gang for 4 years. Time to put more salt in our food #TN  Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) February 18, 2017

Actor Arvind Sami rejected the trust vote and said this was not people's mandate. He said that the only solution for the present crisis was re-election.

In my opinion, The only solution that is acceptable under the circumstances is a re- election. This is not the people's mandate.  arvind swami (@thearvindswami) February 18, 2017

Actor Suriya indirectly tweeted on the political drama saying, ippodhu mixture saapittu kondiruppadhu naam than nanabargaley (who are now eating mixture). Earlier, before Panneerselvam staged his revolt, the social media was abuzz with comments saying he was known just for eating mixture (a snack).

Earlier, as the high drama unfolded in the Assembly, actor Madhavan, quoting a previous tweet of Kamal Hassan, tweeted: LISTEN TO HIM -spot on.do these people ever question every act of theirs with "is this in the best Intrest of my country and people"-WHEN??
A day after Army Chief Bipin Rawat warned Kashmir stone-pelters against supporting the militants or hampering the work of security forces, the BJP came in his strong defence saying his views should not be politicised.

As the saffron party has been trying to hardsell its nationalistic image in the Uttar Pradesh elections raising issues like the surgical strikes, it feels that Rawat's words are in sync with government's policy against terrorists.

Union minister Jitendra Singh, who hails from Jammu & Kashmir, said "It was appalling and a matter of concern and worry that the Congress was falling to this temptation of politicising the army chiefs statement... This party can go to any extent for political benefits. It is speaking the voice of separatists for lowly political gains."

He asked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to clarify his party's stance.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also attacked the Congress. Its my appeal to the Congress to keep the army and the army chief outside of politics. Our soldiers are dying and terrorists are infiltrating from Pakistan and it is unbecoming that such things are being said. The sooner the Congress realises it is not in power anymore, the better for the nation.

BJP leaders' statement came after Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad questioned the government initiatives in improving the situation in the valley.

The government is to be blamed for the situation in Kashmir. Even we ran the government. Why was it not so bad then? To threaten the Kashmiri youth like this is unjustified. Last year 1,000 kids were affected by splinters and 1,200 kids lost their eyes, Azad had said

NC spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu also dubbed Rawats statements as tragic and warned that such moves will only alienate the youth of Kashmir and compound their hostility.

Citing statements of Congress leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Sandeep Diskhit, Jitendra Singh said those were quite unbecoming of a national party.

Defending General Rawat, the union minister said, "What the army chief has said is not a warning but an expression of concern. He is worried that innocent people may be hit and become collateral damage (in anti-terrorist operations)," Singh said.
Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, which has high footfall of foreign tourists, was on the hit-list of Islamic State terror group, revealed an NIA investigation after the arrest of a Kerala man. Mouinudheen Parakadavath ,25, who hails from Kanhangad in Kasargod district, was arrested on February 15 for his alleged involvement in IS-inspired terror conspiracy.

Investigators have joined the dots which has revealed a dreaded plan hatched by Mouinudheen to carry out a terror strike in Kodaikanal. The target was chosen to strike maximum damage to visiting foreign tourists, said a sleuth privy to the investigations.

The terror plot was revealed after the NIA established that Mouinudheen was using the online identity Abu-Al-Indonesi as well as Ibn Abdullah on an online core-group Darul Fikr to stay in touch with other operatives like Swalih Mohammed, another accused in the case, who was arrested by the NIA in October last.

NIA officials told THE WEEK that the custodial interrogation of Swalih had revealed that he had received funds to the tune of Rs 20,000 through Western Union money transfer from a member of the online core-group with assumed identity Ibn Abdulla @ Abu Al-Indonesi.

As per the plans of the group, this money was meant for purchase of a second-hand car, which the group wanted for some action in Kodaikanal, where they can target a lot of foreign tourists, officials associated with the probe have revealed.

On October 7, 2016, unspent terror funds amounting to Rs 9,500 were seized by the NIA, as proceeds of terrorism, after it was produced by Swalih's wife Janseema.

Subsequent investigation by the agency with Western Union Money Transfer at Chennai and field enquiries in Kerala established the real identity of Moinul Islam @ Ibn Abdulla @ Abu Al-Indonesi as Mouinudheen Parakadavath, who was found to be working in Abu Dhabi. His family was contacted and asked to persuade him to come back.

NIA officials said that Mouinudheen had admitted to sending funds on two occasions to the members of the module in India from Abu Dhabi. Presently unmarried, Mouinudheen has studied till class 10 and has been working at a computer shop as salesman in UAE for the last 5 years and, as per his own admission to NIA, drawing a monthly salary of about 3,000 Dirhams currently.

Three mobile phones, one hard disc and four pen drives have been recovered and seized from him. The case registered by the NIA relates to a terror module in which a group of youths from Kerala including some members based in the Middle-East had hatched a conspiracy on the instructions of their online IS handlers.
Even as the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti spearheading the agitation for reservation for Jats in Haryana announced that they would observe February 19 as Balidan Diwas, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the government would give compensation to those who sustained injuries during the Jat reservation protests in February 2016.

A large number of people had been killed and several others injured in the course of the agitation. The loss to public property was enormous.

While those who sustained bullet injuries during the agitation would be paid Rs 100,000 each, those who suffered a fracture, not due to any bullet injury, would be given a compensation of Rs 50,000 each. For those who were injured otherwise, will be given Rs 25,000 each.

The first round of meeting between the Jat leaders and the committee set up by the Haryana Government was held in an amicable and cordial atmosphere at Panipat, according to the government. The next round is likely to be held on February 20.

As of now, the activists of the Sangharsh Samiti are holding peaceful protests. However, Haryana Additional Director General of Police, Mohammad Akil said on Saturday that tight security arrangements had been made. He also urged people to feel safe and travel freely on the national highways. In all, 37 companies of para military forces had been deployed in addition to the district and railway police forces. Security arrangements have also been made for train movements and at the railway stations .

Akil, however, said traffic diversions were a distinct possibility.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy on Saturday won the vote of confidence in the state assembly. Palanisamy, who was sworn in on Thursday as Chief Minister, won with 122 votes for the motion, while 11 votes were cast against the confidence vote by the rival AIADMK camp led by former chief minister O. Panneerselvam.



Palaniswami belongs to the AIADMK faction led by party general secretary V.K. Sasikala.

Tamil Nadu had witnessed a political battle reminiscent, a throwback to 1987, after the death of chief minister and AIADMK supremo J.Jayalalithaa in December. In a blow to the chief ministerial ambitions of Jayalalithaa's aide V.K.Sasikala, the apex court on Tuesday upheld a trial court order convicting Sasikala along with late chief minister J.Jayalalithaa and two others in a disproportionate assets case.

>> LIVE UPDATES

3.40 pm: After victory, Palanisamy breaks down with emotion

3.15 pm: Palanisamy wins trust vote with 122 MLAs backing him

3.10 pm: DMK thrown out, Congress stages walkout. Crown within grasping distance for EPS

3.00 pm: DMK alleges that his shirt was torn off when he was forcefully evicted from Assembly. Speaker tore of his shirt himself and blamed MLAs of DMK

1.25 pm: Assembly adjourned again till 3 pm

1.10 pm: Assembly proceedings reconvene, DMK MLAs evicted from house







12.00 pm: Massive ruckus in house, speaker leaves. Assembly adjourned till 1 pm

11.40 am: Congress joins in the chorus for secret ballot

11.30 am: OPS, Stalin want proceedings deferred

11.15 am: TN Assembly Speaker refuses request for secret ballot

11.03 am: Ruckus in TN Assembly, DMK raises slogans supporting OPS

10.50 am: Both OPS and Palani camps issue whip to MLAs to vote against the other. Meanwhile, OPS calls for a secret ballot and Governor forwards the request to the Assembly speaker.

10.10 am: Congress to vote against the confidence motion in Tamil Nadu assembly's special session

10.00 am: Special Public Prosecutor in Sasikala DA case B.V.Acharya urges for secret ballot

9.30 am: Coimbatore North MLA Arun Kumar leaves Edapaddi Palanisamy camp, decides to abstain from voting

8.16 am: Whip issued for all party MLAs, we will vote accordingly, says AIADMK MLA Thoppu N.D.Venkatachalam

8.04 am: AIADMK MLAs leave for the special Assembly session from Golden Bay resort in Kuvathur

7.35 am: Ahead of crucial floor test, school students gather outside Golden Bay resort in Kuvathur in support of Tamil Nadu CM Palanisamy

(All pictures from ANI Twitter)
In 1987, when M.G. Ramachandran breathed his last without identifying his political heir who could lead his party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was in total chaos. The tug of war between his wife Vaikkoom Narayani Janaki and the then celebrated film actor Jayalalithaa Jeyaram almost led the party into a vertical split.

Exactly 30 years later now, Jayalalithaa also left the AIADMK without identifying a leader to head the party. And, in the ensuing battle between her close aide V.K.Sasikala and her ardent loyalist O.Panneerselvam to claim the former chief minister's legacy, Tamil Nadu politics reached a low ebb.

Sasikala, though convicted in a graft case recently, has the last laugh as she finally managed to win the battle by getting her proxy Edappai K. Palanisamy to be sworn in as the chief minister. As Palanisamy won the trust vote on Saturday with the support of 122 MLAs, it is a definite victory for the AIADMK chief and her Mannargudi family.

Panneerselvams all out measure to take on Sasikala might have failed inside the floor of the assembly, but he asserts that the war has just begun. We might have lost the battle. But the real political war has just begun. The war for justice will continue, a smiling Panneerselvam told the media waiting outside the secretariat.

Though he could not break the legislative support of the Sasikala camp, Panneerselvam and his 10 supporters in the assembly seemed to have earned the massive popular support. On the day when Edappadi K. Palanisamy took over as the chief minister, Panneerselvam reached Jayalalithaas memorial and requested the MLAs to visit their constituencies before casting their vote in the assembly. He also said he would visit constituencies of all the 124 legislators who are in support of Sasikala and urge the people to teach them a lesson.

In 1987 too, Jayalaithaa was quick to grab this public opinion and cash in on the public anger against Janaki, just by understanding the fact that the people were against Karunanidhi and his party and that they wanted MGRs rule to continue. Even before Jayalalithaa, when MGR was sacked as treasurer from the DMK in 1972, he went to the people and managed to muster a huge public support that later brought a big following for him.

MGR then called for the people to gather outside the offices of their legislators and wake their conscience. It worked out and even went to the extent of police complaints being filed against MGR. He had to appear before courts for instigating violence. However, the trend began changing in favour of him and he broke away to form the AIADMK in 1973 when there was a by-election in Dindigul. After a massive victory for MGR, people started defecting camps to support him.

Now it seems Panneerselvam has read the public opinion well. He is all out to wage a war against the Mannargudi family, grabbing the public opinion. The civic polls are due. And then there is the RK Nagar by-election. The party and the government may be with them. But they cannot cultivate our Ammas charisma, says an AIADMK district functionary associated with the OPS camp.

R.K. Nagar constituency, which fell vacant after Jayalalithaa's death on December 5, will have to go to vote by June while the local body elections will have to be conducted before April.

In another development which could spell further trouble for Sasikala, the Election Commission has sought explanation from the party chief based on Rajya Sabha MP V. Maitreyans petition. This also gives Panneerselvam camp hopes of getting the rein of the party again.

However, at present, the former chief minister is left in the lurch with just 10 MLAs and a few MPs on his side. Though the party seniors are with him, not even a single MLA has opened up against Palanisamy or Sasikala. Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapals speech in the assembly after EPS winning the trust vote only invoked Jayalalithaa and how Palanisamy and his leader Sasikala wanted Jayalalithaas government.

This is what people want. We will definitely give a stable government. This is peoples government, Ammas government, says Palanismay.

Panneerselvam has several options to prove his might outside the assembly, but he will also have to sail through an equal number of challenges.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the star campaigner of the Bharatiya Janata Party for the municipal elections in the state, faced humiliation in Pune on Saturday as he had to cancel a public meeting for want of audience.

Fadnavis was forced to clarify it on twitter : I have cancelled my public meeting at Pune due to miscommunication of time of rally. I regret for the same. Heading towards Pimpri Chinchwad.

I have cancelled my public meeting at Pune due to miscommunication of time of rally. I regret for the same. Heading towards Pimpri Chinchwad  Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) February 18, 2017

The campaign for municipal elections in Maharashtra has turned out to be an all out war in which the chief minister has emerged as the sole star campaigner for the BJP.

Fadnavis reached Pune to address a rally that was scheduled for Saturday noon. When he reached the venue he was greeted by Pune's guardian minister Girish Bapat and BJP city president Yogesh Gogavale. There were very few people, mostly BJP activists who had gathered to welcome the chief minister. He was greeted by rows of empty chairs.

The fiasco occurred as the meeting was scheduled in the heart of city's BJP belt during afternoon hours, traditionally siesta time for Punekars.

Fadnavis waited for 15 minutes near the stage for the crowd to appear but a very few people turned up. This is the first time that CM has had to cancel his election meeting. It may be recalled that all eight legislators from Pune city belong to BJP and so does the member of parliament Anil Shirole.
India made headlines globally when Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched 104 satellites in one go on February 15. To celebrate this, and also to counter a 2014 New York Times (NYT) cartoon that mocked India's space tech, a cartoonist from a leading national English daily published a befitting response to the those who doubted India's capability in commercial space research.



Besides the number of satellites (it beat Russia's world record of launching 37 at once), ISRO's launch was also the most cost-effective operation.



India's space programme, which began in 1962, has seen leaps and bounds since its first rocket launch in 1963 by the erstwhile Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR). After ISRO was founded in 1969, its first satellite, Aryabhata, was launched in 1975 with the Soviet Union.



In 2013, India launched the Mangalyaan mission, a space probe around Mars. It successfully joined the Mars orbit in 2014. Also called the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), it even won a Space Pioneer Award from the US's National Space Society in 2015, and appreciation from around the world.



But NYT published a cartoon in 2014 that angered Indians and scientists around the globe. Created by Heng Kim Song, a Singapore-based artist, it mocked India's mission days after Mars Orbiter Mission sent impressive pictures of Mars to NASA.

This cartoon was published in NewYork Times whn India was tryg 2launch a satellite in 70s Tdy ISRO has World Record fr launchg 104satellites pic.twitter.com/pQBWh3FkFX  Bhairavi Goswami (@bhairavigoswami) February 16, 2017

It depicted an Indian man in a dhoti, turban and handlebar moustache (with India inscribed on his shirt), and a tired bull behind him. He is seen knocking on the door of the Elite Space Club, in which two over-sized bespectacled men in suits and bow-ties sit. The paper that one of them is reading has India's Mars Mission as the front-page headline.



Amidst criticism that the cartoon was racist, NYT issued an apology, claiming that the cartoonist tried to highlight how space exploration is no longer the exclusive domain of rich, Western countries.



On February 16, the Indian daily used a reprint of the NYT cartoon in its new cartoon. Placed below the reprint was the fresh cartoon by Sandeep Adhwaryu. It depicted the same Indian man clad in dhoti sitting inside the Elite Space Club with his bull, reading a paper with India launched record 104 satellites as the headline. Outside, the two American men in their suits are about to knock on the door, holding rockets in their hands. In a box below, it says With due respect to NYT.

Cartoonist Adhwaryu's response got widespread adulation on social media for giving it back to the American news publisher.
In 2006, in a move that forced science textbooks to be rewritten, Pluto was officially removed as the ninth planet. Since then, astronomers have been on the lookout for a hypothetical Planet X, which many termed Planet Nine. Much to their excitement, in January last year, a team led by astronomer Mike Brown of the University of California, Berkeley, claimed to have found evidence of a possible real ninth planet. And now, astronomers want your help to actually find this mysterious planet.

A new NASA-funded venture, Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, lets any one of us participate in the search for the hidden ninth planet. The elusive planet is believed to be 10 times bigger than the earth, orbiting about 20 times farther from the sun than Neptune, the eighth planet. Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 is a tie-up between NASA, UC Berkeley, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Arizona State University, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore and Zooniverse (a collaboration of scientists, software developers and educators who develop and manage online citizen science projects).

How does it work?

You might think spotting an object so massive is cakewalk, but out in the mysterious outer space with plenty of noise and other objects, the planet could very easily be missed. And that's why NASA is seeking public's help.

A sample of the visual volunteers will have to analyse

For the project, NASA has created a flip-book of short videos from millions of images captured by scanning the sky for years. Science lovers are expected to sit through these videos and keep an eye out for real moving celestial objects, which can be red, blue or white. The project tutorial classifies objects of interests as relatively slow moving objects referred to as dipole and faster moving objects, movers. Do not confuse yourself with fuzzy or spiky objects in the video which could just be stars or scattered light. If you find something interesting, mark the location using a marking tool. You also have the option to discuss this subject on an online TALK bulletin board on the site. Moving objects that we flag will be prioritised for follow-up observations by professional astronomers..

The images used were captured by NASA's Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). There are about four light years between planet Neptune and the closest star Proxima Centauri. Much of this area receives very little sunlight and has been unexplored. Using an infrared astronomical telescope like WISE enables capture of objects in this area that do not reflect light and may not be visible otherwise. Using WISE, the space agency has scanned the entire sky, and believes that the ninth planet may be hidden somewhere in this region.

NASA already runs automated computers searches on these images looking for new objects, but it can easily miss things due to all the background noise. Astronomers say these images can easily fool processing systems, and need human eyes to do the work. Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 has the potential to unlock once-in-a-century discoveries, and it's exciting to think they could be spotted first by a citizen scientist," said team member Aaron Meisner, a researcher at the UC, Berkeley who specialises in analysing WISE images.

Not the first

This is similar to the technique that helped astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discover Pluto in 1930. Tombaugh's process was extremely laborioushe would photograph the same part of sky several days apart and use a comparator to detect the motion of a nearby planet against the more distant fixed stars. Tombaugh made the discovery on February 18, 1930. Today, NASA hopes to make the task easier by roping in the general public.

Participants will share credit for their discoveries in any scientific publications that result from the project. So far, over 9,000 volunteers have signed up for the project. So, what are you waiting for? Get going. If you spot the right one, you could be at the heart of one of the biggest discoveries of the century.
Exploring the potential of genetic engineering in unimaginable ways, a team of Harvard University researchers claim to be just couple of years away from bringing back the woolly mammoth, which became extinct 4,000 years ago, in the form of a hybrid embryo.

Launched in 2015, the project led by renowned geneticist Professor George Church, aims to create a mammoth-elephant hybrid embryo by programming mammoth traits into an Asian elephant, the ancient beast's closest descendant. Speaking ahead of the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Boston this week, Church reportedly said: "Our aim is to produce a hybrid elephant-mammoth embryo Actually, it would be more like an elephant with a number of mammoth traits. Were not there yet, but it could happen in a couple of years.

According to media reports, the scientists used DNA extracted from the fossils of mammoth that were preserved in Arctic permafrost. Though similar to elephants in many ways, mammoths were adapted to extreme cold conditions of the ice age. The mammoth genes for traits that separate the ancient beast from elephantsshaggy long hair, sub-cutaneous fat, small ears and cold-adapted bloodare spliced into the elephant DNA using the powerful gene-editing tool, CRISPR.

Read about CRISPR, here: All about the gene editing tool

According to media reports, the team, which had stopped the research at cell stage, is now going ahead to create embryos. However, it would still take many years before any serious attempts at producing the live animal, referred to as 'mammophant', are made.

Since the project's inception two years ago, the researchers have increased the number of edits, where mammoth DNA has been spliced into the elephant genome, from 15 to 45. Were working on ways to evaluate the impact of all these edits and basically trying to establish embryogenesis in the lab, Church reportedly said.

Church also said that the project has two goals: first, to secure an alternative future for the endangered Asian elephants, and second, to help fight global warming by "helping prevent tundra permafrost from melting and releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere".

Going by the fossil record, the woolly mammoth was a commonly found mammal during the last ice age. Mammoth fossils have been discovered on every continent except Australia and South America. Though scientists widely differ on the possible cause of the extinction of mammoths, they seem to agree on gradual extinction of these large herbivores. It is believed that their numbers began to dwindle around 10,000 years ago, before going extinct 4,000 years ago.
By Press Trust of India: Meanwhile addressing a group of ex-servicemen in Pune, Parrikar said the government has given "full freedom" to the army to conduct any counter-insurgency operation.

"If any officer from armed forces goes out on a counter- insurgency or counter-terrorist operation, government gives full freedom to them to do whatever they feel is right and I am not going to stop them.

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"During winter time all these militants, who hide in adjoining jungles, come to the villages to take shelter and this is the best time to flush them out," said Parrikar.

He said if specific information is there and if somebody tries to create obstruction or hindrance, the army knows how to deal with such elements and it takes that freedom.

He further said, "Army knows that person without weapon should not be attacked, but if anybody is coming in between such operations and helping terrorists, it also knows how to deal with such people."

The Defence Minister said there is nothing wrong in the statement by General Rawat. "There was no need of indulging in politics over this statement as it was give by the Army Chief himself."

Parrikar also addressed couple of election rallies in the city where the civic body polls will be held on February 21. PTI SPK RMT KIS

--- ENDS ---
As the campaign for the Dutch parliament election has just got under way, the latest opinion polls indicate that the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by maverick politician Geert Wilders, is in the lead. All the opinion polls predict a fragmented result, which necessitates a multiparty government consisting of four or more parties.

On current trends, however, there has been a drop in the vote share of PVV (Partij Voor De Vrijheid) recently. Poll forecast by Kantar Public says Wilders can now gather 27 seats, down from 35 seats predicted a fortnight ago. Another pollster, Gfk Global, grants 26 seats to Wilders, down from 31 seats for the same period. It is expected that PVV will get 20 per cent of the votes.

Closely behind is Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative party VVD with its share of 16 per cent of votes. However, Rutte is confident that the performance of his government which lifted the economy out of the recession years of 2012-14 would come to his help.

Polls predict around 10 per cent votes and 15 seats for the centrist liberal party, D66, which has been asking for more cooperation among the European nations. The party wants more emphasis on English in the secondary schools and colleges so as to attract the best talents from all over the world.

While major parties have suffered a decline, unconventional parties like Green Left and 50 Plusa pensioners' political partyhave gained popular support. Christian parties still do well in the so called 'Bible Belt'. Another big loser in the polls is the social-democratic political party PvdA, currently a partner in the coalition government led by VVD.

The political rivals of Wilders are pinning their hopes on PVVs usual kind of under-performing on the poll day.

The share of the major parties has consistently fallen in the Dutch parliament. Three main parties accounted for 89 per cent of the seats in 1986. Their share was just over 60 per cent in 2012. Opinion polls predict that their share will drop to 42 per cent in the coming election.

It is evident that traditional parties are losing out to populist parties.

There are no less than 30 parties in the fray and 14 of them will win at least one seat. Eight parties may get 10 or more seats with none capturing more than a quarter in the 150-member lower house. Result: no single party will get the required 76 seats to form a government.

However, a clear picture is yet to emerge as a major portion of votersReuters says 37 per cent and The Economist says 70 per centare still undecided about their political choice. Similar to the Brexit and the US elections, the undecided voters may swing the polls in favour of the anti-establishment. Wilders is counting on this new trend sweeping across the world.

A woman supporter of Geert Wilders holds a poster reading "Don't let yourself be afraid" at his campaign on February 18, 2017. Photo: AFP



Winners won't quit

Top political leaders have ruled out a coalition that includes Wilders. They say his anti-European Union, anti-Islamic agenda would not work in a coalition set-up and therefore, he would not be acceptable as prime minister even if PVV secures more seats. In this situation, forming a government with Wilders as the head would be extremely difficult.

Chances are that Rutte may try to form a centrist coalition with smaller parties. But if other parties unite to keep Wilders out of power, he might use it to his advantage as his omission would sound like rejecting the will of the people.

Forming a coalition government in the Netherlands might take months. A two-party alliance in 1977 took nearly seven months to form. However, any political formula that could accommodate Wilders in a ruling coalition might evolve after the polls.



'Patriotic spring

Wilderss controversial statements and rhetoric against immigrants had put him in trouble on many occasions.

At a political rally in the Hague on March 19, 2014, held after the municipal elections, Wilders asked:

In this city and the Netherlands, do you want more or fewer Moroccans?

FEWER FEWER FEWER, the crowd chanted.

Allright, then we're going to have it, Wilders assured the cheering supporters.

The event went live on Dutch TV, and played over again and again, followed by discussions and debates. It was posted on YouTube for more people to watch it later.

Infuriated citizensmore than 5,000 in numberjointly filed a petition seeking action against Wilders for leading the chant against citizens of Moroccan origin. On December 9 last year, a three-member jury found Wilders guilty of inciting discrimination and insulting a section of society. However, the court decided not to impose a fine of 5,000 euros as requested by the prosecution.

Britains exit from the European Union and Trump's aggressive victory in the United States have brightened his spirits.

Wilderss 11-point agenda elaborates his 'Make the Netherlands Ours Again' slogan. He wants tight border control that closes doors to Muslim immigrants. A stubborn eurosceptic, he wants to take the Netherlands off the bloc. His aim is to restore the Dutch pride including the guilder.

A supporter of Geert Wilders holds a leaflet at his election campaign in Spijkenisse. Photo: AFP

Wilders is an admirer of Donald Trump and he has praised Trump's travel ban on people from seven Muslim majority countries and even called the ban being extended to cover Saudi Arabia as well. He suggests a protectionist policy similar to that of 'Trump's 'America First' for the Netherlands. He says he would enforce ban on Shariah law in order to 'de-Islamise' the country. Immigrants involved in crimes or those who do not like Dutch values would have to go back to land of their origin. The Netherlands is not the place for people who cannot assimilate its culture. However, he says law-abiding Muslim citizens would not be affected by his policies.

As a young man, Wilders had volunteered in Israel and loves the Jewish state. In an interview, he likened mosques to Nazi temples and the Quran to Mein Kampf. "A lot of people from Islamic backgrounds don't care a bit about our values, our culture, our identity, our freedomor the rights of women not to be harassed," Wilders told National Public Radio last December. The 53-year-old Wilders wants to lead the Netherlands to its white, Christian roots. He says he would close down the mosques and restrict the Quran for scholarly use. Wilders enjoys overwhelming support among unemployed people and those 'affected' by foreigners. His supporters like him when Wilders vows to protect liberal Dutch values from Islamic threat.

Wilders's rise from a one-man army to a powerful political force is astounding. In December 2016, a Dutch news channel chose him the politician of the year for the fourth time. Wilders is top on the hit-list of terrorists. He lives in fortified houses and is surrounded by bodyguards whenever he ventures out.



Look to the past

The story of immigrants to the Netherlands begins with the arrival of a few people from the former Dutch colony of Indonesia in the 1950s. Workers from Turkey and Morocco were brought to meet a shortage of labour faced by the Dutch companies in the 1960 and 1970s. After the Netherlands co-founded the EU in 1993, a large number of people started pouring in through its free borders. Soon the Dutch people began to feel the 'presence' of immigrants whose population had risen to 10 per cent. In some areas in the port city of Rotterdam, migrants are in majority. They are mostly children of Turks and Moroccans.

Anti-Islamic sentiments in the Netherlands reached its peak after the brutal murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a Dutch-Moroccan Muslim on an Amsterdam street in November 2004. Dutch Muslim community was outraged by his critical movie on the treatment of women in Islam. The murder promoted millions of Dutch people attended rallies for freedom of speech, in protest against the murder.



Swing to the right

Dutch elections are a frontrunner to the three major European elections in this year. Polls in France and Germany later this year are crucial for the future of Europe.

A two-stage French presidential election is scheduled for April and May. Opinion polls suggest that the top issue in this election is security. The series of terrorist attacks in France and the rest of Europe since 2015 have raised the demand for a tight border. As of now, far-right anti-immigrant and anti-European Union National Front led by Marine Le Pen is ahead in opinion polls with 26.5 per cent vote.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's popularity has plummetted over the issue of refugees. Photo: AFP

Election to Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany, will be held on September 24, 2017. Re-election bid of German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been badly hit. Right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and her rival Martin Schulz of the Social Democratic party have become more acceptable in the recent months owing to Merkel's refugee policy.



Will the EU fall apart?

Far-right and populist parties and Europes anti-establishment figures are flexing their muscles in western Europe. With euroscepticsm on the rise and right-wing parties upsurging, the unity of Europe is under duress. The six founding members of the EUthe Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and Italyare struggling to keep the EU united. Most people think that a Dutch departure could be beginning of the end of the EU.

The Netherlands has so far maintained its long tradition of encouraging liberal social values as opposed to extremism. Political pundits say that the same crowd who support Wilders may oppose the extreme views of Wilders in the future. But for now, they support Geert Wilders, as his party seems to fight for their national identity.
As the train chugs into the quaint little station, Malerkotla looks like another nondescript town of Punjab. But Malerkotlas name is known to institutions like the Iraqi army, Cambridge University and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The only Muslim majority town in Punjab after partition, Malerkotla has more than 500 Muslim families of craftsmen who have mastered the art of brocade. Once entrusted with embroidering the exquisite dresses of the Indian royals, the craftsmen now provide hand-woven crests and insignia to colleges, universities and defence forces, and embellishments to international designers like Cavalieri, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gucci and D&G.

The town was untouched by the migration trauma of 1947, and its fortunes looked up in 1978 when the Iraqi army placed an order for 1.5 lakh crests and there has been no looking back since then. Today, the families earn more than Rs 6 crore a year and sell around six lakh pieces of brocade work, mostly to the Indian armed forces. About a dozen business houses in the walled city are exporting their products to 15 countries, including Britain, Canada, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Nigeria. In addition to badges, they make embellishments like buttons, appliques and exquisite borders using jute thread and a wooden base.

We have been doing zardosi work for generations now. Our ancestors used to work on the dresses of local nawabs and Mughal courtiers. Then we did work for the Indian Army, but today we are giving a regal identity to premium colleges and fashion brands, says Tahir Rana of Rana Crafts, one of the major export houses in Malerkotla. Apart from making insignia for state police departments, the town caters to more than 70 per cent of the demand of the Indian defence sector.

Delicate design: A craftsman working on a piece. While hand-knitting lends grandeur to the design, it has taken its toll on the eyesight of the craftsmen.

Conventionally, the badges are made with a knitting needle, golden bullion thread and velvet cloth. The craftsmen first trace the logo or design on the base cloth and then embroider it. While hand-knitting lends grandeur to the design, it has taken its toll on the eyesight of the craftsmen.

It is more or less a family affair where children are taught from the age of nine, says Mumtaz, owner of Crown Crafts. It takes 8 to 10 years to become a master craftsman, but, unfortunately, because of the strain involved in the work, many workers face eyesight-related issues. Several craftsmen now use an embroidery machine to reduce the strain. However, the biggest threat to the trade is that we dont have the skills to sell our goods.

The badge makers dont know much about the overseas market. They depend on export merchants in Meerut and Delhi. The competition is fierce, so we cut our profit margins, says Mohammed, who runs a small business in Malerkotla. One badge fetches me Rs 10 to Rs 30, but the export houses sell it for Rs 200. The product costs the final buyer something like 10 to 20 or its equivalent in dollars.

The units have employed more than 400 women, of whom a majority are widows and divorcees. I can work from home and make around Rs 10,000 a month, says Sarabjeet Kaur, a resident of Malerkotla. The money may be little but I can pay for my childrens food and education.
By Press Trust of India: Differences among govts shouldnt stop lawmakers dialogue:IPU

Indore, Feb 18 (PTI) Pakistans absence at a speakers summit here raised several eyebrows with Inter-Parliamentary Union taking on Indias neighbour, saying differences between governments should not stop dialogue among lawmakers.

"You can just roll up your sleeves and take your jacket and you talk. I think peoples representatives are much more open in discussing issues," IPU President Saber Hossain Chowdhury said on the sidelines of South Asian Speakers summit.

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"When governments stop talking parliamentarians should continue and at least at the parliamentary level this is what IPU stands for which is dialogue. You may have differences then talk about your differences," he said.

He said parliamentarians from different countries can have informal discussions on various issues and "protocol can go out of the window".

Pakistan has skipped the summit being attended by speakers of six South Asian nations.

"Although, Pakistan in not here on this occasion but we are hopeful that it will participate in upcoming events of this very warm platform in the near future," Chowdhury, who is an MP from Bangladesh, said.

Pakistans absence also irked neighbouring Afghanistan, with its representatives wondering the reasons behind it.

"Pakistan is not here; the reasons are best known to them. As a neighbouring nation we would have felt better if they were here," Speaker of Afghanistan Assembly Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi said.

He said like India, cross-border terrorism is very serious threat for Afghanistan.

In his inaugural speech, the IPU President had expressed disappointment over the absence of Pakistan and said it is not unusual for governments to have differences but it is believed at the IPU that political dialogue is absolutely critical.

Pitching for further enhancing the cooperation between parliamentarians of different countries, he proposed an idea of establishing joint parliamentarians groups from different South Asian countries, including Pakistan.

The two-day summit is being jointly organised by Indian Parliament and IPU on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Chowdhury said nowhere else in the world do speakers come together to discuss SDGs. The discussions on these goals can be left for the government but as parliamentarians we want to do value addition in future of the people, he said. PTI JTR HWP NAB AAR

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Feb 18 (PTI) A senior Bangladeshi official today strongly advocated amendment to the SAARC charter to disallow countries like Pakistan from vetoing regional initiatives.

He also accused Islamabad of "destabilising" the region by "allowing" cross-border terrorism.

Addressing an international conference at the Delhi University, Adviser to Bangladeshs Prime Minister on international crimes, Waliur Rahman, also backed Indias stand on the UN designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief and Pathankot attack mastermind Masood Azhar a global terrorist, a move repeatedly blocked by China.

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Concerned over Pakistans attempt to stall regional initiatives, he said, the decision-making norm in the charter should be changed from "unanimity to majority".

"As member nations we have not made the kind of progress, we would have wanted to. The tragedy of SAARC, as I would like to call it, is that one member country is destroying it. So, should we leave SAARC or should we disband it?

"The SAARC charter says the decision has to be unanimous. I think we made a mistake, it should be based on the UN charter. And, therefore I say that we should amend it, to change the unanimity clause to majority decision-making," he said.

Rahman said the amended charter will benefit all peace loving members of the regional grouping.

"Pakistan will veto our collective decision, it is a no- go situation. So, first three-four countries will have to be together. And, the proposal must be put up in the next head of state, summit-level meet of SAARC. It has to be done not in Islamabad of course, but somewhere else. We cannot allow the SAARC to die.

"Nepal shares the idea, I spoke to them. The group of willing members has to be together and make this proposal. And, it is my hunch that if rest of the SAARC countries, including Afghanistan, come together on this, Pakistan will also agree," he said.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organisation and geopolitical union of nations in South Asia. Its member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Rahman also accused Pakistan of promoting narco-terrorism across its border and hit out at ISI, claiming, "It has more money than all the intelligence agencies of the world taken together."

"Uri was engineered by Pakistan to sabotage the SAARC summit in Islamabad... But you see Pakistan growing and spreading terrorism is becoming a tragedy for itself too. First, JeM, LeT and now TTP, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. And a section of TTP has meshed up with the Daish (IS)," he alleged, adding, "India, Bangladesh and Nepal must be cautious of it." PTI KND SK

--- ENDS ---
Pundits rushed to declare Britains Vauxhall factories doomed last week after it emerged that PSA  the French owner of Peugeot and Citroen  was looking to buy the European business of US giant General Motors.

But the British car maker may still have a vibrant future, according to industry experts. Compared with General Motors production facilities on the Continent, its two factories are more efficient and more profitable.

Indeed, the last time a Vauxhall factory was threatened with closure five years ago, its bosses analysed its effectiveness and closed a German car plant instead.

Overdrive: The productivity of Vauxhalls UK plants will save them if a buyout goes ahead, says Prof Garel Rhys, left

Garel Rhys, professor of motor industry economics at Cardiff Business School and a former adviser to the Government, argues that Vauxhall is so much more efficient that even Brexit cannot stop it being the groups jewel in the crown. His upbeat analysis is in sharp contrast to last weeks doom-saying.

Rival expert John Colley, a professor at Warwick Business School, bluntly warned that PSA had little choice but to close the plants at Ellesmere Port and Luton to make the Opel acquisition work.

Vauxhall is part of General Motors wider European business, which makes cars under the Opel badge. Colley said: The cost of closing the high-cost German plants will be at least triple that of the UK plants. Not only will they have to placate the powerful German unions, who have right-of-deal veto, but redundancy costs are around three times the level of the UK.

If the buyout goes ahead, PSA will have 18 manufacturing facilities and eight car plants, so a rationalisation is likely and  say many  a French company is unlikely to close down sites close to home.

Garel Rhys is the professor of motor industry economics at Cardiff Business School

And Colley argued PSA might look to Eastern Europe for any new factories in the future, saying: It has the benefit of lower labour costs and being closer to demand. Brexit may start paying the price.

But Rhys said: People are rushing to conclusions, saying Britain is on the edge of Europe and so is easy to get rid of. Thats complete nonsense. The UK is a hugely important part of the car industry in Europe. Theres everything to play for.

Back in 2012, it was also feared that Ellesmere Port would close, with the new Astra produced on the Continent.

But workers, unions and management united to prove the factory was far more efficient than its sister site in Bochum, Germany. The Cheshire plant was found to be producing a record 47 cars an hour over two shifts a day, compared with Bochums 30 an hour.

Ellesmere Port survived and won the contract to produce the new Astra, securing 2,100 jobs and adding 700. Bochum was closed  the first time a German car factory had been shut since the war.

The UK played a blinder, said Rhys. Ellesmere Port proved it was able to change and improve, while Bochum thought it knew best. It hasnt got over the shock. It shows how a seemingly hopeless case can be saved. Its now up to Vauxhall to show how useful and efficient it is.

The UK is a hugely important part of the car industry in Europe. Theres everything to play for Garel Rhys, professor of motor industry economics at Cardiff Business School

Industry insiders say that talk of it being cheaper to sack British workers rather than German ones also misses the point.

This is a long-term, strategic deal, said one. It is not about short-term costs, but about how to make money for years to come, and how to compete with the likes of Volkswagen.

Unlike Opel, Vauxhall has also been profitable for years.

Vauxhall more than holds its own against General Motors Europe, said Rhys, and industry sources agree it is still incredibly efficient.

The plant in Luton, which makes the Vivaro van, has a theoretical capacity of 60,000 vehicles a year, but currently makes nearly 74,000.

Rhys said: Its working like a train, making money hand over fist. Sadly, all the profits are wiped out by Opels losses and obviously General Motors said enough was enough.

Vauxhall was Britains sixth biggest car maker last year, accounting for 118,182 vehicles out of a total UK production of 1.7 million. Vauxhall is the second-biggest selling brand in the UK after Ford.

While Vauxhall doesnt have the UK size and scale of Nissan, which was recently given assurances by the Government about the future of the manufacturing here following Brexit, it still employs 4,500 staff directly, with a further 7,000 in the supply chain and around 20,000 in Vauxhall dealerships.

If Nissan had closed, then the effect on the industry and North-East would have been devastating, said Rhys. This isnt on the same scale, but it is still important.

As well as the people employed directly and in the supply chain, Vauxhall is one of the biggest customers of Tata Steel, for example.

Last week, Business Secretary Greg Clark flew to Paris to meet the French industry minister and members of the board of PSA, in meetings he described as constructive.

He added: They stressed that they valued highly the enduring strength of the Vauxhall brand, underpinned by its committed workforce.

Rhys said: PSA is here to make a profit. Theyll soon see how useful and efficient Vauxhall is. It shouldnt be written off just yet.
Communities Minister Sajid Javid was last night under mounting pressure to reverse the Governments business rates reforms after it emerged Wales had scrapped the most controversial features of the system.

The Welsh Government, which former Chancellor George Osborne granted powers to vary the new system, has said it regards the latest rules as an England-only plan.

The split centres on the new appeals system for rates bills, known as Check Challenge Appeal, which critics have already warned will delay companies getting their bills corrected and may put many firms off complaining at all.

Communities Minister Sajid Javid was last night under mounting pressure to reverse the Governments business rates reforms

The Welsh Government has now said it will not impose the system being introduced in England in April and leading business advisers this weekend urged Westminster to follow its lead.

Mark Rigby, chief executive of business rates adviser CVS, said: With some six weeks to go until the start of the next Rating List, we have growing concerns about the rates appeals system in England. I would urge the Government to follow the lead of the Welsh in abandoning the Check Challenge Appeal process.

John Webber, head of ratings at property services company Colliers International, said: People are looking at Check Challenge Appeal and they can see a car crash coming. I think the Welsh can see through the nightmare that will be CCA in its current form.

CCA is not there to help rate payers  it is there to help keep the money in the coffers of the local authorities, who are desperate for money, and prevent people from being incentivised to make an appeal even if they suspect a bill is wrong and they are being overcharged.

Alert: How The Mail on Sunday warned about the appeals last year

Hundreds of thousands of firms will see sharp rises in their rates bills and a flood of potential appeals is expected.

A spokesman for the Welsh Government told The Mail on Sunday  which has been campaigning for an overhaul of business rates  that it regarded the new appeals system as an England-only initiative and that its Local Government Minister, Mark Drakeford, was examining rules that could make its system fair and reasonable.

The Welsh plans will further enrage businesses in England, where complaints about the system reached fever pitch last week.

The first revaluation of rates bills in seven years means many firms have witnessed extreme changes to their bills following the last review.

Business lawyers have claimed the new appeals system could even be illegal because it allows a margin of error in the assessment. They argue this means appeals will be thrown out even if the rates bill in question is wrong.

The row over the rates appeal system was exclusively revealed by The Mail on Sunday in November.
Bill's Restaurants served 5.8 million eggs and 468,000 avocados to 7.5 million customers last year as the chain continued its rapid expansion across Britain.

The casual dining high street brand, majority-owned by millionaire restaurateur Richard Caring, saw turnover jump 21 per cent to 111 million in the year to July 31, 2016.

Accounts just filed show that pre-tax profits at the 75-strong chain were up from 6.6 million to 7 million.

Bill's Restaurants served 5.8 million eggs and 468,000 avocados to 7.5 million customers last year as the chain continued its rapid expansion across Britain

Last year, the company opened nine new outlets at locations including High Wycombe, Greenwich, Sevenoaks, Birmingham and Leeds.

Chief executive Mark Fox, who left Starbucks to join Bills last year, said 2016 had been a strong year for the company.

The original Bills was opened in Lewes, East Sussex, by greengrocer Bill Collison who moved into the cafe industry in 2000 after his business was closed due to flooding. He is no longer involved in running the company but retains a stake.

Caring launched Soho House, The Ivy, Le Caprice and Cote.
Royal Bank of Scotlands plan to ditch a sale of 300 branches could be rubber stamped by the European Commission within weeks, paving the way for the Government to sell-off the huge taxpayer stake in the group.

RBS announced late on Friday that it wants to provide 750 million to finance competition in business banking, instead of selling the Williams & Glyn branches.

The EC had required RBS to sell the branches as a condition of its 2008 bailout.

Looking ahead: Royal Bank of Scotlands plan to ditch a sale of 300 branches could be rubber stamped by the European Commission within weeks

The new plan to scrap the sale and instead subsidise smaller rivals has been discussed with EC competition officials.

Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager will ask commissioners to look at the plans in the coming weeks. Commissioners generally decide within weeks rather than months, a spokesman added.

Approval would clear a major hurdle to the sale of the Governments 73 per cent stake in RBS.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said last year that the Treasury could not sell more of its stake until Williams & Glyn had been sold and the bank had reached a settlement with the US Department of Justice over its mis-selling of sub-prime mortgage products.

Paul Lynam, chief executive of Secure Trust bank and chairman of the challenger bank panel at the British Bankers Association, said the RBS plan needed to provide a sustained boost for challenger banks.

Rishi Khosla, chief executive and co-founder of OakNorth, an SME-focused challenger bank, said: Its important that this fund doesnt just focus on current accounts, but that it is used to increase challenger banks capabilities to deliver a range of products and services, including short and long-term business loans.

Under the plan, challenger banks will be offered dowries to allow them to incentivise small businesses to switch accounts from RBS.

Business customers of those banks will be able to continue to use the RBS branch network to pay in cash and cheques.

RBS has already spent 1.8 billion in an attempt to separate Williams & Glyn, but was set to miss a key deadline.

Analysts say RBS will reveal 2016 losses of more than 6 billion, on top of Fridays 750 million provision, on Friday.
The Treasury is poised to launch an independent inquiry into the Co-operative Bank nearly four years after it almost collapsed.

The long-awaited probe will look at the regulation of the bank and questions will include why former Methodist minister Paul Flowers  whose drug-taking was exposed by The Mail on Sunday  was allowed to become chairman of the lender.

The Co-op Bank has never fully recovered from the crisis, which led to a rescue takeover by its creditors. Huge losses are continuing and the bank announced last week it is putting itself up for sale.

The Treasury is poised to launch an independent inquiry into the Co-operative Bank nearly four years after it almost collapsed

The Treasury first promised to launch an inquiry into the Co-op Bank in November 2013, but a probe failed to get off the ground because of separate investigations and enforcement actions by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England against the bank and some of its directors.

Regulators are expected to nominate a senior City lawyer to head the probe. The appointment will be ratified by the Treasury. FCA sources said the regulator had already begun scoping, governance and data gathering exercises in relation to the inquiry.

Regulatory enforcement actions into the banks problems are still thought to be under way, but the FCA activity suggests they could be concluded imminently.

Co-op Bank is likely to announce fresh losses next month and has said it will miss Bank of England targets for its capital reserves.

The independent probe could cause embarrassment at the FCA as the regulators chief executive Andrew Bailey played a key role in regulating the Co-op Bank.

Bailey was director of UK Banks and Building Societies at the Financial Services Authority in 2011 when it began talks to take over what became TSB from Lloyds Banking Group and he raised concerns about the banks capital position.

The Treasury has said that the inquiry would cover the actions of relevant authorities (regulators and Government) and the institution itself, including prudential issues, governance (including the appointment of senior staff) and acquisitions from 2008 until 2013.

Mark Taber, a bond investor who campaigned successfully in 2013 for retail investors to get a better deal from the bailout, said it was not that satisfactory that the regulator was appointing an investigator into itself.

He added it was unclear what was still holding up the Treasury probe. Taber said: Both the FCA and PRA have issued enforcement notices to the Co-op Bank and various individuals so it is hard to see what or who they are still investigating three and a half years later.

The bank was censured by the PRA and FCA in August 2015, but was spared a 120 million fine because of its weakened financial position.

Former Co-op Bank chief executive Barry Tootell was separately fined and barred from working in financial services by the PRA in January, 2016.

The Treasury Select Committee has criticised the regulator for permitting the appointment of Flowers.

Clive Adamson, former director of supervision at the FSA and the FCA, approved the appointment and has said he stands by the decision. He left the FCA two years ago.

The FCA, the Treasury and the Co-op Bank all declined to comment.




By Press Trust of India: Allahabad, Feb 18 (PTI) Describing the Samajwadi Party as "protector of rapists", Union minister Smriti Irani today said its five-year rule will be remembered only for crimes against women.

She was referring to an FIR filed today against tainted senior SP minister Gayatri Prajapati in connection with cases of alleged gangrape and attempt to rape a woman and her minor daughter.

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"It is a disgrace that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had in his cabinet a person like Gayatri Prajapati who has been accused of rape. That the court had to intervene and order that an FIR be lodged against the minister proves that SP is a protector of rapists. No wonder under its rule, women of UP have never felt safe", Irani said while addressing a series of election meetings here.

The Supreme Court had yesterday directed the police to book the minister, who is a senior leader of the ruling Samajwadi Party.

Irani, who is a former national vice-president of the BJP, said "the five-year rule of SP will be remembered only for the high incidence of crimes against women, land grabbing and a free rein to marauding gangsters."

She also lambasted the "discredited" Congress for its truck with the SP and claimed voters will teach a lesson to their "opportunistic alliance".

"That the Congress has been discredited across the country is evident from its drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls followed by its losing state after state in assembly polls.

"Congress, SP and BSP therefore stand no chance of coming back to power in UP, whether they fight separately or in coalition", she said.

She claimed that the people of UP have become fed up with SP and BSP which have alternately ruled the state for more than a decade.

Amid "this gloomy situation", the people are looking at the BJP with hope. Their hopes have only been strengthened by the example of development-oriented Narendra Modi government, she said.

"The party, once its comes to power in UP, will root out corruption, take lawbreakers to task and help the state realise its full potential. The people will definitely vote for us and teach a lesson to the opportunistic alliance of SP and Congress", Irani, who holds the Textile portfolio, added. PTI NAC RCJ

--- ENDS ---
Cruise companies are raking in millions of pounds in rip-off credit card fees.

New laws have been introduced to ban excessive charges for paying by plastic.

But consumer campaigners say they are being flouted, with the travel industry a major offender.

Cruise giant ROL charges a 2.5 per cent fee, while P&O owner Carnival charges 1.5 per cent, and Cunard charges 1.5 per cent (file picture)

Customers who purchase a luxury cruise with some of the biggest operators face hundreds of pounds in charges if paying by credit card.

Cruise giant ROL charges a 2.5 per cent fee, while P&O owner Carnival charges 1.5 per cent, and Cunard charges 1.5 per cent.

Booking a Caribbean cruise for two with ROL with a credit card will incur a fee of more than 150, on top of the 6,118 price tag for the trip.

A luxury 16-night cruise for two people from Beijing to Bangkok will cost almost 900 in credit card fees on a 35,598 trip.

Airlines are also hitting customers with swingeing charges to pay by credit card, with Ryanair levying a 2 per cent fee, and Flybe charging 3 per cent.

But others such as Wizzair charge nothing, while Monarch Airlines recently scrapped its fee.

Consumer campaign group Fairer Finance says customers are being ripped off.

A 0.3 per cent cap was introduced in December 2015 for so-called interchange fees paid by firms to their bank when they process a credit card payment. Other costs of processing the transaction have not been capped.

But experts insist the total cost should amount to little more than 0.6 per cent. Separate laws stipulate that traders can only pass on costs they incur for processing the transaction to customers and cannot use card fees to make extra profit.

But consumer campaigners have accused firms of profiteering and claim government and other authorities meant to police these rules  Trading Standards and the Payment Systems Regulator  have been allowing this to happen.

Customers who purchase a luxury cruise with some of the biggest operators face hundreds of pounds in charges if paying by credit card

James Daley, of Fairer Finance, said: Customers, including people booking expensive cruises, are being ripped off. These firms are profiteering.

Labour MP Chris Leslie, a former shadow chancellor, said: If the law has been changed it has to be enforced. Councils are exempt from the crackdown on credit card charges, but have also been blasted for imposing hefty fees.

Ealing, West Dorset, North Norfolk and South Cambridgeshire are just some of the authorities which levy a 2.5 per cent charge on credit card payments for anything from council tax to parking permits.

Lichfield, Tameside, Wealden and East Hertfordshire charge 2 per cent.

The cruise companies, airlines and councils claim they are simply passing on their costs to customers. But ROL Cruise said it has decided to reduce its credit card charge to 1.5 per cent from March 1.

A spokesman said: We do make all customers aware of the credit card fee at the time of booking.

A spokesman for Cunard said: We follow the guidance issued by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in relation to credit card fees to ensure the fees we charge are fair and legal.
There is a lot to do today so let's start with the winners of the drawing for Norm Jenson's book, Mostly Anecdotal: Stories that we told you about on Wednesday. May I have a drum roll please.

And the winners are:

 Estelle D

 Linda

 Diane

Congratulations to you all. What the three of you need to do now, is email me (use the "Contact" link at the top of the page and send me your snailmail address. I'll then get the books off to you forthwith.

Next:

TIME GOES BY 2016 DONATION WEEK REMINDER

Only two more days until this TGB donation drive for 2017 is done. You can read the details of what it is about on Monday's post.

If you have already donated, thank you  it is much appreciated. If you haven't done so and would like to help support the work that goes on here, click the button below. If not, which is perfectly fine, scroll down for today's post.

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ELDERS, STRESS AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

When even The American Institute of Stress can't define what stress is, you know you're in trouble:

Stress is not a useful term for scientists because it is such a highly subjective phenomenon that it defies definition.



[Eight opaque paragraphs later:]



While everyone cant agree on a definition of stress, all of our experimental and clinical research confirms that the sense of having little or no control is always distressful  and thats what stress is all about.

Uh-huh - stress is distressful. That is what is called a tautology  defining a word by using the same word.

MedicineNet is a bit more helpful: a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension but a note on a different page of that website is better:

Due to the overabundance of stress in our modern lives, we usually think of stress as a negative experience, but from a biological point of view, stress can be a neutral, negative, or positive experience.

If I've ever read anything about neutral or positive stress, I don't recall, but it confirms for me that sometimes stress is a good thing. In my career, for example, deadlines had me gritting my teeth but without them I would probably never have finished editing a story or video nor would my work have been as good.

Except for that one Medicinenet reference, all I ever see is how dangerous stress is. Here is one more definition of negative stress, from an article at Medical News Today, that makes the most sense to me:

We generally use the word 'stress' when we feel that everything seems to have become too much - we are overloaded and wonder whether we really can cope with the pressures placed upon us.

What's important about that definition and my intro to it (makes most sense to me) is that stress  whatever it is or isn't  is individual. You might sail through a situation that leaves me a puddle on the floor. Or vice versa.

According to my cursory reading on stress, it is brought about in elders by such factors as financial hardship, physical decline, healthcare changes, loneliness and there are many, many other smaller stressers. Whatever the cause, the effects on our bodies are profound and dangerous to our health. Here is a partial list of stress responses:

Anger

Anxiety

Burnout

Depression

Fatigue

Feeling of insecurity

Forgetfulness

Headache

Heart disease

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Irritability

Lower immunity against diseases

Muscular aches

Nail biting

Nervous twitches

Pins and needles

Problem concentrating

Restlessness

Sadness

Sleeping difficulties

What brought up all this rumination on stress is that since election day, I've felt more worry, fear, anxiety and most of all, helplessness, than I can ever recall. Every day, all the time  and it is not related only to the president. It's the Republican Congress too.

Voucherize Medicare? Privatize Social Security? Repeal Obamacare? And those are almost incidental when you hear this from a White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller:

Let's repeat the most important part of his statement:

...the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial, and will not be questioned."

Does that not chill you to the bone? And what can I, personally, possibly do to counter this most recent, terrifying turn toward autocratic rule in the United States?

Not much that I can see but it eats at me every day. Sometimes I can barely breathe and with each new move toward the right by the government, I am more frightened  read: stressed  and I'm not alone.

Here are some of the suggestions from the medical community for dealing with stress:

Meditation

Exercise

Good nutrition

Relaxation techniques

Cut down on caffeine

Talk with friends

Keep breathing

It is one thing if the sources of stress are from our own lives. In that case, those suggestions are useful. But what if the source of stress is your government? And what if the people comparing the Trump government to 1930's Germany are not hysterics?

So much for a quiet, fulfilling retirement. Breathe, everyone. Breathe.
MBABANE  Parents and pupils are said to be robbed in broad daylight by some teachers who offer to teach learners on weekends.



It is also alleged that during the course of the year, teachers are compelled to doctor pupils marks so as to impress parents that the primary school was doing a good job. A former teacher has opened a can of worms after parting ways with the school at the beginning of this year.

Makhosazane Tfwala said each child was to pay E250 for attending Saturday classes at the primary school, over the E5 000 a child pays as school fees.



The name of the primary school has been deliberately withheld as further investigations into the allegations are being carried out.

She is bitter and claims to have been fired because she did not agree with the many wrongs that were happening at the school.

During the first term, according to the school prospectus, parents are to pay about E5 000 for stationary and textbooks.

However, Tfwala said when the children came to class last year they were not given the stationery, something which she then queried and she was told that parents were to buy their childrens stationary.



She said this surprised her because that was contrary to what was made as an offer in the prospectus. The former teacher said the school refused to grant her permission to teach pupils after school, between 2pm and 3pm.

Tfwala further claimed that she couldnt take her pupils for weekend classes because the school leases out classrooms to churches and due to the noise, learning was almost impossible.



However, she alleged, a group of teachers, seniors at the school, told pupils to tell their parents to fork out extra E250 for weekend classes and the money was going to be divided among them for offering to teach during their spare time.
Resident of Mpolonjeni in Mbabane could not get to work yesterday morning as the road was flooded at an intersection. . (Pics: Sanele Mavuso)

MBABANE  The police toll-free emergency line 999 was flooded by calls made by angry parents who wanted the police to shut down schools.



This follows a stand taken by the Ministry of Education and Training that schools would not close despite that there were threats of cyclone Dineo.

The warning issued by the police that children and adults must not cross flooded rivers has proven to create confusion as it is in direct contrast with that of the Minister of Education and Training which calls for children to go to school.



Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Khulani Mamba said at some point, he had to refer the angry parents to Government Spokesperson Percy Simelane because they would not listen to him.

We tried to explain to the parents that police do not have the mandate to shut down schools, but government has, but they kept on insisting that the police close the schools, he said.



Mamba said apart from the endless calls, they were thankful to God that the situation was not as bad as they had anticipated.

He lamented the death of the five-year-old preschooler who was knocked down by a car after he was turned back from preschool on Thursday.

A concern has been raised that parents and children were now not sure of whom to listen to especially in cases where their children have to cross rivers in order to get to school.
MBABANE  A well known pastor has claimed that his wife was almost raped inside the car he found her in with a family friend who is a princes son.



The pastor, who was in the company of his wife, said they wanted to set the record straight following reports that he had found her in a compromising position with the said man, known to this publication.



The princes son has, however, challenged the couple to lay a charge against him if there was any truth in what they were claiming.

The identities of all the parties involved are known to this publication but have been deliberately withheld as no formal charge was filed with the police despite pastors visit to the Mbabane Police Station.



The wife claimed that the family friend offered to take her home from town in his car.

She said the pastor was away in Manzini and since she was carrying a big screen television, her preacher husband had asked that she organise transport to take her home, thus she appreciated the ride home.



She claimed that after she alighted at the house, the family friend reversed the car as if he was driving away and she went into the house to change her clothes in readiness to perform her household chores.

I then heard a knock and when I opened the door, I found the family friend at the doorstep. He made his intentions known and started making sexual advances towards me, further claimed the preachers wife.



She alleged that she tried to talking him out of what he was trying to do but he was persistent in his quest to have sex with her.

The preachers wife claimed that she told him that what he wanted from her was forbidden and that he must be out of his mind for even suggesting it, but that didnt do any good.
Family members said the child had left the home to visit a nearby shrine to make offerings on Thursday evening.

By Manjeet Sehgal: In a shocking incident, a four-year-old child was mauled to death by the stray dogs in Kaironwal village in Taran Taran district of Punjab, police officials told India Today.

Family members said the child had left the home to visit a nearby shrine to make offerings on Thursday evening.

"He was on his way to a Peer Dargah when the stray gods attached him. He was alone. We heard the screams and rushed to the spot. The dogs bit him at many places including neck and head. He died shortly after the incident," victim's uncle, Ranjit Singh said.

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Also read: Stray dogs devour 65-year-old lady, injure another

The victim was identified as Manner Singh, alias Money, a farmer's son, who was a per-nursery class student.

The Deputy Commissioner DPS Kharbanda has ordered a probe into the incident. This is second incident within a few days when stray dogs attacked a human being. A senior citizen was attacked in Ferozepur recently.

--- ENDS ---
The BJP leader, whose petition in 1996 in the disproportionate assets case led to Sasikala's conviction and imprisonment, said the AIADMK general secretary "has deep Hindu feelings and she goes to temples".

By India Today Web Desk: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has come down heavily on the DMK MLAs for allegedly resorting to violence ahead of trust vote by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami in the state Assembly and forcing two adjournments of the House.

Swamy alleged that DMK MLAs were bound to disrupt the proceedings of the Tamil Nadu Assembly. "DMK is a violent, anti-national and antisocial party... DMK are all crooks," he said.

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The BJP leader, whose petition in 1996 in the disproportionate assets case led to Sasikala's conviction and imprisonment, said the AIADMK general secretary "has deep Hindu feelings and she goes to temples".

Hitting DMK hard, Swamy said, "I have done strategic thinking and explained to people in the government that Tamil Nadu has to be rescued from anti-national elements. There are more anti-national elements in Tamil Nadu than in Kashmir."

He claimed that most people were loyal to the "official faction of AIADMK" led by Sasikala.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, meanwhile, expressed disappointment over mayhem in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. He said, "It is unfortunate that such incidents took place in TN Assembly. Whatever Speaker decides should be accepted by all."

On the other hand, AIADMK MLA R Natarajan of the rival O Panneerselvam faction was of the opinion that the MLAs should be given time to meet people and know their views

DMK is a violent and anti-national party. Whatever she is, #VKSasikala is much better than DMK: Subramanian Swamy,BJP pic.twitter.com/yDXvTAqWPT ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

Also read:

Swamy: Some Central Ministers may be taking undue interest in Sasikala-Panneerselvam tussle

Tamil Nadu Assembly LIVE: DMK MLAs evicted after violence; House adjourned again till 3 pm

Tamil Nadu political crisis: Governor may invite Sasikala loyalist Palanisamy to form government

--- ENDS ---
JAMAICA  The NYPD was seeking a man who performed an act of public lewdness and was asking for the publics help in locating him.

On Jan. 25 at 8 p.m., police said a man on a southbound F train at the Jamaica/179th Street Station masturbated over his pants in front of a 26-year-old female victim. After the act, the man in question left the train at the 169th Street station. Police described the suspect as a Hispanic male, about 50 years of age. He is about 5-feet-8, 175 pounds and has a mustache, according to the NYPD. Police said he was last seen wearing beige pants, black footwear and was wearing a black jacket over a green sweatshirt. Police also released a cellphone video of the suspect in question.
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By Bill Parry

The Legal Aid Society filed a lawsuit in Queens Supreme Court Friday to protect low-income tenants from eviction by a Christian non-profit in Astoria.

Just before Thanksgiving, the New York School of Urban Ministry delivered eviction notices informing all 39 tenants that they had to vacate the residence by Dec. 31 because it could no longer afford to maintain the dormitory and would sell the building to a provider who would convert it into a homeless shelter.

What we have seen with this residence is another brazen example of landlord harassment that unfortunately is not unique to this part of Queens but an epidemic in every borough, Attorney Sateesh Nori said. In the complaint, he explained, the tenants allege that their apartments are protected by the Rent Stabilization Law.

This law gives each tenant the right to renewable leases for their apartments. The ministry is attempting to shield itself from this law as a charity, but it does not meet any of the legal requirements for an exemption.

For months, I have stood by these hardworking Astoria residents and encouraged them to fight for their rights and stay in their homes, state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) said. I am proud of their decision to take a stand against a non-profit that puts its self-interest ahead of those it is supposed to serve. These residents have been through enough and should not be victimized any further by an organization looking to make more money off of their misery.

Last month, Gianaris, state Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria) and U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) urged state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to investigate NYSUM Pastor Peter DeArruda over the evictions of the residents who pay rents between $400 and $500 a month and would not be able to afford market-rate apartments in New York City. Schneidermans office sent DeArruda a letter Thursday calling for the notices to vacate be rescinded until the court reviews and makes a final determination on the rent stabilization status of the property at 31-65 46th St.

The New York School of Urban Ministry has been talking out of both sides of its mouth, Simotas said. They have received the benefits of tax exempt status  as a religious school  and are now attempting to claim that they are a charity and should be exempt from the citys rent stabilization law, which protects tenants from being thrown onto the street. When you quack like a duck, walk like a duck and look like a duck, then youre a duck, which in this case means that NYSUM is plain and simple a landlord, actually a bad landlord trying to evade the law.

DeArrudas attorney could not be reached for comment. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 12 residents who remain at the dormitory.

Not only is it incredibly cruel and heartless for NYSUM to evict these tenants, many of whom have resided here for years, it is, quite possibly illegal, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) said. As a charitable organization, one would hope that NYSUM would have a modicum of basic human compassion for these low-income residents. Its clear that this is not the case.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami won the vote of confidence in the Assembly, the first such floor test the state witnessed in about 30 years.

By India Today Web Desk: Amidst mayhem, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami won the vote of confidence in the Assembly, the first such floor test the state witnessed in about 30 years. While 122 MLAs voted in favour of Palaniswami's trust motion, 8 MLAs voted against.

DMK legislators resorted to violence before the trust vote, jumping on chairs and tables. They did not spare even Speaker P Dhanapal's seat. They sat on his chair, jumped on his table and reportedly also turned it upside down. The MLAs broke mikes and flung them.

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An Assembly employee sustained injuries in the mayhem. He was taken out of the Assembly in a stretcher.Amidst violence, the Speaker adjourned the House till 1 pm. He was whisked away amidst security.

HERE IS HOW IT ALL HAPPENED

An Assembly employee sustained injuries in the mayhem. He was taken out of the Assembly in a stretcher.Amidst violence, the Speaker adjourned the House till 1 pm. He was whisked away amidst security. Palaniswami, a V K Sasikala loyalist, was sworn-in as the chief minister on February 16, ending days of political uncertainty in the state which began with caretaker CM O Panneerselvam's revolt against the AIADMK general secretary.

Though the new government was given 15 days time to prove the majority in the House, but Palaniswami opted to do it within two days.Political stalemate in the state began when former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam revolted against Sasikala last week.

On February 7, Panneerselvam had rebelled against Sasikala, alleging he was forced to step down to make way for her becoming the chief minister.Sasikala was elected as the AIADMK legislature party leader on February 5.

Also read: Panneerselvam vs Palaniswami: AIADMK's fight to the finish after Sasikala sent to jail

But the Governor had apparently chosen to await the outcome of the Supreme Court verdict in the disproportionate assets case, in which Sasikala has been convicted and is serving prison term in Bengaluru.

Incidentally, it was a succession row that triggered a faction war in AIADMK that had prompted a floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in January 1988, when Janaki, widow of M G Ramachandran, succeeded him in the midst of a bitter rivalry involving Jayalalithaa.

Also read: Will Palaniswami win trust vote? 7 reasons the Tamil Nadu chief minister is betraying nervousness

Amid chaotic scenes and a spate of disqualifications by then Speaker P H Pandian and boycott by the opposition, Janaki had managed to win the confidence vote.

But her government was a short-lived one as it was dismissed two days after the floor test by the Centre.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

--- ENDS ---

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Albany

The historic building at the corner of Lark Street and Hudson Avenue that has been home to the EBA dance company and school since 1977 is up for auction.

The online offering, through Collar City Auctions, went live Thursday and runs through March 2.

As of Friday evening, no bids had been placed for the 101-year-old, 13,000-square-foot, four-story building at 351 Hudson Ave., according to the auction site. The minimum bid was listed at $100,000. EBA founder and director Maud Baum said she hopes the building will sell for $750,000. It is appraised at about $650,000, according to auction information, and city tax rolls show its assessment is $518,400.

In addition to the theater in which EBA performs, the building includes offices; basement, attic, studio and ground-floor retail spaces; and an apartment.

"We can't afford to keep it," said Baum, echoing a familiar refrain in the arts world, where nonprofits in the past decade-plus have struggled to find grants to cover operating and capital costs.

EBA reaches about 60,000 people a year through performances, classes and other offerings. With one full-time employee and eight part-timers, it has an annual budget of about $150,000. Recent tax filings show deficits of approximately $30,000 to $50,000 per year.

The mission of the company is to offer programming and classes, both of which are more important than owning a building and can happen elsewhere, if a move becomes necessary, Baum said.

"The question was whether to continue to fund programming or to put money into a 100-year-old theater that we were determined to keep in meticulous shape, which we have," she said. "We chose programming."

EBA, short Electronic Body Arts, was founded in 1972 and five years later bought the Lark and Hudson building, which previously had been home to Daughters of the Eastern Star, the women's wing of the Masons. EBA first sought to sell the property a few years ago but attracted no potential buyers interested in purchasing the building and leasing it back to the dance company, Baum said. That is still the goal with the auction, she said. The company has set a minimum price it will accept, though Baum said she has been advised against revealing it.

sbarnes@timesunion.com  518-454-5489  @Tablehopping  http://facebook.com/SteveBarnesFoodCritic
The Refugees

by Viet Thanh Nguyen

The title of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's new collection of short stories, The Refugees, is a reminder that America once welcomed those displaced by foreign wars. Its brilliantly drawn characters illustrate how fully those immigrants-mainly Vietnamese-Americans but also Mexican-Americans living in his home state of California-have embraced their new home.

In 'The Other Man', for instance, a refugee fresh from war-torn Vietnam makes his way to San Francisco. There he discovers the freedom to acknowledge his homosexuality, along with the complexity of living "a civil, healthy and correct life"-as his father writes to him from communist Vietnam. Similarly, in 'I'd Love You to Want Me', an aging first generation Vietnamese-American woman wrestles with the meaning of love when senility prompts the French man she married decades before to begin calling her by another woman's name.

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In 'The Transplant', a hospital error prompts a Mexican-American gambling addict to search for the man who provided the liver for the transplant that saved his life-by calling all the people named Vu in the telephone directory. Finally, a charismatic seller of 'better than genuine' watches and handbags tells him, "I'm the man you're looking for, Mr Arellano." The two men forge an unlikely but life-affirming friendship that is doomed to destruction when the real donor appears, and Arellano learns 'Louis Vu' is not even really Vietnamese.

That subtle joke hints at Nguyen's purpose in this collection-which eschews the stereotypes that can make what American publishers call 'ethnic' fiction so irritating. When he first learns the donor's name, Nguyen notes that Arellano, who is "afflicted with a... common astigmatism wherein all Asians appeared the same", had "fallen back on his default choice when confronted with [the] perplexing problem of [identifying] an Asian" to decide that Vu must be Chinese. Then, at the big reveal, Louis Vu tells him he was right, but that he'd "never been to China. I can barely speak Chinese. So what does that make me"?

The answer, of course, is American. And human.

--- ENDS ---
[February 17, 2017] RSA Conference 2017 Closes With Record Attendance

RSA Conference, the world's leading information security conferences and expositions, today concluded its 26th annual event in San Francisco. A record number of more than 43,000 attendees experienced keynotes, peer-to-peer sessions, track sessions, tutorials and seminars. "Leading up to RSA Conference 2017 it could have been argued that this event was the most anticipated in our history," said Linda Gray Martin, Director & General Manager of RSA Conference. "Over the last few months information security has experienced both tremendous highs, and weathered scrutiny of lows as experts in private and public sectors debated various practices of information sharing. As a result of this increased exposure, it was critical to have an RSA Conference full of constructive dialog, discussion and debate that will form the information security agenda and continue to move our industry forward. We hope our attendees took this powerful opportunity as the chance to help forge a future we can all be proud of." RSA Conference 2017 highlights include: RSA Conference 2017 featured 15 keynote presentations, more than 700 speakers across 500+ sessions and more than 550 companies on the expo floors.

Hot session presentations included: Changing Behaviors At Enterprise-Scale; Simon Hodgkinson, Chief Information Security Officer, BP; Christine Maxwell, Governance, Risk & Compliance Director, BP Cloud Assessments: You're Doing It Wrong!; Bill Burns, Chief Trust Officer, VP Business Transformation; Informatica LLC; Trey Ford (News - Alert), Head of Trust, Heroku, a Salesforce company; Cory Scott, Chief Information Security Officer, LinkedIn; Jim Trovato, Sr. Director, IT Governance Risk and Compliance, Informatica LLC Hacker's Perspective on your Windows Infrastructure: Mandatory Check List; Paula Januszkiewicz, CEO, Security Expert, Penetration Tester & Trainer, MVP, CQURE How Google (News - Alert) Protects Its Corporate Security Perimeter Without Firewalls; Heather Adkins, Director of Information Security, Google, and Rory Ward, Site Reliability Engineering Manager, Google How to Catch A Snowden; Chris Inglis, Advisory Board Chair, Securonix

UnifyID was named "RSA Conference 2017's Most Innovative Startup" by the Innovation Sandbox's judges' panel comprised of technology, venture and security industry thought leaders.

RSA Conference reached broader audiences with a new series of educational programs that teaches cyber-awareness for children, provides outreach to college students to introduce and encourage a career in information security, and supports education throughout the various stages of a career within the industry. RSAC AdvancedU includes the following: RSAC CyberSafety Initiative: 1,300 attendees filled the Cyber Safety Village in Moscone West throughout the week to learn more about the issues children and teens are experiencing online including topics such as emotional responses to social media, sexting, impact on sleep and how to manage online reputations. RSAC Security Scholar program: RSA Conference Security Scholar connects the brightest up-and-coming cybersecurity students to leading experts, peers and conference attendees. As the program enters its second year, RSA Conference expanded to include more than 20 schools and 60 students. RSAC College Day: RSA Conference created College Day to help students find their ideal career options through meeting both industry veterans and companies that are looking for young, talented students to join their ranks. This year 60 students had access to more than 50 sessions, a day in the life of a security expert panel, and met with sponsors during an open house that was attended by more than 600 attendees.





Howard Schmidt, Former White House Cybersecurity Advisor - Excellence in the Field of Information Security

- Excellence in the Field of Information Security Dr. Tatsuaki Okamoto, NTT Fellow - Excellence in the Field of Mathematics

The Honorable Michael McCaul, Chairman, U.S. House of Representatives, Homeland Security Committee - Excellence in the Field of Public Policy RSAC Unplugged London will take place on June 8, 2017. RSA Conference 2017 Asia Pacific & Japan takes place July 26-28, 2017 in Singapore. Additionally, RSA Conference returns to Abu Dhabi November 7-8, 2017. RSA Conference 2018 takes place April 16-20, 2018 in San Francisco.

EXHIBITOR QUOTES "Security is Cisco's top priority and an essential part of every product that we build. We are always excited to be at the RSA conference. Engaging with the smartest infosec professionals from our customers, partners and the community provides us with important input into our strategy and roadmaps. The increasing size of this event illustrates the growing importance and investment that every company is making in information security. And that is good for us all."

- Jeff Samuels, VP Security Marketing, Cisco "RSA Conference 2017 brought together the business and government community at the forefront of the dramatic changes reshaping cybersecurity. This year's conference provided a valuable backdrop for us to discuss critical issues like the need for new approaches to endpoint protection, and the challenge of eliminating the cost and complexity of security operations. FireEye (News - Alert) places a high priority on threat intelligence and the insights learned on the frontlines of today's cyber breaches, and RSA Conference 2017 reflected the defining developments we see emerging from the continually evolving threat landscape."

- Kara Wilson, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, FireEye "This year's RSA Conference challenged a big industry audience to think small. Small are the attack surfaces of security cameras, home routers, and mobile devices increasingly populating our office and home work environments. Small are the diverse data transactions that require innumerable protective measures. Big are the shifts in thinking that require us to think of ourselves as small players inside a vast ecosystem of solution providers. Thinking small is the first step in working together more effectively, and having a big impact with better outcomes."

- Chris Young, General Manager and SVP, Intel Security "Security is a team sport. Splunk customers want solutions that work together in a coordinated and automated manner, using data, analytics, next generation firewalls, threat intelligence and other technologies to defend and protect against threats in real-time. We clearly saw at RSA Conference 2017 that the industry is moving in this direction. We heard repeatedly this year how emerging threats are disrupting and negatively impacting businesses across the globe, but the spirit of collaboration, powered by industry advancements in analytics and orchestration, were on full display at RSA."

- Haiyan Song, Senior Vice President of Security Markets, Splunk "In 2017 we continue to see a wide variety of attack types, yet many teams out there tell us they lack the proper tools or skills to address threats comprehensively. RSAC 2017 provided a valuable platform for the infosec community to come together and share ideas on how to pragmatically reduce risk for our organizations. With so many considerations - regulatory compliance, cloud, industrial OT environments - one message came through clearly: foundational security controls are more important than ever to establish resilient Infosec capabilities that deliver effective security regardless of what comes at you."

- Dwayne Melancon, Vice President of Products, Tripwire RSA CONFERENCE ONLINE Join and follow the conversation with hashtag #RSAC

Blog - http://www.rsaconference.com/blogs

Twitter (News - Alert) - http://twitter.com/rsaconference

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/rsaconference

LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/company/2901675

LinkedIn Networking Group - http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=3120

YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/RSAConference

Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsaconference

Google+ - https://plus.google.com/102053116262408140181/posts About RSA Conference RSA Conference is the premier series of global events where the world talks security and leadership gathers, advances and emerges. Whether attending in the U.S., the EMEA region, or the Asia-Pacific region, RSA Conference events are where the security industry converges to discuss current and future concerns and get access to the people, content and ideas that help enable individuals and companies to win, grow and do their best. It is the ultimate marketplace for the latest technologies and hands-on educational opportunities that help industry professionals discover how to make their companies more secure while showcasing the most enterprising, influential and thought-provoking thinkers and leaders in security today. For information on events, online programming and the most up-to-date news pertaining to the information security industry visit www.rsaconference.com. RSA Conference logo, RSA, Dell, EMC (News - Alert) and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170217005770/en/

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[February 17, 2017] Atos acquires zData, a premier consulting firm with unparalleled expertise in Big Data solutions

PARIS and NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Atos, a global leader in digital services, expands its expertise in Big Data services with the acquisition of zData, a leader in Big Data consulting and solutions for both commercial and enterprise corporations. Atos has signed a share purchase agreement with zData, bringing a unique team of software engineers and data scientists to support its customers' digital transformation journey within all sectors. This strategic acquisition brings a new level of scalability, reliability and performance giving enterprises all the benefits of open-source software framework Hadoop through the world's most advanced turnkey Hadoop solution for critical production workloads. The company is working with the industries best software providers for on-site and off-site consulting - from Greenplum to Hadoop and PIVOTAL HDB (HAWQ) expertise. "We are pleased to welcome zData to the Atos team and look forward to offering our customers the right blueprint in their cloud application development needs leveraging zData's PIVOTAL Cloud Foundry experience," said Jerome Sandrini, Atos Vice President and Head of Big Data, North American Operations. i>"zData's Hadoop experts and Data scientists combined with Atos' cognitive solutions will enable Atos to accelerate the deployment of its Big Data and Atos Codex solutions in North America, further strengthening its ability to guide customers through their digital transformation journey."



zData's team of experts and innovative capabilities fully align to its Big Data and Atos Codex expansion strategy notably in the U.S. Atos Codex offers organizations fast and cost efficient means to exploit the value of their existing data combined with external data. In this new landscape, the ability to derive insight from massive volumes of structured and unstructured data will be made possible by systems which are able to learn as they perform.

Atos Codex gives customers the techniques, tools and processes they need to make this business-changing step from Business Intelligence to agile analytics. About Atos Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is a leader in digital transformation with circa 100,000 employees in 72 countries and pro forma annual revenue of circa  12 billion. Serving a global client base, the Group is the European leader in Big Data, Cybersecurity, Digital Workplace and provides Cloud services, Infrastructure & Data Management, Business & Platform solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting edge technologies, digital expertise and industry knowledge, the Group supports the digital transformation of its clients across different business sectors: Defense, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media, Utilities, Public sector, Retail, Telecommunications, and Transportation. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and is listed on the Euronext Paris market. Atos operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, Unify and Worldline. For more information, visit: atos.net To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atos-acquires-zdata-a-premier-consulting-firm-with-unparalleled-expertise-in-big-data-solutions-300409790.html SOURCE Atos

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[February 17, 2017] Severe Storms Looming In The Forecast For Oroville

OROVILLE, Calif., Feb. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Severe weather is expected to hit Oroville as hundreds of thousands of residents return to their homes. MetLoop (a Texas-based technology company) is helping people living in the affected areas by donating its Weather Alarm app for use. The app uses military-grade technology that is able to pinpoint adverse weather conditions (at any specific location/address) while providing its users with advanced notice. The end result: residents will receive warning before devastating weather strikes and be able to safeguard themselves and their homes ahead of time. "We will provide our Weather Alarm app - free of charge - to every resident in the Sacramento area to be able to determine any severe weather that will affect their home. Our app will give them advanced warning so they can take action to protect loved ones and, to the extentpossible, avoid calamity." --- David Carlson, CEO of MetLoop.



"At times like this access to accurate and reliable information is critical," added MetLoop CTO, Richard McGee. "The app is our way of getting weather information to people in real time." MetLoop currently works with local government agencies and first responders, and is reaching out to those personnel in the affected areas to offer its services and provide accurate weather intelligence. Jim Messerly, the founder of VIJILIS and 31-year veteran of the Arizona Highway Patrol says:

"The technology will greatly aid in emergency management efforts. First responders and evacuees alike depend on the earliest warning for changing weather conditions -- having this information is critical for successful evacuation and the allocation of resources to support disaster mitigation." The app is available for Sacramento (and nearby residents) by visiting www.metloop.com/Oroville. Contact: Lauren Burgoyne

Phone: 480.290.1867

Email: [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/severe-storms-looming-in-the-forecast-for-oroville-300409827.html SOURCE MetLoop

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A look back on all of our reporting of the Delphi murders since 2017

crime
By Press Trust of India: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Feb 18 (PTI) The US Navys Carrier Strike Group, which includes a series of ships and aircraft, today started patrolling in disputed South China Sea despite Chinas warning to America against challenging its sovereignty.

Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, an operational formation of the United States Navy, began routine operations in the South China Sea on February 18, the Pentagon said.

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"We are looking forward to demonstrating those capabilities while building upon existing strong relationships with our allies, partners and friends in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region," said Rear Adm James Kilby, commander, CSG 1.

Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, the naval formation in its current shape established in 2009 includes Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, Destroyer Squadron 1s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E Meyer, and aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2.

CVW-2 includes the "Black Knights" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron, the "Blue Hawks" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron, the "Bounty Hunters" of Strike Fighter Squadron, the "Blue Blasters" of VFA-34, the "Kestrels" of VFA-137, the "Golden Dragons" of VFA-192, the "Black Eagles" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 113, the "Gauntlets" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136 and the "Providers" of Fleet Logistic Support Squadron.

Prior to their operations in the South China Sea, ships and aircraft from within the strike group conducted training off the islands of Hawaii and Guam to maintain and improve their readiness and develop cohesion as a strike group, the statement said.

The strike group recently had a port visit to Guam and after departing the Marianas, conducted operations in the Philippine Sea.

While deployed, the Carl Vinson CSG will remain under US 3rd Fleet command and control, including beyond the international dateline, which previously divided operational areas of responsibility for 3rd and 7th Fleets.

Third Fleet operating forward offers additional options to the Pacific Fleet commander by leveraging the capabilities of 3rd and 7th Fleets.

"This operational concept allows both numbered fleets to complement one another and provide the foundation of stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region," the Pentagon said.

Chinas Foreign Ministry on Wednesday warned the US against challenging its sovereignty over reports the US was planning fresh naval patrols in the disputed South China Sea.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said tension in the South China Sea had stabilised due to the hard work between China and Southeast Asia countries, and urged foreign nations including the US to respect this.

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"We urge the US not to take any actions that challenge Chinas sovereignty and security," Geng had said. PTI LKJ PMS

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Council approves rules to limit self-storage growth Future self-storage facilities in the city of Thousand Oaks will be excluded from prime commercial areas, according to a new ordinance adopted by the City Council this month. In a...

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"Ram Mandir will be in India and it has to come up here. It is about the faith of crores of Hindus," Giriraj Singh, a union minister, said during an event in Kolkata.

By Indrajit Kundu, India Today Web Desk: On the eve of the crucial third phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh, union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Giriraj Singh once again raked up the issue of Ram temple.

Speaking on the sidelines of a business event in Kolkata on Saturday evening, Singh, the minister of home in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise ministry, reasserted that the Ram temple will be built in Ayodhya.

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"Ram Mandir will be built in Uttar Pradesh and it will come up in Ayodhya. Can someone, be it Rahul Gandhi or Akhilesh Yadav, tell me whether Ram Mandir can come up in Bangladesh or Pakistan?" Singh said.

"Ram Mandir will be in India and it has to come up here. It is about the faith of crores of Hindus," the BJP minister reiterated.

Also read: BJP defends invoking Ram in polls; JD-U, Congress mock it over Ayodhya temple

On being asked why the BJP had not given tickets to any Muslim candidates in the Uttar Pradesh polls, Singh said party had given tickets to those who were "deserving".

Singh also took potshots at Priyanka Gandhi over her criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Priyanka Vadra won't be able to (bring) 'acchhe din'. It is the common women of India who are witnessing it now with new LPG connections. They had never seen LPG gas connection during UPA rule as they had kept it under the rationing system," the union minister said.

Also read: Party chief Amit Shah promises sops from Ram Mandir to free WiFi in Uttar Pradesh

Also watch: Nobody can stop us from building Ram Mandir in Ayodhya: BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj

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Often lauded as one of the most important bands of all time, and the artists behind one of the best-selling albums of all time, Pink Floyd have a legacy that few others could match. After initially disbanding in 1995, the last couple of decades have seen sporadic reformations for live shows and a new album. But now, two of the groups surviving members have stated they would be interested in a reunion.

After Pink Floyd released their final album, The Endless River, in 2014, David Gilmour spoke out about the groups dissolution saying that Pink Floyd has run its course, we are done  and it would be fakery to go back and do it again. But now, as The Telegraph notes, Roger Waters and Nick Mason might just be keen on continuing the band.

While appearing at a promotional event for a new Pink Floyd exhibit at a London museum, Nick Mason was asked whether a Pink Floyd reunion could happen. It would be nice to add it to the list of things. Ive never played Glastonbury. It would be fun to do it, Mason stated, however he also clarified I dont think it would be very likely.

The main reason for doubting a reunion stems from David Gilmour. The last I heard, David had retired, Waters said. Back in 2015, David Gilmour had also spoken out about how the two arent exactly the closest of friends, despite performing together in 2010. Roger and I dont particularly get along, he said. We still talk. Its better than it has been. But it wouldnt work. People do change. Roger and I have outgrown each other, and it would be impossible for us to work together on any realistic basis.

So while Roger Waters and Nick Mason are pretty keen for a Pink Floyd reunion, it looks as though the public may need to convince David Gilmour to start singing a different tune before we see one of rocks most legendary bands take the stage once again.

In the meantime, use this opportunity to check out some footage from Pink Floyds 2005 performance at the Live 8 concert below.
How often have you given your mates control of what music to play, only to instantly regret it when they throw on some terrible tunes you just cant get around? Well, if youre the United States Department Of Defence, the only appropriate action seems to be to issue a memo that bans the music you cant stand.

As Canadian website Exclaim! reports, Geoffrey Ingersoll, a journalist who has previously worked for the Marine Times and Business Insider has taken to Twitter with a supposedly leaked memo that clarifies what music cannot be played in the Department Of Defence command post.

The memo, whose subject line reads Banned Playing of Terrible Rock Groups is as follows. Effective 14 February 2017, the following bands will no longer be allowed to be played in the CP. This applies to all times, not just work hours.

The listed bands include Korn, Nickleback [sic], Slipknot, Smashmouth [sic], and Creed, and basically proves that the US Department Of Defence hates both nu-metal and memes, no matter what time of day it is.

An officer actually issued a memo banning Nicklebacks music in the command post. pic.twitter.com/4nAQVwRli2  Geoffrey Ingersoll (@GPIngersoll) February 17, 2017

Considering that the memos identifying details are blurred out, we cant be sure if this is truthful, or a well-constructed joke that is capitalising on the well-known hate of nu-metal. Either way, we cant fully fault their choice of banned music.
By Press Trust of India: Chennai, Feb 18 (PTI) Torn shirts of Speaker P Dhanapal and Leader of Opposition M K Stalin, toppled chairs, strewn paper pieces and displacement of mikes bore testimony to a virtual war-like situation in the Tamil Nadu Assembly today.

Though the AIADMK government sailed through the crucial vote of confidence with a 122-11 margin, it was not before the House witnessed unruly scenes of jostling and strident sloganeering, taking the Assembly by storm.

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"I am hurt and ashamed," the Speaker said after declaring the result of the vote, pointing to the pandemonium.

Earlier, for about an hour, the House turned into a virtual war zone after the Speaker ordered the eviction of DMK members with marshals trying hard to remove them.

The DMK members resisted eviction with all their might.

An agitated Stalin, the DMKs working president, told the watch and ward staff that the members would harm themselves if they were taken out.

Despite the Speaker adjourning the House at 1.28 pm, the marshals faced a tough time asking the unrelenting DMK members to move out.

Stalin told the large number of watch and ward staff that "People are against this proxy regime, we are fighting for the people."

"If you try to evict us by force, we would be constrained to harm ourselves, we may even consider suicide," he threatened.

Soon, top police officials led by city Police Commissioner S George arrived in the Assembly precincts and held hectic consultations.

Finally, marshals were instructed to physically evict the DMK members, with all hell breaking lose and a free-for-all ensuing. While watch and ward staff physically carried legislators, DMK MLAs resisted by whatever means they could.

Stalin, when being carried over by marshals, thumped his head with his hands and shook hard his legs resisting removal.

Earlier, 78-year old DMK leader Duraimurugan played hide and seek with marshals, as he evaded eviction for some time.

While being led out, he managed to come back to the House through the corridors from near main entrance.

When marshalls prevented his entry into the House, he managed to sneak into the press gallery and crossed over to the Opposition benches from there.

Some MLAs splashed water, and in the commotion two video cameras placed near the Fourth Block fell.

DMKs Sekar Babu squatted opposite the main entrance to the House along with several of his colleagues.

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He argued with top officials that they had no legal right to remove a legislator from the House precincts.

All the DMK members argued that they would consider leaving the House when the Speaker returned, but were fully evicted finally by 2.50 pm, in time for the House to take up the motion of confidence ten minutes later.

Journalists had to put up with severe restrictions on their movement at the entry and exit points to the House. PTI VGN VS TVS VS ASV

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One of the more exciting discussions the public library has planned for patrons and other hobos to contemplate in a somewhat space that's not quite as comfortable as their keyboards. Checkit:The attention to so-called black rage during the 2014 rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, clouded what one historian says was the actual root of the unrest: more of the white rage that has punctuated our countrys history dating to the Civil War and emancipation.In a discussion of her book White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, Emory Universitys Carol Anderson chronicles what she says is powerful and recurring opposition to black progress in America. Note the surge in states imposing voter registration requirements and their disparate racial impact. A series of Supreme Court rulings has upheld racial profiling by police and made it more difficult to prove bias in jury selection, arrests, and other instances.Its a lack of white acceptance of full and equal rights for blacks, Anderson maintains, that fuels many of todays race problems.###########Thursday, February 23, 2017Reception: 6 pmProgram: 6:30 pmPlaza Branch
Actually, like it or not, this is a pretty good story inasmuch as it reveals an honest look atin relation to the current divisive, confused and angry state of the American electorate.Take a look whilst wein her glory days:This week on Capitol Hill has been a trying and unbelievable week. I had intended to join my colleagues from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus who called for a meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE) officials, and found myself in unprecedented territory. A number of Democratic Members of Congress, myself included, were barred from entering the meeting. Never has this happened, in my twelve years in Congress, that Members were denied access to an informational meeting  especially the very Members who had requested the meeting. My first thought was - this is the new Washington. But it wasnt enough to defeat me and it wont be enough to defeat my colleagues as we continue to stand up for our constituents.It reminded me of a story that The Reverend Noah A. Cleaver, my great grandpa, loved to tell. Its the story of an older enslaved African American woman who heard that a Confederate regiment was moving through an east Texas plantation. When she heard the thundering hooves of approaching horses, she picked up a broom and ran out to the middle of the muddy road. When the captain of the regiment saw her, he turned to his men and shouted, Stand easy, men! and with irritation in his voice he said,  . . . you dont really think you can stop the war or even slavery with that little broom? The old woman, with a fierce and icy stare, pointed the broom stick at the captain and answered,  . . . dont suppose I can, but you know where I stand!As Democrats we no longer occupy the White House, we are outnumbered in Congress, and the High Court will soon sway further to the right. But even if the numbers are against us, we still have our broom sticks. So, whatever the odds and challenges we face, lets point our broom sticks at those who want to hold us back, and let them know where we stand and what we always stand for  justice, fairness and equality.Warmly,Emanuel Cleaver, IIMember of Congress############
Like it or not, a great many of our readers also look forward to the column of this Kansas power broker.His latest screed attempts to give credibility to a plan that only exists in the minds of the consultant class.Checkit:Only fit for late night pondering . . . You decide . . .
A Eurogroup meeting on February 20 will reach a political decision on the Greek case, Finance Minister Eucled Tsakalotos said during a meeting with the Federation of Industries of Northern Greece (SBBE) in Thessaloniki on Friday, a SBBE announcement said after the meeting.

In the announcement, issued after the closed-doors meeting, SBBE said that the Finance minister, commenting on the expressed concerns of industrialists over a vertical fall in market turnover in December, due to uncertainty over completion of a second review of the Greek program, said: every possible effort is made, but unfortunately external factor and particularly negotiations between European partners and the International Monetary Fund, are to blame for a not timely reach of a decision. SBBE said Tsakalotos expected that a Eurogroup meeting in February 20 will reach a political decision.

SBBE said the meeting focused on the excessive taxation of medium and high-ranking executives of the industry and on the fact that during the last three months top executives were massively fleeing abroad. It is obvious, SBBE said, that this trend weakened the Greek industrys human capital with direct consequences on its competitiveness. The Greek Finance minister expressed his positive response to finding specific solutions.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Defence Minister Panos Kammenos on Friday informed Greeces allies and partners about continued Turkish provocations in the Aegean

Defence Minister Panos Kammenos on Friday informed Greeces allies and partners about continued Turkish provocations in the Aegean, including the issue of a Navtex for a military exercise involving life fire in an area within Greek territorial waters. Kammenos was in Germany for the 53rd Munich Security Conference.

Despite the issue of a Greek counter-Navtex invalidating Turkeys notice, a Turkish Navy patrol boat entered Greek territorial waters on Friday morning and fired small-calibre shots in an eastward direction.

The Hellenic Armed Forces General Staff on Friday issued an announcement concerning the events, noting that Turkish authorities had issued Navtex 221/17 on Friday night warning of a military exercise with live fire in a region east of Farmakonissi, scheduled to be held on Friday from 7:00-9:00 in the morning.

The Greek side responded by issuing Navtex 87/17 that made the Turkish Navtex invalid, both because it overlapped with Greek territory and due to lack of authority. The Greek armed forces also send the Greek Navy gunboat Nikiforos to carry out surveillance of the area.

In spite of the Greek side counter-Navtex, a Turkish Navy patrol boat sailing east of Farmakonissi and within Greek territorial waters fired shots eastward from 7:40 to 7:55.

The Turkish patrol boat was monitored throughout by the gunboat Nikiforos that constantly broadcast messages ordering the Turkish boat to leave Greek waters and stop firing. The Turkish boat then moved northward, leaving the area.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
A 50-year-old Romanian detained in Korydallos prison for thefts and illegal entry into the country escaped on Friday

A 50-year-old Romanian detained in Korydallos prison for thefts and illegal entry into the country escaped on Friday, the ministry of justice said in a statement.

According to the ministry, the detainee would have been released in the coming days and his behavior until now had not raised concerns. The ministry ordered a prosecutors inquiry into the circumstances of the Romanian's escape and possible responsibilities of prison staff.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
The Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) will hold a tender inviting bids for the Egnatia Highway road tolls concession within two months, the head of Egnatia Odos S.A. Apostolos Antonoudis said after his meeting with Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos in Thessaloniki on Friday.

The meeting was held at the Office of the Prime Minister in Thessaloniki, where Tsakalotos had a series of meetings with the heads of firms and organisations based in northern Greece.

Antonoudis said that additional proposals for exploiting the highway were also on the table, such as public-private sector partnerships for energy networks, rest stops for motorists and logistics centres.

The company's Managing Director Ria Kalfakakou, who was also at the meeting, said they had presented Tsakalotos with a proposal ensuring that the Greek state will also earn revenue from the highway's operation, not just the concessionaire. Finally, they discussed the issue of fines imposed on individuals that refused to pay road tolls and harmonising these with penalties imposed on other highway in the country.

Earlier, the finance minister had also met the head of the Thessaloniki Concert Hall Prof. Nikitas Mylopoulos, who asked for an increase in the regular state grant to help meet the concert hall's requirements and ensure its ability to continue its artistic programme. According to Mylopoulos, the minister was "positively disposed" and promised to examine the margins for increasing the organisation's grant.

Tsakalotos also had a meeting with the head of Thessaloniki's water supply and sewerage company EYATH, Ioannis Krestenitis, who said they had exchanged views on EYATH's business plan up to 2021, as well as discussing the company's inclusion in the privatisation 'hyperfund' and how this will affect it growth planning.

According to Krestenitis, nothing new arose during the meeting, beyond what was already known, while he briefed Tsakalotos on the company's plans for expanding its network and installations over the next three to four years, in order to expand into new areas and better serve the public.

In addition to the above, the minister also met the Federation of Industries of Northern Greece (SBBE) presidency, the board chairman of the State Theatre of Northern Greece Aris Stylianos, Deputy Minister for Macedonia-Thrace Maria-Kollia Tsaroucha, who discussed the challenges faced by the economy of Macedonia-Thrace, especially in the primary production and manufacturing sectors.

In an announcement issued after the closed-doors meeting with Tsakalotos, SBBE said that the Finance minister, commenting on the expressed concerns of industrialists over a vertical fall in market turnover in December, due to uncertainty over completion of a second review of the Greek program, said: "every possible effort is made, but unfortunately external factor and particularly negotiations between European partners and the International Monetary Fund, are to blame for a not timely reach of a decision". SBBE said Tsakalotos expected that a Eurogroup meeting in February 20 will reach a political decision.

SBBE said the meeting focused on the excessive taxation of medium and high-ranking executives of the industry and on the fact that during the last three months top executives were massively fleeing abroad. It is obvious, SBBE said, that this trend weakened the Greek industry's human capital with direct consequences on its competitiveness. The Greek Finance minister expressed his positive response to finding specific solutions.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Bahrain's His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has ordered the construction of the King Hamad Mosque in Muharraq that will reflect the magnificent Islamic tolerance, the people's rich diversity and the Kingdom's status throughout history and oriental and occidental civilisations, said a report.



Turkey will be sending a delegation of architects to Bahrain to oversee the design of the mosque which will reflect the deep-rooted ties between the two countries and Turkey's aesthetic Islamic cultural heritage, reported BNA.

An agreement in this regard was inked during the latest visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the kingdom, it stated.

In another development, the kingdom announced plans to celebrate this year's Bahraini Women's Day in honour of the Bahraini women in the engineering field.



The decision was announced by Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the wife of HM the King and president of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW).



Lauding the move, Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, Essam bin Abdullah Khalaf, said the initiative accentuates appreciation of the Bahraini women's efforts in engineering field.



This will stimulate them to accomplish more achievements to the homeland, he added.


French electricity sector experts were out in force at the recent Middle East Electricity exhibition held in Dubai, UAE, to showcase their latest technologies and innovations to the region's top buyers.



The benchmark exhibition for power sector in the broader Middle East region, Middle East Electricity was held from February 14 to 16.



Business France ran the nation's pavilion which saw 27 French companies presenting their products, technologies and innovations to buyers and business influencers from the UAE as well as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, all fast-growing markets.



The French pavilion was a major hit among the buyers thanks to its diverse offering on display, said a statement from Business France.



The entire sector including power generation, transmission and distribution equipment and applications, products and systems for protection besides security and lighting was represented, it stated.



French firms are offering competitive and innovative solutions to meet the needs arising from the increasing volume of large-scale projects in the Middle East.



This very favourable environment (with $283 billion set to be invested in the Middle East between now and 2018) heralds an ideal period for French companies to position themselves in one of the worlds most attractive markets for the electricity industry, said Business France.



According to figures from Gimelec, the sectors trade union in France, electrical equipment represents 182 companies in France providing electrical and procedural automation solutions to the energy, construction, data center, industry and infrastructure markets.



Total sales amount to 12 billion ($13.33 billion), 57 per cent of which is from export sales, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
US food company Kraft Heinz made a surprise $143 billion offer for Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever in a bid to build a global consumer goods giant.

But the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant has declined, saying in a statement the offer "fundamentally undervalues" the company, reported CNBC.

"Unilever rejected the proposal as it sees no merit, either financial or strategic, for Unilever's shareholders. Unilever does not see the basis for any further discussions," the statement said.

Nevertheless, Unilever shares soared more than 9 per cent Friday.

If successful, it would be the largest cross-border merger since the British wireless provider Vodafones $183 billion acquisition of Mannesmann of Germany in 2000.

Despite the rejection, Kraft Heinz said it would still work to reach an agreement on the terms of a transaction.

Kraft is backed by Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital and Warren Buffett. Two years ago, H.J. Heinz, owned by Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and 3G, announced a $45 billion takeover of Kraft Foods.

"While Unilever has declined the proposal, we look forward to working to reach agreement on the terms of a transaction," Kraft said in a statement. "[But] there can be no certainty that any further formal proposal will be made to the Board of Unilever or that an offer will be made at all," it stated.

Sources told CNBC, however, that it would be unlikely for Kraft Heinz to pursue a deal, if Unilever's board rejects the offer by March 17.

A Kraft deal with Unilever would add Hellmann's mayonnaise, Ben & Jerry's ice cream and Knorr soups to a portfolio that includes Heinz ketchup and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

In its statement, Unilever said the deal put an 18 per cent premium on Unilever's share price, the main area where the company claimed it was undervalued.

The premium would essentially become a food multiple for Unilever shareholders, said the report.

On paper, the company looks more like a packaged goods distributor than a food producer, with only roughly 38 per cent of Unilever's Ebitda, or earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, coming from its food products, it added.
A Saudi train derailed near the eastern city of Dammam on Friday, injuring 18 people, after flooding from heavy rains caused the rail line to drift, said a report citing the Saudi Railways Organization (SRO).



The 193 passengers and six crew members were transferred to another train and taken to Dammam after the incident that occurred at about 1 a.m., it said, adding that all injuries were minor, reported Arab News.



Heavy rains have lashed Saudi Arabia for several days, causing severe flash floods throughout the Kingdom and at least one death in southern Asir province.



Giving details about the incident, the SRO said the train went off course because part of the railway track drifted at Kilo 10, near Dammam, as a result of torrential floods that went opposite its regular path.



This caused the train to go off course and carriages were separated from each other, and one train car overturned, it stated.



A reserve train was operated to transport all the passengers and the crew members. As soon as passengers reached the Dammam railway station, first aid was administered to 18 passengers who suffered minor injuries, said the report quoting SRO chief Dr Mohammad Al Rmeih.



He said the damaged line had been closed since then, and on Friday morning, the organization started to mend the damaged sector in order to continue services after checking the safety and readiness of the line.
Saudi Arabia is close to appointing leading banks - JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley - as lead underwriters on the initial public offering of Saudi Aramco, the worlds largest oil producer, which is aiming to become the most valuable listed company, said a report.

JPMorgan, Saudi Aramcos longstanding commercial banker, is in pole position to be a global co-ordinator and bookrunner for the planned sale of a 5 per cent stake in the state-controlled company in 2018, reported Financial Times, citing several people briefed on the flotation process.

Morgan Stanley is also expected to be a global co-ordinator and bookrunner on the listing, said some of these people. The bank held this role on the flotation of Alibaba, which in 2014 set a new record for IPOs by raising $25bn from investors.

HSBC is also tipped for an underwriting role on the Saudi Aramco listing, because of its ability to tap Asian investors due to the banks origins in Hong Kong, and its longstanding presence in the Middle East.

Saudi Aramco was scheduled to present a plan about its flotation, including bank appointments, to King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud for approval at the cabinets weekly meeting on Monday, said one banker briefed on the agenda.

The decision on key bank appointments is expected to be taken then, although the timing could slip.

Saudi Aramcos board is also expected to meet next week and discuss the bank appointments, said the FT report

Banks have scrambled during the past year to secure work on the flotation of Saudi Aramco, which Saudi officials hope could value the company at $2 trillion and therefore enable it to raise as much as $100 billion from investors.

Industry analysts said that even if Saudi Aramcos market capitalisation fell short of $2tn, it was likely still to be the largest listed company in the world. Apple, at present the worlds most valuable listed company, has a market capitalisation of $710 billion.

The banks that secure the roles of global coordinators on the IPO are expected to secure the largest fees. Bankers have previously said there could be as many as four such co-ordinators because of the sheer scale of the listing, and 20 more banks with junior underwriting roles.

The Financial Times revealed this month that Moelis, a boutique investment bank, had been hired by Saudi Aramco as lead independent adviser on the flotation.

In this role, it will advise the company on how to go about the IPO, including the selection of underwriters and deciding issues such as where the company should list its shares, it added.
Do you appreciate a warm welcome when you travel? Read on to learn more about the countries that ranked as the friendliest on Earth, and what specifically it is that makes them so. Here are the world's most hospitable countries you may want to visit on your next trip.

Uganda. According to BBC, Uganda is identified as one of the poorest countries but it's the friendliest also. Anybody who visits the country is overwhelmed with the scenic views, high-end restaurants and bars. One British expat said that the it's the locals' nature to always welcome newcomers with a smile.

Costa Rica. Costa Rica, which literally means "Rich Coast," is a country in Central America that ranks high across all factors when it comes to how easily expats fit in. The phase "Pura Vida," is inseparable to the Costa Ricans and it tells so much about who they are. People walking down the streets say hello by saying "Pura Vida," which means pure life or the good life.

Columbia. This South American country has been highly regarded as cocaine cartels, kidnappings and corruption, however, Colombia evolved from failed narco state into one of Latin America's blazing stars for the last two decades. Colombians are always excited and ready to show what they can offer to the visitors.

Oman. Oman has a hot climate like other countries in the Persiab Gulf but its warm climate is a reflection of how locals welcome newcomers. Omanis are naturally friendly and hospitable and part of it is influences by their strong Islamic belief. They love to help the needy and to welcome strangers in their homes.

Philippines. The Philippines is an archipelago composed of about 7,641 islands with a tropical aquatic climate that is usually hot and humid. The country's rich biodiversity is one of the main tourist attractions. Newcomers can easily enjoy and find new friends because of the traditional festivities and according to Forbes, this country is friendly on your wallets.

For first time travellers who are going to visit a foreign country, why not try these five most hospitable countries in the world. It's a good start to have a fun and memorable experience.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
It was a simple family day at the Knysa beach two years ago when Benjamin Ingel strayed away from his cousins to play along with the shore. Little did he know he would be picking up a 120 million-year-old tooth that belongs to an Allosaurus dinosaur roaming the earth during the Cretacean period.

After receiving analysis from different scientists, it was confirmed earlier this month that the piece was a historical find in South Africa as there were no records of dinosaur fossils before in the country. It surprised paleontologists around the globe that such meat-eating dinosaur would roam in Africa.

Benjamin's discovery started with an odd rock he picked up at the beach. He noticed that it was quite delicate and that the rock began to crumble at his touch.

It was then that Benjamin saw the rock's core being surrounded by an oily substance. When he further analyzed it, the rock totally disintegrated, and a tooth was discovered.

He showed it to his family who quickly said the tooth was fake or plastic. However, it was his grandfather who examined the relic and brought to his friends and some geologists to find more information regarding the tooth.

Benjamin and his grandfather were then invited to the Albany Museum in Grahamstown to have a paleontologist examine the tooth. When the results came out, all were astonished to know that it was a dinosaur tooth belonging to the famous Allosaurus species.

The tooth was the first dinosaur fossil South Africa has ever had. Even scientists hailing from Belgium are interested in getting in touch with Benjamin for them to examine the tooth as well.

The Allosaurus specie is one of the most famous theropod dinosaurs and is often most confused with the Tyrannosaurus Rex. They are often depicted in pop culture media with the famous one being in Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel The Lost World which was adapted into a movie years later.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Samsung Group Chief Jay Y. Lee was arrested on Friday, Feb. 17. After spending the night in a small cell, he was grilled by South Korean authorities on Saturday, Feb. 18.

The 48-year-old Lee has a net worth of $6.2 billion. He heads the technology giant Samsung, one of the world's biggest manufacturers of smartphones, flat-screen televisions, memory chips, and other devices.

Lee was handcuffed and tied with white rope when he arrived at the special prosecutor's office at about 2:20 pm (0520 GMT). He wore a dark suit, white shirt, and no tie. He was escorted by officials from a justice ministry van, Reuters reports.

The Samsung chief was questioned by South Korea's special prosecutor for more than 15 hours as part of the investigation. Lee has been accused of involving into a graft scandal that has led to impeach President Park Geun-Hye.

The special prosecutor's office plans to widen the charges and accuses Lee of bribing a close friend of the president to gain government favors related to leadership succession, SBS reports. Aside from bribery, the prosecutor also indicts him on charges which include embezzlement, hiding assets overseas, and perjury.

South Korea's special prosecutor has been focussing on Samsung Group Chief's relationship with Park, which has been linked to the accusation of Lee's capacity as Samsung chief of pledging 43 billion won ($48.9 million) to a business and organization. While Lee has been questioned by officials on Monday, he denied all the allegations of bribery.

"I will once again tell the truth to the special prosecution," Lee told the reporters. According to the special prosecution team, investigators questioned two other Samsung executives who are considered suspects. One of those two is Samsung Electronics president Park Sang-jin. He did not respond to the reporters when he arrived at the special prosecution team's office, according to SMH.

S. Korea parliament impeached Geun-Hye in December. She has been stripped of her power in the meantime.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 18

The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) has requested the Union government to permit Turkish Airlines to start its service from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport.

The NRI body has made its plea through a communique to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister for Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju. The NAPA executive director, Satnam Singh Chahal, said, At present, this airlines has daily flight from Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul.

He said, In 2013, when India granted additional flying rights to Etihad Airline, Turkish Airlines had sought a five-fold increase in its current flying rights of around 4,000 seats a week to over 20,000 and permission to fly from six more Indian cities, which includes Amritsar. According to global aviation circle the Turkish Airlines was seeking permission to fly from Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata to Istanbul, he added.

He said air connectivity from Amritsar to Istanbul would provide corridor to 110 countries with a strong network in Europe and the USA.
Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Jassia (Rohtak), February 18

Elaborate arrangements have been made in Rohtak and other sensitive districts in anticipation of huge turnout at Jat Nyay Dharnas in view of the balidan divas observance slated for tomorrow. People from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other neighbouring states are likely to participate in tomorrows event.

While the All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) aims at having a gathering of 5 lakh persons at the main dharna site in Jassia village of Rohtak district, intelligence agencies put the expected number at 40,000.

In view of the sensitive and volatile situation, seven more companies of paramilitary forces have been called to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident. Army authorities have also been kept in the loop so as to keep their personnel on standby.

Five companies of the CRPF and two of the RAF are already deployed in Rohtak. Another company of police personnel has arrived on the DGPs orders. As per police sources, reserve companies of the DGP have been deployed in eight sensitive districts, including Rohtak.

The local administration and police have given out new route plans in view of tomorrows event. People have been advised to commute between Rohtak and Gohana via Khakhauda or Lakhan Majra instead of taking NH 71-A, which passes through Jassia.

The AIJASS said its volunteers would regulate traffic and make other arrangements at the dharna site for peaceful conduct of the event.

Relief for injured

A total of 27 innocent persons who had been injured during the Jat stir in February last year were awarded compensation today. An amount of Rs 18 lakh was given to the victims.
Chandigarh, February 18

The Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana on Saturday announced compensation to those injured during the 2016 Jat agitation.

Violence during the February 2016 agitation left 30 people dead and over 200 injured. Government and private properties worth hundreds of crores were also damaged.

The Chief Minister announced the compensation here a day ahead of the Jat communitys next move, who have called for Balidan Diwas (sacrifice day) to mark the first anniversary of the violence on Sunday.

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It has been decided to release compensation to the innocent people who sustained injuries during the 2016 Jat reservation agitation, a state government spokesman said quoting Khattar.

While any person who sustained a bullet injury will be paid Rs 1 lakh, those who suffered a fracture otherwise will be paid Rs 50,000. The amount of compensation will be Rs 25,000 for those who sustained any other minor injuries, the spokesman added.

The compensation amount would be paid out of the Chief Ministers Relief Fund and the Deputy Commissioners had been directed to immediately release the payment, he added.

Of the 30 people who were killed in the violence, the Haryana government has given jobs and compensation to the kin of 17 of them. The remaining 13 have been classified as rioters.

The Jat leadership is demanding compensation for all those who died and those injured in the violence.

Agitating Jat leaders on Friday turned down an offer from the Khattar government for dialogue.

All eyes are now on the future course of agitation that the Jat leadership will take on Sunday.

The Jat agitation, which started on January 29, continued for the 21st day on Saturday with no breakthrough in sight over acceptance of their demands by the Haryana government.

All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (Aijass) president Yashpal Malik accused Khattar and his government of not taking the agitation seriously.

He, however, added that the Jats would continue to protest peacefully.

The Haryana government on Friday deputed senior IAS officers to guide and support Deputy Commissioners in eight districts in view of the ongoing Jat protests.

Their demands include reservation for Jats; jobs to the next of kin of those killed in the 2016 violence; compensation to those injured; withdrawal of cases against the Jats and action against officers who were involved. IANS
Tribune News Service

Solan, February 18

YUwash launderette services were started for hostlers at Bahra University in Waknaghat yesterday. University chancellor Gurvinder Singh Bahra inaugurated the laundry service.

Vice Chancellor Dr SK Bansal said the university was first in north India to provide the facility. He said the students could book a slot, monitor the washing cycle and pay the charges online using a mobile app. The cost of washing 6 kg clothes would be Rs 99. The company would maintain the launderette.

A university spokesperson said such a facility was available at top international universities like Harvard University, North Carolina State University, Kings College, London, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota and University of Michigan.
Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 18

The verbal duel between Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Transport Minister GS Bali seems to be hotting up with the Chief Minister stating that the plans of his Cabinet colleague to hold a youth rally on the issue of unemployment allowance would be perceived as an act of indiscipline.

Talking to mediapersons here today, the Chief Minister said no minister was supposed to hold any rally without the prior permission of the government. Holding such a rally will be perceived as an act of indiscipline which will not be tolerated at any cost, he remarked.

It now remains to be seen whether Bali will stick to his plans of holding a rally by the end of this month at Nagrota and later in March at Dharamsala after the CMs remarks today.

He reiterated his stand on the demand being made by Bali about fulfilling the election promise of giving Rs 1,000 unemployment allowance to the educated jobless youth.

Considering the financial health of the state, we are not in a position to fulfil this demand. Moreover, we are providing the Skill Development Allowance to the youth which is a much wiser and better way to make the youth employable, both in the government and private sector, he explained.

The Congress, in its election manifesto during the 2012 Assembly poll, had promised to provide unemployment allowance of Rs 1,000 to all plus two and graduate youth with family income of less than Rs 2 lakh annually. Bali, who was part of the election manifesto committee, had been candid in demanding that irrespective of the financial condition of the state, the government must fulfil its commitment.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 18

The J&K Police have busted an over ground workers module of the militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen in north Kashmir and arrested nine persons, who were recruiting youth as militants.

The module was busted after the arrest of Hizb militant Irshad Ahmad Shah of Seelu, Sopore.

With this arrest, the police, Army and CRPF in Sopore have been able to lay hands on the network of over ground workers of the outfit who were aiding and abetting militancy besides luring young boys to join militancy. In a series of raids, the Sopore police and security forces arrested nine persons who were influencing young and innocent boys to join militancy, Deputy Inspector General of Police, north Kashmir, Nitish Kumar told mediapersons in Baramulla.

Those arrested were Mudasir Ahmad Ganie and Abdul Majeed Dar from Ladoora, Ajaz Ahmad Shah from Shangergund, Sopore, Azhar Imtiyaz from Behrampora, Ghulam Mustafa Lone from Thagund, Showkat Ahmad Mir and Aejaz Ahmad Bhat from Bomai, Mohammad Yasin Tantray and Abdul Majid Shah, both from Wadoora Payeen.

The DIG said militant commander Azhar Khan of Trich, Kupwara, who got killed along with other accomplices in an encounter on February 4 in Sopore was a radical ideologue of the outfit who with other killed militant had gone to Pakistan on passport and received training there.

Both these militants with the help of this busted over ground superstructure were enticing young boys from Sopore and Baramulla to join militancy. Based on the information which was generated during the course of these investigations some boys (names withheld) who were being recruited for militant activities were counselled and handed over to their families thus saving their lives, Nitish Kumar said.

He appealed to the parents to watch their children and not let them fall into the trap of militant propaganda.

He said arrested militant Irshad along with two other absconders was involved in the killing of a civilian Eid ul Amin Mir of Bahrampora.
Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 18

A day after two Cabinet ministers of the party submitted their resignations, another PDP legislator gave a veiled warning to the leadership against keeping him out from the council of ministers.

The patience of my workers and party leaders of Kulgam district is running out and anger is brewing in the cadre after Fridays Cabinet expansion, an annoyed Abdul Majid Padder, PDP MLA from Noorabad Assembly constituency, told The Tribune. He claimed that hundreds of his supporters had thronged Jammu from Kashmir with a hope that their MLA would be included in the council of ministers during the Friday expansion but they were feeling betrayed.

Padder, the lone PDP MLA from Kulgam district of south Kashmir, was the Minister of State in the previous coalition regime headed by late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

When Mehbooba Mufti took over as the Chief Minister of the state on April 4 last year following re-stitching of the PDP-BJP alliance, Padder was among the four ministers who were dropped from the new ministry. Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had inducted me in his ministry. So, my workers have reasons to stake claims that their MLA be included in the council of ministers. I am the only MLA of the party from the Kulgam district, Padder said and stated that party workers had warned that they would not participate in the forthcoming by-election of Anantnag Parliamentary seat if their representative was not included in the ministry.

After being dropped from the council of ministers in 2016, a sulking Padder was looking for an opportunity to flex his muscles to exert pressure on the leadership. As two Cabinet ministers of the party submitted their resignations on Friday after a minor reshuffle in the portfolios of PDP ministers, Padder supporters seized the opportunity to express their anger against the party leadership.

On Friday, two Cabinet ministers of the PDP, namely Basharat Bukhari and Imran Ansari, had submitted their resignations after the reshuffle.

Although Padder himself is avoiding giving direct warning to the leadership, his supporters have raised a banner of revolt against the party for not inducting him in the ministry. Padder, who had won the 2014 Assembly election from Noorabad was hoping that he would be reinducted during the reshuffle.

Party leaders in touch with Congress

Jammu: After the unexpected developments in the PDP on Friday when two senior ministers resigned, a few PDP leaders and legislators are in touch with Congress leaders sending shock waves across the political circles. A couple of PDP leaders, one of them a minister in Mehbooba Muftis Council of Ministers, met a senior Congress leader at the latters residence here and discussed the current situation in the PDP and the way forward. The PDP minister arrived at the Congress leaders residence in another PDP MLAs vehicle. The meeting lasted for a couple of hours and both PDP leaders left the residence of the Congress leader when nobody was around. The timing of the development is being questioned as to why these PDP leaders met the Congress leader and that too secretly. Sources have claimed that if the crisis deepens in the PDP, a few of its legislators might shift to the Congress. They want to make road clear for their entry into the Congress if the PDP splits. As one of the founding members of the PDP, Tariq Hameed Karra, on Saturday joined the Congress in New Delhi, his close associates in the PDP might follow him if such a situation arises, said a source. So far there is no official word from the PDP legislators why they met the Congress leader.  TNS
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 18

While Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has remained mum over the resignation of two Cabinet ministers of her party, Peoples Democratic Party, she deputed senior party leaders today to break the impasse.

The senior party emissaries, sources said, met Syed Basharat Bukhari and Imran Raza Ansari and held talks with them. It is learnt that Mehbooba was keen on resolving the issue within the party before she heads for the pilgrimage to Mecca along with her family next week.

The sources said that senior PDP leaders, including vice-chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation Rafi Mir and vice-chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Khadi and Village Industries Board Peerzada Mansoor Hussain, held detailed talks with the two ministers who resigned after Amira Kadal MLA Altaf Bukhari was inducted into the Cabinet in Jammu on Friday.

Sources said Mehboobas uncle and vice-president of the Peoples Democratic Party Sartaj Madni had also met the two ministers and listened to them. A party insider said that there was no breakthrough as yet.

Immediately after the oath ceremony, Basharat Bukhari who held the portfolio of Revenue, Rehabilitation and Relief and was assigned Horticulture in the Fridays Cabinet reshuffle, flew to Srinagar and is camping at his Humhama residence.

I have resigned and that is it, Bukhari told The Tribune. He also stayed away from the function in Srinagar where Mehbooba launched the High Density Apple Plantation Scheme today.

Mehbooba remained mum when reporters asked her about the resignation of the two ministers.

However, Education Minister Altaf Bukhari said the issue would be resolved. There are issues in every party and this too will be resolved. They are party colleagues, the Education Ministersaid.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 18

The Congress found itself on the defensive today after new entrant to the party and former PDP leader Tariq Hameed Karra called Army Chief Bipin Rawats remarks on the stone-throwing youth of Jammu and Kashmir political.

As far as the Army Chiefs statement is concerned, I feel it is a politically motivated statement. It is very unfortunate that a force like the Army, deputed to protect the nations sovereignty, is politicised, said Karra, after formally joining the Congress in the presence of party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who said he was happy to have someone of Karras stature on board in the state.

Karra, elected MP from Srinagar in 2014, had resigned from the Lok Sabha and PDP in mid- September last year over the PDP-BJP alliances mishandling of the Kashmir unrest.

The Congress today distanced itself from Karras remarks which party general secretary (Jammu and Kashmir) Ambika Soni sought to correct.

Dont go into whether a comma was placed here or there. What Mr Karra meant was that the ruling party has politicised the statement of the Army Chief and the Congress condemns such politicisation. The Congress has always stood against terrorism. What he (Karra) said was the Army Chiefs statement is being given a political colour by Union minister Jitendra Singh. Its the BJP which is politicising the Army, Soni said when asked if the Congress ascribed to the views of Karra, a founder member of the PDP who fell out with the party after it allied with the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir.

To a query on what the Congress thought of the Army Chiefs remarks that stone-throwing youth who help terrorists escape would be treated as anti-nationals, Soni said, We have always stood for zero tolerance for terrorism. The Congress stands with the Army. They are the best suited to handle the situation.

Karra for his part slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for politicising the Army and called him a small man occupying a big chair.

He (Narendra Modi) is not a prime ministerial material. He is a small man sitting in a big chair, said Karra, who had defeated National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar in the 2014 parliamentary polls.

Earlier today, Karra met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi before being formally inducted into the party. Present at the event were Congress JK chief Ghulam Mir and party legislature leader Rigzin Jora.

Addressing reporters, Karra said the PDP was founded in 1999 on the principles of fighting fascist forces and his conscience did not allow him to work with the PDP when it allied with those very forces. He said he resigned after the alliance maimed the people in J&K, mishandled the unrest and jailed and blinded people.
Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 18

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have seized counterfeit currency worth Rs 3.90 lakh in the denomination of new notes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 from the Simbal Camp area on the outskirts of Jammu.

The police also arrested two persons from the Simbal Camp and Miran Sahib area and recovered one colour printer and scanner from their possession.

Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu, SD Singh Jamwal said acting on a tip-off the special operation group of the police with the help of the Miran Sahib police station staff raided Simbal Camp and seized the fake currency.

Amandeep Singh of Simbal Camp was arrested on the spot. On his disclosure another person Romesh Kumar was arrested from the Miran Sahib area in RS Pura tehsil of Jammu district. It has been found that the currency was of crude type and produced by using colour printer and scanner, the IGP said.

This is for the first time since the demonetisation of old currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 by the Union government on November 8 that fake currency of new denomination notes has been seized in Jammu. Earlier a few fake notes were seized from different locations, but for the first time an organised gang producing fake currency has been busted and fake currency worth Rs 3.90 lakh seized, Jamwal added.

He didnt rule out link of the group with anti-national elements or Pakistan having any role in it. The matter is still under investigation and so far nothing has been found. But we cant rule out anything given the circumstances in the state as Pakistan wants to destabilise even economy in the state, he said.

The IGP informed that so far the fake currency wasnt pumped into the market and the duo was planning to pump it in rural areas where people had less knowledge and information about the new currency.

He said in another case the police had recovered 205 bags of rice belonging to the Food Supplies and Public Distribution Department and meant for distribution among migrant families. The police had arrested one person in this connection.
Kolkata, February 18

Bollywood director Madhur Bhandarkar on Saturday said his next film talks about Emergency to today's generation who do not know much about the happenings in 1975.

"'Indu Sarkar' is definitely on Emergency. One should wait for the trailers to know the political reaction about it," Madhur told media on the sidelines of '7th National Science Festival & Competition' valedictory session here.

"I travelled back 42 years and the shoots were wrapped up in 41 day time. The film talks about how freedom of expression and civil liberties were suppressed during those times. Emergency is a subject which today's generation does not know," Madhur said.

"We have a whole set-up of Delhi in 1975. We have recreated Chandni Chowk. We have collected so much materials! From radio, to typewriter to automobiles of that era. It was a very human story with which I have added fiction," Madhur said.

The director said "Indu Sarkar" is different from his earlier movies.

"My earlier films dwelt on current affairs but 'Indu Sarkar' rewinds to 1975," said Bhandarkar, who is best known for directing films like "Chandni Bar" and "Page 3".

About reports of banning Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's "No Bed of Roses", starring and co-produced by India actor Irrfan Khan, Madhur said, "I feel a film should not be banned after being cleared by the Censor Board.

"I am against this. No point in banning films after Censors see the work and it is cleared," he said about the film which is reportedly inspired by late Bangladeshi writer and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed's life.

"Even my films have been banned in past. My 'Calendar Girls' had been banned in Pakistan. I feel sorry for film makers," he said.  PTI
Gurvinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 18

As many as 134 exhibitors are showcasing their products at the Garments Machinery Manufacturers and Suppliers Association (GMMSA) expo that kicked off at Jalandhar Bypass yesterday, but imported machine/ equipment firms from China, Austria and Taiwan among other countries preponderated the Garments Machinery Manufacturers and Suppliers Association (GMMSA) expo.

Several Chinese machines for garment, hosiery making and knitting have been showcased at the expo.

Cassie Du, senior sales manager from Chinese firm Runshan Knitting, while explaining the functioning of the Jacquard machine said it was fully automated and was not available in North India.

Zhang Jia Gang from Ao Xiang, a Chinese firm, said the flat knitting machine was 40 per cent more efficient than traditional machines being used here.

Chinese representatives present at the expo said the Chinese machines have an edge as they provide quality at cheap prices. Fung Wai from Jack Sewing Machines said nobody in the world was offering technology at these reasonable prices. Zhang Feng, Sales Manager from Phanstar said: Thanks to manufacturing prowess, quality of products and technology and equipment has become much better now and these are becoming viable and best options in the world these days.

Wong Yang Jun, from Taiwan, said the Double-Jacquard machine, exhibited in partnership with Indian firm, was an all-in-one machine combining different processes for making garments and fabric.

Angelo Schiestl showcased the digital garment machine from Austrian company, saying that the machine priced over Rs 1 crore was capable of printing more than 900 garments in an hour.

Ram Krishan, Chairman, GMMSA Expo, said the Chinese machine at his Paradise Knits was doing three different knitting Jacquard, Intarsia, Deca Knits.

Narinder Kumar of Narinder International and President GMMSA Expo India said: Double system machine in which the gauge of bed can be changed according to the need is a significant technology put on display. The entire bed can be changed from 7 gauge to 14 gauge and we have an exclusive patent to this technology. We also have some very high-speed interlock machines that save on time and money.
New Delhi, February 18

The fourth phase of Uttar Pradeshs assembly elections will see 189 crorepatis and 116 candidates with criminal charges fight for 53 assembly seats, a report by two think tanks said its latest report on Saturday.

The Uttar Pradesh Election Watch and the Association Democratic Reforms  an organisation that headquartered in Gujarats Ahmedabad  said in its report that it had analysed affidavits of all 680 candidates from 98 political parties  including six national parties, five state parties, 87 unrecognised parties and 200 independent candidates  who were battling in the elections.

Out of 680 candidates, 45 out of 53 candidates from BSP, 36 of 48 from BJP, 26 of 33 from SP, 17 of 25 from INC, 6 of 39 candidates from RLD and 25 of 200 Independent candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore, the report said.

The average assets holding of a candidate in the elections was estimated to be Rs 1.90 crore.

The richest candidates in the fourth phase were Subhash Chandra (independent), with total assets of over Rs 70 crore; Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi (BJP), with assets of Rs 57 crore and Mohammed Masroor Shaikh (BSP), with assets of over Rs 32 crore).

Some 171 candidates havent provided their PAN details.

Criminal records

Of the 116 candidates with criminal records, 95 faced serious criminal chares  murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and crimes against women, among other things.

At 19, BJP had the most number of candidates with criminal records. BSP came second with 12, RLD with 9 and Congress with 8, while 24 independent candidates faced criminal charges, the report said.

Education

The report said that 268 candidates claimed to have education in the Class 5-12 level, while 367 were graduate or more. Thirty-six declared themselves to be just literate and six registered themselves as illiterate.

The report said that 493 candidates claimed they were between 25 and 50 years, 180 between 51 and 80 years, while seven have not said what their age was.

Sixty of the 680 candidates are women.

Fourth phase of assembly elections will be held on February 23.  PTI
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 18

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police may soon replace Assam Rifles on the Myanmar border as the Home Ministry has referred a related proposal to the Cabinet Committee on Security for its approval.

Sources in the Home Ministry said the step was being taken in view of the recent unrest in Manipur as well as to allow free movement of people up to 16 km on either side of the border with Myanmar. The proposal to replace Assam Rifles with some other paramilitary force has been under consideration for long. The government had even constituted a task, headed by Joint Intelligence Committee Chairman RN Ravi, to work out the modalities. The panel had expressed concern over the infiltration of militants into India from their bases in Myanmar.

The sources said the panel recommended replacing the Assam Rifles with ITBP, which had vast experience in guarding international border with China.

In its report, the panel is learnt to have argued in the ITBPs favour mainly on two counts: experience in dealing with border areas and the force requires its presence in plains so that it can rotate its personnel.

The Home Ministry proposal, said sources, also stressed on streamlining the functioning of the Assam Rifles. At present, the force is under the administrative control of the Home Ministry while its operational control lies with the Defence Ministry. The dual control is learnt to be creating serious problems for the forces smooth functioning and experts have suggested that it be brought under a single ministry.
Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, February 18

National Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has said he believes that Maharahstra is almost certainly staring at mid-term assembly elections.

Speaking to the press on Saturday as several important civic bodies in the state  M umbai, Thane and Pune among them  head for elections, the Maratha strongman said that the NCP would not support the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state, should its ally Shiv Sena decided to pull out.

I can give a letter right now and forward it to the Governor. But the Shiv Sena should also submit a similar letter and make it public, Pawar told reporters here.

The relationship between the two allies has been acrimonious lately. Shiv Sena has threatened to pull the plug on his government after election results are announced on February 23, which has left Chief Minister Devendra Fadnaviss government to face an uncertain future.

Although the NCP hinted that they were willing to support Fadnaviss government immediately after the 2014 assembly elections, it has since been blowing hot and cold, with a shaky relationship with the BJP at both the Centre and state.

Justifying its shifting positions since the assembly elections, Pawar said the NCP first wanted to give the BJP a chance, because thats what people wanted.

Now people realise that the BJP is up to no good and there is no question of supporting the government, Pawar said, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modis government of causing huge losses to farmers with his measure to invalidate old banknotes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000.

Pawar however admitted that the party needed to work to build itself up in the Mumbai, where it was at a disadvantage.

"While the NCP enjoyed the support of farmers and Maharashtra's rural voters, the Shiv Sena controls the Marathi votes in Mumbai, Pawar said.
Islamabad, February 18

Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, who is under house arrest, has been listed under Pakistans anti-terrorism Act, a tacit acknowledgement of his links to militancy.

Dawn News reported that the Punjab government had included the names of Saeed and one of his close aides, Qazi Kashif, in the fourth schedule of the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA).

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Three others  Abdullah Obaid from Faisalabad and Zafar Iqbal and Abdur Rehman Abid from the Markaz-i-Taiba in Muridke  were also included in the list

Those listed face a barrage of legal consequences like travel bans and scrutiny of assets. Violation of the provisions may draw jail of up to three years and fine or both.  PTI
Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, February 18

In the third phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh tomorrow, around 2.42 crore voters across 12 districts would cast their votes for 69 seats.

Farrukhabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Hardoi, Kannauj, Kanpur dehat, Kanpur, Unnao, Lucknow, Barabanki, Auraiyya and Sitapur districts are considered strongholds of the Samajwadi Party. In 2012, the party won 55 of the 69 seats, sparing only six for the BSP, five for the BJP, two for the RLD and one for the Congress. Retaining his partys hold on central UP, including the Yadav belt, would, therefore, be a litmus test for CM Akhilesh Yadav.

The issue dominating this phase is once again the impact of demonetisation on farmers, industry, small businesses and artisans.

Kanpur, a major industrial hub of the state after Noida, is facing a severe recession following demonetisation. An ASSOCHAM survey points out that the leather industry in Kanpur has suffered a decline of 75 per cent after demonetisation.

The potato belt also has a large number of angry farmers who, following note ban, dumped their produce on roads and distributed it for free in front of the Vidhan Sabha in Lucknow.

The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance and the BJP also face a tough battle mainly from within. The Congress does not have much at stake as it is contesting on only 12 of the 69 seats, leaving the rest for the SP.

However, the Yadav first familys pocket borough of Mainpuri-Etawah is where CM Akhilesh Yadav is likely to face rebellion from the faction close to his uncle Shivpal Yadav, who is in the fray from Jaswant Nagar in Etawah.

For Shivpal Yadav, it is a question of political survival. While earlier his victory was always a foregone conclusion, this time he is working hard to remain relevant in the changed political scenario.
Kohima, February 18

In a major political twist in Nagaland, legislators of the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) on Saturday extended their support to the state's lone Lok Sabha member, Neiphiu Rio, as the new legislature party leader, to replace embattled Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang.

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The political development came after more than 50 legislators, including Independent members of the 60-member Nagaland Assembly, "signed a letter of support" in favour of Rio.

The NPF legislators along with the Independent legislators are camping in a resort at Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Zeliang and Rio are expected to meet the legislators later to discuss the transition of power.

"More than 50 (NPF and Independents) legislators have decided to support Rio as the new legislature party leader," Public Health Engineering Minister, Tokheho Yepthomi told IANS.

"There will be a formal meeting later in the evening to complete the formality and then meet the Governor to stake claim and form the new government," he added.

Earlier, on Wednesday 42 of the 49 legislators had unanimously supported NPF supremo Shurhozelie Liezietsu as their new legislature party leader to break the deadlock between the agitating groups and the government.



However, a group of nearly 20 legislators, including some cabinet ministers, were against 84-year-old Shurhozelie as their legislature party leader.

In the 60-member assembly, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland coalition government, comprises 48 NPF legislators, including suspended legislator Imkong Imchen, four of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and eight Independents.

In fact, Rio and Zeliang met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh late Friday night in New Delhi, and finalized change of guard to break the deadlock between the agitating tribal Naga groups and the minus any opposition Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government over the issue of 33 per cent reservation for women in civic elections.

"I have heard about the political development but let me meet the legislators before I comment on anything," Rio, a three-time Nagaland Chief Minister, told IANS after landing at Dimapur airport in Nagaland.

Governor P.B. Acharya, Zeliang and Rio reached Nagaland from New Delhi.

Nagaland has been on turmoil since January, after the NPF-led government decided to hold local body elections in 12 towns across the state with 33 per cent reservation for women.

Agitating tribal groups -- under the banner of NTAC and Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) -- have been demanding the resignation of Zeliang over his decision to conduct civic bodies' elections with 33 per cent reservation for women.

The government continued to shut down internet and mobile data service to stop the spread of rumours through social networking sites. It later declared the civic elections as "null" and "void".

Three persons were killed and many injured following clashes between the police and the public, who were opposing the civic polls.

NPF legislator Neiphrezo Keditsu had resigned as Chairman of Nagaland State Mineral Development Corporation Limited on moral grounds since one of the persons killed in the Dimapur police firing was from his village.

Nagaland has never elected a woman legislator since it gained statehood in 1963. The lone woman MP from the state was Rano M. Shaiza, who got elected in 1977.

In the 2013 Assembly elections, two women candidates -- one fielded by BJP and an Independent candidate -- contested unsuccessfully.

IANS
Patna, February 18

Two days after the Supreme Court ordered the shifting of former RJD strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin from Bihars Siwan jail to Delhis Tihar Central Jail, he was brought to Patna on Saturday amidst tight security.

He would be taken to Delhi by the Rajdhani Express on Saturday evening, the police said.

Shahabuddin is a criminal turned politician locally known as Bahubali. He faces 35 criminal cases, including murder, extortion and kidnapping, and has been convicted in seven.

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Process to shift Shahabuddin from Siwan jail to Tihar jail began on Friday night as a team of special task force (STF), along with top district administration officials, brought him to Patna on way to Delhi, a district police officer said.

According to the police officer, Shahabuddin has been kept in Beur jail under tight security.

Hearing the petition of Asha Ranjan, wife of slain journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, the apex court on Wednesday ordered shifting Shahabuddin from Siwan to Tihar jail.

Asha, a contractual teacher in a government-run school in Siwan, in her petition feared threat to her life if Shahabuddin remained in Siwan jail.

Rajdeo Ranjan was the Siwan Bureau Chief of Hindi newspaper Hindustan, which is part of the Hindustan Times Media company. He was shot dead in May last year.

Chandrakeshwar Prasad, father of three brothers allegedly killed at the instance of Shahabuddin, voiced his happiness at the development.

Last September after spending 11 years behind bars, Shahabuddin was released from Bihars Bhagalpur jail and termed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad as his leader.

After the Patna High Court granted bail in a case related to the killing of a murder witness, he was finally released from prison.

But after 19 days, Shahabuddin surrendered in a court in Siwan district soon after the Supreme Court cancelled his bail, and was taken in custody and sent to Siwan jail. IANS
Chennai, February 18

DMK working president M K Stalin was on Saturday detained after he sat on a protest at Marina beach here against the alleged attack on him and his party MLAs during the trust vote in the state Assembly.

Terming today as a "black day" for democracy, the senior DMK leader urged all those who wanted to "remove" the "anti-democratic" AIADMK government to join him.

After alleging that he was manhandled in the Assembly by the marshals on the day of the vote of confidence, which the Palaniswami government won with a comfortable margin of 122-11, Stalin sat on a protest at the Marina along with his MLAs.

However, police detained the protesting MLAs, including Stalin.

"It is a black day for democracy. This anti-people (AIADMK) government must be removed. A peaceful protest is underway at the Marina. Those who want to remove this anti-democratic government should converge at the Marina," he said in a statement here.

Incidentally, the Marina had witnessed a week-long pro-jallikattu protests in January where scores of people, mainly youngsters had converged at the sands of the famous beach and agitated before it turned violent.

Meanwhile, several DMK workers blocked vehicular traffic and indulged in stone-pelting in different places in the state to protest the alleged attack on Stalin, police said.

In Tirupur, stones were hurled at the Avinashi office of state Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, police said.

DMK supporters staged protests in more than 10 places in and around Coimbatore.

Reports from Cuddalore said, government buses were damaged in stone-throwing incidents at Chidambaram, Virudachalam and Veppur in the district, in which two persons sustained minor injuries.

DMK working President MK Stalin alleges that his shirt was torn off when assembly police forcefully evicted his party MLAs. #floortest pic.twitter.com/LYbt0CTFha  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

In Puducherry, the DMK cadres staged a road roko at near the bus terminus and raised slogans condemning the attack on Stalin.

Thanjavur reports said, around 300 persons, including former Union minister TR Balu, were arrested for burning the effigy of Dhanapal.

Similarly, picketing was reported from several places in Erode district, including Bhavani, Gobichettipalayam and Sathyamangalam.

A Madurai report said DMK members staged demonstrations and blocked roads in several places including Ramanathapuram and Karur.

They also allegedly pelted government buses with stones, damaging some of them. Shops in some places, including Karur and Cuddalore, remained closed.

Police said they detained several DMK workers in connection with the stone pelting incidents and demonstrations in these places.

Police said the situation was under control.  PTI
Patiala, February 18

In the wake of the call by INLD leaders to resume work on the SYL canal on February 23, the Punjab Police has sought central forces to deal with any untoward situation.

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Punjab's border with Haryana will be sealed on Sunday as a precautionary step. Officials said forces would be deployed at nakas on the states border with Haryana. An alert has been sounded with radicals threatening to reach the site. TNS
Chennai, February 18

The Palaniswami government on Saturday won the confidence vote in the Tamil Nadu Assembly by a comfortable 122-11 margin after high drama and bedlam in the House.

The vote was preceded by eviction of principal opposition DMK and walkout by its allies, which have 98 legislators in the 234-member House, in protest.

Former Chief Minister Panneerselvam could muster only 11 votes, ending the prolonged stalemate triggered by his rebellion and by conviction of AIADMK chief VK Sasikala after being elected the Legislature Party leader.

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Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, while appointing Edappadi K Palaniswami as the chief minister after he was propped by Sasikala, had given him 15 days to prove his majority.

The vote was taken after two adjournments due to pandemonium and charges of attacks by DMK members.

Speaker P Dhanapal and Leader of Opposition MK Stalin said their shirts were torn in the fracas in the House.

Stalin immediately dashed off to the Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor and complain about the incidents.

Tight security was in place outside the Assembly to prevent any untoward incident in the wake of the do-or-die battle for the pro-Sasikala government.

When the Assembly met for the day, Speaker P Dhanapal assured the members that they would be provided proper security.

The Assembly witnessed unruly scenes with the opposition members insisting on a secret vote and wanting MLAs to be allowed to visit their constituencies and meet the people before they cast their vote.

DMK working President MK Stalin alleges that his shirt was torn off when assembly police forcefully evicted his party MLAs. #floortest pic.twitter.com/LYbt0CTFha  ANI (@ANI_news) February 18, 2017

This was, however, rejected by the Speaker who went on with the Floor Test when the House reassembled at 3 pm.

Claiming majority support, Panneerselvam, who had claimed he was forced to resign as chief minister, had met the Governor twice earlier during the month.

Just hours ahead of the voting, the Palaniswami camp received a jolt when Coimbatore North MLA Arun Kumar left saying he would abstain from voting.

On Friday, MLA from Mylpore constituency here, R Nataraj, had said he would vote against the chief ministers motion of confidence.

Ailing DMK supremo M Karunanidhi did not attend the proceedings.

The floor test in the Assembly was the first such exercise in the state in about 30 years.

Panneerselvam had vowed to continue his fight against Sasikala and her family till the time Amma (Jayalalithaa) regime is restored.

The combined strength of AIADMK in the Assembly is 134.

Read

As soon as the House proceedings resumed at 3 pm, the Speaker allowed Panneerselvam, Congress Legislature Party Leader KR Ramasamy and IUML member Abubacker to make some brief remarks before going for the voting, which was taken up as division.

Soon after his announcement, the quorum bell rang thrice and all the entry points to the House were closed.

The Speaker announced that the state government resolution moved by Palaniswami would be taken up in division in every block where those supporting and opposing it, besides staying neutral, should stand up for their respective choices.

Subsequently, the division was held for four blocks as the rest two remained empty following the DMKs eviction.

After voting, the Speaker announced that the Palaniswami Ministry received 122 in support and 11 against, drawing thunderous applause from the ruling benches with some MLAs also haling late chief minister Jayalalithaa.

Soon after the Speaker declared the result, Panneerselvam and his supporters left the House.

Dhanapal said the vote of confidence allowed the continuance of the Jayalalithaa government.

DMK leaders, led by Stalin, protested at Marina Beach against what they called Palaniswamis anti-democratic government.

News reports said some, Stalin among them, were eventually detained.  PTI
Simran Sodhi

tribune news service

New Delhi, February 18

Virendra Sharma, member of the British Parliament from Ealing Southall, today slammed the Theresa May government for her biased immigration policies. In an interview to The Tribune, Sharma said he raised the issue of demonetisation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he, along with five other MPs from the UK, called on him here.

First of all, nobody, including myself, supports the open-door policy on immigration. That is, anybody can come and anybody can go. But we also want to make immigration fair; you dont look at the colour of the person but at the skills the person is bringing in, he said. The British immigration policies and that of May, in some areas, were biased, he said. It is based on colour and which region you are coming from. It is also dividing people on the basis of financial capacity.

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In a rather serious critique of the May government, Sharma maintained her government was using terrorism as an excuse to use immigration in a biased manner.

He pointed out that there was a serious concern about too many people from Turkey moving into Europe and fear was being used to suit narrow political means. He alleged May was trying to appease the category of people who were anti-immigration. He was dismissive of the claims made by the UK government that these new policies would help filter out terrorists.

Sharma pointed out that the effect of such policies was already being felt very strongly in the Indian diaspora who are settled in the UK but still want to maintain contacts with relatives in India.

He pointed to the way Indian students were treated as compared to those from China to get a better understanding of the prejudices in the UK system. He felt the effects of these new, harsher policies had already begun to show as more Indian students were now heading to Australia and New Zealand, since these countries offer more favourable experiences to students after school.

Sharma also expressed his dismay at the way demonetisation had caused unpleasantness in the Indian diaspora. It is very disappointing and there has been no solution so far. I am not saying if it is a right policy or a not, but the way it has been handled has caused a lot of discomfort among the diaspora, he said.

On British firms wanting to invest in India, he said the perception of red tape and corruption was a major hindrance even today to global investors who might want to invest in India. Sharma was part of a UK delegation of parliamentarians who were in India last week.
Tribune News Service

Amritsar/Fazilka, February 18

About 13 kg of heroin was seized in two cases in the past 24 hours.

The Border Security Force, in a joint operation with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), recovered around 7 kg of heroin hidden in the wild growth near the Rear Kakkar border outpost in Amritsar on Friday evening.

GS Oberai, DIG, BSF, Amritsar sector, in a press conference here today said the BSF had received specific input from its Intelligence and NCB officials that Pakistan-based smugglers could use the area for smuggling narcotics. He said a search operation was launched last evening.

Around 6 pm, the BSF and NCB teams found a big packet containing seven packets of heroin was amid the elephant grass along the Sakki Nallah that merges in the Ravi river.

Meanwhile, in the Fazilka sector, personnel of the 129 Battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) recovered six packets (weighing 5.974 kg) of contraband, suspected to be heroin, from a field at border Mahatam Nagar village (Ghorkha Ghatti II) across the barbed wire fencing.

Deputy Inspector General, BSF, Eupan PV said on getting input regarding suspicious movement, a search operation was carried out between barbed wire fencing and the international border around 8.30 am today.

Sources said the contraband was wound by a yellow plastic insulation tape wrapped in two black plastic polythene bags, about 40 metres inside the Indian territory. During the search operation, BSF personnel also found footprints from the Pakistan side.
Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 18

With the high cost of security at the international airport in Mohali eating into the profitability of the Chandigarh International Airport Limited, the board of directors of the airport has asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to bear the expense.

The decision was taken during a recent meeting of the board of directors. The financial status of the recently commissioned international airport, growth in passenger traffic and the future expansion plans of the airport were also discussed during this meeting.

An official in the Department of Civil Aviation, Punjab, requesting anonymity, said the board of directors was informed that the annual cost of the Central Industrial Security Force deployed at the airport was Rs 30 crore. Against this, the airport authorities are able to recover just Rs 7.5 crore from the passengers, as an amount of Rs 150 per ticket of a passenger flying out of Chandigarh is charged for the security. The remaining Rs 22.5 crore cost of security is being borne by Chandigarh International Airport Limited, from the profit it has started earning now.

Though, despite bearing the cost of security, we are in profit in just over a year after the airport was made operational, the profit is not enough for the physical expansion of the airport. We are looking at adding another terminal at the airport soon as the passenger traffic is witnessing a steady growth rate. The passenger traffic is expected to increase from 1.5 million last year to over 1.7 million by the end of March. The directors thus decided to seek financial assistance for the security cost from the Ministry of Home Affairs, said a senior official in Chandigarh International Airport Limited.

As of now, 24 domestic flights and two international flights (Dubai and Sharjah) fly from this airport. Officials at the airport say that two new flights  to Singapore and Bangkok  will also be commissioned by May.
Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Pathankot, February 18

The Pathankot police have launched a manhunt to nab the occupants of a suspicious car that attempted to enter the city after trying to run a police officer over in the wee hours of Saturday.

An Alto car bearing a J&K number tried to speed into the city around 2am forcing cops at the Madhopur check post to intercept it. ASI Dilbagh Singh and his team were stationed at the check post when suddenly the car driver, one of the five occupants of the vehicle, tried to run him over and injured him. In the ensuing melee, the occupants abandoned the car and fled towards Pathankot, taking the route on which Gujjar families reside.

Authorities were sounded following which SSP Nilambari Jagadale Vijay led the manhunt to nab the absconders. The search went throughout the day as a dozen check posts were established in the city. Roads leading to Himachal Pradesh and J&K were also sealed. A heavy police posse landed where the Gujjars stay and a search operation was launched.

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Security at the Air Force station, scene of the January 2, 2016 militant attack, was tightened.

Fear gripped residents of the colonies located adjacent to the military installation as news of the car driven by militants spread.

The SSP said a case under Section 353 (using criminal force to deter a public servant from doing duty, punishable with imprisonment of two years) and 186 of the IPC (deliberately obstructing government servant in discharge of his functions, punishable with a term of three months or fine) was registered against all five accused at the Sujanpur police station.

Nothing can be ruled out at this stage. There is a possibility that the accused may be cattle smugglers though the terror angle cannot be ruled out. We are still investigating and are working on a few clues, the SSP said.
Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 17

The yawning gap between the crop loan availed by Punjab farmers last fiscal and the maximum crop loan that can be given annually against the states entire cultivable land is posing a riddle to banking experts and

agricultural economists.

According to National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) experts, Rs 47,708 crore is the maximum loan that the entire farming community in Punjab can collectively avail of in a year. This amount, they say, is for both sowing seasons  rabi and kharif.

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What is intriguing is that last fiscal, crop loan amounting to Rs 74,093 crore was given to Punjab farmers, which is at least Rs 26,385 crore (35 per cent) more than the states maximum loan potential. There is a difference of Rs 26,385 crore. The question is into what has this amount been ploughed? It is likely that most of it has been used for non-farming and non-productive purposes, further worsening the farmers economic plight, said a senior NABARD officer.

Experts blame the loan diversion to the prevalent practice of multiple borrowing, whereby an individual raises loan from various financial sources against the same piece of agriculture land. This is a serious issue, pointing to a massive diversion of crop loan for non-agriculture purposes, even as borrowing from multiple sources is pushing the small farmer into a debt trap, said a senior economist.

As per the report of the State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC), that coordinates with the state government, crop loan was taken by at least 25.6 lakh account-holders during last fiscal whereas there are in all 19.35 lakh cultivators in Punjab. The number of active KCC bank accounts is about the same (19.63 lakh).

This indicates that a large number of farmers are resorting to multiple borrowing, which is deterimental to their fiscal health, and that loans taken to raise crops is being used for other purposes, said Dr PM Ghole, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Regional Office.
Christopher Hooton

Tim Steiner has a work of art inked on him, but hes only the temporary frame. He was tattooed a decade ago by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye  known for his controversial work on pigs  the design on his back he volunteered to be the canvas for involving a haloed Madonna, a Mexican-style skull, swallows, rose, joe fish and children frolicking among lotus flowers and taking 40 hours to complete.

In 2008, the work, entitled TIM, was sold to German art collector Rik Reinking, with Steiner getting a third of the sum.

He currently exhibits the work in art galleries (and anywhere he has his shirt off, presumably), but the exhibitions wont stop when he dies.

As part of the deal, Steiner has agreed to be skinned after his death, with his skin being permanently framed and residing in Reinkings art collection.

The work of art is on my back, Im just the guy carrying it around, 40-year-old Steiner, from Zurich, told the BBC.

My skin belongs to Rik Reinking now, he says. My back is the canvas, I am the temporary frame.

Some may find this gruesome, but Steiner doesnt see it that way.

Gruesome is relative, he countered.

Its an old concept  in Japanese tattoo history, its been done many, many times. If its framed nicely and looks good, I think its not such a bad idea.

Tattooers are incredible artists whove never really been accepted in the contemporary art world. Painting on canvas is one thing, painting on skin with needles is a whole other story.

 The Independent
Pushpa Girimaji

A couple of months ago, my husband and I travelled from Delhi to Melbourne via Sydney. Unfortunately, our flight reached Sydney 45 minutes late and there was a further delay of 90 minutes on account of delay in baggage arrival and immigration as a result of which we missed our connecting flight and had to buy fresh tickets to travel from Sydney to Melbourne. On return, I sent a claim to the insurance company to reimburse our fare, as the travel insurance that we had bought covered losses caused on account of delayed flights. However, the insurance company has repudiated our claim saying that they only pay for delays caused beyond six hours, which we were unaware of. We bought the policy online and the terms and conditions came only with the policy document, which no one really goes through. Can you please tell me on what basis they are rejecting our claim?

I went through the terms and conditions issued by the insurer along with your policy document. On the policy, I see a table, which refers to flight delays and says under the head sum insured, US $10 per hour, maximum 120 And under the column deductibles, it says 6 hours! Who can understand this?

Then under the terms and conditions, it says that If the flight in which an insured person is due to travel is delayed in excess of the deductibles, then the company agrees to reimburse up to the amount stated in the schedule per hour up to the sum assured, for essential purchases such as meals, refreshments or other related expenses directly resulting from the

n Delay or cancellation of the insured persons booked and confirmed flight.

n Late arrival of the insured persons connecting flight, causing the insured person to miss his or her onward connection.

nOr late arrival of (of more than 1 hour) of public transport causing the insured person to miss the flight.

So from what I can understand, the delay beyond six hours applies only to delayed departures and not to late arrival of the connecting flight, resulting in a missed connecting flight. And since your expenses involving purchase of the tickets stem as a direct result of the delayed arrival, the insurer has to honour your claim.

What can we do now? How do we get our reimbursement from the insurance company?

First and foremost, I do not see how the exception of delay beyond six hours in the policy applies to late arrival of your connecting flight. So you must question the insurer on this.

Having said that, I must also point out that the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authoritys Regulation on the Protection of Policy Holders Interests, clearly mandates that insurers (or the agent selling the policy) give the prospective policy buyers, full information on the policy, clearly explaining, without any ambiguity, the warranties, exceptions and conditions of the insurance cover, so as to help the prospect make an informed decision.

When an insurance company is selling the policy online, without the agent, it has a responsibility to ensure that it gives the prospective buyer, all important and material information regarding the policy, including the exceptions, before the purchase. In this case, obviously, the company did not do so and sent the document containing the terms and conditions only after you purchased the policy. This is against the mandate of the insurance regulator.

Besides, the wordings of the terms and conditions are such that it is not possible for an ordinary consumer to understand its meaning. So write to the company questioning its decision. If they do not pay, complain first to the IRDA complaint cell and if necessary, to the Insurance Ombudsman (Please see the website of the IRDA, meant for policyholders for details)

I must mention here that I checked up quite a few insurance companies selling travel insurance and I found that almost all of them promise insurance against travel delays. However, none of them give the exceptions or the terms and conditions when you try to buy a policy. And they all have different terms and conditions with regard to the insurance cover vis-a-vis delayed flights. So in order to make an informed choice, you need to really see those terms and the companies should therefore put them out upfront. Not doing so is not only a violation of the IRDA Regulation, but also an unfair trade practice. It is also essential that the insurer provide the terms and conditions in a simple language that is easy to comprehend. Its time the insurance regulator, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority took note of this and applied correctives.
Shubhadeep Choudhury in Kolkata

Umeed pe duniya kayam hai (hope sustains life). Thats what you hear frequently at the decaying Hindustan Motors factory at Uttarpara, near Kolkata. Wild vegetation is threatening to swallow the factory that had once turned out Indias dream car, the Ambassador. Workers, who have not yet left despite the suspension of work in the factory three years back in 2014, still hope that production will resume.

If the management wants, the compound can be back in tiptop shape in no time, says Rajkumar Sahu, a worker. Babloo Sharma, another worker, says if the management wanted to shut the factory for good, they would have given a lockout notice. The notice said that work was being suspended.

The entire Ambassador car was built here; every nut and bolt was manufactured here. The machines are still there, says Shyambadan Prasad.

Talking to the factory workers under a large tree seems an uninterrupted interlude: no cellphone rings; because charging the battery is a problem. Electricity connection to workers quarters was cut three years back, the day work came to a halt. Water supply to the workers residences too was cut off three years back. In Krishnamurari Yadavs humble two-room residence, water containers of various shapes and sizes occupy quite a bit of space. They have to cycle about 3km to carry water. Yadav was a mechanic at body shop at the main jig of the factory and earned Rs 14,000 a month. He now works as a security guard at Uttarpara and gets Rs 6,000 for 12-hour work. We have to earn to eat, Yadav explains his helplessness. Women have been hit the hardest. You must do something for us, bhaiya, says one of them.

In its heyday, the sprawling Hindustan Motors manufacturing facility employed over 20,000 staff. Today, hardly 200 workers are left on the campus. These workers did not take voluntary retirement offered by the company because the money was so little that they thought it was better to stay in the decaying residences and eke out a living by doing odd jobs. At night the residential area looks like a ghost town. There is no electricity and most residences are empty. We feel so scared, says Meena Singh, wife of a worker.

A different story

Over to Rathna Nadar. He fits in the Ambassador story from a vastly different angle. While many HM workers are second or third generation employees, Nadar, a Chennai-based businessman, is a third generation owner of Ambassador. In fact, he has six of them, including the Avigo. Launched in 2004, Avigo indicated a new marketing strategy by the manufacturers of the iconic cars. Nadar has two Avigos. Nadar drives only an Ambassador.

When I was born, I was brought home by an Ambassador car, said the Nadar (36). He is excited about the recent purchase of the Ambassador brand by the French company, Peugeot. It will be absolutely great if Peugeot launches the Ambassador again, says Nadar.

Jaideep, another Ambassador enthusiast, is in his early thirties. He has a Mark-II Ambassador, and he takes care of its maintenance. The Bangalore-based Ambassador owner, who works in Dassault Aviation, says tinkering with his old automobile takes him back in time.

Peugeot, a source says, is planning to launch the new Ambassador as a premium product in the sedan segment of the automobile market. This will be welcome news for the fans of the car, who come from the affluent category.

As for HMs Uttarpara factory, well, hope would sustain workers life.
By K. Natwar Singh

HG Wells, the British author, a contemporary of Bernard Shaw and GK Chesterton, wrote in his, Outline of History: Amid tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history  their majesties, and graciousness, and serenities and royal highnesses and the like  the name of Ashoka shines and shines almost alone, a star

He was Ashoka Devanampiya (beloved of the gods); Piyadasi (pleasant to behold). He is the greatest ruler India has produced. He lived from 273 BC to 232 BC.

Ashoka was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya and the son of Bindusara. Ashokas empire extended from present-day Afghanistan to Madurai. The Dharama Chakra, incorporated into the flag of India, is taken from the Ashokan pillar at Sarnath.

For almost two thousand years, Ashoka the Buddhist was all but forgotten. He himself left a detailed account of his reign on many pillars and edicts he built. Two pillars have survived in Delhi.

Romila Thapar in her preface to her book, Ashoka and the Decline of the Mauryas writes: The reign of Ashoka began to attract attention of historians well over a century ago. In 1837 James Prinsep came out with his work on Ashoka inscriptions in a series of papers. According to KM Panikkar, Ashoks name was restored to honour as a result not of Indian researchers but the work of European scholars.

I conclude this piece with two quotations from his edicts: All sects deserve reverence for one reason or another. By thus acting a man exalts his own sect and at the same time does service to the sects of other people. The second is: All men are my children, and just as I desire my children that they should obtain welfare and happiness both in this world and the next, so do I desire the same for all men.

I have written this as I am reading Romila Thapars wonderful book, Ashoka and the Fall of the Mauryas.

It gave me much pleasure when I read that the Nobel Prize citation and medallion (pure gold) which had been stolen by miscreants was recovered and returned to Kailash Satyarthi. I have so far not met him, but doubtlessly he is a noble and public spirited individual.

It was in the early years of this century that Rabindranath Tagores Nobel medal was stolen from a room in which the poet lived. I was then External Affairs Minister. The Swedish government was gracious enough to send a replacement. This was handed over to me by the Swedish ambassador in New Delhi. I decided to take the medal to Santiniketan to give it to the Vice Chancellor. From Kolkata Pranab Mukerjee and I flew by helicopter to Bolpur and then by car to Gurudevs creation. There we were joined by Governor of West Bengal Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and economist Amartya Sen. The ceremony was short and simple.

I had first been to Santiniketan in December 1954 escorting a Chinese cultural delegation, led by Chen Chen Tho, a great Tagore scholar. I remember his name because I saw much of him when I was posted in China 1956-58.

One more significant memory of Santiniketan has stayed with me. The great Nandlal Bose (a pioneer of modern Indian art) showed me around Kala Bhawan, his creation.

Heres my list of the famous and the infamous politicians of the 20th century: Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), V. Lenin (1870-1924), Winston Churchill (1874-1965), M.A. Jinnah (1876-1948), Joseph Stalin (1879-1953), Franklin D Roosevelt (1883-1945), Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), Mao Tse Tung (1893-1976) & Nelson Mandela (1918-2013).

Mahatma Gandhi is a class by himself. Lenin was a revolutionary, intellectual, founder of the Soviet Union, was ruthless. Winston Churchill arch-imperialist, racist, greatest Englishman and Nobel laureate. MA Jinnah was a brilliant lawyer, a clear-headed politician who knew what he wanted and got it (Pakistan). Joseph Stalin, founder of the USSR, killed millions of his own people. He led the Soviet Union to victory in 1945 World War-II.

Franklin D Roosevelt was a great US President (four terms) except Lincoln. Adolf Hitler was a charismatic German leader and a brutal killer of millions of Jews. His autobiography Mein Kampf was a bestseller. He committed suicide. Jawaharlal Nehru was a noble humanist, a founder of modern India. Charles de Gaulle is the greatest Frenchman after Napoleon. He was an excellent writer in French and was President of France during 1958-1969.

Mao Tse Tung was a revolutionary intellectual and the founder of the Peoples Republic of China. He killed seventy millions of his people. Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time. He spent 27 years (1964-1991) in prison. A Nobel laureate, he was President of South Africa during 1994-1999. He died at the age of 95.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 18

State BJP president Ajay Bhatt today said the party would get a thumping majority in the just concluded Assembly elections.

On the counting day on March 11, the BJP will emerge a clear winner. We will win between 44-50 seats, said Bhatt at a press conference today.

Bhatt accused the Congress for violating the model code of conduct and demanding to know how much the Congress paid to consultant PK. They should explain to the people from where they managed to get that much of money, he said.

He again accused the Harish Rawat government for violating the model code of conduct in sanctioning 100 cars to the consultant company of PK. The sanction for vehicles was given without orders by the Transport Commissioner, who was given service extension in advance, accused Bhatt.

Bhatt also questioned Chief Minister Harish Rawat for sanctioning three bottling plants in Bhimtal, Satpauli and Tehri by relaxing rules to oblige people for the purpose of influencing them in the elections. As soon as we come to power, we will initiate inquiry against the Chief Minister and review his decisions, he said.

Significantly, the state BJP had lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer about the sanction of vehicles by the Congress government.

On the issue of chief minister in case the BJP comes to power, Bhatt said the elected MLAs would be take the decision and the parliamentary board of the party would ratify it.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 18

While the financial year is about to end, Members of Parliament (MPs) are yet to spend Rs 42.34 crore from their local area development (LAD) funds.

This was revealed in response to an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Nadimuddin. Uttarakhand MPs are yet to spend Rs 42.34 crore of their LAD fundsRs 24.78 crore of Lok Sabha MPs and Rs 17.56 crore of Rajya Sabha MPs from the state.

All Lok Sabha MPs from Uttarakhand had spent Rs 110.17 crore of Rs 134.95.07 crore till December 2016.

Similarly, Rajya Sabha MPs have spent Rs 59.30 crore of Rs 76.87 crore of their LAD funds.

Further, the MPs got 11,518 works sanctioned and of these only 8,832 have been completed by December 2016. A total of 1,224 works are yet to begin while 1,456 works are in progress.

Of 8,786 works sanctioned by Lok Sabha MPs, 1,148 are in progress and 967 works are still to begin. In case of Rajya Sabha MPs, 308 of total 2,732 sanctioned works are in progress while 257 works are still to be commence.

Significantly, 208 works of Tehri Garhwal MP Mala Rajlakshmi Shah and 31 works of Pauri Garhwal MP BC Khanduri are still to begin. Among Rajya Sabha MPs, Mahendra Singh Maharas 154 works were still to begin.

Kashipur resident and RTI activist Nadimuddin got this information from the office of the Urban Development Commissioner in Dehradun.
Beijing, February 18

China will suspend all imports of coal from North Korea for the rest of the year, Beijing said on Saturday, depriving Pyongyang of a crucial source of foreign exchange following its latest missile test.

"(China) will temporarily stop its imports of coal from North Korea for the rest of this year (including coal for which customs applications have been made but not yet processed)," the commerce ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

The suspension, which implements existing UN sanctions, will start on 19th February and remain in force until the end of the year, it added.

The decision came less than a week after North Korea's latest missile test, as tensions escalate over the reclusive state's defiance of UN resolutions.

The North's leader Kim Jong-Un has been trying to strengthen his grip on power in the face of growing international pressure over his country's nuclear and missile programmes.

The communique from Beijing came as investigators in Malaysia probe the shock assassination of Kim's half-brother on Monday.

The United Nations Security Council, which includes the North's only major ally China, sharply castigated Pyongyang on Monday for the missile test a day earlier, describing it as a "grave violation" of UN resolutions and threatening "further significant measures".

On Wednesday Pyongyang defended the missile launch and slammed the UN Security Council condemnation.

The rocket launch was the first since US President Donald Trump came to power and was seen as a challenge to the new American leader, who has vowed a strong response to the provocation.

Trump has repeatedly called out China for doing too little to help stop North Korea's nuclear programme.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson used his first meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday to urge Beijing "to use all available tools to moderate North Korea's destabilising behaviour".

Pyongyang is barred under UN resolutions from carrying out ballistic missile launches or nuclear tests.

North Korea blasted off a series of missiles and conducted two nuclear tests in 2016 in its quest to develop a weapons system capable of hitting the US mainland.

The latest rocket  said by Pyongyang to be able to carry a nuclear warhead  flew east for about 500 km before falling into the Sea of Japan (East Sea), South Korea's defense ministry said.

The Security Council has imposed six sets of sanctions since Pyongyang first tested an atomic device in 2006.

Beijing traditionally ensured that UN Security Council resolutions on sanctions against Pyongyang included humanitarian exemptions, and had continued to purchase huge amounts of North Korean coal  $101 million worth in October alone  a crucial source of foreign exchange for Pyongyang.  AFP
Kuala Lumpur, February 18

Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as a diplomatic spat over his body escalated.

Kim-Jong Nam died this week after being assaulted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with what was thought to be a fast-acting poison. South Korean and US officials have said he was assassinated by North Korean agents.

Malaysian police said the latest arrest connected with the murder was made on Friday night, and the suspect was identified as Ri Jong Chol, born on May 6, 1970.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

He is suspected to be involved in the death of a North Korean male, read the statement.

Two female suspects, one an Indonesian and the other carrying Vietnamese travel documents, have already been arrested. While a Malaysian man has been detained. At least three more suspects are at large, government sources have said.

Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, had spoken out publicly against his familys dynastic control of the isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea.

South Koreas intelligence agency told lawmakers in Seoul that Kim had been living with his second wife in the Chinese territory of Macau, under Chinas protection.

He had been at the Kuala Lumpur airport to catch a flight to Macau when he was killed. An autopsy is being performed at a hospital in the capital city.

Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah told Reuters that the autopsy report was not complete yet. He dismissed media reports that a second autopsy would have to conducted.

Diplomatic row

North Korea said in the early hours of Saturday that it would categorically reject Malaysias autopsy report on the death of Kim Jong Nam, and accused Malaysia of colluding with outside forces, in a veiled reference to rival nation South Korea.

Malaysia hit back by saying the countrys rules must be followed. The foreign ministry has yet to make any comment.

The case threatens to weaken North Koreas ties with Malaysia, one of the few countries that has maintained good diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.

Kim Jong Nam was assaulted at the low cost terminal of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday with what is believed to be fast acting poison before he could board a flight to Macau. He sought help but died on the way to the hospital.

North Korea demanded on Friday night that Kim Jong Nams body be released immediately. It had earlier tried to persuade Malaysian authorities not to carry out an autopsy.

The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing, the North Korean ambassador Kang Chol told reporters outside the hospital where the body of Kim Jong Nam is being kept.

We will categorically reject the result of the post mortem ... 

He said Kim Jong Nam had a diplomatic passport and was under the consular protection of the DPRK.

Assassins look to be amateurs

Former North Korean spy Kim Hyon-hui said the alleged assassins of Kim-Jong Nam appeared to be amateurs, the Mainichi newspaper reported on Saturday.

Kim Hyon-hui, who bombed a Korean Air jet in 1987 after being trained as a North Korean agent, told the Japanese newspaper in a written interview that it was unthinkable that the women received strict training.

I felt suspicious. They dont seem to have taken strict psychological and physical education and training in North Korea, Kim Hyon-hui told the paper in Tokyo.

According to Malaysian media reports, the women told police they had been involved in a prank.

They would not have run away if that was the case, Kim Hyon-hui said.

She also emphasised a link with North Korea as the date of the murder was close to the Feb. 16 birthday of the late leader Kim Jong Il, father of Kim Jong Un and Kim Jong Nam, and that Kim Jong Ils nephew Lee Han-young was shot dead on Feb. 15, 1997.

Lee Han-young, a North Korean defector, was shot and killed in South Korea by two assailants who were never caught but were suspected to be North Korean agents.

Kim Hyon-hui and another North Korean spy planted a bomb on a Korean Air flight in 1987, the year before South Korea was to host the Olympics. All 115 crew and passengers were killed when the plane exploded in mid-air over the Bay of Bengal.

Kim was sentenced to death by a Seoul court but received a presidential pardon in 1990. She won sympathy as someone whom the reclusive North had used as a pawn, but largely dropped out of the public eye after leaving prison.  Reuters
Islamabad: Pakistan has reportedly launched strikes against militant bases in Afghanistan, hours after the army said it has found links that terrorists from across the border were behind a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine that killed 88 persons. The army on Friday summoned Afghan diplomats and handed them a list of 76 militants who, they say, were supporting terrorist activities in Pakistan. Immediately after the bombing, Pakistan claimed the attack was planned in militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan. PTI
Munich (Germany), February 18

Russia on Saturday called for an end to an outdated world order dominated by the West, even as US Vice-President Mike Pence pledged Washington's "unwavering" commitment to its transatlantic allies in NATO.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov laid out a diametrically opposed global vision and offered "pragmatic" ties with the United States, just hours after Pence vowed to stand with Europe to rein in a resurgent Moscow.

"I hope that (the world) will choose a democratic world order - a post-West one - in which each country is defined by its sovereignty," said Lavrov.

The time when the West called the shots was over while NATO was a relic of the Cold War, he said.

In its place, Moscow wanted a relationship with Washington that is "pragmatic with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our common responsibility for global stability".

The two countries had never been in direct conflict, he said, and were close neighbours across the Bering Straits.

Moscow has been impatiently waiting for US President Donald Trump to make good on his pledge to improve ties which plunged to a post-Cold War low as Barack Obama slapped on sanctions over the Ukraine crisis and Russia's alleged meddling in Trump's election.

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and voiced his willingness to work with him in fighting terrorism.

But in the face of growing heat over its links to Moscow, Trump's administration appears to be backing off the warmer words used earlier for the former Cold War foe.

Exasperated and worried by Trump's calling into question long-standing foreign policy assumptions, European leaders have warned Washington not to take transatlantic ties for granted.

On a European roadshow this week, Trump's lieutenants have sought to reassure jittery allies that the administration will hold fast to existing foreign policies, including maintaining sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis.

Hours before Lavrov addressed the Munich Security Conference, Pence told the same forum that the United States will stay loyal to its old friends.

"The United States is and will always be your greatest ally. Be assured that President Trump and our people are truly devoted to our transatlantic union," Pence said.

The US would also not relent in pushing Russia to honour the Minsk ceasefire accords with Ukraine, he said.

"The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," the vice-president said.  AFP
Munich (Germany), February 18

Republican Senator John McCain broke with the reassuring message that US officials visiting Germany have sought to convey on their debut trip to Europe, saying on Friday that the administration of President Donald Trump was in disarray.

McCain, a known Trump critic, told the Munich Security Conference that the resignation of the new Presidents Security Adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russia reflected deep problems in Washington.

I think that the Flynn issue obviously is something that shows that in many respects this administration is in disarray and theyve got a lot of work to do, said McCain, even as he praised Trumps defence secretary.

The President, I think, makes statements (and) on other occasions contradicts himself. So weve learned to watch what the president does as opposed to what he says, he said.

European governments have been unsettled by the signals sent by Trump on a range of foreign policy issues ranging from NATO and Russia to Iran, Israel and European integration.

The debut trip to Europe of Trumps Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to a meeting of G20 counterparts in Bonn, went some way to assuaging concerns as they both took a more traditional U.S. position.

But Trump is wrestling with a growing controversy at home about potential ties between his aides and Russia, which he dismissed on Thursday as a ruse and scam perpetrated by a hostile news media.

Mattis made clear to allies, both at NATO in Brussels and in Munich, that the United States would not retreat from leadership as the European continent grapples with an assertive Russia, wars in eastern and southern Mediterranean countries and attacks by Islamist militants.

US Vice-President Mike Pence will address the Munich conference on Saturday with a similar message of reassurance.

Pence will say that Europe is an indispensable partner for the United States, a senior White House foreign policy adviser told reporters.

Mattis told a crowd that included heads of state and more than 70 defence ministers that Trump backed NATO.

President Trump came into office and has thrown now his full support to NATO. He too espouses NATOs need to adapt to todays strategic situation for it to remain credible, capable and relevant, Mattis said.

Mattis said the United States and its European allies had a shared understanding of the challenges ahead. Trump has alarmed allies by expressing admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mattis, however, has spoken out strongly against Russia while in Europe. After talks with NATO allies in Brussels on Thursday, he said that he did not believe it would be possible to collaborate militarily with Moscow, at least for now.

The Europeans may need more convincing that Washington stands with it on a range of security issues.

There is still a lot of uncertainty, Sebastian Kurz, Austrias foreign minister, told reporters. The big topic in Munich is looking to the USA to see which developments to expect next.

'No illusions'

European intelligence agencies have warned that Russia is also seeking to destabilize governments and influence elections across Europe with cyber attacks, fake news and propaganda and by funding far-right political parties.

We should be under no illusions about the step-change in Russian behaviour over the last couple of years, even after Crimea, British Defence Minister Michael Fallon said, referring to Moscows 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula.

We have seen a step-change in Russian military aggression, but also in propaganda, in misinformation and a succession of persistent attacks on Western democracies, interference in a whole series of elections including ... the United States. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Munich, seeing progress on encouraging Moscow to be more open about its military exercises that the alliance says are unpredictable.

Russia says it is the Western alliance, not Moscow, that is destabilising Europe by sending troops to its western borders.

We have different views, Stoltenberg said of the crisis in Ukraine, where the West accuses the Kremlin of arming separatist rebels in a conflict that has killed 10,000 people since April 2014. Russia says the conflict is a civil war.

In the latest incident, Lithuanian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into a false report of rape by German soldiers stationed there on a NATO mission to deter Russia.

Mattis, without explicitly citing the case, rallied to the defence of German forces as he spoke in the German city of Munich. I have great respect for Germanys leadership in Europe  and for the ethical performance of your troops on the battlefield, he said.

US intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the election campaign as part of an effort to tilt the vote in Trumps favour.

McCain acknowledged concern in Europe and beyond that America was laying down the mantle of global leadership and cited global trends he found disturbing, including hardening resentment toward immigrants and an unwillingness to separate truth from lies.

McCain urged the forum not to give up on the United States.

Make no mistake, my friends: These are dangerous times, but you should not count America out, and we should not count each other out, McCain said.  Reuters
| By Karen Robinson

See video on YouTube; National Law Journal article on keynote

The growth of the internet and the ubiquity of smart phones and social media have transformed life and the law in America, according to experts gathered for a recent cyberlaw symposium organized by the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and its Maryland Law Review.

The symposium, The State of Cyberlaw: Security and Privacy in the Digital Age, received a grant from Microsoft Inc. Panels examined topics such as what the law can and should do to respond to pressing consumer privacy concerns, and what companies should do to protect consumers and safeguard their crucial freedoms. Discussions also examined how surveillance technologies affect societys expectations of privacy and challenge legal protections, including Fourth Amendment rights. Panelists also considered the roles of various institutions in handling contemporary privacy and security problems.

The Maryland Law Review, first published in 1936, is the oldest journal at the University of Maryland School of Law and is a highly regarded student authority on Maryland case law. Maryland Carey Law students Hannah Cole-Chu, editor-in-chief of the law review, and Joshua T. Carback, executive symposium/articles editor of the law review, organized the symposium.

Former FCC enforcement chief Travis LeBlanc, LLM, JC, MPA, AB, delivers the keynote at Maryland Carey Law's cybersecurity symposium.

The event featured keynote speaker Travis LeBlanc, LLM, JD, MPA, AB, former chief of the Enforcement Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Other distinguished speakers included Maryland Carey Law faculty members Danielle Citron, JD, professor of law, an information privacy and civil rights expert; criminal law and constitutional scholar David Gray, PhD, JD, MA, professor of law; and adjunct faculty member Markus Rauschecker, JD, cybersecurity program manager for the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security.

Maryland Carey Law is a leader among law schools in the fields of cybersecurity and privacy, said Dean Donald B. Tobin, JD, as he opened the symposium. The law school employs distinguished faculty such as Citron, Gray, Rauschecker, and others, and its Center for Health and Homeland Security is celebrating its 15th year, he noted. Additionally, Maryland Carey Laws JD and LLM students can earn a certificate in cybersecurity, and it offers two online masters of science degrees -- one in cybersecurity law and the other in crisis management and homeland security law.

You have come to the right place for an informed, enlightening conversation among our panelists  a terrific group of thought leaders, advocates, federal officials, and practitioners, Tobin said.

LeBlanc, who worked for mobile privacy regulations in his tenure at the FCC and as a special assistant attorney general of California, spoke about the privacy concerns raised by the so-called Internet of Things. Everything from your smart phone to your toaster and even your toothbrush and hairbrush now come able to be connected to the internet, he said. It is predicted that by 2020 there will be 50 billion devices connected to the internet  thats billion with a b.

All these devices, LeBlanc said, can be vulnerable to hacking. What if a device as potentially dangerous as an internet-enabled car or pacemaker was hacked? A big part of keeping consumers safe is ensuring that they are informed of the risks of their devices, he explained. Consumers need to understand when a simple update could keep make a device safer, as well as when the device needs to be replaced by a newer version or eliminated altogether.

The law plays an important role in keeping consumers informed, in encouraging industry to be responsible, in preventing hacks and holding those accountable who engage in such attacks, LeBlanc said. The future holds great potential risk and benefits in a whole new world  where eventually everything will be able to be connected, he said.

It would be a travesty for these great benefits to not be realized because we all failed to pay attention to the very real and very serious privacy and security issues that growing interconnectedness presents, LeBlanc said. We are at the forefront of a very exciting new reality, and it is on all of us to work together and ensure that we do all we can now to guarantee safety and security for the future.
A nationwide protest by immigrants across the country come as a response to President Donald Trump's actions on the travel ban, which restricts entrance of citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

In a number of cities, in the United States, people are coming not only to boycott work, even students from grade school to colleges are skipping their classes in order to honor the #ADayWithoutImmigrants movement.

Immigrants and many other US citizens from Los Angeles to New York took part in the demonstration in order to highlight their importance to the national economy and way of life, Daily Mail reported. The strike was spurred by a social media campaign calling all immigrants to skip work to avoid spending money. It also urged them not to send their children to school.

Leandra Gonzalez, a teacher at Paul Public Charter School in the District, posted a picture of her empty English class last Thursday and said that the new presidency prompted fear among her students, and the students' parents even asked if they could participate in the strike, according to The Washington Post.

Some students are also posting on social media that some professors are cancelling classes. Even the ones who were unable to participate are showing their solidarity and support through tweets and posts. The Davis Museum at Wellesley College in Massachusetts is removing all artwork contributed by the immigrants from their collection on February 21. In New Mexico, where the largest percentage of Hispanic residents in the nation live, school officials have been concerned about the absence of hundreds of their students from class.

Some school officials and principals have also warned that students who will be participating in the movement will be receiving an unexcused absence as they said that students need to be in class to benefit from the education they are guaranteed.

The boycott aims to show how much immigrants meant to the businesses and US society as a whole.
A Christian University in Texas has opened a prayer room for its Muslim students. McMurry University, which is a Methodist-affiliated school, reserved the space in one of their dorms to serve as a room for their Muslim students' prayers, College Fix reported. A solemn ceremony took place a month ago, but they have not really promoted the prayer room's existence beyond the campus just yet.

Before the Muslims received their own personal space, they gathered together for a prayer in a local hotel, said Joe Yousef, one of the students who helped establish the prayer room, according to The Daily Caller.

Yousef is president of McMurry's Saudi Student Club. He said that they used to gather every Friday or go home to pray by themselves. But since they already have the prayer room in the school, they will not have to go home in order to pray.

The university has roughly about 1,000 students and 60 of them are Muslims who are mostly from Saudi Arabia. Now that they have a prayer room, Yousef said it will be a lot easier for them to balance their college obligations with their religious duties. However, he said that some people dislike the idea about the prayer room, but some students are also very supportive.

McMurry's chaplain, Jeff Lust, and Dr. Mark Waters, professor of religion and director of international education were the ones who were reported to have helped the students in their effort. Lust said that it will not be too long before they will have students from different countries and of different religions, and because of that, people need to learn how to live and work together, especially in this diverse world, in order to be better together.

Yousef also said that the prayer room will serve as a meeting place for a new interfaith club who will be meeting for the first time in February 21.
Bill Gates says that if robot automation will take over human jobs then they should pay taxes. The American business magnate and Microsoft veteran says that something should make up the difference. While there are advantages to robot automation when it comes to precision and efficiency, there is a risk involved when it comes to the manual labor work force. When more robots are working, that means there are fewer people working. In effect, that means fewer people will be paying taxes.

And Bill Gates points out that this is a problem because taxes fund schools, roads and more in the country and different states. And because of this deficit, he suggests that robots should pay their share in taxes, as reported by Recode.

When it comes to the numbers, an average worker does about $50,000 worth of work in a factory and that is taxed. Bill Gates expresses, during an interview with Quartz, that robots should be taxed at a similar level.

An Oxford University and Oxford Martin School study supports Bill Gates' argument. In the study, about 47 percent of American jobs are at risk of being automated by robots in the next two decades, as reported by Eye Witness News.

For example, a factory that used to need over 600 human workers to produce mobile phones are now being run by 60 robot arms. Only 60 people are working alongside these robotic arms to check and monitor the production lines. The rest are monitoring control systems.

In essence, any work not handled by humans are left to robot automation. According to the study, at the rate robot automation and artificial intelligence is going, machines will soon be able to take over different types of jobs and can do better than humans. While there are reasons for this modernization, the fact remains that there will be lesser employed people and lesser tax funding. Bill Gates still stands on his financial advice.

The Quartz clip below details Bill Gate's thoughts on the issue:
Elon Musk believes that artificial intelligence will create a cyborg race. During the World Government Summit in Dubai, the SpaceX founder explains that deep artificial intelligence - the kind that is much smarter than the smartest man in the world - can be a dangerous thing.

During his talk, Elon Musk believes that robot automation and artificial intelligence will be taking over 15 percent of the global workforce. The SpaceX, Tesla and Hyperloop authority believes that humans are becoming more and more dependent on technology. He sees a world where human beings are already cyborgs.

He says it in humor but he told the crowd in a serious tone that everyone already has a digital layer, as reported by News.com.au. In essence, Elon Musk explains that when people die, the digital footprints are still around such as emails and social media through their phones and computers. In this manner, automation and artificial intelligence are somehow already an extension of an individual.

Elon Musk points out that if robot automation and artificial intelligence takes over, it would be a challenge for a lot of people who find meaning in their work. His prediction that robot automation and artificial intelligence would lead to mass employment has people worrying about their usefulness.

An Oxford University study supports Elon Musk's point. In their research, about 47 percent of American jobs are at risk of being automated by robots in the next two decades, as reported by Eye Witness News.

At the rate robot automation and artificial intelligence is going, machines will soon be able to take over different types of jobs and can do better work than humans can. Elon Musk is deeply concerned because if robot automation is already taking the manual labor force, artificial intelligence may overtake humans in intelligence.

Watch the CNN clip of Elon Musk detailing his thoughts on artificial intelligence:
Opioids are being prescribed to patients for a variety of medical reasons. It can help offer pain relief from lower back aches, head aches and more. However, in addition to opioids, about 45.9 percent of older people are being prescribed three or more psychotropic drugs by their doctors.

This is considered to be alarming news because their medical records do not state that they had been formally diagnosed with a particular mental health condition or pain condition. Which is why there are two studies that are looking into the over-prescription of these drugs.

The first study notes that most patients who are not diagnosed with mental or pain conditions are being prescribed multiple psychotropic drugs. The second study finds that emergency room doctors have an increased rate of prescribing opioids to older patients, as reported by Minn Post.

The study has the health and medical community concerned. The quality of care being received by older Americans has long term effects. When it comes to psychotropic drugs, patients would have side effects such as dizziness and confusion. Opioids would have side effects such as breathing problems and addiction.

Researchers are now looking into the prescribing habits of doctors. The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine. They measure the high and low rates of prescribing the painkiller as well as the potential danger of mixing a cocktail of drugs.

There are doctors who prescribe high amounts of opioid to 75 percent of their patients. Compare that to doctors who offer the prescription to 7 percent of their patients. The researchers thought was likely the result of inappropriate prescribing.

With this in mind, senior Americans are reportedly willing to seek help and readily accept medication for mental health conditions. Dr. Donovan Maust, a psychiatrist at the University of Michigan, says that the risks of these medication mixes are concerning.

Many hope that there are better prescribing guidelines for older Americans when it comes to opioids and psychotropic drugs.

Watch the MTV video below of Macklemore going deep into the opioid addiction of the country:
AMD's slides that give details about its Zen Architecture have been leaked online by a Japanese website. The slides reveal a substantial improvement from previous Bulldozer generation and other technologies to eliminate stalls and optimize performance now with a 40 percent boost. All these information suggest that AMD is no longer at an architectural disadvantage and ready to topple Intel's Skylake.

Earlier this month, AMD has brought a few slides to the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCD) that the Japanese have just leaked online. They bring detailed information about the AMD Zen architecture, which has undergone marked improvements from its predecessor, the Bulldozer that AMD has been using since 2011. The leaked die shot reveals that it has replaced the two integer engines of Bulldozer to just one integer and one floating unit per individual core.

AMD has also improved the Neural Net Prediction technology in its latest Zen architecture. This is the technology which increases performance and reduces processing time by making smart predictions ahead of time on what a branch in a program's code will do. If the prediction is right then the code is executed speedily, but when wrong, the system can stall. AMD now has a dedicated huge amount of data to train and retrain its new branch prediction to prevent stalls in the pipeline, Hot Hardware has learned.

There is also an interesting detail about the 14nm FinFET technology used in the AMD Zen architecture as compared with Intel's Skylake. The Japanese have learned that Intel's process is denser and AMD's design has lower complexity as explained in their website PC Watch. This confirms earlier benchmark results that AMD can finally compete with Intel at the CPU level.

Intel has long boasted of its superior process technology that AMD was unable to catch up until Ryzen came. The AMD Zen architecture will be using not the clustered but the Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) approach where individual core processor executes 2 threads all at once. This particular design enables single integer cluster, which in turn promote higher single-threaded performance. This supports AMD's earlier claims of achieving a 40 percent boost in terms of instructions per clock (IPC) from its predecessor.

AMD has also been working on the Precision Boost technology that can boost performance by launching on-the-fly frequency in small 25MHz increments. This is complemented by the Pure Power monitoring technology that identifies when processors need a boost. The AMD Zen architecture renews the CPU market as it offers strong competition, which could mean good news for gamers as prices will be competitive too.

Earlier leaks on pricing have shown that AMD will cover the whole CPU lineup from the lowest tier to the top-tier. Previous reports say that gamers may see a glimpse of the AMD Zen architecture on Feb. 28 during the AMD's GDC 2017 event. However, the Ryzen CPUs and the Summit Ridge desktop version may be launched on March 2.
Academic tenure has been on decline recently. This has affected a lot of professors and has made it more difficult to defend politically. In The New Workplace Institute Blog by David Yamada, academic tenure offers professors with a higher level of protection for academic freedom as well as provides higher levels of job security. This means that tenured professors can only be dismissed for serious offences such as failing to perform crucial job responsibilities, grave misconduct or intense economic necessity.

Northwestern University's policy on tenure and promotion stated that much attention is focused on the quantity and quality of a candidate's scholarly or creative work. The school believes that it is important to check a professor's accomplishments as well as his or her potential for future achievements.

However, Mark Yzaguirre, in a piece for The Hill, said that the significant drop of the number of tenured faculty in universities and colleges right now caught his eye as a political observer. He believes that the governance of public universities is an issue of public policy and anything related to it is a political question.

Yzaguirre shared an article by The Chronicle of Higher Education describing how tenured faculty only makes up 17 percent of college instructors. The current trend is on part-time adjuncts, which has quadrupled in number in the recent years.

He said that the low number of instructors, who have tenure protections especially in public universities, makes the whole matter of academic tenure more challenging to defend politically. Majority of voters also don't have tenure protections in their jobs which makes it more difficult to get them to support tenure for university and college professors.

Yzaguirre did note that these voters may support the protection of academic tenure at public universities if they experienced being taught by tenured professors and received valuable instruction from them. However, if graduate students and adjunct professors are doing most of the work, they may not see the value in retaining academic tenure in the institutions that their taxes help support.
DePaul University has announced a new president on Thursday. Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban is the first lay leader in the 119-year-old school's history. Chicago Tribune reported that Dr. Esteban was previously the president of Seton Hall University in New Jersey. He was originally from the Philippines and came to the U.S. in 1988.

He was formally introduced to DePaul University students, faculty and staff at an event on its Lincoln Park campus in Chicago. The selection of Dr. Esteban has concluded the five-month international search process for the school's president.

He will be replacing Rev. Dennis Holtschneider and will be the university's 12th president. He will take over the position on Jul. 1.

He has said that he is looking forward to the chance of continuing to "enhance DePaul's academic reputation and mission." He also expressed how privileged he felt in being the university's first lay leader.

The selection process, which began in September, was done by a 14-person committee that comprised of board of trustees, faculty, staff and administrators as well as one student. Other campus groups were also able to meet the finalists in private for more interviews.

Dr. Esteban was chosen by the trustees on Feb. 6. President of the student government association, Ric Popp, expressed his excitement over the decision and stated that he is looking forward to the incoming president's engagement on campus. Popp added that it is important that the incoming president would be "very visible on campus."

According to ABC7, William E. Bennett, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, said that Dr. Esteban would bring "both extensive experience in higher education and strategic planning" to the institution. He believes that the incoming president will "preserve and continue to enhance DePaul's reputation for academic excellence" and support its Catholic and Vincentian mission.

DePaul University has a video copy of the announcement on its website. Dr. Esteban and his wife, Josephine, have one daughter who is a medical resident at the University of Chicago.
Students at the University of Wisconsin - Madison are urging the school to give free tuition and housing to Black students. This may be a chance for the school to make up for legally barring education for slaves and still remaining "out of reach" for Black students to this day.

The Associated Press, via Diverse Education, reported that The Associated Students of Madison (ASM), student government of the university, stated in a resolution that students from suburban high schools are "overrepresented." Moreover, the student government also argued that the use of ACT and SAT scores to determine who gets to study in the University of Wisconsin - Madison hurts the chances of the poor and "upholds White Supremacy."

Racism has been an issue at the university's flagship campus for quite some time now. With this, the school has proposed some measures to improve diversity.

ASM Student Council Rep. Tyriek Mack, author of the resolution, said in a statement that the legislation was created to compel the university to push through with its commitment to diversity and inclusion. He added that the "racial composition" would remain the same "if no one challenges the university's empty promises."

The resolution by ASM urges the university to provide free access to all black people, including those who have done time in jail. It includes free tuition, housing and no fees.

It also noted that 10 percent of donations given to the University of Wisconsin - Madison should be set aside for improving financial aid. Plus, the institution should study the possibility of "test-optional and geographically-weighted admissions."

According to WiscNews, Black students only make up 2 percent of the enrollment at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. The resolution, which was announced on Wednesday, has shown the "chilling effect" of using SAT and ACT scores on low-income students. It proved that there is still a significant achievement gap between majority and minority students.
An Ivy League school accidentally sent congratulatory emails to 277 prospective students on Wednesday at the Mailman School of Public Health, before informing the aspiring students that it was actually a mistake.

Columbia University said it made a mistake of sending these acceptance letters and recalled them, ABC News reported. They said that in the emails of the applicants, it was incorrectly implied that they have been accepted and follow up messages to recall the mistake were sent within an hour.

The university attributed the mistake to human error and also committed to work on improving and strengthening its procedures, and that they regret the confusion that the mistake has caused, according to Daily News New York.

Julie Kornfeld, Vice Dean for Education said that the university would make sure they establish procedures that will ensure prevention of the same event or mistake. She said that they deeply apologize for the miscommunication and they value the energy and enthusiasm that the applicants bring to the admissions process.

It was not entirely clear if those 277 potential students who received the messages were in a certain category among those who applied to Mailman.

This is also not the first time that a mix up like this happened. In 2015, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh also made a mistake of informing 800 applicants by mistake that they were accepted into their master's program in computer science.

There was another large mix up that happened in 2009. University of California, San Diego has sent out acceptance emails to all of the applicants. There was a total of 46,000 students who received the emails, and even the 28,000 who were rejected got the same notification.
Under the theme Creating new dynamism, fostering a shared future, the meetings participants are expected to discuss priorities for APEC co-operation in 2017, heard a press conference held yesterday in Khanh Hoa Provinces Nha Trang City.

APEC member countries will also determine priorities set by the economic committee, committee on trade and investment, budget and management committee, committee on economic and technical co-operation and other working groups; and set orientations for 2017 activities, announced the provincial Department of Information and Communications.

The Chemical Dialogue, Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group, Emergency Preparedness Working Group, Anti-Corruption and Transparency Experts Working Group, Human Resource Development Working Group, and Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade will hold meetings today and tomorrow.

As many as 2,000 delegates from the 21 member economies and representatives of the Pacific Economic Co-operation Council, APEC Business Advisory Council, international and regional organisations, domestic and international business circles will attend the events in Nha Trang.

More than 170 domestic and international reporters have registered to cover news on SOM1 and related meetings, according to the APEC National Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Viet Nam Bui Thanh Son, as Chairman of the APEC Senior Officials Meetings in 2017, will preside over SOM1.

Deputy Head of the APEC National Secretariat Nguyen Minh Vu said the event aims to boost economic growth for the 21 member economies and deepen economic connectivity.

The province established sub-committees to serve APEC events. The preparation for SOM1 and related meetings has been thorough, said Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Province Peoples Committee Nguyen Duy Bac.

Hosting APEC will be a chance to promote tourism of Viet Nam and of Khanh Hoa to these 21 economies. This also offers opportunities for the countrys localities to have bilateral dialogues with representatives of the worlds economies to attract investment, Bac said.

APEC is Asia Pacifics premier economic forum, aiming to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the region.

After nearly 30 years of development (1989-2017), APEC is a leading co-operative mechanism and economic linkage in the region. With a population of 2.8 billion people, the forum represents about 57 per cent of the worlds GDP and 49 per cent of world trade.

Viet Nam joined APEC in 1998, and hosted APEC in 2006.



Established in 1989, APEC comprises 21 economies, namely Australia; Brunei; Canada; Chile; mainland China; Hong Kong; Indonesia; Japan; the Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; the Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Taiwan; Thailand; the United States; and Viet Nam.
Australian Prime Minister Turnbull speaks during a media conference in Sydney, Australia. (Photo source: Reuters)

Trump stunned the political world Thursday with an impromptu White House news conference at which he railed against his perceived enemies in the media, calling them "dishonest" and "out of control".

The US leader has repeatedly ignored presidential decorum, including in his relations with loyal allies like Australia, reportedly lambasting Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during a phone call last month and later attacking an agreement with Canberra on refugees as a "dumb deal".

At a press conference in New Zealand, Turnbull, who has repeatedly insisted relations with key ally the United States remain strong, was asked about Trump's views of the media.

"Winston Churchill once said that politicians complaining about the newspapers is like a sailor complaining about the sea," Turnbull told reporters in Queenstown.

"There's not much point. It's the media we live with.

"We have to get our message across and we thank you all in the media for your kind attention," Turnbull added with a smile.

The spat flared over an agreement struck in November to resettle in the United States an unspecified number of the 1,600 people detained by Australia on Pacific islands. Many are Iranians.

In Queenstown, Turnbull met his New Zealand counterpart Bill English and agreed to pursue the Trans-Pacific Partnership, despite Trump's decision to dump the massive trade deal that encompasses a dozen nations.

"In light of the intention of the United States not to ratify the TPP, the two Prime Ministers agreed that Australia and New Zealand would work together to engage with other TPP partners on the way forward, over the coming months," a joint statement said.
HCM City Peoples Committee officials inspect the model of the Thu Thiem New Urban Area in District 2. - VNA/VNS Photo Manh Linh

Nguyen The Minh, deputy head of the New Thu Thiem Urban Area Project, said acquisition of 84 properties had been delayed, and early last year the Peoples Committee had instructed relevant authorities to settle their ownersgrievances.

The delay in acquiring the lands affected local residents, hindered investment promotion and construction works, and increased expenses related to resettlement, he said.

It also delayed construction of Thu Thiem Bridge No 2, he said.

The Thu Thiem Area includes 150 plots of land measuring 185ha earmarked for investment projects and public works.

Some of the investment projects are already underway, including infrastructure work at a 38.4ha resettlement area in Binh Khanh Ward, four major roads on the peninsula, the central square and riverside park, and a model eco-park.

Other projects that have been approved are an embankment around the peninsula, Thu Thiem Bridge No 2, an artificial central lake and canals.

Minh sought the Peoples Committees instructions on what to do with unsold apartments built for households moved out of the area.

The project management board plans to build 10,529 apartments, of which 4,903 have been completed and handed over to the District 2 Peoples Committee.

But only 3,296 have been bought by resettled families, with the rest remaining unsold, causing a huge financial and administrative burden for authorities.

Phong said city authorities would find a solution to the problem.

Phong instructed the management board to identify investors for 26ha of land the city owns on the peninsula.

He called for linking the peninsulas infrastructure with those of other areas in District 2.
Models present creations during the Fyodor Golan catwalk show on the first day of the Autumn/Winter 2017 London Fashion Week in London. (NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP)

"Fashion week is a really great time to understand the power and influence of our industry, as well as our creativity," said Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council (BFC).

"We hope that you'll listen as we talk to you about visas, about talent, about tariffs, about frictionless borders, and around IP (intellectual property).

"Because this is incredibly important to sustain this incredible industry, that contributes 28 billion (US$34.8 billion) to the British economy and provides 880,000 jobs."

Prime Minister Theresa May is due to start negotiations on leaving the European Union within weeks, and has already signalled her intention to impose controls on EU migrants coming to work in Britain.

She has said this would likely come at the cost of leaving Europe's single market - a major concern for the fashion industry, as the bloc accounts for about 70 per cent of British textiles and apparel exports.

Over the next five days, London Fashion Week will showcase collections by more than 80 designers and brands, from Versace's Versus to Burberry, J.W. Anderson, Christopher Kane, Roksanda, and Mulberry.

But amid the glamour and the creativity, there is unease about what the future holds. "The overarching feeling at the moment is uncertainty," said Adam Mansell, chief executive of the UK Fashion and Textile Association.

SKILLED LABOUR AND TRADE

Access to the EU's single market is a key issue for the industry, but there are other concerns, such as the skilled labour used in British manufacturing, as well as trade ties with the rest of the world.

Mansell noted that British fashion is heavily dependent on imports, particularly large volumes of clothes made in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar and Turkey - all currently tariff-free through EU-negotiated trade deals which must now be replaced.

While there has been a resurgence in UK manufacturing over the past couple of years, with many high-end brands benefiting from the allure of British heritage, they are often staffed by skilled workers from the EU.

"A lot of the product that you'll see on the catwalk in the next few days is actually made in London. And I know several factories in London where the workforce is more than 70 percent EU," Mansell told AFP.

'GREAT DIVERSITY'

With so many Europeans living and working in British fashion, their status after Brexit has been a priority for many brands and designers, and industry bodies have petitioned ministers to guarantee their right to stay.

"Our businesses are filled with great diversity and our business leaders protect, nurture and promote that fiercely," said Natalie Massenet, the founder of online fashion portal Net-A-Porter and chairman of the BFC.

After talks Friday between May and her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve, Downing Street said the pair discussed the importance of reaching an early agreement on the rights of EU citizens in Britain, and vice versa.

Labour shortages and extra tariffs may well lead to higher prices - although many brands, particularly luxury labels, have benefited from the fall in the pound since the Brexit vote.

Designer Anya Hindmarch noted that shoppers were flocking to London in search of a bargain.

She told AFP that even if manufacturing costs from her Italian factories rose, " there are other gains - there's other currencies that are moving, other markets to explore - and I think suppliers are very keen to keep our business".

Others were less than sympathetic.

"Maybe we'll be a little bit expensive - everything will be a little bit expensive for England," said Filippo Scuffi, the Italian creative director of British heritage brand DAKS. "But your country decided that way, what can I do?

"Brexit is not a good thing for English people. I believe in open things: open minds, open without walls, without frontiers. Any country shouldn't have a wall. The first wall is in the mind."
There is nobody so irritating as somebody with less intelligence and more sense than we have. - Don Herold

Sometimes the appropriate response to reality is to go insane. - Phillip K. Dick

In the fight between you and the world, back the world.- Frank Zappa
The Omnipotent Owl  Why Are We Drawn to This Ancient Symbol of Wisdom?

Like a great sage, an owl sits stock-still, seeing everything, but saying nothing. When she takes action, it is swift and precise. These bold characteristics have earned the owl both respect and fear among humans; yet any great big eyes set into a fluffy body is sure to have broad
Protests in France have grown more violent after the alleged rape of a 22-year-old man by police using a baton. Four officers are under investigation, but that hasn't calmed anger over what critics say is a broader problem of police brutality and racism. From the Paris suburb of Bobigny, Lisa Bryant takes a look at old problems and new hopes.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told European allies that American security is tied to that of Europe and described NATO's principle of collective defense as a bedrock commitment. He made the comments at the Munich Security Conference, where heads of state and delegates from across the world are gathered at a time when many fear the global world order is at risk. Henry Ridgwell reports from the conference.
In his first major foreign policy speech, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has said at the Munich Security Conference that America will be unwavering in its support for the NATO alliance  but warned allies that they must step up defense spending. Amid controversy over the Trump administrations ties to Moscow, Mr. Pence said the US would continue to hold Russia accountable. Henry Ridgwell reports from Munich.
A splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban is accusing security forces in Pakistan of killing its detained members in fake encounters, and has denied as false army attacks on the groups imaginary camps.

The Pakistan militarys media wing says security forces have killed more than 100 terrorists in a nationwide crackdown in response to this past weeks deadly militant attacks, including the suicide bombing of a famous Sufi shrine in the countrys south.

Authorities say that militants killed in the crackdown belonged to terrorist groups, including the splinter Jammat-ul Ahrar (JuA) faction, which has taken credit for most of the violence, although Islamic State claimed responsibility for bombing the shrine, which killed around 90 devotees and wounded more than 300 others.

In a statement sent to reporters Saturday, Jammat-ul Ahrar asserted its recent bombing and other attacks in Pakistan have embarrassed the military and prompted it to falsely demonstrate bravery through a baseless media propaganda campaign.

Pakistani officials maintain Jammat-ul Ahrar used its sanctuaries in border areas of Afghanistan to mastermind the violence.

On Friday, the military also handed over a list of 76 terrorists to Afghan diplomats in Islamabad, saying they are hiding on their side of the border and demanded Kabul swiftly take action against the militants and hand them over to Pakistan.

Pakistani troops have also shelled areas across the Afghan border since the attack on the shrine. Local media quoted sources as saying the targets were JuAs camps and killed "a large number of militants."

Our fighters are safe in their camps and the enemy cannot even think of going into those areas, the JuA statement said, without elaborating. It was not possible to independently verify the militant claims.

The United States is among countries that have designated Jammat-ul Ahrar as a global terrorist group.

Successes overinflated?

Pakistani troops have been conducting major security operations in tribal areas near the Afghan border since June, 2014, and claim to have cleared most of them of insurgent bases and terrorist networks blamed for years of violence in the country that killed tens of thousands of people.

The actions led to a significant decline in militant attacks in recent months. But the latest spike in violence in Pakistan suggests the militants are still capable of staging attacks at will.

Meanwhile, the Afghan military welcomed and promised Saturday to look into the Pakistani list of 76 suspected terrorists because the Afghan government is determined not to allow its soil to be used for terrorist activities in other countries.

But speaking to reporters in Kabul, Army Chief General Qadam Shah Shaheem reiterated long-running Afghan demands for Islamabad to take action against sanctuaries on its side of the border being used for insurgent attacks in Afghanistan.

We will investigate it (the Pakistani list), and if there is a need for more evidence and documents we will ask for it. But we also handed over a number of lists with enough evidences and documents to Pakistan and we hope they will also sincerely take action on them, asserted General Shaheem.

He also criticized Pakistan for unilaterally sealing border crossings with Afghanistan following recent militant attacks, calling the action against all diplomatic norms and unfortunate.

The Afghan general also alleged that on Friday alone Pakistani troops fired about 200 shells into a border district of eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar. He did not say whether the firing caused any damage.

Mutual terrorism allegations have plunged relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan to new lows in recent months. The latest round of a "war of words" is likely to present challenges to efforts to improve ties.
Kamel Abderrahmane sweeps his eyes across the half-empty shelves and smashed cash registers at the Franprix grocery store in a Paris suburb. A lonely bottle of rum is still standing.

They took the whiskey, the chips, the coke, everything. They went shopping, 17-year-old Risshie Iedragith tells him of rioters who attacked his familys store last Saturday, after anti-police protests spiraled into violence.

His Sri Lankan father is too distraught to check the damage on a business in which he sunk his fortune since immigrating to France at age 18.

They destroyed my familys whole life in 15 minutes, Iedragith said.

Outrage and violence

An alleged assault on a young black man during a police identity check earlier this month has sparked outrage and violence in France, reviving echoes of 2005 rioting that shook the country.

But along with anger at police, the gritty, immigrant-heavy French suburbs are in the spotlight, with their poverty and soaring unemployment, their frustrations and high crime.

Yet the Paris suburb of Bobigny also highlights another reality. After the weekend mayhem and protests, a group of youngsters, including Abderrahmane, helped to clean up the mess.

We need to create ties between the community and police, says 25-year-old Abderrahmane, who heads a community youth association called Mejless. Weve always had this relationship between victim and aggressor that goes both ways.

Justice for Theo

The simmering tensions are captured in the graffiti scrawled on the tracks of the tramway linking Bobigny to the French capital. Justice for Theo, it reads, in reference to the 22-year-old black man whose alleged rape by police truncheon this month in the nearby suburb of Aulnay-Sous-Bois touched off the protests.

French President Francois Hollande visited him in the hospital, and he is now recuperating at home from serious rectal injuries. A police officer has been charged with rape and three others with assault. Authorities have also launched a separate investigation into claims one of the accused officers beat up another local young black man last month.

Justice must be served, Hollande said earlier this week, even as he denounced the rioting.

While some praise that call, observers say government efforts are coming up short.

The government must condemn the particular case of Theo, but also note that this isnt an isolated case, said Dominique Sopo, president of anti-discrimination group SOS Racisme. Its experienced far too frequently by youngsters from tough neighborhoods and it must deliver answers.

Allegations of excessive police violence and racism are nothing new. Anger erupted last summer after a black man died in police custody. In suburbs like Bobigny, many residents remember the deaths of two ethnic North African youngsters fleeing police in 2005 that touched off countrywide riots.

Watch: Anti-police Protests in France Underscore Chronic Grievances

Police-community ties broken

Part of the problem, experts and locals say, is lack of communication and ties between officers and the communities they are patrolling  a problem partly driven, some believe, by the eradication of neighborhood policing units under the previous conservative government.

We have police officers who generally speaking dont have urban backgrounds, who are not trained to interact with the public to decrease tensions and who are in situations where they have to deal with a defiant public, said Jacques de Maillard, a professor and police expert at the University of Versailles. So we have all the elements of a potential problem.

While reports of police brutality are much higher in the U.S., he added, there are similarities.

There is also a strong distrust of police among ethnic communities in France, and there are also riots, de Maillard said. And more and more in France, which is rather new, you have social mobilization.

Concerns on both sides

Anti-discrimination activist Sopo, too, faults a broader system in which police are investigated internally, and many residents of the Paris suburbs believe they have little recourse to justice.

Police have their own sets of concerns. Last October, hundreds took to the streets saying they were underequipped, overworked and under attack  not only by potential terrorists and criminals, but also by angry, disenfranchised youngsters from places like Bobigny.

Condemning all police officers is unjust when it comes to Theos case, a police union head, Celine Berton, told Frances Europe 1 radio. Police intervene when things go wrong  and with people who are hostile and resist our presence.

Youngsters interviewed in Bobigny say they are no strangers to hostile confrontations with patrolling officers.

One told us, inshallah [God willing] you will burn, said 18-year-old Assa Soukouna, describing an incident last summer when police hunting for children setting off firecrackers confronted her and her friends. They were doing nothing, she said, except sitting outside.

Ive been humiliated and verbally abused but never physically abused, said activist Abderrahmane. But its a minority of police.

Neighborhood Mejless is battling other negative stereotypes of the suburbs. It gets youngsters involved in community development projects and organizes trips abroad to expand their horizons.

A set of otherwise drab concrete stairs is now covered with art, painted by local youth as part of a larger neighborhood initiative. Bright artwork also covers the wall of a neighborhood park, where young mothers push strollers on a sunny afternoon.

We tell them if you want to do something you can do it, founder Bintou Diarra-Soukouna said. You have to believe, and if you do, it will help you succeed.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  The heart of Philadelphia's Italian Market was uncommonly quiet. Fine restaurants in New York, San Francisco and the nation's capital closed for the day. Grocery stores, food trucks, coffee shops and taco joints in places like Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston shut down.

Immigrants around the U.S. stayed home from work and school Thursday to demonstrate how important they are to America's economy and way of life, and many businesses closed in solidarity, in a nationwide protest called A Day Without Immigrants.

The boycott was aimed squarely at President Donald Trump's efforts to crack down on immigration, legal and illegal, by such means as a wall at the Mexican border. Organizers said they expected thousands to participate or otherwise show support.

The protest even reached into the U.S. Capitol, where a Senate coffee shop was among the eateries that were closed as employees did not show up at work.

The day's activities also included rallies in several cities.

Marcela Ardaya-Vargas, who is from Bolivia and now lives in Falls Church, Virginia, pulled her son out of school to take him to a Day Without Immigrants march in Washington.

"When he asked why he wasn't going to school, I told him because today he was going to learn about immigration," she said, adding: "Our job as citizens is to unite with our brothers and sisters."

Organizers appealed to immigrants from all walks of life to take part, but the effects were felt most strongly in the restaurant industry, which has long been a first step up the economic ladder for newcomers to America with its many jobs for cooks, dishwashers and servers.

Expensive restaurants and fast-food joints alike closed across the country. Sushi bars, Brazilian steakhouses, Mexican eateries and Thai and Italian restaurants turned away lunchtime customers.

On Ninth Street in South Philadelphia's Italian Market, it was so quiet in the morning that Rani Vasudeva thought it might be Monday, when many of the businesses on the normally bustling stretch are closed.

Produce stands and other stalls along "Calle Nueve"  as 9th Street is more commonly known for its abundance of Mexican-owned businesses  stood empty, leaving customers to look elsewhere for fresh meat, bread, fruits and vegetables.

"It's actually very sad," said Vasudeva, a 38-year-old professor at Temple University. "You realize the impact the immigrant community has. We need each other for our daily lives."

At a White House news conference held at the same time as the lunch-hour protests, Trump boasted of his border security measures and immigration arrests of hundreds of people in the past week, saying, "We are saving lives every single day."

Since the end of 2007, the number of foreign-born workers employed in the U.S. has climbed by nearly 3.1 million to 25.9 million; they account for 56 percent of the increase in U.S. employment over that period, according to the Labor Department.

The foreign-born  who include American citizens, green-card holders and those working without legal authorization  tend to be younger and to take jobs in fields that have been growing fastest, including restaurants, hotels and stores.

Roughly 12 million people are employed in the restaurant industry, and immigrants make up the majority  up to 70 percent in places like New York and Chicago, according to the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, which works to improve working conditions. An estimated 1.3 million in the industry are immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, the group said.

The construction industry, which also employs large numbers of immigrants, was also affected.

Shea Frederick, who owns a small construction company in Baltimore, showed up at 7 a.m. at a home he is renovating and was surprised to find that he was alone, with a load of drywall ready for install. He soon understood why: His crew, five immigrants, called to say they weren't coming to work. They were joining the protests.

"I had an entire day of full work," he said. "I have inspectors lined up to inspect the place, and now they're thrown off, and you do it the day before the weekend and it pushes things off even more. It sucks, but it's understandable."

Frederick said that while he fundamentally agrees with the action, and appreciates why his crew felt the need to participate, he feels his business is being made to suffer as a result of the president's policies.

"It's hurting the wrong people," he said. "A gigantic part of this state didn't vote this person in, and we're paying for his terrible decisions."

In New Mexico, the state with the largest percentage of Hispanics, school officials said hundreds of students might stay home.

Many people who skipped work will lose a day's pay or worse, and many student absences will not be excused. But organizers argued that the cause is worth the sacrifice.

"They are tired of their communities being criminalized," said Olivia Vazquez, a 22-year-old community organizer and a Mexican immigrant living in the U.S. illegally. "They're ready to fight back."

In New Orleans' Mid-City neighborhood, whose Latino population swelled after the damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 created lots of jobs for construction workers, the Ideal Market was closed.

The place is usually busy at midday with people lining up at the steam tables for hot lunches or picking from an array of fresh Central American vegetables and fruits.

In Chicago, Pete's Fresh Market closed five of its 12 grocery stores and assured employees they would not be penalized for skipping the day, according to owner Vanessa Dremonas, whose Greek-immigrant father started the company.

"It's in his DNA to help immigrants," she said. "We've supported immigrants from the beginning."

Carmen Solis, a Mexico-born U.S. citizen, took the day off from work as a project manager and brought her two children to a rally in Chicago.

"I feel like our community is going to be racially profiled and harassed," she said of Trump's immigration policies. "It's very upsetting. People like to take out their anger on the immigrants, but employers are making profits off of them. "

Among the well-known establishments that closed their doors in solidarity were three of acclaimed chef Silvana Salcido Esparza's restaurants in Phoenix; Michelin star RASA in San Francisco; and two Washington restaurants run by chef Jose Andres  Oyamel and Jaleo.

Tony and Marie Caschera, both 66, who were visiting Washington from Halfmoon, New York, thought a tapas restaurant looked interesting for lunch, but then realized the lights were off and the place was closed.

"I'm in support of what they're trying to say," said Marie Caschera, a registered Democrat, adding that immigrants are "fearful for their communities."

Her husband, a registered Republican whose family immigrated from Italy before World War II, said he supports legal immigration, but added: "I don't like illegal aliens here."
Cuba said Friday the United States had deported 117 migrants back to the island nation since ending its policy granting automatic residency to almost every Cuban who reached U.S. soil as part of the normalization of relations.

Those deported included two people who were returned Friday on the first flight chartered specifically for the deportation of Cuban migrants since the policy shift, Cubas ruling Communist Party newspaper Granma wrote. The earlier deportees were taken back on commercial planes or boat.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama repealed the special immigration policy for Cubans days before turning the White House over to Donald Trump.

Cuban authorities had long sought its end, arguing that the promise of U.S. residency was fueling people-trafficking and encouraging dangerous journeys.

The move however dashed the hopes of many who had been hoping to fulfill their American Dream and left hundreds of Cubans seeking a new life stranded halfway on their journey.

Since the policy shift, more than 680 Cuban irregular migrants have been deported in total from various countries, Granma wrote, including more than 400 from Mexico, 117 from the Bahamas and 39 from the Cayman Islands.
United States-backed airstrikes launched Friday took out an Islamic State group headquarters located in a hospital in western Mosul, U.S. military officials said Saturday.

In a statement released Saturday, the U.S. task force in Iraq and Syria said IS militants had been using a building located within the Al Jumhuri medical complex in Mosul for the sole purpose of overseeing its operations in Iraq.

ISIS continues to ignore the Law of Armed Conflict and uses protected sites such as hospitals, schools, and mosques to try and shield themselves from Coalition airstrikes, the statement read using another acronym for Islamic State.

The statement said coalition forces abide by international laws regarding armed conflict and work to execute airstrikes with minimal effects on civilians.

The Mosul airstrike was one of 20 strikes launched by the coalition against IS militants in Syria and Iraq on Friday. Coalition forces launched three strikes near Mosul, destroying construction equipment and watercraft, and damaging 11 supply routes.

Another IS headquarters was destroyed near Al Humayjah, and an IS-held building near Kirkuk also was destroyed in the flurry of strikes.
The U.N.s top human rights official, Zeid Raad al Hussein, is urging Myanmars leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, to use her moral authority to ease the plight of the countrys disenfranchised Rohingya community.

Aung San Suu Kyi has come under mounting criticism from the international community for her failure to speak out on behalf of the Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority in Myanmars Rakhine State.

But there are signs this may be changing, says Ravina Shamdasani is spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

She told VOA the High Commissioner spoke personally to Aung San Suu Kyi by phone earlier this month. This call took place after the release of an investigative report that documents alleged atrocities committed by Myanmars military against the Rohingya.

She [Aung San Suu Kyi] was quite shocked to hear the details of these findings and she said that she would have to initiate an investigation. They would need more evidence. The High Commissioner asked her to use all her moral standing to bring this counterinsurgency operation to an end."

About 69,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since October 9, following an oppressive military operation in Rakhine State. U.N. investigators interviewed 220 of these people who described acts of unbearable cruelty, including mass gang-rapes, killings and disappearances.

Shamdasani says the High Commissioner understands the new government has a difficult balancing act in this period of transition. But, she added he believes the violence and suffering of the Rohingya has reached unprecedented levels.

It is very important that people here signal from the very top that this kind of behavior is not acceptable and that there will be accountability. It may be too soon to say whether this will be the ultimate breakthrough for the Rohingya in Myanmar, but we believe it is heading in that direction. There is a momentum towards a breakthrough on this issue, Shamdasani said.

In what could be a harbinger of better things to come for the Rohingya, Myanmar has ended its military operation in Rakhine State this week.
Emails accusing German soldiers stationed in Lithuania of rape were sent this week to local news outlets, the latest incident in what NATO officials say is a Russian "fake news" campaign aimed at eroding public support for the military alliance.

The emails, which were sent to several Lithuanian media outlets on February 14, claimed German soldiers based in the Baltic state had raped an underage Lithuanian girl.

Some Lithuanian outlets reported the claim, which was dismissed by Lithuanian police, who are trying to track the internet protocol address involved in the distribution of the allegation.

"To our knowledge, Lithuanian police investigations came to the conclusion that there were neither a victim nor possible witnesses nor any perpetrators," said a spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense.

The misinformation incident bears similarity to the so-called Lisa case last year in which Russian media outlets first reported and then fomented a media storm in Germany about a claim made by 13-year-old Russian-German girl who said she'd been abducted and raped by Arab migrants in Berlin.

It transpired that the girl had made up the story, hoping to disguise from her parents that she'd spent the night at a boyfriend's home. The Lisa case affected already strained relations between Berlin and Moscow.

NATO officials say that Germany's leading role in the Ukraine crisis and support of sanctions has made the country a key target of Russian disinformation. German troops deployed in Lithuania this month, and they are part of an increased NATO presence in the Baltic states and Poland  a response by the Western alliance to Russia's annexation of Crimea and Moscow's support for pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Effort to sow discord seen

The past year has seen a series of fake news and misinformation incidents that NATO officials maintain are conceived in Moscow and conducted as part of an active-measures campaign seeking to shape Western public opinion and sow political discord in the U.S. and European countries.

In December, the head of Britain's espionage service, Alex Younger, in his first major public speech as "C," the designation given the head of the Secret Intelligence Service, accused Russia of waging a hybrid war. He warned that Britain and Western nations were facing grave threats to their security and political systems from hostile propaganda and cyberattacks by rival states.

In October, U.S. intelligence chiefs accused the Kremlin of being behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee's computer system and of the emails of Hillary Clinton's staff during last year's presidential campaign. The computer intrusions were directed by some of "Russia's senior-most officials" in an unprecedented effort to influence the elections, the chiefs alleged.

In July, a senior European Commission official said that Russian propaganda had deeply penetrated all EU member states, helped by local politicians eager to exploit the confusion sown for their own purposes. Speaking in Brussels, Jakub Kalenski, a member of the European External Action Service task force assigned to study Russian propaganda, said Russian-sourced disinformation could be seen across Europe.

Methods vary

EU officials say the Kremlin is using different tactics and methods, depending on the countries being targeted. In the Baltic countries, the target is generally the Russian-speaking population, via Russian television channels. In Central European states such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, however, the subversion is more disguised, with hundreds of disinformation websites being used. In Scandinavia, propaganda is being put out on social media by state-sponsored internet trolls posting inflammatory comments.

The Western military alliance's online magazine, the NATO Review, outlined recently what it saw as the progression and coordination of Russian-inspired disinformation involving Russian media, populist parties on right and left determined to break up the political status quo, and the use of a network of friendly former politicians and sympathetic think tanks to spread the false news and influence political debate.

After the Lithuania allegation broke, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels that there had been several previous attempts to spread disinformation about NATO.

Last month, Sweden's most authoritative foreign policy think tank, the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, issued a study accusing Russia of using underhand methods, including fake news, counterfeit documents and other disinformation, to try to influence Swedish decision-making. The campaign was focused, it said, on steering the country away from joining NATO.

The study said an array of active measures were being used, including broadcasting misleading reports on Russia's state-run news website Sputnik that were then picked up in Sweden. At other times, forged documents and fabricated news items consistent with Russia's strategic objectives have first appeared in obscure Swedish media outlets, which were picked up subsequently by Sputnik and "other sources of Russian public diplomacy" and broadcast to an international audience.

Twitter trolls

According to the report, Russia's active measures are aimed at hampering the Swedish government's ability to generate public support in pursuing policies. Measures have included the Russian government deploying trolls on Swedish Twitter and launching its own Swedish-language version of the news site Sputnik.

The study identified 26 forgeries that surfaced in the Swedish media between the end of 2014 and mid-2016. Most first appeared on "obscure Russian- and/or Swedish-language websites."

One forged document purported to show a conspiracy involving Sweden and NATO to send weapons to the Islamic State terror group via Turkey. Another fake letter purportedly concerned an attempt to quash prosecution of a Swede for war crimes committed in Ukraine.

On Monday, aides of French politician Emmanuel Macron said he had become a fake-news target of Russian media and that his presidential campaign had been facing thousands of cyberattacks. Richard Ferrand, secretary-general of Macron's En Marche! (Onwards!) party, said Russian state-controlled media Russia Today and Sputnik had spread false reports with the aim of swinging public opinion against him.
The oldest Muslim organization in the United States held its seventh annual "Day on the Hill" with a series of meetings Friday with members of Congress that took on added significance with President Donald Trump's effort to halt immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.

The goal by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA was to discuss religious freedom, civil rights and national security, with an added emphasis on getting across the message that most Muslims are peaceful.

"This group is already working in the United States to tear down the walls of ignorance as far as Islam goes," Representative Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said in an interview with Voice of America. "This is a great community and a vibrant community, a community dedicated to peace, nonviolence and love."

Meetings were planned between community leaders of the group's 75 chapters and up to 100 congressmen. They started with a series of speeches in front of a background that read "Islam wholly rejects all forms of terrorism," and included passages from the Quran to back it up.

Amjad Khan said one of the goals is to demystify Islam for those who aren't familiar with its teachings  a situation that creates a negative image of the Muslim community as "the other," particularly with terror groups espousing extremist beliefs carrying out attacks around the globe.

"We cannot allow the rhetoric of 'the other' to become the dominant narrative," Khan told VOA.

McGovern hopes Trump gets the message.

"What worries me is his actions might have fueled extremism around the world," McGovern said. "What he's doing, rather than providing security protection for the people of the United States, is he's playing into the hands of the extremists who go around saying the United States doesn't like Muslims."
Pakistan has closed its border with Afghanistan, fired a barrage of artillery into its neighbors territory and staged a major domestic crackdown on militant groups, reportedly killing more than 100 suspects, in response to the deadliest terror attack in the country in years.

It was the latest in a series of deadly attacks in both nations that have been claimed by Islamic State. That could provide grounds for a united fight against terrorism but instead seems to be pushing the two countries apart in a flurry of accusations that each side is harboring groups responsible for cross-border attacks.

Thursdays suicide bombings hit one of Pakistans most revered Sufi shrines, killing at least 72 people and injuring scores more.

Scenes of the carnage in Sindh province sent shock waves up through the Pakistani government. It blamed the Jama-ul-Ahrar group, operating out of Afghanistan, for being behind these barbaric acts of terrorism, according to a statement from the office of Sartaj Aziz, adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on foreign affairs. Pakistan said it lodged a strong protest with Afghanistan.

The two countries have swapped accusations that not enough has been done to root out extremists launching cross-border attacks from both sides.

According to the statement from his office, Aziz spoke by phone with Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar, saying the fight against terrorism requires close cooperation, particularly in policing the border.

Aziz expressed serious concern that Afghanistan had not paid heed to Pakistans repeated calls for action against Jama-ul-Ahrar.

Effective strategies needed

Atmars office said he condemned such abhorrent attacks on civilians, and pointed out that Islamic State has also claimed responsibility for several recent attacks in Afghanistan.

Both countries must maintain strong and transparent commitments to preventing such groups from operating on their soil, Atmars office said in a statement. We must find and execute effective strategies to eliminate terrorist sanctuaries wherever they exist.

But Pakistan was clearly in no mood to talk cooperation on this day and only wanted immediate results.

In an unusual move, Afghan embassy officials were summoned to the armys headquarters in Rawalpindi - not to the Foreign Office in Islamabad - and given a list of 76 most wanted terrorists that Pakistan wants apprehended immediately and handed over.

Security forces have been given special orders to maintain strict vigilance all along the border, according to a statement by the Pakistani militarys media wing.

The border has been closed since last night due to security reasons. No cross-border or unauthorized entry will be allowed into Pakistan from Afghanistan, the statement said.

Shah Hussain Murtazawi, spokesman for Afghanistans deputy president, lamented the decision, telling VOA: Closing borders does not solve the problems.

Major border crossings at Spin Boldak in the south and Torkham in the north were closed, with troops standing guard. U.S.-led NATO forces heavily depend on both for their logistics supply in Afghanistan. Long lines of trucks and cars were backed up on both sides, hoping the closure would be short.

False sense of security blamed

Tasneem Noorani, a former Pakistani interior secretary and analyst, said the government was under pressure to take action.

I think in the present situation, governments reaction is in the right direction, he said. At least [people] would see that authorities are doing something.

Noorani said the government may have been lulled into a false sense of security by a relative calm over the last few months following an aggressive stance toward terrorists over the previous two years.

The government and military might have thought that [terrorists] gave up [their activities], Noorani said. In fact, that was not the case."

The U.S. State Department strongly condemned the attack and offered Pakistan support in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

Todays attack is only the latest in a series of violent acts this past week in Lahore, Balochistan, Peshawar and Mohmand Agency, it said in a statement. We stand with the people of Pakistan in their fight against terrorism and remain committed to the security of the South Asia region.

The military statement said the army chief had ordered security operations against terrorists across the country that already had killed more than 100 suspected militants. In addition, retaliatory strikes were carried out in Afghan villages across the border.

The intelligence agencies are making progress to unearth networks behind the recent terrorism incidents, the statement said.

However, politicians, defense analysts and columnists expressed reservations over the military actions, calling it an emotional response.

Syed Iftikhar ul Hassan, a member of the National Assembly from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N), suggested that the terror attacks have a bigger purpose as part of a conspiracy against the government to halt army operations against militants and to derail a planned Economic Corridor with China.

There was a huge network that is being fixed and soon things will be all right, he said.
While German Chancellor Angela Merkel proposed that European nations strengthen their multilateral ties, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence praised NATO but made no mention of the European Union, fueling concerns about Americas new approach to international affairs.

At the Munich Security Conference Saturday, Merkel delivered a speech stressing the importance of supporting organizations such as the European Union, the United Nations and NATO that have played key roles in the post-Cold War global order.

"Will we be able to continue working well together, or will we all fall back into our individual roles?" Merkel asked. "I call on us, and I hope we all find common ground on this, let's make the world better together and then things will get better for every single one of us."

Like Merkel, Pence expressed support for NATO and sought to address concerns raised by U.S. President Donald Trump, who once said the military alliance was "obsolete."

"The United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to our transatlantic alliance," Pence said in his first major foreign policy address for the new administration.

Although Pence made no mention of the European Union, he will have the opportunity to explain the Trump administrations position on the 28-nation alliance when he meets with EU leaders Sunday in Brussels.

US will always be your greatest ally

Pence also sought to reduce speculation that Trump would abandon guarantees that European nations believe the U.S. would protect them from Russia.

Today, tomorrow, and every day hence, be confident that the United States is now and will always be your greatest ally, he said.

Pence promised the U.S. would "hold Russia accountable" amid European concerns about Russian aggression and as Trump searches for new areas of interest with Moscow. Pence said Russia must honor a 2015 peace agreement to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

Shortly after Pence's address, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for an end to the world order dominated by Western nations since the end of the Cold War.

"I hope that [the world] will choose a democratic world order, a post-West one, in which each country is defined by its sovereignty," Lavrov said.

Lavrov later said Russia wanted to build a relationship with the U.S. that would be "pragmatic with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our responsibility for global stability."

Lavrov mentioned that the U.S. and Russia have never engaged in direct conflict, and even noted the two countries were close neighbors across the Bering Strait.

Merkel and Pence met on the sidelines of the security conference following their speeches. The two leaders committed to cooperate on a wide range of global challenges and discussed the need for NATO allies to meet what a White House statement called burden-sharing commitments in order to effectively deal with 21st century threats."

Before leaving Munich for Brussels Sunday, Pence was expected to meet with leaders of countries that have the most to lose or gain from any new agreements between the U.S. and Russia. The countries include Afghanistan, Iraq, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Turkey.
In his first major foreign policy speech, U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence has said that America will be unwavering in its support for the NATO alliance, but warned European allies that they must step up defense spending.

I bring you this assurance - the United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to this transatlantic alliance, Pence told delegates at the Munich Security Conference Saturday.

He repeated calls for European allies to keep their NATO commitment of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense.

The President of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfill this commitment and for most that means the time has come to do more."Amid controversy over the Trump administrations ties to Moscow, the vice-president said the U.S. would continue to hold Russia accountable, and demand that they honor the Minsk agreements, beginning by de-escalating the violence in eastern Ukraine. And know this. The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground.

Russia sees new world order

Among the hundreds of delegates listening to Vice-President Pence was Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He took to the stage a few hours later - and said the world was at a moment of change.

The responsible leaders have to make a choice. I hope that they will choose a democratic and fair world order. You might want to call it a post-West one, he said.

Questioned on accusations that Russia had hacked computers and tried to influence the U.S. election, Lavrov said he had found no evidence of this.

Which kind of relations do we want with the U.S.? Pragmatic relations with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our responsibility for global stability.



Lavrov later told reporters that after a meeting with his counterparts from France, Germany and Ukraine, the four countries had agreed to try to implement a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine starting Monday, alongside the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line.



Fighting has escalated in recent weeks, threatening to sink the Minsk accords, an agreement signed in 2015 that aims to secure a cease-fire and more autonomy for eastern rebel-held regions of Ukraine.



Russian media reported Saturday that President Vladimir Putin had signed an executive order recognizing passports issued by pro-Moscow rebel groups in Donetsk and Luhansk. The move is likely to further escalate tensions with Kyiv and the West.
The International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, called Saturday for the safe and unconditional release of two staff members abducted in northern Afghanistan earlier this month.

The abductees were part of an ICRC convoy transporting food for livestock of poverty-stricken farmers in the northern Jowzjan province on February 8 when they were ambushed, allegedly by Islamic State militants.

The assailants killed six ICRC employees before taking two others to an unknown location, according to Afghan security officials.

Operations suspended

The charity has since suspended its humanitarian operations across the country, where millions of people are in urgent need of aid because of the intensification of a Taliban-led insurgency.

We call on the abductors sense of humanity and request the immediate, safe and unconditional release of our colleagues and to avoid taking any action that could endanger their lives a statement Saturday quoted the ICRCs country chief, Monica Zanarelli, as saying.

We do not want the agony and heartache of this tragedy to deepen, she added.

Zanarelli appealed to authorities and armed groups operating in northern Afghanistan to help secure the safe release of the two ICRC staff members. The deadly attack on its staff is the worst such incident against ICRC in the country.

Charity in country 30 years

The charity has been active in Afghanistan for three decades, impartially assisting victims of the conflict with medical care, food assistance, family contacts and the dignified handling of human remains.

Afghan authorities say they have been making efforts to locate the abductees, while the Taliban has distanced itself from the incident.

The Islamist insurgency has vowed to find and punish those behind the deadly attack, saying it respects ICRCs contributions in helping Afghans and has even called on the charity to resume its activities.
A Somali-American refugee activist and community leader who is running for Boston City Council says she has received huge support from the public since she announced her candidacy two weeks ago.

If elected to represent the Roxbury district of Boston during municipal elections later this year, Deeqo Jibril will be the first Muslim immigrant to win an office in the city.

Jibrils announcement to stand for election came five days after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order temporarily banning refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Somalia. The order has since been blocked by U.S. courts.

Jibril said she has received huge public support and donations from the community after making the announcement to run for a seat vacated by a council member who is running for Boston mayor.

A lot of people reached out to me because they want to get involved, she told VOAs Somali service. They are disappointed (by) what is going on at the national level, and the response Im getting is positive and the people are saying its time you represent us.

Positive response

Asked if the crisis from the suspended travel ban affected the support she received, Jibril said the response from the public has been positive.

So far it has been helping me because the media wants to know who is this former refugee, a Muslim candidate for the city of Boston? she told VOA Somali.

Jibril said some people have offered to volunteer, while others have donated $1,100 to her campaign.

People donated to me right away. I have one donation that came from New York City, a guy who wanted to donate to my campaign, who thinks its the right moment, she said.

Regardless the amount, it means a lot to me, that a person takes the time to donate and believes in my mission and my campaign, so Im going to send each one who donated a thank you card, she added.

Jibril arrived in Boston in July 1991 when she was 12 years old. She fled the 7-month-old civil war in Somalia, which eventually led to state collapse. Jibril said she lost relatives in the war.

Since arriving in Boston, she has been active in the community, advocating for the refugees, working with local enforcement agencies and attending conferences on community relations. In February 2015, she attended the White House Summit to Counter Violent Extremism in Washington, D.C., representing Boston communities. She was seated next to former Vice President Joe Biden.

Bridge for communities

She sees a need for more affordable housing in the city, and sees her campaign as a bridge between the various communities in Boston.

I am a bridger, I bridge between the law enforcement and the Muslim community, Jibril said. Im running to unify the whole district, whether they are immigrants, whether they have been here for generations. At the end of the day, Boston is one community.

Jibril, who is running as a Democrat, hopes to have broad appeal to different communities.

Jibril said the presidents executive order limiting immigration and banning refugees is un-American.

Its not what we believe or what our value is. This time I think people would be more engaged to get to know what is going on, and how immigrants are part of the American fabric. This great nation was built by immigrants like myself, she said.

I got the chance to come to Boston in 1991, and I think everybody should get the chance to come to the United States regardless of what city they choose to, she added.

Trump said he issued the travel ban for the security of the United States. After a federal court blocked key parts of Trumps travel ban, the president said he would issue a new executive order next week.

While campaigning for president last year, Trump made several disparaging remarks about Somalians in the United States, especially in Minnesota, which has a large Somali community. In the days before the November election, he said Minnesota had suffered enough for taking in thousands of immigrants, who had been a disaster for the state.

The Somali community in the state, however, celebrated when the first Somali-American woman, Ilhan Omar, was elected to the states House of Representatives in the fall election.
Dear EarthTalk: Is alternative energy still the next big thing for American venture capitalists? -- Jeffrey Moss, Fairfield, CT

A decade ago, in the wake of Al Gores An Inconvenient Truth and rising gas/oil prices, many of the same venture capitalists (VCs) who had made fortunes betting on software, hardware, Internet and biotech start-ups began shifting significant chunks of their investment dollars over to alternative renewable energy and related investments, putting the so-called cleantech sector in the spotlight as the new new thing. Given growing global concern about greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution, it made sense that our highest stakes investors would be attracted to placing big bets on little companies jockeying to be the next major players in the fast growing alternative energy sector.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the next round of initial public offerings (IPOs): the cleantech bubble burst. According to a July 2016 report from the MIT Energy Initiative, some three dozen U.S. venture capital firms poured some $25 billion in cleantech start-ups between 2006 and 2011and lost over half their money: The results are starkcleantech offered a dismal risk/return profile, dragged down by companies developing new materials, chemistries or processes that never achieved manufacturing scale.

The MIT researchers studied the performance of hundreds of cleantech investments and compared the results against medical and software technology investments over the same six-year period. Their conclusion? The VC model is broken for the cleantech sector, which suffers especially from a dearth of large corporations willing to invest in innovation.

So where did cleantech go wrong? Unlucky timing may have had something to do with it, given the overall market collapse at the end of 2008. But the MIT researchers point out that cleantech start-ups have a longer timeframe of growth than, say, software venturesand VCs dont want to wait around for 15-20 years to cash in on their bets. Also, the cleantech sector suffers from underdeveloped supply chains and an immature acquisition space compared to more conventional tech startups.

The result is that most of the 150 renewable energy start-ups launched in Silicon Valley since 2006 are long gone. The flame-out of high-flying solar tube manufacturer Solyndraafter securing $500 million in federal loan guaranteesundermined investor confidence in cleantech, while cheap natural gas and a glut of Chinese solar panel exports undercut the competitiveness of American start-ups in the sector.

But cleantechs fortunes may be turning around, given an influx of interest in leveraging technology and efficiency to help the U.S. meet its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris Climate Accord. Just prior to the landmark December 2015 Paris meeting, Bill Gates announced he was launching a new venture fund, the Breakthrough Energy Coalitionwith a little help from 27 mega-rich friends like Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg. The nascent billion dollar fund is focused on fighting climate change by investing in clean energy innovation and represents a new type of venture financing that aims to not only make money but to help solve social and environmental problems as well. Gates and company are optimistic that other funders will follow in their footsteps to re-energize American cleantech innovation, create millions of new domestic green jobs, and help finally move us beyond fossil fuels.

CONTACTS: MIT Energy Initiative, energy.mit.edu; Breakthrough Energy Coalition, www.b-t.energy.com.
The U.N. is warning that hundreds of thousands of Somali children will be malnourished this year, including 185,000 who will be in need of urgent lifesaving support. To avert a major humanitarian disaster, the U.N. is calling for scaled up humanitarian assistance for the country.

The worst hit regions in Somalia are Bay and Bakool in the south followed by Sool and Sanaag in the north, according to humanitarian workers. The situation in those areas is said to be pre-famine.

UNICEF country representative Steven Lauwerier just visited hard hit areas and said he saw hundreds of carcasses of dead animals. He said in the Bay region people have lost nearly 90 percent of their harvest due to two consecutive failed rainy seasons.

If nothing is done now, then we are going to probably see high mortality figures affecting women and children, he said.

He said the area affected is very vast and urgent action is needed.

What we have to do now is buy supplies and get them out to different places and really see that we prevent this drama happening, he said.

What we also need to do is see that the money is available at this moment so that we can scale up our programs before its too late and save hundreds of thousands of people that could perish if nothing is done.

UNICEF and WFP say they need more than $450 million in the coming months to prevent famine.
U.S. prison authorities say an Egyptian cleric convicted of participating in a plan to blow up landmarks in New York City has died in prison.

An official at the Federal Correction Complex in Butner, North Carolina, confirmed Saturday that Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman died early Saturday after a long battle with diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Abdel-Rahman was linked to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center that killed six people but was not convicted of a crime directly related to it.

He had been incarcerated since 1995 for his advisory role in a failed plot to blow up Manhattan landmarks, including U.N. headquarters, as well as a key bridge and two heavily traveled highway tunnels leading into the city. His stated goal was to interfere with U.S. support for Israel and for Egypt.

A prison spokesman said Abdel-Rahman was 78.

His son told the Reuters news agency his family had received a call from U.S. authorities confirming the death.

Abdel-Rahman, an Egyptian, was nicknamed "the blind sheikh" because he lost his eyesight during childhood because of diabetes. He read Braille and attended an Islamic boarding school as a child. He became one of Egypt's most outspoken Muslim clerics, boldly denouncing the country's secularism.

Abdel-Rahman eventually moved to Afghanistan and developed a strong relationship with terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

Despite spending the past two decades in U.S. federal prison, Abdel-Rahman still had a strong following in Egypt at the time of his death.
This is the Top Five Countdown! Were rewarding the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending February 18, 2017.

Welcome to our post-Grammy countdown, which sees nearly all the artists participating in the big weekend.

Number 5: The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey "Closer"



The Chainsmokers and Halsey weaken two slots, as their former 12-week champ Closer falls to number five. Grammy night proved turbulent for the duo: on the positive side, they won the Best Dance Recording trophy for Dont Let Me Down, featuring Daya. They drew the wrath of some David Bowie fans, however, by accepting the Best Rock Song award for the late rock legends composition Blackstar.

Number 4: Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello "Bad Things"



Holding in fourth place are Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello, who marked a milestone on Sunday when Cabello made her solo red carpet debut at the Grammy Awards. It marked her first such appearance since leaving Fifth Harmony on December 18. She also presented the Best Country Solo Performance Grammy, which was won by Maren Morris for My Church.

One of Grammys biggest stars was missing in action Sunday

Number 3: Zayn & Taylor Swift "I Don't Wanna Live Forever"

Zayn and Taylor Swift climb two slots to third place with their Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack hit I Dont Wanna Live Forever.

Last year, Swift took home three Grammy awards, including Album Of The Year for 1989. This year, she had no nominations  for the first time since 2011. Swift was one of the highest-profile Grammy no-shows, along with Justin Bieber, Drake and Kanye West.

Number 2: Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert "Bad And Boujee"



Grammy weekend didnt go so well for our runner-up act: Migos and Lil Uzi Vert lose their singles lead as Bad And Boujee falls a slot to second place.



Grammy weekend was an adventure for the Atlanta rappers: it started when group member Offset was kicked off an airliner for refusing to stop talking on his phone. Hours later, police raided Migos pre-Grammy party in Beverly Hills. TMZ reports that a number of guests reportedly received citations, but its unclear whether Migos will face any legal action.

Number 1: Ed Sheeran "Shape of You"



Only one of our Top Five artists performed at the Grammys, and he turns out to be the one wearing the crown. Ed Sheeran returns to the Hot 100 summit for a second total week with Shape Of You. He performed that song on Sunday at the Grammy Awards telecast. Last year Ed won two trophies; this year he failed to collect on his sole nomination: Song Of The Year, for Love Yourself.
The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, met his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar Friday at NATO's Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey. Talks between the NATO allies reportedly focused on Washington's support for Syrian Kurdish militias in the fight against the Islamic State group.

The United States says it chooses carefully among Kurdish fighters when lending its support to Syrian rebels battling Islamic State. Ankara dismisses the Americans' arguments and says they are actively supporting the People's Protection Units, the YPG, whose fighters the Turks contend are terrorists group united with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, fighting against the Turkish state.

Turkey has made its view on this organization (YPG) very clear, says political columnist Semih Idiz of Al Monitor, and any step back at this moment would entail a loss of face for the government in Ankara and of course indirectly for President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan.

'Ultimate issue for Turkey'

It is the ultimate issue for Turkey, and if there is no movement as far as Turkey's requests and demands, it seems that this crisis issue between the two countries will remain, Idiz added.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence likely will hear the same message when he discusses the fight against Islamic State on Saturday in Germany with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. The two will hold talks on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference.

The United States and European Union agree on the PKK, which both have designated a terrorist organization. Washington maintains its military does not assist the PKK but does support the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) a coalition of Syrian Arabs and Kurds that has proven itself to be by far the most effective force against Islamic State extremists in Syria.

The SDF is a multiethnic and multireligious alliance of militia fighters opposed to the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, but its military leadership comes from the YPG, and that is what has drawn Turkey's intense opposition.

Ankara wants YPG sidelined

Support from U.S. and European special forces, along with American air power, has enabled the SDF to advance to within a few kilometers of Raqqa, the large Syrian city that is the jihadists' self-declared capital.

The bulk of the forces advancing on Raqqa are Arabs, but I say the bulk of the forces, not all the forces. The Arab and Kurds (of SDF) actually work hand in glove (together), British Lieutenant-General Rupert Jones said in a press briefing this week by the international coalition against Islamic State. And my expectation is, if the SDF is the assault force into Raqqa, that is how they will operate; they will work together in concert with each other.

Experts say such comments are infuriating to Ankara, which has been intensely lobbying Washington to exclude the Syrian Kurdish militia from plans to capture Raqqa. Earlier this week, Defense Minister Fikri Isik declared Washington was moving closer to the Turkish position, after word came that the Pentagon is working on an action plan to defeat Islamic State, as ordered by President Donald Trump.

Analysts point out that Ankara has so far failed to provide Washington a detailed alternate plan to using the Syrian Kurdish militia.

Raqqa mystery

This is the big mystery, because obviously, to have an operation against Raqqa, you are going to need a massive amount of ground troops, said columnist Idiz. It's not clear what Turkey is offering and how it's planning to make up for the absence of the YPG forces, should they somehow be weeded out by the American side. So none of this has been clearly spelled out.

I don't think personally that the American side and the allies supporting the Americans are going to change horses midstream unless there is some guarantee on what Turkey can do, Idiz added.

Experts warn Ankara is finding itself increasingly isolated over its stance of absolute opposition to the YPG and its political wing, the PYD. Turkey has a very weak hand, warns international relations specialist Soli Ozel of Istanbul's Kadir Has University.

Ozel, who says Ankara could temper its hostility, pointed out that Erdogan reaffirmed his position that the YPG is nothing but a terrorist organization after a meeting he had earlier this month with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Ankara still has some cards to play with Washington, since Turkey shares a long border with Syria and U.S. forces depend on Turkish airbases for operations against IS.

Regional experts warn Ankara could also play spoiler to U.S. military plans to capture Raqqa, by sending Turkish military forces toward the Syrian town of Manbij. The town was liberated by Syrian Kurdish forces from Islamic State, and any battle for its control could see the YPG pulling out of an offensive against Raqqa in order to defend it.
U.S. President Donald Trump, in office less than a month, looked to be on the campaign trail again Friday as he toured a massive Boeing aircraft facility in South Carolina.

The president held several rallies in airport hangars when he campaigned around the country last year. The Boeing visit in North Charleston, South Carolina, was reminiscent of those stops.

Back in airport hangar

Trump was more upbeat at Boeing than he was a day before at a rowdy White House news conference where he lambasted the media and continued to attack Hillary Clinton, his Democratic presidential opponent.

Trump, who won big in South Carolinas presidential vote, told the Boeing workers, who recently voted not to unionize their production line, that he was all about keeping jobs in the U.S.; a comment the workers cheered.

The president also joked that he is still haggling with Boeing over the price of a new Air Force One, the presidential aircraft. The current Air Force One is 30 years old. Shortly after taking office, Trump balked at the multimillion dollar price tag to replace the presidential plane.

White House officials say Trumps campaign committee is holding a rally in Florida Saturday. The president is reported to have filed papers for his 2020 reelection on the day of his inauguration.

Speaking about the Florida rally earlier in the week, the president said: The crowds are massive that want to be there.

Early days not smooth

Trump has his eye on the 2020 election, but after a month in office the White House is widely viewed as being in chaos. His staffing is not going as smoothly as the president would like. His relationship with the media is extremely confrontational, with White House officials calling the media the opposition party.

Unlike his predecessors, Trump still has not released his tax returns that would make public the details of his business holdings, which many critics say likely violate the Constitution.

The president has been dogged by questions about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russias involvement in the presidential election.

Trump reacts strongly against nearly any criticism or joke, taking to Twitter to retaliate against perceived attackers.

Trumps critics and supporters say his presidency is something new in the Oval Office.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he is choosing among four candidates for his upcoming appointment of a new national security adviser to replace retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, who resigned under pressure this week.

Another candidate who was expected to be named as Flynn's successor  a recently retired senior naval officer  withdrew his name from consideration Thursday, forcing the president to widen the field of potential appointees.

General Keith Kellogg, who I have known for a long time, is very much in play for [national security adviser], as are three others, Trump disclosed on Twitter Friday. He did not name the other candidates, but White House officials previously said former CIA chief David Petraeus, a retired four-star general, was among those under consideration.

Kellogg travels with Trump

Kellogg, a 72-year-old retired lieutenant general, is currently chief of staff of the National Security Council at the White House, and the acting head of the group following Flynn's departure. He accompanied the president on his trip to South Carolina and Florida on Friday.

Before last year's election, Kellogg worked for Trump's campaign organization as a foreign policy adviser.

Retired Navy Admiral Robert Harward turned down the post of national security adviser late Thursday, telling reporters who contacted him he could not balance family and financial obligations with the 24-hour-a-day commitment the White House job would require. However, several U.S. media outlets reported another factor in Harward's decision was the lack of a guarantee that he could select his own staff at the NSC, or replace Flynn's choices.

Flynn misled vice president

Flynn left his post this week in a controversy over his contacts with Russian officials before Trump took office, including a telephone conversation he had with Moscow's ambassador to Washington in December, while President Barack Obama was still in office, just before the United States expelled dozens of Russian diplomats and intelligence officers from the country.

Trump said Thursday that he did not believe Flynn's conversations with the Russian ambassador were improper, even if they did center on the incoming administration's views on continuing sanctions against Russia. The president said he let Flynn go because the security adviser had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russians, and Pence subsequently repeated a false account of Flynn's activities.

Petraeus, who has been under consideration for several senior posts in the Trump administration, held a series of high-profile military posts before taking over the Central Intelligence Agency during the Obama administration. Petraeus resigned as CIA director in 2012 and pleaded guilty in court to mishandling classified materials  secret documents that he had passed to a younger woman writing his biography, and with whom he was romantically involved.
A news photographer has documented the latest fallout from U.S. immigration policy to hit Canada: asylum-seekers crossing illegally from the United States into its northern neighbor, where they are promptly arrested. The immigrants say they would rather be arrested in Canada then continue seeking a legal way to live in the United States.

A Reuters news photographer on Friday photographed several people fleeing a U.S. border protection officer in New York state, one of the most popular crossing points into the Canadian province of Quebec.

As U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers questioned a man in the front passenger seat of a taxi that had pulled up to a gully at one of the unofficial crossing points, reporters witnessed four other adults and four children cross the gully. A photograph shows that at least one of the refugees had a passport from Sudan.

Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police waited for them on the other side, helping the children up the hill and offering medical care.

Reuters reports that the man detained by U.S. officers made a break for it and managed to get across the gully to join the other asylum-seekers. The Mounties then arrested the asylum-seekers.

Border technicality

People leaving the United States to seek asylum in Canada often cross the border illegally because of a technicality. If they have already applied for asylum in the United States, they cannot legally cross into Canada to apply for asylum there, because of an agreement between the two countries  they will be turned away at the U.S. border.

However, if they sneak across at an unofficial location, they may apply for asylum in Canada even if they are caught. They may spend a night or two in custody, but upon release, they are free to pursue their claims.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they have seen a marked increase in people crossing from the U.S. into Canada illegally since the White House began tightening immigration restrictions earlier this year.

Winter conditions harsh

Aid workers in Canada have spoken to the media about the conditions under which the illegal immigrants cross the border, often without proper clothing for the Canadian winter.

Paul Caulford, a doctor at a Canadian refugee center, told Public Radio International that the number of cases of frostbite among the refugees seeking health care in his clinic has doubled recently. He said nearly all of his patients are women and children. Most are from the west African nation of Nigeria. They leave behind Nigerias moderate temperatures, but also its climate of violence.

National Public Radio reports that Canadas more open immigration policy is partly a practical matter: Canada is the worlds second-largest nation, but has only 36 million people and a low birth rate, leaving it unable to replenish its workforce. So immigrants are important and, in many cases, welcome.

Canadas immigration rate is one of the highest in the world.

Margaret Eaton, executive director of the Toronto Region Immigration Employment Council, told NPR that Canada provides an easier path to citizenship than many other nations. In fact, she said, the 300,000 permanent immigrants who enter the country each year are referred to as new Canadians.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday raised the need to create a level playing field for trade and investment in his first meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to the State Department.

In the readout by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both had agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of economy, finance and security, seen by some as much diluted wording.

Both met for about an hour on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers of the G-20 top economies in Bonn, Germany.

So nice to see you, Tillerson said as he shook Wang's hand, while apologizing for keeping Wang waiting. The top diplomat for the U.S. was late because of another sideline meeting about Syria.

China criticized as a 'cheater'

While in many ways this seems typical of prior meetings of foreign ministers between Washington and Beijing, it is unusual for a secretary of state to advocate the need for a fair playing field in commerce, according to Bonnie Glaser, the director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

That signals the priority this set of issues is accorded by President Trump, Glaser told VOA on Friday.

President Donald Trump has bluntly criticized China as a cheater and a currency manipulator, accusing it of unfair practices that have blocked many U.S. exports, and producing a trade imbalance that has killed American jobs.

Trump also has threatened to impose a comprehensive tax on Chinese imports.

'One-China policy'

In the Chinese readout, Beijing said, The U.S. side made it clear that it would continue to adhere to the one-China policy, which is absent in the State Department's readout.

There is the classic testing of intentions on big issues, to get a quick read where the other stands, said Center for the National Interest Director of Defense Studies Harry Kazianis.

They set the foundation for the future and are critically important, Kazianis added.

China pressed over North Korea

Notably, North Korea's threats are both highlighted by Tillerson and his Chinese counterpart. Washington pressed Beijing to help assert more control over North Korea after a series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

Acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Friday in Bonn that Tillerson urged China to use all available tools to moderate North Korea's destabilizing behavior.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on February 12, followed by strong international condemnation, including that of the U.N. Security Council.

Wang told Tillerson the U.S. and China have joint responsibilities to maintain global stability, adding common interests between the two countries far outweigh their differences.

One of the channels to manage U.S.-China relations is the bilateral Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), an annual high-level gathering for two countries to discuss a wide range of regional and global issues.

It started under the George W. Bush administration as the Strategic Economic Dialogue and was later upgraded by former President Barack Obama after he took office.

A different approach

Some regional scholars expect the Trump administration to veer from the long-standing U.S. approach, though, and downsize such a mechanism, or even end it.

I would be somewhat surprised if the S&ED has any future, Atlantic Council resident senior fellow Robert Manning told VOA.

It has become a somewhat hollow bureaucratic ritual, a checklist for the vast sweep of U.S.-China bilateral issues, said Manning, adding the structure and content of relations between Washington and Beijing is at a tipping point.

Manning said the key is to identify a few core issues that can define the character of the relationship. Finding a formula for reciprocity is key to a sustainable economic relationship, he said.

A change in S&ED

Proponents of continuing the S&ED said it mobilizes bureaucracies on both sides, promotes interagency coordination, and helps to increase cooperation in areas where the U.S. and China have shared interests.

My guess is that it will continue in some form, but will be much smaller and policy-focused, said Glaser.

This administration wants to see progress on a much more fair trade relationship, said Kazianis, adding if Beijing is willing to work toward a more equitable and fair trade relationship, I would assume this would continue. If not, it could very well be downsized or disregarded all together.

The first year will be rocky and it may be until June before there is a functioning policy process, given the chaos in the White House and State Department, according to Manning.

Tillerson's deputy and many senior positions at the State Department have yet to be filled.
The Trump administration says it cannot confirm that an Iranian general barred from foreign travel by the U.N. Security Council visited Russia this week, despite a prominent U.S. congressman and news outlet saying he had made the trip.

In an emailed response to a VOA Persian query Friday, a U.S. State Department official who requested anonymity said the administration is aware of media reports about recent travel to Russia by General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the special operations Quds Force of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Were not in a position to confirm the travel ourselves at this time, the official said. As with previous reports of similar travel, the U.N. travel ban on Soleimani remains in effect, so such travel, if confirmed, would be a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and, thus, a serious matter of concern to the United States and members of the U.N. Security Council.

Congressman doesn't hesitate

Republican Congressman Ed Royce, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed no such hesitation when speaking about Soleimani on Thursday to U.S. television network Fox News. He said the Iranian general was just caught in Moscow violating existing sanctions on his travel.

A day earlier, a Fox News online report cited multiple Western intelligence officials with direct knowledge of (Soleimanis) visit as saying that the Iranian general arrived in Terminal A of Vnukovo airport outside Moscow on February 14 on Mahan Air WD084 at 12:13 p.m. local time and was scheduled to remain in Russia for a few days for meetings.

Royce said it is the third time that Soleimani has visited Russia since the U.N. Security Council approved resolution 2231 endorsing Irans nuclear deal with world powers July 20, 2015.

A spokesman for Royce did not respond to a VOA email asking for the source of the lawmakers information about the Iranian general, whom the lawmaker accused of being responsible for the deaths of about 500 U.S. military personnel in Iraq by leading a Quds Force effort to supply weapons to anti-American Iraqi Shiite militants.

The UN resolution

Section 6 (e) of resolution 2231s Annex B calls on all states to take the necessary measures to prevent the entry into or transit through their territories of individuals designated by the council as having engaged in illicit activities  a designation it had given to Soleimani in the past.

Western media have quoted sources as saying Soleimani visited Russia July 24, 2015, days after resolution 2231s adoption, and made a second trip April 14, 2016.

Jeffrey Feltman, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, notified the Security Council last July of possible foreign travel by Soleimani contrary to the provisions of resolution 2231.

Congressman calls for sanctions

Royce said he had obtained photographs of Soleimanis previously reported visits to Moscow and criticized the Obama administration as being weak for not confirming that the trips had happened and that the U.N.s travel ban had been violated.

He called on the Trump administration to respond to Soleimnis latest reported Russia trip by imposing new sanctions barring companies from doing business in Iran.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced its first sanctions against Iran since taking office in January. It froze any property or funds held by 13 Iranian individuals and 12 companies under U.S. jurisdiction, in retaliation for Irans January 29 ballistic missile test that Washington criticized as undermining regional security and putting American lives at risk.

There has been no word from the White House of any additional Iran sanctions under consideration.

Fox News reported that Soleimani was in Moscow this week to express displeasure with Russias recent military and economic overtures to Saudi Arabia and other Arab states that Iran sees as rivals for regional influence.

But former U.S. intelligence officer Paul Pillar, now a security studies analyst at Georgetown University, told VOA Persian it is incorrect to presume that Soleimani was in Moscow to communicate Irans resentment about Russian relations with Arab nations.

The focus (of the trip) obviously would be on events in Syria, where both Russia and Iran, especially the IRGC headed by General Soleimani, are heavily involved in the effort to shore up the position of the Assad regime, Pillar said.

The Iranian defense ministrys news agency published photos of Soleimani attending a ceremony in Tehran on Thursday, two days after his reported arrival in Moscow. The websites homepage initially said it had posted the photos in response to U.S. claims about the general, but it later removed that language.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a VOA request to confirm or deny that Soleimani was in Moscow this week. Russia and Iran both have denied the previous reports of Soleimani traveling to Moscow.

Additional reporting by Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Steve Herman, Hooman Bakhtiar of VOAs Persian Service and Mehdi Jedinia of VOAs Extremism Watch Desk.


Yemeni government troops and Houthi rebels have been engaged in fierce battles in and around a coastal town seen as a major smuggling point for arms used to supply rebels.

In recent days, both sides have won and lost territory near the port of Mokha in what analysts and Yemen officials see as a make-or-break fight to sever a rebel supply line.

Saudi and U.S.-backed government forces are convinced that Houthis rely on Iranian smuggled arms coming through maritime ports along the western shores of Yemen.

By taking Mokha, we deprive Houthis from the source where 40 to 50 percent of their smuggled arms are coming from, Ahmed Saif Al Yafei, a Yemeni army commander, told VOA.

Hard line on Iran

The Trump administration, which is taking a hard line against Iran, is keen on stopping the flow of weapons from Iranian ships to Houthi rebels.

The White House sees the Iranian supply line as supporting terrorism.

The New York Times reported last week that U.S. national security officials considered sending U.S. vessels to intercept an Iranian military ship in the Arabian Sea that they suspected of carrying an arms shipment. They backed off because of operational concerns, the newspaper said, at least for the time being.

We are concerned about all of the weapons that are smuggled in, Michael Meyer, a U.S Central Command spokesman, wrote in an email to VOA. Iran is supplying the Houthis with lethal aid  including advanced countermaritime capability  in contravention of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday met on Yemen with counterparts from Britain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman at a foreign ministers summit in Germany.

Iranian officials say they are not involved in supplying weapons to Houthis  despite credible evidence, Yemeni and U.S. officials say, that in recent months Iran has been violating a U.N. embargo prohibiting the transfer of arms to Houthis.

Mohsen Rezaei, Irans Expediency Discernment Council secretary, said in early February that Houthis receive missiles and ammunition from Russia. Tehrans support to Houthis, he said, is limited to spiritual guidance and sympathy.

Battles waged for other ports

And Houthis say they already have weapons and that the U.S.-backed monitoring efforts on the Red Sea have virtually shut down weapons smuggling.

We dont need to smuggle weapons. We defeat them and get theirs. We control several weapon stockpiles, too, said Aziz Hussein, the deputy spokesperson of the Houthi and Saleh forces.

The fight to control Mokha has intensified over the past couple of weeks. All warring factions are claiming victory in Mokha, including government forces loyal to President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, Houthis and their ally of loyalists to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Meanwhile, government forces claim full control over the Dhubab port on the southwestern coast of Yemen. Now they are aiming at reaching Hodeida port, one of the main and strategic harbors in the country.

Saudi-backed Yemeni officials say that since the beginning of the conflict two years ago, Houthis have continued to receive arms. Of 12 consignments of weapons that were aimed at reaching Houthis, the government seized five, officials say.

The last shipment seized by government forces was three months ago.

There were around 100 pieces of anti-tank Kornet missiles in the last shipment we seized, Al Yafei said. We have also seized 1,000 pieces of Kalashnikov and around a million bullets in the same shipment.

The Mokha port is 40 miles from Bab-el-Mandeb, the strategic strait on the Red Sea where millions of gallons of oil and refined petroleum products flow toward Europe, the United States and Asia every year.

To circumvent coalition surveillance, Houthi rebels have reportedly changed their tactics, resorting to more nimble boats.

Houthis use small boats for sail to certain points inside the Red Sea in order to get their smuggled weapons from Iranian ships, said Ali Alkhulaqi, a Yemeni analyst who is close to the government forces.

Ultimately, though, the Houthis will continue their uprising even if they lose control of the coastline.

They [Houthis] almost certainly receive some smuggled weapons, but these are not decisive in their ability to continue the war, said April Longley Alley, an analyst at International Crisis Group.
The United States is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for African immigrants, with their numbers more than doubling since 2000. Although many are coming from war-torn countries, the immigrants also include large numbers of highly educated professionals.

According to a new study from the Pew Research Center, as of 2015, there were nearly 2.1 million people living in the U.S. who were born in Africa. That number is up from 880,000 in 2000 and only 80,000 in 1970.

Monica Anderson, a research associate and the author of the study, said the numbers are doubling approximately every decade and she sees that trend continuing.

"In 1980 only 1 percent of refugees admitted to the U.S. were from an African country and today that share is about 37 percent. That is one major factor that is driving the growth of African immigrants but it doesn't tell the entire story," she told VOA in an interview.

Anderson says various clusters of vibrant immigrant populations are reshaping places like Minnesota, which is home to 25,000 people of Somali origin, about one-fifth of the foreign-born population in the state.

Nigerians make up the largest African diaspora population in the U.S. at 327,000, followed by Ethiopians at 222,000 and Egyptians at 192,000, Pew found. The top destinations for African immigrants to the U.S. are Texas, New York, California and Maryland.

"Many of these places in the U.S. are ...having a larger share of African immigrants than they had before," Anderson said. "In different clusters in the U.S., African immigrants are really reshaping the immigrant population there."

Still small portion of immigrant population

Despite the increases, African immigrants still make up a relatively low percentage of the total immigrant population. Randy Capps, director of research for U.S. programs at the Migration Policy Institute, said there are both historical and geographic reasons for that.

"It's a long distance from Africa and the number of people in Africa with sufficient incomes to migrate that far has been relatively small," he said. "And secondly we didn't really open up channels for legal African migration to the U.S. substantially until the 1965 Immigration Act and so, like Asian immigrants, there just weren't very many African immigrants here until starting at that time."

The Immigration and Nationality Act signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson, ensured that quota systems based on national identity were eliminated and allowed the acceptance of immigrants of all nationalities equally. Immigrant families were able to reunite due to this act, also known as the Hart-Celler Act, and skilled immigrants were encouraged to migrate easily.

Today's African immigrants include tens of thousands of refugees from Somalia, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Eritrea. But it also includes highly-educated doctors, engineers and others immigrating to the country in search of a better life.

Capps said that, as of 2013, 38 percent of sub-Saharan African immigrants had a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 28 percent of all U.S. immigrants and 30 percent of the U.S.-born population.

Will Trump Stop the Flow?

It remains to be seen how changes in U.S. immigration policy could affect the flow of immigrants from Africa. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump halted immigration from three African countries and paused the U.S. refugee resettlement program.

That executive order was halted by a federal court, but the Trump administration has promised a revision.

Another proposal by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., would reduce the number of green cards issued by the U.S. from 1 million to 500,000.

"I see it as more of an open question as to whether fewer students will come, fewer visitors will come, or whether it will be harder for people to sponsor their relatives. I think it's just too soon into the Trump administration to know if that's going to be the case," said Capps.

But barring a major change, African immigration is likely to continue to rise since the U.S. continues to have a strong economy offering opportunities to immigrants.

"The U.S. has a pretty open job market, a strong job market now," says Capps. "It's a large job market relative to a lot of other countries that African immigrants might go to and a lot of the African immigrants here are doing quite well. So I think without something more drastic, a bigger change in U.S. immigration policy, there are still going to be very strong pull factors to come to the United States."
Key U.S. intelligence agencies insist they will continue to provide President Donald Trump with the best intelligence possible, but there is growing concern among former officials and analysts that ties between the agencies and the White House are being strained like never before.

Fears of a deteriorating relationship were magnified Thursday, following a more than hourlong news conference during which Trump repeatedly promised to go after any official or analyst leaking information about his administration.

Ive gone to all of the folks in charge of the various agencies, Trump told reporters. Its a criminal act.

Ive actually called the Justice Department to look into the leaks, he added.

Watch: Trump: Information Leaks are 'Criminal'

Media reports

Trump also shot down media reports that some agencies have been withholding critical intelligence from him, calling such reporting disgraceful.

He cited a statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that was issued late Wednesday in response to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Any suggestion that the U.S. intelligence community is withholding information and not providing the best possible intelligence to the president and his national security team is not true, the statement read.

Following the presidents news conference Thursday, the Central Intelligence Agency issued a statement of its own.

The CIA does not, has not, and will never hide intelligence from the president, period, it quoted CIA Director Mike Pompeo as saying. We are not aware of any instance when that has occurred.

Former intelligence officials and analysts who spoke with VOA agreed it was highly unlikely current officials would withhold critical information. Still, they said it is hard to imagine that the presidents, at times, combative rhetoric would be seen as anything but a swipe at the agencies and their employees.

The current animosity is overriding, said Paul Pillar, a veteran CIA officer now with the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University.

Watch: Trump Defends Accomplishments, Attacks Media at Press Conference

Fractious relationship

Pillar said that while it would not be the first time there was friction and ill will between a president and the U.S. intelligence agencies, it was difficult to think of any precedence for the type of fractious relationship that has developed between Trump and members of the intelligence community.

However much they have to hold their nose while doing their job, theyre going to do their job, he said of the intelligence officers and analysts. But he warned concern about the president would linger.

There are all kinds of doubts already, Pillar cautioned. Weve passed that point long ago.

Pillar and others say ongoing talk of the need to reform and possibly streamline the U.S. intelligence community is likely not helping. And officials say there has been talk of possibly bringing in an outsider to help, including private equity billionaire, Cerberus CEO Stephen Feinberg.

On Thursday, the president denied reports he was planning to bring in Feinberg to lead the charge, though he declined to completely rule out some role.

I think that we are going to be able to straighten it out without using anybody else, Trump said, adding Feinberg is a very talented man, very successful man and hes offered his services and its something we may take advantage of.

Even if such an effort is not in the works for now, there are fears the administration may be embarking on a potentially dangerous path.

They could politicize the way that the intelligence community does their jobs, said Nada Bakos, a former CIA analyst and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

They could silence portions of it that they dont trust or feel are continuing to toe their view or ideology and amplify others that they think just agree with them, Bakos said. Weve been down this road before and it gets us into a lot of trouble.

Conflict over Russia

Yet even without a potential overhaul or reformation, other issues continue to eat away at the relationship between Trump and the countrys key intelligence agencies, none more so than Russia.

Its not unusual for an administration to have tensions with the agency [CIA] or intelligence community over a specific incident, former intelligence officer Patrick Skinner said. Its unheard of for there to be this kind of warfare not over an issue but an entire systemic long-running issue like Russia and disinformation.

In a January 6 report, the U.S. intelligence community assessed with high confidence Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign designed to to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process. The report also concluded that during the presidential campaign, Russia developed a preference for then-candidate Trump and aspired to help him win.

After repeatedly criticizing that assessment before taking office, President Trump took aim at the assessment again during his news conference, describing it as fake news.

The whole Russian thing, thats a ruse. Thats a ruse, he said. You can talk all you want about Russia, which was fake news, fabricated deal, to try and make up for the loss of the Democrats.

Skinner, who now works with the Soufan Group, a provider of strategic security intelligence services, called such open disdain for the intelligence agencies finding unprecedented and dangerous.

These statements have real world consequences, he said. Keep saying that the IC [intelligence community] is basically evil and policies and votes and worse happen.

WikiLeaks

Other former members of the U.S. intelligence community also questioned Trumps defense of WikiLeaks, an anti-secrecy group that has released leaked U.S. diplomatic cables and other classified material on its website.

That is beyond comprehension, said former CIA analyst Aki Peritz, now a senior fellow at George Washington Universitys Center for Cyber and Homeland Security.

During the U.S. presidential campaign, WikiLeaks also released emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee regarding Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton.

In its report earlier this year, U.S. intelligence concluded with high confidence that after hacking into the emails, Russian military intelligence relayed material it acquired from the DNC and senior Democratic officials to WikiLeaks.

Our entire system of government runs on trust, and if the trust between the president and the intelligence community declines, the whole system starts falling apart, said Peritz, warning it could leave the U.S. vulnerable.

When you see a real break down occurring like I think were seeing right now, maybe our adversaries can take advantage of that or maybe they cant, but it gives them an opportunity, he said.

VOAs Aru Pande contributed to this report.
A Zimbabwean pastor who led a popular protest movement last year against strongman President Robert Mugabe says he might stand in the 2018 general election.

Evan Mawarire was publicly threatened by Mugabe after starting the This Flag internet campaign that triggered the largest surge of antigovernment street protests in many years.

Mugabe has vowed to run again and has already been chosen as the candidate for the ruling Zanu (PF) party, which has been involved in brutal violence and vote-rigging in past elections.

Mawarire, who is on bail, faces charges of subverting the government and inciting public violence after he was arrested earlier in February at Harare airport.

If the need arises or if it becomes necessary for me to participate in the elections I really want to be available for that, he told reporters outside court on Friday.

I believe it is my duty as a citizen to serve my nation in that way  I havent made that decision as yet but certainly I dont want that door to be closed.

Mawarire fled the country in July in fear for his life, and was arrested on his return.

The evangelical pastor emerged as an opposition figurehead after posting a Facebook video, in which he wore Zimbabwes flag on his shoulders as he condemned the countrys worsening economic crisis.

Following Mugabes intervention, security forces crushed the series of protests and work strikes organised by the This Flag movement and other groups.

In the last election in 2013, Mugabe easily defeated the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in a vote widely seen as not credible.

The court case against Mawarire was postponed until March 16.

AFP
Photo: 2016 Getty Images

A hearty welcome back to network television, Busy Philipps. Weve missed ya! Deadline reports that the Cougar Town alumna  who can currently be seen in a recurring role on HBOs Vice Principals  is set to star in NBCs zany comedy pilot The Sackett Sisters. Executive-produced by 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidts very own Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, the series chronicles a pair of polar opposite sisters who perform a Sully Sullenberger-esque act of public heroism, and are then forced to navigate their new found notoriety together. Phillips will be portraying the older sister, Nancy, who is described as the living embodiment of failure and has been married three times, arrested six, and has never held a job for more than a week. Her other sister has yet to be cast  but if its Michelle Williams, that would really be icing on the cake.


Roman Polanski. Photo: Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images

Forty years later, Roman Polanskis rape of then-13-year-old Samantha Geimer  the culpability for which Polanski dodged when he fled the United States before sentencing  remains a polarizing issue. In one of the most recent flare-ups, Polanski stepped down from his role as president of the Cesar Awards after threats of protest from French feminists who called his appointment an outrageous act to the many victims of rape and sexual assault. While Polanskis resignation was a victory for those committed to denying platforms to rapists, Geimer, who has repeatedly spoken out about her desire to move past her association with Polanskis crime, says she feels used by people who go after Polanski in her name. Geimer told TMZ: I dont like being used by advocates boycotting that hes going to be the president of the Cesar Awards, people make a petition without my consent.

Geimers comments come as Polanski is once again trying to free himself from the legal consequences of his conviction, attempting to get court transcripts released that his lawyer believes will prove he deserves to return to the U.S. as a free man. With advocates again gesturing to Geimer to argue the case for Polanskis continued guilt, Geimer says she is tired of people treating her like a victim. What happened to me is, sadly, common  however, not the end of the world, and Im sure I would have been fine, and I was fine, but nobody wants me to be fine  I continue to be asked to be a victim so people can use my experience, change it, make it worse, dramatize it for their own agendas  Im not a victim anymore, I can speak for myself, I dont want to be used.
Milo Yiannopouloss appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher has been mired in controversy since it was announced earlier this week, so much so that one of the shows scheduled guests chose to cancel his appearance due to Yiannopouloss presence. In the end, a panel consisting of Yiannopoulos, Larry Wilmore, Malcolm Nance, and former Rep. Jack Kingston discussed everything from the LGBTQ community to the current political climate, and lets just say Wilmore didnt mince his words when expressing his abhorrence for the noted alt-right troll.



You can go fuck yourself, alright? If your argument is that these people are stupid, you didnt hear a word this man [Nance] said earlier this segment, Wilmore said. Because he can talk circles around your pathetic, douchey little ass from England, alright? Wilmore also defended SNL cast member Leslie Jones, who Yiannopoulos harshly attacked earlier in the show. (Last summer, he also encouraged his Twitter followers to tweet her racist abuse, which eventually culminated in Yiannopoulos getting permanently banned from the platform.) And one last thing: Leslie Jones is not barely literate. Go fuck yourself again for that one, okay, Wilmore continued. She is a very thoughtful person, and very friendly. Round two coming soon?


Blue Mango Publishing Company Limited, publisher of Thailand Tatler, the countrys Number 1 lifestyle magazine, and other high quality magazines, books and websites that explore and celebrate luxury living in Thailand. Our readers are highly affluent, well-educated and cosmopolitan.

We are looking to fill an important position:
Birthdays can suck, its true, but none with quite such the unsettling edge as the celebration found in this new clip from the Annie Clarkdirected horror short The Birthday Party. The short, which debuts today as part of an anthology of female-directed horror shorts under the banner XX, stars perennial indie-film darling and newly engaged actress Melanie Lynskey and looks like the kind of feminist horror film youd expect from someone as eccentric and uniquely talented as Clark (a.k.a. St. Vincent, who makes her directorial debut with this project and spoke to Vulture about it earlier this week). Plus, and lets be honest here, whats creepier than excited kids when you just wanna chug from your flask and be alone (right, Grammys Rihanna)? The Birthday Party and its three companion shorts are available now on demand or in the coolest indie cinemas near you.
Photo: JOONGANG SUNDAY/AFP/Getty Images

On Monday, Kim Jong-nam  the half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un  was killed in Malaysias Kuala Lumpur Airport. He died after two women sprayed him with an unknown liquid substance in an attack that is suspected to be the work of North Korean operatives. But one of the suspects arrested in connection with the assassination, 25-year-old Siti Aisyah of Indonesia, says she thought she was taking part in a TV prank. Per The Guardian, Indonesias national police chief, Tito Karnavian, said that she had previously been paid for similar acts:

He said she and another woman performed stunts which involved convincing men to close their eyes and then spraying them with water. Such an action was done three or four times and they were given a few dollars for it, and with the last target, Kim Jong-nam, allegedly there were dangerous materials in the sprayer, Karnavian said. She was not aware that it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents.

Sitis boyfriend, 26-year-old Malaysian Muhammad Farid bin Jalaluddin, was arrested as well. The other woman arrested in this case  whose Vietnamese passport identifies her as Doan Thi Huong  was seen on CCTV wearing a sweatshirt that says LOL the day of the assassination.
1. Comments must not be racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted.

2. Comments must not involve little more than name-calling and insulting remarks.

3. Comments must not be made by "anonymous" or "unknown".

4. Comments must not try to sneak in some free advertising for themselves (like spam).

I invite anyone who wishes to comment on this blog to do so. I enjoy the comments, whether you agree with what I have said or not. But some people want to abuse the right to comment, and since this is my blog, I have decided to lay down the following rules. If your comment violates these rules, it will not be published.
In celebration of Black History Month, Hill Colleges Alden J. Blanar Smith Speaker Series will feature a presentation of Aint I a Woman at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hill Colleges Vara Martin Daniel Performing Arts Center in Hillsboro.

The performance, featuring actress Shayla Simmons and pianist David Berry, celebrates the life and times of four powerful African-American women: renowned novelist and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, ex-slave and fiery abolitionist Sojourner Truth, exuberant folk artist Clementine Hunter, and fervent civil rights worker Fannie Lou Hamer.

Admission is free, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Paul Quinn alumni

Cen-Tex Paul Quinn College Alumni and Ex-Students Association will meet at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at 1450 W. Loop 340, between Valero and Loop Auto.

For more information, call 799-8810 or 716-7064.

Tuna Does Vegas in Whitney

Lake Whitney Arts will present Tuna Does Vegas at 7 p.m. Friday and Feb. 25.

Matinees will be presented at 2 p.m. Sunday and Feb. 26.

Tickets cost $10 in advance or $12 at the door.

For ticket information, call 694-5105 or visit www.lakewhitneyarts.org.

TSPE E-Week Banquet

The Texas Society of Professional Engineers will have its annual TSPE E-Week Banquet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Wildflower Country Club, 4202 Wildflower Lane in Temple.

Texas Sen. Brian Birdwell will be the keynote speaker for the event, which will include a reception and cash bar before the dinner.

Cost is $35. Reservations are required by Monday.

Non-member engineers and spouses are welcome to attend.

For reservations, call 733-6954.

Robinson Food Pantry

Shepherds Heart Robinson Food Pantry, 106 W. Lyndale Drive, will be open from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday for residents in need of supplemental food.

All clients, new and existing, must show proof of residency.

For more information, email robinsonfoodpantry@gmail.com or call 307-7225.

Submit items for Briefly in printed or typed form to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco 76702-2588; fax to 757-0302; or email to goingson@wacotrib.com at least one week before an event.
Virginia Eliza Jennie Adkins, the daughter of a prominent judge and hotel owner, was 10 years younger than John Nathan Coleman when their surviving love letters started.

Coleman, at 26, was a Confederate soldier trying to prove himself to Adkins and to his disagreeable future father-in-law as the fight for the United States raged.

There were just a couple of hang-ups. The two were secretly engaged, and the world they first grew together in was collapsing.

I am getting very tired of the army and anxious for the 13th of June to roll around. We are here in this hypocritical state when we hear nothing, see nobody, in fact [are] buried alive, Coleman wrote his beloved Sept. 19, 1861. Newspapers as scarce as rain during a Texas summer and letters a perfect curiosity.

The American Civil War is known as the nations bloodiest state of division. The war resulted in more than 620,000 deaths and millions of injuries, according to history.com.

It also ended an abhorrent chapter in U.S. history.

Known as The John and Virginia Adkins Coleman Papers, the collection of 19 letters between the two lovers and 32 letters overall runs from 1861 to 1881 and offers a glimpse of a love story that prevailed through an existential test of the nation.

The letters are housed in Baylor Universitys Texas Collection.

The documents serve as a reminder that no matter the miles, the strife or frustration, a note of affection can help conquer all during a time when alls fair in love and war, Baylor curator of digital collections Eric Ames said.

The documents have been accessible on the Texas Collection website for about 10 years, Ames said.

Baylor University obtained the letters through Mexia podiatrist and Civil War buff Douglas Guthrie. Guthrie received them from a patient who said she was Adkins great-granddaughter. Both have since died.

Because not all of the responses to some letters are included, developing a full picture of Coleman and Adkins relationship is nearly impossibly, Ames said. He spent six weeks deciphering the fine, cursive print on each side of the letters, including the crevices of creased, torn and rusted pages.

This is the only Civil War collection of letters we have fully online. We have other letters from those years and other collections, Ames said. Its amazing, and the other folks here at Texas Collection have a lot of other assets from this era that could be correspondence, documents or maps. Ive seen a number of things, but this one was one of the first for our digital projects group that came sort of fully formed.

Coleman, born in Georgia in 1835, moved to Harrison County in 1854 to establish his own mercantile business, according to the collection records. With a net worth of more than $50,000 by 1860, the business made him fairly wealthy for the time period.

He eventually enlisted with the Third Texas Cavalry.

The Calvary was the first to serve outside of Texas, traveling all over the South, from Arkansas to Georgia and Tennessee, collection documents state.

Coleman and his regiment were involved in the Battle of Wilsons Creek, the first major battle west of the Mississippi River; the Battle of Pea Ridge, which is now the most intact Civil War battlefield in the U.S.; and the Atlanta campaign, a series of battles in northern Georgia against Union General William T. Sherman, among others.

While Colemans letters show he bounced around from place to place, he doesnt mention specific details of any battles he may have seen.

Its not like a detailed after-action report, Ames said. He does mention having to run from the Yankees or having heard about part of the battle where the Union has destroyed some railroad cars. My conjecture is he doesnt think Jennie will care that much. I think he thinks she wants to know, Are you OK? Did you survive?

And he writes periodically about being on horseback, so we do know he has a horse. At the end of the war, hes cashiered out as a major, Maj. Coleman. Hes supposed to help round up supplies, find places to sleep. . . . He has more access to finer things than the common Calvary man or foot soldier, an infantry man. But even then, he suffers.

Coleman had his fair share of illnesses, stating at one point he was thin and had started balding. In one letter, he talks about how the Federals stole his clothes and he cant help but thank Adkins for sending a needle bag and a couple shirts just in time.

A strange thing happened last night  I slept at a house in a real feather bed, he writes in a letter from Oakland, Mississippi. What a difference  two blankets on the wet ground and a feather bed. We have been so long without tents and cooking vessels that we can sleep in mud holes so the water dont run over our nostrils and eat raw beef or pork just killed so it is salty and a little warm.

Adkins letters are all sent from Marshall, which served as a station for Confederate troops.

Shes often Colemans only source of news from home, other than the occasional soldier who returns from the station. Coleman relies on the connection to home and his love for Adkins for emotional stability, Ames said.

She often teases Coleman as a sassy, teenage spitfire, saying, only after Coleman regained his health enough to regrow his hair, that she didnt want to marry an old, bald-headed man, Ames said.

Shes constantly writing about soldiers coming in and out of town, and they have balls and dances and things, and he gets kind of jealous, Ames said.

Adoring talk

The two also send gifts back and forth and share pillow talk and adoration, with lines from Coleman stating his desire to plant a lovers kiss on thy ruby lips and with words of burning love rekindle the fire of devotion.

Adkins writes to Coleman that he cannot conceive how much you are loved, and how often you are thought of.

Despite the prevalent words of affection, the pair doesnt always seem to get along. Sometimes jokes are mistaken for criticism, and each writes apologies for clarification. Sometimes, both seem to be a little melodramatic.

But maybe its because they go weeks or more than a month without receiving a letter from each other at times. Or maybe its how Adkins and Coleman both freely talk about the other men and women who come in and out of their lives. Either way, they do fuss, and fuss often, Ames said.

Coleman often writes how he doubts Adkins ability to stay loyal during their engagement with other suitors rumored to be in town, and Adkins is often reassuring her heart belongs only to him. She starts almost every letter with My dearest friend and he often closes with, My darling woman.

On Jan. 10 1863, Coleman wrote a letter of devotion and commitment about how his eyes wouldnt stray toward any other woman and how his attraction toward her was still strong, even when he was preoccupied with war-related struggles. At the time, he hadnt received a letter from Adkins in six weeks and feared it was because he wasnt wooing her enough in previous statements that she might stray herself.

If I ever thought our engagement would end otherwise than in the union of two devoted hearts, I would pray God to continue this war until my life was at end and that a day would never pass unless rivers should run red with human blood, Coleman wrote.

She responded on Feb. 8, 1863 in more of a coarse tone, saying she wasnt sure what to make of him and thought everything was running smoothly between the two.

Why is it that you cannot trust me? Of course I will comply with every promise made to you, and I will expect you to do the same towards me. Have I not promised to be yours, and have I ever broken a single promise made to you? Adkins wrote. I know very well what your answer would be. But there are times when you think of me more than at others, and you become very anxious to see me, and your affections are deeper than ever.

Question of devotion

The question of devotion is a reoccurring theme, Ames said. And why wouldnt it be? Shes home dancing with other soldiers while hes being shot at, Ames said. Shes fighting off rumors by playing coy, not necessarily acknowledging the truth of their engagement and not necessarily denying it to others either, the letters show.

That letter (from Adkins) was basically implying, When youre busy with the war, you dont think about me a lot. Its when youve got the down time, now you worry about me and youve got time to write this letter,  Ames said. I try to put myself in that mindset. Im a young man and he started a successful business in Marshall, made some money before the war.

He didnt own slaves but was very pro-secession. He wanted out, so when the war started, he enlisted very quickly. Hes a guy who had some success and had been secretly engaged to Jennie before he left. Her dad was a judge, a hotel owner and apparently had some pull, and didnt know they were engaged when he left.

Not until Aug. 9, 1863, half way through the war, does Coleman finally works up the courage to ask Adkins father for her hand in marriage. The letter, from Pelahatchie Depot in Mississippi, states how much Coleman wishes he had asked in person, but wasnt sure he would be able to visit Marshall anytime soon. He acknowledges the engagement had been ongoing for some time and asks Adkins father to consent to our marriage at some future day.

One of Ames greatest regrets is the fact that the collection doesnt include a response from Adkins father to the proposal, he said.

Jennies replies after that indicate hes mad. Hes not happy about this because hes heard some scandalous rumors about John, which are never fully addressed, Ames said. John writes back and says, Dont listen to these people who are nay-saying me to your dad. Im a good guy, you know this and were going to get married when this is all over. He ends up being right.

Couples marriage

The couple was married in August 1865 and had six children soon after. Colemans mercantile business took off, and by 1870, the family employed a house servant, and his net worth was about $2,000.

Coleman died in 1880 at 45 years old, and his wife goes on to live with a Confederate Widows Pension from Texas until 1932, when she passed away at 87. They were buried together in a single plot in Marshall, Ames said.

My favorite part is they both do get the happy ending. I was afraid as I went through these, Id find she dies or he dies, she married ahead of him or something happens, Ames said. Its the fact they both lived through this incredibly intense four years, with him out in the field, facing death every day and her back home, trying to keep her family provided for. And in the end, he served honorably through the whole war, he gets cashiered out and is able to go home and theyre able to get married, to be together and live a life where they have six children in a pretty short time span. They both got the happy ending, and that was a little bit of a surprise.
Republican Rep. Peter Roskam of Illinois has a safe seat in Congress. So whats he running from?

First, supporters of the Affordable Care Act showed up at his office for a previously scheduled meeting with his staff. But the 16 of them were turned away when Roskam staffers discovered they were accompanied by a reporter, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Next, Roskam went to the Palatine Township Republican Organizations monthly meeting, billed as open to all. But organizers shut out the general public because of intense interest. With hundreds of protesters massed outside, Roskam left through a back door. Some people chased on foot after his fleeing car.

Then, Roskam announced he would hold a telephone town hall meeting instead of the real thing. I have no plans to have one of these big, sort of circus meetings, he said, informing WGNs Rick Pearson that hes always thought those larger meetings are just not productive.

They certainly arent productive for Roskam and his fellow Republicans  not now, anyway. An early backlash against the Trump presidency has led to many verbal confrontations between Republican lawmakers and the citizenry. President Trumps face plant since the inauguration  most recently the resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn over dealings with Russia  is only making matters worse.

As recent town-hall meetings of GOP Reps. Jason Chaffetz (Utah), Tom McClintock (Calif.), Gus Bilirakis (Fla.), Diane Black (Tenn.) and others turn into well-publicized tongue lashings, their colleagues are ducking and running.

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) canceled a constituent event in Southampton Village scheduled for April; his office told the Southampton Press they feared he would be harassed again by those who rallied at his recent appearance at a Rotary Club.

Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) was caught on video slipping out of his own community event last month before its scheduled ending time. Coffmans office told KUSA that the congressman had planned to have a series of one-on-one meetings, not a town-hall event. The result: Scores were still waiting for Coffman in the lobby when he left via an unmarked exit.

In California, McClintock left his town-hall meeting with a police escort. Its the first time Ive ever had a police department have to extract me from a town hall, and Ive done well over 100 of them, he told the Los Angeles Times.

The scene is reminiscent of the tea party summer of 2009, but the energy is on the other side this time. Now, as then, the victims say the perpetrators are outsiders  Chaffetz said those who protested him included paid people from out of state, an echo of Nancy Pelosis claim of astroturfing  but now, as then, the anger is real.

Trump has become increasingly toxic, with Flynns resignation and other Russia revelations; the travel ban struck down in court; chaos involving Obamacare; attacks on the federal judiciary; and a series of bizarre pronouncements on everything from Ivanka Trumps fashion line to Frederick Douglass. The Posts Sean Sullivan and Ed OKeefe found Republican members of Congress increasingly wary of defending Trump.

You cant make it up, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said after Trump was seen in Facebook photos making sensitive national security decisions in his Mar-a-Lago Clubs main dining area.

Trump canceled an event in Milwaukee because his would-be host, Harley-Davidson, feared protests. The White House just canceled a visit to Ohio that had been scheduled for Thursday; no reason was given, but protests had been planned.

Even congressional aides have felt demonstrators wrath. Staffers for Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue and Rep. Jody Hice, all Georgia Republicans, were met by hundreds of protesters last week in Greensboro, Georgia, for what was supposed to be a mobile office hours event to help constituents with bureaucratic matters.

And so others are retreating. A Feb. 21 town hall scheduled with Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) at the Fairview City Hall was removed from the hosts website.

Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), in response to a question from WGRZ television, declared that he wouldnt have a town-hall meeting, because of demonstrators who come and shout you down and heckle you.

Then theres Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio), whose office this week edited his Wikipedia entry to remove a recently added line claiming Tiberi has steadfastly refused to hold a townhall meeting to discuss healthcare reform with his constituents.

His office, confirming its role in the Wikipedia editing, said Tiberi is instead offering to meet with the protesters in small groups  and in private.

Dana Milbank covers political theater for The Post.
A war of words has broken out between the ACT's two federal senators over plans to shift several government departments from Canberra to regional centres.

Labor's Katy Gallagher has accused her Liberal counterpart Zed Seselja of "betraying Canberra" after he voted to support a motion in the Senate endorsing the relocation of departments such as the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) from Canberra to Armidale.

ACT Labor senator Katy Gallagher. Credit:Graham Tidy

While the motion was defeated 29 votes to 28, Ms Gallagher said the government could reintroduce it to the Senate at a later date.

"The federal government is ignoring the fact that Canberra was established to be the location of public service, and now they can decide to start shifting agencies around and completely uprooting families and experienced staff," she said.
The Australian head of the Joint Strike Fighter program says he is confident the next delivery of the cutting-edge combat aircraft to the RAAF is on track despite a report finding the next batch of planes will not all have the most up-to-date technology.

Air Vice-Marshal Leigh Gordon told Fairfax Media that doubts raised by the Pentagon's test and evaluation office about problems such as software glitches would not affect those due for delivery to the RAAF next year.

His comments follow the announcement of a Pentagon review of the Joint Strike Fighter, or F-35, after President Donald Trump used Twitter to blast the $520 billion program as "out of control". The price per plane has been falling.

A report released last month by the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation found that testing of the systems  including the all-important software  due to be installed on the next rollout of 90 planes is running about a year behind schedule and won't be finished until July next year.
West Palm Beach: During President Donald Trump's transition to power, his team reached out to Elliott Abrams for help building a new administration. Abrams, a seasoned Republican foreign policy official, sent lists of possible candidates for national security jobs.

One by one, the answer from the Trump team came back no. The reason was consistent: This one had said disparaging things about Trump during the campaign; that one had signed a letter opposing him. Finally, the White House asked Abrams himself to meet with the president about becoming deputy secretary of state, only to have the same thing happen - vetoed because of past criticism.

Abrams' experience has become a case study in the challenges Trump still faces in filling top positions a month into his presidency. Trump remains fixated on the campaign as he applies a loyalty test to some prospective officials. Many Republicans reacted to what happened to Abrams with dismay, leaving them increasingly leery about joining an administration that cannot get past the past.

As Trump brings down candidates for national security adviser to meet with him in Florida this weekend, he presides over a government where the upper echelons remain sparsely populated. Six of the 15 statutory Cabinet secretaries are still awaiting Senate confirmation as Democrats nearly uniformly oppose almost all of the president's choices. Even some of the Cabinet secretaries who are in place may feel they are home alone.
Lancaster County is on a list of approximately 300 cities, counties and states the Center for Immigration Studies calls sanctuary jurisdictions.

But local officials say that "sanctuary" designation is not accurate, because the county cooperates with federal immigration authorities in every way but one.

Immigration authorities get fingerprints from every person booked into the Lancaster County jail who was not born in the United States.

If the immigration authorities request notification, the jail staff notify them when someone is ready to be released from jail. That notification has occurred 77 times since Sept. 4, 2015.

What the county does not do is detain prisoners for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without a court order or a warrant.

For that reason, the county is on the sanctuary list compiled by the conservative nonprofit immigration group that has been designated an anti-immigration hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights nonprofit.

In 2014, county attorneys across the country became concerned about the liability of detaining people in jail after they had completed a jail sentence based on a one-page detainer request from ICE, signed by an ICE employee and not by a judge.

The ACLU and other groups started filing lawsuits around the country against jails and counties that ran these jails, said Lancaster County Attorney Joe Kelly. Several courts across the country had ruled in favor of the immigrants held by these detainers.

The detainer documents did not specify the length of time a person should be held. Sometimes immigration officials picked up the person, sometimes they did not, Kelly said.

Four Nebraska counties  Lancaster, Douglas, Sarpy and Hall  all made the center's sanctuary list because of this policy of refusing to detain people without a warrant.

Based on his own research, Kelly advised Lancaster County officials they should not detain anyone based on these employee-signed detention orders.

These detainers, with no definite timeline for holding someone, put counties in a poor position legally, Kelly said.

Communities who simply don't honor the detainer requests are not sanctuary cities, Kelly said. Real sanctuary localities direct their employees not to notify or communicate with ICE, he said.

In Lincoln, the city police and county officials do work with immigration authorities, according to Brad Johnson, county jail director.

Currently, ICE is notified any time a suspected foreign-born individual is placed into custody. County staff also answer calls from ICE asking if a specific person is in custody, said Johnson.

If ICE sends paperwork expressing an interest in an individual, then the county jail staff will let it know a week or two before someone gets out after serving a specific sentence.

ICE is also given notice when someone is posting bond, though that notice is much shorter, said Johnson.

"There is no problem whatsoever with notification," Kelly said. "And there is a lot of back-and-forth conversation with ICE, telling them someone is going to be released."

Lincoln or Lancaster County have never been listed as a sanctuary community by the government, Kelly points out.

And Lincoln is not a sanctuary city under the language of a Jan. 25 executive order "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States," signed by President Donald Trump, according to Kelly.

That document says jurisdictions that outwardly refuse to comply with notification are sanctuary cities. No. That would not apply to us," Kelly said.

The county attorney will be reviewing whether the jail should detain people for up to 48 hours under a new ICE form that's been in use for several months, Johnson said.

We work closely with immigration and we provide them the information they are asking for," Johnson said. "We will see what Joe Kelly feels about detaining, once he has had time to research and provide an opinion about the new form, Johnson said.

The Center for Immigration Studies says the "data collected by the center during the past quarter-century has led many of our researchers to conclude that current, high levels of immigration are making it harder to achieve such important national objectives as better public schools, a cleaner environment, homeland security, and a living wage for every native-born and immigrant worker."

It also says many of its members believe in a "low-immigration, pro-immigrant" vision of an America that admits fewer immigrants but affords a warmer welcome for those who are admitted.
Two of Nebraska's three refugee resettlement agencies are cutting back their staffs in the wake of President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration.

Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, the largest of the three, announced Friday that it will eliminate 15 jobs in anticipation of a significant decline in refugee arrivals. Six of those jobs are in Lincoln.

Omaha's Refugee Empowerment Center has also experienced cutbacks.

Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska, which resettles refugees in the Lincoln area, said its scheduled arrivals took place early enough in the year to make cuts unnecessary for now.

Trump signed the executive order Jan. 27, and a federal judge suspended it a week later. But the president still controls the total number of refugees allowed into the United States, and local agencies receive funding for each person they resettle.

Trump's order reduced the overall number of refugees allowed into the U.S. this year from 110,000 to 50,000.

That will have a significant impact in Nebraska, which led the nation in the number of refugees it accepted per capita last fiscal year.

Some 76 refugees per 100,000 residents resettled here during the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. In total, more than 1,441 refugees arrived here during that period.

The state was on pace to exceed that number this year.

Nebraska took in 665 refugees from October through January. At that rate, the state would have topped last fiscal year's total by more than 500, based on U.S. State Department data.

"Based on just pure math, I don't believe that that's going to be able to occur," said Todd Reckling, vice president at Lutheran Family Services.

The agency has resettled 54 refugees in Nebraska since the executive order, including 35 in Lincoln, but has none scheduled after March 3. By then, the U.S. will have already accepted an estimated 39,000 of the maximum 50,000 allowed by Trump.

The president clamped down on refugee resettlement and other travel into the U.S. following a wave of questions, mostly from Republicans, about the vetting process for refugees from Syria and other war-torn Middle East countries.

Gov. Pete Ricketts has said he supports Trump's efforts to "strengthen security screening in the refugee process" but urged the White House to "quickly put new vetting processes in place, so we can continue to safely welcome refugees from all parts of the world."

Critics of the executive order insist the vetting process is already thorough enough to weed out potential terrorists, assailing Trump's travel ban as anti-Muslim.

With the ban mired in legal battles and administrative confusion, the president has said he plans to issue a new immigration order next week.

Refugee Empowerment Center expected to help 350 new arrivals this year, but has no more scheduled after No. 129 lands in Omaha on Thursday, said interim director Kathy Bigsby Moore.

After that, she said, "At the very best I would say they will trickle in."

The agency already cut eight jobs from its staff of 26, in part because of pre-existing financial issues. Trump's travel ban exacerbated those issues significantly, Bigsby Moore said.

Each lost employee also hurts the agency's diversity, making it harder to help refugees who speak various languages and hail from a wide array of regions and cultures.

At Lutheran Family Services, some of those who are losing their jobs are refugees themselves. Seven of the 15 were offered different positions within the organization.

"We have incredibly dedicated and committed staff that weren't just doing a job. This was their life passion and work  to help refugees," Reckling said. "It didn't come as a surprise, but when we had to do this on Wednesday, the reality of what this all meant played out."

While the agency always staffs based on its anticipated number of arrivals, this week's cuts are the most dramatic since 9/11, when the U.S. significantly reduced refugee resettlement.

All three Nebraska agencies stressed the importance of continuing support for refugees who already live here.

"That part of it is equally important," said JD Flynn, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln.

The biggest question for Catholic Social Services is what the resettlement landscape will look like in the next federal fiscal year, which starts in October. Catholic Social Services focuses on family reunification, and Flynn said he hopes the organization can continue to connect refugees with their families in Nebraska.

"It's counterintuitive that you would think you make safer communities by isolating people from their families."
The wildest park in Lincoln needs a new instruction manual, and the citys Parks and Recreation Department is gathering a group of its users to help write it.

Over the next few months, representatives from 15 organizations, agencies and advocacy groups -- from mountain bikers to trail runners to equestrians to environmentalists -- will meet to help shape the future of the 1,470-acre park that skirts the southwest edge of the city.

Well talk about needs in the park, and come up with some ideas for projects, said parks planner Sara Hartzell. Well have to continue to think about our resources, so we cant get too crazy.

Until now, the city has been managing Wilderness Park based on a strategic plan compiled in 2000, when there was concern that development along South 14th Street would encroach on the 7-mile ribbon of trees and trails surrounding Salt Creek.

It used that plan, for instance, to guide tree removal projects and wetland restorations, Hartzell said.

But its outdated. Since the plan was written 17 years ago, the city built the Jamaica North Trail along the east side of Wilderness Park, which has connected the north and south sections of the park and eliminated the need for some bridges.

Also, the parks department used to convene an advisory panel of park users, which would get together and suggest possible projects, like trail maintenance or tree trimming. They havent met for several years.

We thought it was time to resurrect that group, get everybody back together again.

And this time, it will place an additional emphasis on the parks trails and facilities. In the past, much of the focus was on vegetation and ecology. The new committee will look at both -- managing the nature inside the park, and improving the experiences of those who visit it.

Which is why the city invited cyclists, bird watchers, ecologists, runners and forestry experts to participate.

These are folks who use the park a lot and they probably know more about it than most people do, she said.

Hartzell will gather all the users for a meeting next week, and the two subcommittees will meet separately in March. Theyll get back together for a full meeting in April.

The group will have the results of a recent online survey, in which 700 people shared how often they use the park and why, what they think of its conditions -- including its signs, parking areas and bridges -- and what they see as its critical issues.

Hartzell sees a threat from invasive vegetation, including the cedar, locust and hackberry trees that are crowding out the oaks, and the poison ivy that seems to be spreading. Shed also like more restrooms at trailheads, and better signs to help park users find their way around.

Rick Dockhorn, who will represent the citys Pedestrian Bicycle Advisory Committee, plans to listen to the other members before trying to determine the parks pressing problems. But he does want to make sure it continues to accommodate all trail users.

Theres been some conflict in the past. There are horse people where they dont belong, there are hikers where they dont belong, there are bikers where they dont belong. Nobodys a saint here.

And Tim Knott of the Wachiska Audubon Society sees the park as an attraction -- and not just for owls and woodpeckers that nest there. Wilderness Park makes Lincoln more valuable to those who live here, and those thinking about moving to town.

But it could be even better. Knott wants to urge the city to expand the park to the south, beyond Saltillo Road, to beat the residential development that is bound to spread in that direction.

After the committees final meeting in April, its recommendations will be forwarded to the departments advisory board. Some of the ideas will likely be accomplished with volunteer labor, Hartzell said, and others could become part of the department budget.

This is a chance to have these environmentally educated people help us prioritize which areas we should be spending our money on.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 18, 2017 | 08:55 AM | REIDLAND, KY





A Paducah man is behind bars after a rifle went off in his apartment.According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Department, 35-year-old Joshua Prince of Paducah was in his apartment at Lottie Court in Reidland at about 10:30 pm on Friday. Deputies say Prince's rifle discharged, and the bullet exited out of his apartment and into a neighboring apartment.Deputies said the bullet struck a wall above a bed where the neighbors were sleeping.Deputies say they believe Prince did not intentionally fire the rifle into the neighboring apartment, but had been negligent in handling the rifle while it was loaded.Prince was arrested on two counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree, and the firearm was taken as evidence.
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By WestKyStar & LBL Staff

Feb. 18, 2017 | GOLDEN POND, KY

By WestKyStar & LBL Staff Feb. 18, 2017 | 11:07 AM | GOLDEN POND, KY

The next meeting for Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Areas Advisory Board is scheduled for Thursday, March 2, at the Land Between the Lakes Administrative Office, 100 Van Morgan Drive, Golden Pond, Kentucky. This meeting will begin at 9 am.



Topics of discussion include sustainable recreation and continued collaboration on Fox Hollow.



The meeting is open to the public. Board discussion is limited to Forest Service staff and board members. The advisory board welcomes written comments, at: Tina Tilley, Area Supervisor and Advisory Board DFO, Land Between the Lakes, 100 Van Morgan Drive, Golden Pond, KY 42211.



Written comments must arrive by Tuesday, February 28. Advisory board members receive comments prior to the meeting. All comments received after that date will be provided to the members after the meeting.



For further information about the Advisory Board meeting contact Christine Bombard, Board Coordinator, by phone at 270-924-2002 or email cabombard@fs.fed.us.



The 17-member board was formed to provide input and advice to the Forest Service on promoting public participation in the Area Plan and environmental education programs at Land Between the Lakes.



Approved minutes, bylaws, and upcoming meeting information regarding the Land Between the Lakes Advisory Board are available at www.landbetweenthelakes.us/about/working-together/. Look for Land Between the Lakes Advisory Board heading on that page.



To find more information about Land Between the Lakes, log on to the official website at www.landbetweenthelakes.us or call 1-800-LBL-7077 or 270-924-2000.
All clear after semi crashes blocked I-24 Caldwell County; semi crashes also blocked detour route
By WestKyStar Staff & KY Heritage Council Feb. 17, 2017 | 09:40 PM | FRANKFORT, KY

The revitalization statistics were announced during the KYMS winter meeting in Frankfort.







In addition to statewide investment numbers, the resolutions also noted that in 2016, Kentucky Main Street communities reported:



1,452 new jobs created in Main Street districts

234 new businesses created

81 new housing units in downtowns

198 building rehabilitation projects completed

$51,433,241 invested in historic building rehabilitation





On Thursday, directors met at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet building to hear program updates and special guest speakers, including presentations on bicycle and pedestrian projects and Tax Increment Financing.





Also on Thursday, 29 communities achieved accreditation for 2017 as certified by both Kentucky Main Street and the National Main Street Center. These are Bardstown, Bellevue, Cadiz, Campbellsville, Carrollton, Covington, Cynthiana, Danville, Dawson Springs, Frankfort, Guthrie, Harrodsburg, Henderson, LaGrange, London, Maysville, Morehead, Murray, New Castle, Paducah, Perryville, Pikeville, Pineville, Princeton, Shelbyville, Springfield, Taylorsville, Williamsburg and Winchester.





Kentucky Main Streets mission is to prioritize the preservation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings as the framework supporting downtown revitalization and economic development strategies. Participation requires local commitment and financial support, with a Main Street director to administer the program in partnership with a volunteer board.



The Kentucky Main Street Program announced this week that 39 participating communities reported cumulative investment of $109,741,515 in their commercial downtown districts in 2016.This total was up significantly from the $76 million of cumulative investment reported by 44 communities in 2015.The latest figures included $75 million in private investment, matched by almost $31 million in public improvements.
Before the Affordable Care Act, accessing health coverage could be like playing Russian roulette for cancer patients. Insurance companies could cancel a patients existing coverage when they got sick or deny coverage in the first place because of a pre-existing condition. If you reached a lifetime or annual limit, your care could be cut off.

Yes, the ACA needs improvements, but repealing the law wholesale without a simultaneous and comprehensive replacement plan would be devastating to the millions of cancer patients who rely on it. We simply cant afford to go back.

One proposal being considered is to keep the ban on pre-existing condition discrimination only if a person has maintained continuous coverage but cancer patients who can't work or lose their job and experience gaps in coverage could be locked out of the insurance market indefinitely, just like what happened before the ACA.

Cancer patients cant face the possibility of not being able to purchase coverage. Lets not play politics with peoples health. Im asking Congress to compromise on improvements to the existing law. Dont repeal whats working and send us back to uncertainty without assurances that your replacement is as good or better than what we have now.

Kathy Ward, volunteer, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Lincoln
Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world
Two suspects were in custody after a manhunt in Aurora on Friday.

Jeremy David Bromley, 26, and Drake Eli Ross, 22, of Minnesota, were taken into custody early Saturday morning, according to Nebraska State Patrol spokesman Mike Meyer.

A trooper pulled over the men near the Aurora exit on Interstate 80 for speeding at approximately 3 p.m Friday, according to a release. The men drove off and stopped in a cornfield west of Aurora, where they fled their pickup on foot.

A perimeter was established in the area, with a K-9 unit and State Patrol helicopter called to assist. Two area schools and the Aurora hospital were locked down during the search.

Bromley was arrested after midnight on suspicion of driving under suspension, burglary, flight to avoid arrest, possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, and speeding, said NSP Capt. Jeromy McCoy.

Ross was arrested at approximately 7 a.m. on suspicion of burglary, criminal trespass and obstruction of police, said McCoy.
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This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Weaker livestock prices are expected to take a bite out of the incomes of Manitoba farmers this year, according to the federal governments latest agricultural forecast.

In its 2017 Canadian Agricultural Outlook report, released Friday, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada predicts net cash income for Manitoba farmers will decline by eight per cent to $1.28 billion this year.

That follows a projected 17 per cent increase in 2016.

BORIS MINKEVICH / FREE PRESS FILES Keystone Agriculture Producers president Dan Mazier says canola and soybean prices held up well over the winter, and wheat prices have rebounded since last fall.

A senior department official says when Statistics Canada releases the 2016 farm income numbers in May, theyre expected to show net cash income jumped to $1.39 billion from $1.19 billion in 2015. He attributes the increase mainly to last falls big grain crop in Western Canada. That left Manitoba farmers with more grain to sell.

But the department expects a return to more normal conditions in 2017, and that this years crop will be smaller than last years.

While that would usually mean a reduction in crop receipts, the official notes farmers still have leftover grain from last year to sell. That should help maintain this years crop receipts at about the same level as in 2016  about $3.67 billion.

While the department expects crop receipts to hold steady this year, it predicts livestock receipts will take another hit. It says the final 2016 numbers are expected to show livestock receipts fell by nine per cent last year, to $2.12 billion.

And with the U.S. supply of cattle and hogs continuing to grow, the department expects livestock to decline by a further four per cent this year, to $2.03 billion.

But even if lower livestock receipts reduce net-cash income to $1.28 billion this year, the department notes that total would still be 13 per cent higher than the most recent five-year average for Manitoba, which is $1.13 billion.

The third contributor to farm income is payments from crop insurance and other support programs. The federal department estimates program payments were down 30 per cent last year in Manitoba because it was such a big crop.

So if it ends up being just an average crop this year, it estimates program payments will jump by about 60 per cent.

The president of Manitobas largest farm group  the Keystone Agricultural Producers  said the weather this spring will have a big influence on what kind of crop Manitoba farmers produce in 2017.

Dan Mazier said soil-moisture levels are already extremely high, and if theres quite a bit of rain and widespread flooding this spring, that will delay seeding.

If we dont get off to a good start, then youre behind all year, he said. Thats the secret to a bumper crop  you have to get off to a good start.

But on the positive side, Mazier noted canola and soybean prices held up well over the winter, and wheat prices also have rebounded since last fall.

But we need a nice, open spring to get rid of some of this moisture, he added.

Everybody is on alert, so well see what happens.

In terms of operating expenses, the federal report predicts net operating expenses in Manitoba will rise by three per cent this year to $4.74 billion from a projected $4.61 billion in 2016.

Nationally, the federal report predicts net cash income for Canadian farmers will to be down two per cent to $14.8 billion for 2016, and will drop a further seven per cent to $13.8 billion in 2017.

It says while its forecasting a one per cent increase in Canadian crop receipts in 2017, livestock receipts are expected to drop another four per cent in 2017 after falling by a projected seven per cent in 2016.

Looking ahead, the department says most indicators suggest a continuing positive economic outlook for Canadas agriculture sector over the next few years.

A growing world population, increasing disposable incomes in developing nations and increasing trade in farm products present opportunities to further grow the Canadian agriculture sector, it notes.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the Canadian Forces came to help Manitoba cope with the 1997 Flood of the Century, officers schooled in dealing with fast-moving water disasters initially were shocked by the volumes rolling this way.

But, the story goes, they were told not to panic; it would take about three weeks for that water to arrive.

Flash floods and landslides are events not normally associated with flooding on the bald, flat prairies. However, a new normal is emerging, particularly in western Manitoba.

Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press Files Flood management is a tricky business. Here, members of the Canadian Forces surround a home near Portage La Prairie with a water dike.

In late January, for example, a large section of the Souris Rivers bank slid into the river near Wawanesa, weighed down by heavy snow on top of saturated soil. The incident severed a cable providing Internet and phone services for residents. It warned of things to come as the spring thaw unfolds.

Municipal officials fear the wet weather and soaked soil that plagued last years harvest has combined with a heavy snow load this winter to set the stage for another road-ripping spring.

Bouts of unseasonably warm temperatures, in late January and again this month, are helping mitigate that risk. The best-case scenario would be dry weather and a slow, steady thaw that maximizes the potential for evaporation.

Forecasters however, are predicting above-normal precipitation for the next few months.

A combination of above-normal winter snowfall, unusually high river levels and the potential for ice jams will lead to a major flood risk in low-lying areas near rivers and streams from southeastern Saskatchewan into portions of northwestern Ontario, AccuWeathers Brett Anderson said in a spring forecast issued last week. A wetter-than-normal spring can exacerbate flooding issues in this region.

Red River floods are a force to be reckoned with, but people have a pretty good idea what to expect. Communities and rural properties are now largely protected by ring dikes and local officials have flood management down to a routine.

When floods do happen, they spread logically over a gradually widening base as the volume of water moving through increases.

The situation in western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan is much less predictable, as demonstrated by overland flooding in the spring of 2011 and then again after a heavy rainfall in July 2014.

The drainage system in that region is less developed and the rolling landscape means that even small changes in the volume can be enough to cause breakouts that dramatically change how that water flows.

The elimination of tree bluffs and potholes has changed the pace at which water moves through the system, intensifying the havoc. Rural residents who never before had experienced serious flooding found themselves scrambling for higher ground.

Mitigating the risk means first understanding the scope of the problem. Is it changes in drainage, changes in the landscape design, climate change  or all of the above?

Toward that end, the Assiniboine River Water Commission was formalized in 2015 and brings the basins stakeholders into a common discussion forum. As well, the Saskatchewan government has moved to study and regulate farmland drainage in that province, some of which is believed to contribute to Manitobas flooding issues. But those efforts are meeting with strong resistance from farmers, who see better drainage as key to improving their farms productivity.

The federal and provincial governments are supporting a watershed modelling and analysis project, known as Aquanty, which is managed by the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association.

The project collects data from millions of points across the basin and analyzes the interactions between surface, soil and ground water to provide a better picture of the basins hydrology. Its expected the project will help define how forage and grasslands and other management practices might help reduce both the risk and magnitude of flooding.

Its important research with far-reaching implications.

Whereas the solutions for the Red River basin have historically involved heavy investments in drainage and dikes, similar approaches may have only limited success in the Assiniboine basin.

Biological approaches that better manage how humans interact with the landscape are likely to play a bigger role in future flood management.

Laura Rance is editorial director for Farm Business Communications. She can be reached at laura@fbcpublishing.com or 204-792-4382
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kraft Heinz, the maker of Velveeta, Kool-Aid and Grey Poupon, on Friday said it had made an offer to buy Unilever for US$143 billion in what could be the largest food and beverage deal of all time.

Unilever, however, said it isnt interested in the US$50-per-share deal, which represented an 18 per cent premium on Thursdays share price. The British-Dutch company, which has 400 brands including Hellmans, Vaseline and Ben & Jerrys, said it rejected the proposal as it sees no merit, either financial or strategic, for Unilevers shareholders.

Unilever, the company added, does not see the basis for any further discussions.

No XMP or IPTC Header Found

But Chicago-Pittsburgh-based Kraft says it isnt taking no for an answer, and analysts say it is likely that the company will sweeten its cash-and-stock offer as it looks to Unilever to help expand its international reach.

Kraft said in a statement it is working to reach agreement on the terms of a transaction.

If the two packaged-food giants were to reach a deal, it would bring together hundreds of iconic brands, including Lunchables and Lipton, and Maxwell House and Marmite. The combined company would have annual sales of nearly US$85 billion  just behind Nestles 2016 revenue of roughly US$89 billion.

The purchase would also help U.S.-centric Kraft Heinz tap into European and Asian markets, which currently make up about 70 per cent of Unilevers annual revenue, and would help it expand beyond food and drink products.

Geographically speaking, these two companies are very complementary, said Paul Hickman, an analyst at Edison Investment Research in London. You can see how putting them together would make sense.

Packaged-food companies have been under pressure to consolidate in recent years amid slowing growth, increased competition and heightened demand for more healthful foods. Still, analysts said they were surprised by the offer.

Kraft Heinz is in the midst of cutting costs following the multibillion-dollar deal that brought together the J. Heinz Co. with Kraft Foods in 2015. Today, Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway and Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital own about 51 per cent of Kraft Heinz. Buffett sits on the companys board.

For me, the deal makes no sense, said Michael Hewson, chief analyst for CMC Markets in London. Kraft could get a very big dose of indigestion if they decided to pony up for this one.

For one, he said, Unilever  with roughly US$58.7 billion in annual revenue and 168,000 employees  is larger than Kraft Heinz, which has US$26.49 billion in annual revenue and 42,000 employees.

The merger of two of the worlds largest packaged-food companies could also raise concerns among anti-trust regulators in the United States and Europe, Hewson said. And, he added, Unilever shareholders could be wary of the deal.

Gene J. Puskar, File / The Associated Press FILE - This Tuesday, April 29, 2014, file photo shows a display of Kraft Velveeta rotini and cheese at a grocery market in Pittsburgh. Heinz Co. is buying Kraft Foods Group Inc., creating what the companies say will be the third-largest food and beverage company in North America, the companies announced in 2015.

Look at the way Unilever has performed over the last 20 years: steady income growth  through recessions, through booms, he said. Im not convinced long-term Unilever investors would want to pass that up.

But so far, the markets have reacted favourably to the prospect of a Kraft Heinz takeover of Unilever. Shares of Unilever rose 15 per cent to close at an all-time high on Friday following the announcement, while Kraft Heinzs stock was up about 11 per cent.

Kraft Heinz has a very strong track record of acquisitions and being able to cut costs and create value by doing that, said Brittany Weissman, an analyst for Edward Jones in St. Louis. While Unilever might not be exactly what people were expecting, Kraft Heinz would still be able to find tremendous value in an acquisition like this.

Hewson, though, added that Unilever shareholders may look to Cadbury, which Kraft bought in 2010, as a cautionary tale.

Kraft Foods had originally swooped in with a US$16.2-billion takeover offer, which the British candymaker emphatically rejected.

Krafts offer does not come remotely close to reflecting the true value of our company, and involves the unattractive prospect of the absorption of Cadbury into a low-growth conglomerate business model, Cadbury chairman Roger Carr was quoted saying at the time.

But three months later, the two companies had reached a deal. Kraft acquired Cadbury for US$18.9 billion, and soon after shuttered a longtime British factory that it had promised to keep open.

(Cadbury is now part of Mondelez International, following a 2012 spin-off of Krafts confectionary business.)

Kraft Heinz is a bit of a corporate raider, Hewson said.

Theres still a nasty aftertaste in the mouth after what happened with Cadbury in 2010.

Dan Goodman, File / The Associated Press FILE - This Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, file photo, shows boxes of Jell-O on a shelf at a store in Vauxhall, N.J. Utah's legislature has voted on favor of Jell-O as the state snack. When New Hampshire lawmakers this month shot down as frivolous a group of fourth-graders' effort to name the red-tailed hawk the official state raptor, they got pasted as insensitive bullies. But in a state with an official tree, bird, dog, animal, insect, amphibian, butterfly, saltwater fish, freshwater fish, rock, mineral, gem and, yes, tartan, some say the legislators have a point.

On Thursday, Kraft Heinz reported a 44 per cent increase in annual revenue, which rose to US$26.49 billion in 2016. The company also reported a profit of US$3.64 billion for the year. A few weeks earlier, Kraft Heinz announced it would be partnering with Oprah Winfrey to create a line of ready-to-eat refrigerated meals as it looks to add more fresh fare and nutritious foods to its lineup.

With Unilever, the company could grow even further by making the transition to household and personal goods such as Q-tips, Dove and Axe.

Analysts said they expected Kraft Heinz to ratchet up its offer for the company. Erin Lash, an analyst for Morningstar in Chicago, said Kraft would likely have to offer US$165 billion to US$175 billion to successfully woo Unilever.

The takeover bid follows in the footsteps of Anheuser-Busch InBev SAs US$123-billion purchase of competitor SAB Miller Plc, which was completed in October.

This is already a large deal, Weissman said, and its likely to get even larger.

This is clearly just the first roll of dice for Kraft, Hickman said. My sense is that this will run and run.

 Washington Post
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This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of the largest and oldest continuously operating distribution centres in Winnipeg is shutting down for good later this year, ending a 50-year legacy in servicing small-town Western Canadian retailers.

The 500,000-square-foot TruServ Canada head office and distribution centre, which was built in 1967, is to close by the end of the year, putting about 200 people out of work.

Although the TruServ Canada signage has not been changed, for the past two years the operation has become the headquarters of Ace Canada, just one of several name changes the massive distribution centre experienced during the past few decades.

500,000 sq ft BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The old True Value Hardware store head office and large distribution centre is closing down completely by the end of the summer. The operation was acquired by Rona in 2010 and changed its name to Ace Hardware a couple of years ago. When Lowes bought Rona last year a decision was made to alter the distribution strategy and the Winnipeg centre is closing. 1530 Gamble Place. Martin Cash story. Feb. 17, 2017

Lowes Canada is the current owner of the business. Lowes framed the rationale for closing the distribution centre by saying in a release that it is investing resources to support and grow the entire independent retailer network and to further leverage the Ace dealer support program.

Lowes Canada came to be the owner after it acquired Rona Inc. last year. Rona had acquired TruServ in 2010 ,and in 2011 changed the name of the independently owned retail stores that the distribution centre serviced from True Value to TRU Hardware.

Subsequently, Rona acquired the master licence for Ace Hardware in Canada in 2014 and, starting in 2015, TRU Hardware stores changed their names to Ace Hardware.

Valerie Gonzalo, a spokeswoman for Lowes Canada in Boucherville, Que., said the company has decided to consolidate its distribution operations in Calgary, Mississauga, Ont., and Boucherville.

We want to make the Ace brand grow further, she said. We analyzed the market after Lowes bought Rona  the customer base, products, programs and facilities  and decided if we wanted to grow the Ace brand we had to make some significant investments to integrate the business into the newer Lowes Canada operations.

The roots of the Winnipeg operation go back to the old Macleod-Stedman chain. That business  a combination of the Macleods hardware stores mostly in Western Canada, and Stedman convenience stores in Eastern Canada  went bankrupt in 1992. The U.S. chain, Cotter & Company, acquired it then and in 1999 changed its name to TruServ, which also created a brand of small town convenience stores called V & S.

Bill Morrison has run the operation for more than 10 years, first as the president of TruServ Canada and then as division vice-president after Rona bought the business.

We have gone through extraordinary changes over the last number of years, Morrison said. With the advent of e-commerce and the tremendous proliferation of the big box retailers across the country, our customer base has shifted dramatically.

For one thing, the majority of its stores are in Ontario and Quebec rather than Western Canada, as a result of a successful recruitment campaign for the new Ace Hardware opportunity in Canada.

But after the Rona acquisition, there was a period of uncertainty as to the future of the operation and the product mix was starting to change.

Today, the Winnipeg distribution centre fills orders for 71 Ace Hardware stores and 92 independent retailers who operate with a hardware focus. Those 163 stores will continue to be serviced by the company from its other distribution centres.

But there were also about 365 other independent retailers that TruServ/Ace acted as a wholesaler to, who will be forced to find an alternative source of product.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Bill Morrison has run the operation for more than 10 years.

Many of them did not buy much volume from the distribution centre, and under Rona, and now Lowes, the non-hardware component of its business was becoming tougher to maintain.

For instance, the V & S retailers wasnt buying hardware products and Lowes was not interested in supporting convenience stores.

Lowes is not a general merchandise organization. It is a home improvement company, which is fair, said one Winnipeg Ace employee. They cant support the independent retailer that just buys socks and underwear from us.

The 500,000-sq.-ft. distribution centre handles about 40,000 different stock-keeping units. In the past, it has hosted semi-annual trade show markets that brought about 1,000 people in to Winnipeg for several days.

Dayna Spiring, the CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg, said, I hate these kind of stories. My understanding is they need to be closer to their customer base. But now there is an opportunity for other companies to move into that space.

Morrison said the company will do everything it can to help employees transition to other jobs.

We have a tremendously dedicated group of employees, he said. It has been an exceptionally difficult decision because of the tremendous loyalty and productivity of our people here.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/02/2017 (2092 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

David Moder Photography Artist Kal Barteskis brainstorming notes.

When we gathered Constantina Douvris and Kaili Brown, landscape architects from HTFC Planning & Design, with Jane Puchniak, manager at Kit and Ace, it was clear how the disciplines of fashion and urban design have more in common than one might initially assume. What was more inspiring: a mutual love for Winnipegs burgeoning Exchange District.

Barteski interprets the discussion between Puchniak, Douvris and Brown.

In their earliest forms, fashion and urban design shared roots in basic protection and shelter. Today, according to Douvris, Brown, and Puchniak, fashion and urban design represent an opportunity to make people feel comfortable, both in their own skin and in public spaces.

Kit and Ace, a retail store located on one of the Exchange Districts more prominent strips, McDermot Avenue, has found success not only by Canadian design-led clothing, but also by featuring artwork and photographs by local artists. With a focus on innovations in apparel, Kit and Ace creates products that reflect the community by creating with their customers. In the same sense, Douvris and Brown design communities for communities, drawing inspiration from the areas residents, history and businesses.

Both mothers and trained landscape architects, Douvris and Brown bring to HTFC Planning & Design years of design experience, and are described by their peers as the office fashionistas. Puchniak, having lived in Japan, Australia and England, found herself moving back to Winnipeg working for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and within the music industry.

All three were eager to share their thoughts about fashion and urban design and how the two disciplines can come together to advance new opportunities for Winnipeg.

Their main thesis: design is about people  it is expressive, multicultural and unique to the flavour of a community.

Kit and Ace could have easily located in a suburban locale. Yet, it chose to move into the Exchange District, helping to position this area as a destination for unique retail. Why was this decision made? How has it changed peoples perceptions about downtown?

Puchniak: There is a strong community component within the brand and we always aim to be in hubs of activity and learn as much as we can from the communities that we are a part of. Part of our overall retail strategy is testing different kinds of areas, and we have a variety of stores in different areas internationally. I love how Winnipegs Exchange District has a large density of heritage buildings, beautiful architecture and design. Its great to see them alive and thriving. I truly believe that the downtown is the heartbeat of our city, and its great that Kit and Ace is part of this renewal.

Douvris: Downtowns are the heart of a community. Having retail prosper, grow and expand is key to any downtown revitalization effort. Im hoping that continues right here in Winnipeg.

David Moder Photography Landscape architects Kaili Brown (from left) and Constantina Douvris discuss design ideas with Kit and Ace manager Jane Puchniak and artist Kal Barteski.

From a design and planning perspective, how do you feel the increase of density of people affects public space?

Douvris: Its critical to creating a vibrant downtown. You need people to make the area feel safe. Retail helps to add eyes on the street. Its one of those classic urban design elements  you need to have people, you need to have critical mass. That helps to attract more people. You need to be cognizant to make sure there is enough of the right type of development on the main floor of buildings  like retail, like restaurants, like commercial spaces that are open later and longer. Features like Kit and Aces sandwich boards are a great way to showcase whats happening in the Exchange District. We dont want to commercialize the public realm but we want activity to spill out onto the streets, connecting the inside to the outside.

Brown: Increasing population density is incredibly important. But you need a variety of amenities to support people living here along with comfortable, pedestrian-friendly streets. It takes retailers, urban designers, city officials and the public to communicate the importance of more walkable, urban spaces.

Tell us a bit more about Kit & Aces design process, from the clothing to the design of your space?

Puchniak: We value mindful, technical design  creating something that is aesthetically beautiful and functional. You see this in our clothing but also in our spaces. Every Kit & Ace space is different depending on the city  the touches of our brand are reflected in the copper and iconic blue, but we also incorporate local design. Winnipeg interior designer Renee Struthers designed the lighting fixtures  they fuse copper fixtures with concrete to emulate Manitoba snowdrifts, connecting our space to our hometown. It casts a beautiful light in our space. We also feature local visual artists on our walls, and celebrate a new Winnipeg or Manitoba-based artist every three months.

Douvris: We really love how Kit and Ace cues into the tastes of its customers, looking at how clothing can meld with the persons personality. Fashion for Kit and Ace isnt about what looks perfect, but more about personality. I think the consultation Kit and Ace does with its consumers is like our process of design. Its really neat. Kit and Aces design process is about understanding its client base. Thats what we do  we design in the public realm for our client base. Consultation is part of the process, understanding how people use space. Its never perfect and its a space for all people. Its a similar process in some ways.

Brown: What we do as landscape architects is constantly talk to our clients, trying to determine what exactly we can do to make their projects come together in a way that makes them happy. Our process is about understanding our clients needs and making successful projects for them.

What more can be done to build great places?

Douvris: Whats important is that were designing spaces that are flexible. Successful spaces provide opportunities for activity, just like Kit and Ace has  with moveable tables, chairs and infrastructure. We dont try to be prescriptive. We design spaces that can be malleable and people can take over and take ownership of. You see places that are overdesigned and programming is pigeon-holed.

Puchniak: Something that I find innovative about Kit and Ace is that our space is used beyond just fashion and a retail space. We look at how to incorporate the community through artists launches, pop-up events, supper clubs and brunch clubs. When you brought up not pigeon-holing a space and its use, Kit and Ace has become flexible, too  we constantly try to think of new ways to include the community and how they can use our space.

Brown: Its so unique and beautiful and wonderful that your brand can be active in the community. In our work we try to inspire our commercial activity to spill out onto the street. What you are doing is exactly what we want  how do we get more businesses to be community-minded?

David Moder Photography Landscape architects Kaili Brown, left, and Constantine Douvris discuss design ideas with Kit and Ace manager Jane Puchniak while artist Kal Barteski takes notes.

How can fashion and design bring people together?

Barteski: I think one of the reasons why I started to love winter was living in Wolseley and accessing the river when it was frozen. I would look forward to the coldest days of the year. It was this huge expanse of people walking their dogs, snow twinkling at peoples houses, and new perspectives. You could see into peoples homes, see people as they woke up, on your way to the river.

It was like people sharing a secret. We would meet, we would form a sense of community. It was an unexplored, uncelebrated space, thats now being promoted. Urban space brings people together. I do Pilates at Manitoba Hydro courtyard and you see all types of people in urban space  families, babies, farmers markets, and kids on rolling hills. Its amazing to see the space come alive.

Community space is so important and it needs to be walkable. There are cafes, retail  they engage you in your own community. If you have to get in your car to go to another place, you miss out on the gossip and interaction in your own community.

Brown: When you see other people on the street  its vibrant and you feel alive. Outdoor spaces showcase how multicultural our spaces are. You can see all types of fashion, fabrics and textures, all types of people expressing themselves in their own unique ways. There are fashion shows in back alleys  bringing arts and culture to our spaces.

During the 19th century, as industrialization made it easier and quicker to inexpensively produce fashion, it often diminished the disciplines craftsmanship. The same can sometimes be said with the production and reproduction of our urban spaces  are they built to last?

Brown: We build spaces to last, but we want them to have the ability to change in order to suit the user. What is unique about landscape architecture and urban design is: we deal with living materials.

Douvris: Were designing for living things!

Puchniak: I love that parallel! Fashion is all about designing for living things, too!

What can be done to fashion a better Winnipeg?

Puchniak: If we were to try to pin down on what the fashion of Winnipeg was like, it would be impossible to pin down a specific example. It speaks to the diversity of our community. Theres a strong freedom of expression, which is truly a beautiful thing. Whats the future of Winnipeg fashion? Id look to the winter months. We see much more fashion in the winter months than weve ever seen before and the options for winter attire have really expanded.

As a city were seeing more winter events, which has been incredible as it makes up such a big part of our calendar year. This renewed interest in celebrating winter, brings winter fashion to the streets, to the Red River, whether its in the hats or footwear or coats on the river trails. Design is responsible for winter becoming my favourite season  both in the design of public spaces and the fashion we create.

Douvris: Winter has always been an important consideration for landscape architects, making spaces more comfortable. But winter cities have now caught on with the general public, and are in vogue  creating ice bars, restaurants on the river. Theres an acceptance and celebration from the community to animate in the winter. You even start to see voyageur fur hats or culture reflected with mukluks.

Want to duet with us? Email HTFC Planning & Design at info@htfc.mb.ca.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/02/2017 (2088 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An 18-month-old Selkirk girl RCMP feared had been abducted by her mother has been found safe.

Seaira Neveah Hunter and her mother, Rebecca Mikolash, had both been safely located, RCMP said Friday morning.

No additional information was provided and there was no word on any possible charges Mikolash, 36, may face.

RCMP HANDOUT 18-month-old Seaira Neveah Hunter, and her mother Rebecca Mikalosh, 36, missed a scheduled visitation with Seairas father.

RCMP had issued a Canada-wide warrant for child abduction on Thursday and asked for the publics help in locating the child.

Seaira was in the care of Mikolash, who did not take her to a scheduled visit with her father, prompting police involvement.

RCMP had said Thursday it was was possible Mikolash had taken Seaira out of the province, possibly to Saskatchewan or Alberta. Mikolash had care of Seaira but did not have authority to take her outside the local area.

No Amber Alert was issued because there was no indication of imminent danger to Seaira, RCMP said.

RCMP officers had been unable to locate Mikolash since speaking to her on the phone Wednesday morning when she declined to meet with police. A family member was in contact with Mikolash Wednesday evening, and she again declined to meet with police.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/02/2017 (2088 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Families living in Manitobas north are the biggest beneficiaries of the new national child benefit program.

Charleswood St. James Assiniboia Headingley has the lowest average monthly payment at $560 per family.

Families who live in the federal riding of Churchill Keewatinook Aski received $13.5 million in October 2016 from the new program, an average of $1,080 per family with children.

Statistics provided by the Canada Revenue Agency show no riding in Canada has a higher monthly total or a higher family average.

People dont really seem to be aware of the scale of what is flowing, said Liberal MP MaryAnn Mihychuk.

Mihychuk said Manitoba families are receiving $500 million more in 2017 from this benefit program, compared to previous programs. Provincewide, families receive $96.3 million a month, which spread over 12 months comes to nearly $1.2 billion.

The Canada child benefit was promised by the Liberals in the 2015 campaign to replace the universal child care benefit, the child tax benefit and the tax benefit supplement. It also made the benefit income dependent and entirely tax free.

The maximum monthly benefit is $533 for a child up to age six and $450 for a child ages six to 17. Under previous programs, the maximum benefit was $472.50 for one child under six and $372.50 for older children, with the benefits adjusted depending on the number of children in a family. The new benefit pays the same per child no matter the size of the family.

Nationally, the program paid out more than $2 billion in October 2016. Over 12 months that means it will cost $24 billion, more than $2 billion above what the Liberal campaign estimated.

Manitoba overall was expected to benefit more from the program because of its child poverty rate, which is the highest among the provinces and second only to Nunavut when you include the territories. Twenty-nine per cent of Manitoba kids live in poverty. The number rises to 79 per cent on First Nations in the province. Among indigenous children living off-reserve, the poverty rate is 39 per cent compared with 18 per cent for non-indigenous children.

In the province, 130,300 families received the benefit in October 2016, with an average payment per family of $719 a month. While 53 per cent of the families receiving the benefit live in Winnipeg, families outside the city are receiving more money, largely because of bigger family sizes.

In Churchill Keewatinook Aski, almost one in four families has three or more children, for example. Nationally, only about nine per cent of families have three or more children. The riding is also one of the poorest in the country. It is home to 41 First Nations, where more than three in four kids live in poverty.

More than 28,000 children in the riding receive money from the program.

These figures are a reflection of demographics in our region, NDP MP Niki Ashton said. We are a young part of the country, and this is particularly the case in indigenous communities.

Ashton said while the benefit helps, it doesnt address the inadequate housing, non-existent childcare and recreation, overcrowded schools and insufficient health care.

In 2017, such measures do little to address the lack of jobs or change the third world living conditions on First Nations in northern Manitoba and elsewhere, said Ashton.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/02/2017 (2088 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some councillors are demanding a council seminar deal with their concerns on aspects of Mayor Brian Bowmans motion to ask the provincial government to call a public inquiry to examine conflict-of-interest issues at city hall.

The councillors said they have questions on some aspects of the motions and they are puzzled why they were excluded from a closed-door briefing Bowman gave to members of his executive policy committee and two other non-EPC members.

Were not getting any information on any of this, said Coun. Janice Lukes. She, along with councillors Russ Wyatt and Ross Eadie are asking for a meeting with administrative officials. There are a lot of questions and I want a legal opinion to understand it, and I cant get one from the city.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg City Councillor Russ Wyatt talks to the media after the City budget was presented to the EPC Wednesday afternoon.

Lukes said the motion is complicated and difficult to understand and there are outstanding questions, including why the city doesnt hold its own inquiry.

Theres no rush, said Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert). The province has said they wont call (an inquiry) while there is a police investigation, so we have time.

While Bowmans motion will be debated at Wednesdays council meeting, Lukes said shes considering proposing the issue be delayed for one month until all council members can have their concerns addressed.

Bowman brought a motion to his EPC meeting this week, making good on an earlier promise in the wake of the revelations of RCMP allegations that former chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl accepted a $200,000 payment from Caspian Construction in exchange for giving that firm the police headquarters redevelopment project, and then sharing that money with former mayor Sam Katz.

Bowman described the allegations against Sheegl and Katz as the most serious to have hit city hall and promised to request the province call a public inquiry.

But Bowman wants an inquiry with exhaustive terms of reference to examine conflict of interest and public disclosure between elected members of council and senior civic staff and those individuals and firms doing business with city hall.

RCMP affidavits have revealed that Caspian officials are under investigation for fraudulent billing in the police building project and the new Canada Post mail sorting plant near the airport. Caspian officials and other individuals are also alleged to have offered a bribe to the police building project manager.

No charges have been laid against anyone and the RCMP investigation is ongoing.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mynarski Ward Councillor Ross Eadie responds to questions at City Hall from the media after Mayor Brian Bowman held a press conference about allegations against former mayor Sam Katz and Sheegl over compensation for the new Police HQ construction.

Lukes said it appears Bowman lined up the minimum nine votes he needs to assure the motion is approved at Wednesdays council meeting and has ignored the other members of council.

We cant get a legal opinion. Were not being briefed on it. Hes got his nine votes, so he doesnt (care) what we say or think, Lukes said.

Lukes and Wyatt (Transcona) said all of council should be entitled to meet with Bowman to ask him about the motion, and they want the citys legal department to provide an opinion on the proposal.

Bowman is in Edmonton for a winter cities conference, but his spokesman said a request for a briefing for a council motion is unusual.

Jonathan Hildebrand, Bowmans director of communications, said councillors routinely bring motions to council without providing a briefing beforehand, adding the mayor shouldnt be treated differently.

Hildebrand said Bowman has reached out to all members of council about his motion and is available to discuss with them any concerns they have.

Hildebrand confirmed that Bowman only invited councillors Jenny Gerbasi and Matt Allard, the deputy mayor and acting deputy mayor, respectively, to a closed-door briefing of his EPC before he presented his motion, but added no one from administration attended.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg Councillor Janice Lukes is considering proposing Bowman's motion be put on pause until all council members can have their concerns addressed.

Thats the way it is, Hildebrand said, when explaining why other members of council were not invited to the meeting.

Five members of council  Lukes, Jeff Browaty, Shawn Dobson, Jason Schreyer and Devi Sharma  said they were not consulted by Bowman before he presented his motion to EPC.

Ive been on council for two years and given whats taken place during that time, I didnt expect to be consulted on this by the mayor, said Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan).

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
Feb. 8.

Sen. Don Plett poses a question to Sen. Howard Wetston regarding gender parity on corporate boards.

You spoke at the end of your very eloquent speech about gender diversity and gender parity, ethnic parity. In light of that, have you given consideration to what Bill C-16 is going to do as far as gender diversity and expression? When you talk about gender parity, and there is a male who identifies as a female, or a male who identifies as no gender, or an ethnicity that identifies as no ethnicity, where do we put these people in the realm of gender parity?

Feb. 14

Sen. Marilou McPhedran gives her maiden speech in the Senate, a response to the throne speech. At the end she switches briefly to discuss C-16 and Pletts question from Feb. 8.

Last week, when Sen. Plett was here, I heard him speak of his opposition to Bill C-16, and I have read some senators concerns that Bill C-16 and new grammar on trans rights will infringe on their rights. I am not able to find any legal substance to these concerns but, as my fellow senator from Manitoba spoke, Sen. Plett referred to these people or those people, and, to my ears, I heard othering. Othering can be understood as an indicator of bigotry. Colleagues, bigotry does not strengthen an inclusive democracy.

Feb. 15

Sen. Don Plett rises on a Point of Order (excerpt):

Honourable senators, I am rising today on a point of order. Yesterday in this chamber, a senator in her maiden speech, her first speech in the Senate, accused me of bigotry, a charge that is so incredibly insulting, offensive and, of course, inaccurate that I struggle with even dignifying the comments with a response.

This was done yesterday, of course, Your Honour, and I wasnt in the chamber yesterday, so this would be my first opportunity to rise on this issue.

I do want to make it abundantly clear, Your Honour, that I have never made comments of a bigoted nature in this chamber, and I will never do so. To attribute such a serious charge as bigotry to the phrase these people is preposterous. . .

I would like to kindly remind the senator and all of us that this type of discourse  personal attacks  is not how we do things in this chamber. Personal attacks have a lasting impact. We cannot put the genie back in the bottle. Hansard is a public document in which our grandchildren  yours and mine  and future generations will have the opportunity to read about the important work we have done in this chamber, work that I am sure we are all proud of.

On a personal note, it bothers me tremendously that my grandchildren and my great grandchildren will read that I was accused of bigotry on the chamber floor.

I will not ask for a personal apology because not only are solicited apologies insincere but an apology is not owed to me. It is owed to this chamber.

Sen. McPhedran disrespected the chamber with her unparliamentary language and should withdraw her comments forthwith.

Sen. Marilou McPhedrans response to the Point of Order:

Im very sorry to hear that Sen. Plett feels that I called him a bigot. I did not. My comment was addressed to a practice that can slip into many a debate, either here or elsewhere, of othering, and the damage that can happen when that becomes a practice. Ive reviewed both the language that Sen. Plett used last week that I referred to and some of the other comments of some other senators who have expressed concerns about transgender rights, such as impact on their ability to use a bathroom, impact on their ability to express themselves.

When I said that  and I do appreciate the observation from Sen. Fraser  I wanted to be very clear that it was as much tone as it was word. To my ears, I heard othering.

I then went on to indicate that it can be  I did not say that it was in this instance  an indicator of bigotry. And that, in a very general statement, was what I intended.

Then I went on to say that bigotry does not belong in an inclusive constitutional democracy.

Again, my intention was a general statement. What I was trying to do was to bring my own perspective as a human rights specialist, wanting to respect individual senators and the debate but also wanting to make a general observation about language that can slip into a damaging territory, perhaps not even with intent.

Sen. Plett, actually, we have met. We have met on more than one occasion. What I would like to say to you, though, senator-to-senator, is that I do regret the experience that youve had from my words, and I hope that the clarification that Im offering as to the general nature of my comment will be helpful in reducing the hurt that youve expressed.

Feb. 16

Speaker George Furey issues ruling, agreeing it is a Point of Order. (excerpt):

Honourable senators, words are powerful; they do matter. This is especially true when they are used to criticize not just a different point of view, but those who hold that point of view. A statement must be looked at in its totality, taking account of its overall effect, and not just parsing fine gradations of meaning. Sen. Prattes statement to which I have made reference summarizes well the effect of the remark at issue. . .

I know that we do give some leeway to new senators  we were all new senators at one time  particularly in their first speech. However, the remarks alluding to Sen. Plett were outside the bounds of acceptable parliamentary debate. They were hurtful and inappropriate. Such language does not help us in performing our duties. It creates discord and animosity, and this does not serve the public good, the ultimate objective of all our work here as senators.

The language in Sen. McPhedrans speech of February 14 can, in the context it was used, be characterized as unparliamentary. The point of order is well founded.
Opinion

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This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Property owners in the Winnipeg School Division are being asked if they are willing to pay more taxes to save school programs. We have been told the nursery program may be on the chopping block if taxes are not increased. Trustees are encouraging parents and ratepayers to attend consultation meetings and provide feedback.

The former NDP government provided consistent funding increases to education over a multi-year period. The current Tory government, faced with a large deficit, wants to reduce spending, so school divisions will not receive as much provincial funding as they would like. The board of trustees warns the shortfall may need to be recovered by increasing property taxes.

During the decade in which funding increased, student scores on international tests decreased. On the Program for International Student Assessment, which is written by 15-year-olds worldwide, Manitobas percentage of low-performing students in math doubled and the percentage of high-performing students halved since 2003.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Education Minister Ian Wishart reads to children in the library at Ecole James Nisbet School, to kick off I Love to Read month in February.

Manitobas score in math is now significantly below the world average, having dropped a whopping 39 points, which is reckoned by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to be the equivalent of nearly one school year of instruction.

A similar decline in Manitobas performance is reflected in reading and science, the other two areas assessed.

This begs the question: if taxpayers are being asked to pay more for education, shouldnt we demand to know why were not getting better results?

I have been advocating for better math education in Manitoba and in Canada for more than five years. I have noticed two disturbing trends. The first is that educational funds are often directed toward things that may hinder student learning. The second is the tendency for certain factions of the education establishment to operate behind closed doors, shutting out individuals who may challenge their ideology.

A common practice in Manitoba is to hire expensive consultants to provide professional development on unproven fads. Resources based on ineffective methods are then purchased and teachers are encouraged to implement these methods in the classroom, resulting in more struggling students who need extra help. This creates the need for more professional development and additional funding and the cycle continues.

While it is encouraging that graduation rates have improved, an increasing number of high school graduates are unprepared for post-secondary education or the work force. This leads to additional costs at the post-secondary level, where remedial math courses must be offered to bring a significant proportion of students up to speed with topics that should have been mastered in K-12.

The situation is unlikely to change until the gatekeepers of education begin listening to alternative voices, but they seem increasingly unwilling to do so.

Most recently, the school board proposed a math task force in 2016 to examine the problem. At the time, a trustee suggested I would be a valuable member of the task force in light of my expertise as a university mathematics professor and as a public advocate for better math education.

The invitation never came and I have been unable to obtain information about the composition of the task force, except that it includes two high-ranking union executives  the president and vice-president of the Winnipeg Teachers Association. The union president informed me on Twitter that the task force would include only members from the union and the school division. The vice-president went further, suggesting secrecy is required to prevent others from strong-arming their way in. Outside voices and transparency apparently are unwelcome.

I advocate for basic skills, hard work and practice, higher standards, testing, accountability and the use of effective math programs in the classroom. These are common-sense approaches but seem to antagonize those who have staked their careers on programs that do not value these things. Thats a hard barrier to break through. This leaves the impression the welfare of students is not first priority. Egos, ideologies and career aspirations of a few powerful adults seem to take precedence.

All too often, those who played a role in creating an educational problem in the first place are charged with fixing it. It wouldnt require a stitch of extra funding to include alternative expert voices in a meaningful way and it would benefit students.

I encourage citizens to attend consultation meetings and to ask questions before agreeing to a tax increase. Why arent we getting better results and how can we be sure that education dollars are being spent in ways that improve student success?

Anna Stokke is a professor of mathematics at the University of Winnipeg, co-founder of the advocacy group WISE Math, co-founder of the non-profit Archimedes Math Schools and author of the C.D. Howe Report, What to do about Canadas declining math scores.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The differences couldnt have been more striking a few weeks ago.

U.S. President Donald Trump was signing an executive order banning entry of foreign nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries  Iran, Sudan, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq and Libya  into the United States for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was tweeting that Canada is opening its arms to refugees, regardless of their backgrounds and faiths.

With that in mind, the Free Press thought it would be beneficial to examine how distinct the political systems are in two countries separated by an invisible line.

To do that, we asked two experts to contrast and compare the two systems. Shannon Sampert, our perspectives and politics editor holds a PhD in Canadian politics from the University of Alberta. Brandon Tozzo is an instructor at Trent University who specializes in American politics, international relations and methodology. He attended Western University and Queens University. Both were participants in the international visitors leadership program through the state government, visiting Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Cleveland in advance of the U.S. election in November.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

What is the difference in how the political system is structured?

Shannon Sampert: Canada is a parliamentary democracy and its political system mirrors the Westminster system found in the United Kingdom, with a House of Commons and the Senate  the Upper and Lower House. Lets deal with the House of Commons first. There are three branches to government: the executive, legislative and judiciary.

Canadians vote for the political party they think will do the best job and that party forms government. There is a fusion of powers in the Canadian system, in that the executive and the legislative are controlled by the same party. The executive is the cabinet. Those are members of Parliament such as Winnipeg Liberal MP Jim Carr, who have been given cabinet responsibilities  in Carrs case, he is the minister of natural resources.

The executive branch proposes, implements and enforces law, while the legislative branch passes (or not), revises or rejects those laws. Because the party in power usually has the majority of seats in the House, the legislative branch will pass what the executive branch has proposed because they come from the same party and the party whip will ensure that the bill passes. It changes, of course, when theres a minority government because then the party in power doesnt hold enough seats to ensure the legislative branch passes its bill. Thats when the government needs to rely on one or more of the other parties to help pass legislation.

The third branch is the judiciary, which increasingly in Canada has played a larger role in determining legislation to ensure it meets the requirements of Canadas Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

As for the Senate, legislation is referred to the Senate for sober second thought. In the past, the senators have been named by the party in power and those senators were expected to vote along party lines.

Recently, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau changed that system, freeing senators of having to vote according to party lines.

Brandon Tozzo: The American political system is similar to Canada, but it is a republic. Its legislative branch in the Upper and Lower Houses of Congress and its executive are elected separately.

In the Upper House the Senate  each state elects two senators for a six-year term, regardless of the states size and population.

The Lower House, the House of Representatives, is similar to our House of Commons.

Each member represents a population of approximately 700,000 people and is up for election every two years. The president is elected by the entire country for a four-year term.

While the Westminster system recognizes the supremacy of Parliament, no branch is supreme in America. Rather, power is shared and each branch checks and balances the others. For domestic policy, however, the final say lies in the third branch of government: the U.S. Supreme Court. These judges  nominated by the president and approved by the Senate  determine whether a law is unconstitutional. If it is, the law is overturned.

Who has more power, the president or the prime minister?

SS: Most people would say the president of the United States is powerful and certainly on the world stage he is. But when it comes to systems, well, the prime minister in Canada is exceptionally powerful, largely because of the fusion between executive and legislative.

BT: We often think of the American president as the leader of the free world, but the presidency is far weaker than a prime minister in many ways. For example, American President Donald Trump cant introduce bills, he cant raise taxes nor can he force Congress members of the Republican party to vote for policies they want enacted.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

The president has a great deal of discretion over U.S. foreign policy, but this was never intended by the framers of the constitution. The framers were afraid of tyrants so they placed significant limitations on the power of the president in peacetime. The U.S. Senate can check the presidency by voting against cabinet appointments and treaties and the president requires congressional approval to declare war. Trump has recently experienced some of these limitations. His Muslim ban was halted by the courts and one of his cabinet appointments, Andrew Puzder as labour secretary, because he would not get approved by the Senate.

What are executive orders that Trump keeps writing and can the same thing happen here?

BT: Executive orders are ways for a president to direct federal agencies to carry out the presidents policies. They have the full force of law when they derive their authority from the constitution or an act passed by Congress. Many laws passed by Congress allow for a great deal of interpretation by the sitting president on how they are to be executed, leading to considerable discretion by the sitting president.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017. When is a handshake more than a handshake? Any time it involves the unpredictable U.S. President Donald Trump, who has turned the simple social convention into a highly analyzed and debated spectator sport.

SS: Not the same for sure in Canada. Because the executive and legislative branches are fused, the prime minister really doesnt need an executive order. The prime minister on his own does have some power in that he can appoint cabinet ministers and other officials and he can dissolve government by asking the Governor General to call an election.

What about the judiciary? It seems that the judiciary has control over Trumps ban. Why is that and can the same thing happen here?

BT: Executive orders can be challenged in the court if the president has gone above and beyond the law or if the order is unconstitutional. Trumps ban was challenged on a number of grounds: it was found to cause irreparable injury to those affected by the ban and it was found to violate the First Amendment because they created a religious litmus test for entry into the United States. The American judiciary has the final say over laws and executive orders.

CP President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

SS: In Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada has been used regularly to determine the constitutionality of legislation. This, of course, has led to complaints within political circles about the rise of the so-called court party with unelected judges making judge-made law. Its also why the Tories under former prime minister Stephen Harper at one point killed the Court Challenges program, which provided funding for organizations to launch constitutional challenges on legislation. That was recently reinstated.

I dont understand the American presidential election. In Canada, I get to vote for the prime minister, but in the United States, I cant?

BT: Americans dont vote directly for a president, but they do vote for state electors who then vote for president. Each state has a number of electors that equal their House and Senate delegation  its roughly based on population, but gives more power to smaller states. The candidate that wins the plurality of votes in a state gets all their electors, except in the case of Maine and Nebraska. For example, if a Democrat wins two million votes in Ohio and the Republican wins 2,000,020 votes, the Republican wins all of the 18 electors. There are 538 electoral votes in the United States and it takes 270 to become president.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick The Supreme Court of Canada

SS: You dont get to vote for the prime minister in Canada, either. When you cast your vote in a federal election, you vote for the member of Parliament. The party with the majority of votes then forms government, and its leader becomes prime minister.

How can a president lose the popular vote by three million and still become president?

BT: Keep in mind that to win a states electoral votes, a candidate only needs to win by the narrowest of margins and that if they are extremely popular, they may win by a lot in bigger states with more voters. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won California  the most populous state  by more than four million votes. She won all of Californias 55 electoral votes, but it didnt matter. Donald Trump won Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin by narrow margins and became president. Its the electoral votes that matter, not the popular vote.

SS: While its pretty easy for Canadians to look down their noses at how unfair the American system seems in terms of the popular vote versus the electoral outcome, remember: weve had similar outcomes here in Canada. In fact, its one of the reasons why there has been a push in this country to change our first-past-the-post system and replace it with some type of proportional representation. Parties have won the election, by winning the most seats in the House of Commons, but losing the popular vote.

shannon.sampert@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Loren Schinkel would find out in a most impersonal way.

It was the early evening of Feb. 8, and the reeve of the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet had just arrived home. He turned on the television to watch the news, only to find out that the province had cancelled plans to proceed with a $32-million, 80-bed personal care home planned for his community. The project had been nearly a decade in the making and was just awaiting a green light to go to tender.

A former Winnipeg police officer and president of the Winnipeg Police Association, Schinkel returned home to Lac du Bonnet for his retirement and an unplanned foray into municipal politics. His own mother recently had died in a regional hospital, unable to find a personal care home replacement. That helped make the new home one of his top political priorities.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Minister of Health Kelvin Goertzen put more than $1 billion worth of health capital projects into limbo.

When he heard on television that the government had delayed the project indefinitely, it hit him like a body shot.

Schinkel said he had been assured by the province last fall at the Association of Manitoba Municipalities convention that the Lac du Bonnet personal care home was in no threat of being delayed or cut.

My reaction was one of disbelief, anger, frustration, Schinkel said. The Progressive Conservative government has no idea what the impact of this is going to be in this riding. People are going to be devastated.

Schinkel is hardly alone in his anger. Municipal politicians, philanthropists and health-care professionals across Manitoba were more than a bit shocked when Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced he was putting more than $1 billion worth of health capital projects into limbo, with no indication about when, or even if, they will be revived.

Goertzen explained that his decision was necessary because the former NDP government had overspent on health-care capital projects. Our predecessors spent beyond their means. We have to make choices (so) that health care is sustainable today, five years from now, 10 years from now.

The minister is not wrong to be concerned about sustainability. The cost of providing health care is going up rapidly with no signs it will slow down. Ottawa is refusing to meet provincial expectations on transfer payments, meaning that provinces  including Manitoba  will be getting much smaller increases in annual funding for the foreseeable future.

However, there is a big difference between making the health-care system more affordable and making it sustainable.

Any province can ration services and lower standards to bring costs under control. However, that only makes the system cheaper, not better. Government must have the patience and courage to reject penny-wise, pound-foolish solutions. The Lac du Bonnet debacle is a good example that this government does not have the fortitude to reject that approach.

The need for a new facility in this part of the province is abundantly clear. With only a single, 50-bed facility in the townsite, the waiting list for placement in personal care homes has grown untenable. Currently, there are more than 100 seniors awaiting PCH placement. That backlog means many have to be admitted to regional hospitals, the most costly and inefficient way of providing the care these seniors need. By some estimates, as many as 60 per cent of the regional hospital beds are occupied by patients who would be better treated in a personal care home.

But there is more to this project that reveals the lunacy of the decision to suspend it indefinitely.

The new Lac du Bonnet personal care home is at an advanced stage of planning. The province had already spent $2 million on design and engineering and the Town of Lac du Bonnet paid the cost of servicing a lot to be used for the facility, including a geothermal heating and cooling shaft. Communities within the RM had scraped together $3.2 million, 10 per cent of the total estimated cost of the project.

The need is clear, the work done to date is considerable and the citizens of this region have put their money where their mouths are. This is a project that would have diverted up to 80 patients from regional hospitals, making the health-care system in this part of the province more cost-efficient.

The most maddening part of this narrative is that the Progressive Conservatives pledged during the 2016 election campaign to fast-track the construction of 1,200 new personal care home beds once in office. Premier Brian Pallister said this was a key part of his plan to make health-care service delivery more cost-efficient.

Lamentably, there was some fine print attached to that pledge. As the Free Press reported earlier in the week, the Tories estimated the total cost of their pledge was $160 million over eight years, which translated into a per-bed expenditure of $133,000. The problem for Lac du Bonnet and other communities is that after going through a detailed design process directed by the regional health authority, to ensure new homes met all provincial standards, the cost turned out to be $360,000 per bed.

Goertzen has said that since his decision to cancel projects in various stages of development, proponents have come forward asking if it is still possible to get the $133,000 per bed and offering to go back to the drawing board to revise plans and look for other sources of funding.

Goertzen sees this as a positive development, when in reality it is evidence of the frustration and desperation over the lack of available personal care home beds. And what Goertzen perceives to be a campaign to encourage cost-efficiency is really just a cynical, bargain-basement approach to health-care planning.

We are talking about a facility that has the potential to bring cost-efficiency to the system and dignity to the final years of its residents lives. This isnt supposed to be a process of trying to see how many beds we can squeeze out for the lowest price.

This is a point that will no doubt be lost on many within the Tory government, which has moved into full-blown austerity mode to deal with a growing budget deficit. Fiscal restraint will definitely be part of the solution. However, the process of cutting expenditures to date has been sloppy, unfocused and wasteful.

There are, no doubt, health facilities that can justifiably be put on the back burner while the province gets its finances under control. The Lac du Bonnet personal care home is not one of them.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @danlett
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/02/2017 (2087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bob Rae got it right. The Ontario politician is backing a name change for an Ottawa landmark building, but hes warning about the ghosts of Canadas past coming back to haunt us.

Winnipeg Centre MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette, along with Independent MP Hunter Tootoo, Liberal MP Don Rusnak and NDP MP Romeo Saganash, presented a united front Thursday, calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to rename Langevin Block because Hector-Louis Langevin proposed the creation of residential schools. Mr. Ouellette, a Liberal backbencher, wants it renamed to honour Louis Riel  fitting timing, given that this long weekend is all about memorializing the Metis leader.

Currently, Langevin Block houses the Prime Ministers Office and sits across the street from the Parliament buildings.

JUSTIN TANG / THE CANADIAN PRESS The Langevin Block

As Mr. Rae suggests, there is a need for policy on the issue of naming buildings, particularly as history reveals more about an individuals past.

This raises an important point: over time, will any historical figure be capable of withstanding political landmines for their support of what was a common viewpoint from years past?

Certainly that was a concern raised when Nellie McClung was being considered as the first Canadian woman to be featured on a banknote. Her support of the eugenics program made her unsuitable for some, even though for the time in which she lived, her views were not controversial.

Sir John A. MacDonald  Canadas first prime minister  has been vilified for his racist views. Hes been called a white supremacist by many historians and he and Mr. Langevin were indeed the architects behind the governments assimilationist practices of the day. Mr. MacDonald was also a drunk and a bully.

Interestingly, most of the politicians of the early day (and even some of those currently elected) could also be viewed as misogynists. For example, former Manitoba premier Rodmond Roblin denounced all attempts by the suffragists to gain the right to vote, stating: I believe woman suffrage would break up the home and send women to mix up in political meetings. No one has publicly denounced him for being sexist.

One wonders if, 100 years hence, politicians who are popular now will be criticized as well, as social mores change. Perhaps those who eat meat will be viewed as responsible for the unnecessary deaths of sentient animals and their images removed from government buildings and history books because new attitudes consider eating meat a crime.

The trick to the past is recognizing that there were different viewpoints then. As times changed, so did those perspectives. What was acceptable then isnt acceptable now, and that changes regularly.

In January, Calgary gave another Langevin marker a new name  renaming the Langevin bridge over the Bow River the Reconciliation Bridge. Included is a plaque explaining why that change was made, and the history of residential schools in this country.

Yes, change the name of the Langevin building. But dont forget to explain why that change was necessary, so Canadians can remember the racism that built this country. Then come up with policy to address how our racist  and sexist  history can be documented.
With 14 Oscar nominations, the musical "La La Land" could set a winning record at Sunday's Academy Awards. One of the film's sound supervisors is hoping to make a little history of her own.

In a filmmaking specialty dominated by men, Ai-Ling Lee is the first Asian woman to receive an Oscar nomination for sound production. Together with her fellow sound editing supervisor Mildred Iatrou Morgan, she is also part of the first female sound editing duo to be nominated.

"I wasn't really aware of it until the nominations were out and some news outlets mentioned that little trivia. I'm surprised, but honored to be (the first Asian woman)," Lee told CNN in an interview this week.

Lee, who has more than 70 film credits including "Deadpool," "The Maze Runner" and "Man of Steel," is also part of the team nominated for the sound mixing for "La La Land."

Though critically acclaimed, Lee was cautiously optimistic about her chances for an Oscar nod with the film, as awards for sound production usually go to movies with more action, Lee said.

Sound editing, according to Lee, is layered and frequently overlooked.

"It's definitely not high profile," Lee said. "But I have to point out that sound, in general, especially for film, is useful for creative storytelling and the challenge of that is that it's invisible."

Since 2003, only 20 nominations and six awards have been given to women in the field of sound.

"It's surprising (on the nomination), but I feel happy we have more and more women in our sound craft," Lee said. "Hopefully, there will be more."

Lee is optimistic the industry is moving in that direction.
Spanish language students at Winona State University and Madison Elementary School are forming bonds over food, travel and video games through a pen pal project between the two schools.

For the past few weeks, students in Mary Hudgens Hendersons Spanish for Native and Heritage Speakers course and second-graders in Amanda Indras Spanish language immersion class have been exchanging letters written by hand and in Spanish.

Second-grader Elsa Heinrichs and her pen pal, Melissa Bartz, have been discussing books, dogs and their professional aspirations. Both young women are planning to become doctors.

I like this, Elsa said the other day, drafting her response to Bartzs most recent letter, which came in the form of a card with a dog on it. Its like having a friend.

Hudgens Henderson, an assistant professor of Spanish at Winona State, reached out to Indra earlier this year, believing that both sets of students would benefit from writing to real people.

Too often, she said, students write only for their professor or teacher and lack opportunities to apply their craft.

Its an authentic way for both groups to practice Spanish language arts in a real communication, she said.

It definitely gives a purpose to their writing, Indra said. It gives it more meaning.

Jesus Cazares, a senior majoring in marketing and Spanish, said hes never had a pen pal before. Because he and his classmates are outnumbered by the second-graders, Cazares is now juggling two pen pals: Joseph Sheridan and Oliver Wells.

I like the idea of writing to someone whos trying to learn the language, he said. Weve been writing about our favorite hobbies, if we have pets, what we do on the weekends. Its cool to find out what similarities we share in things like family and culture. I always look forward to receiving their letters.

Second-grader Julian Kohner has taken the opportunity to tell Jessica Delgado about his love for Boom Beach, a popular strategy game for phones and tablets.

Other topics of conversation have included his favorite food (candy), his morning routine (he gets up at 5) and his preferred career (elementary school teacher).

Ellie Johnson, a sophomore majoring in early childhood education, has been getting an equally detailed portrait of Finn Momsen, her pen pal.

Hes from Winona, and he likes to go hunting and fishing, said Johnson, who has also received from Finn a drawing of a fire truck. I think he might want to be a firefighter when he grows up.

Johnson, who was also enrolled in a Spanish language immersion program when she was younger, said writing to Finn has challenged her to write clearly and concisely.

I wrote 500 words at first, she said, and had to cut it down.

Hudgens Henderson said her course, which is intended to sharpen the reading and writing skills of students already fluent in Spanish, is being offered for the first time this semester. Shell teach the course in the fall beginning next year, she said, and will hopefully continue the pen pal project.

Id like to keep it going as long as teachers are willing, she said.

Second-grader Lars Thompson said having a pen pal is nice, because it gives him an opportunity to write about Olaf, his golden retriever puppy.

The challenge, he said, is figuring out how to say golden retriever in Spanish, and waiting to a receive a new letter.

I like that they write back, he said.

I like the idea of writing to someone whos trying to learn the language. Weve been writing about our favorite hobbies, if we have pets, what we do on the weekends. Its cool to find out what similarities we share in things like family and culture. I always look forward to receiving their letters. Jesus Cazares, WSU senior, marketing and Spanish major
Wisconsins top education official told Sauk County Democrats on Thursday that a $650 million increase in state support for public education included in Gov. Scott Walkers biennial budget proposal caught him by surprise.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers had asked the Republican governor for a $700 million increase in state aid to in part ease the effect of Act 10, which he said has caused many schools to struggle financially. While he didnt receive the full $700 million from the Republican governor, Evers said the increase in state support is a good sign for Wisconsins public education system.

He called me a week before he delivered the budget and left a message saying, Youre going to be surprised this year, and I was, Evers said. Theres all sorts of hooks there, Im not going to sugar coat that, but were at a point where the trajectory is good.

Evers made the comments while speaking at the Democratic Party of Sauk Countys general membership meeting at the Baraboo Civic Center. He is seeking a third term as the states highest education official in Tuesdays primary election. He will face challengers Lowell Holtz and John Humpries for the non partisan position, both of whom are school choice advocates and Common Core opponents.

Evers said the increased state support, along with the fact that 85 percent of school referendums across Wisconsin passed last fall, demonstrates support for public education is on the rise, despite politically divisive times.

Not only did a majority of school referendums pass, Evers said, with 600,000 Wisconsin citizens voting in support, but almost all of them were landslide victories as well.

These folks voted to raise taxes on themselves to keep their public schools open, he said. That tells me that the teachers, administrators, school board members and the great citizens across the state of Wisconsin like their public schools.

While hes in favor of the increased support, Evers was quick to add that asking taxpayers to place an increased burden on themselves to finance public education is not sustainable.

The cutting back of state support has caused some of these referendum to happen, I get that, he said. But the fact of the matter is we need to make sure schools are properly resourced.

Along with the $650 million increase in state aid, Evers said he was pleased to see Walker included two more of his suggestions in the preliminary budget as well. Evers said the governor accepted his recommendation to provide more aid to rural school districts and to finance training courses for teachers to better handle students with mental health issues.

Evers also noted several challenges facing public education throughout the state.

He said many school districts across the state struggle to find and retain qualified educators. To combat the issue, Evers said he wants to reinvigorate the teaching profession by providing them with more voice in decision making processes.

The issue of teachers is important, and a lot of it has to do with the way we treated the profession and portrayed the profession, he said. We can fix that, and its free. Our politicians need to stop denigrating the profession.
MADISON (AP)  The race for Wisconsins top education official pits a two-term incumbent backed by public school advocates and Democrats against two more conservative opponents who want to expand the private voucher program and undo the Common Core curriculum.

Incumbent Tony Evers faces John Humphries, a former administrator turned consultant in Dodgeville, and Lowell Holtz, a former teacher, principal and superintendent who is now retired. Racine math teacher Rick Melcher is running as a write-in.

The top two in Tuesdays primary advance to the April 4 general election. Turnout is expected to be low; the past three such primaries have averaged around 6 percent. Its the only statewide contest this year.

The winner will oversee the Department of Public Instruction, which runs K-12 education policy, curriculum and programs and administers state and federal aid for all 424 public school districts. The department also works with private schools in the choice program and runs teacher licensing and regulation.

Evers has held the job since 2009 after spending eight years as deputy. And while the position is officially nonpartisan, Evers draws his support from Democrats and groups that typically align with them, including teachers unions.

Evers says he offers a more optimistic vision for the state of education in Wisconsin, while his opponents want to create this dark cloud that everybodys failing.

Humphries and Holtz have been attacking Evers from the right. Evers doesnt support expanding the statewide private school voucher program, arguing that it diverts needed resources from public schools. Humphries and Holtz argue that school choice programs should be expanded, saying they offer alternatives to parents unhappy with their public schools and competition forces everyone to improve.

Humphries and Holtz say Evers has been ineffective at closing a gap in achievement between white and other students, and hasnt improved graduation rates, test scores and college attendance for non-white students. Evers argues hes helped make progress in Milwaukee and wants to direct more money to students in poverty and rewrite the complex school aid formula.

We have seen some small gaps closing, Evers said. Is it enough? No. We will continue to work on it.

Evers calls it a success that Gov. Scott Walker is calling for about as much more funding for schools over the next two years as Evers has.

Holtz, who pitches himself as the most conservative candidate, has adopted the slogan kidservative. He ran for state superintendent in 2009 but came in last in a five-person primary.

This time Holtz has the backing of some of the most vocal conservative voices in the state, including the anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage group Wisconsin Family Action, the Republican Party in four counties, the Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund and 22 Republican state lawmakers.

Holtz emphasizes that hes the only one of the three who didnt sign the Walker recall petition. He also supported the Act 10 law that took away teachers collective bargaining rights while working as a school superintendent.

Holtz said he supports a voucher in every backpack, but hes also said he wants to make every public school stronger.

Kids could care less whether youre a Republican, a Democrat, or a liberal, Holtz said. They dont care. What they care about is, are you interested in them?

Humphries has tried to cast himself as the in-between candidate.

Theres a big space in the middle, Humphries said. People who are concerned with improving outcomes are the folks who will be most focused on my candidacy. Im the one who can knock Evers out of this race.

Humphries campaign is co-chaired by Democratic state Rep. Jason Fields, who favors school choice, and Republican Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt. Humphries, like Evers, signed the petition to recall Walker.

Humphries has tried to win over conservatives with a series of proposals. They include creating a state school board to oversee powers of the superintendent, redoing the state report card in a way that would label more schools as failing, and establishing a process to allow for low-performing public schools to be converted into private charter or voucher schools.

Melcher, whos raised almost no money for his longshot effort, argues hes the only candidate who will truly fight for public schools.

Evers has outraised his opponents by more than 4-to-1 this year and had 15 times as much cash on hand as either Humphries or Holtz as of Feb. 6. But Evers and his backers say they are prepared for pro-voucher outside groups to spend heavily after the primary.
The Fall River School Board said yes. The Rio School Board said no.

Now, it will be up to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to decide whether to grant Gene and Debbie Waterworths request to transfer a parcel of property that they own in the town of Fountain Prairie from the Rio School District to the Fall River School District.

The Waterworths, whose home is located in the Fall River School District, are Pirates through and through. They both graduated from Fall River High School. So did their parents. So did their son.

And now their grandson Bryce, who lives on the property next door to them, is a third grader at Fall River School.

The only problem is: The parcel that Bryce and his family live on, which the Waterworths bought in 2012, is in the Rio School District, so he has to attend Fall River through open enrollment.

Rather than continue to have to open enroll Bryce and eventually Zoey (his almost 4-year-old sister), we decided to petition the property transfer, Gene told the Fall River Board Wednesday night.

The parcel that Bryce and Zoey  and their parents, Ryan and Shannon  live on is basically surrounded by the Fall River School District.

Its by one corner post that its attached (to Rio) basically, Gene said. He was unsure when the district boundaries were drawn, but said they probably dated back to the 1940s or early 50s.

Even the driveway to Bryce and Zoes house is in the Fall River School District.

If Bryce were enrolled in the Rio School District, the Rio bus would actually have to drive into the Fall River District and pick him up, Gene said.

As it is, the Fall River bus picks up Bryce, even though hes an open enrollment student, because the driveway is within the districts boundaries.

The familys house is actually about a mile and a half closer to the Fall River school than it is to the Rio school, Gene said.

Bryce and Zoeys social, recreational, and church activities center in Fall River, Gene said. Thats where their friends are. Thats the community and the school they and their family know. Only by a quirk in drawing lines years ago of a distance less than a half a mile, they are counted as students of the Rio School District for membership purposes.

The Fall River School Board voted unanimously to accept the parcel in question into its district.

The Rio Board had turned down the couples request at a meeting two nights earlier, a fact that left Fall River administrators a little puzzled, as it appeared to them that, from a monetary standpoint at least, it would be in Rios best interest to allow the transfer.

If Rio agreed to it, the district would lose the taxes it collected from the parcel  which amounted to $1,473.54 in 2016, according to the Waterworths  but that loss would be more than offset by what it would gain by not having to pay Fall River open enrollment fees, Superintendent Michael Garrow said. This year, state law required resident districts to pay $6,639 per pupil to the districts that their students were open enrolling into.

Based on the tax base vs. the open enrollment, if Im Rio, Im probably making the recommendation to let you go, but Im not Rio, Garrow said.

Debbie said she felt like the Rio board members had their minds made up before they even heard the Waterworths case.

The Waterworths tried three years earlier to get the property transferred, but were rebuffed by both boards at that time. They let the matter drop then, but Gene said this time they are going to appeal the decision to the DPI. They have until March 14 to get their appeal filed, he said.
The Wisconsin Bankers Association recently announced that the 2016 Community Banker of the Year is Randall Bobholz, President/CEO of Farmers & Merchants Union Bank in Columbus.

Bobholz began his banking career in 1980 in the FMUB teller and bookkeeping operations area. He was actively involved in bringing computer systems into the bank, which also helped strengthen his knowledge of the deposit side of banking. He also spent time as a loan officer and became president and CEO of FMUB 20 years after starting his career at the bank.

During his tenure, Bobholz has overseen the construction of new branch locations and worked with the Columbus Area Historic Society during the reconstruction of the banks main location to maintain its historic integrity. Under his leadership, the Farmers & Merchants Union Bank has essentially tripled in asset size.

As a banking leader, Bobholz served on the board of the Community Bankers of Wisconsin. He both encourages and spearheads the bank with its community involvement. The banks staff participates in community events throughout the year while several serve as board members of community organizations. This bank is known in the communities it serves as an organization that not only provides monetary assistance and donations, but offers a caring and helping hand as well. A bank doesnt earn that type of recognition unless it comes from its leadership. Bobholz is respected by both bankers and his community as a leader who is caring and involved both in and outside of the bank.

That reputation is well earned. He has been a volunteer fireman with Friesland Area Fire & Rescue for more than 30 years and helped start a first responder program in 1999. He served as the organizations director until 2014. He also served 24 years on the Cambria-Friesland School Board. He is the current treasurer of his local church and serves on the board of directors of the Columbus Community Hospital.

He has been a lifelong member of the communities his bank serves and is a wonderful example of what the WBA Community Banker of the Year represents.

Bobholz was recognized for his lifetime of caring and commitment to his staff, bank and community at the WBA Bank Executives Conference in Milwaukee, the largest banking event in Wisconsin, on Feb. 7.
Racine Public Library

RACINE  The Racine Public Library, 75 Seventh St., is offering these free events:

Repair Cafe informational meeting, 3 and 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21. Informational meeting for people willing to help organize and implement a Repair Cafe at the library.

"Internet Search Tools," 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28. An introductory class on searching the Internet. Registration required.

"Introduction to Goodreads," 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 1. This class will introduce the Goodreads website, instruct readers on how to record and review their books, and how to join groups and create lists based on their reading interests. Registration is required.

To register for an event, call 262-636-9217, or go to www.racinelibrary.info. A valid library card is required.

Waterford Public Library

WATERFORD  The Waterford Public Library, 101 N. River St., is offering these free events:

Zen Between the Lines, 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20. Adults-only coloring session. The library will supply coloring sheets, materials and soothing music. Registration is required.

Read to Chester, 4:30-5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22. Individual children or families can sign up for one 15-minute block of time to read to Chester, a cairn terrier/dachshund mix.

Throwback Thursday Games from the '50s, 1-3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23. Celebrate the library's 50th golden anniversary by playing some games released in the 1950s including Jacks, hula hoops, Checkers, Candy Land and more.

Block party, 10-11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24. The University of Wisconsin-Extension will hold a block party teaching math, science, pre-reading, social and physical skills for educational play experiences.

For more information, call 262-534-3988 or go to www.waterford.lib.wi.us.

Graham Public Library

UNION GROVE  Graham Public Library, 1215 Main St., is offering these free events:

Preschool Storytime, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesdays. Designed for children ages 2-4 with an adult/caregiver. Includes simple stories and crafts for the active set. The 1 p.m. storytime is a repeat of the morning session.

Homeschool STEAM Time (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), 1 p.m. Wednesdays. Homeschool children are welcome for stories and projects based on a weekly theme.

Make-N-Take, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays. Stop in with a preschooler and make a self-directed craft project. Supplies and directions are provided.

Lego Lab Family Night, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required.

For more information, call 262-878-2910 or go to www.uniongrove.lib.wi.us.

Burlington Public Library

BURLINGTON  The Burlington Public Library, 166 E. Jefferson St., will offer the following:

Milwaukee Bucks Reading Challenge through Feb. 24. Children can earn a free Milwaukee Bucks ticket by reading. Visit the library to register.

Storytime, 10 a.m. Mondays. A kindergarten readiness class for ages 3-5. Children are encouraged to come into the storytelling room without their parents.

Yarn Club, 3:30-5 p.m. Mondays. Ages 13 to adult are invited to learn how to knit or crochet. Beginners should bring one pair of size 15 needles, long or short; two skeins of super bulky yarn; and a crochet hook, size I or J.

Lap-Sit, 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Books, finger plays, rhymes, and music for children 5 and younger and their caretakers.

For more information, call 262-342-1130 or go to www.burlingtonlibrary.org.
An Illinois man was arrested in Juneau County on Jan. 20 for second degree recklessly endangering safety and attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer.

Lashawn Harris, 25, of West Dundee, Illinois faces two felony charges. If convicted, Harris could face a $25,000 fine or imprisonment of no more than 10 years, or both for the first count, and a $10,000 fine, no more than three years in prison, or both, for the second charge.

According to the criminal complaint, on Jan. 20, a state trooper was running radar along I-90/94 when he spotted Harris vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. The trooper pursued Harris, noticing him shifting erratically from the left and right lanes, nearly colliding with a semi-truck from behind. To keep up with Harris, the trooper accelerated to 100 miles per hour.

Harris jerked his vehicle completely across two lanes and onto the right shoulder. Harris, traveling at well over 100 miles per hour, passed four semis on the right shoulder near Mauston. The trooper lost sight of Harris vehicle about a mile from the Mauston exit.

A few minutes after discontinuing the pursuit, a message from the dispatch center informed the trooper that a motorist saw Harris exit into Mauston temporarily, but had re-entered the interstate and was traveling eastbound on I-90/94. Less than 40 minutes later, another state trooper identified Harris vehicle moving along Highway 33. He followed the vehicle into the Cascade Country Store parking lot and took Harris into custody.

While being interviewed by authorities, Harris said he became scared and tried to elude police because his license was revoked. Harris began to cry and told a trooper he thought he would be going to jail for operating without a valid license. The trooper told Harris that all he would have received was two tickets and a towed vehicle.

Harris apologized for the incident and was cooperative while being transported to the Juneau County Jail. Harris was scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on Friday at the Juneau County Justice Center in Mauston. He is currently being held in jail.
Leaders of state veterans groups say they like Daniel Zimmerman, the new Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs chief, even though they had never heard of him until a short time before Gov. Scott Walker placed him in charge of the agency.

Walker and other Republican politicians had more opportunities to become acquainted with the retired Army officer because of work he is doing with state and national GOP organizations as leader of an effort to build a National Republican Party History Museum in his hometown of Ripon.

In his resume, Zimmerman also says he fostered effective liaison with fellow board members who are current and past state legislators, state supreme court justices, and other influential state and national leaders as deputy chairman of Ripon Colleges Center for Politics and People, a political science forum.

Walkers office didnt respond when asked how Zimmerman came to the governors attention. The retired Army officer wasnt on a list of applicants veterans groups were asked to review in December.

Republican state Sen. Luther Olsen has known Zimmerman for several years because they live in Ripon, but he said Zimmerman applied for the job independent of him. Olsen said he found out Zimmerman was a candidate when the governors office called a few weeks before the Feb. 2 announcement.

They wanted somebody from the outside, Olsen said. In fact I said that was imperative, that we get some new blood, fresh from the outside, I wont say to clean house, but to take a look and assess.

Zimmerman is the second veterans affairs secretary to be appointed by Walker since the Legislature and the governor took hiring and firing authority away from a semi-autonomous citizens board in 2011.

He succeeds John Scocos, who resigned in January after months of controversy over reports of inadequate care for residents of the King veterans nursing home.

Scocos came into the Department of Veterans Affairs job with GOP connections, too. Republicans appointed him to a half-dozen positions going back to the 1990s. The last two WDVA secretaries  Scocos and Ken Black  both worked in the department before running the agency.

Outsider a plus?

Advocates for veterans said having someone like Zimmerman coming from the outside could be a good thing for the department, which provides funding to several veterans organizations.

Were very excited to move forward, said Joe Aulik, president of the County Veteran Service Officer Association of Wisconsin. Its a fresh perspective. No preconceived conceptions. Just assess what needs to be done and do the right thing.

The CVSO association has been unhappy over the last year with changes the state made in its funding and organization. In a statement announcing Zimmermans appointment, Walker said he instructed him to immediately assess conditions at King and schedule meetings with the CVSO association and other veterans groups.

Aulik said Zimmerman visited him the next day for more than two hours in his offices in Winnebago County.

I emphasized to him that what has happened to the CVSO/WDVA relationship will never be allowed to ever happen again by the leadership of the (CVSO Association,) as it negatively affected not only our offices but, more importantly, our fellow veterans and their families whom we serve. Aulik said in a Feb. 5 email to CVSO officers in other counties. He completely agreed.

In a Dec. 21 memorandum to Walker, the association echoed desires expressed by other veterans advocates, saying it hoped Scocos successor would be honest, even-tempered, transparent, open-minded, a strong advocate for veterans, and  at the top of the list  apolitical.

Thats what we wanted, Aulik said. Veterans issues, its not Democrat or Republican. Aulik said Zimmerman told him he didnt have plans to run for political office.

The Wisconsin State Journal made several requests for interviews with Zimmerman, but a WDVA spokeswoman said he wasnt available last week.

When asked if Walker was looking for someone from outside WDVA and state veterans groups, the governors spokesman said only that Zimmerman got the job because he is highly qualified and the right fit for the job.

Zimmerman graduated from New Berlin West High School in 1983, and spent 25 years in the Army before retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He was vice president of the Ripon Area School District, taught military science classes at Ripon College and at Marian College in Fond du Lac, and worked for the state emergency management division.

His resume also listed him as chief operating officer for the Madison office of Pax Americana Institute, a conservative think tank, from 2008 to 2010. He has served since 2011 on a board that recommends applicants for Sen. Ron Johnson, an Oshkosh Republican, to nominate for admission to military service academies.

Museum project seeks support

As president of the National Republican History Museum Foundation, Zimmerman recruited Ripon College graduate, former Republican state Assembly representative and former state Supreme Court justice Jon Wilcox to serve on the foundation board.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin and the Sixth District Republican Party of Wisconsin have passed resolutions supporting the museum.

Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff who grew up in Kenosha, gave his personal support to the project in 2015 when he was chairman of the Republican National Committee, and the RNC contracted with the foundation to archive historical materials it was storing in a warehouse, said foundation development director Renee Jaeger.

The foundation may announce its first major donations in the next few months, but fundraising goals havent been disclosed publicly, Jaeger said. Ripon bills itself as the birthplace of the Republican Party.

King nursing home issues loom

Last year, during a successful campaign for reelection to his state senate seat, Olsen took heat over conditions at the King veterans home, which are the target of an ongoing legislative audit.

Olsen said Zimmerman has qualities that will ensure improved conditions at King.

Zimmerman is setting up an office on the grounds of the facility and he plans to spend two days a week working there, Olsen said.

He said the new WDVA secretary is an effective leader who will be a strong advocate for veterans, even if that means pushing for funding or other items that Republican elected officials are reluctant to deliver.

Knowing Dan, that will not be a problem, Olsen said. Hes not going to be shy about standing up for what he believes in.
Gov. Scott Walker is proposing to increase funding for an enhanced tax auditing program that generated nearly $27 million in additional revenue last year  more than enough to cover the cost, but about $4.6 million short of its goal.

Business groups are closely monitoring the Audit 2020 initiative, which the Walker administration promoted two years ago as focusing on out-of-state companies. The auditors are keying on corporate and sales tax collections, and not individual income taxes.

The latest budget adds 46 four-year project positions with the expectation they will generate $64 million in revenue over the next two years. The goal of 102 permanent positions in the last budget was to collect $113.5 million more over two years.

The Department of Revenue reported to the Legislature last month that in the first year of the biennium the new positions and related expenses  such as expanding offices in Minnesota, Illinois, Madison and Appleton  cost $9.2 million out of a budgeted $11.8 million. The rest of the money paid for additional audit bureau staff and a bureau reorganization.

The positions generated $26.9 million in new revenue, though the goal was $31.5 million. The report noted the agencys compliance bureau, which collects delinquent taxes, exceeded its agency goal by $22 million, more than making up for the shortfall in the auditing program. Some of those extra delinquencies were generated by the additional audits.

The programs corporate auditors also billed companies $15 million that werent collected last year, but are due in the current year.

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the states largest business lobby, opposes the new program. Scott Manley, WMCs vice president of government relations, said members have reported the audit process is very long, cumbersome and expensive in terms of investment of time and employee resources to comply.

WMC does not support the additional auditor positions, nor do we believe that hiring more tax collectors will help improve our business climate or show the world that Wisconsin is open for business, Manley said.

Walker spokesman Tom Evenson said the states business climate has gone from one of the worst in the nation to one of the best under Walker, and emphasized the new program is focused on taxes owed by businesses outside Wisconsin to ensure that the tax burden does not fall unduly on Wisconsin taxpayers and businesses.

Manley noted that Walker vetoed a provision added by the Legislature that would have required the Department of Revenue to track the number of audits conducted and how much revenue came from out-of-state versus in-state businesses. At the time Walker said he vetoed the provision because it might violate taxpayer privacy.

DOR was unable to provide historic data on the number of audits it conducts each year, but the number of higher corporate tax assessments increased from 429 in 2014 to 670 in 2015 to 981 last year, according to DOR spokesman Casey Langan. The number of higher sales and use tax assessments increased from 1,195 in 2014 to 1,201 in 2015 to 1,256 last year.

Steve Baas, vice president of government relations for the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, lauded Walkers goal of recovering more money from tax cheats to help reduce taxes elsewhere.

The implementation of strategies to meet that goal, however, need to be carefully monitored to see when/if the DOR reaches a point of diminishing return where the marginal increase in collections will be outweighed by the cost of funding the additional auditors, Baas said in an email.
President Donald Trumps many critics say his young administration is a hot mess. His defenders say Trump has accomplished more in three weeks than many presidents do in years.

At the moment Trump is in what might be called the executive-action phase of his presidency. Beyond fighting for his Cabinet appointments on Capitol Hill, everything Trump has done has relied solely on his executive power as president. At some point hell have to move into a legislative phase, with the introduction of bills dealing with health care, taxes, immigration and more.

But for now, Trump has a number of executive actions to point to, including orders to:

Reduce the regulatory burdens of Obamacare

Freeze federal hiring

Pull the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Approve the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines

Strengthen enforcement of the nations immigration laws

Authorize planning for a U.S.-Mexico border wall

Tighten White House ethics rules

Reduce the number of federal regulations

Weaken Dodd-Frank financial regulations

Temporarily suspend immigration from some terrorism-plagued nations.

Its a pretty solid list. The last, called a Muslim ban by detractors, has attracted the most attention  and litigation. But each item on Trumps list would be worth a White House rollout and promotion campaign.

Instead, Trump threw them out in a firehose of appearances, tweets and controversy. If his first weeks in office have taught the new president anything, it is that far-reaching presidential directives are complicated things and need care and preparation. So Trump appears ready to slow the process of introducing new actions.

And while he is doing that, what would most benefit Trump would be to sell what he has already done.

During the campaign, Trump developed a fondness for performing in front of big rallies. By many reports, he didnt love the drudgery that accompanied campaigning, but he liked the rallies.

Why not start holding rallies again? Its not unusual for presidents to take to the campaign trail to promote their initiatives. All news presidents have done it, from their post-State-of-the-Union tours to campaigning for specific initiatives, hitting the trail would be nothing unusual for Trump.

A leader explains what he is doing, and then explains again, and then explains again. Campaigning for his initiatives would give Trump the vehicle to explain an impressive set of actions.

Trumps immigration enforcement order, for example, is a remarkable change in direction for the nations border and interior enforcement. The ending of so-called catch-and-release policies, the speeding up of deportations of criminal illegal immigrants, the crackdown on sanctuary cities  all of that could play well in parts of the country that voted heavily for Trump. Why not arrange a presidential visit or two?

Likewise, Trumps orders on regulations, federal hiring, and Dodd-Frank represent a package of actions Trump could tout as not only easing the burden of government on businesses but helping to create the jobs Trump promised in the campaign. Why not have the president tout them in those Rust Belt states that put him over the top last November?

Then there is the Trans-Pacific Partnership order, and Trumps pledge to re-open NAFTA. Those, too, are worth some presidential campaign stops.

As for Trumps litigation-magnet order temporarily halting non-Americans from entering the U.S. from seven troubled countries  the White House has clearly suggested that it ultimately plans to amend or rewrite the order to fix some of its legal weaknesses. When that is done, Trump would do well to campaign for that order, too. While the courts work on a separate track, public support would be a huge benefit for Trump, and by aggressively defending a reasonable national security measure, he could put his critics on the defensive, or at least force them to focus on the substance of the order.

In more than a year on the trail, Trump improved as a campaigner. After delivering wildly improvisational performances in the early months of the campaign, candidate Trump developed a style in which he used ad libs to embellish a Teleprompter speech with a focused message. He undoubtedly remembers how to do it.

Facing united Democratic opposition, a Trump resistance wing within the GOP, and a mostly hostile media, Trump, after just weeks in the White House, is in a political fight for survival. The campaign stump is one of his most effective weapons.
Barack Obama: an enduring legacy for advocates of democracy in Africa?

Donald Trumps February 13 calls to Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari and South Africas Jacob Zuma are his first signals of interest in sub-Sahara Africa.

Trump reportedly raised two US priorities: terrorism and trade. We dont know if his counterparts found his assertions to be credible or even accurate. What we do know is that mutual confidence is essential in successful international relations. And confidence in Trump appears to be rapidly waning at home and abroad amid the chaos, divisiveness and alarming decisions that have marked his first month in office.

Africas democrats fear Trumps autocratic leadership traits will give political cover, comfort and confidence to the continents remaining strongmen. It remains unclear whether this will in fact be the case. But it is a safe bet his leadership will not inspire the confidence of Africans that his predecessor Barack Obama enjoyed throughout his two terms.

In a survey of nine sub-Sahara African countries in 2015 the Pew Research Centre found that 74% had confidence in Obama to do the right thing regarding world affairs. Racial identity may be one explanation. But Obama also scored high or higher in predominantly white, Western Europe, Canada and Australia.

Moreover, his high standing in sub-Sahara Africa persisted despite grumbling that he never delivered American largess to the degree many initially expected. Nor did his use of the US military in Africa, including his support for the NATO-led 2011 overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, appear to dent his standing. This, despite the fact that he had many critics on the continent. Among them were prominent pundits and professors in South Africa.

In Kenya, the country of his father, his popularity remained high despite slipping from 94% in 2009 to 80% in 2015.

Beyond the numbers, Obamas most lasting legacy may be his leadership traits. These were rooted in a commitment to sustainable democracy, no less than his hero, Nelson Mandela.

Pillars of Obamas approach

Obama spent his political career building and benefiting from diverse coalitions, identifying with three civilisations through his own family: America, Africa and Islam. He advocated civic nationalism as an essential part of sustaining pluralistic democracy, and rejected the divisiveness of ethnic nationalism.

Obama is also an accomplished constitutional lawyer, whose respect for due process marked his presidency. Unlike Trump, Obama criticised court rulings against his policies but never the authority behind those rulings. Facts and evidence were essential to Obama and abetted confidence in his leadership at home and abroad. False news and repeated lying by Trump, or any elected leader, are among the most egregious threats to sustainable democracy. This is true in both America and Africa.

Obama also demonstrated a commitment to multilateralism. It was qualified, however, in a way that advocates of the African Renaissance and a more effective AU can appreciate. Regional and global order requires agreement to respect sovereign rights  as well as sovereign obligations. This is now reflected in the growing willingness of the African Union to engage in the internal affairs of its member states.

Obamas most notable multilateral efforts all reflect this dual responsibility. These included the nuclear agreement with Iran and, most importantly for Africa, his leadership in advancing the agreement on shared sovereign obligations in addressing climate change.

Obama was also exceptionally respectful of constitutional due process and limited unilateral use of force in reprisal for terrorist and other hostile acts against the US. The same applied to his partnership with other nations that sought US military assistance in their counter-terrorist operations.

Criticisms and failures

Obama made a number of decisions that led to military assistance being given to African governments, including authoritarian regimes. Even though the assistance was limited, critics complained that it contradicted his democratic rhetoric and polices.

But in my view such assistance is legitimate, with two provisos. That it is proportionate to the threat to innocent civilians. And that it is provided at the request of a recognised sovereign government.

That Africa has faced a growing threat from terrorism is beyond dispute. According to the UNs conflict prevention specialist Mohamed Yahya 33,000 people have died in terrorism-related violence in Africa over the past five years. The worst civilian losses occurred in the conflict prone countries of Nigeria, Kenya and Somalia.

One particularly controversial aspect of Obamas policy was his willingness to deploy drone weapons to combat the scourge. Most deaths from drones occurred in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. In 2016 US drone attacks killed around 2,000 in those countries, including about 100 civilians.

But Obamas most controversial use of force was in Libya.

In March 2011 the UN Security Council approved collective intervention under a new doctrine, the Responsibility to Protect. As the civil war escalated the NATO-led coalition of 19 states also escalated their airstrikes. This led to the overthrow of the government, and eventual capture and killing of Qaddafi by rebel forces.

Obama admitted later that not providing adequate state building assistance to Libya was among his greatest failures. Whether the use of military force violated international law or was to the long-term detriment of the Libyan people is less clear. A 2016 Brookings study by Shadi Hamid makes a convincing defence for the intervention despite the continuing chaos and conflict.

Enduring inspiration

Few leaders  whether in America or Africa  leave office with Obamas record of public service unblemished by scandal, accusations of lying, defying or circumventing laws, or actions of self-enrichment. Leaders that eschew these traits are easily discernible and their behaviour adds authority and endurance to their legacies.

Obama no longer holds office but his voice is bound to resonate, especially when his leadership traits are compared with the reckless, bigoted and uniformed actions of his successor. Obamas approval rating among Americans remains high lending strength to those resisting Trumps executive actions. His Africa legacy will be harder to measure but should be of enduring inspiration to advocates of sustainable democracy.
RACINE  The Illinois man accused of robbing a couple of banks in Racine and Kenosha on Feb. 12 had his initial appearance in Racine County Circuit Court Friday.

Jason A. Crawford, 34, of the 7900 block of Dada Drive in Gurnee, Ill., was charged Monday with robbery of a financial institution, a felony.

According to the criminal complaint:

Crawford allegedly was observed on video surveillance Sunday robbing a teller at the Tri City National Bank branch located inside Piggly Wiggly, 3900 Erie St., and a Guaranty Bank branch in Kenosha. Crawford received the cash by allegedly passing a note to the teller stating he was armed and seeking money.

His vehicle was spotted and he was arrested the same day in the 4000 block of Main Street at the Caledonia/Wind Point border. Investigating officers found several items in a nearby trash bin allegedly related to the Tri City robbery including: two black jackets; black shoes; and a small plastic bag containing U.S. currency that was stained with red dye.

Police also found several items in his vehicle, including: A brown paper bag with U.S. currency; a bag containing three plastic bags of capped needles, which police said are similar to those used to take heroin; a 9mm semi-automatic handgun; multiple ammunition magazines; and a folding knife.

As of Friday, Crawford remained in the Racine County Jail, 717 Wisconsin Ave., on a $7,500 bond.

Crawford is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 22.
RACINE  Big changes will be coming to the smallest students entering St. Joseph School next year.

Starting in the 2017-18 school year, St. Joseph School, 1525 Erie St., will have full day 4-year-old kindergarten five days a week and it will also be open to parents participating in the Racine Parental Choice Program.

St. Joseph has been enrolling school-choice students since 2011, but this will be the first time it will be open to 4K. Parents participating in the Racine Parental Choice Program have until Monday to open enroll their students into St. Joseph. Another enrollment period will open in March.

Having a 4K program allows for people to see our school earlier and stay longer, Principal Emily Knippel said, adding the program used to be a half-day program three days a week. It was always my goal when I started here that I wanted to enhance it into a five-day curriculum-based program. I think our families here can really use that program.

St. Josephs enrollment is 139. Knippel anticipates that number will rise.

Becky Mierow, who will be teaching the new 4K students, said it will help students as they start their education and socializing.

It will be a lot easier for them to transition into kindergarten to get ready for academics, Mierow said. Theyre more prepared and ready because theyve been in that school environment.

Knippel said the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has been very focused on early education.

The kids are exposed to so much more, and I think they have a bit more stamina when theyre in an all-day program, Knippel said. Theyre just learning what its like to be in a school.

Technology and Spanish coming

At the end of this year, the school will be hosting an auction to help pay for technology in the classrooms.

All of the proceeds are going toward technology, Knippel said. We were able to use our budget to buy a set of Chromebooks for the middle school and we want to add iPads next year. I think preschool and primary grades are the best ones to get those.

Also starting next year will be a Spanish language program for grades 5-8.

We know that once they get to high school, they have to have two years of foreign language and we want to expose our kids to that, Knippel said.




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RACINE  In a news release Friday, Mayor John Dickert confirmed that Allentown, Pa., Mayor Ed Pawlowski will no longer visit Racine to talk about Allentowns downtown arena.

However, Racine city staff will make Pawlowskis presentation for him at the scheduled 6 p.m. Monday meeting of the City Councils Committee of the Whole. The meeting will be held in room 205 at City Hall, 730 Washington Ave.

Pawlowskis City Hall staff has been under FBI investigation since July 2015 for alleged pay-to-play schemes involving local developers.

Dickert announced Pawlowskis visit Thursday morning. In Fridays release, Dickert expressed his displeasure at the way the hometown paper chose to characterize, not the visit, but the visitor.

Dickert said: It was very disheartening how quickly the purpose of his visit and presentation turned into political mudslinging. The integrity and economic benefit of this project is too important to allow it to be politicized.

The mayor also confirmed that Racine city staff will make Pawlowskis scheduled presentation for him. On Thursday, Pawlowski said he would present on how Allentown bounced back from being a city with no economic vitality because of the citys PPL Center and resulting investment.

Mayor Pawlowski has been kind enough to share the economic benefits and outcomes with us, Dickert said. We will present these findings to the council Monday evening.

Under the spotlight

According to Allentown City Council Vice President Daryl Hendricks, six city employees have pleaded guilty to offenses related to the FBI investigation, which began with a raid of Allentown City Hall. Hendricks said the six admitted to acting in concert with Public Official No. 3, someone who matches Pawlowskis description.

Theres only one person it could possibly be, Hendricks said.

Still, Pawlowski has not been indicted or charged.

The investigation has been going on for almost two years and theres been no charges filed against me, Pawlowski said.

Dickert preferred the focus of Mondays presentation be placed on Allentowns success, not its mayors possible political transgressions.

I believe the council and the public deserve the right to see what kind of a positive impact a project of this caliber can have on a city like Racine, Dickert said.
RACINE  Four little Maltese dogs that came to Racine Friday may not have happy homes yet, but at the least theyve escaped horrific fates in their native South Korea.

Mary Palmer, president of Racine-based NorthCentral Maltese Rescue, and others in her group took in the dogs, which are all bound next for foster homes, from the Save Korean Dogs Organization. From Seoul they were flown first to Washington, D.C., then to Chicagos OHare International Airport. Volunteers drove the crated cuties to Racine.

In South Korea, Save Korean Dogs founder and leader Nami Kim and her crew have been working for five years to help find, investigate, and shut down many illegal dog meat farms, slaughterhouses, and dog meat restaurants. They treat rescued dogs and try to find them homes in the United States and Canada.

Palmer said the larger dogs in Korea are slaughtered and eaten, and small breeds such as the Maltese are killed and their body parts harvested in the belief they have medicinal value.

The immigrants

The four Maltese that Palmer agreed to take include two females and two males, ranging from 2 to 6 years of age. All were raised in Korean puppy mills, Palmer said, and the little ragamuffins looked like it. Their first stop was Belle City Veterinary Hospital, 4701 Spring St., where Dr. Brian Ray examined the new arrivals for his usual heavily discounted rate for Palmers group.

The first dog Ray examined had two ear infections and bad teeth that Ray said would have to be extracted. The others were in somewhat better shape despite some terrible haircuts and general dirtiness.

Palmer said she has lined up two foster homes so far: one in the Milwaukee area and one in the Oshkosh area. While waiting for two more fosters, The Woof Dog Daycare and Boarding, 5326 Durand Ave., will board two of the dogs  in addition to five other Maltese the business is boarding for Palmers group.

It could take the dogs some time to catch on to human speech here, Palmer said. To the extent that anyone talked to the dogs before, it was likely in Korean.

Thats the big joke, she said. I tell people, You have to learn Korean if you want to foster these dogs. 

Besides looking for foster homes and adopters for these dogs, Palmer said shell also try to help find U.S. homes for 40 teacup poodles still being held in Korea by Save Korean Dogs.

Anyone considering adopting one of the dogs should visit www.malteserescue.homestead.com and print out a foster or adoption application to mail in.
Sometime earlier this year, alleged Islamic State fighter Khaled Sharrouf became the first Australian to be stripped of citizenship under legislation that the Coalition government pushed through parliament, with the Labor Partys assistance, at the end of 2015. There was no official announcement, just a leak to Murdochs Australian .

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton declined to comment, but his office confirmed that a citizenship was revoked. Dutton reportedly declared Sharroufs citizenship void on the advice of a secret panel of intelligence officers, police, bureaucrats and lawyers known as the Citizenship Loss Board.

National security sources familiar with the move say the decision to target Sharrouf was based on his demonstrated association with Islamic State, a terrorist organisation he joined in 2014, the Australian reported. In other words, the decision was made on the basis of unreliable intelligence reports. Last year, the intelligence agencies wrongly reported that Sharrouf was one of a number of Australians killed by a US bombing strike in Mosul.

Via this legislation, governments can revoke the citizenships, and therefore basic civil and political rights, by ministerial decree, without any trial or judicial process. These powers go far beyond supposed terrorist suspects. They can be used against a range of people deemed to be opponents of the political, corporate and military establishment.

Until 2015, no ones citizenship could be revoked, unless it was obtained by proven fraud. Now, the government can unilaterally cancel citizenships in three ways.

First, a person is deemed to renounce by conduct their citizenship if the immigration minister is satisfied that they participated in certain terrorist-linked or hostile activity overseas. Second, an individual ceases to be a citizen by fighting for or being in the service of (an undefined term) any organisation listed by the government as terrorist. Third, a person ceases to be a citizen if jailed for more than six years for any of a long list of terrorism and politically-motivated offences, including advocating terrorism, assisting an enemy of Australia, and leaking security information.

Because of the sweeping definition of terrorism in the post-9/11 laws, a person could lose their citizenship, for example, for supporting the right of individuals, whether in Syria or any other country, to resist a US-led invasion.

For now, these powers have been confined to Australias more than six million dual citizensabout a quarter of the populationbut there have been calls within the Liberal-National Coalition government to extend the measures to all citizens.

By initially targeting Sharrouf, who is reputed to be in Syria or Iraq, the government is continuing a pattern of using individuals who have been demonised by the media to set precedents that threaten the legal and democratic rights of far broader sections of the population.

Sharrouf came to prominence in August 2014, just as the Coalition government confronted widespread opposition to its proposed laws to retain on-line metadata for two years. The corporate media published a gruesome front-page picture, purportedly taken from Sharroufs Twitter account, allegedly showing one of his young sons holding the head of a decapitated Syrian soldier. Whatever the exact circumstances of the photo, its broadcast by the media served to whip up anti-Islamic sentiment and beat back opposition to the legislation.

There was no mention in the media barrage of the fact that Islamic State is largely a creation of the US itself and its wars in the Middle East. The conflict in Iraq and Syria, and all its atrocities, which have forced millions of refugees to flee Syria, is the outcome of the drive by the US and its allies since 2011 to overturn the regime of Syrian President Assad. The real aim is to ensure US control over the Middle East and the entire Eurasian landmass, where the US confronts Russia and China.

The US and its partners, including the Saudi and Persian Gulf regimes, turned to Islamic fundamentalist elements to carry out their objectives. In Syria, these forces have been directly funded and backed by Washington and its allies. Having helped create Islamic State, the imperialist powers exploited its existence to justify further military interventions in Libya, Iraq and Syria and deeper attacks on democratic rights at home.

Amid the denunciations of Sharrouf, there was no reference to the economic and social conditions that provide fertile ground for recruitment of vulnerable youth by Islamists. In Australias working-class suburbs, young people from Middle Eastern and other immigrant backgrounds face worsening levels of unemployment, poor educational and social facilities and constant police harassment. These conditions often also trigger mental health problems. Sharrouf, 35, who grew up in western Sydney as the son of Lebanese migrants, was diagnosed as a schizophrenic in 2002.

The shocking severed-head image was splashed throughout the media again last February when the government refused to allow into Australia Sharroufs six young children and grandchildren after Sharroufs wife, Tara Nettleton, died. The children, all of whom are Australian citizens, were trapped in the Islamic State-held Syrian city of Raqqa, which is being bombarded by the US and its allies, including Australia. As a result of the voiding of Sharroufs citizenship, their fate is even more perilous.

Sharrouf left Australia in 2013 after completing an almost four-year prison term on vague charges of involvement in an alleged terrorist conspiracy led by a Melbourne cleric, Abdul Nacer Benbrika. The Benbrika-related trials, conducted in both Melbourne and Sydney, largely relied on evidence by police provocateurs and undercover infiltrators, who incited unstable young men. The defendants were convicted under sweeping provisions, introduced since 2002, that require no proof any specific terrorist target or plot, just vague discussions about a possible terrorist act.

The Labor Party was quick to solidarise with the governments decision on Sharrouf. Mark Dreyfus, the shadow attorney-general, said the legislation was written to strike the right balance between security and citizens rights. We trust this power will continue to be used in sparing and prudent fashion, Dreyfus said in a statement.

In reality, Labor, no less than the Coalition, is responsible for laws that allow citizens to be stripped of fundamental democratic rights, including to vote, on the basis of untested allegations by intelligence agents and ministerial fiats. This is part of the endless war on terror, launched in 2001, that is establishing police state-style laws and powers that will be used more widely as social unrest grows and opposition develops to the escalating turn to war by the US and its partners.

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Predictably, Americas late-night comics and television talk show hosts have joined the right-wing campaign to depict Donald Trump as an ally or even pawn of Russias Vladimir Putin.

The various well-heeled comedians have responded instinctivelyand eagerlyto the McCarthyite, anti-Russian initiative launched by the Democratic Party, the New York Times and other media outlets, along with important portions of the US military and intelligence apparatus. These elements of the ruling elite have been terrified by the mass popular opposition to Trumps right-wing policies and are making every effort to divert the outrage into reactionary channels.

Everything about the talk show hosts, their histories, outlooks and social positions, ensured they would take up this campaign. As we have noted before, the comic monologues on the late-night talk shows are an integral part of a painstaking processthe daily cycle by which public opinion and an official national consensus are formed in the US.

On his program Wednesday night, Stephen Colbert, the host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, staked out an especially persistent and repugnant position.

Colbert first took part in a remake of a scene from the 1995 film, The Usual Suspects. He played the part of an individual under police questioning. In response to his interrogators comment (Chazz Palminteri as a detective in the original film), Youre not telling us everything, I know you know something, Colbert replied, Yes, I do know something, and Im telling you everything. Youre just not listening! Ive been telling you for like a year! Theres something weird going on between Trump and the Russians! The sketch went on from there.

Colbert devoted much of his opening monologue Wednesday night to the Russian question. These are samples:

We just learned from multiple intelligence sources that Trump aides were in constant touch with senior Russian officials during the campaign. Constant touch, by the way, is also Trumps Secret Service code.

We do know that Trumps campaign was talking to the Russians a lot, and the frequency of the communication and the proximity to Trump of those involved raised a red flag with US intelligence. Yes, intelligence were worried that once he got in the White House, he might raise a red flag.

But he [Trump] did not take the opportunity of the press conference to address any of the rumors that hes being run by the Kremlin, and the two handpicked reporters he called on were polite enough not to ask whether our country is over.

Brilliant, witty material.

Colbert also described Russia as Americas greatest foe since World War II and referred to contact between former National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn and the Russian ambassador as an act of treason. In response to the claims of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort that he had never knowingly spoken to Russian intelligence officers on the telephone, who, after all, did not wear badges that said, Im a Russian intelligence officer, Colbert joked, Well, how do you know? You were on the phone! You cant hear a badge the guy on the other end could have a hammer-and-sickle face tattoo for all you know.

This is filthy stuff, which makes an effort, among other things, to revive the anticommunist propaganda of the Cold War era.

Colbert is hardly alone. Also on Wednesday night, Jimmy Fallon, the host of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC, chimed in with this: The big story is that last night, the New York Times published a bombshell report that President Trumps campaign was in contact with Russian intelligence since 2015. When asked if it was true, Trump said, Nyet! I mean, no!

Seth Meyers too, host of NBCs Late Night with Seth Meyers, focused Wednesday on Trump and his ties and regular contact with Russia during his Closer Look segment. Meyers displayed the old Soviet flag as well, with its hammer and sickle, and suggested that this one is about to make a comeback.

On his January 23 program, Meyers, formerly a head writer for NBCs Saturday Night Live (20012014), quipped, During his inaugural address, President Trump said that the ideology for his administration will be America First. Which also happens to be Putins ideology: America first, then we go into Ukraine, then Eastern Europe

On the February 11 edition of the long-running Saturday Night Live program, a mock Trump played by Alec Baldwin appeared in Peoples Court over his travel ban and called in a faux Vladimir Putin as a character witness. Baldwin-Trump described Putin as Someone whos known me for years, hes family, hes an incredible person with impeccable credentials. As Putin (Beck Bennett) swaggered into the courtroom, the narrator commented, This is Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hes an authoritarian leader who has invaded other countries and killed rivals. Hes President Trumps long-time crush.

Referring to Trump, the shirtless Bennett-Putin explained to the court, This man is a great friend. Hes my little American Happy Meal. Hed do anything for you. Go against his own country just to make you happy. The skit was genuinely foul.

Bill Maher, of the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher, has been almost pathological about Trumps alleged Russian connections. On the night of the inauguration, in his opening monologue, Maher said, We have a new leader [long pause] Vladimir Putin. Later, he referred to Trump as a president from Moscow.

One of his guests on the same program, Keith Olbermann, former host of a political commentary program on MSNBC, described Trump as a Russian puppet and the inauguration as a coup detat. Olbermann declared, We were invaded, is what it boils down to Were now only debating at this point how much the Russians decided our election.

Not to be outdone, Conan OBrien, host of Conan on the cable channel TBS, commented January 11, In a tweet today, Donald Trump compared the way hes been treated to Nazi Germany. Which is unfair, because everyone knows Hitler won his election without the help of the Russians.

In the Confusing Question of the Day segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC recently, one of Kimmels sidekicks asked people on the street, along with other things, how concerned should Americans be about Russian interference in US elections.

Of course, the various hosts and programs have also mocked other moves by the new president, including his travel ban, the presence in the White House of extreme right-wingers like Steve Bannon and the activities of such Trump aides as Kellyanne Conway and Stephen Miller. The theme they always return to, however, and whose presentation seems most deeply felt, is the anti-Russian one.

The comics are working off a script provided for them by the Democrats and the media and political establishment as a whole. Stupid, irresponsible and conformist, they take the line of least resistance. In fact, in pursuing the campaign against Russia, they are able to feel at one with powerful political and social forces. It is a warm, comforting sensation.

Their wealth is a significant element in their political and social conformism. These are not individuals who want to rock the boat. OBriens net worth is an estimated $75 million, Colberts is $45 million, Kimmels is $35 million, Fallons is $25 million, Olbermanns is also $25 million, Mahers is calculated to be between $23 and $30 million and Meyers is $10 million.

For eight years, these people shut their mouths about the crimes of the Obama administration against the populations of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere. They kept quiet about the growing misery of the American working class. They proved themselves the worst sort of sycophants and toadies.

Now theyve come to life, opposing Trump on the most unprincipled and reactionary basis. They deserve only contempt.
After her campaign launch in Lyon, the neo-fascist National Fronts (FN) presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, released her 144-point election program. It proposes a raft of vicious anti-immigrant and particularly anti-Muslim measures, law-and-order policies, and military escalation, as well as attacking the NATO military alliance and the European Union (EU) from the right.

The hostility towards these policies in a majority of the French population notwithstanding, Le Pen still has a strong chance of winning the April-May presidential elections. According to an Ipsos poll published on Thursday, she would win the first round of the election with 25 to 26 percent of the vote, ahead of PS-linked independent candidate Emmanuel Macron, with 20 to 23 percent of the vote.

This reflects the bankruptcy and unpopularity of the Socialist Party (PS) of President Francois Hollande, who is in the final months of a presidency dominated by austerity, war and its imposition of a state of emergency in France. The PS is divided over the winner of the PS presidential primary, Benoit Hamon, with much of the party backing Macron, a former investment banker.

The right-wing Les Republicains (LR) is also in the throes of a deep crisis, after allegations that its candidate, Francois Fillon, paid nearly 1 million of public funds to his wife for a fictitious job as his parliamentary attache. Le Pen is seeking to benefit from the collapse of bourgeois democracy in France and growing popular disgust with the political establishment in France and across Europe.

Macron, the former economy minister in Hollandes government, has also benefited from the crisis in these two parties, and polls currently show that he would beat Le Pen in the second round. However, referring to an Ifop survey showing that only 36 percent of current Macron voters are sure of their decision, Ifop co-chief Frederic Dabi stated: Marine Le Pen is the most serious candidate for the second round, given the continuity of the FNs score since 2012.

He added, [Macron] is benefitting from the expectations of change, he is benefitting from the difficulties of the candidates from government parties, Benoit Hamon and above all Francois Fillon, but his share of voters are the least sure of their choice, the most undecided.

The French ruling elite, and in particular the PS, is increasingly anxious over the widespread disillusionment with the traditional parties and the growing possibility of an FN victory. On Thursday, Le Monde wrote: Within the Socialist Party, theres panic. Not so much because Hamon is a bad candidate, but because fortune is smiling on Marine Le Pen.  The victory of Donald Trump, the anti-elite candidate, at the head of a democracy as old and as powerful as the United States shows that populism can win over even an educated people at the forefront of the most advanced technology.

Trump's election has intensified the deep uncertainty and political tensions in Europe. Le Pen has endorsed Trump, whose administration is backing the FNan endorsement that the media and political circles have glossed over, despite Trump's overwhelming unpopularity in France. The FN programme echoes Trumps condemnation of the EU as the tool of Germany and his celebration of last years Brexit vote.

In the very first article of its programme, the FN commits to calling a referendum on Frances membership of the EU, declaring that France must Regain our liberty and the control of our destiny. The FN claims it will withdraw from NATO, echoing Trump's remarks that the alliance is obsolete, and assert a more independent foreign policy, including an autonomous Defence capacity in every area.

Le Pen's militaristic proposals include an increase in defense spending to 2 percent of GDP from her first year in office and then to 3 percent by the end of her term, the reinstatement of compulsory military service for at least three months, and a renovation and increase of Frances nuclear arsenal.

This militarisation is not aimed solely at targets overseas, but also at the working-class at home. The FN pledges to massively rearm the law and order forces, including with the recruitment of 15,000 new police officers and modernisation of their weaponry. The FN programme calls for targeting poor suburbs of Frances major cities and taking back control of lawless zones by the state.

Le Pen has also indicated her desire for closer ties with Russia, and has repeatedly called for lifting US-EU sanctions against Russia. Her orientation to Moscow has lead to unsubstantiated accusations in the press that the Kremlin plans to interfere in the French elections in favour of Le Pen and against Macron, allegations mirroring those made against Donald Trumps campaign in the United States.

Intense divisions have erupted in the European ruling elite over how to respond to the crisis in the EU and the election of Trump. Many elements in the French ruling class are desperate to prevent an FN presidency, which could portend the complete disintegration of the EU.

However, significant sections of the French bourgeoisie, reflected in Le Pens campaign, have concluded that the single European currency is disadvantageous for France and favours Germany. Faced with France's growing economic weakness vis-a-vis Germany, they are considering a strategy of allying with Russia, the Trump administration, or both to pressure Berlin.

This break-down of the post-World War II international capitalist order has given the FN an opening to develop as a central force in bourgeois politics. It has sought to rebrand itself as a mainstream party, expelling its founder Jean-Marie Le Pen in 2015 over his remarks defending France's Nazi-collaborationist Vichy regime and minimising the Holocaust. The expulsion of the older Le Pen was a tactical move, as his unabashedly reactionary views hindered his daughter Marine's efforts to normalise the FNfor which the PS and the pseudo-left have provided endless assistance.

PS attempts to inscribe deprivation of nationality into the constitution, a principle invoked during the deportation of Jews to concentration camps during the Nazi Occupation, show the PS's adaption to the FN's politics. The PS also imposed a state of emergency, brutally dismantled the refugee camp in Calais, and supported bans on full-face veils and Muslim burkini swimwear. After the November 2015 attacks in Paris, Hollande repeatedly invited Marine Le Pen to the Elysee Palace, in the name of national unity.

The pseudo-left New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA) and Workers Struggle (LO) have played no less a dirty role. By indicating their support for Hollande in 2012 and by working with the trade unions to suffocate working class opposition against hated PS policies, like the 2016 Labour Law, they blocked opposition to the PS from the left and handed political initiative to the far right.

The support of the NPA and most explicitly of the LO for the ban on Muslim veils and burkinis, in the name of secularisation and gender equality, provides an open road for Le Pen to formulate further measures against Muslims and immigrants. In the section of its programme entitled Make France a Country of Liberties Again, the FN uses similar rhetoric to demand more attacks on Muslims, proposing to defend womens rights by fighting against Islamism.

The FNs anti-immigrant agenda also includes increasing border controls; removing the right to French nationality for children born on French territory to foreign parents; making it impossible for illegal immigrants to become naturalised French citizens; and simplifying the process of their deportation.
House Republican leaders on Thursday briefed rank-and-file members on the outlines of their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Speaker Paul Ryan, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and two House committee chairmen reported to the press on the talking points presented at a meeting in the House basement.

Though short in details on how the proposals would be paid for, the plan takes aim at Medicaid, the government health care program for the poor and disabled jointly administered by the federal government and the states. It would also shift the burden of health care costs even more heavily on the working class. Republican leaders provided no estimates of the number of people who might gain or lose insurance under their proposals.

Donald Trump met at the White House Thursday with House Republicans who backed his presidential bid who were looking for his support in repealing and replacing the 2010 legislation commonly known as Obamacare. At a news conference following the meeting, the president said, We should be submitting the initial plan in March, early March, appearing to refer to a House bill that could move forward by then.

From its inception, the ACAs aim has been to cut costs for corporations and the government, while shifting the US to an even more heavily class-based health care system than what previously existed. Obamacares key component, the individual mandate, compelled those without insurance to purchase it from private insurance companies under threat of a tax penalty.

Outlines of the Republicans replacement plan would further boost health insurers profits. The ACAs modest government subsidies to low and middle income people would be replaced with tax and other mechanisms that would favor the wealthy and provide little to no assistance to the vast majority of health care consumers.

The Republican plan would repeal the individual mandate and penalty, but it would also eliminate fines on employers for not providing their workers with insurance coverage. Sources familiar with the proposal told the AP that a new tax might be imposed on individuals receiving health care from their employers valued above $12,000 for an individual or $30,000 for families. That is, it would penalize those receiving decent employer-sponsored health insurance.

It would also roll back the Medicaid expansion under the ACA, which has newly insured an estimated 10 million people. Republicans have long eyed the programwhich provides vital health coverage to families, seniors and people with disabilitiesfor destruction. This attack on Medicaid would go a long way toward this aim, and it is among the most vicious of the Republicans proposals.

While providing no dollar amounts or details, the House outline calls for converting Medicaid to either a per capita cap or a block grant to the states. All past Republican plans, including those of Ryan and Price, have featured deep cuts that would grow steeply over time. It would be impossible for states to absorb these cuts without cutting coverage for people who should qualify for benefits.

Currently, Medicaid funding adjusts to meet need, whether from a public health emergency like the opioid crisis or the Zika virus, or the growing health care needs of aging baby-boomers. A block grant or per capita cap would deliberately stop this automatic response to increased need, forcing states to decide who should be denied benefits, or how benefits should be rationed among the most needy.

The Republicans talking points also confirm that Obamacares Medicaid expansion for able-bodied adults [sic] enrollees would be repealed in its current form. Their proposal would end the ACAs enhanced federal matching funds for the currently enrolled Medicaid expansion population after a limited period of time.

While states would be free to continue to cover the 10 million people, plus those who would become eligible in the future, under Obamacares Medicaid expansion, by a set date they would have to pay between 2.5 and 5 times as much per person to do so, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). The massive cut in federal funding would force states to choose between covering low-income adults and covering children, seniors and the disabled.

The savings from the cuts to Medicaid would likely go toward relief from all the Obamacare tax increases, as outlined by the House Republicans. According to CBPP, based on previous plans, these savings would go to help fill the hole created by cutting Medicare taxes for high earners and eliminating drug company, insurer, and other fees that helped finance Obamacares coverage expansion.

The resulting tax cuts would average $50,000 per year for households with incomes over $1 million, according the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

In place of the ACAs refundable premium tax credits (subsidies) that are currently helping more than 9 million people afford coverage, the Republican proposal would offer a flat credit determined by age, regardless of income, with the biggest financial benefits going to older Americans.

This would mean that a 25-year-old earning $25,000 a year would receive less of a tax credit than a 65-year-old multimillionaire. The end result would be that many low- and middle-income people would be unable to come up with the money to pay the gap between their fixed tax credit and the cost of a health insurance plan.

The Republican proposals would also expand Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), which allow people to put aside money tax-free to pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses. These HSAs are obviously of little help to families struggling to pay rent, utilities and put food on the table and have nothing to set aside. The tax benefits for the wealthy, on the other hand, would be substantial.

The House Republicans plan calls for the creation of unspecified State Innovation Grants to supposedly aid states in covering costs for diversifying the risk pool and covering people with pre-existing conditions. CBPP notes that previous high risk pools have failed to provide affordable, quality health coverage for sicker individuals.
The Associated Press on Friday published a memo by the Trump administrations Homeland Security secretary, retired Gen. John Kelly, proposing the deployment of 100,000 National Guard troops to carry out the presidents January 25 executive order mandating an escalation of the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants.

The front page of the 11-page memo reads From: John Kelly. It recommends that the governors of 11 states in the South and along the Pacific Coast be instructed to mobilize their state National Guards for the purpose of perform[ing] the functions of an immigration officer in relation to the investigation, apprehension, and detention of aliens in the United States.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the AP report was irresponsible and 100 percent not true. But only hours later, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told AP anonymously that the document existed and had been drawn up by the DHS.

Spicer then claimed that it was not a White House document, and DHS sources said the memo was not presented to President Trump. Spicer added that there was presently no effort at all to utilize the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants.

However, Spicer did not deny that the memo was discussed within the Trump administration as a possible course of action. Nor did he state that its proposals would not be considered in the future.

This date of the Kelly memo is January 25, and its first sentence declares its purpose to be the implementation of a January 20 executive order. Since no immigration executive order was issued on January 20, inauguration day, it is likely that Kellys memo was a response to an earlier draft of the anti-immigrant executive order that was announced and signed by Trump on January 25. This would indicate that Kellys proposal was discussed prior to the issuance of the final order on January 25.

If implemented, the memorandum would require the de facto if not de jure imposition of martial law in cities as far north as Portland, Oregon and as far east as New Orleans, Louisiana. Under the terms of the memorandum, the National Guard could be deployed to all states that touch the Mexican border, as well as the states adjoining those border states. In all, these include Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

The fact that such a memo would even be submitted and discussed at the highest levels of the government is a warning to the entire working class, native-born as well as immigrant. It lifts the veil on preparations for state violence on a massive scale to suppress domestic opposition to the ruling class policies of war and social reaction.

Though the memorandum does not include specific instructions on how deportations are to be carried out, the proposal to deploy 100,000 soldiers across 11 states makes clear that what is being prepared is a crackdown of unprecedented scope and brutality. In his election campaign, Trump pledged to deport at least 3 million undocumented immigrants, mainly from Mexico and Latin America.

The executive order issued on January 25 calls for a huge buildup of the border patrol, the construction of new detention centers near the Mexican border, the construction of a wall along the entirety of the border, and an expansion of the dragnet to include virtually all undocumented immigrants. Already last week, extensive raids were carried out around the country resulting in the detention and deportation of hundreds of workers.

President Obama earned the nickname deporter in chief for overseeing the deportation of more people than all previous presidents combined. Trump plans to put his criminal policy in the shade. The Los Angeles Times has estimated that the January 25 order makes some 8 million undocumented workers subject to deportation.

Kellys proposal entails a military operation of wartime proportions. In terms of savagery and scale, the operation would far surpass the imposition of the pre-Civil War Fugitive Slave Act and the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War Two.

Armed military detachments would likely set up barricades and checkpoints in working class districts. Those trying to escape to states outside the zones of deployment would be hunted down and jailed.

Entire sections of Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, Denver, San Diego and other cities would be placed under military occupation. Heavily armed soldiers would go house-to-house, breaking down doors and dragging immigrants away from their families. The thousands or perhaps millions targeted by the raids would be sent to internment camps where they would be detained indefinitely or processed for expulsion from the country.

The deployment of the National Guard would also serve to suppress protests against deportations, which have grown in recent weeks and spread to cities large and small. A precedent was set by Obama, under whom governors of both parties deployed the National Guard to quell protests in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 and Baltimore, Maryland in 2015.

Whatever their tactical differences, the Democrats are complicit in Trumps immigration policy. Democratic senators overwhelmingly supported Kellys confirmation, voting 37-11 in favor. Senator Bernie Sanders defended his support for Kelly by proclaiming his hope that Kelly will have a moderating influence on some of the racist and xenophobic views that President Trump advocated throughout the campaign. He made this statement five days before Kelly wrote the leaked memo.

Kellys memorandum also proposes to eliminate the right to a court hearing for hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of migrants. It calls for an expansion of expedited removal proceedings to include a broad category of undocumented migrants who cannot affirmatively show that they have lived in the United States for two years. Under such proceedings, the right to appear before a judge before deportation is dispensed with. The memo claims eliminating the right to due process is necessary because of an unacceptable delay in the deportation process caused by the backlog of removal cases currently pending in immigration court.

In addition, the memo proposes to send migrants back to the country through which they entered the US (almost always Mexico) while they wait for the multi-year court process to play out. These migrants would be denied the right to appear in court and be allowed to attend only via video conference. This would result in the abrogation of almost all due process rights, which attach to undocumented migrants only when they are on US soil.

The Kelly memo also attacks asylum seekers who are escaping from war, poverty and violence caused by decades of US imperialist plunder. The memo claims that the asylum process is rife with fraud and abuse, and that asylum officers should release applicants from detention only if the alien has a significant possibility of establishing eligibility for asylum, based on established legal authority, an arbitrary standard that will be difficult for migrants to prove, especially without an attorney present. The memo also proposes to drastically reduce the social services available for unaccompanied youth migrants who make the difficult trek across the Southern desert by themselves, often at a very young age.

These proposals did not emerge in a historical vacuum. They have been prepared over years in which both the Democratic and Republican parties have spearheaded a ruthless assault on immigrants. It was President Clinton who signed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 into law, while denouncing the problem of illegal immigration. All leading Democrats supported the Secure Fences Act of 2006, including senators Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Charles Schumer and Joseph Biden.

In the course of more than 15 years of the war on terror, the American ruling class has sought to whip up a climate of xenophobia in an attempt to divide the working class and justify its imperialist wars around the world. The wave of protests against Trumps war on immigrants shows that this campaign has not succeeded in winning significant popular support, and that a large majority of working Americans retain a deep commitment to democratic rights.

However, the defense of the rights of immigrantsand the democratic rights of the working class as a wholerequires that the entire reactionary framework of the official debate on immigration policy be rejected. Both Trump and his establishment critics, Republicans and Democrats, take the position that so-called illegal immigrants are criminals and that foreign-born workers must be prevented from entering the country by means of militarized borders and armies of border police.

The working class must uphold the right of all workers to live and work in the country of their choice with full citizenship rights, including the right to work and travel without fear of deportation or repression. The slogan must be open borders and the unity of workers, immigrant and native-born, in a common struggle against the capitalist system, which is the source of poverty, racism and oppression.
One day after Donald Trumps extraordinary news conference, the battle within the American state only grew more intense. The conflict pits the ultra-right president of the United States against powerful sections of the military-intelligence apparatus, with the corporate media, the Democratic Party and a section of the Republicans serving as mouthpieces of the CIA.

There is no progressive faction in this dispute, which centers on issues of foreign policy and war. Trump is a noxious representative of the financial oligarchy. He has packed his administration with CEOs and billionaires, alongside ex-generals, social reactionaries and outright fascists. His opponents in the political and media establishment are themselves reactionaries, motivated not by democratic principles, but by concerns that Trump is shifting away from the aggressive, militarist policy toward Russia that is backed by the intelligence establishment and was carried out by the previous administration.

On Friday, Trump doubled down on his denunciations of the media, declaring on Twitter that the media is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People! He singled out the New York Times, CNN and the major broadcast news networks.

The media, for its part, escalated its campaign against the new president, branding him an ally, if not agent, of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The logic of this operation, carrying with it the stench of McCarthyism, is war. The media demonization of Putin, like similar media operations against Noriega, Milosevic, Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi and Assad, is a preparation for military aggressionthis time against the worlds second biggest nuclear power.

For his own factional reasons, Trump made a true statement at the press conference when he denounced the media as liars and conduits for the dirty tricks of the intelligence agencies.

The barrage of propaganda is exemplified by the editorial pages of the New York Times, which has come to play the role of de facto organ of the Democratic Party. The lead editorial and four of seven opinion pieces published in Fridays edition were devoted to painting Trump as a Russian agent.

The editorial, Bring On the Special Prosecutor, is a textbook example of yellow journalism and character assassination. It employs the time-tested method of stating unsubstantiated allegation as undisputed fact. Thus, it begins, the question is not whether the Trump administrations ties to the Russia government need to be investigated

What ties? None have been proven, certainly not by the Times. This does not prevent the newspaper from treating its accusations as incontrovertible facts.

Later, the editorial cites news that members of the Trump campaigns inner circle were in repeated contact with Russian intelligence agents last year But the news referenced by the Times is its own front-page article published on Tuesday, which contains no evidence, relying instead on assertions made by four current and former American officials, all of them anonymous.

Even the Times felt obliged to hedge its news with caveats, such as the acknowledgment that several of Mr. Trumps associates have done business in Russia, where it is not unusual for American businessmen to come in contact with foreign intelligence officials, sometimes unwittingly.

These facts lead to the editorials conclusion that Mr. Trumps unexplained allegiance to that country [Russia] and its thug of a president, Vladimir Putin, is a major concern.

This is the modus operandi of McCarthyism. The newspaper is not concerned with truth, but with the demands of American imperialism in relation to the campaign against Russia.

The lead editorial was accompanied by another anti-Trump piece of right-wing hysteria, this one penned by the left economist and Obama/Clinton apologist Paul Krugman. In an op-ed entitled The Silence of the Hacks, he declares, A foreign dictator intervened on behalf of a US presidential candidateand that candidate won. He adds that associates of the new president were in contact with the dictators espionage officials during the campaign, and the president seems oddly solicitous of the dictators interests.

The description of Putin as a dictator is false. He is a right-wing nationalist and authoritarian representative of the Russian oligarchy. However, he has won several elections, winning support by capitalizing on hostility to US aggression in Eastern Europe. The use of language such as dictator (and, in the editorial, thug) is aimed at creating the ideological justification for yet another war for regime-change.

Putin is the product of the restoration of capitalism in Russiaenthusiastically supported by the Times and the American ruling classwhich has had disastrous consequences for the Russian working class. In 1993, the Times could barely conceal its enthusiasm for Boris Yeltsins bombing of the Russian parliament building, at the cost of up to 2,000 lives. No democratic qualms then, since Yeltsin was deemed the best vehicle for implementing shock therapy to dismantle nationalized industry and destroy the social welfare network.

None of this history is of any significance to Paul McCarthy Krugman. He reveals the pro-war sentiment animating his criticisms of Trump when he writes, [N]othing [Trump] has done since the inauguration allays fears that he is in effect a Putin puppet. How can a leader under such a cloud send American soldiers to die?

In the coverage by the Times and other news outlet, there is not the slightest hint that the declarations of anonymous intelligence agents should be treated with any degree of skepticism. It is as though the CIAs lies about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (which the Times helped promote) had never happened.

Krugman exemplifies the intellectual, political and moral corruption of what passes for the left-liberal intelligentsia. The privileged social strata for which Krugman speaks have seen their income steadily rise with the stock market, while the incomes of workers have collapsed. They have become open defenders of imperialism, the capitalist state and the CIA. The entirety of the official left, from Michael Moore, who called Trump a Russian traitor, to Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who issued their own anti-Putin statements, has signed on to the anti-Russian campaign.

There is an unbridgeable gulf between the opposition to Trumps reactionary, anti-democratic policies among masses of workers and youth, and the right-wing, pro-war agenda of the intelligence agencies and their representatives in the Democratic Party and the media.

The establishment critics of Trump are doing everything they can to infect public consciousness with the virus of militarism and hijack a popular movement for reactionary ends. It is necessary to warn strongly against any accommodation to their filthy campaign.

The pressing task in the struggle against the Trump administration is a clean and unequivocal break with the Democratic Party. This struggle must be based in the working class, rallying behind it all the genuinely progressive elements of society on the basis of a socialist political program and intractable opposition to US imperialism.
This statement is being distributed at anti-Trump demonstrations being held in Britain on February 20. To download a pdf version of this statement for distribution, click on the Leaflet link above.

Tens of thousands are protesting throughout Britain against US President Donald Trump.

Those taking to the streets are angered by Trumps anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim measures, threats of war against China and North Korea, his appointment of a cabinet of fascists, generals, big business figures and family members and his gratuitous sexism. He is widely seen as the most prominent representative of similar right-wing movements in Europe and internationally, including Frances National Front and, in Britain, not only the UK Independence Party but also the Conservative government of Prime Minister Theresa May.

However, the two rival groups organising overlapping rallies on February 20, the Stop Trump Coalition and Stand up to Trump, offer no means through which a struggle can be taken forward against Trumps cabinet of billionaires and social reactionaries and Mays pack of baying Thatcherites.

The main protest outside parliament as MPs debate whether Trumps planned state visit should be cancelled is organised by the Stop Trump Coalition. It is led by an alliance of Labour MPs, including former party leader Ed Miliband, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, Plaid Cymru (Party of Wales) and others. It is backed by Trades Union Congress General Secretary Frances OGrady and a dozen leaders of British trade unions who campaigned for a Remain vote in the referendum on European Union (EU) membership last year.

Beneath a pose of moral outrage, the aim of the coalition is to minimise the impact of Britains decision to leave the EU for British capitalism by maintaining access to the single market and ensuring that the UK remains oriented to an alliance with the major European powers.

Unable to reverse the EU referendum result in parliament due to the pledge by Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party not to block Brexit, the pro-Remain forces have taken to the streets hoping to use anti-Trump and anti-racist sentiment as a means of amplifying their anti-Brexit message.

Nowhere will you hear its leading political figures denounce the EUs own vicious anti-migrant measures, which include a Fortress Europe policy that has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of refugees. Instead, there is a sickening depiction not only of the UK but the other European powers as a great civilising alternative to Mays alliance with Trump.

Writing in the Guardian, Paul Mason insists, We need a Dump Trump foreign policy, which he defines as an alliance with countries whose governments and peoples share our values, including France, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada and Greece.

In reality, Frances Socialist Party government is presently showing its commitment to our values by imposing a state of emergency under which thousands of homes have been raided and hundreds arrested, while its police brutalise immigrants at Calais and several were only recently involved in the anal rape of a young Muslim man. In France and in the Netherlands, officially sanctioned racism and xenophobia has brought far-right parties to the brink of governmental office.

Equally significant is Masons citing of Greece, which under Syriza is imposing austerity measures dictated by the EU that have brought about social ruin.

This is the reality of life for working people, whether inside or outside the EUa fact which is of no consequence for the extraordinarily privileged upper-middle class layers that make up the Stop Trump Coalition leadership.

Mason also makes clear the militarist agenda of his progressive alternative, denouncing Trump for threatening the NATO alliance and urging that the UK maintain sanctions against Russia.

The main figure in instigating the Stop Trump Coalition campaign is Guardian journalist Owen Jones.

When the first UK protests against Trump were launched, Jones announced his own protest in London while mounting a McCarthyite witch-hunt against the Socialist Workers Party. He declared that he would not support protests involving organisations including the Stop the War Coalition, Stand Up to Racism, the Peoples Assembly, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Council of Britain, because the SWP, described as a cult which covered up rape, was involveda reference to allegations made in 2013 against a former leading member that were badly mishandled by the organisation.

Jones real political motives were revealed in a tweet in which he called opposing protests a sectarian Peoples [sic] front of Judea pro Brexit demo.

Stand up to Trump does include pro-Brexit tendencies including the SWP, the Communist Party of Britain and Counterfire, but also others hostile to the Blairite wing of the Labour Party and their anti-Corbyn alliance. It boasts that a representative of Corbyns office has observer status. But holding up Corbyn as the figurehead for an alternative movement offers no alternative at all.

Corbyns constant effort is to appease his partys right wing on every issuenot only regarding their naked militarism, but on refusing to defend the migration rights of European workers and in demanding that Labour councils loyally impose the austerity measures demanded by the Tories. In the end, Stand up to Trump merely shadows the forces grouped in the Stop Trump Coalitionlimiting itself to having Mays invitation to Trump rescinded by building the broadest-possible movement.

Trump will not be defeated by denying him an audience with the queen! He is not an aberrant individual to be merely ostracised, but the representative of the capitalist oligarchy in the US, just as May is here in the UK. That is why the only force that can defeat their special relationshipa euphemism for the imposition of savage austerity and turn to trade and military war on both sides of the Atlanticis the working class, armed with a socialist and internationalist programme.

The defence of the democratic rights of immigrants, women, Muslims and other minorities, now under sustained attack, must become an integral part of the fight against inequality, unemployment, poverty, police violence, dictatorship and war. It requires a mass independent political movement of the working class, above all its younger generation, against the capitalist system and for a socialist society free from all forms of oppression.

In this life and death struggle against the governments in Washington and London, the ally of workers and youth in the UK are not the governments in Berlin, Paris and Athens, but the workers of America, Europe and the world. Recognising this, we urge all those in attendance today to take the decision to join the Socialist Equality Party, British section of the International Committee of the Fourth International.
Flags to be lowered in honor of Dandeneau

CALEDONIA  Gov. Scott Walker has ordered flags at all state facilities to be flown at half-staff Saturday, Feb. 18, in memory of former state Rep. Marcel Dandeneau.

Dandeneau, 85, died Feb. 9. In addition to his service in the state Legislature, he was a longtime Democratic activist and former chairman of the Town of Caledonia Board.

Dandeneau served in the state Assembly from 1975-79 and as chief clerk of the Assembly from 1979-81. He was also a veteran of the Korean War.

According to his obituary, a Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1100 Erie St., Racine.

Man arrested after police called to Seeker Motel

RACINE  A Milwaukee man was charged with obstructing an officer after police were called Thursday to the Seeker Motel, 1700 Durand Ave.

Rodney Deshawn Green, 36, of the 3000 block of North 42nd Place, is in custody, according to court records, after he gave two false names to police.

According to the criminal complaint, police were called to the motel after a caller indicated that Green had assaulted another person there.

Green is not facing any assault-related charges stemming from the incident. He made his initial appearance in court Friday on the obstructing charge and his bond was set at $1,000 cash.

According to the criminal complaint, Green first identified himself to police as Shorty before then giving his name as Graylin Mofitt. Seeker management helped identify Green from motel records, police said.

Police also said that Green had an active Department of Corrections warrant. Green has numerous past convictions, including 11 retail theft convictions since 2007.

Green was also incarcerated from June 2011 to July 2012 and October 2012 to February 2014.

Greens next court appearance in Racine County is scheduled for March 16, court records indicate.

Illinois man charged with

bank robberies

RACINE  The Illinois man accused of robbing banks in Racine and Kenosha on Feb. 12 had his initial appearance in Racine County Circuit Court on Friday.

Jason A. Crawford, 34, of the 7900 block of Dada Drive in Gurnee, Ill., was charged Monday with robbery of a financial institution, a felony.

According to the criminal complaint:

Crawford allegedly was observed on video surveillance Sunday robbing a teller at the Tri City National Bank branch located inside Piggly Wiggly, 3900 Erie St., and a Guaranty Bank branch in Kenosha. Crawford received the cash by allegedly passing a note to the teller stating he was armed and seeking money.

His vehicle was spotted and he was arrested the same day in the 4000 block of Main Street at the Caledonia/Wind Point border. Investigating officers found several items in a nearby trash bin allegedly related to the Tri City robbery including: two black jackets; black shoes; and a small plastic bag containing U.S. currency that was stained with red dye.

Police also found several items in his vehicle, including: A brown paper bag with U.S. currency; a bag containing three plastic bags of capped needles, which police said are similar to those used to take heroin; a 9mm semi-automatic handgun; multiple ammunition magazines; and a folding knife.

As of Friday, Crawford remained in the Racine County Jail, 717 Wisconsin Ave., on a $7,500 bond.

Crawford is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 22.

Man charged with theft after reportedly taking $10K

CALEDONIA  A Caledonia man is facing charges after he allegedly stole money from a gas station he was working at as a handyman.

According to the criminal complaint:

James R. Schneck, 37, of the 9500 block of Four Mile Road, was charged with theft in a business setting after he reportedly stole $10,000 after the gas station management received a large sum of money following a local car auction.

After the gas station manager counted the funds from the sale, he noticed that exactly $10,000 missing from the box where he kept the auction profits. After reviewing surveillance footage, the manager allegedly Schneck remove several bundles of money from the box.

Police responded to the 7900 block of East Frontage Road Wednesday to take the complaint and later apprehended Schneck, who reportedly later admitted taking the money.

Schnecks next appearance is a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. on Feb. 22 at the Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.
The US Senate voted Friday to confirm former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt was approved with 52 votes in favor and 46 against in a near-party-line ballot. Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota broke ranks, joining Republicans in support of Pruitt. Maine Republican Susan Collins voted along with the remaining Democrats against the confirmation.

Pruitt is part of a slate of right-wing, anti-regulation ideologues nominated by President Donald Trump and approved by the Senate for top positions within the executive branch. He has no environmental qualifications apart from his strident opposition to the agency he now leads. As Oklahoma attorney general, Pruitt filed at least 14 lawsuits challenging the authority of the EPA to regulate industry.

As head of the EPA, Pruitt will lead an effort to gut anti-pollution requirements for American businesses. He will also oversee an attempt to dramatically shrink the EPAs current workforce of 15,000.

Of 22 cabinet-level appointments, only labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder has thus far failed to garner enough support for Senate confirmation. He withdrew Wednesday after opposition emerged within the Republican Party in the face of accusations of domestic violence and his hiring of an undocumented immigrant. Eight nominees are still awaiting committee hearings or approval votes.

The ability of the Republican Party to push through two-thirds of Trumps nominees to date, forming a cabinet of billionaires, ex-generals and social reactionaries, is in large part due to the half-hearted and duplicitous character of the Democrats opposition. Whatever differences exist over how fast and how far to roll back the social reforms of the 20th century, including protection of health and the environment, they are overshadowed by the disputes that have emerged over foreign policy. The focal point of opposition from the Democrats is their neo-McCarthyite campaign to ensure there is no let up in the aggressive stance towards Russia.

The Democrats responded to Pruitts nomination in similar fashion to their response to other Trump nominees for domestic policy departments, nominally protesting their far-right character but mounting no serious challenge. They twice boycotted Senate Environment and Public Works Committee votes on Pruitt, only to watch Republicans suspend committee rules and move the confirmation to the full Senate for approval.

Democrats made a last minute push to delay final voting Friday until after thousands of email communications between the former Oklahoma attorney general and oil and gas companies are released next week. A federal court in Oklahoma ruled Thursday in favor of a citizen group's Freedom of Information Act inquiry requesting the communications. Senate Democrats pressed for a weeks delay, assuming that the documents would reveal the scandalous relationship between Pruitt and regulated industries he was backing in lawsuits against the EPA.

Yet the role of Pruitt as a shill for the fossil fuel industry is already well documented. His policy positions as Oklahoma attorney general directly lined up with, and at times were authored by, the states powerful oil and gas industry. His fundraising operation was dominated by donations from energy companies. There is no shortage of material documenting this alliance, including a 2011 letter to the EPA signed by Pruitt, secretly written by one of Oklahomas biggest drilling companies, Devon Energy.

In his confirmation hearings, Pruitt indicated his intention to aggressively carry out Trumps deregulation agenda. If confirmed, he said during his opening statement last month, I will utilize the relationships I have forged with my counterparts in the states to ensure that EPA returns to its proper role, rather than using a heavy hand to coerce the states into effectuating EPA policies.

The EPA policies immediately targeted for returning to the states include rules governing climate change and pollution discharges into wetlands. President Trump is expected visit EPA headquarters and announce executive orders related to the agencys work that will suck the air out of the room, a source inside the administration reportedly told Inside EPA. EPA staffers were told in briefings with senior leadership to expect between two and five executive orders forthcoming, but no information was provided on their content.

As for the longer-term strategy, Myron Ebell, the former chair of Trumps EPA transition team, indicated in an interview last month with the Washington Post his vision for the future. Ebell recommended cutting staffing to 5,000 from the current 15,000. Regulatory overreach will be much more difficult if the agency is a lot smaller, he said. He also suggested cutting the agencys $8.1 billion budget in half.
Drivers employed by Southern Rail voted by 54 percent to reject a rotten deal, engineered by the ASLEF union and the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

The deal would have enabled Govia Thameslink Rail (GTR), which runs the busy network, to enforce the expansion of Driver Only Operation (DOO) trains, transferring guards to so-called On Board Supervisors (OBS), as a prelude to their dismissal.

This principled stand by a majority of drivers comes despite immense pressure from management and the union to accept the deal. The drivers had already been involved in six days of strike action and an overtime ban against the very conditions ASLEF and the TUC hoped to enforce against them.

ASLEF and the TUC had hoped the loss of thousands of pounds in wages would enable them to impose these conditions, where management had failed. Nothing else can account for the fact that they were prepared to negotiate such an open sell-out with GTR.

The deal stated that the driver is responsible for the control, movement and despatch of the train. This in no way differs from the governments adoption of Lord McNultys massive job cutting proposals in 2012 which specify that the default position for train operation is single manned.

ASLEF agreed to restore the integrity and resilience of the service, by accepting that Southern could run trains without a guard or OBS under certain circumstancesa list of which was so wide-ranging as to make the restriction meaningless. The circumstances included absence, lateness, absence before or during a service, no alternative cover, sickness, emergency leave, delayed on services whilst passing from one job to another or on route to start a service, displaced by late running, sickness or assault while working, driver or OBS error where OBS is left behind, where OBS has to leave service to deal with a passenger issue or civil emergency, and so on.

The union further accepted deployment of OBS will only occur in degraded conditions, and only if the OBS holds relevant competency (which is not guaranteed) they may then operate doors if the DOO technology fails. ASLEF have agreed a major upgrade of technical systems to ensure all services can operate as driver only, confirming the OBS is a temporary fix until the new technology is installed.

In a damning indictment of the potential dangers of the agreement, the deal has a clause enabling the exploration of the scope and feasibility of an indemnity scheme for drivers. In other words, it acknowledges the possibility that drivers could face criminal charges if passengers are injured or killed because of the expansion of DOO.

This can hardly be reassuring to drivers, much less the tens of thousands of passengers that are already treated worse than cattle on the Southern networkas many others across the country. Southern GTR provides damning proof that the government and private rail companies are willing to drive services into the ground and force the removal of vital safety workers to line the pockets of shareholders, with the taxpayer footing the bill.

Another key part of the deal is that hundreds of drivers losing their jobs due to contraction in the freight sector will be relocated to GTR. ASLEF put this in the deal as a further means of trying to induce drivers into accepting the deal, on the grounds that to do otherwise would block their soon to be redundant colleagues from getting jobs with GTR. But a deal reached with GTR over supposed job protection for one group of workers, that is to be achieved at displacing thousands of conductors, is as worthless as the paper it is written on.

The reality is that the ASLEF-TUC agreement was aimed at imposing a defeat on railway workers that would have become the blueprint throughout the UK. Its aim was to divide drivers from conductors, downgrade the conductors as a prelude to removing them altogether, and thenhaving achieved thiscome after the drivers themselves. The Rail Delivery Group that is organising the attack on the conductors jobs wants driverless trains nationally as soon as the technology is in place.

The final section of the deal makes clear that management and the union are on the same side against workers. Titled Restoration of positive relationships, it declares, Both parties accept that 2016 was a difficult year during which the previously positive and constructive working relations between the company, ASLEF and individual drivers was damaged by strikes and legal action. It concludes, GTR and ASLEF are keen to rebuild these relations.

The TUC was brought in to help ASLEF negotiate this treacherous agreement because demands by Conservative government representatives to break the strike had failed. When any struggle threatens corporate profits, the TUC can be relied upon to impose the demands of big business.

Small wonder that the government and media congratulated ASLEF and the TUC for the deal, praising the rail union for its sensible and moderate approach, while denouncing continuing strikes by Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) drivers and conductors on GTR as the actions of wreckers. The TUC and ASLEF have given succour to the right-wing press to renew their offensive against any step taken by the working class to defend itself.

Despite the result, however, transport workers and commuters alike face real dangers. ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan claimed, We understand and support the decision arrived at democratically by our members and will now work to deliver a resolution in line with their expectations.

What he really means is that the union will try to make a few tweaks to the deal to push it through. The TUC has already said that the agreement is the best that workers can expect. The narrowness of the result will be used to browbeat those who voted against into acceptance, and then as a stick to beat other sections of workers.

Nor can any trust be placed in the RMT, despite its description of ASLEFs agreement as a betrayal. RMT General Secretary Mick Cash entered discussions with the company immediately after the sell-out was made public. He was left in no doubt by GTR chief Charles Horton that driver only targets for GTR services had been doubled since the conflict began last spring and that the OBS role would not be safety critical.

At a mass meeting of Southern conductors called to discuss the way forward, Cash announced that the RMT were ready to call off a strike ballot by London Midland conductors (who work for the same company, Govia). This was under conditions in which a massive strike vote was expected, as conductors were resisting the introduction of security guards on trains ready to take over their roles.

Although management agreed to remove security from trains, it was a tactical retreat by Govia, who did not want to face joint strikes by all conductors in its franchises. This they calculated would make it easier to attack Southern GTR conductors. This divisive act was described by Cash as a massive victory.

This effectively removed London Midland workers from the battle, under conditions in which Merseyrail and Arriva Trains Northern conductors are balloting against the threat to their jobs by the introduction of DOO. Conductors on Merseyrail confront not only the private rail company who are introducing driver only trains, but the local Labour council who have given their stamp of approval.

Transport workers must draw the necessary conclusion from these events. The unions are not workers organisations but an instrument of management. They cannot be trusted and must not be allowed to negotiate in the name of their members.

The Socialist Equality Party calls on workers to begin discussions in every depot to prepare a fight back. This requires the establishment of rank-and-file committees in every workplace, bringing together conductors, drivers and all rail employees to defend their jobs, wages and conditions.

Above all, workers must recognise that they face a political battle. The vicious attack by the government and the media makes clear that the defence of workers rights involves a fight against the entire state. This includes the Labour Party, which has not lifted a finger in defence of the Southern workers, despite the supposedly left leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

What is needed is a new leadership and fighting organisation, based on an internationalist and socialist strategy. All workers that want to build rank-and-file committees and take up this battle should contact the Socialist Equality Party today.
Protests involving thousands of workers in public and private sectors have erupted in Sri Lanka against declining living conditions, job destruction and attacks on democratic rights. These struggles are a sign of the mass social upheavals to come against the pro-US government and the capitalist class as whole.

* Government nurses are currently in a two-week long protest campaign, picketing and distributing leaflets. On Thursday, a section of National Water Supply and Sewerage Development Board employees started another protest. The non-academic staff of higher education institutions, including 13 state universities, held a one-day strike on February 7. The previous day, workers at the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) demonstrated in central Colombo. The main demand of all these workers is a wage increase because of the increasingly intolerable cost of living due to taxes on essentials and the devaluation of the rupee.

* Some 1,100 Sri Lanka Telecom contract workers have been on strike since December 24, demanding job permanency. Around 200 CEB hired hands held a protest for more than three weeks, starting from December 26, on a similar demand, after the CEB sacked 1,400 manual workers last year.

* On February 3, about 1,000 Colombo Harbor workers protested against privatisation. In December, the government deployed navy soldiers to suppress a struggle of nearly 500 Hambantota/Magampura Port workers who were demanding permanent jobs.

* A hundred and fifty locked-out Global Star Logistics workers at Seeduwa, near Colombo, have been protesting near the factory since January 13, demanding reinstatement.

* In January and early February, thousands of tea plantation workers at Agarapathana and Nanu-Oya in the central hills districts came out in protest against wage cuts under a new collective agreement, which was imposed with the backing of the trade unions.

Showing the depth of the social unrest engulfing the country, university students have intensified their campaign against the privatisation of education. Peasant agitations have also erupted in rural areas, demanding compensation for losses caused by the drought and protesting against the governments attempt to grab land for big companies.

In the war-ravaged north and east, Tamil workers and the poor are in continuous protests against the suppression of democratic rights by the ongoing military occupation, the non-return of land seized by the military and disappearances of people during and after the protracted communal war.

These struggles have come into direct conflict with the policies of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The government has unleashed the austerity program dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), imposing heavy taxes on almost all goods and services and privatising state corporations and education.

Yet, the trade unions have called these protests to defuse anger among workers, but are limiting them to sectoral demands in order to divide the working class. The unions are terrified that unified action would develop into a political challenge for the government. Almost all these unions helped elect the pro-US President Sirisena, thus diverting the mass discontent against the former President Mahinda Rajapakse.

The Colombo Port, CEB and nurses protests were called by unions affiliated to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). The JVP and its unions helped Sirisena to come to power. As widespread discontent has developed, they have called protests, calling on workers to make futile appeals to the government to meet their demands. University non-academic unions, which back the government, are peddling similar illusions.

Workers and the poor cannot pressure the government into granting their demands, as claimed by the trade unions and the pseudo-left groups, such as the United Socialist Party and Frontline Socialist Party. And another fake-left group, the Nava Sama Samaja Party, has been directly helping the governments measures against workers and youth.

The governments attacks are driven by the mounting crisis of the global capitalist system, which is undergoing an economic breakdown similar to those prior to World Wars I and II. Sri Lanka is being battered by this crisis.

In the sharpest expression of the world turmoil, newly-elected US President Donald Trumps administration has advanced a reactionary nationalist agenda. It is seeking to aggressively assert US hegemony over the globe while intensifying attacks on the working class at home. The US ruling cliques are in a ferocious struggle over which country should be the first target of attackRussia or China? This is intensifying the war tensions between the major powers, threatening a Third World War.

This nationalist drive is erupting in all the imperialist countries. The British ruling class has opted to withdraw from the European Union. The German and Japanese governments have started their own re-militarisation drives, intensifying the geo-strategic tensions. India, the regional power, has allied increasingly with US war preparations against China.

The Sri Lankan government is deepening its military and political ties with Washington, while ruthlessly continuing the austerity policies that began under Rajapakses regime. Indicating the depth of its crisis, the government is seeking to borrow $US2.6 billion this year to avert bankruptcy. The Central Bank governor has characterised the countrys economy as being in hospitalised conditions, under treatment by the IMF.

The government is increasingly unleashing military-police methods to suppress the struggles of workers and poor. Wickremesinghe recently warned that the government will defeat the extremists who are trying to interrupt the countrys economy through marches, strikes and campaigns. The government is equipping and training security forces and introducing draconian new counter-terrorism laws.

Concerned about the social unrest, the opposition led by Rajapakse has launched a vicious chauvinist campaign, claiming that the government is going to divide the country by ceding a part to Tamils. Making appeals to the military as war heroes, Rajapakse is seeking to re-take power to again attack working people.

Rivaling Rajapakses communalist campaign, the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government is also invoking the supposed revival of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in order to maintain the military occupation of the north and east and divide workers along ethnic lines.

Sirisena won the 2015 presidential election because the pseudo-left groups, trade unions, the JVP and Tamil parties falsely painted him as a democratic alternative who would improve living conditions.

These bogus claims have been shattered. Only the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and WSWS stated at the time: Rajapakse heads an autocratic regime that is responsible for tens of thousands of civilian deaths during the war against the LTTE, and police-state measures against opposition to its austerity program. The SEP warns, however, that Sirisena, if elected, would be just as ruthless as Rajapakse in prosecuting the interests of the ruling class. All the opposition parties gathered around the common candidate have blood on their hands.

This warning has been proved to the letter. Workers must come to grips with the political issues and prepare consciously to fight for their rights. The same trade unions, fake-lefts, NGOs and political parties are seeking to set other political traps, saying the government is preparing a democratic constitution and people must wait for that. At the same time, pseudo-lefts are attempting to form left fronts to pressure the government. Workers must reject these frauds.

* Workers cannot subordinate the fight for their democratic and social rights to any faction of the ruling class and pro-government and opposition trade unions. They do not represent the interests of workers and the poor.

There is a growing opposition to the trade unions and bureaucracies who are limiting and suppressing workers struggles. In many tea estates, workers held protests in October last year over wage demands, defying the unions opposition. A section of plantation workers formed an action committee at the Deeside estate, totally independent of the trade unions, to campaign for their rights with the SEPs help.

Workers must build new organisations in the form of action committees in workplaces and estates, democratically elected by themselves, and completely independent of the unions. They must take decisions to develop the class struggle by unifying with every section of workers, rejecting the sectoral barriers imposed by the unions.

* Struggles of workers have erupted in every country against the attacks imposed by the capitalist classes. Sri Lankan workers have to unite with these workers internationally to fight against the threat of world war and for an international socialist program.

The growth of class struggles, involving tens of thousands of workers, has been seen in imperialist centres, including Europe, America and Australia, and also in China, India and Bangladesh. Millions of workers came out in the US, Europe and many other countries opposing President Trumps attacks on immigrants.

* To fight against the attacks on living conditions, jobs and social rights such as education, health and price subsidies, and the assault on democratic rights, workers need a political program.

Big business, estates and banks must be nationalised under workers control and foreign debts must be repudiated, in order to organise the economy for the benefit of the vast majority of society, ending the capitalist profit system. The working class must take the leadership of poor peasants and youth, including students, for a united struggle against capitalism.

These tasks can be fulfilled only by establishing a workers and peasants government in the form of a Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Eelam, as part of the struggle for socialism in South Asia and internationally.

Above all what is required is the building of a revolutionary leadership in the working class to fight for socialist internationalism. We urge workers, youth and class-conscious intellectuals to study the perspective of the SEP and to join and build it as the mass party of socialist revolution.
The law-and-order, anti-Tamil hysteria whipped up by the Sri Lankan ruling elite over the alleged assassination attempt against Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M. Sumanthiran has all the hallmarks of a state provocation.

With President Maithripala Sirisenas government increasingly discredited, and protests mounting against its reactionary policies, various figures in the political establishment are warning of a revival of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from the 1983-2009 Sri Lankan Civil war or even demanding mass arrests. The pretext for this hysteria is an alleged plot to kill Sumanthiran. However, reports of this plot come only from anonymous Sri Lankan security officials and lack any factual substantiation whatsoever.

On January 28, the Hindu, an Indian daily, reported that it had received information on condition of anonymity from a well-placed source in the Sri Lankan government about a failed assassination attempt. On the same day, the Daily Mirror ran a comment by Canadian-based journalist D. B. S. Jeyaraj, who cited Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) sources, asserting that the plot was hatched by pro-LTTE forces in the Tamil diaspora.

It emerged later that, 12 days before, the TID had arrested five rehabilitated ex-LTTE members. It charged them with planning to assassinate Sumanthiran on December 12 and January 13 at public events in Jaffna. The TID failed to provide any details except that, at the time of their arrest, they were in possession of narcotics.

Remarkably, given the TNAs record of support for President Maithripala Sirisenas US-backed regime, it ignored the warnings about the plot. Sumanthiran said he was informed of the plot by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghes office on his way to Jaffna, advising him to return to Colombo. Nonetheless, Sumanthiran continued on to Jaffna and spoke at the public event where he was supposedly to be killed.

Sumanthiran added that Wickremesinghe and Sirisena contacted him personally to express their concern.

When Sumanthiran spoke on February 1 about the alleged plot, he implicitly dismissed claims that it was organized by ex-LTTE forces and raised the possibility of Sri Lankan state involvement. He told London-based IBC TV, I am not clear who is behind this plan. They say it is being planned abroad, but who is behind the plan is not known to me. In the past, there were strong suspicions about state intelligence in a few similar incidents.

Sumanthiran also speculated that his role in preparing a draft of a new, US-backed Sri Lankan constitution could have led to attempts to assassinate him. This is a political fraud, however, insofar as the new constitution is not designed to grant democratic rights to the Tamil minority and unify the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim populations, but to fit the foreign policy interests of US imperialism and provide the Colombo regime with additional police and military powers.

US Ambassador Atul Keshap has said that the United States intends to be a partner of the Sri Lankan military and assist the government in drafting the new constitution. Since 2015, Development Alternatives Incorporated, believed to be a CIA front company, began assistance to the parliament, holding workshops for parliamentary staff on the constitution.

The official hysteria manufactured over the alleged plot against Sumanthiran must be seen in the context of the political crisis that has developed after the 2015 US-backed regime change operation that installed Sirisena as president, and particularly after the election of Trump in the United States.

Two years after taking power, Sirisenas government has met none of its election promises. Instead, IMF-dictated reforms have devastated the population and provoked deep anger among workers and the poor. At the same time, tensions between the United States, China and India are surging. This intensifies political conflicts in the Sri Lankan ruling class, as Washington seeks to use Sri Lanka as a military outpost in the Indian Ocean in its pivot to Asia against China.

Sirisenas government and the Sinhala-chauvinist opposition are using the alleged plot to warn of an LTTE revival. This is intended to justify police state measures against opposition of workers and the poorSinhala, Tamil and Muslim alike.

Sirisena took office presenting a 100 Day Programme to abolish the executive presidency and improve living standards through salary increases, pension schemes and other social benefits. None of the problems emerging from the Sri Lankan Civil War have been solved, however, since 2009.

Relatives of missing people and owners of army-occupied lands regularly organise hunger strikes and protests against the government and the TNA, which campaigned for a Sirisena vote. TNA leader R. Sampanthan promised that the Tamil people would obtain a political solution in the framework of a new constitution before the end of 2016.

Moreover, Sampanthan promised an international investigation of Sri Lankan war crimes and the release of political prisoners, as well as to find disappeared people and withdraw the military from occupied private lands. Far from fulfilling any of these promises, the TNA became complicit in the policies of Sirisena and of Washington The workers and poor sense that the TNA is part of the government, and its leaders refrain from participating in protests, fearing reprisals from the people.

Amid the hysteria over the alleged LTTE revival, Sirisena is trying to send fresh police forces to repress opposition to the government and the TNA in the North. Already, citing the police murder of two university students in October, thousands of military-style Special Task Force (STF) members were sent to Jaffna. Additional STF were sent allegedly to control criminal youth gangs and drug trafficking.

Patali Champika, the cabinet minister and leader of the racist Jathika Hela Urumaya, demanded the immediate arrest of 12,000 former LTTE members to ensure the islands security.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said his government anticipated the revival of the LTTE, accusing Sirisena of removing military camps and cutting support for military intelligence, and thus undermining national security.

Such demands are part of an anti-Tamil campaign led by the common opposition, aimed at dividing the working class along communal lines. In reality, military intelligence controls the life of civilians in the Tamil-majority North, and ex-LTTE cadres in particular are continually monitored.

Since 2009, threats of an LTTE revival have repeatedly been used to divert class tensions along communal lines. In March 2014, Rajapakses government arrested 60 people allegedly involved in a regroupment of the LTTE. In April, Major General Udaya Perera informed the Tamil daily Uthayan that four suspects were in custody for resurgence of terrorism in coordination with diaspora LTTE forces. Later, the military stated that these LTTE suspects were killed in a battle involving 2,500 soldiers and 18 armoured vehicles.

Even if LTTE sympathizers outside of Sri Lanka were involved in some sort of plot against Sumanthiran, this would not prove that the Sri Lankan state was not involved. In March 2016, a suicide kit wrapped in a Sinhala newspaper and explosive devices were found in a house in Chavakachcheri. Minister of Foreign Affairs G. L. Peris told the press that these weapons were ready to be dispatched to Colombo for a terrorist attack. The TID arrested 11 ex-LTTE leaders for planning the attack.

It turned out, however, that the plotters had close state connections. Colombo-based Lankanews reported on February 12 that Sri Lankan army intelligence officials residing in Paris stored the weapons in the house with the help of a former LTTE member now living in Paris. The army paid the house owner 200,000 Sri Lankan rupees (US$1,327) per month for doing so.
United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams said Thursday that the union would intensify its reactionary Buy American campaign. At the same time, the UAW chief praised President Donald Trump for his call to renegotiate the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The announcement by Williams underscores the full solidarity of the UAW with the right-wing nationalist demagogy of the Trump administration. The day after Williams announced the Buy American campaign, President Trump declared in a speech to workers at the Boeing factory in North Charleston, South Carolina that his mantra was, Buy American. Hire American.

The occasion for Trumps speech was the launch of Boeings newest aircraft, the Dreamliner 787-10. Significantly, the president did not mention the crushing defeat the International Association of Machinists suffered earlier in the week in a union recognition vote at the North Charleston facility. In a bow to the steelworkers union bureaucracy, Trump restated his order calling for use of American steel in the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. He concluded his remarks declaring, God Bless America and God Bless Boeing!

In his announcement, Williams indicated that the union aims to develop a television advertising campaign to promote the purchase of American made products and is developing a list to make it easier for consumers to identify US-built vehicles. He added, Were seeing a trend  the boycott may be coming back, referring to non-US manufactured vehicles.

The revival of the Buy American campaign and the alignment of the UAW with the Trump administration on the basis of America First chauvinism underscores the utterly reactionary role of the unions, which long ago ceased to be workers organizations. The UAW is throwing a political lifeline to the Trump administration in the midst of mass protests against the right-wing, anti-democratic measures being enacted by the White House.

The UAW has a long and unsavory record of using nationalist poison to divert the anger of autoworkers over the destruction of jobs. The aim of its promotion of Buy American nationalism is to pit workers in the United States against their brother auto workers, in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China and all over the world in a battle for who can work for the cheapest wages and lowest costs. The Buy American strategy of the UAW and the campaign against NAFTA has not resulted in the defense of a single job. It has, however, coincided with the imposition of round after round of concessions onto the backs of auto workers, with the full collaboration of the UAW.

The promotion of economic nationalism by the UAW takes place amidst signs of the winding down of the auto sales boom of recent years and the resumption of layoffs in the auto industry. GM recently announced the indefinite layoff of over 3,000 workers at three plants in Ohio and Michigan, including 1,300 workers at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant whose last day is March 3.

At the same time, Ford has announced a spate of temporary layoffs at its facilities, and Fiat Chrysler is in the midst of a restructuring that involves the idling of several plants, including the six-month shutdown of part of the Jeep complex in Toledo, Ohio.

The layoffs underscore the false claims by UAW that the 2015 sellout agreements with Detroit automakers contained job protections. In fact, the deals facilitated layoffs by expanding the number of temporary workers who are not eligible for supplemental unemployment benefits and other protections.

The promotion of America First chauvinism by the UAW dovetails with the anti-immigrant hysteria of the Trump administration. While the UAW has made a pro forma criticism of Trumps ban on immigrants from seven majority Muslim countries, the attempt to scapegoat workers in other countries for the failure of the capitalist profit system has an inevitable logic.

This was tragically demonstrated in the case of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man brutally murdered by two Chrysler foremen who thought he was Japanese. The killing, on June 19, 1982, took place in the midst of a ferocious anti-Japanese campaign promoted by the UAW and the Democratic Party, blaming imports for the loss of US jobs. The campaign included UAW officials smashing Toyota automobiles with sledgehammers.

American workers are objectively united with autoworkers globally in a production process integrated across continents and oceans. Any attempt to retrench production within the bounds of national borders would entail a massive step backward for mankind in terms of the development of the productive forces.

Not only is the UAW-Trump campaign to Buy American reactionary, it is absurd. This has been at least partially conceded by the UAW, which has had great difficulty putting together a list of built-in-America vehicles, given the domination of production by transnational companies that operate all over the world.

For example, most of the vehicles sold in the US by Japanese-based automakers Honda and Toyota are also built in the US. Honda alone employs some 30,000 workers in the United States. Meanwhile, many vehicles sold in the US by the Detroit-based auto companies are assembled outside the US, with parts sourced in multiple countries.

The promotion of nationalism is also aimed at preparing the population for war. The identification of the interests of American workers with their own American corporate bosses and billionaires is aimed at preserving the myth of a unified American nation without internal class divisions. It is part of the preparations for lining up American workers against their brothers and sisters internationally, whether in China, Russia, Iran or whatever is the next target of US imperialism.

The promotion of nationalist snake oil by the UAW has nothing to do with the defense of jobs. It is not workers in other countries that are behind job insecurity, low wages and brutal working conditions, but the capitalist profit system that subordinates the rights of workers to the amassing of wealth by a handful of billionaires.

Jobs can only be defended by workers through a break with the UAW and its nationalist, pro capitalist program and by uniting with their counterparts overseas in a common struggle against the transnational companies. This means the building of an independent political movement of the working class aimed at reorganizing world production on the basis of meeting human need, not profit.
The Trump administration considered a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants, including millions living nowhere near the Mexico border, according to a draft memo obtained by The Associated Press.

Staffers in the Department of Homeland Security said the proposal had been discussed as recently as last Friday.

The 11-page document calls for the unprecedented militarization of immigration enforcement as far north as Portland, Oregon, and as far east as New Orleans, Louisiana.

Four states that border on Mexico were included in the proposal  California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas  but it also encompasses seven states contiguous to those four  Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Friday the document was "not a White House document."

"There is no effort to do what is potentially suggested," he said. Spicer called the AP report "100 percent not true, adding that there was "no effort at all to utilize the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants."

A DHS official described the document as a very early draft that was not seriously considered and never brought to the secretary for approval.

The AP had sought comment from the White House beginning Thursday and DHS earlier Friday and had not received a response from either.

Governors in the 11 states would have had a choice whether to have their guard troops participate, according to the memo, which bears the name of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general.

While National Guard personnel have been used to assist with immigration-related missions on the U.S.-Mexico border before, they have never been used as broadly or as far north.

The memo was addressed to the then-acting heads of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It would have served as guidance to implement the wide-ranging executive order on immigration and border security that President Donald Trump signed Jan. 25. Such memos are routinely issued to supplement executive orders.

Also dated Jan. 25, the draft memo says participating troops would be authorized "to perform the functions of an immigration officer in relation to the investigation, apprehension and detention of aliens in the United States." It describes how the troops would be activated under a revived state-federal partnership program, and states that personnel would be authorized to conduct searches and identify and arrest any unauthorized immigrants.

If implemented, the impact could have been significant. Nearly one-half of the 11.1 million people residing in the U.S. without authorization live in the 11 states, according to Pew Research Center estimates based on 2014 Census data.

Use of National Guard troops would greatly increase the number of immigrants targeted in one of Trump's executive orders last month, which expanded the definition of who could be considered a criminal and therefore a potential target for deportation. That order also allows immigration agents to prioritize removing anyone who has "committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense."

Under current rules, even if the proposal had been implemented, there would not be immediate mass deportations. Those with existing deportation orders could be sent back to their countries of origin without additional court proceedings. But deportation orders generally would be needed for most other unauthorized immigrants.

The troops would not be nationalized, remaining under state control.

Spokespeople for the governors of nine of the states either declined to comment or said it was premature to discuss whether they would participate.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said his state had not had any contact about the proposal, but added, "I would have concerns about the utilization of National Guard resources for immigration enforcement. I believe it would be too much of a strain on our National Guard personnel."

A representative for Texas did not immediately respond to the AP.

The proposal would have extended the federal-local partnership program that President Barack Obama's administration began scaling back in 2012 to address complaints that it promoted racial profiling.

The 287(g) program, which Trump included in his immigration executive order, gives local police, sheriff's deputies and state troopers the authority to assist in the detection of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally as a regular part of their law enforcement duties on the streets and in jails.

The draft memo also mentions other items included in Trump's executive order, including the hiring of an additional 5,000 border agents, which needs financing from Congress, and his campaign promise to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The signed order contained no mention of the possible use of state National Guard troops.

According to the draft memo, the militarization effort was to be proactive, specifically empowering Guard troops to solely carry out immigration enforcement, not as an add-on the way local law enforcement is used in the program.

Allowing Guard troops to operate inside non-border states also would go far beyond past deployments.

In addition to responding to natural or man-made disasters or for military protection of the population or critical infrastructure, state Guard forces have been used to assist with immigration-related tasks on the U.S.-Mexico border, including the construction of fences.

In the mid-2000s, President George W. Bush twice deployed Guard troops on the border to focus on non-law enforcement duties to help augment the Border Patrol as it bolstered its ranks. And in 2010, then-Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced a border security plan that included Guard reconnaissance, aerial patrolling and military exercises.

In July 2014, then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry ordered 1,000 National Guard troops to the border when the surge of migrant children fleeing violence in Central America overwhelmed U.S. officials responsible for their care. The Guard troops' stated role on the border at the time was to provide extra sets of eyes but not make arrests.

Bush initiated the federal 287(g) program  named for a section of a 1996 immigration law  to allow specially trained local law enforcement officials to participate in immigration enforcement on the streets and check whether people held in local jails were in the country illegally. ICE trained and certified roughly 1,600 officers to carry out those checks from 2006 to 2015.

The memo describes the program as a "highly successful force multiplier" that identified more than 402,000 "removable aliens."

But federal watchdogs were critical of how DHS ran the program, saying it was poorly supervised and provided insufficient training to officers, including on civil rights law. Obama phased out all the arrest power agreements in 2013 to instead focus on deporting recent border crossers and immigrants in the country illegally who posed a safety or national security threat.

Trump's immigration strategy emerges as detentions at the nation's southern border are down significantly from levels seen in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Last year, the arrest tally was the fifth-lowest since 1972. Deportations of people living in the U.S. illegally also increased under the Obama administration, though Republicans criticized Obama for setting prosecution guidelines that spared some groups from the threat of deportation, including those brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

Last week, ICE officers arrested more than 680 people around the country in what Kelly said were routine, targeted operations; advocates called the actions stepped-up enforcement under Trump.
GADSDEN COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Last night, the Gadsden County School Board held the second of seven community meetings about reconfiguration.

Quincy residents voiced strong opposition to the potential closing of St. John Elementary School. But the chairman of the school board offered an option that they seemed to agree with.

It's actually an option the board discussed years ago when the district went from four high schools to two.

The board chair says the next step was to build a new school in between Gretna and St. John Elementary.

This option is part of board chair Isaac Simmons' reconfiguration plan which hasn't really been talked about at these meetings.

So, how much would it cost to build a new school?

Clearly, we're talking about millions of dollars but the district would need to consider several factors, including finding property and the costs to design and construct the facility.

It also involves adding operating costs and administrative costs but Simmons says a new school would be a fair compromise for the community.

Simmons says the district would need to apply for "Special Facility Funding" this year. In his proposal, he estimates it will take two years to build the new school but the district hasn't identified exactly where it would be.

It will be interesting to see if this idea picks up steam in the next community meeting.

That's Monday night at Chattahoochee Elementary.
Two sculptures from the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, disfigured by ISIS fighters armed with hammers, have been painstakingly repaired by Italian restoration experts.

The funerary busts of a man and a woman were among a trove of artifacts spirited out of Palmyra by Khalid al-As'ad, the site's head of antiquities, in an attempt to save them from complete destruction as ISIS terrorists occupied the region in 2015.

Al-As'ad's refusal to reveal where he had hidden the priceless carvings cost the 82-year-old university professor his life: he was publicly beheaded by militants in the city's main square in August 2015.

Italy's former minister of culture, Francesco Rutelli, organized the transportation of the two statues from Damascus, via Beirut, to Rome, where experts set to work restoring them.

The busts, which date back to the second and third century, are now on display with replicas of other damaged artifacts from Syria and Iraq in a UNESCO-sponsored exhibition at Rome's Coliseum.

3-D printed repair work

"Italy wanted to maintain the request of the martyr of Palmyra, Khaled al-As'ad, who refused to collaborate with terrorists," Rutelli said.

Now head of the cultural heritage organization Meeting of Civilizations Association, Rutelli said ISIS had "ravaged [Palmyra's] museums with the purpose to destroy."

Antonio Iaccarino, from Equilibrarte, the organization which carried out the repairs with Rome's Central Restoration Institute, explained the new techniques used in the work.

"In the past, in a restoration process like this one, the entire damaged area would have been removed and reconstructed. In our case, we did not modify the original part of the sculpture in any way," he said.

Reassembled elements of the statue were created by mirroring the artifact using nylon powder and then stamping them with a 3-D printer, Iaccarino said.

'Erasing the act of violence'

"When I saw the destruction for the first time, I was hit with such distress," said Daria Montemaggiori, another of the restorers.

"You could see the wickedness to eliminate, erase the human image. Seeing this, I was emotionally charged. The work of restoration allows us to erase the act of violence."

ISIS has brought destruction to Palmyra -- one of Syria's most important historic sites -- since it took control of the oasis city in 2015. Many of the city's irreplaceable monuments and antiquities have been razed.

Just days ago, Russia's Defense Ministry warned that "an upsurge in truck movement" in Palmyra indicated that ISIS is planning on using "explosives to deal maximum damage to the remaining architectural relics before they leave."

Risky salvage operation

Faced with losing more precious artifacts at the ancient site, the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums of Damascus has undertaken a risky salvage operation with the help of Rutelli in Italy.

"It is the mobilization the world needs to defend and save cultural heritage against the fundamentalist ideas of ISIS," said Maamoun Abdulkarim, director-general of antiquities and museums of Syria.

"Our work in Syria as archeologists is scientific and not political, because the war in Syria will finish and the politics will change, but the heritage must remain as a memory of all Syrian people, this is a project of peace."

Having completed their mission in this particular case, Rutelli said the plan is to one day return the salvaged sculptures to their rightful places in Palmyra.

"The sculptures will be brought back to Damascus, eventually, they will return to Palmyra when it is safe," he said.

"These are the only pieces of art that have left the conflict areas of Syria and Iraq legally," he said. "But they left with the purpose to be restored and then returned to their origin."
Multnomah Declares War On Gun Owners

Thanks are due to JPFO member James Farmer, for passing on this information. It appears to illustrate a deliberate abuse of the 'justice' system - whereby deceit, false statements as a smear campaign and blatant Second Amendment infringement, transforms a clear and legitimate self defense situation, into a fabricated conviction. This is shared because 'justice' when so obviously distorted, needs to be brought to the attention of all.

From Oregon Firearms Federation. February 13th, 2017

By now many of you know that Mike Strickland, a pro-gun, freelance journalist was convicted of 21 counts of self defense on Friday, Feb.10.

Strickland had been attacked by a mob in Portland while covering a "Black Lives Matter" protest. The attack was planned and coordinated in advance.

You can read more about it here. Victoria Taft has done an outstanding job of documenting the attack and the trial and you can see that here.

In truth, Mike was convicted the moment he was arrested by Portland Police for defending himself against the same kind of mobsters who have trashed Portland repeatedly. Their criminal actions are rarely punished by a county "Justice System " that encourages rioting and looting but creates political prisoners of people who attempt to defend themselves from criminal attack.

From the moment he was arraigned it was clear the fix was in. As soon as the D.A.'s office in Multnomah County realized who Mike was, they began to assure he would never get a fair trial. And they succeeded.

Mike's bail was set at an astonishing and unprecedented quarter of a million dollars! .......

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Its hard to overestimate the importance of what was said Wednesday at the start of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House. After all the understandable reservations, we can carefully assume that we are at the start of a completely different period from a diplomatic point of view.

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The United States in the Trump era, which is still the key power in the world, is clearly standing by the State of Israel. Trumps statements were very clear, very sharp and completely adopted Israels stance, which rules out any unilateral Palestinian move.

Wednesday's press conference. The United States in the Trump era is clearly standing by the State of Israel (Photo: MCT)

In fact, in some aspects Trump turned the wheel back 20 years, making it clear to the Palestinians that any accomplishment they wish to make will only arrive through direct negotiations with Israel, negotiations in which all options are open and on the table.

From this aspect, Trumps statement that the two-state solution is just one option is the most important statement. Trump put the diplomatic wagon, which deviated from its path many years ago, back on track. He reminded all of us of the final goal. Its neither a Palestinian state nor an end to the occupation or the evacuation of settlements. The goal is peace.

Granted, there was a certain, small, amount of disappointment in Trumps call for a temporary halt of the settlement construction. But if we just recall the texts Netanyahu heard in Washington in the past eight years and make the comparison, well realize right away that the Trump era is completely different from this aspect as well.

Trump did not voice a single word of criticism about the extensive building permits in Judea and Samaria recently. Neither did he blast the Regulation Law or doubt Israels right to build in the settlements.

Now, the ball is in Prime Minister Netanyahus court. The Trump administration is the most permissive administration Netanyahu could have dreamed of, an administration which is giving him the biggest maneuvering area possible. Nonetheless, it presents the prime minister with a much more complicated challenge.

If until today Netanyahu focused, rightly, on preventing any damage to Israel and defending the settlement enterprise, he will now have to move to positive action. To outline a path and walk on it. The window of opportunity is limited. Its very hard to estimate when it will be closed.

Netanyahu must set brave objectives, like applying Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, and meet them. Any other outcome will be considered a failure.
Former National Security Advisor, Gen. Michael Flynn, and current US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, pressured officials in the Obama administration to veto UN Security Council Resolution 2334 against settlements, according to a report Friday by American magazine "Foreign Policy."

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The magazine reported that hours before the vote on Dec. 23, Trump's transition team asked the State Department to urgently provide any means of communication, including phone numbers and email addresses, for ambassadors and foreign ministers of the 15-member Security Council.

Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (Photo: EPA)

US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley (Photo: AP)

According to a former State Department official, the request was denied out of fear that it would sabotage US diplomatic goals.

"We were all under pressurefrom the Israelis and the Trump administration," said an official at the UN Security Council.

The magazine's report further went on to state that current US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, attempted to call Samantha Power, who would not take the calls out of fear of being pressured to veto the resolution.

Haley apparently phoned Samantha Power's personal and office phones to no avail.

Former US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power voting for abstention (Photo: EPA)

Flynn apparently also attempted to make contact with the ambassadors of both Uruguay and Malaysia, which was confirmed by a Malaysian official who said the ambassador "was very busy with the drafting of the proposal."

Malaysian Ambassador to the UN, Ramlan Bin Ibrahim, who was one of the srongest advocates of the resolution against settlements, did not take Flynn's call.
Chairman of the Bayit Yehudi party and Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett, and Minister of Justice, Ayelet Shaked, referred to the issue of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promising to establish a new community for families evacuated from Amona, saying, "Commitments need to be fulfilled. The prime minister signed an agreement to create a new community for Amona residents. I am sure he will abide by it."

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Last week, members of the former outpost chose the area of Geulat Zion, which is located in the Shilo Valley in the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council.

Shaked and Bennett (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

However, after a meeting between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, evacuees fear the promise will be put to the test.

Ynet reported Thursday that Amona evacuees fear Netanyahu will delay the construction of the new community and sent an urgent letter to the prime minister and Bennett saying that they will not move anywhere else other than the new community, as promised.

Amona evacuation site (Photo: Mateh Amona)

In addition to Bennett, Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked posted on her Twitter account, saying, "The government is committed to the agreement that was signed with Amona residents and we have no intention of violating it. There will be a new community for Amona residents as promised."

Following Bennett and Shaked's statements, Amona residents responded, saying, "We welcome the unequivocal statements of the Bayit Yehudi ministers that the Israeli government will fulfill its obligation to establish a new community for Amona residents in Mateh Binyamin."
Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has apologized for a catalog aimed at Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community that contains no images of women.

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IKEA says the booklet was produced by its Israeli branch, not by the Swedish group itself.

Haredi IKEA

IKEA spokeswoman Josefin Thorell says the catalog "is not something that has gone through us," adding "we have been very clear that this is not what the IKEA brand stands for."

Thorell told Swedish news agency TT late Friday that its Israeli franchise "had tried to reach a consumer group" and made "an error."

Thorell was not immediately available for comment on Saturday, and it was not clear how many catalogs had been printed.

In Israel, there are a variety of publications excluding women that are geared toward the Haredi community. For example, Clalit health services and public buses both have published advertisements featuring only men, touching off civic firestorms.

Despite Haredi men also be required to maintain modesty, women are the only ones excluded from publication as a result of their appearance.
MUNICH -- Russia's foreign minister says that Moscow wants "pragmatic relations" with the United States but also is voicing its desire for a "post-West world order."

Sergey Lavrov addressed the Munich Security Conference hours after Vice President Mike Pence told the gathering Saturday that the US will "hold Russia accountable" even as the new administration searches for common ground with Moscow.

Lavrov said Russia wants "pragmatic relations, mutual respect, understanding our special responsibility for global stability."

He added: "We have immense potential that has yet to be tapped into, and we're open for that inasmuch as the US is open for that as well."
US Vice President Mike Pence affirmed the Trump administration's tough stance on Iran by stating that the United States will not allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons with which to threaten the State of Israel.

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Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Pence went on to refer to Iran as the "leading state sponsor of terrorism" whose actions continue to destabilize the Middle East.

Vice President Mike Pence speaking in Munich (Photo: AFP)

In comments sure to please Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made Iran one of his top priorities with the new American administration, Pence said, "Let me be clear: Under President Trump the United States will remain fully committed to ensuring that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon capable of threatening our countries, our allies in the region, especially Israel."

Since the election of President Trump, Iran has stepped up its saber-rattling by testing ballistic missiles, vowing to "firmly respond" to alleged US aggression, calling Israel the "biggest threat" to world peace and expanding its military influence in both Syria and Yemen.

Iranian military parade (Photo: AFP)

Iranian missile launchers (Photo: AFP)

Vice President Pence emphasized antagonistic Iranian posturing and noted that "thanks to the end of the nuclear-related sanctions, Iran now has additional resources to devote to these efforts."

This is Pence's first overseas trip as vice president and he sought to calm European anxiety over perceived Russian belligerence and NATO funding commitments.

Vice President Mike Pence and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Munich (Photo: AFP)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Pence on the sidelines of the conference and made a point of noting to Pence that NATO "is in the American interest." She also pointed to the need to preserve and strengthen other multinational partnerships such as the European Union and the United Nations.

For his part, Pence made a point of vowing that the United States "will hold Russia accountable" and will unwaveringly support its commitment to NATO. However, Pence did call on NATO members to boost spending in order to meet "the standard."
The wintery weather over the past week provided a rare glimpse into the activity of the IDF Alpine Unit stationed on the Syrian-Lebanon border. A Ynet team joined the unit on Thursday on one of its non-routine patrols under heavy snowfall, in extreme weather conditions.

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At a height 2,000 meters with winds blowing at 70 km/h, the fighters went out to patrol the tri-border area near Syria and Lebanon on the range of Mt. Hermon. Wearing white snow suites, skis strapped to their feet and carrying heavy operational equipment on their backs, they canvassed the area. The troops were looking for anything suspicious that might point at a terror cell or a terrorist who might have crossed the border to execute an attack.

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Using their ski polls to signal their readiness, the fighters started scouring the snowy terrain. The snowcat, a vehicle that looks like an enclosed cab running on tracks, plowed through the snow, making way for the fighters.

Later on, the snowcat fell behind to bring up the rear, serving as an extraction vehicle in case anything went downhill. Other forces including infantry and armor stood at the ready nearby, for any scenario.

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

"Our troops are the only ones who know how to work on rocky and snowy terrain like Mt. Hermon, thanks to the lengthy and unique training we provide our soldiers," explained Amir Shukrun, Commander of the Alpine Unit Training Company.

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

"We assume the enemy is familiar with snowy terrain and so we make sure to operate wherever they might think to surprise us," he continued.

The unit consists of reserve soldiers who during their active duty, served in elite infantry units. Over the summer, regular infantry units patrol the peak of Mt. Hermon, however, at the beginning of winter, the Alpine fighters receive their orders to report for reserve duty due to their unique set of skills.

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)





(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

"The guys leave their families and their jobs, and come to serve in extreme weather. We come here to do our work in order to protect Israel," said Shukrun, who is set to return home after more than two weeks on the mountain. "Motivation is high and the guys want to contribute their knowledge and experience as much as they can."

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

The Mt. Hermon front has been relatively calm over the past few years, but the Alpine fighters still maintain a high level of awareness.

One of the main difficulties, as explained by the fighters, is that every time they reach the mountainthe view and the terrain change in accordance with the snowfall, making it somewhat harder to adjust.

And yet, everything is covered in whitepure and unblemished.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Saturday that any Israeli attempt to violate Lebanon's sovereignty would be met with the "appropriate response", in a statement released by his office.

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"Any attempt to hurt Lebanese sovereignty or expose the Lebanese to danger will find the appropriate response," the statement said.

Aoun (R) and Nasrallah (File photo)

Last week, Aoun said in an interview that Hezbollah must arm itself to complement the Lebanese army's ability to deal with Israel. In response, Israel's Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Danny Danon, sent a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and to the Security Council.

Aoun's statement said he was reacting to remarks in Danon's letter, which amounted to a "masked attempt to threaten security and stability" in southern Lebanon, but did not say what the remarks were.

Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said on Thursday that all of Lebanon would be a target if Hezbollah fired on Israel.

Aoun's comments also followed warnings this week by the leader of the armed Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, a political ally of the president, against any Israeli aggression.

Israeli-Lebanese border

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the group's rockets had the ability to strike Israel's nuclear reactor at Dimona and its military infrastructurean apparent warning against any Israeli military action that he said might be approved by the new US president, Donald Trump.

Trump's administration has been vocal in its criticism of Hezbollah's patron Iran and in its support for Israel.

Speaking in a meeting with visitors to Beirut's presidential palace, Aoun said on Saturday that Danon's letter "constitutes a threat to Lebanon. The international community should be wary of Israel's aggressive intentions against Lebanon."

The president also said, referring to the 2006 resolution that ended the Second Lebanon War, "Who need to implement Security Council resolutions is Israel, before others. Israel still refuses to implement Resolution 1701, moving from the cessation of hostilities phase to the ceasefire stage, despite more than 11 years having passed since the resolution was released."

Since 2006, hostilities between them have been limited to occasional firing across the border and air strikes by Israel against Hezbollah leaders and military equipment in Syria, where the group is fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

Roi Kais and Itamar Eichner contributed to this report.
Between 2000 and 2015, 33,321 Israelis acquired German citizenship, with 4.79 percent renouncing their Israeli citizenship in the process, according to data published by the German Bundestag in response to a question submitted by the Greens.

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The figures are based on data from Germany's Central Register of Foreign Nationals (Auslanderzentralregister, or AZR) and appear in a telegram that was sent by the Israeli Embassy in Germany to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem.

The peak year of Israelis acquiring German citizenship during that period was 2006, when 4,313 succeeded in the process, with 97 percent being required to renounce their Israeli citizenship. As of November 30, 2016, 13,289 Israelis reside in Germany, according to authorities there.

The Greens' question was submitted by parliamentarian Volker Beck, President of the Bundestag's German-Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Group. The group has been working recently to exempt Israeli citizens from the requirement to renounce their other citizenship as a condition to their becoming Germans.

Becoming German

Many Israelis who have lived in the Federal Republic for years or who are married to German citizens have refrained from taking advantage of their right to naturalize due to German law requiring that they renounce other citizenships that they hold.

Those who are exempt from the requirement are those who obtain German citizenship by virtue of their being descendants of former Germans who were denaturalized under the Nazi Regime. Indeed, according to the German report, 95 percent (31,722) of the Israelis who became Germans during the examined period were descendants of Germans whose citizenship had been stripped by the Reich Citizenship Law and thus maintained their Israeli citizenship.

In addition to descendants of the Nazis' victims, Germany also permits dual citizenship for citizens of European Union member states, as well as Switzerland. Beck is seeking to have Israel added to that list, which is what led to his question to the Bundestag. However, the German government replied that it does not intend to modify the citizenship laws.

In an interview with the German-Israeli Spitz Hebrew magazine, Beck explained that he found it senseless that senior politicians in his country frequently speak of the "special relationship" and "deep friendship" with Israel but refuse to support permitting dual citizenship to Israelis. (The Greens officially oppose the ban on dual citizenship and have sought to have this prohibition overturned.)

Beck told Spitz that he became aware of the problem when he heard again and again from Israelis who live in Germany for years, some of them even involved in politics, who elect not to naturalize and thus are unable to vote in elections because they don't want to renounce their citizenship with the Jewish state.

Beck said that he completely understood the difficulty, be it founded in practicality or sentimentality.

Israeli children (as with all other foreign children in Germany) who receive German citizenship at birth from a German parent and Israeli from the other are not required to choose between the citizenships and are allowed to keep them both.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) held a meeting for female foreign ambassadors assigned to Israel this weekend.

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This was the first such gathering of its kind in the country, entitled "Women in Foreign Policy." Ambassadors and interim ambassadors from 19 countries participated. Of the 86 ambassadors stationed in the Jewish state, 20 of them are women.

The event took place at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. Each ambassador shared her personal and professional background, some of them having met each other for the first time.

The ambassadors meet

One of those who participated was US Charge dAffaires ad interim Leslie Tsou, who has been heading her country's delegation since the inauguration of President Donald Trump until his new selection for ambassador can be confirmed by the senate.

Canadian Ambassador Deborah Lyons stated that 21st-century diplomacy needed to include more women. Also present was Romanian's former ambassador to Israel, Dr. Andreea Pastarnac, who was recently appointed minister in charge of Romanian citizens abroad. She came specifically to Israel to participate.

Hotovely shared her personal experiences as a politician and deputy minister with the ambassadors as well.

During the meeting, Hotovely briefed the ambassadors on the implications of the Washington press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US president. She announced that she intended to hold further conferences for foreign female ambassadors in Israel that will include meetings with successful women.
In rural America, health care cannot be ignored.

It is vital for those of us living in western Nebraska to have quality local health care options.

We are an agricultural community. Though we would like to think we dont experience accidents on our farms or in our small towns, that is not the case.

There may be a tractor roll over, someone gets caught between the fence and an angry cow, or any other potential danger and you are in need of medical help.

We also face the regular urban accidents, a slip in the shower, a car accident, etc.

Then there are the strokes, heart attacks or cancers that are as mean and nasty to rural Americans as they are to urban Americans.

Without fast quality care, a stroke can leave its victim in a terrible state. However, the right help given in a timely fashion can save the brain and mean a full recovery.

Out here in western Nebraska, our home, we are blessed with a number of quality health care providers.

At the top of the list is Regional West Medical Center, a Level II Trauma Center, one of only three in Nebraska and it is right here in Scottsbluff. They have attracted some of the best nurses, doctors and staff providing care to all of us in rural Nebraska.

This great crew recently was honored by Healthgrades as the five-star recipient for the treatment of stroke, the treatment of sepsis, the treatment of pulmonary embolism, the treatment of respiratory failure and for esophageal/stomach surgeries. These are impressive honors.

Air Link is ready, as is Valley Ambulance Service, to quickly get people to RWMC or one of our other great facilities close by.

There is Box Butte General Hospital in Alliance, Sidney Regional Medical Center in Sidney, Morrill County Hospital in Bridgeport, Community Hospital in Torrington, Kimball Health Services in Kimball and Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraskas Health Center  all providing great health care for all of us in western Nebraska.

Sometimes we feel distanced from the big city amenities, but even out here in western Nebraska, we never have to take backseat to quality health care. To all you in the health care field, we say, thank you.
YORK  Virgil Lamont Johnson, 54, of Lincoln, has pleaded guilty to theft by receiving stolen property with a value of $1,500-$5,000, which is Class 4 felony.

Johnson appeared in York County District Court this week where he promptly declared his guilty plea.

According to court documents and the factual basis proceedings provided by the county attorneys office, two troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol were on Interstate 80 when they saw a reckless driver. They said the driver cut off several motorists and he was going 88 mph.

A traffic stop was initiated and Johnson, the driver, couldnt produce registration or licensing for the vehicle.

They then learned that this particular vehicle had been stolen in Lincoln.

York County Attorney Candace Bottorf said Johnson was aware the vehicle was not his.

Judge James Stecker explained to Johnson that he is now facing a possible maximum sentence of four years in prison.

He does not want probation and he wants to proceed directly to sentencing, said Johnsons attorney, York County Public Defender Nancy Waldron.

Judge Stecker said sentencing would not take place until a substance abuse evaluation was completed.

Sentencing was set for March 27.
MONDAY 2/20

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Monday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

>> OB Enrollment is Monday, Feb. 13 at 8 a.m. in the Lower Level of the Medical Office Building. Please attend class as soon as possible after your positive pregnancy test. For more information or to enroll in the online Childbirth Preparation class, contact OB Director Nancy Hengelfelt, RNC, at 402.362.04573.

TUESDAY 2/21

>> Sexaholics Anonymous, a 12 Step recovery group for those dealing with addiction to pornography, sex, and other forms of lust, meets Tuesday nights at 5:45 p.m. For more information please call our toll free number 1-877-889-8071 or visit sanebraska.org.

>> Parkinsons Support Group will meet Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. in the Willow Brook AL Gathering Room. For more information, contact Rita Maloley at 402.362.0440.

>> La Leche League of York will meet Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. in the Lower Level of the York Medical Clinic Building, 2222 North Lincoln Avenue.No pre-registration or fee. Pregnancy is the ideal time to seek birth and breastfeeding education. All women and babies are welcome. Contact accredited leader, Gloria at 402-362-6875 or turnbull@inebraska.com

WEDNESDAY 2/22

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Wednesday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

THURSDAY 2/23

>> Weight Watchers meets in the basement of the York Towne House, 5th & Grant Ave., each Thursday. Weigh in 5:15 - 5:45 p.m.; Member meeting 5:45 - 6:15 p.m.

>> AL-ANON meets Thursday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

>> Narcotics Anonymous meets Thursday at 8 p.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in the Annex building.

FRIDAY 2/24

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Friday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - AWOL Group meets Friday at 8 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.

SATURDAY 2/25

>> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York.
LIVE-2 Inning |06-10

ZIMBABWE VS INDIA

ZIM 0/1 VS 186/5 IND

Zimbabwe need 187 runs in 113 balls at 9.92 rpo
The poor professors have never had it so bad. There is nothing that they can do that does not run foul of the media. Especially if it has to do with dresses. Let them but whisper the words dress code, and the entire media brigade descends on them. Every Tomlinson, Dickinson and harried socialite wannabe is called in to pour out their outrage at these otherwise respected guys. <br/><br/>And it does not help that they look such fuddy duddys on TV. In this uneven contest they come out looking like dinosaurs, stuck in another age and knowing nothing about liberalism, freedom or fashion. No one could even remotely imagine letting their ilk set the agenda for what to dress. <br/><br/>But make no mistake about it, freedom has nothing to do with the issue. We do follow trends. And the anxiety to get it right could be terrible. In a college, or in any other non-fashionable place, it does not really matters. Who gives a care if someone walks in wearing a white lungi, or a faded kurta into a classroom. But say you are in an upmarket restaurant, and the first people to give you a stare  if you go out dressed wrong  would be the waiters, probably following you all around (their gaze, i.e!). It could be even worse in a nightclub  you could be denied entry. <br/><br/>So it is just as necessary to go out not dressed in suits and ties to night clubs, as it is necessary to go out in them in a business conference. <br/><br/>Me, I am a fashion dinosaur. I make my capris by cutting off the bottom of my pyjamas, and I have yet to figure out the difference between my old jeans, which were torn when I fell off a moving bus, and the torn stuff that has been in rage. <br/><br/>So, you will understand my bewilderment at all this fashion fundamentalism. The bottomline though is that trends are set increasingly by the fashion designers, models, socialites and the P3P, and are religiously followed. <br/><br/>Why is this so? <br/><br/>One reason is that with the advent of the television age, suddenly people who were anybody (which means they have to appear of TV), could not afford not to be well groomed anymore. This thing has combined in recent days with our fanaticism to have experts for everything  from baby food to military security  the guy (or the gal) doing the advising must have unimpeachable credentials that s/he can actually do that. <br/><br/>So these citizens of the fashion world serve as experts for an important concern, look. And look muh dahlings is important. Witness how the packaging industry has grown. Witness also the concept that things need to be packaged properly, has grown. Everything today is packaged. There is the physical package and the metaphorical package. There is the packaged bottle of water, and there is the packaged tour. There is also packaged spirituality and others things that one never imagined deserved a package. <br/><br/>So how could humans not be packaged? The look dahlings, is the package. It puts the proper spin on the person. Puts him in perspective, gives him a context, and says something about him. Those who can afford it, do not dare to leave such an important thing to there own bumblings. They call in the experts. <br/><br/>This is as it were, looking at the issue from the inside. From the point of view of people who with a passion follow the fashion, (forgive the doggerel). <br/><br/>There is another way to look at it. From the point of view of the industry that thrives on it. This circle includes not just the designers and the models, but also the big retail chains (Westside and Shoppers Stop are an example) and branded clothing corporations. One may go on to say that it also includes all those who profit from the beauty industry: cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, (in twenty thousand colour for twenty thousand types of hair and I am not exaggerating dahlings) enhancements, spas (chocolate, wine milk, stones, are the new substitutes for plain old bath water), and then dance classes, etiquette, self development etc, etc. <br/><br/>Because Look is not only about clothing, but a lot other things besides. <br/><br/>This entire industry has a stake in keeping people perpetually anxious about their looks. No, I am not suggesting a grand conspiracy against the women, (and lately the men) of this earth but simply that a huge swathe of the corporate world thrives on our look-anxiety and therefore, quite naturally, do everything to subtly reinforce it. This happens through various means well funded researches on the virtues of being slim, expert opinions, etc  but mainly through ads. <br/><br/>Have you noticed how the 21st century woman or the liberated woman or the empowered woman in the ads is always someone who has the perfectly shaped body and is draped in designer wear? <br/><br/>If you dont look like that, walk like that and talk like that  it is subtly implied  then you do not qualify for the above titles. Thats social conditioning for you. <br/><br/>There is nothing wrong in being look conscious. It is a sign of civilisation to bother about how you look. One must, without doubt, try to look ones best but that is where it should halt. One should not start trying to look like someone else, however gorgeous. <br/><br/>We all are unique. Different, without the help of any designer. What could be better than that? <br/> <br/>
DO YOU WANT TO QUIT SMOKING On a request by some of my friends, I am re-posting this memoir which so many smokers found useful. It may be...
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY13, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the Religious Council of the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul Bishop Sahak Mashalian has announced his resignation, informing that General Vicar Aram Ateshian is to blame for his decision, Armenpress reports Agos periodical informs.

Mashalian has released a letter explaining his steps, noting that he made the decision on February 13 due to Ateshians behavior during the religious council meeting. He also informed that he does not want to bid for Patriarchy and plans to leave Istanbul.

Mashalian presented the procedure of holding elections if the post is declared vacant, indicating Ateshians attempts to foil the process.

He informed that the religious council had set up a commission comprised of 4 clerics, which was to submit an application to the authorities about holding new elections. But Aram Ateshian did not allow the letter to be submitted to the governor of Istanbul as a result of which the submission process has been suspended.

Referring to the announcement made during the meeting of Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Armenian hospital of St. Savior in Istanbul Bedros Sirinoglu and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the elections should be held following the constitutional referendum in Turkey, Mashalian noted that this was something that should have accelerated the election process, but Vicar Aram Ateshian used this information as another pretext to avoid elections. Ignoring his promise given to the community, he told the media without consulting with anyone that no application will be submitted for holding elections. The Religious Council of the Patriarchy, and I, the chairman of the Council, got to know about it from media, the bishop stated.

He informed that he had suggested during the Religious Council meeting on February 13 that the application of the commission should be immediately submitted to the governorate, as well as published for the community. But Ateshin, made threats in a manner characteristic for him, saying that he will leave the gathering. As a result, the proposal of Bishop Sahak Mashalian was declined.

Its evident there can be no Patriarchal elections as long as Aram Ateshian holds the position of the General Vicar of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. Today already everyone shares the opinion that the existing situation, when the post is vacant, while the chaos goes deeper, worsens due to Aram Ateshian, Mashalian announced, adding that the Patriarchal post has never remained vacant for 8 years during the history of the Armenian Church. Manipulating for 8 years by using his powers, abusing his position has criminal nature and he deserves punishment according to Church laws, the Bishop said, announcing that he steps down from the post of chairman of the Religious Council.

Clerics, leaders and people, leave me alone. This is a speech of defeat. But I am not the only defeated, you are all defeated. Once again only one person remains victorious, Bishop Sahak Mashalian concluded his letter.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani forces made 64 ceasefire violations by firing various caliber weapons in the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact, the defense ministry of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR) told ARMENPRESS.

The ministry released a statement, saying: On February 17 and overnight February 18 Azerbaijan made 64 ceasefire violations, firing over 600 shots at NKR posts from various caliber weapons, including sniper rifles. Azerbaijani forces also fired 3 shells from 60mm mortars in the eastern direction.

The Defense Army of NKR is in control of the tactical-strategic situation and confidently continues their military service.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. An explosion in Turkeys Sanliurfa province killed two people and wounded 18, Hurriyet reports.

The car bomb targeted a building housing judges and prosecutors in Viransehir, in Sanliurfa province, which borders Syria. Turkish authorities said the attack was carried out by the PKK.

Anadolu quoted Provincial governor Gungor Azim Tuna as saying that the bomb, which exploded at 20:45 local time (17:45 GMT), was detonated by remote control, after a man in his late teens or early 20s had left the car, BBC reports.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, Armenias defense minister Vigen Sargsyan held a number of bilateral meetings on February 17.

In particular, Sargsyan and Evgeny Kaspersky, founding director of the Kaspersky Lab, discussed prospects of cooperation between the Armenian defense ministry and the Kaspersky Lab, which has huge experience in the sphere of information security. The sides expressed conviction that cooperation in such an important direction like information security will have positive results, taking into account the great potential in the IT field in Armenia, and the huge experience of the Kaspersky Lab.

The defense ministry told ARMENPRESS minister Sargsyan also held a meeting with Raimundas Karoblis, Minister of National Defence of Lithuania. Several cooperation prospects, including Armenian-Lithuanian defense cooperation, were discussed during the meeting. The parties said there is great resource to deepen relations, in both bilateral and Armenia-EU formats.

Later, the Armenian defense minister had a meeting with Antoni Macierewicz, Minister of National Defense of Poland. The sides stressed the warm attitude of the both states peoples toward each other and expressed conviction that a huge resource exists for deepening defense cooperation between the countries. The ministers discussed modern global challenges, stressing it is necessary to combine efforts to effectively resist them. As the best example of cooperation the sides mentioned the Armenia-Poland cooperation in peacekeeping missions in various countries.

Vigen Sargsyan also had a meeting with Martin Stropnicky, Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic. The ministers discussed prospects of Armenian-Czech cooperation in the defense sphere. The sides emphasized despite Armenia and the Czech Republic are in different military-political alliances, it cant be an obstacle for deepening cooperation, moreover that modern challenges which threaten the entire world require active cooperation in the defense field.

On February 17 minister Sargsyan also met with Yacoub Sarraf, minister of defense of Lebanon. Specially emphasizing the special role of the Armenian community of Lebanon in the countrys political, economic and cultural life, Sarraf mentioned it is an important factor for developing Armenian-Lebanese relations in all spheres, including defense. The sides agreed the developments in the region have great danger, the elimination of which requires close cooperation between states. Sargsyan and Sarraf expressed willingness for boosting efforts in deepening the Armenian-Lebanese defense cooperation.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. President Serzh Sargsyan calls on the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union to still keep the gunpowder dry, since the struggle continues.

Speaking on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict during the 11th Congress of the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union, President Sargsyan said today some people still have illusions in Azerbaijan that Armenia, which is focused on the upcoming election, will be very busy and therefore vulnerable. According to the President, based on these hollow illusions Azerbaijan may perhaps attempt new provocations.

The huge money wasting, empty and unsubstantiated PR campaign loving official Baku recently called the Nagorno Karabakh issue an internal issue of Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, the peoples memory is short, this very mentality lacking any legal and moral grounds led to escalation of the conflict. Many of you remember that in the early 90s, when Azerbaijan was changing its defense ministers every week, they considered it their duty to deliver speeches and say that they will drink tea in Stepanakert in a week. As history has showed, through the efforts of the heroic sons of our people, not only dont they drink tea in Stepanakert, but they well also deprived of drinking tea in Fizuli, Jebrail, Kubatli and other locations, Sargsyan said, stressing we dont want suffering for Azerbaijan, but we wont allow anyone to seek the suffering for our people.

According to the President, the issue of Nagorno Karabakh is the issue of the Armenian people, it is the Armenians trial, whatever the people of Nagorno Karabakh decide, thats what the future of Nagorno Karabakh will be. And all of us are standing like mountains behind our brothers and sisters of Nagorno Karabakh. All possible provocations will receive adequate counterblows, policy based on illusions doesnt have a future, Sargsyan stressed.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan participated on February 18 in the 11th Congress of the Yerkrapah Volunteers Union (Homeland Defenders Union) which took place at the Karen Demirchyan Sport and Concert Hall in Yerevan. President Sargsyan delivered opening remarks addressed to the participants and the guests, the Presidents Office told ARMENPRESS.

The President said:

Holy Fathers,



Dear Combat Friends,



Dear Brothers in Arms,

I salute the participants and guests of the 11th Congress of the Yerkrapah Volunteers Union.

Homeland Defenders movement formed along with the development of our modern statehood and had an outstanding role in the defense of Artsakh and Armenia.

From that time on, the very name Homeland Defenders is used in singular as well as in plural and means a strong individual and a union of bright individuals.

The Union has formed traditions and principles at the origins of which was the founder and irreplaceable leader of the Union Vazgen Sargsyan. These traditions and principles are maintained and developed in step with the millennia-long march of our country and our society.

In our society, Homeland Defenders represent an entire stratum. Its a unique stratum in which the biography of its each member is intertwined with the biography of our country. It is intertwined with the history of liberating, defending and strengthening of our own country. In the end of the day, stories of the people present in this hall represent the collective history of our struggle and our victories.

When the country was in danger, farmers, intellectuals and workers had become the homeland defenders. You carried out your mission with honor. Today, from the decades perspective we can confidently call your deeds a historic mission. You came back to your peaceful work at the moment it became possible.

You came back with the pain of loss of your combat friends in your hearts but also with the understanding that the ceasefire, which the enemy was forced to accept, was not an ultimate peace yet. You came back with the understanding that there were still many things to do until the ultimate peace was established in our land and serenity reigned on our borders.

Dear Homeland Defenders,

This structure has been carrying out an important job and today too is working actively. You know the details better than I do, but I would like to stress particularly the important role which you have had in the military and patriotic education of our young people.

The bright youth we have today in Armenia is the product of the efforts made by our state and the entire society. The product created by the families but also by the participants of the Artsakh Liberation War, which means your personal example and that of your brothers in arms.

Any tree is judged against its fruits. Let all disbelievers look and see, let them lay to rest their doubts. Our youth, the freedom loving and defiant generation of our independence, reasserts that our tree of life is healthy, strong, and abundant.

The Homeland Defenders have been living for decades under the motto If necessary, we will go again to defend the Fatherland. It became necessary last year, in April. And you went again. Many of you now have grey hair, but you went and stood next to our young lion cubs. You went to share their burden but also to give a new spirit and resolve to the new but not less valiant defenders of our land.

For them at that time you already were uncles. It never occurred to us during the Artsakh Liberation War. Now, I will address you just like our young soldiers address you.

Uncles,

Let no one doubt that we are devoted unconditionally to the task of defending our homeland, we are ready at any moment to stand at the frontline, in trenches together with our young soldiers, our regular army to defend our Fatherland, we are true to our pledge, and we are loyal to the bright memory of our fallen brothers in arms.

The Homeland Defenders Voluntary Union as a non-governmental organization has a unique status within our society. This fact speaks of your power, speaks of your organizational strength, unity, and a great reputation within the society.

Today Armenia stands at the threshold of a serious reformation and transformation. We are making a transition to the parliamentary model of governance and we have to make the transition painless. In the process, we also have to ensure stability and the rule of law.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to say that the Republican Party of Armenia at the elections will appear as a strong team, with the figures who, in the case they receive the vote of the people, are ready to speak from the podiums in Moscow, Brussels, Washington, through the leading mass media outlets and make the voice of the Republic of Armenia audible from every possible and impossible platform. They will be ready through the daily work to make the Constitution a reality and in any dispute to promote their credo through eloquence and willpower alone. They will not lie to people, will not say that one year from now Armenia will become a paradise, will not lie, will not tell that if they get your vote, they will give free gas and electrical power to our people, will not say that young people will not be drafted to the Army. They will say things they can deliver. They will say that every day our country will make a step forward. We will participate in these elections with well-known individuals but actually a new team and its voice will be strong. By my directive and certainly by his own consent, we have included on that team also our esteemed general Manvel Grigorian. Besides his experience and personal qualities, he is also a prominent symbol for those who will tomorrow be elected to the National Assembly: each initiative, each statement and each voting, even a short remark will be done under the generals gaze which is an amalgam of the fight for freedom and commitment of our future victories.

Today some in Azerbaijan live under the illusion that Armenia preoccupied with the elections will be distracted and as a result - vulnerable. That hollow dreams may tempt the foe to make certain provocations.

Recently, the official Baku, which adores useless and short-lived PR actions and throws enormous money to the wind to carry them out, declared the Artsakh issue is Azerbaijans internal affair. Unfortunately, people have short memory. This kind of reasoning, which has neither legal nor moral base, once resulted in the escalation of the conflict and in the war with numerous unnecessary victims and suffering first of all for the people of Azerbaijan itself.

Many of you remember that at the beginning of 1990s, when in Azerbaijan ministers of defense were replaced every week, every single one of them viewed his duty to make a statement that in a week, or a couple of days later he would be drinking tea in Stepanakert. However, as the history shows, through the efforts of the heroic sons of our nation they didnt drink tea in Stepanakert, instead they lost the opportunity to drink tea in Aghdam, Fisuli, Jabrail, Kubatly, Karvachar, and other places.

We wish Azerbaijan no suffering, honestly, but will allow nobody to dream about causing suffering to our people.

The Artsakh issue is the Armenian peoples issue, the national cause: the future of Artsakh will be the way the people of Artsakh will decide, while we all  those present here and those outside this hall are standing like a rock behind our sisters and brothers in Artsakh.

I see it as my duty to declare from the podium of this Conference that every provocation will receive a worthy response. Politics based on illusions have no future and cannot have. Last decades have proven that.

We stand on the premise of a true balance of forces. We are changing the reality making our country freer and more democratic, because we believe that as a result of these changes we will have more efficient governance. More efficient governance will in turn make us more competitive and more capable of defense.

Dear Homeland Defenders,

In conclusion, as always I urge you to keep the gunpowder dry  our struggle is not finished yet. I wish the Convention of the Homeland Defenders Voluntary Union the efficient and productive work.

I am confident that in the course of this Convention, the Homeland Defenders Voluntary Union will manifest state thinking peculiar to its members and sense of responsibility to carry on with honor the mission assumed by its founding chairman Vazgen Sarkissian.

Thank you. 
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Bishop Sahak Mashalyan, president of the spiritual council of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, released an announcement regarding the latest situation over the Patriarchal election, presenting details of his phone conversation with Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Garegin II.

Mashalyan said during the conversation the Catholicos said the election of a locum tenens and simultaneously maintaining the post of Patriarchal Vicar is unacceptable. Holiness Sahak, thats unacceptable. Will you embarrass us in front of other Churches? I will only acknowledge the locum tenens. If he gets elected, everyone else will resign. In addition, it is against the Church law for a clergy having lower status in case of the presence of two bishops to become locum tenens. Why have you done such a strange thing, Garegin II asked.

In response, Mashalyan said Archbishop Aram opposes and refuses to resign. He stressed no one desires to see Ateshyan in that post, however the latter in his turn doesnt want his election for the locum tenens.

Understanding the situation, the Catholicos invited both Archbishop Ateshyan and Bishop Mashalyan to Armenia, in order to find a solution. Lets talk under the auspices of the Holy Etchmiatsin, pray to God. Thats when we will find a solution for sure, the Catholicos said.

Mashalyan mentioned during the conversation that in addition to Ateshyan and himself, there is the third Holiness in the Patriarchate, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Germany Archbishop Garegin Bekchyan. He is one of our very valuable elders. We have somewhat ignored him, however he can have a key role in this issue, Mashalyan said, in response the Catholicos agreed to invite him to Etchmiatsin as well.

In the end of the statement, Mashalyan wrote: So, dear friends, we will arrive to Holy Etchmiatsin in the upcoming week. We will kneel there, ask for absolution, and take flowers of peace with us and return. Forgive us, because we couldnt serve a good example for us, we imprisoned the love and light of Christ in us. May God give us new opportunities to compensate for our mistakes of the past.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenias foreign minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting on February 17 in Munich with Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, minister of foreign affairs of Bahrain, the foreign ministry told ARMENPRESS.

The ministers were pleased to note the historic warm brotherly relations between Armenia and Arab states and agreed to take practical steps to even more strengthen the cooperation between Armenia and Bahrain.

The FMs of Armenia and Bahrain highlighted mutual visits, regular consultations between the ministries and expansion of legal-contractual field.

The meeting also focused on upcoming steps for developing trade-economic ties, including establishment of cooperation in the banking sector, organization of business forums and boosting of tourism.

The sides also discussed issues related to mobility.

The ministers exchanged ideas around several urgent international and regional issues.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. The United States will do everything possible for Iran not to possess nuclear weapons, US Vice President Mike Pence said during the Munich Security Conference, TASS reports.

On behalf of President Trump I announce that the US will do everything necessary in order for Iran not to have nuclear weapons. I can assure this to all our allies, especially Israel, Pence said.
RBS, bailed-out by the British government following the 2008 financial crisis, posted its ninth consecutive annual losses last year

The British government on Friday proposed plans for the bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland to fund initiatives worth 750 million ($932 million, 878 million euros) to improve competition in the sector, in order to meet its rescue conditions.

The bank, 73 percent owned by the government, has made four of the five major divestments demanded by the European Commission in 2009 to address competition concerns following its bailout, but has struggled to offload its final unit, Williams and Glyn, "due to external factors".

Instead, the government has suggested that RBS fund a series of alternative initiatives to satisfy the Commission's requirements, according to a Treasury press release.

These include providing funding for smaller "challenger" banks "to increase their business banking capabilities" and another to lure small and medium-sized enterprises to switch their accounts from RBS to challenger banks.

Other large established banks, such as HSBC, Lloyds, and Barclays, would not be eligible to benefit from the proposal.

"RBS must deliver on its remaining State aid commitments and this new plan represents the most effective way of delivering the pro-competition objectives behind them," said a Treasury spokesman.

"This new plan provides a clear blueprint to increase competition in the UK's business banking market, and would help RBS resolve one of its most significant legacy issues which has held back the sale of the taxpayers' stake."

The estimated upfront cost of the plan to RBS is expected to be around 750 million.

The Edinburgh-based lender was rescued with 45.5 billion of taxpayers' cash at the height of the global financial crisis in the world's biggest banking bailout.
The Pentagon has a rule requiring retired officers to report income from foreign states. But the Pentagon says it can find no records that former National Security advisor Michael Flynn filed a report after he'd been paid by Russia for an interview on the Russian state television network RT and for dining with President Vladimir Putin at RT's 10-year anniversary gala in 2015.

Via Politico:

In a letter to the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House oversight committee delivered Tuesday, acting Army Secretary Robert Speer confirmed that Flynn  a retired lieutenant general  filed no documentation of his trip. In response, House oversight committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz and Elijah Cummings, ranking Democrat on the committee, sent a letter that suggests Flynn may have inappropriately accepted payments from the Russian government or its agents in exchange for his attendance. Scrutiny is growing on Flynn's trip and whether his payment violated the Constitution's Emolument's Clause, which prohibits any person holding an "office of profit or trust" in the federal government from accepting foreign payment. The prohibition has long been considered to apply for retired military officials.

As you recall, Flynn was fond of leading "lock her up!" chants on Trump's campaign trail.
Every mother is happiest when her child is in her arms. Here is the battle of the queen mother of all time. Tonto Dikeh vs Eku Edewor, who wears the crown?

Eku Edewor vs Tonto Dikeh

Tonto Dikeh is a beautiful actress who got her first child from her marriage to philanthropist Oladunni Churchill.

Eku Edewor is Britis-Nigerian media personality who is known for hosting popular show 53 extra. She welcomed her child with boyfriend Chinni.

READ ALSO: Tonto Dikeh's husband Churchill begs fans to help him find his wife and son (photos)

The two hot mothers battle it out for who slays better as queen mother. Tonto Dikeh aims for the bold queen look as she rocks ruffled grey gown with silver crown as she carries her son, King Andre in right arm.

Tonto Dikeh and son

READ ALSO: Wow! Eku Edewor looks completely angelic in new photos

Eku Edewor aims for the peaceful, angelic mother look as she poses for Genevieve magazine wearing white dress with plunging neckline and her son in lacy diaper on her right arm.

Eku Edewor and child

Who wins this battle? Let us known in the comments below.

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Source: Legit.ng
A cargo ship is loaded with coal during the opening ceremony of a new dock at the North Korean port of Rajin July 18, 2014. REUTERS/Yuri Maltsev/File Photo

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China will suspend all imports of coal from North Korea starting Feb. 19, the country's commerce ministry said in a notice posted on its website on Saturday, as part of its efforts to implement United Nations sanctions against the country.

The Ministry of Commerce said in a short statement that the ban would be effective until Dec. 31.

The ministry did not say why all shipments would be suspended, but South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported last week that a shipment of North Korean coal worth around $1 million was rejected at Wenzhou port on China's eastern coast.

The rejection came a day after Pyongyang's test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile, its first direct challenge to the international community since U.S. President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20.

China announced in April last year that it would ban North Korean coal imports in order to comply with sanctions imposed by the United Nations and aimed at starving the country of funds for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

But it made exceptions for deliveries intended for "the people's wellbeing" and not connected to the nuclear or missile programs.

Despite the restrictions, North Korea remained China's fourth biggest supplier of coal last year, with non-lignite imports reaching 22.48 million tonnes, up 14.5 percent compared to 2015.

(Reporting by Meng Meng and David Stanway; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
18 CK Raut's supporters arrested in Rupandehi

Police rounded up 18 supporters of activist CK Raut from Majgawa in western Rupandehi district on Saturday.
Initiated five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992, Project SETI pledged a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Modifiers:

Initiated

a $100 million investment

Initiated is a verb+ed modifier and the immediate noun is "a $100 million investment" which is not the correct modification. The correct modification should be "Project SETI".

Hence we have a modifier issue

Pledging

the initiation

"Pledging a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence" -> is a verb+ing modifier phrase so we need a the noun which is doing the action of "pledging" hence we require Project SETI and not the initiation (which is not the intended noun)

Hence there is a modifier issue

Pledging

arrived in the New World

on Columbus Day 1992

the initiation

Now "on Columbus Day" is modifying "arrived" which is correct.

Therefore, "Pledging a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World " -> is a modifier phrase

and immediate noun is "the initiation" whereas we require "Project SETI" because the action of pledging make sense with "Project SETI".

Hence there is a modifier issue

Noun Modifier

This option provides a illogical meaning that

Project SETI initiated on five centuries 1992, so 2042 which is illogical.

Where as "five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World" correctly modifies the noun Columbus Day 1992.

This is called as noun modifier -> which modifies the closest noun.

Hence Correct

Tip : When it comes to modifier, meaning is the king and we need to understand the meaning of the sentence to determine whether modifier usage is correct

(A) Initiated five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992, project SETI pledged a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.(B) Initiated on Columbus Day 1992, five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New Worlda $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence was pledged by Project SETI(C) Initiated on Columbus Day 1992five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New WorldProject SETI pledged a$100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence(D) Pledging a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, the initiation of Project SETI five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992(E) Pledging a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New Worldon Columbus Day 1992the initiation of Project SETI took placeif we have a verb+ed modifier (Also called past participle modifier) or verb+ing modifier (Also called participle modifier), after the modifier phrase, we need the noun immediately post the modifier phrase.For example :1) Verb+ed modifierkept at the corner of the room, rock was glitteringNow " kept at the corner of the room" is modifying the noun - rock. So rock should come right after the modifier phrase.2) Verb+ing modifierSinging a popular number from a movie, Sunita mesmerized the audienceNow "Singing a popular number from a movie" is a verb+ing modifier and immediately post the modifier phrase, the noun which is getting modified by the modifier phrase should come. Hence here Sunita (Noun) comes and that makes sense as the action (verb+ing) is performed none other than Sunita.Lets apply the same principle below:(B)on Columbus Day 1992, five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New Worldin the search for extraterrestrial intelligence was pledged by Project SETI(D)a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence,of Project SETI five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992(E)a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence five centuries after Europeansof Project SETI took place(A) Initiated five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992, project SETI pledged a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.(C) Initiated on Columbus Day 1992five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New WorldProject SETI pledged a$100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence_________________
Sorry! The requested post has been removed or deleted by its author.
anilnandyala wrote:

The anticipated retirement of tens of thousands of baby boomers will create an unprecedented opportunity to move significant numbers of people into career-track jobs at family-supporting incomes. Major industries, from health care and construction to automotive repair, will soon face deep shortages of workers as a result of projected growth and boomer retirements. Fortunately, many of these jobs have relatively low barriers to entry and could be filled by out-of-work young people. To achieve this result, the city government should convene employers and educators to determine how best to create paths of upward mobility in these fields.



Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?



a) Immigration reform will limit the pool of available workers.

b) Government efforts have been shown to affect employment trends only rarely.

c) The best available positions require skills not possessed by the vast majority of the unemployed.

d) A small proportion of baby boomers will not retire as soon as is anticipated.

e) Many out-of-work young people are unaware of these looming employment opportunities.

We identify a weakening question. Similar to assumption questions, our task is to:1) paraphase the conclusion;2) summarize the evidence; and3) identify the missing link between the two.Once we've identified the author's assumption, we then predict an answer that attacks it.Here, the author's conclusion is a plan to deal with an upcoming issue; plans and proposals are common GMAT conclusions. In every plan or proposal, the author is making two key assumptions:1) the plan/proposal is practical; and2) the stated result of the plan/proposal is desirable.Accordingly, to weaken a plan we predict that the correct answer will do one of two things: either1) present a reason why the plan is unlikely to succeed; or2) provide an objection to the final result of the plan, i.e. a negative effect of the result.Armed with those prediction, we attack the choices.a) does limiting the pool of workers affect the plan? No, it's just another reason why we need a plan.b) is the ineffectiveness of government efforts relevant to the plan? Yes, since the entire plan is a government effort. If (b) is true, we have a concrete reason to believe that the plan is impractical - choose (b).On test day, we'd choose (b) and move on. Let's slip into "review mode":c) always watch for qualifiers in choices. Do we know what proportion of all jobs fall into the category of "best available positions"? Nope, could be .0001% for all we know. Since we don't know whether (c) is relevant, it MUST be wrong.d) similar to (c), "a small proportion" is far too weak to jeopardize the plan.e) similar to (a), (e) is another reason why a plan is required; definitely not a weakener.
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
Anti-Trump energy flags during a second day of protests

A second consecutive day of protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's month-old administration appeared to lose momentum on Friday, with rallies in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York attracting small yet enthusiastic crowds.
China sees chance of six-party talks with North Korea

China has not given up hope for a new round of diplomacy with North Korea to prevent Pyongyang making further advances in its weapons programme in violation of U.N. resolutions, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.
Chinese ambassador appreciates Nepals stand on One China policy

Chinese ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong said on Friday that the northern neighbour appreciates Nepal governments stand on the One China policy.
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 ...
Home Front chat is canceled this week.

Every week, Jura Koncius helps you in your quest to achieve domestic bliss. She and weekly guests, whether Martha Stewart, the Property Brothers or Nate Berkus, answer your decorating and design questions. Jura is always happy to whip out her paint chips, track down a hard-to-find piece of furniture or offer her seasoned advice on practical living and decluttering. For more than 10 years, Home Front has been an online conversation about the best way to make your home comfortable, stylish and fun. We invite you to submit questions and share you own great tips, ideas and gripes. No problem is too big or too small, send them over.
Donald Trump is still speaking at CPAC. But this chat waits for no man!

If you missed Trump's speech, here's the essence: The media is bad, Trump is very, very good.

Speaking of very good, have you subscribed to Ciquizza -- the kick-ass quiz show podcast I host -- yet?

If not, do it: iTunes or Stitcher. And here's the latest episode.

Now that you've done that, let's chat.
The butt of jokes as little as 10 years ago, automatic speech recognition is now on the verge of becoming peoples chief means of interacting with their principal computing devices.

In anticipation of the age of voice-controlled electronics, MIT researchers have built a low-power chip specialized for automatic speech recognition.

Whereas a cellphone running speech-recognition software might require about 1 watt of power, the new chip requires between 0.2 and 10 milliwatts, depending on the number of words it has to recognize.

In a real-world application, that probably translates to a power savings of 90 to 99 percent, which could make voice control practical for relatively simple electronic devices.

That includes power-constrained devices that have to harvest energy from their environments or go months between battery charges.

Such devices form the technological backbone of whats called the internet of things, or IoT, which refers to the idea that vehicles, appliances, civil-engineering structures, manufacturing equipment, and even livestock will soon have sensors that report information directly to networked servers, aiding with maintenance and the coordination of tasks.

Speech input will become a natural interface for many wearable applications and intelligent devices, says Anantha Chandrakasan, the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, whose group developed the new chip.

The miniaturization of these devices will require a different interface than touch or keyboard. It will be critical to embed the speech functionality locally to save system energy consumption compared to performing this operation in the cloud.

I dont think that we really developed this technology for a particular application, adds Michael Price, who led the design of the chip as an MIT graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science and now works for chipmaker Analog Devices.

We have tried to put the infrastructure in place to provide better trade-offs to a system designer than they would have had with previous technology, whether it was software or hardware acceleration.

Price, Chandrakasan, and Jim Glass, a senior research scientist at MITs Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, described the new chip in a paper Price presented last week at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference.

The sleeper wakes

Today, the best-performing speech recognizers are, like many other state-of-the-art artificial-intelligence systems, based on neural networks, virtual networks of simple information processors roughly modeled on the human brain.

Much of the new chips circuitry is concerned with implementing speech-recognition networks as efficiently as possible.

But even the most power-efficient speech recognition system would quickly drain a devices battery if it ran without interruption.

So the chip also includes a simpler voice activity detection circuit that monitors ambient noise to determine whether it might be speech. If the answer is yes, the chip fires up the larger, more complex speech-recognition circuit.

In fact, for experimental purposes, the researchers chip had three different voice-activity-detection circuits, with different degrees of complexity and, consequently, different power demands.

Which circuit is most power efficient depends on context, but in tests simulating a wide range of conditions, the most complex of the three circuits led to the greatest power savings for the system as a whole.

Even though it consumed almost three times as much power as the simplest circuit, it generated far fewer false positives; the simpler circuits often chewed through their energy savings by spuriously activating the rest of the chip.

A typical neural network consists of thousands of processing nodes capable of only simple computations but densely connected to each other.

In the type of network commonly used for voice recognition, the nodes are arranged into layers. Voice data are fed into the bottom layer of the network, whose nodes process and pass them to the nodes of the next layer, whose nodes process and pass them to the next layer, and so on.

The output of the top layer indicates the probability that the voice data represents a particular speech sound.

A voice-recognition network is too big to fit in a chips onboard memory, which is a problem because going off-chip for data is much more energy intensive than retrieving it from local stores.

So the MIT researchers design concentrates on minimizing the amount of data that the chip has to retrieve from off-chip memory.

Bandwidth management

A node in the middle of a neural network might receive data from a dozen other nodes and transmit data to another dozen. Each of those two dozen connections has an associated weight, a number that indicates how prominently data sent across it should factor into the receiving nodes computations.

The first step in minimizing the new chips memory bandwidth is to compress the weights associated with each node. The data are decompressed only after theyre brought on-chip.

The chip also exploits the fact that, with speech recognition, wave upon wave of data must pass through the network. The incoming audio signal is split up into 10-millisecond increments, each of which must be evaluated separately.

The MIT researchers chip brings in a single node of the neural network at a time, but it passes the data from 32 consecutive 10-millisecond increments through it.

If a node has a dozen outputs, then the 32 passes result in 384 output values, which the chip stores locally. Each of those must be coupled with 11 other values when fed to the next layer of nodes, and so on. So the chip ends up requiring a sizable onboard memory circuit for its intermediate computations.

But it fetches only one compressed node from off-chip memory at a time, keeping its power requirements low.

For the next generation of mobile and wearable devices, it is crucial to enable speech recognition at ultralow power consumption, says Marian Verhelst, a professor of microelectronics at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.

This is because there is a clear trend toward smaller-form-factor devices, such as watches, earbuds, or glasses, requiring a user interface which can no longer rely on touch screen. Speech offers a very natural way to interface with such devices.

The research was funded through the Qmulus Project, a joint venture between MIT and Quanta Computer, and the chip was prototyped through the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Companys University Shuttle Program.
YEREVAN.  Newly appointed Thailand's Ambassador to Armenia Mr. Kriangsak Kittichaisaree speaks about 300-year-old friendship between Armenians and Thai people, potential for tourism development in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Could you please tell about Thai traditions and rich culture of Thailand? Do you see any similarities with the Armenian traditions?

Thailand is at crossroads between India and China, there is mixture of two cultures. But we also have our unique traditions of Malay Peninsula. As to similarities between Armenian and Thailand's culture, the one thing that we share is jewelry craftsmanship. Three hundred years ago Armenians settled down in Siam, ancient Thailand. They started jewelry making and handicrafts and everything and we learned from you.

How would you assess the level of relations between Armenia and Thailand? What are the prospects for development?

Two years ago bilateral trade between Thailand and Armenia stood at $34.94 million, last year it dropped to $2.69. That is a huge decline that is most likely explained by economic situation in CIS countries. However, this year marks the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Armenia, so we have to start new projects to revive relations between two countries in all spheres. We are planning to start from jewelry industry, and Thailand has applied to be a partner in free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic union. We hope the agreement will further development of trade.

We would like to engage more with Armenia in terms of cultural exchange. We have already finished negotiations on agreement on cultural cooperation, and we will start the process of signing this agreement soon. Yesterday we had a long discussion with the committee on tourism because you have many things to offer. Thailand knows how to do it. Last year we had around 32 million tourists in Thailand. We can share our experience how to be engaged in branding Armenia as a tourist destinations.

We also have some other investment projects, because you have strong potential in pharmaceutical industry, and this one of the areas we can explore. Our businessmen are looking forward to new markets, and Armenia can be one of them.

Which areas can be interesting for Thailand?

There is also interest in agriculture. You may be surprised to learn that people in Thailand drink a lot of wine. We import wine from France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Now we are importing wine also from Australia and New Zealand because we have a free trade agreement with the two countries. In terms of price, Australian and New Zealand wine is more competitive than European wine. We realized that Armenia has excellent wine.

Have you tasted Armenian wine?

Yes, I loved it. I think it is a chance for Armenian wine to have a strong market in Thailand, because we like this kind of wine. You need to think about shipment of products, because the nearest route is through Iran and takes about 17 days. If we can find some other means of logistics, the price will go down and it will be more competitive. One issue that we discussed is to finalize the agreement on avoidance of double taxation. We have already negotiated that, but we need to make it final. My agenda for this year is to make it become reality soon.
The police arrested the correspondent of the German newspaper Die Welt in Turkey. As the newspapers headquarters report, 43-year-old Deniz Yuecel was arrested on 14 February. The Turkish police told to the lawyer of Yuecel , that he is suspected of being involvement in a terrorist organization, dispersing terrorist propaganda, and like violations.

According to Dpa agency, the charges presumably refer to the leaked mailbox of the Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, who is Erdogan's son-in-law. The name of Yuchel is mentioned in the posts of Redhack hackers group. The Redhack is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey.

Deniz Yuecel is a citizen of Turkey and Germany. Die Welt informs, that the police searched the journalist's apartment, after which they arrested him.
Iran reveals new air defense missile

IRGC neutralizes terrorist group in southwestern Iran

Bahrain to continue building relations with Israel after Netanyahu's victory

Iran says it confiscated a large batch of U.S.-made munitions

Iran successfully launches Ghaem 100 rocket, making the US nervous

U.S. sends warplanes to Iran

Washington Post: US privately urges Ukraine to show willingness to negotiate with Russia

Parisien: French man wins  160 million in European lottery

U.S. decides to block number of seats on planes because of the increase in passenger weight

BMW M4 turned into a pickup truck

Blinken calls on Israel and Palestine to urgently de-escalate tensions

Romania signs deal with Norway for purchase of over 30 F-16 fighters

Stoltenberg: The alliance has no plans to change nuclear positions and deployments

Tagesschau: Nearly 200,000 people took part in strikes at industrial enterprises of Germany

Teenagers hacks Uzbekistan senate website

Artsakh Ombudsman: Azerbaijanis fired at tractor in Khramort village of Artsakh

Rally participants' statement: Artsakh can't be a part of Azerbaijan

Person accused of arson in Russia cafe confesses

Fars: Iranian Foreign Ministry reported UAV deliveries to Russia a few months before the start of the UAS

Bayramov: Azerbaijan, Armenia leaders next meeting will take place in Brussels this month

Unity rally of participants start march in downtown Yerevan

North Korea launches 4 ballistic missiles

Council of Border Guard Troops commanders discusses situation at CIS external borders

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan joins rally in downtown Yerevan

Russia oil, natural gas companies plan to collaborate with Iraq

Armenia army intelligence troops 30th anniversary is solemnly celebrated (PHOTOS)

Rally of unity in support of Karabakh kicks off in downtown Yerevan

Pentagon announces sending 8 NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine

Armenian Apostolic Church Supreme Spiritual Council meeting ends, Armenia and Artsakh security discussed

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
YEREVAN.  The public will weigh up the people that are on the regional election list of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).

Head of the RPA National Assembly Faction, Vahram Baghdasaryan, on Saturday told about the aforesaid to reporters.

Speaking about the partys proportional representation list for the parliamentary election that is slated for April 2, he said: Its a quite logical list, and we will talk about the results on April 3.

And as for the remark there are old and nicknamed persons on the regional election lists of the RPA, Baghdasaryan responded: This is our team, and we will make our decisions in that way. We consider our proportional [representation] list a quite political list, whereas the public will give the assessments on the rating [i.e. regional election] list.
YEREVAN.  Following an agreement between the defense ministries of Armenia and Russia, and upon instruction by the President of Armenia, another consignment of humanitarian aid, which is intended for the residents who have suffered from the Syrian conflict, on Friday was sent to Syria, on behalf of Armenia.

The objective of this assistance is to enhance the resilience of the people and Armenian community of Syria.

This consignment of humanitarian aidwhich comprises about 20 tons of food, food items, clothing, and sleeping bagswas sent to Syria from Erebuni Airport in Armenias capital city of Yerevan, and on board a Russian Air Force plane.

To the brotherly people of Syria, with warm wishes for peace from Armenia, is written on this humanitarian cargo.
Dahal's consultations with Madhesi leaders fail to produce results

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal held consultation with the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha over various issues including local poll and constitution amendment on Saturday.
Former Canadian parliamentarian Jim Karygiannis will be visiting Artsakh in the upcoming week to serve as an international observer in the republics constitutional referendum that is set to be held on February 20, 2017, Horizon Weekly reported.

A long-time supporter of Artsakhs independence and its peoples right to self-determination, Mr. Karygiannis is visiting Artsakh at the request of the Armenian National Committee of Canada.

Previously and as recent as 2012, Mr. Karygiannis led a team of Canadian Election Observers for the presidential election in the Republic of Artsakh. In a statement released after the elections, he explicitly stated; It was a picture-perfect election from start to finish and witnessing the election process in a new democracy was a positive learning experience. I also met with government officials, residents of Nagorno Karabakh and members of the Canadian Diaspora who were visiting and learned more about the challenges facing this Artsakh.

Mr. Karygiannis timely visit to Artsakh is yet another indication that the young republic is a democratic and a fully functioning state, with a thriving market economy and an active civil society, that is striving to achieve its freedom and the formal recognition of its independence.
Children and adults were invited to Yeghvard town in Armenia, to attend the first screening of 360-degree films.

Funny and educational animations and characters explained to children the basics of astronomy.

The Founder of Startup Armenia Foundation, Tigran Petrosyan, stressed the importance of holding such events also in the communities and regions of Armenia, since this enables schoolchildren and the youth to get information on the latest technology.

This isnt just a screening of films, but a part of the educational program, Petrosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. Thanks to what they see, students will have a good understanding of [school] subjects such as astronomy and biology.
China suspends coal exports to North Korea. The decision abides to the implementation of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council.

Chinas coal export ban will remain in effect until December 31, 2017. The sanctions were imposed by the UN after the North Korea launched medium-range ballistic missile exercises.

Due to the sanctions against Pyongyang, Beijing announced its intention to suspend coal exports to North Korea as early as in April 2016. However, it was not done until now due to humanitarian reasons, as China is the major trade partner of North Korea.
The Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres met on the sidelines of Munich Security Conference to discuss Karabakh issue. During the meeting, Aliev complained to the UN Secretary General about Armenia.

The Azerbaijani president also called on the UN to intervene in the Karabakh conflict resolution, even though currently the conflict is mediated in the OSCE Minsk Group format.

Aliyev complained about the lack of progress in the conflict resolution and blamed the Armenian side for violation of the agreements. He also presented his own version of the April war in Karabakh in 2016.

When the UN Secretary General inquired about the basic conditions of the peace process, Aliyev stressed the need to deploy peacekeepers in the region.
Elections for charter implementation: PM

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the government was committed to holding three levels of elections by January next year, stressing that constitution implementation is essential for leading the country towards prosperity.
The educational component of defense system should have an important role to play, stressed Armenias Minister of Defense Vigen Sargsyan during his meeting with Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Dean James Stavridis.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 53th Munich Security Conference. Armenias MOD chief and James Stavridis touched upon the issues of implementation of modern educational programs in the defense area.

Vigen Sargsyan introduced a new program launched in Armenias armed forces. The program gives the opportunity to combine military service with acquisition of the knowledge and skills in important areas such as information technology.

During the Munich Security Conference, Armenias MOD chief also had working meetings with his colleagues from Germany, Singapore and Georgia.
Jack Rabbit Slims, 8028 W. National Ave. in West Allis, is undergoing a bit of an identity change.

The restaurant, which opened in December 2015 as a country music bar and barbecue restaurant, has taken the last few months to take a step back and reevaluate.

"Going into this business, the kitchen side was pretty tough for me," says owner Chris Surges, who was a former owner of Rumor Upbeat Lounge. "But, weve really made a lot of changes. Weve upped the level of service were providing, and weve really listened to what our customers want in terms of making menu changes."

Certain favorite items will remain on the Jack Rabbit menu, including the Texas Twinkies, nachos, chili and a number of sandwiches. But the barbecue portion of the menu has been traded out for a full menu of hand-tossed housemade pizzas.

"One things I did a lot was to go out and talk to people from this part of West Allis," says Surges. "And one of the things that kept coming up as something people wanted was pizza."

Chef Juan Manuel has taken charge of the pizza menu, which includes six signature pizzas, like The Vincent, featuring marinated steak, black beans, jalapenos and cilantro ($16); The Jules with marinated pork, pineapple, corn, red onion and red peppers ($15); and more classic varieties, like The Butch with Italian sausage, pepperoni and bacon ($15).

A basic pizza with "secret sauce," olive oil and mozzarella for $11 can also be embellished with a list of toppings including steak, sausage, barbecued chicken, pork, bacon, cream cheese, mushrooms, onions, peppers, corn and black beans.

Pizza is currently available for dine in and carry-out. Delivery will be available beginning next week, says Surges.

Jack Rabbit Slims continues to offer live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Theyve also added karaoke on Tuesdays and $2 taco offerings on Thursday evenings.

Jack Rabbit Slims is open Tuesday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to bar time. The kitchen is open until 10 p.m.
This article was originally posted on Feb. 17, 2017, but in honor of Pride Month and Pride Week at OnMilwaukee, we've republished it today.

The Cooper Do-Nuts Riot of May 1959. The Comptons Cafeteria Riot of August 1966. The Black Cat Protests of February 1967.

Few of these early LGBTQ uprisings ever made news headlines and few if any factual police records exist from these incidents. As the greatest generation continues to leave us, the actual course of these events has been slowly evaporating into hidden history. As a result, many people today believe that LGBTQ history began with New Yorks Stonewall Riots of 1969.

But eight years before Stonewall, Milwaukee was the scene of an early uprising unlike anything local police had ever seen before. On Saturday night, Aug. 5, 1961, four troublemakers got more trouble than they bargained for at the Black Nite (400 N. Plankinton Ave.,) one of Milwaukee's most popular gay bars of the time.

Murky by day, murkier by night

After 100 years at the dense heart of downtown commerce, the 400 block of North Plankinton Avenue was showing its age. After World War II, the Downtown freeway loop offered a bright promise of renewal, but its delays also discouraged new investment in these properties for an entire generation. In this lost and lonely part of town, the only new businesses that were opening were businesses that didnt really want to be found.

With St. Paul Avenue dead-ending at the river to the east, Milwaukee Road railway junctions to the west and ancient coal-stained buildings all around, Plankinton looked and felt like a scene from a Raymond Chandler novel. The streets were indeed dark  with something more than night.

Built by George Burnham in 1853 as a grain elevator, the old flourmill at 400 N. Plankinton Avenue was later home to manufacturers Fairbanks, Morse & Co. Long known as the Old Mill Tavern and Cafe, the ground floor storefront was acquired by local financier Harry Kaminsky in 1958. Unable to get a tavern license in his name, Kaminsky convinced Mary Wathen of Omaha, Nebraska, to open Marys Tavern in hers. Mary complained immediately about being "bothered" by homosexual clientele from nearby taverns. "They drove regular customers away," she complained to Kaminsky, whose response was "if we cant beat em, lets join em."

Kaminsky was on to something. After World War II, savvy sponsors quickly figured out that money was to be had in catering to a crowd that had nowhere else to go. Marys Tavern joined The Fox Bar (open in 1948 at 455 N. Plankinton) and Tonys Riviera (open in 1952 at 401 N. Plankinton and a longtime gay landmark earlier as the Anchor Inn) to create the citys first gay bar strip. "It was the original Fruit Loop," said Bunny, a contributor to the Wisconsin LGBT History Project, "and it was popping!"

Mortified, Mary Wathen got out of the bar business in 1959 and moved back to Omaha. "I wanted no part of that, I didnt like the place and I never let Mr. Kaminsky forget it  I was the happiest gal in the world when it was sold. I could have danced in the street." Kaminsky quickly recruited Wally Whetham, a Kohls Food Store butcher, to take over the tavern license and changed the name of the bar to the Black Nite.



A party at the Black Nite (PHOTO: Wisconsin LGBT History Project)

The Black Nite wasnt just a tavern that tolerated homosexuals; it was, from the start, a tavern that embraced and welcomed them. Whetham, a twice-married man with children, became well-known for creating a safe and generous space for his customers. All sexual and gender expressions were welcome  something extremely rare to find in mid-century Milwaukee  and customers were fiercely protective of their turf.

That fierceness made itself known on Saturday, Aug. 5, 1961.

Scenes from a brawl

After partying at a Kane Place tavern, four 20-year-old servicemen (Kenneth Kensche, John Cianciolo, Bruce Pulkkila and Edward Flynn) decided to check out the Black Nite on a dare. Despite being asked several times, they refused to show any identification to the bouncer and wound up being forcibly removed. One of the servicemen would later claim that he was grabbed, punched and hit on the head with a bottle for no reason. But thats not exactly what happened.

"We didnt start anything, but we sure as hell finished it,"said Josie Carter, contributor to the Wisconsin LGBT History Project in 2011. "Those guys only came down there to cause trouble. When he tried to kick them out, they all tried to fight him. And I thought, 'Oh no, youre not going to hurt MY husband.' I went out there with a beer bottle in each hand, ready to knock some heads.

"This man turned on me. I thought, I cant let him put his hands on me. He was big, and he kept coming at me. I thought he would kill me. In that moment, I could fight off an army in a bathrobe. I let him have everything that was in that bottle. He went down."

The servicemen fled the bar, took their injured friend to the County Emergency Hospital and went back to the Kane Place tavern. They rounded up a dozen men and decided to go back Downtown and "clean up the Black Nite."

"Wally said, 'OK, you guys have to get out of here, because God knows what is about to happen.' But we did not run from a fight. We did not run from nothing," said Josie. "And, wouldnt you know it, those big ass mothers came back and just tore apart that bar, looking for little old me and my husband, because their buddy got beat up."

Wally Whetham later reported that "this gang came in and started tearing the bar apart, and the bar fought back." Earlier that night, the servicemen had found a nearly empty bar and a 4-1 fight against the bouncer. This time, they found a packed bar of 75 patrons ready and willing to defend their turf by any means necessary.

The battle didnt last long, but it was intense: One patron suffered extreme lacerations when he was thrown through a broken window; another patron experienced a brain concussion when he was hit in the head with a barstool. He would remain in critical condition for weeks after the brawl. In the end, over $2,000 in losses were reported, including the bars entire bottled liquor inventory, an electric organ, a jukebox and all windows.

"One of the guys came at me and said, 'OK you sick faggot, come on.' I popped him right there, and the blood sprayed and he fell to the ground. Ill never forget that as long as I live. He started it, but I stopped it. I may be a faggot, but Im the one who stopped it."

"And then the cops came down, and put them all in a paddy wagon, and took them to jail," said Josie Carter. "They said, 'You have no business coming down here and harassing these people. The police were good to me back then; they took care of me and taught me how to stay out of trouble. I never had no problem with the police, as long as I didnt make problems."

Its especially interesting that Josie, a self-described "queen" who did not consider herself transgender despite living a full and proud female life, would make that statement. Laws prohibiting "cross-dressing" had been on the books since pioneer times, and even in the 1960s, police were empowered to apprehend, inspect and arrest any individual not wearing three pieces of biological gender-appropriate clothing. Today, we cant even imagine the bravery and boldness that was required to live a transgender life in midcentury Milwaukee.

"Oh, I was so proud of myself, but when I went back to the bar and grabbed the door handle  I realized my whole finger was pushed all the way backwards. I didnt even notice that during the fight. I just kept fighting. We all did."

While Whetham and his patrons cleaned up the carnage, the four servicemen were charged with disorderly conduct. Unfortunately, Judge Christ T. Seraphim later dismissed their charges due to "lack of evidence."

The Black Nite brawl haunted the property for months, affecting the bars business and reputation, and Whetham was urged by the Common Council to change the business name in order to keep his liquor license. The bar operated as Bourbon Beat until being razed for St. Paul Avenues extension in 1966. By that time, all of the other gay bars in the 400 block of North Plankinton were demolished for I-794 freeway construction. Although vacant for decades, the footprint of the Black Nite has been eyed for redevelopment as an urban dog park.

Wally Whetham and Josie Carter (PHOTO: Wisconsin LGBT History Project)

By the time Milwaukees original "Fruit Loop" was erased, the community had already moved further south, where the Nite Beat girl bar had moved in 1962. When Al Barry opened The Rooster (181 S. 2nd St.) in 1968, he unknowingly inspired the formation of Milwaukees second great "gayborhood" at 2nd and Pittsburgh. Within a year, the popular Castaways and the Knight Owl restaurant joined the block, which would ultimately see as many as a dozen gay and lesbian bars open and close by the late 1970s.

Without the Black Nite Brawl, the subsequent erasure of the Plankinton strip and Barrys investment in The Rooster, its entirely possible Walkers Point would never have become the citys leading LGBTQ neighborhood.

Wally Whetham would later open the Captains Cabin (400 N. 2nd St.) and manage the Pirates Den (1801 N. 12th St.) before declaring bankruptcy in 1966. He became a key witness in Harry Kaminskys 1968 federal fraud trial, along with the returning Mary Wathen. However, Kaminsky died in October 1968 before the trial came to conclusion. Whetham moved to New Year where he passed away in July 1974.

And what about the person who threw the first bottle that started the brawl? Josie Carter remained a Milwaukee LGBTQ icon and hero for over five decades until passing away in 2014.

"I have never lived in fear. All someone can do is beat me up, but believe me, if I see them again, anywhere, I will walk up to them and tap them on the shoulder," said Josie. "'Remember me?' Ill say. And theyll remember me. I promise you that."

As anyone who had the privilege of meeting Josie will tell you, she was damn right.

Want to learn more? Explore nearly 100 years of local LGBTQ heritage at the Wisconsin LGBT History Project website and the new book, LGBT Milwaukee.
Top agents of Milwaukees iconic spy-themed destination The SafeHouse  which celebrated its 50th anniversary with multiple upgrades in 2016  will open their second location in the abandoned warrens of Chicago at 60 E. Ontario St.

The opening date for the new venue is still covert. However, weve heard from a reliable source that the Chicago arm of the Marcus Corp. is eyeing a debut in late February.

Thanks to a small treasure trove of photos leaked from Command, we're also able to give you a sense of some of the most guarded aspects of the new venue.

A series of assets, released alongside the photographs, indicate that the new spy haven was designed by operatives at The Gettys Group. The venue is said to showcase upgraded spy technology, including a new agent authentication process, along with two bars, a dining room, the Seduction Lounge, a dance floor (of course) and the Cone of Silence booth  a nod to the 1960s television show "Get Smart"  where visitors can engage in covert meetings in an ultra-private environs.

There is also a "spybrary" where agents can conduct research about a variety of other cultures and a Gadget Bar which will be stocked with every supply a well-equipped spy might need along with nightly appearances from magicians, who are rumored to harbor very sensitive intel. Decor will also include historical elements include a portion of an authentic World War II spy plane and a piece of the Berlin Wall. And yes, a password will be required for entry (and we have verified that  at least for now  its the same as the one for the Milwaukee SafeHouse).

Meanwhile, because agents still need to eat, a menu of delicious spy-themed foods will include "Fried C4 Cheese Curds" (a nod to Wisconsin), poutine and the "M.O.A.B. (Mother of All Burgers)." Healthy vegetarian and vegan items will also be available.

EscapeHouse

While agents await the much anticipated opening, they are invited to exercise their bang and burn skills at the EscapeHouse, located at 54 E. Ontario St., just off the Magnificent Mile in River North. The venue, which opened this fall, was expertly designed by Agent Fudd, Paul Daurio of Creative Development who also led the team behind The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for Universal.

Over the course of 60 minutes, two EscapeHouse games test agents abilities to discover clues, solve puzzles and work together under pressure. For example, during "Saving the White House," guests find themselves locked in an exact replica of the Oval Office, trying to survive and discover secrets during a missile attack.

Each adventure can accommodate up to 10 operatives. Cost is $35 per person, with reservations available online.

"Who doesnt want to escape the everyday for an hour or two and become an international superspy?" says Agent BB, Greg Marcus, Marcus Corporation President and CEO. "Fascination with the world of espionage persists in novels and movies, making the SafeHouse and EscapeHouse concepts ones that will stand the test of time. It is the worlds second oldest profession."
PPPL physicists working on development of XGC code for simulating the behavior of transport barrier particles. From left: Robert Hager, Seung-Ho Ku, team leader C.S. Chang, Stephane Ethier. Credit: Elle Starkman/PPPL Office of Communications

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) high-performance computer sites have selected a dynamic fusion code, led by physicist C.S. Chang of the DOE's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), for optimization on three powerful new supercomputers. The PPPL-led code was one of only three codes out of more than 30 science and engineering programs selected to participate in Early Science programs on all three new supercomputers, which will serve as forerunners for even more powerful exascale machines that are to begin operating in the United States in the early 2020s.

The PPPL code, called XGC, simulates behavior of the ions, electrons and neutral atoms in the transport barrier region or "pedestal"between the ultra-hot core of the plasma that fuels fusion reactions and the cooler and turbulent outer edge of the plasma. The pedestal must be high and wide enough to prevent damage to the divertor plate that exhausts heat in doughnut-shaped tokamaks that house the fusion reactions. "How to create a high edge pedestal without damaging the divertor wall is the key question to be answered," said Chang. "That is a prerequisite for achieving steady state fusion."

Among the team of nationwide experts developing this program are PPPL physicists Seung-Ho Ku, Robert Hager and Stephane Ethier.

Selection of the PPPL code could help ready it for exascale development. "Computer architecture is evolving rapidly and these new pre-exascale computers have features that are quite different from some of the earlier petascale supercomputers," said Amitava Bhattacharjee, head of the Theory Department at PPPL. Petascale machines operate in petaflops, or one million billion (1015) floating point operations per second.

Bhattacharjee heads a PPPL-led Exascale Computing Project that will integrate the XGC code with GENE, a code developed at the University of California, Los Angeles, to create the first simulation of a complete fusion plasma. Exascale supercomputers will perform exaflops, or a billion billion (1018) floating point operations per second.

The three new pre-exascale supercomputers:

Cori, now fully installed at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Cori, named for biochemist Gerty Cori, the first American woman to win a Nobel Prize in science, has a theoretical peak speed of 30 petaflops per second on scientific applications using Intel Xeon "Haswell" and Xeon Phi "Knights Landing" processor nodes.

Also selected to participate in Cori's NERSC Exascale Science Applications Program (NESAP) is the PPPL-led M3D-CI, an extended magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code focused on simulation of plasma disruptions led by physicist Stephen Jardin, with support from physicists Joshua Breslau, Nate Ferraro and Jin Chen.

Two more PPPL-led codes, in addition to the 20 that included XGC and M3D-CI that were previously selected, will participate in the Cori NERSC program. These programs are GTC-P and GTS codes that model plasma turbulence in the plasma core and are headed by physicists William Tang and Stephane Ethier. Principal developer of the GTS code is PPPL physicist Weixing Wang. The GTC-P code is PPPL's version of the GTC code led by the University of California, Irvine.

Summit, to be operational at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2018. Summit features a hybrid architecture consisting of IBM Power 9 processors and multiple NVIDIA Volta graphic processing units and will be capable of performing up to at least 200 petaflops for a wide range of applications. The facility's Center for Accelerated Application Readiness (CAAR) program has selected 13 projects that will participate in the program to optimize their applications codes and demonstrate the effectiveness of their applications on Summit.

Aurora, scheduled to be deployed in 2018 at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) at Argonne National Laboratory, will be comprised of third generation Intel Xeon Phi "Knights Hill" many-core processors. Ten projects have been selected for the ALCF Early Science Program, which is expected to be capable of performing up to 200 petaflops on a wide range of scientific applications.

PPPL, on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro, N.J., is devoted to creating new knowledge about the physics of plasmasultra-hot, charged gasesand to developing practical solutions for the creation of fusion energy. The Laboratory is managed by the University for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, which is the largest single supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
Creating tiny muscle-powered robots that can walk or swim by themselvesor better yet, when promptedis more complicated than it looks.

Rashid Bashir, the head of the bioengineering department at the University of Illinois, and Taher Saif, a professor of mechanical science and engineering at Illinois, will speak in Boston on the design and development of walking and swimming bio-bots at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Through the National Science Foundation-funded Emergent Behavior of Integrated Cellular Systems center, Bashir, Saif and colleagues have developed small, soft biological robots, dubbed "bio-bots," that can walk and swim on their own or when triggered by electrical or light signals. The researchers make a soft 3-D printed scaffold measuring a centimeter or two in length, seed it with muscle cells, and the cells self-organize to form functional tissues that make the bio-bots move.

"These machines are now viewed as partially living, with the ability to form, the ability to age and the ability to heal if there's an injury," Saif said. "Now that we've got them working, we are beginning to look back and try to understand how the cells organize themselves and what language they use to communicate. This is the developmental biology of living machines."

In the talk "How to Engineer a Living System," Bashir will describe the methods that the group has used to build the bio-bots and to direct their behavior.

"As engineers, we usually build with materials like wood, steel or silicon. Our focus here is to forward-engineer biological or cell-based systems," Bashir said. "The design is inspired by the muscle-tendon-bone complex found in nature. There's a skeleton or backbone, but made out of soft polymers similar to the ones used in contact lenses, so it can bend instead of needing joints like the body does."

Bashir's group developed multiple designs to make bio-bots walk in certain directions and to control their motion with light or electrical currents.

In the talk "Engineered Living Micro Swimmers," Saif will describe bio-bots that swim and the physical and biological interactions that cause the cells to come into alignment. They form a single muscle unit that contracts to beat a tail, propelling the bio-bot through liquid.

"They align themselves in a direction where the tail of the swimmer can be bent most. Which is exactly what we wanted, although we did not pattern or direct them to do it," Saif said. "Why do they behave this way? If each cell beat at its own time, we wouldn't have the swimmer. What made them synchronize into a single entity?"

Bashir and Saif will share insights learned from these questions and more.

"The objective is not to make a walker and a swimmer, but to lay the scientific foundation so we have principles for building biological machines in the future," Saif said.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Even those who follow science may be surprised by how quickly international collaboration in scientific studies is growing, according to new research.

The number of multiple-author scientific papers with collaborators from more than one country more than doubled from 1990 to 2015, from 10 to 25 percent, one study found. And 58 more countries participated in international research in 2015 than did so in 1990.

"Those are astonishing numbers," said Caroline Wagner, associate professor in the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, who helped conduct these studies.

"In the 20th century, we had national systems for conducting research. In this century, we increasingly have a global system."

Wagner presented her research Feb. 17 in Boston at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Even though Wagner has studied international collaboration in science for years, the way it has grown so quickly and widely has surprised even her.

One unexpected finding was that international collaboration has grown in all fields she has studied. One would expect more cooperation in fields like physics, where expensive equipment (think supercolliders) encourages support from many countries. But in mathematics?

"You would think that researchers in math wouldn't have a need to collaborate internationally - but I found they do work together, and at an increasing rate," Wagner said.

"The methods of doing research don't determine patterns of collaboration. No matter how scientists do their work, they are collaborating more across borders."

In a study published online last month in the journal Scientometrics, Wagner and two co-authors (who are both from The Netherlands) examined the growth in international collaboration in six fields: astrophysics, mathematical logic, polymer science, seismology, soil science and virology.

Their findings showed that all six specialties added between 18 and 60 new nations to the list of collaborating partners between 1990 and 2013. In two of those fields, the number of participating nations doubled or more.

The researchers expected astrophysics would grow the most in collaboration, given the need to use expensive equipment. But it was soil science that grew the most, with a 550 percent increase in the links between research groups in different countries in that time period.

"We certainly didn't expect to see soil science have the fastest growth," she said.

"But we saw strong increases in all areas. It appears that all the fields of science that we studied are converging toward similar levels of international activity."

The study found that virology had the highest rate of collaboration, with the most countries involved. "They aren't working together because they need to share expensive equipment. They're collaborating because issues like HIV/AIDS, Ebola and Zika are all international problems and they need to share information across borders to make progress."

Wagner has started a new line of research that attempts to determine how much nations benefit from their scientific work with other countries. For this work, she is looking at all the scientific articles that a nation's scientists published with international collaborators in 2013. She is looking at each article's "impact factor" - a score that measures how much other scientists mentioned that study in their own work.

"How much recognition a study gets from other scientists is a way to measure its importance," Wagner said.

She compared each nation's combined impact factor for its international collaborations to how much money the same country spent on scientific research. This is a way to determine how much benefit in terms of impact each nation gets for the money it spends.

The United States has the highest overall spending and shows proportional returns. However, smaller, scientifically advanced nations are far outperforming the United States in the relationship between spending and impact. Switzerland, the Netherlands and Finland outperform other countries in high-quality science compared to their investment. China is significantly underperforming its investment.

Wagner said this isn't the only way to measure how a country is benefiting from international science collaboration. But it can be one way to determine how efficiently a country is using its science dollars.

In any case, Wagner said her findings show that international science collaboration is becoming the way research gets done in nearly all scientific fields.

"Science is a global enterprise now," Wagner said.
The novel mode filter for laser beams in the LG33 mode, which was developed at the AEI. Top: mode filter in the laboratory. Bottom: schematic of the mode filter. Credit: Noack/Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics

One year ago, the first direct detection of gravitational waves was announced. Laser experts from the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute; AEI), from the Leibniz Universitat Hannover, and from the Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) played leading roles in this discovery, because their super-precise laser technology at the heart of the LIGO instruments in the USA enabled the detection of weak gravitational-wave signals. Now, AEI researchers have presented two new technologies capable of further increasing the sensitivity of future gravitational-wave detectors. The Max Planck Society now strengthens the development of laser systems for third-generation gravitational-wave detectors. The AEI, in collaboration with the LZH, receives over the next five years 3.75 million Euro research funding for the development of novel lasers Zentrum Hannover receives over the next five years 3.75 million Euro research funding for the development of novel lasers and stabilization methods.

"We have made two important breakthroughs," says Apl. Prof. Benno Willke, leader of the laser development group at the AEI. "Our work is another step towards using a novel type of laser beam profile in interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. Furthermore, we have shown how to increase the power stability of the high-power lasers used in the detectors. These are important steps towards the future of gravitational-wave astronomy." The results were published in the renowned science journal Optics Letters and were highlighted by the editors.

More homogeneous laser beams

The beams of all laser systems currently used in gravitational-wave detectors have higher intensity at the centre than at the edges. This leads to an undesirable strong influence of mirror surface fluctuations on the measurement precision of gravitational-wave detectors. This so-called thermal noise can be reduced by a more homogeneous laser intensity distribution.

In 2013 a team with AEI involvement showed how more homogeneous high-power laser beams in the so-called LG 33 mode can be created. Now, Andreas Noack has studied in his MSc thesis in Benno Willke's team how these laser beams can be fed into future gravitational-wave detectors.

Panorama shot of the 10 meter prototype at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Hannover. It is used for demonstrations and tests of technologies for the third generation of gravitational-wave detectors. Credit: Luck/Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics

The first step on the way into the detector is a device known as a pre-mode cleaner, which optimizes the beam profile and reduces beam jitter. Willke's team showed that the new LG 33 beam is incompatible with the pre-mode cleaners currently in use. The researchers also showed how to solve this problem. They developed a new pre-mode cleaner, which is compatible with the LG 33 laser beams.

"The design of the next-generation gravitational wave detectors is not set," says Willke. "Therefore, we are testing different types of lasers to have as many options for new gravitational wave detectors as possible. We now have made a big step ahead with the promising LG 33 beams."

Improving laser power stability for new gravitational-wave detectors

All interferometric gravitational-wave detectors like LIGO, Virgo, and GEO600 rely on laser systems that keep their high output power stable over years and that show very little short timescale power fluctuations. Benno Willke's research group plays a world-wide leading role in this research area. They constructed the laser systems for GEO600 and Advanced LIGO, without which the first direct detection of gravitational waves in September 2015 would not have been possible.

he photodetector system used for the power stabilization. Left: schematic of the beam path of the laser (red) onto the four measurement photo diodes via mirrors. Right: The device being integrated into the AEI 10 meter prototype. The four measurement photo diodes are on the right backside. The additional photodiodes for stabilization of the beam pointing are on the top, marked QPD1/2. Credit: Junker/Kwee/Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics

Now, Jonas Junker has further refined the existing power stabilization system in his MSc thesis in Willke's team. A part of the laser light is picked off and distributed on multiple photodetectors to precisely determine the total laser power. If it varies, the main laser power is corrected accordingly. In their experiment, the scientists extended the current system by adding, among other things, another photodetector to also control and correct the pointing of the laser beam.

The improved power stabilization scheme has been successfully applied to the 35 Watt laser system of the 10 meter prototype interferometer at the AEI. The prototype is used by researchers in Hannover for demonstrations and tests of technologies for the third generation of detectors and for research on quantum mechanical effects in these instruments. The level of power stability reached is five times higher than that in comparable experiments of other groups. This value agrees very well with results from isolated table-top experiments.

"An experiment in the well isolated environment of an optical laboratory is completely different from a complex large-scale experiment like the 10 meter prototype. We have shown for the first time that it is possible to transfer the excellent stability level from a table-top experiment," says Willke. "We show that these photodiode arrays work as expected, meaning it should also be possible to achieve this high stability with the identical multi-photodetector arrays used in Advanced LIGO."

More information: Andreas Noack et al. Higher-order LaguerreGauss modes in (non-) planar four-mirror cavities for future gravitational wave detectors, Optics Letters (2017). DOI: 10.1364/OL.42.000751 Journal information: Optics Letters
WHOI deep-sea biologist Stace Beaulieu will address potential environmental impacts from deep-sea mining on different types of ecosystems. These bamboo coral, located at a seamount in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, are an example of hard-bottomed ecosystems found at ferromanganese-encrusted seamounts. The expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monuments in 2014 provided protection against mining activities. Credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Deepwater Wonders of Wake

Home to an immense diversity of marine life, the deep ocean also contains valuable minerals with metals such as nickel, copper, cobalt, manganese, zinc, and gold, and rare-earth elements used in electronic technology like smart phones and medical imaging machines. As demand for these resources increases and supplies on land decrease, commercial mining operators are looking to the deep ocean as the next frontier for mining.

What are the risks and environmental impacts of deep-sea mining on fragile marine ecosystems? Would seafloor mineral resources be enough to keep up with the evolving demands of modern society?

A panel of scholars including Stace Beaulieu, a deep-sea biologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), will discuss these and other questions during the symposium, "Should We Mine the Seafloor?" scheduled on Saturday, February 18, at the AAAS meeting in Boston, MA. A news briefing for science journalists will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, February 17, in room 103 of the Hynes Convention Center.

The speakers will examine the pros and cons of seafloor mining, its engineering feasibility, and its legal and societal implications with the goal of providing the best available, objective, scientific evidence to inform ongoing policy efforts on this important and timely topic.

"Our panel is unique in that we bring together knowledge of the demand for critical metals and the potential supply from known and yet-to-be-discovered seafloor mineral resources, and an understanding of deep-sea ecosystems, including a new perspective on ecosystem services that contribute to human well-being," Beaulieu says.

Currently, there's no mining occurring in the ocean deeper than the continental shelves, but the industry is moving forward quickly. Many of the engineering challenges associated with working in the deep sea have already been addressed by the offshore oil and gas industry. Different types of machines for mining have been built and the components for mining systems are currently being tested in deep-sea deployments.

About 27 countries have already signed contracts to explore for deep-sea resources with the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the organization that controls mineral exploration and exploitation in the area beyond national jurisdiction. And the first deep-sea mining project Solwara 1 within the jurisdiction of Papua New Guineais scheduled to begin in 2019 by Nautilus Minerals.

Beaulieu's talk will address potential environmental impacts from deep-sea mining and highlight new research on the vulnerability and resilience of deep-sea ecosystems. She's also been working with social scientists to address the question of economic impacts from lost and degraded ecosystem services, such as the potential for new medicines from deep-sea, biological resources.

The symposium will also feature talks by experts Thomas Graedel, an industrial ecologist at Yale University, and Mark Hannington, a geologist at GEOMAR-Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research.

Graedel will examine how the demand for metals might evolve in the next few decades. Hannington's talk will focus on estimates of the abundance of seafloor deposits targeted for mining.

The symposium will be moderated by Mindy Todd, a radio producer and journalist at WCAI - The Cape & Islands NPR Station.
A guard tower at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Credit: US Navy

How do you redeem a place like Gitmo, the notorious U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?

Reboot the naval base and detainee center as a cutting-edge marine research lab and peace park, says Joe Roman, a conservation biologist at the University of Vermont (UVM).

Roman briefed journalists and scholars on his "Green Gitmo" proposal at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting panel, Protecting the Crown Jewel of the Caribbean: Cuba's Marine Ecosystems, on Feb. 18 in Boston.

The provocative idea, first published in Science last year, has taken on new meaning under a Trump presidency, Roman says.

A 'THIRD PATH' FORWARD

While former U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to close Gitmo, other U.S. politicians want the prison to remain open - and the Trump administration's Cuba strategy remains unclear.

In contrast, Cuba has considered the U.S. presence in Guantanamo as illegal since the 1960s - even refusing to cash the annual rent check of $4,085, part of an agreement that stretches back to a 1903 U.S.-Cuba treaty.

According to Roman, an oceans expert in UVM's Gund Institute for Ecological Economics and Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, the proposal offers a "third path" forward.

"Turning Gitmo into a research center and peace park offers a solution to a major impasse in U.S.-Cuba relations," says Roman, who co-authored the proposal with James Kraska of the U.S. Naval War College.

University of Vermont marine biologist Joe Roman snorkeling off the coast of Cuba. Credit: Joe Roman

SEEKING CLOSURE

Military documents have identified Gitmo as a "prime candidate" for closure, given its proximity to the U.S. base in Key West, Florida, only 90 miles away, notes Roman.

"The business case for closing down Gitmo is significant," says Roman. "U.S. taxpayers spend more than $445 million each year to run Guantanamo Bay, which now holds roughly 40 detainees.That funding could support research labs and a peace park at a fraction of the cost, leaving ample money to invest in other military purposes, he says.

SPECIES AND HABITATS AT RISK

Under Roman and Kraska's proposal, existing Gitmo facilities would be refurbished for research and education on climate change, ocean conservation and biodiversity loss.

With a reduced U.S. footprint at Guantanamo, the land and sea could support threatened Cuban species - from manatees to hawksbill sea turtlesas well as habitats: rare tropical dry forests, pristine coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds.

Roman, who teaches a UVM course in Cuba, says greening Gitmo would help recognize Cuba's "conservation efforts and strong stance on climate change." It would also offer up-to-date facilities, financial support, and opportunities for Cuba's upcoming scientists and students.

According to Roman, a "green Gitmo" would unite Cuba and the United States in joint management, rather than serve as a wedge between them.

"For the next generations, the name Guantanamo could be associated - not with its recent dark history - but with redemption, preservation, and repair of nature and international friendship."
For private non-landed homes sold in the week of Jan 31 to Feb 7, the next biggest loss, after the Seascape unit, of $1.56 million occurred in the sale of a 1,249 sq ft unit at Scotts Square in prime District 9. The seller bought it at $5.2 million, or $4,171 psf, from the developer in August 2007 and sold it at $3.65 million, or $2,923 psf, on Feb 3. The loss works out to 30%, or 4% annualised over a holding period of 9.5 years.

Scotts Square has 338 freehold apartment units and is within walking distance of Orchard MRT station. Find the most affordable unit in the project here

scotts square

This transaction marks the biggest loss at Scotts Square so far. All seven units at Scotts Square transacted last year, whose previous caveats could be traced, were sold at a loss. The sellers sustained losses ranging from $647,088 to $1.2 million, working out to an average loss of $910,579, or 24%.

The monthly rents for units of between 1,200 and 1,300 sq ft at Scotts Square averaged $7,682 in 2H2016, which implies a 3% gross rental yield for the recently transacted unit. Scotts Square is a mixed-use development completed in 2011. It comprises 338 freehold apartment units and is located within walking distance of Orchard MRT station.

This article appeared in The Edge Property Pullout, Issue 767 (Feb 20, 2017) of The Edge Singapore

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"(China) will temporarily stop its imports of coal from North Korea for the rest of this year (including coal for which customs applications have been made but not yet processed)," the commerce ministry said in a statement posted on its website. The statement said the suspension was in accordance with existing UN sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programmes and would come in to force on Sunday and remain until the end of the year. The decision came less than a week after North Korea's latest missile test, as tensions escalate over the reclusive state's defiance of UN resolutions. The North's leader Kim Jong-Un has been trying to strengthen his grip on power in the face of growing international pressure over his country's nuclear and missile programmes. China's announcement came as investigators in Malaysia probe the assassination of Kim's half-brother on Monday, which Seoul says was carried out by female agents on the orders of Pyongyang. North Korea's launch came just after a conciliatory phone chat between US President Donald Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping of China -- the North's only major ally. - Provocation - That may indicate it was in part a North Korean attempt to sow division between China and the United States, which has pressed Beijing to bring more pressure on Pyongyang, said Wang Dong, an expert on Northeast Asian geopolitics at Peking University. "So I think the provocative nature of that launch was very clear, that's why (China) has moved to register its opposition," Wang said. "I think this can be viewed as a signal to North Korea that it has to restrain its behaviour." Wang said he doubted the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam -- half-brother of Kim Jong-Un -- was a factor in Saturday's announcement by China since that crime was still being investigated by Malaysia. The United Nations Security Council, which includes China, sharply castigated Pyongyang last Monday for the missile test a day earlier, describing it as a "grave violation" of UN resolutions and threatening "further significant measures". On Wednesday Pyongyang defended the launch and slammed the Security Council's condemnation. The rocket launch was the first since Trump came to power and was seen as a challenge to the new American leader, who has vowed a strong response. Trump has repeatedly called out China for doing too little to help stop North Korea's nuclear programme. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday used his first meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to urge Beijing "to use all available tools to moderate North Korea's destabilising behaviour". Pyongyang is barred under UN resolutions from carrying out ballistic missile launches or nuclear tests. North Korea blasted off a series of missiles and conducted two nuclear tests in 2016 in its quest to develop a weapons system capable of hitting the US mainland. The latest rocket -- said by Pyongyang to be able to carry a nuclear warhead -- flew east for about 500 kilometres (310 miles) before falling into the Sea of Japan (East Sea), South Korea's defence ministry said. The Security Council has imposed six sets of sanctions since Pyongyang first tested an atomic device in 2006. Beijing traditionally ensured that UN Security Council resolutions on sanctions against Pyongyang included humanitarian exemptions, and had continued to purchase huge amounts of North Korean coal -- $101 million worth in October alone -- a crucial source of foreign exchange for Pyongyang. But the latest resolution, passed in December, had no such clause and Beijing suspended purchases of coal from the North -- for three weeks to December 31.
Lohani to run for RPP chair

Backtracking on Wednesdays decision to unanimously elect Kamal Thapa as the new chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, incumbent National Chairman Prakash Chandra Lohani has decided to throw his hat in the ring, saying he cant support Thapa as he had breached various agreements forged between them earlier.
One person died and 27 others were injured -- three of them seriously -- when a train derailed Saturday shortly after leaving a station east of Brussels, officials said. The train carrying 85 passengers derailed four minutes after leaving Louvain bound for the North Sea coast via the Belgian capital, the SNCB railway authority said. The cause of the derailment -- which occurred shortly after 1:00 pm (1200 GMT) -- was not immediately known and investigators were on the scene. One of the train's yellow and white carriages was flipped on its side, AFP photographs showed. "Rescue workers confirm the death of one person, three seriously injured and 24 others hurt," a Belgian official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Louis Tobback, the mayor of Louvain, which is 25 kilometres (15 miles) east of Brussels, confirmed the fatality, according to Belga news agency. Early reports said the victim had not been onboard the train, but he was later confirmed to have been among the passengers. "There was only one train involved. Luckily there was no train coming the other way," said Transport Minister Francois Bellot as he visited the scene of the accident. Interior Minister Jan Jambon tweeted: "My thoughts go out to the families and loved ones of the victims of the derailment in Louvain." The derailment caused serious infrastructure damage, Belga reported, with rail traffic disrupted as the accident caused problems with signalling cables. In neighbouring Luxembourg on Tuesday, the driver of a passenger train was killed after he ran a red light and collided with a freight train, officials said. On June 5, 2016, three people were killed and nine injured when a fast-moving passenger train slammed into the back of a goods train on the same track in eastern Belgium. In February 2010, two trains collided in a Brussels suburb, killing 18 people and injuring 95.
The assassinated half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un was a courageous man who sought to reform his country, a Japanese journalist who wrote a book about him said Friday. Kim Jong-Nam, who was killed Monday at Kuala Lumpur's international airport, had regularly corresponded with Tokyo Shimbun senior writer Yoji Gomi. "Even if it put him in danger, he wanted to tell his opinions to Pyongyang through me or other media," Gomi told reporters. Gomi also said that Kim told him he had never met his younger half-brother who succeeded their father Kim Jong-Il and allegedly ordered his assassination, sending female agents to poison him, according to South Korea. Gomi's relationship with Kim began when he spotted him at Beijing's international airport in 2004. They began to regularly exchange emails in 2010. Gomi also interviewed Kim in Macau and Beijing in 2011 for a total of seven hours. The last contact was via an email received in January 2012, just weeks after the death of Kim's father. Gomi said that Kim wanted North Korea to carry out economic reforms similar to those pursued by China from the late 1970's. "He said that the only way that North Korea could survive would be to go through the series of reforms and liberalisation that China had carried out," Gomi said. "He was critical of the system that was in place in North Korea," Gomi added. "He said that power should not depend on hereditary succession. That was not appropriate for a socialist society. The leader should be selected through a democratic process." He did say, however that at their first meeting, in Macau in January 2011, Kim was visibly nervous, sweating and fidgeting. Gomi also said he found Kim to be a polite "intellectual" with a sense of humour, unlike his reputation as a playboy gambler, though he acknowledged he enjoyed drinking, especially in Tokyo's fancy restaurants. "He said that there he was able to enjoy singing and drinking alcohol with South Koreans, North Koreans and regular Japanese people, and he said he hoped that someday walls throughout the world would disappear like that." Kim is often remembered for a failed attempt in 2001 to enter Japan on a forged passport to visit Disneyland. He was expelled in an incident that was widely seen as an embarrassment for his father and may have scotched his hopes of succeeding him as the first-born son. But Kim told Gomi he did not believe that was the reason behind his father's decision. In his book, Gomi quoted Kim as saying that his father grew angry and distant after he advocated reform.
Membership of North Korea's ruling dynasty brings enormous privilege, but for anyone who falls foul of the power games there is a potentially fatal price to pay. The assassination of leader Kim Jong-Un's elder half-brother Jong-Nam in Malaysia is likely to leave other estranged and exiled relatives casting some increasingly anxious glances over their shoulders. Chief among them is the murdered man's son Han-Sol, who lived in exile with his parents in the Chinese territory of Macau, and who with his impeccable bloodlines could be seen as a rival figurehead in a state roiled by bloody purges. "As Kim Jong-Un's reign of terror continues, some elites in Pyongyang have started to think about possible alternatives," said Koh Young-Hwan, a former North Korean diplomat who is now a Seoul-based commentator on North Korea affairs. "So Kim Jong-Un must have concerns about such figures. Now Jong-Nam is dead, you can say his son is also in great danger." Han-Sol, 21, is believed to have graduated from his studies at the Science Po University in France but his current whereabouts are unknown. Some analysts believe China was keeping the family under its wing in case it needed a friendly figure to serve as replacement leader in the event of upheaval in the North. "China has been protecting Jong-Nam and his family. Therefore, he was detested all the more by the North's leader", said Kim Sung-Min, a high-profile defector who operates an anti-Pyongyang propaganda radio station in Seoul. Back in 2012, when at school in Bosnia, Han-Sol labelled his uncle Kim Jong-Un a "dictator" in an interview in which he appeared bright and articulate and hinted at a future role in his homeland. "I have always dreamed one day I will go back and make things better, make it easier for all the people there," he said. "My dad was not really interested in politics," Kim said when asked why his father was passed over for the dynastic succession in favour of his younger brother. Ahn Chan-Il, a former North Korean military official and the head of the World Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul, said that after the death of Jong-Nam, his son now had a target on his back. "He has remained quiet for a couple of years after criticising the North once. But now that his father has been poisoned to death, he will start speaking out again some day to criticise the regime," he said. - Overkill - The Kim family tree is littered with figures who met violent deaths or were forced into exile after being marked out by a regime which has never loosened its grip on power in three generations. Jong-Nam's death evoked the fate of Jang Seong-Taek, a one-time number-two and uncle of the young ruler, who was executed in Pyongyang in 2013 for treason and corruption in a brutal display of who was now in charge. Jang is known to have served as Jong-Nam's protector and provider, bankrolling the playboy's profligate life style. The Malaysian assassination may be straight out of the pages of a spy novel, but North Korea has a long history of spectacular targeted killings including a 1968 commando attack on South Korea's presidential Blue House. Yi Han-Yong, Kim Jong-Nam's cousin, was shot dead by two assassins in 1997 outside his home near Seoul after he defected in 1982 and published a memoir revealing details of the Kims' private lives. Others have been sent packing despite posing no apparent challenge. Kim Jong-Un's uncle, 62-year-old Kim Pyong-Il, has been living in quasi-exile for the past three decades, mostly in Eastern Europe. Currently serving as ambassador to the Czech Republic, he was once tipped as the North's next leader. "It's long been a taboo to talk about him and any official who tries to befriend Pyong-Il is subject to punishment", said the defector Kim. Jong-Un's brother Jong-Chul, 35, is also known to be living in near-exile, travelling abroad and keeping a discreet distance from politics. He was spotted watching British rockstar Eric Clapton perform in London in 2015. South Korea's spy chief said last year that Jong-Chul was living "in internal exile under tight surveillance" and was abusing alcohol and suffering from poor mental health. "Although Jong-Chul is older than Jong-Un, it is highly unlikely that he will play any significant role in the North", said Thae Yong-Ho, former North Korean deputy ambassador to London who defected to the South last year. "Had he been born to an ordinary family, he might have become a good guitarist", he quipped.
Polish President Andrzej Duda,right, and the president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko chat during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, southern Germany, Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. The annual weekend gathering is known for providing an open and informal platform to meet in close quarters. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

MUNICH (AP)  Ukraine's president warned Friday against any "appeasement" of Russia, arguing that cutting a bilateral deal with Moscow on his country would only make the fighting in eastern Ukraine worse. He said that the new U.S. administration has a "historic chance" to halt Russia's ambitions.

Many in Europe are concerned about the U.S. stance toward Russia under President Donald Trump amid talk of a more cooperative relationship.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told the Munich Security Conference, however, that he had been reassured of Western unity and solidarity earlier in the day by new U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

"I hear increasingly obsessive calls for at least some degree of appeasement toward Russia's appetite. To move in that direction would be naive, wrong and dangerous  not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe and for the world," he said.

He didn't specify who was making those calls but said now is the time to stop Russia's expansionist ambitions.

"This is an absolutely historic chance for all of us, but above all this is a historic chance for the new U.S. administration and solid trans-Atlantic unity," Poroshenko said.

More than 9,800 people have died since April 2014 in fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. Fighting escalated earlier this month, the worst outbreak since a 2015 peace deal.

On Thursday, Tillerson said Russia must abide by a 2015 peace deal agreed upon in Minsk aimed at ending fighting in eastern Ukraine as the Trump administration searches for ways to work cooperatively with Moscow. He spoke after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a meeting of Group of 20 foreign ministers in Bonn, Germany.

Poroshenko, however, warned against "any agreement behind our back" with Russia on Ukraine.

"We have no intention to give up" on defending Ukraine, he said, speaking in English. "Any deal with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin behind Ukraine would only aggravate the situation."

Story continues

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, following a meeting with Lavrov Friday on the sidelines of the security conference, that he again emphasized the need for the Minsk accord to be implemented. He also said Americans officials had assured him that Washington backed NATO.

"The United States remains committed to NATO and to the trans-Atlantic alliance," he told reporters.

In eastern Ukraine, the leader of pro-Russia separatist rebels warned Friday that they may use force to drive out Ukrainian troops.

Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said the rebels aim to "free the occupied territories" in the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces by political means, but added that they could do so with military force if political efforts fail.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Zakharchenko's statement defied a 2015 peace agreement, but added that it comes amid tensions provoked by Ukraine's actions.

___

David Rising contributed to this story
BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  At least 160,000 protesters marched Saturday in Barcelona to demand that Spain's conservative-led government increase its efforts to take in refugees from war-torn countries like Syria.

Spain has accepted just 1,100 refugees of the over 17,000 it has pledged to take in.

Marchers held a large banner and signs in Catalan with the slogans "Enough Excuses! Take Them In Now!" and "No More Deaths, Open The Borders!" as they made their way through the city center to its Mediterranean coast.

Barcelona police said 160,000 people took part in the march, while organizers said it reached 300,000 participants.

"There is an ample consensus in Catalonia to demand that the (government's) commitments are upheld," said organizer Ruben Wagensberg.

In Sept. 2015, Spain's government pledged to bring 17,337 refugees in within two years: 15,888 from camps in Italy and Greece and 1,449 from Turkey and Libya. On Thursday, a group of 66 refugees 65 Syrians and one Iraqi who arrived in Madrid raised the total number of refugees that Spain has taken in to just 1,100.

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, a former anti-eviction activist who has pushed Spain's government to let her city accept more refugees, joined the march.

"It is very important that in a Europe of uncertainty where xenophobia is on the rise for Barcelona to be a capital of hope," Colau said.

Colau had also criticized the federal government's stance toward refugees in December at a Vatican conference on Europe's refugee crisis.

In contrast to Spain, fellow European Union member Germany took in 890,000 asylum-seekers in 2015 and another 280,000 in 2016.

Germany decided last year on more than 695,000 asylum applications. Nearly 60 percent of the applicants were granted either full refugee status or a lesser form of protection.
Lithuania wants US President Donald Trump's administration to help beef up air defence in the Baltic region as security concerns grow over Russia, President Dalia Grybauskaite said Saturday. She also warned that measures adopted last year by NATO to reinforce its eastern flank "are no longer sufficient". Europe has been rattled by Trump's campaign rhetoric questioning NATO's relevance, and regional security was top of the agenda as Grybauskaite and fellow Baltic presidents from Estonia and Latvia met with US Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the Munich security conference Saturday. "Without the support of the US air defence systems, we will not have full protection," Grybauskaite told AFP in a telephone interview after the talks. "Now we are trying to purchase some of the measures ourselves but direct US participation will be necessary," she added, without elaborating on the nature of the US role she is seeking. Lithuania, the largest and southernmost of the three Baltic states, plans to buy Norwegian NASAMS medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems in the coming years but would still lack a long-range Patriot-type system. Poland and Romania host two US missile interceptor stations that are part of NATO's larger European shield, due to become fully operational by 2018. US and NATO officials insist the system is intended to counter the threat of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, particularly from so-called "rogue" states in the Middle East. But with Poland's Redzikowo station just 250 kilometres (155 miles) from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, Moscow views the system as a security threat on its doorstep. Last year Russia deployed nuclear-capable Iskander missiles into the heavily-militarised Kaliningrad, which borders both Lithuania and Poland and also holds frequent military drills in the region, rattling nearby NATO states. The Kremlin has denied any territorial ambitions in its Soviet-era backyard and claims NATO is trying to encircle Russia. In Munich, Pence sought on Saturday to reassure Washington's allies, saying: "Be assured that President Trump and our people are truly devoted to our transatlantic union." Under Moscow's thumb in Soviet times, Poland and the Baltic states have been on edge since Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. At a summit in Warsaw last year, NATO agreed to deploy multi-national battalions in each of them. But Grybauskaite said Saturday that more needs to be done to address Russian military activity and called for speedier decision-making within the US-led alliance. "We see that Warsaw agreements are no longer sufficient. We need a faster decision-making process," Grybauskaite said, adding she expected to see progress at a NATO summit later this year. Grybauskaite also said the US had the "full right" to push European allies to boost their defence spending to two percent of gross domestic product. Estonia and Poland are among the few NATO nations that meet the alliance's benchmark, while Lithuania and Latvia pledged to reach it next year.
Jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has called on his supporters to hold a "massive" protest on Saturday, after US President Donald Trump incensed Caracas by calling for his release. Lopez, the founder of Popular Will -- one of the most hardline parties opposing President Nicolas Maduro -- is serving a nearly 14-year sentence on charges of inciting unrest at anti-government protests in 2014. Saturday marks the third anniversary of his arrest, and Popular Will has called a protest in Caracas under the banner "No more dictatorship." In an audio message recorded in his jail cell at the Ramo Verde military prison, Lopez urged Venezuelans to join in. "My Venezuelan brothers and sisters, we would like to invite you to a forceful, massive protest on the streets of Venezuela this Saturday," he said. The message comes after Trump met with Lopez's wife on Wednesday and tweeted that Venezuela should "immediately" free Lopez, whom he called a "political prisoner." The following day, Venezuela's Supreme Court upheld Lopez's sentence. His lawyer said he would appeal to international courts. US-Venezuelan tensions have soared since Trump's tweet, with Maduro warning the new American leader not to provoke him. Lopez's sentence has been strongly condemned by the United Nations, the United States and the European Union. The opposition leader has managed to smuggle a handful of video and audio recordings out of jail. His lawyers say he is punished each time with measures such as bans on family visits. Venezuela's socialist government, which is fending off a punishing economic crisis that has pummeled its popularity, denies Lopez is a political prisoner. It blames him for the deaths of 43 people during the 2014 protests.
We dont know too much about Captain Jack Sparrows next outing, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. We know it involves his ghostly nemesis Captain Armando Salazar (Javier Bardem) escaping from the Bermuda Triangle on the hunt for the Trident of Poseidon, which grants its bearer control of the seven seas. Now, thanks to Lego, Yahoo Movies has some new details thanks to an exclusive sneak peek at the epic new brick set based on the film.

The Silent Mary is Salazars ghost ship, and the Lego version, which will be on display this weekend at New York Toy Fair, is a 2,300-piece model loaded with details from the fifth installment of Johnny Depps Pirates series.

When built, the ship will measure 26 inches from bow to stern and 18 inches tall.

Heres a breakdown of the Silent Mary sets elements, per the Lego factsheet:

This highly detailed Lego model with over 2,200 pieces features a hinged bow section, opening skeleton hull with decay and destruction detailing, movable rudder, collapsible main mast and two further masts, long bowsprit with crows nest and mast, tattered sails, detailed quarterdeck, plus a rowboat with two oars and an array of weapons and accessory elements. This model provides a rewarding build and play experience, and the integrated stand makes it suitable for display Includes eight minifigures: Captain Jack Sparrow, Henry, Carina, Lieutenant Lesaro, Captain Salazar, Officer Magda, Officer Santos and the Silent Mary Masthead.

The $199.99 set is due out in April 1, ahead of the films May 26 release. Lego is also unveiling two new BrickHeadz characters from Dead Men Tell No Tales, based on the rival captains, Jack and Salazar. These sets will retail for $9.99 each.


Chances are, your business uses some kind of content marketing already. But theres also a pretty good chance that other businesses in your niche use content marketing as well. So in order for your content to be effective, it needs to stand out in some way.

You can learn a lot about creating standout content and upgrading your other marketing efforts from members of our small business communities. Some of their top tips are included below.

Create Remarkable Content

Content can be a great way for you to show potential customers the value you can offer to them. But your competitors are likely to create content of their own as well. So you need to find a way to make yours stand out. This Be a Better Blogger post by Charles Bordet offers some tips for creating remarkable content.

Always Think About Conversion

You can write and create the greatest content in the world. But if you dont keep conversions in mind when doing so, then it could all be for naught. Learn more about getting more clients and referrals through blogging in this Conversion Minded post by Sandra Clayton. You can also see commentary from members of the BizSugar community here.

Keep Millennial Customers in Mind

Millennials can be tricky targets for businesses looking to grow their base of customers. But if you can learn to attract this generation, you may be able to take your business to the next level. Lisa Andersen elaborates in her post on the Planday blog.

Find Your Audience on Social Media

Social media isnt just a tool that can help you promote your business and communicate with customers. It can also be a powerful research tool. In this WANEntrepreneur post, Joan Herbert explains how businesses can use social media to research and find their ideal audiences.

Create Your Own Holiday

Holidays can be great tools for marketers. But its not just major ones like Christmas, Halloween and Valentines Day. Lesser known holidays like Free Comic Book Day can also provide a lot of value to businesses, as Rick Verbanas details in his post on the Your Guerrilla Marketer blog.

Make Data Sexy

Whether it deals with your content marketing or other areas of your business, access to quality data can make a big difference for your small business. But its not always the most exciting. Learn more about making data sexy from John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing. Then check out BizSugar for more input on the post.

Create a Lead Generating Email Campaign

If you use email to communicate with customers, you can also use it as a way to generate new leads. In a SUCCESS Agency Blog post, Mary Blackiston goes over 11 steps you can take to create lead generating email campaigns.

Improve Conversions for Your PPC Campaigns

When using PPC campaigns to grow your business, its important to keep conversion rates in mind, since clicks alone arent likely to help your business as much as youd like. You can read more about improving conversions for PPC campaigns in this Basic Blog Tips post by Shakir Hassan.

Stay Organized and Avoid Overwhelm

Between marketing and running every other aspect of your small business, it can bet a bit overwhelming. To stay organized and avoid overwhelm, check out the tips in a post by Rachel Strella of Strella Social Media. Then see what BizSugar members have to say here.

Find Your Best Content Opportunities

Content marketing isnt just about creating great content. You also need to identify the best opportunities that will work for your business. In Marketing Land, Casie Gillette explains how you can find your best content opportunities using keyword SWOT analysis.

If youd like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: sbtips@gmail.com.
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Our Emperor should learn a thing or two from Amriki President Trump when it comes to coming up with new nataks every week.
Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now...
Gunpowder was used to blow up the rock for the first time in the Upper Bieber adit for the first time 390 years ago.

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Experimental blasting was done by German soldier Gaspar Weindl.

February 8, 1627 was the first date when gunpowder was used in Banska Stiavnica for purposes other than military, explained Ondrej Michna from Slovak mining museum in Banska Stiavnica, as quoted by TASR.

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Since this date, gunpowder has been used not only in Banska Stiavnica but also in the whole world, according to Michna. Some opinions hold that gunpowder was used in mining abroad first but, according to Michna, there is no written document about it. On the contrary, Banska Stiavnica as the worlds first place of gunpowder in mining is proved by a document published by the mining office on February 16, 1627, which describes using gunpowder.

Using gunpowder was a revolution in mining, according to Michna.

The main work of miners is to split rocks, so with using gunpowder, the efficiency of their work grew by several hundred percent, said Michna for TASR.

The central storage of the gunpowder, the building Pracharen built in the 1770s, is today a national cultural monument. Some walls of the building are 16.5 metres thick. The first lightning conductor in then Hungary was also placed on the building.

There were several storages areas; one was placed in the basement of the New Castle because gunpowder as an explosive endangered the town, summed up Michna for TASR.
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ACCRA (Reuters) - The Bank of Ghana said the yield on its 91-day bills being sold in a regular weekly auction on Friday rose to 15.9621 percent from 15.6877 percent at the last sale on Feb. 10. The bank said it had accepted 437.16 million cedis ($96.5 million) worth of bids out of 437.66 million cedis tendered for the paper, which will be issued on Feb. 20. For full details, click here: https://www.bog.gov.gh/privatecontent/Treasury/Auctresults%201525.pdf ($1 = 4.5275 Ghanaian cedis) (Writing by Kwasi Kpodo; Editing by David Holmes)
Why You Should Never Bluff a Calling Station

February 18 2017 PokerNews Staff

There were many intriguing hands featured on the live stream of different events during the recently completed 888Live Rozvadov Festival in the Czech Republic. One from the 5,300 High Roller eventually won by [Removed:291] featured a river bluff gone wrong, with the bluffer  Henri Buehler  taking time the next day to discuss the hand with PokerNews.

Buehler recounts the action below, though via the live stream we can fill in some more particulars.

He'd been playing for a while with his opponent in the hand, having noted him to be very loose and opening with a wide range of hands. But Buehler also noticed the player had been less wild after the flop, often continuation betting but giving up after firing one barrel if he hadn't connected with the board.

In this hand the blinds were 800/1,600 when Buehler's opponent raised to 4,000 from middle position. Buehler chose to defend his big blind with a call holding . (He says queen-deuce in the video, though the stream showed his hand as queen-trey.) Buehler had about 63,000 to start the hand, and his opponent about 81,000.

After a flop of Buehler checked, then watched his opponent bet 5,500 (about half the pot). Buehler called  a "float" from out of position, he describes it, as he intended to try to take the pot away with a bluff on a future street.

With the pot up to 21,400 the turn brought the to double-pair the board, and both players checked. The then fell on the river, and that's when Buehler chose to fire a decent-sized bet of 13,000 in an effort to steal the pot.

Alas for Buehler, his opponent instantly called. Hear what his opponent had and Buehler's laughing response to his failed bluff attempt.

For more from Buehler, be sure to check out his Twitch channel  twitch.tv/buehlero.

Sharelines Henri Buehler tells of trying an out-of-position float & bluff in the 888Live Rozvadov High Roller.

Sometimes they just call, no matter what. Henri Buehler on a bluff gone wrong at 888Live Rozvadov.
Officers are looking for a person of interest after a woman was sexually assaulted in an office park near Candelaria and Carlisle NE, according to a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department.

Officer Fred Duran said police are worried the man could be a threat to other women in the area.

He said on Feb. 7 police were called to the office park because a woman reported she had been sexually assaulted in the bathroom of one of the buildings. In a surveillance video released by police, a man Duran says is a person of interest can be seen entering the building carrying a bicycle and going through the double doors.

Duran said they are looking for the publics help to identify the man so they can interview him. He is described as Hispanic or Native American, between 30 and 40 years old, and is approximately 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.

Duran said APD typically does not release information on sexual assaults because of the delicate nature of these cases. But they did so in this case because the victim asked detectives to use any means necessary to identify the man since they do not have any other leads, he said.

Tips: Police ask anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers at 505-843-STOP.
This is an unusual piece of writing coming from members of the New Mexico Jewish community. Why? Because we, as a Jewish family with very different generational and political perspectives on Israel, are actually in complete agreement on something. We are writing to voice our opposition to the Trump administrations nomination of David Friedman as ambassador to Israel.

Let us explain.

I (Barbara Einhorn) am Zoes mother. I am a loyal member of AIPAC, the pro-Israel advocacy group. I believe deeply in a strong friendship between the United States and Israel, our only ally in the Middle East. I believe that Israel, the only Jewish state in the world, is targeted disproportionately in international institutions like the United Nations. I believe that Israel is a legitimate partner for peace, and that the Palestinian leadership has direly failed its people. I attended the AIPAC Conference last year, and I stayed in the room during then-candidate Donald Trumps speech  I aimed to listen to what he had to say with respect, as we did with all candidates that spoke.

I (Zoe Goldblum) am a junior studying at Stanford. Last year, I was the vice president for the Northwest Region on the national student board of J Street U, the campus arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement. I help lead the J Street U chapter at Stanford, and I am a leader in the region. I believe that among the most important obstacles to peace are factors that Israel can control, like settlement expansion and governmental appeasement of the far-right wing of Israels political spectrum. I believe that the current Israeli government has shown little to no evidence of working toward a sustainable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I call the military presence and control over life in the West Bank and Gaza what I recognize it to be  an occupation. I also attended the AIPAC conference with my parents last year, but I participated in a walkout during now-President Trumps speech.

Our family political disagreements sometimes provoke headaches at the dinner table. But there are things that we do agree on, and there are boundaries that, when crossed, we believe pro-Israel American Jews must speak out against as a united front. David Friedman has rejected the two-state solution, which is essential to the work both AIPAC and J Street do. Moreover, he has articulated support for annexation of the West Bank, which we recognize to be a policy that would permanently debilitate aspirations for a Palestinian and a Jewish state to live side by side.

We know that a solution to this conflict will, in all likelihood, rely on U.S. diplomacy as it has in the past. Yet Friedman has made and defended repugnant and deeply offensive remarks against members of his own community. We cannot stand idly by as members of J Street are called worse than Kapos (a disgraceful reference to Jews who aided Nazis during the Holocaust) and described as not Jewish simply because of political disagreements. As a family full of diverse opinions, we believe that we represent a small microcosm of the American Jewish and pro-Israel communities. And while we often have our own misunderstandings and arguments, we do not tolerate remarks like Friedmans, which are fueled by hatred and a refusal to recognize the humanity and legitimacy of those he disagrees with.

Friedmans views, close ties to the settlement movement and propensity for outrageous personal attacks make clear that he is completely unsuitable to serve as American ambassador to Israel. Indeed, the inability to recognize the humanity of ones neighbor that Friedman has displayed is part of the reason that Israelis and Palestinians alike still feel the effects of the ongoing conflict on a daily basis.

We must draw a line somewhere. Friedmans hateful rhetoric, combined with his extremist views, unequivocally disqualify him from representing the United States in Israel. We came together as a family to speak out about this important issue, and to do so we put aside our many differences. Will you join us?

Barbara Einhorn is a physician and serves on the board of the Albuquerque Jewish Community Center. Zoe Goldblum attended Solomon Schechter Day School and Albuquerque Academy and is a junior at Stanford University.
Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.
When the people lead, the leaders will follow are the oft-quoted words attributed to Gandhi. This week, massive grass-roots organizing helped defeat the nomination of Andrew Puzder, a multimillionaire fast-food CEO, as Donald Trumps secretary of labor. He was widely accused of running companies rife with wage theft and sexual harassment. His personal life was marred by accusations of hiring an undocumented immigrant, tax evasion and domestic violence. The push for his defeat was led by some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in our society, and serves as a lesson in the importance and power of movements.

Chaos and confusion have marked the first month of the Trump administration; Puzders withdrawal came in the same week as the forced resignation of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as national security adviser. Leaks of classified intelligence revealed that Flynn had engaged in talks with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the transition period, while Barack Obama was still president. If Flynn was engaging in negotiations around the Russian sanctions with the ambassador, as is alleged, then his actions may well have been illegal. Flynn then reportedly lied about the conversations to Vice President Mike Pence. The Justice Department informed Trump in early January, but it was not until the media reported on Flynns behavior that Trump forced him out.

Flynn is a well-known Islamophobe, who notoriously referred to Islam as a cancer. As soon as he was named as the national security adviser, protests erupted. However, that position is one of those that the president can fill without Senate confirmation, so Flynn was in the Oval Office on Day One. While the media firestorm around his Russian intrigue was the instant reason for his ouster, we cannot discount the impact the ongoing, vigorous protests against his overt bigotry had on the decision to fire him.

For the past 16 years, Puzder has been the CEO of CKE Restaurants, which owns the fast-food chains Hardees and Carls Jr. As CEO, Puzder has campaigned against the very labor laws and regulations that he would be trusted to enforce as labor secretary. Under Puzder, CKE was a poster child of fast-food-restaurant labor-law violations, with workers regularly suffering wage theft and sexual harassment. Carls Jr. advertisements employed hypersexualized imagery and the objectification of women, which many felt contributed to the persistent harassment at his restaurants.

Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC) conducted a survey of CKE employees immediately after Puzders nomination in December. ROC was founded by restaurant workers in New York City following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The group fights for better wages and working conditions for restaurant employees, and has grown to 18,000 members in 15 states. The survey found: 66 percent of women at CKE Restaurants reported experiencing unwanted sexual behaviors at work, compared with 40 percent of women in the fast-food industry overall. Twenty-eight percent of respondents worked off the clock, and approximately one-third reported wage-theft violations, including not receiving required breaks and overtime pay. Seventy-nine percent of CKE Restaurants workers also reported that they have prepared or served food while sick, the highest rate that ROC has ever encountered.

Puzder is opposed to the minimum wage, the fight for $15/hour, paid sick leave and the Affordable Care Act.

Puzder also admitted to hiring an undocumented immigrant as a domestic worker in his home, and, further, didnt pay the required taxes while she was employed. This has been enough to torpedo Cabinet-level nominations in the past,

Puzder also was accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife. Lisa Fierstein appeared in disguise in a 1990 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, describing the abuse she suffered. She said he told her: I will see you in the gutter. This will never be over. You will pay for this. Fierstein later recanted her accusations. The video was provided to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and was seen by other senators as well. By Wednesday, between four and 12 Republican senators indicated they would be unlikely to support Puzder, tanking his chances.

The mainstream media credits a Republican revolt with the defeat of Andrew Puzder as labor secretary. In the case of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the media says it was leaks from the intelligence community that took him down. But the engine driving both ousters are movements of thousands upon thousands of people across the country, saying no to hate, bigotry and injustice.

Amy Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 900 stations in North America. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
Maybe its a blessing she remembers nothing about the time police say her son beat her, stabbed her, choked her, attempted to slit her throat, then, when none of that killed her, tossed her off a bridge into the Rio Grande.

He thought she was a clone, he told detectives.

Thank the Lord Ive got a memory block, she said. I dont remember a thing.

Her name is Hope, though there are days she feels she has none. She fears the case against her son, Martin Montano, has been forgotten, or, maybe worse, that it hasnt been and that at some point she may have to testify against him and be in the same courtroom with him.

Its been nearly four years since the attack on June 4, 2013.

Hope Porras hasnt seen her son since then.

I cant, she said, her voice breaking. I just cant.

Porras talks with me now because she wants some assurance from the District Attorneys Office that she will be safe, that her son will still face trial or, perhaps better, accept a decent plea agreement or be committed to a mental health institution for a very long time.

Hell be back looking for me, she said. Then hell kill me.

It wasnt always this way, of course. Martin was the youngest of her four children, the only child born during a second brief, turbulent marriage. That, she said, may be at the center of her sons struggles.

There was a lot of anger there, she said. Martins father used to tell him I didnt love him as much as my other kids. But I did.

At age 12, she said, he started smoking marijuana and dabbling in other drugs. He got into fights at school. He started stealing. He was in and out of juvenile detention centers, in and out of residential treatment centers she could get him into.

I did what I could to help him, she said.

At 19, he moved to California to be closer to his father. It was during that time that she learned he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

About six years later, she returned home one night to find him sitting on her porch. He lived with her for two months, and then she found him another place to live.

He was acting so weird, she said.

Things grew weirder.

In August 2012, Montano was arrested on battery, false imprisonment and other charges after he was accused of pushing Porras to the ground and barring her from the door as he shouted You have demons in you!

He was out on bail in June 2013, according to court documents, when Porras took him to lunch and then to Wal-Mart.

Its the last memory she has of him.

He seemed real nervous, like he was up to something, she recalled. Something was off.

She apparently was right.

Previous Journal articles describe what happened that next morning:

Montano told Albuquerque police detectives that he had heard voices coming from his television, telling him to go to his mothers house in the Northeast Heights to get the clones out.

His mothers tenant, outside with his dog, was attacked first, stabbed in the back and slammed in the face with rocks.

Porras was next. She was beaten, stabbed, choked, her neck slashed with a knife. Montano complained later that her skin was too tough to slice deep enough.

A neighbor saw Montano stuffing her and the tenant into the trunk of her car.

Later, another witness saw Montano throw his mother into the Rio Grande from the Central Avenue bridge. Montano fled before he could toss the tenant into the river as well, leaving the bleeding man on the bridge.

He was later arrested and charged with 15 felonies, including kidnapping and attempted murder. He remains in the Metropolitan Detention Center.

In January 2016, he pleaded no contest to the earlier attack against his mother and was sentenced to 1 years. But the more serious, 2013 case continues to languish because the issue of his competency to stand trial has repeatedly stayed the case.

That, Porras said, worries her.

Im afraid theyre just going to let him out, she said.

But Adolfo Mendez, spokesman for the District Attorneys Office, said her son isnt expected to be released anytime soon. The case has been complicated, he said, because of the competency issue, but a resolution is expected in a matter of months.

He declined to offer further details in the case, such as whether a plea agreement or insanity defense is being considered. He pointed out that if convicted of all charges, Montano, now 29, faces up to 90 years in prison, 105 years with habitual offender enhancements.

A kidnapping charge alone is 18 years, he said.

All of which is comforting to Porras as much as anything can be.

Since the attack, shes moved to an undisclosed location, put bars on the windows, changed her phone number to unlisted. She struggles still with the damage done to her throat and the short-term memory loss caused by a stroke brought on by the head trauma.

Its really a wonder I am still alive, she said.

What hurts the most is knowing that the man accused of hurting her is her own son.

She thinks about what she might say to him if she ever sees him again.

You threw me in the river like a piece of garbage, she said, her voice anguished more than angry. Why did you do this to your mother? How dare you? I was good to you. I loved you.

Its a conversation shed just as soon forget.

UpFront is a news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, jkrueger@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
You usually think of a bouquet of roses  not a Big Mac  on Valentines Day.

But dozens of people celebrated the holiday with dinner at McDonalds on 1390 Rio Rancho Boulevard this year as a part of a fundraiser for St. Felix Pantry, a nonprofit that helps locals in need with such things as food, clothing, financial and utility assistance.

In all, 140 tickets to the event were sold, raising $8,500 for the pantry, according to organizers. Of that amount, $1,000 was a donation by a pantry volunteer.

Our Valentines Dinner was a big success, especially being the first time weve done this, said Clemy Garza, a McDonalds owner and operator, who also served at the event. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and, best of all, we helped raise money for an important charity  St. Felix Pantry  which is essential in our community.

Clemys father, Julian Garza, owns the restaurant that hosted the dinner. She said there are future plans to expand the event to more of their area locations.

Deacon Steve Rangel, CEO of St. Felix Pantry said, St. Felix Pantry is grateful to Julian Garza and the staff at the Rio Rancho McDonalds on 528 for all their help and support in making the event possible, as well as to Mission Linen, who provided the use of the table linens, and Marriott Pyramid, who lent us the glass centerpieces. The pantry staff and volunteers have my deepest thanks for all they did to prepare for and serve at the dinner.

Most of all, we appreciate everyone who supported us by buying the tickets to the dinner. This continues to prove how wonderful and caring the people of New Mexico are and how willing they are to help people in need.
Rio Rancho will be the new home of an electrical lineworker training program, thanks to a new partnership between Central New Mexico Community College, CNM Ingenuity Inc. and the New Mexico Electric Cooperatives Association.

NMRECAs statewide Lineworker Electric Power Training Facility will relocate from its current location in Las Cruces to Rio Ranchos CNM campus, where the associations apprentices are expected to begin their fall apprenticeship training session in October. CNM Ingenuity, a non-profit that helps create cooperative programs in technology and entrepreneurship, will begin offering a pre-apprenticeship at the Rio Rancho location in January.

Although it will be hosted at the Rio Rancho campus, CNM Ingenuity senior program manager Dawnn Moore said the training facility program will be for NMRECA paid apprentices only and will train apprentices to become electrical lineworkers for one of the associations 19 rural cooperatives throughout the state. All instructors will be provided by NMRECA.

Brad Moore, CNMs director of communications, said the lineworker training program will include up to 50 NMRECA apprentices and the college will offer the program classrooms and a dedicated space outside the campus. He said five or six poles will be placed outside the campus for the apprentice program, allowing the students to learn how to climb and operate on an electric pole. Although the poles will be standard electric poles in every way, Brad Moore said no electricity will be conducted by the training poles.

CNMs pre-apprenticeship program will offer students a 12-14 week course about electric linework, as well as an additional 240 hours of intern work with a rural cooperative. The program will be a no-credit class and will be treated similarly to other lab classes taught at the campus. The programs curriculum and details are still being discussed between CNM and NMRECA officials.

The program, which includes between 15 to 20 students per cohort, will also teach skills to receive required certifications in CPR/first aid, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certification and a Class A commercial driving license. Students who complete the pre-apprenticeship program will receive an institution certificate needed to enter the fields workforce.

CNM really chose the Rio Rancho campus specifically to put this program so that we could expand our offerings in the Rio Rancho community, Dawnn Moore said.

In a statement, CNM board member Tom Swisstack said the partnership with AMRECA was great news for the Rio Rancho area.

The electric lineworker training facility will draw people from around the state to Rio Rancho; it will provide an economic boost for our city and it will provide our Rio Rancho citizens with a direct pathway to quality jobs in this skilled profession, Swisstack said.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  A sweeping proposal to overhaul New Mexicos gross receipts tax by getting rid of most exemptions and lowering base rates gets its first hearing today at the state Capitol.

Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, the bills primary sponsor, has been working for months on the 347-page legislation, which he claims would improve the states business climate and make taxes fairer and easier to administer.

This bill is not designed to address the (states) current budget woes, but it is designed to make sure were never in this budget situation again, Harper said Friday.

While two top Democrats have signed onto the bill, several others are expressing wariness about it, due largely to a provision that would reinstate the gross receipts tax on food and medical items. The tax on food was removed in 2005.

Rep. Carl Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, acting chairman of the House Taxation and Revenue Committee, said the legislation in its current form will likely not pass the Democratic-controlled House.

In its entirety, in my opinion, its off the table because of the food tax, Trujillo told the Journal.

However, he vowed to give the bill a fair hearing and said some of its other provisions could be palatable.

Although no vote is expected to be taken during todays meeting of the Taxation and Revenue Committee, the hearing will allow business groups and members of the public their first chance to weigh in on the bill since it was filed earlier this week.

The legislation, House Bill 412, would get rid of more than 100 exemptions and deductions to the states gross receipts tax, though it would leave some in place. That would include some recently enacted exemptions and tax breaks aimed at addressing the issue of pyramiding, in which taxes are levied several times on the same product or service.

Repealed exemptions would include tax breaks for livestock sales, boat sales and horse-racing profits.

Harper said Friday that hes been approached by multiple lobbyists seeking to get certain exemptions spared but has stood firm against doing so.

If I open the door for one, all of the rest are going to walk through, he said.

Some critics have described New Mexicos current gross receipts tax structure as Swiss cheese due to all the carve-outs, and Harpers bill would rebrand the gross receipts tax as a sales tax, which most other states impose.

He also said that doing away with most gross receipts tax exemptions would make the tax code more equitable.

Tax policy should not pick winners and losers; it should generate revenue to fund government, he said in an interview Friday.

New Mexico levies a 5.125 percent gross receipts tax rate on most goods and services, and some of that revenue is distributed back to local governments. Cities and counties can also levy local taxes on top of the base rate. In Santa Fe, for instance, a total gross receipts tax of 8.3125 percent is levied.

Though the bill being pushed by Harper would not specifically set a new state base rate, he said the rate likely would drop from 5.125 percent to 2.7 percent, based on a formula, due to the repeal of the various exemptions.

Unlike most other tax bills pending at the Roundhouse, the legislation is intended to be revenue-neutral. If any additional dollars were to be generated, they would be set aside in a temporary fund for county and city budget shortfalls, Harper said.

Although some Democrats have opposed parts of the legislation, two prominent Senate Democrats  Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith of Deming and Vice Chairman Carlos Cisneros of Questa  have signed on as co-sponsors. Democrats hold the majority in both chambers.

The legislation would also have to gain approval from Gov. Susana Martinez, who has vowed to veto any tax increases approved by the Legislature.

But Harper said staffers with the Governors Office have told him theres a good chance the governor would sign the bill.

Its also unclear how the bill would be affected by the passage of other tax measures. Proposed tax increases on cigarettes, vehicle sales, gasoline and more have also been filed during this years session, which ends March 18.

If approved, the gross receipts tax overhaul would not take effect until July 2018, giving tax officials plenty of time to prepare for the changes.
Some days when we look around the world, all we see are a bunch of problems that dont seem to have solutions. It gets frustrating when we want to find answers but get bogged down in the complexity of the problems, making the solutions seem difficult, if not impossible. Sometimes, though, people do find answers to problems.

The states own Central New Mexico College with its superb leadership team is an example of an institution that finds answers. It is an organization that finds solutions and makes them work. The people at CNM dont waste time whining or complaining; they just take care of business. And they provide multifaceted educational opportunities for students with a wide variety of needs and dreams.

For example, last week CNM announced that Rio Rancho will be the home of a new program to train electrical lineworkers, through a partnership with CNM, CNM Ingenuit, Inc. and the New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperatives Association.

This pre-apprenticeship program will offer students a 12- to 14-week course about electric linework, as well as 240 hours of intern work with a rural cooperative. The training facility will be relocated from Las Cruces, and the cooperatives apprentices will begin their fall apprenticeship here in October.

Five or six poles will be placed outside the campus for the program so students can learn how to climb and work on an electric pole. The training poles will not have electricity.

Governing body member Tom Swisstack said, the electric lineworker training facility will draw people from around the state to Rio Rancho; it will provide an economic boost for our city and it will provide Rio Rancho citizens with a direct pathway to quality jobs in this skilled profession.

In addition, this week CNM and Sandoval Countys Office of Business Development held an open house to showcase a new Digital Media Lab at the Rio Rancho campus. The lab will offer high school and college students the opportunity to work with small businesses or community organizations in Sandoval County to create websites, mobile software, logos, videos and more.

By using the lab, students will gain valuable real-world experience while helping to support local businesses and organizations. There will be opportunities to work with a drone, film equipment, sound equipment, virtual reality headsets, computers and the Adobe Creative Suite.

Problems do get solved, and sometimes the complex can become simpler. CNM does an amazing job of taking the complicated needs of our employers and figuring out ways to provide them with trained workers. We are continually impressed with the variety of opportunities and job training courses that are offered at CNM.

We are also excited that the Rio Rancho campus is growing so quickly and is becoming an integral part of the community college system. Its not only beneficial to Rio Rancho; its also beneficial to our businesses, our students and our citys future.

Now its up to the folks  possible students of all ages  who want to improve their job situation to check out the opportunities offered at CNM. Its guaranteed that you will be impressed with the variety of options available to teach the job skills that employers are seeking. CNM offers many avenues for making dreams come true. Check it out.

Contact the Ryans at ryan@abqjournal.com.
A judge handed down a $16 million judgment this week against a former New Mexico priest for failure to respond to a lawsuit filed by a man who alleges he was sexually abused by Arthur Perrault in the early 1990s.

Second Judicial District Judge Denise Barela-Shepherd handed down the default judgment Thursday after she found that Perrault had been properly served with the civil lawsuit, but failed to defend himself against the allegations.

She ordered Perrault to pay $1 million in damages and an additional $15 million in punitive damages. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Perrault, who vanished from his Albuquerque parish in 1992, was tracked last year to Tangiers, Morocco, where he was teaching at an English language school for children.

Perrault was fired in May when school officials learned of the allegations, the director of the American Language Center in Tangiers told the Journal .

Kenneth Wolter, 35, filed the civil lawsuit last year alleging he had been sexually abused by Perrault at least 40 times in the early 1990s. Wolter was 10 or 11 at the time, and serving as an altar boy at St. Bernadette Parish, where Perrault was the pastor.

Unknown is whether Wolter will be able to collect any portion of the $16 million judgment from Perrault, said Levi Monagle, one of three Albuquerque attorneys who represent Wolter.

Money wasnt the point of this for us, Monagle said Friday. Ken (Wolter) didnt do this for the money. The message made on behalf of the victims was Kens main priority.

Wolter testified at a hearing in January that he wanted to send Perrault a message on behalf of his 38 known victims and the silent people who havent come forward.

He asked Barela-Shepherd to award a total of $38 million in damages, or $1 million for each alleged victim. Barela-Shepherd did not explain in her order why she handed down a $16 million judgment.

Perrault, 79, sent Barela-Shepherd a letter in November denying that he had abused Wolter, court records show. He also said that he had no assets and could not afford to hire an attorney, or to return to Albuquerque to attend the January hearing.

Perrault also told Barela-Shepherd that Journal articles about the case had been translated into Arabic and published by the Moroccan News Service.

Monagle said he planned to discuss with Wolter the possibility that some portion of the judgment could be recovered by garnishment of Perraults pension income.

Perrault said in the letter that his taxable income in 2015 was $17,400, and that his largest source of income was a military pension from his tenure as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force.
The population of endangered Mexican wolves in the wild rose compared with a year ago, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Fish and Wildlife counted at least 113 Mexican wolves in the wild in Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, up from 97 wolves a year ago. The service collects data for the annual census through on-the-ground research in November and December, and in aerial surveys during the first two months of this year.

We are encouraged by these numbers, but these 2016 results demonstrate we are still not out of the woods with this experimental population and its anticipated contribution to Mexican wolf recovery, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service southwest regional director Benjamin Tuggle in a statement.

Our goal is to achieve an average annual growth rate of 10 percent in the Mexican wolf population.

Last year, Fish and Wildlife documented a decline in the population, due to a high level of mortality and a lower pup survival rate. The agency has been working to recover the species since it nearly went extinct in the 1970s.

The population of Mexican wolves that exists today, in the wild and in captivity, is derived from just seven animals. The small number of founding members has limited the populations genetic diversity and resulted in significant inbreeding.

The Service and our partners remain focused and committed to making this experimental population genetically healthy and robust so that it can contribute to recovery of the Mexican wolf in the future, Tuggle said in the statement.

Bryan Bird, Southwest program director for Defenders of Wildlife, said that, while it is good news that the population count is up, these numbers are still very small compared to what is necessary to recover the subspecies.

The Mexican gray wolf count is still too low for recovery and a lack of genetic diversity in the wild is a recipe for extinction, he said.

Biologists in both the U.S. and Mexico have been working for years to carefully breed Mexican wolves to improve their diversity but, once released into the wild, inbreeding is a risk. Wolf advocates say releasing wolves from captivity is crucial to improving genetics in the wild.

Fish and Wildlife has faced significant pushback from the New Mexico Game Commission, which in 2015 denied the agency a permit to release wolves into the wild in the federally designated recovery area in Grant and Catron counties.

Citing federal authority, Fish and Wildlife went ahead and released two captive-bred pups last year into a wild pack in New Mexico in a process known as cross-fostering.

Ranchers have been opposed to the wolf reintroduction program since the apex predators have been known to prey on cattle.
RIO COMMUNITIES  A Rio Communities man has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend, 34-year-old Brenda Martinez, also of Rio Communities, which occurred earlier this month.

On Tuesday, Felix Contreras, 35, was charged with murder in the first degree, as well as aggravated battery against a household member, tampering with evidence and battery against a household member.

According to the criminal complaint filed by Valencia County Sheriffs Detective David Zilink, he and Detective Sgt. James Harris responded to a call of shots fired in the 200 block of Loma Verde in Rio Communities at about 11:30 p.m., Feb. 3. When they arrived, Martinez was found lying lifeless in the middle of the street.

In the complaint, Zilink says Martinez stopped at a house on Loma Verde in an attempt to get help but the homeowner was scared when she saw a female who appeared to be bleeding and closed the door.

Martinez went to a second home, this time of someone she knew, but when he responded to the knock, he didnt see anyone, the complaint reads.

The homeowner then stated that he saw a female (whom) he later learned and identified as Brenda Martinez by her van that was parked in front of his residence walking towards the roadway, Zilink wrote. The homeowner stated he heard the victim yell NO NO NO and then he saw a male in a white shirt fire several rounds.

The detective learned that Martinez was in a relationship with Contreras and sent field deputies to his home on Calle De Sol. They found droplets of blood in the driveway and a .45 caliber round on a wooden ramp that led up to the porch of the house.

Deputies did a safety sweep of the home to locate any other potential victims and noticed in plain view large amounts of blood throughout the residence, Zilink wrote.

Deputies searched the area that night and were unable to locate Contreras. Zilink, Harris and other officers, including crime scene investigators with the New Mexico State Police, went to Contreras home Saturday morning to process that scene and found Contreras in the home. According to the complaint, Contreras had attempted to clean up the blood evidence, but small amounts of visible blood remained throughout the house.

Contreras was arrested at that point, charged with tampering with evidence and booked into the Valencia County Detention Center on a $50,000 cash-only bond. He is also being held on a no-bond hold on a federal probation violation charge.
SANTA FE  Her voice barely a whisper, Elizabeth Whitefield said she expects a painful death.

The retired judge told New Mexico lawmakers late Friday that she has already endured breast and lung cancer. A more pressing concern now is throat and liver cancer.

She wants the option of legally seeking help from a doctor to end her own life when the time comes.

Im either going to asphyxiate and drown in my own fluids, Whitefield said, or Im going to have extreme pain from the liver cancer.  My family will have to watch me slowly die.

Her story  and testimony from others  made for a heart-wrenching late night at the Roundhouse but no final decision on the proposed End of Life Options Act that Whitefield testified in favor of.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee, both Democrats and Republicans, said they wanted a little more time to craft a final version of the law before voting. They raised a variety of technical concerns, including the establishment of adequate safeguards before a patient makes an irreversible decision.

I believe we need to treat everyone facing these decisions with dignity, respect and compassion, said House Minority Leader Nate Gentry, an Albuquerque Republican and attorney with experience in mental-health law. But I also believe we need to protect them. People facing these decisions are necessarily vulnerable.

At issue is a proposal  sponsored by Democrats Deborah Armstrong of Albuquerque and Bill McCamley of Mesilla Park  that would allow terminally ill patients in New Mexico to seek help from a doctor to end their own lives.

In its present form, House Bill 171 would require that the patient understand the decision, do it voluntarily and be able to self-administer the medication that brings about his or her death.

The proposal would allow a doctor, physicians assistant or other licensed health care provider to provide medical aid in dying. The provider would have to have been involved in treating the patients terminal illness.

To become law, House Bill 171 still must clear the Judiciary Committee and win approval by the full House, Senate and Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican.

The debate comes after the state Supreme Court last year ruled that terminally ill patients dont have a right to a physicians help in dying under the law as it stands now.

A 1963 state law makes it a fourth-degree felony to assist in a suicide. That would remain true under the proposed legislation, with an exception carved out only if the person complies with the requirements of the End of Life Options Act.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee late Friday wrestled with whether a second medical opinion ought to be required before a patient could receive medication to end his or her life. They also discussed how to ensure the patient has the legal capacity to make an informed decision.

Some wanted to require a waiting period, too.

Armstrong, a former state Cabinet secretary whos worked as a health care administrator, said she was willing to consider changes to the bill. She spoke of caring for her own friends and relatives at the end of their lives.

Its the last choice someone can make for themselves, Armstrong said. I implore you to give that opportunity to the people of New Mexico.
NAC to auction Boeing 757, asking price $1.7 million

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has set a minimum sale price of $1.7 million for its vintage Boeing 757 which is being auctioned, multiple sources have confirmed.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.  President Donald Trump is marking his first month in the White House by doing what he loves best: campaigning.

Trump plans to appear as a campaign rally at an airport hangar in central Florida on Saturday. The event in Melbourne comes as he seeks to regain his footing following a series of crises that have threatened his young administration.

For Trump, the rally offers an opportunity to recapture the energy of his upstart campaign and to connect with his supporters. Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the president wants to speak directly to people across this county in an unfiltered way in a way that doesnt have any bias.

On Friday while visiting a Boeing plant in South Carolina, Trump slipped back into his campaigns America First message with ease.
SANTA FE  Pretty much everyone in the room agreed Saturday that New Mexicos tax system needs an overhaul.

Too many exemptions and loopholes have created a tax code thats like swiss cheese, as Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, put it.

Agreeing on how to eliminate those exemptions  the key to lowering the states overall tax rate  is a monumental task.

But the House Taxation and Revenue Committee inched a little forward Saturday toward that goal. In a four-hour hearing at the Roundhouse, members pored over the details of a 347-page bill crafted by Harper and co-sponsored by two colleagues across the aisle: Democratic Sens. John Arthur Smith of Deming and Carlos Cisneros of Questa.

It was the first hearing for House Bill 412, an incredibly complex proposal to reform New Mexicos tax system. Much of Saturdays discussion focused on the gross receipts tax, which is applied to the sale of most goods and services.

The committee heard from broadcasters, health care companies, nonprofit groups and others who expressed concern about what they viewed as the unintended consequences of removing one exemption or another, especially the bills move to re-impose a tax on food and medical items.

Harper, in turn, said it was important to tax as many things as possible  because thats what gives the state a broad enough tax base to lower the rate overall.

In other words, New Mexico ought to tax everything a little rather than just a few things a lot. The goal is to come up with a system thats revenue neutral, Harper said, not resulting in more or less money for governments than what they get now.

Ive been looking forward to this day for a long time, Harper told the committee. We have to modernize our tax code  we have to.

Groups across the political spectrum questioned the details.

Terri Cole, president and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, said the states gross receipts tax structure is bewildering for companies looking to move to New Mexico. Simplifying it would help, she said, but her organization has serious reservations about re-imposing the tax on food, which was lifted in 2005.

Nevertheless, Cole urged lawmakers to keep the discussion open and continue working on tax reform. She noted that Harpers bill proposes exempting the poorest New Mexicans from the re-imposed food tax, a potential way to help the people who really need it.

Broadening the base and lowering the rate is a big, big plus, Cole said. Its something that every single business and every single family will benefit from.

Fred Nathan of Think New Mexico, a nonpartisan think tank, said it isnt clear whether the overhaul would result in more, less or the same revenue, despite the goal of being neutral. The details hinge on estimates of the tax base, he said.

This creates massive uncertainty for businesses that do not know in advance what their tax rates will be, as well as state and local government, Nathan said.

Committee members plan to hold a second hearing to continue going over the bill, but they havent set a date yet.
FARMINGTON  A registered sex offender is facing charges of possession of child pornography and tampering with evidence after officers allegedly found a laptop computer that contained numerous photos in his Aztec home.

James Sears Jr., 45, is facing two fourth-degree felony charges filed in Aztec Magistrate Court on Feb. 9, according to the criminal complaint.

Sears waived his preliminary hearing on Thursday, and the case was bound over to district court, according to court records.

He was convicted of sexual exploitation of children  a class four felony charge  in the 6th District Court in Colorado in 2008, according to Colorado court records. Sears was charged on June 11, 2007, and pleaded guilty on Feb. 8, 2008.

Public defender Sarah Field, Sears attorney, did not reply to a request for comment.

Sears has been convicted three times of failing to register as a sex offender.

He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges in 2014 and 2016 in Aztec Magistrate Court, according to court records. He also plead guilty to a class six felony charge in La Plata County, Colo., court in 2010, according to Colorado court records.

A probation officer and a deputy for the San Juan County Sheriffs Office placed Sears in a probationary hold while conducting house checks on Oct. 31, according to court paperwork. He has remained in custody at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center since the incident.

While speaking to the officers, Sears allegedly attempted to hide a smartphone under a mattress in his living room, according to court paperwork. When the officers asked Sears for the smartphone, he attempted to retrieve a different phone from a cardboard box in the living room.

When prompted by officers, Sears handed over the smartphone from under the mattress. The probation officer discovered a pornographic website open on the phone when he activated it, according to court records.

Sears stated he did not know how the website got on the phone.

When conducting a search of the browser history, the officers discovered multiple pornographic websites open on the smartphone, according to court paperwork.

Sears allegedly made a phone call to a female on Nov. 1 from the detention center and asked her to retrieve several items from his home, including two cell phones, a laptop computer and two tablets.

Police were able to identify the women and retrieve a laptop and two phones from her. A forensic search of the laptop computer yielded numerous images of child pornography.

Joshua Kellogg covers education for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 and jkellogg@daily-times.com.



2017 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.)

Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at www.daily-times.com

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Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Munich, 18.02.2017 - Speech by Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter at the Munich Security Conference  Check against delivery

Mr Chairman

Dear colleagues

I thank our host for organizing this timely debate on European security and the role of the OSCE. I have two main points to make:

 First, our common challenge: the crisis of European security has become more complex, and is also linked to greater political uncertainty.

 Second, the way forward: there ought to be more inclusive political dialogue to advance common action, reduce this uncertainty and rebuild trust. The Hamburg decision to have a structured dialogue in the OSCE presents an opportunity to move in this direction, and I will make some proposals in this regard.

Let me start with European security:

The Ukraine crisis erupted three years ago at a time when Switzerland held the OSCE Chairmanship. The OSCE was quick to respond and has helped de-escalate the situation, especially thanks to the Special Monitoring Mission the 57 participating States agreed to deploy. But the conflict remains unresolved.

During our Chairmanship, it already became quite obvious that the Ukraine crisis was related to a broader crisis of Europes liberal security order. This broader crisis came to a head with the illegal annexation of Crimea, but it had been in the making for years.

The notion of Western-Russian partnership and cooperative security, which marked the Paris Charter of 1990 and the Charter for European Security of 1999, has gradually eroded. There has been growing disrespect for shared norms and commitments. The consensus of the 1990s that human rights and democracy are foundations of security in the OSCE area has faded. There has also been strategic estrangement. This has negatively affected security instruments like conventional arms control in Europe.

On top of these developments, there is now a great deal of political uncertainty about European security, especially with respect to the future role of the US in Europe and to US-Russian relations. There is also uncertainty as regards Brexit and the outcome of elections in a number of European countries this year. The question of how relations between Europe, the US and Russia will evolve is of strategic importance, but there are no clear answers at this stage.

Against this background, the OSCE has ever more vital roles to play. Switzerland has long regarded the OSCE as a major anchor of European security. It is a Swiss foreign policy priority to strengthen the OSCE both as a platform for inclusive dialogue and as an instrument for common action. We are grateful for the Austrian chairs efforts to make progress on both accounts.

Switzerland has made the case for dialogue on core issues of European security for some time now. Until recently, there has been limited appetite for such dialogue. To provide food for thought, Switzerland  together with Germany and Serbia (with you, Ivica)  launched the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project. The Panel held its first meeting on the margins of the Munich Security Conference two years ago. It produced two reports that are worth reading.

There has been some progress lately on two of the issues that the Panel addressed.

First: conventional arms control in Europe has returned to the agenda. Germany took the initiative last year, which Switzerland supported. We have joined the group of like-minded countries that was set up. Switzerland considers arms control a vital ingredient of cooperative security. In the context of current tensions, the lack of effective arms control and related confidence and security building measures in Europe is a major risk in itself.

Second: some positive steps have been taken in line with the Panels call for a return to diplomacy. Within the OSCE, efforts are under way to ensure more ministerial involvement and more informal forms of ministerial discussions. We had a good informal ministerial meeting in Potsdam, and Austria will host a follow-up meeting this summer in Vienna. We welcome this as there really is a need for political leadership to address the issues at hand.

At the Hamburg ministerial meeting last December, the 57 ministers agreed on launching a structured dialogue on the current and future challenges and risks to security in the OSCE area. This is an important step forward that may go some way towards helping to reduce the strategic uncertainty that we are all confronted with.

The Austrian chairmanship is currently holding consultations in Vienna on what this structured dialogue should look like. Switzerland has also given this matter some thought. So let me conclude with four points about this dialogue from a Swiss perspective  two on substance to bolster common action, and two on form to bring the dialogue to fruition:

First, we propose that conventional arms control and CSBMs should be on the agenda of the dialogue. The idea for this structured dialogue emerged out of discussions on whether and how to take up the issue of arms control. While this remains a controversial subject, we believe it must not be put on the backburner.

At the same time, and this is my second point, Switzerland welcomes the fact that the mandate of the dialogue is broad and flexible. Comparing threat perceptions will provide a good basis for efforts to find common ground on a series of issues. I am thinking in particular of cyber security and terrorism or violent extremism. Advancing cooperation on challenges where we do have common interests can help rebuild trust.

Third, this dialogue should be informal, and it should be led by an experienced and dynamic figure. This will lend it the necessary flexibility and convening power.

Fourth, and last, high-level participation and engagement from capitals is key. Some previous OSCE processes like Helsinki + 40 lacked the involvement of capitals, which is one of the reasons they floundered. Involvement from capitals could include officials, academics, and even foreign ministers. The informal OSCE ministerial meeting this summer could be a first opportunity to review the discussions and give critical impulses.

Dear colleagues

The founding fathers of the CSCE opted for dialogue despite persistent differences. The result was enhanced security for all. It is this kind of spirit that should guide us as we are called to address the many challenges we are confronted with. Switzerland is ready to support the setting up of this new structured dialogue process, and to contribute with our expertise and ideas.

Address for enquiries

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West Wing

CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland

Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53

Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55

E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

Twitter: @SwissMFA

Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html




Rogers Pixel and Pixel XL variants are getting VoLTe support soon according to a post on the Rogers Community Forums, which showcases the OS update schedule for a handful of different devices. There is a decent number of phones that are covered in the post although not all of them are focused on getting VoLTE support, as some of them are on their way to receiving the update to Android 7.0 Nougat. While Rogers does note that the Pixel and Pixel XL will get this update soon, the perhaps unfortunate thing for subscribers of the network who use either of Googles Pixel devices and are looking forward to VoLTE is that the update schedule literally says coming soon so there is no exact time frame for the release.

Coming soon could mean that the update will hit by the end of next week or it could mean that the update is more than a month away. With VoLTE under the hood, Pixel and Pixel XL owners will be able to see a marked improvement on voice quality when making phone calls, and should they need or want to talk on the phone while browsing the web theyll finally be able to do so with LTE speeds as they continue with the call at the same time.

In addition to the VoLTE support coming for Googles latest smartphones, there is an update showing up for the Samsung Galaxy S5 on February 22nd which is next Wednesday, although this is just a security update with bug fixes and improvements. There is also an update on the way on February 28th for the Huawei Kiwi GR5, though this is also a security update. The devices which might be getting the most exciting software are the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, as theyre both on schedule to be receiving a bump in software versions from Marshmallow to Nougat in the near future. These two devices will also be joined by the Leonovo Moto Z Play which is scheduled to receive the same update soon as well. This will bump those three devices up to Android 7.0 from Android 6.0.1.
Mohan Guragain is a desk editor at The Kathmandu Post. He edited a provincial youth-oriented monthly paper for nearly two years before joining The Himalayan Times in 2008. Guragain also writes occasionally on politics and socio-economic issues. He joined the Post in 2010.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. French Ambassador to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier says the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations is important in terms of Armenias development, as well as the regional stability, reports Armenpress.

This is one of our priorities in the region. For a long time, the Armenian-Turkish dialogue has been impossible, however, already starting from 2000s the situation changed little by little both at inter-state and civil society levels, the Ambassador said at a discussion on the topic of What is the future of the Armenian-Turkish dialogue from the perspective of Turkey, Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora of France.

The Ambassador said there is no need to become the hostage of the past, to be closed in the past, the best way of doing this is to express. We appreciate exchange of ideas: we wanted the representatives of the Armenian Diaspora of France, Turkey and Armenia gather and speak over this dialogue in order all can exchange their views on issues that are at the crossroads of international relations. In the context of normalization of relations, I can say the same in case of Germany and France: we decided to listen to each other, to speak about our wounds, historical pains, otherwise the EU would not exist today, Jean-Francois Charpentier said.

In 2008, at the initiative of the President of Armenia a new stage of Armenian-Turkish relations launched as a result of which on October 10, 2009 in Zurich the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries signed the Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey and Protocol on development of relations between of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Turkey. However, after the Protocols were signed, Turkey abruptly changed its position and rejected to implement the agreements on the normalization of the relations within a reasonable timeframe and without any preconditions, linking the ratification of the Protocols in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Taking into account the situation created by Turkey, as well as the call of the Political Council of the parties-members of the ruling coalition, on April 22, 2010 the President of Armenia signed a decree on the suspension of the process of ratification of the Protocols.

President Serzh Sargsyan on February 16, 2015 sent a letter to Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan informing about his decision on retracting the Armenia-Turkey protocols from the Parliament of Armenia.
No need to cast doubt on elections: PM

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has urged one and all not to cast any doubt on the governments intention to hold local level elections.
Colleagues and friends turned out Feb. 2 in Gasson 100 to fete retiring Boston College School of Social Work Continuing Education Director Vincent Lynch, who in his 30 years at BC launched a groundbreaking annual conference on HIV/AIDS and later played a key role in an initiative on clergy sexual abuse issues.

It was wonderful. I appreciated seeing so many people from just about every chapter of my career, said Lynch, interviewed the next day, as he reflected on his association with BC  one that began when he arrived in 1980 to pursue a doctorate in social work.

Ive seen BC grow in ways I couldnt have imagined, and Im glad to have been part of that. But even as we moved in that direction, for me BC has maintained that mom-and-pop feel  a place where relationships are important, as are discussions about values and ideas.

Lynch was the first continuing education director in BCSSW history when he took the job in December of 1986, at a time when the social work profession had put more focus on continuing education. To meet the challenge of creating such programs, Lynch conferred with focus groups of practitioners and other stakeholders to identify needs and interests. The discussions invariably centered on one area: HIV/AIDS.

It was just becoming clear how extensive and challenging this problem was for social work, he recalled. HIV/AIDS affected a number of the populations with whom social workers engaged. The solution was to have a conference where everyone could compare notes, share experiences and come up with practices and ideas to enable social workers to meet their clients needs.

Originally envisioned as a one-day event, the inaugural National Conference on Social Work and HIV/AIDS ran four days  June 12-15, 1988  with more than 400 attendees from the U.S. and abroad. It remains the only conference of its type, organized by and for social workers, noted Lynch, who was honored by the Council on Social Work in 1998 for his work as founder and co-organizer.

What shouldnt be overlooked, Lynch added, is the stigma and shame attached to HIV/AIDS at the time. Many segments of society  including the Catholic Church  struggled with their response to the crisis. But then-University President J. Donald Monan, S.J., was supportive of the conference, Lynch said, and also asked Lynch to do an interview with America magazine on Jesuit educations role in dealing with HIV/AIDS.

BC has built up a lot of expertise on HIV/AIDS, and I think perhaps the conference helped advance the thinking on it, he said. For a Catholic university to co-sponsor this conference was no small thing at the outset. But I always felt supported by the school and the BC community.

When the clergy sexual abuse scandal surfaced early this century, Lynch said, it was clear that social work, mental health and other professionals providing care to abuse survivors needed deeper insights to grasp the full dimensions of the problem. In 2004, he co-organized a conference  sponsored by BCSSW and the Church in the 21st Century initiative in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Boston  with workshops and talks on such subjects as family relationships, treatment for various abuse-related conditions such as anxiety disorders and PTSD, and the theological and psychological role of the priest.

I never felt like I was a maverick, or in over my head, said Lynch, who also provided consultation to priests and seminarians on issues related to sexual abuse. Having the support enabled me to feel empowered to address critical areas of need. I always appreciated that.

Lynch will work at St. Johns Seminary as a consultant on social work-related issues.

Sean Smith / University Communications
One held for rape attempt in Khotang

Police recently arrested a man on the charge of attempted rape in Khotang district.
Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years.
The International Monetary Fund is likely to contribute up to 5 billion euros to the third bailout package for Greece, German magazine Der Spiegel said in an unsourced report published on Friday.

It said European lenders were now expecting a sum of this size after originally having hoped for 16 billion euros.

The Fund's involvement in the program has been uncertain. Earlier on Friday, a German Finance Ministry spokeswoman said Berlin considered it essential that the IMF participate.

The Spiegel report said the IMF now shared the view of European lenders that Greece should post a primary budget surplus of 3.5 percent of gross domestic product in order to get fresh aid. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Every family has their secrets, claims Chilean director Lissette Orozco whilst introducing her debut film Adrianas Pact  but what happens when these secrets get out? A deeply personal documentary about guilt and culpability, we see what happens when the personal and the political become inextricably entwined. Do the wounds of the past heal? And how deeply are we implicated in historic crimes? These are questions Chilean cinema has been attempting to answer for years and, although Orozco is part of the countrys next generation of filmmakers, her tender age doesnt mean shes immune to the horrors of Pinochets legacy.



Orozcos debut is based on the real life case of Adriana Rivas, a part-time nanny and cleaner living in Australia who was detained during a visit to Chile in 2006 and accused of working for the DINA, the secret police of General Pinochet. By itself, Adrianas case would have been an interesting, if unremarkable jumping-off point to trawl through the horrifying interrogation techniques used by the DINA. But Adrianas Pact has an ace up its sleeve. Adriana is the directors aunt and, Instead of tackling the subject matter from a safe remove, it does so through the eyes of Orozco as shes forced to confront her countrys troubled past through the long buried conflicts within her own family.

In her attempts to discover who her Adriana really is, Orozco combines Skype conversations with her aunt (who fervently denies these accusations) with expert analysis of the DINA and access to some of the people who worked within it. On the whole she manages to balance the roles of niece and filmmaker, even if her inexperience of the latter means these interviewees are filmed without much imagination. However, they merely provide the framework for what is a painfully personal work about the impact of history when brought home to both guilty and innocent parties. The conversations between Orozco and her aunt provide the film with its most arresting moments. Although both their faces are visible, as the film progresses it only highlights the growing distance between them.

The conversations are, for the most part, unnervingly calm and decorous, but as the films progresses Adriana begins telling Orozco who she should to talk to and what she should ask them and for a moment it becomes unclear who is directing the documentary, Orozco or her aunt. This same brazenness is also evidenced in a television interview Orozco finds of Adriana pleading her innocence. After explaining how she was never involved in any of the interrogations or knew anything of the disappearances, theres a chilling moment where she defends the use of torture as necessary I mean[it was] the same as what the Nazis used, do you understand? It was necessary. There isnt an injection to make you tell the truthit doesnt exist. The closest Orozco gets to fining a truth serum is the testimony of Jorgelino Vergara, a former servant at Santiagos infamous Simon Bolivar Barracks.

Aware that Orozco is Adrianas niece, hes initially a little reluctant to talk before confirming; If you asked me if I saw her beat a detainee, then I would say yes. He then continues to explain how he remembers seeing Adriana, on more than one occasion, beat prisoners until they were on the brink of death. When Orozco recounts this encounter to her aunt the conversation quickly turns sour and theres a noticeable psychotic-break in Adriana that delivers a disturbing kick. A film that places Chiles devastating history alongside agonising personal truths, Adrianas Pact is a powerful meditation on the legacy of Pinochets dictatorship, and the bravery required to seek any kind of truth about it.

The Berlin Film Festival takes place between 9-19 February. Follow our coverage here.

Patrick Gamble | @PatrickJGamble
Democracy Day: Prez, VP, PM, ex-king extend wishes

President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun have extended their best wishes to all the Nepalis living in the country and abroad on the occasion of Democracy Day.
Italian Brother & Sister Cyber Spies Arrested

Two Italian siblings have been arrested and stand accused of having spied on Italian politicians, state institutions and law enforcement agencies, businesses and business people, law firms, leaders of Italian masonic lodges, and Vatican officials for years.

45-year-old Giulio Occhionero and 49-year-old Francesca Maria Occhionero, both from Rome, but currently residing in London, have allegedly used specially crafted malware (dubbed EyePyramid) to compromise the targets computers and exfiltrate all kinds of documents, as well as log keystrokes and steal login credentials for sensitive accounts.

According to court documents the investigation began a few months after a security professional employed by ENAV, an Italian company responsible for the provision of air traffic services (ATS) and other air navigation services in Italy, flagged and reported a malicious attachment he received via email.

The spear-phishing email was purportedly sent by an Italian attorney, but the infosec pro became suspicious and sent the attachment to security company Mentat Solutions for analysis. The attachment was found to contain the EyePyramid malware.

After the authorities got involved, the investigation revealed that the email was, indeed, sent from the attorneys email account, but that it was sent by someone who had compromised the account and accessed it via TOR.

Researchers at Mentat discovered the malwares server, and email addresses to which the malware would send some of the stolen information. This allowed them to identify a domain that was registered, among others, by Giulio Occhionero or enterprises tied to him and his sister.

Interestingly enough, Mentat researchers have analysed the EyePyramid malware even before this investigation, and found inside it a MailBee library, a license for which had been acquired by Giulio Occhionero. The same library could be found in EyePyramid versions from 2010 to, late 2015, when Mentat researchers asked the company that issued it to share the identity of the buyer. They apparently did not, but notified him of the request. From then on, the malware used another license.

Italian law enforcement asked the FBI for help to seize the C&C servers (as they were located in the US), to uncover who owned the domain (the information was unavailable online) and the servers, and to get the name of the person who bought the MailBee library license. It was Giulio Occhionero.

All this information allowed them to get permission to tap Giulios phone, and confirm that he administered the servers in question.

The prosecution alleges that he was developing the malware for many years, and mounted many cyber espionage campaigns. Some of those had been flagged, but the attacker was never identified.

Its still unknown how the siblings used the stolen information, whether to blackmail the victims or simply to gain an unfair advantage that could ultimately lead to considerable financial profits. Both deny being involved in this cyber espionage scheme.

Among the spied-on individuals are former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi, President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi, and various Italian senators. Giulio Occhionero is a member of an Italian masonic lodge, and he allegedly also used the malware to spy on his fellow members and members of other masonic lodges in Italy.

HelpNet Security:

Rome: Cyber Spying Rings Security Bells:
Georgia - A State Of Cybersecurity

The US State of Georgia wants a training center thats designed to teach both students and educators how to combat hacking and other forms of cyberwarfare.

The Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center is to be built near the US Armys Cyber Command headquarters in Augusta and will include a cyber range, where cyberwarfare training and technology development unfolds.

The center is being developed with the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency and is likely to cost tens of millions of dollars. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said the center is poised to put Georgia at the pinnacle of efforts to enhance American cybersecurity in the public and private arenas.

It will be constructed on about 17 acres of land near the Savannah River and is envisioned as a public-private partnership with professors, private industry and government work to develop new cybersecurity standards.

We have a need for this in Georgia, said Chris Riley, Deals chief of staff. In our k-12 system and in our higher education system, we need to educate and train Georgians to prepare them for jobs in the cybersecurity field.

There are a handful of state-owned cyber ranges in the nation, including in Arizona, Michigan, Rhode Island and Virginia. But Georgia officials said the proposed training center would be one of the few to work with the private sector, local colleges and the military.

The new Georgia center would be near the cyber command headquarters at Fort Gordon, a $180 million facility that broke ground in late 2016. The complex is expected to employ more than 1,200 soldiers, civilians and contractors by the end of the decade.

Fort Gordon is already home to a major NSA facility with thousands of employees, as well as the US Army Signal Center, which is the heart of the Armys communications network. In all, the Defense Department plans to invest $2.1 billion in Fort Gordon to make it the home for the nations future cyber-warriors.

Intelligence officials are calling for more attention to cybersecurity amid warnings that Russia orchestrated the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clintons top campaign adviser.

President Trump has called for more security to ward off hackers, warning that somebody sitting on their bed at home can wreak havoc on the nations computer networks.

The Georgia governors office said the center will be able to collaborate with about seven different universities and private industries to provide training on the latest computer skills and techniques. It would research information security advances and house an incubator hub for cybersecurity startup companies to spawn new industries.

A list of courses that the facility would offer includes disaster recovery workshops, cloud security training and cyber analysis certification, according to state documents.

It is modeled in part after another state-owned facility for industry training. The Georgia Film Academy opened last year on a bustling Pinewood Studios campus in Fayette County, complete with a teaching soundstage on site. Hundreds of students are to be trained to work in the states booming movie industry.

The governors office said Defense Department officers and officials from other military intelligence agencies will be on hand Wednesday for the State of the State address, where Deal will highlight the facility as a centerpiece of his funding proposal.

He said recently that he sees the growing industry as a cornerstone to the states economy.

The reality is cybersecurity is important because cybercrime is now bigger than the global black market in marijuana, cocaine and heroin combined, Deal said. It speaks volumes that Georgia will be home to this center of innovation and cyber-defense. This will be yet another star in our expanding constellation of excellence.

Ein News:

New British Cybersecurity Centre Has A Focus On Financial Services:
Linda Teplin to speak at AAAS meeting in Boston: Feb. 18

CHICAGO --- Northwestern University researcher Linda Teplin will share data showing alarming premature mortality rates for delinquent youth at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Boston.

Teplin's presentation, part of the Science and the Law seminar "Crime, Justice and Death," will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Hynes Convention Center, Room 302.

Teplin, the Owen L. Coon Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and director of the Health Disparities and Public Policy Program in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine, will present "Death in Delinquents: A 16-Year Prospective Study of Rick of Premature Mortality" using data from the Northwestern Juvenile Project (NJP).

The NJP, led by Teplin, studied a randomly selected sample of 1,829 youth who were arrested and detained in Cook County, Illinois, between 1995 and 1998. NJP data shows that 16 years after detention, 111 of those studied had died (126 as of November 2016), most from homicide by firearm. Mortality rates varied by age, gender and race/ethnicity, but were two to 10 times higher than general population rates. Significant risk factors in adolescence for later mortality included drug dealing, alcohol use disorder and gang membership.

Among delinquent youth, racial/ethnic minorities were at increased risk of homicide compared with non-Hispanic whites. Compared with non-Hispanic whites, African- Americans had 4.5 times and Hispanics had 2.8 times the hazard of homicide. African-American males had the highest mortality rates but among the lowest mortality ratios because death rates for this group in the general population are high.

This seminar examines the contributions of science to the legal system from a diversity of perspectives. Teplin, along with two other presenters, also will discuss a study on how criminal justice policies influence outcomes regarding mortality.

###

(Source contact: Linda Teplin at l-teplin@northwestern.edu)

Seminar information

"Crime, Justice and Death"

3 to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, February 18

Hynes Convention Center, Room 302

This session will be livestreamed.

More News at Northwestern Now
What looks like a caterpillar chewing on a leaf or a beetle consuming fruit is likely a three-way battle that benefits most, if not all of the players involved, according to a Penn State entomologist.

"Plants are subject to attack by an onslaught of microbes and herbivores, yet are able to specifically perceive the threat and mount appropriate defenses," said Gary W. Felton, professor and head of entomology. "But, herbivores can evade plant defenses by using symbiotic bacteria that deceive the plant into perceiving an herbivore threat as microbial, suppressing the plant's defenses against herbivores."

Felton's research looked at two crop pests -- tomato fruit worms and the Colorado potato beetle -- plant reactions to the pests, and the microbes that they carry. He presented his findings today (Feb 18) at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston. This broad look at herbivore-plant interactions takes into account the entire phytobiome -- the plants, their environment, their predators and the organisms that colonize them.

Tomato fruit worms may be the most important crop pest in North and South America. According to Felton, the caterpillar enjoys eating more than 100 different agricultural crops. Unfortunately, it likes to eat what we eat.

The Colorado potato beetle moved quickly across the U.S. from Mexico in the mid-1800s and took only 20 to 30 years to reach New York and Long Island. It strips leaves down to the veins, leaving skeletal remains.

Plants have two lines of defense against these predators. One reaction, regulated by jasmonic acid, comes into play when insects chew on the plant's leaves, stems or fruit, damaging the plant and leaving insect saliva. The other is turned on when an insect regurgitates stomach contents containing microbes onto the plant triggering a response by the plant to microbial pathogens that uses salicylic acid.

When microbes -- viruses and bacteria -- are symbiotic companion of the insects, these pathways can be interrupted.

"Parasitoids (predatory insects) inject eggs into the caterpillar and the developing parasitoid eventually kills the caterpillar," said Felton. "Along with the eggs, the parasitoid injects a symbiotic virus that knocks out the immune system of the caterpillar and kill the component in the caterpillar saliva that signals the plant that it is being attacked."

When a parasitoid-infected tomato fruit worm attacks a plant, the plant does not realize the caterpillar is chewing on it, none of the chemical defense systems in the plant activate. This benefits the caterpillar and the symbiotic microbe, but does not do much for the plant.

When the Colorado potato beetle -- which likes potato plants, but will eat all the plants in the nightshade family -- regurgitates its stomach contents onto a leaf, the bacteria from the beetle's gut triggers the plant's microbial response, but turns off the plant's response to chewing. The bacteria are able to spread and the herbivore, the beetle, gets to strip the leaves without encountering the plant's chemical response.

The Colorado potato beetle has gone through whole sequences of insecticides and developed resistance.

"More than two decades ago, neonicotinoids became widely used against the beetles, and that worked," said Felton. "But they may be losing their effect."

The Colorado potato beetle suppresses the plants chewing response only when the beetles feed on tomatoes or potatoes, not when they feed on other members of the nightshade family like eggplants or peppers. The symbiotic bacteria only develop in the beetle gut when feeding on tomatoes and potatoes.

Understanding the interaction between plants, their predators and the microbes that live in them, may help researchers understand how to control these pests.

"When we know more about all these microbe, herbivore, and plant interactions, we may be able to manipulate the system to make the plants manipulate the bacteria," said Felton. "Probiotics (mixes of specific bacteria or viruses) could alter the gut microbiome to benefit the plant."

Some microbes turn on the plants, increasing growth and enhancing the defensive systems, according to Felton. Some caterpillar bacteria seem to make some seeds germinate faster.

"Lots of companies are investing in beneficial natural plant microbes," said Felton. "This could improve plant productivity.

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The National Science Foundation supported this work.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Creating tiny muscle-powered robots that can walk or swim by themselves -- or better yet, when prompted -- is more complicated than it looks.

Rashid Bashir, the head of the bioengineering department at the University of Illinois, and Taher Saif, a professor of mechanical science and engineering at Illinois, will speak in Boston on the design and development of walking and swimming bio-bots at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The symposium "Integrated Cellular Systems: Building Machines with Cells" will start at 1 p.m. Feb. 18 in room 311 of the Hynes Convention Center. A news briefing will be held in room 103 at 11 a.m.

Through the National Science Foundation-funded Emergent Behavior of Integrated Cellular Systems center, Bashir, Saif and colleagues have developed small, soft biological robots, dubbed "bio-bots," that can walk and swim on their own or when triggered by electrical or light signals. The researchers make a soft 3-D printed scaffold measuring a centimeter or two in length, seed it with muscle cells, and the cells self-organize to form functional tissues that make the bio-bots move.

"These machines are now viewed as partially living, with the ability to form, the ability to age and the ability to heal if there's an injury," Saif said. "Now that we've got them working, we are beginning to look back and try to understand how the cells organize themselves and what language they use to communicate. This is the developmental biology of living machines."

In the talk "How to Engineer a Living System," Bashir will describe the methods that the group has used to build the bio-bots and to direct their behavior.

"As engineers, we usually build with materials like wood, steel or silicon. Our focus here is to forward-engineer biological or cell-based systems," Bashir said. "The design is inspired by the muscle-tendon-bone complex found in nature. There's a skeleton or backbone, but made out of soft polymers similar to the ones used in contact lenses, so it can bend instead of needing joints like the body does."

Bashir's group developed multiple designs to make bio-bots walk in certain directions and to control their motion with light or electrical currents.

In the talk "Engineered Living Micro Swimmers," Saif will describe bio-bots that swim and the physical and biological interactions that cause the cells to come into alignment. They form a single muscle unit that contracts to beat a tail, propelling the bio-bot through liquid.

"They align themselves in a direction where the tail of the swimmer can be bent most. Which is exactly what we wanted, although we did not pattern or direct them to do it," Saif said. "Why do they behave this way? If each cell beat at its own time, we wouldn't have the swimmer. What made them synchronize into a single entity?"

Bashir and Saif will share insights learned from these questions and more.

"The objective is not to make a walker and a swimmer, but to lay the scientific foundation so we have principles for building biological machines in the future," Saif said.

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Editor's notes: Rashid Bashir and Taher Saif are available for interview at the 2017 AAAS Annual Meeting: To reach Rashid Bashir, call 217-722-4250; email: rbashir@illinois.edu.

To reach Taher Saif, call 217-898-5293; email: saif@illinois.edu.

A news briefing will be held in room 103 at 11 a.m. Feb. 18.
How do you redeem a place like Gitmo, the notorious U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?

Reboot the naval base and detainee center as a cutting-edge marine research lab and peace park, says Joe Roman, a conservation biologist at the University of Vermont (UVM).

Roman briefed journalists and scholars on his "Green Gitmo" proposal at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting panel, Protecting the Crown Jewel of the Caribbean: Cuba's Marine Ecosystems, on Feb. 18 in Boston.

The provocative idea, first published in Science last year, has taken on new meaning under a Trump presidency, Roman says.

A 'THIRD PATH' FORWARD

While former U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to close Gitmo, other U.S. politicians want the prison to remain open - and the Trump administration's Cuba strategy remains unclear.

In contrast, Cuba has considered the U.S. presence in Guantanamo as illegal since the 1960s - even refusing to cash the annual rent check of $4,085, part of an agreement that stretches back to a 1903 U.S.-Cuba treaty.

According to Roman, an oceans expert in UVM's Gund Institute for Ecological Economics and Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, the proposal offers a "third path" forward.

"Turning Gitmo into a research center and peace park offers a solution to a major impasse in U.S.-Cuba relations," says Roman, who co-authored the proposal with James Kraska of the U.S. Naval War College.

SEEKING CLOSURE

Military documents have identified Gitmo as a "prime candidate" for closure, given its proximity to the U.S. base in Key West, Florida, only 90 miles away, notes Roman.

"The business case for closing down Gitmo is significant," says Roman. "U.S. taxpayers spend more than $445 million each year to run Guantanamo Bay, which now holds roughly 40 detainees. That funding could support research labs and a peace park at a fraction of the cost, leaving ample money to invest in other military purposes, he says.

SPECIES AND HABITATS AT RISK

Under Roman and Kraska's proposal, existing Gitmo facilities would be refurbished for research and education on climate change, ocean conservation and biodiversity loss.

With a reduced U.S. footprint at Guantanamo, the land and sea could support threatened Cuban species - from manatees to hawksbill sea turtles -- as well as habitats: rare tropical dry forests, pristine coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds.

Roman, who teaches a UVM course in Cuba, says greening Gitmo would help recognize Cuba's "conservation efforts and strong stance on climate change." It would also offer up-to-date facilities, financial support, and opportunities for Cuba's upcoming scientists and students.

According to Roman, a "green Gitmo" would unite Cuba and the United States in joint management, rather than serve as a wedge between them.

"For the next generations, the name Guantanamo could be associated - not with its recent dark history - but with redemption, preservation, and repair of nature and international friendship."

Learn more about UVM newsmakers at AAAS. Follow the conference on social media at #AAASmtg.

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive Gund news alerts.

Learn more about UVM's Cuba strategy.

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(BOSTON - February 18, 2017) New Research finds that climate change will cause dramatic impacts in the world's fisheries, but with effective management most fisheries could yield more fish and more prosperity, even with a changing climate.

Relative to today, this preliminary research illustrates that effective management reforms can lead, globally, to a nearly 90 percent increase in profits, a third more fish in the water and a more than 10 percent increase in harvest by 2100 in the face of climate change.

The research also shows the effect is even more pronounced compared to doing nothing: where implementing effective management can yield nearly triple the profits, lead to a more than 50 percent increase in the amount of fish in the water and over a third more fish for harvest.

Scientists and economists at the University of California Santa Barbara, Oregon State University and Environmental Defense Fund previewed their preliminary results from this new research at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.

"Climate change is going to have a dramatic impact on many global fish populations and the people who rely on them," said Christopher Costello, co-author and Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics at UC Santa Barbara. "But, these results show that, even in the face of climate change, we have an opportunity to build abundant and resilient fisheries for the future. Implementing effective fishery management is the single best thing we can do today to ensure healthy ocean ecosystems for the future."

Effective management reforms that address the challenges posed by changing ocean temperatures include a combination of harvest policies that adapt based on current fish abundance, stronger international cooperation, as well as secure fishing rights. This research examined 780 species and 132 country-level stocks across the globe representing 4,424 fisheries from the Costello et al 2016 fishery database, accounting for 74% of the global yield. The researchers worked with a scenario that the global mean surface air temperature will rise by an average of 2.2C by 2100.

By the turn of the century, the researchers find that more than one-third of the species studied will move completely out of at least one country's national fishing waters while the same amount are also expected to shift into at least one country's waters (exclusive economic zones).

The research suggests that areas closest to the equator with warmer waters are more likely to suffer a net loss of fish from their waters, while cooler locations are likely to see a net gain in the abundance of fish, by the turn of the next century. However, the research also shows that, even in warmer waters, improved management can increase fish and prosperity for many fisheries.

"Fish are becoming even more of a moving target in our oceans," said co-author Michael Harte, Professor, Oregon State University. "These changes will require greater multinational cooperation among nations to manage these resources effectively."

Off the New England coast, we are already seeing fish like iconic cod move north into Canadian waters. In Europe, recent spatial shifts of mackerel led to the "mackerel wars" where the movement of the stock into new waters created conflict over the sharing of this catch and, ultimately, overfishing of the stock.

"These challenges are not just problems of the future, but problems we are facing today," said Jake Kritzer, Director of Diagnostics and Design for Environmental Defense Fund's Fishery Solutions Center. "If governments move quickly to implement adaptive reforms that account for the change in our oceans, fisheries can be sustained, and even grow, helping provide nutrition and income for the hundreds of millions of people that rely on them for their survival."

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Interviews, photos, videos and graphics are available upon request.

MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Smelser, 917.324.6379, msmelser@edf.org

Valerie Holford, 202.365.5336, valerieholford@starpower.net

Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading international nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. Connect with us on EDF Voices, Twitter and Facebook.
From: Ad Council For Immediate Release: Dateline: New York , NY Friday, February 17, 2017







Valentines Day came and went, but here at the Ad Council were still feeling the loveespecially because this February marks the second anniversary of our Diversity & Inclusion campaign, Love Has No Labels.

To celebrate, weve gathered six television ads we absolutely love that prove love has no gender, race, age, religion, or disability. Because love is love and love has no labels.

Ad Councils Fans of Love The Ad Council launched our newest round of work for our Love Has No Labels campaign called Fans of Love on Valentines Day. The spots put a twist on the traditional kiss cam by replacing it with an unbiased camera that features all forms of love friendships, families and romantic relationships across race, religion, gender, sexuality, ability and age. Get the tissues ready because this one will tug at your heart strings.

ANZs #HOLDTIGHT This February marks ANZs (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group) 11th year supporting Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and their 5th year supporting Auckland Pride Festival. If youre not familiar with the company, ANZ makes bold statements to showcase their policy on diversity, inclusion, and respect. They launched #HOLDTIGHT to encourage members of the LGBTIQ community to proudly hold of each others hands in situations where they may feel uncomfortable and would often let go.

Cheerios Gracie Over the years, Cheerios has established themselves as a staple at the family breakfast table. Whether the tastes got you hooked, or you eat them for the health benefits, the brand has been around 75 years and counting. For a long time, being a traditional cereal brand meant using traditional families in their advertisements. That all changed in 2014 when the company released their first TV commercial featuring an interracial family. The ad did receive some backlash, but Cheerios stood by their campaign, expressing the need to represent real families. The ad was not only authentic, but it was funny, too.

KFCs Love is Forever What do fried chicken and love have in common? Both are ageless! Love is Forever, a KFC commercial that aired in South Africa, starts out as a sentimental journey. We see an elderly couple travel back in time, shortly re-visiting the earlier stages of their lives. The sentiment of love enduring time is touching. You get so caught up in the love story that you forget youre watching an ad for KFC, until Im hungry snaps you back to reality.

Amazons Cup of Tea A Priest and an Imam meet up for tea; it sounds like the start of an inappropriate joke, but its actually the premise for an Amazon commercial. These two gentlemen have remained friends despite their religious affiliations. The spot even dives deeper, touching on the underlying truth that above all, were all human. The Imam and Priest realize suffer from the same ailment and even respond to it with the same idea.

Wells Fargos Learning Sign Language In this Wells Fargo ad, were introduced to two women learning sign language. Were unsure about their connection and their story until about 30 seconds in. It then becomes clear that they are a couple and are going to adopt a deaf child. Not only do we applaud Wells Fargo for showing that love has no disability, but theyre also embracing love regardless of gender. Plus, adoption is one of our

The post

Valentines Day came and went, but here at the Ad Council were still feeling the loveespecially because this February marks the second anniversary of our Diversity & Inclusion campaign, Love Has No Labels.To celebrate, weve gathered six television ads we absolutely love that prove love has no gender, race, age, religion, or disability. Because love is love and love has no labels.The Ad Council launched our newest round of work for our Love Has No Labels campaign called Fans of Love on Valentines Day. The spots put a twist on the traditional kiss cam by replacing it with an unbiased camera that features all forms of love friendships, families and romantic relationships across race, religion, gender, sexuality, ability and age. Get the tissues ready because this one will tug at your heart strings.This February marks ANZs (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group) 11th year supporting Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and their 5th year supporting Auckland Pride Festival. If youre not familiar with the company, ANZ makes bold statements to showcase their policy on diversity, inclusion, and respect. They launched #HOLDTIGHT to encourage members of the LGBTIQ community to proudly hold of each others hands in situations where they may feel uncomfortable and would often let go.Over the years, Cheerios has established themselves as a staple at the family breakfast table. Whether the tastes got you hooked, or you eat them for the health benefits, the brand has been around 75 years and counting. For a long time, being a traditional cereal brand meant using traditional families in their advertisements. That all changed in 2014 when the company released their first TV commercial featuring an interracial family. The ad did receive some backlash, but Cheerios stood by their campaign, expressing the need to represent real families. The ad was not only authentic, but it was funny, too.What do fried chicken and love have in common? Both are ageless! Love is Forever, a KFC commercial that aired in South Africa, starts out as a sentimental journey. We see an elderly couple travel back in time, shortly re-visiting the earlier stages of their lives. The sentiment of love enduring time is touching. You get so caught up in the love story that you forget youre watching an ad for KFC, until Im hungry snaps you back to reality.A Priest and an Imam meet up for tea; it sounds like the start of an inappropriate joke, but its actually the premise for an Amazon commercial. These two gentlemen have remained friends despite their religious affiliations. The spot even dives deeper, touching on the underlying truth that above all, were all human. The Imam and Priest realize suffer from the same ailment and even respond to it with the same idea.In this Wells Fargo ad, were introduced to two women learning sign language. Were unsure about their connection and their story until about 30 seconds in. It then becomes clear that they are a couple and are going to adopt a deaf child. Not only do we applaud Wells Fargo for showing that love has no disability, but theyre also embracing love regardless of gender. Plus, adoption is one of our public service campaigns! The post News of Note February 17: Happy Late Valentines Day! appeared first on AdLibbing.org


Rootless

When Africans were enslaved by European colonists and taken to the new continentnow known as the Americastheir names were erased and they were given the names of their masters.
Pressure on coastal fisheries, from overfishing and pollution, is pushing more and more fishing trawlers into the high seas or to illegally poach on territories with no ability to enforce their 200-mile territorial limits. One of the primary tenets of the Global High Sea Marine Preserve, a non-profit dedicated to saving the oceans founded by Danny Quintana, is to ban industrial fishing in international waters for the United States Navy to take lead role with other maritime forces to enforce the ban. The Law of the Seas Treaty needs to be renegotiated and approved by the United States Senate to facilitate such an eventuality.

Foremost among the violators is China with thousands of fishing boats not only invading coastal waters but using drag nets outlawed decades ago by international agreement. According to FAO, Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing accounts for 15 percent of annual global catch. That's at least 26 million tons lost. And it means that an estimated $10-20 billion is also lost annually from the global economy. While fishing vessels from many countries engage in illegal fishing practices, China's practices in particular have garnered a lot of media attention as of late.

Fixing the consumption side of the equation in China is more difficult as it is twice the global average and the fishing industry is under intense pressure obtain food no matter the cost to the environment or fish stocks. Encroachment into the South China Sea as its own territory is now added foreign policy to environmental policy for the neighboring countries who fear the growing menace of Communist Chinese ambitions.

50 years of industrial fishing has depleted fish stocks, especially large predators like tuna, whales and sharks, to the point of extinction and that means irrelevance to the ocean ecosystems they help support. Knock out the top-predators and the system will collapse.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of endangered species, 1,414 species of fish, or 5 percent of the world's known species, are at risk for extinction. While habitat loss and pollution are significant factors in the decline of these species, the greatest threat by far is overfishing.

Top Ten Endangered Fish Species:

Bluefin Tuna: Perhaps the most iconic of endangered fish, the bluefin tuna occupies most of the northern Atlantic Ocean. One of the fastest fish in the sea, this species can grow to a length of 10 feet and weigh more than 1,400 pounds. This species' reputation as a fighter has made it a popular catch among recreational fisherman. And at a going rate of up to $100,000 per fish, it's highly prized by commercial fisherman as well. Bluefin tuna are heavily overfished, and most experts agree that without prompt intervention, the slow-growing, slow-maturing species will become extinct. International regulation is tricky, however, since the bluefin tuna is known to migrate thousands of miles across the ocean. And so far, efforts to control harvests have largely failed. Chosen by the WWF (formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund) as the sixth most threatened species in the world, sea or land, the bluefin tuna is by all measures critically endangered.

Maltese Ray: Historically, the Maltese ray populated the Mediterranean Sea in the coastal waters of Italy, Algeria, Malta and Tunisia. Today, its range is limited to the heavily-fished Strait of Sicily, a 90-mile-wide channel between Italy and Tunisia. Though little is known about this particular species, it likely displays characteristics similar to other rays: It grows slowly, matures late and produces few offspring. Commercial fishing vessels rarely target the Maltese ray. Rather, it is taken as bycatch in boats harvesting other species. Once they're caught, these unwanted fish are thrown back into the water, dead or dying. The decreasing population of this species and the slow response by regional governments to save it earned the Maltese ray a critically endangered rating from the IUCN.

Goliath Grouper: All species of grouper are endangered to some extent, but the Goliath Grouper is particularly threatened. Also known as the jewfish, it lives in the subtropical areas of the eastern Pacific (from Baja California to Peru) and the Atlantic (from North Carolina to Brazil). As the name suggests, it's a very large fish, growing to 7 feet in length in its 40-year life span. Overfishing of the Goliath grouper is a result of two main issues. First, it reproduces for only a short period of time, resulting in relatively few offspring compared to other species. Second, juveniles often become accidental bycatch in other fishing operations. What fish remain are targeted during spawning by hook-and-line fishing boats. Out of concern for the Goliath grouper's survival, the United States banned harvest of the species, and the IUCN rated them as critically endangered.

European Eel: Found primarily in the North Atlantic and the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, European eel face a unique set of survival challenges. They have a fascinating development cycle, which begins with their birth out at sea and continues in freshwater streams thousands of miles inland, where they can grow to a length of 4.5. When they reach sexual maturity, at anywhere from 6 to 30 years of age, they return to the sea to spawn. If their route to the sea is blocked, they return to freshwater and can live for 50 years. But if they make it back to salt water and reproduce, they die. Because of this unusual life cycle, any eel that is caught at sea is a juvenile that has not yet had a chance to spawn. This has resulted in catastrophic overfishing of the European eel, and a critically endangered rating from IUCN.

Bocaccio Rockfish: Of the more than 70 species of rockfish living off the United States' west coast, the bocaccio rockfish is one of the most endangered. While this 3-foot fish reaches reproductive age sooner than many overfished species -- as early as four to five years -- its larvae have a very low survival rate. Changes in ocean currents and temperature since the 1970s mean that large numbers of bocaccio larvae live to become juveniles only once every 20 years. In response to their dwindling numbers, the United States closed several fisheries along the West Coast in 2002. But even without trawling in these areas, scientists believe it could take 100 years for bocaccio populations to recover. With such significant challenges to recovery, the IUCN has listed the species as critically endangered.

Winter Skate: The winter skate is a fascinating species known to deter predators and stun prey with a quick jolt of electricity. Most are found in the northwest Atlantic Ocean, from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada to North Carolina in the United States. Once thought to be a "trash fish," the winter skate is now harvested and processed into fishmeal and lobster bait, and is even marketed for human consumption. Increased trawling for the species has resulted in the accidental capture of juveniles, which are easily mistaken for smaller, more abundant species. This has led to a staggering population decline among winter skate, which are slow to reach sexual maturity and have few offspring. Experts blame these factors for a 90 percent reduction in mature individuals since the 1970s. This devastating decline has earned the winter skate a critically endangered rating from the IUCN.

Orange Roughy: Also known as the "slimehead," the orange roughy has a wide-ranging habitat that includes the coasts of New Zealand, Australia, Namibia and the northeast Atlantic Ocean. Its life expectancy is up to 149 years, and it reaches sexual maturation age between 20 and 32 years, making it the epitome of a species inherently vulnerable to overfishing. The pressure of overfishing is amplified by fishermen's tendency to trawl for orange roughy when the fish congregate to feed and breed. The resulting catches wipe out generations. Though the IUCN hasn't reviewed this species to determine if it is endangered, a number of other organizations have recognized the significant decline in its numbers after only 25 years of commercial harvesting.

Bycatch

Bycatch are sea creatures caught unintentionally. This can either be ocean dwellers other than the desired species or juveniles of the desired species.

Arcadian Redfish: This species of North Atlantic fish grows to about 20 inches in length and can live as long as 50 years. Like other overfished species, the Acadian redfish is slow-growing and reaches reproductive age late -- at about eight or nine years old. Intensive trawling over the last 10 years has led to the smallest yields since commercial fishing of the species commenced in the 1930s. Worse, the Acadian redfish has been subject to pirate fishing, or fishing done in violation of environmental law. For these reasons, the IUCN lists the species as endangered.

Trawling

Trawling is a fishing technique where a large, deep net is pulled behind a boat. Often this net drags on the ocean floor, stirring up sediment and altering seafloor habitat. The effects of trawling can actually be seen on satellite images taken from space.

Beluga Sturgeon: While the beluga sturgeon is popular for its fillets, its eggs, known as "true caviar," are regarded as a delicacy. Native to the Caspian Sea, these ancient fish can grow to 15 feet in length, weigh more than a ton and live to be 100 years old. Due to the popularity of their eggs, they're heavily overfished -- typically with gill nets. This particularly problematic because this species that doesn't reach sexual maturity until 20 or 25 years of age. In addition to fishing pressures, beluga sturgeon suffer from habitat reduction, having lost 90 percent of their historic spawning grounds over the past several decades. Because of these pressures, the IUCN classified the beluga sturgeon as endangered, and the population is expected to continue its decline.

Gill Nets

Gill nets are nets that sit like a fence on the ocean floor. When a fish that is too big to swim through the net tries to swim back out, it gets caught by the gills.

Atlantic Halibut: Found in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Atlantic halibut is the largest of the flat fish species. Boasting a 50-year lifespan, it can reach a length of 9 feet and weigh up to 1,000 pounds. But because this slow-growing fish doesn't become sexually mature until it's 10 to 14 years old, it's particularly susceptible to overfishing. While Atlantic halibut are normally caught with hooks-and-lines, they're often caught as bycatch in bottom trawl fisheries. The IUCN classifies them as endangered, and their numbers are not expected recover in the near future. This has prompted the United States to ban Atlantic halibut fishing in its coastal waters.
From: American Evaluation Association (AEA) For Immediate Release: Dateline: Washington , DC Saturday, February 18, 2017

Hi my name is Jayne Corso and I am the Community Manager for AEA. I was recently asked how I find and choose articles to post on the AEA social media sites, so I thought I would share my resources with everyone. When posting on social media, I try to maintain a good mix of association news, to keep our community informed about AEA, and evaluation news, to keep our community informed and about trends and lessons learned in evaluation. Here is where I pull my information:

Rad Resource: Twitter

Twitter is an excellent resource for finding content. I will often search relevant hashtags such as #Eval, #Evaluation, and #DataViz to find posts relating to these topics. I do have to do a little digging to make sure I find articles and resources that are informative, reliable, and can relate back to our community  but the content I find is often very rich and diverse.

In addition to searching on twitter, I follow many evaluators who are using the platform. This is helpful, because I can then see what other evaluators are posting 1) to share their content on our sites and 2) to gain a better understanding on what content is relevant and trending in evaluation. Heres just a few evaluators I follow:

| Ann K. Emery

| Christopher Lysy

| Jane Davidson

| Kylie Hutchinson

John_Gargani |

Rad Resource: Evaluation Blogs

I follow a lot of evaluation blogs to find insights from our members. I often share posts that I believe are relevant and will resonate with our community. These blog posts allow AEA to share multiple points of view on evaluation related topics. Below are a few blogs that I use for my go-to resources:

BetterEvalution

Evaluation is an Everyday Activity

Evergreen Data Blog

Ann K. Emerys blog

Eval Central

Rad Resource: Resources from AEA

AEA has a whole page of great resources for finding evaluation content.

I hope this information is helpful. If you have other great evaluation resources, please share them in the comments. Get busy posting!

Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org . aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.

Hi my name is Jayne Corso and I am the Community Manager for AEA. I was recently asked how I find and choose articles to post on the AEA social media sites, so I thought I would share my resources with everyone. When posting on social media, I try to maintain a good mix of association news, to keep our community informed about AEA, and evaluation news, to keep our community informed and about trends and lessons learned in evaluation. Here is where I pull my information:Rad Resource: TwitterTwitter is an excellent resource for finding content. I will often search relevant hashtags such as #Eval, #Evaluation, and #DataViz to find posts relating to these topics. I do have to do a little digging to make sure I find articles and resources that are informative, reliable, and can relate back to our community  but the content I find is often very rich and diverse.In addition to searching on twitter, I follow many evaluators who are using the platform. This is helpful, because I can then see what other evaluators are posting 1) to share their content on our sites and 2) to gain a better understanding on what content is relevant and trending in evaluation. Heres just a few evaluators I follow: annkemery | Ann K. Emery clysy | Christopher Lysy EJaneDavidson | Jane Davidson EvaluationMaven | Kylie Hutchinson John GarganiRad Resource: Evaluation BlogsI follow a lot of evaluation blogs to find insights from our members. I often share posts that I believe are relevant and will resonate with our community. These blog posts allow AEA to share multiple points of view on evaluation related topics. Below are a few blogs that I use for my go-to resources:Rad Resource: Resources from AEAAEA has a whole page of great resources for finding evaluation content. Click here to see evaluators that are active on social media and an array of evaluation related blogs. This is a great starting point for curating content for your social media posts!I hope this information is helpful. If you have other great evaluation resources, please share them in the comments. Get busy posting!Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org . aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.


ADA, Ohio  This years Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference will continue to focus on soil health and better no-till when it returns to Ohio Northern University in Ada March 7-8.

The conference has been held at the same location for the past 25 years, and each year draws more than 900 people who want to know more about no-till farming and good conservation practices.

The event draws farmers, crop consultants and agribusiness leaders, and offers industry-approved credits for certified crop advisers, and certified livestock managers.

This years keynote speaker, Paul Jasa, an ag engineer with the University of Nebraska, will present A Systems Approach to No-till and Soil Health.

Jasa will talk about the benefits of keeping no-till soils healthy, and hell lead a talk on correcting the effects of tillage with cover crops.

Randall Reeder, executive director of the conference, said soil health has been a big theme at conferences across the nation  and farmers are showing interest.

Its not something theyre backing away from, Reeder said. Farmers want to know more and more about it.

Using chemicals

One thing they want to know, specifically, is how to keep healthy insects and plants alive  to improve the soil fertility and profile  while using insecticides responsibly.

Jonathan Lundgren, an entomologist who recently was employed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will talk on March 8 about the importance of beneficial insects, such as bees, and how to keep pollinators and other favorable insects active in the fields.

Alan Sundermeier, OSU extension educator in Wood County, said farmers need to be judicial with their use of insecticides.

We need insecticides if theres a pest problem, but we dont need to continue using insecticides just in case, he said.

Soil health. Also March 8, Sundermeier will present OSUs new soil health initiative, Healthy Soil, Healthy Environment. More about the program is available at www.soilhealth.osu.edu.

Other soil health presentations will include corn nitrogen rates and soil nitrogen uptake measurements, presented by Steve Culman, OSU soil fertility specialist; and the OSU soil health assessment package, presented by Rafiq Islam, who leads OSUs Soil and Bioenergy Program.

The conference will also feature several farmers as speakers, including a panel discussion March 8, about transitioning to no-till. The panel will include Ohio farmers Dave Brandt, Bill Richards, Bret Margraf and Bill Lehmkuhl.

Farmer awards

The conference will also include the presentation of the Master Farmers of the Year awards, and Ohio Certified Crop Adviser awards, at the beginning of the day, March 7.

Registration is $65 per day, or $85 for both days. Registration by mail should be received before Feb. 27, and online registration is due by March 3. Late registration will incur a higher cost. To register, visit www.allenswcd.com.

To learn more about the conference, including a full schedule, visit www.fabe.osu.edu.
Retailer Marks & Spencer has committed to supply 100 per cent Scotch lamb throughout the year.

A new market has opened up for as many as 12,000 extra lambs to allow Marks and Spencer to meet its promise to sell only Scotch lamb in its stores north of the border.

Steve McLean, Head of Agriculture at M&S announced the move to 100 per cent Scotch lamb in their Scottish stores at the Farm Stock (Scotland) Ltd supply chain conference back in October 2016.

We know that our customers really like to buy regionally-sourced meat, so we have been working hard with our suppliers to find a way to bring them a year-round supply of delicious fresh lamb from Scottish farms.

Farm Stock operations manager David Marshall said the additional home demand was particularly good news as the country moved towards Brexit.

Marshall said that lambs for the supermarket had to come from M&S Select Farms, required full Scottish provenance.

'100% Scotch lamb'

Mr McLean said the company had sourced UK lamb for 42 weeks of the year in 2016.

For 2017, we have not made the switch to New Zealand lamb in our Scottish stores, and instead will supply 100% Scotch lamb throughout the entire year, he said.

We know that our customers really like to buy regionally-sourced meat, so we have been working hard with our suppliers to find a way to bring them a year-round supply of delicious fresh lamb from Scottish farms.

Supermarket Morrisons has recently announced it is aiming to recruit more than 200 British suppliers after it called on the UK to be more self-sufficient.
A research team used advanced genetic techniques to produce pigs that are potentially resilient to African Swine Fever  a highly contagious disease that kills up to two-thirds of infected animals.

The new pigs carry a version of a gene that is usually found in warthogs and bush pigs, which researchers believe may stop them from becoming ill from the infection.

African Swine Fever is spread by ticks. When standard farmed pigs are infected, they quickly become ill and die, but warthogs and bush pigs show no disease symptoms when infected.

The research is focused on one of the pig genes associated with African Swine Fever Virus infection called RELA. The gene causes the immune system to overreact with devastating effects.

Warthogs and bush pigs carry a different version of the RELA gene from that found in farmed pigs. Scientists believe that this variant  known as an allele  may dampen their immune response and explain why they are more resilient to African Swine Fever.

Gene-editing technique

Researchers at The University of Edinburghs The Roslin Institute used a gene-editing technique to modify individual letters of the pigs genetic code. By changing just five letters in their RELA gene, they converted it to the allele that is found in the warthog.

The work builds on previous research from the team, which used similar techniques to produce pigs with a single letter of their genetic code altered. These animals produce a shorter version of RELA.

This latest study marks the first time researchers have successfully swapped alleles in an animals genetic code using gene editing.

All of these changes to the pigs genetic code could have occurred spontaneously in nature.

Scientists will now conduct controlled trials to test whether the genetic changes have improved the pigs resilience to the disease.

African Swine Fever is endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa and some areas of Russia. The disease has never been found in the UK, although recent outbreaks in Eastern Europe have raised concerns amongst farming groups that it could spread.

The study  published in the journal Scientific Reports  involved collaboration between scientists at The Roslin Institute and Sangamo Biosciences Inc. It was funded by Genus plc and BBSRC. The Roslin Institute receives strategic support from BBSRC.

Professor Bruce Whitelaw, Head of Developmental Biology at The University of Edinburghs The Roslin Institute, said: Our goal is to improve the welfare of farmed pigs around the world, making them healthier and more productive for farmers.
UK pork exports are the highest they have ever been since 1999, according to new figures by AHDB Pork.

In December, the volume of UK pig meat exports increased on the year for the first time since August.

At over 15,600 tonnes, shipments of pig meat from the UK were 3% higher than December 2015 and the highest volume exported in the month of December since 1999.

AHDB Pork says the overall increase can be attributed to a rise in shipments to the likes of Germany and Denmark, outweighing declines in volumes shipped to China, the Netherlands and the US.

As well as the volume traded rising on the year in December, the value of these shipments increased too, helped by further currency movements.

The value of pig meat exports in December totalled 22.2 million, 26% higher year on year. Partly driving the overall increase was a rise in the value of shipments to China, despite a fall in actual volume shipped.

Despite fluctuations in the volume of UK exports during the final quarter, the amount of pig meat shipped during 2016 was 10% higher than 2015.

At nearly 206,000 tonnes, this is the highest annual amount the UK has exported since 1999.

The value of UK pig meat exports climbed by 28% on the year in 2016 at nearly 252 million. Ireland remained the UKs highest value market during the year. However, Chinas share increased, overtaking Germany to become the second largest market in value terms.
Marts to donate Scotch Lamb for St Andrew's Day campaign
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created in the wake of the financial crisis to ensure that banks and other financial services companies don't take advantage of consumers. But there are certain aspects of the regulatory agency that make it especially controversial.

Listen in to this week's episode of Industry Focus: Financials to learn what about the CFPB makes it so unpopular not only among policymakers but also throughout the financial services industry.

A full transcript follows the video.

This podcast was recorded on Feb. 13, 2017.

Gaby Lapera: Let's talk about something that people are very upset about: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created with Dodd-Frank. The Consumer Protection Financial Bureau is something that's very new in America, at least in banking regulation, it's a regulator that has the consumer's best interests at heart, as opposed to regulators who are looking at banks and telling them, "We really want you to make sure you succeed, we don't want you to fail, here are the things we need you to do so you don't fail." This is another regulatory agency that's saying, "That's great and all, but you need to keep the consumer's best interests in mind as well."

John Maxfield: And if you think about where it fits into the regulatory structure, you have the three Prudential Regulators. Those are the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, and the OCC, which is the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. To your point, their primary duty is to oversee banks and make sure that the banking system is safe and sound. The CFPB is a totally different entity. It opened its doors and 2011, so it's been around for a little over five years. And as opposed to being motivated by the desire to make sure that the banking system, overall, is safe and sound, its primary focus is on consumers. This all goes back to the abuses that were uncovered in the mortgage industry in the lead-up to the financial crisis.

Lapera: Yes. And I just want to put something out there. You might be asking yourself right now: Why would anyone be upset about more consumer protections? And I don't think anyone is upset about more consumer protections, except banks. But the agency, the way the bureau is structured, it could be a little bit better, both for banks and for consumers, and for the government. Do you want to get into that, Maxfield? I know I cut you off, and I think you were about to get in there, but I wanted to preface that.

Maxfield: I'm really glad you prefaced that, because what I'm about to say is going to sound very critical of the CFPB, but I think the CFPB is a really important entity. Let me give you a tangible example of why. Before the financial crisis, before the CFPB came into place, the way that banks charged overdrafts on your checking account, here's what they would do: if you had a bunch of charges in a single day, let's say you had five charges for five cups of coffee at Starbucks, but then you had your mortgage payment that came out of that account, and let's say you bought those five cups of coffee and you had those five transactions earlier in the day, and then your mortgage payment was the last transaction that day, and let's say that mortgage payment kicked your account into overdraft territory -- so, you would have an overdraft fee on that transaction -- what the banks would do was, they would rearrange the order of those transactions, and they would put that mortgage transaction first. So, what happened there is that, as opposed to having one overdraft charge, you would have six overdraft charges. So, that is the type of thing that the CFPB was put into place to stop, because it's just egregiously taking advantage of consumers.

Lapera: Definitely. That's called debit re-sequencing, by the way, and I believe the CFPB has pursued a few cases, and there have been a few class action lawsuits about it, but it's technically still not illegal -- fun fact I learned the other day.

Maxfield: That's exactly right. It's not technically illegal. But the CFPB has gone after it, and banks have really backed off from it. But, to your point, the reason the CFPB is so controversial, there are two overarching reasons. The first is that, unlike the other Prudential Regulators who have to balance the impact of their policies on economic growth, the CFPB doesn't have to do that. We've talked about the role that banks play in the economy on this show many, many times. But banks provide fuel for economic growth. So, if you are cutting off the banks that fuel, you are going to impact economic growth. So, it's really important that these regulatory agencies are taking into consideration, in the CFPB's case, both protection for consumers, but also, you don't want to cut off your nose to spite your face by impacting the economic growth, because that will boost up unemployment, which will hurt those same consumers. You know what I mean?

Lapera: I think one of the things you're getting at here is that since the advent of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, banks have done stuff like been much more conservative about who they lend money to. And on the surface of this, you may think "Great, that's what they should be doing. They should be conservative lenders." But, on the flip side of that, you have this population of people who are already underserved by banks, who maybe don't have the best credit, but if banks were willing to work with them, maybe they would be able to get a loan and pull themselves out of poverty, whatever it is -- but banks don't want to lend to them anymore, because they know someone will come after them and say, "Look at all this untrustworthy lending you've been doing." And that pushes those people to the margins of the banking and financial structure, so they end up going to places like check cashers or payday loan places, places that potentially don't have as much interest in keeping the consumers above board.

Maxfield: Or, any interest in keeping them above board. [laughs]

Lapera: Yeah, or keeping them afloat in terms of financial things. Check cashers charge their fees up front, so if you fail, they don't really care, because they already have their money. But banks have an interest, in theory, in keeping you as a customer for a long time. In theory.

Maxfield: That's right, in theory. [laughs] And there's a lot of truth to that, but there are certainly exceptions on the margin. Let me get to that second reason that the CFPB is so controversial. Unlike the other regulatory agencies -- at the FDIC, there's a board of governors, there are five governors that weigh in on the policies, and the same thing is true at the Federal Reserve, which has the Board of Governors, and at the OCC, the head of the OCC, he reports directly to the President. So, there is either a dispersion of authority at these organizations, or there's accountability directly to the political branch. The problem that the CFPB has is that it's a part of the Federal Reserve, which is an independent entity within the executive branch for monetary policy reasons. That provides one layer of insulation between the CFPB and the political branch.

But there's an additional problem -- the CFPB is run by one person, not by a board. I don't want to overstate the case, but it's more like a dictatorship as opposed to a parliamentary democracy. You know what I mean? So, that has people concerned. And then on top of that, because the CFPB can go out and find these banks a ton of money -- in the five-plus years it's been around, it's collected something like $12 billion worth of fines, which means that it doesn't have to be accountable even to the Federal Reserve for financing or to Congress for financing. It can produce its own revenue. So, there's this concern that, they don't balance economic growth, they're non-accountable, they can basically do whatever they want. And, in fact, a court has, just last year, held that the governance structure is unconstitutional, and that will probably make its way up the chain of appeals courts. But, it really is a legitimate concern, how this thing is structured.
What happened

Shares of Nu Skin Enterprises (NUS 7.42%) were dropping on Friday as the beauty-products company turned in another disappointing earnings report. As of 10:59 a.m. EST, the stock was down 11.8%.

So what

Revenue at Nu Skin fell 7.1% to $531.3 million, short of the $553.2 million estimate, while adjusted earnings per share improved from $0.62 to $0.79, but that also missed estimates by a penny. CEO Truman Hunt said revenue declined in part due to $50 million in revenue from a product launch in the year ago quarter, and also said it was affected by $7 million in deferred revenue due to orders outstripping supply for a new product.

While the company seems to have put the earlier Chinese pyramid-selling scandal behind it, revenue growth continues to be elusive as it fell 2% over 2016.

Now what

Looking to 2017, the company said it expected constant-currency revenue growth of 4% to 6%. On the bottom line, the company maintained its EPS guidance at $3.10 to $3.25, which factors in 3% to 4% of negative foreign currency impact. That compares with analyst expectations of $3.17 in EPS for the current year and revenue growth of 2.7%, which does not adjust for revenue.

Based on Nu Skin's current P/E valuation of about 16, the stock looks reasonable after Friday's sell-off. I wouldn't change my investing thesis based on Friday's news.
After a five-year slide, there are some modest signs among commodities and mining stocks that a turnaround has finally come. Demand in China is picking back up for critical commodities such as iron ore and copper, while some of the higher-cost mining operations have been pushed out of the market. These are all leading to modest upticks in prices that are making mining stocks look more attractive again.

In the spirit of a commodities and mining rebound, we asked three of our energy contributors to highlight mining stocks that they consider worth putting on one's radar. Here's why they picked Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF 9.69%), ArcelorMittal (MT 10.04%), and BHP Billiton (BHP 9.74%).

Back on track

Tyler Crowe (Cliffs Natural Resources): For the past several years, Cliffs Natural Resources has looked like a shaky investment. Sure, it had low-cost iron ore operations in the U.S. and supplied more than half of U.S.-based steel plants with iron ore, but it was saddled with lots of unprofitable or undeveloped assets ranging from metallurgical coal and chromium mines. The intent was to be a one-stop shop for everything a company needed in the steelmaking process, but a company would only want to shop at one store if it's the cheapest. On top of that, it was saddled with a mountain of debt that was used to buy all those ancillary assets.

When the commodities bubble burst back in 2012 as China started to scale back its infrastructure fueled expansion, Cliffs was left with loads of unprofitable assets and too much to handle. It got so bad that activist investors intervened, gutted the board, and put current CEO Laurenco Goncalves in charge. His strategy since then has been to strip the company of all those unprofitable assets, focus its efforts on those low-cost U.S. operations, and pay down debt.

So far, it looks like this plan is working. The company just posted positive annual net earnings for the first time since 2013 in the middle of what is still considered a tough market for iron ore in general. Furthermore, it has cut its debt load by more than half in the past five years.

From here, Cliffs Natural Resources plans to expand production in the U.S. and start producing direct reduced iron. This higher-quality product is used in electric arc furnaces, a steelmaking method that is becoming ubiquitous in the U.S. By moving more and more toward this product, it will ensure it maintains its high market share within the American market.

After a close call with bankruptcy just a couple years ago, the company is in a much better place both strategically and financially. So much so that investors may want to take a look.

This integrated miner and steelmaker is a great way to gain exposure

Jason Hall (ArcelorMittal): ArcelorMittal offers something that not many mining companies do: vertical integration. Besides being one of the world's biggest iron ore and coal miners, ArcelorMittal is also a major steelmaker, and one of the world's largest distributors of steel products, operating hundreds of facilities in more than two dozen countries around the world.

That vertical integration hasn't made ArcelorMittal bulletproof -- its steelmaking operations have actually been a burden on the company in recent years, leading to billions in asset writedowns as management has been forced to idle and permanently close facilities. But with the bulk of that effort complete, the company is now positioned to take advantage of its low-cost iron and coal assets to feed its now-profitable steelmaking facilities.

ArcelorMittal delivered a solid 2016, generating $4.2 billion in operating income and $1.8 billion in net income, or $0.62 per share. At recent prices, ArcelorMittal trades at a price-to-earnings multiple around 14.5, on the cheaper side for a company with strong prospects to grow its profits in coming years. ArcelorMittal is a great company to buy and at the right time in the demand cycle for its products.

Stick with the top dog

Matt DiLallo (BHP Billiton): BHP Billiton is one of the largest global resources companies in the world. In fact, it is among the top producers of iron ore, metallurgical coal, copper, and uranium while also producing a substantial amount of oil, natural gas, and energy coal, among other commodities. That diversification across the natural resource sector makes it an excellent way for an investor to gain broad exposure to the mining industry.

However, what's important to note about BHP's portfolio isn't just its diversification but that it controls some of the largest, lowest-cost mines in the world. The low-cost nature of its business helps insulate the company from the volatility of commodity prices, enabling it to keep generating cash flow even at the bottom of the cycle.

Another important characteristic of BHP Billiton is that it has one of the strongest balance sheets in the industry. That financial strength enables it to continue to invest in compelling long-term growth projects during periods of market turmoil. For example, the company is currently spending $2.6 billion on what it believes is the best undeveloped potash project in the world. In addition, it just sanctioned a $2.2 billion investment for an oil project in the Gulf of Mexico to unlock one of the largest undeveloped resources in the basin. Once complete, these projects will provide the company with cash flow for decades to come.

BHP Billiton has the diversification and balance sheet strength to stand the test of time, making it one of the few mining stocks that an investor can buy and hold.
Sinkhole damaged road at Naxal reopens after repairs

The Bhagwati Bahal-Bal Mandir road at Naxal has reopened after being shut down for 39 days when a section caved in due to digging at a construction site nearby.
Grasberg sounds like a bucolic little town with picket fences and tire swings nestled into the great heartland of America. Nope, it's a giant gold and copper mine complex in Indonesia. And if you're an investor interested in the precious metals or industrial metals industries, you'll want to know a lot more about the Grasberg mine. It's a top global producer, has 24 years to run if current production trends hold, and it's so troubled that Rio Tinto plc (RIO 10.03%) is thinking about walking away from its partnership there with Freeport-McMoRan Inc (FCX 11.50%).

How big is big?

Grasberg is a collection of operating mines and mine projects in "The remote highlands of the Sudirman Mountain Range in the province of Papua, Indonesia, which is on the western half of the island of New Guinea." Don't pull out a map, just know that it's on the other side of the world near China, a key global commodities customer, and Australia. It was discovered in 1988.

The really important story, however, is all about size. By Freeport-McMoRan's estimates Grasberg holds 25.8 million ounces of gold and 26.9 billion pounds of copper... The means that Grasberg has the largest gold reserves in the world and the third largest copper reserves. To add some perspective, Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd (NAK -0.12%), which is trying to develop the giant Pebble project in Alaska, notes that Pebble's gold reserves are equal to 1.9% of the gold ever produced in the world. Grasberg is bigger!

Currently the complex has three operating mines. The Grasberg open pit mine started operations in 1990 and is expected to produce through 2017. The DOZ underground mine was worked between 1989 and 1991, and was then reopened in 2000. It's expected to continue producing through 2020. And the Big Gossan underground mine started up in 2010 and is expected to hit full production next year. In addition to these currently operating mines, there are development projects in the works, as well. For example, Rio Tinto expects the Grasberg underground block cave project to come online at about the same time that the Grasberg open pit mine winds down.

To sum all of that up, the Grasberg mine complex is big, strategically located near a key customer, and it's going to be producing for a long time. You'd think partners Freeport-McMoRan and Rio Tinto would be ecstatic to have stakes in this property. You would be wrong. In fact, Rio Tinto is reportedly thinking about walking away from its stake in Grasberg.

Jumping ship

The big problem right now is the Indonesian government's decision to enact new rules that have, effectively, halted copper exports from Grasberg. It's really a pretty complex political mess and Freeport-McMoRan is negotiating with the Indonesian government to come to a resolution that, "would be in the best interests of all stakeholders." (Work stoppages have also been something of an ongoing problem, with a current stoppage at a copper smelter adding to the mine's woes right now.)

It's so bad that Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastian Jacques recently commented at an analyst briefing that, "Everyone was taken by surprise." And, "There is no doubt that Grasberg is a world-class resource. But the key question, especially in the light of what happened three weeks ago, is: is Grasberg a world-class business for us?"

The problem for Rio Tinto is that it currently only gets 40% of production over set production amounts. And, reportedly, that's meant that the global mining giant hasn't gotten anything from the mine since 2014. It might see some metal this year, but only if an agreement with the Indonesian government can be reached.

Its take is set to increase to 40% of all production in 2021, but that's still a few years away and the current issues are troubling, to say the least. Worse, according to Rio Tinto CEO Jacques, "If we want to have a meaningful offtake and stream beyond 2021, we would need to invest in a big way in the coming years." Why invest meaningful sums of money into a troubled mining operation?

Freeport-McMoRan's not as lucky as more diversified Rio Tinto, which focuses heavily on iron ore. Grasberg represents 31% of Freeport's copper reserves and 95% of its gold reserves. Freeport simply doesn't have the luxury of walking away without taking a huge hit. Which means the Indonesian government could have the upper hand in the negotiations to solve the current issue.

A mine to watch

Because of its size, the events occurring at the Grasberg mine complex could have a notable impact on global supply and demand. So, if you are interested in gold or copper, you should keep an eye on what's going down in Indonesia even if you've never heard of Grasberg. And if you are a Freeport-McMoRan or Rio Tinto investor you'll want to pay particular attention. Indeed, Grasberg is dealing with tense political issues that may have turned one of the world's biggest gold and copper mines into a serious liability.
New "future of California" Book Launches In April: #Calexit the Upcoming History

Giacommo J. Serauz is launching His brand new book, "#Calexit. The Upcoming History", available now in Indiegogo as a fundraiser campaing this month, targeted at fans of the political fiction world and Californians. More information is available at the website: http://calexitnovel.com

--

Master in Public Policy and Futurist Thinking Giacommo J. Serauz is launching His brand new book, "#Calexit. The Upcoming History". The book is set to go live In April, but is now an Indiegogo fundraiser campaign this month and is expected to become a big hit with fans of the political fiction world.

More information on the book can be found here: http://calexitnovel.com

This is the sixth book book Serauz has authored. The book was written with the aim in mind to analyze the pros and cons of the possible California Independence (#Calexit) process in 2020, and presented as a political fiction novel. There's also particular excitement about this launch because at this moment, potential readers can participate as donors in the Indiegogo launch campaign and obtain acknowledgment on the book, from their name in the thank you page to the possibility of naming one of the characters.

#Calexit. The Upcoming History sets its main focus on people interested in the future of California as a new nation and the possible effects. Readers will likely find a particular interest in it's neutral balance of the facts mixed with a very interesting suspense plot. The book's cover art will be created by an open contest and #Calexit. The Upcoming History will being released on digital platforms in April.

Giacommo J. Serauz has a background as expert in public policy and ghostwriting for so-called experts in politics. This helped shaped the creation of the book because in 1990 was one of the very first people that predicts a leftist regime in Venezuela in the next decade and the killing of a Mexican presidential candidate in 1993.

When asked about why they wrote the book, Serauz said: "as #Brexit process is ongoing, even if it was considered not possible, the Independence of California will be a real possibility which is convenient to analyze from all points of view, without fixed position. But also in a coloquial language, not as academic or experts' essay".

Serauz has hopes that the book will add neutral information on this debate and to inspire people regularly not interested in technical issues to understand pros and cons of this possible future. This positive outlook from the author is certainly testament to their optimism considering some of the mishaps during its creation.

In a recent interview, the author made a point of thanking all the good people on California and in other States -like Texas or Washington- who are interested in this topic and who had fears and hopes on this process for their part in the creation of the book, saying: "to the people who inspire going on, even if the risk is enormous"

Those interested in learning more about the book can visit here: http://calexitnovel.com

Contact Info:

Name: Gonzalo Suarez

Email: gjsuap@gmail.com

Organization: Nuevos Paradigmas Consultores

Address: 23 Alcazar Colonia Tabacalera, Ciudad de Mexico 06030, Mexico



For more information, please visit http://calexitnovel.com

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 171090

For more information visit r



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Haiti - Politics : Jovenel Moise at the 21st Anniversary of CIMO





Tuesday in Delmas, President Jovenel Moise, accompanied by the President of the Senate, Youri Latortue and the Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), Michel-Ange Gedeon, took part in the ceremony commemorating the 21st anniversary of the creation of the "Body of Intervention and Maintenance of Order" (CIMO) in the presence among others the Mayor of Delmas, Wilson Jeudy and the deputyfor the constituency Gary Bodeau.



During his speech, the Head of State, while promising to Commissioner Vladimir Cherubin the CIMO Command, his full support to fulfill his mission, has reaffirmed his will to accompany the police institution in its professionalization process so that it can continue to protect lives and property under better conditions.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





PM: only one meeting with Parliament !

Cholzer Chancy, President of the Chamber of Deputies, confirmed that until now there has been only one official meeting between President Jovenel Moise, the President of the Senate and him on the choice of the Prime Minister.



Transfer of Commissioners to the PNH

As part of normal rotation within the police the General Directorate of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) made transfers :



Commissioner Frantz St-Armand is now posted to the Delmas police station, replacing Commissioner Jean Brice Myrthil;

Commissioner Myrthil is transferred to the General Information Branch;

Commissioner Paul Menard leaves the command of CIMO to replace Frantz St-Armand in Carrefour.



Appeal to the BCEN

On Thursday, the National Electoral Litigation Office (BCEN) heard the 5 cases of challenges concerning the latest legislative, they are the cases opposing Fritz Carlos Lebon to Francois Sildor for the South, Abel Descolines to Rony Celestin for the Centre, Saintilus Theodore to Jean-Marie Ralph Fethiere for the North, David Nicolas Clerie to Ronald Toussaint for the constituency of Roseaux and Alcide Odne to Renaud Jean-Baptiste for the constituency of Plaisance



Towards a register of Haitians cared in DR

Mirna Font-Frias, the Directors of the Dominican Regional Metropolitan Health Service (SRSM) met Ainoa Alexandra Comoglio, the Legal Counselor of the Embassy of Haiti in the Dominican Republic. During the meeting it was discussed the urgency of having a register of Haitians seeking health services in Dominican hospitals. This meeting was also attended by managers of zones, coordinators, assistants and other operational staff of the SRSM.



Special Government Council at the PM Residence

On Thursday, the Prime Minister, Enex Jean-Charles, presided at his official residence, a special Council of Government. On the agenda: the state of Public Finance and the General Situation of Ministries.



The Presidential Couple back from Georgetown

On Thursday, the President of the Republic Jovenel Moise participated in the Opening Ceremony of the 28th intersessional meeting of the CARICOM Conference of Heads of State and Government, held in Georgetown, Guyana. At the same time, First Lady Martine Moise participated in the ECWECC forum, a new structure for the wives of the Heads of State of CARICOM, to help women and children in the Caribbean region.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















New Delhi : She was no longer ready to compromise with her dignity. And so she gathered courage to stage her brave escape from the clutches of her savage employer, thousands of miles away from her home in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

A year ago, 38-year-old Noorjahan Akbar Husen used to work at a beauty parlour in Saudi Arabia.

She was brutally tortured by her employer as she was forced to work for a home service, which was a constant source of humiliation and physical harm.

Home service is a byword for the flesh trade in Dammam in Saudi Arabia where she had endured subjugation for several years.

Home service means flesh trade. When a girl is sent there, it means that she has to become a sex slave, TOI quoted Noorjahan as saying.

Noorjahan had to cut her own wrist to plan for her escape from the clutches of her employer.

Noorjahan, who came back home last October, is one many victims trafficked to Saudi Arabia for the flourishing flesh trade. Two other girls from Hyderabad, who were rescued along with Noorjahan, refused to divulge their pain.

I used to see a lot of Hyderabadi girls being brought there. They are shocked when they are forced to go for home service. Inevitably they tortured until they give in, she said, quoting TOI.

According to Noorjahan, rampant torture and enforcement triggered several commitments of suicides by jumping from first and second floor of the building.

I was beaten up. My employer would pull my hair and bang my head to the wall. I resisted going for home service, but not all do. I have noticed that many Hyderabadi girls get trapped in Saudi, Noorjahan told TOI over phone from Ahmedabad.

She and her husband were hoaxed by an agent in Mumbai who assured to provide employment in Riyadh, however, all the promises were in vain. She was isolated from her husband right after landing at the airport.

When I resisted to going for home service, she (employer) took us to the police station and got cases booked against us saying that we are trying to show Saudi Arabia in bad light, the 38-year-old said, quoting TOI.

After being rescued from a heinous trap, Noorjahan does want other girls to fall prey of trafficking.

Source : Zee News
Note : This article is based on the views and study of the author. The article was published in Feb 2015 in its source, but still its relevant in many aspects hence we have published it now.

If President Obama could take his first oath of office by keeping one hand on the Bible and Sunday can be a holiday in Christian majority Shillong, can Hindus be faulted for demanding Equal Human Rights ?

Post May 16, critics state that it is Majoritanism at work. During a recent visit to Shillong, the author got to know that all shops are closed on Sunday since the day is an Xtan holiday.

 The word Hinduism is not representative of the original word  Sanatana Dharma  which means the Eternal or Universal Dharma. Dharma means universal law, the fundamental principles behind this marvelous universe like the Law of Karma. Sanatana means perennial, referring to eternal truths that manifests in ever-new names and forms. Thus the word Hinduism is properly the Sanatana Dharma.

We have to revamp education and make it more Indian. Critics must know that Secularism means equal respect for all religions and not discriminating against Hindus.

No wonder, on Facebook, I see friends quoting Western scholars! This is one of the reasons why there is so much resentment among educated Westernised Hindus towards Hinduism. A secular approach allows Christian institutions to hang a cross all over their schools, how many Indian schools have you see with an image of Saraswati?

Eight, Convent schools hardly teach about Indian greats such as Panini, Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, Bhaskara II, Narayan Guru or literary works of Thiruvalluvar Tagore, Kabir, Tulsidas; instead they teach Shakespeare, Keats etc. Should Indians revere Western figures but know little about our own?

Critics will argue that we must welcome Hinduization of the Church. The right to permit use of Hindu symbols must lie with the Hindu community and cannot be unilaterally appropriated by Followers of the Book.

Saffron clothes, words Ashram and Swami, have certain meaning for the followers of Dharma. One is against the misrepresentation and misuse of Hindu symbols by sections of the Church. A poor person will not know the difference and could convert assuming both religions are similar. Use of Hindu symbols should be restricted to HBJS.

There are similar instances of missionaries wearing saffron clothing in south India (obviously to mislead locals). A Ramakrishna Mission Monk who had worked in Arunachal Pradesh told me of missionaries who wore saffron clothes to tell local tribes that they were like Hindu monks. In Kerala is a Christian Ashram called Kurisumala Ashram. To know more

Hindu temples especially in the South have dwajastambha . On important occasions like temple festivals the temple flag is hoisted for the duration of the festival. During a visit to Sankara birthplace in Kalady, Kerala and in Jammu saw a dwajastambha with a cross.

During a visit to Manipurs Senapati district the author saw a banner of the Mao Baptist Church Association program 16-18/1/2015 where one of the speakers was from West Virginia. Hindu Swamis visiting the US are not comparable as Hindus do not convert as an instrument of religious policy.

The UPA Government has quietly relaxed restrictions on the entry and stay of foreign missionaries coming to the country. These restrictions were enforced on the recommendations of the Niyogi Commission, appointed to investigate the activities of missionaries in Madhya Pradesh, which submitted its report to the Union Government in 1956. The missionary visa is issued to those going to India for a religious purpose.

The Church has used this lacuna to convert tribes on a large-scale in Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh and has now moved into the Hindi heartland. ( Read 200 Mahadalits in Bodh Gaya convert to Christianity)

During a recent visit to Kohima the author met with scheduled tribes, all Christian, who spoke English so well that the author got a complex. They do not pay any income-tax either. As there is no concept of Scheduled Tribes (or Scheduled Caste) in Christianity, all State benefits should be withdrawn post conversion.

Under the Constitution scheduled castes who convert to Christianity cannot avail of benefits available to SC. However, this was omitted or overlooked in the case of Scheduled Tribes. As a result STs are targeted by missionaries. The locals of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland personally expressed regret in this matter to the author.

Let each one of us support those who want to acquire a skill e.g. my neighbor has started Sponsor a Driver Scheme where lift and watch men in our society who want to learn driving receive 50% of driving school fees from him. This way monthly income increases from say Rs 5,000/ to Rs 8-15,000/. Saroj availed of the scheme and has become a role model for others.

This could be spearheaded by the Prime Minister as he has a rare capacity to motivate citizens into action, as evidenced by the manner in which the Swachh Bharat has become the fastest mass movement since independence.

Hindu society needs a social revolution across the country that focuses on treating all varnas as equal, upliftment of the poorer sections of society, opening of adequate numbers of schools and health centres in every district. Indians must become more compassionate and share a large % of their wealth for the benefit of the poor.

An example of how successful the British were is that the Jats of Punjab are more concerned about their Sikh identity than uplifting poor SC Sikhs who have always been targeted by missionaries. They forget that it was to counter missionary activity that Swami Dayananda Saraswati, founder of Arya Samaj, left Gujarat for Punjab around 1877.

Caste is a Spanish word which has no relevance to India. The Indian equivalent is Jati, which means family or clan lineage. Gandhian Dharampal wrote, For the British, as perhaps for some others before them, caste has been a great obstacle, in fact, an unmitigated evil not because the British believed in casteless ness or subscribed to non-hierarchical system but because it stood in the way of their breaking Indian society, hindered the process of atomization, and made the task of conquest and governance more difficult

Congress leader from Maharashtra and constitutional expert Dr. Shrikant Jitchkar wrote, Church was the biggest landlord in the country and all of them get protected because of the Societies Registration Act of 1860, which was enacted by the British only for the purpose of protecting the church. (Arsha Vidya Newsletter, Dec. 2003).

Hindus seek only Equality before Law as provided for under Article 14 and Freedom to religious denominations to manage their own affairs in religion, establish institutions, acquire and administer such properties according to Article 26 of the Indian Constitution. Right to manage temples has to be an integral part of HBJS religions. The community is dynamic enough to uplift the lower sections of society when provided with a level playing field.

Since temples would be managed by Trusts they are answerable to the Charity Commissioner Office as is the case currently. The Courts can intervene in case of corruption charges filed by any Hindu.

The law should provide that members of the Hindu community would manage their temples and use income for the preservation and promotion of HBJS Dharma. This includes imparting religious instruction in their schools. Temples would be subject to the same rules for funding and degree of government interference as is applicable to mosques and churches.

Hindus should be allowed to spend temple income to conserve their culture, language, script, pay adequate salaries to priests, propagate Dharma , and maintain places of worship of all communities covered by The Hindu Marriage Act (i.e. Hindus, Buddhist, Jains and Sikhs i.e. HBJS) the last three of whom were not considered as minorities when the constitution was first adopted in 1950. However, Hindu charitable hospitals and schools would, like other communities, be open to all.

Are Hindus competent to manage their temples? This is an offensive question because a similar question is not posed to other communities. Hindus have successfully managed their temples for hundreds of years. A contemporary example would be the privately run Women Sabarmalai Temple Attukal Temole where 25 lakhs women devotees collect every year.

The Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board has done a commendable job in building infrastructure at Vaishnodeviji. Why must its Chief Executive Officer be an IAS officer? Can it not be a non-government Hindu management professional instead?

Take Mumbais Siddhivinayak Mandir. According to a report on NDTV dated 3/2/2004, USD 190,000 was transferred from temple trust to Dada Undalkar Smarak Samiti run by a politician. As per information collected unde r the RTI Act the trust donated Rs 10 lakhs for a Christian school at Shiroda in Sindhudurg district.

The newly elected TDP government in Andhra Pradesh passed an order nullifying all temple committees in the state. As per past practice temple committees were changed every time there was a change in government. However, the High Court nullified the government order.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, There are as many as 2,07,000 temples in Karnataka and the total income of these temples amounts to Rs 72 crore only a sum of Rs. 6 crores is being spent by the Government for their upkeep. On the other hand, the Government spent a phenomenal amount of Rs.50 crores for the madrasas and Rs.10 crores for the churches, and for the Hindu temples only a partly sum of Rs.6 crores is being spent . (Arsha Vidya Newsletter of Dec 2003).

Hundi collections, (eg Guruvayur approx Rs 100 crs p.a., Sabrimalai approx Rs 150 crs), are not spent on promoting Hindu culture/religion; benefit poor Hindus or opening hospitals/orphanages. Instead money is spent on what is called Construction and Development (widely believed to be a source of corruption).

In Kerala there are three Devasom Boards namely Malabar, Travancore and Cochin. Every board has nominees appointed by the Government. When the Marxists are in power they appoint one from CPI (M), CPI and coalition partner. When the Congress comes to power, they balance it between Nairs, Ezhavas and a third community based on vote banks. So technically the Government has no say in the management of temples but in effect controls through government appointed nominees.

According to TR Ramesh, President, Temple Worshippers Society Chennai in Tamil Nadu temples have over 478,000 plus acres of land, 2.44 cr sq feet of property for which the TN HR & CE department gets only Rs 58 crs p.a. In reality income from all temples, mutts would, on a conservative basis generate Rs 6,000 crs p.a.

Indic scholar and Regents Professor of Computer Science Oklahoma State University Subhash Kak gave a background to current laws, The state governments have based their policy on the recommendation of the Hindu Religious Endowments Commission headed by C P Ramaswamy Aiyer in 1960 that Hindu temples and maths be considered as belonging to the public. The government entered into the religious sphere when the Indian government was very aggressively pushing state control over all aspects of Indian life. 

Two, One of the reasons why the Hindu community does not have the resources to take on the formidable Church is because Hindu temples are under government control and in some states hundi collections are used for secular causes.

There will be endless columns by critics, debates on TV Channels, possible Supreme Court intervention, international pressure but the NDA government must stand atal if it does not want India to follow Sudan and become the next battleground between two Abrahamic religions. This is something NDA can learn from the Congress that passed retrograde laws against stiff opposition; this change is for the better!

Missionaries dont do forced conversions, they use money, waive school fees, medical costs in missionary hospitals for those who convert on the spot! They convert entire villages at a time, promising money, a school close by and medical facilities. Most importantly they promise depressed classes that they will be equals in their new religion. (Post conversion converts invariably realize nothing has changed).

Reputed NGOs like Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Aga Khan Foundation would need specific approval from the equivalent of a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). Further, rules on how NGOs would spend money must be clearly specified for e.g. no NGO should be allowed to research status of any community. Action Aid Indias Annual Report 2012-13 refers to National Study on the status of Muslims in India. Would UK permit a Rightist Think Tank to do a study on the condition of Muslims and Hindus in UK?

Thus, the Government must change the law to allow only Non-Resident Indians to donate to Indian NGOs. Donations to the Tibetan Cause would continue as is. If foreign organizations or governments want to help, say victims of natural calamities, they can donate to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund.

Critics might ask why does the government not monitor activities of NGOs? It is impossible to do so when there are nearly 42,000 organizations!

Nationalists, who wrote the Constitution, surely did not foresee schools becoming an instrument of conversion when they granted minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions under Article 30.

The above is substantiated by what former Infosys Director TV Mohandas Pai wrote, I have a personal experience of evangelical groups trying to convert members of my family. Two house maids who converted said that the school where their children went raised fees and due to their inability to pay, they were told they would waive it if they converted (which they were forced to do). Of course, the school was rabid in their evangelism with these children. When asked, inevitably they spoke about evangelicals groups that gave them free education for children and paid their medical bills, provided they converted.

Critics could then refer to schools run by the Church. Notwithstanding that many of these schools were established by the British, (author went to a school established in 1871) some good work happens but the underlying agenda today, esp. in backward areas is conversion. The author was told this during visits to Jammu region, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh and saw Churches coming up all over!

Critics might argue that nothing prevents Hindu Temples from spending money for the poor. Good point, the problem is temples are controlled by the Government, more about this later.

Those who talk about freedom to propagate religion and Article 25 of the Constitution must realize there is a fundamental difference in structure, thought and practice between the Followers of Dharma and Christianity. The former are well within their rights to frame laws based on their social systems and culture.

On one hand Hindus are not governed by a Church like organization, do not pay tax to the Church like the Germans and, do not convert. Conversely the Church is super rich and well-organised where conversion is The Agenda . One believes in live and let live whilst the other is obsessed with spreading the Cross.

Donors might argue there are no free lunches for e.g. post Tsunami contributions to Tamil Nadu doubled and resulted in conversions as pointed out by Aravindan Neelakandan. Correct, but then did the Government invite these NGOs to assist in relief efforts?

Conversions in Tamil Nadu and undivided Andhra Pradesh are rampant which are amongst the biggest recipients of foreign aid. From 2002-03 to 2011-12 TN received Rs 14,738 crs whilst AP got Rs 10,622 crs. (By the way Delhi got Rs 16,404 crs).

Critics might argue that RSS/VHP also receive funding from abroad. There is a difference  they receive donations from Non-Resident Indians. Here the donors are Religious MNCs! Thus their contributions need to be regulated like foreign direct investment as articulated by ex IITian Sankrant Sanu.

The moot point is why are these organizations (biggest donors consistently USA, Germany and UK) pumping in billions for charity? Do they see the West as the sole custodian of poverty alleviation, education and health? As if donor countries are the epitome of prosperity, per capita incomes and social harmony! Read How AmeriKKKa Killed the Black Middle Class.

NGOs receive large contributions from foreign entities. These contributions from abroad are governed by the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) which requires the recipients to get prior approval from the Home Ministry (HM). The recipients could be religious, social, educational, cultural or educational organisations. The NGO has to annually submit audited accounts to HM who collate accounts to present the FCRA Annual Report. HM does a detailed check of randomly picked associations. The last available report is for the year 201112. Here are some key data:

Thanks to Ghar Vapasi programs, the issue of conversions is in the news again. Unfortunately, no one seems to be going into the cause of conversions. Unless these are addressed, protests about conversions will influence only TRPs of TV channels

Notice : The source URLs cited in the news/article might be only valid on the date the news/article was published. Most of them may become invalid from a day to a few months later. When a URL fails to work, you may go to the top level of the sources website and search for the news/article.

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At the moment, Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari is able to stop the violence by pushing the Islamists to the vast Sambisa forests of the Borno State. However, what worries many experts in the field is ISIS growing influence in Boko Harams daily affairs. It would be really difficult for Buhari to eliminate Boko Haram, if ISIS makes inroads into Nigeria

Boko Haram is a Sunni Islamic group based in north of Nigeria. Its only aim is to establish Sharia law. In fact, the origin of Boko Haram is inseparable from the long history of the Hausa people of northern Nigeria, who have strong Islamic roots in the past. Since 1804, most of the Hausas were actively ruled by the Fulani Muslims, who conquered the old Hausa chiefdoms in a jehad launched by Shehu Othman Dan Fodio. He literally launched a war against the corruption-ridden Hausa regime. The jehad led to the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate, largely based on the credentials of the Sharia law. Therefore, what Boko Haram tries to impose on its people have its deep roots in their long past, which even the British could hardly destroy.

But many experts say that Boko Haram has its roots in the Maitatsine riots of 1980s. Muahammed Marwa, known popularly as Maitatsine and less commonly as Tatsine, was a controversial Islamic preacher in the Kano State of Nigeria. He was known for his anti-State pronouncements and at times even against the Haddith and Sunnah. His militant followers, known as Yan Tatsine, were famous for wreaking havoc on Nigerian Government authorities. In December 1980, his followers mounted attack on other religious figures and on State security forces. This followed swift mobilisation of the Army against Maitatsine and his cadre, leading to the death of the cult leader. To some experts, Boko Haram leaders derived its legacies from the historic Maitastine riots. And interestingly, it was Muhammad Buhari, then Army General and current President, who was instrumental in bringing an end to the Maitastine riots. But then the riots spread to various parts of Nigeria and took violent turns.

Since the Maitastine riots in Kano, the north of Nigeria has witnessed several other crises, each with its own idiosyncratic challenges. However, the message coming out from all these are loud and clear: an undercurrent against the successive regimes in Abuja had solidly taken its root. But unfortunately, the authorities in the capital city had viewed them simply as a law and order problem. This was probably the biggest mistake the Nigerian Government had done so far, and this directly escalated Boko Harams brutalities. Moreover, it has gradually alienated the Hausa people from the mainstream of Nigeria. Needless to say that those who are familiar with the uneasy relationship of the State with the rebels can safely say that Boko Haram is a metamorphosis of the earlier unresolved religious clashes. Precisely, evidence shows that the ideology followed by Boko Haram is in tandem with the ones pronounced by fiery clerics like Maitatsine, Kala Kato and some others who displayed loyalty more towards the Hadith than to the Quran.

The current Boko Haram was established in 2002 under the leadership of Mohammed Yusuf in the city of Maiduguri. His aim was to bring a Sharia Government in the Borno State in northern Nigeria. He began with the establishment of a religious complex in his hometown which included a mosque and a school. It was a gathering point for many poor children from both Nigeria and the neighbouring countries, initially for educational purpose. However, soon the educational centre turned into a recruitment ground for jehad against the Nigerian State. It was so popular at one point that it attracted as big as 2,80,000 members from across northern Nigeria and from neighbouring Chad and Niger. The present name of the group is also contested. Its full name is Jamaatu Ahlis Sunnah Laddaawatih wal-jehad or People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophets Teachings and Jehad. This name has been abbreviated as JASLW or JAS. And many call it as the Yusufiah sect (after its founder Mohammed Yusuf), the Nigerian Taliban and lately as the Islamic State of Africa. The Boko Haram base in Kannama in the Yobe State near the Niger border is locally known as Afghanistan.

The term Boko Haram is derived from the Hausa word book which refers to book and the Arabic word haram for forbidden. Put together, Boko Haram means western education is forbidden. But it seems the meaning, context and the current narratives of Boko Haram go much beyond secular education. In an interview to the BBC, Mohammed Yusuf said, Western-style education is mixed with issues that run contrary to our beliefs in Islam. Later, the outfit took on western civilisation and institutions, which includes democracy, modern science and western education.

Boko Harams ideology is based in radical Salafism. Its followers are solely guided by the Quranic phrase: Anyone who is not governed by what Allah has revealed is among the transgressors. They also justify the ouster of the secular regimes as the rulers of such States are seen as the ones who either follow the western-style governance or show leanings towards the enemies of Islam. Besides, Yan Boko is a phrase used to describe the elite created by the policy of indirect rule used by the British to colonise Nigeria  the people who have had their heads turned away from Allah by easy money and corrupting Western values.

Therefore, such people are widely seen as spiritually and morally corrupt, lacking in religious piety, and guilty of criminally enriching oneself rather than dedicating oneself to the Muslim umma (community). When it comes to reality, Boko Haram does not altogether reject the use of modern scientific tools. Needless to say that the Islamists are not averse to resorting to latest information and communication technologies for meeting their own needs. Thus, they are not too far from the potential impacts of the giant waves of globalisation.

Boko Haram started its operations around 2007 when Sheikh Jaafar Mahmoud Adam was assassinated in a mosque in Kano State. But the peak came when the clash took place between Boko Haram fighters and the Nigerian security forces as the former refused to wear motorcycle helmets. These pitched battles between the two sides across the States of Borno, Bauchi, Kano and Yobe resulted into the death of their revered leader Yusuf in police custody. The clash popularly known as the Boko Haram riots of 26-30 July finally set the stage for another brutal war against the Government of one of the most powerful countries of the continent. It forced many of the disciples of Yusuf to flee to Niger, Mali, Cameroon and Algeria. This was the time when Yusufs former deputy Abubaker Shekau, who moved to northern Cameroon, took over and since then the jehadis have expanded their base and cadre much beyond north-eastern Nigeria. And then in June 2010, the leader of the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Abu Mousab Abdel Wadoud, announced that his group would provide support, weapons, and training to Boko Haram. Many believed that with the support of the AQIM, under the leadership of Shekau, the Islamists had spiralled their violent chain of activities, most notable ones being the jail break in Bauchi in September 2010, attack on the police headquarters in Abuja in June 2011, and the bombing on the UN office in the same capital city. The most disturbing trend observed in the last two incidents was the beginning of the suicide attack by the group. Notably, the attack on the UN building came months after the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

In 2013, John Campbell aptly described the background behind the members of the militant outfit: The revolts foot soldiers are drawn from unemployed youth in northern Nigeria, a region of profound poverty. Many of them attended Islamic schools where they learned little other than to memorise the Quran. Often they are children of peasants, rootless if not homeless, in a big city. They can bond through a common radical Islamic sensibility, inchoate rage, and the prospect of earning a little money as terrorists. This indicates that it is not only a religious sentiment that binds them together to fight the infidels, but also what forces them to continue the war against the Nigerian State is their abject poverty. Years of neglect and mis-governance of Abuja certainly stoked the youths fire. And the same is further compounded by the long-drawn teachings of Yusuf in his madrasa.

Apart from its dastardly killings, Boko Haram made the international headlines when it kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok town in the Borno State in April 2014. Later the rebels said that it would treat these girls as slaves and marry them off, by making a reference to an ancient Islamic belief that women captured in conflict are considered as war booty. Still they are in their captivity and no one knows what happened to them. What once again brought them to the mainstream of global Islamic jehad was Shekaus declaration of a caliphate in August 2014 in areas under Boko Harams control. He even proclaimed, We have nothing to do with Nigeria. We dont believe in this name. And by March 2015, he formally pledged allegiance to ISIS, moving out of the Al-Qaeda stranglehold. Later, ISIS accepted the pledge, naming the territory under the rebels command as the Islamic State of West Africa Province and as being part of the global caliphate it was trying to establish.

But then the widespread news that Boko Harams leadership has been changed from Shekau to Abu Musab al-Barnawi last August has brought confusion to both the Government and the cadre of the insurgent group. This could be an attempt to dislodge Shekau from the top leadership by his defectors. However, he clearly refuses to accept the division in his group. Though Nigerias military has declared that Boko Haram is nearly finished, many believe that it is an exaggeration. The clear proof of the same came when the outfit launched attack on the Government forces this year and killed more than 10. It once again reminded the groups brutality across the northern part of the country.

What road lies ahead for President Buhari? Will he be able to contain or completely eliminate Boko Haram from the Nigerian soil? Hopefully, he will be in a position to stop the violence of the Islamists for now, as most of them are being pushed to the vast Sambisa forests of the Borno State, one of the strongholds of Boko Haram. What worries many experts in the field is that if ISIS becomes more active in Boko Harams daily affairs, it would be really difficult for Buhari to eliminate them. Also, the involvement of ISIS may offer a new dimension to the conflict in Nigeria. With the winding down of the major parts of the territories of ISIS in Iraq and in Syria, ISIS may gradually see its African constituents rising in the days to come.

Source : Daily Pioneer
I accept that the girl was shot but Im not accepting Gavin done it, Megan OConnor said yesterday.

If Gavin said he didnt do it, I believe he didnt do it, and Im sure he would have told me the truth.

In time to come, he should be forgiven. Im not justifying nothing. Hes my boyfriend, of course Im going to back him up even though it was in the wrong.

Hes no angel. I know he done wrong and hes after getting his time but I think it should be let go. You cant help who you fall in love with. Im going to wait for him.

Her boyfriend Gavin Sheehan, 30, of 7 Laurel Ridge, Shanakiel, Cork, denied the four charges against him, arising out of the gun attack in Hollywood Estate in Cork on May 15 last year, in which Ciara Sheehan was shot in the neck.

He was found guilty last November, that at his home at Laurel Ridge on May 15 last he had a Smith and Wesson 60.96 semi-automatic firearm; discharging it being reckless as to whether any person was injured or not on Sunday, May 15, at Hollywood Estate; assault causing serious harm to Ciara Sheehan; and the related charge of having ammunition.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain sentenced him at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday to 14 years in jail, with three years of the sentence suspended.

The reporting of the sentencing sparked a torrent of online abuse directed through Facebook at the shooting victim, and at TV3s southern correspondent, Paul Byrne. Ms OConnor contacted the Opinion Line on Corks 96fm yesterday and in the course of an almost 40-minute live interview, admitted she had made certain online threats to Ciara Sheehan following the sentencing.

Megan OConnor has vowed to wait for her jailed boyfriend Gavin Sheehan and said that when they began dating his 72 previous convictions, 14 of them for serious violent crime, were of no concern to her.

She apologised and said they were made out of anger.

I only done it out of anger. I really am sorry for what I said. I shouldnt have said it at all.

All I was thinking of was my baby and was she ever going to see her dad again, Ms OConnor said.

Nobody should have been shot, nobody deserves to be shot in the neck, that was a disgrace.

My heart does go out to the girl. I have remorse for her. Gavin mightnt have shown remorse but I do show remorse. Im a very quiet girl; I just want to get on with my life.

She told presenter PJ Coogan that she met Sheehan on Facebook several years ago, that they began dating a short time later, and that his 72 previous convictions  14 of which were for serious violent crime  were of no concern to her at the time.

Asked if she regretted getting involved with him, she said: No because everyone has previous convictions  I know loads of people with previous convictions  and theyre normal people. They might have 40 previous, 20, 30, doesnt really matter how many previous convictions you have, its what they are is the more important thing. I dont judge people by what they done in the past.

She said Sheehan kept his head down during her pregnancy and that he planned to leave the bad side of his life behind him.

Their daughter is now 10 months old.

He gave me a beautiful daughter that Im going to love with all my heart, she said.

If I didnt meet Gavin I wouldnt have my beautiful daughter today, she said.

Some of the comments in recent days made Sheehan out to be worse than what he actually is, she said.

I would never disown Gavin, as much as he done wrong in his life, I love that boy with all my heart; hes the father of my child, she said.

I realise that nobody will have sympathy for him. His real friends, and people that actually know Gavin, know he can be the nicest man you could ever come across and I know its hard to believe with what people are saying about him.

She also rejected claims made in court by his barrister, who, acting under instructions, told the judge that Sheehan was a Garda informer for two years.

She added that the Irish prison authorities should have intercepted and prevented him posting a Christmas card from prison to Ciara Sheehan.

Gavin Sheehan, who was jailed on Tuesday, is under protection in the challenging behaviour unit of Cork Prison, and is isolated from the general prison population amid concerns for his safety.

The couple have spoken by phone since Tuesdays sentencing and Ms OConnor said she is looking forward to visiting him in prison on Monday.

I miss him with all my heart. I told him I feel like youre dead and Im never again going to see you.
Business Business Roundup (February 18)

A man travels in a boat on Inle Lake in Shan State, one of the countrys most popular tourism sites. A new scheme has been set up to encourage small business start-ups in Burma and nearby countries / Reuters

Asian Development Bank Issues Guarantee for Burma

The Asian Development Bank (ADB)s Trade Finance Program (TFP) issued its first guarantee for Burma, the ADB announced on Thursday.

This guarantee will enable the import of fertilizers from Italy. The Burmese customer is a trader in agricultural produce that imports fertilizer to sell to local farmers. The exporter is a multinational specializing in fertilizer and nutritional agriculture products.

The TFP issued the guarantee in favor of the Italian Banca Popolare di Sondrio respecting a payment obligation by Burmas United Amara Bank (UAB), one of the TFPs local partners.

We are grateful that through ADBs TFP, we were able to connect our customer in Myanmar with the supplier in Italy. The TFP not only connected the banks but also bridged the transaction with a guarantee, said UAB chief executive U Thein Lwin.

We are delighted to begin this journey with TFP through this small step and we look forward to taking many more, he added.

The ADB said the trade would result in increased profits for the farm producers and traders, as well as healthy agricultural products that serve the market in Burma and neighboring countries where the goods are exported.

Myanmar is an exciting market with great potential, said Janet Hyde, TFP Relationship Manager for Burma.

Were pleased to work hand-in-hand with UAB and our international partner banks to harness Myanmars trade growth potential and especially to help SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] in developing member countries. Trade growth creates new jobs and increases incomes, and is one of TFPs main objectives.

ADBs guarantee supports markets in developing countries in Asia that are not well served by the international financial community. It also establishes new or increases existing bank credit lines, supporting trade that would not otherwise happen.

The TFP, backed by ADBs AAA credit rating, provides guarantees and loans to more than 200 partner banks to support trade, enabling more companies throughout Asia to engage in import and export activities.

Since 2009, TFP has supported more than 9,200 small and medium-sized businesses across developing Asia, through more than 13,000 transactions valued at over $25.5 billion, in sectors ranging from commodities and capital goods to medical supplies and consumer goods, the report said.

Japans Kirin Plans to Buy Mandalay Beer

Japanese brewing firm Kirin will buy Burmas iconic Mandalay Brewery for an estimated several hundred million yen (several million US dollars), the Nikkei Asian Review reported.

The move would make Kirin, which bought the Myanmar Brewery in 2015, the market leader in beer sales in Burma, with some 90 percent of the total beer market.

Kirin will create a local subsidiary to take over Mandalay Brewery, Burmas oldest brewery, from Myanmar Economic Holdings, Nikkei said.

The Myanmar Investment Commission is expected to approve the deal soon, it said.

Kirin is seeking to gain a leading edge over other foreign players such as the Netherlands Heineken and Denmarks Carlsberg in Burma, which is one of the few growing beer markets, the report said. The latest deal comes after Kirin made additional business acquisitions in the Asia-Oceania region.

Lion of Australia became a Kirin subsidiary in 2009. Kirin has also taken a 48 per cent stake in the beer unit of the Philippines San Miguel, and it plans to purchase Vietnams state-owned Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage, which the Vietnamese government plans to sell, the report said.

CMP Garment Exports to Reach $1.8 Billion

Burmas cutting, making, and packaging (CMP) garment industry is expected to earn about US$1.8 billion in fiscal year 2016-17, which ends on March 31, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Burma exports about 33 percent of its CMP products to Japan, 25 percent each to the EU and South Korea, and 2.4 per cent each to the US and China, according to a trade publication.

In the previous fiscal year, Burma earned $627 million from CMP garment exports. Earnings this fiscal year in the sectorwhich includes the manufacture of shoes, garments, and bagshave already passed $1.4 billion, the report said.

Scheme to Boost Small Tourism Businesses

A tourism startup accelerator initiative has announced two new schemes to make it easier for innovative tourism businesses to begin in Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

The first scheme, called the Mekong Innovative Startup Tourism (MIST) initiative, is accepting applications from young companies that have plans to conduct either a traditional tourism business or a business in travel technology.

The second scheme, the MIST Market Access Accelerator, is accepting applications from mature international tourism startups needing assistance to enter the region.

Both schemes will receive applications until March 19.

Dominic Mellor, senior economist with the Asian Development Bank and head of the Mekong Business Initiative said the programs would create jobs, assist local communities and support entrepreneurship.

Applicants must show how they will create employment, generate positive community impacts, and contribute to sustainable tourism growth. Those accepted into the startup program will attend boot camps to develop their business plans. The top business plans for each country will win grants, with the best overall receiving $10,000 and three runners-up receiving $7,000 each.

Participants in both programs will pitch their plans to investors and others at the Mekong Tourism Forum, which will be held in Luang Prabang, Laos, and at the APEC Summit in Da Nang, Vietnam in November.

MIST is a joint venture of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and the Mekong Business Initiative. It receives funding, advice and technical support from the Asian Development Bank, Australia, Amadeus Next, the Pacific Asia Travel Association and Village Capital.

Kubota Opens Heavy Machinery Facility in Thilawa

Japans Kubota Corporation, a heavy equipment manufacturer, has opened an import and sales facility in the Thilawa Special Industrial Zone in order to expand its operations in the farm machinery market.

The $10 million facility, which covers more than 10,000 square meters, will also do some assembly work, Kyoto reported. The plant is operated by Kubota Myanmar, 80 percent of which is owned by Kubota and the rest by Siam Kubota of Thailand.

The operation will help develop the agriculture industry in Burma, Kubotas President Masatoshi Kimata said.

Kubota Myanmar was established with a registered capital of $23.8 million in 2015. It sells tractors, combine harvesters, rice transplanters, power tillers, diesel engines and construction machinery.

Arakan Chili Bound for Sri Lanka

Chili grown in Arakan State will be exported to Sri Lanka beginning this year in the first international export deal for the local crop, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported.

A test run to export 8,000 tonnes (8,800 tons) of chili to Sri Lanka was announced by the Arakan branch of the Myanmar Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association (MFVO), the state paper reported.

It quoted a local exporter as saying that Sri Lanka was interested in the Arakan crop as it contained a lower percentage of pesticide than chili from other areas.

Local exporters are also hoping to export the crop to India, the report said. Arakan chili grows in all three seasons and is mostly grown in Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, and Minbya townships.
Dateline Dateline Irrawaddy: The Panglong Monument and the Pagoda

The Irrawaddy discusses the Shwedagon Pagoda replica in Panglong, Shan State. Was it built for political purposes?

Kyaw Zwa Moe: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! This week, our Dateline discussion will be held in the compound of the Panglong Monument in southern Shan States Panglong town where the Panglong Agreement was signed.

Nang Wah Nu, a central executive committee (CEC) member of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), which is widely known as the White Tiger Party, and Nang Lao Liang Won (Tay Tay), one of the founders of the Shan Womens Action Network which is better known as SWAN, will join me for discussion.

This week, well discuss the Panglong Monument and the Shwedagon Pagoda replica you can see over there. The replica pagoda is so big compared to the size of the monument, and well discuss if the pagoda was built for religious purposes only, or if it was built with a political purposeto block the peoples view of the monument. Im Irrawaddy English editor Kyaw Zwa Moe.

As Ive said, there is the Panglong Monument, not very tall, there, and the replica of Shwedagon Pagoda over there. As far as Im concerned, the pagoda was built with the decision made by former Gen. Khin Nyunt and former Snr-Gen Than Shwe of the ex-junta. My question is: our country is a Buddhist majority country. But why did they choose to build that pagoda just in front of that monument which is both historically and politically significant? How do you assess it as an ethnic Shan?

Nang Wah Nu: General Aung San and ethnic leaders had that monument put up after they signed the Panglong Agreement in February 1947. At that time, the monument was inscribed with the words highland, mainland. But then later, we found that the inscription had been changed to mainland, highland, and we ethnicities were very sad to see that.

Again, the Panglong Monument was the very first step toward the Union. Shan, Kachin, and Chin, and General Aung San representing Lower Burma and the Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League (AFPFL) came here. It is such a historic place where ethnicities and the mainland Burmese joined hands to regain independence.

Therefore, most of the people in Shan State were not happy to see the Shwedagon replica erected at such a place. They are fairly irritated by it. Most of them said that the replica pagoda built in front of the Panglong Monument made them feel like the identity of Shan State and provisions in the Panglong Agreement are being concealed.

We heard that the replica pagoda was built by [ex-prime minister] U Khin Nyunt. At that time, many people were asked to contribute their labor in construction. And bazaars were opened in front of the construction site, and sometimes there were gambling tables. So local residents were not happy with it. We Shan people, as well as other local ethnicities here, want the historic monument to be kept as it is.

We have also witnessed how Haw [the residences of Shan saophas] and palm-leaf manuscripts, which belong to our Shan ethnic people, were destroyed. In the case of Kengtung Haw, it was not only destroyed, but the destroyers wrote down their names in front of the Haw. For example, they wrote so-and-so units of so-and-so light infantry battalion had destroyed this. This is bad, both from a political point of view and a nationalist point of view. Personally, I would say they should not have done so.

KZM: There is a popular belief that the successive military regimes since 1962 have abused religion for political purposes and for perpetuation of their power. Sayama Tay Tay, do you think they built the pagoda because they were honestly devout? And if so, do you see anything that can prove their piety? What is your view?

Nang Lao Liang Won: I am a true Buddhist. Our Buddha said that we have to rely on ourselves. We were never taught that we would gain merits only when we build pagodas and stupas. We were only taught that we will reap what we sow, and the future depends on our present actions.

My feeling is that they built the pagoda that blocks the view of the historic monument because they want to erase the history. We Shan people are also Buddhists. We believe in Buddhism, and if we see a pagoda, we pay homage to it. So I honestly believe that they put a pagoda there to divert peoples attention.

KZM: There are many pagodas and stupas across our country, which are peaceful places. But they need to be in the right locations. Panglong is a vast place, and there are many spaces where pagodas can be built. So, I think we should ask why the pagoda was built there.

It is fair to say that this case is not alone. As Ma Nang Wah Nu has said, Haws like the Kengtung Haw were destroyed. And SWAN has also released statements about such things. Ma Nang Wah Nu, how can these things be fixed?

NWN: This case is about a pagoda. So I think the Sangha Maha Nayaka committees in Shan State should take the lead role in complaining to the government, arguing that it is not appropriate to have a pagoda in such a historic place. Because they are in a position to talk to the central government.

If an ordinary citizen asks to move that pagoda, nobody would listen. Nobody would care. There are many land plots at both the entrance and exits of the town. So if possible, the pagoda could be relocated to there, and it would be more appropriate.

As an ethnic person and a member of the Union, I would like to have people come and take a look at the Union Monument immediately, as soon as they see it. And I want them to feel impressed by the unity between our ethnicities and our leaders in their independence struggle, as soon as they see the monument.

So if possible, I would like to request the Sangha Maha Nayaka committees to take the lead in getting the pagoda relocated. The relocation would result in a more active Union Spirit and unity among ethnicities.

KZM: Yes, there are many similar cases of construction of Shwedagon replicas. Sayama Tay Tay, your organization SWAN released a report in 2009, saying that some pagodas were not built for religious purposes, but to diminish the culture of others or to gain influence in a particular place. Have you seen such political actions in the disguise of religion in any other places?

NLLW: They exist everywhere in our Shan State. It seems that there are more such cases [in Shan State compared to other areas]. We have clearly written in our report Forbidden Glimpses that those who built the pagodas in significant places are generals. So we assume that they wanted to display their military strength by building pagodas.

Taking a look back at Burmas history, the practice of building pagodas [in order to show off ones strength] dates back to the time of [King] Anawrahta [of Burmas first Empire]. There is [a religious belief] that someone who does the good deeds of building pagodas would have better fortune in his next life.

And I would like to argue about that. I dont know if Buddha had talked much about the next existence. But I am sure that the Buddha always talked about the present. So, [if the generals were really pious] they should focus more on the mental and physical well-being of their people at the present time. Instead, they have built pagodas.

At that time [back in late 2000s], there was forced relocation. So Shan people could not live in their hometown, and many had to flee to Thailand. So we stated [in our report] that [the generals] had built pagodas intentionally to wield their influence, and to show off their military strength.

KZM: Most ethnicities across Burma have viewed these acts as Burmanization [by the previous regimes since 1962]. But now the military regime is over, and the elected government of Daw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) is in office. So do you still witness the cases we have been talking about?

NWN: For the time being, we dont see pagodas and stupas being built. And [the authorities] ordered the demolition of illegal monasteries which were built on squatted areas. This has caused controversy in Shan State. This was a case related to religion.

Studying the politics of our country, you can see that monks have long been involved in politics. So every government has paid considerable heed to monks.

I believe the new government will try as much as it can [to separate politics and religion]. But we dont know how much people are willing to cooperate with the government in that regard. Again, studying ethnic armed groups, it seems that they also are still observing the new government.

KZM: Sayama Tay Tay, what would you like to say or what is your recommendation for the government about the abuse of religion for political purposes?

NLLW: It seems that many in our country do not know the essence of Buddhism, despite the fact that they pay homage and say prayers. In other countriesfor example in Thailand, which is closest to ustrue Buddhism is taught by schools. This is important. This is not inculcating Buddhism, but teaching its basics and essence.

The way how it should be practiced is very important. We should learn this through the life stories of Buddha. And what is important is we also need to learn to respect other religions.

KZM: Thank you for your contributions!
Tanker operators oppose minimum fleet size rule

Oil tanker operators refused to transport gasoline on Friday as they intensified their protest against a recent amendment to the Petroleum Products Transportation Bylaw which requires them to maintain a minimum fleet size of five tankers.
Burma Burma Government Asks UN for More Evidence on Human Rights Claims

Presidents Office official U Zaw Htay spoke to The Irrawaddy regarding a UN human rights report on Jan. 6, 2017. / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYIDAW  Burmas government said on Monday that it has requested more information from the United Nations so that it can investigate alleged human rights abuses by the Burma Army in Arakan State.

If there is solid evidence to prove these allegations of human rights violations, if they can be investigated, then we will take action in accordance with our procedures, U Zaw Htay, deputy director general of the Presidents Office, told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

In response to a recently published UN human rights report, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi directly asked the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide more information on the allegations, he added.

The UN said the report released on Friday was based on interviews conducted Jan. 12-21 with more than 200 Rohingya people who fled to Bangladesh since an outbreak of violence began in Arakan State in October. The report said the agencys team conducted in-depth interviews with 204 victims and witnesses, including 101 women, 77 men, and 26 children.

The UN reported that more than half of the women interviewed said they had been the victim of rape or sexual violence. Other interviewees reported witnessing killings by government security forces during the October-December period while the Burma Army conducted counterinsurgency operations in western Arakan State.

U Kyaw Zeya, the foreign affairs ministry director general, told The Irrawaddy that the Burmese government would respond to the UN report. He pointed out that information in the UN human rights report was different from what the government has been examining.

We have a separate mechanism led by Kofi Annan, he said. Based on the suggestions [of the Kofi Annan-led commission], we will precisely respond to the UN report.

U Kyaw Zeya said that Burma and Bangladesh officials have discussed the issue of Rohingya people fleeing Arakan State. He said that, after some scrutiny, Burma would accept the return of those refugees who could provide solid evidence that they fled after the October violence.

Editors Note: This article has been corrected from an earlier version that mistakenly stated that the Kofi Annan-led commission is investigating the Arakan issue. The commission is an advisory body; it is not conducting an investigation.
Burma Certificates of Identity to be Issued to Migrant Workers in Thailand

Human Rights and Development Foundation workshop on Certificate of Identity awareness, held in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand on February 8, 2017. / Nyein Nyein / The Irrawaddy

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  The issuance of the certificate of identity (CI)a document for Burmese migrants proving that they are Burmese citizenswill start this month and be provided at six different service centers in Thailand.

U San Yu Kyaw, the Consul from the Burmese Consulate in Chiang Mai said the CI service centers would open soon in Mae Saion the Thai-Shan State borderfor migrants resides in northern Thailand, as well as in Tak Provinces Mae Sot, and the provinces of Ranong and Samut Sakhon. There will also be two centers in Mahachai, outside of Bangkok.

Aiming to spread knowledge of the procedures of issuing CIs to migrants who do not have legal documents, Thai and Burmese officials joined the workshop organized by Thailands Human Rights and Development Foundation on Wednesday in Chiang Mai.

U San Yu Kyaw said that Thai employment and immigration officials, lawyers, and Burmese consulate representatives and migrant workers discussed cooperation in addressing the various problems faced by Burmese migrant workers in Thailand.

Migrants spoke of their difficulties in the workshop, including the inconveniences of reporting every 90-days to the immigration office, being exploited by agents regarding documentation, and problems concerning wages.

Over 160 participants, mostly the Burmese migrants working in Chiang Mai and surrounding areas, joined the session, describing mixed levels of understanding of documentation policies in Thailand, which have changed in recent years.

Many migrant workers whom we met during our field research have very little knowledge about obtaining a passport and legal documents, said Sugarnta Sookpaita, a migrant worker adviser from the Human Rights and Development Foundation, on why the workshop was organized; obtaining a CI is seen as a step toward getting a Burmese passport.

Ma Lin, a seamstress who has been working in Chiang Mai for eleven years, said she found the information from the event helpful, as she wanted to know the correct procedure to undertake before the expiry of her own passport.

The governments of Thailand and Burma are still in negotiations regarding how to proceed with migrant workers whose legal documentation will expire while they are working in Thailand; it has been unclear which document holders could apply for a CI.

U Soe Shwe Khin, an elderly migrant living in Chiang Mai, said he understands that migrants holding the purple migrant passport would have to apply for standard Burmese passports at the Burmese embassy in Bangkok.

However, questions remain about how to transfer visas between identity documents.

The Burmese Consul could not say anything about the process of moving existing visas to the new passports, as it is under the Thai immigration authority, U Soe Shwe Khin said.

Sugarnta Sookpaita said they expect more support from both Thai and Burmese government officials tasked with labor issues, particularly on awareness raising and on the clarification of policies.

She said that the current practice of publishing policy updates on Thai government websites was not enough.

It should also be shared widely among the migrant community in the languages the migrants use, Ms. Sookpaita explained.

She urged the Burmese government to issue legal passports at service centers in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, so as to save migrant workers the time and money required to go to Bangkok.
Fifth Annual Human Rights Undergraduate Research Workshop

Feb. 17, 2017

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. The Center for Human Rights and Social Justice will hold its fifth annual Human Rights Undergraduate Research Workshop Feb. 24-26. This year's theme is Women's Power: Women's Justice, with an emphasis upon the ways in which women work to assert and protect their human rights and the obstacles they confront in their efforts to do so. The workshop brings together students from Kalamazoo College, Luther College and Illinois Wesleyan to present their research on topics ranging from sexuality and shaming to equity in education and the professions.

Saturdays keynote speaker is Illinois State University Professor of Philosophy Alison Bailey, who is also director of the Womens and Gender Studies program. Her address is entitled White Talk, Social Justice, and Ignorance. Bailey has published extensively on issues at the intersections of feminist theory, philosophy of race/whiteness studies, and epistemology. Her 11 a.m. lecture is free and open to the public, and will take place in State Farm Hall room 101.

The Human Rights Workshop will be held in State Farm Hall room 108 and 102. All Illinois Wesleyan faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend any or all sessions. For further details, contact University Chaplain Elyse Nelson Winger.

By Reilly Kasprak 17
The making of Indias foreign policy

India, the worlds largest democracy, certainly has with it some choices when it comes to its foreign policy.
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. owns and operates utilities, transport, midstream, and data businesses in North and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company's Utilities segment operates approximately 61,000 kilometers (km) of operational electricity transmission and distribution lines; 5,300 km of electricity transmission lines; 4,200 km of natural gas pipelines; 7.3 million electricity and natural gas connections; and 360,000 long-term contracted sub-metering services. This segment also offers heating and cooling solutions; gas distribution; water heaters; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioner rental, as well as other home services. Its Transport segment offers transportation, storage, and handling services for merchandise goods, commodities, and passengers through a network of approximately 22,000 km of track; 5,500 km of track network; 4,800 km of rail; 3,800 km of motorways; and 13 port terminals. The company's Midstream segment offers natural gas transmission, gathering and processing, and storage services through approximately 15,000 km of natural gas transmission pipelines; 600 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage; 17 natural gas processing plants; and 3,900 km of gas gathering pipelines, as well as one petrochemical processing complex. Its Data segment operates approximately 148,000 operational telecom towers; 8,000 multi-purpose towers and active rooftop sites; 10,000 km of fiber backbone; 1,600 cell sites and approximately 12,000 km of fiber optic cable; and 2,100 active telecom towers and 70 distributed antenna systems, as well as 50 data centers and 200 megawatts of critical load capacity. The company was founded in 2007 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. is a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc.
18.02.2017 LISTEN

As I have already written in at least one of my previous columns on the subject, while Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapongs impugnation of the chastity of Mrs. Charlotte Osei left much to be desired, it, nevertheless, warranted an investigation if this rather outrageous and slanderous accusation was to be promptly put to rest. That it came from the same source that healthily exposed the Woyome Heist, made the need for a thorough investigation all the more warranted. Of course, Mr. Agyapong would shortly admit that he had made up the story about the EC Chairs having supposedly secured her strategic transfer from the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to the EC by the provision of sexual favors to President John Dramani Mahama, whose prurience or sexual incontinence, by the way, is a matter of public record and gossip.

I have personally written at least one column caustically carping Mr. Agyapong for fabricating such a scandalous story, knowing fully well that its implications for the husband, family, friends and associates of Mrs. Osei would be nothing short of absolutely devastating. In the aforesaid column, I also vividly remember calling on the Assin-Central New Patriotic Partys Member of Parliament to consider handsomely compensating Mrs. Osei and the genuinely aggrieved.

If like me and the rest of all well-meaning and truth-loving Ghanaian citizens, Ms. Otiko Afisa Djaba had demanded a thorough investigation of Mr. Agyapongs inescapably scandalous and slanderous accusation, such demand was absolutely in order, in view of the far-reaching implications that such a liaison, if it really took place, could have on the greater destiny of the country at large.

Calling on Ms. Djaba to apologize in exchange for their PAC approval was at once the most lurid tack and the most childish demand to make on the part of the National Democratic Congress minority members on the Parliamentary Appointments Committee. Needless to say, the vetting of the Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister-Designate ought to have been squarely based on the fact of whether, indeed, the nominee possessed the relevant and necessary skills and knowledge to perform up to par, and not the decidedly frivolous question of whether Ms. Djaba had made any uncomplimentary remarks against her own cousin and former President Mahama in the heat of the 2016 electioneering campaign.

Which clearly harks back, once again, to the fact that the minority members on the PAC may, after all, not be qualified for the purpose for which they were selected and seated on the PAC. Needless to say, the election has been over for nearly three months now, and yet these NDC apparatchiks are behaving as if the kind of infantile and counterproductive, if also decidedly ineffective, scores-settling petulance is all that they have to contribute to our national development effort for the next four years. If I may unapologetically ask: Can these clowns and cultivated buffoons tell the rest of the nation what they intend to take up next as their parliamentary agenda, once the vetting process is over?

Yes, these NDC-PAC members are a pack of clowns and buffoons, and I make absolutely no apologies for reasserting the same. If, indeed, Ms. Djaba has had occasion to describe then-President Mahama as a wicked leader, a liar, and a disgrace to the people of The North and he also has the devils heart, what business is it of these sometime Mahama hangers-on?

After all, as the first-cousin of the former President, doesnt Ms. Otiko Djaba know Little Dramani far more intimately than could be said of such political and moral reprobates as Messrs. Rashid Pelpuo, Haruna Iddrisu, Mahama Ayariga and Okudzeto-Ablakwa, among the several NDC-PAC rascals who would rather regress the salutary progress of the country, so as to afford themselves a fighting chance come Election 2020? Come on, come out of your post-election funk, hallucinating dreamers!

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
The Akufo-Addo government has been urged not to shy away from imposing a tax to fund free education following a raging debate over the funding source for the 2016 campaign promise.

A pro-social intervention civil society group, ISODEC made this recommendation, urging government to follow after Uganda's model which "relied heavily on taxation" to make its free senior high school education happen.

The debate over funding was triggered by Senior Minister Osafo Maafo after he said government was likely going to use a fund reserved for Ghana's unborn generation, the Heritage Fund.

The fund is a 9% contribution from Ghana's petroleum revenue receipts and can only be touched after at least 15 years as stipulated in the Petroleum Revenue Management Act.

The largely social-media driven debate appeared to suggest the move to use the Heritage Fund is imprudent while other sections quipped that the future is now hence the fund should be used.

Finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has moved to calm waters stating the $286m Heritage Fund will not be touched to foot a GHC.26billion social intervention bill. Government has also pointed out that the Senior Minister was only floating a suggestion.

But discussing the controversy on Joy News' political analysis program, Newsfile Saturday, Executive Director of ISODEC Dr. Steve Manteaw has suggested to government that a fresh tax for "good and feasible' policy of free education is not out of place.

He said weaker economies like Ugandan had a $12billion economy when it rolled out free SHS 10 years ago. Ghana's economy is $37billion and therefore cannot use funding challenges as an excuse.

"What stops us from taxing our $37billion to make this happen?" he said.

He said government needs to re-align spending priorities to find the money for the intervention.

Analysing missed opportunities to make and save money, Dr. Steve Manteaw said oil giants like EO group and Saber Oil got away with the payment of a potential $70million in revenue because of loopholes in the tax laws.

"There was inconsistency in the petroleum tax law and the general tax law. EO group was the first to sell. We were not able to tax it. A year later Saber Oil sells and gets away with the non-payment"

Exepct more...

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected]
Parliament Friday evening approved President Nana Akufo-Addos 10 nominees for regional minister portfolios following their vetting this past week.

The nominees were approved by consensus. President Akufo-Addo is yet to name deputy ministers for the various ministerial portfolios.

President Akufo-Addo in a shot with the 10 Regional Ministers after their nomination

Find below profiles of the 10 regional ministers

Archibald Yao Letsa  Volta Region



Archibald Yao Letsa is 59 years old and hails from Klefe Achatime in the Ho Central Constituency.

He is a medical doctor by profession, with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of Ghana Medical School.

In 1990, he obtained a Master of Public Health degree from the Department of Public Health Medicine, University of Leeds, UK. From 1983 to 1994, he worked in several healthcare instutitions in the Volta and Eastern Regions, before going into private medical practice from 1995 to 2014 with the setting up of the Miracle Life Clinic Ltd., Ho.

He is the Chief Executive Officer of AVL Holdings Ghana Limited, also based in Ho, and has from April 2016 to date been a part-time Senior Lecturer at the School of Medicine of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho.

He was the NPP's parliamentary candidate for the Ho Central constituency in the 2008 and 2012 elections, and from 2014 to date was the Volta Regional First Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party in the Volta Region.

He is married with three children.

Salifu Saeed  Northern Region



Salifu Sa-eed is 43 years old, and holds a Masters in Development Management from GIMPA, and also a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Development Studies from the University of Development Studies, Tamale.

He also holds a certificate in Peace and Conflict Prevention and Management from the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC).

He has been the Chief Executive Officer of Africa Commodities and Logistics Company Limited from January 2012 to date; was the Co-director of Savannah Integrated Rural Development Aid from January 2009 to December 2011; and under the government of President of former Kufuor, he served as District Chief Executive of the Nanumba North District Assembly from May 2005 to February 2009.

He was a member of the NPP Manifesto Committee on Infrastructure; and a member of the 2016 transition team meber on the Communications sub-committee.

He is married with one child.

Rockson Ayine Bukari  Upper East



Rockson Ayine Bukari is 69 years old and hails from Gambibgo, Bolgatanga. He holds a Teachers Certificate A from the Kantom Training College. He held several teaching positions from 1964 to 1097.

He also became Registrar to a number of Traditional Councils such as the Frafra Confederacy Council, Builsa Traditional Council, Nanumba Traditional Council, and the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs over a period of two decades.

He was the Municipal Chief Executive of the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly from 2001 to 2004. He is a leading member of the NPP, and is married with two (2) wives and eleven (11) children.

Sulemana Alhassan  Upper West Region



Alhassan Sulemana is 62 years old. He trained as a professional teacher at the Bagabaga Teacher Training College in Tamale, before obtaining a Bachelor of Education degree in Mathematics at the University of Education.

He also holds a Master's degree in Education Management and Administration from the University of Cape Coast.

He was a Mathematics tutor for 33 years before assuming the role of Director of Education at the Wa Municipal Education Office in 2012  a position he held for 2 years until his retirement.

He is married with 4 children.

Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh  Brong Ahafo



Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh is 52 years old and is a Barrister at Law.

He was called to the Ghana School of Law in 1997, having graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Political Science from the University of Ghana, Legon, in 1994.

He was the Local NUGS President from 1993 to 1994, whilst at the University of Ghana. He practiced law at Akyedee Legal Services in Sunyani from 1998 to 2004, and within that period was a law lecturer at Sunyani Polytechnic.

He has acted as a solicitor for various firms in the Sunyani. He served as the head of the NPP's campaign in the Brong Ahafo Region 2012 and 2016, in his capacity as Chairman of the party in the region.

He is married with three (3) children.

Simon Osei-Mensah  Ashanti Region



Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah is 55 years old and holds a Master's degree in Economics (Finance and Banking option).

He served in various positions within the Agricultural Development Bank from 1993 to 2000. He represented the Bosumtwe constituency from 2005 till January 2017 as Member of Parliament.

He was a member of the ECOWAS parliament, and was elected 4th Deputy Speaker from 2013 to 2015. He is married.

Dr. Kwaku Afriyie  Western Region



Dr. Kwaku Afriyie is 63 years old and hails from Sefwi Wiawso. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine/Surgery from the University of Ghana Medical School; a Master of Public Health (MPH) Tulane University, New Orleans; and is a fellow of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.

He worked at the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital; the Effia Nkwanta Hospital; and became the Director of Health Service at the Bibiani Government Hospital all from 1982 to 1994. He was also the Managing Director of Greenshield Hospital in Sefwi Wiawso from 2005 to 2014.

He was Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines in 2001; served as Minister of Health from 2001 to 2005.

As Health Minister, he introduced and implemented the National Health Insurance Scheme; introduced the National PostGraduate Training programme of Doctors; established the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons for Post graduate training of Doctors in Ghana; and introduced the National Ambulance System in 2004.

Within the period of President Kufuor's government, he served as a member of Cabinet Sub-committee on Cocoa Affairs (2001-2005); Member of National Development Planning Committee (2001-2004); Member of National AIDS Commission; and Chairman of Board of Directors of the Electricity Company of Ghana.

Kwamena Duncan  Central Region



Kwamena Duncan is 50 years old. He holds a BSc degree in Agricultural Science from the University of Ghana, Legon. He has taught for 22 years in Senior High School and currently a Senior Housemaster at Mfantsipim School.

He has been the Central Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party and a member of the partys National Council since 2005 to date.

He is married with 3 children.

Hon. Eric Kwakye Darfour  Eastern Region



Eric Kwakye Darfour is 59 years old, and hails from Obo-Kwahu. He acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Linguistics from the University of Ghana, Legon, in 1982. He was a French tutor at the Abuakwa State College from 1982-1985, and from 1985 he has been the Managing Director for Ecovans Ltd.

Additionally, from the year 2000, he was the Board Chairman for Kwahu Praso Rural Bank Limited.

From 2001 to 2005, in the first term of former president, John Agyekum Kuffuor, he served as the Special Assistant to the Eastern Regional Minister.

From 2009 to 2012, he was the Eastern Regional Treasurer of the NPP, and was subsequently elected Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw Constituency on the ticket of the NPP in 2012.

In his first term as a Member of Parliament, he served on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Privileges Committee.

In the just ended Parliamentary and General Elections, he was re-elected as Member of Parliament on the ticket of the NPP to serve the people of Nkawkaw Constituency.

He is married with three (3) children.

Ishmael Ashitey  Greater Accra Region



Ishmael Ashitey is 62 years old and 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 Master's degree in Governance and Leadership from GIMPA. He worked as a Mechanical Engineer at the Accra Brewery Limited for 13 years.

He served as Member of Parliament for Tema East from 1996 to 2008, and between that period, he was, first, appointed as Minister of State for Fisheries from 2001 to 2003 by former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

From 2003 to 2004, he was a Minister of State for Trade and Industry.

Whilst in Parliament, he was the Deputy Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee, a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Member on the Committee on Communications and Chairman of the Government Assurances Committee.

He has been the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party from 2010 to date.

He is married with four children.



By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The bilateral relations between Ghana and Morocco have been strengthened with the visit of the Moroccan King, Mohammed VI to Ghana.

The Moroccan King decorated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo with the country's highest national award  the Grand Collar of Wissam Al-Mohammadi  at the Flagstaff House yesterday as part of his official visit to Ghana.

It was in reciprocation of the award earlier conferred on him by President Akufo-Addo, who honoured King Mohammed VI with Ghana's highest national honour  The Companion of the Star of Ghana.

About 27 agreements were signed between the two countries in the areas of agriculture, trade and industry, energy, foreign affairs and regional integration, as well as education and also 20 other private sector organisations.

Tight Security

Security at the presidency had been raised to a high-level following the visit of the Moroccan King.

Long before his arrival at the Flagstaff House at about 1:30 pm, there was high security presence with both military and police men positioned at vantage points and on high alert.

Some of them were seen on rooftops wielding guns to foil any possible intrusion.

Movement to certain areas at the presidency was curtailed to aid the free movement of President Akufo-Addo and his guest, thereby causing a lot of inconvenience for especially anxious journalists, who wanted to capture every bit of the planned activity for the day.

Photo and videographers were seen almost falling over one another to capture the two leaders amidst the tight security.

Some frustrated journalists, especially the local reporters, had to retreat to their holding office to avoid possible brushes with the security guards.

The place had almost become a 'no go' area for especially visitors, who did not have any prior appointments with officials and key staff of the place.

But matters got worse when the Moroccan King arrived. Instead of using the usual route behind the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), his convoy was made to go through the front gate of the presidential palace [the part overlooking the Revolution Square].

Security was tight to an extent that a group of local actors and actresses, including Kalybos, Nana Ama Mac Brown, Joselyn Dumas and many more who had come to pay a courtesy call on the president had a tough time gaining access to the place.

Guard Of Honour

On arrival at the presidency, the King was made to inspect a guard of honour mounted by the Ghana Air Force after which he proceeded to exchange pleasantries with President Akufo-Addo.

Later at a ceremony, the president conferred on the Moroccan King the Companion of the Star of Ghana (honorary division) for his commitment to social justice and peace.

Decorating him with the honour, President Akufo-Addo said Ghana has enjoyed closer collaboration with Morocco in the areas of education and science under the rein of King Mohammed.

Nana commended him for his continuous commitment to democracy and peace.

The Moroccan King is expected to depart Ghana to his country sometime tomorrow.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Flagstaff House


The Regional Minister-designate (M) in a group photograph with members of the Sunyani Traditional Council

Minister-designate for the Brong-Ahafo Region, Asoma Cheremeh, whose appointment by President Akufo-Addo was opposed by the Sunyani Traditional Council, has smoked the peace pipe with the chiefs.

It must be recalled that members of the Sunyani Traditional Council expressed reservation over the nomination of Mr. Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh as the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister-designate, saying they would not work with him because the respectable lawyer had disrespected them and subjected the chief, Nana Asor Nkawire II, to public ridicule through his conduct and pronouncements.

At a press conference addressed by the Krontihene of the Traditional Council, Nana Bofotia Boa Amponsem II, some few weeks ago, he accused the minister-designate of inciting people against the Omanhene of the area, saying because of that the council would not collaborate with Mr Asomah-Cheremeh if he became the regional minister

It is for this reason that the minister-designate met with Nananom to bury the hatchet. The meeting was held behind closed doors on Tuesday, February 14, 2017, at the Mission House of the Roman Catholic Cathedral, Sunyani. Insiders say the meeting was fruitful after frank discussions between the council members and the minister's delegation, led by himself. The peace talk was brokered by the Regional Peace Council.

A statement released by the special aide to the Regiona Minister-designate, Maxwell Mahama, indicated, Nananom have wholeheartedly forgotten and buried whatever happened between them and the New Patriotic Party before, during and after the 2016 general election. The two parties have therefore finally agreed to work together in unity, peace and harmony for the common good of the region,

The two parties signified their new friendship with warm handshakes and a group picture.

[email protected]

FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Sunyani


Superstitious beliefs are defined as the beliefs of the fears of unknown which cannot be proofed scientifically. Superstitious beliefs are common in the African Continent including Ghana, though we are now in the age of Renaissance but these beliefs are continuously lingering in the minds of many Ghanaians even in towns and cities and worst in rural areas. When watching African movies, you will come to realization that superstition is high among the people because most of the African films portray superstition. Everything that happens to an African man is either attributed to witches, adols, orancestors. No nobody dies and people believe it is natural death, no matter the age of the person, it is still believed that either witches and wizards are behind it or ancestors have come for the person or the person offended the lesser gods.

From the years 1988 to 1993 the village of Dalaanyili in the then Bimbilla District (Now Nanumba South) was nearly ruined through superstitious belief. During those periods a lot of my peers died because they fell sick and were never taken to hospital for medical care. One of such deaths, I can remember clearly in mind, was my colleague cow boy who fell sick and was in the room for one and a half month. After his death, an old woman was accused to bewitch him. The period was also characterized by Guinea worm infestations.Children, women and men were all infested by guinea worms. The only source of our drinking water was a hand dug stream surrounded by filth, but the residence never thought that could be the cause of the guinea worm. Afetish priest-witch doctor was contacted to come and divine the possible cause of their plights, in evening around 8pm, the said priest arrived in the village with his team, they organized a dance while all the villagers (The adults) sat on stools in a circular fashion and the priest was on the dancing floor in the middle of the circle, he danced and if you were the bad element he hits you with the club and you are beaten and be banished from the village. During the performance, an old woman was pointed at, a woman who was already limping because a problem on her knee was then lynched by the priest and his team, thesick kneewas given hard beaten leading to her collapse, one could hear this old woman crying, spare me Im not possessed by witchcraft but her cry could not stop them, the woman was finally banished from the village with the belief that she was the evil one causing the guinea worm. After the old woman left the village, the guinea worm cases increased, the same priest was contacted for divinationagain, this time a lot of trees were accused and cut down because, the guinea worms were acquired from some place to be stored in those trees, so the reason to cut them down, the problem never stopped. It took the intervention of one student, John Nlenkiba, who was in Junior High School in Bimbilla Town and also a Member of the Church of Pentecost (Only Christian in the Village then),he was also infected by the guinea worm, his Church members came to the village to visithim, it was then that one of the Church members who was a guinea worm volunteer hinted that the problem was due to the water they drink and advised them to come to him so they will contribute to get a bore-hole for the village,lo and behold the bore hole was drilled in 1993,after one year of the bore hole which was now their source of drinking water, no single person has been infected with guinea worm till today.

The above live story explains why Africans and for that matter Ghanaians need to eschew superstition and to embrace modern technology for national development.

By: Abraham Njonaan Nlenkiba

[email protected]
Pace setters of affordable and quality mobile phones in Ghana, itel Mobile Ghana, has signed a one-year contract with young celebrated actress Priscilla Opoku Agyemang (Ahuofe Patri) as their brand ambassador.

The signing ceremony took place on the 16th of February 2017 at Kofas Medias ffice, East Legon. Present at the contract signing was Priscilla herself, her manager Kofi Asamoah, Digital Marketting and communication Manager of itel Ghana, Michael Tuekpe and the country manager of itel Ghana.

According to Ahuofe Patri, she is extremely excited about the whole ambassadorial deal and she believes with her huge fan base and activeness in the industry, she will go a long way to usher the brand into an amazing pedestal.

In an interview with the digital marketing and communication manager of itel Ghana, Michael Tuekpe, below is what he had to say;

We all know about the sleek and quality phones produced by itel Ghana, hence we needed someone who can match up that trend and there was no one other than Ahuefe Patri who is not only beautiful but also loved and inspired by the youth of Ghana. We believe she can assist us reach the youth with our useful products

Meanwhile itel Ghana recently launched its flagship mobile phone S31 which is currently doing exceptionally well in the market. The remarkable and classic S31 has amazing features with advanced camera features to create the best image.

BY Barimah Amoaning Samuel
Former Deputy Finance Minister, Mona Helen Quartey has cautioned the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to think through the free senior high school (SHS) programme before implementing it.

She said the bold endeavour of government might fail if it is hastily executed without a clearly thought-out plan to sustain the social intervention programme.

Contributing on the Joy FM/MultiTV news analysis programme Saturday, the finance expert said funding for the programme is one of the major challenges that need to be immediately fixed.

Related Article: Osafo Maafo was thinking aloud in Heritage Fund comment  Akomea

This should not fail...we say that it should succeed so let us look at proper, stable funding, she said.

The 'bold' announcement by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo about the implementation of the free secondary education coming September has stoked the debate about funding.

A section of Ghanaians wants government to itemise how it is going to fund the project estimated to cost the nation some GHC3.6 billion a year. There are about 432,780 SHS students in the country per the 2015/16 academic year data.

A suggestion by Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo about the likelihood of government financing the pro-poor programme with the Heritage Fund triggered criticisms.

Civil society groups and political opponents have strongly argued that the use of the reserved oil revenue which is more than GHC250 million would not be appropriately a wise decision to take.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has labeled government's decision as "lazy and [an]incompetent" one, saying the use of the Fund could destablise the economic fortune of the country.

Section 10 of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act 815 states that,

"A Ghana Heritage Fund is hereby established. (2) The object the Ghana Heritage Fund is to (a) provide an endowment to support development for future generations when petroleum reserves have been depleted; and

(b) receive excess petroleum revenue. (3) The Ghana Heritage Fund shall receive from the Petroleum Holding Fund a percentage petroleum revenue which be determined by Parliament as savings for the purpose of this Act."

Days later, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta told Joy News the Heritage Fund is not part of the sources of funding for the programme. He said the Senior Minister was mere suggestive in his comment.

NPP Director of Communications Nana Akomea said on Newsfile that government would be able to implement the policy without any glitches because it has the record and a proper plan of funding.

He added that what it takes to successfully carry out a social intervention is prioritisation which he promised government would do.

But Madam Quartey insisted that "it is not about prioritising, but preparing for it and how you fund it is critical as well."

She said the erstwhile NDC government had prepared the ground for President Akufo-Addo to fulfil all his 2016 campaign promises if he would adopt some of their strategies.

"This government can achieve success by learn from our experiences," she said, adding the NPP should consider "deliberate targeting" of the needy in the implementation of the programme instead of a wholesale support to every SHS student.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brako-Powers | [email protected]
Bakau (Gambia) (AFP) - Thousands celebrated Saturday as new Gambian President Adama Barrow retook his oath of office, a month after he was sworn in across the border in neighbouring Senegal during a tense power struggle.

February 18 is also the anniversary of The Gambia's independence from Britain, but many are also calling the day the birth of a third republic following the ousting of Yahya Jammeh at the ballot box.

The festivities began Saturday morning at Independence Stadium in Bakau, west of the capital, and were attended by several African heads of state as well as high-ranking diplomats.

The guest of honour was Senegalese President Macky Sall. Tens of thousands packed the venue, singing and dancing, an AFP correspondent said.

Barrow told the crowd he would probe human rights abuses under Barrow's mercurial and despotic rule spanning 22 years.

"A Human Rights Commission will be established without delay," to track people who were missing of had disappeared after being arrested, Barrow said.

"Orders have already been given for all those detained without trial to be released," he added.

Jubilant supporters said it was the start of a new era.

Symbolic pigeons

Gambian President Adama Barrow (L) takes an oath during the inauguration ceremony for the start of his presidency at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, west of the capital Banjul, on February 18, 2017

"This event we are celebrating today is the rebirth of democracy and the rule of law in the Gambia," said Sainey Marenah, a journalist who returned home from Senegal where he spent four years in exile.

Crowds of hundreds began to gather as early as 3:00 am.

"I spent the night here at the stadium. This is to ensure that I can have a smooth passage inside", said Isatou Dibba, a Barrow supporter.

Barrow retook the oath of office he first made at the Gambian embassy in Senegal, whose territory almost entirely surrounds The Gambia and whose president is seen as Barrow's closest ally.

Later 52 pigeons will be released, representing each year of independence from Britain.

The swearing-in ceremony on January 19 was held at a fraught time for the tiny west African nation, as Jammeh was refusing to step aside and acknowledge the result of the election Barrow won several weeks earlier.

Senegal spearheaded efforts to deploy west African troops in The Gambia after Jammeh's departure, in order to secure a country whose military forces were riven with factions still loyal to the ex-leader.

Around 500 Senegalese, Ghanaian and Nigerian soldiers remain in the country and were helping provide security for the celebrations on Saturday.

Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who pushed for mediation efforts with Jammeh during his last days in office, and another key mediator -- Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz -- attended the ceremony.
Kasese (Uganda) (AFP) - Countries in Africa's Great Lakes region launched an intelligence nerve centre in Uganda Saturday to better coordinate the fight against a rebel group responsible for massacres in neighbouring DR Congo.

A string of bloody killings in which civilians have mostly been hacked to death around the town of Beni in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo has left nearly 700 dead since 2014.

The bloodbath has been blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a shadowy group dominated by hardline Ugandan Muslims which has never claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, and whose basic motives and ideology remain unclear.

The centre in Kasese in Uganda, which is near the DRC border and suffered several ADF attacks in the late nineties, will be manned by eight security experts from Uganda, DRC, Tanzania and Kenya, with an unspecified number of staff working under them.

"Once the intelligence information is received at the centre, it will be analysed by the experts, further investigated and disseminated to member countries for action," said Uganda army spokesman Brigadier Richard Karemire.

The centre started with initial capital of $600,000 (565,000 euros) according to the executive secretary of the regional Great Lakes bloc ICGLR, Zachary Muburi Muita, and is financed by the four core member states.

The ADF started out with the aim of overthrowing Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who was seen as hostile to Muslims. But it went on to absorb other rebel factions into its ranks and started carrying out attacks in 1995.

Gradually pushed westwards by the Ugandan army, the ADF relocated most of its activities to the DRC.

When the Beni massacres started in October 2014, the ADF was quickly branded the culprit by both Congolese authorities and the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO.

Kinshasa has insisted on a jihadist motive to the killings. But many observers and experts say there has been no proven link with the global jihadist underground, and that this is a "simplistic" explanation for their acts.

Many ADF recruits -- drawn from Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya and as far as Somalia -- are not hardcore ideologues but young Muslims lured by the promise of going to study in Saudi Arabia, an intelligence agent and civil society source told AFP in December.

A group run by US researcher Jason Stearns published a report in March claiming several distinct groups "appear to be involved in the massacres", including soldiers from the regular army.

The government rejected the claims and Stearns was expelled from DRC after the report's release.

Beni's mayor Bwanakawa Nyonyi told AFP last year he believes the massacres are carried out by a nebulous group, with politically-motivated "Congolese hands" behind them.

In explaining the violence, some have cited struggles for control of trafficking in various industries like timber, agricultural produce or minerals in a region with extremely rich potential.
The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) may send some governors to the United Kingdom to visit President Muhammadu Buhari, except he returns home between now and next week.

According to The Punch, the plan to send a delegation to the president was part of the discussion at the last governors meeting in Abuja, which ended in the early hours of Thursday, February 16.

A source at the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the governors also decided to send a goodwill message to the presidents family in Nigeria, hinting that the president might return home very soon based on the information available to the governors.

He explained that representatives of the NGF would have embarked on the UK trip immediately but for the information pointing towards the president may return anytime from now.

READ ALSO: Governors in crucial meeting at Aso Rock

A governor, who was at the meeting, who also spoke with one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity, said said the governors supported the idea after they were informed about the visit of the leadership of the National Assembly to the president during the week.

A few weeks ago, President Buhari had written to the Senate to inform the legislators that he would proceed on medical vacation for 10 days and that vice-President Yemi Osinbajo would act on his behalf as president during his absence.

However the president again wrote a letter to the National Assembly a day before he was to resume, informing the lawmakers that he needed to extend his leave in order to complete and get the results of some tests recommended by his doctors.

Since the presidents departure, some chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have been paying visits to him at the Abuja House in London, UK.

However, some Peoples Democratic Party federal lawmakers have questioned the exclusion of opposition members in the National Assembly delegation that recently paid Buhari a visit in London.

The opposition lawmakers expressed disappointment with the exclusion of PDP members in the delegation even as one of the partys members Ike Ekweremadu is the Deputy Senate President.

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Meanwhile, the youth wing of the PDP has recommended that Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers and Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti states should visit President Buhari in London.

The group which is also called the PDP Youth Frontier said visiting the president was not the exclusive right of the APC members only.

They made this known on their twitter handle saying: Buhari health is not the APC internal affairs alone therefore PDP youths recommending that Fayose and Wike should also visit him in London.

Source: Legit.ng
- Coalition of Urhobo Nation Youth Leaders and Stakeholders (CUNYLS) has weighed on the issue surrounding President Muhammadu Buharis health

- The group has demanded that the presidency release a video recording of President Muhammadu Buhari

- They also demanded a public presentation of the presidents health

A group known as the Coalition of Urhobo Nation Youth Leaders and Stakeholders (CUNYLS) has demanded that the presidency release a video recording of President Muhammadu Buhari who is currently in the United Kingdom on medical vacation.

The health of President Muhammadu Buhari has generated debate all over the country

The group made the duggestion on Friday, February 17 in a statement signed by Its convener, Comrade Rex Emojite Ekiugbo Anighoro and its acting Coordinator, Comrade Blessed Ughere.

According to Daily Post, the group also demanded a public presentation of the presidents health status.

The group further suggested that former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Alex Ekwueme should lead a delegation of statesmen to visit the president.

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Part of the statement read: We demand that a delegation of statesmen led by a former president pays a courtesy visit to Mr President in London, or wherever he is, and this visit be visually recorded and relayed to all Nigerians.

We demand that the presidents state of health be immediately publicly declared for the benefits of all Nigerians.

We recommend former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Alex Ekwueme to lead such delegation.

We must state here that efforts by the presidency to stifle these rumours have rather given more impetus to the rumours.

Perhaps it has not come to the realisations of the relevant authorities, but we must state here, that this current state of cul de sac and grave yard silence is an open invitation to power tussle, political imbroglio capable of destabilising the current government from actualisation of their campaign promises to our people.

The desperation of members of the Presidency begs the question, if the President of Nigeria is healthy enough to receive guests stemmed from his political partys leadership, why couldnt he grant a live audience to multitude of Nigerians who thronged to demand that he addresses them.

READ ALSO: Presidency not planning any special reception for Buhari - Femi Adesina

President Buhari has been in London since January 19. The presidency had first announced that he was there for a 10-day leave. But he has since extended the leave on medical grounds.

Meanwhile, Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi state has directed religious leaders in the state to commence prayers for President Muhammadu Buhari's quick recovery.

The governor said they should direct Jumaat Mosques and Churches in their domains to commence the prayers as soon as possible.

Source: Legit.ng
Rev.Fr.Paul Danbaki Jatau called on Nigerians to stop being deceived by politicians lies and rise start a radical revolution that can see to the end of incompetency among politicians.

Rev. Fr. Paul Danbaki Jatau of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Kaduna, has called for radical revolution in Nigeria.

According to Daily Post, Jatau lamented the rate at which Nigerian politicians forget their promises once they get into office.

Jatau said: In Nigerian brand of politics, reliability and stability are becoming strange to us.

When a politician says he is with you, you can be certain that he is not really with you. This is because, immediately he finishes telling you he is with you this minute, you can see him in the next minute with a political opponent in another meeting and when you confront him, he tells you it is politics.

Nigerians need radical revolution  Rv. Fr. Paul Danbaki Jatau

READ ALSO: How I stopped Kaduna state governor from dragging Chocolate city boss Audu Maikori to court  Oby Ezekwesili

Politicians should not just be knowledgeable, but should have facts and figures of what they intend to correct and do. But the utterances of these politicians at times, suggest that they do not know exactly what is going on. That is why at political rallies, real issues on how to tackle corruption, unemployment, infrastructural decay, economic growth etc are not discussed. What usually take precedence are sweeping statements like I will end corruption, I will provide jobs etc.

Jatau also said the consequences of politicians lies include unabated killing of innocent citizens, and charged security agencies to be alive to their responsibility of ensuring crime preventions and controls.

The recent carnage in Southern Kaduna is an embarrassment to Governor Nasir El-Rufai as a man of uncommon positive knowledge. He is too knowledgeable to be caught in the usual machinations to promote killings under any guise.

It is a known fact that the people of Southern Kaduna seriously NEED a separate State and a check on the map of the proposed State shows a Christian dominated population, which should at least serve as hope since the El-Rufai administration seems to be more interested in political rhetoric than the protection of lives and properties. Creation of a State for the people of Southern Kaduna should be seen as a necessity.

Jatau blamed poverty as the basic reason Nigerians politicians can easily take citizens for granted after they get to office. He however called on Nigerians to fight against this treatment by politicians.

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He said: With the state of things, indeed, a radical revolution is needed in Nigeria today, to clear the polity of these brands of established politicians and replace them with men and women who play politics of ideas and advancement.

Based on the current state of things, Nigerians have to contend with political deceptions, betrayals and endless rhetorical excesses of the political elite. A typical Nigerian politician has proven that he is not to be TRUSTED! Our MUMU don do! Looking forward to 2019!

Source: Legit.ng
While, President Buhari away, Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has assented to seven bills passed by the National Assembly.

Prof Yemi Osinbajo

Below is the list of bills:

1. Oath (Amendment) Act 2017

2. Defence Space Administration Act

3. Veterinary Surgeons(Amendment) Act

4. National Film and Video Censors Boad

5. Pension Rights of Judges

6. Nigerian Institute of Social Science Establishment Act

7. Mortgage Institutions Amendment Act.

READ ALSO: Osinbajo replaces Babachir Lawal at new boards committee

Senator Ita Enang, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters confirmed that Osinbajo had indeed endorsed the bills.

Also Enang explained that the Acts, other than the Defence Space Administration Act and Institute of Soil science were mainly Amendments to the Principal Act and they are intended to bring the Acts in conformity with current realities.

Recall that Osinbajo has been acting for President Muhammadu Buhari since January 19, 2017.

Meanwhile, the National Executive Council (NEC), met on Thursday, February 16 for the first time this year in Abuja and it was presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

The NEC approved the nomination of six Nigerians for the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).

The NSIA is the manager of Nigerias Sovereign Wealth Fund. It was established as independent agency by an Act of the National Assembly in May 2011.

Source: Legit.ng
- Attacks on Nigerians by South Africans continue

- Five building with Nigerian businesses looted and burn

- Nigerians in South Africa have cried out to Nigerian government to intervene

A fresh attack was allegedly launched by South Africans on Nigerians living in Pretoria West, South Africa in the early hours of Saturday, February 18.

The president of Nigeria Union in South Africa, Mr Ikechukwu Anyene, President, Nigeria Union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on a telephone call that the attacks began at 4.00am.

Anyene said: As we speak, five buildings with Nigerian businesses, including a church have been looted and burned by South Africans.

Fresh attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa, 5 buildings with Nigerian shops looted and burnt

READ ALSO: Tribalism and religious intolerance is killing Nigeria - Gospel Singer

One of the buildings is a mechanic garage with 28 cars under repairs, with other vital documents, were burned during the attack.

Also, the pastor of the church was wounded and is in the hospital receiving treatment.

According to him, the union received information that there will be xenophobic attacks against foreigners on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23 and they proceeded to warn Nigerians living in the city.

Ayene said: The attack in Pretoria West is purely xenophobic and criminal attack because they loot the shops and homes before burning them.

Ayene said the Nigeria government should speak with South Africa government to protect Nigerians against attacks by South Africans.

Recall that Nigerians in South Africa have been victims of xenophobic attacks since 2015, after South Africans accused Nigerians living among them of taking their businesses and jobs.

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Meanwhile, the Presidency has reacted to alleged extra-judicial killing of a Nigerian in the South Africa by security agents.

According to the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the killing of a Nigerian in South Africa is worrying and condemnable.

In a statement made available to NAN, Dabiri-Erewa said the latest gruesome killing of a Nigerian, Tochukwu Nnadi by police in South Africa, was unacceptable to the people and government of Nigeria.

Source: Legit.ng
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Saloua Raouda Choucair, a Lebanese artist and one of the first abstractionists in the Arab world, whose sense of line and form  derived from Islamic art  brought a new idiom to modernism, died on Jan. 26 at her home in Beirut. She was 100.

The death was confirmed by her daughter, Hala Schoukair.

It was not until she was in her 90s that Ms. Choucair (pronounced shoo-CARE), who lived and worked nearly all her life in Beirut, gained recognition outside Lebanon as an unsung hero of the modernist story, a distinctive, eloquent artist relegated to the margins of a traditionally Western narrative.

Out of place in her native country, too, for many years, she worked in obscurity  persevering through Lebanons civil war in the 1970s and 80s, filling her apartment with small-scale geometric paintings and modular, interlocking sculptures that reflected a distinctive, highly refined understanding of line, form and materials.

In 2013, the Tate Modern in London organized a retrospective that came, as the critic Laura Cumming wrote in The Observer, as a bolt from the blue.
For R. Alexander Acosta, President Trumps new pick for labor secretary, renewed attention on a salacious lawsuit may not come at a great time.

A decade ago, Mr. Acosta, the United States attorney in Miami at the time, played a role in what critics said was a lenient plea deal given to a wealthy New Yorker, Jeffrey E. Epstein, who was accused of paying underage girls for sexual massages.

Now, as senators consider Mr. Acostas nomination for a cabinet position, the sordid details of Mr. Epsteins case are set to receive another public airing.

The setting will be a federal courtroom in Manhattan, where a trial is expected to start in the spring in a defamation lawsuit brought against one of Mr. Epsteins associates, Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the British publishing mogul Robert Maxwell.
Abba Tor, whose engineering prowess helped the landmark Trans World Flight Center take wing at Kennedy International Airport  and kept it from cracking apart  died on Feb. 11 in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. He was 93.

The cause was cardiac arrest, his daughter, Shuli Tor, said.

Associated with Eero Saarinen and Louis I. Kahn, pillars of modern architecture, Mr. Tor worked with Mr. Saarinen on the John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, Ill., and the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center in New York, and with Mr. Kahn on the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven.

But he earned his reputation with Trans World Airlines birdlike terminal, designed by Mr. Saarinen. It was completed in 1962 and has since been celebrated as a symbol of the jet age.

Most important was his insistence, against Mr. Saarinens wishes, that the lobed roof be divided into four discrete vaults, instead of being formed as a single 55,000-square-foot expanse of concrete, without joints.
When federal immigration officials arrested 41 people in the New York region this month, immigrant advocates suggested the action was an indication of the Trump administrations new priorities in detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants.

On Friday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, released a list detailing the offenses of those who were detained. Among the most serious were 12 people with convictions for sex-related crimes, including three cases of rape and six involving offenses against children; nine with convictions for driving under the influence; three with robbery convictions; and two with convictions for distribution or sale of cocaine.

All of the convictions listed qualified as deportable offenses under the Obama administration.

Citizens of New York City and the surrounding areas are safer every time another criminal is removed from the street, Thomas R. Decker, director of enforcement and removal operations in ICEs New York office, said in a statement.

Our nation has a proud history of immigration, he said, adding that no one should be allowed to pick and choose which laws they decide to follow.
When Mr. Trumps assistants can keep the edge of panic out of their voices, they insist that Mr. Trump has gotten more done in the early going than most presidents. And Mr. Trump is so adept at creating smoke that Americans might be forgiven for thinking thats true. But at this point in the Obama presidency, which did inherit a mess, Congress had passed laws aimed at dragging the economy back from the brink of depression while committing $800 billion in Recovery Act spending to projects ranging from housing to roads to advanced energy technologies.

Mr. Trumps vaunted $1 trillion infrastructure spending program, by contrast, doesnt yet exist, because the president confuses executive orders with achievements. Orders are dashed off without input from Congress and the government officials who would implement them. The White House is a toxic mix of ideology, inexperience and rivalries; insiders say tantrums are nearly as common as the spelling errors in the press offices news releases. Steve Bannon writes the presidents script, and Reince Priebus, the embattled chief of staff, crashes meetings to which he has not been invited.

Mr. Trump complains about the slow pace of congressional confirmation of his appointees, but the obstacle is at his end. His staff doesnt bother to vet nominees in advance. His pick for labor secretary failed in part because no one in authority seemed to know that the nominee had employed an undocumented immigrant and had been accused of abusing his ex-wife.

Everything he rolls out is done so badly, Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian, marveled recently. Theyre just releasing comments, tweets and policies willy-nilly.

If there is any upside here, it is that the administrations ineptitude has so far spared the nation from a wholesale dismantling of major laws, including the Affordable Care Act, though he may yet kill the law through malign neglect. In the meantime, however, as Mr. Harwards retreat on Thursday suggests, the chaos carries other risks. A Navy SEAL turned corporate executive, Mr. Harward cited family and financial considerations for refusing the national security job, but privately he was reported to be worried about the effect of a mercurial president on national security decision making. As Gen. Tony Thomas, head of the militarys Special Operations Command, said this week: Our government continues to be in unbelievable turmoil. I hope they sort it out soon, because were a nation at war.
For many years now, successive American administrations have made no secret of their frustration with how little most NATO allies spend on their militaries, leaving the United States with a disproportionately large share of the bill for the joint defense. Jim Mattis, the new secretary of defense, recently expressed much the same frustration in remarks delivered in Brussels. Its a message the other 27 members of the alliance should pay careful attention to. But Mr. Mattis went further, warning that unless the allies paid up, America might reduce its commitment. This part of his speech  in which he echoed his boss, President Trump  sent the wrong message at the wrong time.

These are fraught times for the Western alliance, which even after the Cold War remains a critical unifying bond among the democracies of North America and Europe, and whose members have worked together to confront terrorism in Afghanistan and promote stability in several Middle Eastern countries. Mr. Trump has called NATO obsolete for not confronting terrorism and has also suggested that the United States might not come to the support of NATO members that have not met their financial obligations. And now his defense secretary seems to be saying the same thing.

This is disheartening. Putting conditions on American support for an ally under attack is an abject departure from the core commitment of all NATO allies to come to the assistance of any member facing armed aggression. It is egregious at a time when the alliance is again facing an assertive and aggressive Russia, and especially worrisome given the questions over Mr. Trumps possible links to Moscow. And it is surprising coming from Mr. Mattis, a former Marine Corps general who held high military commands in the United States and in NATO and who has a far clearer notion than his boss of the importance and role of NATO. Mr. Mattis had argued forcefully in his confirmation hearings and in Brussels that the alliance is essential to American security and that Washington has not changed its attitude toward Russia.

Of course unity also means sharing the burden. Some time ago the allies agreed that this means each member should spend at least 2 percent of gross domestic product on the military. The United States currently spends 3.61 percent, or $664 billion last year, although that figure includes American commitments in Asia and elsewhere. The only NATO members that meet the 2 percent benchmark are Britain, Poland, Estonia and Greece. Germany, by contrast, spends 1.1 percent; France 1.7 percent; and others even less. The laggards could at least meet their minimum obligations, and others could do more.
Where men did sometimes break, and where they were most liable to commit war crimes, was in the South. Being unable to identify the enemy created overwhelming stress. A barber or laundress on base or a peasant working in the fields during the day might lay booby traps at night. This led to atrocities: Rogue members of the anti-guerrilla Tiger Force killed hundreds of civilians; in March 1968, American soldiers killed hundreds more at the South Vietnamese village of My Lai.

But war crimes were very far from common. Indeed, for each atrocity, there were many more acts of kindness toward civilians and bravery in combat. Soldiers rebuilt schools, homes and roads, often on their own initiative; 244 Americans received the Medal of Honor, more than in World War I and Korea combined.

Most men, wherever they were, just wanted to go home. Few had any illusions about how the war would shape the rest of their lives, but they also pined for their old normal existence, and a return to their families and hometowns. Few veterans can forget the day they left Vietnam, most walking up the steps of a Freedom Bird airliner for the trip home. One recalled, Boy, everybody stood up and cheered when the pilot announced we were crossing into the United States.

But those returning received few parades or recognition, and often felt isolated from their countrymen. One remembered his sister asking, Who are you fighting for, the North Vietnamese or the other guys? He lamented: I knew that nobody back here understood what was happening. Because if my own family didnt know, what hope did I have with somebody who even know me?

The disconnection and boredom of life stateside led some to return to Vietnam for another tour. Nonetheless, the majority persevered back home. As one said: Most of the veterans returned home reasonably whole, as whole as returning veterans from earlier wars. The majority were not dopers, did not beat their wives or children, did not commit suicide, did not haunt the unemployment offices, and did not boozily sink into despair and futility.

They hid their emotional scars, just as their fathers had after World War II, though they bore the added injury of an angry, often disrespectful America. They were forced to carry the weight of political and military decisions, to answer for Johnson and William Westmoreland, whether they agreed with them or not. This, in a way, is where the stereotype of the fragile veteran finds some truth  not in the war itself, but in the reception, back home. As the writer Tim OBrien noted, Some vets, more than a decade later, have not yet recovered, and some never will.
When Sean Spicer was appointed White House press secretary by President Trump, Mr. Spicer tweeted, Thank you @realDonaldTrump for this amazing honor.

Given the self-inflicted wounds of Mr. Spicer since the inauguration, hes in danger of joining Ron Ziegler of Watergate infamy among failed White House press secretaries.

For personal reasons, Ive long been a student of White House press secretaries.

In late 1969 I received a call from the White House chief of staff, H. R. Haldeman, that I would be invited to lunch by a friend of his, and that I should keep an open mind.

As a young political reporter in California in 1967, I often encountered Bob Haldeman in his role as a regent in the state university system and as head of J. Walter Thompson, the advertising agency that handled NBCs West Coast promotion campaigns. (Ron Ziegler supervised the NBC account for him.)
When President Trump signed an executive order temporarily banning travel from seven majority Muslim countries, he hurled us back to one of the darkest and most shameful chapters of American history. Executive orders that go after specific groups under the guise of protecting the American people are not only unconstitutional, but morally wrong. My father, and so many other Americans of Japanese descent, were targets of just such an order during World War II.

Seventy-five years ago on Sunday, under President Franklin D. Roosevelts Executive Order 9066, all people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast were forced to leave their homes and report to incarceration camps. Two-thirds were American citizens. Fred Korematsu, my father, then 23, refused to go. A proud and loyal citizen, he had tried to enlist in the National Guard but was rejected and was wrongly fired from his job as a welder in an Oakland, Calif., shipyard. He was arrested and tried for defying the executive order. Upon conviction, he was held in a horse stall at a hastily converted racetrack until he and his family were moved to a desolate camp in Topaz, Utah. My father told me later that jail was better than the camp.

He appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court. In his case, and in cases brought by Minoru Yasui and Gordon Hirabayashi  among the most infamous cases in American legal history  the court in 1944 upheld the executive order. Justice Frank Murphy vehemently opposed the majority decision, writing in a dissenting opinion, Racial discrimination in any form and in any degree has no justifiable part whatever in our democratic way of life. In the hysteria of war and racialized propaganda, my fathers citizenship did not protect him. For him and the 120,000 other Japanese-Americans incarcerated during World War II, there was no attempt to sort the loyal from the disloyal.

In 1982, almost 40 years after my fathers conviction, evidence was discovered proving that the wartime government suppressed, altered and destroyed material evidence while arguing my fathers, Yasuis and Hirabayashis cases before the Supreme Court. The governments claims that people of Japanese descent had engaged in espionage and that mass incarceration was necessary to protect the country were not only false, but had even been refuted by the governments own agencies, including the Office of Naval Intelligence, the F.B.I. and the Federal Communications Commission.
FRONT PAGE

A picture with the continuation of a front-page article on Thursday about the decaying facilities from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was published in error. It showed a closed community pool, not the closed pool that was used for the Olympic canoe slalom course.

INTERNATIONAL

An article in some editions on Jan. 26 about a report by a New Delhi nonprofit organization on the lack of transparency in Indias political financing misstated, at one point, the percentage of contributions to the countrys political parties in which the source was disclosed to the Election Commission. As noted correctly elsewhere in the article, it was 31 percent, not 69 percent.



An article on Jan. 29 about a growing conviction among Japanese that a woman should be allowed to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne misidentified the member of the royal family who is next in line to Crown Prince Naruhito. He is Naruhitos younger brother, Prince Akishino, not Prince Hisahito. (Hisahito is Akishinos son, and would be next in line after him.)

NEW YORK

Because of an editing error, an article on Feb. 11 about familial searching, a new crime-solving technique, misstated the name of the organization that held a public meeting on the issue. It was the New York State Commission on Forensic Science, not the National Commission on Forensic Science.
In order to fund health insurance for Americans who dont get coverage through work, congressional Republicans are considering changing the system for those who do.

This week, health care committees in the House and Senate circulated an outline of an Affordable Care Act repeal and replacement plan. That outline explained how money would be spent on the program  on Medicaid, tax benefits for holders of health savings accounts, and tax credits for individuals buying their own insurance. What it did not say was how government would pay for the plan. Moreover, it called for eliminating taxes imposed by the A.C.A., including taxes on medical devices, drugs and health insurance plans.

But congressional Republicans do have an idea about where they could find some money to pay for their health program: by limiting the size of the tax break employers and workers receive on their health plans. Several lawmakers who attended a House Republican caucus meeting Thursday said such a plan was under discussion.

Currently, a dollar your employer spends on your wages is subject to income and payroll taxes, while any dollar spent on your health insurance is tax free. That system, which dates to the 1940s, is loathed by economists across the political spectrum, but it has become a staple of our tax and compensation system. The employer health insurance tax exclusion, as its known, is the single largest expenditure in our tax system, costing $216 billion in lost tax revenue last year, according to the Tax Policy Center. Thats almost three times the size of the mortgage interest deduction.
The board is made up of senior Civil Service officials from six agencies: the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice and State, and the offices of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of national intelligence. It operates by consensus, so each department or agency essentially has a veto, and the heads of each agency can overrule a recommendation.

A decision by the board to put a detainee on the transfer list does not necessarily mean he will be released: The government considers eligibility for transfer a policy recommendation, not a legal right. In the Obama era, dozens of men  mostly lower-level detainees from Yemen  stayed locked up for years after being put on the list because there was no good place to send them.

The Obama administration ultimately reduced the list to five, but the Trump administration has given no indication that it will try to repatriate or resettle the men.

Where did the board come from?

The law of war permits the detention without trial of captured enemies until hostilities end. But that rule was designed for traditional wars that last only a few years. Because the war against Al Qaeda and its progeny may last a lifetime, the government decided it needed a process to decide whether it still made sense to keep holding a particular prisoner as the years passed.

In its second term, George W. Bushs administration set up a predecessor panel called the Administrative Review Board. Unlike the Periodic Review Board, the panel was made up of military officers only, and detainees had no right to legal representation during their hearings. In 2009, Mr. Obama shut down the Bush-era board and appointed a six-agency task force to review the remaining detainees. It recommended transferring 156, continuing to hold 48 without trial, and prosecuting 36, though not all of those ended up being charged. Mr. Obama later created the boards to periodically re-evaluate those who were neither charged nor already on the transfer list.
WASHINGTON  The White House budget office has drafted a hit list of programs that President Trump could eliminate to trim domestic spending, including longstanding conservative targets like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Legal Services Corporation, AmeriCorps and the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities.

Work on the first Trump administration budget has been delayed as the budget office awaited Senate confirmation of former Representative Mick Mulvaney, a spending hard-liner, as budget director. Now that he is in place, his office is ready to move ahead with a list of nine programs to eliminate, an opening salvo in the Trump administrations effort to reorder the government and increase spending on defense and infrastructure.

Most of the programs cost under $500 million annually, a pittance for a government that is projected to spend about $4 trillion this year. And a few are surprising, even though most if not all have been perennial targets for conservatives.

Mr. Trump has spoken volubly about the nations drug problems, yet the list includes the White Houses Office of National Drug Control Policy, which dispenses grants to reduce drug use and drug trafficking. And despite Mr. Trumps vocal promotion of American exports, the list includes the Export-Import Bank, which has guaranteed loans to foreign customers of American companies since the 1930s.
By January 2016, the country claimed to have exploded a hydrogen bomb in a fourth test, but outside monitors expressed skepticism. Seismic readings suggested an explosive force of four to six kilotons.

Seismic readings of North Koreas fifth test, in September 2016, however, registered a force of approximately 10 kilotons, according to South Koreas Defense Ministry.

Technology: missiles could reach continental U.S. by 2026

In 1999, George J. Tenet, then director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said he could hardly overstate his concern about North Koreas program, warning that the Taepodong-1 missile, with a reach of up to 1,243 miles, could deliver bomb payloads to Alaska and Hawaii.

In the nearly two decades since, the countrys investment in becoming a nuclear weapons power has succeeded despite diplomacy and international sanctions. In 2016, Mr. Kim launched dozens of missiles for tests and as shows of military might. Some missiles could be launched from mobile pads and submarines, making them easier to hide. They could potentially carry nuclear warheads, according to Siegfried S. Hecker, emeritus director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, birthplace of the atomic bomb.

He and other analysts have said they assume North Korea has designed and demonstrated nuclear warheads that can be mounted on short-range and perhaps medium-range missiles. Writing in September 2016, Dr. Hecker said, Pyongyang will likely develop the capability to reach the continental United States with a nuclear tipped missile in a decade or so.
Michael Rainey, who dressed the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in flamboyant, boldly colored designs from his avant-garde London mens boutique and briefly became part of the citys swinging fashion scene in the 1960s, died on Jan. 28 in Granada, Spain. He was 76.

His son Errol said the cause was emphysema.

When Mr. Rainey opened Hung on You in 1965, he had little fashion or tailoring experience, but the store flourished as part of a vanguard of hip London shops like Granny Takes a Trip. His frilly shirts, jackets with velvet cuffs, kipper ties, lemon-hued sharkskin suits, Great Leap Forward Mao jackets and reworked military uniforms turned customers into peacocks.

Its customers were the real departure from the routine, for they were almost exclusively the new male dandies invented by the 1960s, a taboo-breaking mixture of social and rock aristocracy as never encountered before, Richard Lester wrote in Boutique London: Kings Road to Carnaby Street (2010).

With the words Hung on You painted in oversize letters on its storefront and a large mural inside, the shop became a groovy place to be seen, especially if rockers and other celebrities were known to have bought clothing there.
Despite a brief flare-up of controversy that preceded it, a conversation between Milo Yiannopoulos, the incendiary right-wing author and lecturer, and Bill Maher, the comedian and host of HBOs Real Time, on that program Friday night was a largely docile, chummy affair. There was little conflict or cross-examination, as both men chided the political left for avoiding or drowning out Mr. Yiannopouloss views rather than engaging with them.

Introducing Mr. Yiannopoulos, 32, an openly gay editor at Breitbart News, Mr. Maher said: I think youre colossally wrong on a number of things. But if I banned everyone from my show who I thought was colossally wrong, I would be talking to myself.

Mr. Yiannopoulos began the interview by cracking jokes about gay people (whom he said he did not hire because they did not show up to work on time) and women, and telling Mr. Mahers audience that they were very easily triggered.

All I care about is free speech and free expression, Mr. Yiannopoulos explained. I want people to be able to be, do and say anything. These days, youre right, thats a conservative issue.
In one case, even the dirt used to backfill excavated holes at the Westinghouse project in Georgia became a point of contention when it did not measure up to Nuclear Regulatory Commission standards, leading to increased costs and a lawsuit.

Thus far in the United States, only the Tennessee Valley Authority, itself a government corporation, has been able to bring a new nuclear reactor into operation in the last 20 years.

Of the dozens of new reactors once up for licensing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, only four are actively under construction. Two are at the Alvin W. Vogtle generating station in Georgia, and two at the Virgil C. Summer plant in South Carolina. Both projects, which plan to use a novel reactor from Westinghouse, have been plagued by delays and cost overruns, some stemming, paradoxically, from an untested regulatory system intended to simplify and accelerate their development.

The projects, more than three years late and billions over budget, are what pushed Westinghouse  one of the last private companies building nuclear reactors  and its parent, Toshiba, to the brink of financial ruin, resulting in Toshibas chairman stepping down.

The company has said that Westinghouse will complete the reactors for the projects it already has underway, including two in China. But the fate of other projects in the United States and abroad that plan to use the Westinghouse reactor, known as the AP1000, are in doubt, along with the role of the United States in the future of nuclear energy. It is also unclear how President Trump will approach nuclear energy development, which has broad and overlapping implications for tax and trade policies, economic development and national security.

The AP1000 is considered one of the worlds most advanced reactors, with simplified structures and safety equipment which were intended to make it easier and less expensive to install, operate and maintain. It has been designed with an improved ability to withstand earthquakes and plane crashes and is less vulnerable to a cutoff of electricity, which is what set off the triple meltdown at Fukushima.
SUNDAY PUZZLE  There are people who will say that puns are the lowest form of humor, and I generally dont bother arguing with them. I am someone who appreciates a good pun. I dont know what that says about me, but at a time when we could collectively use a sense of humor, I will take my guffaws where I can get them. That is yet another reason I turn to crossword puzzles, other than the fact that its my job to solve them and write about them.

Today we have a great source of those guffaws from Dr. Bruce Haight and our editors who warn us from the get-go (known in the puzzle business as the title) that something is up: The puzzle is called Uh-Oh!  so either something bad is about to happen, or thats a hint about the theme.

Todays Theme

It turns out that the title, which I highly encourage solvers to note before they start a Sunday puzzle, is a huge hint to the theme. We are changing the uh sound in familiar phrases to the oh sound, hence the title Uh-Oh!

Sunday puzzles are large and they have more theme material than the weekday puzzles, so its rare (for me) that all of the theme entries will knock it out of the park. Today, however, I was entertained by all of them. There are always favorites, however, and today I loved NO GOATS, NO GLORY the most. Im not sure why, other than being a big fan of goats in general and thinking that changing "no guts, no glory to the pun was a brilliant find on Dr. Haights part. I also really liked HOT DOG BONE for hot dog bun, because the quality control aspect of the clue was very funny.
Jasmine Monica Liverpool and Isaiah Henry Norman were married Feb. 18 at Flowerfield Celebrations, an event space in St. James, N.Y. Bishop Larry Carzelle Dudley Sr., who was ordained in the Church of God, officiated.

The bride, 28, is taking her husbands name. She is a defense lawyer for Schenectady County in Schenectady, N.Y. She graduated from Smith College, and received a law degree from the University at Buffalo.

She is a daughter of Marie Liverpool and Corbett Liverpool of Brooklyn. The brides father is a manager at Verizon in Brooklyn, specializing in the construction of the Fios network. Her mother, a licensed practical nurse, founded and runs the Children Nest Camp, a day camp in Leogane, Haiti.

The groom, 32, is the dean of students and community liaison at the Henry Johnson Charter School in Albany. He graduated from the University at Albany, from which he also received a masters degree in Africana studies.
She also switched sides, from abortion rights advocate to anti-abortion campaigner. She underwent two religious conversions, as a born-again Christian and as a Roman Catholic, and became in her last decades a staunch foe of abortion, vowing to undo Roe v. Wade, testifying in Congress and bitterly attacking Barack Obama when he ran for president and then re-election.

She was never the idealized Jane Roe crusader many Americans visualized. Some observers said she became a pawn used by both sides in the maelstrom of the abortion wars as her public views shifted from one side to the other. In her first book, I Am Roe: My Life, Roe v. Wade, and Freedom of Choice (1994, with Andy Meisler), she offered what was perhaps her own most objective self-assessment.

I wasnt the wrong person to become Jane Roe, she said. I wasnt the right person to become Jane Roe. I was just the person who became Jane Roe, of Roe v. Wade. And my life story, warts and all, was a little piece of history.

Plucked from obscurity in 1970 by Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee, two young Dallas lawyers who wanted to challenge Texas laws that prohibited abortions except to save a mothers life, Ms. McCorvey, five months pregnant with her third child, signed an affidavit she claimed she did not read. She just wanted a quick abortion and had no inkling that the case would become a cause celebre.

Four months later, she gave birth to a daughter and surrendered her for adoption. (Her second child had also been given up for adoption, and her first was being raised by her mother.) She had little contact with her lawyers, never went to court or was asked to testify, and was uninvolved in proceedings that took three years to reach the Supreme Court.

On Jan. 22, 1973, the court ruled 7-2 in Roe v. Wade (Henry Wade, the Dallas County district attorney, was the defendant in the class-action suit) that privacy rights under the due process and equal rights clauses of the 14th Amendment extended to a womans decision to have an abortion in a pregnancys first trimester free of interference by the state, in the words of Justice Harry A. Blackmun, who wrote the opinion.
Thats why major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, encourage doctors to discuss gun storage and safety with patients, particularly those living with children. Its no different from talking about other common household hazards like swimming pools, chemicals, and drugs and alcohol.

Florida law itself makes it a misdemeanor to fail to secure firearms in homes where a child can get to them without supervision. When that law was passed in 1989, legislators pointed to the tragically large number of Florida children accidentally killed or injured by poorly stored guns, and said that placing firearms within the reach or easy access of children is irresponsible, encourages such accidents, and should be prohibited.

The state now claims that its gag rule, which the National Rifle Association strongly supported, was necessary to prevent the violation of patients constitutional rights and of their privacy. But the Second Amendment does not preclude questions about, commentary on, or criticism for the exercise of that right, the federal appeals court said.

The majority also noted that the state had offered no evidence of doctors improperly disclosing information about patients gun ownership. Indeed, the law was based entirely on a handful of anecdotes purporting to show that doctors had asked improper questions or had refused treatment to children whose parents kept guns at home. Even if true, these dont come close to justifying a sweeping ban on speech.

Patients are, of course, free to not answer questions from their doctors. But they also need to be able to trust that their doctors will speak openly and honestly about health and safety risks, and not stay silent out of a fear of prosecution. As Judge William Pryor wrote in a concurring opinion, criminalizing medical advice is a slippery slope. Could a state prohibit a doctor from advising parents to vaccinate their children? Could a state prohibit a doctor from recommending abstinence or encouraging safe sexual behavior? What about organ donation or surrogacy or terminal care?
Jeffrey Medford, a small-business owner in South Carolina, voted reluctantly for Donald Trump. As a conservative, he felt the need to choose the Republican. But some things are making him feel uncomfortable  parts of Mr. Trumps travel ban, for example, and the recurring theme of his apparent affinity for Russia.

Mr. Medford should be a natural ally for liberals trying to convince the country that Mr. Trump was a bad choice. But it is not working out that way. Every time Mr. Medford dips into the political debate  either with strangers on Facebook or friends in New York and Los Angeles  he comes away feeling battered by contempt and an attitude of moral superiority.

Were backed into a corner, said Mr. Medford, 46, whose business teaches people to be filmmakers. There are at least some things about Trump I find to be defensible. But they are saying: Agree with us 100 percent or you are morally bankrupt. Youre an idiot if you support any part of Trump. 

He added: I didnt choose a side. They put me on one.

Liberals may feel energized by a surge in political activism, and a unified stance against a president they see as irresponsible and even dangerous. But that momentum is provoking an equal and opposite reaction on the right. In recent interviews, conservative voters said they felt assaulted by what they said was a kind of moral Bolshevism  the belief that the liberal vision for the country was the only right one. Disagreeing meant being publicly shamed.
In El Paso, a woman is picked up at a courthouse where she had been seeking an order of protection; immigration agents were apparently tipped off by the man she said abused her. Near Seattle, a 23-year-old man who was protected from deportation and allowed to work lawfully under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is picked up anyway, accused of being a gang member. He furiously denies this, and his lawyer presents paperwork suggesting that agents altered his words to falsely implicate him.

Another DACA recipient, Daniela Vargas of Jackson, Miss., barricades herself in her home after agents detain her father and brother. A mother of four, Jeanette Vizguerra, seeks refuge, alone, in a Denver church basement. A group of Latino men leaving a church-run homeless shelter near Alexandria, Va., are surrounded by a dozen immigration agents who question them, scan their fingerprints and arrest at least two of them.

President Trumps defenders say the arrest numbers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement are comparable to those under President Barack Obama, an energetic deporter-in-chief. That may be true, for the moment, but the context is vastly different. Mr. Trumps campaign pledges, his flurry of immigration-related executive orders, including his ban on certain travelers from Muslim countries, have a common thread. They reflect his abandonment of discretion, of common sense, his rejection of sound law-enforcement priorities that stress public safety and respect for the Constitution.

They prioritize fear instead.

ICE and the Border Patrol under Mr. Obama were ordered to focus on arresting serious criminals and national-security risks. Mr. Trump has removed those restraints in the name of bolstering his deportation force. He wants to triple the number of ICE agents. He wants to revive federal agreements to deputize state and local police officers as immigration officers. He wants to increase the number of detention beds and spur the boom in private prisons.

This vision is the one Donald Trump began outlining at the start of his campaign, when he slandered an entire country, Mexico, as an exporter of rapists and drug criminals, and an entire faith, Islam, as a global nest of murderers. This is the currency of the Trump aides Stephen Bannon and Stephen Miller, who have brought the world of the alt-right, with its white nationalist strain, into the White House.
Almost any five minutes of Donald Trumps mesmerizing, terrifying news conference on Thursday would have been enough to do another politician in.

Almost every day of his administration so far contains sufficient grandiosity and delusion to be the end of a normal presidents productive relationship with Congress and support from all but the most stubbornly blind voters.

And if you rewind to his campaign, you see the same pattern, with each rally, interview and debate packing in more petulance and vulgarity than an adult in a civilized society is supposed to get away with.

But thats actually his secret. Thats his means of survival: the warp speed and whirl of it all. He forces you to process and react to so many different outrages at such a dizzying velocity that no one of them has the staying power that it ought to or gets the scrutiny it deserves.
Were just a month into the Trump presidency, and already so many are wondering: How can we end it?

One poll from Public Policy Polling found that as many Americans  46 percent  favor impeachment of President Trump as oppose it. Ladbrokes, the betting website, offers even odds that Trump will resign or leave office through impeachment before his term ends.

Sky Bet, another site, is taking wagers on whether Trump will be out of office by July.

There have been more than 1,000 references to Watergate in the news media in the last week, according to the Nexis archival site, with even some conservatives calling for Trumps resignation or warning that he could be pushed out. Dan Rather, the former CBS News anchor who covered Watergate, says that Trumps Russia scandal isnt now at the level of Watergate but could become at least as big.

Maybe things will settle down. But what is striking about Trump is not just the dysfunction of his administration but also the  vigorously denied  allegations that Trumps team may have cooperated with Vladimir Putin to steal the election. Whats also different is the broad concern that Trump is both: A) unfit for office, and B) dangerously unstable. One pro-American leader in a foreign country called me up the other day and skipped the preliminaries, starting with: What the [expletive] is wrong with your country?

So lets investigate: Is there any way out?

Trump still has significant political support, so the obstacles are gargantuan. But the cleanest and quickest way to remove a president involves Section 4 of the 25th Amendment and has never been attempted. It provides that the cabinet can, by a simple majority vote, strip the president of his powers and immediately hand power to the vice president. The catch is that the ousted president can object, and in that case Congress must approve the ouster by a two-thirds vote in each chamber, or the president regains office.
When you think of security around the president of the United States, you most likely think of Secret Service officers in sunglasses, talking into microphones hidden in their cuffs. You probably dont think of the large bubble of restricted airspace that follows the president wherever he goes. These are essentially no-fly zones reaching up to 17,999 feet within a 30-nautical-mile radius of the president (a nautical mile is just over a regular mile). If you fly into that ring without permission from federal authorities, fighter jets will be on your wing before you can hum a few bars of Hail to the Chief.

This policy, in place since the Sept. 11 attacks, is causing more disruption than usual because President Trump has homes in some of the busiest airspace for general aviation in the country  metropolitan New York and South Florida. The first lady still lives in New York, and President Trump is scheduled to spend his third weekend in a row at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, which he and his aides have taken to calling his Winter White House.

Major commercial airliners and cargo carriers, such as Delta and FedEx, are unaffected by these temporary flight restrictions, or TFRs in aviation speak, because they undergo careful security screening whenever they fly. But general aviation  private and corporate flights, flight instruction, sightseeing tours, aerial photography, pipeline and utility inspections, surveying, weather and pollution monitoring, crop-dusting, banner-towing and more  has to cease or curtail operations. Aviation businesses in New York and Florida say they are facing significant, if not ruinous, losses.

According to the Eastern Region Helicopter Council, which represents charter, medevac, news-gathering and sightseeing operators, 100,000 helicopter flights go in and out of New York Citys four heliports each year, while around 200,000 helicopters and small airplanes transit the scenic Hudson River corridor. Its like an Interstate, said Jeff Smith, vice president of operations for the council.
There were many reasons to oppose President Trumps travel ban on refugees and visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries, which is now blocked by a federal courts temporary restraining order. Unfortunately, those same objections are also likely to apply to the revised version of the executive order that Mr. Trump promised on Thursday, which will share with its predecessor the goal of immediately protecting the country  presumably by keeping out people from countries he deems to be a threat.

One objection to such policies is that there is no good evidence that citizens of the countries the president has singled out so far present a significant threat to the United States. Another is that any policy that effectively discriminates against members of a specific religion is decidedly un-American.

But perhaps the most important objection, given the ostensible goal of protecting national security, is that these are precisely the sort of policies that can increase radicalization of Muslims already on American soil. Recently, a group of former diplomats and national security officials signed an open letter condemning the original ban on that ground, arguing that it would make the country less safe by feeding the narrative that America is anti-Islam.

Mr. Trump and his advisers should know that this is not mere speculation; it is grounded in social science. In a study published in 2015 in the journal Behavioral Science and Policy, we showed that policies like Mr. Trumps ban may very well promote the psychological conditions that fuel the radicalization he seeks to combat.
I spoke with my boss in Iraq. He told me to do what I was told; his boss said the same. When I took my concerns to the inspector general, I was advised that what I was witnessing was not fraud or waste, but policy. Back in Washington, no one at the State Department would meet with me. I went outside the department, but when I attended a semi-clandestine meeting with Senate staff members, I could see they had trouble believing me. My reporting was 180 degrees from what they had heard officially from both the Bush and Obama administrations.

I didnt know any journalists, but I did know from years in Washington that a leaker usually trades anonymity for credibility. You keep some safety, perhaps, and your job, but since you cant stand up in your own defense, you are attacked by officials as ego-driven, your information as false. Or fake news, as we hear today.

I also realized my story needed more explaining than would fit in a newspaper article anyway. So I decided to go public, via a book. I chose to become a whistle-blower.

Its risky. Its saying, Here I am, come after me. But your motivations, too, are on display; you are more easily seen as a patriot than a partisan. And your presence encourages and empowers others.

I followed protocol and submitted the manuscript of my book. The State Department cleared it for publication without question. I can account for this only by noting that it went through a system then in place to rubber-stamp memoirs by retired diplomats.

Then, one day, an advance copy landed in someones hands at State, and my professional life ended. My security clearance was suspended. I was interviewed repeatedly by security personnel who were clearly fishing for any excuse to fire me. My personal finances and years of travel vouchers were scrutinized in a quest to find evidence of fraud or illicit income. I was a government employee inside a bureaucracy with powers of investigation and punishment I previously had no clue even existed.

The State Department flirted with prosecuting me for disclosing classified data that no one ever seemed to be able to pinpoint in my book, and tried to dismiss me in part for a lack of candor when I refused to incriminate myself. In the end, the harassment pushed me into an unwanted early retirement.
In the last election, the Alternative ran on a platform that stressed environmental sustainability, social inclusion and public-private economic collaboration, and won 4.8 percent of the vote. The party has 10 seats in Parliament. Its a start.

Deliberative democracy has been around since ancient Athens. But recently this approach to politics  which asks citizens not simply to vote, but to discuss policy and seek consensus  has received new attention as organizations and governments try to restore trust in the democratic process. Ireland established a Citizens Assembly with a mandate to advise the government on abortion law, climate change and other difficult matters. Britain convened citizen assemblies to consider health care reform.

Yet if we cant trust ordinary citizens to identify fake news in their Facebook feed, why should we value their judgment on health care or climate change? Should people who dominate the town hall microphone to rant about Somali immigrants really advise politicians on immigration policy? The typical citizen drops down to a lower level of mental performance as soon as he enters the political field, the economist Joseph A. Schumpeter wrote. He becomes a primitive again. Was Schumpeter onto something?

I took these questions to my friend Peter MacLeod, who founded a Toronto-based consulting company called Mass LBP, which convenes panels of citizens to deliberate on public policy decisions affecting their communities. He said that policy makers anxieties about consulting the public are understandable  because they go about consultation in the wrong way.

The typical town hall meeting happens when somethings gone wrong, or a decision has been made, and an elected official is trying to explain it, he told me. This is dressed up as an opportunity to have your say. We try to subdue tension and emotion by giving a rational, technocratic account of the decision. Then what we do  least helpfully  is ask people to do the very thing we know most people are petrified of, and thats stand in front of a room of strangers and speak at an open mike. Naturally, it comes to seem that the essential quality of the public is volatile emotionality, he said: Schumpeters primitive voter.

Instead, Mr. MacLeods company sends out invitations to randomly selected households and then draws names to assemble a representative panel of volunteers. They meet with experts and policy makers for several weekends to study an open policy question. Eventually the panels issue nuanced recommendations on matters ranging from hospital budgets to mass transit.

If we start from the premise that people are more curious than we give them credit for, and that they are kind  if we design for their better angels  then lo and behold, the phantom public that seems to haunt public discourse disappears, he said.
THE news emanating from Washington these past two weeks has been relentless and the reporting on it impressive. There was the New York Times story on the nascent days of the White House, portraying top aides fumbling in the dark as they rethought their improv approach to governing. Then came coverage of a showdown that sent National Security Adviser Michael Flynn packing. That drama morphed into a scoopy Times article reporting that members of President Trumps campaign team had repeated contact with Russian intelligence officials before the election, for what reason we dont know.

This is what journalism should be  enterprising, essential and intent on grasping whats well beyond reach. Not just storifying early-dawn tweets from the president or wailing from the press secretarys podium, but taking seriously the public service function of the media.

There was something else notable about these stories. All of them relied heavily  some entirely  on a reporting tactic many readers despise: the use of anonymous sources. Presumably for fear of losing a job, a security clearance, access or something else, the people interviewed did not want to be named, and so were assigned nebulous titles like government official or congressional aide or, even more vaguely, those familiar with the thing they were talking about.

Reporters and editors trust such information, sometimes risking their reputation on it. Readers, on the other hand, couldnt be more suspicious  and with reason. The descriptions generally tilt far more toward protecting the sources than giving readers confidence in what they said.
Being first lady is technically a job without any official responsibilities, if you dont count the expectations of the president, his staff, American voters and a few thousand journalists.

But, like her husband, Melania Trump has shown that she is willing to defy what is expected of her.

This week, Mrs. Trump returned to Washington from New York City for the first time since her husbands inauguration on Jan. 20, and has indicated that she and the couples son, Barron, will not move into the White House until the end of the school year (at the earliest).

That Mrs. Trump may have a somewhat skeptical view of life in Washington doesnt come as a total surprise to professors, writers and museum curators who study first ladies, with some saying she is in the company of several predecessors who took time to find their footing.
One month into the Trump presidency, Mr. McCarthy is a man with a foot in two warring camps. He represents a 10,000-square-mile red rural stronghold in the farmland of central California, a state that Mr. Trump lost by four million votes. His seniority in the House leadership, and his ties to Mr. Trump, mean that he is indisputably the most powerful Californian in the nations capital.

And in an interview here, Mr. McCarthy left no doubt that his loyalties in this fight were east of the Mississippi River. He assailed Californias Democratic leaders for provoking the president, and warned that it could prove damaging to the state, particularly as the Trump administration created an infrastructure program to pay for public works projects across the nation.

Look, I will represent my district, and I will represent my state, Mr. McCarthy said in his first-floor suite of offices, between votes. But what they are doing, they are playing with fire. Donald Trump is not going out in any way or form to attack California. They are the ones who are attacking California right now. They are the ones who are putting Californians at risk in every shape and form. And they are doing it to make a political point, which is wrong.

It has been only 10 years since Mr. McCarthy, 52, arrived here as a freshman member of Congress, the latest stop in a career that began in the California Assembly, where he rose to become the minority leader. His family has lived in Bakersfield for generations, and he attended Bakersfield College and business school at California State University and owned a delicatessen in his hometown before he turned to politics full time.

Mr. McCarthy got his start in politics in college, where he was the head of the California Young Republicans. Soon after graduating, he sold his delicatessen and began working as the district director for Representative Bill Thomas, before leaving to run for the Assembly. He represents Mr. Thomass former district today.
A powerful storm with near hurricane-force winds swept through Southern California on Saturday, killing at least two people and causing widespread disruptions, but providing a definitive respite from five years of drought.

Amid one of the wettest winters in decades, more heavy rainfall was due to strike Northern California starting on Sunday.

Ive been a meteorologist here for 25 years and I personally cant remember a storm that had that much wind with it, said David Sweet in the Los Angeles office of the National Weather Service. It was a very impressive storm.

Parched for the past five years, California now finds itself in some areas with too much water.

Workers have rushed to fix the damaged embankment of the Oroville Dam north of Sacramento, which this past week was weakened by water discharged from an emergency spillway. Some forecasts said that the area could be hardest hit by the new round of rainfall on Sunday.
How do we avoid getting sued by the government? he said.

He said that many college presidents believe disciplinary proceedings could sometimes be carried out more equitably through mediation, which could better account for complexities like memories dimmed by alcohol and stories that conflict and lack witnesses, rather than through the current system, in which there are clear winners and losers. But mediation is not now allowed.

But Mr. Hartle said that trying to reshape sexual assault policy could be politically risky.

I think the challenge for the new administration will be to ask themselves, can this be changed in a way that does not get us killed?

Ms. DeVos said during her confirmation hearing that it would be premature for her to take a position on Title IX, and a spokesman for her office declined to comment Friday. Sexual assault policy is carried out by the departments Office for Civil Rights, and whoever takes over that office would have a strong influence on any change in direction.

Gail Heriot, a leading critic of Obama-era policies, and a University of San Diego law professor, has been put forward as a candidate by more than 240 largely conservative activists and college faculty members, in a letter sent to the Trump administration and reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education. Among those signing were Harvey Silverglate, a co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a free-speech group, and Heather Mac Donald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

Ms. Heriot said in an email Friday that she had not heard from Ms. DeVos or anyone acting on her behalf. I have no evidence that I am actually being considered for the job, she said.

Advocates credit the threat of federal investigations with fostering a better understanding of campus rape as a serious problem deserving of clear consequences, up to suspension and expulsion.

Critics, including prominent law school professors, say the federal guidance has trampled on the due process rights of the accused  almost always young men  by setting a low standard of evidence and by not requiring the involvement of the police and other law enforcement agencies.
James Nichols, a farmer who was detained as a possible accomplice but not charged as one after his brother Terry helped Timothy J. McVeigh detonate a truck bomb that killed 168 people in Oklahoma City in 1995, died on Tuesday in Saginaw, Mich. He was 62.

His death was confirmed on the website of Kranz Funeral Home, which handled his funeral arrangements.

On the morning of April 19, 1995, McVeigh, a veteran of the Persian Gulf war, detonated a powerful bomb in a rented truck at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The bombing was the deadliest domestic terrorist attack in American history.

McVeigh was arrested shortly after the bombing, and Terry Nichols turned himself in to the police two days later. McVeigh had spent time with the Nichols brothers on James Nicholss farm in the tiny community of Decker, Mich., and he listed James as his next of kin when he was arrested.

Federal agents scoured Mr. Nicholss farm and found firearms and large quantities of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, similar to the kind McVeigh had used to build the Oklahoma City bomb. Mr. Nichols was detained as a material witness.
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C.  The Republican lawmakers stood with fixed smiles, shifting in place, facing down turmoil but no trial inside a municipal courtroom overstuffed with constituents.

Across the room, the first questioner foretold a long Saturday morning: Are you personally proud, the man, Ernest Fava, 54, said of President Trump, to have this person representing our country? The more than 200 attendees stirred, with at least as many waiting outside.

Senator Tim Scott tried first: Given the two choices I had, I am thankful that Trump is our president, he said, to ferocious boos.

Then Representative Mark Sanford waded in: I think were all struggling with it, he said of the tumultuous first month, to nods.
Mr. Trump has fallen behind the pace of his last three predecessors both in naming senior officials who require Senate confirmation and in securing their confirmations, according to data compiled by the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service. Whereas Mr. Obama had nominated 40 senior officials by Feb. 11, 2009, Mr. Trump had named 34 of them as of Friday. Mr. Obama had 24 confirmed at that point, while Mr. Trump has 14.

The trouble assembling an administration reflects the deeper rift between Mr. Trump and the Washington establishment of both parties. A reality-show businessman with no government experience, Mr. Trump catapulted to power on a promise to break up the existing system. Even after he won the Republican nomination last year, he did little to win over those who had opposed him, while his never Trump critics within the party kept up a steady assault on his qualifications and temperament.

Mr. Trump faces other hurdles, too. With no cadre ready to go from past political service, he has been starting from scratch. His team has been slow to vet candidates, and in some cases his choices have had troubles with their business backgrounds or other matters. And Democrats have mounted a wall of resistance to his nominations, slowing the process down.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment, but Mr. Trump has disputed reports of troubles. The White House is running so smoothly, so smoothly, he told a rally of supporters in Melbourne, Fla., on Saturday. And believe me, we inherited one big mess, that I can tell you.

The ill will between Mr. Trump and much of the Republican establishment works both ways. Many Republicans who might have agreed to work for the president have been turned off by what they consider his sometimes erratic behavior and the competing power centers inside his White House. After firing his first national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trump found that his initial choice for a replacement, Robert S. Harward, a retired vice admiral, would not take the job.

The problem is that with each successive episode, it raises the stakes for the next one, said Peter D. Feaver, a Duke University professor who was a strategic planning adviser to Mr. Bush. Its going to be hard for the next outsider to accept the national security job and not request the ability to make personnel changes.
BEIJING  The Chinese authorities are battling a surge in H7N9 bird flu infections, and have shuttered live poultry markets across the country after dozens of people in recent weeks were killed by the disease.

As of Friday, health officials confirmed eight deaths and 77 diagnosed cases just in February, according to Xinhua, the state news agency.

Last month, 192 people in China learned they had the virus, and 79 of them died, according to official numbers released on Tuesday. The strain, H7N9, is an avian influenza virus that can infect people who come in close contact with infected live or newly killed birds.

The latest deaths include a woman in her twenties and her young daughter, who both had contact with live poultry. In rural and small-town China, many residents prefer to buy live chickens, ducks and geese that are slaughtered on the spot or at home. Chinas National Health and Family Planning Commission has banned sales of live poultry in some areas across eastern, southern and southwestern China. The eastern province of Zhejiang ordered all live-poultry markets closed.
SEOUL, South Korea  China said on Saturday that it was suspending all imports of coal from North Korea as part of its effort to enact United Nations Security Council sanctions aimed at stopping the countrys nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile program.

The ban takes effect on Sunday and will last until the end of the year, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a brief statement posted on its website on Saturday. Chinese trade and aid have long been a vital economic crutch for North Korea, and the decision strips North Korea of one of its most important sources of foreign currency.

Coal has accounted for 34 percent to 40 percent of North Korean exports in the past several years, and almost all of it was shipped to China, according to South Korean government estimates.

The ban comes six days after the North Korean test of a ballistic missile that the Security Council condemned as a violation of its resolutions that prohibited the country from developing and testing ballistic missile technology.
SEOUL, South Korea  Chung Kwang-yong choked up in describing how much he missed Park Geun-hye, the South Korean president, who has been cloistered in her official residence since her impeachment in December on corruption charges.

Dear President Park Geun-hye, please come out. We miss you so much, Mr. Chung said before a large crowd that rallied in central Seoul on a recent Saturday to demand her immediate reinstatement. You have done nothing wrong.

Few South Korean leaders have ever been as besieged as Ms. Park, whose presidential powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach her on Dec. 9. Recent surveys have ranked her as one of the least popular presidents ever, with about 80 percent of respondents wanting her removed from office.

But Ms. Park still commands an almost cultlike following among people like Mr. Chung, and that lingering devotion is fragmenting the countrys conservative bloc as it struggles to find a viable replacement candidate in an election that could take place as early as May.
Pledging to make the Netherlands ours again, the Dutch nationalist politician Geert Wilders, at a campaign event on Saturday, described Moroccan immigrants as scum who endanger the countrys citizens.

Not all are scum, but there is a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who makes the streets unsafe, Mr. Wilders told reporters in English at an event kicking off a parliamentary election campaign in the working-class town of Spijkenisse, outside Rotterdam.

If you want to regain your country, if you want to make the Netherlands for the people of the Netherlands, your own home, again, then you can only vote for one party, Mr. Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom, said.
MUNICH  Bearing what he said was a message from President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence told anxious European political and security leaders on Saturday that the United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to this trans-Atlantic alliance.

But while offering that assurance to European partners alarmed by Mr. Trumps rise, along with some tough words on Russia and Ukraine, Mr. Pence also warned that Europe must increase its military spending in a dangerous world, saying, As you keep faith with us, under President Trump, we will always keep faith with you.

The NATO treaty demands not only collective defense but a vow to contribute our fair share to our common defense, Mr. Pence, making his first overseas trip as vice president, said at an annual security conference here.

That pledge has gone unfulfilled for too many for too long and erodes the very foundation of our alliance, he said. He echoed an early theme of Mr. Trump, who has said he believes that the United States allies have taken advantage of American largess and not paid their fair share.
ERBIL, Iraq  Several hundred thousand civilians are enduring desperate conditions and facing retribution by Islamic State fighters in western Mosul as Iraqi forces prepare to attack militants who control the citys western half, according to residents and humanitarian groups.

In telephone interviews, residents said the Islamic State was using food as a weapon, doling out small amounts to hungry families in return for information gained by spying on neighbors suspected of aiding Iraqi security forces. They said several residents accused of phoning security forces with information about Islamic State activities had been killed in recent weeks.

Food, water and fuel for cooking and heating are unavailable or are being sold at prohibitive prices in the areas densely packed neighborhoods. Militants have begun hoarding food and supplies while restricting the movements of civilians in anticipation of a government assault, residents said. Stray animals are wandering nearly empty streets.

Were no longer afraid of the rockets and the buzzing of bullets  we fear hunger more, said Abu Marwan, a government employee from western Mosul. Anyone who owns a bag of flour or rice is rich.
Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind Islamic cleric whose fulminating sermons inspired violent fundamentalist movements in Egypt and, an American court found, a 1993 plot for a bombing rampage in New York, died on Saturday at a federal prison near Raleigh, N.C., where he was serving a life sentence. He was 78.

Greg Norton, a spokesman for the prison, the Butner Federal Correctional Complex, confirmed the death, saying the cause was complications of diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Born to a humble merchant in a Nile Delta village and blind from infancy, Mr. Abdel Rahman became one of the most influential and fearsome theologians of the Islamist fundamentalism that swept the Middle East in recent decades.

On Oct. 1, 1995, Mr. Abdel Rahman was convicted, along with nine other defendants, on sedition charges in Federal District Court in Manhattan. He was found guilty of guiding a conspiracy to wage a war of urban terrorism, with the ultimate aim of carrying out a day of bombings against the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, the George Washington Bridge, the United Nations and the Manhattan headquarters of the F.B.I.
From Smirking Chimp

The Flynn fiasco is not about national security adviser Michael Flynn's conversations with the Russian ambassador. It's much deeper than that. It's about Russia. It's about Putin. It's about the explosive rise of China and the world's biggest free trade zone that will eventually stretch from Lisbon to Vladivostok. It's about the one country in the world that is obstructing Washington's plan for global domination. (Russia) And, it's about the future; which country will be the key player in the world's most prosperous and populous region -- Asia.

That's what's at stake, and that's what the Flynn controversy is really all about.

Many readers are familiar with the expression "pivot to Asia," but do they know what it means?

It means the United States has embarked on an ambitious plan to extend its military grip and market power over the Eurasian landmass, thus securing its position as the world's only superpower into the next century. The pivot is Washington's top strategic priority. As Hillary Clinton said in 2011:

"Harnessing Asia's growth and dynamism is central to American economic and strategic interests... Open markets in Asia provide the United States with unprecedented opportunities for investment, trade, and access to cutting-edge technology...American firms (need) to tap into the vast and growing consumer base of Asia... "The region already generates more than half of global output and nearly half of global trade... we are looking for opportunities to do even more business in Asia...and our investment opportunities in Asia's dynamic markets." ("America's Pacific Century," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Foreign Policy Magazine, 2011)

In other words, it's pivot or bust. Those are the only two options. Naturally, ruling elites in the US have chosen the former over the latter, which means they are committed to a strategy that will inevitably pit the US against a nuclear-armed adversary, Russia.

Trump's National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, wanted to normalize relations with Russia. He rejected the flagrantly hostile approach of the US foreign policy establishment. That's why he had to be removed. And, that's why he's been so viciously attacked in the media and why the threadbare story about his contacts with the Russian ambassador were used to force his resignation.

This isn't about the law and it isn't about the truth. It's about bare-knuckle geopolitics and global hegemony. Flynn got in the way of the pivot, so Flynn had to be eliminated. End of story. Here's a clip from an article by Robert Parry:

"Flynn's real 'offense' appears to be that he favors de'tente with Russia rather than escalation of a new and dangerous Cold War. Trump's idea of a rapprochement with Moscow -- and a search for areas of cooperation and compromise -- has been driving Official Washington's foreign policy establishment crazy for months and the neocons, in particular, have been determined to block it. "Though Flynn has pandered to elements of the neocon movement with his own hysterical denunciations of Iran and Islam in general, he emerged as a key architect for Trump's plans to seek a constructive relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Meanwhile, the neocons and their liberal-interventionist sidekicks have invested heavily in making Putin the all-purpose bete noire to justify a major investment in new military hardware and in pricey propaganda operations." ("Trump Caves on Flynn's resignation," Consortium News)

US foreign policy is not developed willy-nilly. It emerges as the consensus view of various competing factions within the permanent national security state. And, although there are notable differences between the rival factions (either hard-line or dovish) there appears to be unanimity on the question of Russia. There is virtually no constituency within the political leadership of either of the two major parties (or their puppet-master supporters in the deep state) for improving relations with Russia. None. Russia is blocking Washington's eastward expansion; therefore, Russia must be defeated. Here's more from the World Socialist Web Site:

"US imperialism seeks to counter its declining world economic position by exploiting its unchallenged global military dominance. It sees as the principal roadblocks to its hegemonic aims the growing economic and military power of China and the still-considerable strength of Russia, possessor of the world's second-largest nuclear arsenal, the largest reserves of oil and gas, and a critical geographical position at the center of the Eurasian land mass. "Trump's opponents within the ruling class insist that US foreign policy must target Russia with the aim of weakening the Putin regime or overthrowing it. This is deemed a prerequisite for taking on the challenge posed by China.

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Nancy Reagan directs the National Symphony.jpg Created: 27 March 1987

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Despite the fact that Flynn had it right as did the Donald"yes he is the Donald once again, Russia is our friend, or at least not our enemy, well not too much. But I am afraid that the Donald's bullsh*t art of the deal meme floated into the Oval office along with the Donald, where the flim flam man thought that he could make a deal with Russia and thereby separate it from Iran and China, remember that? That was Flynn working with and propping up the Donald and going along with the program, and on the side promising the Russians more than he could deliver, after all that was the consummate deal maker's job, the Donald. Problems? You betcha! Who is going to slam on the brakes toward rear ending the Russians? Even if it is a US/NATO West head fake to ship obsolete hardware to the Russian front, why risk making the Russian flinch? That is some high stakes bullsh*it bluffing that only psychos would do.

In the meanwhile, THE Deep State in capital letters and opening with Beethoven's Fifth

has teams working around the clock to hem in this rogue American president from their class. They are not going to let him cut out his own piece of corruption pie to perhaps share with his cronies, while cutting back on their share. Unfortunately, the Donald doesn't have enough ready made cronies. He is trying to co opt potential cronies by bringing them into his administration where they can feather their foundational beds to allow them greater capacity later on for corruption once they are back outside. Poor Donald, he spoke too soon.

If he really wants to bring down some of his elitist class mates, he should ally with the most extreme and radical left. I am forced to use the phrase radical left, because the main stream media has used up the formerly good phrases, such as liberal, and progressive and replaced it with so called liberal and so called progressive. What good are wishy washy labels like that? Remember when the NYT and WAPO were the liberal press? Then what happened? They morphed to become part of the MSM. Now they are morphing into so called liberals and so called progressives, snatching up so called democrats along the way. So let's cut through all that and have a new label and call it the Most Extreme and Radical Left. So called is not allowed!

All Donald has to do for now is commit to saying NO!, to messing with Iran, NO! to messing with China, NO! to more Israeli settlements, NO! to messing with Russia, NO! to armaments for the Saudis and Gulf States, NO! to the Saudis exterminating the Yemeni poor, NO! That's not so hard is it?

That would be good enough for me to rest for a moment before going after defunding 800 plus military bases around the world. How obscene is that? You think the word *fu*ck is obscene compared to this travesty?? And less than seven months before the US defense budget of six hundred and eighteen billion dollars, $618,000,000,000, is reloaded with a 2017 appropriation, the current is enough obscenity to give 320,000,000 Americans $1900 each and still have $10 fu*king billion dollars $10,000,000,000 left over. Come on Don, put your lips together and say Hell No to the deep state that is about to fu*k you up.

I will be on your side brother Don, even if Jeff Sessions is the US Attorney General, and Mnuchin the Treasury Secretary and the other early vertebrates that have slithered into the EPA, SEC, HHS, Education, HUD, Labor, and Commerce.
From Gush Shalom

SO HOW THE HELL did it all start?

Last week I tried to describe the 1948 war, starting from the shooting at a Jewish bus on the morrow of the UN partition resolution. Some readers dispute the timing. They insist that the war started on May 15, on the morrow of the founding of the State of Israel, when the armies of the neighboring Arab states entered the country.

I have seen this many times. Every serious debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict raises the question: "When did it start?" Each side has its own date, proving that the other side started it.

The Arabs started it, the Zionists assert. The conflict started with the "invasion" of the Arab armies. ("Invasion" in quotation marks, since they entered the territories allotted by the UN to the Palestinian Arab state, though their declared aim was to crush the new Jewish state right at the beginning.)

The Jews started it, the Arabs assert. They began to drive the Arab population out, leading to the Naqba ("disaster").

The Arabs started it, reply the Zionists. Why did we have to evict the Arab population? It was because you shot at our villages after the UN resolution of November 29, 1947.

The Jews started it, retort the Arabs. It all started with that atrocious resolution. The UN, consisting at the time mainly of Western and Communist states, gave a country that did not belong to them to the Jews, who did not belong to it.

Yes, say the Jews, but it really started with the White Paper issued by the British in May, 1939, which in effect closed the doors of Palestine to the Jews just when the Nazis were planning the Holocaust.

We had no choice, interject the British. In 1936 the Arabs started a revolt in which Jews and our soldiers were killed all over the country.

But why did we have to do so? cry out the Arabs. Because masses of German Jews were coming to Palestine after 1933, when Adolf Hitler assumed power in Germany. We had to stop it, even by violent means, to prevent Palestine from turning into a Jewish country.

Really, retort the Jews, but you started it long before, in 1929, when you organized riots all over the country, killing lots of Jews.

We had no choice, assert the Arabs. The British government of Palestine favored the Zionists and allowed them to settle all over.

That was our right, say the Jews, enshrined in the Mandate conferred by the League of Nations on the British.

Who gave the League of Nations the right to confer a Mandate on anybody? ask the Arabs. The land belonged to its inhabitants, almost all of whom were Arabs. That's how it all started.

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Reprinted from www.facingsouth.org

President Trump has said he wants to "totally destroy" the Johnson Amendment, which bars charitable nonprofits from engaging in partisan politics. (Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr.)

For years, conservative evangelicals have been advocating for the repeal of the Johnson Amendment -- the section of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code that prohibits charitable nonprofits from endorsing or opposing specific political candidates -- claiming it infringes on their free speech rights.

They have found a key ally in President Donald Trump. Several times during his campaign, Trump made statements opposing the policy. And at the National Prayer Breakfast held earlier this month, he pledged to "get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives to speak freely without fear of retribution."

The amendment was introduced as legislation in Congress in 1954 by then-U.S. Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson, Democrat of Texas. Johnson was running for re-election and his millionaire opponent, Republican rancher-oilman Dudley Dougherty, was endorsed by a conservative nonprofit group that was producing materials calling for Johnson's defeat. In response, Johnson proposed amending Section 501c3 of the federal tax code governing nonprofits to require that charitable organizations sidestep partisan politics in order to maintain their tax-exempt status. Uncontroversial at the time, the amendment became law on Aug. 16, 1954.

In making their case that the amendment infringes on their free speech rights, conservative evangelicals have cited the civil rights movement and how leaders like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. often preached political messages from the pulpit. For example, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, a charitable nonprofit, released this statement following Trump's remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast:

Dr. Martin Luther King -- the greatest 'political pastor' in the nation -- spoke forcefully from the pulpit about how the issues of the day were to be driven by pastors and the people in pews. For the whole of American history, churches have been at the forefront of shaping debate and public policy. That's where they ought to stay. Pastors should be held accountable to God alone for what they say behind the pulpit, not the IRS.

But the history of the civil rights movement shows that the Johnson Amendment does not prevent religious leaders from tackling political issues. During the movement, the Black church -- particularly in the South -- was a hub of civic engagement. It was where mass meetings and planning for direct actions were held, and where Black ministers preached messages criticizing policies that deprived many Southern Blacks of voting and labor rights. And in fact, current law gives churches the liberty to criticize or support officeholders and speak out on policy issues. Additionally, religious leaders can endorse candidates in their individual capacity.

Furthermore, it's extremely rare for churches on either side of the political spectrum to lose their tax-exempt status under the Johnson Amendment. Since 2008, for instance, the anti-gay conservative group Alliance Defending Freedom has organized "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" in which pastors across the country preach partisan sermons and mail the transcripts to the IRS. Though over 2,000 pastors have participated, the IRS has only investigated once -- and did not revoke that church's tax-exempt status.

So why is the Johnson Amendment being targeted? Follow the money, its defenders say.

Since donations to churches and other charitable nonprofits are tax-deductible and protected from public disclosure, repealing the amendment would lead to an influx of secret money into elections. Donors would be able to anonymously contribute to a church or other nonprofit, and that money could then be used to fuel a political campaign without having the donors' identities revealed -- and they could receive a tax deduction as an added bonus.

"It could effectively turn churches into campaign offices and pastors into party operatives," said Robert P. Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute.

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From Paul Craig Roberts Website

We need to understand, and so does President Trump, that the hoax "war on terror" was used to transform intelligence agencies, such as the NSA and CIA, and criminal investigative agencies, such as the FBI, into Gestapo secret police agencies. Trump is now threatened by these agencies, because he rejects the neoconservative's agenda of US world hegemony that supports the gigantic military/security annual budget.

Our secret police agencies are busy at work planting "intelligence" among the presstitute media that Trump is compromised by "Russian connections" and is a security threat to the United States. The plan is to make a case in the media, as was done against President Nixon, and to force Trump from office. To openly take on a newly elected president is an act of extraordinary audacity that implies enormous confidence, or else desperation, on the part of the police state agencies.

Here you can see CNN openly cooperating with the CIA in treating wild and irresponsible speculation that Trump is under Russian influence as if it is an established fact. The "evidence" provided by CNN and the CIA is a "report" by the New York Times that, with little doubt, was planted in the NYT by the CIA.

This is so obvious that it is clear that CNN and the CIA regard the American people so gullible as to be completely stupid.

Glenn Greenwald explains to Amy Goodman that the CIA is after Trump, because Trump's announced policy of reducing the dangerous tensions with Russia conflicts with the military/security complex's need for a major enemy...

"The deep state, although there's no precise or scientific definition, generally refers to the agencies in Washington that are permanent power factions. They stay and exercise power even as presidents who are elected come and go. They typically exercise their power in secret, in the dark, and so they're barely subject to democratic accountability, if they're subject to it at all. It's agencies like the CIA, the NSA and the other intelligence agencies, that are essentially designed to disseminate disinformation and deceit and propaganda, and have a long history of doing not only that, but also have a long history of the world's worst war crimes, atrocities and death squads. This is who not just people like Bill Kristol, but lots of Democrats are placing their faith in, are trying to empower, are cheering for as they exert power separate and apart from -- in fact, in opposition to -- the political officials to whom they're supposed to be subordinate. "And you go -- this is not just about Russia. You go all the way back to the campaign, and what you saw was that leading members of the intelligence community, including Mike Morell, who was the acting CIA chief under President Obama, and Michael Hayden, who ran both the CIA and the NSA under George W. Bush, were very outspoken supporters of Hillary Clinton. In fact, Michael Morell went to The New York Times, and Michael Hayden went to The Washington Post, during the campaign to praise Hillary Clinton and to say that Donald Trump had become a recruit of Russia. The CIA and the intelligence community were vehemently in support of Clinton and vehemently opposed to Trump, from the beginning. And the reason was, was because they liked Hillary Clinton's policies better than they liked Donald Trump's. "One of the main priorities of the CIA for the last five years has been a proxy war in Syria, designed to achieve regime change with the Assad regime. Hillary Clinton was not only for that, she was critical of Obama for not allowing it to go further, and wanted to impose a no-fly zone in Syria and confront the Russians. Donald Trump took exactly the opposite view. He said we shouldn't care who rules Syria; we should allow the Russians, and even help the Russians, kill ISIS and al-Qaeda and other people in Syria. So, Trump's agenda that he ran on was completely antithetical to what the CIA wanted. Clinton's was exactly what the CIA wanted, and so they were behind her. And so, they've been trying to undermine Trump for many months throughout the election. And now that he won, they are not just undermining him with leaks, but actively subverting him. There's claims that they're withholding information from him, on the grounds that they don't think he should have it and can be trusted with it. They are empowering themselves to enact policy. "Now, I happen to think that the Trump presidency is extremely dangerous. You just listed off in your news -- in your newscast that led the show, many reasons. They want to dismantle the environment. They want to eliminate the safety net. They want to empower billionaires. They want to enact bigoted policies against Muslims and immigrants and so many others. And it is important to resist them. And there are lots of really great ways to resist them, such as getting courts to restrain them, citizen activism and, most important of all, having the Democratic Party engage in self-critique to ask itself how it can be a more effective political force in the United States after it has collapsed on all levels. That isn't what this resistance is now doing. What they're doing instead is trying to take maybe the only faction worse than Donald Trump, which is the deep state, the CIA, with its histories of atrocities, and say they ought to almost engage in like a soft coup, where they take the elected president and prevent him from enacting his policies. "And I think it is extremely dangerous to do that. Even if you're somebody who believes that both the CIA and the deep state, on the one hand, and the Trump presidency, on the other, are extremely dangerous, as I do, there's a huge difference between the two, which is that Trump was democratically elected and is subject to democratic controls, as these courts just demonstrated and as the media is showing, as citizens are proving. But on the other hand, the CIA was elected by nobody. They're barely subject to democratic controls at all. And so, to urge that the CIA and the intelligence community empower itself to undermine the elected branches of government is insanity. That is a prescription for destroying democracy overnight in the name of saving it. And yet that's what so many, not just neocons, but the neocons' allies in the Democratic Party, are now urging and cheering. And it's incredibly warped and dangerous to watch them do that."

The United States is now in the extraordinary situation that the liberal/progressive/left is allied with the deep state against democracy. The liberal/progressive/left are lobbying for the impeachment of a president who has committed no impeachable offense. The neoconservatives have stated their preference for a deep state coup against democracy. The media obliges with a constant barrage of lies, innuendos and disinformation. The insouciant American public sits there sucking its thumb.

What can Trump do? He can clean out the intelligence agencies and terminate their license granted by Bush and Obama to conduct unconstitutional activities. He can use anti-trust to breakup the media conglomerates that Clinton allowed to form. If Bush and Obama can on their own authority subject US citizens to indefinite detention without due process and if Obama can murder suspect US citizens without due process of law, Trump can use anti-trust law to break up the media conglomerates that speak with one voice against him.

At this point Trump has no alternative but to fight. He can take down the secret police agencies and the presstitute media conglomerates, or they will take him down. Dismissing Flynn was the worse thing to do. He should have kept Flynn and fired the "leakers" who are actively using disinformation against him. The NSA would have to know who the leakers are. Trump should clean out the corrupt NSA management and install officials who will identify the leakers. Then Trump should prosecute the leakers to the full extent of the law.

No president can survive secret police agencies determined to destroy him. If Trump's advisers don't know this, Trump desperately needs new advisers.
This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.



TurkeyMan Part 6

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Putting Vietnam author Tim O'Brien's spurious signature aside, I licked my TurkeyMan wounds, and tried to find a reason for his nom de plume accusation; in effect labeling me the nefarious TurkeyMan Terrorist, on the title page of If I Die in a Combat Zone.

What did he know about turkeys, I wondered? And when did he know it?

True, he was a Washington Post reporter in 1973 in the midst of the Watergate Scandal, and surely familiar with the National Zoo's shocking Turkey-napping in the Name of the American Indian, reported by the Post, that rocked the nation.

Why would he not admit it? Is he concealing something?

Upon reading his novel, If I Die in a Combat Zone, I soon learned some troubling facts. O'Brien's home state of Minnesota is the largest turkey producing state in the nation, and his home town of Worthington calls itself the Turkey Capital of the World, and holds a turkey parade, with a cult-like celebration, on the 2nd week of September.



Worthington Minnesota Turkey Parade

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O'Brien's turkey past is troubling. He could be in the crowd. He could be the boy with the stick. He could be a true turkey aficionado, with a hidden gobbler agenda, that possibly drives a poultry prejudice of unsavory proportions, a person who might take immense effrontery at anyone desecrating the town's divine-turkey demigod image. A terrorist who would dare kidnap the celebrated Sphinx-like bird, in O'Brien's mind, might possibly deserve to suffer a barrage of fire and brimstone, if not penetration by impending turkey crossfire quills, directed by the scribe O'Brien himself.

Yet, on page 14 of Combat Zone, O'Brien does not write fondly of his boyhood Turkey Days:

Turkey Day climaxed when the farmers herded a billion strutting, stinking, beady-eyed birds down the center of town, past the old Gobbler Cafe', past Woolworth's and the Ben Franklin store and the Standard Oil service station. Feathers and droppings and popcorn mixed together in tribute to the town and the prairie. We were young. We stood on the curb and blasted the animals with ammunition from our peashooters.

Elsewhere in the book, he describes big artillery guns bombing the Vietcong as a Turkeyshoot. He writes of turkey dressing served to troops during Thanksgiving.

Beneath the surface, there is a definite turkey meme, and turkey may be in his blood.

In the war, O'Brien surely killed men, which is legal. Ostensibly, I kidnapped a turkey, which is illegal, probably a sin, undoubtedly a red-wattle flag blocking the parapets of Heaven's Winged Gate--which is the only way I would get in--never through the front door. I have no Trump Tower pass. As turkey time flies, I am a mere peasant. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

Yet, never underestimate a citizenry's passion for our nation's turkey.



Turkey Race

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Above, Worthington citizens participate in a turkey race with fanatic, wattle-gobbled, red-shirted zealotry. Does this look normal I ask?

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Open Thread: March against Monsanto worldwide According to March Against Monsanto, marches are occurring today on six continents, in 52 countries, with events in over 400 cities. In the US, solidarity marches are slated to occur in 47 states. Saturday, May 24, 2014According to March Against Monsanto, marches are occurring today on six continents, in 52 countries, with events in over 400 cities. In the US, solidarity marches are slated to occur in 47 states.

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A Hopeless Legion of Loons If we have learned but one thing from these fools, it is that they will not compromise, regardless of the destruction they leave in their wake. Therefore, we need to wake up and realize that the November 2012 election is quite likely a matter of life or death. Tuesday, December 6, 2011If we have learned but one thing from these fools, it is that they will not compromise, regardless of the destruction they leave in their wake. Therefore, we need to wake up and realize that the November 2012 election is quite likely a matter of life or death.

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Occupy -- Shudder to Tremor to Tsunami The Occupy Movement began as a slight shudder on Wall Street. It was soon a tremor, billowing out across the nation, and beyond. It has become a tsunami in California as a result of brutal treatment of police on courageous University of California at Davis students who sat peacefully in protest. Sunday, November 20, 2011The Occupy Movement began as a slight shudder on Wall Street. It was soon a tremor, billowing out across the nation, and beyond. It has become a tsunami in California as a result of brutal treatment of police on courageous University of California at Davis students who sat peacefully in protest.

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Occupy Wall Street -- Volunteers Spiff Up Young Occupiers with Suits, Haircuts Continuous coverage of the "Occupy Wall Street" activity at New York City's Zuccotti Park. Friday, October 14, 2011Continuous coverage of the "Occupy Wall Street" activity at New York City's Zuccotti Park.

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Confession of an old War Hawk... Once upon a time, long ago and far away, when I was a (civilian) Public Information Officer for the U.S. Army, I was like a modern-day Donald Rumsfeld -- in love with the beautiful, shiny, erotic toys of war. The devastation caused by these toys to the "boys" of war was light years away from even approaching the periphery of my understanding. Saturday, September 24, 2011Once upon a time, long ago and far away, when I was a (civilian) Public Information Officer for the U.S. Army, I was like a modern-day Donald Rumsfeld -- in love with the beautiful, shiny, erotic toys of war. The devastation caused by these toys to the "boys" of war was light years away from even approaching the periphery of my understanding.

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Politics -- Spinning Out of Control I have a real problem with Democrats who refuse to get off their knees long enough to stand up for what they believe in. What do they believe in? Community organizing? Democrats are not evil; they really really want to do what is right, but with few exceptions, they are timid, hypocritical little cave-inskis when it comes to walking their talk. They take the money and call it bipartisanship. I call it betrayal. Monday, April 25, 2011I have a real problem with Democrats who refuse to get off their knees long enough to stand up for what they believe in. What do they believe in? Community organizing? Democrats are not evil; they really really want to do what is right, but with few exceptions, they are timid, hypocritical little cave-inskis when it comes to walking their talk. They take the money and call it bipartisanship. I call it betrayal.

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Hey, American People! We are in the throes of a political convulsion, an intellectual and moral battle that we are increasingly in danger of losing. It's time to stop, take a deep national breath, and then...take a deep national bath. This nation has been in a spiraling nose dive for a decade... Sunday, December 12, 2010We are in the throes of a political convulsion, an intellectual and moral battle that we are increasingly in danger of losing. It's time to stop, take a deep national breath, and then...take a deep national bath. This nation has been in a spiraling nose dive for a decade...

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Only If We Let It History. Round and round it goes. Will the US and Israel attack Iran? Will history repeat itself? Yes, but only if we let it. The choice is ours. Sunday, October 17, 2010History. Round and round it goes. Will the US and Israel attack Iran? Will history repeat itself? Yes, but only if we let it. The choice is ours.

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The Glory of White-Wing Politics Americans -- not just Democrats -- must find the courage to shout "No! No! Hell No!" to the destruction planned for this republic. Unless we stand up, shake ourselves off, and dare to fight back, the evil glory of White-Wing Politics will devour us. We have no choice. Because this ship is going down. Sunday, July 4, 2010Americans -- not just Democrats -- must find the courage to shout "No! No! Hell No!" to the destruction planned for this republic. Unless we stand up, shake ourselves off, and dare to fight back, the evil glory of White-Wing Politics will devour us. We have no choice. Because this ship is going down.

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Even One of These Little Ones... these pedophile preachers have indelibly tarnished the image of the entire Church. It's time for the empty accusations, excuses and justifications to stop. I agree with Stephen King, who wrote on page 922 of his latest thriller -- Under the Dome -- "When the Devil got a preacher, he was apt to fall low -- low enough to put on a top hat and crawl under a rattlesnake." Sunday, May 2, 2010these pedophile preachers have indelibly tarnished the image of the entire Church. It's time for the empty accusations, excuses and justifications to stop. I agree with Stephen King, who wrote on page 922 of his latest thriller -- Under the Dome -- "When the Devil got a preacher, he was apt to fall low -- low enough to put on a top hat and crawl under a rattlesnake."

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Keep the Change... These guys aren't crazy -- okay, maybe they are -- but they know exactly what they're doing. They learned from eight years of K-K-Karl Rove and Dick Cheney that fear and hate are the two easiest emotions to work with. Monday, March 22, 2010These guys aren't crazy -- okay, maybe they are -- but they know exactly what they're doing. They learned from eight years of K-K-Karl Rove and Dick Cheney that fear and hate are the two easiest emotions to work with.

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Walk a Mile... It's time for Obama to put aside empty, soaring speeches and come to grips with who his enemies really are. It's time for him to step onto dry land and walk a mile in his own shoes -- while he still has a pair. Friday, February 5, 2010It's time for Obama to put aside empty, soaring speeches and come to grips with who his enemies really are. It's time for him to step onto dry land and walk a mile in his own shoes -- while he still has a pair.

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God Has Left the Building... The religious believe that God belongs to them. Christians know that they belong to God. It's that simple. Thus, CNN polls notwithstanding, America cannot become "less Christian" as a result of members of the flock jerking the tags from their ears -- and rejecting modern-day religion. Monday, November 23, 2009The religious believe that God belongs to them. Christians know that they belong to God. It's that simple. Thus, CNN polls notwithstanding, America cannot become "less Christian" as a result of members of the flock jerking the tags from their ears -- and rejecting modern-day religion.

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Rack 'em and Screw 'em, Boys! What is more frightening -- that the C.I.A. got its jollies by torturing, even murdering human beings in its secret sodomy frat-houses -- or that the F.B.I. took one look and fled the scene and remained silent for years? Sunday, November 1, 2009What is more frightening -- that the C.I.A. got its jollies by torturing, even murdering human beings in its secret sodomy frat-houses -- or that the F.B.I. took one look and fled the scene and remained silent for years?

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Fading Into Mist... Are not crimes against humanity just that, regardless of who is committing them? Sunday, July 19, 2009Are not crimes against humanity just that, regardless of who is committing them?

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Seeds of Truth This goes way beyond garnering profits for agriculture conglomerates such as Monsanto. It is about disrupting the natural order of life -- whether plant or animal. And, for those orchestrating this havoc, it is about control. Friday, May 8, 2009This goes way beyond garnering profits for agriculture conglomerates such as Monsanto. It is about disrupting the natural order of life -- whether plant or animal. And, for those orchestrating this havoc, it is about control.

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It's Time for the Madness to Stop The most ghastly experiment conducted was Operation Crossroads, a series of "Manhattan Project" tests in 1946 to study the effects of nuclear weapons on ships and equipment. US officials knew the effect of massive radiation on human beings. They had to know. So what else were the thousands of navy personnel positioned on ships from five to eight miles from the Bikini Atoll bomb site in the central Pacific if not guinea pigs? Monday, March 2, 2009The most ghastly experiment conducted was Operation Crossroads, a series of "Manhattan Project" tests in 1946 to study the effects of nuclear weapons on ships and equipment. US officials knew the effect of massive radiation on human beings. They had to know. So what else were the thousands of navy personnel positioned on ships from five to eight miles from the Bikini Atoll bomb site in the central Pacific if not guinea pigs?

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Through a Hole in the Air... The fascist lies and smears of Republicans and their doppleganger radio creeps should come as no surprise to those paying attention. However, the ripples of uneasiness and fear surging through Democratic ranks as a result of these assaults is a bit puzzling. Perhaps it's because after eight years of covering--and uncovering--deceit, lies, and monstrous war crimes of George Bush, they are hesitant to trust any president. Friday, November 28, 2008The fascist lies and smears of Republicans and their doppleganger radio creeps should come as no surprise to those paying attention. However, the ripples of uneasiness and fear surging through Democratic ranks as a result of these assaults is a bit puzzling. Perhaps it's because after eight years of covering--and uncovering--deceit, lies, and monstrous war crimes of George Bush, they are hesitant to trust any president.

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The Peter Principle Playoffs We need to get our minds around who is the aggressor here. Because if we continue to passively watch the evil unfold; if Dick Cheney wins the behind-the-scenes, off-court power struggle, the Peter Principle Playoffs will be over and the entire Middle East will explode in nuclear flames. Friday, September 26, 2008We need to get our minds around who is the aggressor here. Because if we continue to passively watch the evil unfold; if Dick Cheney wins the behind-the-scenes, off-court power struggle, the Peter Principle Playoffs will be over and the entire Middle East will explode in nuclear flames.

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EVERYBODY KNOWS... We are under the control of the criminally insane. Cheney has turned the greatest democratic republic ever conceived into a world corporation and anointed himself its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He has supplanted two centuries of protections afforded by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with executive orders and secret laws. Thursday, May 15, 2008We are under the control of the criminally insane. Cheney has turned the greatest democratic republic ever conceived into a world corporation and anointed himself its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He has supplanted two centuries of protections afforded by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with executive orders and secret laws.

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Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall's book is amazing. He's created a real breakthrough, visionary how-to for a sustainable, quality future. Like Saul Alinski's Rules for Radicals, this book is destined to become a classic must-read for all those concerned with social, economic, and environmental justice in today's interconnected world. Story shapes the world and our world needs new stories if we are to survive and thrive. The story of the bottom-up evolution and revolution is one that can change individuals, groups, businesses, religions, and governments for the positive as it shows how bottom-up inclusiveness, connectedness, collaboration, empathy, innovation, and freeform creativity can help unleash the great potentials for good inherent in our very nature. If you want to improve things in your world and the world, first read this book, then apply the suggestions. Change is sure to come."



Pamela Jaye Smith, mythologist and author of InnerDrives, Power of the Dark Side, Symbols* Images* Codes* and award-winning writer-producer-director
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From Reader Supported News

If Michael Flynn was forced to resign, it was a foregone conclusion that the Trump/Bannon/Miller-run White House would distance itself from "Flynn's" actions. Appearing telephonically on MSNBC, retired four-star general Barry McCaffrey, however, said he could not imagine a scenario in which Flynn could have communicated with Russian officials regarding sanctions without then-President-elect Trump being on-board. If true, that leaves one dangerously irresponsible individual separated from the national security apparatus and at least one other in total control of it.

Russia does not appear to be on-board.

Multiple reports circulating today indicate a substantial increase in provocative military acts by Russia toward US assets: a Russian spy ship (in international waters) off the Delaware coast, the deployment of a ground-launched cruise missile in violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and reports of Russian war planes "buzzing" a US destroyer operating in the Black Sea.

It should be noted that these acts, taken individually, don't necessarily indicate impending conflict, and as always the US is at least as guilty as the Russians, particularly in the Russian view. But the timing is strange. We have a newly sworn-in president who is virtually effusive in his praise for Russian president Vladimir Putin and seemingly giddy at the prospect of improved relations. So why the saber-rattling?

If we are looking at conditions that have changed, the ostracizing of Michael Flynn is at the top of current events programming. The interesting thing here is the now-viral out-take from the Justice Department warning to the White House that Flynn could be vulnerable to Russian blackmail. Presumably, Flynn was reticent about admitting to transition-team leaders that he had discussed US sanctions with Russia prior to having the official capacity to do so. But that doesn't add up.

That would have required Flynn to be making commitments for Trump without Trump's knowledge or consent. Neither Flynn nor his Russian counterpart would have shown up for that meeting. He had to have been, as McCaffrey pointed out, acting under authority. So if that did not make Flynn susceptible to blackmail, what did -- and is it causing increasing US-Russian tensions?

It also bears noting that blackmail is not now mentioned for the first time in this saga. Blackmail as a concern for Trump himself was at issue in considering the much-maligned Christopher Steele dossier. In retrospect, one might wonder whether the dossier was the iceberg or the tip.

Donald Trump has spent his entire life being very, very sure that he is in total control of events around him and impervious to failure. But that's not what his CV says. A closer look at Trump's less than exemplary past includes an alarming history of train wrecks that he walks away from, but others do not.

What if Putin ... is not our friend?

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
From Moyers and Company

Desperately seeking those GOP politicians who will stand up against a know-nothing bully who holds the highest office in the land.

Co-written by *Michael Winship

Congressional Republicans, we watched you at the White House Thursday. Just before Donald Trump's rambling, manic, often snarky press conference -- delivered more in the manner of a churlish insult comic than leader of the free world -- the president met with a group of you, a self-titled "Trump caucus" of early supporters.

You fawned over him like autograph hunters gushing over their favorite movie star. Rep. Chris Collins of New York: "Mr. President, we're all honored to be here." Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee: "We're excited about the work you're doing." And Missouri's Billy Long referenced the recent visit of Japan's prime minister: "I knew you all would hit it off because you're both people persons and great personalities. ... I knew you guys would get along good."

Oh, brother. Has it come down to this? The party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower in the thrall of a petulant, impulsive, preening and shamelessly amoral president who thinks Vladimir Putin is the apex of effective management.

Republicans, is this really the legacy you choose?

How can you not take a solid stand against an unhinged con man who in less than a month has undermined fundamental constitutional liberties, thrown governance into disorganized hell and possibly made decisions based on his desire to please the leader of another country? (What's he afraid that Putin might do?)

It's well reported now that Trump campaign aides, including hustlers like the recently fired Mike Flynn and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort -- dubbed "the King of K Street" by a prominent business magazine -- were in regular touch with Russian intelligence and other officials during our 2016 election cycle and the presidential transition. Were they coordinating dirty tricks to damage not only the candidacy of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party but the fate of American democracy as well? It's possible.

Listening to Morning Editionon NPR this week, we were struck by the inability of some of your colleagues to get a grip and face some hard truths about all this. The broadcast played a Fox News clip of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) appearing to justify a cover-up: "I just don't think it's useful to be doing investigation after investigation, particularly of your own party."

Then host Steve Inskeep spoke with Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), who seemed to think Mike Flynn and the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia weren't the problem. Following his president's claim that the Russia story is a ruse and the real issue is leaks, he said, "I mean, the leak of highly classified information by, what is apparent here, a number of individuals inside our intelligence community, is the illegal act that I think we need to review."

Johnson added: "I don't think that there's anything extraordinary at all about persons in an incoming administration or during a campaign talking with officials from other countries."

Would you agree with us that a comment like that bespeaks less a stupid man than a man who looks upon the public as stupid? Is that what you think of the people now? In the full blossom of your monopoly power over government, are you writing off the people who gave you that power?

And so it went: Hemming and hawing, backing and filling, their comments reminded us of Watergate, a scandalous sequence of events that the two of us witnessed firsthand, and thought -- or hoped, at least -- would be the worst political and constitutional crisis of our lifetimes. This has the potential to be much, much worse.

Back then, as today, many Republicans refused to acknowledge the horrors perpetrated by Richard Nixon and his thugs. Some held onto their willful blindness right up to the bitter end, when to ignore the man's perfidy would have been tantamount to treason. Thanks in part to the courts and journalists like Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, and to true Republican patriots who refused to follow Nixon's nefarious orders, this country narrowly averted a disaster.

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"I think Snowden is a terrible threat, I think he's a terrible traitor and you know what we used to do in the good old days when we were a strong country, you know what we used to do to traitors right?" Trump has said

By Common Dreams staff

Whistle-blower Edward Snowden has spoken on a report suggesting Vladimir Putin is considering sending him back to the US as a "gift" to President Donald Trump, claiming the story proves he is not a spy.

"Finally: irrefutable evidence that I never cooperated with Russian intel," Snowden said. "No country trades away spies, as the rest would fear they're next."

Late Friday NBC News reported:

U.S. intelligence has collected information that Russia is considering turning over Edward Snowden as a "gift" to President Donald Trump -- who has called the NSA leaker a "spy" and a "traitor" who deserves to be executed.

That's according to a senior U.S. official who has analyzed a series of highly sensitive intelligence reports detailing Russian deliberations and who says a Snowden handover is one of various ploys to "curry favor" with Trump. A second source in the intelligence community confirms the intelligence about the Russian conversations and notes it has been gathered since the inauguration.

Snowden's ACLU lawyer, Ben Wizner, says they are unaware of any plans that would send him back to the United States. "Team Snowden has received no such signals and has no new reason for concern," Wizner told NBC News.

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His lips were a lifeless blue. Foam bubbled from his mouth. Having unknowingly shot up a large dose of fentanyl-laced heroin, James was overdosing hard, screaming towards death.

But being a seasoned addict, James pulled through.

I carried myself through one of the hardest overdoses Ive ever had, says James, a recovering opioid addict in Salinas, California.

Most people arent so lucky, the waves of fentanyl-related deaths across the U.S. in 2016 are a grim testament to its lethality. While overdose deaths from painkillers decreased, heroin picked up the slack. The arrival of fentanyl in mass quantities is the third act to this ongoing American tragedy. In some areas and states, such as Long Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, fentanyl now outpaces heroin as the leading cause of overdose deaths. And with President Trump antagonizing Chinathe chief fentanyl supplier as well as remaining adamant about repealing Obamacarewhich gives many opioid dependent people access to treatmentoverdose deaths from fentanyl look to surge in 2017.

Its kind of like the perfect storm, says Russell Baer, DEA spokesperson.

James path to fentanyl parallels that of many American opiate addicts. James began taking Oxycontins orally. He started shooting them soon after, his body having built up a tolerance to the dosage. But Oxycontins are expensive. It can be a $200-a-day habit for heavy users. It was only a matter of time before James, like millions of other opioid dependent Americans, turned to heroin; the black tar and powder heroin from Mexico is strong and much cheaper than Oxycontin.

Fentanyl was also a logical progression for organized crime. Not only could fentanyl be cut with heroinextending traffickers heroin supplybut it could also be pressed into counterfeit painkillers disguised as Oxycontinthus tapping into the prescription pill market at a time when supply was low.

There are far more prescription pill users than heroin users, says Dr. Joji Suzuki, a psychologist who works on opioid addiction at Harvard Medical School. So people figured you could target the prescription pill user market by making counterfeit Oxycontin with fentanyl.

Like James, many users believe theyre taking an Oxycontin or shooting heroin when in fact theyre getting a dose of fentanyl.

A lot of my patients, when we test their urine, are shocked that theres only fentanyl in their sample, says Suzuki.

But it doesnt take much to cause a wave of fentanyl-overdose deaths; a few grains of fentanyl can kill. Unevenly mixing heroin and fentanyl or putting a little too much in a batch of counterfeit pills can have grave consequences. The 72.5% increase in synthetic opioid deaths (9,580 in total) between 2014 and 2015, much of which was fentanyl-related, testifies to this trend.

But reliable numbers are hard to come by. Many states, such as New York and California, dont have specific data related to fentanyl overdoses. And according to Dan Bigg, cofounder and director of the Chicago Recovery Alliance, the high variability in medical examiners makes it difficult to correctly determine the cause of death in all cases. Furthermore, the specific drug related to the overdose isnt reported in 20% of the cases, according to Courtney Lenard, Health Communications Specialist at the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The number of fentanyl-related deaths is probably much higher than current numbers suggest.

I dont think we know the extent of the fentanyl distribution because were not comprehensively testing for fentanyl in all places, says Suzuki. Within the last year we started testing for fentanyl, but we can only test for regular fentanyl. Theres a large chunk of fentanyl out there that isnt regular fentanyl.

Most fentanyl emanates from China. The countrys vast chemical production industry churns out copious quantities of the substance, according Tun Nay Soe, regional coordinator for issues regarding drugs and precursors at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) East Asian office. And through various loopholes in Chinese law, its legal for Chinese companies to export certain fentanyl compounds to countries where theyre prohibited.

Chinese authorities have been working conjointly with the DEAwho recently opened an office in Beijingto classify and prohibit the production and export of certain fentanyl analogues. But laboratories in China, in a kind of underground chemical arms race, are rapidly outpacing the efforts of law enforcement both there and in the U.S.

New fentanyl analogues are developed rapidly by slight alterations in the chemical structure and enter the market as soon as the previous ones are banned, says Nay Soe.

The 300% increase in furanyl fentanyl  a fentanyl analogue  identifications in the U.S. in 2016 exemplifies this trend.

With an uninterrupted procession of packages and shipments surging into the U.S. from China, slowing the flow of fentanyl has been difficult, according to Baer. But fentanyl and its precursors arent just flowing into the U.S.; theyre also flowing into Canada and Mexico. And organized crime groups in both countries, like any business worth its salt, have all too happily stepped in to feed Americas raging opioid appetite.

Supply-side efforts may seem nothing less than Sisyphean in this light, but this fight has long been the cornerstone of U.S. drug policy.

The policy has long been, were going to go after the supply and were going to go after the user, says Dr. Robert Newman, who long headed the Chemical Dependency Institute of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. We know that doesnt work. If any policy has proven not to work its go after the supply and ignore the demand.

Since its discovery in the 1960s, methadone has been the most effective treatment for opioid addiction. But given the strength of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and the vociferousness of moral conservatives across the U.S., abstinence-based programs became the norm in treating addiction, according to Newman. But as Dr. Alice Gleghorn, the current Director of Alcohol, Drugs and Mental Health Services for Santa Barbara County Gleghorn, points out, abstinence-based programs are wholly ineffective in the treatment of opioid addiction.

It turns out, ironically, that medication-assisted treatment (MAT), such as methadone and buprenorphine, might be the most effective tool in reducing both the demand and supply of fentanyl over the long term.

For people using heroin [or fentanyl] one dose of methadone is three doses of heroin [or fentanyl] that arent purchased in Chicago, says Bigg, who has long worked to promote methadone treatment in Chicago. In a sense, youre taking over the drug use appetites from the illicit gangs and you put it in the hands of medical practitioners.

One study showed that for every life lost, methadone maintenance programs saved two others.

But the implementation of a comprehensive demand-oriented treatment policy seems like a pipe dream; especially with a president who openly praises the repressive regime of Duterte and installs law and order men like Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. And as Trump pushes Chinese-American relations to the breaking point, he is, amazingly, scuttling supply-side measures as well.

U.S.-Chinese drug enforcement efforts have been perennially shaky, typified by ups and downs. Trumps friendliness to Taiwan, economic wrangling with China, and planned takeover of the South China Sea might very well spell another down.

Should the overall relationship deteriorate, Chinas willingness to cooperate in secondary areas [such as law enforcement] will diminish, says Dr. Robert Ross, an associate of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University.

Such a situation would make it that much harder to cut the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

Demand-side efforts look similarly bleak. There are still an estimated 1.2 million people suffering from opioid use disorder that dont receive treatment in the U.S. Though Congress passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) in 2016, a lack of funding in the provision still leaves 420,000 people without access to treatment for financial reasons. Spatial inequalities also hamstring access to treatment for countless others. Most counties in the U.S. dont offer any kind of maintenance programs and only 3% of primary care physicians were authorized to prescribe opioid antagonists, like buprenorphine.

With President Trumps repealing of Obamacare imminent, what little treatment is available may become even more restrictive. If Congress doesnt earmark significant funding to CARA, rescinding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would deprive another 222,000 opioid addicts of insurance.

When I lived in Rhode Island, when there wasnt universal health carepeople would be financially detoxed off methadone, says Dr. Wakeman, Medical Director of Massachusetts General Hospitals Substance Use Disorder Initiative. I worry that if we move back to a system like that, were going to make evidence-based treatment even harder to get. Its only going to fuel the crisis.

In the meantime, fentanyl continues to pump into the hubs and hinterlands of America.

Theres been an increase in all forms of fentanyl in 2016, powder, pills, and precursors, says FBI Supervisory Special Agent Vincent Chambers. According to the National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS), fentanyl and fentanyl analogues have now been found in every state in the U.S.

And as long as medically assisted treatment eludes hundreds of thousands of opioid addicts across the U.S., overdose deaths from fentanyl will continue unremittingly onwards.

As James says: Most people follow this to the grave.
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Contact

Iain Myers-Smith

***@blackbirdinteractive.com Iain Myers-Smith

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-- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Blackbird Interactive Inc. Join Forces to Showcase a Future on MarsProject Eagle - Press ReleaseFor release 10am PST, February 21st, 2017Vancouver, BC, CanadaProject EagleA collaboration between NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Blackbird Interactive Inc. (BBI), Project Eagle is an interactive model of a Mars colony in Gale Crater at the base of Mount Sharp, near the original landing site of the Mars Curiosity Rover. It is set in 2117, 44 Martian years (82.8 Earth years) after first human mission to Mars.Using BBI's world class art team and cutting edge in-game video and lighting technology, Project Eagle creates an unparalleled vision of a future on Mars.The interactive demonstration will be presented live on stage by JPL's Dr. Jeff Norris, at the 2017 D.I.C.E. Summit on Tuesday, February 21st, 2017. Jeff will be joined on stage by BBI CEO Rob Cunningham and CCO Aaron Kambeitz.Following in the footsteps of legendary space artist Chesley Bonestell, Project Eagle hopes to inspire new generations to dream of human settlement beyond planet Earth and support the exploration and colonization of our solar system. "It's been a profound honour and pleasure for us here at Blackbird to work with Jeff and the JPL team to dream up what a future base on Mars might really be like, and to deliver that experience as interactive art." said Blackbird Interactive CEO, Rob Cunningham.Blackbird Interactive Inc. Company InformationBlackbird is an independent game development studio located in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Founded in 2010, we are dedicated to creating uncompromising immersive games with a strong narrative and distinctive art style. We are a team of industry veterans that launched our first game, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, to critical acclaim in 2016.NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryThe Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a unique national research facility that carries out robotic space and Earth science missions. JPL helped open the Space Age by developing America's first Earth-orbiting science satellite, creating the first successful interplanetary spacecraft, and sending robotic missions to study all the planets in the solar system as well as asteroids, comets and Earth's moon.D.I.C.E. SummitD.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit is an annual videogame conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The summit is focused on trends and innovations in video game design Established in 2002 by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS). The following is the brief for the Dr. Jeff Norris' D.I.C.E. summit talk:"Science fiction artist Chesley Bonestell didn't simply offer an imaginative vision of humanity's future in space  he helped to create that future. Chesley's collaboration with NASA rocketeer Wernher Von Braun convinced the public that expeditions to the moon and beyond were within our grasp. Dr. Jeff Norris, Mission Operations Innovation Lead, NASA JPL, challenges the D.I.C.E. community to follow in Chesley's footsteps and use their medium to inspire a new course for space exploration. Presenting a collaboration on stage with Rob Cunningham and Aaron Kambeitz from Blackbird Interactive, they will share an artistic work that depicts a vision for space exploration through the medium of games."
Independent Swiss hospitality expert, Dr. Daniel G. Fuchs, is pleased to announce, that he will represent Koh Samui's Beach Republic at ITB Berlin

Contact

Dr. Daniel G. Fuchs

***@danielgfuchs.ch Dr. Daniel G. Fuchs

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-- The international tourism industry will meet once again at the prestigiousin. The Beach Republic booth can be visited atBeach Republic is offering visitors to Koh Samui an unprecedented choice for luxurious indulgence in elegant settings. Since opening, the hotel has welcomed several thousand guests, who seek an exclusive lifestyle experience with signature suites and rooms.Beach Republic European Director of Sales and Marketing, Dr. Daniel G. Fuchs, said he was delighted to be announcing the participation of Beach Republic at this year`s ITB, which sets a new benchmark for authentic Thai hospitality on the island. Dr. Fuchs said: "Beach Republic has created a new benchmark in luxury hospitality, pushing the accepted norms and frontiers in the industry. We feel that there is a real demand for high-quality boutique resorts that embrace the essence of Thai hospitality, with uniquely authentic Thai experiences in beachfront locations."Beach Republic is Koh Samui's original premier beach destination, located at the northern tip of beautiful Lamai beach. Standing apart from the crowd with a unique feel and culture of its very own, Beach Republic is styled as in independent state, and marries a contemporary and hip Mediterranean beach lifestyle with a twist of irreverent fun. The resort comprises the stunning Ocean Club and Restaurant, the indulgent Asian Fusion Spa, and The Residences - a collection of 41 Deluxe Suites, Private Pool Villas, and Private Pool Penthouses.Born and raised in Switzerland, I emigrated to the US in the early stages of my career. I lived in the US for 10 years were I worked for a large international hotel chain. I started as an F & B Director and worked myself up to become the Vice President of Hotel Operations. Returning back home I taught at a Swiss Hospitality College and on behalf of a large Swiss Bank I managed a financial and operational turn around of several hotels. Later I became Director of two very reputable Swiss Hotel Colleges.Amidst the Asian crisis I took the opportunity and established a hotel company in Thailand that owned and managed 7 hotels as well as having a large consulting practice. We have been part of Thailand's most prestigious hotel development projects. After selling my company I became Chief Operating Office of a Thai Hotel company. During all this time I taught at some of the most prestigious Thai Universities and engaged in guest speaking and consulting engagement throughout Asia. Today back home in Switzerland I teach at various Universities and consult nationally and internationally.Dr. Daniel G. Fuchs  International Hotel/Tourism ExpertThoracker 48595 AltnauSwitzerlandWebsite: https://www.danielgfuchs.ch/ E-mail: daniel.f@beachrepublic.cominfo@danielgfuchs.ch
This question has been asked endless times in the past 2 years. However recent information has indicated that it is perfectly fine to fly to Turkey for a vacation.

Contact

Mirya Yachting

***@miryayachting.com

+1 604 547 3220 Mirya Yachting+1 604 547 3220

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-- Although there has been a decline in charter sales in the gulet industry for 2017, after the US election, inquiries and booking confirmations have proven that some travellers have accepted that there is no threat to visit Turkey for theirin 2017; according to statistics from Mirya Yachting amongst various other yacht charter companies."The first question to ask before this is, is any major holiday destination safe? I fly between Canada and Turkey for business frequently, and have never felt unsafe between terminals and afterwards during my stay - which lasts up to 3 months. There is no reason to cast out Turkey for holidays," states Mirya Yachting Canada official Ms. Melissa.Based on sources, the Turkish holidaymakers living in Turkey and those living overseas, have started booking their gulet cruises for the 2017 summer season. The months of July and August have shown to be the most popular. "We are receiving calls everyday from clients wanting to reserve their gulet for their family vacation, as well as inquiries from travel agents in Istanbul and Ankara," explains Mirya Yachting Turkey official Mr. Baris. "No doubt if the Turkish are keen to holiday in their own country, the sense of unsafe travel has certainly been dismissed.""Some clients have booked their flights to Rhodes or Kos but have chosen theiritinerary in Turkey. People miss Turkey, they want to come back., there is more choice inand the terms are more flexible compared to other countries that also," says Ms. Melissa.As indicated, yes,. While the world will never be crime-free, travellers considering their holiday destination options might also like to reconsider visiting Turkey again, or even for the first time and explore the timeless turquoise coast on a
Army continues targeting Saudi, mercenaries sites in several fronts

SANA'A, Feb. 16 (Saba)  The army and popular forces continued targeting Saudi enemy sites and its mercenaries in the past hours with missiles and artillery shelling, inflicting human and material losses to their ranks.







The artillery of the army and popular forces pounded sites and gatherings of Saudi army behind al-Muntazah site, al-Dukhan Mount, al-Khashal and al-Kars in Jizan region, a military official told Saba.







A Saudi solider was shot dead in al-Dukhan Mount by a sniper unit of the army and popular forces.







Meanwhile, the missile force of the army and popular forces launched a ballistic missile, medium range, on Abha regional airport.







In addition, the missile force and the artillery of the army and popular forces pounded airfield of Apache at al-Hagez military camp, Tabat Amer, Mustahdath site behind al-Araq telecommunication in Aser region.











The artillery of the army and popular forces targeted Saudi gatherings and their ordnance in al-Rabou'ah complex and at Nashma site in Aser, inflicting direct losses among them.







Meanwhile, the artillery of the army and popular forces pounded al-Daba'ah site in Najran, targeting Saudi gatherings in al-Kufash site.







The official confirmed that the army and popular forces launched a missile of Zelzal-2 on Saudi-paid mercenaries on Wahejah area in Mocha in Taiz province, causing killing and injuring among them.







The official said that six Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed when they tried to move towards sites at the front of al-Kindi street in the east of Taiz city.







Three Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed in Sala area in Taiz, the official said.







The army and popular forces targeted mercenaries' gatherings with a barrage of Katyousha rockets in Thubab.







In addition, the army and popular forces pounded sites of mercenaries in Usailan district in Shabwa province.







In the same province, the army targeted Saudi-paid mercenaries at al-Saaq area.







meanwhile, the army and popular forces pounded gatherings of mercenaries behind al-Qatab area in Nehm, inflicting human and material losses to their ranks.







Two military vehicles of mercenaries were destroyed with improvised explosive devices in Sberan area in Khab and al-Sha'af district of Jawf province.







Two mercenaries were killed in al-Makhdra area in Serwah of Mareb province.







A military vehicle of mercenaries in Kawfal area was destroyed by the army and popular forces.







HA





Saba

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[16/February/2017]
AS FROM 2015/11/20 ALL POTENTIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE THE INDICATED URL LINK FOR THE DOWNLOAD & PRINTING OF SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE PDF TENDER DOCUMENTS - http://www.etenders.gov.za/content/advertised-tenders

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19/1/9/1/68TP(22) OUTSOURCING RESEARCH PROCEDURES: DATA COLLECTION, DATA ANALYSIS AND WRITING OF CHAPTERS FOR SAPS MORALE SURVEY, CUSTOMERS SATISFACTION SURVEY AND INTELLIGENCE LED SURVEY FOR A PERIOD OF TWO (2) YEARS PLEASE NOTE: A COMPULSORY BRIEFING SESSION WILL BE HELD ON 2022-11-21 @10:00 AT PHUMULANI BARRACKS, 3 LEEUBEKKIE STREET, SILVERTON BEHIND FLYING SQUAD NORTH GATE, PRETORIA 2022/11/04 2022/12/06 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/80TR(22) SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF THE UNCAPPED NONSAPS FIBRE FOR CYBERCRIME ACT ONLINE ACTIVITIES MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT AT SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE FOR THE PERIOD OF THREE (3) YEARS: DIVISION: TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT SERVICE PLEASE NOTE: A COMPULSORY BRIEFING SESSION MEETING TO BE HELD ON 2022/11/11 @10:00 AT SAPS ,TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT SERVICES, BOARDROOM, POSTPARK NORTH ,1234 CORNER STANZA BOPAPE AND JAN SHOBA STREET DIRECTIONS CAN BE OBTAINED FROM LT COLONEL TG MAHLAULE ON (012) 8417852 MEETING STARTS STRICTLY AT 10:00 AND NO-ONE WILL BE PERMITTED IN THE MEETING AFTER 10:00!! 2022/11/04 2022/12/05 Attachment



19/1/9/1/100TV(22) DISPOSAL OF USED OIL AND OTHER RELATED MATERIALS TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE: FOR A PERIOD OF TWO (02) YEARS 2022/11/04 2022/12/05 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/81TD(22) SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF PROFICIENCY TESTS FOR VARIOUS FORENSIC SERVICES LABORATORIES WITHIN DIVISION: DETECTIVE AND FORENSIC SERVICES TO THE SAPS FOR A PERIOD OF TWO (2) YEARS. PLEASE TAKE NOTE!! A COMPULSORY BRIEFING SESSION WILL BE HELD ON 2022-11-08 @10:00 VENUE: PHUMULANI BARRACKS, 3 LEEUBEKKIE STREET, SILVERTON, BEHIND TO FLYING SQUAD (NORTH GATE). NO LATE COMERS WILL BE ALLOWED AFTER 10:00 2022/10/25 2022/11/23 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/72TB(22) PLEASE NOTE ADDENDUM 2 APPOINTMENT OF A PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECT AS A LEAD CONSULTANT FOR THE PROVISIONING OF MULTI-DISCIPLANARY PROFESSIONAL FULL STANDARD SERVICES IN ARCHITECTURE, CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, QUANTITY SURVEYING AND CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY: PLANNING, DESIGN AND SUPERVISION: CONSTRUCTIONS OF A NEW POLICE STATION AT MARITE: MPUMALANGA PROVINCE. COMPULSORY CLARIFICATION MEETING Compulsory clarification meeting to be held on 2022/10/28 at 11:00 am at SAPS Mpumalanga Provincial SCM, 12 Jones Street, Second Floor,Nelspruit. Contact Colonel Keetile for directions on 071 320 0654. TAKE NOTE!! NO LATE COMERS WILL BE ALLOWED AFTER 11:00. 2022/10/07 2022/11/18 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/89TB(22) PLEASE NOTE ADDENDUM 1 APPOINTMENT OF A PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECT AS A LEAD CONSULTANT FOR THE PROVISIONING OF MULTI-DISCIPLANARY PROFESSIONAL FULL STANDARD SERVICES IN ARCHITECTURE, CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, QUANTITY SURVEYING AND CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY: PLANNING, DESIGN AND SUPERVISION: CONSTRUCTIONS OF A NEW POLICE STATION AT DUNDONALD: MPUMALANGA PROVINCE COMPULSORY CLARIFICATION MEETING Compulsory clarification meeting to be held on 2022/10/28 at 11:00 am at SAPS Mpumalanga Provincial SCM, 12 Jones Street, Second Floor,Nelspruit. Contact Colonel Keetile for directions on 071 320 0654. TAKE NOTE NO LATE COMERS WILL BE ALLOWED AFTER 11:00. 2022/10/11 2022/11/18 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/16TD(22) SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF TACTICAL FLASHLIGHT 3 CELL AAA WITH POUCH TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE 2022/10/18 2022/11/16 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/70TB(22) APPOINTMENT OF CONTRACTOR FOR SUPPLY, REPLACEMENT, MAINTENANCE OF GENERAL ELECTRICAL SERVICES AND MAINTENANCE OF STANDBY GENERATORS IN LIMPOPO PROVINCE: TWENTY (20) DEVOLVED POLICE STATIONS FOR THE PERIOD OF THREE (03) YEARS COMPULSORY CLARIFICATION MEETING Compulsory site meeting to be held on 2022-10-28 at 11:00 at SAPS SCM Provincial Office Limpopo, 105 Hans van Rensburg Street, Polokwane, Limpopo Province. Directions can be obtained at 015 293 7572 / 7573. CIDB GRADING Required CIDB grading of grade 5EB or higher. 2022/10/13 2022/11/15 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/73TB(22) PLEASE NOTE ADDENDUM 1 APPOINTMENT OF A PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECT AS A LEAD CONSULTANT FOR THE PROVISIONING OF MULTI-DISCIPLANARY PROFESSIONAL FULL STANDARD SERVICES IN ARCHITECTURE, CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, QUANTITY SURVEYING AND CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY: PLANNING, DESIGN AND SUPERVISION: CONSTRUCTIONS OF A NEW POLICE STATION AT BHOSIKI: KWAZULU NATAL PROVINCE. COMPULSORY CLARIFICATION SITE MEETING Compulsory clarification meeting to be held on 2022/10/26 at 11:00 am at SAPS Pinetown stores no 49 Halifax Road, Pinetown, New Germany, Kwazulu Natal Province. Contact no for directions 031 710 8815/8813. TAKE NOTE: NO LATE COMERS WILL BE ALLOWED AFTER 11:00. 2022/10/07 2022/11/14 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/36TP(22) SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF PSYCHOMETRIC ASSESSMENT BATTERY, ASSESSMENT MATERIAL AND ONCE OF TRAINING FOR ENTRY LEVEL RECRUITS, RESERVIST AND RE-ENLISTMENT IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE FOR A PERIOD OF THREE (3) YEARS COMPULSORY BRIEFING SESSION: DATE: 2022-10-25 TIME: 10H00 ADDRESS: 5TH FLOOR A BLOCK DIVISION SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT 117 CRESSWELL STREET, SILVERTON, PRETORIA IMPORTANT NOTICE: FAILURE TO ATTEND THE COMPULSORY BRIEFING SESSION WILL INVALIDATE YOUR BID DOCUMENT 2022/10/10 2022/11/10 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/66TD (22) TERM OF REFERENCE FOR VEHICLE AUCTIONEERING SERVICES FOR A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU HAVE VIEWED THIS NOTICE BEFORE 2022-10-21 @12:12 THERE WILL BE A COMPULSORY SITE MEETING, DETAILS BELOW: Phumulani Barracks 3 Leeubekkie street Silverton Behind to Flying squad (North gate) 2022-10-27 (Thursday) @ 09:00 N/B: Failure to attend will invalidate your bid. 2022/10/11 2022/11/09 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/42TB(22) APPOINTMENT OF CONTRACTOR FOR SUPPLY, REPLACEMENT, MAINTENANCE OF GENERAL ELECTRICAL SERVICES AND MAINTENANCE OF STANDBY GENERATORS IN WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE REGION ONE (01): TWENTY FOUR (24) DEVOLVED POLICE STATIONS FOR THE PERIOD OF THREE (03) YEARS COMPULSORY CLARIFICATION MEETING Compulsory site meeting to be held on 2022-10-20 at 14:00 at SAPS Epping Stores, Nr 41, Corner of Jakes Gerwell Drive and Bofors Circle, Epping Industrial 2, Cape Town, Western Cape Province. Directions can be obtained at 021 507 4054. CIDB GRADING Required CIDB grading of grade 6EB or higher. 2022/10/03 2022/11/08 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/69TB(22) APPOINTMENT OF CONTRACTOR FOR SUPPLY, REPLACEMENT, MAINTENANCE OF GENERAL ELECTRICAL SERVICES AND MAINTENANCE OF STANDBY GENERATORS IN FREE STATE PROVINCE: TWENTY (20) DEVOLVED POLICE STATIONS FOR THE PERIOD OF THREE (03) YEARS. COMPULSORY CLARIFICATION MEETING Compulsory site meeting to be held on 2022-10-20 at 15:00 at SAPS SCM Provincial Office Free State, 38 Fritzstokenstroom, East End, Bloemfontein, Free State Province. Directions can be obtained at 051 412 3079. CIDB GRADING Required CIDB grading of grade 5EB or higher. 2022/10/03 2022/11/07 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/85TV(22) SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF NEW TYPE RIOT VEHICLES TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE: FOR A PERIOD OF TWO (02) YEARS IF YOU HAVE DOWNLOADED THIS BID DOCUMENT ON OR BEFORE 2022/10/11 @ 09:34, PLEASE DOWNLOAD THIS BID DOCUMENT AGAIN AS THE PREVIOUS BID DOCUMENT HAS BEEN AMENDED TO INCLUDE INFORMATION WHICH DID NOT APPEAR PREVIOUSLY. THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF THE INCOMPLETE BID DOCUMENT IS SUBMITTED ON THE CLOSING DATE AND TIME 2022/10/07 2022/11/07 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/90TB(22) PLEASE NOTE ADDENDUM 1!!!!! CONSTRUCTION OF TAFELSIG NEW POLICE STATION: WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE CIDB GRADING REQUIRE D: 1.Bidders must have a CIDB Grading of 8GB or higher. 2.Bidders must have a stipulated B-BBEE status level of 1,2,3,4 or 5. 3.Bidders must subcontract not less than 30% of the total value of the contract. 4.Bidders must comply to the stipulated minimum threshold for local production and content. 5.Bidders must obtain a minimum Functionalty Score of 60%. COMPULSORY BID CLARIFICATION MEETING : 2022-10-20 strictly at 11:00, at Lentegeur Police Station, 64 Melkbos Road, Lentegeur, Mitchell's Plain, Western Cape Province. For enquiries regarding directions, contact Colonel Swartz at 021 417 7361 or 082 522 1770. Latecomers will not be allowed. TAKE NOTE IF YOU DOWNLOADED THE DOCUMENT ON OR AFTER 2022-09-26, PLEASE CHECK YOUR PAGES AND DOWNLOAD IT AGAIN. SAPS WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR INCOMPLETE DOCUMENT DURING CLOSING DATE AND TIME OF THE BID. 2022/09/26 2022/11/07 Attachment

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19/1/9/1/77TB(22) APPOINTMENT OF CONTRACTOR FOR REPAIRS AND RENOVATIONS OF BRANDFORT POLICE STATION IN FREE STATE PROVINCE. COMPULSORY CLARIFICATION MEETING Compulsory site meeting to be held on 2022-10-20 at 11:00 at SAPS Brandfort, 71 Voortrekker Street, Brandfort 9400, Free State Province. Directions can be obtained on 051 821 8200 / 8201. CIDB GRADING Required CIDB grading of grade5GB or higher. TAKE NOTE A DISC CONTAINING DRAWINGS MUST BE COLLECTED TOGETHER WITH THE DOCUMENT ON THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS: SAPS DIVISONAL COMMISSIONER: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, 117 CRESSWELL ROAD, SILVERTON, DATABASE OFFICE NEXT TO SECURITY OFFICE, MAIN GATE. 2022/10/03 2022/11/07 Attachment

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Scientists and government officials met at the United Nations today to consider possible solutions to a global problem: how to protect whale species in their most important marine habitats that overlap with shipping lanes vital to the economies of many of the world's nations.

The event titled "At The Crossroads: Global Shipping Lanes and Whale Conservation" is part of the 2017 IUCN/WCS Knowledge Dialogue Series that will promote discussions among various stakeholders on international sustainable development challenges. This preparatory conference will feed into important decisions made by delegates on oceans and marine issues at the upcoming UN Oceans Conference on June 5-9, 2017.

"Most species of great whale are affected by shipping activities in the form of potential ship strikes and underwater noise," said WCS President and CEO Dr. Cristian Samper, who provided welcoming remarks for the event. "The challenge of finding solutions on how best to protect these marine mammals in busy waterways is a global one, and international collaboration is the key to formulating effective solutions. Today's discussions on this issue are timely and will help pave the way for a formal call to action by UN delegates in June."

Samper was joined by His Excellency Peter Thomson of Fiji, President of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly and a panel of experts from government agencies, scientific organizations, and the shipping industry. The event was organized by the Government of France, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society).

Most whale species are still recovering from the impacts of centuries of commercial whaling and, although largely protected by a global commercial whaling ban, are now threatened by a host of new dangers, including collisions with ocean-going vessels, ocean noise, entanglement in fishing gear, and other factors.

Moderated by Dr. Greg Silber of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the panel discussed the scope and scale of impacts of the shipping industry on whales, focusing specifically on the threats of collisions and increasing low-frequency noise levels from commercial ships. The participants then reviewed a number of case studies from regions around the world -- Africa's Gulf of Guinea, Sri Lanka, Chile, Arctic waters, and seascapes along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States -- as a means of assessing the current state of knowledge on the overlap between shipping networks and biologically important areas for whales. Panel members also discussed new technologies, emerging research and management needs, and the importance of identifying best practices for balancing the needs of shipping and whale conservation objectives.

"We have a real opportunity on the global stage this week and in the coming months to work with governments, industry, and conservation organizations to secure concrete actions that will benefit whales and the marine environment," said Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, Director of WCS's Ocean Giants Program and a panel participant.

"Collectively we have been evaluating impacts from ship-strikes and noise for several decades, with some clear strides made in reducing impacts," said Dr. Brandon Southall, President and Senior Scientist for SEA Inc. "But now is the time to push forward using powerful new monitoring and mitigation technologies, and building new international partnerships like those forged here in New York."
University of Toronto (U of T) researchers have demonstrated a way to increase the resolution of microscopes and telescopes beyond long-accepted limitations by tapping into previously neglected properties of light. The method allows observers to distinguish very small or distant objects that are so close together they normally meld into a single blur.

Telescopes and microscopes are great for observing lone subjects. Scientists can precisely detect and measure a single distant star. The longer they observe, the more refined their data becomes.

But objects like binary stars don't work the same way.

That's because even the best telescopes are subject to laws of physics that cause light to spread out or "diffract." A sharp pinpoint becomes an ever-so-slightly blurry dot. If two stars are so close together that their blurs overlap, no amount of observation can separate them out. Their individual information is irrevocably lost.

More than 100 years ago, British physicist John William Strutt -- better known as Lord Rayleigh -- established the minimum distance between objects necessary for a telescope to pick out each individually. The "Rayleigh Criterion" has stood as an inherent limitation of the field of optics ever since.

Telescopes, though, only register light's "intensity" or brightness. Light has other properties that now appear to allow one to circumvent the Rayleigh Criterion.

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"To beat Rayleigh's curse, you have to do something clever," says Professor Aephraim Steinberg, a physicist at U of T's Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Control, and Senior Fellow in the Quantum Information Science program at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. He's the lead author of a paper published today in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Some of these clever ideas were recognized with the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, notes Steinberg, but those methods all still rely on intensity only, limiting the situations in which they can be applied. "We measured another property of light called 'phase.' And phase gives you just as much information about sources that are very close together as it does those with large separations."

Light travels in waves, and all waves have a phase. Phase refers to the location of a wave's crests and troughs. Even when a pair of close-together light sources blurs into a single blob, information about their individual wave phases remains intact. You just have to know how to look for it. This realization was published by National University of Singapore researchers Mankei Tsang, Ranjith Nair, and Xiao-Ming Lu last year in Physical Review X, and Steinberg's and three other experimental groups immediately set about devising a variety of ways to put it into practice.

"We tried to come up with the simplest thing you could possibly do," Steinberg says. "To play with the phase, you have to slow a wave down, and light is actually easy to slow down."

His team, including PhD students Edwin (Weng Kian) Tham and Huge Ferretti, split test images in half. Light from each half passes through glass of a different thickness, which slows the waves for different amounts of time, changing their respective phases. When the beams recombine, they create distinct interference patterns that tell the researchers whether the original image contained one object or two -- at resolutions well beyond the Rayleigh Criterion.

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So far, Steinberg's team has tested the method only in artificial situations involving highly restrictive parameters.

"I want to be cautious -- these are early stages," he says. "In our laboratory experiments, we knew we just had one spot or two, and we could assume they had the same intensity. That's not necessarily the case in the real world. But people are already taking these ideas and looking at what happens when you relax those assumptions."

The advance has potential applications both in observing the cosmos, and also in microscopy, where the method can be used to study bonded molecules and other tiny, tight-packed structures.

Regardless of how much phase measurements ultimately improve imaging resolution, Steinberg says the experiment's true value is in shaking up physicists' concept of "where information actually is."

Steinberg's "day job" is in quantum physics -- this experiment was a departure for him. He says work in the quantum realm provided key philosophical insights about information itself that helped him beat Rayleigh's Curse.

"When we measure quantum states, you have something called the Uncertainty Principle, which says you can look at position or velocity, but not both. You have to choose what you measure. Now we're learning that imaging is more like quantum mechanics than we realized," he says. "When you only measure intensity, you've made a choice and you've thrown out information. What you learn depends on where you look."

Support for the research was provided by by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and Northrop-Grumman Aerospace Systems NG Next.
California sardine stocks famously crashed in John Steinbeck's "Cannery Row." New research, building on the pioneering work of Soutar and Isaacs in the late 1960s and others, shows in greater detail that such forage fish stocks have undergone boom-bust cycles for centuries, with at least three species off the U.S. West Coast repeatedly experiencing steep population increases followed by declines long before commercial fishing began.

Natural population fluctuations in Pacific sardine, northern anchovy and Pacific hake off California have been so common that the species were in collapsed condition 29 to 40 percent of the time over the 500-year period from A.D. 1000 to 1500, according to the study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Using a long time series of fish-scales deposited in low-oxygen offshore sedimentary environments off southern California, the authors from NOAA Fisheries and the University of Michigan described such collapses as "an intrinsic property of some forage fish populations that should be expected, just as droughts are expected in an arid climate."

The findings have implications for the ecosystem, as well as fishermen and fisheries managers, who have witnessed several booms, followed by crashes every one to two decades on average and lasting a decade or more, the scientists wrote. Collapses in forage fish can reverberate through the marine food web, possibly causing prey limitation among predators such as sea lions and sea birds.

"Forage fish populations are resilient over the long term, which is how they come back from such steep collapses over and over again," said Sam McClatchie, supervisory oceanographer at NOAA Fisheries' Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, Calif. "That doesn't change the fact that these species may remain at very low levels for periods long enough to have very real consequences for the people and wildlife who count on them."

Downturns in sardine and anchovy linked to changing ocean conditions have contributed to the localized stranding of thousands of California sea lion pups in recent years.

Looking back in time

Scientists traced the historic abundance of sardine, anchovy and hake by examining deposits of their scales collected on the floor of the Santa Barbara Channel from A.D. 1000 to 1500. While previous studies had shown that forage fish exhibited collapses prior to commercial fishing, the new research used methods developed by climatologists to examine the frequency and duration of the fluctuations in finer detail.

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"The Mediterranean climate of California with wet winters and dry summers produces a sediment layer we can pull apart like pages in a book" says Ingrid Hendy, Associate Professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "Although these sediments have been studied before, we are using new technology to examine them in unprecedented detail."

The scientists described a collapse as a drop below 10 percent of the average peak in fish populations, as estimated from the paleorecord. Anchovy took an average of eight years to recover from a collapse, while sardine and hake took an average of 22 years.

The record also showed that sardines and anchovy fluctuated synchronously over the 500 year study period. Combined collapses may compound the impact on predators and the fishery, the scientists said. The finding runs counter to suggestions that the two species' cycles alternate.

Variable fishing responds to change

Sardines and anchovy have at times been the most heavily harvested fish off Southern California in terms of volume. Hake, also known as Pacific whiting, spawn off California but are harvested in large volumes off the Pacific Northwest and Canada. The new study concludes these forage fish are well-suited to variable fishing rates that target the species in times of abundance, "while recognizing that mean persistence of fishable populations is one to two decades, and that switching to other target species will become a necessity."

Collapses last, on average, "too long for the industry to simply wait out the return of the forage fish."

The study authors concluded that "well-designed reserve thresholds" and adjustable harvest rates help protect the forage species, the fishery and non-human predators for the long term. However, they added that "reserve thresholds only protect the seed stock for recovery, and cannot prevent collapses from occurring."
Researchers have completed the first flights of a NASA-led field campaign that is targeting one of the biggest gaps in scientists' understanding of Earth's water resources: snow.

NASA uses the vantage point of space to study all aspects of Earth as an interconnected system. But there remain significant obstacles to measuring accurately how much water is stored across the planet's snow-covered regions. The amount of water in snow plays a major role in water availability for drinking water, agriculture and hydropower.

Enter SnowEx, a NASA-led multi-year research campaign to improve remote-sensing measurements of how much snow is on the ground at any given time and how much water is contained in that snow. SnowEx is sponsored by the Terrestrial Hydrology Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The first year of the ground and air campaign takes place in February in western Colorado.

"This is the most comprehensive campaign we have ever done on snow," said Edward Kim, a remote sensing scientist at NASA Goddard and the SnowEx project scientist. "An army of nearly 100 scientists from universities and agencies across the U.S., Europe and Canada are participating. Our goal is to find and refine the best snow-measuring techniques and how they could work together."

Scientists know that they will need multiple sensors to measure the water content in snow. "No one instrument is perfect," said Charles Gatebe from NASA Goddard, SnowEx deputy project scientist and senior scientist with Universities Space Research Association. "One of our biggest problems is detecting snow through trees. We will work closely with our ground team to try new techniques to see if we can figure out how to do that accurately."

Why snow?

More than one-sixth of the world's population relies on seasonal snow for water. In the western U.S., nearly three-quarters of the annual streamflow that provides the water supply arrives as spring and summer melt from the mountain snow packs. Right now, predictions of streamflow can vary widely due to limited ground measurement sites. This is one of the reasons scientists and resource managers are interested in a comprehensive view from space of what they call snow-water equivalent -- the amount of liquid water contained in snow cover. Scientists use snow-water equivalent to estimate the amount of water that will melt into mountain streams, rivers and reservoirs.

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Snow also effects and is affected by the climate. Scientists have detected changes in snow quantity and snowmelt timing that track with other changes prompted by Earth's warming climate. While satellites are not able to measure snow-water equivalent accurately over all snowy landscapes, satellites have monitored the extent of seasonal snow-covered areas for decades. Since 1967, Northern Hemisphere spring snow cover has declined by about 1 million square miles. Loss of snow cover results in Earth absorbing more sunlight, accelerating the planet's warming.

In the air, on the ground

The instruments and techniques developed in campaigns such as SnowEx could one day result in a snow-observing space mission. "We will also figure out a better way to optimize the use of existing satellites to make measurements," said Jared Entin, program manager of the Terrestrial Hydrology Program at NASA Headquarters.

Five aircraft with a total of 10 different sensors are part of the SnowEx campaign. From an operations base at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, SnowEx will deploy a P-3 Orion aircraft operated by the Scientific Development Squadron ONE (VXS-1), stationed at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. High-altitude NASA jets will fly from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California. A King Air and a Twin Otter will fly out of Grand Junction, Colorado.

The planes will carry one passive and four active microwave sensors that are good at measuring snow-water equivalent in dry snow, but are less optimal for measuring snow in forests or light snow cover; a thermal infrared camera and a remote thermometer (KT-15) for measuring surface temperature; laser instrument that it good at measuring snow depth and snow water equivalent through trees; an imaging spectrometer which measures snow albedo -- the amount of sunlight reflected and absorbed by snow, which controls the speed of snowmelt and the timing of its runoff. The King Air carries the Airborne Snow Observatory from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. ASO is the first remote sensing system to ever measure snow depth, snow water equivalent and snow albedo across entire mountain basins, and has uniquely quantified snow water equivalent over mountainous regions since 2013.

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The field portion of the campaign is based in Grand Mesa and Senator Beck Basin. Scientists will use measurement and sampling procedures that will allow the team to validate the remotely-sensed measurements acquired by the multiple sensors on the various aircraft. Traditional and high-tech equipment is being used for the ground campaign, including snow pits and remote sensing instruments hoisted 40 feet in the air on boom trucks.

"The big challenge to the ground campaign is collecting high-quality field measurements while keeping everyone safe and healthy in these harsh environments," said Kelly Elder, research hydrologist with the U.S. Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, Colorado, who is leading the overall ground campaign.

Scientists will be working above 10,000 feet in potentially windy and freezing conditions up to 10 hours a day. They need snow goggles or sunglasses to protect their eyes. Hypothermia is a very real threat, so researchers wear special clothing designed to wick away sweat and keep them dry. The teams use snowshoes, skis and snowmobiles to access the ground measurement locations on Grand Mesa and Senator Beck Basin.

The Senator Beck Research Basin study area is near the headwaters of the Rio Grande River Basin. "Its research areas are the first major mountain systems downwind of the desert Southwest and Colorado Plateau, making it an ideal place to study the effects of dust on snowmelt," said Hans-Peter Marshall, of Boise State University, who is leading ground operations in Senator Beck Research Basin. "Grand Mesa was chosen for its flatness and range of forest conditions," said Chris Hiemstra, a research physicist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the lead for the Grand Mesa ground operations. The variety of terrain and environments make the ground sites good models for developing global measurements of snow.

Ground equipment was installed in September 2016, before snow started to fall. A ground site near a campground will host specialized equipment too large to move around. This Local Scale Observation Site effort is led by Ludovic Brucker from NASA Goddard. Teams of 50 researchers are making ground measurements, rotating in and out of the field every week over a three-week period.

Data acquired from the SnowEx campaign will be stored at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, and will be available to anyone at no cost, as is the case with all NASA data. After the field work, SnowEx scientists will analyze data and recommend to NASA how to proceed in the next few years. "This campaign will generate the best ideas from the global community of snow experts," Kim said. Senator Beck Basin is managed by the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies CSAS, a non-profit organization that hosts research studies on snowpack at the basin.
Countries & Areas

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In January 2017 China put into service its sixth modern AGI (Auxiliary General Intelligence, or electronic reconnaissance) ship into service. This one was much different from the four earlier Type 815Gs Dongdiao class vessels and thus the latest ship is confusingly called the Type 815A. This vessel apparently displaces over 5,000 tons and has a mix of new and updated electronics.

The Type 815Gs entered service between 2009 and 2005 and obviously had new and improved electronics installed. Actually each 815G seemed to have some new gadgets, or an old ones that were modified. The first of these new AGIs entered service in 1999 as the Type 815 and it was very obviously a new kind of AGI ship for the Chinese in part because it was equipped with modern electronics similar to those found in Western (and Russian) AGIs

The Type 815Gs were 4,800 ton vessels are 119 meters (390 feet) long and with a crew of about a hundred sailors and technicians. These ships featured several domes protecting antennae and the ship is crammed with computers and signals processing gear. The Dongdiao class replaced older AGI type ships that entered service in the 1970s. Some of those these older ships have had their electronics and other information gathering gear upgraded but China felt a new design was required and that led to the development of the Type 815 in the late 1990s. China has about a dozen AGIs of varying sizes and ages. The Dongdiaos have been the largest and most modern.

AGI ships are mainly about electronic reconnaissance and collection. Just keeping track of the enemy's electronic devices has become a major operation, especially since no one knows exactly how everyones electronic equipment will interact until there is a sustained period of use. Such use does not occur in peacetime, when the EW equipment is used infrequently for training and testing. All electronic equipment has a unique electronic signature. Even equipment that is not broadcasting will appear a certain way to various sensors like radar or sonar. Thus a critical peacetime function is to determine what these signatures are. For this reason navies and air forces devote a significant amount of their time tracking other nations capabilities.

As a counter to ESM (Electronic Support Measures), equipment is disguised where possible. Signals can be varied in some circumstances. For equipment that is detected by shape and composition, like aircraft and ships, their shape and substance can be designed to minimize detection. This is the essence of the stealth technology that the United States is applying to a number of vehicles, especially aircraft. Small ships, aircraft, helicopters and vehicles loaded with sensors do most of the collecting. Low flying satellites are useful for catching signals deep inside a nations territory. Drones and RPV aircraft are used also, plus robotic sensors that are left on the ground or sea bottom. Collection involves more than sensors. Recording devices, foreign language interpreters and signal processing equipment also come into play.

Computers are increasingly crucial in sifting through the ocean of data swept up. Huge libraries of signals are collected, analyzed and boiled down to manageable amounts of data friendly troops and weapons can use. ESM has been so successful that one entire class of sensors, active sensors, has become endangered. Active sensors detect things by broadcasting a signal. When this signal bounces off something, the sensor detects the bounce back and knows something is out there. This is the basis of radar, which broadcasts microwaves, and sonar, which broadcasts sound. Because of the signal being broadcast, a passive sensor can detect it.

Passive sensors just listen. Because active sensor signals must reach an object in sufficient force to bounce something back, a vehicle carrying a passive sensor will detect a vehicle carrying an active sensor first. This is what happens you use a radar detector in your car to detect police speed trap radars. You usually have time to slow down before you illegal speed is detected by the police radar. As users of these devices well know, there is constant competition to come up with better radars and countermeasures. Passive sensors are the hot item in research and development these days, and for obvious reasons. Passive sensors are nearly impossible to detect. Passive sensors can also pick a wide variety of signals. Infrared sensors can detect heat, including something as faint as body heat or the hot skin of an approaching jet aircraft.

The basic task of an AGI is to be within range, as often as possible, when the subject (whoever they are monitoring) radiates (transmits). The Chinese AGIs will also use Chinese warships as subjects. In part this is for training and in part it gives the Chinese a sense of what foreign AGIs encounter when they go after Chinese ships.

The modern Chinese AGIs have been increasingly active in the South China Sea and off the coasts of South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. For example in mid-2016 a Chinese AGI, for the first time, entered territorial waters off the Japanese Senkaku islands. The Chinese AGI was following two Indian warships that were in the area for joint training exercises with Japanese and American warships. The Chinese AGI moved away after about an hour. China says it was a legal intrusion because the spy ship was unarmed and thus not a warship. That is not how international law interprets free passage because anything closer than 22 kilometers to the coast is sovereign territory that requires explicit permission for foreign ships to enter. Chinese AGIs have already been spotted as far afield as Africa and South America.
Sometimes for true love to be fully realized, it needs a helping hand  or a pair of helping paws. Just ask Cathleen Cavin and Brian Herrera.

Cathleen Cavin

This unlikely romantic tale begins in 2014 when Cavin, then a single mom, decided to welcome a cat into her family. She and her daughter headed to their local animal shelter in Petaluma, California, and instantly fell in love with a pair of identical twin kittens. Unfortunately, though, they could only accommodate one pet  so they had to make a choice between them. "We had such a hard time picking one at the shelter because they looked so much alike and we couldn't tell them apart," Cavin tells The Dodo. That was the happy moment Ozzy entered their lives, but Cavin couldn't help thinking about the kitten left behind.

Dodo Shows Odd Couples Dog And Wild Dolphin Play Whenever They See Each Other

Cathleen Cavin

Flash forward to the summer of 2016. Cavin's friends had convinced her to try the dating app, Tinder. It wasn't long before she found a match in Brian Herrera, himself a single dad. Despite living in the same area, and sharing many common interests, the two had never met before. Cavin was hesitant at first, but ultimately agreed to a date. Over dinner, they hit it off immediately and neither wanted the evening to end. So, they headed back to Brian's house  and that's when it all came together. "We walked out to his backyard and I saw an orange and white cat out of the corner of my eye. I did a double-take and walked over to the cat and could NOT believe my eyes," Cavin says. "I knew right away that he was Ozzy's lost brother! I started yelling out, 'That's my cat, that's my cat!' He just thought I was making it up or a crazy cat lady!" But, quite incredibly, Cavin wasn't entirely wrong.

Cathleen Cavin

As it turns out, just four days after Cavin and her daughter adopted Ozzy from the shelter, Herrera had come in and adopted his brother  named Butter. Neither had any doubt the two were siblings, but shelter records later proved it was true. "After realizing that we had long-lost cat brothers, we were amazed and felt like it was serendipity!" Cavin says. "It was love at first sight when we met and the cats just solidified that we truly belong together!"

Cathleen Cavin

From there, Cavin and Herrera's love has only deepened, but they decided to wait for the right time to let Ozzy and Butter know that they had found one another's long-lost brother. Soon, the happy couple plan to move in together  so this week they finally reunite them. Ozzy and Butter were somewhat tepid around each other at first, as cats tend to be, but they've already become more tolerant of the idea of sharing a house together. "It will be a process but I have no doubt that the two will start snuggling again soon!" Cavin says.

Cathleen Cavin
A golden eagle who got caught in a hunter's trap in the woods of western Pennsylvania could have died if he didn't get help fast. Luckily, people found him and brought him to Skye's Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Harrisville, Pennsylvania. He was put under anesthesia for treatment for his painful foot injuries. "We're going to work on physical therapy to get that foot working," Skye's Spirit wrote soon after the eagle was admitted. "Our awesome vet, Dr. Palumbo at Franklin Animal Clinic, worked on him and we have a solid plan to help him."

The eagle was exhausted with fear from the ordeal, and his foot was torn up and bloody from the trap.

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Traps used for hunting are designed to catch wild animals like foxes and raccoons, often for their fur. Sadly, the animals for whom the traps are intended often suffer agonizing hours before being found and killed. And too often, other animals, like this golden eagle, as well as cats and dogs, become victims of these devices.

Rehabilitators tended to the eagle's wound, cleaning it up and wrapping it in a little blue bandage.

As he was waking up from anesthesia, Maryjane Angelo, a wildlife rehabilitator at Skye's Spirit, cradled him in her arms. "I didn't know one of the techs at the vet office had taken the picture til she sent it to me," Angelo told The Dodo. "[It] made me cry, too! I love helping these animals."

Maryjane Angelo cradles the eagle as he wakes up from the anesthesia | Skye's Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

The eagle has since retired to his own recovery area at the center, where he can gain his strength. "I monitor him with a video camera," Angelo explained. "Once the wound closes completely we'll move him to a larger enclosure so he can exercise more."

Since the eagle's rescue occurred just a few days before Valentine's Day, people started sending some very sweet wishes along with money to help with the eagle's recovery.
Pickle the hairless cat and her littermates all became very sick when they were just tiny kittens. They were surrendered to the ASPCA in New York City when they were 3 weeks old due to severe upper respiratory infections. Unfortunately, Pickle's siblings passed away from the severity of their conditions, but little Pickle continued to fight, despite a myriad of medical issues. Pickle was diagnosed with severe corneal ulcers, hypoglycemia and continued respiratory issues. Dr. Danielle Delfino was the first veterinarian who helped Pickle, and from the day she met her, she knew that the little kitten was special.

Danielle Delfino

"I met her the day that she came in and was her doctor initially," Dr. Delfino told The Dodo. "I knew from the moment I met her that I was going to adopt her."

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Danielle Delfino

Delfino had always wanted to adopt a Sphynx cat and had been waiting for the perfect one to come along. One of her own cats had passed away a few weeks before, and it was almost as if Pickle was always meant to be hers, as she arrived at the perfect time.

Danielle Delfino

Delfino fostered Pickle while she was recovering from her many issues, and once the kitten was healthy, she made the adoption final. Delfino already had two other pets at home, a cat named Andy and a pit bull named Olive, who were both overjoyed to welcome their new little sister into the family.

Danielle Delfino

From the moment Pickle arrived in her new home, she and her big sister Olive became best friends. The pair loves to hang out together, and while it seems like Olive is very protective of Pickle, Pickle doesn't seem to think she needs protecting at all.

Danielle Delfino

"They are always playing together and running around my apartment," Delfino said. "Pickle doesn't know how small she is. She is still tiny."

Danielle Delfino

Pickle especially loves to cuddle with her new family, and she seems to know that in their arms and paws, she is finally safe and loved.

Danielle Delfino
Ben Hull never intended on getting a wolf dog - he actually wanted a husky. But when he saw an advertisement in a local newspaper for wolf dog puppies, he got curious, so he went to the breeder's house to check them out. As Hull stood at the breeder's front door, a black wolf dog puppy broke out of his kennel, ran through the house and leapt into Hull's arms. This rambunctious puppy wriggled his way into Hull's heart, and he went home with him that day. Hull describes that decision as the best, and also the worst, thing he ever did.

Ben Hull

Hull and the puppy, whom he named Shade, formed a very close bond, but Shade quickly became a lot of work. Within days of coming home, Shade started having behavior issues.

Ben Hull

"At first he would jump on people in a friendly way, just wanting to smell or lick their faces like any big, hyperactive puppy would do," Hull told The Dodo. "It was later, and as he got older, that this turned into being aggressive." Shade was very possessive of Hull, and also of the rest of his "pack," which included Hull's parents and their two dogs, Sasha and Chuy. But Shade would bark and chase away anyone who wasn't in the pack, even if he'd met them before, according to Hull.

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Ben Hull

Hull did as much research on wolf dogs as possible, and tried to remedy Shade's behavior. But he quickly came to the conclusion that he couldn't give Shade the care and training he needed, and that a suburban house probably wasn't the best place for him. Hull also did some research on the breeder where he got Shade, and he started to suspect that Shade had been inbred, which may have exacerbated Shade's behavior problems.

Ben Hull

"The breeder was a former animal control worker and so he trusted her when purchasing Shade, but when looking back, he figured out that Shade's mother was also probably his grandmother," Cate Salansky of Wolf Connection, the wolf and wolf dog sanctuary where Shade eventually ended up, told The Dodo. When Shade became too much to handle, Hull decided to rehome him with a couple living in Southern California. This couple had owned several wolf dogs before, so Hull thought Shade would fare better with them. But even here, Shade acted out. After about a year, the couple reached out to Wolf Connection, and asked the sanctuary to take Shade. This turned out being the best solution for everyone.

Shade at Wolf Connection sanctuary | Wolf Connection

Shade adjusted to the sanctuary immediately. After spending time in a kennel by himself (which allowed the sanctuary staff to assess Shade's behavior), he was paired with Maya, an alpha female wolf dog.

Maya, Shade's best friend at Wolf Connection | Wolf Connection

"Maya speaks 'wolf' very clearly and has the confidence and communication to deal with other wolf dogs who don't have those skills yet," Salansky said. "She's his comfort blanket and is the one he goes to for affirmation when he starts becoming triggered."

Wolf Connection

Shade and Maya lived together for a couple of years, but the sanctuary staff eventually realized Shade was the kind of wolf dog who loved his space, and that he'd be happier on his own. Even so, he and Maya continue to have playdates, according to Salansky. Shade also loves going for hikes.

Shade taking a hike with Cate Salansky at Wolf Connection sanctuary | Wolf Connection

"He goes out on lengthy hikes almost daily to explore the 165 acres of Wolf Connection," Salansky said. "Shade is so hyper-alert of every smell, sound and movement around him, and that awakens you to do the same, including your attention to Shade's body language. He's a very quiet, purposeful hiker and is always in the 'now.'" Hull couldn't be happier about Shade's new home at the sanctuary. Hull lives in the Netherlands now, but whenever he's back in the U.S., he goes to visit Shade.

Wolf Connection

"I am so grateful to the couple that they found the people at Wolf Connection, and found Shade his new home with people that love and care about him," Hull said. "Seeing his new life whenever I visit Wolf Connection is such a happy and emotional moment for me." While Shade was lucky to end up at a sanctuary, many wolf dogs are dumped at shelters when they become too much to handle. Once wolf dogs are in the shelter system, they don't last long. Not only are they difficult to rehome, but wolf dogs are illegal in some states, which means that shelters can't legally hold them. For these reasons, wolf dogs are often euthanized within a week, Giulia Cappelli, lead of programs at Wolf Connection, explained to The Dodo.

Wolf Connection

Even if some people can be responsible wolf dog owners, Cappeli said she doesn't recommend getting wolf dogs in the first place. "When purchased as puppies it is very difficult to discern how much wolf will actually present in the animal," Cappelli said. "The majority of owners are not prepared for true wolf physicality, intelligence and general behavior. Without the proper containment, understanding and pack orientation, the mid- to high-content wolf dogs can easily escape and end up in a shelter where they are recognized as having wolf content."

Wolf Connection

"In the process of trying to keep their wolf dogs from escaping, without proper containment, many owners may resort to tying up their animals with chains or wires," she added. "This situation usually leads to abuse and neglect though it starts with good intentions." "Shade is extraordinarily lucky that he chose Ben that day to be his human," Salansky said. "Who knows how many of Shade's relatives were purchased by owners who simply gave up on them when their behaviors were not in line with what they were expecting and rescinded them to an animal shelter? Ben set forth the path for Shade to live safely at Wolf Connection, and Shade now has a wonderful life by being a part of a large pack of balanced wolfdogs."

Wolf Connection
Airbnb Inc. is on a mission to be more than a home-sharing platform. It wants to be a flight booker, an itinerary planner and a vacation-home manager. To become a global travel behemoth, Airbnb is considering a combination of acquisitions and partnership deals to quickly grow its portfolio, according to three people with knowledge of Airbnbs plans.

The companys targets are in luxury tourism, airfare aggregation, group payments and guest-management, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because Airbnb hasnt authorized them to speak publicly. Airbnb is also focused on doing deals in China and India, the people said.

Airbnb declined to comment on specifics of its business plans. We are always looking to provide our community with access to new and different options, but we have no announcements to make, Nick Papas, a spokesperson for Airbnb, wrote in an email. One of the people said acquisitions are not a material part of the companys strategy and that Airbnb does not believe it needs to rely on acquisitions to grow.

Read more: Airbnb expands business to guided tours and activities

On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that Airbnbs board met to approve the purchase of Luxury Retreats, a vacation-home management company in Montreal. The sale is expected to garner no more than $300 million in cash and stock. Airbnb is also in the process of purchasing the group-payments company Tilt. Airbnb declined to comment on the deals because they are not yet public.

New product categories would generate alternative revenue sources for Airbnb. Over the last few years, after pressure from regulators, Airbnb agreed to place limits on how long hosts can rent their homes to travellers in certain cities. Officials in London, New York, Amsterdam, San Francisco and Barcelona, have claimed Airbnbs short-term rentals violate local zoning laws and displace long-term residents. The policy-makers continue to seek laws that could place considerable restrictions on Airbnbs money-making ability.

Airbnb became profitable in the second half of 2016, when revenue at the company increased more than 80 per cent that year, Bloomberg reported. Airbnb expects to remain profitable in 2017. Since launching in 2008, the home- and apartment-rental company has raised $3.1 billion in capital and still has nearly all its funding, three investors said. The investors asked not to be identified because they have signed nondisclosure agreements.

The companys identity shift is already underway. Last year, Airbnb began selling unique travel experiences, such as hat-making tutorials in London and coffee-roasting expeditions in Cape Town, South Africa. In November, the company announced it had a flight-booking tool and an itinerary-planning feature in the works. The trip planner, it said, would give users personalized travel suggestions based on their location and past behaviours. In order to deliver on the ambitious project, two of the people said, Airbnb is looking to partner with or acquire a travel search engine similar to competitor Priceline Group Inc.s Kayak.com.

Airbnb has dominated in the urban-rental market but still has lots of room to grow in vacation rental markets, where Expedias HomeAway is stronger and the average transaction value is significantly higher, said Douglas Quinby, an analyst at the travel industry research firm Phocuswright. Quinby, who expects Airbnb will pursue its initial public offering over the next 12 to 24 months, said Airbnb will need to use that time to drive growth in new product categories, such as vacation rentals and business travel, as well as new geographies, to justify its private market valuation of $31 billion.

Airbnb chief financial officer Laurence Tosi has been a driving force behind the companys new-found profitability, the investors said. Tosi, the former CFO of Blackstone Group LP, joined the startup in 2015 and quickly built a finance and development team composed of former Blackstone colleagues and directors from Goldman Sachs.

The investors said they dont expect Airbnb to spend the nearly $3 billion it has sitting in cash. Airbnb is in the process of negotiating a deal to buy the group payments company Tilt for just $12 million in a combination of cash and stock, said an investor in one of the companies. Tilt was last valued by investors at $400 million. Airbnb and Tilt declined to comment on the acquisition.

In October, Airbnb considered purchasing the flight-booking website Skyscanner Ltd, said two people familiar with the matter. Airbnb declined to bid on the Scottish startup, which ultimately sold to Ctrip International Ltd. for $1.7 billion. And in August, Airbnb held meetings to acquire the Chinese home-sharing site Xiaozhu.com. The talks got serious by November, but in December, Airbnb determined the company lacked the high-end appeal it sought for its Chinese expansion. Airbnb and Xiaozhu declined to comment.

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It took two decades for Denis Villeneuve to become  through hard work, but no guaranteed glory  one of the most sought-after directors in the world. A look back reveals not only the reliable quality of his creations but hints along the way at aborted projects that might have been ... and, given his new-found clout, might yet.

1996: Villeneuve wins a MuchMusic Video Award for directing Tout simplement jaloux, by Quebec rock stalwarts Beau Dommage.

1997: His work goes to Cannes for the first time as part of the anthology film Cosmos, though it is overshadowed by another Canadian film, The Sweet Hereafter. Star movie critic Peter Howell says The Technetium, Villeneuves portion, is worth the ticket price alone, being a send-up of MuchMusic and its frenzied pandering to short attention spans.

1998: The first feature film directed by Villeneuve alone is Un 32 aout sur terre, about two 30ish friends who become lovers under unusual circumstances. Its chosen for a non-competitive sidebar to the official Cannes festival. The Stars Judy Gerstel finds it amusing and impressive, but its overshadowed in Canadian eyes by Don McKellars Last Night, which wins a prize from Cannes youth jury. Villeneuves film comes to the Toronto International Film Festival later that year and becomes Canadas entry for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar list, though Canadas own film awards, the Genies, ignore it.

2000: Villeneuves back at TIFF with Maelstrom, about a young womans chaotic life after shes in a hit-and-run accident, and hes glad to have made the cut. I can sleep a little bit better now, said Villeneuve, after festival organizers put him in the lineup. Howell finds the movie not the most imaginative of tales ... (but) Villeneuves eye for visuals never fails to dazzle. The film wins an honourable mention from the fests Canadian feature jury for its extraordinary artistic exuberance. Its again our contender for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar list and wins several Genies.

2001: Maelstrom goes to Sundance and it gets a good response; a scriptwriter from Los Angeles tells The Canadian Press she expected another depressing French film about self-absorbed people but instead was very enchanted. It wins a prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, too. Its expected that later in the year Villeneuve will begin directing his English-language debut in Toronto, about bank robber Edwin Alonzo Boyd, based on a script by Nathan Morlando. It doesnt happen and when the movie is finally made, years later, Morlando is the director. Three short films are the only Villeneuve-helmed projects that surface for years.

2008: Villeneuve begins the delicate job of filming Polytechnique, based on Marc Lepines infamous 1989 Montreal massacre that killed 14 women. While the work is technically fiction  real names of victims arent used  Villeneuve doesnt duck the horror. If you want to understand what happened you have to see what theyve been through, what I tried to portray.

2009: Polytechnique, which turns out to be a relatively understated, black-and-white take on the tragedy, with a brief 77-minute running time, is released in Canada and makes its European premiere at Cannes. It wins nine Genies and five Jutra awards in Quebec.

2010: Villeneuves latest, Incendies, takes him on his first cinematic trip outside of Quebec, filming in part in Jordan to tell the story of a Montreal womans previous life in the Middle East, uncovered by relatives after her death. Its praised by Howell (his pick for top film of the year), who says the directors journey from daring auteur into mature storyteller over the past 15 years has been wondrous to behold. Roger Ebert and many others offer additional praise. Beyond that, it is actually seen by Canadians in some numbers, grossing more than $4 million here. And it finally gets that Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar nomination (it doesnt win).

In early 2011, Villeneuve makes Varietys 10 directors to watch list. And a film festival in the Czech Republic offers a retrospective on his work, with all of four features under his belt. There is talk of him adapting the Joe Sacco graphic novel Footnotes in Gaza, hes writing a science-fiction screenplay, and hes attached to direct an adaptation of the 2004 political novel The Darling, set in Liberia. But his next movie to surface is 

2013: Prisoners, a movie with a $50-million budget (seven times that of Incendies) about a working-class father who attacks a man who he believes kidnapped his daughter. A proper Hollywood budget and a cast to match: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello, results in an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography and  just as important for Villeneuves career  a healthy profit, with box office totals at $122 million worldwide.

Within weeks comes the TIFF debut of Enemy, filmed back to back with Prisoners. It sees Villeneuve sticking with Gyllenhaal in a Toronto-filmed tale based on a Jose Saramago novel about a man spotting and pursuing his exact double. A modest budget and a modest return for a psychological thriller. Villeneuve tells Playback this was actually his first shoot in English.

2015: Sicario, a well-regarded law-enforcement story involving the FBI and Mexican cartels, stars Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, turns a profit on a $30-million budget and gets three Oscar nominations for cinematography, original score, and sound editing. Villeneuve is now a known commodity in Hollywood and the world. By the time Arrival cements his standing a year later, hes already at work on a Blade Runner sequel.

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Few crimes are more heinous than a corrupt employer improperly plundering a pension fund. Pocketing the money that rightfully belongs to working people is deeply wrong  and illegal.

So when auditor general Bonnie Lysyk implies the Ontario government is trying to do just that  and casts herself as the last safeguard blocking Liberals from raiding workers pensions  one is tempted to hail our hero.

That, at least, is the narrative pushed out by the auditor generals office.

But that bizarre claim turns out to be a sideshow, designed to cover up her own miscalculations after an outside panel of experts found that the auditor herself had conflated facts and confused figures. Lysyks fanciful tale that she single-handedly stopped the government from reaching into the cookie jar boils down to a pile of cookie dough.

Auditors fulfil a critical function in any enterprise, government or private. But as weve seen in the private sector, when auditors become conflicted  in this case between fact and fiction  they render their office untrustworthy and irrelevant.

In 2002, a previous auditor agreed with a then-PC government that it could count a pension surplus as a budget asset. Last year, the current auditor had second thoughts, suddenly criticizing the Liberals for booking a $10.7 billion surplus from two jointly-sponsored public service pension plans. The effect was to wipe away $1.5 billion from the current budget just when the Liberals were on the verge of hitting their deficit elimination target.

The government sought a second opinion from outside professionals, in this case a panel of top accounting and pension experts. Their verdict is complicated but also common sense:

You cant pretend an asset doesnt exist merely because it isnt liquid. Experts at OPTrust, one of the joint pension plans with a surplus, reached a similar conclusion as the outside panel earlier this month.

Yet on Thursday, Lysyk continued to insist that a jointly sponsored pension plan is different, because the employees union shares control  so the employer requires their written permission to access the money before it can be counted as an asset. Interesting but irrelevant.

In fact, the government would never seek such permission because it wouldnt and couldnt withdraw money from any pensions  they are segregated and protected by law. When the outside experts pointed out the internal inconsistency in the auditors logic, Lysyk shifted to damage control mode.

Rather than acknowledge her errors, she compounded them: In a statement, Lysyk dismissed the experts as a hired panel, but then falsely claimed the government has a desire to have unfettered access to that money, adding with ominous overtones: That money is for the benefit of employees and retirees.

This is a straw man topped with cookie dough.

Lysyk knows perfectly well that the spectre of raiding is a red herring. When I asked the auditor to explain how, in light of those legal prohibitions, the government could go about raiding a pension, she declined comment.

Headed by Tricia OMalley  a member of the Canadian Accounting Standards Oversight Council and Canadian Actuarial Standards Oversight Council  the panel is puzzled. How can the auditor suggest that merely counting an asset puts it up for grabs?

One of the things that continues to disturb me about the dialogue, frankly, is people going on and on about taking assets out of the plan  that is, in fact, not doable, she told me Thursday.

Her panel concluded that the pension surpluses are absolutely assets because they have a future economic benefit  they allow the employer (and employees) to reduce their contributions in future, offset against that surplus (by the same accounting logic, pension deficits are counted as liabilities, often requiring future contributions to be increased).

Rebalancing isnt raiding. There are established mechanisms for both sides to reduce contributions because its pointless to pile up infinite surpluses.

By insisting that a surplus cant count as an asset, merely because withdrawals are too complicated, Lysyk conflates an actuarial surplus with actual cash. OMalley uses the analogy of a joint venture or partnership in the private sector, which can be difficult to dissolve  but doesnt preclude you from booking your share as an asset. (No, its not worth nothing.)

Like it or not, thats the arcana of accounting  and banking. Just because you dont have the cash in hand doesnt mean you dont count it.

We rely on auditors to provide value for money audits. Not to introduce their own values, making up untested accounting standards as they go along.

Martin Regg Cohns political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca , Twitter: @reggcohn

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A federal cabinet minister, troubled by the recent murder of a Winnipeg bus driver, stood in the House of Commons this week to pay tribute. He began by saying that he too had once worked as a bus driver. The room erupted, with mocking laughter exploding from the opposition benches. It was prolonged.

Amarjeet Sohi, minister of infrastructure and Liberal MP for Edmonton Mill Woods, was saying, Mr. Speaker, as a former bus driver I want to convey our thoughts and prayers . . . when he was drowned out. For what could be more risible than a sweaty bus driver becoming one of them?

I watched the reaction on the Liberal benches. Bill Blair, MP for Scarborough Southwest and former Toronto police chief, has an immobile face, as if he is still on undercover surveillance. It suddenly changed as he heard the laughter.

On high alert, he angled his head and his eyes narrowed and sent out lasers. He surveyed the Conservatives as if he were taking down names. It was extraordinary, the face of outraged Canadian decency, a face like a quote.

MP Adam Vaughan and another MP beside him turned angrily as they heard it. Science Minister Kirsty Duncan, sitting beside Sohi, looked up in distress and exclaimed. New Brunswick MP Ginette Petitpas Taylor shook her head in disgust. An indignant voice was heard to say, Whats wrong with that?

Will interim Conservative Leader Rona billionaire lifestyle Ambrose reprimand her MPs for cruel snobbery? Will elitist Kellie I have 22 letters after my name, I am not an idiot Leitch hush her colleagues?

I dont know if Leitch was there. That night, she would be speaking in Toronto at an ugly event organized by the peculiar Ezra Levants extremist-right so-called Rebel media. In grade school, we used to call boys like Ezra mean and dirty-minded. Our parents would call his parents and speak in clipped tones.

My problem is not the hate fringe in the Conservative Party  there will always be one  but its mainstream. In what world is it laughable to drive a bus for a living? That Winnipeg driver was stabbed to death at 2 a.m. Imagine his pain, his fear, his blood staining the snow.

Until I read Paula Simon in the Edmonton Journal, I had not known that in the 1980s young Sohi was beaten and tortured in India, then held without charge for nearly two years, mostly in solitary confinement.

He came to Canada in 1981 with almost no English, and became a three-term Edmonton city councillor before entering federal politics. But first, he drove a bus. It was honest work. He took fares, dealt with abusive people, guided them, helped them and paid his way. This was how he began to know his city.

I dont know what jobs are socially acceptable to Conservative MPs. They seem to despise the uniformed, cap-wearing, greasy-handed types who vote for them.

As she privatized and deregulated bus transport in 1986, Margaret Thatcher is alleged to have said, A man who, beyond the age of 26, finds himself on a bus can count himself a failure. It wasnt taped and may be apocryphal, but it does sound like her, doesnt it. We all have aunts  perhaps they are Conservative MPs  who think this.

Conservative MPs also despise teachers and club bouncers because Prime Minister Trudeau worked at those jobs. But theres no better way to understand Canadians than when theyre angry, drunk or need to hand in their essay late. The dog ate it? And then he, like, ate it again? My mom said ask you first.

I love waiters. As the line goes, you ask them for things and they bring them to you. I love nurses. You press the little button and they plump your pillows, ask if youd like a little orange juice and do you want the Special Bath. Then the doctor comes and yells at you. You could DIE!

The work done by people in daily life is like a series of skits for intrigued toddlers. What do you want to be when you grow up, we ask small children. They dont want to be anything medical  oh, theyve had needles  but they do want to drive a bus on which the wheels go round and round all round the town.

My heart swells. Oh you precariously employed hog butchers, tool makers, deliverers of mail, welders, Nordstrom shoe staff finding me flats in blue-but-not-blue, I think youd all be fine MPs.

You know why the Liberals harp about middle-class jobs? Because if you have one, youre less vulnerable to the sneers of highly paid and well-pensioned MPs. If driving a bus is beneath them, imagine what they think of the unemployed.

I do not like their jeering. I will not tolerate it. To those who may never need the bus, learn to value the person who caters your parties, drives your Uber, cleans your office. Life withers, and one day that may be you. You will drive a bus and feel fortunate to have the work.

Sohi remained dignified and calm. What I heard was laughter, he told the CBC. I take pride in my background.

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At the end of a week of high international diplomacy, it is only natural that Justin Trudeau would be stuck handling questions about who pays the bill.

The prime minister spent Monday in Washington visiting Donald Trump. By mid-week he was in Strasbourg, doing a victory lap on Canada-EU trade as he addressed the European Parliament. Then on to Berlin to see German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with whom he is sometimes lumped in the broad category of world leaders who arent much like Trump.

Nor was Trudeau the only high-profile pol travelling this week. The Trump administrations big guns  Vice-President Mike Pence, Defence Secretary James Mattis  were en route to Munich for the German citys big annual security conference. Harjit Sajjan, Canadas defence minister, was en route to Munich, too, after having met with Mattis and two dozen other defence ministers at a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels.

So it was inevitable that questions about military spending would arise. Donald Trump has often said the United States is sick of paying other countries share for collective defence. Even Mattis, a career military officer who has a NATO Meritorious Service Medal, said this week that the U.S. might moderate its contribution to NATO if other members dont pull their weight.

Trump defines pulling ones weight by a common yardstick: the notion that each country in the alliance should devote at least 2 per cent of its gross domestic product to military spending. Canada doesnt. In recent years, the Harper and Trudeau governments have spent about 0.99 per cent of GDP on the military. Canada has company. Germany spends about 1.2 per cent. Norway spends 1.54 per cent, Turkey 1.56 per cent, Spain and Belgium even less than Canada. Only the United States (at 3.61 per cent) and four other countries meet or exceed the target.

Trump seems to think the 2-per-cent target is like the membership fees at Mar-a-Lago: if you dont pay, you shouldnt get in. And if not enough countries pay, the U.S. may not back them in case, say, Russia invades NATOs eastern flank.

There are problems with Trumps analysis. First, there is no membership rule regarding spending. The 2-per-cent target dates from 2006, when everyone was realizing the Afghanistan war was a huge suck on resources  as was George W. Bushs side project, the Iraq war. At the NATO summit that year in Riga, Latvia, the 2-per-cent goal was mentioned for the first time, as an incentive to other members to shoulder more burden and give Bushs overworked armies a break.

But even then the goal was aspirational. Let me be clear, this is not a hard commitment that they will do it, the alliances spokesman at the time, James Appathurai, said in Brussels in mid-2006. But it is a commitment to work towards it.

Member states promptly failed to work towards it. Most members military spending declined after 2009, when Barack Obama replaced Bush as U.S. president. Germanys went nowhere for most of the decade Merkel has been chancellor. (Finally in 2014, another NATO summit repeated the 2-per-cent goal, and Merkel has lately started to boost German military spending at a rate I doubt it can long sustain.)

So the 2-per-cent goal is no formal rule. And its a shaky guide to any member states utility. Greece spends 2.38 per cent of GDP on its military  mostly to pay soldiers generous wages, prep for a war with Turkey that everyone hopes will never happen, and procure lots of German and French equipment in what amounts to an intra-European protection racket. Everyone likes Greece, but Europe will not be safer if everyones military becomes more like Greeces.

Canada, on the other hand, took a brutal toll in soldiers killed and wounded in Afghanistan and is on the verge of shouldering a heavy burden in Latvia, to help dissuade Vladimir Putin from getting any bright ideas. Canadian soldiers, going back more than a century, are welcome when they show up in a battle space because they do whats needed with little fuss. Thats why Mattis said, when he welcomed Sajjan in Washington earlier this month, that he was hugging and kissing every one of the Canadians he met in Afghanistan.

The 2 per cent is a classic Trump target: it does not mean what he thinks and is not a useful measure of anything. Hurrying to meet the goal would mean hefty commissions for consultants and big margins for arms manufacturers. Maybe once all that is taken care of, military capability might increase a bit, too. All to please a guy who gets his policy ideas from cereal box tops. Trudeau, like Stephen Harper before him, should guard jealously Canadas right to make its own decisions on these matters.

Paul Wells is a national affairs writer. His column appears Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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Police were investigating one shooting and spotted another.

There, captured on security camera video, was a 15-year-old boy, struck in the abdomen, but (according to a CTV interview) still able to stagger to his mother, screaming: Mommy!

It was just before 8 p.m., a week ago Monday, and the youth had been with his younger sister, who wasnt hurt. The siblings had ducked into the doorway of a townhouse unit on Jamestown Cres. after a vehicle had begun to turn the corner. The front passenger and back side passenger climbed up and out of the windows, leaning across the cars roof to start blasting away.

Only when investigators combed through video did they realize that, just a minute earlier, three occupants of that same vehicle had got out of the car and chased another teenager down a nearby pathway. Two of them fired but missed.

That teen has not come forward. He barely escaped with his life but hasnt turned to police even though, presumably, hes still in somebodys crosshairs.

We didnt receive even one call of gunshots from anybody in the area, says Supt. Ron Taverner, unit commander of 23 Division. The kid who was shot at didnt contact us.

Earlier, on that same day, a 15-year-old boy was walking through the parking lot at Yorkgate Mall when a dark-red four-door car pulled up alongside. The driver got out and chased the teen, shooting at him on the run. One bullet hit its target and the youth was rushed to hospital with a life-threatening injury.

Young men in cars, firearms in hand, witnesses scarce or uncooperative.

And that, in a nutshell, speaks to the investigative difficulties of cops trying to solve gun crimes in Toronto. The bang-bang is either too common an occurrence for residents in particularly traumatized neighborhoods or, more likely, everyone has bought into the dont-tell culture of urban violence. Only the mothers of the dead plead for co-operation.

Dont-see, either, for the vast majority of people in this city who go about their lives unaffected by the gun ravage in certain communities with crime so minimally reported these days in mainstream media, unless the incident is especially disturbing  a pregnant woman in the back of a car, hit by bullets  or the victim is one of us  an innocent bystander, white, middle-class, a good citizen, a daughter, a dad, fatefully intersecting with havoc.

Theyre getting younger all the time, Taverner notes wearily, the victims and the people were arresting. Fifteen years old!

Cold numbers indicate that shootings and homicides are actually down slightly. Toronto police statistics as of Feb. 13 show 44 shooting incidents in 2017, compared to 46 for the same period in 2016; deaths: seven in Toronto for 17, eight for 16. But all seven homicides this year have resulted from gunfire. Injuries: 13 for 2017, 24 for 2016.

More bullets flying, more dangerous scenarios. Eventually, at this pace, the kill-column will catch up. Just as a bullet meant for somebody else caught up with 61-year-old grandmother last summer, slain when visiting her grandkids in River Town, what police suspect was a gang-related shooting. In November, just up the street from that location, a 24-year-old male was shot to death in the bedroom of his townhouse. Also in November, 17-year-old Caheem Clayshawn Ramsuchit, was felled by bullets in a brazen daylight targeted attack in the backyard of a house in the Jane and Steeles area, Torontos 60th homicide on the year.

Last month, 18-year-old Ali Rizeig, shot and killed outside his Regent Park townhouse.

What is going on? Because this rash of gunfire killings feels awfully familiar, evoking the notorious Year of the Gun in 2005 when the streets erupted in gang-on-gang mayhem. Six fatal shootings in the past 11 months.

And the weapons, theyre getting ever-more powerful, in the hands of the erratic and the hit-or-miss.

Weve seized shotguns, rifles, .45 calibre handguns, an Uzi last week, says Taverner.

The Uzi was allegedly fired by a 25-year-old man from the apartment entrance of a building in the area of Finch and Don Mills and thrown off the balcony when police broke down the door. Two 9-year-old girls had been playing in the hallway when the Uzi was discharged. The accused has been charged with four counts of attempted murder.

Almost 40 per cent of the shootings have been in the northwest corner of the city, notes Taverner, referring to areas covered by 23 and 31 Divisions. Its the proliferation of guns and the firepower, the same thing Ive said a hundred times before. Weve created special teams to deal with it and redeployed uniforms from other areas.

There have been media reports about a renewed gang-on-gang violence, possibly involving the long-time Sick Thugz, which have traditionally operated in Regent Park, and a new splinter group, Halal. But Insp. Peter Moreira, commanding officer of the integrated guns and gangs task force, resists any characterization of pattern or trends. I dont know if it indicates much of anything, he told the Star on Friday, referring to the surge of shootings and the purported intra-gang violence. This is just what happens with people who lead an at-risk lifestyle.

Moreira deliberately avoids associating any known gang to a specific Toronto location, which he believes unfairly taints the community and pumps up gang notoriety. Theres nothing glamorous about it. I cringe even when you mention up-ticks or down-ticks in violence. Every investigation is looked at individually. There are so many different reasons behind shootings  it could be about the underlying lifestyle or jealousy over a girl. Its almost impossible to talk about it in generalities.

A couple of weeks ago, Moreira called a press conference to show media nine firearms and high capacity magazines recovered as part of a firearms investigation, resulting in the arrests of three individuals.

What he says now: Up-tick, down-tick. If youre involved in this lifestyle, it will continue to spiral out of control.

A bunch of guns off the street, sadly, will make only a small dent.

Were saving people from themselves.

Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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Mark Garner has a neon dream.

The executive director of the Downtown/Yonge BIA believes the time is now for Toronto to immortalize iconic businesses of days gone by. So hes collecting, restoring and replicating signs from classic city storefronts for a potential open-air museum.

But he needs help to turn the dream into a reality.

Where are all the signs? Garner asks aloud. Why isnt the cultural contribution that this signage made on anybodys radar?

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He has spent the last five years tracking them down and slowly generating interest in his project. Yonge St., Garner explains, was once a rite of passage and hot spot for neon lights.

Today, he thinks theres a return of interest with the forthcoming Sam The Record Man reinstall at Ryerson University and the Honest Eds marquee finding a new home on Victoria St.

Signage is en vogue right now.

With Yonge/Dundas already a special area for signage, Garner said an outdoor museum would add to that status, to tourism and to a collective sense of where weve come from.

So were going to form a committee to put a face and a name to this and really start driving it, he said.

Garner imagines the sign museum to be outdoors and accessible to everyone. He has earmarked OKeefe Lane as a prime location to make it real.

There are many ways to do a museum, he thinks, and laneways ought to be reimagined as part of the public realm. This is an activation . . . its a natural fit.

Skeptics can look to Edmonton or Las Vegas as examples done right. The Alberta Sign Association revitalized 104 Street, which began to flourish and eventually became an open market.

The Neon Museum of Nevada proved so popular, it announced its expansion in 2016.

Andrew Weird, the executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Tourism Toronto, thinks the concept is a terrific idea.

This is exactly the kind of destination marketing that is unique to the place and can be seen nowhere else, he said. The idea is very valuable and I think these signs could serve two purposes: they are visual icons of the city that we could use to help market the city.

Garner said his team has been working with the folks in Edmonton to see how they did it. Slowly, people are hearing about the project and coming to him, too. So far, hes collected a mish mash of things including the Papaya Hut, Music World and parts of Sam The Record Man.

Hes also got his sights set on collecting signs from businesses should they go under or decide to renovate, like HMV or The Steak Pit.

Weve started collecting and will continue until the community gets behind this, he said. The Brothers Markle, who were responsible for creating many of the original neons, have indicated their interest to replicate signs that cannot be found but are fondly remembered.

That would include Sam the Chinese Food Man that used to be on Yonge St.

The Sign Association of Canada has also been supportive of the idea, said Garner.

Once the BIA gets its committee together, theyll be looking for seed funding to refurbish these signs and secure a location for them.

They are hoping to raise money from individuals and businesses, heritage and tourism grants, the city, province and federal government funds as a non-profit organization, although they are still in the early stages.

However it happens, Garner says he knows the clock is ticking.

Toronto is about to become a very tall city, very quickly and we want to designate this cultural corridor before developers come after it and all our cultural spaces are gone, he said. This is heritage preservation.

We cant forget our past, he said. We still have to tell that story.

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Earl Grey Senior Public School students were told this week that they would have to leave their cell phones in their lockers during and between classes starting Tuesday.

The school is enforcing the ban after staff, parents and students looked to minimize distractions in the classroom and reduce the inappropriate uses of the devices during the school day, school principal Bill Vatzolas wrote in a letter to parents this week.

The Grades 7 and 8 students will be permitted to use their devices during lunch hour with restrictions, Vatzolas wrote. But the rules will be: no social media, no texting, no taking or viewing photos and videos.

(Cell phones) are essentially the electronic version of talking in class, Ryan Bird, spokesperson for the Toronto District School Board, said in an interview.

The policy was adjusted as not only a reactive but proactive measure, Bird said.

He said the TDSB once instituted a board-wide cell phone ban back in 2007 but it was lifted in 2011.

It was just a realization that there is an important role for technology in the classroom, he said. The key here is appropriate use of technology.

There are some classes where cell phones can come in handy, he added, and others when there is absolutely no reason why you should have a cell phone out.

He was unsure if Earl Grey was the first school in the TDSB to implement a ban, as the rules are at the discretion of individual schools and teachers.

A speaker will be coming to the middle school next month to speak with students and parents about proper use and behaviour.

Dr. James Roberts, a professor at Baylor University in Texas and author of Too Much of a Good Thing: Are You Addicted to Your Smartphone?believes the ban is a bold and courageous move and Earl Grey should be commended.

Study after study shows that when were distracted by smart phones and other technology in the classroom, it undermines student learning, he said.

But he also predicted some pushback.

For the students its going to be like trying to detox a drug addict, Roberts said, pointing to six signs of withdrawal that teachers should be looking out for.

Cell phones release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good, and the same stuff when we get a hug or make an accomplishment. Theres a reason were attached, he said.

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In 1917, Dr. Hermann Rorschach, working in a Swiss asylum, designed 10 inkblots to shed light on patients perceptions. In the ensuing century his test became widely used but also the subject of bitter controversy  and major conflicts over how they should be employed and interpreted. In this excerpt, Damion Searls examines how the young psychiatrist perfected his images.

While crafting the blots, Rorschach worked to eliminate any sign of craftsmanship and artistry. The blots had to not look made at all; their impersonality was crucial to how they worked. In his early drafts, it was still obvious where Rorschach had used a brush, how thick the brush was, and so on, but soon he had shapes that seemed to have made themselves. His images were clearly symmetrical, but too detailed to be mere folded smears. The colours added to the mystery: how did they get into an inkblot?

Rorschachs images increasingly looked unlike anything seen before, in life or art. After spending a long time using images that were more complicated and structured, more pleasing and aesthetically refined, he later wrote, I dropped them in the interest of producing better, more revealing results.

It was especially important that they not seem like a puzzle, a test, because Rorschachs paranoid patients had hair-trigger reactions to any hint of ulterior motives. There couldnt be names or numbers on an image, since patients would pay too much attention to what they might mean, ignoring the picture itself. The cards couldnt have a border, because in Switzerland that was likely to remind a schizophrenic of a black-edged death notice.

Rorschach knew from [working at a clinic in the Swiss town of ] Munsterlingen how to get around patients suspicions; a great advantage of the inkblot method, he realized early on, was that it could be conducted either like a game or like an experiment, without affecting the results. Often, even unresponsive schizophrenics unwilling to undergo any other experiment will willingly perform this task. It was fun!

Rorschach did not originally conceive of the blots as a test at all: he called it an experiment, a nonjudgmental and open-ended investigation into peoples ways of seeing.

The choice to make the blots symmetrical might seem inevitable, but it was one of Rorschachs crucial decisions or intuitions, with all-important consequences. Earlier inkblots in psychology didnt have to be symmetrical: Alfred Binets were merely strange-shaped blots of ink on a white sheet of paper; only two of [U.S. intelligenc testing pioneer G.M.] Whipples 15 blots were symmetrical, only two of [Russian psychologist Fyodor] Rybakovs eight.

But Rorschachs blots were, and he laid out arguments for why: The symmetry of the images has the disadvantage that people see disproportionately many butterflies etc., but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Symmetry makes the form more pleasing to the eye and thus makes the subject more willing to perform the task. The image is equally suitable for right-handed and left-handed subjects. It also encourages the seeing of whole scenes.

Rorschach could have chosen to use vertical symmetry across a horizontal centre line, evoking a landscape with horizon or a reflective pool, or even symmetry across a diagonal. Instead he used horizontal or bilateral symmetry. Perhaps he remembered from [Ernst] Haeckels Art Forms in Nature that this is what seems organic and natural, or recalled from [Robert] Vischers essay on empathy that horizontal symmetry always presents a better effect than vertical symmetry because of its analogy with our body. Whether consciously or intuitively, he worked with the symmetry of everything we care about most: other people, their faces, ourselves. Bilateral symmetry creates images we react to emotionally, psychologically.

Another pivotal choice was to use red. Like any painter, Rorschach knew that red and other warm colours come at the viewer while blue and cool colours recede: in the inkblots, red would confront the test taker more aggressively than any other colour, demanding that we react, or suppress a reaction. Red appears brighter to the human eye than other colours at the same saturation  the Helmholtz-Kohlrausch effect; it also looks more saturated than other colours at the same brightness.

It interacts with the light/dark dichotomy better than any other colour, looking dark in contrast to white, and light in contrast to black. (Anthropologists would discover in 1969 that some languages have only two colour terms  for black and white  but that any language with a third term uses red: red is colour as such.)

Earlier inkblots in psychology had not used colour at all, but Rorschach used the colour with the most colour, just as bilateral symmetry is the most meaningful kind of symmetry.

Rorschachs most definitive break with his predecessors was to stop using inkblots to measure the imagination. When Rorschach read on the first page of (Polish med student Szymon) Henss dissertation that seeing things in a formless inkblot requires what we call imagination,  that the blot can have no claim to be anything but a blot without more or less imaginative interpretations of the images, his whole life had prepared him to say: No. A blot is not just a blot, at least not if its any good. Pictures have real meaning.

The image itself constrains how you see it  as on rails  but without taking away all your freedom: different people see differently, and the differences are revealing. Rorschach had learned that from his friends at the Zurich art museum, from all his efforts to read people as a doctor and as a human being.

The most obvious problem with measuring a subjects imagination by counting answers  though it hadnt been obvious to Hens, or to Alfred Binet and his successors  was that some answers are imaginative and others are not. An answer could be perceptive, seeing something really there in the image; it could be crazy, but thats not the same as imaginative. Delusions seem real to the person who has them.

No one looked at a blot and tried to see something that wasnt there, Rorschach realized; they tried to come up with an answer that gets as close to the truth of the picture as they can. This goes for the imaginative person exactly as much as for anyone else.

He found that whether or not he told a subject to use your imagination made no difference. A schizophrenic who was originally imaginative would, of course, produce different, richer, more colourful delusions than a patient who was originally unimaginative, but when a psychotic took his delusions for reality, this probably [had] nothing whatsoever to do with the function of imagination.

Two responses to his inkblots that Rorschach heard early on proved the point. In what would be Card VIII of the final test, one 36-year-old woman saw A fairy-tale motif: a treasure in two blue treasure chests buried under the roots of a tree, with a fire underneath, and two mythical animals guarding it. A man saw Two bears, and the whole thing is round, so its the bear pit in Bern.

The imaginative person had integrated the shapes and colous into a complete picture; her answer was playful, spoken with delight. The second answer, in contrast, was what Rorschach called confabulation: latching onto part of the image and overriding or disregarding the rest.

The man saw the round shape as a bear pit not because bears were inside it  the bear shapes are actually around the edge of the card  but because his thoughts had gotten stuck on bears and everything now had to be about bears. He could no longer see the round shape in context, or connect it to anything else in the picture.

(A more recent example of confabulation is seeing Card V as Barack Obama with George Bush on his back because Its a clash of two forces, and the whole picture may look like an eagle, the eagle being the symbol of the country. The symbolism of the eagle doesnt actually mean eagle parts look like presidents.)

Rorschach described the tone of a confabulated answer as one not of creative play but of conquering a problem, and its logic is strangely literalistic, despite not really making sense. The womans fairy-tale associations were literary and creative, her answer imaginative, but at the same time her perception was much more coherent and clearly grounded in the image than the confabulators.

In short, one more thing found in a blot should not simply count as one more point on a persons imagination score. What mattered was how people saw what they saw  how they took in visual information, and how they understood it, interpreted it, felt about it. What they could do with it. How it set them dreaming.

Excerpted from The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, His Iconic Test, and the Power of Seeing by Damion Searls. Copyright  2017 Damion Searls. Published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.U.S. President Donald Trump further escalated his attacks on the news media Friday afternoon when he tweeted that outlets like the New York Times, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN are not his enemy but are the enemy of the American People.

Although Trump has long colourfully criticized news coverage and sparred with reporters who question him, he had not yet labelled the fourth estate as being an enemy of the country. On the campaign trail, some of Trumps supporters would heckle and threaten reporters who covered his rallies, and his tweet Friday came 24 hours before his first political rally as president.

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It took the president two tries to properly post his message, which came soon after he arrived at his luxury, oceanfront estate for the weekend. The first tweet, which was quickly deleted, contained a number of extra spaces and listed the Times, CNN and NBC, ending with this conclusion: SICK! The second tweet added ABC and CBS to the list, while removing SICK! Both tweets labelled these organizations as being the fake news media, with fake news put into all-caps.

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The media has been credited with breaking stories about Trumps administration that have prompted action this week, including asking for the resignation of his national security adviser Monday and his nominee for labour secretary withdrawing from consideration Wednesday. Meanwhile, the president has berated the press for allegedly distorting facts and not painting a rosy portrait of the country under his leadership. At a news conference at the White House on Thursday, Trump uttered the words fake news seven times.

Much of the media in Washington, D. C.  along with New York, Los Angeles, in particular  speaks not for the people, but for the special interests and for those profiting off a very, very obviously broken system, Trump said early in the news conference, which lasted an hour and 15 minutes. The press has become so dishonest that if we dont talk about, we are doing a tremendous disservice to the American people. Tremendous disservice. We have to talk to find out whats going on, because the press honestly is out of control. The level of dishonesty is out of control.

That night, the Republican Party and Trumps campaign websites posted a Mainstream Media Accountability Survey that asked 25 questions that were worded in a way that would never be allowed in a scientific survey. The survey formalized Trumps attacks and his insinuation that media outlets are working against the American people. Its unclear what, if anything, the data will be used for, and participants are required to give their name, email address and Zip code.

The first asks: Do you believe that the mainstream media has reported unfairly on our movement? It then asks whether the survey-taker believes that MSNBC, CNN or Fox News report fairly on Trumps presidency, allowing for answers of yes, no or no opinion. Those surveyed are also asked their primary source of news, with options limited to those three cable networks, along with local news. There is no mention of specific newspapers, websites, magazines or noncable networks.

Other questions ask whether the survey-takers think the media does due diligence fact-checking before publishing stories on the Trump administration, if it fairly reported on the rollout of Trumps travel ban, if political correctness has created biased news coverage on both illegal immigration and radical Islamic terrorism and if the media has been far too quick to spread false stories about our movement. Participants can also indicate which issues the media does the worst job of representing Republicans on, with the option to pick as many topics as they like.

The final question: Do you believe that our Party should spend more time and resources holding the mainstream media accountable?

The social media ads driving people to the survey were paid for by the Trump Make America Great Again committee, a joint fundraising committee that splits its proceeds between Trumps campaign and the Republican National Committee. Since Trumps victory, the fundraising committee has continued to pepper supporters with appeals for money, helping keep a steady stream of contributions flowing to both the party and Trumps campaign. By the end of December, Trump had already socked away $7 million into his campaign account, money that officials said they are stockpiling for his 2020 reelection.

Digital fundraising experts said the media accountability survey appeared designed to keep Trumps most loyal supporters engaged. People who fill out the questionnaire are taken to a donation page where they are asked to give between $35 and $2,500  with the option of making a monthly recurring donation.

President Trump is asking you to go the extra mile and make a contribution to help defend our movement from the outrageous attacks from the media coming our way, it states. Contribute now to help us fight back against the medias attacks and deceptions.

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BANJUL, GAMBIAThousands gathered Saturday for the ceremony marking the inauguration of Gambias new president as this tiny West African nation celebrates wider freedoms after a tense political standoff with its former leader.

Several heads of state were attending the ceremony for President Adama Barrow. He was sworn into office last month at Gambias embassy in neighbouring Senegal as former leader Yahya Jammeh refused to cede power.

International pressure, including the threat of a regional military intervention, led Jammeh to finally accept his December election loss and fly into exile in Equatorial Guinea. Hundreds of thousands of Gambians welcomed Barrows return to Gambia days later.

Barrow, who has just turned 52 and was born the year that Gambia gained independence, has pledged to reverse many of the actions Jammeh took during more than two decades of power. He has committed to stay in the International Criminal Court and rejoin the Commonwealth. He also has vowed to free political prisoners.

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The international community has quickly warmed to Barrows approach, with the European Union recently announcing an $80 million package of support after breaking off assistance amid tensions with Jammeh.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Barrow on Tuesday, saying: We are here to help.

Barrow arrived at Independence Stadium on Saturday to fanfare, waving from his vehicle in flowing white robes. The day also was Gambias independence day, marking the countrys freedom from British rule in 1965.

Gambians also cheered Independent Electoral Commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai, who had to flee to Senegal during the political crisis after standing by the election results.

Senegals President Macky Sall was among the honorary guests at the ceremony protected by troops from the West African bloc, ECOWAS. The regional force has been securing the country during the transition, which has remained peaceful.

Sall said Gambia and Senegal, a regional power that surrounds the tiny country except for its coast, must strengthen economic and other relations. Many Senegalese live in Gambia.

We are the same people, and we remain the same people, he said.

The U.S. Assistant Secretary of state for African affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, was among the dignitaries expected to attend the ceremony.

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ISLAMABADPakistani authorities shut down a second key border crossing into Afghanistan, halting trade supplies to the neighbouring landlocked country and increasing tensions between the two nations in the wake of a bloody suicide bombing at a beloved shrine in Pakistan, officials said Saturday.

The border closure at Chaman in southwest Baluchistan province came after an attack on a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan on Thursday left 88 worshippers dead. The move was seen as an effort to pressure Kabul to take action against militants who Pakistan says have sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

Responsibility for the attack at Lal Shahbaz Qalander shrine in Sehwan was claimed by Daesh.

Pakistan security forces have launched nationwide operations that they say have left more than 100 terrorists dead.

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Pakistan closed the border at Torkham hours after the bombing and the Chaman border was shut late Friday, said a senior army official.

A second official confirmed the details, saying trucks and shipping containers carrying trade supplies were parked miles away from the border crossings. Torkham connects Pakistan to Afghanistans Nangarhar province and Chaman is located near Spin Boldak in Kandahar.

The Pakistani officials asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to brief the media on the record.

The latest developments come amid media reports that Pakistani troops backed by artillery targeted camps belonging to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, near the Afghan border, causing an unspecified number of militant casualties.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has claimed to have carried out a number of attacks, including the Feb. 13 suicide assault in Lahore that killed seven police officers and six civilians. Pakistan says Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and the main Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan militant groups had been operating from Afghan areas near the Pakistani border and that Kabul in the past ignored Islamabads pleas to take action against them.

Shahbaz Sharif, chief minister in the eastern Punjab province, announced late Friday the arrest of a suspect in connection with the Feb. 13 suicide bombing. He played a video containing what he said was the mans confession, in which the man says he was associated with Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and that he helped the bomber to carry out the attack.

Pakistans military said Friday it summoned Afghan diplomats and handed over a list of 76 suspected terrorists who were hiding in Afghanistan. Pakistan wants immediate action by Afghan authorities, including the suspects extradition to Islamabad.

In Kabul, the Afghan government Saturday summoned Pakistans ambassador in protest of recent shelling in Afghanistans eastern provinces. The foreign ministry summoned Ambassador Abrar Hussain in Kabul, where Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai sought an explanation from Hussain, but also gave his condolences regarding recent suicide attacks in Pakistan.

At least two people have been killed and two others wounded in the shelling from Pakistan, according to reports.

Karzai said the Afghan government wants Pakistan to take strict action against terrorists that are hiding in Pakistan.

He expressed concern over the closure of the Torkham and Chaman border crossings and asked that the gates be reopened. Apart from disrupting trade, the closure of border may also delay the repatriation of Afghan refugees by the refugee agency of the United Nations.

These refugees have been living in Pakistan since the 1980s after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Pakistani officials say the country sheltered 5 million Afghan refugees at one time and there are still an estimated 1.3 million registered and over a million more unregistered living in the country. Pakistan has allowed registered refugees to remain in the country until the end of this year.

Also on Saturday, Afghan army chief of staff Gen. Qadam Shah Shahim, said his forces killed 1,955 Daesh fighters over the past year.

He told reporters in Kabul that he regretted that Pakistan attacked eastern Afghanistan with artillery fire and said we have shared our concerns through diplomatic channels with Pakistani authorities. We are waiting for the response through the diplomatic channels; otherwise we are fully ready to defend our country.

To a question about the list of 76 terrorists given by Islamabad to Kabul, Shahim said they too gave such a list of terrorists to Pakistan in the past and hoped Pakistan will act against them because they were using Pakistani soil to launch attacks in his country.

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MUNICHU.S. Vice-President Mike Pence sought Saturday to calm jittery partners by declaring that the United States, under President Donald Trump, would hold Russia accountable and maintain steadfast support for NATO, the post-Second World War military alliance Trump once dismissed as obsolete.

In his overseas debut as vice-president, Pence told foreign diplomats and security officials attending the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. would be unwavering in its commitment to the transatlantic alliance and Trump would stand with Europe. He pointed to their shared noble ideals  freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law.

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Addressing violence in Ukraine, Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honour a 2015 peace deal agreed upon in Minsk, Belarus, to end violence in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. He did not mention findings by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in last years presidential election to help Trump win the White House.

Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found, Pence said.

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Pences address and a series of one-on-one meetings with world leaders along the sidelines here sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression, including its annexation of Crimea. Many have been alarmed by Trumps positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pences speech aimed to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist tendencies.

After his speech, Pence met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called for the maintenance of international alliances and told the audience, with Pence seated nearby, that NATO is in the American interest.

Sergey Lavrov, Russias foreign minister, told the conference after Pences speech that Moscow wanted pragmatic relations with the U.S. He said he hoped that responsible leaders would choose to create a just world order, adding if you want, you can call it a post-West world order.

European countries along Russias border are rattled by the prospect of deeper U.S.-Russia ties after Trump suggested that  contrary to the opinions of Merkel and other world leaders  sanctions imposed after Russias annexation of Crimea could be eased in exchange for a nuclear weapons deal. The president referred to NATO as obsolete in an interview before his inauguration, but has since tempered his language and has stressed the importance of the alliance during telephone conversations with foreign leaders.

But mindful that the new U.S. president often lashes out on Twitter, some attendees remained skeptical that the speech represented Trumps thinking and said his foreign policy moves would be closely watched.

We are waiting for actions, said Polish President Andrzej Duda. We only know what the media has reported and the statements that weve got. Now we are waiting for actions of the new government of Donald Trump.

Wrote U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, on Twitter: Looks like we have 2 governments. @VP just gave speech about shared values btwn US and Europe as @POTUS openly wages war on those values.

Michael Chertoff, a former homeland security secretary under U.S. president George W. Bush, noted that Pences comments about NATO and Europe echoed assurances given by Defence Secretary Jim Mattis. Theyve all been consistent about the fact that there is a strong, deep and enduring commitment to Europe and to NATO and I think that message has been received, Chertoff said.

In his remarks, Pence also reinforced the Trump administrations message that NATO members must spend more on defence.

NATOs 28-member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2 per cent of their gross domestic product on defence within a decade. But only the U.S. and four other members of the post-Second World War military coalition are meeting the standard, Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, erodes the very foundation of our alliance.

Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfil this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more, Pence said.

In a day of meetings and photo ops, Pence was sitting down with the leaders of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and separately with the president of Ukraine  countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion. The vice-president also scheduled a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The former Indiana governors stature within the administration was also under scrutiny after the recent dismissal of Trumps national security adviser, retired general Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign Monday following reports he misled Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat. The vice-president learned that he had been misled through media accounts about two weeks after the president was informed.

Pence also met with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. remains embroiled in two separate wars. Trump has made clear his intention to defeat Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL. But he also said the U.S. may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion that has been rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Trumps immigration and refugee ban has ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order, which is currently tied up in court, including Iraq  a close ally in the fight against Daesh. Trump has promised to issue a revised order, possibly as soon as next week.

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BARCELONA, SPAINAt least 160,000 protesters marched Saturday in Barcelona to demand that Spain's conservative-led government increase its efforts to take in refugees from war-torn countries like Syria.

Spain has accepted just 1,100 refugees of the over 17,000 it has pledged to take in.

Marchers held a large banner and signs in Catalan with the slogans "Enough Excuses! Take Them In Now!" and "No More Deaths, Open The Borders!" as they made their way through the city centre to its Mediterranean coast.

Barcelona police said 160,000 people took part in the march, while organizers said it reached 300,000 participants.

"There is an ample consensus in Catalonia to demand that the (government's) commitments are upheld," said organizer Ruben Wagensberg.

In Sept. 2015, Spain's government pledged to bring 17,337 refugees in within two years: 15,888 from camps in Italy and Greece and 1,449 from Turkey and Libya. On Thursday, a group of 66 refugees  65 Syrians and one Iraqi  who arrived in Madrid raised the total number of refugees that Spain has taken in to just 1,100.

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, a former anti-eviction activist who has pushed Spain's government to let her city accept more refugees, joined the march.

"It is very important that in a Europe of uncertainty where xenophobia is on the rise for Barcelona to be a capital of hope," Colau said.

Colau had also criticized the federal government's stance toward refugees in December at a Vatican conference on Europe's refugee crisis.

In contrast to Spain, fellow European Union member Germany took in 890,000 asylum-seekers in 2015 and another 280,000 in 2016.

Germany decided last year on more than 695,000 asylum applications. Nearly 60 per cent of the applicants were granted either full refugee status or a lesser form of protection.

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Chris Spence is launching an all-out fight with the Ontario College of Teachers to overturn a decision that stripped him of his teaching certificate because of plagiarism.

The former director of the Toronto District School Board has also hired a new legal team to take on the University of Toronto, so he doesnt lose his doctorate over allegations he didnt credit others work in his thesis.

In 2013 I resigned from the TDSB over allegations of plagiarism, Spence said in a statement to the Star. These allegations, some of which I acknowledged and took responsibility for, related to a body of work that I had developed outside of my role as a teacher or principal or supervisory officer and I took responsibility for my actions.

For the Ontario College of Teachers to permanently revoke my teaching certificate over this matter is disproportionate and unprecedented and I will be fighting their process and their findings and their decision in divisional court.

Last December, the college took away his teaching licence after finding him guilty of professional misconduct, a first for a case involving plagiarism. It has not yet issued a written decision.

Spence, who is currently living and working in Chicago, has said he wants to teach again.

The Ontario College of Teachers said while some members can appeal a disciplinary decision made by our discipline committee to a divisional court  Its rare.

And, when they do, its usually unsuccessfully, added spokesperson Gabrielle Barkany.

Spence has the support of two former Toronto school trustees  Bruce Davis, the one-time chair of the Toronto District School Board, and Rob Davis, who served on the Toronto Catholic board as well as city council.

The two plan to crowdfund to help Spence cover his legal fees.

We are calling it the Spence Defence,  said Bruce Davis. There is so much support for Chris Spence in the educational community and from parents and students. Chris has so much to offer, he has such leadership qualities, and we felt strongly the need to back him up.

The price that Chris has had to pay for his mistake is certainly disproportionate to the alleged offence, added Rob Davis.

Spences thesis case at U of T resumes April 18.

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An unanswered question in the GOP tax plan could give China-based Alibaba (BABA) a huge advantage over American retailers like Walmart (WMT) and Amazon (AMZN) .

The border adjustability tax proposed by House Republicans has generated heated debate on Capitol Hill and in corporate America. This week, retail executives descended on Washington, D.C., to voice their opposition to the idea, even as some congressional Republicans doubled down on the plan. The measure essentially taxes imports and exempts exports in business-to-business transactions. It doesn't address sales from foreign businesses straight to U.S. consumers -- something that could put such companies at an enormous advantage.

"Right now there does not appear to be a tax on imports [direct to consumers], which would be massively unfair and disruptive to Amazon, Walmart and U.S. retailers who would have to compete with foreign retailers not subject to tax," said Steve Rosenthal, veteran tax attorney and senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

Alibaba could emerge a major winner in such a scenario.

The $246 billion Chinese company currently does relatively little in sales direct to American consumers through its e-commerce marketplace, AliExpress, and other business-to-consumer properties, Taobao and Tmall. But the company has been making headway in expanding international growth.

In its January earnings call, CFO Maggie Wu noted international commerce retail revenue increased year-over-year during its third fiscal quarter, due to its Lazada business in Southeast Asia and the re-acceleration of growth out of AliExpress.

The Tax Foundation's Kyle Pomerleau made a similar observation in a recent explainer on the border adjustability tax, noting it might affect more than retail.

"A legitimate issue of tax avoidance is the issue with direct cross-border business-to-consumer sales, especially of services and digital goods," he wrote. "Unless addressed, a foreign software company could sell its software directly to a customer in the United States. In this case, there is no business that is denied a deduction, and the tax could be avoided."

The "Better Way" tax platform put out by House Republicans in the summer of 2016 does not address the business-to-consumer matter, but most -- including the architects of the plan -- say any final legislation including border adjustability is sure to include it.

"Certainly, I don't think anybody thinks they would introduce legislation like this and just not tax direct sales to consumers, that makes no sense," Alan Auerbach, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley whose research is at the basis of the GOP plan.

There are no definitive answers on how the issue might be addressed.

Rosenthal said a use tax might be an avenue, though such taxes are notoriously difficult to collect. Pomerleau said the government could require consumers to pay a tax on such transactions or, more likely, set up a system requiring foreign companies selling here to collect a sales tax. Auerbach imagined something similar.

"If it's a large company, you just have taxes withheld by the companies," he said.

The question of what to do about foreign business-to-consumer transactions has come up more and more in recent weeks as discussions over tax reform heat up. Congressional Republicans have assured those concerned that if they do eventually put out tax legislation, it will be addressed.

A spokesperson for the House Ways & Means Committee said in an email said the committee is "working to ensure there is a backstop that captures direct sales to consumers."

If that backstop doesn't materialize, expect big things for Alibaba.
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Four Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson for ATO issues Oleksandr Motuzianyk said this at a press briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

No Ukrainian soldiers were killed over the last day. One serviceman was wounded. In addition, one volunteer was killed, Motuzianyk said.

As reported, Russian-backed terrorists over the past day launched attacks on the Ukrainian positions in all directions.

ish
Today, Ukraine honors the memory of the fallen Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.

The commemorative events take place in Kyiv to honor the victims of deadly clashes that happened three years ago. In the period of February 18-20, 2014, more than a hundred people died in the city center, several dozens of people were missing, more than a thousand were injured, and hundreds were arrested and tortured.

Police and rescue services are put on combat alert due to a higher level of terrorist threat.

ish
KYIV/GENEVA, 17 February 2017  As the volatile conflict in eastern Ukraine enters its fourth year, 1 million children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance - nearly double the number this time last year, said UNICEF.

The increase  an additional 420,000 girls and boys  is due to the continued fighting and the steady deterioration of life in eastern Ukraine, where some 1.7 million people have been internally displaced, and many families have lost their incomes, social benefits and access to healthcare, while the price of living has sharply risen.

This is an invisible emergency  a crisis most of the world has forgotten, said Giovanna Barberis UNICEF Representative in Ukraine. Children in eastern Ukraine have been living under the constant threat of unpredictable fighting and shelling for the past three years. Their schools have been destroyed, they have been forced from their homes and their access to basic commodities like heat and water has been cut off.

Hundreds of daily ceasefire violations put childrens physical safety and psychological well-being at risk. The situation is particularly grave for the approximately 200,000 girls and boys living within 15 kilometers on each side of the contact line in eastern Ukraine, a line which divides government and non-government controlled areas where fighting is most severe.

In this zone, 19,000 children face constant danger from landmines and other unexploded ordinance and 12,000 children live in communities shelled at least once a month. Thousands of children are regularly forced to take refuge in improvised bomb shelters.

Teachers, psychologists and parents report signs of severe psychosocial distress among children including nightmares, aggression, social withdrawal and panic triggered by loud noises.

More than 740 schools  1 in 5 in eastern Ukraine - have been damaged or destroyed.

UNICEF once again calls for all sides to immediately recommit to the ceasefire signed in Minsk in August 2015 and to respect international humanitarian law, including allowing unrestricted humanitarian access.

After three horrific years, children in eastern Ukraine urgently need lasting peace, so that their unnecessary suffering ends said Barberis.

UNICEF is appealing for US$31.3 million to provide health and nutrition support, education, clean water, hygiene and sanitation as well as protection for children and families affected by the conflict. So far, approximately 10 per cent of the appeal has been funded.

###

Note to editors:

In 2016 UNICEF;

 Provided 207,000 children and caregivers with psychosocial support.

 Reached 500,000 children and their families with mine risk education.

 Delivered warm clothing to 10,000 children and families living in poor communities close to the contact line.

 Reached 2.5 million people with safe drinking water and vital water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure.

 Rehabilitated 50 schools and provided education materials for 150,000 children.

 Supported the safe births of approximately 29,000 babies with midwifery kits.
Music Time in Africa is VOAs longest running English language program. Since 1965, this award-winning program has featured pan African music that spans all genres and generations. Ethnomusicologist and Host Heather Maxwell keeps you up to date on whats happening in African music with exclusive interviews, cultural information, and of course, great music -- including rare recordings from the Leo Sarkisian Library of African Music.
Ethiopia is a very diverse and beautiful country. Thanks to our numerous expeditions to Erta Ale and Dallol and beyond, we have an extensive collection of images showing the volcano's lava lake, the desert, the colorful hot springs of Dallol, the vast salt lakes, camel caravans and more.
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser awaits the start of a news conference last month. Last week, she let a bill to give new parents eight weeks off following the birth of a baby pass without signing or vetoing it, even though she had been highly critical of its costs to businesses. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

In the first real test of her power in the face of a new left-leaning D.C. Council, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser dodged a showdown over the citys paid-family-leave bill.

Bowser was opposed to the legislation, among the most generous paid-leave policies in the country, for several reasons. She was concerned about the $250 million annual tax it would impose on employers. She worried that it would benefit city workers who lived in Maryland and Virginia more than her own constituents. And she felt it was imprudent to expand government when the city may face cutbacks under the Trump administration.

The business community, even more opposed to the law, was counting on Bowser to block it.

But Bowser didnt veto it. And she didnt sign it, either. She let the bill become law without her signature and then sent a letter to the D.C. Council, maintaining that she had grave concerns about it.

The move left business leaders, who had spent weeks lobbying council members to back up a mayoral veto, scratching their heads, and the liberal lawmakers who passed the measure newly emboldened.

Bowsers inaction drew criticism from both sides.

Shes out there by herself  completely alone right now  and thats not a good place to be, said Jim Dinegar, head of the Greater Washington Board of Trade.

Dinegar, along with the heads of every major business group and associations representing D.C. restaurants, colleges and hospitals, had urged Bowser to veto the deeply flawed and unnecessarily expensive bill.

Aides to the mayor said she ran out of time to build consensus around an alternative plan that could get enough votes to sustain a veto.

To put a veto on it, the mayor knows that doesnt mean anything unless you have the votes to sustain it, said a high-ranking aide to the mayor who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Bowsers decision.

But by not using her veto power, Dineger said the mayor lost the force of argument that she was doing everything she could in the citys best interests. Dineger was also critical of the business community, saying it should have done more to help Bowser find the votes needed to sustain a veto, since without it she cant claim the mantle of fiscal responsibility.

Bowser (D) also couldnt win praise from progressives in her own party who have been pushing for family-leave benefits nationwide.

Im disappointed she didnt sign the bill. Its just the right thing to do, said council member Elissa Silverman (I-At Large). I have been hoping the mayor would change her mind and embrace it and work with us. Im still hoping.

In a phone interview late last week from New York, where she was attending Jesse L. Jacksons annual Wall Street Project Economic Summit, the mayor defended her inaction.

Bowser said she was confident that she would still be able to prod the council to improve the law.

My goal was never to kill paid family leave, but to get a better bill, Bowser said. I think this is the best way to get there so we dont make the next step a veto fight, but work with the council to craft a better bill for D.C. residents and D.C. businesses.

The new law will take effect in late March barring intervention from Congress.

The D.C. law provides for up to eight weeks of paid time off to new parents, six weeks to workers caring for ailing family members and two weeks of personal sick time. Workers could begin taking the benefit in 2020. To pay for it, the city will levy a new 0.62 percent payroll tax on employers.

[D.C. Council passes expansive family leave law]

Bowsers decision not to veto the legislation laid bare her diminished power on the council since November, when three of her allies lost their seats to challengers who were openly critical of the mayor.

To sustain a veto, Bowser would have needed five votes, and observers said those would have had to include Ward 8 council member Trayon White (D), who defeated Bowser protege LaRuby May, and former mayor and Bowser nemesis Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7).

In separate interviews in the hours before Bowser announced her decision, Gray and White said they support family leave but were open to less-expensive alternatives that would keep more money in the District. Before taking office last month, Gray had said that Bowser would have to personally ask for his vote. Neither Gray nor White said he heard from Bowser directly.

Top aides to the mayor, however, had talked to both and were reporting back to Bowser that there was no certainty she would get five votes.

The business community is disappointed, and the business community is looking for a champion to get a responsible paid-leave program through the process, Vincent B. Orange, the Chamber of Commerces president and a former D.C. Council member, said Thursday. Clearly, we may have to look elsewhere for that leadership to really get folks to the table and hammer things out.

By Friday, it looked like business leaders had found their new champion.

With Bowser still in New York, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said he would introduce a new bill in coming weeks to reopen the financing discussion. Although he was the architect of the funding plan in the bill that was approved in December, Mendelson said he believed enacting it would go more smoothly if the business community is supportive.

Mendelsons bill sounded almost identical to the one quietly proposed last week by several in the business community. But it was unclear how far he would go in supporting the idea.

With the threat of her veto gone, Bowser will also have less clout to negotiate changes.

Authors of the new law said Friday that while they would be open to tweaking how the benefit is funded, they would not accept any reduction in benefits for workers now in the law.

Bryan Weaver, a former council candidate and an Adams Morgan neighborhood activist, said it is hard to envision a politically winning scenario that remains for the mayor.

The passiveness on this, I think, could come back to haunt her, Weaver said. Either youve tossed your hands up in the air and are walking away, or youre just kind of passive and whatever happens in the council happens. Neither one of those, I think, makes her look authoritative as the chief executive of the city.

Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), a vocal opponent of the bill, said he thinks the mayor could have lined up five votes to sustain a veto if she had simultaneously proposed a viable alternative.

It would have put the pressure on the council, he said. Now its just going to go into law.

Joanna Blotner, campaign manager for the D.C. Paid Family Leave Coalition, said the advocates will push to implement it in its original form. We certainly cant take our eyes off the ball, she said.

Blotner said she also remains hopeful that Bowser can be persuaded to support it.

Hopefully, this is something that the mayor decides is actually in her interest and that she does want to show leadership on, she said.
A D.C. public charter school network scrapped plans to award Liberty University a contract to offer online courses to high school students, including a class that would have taught them how to apply a biblical perspective to speech writing.

Friendship Public Charter School published a notice about the contract with the evangelical Christian university in a community newspaper and on its website in early February. But after The Washington Post on Tuesday asked about the courses the charter school planned to offer through the university, Friendship said it had nixed the plans altogether.

In a statement released Friday, Friendship spokeswoman Candice Burns said that after they received and reviewed the textbooks and other materials Tuesday, the charter system decided not to proceed with the contract.

It was not a fit for what we needed, Burns said.

Charter schools have more autonomy than traditional public schools to decide their curriculum and whom they hire to provide courses. But the D.C. Public Charter School Board, which oversees Friendship and other charters in the District, says religious curriculums cannot be offered or taught at charters.

Public charter schools must follow the same legal requirements regarding religious instruction as traditional public schools, the charter board states on its website.

The board did not respond to several requests for comment.

Many high schools across the country partner with universities to offer courses to students for college credit. And public schools can offer college courses through private religious universities so long as the content of the courses is not based on religion, said Charles C. Haynes, vice president of the Religious Freedom Center at the Newseum.

That was not the case in at least one of the courses that Friendship wanted to offer its students.

The courses under consideration were screenwriting, graphic design and speech. According to Libertys website, students enrolled in the speech course learn a foundation for developing communication skills, including speaking before audiences and small groups, and in other conversations.

It also states that the learning outcomes for the course include the ability to apply a biblical perspective to topics such as the natural world, human identity and relationships, and culture and civilization.

The textbook used in the class is Speech Communication: A Redemptive Introduction, which the publishing company says helps Christian college students develop a Biblical understanding of communication and challenges them to apply it to their intended occupations in a way that makes a redemptive difference in the world.

The course material and descriptions on Libertys website for the graphic design and screenwriting courses make no reference to religion.

The charter network has asked Liberty to remove its name as a partner school from its website.

Liberty University did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Friendship is the second-largest charter system in the District, with more than 4,200 students enrolled at its 12 campuses during the 2015-2016 school year.

Burns said that as part of the early-college program, students have taken courses at the University of the District of Columbia, the University of Maryland, Harvard University and Georgetown.

Friendship wanted to give its students more course options, so the network was considering several online resources that offer a rolling admissions schedule . . . such as Liberty University Online, Burns said.

We are currently examining instructional materials from several schools to determine the best options for our students, she added.

The notice Friendship published in the community newspaper Northwest Passages stated that the charter system intended to enter into a sole-source $30,000 contract with Liberty. Burns said that posting a procurement notice does not obligate an organization. It is, however, a necessary step in the procurement process.

Burns said the charter system considered Liberty no different from other religious-affiliated schools such as Georgetown or Trinity. But Haynes, with the Religious Freedom Center, said that the difference is in the content, and that Liberty often infuses its courses with religious teachings.

I would be very surprised if there were many courses at Liberty that were taught without a religious perspective, Haynes said. Any public school that looked at this would know that upfront. Thats not a hidden thing.

Haynes commended Friendship for vetting the curriculum before offering the courses to its students.

It would have been unconstitutional, Haynes said. Its a good thing it was stopped.
D.C. police said a man who was shot Friday night in Northeast Washington has died.

Department spokeswoman Rachel Reid said police responding to a report of gunshots in the 900 block of 12th Street NE about 9:20 p.m. found Eric Linnair Wright, 53, of Northwest D.C. Wright was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police are offering a $25,000 reward to anyone who can provide information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Police urge anyone with information to call 202-727-9099.
A woman fatally stabbed her boyfriend during a domestic dispute Friday night, Prince Georges County police said Saturday.

Melba Williams, 41, of Rochell Avenue in District Heights, killed Roger Allen, 45, of no fixed address, after an argument, police said.

Williams admitted to the stabbing, police said, and was charged with first- and second-degree murder, in addition to assault. She was being held without bond Saturday.

About 11 p.m. Friday, police arrived at the 1900 block of Rochell Avenue  where Williams lives  and found Allen with a stab wound, they said. Williams was arrested on the scene. Allen was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after, police said.

The homicide remains under investigation.
Prince William County police are investigating a crash that killed a Woodbridge motorcyclist Saturday and caused injuries to another biker, who was charged with driving under the influence.

Police said 53-year-old Nellie Rae Sacra died after her motorcycle crashed into the back of a bike driven by Robert James Potts, also 53, of Woodbridge.

The incident occurred about 1:35 a.m. near Mapledale Avenue and Meadowbrook Road in Woodbridge.

Police said Potts and Sacra knew each other, and both were heading south on Mapledale when Potts abruptly braked to turn onto Meadowbrook. Sacra, trailing him, was unable to stop in time to avoid a crash.

Police said she suffered head trauma and was taken to a hospital, where she later died. Potts suffered injuries described as minor.

Police said speed and alcohol factored into the crash.

The investigation is ongoing, and further charges are pending, police said.
Robin Smith, left, and sister Kimberly Smith drove from Pennsylvania last month to visit the project. (Michael Laris/The Washington Post)

When Kimberly Smith dragged her sister to Washington last month, their first stop wasnt the White House or the Jefferson Memorial. It was a patch of tricked-out pavement in Dupont Circle.

The Smith sisters made the trek from the Poconos specifically to experience the Districts Smart City experiment in human-generated power. But as they paced on sidewalk tiles designed to collect energy from their footsteps and turn on a strip of interactive lights, Smith couldnt help being a bit disappointed.

Its a great thrill. But I have my questions right now, she said.

While the underground generators beneath the pavers were capturing the Pennsylvanians energy, the interactive lights werent switching on as they walked. Theyre not working, Smith said, dancing around just to make sure. Thats unfortunate.

Project boosters had bounced around on those same triangular tiles during an opening ceremony in November, prompting six little lights embedded in the pavement nearby to glow in sync with their footsteps.

It wasnt exactly Michael Jackson tearing it up on a glowing sidewalk in his Billie Jean video. But it worked. And it highlighted the broader pitch from Pavegen, the British sustainable-energy start-up behind the technology, which touted its ability to connect physical and digital worlds through a single footstep.

The company says it is in talks with officials in Chicago, San Francisco and the Middle East about additional installations, and executives are raising money to spur production and drive down costs, which are far higher than those of traditional pavers. Washington is the first test case for the latest version of the companys technology. And the real world has at times been humbling.

Weve got a crazy challenge, and there are tweaks being made, said Laurence Kemball-Cook, Pavegens founder.

Among the issues: Washingtons winter weather has made energy production 5 to 10 percent lower than expected, Kemball-Cook said. The main thing we will be doing is testing out some DC optimized generators that should be better with the temperature variances, he wrote in an email.

The system also is getting fewer steps  and thus less energy  than anticipated, Kemball-Cook said. People walking toward or coming from a nearby Metro entrance sometimes end up missing the strip of high-tech pavers or cutting across them.

When pedestrians cut the corner they are only doing a few steps on the array rather than the expected 10 to 14 steps, Kemball-Cook said, reducing by up to 20 percent the amount of energy piped into a big battery system. We should have moved the whole thing two feet to the left.

Another of the three patches of pavers had somewhat more traffic than expected, so the complete footfall numbers arent yet clear, he said.

Still, the company needed to do some triage.

The human-generated energy was intended to power two light displays  the interactive lights in the sidewalk and LEDs meant to glow at night under new park benches. There was also a relatively power-hungry digital uplink feature that was supposed to feed a Web page with data on energy production.

Kemball-Cook said the company made some temporary technical adjustments. The result: The Web page and interactive lights havent been working, but the bench lights have.

After delays due to the inauguration and a hang-up at customs, Kemball-Cook said, company technicians are expected to be on site as early as this weekend to investigate and make fixes.

[This Dupont Circle sidewalk turns footsteps into power]

The District Department of Transportation has overseen the $300,000 project, which includes new sidewalks, planters and benches as well as the 194 high-tech pavers in the citys newest miniature park. Pavegen received about $100,000, city officials said.

We continue to monitor the progress of the project and work collaboratively with Pavegen, DDOT said in a statement. We are aware of the technical challenges and have been informed that Pavegen staff will be here as soon as this weekend to address the issues.

Leona Agouridis, executive director of the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District, which provided some of the funding, said shes pleased to see the cooperation between the city and the company.

The first couple tries, or the first couple months or whatever, is a learning experience for everybody, Agouridis said. Everybody hopes that this great innovation is going to be perfected to the point where it can be applied on a larger scale. This is a smaller scale. Its kind of like a controlled laboratory.

Not everyone is as patient.

Id just rather have a well-designed sidewalk that drains properly  and no gimmicks, said Samuel Barber, a District-born dog-walker, who came by this week. If were the test case, did we pay the full price or did we get a discount?

Kemball-Cook said as with any innovation, the early days can be daunting.

But the partnership between the District and his company will benefit both, he said, and he can envision sharing later iterations with the city.

Weve got this shared vision to make this as great as we possibly can, Kemball-Cook said. Whether its a road that generates energy or a related innovation in the future, well probably give them that to test as well, because theres that relationship.

Another letdown for Smith was that no one knows what theyre walking on, she said.

As she visited, many seemingly oblivious Washingtonians power-strolled their way through the winter chill, often ignoring the tiles. She noted that there was no placard informing pedestrians what was underfoot or that they, as the technologys fans hope, could be on the vanguard of a sustainable-energy revolution.

Though Smith is eager for the kinks to get worked out, she remains a believer. The artist has been following Kemball-Cooks progress online for years. Laurence invented these in his bedroom  its really incredible, she said.

We drove four hours to walk on these, said Robin Smith, who came along for the ride. Shes my sister. Whats dear to her is dear to me.
Ecstasy tablets have been linked to stroke, heart attack and bleeding in the brain. (ISTOCKPHOTO)

Middle-aged adults who use recreational amphetamines such as speed, ecstasy or ice may develop a prematurely aging heart and experience health problems normally associated with older people, a recent study suggests.

People may crave the euphoric feelings produced by amphetamines, but these drugs have long been linked to heart attack, stroke, artery wall damage, bleeding in the brain, abnormal heart rhythm and sudden cardiac death, said lead study author Stuart Reece of the University of Western Australia.

It makes sense that all these different issues are linked by an underlying acceleration of the aging effect, Reece said by email. We found that the effect was very considerable indeed.

Amphetamines are a stimulant, and they send whats known as the fight or flight hormone adrenaline into overdrive. Previous research has linked these drugs to premature aging of the skin; the Australian research suggests amphetamines might also prematurely age the heart.

[Some good reasons to be cautious about using dietary supplements]

For the study, researchers measured blood flow through a main artery in the upper arm and forearm for 713 people in their 30s and 40s at a clinic for substance misuse. Arteries harden with age.

Each patient was asked about drug use and placed in one of four groups: nonsmokers, smokers, amphetamine users and methadone users. (Methadone is given to people trying to overcome addiction to heroin.)

Researchers used a blood pressure cuff and monitoring system to calculate what they described as biological vascular age by matching the extent of hardening in the arteries with the participants chronological age, gender and height.

The number of amphetamine users in the study was relatively small  55. Almost all of them said they had used these stimulants within the previous week, and about half had used the drugs in the day before being tested with the blood pressure cuffs.

[More than half of adults misuse medications, study finds]

Even after accounting for several risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as weight, cholesterol levels and inflammation, amphetamine use was still independently associated with an advancement of cardiovascular age, researchers report in the journal Heart Asia.

The accelerated aging seen with amphetamines appeared to be even more pronounced than that seen with tobacco use, and it was equivalent to about a 25 percent increase over chronological age, Reece said  in other words, giving an otherwise average 40-year-old a cardiovascular age of around 50.

Beyond the small number of amphetamine users in the study, another limitation is the lack of data on how much of the stimulants people used, the authors note.

Stimulants such as Adderall, Ritalin and Concerta are often prescribed to children and adults diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in doses that are not associated with cardiovascular problems.

[This doctors prescription: A stroll in the park instead of a trip to the pharmacy]

At therapeutic doses, stimulant medications have been shown to be safe, said Jose Martinez-Raga, a researcher at Spains University of Valencia, who wasnt involved in the study.

Amphetamine abuse implies using these stimulant drugs over long periods of time and generally with much larger doses than those commonly prescribed for medical reasons, Martinez-Raga added by email.

All stimulants work by increasing the amount of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical linked to pleasure, movement and attention.

People who take amphetamines in doses higher than is typically prescribed can experience a rapid surge of dopamine that can trigger euphoria and increase the risk of addiction.

No medical patient smokes or shoots their pills, Reece said. These high levels are very addictive, they are very damaging, and they produce great spikes in blood pressure and heart rate which are straining and damaging both for the heart itself and for the blood vessels.
Scientist Feng Zhang has done revolutionary research on the gene-editing technique CRISPR from his lab at the Broad Institute in Massachusetts. (Joel Achenbach/TWP)

Feng Zhang occupies a corner office on the 10th floor of the gleaming, modern biotechnology palace called the Broad Institute. He is one of the most acclaimed young scientists in the United States, regularly mentioned, even at 35, as a possible Nobel laureate.

Thats because of CRISPR, the gene-editing technique that lets scientists manipulate the genetic code of organisms almost like revising a sentence with a word processor. Zhang was one of its pioneers, and on Wednesday he emerged victorious after a bitter patent dispute.

The ruling, by judges with the U.S. Patent Office, declared that Zhangs work on living plant and animal cells was sufficiently original to deserve its own protection. It was a decisive outcome that will surely prove lucrative for Zhang and the Broad Institute, but he did not do anything special to celebrate. He made no immediate public comment. He did not even read the news coverage, he said.

The patent stuff is not so interesting, and it can be distracting, the soft-spoken scientist offered a day later, finally addressing the case as he sat down with a Washington Post reporter for a previously scheduled interview. Now we can get back to work.

The patent dispute was closely followed in the triangle of geography marked by the institute, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Here, in what has become the Silicon Valley of the life sciences, Zhang and his colleagues have spun off ventures that can commercialize their inventions.

(Feng Zhang/McGovern Institute for Brain Research/MIT)

CRISPR is an all-purpose tool that promises great advances in the prevention of diseases caused by genetic mutations. In China, Zhangs birth country, it is already being used in human clinical trials.

Yet the technique has also raised unsettling possibilities for cosmetic human enhancements and designer babies. Earlier this week, the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine produced a long report on the ethics of gene editing, arguing for extreme caution when dealing with heritable human traits but leaving open the possibility of use to remove disease-causing genes.

Some critics worry about a slippery slope, but Zhang thinks the bioethics committee got it just right.

I think these are important issues, but I dont think right at this second we should be overly concerned about it. Its too far off, he said.

The politics of science

Even with the patent case behind him, however, there is another significant distraction these days. It arises not through the courts but from the White House.

Science is inherently an international enterprise, built around a universal language of discovery and methodology. Zhangs lab, like similar facilities across the country, has a large percentage of foreign-born scientists drawn to research opportunities in the United States.

President Trumps executive order banning entry from seven Muslim-majority countries has alarmed this global community. The Broad, as it is commonly called, put out a statement of opposition, saying the order turns its back on one of Americas greatest sources of strength: the flow of visitors, immigrants and refugees who have enriched our nation with their ideas, dreams, drive, energy, and entrepreneurship.

Zhang talks of his own life story when asked about Trumps action.

From my own experience, America has been an amazing place, he said. And it sort of gives opportunities for immigrants to realize what they want to do, to reach for their potential, and also, by doing that, make the world a better place. Im very fortunate to have had the opportunity to move here.

He was 11 when he first came to the United States in 1993. He spoke almost no English, arriving with his father to at last rejoin his mother. The teeming city of Shijiazhuang, in the north of China, was replaced by the alien landscape of Des Moines.

His mother had not intended to stay following her studies here, but Iowans embraced her. She got a good job with a company called the Paper Corp. She decided to start a new life and bring her son and husband to the United States. They each received a series of visas and green cards. She eventually became a citizen, as did her son. Her husband remains a Chinese citizen.

I never felt I was discriminated against. I never felt we werent welcome there, Zhang said of his youth in the heartland. And there were other immigrants, too, many of them Vietnamese refugees from war zones. He spent half the day learning English and then playing word bingo to hone his vocabulary.

He hung out with other kids interested in science. We were all nerds, he said. As a teenager, he got a position working after school at the Human Gene Therapy Research Institute. He could call himself a bench scientist, often working late into the evening while his mother waited for him in the parking lot.

Elite institutions soon recognized his brilliance. His resume includes a degree from Harvard, then a doctorate from Stanford. He learned about the natural bacterial immune system, CRISPR, an acronym for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.

Bacteria evolved a defense mechanism against viral invaders that would insert genetic material into bacterial DNA. The system functions like molecular scissors, snipping away the invasive material.

Two other researchers, who would become rivals in the patent case, published the first paper describing the gene-editing technique and applied for patents. Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier showed how to turn the natural bacterial system into a laboratory tool, but initially they did not apply it to plant and animal cells. That was Zhangs breakthrough, published in 2013 at the same time as a similar paper by Harvard geneticist George Church.

Feng was very early in recognizing the importance of reducing it to practice in mammalian cells, Church said this week.

Doudna and Charpentier can still receive patents on their original discovery. In an email Friday to The Post, Doudna wrote, Obviously the Broad Institute is happy that their patent didnt get thrown out, but we are pleased that our patent can now proceed to be issued.

But she raised another concern. The judges decision was based in part on public comments she made, expressing uncertainty about whether CRISPR would work in cells with nuclei. Because of that, she fears the ruling could have a chilling effect on scientific communication.

Must every scientist now factor in a potential patenting strategy and alter how transparent they are about their work? Doudna wrote.

Doudna and Charpentier have already received the $3 million Breakthrough Prize funded by Silicon Valley tech tycoons. Then earlier this year they won the Japan Prize, each receiving the equivalent of about $420,000.

And lurking out there somewhere is the Nobel.

Why do we age?

On Thursday, the morning after the ruling, Zhang drove his 2004 BMW to work as always, arriving at 7:30 to meet with a student and help him prepare for a class presentation. Then he had a call with an oil executive in the United Arab Emirates who is funding research on a genetic disease that affects the executives daughter.

He still has a spot in his lab for experiments, though he does those during the summer since right now hes busy teaching two classes. The lab work is in the hands of about 20 researchers, some already with doctorates and medical degrees.

CRISPR gets all the publicity these days, but it is not the only game in town. Life is a complex chemical system that over billions of years has developed all sorts of tricks and mechanisms. Most of the microbes in the human gut have never been cultured or characterized. Basic questions remain unanswered.

Why do we age? Zhang asked.

The CRISPR system is itself a work in progress. Its an inexact editor still.

It cuts very well, he said. To insert something, it doesnt work very well at all.

But hes working on that. Everyone stand by.
(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Norma McCorvey, who was 22, unwed, mired in addiction and poverty, and desperate for a way out of an unwanted pregnancy when she became Jane Roe, the pseudonymous plaintiff in the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right to an abortion, died Feb. 18 at an assisted-living facility in Katy, Tex. She was 69.

Her death was confirmed by Joshua Prager, a journalist working on a book about Roe v. Wade. The cause was a heart ailment.

Ms. McCorvey was a complicated protagonist in a legal case that became a touchstone in the culture wars, celebrated by champions as an affirmation of womens freedom and denounced by opponents as the nationwide legalization of murder of the unborn.

When she filed suit in 1970, she was looking not for a sweeping ruling for all women from the highest court in the land, but rather, simply, the right to legally and safely end a pregnancy that she did not wish to carry forward. In her home state of Texas, as in most other states, abortion was prohibited except when the mothers life was at stake.

On Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court handed down its historic 7-to-2 ruling, written by Justice Harry A. Blackmun, articulating a constitutional right to privacy that included the choice to terminate a pregnancy.

The ruling established the trimester framework, designed to balance a womans right to control her body and a states compelling interest in protecting unborn life. Although later modified, it was a landmark of American jurisprudence and made Jane Roe a figurehead  championed or reviled  in the battle over reproductive rights that continued into the 21st century.

Ms. McCorvey fully shed her courtroom pseudonym in the 1980s, lending her name first to supporters of abortion rights and then, in a stunning reversal, to the causes fiercest critics as a born-again Christian. But even after two memoirs, she remained an enigma, as difficult to know as when she shielded her identity behind the name Jane Roe.

[Jane Roe made abortion legal. Then a minister made her repent.]

She admitted that she peddled misinformation about herself, lying about even the most crucial juncture in her life: For years, she claimed that the Roe pregnancy was the result of a rape. In 1987, she recanted, saying that she had become pregnant through what I thought was love. Although the details of her account were legally unimportant, abortion foes pointed to the lie to discredit Ms. McCorvey and her case.

Ms. McCorvey, shown here at 35, worked for a period as a house painter. (Bill Janscha/Associated Press)

According to the most sympathetic tellings of her story, she was a victim of abuse, financial hardship, drug and alcohol addiction, and personal frailty. For much of her life, she subsisted at the margins of society, making ends meet, according to various accounts, as a bartender, a maid, a roller-skating carhop and a house painter. She found a measure of stability with a lesbian partner, Connie Gonzalez, but even that relationship reportedly ended in bitterness after 35 years.

Harsher judgments presented Ms. McCorvey as a user who trolled for attention and cash. Abortion rights activists questioned her motives when she decamped in 1995, after years on their side, and was baptized in a swimming pool by the evangelical minister at the helm of the antiabortion group Operation Rescue.

The minister, Flip Benham, told Prager, who profiled Ms. McCorvey in Vanity Fair magazine in 2013, that he had come to see her as someone who just fishes for money.

By her own description, she was a simple woman with a ninth-grade education. She presented herself as the victim of her attorneys, Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington, whom she accused of exploiting the predicament of her unwanted pregnancy to score a victory for the abortion rights cause.

Roe v. Wade, which became a class-action suit, was a watershed for women in general but irrelevant for Ms. McCorvey in particular. After an initial court victory for her, Texas mounted an appeal that dragged on long past Ms. McCorveys due date. By the time the Supreme Court announced its decision, her baby was 2 years old. She had given the child up for adoption and learned of the ruling in a newspaper article.

A difficult start

Norma Nelson  her middle name was variously spelled Lea, Leah and Leigh  was born in Simmesport, La., on Sept. 22, 1947. Her father, a television repairman, was largely absent from her life.

She grew up in Texas, spending part of her adolescence in a Catholic boarding school and at a reform school for delinquents. Her mother told Prager that she beat her daughter in fits of rage over the wild behavior that included sexual promiscuity with men and women.

In her teens, Norma began a short-lived marriage to a sheet-metal worker, Elwood Woody McCorvey. Her mother raised their daughter, Melissa. Ms. McCorveys second baby, born out of wedlock, was adopted by another family.

She said she became pregnant with the Roe baby during a relationship in Dallas. An adoption lawyer referred her to Coffee who, like Weddington, was a recent law school graduate seeking a plaintiff to test the constitutionality of the Texas abortion law.

At the time, many well-to-do women seeking abortions traveled to states or countries where the procedure was legal or easily available, according to Leslie J. Reagan, a historian and the author of the volume When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United States, 1867-1973.

Women like Ms. McCorvey, who did not have money to travel, had several undesirable options. They could entrust themselves to abortion providers who were not medical professionals or attempt to perform abortions on themselves  decisions that frequently resulted in infection or death  or they could obtain no abortion at all.

Ms. McCorvey was not the first plaintiff to challenge a state abortion law, but Roe v. Wade was the first such case to work its way through the appeals process to the Supreme Court. She used the pseudonym Jane Roe to protect her privacy. The defendant, Wade, was the Dallas County district attorney, Henry Wade, an official responsible for enforcing Texas abortion laws.

(Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post)

Years later, Ms. McCorvey expressed bitterness at what she described as her attorneys unwillingness to help her find what she needed  an abortion, even an illegal one.

Sarah sat right across the table from me at Columbos pizza parlor, and I didnt know until two years ago that she had had an abortion herself, Ms. McCorvey told the New York Times in 1994. When I told her then how desperately I needed one, she could have told me where to go for it. But she wouldnt because she needed me to be pregnant for her case.

Sarah saw these cuts on my wrists, my swollen eyes from crying, she continued, the miserable person sitting across from her, and she knew she had a patsy. She knew I wouldnt go outside of the realm of her and Linda. I was too scared. It was one of the most hideous times of my life.

I wasnt good enough

After the Supreme Court ruling, Ms. McCorvey did not live in total anonymity, as has been erroneously reported, but lived a mainly private existence before revealing herself in interviews and then in a memoir written with Andy Meisler, I Am Roe (1994). She worked in abortion clinics, trying to please everyone and trying to be hardcore pro-choice, she told Time magazine.

That is a very heavy burden, she said. Moreover, she said that her social background as a poor high school dropout made her ill at ease among the largely upper-class and well-educated activists who helped make abortion a matter of urgent national importance in the 1960s and 1970s.

I wasnt good enough for them, she once said. . . . Im a street kid.

Her conversion came about when Benham, the head of Operation Rescue, opened an office near one of Ms. McCorveys clinics and befriended her. She announced that she opposed abortion rights except in the first trimester  a position that put her in fundamental conflict with other antiabortion activists who opposed abortion in all circumstances. Nevertheless, her defection was hailed as a victory for their cause.

Weddington looked suspiciously on Ms. McCorveys conversion and once described her former client as a person who really craved and sought attention. Ms. McCorvey attributed her philosophical reversal to her being worried about salvation.

She wrote another memoir, Won By Love (1997), with co-

author Gary Thomas, founded the Dallas-based Roe No More ministry and reportedly became a Catholic. She participated in antiabortion protests and was arrested in 2009 for disrupting the Senate confirmation hearings on Sonia Sotomayors nomination to the Supreme Court.

Ms. McCorvey participates in a protest at Justice Sonia Sotomayors confirmation hearings in 2009. (Alexandra Garcia/The Washington Post)

Gloria Allred, the womens rights lawyer who for a period represented Ms. McCorvey, told the Times in 1995 that Ms. McCorvey was justified in feeling abandoned by the womens movement.

She was shut out of many national pro-choice celebrations. She attended but for the most part she was not invited and it was a very hurtful experience, Allred said. When she did speak . . . she was really very eloquent, not well-educated but speaking from the heart, and I think she had a lot of common sense in what she was saying about choice.

But neither did Ms. McCorvey find a comfortable home among conservatives in the antiabortion movement, many of whom regarded lesbianism as immoral.

Neither side was ever willing to accept her for who she was, the historian David J. Garrow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and the author of Liberty and Sexuality: The Right to Privacy and the Making of Roe v. Wade, said in an interview.

Ms. McCorvey supported herself in part through honoraria, book royalties and other income she generated from her role in the abortion debate. By 2013, according to Pragers article in Vanity Fair, Ms. McCorvey was relying on free room and board from strangers.

Survivors include her daughter Melissa and two grandchildren. Nothing is publicly known of the two children Ms. McCorvey gave up for adoption, according to Prager.

I dont require that much in my life, Ms. McCorvey told the Times in 1994. . . . I just never had the privilege to go into an abortion clinic, lay down and have an abortion. Thats the only thing I never had.


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Tenn.) and Vice President Pence meet with Neil Gorsuch. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

It was a horrific case. A female student had been gang-raped by football players being recruited by the University of Colorado. Now, her lawyers were trying to hold the university partly responsible, arguing it had created a hostile environment for women.

A lower court had already rejected their civil rights argument. As her lawyers prepared to appeal in 2007, they had an overarching concern: a federal appellate judge named Neil Gorsuch.

Newly appointed to the bench by then-President George W. Bush, Gorsuch was known as a fierce conservative whose writings skewered his liberal adversaries. His fellow conservative judges had shown little appetite in previous cases to hold institutions, such as universities, responsible for the conduct of individuals.

It was crushing news to learn Gorsuch was on the panel, said Baine Kerr, a lead attorney for the rape victim in the case 10 years ago.

Kerr spent weeks preparing for Gorsuch, staging extensive mock hearings to simulate the aggressive interrogation they expected from him.

But on the day of the hearing when Kerr stepped up to the lectern, anticipating Gorsuch to cut him off immediately with questions, the judge stayed silent instead, listening intently. Fifteen minutes into Kerrs argument, a red light went off signaling that Kerrs time was up. Gorsuch waved Kerr on.

Over the next hour, Gorsuch steered the conversation with pointed comments  sympathetic for Kerr, barbed for the universitys lawyer.

Lawyers on both sides recalled later that they were dumbfounded.

The appeals court would go on to decide in favor of the victim, sending the case back to a lower court for trial. And the lawsuit was ultimately settled with the university paying her $2.5 million.

In the weeks since President Trump nominated Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court vacancy, debate over him has split along predictably partisan lines, with praise from the right and anxious condemnation from the left.

But Gorsuch himself is perhaps not so predictable. An examination of his development from gifted Colorado schoolboy to college firebrand and then staunchly conservative jurist reveals that he is quite capable of surprise.

He grew up in a high-profile Republican family and became infamous in Columbia Universitys liberal circles for penning fierce attacks on campus protesters. On the bench, he has subscribed to the same judicial philosophy as the late Antonin Scalia, a conservative icon whom Gorsuch would replace on the court. And Gorsuchs recent rulings  including a major decision finding that companies could deny employees government-mandated contraceptive coverage on religious grounds  have won him plaudits from the right.

But Gorsuch has also established deep and enduring relationships with liberals he has known since his school days  in some cases the very targets of his pointed attacks. He has won endorsements from gay friends and hired law clerks from the opposite end of the political spectrum. He has argued that the court system shortchanges low-income people and called for making legal services cheaper and courts more accessible. Even the simple writing style of his opinions, which have won wide attention in legal circles, reflects his conviction that the law should be understandable to everyone, lest it favor only the wealthy and well educated.

In his writings, he has denounced liberals for using court decisions to advance their social agenda.

But Gorsuch has also refused to be pigeonholed himself, saying, People do unexpected things. Pigeonholes ignore gray areas in the law.



Stephanie, J.J. and Neil Gorsuch spent their early years in Colorado before moving to the District when their mother, Anne, was named the head of the Environmental Protection Agency by President Ronald Reagan. (Anne McGill Burford/Family photo)

Gorsuchs parents, Anne and David, were lawyers, and they raised their three children on the art of verbal sparring.

The impromptu debates could happen at any time  over dinner in their home in Denver, listening to NPR on the way to school, or while watching the Sunday morning political talk shows. Gorsuchs younger brother, J.J., said their parents would press them to see different sides of the story, to gain empathy for opponents and refine their own arguments.

When you expose, at an early age, children to the McLaughlin Group, you see people debating, using their critical reasoning, Gorsuchs brother said. You come to the realization that there isnt just one side or the other that is right. The truth is often in the middle.

In grade school, Gorsuch stood out because of this skill at quickly taking positions and backing them up.

Other kids were not able to do this, said classmate Gina Carbone, whose mother shared carpooling duties with Gorsuchs mother. He was definitely more mature than the rest of us, better informed and more advanced.

Another classmate, Rob Tengler said, He wouldnt offer his opinion unless he was asked, but then he always had a whole lot more to say than the rest of us.

At the small private school Gorsuch attended, Christ the King Roman Catholic School teachers drilled into their students the values of character, duty and service. While many students brushed off the moral lessons, Gorsuch seemed to internalize them.

Jonathan Brody, one of his closest childhood friends, said one incident in particular has stayed with him. When they were about 12 years old, Gorsuch borrowed a sleeping bag, and it got damaged or dirty in his care. He grew distraught.

He was very concerned and upset that his honor and his integrity would be questioned, recounted Brody, who is now a state district court judge in Idaho. I remember thinking, Maybe Im missing something. Do I not take this sort of thing seriously enough? Maybe I should. 

During grade school, Gorsuch saw his familys political involvement grow after local Republicans visited their home to recruit his father as a candidate. You have the wrong Gorsuch, his mother told them. Soon, at age 9, he was going door to door with his mother as she successfully campaigned for the Colorado state legislature. Suddenly, family debates over politics were no longer abstract.



Neil Gorsuch with his sister, Stephanie. (Anne McGill Burford/Family photo)

Anne Gorsuch was a striking politician with jet-black hair and perfect manicures. She wore fur coats and smoked two packs of Marlboros a day  and rarely, if ever, shied away from political combat. The Rocky Mountain News described her this way: She could kick a bear to death with her bare feet. She quickly earned the honor of Outstanding Freshman Legislator from her colleagues and the capitol press corps.

Her conservative politics put her in a group of state lawmakers dubbed the House Crazies by critics because of their determination to kill environmental bills, dramatically downsize government and advocate for states rights. Her efforts brought her to the attention of the newly elected president, Ronald Reagan. In 1981, he appointed her the first female administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

With her marriage already heading toward divorce, she left her husband in Colorado, packed up the kids and moved to Washington, D.C.

She enrolled Gorsuch, a teenager at the time, in a boarding school. At Georgetown Preparatory School in Rockville, he swapped the polo shirt, khakis and cowboy boots he wore in Colorado for the school-mandated jacket, tie and dress shoes. Those frequent dinnertime debates with his family were replaced with dining hall meals taken with fellow dormitory boarders.

It was a little lonely, said Michael Trent, who relocated from California after Reagan named his father as deputy transportation secretary. We spent a lot of time talking about how different our lives had become and what our parents were doing. Trent would become one of Gorsuchs closest friends, later serving as best man at his wedding. We became soul mates because we understood what the other was going through.

Gorsuchs conservative values brought him to the center of political debates at the high school. He was known as an especially fierce champion of Reagan and the Republican agenda. An entry in Gorsuchs high school yearbook listed him as founder of the Fascism Forever Club.

Stephen J. Ochs, who was faculty adviser to the student government, said the fascism club was a fabrication, merely an extension of the playful goading between conservative and liberal students on the debate team.

They would use hyperbole, Ochs said.  Youre such a conservative fascist! and You lefty radicals! . . . It was good-natured. This was a reference to that. An insider joke.



Neil Gorsuch with his mother, Anne McGill Gorsuch. (David Ronald Gorsuch/Family photo)

Anne McGill Gorsuch Burford served as head of the Environmental Protection Agency for 22 months before resigning. (Rocky Mountain News via AP)

As the new head of EPA, Anne Gorsuch wasted no time acting on her ideas for slashing big government and reducing regulations.

To the howls of environmental groups and Democrats, she cut the agencys budget by 22 percent, dramatically decreased cases and actions against polluters, relaxed Clean Air Act regulations and started hiring staff from the industries the EPA was supposed to regulate. She engendered so much hostility within her own agency that a Doonesbury comic strip depicted an EPA employee on a ledge threatening to jump.

The confrontation over her stewardship of the EPA escalated when Congress launched an investigation into her agencys mishandling of the $1.6 billion toxic waste Superfund program. Lawmakers demanded she turn over records, which she refused to do, citing executive privilege. As a result, she became the first agency director in U.S. history to be cited for contempt of Congress.

Just 22 months into her tenure, Anne Gorsuch resigned.

It was her sons sophomore year at Georgetown Prep, and all his schoolmates knew what was happening.

I remember asking Neil, Hows your mom doing? He smiled and said, Shes doing fine, thank you,  said Thad Ficarra, a fellow boarder. It wasnt a brushoff. I said, Just so you know, your mom is in my prayers. He said, I really appreciate that. . . . He was grateful for the support, but he didnt wallow in it.

Whatever Gorsuch suppressed at school, he expressed at home.

In her memoir Are You Tough Enough?, his mother wrote about how upset the episode had made her son. Half-way through Georgetown Prep, and smart as a whip, Neil knew from the beginning the seriousness of my problems.

She recalled him saying, You should never have resigned. You didnt do anything wrong. You only did what the President ordered. Why are you quitting? You raised me not to be a quitter. Why are you a quitter?

But the traumatic experience didnt derail Gorsuch. He became a national champion in debating. And it didnt sour him on politics. It made him shrewder and more determined.

At the end of his junior year, he set his sights on becoming student body president. Gorsuch picked a running mate who could deliver the jock vote and assembled a team of 10 students to turn up at his speeches and debates and applaud him on cue, according to his running mate John Caldwell. He was incredibly strategic.



Neil Gorsuch (second row, fourth from left) was an editor on the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. (1991 Harvard Law School Yearbook)

In 1985, when Gorsuch arrived at Columbia University in New York, the campus was a hotbed of liberal activism and protest.

It didnt take long for him to turn his journalistic ire on the targets all around him. In one column for the student newspaper the Spectator, Gorsuch mocked the muddled thinking of protesters who seemed to have a monopoly on righteousness. In another news story, he criticized their efforts to block the eviction of a tenant from an apartment owned by Columbia, dismissing the protesters as publicity hounds.

As a freshman, he and three other students established a conservative newspaper, the Fed, named in honor of Federalist Paper authors and Columbia alumni Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In the first issue, Gorsuch and his co-founders explained their mission: Our voice will be an aggressive but considered one, one that may make you think or may just make you angry. But it will be heard, and it will not be shouted down.

Gorsuch also promoted his conservative ideas by running for Columbias student senate.

That year, the student newspaper asked every candidate whether the U.S. Marine Corps should be allowed to recruit on campus. While most candidates brought up the militarys discrimination against gays as a problem, Gorsuch cited the Marine recruiters First Amendment right to free speech.

The question here is not whether the Marines should be allowed to recruit on campus but whether a University and its community . . . has the right or obligation to determine who may speak on campus or what may be said, Gorsuch wrote.

At Columbia, and in the years that followed at Harvard Law School and Oxford University, Gorsuch enjoyed engaging on the hot-button issues of the day.

One issue in particular became a kind of laboratory for his conservative explorations: the sanctity of life and how to define it. At the time, Michigan doctor Jack Kevorkian was making national headlines by championing the right to die for terminal patients through physician-assisted suicide. This and similar controversies made a deep impression on Gorsuch. He was eager to debate assisted suicide with fellow law students at Harvard, and it became the subject of his PhD thesis after he won a Marshall Scholarship to Oxford.

In his dissertation, later published as a book entitled, The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, he makes his legal case against assisted suicide and argues for the inviolability of human life.

It is the closest Gorsuch has ever come to revealing his thoughts on abortion, in his academic writings as well as in his judicial opinions. But with abortion continuing to be one of the marquee issues confronting the Supreme Court, the book has been cited by Gorsuchs conservative backers as reason to rally behind him, and by abortion rights advocates as the basis of their worst fears.



Justice Antonin Scalia and Neil Gorsuch in October 2014 on the Colorado River near Kremmling, Colo. (Glenn Summers/Gorsuch Family)

Many of those who knew Gorsuch during his student days noted that he was as affable in person as he was fierce in his writings.

As a member of a Harvard social club called Lincolns Inn Society, Gorsuch met a classmate named Phil Berg, sparking a friendship that has lasted 30 years.

A few years after they met, Berg decided to come out as gay, and Gorsuch was one of the first friends he told.

It was a time that was very fraught and difficult for me, Berg said, recalling his conversation with Gorsuch at a dinner gathering in the early 1990s. He  in a very sincere way, without skipping a beat  was supportive and has been since then. . . . I remember how much of a relief it was that it was not an issue.

When Berg and his boyfriend, Ronald Riqueros, got married in 2012, Gorsuch sent them a note telling them to consider his house their house if they are ever in Colorado.

Berg said Gorsuch was constantly establishing such connections with others, regardless of their political philosophy.

He would have a real conversation with people from the top professors to waiters and waitresses at a restaurant. He sort of put himself in their shoes, he said. He made you feel like you were the only person in the room when he was talking to you.

Classmates and acquaintances  from his time in college, law school and Oxford  uniformly describe him in such effusive terms.

There are a whole lot of people at Harvard Law School who are interested in talking and want you to think that theyre the most important person in the room, said Ken Mehlman, his Harvard housemate who later became chairman of the Republican National Committee. But Neil was very curious about other people and learning what they had to say.

Mehlman, like Berg, would later come out to Gorsuch as gay and also recalled the sensitive way he took the news.

I would be surprised if any of our classmates had an unkind word to say about him, said Norm Eisen, a classmate who would later become a high-ranking official in the Obama administration.



Neil and Louise Gorsuch met and married while he was in England studying at Oxford. (Gorsuch Family/Family photo)

Neil Gorsuch, and his daughters. (Louise Gorsuch/Family photo)

Gorsuch returned in 1995 from Oxford with several surprises in store.

While in England, he met his future wife, Louise, a champion equestrian on the Oxford riding team. A year and a half after their first date, they were married.

I laughed, said David Jarden, a college friend. Neil went off to Oxford to get a PhD in law. You think of Oxford as the long, black gowns and the ancient buildings. But, he came back with a wife and a horse.

Gorsuch clerked with Supreme Court Justices Byron White and Anthony M. Kennedy. With his impressive credentials, Gorsuch decided against the predictable route of joining a prestigious law firm and instead opted for the excitement of a legal start-up. He signed on with the boutique Washington firm of Kellogg, Huber, Hansen & Todd. The two-year-old firm was so new and small that a year earlier, when a client had requested a meeting at their offices, one of the partners ran out to buy furniture, returning with a mismatched dining set to serve as the conference table.

Once on board, Gorsuch had to decide exactly what kind of lawyer he wanted to be. He could focus on appellate law, funneling his energy into writing legal briefs, or go the academic route and counsel clients on policy matters. But Gorsuch chose instead to apprentice under one of the partners, Mark Hansen, a trial lawyer who spent his days in the courtroom crucible of litigation.

It was a risk for someone like Neil, from the establishment life, who wasnt necessarily a swashbuckler. He looked like he had never walked against a Dont Walk sign, said Hansen. Not everyone likes the confrontation that comes with litigation. Some people used to winning their whole lives dont like the risk of losing. You could tell it made him uncomfortable. He pushed himself.

The same empathetic, affable manner that had endeared Gorsuch to liberal classmates despite his firebrand conservatism now helped him put clients at ease. His plain, Midwestern way of talking came across to juries as down-to-earth.

In his first case as a lead attorney, Gorsuch represented a property owner suing a construction company for stealing gravel, Hansen recalled.

Its not complicated. Heres what they did to my poor client, Gorsuch told the jury in closing arguments. He reached into his pants pockets and turned them inside out. They picked his pocket.

A jury member ran up to Gorsuch after the trial, Hansen said, and compared him to Perry Mason.

For a decade he worked under and with Hansen. Then, over beers one evening after an especially tough day in court, he told Hansen that he wanted to accept an offer to work in Bushs Justice Department. At the time, I thought he would do it for a couple of years and come back, Hansen said.

But after just a year and half, Bush tapped Gorsuch to become a federal appellate court judge.



Neil Gorsuch was named to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals based in Denver by President George W. Bush. (Denver Post via Getty Images)

As a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit based in Denver, Gorsuch has won a following in legal circles for his clear, often entertaining style of writing opinions.

Gorsuchs signature move is to open his opinions with yarn-spinning summaries of the case that draw the reader in.

If a seventh grader starts trading fake burps for laughs in gym class, whats a teacher to do? Order extra laps? Detention? A trip to the principals office? he began one decision about a 13-year-old who was arrested. Maybe. But then again, maybe thats too old school. Maybe today you call a police officer.

He began another opinion about an insurance dispute with this: Haunted houses may be full of ghosts, goblins, and guillotines, but its their more prosaic features that pose the real danger.

A few years into his tenure, Gorsuch started using contractions, like wouldve and couldve. His clerks teased him about it, trying to find precedents for such informal language.

Former clerks say that Gorsuchs insistence on clear writing reflects his convictions about making the law accessible and understandable to everyone.

He has hired clerks from both liberal and conservative backgrounds, and last week, all of them  except two currently clerking at the Supreme Court  signed a bipartisan letter praising his independence.

In speeches, Gorsuch has criticized the complexity of the American legal code, arguing that there are so many criminal laws and they are so complicated that it can be hard for people to understand what is and isnt a crime. In an article titled Access to Affordable Justice published by the Duke Law Center, he called on bar associations and educators to make legal services cheaper and courts more accessible to low-income litigants by ceding more work to non-lawyers with legal training.

In 2007, after sitting on a panel in which he believed a prisoners lawyer had missed arguments critical to his clients, Gorsuch helped launch an effort to improve the representation of low-income prisoners in death penalty cases. He and another judge traveled to Oklahoma, where many death penalty cases were arising, to persuade lawyers with good track records to take such cases and convened a tutorial on how such cases should be presented before an appellate court.



A candle burns on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

In the weeks since Gorsuch was nominated for the Supreme Court, his judicial philosophy has been widely compared to Scalias.

Like Scalia, Gorsuch is a proponent of originalism  a belief that judges should try to interpret the Constitutions words as they were understood by its authors. But more importantly when it comes to laws, Gorsuch, like Scalia, is a textualist, who believes that only the actual words written in a statute matter  not legislators intent or any potential consequences of a judges decisions.

Gorsuch spelled out his philosophy in his colorful conclusion on the case of the 13-year-old fake burper.

Often enough the law can be a ass  a idiot,  he wrote, quoting Charles Dickens. And there is little we judges can do about it, for it is (or should be) emphatically our job to apply, not rewrite, the law enacted by the peoples representatives. Indeed, a judge who likes every result he reaches is very likely a bad judge, reaching for results he prefers rather than those the law compels.

That approach has drawn its share of detractors, especially among liberals.

The argument of originalists like Gorsuch is always Well, Im just following the law. But its intellectually dishonest to pretend you can somehow divine the original founders intent, said Ayesha Khan, a former longtime legal director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State who has written many amicus briefs in cases ruled on by Gorsuch.

Its also a notable coincidence that the originalist, textualist philosophy always paves the way for religious messages by government or strikes down efforts to protect womens reproductive rights, Khan said. Its a way of rationalizing activist tendencies.

Put more succinctly, Nan Aron of the liberal Alliance for Justice said, In spite of what the White House would like to have us believe, hes a dangerous choice.

By contrast, Gorsuch has been aggressively vetted for the court by conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation, and they have backed him enthusiastically. These groups even scrutinized his attendance at St. Johns Episcopal Church  which draws from the largely liberal population in Boulder, Colo., calls itself a largely liberal congregation and advertised on its website for the Womens March in Washington last month  and concluded it was not a strike against him.

For their part, the churchs leaders alluded in a recent newsletter and Sunday sermon to the political divide between most of its parishioners and Gorsuch. But they added that Gorsuchs views are not as narrow or predictable as some might think  or fear.

I am privileged to have spent enough time with the family to come to know Neil as a broad-thinking man, one eager to listen and learn, and one thoughtful in speaking, wrote the Rev. Susan W. Springer. Those foundational qualities are ones I would pray that all public servants in any leadership role in our country might possess.

Alice Crites and Julie Tate contributed to this report.
Vehicles make their way over San Franciscos Golden Gate Bridge on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. A powerful storm is beginning to move into California, and continued rain could trigger flooding. (Eric Risberg/AP)

AGRICULTURE

Some animal-welfaredocuments restored

Some of the animal welfare documents that were abruptly purged from a Department of Agriculture database early this month were restored Friday, days after animal rights groups filed a lawsuit to make the records public again.

The documents returned to the database include inspection reports for research institutions and certain federal labs that work with animals. Similar reports on the treatment of animals at zoos, breeding operations and animal transporters  which represent the vast majority of facilities that the USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service oversees  are still unavailable.

The database is maintained by APHIS in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act.

In a statement, the service noted that reports on some enforcement actions  when the agency moves against violators of animal welfare law  are available on the USDAs Office of Administrative Law Judges website.

APHIS spokeswoman Tanya Espinosa said the restoration of records was not a response to the lawsuit. Reports are being added back to the database once agency officials have determined that they are appropriate for reposting, she said.

 Sarah Kaplan

MICHIGAN

Racism blamed for Flints water woes

Systemic racism going back decades is at the core of problems that caused a lead-contaminated water crisis in the majority black city of Flint, according to a Michigan Civil Rights Commission report issued Friday.

The report says the commission did not unearth any violations of civil rights laws and that nobody intended to poison Flint.

But the 130-page report  based on the testimony of more than 100 residents, experts and government and community leaders at public hearings and other meetings last year  concludes that decisions would have been different had they concerned the states wealthier, mostly white communities.

To save money while under state control, the impoverished city used water from the Flint River for 18 months without treating it to prevent pipe corrosion.

That water caused lead to leach from old pipes and into homes.

Elevated levels of lead, a neurotoxin, were detected in children, and 12 people died in a Legionnaires outbreak linked to the improperly treated water.

Flints overall lead level no longer exceeds the federal limit, but authorities are still requiring residents to use faucet filters provided by the state.

 Associated Press
President Trump speaks during a press conference in the East Room of the White House. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

If Donald Trump were an off-the-street federal job applicant, he most likely would not be granted a security clearance. Measured against the standards applied to thousands of Americans involved with our national security, knowledge essential to granting Trump access to classified information simply isnt there.

Security clearances are granted after determining that an individuals personal and professional histories make it safe to do so. The criteria for such a judgment include, quoting State Department policy, the persons loyalty to the United States, strength of character, trustworthiness, honesty, reliability, discretion, and sound judgment, as well as freedom from conflicting allegiances and potential for coercion, and a willingness and ability to abide by regulations governing the use, handling, and protection of classified information.

Eligibility for access to classified information is not based on a persons wealth, business acumen or ability to persuade large crowds. Great attributes, maybe. But they are no basis upon which to decide whether an individual ought to have access to the nations secrets.

The most critical step in deciding whether to grant someone access to classified information is a background investigation consisting of a thorough examination of the individuals past and current histories.

In previous incarnations, and during years of service as an investigator with the U.S. Civil Service Commission (now the Office of Personnel Management) and as a special agent and regional security officer with the State Department, I conducted hundreds of background investigations here and overseas.

Life histories tell a lot, and a lot must be known about people entrusted with our national security.

This is where deciding whether Trump is an acceptable security risk hits a wall.

There is so much about him and his conduct, past and present, that is unknown.

And, as the Wall Street Journal reported this week, questions about Trump may be causing U.S. intelligence officials to withhold sensitive intelligence from him.

The intelligence communitys concerns, reportedly, center on the Trump teams contacts with the Russian government. There are also Trumps repeated expressions of admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trumps call during the presidential primary for Russia to hack Hillary Clintons emails, and FBI and CIA knowledge that the Russians leaked Clinton campaign emails to undermine her candidacy and boost Trumps.

Then there are those aspects of Trumps life that would raise security concerns were they found in background checks of others seeking clearances. Applicants associations with foreign interests  especially substantial business, financial or property interests in a foreign country or with foreign-owned businesses  would not escape U.S. scrutiny, especially if those associations might subject the applicant to a risk of foreign influence or exploitation.

Trump has eluded such an examination.

Little is known about the nature of Trumps foreign business relationships  what they are, his conduct while traveling outside the United States, or his interactions with foreign governments known to target U.S. citizens to try to obtain protected information.

A background investigation that uncovers questionable judgment, lack of candor or dishonesty draws heightened attention. So, too, the refusal to provide full, frank and truthful answers to lawful questions. That kind of activity may constitute grounds for unfavorable clearance action.

Trump has never been subjected to such an inquiry.

He has a proven record of not providing truthful or candid answers. True, it didnt disqualify him from the presidency. It would, ironically, darken his chances of getting a U.S. government security clearance.

A security clearance applicant who has engaged in deceptive financial practices, who has a history of failing to meet financial obligations, and who fails to identify and explain all sources of income is a red flag. Such a record, of course, is no bar to the presidency.

A background investigation that turns up evidence of possible emotional, mental or personality disorders, even without a formal diagnosis, elevates security concerns , although not to the point of disqualification without an evaluation by a duly qualified mental-health professional. But bizarre behavior suggesting emotional instability, and which casts doubt on the individuals judgment or reliability, will certainly get a closer professional look before a security clearance is granted. Trump has no such worries.

The White House denies that the intelligence community is keeping sensitive information from Trump. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence agrees.

Indeed, its doubtful that the intelligence community would hold back about security threats or potential plots against the United States.

But to expose sensitive information about Russia to an enigmatic Trump, with advisers and former staff now under investigation by the FBI and congressional committees? Without solid evidence that Trump is reliable and can be trusted?

That might explain why the intelligence community may be keeping some secrets under wraps  that is, until Americans who place patriotism above partisanship, such as Vice President Pence, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), decide that the national interests supersede Trumps fixation and fascination with himself, and they agree that the intelligence community should come forward to speak truth to power.

Read more from Colbert Kings archive.
Regarding the Feb. 14 Metro article Opposition mounts to plan to bury coal ash near Potomac:

Dominion Virginia Powers strategy is clear: do as little as possible until it can abandon responsibility for the coal ash dump altogether. That will leave the legacy costs for the public to pay when failure occurs, as it did in 2008 at the Kingston impoundment on the Clinch River in Tennessee and in 2014 at Duke Energys facility on the Dan River in North Carolina.

Some may be pleased by Dominions strategy, which yields todays artificially low electricity rates unburdened by the real cost of properly disposing of the coal ash. While that pricing strategy cheats the future for the ease of the present, it also plays into Dominions strategy of delaying as long as it can its transition to wind and solar generation.

Ross Shearer, Vienna
Jonathan Blanks is a research associate in the Cato Institutes Project on Criminal Justice and managing editor of PoliceMisconduct.net.

Last week, federal immigration officials seized an unauthorized immigrant at an El Paso courthouse where she had been seeking a protective order against an alleged domestic abuser. The judge who oversees the court that issued the protective order expressed dismay that such a seizure took place when the person was seeking protection from violence, and perhaps acting on a tip provided by the alleged abuser himself.

President Trump has said his proposed actions to stiffen immigration enforcement are in the interests of public safety, but seizures such as the one in El Paso and the proposed revitalization of the 287(g) program that deputizes local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law make the public less safe and interfere with local policing priorities.

Certainly, immigration enforcement falls within the federal governments prerogative, regardless of ones opinion on current immigration laws. However, that does not make every single enforcement action wise or justifiable. Moreover, the respect for federalism  the recognition of state and local governments priorities over the whims of Washington  has long been a mantra of small-government Republicans. Yet, it is hard to think of a larger and more dangerous federal intrusion into local affairs than undermining local law enforcement.

Seizing a person who is seeking refuge from violence subverts the protective function of police officers. If individuals fear as much from law enforcement as they do the criminals living among and victimizing them, they will not come forward to report crimes or cooperate with criminal investigations. Non-cooperation makes police officers jobs harder by emboldening and enriching criminals who, consequently, may operate with impunity where people are less willing to help investigators.

One Los Angeles Police Dept. detective told the Los Angeles Times, It is my job to investigate crimes. . . . And if I cant do that, I cant get justice for people, because all of a sudden, Im losing my witnesses or my victims because theyre afraid that talking to me is going to lead to them getting deported. When he recently approached a group of Latino workers to investigate a crime, they stood up and walked away. Even though Los Angeles has repeatedly asserted its self-appointed status as a sanctuary city for immigrants, one of the workers uttered Trump is coming, as he left.

Montgomery County police chief and head of the Major Cities Chiefs Association J. Thomas Manger lamented the administrations lack of concern for local law enforcement priorities. He told The Post that local law enforcement is invested in retaining the trust of the immigrant communities, not having the immigrant communities afraid of contacting the police. He added, If we alienate the immigrant community, were sunk.

Inherent suspicion of police is dangerous to a communitys well-being, whether that community is comprised of immigrants or the native born. We have seen the deleterious effects of poor relationships between police officers and African American communities. Author and journalist Jill Leovy explains that many black neighborhoods are simultaneously overpoliced for petty crimes and infractions while being underpoliced for violent crimes such as homicide. The lack of trust of police in many African American communities discourages cooperation with police and, consequently, black homicides go unsolved at staggering rates. This dual failure feeds a cycle of mistrust and mutual antagonism between the police and those who need their protection the most.

Many law enforcement officials recognize this and are trying to remedy this trust gap. Earlier this week, a group of police chiefs and prosecutors released a five-point blueprint for the new administration to consider as it establishes its law enforcement priorities. Among other smart on crime proposals, the law enforcement leaders stressed the importance of fighting violent crime and supporting community policing efforts rather than aggressively pursuing non-violent violations as ways to build community trust. Not only does a lack of trust make policing harder, the release explicitly stated, but also a mistrustful community puts police officers at risk.

The federal government has the authority to enforce its immigration laws, but it should do so with discretion and in a way that aligns with the public trust. Likewise, local law enforcement should be free to protect the communities they serve in line with each communitys best interests. Taking law enforcement actions against people seeking protection is dangerous and irresponsible. Threatening those most vulnerable to crime is anathema to improving public safety.
President Trump signs an executive order regarding travelers entering the United States, at the Pentagon in Washington on Jan. 27. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

The Jan. 30 news infographic Attacks in the U.S. by Islamist extremists are rare, in the wake of the controversy over the new immigration and refugee executive order signed by President Trump on Jan. 27, gave the impression that terrorist plots in the United States are extremely rare, with only 10 fatal incidents since Sept. 11, 2001. Research conducted by the staff of SpyPedia paints a very different picture of the terrorist problem in the United States.

The Post analysis counted only successful radical Islamist plots beginning with 9/11, listing 10 attacks, and counted only incidents when individuals were killed. In fact there have been 19 successful plots that killed and/or wounded individuals. Also, the analysis ignored the 88 Salafist Islamist extremist plots that were prevented by the law enforcement community and were planned by individuals from some of the countries on the executive order list. Thus, there have been 108 Salafist radical Islamist-motivated plots in the United States.

The CI Centre and SpyPedia have been teaching about and tracking terrorism and espionage worldwide since 1997 for the U.S. government and the private sector. An examination of the 88 unsuccessful kinetic plots shows:

 Forty-nine plots (52 percent) involved 108 individuals who were born in the United States.

 Thirty-nine plots (48 percent) involved 73 individuals who were foreign born.

 The 19 successful Islamist plots since 9/11 have killed 97 people and injured 488.

 As the Islamist plots are designed to kill as many people as possible, the targets have included shopping malls, planes, public buildings and public gatherings such as parades.

Two plots that were successful and fatal were omitted from the chart. In 2003, U.S. citizen and Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded 14 while stationed in Kuwait. (While outside the scope of The Posts numbers, it does include a U.S. citizen killing U.S. citizens.) And in 2006, Naveed Afzal Haq opened fire at the Seattle Jewish Federation, killing one person and wounding five.

David G. Major, Great Falls

The writer is owner and founder of the CI Centre and SpyPedia.
RUSSIAS APPARENT violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has moved a worrisome step forward. A ground-launched cruise missile that the United States has identified as a treaty violation is being deployed by Russia, according to a report in the New York Times. This threatens to upend an important treaty and poses a major challenge for the United States, especially since years of objections over the violation have been stonewalled by President Vladimir Putin. With a new U.S. administration taking office, it would make sense for President Trump to press Russia once more to adhere to the treaty, while holding out the possibility of military countermeasures if he does not.

The treaty was a centerpiece of the cooperation between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at the end of the Cold War, eliminating an entire class of deployed land-based missiles in Europe with a range between 300 and 3,400 miles, and their launchers; prohibiting flight-testing and production of new missiles in the future; and including new, intrusive verification measures.

Over the past decade, Russia stealthily developed a ground-launched cruise missile in apparent violation of the treaty, one of a number of asymmetric weapons programs developed by Mr. Putin to throw the West off balance. The new missile was first seen in a flight test in 2008; the Obama administration told Congress about it in late 2011, and State Department compliance reports formally called it a treaty violation in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Russia has repeatedly refused to acknowledge a treaty violation. A special commission set up in the treaty to resolve disputes met late last year without result. Now, Mr. Trump should raise the issue directly with Mr. Putin and make it clear that the United States will not tolerate behavior that undermines the very foundation of arms-control treaties  that they are binding and verifiable. Mr. Trump has described himself as a good negotiator and as a Mr. Fix-it. Certainly, the INF treaty needs repair. The military countermeasures prepared by the Pentagon, such as deployment of new U.S. missiles or active defenses, might, over time, coerce the Kremlin to change tack. But it would be far preferable for Mr. Trump, who has yet to meet Mr. Putin, to attempt persuasion first, while being direct about the consequences of inaction.

According to an account by Reuters, Mr. Trump denounced another U.S.-Russian accord, the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), in a Jan. 28 phone call with Mr. Putin, saying it favored Russia. In fact, the treaty has been a model of successful implementation, holds both nations to equal levels and ought to be extended when it expires in 2021. The real worries about strategic nuclear weapons are elsewhere, starting with setting priorities for the hugely expensive nuclear modernization cycle that the United States has embarked upon. Theres also the unratified nuclear Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the toothless and drifting Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Plenty of negotiating and fixing up awaits Mr. Trump, and none is getting easier by waiting.
The District is facing the most hostile Congress in decades as some Republican congressional leaders are threatening to repeal or otherwise meddle with D.C. laws. In this political environment, statehood for the District appears to be a pipe dream. However, Donald Trumps election to the presidency could make that dream a reality.

To better understand how Trumps election could make a difference, one must first contemplate why the outlook for D.C. voting rights is bleak. Analysis of the Districts voting-representation plight must begin with a frank acknowledgment of the key reason statehood restricted to the Districts current geographic boundaries is a fantasy. The chief obstacle is simple: The District is an exceedingly partisan, Democratic jurisdiction.

The District has never supported a Republican presidential candidate in the general election and probably never will. Every Republican presidential candidate has lost the Districts general election in a landslide  Trump received only 4 percent of the vote. Even in 1984, the year that Ronald Reagan won 49 states and lost Walter Mondales home state of Minnesota by only 3,761 votes, the Great Communicator convinced only 13.73 percent of D.C. voters to support him. Similarly, aside from the two at-large council seats set aside for non-Democrats, the District has never elected any Republican to a District-wide local, partisan office.

Given the Districts voting record, the Democratic affiliation of two new D.C. senators would be a foregone conclusion. Understandably, Republicans oppose any voting representation solution that hands two U.S. Senate seats to the Democratic Party. To be successful, advocacy for congressional voting representation must account for this partisan dynamic.

More than a decade ago, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) proposed a politically neutral, pragmatic solution. Their legislation would have given Republican-leaning Utah and the District each a seat in the House. Unfortunately, many Republicans questioned the constitutionality of the measure, and the legislative effort reached an impasse in 2007.

Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, recently revived a long-standing proposal that would retrocede the residential areas of the District to Maryland. Norton responded by asking: Has the chairman ever asked anyone from the state of Maryland how they feel about that?

Better yet, Chaffetz should ask the Maryland Republican Party for its reaction to the proposed addition of 366,000 Democrats to the voting rolls in Maryland, a state that recently elected a Republican governor by a margin of 65,000 votes.

D.C. leaders should abandon advocacy for a conventional statehood plan that would come only at the expense of Republican political power. Instead, an unconventional solution that is mindful of political reality is required. Trump may be the right president at the right time for the District, given his willingness to embrace unconventional solutions and buck party leadership.

Consider the following unconventional reverse retrocession proposal, a version of which was proposed last year by Lars Hydle, then-chairman of the D.C. Republican Committees Policy Committee. Under this plan, the staunchly Democratic Northern Virginia jurisdictions of Fairfax County, Arlington County, Falls Church and Alexandria could be merged with the District to form a new state. As a result of the merger, Virginias senators (currently two Democrats), the governors office and presidential electoral college votes would likely swing to the Republican side, thereby offsetting the Districts two new Democratic senators and representative.

If Trump resolved the D.C. statehood conundrum, he would demonstrate his dealmaking prowess, earn some civil rights credibility and, under the reverse retrocession plan, walk away with Virginias electoral college votes. D.C. residents should welcome consideration of an option with better political prospects than the District-only position pushed unsuccessfully for several decades. Northern Virginia residents should consider joining a jurisdiction with which they share more cultural and political commonality than Richmond.

After more than 40 years in the political desert, a new approach to D.C. voting rights is needed. D.C. voters must demand fresh, feasible solutions to the voting representation conundrum. An unconventional deal to give District residents congressional voting representation might well be brokered by our very unconventional president.

The writer, a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention, is a member of the D.C. Republican Committee.
To sum up President Trumps first month in office, he has exceeded everyones expectations.

To those who opposed him, hes worse than expected. To those who supported him, hes done exactly what he said he would do and more.

And everyone hates the media.

Regarding the observation that the media took Trump literally but not seriously, it would appear that we didnt take him literally enough.

It bears saying, I suppose, that Im not a Trump hater, as my ever-vigilant critics insist. Id like to get on with things  but the right things, in the right ways. Of course, I want the president of the United States to be successful, but correctly. That is, constitutionally, cautiously and considerately. Overall, my hopes and goals for the nation are more or less the same as any other well-adjusted Americans, even if we may differ in the how.

Based on my mailbag, which is as good a barometer as any of how people are thinking, the greatest obstacle before us isnt this president or that policy but our distrust of each other, especially the publics toward the media. We scribblers have never been the most popular people on the block. On my first day of work, my editor told me, If you want friends, youre in the wrong business. Ive accepted that, but I cant accept the perception  and the presidents mantra  that journalists are the enemy of the people. (Enemies of the people are much, much richer.)

For the record, Im a paid opinion writer, so to those who write accusing me of being biased and opinionated, I say, stay strong. To the rest, setting aside the death threats and batches of truly revolting insult, Im reading and taking it all in.

The overarching theme is that no matter what Trump does, hell never get a fair shake from me and my ilk. (Other letter writers, who will be receiving Christmas gifts this year, say thank you.) The president and his staff just need a little time to adjust, these readers implore. Give the man a break! He has a steep learning curve, after all. True, but this is precisely the problem for many veteran journalists, whose careers constitute the equivalent of several advanced degrees in public policy and government along with, cumulatively, several centuries of White House experience.

Me and my ilks, she wrote in a purposely ungrammatical way, get set in our ways, too, and have expectations of a certain level of knowledge, decorum and protocol. The Trump White House is overrun with amateurs and ideologues who are running the country like theyve been up all night on bath salts.

It doesnt seem to bother Trumps supporters that he has hit a few snags  court rulings halting his travel restrictions; the dismissal or withdrawal of a top official here and there. Or that there seems to be an irregular relationship between Trumps and Vladimir Putins people.

Maybe there was nothing much to the chats between short-lived national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russias ambassador. Maybe there was no collusion between Trump campaign aides during multiple communications with Russian operatives during the 2016 election.

But given (1) Trumps solicitousness toward Putin, (2) the administrations willingness to declaim moral equivalence between Russia and the United States, combined with (3) Trumps campaign threat to rethink U.S. involvement with NATO  wouldnt the media be derelict in their duty if they did not relentlessly scrutinize these issues and events?

Theres nothing fake about these reports. And although the media can be accused of vigorously pursuing such stories, even at the risk of appearing negative, isnt this their job? Resistant as I am to the cheap comparison, can you imagine the Republican reaction if this same set of facts emerged during the first month of a Hillary Clinton administration  especially if Trump had won 3 million more votes?

If sometimes the media are wrong, professional mechanisms are in place for correction. People can have faith in this real fact. Not so a White House that doesnt appear to believe in acknowledging mistakes, much less correcting them. The difference between these two is the difference between reliable sources and propaganda.

Theres room for improvement, and we in the media bear the burden of winning back reader trust. But those who would give Trump the benefit of the doubt  no matter what  should be willing at least to give responsible, proven journalists an open-minded reading and a fair hearing.

Remember, the enemies of freedom always silence the reporters first.

Read more from Kathleen Parkers archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook.
Patrick Mondaca served in Iraq with the U.S. Army in 2003 as a military police sergeant.

In 2003, I went to Baghdad as a military police sergeant with the U.S. Army. I came home a different man.

Instead of traffic, I see blocked convoys and kill zones. Instead of crowded subways and train platforms, I see hundreds of potential casualties hemmed in by machine-gun fire from superior advantages of height and terrain. On rooftops and window ledges and on the steeples of cathedrals, I see places of concealment for snipers. On our city sidewalks, I see the anxious faces of commuters running late. They are counting minutes. I am counting dead and wounded.

I have adjustment disorder, defined by the Department of Veterans Affairs as occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress.

Adjustment disorder is a strange diagnosis. It implies that the veteran is adjusting but that he or she is also having temporary difficulty doing so. It is a quasi-acknowledgment of a problem, but not a condition given the same priority as post-traumatic stress disorder. It also unjustly absolves the government for the mental wounds sustained at war.

Because PTSD can be so disabling, the government offers veterans diagnosed with the disorder varied treatment options and compensation. But to receive such a diagnosis requires a specific traumatic incident. At a minimum, VA states, the veteran must provide the following: a stressor that can be documented; the location where the incident took place; the approximate date (within a two-month period) of the incident; and the unit of assignment at the time the stressful event occurred.

The Union of Concerned Scientists has found evidence of Army and VA doctors being pressured to diagnose struggling veterans with adjustment disorder instead of PTSD. In a 2008 report of the issue, the group suggested that the aim of the pressure was cutting the cost of long-term, expensive health care.

Its true  I do not have PTSD in the way it is traditionally defined. I did not suffer a trauma  that is, a specific occurrence of trauma, during my combat deployment. I bore witness to gruesome things in Baghdad, but to observe traumatic events is not necessarily to be traumatized by those specific events.

A soldier, however, may be traumatized by the entire wartime experience  by remaining in a continuous state of hyper-alertness and adrenaline. This theater of war rewires and reconditions the minds of returning soldiers.

I have sustained an adjustment of my person, of my sense of self, of my relationships and of what would have been my common surroundings in any peacetime society. My perception and understanding of the world have been altered: A house dog can be conditioned and trained to fight another dog to the death. A civilian can be conditioned to do harm to his fellow man  to maim, to wound and to kill. This is less a trauma than it is a casualty of war. It is a detachment from the rest of society  an inability of the soldier to come home completely.

Throughout the 2016 election, politicians treated the veteran vote as though it could be earned with empty promises of vast overhauls and additional funding. But my concern is not just about money and promises. They could pour all the resources in the world into VA without addressing the real issue at hand.

The problem is the rest of society. Were ill-prepared to reintegrate our soldiers back into the tribe, as Sebastian Junger explains in his latest book. We dont recognize the detachment a soldier feels when he or she returns to those who have not also borne the battle.

Our society is focused on PTSD and the identification of specific occasions of trauma and its treatment. But I am less injured than I am displaced. I will never belong, mostly because I have been something that most of my fellow citizens have not been and cannot be: a soldier.

I do not feel shame or guilt for my part in the war. If anyone should feel guilt, it should be you. You should feel ashamed for hiding behind my brothers and sisters in arms  for asking us to do the things that you would not; for cheering us on for doing the bad things in the bad places; for shaking our bloodied hands and thanking us for our service; and for parading us around and buying us shots of whiskey on Veterans Day.

The village has chosen us to do its dirty work, but the village doesnt quite know how to bring us back. We need more substantial strategies to integrate our soldiers back into society beyond hollow celebrations.
Chelle Gluch of Nampa, Idaho, had hoped the Affordable Care Acts Medicaid expansion would help her family, but the state of Idaho rejected it. (Kyle Green/For the Washington Post)

The Feb. 10 front-page article In Idaho, replacing ACA may not be as easy as rejecting it, about Idaho lawmakers decision to deny health insurance to the states working poor as intended by the Affordable Care Act, was disheartening. What causes legislators to have a lapse of empathy when it comes to helping low-income citizens, even when doing so costs much less than doing nothing?

There is a point at which ideological steadfastness morphs into moral failure. The article ably documented that occurrence in the sad chain of events beginning with the state lawmakers decision to not accept ACA funding to expand Medicaid. The ineffectual efforts to correct this costly mistake would be laughable if people were not suffering and dying for lack of basic health services.

Republicans from the president on down now own the ACA. Until they enact an alternative, withholding insurance from the working poor or otherwise sabotaging the law should be rebuked as a moral failing.

Edwin Stropko, Alexandria

The writer retired as assistant director of health care for the Government Accountability Office.


T-shirts in support of Yes California at a meeting on the secessionist movement at the Hole in the Wall bar in San Diego. (Sandy Huffaker/For The Washington Post)

About 15 people huddled in a luxury apartment building, munching on danishes as they plotted out their plan to have California secede from the United States.

I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of an independent California, Geoff Lewis said as he stood in a glass-walled conference room adorned with Californias grizzly-bear flag and a sign reading California is a nation, not a state.

Sweaty onlookers from the gym across the hall peered in curiously.

Bolstered by the election of President Trump, the group, Yes California, is collecting the 585,407 signatures necessary to place a secessionist question on the 2018 ballot. Its goal is to have California become its own country, separate and apart from the United States.

[While the country shifts to the right, California keeps moving left]

The group is advertising at protests and hosting meetups throughout California. Its leaders say the organization has ballooned to 53 chapters, each of which has meetings like the one here to plot out strategy and recruit volunteers.

Basically, what were witnessing is the birth of a nation, said Tim Vollmer, 57, an academic consultant from San Francisco. We can lead whats left of the free world.

Their recruiting pitch goes something like this:

California  the most populous state, with nearly 40 million residents  subsidizes other states at a loss, is burdened by a national trade system, doesnt get a fair say in presidential elections, is diverse and disagrees with much of the rest of the country on immigration, is far ahead of other states on environmental policy and, for the most part, is diametrically opposed to Trumps positions.

Therefore, the argument goes, conditions are perfect for the Golden State to secede.

Yes California primarily advertises through its Facebook page, which has about 39,000 likes and about the same number of followers; a graphic reads divorce due to irreconcilable differences, with a split, jagged heart depicting California on one side and the rest of the country on the other.

California is different from America, said Marcus Ruiz Evans, one of the movements co-founders, as he sat on the patio of a Starbucks in Fresno. California is hated. Its not liked. Its seen as weird.



California is different from America, says Marcus Ruiz Evans of the Yes California campaign. California is hated. Its not liked. Its seen as weird. Evans has been fighting for secession for years, and finally feels validated by the anti-Trump movement that has reignited the move to secede. (Derek Lapsley/For The Washington Post)

Evans published a 540-page tome in 2012 on why California should secede and is using his indefatigable ability to talk about it to spread that message as far as possible, mostly through Facebook and media appearances.

He has crusaded for California independence for years  he also protested the Obama administration  and said he thinks of himself as Galileo, Copernicus, a man whose theories were so revolutionary that they were dismissed until proved true.

Evans is the main point of contact for the chapter leaders, and he handed out purple Yes California T-shirts to attendees of the meeting here. He would occasionally interject with a long, impassioned speech about the importance of California independence or to let the group know it was partnering with an environmentally friendly printer in Culver City.

Clare Hedin, a musician and sound healer, ticked through a set of slides to help people set up their own chapters. Yes California T-shirts should be plentiful and handed out to all attendees (wearing them in meetings is encouraged). A sense of community should be fostered, and people should be asked why they came to the meeting and how they can contribute so they feel personally invested. Each chapter leader should take a different tack; San Franciscans tend to be more touchy-feely than San Diegans, for example.

They debated how California should handle the military. Maybe their new nation should be neutral, such as Switzerland, they mulled. Where should it get its water? Most of it, they reasoned, comes from the Sierra Nevada and the Colorado River, which are in the state. California, Evans said, is the worlds sixth-largest economy and already has money, so that will be fine. The secessionists likened their cause to the legalization of marijuana and same-sex marriage: things that seemed implausible a decade ago but are now the law here.

Yes California doesnt have any policy positions. Its members dont know how the new nations government would be set up. The groups goal is to first have the state secede and then figure out how it should run.

People are asking about the new nations vaccine policy, and Im asking, Are you high?  said Karen Sherman, who holds group meetings at the gay dive bar she owns in San Diego. We want to explore independence, not create a new country around vaccines.

The groups biggest effort is focused on collecting signatures for the initiative. It will ask voters if they want to repeal a section of the state constitution declaring that California is an inseparable part of the United States of America and hold a referendum on independence on March 5, 2019. The group started collecting signatures in late January and has six months to complete the task.



Michael Boightwood speaks during a California secession meeting in San Diego. (Sandy Huffaker/For The Washington Post)

For supporters, Trumps election, the desire of some Californians to lead the resistance to his presidency and the groups growing volunteer base has given the group a semblance of credibility it has long desired.

The group points to Silicon Valley billionaires  including Peter Thiel, who backs Trump and recently said he supports secession, and Shervin Pishevar, who tweeted after the election that he would fund a campaign for California to become its own nation.

The state legislature hired former Obama attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. to battle the Trump administration on issues such as immigration. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vowed that California will continue to push measures to combat climate change and ensure Californians have health insurance coverage regardless of national policy decisions. San Francisco sued the Trump administration over sanctuary cities. But these and other elected officials have not endorsed secession. Some, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, said they oppose it.

Ballot measures are very tough to pass when theyre understandable and you have a relative idea what the consequences are, said Bill Carrick, Garcettis political consultant. Something like this is a rabbit pulled out of a hat; theres not a chance in the world it will pass.

[San Francisco sues Trump over order on sanctuary cities]

Sue Hirsch, 46, said she is ashamed to be an American in the wake of the presidential election.

I wanted to be here [at the meeting] to be no longer American, but Californian, said Hirsch, who voted for Hillary Clinton and said she has at least seven professions, including psychic, Uber driver and hypno-transformative masseuse. I hate what the rest of America has become.

Evans and his co-founder, Louis Marinelli, are unlikely saviors of the left.

Both men have been registered Republicans. Evans is a former conservative radio host and Marinelli once staunchly opposed same-sex marriage. (He had a change of heart in 2011, embarking on a nationwide tour to persuade conservatives to support same-sex unions.)

Marinelli  a Buffalo native who said he so prefers California that he doesnt like visiting his mother in New York  now lives in Yekaterinburg, Russia. He said he voted for Trump because he thought it would be good for the California secessionist cause.

He said in an interview that he wants to return to San Diego but is working there while his Russian-born wife sorts out visa issues in the United States. His wifes hurdles with the U.S. immigration system and frustration with gridlock in Washington led him to embrace secession. He says he also was inspired by the Scottish secessionist movement.

(Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

But Yes California has had to fend off a torrent of questions about Russian influence. In September, Marinelli represented the group at a Moscow conference hosted by the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia; 30 percent of conference funding came from the Russian government, but none went to Yes California, according to its organizer. Yes California opened a cultural center at the movements Moscow headquarters in December. Marinelli has compared California independence to the annexation of Crimea, and Yes California has received a flurry of news coverage from the government-funded RT.

Marinelli said Yes California is not affiliated in any way with the Russian government.

We dont have any communication with or contact with or receive any support of any kind from the Russian government or any Russian government officials, he said, noting that people have a right to be concerned about allegations of Russian ties. But he also said that false conspiracy theories swirl around the group, including that it allegedly wants California to join Mexico or that it is funded by billionaire liberal donor George Soros.

On the other hand, he said, if people think that our movement is supported by the Russian government, then maybe theyll think that this is more realistically going to happen.

Evans is no fan of Trump, believing he is racist, anti-

immigrant and sexist. He said Yes California is committed to diversity, inclusion and a peaceful, legal secession. He spends most of his days on the phone, calling, emailing and texting people about the group, whose address is a Postal Annex store in a Fresno strip mall.

Yes California has registered with the California Secretary of States office but has not yet reported contributions. Marinelli wants to hire a professional fundraiser and paid staff.

At the San Francisco meetup, some were more optimistic than others about the idea of the referendum actually passing. Most acknowledged the chances were slim. But theyre willing to try, as many times as it takes.

Our whole point is not to get this initiative passed, Evans said. Its to get it in the minds of 40 million people.

Julie Tate and Adam Taylor contributed to this report.
Nearly a month into a presidency full of missteps, Donald Trump returned Saturday to firmer ground outside of Washington, staging a raucous campaign-style rally here with a throng of adoring supporters who helped sweep him into the White House.

For 45 minutes, there was no talk of the presidents falling approval ratings or turmoil in his administration. Instead, Trump rattled off familiar campaign promises, scolded the media, mocked protesters gathered outside, declared that it is a new day in America and basked in applause from a crowd of 9,000 that waited hours in the sun to see him.

This will be change for the ages, change like never before, Trump thundered toward the end of his remarks, which included several exaggerations and misrepresentations about his fledgling presidency.

The airport hangar event was the clearest indication of a Trump administration trying to regroup after a tumultuous first four weeks that have been propelled more by the controversy of the day than a coherent agenda for governing.

Starting with a let-Trump-be-Trump news conference on Thursday  in which the president said he wanted to speak directly to the American people without the media filter  Trump sought to regain control of his presidency, insisting that his administration is running like a fine-tuned machine and blaming any perceived problems on fake news and Democrats.

Supporters of President Donald Trump unfurl a banner as he arrives aboard Air Force One for a rally at the Orlando Melbourne International Airport. (Gregg Newton/\)

Meanwhile, his administration took steps that seemed aimed at creating a fresh start. Trump hired a communications director to ease the burden on his embattled press secretary, and he is interviewing candidates for national security adviser following the hasty departure of Michael Flynn. He promised a new version this week of his now-frozen executive order on immigration, which has come to symbolize his struggle to translate aggressive campaign goals into policy.

[The Take: Will Pences loyalty be returned in full by the president?]

During a speech at an aerospace factory in South Carolina on Friday afternoon, the president returned to the issues that made him popular in the first place: job creation, restricting trade and putting America first. He did not mention the media, although he bragged about winning the states primary.

Except for the fact that he doesnt have a big plastic button, this certainly looks like a reset, said Timothy Naftali, a presidential historian at New York University, referring to a prop that then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton gave to the Russian foreign minister in 2009. He called Trumps rally on Saturday an attempt to inject some adrenaline into his administration and shake a perception of loserdom.

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who advises Trump, said that all new presidents go through a series of resets because the initial transition from campaign to governing is too enormous and complex. . . . Trumps challenge is compounded because he is a genuine outsider trying to build a new system.

In an interview Saturday, however, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus disputed the notion that a reset was in the works.

I wouldnt call it a reset because were quite proud of a lot of the achievements over the past four weeks, he said, citing efforts to cut regulations on businesses and three foreign-leader visits, among other developments. I think weve accomplished a lot. I think the media has been fixated on a couple of issues that are totally bogus.

(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

But Priebus and deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders acknowledged that the White House is moving to put Trump out front more  a decision Sanders attributed to frustration with media coverage. Saturdays rally could be the first in a series of such events, she said.

[Trumps words matter  and are hurting U.S. standing abroad, lawmakers say]

Theres definitely frustration that the media makes up stories and reports things that arent true, Sanders said, adding that the Thursday news conference and Saturday rally were attempts for the president to speak directly to the American people and not have his message filtered through a biased media.

Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to Trump, said it gives him oxygen and it reminds him why hes here, why hes doing it.

Though Trump claimed at Thursdays news conference that there is zero chaos in his White House, he acknowledged that Priebus is spending time putting out fires that he would rather spend working on administration priorities, such as replacing the Affordable Care Act and restructuring the tax code.

Priebus said Saturday that he has spent too much time trying to address media reports but added: I can do more than one thing at a time, so no one needs to worry about that.

If the White House was trying to instill a greater sense of discipline and project an aura of competence at the end of the week, those notions were undermined by a fresh pair of controversies Friday.

The presidents scripted speech in South Carolina was overshadowed by an Associated Press report on a memo drafted by the Department of Homeland Security that proposed using the National Guard to round up undocumented immigrants  a plan the White House said is no longer on the table. Later in the day, Trump tweeted that the news media is the enemy of the American People!

Many of the news reports that the president has labeled false are factual but contain information he does not like, from reports of the crowd size at his inauguration to the intelligence communitys finding that Russia meddled in the U.S. election.

Trump also hit a new low Friday in a daily tracking poll by Gallup: Just 38 percent of Americans said they approve of the job he is doing, while 56 percent disapprove. The survey is among many that show him to be the least popular new president in modern times.

[Upheaval is now standard operating procedure inside the White House]

Trump has dismissed unfavorable polling numbers as fake news and during his news conference on Thursday pointed to a Rasmussen poll that is an outlier among recent surveys, saying it has me through the roof. That poll showed him with a 55 percent job approval rating.

Republican allies acknowledge that there are dangers for Trump if his numbers drop in the districts of GOP lawmakers, whose support he needs to pass an ambitious agenda that includes infrastructure spending and other measures that they view with skepticism.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said last week that he is not a great fan of daily tweets but said he remains eager to work with Trump on common aims.

The rally on Saturday  like a thank you tour that followed Trumps election victory  is designed in part to remind members of Congress of the presidents popularity in many areas beyond the Beltway.

He was reluctant to do a lot of travel in his first month in office, said Barry Bennett, a Republican strategist who served as an adviser to Trump during the general-election campaign. But I think this is a wise move. It reinforces to any doubting Republicans that there are millions and millions of people across America who want the same things he wants.

The presidents rally on Saturday evening was nearly identical to those he held during the campaign. His warm-up acts riled the crowd up with talk of immigration and gun rights, along with attacks on the media, with one speaker gleefully saying the president was spanking the media.

Although the White House said Thursday that Air Force One would not be used as a prop at the rally, the iconic airliner pulled up to the hangar as the theme song from the 1997 movie Air Force One played  the same theatrics that were a hallmark of Trumps campaign rallies.

Life is a campaign, Trump told reporters just before the rally. Making our country great again is a campaign. For me, its a campaign.

And just as he did during the campaign, the president repeatedly exaggerated or distorted the truth  claiming that he lowered the price of a new Air Force One without working more than an hour, blaming former president Barack Obama for leaving him a mess, claiming that the White House is running so smoothly despite numerous indications it is not and accusing the media of not featuring his supporters.

Such public appearances outside of Washington reflect a belief within the White House that Trump has been underutilized in making his case in recent weeks.

After several weeks of turmoil, its getting back to what worked for him as a candidate, said Doug Heye, a Republican strategist. Trump has always been his most effective advocate.

Rick Wilson, a GOP strategist who has been one of Trumps fiercest critics, said that Trumps news conference on Thursday showed the country is no longer divided between those on the left or the right but between those who saw the 77-minute spectacle as a success and those who are now terrified about the future of the nation.

The thing could have been evidence in a mental competency hearing, he said. It was really pretty disturbing and terrifying to watch this guy and think: What happens when the stakes are higher? 

Some both inside and outside the White House blame Trumps recent problems on staff, not the president, and the young ages of many aides often come up in complaints from those close to Trump. Priebus has also faced increasing pressure from Republicans to better control the president and rid the White House of ongoing turmoil and chaos  which probably would mean telling the president no on some things.

But John Weaver, a GOP strategist who worked on the presidential campaign of Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), said responsibility ultimately lies with the president.

Hes not able to govern right now, said Weaver, a longtime critic of Trump. He can shuffle around staff but until he understands he has to have discipline, and not just discipline in message, nothing is going to change.

White House aides are hopeful that the installation of communications director Mike Dubke will bring more stability to the administrations messaging. For the past month, Sean Spicer has held both the press secretary and communications director jobs  a period that has coincided with lampooning of his contentious daily press briefings on Saturday Night Live.

There needs to be someone who gets up in the morning and doesnt fight todays battles but can think about the next week and the next month, Bennett said.

Dubke is a veteran Republican media strategist and founder of Crossroads Media based in Alexandria, Va. Some Trump loyalists chafed at the idea of recruiting an establishment Republican operative with ties to strategist Karl Rove and other forces they see as having been hostile to Trumps candidacy.

How does this help serve the presidents interests? asked one Trump insider, who spoke on the condition of anonymity and claimed to be channeling the views of several others in Trumps orbit. It serves the interests of Reince and Sean, but I dont see how it serves the presidents interests.

Trump also appears determined to move quickly to appoint a new national security adviser and move beyond the controversy that surrounded Flynn, who was asked to resign amid questions about his contacts with Russia and misleading Vice President Pence about the nature of a call with the countrys ambassador after the election.

On Thursday, news broke that Trumps top pick for a replacement, retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward, had turned down the job offer. By Friday morning, Trump had taken to Twitter to share a shortlist, including retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who is currently in the job as acting national security adviser.

Spicer told reporters Saturday that Trump plans to talk to at least four candidates on Sunday, including John Bolton, a former United Nations ambassador; Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster; Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen, the superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; and Kellogg.

The coming week also presents a chance for Trump to redo an executive order issued early in his tenure that temporarily barred citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries and all refugees from entering the United States, ostensibly so officials could review and tighten screening procedures.

The programs chaotic rollout was widely panned and court rulings have now put the order on hold.

Trump said administration lawyers are working on a new version that will be tailored to the concerns raised by the courts.

We dont give up. We never give up, Trump told the crowd at his rally here. We will do something next week. I think youll be impressed.

Wagner reported from Washington. Philip Rucker and Sean Sullivan contributed to this report.
A young boy with his mother attend a rally by United We Dream, an immigrant youth-led organization, protesting the recent immigration raids nationwide at LaFayette Square in front of the White House on Feb. 11. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

The Trump administrations attempts to translate the presidents hard-line campaign rhetoric on immigration into reality have run into two major roadblocks: the complexity of reshaping a sprawling immigration system and a president who has not been clear about how he wants to change it.

In his first four weeks in office, President Trump has sought to use his executive powers to punch through Washingtons legislative and bureaucratic hurdles and make quick progress on pledges to crack down on illegal immigrants and tighten border control.

But Trump has been vague about his goals and how to achieve them and his aides have struggled to interpret his orders.

The resulting turmoil has included a successful legal challenge halting his immigration travel ban, fears among congressional Republicans over the White Houses more extreme measures and widespread anxiety among immigrant communities across the country.

The latest flash point erupted Friday over reports that the Department of Homeland Security was considering mobilizing 100,000 National Guard troops to help round up millions of unauthorized immigrants in 11 states, including some such as Colorado and Oregon far from the southern border.

President Trump said at a press conference Thursday that deciding the fate of illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children is one of the most difficult subjects I have. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

The disclosure surprised state officials who oversee the troops and rattled immigrant rights advocates, who have accused federal authorities of exploiting fuzzy White House edicts to frighten vulnerable populations. Trump aides quickly distanced the White House from a memo that federal authorities called a very early draft of an implementation plan for Trumps early executive orders that had not been seen or approved by DHS Secretary John Kelly.

That is 100% not true, press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters. There is no effort at all . . . to utilize the National Guard to round up illegal immigrants.

[Trump calls the news media the enemy of the American people]

Some immigration hard-liners viewed the leak of the memo to the Associated Press, which first reported on it, as evidence that anonymous bureaucrats were intent on undermining the administration.

Trump has faced pockets of resistance within the government to his immigration orders, including the ill-fated travel ban on all refugees and on immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries that former acting attorney general Sally Yates said she would not defend in court. Although Trump fired her, the order was later suspended by a federal judge.

Trump has promised to put forward a new travel ban order next week.

To border control hawks, the presidents bumpy start has fostered a sense that a White House stocked heavily with political newcomers is learning the hard way just how difficult amending immigration policies can be. Both the Obama and George W. Bush administrations unsuccessfully pursued sweeping comprehensive reform legislation that failed to win congressional approval.

A section of the border fence in Nogales, Ariz.,is seen on February 17, 2017, on the US/Mexico border. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

Despite his Archie Bunkerisms that he was deporting everyone during the campaign, Trump and his aides are still getting their sea legs on immigration, said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which pushes for lower immigration levels. Theyre starting to realize that it takes time to turn an aircraft carrier around.

On the other side, immigrant rights advocates pointed to a series of episodes as evidence that federal agents are overstepping their bounds to accommodate the wishes of a president who at one point campaigned on plans for a nationwide deportation force.

In one recent case, an undocumented woman seeking a protective order from an abusive boyfriend was arrested by immigration agents at a Texas courthouse.

Among Trumps earliest executive orders were measures to vastly expand the pool of immigrants who were priorities for deportation and a move to revive a program started by the George W. Bush administration that would deputize local police with immigration enforcement powers.

There are clear signs that this administration is, in fact, going on a manhunt, said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. She called the administrations tactics deeply troubling  we believe unlawful.

[Federal immigration raids net many without criminal records, sowing fear]

Within the West Wing there is a sharp ideological split among the presidents senior advisers over just how far to go on enforcement measures. Strategist Stephen K. Bannon, policy director Stephen Miller and other hard-liners have advocated for forceful restrictionist policies in keeping with Trumps campaign rhetoric, while others such as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus remain wary of the potential political fallout from the most severe measures.

Preibus, the former Republican National Committee chairman, oversaw a 2013 report that said the party must embrace comprehensive immigration reform that included legalization measures to make inroads within the fast-growing Latino population.

Their disagreements over how to proceed have been accentuated by indecision from Trump himself. The president  who vowed to get them all out! during the campaign  has equivocated on a promise to immediately terminate an Obama administration program that has granted work permits to hundreds of thousands of immigrants who entered the country illegally as children.

Trump had derided the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which President Obama created through executive authority in 2012, as an unconstitutional executive amnesty.

But at a news conference Thursday, Trump called the fate of the program one of the most difficult subjects I have and vowed to show great heart as he deliberates over the programs fate.

I have to deal with a lot of people, dont forget. And I have to convince them what Im saying is right, Trump said. I find it very, very hard doing what the law says exactly to do and, you know, the laws rough. . . . Its very, very rough.

[Trump lashes out at so-called judge who temporarily blocked travel ban]

One of the people Trump will have to persuade is Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), a conservative on immigration who was one of his earliest campaign supporters. King praised some of the presidents early moves to ramp up enforcement raids, but he said hes been meeting regularly with like-minded rule-of-law conservatives to discuss Trumps delays on ending DACA.

Trumps presidency pivots on whether he keeps this promise, King said. So that means you simply cannot legalize people that are here illegally and you cannot ratify an edict of President Obama that is blatantly unconstitutional.

Immigration lawyers said they are uncertain about what to advise their clients. Although DHS continues to process DACA applications, advocates were jolted by the reports this week that a 23-year-old Mexican man in Seattle who is covered by the program was arrested during an enforcement raid.

The detention came after enforcement actions in several cities netted 683 immigrants. The mans lawyers have denied allegations from authorities that he has gang ties.

Im going to watch it carefully, and Im also going to see if other DACA recipients are targets, said Patrick Taurel, an immigration lawyer in Washington with clients in the program. If that happens, it could be death by thousand cuts. Rather than issue a new executive order terminating a very popular program and a very sympathetic program, he could effectively end it by creating fear.

To Stuart Anderson, executive director of the nonpartisan National Foundation for American Policy, the Trump administrations early missteps threaten to erode its credibility on the presidents signature issue.

It makes people highly suspect of even more reasonable measures that might be able to get more support, Anderson said. It basically starts to make all their policies on immigration radioactive.

Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Ed OKeefe and Sandhya Somashekhar contributed to this report.
The most important relationship in the White House should be the one between President Trump and Vice President Pence. By the accounts of those around the two leaders, that bond is extremely strong. Which makes it even more inexplicable that Pence was kept in the dark during what became one of the biggest headaches to hit the new administration.

Pence is in Europe this weekend, representing the administration at the Munich Security Conference and later at several meetings in Brussels with U.S. allies. He offered assurances Saturday, in the name of the president, that the U.S. commitment to NATO is unwavering, while calling on European countries to step up their financial contributions to the alliance.

With questions about Trump and Russia swirling, Pence said the administration would hold Russia accountable for its aggression in Ukraine while noting the presidents desire for a better relationship with Moscow.

[Pence seeks to reassure allies at Munich conference]

Pences message was similar to that delivered earlier in the week by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and no doubt was welcomed by European allies uneasy and unnerved by what Trump has said over many months about NATO, Europe, Russia and Brexit  Britains vote to leave the European Union.

Vice President Pence and German Chancellor Angela Merkel stand next to each other at the 2017 Munich Security Conference on Feb. 18. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

Those allies also are wondering whether anyone truly speaks for Trump. On that question, Pence arrived in Europe shadowed, at least to some extent, by what had just happened back home with regard to former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Basic facts are well known. In January, Flynn personally assured Pence that he had not talked about U.S. sanctions during a December phone call with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. Pence repeated that version on national television. Trump and senior White House officials were later told by the Justice Department that Flynn had in fact discussed sanctions and therefore had lied to the vice president.

Nobody in the White House bothered to tell Pence that, if only to prevent him from repeating what he had said earlier. Instead, Pence learned that Flynn had misled him two weeks later, after The Washington Post published a report revealing that sanctions were discussed and in which Flynn backed off his previous denials.

But if basic facts are known, they are not fully known. If there is a simple explanation for what happened to Pence, White House officials have not been willing to share it. Some of those contacted about the matter did not respond. Others said they could not say exactly who made the decision not to share with Pence that he had been misled. No one was willing to speak for the record about sensitive internal deliberations.

That leaves questions: Was it a deliberate decision to keep the vice president out of the meeting where the information was first shared? Why didnt the president ever mention this to his vice president? Was it poor judgment on the part of some senior official not to tell Pence what had been learned? Was it the result of a sloppy White House operation? Finally, what role did Pence play in triggering Flynns forced resignation?

One person who knows Pence described the vice president as seeming to be as aggravated over the Flynn episode as someone with Pences calm and moderate Midwestern temperament ever gets. Others closer to the vice president say thats an exaggeration of the outward emotions the vice president has displayed over the past week or so, as events finally forced the president to dismiss Flynn.

One account has Pence weighing in forcefully last Monday, once the president was back from a weekend in Florida, to register his displeasure at being misled and that his displeasure hastened Flynns downfall. Another account suggests there was no notable difference in Pences demeanor between Friday morning, when he confronted Flynn about being misled, and Monday, when the discussions hardened into the decision to cut Flynn loose.

President Trump, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, his fiancee Louise Linton, and Vice President Pence participate in a ceremonial swearing in at the White House on Feb. 13. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

What recommendation Pence gave to the president is also not known. Aides say the two men talked repeatedly about the matter over a period of days, once it was public knowledge that Flynn had talked to Kislyak about sanctions. The president asked Pence what he should do, according to one Pence adviser, but the vice president, through that adviser, declined to share any of his private conversations with the president.

The president has contributed to some of the confusion about the decision to let Flynn go. The day after the resignation, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Flynn was forced to resign because there had been a lack of trust that had built up between the national security adviser and the president.

On Wednesday, at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump praised Flynn and said the media had treated him unfairly. Trumps praise may have been an effort to mollify Flynn, who was reportedly incensed over Spicers version of events at Tuesdays briefing.

By Thursday, at his lengthy news conference, the president was back to the Spicer explanation, that he had lost trust in Flynn in large part because of what Flynn had done to Pence. Still, no one has said why Pence had to learn about Flynns lie to him through the media.

[Pence is above the fray but is he outside the inner circle?]

What happened to Pence raised questions in the minds of people who know and care about the role of the modern vice president, a model that has existed since Walter F. Mondale served as vice president to then-President Jimmy Carter.

Joel Goldstein, a professor at Saint Louis University School of Law and author of The White House Vice Presidency, said that, at a minimum, Pence should have been in the room when White House counsel Don McGahn briefed Trump and other senior officials about what the Justice Department had told him about Flynn.

The vice presidents usefulness to other people depends in part on his standing with the president, Goldstein said. Looking to Pences trip this weekend, he added, Some of those people [in Europe] must be wondering what does it mean that the president didnt even give him a heads up.

Pences aides said the vice president enjoys the same relationship and understandings with Trump that vice presidents since Mondale have enjoyed with their presidents. He has a standing weekly lunch or private meeting with the president. His chief of staff attends daily White House senior staff meetings. When Pence is not able to attend a national security meeting, his national security adviser attends.

Whether Pence has unimpeded access to all information available to the president  as Richard Moe, who was Mondales vice presidential chief of staff, said all past vice presidents have had  is called into question by the failure to alert him to what the Justice Department had conveyed to the White House.

Aides said Pence goes in and out of the Oval Office regularly when he and Trump are in the White House. Beyond that, one senior adviser said, the president and vice president have become good friends, despite having started out their journey barely knowing each other. They say they have not pushed back against the idea that Pence is somehow out of the loop, because its something they have no worries about.

It is purposely set up that both the presidents operation and the vice presidents operation work together, one Pence adviser said. I would say this was an honest miscommunication early in an administration.

On Friday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was asked whether he thought Pence had been treated badly in the Flynn episode. Mike Pence had been the indispensable player, he said. Yeah, hes a huge value added for us. We all know him. He has, I think well all stipulate, a very different kind of personality from the president and hes in the middle of everything and its been great. I mean, I think hes been terrific.

Thats a view widely shared among congressional and other Republicans and is vital to their ability to retain confidence in the Trump administration. Perhaps this episode was, as Pences team says, an anomaly in a White House whose growing pains have been on clear display. Pence is unquestionably loyal to the president. But for Pence to be indispensable in his role, he needs a reliable partner in the president, someone who is consistent in his views and doesnt undercut those around him. Whether Pence can count on that is an open question.
As Judge Neil Gorsuch has made his way this month through the gantlet required of a Supreme Court nominee, touring Capitol Hill and meeting with the lawmakers who will decide his fate, President Trump has boasted flamboyantly about his choice.

But on that late-January evening when Trump introduced Gorsuch to an approving audience at the White House, someone else in the elegant East Room was also beaming with pride: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Technically, this was Trumps selection, but for many critics and fans, the vacancy will be remembered as the McConnell seat.

Almost exactly one year ago, Justice Antonin Scalia died on a hunting trip in a remote corner of Texas. Without consulting his colleagues, McConnell declared that no Supreme Court nominee from then-President Barack Obama would ever be considered. He stuck to his word: By the fall, Senate Republicans who had joined McConnell in stonewalling Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, were begging voters to side with them to provide a check against Democratic nominee Hillary Clintons choice for the Scalia vacancy  and to consider voting for Trump, who most of them thought was headed to defeat.

As we all now know, Trump pulled off the upset. And according to bipartisan analyses, his victory was driven in part by doubtful Republicans who came home to an unconventional candidate with shaky conservative credentials because they believed he would appoint reliable justices to the Supreme Court.

Depending on ones political perspective, McConnell pulled off one of the most successful strategic maneuvers of modern politics  helping hold the Senate majority, aiding a Republican takeover of the White House and keeping a conservative majority on the Supreme Court  or he is responsible for one of the most duplicitous obstructions ever seen on Capitol Hill.

[McConnell gives Warrens 2020 presidential campaign a boost]

From McConnells perspective, everything went according to plan.

I felt, personally, very invested in this issue, McConnell recalled in a recent interview in his Capitol office, still boastful nearly three weeks later. One of the happiest nights of my Senate career.

And why not? Among all the other strategic benefits, theres also this: After years of doubting McConnells ideological credentials, conservatives have finally rallied around him.

[Mitch McConnell likes what President Trump does  but not what he tweets]

Some Democrats still have trouble talking about Garlands fate. Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, took a deep breath when he heard McConnells description of Gorsuchs nomination as one of his happiest nights ever.

1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The scene as President Trump announced his Supreme Court nominee View Photos President Trump chose Neil Gorsuch, a judge seen as similar to the late justice Antonin Scalia, for the Supreme Court. Caption President Trump chose Neil Gorsuch, a judge seen as similar to the late justice Antonin Scalia, for the Supreme Court. Jan. 31, 2017 Vice President Pence talks with Maureen Scalia, widow of the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, before the announcement of the Supreme Court nomination. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue.

Then Coons sighed. Then he sat silent. For 19 seconds.

Finally, he jabbed at McConnells self-proclaimed title of protector of the Senate as a unique institution. I continue to hope that Majority Leader McConnell will prove himself more an institutionalist than a partisan, Coons said. I found his willingness to prevent for 10 months any hearing or vote on Judge Merrick Garland to be an unprecedented violation of long-standing tradition and rules of the Senate.

McConnell and Senate Republicans said they had precedent on their side, but in the early days after Scalias death, they struggled to find examples when the Senate had simply refused to consider a nominee because the vacancy had occurred in a presidential election year.

Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), the Senate minority leader at the time, predicted that McConnell would fold. But then Republicans found video of a 1992 Senate floor speech by Joe Biden, then chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, declaring that if a vacancy opened up that summer, he would not consider the nominee.

Republicans dug in for a political fight, but some remained less sure of what the political fallout would be. I dont think I perceived the political pluses of the actual vacancy, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who faced one of the toughest reelections of 2016, said of McConnells strategy.

For Blunts first 5 years in the Senate, voters complained most often about federal regulations, he said. That changed last summer.

Starting in August, the one thing I heard about over and over was how important the court was, Blunt recalled. The actual vacancy  instead of the hypothetical openings given the advanced age of many justices  was incredibly focusing for conservatives, he said.

In almost every Senate race, Republicans appealed to conservatives about the Scalia seat, while the Democrats simply gave up. The only Democratic candidate or surrogate who regularly mentioned the high court was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who did so as a way to criticize the 2010 Citizens United decision that allowed big money into campaigns.

Blunt won his race by less than three percentage points, a narrow enough victory that the court vacancy may have been the deciding factor.

In the interview, McConnell revealed that he did more than just hold the line against Garland. He positioned himself as one of Trumps key Supreme Court advisers. He suggested to candidate Trump that he come up with a list of contenders for the court  and importantly, he directed him to the conservative Federalist Society for advice.

Trump took the advice and published a list of 21 names, including Gorsuch. Onetime rivals, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), cited that list in endorsing Trump for president.

On Election Day, Trump won almost the exact same level of support among self-identified Republicans as Mitt Romney had in 2012. He actually performed a little better than Romney with white evangelical Christians, a stunning feat for a New Yorker married three times who has supported abortion rights in the past and shows no obvious comfort talking about faith.

McConnell credits his Supreme Court strategy as a critical factor in Trumps victory.

The single biggest issue in bringing Republicans home in the end was the Supreme Court, he said. The single biggest issue.

Two weeks after the election, at its annual gala dinner, the Federalist Society honored McConnell as a political hero.

Now, McConnell comfortably guarantees that the Senate will confirm Gorsuch.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who calls the vacancy a stolen seat, said Gorsuchs nomination must clear a 60-vote hurdle to end a filibuster  a proclamation McConnell belittled because it came before he even knew who the nominee was.

Comments like that drive Democrats mad. In their minds, McConnell made the exact same declaration two hours after Scalias death was announced, blocking a nominee one month before Obama even announced Garland.

Some Democrats, including Coons, are trying to keep an open mind about Gorsuch  so long as the Judiciary Committee is given plenty of time to consider the nomination, all the proper documents are filed and the full Senate holds a long, fair debate.

That might forestall a filibuster and avoid a messy showdown over the rules of the chamber that would look like just another day of Washington dysfunction to the rest of the country.

The majority leader yet has a chance to show that he prioritizes the health of the Senate over a narrow partisan advantage, Coons said.

Its true that McConnell would rather, in deference to Senate tradition, avoid dismantling the power of the filibuster  known on Capitol Hill as the nuclear option  to jam through the nomination. But its also true that there is peril for Democrats, particularly those from conservative states who are up for reelection next year, in opposing Gorsuch.

McConnell views Gorsuchs confirmation as a key part of his own legacy. He has said repeatedly that his nomination will prevail with or without Democratic support. With hearings scheduled to begin March 20, McConnell has confidently set April 7, the eve of a two-week spring break for senators, as his goal for confirmation.

It makes me feel particularly proud, he said, because that was, some would argue, the single biggest decision I made in the last Congress.

Read more from Paul Kanes archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak at a news conference on Feb. 15 at the White House in Washington. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press)

A growing roster of Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill say they believe President Trumps pugnacious rhetoric and unpredictable behavior threaten to diminish the United States standing around the world, do real damage to fragile diplomatic relationships and even weaken global stability.

Lawmakers are speaking in increasingly urgent tones about Trumps unusual foreign policy statements and his tendency to pick fights with domestic and international figures. They say it has taken a toll on the way key allies, foes and other foreign observers view the United States. Even members of Trumps own party are having difficulties vouching for him.

A countrys more than one person, said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), when asked whether he is concerned that the presidents words have harmed the U.S. image. The senator, who dined Wednesday with Trump but has also criticized the presidents posture toward Russia, added: Theres more than one voice in America.

In a striking speech to international defense officials gathered Friday in Germany, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) suggested that the survival of the Western world is at risk from some of the ideas Trump has embraced.

The next panel asks us to consider whether the West will survive. In recent years, this question would invite accusations of hyperbole and alarmism. Not this year, McCain said, according to prepared remarks delivered Friday at the Munich Security Conference. If ever there were a time to treat this question with a deadly seriousness, it is now.

(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

[John McCain just systematically dismantled Donald Trumps entire worldview]

McCain did not mention Trump, who did not attend the conference, by name. But it was clear that he was lamenting the policies and practices of the Trump administration  and their threat to global stability. He imagined how disturbed the security conferences founders would be. The forum was formed 50 years ago, at the height of the Cold War, to bring world powers together to discuss and further global stability.

They would be alarmed by the hardening resentment we see toward immigrants, and refugees, and minority groups, especially Muslims, McCain said. They would be alarmed by the growing inability, and even unwillingness, to separate truth from lies. They would be alarmed that more and more of our fellow citizens seem to be flirting with authoritarianism and romanticizing it as our moral equivalent.

In an interview for Sundays Meet the Press with Chuck Todd, McCain was asked about Trumps Friday tweet that the press is the enemy of the American people.

McCain warned that a free press is vital to preserve democracy as we know it.

And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. Thats how dictators get started, McCain said, clarifying that he was not calling Trump a dictator but warning that dictators start by suppressing free press and we need to learn the lessons of history.

Top Republican congressional leaders have sought to curtail intraparty anxiety by noting that while much of what Trump says is unusual and troublesome, in practice, he is actually shaping up as a traditional GOP president. Trumps supporters say he is still ironing out wrinkles as he adapts to being president. But others are losing patience with the Trump administration amid qualms about its approach to national security, the U.S.-Russian relationship and the risk to long-standing alliances the United States has cultivated with other nations.

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.

Trump has come under heavy criticism for spearheading a temporary immigration ban on refugees and foreign nationals from seven majority-Muslim nations, which has been temporarily halted by a federal court. He has also drawn fierce blowback for disparaging critical stories about him as fake news and responding to a Fox News interviewer telling him Russian President Vladimir Putin is a killer by saying, Do you think our country is so innocent?

McCain, who said there is concern that America is laying down the mantle of global leadership, mentioned several Trump administration officials attending the conference  Vice President Pence, Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis  as examples of officials committed to maintaining the countrys global role.

Democrats are less subtle. Among their top concerns: Trumps charge that NATO is obsolete, which they say has struck a nerve among U.S. partners in the West.

I think our allies are legitimately terrified that our president is not devoted to NATO, that he is supportive of European disintegration, that the approach that he wants to take with Russia will come at their expense, said Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

[German defense chief hits Trump attitudes on torture, Russia and Muslims]

Lawmakers in both parties were still reacting Friday and Saturday to Trumps news conference Thursday, when he lashed out against the news media, the intelligence community and his critics  and defended advisers against claims of improper contacts with Russia.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) responded to a question about the news conference Friday by letting out a long sigh. A few minutes later, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wasnt eager to talk about it.

I dont have any observation about that, he said when asked whether it hurt or helped Trumps ability to lead.

We thought he was erratic; were learning just how erratic he really is, Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said in a C-SPAN interview with a Washington Post reporter recorded Friday. If this past weeks press conference is any indication of how hes going to conduct himself, I actually think its not just about House Democrats, but my House Republican colleagues: When do they show any sign of resistance to this administration?

McConnell explained at a news conference Friday that while Trumps Twitter attacks on various people dont appeal to him, What I am a fan of is what hes been actually doing. In an interview with The Post the day before, the GOP leader also pointed out that Trump has not relaxed sanctions on Russia  a good move, in his view  even though he has publicly weighed doing so.

But Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Trumps rhetoric has made a tangible and troubling difference. He said it has created a deep fear that Putin will try advancing more deeply into Eastern Europe, based on conversations he has had with leaders of Baltic states and other European nations.

They are alarmed by nearly all of what President Trump has said, as a candidate, as the Republican nominee, as a president-elect, and as president, that suggests a misguided embrace of Vladimir Putin and a refusal to directly confront Russias organized campaign to undermine democracy, Coons said.

Others were more forbearing. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Trump is still having a conversation over the coffee table with the American public as he decides which policies to implement.

The traditional folks that work in government on a day-to-day basis in other countries are looking at this and shaking their head. But I think theyll get used to it, Rounds said.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he takes comfort in a belief that Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hold more orthodox Republican views on Russia and can influence Trump on that front.

Theyre not our friend, okay? Corker said of Russia.

While Corker and other Republicans have lauded members of Trumps national security team, there is uncertainty about how it will look and operate moving forward. Michael Flynn recently resigned as Trumps national security adviser amid revelations that he misled administration officials about his interactions with Russia. Trump is still trying to fill that post.

In his weekly address, Trump touted some accomplishments and interactions with foreign leaders, including meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We are not here for the benefit of bureaucrats, consultants or pundits. We are here to work for you and only for you, the American people, Trump said.

At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) declined to say anything when asked about Trumps impact. I dont want to comment on daily statements by the president, he said.

Paul Kane, Ashley Parker and John Wagner contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost
Pakistanis light candles at a memorial for the victims killed in the Thursday bombing of a Sufi shrine in the small town of Sehwan in southeastern Sindh province. (Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty Images)

Humiliated by a spate of suicide bombings that shook the nation and shattered official claims of winning the war on terrorism, Pakistani authorities have launched a sweeping retaliatory offensive across the country since Friday, hunting and killing more than 100 suspected Islamist militants, pledging to liquidate all terrorists, and placing security forces on high alert.

Pakistan has also accused next-door Afghanistan of harboring the armed groups believed to be behind most of the bombings, and it has demanded that Kabul take action against them. On Saturday, Pakistani forces reportedly shelled suspected militant camps across the border, triggering a protest from Afghan officials as tensions rose between the hostile neighboring countries.

But the blitz of punitive lethal action and the attempt to deflect blame toward foreign sources do not seem to have convinced many Pakistanis. They have seen similar vows of a decisive crackdown on Islamist militancy peter out after previous deadly attacks, especially since the terrorist massacre of 141 students and teachers at an elite army school just over two years ago.

[Blast claimed by Islamic State at famed Sufi shrine in Pakistan kills at least 73]

Instead, the stunning new eruption of violence, claimed by the Islamic State and its local affiliates as part of a new war on the Pakistani state, has triggered an outpouring of anguished and angry recrimination against Pakistans leaders for failing to acknowledge and address the ongoing threat of Islamist violence and the forces that feed it.

A Pakistani security officer stands guard outside a Sufi shrine in Karachi during Friday prayer. The countrys authorities have launched a sweeping offensive against Islamist militants in the days following a half-dozen Islamic State attacks last week that killed more than 125. (Shahzaib Akber/European Pressphoto Agency)

The half-dozen bombings and other attacks, carried out between Monday and Thursday in scattered locations across the country, killed more than 125 and left several hundred people injured. One blast killed 16 people in a crowded downtown area of Lahore, Pakistans eastern cultural capital and political nerve center. The most deadly suicide attack, at a packed Sufi shrine in southeastern Sindh province, left at least 88 people dead and 250 injured.

In opinion pieces and TV debates, in conversations at tea shops and Sufi shrines, people complained that the government had become complacent after a massive 2015 military operation that drove thousands of Pakistani Taliban fighters and other militants from the northwest border region, from which many fled into Afghanistan.

Since that much-praised victory, critics said, Pakistani officials have allowed partisan politics, sectarian bias and hostility to neighboring countries to get in the way of curbing other violent religious groups, targeting them selectively and doing little to curb radical seminaries and hate speech under a plan launched by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after the army school siege.

We are so self-congratulatory that we declared success in the middle of a fight. But what have we done to address the ideological basis of terror? Has the supply chain of hate-filled violent ideology been shut down? lawyer and rights activist Babar Sattar wrote in the News International newspaper Saturday. Bravado is useful to bolster public confidence when under attack, he added, but it is no substitute for sensible policy.

At the Bari Imam shrine in Islamabad on Saturday, devotees of a 17th century Sufi saint gathered at the historic sanctuary, despite official warnings and heavy security, as others did at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine that was bombed Thursday in Sindh. Arif Ali, 50, a civil engineer, brought his young son to Bari Imam and said he prayed to the saint to stop the violence.

May God have mercy on us and our country, Ali said. We thought all the blasts and explosions were over, but now it is the same havoc as before. These terrorists dont spare even mosques or schools. The sad thing is that our government seems to be helpless in crushing them. Look at these police, they are standing here but they cannot protect anyone. I say it would be better if this government resigns and the army takes over.

Military and civilian officials have taken pains to speak with one voice on the new terrorist threat, and there seems little danger of the army stepping in as it has done during past crises. Sharif has made a number of tough anti-terror statements as well as condemned the shrine bombing Thursday as an attack on the progressive and inclusive future of Pakistan.

However, the military establishment has taken the lead in accusing Afghanistan of failing to go after the militants  an ironic role reversal after years of complaints by Afghan and U.S. officials that Pakistan has been sheltering anti-Afghan Taliban forces on its side of the border.

On Friday, Afghan diplomats were called to Pakistan army headquarters and handed a list of 76 terrorists  largely from the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JUA) group, an affiliate of the Islamic State that claimed most of the bombings  and were told the fighters were operating from Afghan soil. On Saturday, Afghan officials formally complained that Pakistan had shelled civilian areas in Afghanistans Nangahar province, near the Pakistani border.

[Trump travel ban, other pressures lead Pakistan to rein in Islamist militants]

In other areas of Pakistan, official attitudes toward a hodgepodge of religious militant groups have been more ambivalent. Some are tolerated for their political or sectarian affiliations, others for their strong opposition to Hindu-led India. But experts said that many of these groups have ties to the local Islamic State affiliates that claimed the bombings, and that attempting to differentiate among the militant groups has been a disastrous mistake.

These groups come in various colors and varieties, but they share a common purpose. Ultimately they are joined at the hip, said Rifaat Hussain, a professor of government and public policy at Pakistans National University of Sciences and Technology. The recent bombings, he said, constitute the rejuvenation of a dangerous version of Islam. The message of these terrorists to the government is, We are alive and kicking, and we can strike wherever we want. 

In a video circulated widely last week, the JUA showed scenes of masked fighters training with assault weapons and declared that it planned to carry out a deadly campaign against all government institutions, anyone who supports the army, all legal and lawmaking bodies and pro-government leaders, and any group that is anti-Islamic. Leaders were shown praying for success in their ultimate goal, enforcing sharia across the country.

But at the majestic blue-tiled Lal Shahzad Qalandar shrine in the Sindhi town of Sehwan, thousands of devotees gathered during the weekend to show their determination and faith in a tolerant, welcoming strain of Islam, even as volunteers were still washing off bloodstains from the building and surrounding stone plazas.

This remains the last defense against radicalization, said Syed Mehdi Sabzwari, custodian of the 13th century shrine. We preach unity and bring together the deprived. Prayers are answered here, regardless of faction.

Sabzwari said the shrines need more protection, but that killing militants is not the solution. The government needs to change what they believe in. These terrorists are brainwashed for years, and they despise us for spreading love, he said. But we are open today, and rituals are being offered. This is a clear message that they have failed.

Mehdi reported from Karachi and Sehwan. Additional reporting was provided by Haq Nawaz Khan in Peshawar, Shaiq Hussain in Islamabad and Sayed Salahuddin in Kabul.

Read more

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Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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China will suspend all imports of coal from North Korea until the end of the year, the Commerce Ministry announced Saturday, in a surprise move that would cut off a major financial lifeline for Pyongyang and significantly enhance the effectiveness of U.N. sanctions.

Coal is North Koreas largest export item, and also Chinas greatest point of leverage over the regime.

The ministry said the ban would come into force Sunday and be effective until Dec. 31.

China said the move was designed to implement Novembers United Nations Security Council resolution that tightened sanctions against the regime in the wake of its last nuclear test.

But experts said the move also reflected Beijings deep frustration with North Korea over its recent missile test and the assassination of Kim Jong Uns half brother in Malaysia.

Kim Jong Nam had been hosted and protected by China for many years, and his murder, if proved to be conducted on Pyongyangs orders, would be seen as a direct affront to Beijing, experts said.

[Malaysia arrests North Korean man in connection with death of Kim Jong Nam]

(The Washington Post)

China has also come under significant international pressure to do more to rein in North Koreas nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, while Chinese President Xi Jinping is believed to have become increasingly irritated by Kim Jong Uns behavior.

North Korea is Chinas fourth-biggest supplier of coal. Although China announced in April that it would ban North Korean coal imports to comply with U.N. sanctions, it made exceptions for deliveries intended for the peoples well-being and not connected to North Koreas missile programs.

In practice, that exception was the cover for coal to continue to flow across the border in huge quantities, with imports of non-lignite coal up 14.5 percent last year to 22.5 million metric tons (24.8 million U.S. tons).

But in a sign that Beijings patience was running out, it rejected a coal shipment from North Korea worth about $1 million Monday, the day after the test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile, South Koreas Yonhap News Agency reported.

China has long been reluctant to do anything that might threaten the stability of the North Korean regime  mainly because it fears that the reunification of the Korean Peninsula could bring South Korea, an American ally that hosts U.S. troops, right up to its border. Given that a total ban on coal imports could be destabilizing, it remains to be seen how firmly the pledge will be carried out.

But Pyongyangs unwillingness to consider Chinas interests has badly damaged  or even destroyed  trust between the long-standing allies.

China still places a premium on stability, but Xi Jinping is growing more and more frustrated with Kim Jong Un, said Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center in Beijing, adding that the missile test and the assassination were seen as serious offenses.

Beijing took the assassination as a direct affront to China. Xi is less willing to tolerate these provocations, he said. China is putting a squeeze on its economic lifeline to send a message to Pyongyang.

Wang Weimin, a professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University in Shanghai, said sympathy for North Koreas national security concerns had disappeared in Beijing, and blood ties between the countries had been broken as it became clear that the regime could not be tamed.

If we choose an ally that cant be tamed, we might become the biggest loser, he said. Thats why we are more and more strict with North Korea. Now self-interest is central. We wont pay attention to North Koreas interests anymore.

President Trump has also called on China to put more pressure on North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons program, and the subject may have come up during a telephone conversation he had with Xi earlier this month.

China has total control over North Korea, Trump said in an interview on Fox & Friends in early January. And China should solve that problem. And if they dont solve the problem, we should make trade very difficult for China.

[Trump isnt shy about picking a fight. But not over the one-China policy]

The U.N. Security Council condemned North Koreas latest missile test Monday and urged members to redouble efforts to enforce sanctions. That appeal came after an emergency meeting in New York called by the United States, Japan and South Korea.

Jin Xin contributed to this report.

Read more:

In China, a sense of betrayal after the assassination of Kim Jong Nam

With friends like these: Chinas awkward position after North Koreas missile test

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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A funny thing happened in Russia this past week: President Trumps face, once ubiquitous on the talk shows and evening news programs that tack closely to the Kremlins political agenda, was suddenly absent. Gone.

Like they flipped a switch, said Alexey Kovalev, a journalist at the Moscow Times who covers Russian state media.



Its not hard to guess why. Engulfed in scandal over contacts between senior aides and Russian officials, the Trump administration has sought to put daylight between itself and the Kremlin.

In a single week, Washington has complained that Russia is violating a 1987 nuclear treaty and accused the Kremlin of meddling in foreign elections. Scandal has forced out a national security adviser sympathetic to Moscow. Trumps tone has seemed to harden on issues such as Russias occupation of the Crimean peninsula.

For the Russians, it wasnt supposed to turn out like this.

(Video: Peter Stevenson: The Washington Post/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

U.S. intelligence agencies say that Russian hackers directed by President Vladimir Putin sought to put Trump in the White House instead of Hillary Clinton, seeing the New York businessman as far friendlier to Moscows interests. The Kremlin denies the charge.

If its true, what did it get the Russians? Moscow bristled this week when Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that Washington should negotiate with Russia from a position of strength. It could have been just another day under the Obama administration.

There is disappointment for many people, said Vladimir Posner, a prominent Russian television journalist who hosts an interview program on Channel One Russia. Along with disappointment comes anger. Why did [Trump] lie to us? Why did he make us think that he wants things to get better?

[5 times Donald Trumps team denied contact with Russia]

Trumps election brought euphoria to Moscow. Partly that came from the defeat of Clinton, a nemesis of Putin. But it also reflected the promise of a Trump administration: a chance to hammer out deals with a U.S. president who would allow Russia to consolidate power in its region and edge back toward great power status.

Some of the tough U.S. talk toward Russia reflects the fact that American military and diplomatic officials continue to reflect their standard positions  like the allegation that Russia has been violating the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. (Russia denies the charge).

As the scandals swirl in Washington, however, Trump has also changed his tone, which was warmer toward Russia during the presidential campaign. Just last August, Trump told ABCs This Week that he would look at the 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea by Russia, adding that the people of Crimea, from what Ive heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were.

But on Wednesday, Trump tweeted: Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia? White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on Tuesday that the president expected Russia to return Crimea, a position held by the Obama administration and its European allies.

Meanwhile, several congressional committees are launching investigations into ties between Russia and Trumps campaign aides, making it more difficult for the new U.S. president to change course on policy toward Moscow.

Is Russias honeymoon with Trump over?



The Kremlins line is that the honeymoon never existed. Senior Putin administration figures have been far more restrained than Russian lawmakers or other officials in their public statements about Trump, saying they welcomed a change in rhetoric but did not expect a fire sale of the United States national interests.

Rather than being attacked for his tougher stance on Russia, Trump has largely been tuned out here. His statements about Crimea have been chalked up to pressure from political opponents. Before the election, Putin and his aides said that an entrenched Washington establishment would try to stop Trump from building stronger ties with Moscow. Now, some say that has come to pass.

The disappointment is with the scandals that have accompanied the Trump administration and the scale of war that is being conducted against it by Congress, by the media, by the political establishment and the foreign policy establishment, said Dmitry Suslov, a professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. The pressure limits the administration for now.

But even if the Trump administration becomes hostile to Russia, Moscow wouldnt be much worse off than with a Clinton administration, he added.

[Flynn discussed sanctions with Russian ambassador, despite denials, officials say]

In the State Duma, Russias lower house of parliament, there were champagne toasts to Trump on the morning after his election. Now that euphoria is gone. Vyacheslav Volodin, a former close Putin aide who is speaker of the parliament, complained this past week that Trump was not fulfilling his campaign promises on Russia. And a Russian senator claimed that Russophobia was so rampant in Washington that openness to dialogue was tantamount to a thoughtcrime from George Orwells 1984.

On Russian TV news programs, there has been little interest in the scandals surrounding the reported contacts between Trump aides and Russian officials. Those communications included the phone calls between Michael Flynn, who was ousted as national security adviser last week, and the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak. The two reportedly discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia.

The Russian media reports have also not mentioned recent actions viewed as Russian provocations by U.S. politicians, including the reported buzzing of a U.S. warship in the Black Sea by Russian fighter planes.

Trumps sudden disappearance from the airwaves is probably not by chance.

Konstantin Eggert, a television journalist, reported on Wednesday that a colleague at the state media agency VGTRK had received a directive from the station executives: No more Trump. Later Bloomberg News, citing unidentified sources, said the Kremlin had told state news agencies to cut back on their fawning coverage of Trump.

Eggert said he believed that the Kremlin had decided to reduce attention paid to Trump because of the growing pressure on the U.S. president and the unlikelihood of a breakthrough in relations anytime soon.

Boosting expectations based on imminent U.S.-Russia rapprochement is unwise for the Kremlin, as these expectations cannot be fulfilled, Eggert said in an interview. So the Kremlin propaganda machine will switch gears to decrease coverage of the U.S. and Trump in particular until the situation is clearer.

Eggert said he didnt think the Kremlin was particularly stung by Trumps increased coolness toward Russia.

I think Putin has been ready for a long time to accept that things may not change quickly, if at all, he added.



The Kremlin denied the reports that it had dictated media policy. Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, called it yet more fake news.

Trump made clear at a news conference on Thursday that he believed that the outcry over his aides communications with Russia had affected relations with the country.

The news coverage makes it much harder to make a deal with Russia, Trump said. And probably Putin said . . . You know, I see whats going on in the United States, I follow it closely. Its going to be impossible for President Trump to ever get along with Russia because of all the pressure hes got with this fake story.



The Kremlin might not have expected a dramatic shift in relations in the early days of the Trump administration, unlike some lawmakers. But that doesnt mean it expected so little.

The decision-makers were probably less prone to feel very positive about Trumps being elected, but nonetheless they certainly had hopes, Posner said. These hopes certainly seem to be being dashed.

Read more

Trumps Russia strategy collides with foreign policy reality in call with Putin

German defense chief hits Trump attitudes on torture, Russia and Muslims

An outburst of violence in Ukraine may be Trumps first test with Putin

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly said Saturday that the Trump administration is considering a new version of the executive order banning travel of citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations that would allow travelers who were already on airplanes bound for the United States into the country but would bar those who had not yet boarded.

The president is contemplating releasing a tighter, more streamlined version of the first E.O., Kelly told a gathering of the Munich Security Conference. That order, issued a week into Trumps presidency, was quickly stayed by courts, prompting the president to criticize the workings of the justice system.

We will have this time the opportunity . . . of input on the rollout plan, in particular that no ones caught in the system coming overseas to our airports, Kelly said. Its a good assumption that green-card holders will be exempt, he said, referring to legal permanent residents.

If theyre in motion from some distant land to the United States, when they arrive, they will be allowed in, he said. That being said, we will have a short phase-in period to make sure that they dont get on the airplane.

That would spare U.S. airports some of the chaos in the days after the travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries was imposed Jan. 27, but it may simply export the confusion to foreign airports.

(Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post)

Legal analysts have said a new executive order that maintains bans would not likely allay the concerns of federal judges who put the original order on hold. Even if President Trump made clear his order did not apply to green-card holders, or limited it so that it affected only those applying for visas, a three-judge panel with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit said that would not necessarily persuade them to lift their freeze. That is because such changes would not help U.S. citizens who have an interest in specific noncitizens ability to travel to the United States, the judges wrote.

[4 ways the Trump administration could fight for its travel ban]

Trump, too, still must convince judges that whatever he does is not a Muslim ban disguised as a national security measure. Challengers could point to his campaign trail comments and those from ally Rudolph W. Giuliani as evidence that even the new order is meant to discriminate on the basis of religion and thus runs afoul of the Constitution. A federal judge in Virginia recently cited those comments in a forceful order declaring that the ban should be put on hold.

U.S. homeland security officials denied entry to least 141 people in the week after Trump issued his executive order, according to a federal court document filed last week.

The affidavit from a top U.S. customs official provides the governments first public release of the number of people it says were denied entry and returned to their home countries during the eight days the ban was in place.

The affidavit was filed Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn in a case challenging Trumps ban. One of the lead plaintiffs, Hameed Darweesh, an Iraqi husband and father of three who worked for the U.S. military and was issued a valid visa, was detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport for more than 18 hours.

According to the U.S. customs official, 44 people were denied entry at U.S. airports and another 97 were denied entry at land border ports of entry between Jan. 27, when Trump signed the executive order, and Feb. 3, when a federal judge in Washington state blocked its enforcement.

The 44 airport denials all took place on two days, Jan. 27 and 28, according to Todd Hoffman, who oversees admissions and processing of international visitors and travelers for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. At the land border ports of entry, 97 people were turned back.

The affidavit says U.S. customs officials have been working with airlines to help affected travelers return to the United States. Already, 24 individuals who were turned back at airports have since returned, and 14 denied entry at land border points have been admitted.

Rebecca Heller, director of the International Refugee Assistance Project, part of the legal team representing the plaintiffs, said the numbers and circumstances do not reflect what immigration attorneys have been told by individuals who were detained.

I think these numbers are low because we continued to receive people who were threatened with deportation after Jan. 28, she said in an interview Saturday.

Their claim that everyone left voluntarily and this idea that anyone who wants come back can just call up [U.S. customs officials] is just ludicrous, she said.

The affidavit does not identify the individuals or what countries they are from. That leaves at least 103 people who were deported, with no public information on their whereabouts, Heller said.

The affidavit said the list of 141 individuals has been provided to the State Department.

Sun reported from Washington. Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.
Invoking the name of President Trump but not his rhetoric, Vice President Pence on Saturday sought to reassure Europeans of Washingtons robust commitment to transatlantic defense, even as Europe searched for clarity in the contradictory statements coming from the new U.S. administration.

Pence told a skeptical audience at the Munich Security Conference that Europeans should rest assured that Washingtons fundamental foreign policy direction was not changing. In a speech that touched on military sacrifice, God and an unwavering faith in the power of shared values, Pence offered the fullest outline from the Trump administration on international policy since the beginning of the turbulent term nearly a month ago.

Today, tomorrow and every day hence, be confident that the United States is now and will always be your greatest ally, Pence said in his red-blooded speech, which was met with only a smattering of applause. Be assured: President Trump and the American people are fully devoted to our transatlantic union.

But allies were left trying to resolve Pences rhetoric with that of his boss, who routinely upends the statements of subordinates and has equated Russias human rights record with that of the United States, declared NATO obsolete and ferociously torn into judges, reporters and others who have crossed him.

[German defense chief hits Trumps attitudes on torture, Russia and Muslims ]

The lack of mention of the European Union, whose unraveling Trump has praised, also unsettled European leaders. Pence travels to Brussels on Sunday for meetings with senior E.U. officials.

U.S. officials in Europe last week, including Pence and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, focused on an issue that has been a bipartisan concern in Washington, that of Europes lackluster defense spending, rather than Trumps desire for a new relationship with the Kremlin, a major fear in Europe.

The mixed messages reassured some allies and unsettled others. Some leaders proposed that Europe respond by embracing its own strength and turning away from the United States to stand alone in the world  what one diplomat semi-

seriously called an effort to Make Europe Great Again.

But the E.U. is riven by internal conflicts of its own, and officials said a true European declaration of independence is most likely a non-starter. Instead, there was acknowledgment from German Chancellor Angela Merkel on down that Europe is reliant on the United States to fight international terrorism and will never be able to go it alone.

The challenges of this world today cannot be mastered by one state alone. It needs a cooperative effort. We need to forge ahead with multilateral structures. We have to strengthen them, Merkel said in a speech that she delivered immediately before Pences. Let me address this very openly. The Europeans alone cannot cope with fighting international Islamist terrorism. We also need the support of the United States.

The biggest takeaway from the Munich conclave of security leaders  a ritzy conference at the Bayerischer Hof hotel where the worlds policy elite gather annually to joust over issues of the day  was that the Kremlin has a new rival in its efforts to unsettle Western alliances.

[Rex Tillerson eases concerns over foreign policy under Trump]

(Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)

You come here and you realize that the biggest source of instability in the world right now is not Russia. Its the United States, said Angela Stent, a Russia expert at Georgetown University who served as a policy adviser in the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

The uncertainty manifested itself in a host of ways, none larger than an initiative from German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel to reinvigorate the E.U. so that it is robustly capable of standing apart from the United States.

In all of these conflicts, we always relied on the American government to solve the problems, to find a way, Gabriel said. And if we didnt like it, we could always criticize the government of the United States. But we ourselves have been reluctant to interfere.

Gabriel added that we should hope for the best but be prepared for the worst from the United States.

But the proposal was shot down by other leaders, who said that any steps that would degrade the transatlantic alliance would be dangerous and counterproductive.

It is an absolutely mistaken idea, because we can be great only together, Europe and the United States, not separately, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said in an interview.

Still, many European officials said that Trump is such a major challenge to Europe that they cannot just hope to muddle through for the next four years.

Our problem is not really Trump. Our problem is that Trump exposes our weaknesses and gaps, said one European diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal talks.

[Trumps calls for Europe to increase defense spending could force other upheaval]

Pence met Grybauskaite and the leaders of Latvia and Estonia to reassure allies that border Russia and have called for a robust U.S. military presence in the region to fend off attack. Grybauskaite and others in the room said that Pence mostly listened in the closed-door meeting but that he had repeated public reassurances of support and said the message was backed by Trump.

He said all the right things, said Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser, who was also in the meeting.

Pence also met with the leaders of Ukraine and Iraq, as well as with other senior officials from Europe and the Middle East.

In his speech, Pence offered a vision of the world that could easily have come from a conventional Republican security hawk, pointing to Russian efforts to redraw international borders by force. He called for quelling the conflict in Ukraine by adhering to the Minsk II agreement, a 2015 plan that sets out a road map for peace that was endorsed by President Barack Obama and European leaders.

And he pushed for greater defense spending, a key Trump campaign demand that was prefaced by Mattis earlier in the week. Only four NATO nations apart from the United States meet alliance guidelines to spend 2 percent of their annual economic output on defense. Mattis said that U.S. security guarantees remain rock-solid even as he warned that Washington might moderate its commitment to NATO if other countries fail to spend more.

Pence echoed the message. But  underscoring the beliefs of his boss, who many in Washington and Europe say has been too cozy toward Russia  Pence also sought to strike a balance with the Kremlin, hinting at signs of a possible partnership between the two nations.

And know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found, Pence said.

The thorny issue of Russia has clouded Trumps young presidency, amid reports that Michael Flynn, his national security adviser who resigned Monday, improperly discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, and that Trump staffers and associates repeatedly communicated with senior Russian intelligence officials during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Pences tough line on Russia was enough to upset Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who later Saturday called for a post-West world order and added that we cannot rejoice in the fact that the European Union still cannot find the strength to abandon its policy toward Russia, a reference to sanctions.

Read more:

In the home of NATO and the European Union, dismay as Trump takes power

Even as Trump seeks warmer ties with Russia, U.S. deploys troops across Eastern Europe

As Europe braces for the Trump era, a showdown looms over values

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Iowas Republican Governor Terry Branstad signed legislation Friday which guts state employees rights and paves the way for the further decimation of workers living standards. The bill is modeled on the Wisconsin anti-worker law which provoked mass demonstrations in 2011, and went into effect immediately.

The 68-page legislation prohibits contract negotiations between state employers and public employee unions over any issue except base wages. Health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs, pensions and retirement packages, vacation and other paid time off, and working conditions more broadly will all be barred from negotiations and may now be unilaterally dictated by state employers.

In instances in which negotiations reach an impasse and move to arbitration, wage increases will be capped at 3 percent or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is lower. The governor will also retain the authority to reject agreements reached between state institutions and public employee unions.

A ban on strikes by public employeesfirst implemented in the 1974 collective bargaining law which the current bill replaceswill remain in effect.

Although Iowa has been a right-to-work state since 1947, the new legislation is also aimed at further undermining the income and influence of the trade union bureaucracy. As with Wisconsins Act 10, the automatic deduction of dues from public employees paychecks will be eliminated, and the unions will be required to gain recertification by the majority of the bargaining unit prior to each new contract.

The new legislation will impact approximately 184,000 workers throughout the state. Teachers; state and county workers; nurses, social workers, pharmacists and other staff for University of Iowa Health Care; faculty at University of Northern Iowa; and graduate student employees at the University of Iowa will all be affected. Meanwhile, those who are designated as public safety employeesincluding police officers, state troopers, and sheriffs deputieswill be excluded from the restrictions.

Republican State Senator Jason Schultz, one of the sponsors of the bill, defended it under the fraudulent cover of fiscal responsibility, saying, It will allow the state, city governments, county boards of supervisors and school boards to innovate with the times and manage their finances, without fear that the unions and unelected arbitrators will stand in the way.

The legislation was first introduced on February 7 and was fast-tracked through committee deliberation. After Democrats attempted to stall passage of the bill through debate on a series of amendments (in a largely ceremonial gesture, since Republicans control both chambers and the governorship), a vote was moved Thursday afternoon via a procedural maneuver. The bill was passed in both chambers largely along party lines, with six Republicans in the House joining Democrats to vote against it. According to press reports, public employees gathered in the Senate gallery booed as the vote was taken.

The Democrats directed the bulk of their efforts to amend the bill by calling for the inclusion of prison guards and university police under public safety category, ultimately unsuccessfully. Demonstrating that the Democratic Party did not fundamentally disagree with the Republicans over the basic aim of lowering workers living standards, Democratic State Senator Nate Boulton also proposed an amendment in which a health insurance study committee would be created and tasked with cutting government health care costsin other words, workers health benefits.

Boulton begged Republicans to retain a democratic veneer in the ongoing attack on workers, saying, Lets work together to find a way to solve your concerns to this by bringing employees in and working with management.

The attacks on collective bargaining rights have provoked significant opposition among workers in Iowa. On Sunday, several thousand teachers, state workers and students demonstrated in Des Moines, the state capital, during the March for Iowas Teachers.

William Lairsey, a 40-year-old electrician at the rally, told the Des Moines Register, You start taking teachers rights away and diminishing the quality of education, that doesnt lead to a good future for anybody.

People run on religion and fear of immigration to get into office, then they get into office and worry about corporate interests. It all boils down to money.

A high school senior at the rally, T.J. Foley, spoke out against the proposed changes, saying, The rights of our teachers and workers are under siegeAs the son of a teacher, I stand before you today as a representation of the 485,000 public-school students who will be adversely affected by this ill-informed and misguided legislation.

On Monday, over 1,000 signed up to testify in opposition to the bill at a public hearing at the state capitol, with only a few being allowed to speak.

While workers are opposing the new legislation as an attack on their democratic rights and a prelude to further demands for sacrifice, Democratic Party politicians and the trade unions have opposed the bill from the standpoint of quite different considerations.

The Democrats, for their part, agree with the necessity of imposing cuts on workers, but wish to maintain the funnel of campaign contributions and support from the unions. More fundamentally, they are concerned that the Republicans attempt to dispense with the unions as middle-men will lead to a social explosion outside their control.

As Democratic state congressmen explained to Republican Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin in 2011, they had pushed through the biggest cuts to the state budget in its history under Democratic Governor Jim Doyle without provoking mass protests by working with the unions.

For the union bureaucracy, they are above all concerned with maintaining their income flow, privileges, and a seat at the table, not with defending the rights and living standards of the workers they claim to represent. They see the writing on the wall in Wisconsin, where public and private employee union membership has fallen by 40 percent since 2011.

As the World Socialist Web Site explained at the time of the 2011 protests, By declaring their willingness to accept every concession beforehand, [the unions] have given up collective bargaining, if this term is to have any substantive meaning at allthat is, the right of the workers to fight against the demands of the corporations and the state. The unions have already bargained away everything, leaving the working class to collectively suffer.

The unions willingness to fully cooperate in enforcing the dictates of the employers has been strikingly demonstrated in their rush to sign concessionary contracts before Iowas collective bargaining bill passed.

Tammy Wawro, president of the Iowa State Education Association teachers union, said that unions have reached agreements with over 140 school districts in the last week. A report in the Des Moines Register noted, Some unions are making concessions in order to expedite negotiations. In Ottumwa, teacher transfers will no longer be solely based on seniority. Forest City will have a new insurance plan, saving the district money. Iowa City will limit newly hired, veteran teachers to wages that align with 8 years of experience, but the ability to increase pay afterward. And in Des Moines, teachers will forgo base wage increases, although theyll see increases in their total benefits package.

In another example, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 199 rushed through a ratification vote last week on a contract affecting 3,500 health care workers at University of Iowa Health Care. The two-year contract includes annual raises of just 2 percent.

As with Wisconsin, the unions in Iowa are utterly opposed to mobilizing the full strength of the working class, even under conditions where their institutional interests are at stake. Instead, they organized toothless campaigns to call state legislators and the governor.

Additionally, Danny Homan, the president of Iowas American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 61, has stated that the union will file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the legislation once it is enacted. Again, as in Wisconsin, where the state Supreme Court eventually sided with Walker and rejected the unions legal challenge of Act 10, the unions are falsely promoting illusions in the neutrality of the courts, which are in reality wholly beholden to the defense of corporate interests.

The attack on collective bargaining in Iowa follows $117.8 million in state budget cuts passed at the end of January. Those cuts primarily target state services and higher education.

The legislation is one of a series of reactionary measures by state governments targeting workers across the country. The Republicans consolidated their control over a majority of state governments in the 2016 elections, in large part due to the collapse in voter turnout for the Democratic Party and its pro-war, pro-Wall Street presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton.

Since the beginning of the year, Missouri and Kentucky have both passed right-to-work legislation. The Trump administration is also reportedly considering how it might expand the attacks on collective bargaining to federal employees, inviting Walker to discuss the issue with Vice President Mike Pence at the White House at the end of January.
On Thursday, a guest column by Germanys defence minister, Ursula von der Leyen, was published in a special supplement of the Suddeutsche Zeitung on this year's Munich Security Conference. Under the title Von der Leyen answers the USA: we have understood, the column announces a massive increase in the military budget.

Three years ago, von der Leyen and President Joachim Gauck and his successor, at that time Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, announced the end of military restraint at the Munich Security Conference. Von der Leyen is now exploiting new US Defence Minister James Mad Dog Mattis demand that the Europeans play a larger role in their own defence toin her wordsallow words to follow actions.

Von der Leyen writes, [w]e Germans and most Europeans have stood for far too long on the broad shoulders of our American friends when it comes to security. And yes, we know that we must share a larger part of the burden for our common Atlantic security. In Europe, the readiness to do this is greater than ever before, she states. The European armed forces have learned in numerous common deployments in the past decades to trust the military ability and caution of others, she adds.

The defence minister attests to the importance of NATO at the end of her article and states that Berlin should shape this growth into more responsibility for security in a European way. However, her statements leave no room for doubt that the German elite really wants to increase its political and military weight on the continent with the help of the EU.

Germany has shown security policy initiative in the past few years, boasts von der Leyen. She mentions the Minsk Ukraine agreement, the nuclear agreement with Iran, the building of new, rapid response NATO spearheads, the fight against the IS terror, the interventions in Mali and Afghanistan, the fight against smugglers in the Mediterranean and the Aegean, and our considerable presence in the Baltics, currently in Lithuania.

All of this speaks for itself and Germany will continue in this way, she adds almost threateningly. This goes also for the defence budget. We have the firm will to achieve the NATO requirement of two percent of GDP in the next few years, she writes.

What was once unthinkable is now official policy: the federal government is determined to double the defence budget, which currently stands at approximately 37 billion (1.2 percent of GDP). In an interview with the Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel that appeared on Saturday, the chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, demanded an arms budget increase to 3 percent of GDP, or more than 90 billion.

These plans make it clear what awaits workers and youth in the coming months. The ruling class wants to bleed the population so that it can carry out an aggressive foreign and great power policy. It wants to use the working class as cannon fodder for new wars and to subject workers to massive social cuts so that it can shift funding to the military. The police will be heavily armed so that an aggressive foreign policy can be pursued in the face of massive popular opposition.

Von der Leyens comment leaves no room for doubt that the German ruling class is once again pursuing its old program of military domination over Europe, the larger aim of which is to play a leading role in the world and to promote its own economic and geopolitical interests at the expense of the other great powers.

In addition to war deployments, it is also necessary to strengthen national and alliance defence once again, wrote von der Leyen. For this reason, we must grow in Europe, become more powerful and develop key capabilities on our continent at the very least, she added.

She continued: A smart instrument for this would be the framework nation concept: because we know that we have capability gaps in Europe, which a middle-sized European power can scarcely fill alone, we join forces. Germany is taking the lead in many areas and is making it possible for other nations to participate. We are filling gaps, are becoming stronger as Europeans in NATO, and reducing redundancies that we thought we could afford in the past because of national conceitedness.

This is a quite explicit statement of the current strategy of German imperialism. It is obvious that Berlins aim is to establish the German army as the so-called anchor army for European NATO countries, to heavily arm NATO in Europe and to subordinate it gradually to the command structure of the German army.

One must think once again in terms of larger alliances, said von der Leyen. To that end, as Europeans, we want to build deeply integrated divisions that are well-equipped and trained and bring together up to three countries at a time. Similarly to the way it is already done in France and the Netherlands, we are inviting Romania and the Czech Republic to join a federation with units of our army, she said. She has already signed agreements to this effect with her counterparts in these countries.

The additional value of this collaboration is already showing itself today on the eastern border of NATO. Germany leads a multinational battalion, which signals its readiness to defend the alliance. It is also training intensively with the Lithuanian armed forces. If the partner troops arm themselves with German technology, this is also in our interests.

Furthermore, she and the French defence minister initiated the building of a common transport wing, for example for special forces deployments. With the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Luxembourg, the German army is building a common fleet for in-flight refuelling. And following the same logic, she is also offering to build a multinational federation for military air transport in Germany with Germanys southern neighbours.

The immediate aim of these efforts is a European defence union dominated by Germany. It is about improving the armament process with a European Defence Fund, bringing the planning processes of NATO and the EU closer together, and creating interlocking leadership structures in order to make EU civil and military missions more successful, for example in Africa. The instrument for this was laid down in the treaties of the EU long ago: the permanent structured cooperation. One must only activate it.

What instruments will be activated if necessary is made clear by the shocking debate over German and/or European nuclear weapons. An article in the current edition of Die Zeit, entitled Atomic power Europe... Does the EU need the bomb? expresses genuine regret that the German army does not have free access to the American atomic weapons stationed in Germany, but can only deploy them... if Washington gives the green light. Some Europeans can now imagine their own deterrence, independent of the USA.

The German elite knows one thing with certainty. After the 20th centurys two terrible world wars, with millions of dead and unspeakable crimes, the great majority of the people are not prepared to become involved once again in the murderous plans of German imperialism.

It is politically impossible to apply the label atomic power Germany at home, remarked Die Zeit with obvious disappointment. Germany, as every minister knows, is a pacifist country, the population rejects the participation of the army in international military deployments. Atomic weapons are discussed here only if we are getting rid of them, the newspaper complained.
James Mad Dog Mattis, the retired Marine general and US defense secretary, delivered a speech at the annual Munich security conference that appeared designed to soothe the sharp tensions between Europe and America that have emerged in the wake of President Donald Trumps inauguration.

Mattis sounded a warning to the conference aimed at justifying a further escalation of US and NATO militarism. We all see our community of nations under threat on multiple fronts as the arc of instability builds on NATOs periphery and beyond, he told the meeting, which brought together some 70 defense ministers as well as a number of heads of state. Vice President Mike Pence is to address the conference on Saturday.

The arc of instability is a phrase that encompasses multiple targets for US aggression, including the Middle East, North Africa and both Iran and Russia.

Mattis went on to declare that American security is permanently tied to the security of Europe, adding, I have great respect for Germanys leadership in Europe.

At the same time, he echoed remarks made earlier at a NATO meeting in Brussels, where he warned that Washington could moderate its support for the alliance if other member states did not increase their military spending. It is a fair demand that all who benefit from the best alliance in the world carry their proportionate share of the necessary costs to defend our freedoms, he said.

The Pentagon chiefs remarks appeared largely in continuity with US foreign policy pursued by previous administrations and were at odds with Trumps own rhetorical attacks on NATO as obsolete and his labeling of the European Union as a consortium exploited by Germany for its own interests.

Mattiss speech came in the midst of the ferocious internecine battle within the US ruling establishment over US policy toward Russia, which came to head with the forced resignation of Trumps national security advisor Michael Flynn over his pre-inauguration conversations with the Russian ambassador to the US.

Both Mattis and the US secretary of state, former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who was attending a nearby meeting of the G-20 foreign ministers in Bonn, have signaled that there is no imminent prospect of a rapprochement that would significantly ease tensions between Washington and Moscow.

Even as Mattis was speaking in Munich, the US military was deploying to Bulgaria as part of the US-NATO buildup in Eastern Europe and on Russias borders that now involves 4,000 American troops as well as forces from Britain, Germany and other NATO allies. This buildup has continued unabated since Trump entered the White House.

The speech by the Pentagon chief was accompanied by remarks by his German counterpart, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, which included fairly pointed criticism of the rhetoric on Europe coming from the Trump White House.

Our American friends know well that your tone on Europe and NATO has a direct impact on the cohesion of our continent, von der Leyen told the Munich Security Conference. Warning against any move by Washington toward rapprochement with Russia, she added, There cannot be a policy of equidistance to allies and to those who openly question our values, our borders and international law.

In what amounted to a thinly veiled attack on Trumps abortive attempt to impose a travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim countries, the German defense minister told the conference: We should be careful that this fight does not become a front against Islam and Muslims. Otherwise we run the risk of digging ourselves into a deeper grave in which violence and terror only grow further.

Prior to the Munich conference, Mattis stated that there could be no military cooperation between the US and Russia until Moscow proves itself, reiterating the US position underlying sanctions over Ukraine and Crimea.

Tillerson sounded a similar note Friday, explicitly rejecting any shift from the general strategy pursued by Washington in relation to Syria since the launching of the CIA-orchestrated war for regime change nearly six years ago. Meeting with his counterparts from other major backers of the Islamist rebels, including France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Britain, the US secretary of state stressed that there would be no military cooperation with Russia in Syria until Moscow distanced itself from the government of Bashar al-Assad and accepted the legitimacy of the Al Qaeda-linked rebels that the US and its allies have armed and supported.

Tillerson also reiterated support for the UN-led talks on Syria that are supposed to resume next Thursday in Geneva. The Russian government of President Vladimir Putin had invited Washington to participate in talks brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, but the Trump administration sent only the local ambassador as an observer.

While Tillersons and Mattiss interventions in Brussels, Bonn and Munich were clearly aimed at calming tensions that have grown between the US and Europe, the bitter character of the battle raging within Washington ruling circles was expressed in Munich by an extraordinary speech delivered by Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican and head of the Senate armed services committee. This internecine conflict has nothing to do with the democratic or social rights of the vast majority of the population, but is rather driven by rival US war strategies.

McCain described the Trump administration, which his party ostensibly supports, as in disarray, and suggested that it was part of an increasing turn away from universal values and toward old ties of blood and race and sectarianism.

Referring to the forced resignation of Trumps national security advisor, McCain told his audience in Munich: I think that the Flynn issue obviously is something that shows that in many respects this administration is in disarray and theyve got a lot of work to do.

Drawing a distinction between Trumps America First rhetoric and the policies advanced by his top advisors, McCain continued: I know there is profound concern across Europe and the world that America is laying down the mantle of global leadership. I can only speak for myself, but I do not believe that that is the message you will hear from all of the American leaders who cared enough to travel here to Munich this weekend. Thats not the message you heard today from Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. That is not the message you will hear from Vice President Mike Pence. Thats not the message you will hear from Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly.

McCain, one of Washingtons most vociferous advocates of aggression against Russia, was at the center of a controversy last month in which he passed documents to US intelligence agencies alleging secret ties between Moscow and Trump and his campaign team.

These actions, as well as the open attack on a sitting president by his own party at an international conference in Munich, are virtually unprecedented. They reflect the intense hostility within the US military and intelligence apparatus against any move by the Trump administration to pull back from the protracted escalation of provocations and aggression against Russia. To the extent that Trump has advanced an alternative policy, it has not been one of retreat from global militarism, but rather a tactical shift toward first preparing for war first against Iran and escalating the US confrontation with China.
The forced resignation of US National Security Adviser (NSA) Michael Flynn over accusations regarding his conversations with the Russian ambassador prior to the inauguration of US President Donald Trump has provoked new anxieties in Moscow. The Russian ruling elite is attempting to sort out the implications for itself of the conflict raging in the American political establishment over US geostrategy.

Militarily unprepared for a large-scale confrontation with the United States, and presiding over a population frightened of war and increasingly embittered over falling living standards, the Kremlin had hoped that Trumps seemingly more friendly approach would allow Moscow to shore up its precarious position.

Having been among the first leaders to personally congratulate Trump on his election, after a phone call in late January with the White House, President Vladimir Putin insisted that Russia over the past two centuries supported America, was its ally in two world wars and now sees it as its most important partner in the struggle against international terrorism.

This marked a notable shift in the Kremlins tone. In recent years, Putin has repeatedly criticized Washington for destabilizing the world order and seeking to undermine Russias territorial integrity through support for pro-Islamic terrorist movements within Russias borders.

After his election, leading Russian pundit Fyodor Lukyanov went so far as to describe Trump as the president of our dreams. In an effort to obscure the fascistic politics of the billionaire American presidentand lend a progressive gloss to similar tendencies within Russiathe pro-Kremlin, right-wing press has hailed Trump as a right-wing socialist who combines social conservatism with a concern for the bottom in society.

The enthusiasm for Trump, however, is increasingly tempered by fears that Russia will be unable to find a new modus vivendi with the US. This sentiment has become more pronounced after the ouster of Flynn, who among Trump advisers, appeared to be among the most amenable to cooperation with Russia.

Officially, the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to issue a statement on Flynns removal from office. Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitri Peskov declared on Tuesday, We do not wish in any way to comment on this internal affair of the Americans, this internal affair of the administration of President Donald Trump. This is not our business.

When pressed as to whether it was possible to understand the dynamic of Russian-American relations during Trumps tenure in office thus far, Peskov stated cautiously, It is too early to speak of this.

While Peskov attempted to project a sense of calm over the political warfare raging in Washington, it is clear that the optimistic response of the Russian ruling elite to Trumps presidential victory is giving way to moods of caution and even pessimism.

Leonid Slutsky, a member of the Russian Dumas committee on foreign affairs, described Flynns forced resignation as being of a provocative character. He described it as a negative signal for the Russian-American dialogue. Aleksei Pushkov, another committee member, described the situation unfolding in the US as a witch-hunt.

A February 14 comment in Rossiskaya Gazeta, the official Russian government newspaper, summed up the mood spreading within the countrys elite when it noted, Flynn worked in his post for just 24 days. The impetuous and scandalous resignation of one of the key advisers [in the Trump administration] casts a shadow on the president, and without a doubt will be used by his opponents to further the anti-Russian hysteria in the internal political struggle.

Adding that one could only guess at what Flynns resignation would mean for the Trump administrations relationship with Russia, it noted that the new American president was clearly not in control of the myriad agencies making up the US security services and that he was facing stiff resistance from both Democrats and hawk-Republicans.

The notion that Trumps pro-Russian policy is falling victim to a vast conspiracy involving the American intelligence community has been repeated in numerous Russian-language publications.

The leading daily Izvestia, carried a piece by political scientist Viktor Olevich, in which the author decried The dangerous weakness of Trump, arguing that the US president had crumbled beneath massive pressure from the side of those uninterested in reforming the foreign policy course of the US.

Flynns removal from office is part of the relentless anti-Russian campaign being waged by powerful sections of the American ruling class, which sees Moscows control over the Eurasian landmass as an intolerable obstacle to the US drive for global hegemony.

Even as Trump continues to defend Flynn and insist that his government is the victim of illegal insider leaks, tensions between the US and Russia mount.

Shortly after news broke of Flynns resignation, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer declared that the US president expects Russia to return Crimea, the predominantly ethnically Russian region of Ukraine absorbed by Moscow following a popular referendum after the February 2014 US-backed anti-Russian coup in Kiev.

In response, Russias Peskov declared that his country does not discuss matters related to its own territory with foreign powers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated the Kremlins position the following day, stating, We are not returning our territory. Crimea is the territory of the Russian Federation.

The same day stories began circulating in the US press that a Russia spy vessel was detected off the coast of Delaware. In another development, unsourced claims emerged in the American press that Russia had deployed a land-based missile in violation of a 1987 treaty with the US. Moscow has denied these allegations.

Having recently sent a destroyer into the Black Sea, an area of key geostrategic importance for Russia, just this week the US claimed that Russian aircraft buzzed the American warship in a series of threatening aerial maneuvers. Moscow denies this.

Simultaneous to these developments, leaks have emerged about the late January phone call between Putin and Trump that undermine the positive portrayals of the exchange. According to the Washington Post, at some point mid-way during the call, Trump paused the discussion to ask an aide about the nuclear arms treaty, New START, negotiated with Russia under the Obama administration. In his exchange with Putin, he then went on to denounce the deal as overly favorable to Moscow. The Kremlin has said it has nothing further to say about the conversation.

Top figures in both leading US parties adamantly oppose any lifting of the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the US starting in 2014, with Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer preparing a bipartisan bill that would significantly limit Trumps ability to enact any changes to the sanctions regime. Flynn was pushed out of office over allegations that he indicated to Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak that some sanctions could be lifted once Trump came into office. The Kremlin denies that the matter was discussed.

There are growing demands for an investigation into the Trump administrations relationship with Russia, which come on top of ongoing congressional inquiries into Moscows supposed interference in the US elections. The new American president is essentially being accused of acting as an agent of the Kremlin.

On Wednesday, speaking before an audience of students and teachers at the countrys diplomatic academy about the situation in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attempted to sound an optimistic note about his countrys relations with the US and its allies. He expressed confidence that our partnersFrance and Germany, as well as the United Stateswill block attempts to sabotage the fulfillment of the Minsk [Accords] on the part of Kiev, whose destructive actions are deepening the intra-Ukrainian conflict. Lavrov went on to assert that Russia was neither an advocate of confrontation nor isolation, with regards to the Western states.

Without any solution to the geopolitical crisis it faces, the Russian ruling elite continuously resorts to a combination of military saber-rattling and desperate appeals to Washington to shift course.

Exactly how relations between Washington and Moscow will unfold in the short term remains unclear, as the conflict within the US political establishment over policy towards Russia rages on.
Angelina Jolies long-awaited Cambodian film premiere was a family affair.

The actress was joined by her children  Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 11, Shiloh, 10, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 8  at the world premiere of her passion project, First They Killed My Father in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Her sons Maddox, who was born in Cambodia, and Pax were both involved in the films production.

Presented at the Terrace of the Elephant in the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex, the film was screened to both Hollywood and Cambodian royalty, as the countrys King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk were in attendance, along with a host of senior government officials. Jolie and her family posed for a photo with the royal family at the premiere.

The premiere of First They Killed My Father, was screened in the temple of the elephant terrace, a couple of kilometers from where Jolie shot her breakout 2001 film Tomb Raider. As the heat of the day wore off, local families picnicked along the banks of a nearby lake, while monkeys scavenged the area for scraps of food.

While speaking at the premiere, Jolie referenced her deep connection to Cambodia since it is where her first child, Maddox, is from.

I cannot find words to express what it means to me that I was entrusted with telling part of the story of this country, she said. This film was not made to focus on the horrors of the past, but to celebrate the resilience, kindness and talent of the Cambodian people.

Most of all, this film is my way of saying thank you to Cambodia, she continued. Without Cambodia I may never have become a mother. Part of my heart is and will always be in this country. And part of this country is always with me: Maddox.

Maddox himself took center stage when he spoke to audience, saying: Thank you everyone for attending tonight. We finally made it. Its a great honor to present this film to all of you, and to stand by my mother and my family. And now Id like to introduce my little sister Shiloh, as she has something to say.

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Little Shiloh then stepped up to the microphone and told the crowd in Khmer: My name is Shiloh and I love Cambodia.

Cheany Nem, 30, from Kampong Cham province came to the premiere with her husband, mother, niece and nephew after hearing that locals could see the film for free. But they were not allowed in because they dont have an invitation and access was tight due to the attendance of the royal family.

Me, like a lot of young people, want to know what happened during the Khmer Rouge, Nem said. My mum is older so knows the story. I heard from her what happened but i wanted to know for myself.

When I was young I learned about the Khmer Rouge from school. Learning about it made me feel hurt and that makes me want to come see the movie.

Rady, who works in Siem Reap, agreed about the importance of seeing the movie.

My kids dont know anything about the history, the 40-year-old said outside the premiere. Its very important for the kids  they dont know about all the killings at the time  so by watching this movie they can learn about the history of Cambodia.

Of course its hard to talk about what happened, but a movie can say it, Rady continued. I hope for the future that our country will teach the youth the history of Cambodia so they know what happened.

Nem said that Jolie was obviously a big draw for seeing the film but added:

Its an important memory for every Khmer person. Its important for young people to learn about the Khmer Rouge. They want to know

Earlier in the day, the Oscar winner made her first public appearance since she filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, when she attended a press event for the film.

At the press conference, Jolie said she thinks of Cambodia like a second home, adding, Maddox is happy to be back in his country.

Based on the autobiography of the same name by Cambodian human-rights activist Loung Ung, a friend of Jolies, First They Killed My Father tells the true story of the devastation inflicted on Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge communist party in the 1970s.

I read Loungs book many years ago, Jolie said at the press conference. It helped to open my eyes to what was going on the world.

She added, I wanted to tell the story to through the eyes of the childs point of view, the love of a family, to show the beauty of the country and understand what Maddoxs parents may have gone through.

More than two million people, out of a total population of seven million, were killed during the purge, including Ungs father, mother and two sisters. The heart of it is Loungs story, its the story of a war through the eyes of a child, but it is also the story of a country, Jolie said in a promotional clip for the film.

Jolie used only Cambodian actors, many of whom are the survivors or children of the survivors of the genocide. In addition, Jolie insisted only their native Khmer be spoken throughout the film. Jolie, Ung and the producers hoped the experience of making the film would be cathartic for those who participated.

The actresss love affair with Cambodia began after she filmed Tomb Raider in the country in 2000. Not long after she was finished with production, she returned to Cambodia as a volunteer for the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, for which she is now a special envoy. In 2002, Jolie adopted her first child, Maddox, from a Battambang orphanage.

He was the one who just called it and said he was ready and that he wanted to work on it, which he did, Jolie recently told The Guardian of Maddoxs role in the film. He read the script, helped with notes, and was in the production meetings.

Jolies second-oldest son, Pax, was also involved in the production. In 2015, Jolie told PEOPLE, Pax is doing a lot of the stills, adding, The whole movie is from a childs point of view. (See the photos Pax shot above.)

First They Killed My Father will be released globally via Netflix later this year.
Angelina Jolie is back in the spotlight.

The actress stepped out for a press conference ahead of the Cambodia premiere of her new film First They Killed My Father on Saturday in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The film will be presented in the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex. Cambodias King Norodom Sihamoni, Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk and senior government officials are expected to attend.

This marks the 41-year-old Oscar winners first public appearance since she filed for divorce from Brad Pitt in September 2016. She visited a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan on Sept. 9, where she urged United Nations leaders to find an end to the Syrian conflict.

During the press conference for the film, Jolie said she thinks of Cambodia like a second home, adding, Maddox is happy to be back in his country.

First They Killed My Father is based on the autobiography of the same name by Cambodian human-rights activist Loung Ung, a friend of Jolies. The memoir tells the true story of the devastation inflicted on Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge communist party in the 1970s.

I read Loungs book many years ago, Jolie said. It helped to open my eyes to what was going on the world.

She added, I wanted to tell the story to through the eyes of the childs point of view, the love of a family, to show the beauty of the country and understand what Maddoxs parents may have gone through.

More than two million people, out of a total population of seven million, were killed during the purge, including Ungs father, mother and two sisters. The heart of it is Loungs story, its the story of a war through the eyes of a child, but it is also the story of a country, Jolie said in a promotional clip for the film.

In order to create an accurate portrait of the war, Jolie insisted on using only Cambodian actors, and the language spoken throughout is their native Khmer. The actors themselves are the survivors and children of the survivors of the genocide. Jolie, Ung and the producers hoped the experience of making the film would be cathartic for those who participated.

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Jolie fell in love with Cambodia after filming Tomb Raider in 2000. Not long after she was finished with production, she returned to the country as a volunteer for the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, for which she is now a special envoy. In 2002, Jolie adopted her first child, Maddox, from a Battambang orphanage.

And it was Maddox who, after years of putting it off, convinced Jolie and Ung to make the film. He was the one who just called it and said he was ready and that he wanted to work on it, which he did. He read the script, helped with notes, and was in the production meetings, Jolie recently told The Guardian.

Jolies second-oldest son, Pax, was also involved in the production. In 2015, Jolie told PEOPLE, Pax is doing a lot of the stills, adding, The whole movie is from a childs point of view.

During the presser, Jolie made it a point to emphasize that the public does not hear the stories of all of the girls and boys who are going through the same thing today as Loung Ung did in the 1970s, noting, Her story is universal.

Im deeply honored to have had the chance to work on the film, Jolie said. I hope it reminds everyone that there are little Loungs all around the world today.

First They Killed My Father will be released globally via Netflix later this year.




For the second time in as many months, detectives from the New York City Police Department are combing through piles of garbage at local landfills, searching for the remains of a murdered woman, PEOPLE confirms.

On Friday night, police formally charged Phillip Martin, a 42-year-old Brooklyn man, with the beating death and subsequent dismemberment of his wife, 43-year-old Diana Rodriguez-Martin.

An NYPD statement obtained by PEOPLE confirms Martin faces murder and concealment of a corpse charges. He allegedly confessed to his wifes killing on Friday.

Diana was reported missing on Feb. 13. The last time anyone saw her was on Jan. 16.

According to investigators, Martin allegedly told them that after beating his wife to death, he chopped her up and disposed of her body, placing her remains in several garbage bags.

Her remains have not yet been recovered, the NYPD said in their statement.

Martin has yet to enter a plea to the charges against him. PEOPLE was unable to ascertain if he is being represented by an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

Police confirm Martin has three prior arrests  two of them for allegedly attacking his wife.

Last month, a 40-year-old sex offender was arrested in connection with the discovery of a dead womans body parts at a waste station in the Bronx.

Somorie Moses faces concealment of a human corpse and tampering with evidence charges. He was arrested at his Brooklyn home, where police allegedly found a womans head inside his freezer  along with a pair of hands and feet.

A womans headless torso and a footless leg were discovered by a sanitation worker at the Metropolitan Transfer Station in the Bronxs Hunts Point neighborhood on Jan. 17.




Kim Kardashian West is not expected at Paris Fashion Week. (Photo: AKM-GSI)

France will have to wait a little while longer to see Kim Kardashian West return.

PEOPLE previously reported that it was possibility that Kardashian West, 36, could fly to Paris for the first time since her robbery for Fashion Week at the end of February as her younger sister, Kendall Jenner, is walking a runway and her husband, Kanye West, is interested in attending.

But on Friday, a rep for the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star confirmed to PEOPLE that she will not be returning to the City of Light for the week-long event.

She wasnt planning on attending, says her rep.

Its been five months since the mother of two was was robbed during fall Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 3. While alone in her No Address Hotel room, five masked men broke in, held her at gunpoint, bound and gagged her and stole millions of dollars worth of her jewelry, including a $4 million ring.

On Jan. 9, 17 individuals were arrested across France in connection with the heist. Seven were later released, and four individuals were indicted by French authorities on Jan. 12. The remaining six suspects were charged on Jan. 13.

Multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE that Kardashian West was deeply shaken after the traumatic incident, and she went on to take a three-month hiatus from the public eye and social media. She has since stepped back into the spotlight and made her first official public appearance since the robbery on Jan. 13 at her longtime makeup artist Mario Dedivanovics Masterclass in Dubai.

In early February, Kardashian West met with French authorities in New York City, where she testified in the robbery case in order to identify the men that broke into her apartment.

This morning, Kim had a meeting with the French judge handling her robbery case. Kim answered questions. She said it went fine, another source told PEOPLE. She is just happy that she didnt have to go to Paris.
"[It] fills me with pride to be able to carry the flag of Mexico on such an important mission."

By Shanice Davis

NASAs youngest researcher Yair Israel Pina Lopez, 20, might be on his way to Mars.

According to Remezcla, the National Autonomous University of Mexico student is among six crew members en route to Utahs Mars Desert Research Station. Through intricate astronaut cosplay and individual research, the physics major is an essential part of making an eventual mission to the Red Planet possible.

Im very proud, he said of his selection in a statement. Now in Mexico we need to support each other to get ahead, and it fills me with pride to be able to carry the flag of Mexico on such an important mission, and make the first mission to Mars a real possibility.

Im in Orlan Space Suit   #SeaEagle #SpaceSuit #Orlan #SpaceGentleman #Space #Russia #AdAstra # A post shared by Yair Israel Pina Lopez (@yairpinalopez) on May 17, 2016 at 5:49am PDT

Heres to making history!

This post NASAs Youngest Researcher Poised To Be First Mexican On Mars first appeared on Vibe.
Two 12-year-old boys are being called heroes by authorities after they rescued a 4-year-old girl with autism from drowning in a Texas pond on Thursday.

According to reports, the boys, Markuise and Cameron, were riding their bikes when a 4-year-old, Melody, tried to swing on a limb and fell into the water.

Read: Medics Who Tended to Britney Spears' Niece Say She Didn't Have Pulse After They Pulled Her From Pond

They boys then reportedly pulled the girl out of the water and ran to get help. Police were then called to the scene.

The two 12 year-old boys who saved this girl are heroes in the eyes of RFPD. Thank you for your quick action, Roman Forest Police wrote on their Facebook page.

Read: Girl Celebrates 10th Birthday Party at Granny's Nursing Home So She Doesn't Miss Out

Melody was reunited with her family at the hospital later that evening, police said.

4 year old girl is okay. No charges will be filed at this time pending a complete investigation," they wrote. "Mother and child have been reunited.

Watch: Teen Becomes Best Friends With Abandoned Baby Squirrel He Rescued

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Goma (DR Congo) (AFP) - Militiamen from the Democratic Republic of Congo's Nande ethnic group have killed 25 civilians in the country's violence-torn east, almost all of them hacked to death with machetes, local officials and activists said Saturday.

"In total 25 people were killed, decapitated by machete by the Mai-Mai Mazembe in and around the village of Kyaghala," Francis Bakundakabo, the local representative of the governor of North Kivu province, told AFP.

"All of these people were Hutu civilians," he said, adding that the killings took place between 4:00 am and 8:00 am on Saturday morning.

Hope Kubuya, a local civil society activist whose group went to verify the attack, said 24 of the victims had been killed with machetes and one woman shot dead.

"This raid by the Mai-Mai Mazembe in the Hutu village will enflame the inter-ethnic conflict in the region," he added.

The Mai-Mai are a "self-defence" militia who count members of DR Congo's Nande, Hunde and Kobo communities among their ranks, in opposition to rivals from the Nyaturu group representing ethnic Hutus.

The area around Kyaghala is majority-Hutu.

The last major attack to strike the volatile region came in December when at least 35 civilians were killed in clashes between fighters from the two groups.

DR Congo's Nande, Hunde and Kobo people largely regard Hutus as foreigners, while the migration north of Hutu farmers -- forced to abandon their southern territory due to rising land prices and under pressure from powerful landowners -- has added to the strain.

Tensions between the Nande and Hutu communities have been growing worse for more than a year, with a series of village attacks by militia groups on both sides in the centre of North Kivu. The province, like much of eastern DRC, has been riven by conflict for more than two decades.

Since December, the DRC's political crisis has also worsened, with President Joseph Kabila refusing to step down despite his mandate coming to an end.

The international community has urged government and opposition parties in the country to restart deadlocked talks to set up a transition regime ahead of elections due later this year.

Though the vast central African nation is rich in mineral wealth and water, it has long been one of the continent's poorest nations and rising unrest has only deepened the economic malaise.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Sri Lanka police arrested an army officer and two soldiers over the abduction and assault on a prominent journalist nine years ago.

The suspects were arrested on Saturday morning and include a major and two soldiers. They are expected to appear before a judge, said police spokesman Priyantha Jayakody.

Their alleged victim, Keith Noyahr, was an associate editor of the English-language weekly The Nation who wrote critical stories about the civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels and the security situation. He was abducted after leaving office in 2008. Following the attack, Noyahr fled the country with his family, saying he feared for his life.

The abduction was one of the high profile attacks on journalists under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose nine-year tenure saw dozens of reporters killed, abducted and tortured, forced to disappear or flee the country. Scores more were killed or disappeared in the civil war that ended in 2009 with the defeat of the rebels.

Journalists and media rights group have been harshly criticizing Rajapaksa's regime for failing to conduct proper and impartial investigations on the attacks on journalists.

Police have begun fresh investigations into high-profile killings and attacks after Rajapaksa's successor, Maithripala Sirisena, was elected in 2015. Sirisena campaigned on a promise of ending a culture of impunity and punishing those responsible for abuses.
Microbes that are over tens of thousands of years old, but still previously unknown to science, have been found in the unique environment of the Naica crystal caves in Mexico. These microorganisms were lying dormant for all that time, and yet, scientists were able to revive them, it was revealed Friday at the ongoing annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

During an afternoon session called Risks and Benefits in the Astrobiological Exploration of Other Worlds, Penelope Boston, director of NASA Astrobiology Institute, said she had collected samples of fluid trapped inside the gigantic gypsum crystals in the Cave of the Crystals in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 2008 and 2009. The samples contained the microbes which her team analyzed, based on the age of the crystals and their growth, to be between 10,000 and 50,000 years old.

These organisms have been dormant but viable for geologically significant periods of time, and they can be released due to other geological processes. This has profound effects on how we try to understand the evolutionary history of microbial life on this planet, Boston reportedly said.

According to her teams analysis, the microbes are genetically distinct from any other known life-form on Earth, and are most similar to other microbes found in caves in volcanic terrains  places where the environment is as hot (between 100 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit), humid and acidic as it is in the Cave of the Crystals.

Naica

Photo: Alexander Van Driessche

Other people have made longer-term claims for the antiquity of organisms that were still alive, but in this case these organisms are all very extraordinary  they are not very closely related to anything in the known genetic databases, Boston said at the conference.

Previously, scientists have been able to revive microbes far older than 50,000 years. Ancient microbial life  as much millions of years old  has been found trapped in ice or salt crystals, and revived successfully, according to its claimants. And even Bostons claims have been met with a lot of skepticism, despite her insistence her team had been really careful.

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Contamination during drilling with microorganisms attached to the surface of these crystals or living in tiny fractures constitutes a very serious risk. I am very skeptical about the veracity of this finding until I see the evidence, microbiologist Purificacion Lopez-Garcia of the French National Center for Scientific Research told National Geographic.

And the same contamination concerns were expressed by Boston when it comes to the question of humans looking for traces of life in places other than on Earth.

How do we ensure that life-detection missions are going to detect true Mars life or life from icy worlds rather than our life? Aspects of my work illustrate the extreme toughness of life on Earth and the restrictions that places on us, she said.

The 2017 AAAS annual meeting is being held at Hynes Convention Center, Boston, from Feb. 16-20.

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PUNTA TOMBO, Argentina (AP)  More than a million penguins have traveled to Argentina's Punta Tombo peninsula during this year's breeding season, drawn by an unusual abundance of small fish.

Local officials say that's a record number in recent years for the world's largest colony of Magellanic penguins, offering an especially stunning spectacle for the tens of thousands of people who visit the reserve annually.

The peninsula's tiny islets are well-suited to nesting and have sardines and anchovies close to the shoreline. The flightless birds come on shore in September and October and stay while the males and females take turns caring for their eggs and hunting for food.

The warm-weather birds breed in large colonies in southern Argentina and Chile and migrate north as far as southwestern Brazil between March and September.

They are around 20 inches (50 centimeters) tall and have a broad crescent of white feathers that extends from just above each eye to the chin and a small area of pink on the face.

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Hundreds of African migrants wielding sheers and clubs broke through a 20-foot security fence dividing Morocco with Ceuta Friday and then stormed into the Spanish territory in North Africa. Footage of the scene taken from the fences security camera showed more than 600 migrants approaching the Tarajal area of the fence around 6 a.m. local time. They used tools and clubs to break upon the gate but were quickly met by Spains Civil Guard, or paramilitary police.

Spains Civil Guard said three police officers and two migrants were taken to a local hospital as a result of violent clashes along the fence. More than 300 migrants, many with wounds from scaling parts of the fence topped with barbed wire, were able to get past the Civil Guard and into the Ceuta, French Agence Presse reported Friday. Some of the men who managed to get through wrapped themselves in the Spanish national flag and the blue starred EU flag and shouted freedom in the streets of Cueta, a video provided by Faro TV Ceuta showed.

Fifty-five migrants were apprehended at the fence and will be returned to Morocco, according to the Associated Press Friday. Those who were able to get into Ceuta were most likely going to be taken to migrant centers in the city as they deliberate whether to seek asylum or work informally in Spain or other European countries.

The migrant center for temporary stay in Ceuta had taken in 600 people as of Friday, which was 100 people over its maximum. The center has resorted to setting up military tents in a nearby parking lot to accommodate the influx of new migrants Friday.

Hundreds of sub-Saharan migrants living illegally in Morocco regularly attempt to enter Cueta, which is one of two EU land borders with Africa. Cueta is separated from the rest of Spain in Northern Africa by the Strait of Gibralter. Roughly 1,100 migrants attempted to cross into Ceuta in January, but the majority of those were eventually turned back to Morocco.

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A sharp rise in unemployment across the continent will lead to 15 million migrants from Africa traveling to Europe in the next three years, according to a report from Austrian Military Intelligence, an agency of the Austrian Armed Forces. More than half of a million Africans immigrated to EU countries between 2013 and 2016, according to the Austrian intelligence agency report.

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TIRANA (Reuters) - Members of Albania's opposition Democratic Party pitched a giant tent outside Prime Minister Edi Rama's office on Saturday after thousands of protesters rallied to demand free elections and a technocrat government. Seven years ago, Rama put up tents outside his predecessor's office to demand a vote recount after a disputed parliamentary election, making the opposition's 300-square-metre (3,230-square-foot) tent politically symbolic. A NATO member and candidate to join the European Union, Albania has a bitter history of contested polls. Brussels wants to see trouble-free elections and a revamped judiciary tackling widespread corruption before it starts accession talks with Tirana. Albanians will vote in parliamentary elections on June 18, four years after Rama's leftist coalition ousted the Democrats. The ruling coalition has since won all local elections, but the Democrats have complained they were cheated out of victory and are pressing for reforms to guarantee fair elections. More than 10,000 people took part in Saturday's peaceful demonstration and police did not intervene to disperse the protesters or remove the tent, which will block traffic on a main street, after a deadline for the protest to end passed. "Let us stay together to have free and fair elections which we can only achieve by kicking out this government of crime and (replacing it with) the technocrat government of free elections," Democrat leader Lulzim Basha told the rally. "Free elections, or no elections at all," he said. The Democrats are demanding the government implement recommendations from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and have been pushing for electronic voting to allay fears of vote manipulation. Rama's government has overseen a spell of steady economic growth, helped in part by an International Monetary Fund program. However, the benefits of GDP growth of 3.4 percent in 2016 have not reached many Albanians. While the rate marked an improvement on the sluggish 1.1 percent growth in 2013 when Rama took over, it still lags the roughly six percent annual economic expansion seen between 2000 and 2010. Rama, who was on a visit to neighboring mainly-ethnic Albanian Kosovo, appeared unruffled by Saturday's protest. He drew a comparison between the peaceful rally and another in 2011 under Democrat rule at which four Socialist protesters were shot dead by security forces. "True reforms are not easy at all, and often very painful operations. But there is no safe future for the country, our society and children if we do not operate with courage on the rotten parts of the state organization," Rama wrote on Facebook. (Reporting by Benet Koleka; Editing by Helen Popper)
A section of Christians, religious and political leaders has accused the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda Archbishop the Most Rev Stanley Ntagali of honoring political leaders rather than God.

This is after Archbishop Ntagali reportedly abandoned a mass during the 40th commemoration anniversary to mark the martyrdom of Archbishop Janani Luwum to welcome three top government

officials.

The annual commemoration prayers held at Wi gweng village, Mucwini Sub county kitgum district where Archbishop Luwums body was buried was led by Archbishop Ntagali.

Top government officials were expected to attend the event but by 10:30 am when prayers started none of them were present including the Guest of honor Vice President Edward Ssekandi.

However in the middle of the prayers, Archbishop Ntagali and the custodian of Kitgum diocese Bishop Odur Karmi left the altar to join other leaders in welcoming Ssekandi who had arrived at the venue.

But this action left some leaders including former UPC president

also one of the organizers of the event Olara Otunnu and one Charles Okumu, a pilgrim unhappy.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Saturday that any Israeli attempt to violate Lebanon's sovereignty would be met with the "appropriate response", in a statement released by his office. "Any attempt to hurt Lebanese sovereignty or expose the Lebanese to danger will find the appropriate response," the statement said. It said Aoun was reacting to recent remarks in a letter at the United Nations by Israel's U.N. ambassador, which amounted to a "masked attempt to threaten security and stability" in southern Lebanon, but did not say what the remarks were. Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said on Thursday that all of Lebanon would be a target if Hezbollah fired on Israel. Aoun's comments also followed warnings this week by the leader of the armed Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, a political ally of the president, against any Israeli aggression. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the group's rockets had the ability to strike Israel's nuclear reactor at Dimona and its military infrastructure - an apparent warning against any Israeli military action that he said might be approved by the new U.S. president, Donald Trump. In 2006 Israel fought a month-long war against Hezbollah in south Lebanon. Since then, hostilities between them have been limited to occasional firing across the border and air strikes by Israel against Hezbollah leaders and military equipment in Syria, where the group is fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad. Trump's administration has been vocal in its criticism of Hezbollah's patron Iran and in its support for Israel. (Reporting by John Davison in Beirut; Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign rally in Mason City, Iowa, on Wednesday. (Photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)



Bernie Sanders has released a letter from his doctor declaring that the 74-year-old Democratic presidential hopeful is in very good health.

Sanders was examined in November by Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the U.S. Congress who has served as the Vermont senators doctor for the last 26 years.

The exam showed the 6-foot, 179-pound Sanders had normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, a normal blood count and thyroid profile and no history of cardiovascular disease.



Sanders had previously been treated for gout, mild hypercholesterolemia, diverticulitis, hypothyroidism, laryngitis secondary to esophageal reflux, lumbar strain and complete removal of superficial skin tumors.

His past surgical history includes the removal of a cyst from his vocal cord and an elective hernia repair procedure, which he had done in late November.

Sanders takes Levothyroxine  a medication that treats hypothyroidism  daily, and Indomethacin, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, intermittently, according to Monahan.

Brian Monahans letter. (Courtesy of Bernie Sanders campaign)



The senator doesnt smoke, [uses] alcohol infrequently and is up-to-date on recommended vaccinations.

You are in overall very good health and active in your professional work, and recreational lifestyle without limitation, Monahans letter concludes.

Sanders, who at 75 would become the oldest person to be elected U.S. president, was asked last year if he had the stamina for the job.

I dont think Ive taken a day off because of sickness in several years, he told ABCs This Week in June. So I believe as somebody who has  when he was a kid, a long-distance runner  Im blessed with endurance. Im blessed with health.
Vermont Senator and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders may not command the wealth that most of his fellow senators do, but he was responsible for running an immensely successful campaign that made his opponents Feel the Bern.

Despite losing to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination, he has been a strong critic of President Donald Trump and questioned his decisions, as well as his picks for the cabinet, repeatedly. Compared to Trumps net worth, Sanders figures are a fraction but his net worth is still many times higher than that of any average American household.

Yeah, look, I dont want to get anybody very excited, Sanders said at a Democratic debate in April, as he was pressed to release his tax returns. They are very boring tax returns. No big money from speeches, no major investments. Unfortunately  unfortunately, I remain one of the poorer members of the United States Senate. And that's what that will show.

According to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, Sanders was 81st on the list of richest senators, making him the 19th poorest member of the body. Despite this, the Motley Fool estimated his net worth to stand at around $800,000.

How did the socialist politician reach this figure?

Sanders, at the age of 39, won the election to become the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, earning about $33,700 per year, Politico reported. While serving as the mayor, he also recorded a folk album in 1987. After eight years in the mayors office, Sanders won a House of Representatives seat in 1990, and a hiked salary of about $96,000. The Vermont politician successfully ran for the Senate in 2006  increasing his salary to $165,000.

According to Sanders July 2015 personal filing, his assets were reportedly valued between $194,026 and $741,000 in his wife Jane Sanders' name. Credit card debt between $25,002 and $65,000 was also listed in the filing. However, properties held by the couple  a condominium in Washington, D.C., and a home in Vermont  were not a part of the personal asset disclosure forms.

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The Motley Fool added the estimated values of these properties to the median of listed assets and their after-tax estimate and took out the median of the debt to reach $1.65 million in assets for the couple. On halving the figure, Sanders net worth stood around $800,000.

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Quito (AFP) - The embalmed body of the giant tortoise known as Lonesome George -- the last known member of a species that was wiped out with his death in 2012 -- returned home to the Ecuadoran Galapagos Islands.

The body arrived in Puerto Ayora, the capital of the archipelago's Santa Cruz Island, on an Ecuadoran military plane after undergoing taxidermy work at New York's American Museum of Natural History, the Galapagos National Park said.

The giant tortoise -- thought to be around a century old when he died in June 2012 -- was the last known member of the subspecies Geochelone nigra abingdoni.

He failed to reproduce despite a decades long conservation effort that earned him the moniker "Lonesome George."

His body will go on display at the park starting February 23, after having starred in an exhibition at the New York museum from September 2014-January 2015.

The Pacific island chain is famous for its unique flora and fauna studied by Charles Darwin as he developed his theory of evolution.

Of the 15 species of giant tortoise known to have originated in the Galapagos, three, including George's, have gone extinct -- victims of plundering 18th-century pirates who damaged the islands' fragile ecosystem.
Budapest (AFP) - The firm in charge of Budapest's troubled bid to host the Olympic Games in 2024 said Saturday it is suspending operations as long as uncertainty sparked by a referendum drive surrounds the application.

A day after a civil organisation said it had collected enough signatures to trigger a referendum on the bid, the Budapest 2024 Nonprofit Zrt. firm said it was putting all its contracts on hold.

"As long as it is unclear whether unified support for the Budapest Olympics can be restored, (the firm) is suspending the contracts it has signed, will not place new orders, and will not draw down funds allocated to the bid," said a statement sent by the firm to the Hungarian news agency MTI.

"Without unified backing from politics and society at large Budapest has no chance of winning," it said.

Up against Paris and Los Angeles, the Hungarian capital had been the outsider in the race to host the 2024 Games, but the referendum effort has landed a possibly fatal blow to its prospects.

Over a quarter million signatures of Budapesters were collected within a month by the Momentum Movement, a group of mostly young activists, aided by several political parties critical of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of the bid's main backers.

Some 266,000 signatures were gathered, the group said, almost double the threshold required to hold a ballot.

Momentum Movement leaders argued that a referendum should determine if people wanted taxpayer money to be spent, for example, on hospitals and schools rather than on hosting the Olympics.

The authorities have 45 days from Friday to verify the signatures and give the green light to the mayor to declare a referendum date.

Budapest's mayor Istvan Tarlos said Friday however he could swiftly bring a motion to the City Council to withdraw the bid rather than hold a referendum.

A decision on next steps was likely Wednesday or Thursday, Tarlos told reporters later after talks with Orban.

Earlier, Hamburg -- following a referendum -- and Rome also dropped out of the Olympics 2024 hosting contest, both citing financial concerns.

The International Olympic Committee is set to decide between the candidate cities on September 13 in the Peruvian capital Lima.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)  A passenger bus has flipped over on an Andean highway in Argentina, killing 19 of the 42 people aboard, police said Saturday.

Another 23 people were injured in the accident about 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) west of the Argentine capital.

There were 40 passengers and two drivers in the vehicle when the accident occurred.

The bus was traveling from the Argentine city of Mendoza to Santiago, Chile, just after midnight Saturday on Route 7 near the Aconcagua Provincial Park that includes the highest mountain in the Americas.

Survivors were quoted by the Clarin newspaper in Buenos Aires as saying that the bus was traveling at a high rate of speed when it went into a curve.

Some of the injured were transported to the local community of Uspallata for medical care, while others were taken to the provincial capital of Mendoza.

The highway was closed for several hours, but later opened up to traffic.
One man is dead after driving his car into the water Friday morning off Doolittle Drive not too far from the Oakland Airport. Cab drivers are calling for more safety precautions near the area after one of their own died there six weeks ago.
Georgetown (Guyana) (AFP) - Leaders of the 15-nation Caribbean Community expressed concern that US President Donald Trump's immigration policies could lead to a slowdown in travel to a region dependent on tourism.

As Caribbean leaders wrapped up their mid-term summit in Guyana's capital city Georgetown, incoming Caricom Chairman Keith Mitchell -- prime minister of Grenada -- said the trade bloc has adopted a "wait-and-see attitude" with respect to America's evolving migration policy and how it affects the region's vital tourism industry.

"We must obviously be concerned with the recent issue related to immigration, and the impact it will have on our citizens and... on tourism," Mitchell told a news conference at the close of the two-day summit, the first since President Trump took office.

Millions of Caribbean nationals live in the United State as permanent residents, naturalized citizens or illegal aliens.

Many travel regularly to their home countries, while others send remittances totaling hundreds of millions of dollars each year to relatives who remain in the Caribbean.

Mitchell said he understands the reluctance of some Caribbean residents in the US not to leave the country.

Trump's attempted crackdown on refugees and immigrants from some majority Muslim countries has raised concerns that he may try to impose harsher travel restrictions on them as well.

"The uncertainty is there so clearly that has to be settled," said the Grenadian leader, who once lived in the US for 14 years.

Mitchell said he hoped that the US Congress would temper Trump's executive actions on immigration.

"You can't ignore the voices of the people of the United States, so I expect that this thing has to settle -- the uncertainty cannot continue," Mitchell said.

"I believe when the dust is settled, things must improve, because our borders are too close to the United States for them to risk uncertainty or problems in our direction," he said.

Trump said on Thursday he will announce a new executive order on immigration next week, after his original, much-criticized travel ban was blocked by US courts.

The January 27 order was widely criticized as amounting to a ban on Muslims, and also for being rolled out sloppily -- with virtually no warning to the public or preparation of the agencies tasked with enforcing it.
Economic relations between China and the European Union may have entered a new era. EU officials announced an early international summit in Brussels to forge new trade ties with Beijing amid protectionist rhetoric from President Donald Trump.

China, which traditionally meets with the EU each July, has reportedly requested the economic summit be hosted as soon as possible in order to quickly formulate a defense for Trump's upcoming policies that are widely expected to prioritize domestic production over foreign commerce. Meanwhile, the EU saw the meeting as an opportunity to ascertain Chinese support for the U.N. and other international entities often dismissed by the new White House administration and Russia, an unnamed EU official told Reuters.

"With this drive by some countries to undermine or weaken international institutions, we would want to see China supporting and believing in the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation," a second EU official said.

China and the EU have often not seen eye-to-eye politically as Beijing occasionally sides with the EU's nemesis, Russia, on foreign policy issues such as the Syrian civil war. However, both China and the EU have been directly threatened by Trump and have expressed fears that the new U.S. administration's economic policies would disrupt their economies.

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Photo: Reuters

While China has said its own move to bolster domestic markets in recent years meant Trump's proposed trade war of tariffs as high as 45 percent would have a limited effect on Beijing, a significant drop in exports last year have raised concerns that the world's biggest economy could slow in growth. EU nations have also seen worrying signs of an economic slowdown, for which the international alliance's financial leadership has partially blamed Trump. The U.K.'s upcoming departure from the EU, which Trump hailed as "great thing," has also factored into a stunted GDP forecast among member states and even questions about the EU's future.

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Three weeks into his administration, Trump has remained ambiguous about much of his foreign policy strategy. His real estate company, the Trump Organization, was recently granted a lucrative trademark deal in China. In a reversal, Trump agreed to honor the "One China Policy" in which Washington foregoes normal diplomatic relations with Beijing's rival government in Taiwan. Trump reportedly insisted, however, that he expected serious concessions on China's part if the two countries were to maintain positive bilateral relations.

Related Articles
Chinese warships completed week-long training drills in the South China Sea Friday amid an ongoing territorial dispute, according to reports. This comes after the U.S. announced it plans to conduct naval patrols in the contested waters, angering Beijing.

Three Chinese warships that included a destroyer started the exercises last Friday. The drills are reported to have included sudden attack exercises and were carried out in poor sea conditions.

The drills were "without an arranged script" and "as close as possible to real combat," military affairs expert Yin Zhuo reportedly said.

China has been accused of growing aggression and laying claims to almost all of South China Sea, from where about $5 trillion worth of maritime trade passes every year. The country has been reportedly building runways and ports on islands in the South China Sea to further its claim over the region. However, Beijing has defended its actions, saying it does not intend to start a conflict and that its operations will actually add to the safety of the region. It has also blamed the U.S. for increasing tension in the region.

On Wednesday, China warned the U.S. against carrying out patrols in the South China Sea. The countrys foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reportedly said that Washington or any other country should not flare up tensions in the contested area.

"We urge the U.S. not to take any actions that challenge China's sovereignty and security," Geng said.

Last month, the then Trumps secretary of state pick Rex Tillerson said that Beijing should be barred from islands in the South China Sea region.

Were going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed, he said. The failure of a response has allowed them just to keep pushing the envelope on this. The way weve got to deal with this is weve got to show back up in the region with our traditional allies in Southeast Asia, Tillerson said.

Related Articles
Beijing (AFP) - Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China told his US counterpart Rex Tillerson that Beijing was ready to work with the Trump administration, according to a Chinese account of their meeting in Bonn.

Wang and Tillerson met on Friday at a G20 gathering of foreign ministers -- the highest-level Sino-US encounter since President Donald Trump was elected.

Trump had infuriated Beijing by calling into question Washington's long-standing "One China" policy, but later reaffirmed it in a conciliatory phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping last week.

Wang told Tillerson this consensus on the issue "created the necessary pre-conditions for the two nations to engage in strategic cooperation on bilateral, regional, and global issues," said a Chinese foreign ministry statement issued late Friday.

"Wang said that China and the United States, both shouldering the responsibilities of securing world stability and enhancing global prosperity, had more common interests than disputes," the statement went on.

"China is ready to work with the US side to implement the consensus reached between President Xi and President Trump, and move the bilateral relationship forward in the direction that features no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation."

Wang added that the two sides should increase communication and cooperation "to ensure greater development of bilateral relations during Trump's presidency."

The "One China" policy is an acknowledgement that Taiwan is not separate from mainland China.

Trump's telephone call with Taiwan's president after his November election victory infuriated Beijing, which saw it as a repudiation of the "One China" policy.

Wang's attendance at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting seemed in doubt in the fallout, but after Trump's call with Xi, it was announced that the trip would go ahead.

Taiwan has been ruled separately since Mao Zedong's communists ousted China's Nationalists who fled to the island in 1949.

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On the campaign trail, Trump regularly attacked China for stealing American jobs and running a massive, unfair trade surplus that he vowed to reverse.

The US State Department said the two ministers discussed the need for a "level playing field for trade and investment."

It said Tillerson also told Wang that Beijing must rein in North Korea after its series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
Beijing (AFP) - "(China) will temporarily stop its imports of coal from North Korea for the rest of this year (including coal for which customs applications have been made but not yet processed)," the commerce ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

The statement said the suspension was in accordance with existing UN sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programmes and would come in to force on Sunday and remain until the end of the year.

The decision came less than a week after North Korea's latest missile test, as tensions escalate over the reclusive state's defiance of UN resolutions.

The North's leader Kim Jong-Un has been trying to strengthen his grip on power in the face of growing international pressure over his country's nuclear and missile programmes.

China's announcement came as investigators in Malaysia probe the assassination of Kim's half-brother on Monday, which Seoul says was carried out by female agents on the orders of Pyongyang.

North Korea's launch came just after a conciliatory phone chat between US President Donald Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping of China -- the North's only major ally.

- Provocation -

That may indicate it was in part a North Korean attempt to sow division between China and the United States, which has pressed Beijing to bring more pressure on Pyongyang, said Wang Dong, an expert on Northeast Asian geopolitics at Peking University.

"So I think the provocative nature of that launch was very clear, that's why (China) has moved to register its opposition," Wang said.

"I think this can be viewed as a signal to North Korea that it has to restrain its behaviour."

Wang said he doubted the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam -- half-brother of Kim Jong-Un -- was a factor in Saturday's announcement by China since that crime was still being investigated by Malaysia.

The United Nations Security Council, which includes China, sharply castigated Pyongyang last Monday for the missile test a day earlier, describing it as a "grave violation" of UN resolutions and threatening "further significant measures".

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On Wednesday Pyongyang defended the launch and slammed the Security Council's condemnation.

The rocket launch was the first since Trump came to power and was seen as a challenge to the new American leader, who has vowed a strong response.

Trump has repeatedly called out China for doing too little to help stop North Korea's nuclear programme.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday used his first meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to urge Beijing "to use all available tools to moderate North Korea's destabilising behaviour".

Pyongyang is barred under UN resolutions from carrying out ballistic missile launches or nuclear tests.

North Korea blasted off a series of missiles and conducted two nuclear tests in 2016 in its quest to develop a weapons system capable of hitting the US mainland.

The latest rocket -- said by Pyongyang to be able to carry a nuclear warhead -- flew east for about 500 kilometres (310 miles) before falling into the Sea of Japan (East Sea), South Korea's defence ministry said.

The Security Council has imposed six sets of sanctions since Pyongyang first tested an atomic device in 2006.

Beijing traditionally ensured that UN Security Council resolutions on sanctions against Pyongyang included humanitarian exemptions, and had continued to purchase huge amounts of North Korean coal -- $101 million worth in October alone -- a crucial source of foreign exchange for Pyongyang.

But the latest resolution, passed in December, had no such clause and Beijing suspended purchases of coal from the North -- for three weeks to December 31.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has told Japan that "negative" moves by Tokyo on major issues are preventing an improvement in bilateral ties, but there are now opportunities to improve China-Japan relations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida during a meeting in Germany that both countries should make efforts to bring bilateral ties back onto the right track. "There are now both opportunities and challenges for improving China-Japan relations," China's Foreign Ministry paraphrased Wang as saying in a statement late on Friday. "The continuous, negative moves made recently by Japan regarding major sensitive issues have caused disturbances to the improvement of bilateral ties," Wang added, without offering details. "Only when Japan honors its commitments and adopts a responsible attitude, thus preventing the occurrence of incidents damaging the political foundation of the China-Japan ties, can there be real improvement in relations." The two were meeting on the sidelines of a gathering of foreign ministers of the G20 top economies in the German city of Bonn. Ties between Asia's two largest economies have long been overshadowed by arguments over their painful wartime history and a territorial spat in the East China Sea over a group of uninhabited islands, among other issues. China this week expressed concern after Japan got continued U.S. backing for its dispute with Beijing the islands during a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry)
The Daily Beast

Doug Mills/The New York TimesFormer President Donald Trump mocked Ron DeSantis at his Saturday night rallycalling the Florida governor Ron DeSanctimonious.And hours later, Trump found himself in hot water with fellow conservatives who werent pleased that hed taken aim at the increasingly popular DeSantis.During his rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, while touting his poll numbers (from a month ago), Trump found an opening to take a swing at DeSantis, whos quickly turned into an unofficial 202
HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba said on Friday the United States had deported 117 migrants back to the island nation since ending its policy granting automatic residency to almost every Cuban who reached U.S. soil as part of the normalization of relations. Those deported included two people who were returned on Friday on the first flight chartered specifically for the deportation of Cuban migrants since the policy shift, Cuba's ruling Communist Party newspaper Granma wrote. The earlier deportees were taken back on commercial planes or boat. Former U.S. President Barack Obama repealed the special immigration policy for Cubans days before turning the White House over to Donald Trump. Cuban authorities had long sought its end, arguing that the promise of U.S. residency was fuelling people-trafficking and encouraging dangerous journeys. The move however dashed the hopes of many who had been hoping to fulfill their American Dream and left hundreds of Cubans seeking a new life stranded halfway on their journey. Since the policy shift, more than 680 Cuban "irregular migrants" have been deported in total from various countries, Granma wrote, including more than 400 from Mexico, 117 from the Bahamas and 39 from the Cayman Islands. (Reporting by Sarah Marsh and Nelson Acosta; Editing by Michael Perry)
A copy of the video posted to YouTube. (Video via YouTube)



Im so happy. Ive been waiting so long. I can breathe again, and talk. I feel amazing. Ive never felt so good. Those are the words uttered by a crying Trevor Sullivan as the 15-year-old was awakening from anesthesia following a successful heart transplant.

A video of the Nov. 13 event posted last week to Facebook by Trevors dad is going viral, ABC News reports. I really like the video, Trevor, of Detroit, Mich., tells ABC. It promotes organ donation and people can see the outcome of it."

Since the surgery, Trevor has been doing well, WDIV reports, and there havent been any indications that his body is rejecting the new heart. Trevor wasnt the only one feeling big emotions after the surgery. His mother, Kimberly, tells ABC, "It felt like it was better than the day he was born.

Trevors parents tell ABC that their son had been feeling sick for about a year. They thought a cold or allergies were to blame, but in February 2015, Trevor suffered sudden heart failure and was diagnosed with severe cardiomyopathy. The worst part, Trevor tells WDIV, It was hard to breathe. His heart was enlarged to the point that it was interfering with his lungs, FOX 6 reports.

Late one November night, after 8 months of Trevor being on the transplant list, the phone rang. They had a match; the transplant was scheduled for the next day. Trevors parents returned to his hospital room. He asked why. I said, I missed you, because I couldnt quite formulate the right words, Kimberly tells WDIV. Trevor then asked if there was a phone call. And I motioned for his nurses to come in and they said, 'Yup, there was.

By Luke Roney

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This article originally appeared on Newser: Dad Films Moment Dying Teen Realizes He Survived
A father who almost lost his baby daughter to a series of sicknesses including the uber-contagious respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has taken to social media to warn others about the dangers of not washing hands before handling little ones.

The Memphis-area father (whose name is not known) detailed his infant daughters scary saga Wednesday on Imgur, where his post with a note and two photos of the baby he calls a little fighter has gone viral. The child was admitted to the hospital for viral meningitis three weeks ago, he explained, before sharing that, Now she is fighting RSV. We almost lost her last Monday. Our local hospital told us if she got any worse there was nothing more they could do for her.

STORY: 5-Year-Olds Incredible Recovery After Doctors Told Family There Was No Hope

The dad continued to detail how, as soon as the family began to transfer the baby to another hospital, she flatlined and that they revived her and put her on a ventilator immediately. Diagnosed with a number of issues including RSV, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and a partially collapsed right lung the dad shared that needless to say, its been a rough week for my little one. But now I can gladly say that she is doing much better  She has beaten so many odds this past week and made me even more proud to call her my daughter.

STORY: When I Knew My Son Was Different

Photo: Imgur

And for other parents not well aware of RSV, the father offers a warning: RSV is no joke, he declared. I didnt know much about it until a week ago when it almost took my daughter from me. Please make sure to wash your hands before handling little ones. And make sure to wrap them up when heading outside into the cold. (The father did not respond to Yahoo Parentings request for comment.)

But what this baby is battling is a little more complicated, according to Austin, Texas, pediatrician Ari Brown. Being out in the cold doesnt cause RSV or pneumonia, the Baby 411 author tells Yahoo Parenting. A child could get hypothermia if shes outside in a onesie when its 20 degrees, but youre not going to get pneumonia or a cold from being outside or not bundled up in the cold.

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The warning to wash hands and cover children from others coughs to prevent contracting RSV, however, is an important message to heed, Brown says. Its a really rough virus, like the worst cold youve ever had, she explains of the illness, which is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (a lung infection) and pneumonia in children under 1. And though 97 percent of kids do fine with it and become happy wheezers, so to speak, with a cough for four to six weeks then they get over it, she says, for a small subset of kids, they can get really sick and need oxygen support.

Age partially makes the difference, Brown says, noting that prematurely born babies and infants under 3 months are typically at the greatest risk for developing significant problems with RSV. By age 2, in fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Almost all children will have had an RSV infection.

Its certainly hard to avoid, after all, because as the CDC reveals RSV can be spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes into the air and it can survive on hard surfaces for hours. RSV is not only spread through droplets, but through contact on surfaces like the grocery cart that your baby touches that another ill child was coughing on an hour earlier, elaborates Brown. So we definitely encourage really good hygiene especially this time of year  but could somebody die if you dont wash hands? Technically, yes, though very few do.

Top photo: Imgur

Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com.


Bret Stephens delivered the Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture this week at the University of California, Los Angeles. Read the full text of his remarks below:

Im profoundly honored to have this opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Danny Pearl, my colleague at The Wall Street Journal.

My topic this evening is intellectual integrity in the age of Donald Trump. I suspect this is a theme that would have resonated with Danny.

When you work at The Wall Street Journal, the coins of the realm are truth and trust  the latter flowing exclusively from the former. When you read a story in the Journal, you do so with the assurance that immense reportorial and editorial effort has been expended to ensure that what you read is factual.

Not probably factual. Not partially factual. Not alternatively factual. I mean fundamentally, comprehensively and exclusively factual. And therefore trustworthy.

This is how we operate. This is how Danny operated. This is how he died, losing his life in an effort to nail down a story.

In the 15 years since Dannys death, the list of murdered journalists has grown long.

Paul Klebnikov and Anna Politkovskaya in Russia.

Zahra Kazemi and Sattar Behesti in Iran.

Jim Foley and Steve Sotloff in Syria.

Five journalists in Turkey. Twenty-six in Mexico. More than 100 in Iraq.

When we honor Danny, we honor them, too.

We do more than that.

We honor the central idea of journalism  the conviction, as my old boss Peter Kann once said, that facts are facts; that they are ascertainable through honest, open-minded and diligent reporting; that truth is attainable by laying fact upon fact, much like the construction of a cathedral; and that truth is not merely in the eye of the beholder.

And we honor the responsibility to separate truth from falsehood, which is never more important than when powerful people insist that falsehoods are truths, or that there is no such thing as truth to begin with.

So thats the business were in: the business of journalism. Or, as the 45th president of the United States likes to call us, the disgusting and corrupt media.

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Some of you may have noticed that were living through a period in which the executive branch of government is engaged in a systematic effort to create a climate of opinion against the news business.

The President routinely describes reporting he dislikes as FAKE NEWS. The Administration calls the press the opposition party, ridicules news organizations it doesnt like as business failures, and calls for journalists to be fired. Mr. Trump has called for rewriting libel laws in order to more easily sue the press.

This isnt unprecedented in U.S. history, though you might have to go back to the Administration of John Adams to see something quite like it. And so far the rhetorical salvos havent been matched by legal or regulatory action. Maybe they never will be.

But the question of what Mr. Trump might yet do by political methods against the media matters a great deal less than what he is attempting to do by ideological and philosophical methods.

Ideologically, the president is trying to depose so-called mainstream media in favor of the media he likes  Breitbart News and the rest. Another way of making this point is to say that hes trying to substitute news for propaganda, information for boosterism.

His objection to, say, the New York Times, isnt that theres a liberal bias in the paper that gets in the way of its objectivity, which I think would be a fair criticism. His objection is to objectivity itself. Hes perfectly happy for the media to be disgusting and corrupt  so long as its on his side.

But again, thats not all the president is doing.

Consider this recent exchange he had with Bill OReilly. OReilly asks:

Is there any validity to the criticism of you that you say things that you cant back up factually, and as the President you say there are three million illegal aliens who voted and you dont have the data to back that up, some people are going to say that its irresponsible for the President to say that.

To which the president replies:

Many people have come out and said Im right.

Now many people also say Jim Morrison faked his own death. Many people say Barack Obama was born in Kenya. Many people say is whats known as an argumentum ad populum. If we were a nation of logicians, we would dismiss the argument as dumb.

We are not a nation of logicians.

I think its important not to dismiss the presidents reply simply as dumb. We ought to assume that its darkly brilliant  if not in intention than certainly in effect. The president is responding to a claim of fact not by denying the fact, but by denying the claim that facts are supposed to have on an argument.

He isnt telling OReilly that hes got his facts wrong. Hes saying that, as far as he is concerned, facts, as most people understand the term, dont matter: That they are indistinguishable from, and interchangeable with, opinion; and that statements of fact neednt have any purchase against a man who is either sufficiently powerful to ignore them or sufficiently shameless to deny them  or, in his case, both.

If some of you in this room are students of political philosophy, you know where this argument originates. This is a version of Thrasymachuss argument in Platos Republic that justice is the advantage of the stronger and that injustice if it is on a large enough scale, is stronger, freer, and more masterly than justice.

Substitute the words truth and falsehood for justice and injustice, and there you have the Trumpian view of the world. If I had to sum it up in a single sentence, it would be this: Truth is what you can get away with.

If you can sell condos by claiming your building is 90% occupied when its only 20% occupied, well, thenits 90% occupied. If you can convince a sufficient number of people that you really did win the popular vote, or that your inauguration crowds were the biggestwell then, what do the statistical data and aerial photographs matter?

Now, we could have some interesting conversations about why this is happeningand why it seems to be happening all of a sudden.

Today we have dis-intermediating technologies such as Twitter, which have cut out the media as the middleman between politicians and the public. Today, just 17% of adults aged 18-24 read a newspaper daily, down from 42% at the turn of the century. Today there are fewer than 33,000 full-time newsroom employees, a drop from 55,000 just 20 years ago.

When Trump attacks the news media, hes kicking a wounded animal.

But the most interesting conversation is not about why Donald Trump lies. Many public figures lie, and hes only a severe example of a common type.

The interesting conversation concerns how we come to accept those lies.

Nearly 25 years ago, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the great scholar and Democratic Senator from New York, coined the phrase, defining deviancy down. His topic at the time was crime, and how American society had come to accept ever-increasing rates of violent crime as normal.

We have been re-defining deviancy so as to exempt much conduct previously stigmatized, and also quietly raising the normal level in categories where behavior is now abnormal by any earlier standard, Moynihan wrote.

You can point to all sorts of ways in which this redefinition of deviancy has also been the story of our politics over the past 30 years, a story with a fully bipartisan set of villains.

I personally think we crossed a rubicon in the Clinton years, when three things happened: we decided that some types of presidential lies didnt matter; we concluded that character was an over-rated consideration when it came to judging a president; and we allowed the lines between political culture and celebrity culture to become hopelessly blurred.

But whatever else one might say about President Clinton, what we have now is the crack-cocaine version of that.

If a public figure tells a whopping lie once in his life, itll haunt him into his grave. If he lies morning, noon and night, it will become almost impossible to remember any one particular lie. Outrage will fall victim to its own ubiquity. Its the same truth contained in Stalins famous remark that the death of one man is a tragedy but the death of a million is a statistic.

One of the most interesting phenomena during the presidential campaign was waiting for Trump to say that one thing that would surely break the back of his candidacy.

Would it be his slander against Mexican immigrants? Or his slur about John McCains record as a POW? Or his lie about New Jersey Muslims celebrating 9/11? Or his attacks on Megyn Kelly, on a disabled New York Times reporter, on a Mexican-American judge? Would it be him tweeting quotations from Benito Mussolini, or his sly overtures to David Duke and the alt-right? Would it be his unwavering praise of Vladimir Putin? Would it be his refusal to release his tax returns, or the sham that seems to been perpetrated on the saps who signed up for his Trump U courses? Would it be the tape of him with Billy Bush?

None of this made the slightest difference. On the contrary, it helped him. Some people became desensitized by the never-ending assaults on what was once quaintly known as human decency. Others seemed to positively admire the comments as refreshing examples of personal authenticity and political incorrectness.

Shameless rhetoric will always find a receptive audience with shameless people. Donald Trumps was the greatest political strip-tease act in U.S. political history: the dirtier he got, the more skin he showed, the more his core supporters liked it.

Abraham Lincoln, in his first inaugural address, called on Americans to summon the better angels of our nature. Donald Trumps candidacy, and so far his presidency, has been Lincolns exhortation in reverse.

Heres a simple truth about a politics of dishonesty, insult and scandal: Its entertaining. Politics as weve had it for most of my life has, with just a few exceptions, been distant and dull.

Now its all we can talk about. If you like Trump, his presence in the White House is a daily extravaganza of sticking it to pompous elites and querulous reporters. If you hate Trump, you wake up every day with some fresh outrage to turn over in your head and text your friends about.

Whichever way, its exhilarating. Havent all of us noticed that everything feels speeded up, more vivid, more intense and consequential? One of the benefits of an alternative-facts administration is that fiction can take you anywhere.

Earlier today, at his press conference, the president claimed his administration is running like a fine-tuned machine. In actual fact, he just lost his Labor Secretary nominee, his National Security Adviser was forced out in disgrace, and the Intelligence Community is refusing to fully brief the president for fear he might compromise sources and methods.

But who cares? Since when in Washington has there been a presidential press conference like that? Since when has the denial of reality been taken to such a bald-faced extreme?

At some point, it becomes increasingly easy for people to mistake the reality of the performance for reality itself. If Trump can get through a press conference like that without showing a hint of embarrassment, remorse or misgivingwell, then, that becomes a new basis on which the president can now be judged.

To tell a lie is wrong. But to tell a lie with brass takes skill. Ultimately, Trumps press conference will be judged not on some kind of Olympic point system, but on whether he wonwhich is to say, whether he brazened his way through it. And the answer to that is almost certainly yes.

So far, Ive offered you three ideas about how it is that we have come to accept the presidents behavior.

The first is that we normalize it, simply by becoming inured to constant repetition of the same bad behavior.

The second is that at some level it excites and entertains us. By putting aside our usual moral filtersthe ones that tell us that truth matters, that upright conduct matters, that things ought to be done in a certain waywe have been given tickets to a spectacle, in which all you want to do is watch.

And the third is that we adopt new metrics of judgment, in which politics becomes more about perceptions than performanceof how a given action is perceived as being perceived. If a reporter for the New York Times says that Trumps press conference probably plays well in Peoria, then that increases the chances that it will play well in Peoria.

Let me add a fourth point here: our tendency to rationalize.

One of the more fascinating aspects of last years presidential campaign was the rise of a class of pundits I call the TrumpXplainers. For instance, Trump would give a speech or offer an answer in a debate that amounted to little more than a word jumble.

But rather than quote Trump, or point out that what he had said was grammatically and logically nonsensical, the TrumpXplainers would tell us what he had allegedly meant to say. They became our political semioticians, ascribing pattern and meaning to the rune-stones of Trumps mind.

If Trump said hed get Mexico to pay for his wall, you could count on someone to provide a complex tariff scheme to make good on the promise. If Trump said that we should not have gone into Iraq but that, once there, we should have taken the oil, wed have a similarly high-flown explanation as to how we could engineer this theft.

A year ago, when he was trying to explain his idea of a foreign policy to the New York Timess David Sanger, the reporter asked him whether it didnt amount to a kind of America First policya reference to the isolationist and anti-Semitic America First Committee that tried to prevent U.S. entry into World War II. Trump clearly had never heard of the group, but he liked the phrase and made it his own. And thats how we got the return of America First.

More recently, I came across this headline in the conservative Washington Times: How Trumps disarray may be merely a strategy, by Wesley Pruden, the papers former editor-in-chief. In his view, the presidents first disastrous month in office is, in fact, evidence of a refreshing openness to dissent, reminiscent of Washington and Lincolns cabinet of rivals. Sure.

Overall, the process is one in which explanation becomes rationalization, which in turn becomes justification. Trump says X. What he really means is Y. And while you might not like it, hes giving voice to the angers and anxieties of Z. Who, by the way, youre not allowed to question or criticize, because anxiety and anger are their own justifications these days.

Watching this process unfold has been particularly painful for me as a conservative columnist. I find myself in the awkward position of having recently become popular among some of my liberal peersprecisely because I havent changed my opinions about anything.

By contrast, Ive become suddenly unpopular among some of my former fans on the rightagain, because Ive stuck to my views. It is almost amusing to be accused of suffering from something called Trump Derangement Syndrome simply because I feel an obligation to raise my voice against, say, the president suggesting a moral equivalency between the U.S. and Vladimir Putins Russia.

The most painful aspect of this has been to watch people I previously considered thoughtful and principled conservatives give themselves over to a species of illiberal politics from which I once thought they were immune.

In his 1953 masterpiece, The Captive Mind, the Polish poet and dissident Czeslaw Milosz analyzed the psychological and intellectual pathways through which some of his former colleagues in Polands post-war Communist regime allowed themselves to be converted into ardent Stalinists. In none of the cases that Milosz analyzed was coercion the main reason for the conversion.

They wanted to believe. They were willing to adapt. They thought they could do more good from the inside. They convinced themselves that their former principles didnt fit with the march of history, or that to hold fast to ones beliefs was a sign of priggishness and pig-headedness. They felt that to reject the new order of things was to relegate themselves to irrelevance and oblivion. They mocked their former friends who refused to join the new order as morally vain reactionaries. They convinced themselves that, brutal and capricious as Stalinism might be, it couldnt possibly be worse than the exploitative capitalism of the West.

I fear we are witnessing a similar process unfold among many conservative intellectuals on the right. It has been stunning to watch a movement that once believed in the benefits of free trade and free enterprise merrily give itself over to a champion of protectionism whose economic instincts recall the corporatism of 1930s Italy or 1950s Argentina. It is no less stunning to watch people once mocked Obama for being too soft on Russia suddenly discover the virtues of Trumps pragmatism on the subject.

And it is nothing short of amazing to watch the party of onetime moral majoritarians, who spent a decade fulminating about Bill Clintons sexual habits, suddenly find complete comfort with the idea that character and temperament are irrelevant qualifications for high office.

The mental pathways by which the new Trumpian conservatives have made their peace with their new political master arent so different from Miloszs former colleagues.

Theres the same desperate desire for political influence; the same belief that Trump represents a historical force to which they ought to belong; the same willingness to bend or discard principles they once considered sacred; the same fear of seeming out-of-touch with the mood of the public; the same tendency to look the other way at comments or actions that they cannot possibly justify; the same belief that you do more good by joining than by opposing; the same Manichean belief that, if Hillary Clinton had been elected, the United States would have all-but ended as a country.

This is supposed to be the road of pragmatism, of turning lemons into lemonade. I would counter that its the road of ignominy, of hitching a ride with a drunk driver.

So, then, to the subject that bring me here today: Maintaining intellectual integrity in the age of Trump.

When Judea wrote me last summer to ask if Id be this years speaker, I got my copy of Dannys collected writings, At Home in the World, and began to read him all over again. It brought back to me the fact that, the reason we honor Dannys memory isnt that hes a martyred journalist. Its that he was a great journalist.

Let me show you what I mean. Heres something Danny wrote in February 2001, almost exactly a year before his death, from the site of an earthquake disaster in the Indian town of Anjar.

What is Indias earthquake zone really like? It smells. It reeks. You cant imagine the odor of several hundred bodies decaying for five days as search teams pick away at slabs of crumbled buildings in this town. Even if youve never smelled it before, the brain knows what it is, and orders you to get away. After a day, the nose gets stuffed up in self-defense. But the brain has registered the scent, and picks it up in innocent places: lip balm, sweet candy, stale breath, an airplane seat.

What stands out for me in this passage is that it shows that Danny was a writer who observed with all his senses. He saw. He listened. He smelled. He bore down. He reflected. He understood that what the reader had to know about Anjar wasnt a collection of statistics; it was the visceral reality of a massive human tragedy. And he was able to express all this in language that was compact, unadorned, compelling and deeply true.

George Orwell wrote, To see what is in front of ones nose needs a constant struggle. Danny saw what was in front of his nose.

We each have our obligations to see whats in front of ones nose, whether were reporters, columnists, or anything else. This is the essence of intellectual integrity.

Not to look around, or beyond, or away from the facts, but to look straight at them, to recognize and call them for what they are, nothing more or less. To see things as they are before we re-interpret them into what wed like them to be. To believe in an epistemology that can distinguish between truth and falsity, facts and opinions, evidence and wishes. To defend habits of mind and institutions of society, above all a free press, which preserve that epistemology. To hold fast to a set of intellectual standards and moral convictions that wont waver amid changes of political fashion or tides of unfavorable opinion. To speak the truth irrespective of what it means for our popularity or influence.

The legacy of Danny Pearl is that he died for this. We are being asked to do much less. We have no excuse not to do it.

Thank you.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Dubai police have summoned a Russian model who posed for a video while dangling from a skyscraper to sign a pledge not to put her life in danger again, a local newspaper reported on Saturday. A video of the model, identified by local media as 23-year-old Viktoria Odintcova, went viral after she posted it on her Instagram account earlier in the week. It shows her stepping off a girder at the top of Dubai's 73-storey Cayan Tower and dangling in the void, held only by a man gripping her hand. Major-General Khalil Ibrahim al-Mansouri, an assistant to the chief of police in Dubai, was quoted by the Arabic-language al-Ittihad newspaper as saying that Odintcova "had been summoned to sign an undertaking not to repeat any dangerous moves that could endanger her life in Dubai." "What the young Russian woman had done represents a danger to her life," the newspaper quoted Mansouri as saying. He said it was important for residents in the Gulf Arab city to avoid practicing dangerous hobbies without taking necessary precautions or obtaining prior permission from authorities, the newspaper said. The video registered more than half a million viewings after it was posted on Odintcova's Instagram account. (Reporting by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Adrian Croft)
Ecuador will elect a new president for the first time in more than a decade Sunday when Ecuadoreans, as obligated by law, go to the polls to decide who will replace three-term President Rafael Correa. But it is an election that could have wide-ranging consequences beyond Ecuador: from determining whether the shift to the right in South American politics will continue to potentially deciding the fate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

When he was first elected in 2006, Correa joined an established cadre of leftwing leaders across Latin America, including Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Nestor and later Cristina Kirchner in Argentina and Fidel Castro in Cuba. But through elections, death and impeachment, the tide has been rolled back in recent years.

And now Correa, having successfully scrapped term limits but not until after the upcoming election, must stand aside, too. The leading candidate to replace him is his former vice-president, Lenin Moreno, who as his name suggests would continue the leftist policies of his predecessor, although a more moderate version.

If he wins, Moreno would become the first paraplegic head of state having been confined to a wheelchair since being shot in a botched 1998 robbery. Opinion polls have given him a solid lead since his candidacy was announced last October, but the advantage has been slipping in recent weeks.

The 63-year-old, of the ruling Alianza Pais coalition, has been compromised by a corruption scandal involving his running mate and the current vice-president to Correa, Jorge Glas. Already linked to an investigation into money laundering and bribery at the state-run Petroecuador oil company, earlier this month a video leaked of a lie-detector test taken by a former Petroleum Minister, in which he accused Glas of having knowledge of the corruption.

Lenin Moreno

Photo: Reuters

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Latest polls showed Moreno having around a 10-point edge on nearest challenger, Guillermo Lasso of the right-wing Creo-Suma alliance. Like Mauricio Macri, who became president of Argentina in December 2015 to bring an end to 12 years of Kirchnerism, Lasso is a businessman who has vowed to lower taxes.

He also said in an interview with The Guardian earlier this month that, if elected, he would ask Assange to leave Ecuadors London embassy within 30 days. The WikiLeaks founder has been residing in the embassy since seeking asylum in 2012 over fears he would be extradited to the United States.

Theres no doubt that Ecuador is the next country where the bells of liberty will ring again in Latin America, Lasso told the Guardian. People are tired of totalitarian regimes that have turned their governments into dictatorships.

The stage could well be set for a run-off between the two. To win outright in the first round, a candidate would need to garner a majority of votes cast, or get at least 40 percent and a 10-point lead over their nearest rival. Moreno is currently polling at around 32 percent.

The other candidates are Cynthia Viteri, a former lawyer and congresswoman from the conservative Social Christian Party, and 76-year-old former Quito Mayor Paco Moncayo. However, if there is a run-off between Moreno and Lasso, it is widely believed that the opposition will convene into an anti-Moreno coalition, putting Correas legacy in severe jeopardy.

Correa succeeded in lowering the poverty rate in the country from almost 40 percent to less than 23 percent in 2016. However, although not as severely as Venezuela, Ecuador has been hit hard by the declining price of its number one export, oil. The economy shrank by two percent last year, with the International Monetary Fund forecasting a similar downturn in 2017.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Watchdog groups that keep tabs on digital privacy rights are concerned that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents are searching the phones and other digital devices of international travelers at border checkpoints in U.S. airports.

The issue gained attention recently after at least three travelers, including a Canadian journalist, spoke out publicly about their experiences.

The episodes have gained notice amid an outcry over President Donald Trump's travel ban and complaints of mistreatment of foreign travelers, but the government insists there has been no policy change in the new administration.

The Border Patrol says searches increased fivefold in the final fiscal year of the Obama presidency, but still amounted to less than one-hundredth of 1 percent of all international arrivals.

Here are some things to know about the searches and your privacy rights.

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WHAT HAS PROMPTED THE CONCERN?

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation both say they have noticed an uptick in complaints about searches of digital devices by border agents.

The increase has become most noticeable in the last month, said Adam Schwartz, a senior staff lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

"We are concerned that a bad practice that has existed under past presidents has gotten worse in quantity under the new president," Schwartz said.

The government says nothing has changed. Customs officials also say the perceived shift can be attributed to a jump in the number of electronic devices that people are carrying with them and shifting tactics as the agency adjusts to the amount and types of information that can be stored on today's devices.

___

WHAT SEARCH AUTHORITY DOES THE BORDER PATROL HAVE?

Americans have protection under the Fourth Amendment from unreasonable search and seizure.

A police officer, for example, must obtain a warrant from a judge before searching a suspect's phone.

But the U.S. border is a legal gray zone. Border agents have long had the right to search travelers' physical luggage without a warrant, and that interpretation has been expanded to include digital devices, ACLU staff attorney Nathan Freed Wessler said.

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In 2013, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that if agents want to do a forensic search they need to have a reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing, he said. But the court stopped short of requiring agents to obtain a search warrant beforehand, he said.

And an agent can flip through a phone in a cursory search for any reason.

The law has not kept up with the "incredible volume of personal data that we have in our pockets now"  and that creates tremendous constitutional questions, said Wessler.

"In some ways, a search of your phone is more invasive than a search of your house," he said.

A case currently headed to another appeals court could further clarify the law, said Schwartz.

___

WHAT DOES THE BORDER PATROL SAY?

Numbers provided by the Border Patrol show a fivefold increase in electronic media searches in the 2016 fiscal year ending on Sept. 30 over the previous fiscal year.

In 2016, under the Obama administration, there were 23,877 electronic media searches. That comes to .0061 percent of total arrivals into the U.S. In fiscal year 2015, there were 4,764 electronic media searches.

A senior CBP official briefed reporters on the issue Friday, but the agency insisted the official not be identified.

"We see it as an article that is brought into the U.S., no different than a booklet of materials, no different than a suitcase with items in it," the official said.

"We've uncovered very serious and significant information in these types of searches, everything from national security concerns to child pornography to evidence of crimes to determinations of people's admissibility status under the immigration laws."

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HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOUR DIGITAL PRIVACY WHILE TRAVELING?

Privacy advocates say travelers who are concerned should leave their phones and laptops at home and buy a cheap phone once they arrive at their destination.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is also advising its members to do the same.

Those who can't leave their devices behind should encrypt them and close out of all social media applications so they aren't accessible without a password, said Schwartz.

But those steps won't matter much if a border agent asks a traveler to unlock the phone or provide a password, said Scwhartz.

And travelers should also be aware of the rules in other countries. Israel authorities can check mobile phones at the airport, for example.

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WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU REFUSE?

The Border Patrol can't bar a U.S. citizen from entry if they refuse to comply, but agents can make things difficult.

Travelers who don't unlock their phones could be questioned, detained temporarily and have their phones taken by agents for days.

Travelers who are not U.S. citizens can be denied entry.

Hasaim Elsharkawi, a self-employed businessman from Anaheim, California, told the AP that he was stopped by agents in Los Angeles last week as he was boarding a plane to Saudi Arabia to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. They asked him to unlock his phone without telling him why.

Elsharkawi, a Muslim, said he refused because he didn't want the male agents to see photos of his wife with her head uncovered.

When he asked for a lawyer, the agents detained him, handcuffed him and interrogated him for four hours before he agreed to unlock the device for a female agent, he said. He was then released and his phone was returned after the female Homeland Security officer checked his email, photos and eBay and Amazon accounts.

Elsharkawi, 34, was born in Saudi Arabia to Egyptian parents. He came to the U.S. in 2004 and became a U.S. citizen in 2012.

"I was already nervous before and after what has happened ... I don't know what to expect next," he said.

___

Associated Press Writers Kevin Freking in Washington, D.C. and Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Israel contributed to this report.
Los Angeles (AFP) - A female voice crackles over the radio, begging for rescue from a crowded migrant boat sinking into the Mediterranean as the coastguard barks over and over: "What is your position?"

Like much of Italian master Gianfranco Rosi's cinematic, Oscar-nominated documentary "Fire at Sea," this opening scene plays out like a narrative thriller, except the lives in danger are real.

"I wanted to reverse the question. We should be asking ourselves, 'What is my position about this tragedy?' We can no longer be the silent majority," Rosi told AFP in Los Angeles ahead of next week's awards.

As Europe grapples with its biggest migrant influx since World War II, Rosi's harrowing film offers an unflinching look at life on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Thousands of asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East have arrived in Italian waters trying to reach the European Union over the last two decades.

Many others -- some 4,000 last year -- have perished on the dangerous journey in rickety, overcrowded boats.

Eritrean-born Rosi has toured the world with the film, which competes for the best documentary Oscar with American entrants "I am Not Your Negro," "13th," "Life, Animated" and the favorite, "O.J.: Made in America."

One of the most decorated documentary filmmakers in the business, Rosi, who is in his early 50s, won the top prize from a jury led by Meryl Streep at the Berlin Film Festival last year.

His star was already on the ascendant after he took home the Venice Film Festival's 2013 Golden Lion for "Sacro GRA," which looks into everyday life off a Rome ring road.

- Horror -

Rosi spent a year living on Lampedusa, just another tiny island barely meriting its inclusion on the map, he thought when he started filming in 2014 -- before millions began heading into Europe across the Balkans.

"I realized only in Berlin how the movie became political and I could feel politics breathing into the frame," Rosi said.

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"Before, Lampedusa was just Italy. Now it's a universal problem, a metaphor, almost."

The picture is told through the eyes of a 12-year-old local boy, Samuele Pucillo, and a doctor, Pietro Bartolo, who has been tending to the dehydrated, malnourished and traumatized arrivals for a quarter-century.

"How do you get used to seeing pregnant women, dead children?" Bartolo laments, admitting that the horror has infected his dreams.

Rosi accompanied coastguard rescue missions answering the terrified SOS calls of people on boats, most of them arriving from Libya. Many of the vessels are packed with corpses of people who suffocated from diesel fumes.

Rosi said the film's nomination for a best documentary Oscar was an opportunity to "carry the call for help from Lampedusa... to Hollywood."

The US spotlight on the movie comes with the refugee crisis a hot-button public policy issue following President Donald Trump's elevation to the White House.

The Republican leader stood on an anti-immigration ticket, vowing to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico. In one of his first acts in office, Trump issued an order banning travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, though it's since been withdrawn after hitting legal objections.

"This is a tragic moment here as well. America was always the land of freedom, the land of immigrants. What happens when it turns its back on history to build barriers?" Rosi asks.

- 'It is a cemetery' -

"There is a symmetry with the migrants of the California desert, it is a cemetery," Rosi said, reflecting on the US version of the Mediterranean crisis -- migrants dying in the desert as they attempt to get in from Mexico.

Rosi's filmmaking style sets "Fire at Sea" apart from more traditional documentaries, dispensing with the usual tropes of interviews to camera, on-screen text and a narrator.

Rosi says that when he is behind the camera he is looking for moments of truth that show more than a long monologue could ever say, drawing on poetic language to create an "emotional connection with reality."

"I like to close the door of information and interact more with emotion with the audience... beyond any number, there is a person, some eyes looking at you," he says.

Rosi lived through his own migrant crisis at age 13, evacuated by Italian soldiers from his east African homeland without his parents during the Eritrean War of Independence against Ethiopian troops.

He does not consider himself a refugee, he says, but felt a strong connection to Africa as he was on a boat filming "Fire at Sea" as people around him were dying.

"People tell refugees, 'Why do you confront the sea?' and 'You might die.' Once a person answered me: 'Might? Might for us is hope. If we stay in Libya we will die, if we cross we only might die.'"
By Erwin Seba

(Reuters) - An explosion and fire at an oil refinery in Torrance, California, on Saturday forced the partial shutdown of the plant, leading oil traders to expect a spike this week in West Coast gasoline prices.

Police and the plant owner said no one was hurt in the fire, which was extinguished by local firefighters.

Two years ago, a fire at the same plant led to its closure for several months and a sustained increase in West Coast gasoline prices for more than a year. After the fire on Saturday, a group of local residents worried about pollution and accidents protested at the refinery. The event had been planned to mark the anniversary of the Feb. 18, 2015 incident.

Catherine Leys, one of the protesters, lives 1.4 miles from the plant and said industrial ash drifted down on the playground near her home after the 2015 blast.

The plant supplies 10 percent of California's gasoline. Traders said they expected local gasoline prices to jump this week.

I expect prices will be firming on Tuesday, maybe 5 cents or 15 cents a gallon," a West Coast refined products trader said. He was talking about wholesale gasoline prices in the Los Angeles market. In California, pump prices normally follow wholesale price movements within hours.

PBF Energy owns and operates the refinery in the city of Torrance, just outside Los Angeles. PBF purchased it from Exxon Mobil Corp in 2016.

PBF shuttered the plant's crude distillation unit after the pre-dawn blaze, energy industry intelligence service Genscape reported.

The unit refines 155,000 barrels of oil per day, turning it into gasoline and diesel among other products.

PBF told state regulators it was forced to use its safety flare system on an emergency basis after the incident.

The crude distillation unit, which produces motor fuel, is the workhorse of the refinery. Within 24 hours of the Feb. 18, 2015 explosion, wholesale gasoline prices initially jumped 10 cents a gallon.

A RAND study found drivers ultimately paid an extra $2.4 billion for gasoline because of the 2015 Torrance refinery outage.

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The Torrance refinery had at least two outages in 2016 after a power outage at a local utility knocked the facility offline. In October, PBF received a violation notice from the California's air regulator for excessive flaring following one of the outages.

California gasoline prices are frequently among the highest in the United States. Only Hawaii residents pay more.

California requires cleaner-burning fuel than most other U.S. states do. The state is geographically isolated with no pipeline connections to major refining centers on the Gulf Coast and Midwest, leaving the market tightly balanced between what West Coast refineries can produce and what can be shipped in.

(Reporting by Frank McGurty in New York and Patrick Rucker in Washington; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and David Gregorio)
TOKYO (Reuters) - Former North Korean spy Kim Hyon-hui said the alleged assassins of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared to be amateurs, the Mainichi newspaper reported on Saturday. Kim Jong Nam, the older half-brother of Kim Jong Un, was killed in an apparent assassination on Monday at Kuala Lumpur international airport in the Malaysian capital. Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder, after detaining two female suspects earlier this week. Kim Hyon-hui, who bombed a Korean Air jet in 1987 after being trained as a North Korean agent, told the Japanese newspaper in a written interview that it was unthinkable that the women received strict training. "I felt suspicious. They don't seem to have taken strict psychological and physical education and training in North Korea," Kim Hyon-hui told the paper. According to Malaysian media reports, the women told police they had been involved in a prank. "They would not have run away if that was the case," Kim Hyon-hui said. She also emphasized a link with North Korea as the date of the murder was close to the Feb. 16 birthday of the late leader Kim Jong Il, father of Kim Jong Un and Kim Jong Nam, and that Kim Jong Il's nephew Lee Han-young was shot dead on Feb. 15, 1997. Lee Han-young, a North Korean defector, was shot and killed in South Korea by two assailants who were never caught but were suspected to be North Korean agents. Kim Hyon-hui and another North Korean spy planted a bomb on a Korean Air flight in 1987, the year before South Korea was to host the Olympics. All 115 crew and passengers were killed when the plane exploded in mid-air over the Bay of Bengal. Kim was sentenced to death by a Seoul court but received a presidential pardon in 1990. She won sympathy as someone whom the reclusive North had used as a pawn, but largely dropped out of the public eye after leaving prison. (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Michael Perry)
Bakau (Gambia) (AFP) - Thousands celebrated Saturday as new Gambian President Adama Barrow retook his oath of office, a month after he was sworn in across the border in neighbouring Senegal during a tense power struggle.

February 18 is also the anniversary of The Gambia's independence from Britain, but many are also calling the day the birth of a third republic following the ousting of Yahya Jammeh at the ballot box.

The festivities began Saturday morning at Independence Stadium in Bakau, west of the capital, and were attended by several African heads of state as well as high-ranking diplomats.

The guest of honour was Senegalese President Macky Sall. Tens of thousands packed the venue, singing and dancing, an AFP correspondent said.

Barrow told the crowd he would probe human rights abuses under Jammeh's mercurial and despotic rule spanning 22 years.

"A Human Rights Commission will be established without delay," to track people who were missing of had disappeared after being arrested, Barrow said.

"Orders have already been given for all those detained without trial to be released," he added.

Jubilant supporters said it was the start of a new era.

- Symbolic pigeons -

"This event we are celebrating today is the rebirth of democracy and the rule of law in the Gambia," said Sainey Marenah, a journalist who returned home from Senegal where he spent four years in exile.

Crowds of hundreds began to gather as early as 3:00 am.

"I spent the night here at the stadium. This is to ensure that I can have a smooth passage inside", said Isatou Dibba, a Barrow supporter.

Barrow retook the oath of office he first made at the Gambian embassy in Senegal, whose territory almost entirely surrounds The Gambia and whose president is seen as Barrow's closest ally.

Later 52 pigeons will be released, representing each year of independence from Britain.

The swearing-in ceremony on January 19 was held at a fraught time for the tiny west African nation, as Jammeh was refusing to step aside and acknowledge the result of the election Barrow won several weeks earlier.

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Senegal spearheaded efforts to deploy west African troops in The Gambia after Jammeh's departure, in order to secure a country whose military forces were riven with factions still loyal to the ex-leader.

Around 500 Senegalese, Ghanaian and Nigerian soldiers remain in the country and were helping provide security for the celebrations on Saturday.

Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who pushed for mediation efforts with Jammeh during his last days in office, and another key mediator -- Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz -- attended the ceremony.
MUNICH (Reuters) - The United States on Saturday redoubled its longstanding demand that Germany and other European countries spend more on defence, saying their failure to meet NATO's 2 percent military spending target was eroding the foundation of the Atlantic alliance. "When even one ally fails to do their part, it undermines all of our ability to come to each others aid," U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told the Munich Security Conference, even as he assured NATO allies of Washington's unwavering support. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Germany remained committed to reaching the NATO target, but that it would be hard to boost its defence budget quickly by the 25 billion euros ($26.5 billion) that would be required. Germany now spends about 1.2 percent of gross domestic product on the military. He called for a broader approach that also addressed security risks such as climate change, and said Germany should get credit for the 30 to 40 billion euros it is spending to integrate over a million refugees, many of whom were displaced as a result of failed military interventions of the past. "We are taking these people in and integrating them and preventing them going to other parts of the world as 'freedom fighters'," Gabriel said. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the conference that Europe needed to better integrate its fragmented defence industry, but that this remained a political challenge for countries seeking to protect their own industries and jobs. EU Industry Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska told a closed-door session that "we must progressively build a defence union in Europe, according to one of those present. EU militaries operate 19 types of armoured infantry fighting vehicles, compared with one in the United States, while 25 billion euros of defence spending are wasted every year, according to European Commission data. Gabriel also questioned the wisdom of pegging the NATO military spending target to gross domestic product, noting that Greece met the goal, but was having trouble paying its pensions. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told the conference that it was important to focus increased spending on equipment needs, rather than military pensions. "The question is not funding NATO or changing budgets, but how Europe can ... improve its deployability without creating a European army," he said. ($1 = 0.9424 euros) (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
MUNICH (AP)  German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told an audience including U.S. Vice President Mike Pence that she supports a "free, independent press" and that Germany has good experience with mutual respect between the government and the media.

Merkel was asked Saturday at the Munich Security Conference whether she doubts the quality of American newspaper reporting on domestic politics. The question came after President Donald Trump tweeted that "The FAKE NEWS media ... is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!"

Merkel, who didn't refer to Trump in her reply, said she largely reads German newspapers but "apart from that, I advocate a free, independent press and have high respect for journalists."

She added: "We have always had very good experience, at least in Germany, with mutual respect."
MUNICH (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday she would like to discuss cyber attacks and fake news with Russia, but it was questionable whether the problem of fake news could be successfully addressed before European elections this year. "We know that Russia communicates very openly that it views hybrid warfare as a form of defense," Merkel told the Munich Security Conference when asked about the issue of fake news. "If I could wish for one thing, it would certainly be very good to get this topic, for example, on the agenda in the framework of NATO-Russia talks." (Reporting By Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Andrea Shalal)
(Reuters) - California was bracing on Saturday for another wave of torrential rain as well as heavy snow as a massive storm triggered flooding, mudslides and power outages and killed two people, officials said. The National Weather Service warned that rain totals could reach 10 inches (25 cm) in parts of southern California and 2 feet (60 cm) of snow in higher areas to the east as the storm continues to roll through the region. The severe storm has brought California its heaviest rainfall in six years and comes after months of wet weather that has dramatically eased a years-long drought in the key agricultural state. The rain and melting snowpack also are threatening to undermine a spillway at one of the largest dams in the country. Some 188,000 residents were evacuated from the area earlier this week. Utility crews were working to restore electricity to more than 78,000 customers affected by power outages throughout the Los Angeles area. Early on Saturday, an evacuation order remained in effect for 180 homes in Duarte, a city about 20 miles (32 km) east of Los Angeles, because of fears of mudslides. One man died after he was electrocuted by a downed wire, the Los Angeles Fire Department said, adding that it had responded to 150 reports of downed wires on Friday. Another person was found dead in a submerged vehicle in Victorville, about 100 miles east of Los Angeles, fire officials said on Twitter. A woman was injured when the car she was in fell into a 20-foot sinkhole in Studio City on Friday night. A second car fell into the sinkhole after the woman was rescued, an ABC affiliate reported. Local television news also showed video footage of a San Bernardino County fire truck tumbling over the side of a freeway as the road gave out. "All firefighters confirmed safe. The lane under the fire engine has failed, and the engine has gone over the side," the San Bernardino County Fire Department said on Twitter. Amtrak railroad service was suspended for trains between the cities of Oxnard and San Luis Obispo in the central and southern areas of the state due to extreme weather conditions, according to the transportation service's website. In higher areas of eastern California and western Nevada, snowfall and wind gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) were in the forecast until Saturday night, the National Weather Service said. "This will make travel hazardous or impossible," the service said in an advisory. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee Editing by Ed Osmond and Paul Simao)
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP)  Honduran authorities say an indigenous community leader has been shot dead by armed men who barged into his home.

Security Minister Julian Pacheco says in a statement that Jose de los Santos Sevilla was killed Friday in the town of Orica, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northeast of Tegucigalpa.

The victim was a primary school teacher and leader of the Tolupan people who directed community works projects.

Orica Mayor Alexander Rodriguez said Saturday that it's not yet known why he was killed.

Authorities are investigating.

According to the London-based group Global Witness, at least 124 land activists have been murdered in Honduras since 2009.

That includes the 2016 killing of Berta Caceres, winner of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her work opposing a hydroelectric dam project.
Havana (AFP) - More than 680 Cubans have been deported back to Cuba since the United States ended its decades-old policy giving them preferred immigrant status in January, state media reported Saturday.

According to official Cuban reports, 683 people have been sent back to the Caribbean island from the United States, or from Mexico, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, where they were crossing in a bid to reach the US border.

On January 12, then-president Barack Obama scrapped with immediate effect a 1995 policy that had given Cubans near-automatic entry to the United States if they managed to set foot on American soil, regardless of their visa status. Cubans attempting to enter the country by sea had been turned back.

The end of the so-called "wet-foot, dry foot" policy was part of the broader normalization and warming of US-Cuban relations after a half-century of hostility that Obama helped engineer in 2015 along with Cuban President Raul Castro.

Now, overland Cuban migrants are treated like those who have attempted to cross into the United States by water and can be sent back to Cuba -- unless they can convince US officials that they fear persecution or have valid humanitarian reasons to be let in.

Obama's action came just days before President Donald Trump took office on January 20. The Republican property tycoon has vowed to fight illegal immigration and also criticized the US-Cuban normalization deal.

Cuba's Communist government had opposed the "wet-foot, dry foot" policy on grounds that the special treatment encouraged illegal migration and human trafficking.

Cuban media reported Saturday that the United States had deported 40 Cubans on commercial flights and 75 by boat. Another two deportees arrived in Cuba on a charter flight Friday, according to the newspaper Granma and website Cubadebate.

Mexico deported 264 Cubans and turned away 144 who were trying to illegally enter the country through airports. The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands deported a combined 156 people.

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A total of 50,082 Cubans entered the United States in 2016, according to the Office of Field Operations of the Customs and Border Protection Service. Of those, 38,310 arrived illegally, while 11,772 had a visa.

Last year's numbers exceeded the 36,700 Cubans who fled the island in 1994 in makeshift boats headed for the US coast some 90 miles ( 145 kilometers) away, during the so-called "raft crisis."

That was the second-largest mass exodus from Cuba since 1980, when 125,000 people fled to Florida on boats launched from the port of Mariel, in an incident known as the Mariel boatlift.
London (AFP) - Hussein Chalayan returned to the London catwalk on Saturday for the first time in 16 years, with relaxed but structured tailoring inspired by Greek folk culture -- and an explosion of glitter.

Models took to the stage at Sadler's Wells theatre in a collection featuring loose-fitting dresses, shirts with built-in waistcoats, and carrot-shaped trousers with wrap belts in wool blend knitted felts.

For the finale, they ripped off geometric print panels on the front of their dresses -- helpfully labelled "Pull To Open" -- to unleash a spurt of glittery foil streamers onto the ground.

"It was a combination of a protest and a celebration -- I wanted these very tacky things coming out, that I found very beautiful," Chalayan told reporters backstage.

"That's what life is, that you can have that duality -- the protest element, but also the purity." brings glitter explosion to London

Elsewhere, there were cashmere black dresses cut to look as if they were falling off the shoulders, bold black and white prints and delicate tops embroidered with hand-drawn Greek figures.

Born to Turkish-Cypriot parents in Nicosia and later raised in Britain, Chalayan is known for his minimalist, elegant and sculptural creations, which have been worn by Bjork and featured in exhibitions and theatre productions around the world.

He started his career in London, where he was twice named Designer of the Year, but, likewith many of his peers, flew the nest for the commercial opportunities of Paris.

"We felt we were making this very big effort, but a lot of people weren't coming. When we moved to Paris our business grew considerably," he said.

Returning to London this season to join British names such as Burberry, Mulberry, Christopher Kane and J.W. Anderson, has delighted his British fans.

But will he stay? "I don't know yet. Let's see."

Saturday also saw a one-off homecoming for Ports 1961, which this season switched Milan for London, where creative director Natasa Cagalj and her team all studied and are now based.

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Cagalj took her inspiration from the home -- "where we feel the most safe, and the most brave to experiment" -- with prints of glasses, rug-style wrap dresses and mirrored sequins on oversized knits.

Previously at Lanvin and Stella McCartney, the Slovenian designer joined Ports 1961 in 2014, and opened a studio in Clerkenwell.

"Everything is possible in London, there are no limits," she told AFP.

"It's still very inspiring apart from the Brexit situation, which of course shocked us all. But London is so international, I don't think it can lose that."
A Colorado police department reached out to its local immigrant community shortly after the Associated Press released an 11-page document Friday claiming that the Trump administration planned to mobilize National Guard troops to round up undocumented immigrants. Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz tweeted early Friday that his department will not investigate, enforce, or detain solely for immigration status. Metz urged those in the community to call 9-1-1 if they needed emergency assistance.

Many people took to social media to applaud the message. Aurora is home to roughly 359,407 people.

Aurora has problems but the police are not one of them! MUCH RESPECT for you & your dept.! And Thank you for your respect! a Twitter user wrote.

It would be great to have you come out to our schools and meet with families and students. They are fearful, wrote another.

The White House has since denied the reports.

There is no effort at all to round up, to utilize the National Guard to round up illegal immigrants, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters.

The draft memo by Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly reportedly called up to 100,000 guard troops to track down undocumented immigrants in border states such as California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, as well as non-border states Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The document can be read at http://apne.ws/2l1Dj0k.

Spicer called the report 100 percent not true. I dont know what could potentially be out there, but I know that there is no effort to do what is potentially suggested, he said.

If the changes in the report were executed, the outcome could have been disastrous. Nearly one-half of the 11.1 million people who reside in the U.S. without authorization live in the 11 states mentioned in the AP report, according to Pew Research Center estimates based on 2014 Census data.

Related Articles
Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind Egyptian cleric who died in prison Saturday, was convicted in 1995 along with nine followers of a conspiracy to blow up the United Nations, FBI offices, highway tunnels and other New York-area landmarks in a single day of terror.

He also was convicted at the same trial of plotting to kill former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. He defiantly professed his innocence in the plot, declaring: "This case is nothing but an extension of the American war against Islam."

Some of those involved in that trial had their own notoriety:

LYNNE STEWART

Stewart, the defense attorney who argued that Abdel-Rahman was a spiritual leader prosecuted for his speech, was later convicted of helping the sheik communicate with his followers. Sentenced to a decade in prison, she was freed on New Year's Eve in 2013, after doctors concluded she had less than 18 months to live.

As of September 2016, the great-grandmother was still alive and was interviewed by The Associated Press.

Phone messages left for her on Saturday were not returned.

___

EL SAYYID NOSAIR

One of Abdel-Rahman's co-conspirators, Nosair was not only sentenced for his role in the bomb plot but for assassinating militant Rabbi Meir Kahane in a New York hotel in 1990. Nosair's cousin, Ibrahim A. El-Gabrowny, 45, received 57 years for the conspiracy and other charges, including possession of bogus passports and visas intended to get Nosair out of the country following a jailbreak.

Seven other defendants received prison terms of 25 to 35 years for planning what prosecutors called a "war of urban terrorism" aimed at altering U.S. policy in the Middle East.

___

MICHAEL MUKASEY

Mukasey was the Manhattan federal court judge who presided over the terror trial and who later served as President George W. Bush's attorney general from 2007 to 2009. He is currently an attorney with a New York City law firm.

___

RAMSEY CLARK

Another former attorney general, Clark represented Abdel-Rahman after the sheik went to prison.

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In 1999, Clark alleged that his client had been attacked by a prison officer at a facility in Minnesota. "He said, 'I don't complain.' Still, it's pretty awful," Clark said.

The FBI later said it was investigating the claim but it was not immediately clear whatever came of the allegation.

____

ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI

Moussaoui, the only person convicted in the United States in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, testified at his trial that he was in training to hijack a 747 jet and fly it into the White House if the U.S. government refused to release Abdel-Rahman. Moussaoui was in custody on immigration violations in Minnesota at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks. He is serving a life prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2005 to conspiring with the 19 hijackers.
Tehran (AFP) - Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard is to conduct military drills next week, a senior commander announced Saturday, despite warnings from the United States and fresh sanctions over a ballistic missile test.

"The manoeuvres called 'Grand Prophet 11' will start Monday and last three days," General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the force's ground units, told a news conference.

He said rockets would be used without specifying which kind.

In early February, Iran conducted drills involving short-range missiles at a time of heightened tensions with the United States.

The Islamic republic said the exercises were aimed at demonstrating Iran's "complete preparedness to deal with the threats" and "humiliating sanctions" from Washington.

US President Donald Trump slapped fresh sanctions against Tehran's weapons procurement network following a ballistic missile test on January 29.

"Iran would do well to look at the calendar and realise there's a new president in the Oval Office. And Iran would do well not to test the resolve of this new president," Vice President Mike Pence said earlier this month.

New Pentagon chief James Mattis, for his part, has branded Iran "the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world".

Iranian officials have rejected the threats emphasising that the missile programme is purely defensive.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has been doing a really great job not investigating some of the major controversies surrounding the Trump White House.

Mitch McConnell, the Majority Leader of the Senate, has also impressively managed to avoid publicly denouncing or questioning even the most flagrantly unconstitutional executive orders signed by the POTUS.

SEE ALSO: Wow, Obama's outgoing letter to Trump speaks volumes

With their impressive the-opposite-of-mystery-solving skills on full display for the American public, we thought it'd be fitting to reimagine the two GOP leaders as the straight-laced Hardy Boys.

A post shared by Mashable Watercooler (@watercooler) on Feb 17, 2017 at 2:41pm PST

Combining their powerful detective minds, Mitch and Jason can ignore basically anything that happens.

"The Town Hall Mystery"

Image: max knoblauch

"The Mystery of Nope Shut Up There Is Nothing To Investigate Here"

Image: Max knoblauch

"The Mystery of Just Hangin' Out, Not Solving Anything"

Image: Max knoblauch

The next installment can't come soon enough!
On this day in 1861, former U.S. Senator Jefferson Davis took to a podium for his presidential inauguration and gave an impassioned speech about the Constitution. Three weeks later, Abraham Lincoln did likewise, to much different results.

Davis had been a highly visible figure in Washington, D.C. as a pro-slavery and states rights advocate from Mississippi. Earlier his life, Davis was the son-in-law of future President Zachary Taylor. After graduating from West Point, Davis served in the military and Congress, and he was Secretary of War for President Franklin Pierce.

Davis returned to the Senate after his time in the Pierce administration, where he was a vocal supporter of states rights. But he quit after Lincolns election, saying we are about to be deprived in the Union of the rights which our fathers bequeathed to us.

On February 4, 1861, six states that had left the Union called their own constitutional convention in Montgomery, Alabama. A dozen delegates at the Confederate congress quickly wrote a provisional constitution and proclaimed Davis as provisional president of the Confederate States of America, with Alexander Stephens as vice president. Both would serve for one year until the permanent constitution took effect in February 1862.

Davis spoke at the Alabama capitol in Montgomery on February 18, 1861, about the virtues of the new constitution, which he claimed was in tune with the 1787 Constitution written in Philadelphia and was also in accord with the Declaration of Independence.

He argued that the Confederate states had no choice but to form their own constitution after the actions of the federal government.

The declared purpose of the compact of Union from which we have withdrawn was to establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity; and when, in the judgment of the sovereign States now composing this Confederacy, it had been perverted from the purposes for which it was ordained, and had ceased to answer the ends for which it was established, Davis said.

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The six states had merely asserted a right which the Declaration of Independence of 1776 had defined to be inalienable; of the time and occasion for its exercise, they, as sovereigns, were the final judges, each for itself, he argued.

We have changed the constituent parts, but not the system of our Government. The Constitution formed by our fathers is that of these Confederate States, in their exposition of it, and in the judicial construction it has received, we have a light which reveals its true meaning, he concluded.

In 2011, Adam Goodheart from the New York Times looked back at the scene in Montgomery when Davis took office as the provisional president, and it appeared that Davis wasnt a match for Lincoln when it came to inaugural speeches.

Goodheart said Davis didnt start writing his speech until the night before his inauguration and the event lasted a mere 15 minutes.

The inaugural address had contained not a single memorable phrase or idea. Even Daviss admirers would rarely quote it, Goodheart wrote back in 2011.

Several weeks later, Abraham Lincoln gave his first inaugural speech on March 4, a speech he started working on since his election in November 1860. Lincoln referenced the concepts of famous speeches and the Constitution, and he worked with William Seward to hone his messaging.

Historians believe Seward toned done confrontational language in early drafts of the speech and worked in ideas consistent with James Madisons writings in The Federalist.

In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war, Lincoln concluded in his epic address.

At one point, Lincoln meant to conclude with a sharply worked warning,Shall it be peace or sword? Instead, the final speech sought unity.

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

A month later, the Civil War started in earnest, and on February 22, 1862 (and Washingtons birthday), Davis gave a second inaugural address, after winning election under the permanent Confederate constitution.

He continued with the theme that it was the United States government that was unconstitutional and the Confederate government had acted in concert with the Founders.

The experiment instituted by our revolutionary fathers, of a voluntary Union of sovereign States for purposes specified in a solemn compact, had been perverted by those who, feeling power and forgetting right, were determined to respect no law but their own will, Davis claimed, pointing to emergency acts taken by Lincoln to deny habeas corpus rights near Washington, D.C.

The word slavery wasnt used in Davis inauguration speeches, but his intent was clear when he said the conflict had culminated in a warfare on the domestic institutions of the Southern States.
PITTSBURGH (AP)  New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis has turned himself in to Pittsburgh police following charges alleging he was involved in a fight with two men last weekend.

Revis entered a Municipal Courts building Friday. He didn't answer questions on his way in.

A docket sheet filed Thursday says Revis faces counts of aggravated assault, robbery, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and terroristic threats over the Sunday altercation.

Revis' attorney says Revis was physically assaulted by a group of at least five people. He says Revis "feared for his safety" and sought medical attention. He hasn't described Revis' injuries.

Police say the fight started when a man began recording a video of Revis and Revis grabbed his phone and tried to delete it. They say other men joined in and two men claimed they were punched and knocked out.
Washington (AFP) - Blind sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the Egyptian-born cleric linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, died Saturday of natural causes in a US prison facility, the Justice Department said. He was 78 years old.

Abdel Rahman was serving a life sentence on several terrorism-related charges at a Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina. His death came after a long battle with diabetes and coronary artery disease, the Bureau of Prisons said.

The sheikh was seen as a jihadist spiritual leader even after his conviction in 1995 for conspiring to bomb New York landmarks, including the United Nations, and assassinate the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Abdel Rahman, who sported a long, gray beard and signature sunglasses, led the militant Gamaa Islamiya group in Egypt before emigrating to the United States.

He preached a radical brand of Islam and was seen as having inspired the 1993 bombing of New York's World Trade Center, which left six people dead and wounded around 1,000.

His son Mohamed Omar was informed of the death and told AFP the family had contacted the US and Egyptian authorities to repatriate the late cleric's body.

Abdel Rahman had been imprisoned in North Carolina since 2007. He was hospitalized in late 2006 in the state of Missouri after he began to spit blood and was given a blood transfusion.

- Cause celebre -

After his incarceration, the sheikh became a cause celebre for jihadists and Islamists who demanded the blind and ailing militant's freedom.

A year before Al-Qaeda carried out the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in the US, the group's founder Osama bin Laden vowed to free Abdel Rahman in a statement broadcast on Qatar's satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera.

In 2012, Egypt's then-Islamist president Mohamed Morsi called for Abdel Rahman's transfer to Egypt for "humanitarian reasons," asking for a "prisoner exchange" with the United States.

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Gamaa Islamiya militants took part in the 1981 attack that killed Egypt's former president Anwar Sadat, whose assassination Abdel Rahman had legitimized by issuing a fatwa.

The militant group -- long designated a terrorist organization despite its renunciation of violence in recent years -- also claimed responsibility for a devastating 1997 attack in the country's southern city of Luxor, which killed some 60 people, most of them tourists.

Born in May 1938 to a family of poor farmers in the town of Gamaliya, in the Nile delta, Abdel Rahman obtained a doctorate in theology at the Islamic university of Al-Azhar in Cairo.

Despite his radical connections, Abdel Rahman in 1990 traveled to the US and preached his impassioned sermons to mosques in New Jersey and Brooklyn, after obtaining a tourist visa from a US embassy in Sudan.

- 'War of urban terrorism' -

From the US he continued to urge the violent overthrow of the Egyptian government in cassette tapes sent to his homeland.

Abdel Rahman was ultimately sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to execute a spate of bombings in New York against the UN headquarters, bridges and government buildings, a campaign its plotters never saw through.

The radical theologian -- along with nine associates -- had been convicted of waging "a war of urban terrorism" after an almost year-long trial in a US district court in New York.

Prosecutors argued the plot was geared toward pressuring the US to check its support of Israel.

"My killing will be a martyrdom in the cause of God," said Abdel Rahman, who, along with his co-defendants, denied the charges against him.

He was not charged in the 1993 World Trade Center attack, in which a truck bomb detonated in an underground parking garage beneath one of the towers that once stood in southern Manhattan.

Four others were convicted of carrying out the attack in a separate trial, but authorities suspected the cleric was connected to it.

In 2005 the US human rights lawyer who represented Abdel Rahman, Lynne Stewart, was herself convicted for acting as a go-between for her jailed client and his followers.
Abu Dhabi (AFP) - US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, his first trip to the Middle East since taking office last month.

A retired Marine general who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mattis knows the region well and was a frequent visitor during his time heading up the US military's Central Command.

He was scheduled to meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Defence Minister Mohammed Al Bawardi.

The Pentagon did not immediately release further details of the UAE trip, which comes after Mattis spent much of the week at summits in Brussels and Munich.

His mission there was to reassure nervous European and NATO partners that America will continue to fully support decades-old allegiances and calm concerns over possible ties between the White House and the Kremlin.

The UAE is seen as an important regional ally in the US-led coalition's fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

President Donald Trump in January spoke by telephone with Nahyan, committing to "further strengthen cooperation on fighting radical Islamic terrorism".

Gulf nations including the UAE are concerned about growing Iranian involvement in several regional conflicts, and Mattis, who has sounded a hawkish tone on Iran, has blasted Tehran for its "destabilising" influence.
Donald Trumps claim that The New York Times, CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC News are the enemy of the American people has a familiar ring to John Dean, former White House counsel to President Richard Nixon.

Its pretty outrageous talk for a president, but this is a pretty outrageous president, Dean told Deadline. He kind of makes Nixon look like a choir boy.

What Nixon use to do behind closed doors, Trump does openly, said Dean, who revealed the existence of Nixons Enemies List during his testimony before the Senate Watergate hearings.

They reflect the same attitude, Dean said, only Trump has taken it to a much higher lever, a more intentionally intimidating level, and if hes as hell bent as he seems to be, who knows how much further hell take it.

On Friday, Trump tweeted: The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American people!

The press is the last check and balance, Dean said, noting that demonizing journalists as the enemy of the American people can have consequences. He has a lot of supporters who dont think before they act, and they have a lot of guns.

RelatedStephen Colbert: Donald Trump Did Not Even Bring His Meds To Gobsmacking News Conference

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Angelina Jolie unveiled her new film on the horrors of the Khmer Rouge era on Saturday at the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia, a country the star shares a deep affinity with through her adopted son Maddox.

Cambodia's king and survivors of the communist regime were among hundreds of people invited to the debut screening of "First They Killed My Father", directed by Jolie and based on the memoirs of Loung Ung.

Loung Ung was five years old when Khmer Rouge troops, led by Pol Pot, swept into Phnom Penh plunging her family into a harrowing ordeal that saw them sent to brutal labour camps before her eventual escape to the United States.

In its quest for an agrarian Marxist utopia, the regime killed up to two million Cambodians between 1975-79 through execution, starvation and overwork.

It is the second movie by Jolie to tackle the subject of genocide -- in 2011 she made a film about the Bosnian conflict featuring mostly local actors.

But her latest silver screen offering is more personal.

Jolie adopted her first child Maddox from an orphanage in Cambodia's western Battambang province in 2002 and she has been given Cambodian citizenship.

The Hollywood star previously said it was Maddox who pushed her to make the film.

At a press conference in Siem Reap, Jolie described Cambodia as a "second home", adding that she chose Loung Ung's book because she wanted to tell the story of the Khmer Rouge era "through the eyes of a child".

It also brought her closer to her son, she said.

"I wanted to focus not just on the war but on the love of family and on the beauty of the country and in fact I wanted to understand what my son's birth parents may have gone through. And I wanted to know him better and I wanted to know this country better," she said.

Jolie's six children, three of whom are adopted, accompanied their mother for an audience with King Norodom Sihamoni before the premiere.

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- Local cast and language -

In a tribute to those who survived the brutal regime, Jolie pushed to ensure the film would be both made by Cambodians and accessible to them.

Almost the entire film is in the Khmer language while the cast members and much of the crew were local hires, including the two child protagonists.

The film is also co-produced by Rithy Panh, Cambodia's most acclaimed filmmaker.

He lost almost all his immediate family during the Khmer Rouge years but went on to produce searing documentaries that helped break the silence surrounding the genocide.

Loung Ung, who Jolie described as a "family friend", said that while the film centred on her family's experience, her story would be familiar to all Cambodians.

"I view it as the story of all of us," she told reporters.

Despite the prosecution of a few top Khmer Rouge cadres, the genocide continues to be a controversial subject.

Strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was a former regime cadre before he defected and has run the impoverished country for more than thirty years, is opposed to any new prosecutions of regime leaders.

But the Cambodian government has welcomed Jolie's film so far.

Veteran foreign correspondent Elizabeth Becker, one of a handful of western journalists to visit Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge era, described Jolie's film as "heartrending".

Jolie said she hoped her film would remind viewers of the need to help children escaping war and persecution today.

"There are little Loungs all around the world today in many different countries, many different war zones where we have no access to them and we don't know if they're going to be alright," she said.

The premiere will be followed by screenings across Cambodia, some seven months before the film is released to a global audience on Netflix.

Jolie's arrival in Cambodia marks a rare public appearance since her high-profile split last year from Brad Pitt.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  The Latest on developments in Pakistan (all times local):

2:05 p.m.

The Afghan government has summoned Pakistan's ambassador in protest of recent shelling in Afghanistan's eastern provinces.

Afghanistan's foreign ministry summoned Ambassador Abrar Hussain in Kabul, where Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai asked for an explanation but also gave his condolences regarding recent suicide attacks in Pakistan.

At least two people have been killed and two others wounded in the shelling from Pakistan, according to reports.

Karzai also said the Afghan government wants Pakistan to take strict action against terrorists that are hiding in Pakistan.

Karzai expressed concern over the closure of the Torkham and Chaman border crossings and asked for the reopening of the gates.

____

1:45 p.m.

Two Pakistani officials say a second key Chaman border crossing into Afghanistan has been closed, halting trade supplies to the neighboring landlocked country.

The border closure in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province comes after a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan that killed 88 people. It was seen as a tactic to pressure Kabul to act against militants who Pakistan says have sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani officials asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to brief the media on the record.

Earlier, Pakistan closed a border crossing at Torkham, which connects Pakistan to Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

The Islamic State says it was behind the shrine attack and Pakistani security forces have launched nationwide operations that they say has left more than 100 "terrorists" dead.

__ Munir Ahmed
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - A bus traveling to Chile flipped over in Argentina's Mendoza province early on Saturday, killing at least 19 people on a remote mountain road in the Andes, local authorities said. Turbus, the Chilean company operating the vehicle, confirmed the crash on Route 7 in the Aconcagua park in a statement. It gave no casualty figures and said it did not know why the bus turned over. A civil defense spokesman in Mendoza said there were 19 confirmed deaths. The bus had 40 passengers of whom 32 were Argentineans, including three children, Turbus said. The company said it was working to find out the identities of the victims. (Reporting by Nicolas Misculin and Caroline Stauffer; editing by John Stonestreet)
By Emily Chow and Liz Lee KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as a diplomatic spat over his body escalated. Kim Jong Nam died this week after being assaulted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with what was thought to be a fast-acting poison. South Korean and U.S. officials have said he was assassinated by North Korean agents. Malaysian police said the latest arrest connected with the murder was made on Friday night, and the suspect was identified as Ri Jong Chol, born on May 6, 1970. He was in possession of a Malaysian i-Kad, which is an identification card given to foreign workers, they added. "He is suspected to be involved in the death of a North Korean male," read a statement. The police chief for Selangor state, Abdul Samah Mat, said the suspect had been remanded in police custody. Two female suspects, one an Indonesian and the other carrying Vietnamese travel documents, have already been arrested, while a Malaysian man has been detained. At least three more suspects are at large, government sources have said. Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea. South Korea's intelligence agency told lawmakers in Seoul that Kim had been living with his second wife in the Chinese territory of Macau, under China's protection. He had been at the Kuala Lumpur airport to catch a flight to Macau when he was killed. An autopsy is being performed at a hospital in the capital city. Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah told Reuters that the autopsy report was not complete yet. He dismissed media reports that a second autopsy would have to be conducted. DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION North Korea said in the early hours of Saturday that it would categorically reject Malaysia's autopsy report on the death of Kim Jong Nam, and accused Malaysia of "colluding with outside forces", in a veiled reference to rival nation South Korea. Malaysia hit back by saying the country's rules must be followed. The foreign ministry has yet to make any comment. Health minister Dr S.Subramaniam told state news agency Bernama that Malaysia was waiting for the toxicology report to complete the autopsy. He said the autopsy report would hopefully be released "within this week". The case threatens to weaken North Korea's ties with Malaysia, one of the few countries that has maintained good diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. North Korea's nuclear arms and weapons programmes have alarmed the West, most recently its test of a ballistic missile earlier this month in its first direct challenge to the international community since Donald Trump became U.S. president. Pyongyang's main ally and trading partner is China, which is irritated by its repeated aggressive actions but rejects suggestions from the United States and others that it could be doing more to rein in its neighbour. On Saturday, China said it had further tightened trade restrictions with North Korea by suspending all imports of coal starting Feb. 19, although it did not say why. Coal exports to China are a vital source of revenues for Pyongyang. ROW OVER AUTOPSY Kim Jong Nam was assaulted at the low cost terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday with what is believed to be fast acting poison before he could board a flight to Macau. He sought help but died on the way to the hospital. North Korea demanded on Friday night that Kim Jong Nam's body be released immediately. It had earlier tried to persuade Malaysian authorities not to carry out an autopsy. "The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing," the North Korean ambassador Kang Chol told reporters outside the hospital where the body of Kim Jong Nam is being kept. "We will categorically reject the result of the post mortem ... " He said Kim Jong Nam had a diplomatic passport and was under the consular protection of North Korea. (Additional reporting by Meng Meng and David Stanway in Beijing; Writing by Praveen Menon and A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Michael Perry and Mike Collett-White)
By Emily Chow and Liz Lee KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as a diplomatic spat over his body escalated. Kim Jong Nam died this week after being assaulted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with what was thought to be a fast-acting poison. South Korean and U.S. officials have said he was assassinated by North Korean agents. Malaysian police said the latest arrest connected with the murder was made on Friday night, and the suspect was identified as Ri Jong Chol, born on May 6, 1970. He was in possession of a Malaysian i-Kad, which is an identification card given to foreign workers, they added. "He is suspected to be involved in the death of a North Korean male," read a statement. The police chief for Selangor state, Abdul Samah Mat, said the suspect had been remanded in police custody. Two female suspects, one an Indonesian and the other carrying Vietnamese travel documents, have already been arrested, while a Malaysian man has been detained. At least three more suspects are at large, government sources have said. Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea. South Korea's intelligence agency told lawmakers in Seoul that Kim had been living with his second wife in the Chinese territory of Macau, under China's protection. He had been at the Kuala Lumpur airport to catch a flight to Macau when he was killed. An autopsy is being performed at a hospital in the capital city. Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah told Reuters that the autopsy report was not complete yet. He dismissed media reports that a second autopsy would have to be conducted. DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION North Korea said in the early hours of Saturday that it would categorically reject Malaysia's autopsy report on the death of Kim Jong Nam, and accused Malaysia of "colluding with outside forces", in a veiled reference to rival nation South Korea. Malaysia hit back by saying the country's rules must be followed. The foreign ministry has yet to make any comment. Health minister Dr S.Subramaniam told state news agency Bernama that Malaysia was waiting for the toxicology report to complete the autopsy. He said the autopsy report would hopefully be released "within this week". The case threatens to weaken North Korea's ties with Malaysia, one of the few countries that has maintained good diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. North Korea's nuclear arms and weapons programs have alarmed the West, most recently its test of a ballistic missile earlier this month in its first direct challenge to the international community since Donald Trump became U.S. president. Pyongyang's main ally and trading partner is China, which is irritated by its repeated aggressive actions but rejects suggestions from the United States and others that it could be doing more to rein in its neighbor. On Saturday, China said it had further tightened trade restrictions with North Korea by suspending all imports of coal starting Feb. 19, although it did not say why. Coal exports to China are a vital source of revenues for Pyongyang. ROW OVER AUTOPSY Kim Jong Nam was assaulted at the low cost terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday with what is believed to be fast acting poison before he could board a flight to Macau. He sought help but died on the way to the hospital. North Korea demanded on Friday night that Kim Jong Nam's body be released immediately. It had earlier tried to persuade Malaysian authorities not to carry out an autopsy. "The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing," the North Korean ambassador Kang Chol told reporters outside the hospital where the body of Kim Jong Nam is being kept. "We will categorically reject the result of the post mortem ... " He said Kim Jong Nam had a diplomatic passport and was under the consular protection of North Korea. (Additional reporting by Meng Meng and David Stanway in Beijing; Writing by Praveen Menon and A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Michael Perry and Mike Collett-White)
Many pediatricians and family doctors are not strongly recommending the cancer-preventing HPV vaccine to preteens and their parents, contributing to low vaccination rates, a survey of nearly 600 doctors suggests.



The vaccine protects against the human papillomavirus, which is spread through sex and can cause several kinds of cancer, including cervical cancer. The government wants girls and boys to get it at age 11 or 12 because it works best if kids get it before they become sexually active.



While nearly all doctors surveyed discuss the vaccine with at least some patients that young, more than one-third dont strongly recommend it for those ages. They were most likely to recommend vaccination and to give the shots to older kids and girls.



The most common reasons doctors cited for delaying HPV discussions and vaccinations included a belief that patients hadnt had sex and that parents would object.

Noting that about one-third of all youth have had sex by age 16, the researchers said some doctors need a clearer understanding of reasons to vaccinate preteens.



The authors, led by University of Colorado researcher Dr. Allison Kempe, surveyed 582 pediatricians and family physicians by mail or online about two years ago. The doctors were in a nationwide network that participates in similar surveys and whose views on other topics have been found to be similar to random samples of U.S. physicians, the researchers said.



Their study was published online Monday in Pediatrics.



The HPV vaccine has been available for girls since 2006 and for boys since 2011. A national survey last year found that 60 percent of adolescent girls and only 42 percent of boys had gotten at least one dose. Three doses are recommended.



Infections caused by virus can cause certain genital cancers including cervix and penis cancer, and cancers in the mouth and throat.



The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say addressing knowledge gaps among parents and getting more doctors to recommend vaccinations are critical to protecting teens against HPV cancers.

(Photo: Corbis Images)



Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com.
PARIS (AP)  Nice striker Mario Balotelli has more red cards away from home than goals this season.

The Italian has scored nine in the French league so far, but all have been at home. On Saturday he was sent off for the second time on his travels, and for the third time overall during his first campaign in France. However, despite his red card, Nice won at Lorient 1-0 to move up to second place behind Monaco.

Balotelli returned to the side after missing last weekend's action with a fever, but was shown a straight red following an altercation with Lorient defender Zargo Toure. From initial video replays, it seemed difficult to ascertain what Balotelli did wrong other than backing into Toure with his arms up as they challenged for a ball.

Nice coach Lucien Favre was no closer to an explanation after the game, although he suggested Balotelli may have spoken out of turn to referee Tony Chapron.

"I didn't see what happened. All of a sudden he was coming off and I said to myself, 'What's happened?'" Favre said. "I didn't see when he (the referee) gave the red card and I don't know why. It seems that he talked back to the referee."

Favre refuted any notion that Balotelli might be getting singled out unfairly by referees.

"He's not on referees' radars. They are totally neutral," Favre said. "If there is reason to send a player off, then they will."

Midfielder Wylan Cyprien scored his seventh in the league after being set up by right back Arnaud Souquet early on.

Nice is three points behind Monaco, and one point ahead of defending champion Paris Saint-Germain, which is at home to Toulouse on Sunday. Lorient is in last place.

MARSEILLE 2, RENNES 0

Marseille showed it can cope without top scorer Bafetimbi Gomis, as it maintained its push for a top-four finish and place in the Europa League next season.

Gomis has been Marseille's best player, scoring 16 league goals, but injured a knee last weekend and is expected to be out for up to six weeks.

Story continues

In his absence, wingers Clinton N'Jie and Florian Thauvin grabbed second-half goals as Marseille moved level on points with fifth-place Saint-Etienne and one point behind fourth-place Lyon. They are both playing on Sunday.

France playmaker Dimitri Payet went close three times  hitting the crossbar with a rasping shot  before starting the move that led to N'Jie's goal in the second half.

Five minutes later, Thauvin scored a powerful swerving shot into the top corner from 20 meters after running onto a neat back heel from midfielder Morgan Sanson.

Inconsistent Marseille has won its last three home games but lost its last three away.

Next Sunday comes bitter rival Paris Saint-Germain, a must-win game in the eyes of the passionate Marseille fans at Stade Velodrome.

"We're confident when we play at the Velodrome, but I'd like to us to do the same away from home," Marseille left back Patrice Evra said.

OTHER ACTION

Mid-table Angers won 1-0 at home against Nancy, which is one place above the relegation zone.

Lille, down to 10 men, beat Caen 1-0 in Lille coach Franck Passi's first match in charge. Attacking midfielder Anwar El Ghazi, who came from Ajax last month, struck shortly after Lille center half Adama Soumaoro was sent off.

Also, Metz drew with Nantes 1-1.

In Sunday's other games, it is: Lyon vs Dijon, Montpellier vs. Saint-Etienne, and Bordeaux vs. Guingamp.
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Ciudad Juarez (Mexico) (AFP) - Thousands of Mexicans linked arms to form a "human wall" on their country's border with the United States, protesting President Donald Trump's plan to build a massive barrier between the countries.

The protest, organized by local authorities and Mexican advocacy groups, brought together people armed with flowers, including politicians, social leaders and crowds of students to the border town Ciudad Juarez -- which already is separated by extensive fencing from its American neighbor city El Paso.

Protestors hurled slogans at Trump, whose plans to build the wall to keep undocumented immigrants out of the US -- and make Mexico foot the bill -- has enraged many people here.

"The wall is one of the worst ideas," said Carolina Solis, a 31-year-old student. "It won't stop anything -- not drugs or migrants."

"It's just a symbol of Donald Trump's hatred, the president's racism."

Under the watchful eye of US Border Patrol officers, protestors -- among them El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser -- formed a human barrier of nearly 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles).

Many people on both sides of the border cross it daily, calling one country home while going to work in the other.

"Ciudad Juarez and El Paso are one city -- we will never be apart," said Leeser, who was born on the Mexican side of the border.

His Ciudad Juarez counterpart Mayor Armando Cabada vowed to help resettle migrants deported from the US.

"Trump only generates fear in our US compatriots. We must show solidarity with them and tell them that they have our support," he said.

"If they are deported, we will welcome them with open arms."

Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested some 680 people across the United States as part of a crackdown by the new administration on the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Officials insist the raids targeted known criminals but rights advocates say people with no serious criminal records were also detained.

Story continues

A similar protest was planned on Mexico's Pacific coast, at the border between the city of Tijuana and its US neighbor San Diego.

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MEXICO CITY (AP)  Health authorities in Mexico have found five vials of a fake anti-cancer drug, supporting claims that a state government bought fake medications that contained inert substances.

The federal Health Department said the fake medication was found in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, where the current governor has accused his predecessor in the medical scandal.

The department said Avastin had been administered to 119 patients in Veracruz between 2010 and 2016, but is unclear whether they got fake doses.

Investigators said Friday they also found 23 tons of expired medications at state government warehouses. They also found that several firms that supplied the state government did not have offices at the addresses listed on procurement forms.

Current Gov. Miguel Angel Yunes said the scandal occurred under his predecessor, Javier Duarte.
(MUNICH)  Vice President Mike Pence vowed Saturday that the United States will hold Russia accountable even as President Donald Trump searches for new common ground with Moscow at the start of his presidency.

Pence, in an address to the Munich Security Conference, also offered assurances to European allies that the U.S. strongly supports NATO. He said the U.S. would be unwavering in its commitment to trans-Atlantic institutions like NATO.

In his first overseas trip as vice president, Pence sought to calm nervous European allies who remain concerned about Russian aggression and have been alarmed by Trumps positive statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin. The address to foreign diplomats and security officials also sought to reassure international partners who worry that Trump may pursue isolationist tendencies.

Pence said the U.S. would demand that Russia honor a 2015 peace deal agreed upon in Minsk, Belarus, to end violence in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

Know this: The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground which as you know President Trump believes can be found, Pence said.

Pence met afterward with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who addressed the conference just before the vice president. Merkel stressed the need to maintain international alliances and told the audience, with Pence seated a few feet away, that NATO is in the American interest.

European countries along Russias border are rattled by the prospect of deeper U.S.-Russia ties after Trump suggested sanctions imposed after Russias annexation of Crimea could be eased in exchange for a nuclear weapons deal, and after the president referred to NATO as obsolete in an interview before his inauguration. Trump has since tempered his language, stressing the importance of the NATO alliance during his telephone conversations with foreign leaders.

Story continues

Pence also scheduled meetings Saturday with the leaders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko  countries dealing with the threat of Russian incursion. Pence also planned to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The visit, which includes a stop in Brussels on Sunday and Monday, comes amid worries in Europe about Russian aggression, Trumps relationship with Putin and whether the new president may promote isolationist tendencies through his America First mantra.

The vice president has sent reassuring messages through his own engagement but that hasnt been enough to dispel the concerns that you see in many parts of Europe, says Jeff Rathke, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. There are such grave challenges that the U.S. and Europe faces that it only heightens the desire for additional clarity from Washington.

Pences stature within the administration was also under scrutiny because of the recent dismissal of Trumps national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign Monday following reports he misled Pence about contacts with a Russian diplomat. The vice president learned that he had been misled through media accounts about two weeks after the president was informed.

Pence is also expected to meet with the leaders of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the U.S. is embroiled in two separate wars. Trump has made clear his intention to defeat the Islamic State group. But he also said the U.S. may get a second chance to take Iraqi oil as compensation for its efforts in the war-torn country, a notion rebuffed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who will be meeting with the vice president.

Trumps immigration and refugee ban has ruffled feathers with a number of Muslim-majority countries affected by the order currently tied up in court, including Iraq  a close ally in the fight against IS.

In Munich, the American allies were searching for clues from Pence as to how the Trump administration plans to deal with Russia in the aftermath of Flynns departure, U.S. inquiries into Russias involvement in the presidential election and Trumps past praise for Putin.

In his remarks, Pence also reinforced the Trump administrations message that NATO members must spend more on defense.

NATOs 28-member countries committed in 2014 to spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense within a decade. But only the U.S. and four other members of the post-World War II military coalition are meeting the standard, Pence said.

Failure to meet the commitment, he said, erodes the very foundation of our alliance.

Let me be clear on this point: The president of the United States expects our allies to keep their word, to fulfill this commitment and, for most, that means the time has come to do more, Pence said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  One month after the inauguration, the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of Donald Trump's White House still is a hard-hat zone. Skeletal remains of the inaugural reviewing stands poke skyward. Random piles of plywood and cables are heaped on the ground inside crooked lines of metal fencing.

The disarray outside the president's front door, though not his fault, serves as a metaphor for the tumult still unfolding inside.

Four weeks in, the man who says he inherited "a mess" at home and abroad is presiding over a White House that is widely described as itself being a mess.

At a stunning pace, Trump has riled world leaders and frustrated allies. He was dealt a bruising legal blow on one of his signature policies. He lost his national security adviser and his pick for labor secretary to scandal. He's seen forces within his government push back against his policies and leak confidential information. All of this has played out amid a steady drip of revelations about an FBI investigation into his campaign's contacts with Russian intelligence officials.

Trump says his administration is running like a "fine-tuned machine." He points to the rising stock market and the devotion of his still-loyal supporters as evidence that all is well, although his job approval rating is much lower than that for prior presidents in their first weeks in office.

Stung by the unrelenting criticism coming his way, Trump dismisses much of it as "fake news" delivered by "the enemy of the people"  aka the press. Daily denunciations of the media are just one of the new White House fixtures Americans are adjusting to.

Most days start (and end) with presidential tweets riffing off of whatever's on TV talk shows or teasing coming events or hurling insults at the media.

At some point in the day, count on Trump to cast back to the marvels of his upset of Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November election and quite possibly overstate his margins of support. Expect more denunciations of the "dishonest" press and its "fake news."

Story continues

From there, things can veer in unexpected directions as Trump offers up policy pronouncements or offhand remarks that leave even White House aides struggling to interpret them.

The long-standing U.S. policy of seeking a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Trump this past week offered this cryptic pronouncement: "I'm looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like. I can live with either one." His U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, the next day insisted, "We absolutely support a two-state solution."

Trump's days are busy. Outside groups troop in for "listening sessions." Foreign leaders call or come to visit. (Or, in the case of Mexico's president, cancel out in pique over Trump's talk about the planned border wall.)

After the president signed two dozen executive actions, the White House was awaiting a rush order of more of the gold-plated Cross pens that Trump prefers to the chrome-plated ones used by his predecessor.

Trump hands them out as souvenirs at the signing ceremonies that he points to as evidence of his ambitious pace.

"This last month has represented an unprecedented degree of action on behalf of the great citizens of our country," Trump said at a Thursday news conference. "Again, I say it. There has never been a presidency that's done so much in such a short period of time."

That's all music to the ears of his followers, who sent him to Washington to upend the established order and play the role of disrupter.

"I can't believe there's actually a politician doing what he says he would do," says an approving Scott Hiltgen, a 66-year-old office furniture sales broker from River Falls, Wisconsin. "That never happens."

Disrupt Trump has.

But there may be more sound and fury than substance to many of his early actions.

Trump did select Judge Neil Gorsuch to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, a nomination that has drawn strong reviews from conservatives.

But the president is regrouping on immigration after federal judges blocked his order to suspend the United States' refugee program and ban visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries, which had caused chaos for travelers around the globe. Some other orders on issues such as the U.S.-Mexico border wall and former President Barack Obama's health care law are of limited effect.

Trump says his early actions show he means to deliver on the promises he made during the campaign.

"A lot of people say, 'Oh, oh, Trump was only kidding with the wall,'" the president told a group of police chiefs recently. "I wasn't kidding. I don't kid."

But the Republican-led Congress is still waiting to see specifics on how Trump wants to proceed legislatively on top initiatives such as replacing the health care law, enacting tax cuts and revising trade deals.

The messy rollout of the travel ban and tumult over the ouster of national security adviser Michael Flynn for misrepresenting his contacts with Russia are part of a broader state of disarray as different figures in Trump's White House jockey for power and leaks reveal internal discord in the machinations of the presidency.

"I thought by now you'd at least hear the outlines of domestic legislation like tax cuts," says Princeton historian Julian Zelizer. "But a lot of that has slowed. Trump shouldn't mistake the fact that some of his supporters like his style with the fact that a lot of Republicans just want the policies he promised them. He has to deliver that."

Put Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in the camp of those more interested in substance than style.

"I'm not a great fan of daily tweets," McConnell said Friday, referring to the "extra discussion" that Trump likes to engage in.

But McConnell was quick to add: "What I am a fan of is what he's been actually doing."

He credits Trump with assembling a conservative Cabinet and taking steps to reduce government regulation, and promised: "We like his positions and we're going to pursue them as vigorously as we can."

The challenge may be to tease out exactly what Trump wants in the way of a health care plan, tax changes and trade policy.

At his long and defiant news conference on Thursday, Trump tried to dispel the impression of a White House in crisis, squarely blaming the press for keeping him from moving forward more decisively on his agenda.

Pointing to his chief of staff, Reince Priebus, Trump said, "You take a look at Reince, he's working so hard just putting out fires that are fake fires. I mean, they're fake. They're not true. And isn't that a shame because he'd rather be working on health care, he'd rather be working on tax reform."

For all the frustrations of his early days as president, Trump still seems tickled by the trappings of his office.

When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie visited the White House last week to discuss the national opioid epidemic over lunch, the governor said Trump informed him: "Chris, you and I are going to have the meatloaf.'"

Trump added: "I'm telling you, the meatloaf is fabulous."

___

Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nbenac
Shadowy assassins are still killing poor Filipinos, despite a police withdrawal from Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drug war, a rights group said Friday, as Manila filed criminal charges against the president's top critic.

Duterte ordered the police to step back at the end of January after a seven-month campaign that had left 6,485 people dead, many in unexplained circumstances.

The latest tally given to AFP on Friday showed an extra 146 people had died since the January 31 stand-down was ordered, which rights groups said showed extrajudicial killings were continuing.

"The targets are still the same, as far as we are concerned: people linked to drugs and who live in poor neighbourhoods," Wilnor Papa, campaign official for the Philippine branch of Amnesty International, told AFP.

Papa said unknown assailants were now killing between nine and 10 people daily. This compared with about 30 people a day being killed by police and unknown assailants when officers were still leading the crackdown.

In one new shooting incident covered by an AFP photographer, police found four men dead inside a shanty in northern Manila before dawn on Thursday, in a scene very similar to those covered at the height of the drug war.

Witnesses said unknown suspects broke into the house and started shooting, while three other men were shot dead in separate incidents elsewhere in the same district that night, local police told AFP.

Duterte ordered all police to stop prosecuting his drug war after anti-drug officers kidnapped a South Korean businessman then murdered him inside the national police headquarters as part of an extortion racket, according to an official investigation.

But Duterte promised that the war would continue and more addicts, as well as traffickers, would be killed as he sought to eradicate drugs in society.

- 'Butchery of the regime' -

Although the anti-drugs campaign is popular among voters, campaigners say it has granted a licence to kill to anyone with a grudge and a gun.

Story continues

But critics are finding it increasingly tough to get a hearing in the Philippines.

On Friday the government filed criminal charges against Senator Leila de Lima, a justice secretary in the previous government and former human rights commissioner who is one of Duterte's most vocal opponents.

The charges allege she ran a drug trafficking ring using criminals in the country's largest prison when she was justice secretary.

De Lima said in a statement that the charges, which could land her a 30-year jail term, were solely aimed at silencing her opposition.

"If the loss of my freedom is the price I have to pay for standing up against the butchery of the Duterte regime, then it is a price I am willing to pay," she said, describing the charges as "false".

De Lima has not yet been arrested.

In an earlier report, Amnesty said the police were guilty of systemic human rights abuses in the drug war, including shooting dead defenceless people, paying assassins to murder addicts and stealing from those they killed.

It also said police were being paid by their superiors to kill.

Duterte has since ordered the much smaller Drug Enforcement Agency to lead the drug crackdown, with the support of the military.

Derrick Carreon, spokesman for the 1,791-member drug agency, told AFP there had been far fewer killings by authorities since it took charge, without giving figures.

"(But) there is no point in comparing these figures because the police is a much larger organisation, capable of conducting more operations," Carreon said, adding the military had mostly acted as observers so far.

The national police force has 160,000 officers.
Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates tweeted out Thursday the following chart, which he called "the most beautiful" in the world.

The chart shows that worldwide child deaths, defined as the death of a child less than five years old, were cut by half between 1990 and 2015 -- from 12.1 million to 5.8 million. On the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation website, Gates added his "favorite number" as well -- 122 million. That's the total number of child lives saved since 1990, Gates said.

The data is from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent research organization that develops global health data for policymakers. According to IHME, significant reductions in child mortality are the result of maternal education and income growth in the world's poorest places. Technological advances, such as vaccines and new drug treatments, have also helped reduce child deaths, IHME said.

A reduction in child deaths was one of the U.N.'s Millennium Goals, a series of eight goals related to eradicating extreme poverty. Set in 2000, the U.N. wanted to see a two-thirds reduction in the 1990 under-five mortality rate by 2015. So although the reduction Gates celebrated in his tweet are impressive, it falls short of the U.N.'s target.

Millions of children continue to die every year from preventable diseases. According to UNICEF, the leading causes of death for children under five years of age are pneumonia, prematurity, birth asphyxia, diarrhea and malaria, and nearly 50 percent of child deaths are linked to malnutrition. In 2013, half of under-five deaths occurred in China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Nigeria and Pakistan, UNICEF said.

IHME was launched in 2007 with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which announced in January it was partnering with the University of Washington to donate $279 million to the institute over the next decade.

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Less than 24 hours after Andrew Puzder withdrew his name from consideration for labor secretary, President Donald Trump on Thursday announced his new nominee: R. Alexander Acosta, dean of the Florida International University College of Law in Miami.

In a cabinet line-up full of millionaires and billionaires, Acosta comes with a comparatively smaller income: $318,368 per year, said Maydel Santana, director of media relations at Florida International University.

Thats more than when he arrived at Florida International University in 2009 when he was hired at $275,000 annually. Before that, he made $140,000 working as the U.S. attorney in Miami. This is significantly less than Puzder, who earned $4 million to $10 million in a given year as CEO of CKO Restaurants.

Acosta is chairman of U.S. Century Bank, a local bank in Florida, but its unclear how much he is compensated for that role. Chairs of banks the size of U.S. Century Bank  that, is banks that have nearly $1 billion in assets  earn a median annual retainer of $25,000, a per-meeting fee of $1,200 and equity compensation of $6,172, according to the 2016 Bank Director Compensation Report Survey. The bank did not respond to questions about Acosta's compensation Thursday afternoon.

Previously, Acosta worked as a lawyer in several government positions: He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito when Alito was on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Acosta worked on the National Relations Board for about a year (2002-03), participating in more than 125 opinions. And he was the first Hispanic assistant attorney general in 2003 when he was appointed to the Civil Rights Division for the U.S. Justice Department.

A search on the money-tracking site OpenSecrets.org found Acosta has donated to Republican politicians a few times in sums of no more than $1,000. In 2009, Acosta donated $500 to the U.S.-Cuba Democracy Pac. The public action committee promotes an unconditional transition in Cuba to democracy, the rule of law and the free market, according to its website.

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Given this information, it seems Acosta has donated much less than others in Trump's cabinet, such as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos who estimated her family has "possibly" donated $200 million to Republicans.

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It was the one phone call I never expected. My childs high school counselor was on the other end of the line, explaining to me that my son had told his friends that he was thinking about suicide.



I didnt know how to respond. His counselor told me that shed spoken with my son and that he had admitted to her hed talked about committing suicide, but that he didnt have a plan.

Why dont you come pick him up today and see about getting him some help, she said.

I was completely thrown. How could this have happened without me seeing the signs? Immediately I called my husband, while rushing to get dressed.

More: 50 Chapter books every boy should read by age 15

What? He was so happy this morning, he said.

I know; I dont understand either.

When I arrived, I hugged my son and escorted him to the car, then drove directly to the nearest emergency room to admit him for a psychiatric assessment as his counselor had advised. For 10 hours, we waited in a small room for a qualified professional to arrive and decide whether or not my son was truly at risk. The entire time I sat with my son, listened to his frustrations and tried my best to understand what had motivated him to tell his friends that he was contemplating suicide.

More: 6 Incredible suicide prevention apps everyone should know

What I learned wasnt completely new, but some of it was surprising.

For months, I knew my son had been feeling isolated and lonely. His classmates and friends werent always supportive and many times, he felt as if no one at school liked or accepted him. That wasnt the only thing  a few weeks earlier, he also saw the outpouring of love and support when his closest friend was hospitalized for threatening to take his own life.

I knew I would never do it, my son assured me. Its just that sometimes I wish people were nicer to me. And ever since my friend went to the hospital, everyones been really caring towards him. It made me think that suicide was a way to get people to see I was hurting, too.

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Eventually, a licensed clinical social worker arrived and declared my son healthy and mentally stable enough to return home. He told me privately that sometimes teenagers could be influenced by other children who attempt suicide, and that he didnt feel our son was intent on harming himself.

More: Suicide contagion may be impacting your teen without you even realizing it

Even with medical clearance, the experience left me shaken. I didnt want to leave my son alone, for fear he was saying the right thing to distract us. I made sure to spend lots of one-on-one time with him each day, listening to his concerns and reminding him of how deeply he was loved.

I also felt moved to research the idea that people can be influenced by suicide, and found a piece in The New York Times that explained how suicide rates among young people increased nearly 5 percent when someone they knew, or knew of, committed suicide.

For further understanding, I reached out to Dr. Steven Schlozman, the associate director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital, about this phenomenon of suicide contagion and how it impacts teenagers.

Suicide contagion happens when someone well-known in the community commits suicide, and it leads to an increase in suicides from others who may or may not have known the person, he explained. "It can even be a fictionalized suicide of a character in a movie or book that triggers this response. Whats statistically significant is that this effect seems to last two weeks.

According to Dr. Schlozman, it is not uncommon for those in the medical profession who work with children to hear, Ive been thinking about suicide. Youth-risk surveys have illuminated how common suicidal thoughts are among teenagers: Approximately 15 to 30 percent of teens surveyed admit to seriously contemplating suicide, and with higher stress, those numbers can climb as high as 40 to 50 percent.

Between the ages of 12 to 17, through social and peer influence, thoughts of suicide can be introduced, and the teenager can begin toying with the idea, explained Dr. Sanam Hafeez, director and neuropsychologist at Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services in New York City and faculty at Columbia University.

According to Dr. Hafeez, most teenagers have one thing in common: a need to fit in and be accepted. Those who feel unpopular or unaccepted by their peers may see talking about suicide as a way to get noticed.

Negative attention is still attention, she noted, warning that it is important for parents to reach out and comfort their children, offering them professional help if they or someone they know is experiencing thoughts of suicide.

More: When teen suicide hits close to home

As for my son, it turns out that although it was hard for him to admit, his cry for help was more about feeling left out than wanting to end his life. Still, it opened a door for both his father and me to make sure he had help coping with these common feelings of exclusion.

When I told my friends that I thought about suicide, my son said, it was just that. A thought. I guess I figured people would understand that I have feelings too. I didnt think it would end up this big of a deal.

Thats not to say that a child speaking about suicide shouldnt be taken seriously. Dr. Schlozman urges parents to be open and communicative with their child if they express suicidal ideations.

Ask your child to tell you about how they are feeling. No matter how they respond, be open to listening to them.

He also warns against treating suicidal threats with punishment, which can lead to them shutting themselves off from receiving the help they need.

Schedule an appointment with their pediatrician, and let them know that no matter what, youre there for them. If the pediatrician feels they need further help, they can refer them to a specialist.

Its now been several months and I am happy to report that my son is learning how to cope with his feelings in healthier ways and no longer talks or thinks about suicide.

Thats not how I want people to see me, he said recently. I want people to like me because Im a good person, not because they feel sorry for me. I just didnt realize that before.

If you or a loved one are experiencing suicidal thoughts, there is help. Contact your primary doctor, or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, and remember, you are not alone. Bryanne Salazar

(Photo: sittig fahr-becker/EyeEm/Getty Images)
By Jonathan Landay MUNICH (Reuters) - Russia has shown no change in behaviour or policies to embrace U.S. President Donald Trump's offer of better relations or cooperation in fighting Islamist militants, U.S. officials and lawmakers say. Trump's latest overture was delivered by Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday to a security conference in Germany held amid European worries over U.S. commitment to the continent's security and an uproar over former national security adviser Mike Flynn's contacts with the Russian ambassador to Washington. "Know this: the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable even as we search for new common ground, which, as you know, President Trump believes can be found," Pence told the Munich Security Conference in the administration's first major foreign policy address. Russia, however, has stepped up provocative actions by staging dangerous low-level fly-bys of a U.S. warship in the Black Sea this month and sending an intelligence-gathering ship to within 30 miles of the U.S. coast, said U.S. officials, lawmakers and other experts. "Running a spy ship up the coast of Connecticut is not what you'd traditionally think is an overture for cooperation," said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who represents the east coast state. "You've had these repeated public overtures from the Trump administration that have been met with repeated provocations by Russia," he told Reuters. To be sure, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top officials have expressed a readiness to cooperate with the Trump administration on a range of issues, including fighting Islamist extremism. "ALL RHETORIC AND NO ACTION" In Munich, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow wanted better relations with the United States. "The potential for cooperation in politics, economy and humanitarian sphere is huge. But it has to be implemented. We are open to this as much as they in the United States," he said. But Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said: "Right now, it's all rhetoric and no action" by Putin. This was particularly true in Syria and Ukraine, he said. Having backed the government's capture of the rebel-held half of Aleppo in December with devastating air strikes, U.S. officials said Moscow had continued to focus most of its attacks on civilian areas and on Western-backed moderate rebels rather than on Islamic State, which Russia says is its main target. Moreover, they said Russia had declined to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad into engaging seriously in U.N.-brokered talks with Western-backed rebels on a peace plan that eventually would have Assad cede power to a national unity government. In east Ukraine, meanwhile, U.S. officials said Moscow had continued supplying heavy weapons to pro-Russia separatists amid a surge in fighting. Moscow also dismissed a White House call this month to return Crimea, the peninsula that it seized from Ukraine in 2014. In his speech, Pence called on Russia  which blames Ukraine for the new bout of fighting - to implement agreements reached with Ukraine, Germany and France on resolving the conflict, "beginning by de-escalating the violence in eastern Ukraine." William Courtney, a former U.S. ambassador to ex-Soviet republics and arms control negotiator now with the RAND Corp think-tank, said there had been "no signal ... that they are going to pull heavy equipment from Ukraine or reduce support to the rebels." LACK OF GESTURES He said the lack of reciprocal Russian gestures may be due to Moscow's unfulfilled expectations that Trump would offer to lift U.S. sanctions imposed for Russia's seizure of Crimea in return for cooperation against Islamic State. U.S. and European officials remain deeply worried over what they say are unrelenting Russian actions  including cyber attacks, fake news reports and support for right-wing parties  aimed at boosting the election prospects of anti-immigrant politicians in France, Germany and the Netherlands and undermining popular support for the European Union and NATO. Lavrov for his part said on Saturday that he saw "no facts" pointing to Russian hacking to influence the outcome of elections in other countries, including the United States, and that Russia did not want its citizens to engage in cyber crimes. Leon Aron, director of Russia studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think-tank in Washington, said there was virtually no chance that Putin would genuinely embrace Trump's outreach. He said Putin's popularity and the legitimacy of his government rested on a strategy of confrontation with the West that diverted popular attention from Russias internal economic and social woes and widespread corruption. "Domestically, Putin is so much limited in what he can do," said Aron, explaining that low oil prices and U.S. and EU economic sanctions had constrained his ability to boost living standards. "He needs an enemy and he needs foreign policy victories. This is the key to his popularity, which in turn is the key to regime legitimacy." (Additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
(Reuters) - Norma McCorvey, the anonymous plaintiff known as Jane Roe in the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling legalizing abortion, died on Saturday at the age of 69, a journalist close to McCorvey said.

McCorvey died on Saturday morning of heart failure at an assisted living home in Katy, Texas, Joshua Prager, a journalist who is writing a book about the decision, said in an email.

Her lawsuit, filed under the pseudonym Jane Roe, resulted in the court's 1973 decision that established a woman's right to an abortion.

A reluctant hero of the abortion-rights movement, McCorvey put her courtroom pseudonym fully behind her in the 1980s when she lent her name to supporters of women's rights. She did an about-face, however, and later spoke out on behalf of abortion foes.

The 1973 ruling has been the focus of a divisive political, legal and moral debate that has raged for decades in the United States. It established that the U.S. Constitution protects the right of a woman to have an abortion until the point of viability.

The Supreme Court defined that as when the fetus "has the capability of meaningful life outside the mother's womb," generally at about 24 weeks into pregnancy. The court also recognized a right to abortion after viability if necessary to protect the woman's life or health.

Efforts to overturn the decision are heating up with the election of Donald Trump as president and a conservative Congress. Trump has said abortion should be largely banned and also has pledged to defund Planned Parenthood, a women's healthcare provider that draws the ire of many Republicans because it provides abortions.

If the Supreme Court were to overrule Roe v. Wade, the procedure would remain legal only where state laws allow it.

In an article titled "The Accidental Activist" published in Vanity Fair magazine in February 2013, Prager wrote that McCorvey had never set out to further a cause when the Roe v. Wade lawsuit was filed in Dallas, Texas, in 1970. She simply wanted an abortion and could not get one in the state.

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In September 1969, the month she turned 22, McCorvey became pregnant for a third time, according to Prager, who retraced her life through family, friends and advisers.

She told her doctor that she did not want to bring the pregnancy to term but could not afford to travel to any of the six states where abortion was legal at the time: Alaska, California, Hawaii, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

McCorvey never actually had the procedure, Prager said.

(Reporting By Frank McGurty and Tom Brown; Editing by David Gregorio)
Demonstrators protest the immigration polices of President Trump on Feb. 11, 2017, in New York City. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

For many immigrants living in the United States, President Trumps rhetoric and recent executive orders have become a source of confusion and fear. But the presidents hard line on immigration also appears to be providing a new opportunity for activists, whove long struggled to generate interest in issues that affect the undocumented community.

Undocumented immigrants, by definition, have a vested interest in keeping a low profile. Few nonimmigrants who do interact with them in their daily lives are probably even aware that they are undocumented, making it hard to combat efforts to paint the entire community as criminal.

The demonizing effect of that word creates a very difficult public narrative, said Jacinta Gonzales, field director at Mijente, a Phoenix-based Latino and immigrant advocacy organization. It makes people not want to show up when theyre most needed.

Recently, however, immigrant rights advocates have been getting some help from an unlikely source: Donald Trump.

President Trump made cracking down on illegal immigrants a central feature of his presidential campaign, and among the first actions he took upon entering the White House was to order the construction of a wall and detention facilities along the U.S. border with Mexico.

However, much of his strategy for dealing with immigration simply expands on policies followed under President Barack Obama, who oversaw at least 2.7 million deportations while in office, more than any other U.S. president.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement provided this photo of ICE agents waiting at a home in Atlanta on Feb. 9, 2017, during a crackdown on immigration fugitives, re-entrants and criminal aliens. The Homeland Security Department said Feb. 13 that 680 people had been arrested in roundups in the previous week targeting immigrants living illegally in the United States. (Photo: Bryan Cox/ICE via AP)

But getting progressives and even members of the broader immigration movement, which has largely been focused on immigration policy reform, to fight back against immigration enforcement and deportations was a lot harder under a Democratic president.

Now we have a bogeyman, said Erika Andiola, a prominent advocate for the undocumented and former staffer on Sen. Bernie Sanders presidential campaign.

Im not saying Trump isnt doing worse than what we had before, she continued, referring to the fact that Trump has scrapped the Obama-era Priority Enforcement Program, or PEP, which sought to prioritize the deportation of convicted violent criminals, known gang members and others deemed a threat to public or national security, over those with nonviolent, often immigration-related charges on their records.

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There was sort of a narrative framed around [the] Obama deportation machine that  only violent people were getting deported, Andiola said. However, she added, the reality was that the deportations of people who shouldnt be deported started before Trump took office.

Now we have the ability to tell that story because people are paying attention to that, she said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency have insisted that the recent immigration raids resulting in 680 arrests were part of routine enforcement operations. However, cases involving people who had been protected under Obama administration policies  such as Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos, who was deported following a routine check-in at the ICE office in Phoenix last week; Daniel Ramirez Medina, a 23-year-old with no criminal record who was taken into ICE custody in Seattle this week; and Jeannette Vizguerra, an undocumented mother of four who has taken refuge in a Denver church for fear of deportation  offer evidence to the contrary.

Under Trump, those dehumanizing words are being applied to the whole community, said Gonzales. Anyone is at risk for deportation.

While this has created a terrifying reality for members of the undocumented community and their families, it has also provided a new opportunity to generate support for an issue that has long eluded public interest.

It wasnt easy to mobilize other folks around this issue, said Andiola, who was involved in organizing local support for Garcia de Rayos ahead of the routine ICE check-in that resulted in her removal from the United States after more than 20 years.

Of the 200 or so people who showed up to protest outside the ICE office in Phoenix where Garcia de Rayos was taken into custody last week, Andiola said that the majority were already connected to the immigrant rights movement in some way.

However, as national media picked up on Garcia de Rayos story and the widespread ICE raids that followed, Andiola said she started to hear from people outside the activism world who wouldnt necessarily ask about what to do before, but were angry and had suddenly become eager to get involved.

Other organizations have noted a similar increase in support from outside the immigrant rights movement.

Since the election, the grassroots fundraising response has been inspiring, said Julie Miles, development director at Make the Road New York, a nonprofit organization that advocates for low-income Latino and immigrant communities. Small online donations have increased by 500 percent.

A spokesperson for Make the Road also told Yahoo News that the organization has seen a major spike in participation in its Aliados, or allies, network, made up of mostly nonimmigrants from outside the communities it serves. More than 400 people reportedly attended the latest allies meeting this week.

Immigrants and their supporters rally outside the Varick Street Federal Immigration Court during a protest against recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, on Feb. 16, 2017 in New York City. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Even before the recent ICE raids, Make the Road had teamed up with other local organizations to help mobilize massive numbers of people in response to other Trump administration policies that threaten all immigrant communities. More than 5,000 people protested at New Yorks John F. Kennedy Airport the night after Trump ordered a travel ban for citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries, and a rally drew more than 30,000 to Manhattans Battery Park the following day.

Across the country, events like this weeks Day Without Immigrants boycott, when immigrant workers, both naturalized and undocumented, decided to stay home, have continued to promote a more unified showing of solidarity from within and outside the broader immigrant community.

Gonzales is a strong proponent of such intersectional advocacy, but emphasized that it will take more than protests to create change. Marches can be great space for us to have our voices heard and to get people excited, she said. But we constantly have to remind people that it doesnt end there.

Given the federal governments expressed commitment to cracking down on deportations, she said, the objective now is to build off that momentum, to get more people involved in demanding action on the state and local levels.

Without government officials weighing in, it becomes a completely lost cause, she said. Political speeches on sanctuary arent enough; we need policies that protect all of our communities.

While Trumps recent actions may be increasing awareness of the cause, Gonzales and others noted that the new administration has transformed the political landscape. The tactics and strategies that could be used under the Obama administration are no longer useful, she said.

As organizers continue to test the waters, Andiola is trying to leverage public interest in the stories of people like Garcia de Rayos, to stop deportations on an individual level. She expects the public will have plenty of opportunities to grasp the human impact of harsh enforcement policies as more people face ICE check-ins, undergo deportation proceedings, and, inevitably, decide to take sanctuary.

For a lot of us, weve seen this for so long, she said. Harsh enforcement [during the] Obama administration was a harsh reality for us. Now its a harsh reality for the rest of the country as well.
In perhaps the most poetic passage from his inaugural address, President Trump said, We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space. So, how does Trump intend to do that?

Former Congressman Robert Walker, R-Pa., who was tapped to draft Trumps space policy during the campaign, spoke to Yahoo News about the administrations plan to place low Earth orbit missions predominantly in the hands of the private sector, with exceptions for military and intelligence satellites. The government would not compete with commercial interests in this region of space; instead, NASA would concentrate on deep-space exploration with the long-term goal of having humans explore the entire solar system by the 22nd century.

A number of private entities, such as Axiom Space and Bigelow Aerospace, are interested in creating commercial space stations and have technologies under development  such as constellations of satellites for Earth observation or new communications tools  that they believe can be profitable in low Earth orbit, the region of space up to an altitude of about 1,200 miles. Its the easiest orbit to enter and maintain. The International Space Station (ISS) is in low Earth orbit.

There are already commercial organizations prepared to lift supplies that NASA needs for deep-space exploration into low Earth orbit for assembly.

As we look toward going back to the moon, going to Mars or further, well want to have space resources that would be assembled in orbit so we could make them large enough and capable enough to do real deep-space activities, Walker said.

Walker has extensive experience in the space sector. He was the first sitting member of Congress to receive NASAs Distinguished Service Medal, the agencys highest honor, and has been heavily involved in presidential commissions on the aerospace industrys future and space exploration.

Walker believes space policy must acknowledge that the space community is far bigger than NASA or the military and that private investors should take the opportunity to participate in achieving national goals. He is calling for the National Space Council, a policy-setting body disbanded in 1993, to be reconstituted under the leadership of the vice president to set national goals for all three stakeholders in space: commercial, military and civilian interests.

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The questions to address, he said, are Whats the best way for us to access space in the future? And what opportunities exist if youre truly innovative about how your approach a space future?

Michael Suffredini, another recipient of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, has more than 30 years of human space flight experience, has managed the ISS for 10 years and is CEO and president of Axiom Space, which is currently developing the first private, commercial space station. It is intended to be the successor to the ISS after its retirement in 2024.

Along with providing a facility for research, Axiom plans to offer human space flight programs for countries that wish to send their own astronauts into space and for space tourists who want to orbit the Earth for 7 to 10 days.

According to Suffredini, NASA has already been on a path toward commercializing low Earth orbit, and the Trump administration is interested in continuing this process.

We think the time is right for an almost completely  from a development, launch and operations standpoint  commercial platform in low Earth orbit that can replace what the ISS brings to the table when its ready to retire, Suffredini told Yahoo News. The Trump administrations plan forward really supports what were interested in doing.

Hes hopeful that the administration will support commercial endeavors moving out to cislunar space (the area between the Earth and the moon) as well as to the moon or even Mars. We can all debate, he said, how much commercial activity will happen beyond low Earth orbit in the near future.

[The administrations] thrust is to look at more and more ways to look at commercial entities to participate where they want to in space, Suffredini said.

Robert Bigelow, the founder and president of Bigelow Aerospace, said major aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Lockheed Martin  the big guys  have always had a lock on NASA and therefore on government money. He said privatizing low Earth orbit is a tremendous opportunity for the little guys to survive and build a thriving business.

This is a completely new era. The circumstances have been changed, because NASA is cash-poor, Bigelow said. Not only does it make sense, but its an absolute necessity.

Bigelow, who has argued that NASAs roughly $19 billion budget should be doubled, recalled conservations with William H. Gerstenmaier, the associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate at NASA, indicating that the agency does not have the resources to return humans to the moon (or accomplish similar lofty goals)  without help from the private sector.

Bigelow Aerospace, based in North Las Vegas, Nev., develops expandable space station modules and other resources that could assist human space exploration  whether to low Earth orbit, the moon, Mars or deep space. Bigelow said NASA and other national space agencies worldwide are prospective clients.

Aside from unmanned satellites, there are at this time no moneymaking, private operations in low Earth orbit, other than those catering to the ISS, such as the BEAM (Bigelow Expandable Activity Module).

There is nothing that private enterprise cant successfully take on, do more affordably and more quickly than any government operation can, Bigelow said. Private enterprise hasnt had the chance.

He said three things are necessary for any space activity: money, technology and legal permission, which itself requires political wherewithal.

The private sector invents technology and generates huge amounts of money, so the political permission is the stopping point, he continued. Up until the current time, aside from satellite communications, space has always been the domain of NASA as far as the United States is concerned. That is changing.

On Wednesday, Robert Lightfoot, the acting administrator for NASA, said in an agency update that the transition under the Trump administration is going smoothly. He also asked NASAs human exploration and operations mission directorate to look into the feasibility of adding astronauts to Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), the first planned flight of the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and second flight of the Orion spacecraft, accelerating human exploration in deep space. With EM-1, NASA is developing the technologies that would be needed for a journey to Mars.

While speaking to a conference of suppliers for the SLS and other projects, Lightfoot emphasized the importance of private and public space industries in reaching the countrys goals.

We must work with everyone to secure our leadership in space  and we will, he said.

According to NASA, the SLS and Orion missions (together with record levels of private investment in space) would ensure the United States leadership role in exploring the cosmos and put us closer to unlocking the mysteries of space.

Back in October, the Trump campaign called Walker and asked him to draft its space policy. He agreed and said he could come up with one in a few days, but the Trump team said they needed it much faster. Walker and Peter Navarro, Trumps chief trade adviser, put together what they consider a cohesive space policy within 48 hours.

I was thrilled to help them. This has been a long-duration mission of mine to get our space program as robust as possible, and I have been particularly an advocate for commercial space for a long time, Walker said.

Navarro would run their ideas by Trumps team, and they would offer suggestions that ultimately wound up in the policy, such as a focus on hypersonics (speeds of Mach 5 and above).

Afterward, Trump would mention space as part of his larger vision for the country. Vice President Mike Pence also held a roundtable in Florida during the campaign in which he outlined a space program that resembled Walkers outline.

At a campaign rally on Oct. 25 in Sanford, Fla., roughly an hours drive from the Kennedy Space Center, Trump said, I will free NASA from the restriction of serving primarily as a logistics agency for low Earth orbit activity  big deal. Instead, we will refocus its mission on space exploration. Under a Trump administration, Florida and America will lead the way into the stars.

He said the expansion of public-private partnerships would result in maximum investment in space exploration  creating thousands of jobs.

Trump has mentioned space as one of the places where we can demonstrate that America is attaining its greatness, Walker said. As hes gone out to some of these rallies, postelection, space was in a couple of his remarks.

In December, Trump named Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and of SpaceX, an aerospace manufacturer dedicated to colonizing Mars and reducing the cost of space transportation, to his Strategic and Policy Forum.

Still, certain aspects of Trumps space policy are bound to trouble liberals and scientists concerned about climate change. In an October op-ed for SpaceNews, Walker said NASA spends too much time on politically correct environmental monitoring.

Late last month, employees for more than a dozen government agencies reportedly launched rogue Twitter accounts to take a stance against what they see as Trumps attack on climate science research. These included scientists with the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service and NASA.

Amid the barrage of Trump news, Walker said he has already seen some of his own ideas misconstrued and attacked. Walker said critics falsely accused him of wanting to eliminate NASAs Earth Science programs. He insists that he merely wanted to move them to another agency considered more appropriate for these projects, such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) or the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The suggestion was that we were eliminating the Earth Science programs that NASA is doing. And thats absolutely wrong. The reason for looking for a transfer was because we were taking NASA out of low Earth orbit, and most of the space-based assets for Earth Science are in low Earth orbit.

Though Walker is advising the Trump administration and drafted its space policy, he was not a formal member of the transition itself. With every new administration, some policies diverge from campaign rhetoric when confronted with the realities of governance. Consequently, as with other areas, its still too early to assess Trumps space initiatives.

Walker also serves on the board of directors for Space Adventures, a space tourism company, and was chairman of the board for the Space Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for the space industry.

Brendan Curry, the vice president of Washington operations at the Space Foundation, said the conversation around private operations in space is nothing new. For instance, commercial communication satellites have been operating and generating revenue in geostationary orbit, at an altitude of 22,300 miles, for decades.

The idea of making money in space has been around almost as long as the Space Age has, he said.

NASAs commercial crew and cargo program, established in 2004 under former President George W. Bush, enjoys bipartisan support. Curry does not see any political efforts to derail or curtail it but said policymakers will need to account for the ISSs planned retirement. This raises a slew of questions: Should it be extended? Should there be a successor platform?

Were asking these companies to make investments in systems and capabilities to go to a destination that might not be around after 2024, he said, so weve got to decide: Are there going to be other opportunities for these companies to develop or maintain systems and capabilities to go to low Earth orbit to provide private services or a service to the federal government.

Robert Jacobs, the deputy associate administrator for NASAs office of communications, told Yahoo News that the agency has helped to create a robust commercial space economy by turning orbital resupply missions for the ISS over to commercial industry. He also said that NASA will soon return to the launching of American astronauts from U.S. soil aboard commercial spacecraft, as the agency focuses on pushing human and robotic exploration further into the solar system.

President Trump said in his inaugural address that we will unlock the mysteries of space, Jacobs said. Accordingly, it is imperative to the mission of this agency that we continue to work hard to do just that.

Read more from Yahoo News:
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - One person was killed and about 27 injured, three seriously, on Saturday when a carriage toppled onto its side in a train derailment in Belgium, rescue workers said. Rail operator SNCB said the passenger train bound for Brussels jumped the tracks shortly after leaving the city of Leuven, 25 km (16 miles) east of the capital at about 1.20 p.m. (1220 GMT). One carriage came to rest on its side part way down a small slope. Rescue services said the person killed was found crushed underneath and did not appear to have been on the train. Services between Leuven and Brussels were suspended, including some trains heading to the airport. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel attended the scene. (Reporting By Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
UPDATE: 7 a.m. EST  Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, calling for a new world order to replace the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which he reportedly said was an institution of the Cold War in its mind and its heart.

At the conference where world leaders like Angela Merkel and Mike Pence called out Moscow for hybrid warfare and excesses in Ukraine, Lavrov urged the development of a post-West world order.

Original story:

As other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization expressed concern with uncertainty over the United States continued involvement in the alliance, Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday that the countrys support for NATO is strong and unwavering.

This is President Trump's promise: we will stand with Europe today and every day, because we are bound together by the same noble ideals  freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law, Pence reportedly said, as he addressed European leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. The announcement, however, did not come without the mention of a fair distribution of responsibility, and spending, for all members of the military alliance.

The vice president said many European countries were failing to pay their fair share on defense, according to BBC, adding that such a failure erodes the foundation of our alliance.

Only four members of the 28-nation bloc, other than the U.S., spent the committed 2 percent of GDP on defense, reports say, which Trump has called a deal-breaker in the past.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was also speaking at the conference, said the country would do its best to meet the 2 percent commitment but added that the alliance is also in the interest of the U.S.

Merkel reportedly said Russia is actively engaged in hybrid warfare and spreading fake news, possibly referring to the Kremlins alleged hacking of the U. S. presidential election as well as the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, a move that received international condemnation.

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mike pence nato

Photo: REUTERS/Michael Dalder

Pence, who spoke after Merkel, maintained the U.S will not look the other way when it came to Moscows aberrations, despite instances that showed proximity between the Trump administration and Russia. Reuters quoted him as saying: Know this: the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found.

The vice president also said Moscow has to honor the Minsk peace accords  related to its positions in Ukraine  and work towards decreasing the scale of violence in the eastern part of its neighboring country.

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By Roberta Rampton and Shadia Nasralla MUNICH (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday brought a message of support for Europe from Donald Trump, but failed to wholly reassure allies worried about the new president's stance on Russia and the European Union. In Pence's first major foreign policy address for the Trump administration, he told European leaders that he spoke for Trump when he promised "unwavering" commitment to the NATO alliance. "Today, on behalf of President Trump, I bring you this assurance: the United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering in our commitment to this transatlantic alliance," Pence told the Munich Security Conference, offering "greetings" from the president. But he also repeated U.S. calls for more defense spending in return: "As you keep faith with us, under President Trump we will always keep faith with you." While Poland's defense minister praised Pence, many others, including France's foreign minister and U.S. lawmakers in Munich, remained skeptical that he had convinced his allies that Trump would stand by Europe. Trump's contradictory remarks on the value of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, scepticism over the 2015 deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and an apparent disregard for the future of the European Union have left Europe fearful for the seven-decade-old U.S. guardianship of the West. After Pence spoke, former NATO deputy secretary general Alexander Vershbow, who is American, summed up the mood, telling Reuters: "Many in this hall are still asking if this is the real policy." Pence, whose meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel was described by German aides as "very friendly", also marked out a divide on Iran, which the European Union sees as a business opportunity following the nuclear deal. Pence called Tehran "the leading state sponsor of terrorism", language never used by European officials. Pence's strident vow to consign Islamist militants "to the ash-heap of history" also raised eyebrows, European officials said. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly defended Trump's directive suspending travel to the United States by citizens of seven mostly Muslim countries, since blocked by U.S judges, which was condemned by EU governments. Kelly said he would produce a "tighter, more streamlined version" soon, saying: "We need to find ways to vet in a more reliable way to satisfy us that people coming to the United States are coming for the right reasons." TWO U.S. GOVERNMENTS? French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault expressed disappointment that Pence's speech did not mention the European Union, although the vice president will take his message to EU headquarters in Brussels on Monday. "I hope that we will have a clear response (in Brussels) ... because Donald Trump has said he was overjoyed by the Brexit and that there would be others," Ayrault said, referring to Britain's decision to leave the European Union. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the opposition Democrats, said he welcomed Pence's address but saw two rival governments emerging from the Trump administration. Pence, Trump's Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his foreign minister Rex Tillerson all delivered messages of reassurance on their debut trip to Europe. But events in Washington, including a news conference in which Trump branded accredited White House reporters "dishonest people", sowed more confusion. "I like a lot of what I heard from Vice President Pence," Murphy told Reuters. "It's just hard to square that speech with everything Donald Trump is doing and saying," citing an assault on the free press. The resignation of Trump's security adviser Michael Flynn over his contacts with Russia on the eve of the U.S. charm offensive in Europe also tarnished the message Pence, Mattis and Tillerson were seeking to send, officials told Reuters. U.S. Republican Senator John McCain, a Trump critic, told the conference on Friday that the new president's team was "in disarray". The United States is Europe's biggest trading partner, the biggest foreign investor in the continent and the European Union's partner in almost all foreign policy, as well as the main promoter of European unity for more than 60 years. TEPID APPLAUSE Pence, citing a trip to Cold War-era West Berlin in his youth, said Trump would uphold the post-World War Two order. "This is President Trump's promise: we will stand with Europe today and every day, because we are bound together by the same noble ideals  freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law," Pence said. Pence received little applause beyond the warm reception he got when he declared his support for NATO. His warning that the "time has come to do more" on military spending was met with an awkward silence. The United States provides around 70 percent of the NATO alliance's funds. European governments sharply cut defense spending after the fall of the Soviet Union but Russia's resurgence as a military power and its seizure of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula has started to change that. Baltic states and Poland fear Russia might try a repeat of Crimea elsewhere. Europe believes Moscow is seeking to destabilize governments and influence elections with cyber attacks and fake news, an accusation denied at the conference by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Pence's tough line on Russia, calling on Moscow to honor the international peace accords that seek to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, were welcomed by Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz. Lavrov said after a meeting with his French, German and Ukrainian counterparts that there would be a new ceasefire from Feb. 20. "Know this: the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," Pence said. (Additional reporting by Noah Barkin, Andrea Shalal, Vladimir Soldatkin, John Irish and Jonathan Landay; Writing by Robin Emmott; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Adrian Croft)
Manila (AFP) - Thousands of Catholic faithful gathered in the Philippine capital on Saturday for a "show of force" in the biggest rally yet to stop extrajudicial killings in President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war.

More than 6,000 people have died since Duterte took office seven months ago and ordered an unprecedented crime war that has drawn global criticism for alleged human rights abuses, but is popular with many in the mainly Catholic country.

Members of one of the nation's oldest and most powerful institutions chanted prayers and sang hymns as they marched to condemn a "spreading culture of violence".

"We have to stand up. Somehow this is already a show of force by the faithful that they don't like these extrajudicial killings," Manila bishop Broderick Pabillo told AFP before addressing the crowd.

"I am alarmed and angry at what's happening because this is something that is regressive. It does not show our humanity."

Duterte, 71, has attacked the Church as "the most hypocritical institution" for speaking out against a campaign that he says would save generations of Filipinos from the drug menace.

About eight in 10 Filipinos are Catholic, making the former Spanish colony of more than 100 million people Asia's bastion of Christianity.

The Church helped lead the revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and a 2001 uprising against then-president Joseph Estrada that saw him ousted over corruption charges.

It had initially declined to voice opposition publicly to Duterte's drug war but, as the death toll of mostly poor people mounted, it began late last year to call for the killings to end.

Saturday's event, called the "Walk for Life", gathered 20,000 people, according to the organisers. Manila police estimated the crowd at 10,000.

The rally also opposed Duterte's push to restore the death penalty, his top legislative priority as part of his crime war.

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- 'Tears and fears' -

"It is obvious that there is a spreading culture of violence. It is saddening to see, sometimes it drives me to tears how violent words seem so natural and ordinary," said Manila Cardinal Luis Tagle, the country's highest-ranking Church official.

"In your surroundings, in your neighbourhood, there are so many lives that must be saved. They will not be saved by mere discussion."

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines had called on the faithful to gather at the Quirino Grandstand, where Duterte held a huge pre-election rally, from 4:30am.

"Why dawn? It's because it is during these hours that we find bodies on the streets or near trash cans. Dawn, which is supposed to be the hour of a new start, is becoming an hour of tears and fears," Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the bishops' conference, told the crowd.

Villegas this month issued the Church's strongest statement against the drug war, warning against a "reign of terror" in poor communities.

Among those who attended Saturday's event was Senator Leila de Lima, a former human rights commissioner and one of Duterte's most vocal opponents.

The government on Friday filed charges against her for allegedly running a drug trafficking ring using criminals in the country's largest prison when she was justice secretary in the previous administration.

De Lima, who has repeatedly insisted the charges against her are trumped up to silence her and intimidate other Duterte critics, said she attended Saturday's event as a show of solidarity.

"For as long as I can, I will continue to fight. They cannot silence me," De Lima, who is expecting to be arrested in the coming days, told AFP.

Bone cancer survivor Lucy Castillo, 56, turned up in a wheelchair along with dozens of other people with disabilities.

"When I was in so much pain, I could have taken my life but I did not. Only God can take it," she told AFP.

"I was diagnosed 40 years ago but I was given a chance to live. I want to give these drug addicts another chance."
Washington (AFP) - Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff in the case that led to the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion in the United States in 1973, died Saturday. She was 69.

She died of heart failure in a Texas assisted-living facility, said Joshua Prager, a New York journalist who has written about her in Vanity Fair magazine.

McCorvey was known as "Jane Roe" in the case as she fought for the constitutional right to an abortion, a hot-button social issue that has divided the American public roughly in half for decades.

She became a hero to abortion rights supporters but a villain to those seeking to outlaw abortion. Years later in 1995, she announced she had switched her allegiance to the anti-abortion movement.

The Roe v. Wade decision was handed down on January 22, 1973 with seven justices backing it and two dissenting.

In the four decades since the Supreme Court ruling, tens of millions of legal abortions have been performed in the country.

The ruling ended a lengthy legal drama that had begun in the state of Texas three years earlier, where abortions were permitted only in cases in which pregnancies endangered the mothers or children.

A single mother who had had a rough childhood, McCorvey was pregnant for a third time and wanted an abortion.

Encouraged by two feminist lawyers, she filed suit against Dallas district attorney Henry Wade over the Texas law under the pseudonym Jane Roe.

Although her child was born, the case took on a life of its own, becoming one of the most important and best-known decisions ever made by the Supreme Court.

McCorvey later became a fervent abortion opponent, converting to evangelical Protestantism and then Catholicism. She also declared herself a lesbian.

Marjorie Dannenfelser -- president of the Susan B. Anthony List, an organization that seeks to roll back abortion rights -- offered the group's condolences in a statement and praised McCorvey's shift in views.

"She overcame the lies of the abortion industry and its advocates and spoke out against the horror that still oppresses so many," Dannenfelser wrote.

"In her memory and in her honor, we will carry on that work and we pray for her eternal peace."
President Trump is holding interviews with four finalists this weekend to replace former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, the White House said Saturday.

The White House initially had hoped to have a replacement for Flynn by Friday. But Trumps top pick for the post, Robert Harward, a retired vice admiral, backed out of the job over family concerns and the presidents refusal to provide him control over staffing decisions. Aides said afterward that Trump is broadening his search for the post.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump will speak with four finalists for the job and potentially more candidates Sunday. The identified candidates are Army strategist Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, acting national security advisor and retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, and West Point superintendent Lt. Col. Robert Caslen.

Trump fired Flynn on Monday amid revelations that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence on the nature of his contacts with the Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Flynn was also the subject of internal concern over reports of discontent and dysfunction within the National Security Council during his brief tenure.

Former CIA director David Petraeus, who was identified by White House aides as a finalist for the post almost immediately after Flynns exit, is no longer under consideration, Spicer said. That confirmation comes after Petraeus spoke out against the White Houses efforts to limit the authority of the national security advisor Friday at the Munich Security Conference.

Whoever it is that would agree to take that position certainly should do so with some very, very significant assurances that he or she would have authorities over the personnel of the organization, that there would be a commitment to a disciplined process and procedures, Petraeus said.

Speaking to reporters Saturday on Air Force One, Trump said he has a favorite for the job, adding hell make a decision in a couple of days. Ive been thinking about someone for the last three or four days, well see what happens, Trump said. Im meeting with that person. Theyre all good, theyre all great people.
Well, that didnt last long. As President Donald Trump wrapped up his fourth week in office, the romance between him and Russian president Vladimir Putin seemed to have cooled suddenly. The week began with the resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn amid revelations that he lied about his phone calls to the Russian ambassador. Then came reports that members of the Trump team had been in repeated contact with Russian intelligence agents. It ended with Vice Admiral Bob Harward declining to replace Flynn, and Trump giving a press conference in which he said his administration is running like a fine-tuned machine; toyed aloud with the idea of firing on a Russian spy ship in international waters off the East Coast; and dismissed allegations of collusion between his aides and the Russian government by saying, Russia is fake news. It was a performance that raised eyebrows in Moscow, with one Kremlin-friendly paper saying Friday that you need to be drunk to understand the U.S. presidents true position.

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There was a time when it was Washington that was constantly surprised by an erratic and audacious Moscow doing things like unexpectedly seizing Crimea or sending its forces into Syria. Now, it is the other way around. After a month in the White House, Trump has forced Moscow into the role of the reacting party. Before Putin was unpredictable, now its Trump, said Masha Lipman, an independent Russian political analyst.

All week, Moscow has been in response mode, swatting at volleys coming out of the Trump administration. When Flynn tendered his resignation, Dmitry Peskov, Putins spokesman, dismissed it as a domestic issue, nothing more than an HR matter. The next day, though, The New York Times published a story that said members of Trumps presidential campaign had had repeated contacts with Russian intelligence agents, which Russians dismissed as nonsense. We have heard a huge amount of unproven accusations against Trump and Putin and Russian intelligence, and its all a green dog, Sergei Markov told me when I asked him about it. Markov, a Western liberal turned Putinist hawk, served for several years in the lower house of the Russian parliament, and is now a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation and runs his own think tank. I dont know what that means either, but aesthetically, I feel its a green dog, he explained. Its a nonsensical thing. Theres no proof.

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But before those allegations could be properly digested, they were sandwiched between two inflammatory White House statements on an issue sacred to the Russians: Crimea. President Trump has made it very clear that he expects the Russian government to de-escalate violence in Ukraine and return Crimea, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on Tuesday. At the same time, he fully expects to and wants to be able to get along with Russia. If Moscow could ignore U.N. ambassador Nikki Haleys hardline speech on Ukraine earlier this month as that of a lower-level official whose post neither Trump nor Putin take seriously, its hard to ignore a message coming from the White House, and the Russians felt compelled to respond. We dont need to bring this topic up at all, said the speaker of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, from the floor of the parliament. Some press secretary somewhere said something.  Listen, focus on fulfilling your campaign promises. Everything was said during the campaign: fixing relations with Russia, with China, fighting terrorism. If you fulfill your campaign promises, everything will be fine.

But by the following morning, it wasnt some press secretary somewhere saying something, it was the President of the United States, tweeting Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?

Now the Kremlin itself was forced to respond. In regards to returning Crimea, this topic will not be discussed, for it cannot be discussed, said Peskov. Russia does not discuss questions regarding its territory with its international partners. He added, We are still counting on establishing a line of communication and that well have the opportunity for a business-like discussion, and to get our point of view across to our American partners in a calm and constructive manner.

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By Wednesday, Trump had definitively disappeared from Russias televised evening newstightly controlled by Putins administrationand, on Thursday, Bloomberg reported that the Kremlin had ordered state media to ease up on the flattering coverage of Trump. (This was in part because of the statements coming out of Washington, and in part because the Kremlin fell victim to its own success. During the U.S. presidential campaign, Kremlin-controlled TV was firing on all cylinders for Trump. The Russian medias whole election campaign coverage was done as a pro-Trump exercise, says Igor Yurgens, a political observer who advised Dmitry Medvedev during his single presidential term. Trump was new interesting, energetic; Clinton is old and boring and hates Russia. By last week, though, Trump had become the most cited person in the Russian press, bumping Putin down to second for the first time since his return to the presidency in 2012, which Putin clearly did not like.)

And in case Trump himself wasnt irritant enough to the Russians, on Thursday, Defense Secretary James Mattis said that he wants to negotiate with Russia from a position of strength and that the U.S. must at the same time defend ourselves if Russia chooses to act contrary to international law. This forced the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to respond, saying, We are ready to restore cooperation with the Pentagon. But attempts to build a dialogue from a position of strength with respect to Russia are hopeless. (Its easy to get into a fight from a position of strength, but hard to come to an agreement, tweeted Alexey Pushkov, the hawkish head of the foreign-affairs committee in the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament.)

It was hard not to sense a certain disillusionment in Moscow. The possibility of restarting Russian-US relations is far from crossed out, but nevertheless such a statement, like a cold shower, cools our  inflated expectations with regard to Trump and his team, lamented Leonid Slutsky, who works on foreign relations in the Duma.

The romance with Putin was always going to end, because it always has, both for George W. Bush and Barack Obama, who both wanted a good working relationship with the Russian president. It took a couple of years for Presidents 43 and 44, rather than the month it took for 45, but in both cases the end was always written into the DNA of the beginning. The person Putin is and the country he wants Russia to be will inevitably run up against the country America perceives itself to be and the previously bipartisan consensus on what America has decided are its interests abroad. In the case of Trump, there is also the added obstacle of his personality quirks: his addiction to flattery and his parchment-thin skin. How will he maintain a relationship with a man who has a knack for doing things like bringing a dog to meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel because he discovered she is afraid of dogs?

But luckily, we havent gotten there yet. Right now, the split with Russia is over the issues, and there is still hope in both official and liberal Moscow that a path to cooperation, however narrow, can be hacked through the ice. Moscow is not disillusioned with Trump because it was never illusioned, Markov told me earlier this week. We looked at it soberly. We are cautiously optimistic because we think theres a chance for better relations and were going to work on those chances becoming a reality. But for that to happen, Russians are having to explain away certain things, and the logical gymnastics have taken on a new degree of difficulty. When Trump tweeted about Russia taking Crimea, for instance, the Russian journalist Oleg Kashin told me that moderate commentators are already beginning to explain the verb take as neutral and not offensive, that it doesnt imply annexation.

Were absolutely not surprised and had no doubt that America wont recognize Crimea as part of Russia, Markov said. We just want one thing: Forget the Crimea thing, just treat it the same way you treated the Baltics in the Soviet era. (During the Soviet era, the United States didnt recognize Moscows annexation of the three Baltic Soviet republicsEstonia, Latvia, and Lithuaniaat the end of World War II, but that didnt prevent Washington from doing business with the Soviets on other matters, like nuclear disarmament talks.)

Russians, unwilling to let go of the dream of a Russophilic American president, are finding one explanation for the roadblocks, and its the same explanation that Trump has: the American press and political establishment. U.S. Establishment Forming Bipartisan Bloc Against Trump Getting Along with Putin, reads a headline in Sputnik, the English-language Kremlin propaganda site. Pushkov, the hawk in the Federation Council, went on a Twitter rampage on the same topic. It seems Trump didnt expect such resistance to his plans, he wrote. Theres a high probability that Trump wont drain the swamp, but that it will suck him in. And that will end his revolution before its begun, he observed in another Tweet. (Pushkov was even charitable on the subject of Trump flirting with the idea of shooting at the Russian spy ship. Trump insists that he doesnt want to sink the Russian ship, but wants to improve relations, he wrote. But will alone isnt enough. The resistance is horrendous.)

Trumps tweet on Crimea, Markov said, was just to make nice with the Republicans in Congress, to get them on board for his executive order on immigration. Right now, hes a half-president because his executive orders are being blocked by political opponents in court. His main goal right now is to become a full president. So he met with [Ukrainian president Petro] Poroshenko. We dont like it, but hes doing it for internal purposes and we and we try to be understanding.

Even liberal Russian voices blame the changing rhetoric on Trump falling hostage to American domestic politics. The more Trump is weakened, the stronger the voices of the extreme anti-Russian contingents on both sides of the political spectrum become, said Lipman. Now it really looks like the Cold War.

But its not all mental backflips. Some of the justifications and hope, Lipman pointed out, simply grows out of the fact that Russians are seeing this chaos from a very different vantage point. A lot of the tumult around Trumps statements or revelations about contacts with Russia carries a heavy psychological load for Americans who oppose Trump, because each small explosion brings with it a hope that this will be the one that finally topples him. Its a very emotional, distraught approach. Its a daily catastrophe, said Lipman, who is teaching in the Midwest for a semester and observing the American reaction up close. And so any news that discredits him is followed with great attention and interest and hope. None of this exists in Russia and so they read it with more of a cool head, because they dont have these emotions, even the ones who dont really like Trump.

The point is, the Russians have been more insulated from what some Americans see as surprising. After all, Trump was this unpredictable, this mercurial, this inflammatory throughout the entirety of the presidential campaign. Why would he suddenly change? And Putin, whether you consider him a killer or not, is hardly the idealistic, hopeful type who didnt see exactly the kind of person Trump was. I dont think Putin is sitting there surprised, thinking, I thought hed help me, Lipman says, or that hed constantly advance Russias interests just because he paid him a compliment.  I dont think this was such a big surprise. I dont think there will be a serious easing of Russias challenges and I think the people in the Kremlin know that. And as for the conservative Russians who were popping champagne for Trumps inauguration, Lipman pointed out, correctly, that they dont matter, and never have. They can be happy, they can celebrate, but it doesnt have an impact on anything. Theres one decision maker.

And on Friday, Peskov, spokesman for Russias sole decision maker, made clear that the Kremlin is unruffled. Putin is waiting for his first bilateral with Trump, Peskov said, and he wishes people would calm down a bit. It hasnt already been a month, he said, but its only been a month.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
The Red Cross on Saturday called for the unconditional release of two staff members who were abducted when their convoy was ambushed in northern Afghanistan last week, leaving six other workers dead.

The aid workers came under insurgent fire in Jowzjan province on February 8 while they were en route to a remote snowbound area to deliver much-needed relief supplies.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had earlier said the two employees were missing, in what was one of the worst attacks on the international charity in the country for years.

"We call on the abductors' sense of humanity and request the immediate, safe and unconditional release of our colleagues and to avoid taking any action that could endanger their lives," Monica Zanarelli, ICRC chief in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

"We do not want the agony and heartache of this tragedy to deepen."

ICRC did not specify who was behind the abduction. No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the ambush, but Jowzjan's police chief has blamed local Islamic State jihadists.

Six employees were killed on the spot, many of them shot from close range.

The killings come after a Spanish employee of the ICRC was abducted on December 19 when workers from the charity were travelling between the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif and the neighbouring volatile Taliban hotbed of Kunduz.

The attacks underscore how aid workers in the country have increasingly become casualties of a surge in militancy in recent years.

The violence comes at a time when Afghanistan is in dire need of humanitarian assistance, with more than 100 people killed in recent avalanches and tens of thousands displaced by the wrenching conflict.

Following the attack, the ICRC, which has been working in Afghanistan for three decades, said it was putting its nationwide operations on hold but added there were no plans for now to withdraw staff.

The Taliban, the largest militant group in Afghanistan which promptly distanced itself from the attack, has assured ICRC of security in areas under their control and urged the charity to resume operations.
The Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt, the attorney general from Oklahoma and climate change skeptic, to head the Environmental Protection Agency Friday afternoon. Pruitts confirmation from a majority-GOP Senate is the latest move from Republicans that has environmental advocates worried about efforts to ignore climate change and kill potential renewable energy jobs.

That fear had been stoked the day before Pruitt was confirmed, when President Donald Trump reversed a regulation that prohibited the coal mining industry from dumping waste into nearby waterways or operating within 100 feet of a stream. The Stream Protection Rule was finalized in December, just before President Barack Obamas term ended.

Trump and Congressional Republicans said the regulation would hurt the mining industry by killing jobs. As he signed the measure, Trump said ending the rule would save, many thousands American jobs, especially in the mines, which, I have been promising you  the mines are a big deal.

Trump and Miner

Photo: Reuters

The mining industry has been hit hard in recent years, and officials from the industry said the Stream Protection would only exacerbate the problem. A report from the National Mining Association concluded that employment in the coal industry could drop by 281,000 positions.

However, another study  one that wasnt conducted by a lobbying group  found very different projections. The coal industry would actually lose an average of 260 jobs per year, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service. Those job losses would range widely year-to-year, though, varying from an estimated 41 jobs one year to 590 the next. The report also found that the regulation would have created 250 jobs a year in everything from engineering to bulldozer operations.

Jobs in renewable energy have seen enormous growth in the past few years  as alternative energy sources became more affordable, solar and wind industries have created jobs 12 times faster than the rest of the economy, according to a report from the Environmental Defense Fund. Additionally, in 2016, one out of every 50 jobs created was in solar energy. Climate change advocates have expressed frustration that, by neglecting potential renewable energy jobs, the president and Congress are missing an opportunity.

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"Trump's current approach is basically ignoring an entire industry that has grown up over the last 10 years or so and is quite robust," Liz Delaney, the program director at the Environmental Defense Funds Climate Corps program, said in January.

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With President Trumps White House mired in controversy and his partys legislative agenda initially stalled as a result, congressional Republicans are discovering a new outlet for their creative energies as they head home for next weeks recess: avoiding their constituents.

As many observers have noted, rank-and-file progressives have recently taken a page from the tea partys playbook, and begun to disrupt in-person town-hall events with their representatives, booing Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and prompting police to escort Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., to his car.

But as the opposition has grown more organized, Republicans have responded in kind, developing an elaborate array of evasive maneuvers to help them dodge unsympathetic constituents altogether. The upshot has been a game of democratic cat-and-mouse that would seem cartoonish if less serious matters were at stake.

Take Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who represents a district located in the coastal suburbs north of San Diego.

By any measure, Issa is one of the most endangered congressmen in the country. His state voted for Hillary Clinton in last years presidential election by nearly 30 percentage points; his district went for Clinton too (by 7 points). Only 23 other GOP members represent similarly divided districts. Of them, Issa won reelection by the slimmest margin: a mere 1,621 votes (or 0.6 points). Theres a reason, in other words, why the Cook Political Report currently rates CA-49 as the only Republican-held tossup in the country, and why both the Democratic Party and the GOP are already targeting Issas 2018 rematch with challenger Doug Applegate.

Since the election, Issa has said that Washington needs to listen more [and] talk less  himself included.

But he has consistently steered clear of listening to his constituents in person. For the past two months, local residents have been gathering outside Issas office in Vista, Calif., to request a town hall with the congressman; the group has swelled from a couple of dozen in December to nearly 300 this week. Each time, Issas staff has given them the same brushoff: that a town hall meeting would cost $50,000  too much taxpayer money. Instead, they offered, Issa would be happy to host a town hall by telephone (which he did late last month).

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The only problem with this approach? Its just an excuse to avoid honest communication with voters, according to one participant.

Almost all the callers who are let through seemed to be Republicans, and a number congratulated [Issa] on his election victory, Mary Michel Green wrote in the Dana Point Times on Feb. 12. The one caller who appeared to be opposed to Mr. Issa politically, someone from Dana Point, was interrupted several times by Rep. Issa in a rude, dismissive tone before he could get a sentence out.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. (Photo: Molly Riley/AP)

Unhappy with Issas reluctance to meet face to face, his constituents have tried to call his bluff, renting their own venue in Vista and crowdsourcing $6,000 to pay for a full-page ad in the San Diego Union-Tribune inviting Issa to attend an Emergency Town Hall on Health Care on Feb. 21.

Yet Issa still isnt biting. After initially claiming that they were still finalizing the congressmans calendar, his staff members now insist that he is busy that night with a long-standing obligation to tour a local homeless shelter.

Issa isnt alone in wanting to sidestep confrontations with angry voters, especially of the kind that can be recorded on an iPhone and uploaded to Facebook and Twitter in seconds. Some of the GOPs more inventive deflections, diversions and dodges so far include:

Publicly canceling a scheduled town-hall event because you didnt want to meet until all the presidents nominees were confirmed, then showing up anyway, to talk solely to your conservative supporters, who somehow still seemed to know you would be there (Mo Brooks, R-Ala.)

Posting a photo from your great town hall this morning with concerned citizens about the need for tax reform on Facebook, despite never actually putting said event on your calendar or otherwise telling your constituents that it was happening (Jim Renacci, R-Ohio)

Removing all mention of your upcoming town hall from the host citys municipal website and refusing to call it a town hall when questioned, insisting instead that it is a low-key community meeting with other elected officials (Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.)

Refusing to denounce your friend when he announces that he needs all patriots in attendance at your next town hall to protect you from any potential disruption of [your] speech, adding that concealed carry permit holders [are] most welcome and shouldnt forget [their] ammo (Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.)

Insisting that you are too busy, busy, busy to meet with your own constituents during the first 100 days, while at the same time scheduling a special guest appearance at another congressmans town hall meeting 2,130 miles away (David Brat, R-Va.)

To be sure, Democrats also made themselves scarce when tea party activists were in [their] grill  as Brat memorably referred to his contemporary critics  back in 2009 and 2010. The New York Times reported in June 2010, of the 255 Democrats who make up the majority in the House, only a handful held town-hall-style forums, as legislators spent last week at home in their districts.

From 2013: Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio, speaks at a town-hall meeting. (Photo: Tom E. Puskar/AP)

Even so, the evasive maneuvering seems to be faster and more furious this time around, arriving in the midst of what is typically a new administrations honeymoon period. According to LegiStorm, Republicans held 222 town halls during the first two months of the last Congress, in 2015; this year, they have scheduled only 88  and 35 of those sessions are for a single congressman (Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.)

While GOP officials are pushing for fewer in-person events and more telephone town halls, not every Republican seems to think avoidance is the smartest strategy.

Democrats deluded themselves in 2009 by disregarding the early signs of fierce resistance to their agenda, and paid the price over and over again for their heedless high-handedness, National Review editor Rich Lowry wrote in a recent column titled Heed the Protests. Republicans shouldnt make the same mistake.

And despite his rowdy reception earlier this month, Utahs Rep. Jason Chaffetz agrees.

Of course, were going to continue to interact with constituents, Chaffetz told the Salt Lake Tribune. I believe I have a duty and a need to hear from everybody in my district.

Even Issa has expressed interest in engaging with people who disagree with him  or at least he did in 2015.

Politicians most often look for an easy softball, he lamented at the time. But members who care look for people who are contrary to their views  and, in fact, challenge that status quo.
Being a new parent is exhausting, but what if I told you there was a new device that could make it even more complicated and stressful... Wait, what?

Meet the Raybaby, the first ever non-contact sleep and breathing tracker. Basically its a baby monitor that also measures a childs vitals, breathing rates and sleeping habits and then feeds all that information into an app through which you can obsess about your precious offspring's every twitch.

This is not the first monitor to track breathing, though it is the first to do it without needing to attach a battery-operated sensor to the baby. It relies on essentially the same technology that ultrasounds use to detect your childs movements. They promise it tracks breathing with a 98 percent accuracy rate, but there are a zillion situations that could trip this thing up and wake you in a needless panic.

The Raybaby launched on Kickstarter (where you can get one now for $149 for shipment in September), and was created by graduates of hardware accelerator HAX with support from Johnson & Johnson. It promises to bring some much needed sanity into the lives of parents, and the team behind it no doubt had good intentions.

Its major selling point is, of course, that it promises to tell you if your child stops breathing  every parent's recurring nightmare. But it also offers alerts for a host of other occasions that are far less dramatic. Like itll send you a notification on your phone if your baby has a fever. (Sort of useful?) Or when your baby is awake. Hmm, do you need that? No.

SEE ALSO: Parents, do not let this dumb sign make you feel guilty about using your phone

Its worth remembering that babies have their own built-in technology for telling you theyre awake or need need your attention  its called screaming. And if your baby stirs before you do and is just happily hanging out, you certainly dont want an alert to wake you up needlessly.

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If that's not enough for you, it'll also take pictures and videos of your child in their crib, which it will then collect into a collage. (As if the 90,000 photos you've snapped on your phone are not sufficient.) The company even suggests you post these bed-related memories on social media, but here's a tip from your followers, we're good.

The app that accompanies the monitor is a treasure trove of TMI about your baby. It contains a detailed log of your babys vital signs, sleep patterns, and other behaviors. It will tell you the babys current status (again, see: screaming) and give you AI-based advice on sleep training. It will even send you an alert when your beloved bundle of joy rolls over. Hope youre okay with never sleeping again because babies roll around A LOT.

Image: raybaby/kickstarter

Seriously though. Babies are designed to warn you when something is wrong. Yes, its great to have a sense of the hours your child is sleeping and when theyre eating, etc. But this app collects so much data, most of it very unnecessary for taking care of a healthy little one.

But I need to know whether my baby is breathing! you may say. Heres the answer: your child is almost certainly breathing! If your kiddo has a health issue and is at special risk for not breathing, your doctor will tell you. You will be given special equipment, and you will deal with it as best you can. But the vast majority of babies are just fine.

SEE ALSO: Dads can legit carry their babies like kangaroos with this pouch shirt

Parenting is a journey filled with a constant anxiety and vigilance, but having endless data at your fingertips does nothing to ease that. As long as youre keeping an eye on them and youve taken all the recommended precautions to keep them safe, you've done what you can.

No amount of snazzy gizmos tracking their every move will shut off the little worry generator nature installs in your brain the moment your child arrives. You'll just be extra on-edge because your phone will be pinging your brain with constant alerts and, even worse, false alarms.

And even if you have a fancy monitor tracking their every move, you will still sneak into your child's room  risking waking them and ruining your entire night  just to see the gentle rise and fall of their tiny chest with your own tired eyes.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Saturday for an end to a world order dominated by the West and said Moscow wanted to establish a "pragmatic" relationship with the United States.

Lavrov was speaking at the Munich Security Conference shortly after US Vice President Mike Pence told the audience Washington remained "unwavering" in its commitment to the US-led NATO military alliance as it faced a more assertive Russia.

Lavrov said that the time when the West called the shots was over and, dismissing NATO as a relic of the Cold War, added: "I hope that (the world) will choose a democratic world order -- a post-West one -- in which each country is defined by its sovereignty."

Lavrov said Moscow wanted to build relations with Washington which would be "pragmatic with mutual respect and acknowledgement of our responsibility for global stability."

The two countries had never been in direct conflict, he said, noting that they were actually close neighbours across the Baring Straits.

Russia wanted to see a "common space of good neighbour relations from Vancouver to Vladivostok," he added.

Pence was in Europe along with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and defence chief James Mattis as part of efforts to reassure allies rattled by President Donald Trump's "America First" stance and his calls for improved ties with Russia despite the continuing crisis in Ukraine.
(MUNICH)  Russia wants pragmatic relations with the United States but also is hoping for the creation of a post-West world order, the countrys foreign minister said Saturday, dismissing the NATO military alliance as a relic of the Cold War.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovs comments at the Munich Security Conference came hours after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told the gathering that the U.S. will hold Russia accountable even as the Trump administration searches for common ground with Moscow.

The annual get-together of diplomats and defense officials has been marked by Western concerns about President Donald Trumps approach to foreign policy and attitude toward Russia.

What kind of relations do we want with the U.S.? Pragmatic relations, mutual respect, understanding our special responsibility for global stability, Lavrov said.

We have immense potential that has yet to be tapped into, and were open for that, inasmuch as the U.S. is open for that as well, he added.

At the forum, both Pence and U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis tried to walk-back earlier remarks from Trump that NATO as an alliance was obsolete, emphasizing the U.S. support for it and its continued importance.

Lavrov, however, echoed the characterization of NATO as obsolete, declaring to the conference that the military alliance remained a Cold War institution.

Responsible leaders should make a choice, I hope that the choice will be done in favor a creating a democratic and just world order, Lavrov said, speaking through an interpreter.

If you want, you can call it a post-West world order, when each country, based on its sovereignty within the rules of international law, will strive to find a balance between its own national interests and the national interests of partners.

Following Lavrovs comments, and a bilateral meeting with the Russian envoy, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told The Associated Press that Moscows criticism of NATO was well known. He said that criticism has increased as the alliance has gone ahead with positioning battlegroups in the Baltics and Poland as a deterrence to a more assertive Russia.

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We dont want to provoke a conflict. We want to prevent conflict and preserve the peace, Stoltenberg said. Our aim is not to isolate Russia. We dont want a new Cold War, we dont want a new arms race, what we do is measured and defensive.

He rejected the notion that NATOs purpose had vanished with the fall of the Iron Curtain, noting the alliances important missions in the Balkans and Afghanistan, and in the fight against terrorism and piracy.

NATO is an alliance for the 21st century. We are an alliance for today and tomorrow because we have the unique ability to change and adapt when the world is changing, he said.
By John Irish and Andrea Shalal MUNICH (Reuters) - Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine agreed on Saturday to use their influence to implement a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from Monday in eastern Ukraine. Fighting has recently escalated between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in the region, refocusing global attention on a simmering conflict that has strained relations between Russia and the West. "On Feb. 20 the ceasefire regime will start and withdrawal of heavy military hardware will also start ... We have actively supported this decision and obviously expressed a conviction that this time, failure should not be allowed to take place," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with his Ukrainian, German and French counterparts in Munich. The Minsk peace agreement, brokered by France and Germany and signed by Russia and Ukraine in February 2015, calls for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line and constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy. But since the deal the sides appear stuck in a stalemate broken periodically by sharp resurgences of fighting that Kiev and the Kremlin accuse each other of instigating. Since the end of January, shelling on both sides of the front line near the government-held town of Avdiyivka has been heavier than at any time since last summer. "All parties will use their influence to implement the agreement of the trilateral contact group from Feb 15," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters, referring to a body comprising Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). "The aim is to have a ceasefire starting from Feb. 20 and to do what has long been agreed but never implemented: To withdraw the heavy weapons from the region, to secure them and enable the OSCE monitors to control where they are kept." U.S. President Donald Trump's new administration has said that any sanctions imposed on Moscow following its annexation of Crimea and events in eastern Ukraine would not be lifted until there was progress on implementing the accords. Speaking to Reuters after the meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said he was "not at all" happy and lamented a lack of "powerful results." Echoing those comments, Lavrov said there had been a lack of results, but that he believed Ukraine and rebels would abide by the Feb. 20 date. Despite their differences, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said neither Moscow nor Kiev had offered any alternatives to the Minsk process. "The meeting showed that Russians and Ukrainians had no other option, but to respect Minsk. They have no alternatives. We agree to meet quickly, perhaps in three weeks, to see if we can advance on the ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons and exchange of prisoners. We need a lot of patience, because we can see a lack of will on either side." (Reporting by John Irish, Andrea Shalal and Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Adrian Croft)
With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders proposed Thursday a perhaps futile attempt to make wealthier Americans pay more into Social Security in order to keep the decades-old program solvent, according to media reports.

The former Democratic presidential candidate, along with Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), explained the plan that would increase benefits for senior citizens by raising taxes on Americans who earn more than $250,000, The Hill reported.

"Anyone who tells you Social Security is going broke is lying, Sanders said. We can increase Social Security benefits for millions of Americans and extend the life of Social Security if we have the political will to tell the wealthiest Americans to pay the same rate as everyone else.

American workers were contributing 6.2 percent of their annual income to Social Security, but thats capped at the first $127,000. Sanders' plan also called for income like capital gains and dividends to be taxed in order to keep the program solvent until 2078.

But Sanders, and specifically proponents and current beneficiaries of Social Security, were facing an uphill battle with the Congress. In December, House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-Texas) introduced the Social Security Reform Act of 2016, which would keep the program solvent for 75 years but would do so by cutting back benefits by 122 percent, CBS News reported.

That legislation would directly result in a $2 trillion cut in revenue for the program from a tax cut to wealthier retirees and a nearly $14 trillion reduction in benefits.

Roughly two weeks before President Donald Trump was inaugurated, Sanders took to the Senate floor to urge the then-president-elect to stick to his statement about not cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs that seniors rely on.

"Millions of people voted for him on the belief that he would keep his word," Sanders said on Jan. 4. "If he was sincere, then I would hope that tomorrow or maybe today he could send out a tweet and tell his Republican colleagues to stop wasting their time and all of our time. And for Mr. Trump to tell the American people that he will veto any proposal that cuts Medicare, that cuts Medicaid or that cuts Social Security."

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Palm Beach (United States) (AFP) - The US Secret Service launched an investigation Friday, after an object was hurled at Donald Trump's motorcade as it traveled to his Florida resort.

As Trump's motorcade was moving from the airport at West Palm Beach to his Mar-a-Lago home earlier Friday, an object appears to have been thrown at the convoy.

"The Secret Service can confirm that an object appears to have been thrown at the motorcade this afternoon," an official said in a statement.

"We are investigating at this time and don't have anything further."

Trump's motorcade travel is often greeted by well-wishers and hecklers.

In Palm Beach, Trump has received a mostly positive welcome, with fans lining the route with signs saying "Welcome Home."
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  Serbia's foreign minister on Saturday sharply criticized neighboring Bosnia's bid to revive a genocide suit against his country before the United Nations' top court, describing it as "very dangerous."

Sarajevo's move could cause tensions within Bosnia, jeopardize both regional stability and bilateral ties between Serbia and Bosnia, Ivica Dacic warned on Serbia's state TV.

Bakir Izetbegovic, Muslim Bosniak member of the county's tripartite presidency, announced Friday that Bosnia will ask the U.N. Court of Justice to reconsider its 2007 ruling that cleared Serbia of genocide during Bosnia's 1992-95 war.

Izetbegovic said the request will be submitted before Feb. 26, the deadline for appealing. The appeal will be initiated despite a lack of consent from his Croat and Serb counterparts in the presidency.

Bosnia sued neighboring Serbia before the International Court of Justice in 1993 over its political and military backing for the Bosnian Serbs' war effort.

The Netherlands-based court ruled that the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims by Bosnian Serbs in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica was genocide. It found Belgrade guilty of failing to prevent the slaughter, but not guilty of genocide.

Dacic said potential revival of the process would "cast a shadow" on efforts to improve ties between Serbia and Bosnia.

"This decision could cause destabilization of not only Bosnia-Herzegovina but the entire region," he said. "So, this is a very dangerous decision."

The Serb member of Bosnia's presidency, Mladen Ivanic, said the decision indicated that Bosniaks had "abandoned consensus decision-making," thus provoking a "serious" crisis.

"This is an attack on (Bosnian government) institutions," Ivanic told journalists on Saturday. "Situations such as this one can result in hostile (inter-ethnic) relations and possibly even a conflict."

The Srebrenica massacre was Europe's worst mass killing since World War II. Some 100,000 people died in the Bosnian war before it ended in a U.S.-brokered peace agreement that created a Muslim-Croat and a Serb entity.
The Sons of Serendip  a classical crossover group that will play the Marie W. Heider Center for the Arts in West Salem on Sunday eveningfirst came to prominence as a result of its stirring performances on Americas Got Talent. Although the groups choice of instruments is classical  piano, cello and harp  their live shows feature more mainstream music most audience members will recognize.

We usually do songs that people already love, explained principal vocalist Micah Christian. We take music from other genres  rock, pop and soul  rearrange it and put our own spin on it.

That spin includes Christians soulful voice plus that unusual instrumentation. The bands set list includes songs like Leonard Cohens Hallelujah, Carry on My Wayward Son, by Kansas and Signed, Sealed and Delivered by Stevie Wonder.

You wont often hear Stevie Wonder done with classical instruments, Christian said.

Although the groups appearance on Americas Got Talent brought them national exposure, its likely no one would have ever heard of the Sons of Serendip if it werent for a series of incredible coincidences.

Christian was once a divinity school student intent on becoming a minister. In a sense, hes been on a ministry of a different kind after the unexpected success on Americas Got Talent.

Although their audition to appear on the popular NBC show was only the second time SOS had ever played together in public, the four men wowed the judges in performance after performance and survived all the way to the finals of the show. Meanwhile, the national exposure and public acclaim they received impacted their lives in unexpected ways.

That experience changed everything, Christian said. I was teaching, Cord (pianist Cordaro Rodriguez) was a lawyer and the other two guys (cellist Kendall Ramseur and harpist Mason Morton) were also teaching. After the show we decided to quit our jobs and commit to this 100 percent  we knew it wouldnt work otherwise.

Asked whether the decision to commit to music felt like a calling, Christian was emphatic: Absolutely! I think thats how we all feel. There were so many circumstances that were out of our control that led us to come together that we believe this is what God wants for us.

Those circumstances are reflected in the groups name. But serendipity might not be a strong enough word to describe all the coincidences that led them to Boston University. For example, after getting his undergraduate degree, Christian was getting ready to spend two years with Teach for America, a non-profit that sends students from top universities to teach in low-income communities.

On the day he was called to make decision, a recruiter from Teach for America told him that something within her spoke to her saying that he belonged at Boston University instead. So, Christian went back to grad school to become a minister.

Christian grew up in Massachusetts so Boston University wasnt far away, but Rodriguez and Ramseur grew up in Charlotte, N.C. They would take a more circuitous route before arriving at the same place. The two became friends when Ramseurs family moved into the same neighborhood as Rodriguez when he was 8 years old. Like Christian, both came from musical families.

Years later, after graduating from Princeton with a psychology degree and losing touch with Ramseur, Rodriguez was going to be a lawyer. An adviser encouraged him to apply to law school at Boston College. Unfamiliar with the area, Rodriguez mistakenly applied and was accepted at Boston University instead. Soon after, he met Christian at a church service.

Meanwhile, Ramseur had gotten his bachelors degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts and was pondering where to go to get a masters degree in cello performance. Despite offers of more financial aid elsewhere, he somehow decided on Boston University. Arriving in 2010, he was stunned to run into his old friend Rodriguez already there.

The final piece of the Sons of Serendip puzzle was Morton. He grew up in Atlanta and went to college at Rice University in Texas. Mortons harp teacher at Rice suggested he go to grad school at Boston University and study there under her former teacher.

Morton arrived in Boston with no idea where he would live, but quickly found a room in an apartment with Ramseur. Two years later, after Ramseur and Rodriguez had reunited, all three moved into an apartment together.

Then, in 2014, after a difficult year volunteering in Peru, Christian decided to audition for Americas Got Talent (hed been signing in a cappela groups for fun). He asked Rodriguez to join him and then Rodriguez asked his roommates Ramseur and Mason.

From the beginning the foursome discovered that they a unique chemistry. Their performances have been described as music for the soul, and Christians background probably has something to do with that.

Beside his volunteer stint in Peru, Christian has volunteered in Honduras and in Calcutta with Mother Teresas Missionaries of Charity. He considers those experiences invaluable in shaping him and his approach to music.

They helped me to really value being with people and, learning from them and doing my best to love them as best as I could. Its like an anchor for me and it brings me back to whats important and thats loving people.

Christian said theres a wide range of reactions to Sons of Serendip shows. We incorporate humor so there are moments when people are laughing and others when people are crying or just content and happy. We always go out and meet people after the show, and we love hugs!

According to Christian, after their shows sometimes people will tell them about sacred moments in their lives when their songs made a difference. In one memorable instance, a family in California called Christian in Boston and asked if the group could play a favorite song for someone on their deathbed.

Christian said they were honored and humbled to do so. We did it over the phone in an effort to provide comfort, healing and peace, he said. So far, its been a very surprising and wondrous journey weve been on.
UPDATED with video: President Donald Trumps administration has been roiled by chaos, Late Night host Seth Meyers said, the day Trump doubled down on that chaos by holding a bizarre press conference full of false claims, grievances, and attacks on the media.

To set scene for this press conference: in just over three weeks Trumps White House has been plagued by infighting, legal challenges, messy executive orders, the resignation of his National Security Adviser, and now the revelation that his aides had contacts with Russia during the campaign, Meyers said.

Trump is so desperate to get back to his cheering crowds on the campaign trail, his staff has set up a rally for Saturday in Florida. But Trump could not wait that long, so he held his first solo news conference, to do his second favorite thing, attack the press.

During the newser, Trump casually mentioned how great it would be for him politically if he attacked that Russian vehicle off the coast of Connecticut, speculating public reaction would be to call it a terrific move. Nobody would say that, Meyers insisted. The only way everybody would say Oh, thats so great is if [Trumps] Russian hooker tape is on Netflix this weekend.

Meyers played the moment in the news conference in which Trump asked April Ryan to set up a meeting between him and the Congressional Black Caucus.

Its racist to assume all black people know each other, Meyers schooled Trump. You dont know all orange people. Hey Trump, can you set up a meeting with Snooki and the Lorax?' Meyers snarked.

When a reporter from a Jewish publication asked Trump about rise in anti-Semitism in the U.S., Trump said the question was insulting and told the reporter to sit down and shut up.

At another point in the news conference, Trump began to talk about Obamacar.

Wait? Theres a secret Obamacar?! Meyers wondered. Does it travel back in time like a Delorean? If so, can we fire up the flux capacitor, and get that [expletive] up to 88 miles an hour immediately?

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar-XQGtoB6o&w=620&h=340]

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In April 2016, SpaceX made the bold proclamation that it will send a robotic mission to Mars by 2018.

Today, the Elon Musk-founded company is singing a different tune.

Instead of aiming for the 2018 deadline, SpaceX will now try to launch a robotic mission to Mars  known as its Red Dragon mission  two years later, in 2020, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said during a press conference Friday.

SEE ALSO: SpaceX's historic rocket launch Saturday could end in another dramatic landing

This delay will allow the company to refocus on other more, earthly ambitions in the near term before setting its sights on Mars down the road.

"We were focused on 2018, but we felt like we needed to put more resources and focus more heavily on our crew program and our Falcon Heavy program, so were looking more in the 2020 time frame for that," Shotwell said.

Artist's illustration of a Mars landing.

Image: spacex

The 2020 mission should involve sending a Dragon spacecraft to Mars using the company's Falcon Heavy rocket  the largest launcher SpaceX has ever built, designed for heavy payloads and distant parts of the solar system.

SpaceX has yet to launch a test flight of the Falcon Heavy, but Shotwell is confident the rocket should fly on its first mission by this summer.

Musk has also expressed his grand plan to launch a crewed mission to the red planet by around 2024, with a city on Mars coming sometime after that, perhaps in the 2060s, though those plans are still very much up in the air.

Once the Red Dragon mission takes flight, it will be exciting. According to Shotwell, SpaceX will carry science experiments and other payloads to the Martian surface with it.

SpaceX's move to refocus also makes sense in light of the difficulties SpaceX has faced in the past couple years.

Artist's illustration of SpaceX's Dragon on Mars.

Image: spacex

In June 2015, a Falcon 9 rocket exploded after launching toward the International Space Station from Florida, and in September 2016, another Falcon 9 exploded during a test before launch.

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While SpaceX has weathered those failures (and according to Shotwell, they could weather another if it had to), it has caused some industry experts to question whether the company is up to their ambitious tasks.

The independent U.S. Government Accountability Office recently reviewed SpaceX's progress toward launching NASA astronauts to the International Space Station aboard crewed Dragon capsules and found that the company will not meet their original 2017 crew launch date.

Boeing, the other company under contract with NASA for these types of launches, will also miss that original deadline.

The office found that those human launches could slip until 2019, though Shotwell said SpaceX will meet its 2018 goal.
North Koreans were never informed of the widely-reported poisoning death of their Supreme Leader Kim Jong Uns half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, going about their Friday afternoon in the oppressive nation entirely unaware of the major scandal enveloping their government. South Korea, one of the North's biggest enemies and closest neighbors, is reportedly planning on changing that, however, by blaring the news over loudspeakers positioned on the border.

South Korean officials are mulling over a decision to use loudspeakers to blare messages of Kim Jong Nams death toward the reclusive North, a move its used before during times of heightened conflict with Kim Jong Uns regime, NBC News reported Friday. "We are considering providing information about the killing of Kim Jong Nam into North Korea via loudspeaker broadcast," a South Korean official confirmed.

RTR4HAT

Photo: Reuters

The South has used loudspeakers along its shared border with North Korea, while simultaneously aggravating the top-most levels of North Koreas secretive government. It isn't typical for the Southern military to report details of international developments or conflicts involving the Norther regime, however.

South Korea blared Korean pop music toward the North in August 2015, prompting Kim Jong Uns military to declare a wartime state. The divided nations engaged in temporary gunfire exchange after a northern official fired at one of the loudspeakers, though nobody was injured in the incident. Both nations have used loudspeakers before to spread propaganda across both sides of the border.

The news arrives as North Korea has been continuing to defy sanctions by testing ballistic missile launches, most recently firing a warhead into the Japanese sea while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump were meeting in the United States. North Koreas unstable relations with the outside world have become even more turbulent as Kim Jong Un continues to face defections from government officials, including Stephen Evans, a high-profile diplomat who defected to the South.

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Meanwhile, North Koreans reportedly believe they are already immersed in an ongoing state of war, as Kim Jong Un's government continues to expand its nuclear arsenal and military operations.

"North Korea is increasingly growing in power ... it is not certain we will survive," Michael Kirby, a former Australian High Court judge who produced a human rights abuses report on North Korea, told ABC News Friday. "We will only survive if humanity can grasp the situation and deal with the risks, we shouldn't ignore this, it is a very serious moment in human history."

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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company is investigating a leak in the rocket that is set to launch in less than 24 hours.

Investigating a (very small) leak in the upper stage, said Musk in a Tweet Friday. If ok, will launch tomorrow.

The rocket is scheduled to launch at 10:01 a.m. EST Saturday from launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon spacecraft towards the International Space Station (ISS) for its tenth cargo delivery, weighing 5,500 lbs. The Dragon spacecraft will carry science research, crew supplies and hardware, NASA said.

Saturdays planned launch comes after a successful Falcon 9 rocket launch from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California last month, in which SpaceX delivered 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit for the communications company Iridium.

That launch was the first since a SpaceX rocket exploded on the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Fla. last September. The accident caused damage to the launch site and a $200 million AMOS-6 communications satellite from Israeli company Spacecom.

If Saturdays launch goes as planned, NASA will be gin coverage of the launch begins at 8:30 a.m. EST. If the launch is canceled, the rocket will launch 9:38 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, NASA said in a statement.

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SALEM, Ore. (AP)  States in the American West are marking the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that forced 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans into internment camps.

Most were from Oregon, California and Washington state. Adults, including the elderly, and children could only bring what they could carry and were transported by bus and train, often with blacked-out windows, They were sent, ostensibly to avoid sabotage and spying, to camps in California, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona and other states as far away as Arkansas.

Oregon, California and Washington are not only marking Sunday's anniversary, but politicians and activists say America must learn from this dark chapter of history.

Here's a look at what states are doing to recognize the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans:

OREGON

The Oregon Legislature is considering a bill to recognize a Day of Remembrance of the mass incarceration.

Carol Suzuki's father and grandparents were forced to relocate from their home in Oregon's Hood River Valley to detention camps in California and Idaho. After President Donald Trump recently signed immigration executive orders, her 9-year-old daughter asked if she, too, would be put away.

"Sometimes the words of an innocent child are the ones that affect you the most," Suzuki testified Monday before the Oregon Senate committee considering the Day of Remembrance bill.

Suzuki blinked away tears as she described the conversation with her daughter, who "should never be afraid of her own government."

George Nakata, 83, of Portland, told the committee about his firsthand experience with a "dark chapter in American history ... not found in many school textbooks."

He recalled being sent with thousands of other Japanese-Americans to a former livestock exhibition center in Portland, where the families were confined until rural detention camps were built. "I can never forget, upon entering the building, the smell of livestock urine, the pungent odor of manure underneath the wooden floors."

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At the Minidoka relocation center in Idaho, Nakata as a young boy recited the Pledge of Allegiance as he looked out at barbed wire and guard towers from tar-papered barracks.

The committee unanimously endorsed the bill. The House is scheduled to take it up on Monday.

WASHINGTON

Washington state began recognizing Feb. 19 as an annual Day of Remembrance 14 years ago.

Vigils, a taiko drum concert and other events are planned in Seattle to mark the anniversary Sunday.

Gov. Jay Inslee tweeted that "this anniversary should serve as an all too real reminder of what can happen when America acts out of fear." Inslee also met with former detainees.

CALIFORNIA

In California, the Legislature has passed resolutions proclaiming Feb. 19 as the 75th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066 and recognizing a Day of Remembrance.

California lawmaker Al Muratsuchi, who sponsored one of the resolutions, said that with Trump focusing on Muslims in his immigration order, Americans must ensure no one is targeted because of national origin or faith.

"Now, more than ever, every American needs to remember the unjust incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II," Muratsuchi said.

HAWAII

More than 2,000 people of Japanese ancestry were detained at camps on the islands or on the mainland. In marking the anniversary, Honolulu businessman and poet Suikei Furuya will share his story at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii.

IDAHO

In Idaho, Lt. Gov. Brad Little will sign a proclamation Sunday honoring interned Japanese-Americans.

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Associated Press journalists Sophia Bollag in Sacramento, California; Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington; Cathy Bussewitz in Honolulu, Hawaii; and Kimberlee Kruesi in Boise, Idaho contributed to this report.

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Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky
Beirut (AFP) - Sixteen people, including two women, were killed Saturday when government forces launched a barrage of rockets that hit a funeral on the edges of the Syrian capital, a monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "seven rockets and several shells hit areas on the edges of Qabun", a northeastern district of Damascus held by rebels.

"The shelling targeted a cemetery while someone was being buried there," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

Abdel Rahman had earlier given a toll of nine killed, but several people succumbed to their wounds in the hours after the attack.

"There are still some people who are critically wounded," he said.

Rebels and regime forces reached a local truce deal in Qabun in 2014, but violence steadily escalated in the neighbourhood which is now bombarded regularly.

Also on Saturday, three civilians were killed in government air strikes on Waer, the last opposition-held district of the central city of Homs.

The Observatory said two young brothers were among the dead.

The toll brought to 30, including 10 children, the total number of people killed in an "escalating air campaign and clashes in Waer", Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Homs was dubbed the "capital of the revolution" after vast demonstrations there early in Syria's anti-regime uprising.

But after months of siege and bombardment, rebels agreed to quit the city in a 2014 evacuation deal with the government.

Another local deal was struck specifically for Waer in December 2015, and hundreds of rebels have left the neighbourhood.

More than 310,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011.

But after nearly six years, the conflict has morphed into a multi-front war that has drawn in foreign powers and seen jihadist groups rise to prominence.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces attacked rebel-held areas on the northeastern outskirts of Damascus with rockets and shellfire on Saturday and killed at least nine people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. A Reuters witness heard the sounds of heavy bombardment coming from the area. The British-based Observatory said the government forces' assault was around the Qaboun and Barzeh districts. (Reporting by John Davison; Additional reporting by Kinda Makieh in Damascus; Editing by Adrian Croft)
By John Davison BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian warplanes bombarded a besieged rebel-held district of Homs, southern Deraa and insurgent areas in Damascus's outskirts on Saturday in what appeared to be intensifying assaults in the west of the country, monitors said. Much of western Syria is covered by an ongoing but shaky ceasefire between the government and rebels that took effect on Dec. 30, but fighting has rumbled on, with warring sides accusing each other of truce violations as peace talks loom in Geneva next week. On Damascus's northeastern outskirts, Syrian government forces attacked the rebel-held Qaboun and Barzeh districts with rockets and shells and killed at least nine people, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. A Reuters witness heard the sounds of heavy bombardment coming from the area. There was no immediate comment from the government side. To the north, Syrian jets bombarded the last rebel-held district of Homs, al-Waer, killing at least two people and raising the death toll from nearly two weeks of air strikes there to more than 20, an activist and the Observatory said. A military media unit run by Damascus's ally Hezbollah said insurgents in al-Waer had been attacked by warplanes and artillery after rebel sniper fire hit neighboring areas. For months, al-Waer had been spared much of the intense violence raging elsewhere, as the government tried to do a deal with rebels to let them leave with their families. Similar agreements elsewhere in the west have resulted in rebels leaving with light weapons and heading mostly for Idlib province. The opposition says such accords are part of a government strategy to forcibly displace populations from opposition-held areas after years of siege and bombardment. In September, some 120 rebel fighters and their families left al-Waer in agreement with the government, but there have been no further reports of insurgents leaving. The Observatory estimates several thousand rebels remain there. In the southern province of Deraa, government and Russian warplanes stepped up their bombardment of rebel-held areas, carrying out at least 70 air strikes on Friday and Saturday, on Deraa city and towns to the east, the Observatory reported. At least four people were killed in the town of Umm al-Mayadhin, and one person in Busra al-Sham, it said. The ceasefire deal is backed by Russia, which is supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and by Turkey, which backs some rebel groups, but fighting has continued almost since it took effect. The radical Islamist group Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the former Syrian branch of al Qaeda, are not included in the ceasefire. (Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
By Nellie Peyton DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A young Tanzanian entrepreneur is turning the countrys mounting plastic waste into "lumber" to help meet demand for housing in its growing cities, in an effort to reduce depletion of forests. Christian Mwijage decided he could tackle those problems in one go - by turning discarded plastic bottles into building materials that can be used instead of wood. His year-old company, EcoAct Tanzania, has transformed nearly 1 million kilogrammes (3.27 mln pounds) of waste into "plastic lumber" that can be used for fences, house beams, signposts and more. The company says it is reducing waste in the East African nation's cluttered commercial capital, while creating jobs for young people and saving trees. EcoAct Tanzania won the $10,000 Africa Finance and Investment Forum Entrepreneurship Award in Nairobi this week, which will help it grow, said founder and director Mwijage. "It's a pressing issue in our country - I feel like we have a big problem with plastic waste," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, explaining why he started the company in late 2015. Mwijage's home of Dar es Salaam is the biggest city in Tanzania and one of the fastest-growing on the continent, with a population of over 4 million. As in many African cities, that has led to large informal settlements and an accumulation of waste. Meanwhile, logging driven by the construction boom is ravaging Tanzania's forests. "I thought about the increasing activity in construction and tried to combine the two problems," Mwijage said, meaning logging and waste. He realised he could also create much-needed jobs by paying people to collect, clean and sort through neighbourhood trash. EcoAct sought out parts of the city where there were piles of waste and offered to pay a small price for the usable plastic. In some cases, it pays children's health insurance in exchange for collecting their families' recyclables each week. The company produces 70 to 80 plastic logs a day, but hopes to scale up to at least 400 once it can afford a bigger machine. "Demand is high. The challenge is production capacity," said Mwijage. The logs are cheaper than wood, he says, and more convenient because they don't attract insects and cannot rot. His hope for this year is to stop some of the deforestation happening around Mount Kilimanjaro by offering developers alternative supplies to wood. Later he hopes to expand to neighbouring Rwanda. "As long as the number of people (in cities) is increasing, opportunities are increasing," Mwijage said. (Reporting by Nellie Peyton; editing by Megan Rowling and Emma Batha. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate)
A teens announcement on Facebook that he is cancer-free has captured the attention of thousands of people. Jacob Munozs mom, Yvette, posted a photo on the Facebook page she created for her son, Jacobs Fight, showing a beaming Jacob holding a handmade sign that read: I beat cancer! Thank you Jesus! The post has received more than 30,000 likes, over 3,000 shares, and more than 4,000 comments.

A year ago, then 13-year-old Jacob was hit with a severe headache and nausea. He was initially diagnosed with a migraine, but after multiple doctor visits and trips to the emergency room, the seventh grader was diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

STORY: After Mom Beats 4 Brushes With Death, Daughter Helps Fulfill Her Wish

The teen, who lives in Spring, Texas, spent the next year enduring intense treatments for the cancer. But Jacob, Yvette, and the rest of the Munoz family finally received the good news they had been praying for: After 12 months of suffering, 8 times in ICU, being told that my son may die numerous times, after, as parents, were asked how we were going to tell our son that he may die, after Jacobs heart, liver, pancreas, and brain were compromised, after being bound to a wheelchair, after being fed through tubes, after pain, suffering, heartbreak, and after shedding thousands of tears, tests have revealed that not one single Leukemia cell has been detected! Yvette wrote on Facebook Feb. 5.

Jacob (back row, center) with three of his siblings.

Jacob will continue to take oral chemotherapy medication for a full year, along with intrathecal chemotherapy delivered via spinal tap every six weeks. We can resume the last year of this fight with peace and joy, Yvette wrote on Facebook before thanking family, friends, and strangers for their support. Words alone cannot express our most sincere and deep gratitude for all that you have done. You have loved and supported Jacob as one of your own. You have carried our family. You have helped ease the burden, you have loved us, you have prayed for us. What hearts of God you all have. We have a year left of our fight but we are so grateful to God. It is He who brought Jacob through thus far and I know he will continue to carry Jacob until he rings the bell and beyond. I am so overwhelmed and crying tears of joy.

Story continues

STORY: For Son With Cancer, Mom Has Simple Request

Yvette hopes that Jacobs story will inspire others. I want to let people know that theres hope, she told ABC News. Cancer is not a death sentence. And most of all, God hears our prayers.

Added Jacob: Never give up and keep fighting.

Photos: Jacobs Fight/Facebook

Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com.
A newborn rests beside his mothers bed at the Ana Betancourt de Mora Hospital in Camaguey. The World Health Organization on Tuesday declared Cuba the first country in the world to eliminate the transmission of HIV and syphilis from mother to child. (Photo: Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)

This story is part of a weeklong Yahoo News series marking one year since the opening up of relations between the United States and Cuba.

How did a country that cant provide soap or bedsheets to its hospitals manage to achieve first-world life expectancies? And what, if anything can we learn from it?

Back in 2002, when dengue fever was detected in the Cuban capital, a public health protocol that had been created decades earlier was launched into action. At the behest of their government, average citizens took leaves from work and school and formed brigades that went door to door, repairing water leaks and disposing of waste to control mosquitoes. Construction workers and college students were trained in the basics of vector control and teamed up to fumigate public spaces and treat sewer systems. And schoolchildren tackled their own neighborhoods with a vengeance, searching beneath sinks, in basements and around house after house for standing water. In all, some 11,000 people were mobilized, more than 173,000 housing units fumigated and nearly 46,000 cubic meters of waste collected. The island did not completely conquer dengue, which continues to pose a threat there today. But it did avert a full-scale epidemic, even as several of its wealthier neighbors did not.

To prevent dengue, Cuban health ministry workers fumigate the entrance of an old building in Havanas Habana Vieja neighborhood. (Photo: Jose Goitia/AP)

A dozen years later, Cuba is still pioneering boots-on-the-ground, low-cost health care solutions  now with a pennies-per-dose cholera vaccine that the beleaguered country created all by itself and that has the potential to stymie choleras spread throughout Latin America. Cuba also sent more doctors than any other country to fight the Ebola epidemic in Africa last year, a gesture for which U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised the country directly. But the dengue campaign highlights what many researchers agree is Cubas most significant achievement  a public health program so comprehensive it actively involves every member of society.

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Much has been made in recent years of what public health and policy experts call the Cuban Health Paradox. Despite its third-world economy, the country has managed to achieve some first-world health indices  namely, a life expectancy (officially, 78 years) that matches that of the U.S., and an infant mortality rate (4.63 deaths per 1,000 live births) thats slightly better than the States. It has also achieved one of the highest doctor-to-patient ratios in the world and established a legitimate pharmaceutical sector, producing a suite of urgently needed drugs and vaccines  not only an affordable inoculation against cholera, but also the worlds only one against hepatitis C  and several effective chemotherapy and hypertension drugs.

At the same time, however, health care in Cuba is actually abysmal. The island may be producing some novel pharmaceuticals, and its doctors have indeed become first responders to all manner of global catastrophes. But its own clinics are woefully short of basic supplies, from aspirin and antibiotics to soap, bedsheets and latex gloves. And theyre so understaffed that Cubans themselves often joke that if you want to see a Cuban doctor, you should go to Venezuela. Castro has sent thousands of doctors there and to other developing countries, not only as a humanitarian gesture but in exchange for oil, cash and, in some cases, depending on whom you talk to, a public relations boost.

For all the debate, though, the biggest question of all may be how these disparities came to inhabit the same small island in the first place, and what, if anything, the rest of the world can learn from it.

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Lets start with a quick history lesson. Its no stretch to say the revolution that put Castro in power was at least partly over health care. Life expectancy was already on an upward trajectory by then, largely thanks to infrastructure projects launched in the late 1800s that helped curb vector-borne diseases. But while rich city-dwellers were living longer and staying healthier, the vast majority of people, living in the countryside, were still poor and struggling against tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.

Fidel Castro near a housing project in Jibacoa, May 13, 1975. The Castro regime installed a health clinic in every neighborhood. (Photo: AP)

Castros regime addressed this inequality head-on. The human right to health care, and the governments responsibility to provide it free of charge, were both explicitly detailed in the new constitution. And in time, a three-tiered health care system was established, devoted almost exclusively to primary, preventive health care.

The root of this system was the consultario, or primary health clinic. Every neighborhood in Cuba has one, and in the beginning at least, each consultario was staffed by a doctor and nurse who lived on the premises and were responsible for 120 or so families (fewer in the countryside). This responsibility included much more than just treating patients who turned up at the clinic. It meant being proactive: visiting people at home, making sure that everyone got an annual checkup and making doubly sure that they were educated in basic health matters. Each consultario was linked to a polyclinic where more specialized care was provided. And all of the polyclinics were linked to the national ministry, which coordinated various health campaigns, collected data from the population and held doctors and citizens alike accountable for their health outcomes. All three levels of the system were responsible for addressing not only medical issues, but also nonmedical issues like nutrition, housing and environmental cleanup, that might affect a persons health. They created a framework where they could systematically address all the determinants of health at once, says Jerry Spiegel, a global health researcher at the University of British Columbia. Thats something weve been trying to do in every developing country around the world, and failing at.

To be sure, there were downsides to this comprehensive approach, stemming in part from the authoritarianism of the Castro regime. Its been widely speculated that abortion was (and is) used to improve infant mortality rates by eliminating compromised fetuses before they became compromised infants. And its easy enough to imagine that not every citizen wanted to attend health education groups, or skip school to fumigate sewers, or live out their days in a sanitarium if they tested positive for HIV, or be sequestered in a home for pregnant mothers if their pregnancy was deemed high risk.

But the upshot was that Cubans themselves quickly came to expect basic health care as a matter of course. Nancy Burke, a medical anthropologist from U.C. Berkeley who studies Cuban health care, remembers one colleague who treated Latin American migrants living near the Mexican border, on the U.S. side. Doctors at the university were used to very compliant undocumenteds [sic], she says. And then they had Cubans come in who knew exactly what was wrong with them and demanded a very clear explanation of what medication was being given to them and what the tests were showing and what the next steps were going to be. And the doctors would get irritated and try to pass them off to the pharmacists. But the Cubans didnt want the pharmacists. They wanted the doctors. They were embodying health care as a human right.

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Its no mystery how this system crumbled. In the early 1990s, the Soviet Union fell apart, leaving Cuba bereft of billions of dollars in economic assistance. Two years later, the U.S. tightened its trade embargo against the country. The combined effects were devastating. Rampant food shortages led to rampant malnutrition, which in turn led to an epidemic of neuropathy, a neurological condition that stems from lack of nutrients and can cause blindness. Essential medical equipment and drugs, including mammography machines, pacemakers, and anesthesia, became all but impossible to obtain. And basic infrastructure began to crumble under the weight of neglect. Before too long, infectious diseases were ticking upward again, and health indices were slipping.

A pharmacy with empty shelves in Managua. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the U.S. embargo, drugs became almost impossible to obtain. (Photo: Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

In response to the crisis, the government made several strategic decisions that still influence the countrys health today. It cut hospital spending and doubled down on maternal health. Pregnant women got extra food rations and nutritional supplements, even as other segments of the population went hungry; those whose pregnancies were deemed at risk were sent to special homes for close monitoring. And in 1994, with the economy near its nadir, the government opened a clinic devoted exclusively to the problem of low-birth-weight babies. Cuba also began nurturing its own biotech sector to compensate for the loss of U.S. supplies, ramped up its doctor export program in an effort to generate income and flung open its gates to U.S. currency and to tourists everywhere.

The legacy of those maneuvers has been mixed. By some accounts at least, they helped stave off a full-blown humanitarian disaster. Not only did the health indices rebound relatively quickly, they actually improved; infant mortality, for example, went from 11 out of 1,000 live births in 1989 to 9.3 out of 1,000 in 1993, and it has continued to fall. But the original ideal of equal health care for all has evaporated in the face of doctor shortages and foreign currencies. And in its wake, two separate systems have emerged: one for tourists and party elites and one for everyone else. While everyone else health care is still free, critics say that it is no longer even remotely efficient or reliable. Patients who can afford it bribe their doctors with cash or food to get themselves to the front of unfathomably long queues or to secure urgently needed medical tests. Patients who cant afford to offer bribes often skip the formal system altogether.

The situation promises to get worse as the country opens up to the rest of the world. Not only are doctors reaching the limit of their willingness to work for a few hundred dollars a year, says Richard Cooper, MD, chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at Loyola Medical College in Chicago, but now theyre attempting to emulate the outside models of ramping up specialty care. According to those outside models, he says, thats where the money is.

In the past, Cuban health indices of note  life expectancy and maternal health  were seen as a collective responsibility and a matter of national pride. Doctors would chase after patients, pregnant women especially, to make sure they got the care they needed to stay above the margins. But doctors themselves are beginning to question the value of this paternalism. Theres this growing sense that women should be responsible for their own pregnancies, says Burke. And that doctors who are being stretched ever thinner shouldnt have to go chasing after them.

And its not just ideas that are changing with the times. Growing tourism, especially sex tourism, is already leading to a rise in sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. And as infrastructure continues to deteriorate, dengue and cholera are also on the rise. By some accounts, the island is in the midst of another mortality transition  where infectious disease will once again become the leading cause of death  and its only a matter of time before the numbers reflect that shift. They may be cooking the books a little, says Katherine Hirschfeld, a medical anthropologist at the University of Oklahoma who has studied the Cuban health care system. The USSR did this successfully for many years; it was only in the mid-1990s that people realized that life expectancy had been falling for a long time.

A woman undergoes physiotherapy at the Heroes de la Playa de Giron hospital in Cienfuegos, 150 miles southeast of Havana. Education and health care are free to all citizens. (Photo: Desmond Boylan/Reuters)

For proof that Cubas life expectancy data was real at some point, one need only look at Cubas current demographics: The country has one of the fastest-growing elderly populations in the Western Hemisphere. But even this unmitigated success will present a challenge going forward. The parks of Havana are often filled with elderly folks doing tai chi to stay healthy, but the government that has seen them into their 60s and early 70s with good nutrition, exercise and regular checkups is not quite ready to manage the suite of medical complications that will arise in the coming years. The average Cuban pension covers only the most basic needs, according to a report by University of Miamis Institute for Cuba and Cuban American Studies. And a lack of supported living facilities may already be contributing to a rise in suicides among older Cubans. Many elderly people perceive themselves to be a burden on their families, writes Steven Ullman, the reports author. And, at least implicitly, the Cuban government perceives them as a burden on the state.

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So, how do we make sense of the Cuban Health Paradox? It helps to remember that life expectancy and infant mortality, while important, are not the same thing as total health. Nor is public health the same as medical care such as one receives in a hospital. In both cases, Cuba has exceeded at the former and done abysmally at the latter.

Still, whatever its shortcomings, the Cuban healthcare program does offer some lessons. Regardless of how well or poorly its been sustained, the country succeeded in conquering infectious diseases and building a comprehensive primary health care system despite its lack of resources. Whats more, it did it at a time when virtually every other developing nation was being pushed by the World Bank to do the exact opposite: to curb public health spending for the sake of austerity, in exchange for desperately needed loans. Cubas health infrastructure may be no better for having taken the less traveled path, but for now at least, its population is indisputably healthier than the populations of countries with comparable economies. Theres a paradox to the paradox, says Spiegel. Why would we think that attention to health would do something other than produce good health outcomes?

Women at the entrance of a special maternity unit for high-risk pregnancies in Havana. Cuba has long prided itself on its care of pregnant women and newborns, and officials boast of an infant mortality rate lower than that of the United States. (Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP)

As far as the U.S. is concerned, the takeaway might be trickier. Sure, our hospitals are better and our medicine cabinets fuller. Cost aside (and Michael Moore be damned), theres no question where youre better off if you need a new heart valve. But most people go through life without needing open-heart surgery; all of us, though, were once newborns, and live with the consequences of the care we received before and after birth. And if the Cuban experience has a lesson for us in that respect, its one we would do well to heed.

More stories on this topic >>>
Juba (AFP) - A third top South Sudanese military official has resigned, accusing President Salva Kiir's regime of war crimes and ethnic cleansing, according to a letter seen by AFP Saturday.

Brigadier Henry Oyay Nyago, advocate general and director of military justice, was the latest military official to pen a damning resignation letter accusing the government of atrocities in the country's three-year civil war.

"Your regime committed sundry war crimes... genocidal acts and ethnic cleansing," he wrote, accusing Kiir of ordering the killing of civilians not belonging to his ethnic Dinka group, and overlooking crimes committed by the Dinka in various probes into violence.

"I cannot continue to be silent or taciturn when you are finishing and slaughtering the innocent people of South Sudan," Nyago wrote in the letter to Kiir, which detailed specific events in which civilians were ordered killed, or atrocities were overlooked.

In another letter released Saturday, the head of South Sudan's military court, Colonel Khalid Ono Loki resigned, accusing the army chief of extra-judicial arrests of citizens based on their ethnicity.

Addressed to army chief Paul Malong Awan, the letter decried "unspecified and unstipulated arrests and detentions fluctuating from months to years without investigation and scrutiny ... on fabricated cases against individuals of non-Dinka ethnicity."

Loki also accused Awan of dismissing rulings against members of his own tribe accused of murder, rape and theft.

"Mr. Chief, you have often avoided the current courts, tried officers on your own, whilst crafting and forming alien ones paradoxical to the existent established courts which are in conformity with the law," Loki wrote.

"Your unqualified clique of friends and relatives who dangerously arrest and sentence as you so wish and command have never attended any law school to carry such responsibility."

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- 'Catastrophic proportions' -

Lieutenant-General Thomas Cirillo Swaka, deputy chief of general staff for logistics, resigned last week accusing Kiir and his tribe of "ethnic cleansing".

While the army could not be reached for comment on the latest resignations, a statement last week said Swaka had quit as he was corrupt and had fled to evade arrest.

The country's labour minister also resigned on Friday, and declared allegiance to rebel leader Riek Machar.

The exodus comes amid mounting alarm over a civil war which has devastated the world's youngest nation over the past three years.

War broke out in oil-rich South Sudan in 2013, just two years after it achieved independence, after Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of plotting a coup.

An August 2015 peace deal was left in tatters when fighting broke out in Juba in July last year.

Violence -- initially between ethnic Dinka supporters of Kiir and ethnic Nuer supporters of Machar -- has since spread to other parts of the country, engulfing other ethnic groups and grievances.

The United Nations has warned of potential genocide and ethnic cleansing.

A confidential UN report obtained by AFP this week cites UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as saying the war had reached "catastrophic proportions for civilians".

Rights groups accuse both soldiers and rebels of horrific rights abuses including rape and extra-judicial killings.

The war has left tens of thousands dead and more than three million people displaced.

The humanitarian crisis has been exacerbated by a severe drought which has put thousands at risk of famine in the country.

The UN's humanitarian office OCHA said some 7.5 million people in the country were now in need of humanitarian assistance.
Mom Clare Skill said her 2-year-old daughter Sophie was playing at home when she noticed that something was wrong. Sophie went from agitated to crying excessively while holding the back of her neck. She was so distressed, and I just knew she had swallowed something, Skill told the Huffington Post U.K. Monday. My heart was beating so fast.

That day in July 2015, Skill rushed her daughter to Sheffield Childrens Hospital, which is near where they live in the U.K. An X-ray revealed that Sophie had swallowed a small, button-shaped lithium battery, which was lodged in her esophagus. Within two hours of arriving at the hospital, Sophie was taken in for surgery to remove the battery. As soon as they knew what it was, it all became much more urgent, Skill said.

STORY: Toddler Fought for Life After Swallowing Magnets

The swelling in Sophies throat hid the fact that corrosive acid from the battery had burned a hole in her esophagus. After 24 hours postsurgery, nurses at the hospital noticed that Sophie wasnt recovering as well as expected. The toddler then went through more tests and an additional X-ray, which revealed the hole in her throat and the fact that it had become infected. The X-ray also revealed that the acid had burned a hole in one of her lungs.

I was just so scared, thinking the worst, Skill said. After a week, she had a CT scan and it showed the hole wasnt healing and was in fact getting bigger because the acid was continuing to corrode her esophagus.

Sophie in the hospital after swallowing a small battery.

The toddler was rushed to intensive care. To help her breathe, doctors inserted a T tube into her chest to drain excess fluid from her body. Sophie was also put on life support for six days. Doctors removed tissue from Sophies side and used it to cover the hole, allowing it to heal.

STORY: The Best Ways to Save a Babys Life

She was put under general anesthetic at least eight times during her eight weeks in hospital, said Skill. She was ventilated six times and spent three weeks in intensive care. It was petrifying seeing her like that. She was in pain, and I just wanted so much for her to be better. I realize now that if it wasnt for the surgeon putting that T tube in, she wouldnt be here today.

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Sophie, who is lucky to be alive, was released from the hospital in September 2015 and is recovering well. After enduring this nightmare, Skill wants to share her story with others to raise awareness of the risks that small batteries pose. I really want to make other parents aware of the implications of what can happen if your child gets hold of one of these batteries, she told the Huffington Post. I had no idea of the dangers, but now if I ever see one again it will be too soon.

Photos: Chris Etchells/rossparry.co.uk/SWNS





Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  A paranoid dictator's estranged brother. Two young female assassins. A crowded international airport. And a mysterious poison that kills within hours. It's the perfect recipe for a thrilling cloak-and-dagger spy novel. Except some  or possibly even all  of this tale could be true in the apparent assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the older half brother of reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. And just like similar intriguing cases from the past, the public is hanging on to every detail because there's just something about murder by poison that captivates. "A gun announces its mischief; poison can sneak in with a sip of champagne," said Robert Thompson, a pop culture expert at Syracuse University.

WASHINGTON (AP)  The apparent assassination of the North Korean leader's estranged half-brother is strengthening bipartisan calls for the U.S. to re-list North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, a designation lifted nine years ago. Doing so would increase the country's isolation, while potentially complicating any future diplomacy to halt its nuclear and missile programs. The U.S. kept North Korea on its terrorism blacklist for two decades after the 1987 bombing of a South Korean airliner killed 115 people. But President George W. Bush lifted the designation in 2008 to smooth the way for aid-for-disarmament negotiations. The concession proved of little value as the talks collapsed soon after and have yet to resume.

BEIJING (AP)  China on Sunday began a suspension of all coal imports from North Korea for the rest of the year as it increases pressure on its communist neighbor to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The ban is in line with U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed in November in response to North Korea's fifth nuclear test two months earlier, the Commerce Ministry said in an online statement Saturday. China had already banned coal imports from North Korea in April last year, but those restrictions allowed some imports for civilian use. China is North Korea's largest source of trade and aid and Sunday's suspension will deprive Pyongyang of an important source of foreign currency.

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  At a hospital morgue in Malaysia's capital, the tightly guarded corpse of a middle-aged man has become the focus of a dizzying case of international intrigue involving five countries, combative North Korean diplomats and an apparently duped female assassin. Investigators are still trying to piece together details of what appears to be the brazen assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korea's mercurial ruler and an exiled member of the country's elite. Malaysian police said Saturday that they had arrested a fourth suspect, a 46-year-old North Korean man. Kim, who had been estranged from his younger half sibling for years, was attacked at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  As Malaysian police continue their inquiry into the death of Kim Jong Nam, the outcast half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, there's plenty of speculation surrounding what seems to be one of the stranger killings the world has recently seen. North Korea killed Kim Jong Nam because he planned to create an exile government around defectors, says one rumor. Kim Jong Un was furious after learning about secret Chinese plans to enthrone his estranged sibling in Pyongyang if something happens to him, says another. Or maybe Pyongyang wasn't involved at all. Perhaps, Kim Jong Nam, known for his carefree lifestyle and gambling habits, angered crime organizations over money problems and that got him killed, say some online arguments.

ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistani authorities shut down a second key border crossing into Afghanistan, halting trade supplies to the neighboring landlocked country and increasing tensions between the two nations in the wake of a bloody suicide bombing at a beloved shrine in Pakistan, officials said Saturday. The border closure at Chaman in southwest Baluchistan province came after an attack on a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan on Thursday left 88 worshippers dead. The move was seen as an effort to pressure Kabul to take action against militants who Pakistan says have sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Responsibility for the attack at Lal Shahbaz Qalander shrine in Sehwan was claimed by the Islamic State group.

The Afghan government has summoned Pakistan's ambassador in protest of recent shelling in Afghanistan's eastern provinces. Afghanistan's foreign ministry summoned Ambassador Abrar Hussain in Kabul, where Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai asked for an explanation but also gave his condolences regarding recent suicide attacks in Pakistan. At least two people have been killed and two others wounded in the shelling from Pakistan, according to reports. Karzai also said the Afghan government wants Pakistan to take strict action against terrorists that are hiding in Pakistan. Karzai expressed concern over the closure of the Torkham and Chaman border crossings and asked for the reopening of the gates.

SIEM REAP, Cambodia (AP)  Angelina Jolie said Saturday that she hopes her new film about Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge will help educate the world about the brutality of the 1970s regime and shed a light on the plight of young people in war zones today. "First They Killed My Father" is based on author and human rights activist Loung Ung's account of her survival as a child under the 1975-79 communist Khmer Rouge regime, believed to be responsible for the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians from starvation, disease and execution. Speaking at a news conference ahead of the film's premiere, the actress-turned-director said she hopes the movie will "remind everybody that there are little Loung's all around the world today" in various war zones and corners of the world.

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Thousands of Catholics joined a march with church leaders in Manila on Saturday in one of the largest shows of opposition against President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly crackdown against illegal drugs and attempts to revive the death penalty. Police estimated that at least 10,000 people joined the "Walk for Life" march and rally starting at dawn at Rizal Park, carrying placards that read "Choose life" and "No to death penalty." Organizers gave a larger estimate of the crowd. It's the latest sign of the Roman Catholic Church's increasing activism against a government crackdown that has left thousands of drug suspects dead and efforts by pro-Duterte legislators to reimpose capital punishment as early as next month.

HYDERABAD, India (AP)  Nowhere is the search for jobs more desperate than in India, where around 13 million young people enter the job market every year. High levels of unemployment, even among the educated, create immense pressure on young people to find work, and more so for a secure government job. In the congested southern city of Hyderabad, the open grounds outside the City Central Library turn into a giant outdoor classroom every day when hundreds of young college students and job-seekers, armed with books and other study materials, sit and prepare for examinations till late at night. Many of them bring their own chairs, which they chain overnight to the outer metal grill of the building.
(Reuters) - Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Friday: SECURITY Trump tweets that he is considering four people, including retired General Keith Kellogg, to serve as national security adviser after being turned down by his first choice to replace ousted Michael Flynn. Trump's defense secretary, Jim Mattis warns of an "arc of instability" on Europe's periphery and calls on NATO allies to contribute their fair share to their collective defense. Vice President Mike Pence will speak at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, seeking to soothe allies unnerved by Trump's statements on Russia and NATO while stressing U.S. commitment to Europe. Republican Senator John McCain breaks with the reassuring message that U.S. officials visiting Germany are seeking to convey on their debut trip to Europe, saying the Trump administration is in disarray. BOEING Trump promises to boost U.S. manufacturing and punish companies for moving jobs overseas during a visit to a South Carolina Boeing Co plant to celebrate the unveiling of its latest Dreamliner jet. SYRIA Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, trying to reassure allies that Washington is not tilting toward Moscow over the Syrian conflict, tells them the United States backs U.N. efforts for a political solution, officials say. AGENDA After nearly a month in power, Trump has yet to unveil major legislation or publicly endorse bills from others, getting Republicans off to a slow start on sweeping reforms they promised on the campaign trail. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expects to move soon on legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare and also hopes for bipartisan support on an infrastructure investment program. IMMIGRATION The White House says there is no plan to utilize the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants after the Associated Report said a draft memo discussing that had been circulating within the administration for about two weeks. The Supreme Court will decide three cases in the coming months that could help or hinder Trump's efforts to increase border security and accelerate deportations. CABINET The Senate approves Trump's pick for the Environmental Protection Agency, despite objections of Democrats and green groups worried he will gut the agency, as the administration readies executive orders to ease regulation on drillers and miners. MEDIA Trump is poised to tap Mike Dubke, a Republican media relations firm owner, to oversee White House communications, media reports say, in a move that could help shore up Trump's messaging efforts. (Compiled by Bill Trott; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Lisa Shumaker)
U.S. President Donald Trumps choice to replace Michael Flynn as national security adviser reportedly has turned down the job.

The Financial Times, citing two unidentified sources familiar with the situation, reported Thursday retired Navy special forces officer Robert Harward turned down the position because of obvious dysfunctionality in the White House and concerns about whether he would be able to hire his own staff.

The Times said Trump has asked Harward for a second meeting to try to change his mind.

Harward is reported close to Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Flynn resigned Monday night amid allegations surrounding his pre-inauguration contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during which the two reportedly discussed the sanctions against Moscow and whether the new administration would lift them.

During his news conference Thursday, Trump blamed the media for Flynns downfall, calling the whole controversy fake news put out by the media.

He said firing Flynn was made easier because he had an outstanding candidate in mind.

Mike Flynn is a fine person, and I asked for his resignation. He respectfully gave it.  He didnt have to do that because what he did wasnt wrong.  What was wrong was the way that other people, including yourselves in this room, were given that information, because that was classified information that was given illegally. Thats the real problem, Trump said.

Trump deflected a question about what evidence has convinced him Flynn committed no wrongdoing, just merely misled Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump flatly denied directing Flynn to contact the Russian ambassador about the sanctions imposed for the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and its election meddling.

No I didnt, Trump said.

Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress have called for an investigation into whether the Trump campaign was in contact with Russian officials as well as Russias interference in the election process. The FBI also is investigating.

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harward

Photo: U.S. Marines/Reuters

Harward is a senior executive at Lockheed Martin and served on the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration. In the military, he rose to deputy commander at Central Command, reporting to Mattis.

Foreign Policy said Harward thinks for himself and is not an ideologue.

Also under consideration for the job is former CIA chief David Petraeus, who was ousted after sharing secrets with his biographer and mistress. Keith Kellogg, who is serving as acting national security adviser, also is reported in the running.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, has turned down the offer, a senior White House official said on Thursday.

Harward was offered the job after Michael Flynn was fired by Trump on Monday for misleading Vice President Mike Pence over his conversations with Russia's ambassador to the United States.

The White House official said Harward cited family and financial reasons for opting not to take the job. Harward is a senior executive at Lockheed Martin.

Two sources familiar with the decision said Harward turned down the job in part because he wanted to bring in his own team.

That put him at odds with Trump, who had told Flynn's deputy, K.T. McFarland, that she could stay.

Trump appeared to refer to Harward earlier in the day at a presidential news conference, saying: "I have somebody that I think will be outstanding for the position."

The president also made clear why he asked Flynn to resign, saying it was because the retired lieutenant general had not been completely truthful with Pence about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak.

"The thing is, he didn't tell our vice president properly, and then he said he didn't remember. So either way, it wasn't very satisfactory to me," Trump said.

(Reporting by John Walcott and Steve Holland; Editing by Eric Walsh and Peter Cooney)
In the four weeks since President Donald Trump took office, hes already made quite a few visits to his luxurious Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The president was set to head down to the winter White House again Friday, prompting concerns about just how much these trips are costing. Already Trump, who was vocally critical of Barack Obamas frequent vacations, is set to outspend the former president on his travel by a long shot.

His three Mar-a-Lago trips since Inauguration Day have cost the federal treasury an estimated $10 million, according to a report by the Washington Post. By that estimate, Trumps travel will likely cost hundreds of millions more than Obamas did. The former presidents travel expenses over eight years totaled an estimated $90 million.

He is not vacationing when he goes to Mar-a-Lago, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told the Washington Post in explaining his frequent travel. The president works nonstop every day of the week, no matter where he is.

The excessive costs stem from the need for increased security wherever the president is. The South Florida Coast Guard announced in a statement an increased security zone around Mar-a-Lago to safeguard Trump and his entourage against terrorist acts and other dangers. Palm Beach County officials planned to ask Washington for tens of thousands of dollars in reimbursement fees for the increased expenses, the Washington Post reported.

GettyImages-56681168

Photo: Getty Images

The concerns about Trump conducting official business from his Mar-a-Lago estate are not merely financial. The president was criticized for a recent meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-a-Lago in which he took a national security call in the clubs dining area. Other worries stem from the increased burden on the Secret Service.

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Its a logistical nightmare, former Secret Service agent Jonathan Wackrow told the Washington Post, explaining that agents are at severe risk of burnout.

Trumps Florida escapes arent the first financial burden the president has placed on outside entities. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio requested $35 million from the federal government in reimbursement fees in December for the costs of policing the area around Trump Tower, where Trump headquartered his transition team.

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By Humeyra Pamuk ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey has presented two proposals to the United States for how to carry out a joint military operation to drive Islamic State from its stronghold in the Syrian city of Raqqa, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on Saturday. Ankara has said repeatedly that the planned operation should be conducted by local Arab forces, possibly with support from Turkish troops, as opposed to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) -- an alliance dominated by Kurdish YPG militia. Washington's support for the SDF, which launched a campaign to encircle Raqqa in November, has caused tension with NATO-ally Turkey. Ankara views the Kurdish militia as an extension of militants fighting on its own soil. It is not yet clear whether the new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump will provide weapons to the YPG despite Turkey's objections. The U.S. says arms provided to the SDF are so far limited to its Arab elements but Ankara says they are going to Kurdish militia and is asking for a halt. Speaking during a trip to Germany, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said there would be "serious issues" for ties with the United States if Washington partnered with Kurdish militia for the Raqqa operation against Islamic State. "We've told them one terrorist organization can not be used to fight another. I believe the new U.S. administration will take these assessments into consideration," he told reporters. MILITARY CHIEFS MEET In a meeting on Friday at Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, a key hub for the U.S.-led coalition against the jihadists, Turkish military chief Hulusi Akar and his U.S. counterpart Joseph Dunford discussed the two Raqqa road maps, Hurriyet said, citing security sources. Ankara's preferred plan of action envisages Turkish and U.S. special forces, backed by commandoes and Turkey-backed Syrian rebels entering Syria through the border town of Tel Abyad, currently held by Kurdish YPG militia, the newspaper said. The forces would cut through YPG territory, before pushing on to Raqqa, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south. Such a plan would require the United States to convince the Kurdish militia to grant the Turkey-backed forces a 20-kilometre (12-mile)-wide strip through YPG territory, the paper said. The SDF alliance, which includes Arab and other groups in Syria's north as well as the YPG, controls swathes of territory along the Syria-Turkey border as they push back Islamic State. Yildirim said Turkish forces would not be directly involved in combat but would provide tactical support. Both the Turkish and U.S. military would have a ground presence, he added. A second alternative outlined by Akar to Dunford was to push toward Raqqa via the Syrian town of Bab, Hurriyet reported, which Turkey-backed forces have been fighting to seize from Islamic State for the past two months. But the long journey of 180 kilometers (about 110 miles) and mountainous terrain make that possibility less likely, it said. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Helen Popper)
WASHINGTON (AP)  The apparent assassination of the North Korean leader's estranged half-brother is strengthening bipartisan calls for the U.S. to re-list North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, a designation lifted nine years ago. Doing so would increase the country's isolation, while potentially complicating any future diplomacy to halt its nuclear and missile programs.

The U.S. kept North Korea on its terrorism blacklist for two decades after the 1987 bombing of a South Korean airliner killed 115 people. But President George W. Bush lifted the designation in 2008 to smooth the way for aid-for-disarmament negotiations. The concession proved of little value as the talks collapsed soon after and have yet to resume.

Currently, the U.S. considers only Iran, Sudan and Syria as terrorism sponsors. To re-impose the designation on North Korea, the secretary of state would have to determine that it has "repeatedly" provided support for acts of international terrorism. Last June, the department said North Korea "is not known to have sponsored any terrorist acts" since the plane attack 30 years ago.

House lawmakers are pushing for a fresh review of the evidence. The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's exiled elder brother could make the case more persuasive. A pair of female assailants reportedly accosted Kim Jong Nam at an international airport in Malaysia on Monday, and he told medical workers that he had been sprayed with a chemical.

"We should never have taken North Korea off the state sponsor of terrorism list," Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman of California told a congressional hearing Thursday.

While Malaysian authorities are still investigating, the death compounds the impression of North Korea acting with impunity. Just a day earlier, it launched a new type of medium-range missile as President Donald Trump was meeting Japan's prime minister.

Trump has vowed to "deal with" North Korea but hasn't said how. And it's unclear if his administration would contemplate negotiations with the North, which wants to be treated as a nuclear power. Democrats and Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, want Trump to apply stiffer sanctions on the country and press China to turn the screws on its wayward neighbor.

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Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, who chairs a Senate panel on Asia, is among six Republican senators who this week urged Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to take more steps to cut off North Korea's access to hard currency. They also sought for the administration to review the terror designation.

"The murder once again highlights the treachery of North Korea," Gardner told The Associated Press in an interview. He said there is evidence of North Korean "actions and relationships that would meet the criteria of state sponsor of terror."

"Almost every North Korean provocation has been met with capitulation - year after year, administration after administration," Rep. Ed Royce of California, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the AP in a written statement. He said he is working on legislation to relist North Korea.

Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the committee's top-ranking Democrat, was more measured. Despite North Korea's "very questionable behavior," he said the State Department has to judge Pyongyang by strict legal criteria. The North's record should now be reviewed, he said.

The State Department said North Korea remains among the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world, based on its nuclear detonations and ballistic missile and proliferation activity. It also is penalized for human rights violations and its status as a communist state. The department wouldn't say if a terrorism review was underway.

A 2015 Congressional Research Service report, intended to advise lawmakers, said re-designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism was unlikely to inflict significant economic punishment, particularly in the short term. The U.S. already severely restricts foreign aid, defense sales and exports of sensitive technologies to Pyongyang.

It warned that North Korea could respond by conducting more nuclear and long-range missile tests if it concludes the U.S. isn't interested in dialogue.

That isn't deterring U.S. lawmakers. A bipartisan bill that stalled in the House last year has been reintroduced, calling for the State Department to review a list of purported acts by North Korea, including assassinations of dissidents and weapons sales to militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. It requests a determination as to whether such acts constitute support for international terrorism.

The legislation also cites the 2015 computer hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which the FBI blamed on North Korea. Hackers threatened movie theaters that screened "The Interview," a comedy parodying Kim Jong Un.

"It is time to put little Kim back on that list because he is a world terrorist and a threat to world peace," said the bill's Republican sponsor, Rep. Ted Poe of Texas.
F-22

Days after North Korea tested a new, dangerous missile type and allegedly engaged agents to assassinate Kim Jong Un's half-brother in Malaysia, the US plans to send the big guns to the Pacific in a massive show of force.

The USS Carl Vinson has been making its way to the Pacific, and it will be joined by the world's most lethal combat plane, the F-22s, a nuclear-powered submarine, and possibly B-1 and B-2 nuclear-capable bombers.

"The two sides have agreed to send such weapons as the F-22 stealth fighter and a nuclear-powered submarine to the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises in March," a defense official told South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

Foal Eagle 2015

US and South Korean forces will participate in military drills together to enhance readiness and test their ability to defend against North Korean missile attacks  an ability recently challenged by North Korea's latest missile advance.

Key Resolve and Foal Eagle represent two annual major military drills carried out by US and South Korean troops that regularly rile up North Korea, who usually threaten some sort of "catastrophic outcome" to what they see as a US-initiated provocation.

Hornet Carl Vinson

The South Koreans intend to spend $114 million developing an electromagnetic pulse weapon to cripple North Korea's command and control abilities as well as laser weapons systems to pull off a surgical strike on the country's nuclear missile facilities, Yonhap reported.

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Vilnius (AFP) - Lithuania wants US President Donald Trump's administration to help beef up air defence in the Baltic region as security concerns grow over Russia, President Dalia Grybauskaite said Saturday.

She also warned that measures adopted last year by NATO to reinforce its eastern flank "are no longer sufficient".

Europe has been rattled by Trump's campaign rhetoric questioning NATO's relevance, and regional security was top of the agenda as Grybauskaite and fellow Baltic presidents from Estonia and Latvia met with US Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the Munich security conference Saturday.

"Without the support of the US air defence systems, we will not have full protection," Grybauskaite told AFP in a telephone interview after the talks.

"Now we are trying to purchase some of the measures ourselves but direct US participation will be necessary," she added, without elaborating on the nature of the US role she is seeking.

Lithuania, the largest and southernmost of the three Baltic states, plans to buy Norwegian NASAMS medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems in the coming years but would still lack a long-range Patriot-type system.

Poland and Romania host two US missile interceptor stations that are part of NATO's larger European shield, due to become fully operational by 2018.

US and NATO officials insist the system is intended to counter the threat of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, particularly from so-called "rogue" states in the Middle East.

But with Poland's Redzikowo station just 250 kilometres (155 miles) from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, Moscow views the system as a security threat on its doorstep.

Last year Russia deployed nuclear-capable Iskander missiles into the heavily-militarised Kaliningrad, which borders both Lithuania and Poland and also holds frequent military drills in the region, rattling nearby NATO states.

The Kremlin has denied any territorial ambitions in its Soviet-era backyard and claims NATO is trying to encircle Russia.

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In Munich, Pence sought on Saturday to reassure Washington's allies, saying: "Be assured that President Trump and our people are truly devoted to our transatlantic union."

Under Moscow's thumb in Soviet times, Poland and the Baltic states have been on edge since Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

At a summit in Warsaw last year, NATO agreed to deploy multi-national battalions in each of them.

But Grybauskaite said Saturday that more needs to be done to address Russian military activity and called for speedier decision-making within the US-led alliance.

"We see that Warsaw agreements are no longer sufficient. We need a faster decision-making process," Grybauskaite said, adding she expected to see progress at a NATO summit later this year.

Grybauskaite also said the US had the "full right" to push European allies to boost their defence spending to two percent of gross domestic product.

Estonia and Poland are among the few NATO nations that meet the alliance's benchmark, while Lithuania and Latvia pledged to reach it next year.
Vatican City (AFP) - A real-life version of the hit political drama "House of Cards" is unfolding at the Vatican, from cardinals openly defying the pope to anonymous posters sullying his name.

In the latest episode, a group of powerful Princes of the Church released a statement defending Pope Francis -- but religious watchers warn the move could backfire and work in the favour of his conservative challengers.

"No pope controls everything," said Vatican expert Luigi Accattoli. "There has always been some resistance, even from cardinals."

But this time the critics are "louder and more numerous".

The root of the row lies with the Argentine pontiff's calls for the church to be more understanding towards those it considers "sinners", and in particular his intimation last year that some believers who have divorced and remarried should be able to take communion.

Traditionalists were horrified; Roman Catholic marriage is for life, so divorcing your first partner for whatever reason and marrying someone else is considered adultery.

Four conservative cardinals accused the pope of sowing confusion and demanded an answer to "doubts" about family guidelines Francis published in April.

- Resistance, support -

US cardinal Raymond Burke took on the guise of conspirator-in-chief, warning the 80-year-old pope in November that he could be sanctioned if he does not reply.

Burke has since become a rallying point for conservatives, often giving interviews criticising Francis's decisions.

Religious watcher Sandro Magister told AFP that inside the Vatican there was "great resistance towards a pope who opens doors in every direction and is ambiguous".

Francis said he was "not losing sleep" over the challenge to his authority. But another run-in with Burke was in the offing.

The pontiff had already demoted the American two years previously when he moved him from a top Vatican job in 2014 to be the "patron" of the Knights of Malta.

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In January, after a row between the Vatican and the ancient order, Francis appointed a "pontifical delegate" to help run the Knights -- sidelining Burke again.

As soon as he did, a series of anti-pope posters were plastered all over Rome by unidentified agitators. The following week, a satirical spoof of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano appeared, with a fake pontiff shown flip-flopping over the questions put to him by the four cardinals.

Francis's "C9" council of cardinal advisers clearly felt action was needed. On Monday it issued a statement via the Vatican expressing its "full support" for the pope.

- 'Unintended consequences' -

C9 member Reinhard Marx said that while bickering may be par for the course in the ancient institution, the council had felt it was time to reaffirm its "loyalty".

The German cardinal told journalists on Wednesday the C9 "didn't want to make a great thing of it, a great drama" in backing Francis.

Another cardinal, Francesco Coccopalmerio, released a book published by the Vatican press backing the pope's opening on the possibilities for remarried divorced people to take communion.

But Vatican expert John Allen said their support could be a double-edged sword and risked having "unintended consequences".

"Generally speaking, you know a manager is in trouble when somebody has to put out a statement expressing 'full confidence' in his or her leadership," he wrote in Cruxnow.com.

"By engaging it in such a high-profile way," the statement risked lending "a significance to the anti-Francis blowback" that it did not have before, he said.
Caracas (AFP) - Jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has called on his supporters to hold a "massive" protest on Saturday, after US President Donald Trump incensed Caracas by calling for his release.

Lopez, the founder of Popular Will -- one of the most hardline parties opposing President Nicolas Maduro -- is serving a nearly 14-year sentence on charges of inciting unrest at anti-government protests in 2014.

Saturday marks the third anniversary of his arrest, and Popular Will has called a protest in Caracas under the banner "No more dictatorship."

In an audio message recorded in his jail cell at the Ramo Verde military prison, Lopez urged Venezuelans to join in.

"My Venezuelan brothers and sisters, we would like to invite you to a forceful, massive protest on the streets of Venezuela this Saturday," he said.

The message comes after Trump met with Lopez's wife on Wednesday and tweeted that Venezuela should "immediately" free Lopez, whom he called a "political prisoner."

The following day, Venezuela's Supreme Court upheld Lopez's sentence. His lawyer said he would appeal to international courts.

US-Venezuelan tensions have soared since Trump's tweet, with Maduro warning the new American leader not to provoke him.

Lopez's sentence has been strongly condemned by the United Nations, the United States and the European Union.

The opposition leader has managed to smuggle a handful of video and audio recordings out of jail. His lawyers say he is punished each time with measures such as bans on family visits.

Venezuela's socialist government, which is fending off a punishing economic crisis that has pummeled its popularity, denies Lopez is a political prisoner.

It blames him for the deaths of 43 people during the 2014 protests.
Doanld Trump earpiece

President Donald Trump continued to escalate his war with the intelligence community on Thursday by tweeting that "low-life leakers" who disclose "classified" information to the press "will be caught."

"Leaking, and even illegal classified leaking, has been a big problem in Washington for years. Failing @nytimes (and others) must apologize!" Trump tweeted. "The spotlight has finally been put on the low-life leakers! They will be caught!"

In a meeting later with several members of Congress, he added: "We're going to find the leakers, and they're going to pay a big price."

The New York Times and The Washington Post have published several bombshell reports over the past week about the intelligence community's investigations into the Trump campaign's contact with Russia during and after the election.

Those reports revealed that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador to the US before Trump was sworn in, despite his previously denying anything sensitive was discussed on the calls. Flynn resigned on Monday.

A Times report on Tuesday shed light on the "repeated contacts" Trump associates had with Russian intelligence officials during the election. CNN followed up with a report on Tuesday night that cited sources who said the communication between Trump associates and Russian officials during the campaign was "constant."

The outlets cited dozens of current and former officials in total. The Times and The Post did not specify that their sources came from within the intelligence community.

In an apparent response to those reports, Trump tweeted on Wednesday that "information is being illegally given to the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost by the intelligence community (NSA and FBI?). Just like Russia."

"The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by 'intelligence' like candy," he continued. "Very un-American!"

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Donald Trump Michael Flynn CIA

On the campaign trail, Trump embraced the organization WikiLeaks when it published emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta. But he has sought to discredit the intelligence community since before he was sworn in, at one point comparing what he said were its "illegal leaks" of "fake news" about his alleged ties to Russia to "Nazi Germany."

In early January, just before US intelligence agencies released a report detailing the extent to which Russia meddled in the US election, Trump suggested that officials had postponed briefing him on the "so-called 'Russian hacking'" because they needed more time "to build a case."

Now, Trump appears poised to launch a "broad review of American intelligence agencies" that would be overseen by New York billionaire Stephen Feinberg  a friend of Trump's whose "only experience with national security matters is his firm's stakes in a private security company and two gun makers," The Times reported on Wednesday.

But the intelligence community may have ways of maintaining its independence.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday night that intelligence officials have begun to withhold information  primarily dealing with its sources and the methods of collecting it  from the White House because of Trump's "repeated expressions of admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his call during the presidential campaign for Russia to continue hacking the emails" of Clinton.

The intelligence officials fear Trump could be compromised by Russia, and they resent his constant attacks on the community, according to the Journal's report.

A spokesman for the director of national intelligence denied that the intelligence community would withhold information from the president, and a former CIA officer told Business Insider that "the system doesn't work that way."

"If there's a concern about someone being compromised, they remove that person," said the former officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the CIA's briefing strategy. "They don't just stop providing intel. That's crazy talk."

"That being said," the officer added, "we do live in unprecedented times."

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Ankara (AFP) - Two Syrian children who have become powerful symbols of their homeland's conflict met Saturday, vowing that "the war will not stop us" despite the horrific violence around them.

Seven-year-old Syrian girl Bana al-Abed -- whose Twitter account gave a tragic description of the bombing of Aleppo -- met 10-year-old Abdel Basset who lost his legs after bombardment in Idlib.

Abdel was caught in a barrel bomb attack by regime forces in the town of Al-Hbeit, in northwest Idlib province on Thursday.

A video of the young boy screaming for his father spread on social media and images of Abdel were shared by Bana as well.

Turkish NGO the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) said Bana visited Saturday Abdel in hospital in Hatay, southern Turkey where he is being treated.

In a live Periscope video on Twitter, Bana gave Abdel presents before she urged people to "help the children of Syria".

She added: "We will go to school, we will play. The war will not stop us. We are strong."

Sharing the clip, Bana said she was "very happy" to meet Abdel in a tweet.

The IHH said Abdel's mother and three-year-old sister were killed during the bombardment while his other two sisters are suffering from unnamed health problems.

The family came to Turkey from Syria with the help of the IHH.

"Look, Abdulbaset Ta'an, little Syrian boy lost both legs because of the bombing," she said Friday.

Bana became known worldwide with her tweets from flashpoint city Aleppo giving an insight into the raging conflict.

In December the city's rebel areas fell back into government control while Bana was evacuated with her mother to Turkey.
This is for the college-aged girls. The ones who are in their prime, convinced theyre mostly invincible and totally strapped for cash. Because college is expensive  and so are Friday night drinks and last minute-travel plans; both integral parts of the college experience, if you ask me.

This is for you, because I once was you.

Its hard to believe now. Im 32, a mom, and probably about 20 pounds (or 25, whatever) heavier than I was back in my college days. I no longer drink all night and sleep all day. I dont rush to classes after staying up studying until four in the morning. And I cant remember the last time I randomly hooked up with some guy I met at a bar.

Le sigh.

No, really, my life is pretty good now. Its just different. Im older now, wiser even, and sometimes I think about the girl I used to be and how much she probably couldve benefited from the information Im about to share with you now.

If youre a college-aged girl in the United States, youve probably seen your fair share of want ads for a commodity you, and only you, have to offer: Your eggs.

The ads all read fairly similarly:

Wanted: Girls in their early to mid-twenties to help desperate couples build the families they yearn for. Practically no risk to you, and up to $10,000 compensation for your time!

Or something like that. If youve found yourself thinking before that it sounds too good to be true, thats because it is.

I was you once, and as I neared my college graduation, I decided the pull of those ads was too hard to resist. Yes, I loved the idea of helping a couple struggling to conceive. Have no doubt about this simple fact: there were absolutely altruistic motivations behind my ultimate decision.

But there was also the promise of that money  money that seemed pretty enticing to a girl about to enter the real world with a fair amount of student loan debt to her name.

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I was 25 years old when I donated my eggs to two different families. That meant injecting myself with hormones for a total of about eight to ten weeks, and submitting to two outpatient procedures that had me under anesthesia for about 30 minutes each time.

My actual donations went off without a hitch. In fact, I was deemed a perfect donor. It wasnt until about 6 months later that the complications started; complications every doctor who has ever seen my before and after records has agreed were very likely linked to my donations.

Those complications led to five extensive abdominal surgeries over the next three years, the subsequent loss of my own fertility, and around $75,000 in out of pocket medical expenses.

So, if I could talk to that girl I once was as she considers just how much her eggs might be worth, these are the points I would educate her on:

1. You are the commodity, not your eggs.

Its nice to think of the entire process as donating your eggs, but the truth is the agency or clinic involved is banking on selling you as much as your eggs. Thats why they gravitate towards more traditionally attractive donors or those who have unique features to offer.

Its why they care about your GPA and personal passions and talents. Its why they will put together a 30+ page profile detailing everything about you, from your family medical history to your goals for the future, while you will never know more about the family who selects you than maybe their relationship status (gay/straight/married/single), and whether or not they conceive with your eggs.

2. You may one day change your mind about the anonymity.

Ive spoken to many donors and recipients over the last few years, and there seems to be a growing consensus that the anonymous nature of egg donation is no longer in the best interest of all involved, which is promising to hear. But unfortunately, most agencies and clinics still push pretty hard for that blanket anonymity.

They may offer the option of a child contacting you at 18 should they so choose, but even that is completely outside the donors control. The truth is, that anonymity serves to benefit the agencies and clinics more than the individual parties involved.

There have even been several cases that have come to light regarding clinics charging recipients for procedures and medications that were never needed by the donor, or only giving recipients a portion of the eggs collected and profiting off the remainder; things that couldnt happen if recipients and donors were talking.

For my part, the greatest struggle with the anonymity I agreed to at 25 is that now, at 32, I find myself so often curious. It seemed like nothing back then, but today? Im always wondering. And wishing there had been at least a cursory line of communication left open.

3. There are no guarantees.

There have been exactly zero studies into the long-term health effects of egg donation. You may sit in your intake appointment listening to a doctor who presents the possible risks to you, but then says, We have no research that tells us any of these risks are anything you actually have to worry about.

In fact, that is exactly what I was told. And technically, the words are true, but only because theres no research. Period. It would be just as true to say, We have no research that tells us any of this is safe for you in the long run.

Of course, no one who stands to profit off of your donation is ever going to utter those words. So just know that while no research exists, stories like mine do. And my case isnt as rare as those doctors and clinics might want you to believe.

4. Youre completely on your own.

Remember that part about you being the commodity? Yeah, never forget it. The reality is, most of the doctors and clinic staff involved in your donation are going to be far more concerned with their paying customers, the recipients, than you. Which isnt to say theyre bad people; its just that youre not the priority.

No one is really looking out for you in this, so you have to be willing to look out for yourself. Do your own research, talk to past donors (preferably those who are a few years out from their donations), and pay attention to some of what is being said to you in those meetings. A great question to ask is who is responsible for the bills if you experience any long-term complications. Guaranteed, it wont be them.

5. Dont do it for the money.

And thats what it all comes down to. I absolutely understand how enticing that money can be, but keep in mind that no one but you is going to be paying for complications you may experience after the fact. In total, I made about $13,000 off my donations; money that was spent in just over a year post-donation on related medical expenses.

And the loss of my fertility? There was no price tag I ever could have put on that. So if money is your main motivator, dont do it. The only saving grace for me in all of this is that I truly do feel good about helping a couple to have the children they so desperately longed for.

Now that Ive experienced infertility myself (and the eventual adoption of my daughter) I know first hand what that longing is, and Im grateful everyday that I played a part in helping to bring two incredibly loved children into this world. But if the money had been my main motivator, Im not sure I ever wouldve gotten over the regret.

Looking back over that list, I realize it sounds fairly negative. I want to be clear that Im not necessarily discouraging egg donation, but Im encouraging awareness and education. Before you sign on the dotted line, make sure you understand what it is youre signing off on.

Because at some point, you have to ask yourself, how much are your eggs worth? Leah Campbell

For more information about egg donation, and to connect with women who have donated over the last two decades, check out We Are Egg Donors, the only online community committed to connecting donors and sharing their stories, both positive and negative.

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Spijkenisse (Netherlands) (AFP) - Firebrand Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders launched his election campaign Saturday with a stinging attack on the country's Moroccan population, calling them "scum" and saying he wanted to make The Netherlands "ours again".

Wilders has been leading opinion polls ahead of crunch elections on March 15, seen as a litmus test of European politics after Brexit and Donald Trump's victory in the United States.

"The Moroccan scum in Holland ... once again not all are scum... but there is a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who make the streets unsafe, mostly young people... and that should change," Wilders told a scrum of journalists before attempting to take a stroll at a market in Spijkenisse, just south of Rotterdam.

"If you want to regain your country, if you want to make The Netherlands for the people of The Netherlands, your own home again, than you can only vote" for his Freedom Party, Wilders said.

"Please, make The Netherlands ours again," said the far-right politician, sporting his trademark peroxide hairdo as a small group of supporters chanted "Wilders! Wilders!" in the background.

The MP, who has vowed to ban the Koran and close mosques should he be voted into power, was convicted of discrimination in December over previous comments he made about Moroccans living in The Netherlands.

But his words about "fewer Moroccans" have found some traction among traditional supporters worried about immigration and jihadist attacks across Europe in recent years.

The latest combined opinion polls give Wilders and his PVV party between 24-28 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, two to four seats ahead of Liberal Prime Minister Mark Rutte's ruling VVD party.

Support for Wilders -- who posed for selfies and shook hands with supporters on the town's medieval square -- varied widely and after he left several angry arguments between pro and anti-Wilders supporters broke out.

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"We are all voting for Wilders this year," said one supporter Danny, 59, who declined to give his surname "because that's dangerous in this country these days."

"It's not safe in the streets anymore especially in the big cities," he told AFP stroking his beard, as he watched Wilders stroll around under heavy police protection.

Wilders's views have seen him receive death threats including from terror groups such as the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda. He is guarded at all times and called the "best protected man in The Netherlands".

"Geert Wilders is polarising people against one another," said Theo de Boer, 50, as he walked away from the market clutching a bunch of flowers.

"He discriminates and I totally disagree with him. We have a constitution and freedom of religion is one of its most important pillars," De Boer said.
Spijkenisse (Netherlands) (AFP) - Firebrand Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders launched his election campaign Saturday with a stinging attack on the country's Moroccan population, calling some "scum" and saying he wanted to make The Netherlands "ours again".

Wilders has been leading opinion polls ahead of crunch elections on March 15, seen as a litmus test of European politics after Brexit and Donald Trump's victory in the United States.

"The Moroccan scum in Holland ... once again not all are scum... but there is a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who make the streets unsafe, mostly young people... and that should change," Wilders told a scrum of journalists in English, before attempting to take a stroll at a market.

"If you want to regain your country, if you want to make The Netherlands for the people of The Netherlands, your own home again, then you can only vote" for his Freedom Party, Wilders said in the blue-collar town of Spijkenisse, not far from Europe's largest port of Rotterdam.

"Please, make The Netherlands ours again," said the far-right politician, as a small group of supporters chanted "Wilders! Wilders!" in the background.

Asked who his voters were, Wilders said "every Dutchman with common sense... and fortunately we have a lot of people with common sense."

"Dutch people who want their country back will vote for us irrespective of their education or background," he added.

- 'Fewer Moroccans' -

The MP, who has vowed to ban the Koran and close mosques should he win power, was convicted of discrimination in December over previous comments he made about Moroccans living in The Netherlands.

But his words asking party faithful in 2014 if they wanted "fewer Moroccans" in The Netherlands have found some traction among traditional supporters worried about immigration and jihadist attacks across Europe in recent years.

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The latest combined opinion polls give Wilders and his PVV party between 24-28 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, two to four seats ahead of Liberal Prime Minister Mark Rutte's ruling VVD party.

Support for Wilders -- who posed for selfies and shook hands with citizens on the town's medieval square -- varied widely and after he left several angry arguments between backers and opponents broke out.

"We are all voting for Wilders this year," said one supporter Danny, 59, who declined to give his surname "because that's dangerous in this country these days."

"It's not safe in the streets anymore especially in the big cities," he told AFP stroking his beard, as he watched Wilders walk around alongside heavy police protection.

Wilders's views have seen him receive death threats including from the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda. He is guarded at all times and has been called the "best protected man in The Netherlands".

Pieter Kamerling, 40, a PVV organiser in the area, said: "We are going to free this country. Brussels has the key to our home and we're going to take it back. Geert will ensure that we do that."

- 'Polarising people' -

Martin Bosma, regarded as Wilders's right-hand man and fellow PVV parliamentarian told AFP his party will look for coalition partners should they win the elections.

But he admitted "it will be difficult," as most major Dutch political parties -- including Rutte's VVD -- refuse to work with the PVV after Wilders's Moroccan comments and his conviction.

"Geert Wilders is polarising people," said Theo de Boer, 50, as he walked away from the market clutching a bunch of flowers.

"He discriminates and I totally disagree with him. We have a constitution and freedom of religion is one of its most important pillars," De Boer said.

Some locals were conflicted about Wilders.

"Geert dares to say what a whole bunch of Dutch people think and that's a good thing," fishmonger Marianne Sleurink, 60, told AFP.

"But he causes a whole lot of hatred and has no real solution," she said as she dropped a batch of battered cod into a fryer.

"Chances of him ruling are slim, because nobody really wants to," Sleurink added.
On the eve of World War II, Winston Churchill wasn't just worried about other countries, but other planets as well, a newly rediscovered essay by the former U.K. prime minister shows.

Churchill, who served as prime minister during World War II from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955, wrote an essay titled "Are We Alone In Space?" that was sent to a publisher just weeks after Britain entered World War II and Churchill was named first lord of the admiralty in 1939. The essay went through a few drafts, and was later given a new title, "Are We Alone In The Universe?" to reflect changing scientific understanding. It was recently rediscovered by Timothy Riley, director of the U.S. National Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri. Riley gave a copy to astrophysicist Mario Livio, who wrote about the essay on an article published Wednesday in Nature.

"The most amazing thing is that he started this essay when Europe was on the brink of war and there he is, musing about a question about a scientific topic that is really a question out of curiosity, Livio said in an interview with the New York Times.

In the essay, Churchill laid out the case for life elsewhere in the universe. He discussed the vastness of the universe, the necessity of water in the creation of life, and what is today known as the "Goldilocks zone" -- the distance from a star in which planets can host liquid water.

He wrote with the mind of a scientist, Livio notes. Churchill was skeptical of many of his own assumptions (he notes that just because all life on Earth requires water doesn't mean that other forms of life aren't possible) and Livio writes that he was clearly familiar with the science of his time, including the work of Edwin Hubble.

I, for one, am not so immensely impressed by the success we are making of our civilization here that I am prepared to think we are the only spot in this immense universe which contains living, thinking creatures, or that we are the highest type of mental and physical development which has ever appeared in the vast compass of space and time," he wrote.

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Churchill was an accomplished writer. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 and completed his four-volume "History of the English Speaking Peoples" in 1958. He was also a champion of the sciences. In the 1930s, he wrote articles about the future of science and technology, including an article on the potential uses and threats of nuclear energy.

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At his highest weight, Khaled Mohsen Al Shaeri weighed 1,345 lbs. and hadnt left his bed for three years. In 2013, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia ordered that he be hospitalized for treatment. Since then, Shaeri  now in his early 20s  has lost 700 pounds, and a new video, posted to YouTube Tuesday (garnering almost 48,000 views), shows him walking for the first time in years.

STORY: Defending My Daughters Special Diet

Shaeris medical treatment, which required that he be airlifted out of his home for transport to a hospital in Riyadh, was financed by Abdullah. The young man has lost over half of his weight with a focused hospital fitness routine, and he is on track to lose more through his health program.



Shaeri had to be forklifted from his bedroom in 2013. (Photo: Reuters)

In 2014, Dr. Aa'ed al-Qahtani, the head of Shaeris medical team, told Sayidaty magazine that Shaeris muscle strength and heart and lung function had all improved, and his inflammation was down.

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A custom wheelchair helped him start to become more mobile, and Shaeri  once called the worlds heaviest teenager  built up slowly to the proud moments on the video.

Members of the medical team have told CNN that the young mans spirits are high, which is apparent from Shaeris radiant grin as he walks. Dr. Abdeljabbar al-Yamani, the managing director of King Fahd Medical City, has dubbed him the smiling man.



Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com.
His doctor called it a 'miracle,' but for Andy Sandness, a face transplant gave him his life back, 10 years after he'd tried to end it all.

The Wyoming man, 31, received a face transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota last June in a 56-hour operation, according to the Associated Press.

When he was finally allowed to see his new face, three weeks after the surgery, he wrote four words in a spiral notebook and handed it to his doctor Samir Mardini. "Far exceeded my expectations," Sandness wrote.

Sandness lost the lower half of his face, including his nose, mouth and jaw after a failed suicide attempt two days before Christmas in 2006.

Then 21 years old, he had been "super, super depressed" when he grabbed a rifle from a closet, put the barrel under his chin and pulled the trigger. He instantly regretted it, and when police arrived, he begged, "Please, please don't let me die! I don't want to die!"

He was eventually transferred to the Mayo Clinic, where he met Dr. Mardini, a plastic surgeon who specialized in facial reconstruction.

Sandness underwent eight surgeries over four and a half months to rebuild his face, using bone, muscle and skin from his hip and leg.

He eventually returned home to Newcastle, Wyoming, and tried to pick up the pieces of his life, but seldom ventured out apart from working at a lodge, in the oil fields and as an electrician's apprentice.

Because his mouth was about an inch wide, too small for a spoon, he was forced to tear food into small pieces and suck on them till he could swallow them. He also had to paint his prosthetic nose to match his skin, and it constantly fell off outdoors, so he carried glue to stick it back on.

"Those were real tough times for him," his father, Reed, told the Associated Press.

In 2012 Sandness was told that the Mayo Clinic was launching a face transplant program, and he was extremely eager to be a candidate for the surgery.

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"When you look like I looked and you function like I functioned, every little bit of hope that you have, you just jump on it," he told the AP, "and this was the surgery that was going to take me back to normal."

After undergoing psychiatric and social work evaluation, he was accepted for the program, and in January 2016, his name was added to the waiting list for the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Sandness had been warned that it could take up to five years to find the right donor  but just five months later, a match was found.

The donor was Calen "Rudy" Ross, a 21-year-old man from Fulda, Minnesota, who'd fatally shot himself in the head. His wife, Lilly, 19, who was eight months pregnant with a baby boy, carried out her husband's wishes to be an organ donor.

"There was not a second of doubt that everything was going to go well," Sandness said.

A team of 60 surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists worked together on the 56-hour surgery, which began shortly before midnight Friday and ended early Monday morning.

After the surgery ended Dr. Mardini proclaimed it "a miracle."

Sandness was overwhelmed when he was finally given a mirror to look at his face.

"Once you lose something that you've had forever, you know what it's like not to have it," he said. "And once you get a second chance to have it back, you never forget it."

Lilly Ross has seen photos of Sandness before and after the transplant, and both she and Sandness hope to meet one day. "I'm excited for him that he's getting his life back," she said.

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Ten years ago, Andy Sandness tried to commit suicide by shooting himself in the face. After miraculously surviving the horrific incident, the 31-year-old has received one the rarest surgeries in the world  a face transplant.

On June 16, 2016, 60 surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists and others came together for the gruelling 56-hour surgery  a first for the Mayo Clinic. The face transplant included the nose, cheeks, mouth, lips, jaw, chin and teeth and came from a donor who was his age and also tried to kill himself, according to The Associated Press.

In June 2016, Calen Rudy Ross fatally shot himself in the head. His widow, Lilly, was eight months pregnant at the time. She carried out her husbands wishes to be an organ donor.

Lilly met with a coordinator at LifeSource, a nonprofit that works with families in the upper Midwest to facilitate organ and tissue donation. Although Lilly was skeptical at first, she told the AP, because she didnt want to walk around and all of a sudden see Calen, she was reassured the donor had his own eyes and forehead and would not be recognizable as her husband.

The Accident

Two days before Christmas in 2006, Sandness was super, super depressed, he tells the AP, and grabbed a rifle from a closet. He put the barrel beneath his chin, pulled the trigger and knew right away that he had made the biggest mistake of his life.

When police arrived he said, Please, please dont let me die! I dont want to die!

Rushed from his home in Newcastle, Wyoming, he was treated at two hospitals before arriving at the Mayo Clinic.

It was there that Dr. Samir Mardini, a plastic surgeon whose specialty is facial reconstruction, told Sandness that hed fix his face as best he could.

I just need you to be strong and patient, he told him.

Sandness had no nose, jaw and only two teeth. He wasnt able to look at himself in the mirror and needed breathing and feeding tubes at first. But after eight surgeries (not including the face transplant) over four-and-a-half months, he returned home and began work at a lodge in the oil fields and as an electricians apprentice.

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He says he was nothing like his old self. He avoided eye contact with young children at the grocery store so he wouldnt scare them, had no social life and would sometimes lie and say he was in a hunting accident if people asked him what had happened.

Those were real tough times for him, his father, Reed, told the AP. He was insecure. Who wouldnt be?

The Call

In the Spring of 2012, Sandness received a call from Dr. Mardini who said the Mayo Clinic was going to launch a face transplant program and that he might be perfect for it.

Although Sandness knew their were major risks involved, he asked him, How long until I can do this?

Sandness underwent a rigorous psychiatric and social work evaluation to determine if he was a good candidate. After factoring in his resilience and motivation, along with his endless support from his family and friends, he was added to the waiting list of the United Network for Organ Sharing in January 2016.

He wasnt rushing us, and we werent rushing him, Dr. Hatem Amer, Mayos medical director of reconstructive transplantation, told the AP. He really understood what he was embarking upon.

Dr. Mardini thought it would take five years to find a match, but just five months later he got the call about Ross.

The extremely complicated surgery was a miracle, according to Dr. Mardini.

I said, Andy, Ive never lied to you. Im telling you youre going to be happy with what you see,  he recalls. He was quizzing me and the nurses all the time.

Sandness says he realized the transplant was a success three months after the surgery when a little boy looked at him and didnt appear scared. He now plans to work as an electrician and hopefully marry and have a family one day. He and Lilly, Ross widow, would also like to meet.

Once you lose something that youve had forever, you know what its like not to have it, he told the news outlet. And once you get a second chance to have it back, you never forget it.




For todays daily dose of inspiration: a Kelloggs intern created Apple Jacks because #werk

Theres a story that has been retold in MIT lecture halls for years. Its not about supercomputers, gene replacement theories, or dark matter hypotheses. Its about Apple Jacks. It was late spring 1965. The miniskirt was showing up in London; the Voting Rights Act was weeks away from being signed; and the future Dr. William Thilly was about to take a break from studying at MIT. Uninterested in cleaning chicken coops on the family apple farm, he needed a summer job. One day, walking around campus, he noticed a posted sign-up sheet from Kelloggs looking for a summer research assistant, and signed his name.

No one else signed up, and on interview day, he came face to face with a Kelloggs executive in a hotel conference room who had promised to bring back someone from MIT to the cereal companys Battle Creek, Michigan headquarters. Thilly was it by default. He packed his bags and headed to the midwest, where he met other guys his age, and when not at work, played softball, drank beer in the local bars, and generally had a great time.

It was a summer without much responsibility, until what he calls the great cheese tragedy. The company was experimenting with a cheese puff-like snack filled with cheese. (Combos, eat your heart out. And by the way, Thilly has never heard of you). The injectable, liquid cheese was in an experimental machine as well, kind of a high-powered tractor with a skinny telephone pole pipe of cheese, as Thilly recalls.

One day, we failed to connect the cable of cheese to the thing, he says. High pressure cheese covered the entire research and development area, all this equipment that was impeccably maintained. There was cheese everywhere.

Thilly had the wherewithal to up the steam and melt the cheese off all the equipment so cheese would snake down drains in the floor and steam would sanitize everything again to working order. He stayed after hours, and despite getting some serious steam burns, he and a co-worker successfully saved the research department and brought it back to functionality.

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And at this point, I guess youre pausing to ask, Wait, what does this have to do with cereal?

They doubled my pay, put me on my own, and said, What would you like to create? It was a heady reward for a paid intern, as it were, and he was assigned to work with the man in the bow tie. I cant remember his name, but he was 10-12 years older than me, a lot smarter than me, and friendly, but not outgoing or gregarious. He just treated me like a co-worker, not like a kid, and we started working together.

Thilly immediately called on his experience growing up on an apple farm He knew almost anything could be augmented with apples, and the bowtie-clad man brought in some leftover Os from a discontinued Kelloggs brand. First, we tried dried applesauce, but the cereal stuck together and sank to the bottom of the bowl, he explained. When the two found out about a dried apple product that was sold in California, they alerted their boss, who, without a word, picked up the phone and got an entire train car shipped to the company so they could experiment in the middle of the night.

This was top-secret stuff, after allcereal was big business even back thenso in the wee hours of a midwestern summer, Thilly and his co-workers figured out how to apply the dried bits to the Os. They added some cinnamon, and voila, an Apple Jacks ancestor was born. About that time, Thillys tenure at Kelloggs ended and he returned to college, so he missed the testing and the roll out. Then, one day, he opened his Boston Globe to see an advertisement for the product he helped create.

Thilly has told his story for years to his classes at MIT, where he earned a SHd (a special MIT-only designation) in Nutritional Biochemistry. He and his wife discovered the visual fingerprints for stem cells. Now they are working with this knowledge of stem cells to figure out how to kill cancerous tumors. In the meantime, hes a dad to his six kids, still teaching, and still running a lab.

And as for what mysterious flavor Apple Jacks is these days, he couldnt say: He hasnt eaten a bowl since the 70s.

This article originally appeared in Extra Crispy.

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Wait, theres ANOTHER new continent?

Apparently, while we were busy with other stuff, science just determined theres a new continent. Hard to imagine how thats possible, given that theres only so much land on Earth, and some of it (ahem, Cali) is constantly threatening to sink into the ocean.

Turns out this new continent is submerged in the South Pacific, above New Zealand. Scientists are recognizing it with the name Zealandia.

That sounds pretty magical. Go, science!

The scientific value of classifying Zealandia as a continent is much more than just an extra name on a list, scientists wrote in a paper published in the Geological Society of Americas Journal, GSA Today.

Researchers say Zealandia is a distinct geological entity.

It meets all the criteria applied to Earths seven other continents, like elevation above the surrounding area, distinctive geology, a well-defined area and a crust much thicker than that found on the ocean floor.

Have scientists found evidence of Zealandia, the eighth continent of the world??https://t.co/JV5M8CMvuO pic.twitter.com/sICWn5fm5x  Lonely Planet News (@LPtravelnews) February 17, 2017

More cool Zealandia facts soon followed:

Zealandia measures five million square kilometre (1.9 million square miles) and is 94 percent underwater.

The scientists said Zealandia was once part of the Gondwana super-continent but broke away about 100 million years ago.

The world could soon have a new continent! pic.twitter.com/yI07UAwLRP  BBC Three (@bbcthree) February 17, 2017

That a continent can be so submerged yet unfragmented makes it (useful) in exploring the cohesion and breakup of continental crust.

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According to lead author Nick Mortimer, scientists have been gathering data to make the case for Zealandia for over 20 years.

But, since most of it is hidden beneath the ocean, their efforts had been slowed.

New Zealand is part of a sunken 'lost continent', scientists say https://t.co/KsnM8IDXc3 pic.twitter.com/ft8AoeWmNj  AFP news agency (@AFP) February 17, 2017

If we could pull the plug on the oceans, it would be clear to everybody that we have mountain chains and a big, high-standing continent, Mortimer told TVNZ.

Just goes to show you, the Earth packs never-ending surprises! What else might be out there??
WASHINGTON (TNS)  Trashing the Paris Agreement made for a great campaign prop at Donald Trumps rallies, where the climate change accord was portrayed as a product of the out-of-touch, insufferable elites that Trump pledged to sweep from power.

Now the landmark agreement, signed under President Barack Obama, is fast becoming a nuisance for President Trumps White House.

It is putting the president under increasing pressure from places he may not have expected. His own secretary of state appears to see little upside in the president following through on the signature campaign vow to scrap it. His ambassador to the United Nations is hedging. And titans of industries that Trump promised would be unleashed to create new jobs once freed from the agreements constraints are openly hostile to Trumps plan to put it through the shredder.

Even the American Coal Council has yet to muster a tepid cheer for Trumps denunciations of the United Nations-sponsored climate plan. As for the power companies Trump warned would be forced by Paris to raise their rates trillions of dollars? Their trade group, the Edison Electric Institute, doesnt even have a position on the agreement.

The reticence toward Trumps tough talk about the nearly 200-nation accord reflects how much has changed in perceptions of the global warming threat since the White House was last occupied by a president disdainful of international efforts to contain it.

Corporate chief executives have grown more panicked about the effect global warming will have on business stability than about the cost of confronting it. And it is not just Ben and Jerrys types that have already invested a tremendous amount in redirecting their entire business model to account for climate.

Outside the confines of Trump campaign rallies, the offices of a few free market think tanks and the tea party stalwarts in Congress, the broader consensus is that abandoning the Paris Agreement wont save trillions of dollars, as Trump promised, but hurt the economy.

Exxon Mobil is all in on Paris, which aims to contain global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial-age levels; so are DuPont, Unilever and Monsanto, the multinational genetically engineered food juggernaut that often tangles with the environmental movement. Half of the companies in the Fortune 500 already have greenhouse gas reduction plans in place.

This is directly related to our business, said Gabriela Burian, director of global sustainable agriculture at Monsanto. We need to provide solutions while farmers are facing climate change.

Monsanto is on track to be carbon neutral by 2021 and has long accepted as fact something the Trump administration has not: that absent swift action, human-induced climate change could be catastrophic for business. It was among the more than 745 companies and big investors that signed a postelection letter expressing full support for the accord. The signatories collectively employ more than 1.8 million Americans.

Many Republican heavyweights are meanwhile sending a clear signal to the White House that their dislike of the Clean Power Plan  the Obama administrations blueprint for meeting Americas obligations under the climate pact  should not be confused with support for Trumps repudiation of all climate action.

A group of GOP gurus that includes former Secretaries of State James A. Baker and George P. Shultz, former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson and lead economic advisers for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush visited the White House last week to implore the administration to approach climate policy the way it appears to be dealing with Obamacare. Repealing the Obama climate plan and replacing it with nothing, they warned, would be a perilous path.

The group lobbied for a tax on carbon, a climate change solution long championed by economists across political boundaries  and one this particular group noted would enable the United States to meet the obligations laid out in Paris.

The risks are too great to ignore, Baker, a longtime climate skeptic himself, said of climate change. We need some sort of insurance policy.

The Paris accord doesnt set particularly onerous standards on U.S. emissions. The boom in natural gas production, plunging prices of wind and solar power, and evolution of energy-efficient technologies  along with the embrace of sustainability by American businesses  have the U.S. well on its way to meeting its goals under the pact. Unlike Obamas Clean Power Plan, which sets strict rules for how electric plants can operate, the accord is a broader pledge to take a leadership role in the climate fight.

If we dont decide to participate, it is still moving forward, said Gina McCarthy, who ran the Environmental Protection Agency when Obama signed the accord. We are simply going to cede those opportunities to other countries.

China has already made clear it is prepared to step into the breach, reaffirming its commitment last month at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled a plan to invest $360 billion in renewable energy and suspend production of 101 coal plants.

Donald Trump is used to winning things, not walking away like a scalded dog, said Bob Inglis, a former GOP congressman from South Carolina. Leaving a very hard-won international agreement on the table so China can lead the world would be a strange look.

Trump may opt to leave the agreement in place and instead move to aggressively erase the federal emissions rules it inspired. But that approach is certain to generate more blowback than Trump may have anticipated.

The reason the Paris accord got signed is because so many companies wanted this, said Andrew Hoffman, a professor at the University of Michigans Ross School of Business. They are moving on this stuff, and the policies of one administration are not going to radically shift their direction.

The companies want to operate on a level playing field, with predictable rules. In some cases, major investors have threatened to pull their money out of firms that hedge on climate action; companies, in turn, are looking to government to guide them in their efforts.

When Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich recently blocked his state legislatures plan to suspend green energy mandates, Nestle, Whirlpool and Gap sent a public thank you note lauding his courage and conviction.

Trump still may move to scrap the Paris accord. Some in Washington suspect he is waiting until his nominee to lead the EPA, climate skeptic Scott Pruitt, gets confirmed. But it hasnt gone without notice that the frenetic new administration has waited this long.

Maybe this isnt as big a boogeyman to them as other things are, said Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres, a coalition of businesses and nonprofits engaged in climate advocacy. They know how to take immediate action. They arent taking it.
Get rich schemes come in all shapes in sizes, but leave it to the always creative Florida Man to come up with perhaps the worst money-making scheme in the history of mankind. Mark Charles Barnett is currently in custody and facing up to ten years in prison after planning to blow up several Target retail stores along the East Coast in an attempt to get the companys stock to dip, allowing him an opportunity to grab shares at a reduced cost. Needless to say, things didnt exactly work out as Barnett planned.

Don't Miss: Trumps claims are so ridiculous, not even Fox News can take it anymore

Barnett built explosive devices into random food boxes, which he intended to be placed at Target stores between Florida and New York. When the bombs detonated, Barnett assumed that the resulting news would cause Targets stock to take a dive, at which point he would load up on the stock and make a hefty pile of profit when the stock eventually recovered.

Barnett didnt want to do the dirty work himself, and instead decided to hire a man to plant the bombs for him. Barnett gave the man ten bombs, some gloves and a mask, along with a license plate cover to aid his getaway. For his services, he was paid the sum of $10,000.

Unfortunately for Barnett, things didnt exactly work out the way that he had planned. Rather than taking the cash and planting the explosives, the would-be bomber brought all the evidence to local authorities who brought in federal agents to close the case and lock Barnett up. Barnett is currently in custody and awaiting trial.

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See the original version of this article on BGR.com
Some manufacturers are catching up on Android 7.0 Nougat updates that never hit devices.

Sony could follow the Nintendo Switch model for a future device, a patent image uploaded by a user in the video game forum NeoGAF spotted by IGN shows.

The user, who cited the images to a Japanese blog said the patent, which shows a handheld device, was filed in 2015 but was recently published.

Heres what the patent looks like:

The blog cited by the user shows more images of the patent.

The Sony patent looks like the side pieces are detachable, similar to the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons. However, they sides are not completely removed in the patent images.

The gadget looks like a tablet or large display screen with two controller halves on the sides.

Looks like a controller for use with a smartphone/tablet, not really a handheld. At least,that's what it makes me think of, said one user who replied to the forum.

Looks like a tablet controller although I wouldn't be surprised if PS5 is a Switch like device, said another user. Others pointed out it looked like another version of the PS Vita.

Patents are filed all the time, so its not sure whether Sony will follow through with this idea.

Nintendo Switch Release

The Nintendo Switch will release March 3 and is priced at $299. The highly-anticipated console is a portable and at-home game system. The consoles portable mode lets gamers play by removing detachable Joy-Con controllers.

The Nintendo Switch has an intriguing list of launch games, including The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Splatoon 2. The console, was revealed in October 2016, also comes with a free app for parental controls.

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In this Friday, Feb. 17, 2017 photo provided by HBO, Malcolm Nance, author and counterterrorism expert, speaks as comedian Larry Wilmore, center, and former Rep. Jack Kingston, (R-GA), listen while appearing on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," in Los Angeles. (Janet Van Ham/HBO via AP)

NEW YORK (AP)  While conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos insulted comics Lena Dunham, Leslie Jones, Amy Schumer and Sarah Silverman, his appearance on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" was relatively tame  at least until the television cameras were turned off.

It was later, during an online-only "Overtime" segment of Maher's Friday night show, that two of Maher's three panelists hurled expletives at the Breitbart News senior editor.

Maher's booking of Yiannopoulos, author of the upcoming book "Dangerous," drew attention earlier this week when journalist Jeremy Scahill backed out of the show because of his "hateful diatribes." The conservative gadfly has become a lightning rod; his planned speech at the University of California, Berkeley, was cancelled earlier this month when protests erupted.

Maher, a free speech advocate, told Yiannopoulos that he thought he was "colossally wrong" on most issues, "but if I barred everyone from the show who I thought was colossally wrong, I would be talking to myself."

Yiannopoulos called Maher his "favorite liberal" and directed most of his ire at female comedians.

"Your side has gone insane," he said. "The Democrats are the party of Lena Dunham. These people are hideous, mental people. The more the American people see of Lena Dunham, the fewer votes the Democratic Party is going to get."

Responded Maher about the "Girls" creator: "Let's not pick on fellow HBO stars."

The Breitbart editor said Schumer and Silverman "used to be funny before they contracted feminism." After the subject was brought up by Maher, he renewed hostilities with Jones that had begun with his review of the "Ghostbusters" film. Yiannopoulos' Twitter account was suspended last year after a series of racially insensitive tweets were directed at Jones, who is black.

Story continues

On Maher's show, he called Jones "barely literate."

Still, the interview segment featured few harsh exchanges with Maher, and Yiannopoulos was not included in a panel discussion that featured comedian Larry Wilmore, author and counterterrorism expert Malcolm Nance and U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, a Georgia Republican. But online, Yiannopoulos joined the other three to answer questions from viewers.

That's when things got interesting.

The starting-off point was when Yiannopoulos defended his criticism of a transgender person and saying, without offering evidence, that transgender people were involved in a disproportionate number of sex crimes. Wilborn objected, saying that reminded him of the attitudes people directed at gays and blacks to demonize them in society. He noted that for a long time, homosexuality was considered a disorder.

"Maybe it is," said Yiannopoulos, who is gay.

"Maybe you are," Wilborn said, "But most homosexuals are not."

Nance observed that Yiannopoulos seemed confused about who and what he was. When Maher tried to referee, Yiannopoulos said that he always seemed to have "awful" people on the show, "who are so stupid."

That's when Wilmore exploded, telling Yiannopoulos to "go f--- yourself." Maher defended Nance, telling Yiannopoulos that "this guy has done things that allow you to" live.

When the oddity of an openly gay man being seen as a leader of the alt-right movement was pointed out, Yiannopoulos said that "the worst people on the far left and far right all hate me."

Retorted Wilmore: "I think you're leaving out a lot of people."

Nance added another expletive when the Breitbart editor said he had no problems with the issue of President Donald Trump and ties to Russian, profanely dismissing him because he was not an American. Yiannopoulos is British.

It stopped there. Kingston declined a chance to be the third panelist to swear at Yiannopoulos.
BOSCOBEL  Dennis G. Keller, 67, of Boscobel died Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, at Good Samaritan Society, Fennimore. Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Boscobel. Burial in the Boscobel Cemetery. Visitation will be 9 a.m. until time of service Tuesday at the church. Military honors will be accorded by Blake Semrad Post #134 American Legion and Gilbertson Pitzer Radley VFW Post #10393, both of Boscobel. Kendall Funeral Service, Boscobel, is assisting.
As much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I fear I must share some with you.

It turns out we cant trust unusually large rodents to give us an accurate weather forecast.

On Feb. 2, just a couple short weeks ago, Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous groundhog of Groundhogs Day (both the holiday and the movie), informed us that we would have six more weeks of winter in the U.S. by seeing his shadow as he popped out for his annual media appearance.

For those keeping track, that means that we should be shivering in our boots and mittens at least until March 16. And yet as I write this column Friday afternoon, its 55 degrees where I work in downtown La Crosse, and I just stepped outside without a jacket. That makes the temperature about 20 degrees above normal for February. (According to the National Weather Service, the normal high for this time of year is 31.4 degrees.)

The NWS is letting people know were reaching the point where we could set some daily or even monthly records, particularly when it comes to overnight lows. The record high for February in La Crosse is 65, set in 1882 and matched in 1921, according to NWS climate data; and the overnight low records hover around 40 degrees in La Crosse and Rochester.

Those of you who collude with Phil and his groundhog friends might argue that its a fluke. One warm day doesnt mean winter is gone for good. However, the weather forecast that calls for temperatures around 50 degrees for the foreseeable future implies the trend is a bit longer than what we can reasonable call a fluke. Im not saying we wont see any temps below freezing again until next fall, but we seem to have reached Midwest spring a month before Punxsutawney Phil said it would arrive. The Seer of Seers, as they call him in his hometown in Pennsylvania, is a bit off.

Now Im a friend of the furry woodland creatures, but Ive had it up to here with this groundhogs fake weather forecast. Why did we ever start asking a stupid rodent about the weather in the first place, and why has this blurred into a tradition suggesting it controls the weather?

According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, we have the Germans to thank for this nonsense. Back when it started, it was simply a party to remind people Feb. 2 was still the heart of winter here in the northern U.S. and thered likely be six more weeks of winter, regardless of what Phil did.

They went to Gobblers Knob outside Punxsutawney, Pa., for the ceremony, brought out each years Phil and then ate him, because they werent about to let a nice fat animal go to waste back in the 1880s. It was a nice little party to break up a long winter, and I dont begrudge the originators the break in their cabin fever where they pretended it mattered whether it was sunny enough on that one day for the groundhog to see his shadow.

However, this has gotten ridiculous.

According to the groundhog club, Phil once threatened to impose an entire year and six weeks of winter if he couldnt get a drink back in the 1920s. Yes, you read that right, they gave a groundhog, which cant talk and therefore cant actually threaten anything or anyone, alcohol during Prohibition because he threatened to control the weather for a year.

Hes been on Oprah and took a trip to the White House, and they made a movie about him in which Bill Murray gives him the respect he deserves.

We stop eating him every year and give him all this attention and this is how he repays us? By completely phoning in his forecast and getting it completely wrong?

To be fair, maybe nobody told Phil about climate change. Or, being a rodent and therefore presumably pretty dumb, he just doesnt understand that our world is changing as gasses build up in our atmosphere and raise global temperature averages, and its no longer quite as safe to assume well have another six weeks of winter in the beginning of February.
WINONA, Minn.  Legislators are following through on promises to end the ban on Sunday liquor sales, with both the House and Senate looking at the legislation next week.

Sen. Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, introduced two bills with different language for the repeal, both of which would allow liquor stores to open Sundays.

The first would completely repeal the ban and allow stores to operate as if it were any other day.

The second would repeal the ban with two conditions: The stores can only be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and they cant receive deliveries.

Miller said that he had been talking to people who were opposed to the bill, which included liquor store owners, some unions and distributors, to work past some of the issues.

Im not sure that this addresses all the concerns, Miller said. But it makes it more acceptable.

The Senate will begin looking at the legislation Wednesday, and the House will be voting on their version Monday.

Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, introduced legislation in the House in mid-January to make Sunday just like any other day for liquor stores.

Repealing the ban would bring Minnesota into the majority across the nation. Only 12 states still have so-called blue laws on the books, which in Minnesota ban Sunday liquor sales, as well as selling cars on Sundays.

Supporters say that the antiquated post-prohibition laws limit consumer choice and drive business across state lines, primarily in border counties like Winona, Houston and Wabasha. Opponents, including smaller liquor stores, argue against the higher overhead of being open for another day, which they say they would be forced to do in order to stay competitive against larger shops.

While the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association has lobbied against a change, the Distilled Spirits Council urged lawmakers Friday to repeal the law.

The national trade organization represents distillers and marketers across the U.S.

Distilled Spirits Council vice president Dale Szyndrowski said in a press release that the change would only make it easier for consumers and small businesses.

Ending this archaic prohibition-era alcohol law benefits consumers and generates new revenue without raising taxes,Szyndrowski said. Minnesota lawmakers should pass Sunday sales legislation to benefit consumers, small business owners and the state treasury.

If the bill makes it through both the House and the Senate, and the language between the Senate and House bills can be reconciled, the bill would likely pass; Gov. Mark Dayton has indicated hell sign it into law or allow it to become law without his signature.

Miller said he wanted to give consumers and businesses the choice to sell on Sundays, which he said have become a popular day for errands and shopping.

Im hopeful this is the year we can get it done, Miller said.
Diners at Saint Elizabeth Catholic Churchs second annual game feed will get to sample caribou, black bear, elk, antelope, mule deer and even coyote, which tastes a little like boiled shoe leather, according to parish faith formation director Patrick Brueggen.

For those with less adventurous tastes, there will be panfish. Lots of panfish.

Dale Hochhausen, a conservation warden for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, delivered about 800 bluegill, perch and crappie Friday that were seized from an Onalaska angler.

We had some last year but we didnt have this much, Brueggen said.

Brueggen said last years dinner raised more than $19,000 for the parish, its youth program and food pantry.

Tickets for Saturdays dinner are sold out, but Brueggen noted any leftovers will be given to the food pantry.

On Nov. 4, 2015, Hochhausen observed Stanley Paalksnis exceed his daily limit on Lake Onalaska. Officers searched his home and found more than 2,500 panfish in his freezers. Paalksnis, 74, who has a history of fishing violations, told authorities he had been selling bags of fish in Chicago for about 20 years.

A judge on Tuesday revoked Paalksniss fishing privileges for 12 years and ordered him to pay more than $4,800 for the violations.

Hochhausen said he plans to donate the rest of the fish to two other church groups.
It is Aug. 27, 1979. As Im eating my usual breakfast of a banana, milk and two chocolate-chip cookies (yikes), I pick up the Des Moines Register. The headline reads: Pope coming to Des Moines.

Amazing! This was less likely than the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series.

Im a young principal of St. John High School in Independence, Iowa, with an even a younger staff. What could we do to get as many of our students as possible to see Pope John Paul II on Oct. 4, 1979?

I have a crazy idea, I said in a staff meeting that morning. If you dont want to do it, the idea dies in this room. If you want to do it, it will stretch us to the max. How about walking in pilgrimage 150 miles to Des Moines with our students to see the pope? At noon, the teachers were huddled around a map, discussing the route to Des Moines over county roads.

Next I called an emergency school board meeting to get approval for the pilgrimage. Members were divided. Rather than argue about safety, sleeping arrangements, routes and other issues, I invited them to reflect on our deep story: Why does the school exist? Who is Jesus Christ? What does he call us to do? How do we maintain our Catholic identity?

They finally gave their unanimous approval.

After walking 150 miles in five days, 80 students, six teachers, two nurses and I were ushered to the front of 340,000 people in Living History Farms. The crowd knew us. They had seen us on national television. The media called us the Holy Strollers.

Fast forward to Feb. 9, 2017. A crowd of about 70 people gathers at a local restaurant to discuss A way forward for a divided nation. Its a mixed group of men and women, young and old, gay and straight, liberal and conservative, and Christians, Muslims, Jews and those with no religious affiliation at all.

They come at the invitation of four men  Ken Ford, Paul Sannerud, Robert Olson and Jeff Lokken  who named their group .be. Its concern is the polarization in our country. Per its mission statement, .be. desires to provide a place for all people to enter into authentic conversations of the head and heart and to seek common ground with others. It values storytelling rather than opinions, active listening and exercising inclusivity and nonjudgment. For information, go to Facebook and search .be.

After a free meal of bread and soup, Sam Scinta, a political science lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Viterbo University, gives a presentation on We the People: A Way Forward for a Divided Nation. Without using the term deep story, he invites us to go there.

He reads the beginning of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He invites us to begin our small group discussions by naming the values that we all share  that is, our deep story. He states, There is more that unites us than divides us.

This gathering is the third time that .be.  has invited a cross-section of the community to discuss topics that polarize us. The topic of the first event was Do Muslims, Jews and Christians worship the same God? I was blessed with a great group: an evangelical Christian who had fought in Iraq, a Methodist, a Jew, a Muslim and me, a Catholic. We discovered that the deep story of all of us included compassion for the poor, the sick and the stranger. In other words, the Golden Rule.

While we certainly had theological differences, our deep stories were much the same. We talked openly and listened without judgment. As our discussion concluded, one person said, I hope we could all get together the next time.

On Feb. 10, I drove to Independence, Iowa, for the funeral of Ralph Weber. He and I had differences of opinions about some things, but we were great friends because our deep story was rooted in the person of Jesus Christ.

At the funeral dinner, I visited with students I hadnt seen for 35 years, and we reminisced about our pilgrimage to see the pope.

I remembered one of the lessons learned. Some students planned better than others and had a carefully guarded supplies of Icy Hot, Ben Gay, moleskin and energy bars. Others suffered because they planned poorly. After a difficult third day, the students decided that if they were all going to make it, they needed to organize a common pool of all their supplies, open to everyone. That became part of the deep story of their pilgrimage.

Will the United States survive our polarization? It depends on how many of us connect through our deep story.
Like many scientists, Aaron Parsons doesnt have a history of political engagement.

Instead of focusing on earthly concerns, the University of California, Berkeley radio astronomer spent most of his time scanning the outer reaches of the cosmos, searching for the earliest stars in the universe.

Were looking for when the lights turned on, he said.

But after Donald Trump became the leading Republican candidate for president, Parsons turned his attention closer to home.

As someone who has lectured about the atmospheres of distant planets, he was dismayed by Trumps dismissive attitude toward climate change and his claim that the science on global warming was a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese.

He became distraught when he heard that the new Trump administration was considering pulling out of the Paris climate agreement to curb greenhouse emissions.

And he watched with increasing despair when Trumps nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, said at his Senate committee hearing that there is no clear scientific consensus that global warming is caused by human activity.

I had to do something, Parsons said. I felt like I couldnt ignore what was going on anymore.

So he sent an open letter to Trump explaining the widespread consensus among experts that human-caused climate change is real and that its consequences are already being felt.

The science of how greenhouse gases trap heat is unimpeachable, he wrote.

He passed it around Berkeleys astronomy department to see whether his colleagues would sign on. Within a few weeks, 2,300 researchers and academics from across the University of California and Cal State University systems had added their names to the letter.

When facts become politicized, then scientists have to speak up, Parsons said. We are fighting for what is knowledge, and how we know it.

In ivory towers across the country, scientists are leaning in.

Spurred by a flurry of executive orders and presidential adviser Kellyanne Conways references to alternative facts, certain researchers are venturing beyond the safety of the lab and into the murky political fray.

Four hundred scientists took to the San Francisco streets at an American Geophysical Union conference in December to denounce Trumps position on climate change. A larger March for Science in Washington is being organized for Earth Day in April.

Researchers have spoken out against new restrictions on how government scientists at the EPA and other federal agencies communicate with the public. Others have been collecting and storing the governments copious climate data for fear that it may soon become unavailable to the public or deleted entirely. Many have lamented that nearly a month into his presidency, Trump has still not selected a science adviser.

Perhaps the biggest outcry came after the White House announced that travelers from seven primarily Muslim countries would be blocked from entering the United States. Hundreds of research institutions, hospitals and scientific organizations expressed grave concerns for how it would affect the future of research in the United States.

It doesnt matter if you were born in Pakistan or Somalia or whatever  scientists like to work with scientists, said Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Rafael Reif. If you are after facts and truth and whats real, then it doesnt matter who can help you.

James Appleby, head of the Gerontological Society of America, echoed that sentiment.

There is a saying that all politics is local, but I think its fair to say all science is international, he said. There is this image of the lone scientist toiling away in the laboratory to come up with the next big advance, but in reality, many of the biggest leaps come from our ability to sit down with other scholars from around the world.

The burst of activity has been particularly gratifying to Rush Holt. As a physicist, he helped lead the Department of Energys Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory for more than a decade. Then he was elected to Congress, representing the New Jersey district that includes Princeton University for 16 years. Now he leads the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the largest organization of scientists and engineers in the world.

Holt said that when his group penned a letter to President Trump decrying the travel ban, 171 other institutions quickly signed on.

In my relatively long career I have not seen this level of concern about science, he said.

This immigration ban has serious humanitarian issues, but I bet it never occurred to them that it also has scientific implications.

Among them: Researchers from overseas are threatening to boycott meetings held in the United States. Already, Sudanese-born Mohamed H.A. Hassan, co-leader of a group of scientific academies from around the world, has said he wont travel from Europe to attend the AAAS annual meeting in Boston next week.

Bill Foster, a physicist-turned-congressman from Illinois, said the political awakening among researchers is not solely a consequence of the rapid series of executive orders coming from the Oval Office.

In science, if you stand up and say something you know is not correct, thats career-ending, said Foster, a Democrat. It used to be that way in politics, but not anymore. To see how far we have fallen, that is particularly disturbing to scientists.

Holt agreed.

Some of us have been saying for years now that ideological assertions have been crowding out scientific evidence in public debate, he said. But the willful disregard for facts is worse now than its ever been.

To counteract this trend, some researchers are considering their own experiments with politics.

The recently formed 314 Action PAC had 2,500 people with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and math sign up for training on how to run for office. Thousands more have volunteered to help with their campaigns.

What has motivated them? Donald Trump, said founder Shaughnessy Naughton, a trained chemist from Pennsylvania who lost two campaigns for Congress. But the bigger picture is the feeling that science is under attack.

Jamie Tijerina of Highland Park is one of the scientists who signed up for 314 Actions workshop. She works in Caltechs cytometry lab and is a member of her local neighborhood council.

Its important for people with a scientific background to have a seat at the table, she said. The taxpayers deserve to have someone knowledgeable about the scientific literature to offer their expertise.

UC Berkeley evolutionary biologist Michael Eisen has announced on Twitter his plan to run for U.S. Senate in 2018.

He hasnt filed formal papers yet, and he has no fundraising apparatus in place, but he says his campaign is not a stunt.

Id been thinking about issues of science and politics for a long time, and a lot of people felt like things were coming to a head with the new administration, he said. The moment seemed to call for more engagement, so one morning I just said  this is what I have to do.

Eisen said the whole thing is kind of like one of his science experiments.

Its clear that there is a lack of empirical decision-making in our politics, he said. Our hypothesis is that having more scientists involved in politics would reverse that trend. Its an untested hypothesis, but one we should test.

As a realist, he doesnt expect to win. But he said he hoped his campaign would help spark a conversation about the relationship between science and politics, and possibly inspire other scientists to run for office as well.

Foster, the sole physicist in Congress, said he hoped more scientists would join him there.

Scientists want to know the evidence behind a statement; they want reproducible tests and verifiable facts, he said.

There is a big difference in the thought process of a trial lawyer who is interested not in whats true, but what he can convince a jury is true.

Parsons, the astronomer who penned the letter about climate change, said scientists had a moral obligation to speak out.

I wish we lived in a world where science could live outside of the political sphere, he said.

But we didnt bring this battle to them; they brought it to us. And we have to fight back.
Almost 500 migrants smash through border fence: MADRID  Almost 500 migrants forced their way into Spanish territory in North Africa early Friday by breaking through gates in the 20-foot high fence that separates Morocco from Spains Ceuta enclave. Hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants are living illegally in Morocco and regularly attempt to enter Ceuta and Melilla, Spains other North African enclave, in hopes of getting into Europe. Most are fleeing poverty, violence or both.

Bosnia to appeal UN court ruling clearing Serbia of genocide: SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina  Bosnia will ask the United Nations top court to reconsider its 2007 ruling that cleared Serbia of genocide during Bosnias 1992-95 war. The decision is expected to plunge Bosnia into a political crisis, as Bosnian Serb legislators plan to boycott parliament to show their opposition. Bosnia sued neighboring Serbia before the International Court of Justice in 1993 over its political and military backing for Bosnian Serbs war effort. The U.N. court ruled in 2007 that a 1995 massacre in the Bosnian city of Srebrenica of 8,000 Muslims by Bosnian Serbs was genocide, but it cleared Serbia of responsibility for the killings.

11 dead as Nigerian troops repel Boko Haram suicide bombers: MAIDUGURI, Nigeria  Battling multiple bombers strapped with suicide vests, Nigerian troops and civilian self-defense fighters on Friday repelled the fiercest Boko Haram extremist attack in months on the key northeastern city of Maiduguri. Nine bombers and two civilians were killed, according to witnesses, soldiers and police. The United Nations said the attackers targeted refugees in the city that is the birthplace of the Islamic uprising and the headquarters of the military campaign to halt it.

UN says 1 million children in eastern Ukraine urgently need aid: UNITED NATIONS  United Nations officials say 1 million children urgently need humanitarian aid in eastern Ukraine, and the number has nearly doubled in a year. The U.N.s childrens agency, UNICEF, reported the statistic Friday. More than 9,800 people have died since government forces and Russia-backed separatist rebels began fighting in April 2014. UNICEF says 1.7 million other people have been displaced. Fighting has escalated this month in the worst outbreak since a 2015 peace deal.
Venezuelans march to demand release of opposition leader: CARACAS, Venezuela  Hundreds of Venezuelans marched Saturday to demand the release of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, the annual demonstration taking on added urgency after President Donald Trump met with the activist's wife and his administration slapped drug sanctions on the country's vice president. Lopez last year was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison in a trial marred by irregularities for inciting violence during anti-government protests. His conviction brought widespread condemnation by many foreign governments and the United Nations, which consider Lopez a political prisoner.

Syrian fighters inch closer to IS 'capital': BEIRUT  U.S.-backed fighters captured a village in northern Syria Saturday from members of the Islamic State group, bringing them closer to cutting a road linking two major IS-held cities in the country and closing in on the extremists' de facto capital. The push came as Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim warned that if the predominantly Kurdish force eventually entered the city of Raqqa it will have negative effects on the relations between Ankara and Washington.

Protesters urge Spain to take in more refugees: BARCELONA, Spain  At least 160,000 protesters marched Saturday in Barcelona to demand that Spain's conservative-led government increase its efforts to take in refugees from war-torn countries like Syria. Spain has accepted just 1,100 refugees of the over 17,000 it has pledged to take in.

Paris protesters decry police abuse: PARIS  Paris police sprayed tear gas at bottle-throwing demonstrators on the margins of a rally Saturday meant to support a young black man who was allegedly raped with a police baton and other victims of police abuse. Two police officers were injured and 13 people were arrested in the clashes, which involved about 150 of the thousands of mostly peaceful anti-racism demonstrators. Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, meanwhile, urged the government to ban the protest out of respect for police.
Governor Scott Walker delivered his budget address on Feb. 8. This biennial speech officially launches the legislatures budget process. The address is the governors opportunity to pitch and highlight the ideas, programs and priorities he has included in his version of the state budget.

As I listened to Governor Walkers budget address, there were several main themes: student success, reduced college costs, care for the needy, rewarding work, maintenance of roads and bridges and lowering taxes. Following is a summary of the governors proposed plan for each of these areas:

Student success  the governors plan:

Invests $11.5 billion for K-12 education.

Includes a $200 per student increase in the first year and a $204 increase per student in the second year.

Continues funding for academic and career plans.

Reducing college costs  the governors plan:

Freezes tuition at Wisconsin Technical Colleges.

Reduces tuition for undergraduates from Wisconsin at UW campuses by 5 percent.

Invests $100 million in new state funding for the UW and allocates an additional $35 million to cover the reduction in tuition for Wisconsin students.

Care for the needy and rewarding work  the governors plan:

Develops the Wisconsin Works for Everyone program for positive entitlement reform.

Requires able-bodied adults to be employed at least 80 hours per month to receive Foodshare benefits or be enrolled in job training programs.

Expands the Earned Income Tax Credit to enable both parents to work without losing the credit.

Encourages parents who owe child support to work and pay their obligation.

Expands programs to help people with disabilities find work.

Develops programs to help young adults aging out of foster care to find work.

Expands career and technical training in correctional facilities to improve transitions.

Maintenance of roads and bridges  the governors plan:

Increases funding for local governments to fix roads and bridges.

Invests the largest amount ever for rehabilitation of state highways.

Puts all active major projects outside of southeastern Wisconsin back on track.

Funds the work on I-94 in Kenosha and Racine counties.

Lowering taxes  the governors plan:

Promises new tax relief of $592.7 million.

Promises that for the first time since 1931, no state tax will be collected on property taxes.

Implements the manufacturing and agricultural production tax credit.

Creates a sales tax holiday on school supplies and clothing.

Reduces income taxes. A typical family will see a reduction of $130 in income taxes.

I am interested and encouraged by many of the governors budget ideas. I believe we need to find a sustainable, responsible funding plan for transportation. I want to provide adequate funding to rural schools. Overall, I want to represent the needs of rural Wisconsin.

Following the address, the budget was officially delivered to the legislatures Joint Finance Committee. It is now being deeply analyzed by the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau before their analysis is shared with the JFC.

The JFC will be meeting with each of the state agencies to discuss their portion of the state budget beginning in March. Then, we will hold a number of public hearings around the state for citizens to share their thoughts, ideas and concerns before we deliberate as a committee.

Our goal is to draft a legislative version of the state budget and move it through the legislative process before the fiscal year ends on June 30. As a member of the JFC, I have been looking forward to receiving the governors budget so that we can get to work on plans for the future of Wisconsin.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to better understand the programs in the governors budget and the fiscal impacts of our decisions. I will work to ensure that we produce a balanced budget, on time, for the people of our state.

For a full text version of the governors budget address, please visit: https://walker.wi.gov/sites/default/files/2017_Wisconsin_Budget_Address.pdf.

For more information and to connect with me, visit my website http://legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/17/marklein and subscribe to my weekly E-Update by sending an email to Sen.Marklein@legis.wisconsin.gov. Do not hesitate to call 800-978-8008 if you have input, ideas or need assistance with any state-related matters.
In the depths of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt warned against becoming cold-hearted, cautioned against indifference and reminded Americans that they were called to save something great and precious for the nation and its future. And they answered the call.

The nation came together. People didnt look at their neighbors who were marginally better off than them with resentment. Instead of dragging people down, they worked to make the future better for not only their families, but for everyone who got up and went to work each day. And we inherited a better nation.

The men and women who grew up during the Great Depression and went on to serve in World War II are often referred to as the greatest generation. The spirit of the greatest generation is alive and well in northern Wisconsin. Our friends and neighbors here will always pride themselves on delivering a job seen through and well-done. I think they would agree, as I do, that we should be rewarding work.

During his budget address this week, the governor kept using the phrase we are working and winning for Wisconsin. I think he said it nine times. I know were working.

The governor, after three budgets of spending our tax dollars elsewhere, wants to put a little more money in to our local schools, send a few more dollars to local units of government for roads and make some modest investments in broadband and other infrastructure improvements.

Will that help us win? Without a solution to Wisconsins long-term transportation challenge, our roads will continue to deteriorate. Governor Walker offered no solution; his plan is to continue borrowing and raiding Peter to pay Paul. Soon, nearly 50 percent of our roads will be in disrepair, and debt costs will eat up more than a quarter of our transportation spending.

One of the cornerstones of successful economies is an educated workforce. The governors budget does nothing to fix the outdated and unfair funding formula for public schools. Instead of rewarding or even requiring work, his budget demands even less of voucher school operators who are taking resources directly out of our public schools.

Large tax breaks for the wealthy havent produced more jobs. The Republican Majority Leader of the Senate described one of the governors proposals as a meager income tax reduction, I think weve been down that path before, and its resulted in not enough bang for the buck. I think thats an apt description for the governors whole approach. We need to do better. We can do better.

Our priority must be Wisconsins roads, schools and jobs. Wisconsinites never have, and never will stop putting in a hard days work. Its time to put people who work for a living first. Its time to reward work again.

Democrat Janet Bewley, Mason, represents the 25th state Senate District.
Last week I introduced a collaborative rural broadband expansion bill. It is a combination of the proposal that was promoted by Gov. Scott Walker on Dec. 1, 2016, and recommendations made by the 2016 Study Committee on Rural Broadband, which I chaired last fall. Combining our ideas, we produced legislation that will make an immediate, significant impact on rural broadband in Wisconsin.

The bill allocates $15.5 million more for rural broadband grants during the current fiscal year. This means, when the bill passes, the Public Service Commission (will be able to make $15.5 million more in awards before the fiscal year ends on June 30, 2017. This is in addition to the $1.5 million the PSC has already awarded this year. The funding comes from surpluses in the Universal Service Fund and the E-Rate reimbursement fund. No other programs are being impacted by this allocation. This bill will not result in any new taxes, fees or assessments.

The Study Committee developed several recommendations for improving the Rural Broadband Expansion Grant program, including improving the definition of economic development, prioritizing unserved areas more than areas that have some sort of broadband technology and expanding the consideration for broadband in the home from an educational and healthcare perspective. This bill insures that these ideas are applied to any new grants from the program.

Expanding rural broadband is one of my top priorities. There are many communities in the 17th Senate District that have little to no broadband service. Obviously, it is difficult to run a business, communicate or take advantage of current technology when we dont have broadband access. We must also consider the way education and healthcare are changing and relying more and more on the internet.

The Rural Broadband Expansion Grant program is a positive way for Wisconsin to encourage investment in broadband in locations where it is difficult for a private company to justify the expense of installation. It also helps municipalities, community organizations and community champions work with their telecommunications providers to build projects that might not otherwise happen.

The federal government is also encouraging rural broadband expansion through the Connect American Fund II program and the Alternative Connect America Model. There will be more than $95 million spent on broadband expansion by 2020. AT&T, Centurylink and Frontier are the primary recipients of CAF II. Some smaller companies will also be doing projects under the A-CAM program.

Like the Wisconsin Broadband Expansion Grant program, the CAF II and A-CAM programs combine government funding with private investment to encourage infrastructure in locations that are difficult to justify from a return-on-investment perspective.

The federal government has offered funding for broadband to Wisconsin in the past, but it has always had unreasonable strings attached. Contrary to some misinformation, it was not for rural broadband expansion as we know it. The oft-cited $23 million stimulus grant in 2011 was only for schools, libraries and government agencies. It was not for residential, business or economic development purposes.

The same work that would have been done with these federal dollars was done in 2014 by the state of Wisconsin. The state was able to accomplish all of the goals of the federal grant project using state funds without having to comply with all of the strings that were attached to the federal grant.

The strings attached to the federal money required a 20-year contract for the fiber-optic installed with grant money. The state only contracts for five years at a time, and the sub-recipient of the grant, AT&T, also declined to participate with this type of requirement. In addition, the grant required expensive Environmental Assessments for 467 locations at our cost.

The companies participating in CAF II, A-CAM and Wisconsins Rural Broadband Expansion Grant program have decided that the requirements of these grant programs are reasonable and beneficial to their businesses. This is good news for rural Wisconsin.

I am working with my colleagues to swiftly move this bill through the legislative process so that communities will be able to seek additional funding for rural broadband expansion. I encourage all communities with broadband needs to begin planning to apply for a grant this spring. Talk to your local providers, strategize ways to meet your communitys broadband needs and find stakeholders who are willing to work on this issue. For more information on the grant program, please visit the PSCs dedicated website: psc.wi.gov/utilityinfo/tele/broadband/grants/bbGrantApplicationPage.htm

For more information and to connect with me, visit my website legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/17/marklein and subscribe to my weekly E-Update by sending an email to Sen.Marklein@legis.wisconsin.gov. Do not hesitate to call 800-978-8008 if you have input, ideas or need assistance with any state-related matters.

Republican Howard Marklein, Spring Green, represents the 17th state Senate District.
Viroquas Driftless Cafe is among the Wisconsin restaurants to have racked up nine nomination for this years James Beard Awards, which is the highest honor in the industry.

Luke Zahm, who has owned the cafe with his wife, Ruthie, since 2013, is among the seven chefs nominated for Best Chef: Midwest. The other nominees are: Karen Bell, Bavette La Boucherie, Milwaukee; Justin Carlisle, Ardent, Milwaukee; Lisa Carlson, Chef Shack, Bay City; Dan Fox, Heritage Tavern, Madison; Thomas Hauck, c.1880, Milwaukee; and Jonny Hunter, Forequarter, Madison.

Zahm, and the other Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists for the 27th annual James Beard Foundation Awards, received an email Wednesday morning, Feb. 15, announcing their nomination.

Ruthie and I were going to go for a walk on the MVC and take the day as it came to us, he said. I got out of the truck (and saw the email). It was surreal; you would never think this would happen in Viroqua. It was very overwhelming.

The first person Zahm called was a man who at one time worked at the cafe as a chef. The next call was to his brother in Austin, Texas. Hes a foodie and was blown away.

He then received a phone call from a reporter with Wisconsin Public Radio. Thats when we decided to go back to Viroqua. When we got to the cafe people knew about it.

According to a press release from the James Beard Foundation, the foundation holds an online open call for entries beginning in mid-October of each year. This year, more than 24,000 entries were received, a list which the Restaurant and Chef Committee reviews to determine eligibility and regional representation.

Waking up on Thursday morning... Its an amazing thing, Zahm said. Theres lots of anxiety because we dont know the next step.

We are the first restaurant between Minneapolis and Madison (to receive a nomination), he said. Its very unprecedented to have a restaurant in a rural demographic. Zahm said people are paying attention to whats happening in Vernon County, whether its the Kickapoo Valley Reserve or trout fishing.

Its awesome but there is tremendous pressure. We dont want to let ourselves or anyone down. You dont want to change or change too much. Well keep doing what weve been doing.

Zahm credits the farmers for making the cafe a success.

Its a fact that we live in the highest concentration of of organic farms in the U.S., Zahm said. We work with a network of farmers where we can buy good food year round.

He said the community has also played a role. We have a motto that we are a bridge for growth and a vehicle for the future. This region is gorgeous and this is what we want to show.

This years full semifinalist list can be found online at jamesbeard.org/awards. On Wednesday, March 15, the James Beard Foundation will announce the final nominees for all award categories during a press conference at a.o.c. restaurant in Los Angeles. Nominations will also be announced live via the foundations Facebook Live video feed at facebook.com/beardfoundation and in real time on Twitter at twitter.com/beardfoundation.
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(2) Feb 20 (2) Feb 19 (2) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (1) Feb 14 (1) Feb 13 (1) Feb 12 (2) Feb 11 (1) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (1) Feb 08 (1) Feb 07 (1) Feb 06 (1) Feb 05 (5) Feb 03 (1) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (1) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (5) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (3) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (1) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (5) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (6) Dec 14 (4) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (5) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (5) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (5) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (4) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 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(3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (5) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (5) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (2) Aug 07 (2) Aug 06 (2) Aug 05 (2) Aug 04 (2) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (2) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (6) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (4) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (2) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (2) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (1) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (2) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (2) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (5) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (2) May 23 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This is Whats Trending Today.

Bao Bao was born in the United States, but she was always destined to go to China.

A giant panda named Mei Xiang gave birth to Bao Bao at Washingtons National Zoo in 2013. She was the zoos first surviving panda cub since 2005.

Visitors got to see Bao Bao for the first time in early 2014.

The zoos first giant pandas arrived in 1972. They were a gift to the United States after President Richard Nixons historic trip to China.

The U.S. agreement with China states that the cubs of pandas loaned to the National Zoo must go to China by age four.

Zoo officials have a number of events planned for Bao Bao before she travels overseas. For example, she will receive a cake made of ice. Officials say it will recognize the people who give money to the National Zoo to help finance research into animals.

People around the world will be able to watch Bao Baos final days in Washington on the zoos Panda cam.

There will be several Facebook Live events, including videos of zookeepers preparing Bao Bao for her trip and a program showing how to make panda-themed art projects.

Bao Baos final hours at the zoo will be shown on Facebook Live on February 21.

Some of her human friends are using the hashtag #ByeByeBaoBao to say goodbye.

On Twitter, Lisa wrote I am going to miss Bao Bao so much!! I have met so many people because of her.



The user @CharmCityPanda wrote: I love you sweet girl  thanks for the joy.

Bao Bao will leave for China next Tuesday on a flight called the Fed Ex Panda Express.

If you are sad about seeing her go, there are three other pandas at the zoo. You can still see her parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, and her brother, Bei Bei.

And thats Whats Trending Today.

I'm Caty Weaver.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Will you send a goodbye wish to Bao Bao? Let us know in the comments section.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

destined  adj. certain to achieve or experience something

cub  n. a young animal

cake  n. a bread-like food
Flight attendant Sheila Fedrick says she knew something was wrong when she saw a teenage girl with greasy hair sitting on an airplane next to an older man.

The girl had bruises, possible evidence that she had been hurt. The man, however, appeared very well-dressed.

When Fedrick tried to talk to them, the man became defensive. So the flight attendant left a note for the girl in a bathroom. The girl later wrote back a message that said I need help.

Fedrick was able to inform the pilot of the Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to San Francisco. The pilot spoke to police officials on the ground. By the time the plane landed, officers were waiting for the girl and the man at the airport. She later learned the girl was a victim of human trafficking.

Keeping the skies safe

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation says human trafficking is thought to be the third largest criminal activity in the world. Trafficking involves the illegal transport of people from one country or area to another. This is usually done to force victims into forced labor or the sex trade.

Human traffickers have often used airplanes as a way to quietly transport their victims. Yet one group, Airline Ambassadors International, or AAI, is training airline and airport workers to recognize signs of human trafficking. The goal is to give more workers the same kind of skills and sensitivity Fedrick has.

AAI was the idea of Nancy Rivard, a former flight attendant. She founded the group as a way for flight attendants to help vulnerable children directly.

Rivard said AAI developed the first industry-specific training on human trafficking and trafficking awareness. She said that training just one person can have a big effect.

Every flight attendant sees 500 people a week minimally thats 2,000 (people) a month and 24,000 (people) a year. So training 100 front line employees enables them to scan 2.4 million passengers.

Airline support

Rivard said it has not always been easy to persuade airline companies to collaborate with her group.

All airlines are required to train both pilots and flight attendants annually. And including us in the security section of training would seem simple enough to do. But the airlines were not that receptive, originally.

Rivard told VOA that AAI can spend about $3,000 to set up one training program -- or $5,000, if its international. The group contacts airport directors for a place to hold the classes, but AAI usually has to raise the money for the training itself.

Red flags

Rivard says the training program is divided into three parts. The first part is a description of human trafficking. Then a trainer, who usually is a survivor of trafficking, discusses the effects of trafficking on victims. The final part of the program discusses how to recognize and report human trafficking in an airplane or airport setting.

There are many signs to look for.

We teach our crews  to be aware of victims and be aware of who is traveling and who they are traveling with Are they with or under the control of a companion and to look for different indicators like they are not in control of their travel documents. They are frightened, ashamed, or nervous. In many cases, two or three cases I know of where the victim was not even allowed to use the bathroom on their own. They may be unsure of their destination. They may have bruises If they have scripted or inconsistent stories  Many of them appear drugged and they probably are.

Rivard also said sometimes victims are tattooed -- with a bar code or name like daddy printed on their skin.

Rivard says it is important not to try and rescue the victim when you first recognize the problem. This can endanger yourself and the victim. The most important action is to report what you see to police, with as many details as you can.

Sridhar Chillara is a volunteer with AAI. He used his trafficking awareness training while on a flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Newark, New Jersey. He noticed two children that were being mistreated by two older people. He also saw that as they moved through the airport, they were passed to other individuals, both on and off the plane.

Chillara informed the flight attendants, who contacted the airport in Newark. He was later told that his report led U.S. officials to uncover a child pornography ring in Boston. Eighty-six children were saved.

How to report

Rivard says that if you see a situation suspected of human trafficking, there are several ways to report it.

In the United States, you can call 911, the number for emergency calls, or the Department of Homeland Security TIP hotline (866-347-2423 toll free in U.S. and Canada, or 802-872-6199 if outside the U.S.). This number is operational 24 hours a day. You can also call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

AAI has developed a free computer app that lets users not only report what they saw, but they can upload photographs, audio, video, and GPS location.

Im Phil Dierking.

Phil Dierking reported on this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

What are other ways people can stop human trafficking? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

bruise  n. a dark and painful area on your skin that is caused by an injury

dress  v. to put clothes on yourself

collaborate  v. to work with another person or group in order to achieve or do something

indicator  n. a sign that shows the condition or existence of something

tattoo  n. a picture, word, etc., that is drawn on a person's skin by using a needle and ink

pornography  n. movies, pictures, magazines, etc., that show or describe naked people

vulnerable  adj. easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally

app  n. a computer program that performs a special function

GPS location  n. The technology can pinpoint longitude, latitude, ground speed, and course direction of the target somewhere in the world

awareness  n. knowledge and awareness of your own personality, character, or surroundings
A single Indian rocket launch Wednesday morning sent a record 104 satellites into space.

The government-run Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said the rocket launched from Sriharikota in eastern India. It broke Russias record of launching 37 satellites one year ago.

Most of the satellites are so-called nano satellitessmall ones weighing up to 10 kilograms. There is also an Earth observation satellite that weighs 714 kilograms.

The majority of the nano satellite customers were from the United States. Others were from Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Israel, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.

The launch was broadcast on Indian national television. It showed scientists in the mission control room, cheering as the rocket flew higher.

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that the "remarkable feat by ISRO is yet another proud moment for our space scientific community and the nation."

Indias space program has centered mostly on low-cost ways to get into space. In 2014, an Indian spacecraft reached Mars orbit. The ISRO Mars mission cost $74 million. In comparison, the United States space agency, NASA, spent $670 million on its Mars mission a few months later. Indias effort was welcomed as evidence that an economical program can achieve technological success.

Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan is a space expert with New Delhis Observer Research Foundation. She said this record breaking satellite launch highlights Indias technological sophistication. She said it may lead more countries ask the ISRO to do their space launches.

Growing demand for more high-tech communication systems among governments has increased demand for such launches. So, has the growing demands of private telephone, Internet and other tech companies. Last year, India launched 75 satellites for foreign customers.

The South Asian country increased the budget for its space program this year. It also has set up a fund for a possible second mission to Mars and its first to Venus.

But scientists say that while India can put smaller satellites into space, it still has some way to go before it can launch heavier ones.

Im Anne Ball.

Anjana Pasricha wrote this story for VOA. Anne Ball adapted her story for Learning English with additional material from the Associated Press. Caty Weaver was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

feat  n. an act or achievement that shows courage, strength, or skill

proud  adj. very happy and pleased because of something you have done

highlights  v. to make people notice or be aware of something

sophistication  adj. having or showing a lot of experience and knowledge about the world and about culture, art, literature, etc.

fund  n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose
The United States is accusing a top Venezuelan official of being a major international drug trafficker.

The Trump administration has announced sanctions against Vice President Tareck El Aissami for his reported involvement in cocaine shipments from Venezuela.

The administration barred Al Aissami from using any money or other assets under his name in the United States. The Associated Press says the government also has banned him from entering the country.

El Aissami is the highest Venezuelan official ever to face U.S. sanctions. The government has classified him as a drug kingpin  someone who directs people in the illegal drug trade. 

On Tuesday, El Aissami said the Trump administrations actions only strengthen his support for the revolution started by former Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

In messages on social media, El Aissami said U.S. aggression will not stop him from doing his job of rescuing Venezuela's economy from sabotage by its conservative opponents.

Observers are unsure if the sanctions mean a tightening of U.S. policy toward Venezuela or a continuation of policies from the presidency of Barack Obama.

Under Obama, U.S. officials were careful not to demand the removal of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, as the opposition had been seeking. Instead, the U.S. government chose to support discussions aimed at avoiding violence. The Vatican also supported this policy.

Chris Sabatini is with Latin America Goes Global, a website that follows U.S. policy toward Latin America. He said there is increasing dissatisfaction that the discussions have yet to show results.

Criminal state?

El Aissami has been the target of U.S. law enforcement investigations for years, starting in his days as interior minister. The investigations began when falsified Venezuelan passports were found in the Middle East. Some were in the possession of suspected Hezbollah members.

A few years ago, Walid Makled, a jailed drug trafficker, told investigators he sent payments to Venezuelan officials through El Aissami's brother. He said in return for the money, officials permitted cocaine shipments through the country's ports and airports.

The U.S. announcement Monday said El Aissami had worked with drug traffickers in Mexico and Colombia to direct cocaine shipments from Venezuela.

Venezuelan businessman Samark Lopez was also sanctioned. Lopez is accused of hiding money earned from the drug trade in a number of companies and real estate in the U.S., Panama, British Virgin Islands and Venezuela.

The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sanction  n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws

asset  n. something that is owned by a person or company

real estate  n. property consisting of buildings and land

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.


President Donald Trump went on Twitter Thursday to talk about his continued concern about leaks. He wrote, The spotlight has finally been put on the low-life leakers? They will be caught!

The president then said later Thursday that he called the Justice Department to look into the leaks.

Trump has been very critical of leaks from people identified in stories as U.S. intelligence officials, though some may have come from White House aides.

The information provided to the New York Times and Washington Post, among others, covered discussions between Trumps now former national security adviser and a Russian diplomat.

The former adviser, Michael Flynn, had told Vice President Mike Pence the discussion with the Russian diplomat did not include talk of U.S. sanctions. The intelligence officials who spoke to reporters said Flynn was not being truthful.

News that Flynn had not been truthful led to his resignation, Trump said Thursday. But he called Flynn, a fine person.

Leaks have long been a tradition in America. It means giving information to reporters.

Often the information would not be known unless it was leaked to reporters. And often the people providing the information do not want their names released for fear of losing their jobs or facing other punishment.

Trump is not the first president to speak out against leaks.

President Richard Nixon had many battles with news organizations. The Obama administration aggressively investigated suspected leakers, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

People in power never like leakers, whether were talking about President Trump or former President Obama, said Roy Gutterman. He is director of the Tully Center for Free Press at Syracuse University in New York.

Notable leaks in US history

The kind of leaks Trump is criticizing is not new.

In 1973, Daniel Ellsberg gave reporters information from a secret report that the U.S. expanded the war in Vietnam without informing the public. Ellsberg, who had helped write the report, known as The Pentagon Papers, said Americans had a right to know.

Two Washington Post reporters received information from a source known only as Deep Throat. They reported stories about the cover-up of a break-in into Democratic Party headquarters. The news stories led to President Richard Nixons resignation in 1974. Many years later, Deep Throat was identified as a Federal Bureau of Investigation official.



In 2013, Edward Snowden, a contractor with the National Security Agency, gave thousands of documents to WikiLeaks. The documents provided information about U.S. government surveillance practices. After the release, Snowden left the U.S. for Russia.

Stories often start with call from concerned person

Many important stories start with call from a person who says something is not right where they work or live. Calls from doctors and nurses at U.S. veterans hospitals, for example, led to reporting in 2014 that officials were hiding long waits for medical care.

Often the confidential information provided by a source leads a reporter to reach out to other sources and to get documents so that a story that should be known to the public gets out, said Gutterman of Syracuse University.

But Trump said recent leaks provided information about his discussions with foreign leaders that he considered private.

He called it a criminal act.

Trump has called for an investigation of leaks. So have two Republican members of Congress -- Jason Chaffetz and Bob Goodlatte in a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice.

They expressed concern about release of classified information.

Congressman Elijah Cummings, a Democrat, said that Chaffetz and Goodlatte are asking for the wrong investigation.

"Congress should be doing independent oversight of the executive branch and protecting whistleblowers, he said.

In the past, some reporters who refused to identify their sources went to prison. Among the most recent was former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who served 85 days in prison in 2005 for not saying who gave her the name of a Central Intelligence Agency agent.

At a Thursday news conference, Trump continued his criticism of the news media. The president said, the leaks are absolutely real. The news is fake.

During the 77-minute long news conference, he used the term fake news 13 times. This led a reporter to ask:

If the information coming from those leaks is real, then how can the stories be fake?

I'm Bruce Alpert.

And I'm Dorothy Gundy.

Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do 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

leak - n. disclosure of information not known previously often from a person who doesnt want his or her name known

source - n. a person who provides information to a reporter, often without revealing his or her name

surveillance - n. to keep careful watch of people

practice - n. how things are done by an organization

classified - adj. information considered secret by a government or government agency

oversight - n. to provide review of activities by people and or government

whistleblower - n. a person who provides secret information about bad or illegal activity

booster - n. someone that supports or champions someone or some group
Looking for a dose of real life in your weekend video? Documentary filmmaking can be at once informative and captivating. Here are 25 of the b
LEXINGTONSolar power is coming to Lexington even for those without solar panels on a home or property.

A 3.9 megawatt solar array system is being installed in Lexington by GenPro Energy Solutions on a site owned by the City of Lexington east of Plum Creek Parkway.

Once operational the power generated by the system of nearly 12,600 panels will meet approximately 3 percent of the citys annual needs. The city also purchases power from Nebraska Public Power District.

Lexington owns and operates its electrical distribution system, purchasing electricity wholesale and selling it retail to residential, commercial and industrial customers within its service area.

City officials have agreed to purchase all the power generated on the solar farm for the next 25 years at a locked in rate.

This is a new industry for me, said Jim Lundgren, owner of Husker Solar Power, LLC, who said his own interest in and pursuit of solar power led him to partner with GenPro Energy Solutions, based in South Dakota, in promoting solar power.

Lundgren was born and raised in Lexington and farmed most of his life. He also was a sales representative for Pioneer Hybrid Seeds for 28 years before selling the business to Dustin OHanlon.

Lundgren retains office space at 921 W. Seventh St. for Husker Solar Power and is currently looking for sales representatives.

While working in agriculture, Lundgren said he learned the importance of the quality of sunlight on crop production, which led him to study sunlight.

That always lent me wonder why we werent using more sun, utilizing it more, he said.

Lundgrens interest in solar power led him to have a solar power system installed on a property he owns northwest of Lexington, the former District 22 School, which has become the District 22 Event Center.

There have been solar panels on that property for three years, going on four, Lundgren said. The solar power there ties into an electric grid with power supplied by Dawson Public Power District.

When it (the solar system) is generating power, Im not pulling from the grid, Lundgren said.

On a cloudy, grainy, drizzly day there might not be enough solar power to operate everything, so electricity from the grid is used.

However, on a bright sunny day when the solar panels produce more than needed, the excess is fed into the electric grid so the meter goes backwards.

Lundgren said Nebraska was one of the last states in America to implement a net metering law, which allows for such give and take.

Regardless of a propertys energy source, if the customer complies with the rules and regulations of the supplier, he or she is allowed to net the meter, said Lundgren.

Lundgren said the life of a solar system is normally 25 to 30 years and it generally takes 10 years of use to pay for the cost of installing such a system.

With this consideration in mind, Lundgren can amortize the cost over the life of the system for an individual or business who wants to set up a solar system.

He also helps customers work with the local utility, to comply with their rules and regulations.

The project with the City of Lexington started over two years ago and is getting close to being ready for use. It is in the wiring and testing stage. Its getting fairly close, said Lundgren. We hope within two months we will be on-line.

Lundgren said the project recently awaited a new style of transformer that is more efficient.

Mayor John Fagot said there were two reasons the city decided to become involved in solar powerthe attractiveness of the contract offered and to be viewed as progressive.

They are doing all the investing, Fagot said. The city wont purchase or maintain any of the equipment and retains ownership of the land.

Instead, the city entered into an agreement to purchase the power generated.

We guaranteed we would buy their power at a rate that wont change for 25 years, said Fagot. He called it a real reasonable rate, especially in anticipation of likely electrical rate increases from other suppliers.

Fagot said the solar farm wont supply the power needs of the whole city, but everyone within the city will benefit, and that too was important to city officials.

Fagot said other cities trying to utilize solar power call for investors to pay for the equipment and installation costs in return for a payback rate.

He said the City of Lexington wanted to be inclusive, with the advantage not just for those with greater means.

We are of the concept of not excluding. We think everyone should have a chance. Everyone should benefit, said Fagot.

Fagot said it is also hoped that the solar farms proximity to I-80 will be a sales tool for economic development and attract business to Lexington.

We work hard for economic development and to attract new business, said Fagot. We hope a business will say, This is a city that looks to the future, maybe we should take a look.

Lundgren said the City of Lexington wanted everyone within the city to share in the benefits of using some renewable energy and he hopes to grow that partnership with people in the community in the future.

This industry is just getting started in Nebraska, Lundgren said of solar power. Hopefully we can play a role down the road.

He said there are limits to renewable energy, and that the wind and sun cant provide 100 percent of energy needs just yet, but technology is making it easier and easier to use such energy sources in a cost effective way.

There are all kinds of ways we will be adjusting our energy sources down the road, said Lundgren.

He said even in remote areas of the state solar panels are being put up alongside livestock wells as people find it is more efficient to use solar energy and some farmsteads have installed solar power.
NORTH PLATTE  The world became a little bit safer Thursday morning. Thats after students from six area high schools learned how to save a life at North Platte Community College.

It was all part of the Western Regional Science Fair, which the college hosts every spring to encourage high school and middle school students to develop an appreciation for science and consider it as a possible career field.

This year, Hands-On CPR was one of the interactive breakout sessions in the Health and Science Center. Those in the workshop learned how to respond to an emergency situation and perform hands-only CPR in rhythm to the popular Bee Gees hit, Stayin Alive.

Meanwhile, next door, other students were wrist-deep in the mouths of manikins. Lauri Rogers, director of the dental assisting program at NPCC, and her students demonstrated how to take and read dental X-rays and explained the importance of infection control.

On the second floor of the building, science meet participants learned how and why blood clots form by creating a comparative response with glue.

After cleaning up, the students headed down the hall to learn about the Great American Eclipse, which will take place Aug. 21. They left the building with a kit full of information about the solar event, including the best location to view the eclipse, and links to online resources. They also took home a pair of sun viewing glasses.

I think the breakout sessions are one of the coolest things about this meet, said HaLea Messersmith, a science teacher at Cozad Community Schools. These students want to get their hands dirty. They learn by doing, and the college gives them a way to do that.

Across campus, in the McDonald-Belton Gym-nasium, rows of tables were lined up with science projects, some of which, students had spent months working on. Through the process, the learned how to conduct and analyze research, prepare a presentation and speak in public when explaining their findings to a judge.

The projects ranged from thinking under pressure, fighting bacteria and fingerprinting to understanding illusions, determining whether white bread or wheat bread molds faster and identifying sources of glucose. There were 84 projects altogether.

Winners received medals and ribbons and advanced to the 2017 Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences State Science Fair at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln on April 20.

Additionally, eighth grade winners were invited to attend a State Science Meet at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha in June.

The winners in the middle school division were:

First  Kayla Schilke, Chase County Schools

Second  Rian Good, Gothenburg Public Schools

Third  Bronson Long, Gothenburg Public Schools

Fourth - Sean Worthman, Cozad Community Schools

Fifth  Elissa Foley, Gothenburg Public Schools

Sixth  Alyssa Kolbo, Cozad Community Schools

The winners in the high school division were:

First  Sam Aden, Gothenburg Public Schools

Second  Emma Ferguson, Chase County Schools

Third  Keifer Anderson, Gothenburg Public Schools

Fourth  Samantha Jack, Eustis-Farnam Public Schools

A new award was also given out this year. Lincoln Industries donated $125 in cash to an overall winner from Lincoln County. That winner was Landon Klasna of St. Patrick Junior/Senior High School in North Platte.

The science meet was sponsored by the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, UNMCs Area Health Education Center and the Nebraska Coalition For Lifesaving Cures.
The AroundTown section of the Clipper-Herald is to notify the public of upcoming events and to publicize pertinent information from individuals, groups or organizations that are not for profit.

PEOPLE

The Children of Louis Hagan are hosting an Open House/Card Shower in Honor of his 90th birthday on Feb. 18 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 678 Prentiss Street, Mason City. Those unable to attend may send cards to Louis Hagan, P.O. Box 23, Mason City NE. 68855.

Dale Holbein is celebrating 50 years with the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department. The LVFD is hosing an open house Saturday, Feb. 25, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Macs Creek Winery to honor his years of service. Hors d oeuvres, cake and drinks will be served.

A card shower is suggested by family and friends to honor former resident Barb Caraway for her 80th birthday on Feb. 28. Cards may be sent to Barb at 3432 SR 580, Lot 323, Safety Harbor, FL 34695.

The family of Elaine Peck would like to suggest a card shower in honor of her 80th birthday on Feb. 28. Cards may be sent to Elaine Peck, 1510 Jackson St., Lexington, NE 68850.

The family of Ken VerMaas is suggesting a card shower to celebrate his 90th birthday on March 1. Cards may be sent to Ken VerMaas, 1702 N. Hoover, Lexington, NE 68850.

The children of Ken and Lola VerMaas are suggesting a card shower in honor of their parents' 65th wedding anniversary on March 12. Cards may be sent to Ken and Lola VerMaas, 1702 N. Hoover, Lexington, NE 68850.

HAPPENINGS

Miller Dances: All Dances start at 7 p.m. Bring finger food and snacks. Questions? Call 308-325-2909. Feb. 18, "Country Flair," Jim Craft, Feb. 25, "Classic Country," Darold Ostendorf.

VITA Free Tax Preparation Services will not be offered this year at Lexington Public Library.

Dawson County Museum series Presidents Past on Abraham and Mary Lincoln on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. in the Museum Research Room. Event is free and open to the public.

A Valentines Dinner Fundraiser benefitting Royal Family Kids Camp in Cozad wil be held Saturday, Feb. 18 at 1304 N. Adams St. in Lexington. Cost is $15. Meal will include four courses: tomato basil bruschetta, italian salad, spaghetti and meatballs and cheesecake. To make reservations call or text Nathalie Jensen at 308-203-9395 or Cole Jensen at 402-401-0680.

Lexington Area Christian Womens Connection luncheon will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21 at Kirks Restaurant. Lunch at 12 p.m., $6.75 inclusive. Special feature The Good News Club talk by Kelli Bender and Christy Franz. Music by Sandra Miskie. Miskie will also be the speaker. Reservatations and cancellations must be made by noon, Monday, Feb. 20. Call Teresa Lanman at 308-324-8386.

SoulBeauty, a new non-profit celebrating the gifts of a deep spiritual life, will hold a half-day event for women of all ages from 8 a.m. to noon March 4 at the Brown Church Development, 1616 30th Ave. Women of all faiths are welcome! Space for the event is limited to 75 women. Continental breakfast is included. The cost is $39 per person until Feb. 24, and $49 after that date. To sign up, visit SoulBeauty on Facebook or at www.soulbeauty.me. Payment by Visa, MasterCard and Discover is accepted. Checks, made out to SoulBeauty, can be mailed to the Kearney Area Community Foundation, 412 W 48th St., #12, Kearney NE 68845.

Lexington Blood Drive on Tuesday, March 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at First Untied Methodist Chruch. Please call Pat Jones at 308-325-4596 to make an appointment.

WIC Clinics for Dawson County for January, February and March are scheduled as follows:

In Lexington, 931 West 7th, Tuesday through Thursday the first four full weeks for each month. Call 308-324-6212 for an appointment.

In Cozad, 120 East 9th, Monday, March 13.

In Gothenburg, 1512 Ave. G, , Monday, March 6.

Events at the Lexington Grand Generation Center - Public Bingo on Mondays at 7 p.m. Must be 18 to play. For questions call 308-324-2498. Homemade Pretzel Baking on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m. Cost to purchase pretzels is .50/pretzel, $6.00/dozen. Purchase and/or come help roll!

Love in Action Outreach, 907 West 8th St., Lexington, is open Monday through Thursday, 12:30  4 p.m. For assistance go to 909 West 8th St. Donations of clothes, furniture and other items any time back of store or contact 308-651-0925 for further assistance. Monetary donations are accepted as well.

Are you a person with compassion and good listening skills? Parent-Child Center would like to give you the opportunity to put those feelings and abilities into practice. The Parent-Child Center needs volunteers to answer our lines after office hours. If you are interested please call for more information at 308-324-2336.

If you visit the grave of a veteran and the flag holder is missing or damaged, please notify the Dawson County Veteran Service Office by calling 308-324-3041.

Volunteers needed for Adult Education ESL and GED classes offered through Central Community College. To volunteer contact Marge Bader, volunteer coordinator at 308-785-2111 or 324-8483 or email mbader57@msn.com.

Lexington Area Parkinsons Disease Support Group Meetings are held the second Thursday each month at 2 p.m. in the education room at the Community Health & Fitness Center (1600 W. 13th, Lexington) For more information contact Dixie Menke at 308-325-5350 or 308-784-4022 or Brenda Bierman at 308-324-2523.

RYDE Transit - Public Transportation is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To schedule a ride in Dawson County or Lexington call 308-324-3670. Public Transportation is easy to ride and open to everyone.

MEETINGS

American Legion in Lexington meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Heartland Musuem of Military Vehicles.

Bingo Night at Lexington Regional Health Center will be held Thursday evenings from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at The Corner Cafe (LRHC dining room). Come and enjoy FREE soup and an evening of BINGO.

Survivors of Suicide Suppport Group meets every second Monday of the month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 1616 W. 39th St., in Kearney. For more information contact Carol Rowedder at 308-237-2635.

LEXINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Check out our new "Can't wait to read it" display in the new book section. The display shows book covers of books the library is waiting to receive. You can place a hold on these titles at the circulation desk.

The Lexington Public Library will be closed Sunday, September 4 and Monday, September 5 for the Labor Day holiday. We will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 3 and we will reopen at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 6. We hope you have a safe and fun weekend.

Novel Stitchers meets on Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. If you enjoy stitching--knitting, crocheting, quilting, cross stitch, needlepoint, or have another portable stitching project--join us at the library for two hours of stitching and visiting. We will meet on Tuesdays, August 30 and September 6, 13, 20, and 27 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Lexington Public Library Board Room. We would love to have you join us.

The Lexington Public Library has borrowed a die cutting machine from the Central Plains Library System for the month of August. This set includes more than 100 dies including upper and lower case alphabets, bookmarks and borders. For a complete list of dies go to http://libraries.ne.gov/cpls/ , choose Cutting Machines, and then Machine #2 Die List.

The Lexington Public Librarys Speakers and Stories series continues with Innovation in Education on Thursday, August 25 at 7 p.m. Join us as we take a look at what innovation looks like in education. Learn how educators are promoting new and creative ways to prepare our students for the 21st century. We look forward to seeing you at the library.

Teens and Adults, you still have time to complete your Summer Reading score cards. They need to be turned in before Tuesday, September 6.

Storytime at the Lexington Public Library is scheduled for Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. this fall. Beginning on Wednesday, September 7 at 10:30 a.m. pre-readers and their caregivers are invited to join us for stories, songs, and activities.

The Lexington Public Librarys Monday Afternoon Book Club will meet on Monday, September 12 at 3:00 p.m. This month we are discussing Its you by Jane Porter. Pick up a copy of the book a join us for a lively discussion.

LEXINGTON

GRAND GENERATION CENTER

Exercise room is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Every Sunday

Center available for rent

Monday

9 a.m. - Tai Chi

10 a.m. - FROG

12:45 p.m. - Ive Got It

3 p.m. - Strength Training

7 p.m. - Public Bingo

Tuesday

1 p.m. - Pretzels

1 p.m. - Foot Clinic

Wednesday

9:15 a.m. - Go4Life

9:30 a.m. - Coffee/Crafts

9:30 a.m. - Pool T. - Holdrege

12:45 p.m. - Cards

1:30 p.m. - FROG

2:30 - 3:30 p.m. - Hot Cookies

3 p.m. - Strength Training

LEXINGTON GRAND

GENERATION

CENTER MENU

Homemade bread everyday. Choice of skim, 2% or chocolate milk. No reservations needed except for large groups. Serving time: 11:30 a.m.

Monday

Mushroom steak, potato cakes, buttered cabbage, plums

Tuesday

Pork cutlets, buttered noodles, 3-bean casserole, roasted brussel sprouts, peaches/pineapple

Wednesday

Baked chicken, baby bakers, butter beans, orange slices, tapioca pudding

ORGANIZATIONS

AA/NA: open meeting Friday nights at 7 p.m. at Plum Creek Mall at Two Bridges Counseling, 513 N. Grant St., Suite 3a, Lexington.

Westside Group: AA/NA open meeting on Monday and Wednesday nights at separate locations at 8 p.m. Monday night meetings at First Christian Church, 1206 N. Erie St. in Lexington. Wednesday nights at Community Health Center (west of hospital) 1600 W. 13th St. in Lexington.

AA Elwood: at 8 p.m. on Sundays at United Methodist Church, 601 Rush in Elwood. Contact: 785-3567 (Tom).

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, non-smoking: at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at St. Anns Catholic Church basement, 301 E. Sixth St. Contact: 320-2564, or 858-4821.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, non-smoking - Smithfield: At 8 p.m. on Thursdays at Hope Lutheran Church, 74098 Road 436 in Smithfield. Call 785-3567 or 472-3376.

Celebrate Recovery: a 12-step, anonymous program helping participants overcome any hurts, habits, addictions or hang-ups. Meets twice: 1) at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at Lexington Evangelical Free Church, 810 S. Washington Street. Contact: 308-324-3825 or 308-238-1298. 2) at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays at Parkview Baptist Churchs Y.A.C., 1105 Park St.. Contact: 308-324-4410.

Central Community College Adult Basic Education and English as Second Language in Lexington. Basic reading, writing, math and spelling. Citizenship classes, preparation for the high school equivalency (GED) exam. All classes open to individuals 16 years or older not enrolled in secondary school. Contact Marilynn Hersh at 324-8483 or 324-8480. An annual fee applies to all students.

Central Health Center at 1308 N. Adams: provides pap test, free HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, sexually transmitted infection screening, pregnancy testing, emergency contraception. Hours: Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays 1-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Services available by appointment or walk-in. Sliding scale fees charged. Insurance accepted, donations welcome. Contact 324-6944 for information.

The Compassionate Friends, Lexington Area Chapter (a support group for parents who have lost a child), meets the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m., at the Great Western Drive-In bank meeting room, corner of 6th and Lincoln. For more information call 308-320-1483.

Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska Public Immunization Clinic, 1st & 3rd Mondays every month: Open 10 a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m. by appointment at 931 West 7th St., Lexington. Clinics serve ages 2 months - 18 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult, previous vaccination records required. Contact 308-865-1352 ext. 143.

Dawson/Gosper County CASA: seeking Volunteers. CASA Volunteers are everyday people from all walks of life, who advocate through the court system in the interests of children. Contact 324-7364 for more information.

Double Trouble in Recovery: starts June 4 on Mondays from 12 to 1 p.m. at Heartland Counseling, 307 5th St., Lexington. For more information contact Heartland Counseling at 308-324-6754.

Gamblers Anonymous: at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays at Richard Young Hospital, 1755 Prairie View Place, Kearney.

Grupo Lexington AA (Spanish Speaking) open meeting Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 11 p.m., at 114 West 6th St. in Lexington.

Lexington Area Grief Support Group: meets at 4:30 p.m. on the first Mondays of each month at Fitness Center, 1600 W. 13th Street. Open to anyone experiencing the death of a loved one. Contact Lexington Regional Health Center Home Health office, 324-8300.

Lexington Genealogical Society: at 2 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month at Lexington Public Library. Visitors welcome.

Lexington Kiwanis: meets at noon every Wednesday at Grand Generation Center.

Lexington Lions Club: meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of every month at Grand Generation Center. Contact any member or attend any meeting to join.

Lexington MS Group: meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of each month in the Community Education Room at the Lexington Regional Health Center Fitness Center.

Lexington Optimist Club: meets at noon on Thursdays at Kirks Restaurant.

Lexington Rotary Club: meets the first and third Wednesday of the month at Lexington Public Library from 12 to 1 p.m. For more information contact Kirsten Faessler at 308-324-8333.

Love In Action Outreach Ministry: Located at 907 W. 8th Street in Lexington, is in need of mens clothing, all sizes and styles; pots pans, serving dishes and utensils; bedding, crib sheets, twin size, reg. size, queen and king size, pillows, blankets, beds; winter coats and jackets. Bring to 907 W. 8th during our regular operating hours, Monday through Friday, 1 - 4 p.m. Monday to Friday we have bag sales, small bag $10.00 and large bag $15.00 dollars. Closed Saturdays, Sundays & all Federal Holidays.

Narcotics Anonymous: open meeting on Sundays at 12 p.m. at Two Bridges Counseling, 513 N. Grant St. Suite 3a in Lexington.

MOMS (Making Our Mothering Significant): resources and relationships to encourage for mothers of all ages. Meets from 8:45-11 a.m. every other Thursday at Parkview Baptist Church, 803 W. 18th, Lexington.

Overeaters Anonymous: meets at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Cozad Hospital meeting room and at 10 a.m. on Saturdays at the Fitness Centers conference room in Lexington. Contact 308-785-2064 or 308-537-3063.

Parkinsons Support Group: meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of the month at United Methodist Church, E and McDonald, North Platte. Contact 534-7404.

Phoenix Group for divorce recovery: meets at 7 p.m. on Mondays in the Friendship Room at First United Methodist Church Kearney, 46th Street and Linden Drive. Contact Julie, 234-9986.

Recovery Education for persons who have a family member or loved one dealing with abused substances. This free program is at 5 p.m. every Tuesday at Heartland Counseling, 307 East 5th St., Lexington. For questions, call Jennifer Sand at 324-6754.

The Riverdale Rounders Country and Bluegrass Jam Session: second Thursdays, Riverdale Community Center. Bring instrument or come and enjoy. Contact: John Shafer, 236-6559 after 5 p.m.

TOPS, Take Off Pounds Sensibly: nonprofit, non-commercial weight-loss support group, meets Wednesdays, 5 p.m., Lexington Regional Health Center Fitness Center Education room; Contact: Brenda, 324-2523. Fridays at 9 a.m. group meets at Plum Creek Care Center. Contact: Phyllis, 324-8443.
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TWIN FALLS  A hysterical Dominos Pizza employee reported hours after the Super Bowl  one of the busiest days for pizzerias  that a masked man barged into the store and robbed nearly $2,000 at gunpoint.

But after an investigation, detectives came up with a different theory: A masked gunman barged into the restaurant, but he was a relative of the employees fiance, and the woman was in on the scheme.

On Wednesday, one of three people suspected in the theft was charged.

Dustin Camryn Farnworth, 22, of Twin Falls is accused of felony counts of burglary, burglary conspiracy and grand theft.

Prosecutors say Farnworth is the fiance of the hysterical, hyperventilating employee who first reported the robbery about 2 a.m. Feb. 6. The woman told police the gunman came in a side door thats supposed to be locked and told her, I dont want to have to kill you or shoot you. Just give me the money.

Police believe Farnworth drove his relative, 35-year-old Nicholas Anthony Slane, to the restaurant, and Slane was the one who burst in and made off with $1,833.

Farnworth is accused of splitting the money with Slane and his fiancee.

Detectives first began catching on to the fake robbery scheme two days after it was first reported while investigating Slane on suspicion of drug possession, court documents said. Slanes wife told officers she was startled awake the night of the theft to find Slane and Farnworth counting a large amount of money.

Later, police again interviewed the Dominos employee, but there were some inconsistencies with her story, an officer wrote in a sworn affidavit.

After confronting (her) about the inconsistencies  she admitted to me that the robbery was a set up, Officer Asmir Kararic wrote. She admitted  her and her fiance, identified as Dustin Camryn Farnworth, came up with a plan to have someone come in and take the money from her while she was working  She told me Farnworth said he wanted to pay debts he owed to some bad people.

Farnworth later told police the whole idea was Slanes idea and it started as a joke, court document said. His fiancee said the three of them went to Utah after the fake robbery, where she was certain Slane had bought drugs.

Farnworth is out of custody after posting $2,000 bond. Slane is in custody on the drug charge, but neither he nor Farnworths fiancee have been charged in the Dominos theft. Farnworth is set for a preliminary hearing on Friday.
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BOISE  A Twin Falls lawmakers bill to let people speed while passing on certain roads passed the Idaho House on a 60-5 vote Friday and now heads to the Senate.

Rep. Lance Clows bill lets drivers legally exceed the speed limit by up to 15 mph when passing on two-lane roads where the speed limit is 55 mph or greater. It doesnt change any of the other passing or traffic laws drivers normally have to follow.
RUPERT  Idahos governor touched down in a helicopter Friday afternoon in Rupert and left several hours later with the promise that the state wouldnt leave the devastated region on its own.

Gov. C.L. Butch Otter and Lt. Gov. Brad Little landed at the Minidoka County Fairground and saw some of the 15,000 filled sandbags stored there. They also heard from local officials before making a stop in Oakley.

About 50 to 60 percent of Minidoka Countys 763 miles are flooded, Sheriff Eric Snarr told Otter, who was also traveling with U.S. Brigadier General Brad Richy, chief of the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security.

Some have called the flooding a 500-year event.

That is the proper time as a state and federal (official) to stand in and help get over this crisis, Little said. But the most important thing from the state level is to show our appreciation to you that have put your arm around your neighbor and helped them in this critical time.

Snarr said flooding has caused substantial damage to infrastructure including roads, sewers and water lines, electrical problems and damage to personal property and agriculture.

There is more than $650,000 in damages to county roads, not including state or city roads. Seventy miles of county roads are closed, the sheriff said. There were four subdivisions under two to three feet of water, he said. Some roads are still under water.

Flooded potato cellars, flooded beet piles and wet hay are widespread problems, and Amalgamated Sugar has reported more than $200,000 in damages.

Twenty counties in the state are under the disaster declarations.

From what Ive seen from the area and the places that weve stopped, Otter said. This is a long way from over.

Richy said the state has a damages loss threshold of $2.2 million to meet federal assistance criteria, which includes government infrastructure like highways.

Each county has a threshold it must meet.

We are there, Otter said.

Kim Vega, Minidoka County emergency management coordinator, said the countys threshold is about $73,400.

The state does not want to ask the federal government for assistance too soon, Richy said.

It is crucial that good documentation of damages takes place on the local level, he said.

The most important thing is to make sure everyone is safe, Little said.

Making sure the infrastructure is in place so communities can continue to thrive is important to the state, he said.

Speaker of the House Scott Bedke, a Republican from Oakley, said he was impressed with the community spirit in each town where they stopped.

Youve made those that represent you proud of how youve came together as a community, he said.
Charles Sanderson

BURLEY  Charles Sanderson of Burley, funeral services at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 18, at the 3rd Ward Building, 2200 Oakley Ave., Burley. A visitation will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. Friday, February 17 at the Morrison Payne Funeral Home, 321 East Main Street, Burley and from 1 until 1:45 p.m.Saturday at the church.

James Barnes

HEYBURN  James Barnes of Heyburn, funeral at 11 a.m. Saturday, February 18 at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E 16th St., Burley.

Ricky Syme

BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev.  Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 18 at the Battle Mountain Cemetery in Battle Mountain, Nevada.

Gary Peterson

TWIN FALLS  Gary Peterson of Twin Falls, funeral services at 11 a.m. Saturday, February 18 at the LDS Stake Center, 541 Orchard Dr, Twin Falls. A viewing will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. Friday, February 17 at Rosenau Funeral Home, 2826 Addison Ave E, and at 10 a.m. prior to the service at the church.

Edra McKinley

GARDNERVILLE, Nev.  Edra McKinley, memorial service at 11 a.m. Saturday, February 18 at Trinity Lutheran church, 1480 Douglas Avenue in Gardnerville.

Harold Blauer

BURLEY  Harold Woodbury Blauer, of Burley, funeral at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 18, at the Burley West LDS Stake Center, 2420 Parke Ave. A visitation will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. Friday, February 17, at Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, and from 1 until 1:45 p.m. at the church preceding the service.

David Van Leeuwen

KIMBERLY  David Van Leeuwen of Kimberly, funeral services at 11 a.m. Saturday, February 18, at the Murtaugh LDS Church, 23709 Highway 30 in Murtaugh. A viewing will be held from 5 until 7 p.m. at Reynolds Funeral Chapel, 2466 Addison Ave East as well as from 10 until 1045 a.m. on Saturday morning at the church.

Verla Lancaster

WENDELL  Verla Lancaster of Wendell, funeral services at 11 a.m. Saturday, February 18 at the Wendell Stake Center. Visitation will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. Friday February 17 and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Saturday, both at the Stake Center.

Patricia Reagan

GOODING  Patricia Reagan of Gooding, memorial service at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, February 18 at Demaray Funeral ServiceGooding Chapel.

LaVonne Kistler

BOISE  LaVonne Kistler of Boise, memorial service at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, February 18 at Eagle Nazarene Church, 101 W State Street.

Hilda Rumfelt

TWIN FALLS  Hilda Rumfelt of Twin Falls, funeral at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, February 18, at White Mortuary, Chapel by the Park 136 4th Ave E., Twin Falls.

Michael Beamer

RUPERT  Michael Beamer of Rupert, viewing from 6 until 8 p.m. Sunday, February 19 at Hansen Mortuary.

Elmer Ketterling

HEYBURN  Elmer Ketterling of Heyburn, funeral services at 11 a.m. Monday, February 20 at the Paul Congregational Church. A viewing will be held from 4 until 6 p.m. Sunday, February 19 at Joel Heward Hansen Mortuary and one hour prior to the services at the church.

Ormand Burch

BURLEY  Ormand Burch of Burley, funeral services at 11 a.m. Tuesday, February 21 at the Burley Stake Center, 2050 Normal Ave. A visitation will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. at the Morrison Funeral Home, 188 South Hwy 24 in Rupert and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Tuesday prior to the service at the church.

Ervin Cantrell

HEYBURN  Ervin Cantrell of Heyburn, services at 11 a.m. Tuesday, February 21, at Hansen Mortuary. A viewing will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. Monday February 20 and an hour prior to the service.

Phillip White

GOODING  Phillip White of Gooding, celebration of life from 1 until 5 p.m. Friday, February 24 at Canyon Crest Dining & Event Center, 330 Canyon Crest Drive, Twin Falls.
As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.
The following editorial appears on Bloomberg View:

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg have taken a tough line against Russias many recent provocations. Other than calling for all members of the alliance to pay their fair share of the military bill, however, they have offered no real plan of action.

Russias aggressions call for a stronger response. While Mattis is right to tweak the Europeans for slipping on defense spending, the metric that is repeatedly cited  committing 2 percent of GDP to the military  is arbitrary. After all, Greece, which uses the army as a jobs program, makes the cutoff, while France, which has arguably the continents most capable force, spends only 1.8 percent. Members should be judged not just on what they spend but how they spend it, in terms of readiness, force projection and equipment.

The alliance could also make an adjustment to its chain of command that would get the Russians attention: giving the supreme military commander authority to act independently of the bureaucratic structure in an emergency.

While NATO and the U.S. have increased their presence in the Baltics and Poland, these forces only rotate in and out of the region. The Pentagon should draw up plans for keeping at least two armored combat brigades and their heavy artillery in the region permanently, and to rotate in more aircraft to bases there and in Bulgaria and Romania. Granted, these troops would be little more than a speed bump in the event of a full-scale Russian invasion, but they would be a barrier to the more stealthy sorts of quasi-military aggressions the Kremlin used to destabilize Ukraine, and would ease anxiety in the Baltics.

Looking further ahead, the U.S. should look deeper into the past. One of former president Ronald Reagans great successes was the so-called dual-track approach to the Soviet Unions nuclear threat. While increasing the Wests military capability against the Soviets  notably, getting permission from European allies to place nuclear-tipped Pershing missiles on their soil  this strategy also coaxed mutually favorable nonproliferation agreements out of the Communist leadership.

President Donald Trump could do worse than following Reagans lead. This would involve renegotiating treaties to further cut weapons levels, extend expiration dates, and clear up the ambiguity over systems like Russias new cruise missile, which it reportedly deployed last week. Meanwhile, the U.S. could start discussions with with Eastern European allies on a new conventional missile system along Russias Western flank.

Of course, it may be worth asking if Trump, given his kind words for Russian President Vladimir Putin, would be willing to take this more assertive approach. This is why NATO needs to carry more of the load  and why Trump needs to reaffirm his commitment to an alliance that is as vital now as it was during the Cold War.
Cheer

A new bipartisan bill brought by Boise Democrat Ilana Rubel and Nampa Republican Christy Perry would put an end to mandatory minimum sentencing for drug offenders.

We think its a great idea.

As Rep. Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell, pointed out, theres a big difference between notorious Mexican drug kingpin el Chapo and a teenager who made a mistake. Judges should have the discretion to acknowledge the difference.

Besides being the morally correct thing to do, ending mandatory minimums could also save the state money. Idaho spends about $7 million a year incarcerating non-violent offenders sentenced under the current mandatory minimum rules.

Rep. Raul Labrador, a libertarian-minded Republican, has fought for similar changes at the federal level for years, most notably by sponsoring the Smarter Sentencing Act.

A wave of states has implemented similar justice reforms over the past two years, as attitudes about drug crimes shift away from punishment and toward treatment. Its time Idaho make the same move.

Jeer

The Idaho Legislature is again pitching a solution in search of a problem. This time, its a proposal to strip away local control when it comes to early voting.

Under current law, counties get to decide when to open early voting before elections. Casting an early ballot has become extremely popular in Idaho, one of 37 states that allows voters to cast ballots ahead of Election Day. It cuts down on lines at the polls and encourages more people to vote because they can cast ballots at their convenience.

In the November election, more than 193,000 Idahoans voted early.

But a bill by freshman Republican Rep. Dustin Manwaring of Pocatello would give the state power to limit when early voting would take place.

This is a new layer of consistency that were adding. Well actually increase voter access to the polls and fairness because well have that consistency statewide in our counties when early voting will be open to the public, Manwaring said.

We dont understand why this bill is needed. Doesnt it make more sense that county officials know their voters preferences better than the state? And so what if one county allows early voting to begin sooner than another? How is that disenfranchising anyone?

To us, this smacks of another legislative power grab at best and an effort to suppress voting at worse.

The bill squeaked through committee and now heads to the House floor. We hope the larger body leaves well enough alone and votes down this bill.

Cheer

Linda Clark believes in angels.

Their names are Caden Avila and Anna Jones, and theyre 13 and 12 years old.

Early last month, Clark, a 68-year-old grandmother of 22, went out to get the mail, slipped on ice and broke her leg when she fell head-first into a snowbank.

Alone and in the cold, her pleas for help went unanswered on her quiet street in Heyburn.

Thats when Caden and Anna, who by chance took a different route to their friends house, came up Clark. They helped her back into the house, got her an ice pack and called 911.

Clark credits them with saving her life.

I was praying to God to send me some angels, she said, because I totally believe in angels.
I was five months as acting ADO at Aitape before I reverted back to Patrol Officer, making way for ADO Arthur (AT) Carey, who had been moved to Aitape to make way for Fred (FPC) Kaad to take over at Maprik.

ADOs told people what to do and they did things themselves. They were the peacemakers and the peacekeepers, the law enforcers, the senior police officers, the District Court magistrates, the gaolers, the arbitrators, the counsellors and the mentors.

In those days, the huge Sepik District had six sub-districts (Aitape, Angoram, Lumi, Maprik, Telefomin and Wewak), each under the control of an Assistant District Officer, who was a power in the land.

I HAD only been six weeks at Vanimo Patrol Post when I was transferred to Aitape in October 1955 to take over the Sub-District.

When Carey moved on, after only three months, and I took over again as ADO it was beginning to feel like a game of musical chairs. I did not like it, but it was going to get worse.

Three days later, District Officer Tom (TG) Aitchison arrived. Aitchison, a pre-war kiap, had been a District Officer in ANGAU and after the war, and had served as District Commissioner since 1951 - the year District Officers, in charge of Districts, had been given the new title of District Commissioner.

Aitchison had served in Manus, Morobe and New Ireland and was now posted to the Sepik District as District Officer responsible for the Department of Native Affairs.

In six districts, the senior government officerthe District Commissionerhad been transferred to the Department of the Administrator; in the Sepik, District Commissioner Elliott-Smith was one of them. Hence the bureaucratic entanglement. But readers should know that being a kiap involved more than breaking the bush and bring government to the people.

Maybe it was just Aitchisons new broom approach or maybe he was disgruntled because Elliott-Smith, an Assistant Resident Magistrate in pre-war Papua who had also served in ANGAU, and who had commanded the Pacific Islands Battalion in 1945, had seemingly abandoned his Territory career but was now his superior.

(Elliott-Smith had continued in the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in Victoria until he joined the Western Australian Department of Native Affairs in June 1949. In March 1951, he was inexplicably appointed District Commissioner for the Higatura area following the Mount Lamington eruption.)

Whatever the reason, at the end of May Aitchison ordained that Patrol Officer Ron (RTD) Neville would move from Maprik to Telefomin to take over from Dave (ED) Wren as ADO. Wren would move from Telefomin and take over from me at Aitape, and I would move to Dreikikir, a Patrol Post about 45 kilometres west of Maprik.

Everything was ready when Wren arrived from Telefomin via Wewak on 24 September 1956. The cash-book was closed off, the cash counted and the Government Store was in apple-pie-order.

Patrol Officer Paul (PCA) Conroy had done a thorough stocktake after I chewed his ear when I caught him rubbing the contents of a tin of bully beef on stock cards so cockroaches would destroy more recent entries.

We started the formal handover the day after Wrens arrival and had completed it by midday. Wren did not seem interested in the process, only glancing around the store and perfunctorily counting the cash and postage stamps.

Each evening we relaxed in well-lubricated discussion, and we had much to talk about. Wren was 10 years my senior in age and three years my senior as a kiap.

He had joined the Administration in March 1946 just one month after his discharge from the Army, and his had been a long war. He had served as a weekend soldier in the Citizen Military Forces while still a civilian and had enlisted in the AIF just six weeks after the outbreak of war in 1939.

He was given the New South Wales service number NX64, commissioned as a Lieutenant and was soon overseas fighting in the Middle East (Bardia, Tobruk, Benghazi), in Greece and in Crete - in the 2/4th Infantry Battalion, AIF.

Perhaps it was the battles against superior German forces, the defeats, the desperate withdrawals, the evacuation from Greece and then the strafing and incessant dive bombing that preceded the airborne invasion of Crete by German paratroopers that took the greatest toll.

Wren did not dwell on the horror of those wartime experiences, but his enthusiasm and sense of purpose seemed to have been destroyed. Loud noises disturbed him and he had a pathological fear of heights. At Telefomin, he always arranged for his police to blindfold him and carry him, strapped to a pole, across the deep canyons that were bridged only by single tree trunks.

I only had two and a half days after the handover to show him around. I introduced him to Monsignor Doggett, Father Denis and the Parers and took him to see the bridge construction.

On the way back, we stopped off at the nearby Coffee Shopthe one-bedroomed shack at St Anna Plantation where Bob (WH) Parer sometimes slept the night. It was always good for a cup of Nescafe, even when Bob was miles away.

We discussed the bridge construction and how much more needed to be done. Wren said he was not interested, that someone else would have to complete it at another time.

I was still thinking of that unfinished bridge and the people who had been involved in the work when Gena and I flew out of Aitape on Friday 28 September 1956.

Nearly all my possessions were packed in three wooden trunks crafted by John Pitau from the nearby Ali Island. Those campaign-style trunks were carefully dimensioned to fit into small aircraft. They are still in my possession after 60 years, continuing to stir memories of the Aitape folk and our bridge building ventures.

Pitau had toiled tirelessly in the flowing riverfrequently under waterbuilding the formwork for the concrete footings to the bridge piles.

Peter Hughes, who provided the timber for the trunkshe had selected flitches of aged Kwila hardwood and milled and thicknessed the plankshad worked with me daily on the second bridge. He supplied the electric welder and did all the welding, helped solve the continual problems and finished each day with our joint evaluation.

Another gent very much involved with the bridge, Brere Awol of Malol, arrived with a farewell gift just as I was about to depart. Even though it was a miniaturised version, the ornately carved and decorated garamut (slit drum) was far too big to fit in any container, and travelled unpacked.

Another memory that will not go away is of a 67-year old Bob Parer (baptised Wilfred Herbert) standing in front of me holding a can of beer in one hand and a lighted cigarette in the other. He handed me both and suddenly did a back-flip, landing poised on his feet and, with a smile, took back his beer and smoke.

District Officer Aitchisons instruction was clear. After the handover I would proceed to Wewak and assist with the setting up of the But- Boiken Council prior to moving to Maprik. He did not say that PO Robin (RA) Calcutt would also assist or that our sole role would be to assist PO Geoffrey (CG) Littler with the initial elections.

Littler had done all the preliminaries in May and June, but it was Dave (DFM) Fenbury MC who had ensued the smoothness of the elections.

Earlier in the year, in March, he had flown from Port Moresby to Dagua to visit Simogun Pita BEM and gain his support. The two had wartime affinities: Fenbury had operated behind Japanese lines in the Sepik; Simogun had spent a year in coastwatcher and guerrilla operations on New Britain with Malcolm Wright and had been awarded the British Empire Medalunparalleled recognition in those racist times.

When Simogun Pita (later Sir Simogun Pita) told the people that the council was a good thing and that all the people should vote, 64% of eligible voters did so. We conducted the ballot for each language group, and 24 councillors were elected. The council covered the But and Boiken groups, 5,500 people living in 34 villages.

We spent the last two nights and a rest day at Yuo, a tiny isle just off the mainland about 30 kilometres from Wewak, enjoying the white sand, colourful coral, clear water and freshly caught crayfish.

The gossip had it that Yuo was the DCs trysting spot and the rest house, with its timber floor and fine furniture, gave credence to the story. Furniture, especially refrigerators and double beds, was in short supply on outstations, but at Yuo the rest house contained one of each and they were sparkling.

Back at Wewak, Elliott-Smith and Aitchison gave me a long, almost disquieting, briefing before I departed for Maprik. According to Elliott-Smith, the area was still only semi-controlled and much more work needed to be done.

Dreikikir had been established as a base by ANGAU towards the end of the Pacific War. Following the resumption of civil administration in the Sepik in February 1946, a police constable acted as caretaker until Patrol Officer Dudley Young Whitforde opened the patrol post in April 1947.

When Young Whitforde was withdrawn unwell and hospitalised after two months, a succession of patrol officers followed but there were long intervals when the station was unmanned.

I would be the seventh incumbent in ten years; my predecessor, PO Jock (JW) McGregor, had been transferred away three years earlier.

A medical assistant was living in the POs housethe only permanent material building on the station  and I would have to survive in a ramshackle, local material building until a new house was built for me soon. I was instructed not to build anything else in the interim.

I flew into Maprik on 21 October 1956 and set out for Dreikikir two days later, travelling in a refurbished, ex-army jeep that Kaad had hired from somewhere. Durami, a little guy from Yangoru, was at the wheel; Gena and a police constable shared the back with as much gear as would fit, and the box trailer hooked on behind was crammed high.

When, some 10 kilometres along the track, the engine died, villagers helped us unload, took the heavier items into storage and we set out on foot.

At the end of the road some 40 kilometres further on, Dreikikir stretched along a high narrow ridge, but I did not see much of it that night. I slept in the house that Elliott-Smith had described as ramshackle and got my bearings the next morning.

The dilapidated house had an earth floor, small shuttered windows and a low thatched roof. The interior was hot, dank and dark. It was not for me. I wandered around the station for a couple of days, dined with medical assistant John Waters and his wife in the Bulolo-style bungalow on a couple of evenings, and decided that I would ignore the do not build instruction.

To my mind, the obvious site for a new house was on the bluff at the northern end of the ridge, past the married police houses. It was isolated and there was an uninterrupted view over the lowlands.

I sketched a plan, then with my buildersthe police detachmentI marked the footprint out on the ground. The house was going to catch the breezes; the lounge-dining room would have large, uncluttered window openings that would be protected from the elements by eaves spanning the verandah, which would surround the house on four sides and be almost two metres widewide enough for me to sprawl out in a deck chair. The police criticised the design: it was flawed, they said, the roof would be too flat and it would leak. They were right, it did.

I was lucky. Fred Kaad had moved from Maprik to replace Aitchison as District Officer in Wewak a few days earlier and Arthur Carey was once again ADO at Maprik. Kaad came good with the required cash and Carey sent me nails, hammers, saws and a bush carpenter.

The word went out to the villages. The builders needed hardwood postsKwilain various dimensions: thick logs for the foundation stumps, thinner logs for the bearers, and mature saplings for the uprights. We also needed black palm flooring, softwood for the rafters, bush rope for binding, and sheets and sheets of sago thatching for the roof.

My day was getting busy. There were two obligatory radio schedules with Wewak, and village officialsLuluais, Tultuls, and even a Paramount or tworoamed in from near and far, some with problems, some just to pass the time. Villagers came with interminable complaints - some of which led to court proceedings - about assaults, theft, and infidelities.

Whenever I could, I got out of the tiny office: a one-roomed cube with thatched roof, plaited walls, limbon floor, and small front verandah. My new house was moving along too slowly for me but I had to address a host of tasks in the field.

There were rumours of a cargo cult at Ilihita and allegations of sanguma (sorcery) reported by the South Seas Evangelical Mission, the annual census revision was due, and some impetus was needed to upgrade the road network.

Ilihita village was in the Bumbita-Muhiang census division, one of three forming the inner arc around the station. I decided to divide my visits into four segments, returning to Dreikikir between each segment to check on the progress of the building. That exercise took 34 days.

John (JG) OBrien, Mapriks newest Cadet Patrol Officer had joined me at Ilihita to gain experience. It was the first time he had been on a patrol and the first time he been involved in a cargo cult investigation.

We visited the South Seas Evangelical Mission and made the acquaintance of the woman in charge. Elizabeth Schrader was an unmarried German who had experienced the Marching Rule cult in the British Solomon Islands and was fearful of a similar outbreak at Ilihita.

Her assistant Helen Held, also an unmarried German but much younger and very comely, was not concerned. OBrien and I enjoyed several home-cooked German meals during our prolonged investigation. Maybe we defused the movement.

OBrien also accompanied on my next patrol, 18 days in the Gawanga, a huge sparsely populated area of forested hills and sago swamps stretching southwards almost to the Sepik River.

David Fenbury, as a Captain in ANGAU, had opened up the area in 1944-45, but the first post-war patrol had entered only in June 1948. That was after Patrol Officer Blue (G) Morris, the second civilian incumbent at Dreikikir, was told that 25 males and two females had been killed in tribal fighting and that villagers, some armed with grenades, were being trained to resist the government.

Morris and his wife had been just deposited at Dreikikir from Aitape by Bobby Gibbess flimsy Auster aircraft but, when he heard the news, Morris arranged for his wife to be flown to Wewak. He set out for the Gawanga with four native police on 11 June and two days later returned to Dreikikir with 26 natives, including the original murderer and witnesses.

Patrol Officer Alex (AJ) Zweck walked in from Maprik with two police and accompanied Morris back to the Gawanga. ADO George Greathead flew in from Wewak with six more police on 26 June and, together with Morris and Zweck, arrested 60 men and recovered two hand grenades. During the whole operation only one shot was fired, a warning over the Gwangas heads.

Greathead, Zweck and Morris had restored law and order. Subsequent patrols - by Laurie (LJ) Doolan in 1949 and 1950, by Des (DM) Martin in 1951 and by Jock (JW) McGregor in July 1953 - received an apathetic but not unfriendly reception and recorded the area as the most backward in Dreikikir.

Very little had changed by the time we visited in February 1957. We spent 18 days meandering around the network of narrow bush tracks that linked the villages and were briefly delayed while we built a raft to cross the flooded Bongos River.

We wandered through a forest abundant with game, our guides signalling our progress by messages drummed on the buttresses of giant trees. People who had returned from their homes that were as much as a days walk away in the sago swamps met us in the villages. In stark contrast to the verdant forest, the village houses, unlived in for most of the years, were dilapidated, dirty and unkempt.

Two days after the Gawanga patrol, the acting District Officer contacted me by radio and asked whether I would postpone my leave by six months and take over from ADO Brightwell at Ambunti.

I left Dreikikir, where I had been based for less than five months, on 9 March 1957. Tony (AL) Redwood, recovering from hepatitis contracted at May River, replaced me and within a month had himself been replaced by Tony (CA) Trollope,

Nine different officers had taken charge of Dreikikir in 10 years, and for four of those years the station had been unmanned. Was it any wonder that the people were confused and unenthusiastic.

From my perspective the saving grace was that my former District Officer Aitchison was relocated to headquarters in Port Moresby. I did not know at the time that he would return to haunt me in 1966.

Notes

Map of the Dreikikir region, census divisions in red (Bill Brown)

Photo 1. One of the three trunks crafted by Pitau of Tumleo in 1957 and the camp oven I first used in 1953. All still in service in 2017 (Bill Brown)

Photo 2. An Aitape garamut (slit drum) on its stand, perhaps twice the size of that presented by Brere Awol of Malol (Victor Cavill, 1955, Softly, Wild Drums)

Photo 3. A photo of Dreikikir airstrip slightly readjusted to recreate the 1950s aura (Bill Brown)

The sloping airstrip separating (1) the Catholic Mission (Church and other buildings of native material) at the bottom left of the frame from (2) the native material hospital buildings at the top end of sloping airstrip. (3) The only permanent material building, a Bulolo-type bungalow, originally the OICs house, and (4) the rough location of the new house that I organised

Photo 4. The new house with the airy lounge-dining room, wide verandah and 180 degree views. Breres garamut on the verandah above the steps (Bill Brown)

Photo 5. Crossing the flooded Bongos River between Fumutumbu and Akasamei villages (Gawanga Census Division) 18 February 1957. Patrol boxes, gear, rifles and two non-swimmers on the raft; eight swimmers in the water (Bill Brown)
In the Lufa Open Electorate of the Eastern Highlands we are anticipating a long-awaited change of the guard which could set solid foundations for our journey further into the 21st century.

Whether the next parliament will be any better than the 2012-17 parliament is easy to predict.

The next crop of legislators are somewhere in those thousands of men and women of all persuasions who are campaigning hard and hoping to be elected.

PAPUA New Guinea is only four months away from the 2017 national election with voting starting on 24 June and ending on 8 July.

The work of convincing and luring voters is an evolving art form in a difficult environment in which tribal politics interacts with the established political culture we inherited from the West.

Only a few politicians, generally long-serving, have managed to master this fusion.

Voters come in contrasting persuasions but two broad categorisations will do: the political ignoramuses and the politically enlightened.

The ignoramuses are the bigger group. They don't get tossed around easily by the political whirlwind that blows every election year. Rather, they chain themselves firmly to the sophistication of tribal politics developed over the eons.

Within the politics of the tribe, an oasis of approval and security is guaranteed.

To win the support of this group, candidates need to get down and dirty with tribal politicking.

This essentially means foregoing the 'higher-level' politics of policy, economy, international affairs, even corruption. The discussion is limited by a lack of understanding of and interest in what lies beyond the tribe.

Therefore it is vital to work within the established traditional social structures and systems. A deep understanding of the workings of tribal connections and associated customary obligations is a great advantage.

To work outside this traditional milieu is counterproductive and can easily derail one's political aspirations.

The other group  the enlightened - gets tossed around by the political whirlwind.

Its desire to remain politically correct and relevant in a fluid political landscape ensures it seeks and aligns with one of the 44 political parties which have actual policies.

The parties have very similar policies. Many copy each other using slightly different words.

Consequently, the task of choosing which political party to vote for becomes tricky. And the whole show descends into petty politicking which eventually can find resolution in the aforementioned tribal politics.

The danger comes from the enlightened groups disillusionment at what has happened to them.

This takes the form of a remarkable capacity to spin and distort information and, in order to influence, create all manner of perceptions at village level. It is an unfortunate reality  or should I say fake reality - to say the least.

The prevalence and persistence of tribal political culture in Lufa, characterised by epic proportions of political illiteracy, can thus be seen as the work of this disillusioned group of enlightened people.

There are others, however, who remain true to their respective journeys to achieve political enlightenment. They do so at a cost, even refusing to participate in elections if tribal politics seeks to suppress their political views.

Unbeknown to others, this small group keeps alive political hope for Lufa. A faith that Papua New Guinea will one day accept Lufa as an equal partner in running the affairs of state.

There is a conviction that someday soon this group will pull Lufa out of its abyss of ignorance and self-inflicted coma.

When? Well, perhaps I will happen this election. Perhaps not!

It will be achieved when the politically enlightened become strong and credible enough to exert a tangible influence over tribal politics and thus gain the ability to change community perceptions and electoral behaviour.

The need for change has never been so profound. It shines bright like a star. Its radiance is one of positivity.

Should the political ignoramuses and the politically enlightened find common ground in the coming elections, Lufa's change of guard is certain.

Otherwise tribal politics will continue to maintain a suffocating grip on Lufa for a long time yet.
Al-Shabaab group on Thursday launched a deadly attack near Somalias presidential palace as outgoing president Sheik Mohamoud handed over his responsibilities to president elect Mohammed Abdullahi Farmajo.

According to Captain Mohamed Hussein, at least three mortars slammed into a nearby residential area during the ceremony and killed 2 civilians.

The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi websites, cited al-Shabaab posts on Twitter that claimed responsibility for the attack.

President Mohammed Abdullahi Farmajo was elected on February 8 near a heavily guarded hangar in Mogadishu by 275 MPs and 54 senators.

The new president brings hope to the country, which has been disintegrating since 1991, when warlords ousted Dictator Siad Barre, then plunged the nation into civil war. In the intervening years, militants took advantage of the political vacuum.

While the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab has been pushed out of most of its key strongholds, it continues to carry out deadly attacks in the capital, Mogadishu.

Addressing the crowd of officials and journalists, President Farmajo said, Its a historic day in Somalia. People in Somalia and around the world can see how smoothly we are transferring the power.

He appealed fellow Somalis across the world to cooperate with his governments efforts to restore peace and order to Somalia.

In terms of security and tax collection, we need you to protect this government and we pray that Allah may save us from the conflict and the drought we are struggling with, he said.
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.
In choosing the six finalists the judges were mindful of Bobs original intention that this award contribute to recording cultural practises and beliefs that are now rarely practised and fading in peoples memories.

It did and the judges were delighted  eventually whittling the entries down to six which were presented to Bob for the final determination of a winner.

This was a breakthrough. When Bob Cleland first proposed the award we wondered whether it would spark interest amongst writers who seemed to prefer contemporary themes.

IN 2014 the Cleland Family Award for Heritage Writing in the Crocodile Prize received a record number of entries.

The objective was to enable future generations of Papua New Guineans to continue to appreciate their cultural roots.

Many of the entries strayed too far from this aim and tended to recount recent personal experiences.

Others presented material that was questionable in its authenticity, thus confirming Bobs original belief that the many cultures of Papua New Guinea were rapidly disappearing or diluting.

Commenting on the six we handed to him, Bob said: They all had heritage and/or historical content, but only one plunged straight into the subject and kept interest going with good, clear writing. This was the entry from Arnold Mundua.

Arnold was a forester who already had a couple of books under his belt. These were published with the help of former diplomat and governor-general Sir Paulias Matane.

Ive got these on my bookshelf and can vouch for their readability, especially his childrens book Elep Returns about a tree logged on West New Britain that is shipped overseas and eventually returns as paper on which the provincial school certificates are printed.

Arnold is a founding member of the Simbu Writers Association, which seems to have become the hub of much of Papua New Guineas progressive literature. He is working on a third book.

____________

Gag-gauamo: the baby cleansing ritual of the Upper Simbu

ARNOLD MUNDUA

GAG-GAUAMO, or baby cleansing in the Kuman dialect, was one of many obligatory rituals performed on new born babies in the Upper Simbu and other parts of Simbu Province in pre-modern times.

Gag-gauamo was performed by elderly women to prepare the infant for a healthy and trouble-free growth into adulthood. The ritual was performed on a new born baby immediately after birth.

The ritual used the leaves of dodon, a waterside shrub with a soft, moist sponge-like leaf, and moro-kiglaua, a deep-forest piper plant with huge ovate leaves that emit a cool, sweet menthol fragrance when pressed or squashed.

In the modern context, gag-gauamo can be likened to the modern day immunisation clinic conducted by the doctors and nurses in hospitals and health centres.

It was part of the natal process, beginning at about the eighth month of pregnancy when the mother started experiencing occasional movements and kicks in her abdomen.

A temporary hut, like a maternity ward, was quickly constructed, usually by the husband. The hut was constructed in a secluded site away from the family home and kept warm by constant fires in readiness for the new tenant.

As soon as the early labour pains hit the mother, she isolated herself by moving into the hut with midwives, two or three elderly women. Along with her went all the items she needed for labour and for the new infant.

The latter would include a nursery bilum for the baby, a freshly stitched baby mat made out of pandanus leaves, and sun-dried dagle-muno leaves to keep the infant warm inside the bilum.

As soon as the baby was safely delivered, the umbilical cord was cut with a sharp object, often a bamboo knife. The cord was taken outside with the placenta and buried. A tanget (cordilyne) cutting was planted over the burial spot to mark it.

When the infant matured, the spot would be indicated to him and, if the tanget survived the test of time, there would often be a good story to tell about the significance of this historical plant and the sacred place in which the plant was growing.

After the severed umbilical cord was buried, the natal mess and rubbish were thoroughly removed before anyone could visit the maternity hut.

The rubbish was piled in a heap outside the hut and burnt. It was the belief of the Upper Simbus that the trail of smoke from the burnt natal rubbish indicated the infants destiny.

If the baby was a girl and the smoke trailed south, it was forecast that the girl would one day marry someone from the tribes in the south. If the smoke trailed north over the Bismarck Range, a handsome bridegroom would come from the Ramu Valley (Geregl or Gende). Through him all the good things of that area like marita, cassowaries and cuscus would come.

The same predictions occurred for male infants. Brides, riches and wealth from the locations where the smoke trailed would be forecast for the male child. If the smoke trailed towards the forest, it would be forecast that the infant would be a great hunter.

News of the birth would fan out into the community. Words of praise and appreciation would fill every household. Amidst the excitement, the women would prepare to visit the new baby. Men were not allowed into the maternity hut still.

Mothers and girls who lived near the forest searched for fresh dodon and moro-kiglaua leaves for the gag-gauamo ritual. They would wander off and return with the best leaves these plants could produce. If the infant was a boy, the search for a praying mantis nest also got underway to make sure a sufficient quantity was amassed.

Satisfied with their collecting, the women would make courtesy visits to the labour hut, where the infant would be sleeping peacefully on the pandanus mat amongst the sun-dried dagle-muno leaves in the nursery bilum. The visiting women would pile their presents of dodon and moro-kiglaua leaves, including the praying mantis nest if the baby was a male.

The nursery bilum would be passed around amongst the excited women, and for the first time the day-old infant would be viewed and greeted.

Specially prepared delicacies would be presented to the mother to enjoy and to assist recuperation from her labour ordeal. The gag-gauamo ritual would be performed during this visitation.

The honour of performing gag-gauamo often rested with the infants grandmother, but if she had no experience the job would be performed by another elderly woman who knew the ritual and the associated incantations.

The first part began with the formal cleansing using the dodon leaves. The day old infant would be gently lifted from the nursery bilum and the cleansing began.

The soft and spongy cotton-like leaf was used to cleanse the baby.

As the woman did this, she would chant the incantations: let this area shinelet this area be dirt freelet no dirt settle in this area and so on.

A new leaf was used as required until every surface was thoroughly cleaned.

This was the first phase of the cleansing ritual.

The second part of gag-gauamo followed with the moro-kiglaua leaves.

The moro-kiglaua is a gigantic piper plant that grows in deep forest beneath the tall trees. Unlike other piper species, moro-kiglaua grows fast and gracefully tall without any hint of defect or deformity.

The fascinating and widely spaced internodes along the smooth bole make this species unique amongst piper plants and very attractive. It stands rigid during its entire lifespan until it reaches senescence and dies, allowing new suckers to take over.

Because of these unique characteristics of the plant, the ancient Upper Simbus believed that the use and application of moro-kiglaua leaves during gag-gauamo would make the baby grow fast, tall, big, strong and healthy without any deformity.

Hence, the application of moro-kiglaua in this second phase of cleansing was specifically to enhance and prepare the infant for speedy, healthy and trouble-free growth.

The moro-kiglaua leaves were first warmed over the fire, allowing just enough heat to avoid burning the infant. Then, accompanied by chanting for goodwill, fortune and health, the infants tiny body was stretched and the muscles massaged and rubbed with moro-kiglaua.

The infants face, front, back, ears, scalp, torso, buttocks, limbs and ten tiny fingers were then massaged and rubbed.

The ritual performer would chant: Let no injuries touch this area, let this area be protected, let this hand grow big and strong, let these eyes see properly, let this leg grow tall and strong like the moro-kiglaua and walk many miles, let these fingers be free of harm and injuries, let this ear hear properly, let this head be wise as she continued with the moro-kiglaua leaf.

For the male child, the praying mantis nest would be used to rub and massage the tiny penis and testicles of the infant for a modest testicle size when the baby grew up.

The specialist would make sure that every surface on the babys skin was attended to. Then she would carefully place the infant, who by now would be signalling discomfort from the unusual things that were happening, into the nursery bilum and hand it back to the mother to comfort him with breast milk.

The used leaves and the used praying mantis nest were gathered and taken to a river where they were disposed of with the words: Let all the misfortunes on the baby be washed away forever. The formal gag-gauamo ritual then ended.

The unused gag-gauamo materials would be left with the mother. The remaining praying mantis nests would be used by the mother in her own time to continue massaging the testicles until the stock was depleted.

For the dodon and moro-kiglaua leaves, the mother would need them for as long as the baby remained in the nursery bilum. They were substitutes for the modern day diapers and baby blanket.

On the pandanus baby mat in the nursery bilum, the dodon leaves would be nicely arranged in the area where the infants buttocks lay to absorb wetting and waste matter.

The moro-kiglaua leaves, on the other hand, would be used as covers to keep the infant warm in the nursery bilum.

Mother and infant would remain in isolation in the labour hut for about a week before moving back into the family home.

The gag-kambe-gaiglkwa or the naming ceremony would follow, including a feast.

The gag-gauamo ritual died out in the early 1970s but it was performed with such great faith that elderly Upper Simbus of today still boast of the wonders caused by this ancient cultural practice.

At a time when soap, daily showers (or full baths), hospitals, doctors, nurses, blankets and medicines were unknown, Upper Simbu babies of the past defied all odds under the spell of the gag-gaumo to become towering men and women, filled with bulging muscles to tackle the rugged terrain of the Upper Simbu, unlike the Simbus of today.

Equally, at a time when underpants were unavailable to the Upper Simbu men, who were only clothed with kondai (apron) in the front to cover the genital areas and arbuglo (tanget or cordyline leaves) to cover the buttocks.

The invisible powers of the praying mantis nest - that looked like an infants testicles - kept the mens testicles at a modest size and avoided miserable inconvenience in the routines of life.

Perhaps the gag-gauamo ritual could hold the secret to the creation, survival and existence of those gigantic Upper Simbus of the
via @learyreports

Former Sen. Bob Graham, who co-chaired a congressional investigation into 9/11, wants a similar approach for a probe into Russian interference.

Graham issued the following:

"After the horrific terrorist attacks of 9/11, the congressional leadership set aside political differences in a search for the truth. For the first time in more than 200 years, Congress merged two standing committees from different houses -- the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence -- into a Joint Congressional Inquiry. Due in large part to the experience of our members, their familiarity with the use of classified information and an independent staff, the Joint Inquiry wrote the first draft of the U.S. intelligence communitys role in the events surrounding the tragedy. Our investigation discovered documentation and data that raised concerns about possible involvement of foreign individuals and sources of support for the hijackers.

Fifteen years later, evidence is mounting that the Russian government attempted to influence the result of the 2016 election, including possible coordination with American campaign officials, and impact governmental action following the elections. Because of these attacks on our democratic process, I urge Congress to convene a new bicameral, bipartisan joint inquiry so the American people have a comprehensive account of what happened -- and what our government and other democracies which might be at risk can do to protect our electoral processes from covert foreign intrusion.

The world is watching. If we do nothing, we will communicate that the United States is indifferent to outside interference in our political process. Inaction will empower the Russian government and other potential interlopers to act with impunity. With elections scheduled this year in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and other nations, the United States must immediately send a loud and clear signal that interference in democracy will not be tolerated.

--ALEX LEARY, Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott (AP)

@JeremySWallace

Gov. Rick Scott isn't done singling out Republicans in the Florida House of Representatives who voted against one of his biggest priorities.

Following a week that he toured the state publicly calling out Republicans for voting to kill Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida, Scott is now using a political action committee he controls to launch automated telephone calls to voters in 9 key House districts to complain about those legislators even more.

"Unfortunately your state Rep - Paul Renner - is playing politics with Florida jobs," Scott said on the recorded phone call in Jacksonville. "He voted to kill our state tourism and jobs program and that will destroy our economy and will lead to higher taxes."

The ad is paid for by Let's Get to Work, the governor's political committee.

Scott is irate over a bill that passed a House subcommittee that would kill both Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida. The bill passed on a 10-5 vote in the Careers & Competition Subcommittee. However, the bill has almost no chance of ever becoming law because the Senate does not have a similar bill. Both chambers need to pass identical bills for a bill to even make it out of the Legislature. And even if they did pass the same idea, Scott would have veto power to reject the Legislation.

That reality hasn't slowed Scott one bit. His whirlwind tour of the state included him accusing lawmakers of turning their back on the economic momentum the state has built since 2010 and called the "politicians" who don't understand how important tourism marketing is to the state.

Scott's automated phone calls target these members: Rep. Larry Ahern, R-Seminole; Halsey Beshears, R-Monticello; Randy Fine, R-Brevard; Julio Gonzalez, R-Venice; Shawn Harrison, R-Tampa; Mike La Rosa, R-St. Cloud; Alex Miller, R-Sarasota; Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, and Renner.

Renner said Scott's pressure isn't going to change his vote on the bill to kill both agencies. He said he's taking a stand on principle and doesn't believe in "corporate giveaways."

"I think in our community, the more people hear about the facts about those programs they will be offended," Renner said.

Renner said he thinks a better way to grow jobs is through broad based tax cuts that help more businesses than a tax incentive package could.
A legislator known for supporting motorized access to public lands has introduced a resolution asking Congress to un-designate Montanas wilderness study areas.

Rep. Kerry White, R-Bozeman, submitted House Joint Resolution 9 on Friday. It calls for dropping nearly 1 million acres from possible federal wilderness consideration. Wilderness study areas in Montana exist mainly on U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management public lands.

If enacted, the resolution would ask Congress to enact legislation to release all wilderness study areas identified and specified in the Montana Wilderness Study Act of 1977.

It also asks Congress to manage those places according to the Forest Management Act of 1897 to improve and protect the forest  for the purpose of securing favorable conditions of water flows and to furnish a continuous supply of timber for the use and necessities of citizens of the United States.

In the resolutions justifications, White claimed in the resolution that Montanas economy was hurt by recent management policies, resulting in the closure of 22 sawmills since 1990 and causing the loss of over 2,100 primary industry jobs and over $50 million in wages. He added that Congress inaction was wasting forest assets, reducing forest road construction and severely (harming) agriculture, timber harvesting, and multiple-use interests.

White did not return phone messages requesting comment on his measure. A longtime leader of Citizens for Balanced Use, White recently represented the American Lands Council on a tour promoting the return of federal lands to state management or ownership.

Joint resolutions must be passed by both the state House of Representatives and Senate, but do not need the governors signature. They express an opinion of state government, but do not have any force of law.

Of the roughly 1 million acres designated as wilderness study areas, White specifically mentioned seven. They were 151,000 acres in the West Pioneers, 61,000 acres in Blue Joint, 94,000 acres in the Sapphire Mountains, 34,000 acres at Ten Lakes, 81,000 acres on the Middle Fork Judith River, 91,000 acres in the Big Snowy Mountains, and 151,000 acres of the Hyalite-Porcupine-Buffalo Horn.

The resolution drew harsh responses from groups favoring wilderness.

"Rep. White's resolution is more than a radical wish-list; it's an affront to all Montanans who have worked for years to find collaborative, place-based solutions to public land management issues across the state, Montana Wilderness Association conservation director John Todd wrote in an email. Montanans know the best way to resolve our treasured wilderness study areas is by working together, not by issuing top-down edicts out of Helena."

Outdoor gear sales representative Chris Ennis added the move would be bad for the states recreation industry. Recent studies show the states outdoor economy supports 64,000 jobs and $6 billion in economic activity.

Bills like this are a direct threat to that livelihood, said Ennis, a member of the industry group Montana Outdoor Alliance. I see two problems. First, its not the states business to do this  these are federal designations. And second, getting rid of all wilderness study areas is as stupid as saying we want all these areas to be wilderness. We need to complete the studies.

White in his justifications noted that the 1977 federal law creating the study areas called for those reviews to be completed within five years. That has led to lawsuits over what uses are appropriate, burdens on court systems and wide swings in executive branch philosophy regarding the administration of these lands  costing the public millions of dollars as forest assets burn and deteriorate and as investments in forest road construction and improvements are being deliberately destroyed.

The legislation has its first hearing on Monday.
At a court hearing in Missoula on Friday, a federal agent admitted he had no idea how much marijuana a pair of Bozeman medical marijuana providers were allowed to have when agents raided their store and home last spring.

Another agent testified that the only patients using the maximum allowed were doing so illegally.

Federal prosecutors have charged Jesse Walter Campbell, a Bozeman-based provider, and Michael James Mason, who worked for the statewide dispensary Montana Buds, with conspiracy and possession of marijuana. Charlton Victor Campbell, the third man charged in the case, has accepted a plea agreement from prosecutors, but has yet to plead guilty.

The attorneys for Mason and Campbell asked for a special hearing, claiming that a prior decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals means that the U.S. Department of Justice cant prosecute medical marijuana providers who are obeying their state medical marijuana laws.

What that decision doesnt say, however, is which side needs to prove whether a provider was in compliance or not, and how stringent the burden of proof needs to be.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dana Christensen started the hearing by saying he would allow for a shifting burden of proof, asking first for prosecutors to show how the defendants violate the state law; then, if necessary, calling on the defense attorneys to show how their clients were in compliance. He said after the hearing was over that he would make a determination on what each side needed to prove, and whether they met their burden.

Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Bryan Fillinger, who filed a search warrant for Campbells home, said he based the warrant on information from a source who told him he regularly went to the house and bought large amounts of marijuana.

Under cross-examination from Campbells attorney Lisa Bazant, Fillinger said he never corroborated whether the purchases actually happened. And he said that at the time, the source was charged with 10 different felonies in the Bozeman area for forgery and identity theft.

Bazant questioned whether the agent knew how many plants and how much processed marijuana Campbell was legally allowed  under state law  to own as a provider in Montana. Fillinger said the amount his source told him had been purchased was above the limit.

Bazant added that the law at the time allowed providers to have an ounce per customer per day, and to keep a stockpile of 17 days supply on hand.

Fillinger took issue with the state limits, saying anyone using the maximum was clearly reselling it illegally.

Nobody in this country smokes an ounce of marijuana a day. Nobody, he said. I think you know that the people youre selling to are selling it on the black market.

He also said he never talked to the Montana agency that regulates medical marijuana patients to see how many Campbell had, saying that in a prior case a state worker had leaked to the provider they were being investigated.

Lee Herd, another DEA special agent who conducted the raid on Campbells house in spring 2016, also agreed that he didnt know the state laws at the time and had no idea what Campbell was allowed to have under the regulations.

The search found 185 marijuana plants, as well as roughly $80,000 in cash and 35 pounds of processed marijuana. DEA agents also found 29 cartridges containing hash oil that could be smoked using an e-cigarette device.

At the end of the day Friday, Christensen said the matter would have to be finished later. Because he will be out of the office on vacation for several weeks, Christensen said its likely to be about a month before the second half of the hearing can take place.
A Huson legislator has introduced legislation in Helena that would allow Missoula County to take M2Green Redevelopment to court to collect delinquent property taxes.

As of Friday, the Alton, Illinois, company that bought the former Smurfit-Stone mill site in Frenchtown in 2011 is nearly $1.3 million in arrears.

Rep. Kim Dudik, a Democrat from House District 94, has readied the bill. In an email to county officials, community members and the Clark Fork Coalition on Thursday, Dudik said the legislation would give the county or other taxing jurisdictions a way to bring civil action against an owner of property thats not classified as agricultural, residential or forest land to collect unpaid taxes.

The bill applies mainly to commercial property such as the mill site. Currently the countys only option in the M2Green case is to file a lien against the property.

Its been a problem, Dudik said. Just from what Ive heard in my meetings with people from West Valley Community Council, its obviously an issue for them. No one wants to have property liens against the property because its contaminated.

More than 3,100 acres of the old mill are a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site. Missoula County, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and other community stakeholders have locked horns with the EPA over the extent of a remedial investigation launched in November 2015.

M2Green has sold a couple of parcels that werent part of the Superfund site, leaving three small ones on which the company has kept current on taxes that amount to less than $2,000 a year all told. Nine parcels are delinquent, including the main mill site which should have netted the county $955,000 and counting.

Some $300,000 of M2Greens delinquent tax dollars, or $50,000, are meant for the Frenchtown School District, which suffered the biggest hit when Smurfit-Stone closed its liner board factory in January 2010.

"Right now what it's doing is we're losing about 4 percent of our tax base," said Randy Cline, superintendent of Frenchtown Schools. "Every year when we have to budget, we take 4 percent right off the top because we figure we're not going to get that, and usually we put another 2 percent in there for anybody else who doesn't pay or protests their taxes."

The district's reserve fund has been tapped to make up for the missing revenue. It's now "extremely low," Cline said, to a point where it may be forced to ask taxpayers to pass a levy next year.

Dudik's bill is a positive step, he added.

"I think it would give the county another option to pursue M2Green to get them to pay their taxes," Cine said.

While she didn't have specific examples, Dudik said shes talked with legislators who shared stories of the same sort of thing happening in other districts facing industrial cleanup issues.

I know there are other activities like this going on out there. I havent really investigated it specifically, she said.

Her bill would apply to properties that could be offered for tax lien sales, and those for which the county is considered to be the purchaser of a lien.

It also provides for the awarding of attorney fees of up to three times the actual cost to the taxing jurisdiction if the civil action succeeds.

No hearing date has been set for Dudiks bill, but it could happen in the next week or so.

We usually only receive three days notice of the hearing, Dudik said.

The bill likely will start in the house taxation committee.
The words of Our Lord's Prayer: "Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us ..."
BILLINGS (AP)  A man has been accused of endangering children by driving while intoxicated and crashing into a school bus in Billings that was carrying 16 children.

The Billings Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/2kG0zgW ) that the 38-year-old man was charged Thursday in Yellowstone County Justice Court with felony criminal endangerment and six misdemeanors including DUI and failing to remain at the scene of an accident.

The man was ordered to be held on $50,000 bond. He did not enter a plea.

The man was arrested Wednesday after he drove his Pontiac Grand Am into a school bus about a block from Alkali Creek Elementary School. A passenger in the Pontiac had to be taken to the hospital. The suspect left the scene and was later arrested in a nearby neighborhood.

None of the bus passengers were injured.
A petition has been signed by more than 2,100 people opposing Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to reduce visitation at New York's 17 maximum security correctional facilities.

As of Saturday afternoon, there are 2,102 supporters of the petition titled "Don't Restrict Visits in NYS Prisons!" The petition calls the governor's plan to alter the visitation policy "regressive, counterproductive and cruel."

The initial goal for the petition is 2,500 supporters. Once complete, the petition will be sent to Cuomo.

Cuomo included the proposal in his 2017-18 executive budget. He wants to reduce visitation at the state's maximum security prisons from seven days to three  Fridays and weekends. The policy would be similar to the existing visitation rules at medium security facilities, which permit visitors on weekends.

The state Division of Budget said New York would eliminate 39 positions and save $2.6 million by reducing the visitation hours.

Anthony Annucci, acting commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, defended the proposal at a budget hearing in January. He said the visiting rooms at maximum security facilities don't get a lot of use during the week.

"There's a very limited number of visitors," he said.

The proposed policy change has been panned by various groups, including the Correctional Association of New York State.

Jack Beck, director of the group's Prison Visiting Project, said an inmate's family will not have their visits shortened or may not be able to visit at all if the new schedule is adopted.

"It will clearly deteriorate the relationship between an incarcerated person and their family," Beck said in an interview with The Citizen.

The petition expresses a similar view and notes that even with a seven-day schedule, it's already difficult for family members to visit inmates in maximum security correctional facilities.

"With reduced days, the wait will be longer, the visitor rooms more crowded and visiting days and hours even more limited," the petition reads. "This will be terrible for everyone and impossible for many visitors."

Whether the proposal will be adopted is unclear. Since it's a cost-cutting measure, it could win support from state Senate Republicans. But in the Democratic-led Assembly, there have been concerns raised about changing the visitation policy.

Assemblyman David Weprin, a Democrat and chair of the Assembly Committee on Correction, questioned the policy at the budget hearing in January. He referred to Cuomo's proposed changes as "inhumane."
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MISSOULA  At a court hearing in Missoula on Friday, a federal agent admitted they had no idea how much marijuana a pair of Bozeman medical marijuana providers were allowed to have when they raided their store and home last spring with another saying the only patients using the maximum allowed were doing so illegally.

Federal prosecutors have charged Jesse Walter Campbell, a Bozeman-based provider, and Michael James Mason, who worked for the statewide dispensary Montana Buds, with conspiracy and possession of marijuana. Charlton Victor Campbell, the third man charged in the case, has accepted a plea agreement from prosecutors but has yet to plead guilty.

The attorneys for Mason and Campbell asked for a special hearing, claiming that a prior decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals means that the U.S. Department of Justice cant prosecute medical marijuana providers who are obeying their state medical marijuana laws.

What that decision doesnt say, however, is which side needs to prove whether a provider was in compliance or not and how stringent the burden of proof needs to be.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dana Christensen started the hearing by saying he would allow for a shifting burden of proof asking first for prosecutors to show how the defendants violated the state law before, then, if he felt necessary, calling on the defense attorneys to show how their clients were in compliance. He said after the hearing was over, he would make a determination on which side needed to prove what and whether they met their burden.

Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Bryan Fillinger, who filed a search warrant for Campbells home, said he based it off a source who told him he regularly went to the house and bought large amounts of marijuana. Under cross-examination from Campbells attorney Lisa Bazant, Fillinger said he never corroborated whether the purchases actually happened and agreed that the source was at the time charged with 10 different felonies in the Bozeman area for forgery and identity theft. Bazant said given the circumstances, the man may have been prone to lying.

She questioned if the agent knew under state law how many plants and how much processed marijuana Campbell was legally allowed to own as a provider in Montana. Fillinger said the amount he was told was purchased was above the limit. Bazant added that the law at the time allowed him to have an ounce per customer per day and to keep a stockpile of 17 days' supply on hand.

Fillinger took issue with the state limits, saying anyone using the maximum was clearly reselling it illegally.

Nobody in this country smokes an ounce of marijuana a day. Nobody, he said. I think you know that the people youre selling to are selling it on the black market.

He also said he never talked to the Montana agency that regulates medical marijuana patients to see how many Campbell had, saying in a prior case a state worker had leaked to the provider they were being investigated.

Lee Herd, another DEA special agent who conducted the search warrant raid on Campbells house in the spring of 2016, also agreed that he didnt know the state laws at the time and had no idea what Campbell was allowed to have under the regulations.

The search found 185 marijuana plants as well as roughly $80,000 in cash and 35 pounds of processed marijuana. DEA agents also found 29 cartridges containing hash oil that would be smoked using an e-cigarette device.

At the end of the day Friday, Christensen said the matter would have to be finished up at a later date. Because he will be out of the office on vacation for several weeks, he said its likely to be around a month before the second half of the hearing can take place.
HELENA  The tentacles of methamphetamine abuse reaching across Montana are choking everything from state agencies struggling to keep up with increased workloads to Indian reservations with even fewer services than the rest of the state.

But putting more money and resources into prevention, treatment, and keeping the drug from reaching communities can alleviate some of the problem.

Thats what panelists told a group of legislators gathered at the Capitol on Saturday for what Sen. Eric Moore, R-Miles City, called the Montana Meth Summit. Moore, along with Sen. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, organized the summit to discuss the effects of the drug on the state.

Different state agencies struggle with the increasing strain on their programs caused by meth abuse:

Of all cases of child abuse and neglect investigated by the the Child and Family Services Division of the Department of Public Health and Human Services, by February 2017, 42 percent involve meth abuse by parents or guardians, department deputy director Laura Smith told the panel. That number was 22 percent in 2008.

On the Fort Belknap Reservation, 98 percent of people relapse after exiting treatment because of a lack of sober living programs, Miranda Kirk, who runs the Aaniiih Nakoda Anti Drug Program there, said.

District courts have seen a 21-percent increase in caseload between 2009 and last year. That includes going from 7,755 criminal cases to 11,744, said Supreme Court administrator Beth McLaughlin.

Attorney General Tim Fox, whose Department of Justice has hired a consultant to research how meth abuse impacts agencies across the state, said an all-hands-on-deck approach is needed to make any sort of improvement and understand how agencies' work interplays.

He called efforts a "multi-legged stool," saying it would be cheaper and more effective to put money and resources into prevention like peer mentoring and drug courts as well as into law enforcement who can stop large shipments of drugs from coming in.

Even if law enforcement had enough officers and resources to go after meth flooding into Montana, the resulting cases and prisoners would further overwhelm judicial and corrections systems already struggling to keep up.

If we squeeze the balloon on the bottom, its going to pop out somewhere else, said Col. Tom Butler, chief of the Montana Highway Patrol.

The economic burden associated with substance abuse misuse is "alarming," Zoe Barnard, administrator for the Addictive and Mental Disorders Division of the health department, told lawmakers.

Annually between 2010-2014, there was $143 million in hospital charges related to substance abuse disorders, $28 million charged to Medicaid.

The department is responsible for all the publicly funded mental-health and substance-abuse treatment in the state. Barnard cited high substance abuse and suicide rates, saying they are connected to untreated mental illness.

Smith told lawmakers that part of the problem is a lack of access to preventive and treatment programs.

Barnard said the passage of the HELP Act, which expanded Medicaid in Montana, has increased access to treatment, but the state still struggles to connect people with the care they need. Many Montanans dont seek out treatment because of stigma associated with it, she said.

Kirk knows the struggles of accessing treatment first-hand.

Aftercare is non-existent on the reservation, Kirk said, adding that without sober living programs, people who finish treatment are moving right back into the situations they were in when they started using drugs.

Kirk runs a peer-mentor program that has been successful; of 20 who have come in for treatment, two have not relapsed after a year, two more have not after six months, another two have lowered their relapse rate, and six more are still in the program.

One of the problems Kirk as well as other providers across the state face is the challenge of finding ways to pay for services. Peer treatment is not billable under Medicaid, but Senate Bill 62, which passed the Senate and is on its way to the House floor, would change that, Kirk said.

Right now, were running off seed money from the tribe, Kirk said.
Police reports

OUTSIDE THE BAR

A woman who reportedly just missed striking another vehicle late Thursday night was located just outside a bar sitting in her car.

Police say the near-accident occurred on Montana Street and Rachel Allie Bradley, 29, of Butte then drove to a bar on the 500 block of South Main Street. She was sitting in the driver seat with the engine running, police said.

She failed a field sobriety test and later refused a blood test. She was booked for driving under the influence and refusing a test and was later released from jail after posting $685 bond.

HIT AND RUN

A Butte man was arrested early Friday after allegedly hitting another vehicle and leaving the scene.

Police say Emery Joseph Salcido, 29, of Butte was located in a Dodge pickup on the 1900 block of Dewey Boulevard shortly before 2:30 a.m. He failed a field sobriety test, and a Breathalyzer showed his blood-alcohol level at more than twice the legal limit.

Police say they found a small amount of marijuana on him when he was being booked.

He was arrested on misdemeanor complaints of failing to identify himself, aggravated DUI, possession of dangerous drugs, and having no car insurance.

T-SHIRT AND CANDY BAR

A homeless man was arrested Thursday afternoon for allegedly shoplifting at Walmart. Police say Mason Lee Rodriguez, 18, took a T-shirt and candy bar from the store and left without paying. He was arrested on a misdemeanor shoplifting complaint.

MAN ACCUSED OF STEALING ATV

A Butte man was arrested early Thursday on felony theft of a motor vehicle after police found him hiding in a barn. Frank Medina, 36, also faces several misdemeanor charges: resisting arrest, two counts of criminal mischief, two counts of criminal trespass, stealing tools, and obstructing a police officer. He was also arrested for having an outstanding warrant, said Butte-Silver Bow Undersheriff George Skuletich.

Police noticed an abandoned all-terrain vehicle sitting in the Three Bears Alaska grocery store parking lot, 45 Three Bears Dr., at 1:21 a.m. Following footprints in the snow leading from the ATV to Blacktail Loop and Mount Highlands Drive, they spotted Medina lying along the side of the road. Medina got up and ran off, and police pursued him until they discovered him hiding in a nearby barn. The police turned over the ATV to the rightful owner after it was reported stolen.
Story time set Tuesday at library

Story time at the Butte Public Library, 226 W. Broadway St., starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, in the children's room. The subject is building, and youngsters will listen to books, sing songs, and do an activity. All ages are welcome. Details: Cathy at 406-723-3361.

Kids Night Out planned

Kids Night Out will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 10, at the First Presbyterian church, 901 W. Platinum St.

This months theme is Cruisin' the Amazon! Kids will travel through the Amazon on a jungle journey to discover Jesus. All kids kindergarten through fifth grade are welcome to this free event, which includes dinner.

Registration preferred but not required. To register, email mkhenry6@gmail.com or call 775-737-8578.

NRCS now accepting applications

BOZEMAN  Agricultural producers in Montanas Upper Clark Fork Watershed area have until March 17 to apply for financial assistance for conservation practices funded through the Natural Resources Conservation Services Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

The Upper Clark Fork project makes available a special five-year funding pool that NRCS will use to fund projects in the Upper Clark Fork watershed area.

To apply for financial assistance, visit the NRCS field office located at 1002 Hollenback Ln. in Deer Lodge. Details: Glen Green at 406-415-4046 or 406-415-4040.

Applicants who operate as an entity are required to have a DUNS number and have that number registered with sam.gov prior to submitting their application for funding consideration.
SUNDAY, FEB. 19

DANCE AT ELKS

The Highlites with John Fox will be playing all your favorite dance and listen music from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, Montana and Galena. The cost is $10. Details: Frank Snyder at 406-494-6614.

FIDDLE CONTEST

The 34th annual Dillon Fiddle Contest, hosted by the Dillon Junior Fiddlers, continues at 9 a.m. at the Old Depot Theater, 15 S. Montana St., Dillon.

SAME DIFFERENCE

The Orphan Girl Childrens Theatres production of Same Difference: A Disabilities Awareness Play runs at 2 p.m., at the Orphan Girl Theatre. Tickets are free, but donations are encouraged and accepted at the door. Ten percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Montana Independent Living Project. Visit www.orphangirl.org or call 406-782-5657 to acquire tickets.

CHILI FEED

The Philipsburg Chili Feed will be from noon to 6 p.m. in the old Philipsburg Fire Hall, 204 W. Broadway, Philipsburg. Details: 406-859-3388.

GUN SHOW

The Winter Blast Gun, Knife, and Antique Show continues at the Whitehall Community Center, 11 N. Division St. All federal, state, and local laws are observed with no loaded firearms. Presented by the Whitehall VFW and American Legion Post, admission is $1 per day, and children 12 and under are free. The show runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The graduation rates for each school district and throughout New York were released by the state Education Department on Feb. 10, with some Cayuga County-area districts experiencing increases in their percentages from the previous year while others saw decreases.

For example, Auburn High School's graduation rate as of June 2016 was 71 percent. That's 5 percent down from the year before, with 76 percent of students donning their caps and gowns in June 2015.

Auburn superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo and assistant superintendent for instruction Leela George said the district is making plans to improve the graduation rates and give students more opportunities, including setting up career schedules and career plans for students, among other ideas.

"What we're planning is to continue providing more options for children," Pirozzolo said.

He also said dropouts contributed to the rate difference.

"Because our attendance was down that year, our graduation rate was down as well," Pirozzolo said.

He added that the district has joined with the Auburn Police Department, the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, Ray Bizzari  director of community services for the Cayuga County's mental health office  and others to form a task force to combat truancy.

Pirrozolo and George also note the district's graduation rates as of August make a difference as well, considering that some students need to take some classes over the summer to graduate. The August 2016 graduation was 76 percent, while 71 percent was the August rate a year earlier.

The New York State Association of School Business Officials released a study examining some of the general discovered differences between districts designated as being "high need" and those designated as "low need" districts using the education department's data.

The designations are classifications from the state that determine how capable a district is of meeting student needs based on the area's resources, according to the education department's Need/Resource Capacity Index. The classifications are determined by the combined wealth ratio of a district and its estimated poverty percentage.

The study found low-need district students have a 30 percent higher chance of of graduating than students in high-need areas, and students in low-need districts generally showed more proficiency in math and English, among other findings.

Pirozzolo said Auburn has been a high-need district since around the 2013/2014 school year, noting that he believes fixing the state's foundation aid formula would provide more money to the area.

"I think that we're looking (for) is equity and and making sure that state money is distributed equability throughout the state, especially in poverty-stricken districts like Port Byron or Auburn," Pirozzolo said.

The number for New York state graduates overall in June 2016 was 79 percent, which is a slight increase from June 2015's 78 percent rate.

The Skaneateles Central School district  considered a low-need district  was determined to have a 97 percent graduation rate for June 2016, with 132 out of 136 students receiving diplomas. The district also had the same percentage for the previous year, as 117 out of 121 young learners graduated.

Superintendent Ken Slentz said state aid levels tend to decrease as the district gains land wealth, which serves as a "resource challenge" when coupled with students' increasing needs.

Slentz said the district makes efforts to ensure that students have covered most of the requirements, if not every requirement, by the time they reach their senior year.

Part of the goal is to make sure students have been given enough opportunities to have an idea of what they would like to do with their lives beyond the high school's walls, Slentz said.

Port Byron Senior High School was reported as having a 91 percent rate in June 2016, up from June 2015's 81 percent rate.

Neil O'Brien, the district's superintendent, said the district is classified as an "average-need" district, even though he believes the area's high poverty level warrant re-classification to a high-need district.

O'Brien also said the district's graduation rates were around the upper 60s and lower 70s about 10 years ago, but he credits additional efforts like some "transformed programming" changes in instruction and the work of educators and students, among other factors, for bringing the numbers up.

"To have the graduation rates go from 70 to 90 is very exciting and gratifying for the students and staff," O'Brien said.
BILLINGS  In these times of heightened border security, at least one 30-foot-tall robot dragon has been halted from entering Montana.

A routine documentation snafu caused the fire-breathing machine to be held up at the Canadian border early Friday.

The transformer was headed to Billings for Friday night's No Limits Monster Trucks show at Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark. The show will go on without the car-eating Robo Dragon.

"At 1:30 in the morning I get this text, which woke me right plum smooth up," said Ed Beckley, President and CEO of the Texas-based Checkered Flag Promotions.

The man who owns Robo Dragon lives in Canada and was last in the United States in mid-January for a show in Grand Island, Nebraska, Beckley said.

When Beckley reached the robot's owner early Friday morning, he learned that he didn't have all his paperwork to be able to work in the U.S.

"He goes, 'Hell, I'm with the border agent right now going through all this stuff,'" Beckley said.

A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said in an email to The Gazette that privacy policies prevent them from discussing specific travelers.

The agency's list of prohibited items, however, does not specifically exclude robotic, car-eating dragons.

The show will go on as planned, said Beckley, who has been taking his show to Billings since 1986.

All the monster trucks are there," he said. "All the truck and tractor pulls are there.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa  The following students graduated from the University of Northern Iowa.

Muscatine: Diana Baker, Bachelor of Arts with honors, History; Thomas Bieber, Bachelor of Arts Math; Statistics/Actuarial Science; Griffin Gaeta, Bachelor of Arts, with honors, Marketing: Management; Paige Hardman, Bachelor of Arts, elementary education, middle level education, dual major; Jeffery Heid, Master of Music, music education; Joshua Karkosh, Bachelor of Arts, with honors, social work; Peter Miller, Bachelor of Arts, accounting; Samuel Strajack, Bachelor of Arts, communication: elec. Media, leadership, communication: elec. Media prd/prf
MUSCATINE, Iowa  For some, the first time their artwork has been publicly on display came late in life on Friday night at Lutheran Living's first resident art show.

Ioan Coca, who mother, Luci, had crochet work on display, said his mother can make socks, hats, sweaters and vests in addition to the more decorative patterns displayed at the art show.

"It's a good thing," said Austin Coca, Luci's 12-year-old grandson.

Ioan said his mother used to crochet as a need, when he was growing up and the family lived in Romania. Through Ioan, Luci said she was impressed that an activity once considered a necessity now is considered to be art.

Lutheran Living Activity Director Steve Snider said that while many of the residents have hobbies, not many of their neighbors are aware of them. So the art show was a way to sharing what they have been working on.

"It opens up a lot of avenues," he said.

Another resident, Mary Jones, said she has done many different art projects over the years, from cross stitch to painting.

"Lots of different mediums," she said.

While Jones was unsure of the art show at first, she said she was glad to have the opportunity not only to show her art work, but to see the creativity of other residents.

"And I've been enjoying all the biographies with the pictures that puts it all in perspective," she said.

Bill Bishop, whose colored pictures were on display with Susie Stanbro's, said he has colored on many surfaces.

"I always liked to color, even when I was little," he said.

Edith Little, the pastor at First Baptist Church in Blue Grass, said she was enjoying seeing the residents' artwork, many of whom she knows well.

"I think it's fabulous," she said.

Adrien DeMayo, 8, of Fruitland, looked carefully at each picture and craft he passed.

"He loves art," said 7-year-old Gabriel DeMayo.

Virginia Cooper, on behalf of the Muscatine Art Center, helped organize and hang the displays.

Snider said he hopes to begin holding the event yearly, as many residents and guests have asked him to do so.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Muscatine Community School District installed several security cameras at West Middle School for the first time this year, increasing the total camera count to 177 cameras in school buildings district-wide.

District officials cite student safety as the leading reason for the cameras.

The primary purpose is to enhance the security for our students, said Superintendent Jerry Riibe. So that if someone is in the building that wasnt supposed to be we would be able to better locate them. If there was a problem with any of the buildings that we didnt have immediate supervision that we would have what happened and what went on.

And the school district is not unique in this view. According to Veronica Fowler, communication director at the ACLU of Iowa, the number of security cameras in schools nationwide has risen in recent years because the technology has gotten cheaper.

At West, said Principal Jan Collinson, surveillance cameras are often used to clarify disagreement or a disparity in a story after the fact, in cases of a theft, violence between students, or if someone left a mess at the lunchroom or gym.

Its not like we use them to monitor all the time and say, oh, were going to watch everybody in the lunchroom today. No. If theres a problem in the lunchroom that we need clarification on, were going to go back and look, Collinson said, adding that the school has cameras in hallways, the lunch room, the gym and entrances to the building.

But cameras, Fowler said, can create a false sense of security.

Security cameras do not stop crime. After the fact, they might help you identify (the perpetrator), she said.

Fowler said security cameras also can create privacy concerns.

They can create a big-brother like atmosphere, a prison like atmosphere, where students feel that their every move is being watched, she said, adding that students expect a certain level of respect for their privacy at school.

And while some parents and guardians agree with Fowler, others disagree.

Stacy Brown, whose 11-year-old daughter goes to West, said safety is her main concern.

My child does not need privacy in a hallway with other students, I mean, you dont have privacy in a hallway anyway, she said.

Brown said the school used security camera footage to find out what happened when her daughter said another girl hit her.

It didnt help because, the camera is only going to show so much and with a hallway full of students, Brown said. I feel like they need to have more cameras directed at different areas, instead of one camera for an entire hallway.

Riibe said the district will continue to add cameras to other buildings until every school has security cameras.

Be it electronic surveillance or people standing watching in the hall, again, if youre doing what youre supposed to be doing, it probably isnt a problem, he said.
LEDYARD  About a dozen hikers didnt find what they were looking for Saturday morning, and that was a good thing.

The volunteers traversed trails at Long Point State Park searching for invasive insects that are only about 1mm in length, but can erode slopes and pollute bodies of water by sucking nutrients and sap from hemlock trees  killing them in as little as four years  and leaving the foliage in a wooly, cotton-like web.

Led by Hilary Lambert, steward of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network, local residents, environmentalists and Wells College students marched along muddy trails and through thorny thickets in search of the tufts that would signal the pests presence.

After about an hour and a half, the two search teams returned to the park with coordinates for a few hemlock trees, but no signs of the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, which originates in Asia and was first spotted in New York in 1985, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The species has since spread to at least 25 counties in New York, including the southern and northern ends of Cayuga. Lambert, 65, explained the havoc the adelgid can bring to waterways and trees after trudging through puddles and climbing over fallen branches.

The hemlock woolly adelgid can be the death of an ecosystem, she said. It kills the trees, so you lose the beauty and the shade. Without those roots, steep slopes crumble, leading to increased erosion and dirt in the streams, which kills critters and adds to the sediment and dirt load in the lake.

Sediment is a major water pollutant, she added. It could really damage water quality.

Professor Mark Whitmore of Cornell Universitys Department of Natural Resources is the leading researcher of the critters in the state, and in 2014 called the invasive species one of "the most important forest pests currently in New York.

Cornell is also home to the New York State Hemlock Initiative, to which Lambert and the other volunteers will submit their data. Cornell created the initiative to engage stakeholders who will survey as much as New York as possible and report findings or non-findings.

This is a blank spot on the [researchers] map, Lambert said halfway through the hike. So far, not a dang hemlock.

The hikers ultimately found several hemlock trees after veering off trails and checking the sharpness of evergreens foliage (hemlocks have gnarly roots, Lambert said, and produce softer needles than spruces).
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 []
MUNICH  Ukraines president warned Friday against any appeasement of Russia, arguing that cutting a bilateral deal with Moscow on his country would only make the fighting in eastern Ukraine worse. He said that the new U.S. administration has a historic chance to halt Russias ambitions.

Many in Europe are concerned about the U.S. stance toward Russia under President Donald Trump amid talk of a more cooperative relationship.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told the Munich Security Conference, however, that he had been reassured of Western unity and solidarity earlier in the day by new U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

I hear increasingly obsessive calls for at least some degree of appeasement toward Russias appetite. To move in that direction would be naive, wrong and dangerous  not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe and for the world, he said.

He didnt specify who was making those calls but said now is the time to stop Russias expansionist ambitions.

This is an absolutely historic chance for all of us, but above all this is a historic chance for the new U.S. administration and solid trans-Atlantic unity, Poroshenko said.

More than 9,800 people have died since April 2014 in fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. Fighting escalated earlier this month, the worst outbreak since a 2015 peace deal.

On Thursday, Tillerson said Russia must abide by a 2015 peace deal agreed upon in Minsk aimed at ending fighting in eastern Ukraine as the Trump administration searches for ways to work cooperatively with Moscow. He spoke after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a meeting of Group of 20 foreign ministers in Bonn, Germany.

Poroshenko, however, warned against any agreement behind our back with Russia on Ukraine.

We have no intention to give up on defending Ukraine, he said, speaking in English. Any deal with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin behind Ukraine would only aggravate the situation.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, following a meeting with Lavrov Friday on the sidelines of the security conference, that he again emphasized the need for the Minsk accord to be implemented. He also said Americans officials had assured him that Washington backed NATO.

The United States remains committed to NATO and to the trans-Atlantic alliance, he told reporters.

In eastern Ukraine, the leader of pro-Russia separatist rebels warned Friday that they may use force to drive out Ukrainian troops.

Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic, said the rebels aim to free the occupied territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces by political means, but added that they could do so with military force if political efforts fail.

Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Zakharchenkos statement defied a 2015 peace agreement, but added that it comes amid tensions provoked by Ukraines actions.
Mark Rappaports work is all fake, but his success is definitely the real thing.

This former Napan recently earned recognition as a special effects creator from the folks who hand out the Oscar statuettes.

On Feb. 11, Rappaport, who now lives in Los Angeles, was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at its annual Scientific and Technical Awards. Its a prequel to the Academy Awards ceremony to be held on Feb. 26.

Im honored, said Rappaport. Im very proud of the work Ive done.

Rappaport, who grew up in Napa, owns a special effects business in Los Angeles called Creature Effects Inc.

His company provides all kinds of human, creature and makeup effects for both film and TV.

Monster puppets, bloody heads, dead horses, zombies, dinosaurs and fake babies  you name it, hes made it.

The special effects artist and others received a technical achievement award from the Academy on behalf of his work designing and developing animatronic horse puppets for motion pictures.

His certificate  not the famous Oscar statuette  is awarded for accomplishments which contribute to the progress of the industry, read the Academy website.

Rappaports fake horses have been used in films like Seabiscuit, The Revenant, Cowboys and Aliens, 300, The Lone Ranger and The Last Samurai.

A total of 18 scientific and technical achievements were presented at the event.

This recognition by the Academy shows were one of the best studios in the world for special effects, he said.

Rappaport, now 63, said he got into the special effects industry by accident.

Previously, he worked at many different kinds of jobs, including stints as a kitchen worker on a Royal Viking cruise ship, a newspaper delivery person, a prison guard at San Quentin, an Alameda County deputy sheriff and a firefighter in Southern California.

He built puppets while in college and considered starting some kind of puppet show, said Rappaport.

Bringing life to inanimate objects touches a deep nerve inside me as an artist, he said. I really enjoyed that but I didnt think there was any money in it.

His father was skeptical too, Rappaport admitted. My dad was mystified, he recalled. He said, What are you doing with your life Mark?

I said, Im working on these puppets.

He said, You mean dolls?

I said, No, not dolls.

And then came a stroke of luck.

Rappaport was delivering the Sunday New York Times in the Marin County area in the mid-1980s when he stumbled onto his next career.

Driving by some kind of studio at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning, I saw these people painting monsters, he said.

I drove up to them and I said, This looks great, I want to do this.

To his surprise, the crew told him to show up the next day to work. They were working on a project for the special effects maker Chris Walas, who also worked on the movie Gremlins.

I had no real art background, but they said I could come be a helping hand, said Rappaport. Thats where I started learning about special effects.

After that start, Rappaport was able to take on other such jobs. He worked on films for Industrial Light & Magic, owned by George Lucas, including Innerspace and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

I was helping out making molds, cleaning up, he said. I really knew almost nothing, but was gaining valuable experience.

Rappaport eventually moved to Los Angeles with his wife Jean Horihata, where he began working special effects for mostly B movies with titles like Killer Klowns from Outer Space and the first five Puppet Master movies.

It was really fun, he said. That kind of work was perfect for my abilities and understanding at the time.

While looking for his next job, Rappaport discovered a special effects studio near his home in Los Angeles.

He inquired about renting some space to work on his own special effects projects, and to his surprise, the business owner offered the whole studio, as he was about to move out to a larger space.

Not only that, but the exiting tenant recommended Rappaport for a new film being made called The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise.

This was my big break, said Rappaport.

They needed horses and lots of horses for the film, which was shot in New Zealand.

No matter that Rappaport hadnt made a horse puppet before.

I said, I will do it. Im going to put everything I can into making the best animatronic creature ever made.

Rappaport assembled a team of special effects artists from previous projects, including puppeteers who had worked with Jim Hensons company and others who had worked on Jurassic Park.

We made it work, he said. This was the beginning for me to start creating horses.

The special effects artist said hes made close to 100 faux horses. Some are full-size models and some only include the top half or other sections of a horse.

The hides are actually synthetic fiber fur  not real horse skin or hair  placed over a foam rubber horse body.

Inside are mechanisms and electrical motors that can make a horses eyes blink and ears and nostrils move. Some of the horse mechanisms are designed to allow the horse to fall or flip.

We use computer technology to integrate into the motors of the horses body, he explained.

The puppet horses  or portions of a horse such as a head  can cost anywhere from $9,000 to $250,000, and take as long as two months to make.

According to a news release from the Academy, The animatronic horse puppet provides increased actor safety, close integration with live action, and improved realism for filmmakers.

Rappaport gave equal credit for his award to others who helped work on the horse puppet.

That horse wouldnt exist without the people in the shop who helped create it. Without them this would not have happened.

That doesnt mean there werent some ups and downs along the way. After a difficult experience working on the movie I Am Legend, bigger film projects dried up for a while.

That was tough, he said. But we made it through doing a lot of Disney TV and commercials. And we were doing pretty well.

Then Rappaport got called to work on the remake of True Grit, along with Cowboys & Aliens and The Lone Ranger, and suddenly the bigger jobs were back.

Rappaport said that he has good memories of growing up in Napa.

To me Napa was wonderful. It was a small town. You knew everybody in your school.

Rappaport attended the then-Justin High School, graduating in the class of 1972. He still gets together with some of his classmates.

Over the years, Rappaport and his team have traveled to Japan, Germany, New Zealand, Romania, Canada, Mexico and Spain, to name just a few countries.

In March theyre going to Abu Dhabi to work on a commercial featuring a lizard for an Abu Dhabi company that he could not name.

Napans might have noticed some of his most recent work during Super Bowl LI, including a kangaroo puppet for a Yellow Tail wines commercial, and a beaver puppet for a Skittles commercial.

l love puppets and creating work for film, he said.
Is a new restaurant too much of a good thing? Several neighbors of a high-end eatery planned for Yountville believe so.

The owner of Ma(i)sonry has put on hold its effort to add food service to its tasting room in the Upvalley resort community, as well as expand its neighboring future eatery RH Gallery to offer three meals a day and host guests as late as 2 a.m. on weekends.

After complaints from area homeowners about nighttime traffic and noise around the tasting room and art gallery, representatives for Restoration Hardware, the luxury home-furnishing firm that runs the Ma(i)sonry wine collective in a historic 1904 stone structure at 6711 Washington St., pulled back the companys proposal shortly before a scheduled Town Council review earlier this month.

Yountville leaders then voted to postpone the towns review  but not before giving voice to residents, including some living in townhomes directly behind the property.

I think this whole proposal, this intensification of the original (use), is a good-neighbor issue, said Pamela Reeves, who along with other townsfolk predicted worsening parking shortages and quality-of-life problems if the two businesses are allowed to expand both their menus and their evening hours.

Allowing Restoration Hardware to pack more diners and drinkers into the same spaces will put residents on the hook for the disruptions caused by visitors, she predicted.

Normally, you expect people to deal with their own issues on their own property, Reeves told the council Feb. 7. If I decided to remodel my house, and then expected I could park on my neighbors yard, I think that would not be approved  and I would not expect it would be approved.

In addition to remaking the five-year-old Ma(i)sonry, the company also is developing RH Gallery, a glass-roofed restaurant, next door on a vacant site that hosted a steakhouse and an Italian restaurant in the past. Yountville approved that development in June 2015.

But in a break with earlier plans sent to the city, Restoration applied for permission to add dinner to RH Gallerys breakfast-and-lunch schedule  and bring table service next door to the wine-oriented Ma(i)sonry.

The revision would create 92 indoor and patio seats at RH Gallery and another 94 at Ma(i)sonry. Restoration Hardware would apply for two state alcohol licenses  one type for both restaurants and another, for drink sales without food, for a wine bar in the Ma(i)sonry building, which would be rechristened RH Wine Vault.

Owners also seek to keep RH Wine Vault open through 2 a.m. on weekends and until midnight on other evenings. Outdoor seating would be available through at least 9 p.m., and until 10 p.m. on weekends.

However, the owners hopes for more seats and longer hours drew the ire of its nearest neighbors, some of whom spoke of noise from evening parties and guest vehicles often blocking a driveway that serves both the tasting room and the Burgundy Commons homes directly behind it.

The fact this has become such a big project is another example of bait-and-switch tactics; its that simple, said Joann Cruz, a neighborhood resident. Two restaurants, a bar, a retail outlet  what is happening to Yountville? Im struggling to see how a project that can change to something of this magnitude does anything to support the residents, the integrity of what Yountville stands for.

The idea of the Ma(i)sonry building becoming a busier hub also triggered skepticism in Mayor John Dunbar, who pointed to the buildings much quieter history in the neighborhood  first as the home of the early 20th-century vineyardist Charles Rovegno, and later as a seven-room inn that operated from the mid-1970s until 2007.

I do see a difference for a place that has been a bed-and-breakfast, an art gallery and a wine tasting room, he told Restoration representatives. To go to a full-service restaurant, I have serious reservations about that, regardless of the (operating hours) were talking about.

Upgrading restaurant services at the existing and future buildings will trigger a requirement for more parking spaces, for which Ma(i)sonrys owner has proposed a mix of 42 on-site valet slots for guests and the leasing of town-owned space west of Yountville Community Park for 36 employee vehicles. Town staff also must decide whether changes to the building  which would include swapping the locations of an exterior window and door  are consistent with its listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

Stuart Wagner, a Restoration planning and development director, told Yountville officials the company will re-evaluate its parking and other arrangements before offering a revised building plan. No new review date has been announced.

Reeves, the Yountville neighbor, described the rural peacefulness of her community as something worth defending even as tourism continues to reshape it.

People might say the old Yountville is long gone, she told council members. But the only reason people want to build or live or visit here, is because of the foundations of the old Yountville, not the exceptions to the foundations. We have very few permanent residents left in a lot of our neighborhoods, and those of us who are still here really cherish the old Yountville.
I have been reflecting a great deal recently on public versus private morality. Most religions and to a certain extent cultures agree in broad brush-strokes on what it means to be a good person. With regard to our treatment of others, the Ten Commandments  dont lie, dont steal, dont kill, dont covet or commit adultery, take care of family  cover most of it. We know what righteousness (to use an old-fashioned term) looks like in an individuals life. But we dont seem to apply those same standards to ourselves as a society.

The largest and loudest religious voices on the public stage for many years have been with regard to issues of what I would call private morality  the choices individuals make, how they live their lives  and how these particular issues intersect with our countrys laws: same-sex marriage, birth control, abortion, to name a few. The Episcopal Church has been one of only a handful of religious voices offering dissenting or more nuanced views on these topics. I would hazard a guess that most non-religious people equate the dominant religious voice on these issues with the sum total of what religion has to say in the public sphere. But religious sentiments focused primarily on private morality, personal holiness, and individual salvation are a relatively modern phenomenon.

The Judeo-Christian tradition is one of social holiness, of public morality. The Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, are about the cohesion of a people based on a covenant with God which asked them to reflect Gods character not only individually, but as a society. This is particularly manifest in how the people of God were to treat the most vulnerable among them: the widows, the orphans, the foreigner.

In the New Testament, Jesus boils it down even further: Love your neighbor as yourself. Crossing every social barrier and breaking down every type of exclusion, Jesus came to show us the way of self-giving love. That love is transformative and redemptive for individuals unto eternity, certainly, but I believe the transformation and redemption of the kingdom (also translated reign, empire, government or kin-dom) of God which Jesus came to inaugurate begins here and now. As people of faith, we are about the business of helping make the words we pray come true: Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. When asked what that kingdom, or what public morality, looks like, we need look no further than love your neighbor as yourself. What we would want for ourselves and our children, that is what we are to work for on behalf of all people.

I recently returned from El Salvador where I spent a week at the board meeting of Cristosal, a nonprofit which advances human rights in Central America through rights-based programming, research, and learning, working particularly on the issue of forced displacement by violence. The human rights lens recognizes the inherent dignity, equality, and inalienable rights of every human being.

A rights-based approach addresses the dis-empowerment and dependency engendered by traditional charity models, which are strongly critiqued in Robert Luptons book Toxic Charity. It repositions the poor from being objects of charity to citizen partners, architects and owners in their own process of development. As the poor and victims of violence claim their dignity and improve their lives, we who accompany them are also transformed  public morality, the kingdom of God, comes into focus.

A bus full of North American board members, clergy, and visitors had an experience of the kingdom of God on Feb. 5. Our bus was out of place on the dusty roads in the community of tin shacks called April 30  30 de Abril, named for the date these 500 families had to evacuate their homes along the river during a flood, and resettle here.

Rather than teach something or bring something to this community, we came to learn. We assembled in a makeshift church of bamboo posts and tin roofing, surrounded by the artwork of children who were receiving certificates for participation in a course promoted by the adults of their community, with the partnership of Cristosal.

The adults of April 30 who had recently completed a diploma course in human rights taught us in small groups about their experience applying human rights concepts to the legalization of their land, and we produced posters together depicting the process with the help of the children. The statement of the president of the community stuck with many of us the most: I have dignity, he said simply.

It is the moment in our history to re-claim our heritage as people of faith. Through private morality, being a good person, we honor the image of God in ourselves and others. But we are called to more. We are called to be a good society, a country that cares for its most vulnerable, recognizes our global interconnectedness, and respects the dignity of every human being. In so doing we help Gods kingdom come on earth as in heaven.
More Napa Valley businesses hit with handicapped access lawsuits

In the last year, more than 30 Napa Valley businesses have been slammed with lawsuits from a Napa woman who says she is being discriminated against under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Most of the lawsuits, which have been filed in federal court, complain of parking lots that are out of compliance or doors and aisles that are too narrow.

The plaintiff, Pamela Koussa of Napa, says in the suits that she is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair for mobility. Koussa declined to comment last week.

The Register first reported on the lawsuits on Oct. 1 when Koussa had only filed 21 lawsuits in Napa and American Canyon. Since then, she has filed lawsuits against several businesses in St. Helena including Lolos Consignment, Vineland Station, and Friedrich Company.

Most business owners have chosen to settle their cases.
Josh Clark, board president, announced Feb. 16 that Yaconelli will succeed Jay Templeton, who has served as executive director since July 2012. After 47 years with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America system in California and Washington, Templeton will retire and return to his family home in Lynden, Washington.

Clark said, We are pleased to select Trent, who has been a member of our staff for more than 20 years, the past four and a half years as Associate Executive Director. Trent was recommended for an internal promotion by the Boards joint Executive Committee and Hiring Task Force. That recommendation was discussed in executive session at the Feb. 15 meeting of the Board of Directors. All voting members of the Board in attendance voted affirmative in selecting Trent as our next Executive Director.
WASHINGTON  Trashing the Paris Agreement made for a great campaign prop at Donald Trumps rallies, where the climate change accord was portrayed as a product of the out-of-touch, insufferable elites that Trump pledged to sweep from power.

Now the landmark agreement, signed under President Barack Obama, is fast becoming a nuisance for President Trumps White House.

It is putting the president under increasing pressure from places he may not have expected. His own secretary of state appears to see little upside in the president following through on the signature campaign vow to scrap it. His ambassador to the United Nations is hedging. And titans of industries that Trump promised would be unleashed to create new jobs once freed from the agreements constraints are openly hostile to Trumps plan to put it through the shredder.

Even the American Coal Council has yet to muster a tepid cheer for Trumps denunciations of the United Nations-sponsored climate plan. As for the power companies Trump warned would be forced by Paris to raise their rates trillions of dollars? Their trade group, the Edison Electric Institute, doesnt even have a position on the agreement.

The reticence toward Trumps tough talk about the nearly 200-nation accord reflects how much has changed in perceptions of the global warming threat since the White House was last occupied by a president disdainful of international efforts to contain it.

Corporate chief executives have grown more panicked about the effect global warming will have on business stability than about the cost of confronting it. And it is not just Ben and Jerrys types that have already invested a tremendous amount in redirecting their entire business model to account for climate.

Outside the confines of Trump campaign rallies, the offices of a few free market think tanks and the tea party stalwarts in Congress, the broader consensus is that abandoning the Paris Agreement wont save trillions of dollars, as Trump promised, but hurt the economy.

Exxon Mobil is all in on Paris, which aims to contain global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial-age levels; so are DuPont, Unilever and Monsanto, the multinational genetically engineered food juggernaut that often tangles with the environmental movement. Half of the companies in the Fortune 500 already have greenhouse gas reduction plans in place.

This is directly related to our business, said Gabriela Burian, director of global sustainable agriculture at Monsanto. We need to provide solutions while farmers are facing climate change.

Monsanto is on track to be carbon neutral by 2021 and has long accepted as fact something the Trump administration has not: that absent swift action, human-induced climate change could be catastrophic for business. It was among the more than 745 companies and big investors that signed a postelection letter expressing full support for the accord. The signatories collectively employ more than 1.8 million Americans.

Many Republican heavyweights are meanwhile sending a clear signal to the White House that their dislike of the Clean Power Plan  the Obama administrations blueprint for meeting Americas obligations under the climate pact  should not be confused with support for Trumps repudiation of all climate action.

A group of GOP gurus that includes former Secretaries of State James A. Baker and George P. Shultz, former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson and lead economic advisers for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush visited the White House last week to implore the administration to approach climate policy the way it appears to be dealing with Obamacare. Repealing the Obama climate plan and replacing it with nothing, they warned, would be a perilous path.

The group lobbied for a tax on carbon, a climate change solution long championed by economists across political boundaries  and one this particular group noted would enable the United States to meet the obligations laid out in Paris.

The risks are too great to ignore, Baker, a longtime climate skeptic himself, said of climate change. We need some sort of insurance policy.

The Paris accord doesnt set particularly onerous standards on U.S. emissions. The boom in natural gas production, plunging prices of wind and solar power, and evolution of energy-efficient technologies  along with the embrace of sustainability by American businesses  have the U.S. well on its way to meeting its goals under the pact. Unlike Obamas Clean Power Plan, which sets strict rules for how electric plants can operate, the accord is a broader pledge to take a leadership role in the climate fight.

If we dont decide to participate, it is still moving forward, said Gina McCarthy, who ran the Environmental Protection Agency when Obama signed the accord. We are simply going to cede those opportunities to other countries.

China has already made clear it is prepared to step into the breach, reaffirming its commitment last month at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled a plan to invest $360 billion in renewable energy and suspend production of 101 coal plants.

Donald Trump is used to winning things, not walking away like a scalded dog, said Bob Inglis, a former GOP congressman from South Carolina. Leaving a very hard-won international agreement on the table so China can lead the world would be a strange look.

Trump may opt to leave the agreement in place and instead move to aggressively erase the federal emissions rules it inspired. But that approach is certain to generate more blowback than Trump may have anticipated.

The reason the Paris accord got signed is because so many companies wanted this, said Andrew Hoffman, a professor at the University of Michigans Ross School of Business. They are moving on this stuff, and the policies of one administration are not going to radically shift their direction.

The companies want to operate on a level playing field, with predictable rules. In some cases, major investors have threatened to pull their money out of firms that hedge on climate action; companies, in turn, are looking to government to guide them in their efforts.

When Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich recently blocked his state legislatures plan to suspend green energy mandates, Nestle, Whirlpool and Gap sent a public thank you note lauding his courage and conviction.

Trump still may move to scrap the Paris accord. Some in Washington suspect he is waiting until his nominee to lead the EPA, climate skeptic Scott Pruitt, gets confirmed. But it hasnt gone without notice that the frenetic new administration has waited this long.

Maybe this isnt as big a boogeyman to them as other things are, said Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres, a coalition of businesses and nonprofits engaged in climate advocacy. They know how to take immediate action. They arent taking it.
Dear Wolfgang, thank you for hosting all of us. Its always a great pleasure to be here at the Munich Security Conference, but especially this year because these are really pivotal times. We face the greatest security challenges for generations so I think its even more important that we meet and discuss and address these challenges together.

For almost 70 years, the partnership between Europe and North America has ensured peace, freedom and prosperity. It enabled us to successfully deter the Soviet Union, and bring the Cold War to an end, and this partnership also enabled the integration of Europe. European leaders have always understood that going it alone is not an option. And, after two world wars that started in Europe, American leaders know that they have a profound strategic interest in a stable and secure Europe. The only time we have invoked our collective defence clause, the Article 5, was after an attack on the United States, terrorist attacks on 9/11 in 2001. And this was more than just a gesture. Hundreds of thousands of European and Canadian soldiers have served in Afghanistan in the last 16 years. Around a thousand have paid the ultimate price.

This bond between Europe and North America, embodied in the NATO Alliance, remains essential for both. Europe needs North America and North America needs Europe. Together, we are responding to a changing security environment. NATO has implemented the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.

Our response is defensive and measured and proportionate. We do not seek to provoke conflict, but to prevent conflict and preserve peace. To keep our people safe, NATO is also projecting stability beyond our borders. Responding to the turmoil on NATOs borders in the Middle East and North Africa, the Alliance is helping to train security forces in partner countries like Jordan and Tunisia. Because when our neighbours are more stable, we are more secure.

We have led the international engagement in Afghanistan for more than a decade. And we continue to train Afghan forces to keep their country secure, and deny safe haven to international terrorists.

Every NATO Ally is part of the US-led coalition against ISIL. Our AWACS surveillance aircraft support coalition air operations and NATO has just started and launched a training and capacity building programme in Iraq.

But the Alliance can and should do more.

Training local forces is our best tool to fight terrorism. NATO has decades of experience in this area. Tried and tested structures. The ability to coordinate efforts by many nations and over 40 partners willing to help. All of this gives the Alliance unique staying power, and that is key. Because stabilising our neighbourhood and fighting terrorism is not a one-off event. But a generational effort.

The ability of our Alliance to fulfil all its tasks depends on all Allies contributing their fair share. Europeans cannot ask the United States to commit to Europes defence if they are not willing to commit more themselves. In 2014, Allies sat around the same table, looked each other in the eye and agreed to invest more in defence and all heard Chancellor Merkel and Vice President Pence stressing this morning the importance of increased defence spending and fairer burden sharing. That is good for Europe and its good for NATO. I applaud Chancellor Merkels commitment to increasing Germanys defence spending. It is a vital contribution to European freedom, peace and security. Fairer burden sharing has been my top priority since taking office. In 2016, after many years of cuts, defence spending increased across Europe and Canada by 3.8 % in real terms or ten billion US dollars. That is a significant step in the right direction, but it is not enough. The Alliance still has a long way to go. All Allies must speed up their efforts to meet the target of spending 2% of GDP on defence. Burden sharing is not just about spending. Its also about the skilled troops and high-end capabilities for NATO operations. And the political will to come to each others defence. NATOs new enhanced forward presence is an example of burden sharing. Four battlegroups involving 15 European Allies are deploying to the Baltic States and Poland. Sending a clear signal of solidarity. A strong European defence also contributes to fairer burden-sharing. And High Representative Vice President Federica Mogherini and I we work very closely on how we can make sure that stronger European defence complements what NATO does and do not compete. And our cooperation is excellent, we are really moving forward together. So as long as NATO and the European Union complement, not compete with, each other.

Because a strong Europe cannot mean Europe alone. Just as I dont believe America First means America Alone. That is the core of our transatlantic bond: NATO is strong because we stand together.

We are an Alliance of 28 democracies. Debate is part of our DNA, and we have our differences, but thats nothing to fear. Open debate is not a sign of weakness but of strength. What matters is that political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic  and across the political spectrum  have always agreed on our core mission: we defend each other, to preserve our freedom and protect our values.

So Ladies and Gentlemen, NATOs founding Washington treaty committed Allies to unite their efforts for the preservation of peace and security.

Those words were written by a generation who had lived through the horrors of World War I and then World War II. Who believed that history was not predetermined and that they could build a peaceful international order, founded on strong, multilateral institutions.NATOs history is one of common challenges overcome together.

But the question is..can we match the ambition, the ideals and the achievements of those who crafted our institutions all those years ago? The post-war generation rose to their challenge. Now we must rise to ours.

Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger: Let me, if I may, pursue this burden sharing issue just once step further. I think most of us here in the hall understand exactly what was agreed in Wales and what was agreed and confirmed in Warsaw. And I think most people here would agree that more needs to be done, so thats not really in dispute, but what, thats my question, what is the meaning and the potential consequences of what I would call the Trump-Pence ultimatum? In other words, what happens if we dont fulfil, all of us, that particular goal, what happens then? Are there consequences, have the American delegation explained what would happen if by the end of this year not everybody has responded in the way thats maybe seen as desirable? Tell us all about that.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: So my focus is now on what can we do to make sure that we implement what we have promised, that we deliver on what we promised all together back in 2014. And this is not about the US forcing Europe to increase defence spending. This is about actually all 28 Allies including 26 European Allies sitting around the same table back in 2014 and agreeing that, taking into account a more dangerous world, a more demanding security environment, we have to invest more in defence. So, I think its important to understand that it is in the interest of Europe to invest more in defence and the good thing is that even if there is a long way to go and even if today only 5 nations that meet the 2% target, actually we have started to move. In 2014 we decided 3 things: we decided to stop the cuts, then gradually increase defence spending and then move towards2% within a decade. In 2015 we stopped the cuts, 2015 was the first year in many years we didnt have cuts in defence spending across Europe and Canada. Then in 2016 we had a significant increase of 10 billion dollars or close to 4% in real terms. So actually after just two years we have made two important steps: stop the cuts and started a significant increase. We have a long way to go, there is much more to do but Im encouraged by the fact that we have started to move in the right direction. So my focus is on how can we make sure that this is something we will continue and Im confident because I see a very strong will in the European capitals and in the US and Canada that we should do this together.

Konstantin Kosachev, Russian Parliament: Mr. Secretary General, coming from Russia, I became strongly confused right now listening to you, for the simple reason that you were repeatedly speaking not just on behalf of NATO which would be a most natural thing, but on behalf of the whole Europe. I consider Russia and other European countries as natural European participants as NATO members. But you were repeatedly saying North America is in need of Europe, Europe is in need of North America and so forth. We have two major European organizations, the Council of Europe consisting of 47 European countries; the OSCE consisting of 56 countries, most of them European. And this is for me a very good format for discussing European security amongst other things and the idea that NATOs concentration on itself and NATOs ambition to speak on behalf of the whole Europe and all European countries does disturb the European cooperation and their dialogue within the major European security organizations like the OSCE and the Council of Europe, where NATO countries sometimes speak in one voice, again, in contradiction of the rules of procedure of these two organizations. For me as a Russian politician NATO is probably a good thing for NATO countries but its offensive for European security because it does not unite Europe, it divides Europe and it divides security, providing better conditions for certain countries and other conditions for the rest of the countries of Europe. How would you respond to that?

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: First of all I really believe that a strong transatlantic bond is good for the whole of Europe because it contributes to peace and stability in Europe and thats good for the whole of Europe. Secondly, NATO is strong not only because we represent 28 Allies, we are 28 Allies, and I represent those Allies, but NATO is strong also because we have more than 40 partner nations and many of them in Europe. We work closely with countries like Sweden and Finland in the north and I know very much that they also welcome a strong transatlantic bond. We work with countries in the Balkans, in the western Balkans, some are members, but some are not, but they are partners of NATO and they appreciate a strong transatlantic bond. We work with countries like Georgia and Ukraine, not NATO members, but strongly in favor of a strong partnership with NATO and a strong transatlantic bond. So I really believe that the transatlantic bond is important for the 28 Allies of course but its also important for the stability and the peace in Europe. Add to that that NATO has also enabled the enlargement of the Alliance after the Cold War and also been a framework for the enlargement of the European Union which I think is important, both of them making NATO and Europe stronger and at peace.

Sir Ming Campbell: Secretary General, thank you very much. I wonder if in this elongated debate you would accept that the question is not so much what we spend but how we spend it, and in particular, we should bear in mind that the 2% is a minimum target, and should be interpreted in that way and Mrs. Merkel spoke about common procurement, what about the two principles of interoperability and for specialization, so that Europe as a whole can provide a full spectrum of capability?

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: I absolutely agree with you that this is also about how we spend the money, and actually what we agreed in 2014, 28 Heads of State and Government, was not only to spend more but also to spend better we had to do both, but its not either or better, we need to spend at 2% better and thats the reason why we are addressing both the importance of both increased defence spending and also do what we do in a more coordinated more efficient way. And it is a reality that its possible to waste a lot of money on defence is you spend the money in the wrong way and one the challenges we face especially in Europe is the fragmentation of our defence industries. I often use the example that in the US they have one type of battle tanks, in Europe we have 5 different. In the US there is one armoured infrantry vehicle, I think in Europe its 13. So of course everything related to the economy of scale is much more utilized in the US because there are bigger umbers while in Europe we havent been able to utilize that in the same way. I know that thats difficult, because I was for some years Prime Minister in Norway and one of the first decisions I made back in 2000 was decide that when we were going to buy new frigates for Norway we were not going to buy Norwegian ones because they were more expensive, but we were going to buy Spanish frigates. That was one of the reasons I lost the elections the same year. So I didnt repeat it the next time and I started to buy Norwegian and I won some elections. So the problem of course is that its extremely sensitive to integrate the defence industry but we have to do it of course because that will reduce cost and make sure that we spend better than we do today.
As nonprofits across Flagstaff grapple with the implications of city and state minimum wage increases, at least one prominent charity has come up with a plan.

Goodwill of Northern Arizona has announced it is in talks about a merger with its much larger neighbor to the south, Goodwill of Central Arizona. The move will mean an immediate infusion of up to $500,000 for the beleaguered agency.

The move is coming this year in large part because of the minimum wage increases, said David Hirsch, CEO of Goodwill of Northern Arizona. Hirsch said the merger will mean more resources and enable it to continue and expand its work in the region.

The merger will mean more stores, more new hires and a reopening of closed career centers, according to the CEOs of both organizations, which are autonomous despite being under the same Goodwill umbrella.

We're in position to help grow this territory, said Tim ONeal president and CEO of Goodwill of Central Arizona.

Once the merger is complete, ONeal said his first plans include reopening five career centers in the region that have been closed, opening new retail stores in Flagstaff, Kingman and Show Low, scheduling more discount days at stores and arranging for home donation pickups.

Eventually, ONeal said Goodwill could open up to five stores in Flagstaff and 25 stores across the region, up from five currently.

The expansion will mean the nonprofit will be adding jobs to its payroll -- a projected increase of 33 percent over the next one to two years -- and restarting conversations about opening career service centers on college campuses, ONeal said.

Already, Goodwill of Central Arizona has committed up to $500,000 for Goodwill of Northern Arizonas operations to keep them running until the merger officially takes effect, ONeal said.

Accelerated schedule

The merger with the central Arizona Goodwill was already in his longer term plans, Hirsch said, but the organizations existing financial circumstances coupled with the dual minimum wage increases forced an acceleration of that process.

Goodwill of Northern Arizona has been struggling financially, with retail sales dipping as its stores compete with an ever-increasing number of shopping options, both online and at bricks-and-mortar stores, Hirsch said. At the same time, people are becoming savvier about shopping around and waiting for the best deals, he said.

Last fall, the nonprofit had to lay off 10 of its employees due to those factors.

Then came both state and city minimum wage increases, which Hirsch said will cost his organization an extra $400,000 this year across northern Arizona if the Flagstaff minimum hits $12 on July 1. Those costs eliminate the organizations ability to contribute back to growth and expansion, Hirsch said.

Long story short, (the minimum wage increase) took some of our existing challenges and further exacerbated them, he said. The minimum wage increase...was the nail in the coffin for us.

Currently, Goodwill of Northern Arizona has 200 employees on its payroll, 160 of whom are full time with benefits. Among those employees, 22 percent are people with disabilities while the rest have other barriers to employment, including a history of incarceration, experience with domestic violence, a lack of education or not a stellar work history, Hirsch said.

Had we continued down the line we were going, 200 people would be without jobs, he said.

ONeal said Flagstaffs $12 minimum wage, currently slated to go into effect in July, wont deter his organizations plans for northern Arizona.

Goodwill, unlike a lot of other nonprofits, has a revenue source in donated goods that it can work with to weather something like a required wage increase, ONeal said. The northern Arizona Goodwill is also fortunate that it has a larger counterpart that provides the option for a merger.

Many local nonprofits arent lucky enough to have that as a possibility, he said.
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Pakistani Hindu community will have a personal law for the first time as the Senate has passed 'The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017'. The bill, approved by the National Assembly on September 26, 2015 and passed on Friday, will likely get presidential assent next week to become a law, Dawn online reported. According to the bill, Hindu women will get documentary proof of their marriage. After approval, the law will be applicable on Pakistani Hindus in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Sindh province already has its own Hindu marriage law. The bill presented in the Senate by Law Minister Zahid Hamid faced no opposition or objection. It was approved by the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on January 2 with an overwhelming majority. However, Senator Mufti Abdul Sattar of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl had opposed the bill, saying the Constitution was vast enough to cater for such needs. Committee chairperson Senator Nasreen Jalil of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Friday said: "This was unfair. Not only against the principles of Islam but also a human rights violation that we have not been able to formulate a personal family law for the Hindus." Senators Aitzaz Ahsan, Jehanzeb Jamaldini and Sitara Ayaz, supporting the bill, said it was related to the marriage of Hindus living in Pakistan and had nothing to do with Muslims. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, who had been working relentlessly for three years to have a Hindu marriage law, said: "Such laws will help discourage forced conversions and streamline the Hindu community after the marriage of individuals. Vankwani said it was difficult for Hindu women to prove their marriage. The law paves the way for 'Shadi Parath' -- similar to Nikahnama for Muslims -- to be signed by a pundit and registered with the relevant government department. However, the Hindu parliamentarians and members of the community had concerns over one of the clauses of the bill that deals with "annulment of marriage". According to the bill, one of the partners can approach the court for separation if any of them changes the religion. "The separation case should be filed before the conversion as it gives an option to the miscreants to kidnap a married woman, keep her under illegal custody and present her in a court that she has converted to Islam and does not want to live with a Hindu man," Vankwani said. The bill is widely acceptable for Pakistani Hindus and relates to marriage, its registration, separation and remarriage, with the minimum age of marriage set at 18 years for both boys and girls. --IANS py/ ( 435 Words) 2017-02-18-10:48:07 (IANS)
Delay in resumption of imports by Iran is likely to hinder the recovery in Indian Basmati rice exports, says credit rating agency, ICRA, in its latest update note on Indian Basmati rice industry. ICRA has estimated this as a temporary delay, considering Iran's insufficient domestic rice production and depleting inventory levels to meet its demand. In ICRA's view, the price cap of USD 850 per metric tonne (MT) could pose further hurdles for the Basmati rice industry; given that during the current procurement season average Basmati paddy prices have been higher by 20-25 percent. Thus an inflow of orders from Iran, even after the import ban is lifted, remains to be seen. "Iran is a major export destination for Indian Basmati rice and decline in demand from Iran has played a role in the declining realisations of exports from India - from USD 1298/MT in FY2014 to USD 784/MT in FY2017," said Deepak Jotwani, Assistant VP, ICRA Ltd. Iran is amongst the major importers of Basmati rice from India. However, over the years, the Iranian Government has imposed a ban on import of Basmati rice from time to time, as per the movement in inventory held by its rice traders and also to safeguard the interests of its local farmers. Iran last imposed a ban on import of Basmati rice in July 2016. Given that the ban persisted against industry expectations, the Government of India sent a trade delegation to Iran in January 2017 to resolve the issue. Following this, it was expected that the import ban would be removed soon. While there has been no official notification from Iran, a group of large Basmati rice importers in Iran have recently capped the price of Basmati rice imports at USD 850/MT. In another adverse development for the industry, the US has recently imposed fresh trade sanctions on Iran, which restrains Iran's use of the US dollar for trade. These two developments have created uncertainty around the resumption of Basmati rice exports to Iran. While Basmati rice is consumed across the globe, West Asian countries continue to account for most of the imports (75 percent of Indian Basmati rice exports in FY2016). Within West Asia, Iran and Saudi Arabia are the two largest buyers, together accounting for 40 to 50 percent of total Basmati rice exports from India. In the past, Iran had been placed under economic sanctions by the USA, Europe and the United Nations, following which the Government of India implemented the rupee payment mechanism through UCO Bank to facilitate trade between India and Iran. This led to a surge in Indian Basmati rice exports to Iran (primarily Pusa 1121 variety) over FY2013 and FY2014 and it emerged as the largest importer (37 percent) of Basmati rice from India. However since then, exports to Iran have largely been on a downward trajectory owing to the import bans imposed. This has reflected in declining export realisations for the last few years. (ANI)